Author's Note: Wow, I can't believe the response I got for my first fic and I'm even more shocked that most of you liked it! ^_^ I'm so happy about that because in my opinion, I suck at writing! Oh well, a lot of people also wanted to find out what happened to Mariah so here it is, another chapter that I wasn't even going to write! There is a bit of swearing and stuff so watch out!

WARNING: This is STILL a REIxKAI shonen-ai story, in case you forgot! YES THIS IS YAOI PEOPLE!!! I had to say that again because in the first chapter, some (only a few) people OBVIOUSLY didn't understand that and left some interesting reviews!! ^_^

Disclaimer: I don't own anything here, never will. At least I don't think I will. . .

**Secrets**

By: SilverDeathscythe

Mariah stormed into her room, slamming the door shut behind her. She began thrashing wildly, sending various items to the floor and crashing into walls. A frustrated scream escaped her raw throat before she collapsed into a messy heap on her bed, soaking the frilly pink blankets with her still streaming tears. I can't believe it! I just can't believe it. . . how could that bastard do this to me? We were went to be together. . . weren't we? Mariah didn't know anything anymore and it made her so angry.

Voices rang out from beyond the door as her concerned team mates tried to get her to come out. "Come on, Mariah! What's going on? You're a part of the White Tigers, we don't hide things from each other. . ." Lee said. His soothing voice was still strong and almost made Mariah believe what he was saying. . .almost. She laughed bitterly, "I have more than one secret you don't know about." She whispered to herself and the shadows that were descending around her room. Actually, you know nothing about me, except that I'm a girl. I know your type. . . trying to be nice and comforting, just to get me in your bed! Mariah bit her lip when she thought about how close she'd actually come to sleeping with Lee, on more than one occasion.

She closed her eyes to shut out the annoying voices and eager knocking on her door. She really didn't want to talk to them now. . . or ever. This is about Rei so if she told them, they would know about her feelings for the betrayer. She sighed, they wouldn't take that well at all. And then, if she told them about that blue haired beyblader that was now 'involved' with Rei that would bring more shame to the White Tiger gang for ever having Rei on their team.

Mariah had to fix this, somehow. A wild idea came to her tired mind and she slowly reached under her bed, pulling out a small box. It was locked tight and covered in leather with a worn insignia on the top. One of her many secrets. She reached around her neck and unclasped a thin gold necklace that held a small key as the pendant. The pink haired girl brought the key to the lock and hesitated, wondering again if this was really a good idea. Of course it is. . . he took Rei from me so now he has to pay! She unlocked the box with a shaking hand and lifted the lid, her eyes glistened from the metallic reflection that stared back at her from within.

Mariah reached in and pulled out the gun that rested on the velvet bottom. It was a gift from her father for her protection and she had never used it in her life, never had a reason to but now. . . she knew this was stupid, definitely not the right choice but at the moment her mind was too psychotic to care. Mariah also took the ammunition from inside the case and made sure the gun was fully loaded before moving over to the window.

She pulled apart the curtains and opened the window, slipping outside into the night with her weapon at her side. No one would have to know, they'd never find out if there were no witnesses.

**********

Kai focused on the target that stood about twenty feet away. Warm arms were around his, guiding the arrow he held in his right hand to the bow that rested in his left.

"See? It's not that hard. . .now just pull back, aim for the center and let go! Easy right?" said Rei who stood behind Kai, teaching him. When they arrived home for the evening, they found that the others still had not returned. Rei wanted to practice his hunting skills and Kai wanted to learn so here they were, underneath the moonlight playing this little game.

The blue-haired beyblader nodded and did as he was told, concentrating on the small red dot that rested directly in the center of his target. He let go of the arrow and watched as it sliced through the air, cutting the empty space without a sound. It came to rest about ten inches from the center and Kai smiled.

"Great! I told you it was simple! Man, the first time I tried it, I didn't even hit anything. . ." Rei laughed and rested his head on Kai's shoulder. This had been such a good day and he just didn't want it to end but the voices that echoed out into the garden where the two lovers stood signaled the return of Tyson his friends.

Kai reluctantly moved away from Rei and faced the doorway where the rest of his team stood, engrossed in a conversation about music. "About time you came home." Kai scolded picking up another arrow and lining it up with the target.

"Whatever, Kai. . .huh? Since when have you done archery?" asked Max curiously. That was a bit different, to see their fierce leader wielding a bow and arrow like that.

"Since about fifteen minutes ago!" stated Rei, as if it was completely obvious. He watched as Kai sent the next arrow even closer to the red dot in the middle. He's a natural at this! thought Rei.

Tyson shrugged and looked at Max then to Kenny. "Want to go inside and watch a movie?" he asked. The other two agreed and they turned to face Rei and Kai, "How about you guys? Coming in?" inquired the Chief.

Rei glanced at his secret lover and saw the small glint in his eye. He smirked and looked back to Tyson shaking his head, "No thanks, we're going to practice some more." Rei said. Tyson nodded and they headed back inside, leaving Kai and Rei alone in the garden.

Kai immediately threw down the bow and flung his arms around Rei's neck, placing light kisses on his neck and mouth. Rei laughed at Kai's eagerness and wrapped his arms around his lover's muscular body, "Mmm. . . as much as I like you hanging off me, why the rush?" he asked before kissing him in return with as much passion and sweetness.

"Those three idiots might come back. . . may as well have fun while we can!" Kai murmured into Rei's skin. Rei reached over and placed his fingers under Kai's chin, tilting it so that they were completely face to face. "In that case, why don't we get out of here for a while?" Rei asked with a grin.

Kai agreed and reached for Rei's hand as they began to walk. They avoided the other Bladebreakers and made it to street without being seen. We wont be long, they probably wont even realize we left.! Once they were sure they were out of sight, Kai pushed Rei up against a large oak tree, assaulting the other's lips with more delicious kisses.

The black haired beyblader panted and moved his hands up underneath Kai's shirt, teasing the sensitive flesh with his skillful fingers. Kai gasped and was about to respond but Rei stopped. His ears twitched. He let go of his lover and proceeded to scan the area with his golden eyes, searching for something that only he could see.

"What is it?" Kai asked quietly. He saw Rei become tense and looked around wearily, trying to figure out what had caused this sudden change. The air around them suddenly felt thicker and Kai realized what was wrong. . . another presence was with them, watching everything. Kai instinctively reached for the Beyblade that rested at his side, just incase some kind of wild animal attacked. He knew that Beyblades were so sharp that they could sometimes be used as weapons!

Rei remained silent and walked a few feet away. If someone was here, the ex- White Tiger would definitely find them. Kai jumped slightly as he heard a noise in the bushes behind him, a small rustling sound. Rei was too far away to hear it and preoccupied with investigating some leafy tree tops so Kai decided to check it out himself. Whatever it is, I can handle it! Probably just a rat or something. . .

The swift movement of a silver object greeted him and Kai was sent stumbling to the ground as a loud gun shot echoed through the night. Kai gasped and clutched his stomach when a sharp pain streaked through his body, making him numb.

"What the hell? . . .KAI!!" Rei spun around and raced over to his fallen lover, taking him in his arms and ignoring the crimson blood that was seeping into the his white clothing. "What. . . what happened?!" Kai choked on the blood that came to his mouth, spitting it on the gravel. "Over. . . there." he pointed with a trembling finger. Rei looked up sharply and met another pair of golden eyes, identical to his, filled with both anger and fear. Mariah!?

The pink haired girl lowered the gun, her shaking hands slowly released their tight hold on the weapon. It fell to the ground with a click and she finally realized what she had done.

"You! Why. . .?? What the hell is wrong with you?" Rei asked, pulling the bleeding boy closer. He pressed his hands over the wound in an attempt to slow the gushing liquid. Kai screamed out in pain and gasped for air as his vision began to blur slightly.

"Hey! What's going on?" Tyson yelled. He rushed out into the street with Max and Kenny right behind him. "I though I heard a. . . KAI!! Oh my God!"

Rei could feel the hot tears under his eye lids but held them in. "Tyson call an ambulance! Please!!" he begged. He looked back to where Mariah had been standing but she was no where in sight. Only the fallen gun remained, shimmering and forgotten by the owner.

**********

Mariah ran through the trees and rocks as fast as she could, her heart pounding from everything that had just happened. She sobbed heavily and the fear that twisted inside of her made her feel sick. This was so wrong, all so terribly wrong. What was I thinking?!? I could have killed him . . . what if I did kill him? Oh shit, what am I gonna do. . .?! Mariah's mind was racing frantically, searching for a solution to this mess, one that she herself had created.

She fell to her knees in front of the building where her team was staying. The voices inside her head told her this couldn't be real but the logical side said she needed to get out of here. . .now! "I killed him I killed him oh fuck I killed him. . ." Mariah was slowly losing her grip on reality, driven insane by her own actions until a harsh voice from above her made her look up, at the furious face of her leader.

"What did you say? Killed who. . .? Speak up, Mariah! Now!" Lee's cold eyes met hers accusingly, making her even more frightened. Her eyes widened and she scrambled to her feet. In a dash of panic she raced past the other White Tiger and into the house. She pushed her way through Kevin and Gary, heading straight to her room to get her backpack. And then. . . it's goodbye old life. . .

**********

The clock ticked and Rei was becoming even more agitated. He paced around the small waiting room of the hospital while the other Blade Breakers sat in the plastic chairs, watching him with concern. His head was pounding from a killer head-ache but that wasn't his main problem right now.

"Rei! Calm down. . . he'll be fine! You know Kai, he's strong. . ." Max did his best to comfort the distraught teen.

Kenny nodded. "Yeah Rei, from what I could tell, the bullet didn't hit a vital organ so he should have a good chance at a recovery." But nothing they said could clear his mind. They didn't understand what Rei felt, the trauma he was going through at the moment.

Rei looked around at the dull white room. The wooden tables in the center of the floor were covered in magazines and medical books and that sterile hospital smell drifted through the air. It gave Rei a nauseating feeling. Finally a doctor in a faded white lab coat made his way over to the group with a grim look on his gentle face.

"Are you Kai Hiwatari's team mates?" He asked quietly.

Tyson jumped up from his place on one of the plastic chairs. "Yes we are! How is he. . .? Will he be able to make it to the next Beyblade tournament? Where's the cafeteria?" He rambled, asking question after question.

"TYSON! Knock it off, this is serious!" yelled Rei. He turned to face the doctor, with a desperate look in his eyes he asked. "When can we see him?"

The doctor let a tiny smile flicker across his lips, "We removed the bullet and he just regained conscious. He was asking for someone by the name of 'Rei Kon'. Is that you?" The doctor eyed him suspiciously as Rei nodded.

Kenny started to fidget and become restless. "Uh. . .guys? I think I'll stay here, or maybe I'll go outside. Hospitals make me nervous!"

Max smiled. "Wow, I never would've guessed. . . the Chief's afraid of a little hospital?" he laughed.

Kenny frowned. "It's not funny! I've had this phobia ever since I was a child!"

"Yeah, ok Kenny. You don't have to come. So, where's Kai?" Rei asked. The doctor looked up from his clipboard and proceeded in the direction of Kai's room.

"Right this way. . ." He led the group through a few hallways before stopping at room 403. Rei slowly pushed open the door and gasped when he saw Kai, beautiful Kai, on the bed with bandages wrapped around his stomach. Some of the white material had red stains where the blood was still seeping through.

"Kai! How are you feeling?" Rei asked, moving over to stand by the bed. "I'm fine." Kai said. He sat up, wincing as the pain shot through his body once again. Even if the bullet was gone, the wounds it made certainly weren't!

Tyson grinned and tried to make his friend forget about the soreness, "Hey Kai, do you want something to eat? We're going to the cafeteria in a little while." Kai thought about it and shrugged. "Yeah, sure. I think the last thing I ate was ice cream so I guess I am a bit hungry." Both Kai and Rei blushed when the word 'ice cream' was mentioned, remembering what had happened.

"What? You had ice cream? When?! Why didn't I get any. . .?" Tyson asked in mock anger.

Rei suddenly got a wicked idea and a mischievous smile crossed his face, "You were gone, so me and Kai went on a date! Yes, the ice cream was really good, wasn't it Kai? Especially when you licked it off me. . ." Rei laughed and Kai nearly choked. What the hell is he doing? I thought we agreed not to tell anybody about our relationship. . . Kai thought.

Three stunned pairs of eyes met Rei's gold ones. "Are. . .you serious?" a shocked Tyson asked. He always thought Rei would end up with Mariah! And was Kai even capable of feeling emotions?

A satisfying laugh escaped Rei's lips as he witnessed his friends disbelief, "No you fools! We didn't go on a date. . .I was only joking! But we did eat ice cream earlier." Kai glared dangerously at Rei, that was too close for comfort! In mere seconds, his whole reputation could have been ruined with one slip of the tongue. A very good tongue at that! Kai shook his head as some inappropriate thoughts crept into his mind.

"Woah. . .for a second there I thought the entire world had gone nuts! But anyway, when do you think you'll be able to go home, Kai?" Tyson asked, changing the subject completely. The thought of Rei and Kai being together was just too weird for him.

Kai's scowl remained as he leaned back on top of the uncomfortable hospital bed. "Soon, I think. Like my doctor said, the bullet was removed and now all that's left is for the wounds to heal. Besides, I can handle a bit of pain. . .I've been through worse than this."

"Yeah. . .so did you ever figure out who did it?" Max asked. His small voice surprised his team mates, who had forgotten he was even in the room! As of now, it was still a mystery. . . the person had fled the scene before anyone could get a clear view. Or at least, that's what they thought. Rei looked away, unable to face his friends. He knew that his eyes could easily deceive him if he tried to lie about it, aware of who held the gun to his lover. It was definitely Mariah. . .no doubt about it.

Kai shook his head. "I was in too much pain to notice who did it. Probably just some drunk bastard!" The others nodded but didn't comment. It must be hard for a person like Kai to admit that he has a weakness. Tyson was the first to notice Rei's strange and silent behavior, "Hey Rei, what's wrong? You seem awfully quiet. . ."

Rei finally looked up to meet the expectant eyes of his friends. "I saw who it was." he stated simply with a hint of sadness in his voice. He looked at Kai and found a mixed expression on his beautiful face, anger mixed with hurt and still a bit of admiration, just enough for only Rei to notice.

"Why. . . didn't you tell me? Who was it, Rei?" Kai seemed to be in a state of shock, after all, his lover was keeping very important information to himself! Doesn't he care about me? I nearly DIED and he didn't even say who was responsible for it! Some boyfriend he turned out to be. . . Kai thought with sarcasm.

Rei winced at the hurt tone of the voice he loved so much. But he knew he had to say it, everything in the past was about to resurface in his mind once again, to torture and annoy the Chinese Beyblader. "Kai, it was. . . it was Mariah. I don't know why she did it, I swear!" There was a gasp from his other team mates as he revealed the truth, not the whole truth, but enough.

"You mean Mariah from the White Tigers?!" exclaimed Tyson, in utter disbelief.

Rei nodded. "The reason I didn't say before is because, well, I guess it's kind of hard. . . I mean, she's a really good friend and I have no idea what possessed her to hold a gun to you! Can't you understand how confused I am? How hard it is? I'm still trying to figure out what the hell happened in that messed up mind of hers, so please, please Kai. . ." Rei was close to tears, torn up inside by the betrayal of a friend and trying to make them understand what he felt. Betrayed. Ironic, isn't it? Rei thought bitterly. But the raven-haired boy had to be careful about what he said. If he wasn't, the secret of his and Kai's relationship would be discovered for real, and that wouldn't be good!

"I know Rei. Sorry I accused you of being traitorous." Kai said quietly. He felt another severe pain in his stomach from the wound and coughed to keep from crying out. Although, that only made it worse!

Max looked on with concern. "I think we should let Kai get some rest. Want to check out the. . . cafeteria?" he asked. He knew this would get a reaction from Tyson and the other boy smiled. "Sure! See ya later, Kai!" he said, waving goodbye to his leader.

"I'll be there in a few minutes Tyson, just let me talk to Kai for a little while." Said Rei as he watched his two friends walk out the door. As soon as they were out of sight, Rei shut the door and gazed lovingly at Kai.

"I should hate you for that little comment back there, about the ice cream, what were you trying to do? Tell the whole world that I've actually fallen in love?" Kai glared. But he couldn't stay mad at the charming boy that stood in front of him with those big, gold eyes. "NO! Not the puppy dog eyes! Oh Rei. . ."

The black haired boy laughed at the pitiful looks Kai was giving him. "I know, sorry! I was just having a bit of fun. . .!"

"Well, come over here and have a bit of fun. . ." Kai said with a suggestive leer, gesturing to the chair next to his bed. Rei's eyes lit up and he sat down, leaning over to capture the other boy's lips with his own. Kai wrapped his arms around his lovers neck and kissed him back tenderly.

"I missed you. . .so much." Rei said with fondness. He stroked Kai's soft hair lovingly and rested his head on Kai's chest.

Kai sighed as he felt the other Beyblader's delicate hands caress his muscular torso. "I know, I missed you too. When I get out of here, do you really want to tell the rest of the team? About us. . .?" he asked seriously. He felt Rei shake his head, "Only if you want to." He replied.

Rei looked up to gaze into those crimson eyes he loved so much. "I guess we'll see. . .but I will always be yours, no matter what. . ."

"And I, yours. . . nothing can come between us, not even jealous girls with guns!" Kai whispered into his ear, feeling Rei smile against his skin.

"Nothing. . ."

**********

They later found out that Mariah was on the run, wanted for attempted murder. She was last seen by Lee, her team leader, before fleeing the country. She could never be with the one she cherished.

When Kai was released from the hospital, the Blade Breakers resumed their old life, competing in Beyblade competitions and living as if nothing ever happened. Rei and Kai decided to keep their true feelings a secret from the others. . . for now! Someday, maybe soon, the truth would be revealed and whatever happens wont change the way they feel for each other. True love. . .always.

* Fin? *

Authors Notes: Hey! I finished it and yes, the ending was VERY strange but I thought it was sweet so I put it in. I don't know if this was as good as the first one but oh well, I tried! Hope you liked it! KAI + REI FOREVER!! ^_^