A/N: Just a reminder to my readers. This chapter takes place four weeks before the events in the prologue. Please remember to R&R.

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade or any of its characters. I do, however own this story plot and the OCs.

Summary: It was just another Beyblading season for Tyson; the Bladebreakers winning the Prelims and being the favorites for winning the Finals, finding Hilary after two years, finding out he's a father...Yep. Just another Blading season for Tyson Leroy Granger, World Champion Beyblader.

Chapter One

Four Weeks Earlier

Seventeen-year-old Tyson Leroy Granger stared at his reflection in the mirror. His puppy-brown eyes were red with sleep and his navy blue hair was sticking up in every direction. There was a bit of dried up drool running from the left corner of his mouth down onto his chin, he could taste the stench of his breath, and he had the very unattractive habit of reaching down his boxers to scratch his bum and then use that very same hand to reach up and scratch his bare chests.

All in all, Tyson thought he looking fairly decent, considering what today was and the fact that he had barely gotten three hours of sleep last night.

He let out a wide yawn and the hand that had just reached down to scratch his bum was lifted in an attempt to rub the sleep from his right eye; this is a sight that would thoroughly disgust his four-year-old niece, Macy, who would accuse him of rubbing booty-juice in his eye.

He shrugged the thought away and used the same hand to rub his left eye.

He finally turned on the faucet and splashed his face with water, making sure to get the drool running from his mouth to his chin. He debated brushing his teeth for a few moments before deciding against it. He hadn't eaten breakfast yet and he didn't see the point in brushing his teeth twice in one day.

He ran his fingers through his hair, giving it some semblance of order before leaving the bathroom.

He nodded a greeting towards Ray as he headed for his room to grab some clothes.

Ray stared at him for a few seconds before saying, "I'll have breakfast done in an hour."

Tyson muttered something along the line of "okay" and continued towards his room with a dismissive wave over his shoulder.

Upon reaching his room, instead of going to find some clothes as he had originally planned, Tyson made a beeline for his bed and plopped face down on top of it. He buried his face in his pillow for a few moments before lifting his head and reaching under his bed.

Tyson searched blindly for a few moments before coming across a box. He carefully lifted the box from under the bed and sat up, emptying the contents of the box in front of him. An assortment of pictures, letters, notes, cards, and mixed Cds fell from the box.

The World Champion Blader carefully lifted one of the pictures. He smiled wanly as he looked at it. A six-year-old version of himself smiled brightly up at him with an arm wrapped around a petite brunette of about five.

His fingers gently trailed across the face of the smiling five-year-old. "Hilary."

It was two years ago today that she disappeared, leaving him hurt, confused, and maybe even a little angry.

Tyson dropped the picture back into the box and picked up another. In this one Tyson was eight and Hilary seven. It was Halloween. Tyson was dressed as a knight-in-shinning-armor, and Hilary was a princess wearing a pink and white dress and a tiara.

He smiled slightly. He had wanted to be a dragon, but Hilary had suckered him into being a knight by looking up at him sadly with her ruby-red eyes and sticking her lip out in a pout.

No one, especially Tyson, could resist that look.

Tyson placed the picture in the box along with the one from before and began looking at the others, all of which were pictures of him with Hilary over various parts of their lives.

There was one from their wedding in the first grade, another from Hilary's congratulatory party after becoming class representative in the fourth grade, and even one from Hilary's fourteenth birthday party, the day they started dating.

Tyson finished looking through the pictures and placed them all in the box before going through the notes and letters. They ranged from notes giving him twenty reasons why Hilary didn't want him to go to Egypt with his father to letters complaining about her cousin Hector and how much she missed Tyson.

But there was one letter in particular that caught Tyson's attention the most. He recognized it before even pulling it out of the envelope. He had read the letter at least a million times.

He picked the envelope up with shaking hands, slipping the letter out and carefully unfolding it, making sure not rip it. Tyson stared down at the pink stationary in his hands, covered with curvy, flowery handwriting. Hilary's handwriting. It was dated three days before they started going out, Hilary's fourteenth birthday.

Dear Tyson,

I know this is sudden and that I should probably tell you this in person, but I can't. Believe me, I've tried. I just can't seem to get the words to flow from my mouth. But I really do need to get this off my chest, even though I'm certain that there is a very good chance of you laughing at me. If I don't, I think there is a very good chance of me exploding.

So, here it goes.

Tyson, of all the guys I've met you are the only one who has ever been able to make me draw hearts all over my notebooks like in those cheesy teen movies. You are the only guy who can cause butterflies to form in my stomach just by smiling at me. You're the only guy that I think about constantly.

Seriously. You should read my diary. There are at least fifty pages with absolutely nothing on them except for things about you…and that's just my diary that I got two weeks ago.

I guess, Tyson, what I'm trying to say-if you haven't gotten it by now-is that I like you. I really, really like you. I may even love you.

It's a scary though, I know. But I've been feeling this way for a bout two years now.

The only person who knows is Mom, and I'm not even sure how she knows, considering I've never even told anyone. It must be one of the weird secret powers that all moms have.

Anyway, I just had to let you know how I feel, even if the feelings are unrequited.

If you don't feel the same way as me, I think I may be able to handle it, so don't lie to me and tell me you feel the same way if you don't. That would hurt me a lot more then you not liking me.

I hope that you finding out how I feel about you doesn't ruin our relationship, Tyse. You are one of the most important people in my life and I don't think I could bare it if you couldn't be around me because you felt uncomfortable. Believe me when I say that if all you want to be is friends, I can handle that.

What I couldn't handle is you not being in my life at all and knowing that it was all my fault.

Love,

Hilary

P.S. I expect a reply to this by my birthday, Tyson.

Tyson smiled as he placed the letter back in its envelope and added it to the box. He remembered three days later, on Hilary's birthday, the day they started going out. He remembered Hilary, after opening her presents from her parents, the guys, and the rest of her friends, coming to his present.

He remembered her lifting the box and shaking it, trying to figure out what was inside.

"What is it?" she had asked curiously.

Tyson had smirked. "You'll have to open it to find out."

Hilary had childishly stuck her tongue out at him before hurriedly, but carefully unwrapping the present, making sure not to rip the paper.

After finally getting the wrapping paper off, she opened the box with her gifts inside. First she pulled out some white pumps that clasped at the ankle that she had seen in a window display at the mall with Tyson weeks earlier. Then she had pulled out a pink, strapless dress that stopped above her knees with a white sash that went around the waist and tied into a bow at the back, something else she had seen while at the mall with Tyson.

Tyson remembered the flitter of disappointment the went across her face so fast that only he had noticed before she hugged him in thanks.

He knew why she was disappointed and laughed. "That's not it," he had said. "There's one more thing."

Hilary had looked into the box again and was surprised to find a DVD sitting at the bottom of the box. She had lifted the disk and its case from the box before looking at Tyson curiously. The only words on the DVD were For Hilary.

He had smiled shyly at her. "Well, put it in."

She had hesitated before handing the disk to her father, who placed it into the DVD player.

Hilary had looked at Tyson confusedly again when a video version of himself popped up on the screen. He had just motioned for her to watch.

Video Tyson had smiled sheepishly. "Hey, Hil. How's it going? I got your letter."

Video Tyson had held up a letter written on pink stationary and Hilary had blushed furiously as everyone turned to look at her quickly before turning their attention to the television.

"I got your letter," Video Tyson had repeated, "and I've been thinking about how to reply. I thought about writing you a letter, but both of us know how much I suck at writing."

That had earned a laugh from everyone in the room.

"Well," Video Tyson continued, "after that plan went down the drain I thought about telling you in person, but I just about passed out at the thought. So, I decided to make a DVD for you to show at your party, that way I can't take back what I say if I chicken out.

"Hilary," Video Tyson said after taking a deep breath, "I really like you. Don't ask my why because I don't know. I mean, half the time you get on my last nerve. But still, I really like you. You're my best friend and so much more. I've wanted to ask you out for a while now, I've even asked your father for permission to, put I've always chickened out because I was afraid of what you would you say. And now, even though I know that you feel the same way about me, I'm still scared stiff to ask you out."

Hilary had brought her fingers to her lips by then and her eyes had begun to fill with happy tears. Tyson had been sitting beside her with a slight blush on his face.

"But even though I'm scared," Video Tyson had said, "I decided that I should still ask you before someone else comes along," Video Tyson had looked directly into the screen then. "Hilary Tatibana, will you go out with me? I know I'm not perfect and I'll probably make you angry and sometimes I may even make you cry, and I'm not even the least bit romantic. But I want you to know that I will also do my best to protect, make you happy, to always find new ways to make you laugh, and find ways to let you know just how much I care about you. So…will you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?"

By then, the tears in Hilary's eyes had been slipping freely down her cheeks as she stared wide eyed at the screen as it slowly changed from Tyson's face to the static the always came at the end of a movie.

She had then slowly turned to Tyson and stared at him for a few seconds before she threw her arms around his neck, causing them both to fall to the floor as she buried her face in his chest. "Yes, Tyson," she had said through her tears, "I'll be your girlfriend."

Tyson had wrapped his arms around her small waist and hugged her back. "I told you that I'd make you cry," he had whispered before gently kissing the top of her head, not caring that the guys were watching.

Tyson remembered that that had been one of the happiest days of his life. Hilary's fourteenth birthday, the day they had first started dating.

Tyson reached for one of the mixed CDs, but stopped when he heard his name called.

"Tyson," it was Ray, "breakfast is ready."

The seventeen-year-old sniffed the air; he smelt bacon, pancakes, eggs, and a few other things. The scent made his stomach growl.

"Okay," he yelled. "I'll be down in a second."

He hurriedly put the rest of the contents back in the box and shoved it back under his bed before throwing on some clothes and rushing down the stairs.

At sixty-two, Stanley Leopold Dickenson stood at a height of five-three, pudgy, and had a kind smile. He wore a navy blue bowler hat that covered the bald spot on his graying head. The buttons of his matching business suit looked as if they were about to pop off when he leaned forward, and he had to use his cane in order to help him stand.

This is what the five girls in front of him noticed upon entering his office.

What Mr. Dickenson noticed about them was that they were a strange group of girls. They each wore masks to cover their faces along with long, flowing gowns that just missed brushing the ground. Looking at them, one would think that they were going to a masquerade ball.

Unbeknownst to Mr. Dickenson, that was the exact effect that they were going for.

The leader of the group, who went by the name Aphrodite, took a step forward. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with us on such short notice, Mr. Dickenson."

Aphrodite, Mr. Dickenson noticed, had a very sweet, kind voice. She seemed to be about five-five, but that was with heels on. She had waist length brown hair held up in a high ponytail and cream colored skin. The pink and white mask she was wearing blocked his view of her eyes. Her long gown was a pink and white halter with a v-neck, showing just a hint of cleavage and there was a slit on the right, starting from her thigh and running down to the end of the dress.

"Well," Mr. Dickenson replied casually as he motioned for them to sit down, "even though it is last minute the tape you sent me was very convincing. You girls have a talent for blading. I couldn't let a talent like yours pass this tournament by."

"So, you're going to let us blade?" Aphrodite asked excitedly.

Mr. Dickenson nodded. "Yes, I am. But only because you girls are so good," he looked at them seriously. "But this is only a one time thing. If you want to participate in another tournament please make sure to sign up by the time designated, or at least a week before the tournament…not the day before the preliminaries."

All five girls smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

Mr. Dickenson smiled kindly at them. "It's really quite alright. I just expect you girls to be signed in at the hotel and ready for the press conference in three hours. That is when all of the teams for the tournament will be announced."

Aphrodite nodded. "Yes. Of course, Mr. Dickenson. We'll be there," she said in a voice that barely contained her excitement.

The CEO of the BBA nodded. "Good. Now all I need is to know is the accommodations you will be needing at Japanese Suites."

She nodded again. "Okay. Um…do you think that they have a suite with six rooms, a laundry room, a living room, a kitchen, a dining room, and three bathrooms?"

Mr. Dickenson stared at them wide eyed for a few moments before smiling kindly. "I'll see what I can do."

"Does Mr. Dickenson know how to deliver, or what?" Arani asked as she flopped onto the couch in the living room.

Arani was Aphrodite's second in command. She had tanned skin from years in the sun and brown hair that stopped mid-back with red bangs that framed her face. She was wearing a red and orange mask that blocked the color of her eyes and her matching gown was strapless and sleeveless, a tube top.

Her real name is Tika Matthews.

Aphrodite rolls her eyes and flops down on the couch beside her. "He sure does, Tika," she says before removing her mask to reveal ruby red eyes.

"But you knew that already," she says removing her own mask to show off her green eyes, "didn't you, Hilary?"

She smiles, but doesn't answer. Instead, she sits back up and looks around the large suite at the rest of her teammates.

Tallie Jamison (Athena) and Jo Anderson (Tethys) were lying on the floor in front of Tika and Hilary.

Tallie was the technician in the group. Her yellow and white mask was sitting on the coffee table and she had rolled up the shoulder length sleeves over her gown as well as hiked up the skirt of the gown to stop just below her bum. Her yellow highlighted black hair had been let loose from its bun and hung loosely around her shoulders and her blue eyes were half closed as she listened to the conversation going on between her two friends.

Jo, the peacemaker, looked just as messy.

Her blue and white mask was hanging carelessly around her neck and the slits on either side of the skirt of her dress were pulled back to reveal well toned legs. Blue streaked black hair fell carelessly to just above her shoulders and her blue eyes were closed as she snored lightly, letting the others know she was sleeping.

Marti Mayo (Gaia) was in the kitchen talking on the phone. She was the trouble maker in the group, always saying things without speaking. Her green mask was sitting carelessly on top of her head, acting as a head band for her red hair, which stopped somewhere between mid-back and just below the shoulders. Her brown eyes were on the sheet of paper that she was writing a message on.

Hilary flopped back down on the couch and sighed. "I can't believe it's been two whole years."

Tika lifts an eyebrow. "Hmm? What do you mean?"

The brunette turns to look at her. "This is the first time I've stepped foot in Japan in two years," she sighed again. "Today will be the first time that I'll see them, him, again after two whole years…and no one will even know who I am."

"Isn't that the way you wanted it?"

She was silent for a few moments before she nodded. "Yeah. That's the way I want it."

Mart chose that moment to walk into the room. "Robbie said that he'll be here in an hour with the twins."

Tallie lifted her head slightly. "Tell me again why he couldn't travel with us."

Hilary groaned. "Something about the twins being too fussy and the flight attendants not wanting to disturbs the other passengers."

"That doesn't make any since," Marti said, flopping down in the couch across from Tika and Hilary. "Babies are supposed to be loud."

"Personally, I just think she didn't like us," Tika said causally. "Especially since a certain someone said that the skirt made her look like she had swallowed an elephant."

Marti blushed. "What? I was only telling the truth," she said defensively. "People would thighs that big should not be wearing skirts that short."

"But you didn't have to say that, Marti. You completely embarrassed that woman." Hilary said calmly before changing the subject. "How are the twins doing now?"

"Robbie said that they're sleeping at the moment," she shrugged. "Meaning that they'll be wide awake by the time they get here."

"Speaking of the twins," Tallie said, sitting up completely, "how are we going to manage watching them and going to the press conference today?"

Tika rolled her eyes. "The whole point in bringing in Robbie was so he could be the babysitter, Tal."

She lifted an eyebrow. "But since when has Robbie been able to handle Taylor and Tyler by himself for long periods of time?"

"He'll learn," Hilary said reassuringly before standing up. "Wake Jo up. We have to set everything up before they get here. I don't want anything bad happening to my kids while we're here."