Ryuga's POV
*Why am I doing this?* Ryuga wondered as he followed Kenta down the sidewalk. Kenta had somehow managed to talk Ryuga into going to meet his parents, mostly because Ryuga couldn't think of an excuse not to. He didn't want to but Kenta clearly wanted him to, for whatever reason. Ryuga couldn't stop his hands from shaking. The fiercest Beyblade battles and harshest environments had no effect on him yet the idea of talking to people, especially people he didn't know, made his stomach knot. It just wasn't something he was very used to.
Ryuga never really had anyone to talk to regularly until Kenta came along and Kenta was almost always the one to initiate the conversation. Meanwhile, Ryuga was content with silence and didn't get why Kenta talked so much. It was necessary sometimes, sure. However, other times Kenta would just talk at him for no reason about such random things. Ryuga always wondered why he did that. He had seemingly gotten his answer earlier that day, when Kenta mentioned wanting to "socialize" with his friends. Apparently, that was something friends did and Kenta was his friend now.
"Here we are!" Kenta's voice shook Ryuga from his thoughts.
He looked up. Kenta was pointing at a fairly nice looking house with a flat roof and pots of plants decorating the front porch. Ryuga froze. Kenta continued on, then stopped and looked back at him.
"Ryuga?" He gazed at him expectantly.
Ryuga took a deep breath. With some reluctance, he stepped up to stand beside Kenta. He gazed at the ground.
"Are you okay?" Kenta asked, looking up at Ryuga with concern in his eyes.
Ryuga met his gaze coldly. "I'm fine. What do you mean?"
"Nothing," Kenta sighed, looking away.
He stepped in front of the door and knocked. Moments later, a green-haired woman, who was noticeably shorter than Ryuga, answered the door.
"Hey, mom," Kenta greeted with a wave.
"Oh my goodness!" the woman exclaimed, her eyes wide as she stared at Kenta and Ryuga. "What happened to you two?!"
"Long battle," Kenta answered, shrugging.
"Against each other?!"
"Well..." Kenta looked up at Ryuga. "We battled too... before Nemesis."
"It didn't last long," Ryuga replied with a smirk.
"Hey!" Kenta glared up at Ryuga, pouting like a child.
"So this is Ryuga then?"
Ryuga stiffened when Kenta's mother said his name.
Kenta nodded. "Yeah."
"Well, nice to meet you," his mother replied, nodding to Ryuga. "How do you know Kenta?"
"We travelled together," Ryuga answered swiftly.
"Just the two of you?" The woman looked back at Kenta, raising an eyebrow.
"I er, it's a long story..." Kenta rubbed the back of his neck. "But-but I wasn't alone for long! Ryuga kept us both safe."
Kenta grabbed Ryuga's arm, gazing up at him with an almost desperate look in his eyes. Ryuga looked back at Kenta's mom.
"Yes... I did," he answered, hoping that was what Kenta had wanted him to do.
"Well, thank you." Kenta's mother smiled. She took a step back, pulling the door open and ushering them inside. "Here, come in, both of you. You two must be starving."
"Yes! Very!" Kenta answered, hopping up the step into the house.
Ryuga followed, instantly feeling confined in the small space. It wasn't even a small house. There was space to walk around but it was nothing compared to the infinite space of the outdoors or even the huge Bey stadiums. This house however almost made Ryuga feel smaller.
"Well, there's plenty of sushi on the table," Kenta's mother was saying to Kenta. She turned to Ryuga. "There should be enough for you too, Ryuga."
*Sushi? As in food?!* Ryuga hadn't realized he was hungry until the idea of food was brought up. Now he realized he was starving. He looked at the kitchen. A green-haired man was sitting at the table, reading a book. He looked up at Kenta.
"Hey, kiddo!" he greeted, with a smile.
"Hi, dad!" Kenta rushed over to his dad and threw his arms around him in a hug.
"How was your trip?" His dad asked.
"Really exhausting," Kenta admitted, stepping out of the hug. "I'm glad to be home, and with food!"
He sat at the table, immediately reaching for the tray of sushi and grabbing three pieces. He placed them on a smaller plate.
"Ryuga, want some of this sushi?" Kenta asked, looking up at him and holding up a piece of sushi.
Ryuga froze. Everyone's eyes were suddenly on him, which he would be used to in a stadium, but this wasn't a stadium. It was the furthest thing from a Bey stadium.
"Ryuga, huh?" Kenta's dad didn't even sound shocked. "Wow, Kenta really can make friends with anyone."
"You've heard of me then," Ryuga muttered. He took a seat next to Kenta, across the table from Kenta's parents.
"Sure, a while ago," Kenta's dad answered with a shrug. "How'd you and Kenta end up friends?"
Ryuga stared down at the table. "Long story."
"We can listen," Kenta's mom insisted gently.
Ryuga tapped Kenta's shoulder. "Kenta, you tell them."
"Huh?" Kenta had been busy stuffing his face with sushi. "Oh, okay." He turned to his parents. "I was with Gingka and the others on the journey to find the Legendary Bladers and defeat Nemesis..."
Ryuga zoned out as Kenta recounted the events of his travels. He glanced at the sushi tray. He was hungry, but the food looked so... Weird. Ryuga wasn't a picky eater, he was willing to eat whatever he could find, but he rarely ate processed food like this. However, he wasn't dumb enough to deny food when it was right there in front of him. So he grabbed one of the rolls and took a bite. *What is this supposed to be?!* Ryuga could barely make out any individual ingredients, though he was pretty sure he tasted fish. He wasn't sure if he liked it but he was hungry enough to eat it without thinking.
"So I ended up travelling with him for months and somewhere along the way we became friends," Kenta had just finished his story before taking a bite of his sushi.
"So you're homeless then?" Kenta's mom asked, turning to Ryuga.
"You couldn't tell?" Ryuga asked, letting out a dry laugh. He hadn't thought about it until now, but he probably looked like just as much of a wreck as Kenta did.
"Don't you have a family somewhere?" Kenta's dad asked, tilting his head to the side.
"No."
"Oh..." Kenta's parents turned to each other, their eyes wide. Ryuga growled. They were pitying him, he could tell.
Kenta's dad turned to him. "Well, you can always come here if you need to, kiddo. Any friend of Kenta's is welcome."
Ryuga stiffened. *'Kiddo?!' Did he just call me 'kiddo?!'* He didn't know how to respond so he just turned his attention to his food.
"Thanks, Dad," Kenta replied for him, "Um Ryuga..." Kenta turned to him. "Where are you going to go after this?"
"I'll figure it out," Ryuga muttered, grabbing another roll of sushi. He briefly wondered if Kenta's parents would get mad at him if he ate too much of their food.
"Do you want some water with that, kiddo?" Kenta's mother asked.
Ryuga's fist clenched around his sushi, smashing it to pieces. He glared at Kenta's parents.
"Stop calling me that," he growled, "I'm not a kid."
"Yes, you are." Kenta's mother didn't even hesitate in her reply.
Ryuga was going to retort but Kenta cut him off. "How old are you anyway, Ryuga?" he asked.
Ryuga actually had to think about it for a moment.
"Seventeen."
Kenta smiled. "Oh, so you're six years older than me. Cool."
Ryuga nearly choked on his sushi.
"You're eleven?!"
"Yes?!" Kenta suddenly stiffened. "How old did you think I was?!"
"Eight."
"What?!" Kenta gasped, nearly falling over. "Am I really that short?!"
"Yes." Ryuga couldn't help but smile a bit at Kenta's over the top reaction.
"Kenta, don't worry," his mother cut in. "You'll grow soon enough."
"I was still short when I was your age," his father added, "Don't worry about it too much, kiddo."
"Okay, okay. Eight years old..." Kenta muttered as he took another bite of sushi.
*They call him a kid too...* Kenta's parents clearly saw no difference between Ryuga and Kenta, the latter of whom was obviously a kid. However, Ryuga didn't feel like a kid. He had been living on his own for years and everyone, regardless of their age, feared him. Yet Kenta's parents didn't. Were they crazy?
*Why are they acting so welcoming towards me when they know what I've done?!* Ryuga cast a glance at Kenta. Understanding stirred within him: of course they act like this, they're his parents, after all. What else should Ryuga have expected? After eating a few more pieces of sushi, Ryuga stood up and took a step back. He glanced at Kenta's parents. *Am... I supposed to thank them?*
"Thanks..." Ryuga muttered. "For the food."
Kenta's mother nodded and replied, "Oh, it was no problem, sweetie." Ryuga let out a growl. *That's worse than 'kiddo!'* "Just let us know if you need anything else."
"Somewhere I can be alone?" Ryuga blurted out without thinking. However, he meant it. He was already getting sick and tired of Kenta's parents and could barely keep his anger under control.
"Um..." Kenta's dad looked at something in the living room. "The basement is mostly empty." He pointed to a door near the front one, but leading to the side.
*What's a basement?* Ryuga bit back the question. He didn't care enough to subject himself to any more meaningless conversation.
"That'll suffice," Ryuga replied, making his way toward the basement.
He pushed the door open and descended down the flight of stairs and into the darkness. Ryuga sat on the floor with a sigh. He had barely known Kenta's parents for twenty minutes and they were already doting on him as if he was their own son. *Me... the former Dragon Emperor, reduced to this pathetic husk.*
His thoughts had wandered back to L-Drago almost immediately. Ryuga's heart ached. It wasn't just about L-Drago's power, though Ryuga couldn't deny that was certainly part of it. His status had been reduced greatly. However, more importantly to him, Ryuga lost his spark. Beyblade had defined his entire life and all of a sudden, it had been taken away from him and he had been thrown into a completely new situation that he had no idea how to handle. It all felt so... empty. With Beyblade gone, there was a void in Ryuga's life that he couldn't imagine filling.
Ryuga was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of a door creaking open. He stood up.
"I thought I said I wanted to be alone?!" he snapped, staring at the foot of the stairs. The lights suddenly turned on, making Ryuga shield his eyes with his arm.
"Ryuga, it's me," Kenta's voice replied from up the stairs.
Ryuga froze. "...What do you want?"
Moments later, Kenta appeared at the foot of the stairs, his gaze fixed on Ryuga.
"They don't mean it in a mean way, you know." Kenta's tone was blunt, almost emotionless.
"Huh? Ryuga raised an eyebrow.
"My parents... calling you 'kiddo.' I know you probably think that they look down on you, but they're just trying to be nice."
"Whatever," Ryuga grunted, looking away.
"Ryuga?" Kenta let out a growl. "I can't take this anymore!" Ryuga stiffened as Kenta started yelling. "Ryuga, tell me what's wrong!" he demanded, stomping his foot into the ground.
Ryuga staggered back.
"What?!" he gasped. *How did he know?!*
"You've been upset all day! What's wrong?!" Kenta demanded, marching toward him. His eyes were blazing with anger though Ryuga sensed concern in his tone as well.
"I'm always upset!"
"Not like this! You're sad about something, I can tell!"
"No, I'm not!" Ryuga clenched his fists, trying to stop himself from shaking. *I don't want to talk about this!*
"Is this about L-Drago?"
"That's none of your business!" Ryuga answered a bit too quickly.
Kenta let out a sigh, suddenly becoming less tense.
"It is, isn't it?" he asked, taking a step back. "You miss your Beyblade and don't want to replace it, so you don't even want to Beyblade anymore."
Ryuga froze. *How did he figure that out so quickly?!* Kenta stared at him with wide eyes, clearly realizing he had hit a nerve.
"Leave me alone," Ryuga grunted, sitting down against the wall. His anger had dissolved, leaving him completely drained.
"No!" Kenta insisted. "You shouldn't be alone right now! You should have a friend supporting you and that's what I'll do!" Kenta sat next to Ryuga, clinging to his arm.
"You can't do anything about this, Kenta," Ryuga muttered, his gaze fixed on the ground. "Don't waste your effort."
"It's true, I can't bring back L-Drago, but I'll listen to you. It can help to talk about how you feel."
"That's ridiculous." Ryuga pushed Kenta away.
"At least try!" Kenta insisted. He sat across from Ryuga now, gazing intently as he waited for a response.
Ryuga let out a sigh, staring down at the ground. "You don't get it, Kenta. Beyblade was my entire reason for being alive, it's one of the only things I care about."
"What's the other thing?"
Ryuga met Kenta's gaze. *You should know the answer to that.*
"Oh..." Kenta rested his hand on his chest, his eyes watering slightly.
"What am I supposed to do... without Beyblade?"
"Well... what do you want to do?"
"I don't know!" Ryuga stopped when he realized he had raised his voice. Kenta stared at him with wide eyes. "I've never wanted to do anything but Beyblade..." Ryuga continued, lowering his voice again.
"Maybe you could still Beyblade," Kenta suggested, scooting forward a bit. "I know it's not L-Drago, but Flash Sagittario's power was originally yours, maybe-"
"No."
"Huh?"
Ryuga dipped his head. During their travels, Kenta had gone on and on about how he felt cast aside and ignored by his friends for not being a Legendary Blader. Kenta probably didn't think Ryuga had paid any attention, but he had. He needed Kenta to know that he was worthy of the power Ryuga had given him.
"The power in Sagittario is yours now... and I don't regret giving it to you."
"R-Ryuga..." Kenta's eyes watered. "But-but L-Drago-"
"Was full of stolen power," Ryuga cut him off. He looked away, his jaw clenched, "I never changed after overcoming the dark power. I let my greed consume me just like those stupid Americans did."
"Ryuga...?" Kenta stared at him in disbelief.
Ryuga noticed himself trembling as he went on, "I was the most powerful Blader, I was respected, or feared. What am I now? Who am I without Beyblade?!"
Ryuga's voice descended into a cry. He turned away, disgusted at himself for showing such weakness. Kenta threw himself at Ryuga, wrapping his arms around him. Ryuga stiffened. A single tear streamed down his face.
"I can't answer those questions..." Kenta murmured, "But I want to help you."
Ryuga was suddenly overwhelmed by appreciation for his friend. Shifting in place, he put his arms gently around Kenta, careful not to crush the smaller boy. He leaned forward to rest his chin on Kenta's shoulder.
"You're already helping me." Ryuga's voice came out shaky, almost like a sob.
He had never allowed anyone to so much as witness him during a moment of weakness like this. However, Ryuga knew he could trust Kenta. The two of them stayed in the hug for a few more breaths before Ryuga let go. Kenta scooted back, dipping his head.
"Kenta..." Ryuga sighed. Kenta met his gaze as he spoke, "I've been sticking with you because I don't see the point in travelling on my own anymore."
Kenta just nodded, as if his suspicion had been confirmed.
"I..." Ryuga hesitated. He reflected for a moment longer before continuing, "I want to stay with you and your family, until I figure out what to do with myself."
Out loud, the idea sounded even crazier. However, if Ryuga really couldn't Beyblade again, he wanted to stay with the one person whose company he valued.
"R-Ryuga..." Kenta stared at him in disbelief. "You don't have to do that. I know you hate it here."
Ryuga raised an eyebrow. "When did I say that?"
"You never said it... but I'm not blind, I could tell you were uncomfortable around my parents."
"They were patronizing," Ryuga grunted. "But... I can learn to deal with it. After all, I won't be staying here forever."
Kenta grabbed Ryuga's arm, pulling him into a side hug.
"When you do leave, do you promise to visit?" he asked, gazing up at Ryuga with those dreaded puppy dog eyes.
"Yes, of course," Ryuga grunted, attempting to get his arm free.
Kenta let go, smiling. "Okay..." His smile suddenly faded and his gaze dropped to the floor. "Um, Ryuga... I had a question."
"What is it?" Ryuga asked, suddenly concerned.
"Everyone keeps telling me... that you gave me your star fragment because you respect me. Do you... respect me?"
Ryuga let out a sigh. *So he's going to make me explain.*
"Kenta, I've always respected you."
"Wha- huh?!" Kenta staggered back, as if a gust of wind had knocked him backwards.
"The problem wasn't you, it was my delusion." Ryuga dipped his head as he explained.
"You... you really mean it." Kenta's eyes watered. "Ry-Ryuga..." His voice came out in a sob.
Ryuga stiffened. "No, please don't."
Kenta wiped the beginnings of a tear away.
"I'm fine, I'm fine..." Kenta insisted, and Ryuga noticed that the kid was smiling. "I just didn't realize you cared so much."
Ryuga bit his lip. The idea of caring about someone still seemed so weird to him. However, he also felt a twinge of guilt. He didn't want Kenta to think he didn't care and he definitely didn't want him to cry.
*Weak...* Ryuga instantly pushed the thought away. Kenta cared for his friends and he absolutely wasn't weak. His love for his friends had driven him to follow Ryuga through the brutal wilderness and in turn, pushed him into becoming a stronger Beyblader. *Caring about his friends didn't make him weak and caring about Kenta doesn't make me weak either.*
"Hey, you should let my parents know you want to stay." Kenta's voice pulled Ryuga out of his thoughts.
"I should?" Ryuga asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, yeah." Kenta chuckled a bit. "They gotta know."
"W-why do I have to tell them?" Ryuga asked, backing up a bit. "Can't you?"
"You're the one who wants to stay..." Kenta stared at him for a moment. "Are you scared?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.
"Scared?!" Ryuga bristled with rage. "No, I'm not scared!"
"It's fine if you are, you know. I get that this is probably all really new to you."
Ryuga stiffened. "Why do you know me so well?"
Kenta smiled. "We travelled for months together, Ryuga. I was bound to pick up on some things."
Ryuga let out a sigh as he stood up. "Well, come on. If I'm doing this, you're coming with me."
"Um..."
"I don't need you to say anything," Ryuga grunted, rolling his eyes. "Just having you with me is enough."
"Oh... okay." Kenta nodded and stood up.
The two of them walked up the stairs side by side. Kenta pulled the door open. Ryuga glanced in the living room to see that both of Kenta's parents were in the room, sitting on the couch and staring at small screens. Closing the door behind him, Ryuga took a few steps into the room. He cleared his throat. Kenta's parents turned to look at him, their gazes lighting up.
"Oh, hello Kenta, Ryuga," Kenta's dad greeted, "Did you need something?"
"Actually..." Ryuga took another step forward. "Yes..."
"What is it?" Kenta's mother asked.
Ryuga found himself shaking as he forced himself to speak. "Since... I have nowhere else to go and Kenta is my friend... I was..." Ryuga froze. *This is harder than I thought it would be!* "I was wondering if I... if I could..." *Just spit it out!* "Can I stay here? For-for a while at least?" Ryuga facepalmed. *I sound like such an idiot!*
Kenta's parents turned to each other, their faces lighting up. Ryuga's jaw clenched. *Have I just given them exactly what they wanted?!*
"Of course!" Kenta's mother was beaming as she spoke. "You can stay here as long as you need to, sweetie. It's not a bother."
*Apparently, I have.*
"Right..." Ryuga dipped his head, biting his lip. "Thanks..."
"Something the matter?" Kenta's mom asked, tilting her head to the side.
Ryuga glared at them. *I've barely told Kenta this stuff. I'm not telling people I barely know, even if they are Kenta's parents.*
"Nothing important." Ryuga gestured to Kenta, silently praying he would change the subject, or give them an excuse to leave. Something. Anything. Why was talking to people so awkward?!
"Oh, uh..." Kenta looked up at him. "Ryuga, since you're staying here, you'll need a place to sleep. I could make space in my room."
"There's already space in the living room," Kenta's dad suggested, gesturing to the space in front of the couch.
"What about the basement?" Ryuga suggested.
"The basement?" Kenta's mom glanced at him.
"It's quiet down there."
Ryuga hadn't taken the time to appreciate it, but the basement was the only room in this whole house that didn't feel crowded. There was room to walk around and like he said, it was quiet.
"Well..." Kenta's dad looked somewhat doubtful. "Okay. We can set up a mattress for you in the basement."
Ryuga took a step back. "No, it's fine," he insisted, bristling defensively. "This is only temporary..." *Please stop doting on me.*
Kenta's mother stood up. "Temporary or not, we're not letting you sleep on the floor." Her tone was firm but not exactly angry.
"Why not?" Ryuga scoffed. *I do it all the time. What's the big deal?*
However, Kenta's parents didn't answer. They were already on their way to get the mattress they promised. Ryuga turned to Kenta.
"Your parents are weird."
"Well, what did you expect?" Kenta asked with a smile.
Ryuga shrugged. "Nothing less."
He rested his hand on Kenta's head, smiling as he ruffled his hair. Kenta yelped in surprise. However, he didn't move away. Ryuga smiled. Without L-Drago, Ryuga still wasn't even fully sure who he was, though he supposed "Kenta's friend" was a start.
(Author's Note: And that's the end. A lot of my fanfictions lately have been pretty short but this seemed like the most appropriate way to end it since Ryuga's inner conflict has been somewhat resolved and I wanted to leave the characters' futures up to interpretation. Still, this was a really fun one to write.)