Kohari: Been a while, folks. A lot's been going on lately (just ask my GGF co-author), but I found time to write for y'all, ain't that nice?
Kai staked out the edge of the city, where they had come in from. The direction of where he had first seen her. Three more days passed, with no sign of her. Time was running out.
The hot sun made him drowsy. His mind began to wander. Before he had even known it, he had closed his eyes. He awoke to the girl's voice calling 'hello' to him.
"It's you," he noticed, still a bit dazed. There she was leaning over him, concerned.
"Yeah. And you know, it's not polite to stalk people," she told him as he stood. At his confused expression she added, "You were waiting for me, weren't you?"
"Yeah," he admitted, "but -."
"But nothing," she interrupted him. "You shouldn't be following me. Anyway, be careful, okay? The heat can be pretty intense around here." At that, she went on her way. Finding himself unable to take her advice and scram, he caught up to her.
"Why can't I follow you?" he managed to ask.
"You can follow me," she replied. "I can't stop you from doing that. It's just that it's unwise to do so."
"How come?"
She halted and blinked at him. "Are you not one of the most wanted people in the world right now?"
"But you said - ."
"I said I believed you," she corrected him. "Almost nobody else in this town does. Rewards for someone's capture can really turn a person's opinion around."
"There are rewards out for me?"
"Yeah," she said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You didn't think that your grandfather was just gonna send out a few soldiers, did you?"
"You have a point," he admitted. "But I haven't seen any posters around or anything."
"Maybe 'bribes' was a better word to use," the girl stated.
"What?"
"Bribes," she repeated. "It's a worldwide search for you that's being 'kept under wraps'. They don't want any police involved, or Voltaire himself could get in trouble. And they especially don't want the U.N. in on it. Look, you really need to stop following me."
"Why?" Kai demanded. "If they haven't done anything to me yet, chances are they don't plan to."
"You're a stranger in a large group that just screams 'beyblader'. I mean, your friend Tyson's wearing a BBA jacket (A/N: Is that accurate? Well, it is now.). And just because people haven't put two and two together yet doesn't mean that you should just do whatever you want. By following me around, you're drawing attention to yourself, which you really don't need right now, because, without a disguise, you match every description that's been given out. So please," she begged, "do yourself a favor and leave me alone."
She pushed him away and made her way through the brush in an attempt to lose him, but he was faster. He placed himself in her way and clutched her shoulders so that she could no longer run, then got ready to say something. "I can't help you!" she reminded him. He was surprised at seeing the tears that welled up in her eyes.
"I'm not asking you to help me," he said, unsure of whether or not he was lying.
"Then what is it that you want?" she pulled out of his grip.
"I don't know," he replied.
"Well, don't let me know when you figure it out," she advised, and began to leave once again.
He watched her walk away and realized how little time he had before he would never see her again. Once their train pulled out of the station...If only...
Before she could get too far away for him to see it, her long dress caught on a bush, lifting the skirt up just enough to reveal bruises...
"Wait!" he called out to her.
"Go away!" came the response.
He didn't heed her words and approached her again. "How are things at home for you?"
"That's none of your business!" she snapped.
"What are your parents like?" he tried again.
She was quiet for a moment. "My mother is dead and I have no siblings. My father...he's..."
"Abusive?" he finished for her.
"No," she replied quickly. "He's...strict."
"He's abusive," Kai concluded.
"It's none of your business!" she cried. "Just mind your own business and go away! Leave me alone!"
"Come with me," he said.
"What?"
"Come with me," he repeated.
"I can't," she told him.
"Why not?"
"My family needs me."
"I need you," he said.
She stared, this time in amazement.
"Please," he begged her.
"I can't," she said again. Then she disappeared again, right before his eyes.
"Come on, Kai!" Tyson called to him. Kai stood on the platform as they boarded, scanning the surrounded area for any sign of someone familiar. The whistle blew, and he knew that he had run out of time. He turned to board the train when he heard a faint, "Good-bye."
He took a quick look at the train, estimating his time, then joined her. "You came," he observed, astonished.
"I snuck out before Father could wake up. I brought you some food for the journey. Some bread, cheese, a little water. It's not much, but it's something." She handed him the basket that she had been balancing on her elbow. It smelled of herbs.
"So you're not coming with me," he concluded, crushed. He had dared to hope.
"No," she confirmed sadly. "I'm sorry, Kai."
"Kai!" Max called out to him. The train began to slowly pull away.
"You'd better go," she told him. She lightly shoved him in the direction of the train before he could request again that she come with him. "Go."
He obeyed, wondering why. He hopped on the train before it left the platform. He raced to the back and shouted out over the rail. "I'll be back for you! I promise!"
"Just look out for yourself!" she yelled back.
"Can you at least tell me your name?" he had to scream to be heard. She shouted it out to him, but her words were drowned out by the train. No more conversation was possible.
"Bye," he whispered as the platform faded away, along with a long white dress, blonde hair, and a blue-eyed girl. He slumped over the rail of the caboose, wondering if he ever would see her again.
Kohari: For some reason, I feel like this chapter wasn't quite what I was shooting for. The girl just seemed...out of character to what she started off as. Oh well. Y'all tell me whatcha think. And, oh yeah, I did proofread this time, but I AM human (meaning I am capable of making mistakes) and for some reason this site jumbles words together in the Document Manager...so yeah. Anyhoodles, hope to hear from you soon!