In answer to one question from a reviewer, this fic will probably have about two maybe three more chapters after this. I only planned on doing about ten but decided to make Tala and Mariah feature more in the story, if I had cut them out it would have been easier and shorter!

I do not own beyblade!!

Dedicated to Ari Dark Princess.

"I just remember it so well" Ana Hiwatari said laughing as she spoke with Mariah "we got a call from the school saying that Kai had been in yet another fight and they wanted to talk to us this time. His father had to fly back from Prague, then Susume, Kai's father, had a very long talk with Kai about behaving himself before we went in for the meeting. When we arrived at the school to talk with the headmaster the two of them just stood glaring, rather like they are now, at each other."

Mariah looked over at the two men to see that they were glaring, only unlike in the story Tala and Kai were not glaring at each other but at Kai's mother.

"Anyway" Ana continued unfazed "we weren't the only ones there, Tala's parents were there too. We al introduced ourselves and were very civilised. We sat the boys in chairs on separate sides of the door then started talking with the headmaster. We assured the man that we had spoken to Kai and he wouldn't be getting into any more fights with Tala. Tala's parents then said the same thing, they told us that they had made Tala promise never to fight again and that he had. We then turned to talk to the boys and told them again that they had to behave. We thought we'd solved the matter and the four of us parents were walking down the corridor with the headmaster agreeing that all boys needed was a firm hand and they'd obey when we hear a shout from behind us." Ana stopped briefly as she drank form her glass

"What happened?" Mariah asked eagerly

"We turn around and there the two of them are rolling around on the floor beating the living daylights out of each other. I couldn't believe it, we had our backs turned for about ten seconds and they're at it again!"

"How you two became friends I'll never understand" Mariah laughed but Tala grinned shaking his head.

"I don't really remember how we became friends either. I do remember that one day I was being beaten up by some older boys and Kai walked into the corridor, he told the older boys that it was an unfair fight as there was one of me and six of them…"

"Three" Kai corrected, "there were only three of them"

"Ok so three of them" Tala corrected himself angrily glaring at Kai muttering "six sounded better" before carrying on with the story "so they pulled Kai into the fight to make it fairer. We fought side by side and when it was over we were in a lot of pain but, we didn't hate each other anymore. I guess we started fighting together so much we just became friends."

"We're friends?" Kai asked mockingly "Since when?"

"Yes we're friends" Tala muttered angrily punching his 'friend' "you can't hang around as much as we do without being friends. Or something else…?" he waggled his eyebrows suggestively making the two women laugh and Kai shudder.

"Alright I guess we're friends" Kai said in a prosaic monotone

"No need to sound too happy about it" Tala said wanting to punch him again. Mariah couldn't help but laugh at the two friends, Kai knew exactly how to annoy Tala and Tala knew exactly how to annoy Kai. It was almost like they were brothers.

A cell phone sounded from Ana's bag, she pulled it out and then apologised saying that it was her doctor. She excused herself from the table and walking to the door answered the phone.

"Is she doing ok?" Tala asked discreetly as soon as Ana was gone.

"She'll be fine" Kai said but for once there was a hint of real worry in his voice.

"I guess she must be really annoyed about your father and all the other stuff that's going on."

"Yeah, I just wish… I just wish… never mind" Kai shrugged frowning.

Suddenly Mariah had an extreme case of déjà vu. That had been said before… why had that stuck in her mind though? Why did she remember hearing those words so clearly. She had been sitting here, she was sure of that, she had been sitting here, with these two, looking out that window and… Hilary!!

Now Mariah remembered, that had been what Kai said right before she saw Hilary.

I wish!

Those were the two words he had spoken when wanting the rain to stop.

And he had wished for her to be in the office and Hilary had appeared to take her there.

He had been about to wish for something and Hilary had appeared.

No way!

Could Kai's little habit of saying the words 'I wish' make Hilary appear?

No that didn't make sense, she hadn't been anywhere nearby when the rain had stopped.

Besides granting wishes? It was impossible!

But then again so was seeing someone disappear!

"So what is it?"

"What is what?" Tala asked and that was when Mariah realised she had spoken aloud.

How long had she been talking aloud for?

"Um… nothing" Mariah brushed it all off quickly "Nothing at all."

"Are you sure?" Tala asked curiously

"I'm sure it's just a…, it's a…, work thing" she finished lamely. It was a safe thing to say though, Tala and Kai liked having their privacy when it came to work stuff and they were unlikely to question her about hers!

--

Bored as he sat at dinner with his family Kai worked hard to contain his sigh. He would give anything for it to be just him and his mother. Asides from anything else he wanted to know how things had gone at hospital today. She had arrived home late and he had barely been able to stop himself form jumping for the phone and dialling all the local hospitals. It was just the three of them today, Svetlana had been called away and so unfortunately for Kai and his mother, this meant there was no one to take Susume's attention.

"I hear you have been taking time off work recently" Susume looked over at his wife as he spoke "Today in fact."

"I had something to do" Ana replied smartly filling her mouth will broccoli.

"I take it that you do not wish to tell me what you were doing."

"Mhhmmh" Ana shook her head indicating her full mouth as an excuse not to reply.

Kai smirked as he watched his father silently seethe, almost immediately Susume turned on his son and began to question him "Kai"

"Yes father?"

"I understand that you are working on the charity function with Ms Heyer"

"Yes"

"But you are yet to name a date for the evening."

"I have not yet chosen anyone"

"You ought to make a choice soon, it is important for appearances that you bring someone"

"Kai your father is right, you need to bring someone along to the dance you know!" Kai's mother grinned as she gave him a devious smirk. "It would be boring if you went alone."

"Yes Mother!" Kai gave a slight glare to his mother, he was slightly tempted to bring his mother absence from work today back into the limelight. He didn't, merely protecting her but annoyed that she was so willing to tease him.

"She must be someone with either a good background or at least an untarnished background. I remember what last years guest was like and I did not appreciate the story she sold to the paper afterwards"

"Father whosoever I choose will be my choice."

"I think you forget your place" Susume hissed

"No, no" Kai looked around him "I'm pretty sure I was sitting here before"

Ana giggled into her tea. Kai chuckled lightly as they shared the joke, this was fun. Why had he and his mother never shared jokes like this before? His mother sure had changed since he was a kid.

As his father continued to lecture him about the importance of picking a girl that would not bring shame to the family, Kai's mind drifted to Hilary. He wondered why he hadn't seen her in so long. He missed her, he really missed her, the way she smiled tilting her head to one side as she questioned him about things.

Why had she reacted so badly to that kiss? It wasn't a bad kiss, in fact it was a pretty good kiss. Out of all the kisses Kai had ever had… and he'd had a lot that one was pretty much the best. Hilary was in his thoughts so often these days that he was having trouble concentrating on anything especially his father… who was still talking. Could the guy not work out when to stop, or when people had stopped listening to him?

Sighing audibly he concentrated on his meal. There was only one person he could even consider taking to the ball, unfortunately right now she was nowhere to be found.

"Is everything alright Kai?" his mother was looking at him concerned

"I'm fine mother" he sat up straight smiling slightly "Just fine"

--

"So your dads been on at you about this ball thing" Tala asked as soon as he and Mariah met up with Kai for lunch.

"How did you know?" Kai asked staring at his friend with surprise.

"I know you and I know your dad!"

"Well apparently last years date didn't meet his standards. I dunno maybe I'm just gonna go alone this year… It's not like it's that big of a deal"

"Yeah the last thing we want is a repeat of last year."

"What happened with last years date?" Mariah asked inquisitively

Both Tala and Kai stared at each other, a look of disgust and… was that panic? crossed their faces

"Nothing" the two men spoke simultaneously

"Oh now I really want to know" Mariah giggled.

They had a quiet meal together with Mariah occasionally trying to bring conversation around to last year's date but neither boy budged. They flat out refused to talk about it! Soon the meal was drawing to a close and the discussion of this years event came up again. Kai quite honestly couldn't name any girl to come with him and he refused to really try to find anyone.

"I can be dateless" Kai argued with Tala

"You and I are never dateless, if you show up alone people will start up that old rumour…"

"What old rumour?" Mariah asked, she sure was interested in all their old stories all of a sudden "Or is this one as embarrassing as the other one?"

"Well this one you probably heard" Kai muttered "There was a rumour that the reason Tala and I never found anyone serious, was because we were…" Kai paused "How do I put this?"

"More interested in each other than our dates?" Tala chuckled lightly

"Oh! You mean they thought that you two…" Mariah looked at them and they nodded "Yeah I guess I could see it!"

"What?" Both men sounded very offended at this.

"Well you know what they say about those all boys schools!" Mariah teased laughing at their looks of disgust.

"Look if I was that way inclined I could do better then Tala" Kai smirked at his friend who choked on his drink

"Hey I could get any guy I want!" Tala announced loudly getting some odd looks form the rest of the restaurant patrons. Smiling at the waiter who stood nearby Tala cleared his throat before saying "Cheque please!"

Recovering from his laughter Kai looked over at the still giggling Mariah announcing "Well now I gotta bring a date or everyone will think Mariah is with me and you're pining over…"

"Say another word and I crush your voice box!" Tala muttered angrily.

"Well how about I ask one of my friends along?" Mariah offered, she was really trying to keep a straight face "That way it would just be a friendly thing and you wouldn't have to worry about it!"

"As long as it's not Ming Ming, although my father was sorry to see that she and I were no longer dating, that sounds fine" Kai muttered to Mariah, he and Tala no longer made any secret of their feelings for the blue haired girl.

"No problem, I know who I'd like to bring though" Mariah sighed as she broached the sticky subject that was Kai's last 'date' "Have you seen Hilary since the opera?"

"No" Kai shook his head sadly "Have you seen her?"

"No…" Mariah lied "I was kind of hoping that you had." Kai shook his head again "I was actually a little worried about her, I just hoped if you had someway of contacting her I could call…" Mariah said to Kai "I wish I could see her."

"Me too" Kai agreed "I wish she'd at least go see you to let us know she's ok."

Crossing her fingers for luck that she was right about Kai's wishes Mariah grinned "Well I've got to go. See you tomorrow Kai" turning she dropped a kiss on Tala's lips

"Yeah… oh can you check on Tala's suit for the ball his taste is awful. I know it's too late for him to get a tailored one, but he should be able to find a decent, ready made, tux in two days." Kai ducked as his friend swung a punch at him

"Hey I can dress myself!" Tala argued

"Sure thing Kai" Mariah headed out the restaurant ignoring Tala's shout of

"I HAVE GOOD TASTE!"

--

"Nice lunch Ms Wong?" The minute Mariah arrived back at work her assistant walked forward to take her coat.

"Wonderful" Mariah nodded "Did I get any phone calls while I was out?"

"No but you have a visitor in your office. It's the lady from the other day so I said she could wait there. Ms Hilary she didn't give a last name."

"Thank you."

Walking into her office expectantly Mariah smiled at the brunette who sat in the chair awaiting her.

"Mariah!" Hilary stood and walked over to her "I just thought I'd…"

"Grant Kai's wish?" a smirking Mariah finished for her.

The minute Hilary heard Mariah's words her whole face fell "Damn" returning to her chair she sat down heavily looking defeated.

Looking the young woman over Mariah was not surprised to see that once again Hilary was dressed with her usual flair. She wore a bright yellow summer dress, it was knee length and flared out in a full skirt. Over that she wore a smart denim jacket, her hair was done up in a French pleat, ion her ears she wore small crystal studs and on her feet were cute denim sandals with small crystal like gems.

"I was so careful. How did you figure me out?"

"I saw you disappear, that day at the restaurant when Kai didn't really finish his wish. After that it didn't take me long."

"I didn't see you. Look I wanted to explain, so many times but…" Hilary trailed off and Mariah saw that her eyes were filling with tears. "God this is so messed up! I'm supposed to do my ten wishes and leave. That's it. I even gave away my first kiss"

"First kiss?" Mariah stared at her "No offence but that's not exactly a big deal."

"Maybe not to you, but in my world it's different"

"So wait you come from another world?" intrigued Mariah moved around her desk and sat facing Hilary "Wow what's it like?"

"The genie realm is very different from this world, your first kiss is supposed to be perfect and it needs to be with your perfect partner" Hilary explained with a shrug, noticing Mariah confused face Hilary sighed "Mariah have you ever noticed that my clothes and hair are always perfect??"

"Well I was going to ask you where you get those amazing shoes. They always seem to match."

"That's just the way it is in my world, you make the clothes you want with our magic and we're all perfect so it always comes out perfect. My hair actually physically can't be out of place. I have never woken up with knots in my hair or anything like that"

"Perfect?" Mariah asked curiously "Everything's perfect?"

"Yeah, that's part of the way it goes when you have powers. Perfection. That's why we come to other worlds, our life is so perfect that my people made a law many, many millennia ago to go to other worlds and help."

"Wow… so hang on how does it work? You make it sound like you have a home to go to. You have like 'genie' parents and everything?"

"I do." Hilary shifted in her seat and started to explain. "Back in my world travelling to another to work as a genie is kind of like jury duty. Every century they pick five of us to go to different worlds, we are allowed to give out ten wishes. Most people don't like doing this and look for ways to get out of it… I on the other hand love it so I sign my name up voluntarily every century and someone who has a valid reason for not doing it can get away with not doing it."

"What's a valid reason?"

"Pregnancy, age, kids, death in the family you know that kind of thing."

"It really is like jury duty!"

"Yeah, but I love it. I love being in an imperfect world, it's fun. I'm considered a bit of a rebel back home, most people just want to do their ten wishes and get it over with." Hilary sighed happily.

"Yeah about that, why's it ten wishes?? I thought it was three"

"No that's just in Aladdin" Hilary laughed sounding a little annoyed "Blimmin Scheherazade and her Arabian nights."

"But you come from a lamp like in the story!" Mariah pointed out

"Well we pick an object to be anchored to, some people like jewellery, others like furniture. Lamps were popular once because their pretty constant, everyday objects. I thought it would be funny if I went 'old school' this time and picked a lamp… god only knows why."

"So the anchor is what keeps you here? And only the owner can use you?"

"Yeah, ownerships been a difficulty sometimes but we go with whoever bought and paid for it or whoever it was gifted too."

"What if it gets stolen?"

"Then it won't work, that's another place the storybooks got it wrong. You can't steal a genie, you have to legally buy it or get it as a gift or in a will and a genie can only give out it's ten wishes per century. It doesn't start all over again"

"But how come you haven't told Kai what you are?"

"Ah well…" Hilary bit her lip nervously "There are no rules about telling your anchor's owner what you are. The first time I came here and told someone what I was they got all… selfish and started to make cruel wishes. There are other rules, I can't kill anyone, I can't force people to do things against their will, I can't change feelings and no wishing for more wishes but he made me do some mean things…. for that reason there is nothing in the rules about telling everyone who you are, so usually I keep it a secret."

"So you were worried Kai would be like that…selfish?"

"Well, he doesn't exactly have a good reputation."

"I won't argue with you there" Mariah said with a nod "he and Tala had awful reputations. For a long time I refused to date Tala but he wore me down and I'm glad he did. He's not the bad guy people assume he is. Both Tala and Kai had a rough upbringing, wealthy but lonely. Hey can I ask you something else?"

"Sure"

"Where do you go when you're not here? I mean you don't live inside a lamp what's your home like?"

"Home. Pretty average, houses like yours, constant sun, perfectly symmetrical mountainside scenery. As I'm on genie duty I just stay in my home realm all day, I don't know how to explain where it is, I really suck at geography. Plus it's kind of like a space between spaces so they don't really include it in your general curriculum."

"Right. What do you normally do while you're there?"

"Normally, I work, I study, plant things, care for my garden, make clothes. When you're on genie duty it's more dull. Talk, meditate anything we want to but sometimes you just sleep waiting for your anchors owner to make a wish or for someone to call on you. You don't have to own the anchor in order to call on someone. You just have to say 'though it be not in my power to wish it I ask for an audience' and the genie will be able to come talk to you. That way genies can call on other genies. Or a person can pass on ownership of the genie but still check up on them. It's all very complicated."

"How old are you really?" Mariah asked staring at her "You can't be twenty one, you look younger and you act older, and the way you talk about past owners, centuries… how old are you?"

"Well genies have a different time zone" Hilary explained "in our realm time it's different and when we're on earth and we use human calendars it gets tricky. We give our ages in centuries, so when I say twenty one, I don't mean twenty one years I mean twenty one centuries"

"No way!!" Mariah sat back stunned "You've been around for over twenty one centuries??"

"'fraid so"

"Wow, so Kai's got an older woman!"

"He doesn't have me" Hilary told Mariah seriously "And he never will, he never can"

"Why not?"

"I'm a genie!"

"And?"

Hilary sighed "Ok let me explain, remember I told you that when a genie goes to another realm in order to grant wishes they have an anchor?"

"Yeah an object, yours is the lamp"

"Ok well if a genie wants to give up their genie status they need to get a human to wish it and then be anchored to a human."

"What's wrong with that? You could be anchored to Kai"

"If I used Kai as my anchor he and I would be co-dependant, if I ever got killed he'd die too, and vice versa, if he got killed I'd die. I could give everything up for him and anchor myself to him only to get hit by a car the next day and kill us both."

"Or you could live till you're eighty and die together in your sleep"

"That's unlikely and there's more, I'd need an identity and a job, there's no guarantee that if I come to this world permanently I'd have any talents or skills. I would certainly have no qualifications."

"Well that does raise some problems but I'm sure Kai…"

"Look just forget about it"

"Couldn't you just stick around?" Mariah asked curiously "you know just stay a genie and be around?"

"I don't age like you guys. I'd have to watch you all get old and die before me. I couldn't do that. Only by anchoring to a human can I become human."

"The odds really are stacked against you" Mariah sat back in her chair trying to puzzle it over.

"Yeah, I should never have kissed him" Hilary moaned miserably holding her head in her hands.

"It's just a kiss…"

"I don't have time to explain all of this to you, I need to go home before my parents get suspicious. My sister is covering for me."

"You know your world is starting to sound very similar to mine!" Mariah and Hilary laughed together. For a second Hilary looked as though she was going to hang around a bit longer but with a wry smile at the clock she sighed.

"I guess I can just disappear in here" Hilary looked around "You know the truth now."

"Wait, Kai has this charity thing. Remember I told you about it?"

"Yeah a dance of some sort."

"Come!" Mariah urged as Hilary stood "I offered to bring someone for Kai you could come and see him again. I can tell you want to. That way you'd at least get to say a goodbye to him."

"I can't!"

"Come or I'll tell Kai!" Mariah announced dramatically

"He wouldn't believe you" Hilary countered but she still looked a little hunted

"I'd stand him in his office and make him wish for you." Mariah's eyes were flashing dangerously "come on Hilary, it's just one little dance…I saw in your eyes the other day how much you want to see him. I can see it now."

Hilary stared at her pink haired friend, there was a lump forming in her throat and she felt like she was going to choke. She knew she should say no. She knew how much trouble she would be in if all this was discovered but the want… no the need to see Kai was too strong. After a few hesitant moments she nodded.

"I'll come"

"Great!" Mariah squealed happily and running around the desk hugged her friend "It's a black and white ball, come to mine in two days time, be there at eight."

"If anyone from home finds out I went that ball, it will be the last time you ever see me!" Hilary warned

"I just want Kai to be happy, even if it's only for an evening" Mariah shrugged "He's missing you, I can tell. Really it would be best if you at least end it on a good note."

"I guess" Nodding Hilary pressed her hands together and disappeared in a haze of light, Mariah smiled as she watched hoping that her ultimate plan would work. She didn't care what Hilary said, she and Kai were destined for each other.

Please R&R