Well, I finally posted another chapter. So sorry for the long delay. Thank you Hellblazer for allowing me to use your character for this story. Unfortunately, she is not making an appearance in this chapter but not too worry...she will be soon. I promise. Anyone else interested in seeing their character make an appearance, let me know. Details at the end of the chapter. Anyway.....on with the story!

I don't own BeyBlade...

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Chapter 5: An Eventful Weekend

"I was wondering if the juniors were gonna arrange one this year," Kumiko commented aloud.

"Arrange what?" Kai asked, wondering what she was talking about. She was currently reading a piece of paper that she had received from the principal. He looked over her shoulder to see what was on the paper.

"Is it what I think it is?" Tala asked with a hint of excitement and mischief in his eyes. Kumiko nodded and confirmed his suspicions. Kai just looked back and forth between his girlfriend and his best friend.

"Halloween dance," Kumiko replied, noticing Kai's confused expression.

"What's so great about that?" Kai asked wondering why they were so excited about such a childish thing.

"We love Halloween. It's our favorite holiday," Kumiko explained.

"Yeah and we always dress up as a pair and always won as best costumes at the contest. Last year we dressed up as a witch and warlock. We are not about to break tradition, are we Miko-chan?" Tala asked looking at his long time best friend.

"Of course not! Besides, this is our last year. Might as well go out with a bang. I'm sure the others would want to do this too," Kumiko responded with a wink.

"Right. Well I gotta get going. Hotaru-chan is probably waiting for me. Ja ne," Tala said waving good bye to the couple. Kai and Kumiko waved back as they watched him run and round the corner of the school. Kumiko leaned against Kai as he wrapped his arms around her waist. They had only been together four days, but it seemed like they had been together for years. They were practically everywhere together along with Tala since the three of them had all the same classes together. Most of the males and females of the school looked on with jealousy and envy whenever they were together. Although there were some who thought that they still could have a chance and just waited for the opportunity. However, most just gave up, knowing that they no longer had a chance.

"Is that okay Kai-kun?" Kumiko asked suddenly while turning to face him still in his arms.

"Is what okay?" Kai asked in response.

"You know. About me and Tala and the dance," Kumiko replied looking straight into his eyes.

"Hai, it's fine. I don't mind," Kai responded in a careless voice.

"Don't lie to me Kai-kun. I noticed when you tensed up a bit behind me and I can see it in your eyes right now," Kumiko remarked with slightly narrowed eyes and a frown.

"Hmph!" Kai looked away, not wanting to show that he was a bit jealous of the red head. Only a BIT.

"Kai, you know that Tala and I are just friends. Best friends ever since we met in the fourth grade. We have done everything together and even became Dark Shadows together. We could never be in that kind of relationship because we always thought of each other as brother/sister. Besides, I was the one who got him and Hotaru together," Kumiko explained to Kai. Then she added, "You know that you are the only one that I love in that kind of way and I always will."

"I know and you know I love you too," Kai said with a sigh. He pulled her in a tight embrace. She embraced him back and both stood that way for a few moments. "So what do you have planned this weekend?" Kai asked pulling away from the hug a bit.

"You should know. You arranged it," Kumiko responded in an accusing tone. Kai just had a slight clueless expression on his face and his eyes questioned what was she talking about. Kumiko just rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you forgot. Kari-chan is going to be very disappointed. I'm spending the weekend with her, remember?"

"Hai, now I do," Kai replied, remembering that he did in fact arrange for her to spend the weekend with his little sister. "So what do you plan to do?"

"That's for me to know. Plus I don't want you to go and blab all my plans to her," Kumiko said poking him in his chest.

"I wouldn't do that. I just wanted to know if I could come, that's all," Kai responded in an innocent tone. Kumiko just smiled and got out of his grasp.

"That's for Kari-chan to decide. If she wants you to come, fine. If not, then you can go with Tala and the others on a boys night out or something," Kumiko stated, getting ready to leave the school. Kai just stood back for a second, thinking about what she just said. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he followed Kumiko to the parking lot.

*****

"Any plans?" Kumiko asked Tala Saturday morning in their AP Calculus class.

"Iie. I think the others might do something. I'll probably end up hanging around your house. Why? Have anything planned?" Tala asked curiously.

"I already have plans with Kai's little sister, remember?" Kumiko replied.

"Oh yeah, almost forgot," Tala said dejectedly. "Hmm...maybe Kai and I will get a drink after school and then chill at your house until you get home."

"Fine with me. Do whatever you want," Kumiko said, shrugging her shoulders. Then she added," Maybe next weekend we'll go out and do something."

"We should head out to Club Matrix. We haven't been there for a while," Tala suggested thoughtfully.

"Not a bad idea," Kumiko replied, agreeing with the red head. They had to cut their conversation short because soon the teacher came in and the session began.

*****

"When are you gonna come over?" Kai asked Kumiko when school was out. They were currently walking toward the parking lot to leave. They met Tala and Hotaru halfway there.

"I'm gonna go home first and then head over to your house," Kumiko responded, over to him. "Why?"

"Just wondering," Kai said with a slight shrug.

"Kai-kun, you coming with us to the cafe downtown, right?" Hotaru asked suddenly.

"Hai, I have nothing better to do right now," Kai replied to Tala's girlfriend. Hotaru smiled sweetly and nodded.

"Afterward, you can chill at my house and we can do something when I get back," Kumiko suggested. Tala and Hotaru nodded in reply while Kai didn't respond. When Kumiko reached her car, Kai gave her an innocent kiss.

"Get a room!" Tala yelled with a smile on his face. Hotaru just laughed as Kumiko and Kai both shot him a glare. Hotaru and Tala waved good bye to them as they got into Tala's car. Kumiko smiled softly toward Kai as he made his way to his BMW while she got into her Mercedes. He waited until she left the parking lot and then proceeded to follow Tala to the cafe.

When Kumiko reached her house, she parked her car in the garage among the other Dark Shadow cars. Noticing that none of the Mecha Boys were around, she just set the keys onto the key rack and headed toward the house. Instead of heading toward her room, she went straight to her father's study where she knew he would be. She found him working silently at his desk with several stacks of paper on his desk. "Working hard, otoo-san?" Kumiko questioned with a playful smile on her face.

"Hai," Ryo responded with a small smile and a somewhat tired expression on his face. He actually started to look a few years older than he really was. He took a sip of his coffee and gestured for her to sit down. Kumiko accepted the offer and sat comfortably in the seat in front of him.

"Need some help?" Kumiko asked, offering to lend a hand. She was about to pick up a stack of papers when her father shook his head indicating that he didn't need any help. Kumiko raised an eyebrow at him and saw the tired expression on his face. "Otoo-san, you're tired. You should get some sleep and leave the rest to me," Kumiko reasoned with her stubborn father.

"Iie, there are only a few papers left to fill out anyway," Ryo stated while stretching his arms.

"How many?" Kumiko questioned.

"Five..." Ryo started.

"Hmm..." Kumiko narrowed her eyes at her father.

"...stacks," he finished dejectedly, slumping in his seat.

"Otoo-san, sleep. Leave the rest to me. I'll do the rest of it tonight," Kumiko commanded softly. She had a slightly annoyed look on her face at her father's stubbornness. Ryo just took one look at her and sighed in defeat.

"All right, fine. Do whatever you can and then I'll finish up tomorrow. I'm taking the rest of the evening off," Ryo stated, getting up from his seat. Kumiko also stood from her seat and gave him a hug. He returned the gesture and laid his head lightly on top of her own. Breaking the hug, he gave her a small smile. "Oyasumi nasai, hoshi," he said tiredly and small yawn soon followed.

"Oyasumi otoo-san," Kumiko said with a small smile. She followed him out of the study and closed the door behind her and locked it, not wanting anyone to snoop around. She waited until she saw her father go into his room. When he finally closed the door to his room, she made her way to her own room to change out of her uniform. She noticed that Ozuma, Mariam, Kane, and Salima weren't home yet. She remembered the first day she met them and smiled. She and Tala had found them on the streets during their eighth grade year. They were homeless and had no parents, so she offered them to go to her house. After the first night, the six of them became the greatest of friends. Her father decided to let them stay in the house and then they were soon member of the Dark Shadows.

Kumiko finally reached her room and made her way toward her walk-in closet. She decided on slightly baggy white pants and a low V-neck, quarter sleeve black shirt with a white tank underneath. She put up her hair with two black clips leaving some strands of hair to frame her face. She put on a pair of white shoes, grabbed her cell phone and wallet and headed out to the garage. When she arrived in the garage, she was surprised to find two people in oily jumpsuits working on the bikes. "Well, what a surprise," she said sarcastically, earning the attention of the two guys.

"Hey Miko-san, long time no see," Chad greeted, wiping his hands on a rag. Kumiko made her way toward the two Mecha Boys with a smirk on her face. She then noticed that the third Mecha Boy was missing.

"Where's Nick?" Kumiko questioned, looking around but still haven't see him.

"We let him take the day off," Russell responded, finishing inspecting one the bikes. He got up and began wiping his hands with a rag as well.

"About time you guys let him off and worked for a change. I haven't seen you two in the past few days while everyday I see Nick working. He should have a whole week off in my opinion," Kumiko stated with a slight smirk and narrowed eyes. Chad and Russell just laughed sheepishly. Kumiko just rolled her eyes and went over to the key rack. She decided to take her black Infiniti instead of her silver Mercedes. "I'm going out. Spending the weekend with Kai's little sister," she stated, answering their silent questions. They just nodded and went to work on some of the cars. She took off toward the Hiwatari mansion and noticed that it was only five o'clock. Soon she found herself in front of the Hiwatari mansion once again. She parked her car and got out, heading toward the front door. She was slightly surprised when the door opened for her, admitting her in.

"A pleasure to meet you again Haraguchi-san," the butler greeted with a slight bow. "I shall inform Hiwatari-san of your arrival," he said, quickly closing the door and then went toward one of the back rooms. Kumiko just stood by, waiting, but she didn't have to wait long.

"Kumiko-san! So good of you to drop by! What brings you here?" Yumi asked, delighted to have her son's girlfriend here. She gave the girl a small hug and guided her toward the living room. Yumi sat down on the couch and gestured to Kumiko to sit down next to her.

"Arigato Yumi-san, it's a pleasure to be here," Kumiko said with a smile and took the offer. "I'm here to take Kari-chan off your hands for the weekend. Of course if that's okay with you."

"Hai, Kai has told us about this, however, Kari-chan doesn't know you are currently here and she is not ready. I assume she will spend the night?" Yumi asked. Kumiko nodded, confirming her question. "I shall call my daughter to come down and you can tell her the good news." She called for a maid and told her to get her daughter. Nodding quickly, the maid rushed off to get the young mistress. They soon heard a squeal of delight and soon heard the running footsteps coming toward them. They were soon greeted by a slightly out of breath ten-year-old girl with an excited expression on her face.

"Miko-chan! I didn't know you were coming today. If I did, I would have been ready by now," Kari stated with a small pout.

"Well, we have time now. Why don't you go get ready then?" Kumiko said with a bright smile. Kari nodded eagerly and was about to rush off again, but Kumiko stopped her quickly before she could run off. Kari looked at her with questioning eyes wondering why she stopped her. Kumiko smiled again and added, "Don't forget to get all the things you would need for spending the night." Kari beamed brightly and nodded enthusiastically. She sped off toward her room with all the servants looking after her with amused smiles on their faces.

"Ayami-san?" Yumi called for Kari's personal maid.

"Hai, Hiwatari-san?" Ayami, a middle-aged maid, appeared at the doorway.

"Please make sure she gets all the necessities," Yumi instructed toward her most trusted maid.

"Hai," Ayami replied, hurrying off to help the young girl. Yumi and Kumiko just smiled at each other and was about to start conversing when they were interrupted.

"Okaa-san, do you--" Kai started but stopped when he saw his mother's guest that the butler had informed him of.

"Konbanwa Kai-kun," Kumiko greeted to her boyfriend.

"Not even a greeting for your okaa-san, Kai?" Yumi inquired to her son with a raised eyebrow.

"Gomen nasai okaa-san. Konbanwa," he greeted with a sheepish smile. Kumiko just smiled at his small predicament. He was soon saved when someone hugged him suddenly around his waist. He looked down at the small figure and smiled, trying to return the gesture. "Good to see you Kari-chan. Are you all ready to go with Miko-chan?" Kai asked getting to her level. She nodded happily and pointed toward her bag by the door. He looked to where she pointed and smiled.

"All right then Kari-chan. Let's get going. We have a lot to do and little time to do it," Kumiko said getting up from her seat.

"What about me?" Kai innocently asked, looking at Kumiko, standing up.

"What about you?" Kumiko questioned, not understanding what he was getting at.

"Kari-chan said that I could tag along so you are gonna have to wait for me too," Kai explained with a slight smirk. Something clicked in Kumiko's head and she looked down at Kari who confirmed what he said. Kumiko just gave Kai a slightly annoyed look while he just smirked.

"You got five minutes," Kumiko stated, looking at her watch. "Go." Kai sped off to get ready, knowing full well that she would indeed leave without him. Kumiko and Kari just giggled while Yumi just looked on in amusement. I didn't take Kai long to change and get ready. He changed from his uniform to baggy khaki pants, a black shirt and black shoes. He had a duffle bag hanging off his shoulder and was just putting his cell phone in his pocket. Kumiko just raised an eyebrow at him, an amused smirk on her face. She turned to Yumi and smiled. "Ja, Yumi-san. I'll see you and hopefully Hiwatari-sama tomorrow," Kumiko replied with a slight bow.

"See you tomorrow okaa-san!" Kari exclaimed giving her mother a hug. Yumi returned the gesture lovingly and placed a kiss on her temple. Kai made his way toward his mother and gave her a hug as well.

"Have a good time!" Yumi exclaimed, waving her children and Kumiko goodbye. All of them returned the gesture. They went out to the two-door black Infiniti, Kai placing both his and Kari's bag in the trunk. Kari climbed into the back seat while Kai sat on the passenger side and they were soon on their way.

"So where are we going Miko-chan?" Kari questioned curiously with a smile on her face.

"Well, I was thinking that we could go somewhere to eat first since it's still light out. Then we can go catch a movie to finish the evening. Then the rest is up to you Kari-chan," Kumiko explained briefly, glancing at the little girl through the rear view mirror. She smiled when she saw Kari's expression brighten. She gave a side glance towards Kai and saw that he was smiling himself.

*****

"Hey wait a second," someone suddenly said, stopping his partner.

"What's the matter?" the partner questioned with confused eyes. She followed his gaze and saw that he was staring at a girl with blue streaked black hair, a guy with two tone blue hair and a little girl with the same color hair as the guy. The trio was entering the movie theater just as they were about to. She continued to stare after them until something clicked. "It couldn't be!" she exclaimed at the realization.

"It is. It's the Dark Shadows chick," the guy said with a slight scowl.

"So what do you suggest we do?" the girl questioned in a slight dark tone.

"We'll tell Kadin, that's what we'll do. See what he wants to do first. Come on," the guy suggested, taking hold of the girl by her wrist and walked away from the theater as quickly as possible.

*****

"That was a great movie!" Kari exclaimed, walking out hand-in-hand with Kumiko and Kai. They stopped and stood in front of the theater. Kumiko turned toward Kari and smiled.

***

"When you get a clear view, shoot her," a guy informed the shooter in the treetops.

"Right, boss," the shooter responded, taking aim and readying to fire.

"This will teach her to mess with the Radicals," Kadin remarked with an evil glint in his eyes. With that he left for his men to do the work and finish the job.

***

"Glad you liked it. Now--" Kumiko suddenly cut off when she felt a sharp pain on her right arm. She took a glance and saw that her skin was grazed and was slightly bleeding. She instantly became wary of everything and especially of everyone. Her narrowed eyes connected with Kai's and he instantly knew.

"So what should we do now?" Kai asked, trying to act as natural as possible so as not to scare Kari.

"How about we go get some ice cream before we head over to my house?" Kumiko suggested putting a mask over her wary face. She put a smile on her face when Kari nodded enthusiastically. "Come on, let's go," Kumiko said, quickly taking Kari's hand and shielded her slightly and made sure that Kari couldn't see her grazed arm. When Kari was inside the car, Kumiko took a quick look around and noticed that they were greatly outnumbered. There was a sniper shooter in a tree near the theater and there were about three Radical cars and four others on bikes. She decided to try to have a fast get away, worrying about Kari's safety first and then Kai's. She quickly got into the car and took off. As she figured, they followed her, not losing track of her.

Suddenly shots rang out and all were directed at them. Kumiko tried her best to maneuver around the now panicking crowd on the streets. She was finally able to get to the deserted streets on the outskirts of the city. Her pursuers kept up their fire and was coming in close. Kumiko sped up when she heard the scared whimper from Kari behind her.

"Kai," Kumiko said through gritted teeth. The Radicals on bikes were gaining up on her quickly and she needed to act fast. There was a sudden gunshot that shattered part of the back glass and Kari screamed out in fear, quickly covering herself. Kai turned toward her not saying a word after checking on Kari. "Under your seat, there should be some kind of sheet. Take it out and cover Kari with it completely. Have her crouch down at the foot of the seat and not move," Kumiko commanded not taking her eyes off the road only glancing to see how far ahead they were to the Radicals. Kai nodded in compliance, not questioning her orders. He did exactly as she said and told Kari what to do. Although scared, Kari did as she was told.

Suddenly there was another shattering of glass and a piercing yell followed. A Radical biker was able to catch up to them and aimed at Kumiko's head. She pulled away at the last minute and the bullet pierced her left arm. She suddenly rammed into the biker and threw him off course.

"Kai, there's a gun in the glove department. Get it out," Kumiko informed in a pained voice. Kai looked in the glove department and indeed found a gun. He looked at her once again. Kumiko just glanced at him. "Hope you can aim," Kumiko just said and gestured toward the pursuing Radicals. Kai's eyes widened a bit but nodded anyway. He got ready as the window rolled down. He put the gun off the safety and stuck his head out and aimed. Kumiko only heard a few shots come from Kai and looked at the rear view mirror. She was surprised to see that the Radicals were actually slowing down and swerving around like they were out of control. She then noticed that their tires were blown. She glanced at Kai with a surprised look on her face. Kai looked at her and smiled sheepishly.

"I'll explain later. Right now we need to get out of here. I ran out of bullets, so there are at least two of them still able to follow us," Kai said seriously, still glancing to see if Kari was okay and seeing if they were being followed. Kumiko just smirked.

"Not to worry. Remember Nick saying to never push the red button?" Kumiko asked, that smirk ever present. Kai nodded, not sure if he was going to like what was gonna happen next. "Well, this is the reason why," Kumiko simply said. She pushed the red button and then there was a sudden burst of speed. They were speeding away through the deserted streets and were soon approaching a busy street. They slowed down a bit but was still going pretty fast. Kumiko then pulled out her cell phone and pushed a single button for speed dial. She didn't have to wait long for the person to pick up the phone.

((Moshi moshi, Tala speaking.)) Tala answered.

"Where you at?" Kumiko questioned, not wasting any time.

((Your place. Why?)) Tala asked, worry evident in his voice.

"Stay there. We ran into a little bit of trouble. Get two rooms ready and call Hito-san, got it?" Kumiko informed and commanded quickly.

((Got it.)) With that she hung up the phone and tried to find the quickest way to get back to her house. She needed to get there fast, not only for Kari and Kai's sake, but for her's as well. She was beginning to fade out because of the bullet wound she received on her left arm. When they finally reached her house, Tala and Hotaru were waiting outside ready to take them inside. Kumiko got out quickly and picked up Kari's quivering form from behind her seat. Kai rushed to her side and took Kari into his arms.

"This way!" Hotaru yelled leading the way toward one of the rooms that they prepared. Kai quickly followed without hesitation. Kumiko stayed put, looking on at the fleeting figures. Tala made his way to stand next to her. It was then that the scent of blood hit his senses. When he was close enough to her, Kumiko collapsed, not able to hold herself up anymore. Tala quickly caught her and noticed the bullet wound on her left arm and her grazed right arm. Deep concern etched itself onto his face as her picked her up and quickly brought her in. He brought her into the other room they prepared for them and gently laid her on the bed.

"Miko...Miko! Come on! Don't go to sleep!" Tala exclaimed gently slapping her face. He was relieved to see her open her eyes and smiled weakly at him.

"I'm not gonna die Tala. Just a bit too much excitement for one night," Kumiko responded somewhat weakly. Tala smiled.

"I'll be right back," he said, leaving her side and headed toward the door. Before he went out, Kumiko stopped him.

"Tala, tell Hotaru to take them up to my room to wash up. Their stuff is still in my trunk," Kumiko simply said, lifting her head a bit to look at him.

"Hai," Tala responded and left the room. He went to the room next to it and knocked. After hearing a faint reply, he opened the door and walked in. He saw Kai and Kari sitting on the bed with Hitoshi taking care of their minor scratches and bruises. Hotaru was standing nearby, ready to act if needed. He made his way toward his girlfriend and relayed the message to her. She nodded and quickly left the room to get their bags. Tala went to take a closer look at what Hitoshi was doing. He saw Kari had a nervous and scared expression on her face.

"Konbanwa Kari-chan, remember me?" Tala asked with a soft expression on his face. Kari looked at him and nodded. "You don't have to be scared. No one's gonna hurt you or make you feel scared, okay?" Tala said soothingly, gently rubbing her back. He looked toward Kai and saw that her barely received any cuts or bruises on him. He was currently just sitting there with a thoughtful look on his face.

"And that's the last of them. You are a very good girl Hikari-san and arigato for trusting me," Hitoshi said patting her shoulder lightly with a smile. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go see Kumiko-san," Hitoshi said, taking all of his things and the extra bag he brought, knowing that he would need it. Hotaru appeared at the doorway with both Kai and Kari's bags.

"Kai-kun and Hikari-chan? We think it best for you to wash up and get ready to turn in for the night," Hotaru stated with small smile.

"Hai," Kai responded while Kari shyly nodded.

"You can follow me to Miko-chan's room," Hotaru informed. Kai stood up and picked up Kari into his arms and carried her, following Hotaru to the room. Tala left the room as well and went back into the room Kumiko was in. He saw Hitoshi finish wrapping her arm and putting all his things away.

"You know I usually say that you should lay off it for a few days, but I know that you aren't gonna listen to me anyway. The least you could do is rest for a bit before you do anything else," Hitoshi said, picking up all his things.

"Arigato Hito-san," Kumiko said, looking better than she did before. Hitoshi just smiled and nodded toward her and Tala. Tala nodded in return and made his way to her side. "How are they?" Kumiko questioned.

"They're fine. I think Kari is a bit shaken up though, but they're okay. A few cuts and bruises but nothing major unlike yours," Tala reported, sitting next to her on the bed. He began to gently rub her fore left arm and a hint of worry appeared in his ice blue eyes. She placed her right hand on his hand and smiled at him.

"Don't worry Tala, I'm not gonna go anywhere anytime soon. This is only a minor bullet wound compared to the first time a got shot," Kumiko replied, trying not to worry Tala anymore than he was.

"Yeah, I guess. You don't know how scared I was. Everyday I wondered and hoped that you would be okay," Tala said in a somewhat pained voice, his right hand beginning to trace patterns on her hand.

"And here I am, still alive and never better. Well, I've had better days but you know what I mean," Kumiko said reassuringly with a hint of humor to lighten the mood. Tala smiled softly and just gave her a slight nod. "Good. Now that both you and I are feeling better, I need to take a bath and help otoo-san with some paper work," Kumiko said sitting up and getting off the bed after Tala did. He stood by, just incase she tripped and fell. Fortunately she was able to stand and balance herself with ease. "Kai and Kari are in my room, right?" Kumiko asked, making her way to leave the room, Tala following.

"Yeah, Hotaru took them and should be done anytime soon," Tala said. Just then they saw the said girl coming down the stairs. Hotaru smiled brightly seeing that Kumiko was okay. She gave her a gentle hug, being careful of the wounds.

"Are they settled?" Kumiko asked, pulling away from the small hug.

"Yeah, they're fine. I didn't know if you wanted them to stay in your room for the night or not, so I just let them stay in there. Hikari-chan was already comfortable and Kai-kun didn't want to wake her," Hotaru informed with a sheepish smile.

"That's fine. I'll probably be up late anyway. Otoo-san has piles of paper work that needs to be done, so I'll probably be in his office most of the time. Are you two spending the night?" Kumiko asked curiously.

"I will, just to make sure that all of you are okay," Tala replied with a slight shrug. He looked over to Hotaru and she nodded in agreement.

"Hai, I'll stay as well," Hotaru agreed with her red head boyfriend.

"All right. Do what you want. I just better not hear any noises echo loudly throughout the house. Then again I guess it wouldn't matter when the others get home, huh?" Kumiko said with a sly look on her face. Tala and Hotaru blushed bright red at what she was implying. Kumiko headed toward her spare bedroom to wash up and get ready for a long night.

*****

"It's only 11 o'clock and yet I feel as if I have been in here doing this paper work for 10 hours," Kumiko said with a frustrated sigh. She started just two hours ago after showering and changing into a pair of loose gray sweats and a white shirt. Ever since then, she practically locked herself up in her father's office. Fortunately for her, she was able to fill out most of the forms and was almost done. She was so absorbed into finishing the forms that she didn't notice someone coming in.

"Working hard I see," the figure said in an amused tone. Kumiko jumped a bit at hearing the voice but her expression soon changed to one of annoyance.

"Hai, Tala I was until you came in and interrupted me," Kumiko responded with an accusing tone. He chuckled a bit and took a seat in front of the desk. She continued with the paper work but kept her ears open to hear whatever Tala had to say.

"How much more do you have to do?" Tala asked, observing the various stacks of paper. He didn't dare read any of them, knowing that her father would not like that. He didn't receive a response right away and understood that she needed to finish her thought.

"Just one more," Kumiko responded, placing the paper she was working on near the stack on the her right.

"That's good. Have you checked on Kai and Kari yet?" Tala questioned, watching her begin on the last paper. She shook her head in response and kept with her work. Tala narrowed his eyes a bit. "Why not?"

"I didn't want to wake them if they were sleeping," Kumiko simply replied. She sighed in relief when she finally finished. She took a spare piece of paper and scribbled a note to her father to see in the morning.

"I think you should," Tala stated, meeting her questioning gaze. "You never know. They could still be awake, worrying about you," Tala reasoned with a slight shrug. "And I know you wouldn't want that."

"I guess your right. I'll go check on them before I go to sleep," Kumiko said, making her way to stand in front of him. She crossed her arms and leaned against the desk and raised an eyebrow at him. "Why aren't you with Hotaru?" she asked with a sly expression on her face.

"If you must know, we just watched a movie and she fell asleep. Then I decided to see how you are doing," Tala responded, telling the truth.

"Too much excitement for one night, huh?" Kumiko joked showing a small playful smile. Tala just shook his head and chuckled. "Well I'm tired, so as I said I would, I will go check on Kai-kun and Kari-chan, but after I get a glass of water," Kumiko said with a tired expression on her face. Tala nodded and stood, following her out of the office. She closed the door behind her and locked it.

"The others aren't home yet. They'll probably come home late," Tala informed. Kumiko nodded her gratitude. "Oyasumi nasai, Miko-chan," Tala said with a small smile and gave her a peck on her cheek.

"Oyasumi Tala-kun," Kumiko replied back. Tala headed toward his room while Kumiko headed toward the kitchen. She quickly got a glass of water and headed up the stairs to her original bedroom. She hesitated a bit but relaxed and slowly opened the door. She stuck her head in and noticed that her star shaped lamp on the wall was on. She saw both Kai and Kari laying on her bed but couldn't tell if they were actually asleep. She opened the door wider and stepped in, quietly closing the door behind her. She stealthily made her way toward the bed and place her glass on the table stand. She smile softly at seeing the peaceful sleeping figures on her bed. Kari was facing her, her back toward Kai who was facing her.

"Took you long enough to come in here," a voice whispered to her. She gasped a bit, surprised that one of them was still awake. Through the dim light, her onyx black eyes met with crimson red eyes.

"I didn't think either of you were awake," Kumiko replied in a hush voice. Kai slowly sat up, careful not to wake Kari up.

"Kari wanted to stay up and wait for you to come but I told her she should go to sleep. She protested but only gave in until I promised to wake her when you came," Kai said softly, pulling the blanket over his sister. Kumiko smile softly and gently tucked Kari's two tone blue hair behind her ear. At that slightest touch, Kari stirred and opened her sleepy eyes.

"Miko-chan?" Kari asked, making sure it was her.

"Hai, Kari-chan, it's me," Kumiko said reassuringly. Kari broke out into a bright smile in which Kumiko returned. "Well I better leave to let you sleep. I'll answer any question you have tomorrow. I'll be sleeping in another room," Kumiko stated getting ready to leave. Kari's bright smile faded and sadness began to etch itself onto her face.

"You're not gonna stay with me?" Kari asked sadly.

"Do you want me to?" Kumiko responded in a question. Kari nodded vigorously. Kumiko smiled. "If that is what you wish." With that, Kumiko climbed into bed next to Kari who was in between her and Kai. Kari snuggled close to Kumiko while she wrapped an arm around her. Kai settled back into bed and wrapped an arm over both of them, bringing both of them closer to him but careful not to squish Kari. Kari smiled contently in between Kai and Kumiko and drifted off into peaceful sleep and Kai and Kumiko soon followed.

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Well that's it for now. You got a glimpse of the Radical leader. He'll soon be coming into play. As for character detail.....I'll need:

name (and nickname if have one)

nationality

gender

hair and eye color

clothes

personality

whether you want him/her as a "good guy" or "bad guy"

I think that's it. If there is anything else, just add on. Until next time...

kurai hoshi