Disclaimer : I don't own MFB.

When did I fall for you ?

Ginga was in love with Kyouya Tategami.

He didn't know when it happened, but it struck him one day.

He was thinking about his friends and Kyouya, happy to have them around him, before realizing he wasn't thinking about his rival and his friends the same way. He loved differently every one of his friends–they were all different, after all: it was normal he didn't care about them the same way–but it was friendship. He knew it. He had no doubt.

What he felt for Kyouya was a whole different level. The way he cared about him was more intense. If he could keep only one person to his side, he would choose Kyouya. He understood when his friends' path drave them apart wherever it was during a peaceful daily life or dangerous adventures, but when Kyouya went away, it hurt him. He wanted to keep him to his side, see him discover the world and being amazed, fight besides and against him. He loved to listen to him, the way he spoke and kept quiet, the sound of his voice and the rhythm of his words.

And Ginga thought Kyouya was beautiful.

He knew Madoka was pretty and Tsubasa wasn't bad. He wasn't blind, and he heard the admiring remarks of boys and girls–for both. But he knew it, that's all. It didn't matter to him. It wasn't like Kyouya's intense blue gaze, which caught him and made him forget the rest of the world. Nor the way he caught himself thinking about him: his face with fine features, his long green hair, his outfit showcasing his body, his exposed stomach and collarbone, the way he moved...

All of this was too specific in his memory for him not to understand what it meant. Especially when he noticed how much he liked it.

He was in love with Kyouya Tategami.

It could have been worse. Kyouya was an exceptional person on many levels–but maybe he thought so only because he was in love.

So he found himself wondering when this might have happened.

Certainly not when they have met them, even if Kyouya's passionate blader spirit had immediately attracted him. It had been the first time since he had left Koma that he had faced himself such a passionate blader. Except that Kyouya had sent his Face Hunter to steal Sagittario and threatened to throw it off a tower, only because he felt that Ginga was taking too long to accept his challenge–despite he had launched it less than half a day ago.

However, Ginga would lie if he claimed to hate him. He had been a bit angry with him right then, enough to insult her, but this feeling had ceased long before the end of their duel.

Ginga hadn't seen Kyouya for many weeks, but he had often caught himself thinking of him, and he had enjoyed hearing Kenta and then Benkei mention him. It had given him the pleasant impression that he belonged to their close entourage, even if he had not seen him once during this time.

Then Kyouya came back. Ginga had prevented him from diving into the abyss of destruction and madness with which he flirted dangerously. He didn't want Kyouya to get lost. He didn't want to lose him. He had succeeded, with Leone's help.

Then Kyouya had led him in the Dark Nebula's castle. While Ginga wondered how he would be able to face his enemies and protect his friends–at that time, none of them had the strenght to be able to defend themselves–Kyouya had appeared and Ginga had known everything would be fine. As if his mere presence would solve every problems. Not only did Kyouya have the rage and passion to not need his protection, but his blader's spirit, his strength and his intelligence made him a valuable help.

But Ginga wasn't in love with him yet. At least not deeply. Maybe he was starting to have feelings, though.

Then Kyouya had led all his friends safely to Koma. He had helped him to reconnect with his childhood friend. He had urged him to see the Battle Bladers as an opportunity to seize because he was a blader and not only a way to fulfill his revenge. His encouragement had helped him defeating Phoenix.

Maybe Ginga didn't fall in love with Kyouya at one point in time, but his feelings got stronger over time. What was certain was he had been much more shaken by Kyouya's defeat against Ryuuga than Hikaru's and Tsubasa's, or the defeat of Kenta and Hyouma against Reiji. He had wanted to avenge him right away. He would have preferred to see him win, even if it meant losing the goal that had guided his steps for nearly a year. He had constantly repeated his words in his mind until the final.

What was certain, too, was that he was already deeply in love with him when the World Championships began. Seeing Kyouya turn his back to him and walk away from him had broken his heart.

Ginga had fallen in love with Kyouya over the days, between their meeting and the semi-finals of the Battle Bladers. He didn't know what to do with that information. He didn't even know if he should do anything with it. All he knew was that he wanted to keep Kyouya by his side.

XXX

Kyouya was in love with Ginga Hagane.

There was nothing more obvious–for him, anyway. He did nothing to hide it. Why bother? He liked to talk about Ginga, even to people he barely knew. He liked to think about him. He wanted Ginga to look at him, to realize how exceptional he was and to forget the rest of the world. He wanted to be special for him, not one of his friend, not one of those thousands of people in distress he spent his time saving. No. He wanted to show him that he was his equal, that Ginga could rest on him.

Was it not for this reason that Kyouya spent his time taking part in his quests, no matter how laughable he found them at first, and fighting to pave the way for him? For who else would he accept to be a supporting role?

The answer was simple: no one.

Kyouya didn't see the point, but if he had to pinpoint the moment he had fallen in love with Ginga, it would be... well... it certainly wouldn't be their meeting. He had seen in him only an interesting opponent, which he was certain to defeat. It would not be at their second meeting either, which ended in his defeat. It had put him off. Losing seemed to belong to the realm of the impossible. And yet...

It might seem surprising, but his heart had begun to lean towards Ginga during their second duel. All his words had been so right that not being sensitive to them was simply impossible. Ginga had reached out to him, making every effort to help him, without foolishness or naivety. His way of helping him had been strong, wild, harsh. Until he met him, Kyouya didn't know it was possible to help others this way. He thought it was an activity for right-thinking people, with no sense of reality.

Except that Ginga was aware of the realities. Even a little too much.

Ginga had saved him. He had allowed him to become a better team-mate for Leone and, therefore, a better blader. To pay his debt, Kyouya had told Ginga's friends where was the Dark Nebula castle.

But he had been unable to stop there.

Kyouya didn't have a heart on his hand. He wasn't the type to help every people he met. He gave his time and energy only to those who were dear to him. It probably meant something that he had been unable to let Ginga manage–at the time, Benkei, Kenta and Madoka hadn't been much help… and one of them was still useless to this day. Kyouya had helped Ginga to fight the enemies who stood in his way, had enabled him to achieve his goal and had suffered so much when he had seen him in this out-of-control rage. He had felt his bowels twisting and had hated to see Ginga crying and suffering... At the same time, it had gave him the impression of getting closer to him. The boy who had faced him through his madness was even darker and more complex than he had imagined. And it was still true, a few days later, when Kenta had brought back Ginga's past. Pegasus' blader was not only dark and complex, but almost broken. Kyouya had felt his heart shatter when he had learned of the trials he had gone through. Who could stand up after all this? Kyouya doubted he would have.

But Ginga had an extraordinary strength and determination. It was impressive, but not enough. And, before becoming aware of it, Kyouya had decided to stand by him to relieve him of some of his burden. He wanted to remind him that he had the right to live for himself.

He had not been away from Ginga for long, yet when he saw him again at Koma, Kyouya had felt his heart tremble. He hadn't been able to tear his gaze away from his eyes of an incredible color, which he could not define. He had loved the way his hair burned under the light, and the proud posture of his elegant body, and had been surprised to think how soft his skin seemed.

Kyouya never included falling in love in his plans. He would never have guessed he would be attracted by a walking tragedy who carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. Yet he had fallen in love with Ginga. Or, more precisely, Ginga had caught his heart when he had saved him and allowed him to regain his blader's spirit.

Kyouya would tell him one day, and they could stand side by side.

For now, he was happy to be Ginga Hagane's rival.

THE END