Title: Protégé

Rating: K+

Notes: This could be a yaoi, if you wanted it to be. Although I go more for friendship. However you like to swing really.

Summary: Ryuuga is watching Kenta battle in the shadows, knowing that he will slip away and out of the other's life, yet something refuses to let him go.

He watched the final battle in the shadows, he had been about to just leave, there was no reason for him to remain. But something held him back.

Someone held him back. Not physically, but to see the tears in that green haired boy's eyes had made him wonder and decide to remain and watch.

What am I doing? He thought to himself, his amber eyes watching as his protégé – as he liked to think of the younger teen – was doing well to fight off the dark bey; Why am I sticking around for this? What use am I to them?

His left arm felt too light, too free and he knew why, his golden dragon gauntlet was destroyed, turned to dust by Nemesis. His fist clenched tightly as he thought about how this dark bey managed to defeat him as though he was nothing, when he knew full well that he was a challenge to so many bladers, after all when he and Ginga battled he could put the other blader through his paces and make him work hard alongside his bey.

Why am I still here? He wondered once more, frowning at his own thoughts, remembering how his own bey disappeared, and turning into dust before everyone's eyes as the Star Fragment was transferred over to Kenta's bey.

Because you can't just leave. He realised, astonished that he would actually think that; How can I leave Kenta alone now? I believe in him, he has the determination to fight on, no matter how difficult it may be. Even when they lost hope and the will to fight on. He glanced at the other bladers who had now begun to fight once more alongside Kenta, his gaze lingered on the red haired blader, amber eyes filled with disappointment; I thought you had more fight than that Ginga.

He sighed quietly as he watched Rago and his bey become overwhelmed, and then he saw Pluto launch his own bey at Kenta, since the shorter boy was the ring leader of the group. But it didn't matter, in the end the battle was won, Nemesis was defeated and locked away by the Legend Blader's power, Pluto and Rago fled and Kenta looked at his bey.

I've done my bit. He thought and moved further into the shadows, deciding to quickly get off the island before anyone spotted him and felt the earth shake beneath his feet; Right, Nemesis brought up this island, with its defeat it will sink back down where it belongs.

As he left the building he head shouts and cried and turned, wondering if he had been discovered, but to his surprise he saw Kenta had run off.

"Kenta!" Ginga cried about to run after the shorter boy, but was stopped by his friends; "Kenta!"

"Where are you going?" Kyouya called out to him.

"I need to find Ryuuga!" Kenta yelled back, moving deeper into the forest, in the opposite direction that he was in.

"Kenta! Come back!" The girl cried out; "Kenta!"

"We have to leave," The blader with white hair told them, forcing Ginga and the girl onto the boat; "We can't go after him, the island will sink back into the depths where it shall remain for all time,"

"But…" Ginga began, but Ryuuga didn't hear anything else, moving as fast as he could towards Kenta.

"Ryuuga!" He called out, looking around desperately, knowing what was going on and not appearing to care.

Stupid kid. He grumbled to himself, moving closer to Kenta; But… he cares…

"Let's go," He suddenly said as Kenta jumped out of his skin in fright and turned to face him.

"Ry… Ryuuga?" Kenta looked at him, a critical eye checking him over.

"Idiot. We don't have time for this," He indicated for the younger teen to follow him as they made their way through the forest.

They could both feel the island sinking slowly beneath their feet and they both hoped that they would make it to the other side of the island.

Kenta struggled to keep up at some moments, moving as quickly as he could on his short legs, but found that he tripped over tree roots.

Pausing for a moment the white haired teen turned around and picked him up, and then he began to run, feeling the earth sinking back into the water at a faster pace than before, as Kenta gasped in surprise at the older teen carrying him.

Soon he came to the end of the sinking island, finding his boat is still there but he had to wade through the water to reach it, dropping Kenta unceremoniously into the boat and lifting himself in with a sigh.

Damn it… He thought to himself, finally feeling the full force of his injuries, not realising that he was wincing in front of the younger teen.

"Ryuuga?" Kenta said softly and he opened his amber eyes to look at him; "Do you want me to row?"

He just looked at the smaller teen, slowly comprehending what he was saying and let out a barking laugh at the image that came into his head.

"I've got it," He said and began to row away from the island, although Kenta refused to let him do all the hard work and sat next to him, taking the rower from his left arm and rowing alongside him.

As they got further away they glimpsed at the island returning to the depths, the nightmare was finally over.

"Is it finally done?" Kenta asked softly and Ryuuga glanced at him, but the boy was looking down; "Is this over?"

"You all defeated Nemesis and Rago," He said and Kenta nodded slowly; "So yes, it's over,"

"But…" He looked at him, tears were in his eyes; "What about L Drago?"

The white haired blader frowned; "Gone, you saw that,"

"But…" Kenta began, although he couldn't imagine Ryuuga using any other bey than his dragon.

"L Drago is gone, dust," He said with a shrug; "You did well,"

Kenta starred at him; "What?"

"You did a good job," He indicated where the island had been moments before; "If it wasn't for you, the other's wouldn't have been able to defeat those guys,"

"You were the one who…"

He frowned at him; "Do you really think if I re-entered that battle we would have won?"

For the first time in the whole time that he had known the shorter blader looked uncertain.

"When you entered the battle it gave them hope," Ryuuga stated; "We both know I can't do that,"

"But you…"

"I lost," He growled out, hating those words; "I sacrificed L Drago and I don't regret it," He took back the oar and began to row on his own, Kenta too dumb struck to say anything more.

Do I regret it? He wondered to himself; No. No I don't. L Drago and I have gone through a lot together, but compared to what was going on, I don't regret it. It had to be done; I wasn't going to let Rago get away so easily. I may not have defeated him, but I… Helped.

"Thank you,"

He looked at the boy next to him, pausing in his rowing; "What?"

"Thank you," Kenta repeated and once again took the oar from his hand; "I don't just mean giving my bey your star fragment, I mean for everything. For letting me travel with you, training me…"

"It's the only way for us bladers to become stronger," Ryuuga said softly as they slowly began to row once more; "We have to travel, to stay in one place means we can't battle new people, to test our skills, to see if we are truly worthy of our bey,"

"You… You will return right? Come back to beyblading again?" Kenta asked with such hope and then he noticed that Ryuuga was frowning.

"Unlikely. L Drago was my bey, it would be a bit hard to go to another after all that…" He trailed off and they became silent.

"I'd… I'd like to stick around you… If you don't mind,"

"I don't have a bey…

"I know but I don't think you are going to remain so," Kenta said with a small smile; "You aren't the type to just give up on something you love,"

He frowned at the younger teen, but didn't say anything more; together they just focused on getting to land.

He's right, you know he's right. You can't just give up on beyblading. You'll find something to replace L Drago. Ryuuga thought to himself, and bit down on a smile, knowing that Kenta was right.

He was the Dragon Emperor, he might have been brought down, but he would surely rise once again.