A/N Woot! New chapter! Ok, I just wanted to take a moment and say thank you to all my readers for their wonderful reviews and to those who have favorited this story. It makes me feel so special! ^_^ But enough about me, I know you'd rather read the newest chapter, so I'll let you. OWTF!

Chapter 6 "Tell you what?"

I dont really know what happened after that; it seemed like days melted together and individual events and actions passed by in a blur, so I was dumbfounded when I asked Mrs. Gladys for the date.

"It's the 20th." she said, back to me as she washed the dishes we just used for breakfast.

"The 20th?"

"You seem suprised Master Kai. That's understandable, seeing how distracted you have been the past couple weeks."

"Still, last time I checked, it was the 1st. Where did the last three weeks go?" I ponder to her, standing with my back to the kitchen doorway.

"Nowhere." Mrs. Gladys turns to look at me, a great smile on her face. "You've just had your eyes glued to Mesa. Thats all."

"I did not have my eyes on her Gladys." I say sternly, expecting to shut her up.

"You dont see what I see!"she sings in her awful soprano. "Your attention is wrapped around her like a bun 'round a hotdog."

"Nice analogy..." I grumble sarcasticlly, embarassment flaming up.

'Was I really that out of it?'

'Yep!' says you-know-who. 'And it's funny watching you too, just staring at Mesa like a mutt eyes steak.'

'What's up with everyone compairing me to meat today...'

'Actually, you would be the mutt.' he chirps, supressing giggles.

'Whatever.' I reply, which only causes him to giggle more.

I left the kitchen and walked over to where Mesa sat on the couch flipping channels. She looks up at me and smiles, making my attitude warm up instantly. Though nothing major happened since the night she decided to stay, Mesa had openned up considerably, more than I had imagened. To start, she talked more often now, and I soon found out that she voiced her opinion alot, especially at things on the news. I also learned that she is quite skilled in the kitchen too, especially for someone who had never worked in a kitchen a single day in her life. She loved puzzles and brain benders, ALOT. I gave her one of my 5,000 piece puzzles, the one of the Eiffel Tower that I had aquired from my grandfather, and let her mess around with it. She spent eight hours straight working on that thing. Eight! And would you believe that she finished it in just under two and a half days? Yep. She had quite the powerful mind. Nothing could occupy her for as long or as intently, except for one thing...beyblade. She seemed completely mesmerized by it and she would come outside in freezing weather at the crack of dawn just to watch me practice. It all started when she happened to wake up just later than me, while I was getting ready to head outside. She wanted to watch, to see what it was that I did every morning, and I let her. From then on, she would wake up early and just sit there and ask questions about the sport, techniques, abilities, tactics, anything that I knew, she wanted to know. It didn't bother me a bit. I was glad that she seemed so excited about it, and that little prospect kind of held my attention. Mesa was disappointed today because I did not train this morning. Mrs. Gladys had said something about going to town today, so I thought I'd just wait and see what she had planned for us.

Well I sat down beside Mesa, resting my feet on the coffee table, and said goodmorning to her, having forgotten to this morning. Whoops...

"Morning!" she replies, eyes just as bright and happy as ever. I cant help but grin back at her. Her estatic glow never failed to suprise me.

"What are you so happy about?" I asked, figuring that she was excited about whatever Mrs. Gladys had planned for us.

"We're going shopping!"

I blinked and my grin faded.

"Shopping...?"

She nods and I groan, turning away. I absolutely, undoubtedly HATED shopping. Sure, the outrages prices and the prolonged walking was fine. I could handle that. People on the other hand...

"Whyyyyy.........?" I dragged out.

"For Christmas you dingy." she giggles. "It's only four days away you know."

"Four days!?" I practically yell, shooting up in my suprise. "It's only four days away!?" I tell her as I gave her a wide eyed glare. "Why didn't you tell me!?"

Now I know what your wondering. 'Why is Kai freaking out? It's not like he forgot to buy gifts or anything.' Well...funny thing that is. You see...ok FINE. I forgot to buy gifts, for everybody, alright. Happy? Sheesh. I know I'm probably the only loser on the face of the planet who forgot to get gifts for the only two people he cared to buy for. So much for being perfect...

Mesa just kinda sat there for a moment, an astounded look on her face before she litarlly exploded in laughter.

"You forgot Christmas was comming up!?" she choked out inbetween fits.

That's all I needed. Some former homeless girl laughing her head off at my stupidity. You have NO idea how degrading that is. So in true Kai style, I responded by saying absolutely nothing and crossing my arms. I would not give Mesa the satisfaction of calling me stupid.

'But she didn't.' piped Dranzer.

'It was close enough.'

I sighed and got up, desperate to get away from my humiliation. Mesa, still in the lingering ends of her perposterous laughter turns to gaze at me, failing to smother her amusement completely.

"If you want to go, you better dress up."

She smiled and nearly leaped off the couch, running up the grand stairs in a noisy excited clatter. Only Mesa could call me stupid, then laugh at me about it, and still live. I just hoped that she knew just how damn lucky she was.

'I can't believe I'm doing this.'

Just to inform you of my perdicament, I was just being stalked by a number of rabid/deranged fangirls, forcing me to seek sanctuary with Mesa and Mrs. Gladys inside a very upscale and very crowded clothing store where almost everyone just HAD to stop and drag me into a conversation about a bunch of crap I don't care about. Blah blah money blah politics blah blah blah...The list just went on. I swear this little shopping spree is going to turn me insane. I blame my families overwhelming popularity and wealth. Lucky for me, we didn't stay there long, and (after dodging the awaiting fangirl mob outside) relocated to a more private store not far away that was, thankfully, crowd free. The girls had a great time there, looking through racks of clothes and playing dress up with eachother, giggling and laughing as they tried on outfits and jewelery just for the heck of it. When I was away from stuck up rich people and smothering fans, I actually semi enjoyed myself, relishing in my own personal peace and getting a kick or two out of Mesa and Gladys. We spent hours out, walking and shopping, excluding me of course. And it was only when it became dark that we could see the gathering's lights in the distance, and the sound of laughter, clown music, and games.

"Carnival!"

Before I knew what she was talking about, I had Mesa leeched on to my arm, eyes glittering up at me.

"Can we go? Please, please, Please!?"

It took a moment for my heart to restart, and an even longer moment to tear my gaze away from hers, a pretty hard thing to do mind you.

"Sure."

Mesa grinned and jumped in the air, nearly dislocating my shoulder and started to drag me away, leaving poor Mrs. Gladys, who was, to my disappointment and embarassment, laughing histarically at us, in the dust. Mesa led me torward one of the various ticket booths lined infront of the entrance while I tried to keep my arm in one piece. We came up to a booth which was occpied by a tall pot-bellied man who was wearing a pair of very unfasionable rainbow suspenders.

"How many?" he asked in a deep, gravely voice.

"Two."

"112 rubles."

I took out my wallet for the first time that day (amazing isn't it?) and handed him the pay. He gave us two plain paper wristbands to wear showing we had paid, and before I could even give Mesa her's, she had started dragging me agian. Gods did that girl have energy! I basically had to yank her to get her to stop, and even then, she was bouncing on her feet, making the act of putting on her wristband quite difficult.

"I'm in a carnival! I can't believe I'm in a carnival!" she practically yelled.

"Haven't you been in a carnival before?" I yelled back, people and game sounds drowning out my voice.

"Nope!" she yelled back like it was no biggie.

I had just put on her bracelet when she pulled me off agian, toward a wack-a-mole booth.

'This is going to be a long night.'

A few hours, two cotton candies, and one suffed animal later, Mesa was finally losing steam, walking randomly between game booths she had already visited. I followed her, thankful for the slower pace and a couple seconds to myself. How many times can a person be thanked and hugged in one day? I didn't know, but I was pretty sure Mesa broke a record or two. She just had the time of her life here, eating candy, playing games...you couldn't tell her she wasn't enjoying herself. She would just meander around, looking wide eyed at all the lights and sounds and people, clutching the stuffed grey and white striped kitten I had won for her. Yes, I played a childs game to win her a toy. Why? 'Cause I'm just nice that way, so you can quit laughing now.

"Kai!"

Mesa shakes me out of my daydream and points to something.

"Lets go!"

"Go where...?" I say, coming back to reality.

"Up there!" she replies, pointing agian.

This time I follow, and see what she wanted to ride so badly.

"The ferris wheel?"

She nods her head.

I look at my watch real quick and guessed that we could go on one more ride. Mrs. Gladys (whom I had no Idea where the heck she was) could find us if it was time to go. The crowd was shrinking, so it wouldn't be that difficult I'd hope. I turn back to Mesa, who was staring in quiet excpectancy, awaiting my answer I think.

"Just this one..."

Mesa grinned and gave me my ten hundreth hug that day, followed by my heart stopping for the ten hundreth time. Mesa thanked me and dragged me over to the waiting line before my heart could even recover, which it did with some difficulty eventually. I would have to tell her to quit doing that. Those hugs of her's were killing me.

So we waited in line, whis is always full of excitement and action (note my sarcasm), and in about two minutes, both Mesa and I were being locked inside the caged bucket, which was rocking violently due to Mesa's bouncing again. A sound buzzed and then we started to move, up, up, up. I was looking outside the window down at the spectators below and switched my gaze to Mesa, expecting to see her kneeling on the bench and looking outside as well. But she wasn't. She was staring at me, intently.

"So tell me." She said quietly, not breaking her gaze which had captured mine.

"Tell you what?"

"I told you about me, so it's only fair you tell me about you."

It took me a moment to realize what she was talking about.

"Why?" I ask, trying to stall.

"I want to know." was her simple reply.

I sighed and used much effort to look down at my lap. I did NOT, more than anything, want to tell her about this. This kind of thing was only for me to know. But, I also knew that I did owe it to her, and that she wouldn't stop asking me until I caved, so fighting would be pointless. There was no escaping it now.

"Alright." I said, and she scooted closer, sitting right beside me now, eyes piercing as I braced myself, gathering the courage to tell her about the past I wished I could forget.