Hello again everyone! This chapter is the longest one I've written so far and it took me quite a while to get it all typed up. Thanks go to all of you who reviewed, I appreciate it!

I got to thinking, at the end of the Beyblade manga, it shows Tyson's son Makoto, Kai's son Gou, and Rei/Mariah's daughter Rin. But it doesn't show the wives of Tyson or Kai, so we don't really know who Hilary ends up with. I thought that was really sad. (If I'm wrong about any of this, I would be very happy if someone could correct me. I really hope I'm wrong about this).

This chapter is in Mariah's P.O.V. and has some Rei/Mariah stuff in it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade, but I wish I did. If I did, I would've created Hilary Granger and a Makoto with ruby eyes.

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Advice and the Lionesses

Phew…walking can be very, very tiring. Next time I go to pick someone up from the airport, I'll bring a mechanic along with me.

The taxi-van broke down. Complete bullshit! If my pedicure is ruined once we get home, I swear I'll sue that dumb driver.

Oh well, I shouldn't be too moody. I mean, I was just reunited with my boyfriend. Speaking of which, he's walking right beside me. I turn to look at him. He sees me and smiles, which makes my heart melt away. I know, I should be used to this, but he's just so dreamy.

"Tired?" he asks, taking hold of my hand.

I give him a sweet smile. "I've been through worse," I say. You know, being a beyblader and all.

Looking away from Rei, I turn to my left. Mako is beside me, looking just as tired, the poor girl. As I watch, she glances behind her. Figures, she's looking at Tyson again. I've noticed her doing that the entire way here. I hope she's not hitting on him. She'll fall for any cute guy, not that I think Tyson's any cute. But Hilary sure thinks so and I know she'd be devastated if he were to go off with another girl. I sure do miss her. I had so many plans for us and now she's not here. Bummer.

Now don't get me wrong about Mako. She's not a bad person or anything. Frankly, I've learned she's a real sweet girl in these two months that I've known her. She just gets carried away when her eyes land on male prey, and it should be expected with Tyson, seeing as he's World Champ.

"Are we there yet?" snaps an annoyed voice coming from none other than Kai. How can he be so irritable? I mean, he can be a good guy when he wants to, just not too often. Jeeze, get a life.

"Its right up there," I reply. Sure enough I can see the White Tiger home base. But we've got a big surprise for the Bladebreakers…

"What is that!" cries Tyson. I can't blame him. When Lee showed me, I nearly fainted myself.

Soon enough, we were right in front of a huge house, bigger than the others in the village, perked right beside ours. It was built especially for our guests, with two floors, five bedrooms, a kitchen, and living room. It even had an attic, and each room was double the size of any in our village. In my opinion, it was a true luxury.

"So," I say, turning to everyone. "What do you think?"

"I think it's awesome," says Max gaping at the building. The others nod in agreement, grinning broadly. But before anyone can say anything else, a voice calls out to us, and we can here the sound of footsteps…

And my view of, well, everything is blocked by a huge, yet warm body squished against my own. I could instantly tell it was my friend and teammate, Gary, giving me a giant hug.

"Mariah come home!" he cries happily. I hug him back.

"I sure did. And I brought along friends, remember?" I say as I let go to smile up at him. Literally, seeing as he's so big and tall. He sees the others, and goes over to hug each of them. For a giant of a guy, he had the sweetest heart.

"It's great to see you, buddy," says Rei, grinning at his friend. "But where are Lee and Kevin?"

"Lee and Kevin go on business trip," says Gary, his voice faltering. "Gary miss them."

"Business trip?" asks Tyson, looking at me, clearly lost. But before I can answer Mako pipes up for the first time since the introduction at the airport.

"It's not exactly a business trip," she says, looking as if happy to have an excuse to look at Tyson. But that's just me. "They actually went to deal with some business going on in another village. See, when my sisters and I came here, we had no place to go. We were being followed by some angry people from our village, where we used to live. So we took refuge at the White Tigers', and told them everything that happened, and we thought we'd be safe here. But Lee said it was still dangerous for us so he and Kevin went back to our village to investigate what it was that the villagers had against us, and try to stop them from coming."

"What exactly is 'everything that happened'?" asks Kenny. But before Mako can reply, I cut in.

"You know guys; I know this is really interesting to you, but how about we go inside now? Once we're all comfy and settled, we can discuss this situation. And besides," I add, giving Mako a signaling look, "we didn't even meet the rest of the Tatsuya's yet. Speaking of which, we're having lunch there."

Mako, who caught my signal, said, "Mariah's right. I'll see you guys later then." Looking slightly embarrassed, yet showing signs that she wanted to stay, she ran off towards her home, which was beside ours. I know she's going to confront me later, though, for not letting her flirt with the guys, or Tyson.

I turn my gaze towards everyone else, and see that they're all staring at me expectantly. Oops, forgot about them. "Okay, everyone, get yourselves inside. Your rooms are all upstairs; you'll see your names on designated doors. Gary, I want you to go help them out. I'll be with Mako and the other girls."

As Gary took the guys into the guest house, I sprinted towards the Tatsuya household. I was greeted at the door by Jade Tatsuya.

"Are they here?" she asked, looking up at me curiously. Seriously, for a girl only one year younger than me, she was abnormally short.

I nod at her. "Yeah they're here. How's Rika with the cooking?" At this, Jade giggles.

"It's horrible. You should see the kitchen! I guess she was right when she said she wasn't a cook," Jade led me inside, where I could indeed smell something like burnt rubber.

We walked into the kitchen to see Rika, her hair askew; trying desperately to cook whatever was in the pot on the stove. The countertop was covered with a slimy substance of who-knows-what, along with burnt pots and pans looking as if they were thrown into the sink. As I look at Rika again, she's glaring at me with cold green eyes. Seriously, this girl reminds me of Kai sometimes.

"I told you I was no cook."

I sweat drop. "Well," I say, trying hard not to laugh, "this mess can't clean itself up."

XXX

After getting the kitchen cleaned, along with Rika, I assigned the stove to Yumi. Apparently, Rika's 'lunch' didn't turn out so bad and Yumi said she could fix it in no time.

"You should've let me cook in the first place," she said, grinning. Tying up her long hair, she got started.

"Great," I say. Then I remember someone. "Say, where's Mako?"

"She's in her room," says Jade, smirking. "Apparently, she's sulking about something."

I run upstairs and burst into Mako's bedroom. "Look, Mako, I'm sorry you didn't get your chance to flirt but I had to—what's that?"

For, Mako, who was slightly surprised to see me coming in, was holding something in her hands, behind her back. "Uh, nothing," she says. Uh huh, right. Unconvinced, I give her a suspicious look. "Really!" she says. "So why'd you come bursting in anyway?" she adds.

"Don't try to change the subject," I say, narrowing my eyes at her. Seriously, she does not know me well enough.

I keep glaring at her until she gives in. Ha! That always works. Opening her clenched hand, she showed me a small metal blade in her palm. Of course, I should've known.

"You really are obsessed with that blade, aren't you?" I say rolling my eyes. Mako glares at me, about to say something, but not before I do. "Anyways, I need you to go help Jade with the table. I'm gonna go get the guys, okay?"

She nods, and walks out of the room. I follow her downstairs and I'm out the door again.

Seriously, I am so sure I'll lose a pound or two today, the stairs I've been climbing. Finally at the top of the guest house, I knock on the first door I see: Tyson's.

"Still not done?" I ask, once he had let me inside. Honestly, boys are so slow. I'd be done unpacking by now if it were to be me.

He smiles sheepishly. "Guess not."

I roll my eyes. "Where's Hilary when you need her?" I pout mockingly. Expecting Tyson to retort angrily, I'm surprised when I see his face sadden.

Then realization hit me across the face. Well, not literally, or that would hurt…but then that's not possible…is it…? Oh, whatever! "You miss her, don't you?" I ask. If he says yes, then I know for sure that he likes Hilary.

Tyson looks at me incredulously. "Am I that transparent?"

Ha! I knew it! "You sure are," I say, smirking. "So when are you gonna tell her?"

"Tell her what?"

Oh please. "Duh, that you like her!"

He blushes. "Who said I ever liked her?"

"Tyson, don't try to play it off."

"All I said was that I missed her!"

"Exactly!"

"That proves nothing."

"Yes it does."

"No it doesn't."

"Yes it does!"

"No it doesn't!"

"YES IT DOES!"

"NO IT DOESN'T!"

"Oh, my bad."

The voice from the doorway makes Tyson and me pause our little quarrel. The voice belongs to Max, who is standing at the door, staring at us, bewildered.

"Sorry," he says, smiling apologetically. "But for a second, I thought Hilary was here."

"How?" ask Tyson and me in unison.

"Well," says Max, a definite smirk playing on his lips. "I've only ever heard such bickering when it's between Tyson and Hilary. Uh, sorry, I guess I'll be...going now."

Once Max was gone, I fixed Tyson with a skeptical look. "Everyone else thinks so, too."

"Thinks what?" he says, his face more nervous than ever. It's really amusing, you know.

Tyson sees my glare harden, and it's clearly visible that he's trying to find a way out of this. His face makes me feel so brutally…evil…hehehe…

Tyson sighs and I look up. "Okay, I guess I do…sorta…like her."

I give a victory yell, saying, "finally!" before noticing what I was doing and stop abruptly, embarrassed. Tyson raises an eyebrow at me, and then says, "By the way, now that we have that settled, I have something for you," and he starts searching his bag.

Something for me? Wow, never knew he cared…

"Here," he says, handing me a small, yet pretty box. I give him a weird look. "It's from Hilary," he adds hastily, seeing my face.

"Oh," I say, opening the box. Inside is a gorgeous necklace with the most adorable charm. "Oh, how thoughtful of her," I say. And it's true. This girl takes friendship so seriously. My heart is now overwhelmed with emotion. I look at Tyson.

"Give, her my thanks, kay?" I say softly.

"Sure."

"So when are you gonna tell her how you feel?" I ask again, as I put the necklace on.

He sighs. "I can't."

I look at him, astonished. "You can't? But, why?"

"Rejection," he says simply.

I'm still not getting it. Seeing this, Tyson explains himself. "I'm scared of rejection. What if Hilary doesn't feel the same way I feel about her? And if I were to tell her, how would she take it? What if our friendship can't survive it? I just can't take that risk."

Damn it. I hate it when this happens. I can fix this, you know. Hilary told me way back that she had a crush on Tyson, but she told me not to tell him. Heck, she told me not to tell anyone. And now Tyson says he likes her, but I can't tell him that she likes him back, because she told me not to. But if I do, I could bring them together…but then Hilary wouldn't trust me anymore…oh, why me?

Then I get to thinking. Maybe, I could lead Tyson to tell her. But how? Hmm….aha! I've got it.

"Tyson, do you wanna know how Rei and I got together?" I ask, looking him straight in the eye.

"Uh, okay…," he says. Clearly he doesn't understand what I'm about to do. But my voice is confident, and I really hope this works. I take a deep breath, and continue with my little story.

"Ever since we were young, I had always had a deep love for Rei. To me, he was sweet, intelligent, brave, and absolutely gorgeous. And because he was one of my best friends, I believed that someday, we would end up together, and it seemed perfectly right. But I never knew I had these feelings until a long time after, when he left the White Tigers, without even saying goodbye.

Ever since that day, I felt extremely lonely. It was like someone had punched right through my heart and left a hole there, where Rei had been. That's when I realized that I loved him, right from the bottom of my heart, and the fact that he wasn't there for me to tell him was another pain I had to go through. I hated myself for not realizing it earlier. But then, just when I was about to give up on him and go on with my life, he returned in that alleyway and all my feelings reappeared, and, although I showed anger when I saw him with you guys, inside me, I was overwhelmed with joy.

So, I vowed to myself that, now I knew where he was, I would tell him my feelings. And that day came when I followed Rei up that mountain, do you remember? I was so confident with myself that I didn't think of what the outcome would be. That is, not until I faced him. My heart had frozen and I hesitated, thinking that he would never talk to me again if he knew I felt the way I did. While you and Rei were having your beybattle on that mountain, I was debating with myself. Part of me wanted to say something, and part of me warned to stay quiet. But it was too late and the battle was over, and I couldn't work up the courage to tell him, and so I didn't.

But then, as time went by, I felt more and more lonely and I decided that I couldn't hold it in anymore. My love was so strong that I no longer cared what he would say afterwards, I just wanted to let him know how I felt. I didn't care about the chance of rejection because I believed there was still the chance he could love me back.

And so, I took that risk after the Asian tournament, and I told him. Told Rei my feelings since childhood. And guess what? He told me he felt the same!"

I pause, and look at Tyson closely, to see if anything got to him. But he still looked confused.

"Look, Mariah, this is a really great love story and all, but how's it gonna help my situation?"

Oh, please. Now I really do understand why Hilary has to go through with yelling at Tyson so much. Nothing seems to get through his head!

"Tyson, don't you get it? What I'm trying to tell you is to face your fears! I know you have enough courage in you, I've seen it! Take the chance, like I did, and I'm sure the outcome will be right!"

"I dunno…"

"I'm sure Hilary feels the same way for you."

"What makes you say that?" asks Tyson, but I see I've gotten his attention.

I grin at him. "The signs are everywhere. Everyone thinks you and Hilary are in love. Who knows, she's probably waiting for you to tell her," I say, at the edge of my seat. Hopefully, hopefully…

"Okay, fine…I'll see if I can tell her. Somehow. But don't tell anyone," he says, giving me a smile Hilary would have fainted at.

I nod. "Finally," I sigh. Wow. If beyblading doesn't work out for me, I'll take up the job of being an advisor.

A sound at the door make the both of us look up. It's Rei.

"What are you two doing?" he asks, eyeing us suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing but a conversation between friends," I say, smiling at him.

"Okay, well, just wanted to let you know we're all ready to go to lunch," says Rei, still looking suspicious.

That makes Tyson jump; he's obviously hungry. "Food!" and with that, he's out the door in a blink.

Rei sweat drops, but recovers when I touch his arm. "Shall we?" I ask.

He smiles, and we walk down together. "So, what were you and Tyson doing, anyway?"

I roll my eyes. "I was just giving him advice for his, um, love problems," I say, giving Rei a wink. When I see that he's relieved, I add, "Rei, you know Tyson belongs with Hilary, and I belong with you, so there's no need to get suspicious."

He's about to say something else, but before he can, I place a finger to his lips. He takes it, along with the other fingers of my hand, and smiles. "I know."

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Max, Kenny, and even Kai (though he's not showing it) are looking at the girls in awe.

I must admit, they do look adorable, standing there side by side, maroon heads shining in the sun.

The tallest and oldest would be Rika, with her midway-length hair tied in a tight ponytail as usual. About a couple inches shorter, Mako and Yumi, who are twins, stand at the same height. Mako likes keeping her short hair out, while Yuki occasionally ties her waist-length hair up, but not today. Shortest, youngest, yet feistiest, would be Jade, with her shoulder-length hair tied into two pigtails, like always.

I've already introduced everyone, and now we're all smiling at each other, which is starting to annoy me. Finally, Gary breaks the silence. "Me hungry."

"Me too," says Tyson. Kenny gives him a sharp nudge, frowning. "What?" asks Tyson, wearing an innocent face. Jade giggles.

"Let's go inside," suggests Mako, grinning.

"Great meal," says Max. "My compliments to the chef."

"That would be me," says Yumi shyly. Max smiles at her, and she blushes. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Rika roll her eyes, and, surprisingly, Kai eyeing her with some interest. I turn my head towards Jade, who is chatting away with a blushing Kenny. Hmmm…couples, I see.

Rei is telling Tyson about tourist attractions in China, and Mako wants me to tell her how Tyson won his last tournament. Just when I'm about to begin, Jade speaks up.

Looking at Mako, she says, "Kenny says you were telling everyone about our village problem."

At once all eyes and attention are on Mako. "I guess we should tell them," she says, speaking to her sisters. They all nod back at her, their faces looking serious, and she begins.

"It all started two months ago, in the village in which we lived. Our village was always very poor, but it was known more for the shrine which stands in the centre of the village, called the 'Shrine of the Lioness'.

"Shrine of the Lioness?" asks Max.

Yumi answers him. "The shrine got its name from the stone lioness on the main wall inside."

"In front of the stone statue are four stones," continues Mako. "Legend has it that these four stones hold unimaginable power and strength, coming from the Lioness herself. But nobody was ever able to figure out how to open the powers within, so the shrine was built to keep the stones safe.

"We would always go to the shrine, for special occasions and such," says Rika. "But one day, we took our beyblades with us."

"You have beyblades?" asks Tyson, surprised. Rika nods.

"But why'd you take them in the shrine?" asks Rei. Jade answers him.

"It was sort of an accident. See, we were actually on our way to this gathering that was going on. Kids from the village had all gotten together to beyblade, and we wanted to join in. but when we were passing the shrine, we noticed a bright, golden glow, coming from inside."

"Naturally, we went into the shrine, to see where the light was coming from," says Mako. "The four stones and the statue were glowing."

"We walked towards them, to get a closer look," says Yumi. "Our blades where clenched in our hands and once we were close enough, a stream of light shot out of each stone, and went right into each of our blades."

"So," says Kenny nervously. "Does that mean, the power in the stones, are now inside your beyblades?"

They all nod. "I think you should show them," I suggest to the girls. They take out their blades, and at once all heads are together as the guys examine them.

"So the Lioness is a bitbeast?" asks Max.

"Yes," says Yumi. "Her name is Liona."

"But how can the power of one bitbeast be in four different blades?" asks Kai.

"Liona had divided herself into four parts," says Rika. "My blade holds her Strength, Mako's holds her Beauty, Yumi's holds her Grace, and Jade's holds her Cunning."

"Cool!" exclaims Tyson.

"Amazing," says Rei. "I never knew that was possible."

"But you said that villagers were following you," says Kenny.

"Oh, yeah," says Mako, looking uneasy. "When the villagers saw the four stones were 'destroyed', they were furious. We tried to tell them what happened, and that it wasn't our fault, but they wouldn't listen. So they ran us out of town. But even after we left, a handful of angry villagers wanted us to be dead. So they started following us."

"That's horrible," says Max sympathetically.

"We were devastated at first, but then, we became confident with ourselves. The Lioness had clearly chosen us for something, so we didn't do anything wrong," says Rika.

"That's good to hear," says Rei, smiling.

"We're planning on entering the next tournament," says Jade. Everyone looks at her. "We're gonna call ourselves the Lionesses."

"Well then, we'll be looking forward to battling you!" says Tyson, grinning broadly. The girls smile at him.

I'm glad everyone's getting along with each other. Hopefully, we can have fun these two weeks.

End Mariah's P.O.V.

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As the sun shone through her open window, a girl lay on her bed, reading a book. Only because there was nothing better to do. Her friends had all gone on vacation, and she was left here to die of boredom. She had decided to just let the days pass, and two weeks would be over in no time. But it seemed to be taking an eternity.

"Hilary!" called a voice from downstairs. It was her dad. Marking her page with a bookmark, she slid off her bed reluctantly, smoothed her short brown hair, and walked down the steps.

Her dad had called her from the kitchen.

"Yes, Dad?" She said, entering. Her dad was seated at the dining table, and her mom was there too.

"Hilary, dear, we've noticed how upset you've been about not being able to go to China with your friends, and we've decided to…"

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Cliffy! End of this chapter, you're gonna have to wait 'til the next!

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