I'm so sorry I've not updated this in so long! I've been so busy that I've just not had the time. I'll do my best to update as quickly as possible but I have exams coming up and I have a job and various other things to juggle so its not going to be easy.
Disclaimer:I don't own Beyblade. Have you not realised?
Chapter 8
The grass here was much greener than she had ever seen in the city. That was right, actually. They had passed the city limits so they weren't actually in the city but the suburbs. She still had no real idea where they were since Kai hadn't told her, still keeping to his 'its a secret' motto which seemed to be the phrase of the day. It wasn't really bothering her since it made no difference wether she knew where she was or not. She would never be able to come here without Kai anyway nor would she want to. The child in her wanted to make this their special place: a place she would find him no matter where he was, either in person or in spirit.
She looked around her again. They had tracked through a forest trail which was obviously used for horseback riding by the farming houses a few miles away and she made a mental note that it would be lovely to see while she was riding. Hand in hand, laughing and smiling, they had followed it until a point where Kai had suddenly pulled her past a shrubby bush. She had initially panicked, mistaking the suddenness for urgency and instantly thought they had been spotted but Kai regained his original casual saunter and they walked through the trees, treating them as if they weren't even there, the way Kai slid in and out of them. The pine cones that Hilary occasionally kicked with her feet told her that this part of the woods wasn't used to human presence and felt like she was trespassing on its tranquil beauty. Only she. Kai's quiet figure blended into the scenery like it was an artists canvas and he was just a part of it. She took in the fragrant pine needles scenting the air, grateful to be free from the fumes and human pungency that came with living in a city, even in the district where she lived.
Kai had stopped suddenly taking her by surprise again. He reached out for her hand and she took it, slowly filling the few steps between them. He pulled back the overhanging branches of a willow tree and indicated for her to walk through. The sight had taken her breath away. The sky was filled with the red, oranges, pinks and yellows of sunset which reflected on the water that the sun was sinking into. From the cliff he had led her to she could hear the waves leaping up against the edge but couldn't climb high enough to creep over. She could see the sea going on forever, silently inviting her to travel it and discover where it would take her.
This could be their special place, Hilary decided, thinking about it again. Kai was all around her here. Everything here was what he was. It was peaceful, beautiful and just being here made Hilary feel like nothing could ever harm her; she was safe here. Even getting to this spot was like getting to Kai. It was so easily to be misled by all the other trails but if you took a chance on one unmarked you found something truly great.
Kai's strong arms stretched over her shoulders, pulling her close to his warm body, close enough for her to feel his heart beating underneath the loose shirt he was wearing. She sighed. It was all just perfect but it can never stay like this. She was being baited with all this, all she ever wanted but she was the fish that knew if she bit into it what would lie in store for her would be much less pleasant.
"What's wrong?" He asked, sending the shift in her mood. "Don't you like it here?"
"No... It's beautiful. Who would have thought a place like this still existed in this country?"
"Like everything else you just have to know where to look. You can find beauty everywhere if you look hard enough."
"Even in Brooklyn?" Hilary asked, looking up to him with a teasing smile.
He chuckled. "Well I guess there's some exceptions."
"Still, this place...It's perfect."
"Nah," Kai said. "I've been here a thousand times. It's always been beautiful but its only perfect now you're here sharing it with me."
Hilary turned into his chest, reaching her hands around his neck. "I bet you say that to all the girls."
"You're the only other person I've ever been here with. That's why its special."
She turned into him, looking up to him. Her eyes beautiful eyes, now wide with taking all her surroundings in, told him a thousand stories, none of which he would ever read. Then her eyes went away from him. Her head rested on his chest and she absentmindedly stroked his chest with her index finger. He held her tighter, for once lost for words with her. Normally conversations just sprung out from him but at this moment it was like he was with complete stranger. There was something on her mind.
"Hilary?" He asked gently, awakening her from reverie. "What's wrong? I thought you'd like this."
She shook her head. Her hair shook around her, falling into a slight disarray. "It's not here, it's...well, it's here. God, it's hard to explain. It's like we get like paradise but only for a while. I don't know how long I can keep this going. Everytime I'm with you I want nothing else but when we have to leave its like a little bit of me dies inside. Having to go back to him...I pretend he's you, you know. That's the only way I can get by."
"I don't like Kingston that much, which, by the way, is the understatement of the century, but surely being around him isn't that bad. He loves you, right?"
She snorted. "No. He tells me so everytime I'm with him. Albeit it's within the lines but I can read them. Kingston's only interested in ruling this country. I'm just a pawn to be played. Just like everyone around him."
"I would think Mystel and Garland are players too, right?"
"Not so much Mystel. I had quite an indepth chat with him earlier on. Brooklyn's clearly not happy about something and its concerning Mystel." Hilary took the photograph out of her pocket and handed it to Kai. "He found this."
Kai's eyes widened in surprise that quickly turned to fear. "You don't mean...?"
"No. He didn't show Brooklyn it. God knows what's going to happen to him when he finds out." Hilary looked up at the sky sadly. "It's not a matter of it its when. For all Mystel could know Brooklyn's already on to him. He's risking so much just to do me this one little favour."
Despite knowing he owed his enemy a considerable amount, Kai was cynical of this form of mercy shown from a soldier who was renowned for being merciless. To Kai, it didn't make sense. Why chance losing his life it? Hilary would have gotten out of it alive in the end. Worse for the wear, sure, but at least she would still be alive. Kingston wasn't going to be so kind to Mystel. In giving Hilary the photograph he had signed his own funeral papers, if there were going to be any remains to bury.
"I don't understand it," Kai said, pocketing the picture. "Why would he protect you like that? There's got to be something in it for him, right?"
A small inclination of Hilary's head answered his question. "Nothing, except I think he's trying to pay some kind of a penance. He's not a bad guy, you know. Sure, he's done bad things but he's not an evil person. And from the way he was talking about Brooklyn this morning, I don't think he is either. Or he didn't use to be." She shook her head to wipe away the tangent her mind was running on. "That's not important now. Mystel's guilt at the things Brooklyn's doing to this country, the people, both innocent and guilt...it's not settling too well on him. Mystel's not a bad person. He's just associated with bad people."
"So tell him to quit and join up with us. With the skills he has God knows what limits we could pass. Or he could act as a spy. A military one! We'd be unstoppable!"
"Kai..." Hilary walked out of his arms and stood at the cliff's edge before kicking her legs out from underneath her so they swung over the side. She leaned back on her arms and looked up at him. "You don't get it. Mystel doesn't want to quit. It's a sad situation he's in. He feels responsible for Brooklyn, his best friend. At the same time he knows that the more he stays by him the more he'll be indicated as a partner in Brooklyn's crimes. Can you imagine that? The three of them are close enough to be a family. Would you betray your family?"
"The three of them were close enough to be a family. From what you're saying, Mystel's been removed."
She frowned at him. "You've avoided my question."
He sat down beside her, letting his legs fall over the waters edge and resting his arms over his knees. "Yeah, I guess I see your point. No matter what happened I wouldn't walk out on my family. Especially since my family are those closest to me in the Resistance. I suppose when it comes down to it you start together and you finish together."
"And now you see where Mystel's problem lies."
Kai heard a giggle from Hilary and regarded her with uncertainly. There were still things that women did that just plain lost him. They were having a serious conversation and in the middle of it she suddenly goes into a fit of mild hysterics.
Hilary noticed him staring and waved it off. "I'm sorry. It's just that we've spent the last God knows how long having a in depth discussion of Mystel. Not exactly my idea of romantic, you know? And look." She pointed to the horizon. "The sun's almost down."
"That's not my fault," Kai muttered with indignation.
She glanced over at Kai with humour sparkling in her eyes. "I didn't say it was. All I'm saying is that we've got a little sidetracked from...well from any other subject. I don't think we should talk about Brooklyn or Mystel or anything else to do with them when we're together."
"You know that will never happen," Kai replied simply.
An eyebrow quirked up but Kai missed it, instead focusing on the waves below him. "And why is that?"
This time he did look up. Their eyes met. "Because, like it or not, Brooklyn is part of the reason we keep seeing each other. Sure, we've got feelings for each other but it's the adrenaline rush too, isn't it? It's the buzz of knowing you could get caught. He's also the main focus of both of out lives. I hate to admit it but the way he rules them is almost at the point of obsession. I'll wager that it's not one sided either. He talks about me practically every time you're with him, doesn't he?"
"Now that you mention it, yeah. Yeah, he does."
"And I'll bet that your name drops into the conversation whenever he's speaking with Mystel or Garland, no matter how trivial it may seem. We're caught in a triangle, the three of us. We all rule the others lives though we're the only two who know it yet."
"Kai thats...Well...It's..." She paused as she tried to think of the perfect word. Weird? Too offensive. Wrong? But she knew he was right. "Insightful."
Kai sniggered. "Insightful, huh? Yeah, I guess it is. True, though. Scarily true. The way our lives are working right now you'd think it was just us three in the entire world and that everything else was just our background."
"It's funny how true that is, Kai. No. Not funny. Scary."
He wondered if she was going to say more or just stop there. She looked like there was a whole speech to follow but had she swallowed it up before it had a chance to be heard? Just a little thing, probably not even important but because it was from her he wanted to know. She took a deep breath in and exhaled again, pulling her knees up to her chin and wrapping her arms around them like a lost child. Strange. Just a second ago Kai could have sworn she was found.
"Care to expand on that?"
"You are my world," Hilary said, her words caught on the wind and whipped away like leaves in the air. It took Kai a few seconds to realise that she was still speaking. "Without you I'm nothing. I have nothing. Do you know how that feels? I barely know you. You're like a stranger. Yet I know that I need you now. I don't know what's happening to me but I'm so scared of it."
"It's like a hunger that can't be fed," Kai continued for her, when he could see she was growing increasingly uncomfortable under these emotions. "I know. I've got it too. Really bad. The only thing I know to do is to stay together. Maybe we'll both wake up one morning and these feelings will be gone but until they are we have to obey them. From everything I've learned in life, you can fight anything except your feelings."
"Why are we doing this, Kai? Really, why? All the things that are resting on our shoulders, all the people counting on us, all the expectations to live up to...Why are we risking them all? I don't want to feel like this. I don't want to love you. It's too dangerous and I don't want you to love me either. How can I pretend to love Brooklyn when I know my heart belongs to you? I can't keep this in either. Something's going to give, one way or another. Either you or I will slip up or we'll be caught together. It's inevitable yet still we're pretending like we're living in this magical little world where loves reigns and happy endings are as frequent as snow in the Arctic."
Kai released a slow breath from his nose and wrapped his arms around her, drawing her body into his. "I'm not pretending. I know everytime we're together what could happen. I'm always aware of our surroundings. I've been brought up that way. I don't know how to pretend I'm living in other world when this ones so real to me. You're right, though. It's a likelihood that one of us will slip up or we'll be caught together. I wouldn't say it's inevitable but its very, very likely. We need to be careful, like we are just now. Of course, when what's inside of you is as strong as it is for me and you its hard to fight it. We are only human, after all." He kissed her temple gently. "There's nothing we can do."
It was now fully dark and with no lights to guide them except from the moon, Kai knew it was time that they left. Hilary's absence would be noted if it hadn't already been so. There was only so much even Mariah could do for them. He didn't want her to leave, though. The battle he'd sensed from the moment they were first together was now happening: his head and his heart. His heart wanted to be with hers always but his head knew they had to go their separate ways for now, not knowing when they would be together again. All his life he had been able to hide his emotions and ignore them. They had never played a big part in his decisions or choices up until he'd met Hilary.
What was it about her? Was it the way that when she smiled it seemed like he could never be unhappy again, or the laugh that glistening through the air like music which couldn't be heard? Her slender body that seemed to just fit perfectly with his, her ruby eyes more valuable than the gem which shared the colour, her silky hair that was so soft to touch it felt like it might break under his fingers?
It was just everything. Everything about her had destroyed all the logic he once knew, the sense he had been given. And he didn't care. So long as Kai had her he had no need for anything else. Nothing in the world could make him feel as great as he did when he was with her and there was nothing in the world he wouldn't give to be with her, no matter how short their time together was.
Or so his heart led him to believe.
His head felt differently and his head was telling him it was time to go and stop being such a love fool. This time he decided to agree with it. It wouldn't just be Hilary that would be missed. He was going to have a lot of explaining to do as well. "It's late. I should take you home before people start noticing you're gone and start asking questions, if they haven't already done so."
The stars were out now, not many but a few twinkled in the sky. She liked lying under them like this with Kai holding her. It felt like that was the way things were supposed to be. But, like all good things, it had to come to an end. "Sure. I don't want to cause anyone any trouble. How are we supposed to get back to the car? You don't have a flashlight, do you?"
He stood up and brushed stray blades of grass form his jeans. He then offered Hilary his hand and pulled her up with him. "Just don't let go and we'll be fine."
His feet were sure as he trailed through the darkness with Hilary following, trying her best not to get her foot caught in any upturned roots. Though it was night, the trees were alive with the sound of various animals, owls, rodents in the branched above them and little twitters here and there of birds settling into their nests. She was surprised that there would be so much life around them that didn't fear the human presence that was trespassing on their territory.
"Oh, Kai!" She asked suddenly, remembering that she's really only got half a story. "Just how did you manage to hijack my car?"
There was a slight snicker. "It was easy. Mariah told you're driver there was a replacement for that day because there was a mix up with holidays and as such she thought he wasn't going into work that day. He gets a paid day off so I doubt he's complaining."
"Okay, but that doesn't explain why he picked me up this morning."
"Who said it was him?"
The penny dropped. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"Because you were going to see Kingston. You had to be on your guard and couldn't afford that kind of a distraction."
Hilary couldn't believe she hadn't even noticed that. Her driver hadn't gotten out to hold her door for her at all, now she remembered. But she hadn't even thought twice about it. Nor had they exchanged words. Her mind had been to busy on Kai to realise that it was he who was playing chauffeur for the day. It's funny how sometimes what the mind sees the eyes believe. She had expected her driver and since she hadn't paid much attention she had assumed the silhouette driving had been him. That was bizarre.
He had a point, though. She thought back to a few years ago when her parents had still been living. She had a piano exam that had to be passed in order to attend a prestigious music tutoring group and she had been practicing hard for it for months. Her parents had been on vacation to Australia for a month, leaving her to stay with her grandparents until they arrived home. She had gone in to sit her exam and passed it with flying colours, earning her a place in the programme. When she left the exam room her parents had been waiting for her. They had said to her that they had been home since the day before but stayed away so that she didn't get over excited and boggle up her mind when she had such an important event waiting for her. They had been right. In her excitement, when she went to play them her pieces she plain forgot how to do so.
"I see what you mean," She replied but Kai made no indication that he'd heard her.
Instead he carefully picked his way through the dark maze keeping a firm grip of Hilary's hand. Concentrating on the path, was Hilary's deduced thought. In what seemed like no time at all, he pulled back the branches hiding the bulky vehicle and opened Hilary's door. "There won't be time to say goodbye when I drop you off," he said and kissed her softly and nudged her gently into the car. "We really shouldn't linger too long."
Hilary nodded as Kai shut the door and moments later they drove away, the journey as silent as the night sky.
Kai was well aware that they would be waiting up for him. He hadn't come prepared with an excuse but figured he would just tell them the truth. Well, something close to it anyway. Everything had gone mostly well as he'd dropped Hilary off. His hat was dipped down so it covered most of his facial features and he didn't have what he called his 'war paint' on, that was the distinctive two blue triangles we wore when he was acting for the Resistance. Without them he looked like a pretty ordinary guy. They hadn't said a word to each other – both playing their part. That had been tougher for him than he liked to admit. He also had an incontrollable inch like he was penting something up. Of course, they hadn't had each other and that would probably explain it. His passion was overwhelming, something it had never been before. Passion...It was strange. He thought he'd been passionate about the Resistance but compared to this it was a speck on the spectrum of his emotions. That was another thing he wasn't so keen on admitting.
Casually glancing around him, making sure there was no one watching him, he unlocked the door to the house that led to the Resistance head-quarters. There were various ways to get in and this was only one of them. They all eventually led to the same underground passage that in itself led to the underground layer of the Resistance. Kai wasn't sure what it had been in the past as there had been nothing in the city's history books about it nor in the city plans. He had an idea it had once been the hideout or safe haven for a minority scapegoat centuries ago before the city was declared a city. There were various hidden passages throughout the city and some that Kai was sure he hadn't even discovered. This one was his favorite: a derelict house lying on a derelict street in the city slums. No one ever noticed who passed through, least of all a teenager looking as if he had all the troubles on his shoulders.
He locked the door behind him. A needless precaution, probably, but one he never felt content until he had done so. Then he propped up the grimy floorboards and walked down the stone steps that led to the dark passage. Carefully, he let the boards close over the top of his head and began the walk that led him to his home. It was generally a ten or fifteen minute walk, depending on what entrance you were using and tonight proved no different but eventually Kai found himself at the steel door that was the last barrier between the world up above and the one down below. He rapped the door and waited until some one answered, hoping to God he wouldn't have to deal with anyone's questions but knowing that wouldn't happen.
"Personal password?"
Kai sighed in relief. It was Max. He would probably be safe for now. "Dranzer008."
The password system was a computerised database run by Kenny to identify who was coming into the Headquarters. Each individual member had their own password and no one was allowed in without one, no matter who they were. There were codes as well, passwords that indicated the situation, one of Tyson's better ideas.
"Sorry Kai but Garnet said I've not to let you in," Max said, sounding not in the least bit sorry.
"Open the fucking door," Kai replied darkly.
No sooner had he done so than he saw the frames of his Generals and friends, all looking ready to throttle him. There was no denying that staying out so long by himself had been foolish but if he wanted to do so what right did they have to stop him? At this present moment in time he wasn't particularly in the mood to explain his self.
"Where have you been?" Hiro demanded angrily. Everyone else wore more or less the same expression. "Do you have any idea what we've been going through? We thought you'd been arrested or worse. What the hell do you think you're playing at? I thought we were agreed no one left without telling people where they were going and what time they expected to be in! You made those rules Kai and here you are recklessly breaking them! We were about to send people out to find out if you'd been discovered or not. Do you know how dangerous that would have been?"
He had seen Hiro in a lot of stages of anger but never as irate as this. If he said a wrong word he was sure Hiro would happily strike him into next year. "All I can say is I'm sorry. I got distracted. There was no one around for me to say I was going out but I really had to leave."
This answer seemed be a good one for this atmosphere settled down slightly and he could sense a lot of the hot hotheadedness ease off.
"Okay. So where were you?" Tala asked.
On this question, Kai paused. Maybe telling them he was with a girl wasn't totally the best answer to use. But he didn't want to lie to them either. He would sooner be found out.
"I'm not going to tell you. All I'll say was that it was a really good reason. Nothing Resistance related or anything but it was more personal. I'll apologise again but that's really all I can do just now."
They were speachless as he walked off, leaving them all to speculate. The men, at least. Garnet, being the only girl and therefore statistically more in touch with feelings smiled knowingly.
"Oooo! He's got it bad!" She squealed like a schoolgirl who had just been told her crush like her back.
"Got what?" Tyson asked.
The smile turned warm. "Can you honestly not see it? The slight little spring in his step? The little twinge on his lips? The way his eyes are sparkling?"
None of them could honestly say they had and few suspected that there was a slight exaggeration on Garnet's part, her being the typical girly girl who took everything to extremes.
"What of it?"
"Geez, isn't it obvious? It's like like I'm talking to a bunch of idiots. You can't honestly see it?"
"See what!?" Max and Tyson demanded.
Garnet rolled her eyes. "Kai's got the hots for some one. That's where he's been all day and I'm betting that's where he'll be quite a few times. The only question is who the mystery girl is and how did he meet her?"
They all looked each other, mentally asking each other that question but finding none of them could get the answer.
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