3rd POV

"Bet Adam is skating along in the dark... like a loser."

Inside the residence of Sia La Luce, Kojiro and Kaoru are having a serious conversation about their rival. It's already been the next night and they didn't feel like going to "S" that night. The next round of the qualifying skater is the following night and they think that they should at least talk about the situation of their once close friend.

"Don't be so ridiculous," Kaoru says as he sits on one side of the counter table. Kojiro stands on the other side with his arms crossed over his chest as he listens. "Everyone is alone when they practice."

"It was only a metaphor, dummy," Kojiro says with a straight face as he looks away. "It's like he automatically assumes everyone's his enemy. He doesn't even give anyone the chance to get to know him. It's kinda sad."

Kaoru lifts up an eyebrow, looking a bit curious about what his childhood friend means by that. "How do you know he does that?" he asks.

"It's just a hunch," Kojiro answers plainly, which causes Kaoru to facepalm. "Can't believe I was fool enough to ask you." the said pink-haired male grumbled under his breath, but the green-haired male was able to hear him as he leans forward over the counter, slamming his fists on it as a tick mark appears on his head.

"Why are you complaining when it was one of my hunches that found your lost wallet on our social studies trip back in the day?!" he says, sounding pretty annoyed and upset as he brings up the new topic. Kaoru doesn't seem fazed as he argues back with his own tick mark appearing on his head.

"Well, your cute hunch is not the reason we found it. You led us to a random restaurant in LA," he says, sounding annoyed himself as he kept a sinister yet angry expression on his face while explaining.

"Well, what about the bar in Paris?" Kojiro then says, looking more upset than before as the conversation starts to go away from the topic of Adam and to a conversation of the past.

"I created the itinerary for our night out!"

Right before the two could continue bickering, the sound of the entrance door opening catches their attention. They look in that direction and see a familiar small (2/f/c) hooded figure walking into the restaurant with their skateboard being held close to them. Their eyes immediately soften when they see the child walking in with their head down.

"(Y/n)?" Kaoru questions, changing his language to English as he watches her walk towards the counter table he and Kojiro were by. She doesn't look up at them as her eyes are fixated on the ground.

"Hey. Is it alright if I stay here for a bit?" she asks, sounding a bit depressed. as she sits down on a chair beside Kaoru.

Kojiro lifts up an eyebrow as he starts to grow curious after hearing the tone of her voice. "Sure. Stay as long as you want. Are you okay?" he asks her with his arms crossed over his chest.

The (h/c)-haired girl does nothing much but rest her head on the counter table with her arms dangling from either side of her. "No... I'm fine," (Y/n) answers lowly, but loud enough for the two adults to hear.

Kaoru did not seem convinced about the girl's well-being. He pushes his glasses up his nose a bit as he looks at her with slightly concerned eyes. "You are not fine. You have been acting like this ever since the night before. There is something bothering you, is there?" (Y/n) doesn't say much as she pulls her hood over her head even more, obviously showing that she doesn't want to talk about it. The pink-haired male lets out a sigh as he closes his eyes for a second. "If you don't want to speak about it, that's okay. But if you do not want to keep feeling like this, then I suggest you share what's on your mind."

(Y/n) remains silent as she thinks of what to say. As much as she doesn't want to bring up the whole situation she had with Reki, she knows very much that it's going to be brought up again in the future, so might as well get those feelings out now that it's just the three of them. the nine-year-old lets out a sigh as she rests her forehead on her hand. She then speaks in a sad and low voice.

"Do you guys think I belong?"

Kojiro and Kaoru were caught off guard by this question, but they were also confused as well. The green-haired male tilts his head to the side as he thinks about her question. "In what way do you mean by that?" he asks her.

The girl takes a few seconds to rethink what she just said and replies back with the same tone of voice she had ever since she arrived at the restaurant. "I mean... do you think I belong as a skater... and as a human being?"

Both males' eyes widen after hearing that question. They don't know what got her to think in that way, but they have to find out what exactly happened to her.

"Of course, you belong in both ways. What made you think you didn't?" Kojiro then asks with concern clearly heard in his voice. He cared for the child and wants to make sure that she was okay. He did also notice that she was feeling down during the race last night, but he didn't think that her mind would go in that direction.

(Y/n)'s hand brushes a few strands of her hair from her face as she lifts her head up from the table. Her (e/c) eyes seemed to have lost most of their color as she stares off into space. "I don't know. I guess it's because... R-Reki may have said something to me that was kind of hurtful."

Now this got the attention of both adults. Even if it was someone they knew who hurt this child, they will not hesitate to do whatever it takes to make that person pay for what they did. "What exactly did he tell you?" Kaoru asks (Y/n) as he lifts up an eyebrow.

The said girl could feel tears threatening to spill out of her eyes as she rethinks everything that Reki told her the other night. It still haunts her to the point where she could hear those words that she read on her phone coming from the redhead's mouth in English.

"He said that I wouldn't fit in here and that he wouldn't care if I went back to where I came from," (Y/n) explained to the two adults with her head resting on her arms that now laid folded on the table in front of her.

It took a few seconds for the two males to comprehend what the nine-year-old girl said until their facial expressions changed to a concerned and shocked one. Never in their life did they expect Reki to say something like that. Kaoru rests his hand on his temple while groaning in disappointment.

"That boy... Children these days are so dramatic," the pink-haired male says, switching his dialogue to Japanese, only to get a nudge from his childhood friend across the table. Kojiro sends him a look that's telling him to shut up and help comfort the child. The green-haired male gestures his head to the (h/c)-haired girl with her head still burying her head in her arms, feeling miserable at the moment.

Kaoru looks back at the child with a blank expression on his face before sighing. He clears his throat before speaking in English so that (Y/n) could understand him clearly. "Don't listen to what Reki has to say about who you are and where you come from. No one has to worry about that but yourself. He was more than likely not in a good mood at the time and said things that he will regret saying in the future."

Upon hearing that, (Y/n) tilts her head as she turns to face Kaoru with her same depressed look, waiting for him to continue. Kaoru sees this and is left at a blank. He was never good at giving advice to others, it was more of Kojiro's job at doing that. He side-eyes the said male to ask for a little assistance, only for Kojiro to nod his head with a warm smile, gesturing for him to continue on. If there was someone who had to hear these words of advice from, it had to be from Kaoru. At least for (Y/n).

The calligrapher inhales deeply before exhaling once more right as he says what was on his mind. "Just know... If you feel like you belong here, both as a skater and as a person, then you do. Don't let other people's words affect you and don't take it into heart. Yes, it may hurt your feelings but know that they're wrong." And at that moment, his whole demeanor seemed to have changed to one of someone giving fatherly advice to their child. "You are a very special and talented child, no matter who you are or where you come from. It's because of you being here with us that you make skating appear like a very fun and astonishing hobby for people to enjoy. You've impressed and inspired many other skaters to be like you... At least in my eyes, you have."

The depressed look that was on (Y/n)'s face faltered a bit as she takes his words into consideration. She never thought that she had impressed a few of the most famous skaters at "S" and never really got the chance to enjoy that feeling. She was getting too focused on trying to find her long last father that she hadn't realized that the little things you achieve and experience matter, especially for a little kid.

"R-really?" (Y/n) asks Kaoru with a confused look as she rises her head from the table and sits up properly as the said male continues to speak from his heart.

"Of course. You have no reason to believe that you do not belong with us because you do. Just as long as you believe that you do, then whatever you say goes. I know you've struggled throughout your time here and you deserve more than what you are achieving. You deserve to feel happy and safe with the people you care about, and that includes your friends."

Without even thinking, Karu lifts up his hand and rests it on top of (Y/n)'s head, which gave her a sense of relief and comfort from him. A small smile creeps onto his face as he looks into her (e/c) eyes. "Keep doing the things you love and just know that I have your back if anything goes wrong for you. You have a safe place kept inside my heart so you have someone you could count on. You are loved by many others, and that includes me and Kojiro. You have our support. You are an amazing and talented child, and no one can say no otherwise. Continue to fly like the free phoenix that you are."

(Y/n) was speechless. Everything Kaoru just said was so unexpected to her. She never thought he would say such a thing as heartwarming as that to her. She feels a slight tug on the corner of her mouth as a smile starts to form on her cute and precious face.

On the other side of the table, Kojiro smiles at his childhood friend. He could see how meaningful each word he said was and was glad that Kaoru was able to make (Y/n) feel better.

The child then stands up from the seat was once sitting on and goes to Kaoru. Once she was at arm's length, she wraps her arms around him and hugged him tightly in a warm embrace. The pink-haired male was caught off guard by this and hardly even knew how to react to this. He looks over at Kojiro with a raised eyebrow, and the said male only nods his head in response.

Kaoru looks back down at the nine-year-old, who has her face buried in his chest, and his eyes soften. He relaxes his arms as they wrap around the small child and hold her close to him. With no clue of his actions, a small smile, one that was similar to (Y/n)'s, appears on his face as he inhales deeply and exhales.

(Y/n) was the first one to break the silence as she leans her head over the adult's heart, hearing it beat a rhythmic pattern that ease off more of her nerves. "Thanks, Cherry," she thanks him as his smile doesn't disappear.

Kaoru tensed a little when he heard his skater name leave the girl's mouth, but he eased off knowing that she didn't mean anything bad about it. She didn't know that he was not used to people outside of "S" calling him by that name. Letting out a sigh he speaks, but his arms remain around the girl as he does so. "I'd prefer you call me by my real name... Kaoru."

The girl lets out a low giggle as she realizes her mistake. She always tried to remember to respect it when skaters would prefer to be called specific names when they are inside and outside of the abandoned mine. "Sorry. I forgot. Whatever happens at 'S' stays at 'S,'" she says as she looks up at Kaoru. "I'll remember that."

Kaoru was surprised by her choice of words. That must have been a rule she came up with for herself, which is something he respects considering that he follows the same rule as well. His smile seems to have brightened as he places his hand on her head in a reassuring manner.

"You're a good kid," Kaoru tells (Y/n) in the nicest way she has ever heard him say, which causes the said girl's smile to grow as well.

Kojiro steps out from the other side of the table and walks to the two with a reassuring smile sent to the smallest one there. "He's right. If it makes you feel any better, I'll talk with Reki and see if I can convince him to go to 'S' tomorrow night to watch the race. Maybe then he'll get a new perspective on what he did," the green-haired male says.

(Y/n) nods her head as she pulls herself away from the hug. "Okay. Thank you both... for being there for me when I need someone to talk to," the girl thanked the two adults. It's times like these when she felt like she has the support she needs to continue on with life.

Kojiro takes off her hood from her head and ruffles her hair in a fatherly manner. "Go get some rest. You'll need it for tomorrow night," he tells her with an encouraging smile. (Y/n) nods her head again with a determined smile this time.

"Okay. Bye-bye!" the child says with a wave as she picks up her skateboard and makes her way to the entrance of the restaurant, turning to look at Kaoru and Kojiro one last time. "I'll see you tomorrow at 'S,' she tells them.

"We'll see you there, (Y/n). Take care," Kaoru says with a small wave, his smile not disappearing.

And just like that, (Y/n) exits the restaurant, leaving the two males in silence before Kojiro was the first to break that silence. "Heh, I knew you had a soft spot for that girl," he says in Japanese, sending a smug look toward the AI skater.

Kaoru snaps out of his daze and turns to look at the six-pack skater with an irritated look on his face. "You be quiet! I only did that to help her with her depression." he points out to his childhood friend.

"Yeah, you're right. It did seem to help her, which meant that you did a good job at doing it. I guess you are good with kids after all. I never should have doubted you," Kojiro continues on with his arms crossed and his smug look never faltering.

"What is that supposed to mean?!" Kaoru argues with a tick mark appearing on the side of his head.

"I'm pretty sure you know what I mean," Kojiro argues back.

"You thought I was never good with kids?"

"Of course, not. I mean, look at you. You can't even get yourself a girlfriend if you tried."

"That has nothing to do with this!"

As the two argued the night away, (Y/n) was happily walking back to the Drive-In with a smile on her face. Her whole demeanor had completely changed from when she first entered Sia La Luce. Something about those two skaters gives her a sense of familiarity, it's almost as if they know how to tranquil her nerves... just like how her mother was able to do the exact same thing. Now she seems determined for the upcoming races at "S" the next night. She's so determined that she feels like she can take on the world if she wanted to.

The nine-year-old girl hops on her skateboard and skates on the street, pulling her hood over her head while doing so. She knows she can do this. Even if she doesn't win, she at least hopes that she can do this as a way to find her father.

"I'm ready for anything. I'll do this for you, Mom. I'll make you proud."

(Y/n)'s POV

It was finally the night of the race and I was feeling really excited about it. I was praying that I wouldn't race against Adam tonight since he's a talented skater and I don't reach the same level as him... yet. That time will come in the future, hopefully soon.

I look around to see if I could see any of my friends as I hold my skateboard close to me. I had my (2/f/c) hood over my head, which hide my (h/l) (h/c) hair. The fake, little phoenix tail swings back and forth after each step as it hangs from my (1/f/c) skirt.

"Where are the others?" I wonder to myself as I continue to scan the area. At some point, a tall, skinny light-blue-haired figure caught my eye. It was Langa. A smile spreads across my face upon seeing him. "Langa!" I call out to him as I run over in his direction.

My friend looks in my direction when hearing my voice, but didn't get the chance to respond right away since I already had my arms wrapped around his waist and embraced him in a tight hug. I look up at him with a bright smile, which looked like it caught him by surprise.

But nonetheless, he still smiled back at me as he hugged me back. "Hey, (Y/n). You seem to be doing better tonight," he says in English, to which I nod my head in response. "Yeah. Joe and Cherry helped me out and cheered me up last night," I tell him.

Langa's eyes seemed to have softened after hearing that, almost as if he was grateful to Joe and Cherry for making me feel better. "I'm glad, (Y/n)," he said as he rubbed my head which was covered by my hood.

I then grew curious for a moment. Before I called out to Langa, I noticed that he was looking for someone with a hopeful look on his face. It made me wonder who he was looking for. "Were you looking for someone, Langa?" I ask him as I break away from the hug. He nods his head as his eyes remained focused on me.

"Yeah, I was looking to see if Reki was here," he told me. My eyes widen a bit after hearing that. "Reki? What makes you think he's here?" I ask him. "On my way here, I stopped by Reki's house and saw that his window was open, which might have meant that he snuck out of his house to come here."

My eyes sparkle at that. 'Huh, I guess Joe really did talk to him and convinced him to watch the race,' I thought to myself.

Snapping out of my own thoughts, I see Langa looking around until his eyes land on the man I was just thinking about... Joe. We both walk over to him as Langa calls out to him, switching his language to Japanese. "Joe!"

The two talked for a few minutes in the native dialogue, but I didn't really focus that much on them. Knowing that there could be a possibility of Reki being here, I look around in the area we were currently in, hoping I could see any sign of my redhead friend.

I know he said some mean things to me, but some part of me still wants to see him and make sure that he's okay. Cherry could be right when he told me that Reki didn't mean what he said because he wasn't in a good mood, so the only thing I could do is worry for him now. 'Reki... Where are you?'

In the corner of my eye, I see a figure wearing a green hoodie with a cap along with the hood covering his hair. He looked like he was trying to blend in and maybe even avoid being recognized by someone. I thought I saw a glimpse of red hair underneath that hat of his and it made me wonder if it was Reki. 'Reki?' I said in my head as I was about to make my way in the figure's direction.

Before I could get the chance to wander off, the sound of firecrackers get my attention. I look at the stage that was in front of everyone here and see Adam making a grand entrance while on his skateboard. He flew into the air almost like he was a bird, which didn't surprise me that much, but something about that guy messes with my nerves a bit.

"Hey, ......., and bros, and ......... ...!" Adam yelled out in Japanese, but I could barely understand what he said. Whatever he said must have been bad because now both Langa and Joe are covering my ears so that I wouldn't hear what he said. Not like I could understand him, anyway.

Adam continued to talk to the crowd of skaters in his native language, with me only understanding little bits of his speech, until he clapped his palms together, which caused a projector to project images of the qualifying skaters who are going to be racing on the boulder-like wall behind him.

The projector showed images of Snake, Joe, Cherry, Adam himself, Langa, Miya, Shadow, and me. It just confused me... how did Adam get a picture of me? But no matter, I guess. I liked how my image came out. It showed me in a cool pose almost as if I was soaring through the air like the bird that I am, along with a light (1/f/c) background behind me and bolded white words spelling the word "Phoenix" just below the image.

A lot of people were cheering, which kind of boosted my excitement a little more. I was determined to race against any opponent who will race against me. The thought of Reki seemed to have left my mind as my main focus was now this tournament.

Just then, a stand with a box on top of it appears on the stage beside Adam. That must have slips of papers inside with our names in there and he's going to have to pick one from the box. As I expected, Adam puts his hand in the box and pulls out a card. 'Huh, even better than a slip of paper with our name on it.'

Adam shows the card to the crowd s the projector shows a close-up view of what name was on the two-diamond card. It read...

Shadow

The crowd cheers as I see Shadow getting pumped up that he was going to be one of the first ones racing tonight. Now I got curious to know who was going to be racing him as I look back at Adam.

Adam slips his hand back into the box as he rummages in there for a bit, saying a few Japanese words. He pulls out a two-hearts card. I wait to see whose name was on that card until Adam shout it out with glee and excitement.

"Phoenix!"

I was caught off guard by that as my eyes widen a bit. The projector shows the card that Adam was holding with my name cursively plastered on it. I was surprised to be the one that would be going up against Shadow. I feel a hand rest on my head as whoever's hand it belonged to pats my head. I look up seeing Joe giving me a determined smile.

"You've got this, (Y/n). You've beaten him once, you can beat him again," Joe tells me. He was right, but something tells me that this race won't be like the first time I raced her at "S." I look back up at the projector with a hint of worry, but that worry soon vanishes as a look of determination appears on my face.

I obviously have something up my sleeve for that clown of a skater. I came here prepared for what was going to happen tonight and I wasn't going to back down.

"I can do this."

3rd POV

The two competing skaters are standing at the starting line, feeling determined to take each other out. Shadow was just about ready to crush the kid to a pulp, but the kid didn't seem to like the violence. Although, she could use that as an advantage. The more violent he'll get, the more chance for (Y/n) to break away from him with a plan of her own.

Shadow chuckles as he looks in (Y/n)'s direction just as the two got ready. "You may have beaten me before in the past, but I won't let you down that easily, kid. I will win tonight and you won't be able to fly with the big skaters."

The girl understood what he was talking about but didn't really seem affected by his words. Instead, a smirk forms on her face as she looks back at the clown skater. Why not try to get under his skin before the race starts?

"Sorry... Me no speak Japanese," she says as her smirk shifts into an innocent smile. Shadow was ticked off by this response he started to fume in rage and anger.

"We'll see who will be smug about this in the end." Shadow mumbles under his breath as he and the child skater look back at the traffic light, watching the red lights glowing after each second.

Red...

Red...

Red...

Red...

Green

Without a second to lose, the two skaters take off down the track, each with the determination to win this race.

They were almost neck to neck until Shadow started to gain more speed, which is something (Y/n) was expecting to happen. They turn a sharp corner, causing (Y/n) to lean to the side as her gloved hand scrapes the rocky ground, creating sparks that seemed to have boosted her excitement even more.

"Here they come!"

"Shadow's in the front!"

"Show 'em how it's done, Phoenix!"

The crowd continued to cheer for the two as they sped past those who were on the sidelines. (Y/n) started to pick up more speed, which was something that Shadow was waiting to happen. He already had a plan to take down the girl without any mercy. He gripped onto the laser that he used during the group's vacation to the hot spring that one time.

"I'm not messing around with you kids today. I've got my life on the line for this thing," he says as he got ready. (Y/n) didn't have to look to know what was going to happen. Right as he spoke that, she reached her hand in her jacket pocket, grabbing onto the first thing she feels inside as she tries to hide that smirk that is starting to form on her face. She was waiting for the right time as she was now skating beside the clown skater at the same speed.

'Focus. You only have I shot and I can't mess this up,' the child thinks as she gets ready to pull the item out of her pocket.

As soon as the turn was coming up, Shadow reveals his laser from behind him and aims it towards the girl. "How'd you like a new Gladiolus Laser?!"

He was quick, but not quick enough. As soon as the red light shines from the little pointer, (Y/n) quickly pulls out a small mirror that her mother had her keep in her backpack and faces it towards the laser, blocking it from hitting her face.

"Uno Reverse Card!"

Right as she yells that, the laser reflects off of the mirror and now shines in the clown skater's eyes, blinding him in the process. He curses from the bright red light as he covers his eyes, not even noticing the corner that was coming up. (Y/n) makes a sharp turn, almost running her board into Shadow's as she passes him, which causes him to lose balance and fall to the ground as his board goes off course.

From then on out, it didn't take long for (Y/n) to make it to the abandoned factory. She was way ahead of Shadow now and she knew she was going to win. As soon as she skates down the catwalk, many cheers could be heard ringing in her ears. The crowd was very happy to see her coming in the first place.

And the cheers seemed to have gotten louder once she crossed the finish line. She comes to a stop and looks around at everyone there. Something inside of her seemed to have returned to her... Her heart was beating the same rhythm as the good feeling she felt every time she raced against someone. She places her hand over her heart and feels the pounding from her chest.

'This feeling... It's back.' She continues to look at the crowd as their cheers seem to slightly fade out. Now it was just her thoughts that could be heard and nothing else mattered. A smile forms on her face as she accepts the praise from everyone. 'I'm glad this feeling never left. It's what drives me to continue skating.'

From the main area of "S," both Joe and Cherry watch the action from the big screen with astonishment in their eyes. A proud smile appears on Joe's face as his eyes never leave the screen. "Look like Phoenix's the first one moving up. I never doubted her talent one bit," he tells Cherry, who was standing beside him.

"We're both watching the same race, sweetie," Cherry says sarcastically. No one else could see it, but a proud smile was also plastered on the AI skater's face, which was hidden underneath his mask.

Back with (Y/n), she notices that Shadow had caught up and now crossed the finish line. He looked so defeated and winded as he tried his best to catch up. She knew she might have caused him to lose, but he started it first. Might as well make it fair.

With a smile remaining on her face, she walks up to him. Once she was at a good distance from him, she lifts her hand up for a high five, which confuses the clown skater for a second as he lifts an eyebrow at her. Taking a deep breath, she speaks the words that she remembers translating in the past in case she ever needed to say it.

"Good race."

Shadow was surprised to hear that from her, but a smirk formed on his face as he accepts the high-five, holding onto her hand in a firm yet gentle grip as he let out a chuckle. "Heh, not bad, kid. Not bad."

(Y/n) knew he said something positive to her, which made her smile even more. After that, she looks around, trying to see if she could find a certain redhead in the crowd. She takes a quick glance at almost everyone in the crowd, but she doesn't seem to find Reki. Her smile falters a bit, but she kind of figured that he wouldn't show himself to her. Heck, maybe he's not even here at all.

~~~~~~~~~~

From the sidelines of the track, a familiar redhead has his head facing down as his hood is kept over his cap. his eyes showed nothing more but sadness, and maybe even a little bit of regret. He watched the entire race go down and was very proud of her for winning, but then that meant that there could be a possibility that she will race against Adam.

Reki lets out a sigh as he rethinks everything that happened. He didn't have the guts to cheer her on during the race because he was too afraid to reveal his presence. He thought that if she saw him, then she would get sad again and would mess up her chance of winning the race.

'I can't show my face to her. Not now at least.' He looks up in the direction of the abandoned factory with worry in his eyes. 'I hurt her... and I don't think she'll ever forgive me for that. I can't blame her if she doesn't.' He puts his hands in his pockets as he looks down again at the skating track.

'It is my fault, after all.'





A/n: Sorry. This took longer to post than I anticipated. But, hey... I graduated! Now I'll have more time to continue writing. I'm so excited to continue writing and hopefully, I could finish this over the next few weeks. See you readers in the next chapter!