Here's the newest chapter of Captured! I almost didn't get it finished in time because of some messy stuff. Anyways, this chappy is dedicated to GalaxyPegasus14, YamiGingka14, and Tirnel Amdirwen-Mirkwood Elf. Thanks guys for all that you've done for me! Hope everyone enjoys and vitual cookies because I can! XD
"One of these days, he's going to kill himself from exhaustion," Kenta mumbled as he and Tithi stood in the doorway of the Command Room, watching as Gingka and Zero talk quietly. The two champions occasionally glanced towards the monitors, the only objects lighting up the room.
"And what was with all that yelling last night?" Dynamis grumbled quietly as he stepped up behind the two Legendary Bladers, looking into the room as well.
Kenta sighed. "Gingka got hurt while helping some villagers who are asleep right now down in the guest wing. Yuki had to give him seventy-five stitches total to seal his wound up completely."
Both the Venus and the Jupiter Blader winced. "Ouch."
"Yeah. I'm sure you understand now why he was screaming last night," Kenta sighed, looking over at his leader again.
Yuki suddenly appeared behind the group, pushing through the three only to stop dead in his tracks. "Did you really stay up all night?!" he yelped, his face turning red with rage.
Jumping and grimacing at the sudden movement, the Pegasus wielder turned and looked at the Mercury Blader. "Yup," he replied after a moment of complete silence before turning back to Zero who was sweatdropping at the redhead.
"You're supposed to be resting Gingka! Not staying up all night!" the brunette growled, his blue eyes glaring at the leader.
As he stepped into the room, Aguma let out a loud yawn. "Who's supposed to be resting?" he asked, his voice thick as the blader slumped against the wall, still half asleep.
Everyone pointed accusingly towards Gingka who glared at all of them in turn, making each blader shiver.
Just then, Chris walked into the room with Sora, the two freezing when they saw all fingers pointed at a clearly upset Gingka.
"What did you do now?" the two asked at the same time, giving heated looks towards the even angrier looking redhead.
"Nothing! I didn't do anything!"
"He stayed up all night," Ryuga informed as he stepped towards the coffee maker and poured himself a steaming cup with a sigh.
Gingka growled at the now smirking golden eyed blader. "Bully."
"Insane."
"Jerk!"
"Pathetic."
"Grr! Ryuga!"
The Dragon Emperor rolled his eyes as he took a long drink. "Go to bed Hagane. You can't even come up with good comebacks to such easy bait."
"I'm not going to be!" the redhead snapped defiantly as he crossed his arms over his chest.
Tithi groaned as both Kyoya and Madoka stepped into the room.
"This is going to go well," the fuchsia haired blader mumbled.
"What's going on in here?" Madoka asked, her's and Kyoya's brows raised at the thick tension in the room.
Zero opened his mouth to respond before Gingka quickly clamped his hand over the Ifrit blader's lips.
"Hagane didn't sleep last night," Ryuga replied from the other side of the room with a smirk directed at the now furious Pegasus wielder.
"Ryuga!" Gingka growled, his fists balling as he stood, hiding a grimace as he stretched out his wound.
Madoka looked around the room before her eyes widened as Aguma stepped in front of Gingka.
The Autumn Blader glared at the Kronos wielder. "What do you want Aguma?" he snapped.
"Calm down Gingka. We'll take care of everything while you get some sleep. If something happens, we'll come and get you," the Legendary Blader of Saturn said, surprising everyone with his calm demeanor.
Gingka's tense shoulders relaxed slowly, but the burning golden-brown glare remained. After what he'd experienced lately, Gingka wasn't going to let anyone get kidnapped on his watch.
Kenta gave the redhead a gentle smile. "You can sleep in my room since Anis and his friends are still asleep in yours." The greenette then grabbed Gingka's wrist before leading the suddenly very exhausted looking blader towards Kenta's room.
Opening the door, the Saggitario blader pulled Gingka inside before pushing the Pegasus wielder onto the med.
"But I'm really not sleepy," Gingka protested with a barely stifled yawn.
Chuckling, Kenta shook his head before closing the door. "Sleep Gingka. I'll see you later."
"I thought you said I could see Mr. Gingka after lunch?" Anis whimpered as he looked up at Madoka with watery eyes.
The brunette had no idea what to tell the young blader. That his role model hurt himself terribly and was now sleeping the pain off as best as he could?
The six year old was suddenly scooped up high into the air with a startled shriek, much to Madoka's surprise.
"And you will!" Gingka exclaimed as he hugged the red haired boy tightly with a grin.
Wrapping his small arms around the redhead's neck, Anis cheered. "You're back! Ms. Madoka said that you were sleepy so you went to sleep. She said you would be back after lunch. Are you all better now?"
His golden-brown eyes flashed towards a sheepishly smiling Madoka before Gingka nodded. "Yup. I'm all better now. If you hurry and get the other villagers and bring them down to the training room, I'll make sure and battle you all."
The green eyed Hydra wielder grinned before jumping out of Gingka's arms, then raced towards the lounge where most of his friends were resting.
"Are you sure you're okay? You don't want anything to help with the pain?" Madoka asked, her turquoise eyes shining with worry as she looked over her friend.
The Autumn Blader stretched, being careful so as not to aggravate his wound more. "I'll be alright. Just don't tell anyone who doesn't already know. The last thing I want is to make them worry even more."
The mechanic looked skeptically at him. "Are you sure that's smart?"
Gingka gave her a helpless smile. "I don't know. But they're worried already, and this won't calm their fears."
"Probably not," Madoka agreed as she sighed in defeat.
"So this," the redhead said, lightly touching his side and wincing slightly, "stays between us."
Madoka nodded. "Fine. But you will let me look at it."
Chuckling, the Pegasus blader smiled. "Yes. Later though. I have some training to do." With that, the golden-brown eyed blader raced towards the stairs.
"Crazy blader," the brunette chuckled as she watched until Gingka disappear.
Zero sighed happily as he tossed a pair of plyers into the tool box beside him after tightening the security camera onto its mount. After shifting the bush back so that it was once again concealing the camera, the Ifrit wielder smiled.
He and all of the other bladers had trained hard today. The Legendary Bladers worked with the others until the less experienced bladers were exhausted. Then the ten worked amongst themselves, challenging their seemingly perfect opponent until they could barely stand. The sight had made Zero chuckle.
Much to his relief and somewhat sorrow, no one who didn't already know noticed the tiny hints of pain on Gingka's face. However, the Legendary Bladers, Sora, Madoka, and himself heard the slight wheezing the redhead was doing at the end of a second win against the tag-team up of Kyoya and Ryuga.
The black and orange haired blader jumped when he heard the bushes behind him rustling. Turning sharply, the Ifrit blader gasped.
"Hello Zero Kurogane."
"You're…"
A cackle sounded. "Yes I am. Get him."
Zero didn't even have a chance to call for help before a canvas sack was thrown over his head and he was knocked unconscious.
The Mercury Blader walked determinedly into the hospital wing, a weird look on his face.
"What's wrong with you?" Gingka grunted from his position on one of the cots.
"Have you seen Zero? He was supposed to bring me back my tools so that I could work on the communicators," Yuki asked Gingka as the blader hissed at the alcohol Madoka patted gently into his side.
"No I haven't," the redhead replied through gritted teeth as he squeezed his eyes shut and his body tensed.
Yuki's brow scrunched in worry. "He's been gone for an hour Gingka. It doesn't take that long to change the base for a camera."
The Autumn Blader's eyes flew open and he jumped to his feet, earning the second yelp of the day from Madoka. "What camera?"
"A-14."
"What?!" Gingka shrieked. "You told a young blader to go change that base? Are you crazy?!"
"What was I supposed to do? He volunteered and none of us could go with him!" Yuki yelled back.
Madoka looked in confusion from one Legendary Blader to the other. "What's so bad about that one camera?"
Running his hand through his hair as he paced, Gingka growled, "That's our camera that is closest to the warehouse Kyoya, Ryuga, and I were in."
The mechanic's jaw dropped before fear enveloped her. "You don't think…"
Gingka nodded grimly. "I do," the redhead sighed before walking towards the door.
"And where are you going?" Yuki called, hoping his leader wasn't planning on doing what he thought he was going to do.
Without turning around, the Pegasus blader answered, "I have a call to make."
"Sirs, we have an incoming transmission."
A man in a black suit looked towards a hologram in the shape of a man in a purple suit who stood beside him. When both of them grinned evilly, the lackey projected the call on the large screen that was at the front of the room.
"Ah, we were wondering when you would check in. Missed us yet?" the first man asked.
The golden-brown eyed blader on screen barred his teeth. "I want him back."
"Who? Oh I remember. Your little student," the hologram chuckled. "I don't think so. He's good enough to keep. He'll provide decent entertainment, though not as good as you."
Fear flashed across Gingka's face before he snarled. "Don't you dare hurt him! He's family!"
The man in the black suit laughed. "Don't you want to tell him that?" He turned, suddenly pulling the Ifrit blader out of nowhere.
"Zero!" the redhead exclaimed. His fist clenched tightly at the sight of the busted lip and cut temple, though Gingka was greatful that those were the only things that seemed wrong with him.
Looking around alertly as his mind focused on that familiar voice, the young blader smiled at the Pegasus wielder. "I'm fine. Don't come after me. Tell the villagers that they're safe even though their spy died in that explosion."
Gingka nodded. "They'll be okay. He was a good man though. I'll tell them, I promise." The redhead then turned his attention towards the two evil men. "I assume this will be last time I talk to him?"
"Of course. Quick goodbyes before he gets fried with as much electricity as we can get into him."
The two friends looked at each other solemnly.
"I've never really told you, but you're the best thing that's ever happened to me."
"Zero," Gingka breathed, feeling like his heart was cracking. He then cleared his throat, hoping to keep his voice steady. "You're like family Zero. And you know how I feel about family."
The Ifrit blader nodded, his blue gaze locked on Gingka's intense golden-brown eyes. The Legend had once told him of his internal defiant cry that his father wasn't dead all those years ago. How, even when it seemed impossible, the redhead hoped that Ryo was still alive.
Zero knew with everything in him that Gingka Hagane did not give up without a fight. This, it seemed from the sharp look in the Pegasus blader's eyes, was no different.
In the blink of an eye, the connection was cut off, the fiery glare Gingka had sent the two men forever ingrained in their memories. If looks could kill…
"Who was that?" Tithi asked as he walked into the Command Room. The Queztalcoatl blader yelped in surprise as Gingka growled loudly and slammed his fist on the keyboard.
Standing and striding towards the exit, the Autumn Blader snarled, "They just don't know when to quit!"
Tithi stared in confusion. "Huh?"
"Ziggurat and Doji," was all the Venus Blader needed to hear before he scowled darkly and followed his leader.
Zero: O.o What did you do to me?!
Seeker: You're fine.
Zero: -whimpers- But it's them!
Seeker: Yes, it's Zigster and OJ back from the dead... again.