Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade or any of it's characters...

Beyblade

A Snowy State of Mind

Chapter 1: It's About Time

By: Plushie-Sensei

The quiet sunrise of Japan, the sun peeking only slightly over the wondrous shrine-filled mountain tops. In the silent place of Bay City, everything was tranquil, even if it was the hometown of the most famous Beybladers of all time. Winning the World tournament since he was thirteen, if someone didn't know him it was because they lived on a desolate island, or they plain just didn't exist. Kinomiya Tyson was the first name on your tongue when the subject of Beyblading came up.

One shouldn't forget, though, that wasn't just Tyson that rocked the world of Beyblading. Without his faithful team, the Blade Breakers, now the GRevolutions, Tyson wouldn't have made it very far. Sure his skill surpasses many, but without the support of Mizuhara Max, Kon Rei, or even Hiwatari Kai he couldn't have gotten through the tough times. And if it wasn't for Kenny's data and know-how of beyblades, he wouldn't have the powerful blade he had now. And without Tachibana Hilary, he'd still be the cocky kid whom believed he was absolutely unbeatable. With each of their support, Tyson became a champion. An unbeatable champion...

And he did it again. He won his fourth World Beyblade Tournament. Everyone thought Tyson Kinomiya would win again, it was to be expected. Everyone ran to greet him as he won, Hilary reaching him first. She threw her arms around his neck as he picked her up and swung her around. He let her down as the others reached him, patting him on the back, Kai gripping his hand in congratulations.

Tyson absolutely loved the excitement of blading, the whirring of the blades in the dish, the pounding of his heart, threatening to explode as his Bit-Beast, Dragoon, escaped its Bit-Chip harbor to battle with all intensity. But when the end of the tournament set into his mind, he realized just how much of a difference it was; the excitement of the tournament, and the calm of his home...

So went the quiet sunset of Japan, the sun fading slowly on the horizon of the calm waters of the bay. The wind slightly blew in an eerily calm breeze. It was unnerving to the restless blader sitting on the quiet hilltop. Kinomiya Tyson stared at the sunset with an unsettling expression on his tense face. He drew a shaky breath, letting it loose the same way. The entire area was filled with a stressed tone. He closed his eyes, letting his head fall into his hands. He silently cursed, drawing in yet another shaky breath.
"You seem so out of it, Tyson. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Hilary, so stop asking," Hilary's eyes widened a margin as Tyson walked away, the air thick with tension.

"Tyson," she began her voice soft. Tyson turned to her, his eyes narrowed. "Why are you acting this way?" she asked. "Even since the tournament ended you've-"

"That's just it! It's over, the tournament's over. It frustrates me," he said, turning away from her. She held an air of despair in her ruby eyes.

"Why... does it frustrate you so much?" she said, her voice edgy. Tyson turned to her again, his eyes softening as he saw her hurt expression.

"I... don't know why. It just does, okay?" he turned away, stopping only when her small hand grabbed his wrist. He didn't turn to her this time, instead ripping away from her grasp and made his way out the door. Hilary stood there, a fleeting feeling on her face. She blinked lightly as a small tear rolled down her face. She couldn't describe the horrible feeling she felt, watching Tyson walk out the door...

Tyson opened the shoji of the dojo, halting his entrance when he saw his teammates. Kai, Rei, Max, Kenny... Tyson could feel that something was wrong.

"Where's Hilary?" he asked, his voice low, uneasy.

"She went home," Kenny answered, nonchalantly, typing at his laptop. The other three sat around, bored expressions on their faces.

"She went home, huh..." Tyson scratched his head, removing his hat slightly, before fixing it. "So what are you guys doing? Weren't you practicing earlier?"

"We were," came the indifferent voice of Rei. Tyson turned to him, seeing him laying on the floor, his hands behind his head.

"You were...? So why aren't you now?"

"Hilary gave us the day off," Max replied, his blue eyes meeting Tyson's maroon ones.

"Hilary? Gave you the day off?" he turned to Kai. "What about you, Kai? I though you always trained-" Tyson's sentence halted as Kai got off of the wall he was leaning against and walked past him, toward the shoji he'd entered earlier. "Hey! I was just asking-"

"She gave us the day off, Tyson. Something's obviously wrong..." Tyson paused at Kai's sudden remark. Kai turned to him, his crimson eyes staring at him accusingly.

"What... is that supposed to mean?" he asked, his eyes blazing back.

"Kai didn't mean anything by it-" Max stood, trying the stop the already heated argument.

"I mean, Tyson, that you should go and talk to her," Kai interrupted. "Every single time you hurt her blasted feelings, the rest of the team feels it," he said harshly. Tyson's blood boiled as his fists clenched.

"What makes you think it was me!" he yelled, making Max and Kenny jump.

"Who else could it be, Tyson!" Kai retorted, making Tyson wince at the tone of his voice. "Go and talk to her before it blows up in front of your fat head!" Kai said, turning to the door. Tyson's face became distorted with guilt.

"Wait..." he said weakly. Kai paused.

"You should stop hurting her feelings all the time, Tyson. She's as much a part of this team as you or me..." Kai finished, walking out into the darkened outside. Tyson turned to the others, Max looking at him with a sullen expression, Kenny and Rei staring off into different directions. He swallowed his throat suddenly dry. He turned to the open door then, and quickly darted out.

"Tyson!" Max called, reaching out to the now empty doorway. His arm lowered slowly, a hint of worry etched on his freckled face.

"This could either end very badly or exceptionally well..." Rei said his eyes lidded with a secret smile on his face. Kenny's glasses reflected the lights from his computer screen, a small smile spreading across his young face as well.

Tyson raced down the sidewalks in his neighborhood, knowing exactly where he was going. He paid no attention to the cars and lights around him, or the kids playing with beyblades, their faces bright with excitement as they asked for his autograph, only to be quieted as Tyson passed them.

He took a sharp turn, almost slipping as he came to Hilary's street. He ran a short distance before coming to a stop seeing the very person he'd been looking for in front of him, her back turned to him. She turned around a confused expression on her face as her ruby eyes met his maroon eyes. He stood there, staring at her, his chest rising and falling with each shaky breath he took.

"Hilary," he breathed his throat sore. His heart pounded within his chest, threatening to burst through. He'd never felt such a strong feeling, other than... when he bladed...

"Tyson... what are you doing here?" she asked, her voice hushed as she broke eye contact. "You should be home, it's getting late," she said, turning around. Tyson's heart sank as he watched her walk away.

"I'm sorry!" Hilary stopped, her heart skipping a beat. Tyson waited for a response, his heart beating wildly, though his face was calm. "I'm sorry, alright?" he tried again. Hilary raised a hand to her chest, keeping it over her heart.

"Sorry?" she questioned silently. Tyson bowed his head in a shameful manner.

"Yes, I'm sorry..." Hilary turned around keeping her distance. "I know I was being a jerk. I was just so frustrated..." he said, emotion heavy in his voice.

"Yeah," Tyson looked up to see her sad smile. "You were born to spin a blade, huh? It must be frustrating to be kept from what you love to do... Nothing ties Kinomiya Tyson down..." She looked up at him, smiling; smiling a real smile. "That's what was wrong, right?" she asked, her eyes dimming with secrecy. Tyson seemed dumbfounded, though he knew she knew. She always knew...

"Yeah... I guess..." Hilary walked up to him, the smile still in place.

"You are such an idiot sometimes..." she said, stepping in front of him. He smiled, his usual goofy smile, though it had a hint of guilt.

"Yeah, well..." he watched as she walked past him, her ruby eyes closed. "Hilary?" She turned to him, still smiling.

"I gave you guys the day off. Why don't we get something to eat?" she asked.

"But... it's getting late remember?" he said. Hilary walked back and wrapped her arms around his arm, making him jump in surprise.

"Not too late..." she said, dragging him away, holding his arm close. Tyson blushed slightly at the close contact, but let himself be dragged nonetheless.

Tyson watched the ice cubes in his drink cling against the side of his glass, the orange liquid slowly disappearing. He stopped sipping on his straw to look out the window at the dark street, drenched with the sudden rain.

"We're going to get really wet out there..." he said, sipping his straw again. Hilary nodded, finishing hers.

"Yeah, well, I'm fine with that..." she said, standing up. Tyson stood as well. Hilary placed the paid bill on the edge of the table as they made their way to the front door, passing the other customers in the small cafe.

Tyson opened the door, looking up as the rain quickly dampened his clothes. It was a good thing it wasn't that cold.

"Were you really going to let the lady get wet?" Tyson snapped around in surprise, seeing Kai leaning against the wall of the cafe, holding something.

"Well, I'm not exactly an umbrella, Kai," he said, still getting over the fright.

"Yeah? Well, this is..." Kai pulled an umbrella from the other side of him, poking Tyson in the ribs with the tip. Tyson took the umbrella, wonder in his eyes.

"Hey... What about you?" he asked. Kai turned away.

"You don't need to worry about me, just take it," Kai demanded, turning into the night. Tyson watched him walk away as Hilary stepped out.

"Sorry I took a while. Tyson? Where did you get that umbrella?" Tyson turned to Hilary, secretly wishing people would stop just popping out of no where.

"Uh, I... Um, well, you see..."

"Never mind..." Hilary said, not really wanting to know. Tyson opened it and held it over Hilary, shielding her from the rain.

"Shall we?" he asked, smiling nervously. Hilary suddenly took his arm into hers as she did before. Tyson looked down to see her looking ahead, a small hue of pink over her cheeks. He gazed at her for a moment, before smiling sweetly and leading her away from the cafe.

'Thank you, Kai...' Tyson thought, looking up in relief. Kai stood around a corner, his eyes closed, arms crossed over his chest. He smiled.

Tyson and Hilary soon came to the Tachibana household, the rain much lighter than before. They could see Hilary's parents and younger brother, Dylan, through the front window, seemingly enjoying dinner. Tyson turned to Hilary, suddenly shoving the umbrella gently into Hilary's arms, pulling himself free.

"You should take it. I'm already wet anyways," Tyson said indifferently. Hilary turned toward her house, smiling suddenly.

"Thank you, Tyson," she said sweetly. Tyson looked to the sky with a 'whatever' expression, but was suddenly snapped out of it when he felt a pair of soft lips come in contact with his moist cheek. He turned seeing Hilary walking toward her house. He placed a shaky hand on his cheek. "Oh, and you'd better be ready for some serious training tomorrow," Hilary called to him. Tyson's eyes were still wide from the shock, though he dropped his hand as she turned around, the sweetest expression on her face. He watched as she walked into her house, the door clicking as it closed behind her.

"Did she just...?" Tyson's jaw hung slightly as he stared at the door, blush purely evident on his face. He suddenly felt a hand push up his jaw, closing his gaping mouth and turned to see Kai, once again appearing out of nowhere. "What the heck, Kai!" Tyson shrieked. Kai stood, staring blankly at Hilary's house before his eyes darted to the side, eyeing Tyson. A smirk appeared on his face as he closed his eyes.

"I think she did..." he said. Tyson waited a second before the gears in his mind turned enough times to process what he'd just said.

"Wha...!" Tyson blushed again, waving his hands frantically in the air. "No, no, no!" Tyson whined. He stopped as he felt a hand clap on his back. He turned to see Kai looking at him with an exasperated expression.

"What are you complaining for?" he asked, obviously confused. "Isn't this what you wanted?" Tyson raised an eyebrow.

"Well..." Tyson paused, as if he'd just had an epiphany. His face suddenly drained of its color as his face went completely blank. Kai smirked, just the expression he was looking for. He sighed, patting Tyson on the back before leaving.

"It's about damn time..." he whispered, completely disappearing from Tyson's sight; not that Tyson was even paying attention to anything around him...

TBC...

()/)
(- -)u
(('')('') "My bunneh's exasperated... "

Yeah, so I hope you liked it because it took me a while to make it just how I wanted. Not too rushed with the romance, though I am a Snake (my zodiac people...) so I was almost in tears that I couldn't make them confess so early, but I like it how it is, so there. And yay for Kai, because without him, many people would be lost... as well as a bit more confident...