Author's Notes: I would like to thank my real life sister (who goes by the pen name Kaz aka Kuroudo Marume) for helping me write this. If she didn't, this would've remained an idea inside my head instead of a fanfic, and I wouldn't have anything to add to my English project. Our project is to come up with a self-authored book, and I decided to compile fanfics instead to make things easier.

This fic, by the way, takes place during the Budoukan Cup finals. Just to help out those who are not fond of memorizing Gear names, the Break Nine belongs to Eddie Kobayashi while the Hishokaku belongs to Kishin Okawa.

Dedication: This is for my good friend, Kouya "Onion" Marino (who goes by the pen name klyukaizer). Thank you for accepting my insults with grace and for providing me with much entertainment. Until the next voice conference!

Farewell… My Master

Pain.

Pain had never been a pleasant sensation.

My body ached terribly; the bolts of pain that started out as plain tickling sensations drastically evolved into something more intensifying. The injuries I acquired had crippled me greatly, rendering me useless for the time being.

I'm falling apart --- literally.

And he stayed not very far from me, desperately trying to make me whole again at whatever way possible. Etched on his face was sadness, hurt and regret. Emotions that never came together in a beautiful manner.

He was crying.

And I hate to see him in tears.

He felt as though my demise was his fault, that I'm sure of. That was true, yes, but I'm not blaming him. I don't want to blame him, rather. He's but a boy, after all. A naïve 12-year-old who had so much to learn, so much to go through. A young man struggling to step out of his brother's shadow, to create his own identity and to prove that he himself was worthy of recognition.

Funny how one moment can change things drastically. The last time we were together, we were a happy hero-and-sidekick pair. We were having a great time --- until that one second when I couldn't hold on anymore.

Then and there, I snapped, lost control and tumbled down, the pressure in the atmosphere pulling me apart from all sides as gravity pulled me down… down… down…

I felt another part of me grow numb, as if it had been cut off.

He slammed his fists on the table in anger and frustration, and for the next few seconds he remained in that position, with his eyes shut tight as he attempted to stifle the sobs that threatened to escape him.

The frustration that filled him leaked through him like the bright morning rays of the sun even with his beautiful brown eyes closed --- and I knew that the pain he felt, though not physically, was far greater than the one I was feeling.

His voice was soft, yet pleading. "I need you, Garuda Eagle…"

How I wish I could wipe away his tears by putting myself back together automatically, in the blink of an eye. But that feat was simply impossible to pull off, simply impossible to attain, even if my determination and will to live was unsurpassed by any other Gear.

I remembered Dino Spartan's mocking words the last time I sat close to him. "Chill, Garuda. Master Jin will get you fixed up… eventually. But that'll take quite sometime, so you better get a magic trick up your sleeve and do some hocus-pocus to put your body together. Try a voodoo chant or something. It might work… you'll never know!"

Shooting Mirage had giggled in affirmation. She was, undeniably, the most vain one among us four, enjoying the attention her master and her master's former best friend was giving her. And with Dino Spartan spoiling her just as much as they did --- I had the feeling he liked her in secret and she liked him in return for they didn't argue like their masters did --- she grew almost as arrogant as my rival.

Yes, she reminded me of vain ol' Gaiki.

Racing Bull, however, was on my side, and I was glad that at least someone was. It made the fight even. Although I wasn't really surprised that he was, considering the fact that Mirage and Dino had been together ever since their masters made it into Team Griffon.

"Why don't you worry about beating Hishokaku, Dino? He beat you up bad the last time. And don't just sit there like there's nothing that could topple you down, Mirage. Break Nine might humiliate you and your master even worse than he and his master already did the last time," he had snapped, before giving me a look of understanding and sympathy. The look I used to get from Gougetsureishiki, the Gear my master's rival used to own before Gaiki got into the picture --- the Gear who understood me among everyone else.

"Thanks, Bull."

"Hey, don't worry about it. You'll be fine, Garuda. Trust me."

I only laughed in response then, feeling better than I used to. But now --- yet another piece of me dropped off into the cold concrete floor --- I could not help but yearn that somehow, Racing Bull was right. I hate to admit it, but Master Marino did push me too hard, did push me too far. He did not heed the advice Dino's master gave him to use my ever-straining special move, the Shining Sword Breaker, with discretion.

And now, as I fall apart, piece by piece, component by component, I open myself to the bitter truth that my life was coming to an end. But I am proud that somehow, I was able to bring happiness to my master, and I was able to serve him to the extent of my capabilities.