Chapter 8: Same Old Confusion
The pale morning sunlight shone through the large window of Hilary Hirada's bedroom and shone down upon the stirring girl. The teary-eyed brunette was still slightly dazed and she lay half-awake in the tangle of her bed sheets.
"Is this real?" she asked her self confusedly. "Did last night…really happen?"
Deep in her heart, Hilary knew the real answer. But in her mind, the truth was too horrible for her to even want to let the thought register in her brain as a reality. What had happened last night was so real and fresh in her thoughts that it was almost too real. So real, that it was scary.
As another wave of sadness washed over her, she squeezed her eyes shut and silently prayed, wishing with all her might that this was just someone's idea of a sick joke. A really sick joke. Or maybe that this was all just a dream and that she'd wake up to the sound of her mother hurrying about the kitchen, scrambling to finish up the last minute preparations to another lame Christmas party where only Hilary herself would show up.
But it wasn't. It was all too utterly real that it made her stomach churn around sickeningly with worry.
For one thing, what would happen to her now? Her parents were gone and the only thing close to what she could call family was a stupid older sister that had never been there for her. Hilary sincerely hoped that she didn't have to move out and live with her sister in New York.
New York. That was practically half way across the world! She couldn't even bear to imagine living that far away from her friends. She would be…alone. Again. Just like she had been before she met the Bladebreakers, as much as she hated to admit it. Before meeting the guys, she had been surrounded by her other girl classmates all the time, but it wasn't like they really cared about her or that she really cared about them. She had only stuck around them for…company? Now come to think of it, Hilary didn't know why she had hung around those phoney friends of hers for so long anyways.
She shot a glance over at the pink digital Hello Kitty clock that sat on her nightstand. It was almost noon, on the day before Christmas. She sighed. Christmas. It sure didn't feel a lot like the day before Christmas. Hilary wasn't even excited, much less happy, and it was her favourite time of year.
But maybe that was what she needed to get this whole thing off her mind, at least for a bit. "I'll do something Christmassy." She announced to no one in particular and slowly sat up in bed. "Maybe…" she looked at her reflection in her full-length mirror thoughtfully. "No, I've already finished my Christmas shopping. I could…nah, no one has Christmas lights on during the day. I guess, I could just go for a walk…but away from the river this time." Hilary shuddered as she changed into a pair of jean bellbottoms and pulled on a crimson turtle-necked sweater. "I definitely don't want to repeat that little escapade."
With that, she grabbed a blueberry muffin off of the kitchen table before slipping on her scarf, mittens, and a jacket, and whisked herself out the door.
~*~
"Oh crap!" The navy-haired boy shot upright in bed, his dark eyes wide as he gasped for breathe. "The party!"
He shoved aside the sliding door that separated his room from the rest of the building and ran down the hall to the dojo. When Tyson saw the sight that lay before him, his jaw literally dropped to the floor in awe. "What the heck?" The dojo…it was…
"Clean?! It-it's clean!"
Tyson stammered as he strode slowly around the wooden planked room. There wasn't a single speck of food to be seen, the tables had been neatly put away, and the stage that had been set up the morning before was gone. All that was left was the Christmas tree, the red and green lights and festive decorations that still hung from the walls and ceiling. It was as if there had been no party the night before.
With a sigh of relief, thankfulness, and overwhelming appreciation for his friends, the exhausted boy collapsed against the dojo wall and slid to the floor. When his grandpa came back that afternoon, he wouldn't have a single clue that there had been a party while he was out. Tyson smiled, he owed his buddies big time. How Max, Kenny, and Ray had kicked everyone out and got some of the others to help clean up the place was hard to imagine, seeing as the dojo had been a total wreck. And it wasn't as if anyone were in much of a sane state of mind either.
The events of the night before came flooding back to him, as he lay slumped against the wood. Right, he thought as his expression and tone of voice darkened.
"Some friends you can't do without." He stated to himself simply and images of Max, Ray, and the Chief came immediately to mind. Tyson adjusted his red and blue baseball cap on his head and pulled on his jacket. "And some friends," Both the faces of the bossy class president and the lone wolf team captain came to mind. "You can do without."
Then the navy-haired boy pulled his cap down to shade his cobalt eyes and strode silently out the dojo door, having to fulfill a sudden urge to fling snowballs as hard as he could into the river.
~*~
As hard as she tried to avoid it, she still kept finding herself atop the large flight of steps that led to the river's icy edge. She sighed, "And here I am, once again." Hilary huffed and blew her chocolate-coloured locks up into the frosty air. "Why is it that the only day I'm trying to stay away from this place, I keep ending up back here?"
Shaking her head, Hilary went to turn back around and continue on her way day the sleet-covered streets when she heard a loud splash coming from somewhere not too far away.
Oh my God…did someone fall in?! Was the first thought that came to mind and she instantly spun around to face the river. She scanned the water's edge and saw nothing. Hilary was about to shrug it off when she saw a small blur of white shoot out from underneath the bridge and fall into the river with a loud splash.
Curious, Hilary stepped carefully down the stairs and quietly approached the underside of the bridge. What if it was Tyson or Kai? What would she do then? She still hadn't completely decided on who she liked more…she didn't want to hurt either of her friends feelings. But she knew that either way, whichever choice she decided on, she'd end up hurting someone, and not only herself. And that's what was making Hilary stall. She didn't want to hurt anyone.
Hilary froze in mid-step. The words "who she liked more…" rang an imaginary alarm bell in her head and continued to echo strangely off of the invisible walls in her frustrated mind. Who she liked more. It sounded as if she was a little kid at an ice cream stall trying to choose whether to have a scoop of vanilla or chocolate ice cream. That didn't sound at all right in Hilary's mind. These were two very important people in her life, two people she cared a lot about and didn't want to hurt in any way. But, God, did her thoughts ever make her seem like some self-centred cow. She had to end this.
Shaking her head, she took a careless step forward into the snow.
*Crick!*
Hilary winced. There weren't many twigs that could be seen on this side of river, and with Hilary's luck, she had stepped on one of the few.
"Hey, who's there?" a familiar masculine voice called out from under the bridge.
Hilary felt a large knot form in the pit of her stomach and she gave a stifled gasp.
Oh crap.
~*~
At the sudden snap of the twig, the navy-haired boy's eyes darted towards the side of the bridge. A sharp intake of breath reassured him that it was not just his imagination. He heaved a deep sigh and made his way out from under the bridge somewhat reluctantly and slowly, dropping his icy white piece of ammunition along the way.
"Hey, who's there?" he asked, not really caring about who answered—but then again, half hoping it wasn't Hilary and half hoping that it was.
When the cobalt eyes of the eerily calm World Champion blader came into contact with those of the evidently anxious brunette, they narrowed involuntarily. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he averted his gaze almost instantly towards the snow-covered ground and muttered half-heartedly: "Oh, it's you."
He began to retreat to his place under the lonely bridge, when he felt her gentle hand clasp onto his shoulder lightly. Freezing cold as it was outside, the mere touch of her sent tingles coursing up his spine.
"Tyson…" she spoke the name of her friend with sad eyes and a soft tone. "Don't go, please. I'm-I'm so sorry!" Just at the sight of Tyson's gloomy figure sent a wave of fault crashing over her.
Yeah right, the boy thought bitterly and yanked his shoulder away from her outstretched hand. Then there was silence between the two, and the only sound that could be heard was the lapping of the water flowing down the river beside them.
"Well," Tyson broke the stillness with a cold tone of voice that rivalled the tone of the greatest brooder of all, Kai. He held his gaze downwards towards the swirling dark currents of water, knowing that if he stole just one glance at Hilary, his stubborn barrier of ice would shatter and melt. What kind of guy would break down just because of a girl? He was tough, and she wasn't going to break him. "You said your apology. Now can you please go away? I need to think."
Quite taken back by Tyson's harsh response, Hilary bit her lip and fought back the urge to cry. Tyson Kinomiya, why do you have to be such a stubborn ass sometimes?
"Look, Tyson!" She felt her anger welling up inside her like a volcano about to overflow and she couldn't help but let her voice rise. "JUST FREAKING QUIT THE STUPID TOUGH-GUY ACT AND LISTEN TO ME!"
Tyson whirled around instantly at her outburst and blinked in utter shock. "D-dude, Hilary, chill!" his cobalt eyes were literally as wide as dinner plates and he couldn't help but stutter in a choked yelp of astonishment.
Hilary exhaled, but her aggravation didn't fade completely. How dare he tell her to chill when it was him who needed to chill out? She rubbed her temples vigorously and sighed somewhat dejectedly.
"Look, I just wanted to talk, okay? I'll leave as soon as we sort some things out first. I promise." She compromised earnestly after a few moments of silence, when it felt as though they both had vented of most of their anger. "And…I really am sorry." She apologized in a hushed tone of voice.
And by just seeing the look of sincerity and remorse in her ruby eyes, Tyson let a smidge of a smile creep onto his features. Then, he gave the girl a little nod and felt a glow of embarrassment tinge his cheeks.
"Let's…talk."
~*~
Only a few minutes later, did the two find themselves in a deep and serious conversation.
"So…you won't be mad…if I happened to choose Kai instead of you?" the brunette winced, not really wanting for Tyson to take her question the wrong way, as brunt as it had sounded.
"I…" Tyson paused to collect his thoughts and put together what his heart and mind were telling him. She was sorry…heck, he was sorry. And Kai was one of his best friends... He wanted to say the right thing, do what he wanted, do what was best for everyone, and keep everyone happy. Whether fully realizing it consciously or not, Tyson knew that if he wanted to do what was right and make his friends happy, he'd have to endure a bit of pain…for them. He'd have to sacrifice his happiness for theirs. But Tyson didn't care, because if it made his friends happy, then that was all that really mattered. "No, Hilary, I wouldn't be mad at you. Who could ever be mad at you?" The navy-haired boy gulped down the large lump that had begun to form in his throat. "You just want to do what's right for everyone. Well, so do I, Hil. I want you to do what you think is best because it's your decision, and not mine or Kai's or anyone else's. And…" he felt his voice beginning to choke, "I'll always be your friend no matter what happens."
"Really, Tyson? You'd do that…for me?" Hilary's eyes began to glaze over with tears and she looked at the boy with a newfound admiration. She couldn't believe that this was the same Tyson that she had fought with to clean the classroom and who was constantly late for school. He was…different. Sincere. Sweet.
"Yeah, Hil, I would. And I swear on Dragoon that I'll always be there for you, even if you choose to be with Kai."
Now Hilary was breathless. She hated to admit, but never in all of her years of knowing Tyson, did she think that Tyson could even think of anything so deep about anything. Except maybe a giant tub of free ice cream.
"Thank you Tyson." She gave Tyson a long, warm hug, before walking off to face her next challenge.
Kai.
~*~
Why? The Russian boy with the two-toned hair screamed at himself mentally as he slammed his bedroom door shut and collapsed backwards onto his bed. Why was I so stupid to let my emotions get in the way? Hadn't all those years of horribly painful and endless training and torment at the abbey been enough to drive away all trace of emotion? Kai closed his eyes and let out a deep breathe.
He had already been out the entire morning training and trying to get his mind off of everything. But it was no use. Christmas, as well as the muddle of recent events, had been screwing with his mind…not to mention his training schedule.
It was that single image that lay engraved in his memory, etched forever somewhere deep in his mind. The look of longing and emotion that overflowed her beautiful ruby eyes as she gazed after his navy-haired friend haunted him. It felt almost like being slapped hard across the face. Yet, he could not forget it as desperately as he wished. Oh how Kai Hiwatari hated the feeling of rejection, even if it she hadn't said it right out loud. She might as well have.
A muffled knock resounded on the wooden door of his bedroom and Kai snapped out of his thoughts. The door creaked open and a grey-haired butler with a pointy nose poked his head through the crack. "Excuse me, young master Hiwatari, but there is a young miss at the door for you. She is waiting in the sitting room, shall I send her up or shall I notify her that you will see to her momentarily?"
A young miss? Kai thought confusedly, then his eyes widened slightly. Hilary. With a small snort and a muttered "Tell her I'm out", Kai flopped back down onto his grand bed and continued to stare unmoving at the white ceiling.
"B-but, Master Kai—" the butler stuttered at the young master's rude reply. "It is not polite to keep a guest waiting, much less a female friend of the young master—"
Kai shot an icy cold glare at the servant to quiet him. With a "hmph", the Russian boy folded his arms behind his head, turned away, and continued to glower out the large picture window.
"My apologies, sir. It was not my place." The man with salt and pepper greyed hair bowed his head and shut the door softly on his way back down the fancily curved steps.
~*~
Immediately after he heard the front door close, Kai groaned when he heard a little voice in the back of his mind quip:
You know what, Kai?
"What?" he grunted and closed his eyes.
You're mean, having your butler lie to Hilary for you like that.
"Shut up! I don't care what you say; it was my decision alone and not yours! Leave me alone!" Kai found himself yelling at no one in particular, seeing as he was the only one in the room. The frustrated boy shook his head and growled, "What the hell is up with this? I'm bloody talking to myself!"
With a groan, Kai sat up, and walked towards the large bedroom window that peered out and on-looked the large piles of freshly fallen snow that littered the estate grounds. Then, without hesitation, he pushed open his window and jumped out the two-story window. After landing with a soft "poof" of the powdery snow as it burst upwards into the air, Kai pushed passed the wrought-iron gates that boxed in the luxurious mansion and ran to the place where he knew he would be able to think alone. He ran faster and faster away from his home, trying to rid himself of all the alien emotions that clogged his mind, with the tails of his white silken scarf flowing behind him in the breeze.
~*~
Silver Swiftness: First off, let me start by saying how sorry I am for having you guys wait so long for this chapter! -_-;; I've been completely loaded up on homework and projects lately…and I broke one of my fingers a few weeks ago and had to adapt to typing with nine fingers. But my finger is better now, thankfully. Enough of the lame excuses—note to take into consideration: Because of the little talk that Tyson and Hilary had, it doesn't mean that Tyson no longer has a shot…but it also doesn't mean that Kai's out of the game. =P Heheh, now I'm playing with your minds…fun! Lol *cough* sorry. Anyways, I hope that the next and final chapters of Perfect Christmas won't take so long to write. Yes, I did say chapters! I'm thinking of having a different kind of ending then most stories have…but we'll have to see about that. I don't want to drag this on much longer, lol…I want to start on something new!
Hmph. Is it just me, or am I the only one with a format that keeps screwing up? _ The breaks in the pages aren't appearing where I put them…but I do them the same way as I used to in previous chapter…and they've worked then…
Also, I finally got off my butt and posted something on deviantart.com. It would be awesome if you checked it out. The link to my account is in my profile. ^-^
Mucho thanks for the awesome reviews (a heck of a lot more than I anticipated o_O, but it's all good, lol!) and I would really appreciate it if you reviewed this chapter! Thank you all for being so patient with a procrastinator like me. *nods* L8erz! (And yes, hehe, I've watched some episodes of the Weekenders. ^-^;; )