Requested by SPIANAFORESTARMY. I really enjoyed this request. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.

Shu Kurenai and Free De La Hoya were married with two children named Ari and Suki, aged eleven and nine years old. The family was a very happy one, and everything seemed wonderful until one fateful day.

It started when Shu decided to surprise his kids by coming home from work early, something he rarely did. It was the beginning of the summer holidays, so Ari
and Suki would be at home.

When Shu arrived home, the first thing he did was to go and greet his family. But instead of running to him like they usually did, Ari and Suki looked at him nervously.

Shu looked at his kids. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

When he went towards Suki, she backed up. A troubling thought went in Shu's mind. Were his kids scared of him?

Shu tried to talk to his children, but they avoided eye contact and kept their distance. That night, he asked Free if he knew why his kids were scared of him.

Free sighed. "Well, we went to visit Valt today and the kids had a playdate with Hikari and Riku."

Hikari and Riku were Valt's children.

"Anyway, Valt and I thought that the kids were busy playing Roblox and role-playing with their stuffed animals. We talked about when Valt first came to BC Sol and how he became World Champion, and... We may have talked about you as Red Eye."

Shu never liked being reminded of his Red Eye days, but he had a feeling that he was not going to like what came next more. "What happened after that?"

"It turned out that the kids were going to ask us for some snacks and overheard everything," said Free. "They asked if you really were Red Eye and we had to tell the truth. Valt tried to explain that it wasn't really your fault and you were a kid yourself, but I think that our kids and Valt's are terrified of you now."

In the next week, Ari and Suki continued to avoid Shu. Shu tried to get the kids to talk to him again, but despite him leaving food at their doors, attempting to make small talk, and asking them if they would like a family day out, they continued to distance themselves from their father.

Ari and Suki had done some research about Red Eye, and watching battles where Shu had broken Beyblades, including Valt's, had been super traumatizing for them, but that wasn't what truly scared them.

They had heard from listening to Valt's and Free's conversation that Shu had pushed Valt away once. They were paranoid that their father might start shouting at them any minute.

Having his kids look scared of him made Shu feel helpless. He couldn't console them because they didn't want to be near him. It made him sad to see Ari and Suki stop hugging him and show him cute drawings they would do.

Free knew that he had to do something about it. One day when Shu was at work, he had a talk with the kids.

"Guys, I know that the fact that your Daddy used to be Red Eye must have been scary and overwhelming. But he's still your Daddy. Everything happened a long time ago. He was only your age, Ari."

"But Daddy was so scary as Red Eye," said Yuki.

Free sighed. "Would you believe me if I told you that it's my fault Daddy ended up like that?"

"What?" asked Ari. "That's not possible, Dad, is it?"

Free nodded. "Your Daddy and I didn't have a good introduction. I once defeated him in a Beyblade battle and was pretty rude to him. It crushed him mentally, and an evil man took the chance to brainwash and manipulate him. That's how it became Red Eye."

"But Dad, if Daddy was manipulated, wouldn't that be that man's fault?" asked Suki.

"Mostly," said Free. "But if I had been tactful, then maybe your Daddy wouldn't have thrown away his old personality. He didn't have the best childhood, but he eats his feelings."

Yuki looked confused, but Ari understood. "Dad means that Daddy doesn't like showing his true feelings."

"Yeah. Valt managed to bring him back, but he was never the same. He was burdened with guilt for life, and it affects him to this day. But he loves you two so much, and it hurts him when he sees you avoiding him."

The kids looked at each other guiltily. They hadn't realized that they had been hurting their father's feelings.

"I didn't know that," said Ari. "We will say sorry to him."

However, they didn't have a chance to talk to Shu that day because Shu had to work overtime. It was almost one in the morning when he finally arrived home, and both kids were in bed.

Free was sleeping too, but he woke up when Shu opened the door. He could tell by the look on Shu's face that something was wrong.

Shu was so exhausted that he almost collapsed on the spot. Free caught him and brought him to bed.

"Bad day?" asked Free.

"It... It was awful! Some of my students found out about the past, and although I don't blame them for being nervous around me, I was receiving calls from parents all day. I tried to explain myself to them, but they wouldn't listen, and..."

Shu burst into tears and sobbed in Free's arms. "I keep thinking about how Ari and Suki are scared of me. I thought that I could put the past behind me, but no matter what, it keeps catching up to me."

Free stroked Shu's hair. "I think that you should take a day off. You look exhausted."

"I just want to sleep," muttered Shu drowsily.

Free removed Shu's shoes and tucked him into bed. "Just sleep. You have been working so hard."

Shu overslept the next day. He was so tired that he woke up around lunchtime.

Shu almost had a heart attack when he saw how late it was. Forgetting that Free had told him to take a day off, he said, "Oh no! I am going to be late!" He ran out of his shared room with Free.

Everyone looked at him when he entered the dining room. Shu was still in his work clothes from yesterday and he had ridiculous bed head, so the kids giggled when they saw him.

"Morning, or afternoon," said Free. "I called in at the Raging Bulls. You don't have to go to work today."

Suki went to Shu carrying a plate of noodles. "Daddy, I made this for you."

Shu wasn't sure if he was more shocked that Suki was talking to him again or that she had made him food. "You... Didn't have to do that."

"You work so hard for us," said Ari. "We wanted you to relax today. Dad and I have done the housework."

Shu smiled, thankful that his kids no longer seemed to be scared of him. "Thank you, kids. You are so thoughtful."

"Actually, we should be apologizing to you," said Suki. "Dad explained to us what happened when you were young. We can't imagine the pain you had experienced."

"We love you Daddy," said Ari. "We are going to try to make your students understand."

Shu shook his head. "There's no need. I don't care if some people don't understand me as long as I have you two."

The kids hugged Shu for the first time for what felt like ages, and the family spent the day together watching a movie marathon.