As the beys clashed together, a roar of excitement erupted around the two Bladers. The audience consisted of little kids who had taken a trip down to one of the 8-Pit's training rooms to watch the epic battle.

"You got this, Sagittario!" One of the Bladers, Kenta, called out to his bey as it took a round and struck into the other bey.

"Oh, I don't think so. Go hard, Pegasus!" exclaimed the other Blader who was none other than Gingka Hagane.

The blue bey sped towards Sagittario, clashing on it headfirst this resulting in an instant knockout.

"Aw yeah!" Gingka punched the air, "I win!"

"Aw man," Kenta picked up his bey, "what a bummer! But hey, thank you for battling with me, Gingka! I had a lot of fun," he smiled at the redhead.

"It was no problem, really. Beyblading is all about having fun with your opponents, so don't be so hard on yourself, okay?" Gingka have him a thumbs up.

"Okay!" Kenta nodded, stuffing Sagittario in his pocket.

"Gingka, battle me next!"

"No! He'll battle with me!"

"Me! Me! Me!"

The kids crowded around the poor Blader who wanted to run off and much in a triple beef burger, but how could he say no to those kids?

"Woah, woah! Everyone, slow down," Gingka chuckled, "alright, I'll battle with all of you one by one."

And with that, Gingka was met with battle after battle against determined little kids who didn't really care whether they won or lost. The only thing which mattered to them was the fact they were getting a chance to battle with Gingka.

Kenta peered over his shoulder and caught a glimpse of Madoka staring off into the distance with a thoughtful look.

"Hmmm," she mumbled, not noticing Kenta who stood by her side.

Kenta tapped her shoulder, "You doing alright, Madoka? You seem to be lost in deep thought."

"Huh? Oh! It's nothing," she looked at Gingka who was making obnoxious faces towards one of the kids, "I was just thinking about if Gingka is alright. Ever since his encounter with Phoenix."

"Oh..." Kenta knew it too.

Kenta frowned and stared at his shoes. It was the second time he had ever seen Gingka so...defeated. The first time being during his battle with Ryuga. A calm, collected Blader who lost his cool because his biggest rival, but Kenta couldn't blame him either. Ryuga was really a pest.

"Speaking of Ryuga, I can't help but think about that one other Blader," Madoka placed a finger on her chin.

"The other Blader? Which one?" Kenta raised a brow.

"Zukira," Madoka turned her body towards the little boy, "the one with the mask and long hair. I...know her name from when Ryuga called her Kira or something. Either way, that's who I'm talking about."

"Oh, right!" Kenta's eyes widened at the sudden realisation, "I haven't seen her before either! I have to say though, the way she dresses up is really cool!"

"And a bit intimidating," Madoka chuckled nervously, scratching her cheek, "on a serious note though, I noticed something about her. She...didn't talk much during that battle and all she did was much, but I couldn't help but get this feeling that she..."

"She's probably a strong Blader too," Kenta added, "and the way she looked at Kyoya with such a threatening look in her eyes proves it too! If she was able to get Kyoya to stop talking with just one look, imagine what else she could do!"

"And I wonder how she gets along with Ryuga," Madoka gulped, "that guy's a menace! But what caught my eyes was when he actually called her over before the battle began which was...caught odd, considering the kind of person he is."

"Oh yeah...and like you mentioned before he called her 'Kira', " Kenta muttered, "I wonder what that was all about. Do you think...those two get along?"

Madoka shrugged, "No idea, but all I can say is that I feel somewhat pity for that Blader because she's the only girl in the Organisation," she frowned, "but it's like we saw. She's a mysterious Blader but with a strong, intimidating aura.

Kenta nodded before he turned towards her, "I agree with you, Madoka. I must say, ever since Gingka's encounter with that- Phoenix guy, I can't help but think: do you think him and Zukira might be related? I mean- both of them wear masks and flowing, long coats."

Madoka shrugged and shook her head, "No clue."

Their attentions were diverted when Gingka approached them, hand on his hips, "Man, that was fun!" He took a good stretch and grabbed the hamburger from the plate, "now I'm gonna have this super yummy looking hamburger!"

Right when Gingka was about to bite into it, the hamburger was swooped from his hands, "OW!!!" The redhead shrieked, his teeth coming into contact with thin air.

"Huh?! Benkei!" Madoka turned towards the big guy who chowed down on the hamburger in one bite.

Gingka looked to his right and saw the culprit. He let out a gasp, "You!" he jumped on Benkei, "how dare you eat the delicious hamburger Madoka made for me?!"

"Well- I didn't want the hamburger to get cold, so I had it!" Benkei exclaimed, moving his face away from Gingka's wavering hand.

Madoka and Kenta chuckled, enjoying this little moment between their friends.

The Dark Nebula Organisation

"You joined the Dark Nebula Organisation not only as a Blader, but also as someone who joined as a crucial member," Doji stared out the office window with his iconic glass of orange juice.

Zukira did a neck roll and shook her head. In her mind, Doji was someone who did nothing but keep his mouth moving 24/7. Out of everyone, he always called her.

"Not to mention that you're also someone who's in charge of our laboratory," he glanced over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of the masked Blader. "Now, there is a task I would like to assign you, Ms.Zukira."

The brunette felt the urge to groan but held it back. She had just made some free time to practice and bond with the new bey she had gotten, but Doji had to butt in.

"As the lab supervisor, I want you to collect the beys from our Dark Nebula Bladers and perhaps hold a little inspection to check if they're in proper condition or not." He finished, taking a sip of orange juice.

Everyone's beys? Zukira tapped her chin and looked up.

"Sir, would that include..um..Ryuga as well? I'm not sure if he'll be fond of having L-Drago in my posses-"

"Including Master Ryuga," Doji stated, his lips curving into a smirk, "dealing with him in such a circumstance may be a tussle, but I'm sure that you'll be able to handle it with ease."

Zukira stared at him hard, her hand curling into a tight fist. She felt her chest burn with each passing second, her heartbeat slowly increasing. What did this man take her for? Ryuga was already such a dangerous guy and taking his bey away from him would be like poking a bear with a stick.

"Understood." She gave one simple answer and turned around, heading towards the door with long strides and shutting the door behind her.

She walked well away from the wretched office and took off her mask, placing a hand on the wall for support with the other placed on her hip. She let out a long, frustrated sigh, shaking her head in the process.

What kind of mess did Ryuga drag me into? I swear when I see him- She removed her wall from the wall and stood up straight, pulling her shoulders back as she pulled down her formal vest.

"Lets get this over with," Zukira muttered with an annoyed expression, marching towards where the other Bladers would usually be.

                                                                     ~~~~~~~~~~

She stuffed the bey into her coat's pocket, a clinking sound arising for a moment. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Captain Capri & Ryutaro at the far distance, immersed in their own conversation. She turned around and began walking towards them with careful, light steps.

The chatter between the two Bladers died down, and they looked towards the masked Blader, the colours on their face drastically changing.

"Uh- hi," she awkwardly greeted, "could you guys hand over your beys to me for a quick inspection?"

The two Bladers exchanged glances with one another before turning back.

"Wait, you're that Blader who was with Ryuga during our last match, correct?" Ryutaro spoke up rather...reluctant.

"Um...yes?" she crossed her arms, tilting her head to the side a bit.

Captain Capri let out a squeak, taking a few steps back...more like away from me, "Then w-we can't trust you!" he pointed at her, "wh-what if you're taking our beys to extract their power and use it for your own ambitions?!"

"Hey now! You need to calm down and not jump to such rash conclusions. You must not always think negative," Ryutaro replied in a hushed tone, glaring at the other Blader.

"Well, I don't care! What if-"

"I think she asked you guys to hand over your beys, now."

A shiver ran down Zukira' spine. She didn't even have to look back to see who it was. The cold, heavy tone made it obvious.

The other Bladers' eyes widened as they backed off.

"HAH! Look at you. You seriously call yourself Bladers? Backing off nothing like little worms stuck in a hole," Ryuga taunted, his amber eyes piercing through their souls.

"Okay! Okay! H-here you go!" Captain Capri shoved his bey into Zukira's gloved hand and ran off while Ryutaro tried to stand his ground but was visibly afraid.

"Here you go," he handed Thermal Pisces to her, "wh-when will we get them back?"

"You'll get them back soon enough," Her tone was blunt and low.

"Al-alright then," Ryutaro took one look at Ryuga and gulped. He then turned around and disappeared off into the hallway.

Zukira let out a long sigh and took off her mask, turning towards the Dragon Emperor, "You...didn't have to scare them off like that."

"Hmph," he placed one hand on his hip, "you're quite the sympathetic one, aren't you?" The arrogance and cockiness in his tone made Zukira want to pluck out all his hair and turn it into a nest for the birds outside.

"Anyways," he took a step towards her, "I heard from Doji that you're collecting everyone's beys for some useless inspection?"

"His orders, Ryuga," she narrowed her eyes, "his orders."

Ryuga didn't say anything. He stared at her with a raised brow, his eyes half-lidded almost as though he was bored. He rolled his eyes and took L-Drago from his pocket, gently placing it in her hand.

The brunette felt her heart leap to her throat. What? He just gave me L-Drago like- that?! No resistance? No insulting?

She stared at the bey in her hands and then at him. He was...so confusing. The ruthless and merciless Ryuga gave her his most prized possession? Just like that?

"Listen, Kira," his tone was now dead-serious and threatening, "I know you're stupid enough to do something else and you stay on your word but," his glare hardened, "if anything happens to L-Drago, you will pay big time."

"Sheesh, okay!" Zukira exclaimed, taking a step back, "No need to get all in my face like that! I'm not a kid who's in dire need of being told what to do and whatnot."

Silence hung over the room.

Only the sounds of Ryuga's breathing were audible, and even the birds outside had stopped chirping. It was as though time had put itself on hold.

She took in his appearance: that golden gauntlet & crown, his muscular & slim build, his white coat, everything.

She had this...peculiar feeling in her chest. Was it longing? Was it dread? Whatever it was, she couldn't figure it out. One thing she knew for sure was that no matter how fed up or annoyed she was with him,

She oddly felt a deep connection with him.