Jashomara: Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo sorry for the wait. Really, I am. I just couldn't think of what to do in the story, I don't want it to end so soon. I got it now.

Lady J: Lots of our stories will be updated much quicker now seeing as it's almost Summer! Woo hoo!

Jashomara: Thanks for being so patient and for reviewing. Now, for the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own beyblade.

Mariah sat with Mariam to her left and Salima to her right, in front of a blazing fire with her back to a tree. It was now nightfall and some of the teens were getting slightly worried that they have yet to be missed. The pinkette still was angry about what she had done at the cliff earlier that day. She didn't think she would ever forget it either… and neither would Tala, or so it seemed.

The redhead was currently glaring at Mariah from the other side of the fire, eyes blazing with anger seeming to burn Mariah more than the fire would. She wanted so badly to apologize and she would, just after Tala cooled off. Kai was still unconscious and laying in Tala's lap, but he was breathing well and that's all Mariah needed to know. She was now thinking of motives in her head, why would anyone want to kill Kai?

"Having any luck?" Salima asked, not looking at Mariah's paper, knowing that it wasn't for her eyes.

"A little…" she admitted. "L.D. and L.K.'s motives would be to gain the family fortune. Tyson's motive would be to pay Kai back for taking his title as World Champion in blading, but if it is Tyson, he had to have help. No offense to him, but I don't think he could pull off a successful murder and have me thinking this hard about it, by himself." Salima and Mariah, joined by Mariam shared a few giggles.

"That's not nice." Mariam playfully hit Mariah and glanced over to Tyson.

"Hey, I'm only using logic." Mariah smiled.

"It could be Hilary too because it wasn't to long ago before Mr. Unconscious over there turned her down after she asked him out." Salima put in her two cent while spreading a little gossip, but then again, this was a murder case. No evidence should be withheld.

"Uh-oh." Mariam laughed hearing the "evidence".

"But through all of that…" Mariah paused. "I can't help but feel like this is Tala's doing. I mean, who else, besides Kai's brothers, knew where L.A. lived or where L.J. was… just him. Who knows where Kai is 24/7? Tala. Kai and his brothers obviously make no contact, so…"

"Well how come it can't be you!" Hilary had been listening to the girls for a while and could no longer hold her peace. Standing up, she continued, "How is it that you just happened to be dating L.A. when all this started? Why is it that you knew L.J. but didn't know Kai's other brothers? What irony that must be in your life that you just happened to be in the very place Kai, your dead boyfriend's brother, was getting shot at? How is it that you always know exactly where to find him too? Tell us Mariah, how?"

The bunch of teens were now silent, no one made a move or sound, anticipating Mariah's answer. The pinkette looked at Mariam, then to Salima, back at Hilary and her eyes landed on Tala, "Well Mariah?" the redheaded male asked.

"Like she said, irony… or… destiny." She answered quietly trying to turn down her fury.

Hilary just laughed, "You know what I think about that… bull shit!" Hilary yelled re-rekindling Mariah's earlier ignited anger. "Admit it, you went out with L.A. and then killed him so you could get his fortune, you befriended L.J. so then you'll have his riches too and now you're trying to seduce Kai, but it won't work! Kai's smarter than that!"

"That's not true you little bitch!" Mariah's temper snapped again. "I loved L.A.! I still love him and I will always love him! I don't care about his money!" she was now standing and walking up to the brunette.

"Oh? Well, I'm pretty sure you will care about it when Voltaire dies and all of L.A.'s inheritance goes to you!" lots of surprised looks were seen around the fire. "Yeah that's right, L.A. and L.J. left all of their money to Mariah!" Hilary laughed hysterically at the shocked reaction she was getting from the other adolescents.

The pinkette stayed silent. She didn't even realize she had more motive than anybody! Had the killer's been setting her up that whole? Why didn't she realize it!

"Mariah? Is that true?" Mariam asked slowly.

"Y-yes, but… it's only because they didn't trust anyone else-"

"Strange how a week before they died, you were suddenly added to their Will." The brunette leaked all the information she had. "Now you're trying to get poor Kai. You all know what she did at that cliff!" Hilary directed that towards the onlookers. "You were going to make it look like an accident!"

"No! Shut up! You have no clue what you're talking about! I would never ever try to hurt Kai in any way! Not now anyway…" she trailed off. "A few weeks ago… I wouldn't have cared if he fell off a cliff. Ha! No skin off my back! At least I wouldn't have to risk my life to save his again." She shook her head. "That's how I would have felt about that. But now… When I saw him down there on the ground covered in dirt and blood… I found…" she stopped to wipe some of the tears that she just noticed had formed in her eyes. "I found, that I care about him a lot more than I thought I did. Not because he's my dead boyfriend's brother! Not because L.J. told me to care, but because… because I…" she just shook her head, not being able to finish her sentence.

Everyone, except Tala and Karma whom was sitting beside him, was unaware that during the beginning of Hilary's little speech Kai woke up. He had listened to the whole conversation and was now in shock. Mariah… cares about me? Kai wondered. No… what if she is the killer… she could have just been carrying on like that to throw off suspicion. Kai sighed deeply and closed his eyes. This is all too complicated. If she wanted to kill me, she had all the chances in the world when I was at her house… She can't be the killer… I don't want her to be… he squeezed his eyes shut.

"You o.k. Kai?" Tala asked quietly, seeing his friend struggling internally.

"No, a killer's after me… would you be o.k.?" the slate haired teen answered.

"Yep you're o.k." the redhead smiled before turning to Karma and nodding. A huge grin lit the little girl's face.

"Yay! Kaizi's awake!" the blue hair girl yelled in Russian then scooted closer to Tala and gave Kai a big, wet kiss on the cheek. "I thought you had died, Kai!"

Everyone turned to her direction and saw Kai awake. "Hey Kai, you're conscious! I was afraid we had lost you." Ray chuckled.

"Yeah Kaizi, everybody was worried especially Tala-He was all mad at Riah because she almost dropped you off of a cliff-They got into a huge argument when Riah got back here and he said some things I shouldn't repeat and Riah was all like blaming herself. Mariam and that redhead girl that I don't know were all like it's not your fault, but Riah wasn't having it and she-"

"WAIT, WAIT, WAIT!" Kai yelled trying stop the little girl's mouth from running. "Slow down you're talking way too fast. Riah was what and Tala said…" he trailed off, confused. Kai spoke in Russian. "And what the heck do you mean she almost dropped me off a cliff!"

Karma sighed heavily. "You went to go look for me, remember? In the process you somehow fell off a cliff and Riah went to save you. Somehow though, she went insane and thought you were L.A. and was determined to "save him" while slipping off the ledge she was holding on to with one hand." She explained.

"I don't think I've ever heard you talk so much." L.K. said getting surprised looks from people who didn't know he was sitting behind them.

"Hey, L.K. or L.D. or whatever your letters are, can you please tell us your real names so we won't get confused?" Salima asked slightly annoyed.

"Ha! That's really funny." L.K. said sarcastically getting an angry look from the redheaded girl. "Go ahead, puff all you want, but you will not get to know my name."

"Hiwatari's!" Salima folded her arms and put her nose in the air.

"I never did anything to you!" Kai yelled in his defense.

"Well, people-that-name-only-consists-of-two-letters!" Mariam and a couple other's chuckled. Karma was one of the ones that laughed, even though she didn't know why she was laughing, but when she saw Mariah's unhappy face, she frowned.

Walking over to the other side of the fire she said. "Riah." It was the only word that would let Mariah know she was talking to her. The three-year-old squeezed between Salima and Mariah and laid her head on the pinkette's arm, then looked up questioningly.

"I'm o.k." Mariah said, even though Karma didn't know what she said, but to interrupt, Mariah smiled. Karma smiled back. Feeling up to doing something else besides mopping, Mariah picked Karma up and put her on her lap. Then she pointed to the fire. The little girl looked at the flames with growing curiosity. "Fire." The pinkette looked back at the little girl. "Fi-re. Fire."

"Uh-oh." Kai said from beside Tala.

"What?" the redhead asked.

"Mariah's trying to teach Karma English." The slated haired boy observed through the flames. He watched as the pinkette pointed to random objects and said them so Karma could repeat to the best of her ability. She's so patient and determined… he sat thinking and staring at Mariah for a while. Just doesn't know when to quit… he smiled subconsciously.

He didn't notice the person getting closer and closer to him. Soon he felt breath on his ear. "Enjoying the view?" came a deep voice.

"Where'd you come from!" Kai turned to stare into the face of his older brother, L.K.

"Well, little bro," he put his arm around Kai. "I don't know if daddy ever told you this, but when a man and a woman love each other-"

"I didn't mean that you idiot!" Kai yelled, cheeks red as ever.

"Well, you asked where I came from and I was about to tell you."

"What I meant was, why are you near me?" Kai asked trying to put some space between them, but failed and ended up being stuck between Tala and L.K.

"Oh, so you can sit up there and hug Tala, but you won't even sit near your own flesh and blood." He said beginning to fake cry. "Fine! I'm sick of your little camping trip anyway!"

"We're not on a camping trip." Kai said calmly. Then he realized something, "We're not on a camping trip!" he yelled startling everyone. "I knew there was something I've been meaning to tell you guys. I know how to get back to Moscow!"

"Well, Kai you could have told us that before!" Mariah suddenly yelled, happy to talk to him again, but pretending not to be.

"Well, I would have, but at first you were all upset because of L.J. and everybody was separated, then Karma went missing and I started to worry about her and forgot, after which I fell off a cliff and was knocked unconscious, but I remember now and that's all that matters!"

"You could have still told us before regardless if people were missing!" Mariah yelled back.

"Ah…" L.K. sighed. "Love birds arguing, always a refreshing sight."

"Would you shut up!" Kai yelled.

"Oh my Bob! My little brother just told me to shut up!" L.K. exclaimed excitedly. Snickers started to come from the rest of the adolescents as the half-Russian half-African-Russian (A/N: You know, like African American.) smiled brightly at Kai.

"I don't even know you, but that doesn't mean I won't hurt you! Actually that increases your risk."

"Oh my Bob! My little brother just threatened me for the first time!" Tala couldn't help it, that time he even laughed.

"Tala!"

"What!? It's funny." The redhead defended.

Growling and annoyed Kai decided, "We're leaving at sunrise." Folding his arms he rested his back on the tree.

"Oh come on, Pinky, you can't just let him end the conversation like that! Show him who's boss!" L.K. pressed the argument.

"Yeah," Mariah agreed, not wanting to cut her argument with Kai short. "We're leaving in the morning."

"That's basically what I just said!" Kai shouted sitting back up.

"Yeah, but your word doesn't matter, mine does!" she ended feeling proud. Kai just roll his eyes and relax his back again.

"Pfffft! Are you serious!" L.K. burst back out. "Kai, you let her start calling the shots now pretty soon she and her girlfriends will be the ones watching football on your t.v. on a Saturday night. She will be the one rippin' and runnin' while you're at home watchin' the kids. She will demand to be on top whenever ya'll decided to get yo freak on when ever/where ever!"

"Will you shut up!" Kai yelled, cheeks more red then before.

L.K. sighed. "I'm just trying to warn a brotha." He chuckled. "You think I'm annoyin', you should have got to know L.A. Now he was one annoyin' older brotha." L.K. sat back and seemed to be remembering something.

"L.A. was older than you?" Kai asked wrinkling his forehead.

"Um… yes, he's the oldest out of all of Lunar's kids, that's our dad's name if you didn't know."

"But aren't you like 18?"

"17, but I'm flattered you think I'm older?" he said grinning widely. "L.A. would be 19 right now."

"Wait! Hold the phone!" Ray was now starting to speak. "Mariah didn't you go out with that L.A. guy?"

Damn it! "Maybe…" the pinkette gave a weak smile, hoping Ray wouldn't put two and two together and get four.

"If ya'll were going out last year… then that would mean he was 18 while you were 14." The raven-haired boy yelled outraged.

"That's what I'm thinkin'!" Kai yelled siding with Ray.

"Why do you care?" Ray questioned.

"Um… I don't… I'm just… surprised at the age difference." Kai managed to get an excuse.

"Smooth." Tala said in a low voice.

"Did you and L.A. ever do IT? When I asked him he said no, but he had that tone in his voice that just screamed "I'm lying to you!"" Mariah just stared in disbelief at the random-ness of L.K., this guy whom she didn't even know.

"That's a very personal question you know?" the pinkette said, turning the color of her hair.

"Oh, so you two did fuck!" L.K. continued. (Jash: Someone needs to wash their mouth out with soap, but not Dial because that taste too good. Not that I would know or anything…)

"No!"

"Aw… so you made love." He placed his hand over his heart and looked upwards lovingly.

"No!"

"Well, you were going out with a guy who was four years older than you, you must be some kind of freak!" The black haired teen inquired.

"I am not a freak!"

"No, I mean in the bed and stuff." L.K. just didn't know when to quit.

"No!" Mariah growled hoping Karma wouldn't suddenly learn to speak English and understand what they were saying. "I'm going to sleep." She laid Karma's head against her chest and closed her eyes.

"Yeah me too." Mariam and some other's agreed verbally. Most of them just got into comfortable position.

"She's not going to sleep. She's just pretending to, so when you guys go to sleep her and Kai can sneak off and do grown up things." (Jash: can you guess who said that?) L.K. laughed earning a glare from Kai. "But… Mariah when you guys do sneak off and do stuff, remember to go easy on my virgin little brother."

"I am not a virgin!" Kai couldn't hold his peace on that one.

"Coughliecough!" Tala "coughed".

"Shut up! Ya'll need to eat dirt!" the tortured virgin little brother (Kai: Oh, so you're picking on me too Jash!? Fine be that way!) huffed and just closed his eyes while resting against the tree.

Twenty silent minutes had past after the guys put the fire out and everyone was trying to go to sleep. It would be silent if you didn't count Tyson's snoring. The girls were on one side and the guys were on the other.

All you could hear was the lulling night music of nature and the whisper of the wind. If you opened your eyes all you would be able to see is shadows of figures on the ground. They covered up with the few jackets and blankets they took with them. There weren't that many because they were packing for Hawaii.

Suddenly, the call of an owl was heard making some of the girls shudder… and guys too. Now, it seemed as thought the forest was really coming to life as an animal or something crept noisily over the rustling leaves.

A fearful yelp was heard, but no one moved…

"O.k. girls, this isn't school. You won't get in trouble for being too close to a guy and we know you're scared so just come over here and let the men protect you." L.K. broke the silence of the night with his fearless invitation.

"Shut up L.K. Why can't the girls protect you!" Salima shouted, hiding her fear, from her very uncomfortable position on dirt.

"Can I come over?" L.K. asked trying to sound as fearless as possible. Getting unseen shocked looks from some of the girls.

"Oh, is the great L.K. scared of the dark?" Mariam asked amused looking at the rising boy.

The half-Russian started to make his way over where the fire use to be and in between Salima and Mariah. "Hey, I've lived in mansions my whole life, I'm not too keen on forests." Salima scooted over giving the scary cat some room seeing as he was a muscular guy like most Hiwatari's. "I promise I'll be good."

Another moment of silence past before it was broken again by leaves crunching in an unseen area. "H-hey girls, I'm not scared or anything, b-but may I come over too?" Kenny, whom hasn't talked much during the whole time they were there, asked.

"Sure Kenny." Ming-Ming invited.

"Me too!" Max agreed coming over to the other side with Kenny.

"You can't leave me!" Ray followed and got a space between Mariam and Mariah.

"Ray, you shouldn't be scared, you practically live in the woods." Mariah said from beside him.

"I never said I was scared. I just wanted someone to lay by so I wouldn't freeze." It wasn't long before all the guys were on the girls side, except for Kai, Tala and L.D. whom slipped out of the camp sight long ago, unmissed. From the sky, the picture looked kind of weird. A bunch of guys and girls cuddled up on one side and two Russians, freezing their butts off on the other.

"Tala, stop it!" Kai whispered/yelled to Tala, referring to the chattering of his teeth.

"I c-can't." the redhead said back rubbing the goose bumps that covered his bare arms. "I-it'ssssss c-cold." Suddenly both boys saw a head pop up on the other side of the fireplace. "WHOA!" They both yelled.

"Mariah, is that you?" Kai asked trying to make out the figure.

"Yeah. You guys can come over here if you want, we have lots of space." She informed hoping Tala wasn't still too mad about before.

"Yeah, lil' brothas, ya'll can come over and lay beside me." L.K. invited startling Mariah and making her jump.

"I thought you were alseep!" she exclaimed looking at him.

"Naw… I can just be real still in situations." He explained. "Come on Tala and Kai." It didn't take the two freezing Russian a second thought before they came over and squeezed on either side of L.K. Tala was between him and Salima and Kai was between him and Mariah. At that moment L.K. realized his own older brother, L.D., was no longer in the camp sight, but resolved that he would probably be back in the morning. L.D...

The skin to skin contact was electric through Kai and Mariah's bodies making a very temping and uncomfortable situation for the both of them. Kai had the urge to put his arms around Mariah's petite waist, but resisted. L.K. turned to face the back of Tala's head with a huge smile on his face, My work here is done.

And so is mine! So was it good, bad, was there too much talking and not enough scenery? I know there's some spelling errors, but I did proof read. Review!