Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade. Just the plot. I also don't own the lyrics to the Yeah Yeah Yeah's "Soft Shock".

A/n: This is a prequel to "Heaven Forbid". I couldn't exactly work out what I'd write about after the events that happened in "Heaven Forbid" so I decided to go the other way. I hope you enjoy it and thank you to all who reviewed or read "Heaven Forbid".

Soft Shock

Unknown, talk to unknown.
Ever, lasts forever.

8 Years Ago

Hilary shuddered as her skin came in contact with the warm air of the hotel lobby as she walked in. She glared at the back of Kai's head as he walked ahead of her. He knew they weren't exactly use to minus 15 degree snowy weather and that they were all freezing to death but no, Kai Hiwatari officially had no soul and was probably in co-hoots with the devil.

"Hilary!" She turned at the sound of Mariah's voice. Mariah was wobbling slightly on her brother's arm. "We're going up to Tala's suite to party!"

Lee lifted his glass. "For Kai's 18th!" He hollered. "We are going to bring down the roof!"

Hilary laughed. "Does he know?"

Mariah waved her hand. "Of course. Tala would've told him. Tala's had it planned since we arrived."

Tyson ran up to them. "Whose getting drunk tonight?" He asked, grinning wickedly. "Because I managed to make Tala get me tequila."

Hilary groaned and shook her head. "Seriously, Tyson? After the last time? You ended up in a shower, naked and covered in your own puke and then you still tried hitting on girls."

Mariah frowned. "Ew, are you serious? Oh my god! Is Rei coming tonight?" Her face lighting up.

"Yes." Max said walking past. "Are we going to Tala's tonight or what?" He slapped Tyson on the back. "Brother, are we going to party it up tonight or what!"

"Yes we are!" Tyson said as he and Max walked away.

Mariah shook her head. "Those two are serious trouble. Whoever invited them is seriously going to regret it later." They began to walk towards the elevator. "Girl, what you planning on wearing tonight?"

Hilary looked down. "This?"

Mariah stared at Hilary. "Are you kidding me?"

Hilary frowned slightly. "No?"

Mariah shoved Hilary into the elevator. "You are not allowed to wear that! You need to wear something super sexy! Something that Kai would enjoy."

Hilary shook her head. "I'm not interested in Kai."

"Uh huh. Look me in the eyes and tell me that." Mariah said, leaning against the elevator wall, with her hands on her hips.

"You're drunk, Mariah. You are thinking a lot of things that isn't true."

/

Louder, lips speak louder
Better back together
Still it's a sharp shock to your soft side

45 minutes later and Hilary was following Mariah into Tala's suite. Bullied by Mariah into wearing a short black figure hugging dress and five inch heels, Hilary felt the most uncomfortable she'd ever felt. "I can't believe you conned me into this!" Hilary shouted over the loud music.

"You're going to thank me later!" Mariah shouted back. "Now, where is my sexy man!" She shouted, looking around for Rei. "I need my man!" She squealed as she caught sight of Rei. "Rei!" She screamed running up and jumping on him.

Hilary giggled as she took a sip of her whiskey and diet coke. Someone tapped her on the arm. Hilary turned around to see a lanky, tall red-head. "Tala. Great party."

Tala raised his cup. "Thank-you. So, you normally don't look that hot."

Hilary frowned and leaned her head. "Thanks. I don't know if I should take that as a complement or a insult."

Tala shrugged. "Well, the way Kai goes on about you all the time, you sound like a Victoria's Secret model."

Hilary raised her eyebrow. "Really? Cause I can't imagine Kai ever saying that about me, let alone anyone else." She took a larger sip of her drink. "Nice try." She said, walking away.

"It's true you know!" She heard him yell.

"Yeah, yeah. What ever." She said to herself. She sculled the rest of her drink and walked around the room. There were tons of beybladers in the room. Some she knew, some she didn't. Mariah and Rei seemed to be showing everyone what X-rated films entailed.

"Having a great time?"

Hilary turned around. It was birthday boy himself. "I'm having a great time, watching Mariah and Rei give me a visual demonstration on how the birds and the bees work." She said, as she filled up her cup.

"They need to get a room."

"Please don't go and tell them that because I'm meant to be sharing a room with her."

Kai smirked. "That might just make me go and do it even more now."

Hilary whacked him in the arm. "No way! Can't you ever be nice?" She asked.

"Depends on your meaning of nice." He said, taking a sip of his drink. "What are you drinking?"

Hilary looked down at her cup and smiled slightly. Kai was making conversation? "Um, whiskey and diet coke. You?"

"Just the whiskey part. Diet coke would ruin it."

"Well, at least your not going with the Russian cliche` of vodka."

"I just watched Tyson do 12 shots of vodka. I think I'll pass."

"Ew." Hilary said. "He is so going to end up in a shower again."

"So will Max. And they'll never learn."

"Of course not. They keep killing their brain cells."

Kai smirked. "I'm going now."

Hilary looked at him. "Now? I just got here."

"And I'm not interested in millions of people who I really don't like, hanging around me being all loud and shit."

Hilary nodded. "Okay." She said, disappointed. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

Kai placed his cup down. "Did you want to hang out? Just the two of us?"

Hilary's mouth hung out a little bit, eyes wide open. "Me and you?" Kai looked at her and nodded. "Sure. Give me a second." She turned around and drank the rest of her drink in one go. She turned back around, her head spinning and eyes watering. "Okay, let's go!"

"You could've taken that with you, you know?" He said, as he lead her out of the party.

"Party's aren't you're thing?" She asked as they stepped into the elevator.

Kai shook his head. "I'm not a people person."

"I've noticed that." She said underneath her breath.

Kai raised his eyebrow. "I heard that."

Hilary blushed. "I'm not exactly a party person either. Mariah always ends up dragging me to them, but she always ditches me for Rei."

"Funny." He said, as they stepped off the elevator. "Tala and Rei always drag me and end up ditching me."

Hilary laughed. "What great friends we have." She said as Kai unlocked his hotel room. "What's with your thing of staying in rooms marked 161?"

Kai shrugged. "I don't really know. The first hotel room I checked into was room 161."

"I can't remember the first hotel room I checked into... let alone the number of it." Hilary said, taking a seat on the couch.

"Do you want anything to drink?" Kai asked, pouring himself one. "I have whiskey... and... water." He said, turning another cup over.

"Whiskey is fine."

"I don't have any diet coke for it to go with." He said, smirking as he handed her a cup. "I can't believe you ruin it with diet coke."

Hilary took a sip and almost coughed. "It doesn't ruin it!"

"It does. Diet coke is disgusting."

"So..." Hilary said, taking another sip. "Are you happy it's your birthday?"

Kai shrugged. "Turning 18 isn't nothing special. All it signifies is that your officially an adult."

"I'm excited to turn 18 even if it's almost two years away."

"You just turned sixteen?"

"No, back in March. I turn 17 next year." Kai nodded. "So, what are you going to do now?"

"What do you mean?"

"With your life? What are you going to be?"

Kai looked down at his empty glass. "I don't know. I applied to go to college next year."

"What college?"

"A few in here in Russia, and Yale."

Hilary froze. Kai would be going to college in a different country while she was finishing high school back in Japan. They weren't boyfriend or girlfriend, but she had always had a spot for him inside. "So, that means..."

"I won't be a part of the team anymore. Tyson and Rei already know this." Kai stood up.

"When were you going to tell the rest of us?" Hilary asked as Kai took her glass.

"When I had heard from which college's had accepted me. I'd be leaving regardless. Beyblading isn't what I want to be doing when I'm 30." He poured them another set of drinks. "I was going to tell you in private. I know your not good at handling news like this."

Hilary blinked a few times, hoping that tears weren't forming in her eyes. "So, you were just going to leave the team, join a college in a different country and never talk to me again?" She asked, angrily. "That's not fair!"

Kai frowned. "Did I ever say I wasn't going to talk to you ever again?" He asked. "No, your just assuming that."

"This is you, Kai. You barely talk to anyone. I don't exactly see you emailing someone about your adventures in college."

"That's what you assume I'd do." Kai downed the rest of his drink. "People make assumptions of what other people are going to do and are so surprised about what happens when they are wrong."

Hilary faulted. Her mouth was burning from the straight whiskey. Her head was starting to spin. Her mind was barely comprehending the conversation that was taking place. "I'm sorry." She said, taking another sip of her drink. "I was wrong to assume."

Kai shrugged, standing to get another drink. "It's fine. At least you said something. Most people don't voice their opinions like you do."

Hilary laughed. "Remember when Tyson called me the wicked witch of the eighth grade?"

Kai nodded. "I didn't exactly believe he'd be so true to his words."

Hilary glared at him. "Are you joking?"

Kai smiled at her. "No. I wouldn't describe you with those words now."

"You don't think I'm a bitch?" Hilary asked, standing up. She closed her eyes as her head spun. "Because I get the feeling sometimes you boys think I am still bossy and bitchy." She slumped towards the ground. "Ow. My head hurts."

Kai put his glass down on the counter and walked over to Hilary. "Your drunk." He said, as he pulled her up off ground. "And no wonder why you felled over, you're wearing death shoes."

Hilary laughed, leaning into Kai. "You can blame Mariah for those." She said as Kai moved her back onto the couch and began taking her shoes off. "She makes me wear outfits like this all the time. Especially when we go out and drink." She paused and gulped. "It's like she doesn't want me going home empty-handed."

Kai laughed. "Mariah just wants you to be as happy as she is with Rei." He said as he chucked her shoes to the side.

Hilary smiled. "I doubt I'll find someone like she has." She looked down at her hands. "That's a hard thing to do." She yawned, and looked up at Kai. "I'm..."

"Drunk and about to fall asleep on my couch?" Kai supplied.

Hilary shot up, jolting Kai backwards. "No! We are going to celebrate your birthday all night! We can not go to asleep until it's day light!" She exclaimed, raising her fist in the air.

Kai chuckled. "And what are we going to do all night that will keep us up?"

Hilary frowned. "I don't know." She said, pouting her lips. "Damn." She turned around. "How do you have a bigger bed than me?" She ran and jumped onto the bed. "You are so lucky." She smiled at him.

"I am?" He said, as he walked towards her.

"Yeah you are. You get a bed like this." Hilary closed her eyes. She felt weight being added to the bed. She opened her eyes and Kai was right above her. "What are you doing?" She whispered.

Kai gently brushed Hilary's hair out of her face. "Something I've wanted to do all night." He whispered back, leaning down and kissing Hilary.

Hilary stared at Kai. "You've want to kiss me all night?" She asked.

Kai smiled and half shrugged. "Not just tonight."

Hilary grinned. She bit her lip. "How long?" She asked.

"I'm not telling..." He said, as he kissed her again. "You know I'm all secretive and not talkative."

"That's not fair!" Hilary whined. Kai leaned again and Hilary pulled him in closer. "You know... right?" Kai nodded. "I don't want you to hold back."

Kai nodded again. "You sure?" He asked.

"I am."

/

Whats the time, Whats the day, gonna leave me
Whats the time, Whats the place, gonna leave me

Hilary woke up, her eyes stinging and puffy. She grinned and rolled over to find the other side empty. She stared at the empty space. Where had Kai gone? She looked over the bedside stand to find a piece of paper neatly folded. Hilary's stomach churned. Kai had slept with her and then ditched her? She leaned across and grabbed the piece of paper. 'I'm sorry, I can't. I can't be that person you want me to be. I'm sorry for what happened.' The piece of paper dropped from Hilary's hand as the sheet slipped down, revealing her naked form. Tears slid fast down Hilary's face. She slowly got out of the bed and walked towards the window. She pulled the curtain to the side. It was snowing. Hilary wiped her face clean of tears and turned back around. She slowly got dressed and walked out of the room. She stepped into the elevator. Her mind kept going over what had happened. Was it her? Had she done something wrong? Had she said something wrong? She stepped off at her level and walked towards Mariah and hers room. She went inside. She could hear Mariah moving around, with the television going. She quietly stepped into the bathroom. She took her shoes off and hopped into the shower. She slowly slid the wall, as the water began to fall. She closed her eyes. Tears began to fall again.

"Hilary?" Mariah's voice brought her back intro reality. "Is that you?"

"Yeah.." Hilary replied.

The bathroom door opened. "What are you doing in the shower fully dressed?" Mariah opened the shower door. Hilary looked up at her. "What's wrong?"

"I thought... I thought I..."

Mariah hopped into the shower and sat down next to Hilary. "Tell me." She said, as she wrapped her arm around her shoulders. "Does it have something to do with Kai leaving?" Hilary cried harder. "Oh.." She pulled Hilary in a tighter embrace. "I'm so sorry, Hilary."

Hilary breathed in deeply. She wiped her eyes. "I'm fine." She said, before dissolving into more tears.