Ryuga's POV
Ryuga lied awake in bed, the events of earlier still playing in his mind. Only a few hours ago, King decided to go back to his hotel and Ryuga went with him to walk him there.
"It's not safe to be out alone after dark," Ryuga had insisted.
It wasn't a lie. Being out after dark was unsafe. Of course, Ryuga knew King could defend himself, he just wanted to be sure. In a short amount of time, King had become one of the most important people in Ryuga's life, he didn't feel like denying that to himself anymore. King always lifted his spirits and understood him better than anyone.
Ryuga could barely believe how much he trusted him. The realization that King would be leaving Japan, the reminder he didn't live here, Ryuga had to bury his grief in that moment as to not further upset King. Now with nothing to distract him it was all he could think about. *I'll see him again,* Ryuga insisted. *He'll visit sometime again and I'll be able to talk to him on the phone until then.* The ache in his heart persisted through the night.
"Ryuga..." That was his- or, Kenta's mother's voice, though it sounded fuzzy and distant.
Ryuga grunted, blinking his eyes open. "It can't be morning already..." he grumbled, resting his hand on his forehead.
"Well, it is... ten in the morning to be exact." Ryuga stiffened. He stumbled to his feet, leaning on the wall. "What's the crisis this time?"
Ryuga glanced at Kenta's mother. "What are you on about?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Kenta's mom shrugged. "The only times you don't sleep well are when you're having a crisis of some sort. At least... that's the pattern so far."
Ryuga froze, a shiver running down his spine.
"Nothing's wrong with me," he growled, glaring at the ground.
"I didn't say that, sweetie."
Kenta's mom took a step toward him. Ryuga quickly brushed past her, his head hung low as he made his way up the stairs. He pushed the door open. Kenta and his dad were sitting on the couch, the former on his phone and the latter reading a book.
"Hey, Ryuga." Kenta perked up at the sight of him. "I was wondering when you'd-"
"Rematch. Noon. Coliseum," Ryuga cut him off, throwing together his challenge as he went to get his phone.
"Got it," Kenta replied without question.
Ryuga quickly sent King a text saying the same thing, letting his phone fix the numerous spelling mistakes he likely made. He wasn't really paying attention. Putting his phone down, he poured himself some orange juice. Ryuga leaned against the wall in the kitchen as he chugged the drink like the world was ending.
"Ryuga..." Kenta's dad was gazing at him with worry in his eyes.
"I'm fine," Ryuga insisted, only now realizing how ridiculous he probably looked.
"I... sort of doubt that..."
"Ryuga, please," Kenta's mom added, stepping into the kitchen. "We're here for you. What's going on?"
Both of them gazed at him from a distance. Ryuga looked away. *If I tell you, you won't be.* He struggled to come up with something, anything to say to get them to stop asking. They couldn't find out. If they did... Ryuga forced himself to stop himself from shivering.
"Oh, Ryuga, are you really this stressed about the battle?" Kenta sighed, dipping his head.
"N-no...?" Ryuga stared at him in confusion until it hit him: *He's giving me a way out of this...* "Don't be silly," he added, narrowing his eyes at him.
"What battle?" Kenta's dad asked, gazing at his son.
"Oh, this tag team battle Gingka and I challenged him and King too," Kenta explained with a shrug. "They lost last time so he and King have been working crazy hard for a rematch."
Kenta's mom turned to Ryuga, raising an eyebrow. "Are you... normally like this before a big battle?"
Ryuga shook his head. "I have no experience with partners, that's all..." He stiffened. *Oh shoot, that sounded like something else.* Thankfully, Kenta's parents seemed to buy it.
"Hey, don't stress, kiddo," Kenta's dad insisted, "You and King have been training together, right? I'm sure you'll do fine."
Kenta's mom nodded. "Remember, it's just a game, and you and Kenta are still friends."
"Oh yeah..." Kenta's dad's gaze shifted between Kenta and Ryuga. "Who are we supposed to root for in this scenario?"
"Both of them," Kenta's mom replied with a shrug. "They're both our... er..." She froze, her eyes going wide. "No, wait... both of you just do your best, okay?"
"Okay, mom!" Kenta replied, nodding eagerly.
Ryuga just nodded before downing the rest of his orange juice. Nodding to Kenta, he walked out the door. Kenta trailed after him, closing the door behind them as they made their way out into the sun. Ryuga squinted. Readjusting his recently patched jacket he turned to his friend.
"Thank you, Kenta," Ryuga muttered, dipping his head.
"You're really upset over King leaving, aren't you?" Kenta asked, gazing up at Ryuga with sympathetic eyes.
"That doesn't matter now," Ryuga replied, gazing on ahead. "We're going to battle side by side today... and we're going to defeat you and Gingka," he added with a smile. "That's all that matters."
"If you're sure... are you going to tell him before he leaves?"
"Tell him what?"
Kenta raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"
Ryuga facepalmed. "Give me a break, I barely got any sleep."
Kenta giggled a bit. "Well, are you telling him?" he asked, finally smiling.
"I... don't want to be any more than friends with him."
"Tha-that's a lie though."
"No, it isn't."
"But you like him."
"That doesn't mean I want to date him, not with all the other factors at play..." *Like us both being boys and living in two different countries...*
Kenta let out a sigh. "Okay... but I really think you should be honest with him."
"That's not your call to make," Ryuga growled, looking away. *You're not the one "in the closet."*
"Okay..." Kenta sighed, dipping his head. "I'll drop it."
"I'm going to find King," Ryuga replied, walking away. "See you at the battle, Kenta."
"You too!" Kenta called, his cheerfulness returning.
Once he was alone, Ryuga's thoughts wandered. Kenta's parents' words at dinner yesterday rang in his head.
"Ryuga, we're not pressuring you to let us adopt you," Kenta's mother spoke as if she was trying to comfort him. "That's why we haven't asked..."
"We didn't want to freak you out," Kenta's dad replied, in the same tone. "Regardless, we're here if you ever need us."
They had repeated that sentiment again today: we're here for you. Ryuga wished he could say he didn't just want them to be there for him. It would be easier than living in this dread. He couldn't bear the idea of Kenta's parents turning on him or even forcing him to leave because of something he couldn't control. Ryuga knew he couldn't control these feelings. If he could, he wouldn't be in this situation in the first place. If he could control any of his feelings, he wouldn't have gotten into a lot of the situations he ended up getting into. *It would be easier if I felt nothing...*
Ryuga made his way toward the hotel King was staying at. Then he paused at the doors. He wasn't sure which room King was staying in and he really didn't want to enter an unfamiliar building...
"Oh, Ryuga, hi!" Ryuga let out a sigh of relief at the sound of King's voice. He turned around. King was standing a few paces behind him, his smile brighter than the summer sun. "I was just about to go looking for you!" There was sudden concern in his gaze as he stopped in front of him. "What's up? You look beat."
Ryuga froze. He must've looked like a total wreck for King to describe him that way.
"I... didn't get much sleep," Ryuga replied, looking away.
"Oh..." King let out a chuckle. "Excited for the battle too, huh?" Ryuga just smiled. "Yeah... same here. Well, we've got some time before noon. Come on."
King took Ryuga's hand. Ryuga froze, scanning the area around them. A few people were walking by through the parking lot, though none of them were looking at them specifically. Ryuga pushed his hand free of King's grip. King looked up at him, confused for a moment before his eyes went wide.
"Er... sorry," King muttered, looking away.
Ryuga silently brushed past him. He took a seat on a nearby bench, allowing King to sit down next to him.
"Am I... being too handsy?"
*It's because we're in public.* Ryuga bit back the words. However, he couldn't think of any other response that wouldn't make King upset.
"I just don't want strangers to get the wrong idea," Ryuga replied, his voice hardly more than a murmur.
"What, that we're like...?" King's eyes went wide. "Oh! No, I'm just..." He looked away with a sigh, "I'm just clingy."
"I know," Ryuga replied, nudging King.
He giggled in response, gripping his shoulder. "Clingy" was admittedly the right word to describe King but Ryuga couldn't really be mad at him for it, especially now that he knew his history.
"So..." Ryuga turned to King when he spoke up. "My plane leaves at one pm, the battle's at noon. What do we do till then?"
Ryuga stood up. "Want to just... walk together?"
King smiled and stood up as well.
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Ryuga and King spent the next couple hours together walking through the forest as well as discussing their plans for their battles and whatever else. Ryuga mostly let King guide the conversation, which he didn't seem to mind doing. He was so talkative... so ridiculously talkative. It should've annoyed Ryuga but right now, he felt like he could listen to King talk forever.
"It was really nice to come here," King was talking about coming to Japan now. "I got to have all kinds of cool battles, got to be really immersed in this culture..." He glanced at Ryuga with a smile. "I got to finally meet you."
"You met me on Beyster Island," Ryuga replied, rolling his eyes.
"Yeah but... I didn't really know you. You were just some mysterious and super powerful guy on that island."
"Solved your mystery, have you?" Ryuga asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Not completely." King stopped walking to take Ryuga's hands. "But I think I'm starting to get a better idea." He smiled a little. "Stay in contact with me, okay?"
Ryuga looked away, forcing himself to roll his eyes.
"I will." He cast a glance up at the sun, which was at its highest point in the sky. "It's almost noon. Let's get going."
He started walking. King trailed after him, holding up his phone.
"Huh, you're right..." He glanced up at Ryuga with a smile. "Alright, ready to defeat Gingka and Kenta?"
Ryuga dipped his head. "Obviously."
They made their way toward the stadium. By the time they got there, Gingka and Kenta were already there, standing side by side. Ryuga cast a glance at the bleachers. Up in the seats were King's friends, Masamune, Toby, and Zeo, along with Madoka and Yu. *Another crowd,* Ryuga thought with annoyance.
"Gingka! Kenta!" King exclaimed, stopping in front of the stadium. "Prepare to be defeated!"
Ryuga's attention returned to his partner. A bright red flare appeared around King as he gazed at Gingka and Kenta with narrowed eyes. Ryuga and King raised their beys in tandem.
"It's you who's going to be defeated!" Kenta countered, raising his bey.
"We will not lose!" Gingka added, doing the same." We beat you once, we'll beat you again!"
"We'll see about that!" King exclaimed. "Three!"
"Two!" Ryuga added, shifting in place.
"One!" Kenta and Gingka shouted.
"Let it rip!" The four of them exclaimed in unison as they launched their beys.
L-Drago clashed with Pegasus midair. Just beside them, Variares and Sagittario clashed. The four beys sent up sparks as they clashed before falling to the ground in the stadium. L-Drago fell in beside Variares. The two left-rotating beys travelled around the stadium side by side.
"Kenta!" Gingka called, turning to his teammate.
Kenta nodded. Sagittario fell in beside Pegasus. The blue bey began looping around Sagittario as it rotated on the ramp of the stadium. Ryuga turned to his partner.
"King!"
King dipped his head. Variares made its way toward the centre of the stadium, spinning in place. L-Drago looped around it protectively.
"Wha-" Kenta and Gingka stared at the sight with confused gazes.
"Sagittario!"
"Pegasus!"
Sagittario began charging toward them. L-Drago spun faster and faster, forming a wall of blue fire around Variares. When Sagittario raced toward it, L-Drago flung the bey into the air. Pegasus dashed toward it moments later. The same happened. Pegasus and Sagittario flopped to the ground as L-Drago's wall of fire roared higher and higher into the air.
"Let's do it together, Gingka!" Kenta exclaimed, gazing at his teammate.
Gingka dipped his head. Pegasus and Sagittario moved side by side toward them. Sagittario clashed with L-Drago. The bey was forced to a halt, dissolving the blue fire. Pegasus clashed with Variares. Ryuga cast a glance at the two beys, noticing that the wings of Variares's fusion wheel were out.
Pegasus slipped off Variares, spinning away from it. The wings of the fusion wheel retracted just before Variares collided with Sagittario. L-Drago and Variares pushed against the bey together. Ryuga glanced up at Pegasus. It was rushing through the stadium, about to attack. Backing away from Variares and Sagittario, L-Drago charged toward Pegasus. The beys clashed in a burst of sparks.
"Keep at it! Variares!" King exclaimed.
Variares was repeatedly smacking into Sagittario. A red aura appeared around the bey. The same flare appeared around King as his hair spiked up and turned white. Variares threw Sagittario backward with one attack.
"Ha! You're in trouble now!" Ryuga exclaimed, a smile growing on his face.
He and King exchanged a glance.
"Let's get 'em, Ryuga!" King replied with a smile.
Ryuga nodded, looking back at the stadium. L-Drago smacked Pegasus away and went to travel beside Variares. They clashed with Sagittario and Pegasus. Ryuga stiffened when he felt King grab his hand. However, he forced himself to keep his focus on the battle, trying to pretend he didn't notice.
"Pegasus! Upper mode!" Gingka exclaimed.
Pegasus's fusion wheel shifted and L-Drago was flung into the air. Ryuga's heart skipped a beat. King yelped, letting go of Ryuga's hand.
"L-Drago!" he exclaimed.
"Now! Barrage mode!" Gingka exclaimed.
Pegasus's fusion wheel shifted again. King yelped in alarm when Sagittario and Pegasus both clashed with Variares, pushing it through the stadium.
"King!"
L-Drago landed on the edge of the stadium with a wobble. It charged toward the three beys. Sagittario broke apart from the others, weaving right into L-Drago's path. Sparks flew as the two beys clashed. Moments later, Sagittario was flung into the air, allowing L-Drago to reach Pegasus and Variares. The beys pushed against Pegasus together.
Kenta gasped. "Sagittario! Diving arrow!"
Sagittario regained control of itself midair, forming a ball of fire around itself. King gasped in alarm.
"Wait, Kenta!" Gingka gasped, staring at his teammate with wide eyes.
Pegasus tried to move away. Eyes narrowing, Ryuga commanded L-Drago to continue clashing with Pegasus, holding it in place. Variares broke away.
"Ares shield!" King exclaimed, swinging his arm.
Sagittario slammed into the three beys. A burst of fire exploded from the stadium, sending out a burst of wind that nearly knocked the bladers off their feet. Ryuga forced himself to stand his ground. He felt King grab his hand again, nearly dragging them both to the ground. Ryuga pulled his partner forward. King stumbled to his feet again, straightening up beside him and keeping hold of Ryuga's hand. The dust began to clear. Ryuga squinted his eyes, spotting Sagittario and Variares spinning evenly in place, the latter's yellow wings extended. Pegasus and L-Drago stumbled back into the stadium.
"I'm sorry!" Kenta exclaimed, turning to Gingka. "I didn't know what else to do!"
Gingka dipped his head. "Don't worry about it now. Let's just get them! Pegasus!" He returned his attention to the stadium.
Pegasus charged toward Variares. Still in defence mode, it warded off the attack, making Pegasus scrape off it. L-Drago rushed to attack Pegasus. The two beys clashed as the wings of Variares's fusion wheel retracted. Sagittario clashed with Variares. King's bey was flung in the air, making Ryuga's heart skip a beat. His partner however just smiled.
"Variares! Switch to attack mode!" King ordered, throwing his free hand into the air.
Variares's performance tip shifted in midair, going from defence to attack mode. It landed, meeting Sagittario's attack. The two beys screeched against each other, pushing them back and forth. L-Drago knocked Pegasus backwards.
"Pegasus! Final drive mode!" Gingka exclaimed.
The other three bladers stiffened in alarm. Pegasus's performance tip flattened as the bey was surrounded in a bright blue aura. Sagittario slipped away from Variares.
"Ryuga!" King exclaimed, looking up at him. "To the centre! Let's counter it!"
Ryuga obliged, sending L-Drago toward the centre of the stadium. Variares spun in place in the centre. Pegasus flung itself into the air as L-Drago began to charge around Variares.
"Special move! Cosmic Tornado!"
L-Drago went faster and faster. A funnel of fire formed in the air around and above Variares.
"Joint special move!" Ryuga and King exclaimed in unison, holding their hands in the air. "Dragon Emperor Flaming Sword!"
"What?!" Kenta exclaimed, his eyes going wide.
L-Drago smacked Variares, sending it flying through the funnel of fire and toward Pegasus. Sagittario rushed toward the special moves. L-Drago flung itself at Sagittario, at the same time Variares and Pegasus clashed. Blue and orange flames exploded from the stadium. A red flare joined it. A burst of energy nearly flung King to the ground again, but Ryuga held them both in place. Gingka and Kenta however flopped backwards. As the smoke began to clear, Ryuga spotted Variares and L-Drago spinning side by side. Pegasus and Sagittario fell limp in front of them. Kenta and Gingka gasped, staring at the scene with their jaws agape. Ryuga smiled.
"We won!" King squealed, snatching up his bey.
Ryuga snatched up his bey as well, dipping his head as he grinned. King hugged Ryuga from the side, his hands resting on Ryuga's shoulder. His hair had returned to its usual blue colour. Ryuga wasn't sure which he preferred: King's spiky white hair or his scruffy blue hair. Both were nice...
Ryuga was snapped out of his thoughts when King suddenly kissed him on the cheek. He stiffened. Across the stadium, Kenta and Gingka gasped. Suddenly tense, King let go of Ryuga, scrambling back with wide eyes.
"I-I didn't mean anything by that!" King exclaimed, his eyes wide and hands up in the air. "I-I-I..."
Ryuga remembered with a jolt just how many people were here. He glanced up at the crowd. Masamune, Toby, and Zeo all had neutral looking expressions but their unblinking gazes were locked on the scene. Madoka and Yu appeared shocked, their jaws agape. Ryuga looked back at King.
"I'm sorry..." King muttered, staring at the ground.
"Don't do that again," Ryuga growled, brushing past him.
*In public,* he had to bite back the words.
"I won't," King insisted, taking a deep breath.
"Uh..." Kenta cleared his throat. He picked up Sagittario and raced toward Ryuga and King. "Good job on the win, guys!"
"Yeah!" Gingka added, nodding enthusiastically. "We're gonna need to train harder to beat you!"
"Yeah..." King chuckled nervously, spinning his necklace around in his fingers. "Thanks! It was a fun battle!"
He held up his hand. Gingka and Kenta high fived him, smiling. King turned to Ryuga, his expression suddenly shifting and looking serious. Ryuga returned the high five. King smiled, letting out a sigh of relief.
"Well, good job King and Ryuga," Masamune sounded a bit disappointed as he and his friends approached them next. Then Masamune smirked, adding, "So... how's 'RyuKing' sound for your team name?"
King's eyes widened. "What?! Don't make it weird!" He exclaimed, shoving Masamune back.
Masamune stumbled back, covering his mouth as he giggled.
"We were only partners for that one battle," Ryuga growled, glaring down at King. "From now on, we're rivals again."
"What?!" King turned to him again. "But-but why? Didn't you enjoy fighting alongside me?" Ryuga let out a grunt. Before he could reply, King stepped closer and continued, "We literally created a special move together! Don't you want to use that to crush more opponents?"
"There's no practical use for it," Ryuga argued, "Beyblading is a single person sport."
"Not necessarily," Madoka cut in as she approached. "The World Tournament was fought in teams and China often has tag team tournaments."
"Well, we're not in China, Madoka," Ryuga grunted, rolling his eyes.
"You know..." Gingka was suddenly smirking. "I have been wondering why we don't host tag team tournaments here in Japan. Maybe I'll ask my dad about it."
Ryuga stiffened.
"A tag team tournament?" King's eyes lit up. "That sounds perfect! We'll have to have one when I-" He froze, his smile fading. "When I come back..." He looked away.
Ryuga's heart sank a bit. *Right. King's leaving today...*
"Oh yeah..." Zeo turned to Masamune. "Masamune, what time is it?"
Masamune glanced at his phone. "Almost twelve-thirty."
Toby sighed, dipping his head. "We should probably start walking to the airport."
King's head hung low. His hair fell in front of his face, obscuring his eyes from view as he nodded.
"Yeah... yeah that's probably for the best." His voice was suddenly devoid of any feeling as if a machine had forcefully drained every ounce of emotion from his heart.
"Come on," Madoka prompted, stepping forward. "We'll walk you to the airport."
The group began to walk out of the stadium. Masamune, Toby, and Zeo chatted amongst themselves about their trip here, with Gingka and Madoka occasionally chiming in. Kenta, Ryuga, and King were silent. Masamune tried a few times to include King in the conversation but he gave short brisk answers as if he didn't want to be talking. It was a depressing sight. King loved talking, almost as much as he loved Beyblade. Seeing him shut down like this made Ryuga's heart ache a little, though he refused to show it. He avoided even looking at King. The despair clouding Ryuga's own mind hurt enough without seeing his friend, his partner, so upset.
Eventually, the group made it to the airport. Masamune, Toby, and Zeo all turned to King, the exact same expression on their faces. King let out a sigh. He turned to Ryuga, his blue eyes watering slightly. Ryuga stepped back.
"Ryuga..." King sighed, looking away. "I'm gonna miss you."
Ryuga froze. What was he expecting him to say? That he felt the same? It was true but he couldn't say it in front of all these people.
"Don't be dramatic," Ryuga replied, keeping his voice even, "You can still talk to me on the phone."
"Yeah..." King nodded, letting out a sigh. He met his gaze again, holding his arms out. "Can I get a hug before I go?"
Ryuga cast a glance at the others. His friends, Kenta, Madoka and Gingka, along with King's friends all looked at them expectantly. Ryuga didn't want to display such softness in front of all of them. He looked back at King. Those eyes... Those stupid puppy dog eyes that Ryuga couldn't figure out how to build an immunity toward. *It might make him feel better... I don't want to deny him that.*
"Ugh, fine," Ryuga grunted, looking away.
King smiled. Stepping closer, he put his arms around Ryuga, resting his head on his chest. It was so soft... Ryuga could almost feel himself melting. He wanted to hug back but with all these other people here... it would ruin his reputation as the Dragon Emperor if he succumbed any further!
"You know..." King looked up at Ryuga. "It's not a real hug unless you hug back." Ryuga let out a growl. King smiled, his gaze suddenly mischievous. "I'm not letting go until you do."
Ryuga stiffened. *He knows I can't bring himself to push him away... doesn't he?!* Begrudgingly, Ryuga put his arms around King, who hummed contentedly in response.
"Thanks," King murmured, nuzzling into Ryuga's chest like a cat. Ryuga's face blazed with that familiar warmth.
"King!" Masamune called from behind them. "We gotta go!"
King let go of Ryuga with a sigh. Ryuga stepped back, struggling to look dignified as his heart pounded out of his chest.
"Bye!" King called, turning away as he followed his friends.
Ryuga turned away. He walked with his friends through the street, struggling to keep his head up.
"Ryuga..." Kenta looked up at him with concern in his eyes.
Ryuga took a deep breath. "I have training to do," he replied, walking away.
His friends didn't try to follow him, much to Ryuga's gratitude. He needed to be alone right now. It sickened Ryuga how much he was already longing for King. *He'll come back,* he told himself. *King practically had to be pried off me, he'll want to return as soon as he can.* Ryuga shook his head. *Why did I let myself get so attached?!* It had been easier when Ryuga mainly knew King as a little avatar in a video game or even that annoying brat he'd met on Beyster Island. Now Ryuga couldn't even resent King for having a reverse rotation bey.
*You sure L-Drago wasn't just forbidden because of this 'dark power?' Maybe... maybe the left rotation thing just got all mixed up into it and some beys can just do that.* Ryuga hadn't admitted it out loud, but King's reasoning made sense and even more horribly, Ryuga realized he didn't want to hate King. He wanted to be with him. The only things stopping him were their distance and his fear of how others would perceive him...