This is a random idea that popped into my head while I was reading GinMado fics. Well, actually, it literally developed as I was writing it. That's why the first part is sorta awkward, but I kept it in anyway. XP Enjoy! And even though this is posted a bit late, happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!

To say that Ryo missed Gingka would be an understatement. To say that Ryo regretted what he had ended up doing to the boy he called his son, perhaps not so much. But it was too late to change what had been done. Gingka was gone, off on the mission that Ryo had sent him on, and Ryo could not follow, at least not for a while. He knew full well why he had not told Gingka immediately that he was still alive. Yet now, as he sat in bed with nothing to really do other than think, Ryo wondered if that had really been the best choice.

Hokuto watched silently from the fireplace, slightly worried at the frowning expression on the face of his old friend.

"Are you alright, Ryo?" the dog asked, raising his head off the rug slightly.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm fine. Just… Thinking." Ryo sighed, staring absentmindedly into the flames.

"About Gingka?"

Ryo blinked in surprise, but nodded. "Yeah… Once again doubting whether I did the right thing, you know, the same old stuff."

"I see." Hokuto said.

"I mean, I know that it's too late to change it, and he's off who-knows-where, miles away by now…" Ryo muttered.

"Alone." Hokuto said.

Ryo nodded slightly, sighing. "And I'm stuck here for the time being thanks to my injuries."

"Leaving your eleven-year-old son to roam the world, alone." Hokuto reminded.

"You're not helping." Ryo grunted.

"He's had no experience in the outside world, Ryo. He's lived here his entire life."

"I know that!" Ryo snapped, his eyes flashing in the light from the fire.

"You sent him off against an opponent that even you, with your years of experience, couldn't defeat, and by the time he finds L-Drago again, it will have grown much more powerful than before. He still couldn't control Pegasus even in practice."

"And what do you want me to do about that?!" Ryo snapped.

"But he's strong." Hokuto continued. "I still can't say that I agree with your methods. I still think that your choice in this was pretty questionable parenting, but since you've done what you've done, we just have to trust Gingka."

"I believe that he can do it." Ryo sighed. "But still… He's my baby, and I don't want anything to happen to him. But someone has to defeat L-Drago before it destroys everything. I just wish I knew where he was, and if he was okay."

"I see." Hokuto sighed.

"He's smart. I know he can take care of himself." Ryo sighed. "After all, he's done it before, that one time last year when he got lost in the woods for a week…"

"The time when you ran up to him all worried and he had been hanging out with the squirrels?" Hokuto chuckled.

"That's the one…" Ryo chuckled, a feeling of nostalgia coming over him.

"You'll see him again." Hokuto said. "He's gotta come home sometime."

"Yeah…" Ryo sighed, smiling slightly.

Even ten years later, Ryo remembered that conversation. That, really, was part of the reason he had chosen to wear a mask and take on the name of Phoenix, at least for a couple of months, to train Gingka from behind the scenes. As Ryo looked at a picture on his desk, of him in his Phoenix costume with Gingka on his back, he couldn't help but smile as he looked across the room at the young man his son had become.

"Something wrong, Gingka?" Ryo asked, noting the small frown on his son's face as the younger Hagane looked at the screen of the laptop in front of him.

"Something's not matching up in this mission data here." Gingka sighed, leaning back and running his fingers through his hair.

"Oh?" Ryo got up and came around behind Gingka's desk, peering at the screen.

"See, the report says that all of our agents came back with at least a slight injury, some more serious than others, but…" Gingka pulled up another window, "This agent was on the mission, and doesn't have even the slightest amount of injury, according to a medical checkup, despite the fact that the mission commander swore that he saw him get stabbed in the arm. The commander says that he even bandaged up the guy's arm, yet what do the doctors find? Nothing. Not even a scratch."

"Well, isn't that going to be a fun one for you to figure out?" Ryo chuckled, ruffling Gingka's hair.

"Daaaad." Gingka whined, half-pouting and straightening his headband, which had been knocked out of place by Ryo's hand.

Ryo merely laughed. "Oh, quit being so childish. You're twenty-one, for crying out loud!"

"I am not being childish." Gingka huffed, a playful gleam appearing in his eyes despite his attempt to appear upset.

"You aren't? Then why are you pouting?" Ryo asked with a mischievous grin.

"Pouting? Me? Nah." Gingka smirked.

"Oh yeah?!" Ryo put Gingka in a headlock and noogied him.

"Ow! Hey!" Gingka yelped, struggling.

"Why did I put you in charge of our agent forces, anyway?" Ryo chuckled as he pulled Gingka's headband over his eyes. The very next instant, Gingka had managed to backflip straight out of his chair and over Ryo's shoulder before poking the older redhead in the back with two fingers.

"Right. That's why." Ryo chuckled, putting his hands up in surrender.

Gingka grinned. "You can't beat me in a wrestling match anymore, dad."

"Wanna bet?!" Ryo whirled and tackled his son to the ground. Gingka fell down with a startled yelp, just as Hikaru and Kenta entered the room.

"... Who put those two in charge again…?" Hikaru muttered under her breath to Kenta as they watched the two redheads rolling around on the floor.

"Better question: Why?" Kenta chuckled.

Hikaru cleared her throat loudly, causing the two Haganes to look up and flush pink in embarrassment.

"I did come up here to remind you that you have an important meeting in half an hour, Director, as well as the annual banquet of the other directors and funders of the WBBA, which is tonight." Hikaru said calmly.

"Oh. Uhh… Thanks, Hikaru." Ryo said, straightening his tie and suit coat as Gingka picked up his office chair, which had been knocked down when he backflipped.

Hikaru nodded and left, shaking her head slightly in amusement at the two men who were supposedly mature enough to run an entire, secret, branch of the WBBA.

"Oh, and Gingka, Yuki finished the repairs on your suit. He wanted you to know." Kenta said as he followed Hikaru.

A broad grin broke across Gingka's face at this. "Perfect. Just in time for tonight."

"I take it that you and the others have decided that it is indeed time to reveal our greatest weapon yet?" Ryo smiled.

"Yup. With your permission, of course, Director." Gingka mock-bowed.

Ryo laughed. "That's Director Phoenix to you, Commander. Do as you like."

Gingka stood and saluted, laughing. "I'll get working on our little mystery here then."

"Don't scare people half to death like you did last time with that little glow-in-the-dark stunt you pulled." Ryo chuckled.

"... I was actually planning on using that. It works wonders for interrogation purposes." Gingka chuckled.

"Gingka the Interrogation Expert. What do you think Madoka would say if she were told that?" Ryo snorted.

Gingka flushed a light pink and rolled his eyes. "There are reasons we don't tell anyone outside of the Tokyo WBBA these things, dad." he said, walking out of the room.

Ryo chuckled. "Good luck, son."

"Who?" Gingka poked his head back in the room and grinned playfully.

Ryo rolled his eyes. "Good luck, Commander."

"Better." Gingka laughed, leaving.

"Hey, I'm the one in charge here!" Ryo exclaimed, shaking his head in amusement.

Gingka chuckled under his breath as he strode down the hallway, his thoughts turning to the events of the past few years, no, the past ten, to be exact. Never once, on that fateful day when he had supposedly lost his father, had he thought that so much could change in such a short amount of time.

Gingka shook his head and chuckled as he remembered Ryo's Phoenix mask, which the older Hagane sometimes still wore, much to Gingka's embarrassment. Gingka only hoped that his father would forget about his mask tonight, on one of the most important nights of the entire year. And this year, hopefully, would be the best yet. Gingka thought with a smile of the late nights and coffee breaks that he and his father had been taking over the last few months, all to plan everything out to the minutest detail. Kenta and Hikaru, even Yuki, had offered their help, but Ryo had refused, insisting that this project be planned by him and Gingka alone.

Together, Ryo and Gingka had ordered tablecloths, planned the menu and sent it to the kitchen, and had even set up a playlist of instrumental music to set the mood. Gingka took a deep breath, knowing that everything would go according to plan. After all, what could go wrong? Everything was planned out to the tiniest detail, even how the napkins were going to be folded and the exact second at which Gingka and Ryo would enter the Tokyo WBBA's elegant ballroom.

"Nothing will go wrong. Not even with this little hiccup that seems to have snuck into our mission reports." Gingka sighed, stepping into another room. Several agents, who were walking around inside, instantly stopped and snapped to attention.

"At ease." Gingka said. "We've got a problem in our mission reports. I need the mission commander from mission record 2897, as well as Agent Murasaki."

"Yes sir!"

"Director Phoenix to Commander Stormflight-"

"Sheesh, it's been three minutes, dad!" Gingka animefell, much to the amusement of the agents in the room.

"I know. Just letting you know that I love you, as usual."

Gingka chuckled under his breath, shaking his head in amusement and embarrassment. "Love you too, dad…"

Ryo smiled at those words before releasing the button on his desk and allowing Gingka to get to work.

"Director, I need to speak with you." An agent said, entering Ryo's office.

"You don't have clearance to be up here." Ryo tensed, slowly reaching for the button again and pressing it twice rapidly without the agent noticing. "Who are you, anyway?"

"Your demise." The agent replied, pulling out a gun and firing before Ryo could react. The Phoenix fell to the ground, blood beginning to stain his white dress shirt as he coughed, trembling.

"I work for the DNA." the agent said coldly, moving to Ryo's computer and plugging in a jump drive.

Ryo tried to remain calm, which was hard to do, considering that he was rapidly losing blood and that a DNA agent was hacking into his computer, meaning that, if the agent weren't stopped, the DNA would soon have all of the WBBA's files.

"What?!" The DNA agent exclaimed as Ryo's computer was turned off and alarms began sounding.

Ryo smirked. "Might… Wanna run…" he whispered as the sound of pounding boots echoed down the hall.

"Freeze!" Gingka exclaimed as he ran in, no longer wearing his suit, but now a long blue coat with a black turtleneck shirt underneath, navy blue pants, and knee-high black boots.

"I don't think so." The DNA agent snarled, raising his gun once more.

"Your funeral." Gingka said calmly and coldly as the agent fired. Ryo tensed, then smirked as the bullet bounced right off Gingka with a metallic clang.

"How…?!" the DNA agent looked frightened.

"Bit of new tech." Gingka said, narrowing his eyes angrily.

"Go…" Ryo muttered, his eyes fluttering. Before the DNA agent could react, his gun had been knocked out of his hands and he was handcuffed to Ryo's office chair.

"This is Commander Stormflight. I need four agents to escort an enemy intruder to a holding cell, and I need full medical staff up here now. The director is down." Gingka said, forcing himself to remain calm as the DNA agent glared at him. He then knelt down next to Ryo, maintaining a strong facade, although Ryo could see the worry in Gingka's eyes.

"I'm… Proud of you." Ryo smiled.

"Hang in there…" Gingka muttered. "Please… I couldn't lose you again…"

"I'm the Phoenix, remember?" Ryo smiled. "I'll be fine."

"I'm holding you to that." Gingka tried to smile. Ryo chuckled, coughing weakly.

"Move please, Commander."

Gingka instantly stood and took two swift steps back, allowing the medical staff to reach Ryo. Within minutes, the only evidence of the struggle was the bloodstain on the carpet. Gingka sighed heavily, just as Hikaru and Kenta entered, looking worried.

"What happened?!" Kenta asked.

"We had an intruder. He… Shot my dad." Gingka muttered.

Hikaru put a hand to her mouth. "Is he going to be okay?"

"I don't know. Hikaru, I'll need you and Kenta to help me with the banquet tonight. My dad won't be making it, that's for sure." Gingka sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

"Want me to be in Warrior uniform?" Kenta asked.

"Yeah." Gingka said. "Hikaru, get a cleaning service up here to get the blood off the carpet."

"Already did." Hikaru said, smiling at Gingka. "Go to your dad. We'll handle things here."

"... You sure..?" Gingka said hesitantly.

"Go on. Might as well know what's going on with him and be with him as long as you can." Kenta said, smiling bravely.

Gingka sighed. "Thanks guys. I'm… Going to put the building on full lockdown though. There may be more DNA agents around and I don't want them causing trouble. Kenta, get the others and do a full investigation of everyone. Make sure we don't have any more DNA agents within our walls."

"On it. Now go on!" Kenta shooed Gingka towards the door. The redhead smiled slightly, then ran off down the hallway.

"You think the Director will be okay?" Kenta asked.

"He's tough." HIkaru said. "But who knows?"

"I guess only time will tell. Let's go get ready." Kenta said.

"Commander?" a doctor saluted as Gingka entered the hospital wing.

"Where is the director being treated?" Gingka asked calmly, although he was trembling slightly.

"Down the hall, last door to your right sir. They said he should be fine and that his wound is not too serious."

"Good." Gingka sighed, heading for the room indicated.

"You're not working…?" Ryo breathed as Gingka entered.

"Hikaru and Kenta are taking care of things."

"I see." Ryo smiled.

Gingka grabbed his father's hand and smiled back. "They said you'll be okay?"

Ryo nodded. "He missed my heart entirely, although he got a lung. But they've fixed it up already and I'll be fine after resting for a while."

"That's a relief." Gingka sighed.

"No worrying, although you'll have to take care of the banquet tonight."

"I'm having Hikaru and Kenta help with that. It's all taken care of. You don't have to worry about anything except getting better."

Ryo smiled. "Look at you, all grown up."

"I thought I was childish." Gingka joked, sniffling and smiling.

"No crying now." Ryo chuckled.

"I'm just glad you're okay." Gingka muttered, leaning over and hugging his dad tightly.

"Of course I'm alright. You came in time to save me." Ryo smiled. "And you even kept yourself calm and in control. That was amazing to see."

Gingka looked embarrassed. "It.. Wasn't that big of a deal…"

Ryo chuckled. "It was to a father who has watched his son grow up and saw firsthand how he can handle crazy situations like that. I haven't gotten to see that from you before."

Gingka looked even more embarrassed. Ryo chuckled and patted his son on the head. "That's why I'm proud of you. Now I won't be as worried when you head out into the field on missions. Keep that levelheadedness when you're out there."

Gingka nodded. "I try."

"Good." Ryo smiled and ruffled Gingka's hair. "My little Warrior."

Gingka smiled. "Not quite so little any more."

"True." Ryo chuckled. "You're all grown up… But you'll always be my little Gingka."

Alright, everyone say, "Aww!" Jk. You don't have to, but you probably did. XP Galaxy out!