A/N: Wow… almost two months… again. Uh, again my apologies, but I honestly do believe this chapter will make up for such a long absence. For one, it is almost 5000 words long and I was aiming for 3000, and two, it's probably my favourite chapter in the story so far. Actual plot development! I don't need to restate the plot to any more characters… thankfully. Anyway, please tell if you see any errors.

Thank you Moonlight Serenity, DaddysGirl81, Christin, Musee.Picasso, Sony89, sanaa, Hiraiko, Unfunny Joke, stilted-stylus and Hunny Spectrum for the reviews. I greatly appreciate it!

Oh… and sorry for the chapter title. I know it sucks. XD

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade.

Chapter Three: Powder Blue Blues

"That should be… no, no… that's where the buffet table is going to be, that table should be over there…. No, no, you're not listening – over there. Yes, there. And each table should have five – no, no, no, six – chairs. Actually, can you move that to the left?"

Slightly leaning back in a spare metal chair, set up amongst a sea of them, all equally uncomfortable, Hilary listened to her Mother as she babbled on, coaxing people into their confused directions. It was as clear as day to see this woman was a leader, worked up over intricate last minute details as she drank down her fifth cup of coffee. Her hair was tangled and misplaced; and her deep bags foretold to anyone who gave her a mere glance that she regretted ever agreeing to hold a wedding in her backyard.

"Honey, I bought the – what's wrong?" Hilary almost pitied her Father, his face faltered questioningly at his wife from over a large flower arrangement.

"What is that?" she demanded.

"Um…."

"Please don't tell me that's the centerpiece. You know, I agree to do something like this for your sister, thinking I will get some help. But I guess I can't even trust you to get one thing…."

Watching blankly, Mrs. Tatibana stormed away, her mouth moving miles a minute, towards some innocent bystanders. Hilary smiled sympathetically as her Father heaved a sigh, walking towards her with heavy steps.

"Just like our wedding," he joked, jerking his head in her Mother's direction. He let the flowers rest on the ground, pulling up a chair beside his daughter. "You look brimming with energy, what are you doing still hanging around here?"

"Mom made me, I'm… helping, somehow," Hilary shrugged, having been dismissed from her duty earlier.

"You rounded up these chairs quite nice," the man nodded, elbowing her playfully. Her lips had shown signs of a genuine smile, so the action relented, firing off a grin of his own. "Once everything's all put together, she'll wind down."

"Maybe," Hilary decided. "Why are you still around?"

"Mom made me," Mr. Tatibana smirked, "She gave me a very important duty – ruining the wedding."

Laughing, she shook her head in fake disappointment, "No wonder she was so upset, all you did was bring a terrible centerpiece."

"All I did?" he repeated with amusement, "Do you see those people over there organizing the table set-up? I told them, no matter what, to move things slightly to the right to throw off all the plans. Can you say diabolical?"

"Ingenious," Hilary rolled her eyes.

"Now that's a little heartbreaking. Receives straight A's, but mispronounces the word diabolical."

"Hilarious, Dad."

He nodded in agreement, bouncing his knees in the newly formed silence. Both of their eyes scanned the lawn, slowly it was transforming, decorated with flowing details. Her Father had cast his gaze back to the flower arrangement with dismay. "Is it really that terrible?"

"It's fine Dad, it just probably wasn't what she had in mind," the brunette reassured him, indifferent about the topic at hand. She instead folded her arms and slouched further within her seat. "You know how Mom is…."

"I think it runs in the family," he winked, chuckling at her immediate facial response. Scowling, Hilary pushed him lightly in the shoulder. "But flowers are a serious matter in weddings," Mr. Tatibana explained, returning to his point, "Very serious."

She tilted her head to her side, incredulous. "I guess."

He nodded, his expression turning grave, "You know what else is serious…?"

"Nice segway," Hilary rolled her eyes again.

"You think so? I thought it was a tad bit rough… could've seen it from miles," he waved his hand in nonchalance, and then his eyes flashed with realization. Wagging a finger at his daughter, the man sighed, "I see what you're doing, trying to make me lose my train of thought…."

She smiled, "Seeing how I don't even know where you're going with this… do I really have a reason to try?"

"It's about relationsh-"

"What a terrible segway!" Hilary interrupted, staring at him with wide eyed concern.

Laughing, the man ran a hand through his hair, tilting his head up to look at the sky. "It's an important conversation – relationships, I mean. And I want to hear about this… Tyrone fellow," he Dad explained, "He must be perfect, you picked him out after all."

"Tyson," Hilary corrected, pausing to think about the point of his statement. Regardless that he had made it sound like she just chose him out of a litter of puppies, and she might as well had, she tried to weigh the pros and cons of the world champion's personality. "He… has some faults."

"Oh?" Mr. Tatibana said in suspicion, "Like what?"

"It's little, stupid things, Dad. Don't worry about it," she explained. But by the expression on his face, it was clear he was not buying it. "He likes to drum his fingers on the table when we're waiting for meals – it completely infuriates me."

His eye brows shot up in surprise, not quite expecting that sort of fault. "Well, I hope he keeps that behaviour tucked away in his sock drawer when he comes here for the wedding," the man stated, giving his daughter a solid nod. "You must be thrilled he's coming."

"Oh yeah…," she agreed half heartedly.

Not surprisingly, her Father had caught on to her uneager attitude. "What's wrong, honey? Is it because he didn't get an invitation like everyone else? We'll be sure to send him one the next time your Aunt gets married…."

Hilary briefly smiled, giving a limp shrug to the source of his words. "I'm actually a little nervous about the whole thing," she reluctantly admitted.

"You're just worrying too much, you need to have more confidence in yourself," he assured her, putting a hand on her shoulder, "Besides, I'm sure your Mother will absolutely love him."

"What about you?" she gave him a skeptical glance.

Mr. Tatibana retorted with a levelled stare, "I'm sure your Mother will absolutely love him."

"I guess I can't ask for a miracle."

"Not when it's concerning boys," her Father frowned, despising the thought for even a moment that his daughter had a boyfriend. "What are you doing dating anyway? Kids these days grow up way too fast… fourteen and already dating… my gosh."

"I'm almost seventeen," Hilary said in deadpan.

"What?"

"Seventeen," she repeated, giving him a small smile, "And according to everyone else in your family, I should have been dating ages ago…. Heck, I should probably be hitched in a few weeks."

Not following the point she was trying to make, her Father blinked at these new details. "Seventeen? Are… you sure? You don't look a day over thirteen."

"Gee, thanks Dad," Hilary scowled.

"Oh… uh, sorry," he quickly apologized, "I guess you're not at that age where looking younger is a good thing. Which is fine… because then I would be senile and I rather like my memory…."

"Yeah, and your amazing ability to stick to the point," the brunette rolled her eyes.

"Huh? Oh, right… you're nervous," he snapped his fingers in realization. He turned his body more to face her, expressing that she now had his complete attention. "What's bothering you so much?"

Biting her lip momentarily, she sighed. "I don't know how to say this… it's rather embarrassing."

"He air guitars too, doesn't he?"

"Uh… no," Hilary said, watching her Dad's grin tame as it caught on to the edge her voice hinted. "It's something a little more serious, think you can handle it?"

With mock offense, he covered his heart, gasping at her implied accusation. "I can be serious, I can be dead serious. I can be so dead serious I am stepping into grave," he explained, and then his eyes lit up, clapping his hands together. "Dead and grave… that's a good one… did you get it? Oh… uh sorry."

Hilary wasn't impressed, and as her Father realized this, his expression quickly reverted back to apologetic. "Yeah, I got it," she told him, "Listen, maybe you should just forget it."

"What? No, no, no. You helped me deal with my tragic flower problem; the least I could do is help you with whatever yours is. I'm a Dad after all," he then cringed at how that sounded, "Sorry, I was trying to be funny again. You would not believe how hard it is for me not to make jokes, it's like it's tuned into my brain."

"I understand, Dad. All you need to do is listen," she stated, "Please."

"I think I can handle that."

"Tyson… is a little… slow, you could say," Hilary confessed very carefully, phrasing what she wanted to say with difficulty. "I mean, he's smart and stuff like that, but… he might act a little weird."

Mr. Tatibana frowned, perplexed at what she had said. "So… you're saying he's not an idiot?" he assumed, "Just… crazy."

"Dad!" she scolded.

"Sorry…."

"He's a little intimidated sometimes, especially by you… that's why I never brought him up before," Hilary lied through her teeth, finding the words that left her mouth a mile a minute to be the furthest from the truth. "If you say something about us – Tyson and me – together, he might freeze up."

"Freeze up?" he questioned incredulously.

"He says it's from the joy," she shrugged, forcing a nervous giggle out from the pit of her throat. "Just how his mind works."

"Sounds interesting. I never heard of that type of thing happening before," her Dad decided, "I'm sure it won't cause too many problems though, you just need to relax."

"I guess," she sighed, "I feel better now that I warned you. Promise to tell other people too? I mean, as long as Tyson doesn't know that you know… everything should be fine."

"Why can't he know that we know?"

"It's embarrassing for him, Dad," she shook her head.

"Embarrassing? How is his joy for your relationship embarrassing?" he scrutinized, quirking his head to the side as he searched for answers.

"Uh…," Hilary stumbled, "He's a bit of a complexity."

"I suppose he is," the man agreed, "But I'll spread the news for you – let the boy act weird. Understood."

"Thanks, Dad," she beamed.

"Hey, no worries. For you, that is… I should be going," Mr. Tatibana decided, drumming on his legs before he proceeded to stand up from the chair. "Ooh… sorry, honey, I didn't intentionally drum to bother you. Anyway, I should maybe find a dark corner to hide this atrocity before your Mom finds out."

"Good luck with that," Hilary smiled faintly as her Father picked up the flower arrangement. He then gave her a brief nod before making his exit to the other side of their lawn.

By her lonesome now, Hilary leaned forward, elbows perched on her knees as she looked around the yard. A fair amount of her Father's family had come down to assist her Mother, who remained in her uptight frenzy, prepare for the glorious day that was just around the bend. Rather dread worthy for the suddenly exhausted brunette, but a tinge of hope just walked through the gate.

Grappling onto his Mother's hand, a sandy haired toddler came hopping into the transformed backyard. He was being ushered towards a snack table when Hilary decided it would be nice to get to know him a little better.

Barely seeing over the clothed table, and without any prior assistance, the boy began jumping up and down to see the treats as Hilary approached him. "Would you like some help?" she smiled down at the boy; this had startled him and he hugged a rugged teddy bear he had been holding closer to him.

"Yes… please," he said in a small voice, swaying on his feet shyly.

Hilary couldn't help but giggle at this, preparing a small plate of delicacies for the boy. "Here you go," she told him, and he accepted it with gratitude. He led her to a vacant table, or more so, she followed him, not that he voiced his objections. "So how are you, Sammy?"

"He doesn't talk when he's eatin'," the sandy haired boy explained, taking a bite out of his cookie. "I'll ask him when we're done."

Confused, Hilary stared at him blankly. Although this was unnoticed by her seatmate, and he just continued chewing away with a pleasant smile on his face. Obviously she was missing something; he was too young to be referring to himself in the third person, even for half the time.

"I'm the ring bearer," he suddenly explained, under the pressure of her unrelenting stare. He smiled at his own news, revealing a gaping hole where one of his front teeth used to be. "Mommy says Sammy will have to stay home though… so we're taking lots of pictures!"

"Sammy…?" she repeated reluctantly.

"Yeah… he's sad," the boy confessed, giving his teddy bear a tight squeeze with one of his arms. "But I told him he could come to all my weddings."

Hilary could feel herself deflate as his words unfolded, letting free the last breath of faith she had in her. She began to believe the only reason she was still upright was because of the guilt building up inside her. Not only had she managed to mix up the kid with a teddy bear, she did not have a clue as to what the kid's name could really be.

Things could not get worse.

"Hilary!"

Her body instantly tightened at the voice, not only that, but the tone – concealed panic. "Excuse me," she said rigidly to the ring bearer and Sammy before sliding out of her chair and across the lawn.

In the center of the yard stood Max with his arms crossed and smiling awkwardly, he gave a meek wave, having read her expression. "You don't have to worry, he's not here."

Loosening a little, she surveyed his, also, tense façade. "Is something wrong? You don't usually just pop up at my house," she questioned, "Is Tyson injured and unable to come to the wedding?"

"I'm going to ignore the hope I heard in that last question to save myself some disappointment," Max sighed, "It's an emergency, but he's not hospitalized – just fashionably challenged."

Hilary frowned, "I'm not following."

"I'm only doing this because I care about you," the blond explained, "Powder blue."

"I hope to God you're talking ties," Hilary glared, covering her face with her hands. Muffled protests started to seep through her mouth as she complained, "Why would he do this to me? Why doesn't he just paint a target on his back?"

"Honey, are you alright?" a concerned voice called, and Mr. Tatibana came rushing toward his daughter protectively. He wrapped his arm warmly around her, giving her a saddened look before his attention turned menacingly on Max. "Are you Tyson?"

"I wish…," the brunette muttered.

"I don't," the blond blurted out, taking a weary step back with his arms raised in defence. "I'm one hundred percent Max. I'm just a friend of Tyson's."

"Do you always do his dirty work for him?" her Father barked, "Like make teenage girls cry?"

"Cry? Dirty work? I… I was just… I didn't…," Max stumbled, confused and terrified of the man before him. His mind was at a loss to help himself, so he opted to hang his head in shame.

"Dad, he didn't make me cry," Hilary came to his rescue, sending her friend an apologetic smile. "He was just telling me how Tyson was about to rent a tux just for this occasion… isn't that sweet?"

"I was?" Max frowned, but upon her Dad's gaze he changed his tone. "I mean, I was! Yeah, that Tyson, doesn't care if he doesn't have a dollar to his name, he'll find a way just for Hilary."

"Which is the really sweet thing," she informed Mr. Tatibana, shuffling her feet in an attempt at shyness. "Because he's getting Kai to pay for now… right, Max?"

"Oh yes," the blond agreed, holding a note of sarcasm in his voice, "Because he is such a charitable guy."

Hilary laughed nervously, shooting him a brief, but dark, scowl. "So nothing to worry about, you go back to hiding the flowers and Max and I will go over there…," she shrugged, leaving her Father's embrace and grabbing hold of the blond's arm.

"Well, okay," he decided, his scary persona quickly evaporating. Adorning a cheerful smile, he nodded to the two teenagers, "I'll see you later; nice meeting you, Max."

"Oh, nice meeting you too, Sir!" Max called back, waving to the retreating form of her Father. He instantly relaxed as Hilary began to drag him away, "I have never been happier my name isn't Tyson Granger…."

"That's nice and all, Max, but… we have a problem. Or I do, anyway," Hilary had brought him over to the table where "Sammy" was still eating his snack, but paused a slight distance away. "I lied to Tyson."

"Well that's old news," he retorted, a sad smile was on his lips as he quirked his head to the side. "You already told me that, don't you remember?"

"No. I mean, yes. I'm talking about a different time," she stumbled, trying to discern her explanation. "I didn't intentionally lie to him this time… it just sort of happened… accidentally…. It wasn't my fault!"

"Okay, okay!" he shushed her, making quick gestures with his hands to quiet her down. The last thing he needed was her Father to come back over because he was causing more trouble. "What did you do?"

Hilary sighed, waving over to the boy and his teddy bear. She then jerked her head so Max would go over there; he complied with her suggestion, merely giving her a curious look as he passed her, approaching the young toddler.

"Hey there," Max said cheerfully, he leaned forward, his hands residing on his knees. "You must be Sammy, right? I have heard a lot about you."

"Wow, you sure are popular today, Sammy!" the sandy haired boy replied excitedly, he nearly crushed the poor bear with a hug. "He's really happy you know who he is."

Max faltered for a moment, staring at the worn teddy bear in the kid's clutches. Blanking out, he straightened up before he uttered, "I bet he is." He turned back to Hilary, eye brows raised high in surprise, but she managed to beat him to the conclusion.

"I know, I messed up the kid's name."

He nodded absently, "I have to say I noticed. So… what did you think the bear's name was?"

"Don't have the slightest clue. I didn't think I paid attention to those kinds of details," she admitted.

"Gee, Tyson, that's helpful."

"Ugh… don't call me that."

Max grinned suddenly, leading the brunette further towards the table. "You're lucky I'm here then," he raised his index finger to the sky, "I have a solution!"

"You do…?" she asked skeptically.

Max sat down across from the cookie chewing boy he had thought was Sammy in the seat Hilary once occupied. "My name's Max," the blond introduced himself, waving in the process, "And we both already know Hilary and Sammy; so what's your name?"

"Elliot," he answered, showing off the gaping hole again with his grin. "I'm a ring bearer."

"So I heard," Max confirmed, glancing to the brunette who remained standing. "Hilary told me all about it, Elliot."

Rolling her eyes, she turned her attention to the sandy haired boy. Beaming, he decided to continue with his story. "It's an important job! But Sammy's not allowed to go… Mommy said so."

"That's too bad…," Max sympathized with him. "But you know what…?" he smiled, "What if you went by both Elliot and Sammy on the wedding, that way it would be like he was there all along?"

Elliot's jaw dropped at the idea, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "Do you think that will work?"

"I'm sure Hil's date will call you Sammy, no questions asked," Max nodded, adorning a grin. "Don't you think so, Hilary?"

"Without a doubt in my mind."

"That's great," he stated, struggling to get down from his seat. Holding onto Sammy, he waved rigorously at the two teenagers, "I can't wait to tell my Mommy, bye!" And before they could even react, the boy had taken off.

"I know," Max leaned back in the chair, "I'm awesome."

"I owe you one, Max," the brunette agreed, relieved and grateful for the blond.

"You'll actually owe me a few," he deduced, turning to her with a troubled expression, "After I tell Tyson he needs to rent a tuxedo and Kai that he needs to pay for it. You see, this is what lying does to you… this is why Ray wanted you to come forward."

"Mixing up a kid and a teddy bear isn't the end of the world," Hilary frowned, "They're both cute, is it a crime to mix them up?"

Max's expression softened, "I guess if you compare someone to a teddy bear it's not a big deal…. Really, it's a form of endearment."

"I'm not even going to ask."

"I wasn't thinking of anyone if that's what you were thinking!"

"Whatever you say, Max," Hilary rolled her eyes, "Come on, I want you to get rid of that powder blue thing as fast as you can."

He reluctantly stood up from the table, trekking behind her back to the house. "Fine… I didn't want a cookie or anything anyway," he protested, causing his female friend to roll her eyes yet again. Not that it helped any; she had led him straight into her home.

It was a straight walkway to her front door, where the two teenagers were heading, so that she could show him out. "Thanks again Max, I really appreciate it…," twisting the doorknob, the door went ajar, revealing somebody else poised to knock, "Tyson!"

"Hilary!" the capped boy mocked, raising his voice in a girly manner. He grinned as a scowl formed on her lips, and he then turned towards Max with surprise. "So tell me Hil, how long have you been a dentist?"

The blond cringed at the words. "Did I say dentist? I definitely meant to say Hilary's…. 'Cause I have absolutely no reason to lie to you. I know how to shut my mouth," he explained before seeing Hilary's expression, "Like now! I'm shutting my mouth now… here I go."

"Uh… okay, man," Tyson shrugged, "Listen, Hil, I need to talk to you about something."

"Great! Let's go talk… over here," she grabbed his arm, dragging him into her house and straight for a closet. Pushing him inside, she closed the doors behind her. "Okay! So what did you want to say?"

He was silent for a moment as he searched for a draw string for the light; his search ended with a flicker from a small bulb as it swayed overhead. "Okay…. Are you feeling alright?"

"That was the question?" she inquired with disbelief, "I guess I'm fine. How about you?"

"A little weirded out," he admitted, shoving coats away from him so he wasn't pushed against the door. "Any reason in particular we're in a closet? Or is this just where your family holds important conversations?"

"It's crowded everywhere else, preparations and all," Hilary defended, "And if it's so serious, why don't you just tell me?"

"Maybe I will," Tyson challenged.

"Well?" Hilary implored.

"I have a confession to make…," he laughed nervously, rubbing his hands together, "You see, I haven't really worn a suit in a long time… so I don't exactly have one. My Grandpa does! But… it's sort of… powder blue."

"That's the problem?" she asked, "Max already told me, although he made it sound like it was your idea to wear it."

"Well, I sort of was… going to. And then I realized it probably wouldn't help that kid any; maybe just make your family hate me. So I'll just save it for your wedding," he grinned, making her glare at him. Suddenly becoming sheepish, his smile tamed, "So you don't mind I'm not coming?"

Her eyes widened at the question, and she nearly pounced on the capped boy, seizing his arms with her hands. "Not coming?" she challenged, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't have a suit…," he explained sheepishly, "How can I go?"

"Kai will pay for a rental," Hilary stated.

"Will he now?" Tyson wondered incredulously, "Is this the same Kai I know, or just someone I've never seen before in my life? Maybe he's hiding within these coats…." Looking over his shoulder, he faked searching for his unknown helper.

"I'll get him to do it, relax," the brunette assured him, bringing him back to their conversation. "He likes me better than you anyway."

The capped boy made an odd face at the sentiment before he rolled his eyes casually. "Right," he said with a grunt, "I wish I could see that… the buying me a tux one, I mean."

"I kind of assumed," she smiled, squeezing his arms gently, "So… you're still coming?"

"Guess I am," he agreed, quirking a soft smile onto his lips. "You really want me to go to this thing, don't you?"

Hilary had opened her mouth to reply when Max had interrupted, "Don't go in there!" Confused, both teenagers faced the door as it was slowly wisped open. Mr. Tatibana stood there, eye brows raised high before they slowly crept downwards, appearing menacing alongside his narrow gaze. "Tyson and Hilary, you were in there?" Max asked shocked, "I thought it was… giant… bats."

The capped boy frowned at the blond, "Dude, you saw us go in."

Hilary's Father glanced back at Max, making him take a shaky step backwards, before crossing his arms. "So you're Tyson?" he asked, turning to his daughter and her boyfriend curiously. "Mind telling me what you're doing in the closet?"

"You might want to ask Hilary that, I hadn't really planned on the closet at all," Tyson shrugged, not detecting any trouble. "She kind of just shoved me in here."

"Oh?" he quirked an eye brow, frowning at his statement, "And what was Mac here doing?"

"Max, actually," the blond corrected. But when he was sent another unimpressed glance, he cleared his throat nervously. "You know what? I'll get used to it…."

"I don't actually know," Tyson answered, giving his friend an odd look, unable to place why he was acting so weird. "He was just here when I got here."

"Mind explaining, Hilary?" her Dad asked, his expression lightening up considerably. Not that that said much, he still appeared stern and impatient, especially towards the two males.

"I know this looks bad, but it really isn't what you think," she started, dragging Tyson out of the closet and closer to the front door. "He was a little worried about the dress code and I… didn't want certain… people to see him yet."

"Hey, I didn't even think of that," the navy haired boy said in awe, causing Hilary to step on his foot. "Ow!"

"And that's why I was out here keeping watch," Max explained, shuffling closer to his friends, "Because I knew who I was looking for… the people, I mean. Hil and I are pretty close after all…. But like friends! Not… boyfriend…. I'm not her boyfriend…. Obviously. Not that she's not beautiful or anything, she's great…. Really…. We just can't be together. Not that I wouldn't want to be with…. I'm just going to go home now…."

"Tyson will go with you," Hilary offered, pushing him into Max as he escaped through the door. She watched for a second as they nearly fell to the grass before the blond took off in a sprint, leaving the capped boy to have to chase after him in confusion.

"That Max kid is a little… off."

Hilary closed the door, facing her Father with a sheepish smile. "So… what were we talking about again?" she asked, hoping his memory wouldn't fail her just this once.

"I trust you," Mr. Tatibana said earnestly, giving her a worn sigh, "When have you ever lied to me? Now your boyfriend… well, we'll see about him."

A tight smile came across the brunette's face as her Father began to walk away. "He's really a great guy…," she added weakly.

"Oh, he can be spectacular for all I care. If you're having a conversation, I want witnesses. Or he's going to need them for a whole other reason…."