"Let it rip!"
Pegasus skips twice on its launch, and Gingka is glad this battle is just for fun. Madoka still notices however.
In a pointed way, she asks, "Gingka, you okay?"
"Yeah! Fine, Madoka," He tells her, keeping his tone upbeat. "Just haven't gotten to stretch our wings in a while!" There's a squeeze in his chest at the thought of Kyoya still in the apartment. His father is there right now, so it should be fine for him to be out, but Gingka feels responsible for him now. Not even beyblading can keep his mind away.
"Gingky, if you don't pay attention Kenchy's gonna hit you right out of the stadium!" Yu teases from the side, and while maybe at one point Kenta would have been sheepish from the comment, he's all determination and unbothered by having Gingka on the ropes now.
Gingka smiles. "Guess I need to be serious then! Pegasus!" He throws a hand forward in command. His bey clashes more fiercely with Sagittario, and Kenta quickly has it duck away.
A quirk finds his mouth. "Stormbringer!"
Burning with light and anticipation, Pegasus runs rings around the stadium, pouring massive amounts of power into the blazing trail completing the circle as it picks up speed.
"Not today Gingka! Sagittario, Flameclaw!" Kenta cries. The spirit leaps into view and charges, crashing loudly as it shoves Pegasus out of its special.
Madoka gasps from where she sits on the grass. "Wow! That was nice Kenta."
"It's not over yet!" Gingka grins. Maybe he hadn't started the fight very enthusiastically, but now he's feeling energized. From Pegasus's airborne position now is a perfect time to return a blow, so he calls out, "Star Blast attack!"
"Sagittario hold on!" The bey moves up to kiss the edge of the stadium right below, angling its spinning claws to take the blow.
Madoka comments, "Ah, that'll give you a better shot of standing the attack, and more room for the knockback. Smart move Kenta."
"Yeah Kenchy!" Yu cheers.
"But is it enough?" Gingka asks daringly. They collide, slamming both beys to the bottom of the stadium with sparks dancing wildly around them.
"Gaaaah! Come on Sagittario!"
"Knock him back Pegasus!"
With a final strike, Gingka's bey breaks Kenta's defenses and sends the yellow bey toppling to Kenta's feet.
"Oooh!" Yu sounds sour. "You were sooo close!" It sounds almost as if Yu is more upset about the loss than Kenta, who picks Sagittario up to check for damage. It's unlikely, the battle wasn't really that harsh, but a smart blader knows to do so anyway or risk problems.
With a click, Madoka shuts her computer. "That was really good Kenta, you're getting better."
"Yeah!" Gingka agrees, rubbing a thumb over the wheel of his bey, still stinging with heat.
Kenta smiles. "Maybe," he allows. "But I think you might be getting a little rusty staying inside all the time. How is Kyoya doing?"
The rush from the battle fades a little. "Oh, uh… Kyoya?" Gingka rubs the back of his head. "He's, uh. I'm… not really sure to be honest. He doesn't really let us get close or talk to him, he just paces the house, like he's waiting for something. I don't really know what to do for him." The weight he's been feeling presses through his tone. Kyoya wasn't one to reach out even before this but now it's like there's a barrier between him and the world, one that Gingka can't breach.
"Does he want to beybattle now that his leg is better?" Kenta suggests with a frown.
"Yeah! Kyoyo loves to fight, it's the only time he talks on and on about winning and lions or whatever he usually rambles about," Yu tacks on helpfully, and while normally that wouldn't be wrong, right now it isn't the case for Kyoya.
Gingka says, "No, he won't leave at all. He hasn't even used Leone since he got back. It's weird." After a pause he adds his suspicions. "I think Kyoya might be worried about getting attacked again. While the people who did it are still out there they might come back for him, going through it once was bad enough… He's still got bruises on his legs."
A hand flies to Madoka's mouth. "That's terrible."
With the atmosphere growing less comforting with the conversation, Yu moves subconsciously closer to Kenta, who asks with a bit of fear, "Are you worried they'll try and hurt you too, Gingka?"
He blinks, considering it for the first time, then he smiles anyway and reassures, "I'm probably fine, so long as I'm not on my own."
"None of you should be alone after dark anymore," A new voice says.
Gingka and the other three look up the hill to see Tsubasa leaning on the railing.
"What do you mean?" Yu asks.
Gingka adds, "Have you found out anything new?"
Tsubasa rounds the rail and walks down the hill to them, saying, "The WBBA has knowledge that whoever is doing this isn't just in Japan. And, although you might have guessed, they aren't steering away from skilled bladers either, former members from teams like Wang Hu Zhong and Chandora are missing."
"Wang Hu Zhong?!" It's something Gingka can't process. The time they'd spent training and fighting with them had left them a bond with the members, if any of them are in the shape Kyoya's in now- or worse… "Who was taken?"
"Chao Xin, nearly Dashan as well," Tsubasa tells them gravely. "Chao Xin hasn't been found yet."
"Masamune's gonna be upset," Yu says quietly. They all are, but Masamune's rivalry with him will make the news cut even deeper.
Madoka clasps her hands together. "We should video chat them to see if they're alright. They've got to be taking this really hard." The others nod their agreement.
"Maybe…" Kenta adds hesitantly, glancing up at Gingka. "Kyoya will want to say something too?"
"I'll ask him," Gingka says mildly, although he knows that Kenta's probably going to be disappointed. "-Ah! Speaking of which, I ought to start going home." The sky had begun to dim with the start of twilight, and Gingka doesn't need to check the time to know that his father's next meeting begins soon.
"I'll come with you," Tsubasa says. "I'm headed that way anyways."
They wave goodbye to the others and head down the sidewalk in companionable silence for a time before Tsubasa stops them, face solemn and half shadowed from the failing light. "Gingka, I didn't want to say anything in front of them, but I feel you should know…"
Gingka looks to him in surprise. "What?"
He dips his head and closes his eyes as he begins carefully, "Something that the police discovered… These people aren't messing around, Gingka. Bladers that don't make the cut are killed, and their bodies are buried- hidden miles away from the facilities themselves so no connections can be made."
At Gingka's sharp intake, Tsubasa meets his eyes again with a painful look. "For whatever reason, Kyoya was nearly one of those bladers. Maybe he fought back too much or made to many enemies, but he's very lucky to be alive right now. Had we not found him…" The sentence hangs in the air. Tsubasa breathes deeply and continues, "Gingka, I know he isn't saying anything yet, but if he were to I think it would be to you. What he knows could save other bladers from that fate, and while I'm not suggesting Kyoya is trying to hold out, I need you to listen to him. Alright?"
There's a lump in his throat that had grown while Tsubasa spoke. Gingka struggles to swallow and murmurs, "Tsubasa, I'm trying. I really am, but... I just don't know how to help him. I think I'm going to make it worse." His chest flutters as he admits it, he shouldn't be speaking so negatively but at the same time Gingka wants to be honest.
Tsubasa smiles at him instead. "That's okay. If I know you, Gingka, you're already doing more than you know. Don't worry about it, just- please stay safe."
Gingka nods, and they keep walking.
"Um… Tsubasa? Are any of the other disappearances anyone we know?" he asks, almost not wanting to know the answer.
Tsubasa thinks for a moment, blinking and tossing a bit of hair out of his eyes before answering, "Uhh… the oldest Kumada brother, a few of the former Facehunters… do you know anyone named Taraba or Busujima?"
Shaking his head, Gingka turns away. "No. I feel bad about it too, like I should have known them before this. I wonder if they have any friends or family that are worried about them."
"Probably. I spoke with the other two Kumadas about their brother's disappearance. They didn't know anything helpful, but I could tell they were afraid for Kumasuka. I don't understand how this organization could just pop out from nowhere. The Dark Nebula was on our radar for at least a month before I got involved, but we still have nothing even with the police involved and other WBBA factions searching in their countries."
Gingka nods. "Madoka said the same thing, they need connections and things. I haven't heard my father mention any of that though. Whoever they are, they've been keeping this a secret for a long time and I don't think they meant for it to be uncovered now. Kyoya getting out alive must have been a mistake." His eyes widen with a new realization. "No wonder Kyoya's so afraid of them coming back for him!"
"He mentioned that?" Tsubasa asks, confused.
Gingka backtracks, "Oh no. It's just, uh, the vibe I get. When have you ever known Kyoya to stay inside when there's a fight on the horizon?"
Tsubasa manages a wane smile. "True."
Finally, they reach Gingka's apartment building, and he pauses by the stairs. His heart thumps in anticipation of the tense atmosphere waiting for him, but more pressing is the one in front of him. If he was stopping here, then who would stay with Tsubasa? Nervously, he says, "Tsubasa, you aren't going to walk alone, are you? It's getting dark."
The corners of his mouth curl up, flattered or amused Gingka isn't sure which. "I'll be okay," Tsubasa insists. "Where I'm going is only a short ways away, and I'll stick to the main roads that are lit up. I should be safe, but if I'm not I'll draw a lot of attention by fighting there. It would be unwise for them to make a move."
"If you say so Tsubasa…" Gingka says reluctantly.
He watches the other turn and stroll down the sidewalk, white hair turned gold from the streetlights, and forces himself to turn away. The sliding door is left unlocked for him. Ryo smiles at him as Gingka passes through the dining room and he returns it, trying not to notice the tiredness in his father's face or how many papers coat the table surface.
Down the hall, Kyoya's already shut up in his room. Gingka pauses across from the door, remembering what Tsubasa had spoken about and for just a moment considers knocking. But no, Kyoya's still recovering. He needs to rest. A breath he didn't realize he was holding escapes quietly as a sigh, and Gingka turns his back to the door for his room instead.
/
The tension eases slowly from his body. It's been at least a half hour since GIngka went to bed, and just a minute from Mr. Hagane shutting the door behind him and locking it with a click. He's finally alone in the house. With a shirt kicked over the bottom of the door so no one will see the lamp he turns on, for a few more minutes he savors the relief of not being supervised before grabbing his launcher and slipping into the closet. It's easier to write off being caught if they can't see what he's doing in time to hide it. Fingers trembling, Kyoya reaches into his pocket and pulls out a bey.
It's time to get used to this again. Already he's recovered most of his launch strength from simply practicing with his launcher silently in the room, but that isn't enough. If he wants to be ready Kyoya needs to push himself harder than ever.
Unfortunately, his stupid hands won't steady long enough. Biting down on his lower lip, sharp canines almost piercing through to hold back the frustrated growl building in his throat, Kyoya sets the bey aside and grips his wrist. Never before had this been a problem. Bladers couldn't have shaky hands, not if they wanted a halfway decent launch. Regardless of the nerves, stress, or exhaustion, they had to steady themselves or find other outlets for it. He forces himself to take long, measured breathes as he stretches the tense muscles in them, ignoring the growing pit in his stomach and putting away thoughts of what he's trying to do. Right now none of that is helpful. Kyoya must be the one in control. There's no other way to do this.
When he can finally hold out his fingers without them quaking, he grabs the launcher again, swallowing nausea that blooms immediately, and pulls the ripcord. It's far from the perfect launch. The bey wobbles slightly as it spins on the wooden floor and it doesn't have the speed for any competition, but it's something. A starting point.
When he stops it, his head is throbbing and his throat pounds like his heart is caught inside, Kyoya shoves the bey into his pocket and the launcher in its case before pulling himself up on the bed. Leone taps the headboard with the movement, unobtrusive to its owner.
If I understand correctly, Nomura wrote the entire dialogue for Kingdom Hearts 358 days in two weeks, seeing and speaking to no one and living on canned food. I'm here to tell you that's a valid strategy- if you substitute canned food for cheese sticks and chocolate and instead of two weeks do it for two days with breathtaking anxiety levels.
Hahaha... merry Christmas.
I hope I'm not being too repetitive when the characters are talking about things. I'm still working on pacing.
Your comments overflow my little heart with joy. Y'all are wonderful. Seriously.
