Star Crossed Chapter 1: Hope you had the Time of Your Life, a beyblade fanfic

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade, if I did I'd start working on a new season to rid the fandom of the dead-ness plaguing it.

Warnings: Angst and fluff. Don't like don't read. It might be slightly cheesy at times, so again, don't like don't read. And if any one minds a slightly OOC Kai, and wants to see Kai only in his gay/asexual glory -_- I suggest don't read a KaiHil. KaiHil means, he'll show some affection towards Hilary, at least somewhat pay more mind to her than an ant in his path, so those of you who don't prefer this, I suggest the cross button on the upper left corner. Don't like KaiHil, don't read then, damn it!

Star-Crossed

Chapter 1: Hope you had the time of your life

-xxx-

"Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you I had no control over." – Anonymous

-xxx-

"You know what you have to do." The voice was calm and forestalling; the addressee had a lot of resilience to keep themselves from wincing at the impassive, yet cutting tone.

The figures in the room – the middle aged man and the young girl – were just mere silhouettes visible due to the light of the black and white screen which showed the pictures of four boys.

"You will originally meet Tyson Granger and Kenny Yamashita (1)."

There was an obedient nod, imperceptibly hesitant, and clearly docile.

"You have to improvise to earn their trust and get inside the team." The voice was now more baleful than it was originally, but there was no trepidation on part of the room's other occupant. "I want them terminated, all of them. Do you know Kai?"

The response was immediate. "No sir."

"You do not know how to blade." The man began in a daunting voice. "Yet, you've been given such a vital task; I have faith in you, if you do not succeed – you know we're not very forgiving of failure."

The momentary, unable-to-be-restrained shudder experienced by the girl, went unnoticed by the man, who had his back turned to her.

"I intend on staying low for a while, don't want to end up in prison like Voltaire," the voice was calculating now, lacking any hint of amusement, the man's fingers lacing and unlacing as he spoke. "I want them terminated before I decide to look you up."

"It will be done, master." Her ardent, yet fretful words were followed by a subservient bow.

"Good girl, Hiromi." Boris's lips curled in a malicious smirk. "Enjoy your stay with the Bladebreakers. You may leave."

Hiromi gave another bow and exited the room, retracting her steps, not turning her back to Boris in fear of being disrespectful – and not wanting to turn her back to a foe, in the abbey, she knew that no one was an ally, not even her own superior. She exited the room and closed the door behind her; leaning against the door frame she sighed in relief: she had made it out, now all she had to do was complete her assignment; it felt as if her whole life was hanging on the thread of this one mission.

"Oh yeah!" Tyson's jubilant yell could be heard ten feet outside the dojo; Hiromi couldn't help but snicker at his carefree and happy-go-lucky behavior.

Through the window of the training room with its undrawn curtains, she watched her new friends talk and plan strategies…without her, her mind added; her absence clearly didn't disconcert them, of course it didn't; there was no reason for it too. Her presence was an extra baggage for them, redundant yet tolerable.

Tyson Granger, his behavior with her in class didn't spring any affection towards him in her heart. Kai, he hadn't been hard to identify as being the Hiwatari boy who was her top priority; he seems like an arrogant bastard, his embittered and demeaning behavior clearly indicated his association with Balkov abbey. Ray, Kenny and Max were nice enough, but they didn't seem to care much either; indifferent would be the correct word for them.

Yet, Hiromi couldn't help enjoy their company, she felt herself being drawn towards them. Their attitudes, though not considerate – quite callous to be honest— were more caring than anything she had ever been accustomed to and there was no denying the attachment she began to feel towards those boys in the time period of a few weeks; she began to feel snug and comfortable with them. Their presence made her happy.

However, their behavior, good or bad, whichever it may be considered, didn't make her reconsider or lament over her intentions though, not in the slightest – that prospect was clearly out of the question. Denial from reality, it would be, if Hiromi thought she could escape from her destiny; she had to fulfill her orders or suffer the consequences, even if she could stay undetected for a while, her treachery would never be forgiven.

She heaved a sigh as she made her way past the window, towards the house of her teacher, Ms. Kincaid, with whom she had been arranged to stay.

How can I have second thoughts? She wanted to claw her eyes out at how illogical she was being. Those boys were going to be the death of her, literally! If they didn't die at her hands, they'd probably be the death of her. Her mind then wandered off to how Kai's cryptic-ness or Tyson's annoyingness would probably be the death of her before she even began to second guess what she had to do and she couldn't help but chortle out loud, earning a weird look from a girl passing by.

Hiromi face palmed, not at publicly embarrassing herself, but at the fact that those boys were beginning to slowly make their way too much in her life. she was glad about that at least Boris was in jail, this gave her time to brace herself, but she knew she'd have to make a decision fast, if she waited any longer she'd definitely start second guessing herself, and once doubt got spawned in her mind, she'd never be able to complete her mission.

III

Hiromi walked in ecstasy among the Bladebreakers back to the dojo. It seemed ironic to her, how being with people whom she was bound to betray was so wonderful, that they had so quickly become so important for her.

You did it! Who cares? Hmph.

It was clear to her that she did, this was why she still wasn't ready to take a step and do her job; and she was trying so hard to maintain a façade that was clearly not necessary; so torn up for not being accepted by five boys, to execute whom was her job.

We went back to the basics.

They had actually listened to her, and she wasn't even a real team member, she' just started tagging along with Tyson, because of her intentions, and they had actually begun to care for her. They had even fixed the training schedule she made. Hiromi couldn't help the skip in her step as she walked along side her friends.

Really?

She hadn't been able to hide the shock and care from being blatant in her voice. The schedule was just to play her part to the best of her abilities, to prevent any suspicions from being aroused; she had been confused by how she'd been hurt so much at rejection from people who should be nothing but slaughtering pigs in her mind.

Look about what I said the other day, I'm sorry, now there's only two days of training left, but we could really use your help, if you're into it… uh…

He was apologizing, he really felt sorry for being mean to her. At this point the guilt of her foul intentions started sinking in and she got a weird feeling at the pit of her stomach. Thinking of the recent confrontation with her friends, she tried to distract herself from the pangs of self-reproach.

You could make up our schedule.

They did care – and she was setting out to betray them to Boris, when they'd never even slightly wronged her in their life. The thought of her treachery left a bitter taste in her mouth. What would happen when she carried out her plans? She'd be back at the abbey with no one there to count on, but her own self. The last few weeks she'd spent with the Bladebreakers were acting like a drug, and she was slowly and slowly—unintentionally- getting addicted to their company, their presence in her life.

But I've never spun a blade before.

It had always been her held back, she was in a blading institute, now a blading team, and she couldn't blade, were they ready to accept her?

That doesn't matter you're still our friend, Hiromi. What do you say?

She had wanted to accept, she sure wasn't mad at them anymore, heck she was elated that they were bothered to try and convince her to come back…but she didn't want to grow more attached to them.

Please, Hiromi.

They really did care – and it wouldn't hurt if she spent some time with them, it'd be nice to cut loose and enjoy a while. Once she'd complete her assignment and go back to the confinements of the abbey. It would certainly not hurt the completion of her mission, she was just taking a more enjoyable route; she could keep her emotions in check, yes, she definitely could, there would not be any second guessing even if she stayed with the team.

Well, I guess I could. But I'm not gonna be easy on anyone.

Of course, she'd have to maintain a façade, she could not let her self be caught; it would jeopardize everything! She definitely tried to convince herself that her reluctance had not even the slightest association with not wanting to see the betrayed look on these boys' faces whom she'd grown so attached to. Of course not! Discovery would make it harder to complete her assignment. Yes, that was the only reason to stay under cover.

Sir, yes, sir.

Hiromi couldn't help chuckle, her team mates really were something. Her team mates, she couldn't help smiling at the thought.

"You know, Hiromi," Kenny said, slowing down a little so that he, and Hiromi – who was walking beside him – fell back a little from the others. "Kai was the one who convinced us. He used the training montage you designed and it worked for him, and he was the one who found and fixed your torn chart."

Kenny's words caught her off guard and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Kai?" she stuttered, making sure to keep her voice low.

"Hmm," the bespectacled boy nodded, "the noise of his blade woke us up and we were all caught off guard by how perfectly he managed Dranzer."

"Oh," she squeaked in response her eyes trailing off near Kai who was walking ahead with the rest of the Bladebreakers.

"Yup, Kai's not really a bad guy once you get to know him, I'd trust him with my life. Well he did tell these dark bladers we once met to make a burger out of me," Kenny paused and scratched his head, "but he did save me in the end!" He chuckled a bit before continuing. "It takes him time to get used to and to trust people, but when he does, he really does care for them."

"Oh," Hiromi repeated, her eyebrows puckered, "I'll be sure to thank him." The Russian boy had grown on her since the first time she met him in person, but she couldn't help feel grateful, now knowing that he was the one who was really responsible for her being with her new found friends.

Kenny had ventured off ahead near Tyson and probably hadn't heard her last response. Hilary was now in pace with the blue haired boy whom they'd been discussing moments before, she turned to look at him once, suppressing a smile in fear that he'd accuse her of being an idiot. Her thoughts took on a more cheery turn as she suppressed the idea of second guessing her opinion by convincing herself that she would never become so attached to them that it would be impossible for her to do her job; she just wanted to enjoy the moments she had.

This would just be indulgence, nothing more.

He was her main target, her main goal was to get rid of him, and then once she was exposed, taking on the others would be easy. She couldn't bring herself to take him down. It would be hard, he was probably more skilled than her, but she was probably the only one who could do it, that's why she was selected, But her unwillingness wasn't about what would happen if Kai over powered her – she couldn't bring herself to attack him; she had grown too fond of him, and the others in this time.

Indulgence she snorted. Who had she been kidding? She was bound to grow attached, she knew it, but she'd been far too marveled by the thought of experiencing genuine and sincere companionship to care for what it could lead to. And here it was, she had developed too much affection for Kai, she didn't have the nerve to harm a head on his hair, much less kill him.

Keeping up small talk with Kenny as Kai forged ahead of them on the pathway was growing harder and harder for her, as she tried to bring her mental debate to a halt.

"How much further, Hiromi?" Kenny moaned in a heavy voice.

Hiromi blinked to focus on the chief's words, and then answered distractedly, "I think it's just up ahead."

It wasn't the physical activity that was draining her; she was used to it – not much fond of it, but still equipped for it- but the mental dispute that she was stuck with. This was the moment, the perfect chance; if she didn't take it, it was a waste of a perfectly good opportunity. Next time! There was always the option of next time, but there was no guarantee of next time, with how her hands were shaking and how she couldn't bring herself to even think of physically harming any of her friends, there wasn't much of a chance that things would be different the next time either.

"That radio better work or I'll never hear the end of it from Tyson," she tacked on absentmindedly. Even if she did attack, she wouldn't be able to keep it up – she'd gone too soft. And to make things worse: Kai! That boy had to be a pain in her ass and tag along with her to protect her; sure it gave her a chance to get her job done, but after knowing the extent of his care for her, that he was willing to go with her instead of his old friends, there was no way she couldn't bring it in herself to hurt him, not after this!

Kai was beginning to grow on her like a wart, after believing him to not be the lethal spy that she –ironically- was, he actually started to warm up on her too much. She couldn't deny it, no matter how hard she tried –

"Guys," Kai cried out loud, his voice frantic, cutting Hiromi from her mental debate. "Look out!"

Her eyes darted up upon hearing Kai's anxious yell, to see an avalanche of rocks plummeting down towards them, ready to crush the three of them into cinders. She squeezed her eyes shut, a scream threatening to erupt from her throat, waiting and preparing for the pain – but it never came. Instead she felt a body press up against hers and push her into the side of the cliff. A gasp erupted from her throat at the sudden contact and she kept her eyes squeezed close still waiting for some sort of impact.

The moment she felt her back being pressed up against the cliff, the boulders hit the ground with a rumbling noise and the earth shook under the weight and the dust scattered into the atmosphere.

"I think it's all over," she mumbled in a small voice, still not fully comprehending all that happened in the blink of the past second. Opening her eyes she saw Kai's face mere inches from her own, his arms stretched out on either sides of her to shield her from the falling debris. His figure was no longer pushed against hers, but he was still just at arm's length. Kenny had also been pushed against the wall and was still clinging to the cliff side clutching dizzy safely in his arms.

"Are you okay?" The concern was evident in his voice, and twice folds, in his tightened eyes. I can't kill him! She certainly could not, with how concerned he sounded right then. She was whipped! Oh yes. Oh, and she was also infatuated with her captain; that was also a huge problem, not just because of her mission, but well, the fact that he was emotionally constipated; the proximity wasn't helping her with her attraction issue, no, not at all.

She wracked her brain to find a coherent reply, her mind refusing to function at the proximity between her and her crimson eyed savior.

"Yeah, I think so." She stuttered biting her tongue immediately at how nervous she sounded.

Kai gazed at her wearily, the anxiety for her well-being clouding every inch of his face, his ragged breaths against her mouth. The blush on her face grew more scarlet and she was unable to think rational thoughts with him being too much close for comfort. When he had examined her thoroughly and was convinced that his coach was alright, the apprehensive expression flitted from his face leaving behind the usual scowl and he drew away from her leaving her flushed and scarlet.

Kai moved further from her and begin scanning the area and looking around for another exit. Hiromi was still frozen to the spot backed up against the wall. He had to save her, damn him, he just had to, and be so damned worried about her; there was no denying it anymore, she was head over heals for him, she cared too much for all of them, particularly him, to even think about trying to hurt him, even if she forced herself to try he would nail her down in five seconds flat and she wouldn't even have the will to retaliate.

Prying her body away from the massive wall of rocks she got close to the Kenny and the blue haired boy in her thoughts. Aside from the obvious problems of her no longer being committed to her mission, and the problems that could create – there was the realization that she was infatuated with the ice block who'd never like anyone more in any sense more than just not wanting them dead, fabulous choice, definitely. She wanted to smack herself for falling for his stupid charms, someone who would never reciprocate her feelings even if she wasn't a damned traitor – wait! This was what mattered to her the most at that moment? Now she wanted to smack herself for being so sickeningly infatuated.

She was hooked, she had gotten stupidly close, closer than with anyone before, with a group of boys, and stupidly fallen in love with the one whom her master had ordered her to eradicate by any means possible and who would abhor her once they knew who she worked for. She shouldn't have waited, it was obvious this would happen, she'd been getting too infatuated with these people, and now there was no turning back, She couldn't not kill them, so she couldn't go back to the abbey – suffering repulsed rejection at their hands, it was the only option.

Guess there was no turning back now, fate had decided her loyalties, and a very nearsighted plus farsighted plus astigmatic cupid had fired his arrow; all she could do now was follow the path that was decided for her.

Oh damn! Speaking of which, she had that huge cliff in front of her which she had to climb. Would it be a crime to groan at this point?

The flames flickered and rose higher and higher. The camping outback, it was the only place you were allowed to light a fire on the ground. The flames reflected in her maroon eyes made it look as if her irises were melting, the color of the flames mirroring her own eye color.

The smoke chocked her sense of smell; the pungent odor was giving her a headache. Burning, it was the only way to completely rid of something: an irreversible end; leaving no way to ever retrieve whatever you had let go of. All her stuff from the abbey, it was serving fuel for the flames.

Fear for if she was ever discovered by her friends, and fear for when her treachery was exposed to Boris gripped at her heart; her hands trembled despite the warmth of the burning fire enveloping her entire body. Whatever end would meet her if Boris found out, she could take, but she was sure now that hurting any of her team mates, she could not.

They had gotten too close to her too fast, they were the family she never got due to being in the abbey, she'd be damned before she harmed a hair on their head – sure that didn't count abusing Tyson when he got out of line. She chuckled at the thought and saw that the flames were beginning to ebb, the blazes flickering at times. She could tell that they would be extinguished soon enough.

A while passed as Hiromi stood there the fire reflecting in her eyes making them seem slightly insane. When the fire, licking the air one last time, dulled itself to a nil, Hiromi let out a heavy sigh; the blazing flames took with them the only form of illumination the girl had. The darkness however was calming; it got rid of all the images that were distracting her mind.

She had made her decision, she was going to tell the Bladebreakers, eventually, she didn't want her picture perfect life to end immediately, and she at least owed herself that much. They'd probably hate her, be repulsed by who, she was, probably even try to get her arrested, she'd escape, but she was ready for all that. What she wasn't ready to see the apathy on her friends' faces, showing how much they despised her.

She'd tell Kai first, somehow she felt comfortable with the idea of him knowing, he might even understand where she was coming from, when he talked to her about the abbey, she felt that she could relate, maybe he would too, there was a chance…. besides she couldn't help trust him after all the times he'd been there for her in the short time they'd known each other; she had slowly begun to admire him as more than a friend, much more than a friend, and she felt that he should be the first to know, maybe he'd just tell her to go on his own, and she wouldn't have to face up to the others.

The grass crunched beneath her sneakers as she made her way out of the park. She felt a pang in her heart and her face crumpled when she thought of her friends who'd probably be waiting up for her; she remembered that she didn't deserve their concern, and that it'll be over soon. Her hands tightened into fists as she thought of how unfair it all was; at least she no longer carried the weight of betraying people who genuinely loved her. Even if they would forever resent her for what she did, and she didn't have much time with them, she was glad she'd made the right decision there was no way she could live if she'd gone on with her master's plan.

"Our power and strengths are yours to control. With it we shall defeat those who oppose BioVolt. Go forth and do battle in the name of Voltaire (3)." She winced at the last word, and saw Kai shrink back away from her. "The world will kneel at the feet of our master."

Her head hung down as she finished. Kai, wide eyed had shrunk his way away from her, he was still merely at arm's length there not being much space to move back. Hiromi finally looked up to search for traces of repulsion in his eyes and face: there were none, he just looked confused and apprehensive and disbelieving.

"Why did you never – how are you still –" he rasped out incoherently. Lost, that would a correct word for what he was feeling. Hiromi, his teammate, his Hiromi was his enemy.

Hiromi chewed on her lips for a few seconds, she extended her hand to place it on Kai's, as a reassuring gesture, but he drew his, back. He didn't trust her, she had expected that, probably never would again, that was anticipated as well. "I was going to," she paused and bit her lip again, "but I couldn't; after I met with you, your friends, I couldn't bring myself to, I began to care too much for you to hurt you – any of you."

She bit her lip at the involuntarily slip of the tongue and mentally began cursing the immediate reflex of her cheeks which had started working resulting in her cheeks being tinged pink. After crushing on him for so long, she still couldn't control her impulses.

"You could die –!" He choked out, his eyes wild, that was the thing that was haunting him the most.

Hiromi shrugged in response. "I won't do his bidding anymore – it's not just about you guys anymore, I don't want to do what Boris wants in fear that he controls me."

Kai nodded slowly in understanding, he could get where she was coming from, but that didn't erase his anxiety, the original shock of Hiromi being someone from the abbey and having been assigned to kill him wore off within the first few seconds – as soon as his mind worked out a more important aspect of her confession: she had betrayed Boris and her grandfather, and they didn't know of it, there'd be dire consequences for it, and he did not want the girl suffering in any possible way.

The silence was being accented by the crickets chirping in the yard of the dojo. In the uncomfortable lushness of their surrounding he noticed how hesitant and insecure the usually bold girl was being right then; she was quiet and fearing his response.

"Are you going to tell the others?" he inquired in a tentative voice trailing off. Her eyebrows furrowed at his words and she pursed her lips, "no," was here immediate and barely audible refusal. Her denial made him want to question the reason behind it, and he did. "Why –"

She cut him off before he could finish. "There's no way I can stand that look in their eyes-!"

Kai immediately realized what she meant by the look, the look of repulsion, of betrayal and suspicion that had flashed across his face before the worry for the Japanese girl. He could tell however how hurtful it must have been for her to see the disgust for her being in the eyes of people she'd sacrificed everything for.

"It doesn't matter." He said resolutely, staring square into the girl's eyes.

"Huh." She pouted as confusion flashed across her face.

"What you did – what you intended to do." He answered patently, blinking at his own words, "all that matters is that you've changed, and you cared for us enough to put your life on the line."

Hiromi looked at him incredulously; she was so taken aback by Kai's words and the lack of repulsion and instead the worry and care clearly for her, on his face, that she didn't even notice that he had closed the gap he had created – in the fervor of the moment of her unexpected confession – between them.

"All I care about is that you're safe –" He said awkwardly, clumsily, trying to get his message across. He was never good with words and getting his concern across seemed like the hardest thing he had done, but he needed her to know that he was there for her.

"Thank you," she whispered gently, and before he could respond she had laid her tired head on her shoulder, her eyes fluttered close, a peaceful expression on her face, no longer in any state to carry out any discussion. Kai looked at her in a weary way and then turned to the stare at the dark road ahead of them, careful not to move against the wall of the dojo against which the two of them sat, not wanting to disturb the troubled girl sleeping on his shoulder. He swore mentally and cursed whatever deity watched over them – could he never get peace from his past?

VII

"We interrupt this program for a special sports report," The news anchor began in her plastic voice. Ms. Kincaid stopped switching channels when she heard the words.

Hiromi had gone back to staying with Ms. Kincaid after the team split up. Frowning deeply, she put down her chop sticks and turned her head to look at the television.

The anchor continued, "This afternoon a shocking announcement rocked the beyblade world, it seems Mr. Dickenson has resigned his position as the chairman of the BBA, and that's not all it seems that the BBA will be changing it's name to better promote it's new professional league."

Ms. Kincaid said, "Oh!" in shock and turned to look at her student. Hiromi had her eyebrows arched in displeasure at the news, and was waiting for the reporter to continue.

"The company that has bought the BBA is owned by professional beyblading trainer and Russian business man, Boris Balkov."

The middle school teacher let out a half choking sound; she turned her eyes from the screen to the young girl sitting behind her on the dining table. Hiromi looked frozen from fear in her position, her body was trembling and her eyes looked wild.

It took a few seconds for Hiromi's mind to register the words, her head spun and the room began to rotate with it, for a while and she couldn't concentrate on anything, the dizziness making her nauseous. Her expression turned ghastly pail. When the dizziness and nausea toned down, she felt her hands began to tremble and there was a feeling of being choked, the heart wrenching fear gripping at her heart.

Ms. Kincaid knew that Boris Balkov was a criminal and that he was the one who had asked the school authorities to arrange for Hiromi to stay with someone from school. However she didn't know what the entire connection between her student and the man was, but she did know that Hiromi feared the man; and that Tyson, Kenny, and their team mates hated him with a passion.

"He's back," was all Hiromi managed to choke out, her voice cracking at each syllable. Ms. Kincaid switched off the news, but the girl made no response, she thought of going over to talk to her, but decided against it. Instead he left the room to give the young girl some space.

When she gained slight control of herself Hiromi went over to the kitchen sink and splashed cold water on her face. The first thing Hiromi decided to do was call Kai, but she instantaneously decided against it; he might have been the only one to know about her association with Boris and the danger she was in because of it, but he had disappeared after the tournament. She could probably get a hold of him, but she didn't want to force him in her problems when he didn't want to be involved; if he was concerned for her, he would show up to help on his own.

Alright so she couldn't tell Kai, no worries, nothing would happen, no, Boris was back did not mean he would recognize her. He had other things on his agenda; she would try to be as inconspicuous as possible, and Boris would not realize anything. Hiromi nodded to her self in satisfaction, yes, she would be fine. She bit her lip, I hope.

Before she could reconsider calling her former captain, "Hiromi!" A loud and amusingly traumatized wail came from outside. She immediately recognized Kenny's voice, she could tell his knickers were in a knot and that he was completely freaked out. Hiromi got up and grabbed her jacket; she knew the two of them would be heading to the dojo.

VIII

A gasp released from Hiromi's throat and her eyes widened as someone grabbed her hand and pulled her into a corridor pinning both her hands behind her thwarting any attempts at movement, holding her tightly with her back a few inches away from his own self.

She was in the BBA building, very reluctantly making her way towards a press conference related to the recent BEGA organization and the BBA bladers' stand against it.

"Shh," The voice of the captor hissed from behind, putting a firm hand on her mouth, preventing her from screaming in fright.

From the dark corridor she still see the hallway she had been running through and she saw her friends who were coming behind her make their way past the dark corridor without sparing a glance.

When a few seconds had passed, her captor released the hand from her mouth and eased the grip on her hands. Instinctually Hiromi tried to escape from the remaining grip and turn around to flee, and before that, to be able to see, who it was, who had effectively captured her. Her mind fearing just one person who could – and would – want to have a hold of her; but before she could turn she went wide eyed and sighed in relief the next moment when she heard a very familiar voice growl, "Are you crazy?"

Hiromi made no attempt to escape from the hold, she felt no fear anymore, but her captor released his hold as soon as he finished speaking and turned her around so she was facing him. As she expected she came face to face with Kai, who was frowning down at her, his forehead creased- with worry or anger? She could not be sure.

"Do you have a death wish or something?" Kai asked through his teeth; they were still barely a few inches apart.

Hiromi, who was completely calm, began in a voice that bordered anxiousness, "I had to be there, everyone in the BBA was going to, Tyson and the others would have worried. You," she pressed on the word, "should be there with Boris too!"

Kai scowled. "I knew you'd be stupid enough to go, did you think that in that small conference room, Boris wouldn't recognize you? What were you thinking?" His voice was annoying, challenging Hiromi to make her explanation good.

She bit her lip in response. "I can't shirk my responsibilities and go into hiding."

He rolled his eyes. "C'mon, you're getting out of here." He grabbed her hand pulled her out into the brightly lit hallway.

"Kai –!" She protested.

"No." He replied in a mechanical voice. "You're not taking any stupid risks."

She couldn't help but be relieved, she hadn't wanted to go, but she did have her duty; being partially forced to leave, didn't put any weight on her conscience. Hiromi just sighed in resignation and let Kai pull her out of the building.

"You have to start taking this seriously," Kai hissed in a low voice, as he led her out. "You are going to get caught, you're lucky he isn't looking for you already."

His words made fear wash through Hiromi; she just tightened her eyes in attempt to calm her nerves, as the two of them made their way out of the building. The only relief she felt was that Kai was with her, and as long as she was with him – or her other teammates – she'd be safe, well, relatively safer. Yeah, Kai wouldn't let anything happen to her. Even if he was siding with BEGA, she couldn't help flinch at the thought, he still cared enough to ensure her safety, yes, as long as she had Kai and her other team mates, she'd be safe from Boris.

"We won," Hiromi beamed as Kai sat down onto a rock next to her.

A genuine smile graced his face, as he said, "Yeah, we did," pausing for a second he laid his head on her shoulder involuntary – unconsciously wanting contact, to validate that his companion was well and safe, "and Boris is back in prison."

The brunette's eye twitched in annoyance. Was that really all he cared about?
"Jeez, forget about Boris for a while, we won! Be happy!"

Kai stiffened at her words and lifted his head. "I don't think so. If Boris even spared you a single glance he would have caught you, and you know as well as I do, what that would lead to."

The harshness of his words cut through her and she felt the ecstasy at their victory draining from her, being replaced by guilt. She bit her tongue to keep herself from speaking, knowing that her words would crack if she tried.

There was an uncomfortable silence for quite a time with neither of them even sparing the other a glance, the distance between them lengthening to the point that they were a feet apart. The loud, blaring music playing at the dojo did not draw the attention of either of the teens; they were oblivious to the party going back inside the house. Hiromi kept blinking and took deep inaudible breaths to try and compose her self; and Kai in resentment, glared harshly at the sky.

When she was sure that her voice was not going to betray her, Hiromi turned to face Kai who was glaring at the fence. "I'm sorry you had to join Boris; that you were worried half the time that I wasn't spotted."

Kai's eyes tightened and his eye brows furrowed at her words. "My intentions weren't only your well being, quite a bit of my motives were rather selfish; I wouldn't have disappeared off after my loss to Brooklyn if that wasn't the case."

Hiromi laughed, her response caught the Russian boy off guard and he stared at her wearily. "I couldn't expect anything more; you have your own life, you know…"

"I regret it." He felt a bitter taste in his mouth as he recalled his selfish actions; he just left like that, without sparing a thought at what would happen if Boris recognized his old student in the mean time, he let his personal drives cloud his care and responsibility for the girl next to him.

"I don't." Hiromi stated immediately a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth, she placed her hand gently on Kai's and continued. "I'm fine, it all turned out fine, like you said, Boris is in prison, be happy."

Kai looked at her resignedly, unconscious of their surroundings. "I am glad that you're alright."

"You want to go back in?" Hiromi asked out of the blue gesturing with her thumb towards the dojo.

Kai shook his head in contradiction. "I'm fine here."

A gasp got caught in Hiromi's throat when Kai scooted towards her and put his head on her shoulder again. She turned her eyes to look down at his face, but his eyes were closed a serene expression on her face. Hiromi smiled beside herself and squeezed his hand; things did have a way of working themselves out.

"Report, Carlos (2)," The voice was tinted with humor, but the man's gaze was far from piercing it pierced the old teen.

"Hiromi Tachibana has been traced." He paused, and then added, "We'll contact her at your word."

"Very good," Boris approved.

Carlos opened his mouth to speak, but immediately thought against it, and continued standing with his arms at his sides in front of his master. Boris noticed the sudden action, or lack of thereof, and raised an eyebrow.

Mortified at being caught at keeping back a thought from his master, Carlos spoke up. "I have doubts on the authenticity of her eagerness at the demand to return."

Boris smirked turning his head sideways, to look out through the window. "How come?" he asked casually, though there was a hint of skepticism present in his tone.

Anger flared inside him at the mocking tone of Boris's words; he mocked his words, did he not see the pattern, Hiromi had been with those boys for five years, the fact that they were still alive was proof of her treachery. "Why are the team members still alive?" Carlos demanded, his resentment getting the best of his resulting in his voice becoming more confident. "She's been with them for five years, they should be dead."

Was the girl a traitor? It was a good question; he had never had her perceived to be one. If she wasn't – good, she would get the work done now that her master was back, her complete allegiance would be for him; if she wasn't, no loss there either, it would be all the better if he had someone who cared for the Bladebreakers and vice versa, under his thumb. He would get more out of his little non-beyblading student than he could have ever imagined.

"She must have her reasons," he mused looking at Carlos, a calculating smirk on his face.

Carlos raised an eyebrow; he didn't speak not wanting to push his master.
"Whatever her reasons," Boris clarified in a scathing voice, "I'm sure we'll be able to convince her to have the Bladebreakers handed over to us; she'll be of much use to us with how long she's been with them."

The confident in the man's voice was unshakable and though Carlos wasn't completely convinced he took it as a sign to take his leave and exit, not wanting to irk his master when he was clearly sure of his plans regarding Tachibana.

-xxx-

"True love comes quietly, without banners or flashing lights. If you hear bells, get your ears checked."

-Erich Segal

-xxx-

Notes:

(1) Yes, I made it up! :P

(2) I'm aware Carlos was a member of the Blade Sharks, not the abbey, but I needed someone from Kai's past, and he was the best catch.

(3) I do not own this rant, it was the allegiance speech made by the Blitzkrieg boys before heading for the Russian tournament.

AN: I have a stomach ache. T.T Ahem, no, do not fear, I'm not starting another multi chaptered fic. Hehe, this will be a 3 shot. :P Don't hurt me! No, this will not end up like The Little Things Give You Away, not being updated for ahem, 10 months. :P This was originally intended to be a oneshot with 15 short scenes, but the scenes got long and the number went up to 30, so I decided to split this up into 3 parts. I have both the 2nd and the 3rd part written, they just have to be beta read. So no worries about waiting almost an year for an update. *sheepish grin*

This was originally intended to be named Hallelujah, because I was originally inspired to start writing this in April after listening to Hallelujah, the Shrek song. :P But at that time I had a writer's block so I quit after half a scene. I actually got this idea back in October, but obviously couldn't write it back then, I haven't been this in love with any idea since The Little Things Give You Away. :P I wrote this in start of June, listening to Florence and the Nightingale's, Seven Devils and Off with her Head by Icon for Hire. I've been addicted to that song since I heard it being used for Hilary! in Aquila Tempestes's Beyblade Character music videos, it matches so well with her, and particularly with this fic! My enemies belittle me reminding me the penalty of all my deeds despite my pleas is death! Ah, so matches! Kudos, to Aquila Tempestas for using it with Hilary making me realize how much this song works for her!

After that, since I turned into a lazy ass SasuSaku addict and then college started - yes, I had classes for a few days! O_o It was terrible, everything was great, but yet, I hated it, *sigh*, though it was great, but the thought of studying there for 2 whole years, not pleasing - I didn't have time to edit this, and it needed some slightly major editing, so this didn't got published in June. I edited this in start of July (that's when I decided to name this Star-Crossed, instead of Hallelujah) and sent the whole fic to Dead-bY-n0w for beta-ing it, thank you as always to her.

Chapter names are yes, all old Green Day songs, after writing this fic I wrote chapter 6 of Life Goes On... listening to Green Day, and well decided to use old Green Day songs as chapter names.

Well, I hope everyone enjoyed this, I for one am quite fond of this fic, heck I've been fond of this whole idea since I thought of it. I have always wanted to try a Hilary-is-a-part-of-BioVolt fic. lol Reviews would be great. I'd be honored if you'd take time to review. I'll probably put up the second chapter in a week or two. And no-! By a week or two I do not mean 10 months! *sheepish grin*

Disclaimer V.2.0 I do not own any of the aforementioned bands. :C

R and r, please. :)

7th July, 2012. 04:30 p.m.