Title: Chinese For Two
Pairing/Characters: Kai/Hilary
Rating: T
Disclaimer: Beyblade © Aoki Takao-sama

Chinese For Two

Part: IV

The sudden blast of heat that spread throughout the room caused a shudder to run up the brunette's body as she cranked up the notch to the heater. She didn't expect their party to be so soon, since they had originally planned it to be on Christmas Eve so the three of them could spend the night with the Kinomiyas.

But of course it didn't run that way, since they had more help setting up. Hilary sighed as she collapsed onto the couch, noting, but not particularly caring that she landed on about half of her reports for class. She really couldn't give a darn at this point in the morning. 7am was too early to do anything.

She groaned softly before rolling onto her side so that she could get a look at her answering machine. According to the small machine, she had one message.

Probably from Mom… she thought. Her parents had to work this entire week, which meant that they wouldn't get to be home for Christmas. Her mother had wanted to get the day off, along with her father.

Lazily bringing her hand up, Hilary pressed the beeping red button, waiting for the machine to do its job.

A beep sounded throughout the quiet room as she listened anxiously for the message to play. Just as she thought, it was her mother, whose light voice could be heard through the machine.

Hilary? Are you there? I just wanted to phone you so that you know ahead of time, dear. Your father and I tried to get Christmas off, but our managers want us at the office…I'm sorry, Hilary. It won't be until later in the evening that work lets out.

Please give me a call. Spend some time with those friends of yours, Tyson and Kenny. Have some fun! Anyways, goodbye, Hilary. I love you.

And with that, the click of the machine sounded as the last few words ended.

Her heart sank as she registered her mother's words. She knew her mother and father really tried, they wanted nothing more then to spend time with their daughter on Christmas, but, the work of a doctor and secretary was hard. This required long hours of attention…

Hilary slumped back into the couch, looking up at the plain cream-colored ceiling.

Spend some time with those friends of yours, Tyson and Kenny. Have some fun!

She furrowed her eyebrows, causing a slight crease of frustration to appear across her features as she brought a hand up to gently stroke her temples, the ache of a headache coming on.

That would've been great. She had originally planned this, but of course, it hadn't worked out as she had planned it would. She had really thought her parents could've gotten the day off. She even told Mariah about it…

She sat up, rubbing her forehead in a circular motion as to ease the strain in her head. So now what? She was up the creek without a paddle with no plans. So did this mean she would be lying around here all of Christmas?

She slowly ebbed her way off the couch as she trudged towards her bed, still caught up in her thoughts. Why was it bothering her so much? Why couldn't she just go to her friends and ask if she could stay with them?

She was fine. Nothing was wrong, and everything was just fine.

She winced at how that sounded. She wasn't fine. Things were wrong. At least to her they were. She couldn't imagine herself alone on such a holiday. Hilary could feel the tension of the walls creeping up on her – the cob webs beginning to grow and thicken as she felt things fall apart around her.

Glancing over at the doorway, there laid three wrapped gifts; one for Tyson, Kenny and Grandpa. It looked like she'd have to go shopping again, since the others were here.

There was a light grumble heard from her stomach, telling her that she was hungry.

Hilary stood up and glided over towards the phone, almost as if she were walking on air because of her quick strides. Not needing to punch in the digits because of the speed-dial system, Hilary pushed a small button on the phone before her as she held the earpiece to her ear as she listened to the drone of the other end as the line rang.

After about four rings, she heard Mr. Chang's usual greeting before she began to speak. "Hi, Mr. Chang! Okay, I'd like a carton of rice, along with some egg rolls, please," she stated, waiting for the man on the other line to respond.

She listened to him replay her order before he asked her, in that ever silly teasing way, if she would like a meal for two.

"No, just one. Yup, only me. Okay…thank you. Goodbye." With that, she hung up, before falling onto her bed as she had done before.

Chinese in the morning. She couldn't wait.

Two mahogany eyes slowly became visible as the Russian surfaced from his sleep. The sun shone brightly through the open window, making him wince slightly at the brightness as it invaded his sensitive eyes.

Kai sat up, running a hand through his tousled hair as his eyes studied what was in front of him as he blinked away the remains of sleep. Tyson and Kenny were still sleeping, Tyson snoring loud as ever, while Kenny slept peacefully next to him.

Kai could vaguely smell the light aroma of food cooking as the soft sound of two people talking from the other room, which, judging by the smell that'd most likely be the kitchen. Without too much thought, Kai pushed the fluffy blankets aside, letting his legs out from their confinement as stood up, his legs stiff from just waking up.

He stretched a little, letting himself adjust before his legs lead him into the kitchen where the heavenly smell of food hit him full blast. He had always loved Rei's cooking. He may not have ever said anything to the neko-jin, but he really admired his friend for his skill. Kai wasn't exactly bad at cooking, but, compared to Rei, Kai was nothing but a helper in the kitchen.

The two people stopped talking long enough to see him standing in the doorway. Mariah gave him a slight smile of acknowledgement before Rei spoke to him. "Hey, want breakfast?" he asked, looking over his shoulder, a frying pan in his hands as well as an apron that finished the look.

Still groggy, Kai simply nodded as he brought himself to the table, letting himself slip into it with a slump of his shoulders. He looked over towards the clock, which read 7:48.

He wondered exactly how long the two people in front of him had been awake. Must've been before him, for they seemed pretty chipper right that moment as they carried on with their conversation as if it had never been interrupted.

"So, what were you saying before, Rei?" Mariah asked looking over at her boyfriend with her golden eyes.

Rei flipped one of the eggs expertly before replying. "You were going to say something before," he replied, flipping one of the eggs again.

Her eyes widened in realization, snapping her fingers in remembrance, she replied, "Oh, right! Uh…yeah, I was wondering if you could take Hilary's Christmas present over to her apartment…she left so early this morning, and I forgot to give it to her…um, and I have to go downtown to do some…stuff…" she finished while trailing off at the end.

Kai raised an eyebrow at her statement. Whatever 'stuff' was, she sure didn't seem like she wanted to elaborate. By the way she said it, it sounded like she had just come up with that little statement all in that one moment. Another slate eyebrow rose to match the other as he watched her look over at her boyfriend, who had looked over his shoulders to answer her. She looked nervous.

Rei frowned lightly, looking at her apologetically. "Sorry, Mariah, but I promised Gramps I'd stay for the day and help out in the dojo with cleaning and practicing his kendo…I thought I'd told you that…"

Mariah sighed, pulling out a small slip of paper, letting her eyes scan over it. "Too bad…" she muttered.

Kai vaguely wondered what that small piece of paper said. He wasn't one to butt into other people's business, simply because it had nothing to do with him. But, as the two people conversed in front of him as if he wasn't even there, and the fact that the pink-haired girl was looking more nervous by the second, his interest was definitely drawn to that tiny cream colored paper.

Mariah stole a glance at the phoenix, letting her eyes sit on him for a minute as he stared at her with his questioning mahogany eyes.

Hilary's address and phone number was written neatly across it. She had given it to her last night during the party, so that the pink-haired girl could come over or call her sometime when a chance for it arrived.

Now…time to put this into action. "I guess she'll have to get it later then. I wanted to give it to her before Christmas Eve, but I guess it'll get to her later…" Mariah glanced over towards the slate-haired man, seeing his eyes still locked on her.

Kai watched her as she glanced his way. He watched as she carefully put the paper down in front of her. It was hard for him to distinguish what it said since it was backwards, but he was able to make out the small numbers and letters that were obviously part of an address.

Hilary's address. His eyes narrowed slightly. She had avoided him as best she could last night, and that made him concerned, yet he was angry. She looked like she was scared of him, like she didn't even want to be in his presence. He didn't understand, and it annoyed him that there was something he didn't know that was going on with the former coach. He wanted to know, and maybe, help her to fix whatever was wrong.

She was usually a very open girl, one where she outwardly expressed her feelings and opinions. He didn't understand why she was so different from that girl now.

Just that strange look she had given him, it made him feel like an outsider, like he didn't belong there. This wasn't true. He did belong there; he wasn't an outsider or a stranger. He was the same captain that pushed his team, making them work so that they would become stronger.

But even now, he still felt like a stranger. Rei and Mariah had just conversed in front of him, and it had seemed so natural to them. It was like he wasn't even there.

Yes, something was wrong. And he would find out what. "I'll do it."

Those three words caused the other people in the room to look over at him, shock clearly seen on their features.

Mariah mentally sighed in relief. Now, time to act dumb. "What do you mean?" she asked while tilting her head to the side.

He grunted. Standing up from the table, he walked over to her side, glancing down at the small paper, before letting his hand travel down to it, letting himself take hold of it. He let his eyes scan the paper, making a mental note to remember the address for later before pocketing it. "I'll take it," he repeated, his words not revealing anything else.

Mariah blinked before nodding in understanding. She bent down, pulling her small pink bag onto her lap, fishing out a box with pink wrapping. She handed it to him, letting his gloved hands grasp it.

Without another word, Kai turned around, leaving the other two to watch his retreating figure.

"Hey, wait!" Rei called after him, but went by unnoticed as the door was shut, cutting him short.

Mariah looked at him with curiosity. "What's wrong?" She asked.

Rei sighed, looking down at the still sizzling eggs. "He forgot breakfast…"

The cold air wafted around him, his face stinging slightly as the wind practically slapped him in the face as he followed what the piece of paper said. He was pretty close now; just another block and he would finally be at her apartment.

He grunted, wishing he had taken along his scarf, which he had accidentally left back at the dojo. He felt strange without it – he almost felt naked without it as he walked down the road with the cold air wrapping around him.

The small package was tucked neatly under his arm as he crossed the street, not really caring what it was, but more focused on where he was going. When he finally reached the corner, he turned, letting him come face to face with a decent looking building that overlooked the park that they had always went to when they were still the G Revolutions.

Pushing his thoughts aside, Kai headed up to the door, going in and heading towards wherever the paper was telling him to go. Finally, he stopped at a door that had '4A' carved into it. Both paper and door told him that he was at the right place.

Carefully, he brought out his gloved hand, knocking on the wooden door, waiting for the brunette to answer as he placed his hand down. The sound would've been easily heard by her, seeing as it wasn't exactly 'light'.

He waited, but nobody answered, letting him feel more and more uneasy as he just stood there in the middle of the hall, holding some pink present under his arm.

Realizing nobody was going to answer; Kai let his mahogany gaze sweep over the area. Hilary's room was actually not too far from the entrance, seeing as it was on the second floor of the building. The walls of the hall were pretty boring, the wooden walls bear. The halls were surprisingly warm, giving it a homey air.

It was an alright place, but to him, it didn't look like Hilary would have this place on her favorite's list.

Maybe he should leave. Nobody was here, and he really wasn't one to stand around. He ran that thought over in his head.

No. He wanted answers, and to get these, he needed to speak to the brunette. He had no idea where she could be at such an early hour. It was only 8:23am and she left the dojo probably somewhere around seven, seeing as Mariah and Rei were up before him. Surely they would've been up to say goodbye to the girl.

He thought that strange. They both had seemed pretty cheery, not at all tired. Why would the pink-haired girl forget when she seemed more than awake in his eyes? Whatever it was, it really didn't matter, but he couldn't help but run the question through his mind.

Kai stood there for half an hour, not really caring about the strange looks he was getting from the people who came out of their apartments every now and then. The more he stood there, the more the walls seemed to darken, giving the place a depressing mood that was uncomfortable even for him.

Maybe he should reconsider. This was becoming ridiculous, not to mention just a plain waste of time on his part.

Kai was getting ready to place the small wrapped gift in front of the door when he heard a loud thud sound from behind him. Arching an eyebrow, he turned, only for his mahogany eyes to lock with deep ruby.

She was finally here.

She could feel his eyes on her. They seemed to look straight through her as if he knew what she was thinking. She glanced up; catching his eyes and making them lock together silently. Tyson, Grandpa and Kenny were still asleep, only leaving the two neko-jin's awake in the dojo.

Finally, Rei spoke, breaking the silence, "What was that?" he asked her.

Mariah grinned. "Huh?" she answered smartly.

Rei ran a hand through his long tresses, sighing. "I saw that look. With Hilary's address. I know you, Mariah; tell me what's going on."

Mariah felt butterflies involuntarily flutter in her stomach at his words. If she hadn't been so uncomfortable, she would've been touched by his observance.

"I was trying to get Kai to take Hilary the present, and it worked," Mariah explained. It would be better to tell him, seeing as she hated lying to him, not to mention he could help her too.

Rei looked at her with a confused look. "Why? If you wanted him to do it, why'd you ask me in the first place? I told you I would be with Grandpa…" he trailed off. He was confused with her actions. It just didn't make sense to him.

"Because," she said, "I couldn't just come right out and ask Kai! He'd get suspicious! If that happened he wouldn't have gone," she said matter-of-factly.

"But you're still not making sense, Mariah. Why do you want Kai to give it to her? You could've given it to her this morning, and you never mentioned plans..." Rei watched as she shook her head. There must be something he didn't know; otherwise he wouldn't be so confused right now…

"You didn't see how he looked at her yesterday in the back?" Mariah questioned, remembering the other night.

Mariah watched from the doorway as Hilary took a step away from the tall phoenix avatar in front of her.

She could see Kai look at her with quizzical eyes as she tried to edge away from him. The brunette didn't seem to notice, however, her eyes practically glued to the ground.

"But I was with Tyson getting a tree…" Rei stated, "I wasn't even there…"

Mariah blinked, slapping her forehead in realization. "Oh, that's right! Sorry, Rei," she said apologetically, "But still! What about last night with the star?"

Now that he saw. "That was a little unexpected," he said, more to himself than his girlfriend.

"Right! So why should Kai spend his Christmas in his big old empty mansion, and Hilary in a small apartment when they could spend it together?" Mariah said, a happy grin tugging at her lips, unable to hide her satisfaction with her plan.

She had a point, he supposed. He remembered his talk with Tyson on the way back from the store about how Hilary was living alone in an old apartment while Kai was going to spend his Christmas in his Grandfather's old mansion, which he left behind to Kai in his will.

He supposed that his girlfriend's intentions were in the right place, but, what about Hilary and Kai? He could only imagine what would come if they found out that they were being set up. He really had no wish to be dismembered.

"Mariah, what if they found out?" he asked, reluctance thick in his deep voice.

Mariah smiled. "What if they didn't find out?" she countered. "Which they won't, if no one tells them!"

Rei sighed. Somehow, no matter what he said, he knew this plan was going to involve him now that he knew about it, not to mention his own curious instincts nudging him to go along with it. Knowing he was going to regret this later, he shook his head, finally able to answer. "You've got me. But if we get caught, it's not my fault!"

"Yes!" Mariah cheered, latching onto Rei in a bear hug. "Thank you, Rei! You'll see! It'll work out!"

He knew it would. It was just the thought that he was going behind two of his friend's backs that had him a little worried. But, it was better then just letting them spend Christmas alone. He supposed he could take it though, seeing as Mariah's intentions were good, and that it was to help, which was exactly what he wanted to do. Well, this seemed like a good way to do it in his opinion.

This was going to be one interesting Christmas.