Important Author's Note: Gyah! I'm really, really sorry guys! I wanted to update earlier but I was at a loss for inspiration and then I had exams and I've just been really busy! Yeah, and if you must know…you're dealing with a big time procrastinator here. -.-; But anyways, you can throw bricks and rotten tomatoes at me at the end of this chapter…just read this note (and the chapter of course)! Well, I told you all that there was going to be something different about the last two chapters of this story. Why? Well, I've decided to write an ending for both pairings! It was too hard to choose. o.O; But even though this chapter may have the ending you dislike…YOU MUST STILL READ THE FIRST PART OF THIS! Why? Well, there's a mighty good chance that I'll be using that segment of the chapter to head off the second ending. Don't worry; I shall warn you when you should stop…if you want to that is, lol.

Don't forget to read the Author's Note at the bottom, too, please and thanks!

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade or any Christmas songs that happen to pop up.

Perfect Christmas

Chapter 9 (with Ending I – KaiHil/KaiHiro): What You Mean To Me

"Hmph."

Hilary's lips twisted into a disapproving scowl. She crossed her arms huffily and padded down the snowy steps of the Hiwatari Estate entrance.

"It figures that he wouldn't be home." She passed through the wrought-iron gateway that creaked open with a clang and shot a backwards glance at the upstairs windows of the mansion. Pausing mid-step along the pathway that lead back to the main part of the city, an interesting realization dawned on the brown-haired girl. "Hmmm," she mumbled slyly to herself. "I wonder…"

With a mischievous smirk, Hilary hurried her pace along the road. When she reached the bend in the path that was hidden by the ravine and that isolated the Hiwatari manor from the rest of the city, she ducked into the wooded area and disappeared from sight.

She's going to go for Kai. I know she is. Tyson reminded himself constantly as he arranged his large pile of bulgy presents neatly underneath the twinkling lights of the over-sized, bushy evergreen.

"But you know what?" he spoke light-heartedly to himself and adjusted the loopy red bow on his grandpa's present. "I don't care, I don't care anymore." He sat up and backed away from the pile of gifts underneath the Christmas tree to admire his masterpiece of neatly stacked surprises. "It's not like it's my decision anyways. Kai's a good guy; he'll take good care of Hil. They're great for each other, a perfect couple. And I'll—I'll get over it. Heck, I am over it!" He thumped his chest with his fist and shot a cheeky grin at the dainty little angel who sparkled at the top of the tree.

"Get over what, Ty?"

Startled, Tyson jumped and gave a yelp. He spun around and yelled, "Grandpa, don't scare me like that! Don't you know how to knock?! How long have you been standing there--?!"

The loud-mouthed Beyblader blinked at what he saw before him. It was not his hipster of a grandfather--it was his fellow Bladebreaker, Max, with an unfamiliar girl at his side. Tyson could not help but notice the tentative atmosphere that surrounded her--- not to mention her interesting sense of style. Her brown hair was in two spiky bunches with random sprigs of holly sticking out and she wore goggles on her head like a headband. Draped around her neck, was a long strand of shimmering silver tinsel that Tyson figured was a seasonal scarf to match the holiday atmosphere. Just looking at her sapphire eyes that sparkled with soundless laughter and slight confusion, intrigued Tyson and caused a smile to spread across his lips.

The blonde laughed, walked up to Tyson, and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry pal, we just stepped in. I hope you don't mind us being a bit early. I wanted to show my cousin," Max motioned towards the pixie-like girl beside him, "around the city and this is our last stop."

"Hey," the girl shot a shy little smile at the boy with the spiky hair and backwards baseball cap. "Tyson, is it?"

"Yup!" Tyson smiled brightly, clearly gloating at the mere fact that this girl he had never even seen before knew his name. "That's my name alright, and don't wear it out!" He laughed at his own little joke and continued on with his hearty greeting. "Tyson Kinomiya, World Champion Beyblader and member of the Bladebreakers, at your service, um…"

"Nikki." She laughed despite herself and the boy's encouraging open-ness seemed to ease away her tension. She reached out to return Tyson's handshake and smiled a bit more confidently. "I'm Nikki Jameson from California. It's really nice to meet you, Tyson."

Max chuckled and ran a hand through his sandy mess of hair. "I guess those two won't have a problem getting along," he said to himself as he watched the two chatter away and get to know each other without any hesitation whatsoever.

"Heh, that was fast." A voice from somewhere behind Max quipped. The blonde angled his head backwards and found himself face-to-face with his Asian cat-like buddy who continued to grin knowingly at Tyson and Nikki. Ray shook his head and motioned towards the kitchen with his head. "Dudes, I've got the food—and I'm not afraid to eat it."

That sure caught Tyson and Nikki's attention. Both pairs of ears instantly perked up at the mention of the four-lettered word.

"Dude, don't you dare touch my grub!" Tyson warned the pointy-eared boy teasingly and he lunged after him into the kitchen. Giggling, Max's cousin skipped cheerfully after him to offer a hand in the kitchen-work.

"Oh, and keep an eye out for the Chief, okay guys?" Ray specifically directed his voice at Max from the kitchen. "He'll be here in a few minutes with more of the food, and I have a feeling the poor guy's going to need some help."

With a response of assurance, Max glanced casually over at the antique wooden clock that hung on the wall near the entrance. "Hm, they're late. I wonder where they are…"

The Russian boy sprinted through the fancily curved arch that marked the entrance of his family's estate and plodded effortlessly through the piles of frozen white crystals; each stride long and precise. Head bowed, he made his way into the downtown area of the city while leaping over upturned trashcans and large wooden crates that blocked his pathway to his hideout, with ease. After bounding up the rickety flight of metal stairs that clung to the building's side by only a few rusty nails, Kai swiftly unlocked and re-locked the heavily bolted door before slumping into the overstuffed couch of his secret hideaway.

Here, he was alone and this was the only place where he could have any privacy to relieve his mind of life's maze of troubles. Here, he was safe and he didn't have to answer to anyone but himself.

Kai sighed and took in his surroundings. The walls were lined with framed certificates of accomplishment, wooden plaques with shiny engraved plates, as well as mounted newspaper clippings and photos of all of the Beyblading Championships he had won. In the cabinets and on the every surface, sat at least one proud and polished trophy or medal of some sort. Protected by glass casings, were a variety of designed Beyblades from Kai's past; some brand new and never been used, while others sat in pieces broken beyond repair. But each, as the boy had come to eventually realize, symbolized his life, how he had lived it, and how he, along with his style of life and Beyblading, had changed.

Change.

Who knew that one simple word could represent so many meanings?

The Russian boy had transformed so much since his life in the abbey in Moscow. Since he had met the Bladebreakers, his first true friends who taught him lessons about life and friendship that he would have never learned on his own. Since he had finally rebelled against his Grandfather and stood up for himself. Since he had been beaten in Beybattles numerous times more than he had ever expected and discovered that he could not get through life by himself. Since he had first met Hilary and…experienced the awkward emotions that he had pushed away for so long, for the very first time.

A low growl rumbled from his throat and his fingers clamped onto his slate-blue fronds.

"I hate her." He muttered through clenched teeth to the empty room. "She's the one that made me like this; all weak and light-headed." Then, he banged his fist onto the coffee table in front of him and let strands of his hair slip over his downcast eyes. A potted miniature ivy plant and a few stray papers were sent tumbling to the floor.

The crash of the piece of pottery on the rug-covered cement seemed to knock a bit of sense into Kai, and a small murmur escaped his reluctant lips: "But…I can't."

Confused by the swell of foreign melange of emotions, the frustrated Kai knocked the not so sturdy coffee table onto its side with a single swipe of his hand. It looked like he could not escape these unwanted feelings even here--or anywhere else, as it seemed.

So what did this all mean?

Was he…sick? No, he only felt sick at times of perplexity like these and not when he was anywhere near her. He felt kind of nice when he was around her, and people did not normally feel happy when they were ill. So…what?

Oh God.

Was he going crazy?

No, no. Kai mentally reassured himself of his sanity and shoved the insane idea out of his head.

Shaking his head in pure disgust of himself, he stomped towards the door with hasty steps and forced himself to deny the answers that lay before him. "No!" He unbarred the door and flung it open with a slam—

And found her standing there.

=== TyHil (Takao x Hiromi) fans: Stop here and skip to the Author's Note at the end! ===

"Candles burnin' low!" the leader of the Saint Shields belted out at the top of his vocal cords. "Lots of mistletoe!"

"Lots of snow and ice," Mariam voiced the upbeat melody in a smooth and powerful tone. "Everywhere we go!" she boogied it closer to the microphone stand at centre stage.

"Wow! It's almost exactly like yesterday, just minus the alcohol with better food and louder music!" Ray yelled, trying to communicate to Max over the deafening wails of guitar and excited chatter of high-spirited Beyblader buddies. He glanced over at the stage where a drunken-looking old man was doing a seriously messed up version of the chicken dance on a table. The Asian sweatdropped, "Okay…so plus Tyson's wacky grandpa and plus some spiked punch or something too!"

Max laughed and cupped a hand over his mouth in effort to guide his voice to Ray. "What?!" he shouted back over the booming sounds that surrounded them.

"What?!" Ray made a face and strained his ear to try and hear his friend better.

Then a goofy look of confusion and laughter spread across the blonde boy's features. "What?! Ray, I can't hear you!"

"WHAT?!" Ray answered, louder this time. "Speak louder!"

"WHAT?!"

"WHAT?!?!"

"WHAT?!?!?!"

"Argg…" Ray shook his head and enunciated as best he could: "NEVER MIND!"

"WHAT?!"

The raven-haired youth rolled his eyes with a growl and pulled Max off the dance floor, into an area by the door with a little less noise.

"So, what were you saying, Ray?" Max asked, his blue eyes peering at his team mate curiously.

Ray sighed impatiently, "Never mind, it wasn't important. But I've just thought of something else…where're Kai and Hilary? Are they here yet?"

"Hmm, nope, I don't think I've seen them around at all. Heh, I was going to ask you the same question, too, actually. They were supposed to come over here the same time as us to help set up again, remember? Well, at least Hilary said she would. I guess something came up. What a coincidence, eh?"

"Yeah…" Ray scratched his chin thoughtfully. A glint of mischief flickered in his amber eyes. "Almost like too much of a coincidence to me."

Max shrugged and folded his arms behind his head of sandy blonde hair. "Dude, it's Kai we're talking about here. Besides, who even said that they were together?"

"True," Ray said somewhat doubtfully. "But Kai has been acting weird these days. Haven't you noticed?"

Max nodded and gave another small shrug. "Hey, Christmas time makes people act differently. Some more greedy and some…nicer."

The two Bladebreakers looked at each other and made a face. "Kai, nice? Nah!" they spoke simultaneously with a laugh and swatted a hand jokingly.

"If I ever live to see the day when Kai Hiwatari purposely demonstrates an act of kindness in public, I'll friggin' cut my hair!" Ray sniggered.

"Well, Ray, ya' never know…" Max said with a look in his cobalt eyes and a smirk on his face that appeared to Ray as almost a look of …knowing. But…nah! It's not like this kid was psychic or anything, right?

Suddenly, a pair of gentle arms latched onto his left bicep and a familiar soothing voice cooed in his ear. "Raaaay, come dance with me!" The girl with the long and wavy magenta hair made her cat-like eyes as round and innocent-looking as possible.

"Catch you later, Maxy." Ray allowed himself to be led onto the dance floor and he tossed a sly wave back over his shoulder. "Can't keep the lady waiting."

Max shook his head, laughed silently to himself, and proceeded into the kitchen while picking up a few empty food platters along the way. He set them down on the counter and piled them high with holiday goodies. Humming along to the music that blared in the next room, he cheerfully piled a large stack of festively decorated cookies—occasionally popping a few icing frosted treats into his mouth.

As the blonde carefully made his way through the maze of people to the refreshment tables by the door, he heard the double doors slide open quietly. He placed the mountains of baked goods on the holly-patterned tablecloth and glanced up uncertainly when two dark figures stepped inside. When the two eventually crept their way into the soft rainbow of lights on the sidelines of the dance floor, Max gave a slight inward gasp of surprise. A slow, lopsided smirk spread across his face and the boy sauntered over to the oblivious pair.

From behind his two unsuspecting friends, Max spoke suddenly in a deep voice, "He-ey, what brings you two here?" The girl jumped and whirled around to face him. Max chuckled and winked. "Well, better late than never, I guess. We were starting to worry about you guys. Thought we were gonna have to send the hounds out after you two."

The girl relaxed when she saw who it was. "Yeah, well, it's kind of a long story." She shrugged. "Wouldn't want to bore you, eh Kai?" she nudged her silent companion.

"Hn," Was all that escaped the motionless lips of the slate-haired boy.

Max raised an eyebrow and shot a glance at Hilary who would not meet his eyes. He studied the look in Kai's averted eyes, not expecting him to pay him any acknowledgement…but the youth looked up at him with his dark crimson eyes. A bit taken back, Max blinked. He looks…different. Kai's gaze still looked as if it could pierce right through someone, but it somehow seemed softer. Changed, maybe? Heh, yeah, something definitely just happened between those two all right. Meh. He shrugged his suspicious thoughts away, not wanting to dwell on confusing things that at this time in the holiday season.

"Well, as long as you guys are here, safe and sound…Go have fun!" he gave a hearty slap on Kai's back.

Kai shifted his hands in the deep pockets of his baggy silver slacks and snorted. The way he had executed his grunting sound let Max instinctively understand the little subliminal hint.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm leaving." And with a lopsided smile of knowing, the blue-eyed blader shook his head and walked away to ask a dance with a certain cerulean-haired girl.

As soon as their blonde-haired friend turned and walked away, silence settled among the two who remained at the corner of the room. It was not exactly an uncomfortable atmosphere, but it still made the brunette feel on edge.

She sat herself down on a chair and thought to herself about her recent talk with Kai. Hilary shot a quick glance over at the boy leaning on the wall in his trademark stance-- eyes closed and downcast, leaning against the wall wordlessly, with his arms crossed and hands tucked under the loose fitting sleeves of his sweatshirt. Chin in her hands, she stared out onto the dance floor and watched the swarm of mixed feet mingle on the floor.

In her daze, she remembered being invited inside Kai's little lair and that she had asked him if he would be mad at her if her decision was to be with Tyson. He had not responded right away to the question and when he finally did…he had surprised them both by shouting out in a strangled cry that he didn't care. His fists had been balled up so tightly that his knuckles turned a pasty colour. Then he had sunk to his knees and punched the concrete floor with such force that he had caused his hand bleed.

Hilary had bent down to his aid, but he had refused to even look at her or show her his injured hand. Annoyed at his stubborn-ness and lack of thought for his own health, she had lost her temper and blown up at him with a lecture at the top of her lungs. When she had finished, she was out of breath and there were tears in her eyes. What had surprised her most was that Kai had been staring at her with a look on his face that she had never thought the muscles on his face could muster.

The one who always seemed so unaffected and emotionless wore an expression on his face so indescribable. For the first time ever, Hilary believed that she saw something in those vague garnet orbs of his. The look of weariness, guilt, longing, embarrassment, stress, confusion, rage, relief, and fear were hinted in the almost unnoticeable swirl of recovered emotions. But when she had blinked, all feeling seemed to have been swallowed up by his normal icy pools. Afterwards, Hilary had carefully bandaged up Kai's right hand while wondering if she had been hallucinating only moments before.

Then, like a sharp knife slicing through tough stalks of vegetables with a slam on the cutting board, Kai's words had severed the muted tension of the room. "I lied." His voice was hoarse and sounded a bit choked up. That was when Hilary had shut her eyes. "I'm sorry, Hilary, but in a way I…" He paused to pluck the words he needed from the headlines that were running through his head. The boy turned his head away instantly to hide how uncomfortable he felt. "I guess…I guess I do care." And then before the two of them had left for the Kinomiya dojo, she could have sworn she heard a whisper of, "At least, about you."

But these days…she could never be completely sure about anything she heard.

Hilary sighed. Kai was still unsure of how he felt…she could feel it. She looked around the room and smiled when she spotted Tyson dancing merrily next to a brunette with a unique hairstyle. They really did look like they were having fun.

I guess things did turn out fine for him after all. She gave a small smile. I knew he'd make it out all right. I'm glad for him. She was glad that at least someone had gotten over the last few days all right. Things always turned out right for Tyson.

Her train of thought was put to an abrupt halt when a single outstretched hand appeared in her line of vision.

"Dance with me." The intended question came out more like an awkward statement. "Please." He mumbled the strange word that slipped off his tongue with effort.

With that, the upbeat music of the previous song blurred and smoothed out into a soothing tune of "Silver Bells".

What? Kai…asked me to dance…?

Caught off guard by Kai's words, Hilary reached for his hand, but her footing slipped and she landed on the ground. The chair beside her was sent toppling over with a resounding crash and all eyes nearby zoned in on the two frozen figures--Kai with his outstretched hand and Hilary sprawled on the wooden planked floor. In the spotlight, Kai inwardly groaned and cursed at the bad timing while the girl's face tinged a bright cherry red.

Oh Lord, great timing, Hil. Real great. She cringed and mentally kicked herself.

The crowd that encircled them stared down on them with penetrating eyes. It seemed everyone, including Kai and Hilary, was holding their breaths as to see what would happen next.

"Get up." A rigid hand pulled the embarrassed young girl to her feet and the miniature crowd began to applaud.

Faces tinged with rose, the two stood there looking at each other wondering what the heck everyone else was doing watching them and cheering. Hilary and Kai sweatdropped and two dull thuds resonated from somewhere in crowd. One was from an extremely Kai-loyal fangirl… and the other one from Ray.

Nobody knew what to do next, so everyone waited in a tensed silence. Almost as if expecting something. A sudden cough of someone clearing his throat echoed through the silent room.

With a sigh, Kai shrugged a seemingly nonchalant shrug and spoke up bravely. "Hey, it's Christmas—the time for all that mushy happiness and holiday spirit crap. No one likes a Grinch, and hell, after living the last couple of days, it looks like tragedy has already played its part masterfully." Kai rolled his eyes involuntarily as he noticed a few members of the crowd raise a confused eyebrow at the mention of a "tragedy".

Tyson laughed and pushed his way through to the front of the group. "Well said, Mr. Grumpypants, you really said a mouthful there! That's the most I've heard you say since…since…"

The slate-haired captain held his un-bandaged fist up to his navy-haired friend's face and sneered. "Shut up, Kinomiya, or you will be getting a mouthful!"

The entire room erupted in snickers and Tyson's face literally flushed ten different shades of red at once.

Tyson grumbled and retorted hotly with his arms folded defiantly across his chest, "Oh so you're a hypocrite now, eh? Did you already forget your little 'happiness and holiday spirit crap' speech already?"

Kai smirked amusedly, which only made Tyson fume even more until you could almost see steam spouting from his ears like a steam engine.

"Ah, screw Christmas spirit." smirked the Russian boy as he, too, crossed his arms in the same manner, before declaring a quick, monotone "Let's eat."

The guests cheered unanimously and stampeded their way to the buffet table. That left the brunette and the Captain of the Bladebreakers standing alone in an awkward silence.

Hilary coughed nervously. "So much for the dance I guess…" she said timidly, allowing herself to sneak a peek up at the boy's broad frame as it towered over her.

In reply, Kai merely gave a slight nod upwards. Above them dangled a spray of green leaves and milky white berries tied up in a ruby red ribbon from a horizontal beam of wood.

"M-mistletoe? But--" she uttered confusedly before all breathe within her was snatched up in a warm mouthful of holiday sweetness.

And as Kai pressed his lips onto hers, the swirl of mixed emotions carried a single thought that stood out above the rest, as an answer to his query. He turned his head away from that of his angel's and held her close to him in a warm and sturdy embrace.

"I know what this all means now." He whispered softly to himself, yet to the world in wordless notion all the same. "And I know what friends mean to me. Hilary, I know what you mean to me."

Lost in the blissful moment, Hilary didn't even bother to ask where that surprise statement had come from. As she closed her eyes to focus solely on the rhapsody of feelings racing through her, the girl found herself smiling to herself despite yesterday's unfortunate events. Mom and Dad would have wanted her to enjoy her Christmas no matter what. She could almost feel her parents standing right beside her and saying those exact words to her. And there was no way that Hilary would disappoint them.

No, Hilary Hirata would never experience the ideal Christmas that she had wanted for so long, but friends who cared this much for her did not have many differences to compare. Happiness, she concluded, was what her parents wished for her, was what her friends shared with her, and was now what Hilary discovered was the key to her wish.

"Mom…Dad," Hilary spoke so softly that her gentle voice did not even reach the ears of the boy opposite her. "I'm…happy. I wish you didn't have to leave so soon. I just wanted to let you know that you both, my friends, and Kai have helped me so much, in so many ways that I can't even express. I know it's weird to be happy during a time where I should be sad, and that it is awkward to be so gloomy inside at such a happy time, but for some reason both emotions fit together in a messed-up sort of way." She giggled and gave a deep sigh of relief and elation, her voice slightly increased in audibility.

"Thank you, for this perfect Christmas."

Silver Swiftness [aka- more Author's Noties]: Okey dokeyz! Well, now is the time where you, yes you, can throw rotten tomatoes and bricks at the authoress. -sigh- Anyways, I hope the KaiHil/KaiHiro fans enjoyed their choice of ending and that everyone in general liked the first part of the chapter. And even though some of you may not have opted for the TyHil ending…please stick around and wait for the last chapter/other ending for the important Author's Note at the end of the tenth chapter, at least! But, it would be awesome if could read and review both this ending and the next!

So, thank you all for waiting and thank you to those of you who emailed me, lol! To the TyHil fans: don't worry! Your choice of ending should be done in a few weeks, I hope! Well, before my summer vacation ends…hopefully. (Don't forget that this is the time where I'm away a lot, heh.) Thanks for sticking with me, especially since this isn't even Christmas time. -sweatdrop- To those of you who have read the few chapters of Spin Around that are still sitting around (eheh), you might have remembered Nikki. And, yup, it's the same character…just in a different storyline. (Ehhh, know what else? This thing is screwing with my little "emoticons" I add in. And my spacing! How rude. I do not like those line things everywhere.)

As always, please don't forget to review because I would really appreciate your comments! Thanks again and ciao for now!