Yay for random ideas that I started a while ago and just now finished! Enjoy!

Gingka was fearless. The world knew that. Everyone looked up to him. They all had seen him standing strong against Nemesis. They had all seen the fierce, unafraid look that had been on his face as he fought, won. Even those older than him looked up to his fearlessness, wished they could be that way with the smaller problems of their lives. Gingka had faced the destructions of the world and stopped it. Three times. After each time, he had been interviewed on live TV and had seemed perfectly fine. The bright lights and cameras didn't scare him any more than the dangerous enemies he faced. Only one person in the entire world knew the truth.

Ryo stood in the entryway of his large home, merely waiting for his son to return from the numerous interviews he had been shoved into directly upon his return from the battle against Nemesis earlier that day. He had watched his son on TV, his chest swelling with pride as the headlines flashed across the screen: "Gingka and Friends Save World Again." He had seen the usual embarrassed look on Gingka's face as the redhead half-closed his eyes, scratching the back of his head as he answered the reporters' questions one by one.

Now, Ryo was waiting for the younger redhead to come home. He sighed and went into the kitchen, sitting down at the table and resting his chin in his hands. At any moment, he knew, his son would return home, and it would all begin again. It had happened every time before. After Battle Bladers. After the World Championships. Only Ryo ever saw the scars that those battles left on the redhead's mind.

Finally, it came. The click of the lock on the front door as Gingka opened it. Ryo's parental instinct kicked in and he stood, hurrying to the front door just as Gingka stepped in and waved to Madoka and Kenta, who had walked him home.

"See you guys later!" Gingka called happily, waving as the two left. Ryo smiled, enjoying the beaming look on his son's face, a mask that he knew would drop away the moment that door closed.

And, when the door finally did close, Ryo was right there, arms already open and waiting to wrap around the boy who flew into them. With the careful strength of the father that he was, Ryo scooped Gingka up into his arms and held the teen close tightly as he carried him into the living room and sat down on the couch with him.

"You're getting too big for me to carry. Better stop growing." Ryo said, rubbing the back of the trembling boy.

Gingka merely nodded, his eyes wide as he buried his face in Ryo's tie, his entire body shivering, not with cold, but with pure fear.

Ryo reached over to a side table and grabbed an old, slightly tattered blanket. He laid the heavy fabric over Gingka, then wrapped both arms tightly, protectively, around the younger redhead.

"It's okay, son. You're safe now."

Gingka shook his head and choked out a whimper, hiding his face in Ryo's shirt.

"Shh... Let it out. Just let it all out." Ryo said, one hand moving up to the back of Gingka's head and beginning to gently stroke his hair.

"I... I-I..." Gingka whispered, panting and continuing to tremble.

"Were scared?" Ryo finished, nodding slightly and sighing as a quick, frightened nod confirmed what he had understood to be once more the case.

"It's okay. You won. You and Pegasus won and saved everyone."

"I-I thought I was going to die..." Gingka whispered.

"We all did. It was scary." Ryo said.

Gingka gave another quick, frightened nod.

"You did amazingly, Gingka. I'm so proud of you. You did it again."

"But... Everyone almost died... I- I can't get the image out of my mind..." Gingka began to sob. "I-I would have been first..."

"I know. I know." Ryo said, stroking his son's back.

"It was so hard afterwards… Keeping it in… Everyone thinks I'm not scared… but I'm the most scared person there… And I'm too weak to let them know because… I'm afraid of them…" Gingka said.

Ryo blinked in surprise, as this comment had not come out the previous two times.

"It's okay, Gingka."

"M'not…. Who they think I am… I'm not as strong… Or as brave…"

"Maybe not. But you don't need to be, Gingka. You don't need to be any stronger or braver than you are."

"B-but…" Gingka trailed off, looking down with tears streaming from his eyes.

Ryo held Gingka closely, tightly, protectively. "You're my son. That's all you need to be. It doesn't matter if you're not as strong as they think you are. What matters is that you were strong enough to win."

Gingka looked up at his dad, sniffling. Ryo gently kissed his son's forehead. "You did it. And I am very, very proud of you for standing up even though you were scared. It's alright. Everyone was scared. I was scared I'd have to watch you die. It made me all the more proud when you won."

"Really…?" Gingka muttered.

Ryo smiled and hugged his son tightly. "You know, I don't think bravery is lack of fear. I think it's choosing to ignore that fear because you knew that you had to fight that battle. You were afraid, but you and the others fought and fought hard."

Gingka smiled at that, hugging his father back. "I-I tried..."

"And you succeeded." Ryo rubbed Gingka's back. "And I am very, very proud of you."

"Thanks Dad..." Gingka sighed, closing his eyes.

"Rest now. You have had a long day." Ryo said.

Gingka nodded wearily, exhaustion taking over as he fell asleep. Ryo laid his son's head in his lap and absentmindedly stroked his hair, watching him as he slept. Ryo smiled at the redhead, glad that he had been the one able to raise him. Slowly, the tears stopped falling from Gingka's eyes as his face relaxed into an expression that reflected nothing but exhaustion.

"You fought well, Gingka. You fought well." Ryo smiled and tucked the blanket even tighter around his son.

"Seems that I have to get used to almost losing you. It's happened more often than I'd like. But you always pull through, somehow." Ryo sighed. "You could spare me the stress of wondering though. Even one time thinking you may die is enough. You've managed to do it several times."

Ryo sighed as memories flooded into his mind, memories of the past two times Gingka had been forced to put his life on the line to save the world.

"I just wish I could protect you a bit longer…" Ryo whispered, laying down on the couch with his son in his arms.

"Just… A bit… Longer…"

Sorta shorter than I wanted it to be but oh well! Still turned out well.