Scene: Storm at the Summit
---
Morning — En Route to WBBA Headquarters, Los Angeles
The glossy black car purred down the sunlit boulevards, its tinted windows shielding its VIP passengers from the public eye. The streets of downtown Los Angeles passed by in a blur of palm trees, sky-rise buildings, and early commuters, but inside the car, time felt slower—thicker.
Kristin Castillo sat beside Valt Aoi in the backseat, trying not to be obvious as her eyes kept drifting toward him.
He was staring out the window, utterly unaware of the quiet effect he was having.
His sharp black dress shirt stretched perfectly over his broad shoulders, sleeves rolled up just slightly at the wrists. The sunlight filtered through the windows and kissed the soft angles of his jawline and cheekbones. His blue hair was down, and a few strands framed his striking eyes—so vividly blue they could shatter silence.
He looked like he belonged on a magazine cover.
No—on a throne.
Kristin flushed faintly and cleared her throat, forcing her eyes back to her phone. Come on, get it together, she told herself. You've known him for years. He's still Valt. Still goofy, still kind, still—
But he wasn't.
Not anymore.
Not really.
He had grown up. Into someone who didn't even realize the way people looked at him now. Who didn't realize the kind of looks he inspired.
"…You good?" Valt suddenly asked, turning toward her.
Kristin blinked and nearly dropped her phone. "Wh-what?"
"You're weirdly quiet." He smiled, completely oblivious to her reaction. "That's not like you. You're usually lecturing me about punctuality or posture or something."
She forced a light laugh. "I'm just mentally preparing for the circus we're walking into. And you're the main attraction."
He grinned at that, shrugging one shoulder. "If they ask me to do a speech, I'm dragging you up with me."
Kristin chuckled again, but the faint flush on her cheeks never left.
If only you knew, Valt Aoi.
If only you looked at me like that.
But Valt turned his gaze out the window again, a soft seriousness returning to his face.
And somewhere far away… a flicker of blood red crossed his thoughts. But he brushed it aside.
---
WBBA Headquarters — Grand Boardroom
The WBBA building towered high into the sky, its modern architecture gleaming like a blade under the sun. Inside, the atmosphere was electric. Officials, organizers, journalists, and world council members bustled through the halls.
And the moment Valt Aoi stepped through the doors—
Hearts skipped.
Eyes turned.
The room changed.
"Welcome, Champion Aoi!"
"The legend himself—it's an honor!"
"We've prepared the main room, everything is set!"
Valt smiled and greeted each person warmly, shaking hands and offering bows with that trademark humility that made him beloved across the globe.
Kristin walked beside him, poised and smiling, but her subtle attempts to stand close or touch his arm were met with polite, unknowing detachment. He wasn't cold—just distant in a way that revealed the truth:
Valt Aoi didn't see her the way she saw him.
And maybe he never had.
Inside the grand meeting chamber, all the heads of international branches took their seats, murmuring and trading eager whispers. At the head of the curved obsidian table, Valt was guided to the central chair—reserved only for the World Champion.
He adjusted his collar and sat, calm and radiant.
Kristin took the seat just to his right, silent but watching him closely.
The room settled. The double doors were closed. The WBBA president stood, hands raised to begin the speech.
And then—
SLAM.
The doors burst open.
A sharp wind cut through the tension.
All heads turned.
And there he was.
Shu Kurenai.
Uninvited.
Unannounced.
Unapologetic.
Clad in a fitted crimson blazer and black dress shirt, eyes burning like wildfire and fury sharp in every step. His hair was perfectly styled, but his expression was anything but calm.
The air crackled as he stormed forward, the weight of his aura slamming down on the entire room.
Gasps rang out.
"Isn't that Shu Kurenai—?"
"He wasn't on the invite list."
"Someone—stop him—!"
No one moved.
Because the way he walked made it clear—this wasn't a man you stopped.
Kristin half-stood in alarm. "Shu?! What are you—?"
But Shu didn't even glance at her.
His crimson eyes locked only on one person.
Valt.
The World Champion's face had gone still—eyes widening, lips parting ever so slightly.
"…Shu?" he whispered.
And for the briefest moment… everything else fell away.
Shu's jaw clenched. His voice rang out, cold and cutting:
> "Funny. I had to find out from the news that you were in my country."
The room froze.
Valt stared, breath caught. Kristin looked between them, startled.
Shu took another step forward.
> "Three days, Valt. Three. Days. And not a single word. Not a call. Not a message. Nothing."
The storm had arrived.
And it had a name: Shu Kurenai. The Bloody Fucking Crimson Knight.
---
Scene: Claim and Collision
(Continuation)
---
The silence in the grand WBBA boardroom was deafening.
All eyes were on the crimson flame now burning at the far end of the room—Shu Kurenai, standing with barely restrained fury, eyes locked on the one person who once meant everything.
Valt Aoi.
The World Champion stood slowly from his seat at the head of the table, face visibly shaken, mouth parting as he tried to find words. "Shu.... W-what are you-"
But before he could take a step toward him, a presence moved at his side.
Kristin.
Her heels clicked softly as she stepped closer to Valt, her perfectly composed expression strained into something protective—almost possessive. She placed a hand delicately on his arm, then wrapped both arms around it, anchoring herself to him.
"Valt," she said sweetly, but firmly, "you can talk to him later. Right now, the WBBA needs your voice. You're the World Champion. The meeting comes first."
Valt blinked, surprised by her sudden closeness and forwardness. "Kristin…?"
He didn't pull away, too stunned by the intensity of the moment—but he also didn't lean into her.
It was too late.
Shu saw it.
Saw her hand.
Saw her hold.
Saw her clinging to Valt like she had any right to be that close.
Like he was her's.
And something inside Shu snapped.
The tension that had been simmering beneath the surface—his pain, jealousy, anger, heartbreak—erupted.
He didn't raise his voice often. But when Shu Kurenai snapped, the world felt it.
"Get your hands off him!"
The entire room jolted.
Kristin stiffened, her grip faltering for a second—but she held on.
Valt's eyes widened in horror. "Shu—wait—"
But Shu stepped forward, now radiating so much rage the officials in the room instinctively leaned back in their seats.
His voice was like a blade across glass.
> "You don't get to touch him like that you stupid girl."
"You don't get to cling to him like he's yours."
"You've been parading him around all week like some trophy. But he's not—he's mine."
Dead silence. A full stop.
Someone audibly gasped in the back.
Kristin slowly turned to Shu, eyes narrowed, her voice defensive. "Excuse me?"
But Shu didn't even look at her. His crimson gaze was fixed solely on Valt—burning, wild, but laced with something far deeper than fury.
> "You come to my country. You walk into my city. You smile for the cameras and act like none of it matters. Like I don't matter."
"And now you stand there—letting someone else wrap themselves around you like you're not the most important person in my damn life?"
Valt's throat tightened. His hands trembled.
"Shu, it's not like that—"
Kristin's brows furrowed as she finally realized—Shu wasn't just angry. He was hurt. Deeply, personally.
Shu's voice dropped to a low, cracked murmur.
"…You didn't even tell me you were coming."
That sentence hit the room harder than anything else.
Valt opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
Because what could he say?
He hadn't told Shu. He'd avoided it. He didn't even know why.
Maybe because he didn't want to see that look on his face.
Maybe because seeing Shu again scared him more than the WBBA ever could.
"…I didn't mean to hurt you," Valt finally whispered, voice raw.
Shu looked away for a heartbeat—then snapped his eyes back.
"Then why did you?"
Another wave of stunned silence.
Kristin, finally releasing Valt's arm, stepped back.
Because in that moment…
Even she could feel it.
This wasn't about politics.
This wasn't about meetings or WBBA.
This was them.
This was something years in the making.
And no one—not Kristin, not the heads, not the cameras—had any right to interrupt what was coming next.
Scene: Break the World to Reach You
The room was tense—so silent it felt like the air itself had frozen.
Valt stood between two worlds.
To his left: Kristin, her hand slowly reaching out toward him, trying to salvage control, her voice low and strained.
"Valt, please… take your seat," she said, forcing a tight smile. "Let's not cause a scene. This meeting—"
But Valt didn't even look at her.
His blue eyes, wide and shining, were locked on the trembling form in front of him—Shu.
Furious.
Shaking.
Bleeding from wounds Valt hadn't even realized he'd inflicted.
And without hesitation—without caring about the dozen high-ranking WBBA officials, the reputation, the stares, or the headlines—Valt stepped forward.
Kristin's hand hovered midair, now awkwardly forgotten.
Valt brushed right past her.
He crossed the room like nothing else mattered.
He reached out slowly, tenderly, like approaching a wounded beast—and when Shu didn't move, didn't flinch, didn't push him away—Valt pulled him into his arms.
Everyone stared.
The embrace wasn't subtle.
It wasn't small.
It was everything.
Shu was taller, broader—his arms hung stiffly for a split second—but the moment Valt's warmth hit his chest…
He shattered.
"Come on," Valt whispered, his voice low and desperate, lips brushing just under Shu's ear. "Please… let's talk. Not here."
He didn't ask. He guided.
One arm wrapped tightly around Shu's back, the other gently resting on the back of his neck as he led him out of the boardroom, his grip firm—protective. Possessive, in his own quiet way.
He didn't care who saw.
Not Kristin.
Not the WBBA.
Not the world.
---
WBBA Hallway — Outside the Meeting Room
The door shut behind them with a heavy click.
Valt barely had time to breathe before—
"How could you?"
Shu's voice cracked like thunder.
He tore out of Valt's loose grip, only to spin back around and slam his fist into the wall—hard enough to leave a dent.
"You didn't call. You didn't text. You didn't even say hi!" Shu roared, his voice raw, ragged. "You just showed up here like I'm some stranger!"
"Shu—"
"No, don't 'Shu' me, Valt!" he growled, eyes glistening. "You come here. You walk in looking like that, smiling like that, next to her—and you act like we're just... what? Nothing?!"
Valt flinched, guilt hitting him like a Beyblade to the gut.
"I didn't know what to say," he murmured. "I didn't know how to—"
"To what? Treat me like I meant something?" Shu snapped, stepping closer.
His hands were clenched, jaw tight, breath shaky. But his eyes…
They were breaking.
"You meant everything," Valt whispered.
Shu froze.
And then—before Valt could say anything more—Shu stepped forward and grabbed him.
Two strong hands clutched his waist and yanked him in—tight. His head bowed slightly, nose nearly touching Valt's, breath hot and furious against his cheek.
"I hate you," Shu whispered, eyes glistening. "I hate how much I don't hate you. I hate how seeing you with her felt like my chest was being ripped open. I hate that I waited like some idiot thinking you'd show up at my door. And I hate—"
Valt cut him off—not with words, but by pressing his forehead against Shu's chest.
"I'm sorry."
Shu's breath hitched.
"I messed up," Valt whispered. "I was scared. I didn't know what would happen if I saw you again. I thought… maybe I'd lose control. Maybe I'd feel everything all at once."
"…You're not the only one who's scared," Shu said, his voice suddenly softer, almost trembling.
Valt looked up—into burning crimson eyes, wet with fury and love and pain.
Shu didn't let go. If anything, he pulled Valt tighter, wrapping his arms fully around him—like if he didn't, Valt would disappear.
And Valt?
He didn't resist.
He sank into the embrace, finally, completely—like coming home after a long, bitter winter.
Neither spoke for a while.
They just held on.
Because for now, that was enough.
Let the world wait.
Scene: Don't Let Go
(Continuation)
A few minutes later:-
---
WBBA Headquarters – Private Hallway, Just Outside the Meeting Room
The muffled buzz of the boardroom had long faded behind the sealed doors. Out here, it was just them.
Valt Aoi stood quietly, his heartbeat thundering in his chest as he watched Shu Kurenai—his oldest friend, his other half—shaking with fury and pain. His back was rigid, fists clenched at his sides, breaths ragged. His sharp suit did little to mask the tremble in his shoulders or the glint of hot tears slipping silently down his face.
Shu had always been calm, unreadable, composed.
But not now.
Not like this.
But because of him.
"Shu…" Valt said softly, stepping closer.
But Shu didn't look up. He kept his head bowed, jaw locked tight, red eyes burning holes into the marble floor.
Valt's throat tightened. He did this. He broke something sacred. And now Shu was standing in the ruins of it, alone.
"I didn't mean to hurt you," Valt whispered again, reaching out slowly. "I was stupid. I should've told you. I should've—"
"You should've called me the second you knew you were coming," Shu snapped, his voice low and dangerous. "Not waltz in next to her, acting like none of it mattered."
Valt didn't flinch. Not this time. He deserved the anger.
"I didn't know how to face you," he admitted, voice trembling now too. "I didn't know how to handle what I'd feel. What you would feel. Shu… I never wanted this distance."
Shu's hands shook.
Valt took one more step, close enough now to gently reach up and cup the side of Shu's face, wiping away a single tear with his thumb.
That tiny gesture broke something inside Shu.
The mask shattered.
His entire body shook as a choked, furious sob escaped him—raw and unfiltered.
That was all it took for Valt to close the final distance and pull him into his arms.
He wrapped his smaller, slightly shorter frame around the storm of emotion that was Shu Kurenai. Valt's hands gently curled around his back and the nape of his neck, holding him like he would if Shu were a blade about to snap under pressure.
"Hey… hey… it's okay…" Valt murmured, voice thick, barely a whisper. "I'm here now. I'm so sorry, Shu."
Shu didn't speak.
He just grabbed him.
His powerful arms wrapped around Valt's waist so tightly it felt more like a restraint than an embrace. His muscular frame engulfed Valt's smaller, softer one, trembling slightly—not from weakness, but from the desperation of needing to feel every inch of him.
Like he was afraid that if he didn't hold tight enough, Valt would disappear all over again.
"…Don't you ever do this again," Shu growled, voice cracking against Valt's shoulder. "Don't ever leave me out like that. Don't show up and pretend like we're strangers. I swear, Valt, I'll—"
"I won't," Valt cut in gently, hugging tighter. "Never again. I promise."
Shu buried his face in Valt's neck, breath hot and uneven.
Valt didn't care that Shu's arms were nearly crushing his ribs.
He didn't care that his shirt was getting soaked by Shu's silent tears.
He didn't care about the meeting room or Kristin or the world waiting behind that door.
All he cared about was the trembling, furious, beautiful man in his arms who still—despite everything—was holding him like he never wanted to let go.
"Just stay like this," Valt whispered. "Just for a little while longer."
Shu didn't answer.
But his arms tightened even more around Valt's petite frame in silent agreement.
---
(To be contacted!)