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

Chinese For Two

Part: VIII

A muffled groan slipped through the once quiet air, penetrating the silence that once hung in the small, cramped apartment that the brunette adorned.

"No more egg rolls." The things were evil, and she could swear on it. Her stomach felt like it would burst, making little noises every now and then, as if begging to make her stop the torture. She vaguely wondered if Tyson ever felt this sick before.

Hilary glanced at the carton of food that sat innocently next to her, the smell of vegetables and meat making its way to her nostrils, ultimately causing her to scowl at the devilish air it gave off. It was evil, the terrible little monsters that had entered her stomach. She had an overwhelming urge to just throw that carton's little minions right back at it. She wondered if it would make a face at her, before deciding it wasn't worth it.

There was a neat stack of papers that sat idly at her desk in the corner; almost as if happy it had been sorted out. Was this bad luck for stepping on her homework so much? Were they getting back at her for it? She couldn't recall how many times she had graced her math equations with her foot, though she was sure it had been a decent amount of times. They probably didn't like her very much now.

She gave a snort, mentally reminding herself that paper wasn't a living being – ignoring the thought of it once being a tree – and turned away from the carton, so as not to be lying on her sore stomach and instead falling lightly onto her side, now facing the smiling forms of the White Tigers.

In that moment, she thought of Rei's cooking, and decided that his cooking was always better than the food she had gotten from old man Chang's Restaurant. She wondered if it was the food itself, or her own doing with engulfing too much of the substance. If that were the case, she'd never get a chance to apologize to the egg rolls. They'd be eaten once her stomach felt less inclined to empty itself.

And with one jerk, Hilary was off the bed and into the bathroom, deciding she would blame the egg rolls for the moment.

Kai promptly decided that Mariah was weird. Whenever she would leave the room – and he would take note that such a thing occurred when he entered – he would let his leveled gaze meet with Rei, though the raven-haired neko-jin would simply give a small shrug and a shake of his head before going back to whatever business he had.

He also found it particularly strange when he had found his teammates – ex-teammates, he reminded himself firmly – sitting together upon her bed, and he found himself glad that he really didn't know. And they had stared at him too. Almost as if he was the one who appeared strange, when they were the ones who were cuddling against Mariah's soft pink pillows without a thought.

The image remained in his skull, curving around his jumbled thoughts and squeezing until a stabbing headache formed. He let a wince hiss out through his clenched teeth, his hand coming up to rub at his sore temples. Perhaps he was forming a cold of some kind.

"Kai?" Rei's concerned voice rang out, seeming to echo off the wooden dojo walls. He looked up dejectedly at the neko-jin who stared at him with confused golden eyes. Rei came up next to his slouching form, his mouth set in a thin line as he questioned his old team captain. "What's the matter? You don't look so good."

He really didn't feel very good either. The ache in his head throbbed painfully, and with the way Rei was staring at him, he wondered just how much it was weighing down on him. "It's nothing," he responded, watching as the raven-haired youth gave him another look.

"Are you sure?" He brought a hand up to feel the old captain's forehead, though Kai immediately moved his head away to the side, letting the hand grasp air. He didn't need Rei to tell him anything. Sometimes, he decided, Rei was a lot like a mother hen.

"It's nothing," he said again, and this time, his reply was much firmer than before.

Rei shook his head as the dual-haired man stood, like he was trying to prove his point. Perhaps Kai thought of his concern as bothersome, but sometimes – and Rei was surprised how easily the thought came – Kai could act like a real child.

The way the dual-haired man would push his hand away, or deliberately move his head, it caused Rei to become more and more convinced that Kai was a child that wouldn't take advice from others – even if it was good for him. He could remember years back when he would give advice to them, but when it came down to things, Kai himself would never take advice that came from them, and it was the same as a little kid who didn't want to take his medicine.

Rei sighed, crossing his arms over his chest in an attempt to keep calm. "Fine. Just try to take things easy, okay? Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, after all."

"Hn," Kai responded, giving the neko-jin a withering glance before a small scowl made its way to his face, and Rei knew it was because Kai knew he was right. He always did that when he knew he was wrong. So with a tentative voice, he said, "Whatever."

Rei grinned. He loosely noted that he felt strangely like a mother hen.

Pacing in her room, Mariah thought of the past few days. She had ignored Kai like the plague, even though she knew she didn't have to. The scarf was safe in her room, and the old team captain would never find out who had stolen his seemingly favorite accessory as long as she – or anyone else – didn't say anything. And as long as Kai never entered her room – which she knew was very unlikely to happen – it was fine.

But that lingering uneasiness still clung to her like a leech – sucking her dry. It really weighed down on her nerves each time he came into the room, his eyes sharp and narrowed as always. She sometimes wondered how Rei and the others managed to not go crazy with Mr. Sourpuss always being a wet blanket.

"Um, Mariah?" Tyson called out to the still-pacing neko-jin girl. He wearily noted that the carpet underneath her feet would give out if she kept up her hot trail. "You alright over there?"

"Just fine!" she replied, her voice laden with sweetness that didn't comfort the teens at all. "Just thinking!"

"Must be some serious thinking…" Daichi commented, though earned a glower from the pink-haired girl, and promptly decided to not mention her noisy pounds on the floor, instead muttering, "Well, jeez, then…"

Max chuckled at the redheads words, though he had to agree with the younger blader. Mariah seemed a little too on edge for any of their comfort, the idea of sitting on her bed while she thought up plans for two people they knew could give them the most pain swimming around in their frazzled minds.

Kenny groaned inaudibly, pushing his face into his laptop. He knew it was nothing like an actual pillow, though he found the computer could give him more solace than anything else at the moment.

Mariah stopped in her wild movements, suddenly coming to a halt as she rounded on the four people sitting on her bed. "Well…" she started, watching their intent faces as they looked up at her. She almost felt like a drill sergeant at roll call, her troops ready to go out into battle, waiting for her commands and authority. Was this how Lee and Rei had felt like?

"You think of something?" Daichi asked, being more careful with the wording of his statement.

Mariah rubbed the back of her head, looking at each of them. "Well…" she said again, "Why don't we take a break from the plotting?" she suggested, breaking out into a sheepish, cat-like grin.

A collective groan ensued.

Trudging into the kitchen and into the bathroom of the Kinomiya dojo, Hilary followed Grandpa until he stopped and pulled out a chair for her, letting her body ease into the much appreciated seat.

She felt guilty for barging in all of a sudden, though when she realized she couldn't find any traces of the stomach medicine she had placed somewhere – she knew it had to be somewhere in that place she called an apartment! – she knew that Grandpa would be kind enough to give her some medicine for her ailment. After all, it was just yesterday they were speaking of bugs and flu and whatnot.

"Can't believe ya got a bug, home girl! What'd we talk about yesterday, yo?" Grandpa pressed, moving through things Hilary didn't take time to acknowledge what they were in the cabinet that rested above the sink. "Hope ya won't be feelin' so low by tomorrow, ya know? It's Christmas Eve tomorrow. It'd be awful if ya were sick for that!"

Hilary's stomach wrenched and she grimaced softly at the pain that clamped down on her. "It should be fine. It's only a stomach bug, after all." She gazed up at his back as he continued to search for the medicine, and she sighed gently. "Thanks, Grandpa."

"Hmmm?" he replied, turning around to look at her with puzzled eyes. "What for, home girl?" he asked.

Hilary met his look with her own. She opened her mouth to speak, though closed it again, unable to. Perhaps it was a number of things. Perhaps he had done so much for her in the past – and she knew he did – that she wasn't sure what she was thanking him for. Or perhaps it was a reflex, and she felt the need to be polite, since he was letting her borrow medicine she should be buying with her own money at a pharmacy. Or perhaps it was for everything. She wasn't really sure.

Noticing her look, and knowing what her silence meant, Grandpa gave a grin and a nod, before turning back to the matter at hand.

And Hilary found she knew what he meant, too.

"We'll be seeing you tomorrow, right, Kai?" Rei asked, looking at the old captain with curious golden eyes, pinning him with their gaze.

"Hn," he replied, rolling his shoulder just to add to it. He wasn't sure why Rei was so interested in his plans, though it really wasn't unusual for the neko-jin, he supposed. "Maybe."

"Maybe?" Rei echoed.

Kai's eyes narrowed a fraction, his mouth twitching as it formed a thin line as he replied, "Yes, maybe."

Rei shrugged at the rather stony response, his raven colored bangs sweeping past his eyes as he shook his head. "Whatever you say, dude."

Kai decided not to comment, and instead tried to think back to the last time he had addressed him as 'dude'. Somewhere back in their blading days together, he could remember the young neko-jin using the term often, and now it felt like a dive into old memories that now seemed far off and foreign. But he remembered very well, and decided not to say anything about Rei's old habit of address.

Kai gave the young man a sidelong glance. "See you later."

Rei nodded. "Yeah." He was almost compelled to voice his opinions – that he had already decided about coming back tomorrow, that he would decide to not stay at his grandfather's old mansion, that he would spend the holiday with them. But he put the thought down, knowing that – and once again, it came surprisingly easy – Kai would act like a child, and deny it. So he settled with this.

Sliding the shoji open, letting it give a small screech, Kai slipped through, letting the cold air whip at his scarf less form.

"Rei?" Hilary asked as she came to stand next to the youth, which seemed to startle him as he whipped around to face her, his eyes slits and wide. "Why's it so cold?" she questioned softly, watching him with glazed ruby eyes. She sniffed.

"Hilary?" he blinked. He wondered when she had come. He didn't remember seeing her earlier, or hear her entrance. "Wha-what are you doing here?" Seeing her eyes narrow, he gulped before quickly shaking his head and waving his arms. "I-it's just… I never heard you come in!" he rephrased, hoping that sounded better than the previous statement.

Hilary rubbed her temples lightly, a sigh escaping her lips. "Stupid egg rolls…" she muttered, the words sliding off her tongue and into the quiet air until the brunette could practically feel Rei's confusion.

"Egg rolls…?" Rei deadpanned.

Hilary's stomach involuntarily gave a flop, protesting with her whenever she ran a hand over it. She was beginning to feel nauseous, and Grandpa had told her to either get home and into bed, or to spend the night at the dojo. Knowing she had imposed enough, she decided to head home for the night. So after giving Mariah and the others a quick farewell, she had set about returning to her apartment.

Though when she saw Rei, she could feel the curiosity well up inside of her at his silent presence.

"Ugh…" She fumbled for words, before laying a hand on her stomach once again in a light rubbing motion. "Stomach bug…"

Dawning swept over his features like how the sun rose over a cliff. "Oh!" he said, before giving her a sympathetic grin. "Bet Gramps had something to say about that. Get better soon, okay?" he said, giving her shoulder a light pat.

She nodded, before wobbling over to the door. It was still early, the sun just beginning to set in the distance. She would've stopped to admire the sunset had her stomach not given her a complaint that caused her to wince. Said stomach churned, a light rumbling sound entering into her hearing range. To her, it made her feel even queasier. Hopefully she would make it back home before her innards decided they wanted to come out and see the sunset for themselves. "I will…" she pasted a tiny smile on her face, just to reassure him, and maybe even a little for herself as well. "See you later, Rei."

"Bye," Rei replied, waiting until she closed the shoji door, and once she did, Rei paused for a moment just to stare at the silent wall, before turning on his heel and making his way to Mariah's room.

He wondered if they had taken a break yet.

Hilary went about soothing her poor stomach, which seemed reluctant to settle down.

Golden light poured down on her chestnut colored head as the sun went down into the earth further, the clouds tinted a beautiful pink-purple that seemed to sail through the sky.

She tried to twist her thoughts on something other than her gurgling stomach, latching onto whatever thought she could. In the corner of her mind's eye, she thought of the sea. It was wide and deep and blue and oh so majestic. And she could practically taste the salt that came with the tides as it washed up onto the shores.

There – that was a nice thought. She had always loved the ocean. She recalled that it had been a place where she and the boys had always went to when they trained. One of their favorites, she remembered.

There was a boy with long, blue hair – in a ponytail, she reminded herself – with blue eyes that twinkled with determination and bravery that would make her quake at his strong will that was practically that of a dragon's. He would jump in the sand, constantly trying to push himself, and she could see him smile as the sun rose over the horizon.

And there was a small boy whose chestnut colored hair resembled her own, with bangs so long that they covered his eyes, and glasses that didn't help either. Though when she thought about it, she could picture dark, brown eyes under the mass of hair. It seemed fitting. She could see his shy smile easily, though, as he sat on the bench and typed on his laptop as the clouds rolled over his head.

And then she could see another boy, whose blonde hair glistened like the sun, and whose eyes sparkled like the sea itself. With a bright smile that resembled that of a grinning turtle, she could practically hear his laugh on the waves as he jumped around with the boy whose smile you could see on the horizon.

Then on the other side of the beach, there was a boy – so many boys – whose long, almost wavy raven hair smelled of salt as it whipped through the air, constantly being caressed by invisible hands, and with golden eyes that shone orange and yellow at the same time when he grinned. And she could see him standing in the sand further up, where no water could touch him, and yin and yang were there as well, always tied to his forehead and resting with the certain pride that a tiger had.

And then there was one more boy. And she could barely see anything of him, though when she did, his mahogany eyes didn't look so sharp, and his mouth was a little more curved with whispers that ran through the long scarf and lapping up onto the beach itself. And it called like a bird, screeching as it soared in the sky, and she could practically see the bright red wings on his back.

And then she could see herself as well, though not as much as the others, because she realized she could see them better than anything. But as she fell closer and closer into the water, she could see everything clearly, and could feel the strong hand clasp around her own, and never had she felt more relieved to see such gorgeous wings…

Hilary's stomach latched again, and she thought it strange that she felt sea-sick. Of course, the more the waves rolled in her head, the more gurgling it brought to her.

"Hilary."

Turning her head in surprise, said girl looked up, ruby clashing with mahogany. "Kai…"

The dual-haired man raised an eyebrow at her faraway look, staying silent as she practically groaned his name.

"Hm…" Hilary twisted her head from side to side, though stopped when things began to swirl a little too much for comfort, the beginning of a headache not something she felt grateful for as she stood there. "…where are we?" She couldn't stop herself from asking the question. She knew it looked familiar, though she couldn't pinpoint the exact name of the place. Though the tall fence and sparkling fountain looked pretty nice…

Kai's other eyebrow rose as he heard her quiet question. She looked pale, and the glazed look in her eyes made him believe that she was sick. Perhaps she had taken a wrong turn, he thought, seeing as her apartment was on the other side of his grandfather's old mansion. And glancing behind her, and looking at which road she had come, he realized that that was indeed what she had done.

"Ugh…"

Kai looked back down at the sullen brunette, and felt slightly uneasy as she began to wobble over to the bushes on the side of the sidewalk.

"I'm going to be sick…"

And Kai turned his head away when that was exactly what she did.