Sharing the Skies - Beyblade Burst Fanfic

Chapter 7

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Albus muttered.

"... Me too."

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Zac's POV, Present

I know, I said before that my leg felt numb, but now it feels like a tiny flame burning me from the inside out. Really, it bothers me, and not a lot of things bother me (unless it compromises or insults my fame, of course). I'm not exactly sure why I'm leaving my life in the hands of a phantom thief, but he's the only one who is willing to help me.

Besides, I get a good, if not familiar vibe from him.

"There it is...!" he agonizes, both in joy and exhaust. Right ahead of us, I can see... the hospital! I don't know whether to be relieved or saddened. I feel somewhat safer riding on the thief's back. Strange, huh?

He stopped running. I look down at my villainous hero and realize... he doesn't look like a shady musketeer anymore. He's wearing a white coat and brown pants. His hair is a dull light blue (is that a braid I spot?)--oh, he's lifting me down and carrying me with his arms now--his eyes are grey, and he is now wearing... glasses?

He looks like that one Beyblade scientist, Naoki Minamo, but with slightly-different features.

But that's besides the point. He also looks like...

No... stop thinking that, Zac. We've been through this! My brother would never be a criminal....

We entered the hospital (you can imagine everyone's reactions to seeing a patient being brought in the way I am being brought in). The fragrance of rubbing alcohol and flowers is already getting me all anxious...

I feel myself being laid down onto the soft surface of a cot. "He's been shot in the leg," I heard the disguised thief say urgently to some other nurses. "He needs medical care immediately."

"Naoki Minamo? That one Beyblade scientist?"one of the nurses asks.

"Are you a new worker here?" another one inquired.

"That's not important right now. What matters is his well-being." He even sounds like my brother...! No... what am I saying? He can't be my brother... can he?

Wait, he's taking something out from his pocket.

...What? You're giving back my Zillion Zeutron?

"Hold on to it." His voice is barely audible to me, but I could see his worried look clearly. "D-Don't let it get stolen again, okay?"

But... Why are you returning it to me? You're a phantom thief--

Ow, my leg! No, really, it's burning! Oh sssshhh... Shu Kurenai, it burns a lot! "Zac?" The thief's voice calls out. But it's muffled... Why are my ears ringing?

I can feel him put a hand on my shoulder. "Zac! Calm down. They're here to help you."

His hand is warm... reminds me of just how cold I've become. I can't help but shiver. It's like I'm losing control over my body... I can't believe a single bullet did this....

It's like there's a cloud over my mind... Everything looks foggy....

Through my blurry vision I can see the thief-in-disguise pinching the bridge of his nose, his eyes squeezed shut.... Then I see him take a breath and give me this assuring look. But deep inside, I know it... he is in utter distress.... You could see it in his grey, loving eyes.

Grey loving eyes...?

Why...

"Auguste...?"

He is walking away, just when I was convinced it was him.

"Auguste, where are you going...?"

I wanna follow him, but people are holding me down. Let go of me! I want to be with my brother! I don't care if I'm hurt!

"Don't leave me with these guys...!"

It is hopeless... I'm too weak to get out of their grasp.

Never have I felt this complicated... Are these tears? I must look so messed up right now.

Someone is pinching my shoulder...

I'm so sleepy...

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Auguste's POV, Present

"Auguste, where are you going...?" I could hear him say. Brother, I can't stay here for long, you know....

I can hear a struggle by the cot... and whimpering. That must be my brother reaching for me. "He's becoming more ill," one of the nurses warns. "We should take him to the ICU."

"Don't leave me with these guys...!" I hear him cry out. Now he's breaking into quiet sobs. I so badly wanted to turn back around... to give him a hug or something... to tell him he'll be okay... that we're okay... I'm sorry...!

I start to sprint away, somewhere where I could be alone. I dropped my relaxed, secretive act and let the tears fly freely. I don't even care that my bruises are still hurting.

I could tell people are staring at me. They're talking about me too: "Is he okay?" "What happened to his look just now?" "He suddenly looks different..." "Wait, could he be a..."

Even with my eyes shut, I can now feel my cape following me. Sensing my feather hat reappear, I am forced to keep it on my head while running. The sound of my footsteps changed, as if I got a sudden shoe change.

Gah! I don't care if I transformed back in the moment... I just want to run from this...!

At last, I reach the outdoors and slow to a walk, then to a stumble. Overusing my phantom thief abilities has drained me. Using the hospital wall, I steady myself with a hand. A gloved hand... Guess I did turn back into my pathetic, phantom thief self after all.

It's cold and windy out. As if to find answers, I look up at the dark skies. The tears are blocking my vision, but I could already tell... there are no stars out tonight. That got me.

Sitting down against the wall, I let myself weep. This feather hat is so unfitting right now... I take it off and shield my teary face with it. "I am to blame for this..." I lament to myself. "I never should've become a criminal..." Even if I did get insulted calling myself that (which I did), I deserve it. Besides, I don't feel like a phantom thief anymore.

My moment of sorrow is briefly cut short. The sound of sirens... It's coming my direction. Did someone call the police on me?!

I groggily get up and glance ahead. Yup. The blaring of the sirens are much closer now. I can see the flashing red and blue lights of two or three police cars, glaring at me. They're here to get me.

I grab my cape with a trembling hand and try making myself vanish with it, but nothing happens. Right... us phantom thieves can only teleport twice a night. I used too much fuel...! The least I could do is run away into some secluded alleyway and let the darkness hide me.

I start to run yet again, this time in fright. I can hear the police coming out from their cars and slamming their doors. One of them hollered, "Stop right there, you thief!" Okay, that still stung!

Oh, I see an alleyway within my reach! If I could just retreat there...

Wait... am I really still taking this risk? Zac already knows I am a phantom thief. What would he want me to do... surrender--?

I didn't even have the time to cry out when something struck me in the back. I could feel electricity spread over my entire body. I fell limp on the ground on my face, though still conscious. And definitely scared for life.

Barely lifting my face from the ground, I turned my eyes upward to see a police man's silhouette standing over me. "You're out of tricks," he sneered.