DISCLAIMER:

Me: I DO NOT OWN METAL FIGHT BEYBLADE OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.

DIE, RAGO, DIE!

EDIT: Just needed to fix a little grammar error...

"Not again," Ryo muttered. Then, he raised his voice. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'HE'S GONE?'"

Kenta scratched the back of his head nervously. "I don't know."

"You were supposed to be watching him!" Gingka's father said.

Hotaru sighed; his mother seemed a little amused at Ryo's reaction. "Mr. Hagane," she began.

"The Immortal Phoenix!"

"Mr. Hagane," - Ryo pouted at this - "Ryuga's a growing boy; he needs his freedom. He can't be cooped up in a house doing nothing all day." She tossed a box of cookies to Yu, who caught it and smiled enthusiastically as he started nibbling on the treats.

Hotaru continued. "You should be grateful that he's getting some exercise, while other kids just sit around in their homes staring at the computer screen." (A/N: That's me! Yay!)

"Hey!" Madoka protested. (A/N: Or it could be her too...) She protectively hugged her mini-laptop to her chest, as if she was afraid that someone was going to take it away from her.

Gingka patted her shoulder in mock comfort.

Ryo shook his head in amusement. "Growing boy?" He raised a lightning-shaped eyebrow skeptically. "I looked up his files... and I found out that he's turning eighteen four months from now. He is far past his 'Growing Boy' stage."

Did not know that, Kenta thought to himself.

"You have his files?" Madoka, Benkeu, Yu, and Gingka gasped. "Lemme see!"

They were ignored.

"Okay, maybe not a growing boy," Hotaru corrected herself. "But note that he's not used to being around so many people; we can't blame him for wanting a little peace and quiet... and privacy." She glared pointedly at Yu, who raised his hands defensively. "It only happened once!" he squeaked. "And I had a nightmare! And I was cold!"

"That's no excuse to barge into the guest room and jump on top of him!" Kenta said. "Again!" He thought back to the first time that Ryuga had woken up.

"Well, he was really warm," Yu stated, hugging himself and making cutesy faces at Hotaru. "And he didn't say anything."

Kyoya snorted, which was the first sound he had made since he arrived. "He barely says anything these days," he scoffed. The others nodded assent.

Hotaru smiled faintly. "Sometimes, I think that all that boy needs is affection. Makes me wonder what made him end up the way he is."

How about his mother ending up in the crazy house? Kenta thought wryly.

Madoka stared at Hotaru, squinting her turquoise eyes. "You sound like you wanna adopt him."

Before Kenta's mother could say anything, the door swung open.

Everyone turned to the figure in the doorway; Ryuga. Brand-new bruises and scrapes adorned his arms and face, and his left hand was pressed onto his lips, as if trying to cover a nasty wound. Kenta noticed that the skin on his mentor's elbows and hands was peeling, revealing raw and dark pink flesh.

Hotaru was by his side in a golden flash. "My goodness!" she gasped. "What happened to you?" She frantically examined him for more injuries. Kenta was amused to see that Ryuga didn't look too comfortable; that didn't hide the glimmer of affection in his yellow eyes. "I was being chased, then I fell," Ryuga said quietly.

Tripped? Nobody in the room looked like they believed what he said: "then I fell." Even Yu; well, it was hard not to laugh at Yu, since he was stuffing himself with cookies.

"Oh, you poor thing!" Hotaru stood up and hurried to the hall closet to get some medical supplies.

A familiar, bitter feeling fluttered in Kenta's chest - jealousy; his mother never paid much attention to him nowadays - she was usually focused on the current projects with the neighbors, or caring for Ryuga, who was - right now - shifting uncomfortably and wincing as Hotaru bandaged his left arm.

Kenta had always thought of his mother as a little clumsy, and often fussy and annoyingly protective. But he guessed that according to what Ryuga had said a couple of days earlier - about his mom being in a mental hospital - that he probably never felt a mother's love.

And thinking about the former blader's past, he was suddenly conscious of how lucky he was to have his mother around.

It's kinda sad, Kenta thought, frowning slightly; The world's more imperfect than most people think...

Kenta jumped in surprise as Ryuga hissed, wrenching his right arm away from Hotaru, who drew back. "Alright!" she yelped, throwing the tiny bottle of medicine over her shoulder in surrender. "I won't use it, if that's what you want." She held out her hand. "Arm."

Ryuga stared at her - a guarded look in his eyes - as he inched to the opposite end of the couch. He was holding his arm close to his body, as if trying to protect it. The cut on his lower lip was emitting a tiny trickle of blood that dripped down his chin, now that his left hand wasn't suppressing the wound.

Hotaru stared right back - her usual technique for calming panicked children.

Ryuga's not a kid, Kenta mused. But it's working. Ryuga slowly extended his arm, the tanned surface of which looked rough and tender with whitish ridges of peeled skin.

"How do you get yourself into these situations, Ryuga?" Hotaru murmured as she gently applied a damp cloth to his damaged skin. Kenta spotted Ryuga biting his lip, probably trying to distract himself from the pain.

Or he was just trying not to scream.

Then again, Ryuga wasn't a screamer.

"Who chased you?" Gingka asked.

Ryuga said nothing, then winced as Hotaru snugly pulled at the bandage.

"Could it be your former Face Hunters, Kyoya?" Ryo asked.

The Leone-wielder shrugged. "Who knows what those good-for-nothing losers are up to?"

"That's not nice, Kyoya," Madoka said. "After all, they used to like, worship you."

He scowled at her.

"Aw! Tsubasa, no!" Yu whined, trying to grab the TV remote. The Eagle blader was holding it quite easily out of his companion's reach, a faint smirk on his face. "Try to get it, little boy."

"Tsubasaaaaaa! Spongebob's on now!"

"I hate that show," everyone in the room - save Ryuga and Hotaru - chorused.

Yu pouted. "Why? Spongebob's awesome!"

"He's annoying," Madoka said. "So is Patrick, and Squidward, and Mr. Krabs, and all those dumb Bikini Bottom citizens."

Yu tugged on Ryuga's black tank top. "You think Spongebob's cool, right, Ryuga?"

"What's Spongebob?"

Everyone stared at him in confusion. "Are you serious?" Yu asked him, letting go.

He got a slow nod in response.

"Do you even watch TV?"

A shake of the head.

"What?" Gingka exclaimed, hugging Ryuga, who tried to pry him off. "This... this is horrible!" He had tears in his eyes. "Ryuga doesn't watch TV! How... Ryuga? How do you do it? How do you survive without the beautiful motion-picture technology that is television?"

"Please, don't," Ryuga muttered pleadingly.

Gingka let go. "I'm gonna help you!"

"And he did." The former blader facepalmed.

The Pegasus-wielder rose from his sitting position on Ryuga's lap, his fist raised in the air. "I'm gonna teach Ryuga how to have fun!" he announced loudly, his honey-brown eyes shining.

Everyone sighed in defeat as Ryuga stood up, put his index finger to the side of Gingka's head, and pushed him off the couch.

Hikaru doesn't want to come in. XD

You don't know what you're missing out on, Hippity-Hop!