(A/N): So okay I'm a little overdue with this chapter, I know. But hey, I finally got it done! And earlier than expected too. I thought to myself on Friday 'okay, next weekend chapter 10 of Do Svidanya is getting done!' And then woke up this morning and thought '…meh, might as well do it today' so here it is! XD

And guess what, for the first time since…ever, I think I've written a chapter I actually like! Hah, it's a good feeling :).

Disclaimer: I don't own beyblade or any of the character, except for Nikita.

The days became shorter and the snow began to fall again. As the months went by, winter was fast falling over Russia. Kai always felt that time had been sped up, and I have to say I knew what he meant. Those times where we were kept in limbo were the worst of all, and I was experiencing the least of it in the luxury of Kai's abode. The countries that were in knowledge of the war were on their toes in anticipation, as was Kai. It pained me sometimes to see what effect this war was having on him, despite the fact it had yet to officially begin. But all the while, Kai paid little attention to my sympathetic advice, and continued to life his last few free months avidly preparing for what we all knew was just around the corner.

The two of us had become a partnership, and as soon as I'd fully recovered from my injuries, I had held my breath and marched back into the place I now had a better understanding of, right by his side at all times. The first few times were the hardest; I had to be driven home again on a couple of occasions and was prone to bursting into tears until the very end. Nothing about it was ever easy for me, but there were still alterations made through Kai's horror at my reactions that made it ever so slightly better.

Upon arriving there the second time, at least a solid two weeks following my collapse in the observation box, I had felt the need to inflict serious tongue-biting on myself to prevent a hundred demands from shooting out of my mouth. Every time I walked in it felt as though I were having a recurring nightmare; every aspect literally identical to how it had last been seen by my eyes. It felt as though not a millisecond had passed between each step out and in through those oak doors. As though everything froze and was left, exactly as it was.

The two of us had sat down together on several occasions, in the abbey and in the palace, to discuss certain things that would need to be changed. It mainly involved a mammoth amount of convincing on my part, though all changes would need to be minor. Kai had made it perfectly clear, and I had it understood, that no major modifications could be inflicted. I had bitterly accepted that the students would need to remain as uncomfortable as possible in order to keep them in preparation. This mainly consisted of trivial alterations like a small increase in food quality on certain days of the week, or a slightly more varied training schedule. I had also successfully quelled Kai's excessive paranoia that the students would make desperate attempts to escape should they be allowed outside on occasion. The morning they stepped out into the light for the first time in god knows how long was one I shall never forget. The revelation was remarkable and painful to watch at the same time. The majority of them refused to leave the building; some of the older students who must have been cooped up between the grimy stone walls for years. And those who did decide to venture outside, even through the fuzz of the monitor screen it was easy to tell they were rather frightened aside from their intrigue. But it was due to this innovation that Kai, who had never before imagined that boys could simply forget how to adapt to natural light, decided to turn the one-time experience into a daily occurrence.

Those months of autumn and winter passed by far too quickly. Before I knew it the air was getting colder, the sun was constantly hidden amidst the looming clouds, and the night fell before the mid-afternoon of each day. Night was growing longer, and we were all being consumed by the dark.

One evening I was seated at the dining table, politely watching my dinner turn cold as I waited for Kai to arrive. About forty five minutes I waited, before becoming seriously concerned. It took me back to all the times in the past where we had sat around waiting for him, the few significant times where he had just never come back. Those days were long gone, but still I worried. Mainly for his immediate safety, and partly for mine should the worst have occurred. My anticipation grew with every deafening tick of the grandfather clock, aware of each and every second that past in those minutes of his absence.

After what truly seemed an eternity, my heart skipped a beat as the sound of the heavy mahogany doors being opened rattled through the silence. My head shot up from where I'd previously been looking into my lap, and my breathing rate increased by several notches as I saw him finally step into the dining room.

'Kai!' I gasped out breathlessly, instantly getting to my feet and rushing over to him. He took a couple of slow steps into the room, fixating his gaze somewhere on the table. There didn't immediately appear to be anything wrong with him, and yet I had never seen him so discoloured. He too was breathing heavily, and seemed barely able to coerce his legs into moving further into the room.

He didn't seem to notice me until I'd reached him. 'Kai,' I leant forward to look into his face and he finally tore his eyes from whatever he'd been fixated on. 'Kai, what's wrong?'

He didn't respond to me in words; he had no need to. His dull purple eyes lowered to look straight into mine, and they told me what I needed to know. My breathing had become heavy again, my pulse was increased since he had stepped reluctantly into the room. He didn't need to tell me anything, I knew what he was trying to say. My mouth slowly fell open as my eyes became increasingly wider. Even the sound of the grandfather clock had been drowned out by the tension. He didn't move; he still appeared to be pale, but his eyes stayed strongly fixated on mine and the stare didn't waver. The realisation hit me like a bolt of lightning, and my entire body stiffened for a moment and I swear I felt my heart stop. What we knew about before had finally been announced. We had finally turned the corner.

It had begun.

The very next day it was their time to depart. Kai had informed me that morning with relief evident in his tone that almost every single one of them had decided to join up. It was one of the coldest mornings Russia had seen in years; the snow pelted in vast quantities, the clouds were so dark it felt like night. The visibility was so abysmal most of the shops hadn't been opened and the streets were almost completely bare. And despite all that, I found myself bracing the cold wind and hail that morning, pushing myself against the storms and marching to the entrance of the abbey one last time.

I could barely see the building through the thickness of the fog, but I imagined it must feel as empty as it always looked to me, now that the students were leaving it abandoned once more. Several large trucks were stationed on the side of the road, and the burly guards stood by sheparding the departing students inside. A wave of sadness washed over me as I caught familiar faces waving goodbye to their parents for a second time, wrapped up several times in warm clothing that hid their strong but malnourished skin and bones from sight.

How he had recognised me amidst all the others is still a mystery to me; I suppose after all the time forced to be spent in close proximity he just knew my every aspect. Sure enough, as I approached unseen by most of them, his form charged away from the crowds and sprinted towards me in a mad dash.

'Hilary!' he cried, throwing his arms around my neck as though he couldn't believe his eyes. I did much the same, throwing myself at him in utter relief for the last time. We held on to eachother for a while before he finally drew back and stammered 'I-I can't believe…- I thought you were-I thought you might be…'

'No, Nikita, I'm not dead,' I smiled at him devotedly and shook my head at his relieved and disbelieving expression. 'I'm very much alive, and well.' And I couldn't put into words my relief that he appeared to also be fairing suitably. Though his face was still significantly thinner than when we had first met, his eyes still sparkled even in the dull weather, and small teardrops of shock and relief speckled their corners and his lashes.

'I…I can't even begin to…I was so worried!' he choked out, pulling me back towards him for another tight embrace, which I returned with the same amount of gratitude. We had both needed to release our excruciating apprehension, whether or not we had realised it before. We were tormenting ourselves over each other's safety. Those thankful moments released us from something we'd both had on our shoulders.

In the distance the stiff voice of a guard ploughed through the noise of the blizzard. The new heroes of the country were getting ready to depart soon. I scanned over the heads of the crowd for the face of a familiar woman who had been hospitable enough to house me the night before my arrival to the abbey.

Nikita, who either hadn't noticed my concentrated expression or chose to simply let it slide, stepped back from me once more and put on that priceless smile I always loved to see. This time was no exception, until he excitedly informed me of the reason for it.

'We're going to war, Hil!' he practically whispered it but his voice was so filled with delight I caught every word. I finally took my eyes off the crowd and looked back at him.

'You're…?' I couldn't bring myself to complete the question. Somewhere inside I had known it from the beginning, but had preyed with all my might that I had been wrong.

He nodded enthusiastically, showing the same zest he had the day I had been watching him throw his belongings on his bed and avidly talking about the abbey. He was giving me the same look now, and I couldn't help but recall that the belongings he threw on his bed in enthusiasm had later been taken from him and never returned. 'We're going to fight for Russia, truly take part in the action! Isn't that incredible?'

I felt a lump form in the back of my throat, and I felt my heart break a little. Initially I made no effort to prevent my expression from visibly falling, my eyes and lips from drooping as it dawned on me that nobody was coming to take Nikita safely home. He had chosen, as I should have known he would, to follow his newly acquired nationalism and march out to war. He really was the sort of student they were looking for; to let him fall at the loss of the battle I saved him from would have been their biggest mistake. Vivacious Nikita had all the heart in the world; the devotion needed to bring our allies to victory in battle. I realised how foolish I was to even hope for him to make the decision to stay behind.

Finally, I shook my head a little and blinked in an attempt to recompose myself. Clearing my throat and ignoring the nagging voice which quite often rang out through my mind, I forced a smile as convincing as I could make it to my face and croaked out, 'It's wonderful.'

The guards powerful voice rang out one last time, and Nikita heard it too this time. He turned back to see the remainder of the students boarding the trucks and fighting to free themselves from their parents clutching arms. I couldn't blame the poor parents in the least; I had the incessant urge to grab Nikita in much the same way, make a dash in the opposite direction and never let him out of my sight. But I remembered the morning we stood in the stone courtyard in the abbey, and I had wanted to do the same thing. I realised that as long as I knew Nikita he would be rushing into things I would resent or fear, and at some point I would have to just allow it. If he could never be persuaded, I would have to let him go and stop allowing myself to live in fear. Had I known Nikita longer, his energy would have brought me to an early grave.

He turned his smiling face back to my sad eyes and I knew it was time. I brought another smile to my face, for him and him alone, and we wrapped our arms around eachother once more. This embrace was shorter than the first, but still every moment was treasured in my mind. He broke away from me when the guard called out something again, and gave his final smile.

'Do Svidanya, Hilary.' It didn't sound like he was saying goodbye; he spoke as though it were a 'see you later'. The longest later in the eternal universe, and it still has yet to end. But I will always wait for it; the chance to see his smile again.

Before I knew it, he was gone. I watched the back of him sprint to where he believed he belonged, his new home with his new friends who were soon to become his brothers. I suddenly felt dreadfully old and alone; like a mother who watches their only son depart for ever. And many of the mothers standing by were in that very situation, amidst the lucky ones who's children had been treated with enough cruelty to last them a lifetime, and were ready to go back home.

Pulling my collar up against the biting cold, I sniffed and turned on my heel. It would be the last time I set foot on the corner of that road with the intention of walking down it, I decided. No more would I arrive every morning to face my biggest fears again. Never again would I venture down out of curiosity, and wander if the place were deserted. I was done with the hidden street and the doom-inflicting abbey which had continued to bring tragedy for far too long. I felt I had been dragged into its midst for too long; how Kai felt about it I could scarcely imagine.

For once I didn't cry; no tears left my eyes as I stepped into the heated palace hallway and felt myself burn with the sudden temperature change. No tears as I bid good afternoon to the nurse and headed to my magnificent room. Not even after I sat down before the large ornate mirror did I see my face crack in my reflection. It seemed I had cried enough for them now; there were no tears left.

I wore my most splendid of gowns at the dinner table that night; a stretch of cream silk which stretched across the marble floor behind me, an elaborate pattern embroided over it in gold. Surrounding me were several of the important aristocrats with much say in Russia's industry and economy, as did the Hiwatari's, who had no knowledge of my common social class and didn't care to discuss it with me. Glancing around, I took notice of the fact that somebody important were missing, and deemed it the suitable excuse I was searching for to exempt myself from the company of boring nobles whose languages I didn't understand.

Having ascended the stairs with slight difficulty, I found him in the place I expected him to be in. I cautiously stepped into the library which was so quiet it felt that the noise made from the people downstairs simply cut itself off at the threshold. It was the third largest room in the palace, after the ballroom and dining room, and filled with some of the oldest of texts. Kai always loved being in there; even if he wasn't reading. There was an exquisite view from the large windows, now blackened out completely by the star-less night sky. He stood at the window with his back to me as I entered.

'I think they're getting restless downstairs,' I began awkwardly, not quite sure how he'd react to being disturbed.

I heard him exhale slightly, but he didn't turn around. 'Perhaps they'll leave sooner, then.'

'Why are they here anyway?' I took the opportunity to venture further into the room and peer behind Kai at the blanket of ebony he appeared fascinated with. He caught my eye in the reflection of the window pane and I found myself unable to look elsewhere.

'In celebration,' he said off-handedly. Before I could voice my opinion on how even in today's world war was still valued as something to celebrate, he turned around and changed the subject. I thought for a moment I saw his face soften. 'The nurse said you went out by yourself this morning. Where did you go?'

I suddenly realised it was concern that had written itself across his features. My independence hadn't yet fully returned to me, and I was starting to believe that in taking care of me, his had begun to wane in return. I gave him a forlorn smile, 'I was at the abbey…saying goodbye…'

I trailed off and my eyes lowered to the floor, but I could still feel his on me. His stare didn't burn into my skin this time as it had done in the past when I knew he was looking at me; this time it felt more like a comforting hand, letting me know that everything would be alright, and no harm would be done. And though I knew better than that, it was nice to know it was there.

He didn't speak again, so I chose to break the consoling silence. 'What's going to happen to me?' I asked quietly in a slightly shaken voice. 'Now that I am well again, it makes sense that I should simply return home-'

In the middle of my reluctant deliberations Kai cut across me in a voice so inaudible I at first thought I had imagined it. I paused for a moment to find that he'd again turned to look elsewhere. 'What did you say?' I asked with uncertainty.

Kai cleared his throat and found the good grace to look me in the face again. 'I said you're already there. Hilary,' he took a couple of steps towards where I stood, blinking at him. 'I took it upon myself to protect you. You're barely recovered from…' he trailed off, finding it too difficult to mention the injuries inflicted by him. '…and now that the war's begun it would be too dangerous to go back to Japan. I can't let you go.'

'We're not fourteen anymore, Kai,' I in turn took another step towards him, looking up at him hopefully though I barely knew at the time what it was I was hoping for. 'I came out here by myself, war or no war, I believe myself capable of making the journey back.'

'I can't let you,' he shook his head and gritted his teeth, finding himself once again unable to look me in the face, 'you're not ready'.

A side of me which had been diminishing with every day spent in Russia and was now minute flared up at being told of my own condition. But the small indignant spark went almost unnoticed to me as a wave of something far greater washed over it. Something suddenly hit me, and the moment was so significant nothing could erase it from my memory. It was as though I were having an epiphany; a sudden moment of realisation that had I overlooked it, it would have passed me by and nothing would have been the same. Perhaps I would have insisted on leaving, bid him goodbye for ever and made it back to Japan in good time. But I never knew what could have been, though never regretted it either. Something in the way he spoke, the tone he used and the way he looked at me; the way he'd always looked at me since he'd discovered it was me he had beaten. It wasn't simply guilt. And it wasn't me who wasn't ready. It was him. He didn't want to let me go.

And it was when he spoke again that I realised I didn't want him to let me go either.

'I…I feel responsible for you, Hilary.' I could hear the lack of ease in his voice, which was so unnatural on him it felt as though I were talking to a different person than the one I used to know. 'You could have been killed and I can never forgive myself for almost allowing it to happen.'

'Kai,' I moved even closer this time, into space nobody dared step in before, and lifted my hand to gently force him to look at me again. 'I was there because of me. The injuries were my fault.'

He didn't move away. 'I almost brought your death.' His voice was beginning to sound rasping, and I thought for a moment I could feel his breath on my skin.

I shook my head slightly. 'No, Kai,' I moved even closer until it was definitely his breath wafting over my face, and a small smile crept to my lips by way of total forgiveness. Before I gave myself a chance to contemplate my actions, I felt my eyes begin to close as I whispered softly, 'you saved my life.'

Using the hand which was still below his chin, I pulled myself forwards and pushed my lips against his. For a couple of seconds he didn't react at all, but with I felt his arms wrap themselves strongly around me, I knew he'd broken down the barrier; we both had. Barriers perhaps neither of us had realised even existed until that moment of significant debility. But now we had eachother securely in our grasp; something so strange to think about that we'd never initially planned to happen. And I remembered the daydreams of my fourteen-year old self, and wandered if the enigma in my arms had ever been fully out of my mind. To this day, I wonder about that, when I think back to that memorable kiss that began it all.

From a friend, to a stranger, to a leader, to a partner, to a lover. It seemed I had reached yet another milestone in my recovered relationship with Kai Hiwatari.

Intermission

(A/N): INTERMISSION TIME! XD

Okay so now the story is officially on hiatus for a while. I need a break from it :P. When am I next updating? …Erm I'm going to say I have no idea, my aim will be…February? Sounds like a long time, but it will fly by! Besides, I have other stories that need working on!

I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, aswell as the story so far. Thankyou for 44 reviews, and 2,000+ hits! My faithful reviewers (you know who you are ;)) you guys are amazing, your positive feedback means the world to me.

Perhaps we can hit 50 reviews for the half-way point? :D Love you guys!