Well, I have been having a rather prolific fall break judging by the several new pictures on my DA page, the fact that I have entirely FINISHED writing Into the Future (Ten chapters total guys!) Figured out the plot block I had for my next story after ItF, and wrote this little thing all while doing a bunch of things with my college roommate. You are very welcome for the little heart attack at the beginning of this chapter. Enjoy.

"Zero… Gingka's dead."

Zero felt as if his heart were breaking in two at those words. Images flashed before his eyes, of the redhead lying deathly pale and still in a hospital bed, eyes closed. The next instant, the Ifrit blader sat bolt upright in bed, panting and trembling.

"Just a dream…?" He whispered, before sighing and laying back down.

"Zero?" a woman's voice came from outside his door.

"I'm okay mom… Just had a nightmare." Zero called, still trying to calm himself down.

His mother, a beautiful woman with bright orange hair, soon entered. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"... No…" Zero muttered.

Mrs. Kurogane sat down on the bed next to him and pulled him to her, stroking his hair.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah… M'okay mom." Zero smiled shakily up at her.

"Well okay. If you're sure." She chuckled before patting his head and getting up, tucking him in. "My little champion blader."

Zero smiled. "Goodnight mom… What time were we leaving for Metal Bey City in the morning again?"

"Right after breakfast, which is at seven, so we can reach the city by four in the afternoon."

"Okay… Thanks." Zero smiled and curled up under his blankets as his mother left the room.

Late the next morning found Zero and both of his parents seated on a train, heading for Metal Bey City. Zero stared quietly out the window, worry filling his mind.

"Zero, is something wrong?" His father's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Hnn? No, I'm fine." Zero said. "Just thinking."

"About what?"

Zero paused at this for a moment. He had told his parents everything that had happened during the past summer, while he had been on his own in Metal Bey City. Well, almost everything. In his tales, he had not mentioned Gingka even once. He had found that he became painfully worried every time he even thought of the Pegasus blader who, for a few days, had taken Zero under his wing.

It had started just after Gingka had been rescued from the DNA. Madoka, of course, after hugging Gingka and noticing that something was off, had insisted that Gingka go to the hospital and be cared for properly. Much to the shock of Zero and his friends, and Gingka's embarrassment, the redhead had been skillfully hiding the fact that he had multiple rather serious injuries, among which was a punctured lung caused by one of his multiple broken ribs poking itself inward. How exactly Gingka had managed to hide the amount of pain he was undoubtedly in from the injury was a mystery to even Madoka, who had gone into full panic mode and been sedated when she was told.

Naturally, Gingka had been immediately hospitalized and given surgery, something he whined about for several hours after waking up. He had stopped when Madoka had been shown in, crying. The brunette had insisted on staying right at his side, no matter how much he insisted that he was fine and that she didn't need to.

They had all thought that Gingka would be perfectly fine, that he would recover and soon be out of the hospital. However, merely a week after the DNA incident and a week before Zero had left, Gingka had come down with a bad cold, one that caused his healing lungs to become badly infected. The redhead had soon ended up in the ICU, where nobody had been allowed to see him. The last thing that Zero had heard before he had to leave Metal Bey City and return home was that the doctors weren't sure if Gingka would be able to recover.

"Zero?"

The sound of his father's concerned voice brought Zero back to reality.

Zero sighed. "I didn't tell you guys everything that happened in Metal Bey City…" He said, staring at his hands.

Mr. Kurogane, sensing that something was wrong, put an arm around Zero's shoulders. "What happened?"

"I-I actually did… Meet Gingka Hagane…" Zero said.

"Well that's awesome!" Mrs. Kurogane began, but Zero didn't seem to hear her.

"But… At one point… The DNA kidnapped him… And he got injured…" Zero said slowly, wondering why it was so difficult to simply say what had happened. Perhaps it was the fact that he had not heard anything about Gingka's condition for the past three months.

"And..?" Mrs. Kurogane pressed gently, reaching over and grabbing Zero's hands.

Zero sniffled. "There… Were complications while he was healing… He ended up in the ICU… T-they said he might not recover…"

Both of Zero's parents glanced at each other in surprise before turning their attention back to Zero.

"A-and… Then I had to leave… I don't know if he's okay or not…" Zero whispered. "That's all…"

"I'm sure he'll be fine." Mrs. Kurogane said, stroking Zero's hand. "He is Gingka Hagane, after all. Doesn't he always defy the odds?"

"Yeah, but… He's still human… And he was so sick…" Zero muttered.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure we'll hear something when we get to Metal Bey City. You'll have to find us a hotel to stay in." Mr. Kurogane said.

"W-well, Madoka Amano said that if I ever came back and had anyone else with me she had room at her shop… Which is where she stays anyway so basically her house…" Zero said. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

"Well, we can ask."

"And… She'd know about Gingka…" Zero muttered.

"Then we'll go there first, I suppose. If she wouldn't mind."

Zero nodded and the group sat in silence for the rest of the train ride. Once they had arrived and gotten their bags, Zero took the lead, knowing full well where he was headed. The Ifrit blader pulled the hood of his coat over his black hair, his breath forming tiny puffs of steam as he walked, headed downtown as fast as his legs could carry him and as fast as his parents could keep up with.

Soon enough, Zero was able to burst through the doors of the B-Pit, suddenly realizing that he was rather out of breath. He paused for a moment, not seeing anyone at the counter. The ring of the bell indicated his parents' entry behind him, as he removed his hood and looked around at the ordered shelves.

"Can I- Oh, Zero? Long time no see." Madoka's voice came as the brunette came up the stairs from the basement, looking tired.

"H-hi Miss Amano. Is that offer for a place to stay still open?" Zero asked.

Madoka smiled. "Of course." She said before her eyes met with Zero's parents' eyes.

"Mr. and Mrs. Kurogane, I assume?" The brunette said warmly, extending a hand to them each in turn.

"Please, just Mizu and Youko." Mr. Kurogane, or Mizu, said, shaking Madoka's hand.

"I'm Madoka Amano, owner of this shop." Madoka said. "Here, let me help you with those bags. I've got two rooms open that you can stay in."

"Thank you." Mizu said, picking up their bags and following Madoka up the stairs with Zero and Youko close behind.

"U-umm… Madoka…" Zero said slowly as they were halfway up the stairs.

"Yes, Zero?" Madoka said.

"About Gingka…"

Madoka froze immediately. "What about him?" She asked.

Zero bit his lip "W-well… What happened with him…?"

Madoka continued silently up the stairs and set down the bags she was carrying. "This way." She said, moving down to the end of the hallway and opening a door. Zero and his parents followed her, Zero subconsciously biting his lip.

"He's had a long battle, but… They say he should recover soon." Madoka said, entering the room and indicating the young man sleeping on the bed.

"Gingka…" Zero breathed, relieved to see that the redhead was okay.

Gingka slept soundly, his face worn and slightly pale underneath the oxygen mask covering the lower half of it.

Madoka gently took one of Gingka's hands, stroking it with one hand as she held it with the other. Her eyes shone with worry as the redhead coughed a couple of times but remained asleep. The brunette gently reached over and brushed a few stray strands of blazing red hair out of his face, smiling at him as his eye twitched and opened, looking immediately at her.

"... Were you watching me sleep again?" Gingka asked groggily.

Madoka flushed beet red as Zero's eyes widened and he bit back an amused snicker at the question.

"N-no. I just came up because Zero's here and he was asking about you." Madoka said, indicating the younger blader, who stepped over.

Gingka looked over, then pushed himself up on his elbows and smiled at Zero.

"Long time no see." He said softly, coughing once more.

"Y-yeah…" Zero muttered, looking down as a few tears sprang to his eyes.

Gingka's eyes softened. "Come here." He said in a firm yet noticeably weakened voice, somehow managing to sit up while ignoring Madoka's protests.

Before Zero even knew he had stepped forwards, he had his face buried in Gingka's shoulder and his arms around the redhead's neck. All it took for the dam to break was the feeling of a pair of strong arms wrapping around his shoulders.

"I'm alright…" Gingka whispered, his voice barely audible over the sound of the slight hissing noise coming from his oxygen mask.

"Gingka you need to lie down." Madoka said.

"... This is more important." Gingka stated firmly, nodding slightly towards the young blader currently soaking his shoulder with tears.

"I-I was worried…" Zero muttered once he had managed to calm down, pulling away from the man he barely knew in embarrassment and sitting down in a chair that Madoka pulled up for him.

Gingka chuckled and finally obeyed Madoka's demand that he lie back down.

"About me? You didn't have to be."

Zero looked down at his hands. "They said you might not make it…"

Gingka blinked in surprise, looking to Madoka, who averted her eyes. "Well I made it, although I didn't know that there was a chance I wasn't supposed to."

"Y-Yeah…" Zero muttered, still staring at his hands.

"Barely, you idiot. Barely." Madoka said, half-glaring at Gingka, who looked sheepish.

"Hey, hey, I'm sick. Quit being mad at me." Gingka whined.

Madoka rolled her eyes. "You're an idiot, that's what you are."

Gingka pouted. "Am not."

Madoka chuckled and shook her head, then looked to Zero. Gingka's golden-brown eyes shifted over to the younger blader as well. The redhead immediately frowned at the tears still falling from the young blader's eyes.

Zero sniffled, then blinked in surprise as a second pair of hands reached into his field of vision and clasped themselves around his. The Ifrit blader looked up, his teary blue eyes soon meeting with calm pools of tired golden-brown.

"What's wrong?" Gingka asked quietly.

Zero looked down. "I-it's just… I feel like I could have done more to help…"

"You mean that you never expected to see me so weak and you think you could have stopped it." Gingka said.

Zero blinked, and then nodded silently, looking back down at his hands, which were still trapped between Gingka's.

A light chuckle ran through the air before fading.

"I'm not weak, Zero." Gingka said, although the tone of his voice told otherwise.

"But…"

"Zero."

The Ifrit blader suddenly gasped as his head shot up, his eyes meeting Gingka's once more, only this time, the calmness in Gingka's eyes was gone entirely. Zero's parents merely stared, having seen the sudden change.

A wide grin spread slowly across Gingka's face as his eyes blazed brilliantly.

"W-what is this…?" Zero asked slowly, nervously, almost afraid of the flames that burned clearly behind Gingka's eyes, which were beginning to gain a blue glow.

Gingka chuckled. "I may not have much physical strength in my body right now… But… I'm not weak. You did what you could, Zero. That's all that matters. You came, and you fought without showing any fear that you did have. And you won. And I got to watch. And then I got to help you finish the battle. I was injured long before you came, Zero. Yet I still did all that, remember?"

Zero nodded slightly, not daring nor wanting to break eye contact with the flames that he saw.

"How…?" He asked.

Gingka chuckled. "By ignoring the weakness, Zero. At that point, I needed to be strong. So I was. I simply pushed through. Right now I don't need to be strong. So, I will rest and recover that strength for when it is needed."

Zero nodded in understanding, his tears having stopped. Gingka smiled and allowed the flames to recede from his eyes.

"And you could feel it." Gingka said as he laid back down, eyes calming but remaining locked with Zero's.

Zero nodded. Gingka smiled once more and released his hold on Zero's hands, laying them both gently atop the blankets that were tucked around him.

"You should sleep more, Gingka." Madoka said, noticing the increased weariness in Gingka's face as he and Zero maintained eye contact.

"Well first I need a proper introduction to the two people in the back of the room who I'm assuming are Zero's parents or at least related." Gingka said, his eyes shifting from Zero to the two older adults standing against the wall.

"We didn't want to interrupt." Mizu said, stepping forwards and placing a hand on Zero's shoulder.

"Wouldn't have been a problem." Gingka said, extending a hand and sitting up slightly.

Mizu took Gingka's hand and shook it firmly. "Mizu Kurogane. An honor to meet you. This is my wife, Youko."

Gingka nodded. "Honor's all min-wait, honor? Why does everyone say that? It's not like I'm the ruler of something."

"... You sorta saved the world from blowing up…" Zero muttered with a sweatdrop.

"... So?" Gingka crossed his arms. "I'm still just a blader."

"... JUST?!" Zero exclaimed.

"... Yep. Last time I checked I didn't have superpowers." Gingka chuckled.

"... You may as well with how powerful you are." Zero grumbled.

Gingka shrugged. "Side effect of being the strongest in the world." He laid back once more and tucked his hands behind his head, closing his eyes and smirking slightly. "A position which Kyoya still has yet to take."

"Gingka Hagane, if you dare get up and try to go battle Kyoya like you did a month ago I will personally drag you back here and tie you to the bed so that you can't even MOVE." Madoka threatened.

" He what?!" Zero yelped.

"... I honestly thought you'd forgotten about that." Gingka grumbled.

"You freaked me out for three hours AND didn't bother telling Kyoya that you were recovering from something, resulting in you collapsing at the stadium and having to go back to the hospital for two weeks! And you expect me to forget that?"

Gingka looked over at the Kuroganes with a look that plainly said 'help me!' as Madoka continued to rant at him. The three, much to Gingka's dismay, merely laughed and sweatdropped.

"Not helping!" Gingka whined, pulling the blankets over his head and trying to block out the sound of Madoka's ranting.

"... And this is the strongest blader in the world." Madoka finished her ranting with a chuckle.

Gingka peered out from behind the blanket with a glare.

"Not nice!"

Welp, I have nothing to say. I'ma go to bed now because it is late. Galaxy out.