A/N: First of all, the disclaimer. If you people honestly think that I own something concerning Beyblade, you're in a need of long-term therapy.
I also do not own the song. It's REM's Leaving New York. I think it describes the story's spirit pretty well.
Anyways, here's a new story. Hope you like it.
It's quiet now
and what it brings
is everything
Comes calling back
a brilliant night
I'm still awake
It was very late – or very early, depending on one's point of view – and moon cast it's pale, silvery light into the dark room, where a shadowy figure of a boy was sitting on a bed with his long black jacket on. Beside the boy's feet on the floor stood a huge bag, perfectly prepared.
All had been done, the boy absently noted. He'd packed up, taxi was on its way and the letter he'd written some hours earlier was waiting on the breakfast-table. It was the only explanation he was going to give, the only one he could give.
Or no, not everything was done just yet. There was still one envelope in his trembling hand. The one that was the hardest to give.
With a deep sigh and much effort Kai pulled himself off the bed and stood there for a while, his silvery bangs shining in the moonlight. He gazed around the room, taking in the details, and finally stopped to his roommate, who was sleeping contently in the other bed, purring silently.
He would miss Ray, tough it was hard for him to admit it to himself. He'd let the neko-jin closer to him than almost any other person during his life. It would be hard for Ray to understand why he'd left, and he felt more than slightly saddened for having to hurt a friend like that – again.
But he'd have to go, before he'd loose the little left of his sanity. He'd been on the edge for too long. Would he stay any longer, he would crack.
With another sigh he took his bag and gave Ray one last look before exiting. Stood in the lounge-room of their current hotel-room, his careful ears detected quiet sleep-talk.
" Hamburger… Ice-cream…".
There was silent giggling, followed by " Mom…".
He then heard quiet typing from the one room that had a beam of light shining from underneath the door. Apparently Kenny was still awake, then. Kai suspected the boy never slept.
Kai's sadness grew. How ironic. The Ice-Man, the Mr. Sourpuss was feeling bad about leaving his teammates he'd for so long claimed hating.
All other thoughts, however, were swept away as Kai's gaze locked to the door of the last room left. The room belonged to Hilary. The reason he was leaving.
I looked ahead
I'm sure I saw you there
You don't need me
to tell you now
that nothing can compare
Kai's steps were soundless as he walked up to the room and opened the door, standing at the doorway for a while to look at Hilary's sleeping form. Unlike the others, she didn't utter a sound through her slightly parted rose-red lips. Kai's heart ached more than ever before in his entire life as he once again had to notice how beautiful she was – and how far out of his reach. She was the sweetest and most dangerous temptation there was, the one he'd foolishly fallen for. The biggest one of his several mistakes.
Silently, not making a single sound, he walked up to her and sat by the bedside. With grate carefulness he reached out his hand and placed the envelope he'd been holding to the other pillow in the bed. He fought back a gasp as she suddenly made a sound, and feared for a short moment that she might wake up, witness his forbidden visit. Hilary, however, kept sleeping, and he relaxed once more.
For a long moment he sat there, watching her until the temptation to touch her became too strong to fight against. He slowly reached his hand and gently caressed her soft cheek, surprising when she made a small content sound and leaned slightly into his warm touch. Kai's face showed saddens. If only she'd wanted his touch when she was awake…
Gods how much he wanted to hold her, touch her… Hell, just being with her the way he wanted to be would've been a heaven! But Hilary didn't need him to destroy her perfect life. He was too tainted, seen and been through too much during his short life. He would only pull her with him into the darkness, and that was the last thing he wanted to do.
Besides, he'd seen the touches and looks she exchanged with Tyson. No matter how much it hurt him, he couldn't take the happiness away from his friend. They deserved each other. Even thinking about the two of them was killing him, but he'd never been the one to deny facts. Destiny had meant Hilary and Tyson together. Who was he to stand in the way?
But tough he could give up on Hilary, he couldn't bear to watch the consequences of his sacrifice. He couldn't see how the one he loved found happiness from another arms.
And that was why he was leaving, taking the cowards way out. His battle was through. It was time for Kai Hiwatari to give in, for the first time in his life.
" I love you", he whispered into Hilary's ear, a single tear escaping to his cheek. " Goodbye".
Just that one time, Kai gave in to temptation and, softly and gently, kissed the soft skin of Hilary's cheek, knowing painfully clearly that it would be the only time he'd be able to kiss Hilary Tatibana.
As soon as the kiss was over, he quickly ripped himself off her, almost as if the very touch of her skin would've burned him, and walked up to the door. Just before he soundlessly left the room, he turned his gaze and gave her a one last look before disappearing like he'd never even been there.
You might have laughed if I told you
you might have given a frown
you might have succeeded in changing me
I might have been turned around
It's easier to leave than to be left behind
leaving was never my proud
leaving New York, never easy
I saw the light fading out
As Hilary opened her eyes, she had a strange feeling that someone had been in the room with her.
" Kai?".
She couldn't understand why she was calling him. But… There was a scent, just a weak one but still evident, in the air. Fresh apples. And she knew only one person who held that intoxicating fragrance…
But there was no response, so she slowly got up into a sitting position, looking around with a frown. No one was there.
Am I going crazy?
She couldn't tell what made her do it, but she turned her head, almost like following a soundless call, and frowned again as she saw the envelope that was carefully placed to the pillow. Hilary, it said in Kai's neat handwriting.
" What's going on?" she muttered, taking the letter and opening it. Only a small note flew to her
hand.
Hilary gasped loudly as she read and recognized the brief words written in Russian. If Kai had known she could speak Russian, she couldn't tell. But that didn't matter. All that fit into her mind were the words he was telling her.
I'm sorry.
I will always love you.
" Oh my God…".
Pieces begun to click in her mind. Her heart that had 'til then been filled with doubt was surer than ever before.
A small sound of door being closed softly reached her ears.
" No…".
She couldn't let Kai go, not without ever letting him know.
Faster than ever in her life she was up, and pulled on her clothes, then dashing out of the room. She threw the door of the hotel-room open, eyes filled with desperation.
" Kai!".
The boy was nowhere to be seen.
" Damnit…", she cursed, quickly took her jacket and, buttoning the jacket while running, rushed onto her way.
Now life is sweet
and what it brings
I try to take
but loneliness
it wears me out
it lies in wait
And all not lost
still in my eye
the shadow of necklace
across your thigh, I might've lived my life in a dream
but I swear it
this is real
Memory fuses and shatters like glass
mercurial future, forget the past
it's you
it's what I feel
Kai felt like he was in some sort of a weird dream as he sat in the taxi on his way towards the airport. All his random thought were mangling, and it was hard, almost impossible, to think clearly. Everything seemed to be just a one big mess he'd created.
All except for one thing. One face was clear in his mind.
Hilary had came close to finding him from behind his mask. Slowly but surely she'd broken down his defenses one by one, reached out until there was no place left for him to hide. And Gods, he had taken her in. She had been like sweet venom he had taken gladly tough he knew she was killing him. There was no way he could protect himself against her, and it frightened him, more than anything he'd even been through.
Kai wondered if Hilary even realized how close she'd came to changing him, bringing him out of
his shadows. Because that was what she'd done. Perhaps not even purposely, she had forced him to crawl out of his shell, to bare himself. And he had obeyed, tough it hurt him and scared him to death.
And then, slowly but surely, Hilary had smashed down the last and strongest one of his barriers. She'd won his heart, melted the thick layer of ice covering it. She'd gotten to where no one else had ever been. And she never even knew.
Not until now.
" We're here".
The words of the taxi-driver ripped him out of his thoughts and he lifted his head, almost in surprise, to notice that they were indeed at the parking lot of the airport.
" Thank you", he muttered, and paid for the ride. " Keep the change".
" Thank you", the man replied him, sounding pleased as he noticed the amount of money. " Have a nice flight".
Not bothering to reply, he got off the car and, carrying his huge bag, walked towards the double-doors with nothing but Hilary's face in his mind. He could actually still feel the touch of her skin in his fingers.
I have to get away from here, he decided.
With that he was inside, and immediately begun to search the area for a certain person. As soon as he caught a sight of red hair he begun to make his way towards the person who was sitting on a bench, reading a magazine, back towards him.
" I thought you'd chickened out", Tala noted as he came to hearing range, not lifting his gaze from the magazine.
" Hn", he commented while taking a seat next to his friend.
After a while Tala put the magazine away and looked at him, smirking. " You're a mess, you know that?".
That was a huge understatement, actually. Kai hadn't slept or eaten for what was close to a week. Hence he had huge black bags underneath his bloodshot eyes, and his always pale skin seemed unnaturally white, perhaps a little grayish. His silvery bangs were hanging tiredly, and his eyes that had always held such fire and passion seemed blank. It was also evident that he had lost weight by the way his clothes were hanging on him.
That was why his teammates hadn't put much protest when he'd announced that he was going to Russia with Tala for a while. What they didn't know was that Kai wasn't coming back.
Tala frowned slightly, looking at him carefully. " Are you sure about this?".
First time in a long while, Kai's burgundy eyes flashed. " I've never been this sure about anything".
Leaving was the only thing he could do – for himself and Hilary.
You might have laughed if I told you
you might have given a frown
you might have succeeded in changing me
I might have been turned around
It's easier to leave than to be left behind
leaving was never my proud
leaving New York, never easy
I saw the light fading out
You find it in your heart
It's pulling me apart
You find it in your heart, change
Hilary's thoughts were anything but clear as she sat in the taxi, on her way to the airport. So messed up she was that she didn't even see the dirty glances the taxi-driver was giving her.
She couldn't believe the words Kai had written her. Anger, guilt, fear, love, disbelief… She didn't even know how to feel anymore. All she knew was that she'd have to stop Kai from leaving. She deserved answers, and he deserved to know.
She couldn't loose him, not now, not this way.
Because in the middle of all their fights, through the layers of ice…
" A traffic-jam", the driver suddenly announced.
She loved him. More than she had ever loved anyone in her entire life.
" What!".
And she wasn't going to let him slip away without letting him know how much he meant to her.
The driver gave her an apologizing look. " I'm sorry, Miss, but looks like we're going nowhere for a while".
Panic shining clearly in her eyes, Hilary looked. True enough, the was a traffic-jam, a huge one at that. It would take for at least two hours before they'd be moving anywhere.
" Damnit…". Making up her mind quickly, she threw some money to the driver, beginning to leave the car. " There. I'm walking the rest of the way".
With that she was out and, taking some deep breaths before beginning her run, she stood for a while, investigating where she was supposed to be headed. And then she ran, faster than ever in her life, with Kai's written words in her mind.
I will always love you.
I told you, forever
I love you forever
I told you I love you
I love you forever
you never, you never
you told me forever…
As the last call for a flight to Russia came, Kai stood up and looked around the crowd for a one last time, subconsciously searching for one face.
" She's not here, Kai", Tala told him gently, a slight bit of sadness in his tone.
" I know". Kai forced himself to look at Tala, but couldn't shake the picture of Hilary away. " Shall we go, then?".
Tala looked at him doubtfully. " If you are still sure about this".
Kai felt almost angered by the words, and grit his teeth. " I already told you that I am sure. Why do you keep pressing me?".
Tala gave a half-smirk. " Because I know how stubborn you can be when it comes to your emotions". With that, the Russian started to walk towards the gates. " Are you coming or not? It's time to leave".
Looking around once more, Kai followed his friend.
You might have laughed if I told you
you might have given a frown
you might have succeeded in changing me
I might have been turned around
It's easier to leave than to be left behind
leaving was never my proud
leaving New York, never easy
I saw the light fading out
Out of breath and panting more than ever in her life, Hilary dashed into the airport, her gaze frantically searching for one particular face from the crowd.
But he wasn't there.
Tears she'd managed to hold back until then welled into her eyes. " No, no, no…".
Her eyes suddenly found the board that informed the leaving and coming flights, and tears begun to roll down her cheeks.
The flight to Russia had left only two minutes earlier.
" No…".
Suddenly, a whisper so quiet that she almost missed it reached her ears. " Hilary…".
She turned around slowly, almost afraid of what she might see. And she could've sworn she saw a glimpse of silvery hair…
Leaving New York, never easy
I saw the light fading out
leaving New York, never easy
I saw the light fading out
End.
A/N: So, did you like it?
I purposely left it so that you can decide if Kai left or not.
Well, thanks for reading!