"I'm really sorry about Ryota. I'm sure he'll get better."

Asa's words were meaningless. Daigo had heard them countless times before - it was all the same. All the fucking same. It didn't matter who they came from. Deep down, he didn't like being smothered with pity.

"D'you need any extra support?" Litsuko offered. "You want us to come by your place sometimes? Maybe help feed the cats?" She always tried to make up excuses to hang out with someone's animal companions.

"Nah, that's not needed," Daigo dismissed her. "You're free to come with me to visit Ryota, though - he adores you guys."

"Never thought I'd say it, but that kid's grown on me." Jin confessed, rubbing the back of his neck. He had a raspy voice and skin the color of sour milk. He and Daigo had bonded over their shared music taste - other than beyblade, of course.

"How the hell could he not?" Ken challenged him. It was Sunday, so they had recently got out of church. "He's an absolute ball of sunshine."

Litsuko giggled in agreement.

"Yeah, yeah - whatever, Mittens." Jin countered.

They were all hanging out at the park, eating some takeout. Asa, the dark-haired, bespectacled beauty, had insisted on paying for everyone. There was a point in time where Daigo had thought he had a crush on her, but he eventually realized that he just found a kinship in her - after all, she had a similar attitude to his: sarcastic, yet quiet and observant. Did that mean Daigo was becoming a little less insecure? He didn't know - he usually felt the most himself around Ken, anyway.

Daigo reminisced back to when the Black Hole Beyclub had been founded. It was his first day of classes at the local community college, and he was extremely bummed about having to attend. As determined as he could be to do well and to live up to others' expectations, he had always disliked school just like any other teenager.

But that was where, in between classes, he bumped into his ex-boyfriend from highschool Jin Aizawa, who also happened to be another powerful blader. They decided to meet up after classes to catch up, and they ended up fitting in some beyblade practice. A girl named Asa Umeha came across the two boys, and suggested that the three of them start their own beyclub after proving her skills. Daigo brought in his longtime best friend Ken, and soon enough another girl named Litsuko Saeki, who had only recently started blading, joined them.

It was Jin who had come up with the name Black Hole. At first, Litsuko and Ken were confused, but Daigo reasoned that that name inspires fear and intimidation. Since Daigo had valuable experience captaining AS Gallus years before, he was made captain of this new club, too. And the five trained each other well: while Daigo had won the district tournament, all four of the others had made it to the regionals, which propelled both Litsuko and Ken to the individual leg of the national tournament along with their captain.

"I can send my guardian spirits to look after Ryota, if you want." Jin said to Daigo with a hazy smile. "All three hundred twenty-three of them."

Daigo rolled his eyes. He enjoyed the subject of all things macabre, but he supposed that now wasn't the time.

"Guess you can," he mumbled anyway.

"Just tell 'em to be nice," Asa sighed, playing along. "I swear, dude, you act like you're on acid half the time."

"Nah, he's just a witch, like me." Litsuko insisted. She popped a mini dumpling into Asa's mouth. "I've seen his altar."

"Who says I don't enjoy a little weed, too?" Jin teased, fiddling with his fingers as though he was trying to scare the girls. Weed and other recreational drugs were illegal in Japan, so it was a wonder how Jin - or Honcho, for that matter - ever got their hands on cannabis.

"Who do you worship again?" Ken asked through a bite of their sando.

"Jormungandr is my primary deity, since my bit beast was based off of him," Jin answered. "But I also work with Fujin and Velnias sometimes."

"Who the hell's Velnias?" Asa interjected.

"Lithuanian god," Jin replied. He yawned - he was always sleepy.

Daigo twirled a lock of hair around his forefinger. Everything said by his friends seemed to go in through his left ear and out through the right. A daze would be an accurate description of what kind of state he was in.

"Hey, captain?"

Litsuko snapped Daigo out of his trance. Everyone was looking at him.

"Wanna go to an arcade before we part ways for the day?" Asa suggested. A light smirk teased her lips. "Bet you couldn't beat me at Pump it Up."

"Sorry, guys." Daigo declined, standing up from his spot. "I gotta bring Ryota the books he asked for."

"Want me to come, too?" Ken immediately offered, readying themselves to stand.

"No, I got this." Daigo insisted stoically. And he left without another word, his crew watching as he disappeared.

Litsuko broke the silence.

"D'you think Ryota . . . might not make it this time?" It was frightening for her to sound so nervous. "Lung cancer is some serious shit."

"It's too early to tell," Asa argued wisely. "He'll most likely have to go through chemo, though."

A thick tension enveloped the group.

~

Unless Ryota was home, Daigo didn't announce his presence when he came through the door. He had already brought Ryota the things he had requested: his bear, his iPad, and his favorite novels. He was surprised to find his mother on the couch, conked out in an awkward position after a long day at the office: she worked as an engineer, and her days were long and arduous. Her long black hair was splayed out over the arm of the couch as she snored softly, her muscled arm hanging over the edge.

As quietly as he could, Daigo took off his shoes and headed towards the kitchen -

"Daigo?"

Daigo turned his head over his shoulder. Tsakana had woken up, her cold, dull eyes harboring dark circles underneath.

"Hey, Mom." Daigo replied. A short silence fell between them.

"Do whatever homework you have before bed." Tsakana yawned before turning over on her side, her back to her son.

"Sure thing," Daigo responded quietly. Was that all she cared about?

No. It wasn't. The reason she worked so hard in the first place was to provide a good life for her boys. But sometimes it was hard for Daigo to believe that she was doing it out of love and not out of obligation.

Daigo grabbed a quick snack from the kitchen, pet the cats, and headed to his room, where he took out his laptop. He was taking two classes: one in biology, one in philosophy. He enjoyed the philosophy class, but damn, biology didn't make any sense to him. He was more passionate about a fucking spinning top sport more than he was about mitochondria.

A spinning top sport he had won the entire national tournament for.

All of a sudden, Daigo's ringtone broke the silence - a song called "sekibaku," by his one of his favorite metal bands. He didn't bother looking at who was calling before answering.

"Who is this?"

"Hey, what's up, son? Long time no talk!"

It didn't take long for Daigo to recognize his father's voice. As though it were possible, it put him in a more sour mood than before.

"Whaddya want, Dad?" he muttered.

"Just wanted to congratulate you on the tournament win!" Ensho Kurogami insisted. "Heard through the grapevine that you're the new champion. I'm proud of you!"

Daigo swallowed a lump in his throat. He knew a lie when he heard one.

"We haven't talked in months." Daigo reminded his old man.

For a moment, Ensho was quiet.

"I heard Ryota has cancer again." he said at last. "I was wondering if you could tell me which hospital he's staying at so I can come to visit him."

Anger boiled in Daigo's stomach. He let out a bark like laugh, but his voice was devoid of humor.

"Like you'd be interested in whether or not he's okay." he snapped.

"I'm his father - "

"You're my father, too!" Daigo snapped, losing his temper. He banged his fist on the table. He was almost shouting now. "Next thing I know you're gonna convince that bitch you knocked up to kidnap Ryota so you can finally have the image of a perfect family."

"I-I wouldn't do that!" Ensho argued, though he stuttered as though he wasn't used to being stood up to. He sighed.

"I just . . . wanna check in on my boys."

Daigo's lower lip trembled. He let his tense body relax.

"You visiting Ryota is up to him." he said at last, after a tense silence. "I'll ask him. If he says no, you're not getting any address."

Without saying goodbye, Daigo hung up. He dragged his hands down his face, letting out a long, frustrated groan. The audacity of that man!

"Mew!"

Daigo lifted his hands from his face - one of the cats, Bibi, had slinked through the crack in the door.