Hi, and sorry for the delay. From last chapter, if you thought that wasn't Tyson kissing Mako, well…uh…it was!! But before you start hating on him, read on…

Here's chapter 11 for ya!

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Two Endings, New Beginning

I watch, breathless, until I can bear it no longer. I turn and go back inside, shutting the door harder than I had meant to. But why should I care? My life is basically ruined. I run for the stairs.

"Hilary?" I hear Mariah say. But I ignore her and keep going. I'm sorry Mariah, but if I say anything, I swear I'll burst into tears.

"I can't talk right now," I simply say, running up the stairs.

"But--"

"Mariah, if you're my friend, you'll understand!" I shut the door to the bedroom. Flopping down on my bed, I bury my face in my pillow. I want more than anything to cry right now, to force the tears out. But no matter how much I will it, the tears won't come, because inside of me is denial. I still don't believe what I have just witnessed was for real. Or maybe I just don't want to.

But I know it is. And it disgusts me. Why would he do that? Why? The smirk that he had given me is still stuck in my mind, haunting me. And Mako…let's just say if she were here, her lips would be glued to nobody for a while. Just the thought of her makes me want to enter a room filled with nothing but glass, and smash it all to bits and pieces. But the real question is:

What have I ever done to him to make him do this to me?

For the remainder of the day, I stay in my room. The last people I want to see are Tyson and Mako, and I really feel like just being alone. Mariah comes a few times, trying to get me out, but to no avail. I feel bad about this; really, because I know she wants to help. But I really need the time alone to calm my nerves. I have to be perfectly sure that it wasn't all just a nightmare. Sure that it actually happened.

XxX

"Hilary, get up."

I open my eyes. It's morning, next day. "What…?" I mumble, sitting up. My stomach grumbles at once. I hadn't eaten yesterday, and I'm kind of hungry.

"Time to go to the guest house," Mariah replies. Like nothing happened. Like everything was normal. Like a certain person didn't get her heart ripped out the day before.

"No," I say, looking away.

"You know you can't stay in here forever…," Mariah protests.

"Yeah? Well what would you have done if Rei were to cheat on you?" I ask her, firing up. I'd rather stay up here for the rest of my life, than have to face all of life's downs with no ups. And I don't care if I'm being cowardly, if I'm just hiding myself from the world and all the bullshit it has to offer. I couldn't care less.

And yet, I hope for Mariah to be confused, to ask me what I was talking about, or to say something that would prove that Tyson had not kissed Mako yesterday. But Mariah simply sighs. "I know, Tyson was an asshole to do this to you, but…please, don't beat yourself up for it."

The tears that had been longing to pour out of my eyes finally do. To hear it from someone else is enough to make it true. But why must it be? For once in my life, I actually fell in love, true love. It wasn't just a stupid puppy crush either. It felt real to me. And if I can't trust Tyson, who can I trust?

"Oh, no…Hilary, don't cry," Mariah says, putting a hand on my shaking shoulder. I feel like a child, so new to everything. No experience.

"It's just, so hard, Mariah…I really thought that he…was the one…"

"I know," Mariah says sympathetically, hugging me. Its exactly what I need. "I thought so too."

XxX

I enter the guest house alongside Mariah, not knowing what to expect. At the door, we were both greeted casually by nearly everyone. Now, as we walk towards the kitchen, I begin to feel calm and my nervousness is slowly easing.

Then Mako shows up. My heart flips, as if it wants to jump out of my body to go beat the girl up itself.

"Hey, Mariah. Hi, Hilary," she says to us cheerfully.

I simply stare as Mako walks by, just like that. She actually had the nerve! I turn to Mariah. "Did she—did she just…?"

Mariah is also surprised. She nods. "Yeah. But don't say anything. Remember, if you're gonna dump Tyson, you're gonna have to do it smoothly."

I stop dead in my tracks, causing Mariah to look back at me questioningly. "I have to…dump him…?" I ask her.

"Well, obviously! Do you want a boyfriend that's gonna go off romancing with other girls behind your back?!" Mariah exclaims in a loud whisper.

"Well…no…," I say, but I'm not so sure. I am, of course, angry with him, definitely. But, surprisingly…I hadn't thought of breaking up. Maybe there could be something logical that could explain it all…?

Mariah practically drags me into the kitchen, where everyone is sitting, including Tyson. My heart jumps. I don't think I can do this.

"Hey, Hil! Where were you yesterday?" he asks. Me. But I can't find my voice, so Mariah answers him for me.

"She wasn't feeling well," she says, rather coolly. Tyson recognizes the tone, and just says, 'oh', but he gives me a look that means he is going to ask me more on it, later. Perfectly casual.

Why is he acting so normal?

As we sit to eat, I pull out a small piece of paper and a pen and scribble, why'd you lie to him? on it. I pass it to Mariah, who reads it, then scribbles back, because, when you announce the break up, you're gonna throw the truth, the fact that you know what he's up to, at his face unexpectedly, and he'll have nothing to say.

I crumple up the paper after reading it, and nod to my food. I'm getting serious butterflies in my stomach, and Tyson keeps throwing me questioning glances, making me feel worse! Then conversation breaks out.

"It's a nice day out," Yumi says, "where should we go?"

"How about the amusement park?" Mako perks up. I hate her so much…

Rika rolls her eyes. "Yeah. So you can go on those love boats, or whatever, with Tyson?"

Okay, I think I hate Rika more.

"No!" Mako cries, though she's turning red. But Tyson, who just so happens to be sitting beside her, is silent. I wonder why?

"Really," Rika keeps on going, "I'm sure Tyson would love to, wouldn't you Tyson?"

I stare hard at my breakfast, not wanting to see Tyson's face. I want nothing more to throw my cereal at him, yell at him to deny what Rika's saying. No reply comes from him, though. But I curse at Rika in my head; doesn't she know that Tyson already has a girlfriend? Or did Mako decide to go tell her sisters about her little kiss, too?

For a few more minutes, I watch as Mako steals a few glances at Tyson. It makes me sick. I abruptly stand up. "I'm going out," I announce, drawing all eyes toward me. And without another word, I walk out of the kitchen. Behind me, I hear Tyson call my name, but I don't respond. I've had enough.

XxX

Today, unfortunately, is scorching hot. Seriously, I feel as if I'm gonna bake out her in the sun. I solve this problem by walking under the heavenly shade of the trees, and, once I do, my mind falls on that same, annoying subject: the kiss. I swear I don't want to think about it, but the image is stuck in my head. I think of Tyson's arms around Mako, the same pair that used to hold me in embrace. My heart aches at the thought, but I refuse to let it go. I'm hoping that at one point, all the pain might leave me, so then it won't hurt to think about it anymore. But the more I'm hoping, the less it seems possible.

I'm about to let out a sigh of grief, when I hear a familiar voice calling me. I turn around, and I swear something hits my heart. Hard.

It's Tyson.

"Hil…where'd…you go…?" he pants, heavily. He ran all the way here. To throw more lies at me.

I don't know if its something he said, or just the mere fact that he's here before my eyes, but I'm pissed off. At him. Big time.

"Why would you care?" I shoot back at him.

Tyson looks at me, puzzled. "Hilary…why are you so upset?"

Oh, please. As if he doesn't know. "Why do you think?!" I ask him, as if it's the most obvious thing. Well, it is, actually.

"I…I don't know," he says, "I don't know what I even did…," he comes closer, reaching out his hand to place on my shoulder.

I take a step back. "Don't touch me."

Was that a flash of anger in his eyes just now? "Look," Tyson says, jaw clenching. "Hilary, you're making no sense--"

"Well neither are you!" I burst. "Tell me, Tyson, how many girls have you kissed in this past week?" I turn on my heel, and storm off, not even bothering to look back.

XxX

"You broke up?" Arek asks, wide-eyed.

I'm at Arek's herb shop, since there's really no other place I want to be right now. And Arek did say I could come to him whenever I wanted to talk, so, why not? I just told him about the whole Tyson drama, and he listened very attentively, with interest.

"Yup," I answer his question, "but I didn't say anything official, like, 'we're over,' or anything. I just sort of…yelled at him and walked off."

Arek nodded somberly. "Wow," he says, "I never knew Tyson could be such…," he trails off.

"An asshole?" I finish his sentence for him.

He shrugs. "Say it however you want," he says. Then he smiles at me. "I'm just glad you chose to confide this to me."

It's my turn to shrug and smile. "I needed someone to talk to, and…you were the best choice for me."

Arek gives me typical advice, however. He tells me to just 'hang in there' and not take it all too hard. To just let it all sink in, and then get over it. But, I'm grateful nonetheless; at least he's trying to help.

"So, Airi told me about what happened with her fan club yesterday," Arek says, a grin playing at his lips. "What was that all about?"

"Oh, right," I say, recalling the little incident. After I saw Tyson and Mako kiss, I completely forgot about everything else. "It was…weird," I say, for lack of a better word.

Arek laughs. "I told you. She's head over heals for Tyson."

"Well, you can tell her he's available now," I say.

"Are you serious?" he looks at me, astonished. "You mean, you'd actually let her?"

I nod. "Yup. If she wants him so much, she can have him. But once she finds out the kind of player Tyson is, I'm sure she'll be way over him."

"So, are you still upset about it all, or are you cool with it?" Arek asks, leaning on the table and resting his chin in his hand.

I'm silent for a moment, thinking. "I'm…not so sure," I finally say with a shrug. The truth is, I don't really know how I feel about it now. Sure, at first I was furious, but then that turned to sadness and now…it's like a mixture of all different kinds of feelings welling up inside me. Anger, grief, betrayal, longing…so much that its hard to put into words.

Arek pats me on the shoulder sympathetically. "Just…don't worry too much about it. I'm sure that in the end, everything will turn out okay."

I smile, wishing that I could be as optimistic. But I can't; this is reality, of course. I bid him goodbye, then carry on with my walk. To where? I have no idea. As I ponder on this question, I hear a snobby voice come from behind.

"You again?"

I turn to see Airi standing before me, arms crossed with a scowl on her face. I so do not need this. "Yeah, its me. Why?" I ask her coldly.

"Well, its funny seeing you here without your…boyfriend," she hisses the last word, as if its poison to her tongue. I almost laugh.

"He's my boyfriend no longer," I say, and Airi raises her eyebrows, clearly shocked. "So you can do whatever you want with him. I couldn't care less."

"You're…joking, right?" she asks, shaking. A smile is tugging at her lips, I can tell. Honestly, does she worship Tyson or something? Get a life!

"Yeah, I'm joking," I say sarcastically, rolling my eyes. "Clearly that's why no one's laughing."

Airi simply glares at me. And for once, I don't have an urge to go and claw her eyes out. I'll just let it be. So, I'm about to walk by her, when this guy shoves by me, hard. Have I been here before?

I turn to see who it is, and, coincidentally, it's that same guy that bumped into me last time. Um, déjà vu? "You?" I say when he sees me.

"You?" is his identical reply.

"Uh, freaks?" Airi interrupts. Okay, for calling me a freak, I am reconsidering the clawing-the-eyes-out thing. "What's happening here? Do you two, like, know each other?"

The guy ignores her, much to my pleasure, and speaks to me. "You're that girl from before!" when I nod, he continues, "I need your help, quickly. Follow me!" he then grabs my arm, and leaving an awe-struck Airi (probably because she was completely ignored), breaks into a run with me struggling behind him.

"Uh, whoa there, slow down," I say, pulling my arm away, "what's going on?"

"I'll explain once we get there. Now, hurry!" he keeps running, though this time without reaching for my arm, which I'm grateful for. We're at it for about another five minutes until we finally arrive at—why am I not surprised?—the beyblading shop.

"Okay, we're here. Now, spill; what's going on?" I urge him.

"I-I don't know," he says, eyes bulging. "There's been another accident, I think. I just got a call from Haru, and he sounded like…like he was in serious pain. I couldn't exactly understand what he was saying, but I think he told me to come," he runs a hand through his sweaty hair. "I don't understand this, first the robbery, and now what?"

I take a minute to let this sink in. It really is odd. Something's up alright.

So, why am I still standing here?

"Let's go inside," I say confidently, though inside I feel the beginnings of jitters.

"Are you sure?" the man asks. I look at him. He may be a physical adult, but I think that inside, he's still a boy. A small, shy boy. I feel bad for him. He shouldn't have to go through all this…suspense.

"Not really," I admit, "but what else is there to do?"

"Nothing…I guess…," he says.

"So then…are you up for it?"

He nods bravely, swallowing hard. He looks nervous, but he follows me inside nonetheless. The place looks pretty much the way it did before. But if I'm not mistaken, it might even look…neater. Cleaner, like someone had come to arrange the little that could've been furnished: a few books were put back in shelves, the dust on the ground was swept, and the chandelier pieces were also swept to a near corner.

"Wow…," I hear the man say under his breath. He's thinking the same thing.

"Yeah…," I mutter. I scan through the room, and spot a door on the far right. The same door that Tyson and I (my heart does a back flip at the thought of him) had gone through to see the safe that once held the Golden Blade. "Let's go in there," I say, pointing at said door.

"O-okay," he says behind me.

We step over pieces of wood, but that's just about it. Once we reach the door, I clasp my hand on the doorknob. There's some sort of vibe around here that's freaking me out, the same way I felt last time I was here. But its stronger now. And colder. I try to ignore all this, as I turn the knob and the door swings open.

The man behind me gasps.

I nearly faint.

A body lies sprawled on the floor before us, blood surrounding it. Underneath the head is a pool of dark red.

Its Haru.

"Is…is he…," the man asks me, voice cracking.

I look away from the horrid scene. "I…I d-don't know…"

XxX

As I leave the marketplace, I hear the distant screams of sirens. The police have arrived.

As soon as we had left the beyblading shop, we called the police. My companion was in total shock, and I felt completely nauseous. When I told him I was leaving, he didn't even look at me.

Right now, I'm struggling to walk. Haru's dead body (as we later found out) scared me. I know it wasn't anything accidental, it was murder. And I have a feeling its linked to the robbery. I shake my head. How will I say this to the others?

As I reach the White Tiger house I see someone sitting on the porch. When he sees me approaching, he gets up, and walks toward me. What does Tyson want with me? Shouldn't he be busy with Mako? I feel like screaming!

"So," he says. "How was your little trip?"

"And you care because…?" I ask him.

"Of course," he says, "you're not gonna tell me. 'Cause you know I won't like it."

"Won't like what?" I ask. What is he talking about?

"You know," there's anger in his voice now, "the fact that you left me to go flirt with another guy."

"What?!" I cry. He can't be serious!

"I follow you to the marketplace, wanting to know what's wrong. And what do I see? You, flirting with that damn Arek. So I left. Care to explain?"

I think I'm gonna burst.

"Oh, is that what you saw? Me, flirting? Honestly, Tyson, what game are you playing?!"

"You're still not making any sense, Hil! I don't understand why you're so angry with me!"

"Oh, sure! If you think there's no reason for me to be upset after watching you kiss Mako, then you're more of an idiot than I thought!"

Tyson looks awestruck. He wasn't expecting me to know. Ha!

"You…you think I kissed Mako? You must be delusional!" he says.

"You know, Tyson, if you wanted to cheat on me, you should've thought of a better place to do it!"

"Hilary, I would never--"

But I don't want to hear it. "Don't try to win it when it's already done," I say, fighting back tears. "Tyson…we're over."

I walk past him towards the house.

"I don't understand…you don't think I loved you? Hilary, I…," I hear him say.

"Save it, Tyson!" I yell over my shoulder, back facing him. I don't want him to see the tears streaming down my face. "And by the way, you can tell the others that Haru's dead. I found this out while I was flirting."

I step inside the house, and shut the door behind me.

It didn't feel good.

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So, what'd you think? Sorry if the title didn't make much sense. It made little to me too…

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