What… Huh? Where am I?
Hikaru's eyes flew open – and just as quickly they snapped shut in response to the blinding light. Once her eyes had adjusted, Hikaru slowly opened them and sat up. The last thing she remembered after defeating L-Drago was being flung out of Pegasus' bey and landing… Hikaru looked around. She seemed to be in a hospital bed of sorts. For some reason Hikaru felt strangely heavy, as if gravity had increased. She brushed the hair out of her eyes and – Hikaru stared at her hand as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. Of course. They must have been returned to their bodies after the battle.
Tsubasa sat up. They were in some kind of hospital for some reason. This must be where they kept our bodies while we were trapped inside L-Drago. Spying a purple bey on the table next to him, Tsubasa quickly snatched it up. Eagle! There was not a single scratch on his partner – Madoka must have repaired it while he was unconscious. He made a mental note to thank her later. Tsubasa slid off the bed and stood up on shaky legs. He wasn't used to his body after being out of it for so long – it had only been a day but felt like an eternity – but he would readjust. Hopefully.
Kyoya was already out of bed and trying to stand without looking like he was leaning too much on the wall. He still felt wobbly on his legs after an eon of disuse – he'd have to fix that if he wanted to return to his position as one of Japan's top bladers. Maybe a trip to Wolf Canyon was in order. But...not right now. Maybe wait until his strength returned. Kyoya clutched Leone tightly in his hand. He wasn't going to let go of his partner anytime soon.
Kyoya looked out the window. "Hey guys?" he called out with a voice hoarse from disuse and from what he had been through. "The others are all down there… We should get going too."
They made their way down the stairs and out of the hospital carefully, their souls settling back into their bodies where they belonged. Everyone was crowded around Gingka, congratulating him, though he didn't seem as thrilled about the victory as he should have been.
Tsubasa smiled. "Looks like we missed all the fun, huh?" he said to no one in particular. Even though he knew Gingka was the ultimate winner of Battle Bladers, he still would have liked to see some of the final matches. Kyoya scoffed. "Please. I could've defeated Ryuga with one hand tied behind my back." If it weren't for L-Drago stealing everyone's souls for power, that is.
Benkei heard him and turned around. "KYOYA BUDDY!" Benkei would have crushed him in one of his hugs if Kyoya hadn't stopped him. "Get a grip!" They all laughed at that. It was nice to have a reason to laugh again.
Ryo – though Hikaru had never met him before, she knew who he was; Kyoya and Tsubasa had filled her in on everything she missed – chuckled. "Congratulations Gingka," he told his son. "Thanks to you, the world is now safe." Kyoya's eyes narrowed. Now that Gingka had saved the world, he was going to have to train a lot harder if he ever wanted to defeat his rival. He hadn't forgotten how the darkness inside L-Drago had almost overwhelmed him… Kyoya felt Leone press against his mind and rumble soothingly. He hadn't even realized he was shaking. Yes, he had to get stronger – much, much stronger – so something like that would never happen to him or his Leone ever again.
Gingka raised his sorrow-filled eyes. "But Father, Pegasus has disappeared!"
"WHAT?!"
Hikaru instinctively gripped Aquario tighter. That's another risk of beyblade, she realized.Even if your bey isn't damaged beyond repair, you could still lose the bey spirit inside… She shivered, remembering how terrified she was when she thought she had lost Aquario in L-Drago. She couldn't lose Aquario. She couldn't. Aquario wasn't just the last piece of her mother she had left, it was also her partner, the one who stood by her through thick and thin. Aquario meant more to her than beyblade itself…
Ryo nodded solemnly. "Yes. Even though Pegasus had everyone's help, it still had to use all of its power to defeat L-Drago. But once it has rested its wings, Pegasus will most certainly return."
Gingka wiped his eyes on his sleeve and nodded. "Yes Father. I have no doubt about it."
Tsubasa smiled. Gingka had changed from the naïve, happy-go-lucky boy he first met – changed for the better. Hopefully no new threats would arise while Gingka was without a partner. Tsubasa shivered. When he closed his eyes, he could still feel the pulses of Dark Power strike him again and again, leaving him helpless…so helpless…he hated feeling helpless… Tsubasa pushed the memory away. It was over now. He would never have to deal with the darkness ever again. Instead he turned his gaze to the rising sun, which shone down on the earth with a brightening light.
In the light of dawn, Tsubasa could now appreciate (if that was the word) all of the darkness that he, Hikaru, Kyoya, everyone, had been through. They had been thrown into darkness by Ryuga and L-Drago, and dragged back out again by Gingka and Pegasus and their bey spirits. They had survived hell and lived to tell the tale. After that, they could survive anything.
Ryo Hagane raised his head and stared into the horizon. The future was still uncertain – with the fall of the Dark Nebula, the disappearance of Doji and Ryuga, and the reorganization of the WBBA, who knew what tomorrow would bring? But Gingka and his friends weren't thinking of that as they stood amidst the rubble of Battle Bladers. Instead they savored their victory over evil, and basked in the light of a sunrise that they thought would never come.
(A/N: That's it for Consumed by Darkness. Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing and publishing it.)