ATTN: Newly edited version, noticed loads of mistakes in the other one!

Disclaimer: I do not own beyblade (besides, if I did, Tala and Hilary would be married with a kid right about now!)

Chapter Eight

Twisted Love

"So, let me get this straight. You think you're falling for Tala, because of some chat about doughnuts?" Asked Mariam, sarcasm dripping in her voice.

Hilary, Mariah, Emily and Mariam, were all sitting on Mariam's bed in her room. Deciding she needed some advice, Hilary had decided to confide in her friends. It had become more and more confusing whenever she was around Tala. He seemed a lot nicer, than when she had first met him. She couldn't help but shake off this feeling that there was some sort of tension with her and Kai. Sure, they hardly talked anymore, but he always seemed to be watching her with narrowed eyes. Like a predator.

She hoped he wasn't regretting leaving her. She had just started making steady process of forgetting about him. And she couldn't help but notice his more than visible annoyance when around Samantha. That bitch. She had made everybody go through hell today. Because of her stupid little speech, all the teams had been dragged to reporters and press conferences. They were all wiped!

"Hey, girls," said Hilary, everybody looked at her with sleepy eyes. "I'm sorry for bothering you guys with my stupid problems. You should just all go to bed."

"Nonsense, Hils!" Exclaimed Mariah, bringing some coffee over. " We're your friends, and if you have a problem, then we help solve it."

"Yeah," said Mariam, gulping down her drink. "It's in the fucking job description. Right, Emily? Emily?" The girls turned around to see Emily slumped on the pillow, her glasses crooked, and quiet snores seeping out of her mouth. Mariam felt a vein twitching on her forehead.

"WAKE UP!" Emily shot up, and stumbled out of her bed in shock, resulting in her landing head first into the floor.

"Owww.." she muttered, glaring at Mariam. "What the hell was that for?" Mariam sighed.

"Honestly, sometimes, you can be just as worse as Tyson and Daichi. Anyway, Hils has some problem. Although, I don't really see what it is…" Emily looked at Hilary questioningly, and started to make her way to the bed.

"Alright then, spill."

"Well, you know I said Tala was training me?" They nodded. "Yeah, well yesterday was really fun! We were both eating doughnuts and cakes, and I was telling him about all the pastries! It was so cool!" Everybody glanced at each other. Exactly, what was so fun about eating doughnuts?

"Gee, I wish I was there to eat and talk about doughnuts with Tala." Said Mariam sarcastically. Hilary scowled.

"It really was fun," she mumbled.

"Sure it was."

"Yeah, anyway, I know he seems like a bastard…"

"You can say that again." Muttered Mariah, as she sipped her coffee. Hilary ignored her.

"But he's really sweet when you get to know him. I mean, when I was all upset about Kai, he gave me a really nice hug. And he's really kind and generous. Oh, and last night, after our training session, we were both really tired, and I fell asleep, so he carried me all the way to my room." Mariah, Emily and Mariam, scoffed. How naïve can you get? Hilary frowned.

"Umm… listen, Hils," said Mariam in a serious tone. She really didn't want her friend to get hurt again, Kai had already done it, and she was certain Tala would do it as well. "Well… Tala and Kai are, like, best friends. Don't you think they're a bit similar. I mean, like… they've grown up together and stuff. Erm…" She threw her hands up in frustration. "Listen, I just don't want you to get hurt. And that's what's gonna happen if you get involved with those Blitzkrieg Boys. They're trouble." Emily nodded.

"Yeah, Mariam's right. They're not trustworthy. At all. They're evil. Isn't that right, Mariah?"

"Um… yeah… right." She whispered. Everybody looked at her, totally not convinced. "Yeah, Hils, stay away from him." Hilary began to get angry. When she came for advice, she was expecting the 'when should I tell him,' or 'do you think he feels the same,' or 'follow your heart,' not 'STAY AWAY FROM HIM' advice.

"Listen, girls. Tala really is n-

"No. You don't know him. We never told you, but did you know all of them have committed murder?" Growled Mariam.

"They have KILLED people, Hils!" Yelled Emily. "All they care about is power. How can you be so dumb? He's trying to manipulate you! By acting like the clueless duck number two, he makes out like he's all innocent and genuine. He's not. He just gets a kick out of seeing people suffer, they all do!"

"Emily is so right," scowled Mariam. "They all make me sick. They're all fucking bastards! I'd sooner let you out with that Jeffrey guy, than anybody from that fucked up team. If you can call them that. Sure, Tala's the official captain, but he doesn't even do anything. No talks, no encouragement, no teamwork. They just go out there and practically kill their opponents, with their freaky attacks. That goes for Kai as well!"

"Yeah," said Emily, raging at her friend's stupidity. "What did you ever see in Kai, anyway? All he did was ignore you. He was a wretched waste of time! Plus, he had that-

"STOP IT!" Hilary shouted, holding back her tears. Mariam and Emily clamped their hands over their mouths, realizing what they had just been saying.

"Hils, we-

"NO! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY'VE BEEN THROUGH! HOW CAN YOU JUST JUDGE HIM LIKE THAT? YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HIM! AND AS FOR KAI, YEAH THAT WAS A MISTAKE, AND I ADMIT IT!" Hilary ran out the door, and down the corridor, where she was going was a mystery, even to her.


Tala paced his room up and down, the only light in his room, was from his door, which was cracked open slightly. How was he going to tell her? He had to tell her. He needed to tell her. But what if she didn't feel the same way? Oh, well, he'd have to live with it. How was he going to tell her?

"Argh, this is so frustrating! Wolborg! Get out here, now!" He said out loud.

Master! I was just talking to Seaborg-

"I don't care, if you were talking to Seaborg! I need help!"

Well that's new…

Tala scowled. True, he had never asked his wolf's help for anything outside a battle, but tonight, he was desperate. "I'm desperate." He said through gritted teeth.

Desperate, eh?

Tala heard him chuckle, sounding amused. He hated this.

"It's about Hilary, I want to tell her… how… I… eh… feel about her."

YAYYYYYYYYYY! About time! So, who was it that hit you around the head? Huh? Bet it wasn't young Kai. Surely, he will be outraged about this. Dranzer tells me he is slowly regretting. Fool. Who cares about him? She's yours tiger! Or… um… wolf!

Tala frowned.

"What do you mean, Kai's slowly 'regretting'?" he asked.

About breaking up with Hilary. Duh!

Tala felt a vein twitch.

"Of course I know it's about breaking up with Hilary!" He snapped. "Just… how do you think he'd react?

Well… knowing young Kai… he'd probably beat you into a pulp. But, seeing as he 'claims' that he doesn't love Hilary, I don't think you should be too worried.

"I wasn't worried!"

Right. So, when are you going to tell her? Do I have to start calling her Mistress or something?

"Tell who what?" Asked Tala, distractedly.

Master! When are you going to tell Hilary you love her!

"I've figured that out. I'll simply walk up to her, and say 'I love you Hilary,' then she'll say-

"Tala." He froze, suddenly noticing the excessive amount of light in his room. Looking down, he saw the shadowy outline of a short girl. It was Hilary. Clamping his eyes shut, he slowly pivoted on the spot to face her, only to realize she had gone.

Smooth.


With Kai and Ray…

"So, you've finally realized what an idiot you've been?" Asked Ray, taking a seat on his bed. Kai had been in his room for a few minutes, asking about Hilary, and he needed to get away from Samantha. Ray was truly pissed off with Kai, but still, they were the closest thing to best friends, and he wanted to help. Besides, it was right. Hilary still loved Kai, Kai still loved Hilary, get them back together and everyone would be happy.

"Meaning?" Ray chuckled lightly. He should've known Kai would never admit his wrongs. Especially when it came to a subject so foreign, like love.

"Do you want Hilary back?"

Kai thought for a while. Slowly, he was beginning to regret leaving Hilary. Samantha had claimed she 'loved' him, but it wasn't the love Hilary had given him. Her love was genuine. He had thought he could put up with Samantha, but she was just getting more annoying! Like she got some sort of power boost, whenever he ignored her.

And what the fuck was up with Hilary and Tala? Were they falling for each other? He shrugged it off. What was there to be worried about? He knew Tala, and Tala wouldn't think twice about loving somebody, especially a girl. He had 'personal limits' and he planned to stick to them. Or so he said. But then, what was all that stuff back in the forest? Did he really think Hilary was special? No. Knowing Tala, and the girls he had used, he was pretty sure he had been lying. He smirked. How dumb could he have been to think Tala had true feelings for Hilary? Dranzer sure did talk a lot of shit, for a bird of wisdom.

"Hey, Kai!" Ray said loudly. Kai snapped his head up to look at Ray, from his sitting position on the bed. "What the hell are you smirking about?"

"I want her back." Ray let out a huge sigh of relief. Finally, Kai had come to his senses. But wait, what about his 'reasons'?

"Hold it, dude. What about your, oh so egotistical pride? Huh? You'll look like a twit, begging for her back now." Kai frowned. He would. He'd look like a fool… and in front of everyone. No doubt the reporters would find out as well. He couldn't do that, couldn't degrade himself that low. That was just self-shame. Kai Hiwatari, begging a girl to take him back, because he had been a jerk? Plus, it would totally puzzle everyone, as to why he was choosing a girl like Hilary to humiliate himself for. He had plenty of choice.

Why? Why had he chosen Hilary? He knew why. She was different. Just plain old Hilary. No makeup, no fancy clothes, standard money, normal. With a personality. With intelligence. Dignity and independence. Not one to belittle herself, just to impress him, or any boy for that fact. She also had a temper! But, he liked that, there was never a dull moment when she was pissed! Another thing Kai never understood, was why she had been so loyal. Before, not after they had declared their love. He had always shunned her, called her annoying, tried his best to ignore her. Even with his cold attitude… she had remained by his side. And out of instinct, he had always been by hers. Even after he had convinced himself she was just an annoying tag along, he had always protected her. Secretly, punishing himself if anything happened to her.

That was why he was so freaked at the island. Sure, Kenny was his friend, but he wasn't really focusing on him at the time. His main worry was Hilary. Knowing the rocks would crush her in seconds, made his heart rip. Although he had always branded her as bothersome, he just couldn't face the prospect of living the rest of his life without her annoying self. After that revelation, he had finally realized he loved her. He loved her the way she was. Whether it be the annoying, temperamental Hilary, or the kind, loving, caring one that always looked out for him and the team. She truly was one of a kind, and he had been such an idiot letting her slip out of his life. He desperately wanted her back, but was he willing to abandon his pride? His self respect? His reputation?

"Why do you always do that?" Kai woke from his thoughts, only to be greeted by Ray's frustrated face.

"What?"

"Zone out! I asked you, what are you going to do about your… reasons? " Kai sighed.

"I'm not sure. I want her back." Ray raised an eyebrow, not at all convinced. He cared for Hilary like a younger sibling, and there was no way he was going to watch her get hurt again. Especially by Kai. Bastard. He had been so selfish, playing with her feelings like that, and bringing in another girl into it. He hadn't even considered what it was going to do to her. All those times he had seen Hilary stare out into the sea.

Lifeless. Like she had lost the most important thing she had ever had. He had hated seeing her like that. Losing his cool, Ray roughly grabbed Kai by the collar of his shirt, and slammed him against the door. Kai had been caught off guard, and his only option was to struggle in Ray's strong grip.

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN 'I'M NOT SURE?" He yelled, baring his fangs menacingly. Although he didn't show it, this action unnerved Kai immensely. He became even more uncomfortable, when Ray brought his tone into a dangerously quiet, whisper.

"Listen, don't come to me for advice, if you haven't already made up your mind. Do you think I'm going to help you after what you've done to Hilary? I thought I would, but you sitting in here, unsure of whether or not you're willing to choose her over your fucking rep, has pushed me over the limit. If you're not sure now, you don't deserve her. Come back when you've put things right. Now get out."

He let go, and Kai dropped to the ground, not even uttering a sound. He slowly stood up, letting his bangs hide his shadowy face. He saw Ray's hand pushed the door open, and he quietly made his way out. He couldn't blame him. He had treated Hilary like dirt, and Ray wasn't going to tolerate it. He really did want Hilary back, but he couldn't help but think of all the things he'd have to sacrifice.

"KAI!" Kai winced. Samantha. He reluctantly turned around, and found Samantha leaning on the door, with nothing but a nightgown on. He shook his head; he really didn't feel like putting up with Samantha right now. He just wanted to go to bed, and dream… about Hilary.

"Come on, hunny bunny! Why aren't you walking?"

"Maybe because I don't want to be near you." He said coldly. Samantha smiled sweetly.

"Oh, don't be like that, Kai baby." She cooed, while edging closer. "You know you want me." ' No, I want Hilary.' He thought. Getting annoyed, Kai pushed her away, and entered their room. Not bothering to get undressed, he roughly pulled back the covers, and clamped his eyes shut. His eyebrows furrowed, when he heard Samantha huff, and close the door. He relaxed, when he pictured Hilary's lovely face. He missed her beyond reason, but… he couldn't just throw everything away… everything… away.

"You guys are such idiots!" Mariah mumbled, as she placed all the cups in the tray. " How could you be so fucking insensitive?" Mariam and Emily felt guilty, but they didn't regret anything they had said about the Blitzkrieg Boys.

"Look, Mariah," started Mariam. " Maybe we were a bit… reckless. But all the stuff we said was true, and you know it. Do you seriously want Hilary to get involved with that lot?"

"It's for her own good." Said Emily, shifting the rim of her glasses. "They are trouble. Mariah kept quiet. No. Of course she didn't want Hilary to get hurt again, but something told her that they weren't all bad. Tala and Kai were dodgy, but she sort of liked Spencer and Ian. They seemed OK. And Bryan… she was just confused about him. She couldn't help but feel some sort of… attraction between them. Sure, they argued, but wasn't that some kind of sign? Were they flirting?

"Hey, Mariah! You listening?" Mariah snapped out of her thoughts, and nodded.

"Right. Well, I hope Hilary is OK. We'll talk to her in the morning." Yawned Mariam, and they all left for bed, secretly cursing Tala for playing with her mind.


Samantha walked down the corridor of the Hotel. She hadn't bothered putting on a robe. Why? She loved all the boys fainting whenever they saw her. She loved the attention. She knew Kai was just playing hard to get, but she also knew that Hilary was probably still in his mind. Bitch. What made her so special? Special enough to invade his dreams at night? Special enough to make him observe her with predator eyes? Special enough to take his attention off of her? She hated her.

Samantha kept walking down the deserted corridor, with a thoughtful face. How was she going to get Hilary out of Kai's head? Whilst thinking that, she stepped outside, and scanned the area. She couldn't go back to Kai now that would be boring, seeing as he had gone to sleep. It was late, and everything was closed. 'Not even the fucking mall, is open!' She thought, angrily.

Perching herself on top of a short wall, Samantha started to hum tunelessly, while swaying her head. She stopped when she caught sight of a girl running into the forest. She squinted her eyes, hoping to see who it was. She could vaguely pick up the sounds of sobs, and instantly perked up. She loved seeing crying girls, it was good entertainment. After she was sure the girl had disappeared into the forest, Samantha quietly followed; ducking behind bushes, whenever she felt the girl would turn around. She never did.

Now in the moonlight, Samantha smirked with glee, as the girl placed herself at the edge of the lake. It was Hilary, with a tear stained face! 'Bitch,' she thought. 'What the hell has she been crying about now?' Her eyes widened slightly, as Hilary started mumbling incoherent words to herself. ' Well, I knew she was a nut job, but even I didn't think her head was that fucked up! She's talking to herself for crying out loud!' She was startled out of her thoughts, when she heard a twig snap behind her. It was a person, a guy by the looks of it. She held her breath, if she got caught, she wouldn't be able to watch Hilary suffer.

She let out a sigh of relief, when the boy turned away. Samantha narrowed her eyes suspiciously. The boy was fidgeting, while walking slowly up to Hilary. Samantha's jaw dropped slightly, when she figured out who it was. Tala. 'Why in the world is he here?' She asked herself, in disbelief. 'He's way too hot and rich to be hanging around with her, and in the middle of the night! Just what is going on here…' She listened intently.

"Hilary… I"-

"Go away Tala." She whispered. Tala felt his heart sink. She didn't want to see him. She didn't want to be near him. She didn't… want him. Maybe she had just heard wrong. Maybe, she didn't understand just how much he loved her. Maybe… he had to just say it again. There she was, sitting there, the clear water glimmering on her angelic face. She kept her stare on the lake, determined not to look at him. Did she love him too? He couldn't stand her being angry at him, like this. He hated knowing she couldn't bare to even glance at him. He took a deep breath, and sat down beside her, his eyes glued to the shimmering lake. Hilary turned her head away. Tala sighed in annoyance. Did she realize how hard it was for him to even admit these fucking feelings? Now she was making him say it again!

"Listen, I…eh… everything I said… back there… was… eh… true." Out of instinct, Tala gently grasped her hand, and pulled her into a tight hug. He felt her tears dampen his shirt. "I… love you." Hilary's eyes snapped open, and she roughly pushed him away. While walking away from a stunned Tala, she stopped, and without even looking back, she whispered,

"Well, I don't love you back."

Tala stared at her retreating back, and scowled in frustration. What did she mean by that? She must have some sort of feelings for him! How couldn't she? When she made his heart leap every time she smiled. How he himself, felt like smiling whenever she laughed. All those times, she had come to him, whenever she was upset. All those times when they had sat side by side, in a… comfortable silence. And all those times, she hadn't had any feelings for him? None?

He growled. So, all this time, she had been leading him on under false intentions. What a bitch. Maybe that Samantha girl was right. Silently, he made his way out of the forest, glancing one last time at the place where he had declared his love to someone, for the very first time.

Hilary grabbed onto a nearby tree, and started gripping it tightly, her tears trickling down its hollow trunk. He loved her. Tala had fallen in love with her. Tala. She had been thinking about it, and her friends were right. No, she didn't want to get hurt again, and being with a guy like Tala would surely do the trick. He probably was a fake. Sure, he had a rough childhood, and she sympathized, but this was him as a person. He had killed, maybe unaware of it at the time, but nevertheless, he let himself be controlled. There must have been some way to prevent it. He had used every girl he had been with, and really wasn't a very nice person in general. He was a fake. What kind of idiot was she? That day, the day she and him had sat down with their doughnuts, he must have had a good laugh about that. Stupid Hilary, ranting on about doughnuts! Damn! No. She wasn't going to let history repeat itself. She was not going to let herself get hurt again.

Samantha scowled in annoyance. That wasn't supposed to have happened! Tala had told Hilary he loved her, and she was supposed to have said, 'I love you too.' However, she was still baffled as to why Tala was in love with Hilary. Or why Kai had been, for that matter. What the hell was so wonderful about her, anyway? She wasn't even pretty, and her clothes were a disgrace. After Samantha had spent a few more minutes pondering over Hilary's 'individuality,' she started to think of the actual problem at hand. It made sense. If Hilary and Tala got together, Kai would force himself to forget about her. Shouldn't be too hard, seeing as he's not even in love with her. But… how was she going to do it? How was she going to get Kai to think Hilary was now with Tala? Play matchmaker? No, that would be too complicated. Pretend to be Hilary? No, that would involve even more work. She jumped up, when a bright idea shone in her head. Yes. That was it!


Mariam and the rest of the teams, were all sitting in the café. It was now 8:50, and Hilary had still not come out of her room. She began to mutter to herself. Her and Emily had been rather harsh on her last night, and she felt bad. Sure, she didn't want her friend mixing with Tala, but she felt unbelievably bad, knowing her friend was crying all alone in her room. How was she supposed to make it up to her? How was she going to keep her away from Tala? She looked up from her seat, only to look down once again. Ian was staring at her with raised eyebrows. What did the little midget want now!

"Ehhh! What do you want you minimized bozo? A stool?" She asked looking away from him. Ian simply tugged her leg.

"Ya know…" he said while rubbing his chin. " You shouldn't talk to yourself, people will wonder." Mariam blushed. She had been talking to herself the whole time?

"GO AWAY YOU LITTLE SMURF!" She yelled while lifting him by his neck. Ian bored into her eyes.

"Fool. In case you hadn't noticed, smurfs are blue. If anyone is a smurf here, it's you."

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" Mariam hurled Ian all the way down to the other end of the hotel, into the training facility.

Damn! Ian lifted himself up, and made his way out of the facility. The nerve of that girl. Who the fuck did she think she was? Ian shook his head, he'd have to deal with her later, right now, he needed to find his way out of this place. He looked around. He was now in a corridor, lit with artificial torches, and three sets of staircases. Which one was he suppose to follow? Deciding that right was usually right, he took the left.

He climbed the staircase, and moments later, find himself standing in front of a door. 'Maybe this is the exit,' he thought. Shrugging, he opened it, and stepped inside. It was pitch black. But he could hear noises. Sobbing. He searched the wall for a light switch, and sighed in relief as he found one. Once the room was lit, he scanned the room, with an eyebrow raised. It was… empty. Well, except for a pile of boxes, but that was it. Although, there was a large blank screen at the end of the room. 'Wonder what that is?' he asked himself. He jumped slightly, as he heard a wretched cough. He kicked the pile of boxes away, and stared at the small boy who was crouched behind it.

The boy had short ginger hair, with large purple eyes. His face was incredibly pale, and fingernail marks were dotted all over his cheeks. Tears were falling from his eyes, and Ian noticed he was clutching a grey and red beyblade. The boy looked up at him, and instantly shot up, shakily making his way to a wall. Ian raised an eyebrow. What was this kid so scared of? He was at least two inches taller than Ian, and was equipped with a very able looking blade. Ian wasn't even making an attempt to attack him. Still, the boy looked as if he was about to be shot. He held his arms over his face, and his knees started to buckle. Ian watched in slight amusement, as the boy fell head first into the pile of boxes. He began to cry even more, and Ian started to get annoyed. Boys weren't meant to cry.

"Hey, kid?" Ian crouched down beside him, and lifted a box from his head. The boy blinked, and started to back up yet again. Ian scowled, and grabbed him by the arm, making the boy yelp. "I'm not gonna hurt you. OK?" The boy quivered, while staring at him with wide eyes. Deciding this guy was safe; he relaxed, and wiped away his tears.

"My name is Cosmo." He whispered. He then noticed the older boy's beyblade, hanging from his waist, and his eyes widened. "Are you… Ian?" He asked. Ian looked surprised. How did he know his name?

"Yeah. How did you know that?" he asked suspiciously, as he narrowed his eyes. Cosmo looked away.

"Because… you're my new mentor."

Samantha trotted over to Kai's table, and took a seat next to him. His eyes were closed and his arms were folded, and his plate was already empty.

"You finished, Kai baby?" She said while trailing her finger down his muscular shoulder.

"Hn." Samantha smiled. Not long. Not long before Kai would be truly in her grasp. She saw him crack an eye open, and followed his deadly gaze. Tala was getting up, while grabbing a pink bag from his table. He then smiled, and made his way towards Hilary's room floor. Kai growled, and Samantha noticed. This was her chance.

"Ya know hunny… last night I saw Hilary and Tala in the forest over there." She grinned, as Kai suddenly moved his chair closer, while staring at her sharply. He gestured her to carry on.

"Well, I was bored, and so I decided to follow them. Tala said he loved her…" Kai widened his eyes. Tala had said he loved Hilary? What did she say?

"What did Hilary say?" He asked her eagerly.

"Oh, she said she loved him too."


ATTN: Ohh... review?