Disclaimer: Err...I don't own Beyblade. And I still don't own a Beyblade, which sucks. But, who cares anyway? T_T

A/N

Well...here it is – the last chapter of this fanfic. Hope you'll like it. Okay...*takes a deep breath* Thank you: Sammy, sexy – jess, peachgirl1608, Hutchy, LadyofAnime, Rachel, dragonmaster and Someone for all your reviews and support! ^_^

I know this chapter is kind of cheesy and all, but...oh, well...couldn't help myself...

In denial

Chapter IV – The remedy

-by Alena S. Anigor

***

Waves were crashing softly against the cool sand; the salty water covering it every time more and more. The afternoon was creeping away slowly; the sky turning fiery red and orange now and the golden orb was half on its way behind the horizon.

The sound of birds chirping filled the air and the mild breeze blew gently around two solitary figures standing on the beach.

One of them was slightly taller; spiky hair bristling around and dark bangs flying nonchalantly over his forehead. The other figure was a girl; dark, auburn hair shining on the sunset, her back turned to the sea so her face was consumed in shadows. But her eyes held something that managed to sparkle and glisten even now, when she was standing in front of the boy, her body stiff and her expression hard and serious...

Hillary's hands were hanging loosely by her sides, but her fists were clenched slightly. As much as she wanted to look serious, cold and controlled, inner emotions were storming inside of her, almost making her break and loose her composure. But, no – she would not break and she would not yield under that innocent and confused gaze of the boy standing in front of her. He hurt her, and now he would have to see how that is when someone makes you feel unwanted.

Tyson, on the other hand was shocked beyond his beliefs of what shock might feel like. He was staring at the girl in front of him, noticing her grim, almost hateful expression, her eyes dark and raging with anger – in full contrast to her current demeanor. Just when he was about to apologize, get it over with and invite her to come back and be a part of the team, she managed to cut him off with words that were voiced in such a cold and icy manner that it sent chills running down his spine. He couldn't believe that it was truly the Hillary he knew standing there and glaring at him.

What did he want, she asked him...

Well, he wanted to apologize – that's why he was here in the first place, but somehow...his words got stuck in his throat as soon as she turned around and greeted him with her blazing eyes and her lips pulled in a frown.

"What is it?" She asked again, noticing the inner struggle in the boy and suddenly realizing that she managed to gain some kind of odd satisfaction just from looking at his confused and lost expression.

Tyson opened his mouth to say something. He wanted desperately to say anything at all, but lacked the power to do that. The looks she gave him and the way she crossed her arms, reminded him of Kai in a way, and he shuddered inwardly; hardly even trying to imagine what would happen if Hillary would suddenly start acting like Kai. He shook his head, snapping out of his stupor and looked her straight in the eye. Brown met ruby, anger clashed with determination and Tyson sighed. His shoulders slumped slightly when he looked at his feet, then at the sand and then raised his eyes to look at her face, still emotionless and cold as before. She was eyeing him calmly and coolly, staring intently at him and he almost cringed at the intensity of her glare.

"Hillary..." he began, diverting his eyes towards the sea for a second and then at his feet, "I'm...I'm sorry." He finished and let out a breath of relief for finally saying it out loud. He dared to look at her face now and noticed how her expression hadn't changed. If anything else – her eyes became even darker, her bangs shading them from his view.

Hillary sighed inwardly, wishing to hear those words from him lots of times before when he insulted her, and what happened? Yes, he had said them, but...he didn't even look her in the eye. He was staring at his feet instead...Hillary lowered her head, fighting with a sudden urge to cry and to simply run to him and hug him, but she decided against it. She wasn't like that, and when she remembered those harsh words of his, telling her to leave, thought not literally...but the meaning behind his words she could still understand. Her body shook slightly and Tyson breathed in, already afraid she was crying. When he wanted to put a hand on her shoulder and ask her if she was okay, she raised her head again and a pair of icy ruby eyes greeted him instead of tear stricken ones.

His hand stopped in the air, on the half way to her shoulder and he looked at her, confusion written on his face again.

"H-Hillary, what...?" He asked, his voice hesitant and full of questions. Hillary shook his hand away slowly, making him stare at her in wonder.

"Is that all, Tyson?"

He was left mouth open, her words having the cold water effect on him now. It was like someone just poured a bucket of water on him – her question left him dazed and puzzled.

He frowned in confusion.

"What do you mean 'is that all'?"

Hillary frowned as well, uncrossing her hands and putting them on her hips now. Her anger started to shine trough now, replacing that composed and cool demeanor she was letting him see just a second ago.

"Is that all you have to say, Tyson?" she retorted with her own question and made him let out an exasperated breath. He stretched his arms at his sides angrily, glaring at her now and forgetting all about his apology.

"Well what do you want me to say more? I apologized, didn't I?"

Hillary's eyes blazed in fury and she leaned towards him, completely forgetting about her control now, as well.

"And you think that's enough?" she yelled now, making him growl and lean in, too.

"And what do you want from me then? To fall down on my knees and beg for your forgiveness?!" He replied, raising his voice a bit. They were close now, their faces a few inches away and their noses almost touching. Hillary's voice wavered a bit when she yelled at him after that, her eyes slightly moist from the tears that threatened to spill down her face.

"No, Tyson!"

The boy stared at her, perplexed. He just didn't understand – first she acts like an ice statue, then she starts to yell at him, and now she was on the verge of tears.

"Well what do you want from me then?!" He asked, more out of despair then out of anger. She was truly confusing him second after second. Hillary choked on her words, and now she was staring at the sand, tears falling down her cheeks freely now. Tyson's eyes widened in fear and despair when he realized that he managed to make her cry. He raised his hands in the air, trying to defend himself.

"I didn't mean...I mean, I – I just wanted to...aw, Hillary! Stop crying!"

But Hillary didn't want to stop crying. She clenched her fists and sobbing once, raised her head to look at him. Her tears and red eyes made him cringe and he flinched slightly, hating to see anyone cry and let alone to see his friends cry.

"What do I want?" She managed to choke out, trying to keep her voice steady as much as possible. Tyson simply stared wide – eyed at her, at loss of what to do. She sniffled softly, choosing her next words carefully.

"I want you to mean it, Tyson...that's what I want."

"Mean it?" he asked, confused and baffled again. Hillary nodded sharply, wiping her tears angrily from her eyes. She couldn't believe she let her control slip away so easily, but what was done, was done. She was determined to say what she wanted to say and what she felt...even if that meant she was going down with it.

"I want you to mean it – to mean that you're sorry," she hiccupped and regretted it. She hated to be so weak and pathetic but she still didn't want to give up. Tyson gaped at her in some kind of wonder before he started laughing which made things even worse because she looked at him, shocked and bewildered.

"But I do mean it," he replied quickly, noticing how she was gaping at him and raised his hands in the air to prove his point. Her face softened just a bit, before her expression saddened again and she lowered her head.

"No, you don't," she whispered solemnly, observing the shiny specks of sand glistening on the sunset. Smile disappeared from Tyson's face when he realized what she murmured.

"Of...of course I do! Hillary! Come on!" He spread his hands away from his sided in a desperate attempt to make the girl believe him. He almost growled at her stubbornness and inability to trust him.

She shook her head vehemently raising her head again. Her eyes were full of tears again and Tyson sighed in defeat, not knowing what to do or what to say anymore.

"If you mean it, then why..." she stopped, taking a deep breath to try to calm her shaking voice, "then why do you always insult me? Why do you always offend me, Tyson? Why do you always yell at me and fight with me? Why?"

Questions were hurled at the boy faster than he could blink, and he was left staring at her with mouth agape, the sudden outburst from the girl making him feel guilty. Hillary choked on her next words, but shook her head angrily and wiped her tears away with her hand.

"Why do you always tell me to leave?" she asked him, making him lower his head in silent contemplation and guilt, "Just like today...you told me loud and clear to leave, to leave you all alone because I wasn't a part of the team...and do you know how much I want to be a part of your team? I want to help you!" She screamed suddenly, making him flinch and back away. His eyes were wide with the realization just how much he hurt her by saying those words. He opened his mouth to say he was sorry, to say that she was a part of the team...that he needed her and her help, but she cut him off again.

"You practically told me to get lost...that you don't want my help...that you don't need me, that you don't even want me as your friend – "

"That's not true!" He cut in, but she was determined to finish what she started.

"You practically told me that you hate me, Tyson!" She shouted, tears falling down her face and this time she didn't bother to wipe them away. He grabbed her by the shoulders, trying to calm her down desperately. She looked like a lost child now, alone and abandoned, and it made something clench around his heart to look at her like that.

"Hillary, I-"

"And I actually fell in love with you!"

Silence.

The sun was almost gone; a few golden and orange streaks visible around it, illuminating the sky. Darker shades of blue and purple started to replace them and the only thing that was audible was the crashing of the waves, soft and almost soothing. The last rays of sun illuminated two figures, who were looking at each other wide – eyed.

Hillary took a sharp intake of breath, clasping her hand over her mouth slowly, her eyes glued to the ones of the boy in front of her. He was still holding her by her shoulders, and his grip seemed to tighten slightly. Chocolate eyes were searching intently the ruby ones of the girl, who was in an equal shock just as he was.

Tyson's breath got stuck in his throat for a while, before he finally let it out, slowly and dreadfully, as if he was loosing the last breath he possessed. He was trying to find some kind of answer, some kind of confirmation in the girl's eyes that he heard her right. But he didn't have to search – it was all there in her eyes. Her hand was still covering her lips, and her eyes closed slowly, one tear falling down...the last one. She didn't have more of them to cry out, and she thought bitterly that she probably cried enough for a lifetime in one single day.

"Hillary..." she heard a voice coming from the young beyblader in front of her. It cracked a bit, but it still sounded soft. She sighed, not daring to open her eyes, already having a few images of him in her mind. Instead, she said what she though would happen next.

"Go ahead and laugh Tyson...knock yourself out."

A brief silence followed again, before she could feel his grip tighten slightly on her shoulders, and when she didn't hear him laughing, she became suspicious and she opened her eyes.

Instead of seeing him bent from laughter, she saw him looking at her so adoringly that it made her heart melt. He wasn't laughing or smirking; he wasn't even snorting and he didn't run away from her screaming 'cooties', which surprised her a lot. On the contrary – his eyes were soft and full of something she couldn't define since she never really saw it in his eyes before. But his eyes radiated warmth and she could feel her heart beating faster all of a sudden.

"Tyson?" she asked him slowly, afraid for a moment she was dreaming, but when he blushed beat red and started laughing uncontrollably, scratching his head in that characteristic manner, she sighed in relief. Then she blushed as well, suddenly well aware of her outburst, and her confession.

'Oh, my God,' she thought, her eyes widening for a moment. She said it...she actually said it, and now...

She looked at the boy who still had the goofiest grin on his face and was still acting like he was on sugar high.

"Tyson," she spoke silently and he stopped laughing abruptly, mumbling something incoherent and staring at the sky like it was the most interesting thing in the whole universe.

"Uhm, yeah?" he asked her, still not daring to look at her. His face was burning, just like hers, but compared to him, she was at least brave enough to look him in the eyes.

"Well...what do...you think?" she added, wanting nothing more than to receive a straight answer from him.

"About what?" he replied with his own question and she looked at him with a deadpanned expression.

"Tyson," she said in a low voice and touched his chin so he was forced to look at her. He stared at her for a while, trying to say something that would make sense, but the girl was holding him captive with her eyes and he realized now that he was still holding her by the shoulders and they were so close...too close...

"Whoa! Uh..." he backed away slightly, and let go of her shoulders. Hillary had to laugh seeing him so flustered and confused. She smiled at him, and he smiled back unconsciously, not comprehending what he was doing.

Tyson was still in some sort of daze – he couldn't quite comprehend the whole situation; it all happened so fast. He came here to apologize to her in hope she would forgive him and everything would be honky – dory again. Then they ended up fighting again, after which she started crying and in the end, she said she was in love with him. It just didn't make sense. His brain stopped functioning properly after that last sentence, and since then he was still in some kind of shock and it took him a while until he recovered from the brain malfunction.

When he finally registered what happened, he started laughing like an idiot and he could've sworn it became really hot. Then he realized that the reason for all those strange feelings that started flipping trough his stomach was the girl in front of him...Wait a minute... – she told him she was in love with him... When it finally clicked to him again, Tyson blinked once and then looked at a confused looking Hillary. She was frowning in puzzlement, trying to read him but failed.

"Tyson?"

He stared at her, now fully aware of the whole situation...The girl liked him...she was in love with him, and...

"Are you okay?" She asked him again, now starting to feel uncomfortable. She was watching him intently - trying to make him do or say anything but he looked right trough her like his thoughts were elsewhere.

And now, when he finally realized that this wasn't a joke, another set of butterflies roamed trough his stomach and he suddenly felt giddy and happy.

Hillary backed away a bit; afraid that expressing her emotions out loud wasn't such a good idea. After a few moments, she wanted to simply run away and hide in a mouse hole; terrified with the thought that Tyson might say to her that he didn't feel the same.

She turned around, ready to sprint back home and never go out again when he grabbed her by the hand and pulled her back.

"Wait, Hillary! I...uhm...well...err..." He was stuttering, words failing on him completely, but his blush gave him away and he lowered his head in embarrassment. Hillary watched him, observing him intently and after a while understood what was going on.

"Do you...you know..." she mumbled, blushing beat red as well. He smiled uneasily and nodded clumsily after a moment. Then he grinned goofily and scratched his head again. Hillary smiled at him, feelings of dread and angst disappearing slowly. He liked her, too...as weird as it sounded.

"You sure?" she asked him, just in case. He placed an insulted mask and smirked.

"You don't trust me? Feh!"

Hillary beamed, her eyes glistening with happiness and emotions she couldn't even voice out. She felt so happy suddenly that she spread her arms and hugged him tightly, making him blush and almost loose his balance.

She giggled, when he yelped and felt him hug her back after the initial shock.

The sun was gone; the last trace of light vanishing behind the horizon and the sea became dark, mysterious pool, reflecting the light of the moon now.

The two of them didn't even notice when the night crept until she gasped and pulled away.

"Tyson, it's night!" she yelped and he blinked.

"Oh...yeah..." he smiled sheepishly. Then his expression softened when he saw her looking at him. The moon illuminated her face now and made her look almost serene and enchanting. He gulped, suddenly taken away with the fact just how beautiful she really was. She was currently looking at her watch and then her eyes widened when she looked what time it was.

"My mom is going to kill me!" she shrieked and pulled him by his hand, tagging him behind.

Tyson was slightly out of breath when they reached her house. Standing in front of the gates, she looked at him, blushing slightly again.

"Uhm...thanks," she said and Tyson craned his neck aside.

"What for?"

"For everything," she replied and smiled warmly at him. He smirked back and then remembered something.

"Hey...see you tomorrow?" He asked and she blinked at him at first.

"You know...to help us with blading and all? Guys miss you, you know."

She smiled and nodded happily, glad that he still remembered about inviting her back to the team.

"Besides that," she said, amusement evident in her voice, "someone has to wake you up."

A mental image of Hillary splashing a bucket of water on him popped in his mind and he scratched his nose, grinning at her.

"Yeah, that too!"

Hillary turned to open the entrance gates but turned around before that and approached him hesitantly.

"Uhm...good night, Tyson." She said softly and leaning towards him, gave him a kiss on the cheek. He blushed vigorously and managed to hear her giggle before she vanished behind the gates.

He sighed deeply then turned around to go home. He already imagined his grandpa smacking him on the head for coming home so late; he could see Max, Rei and Kenny asking questions about his whereabouts and he could imagine Kai's frowning face for missing the whole day of training.

But, as he thought, he would deal with them tomorrow...and maybe, just maybe – he'll tell them about a certain member of the team, who managed to flip his life like a beyblade...

But first – he'll make himself a big sandwich!

The end