Notes: sorry to Ryuga. The point was he was a different dude when he was basically possessed, but I have a habit of remembering the characters nicer than they are

I don't think Ryuga would do this, but anyway

Enjoy

--

Reiji's POV flashback

He had lost. Gingka Hagane had beaten him. Losing was bad; it meant punishment.

Reiji couldn't move, felt fear turn his body to stone. He watched Gingka celebrate with his friends. He wanted to be angry, to hate this blader who had humiliated him, who did not fear him, but all he could think was, I wish I had that.

Two WBBA medics carried him off the stage, took him to a white room. Some members of the Dark Nebula came and took him back to the base later. They carried him to a room with a bed and no windows, laid his stiff body down then left.

Slowly the feeling returned to him. He looked at Serpent. I'm so sorry.

After what might have been ten minutes, an hour, days, Merci spoke. "Master Ryuga would like to see you. He will meet you in the monitor room, now." Reiji stood, still shaky, and left the temporary safety of that room for the dark one he had grew up in.

Ryuga wasn't angry. He was… Reiji didn't know, but this Ryuga scared him. A feeling he still wasn't used to, but was slowly getting more and more familiar.

Ryuga paced circles around Reiji, spitting insults and harsh words at him. "pathetic… good for nothing… useless… coward…"

Then, out of nowhere, Ryuga hit Reiji across the face. Reiji cried out, falling to his knees at the sheer force of the blow. Ryuga grabbed Reiji's chin roughly, angling it up so he could see his face. "Well? Anything to say before I destroy you?"

Reiji didn't dare speak. Ryuga hit him again, sending Reiji sprawling across the floor. "Well?!" He screamed. "Get up!!" Reiji began to shake, fear sending spikes of panic to his broken brain. "Please… don't…" Ryuga walked over, about to hit him again, but Merci interrupted. "Ryuga- I mean, Master, the preparations for tomorrow's stage are complete."

Ryuga straightened. "Good." And with that, he left. Reiji sobbed on the ground. Weak, weak, weak…