Hi! Here it is, the first chapter of our story. The previous one was the prologue and now we're here with the first one.
We hope we can update sooner next time… sorry.
Thank you for reading!
Beyblade and it's characters belong to Takao Aoki. Mikarina Hillander, Dakota Gander and Juliet belong to us.
Manipulated Engagement
Chapter 1: Lost Memories and Compromise.
Julia rested her forehead against the airplane's window and glanced out at the retreating ground. "What in the hell could be so important Gander needs me to fly to Russia?" She muttered to herself, thinking back to the conversation she'd had with her lawyer only last night.
"Please return your seats to their proper, upright position and fasten your seatbelts. We're preparing to land." Came a sing-song female voice from over the intercom. Julia sighed and repositioned her seat. This was going to be a long...long day. The plane started to land slowly on the frozen runway. Julia glanced once more out the airplane's window... snow covered every inch of the ground in a white blanket.
The brunette worked her way through the crowd and off the plane. Freezing air hit her face, chilling her to the bone. So, Russia really was as cold as everyone said it was...
"Over here!" A Japanese accent called over the noisy group of people. "Fernandez-san!"
Julia smiled warmly at the old man waving at her and headed his way. Dakota Gander returned her smile as she fell into step beside him. "What did you need me for Gander?"
The fifty-six year old held the airport door open for her but didn't answer right away. A black limo awaited the unlikely pair right outside the front entrance. Gander finally answered the brunette's previous question. "You'll have to wait until we arrive Fernandez-san."
The younger girl simply huffed and clambered into the back of the
limo.
Meanwhile...
Kai's office phone rang. The suddenly noise startled the drifting teen out of his late slumber. He reached blindly for the receiver, wondering who would be calling at four o'clock in the morning. "What?"
"Good morning, Hiwatari-dono. I'm sorry to bother you so early, but you're needed at the mansion for a very important meeting." The voice of Kai's lawyer Mikarina Hillander rang like an annoying fly in his ear.
"No."
"I'm afraid you don't have a choice sir. I'll see you there in fifteen minutes." The line went dead before Kai could respond. Sighing heavily, the young man grabbed a quick, black coffee from the building's cafe and clambered exhaustedly into his Chevy. No rest for the weary...
The only thing that made this meeting bearable to Kai was the fact his grandfather wasn't pulling any strings. The old bastard was still rotting
in jail. He was seeing to it personally Voltaire didn't get released, ever. Still, what could be so important for Hillander to need him back home? Home... dare he call it that?!
The old man must have kicked the bucket, what else could it be?? Both vehicles rolled up the Hiwatari Mansion's long driveway and halted before the old steel door exactly fifteen minutes later. A man stepped out of the limo, and opened the other door for his companion. High heeled boots stepped in the cold snow as a young lady stood up and looked around.
Kai sighed again. Setting his cell on vibrate, he rubbed his throbbing temple and stepped from his car.
Julia's P.O.V...
Hiwatari?! What in the seven hells was he doing here? Was this some sort of joke?? I bet this was Raul's doing as payback for all the pranks I pulled on him in our younger years. I glanced at Kai Hiwatari briefly as he stepped from his fancy looking car and started towards the mansion's doors. I glanced at him quickly and noted the changes in his body since the last time we'd met. The young man I'd met when I was fourteen was still there, but he was even more mature than before, if that was at all possible.
Subconsciously, he rubbed the palm of his left hand over his crimson eyes. He looked so worn, and the dark circled under his eyes didn't help his fatigued look either.
Somewhat he looked attractive… I shook my head forcefully, what was I thinking?! He's not my type, I should have already known about that.
Normal P.O.V…
Kai stared at her the same way, confused showed in both expressions. Then his lawyer called his attention, she was opening the enormous doors of the old mansion.
As he stepped inside the house, he smelt the old dust that hung the air. 'Yeah, I thought it would be like this, living in an apartment near the place I work and not returning home for some time makes it look really abandoned.' The bluenette thought to himself.
Julia just walked after her lawyer, following him slowly and carefully. She had absolutely no idea of what she was doing there, since when did Hiwatari have something to do with her life?
Both lawyers stared at each other once they entered to the living room. Kai sat in one of the expensive armchairs, and Julia stared at a very big painting on the left wall to distract herself.
Mikarina, Kai's lawyer, coughed slightly. "If you excuse me, I need to talk for a while with Mr. Gander about a minor inconvenient we have. Would you both please leave the room?" she asked politely. She had short brownish hair, shoulder length, and was wearing a black suit and high heeled shoes. Her glasses reflected the bright light that illuminated the room.
Kai blinked and snorted in disbelief, they clearly didn't forget. And more important than that, how could he, himself forget THAT?!
Julia followed him to the room next-door, it was a more simple living room with only two armchairs and a fireplace, obviously empty. He leaned forward against a wall, showing no respect at all for his grandfather's richness.
About five minutes passed in complete silence, they could hear the voices on the other side of the room talking in a low voice, but no idea of what they were talking about. At least she had no idea, because he remembered perfectly.
She looked at him, then stared back blankly at the wooden floor. She closed her eyes, then opened them again. Unfolded her arms, then rested them on her lap, then folded them again. Finally she sighed and stared at Kai for a while.
Kai's P.O.V…
I don't know if her movements are trying to call my attention or what. She looked kind of bored, maybe she was impatient to know what her lawyer and Hillander were talking about? Maybe she didn't remember it at all? How could she forgot about it?
Well there was no reason for her to remember what had happened in this mansion was there? She opened her mouth to say something, but then she closed it again. Then I realized I definitely had to say something to break
the silence.
"Hillander told me we're probably going to stay for some days in this place, do you want to see your room while they talk?" I spoke in a way she could've thought was rude, but for me it wasn't. I'm not the kind of person who speaks politely to every person I see, after all we're all the same and there's no need to be respectful.
After processing the invitation she answered a single 'okay' that told me she was more bored of doing nothing than interested in coming, but it was enough for me. So I walked to the door, opened it carefully and then towards the stairs.
She followed me, I knew the house, but she seemed a little confused, maybe she didn't remember.
JULIA'S P.O.V…
Where was he going…? I felt I knew exactly how many steps the stairs had, which were the paintings that I'd find round the corner, which was the color of each carpet and where I had to turn round or left. But I had never been here before, had I?
The strange thing was, that as we approached the room we were going to, flashes of pain came to my memory, it felt like something sad I had never understood before... and couldn't understand in that moment either.
I felt abandoned...
I stopped, and unluckily Kai noticed.
NORMAL P.O.V…
She looked round, trying to sense what was the thing that was making her nervous. He stared at her and sighed. "Do you remember or not?"
At this, she blinked twice and frowned. "Remember what?" she repeated, confused.
"Forget it… you'll never remember this way. We better get to the room and go back downstairs to see if they need us."
"No wait! What should I remember that I don't? Was I ever here?" she asked insistently.
He shook his head and sighed again. "No." he answered coldly, in spite of knowing it was a lie. Then he turned round and kept walking, she followed still confused. Some more turns and corridors, they finally got to a door that was as tall as the others, an aristocratic-like place like the rest of the mansion. He pulled out a group of keys and unlocked the door, then he opened it slowly, and she frowned when she heard it creak.
When she entered she noticed quite a tall bed, a chair and a desk, and a little wardrobe. She looked everywhere, trying to figure out where the familiar feeling came from. He smirked, and stared at her back when she walked inside of the room.
She advanced to the balcony, a huge window with natural colored curtains occupied the east wall of the room. She looked outside, it was still dark and the moonlight illuminated the garden. He didn't bother in turning on the lights, the moon shed enough light on the place. His sight moved from her back to her slim waist, then automatically fall to her hips. When he realized what he was doing he shook his head.
'What the fuck Kai' He thought 'Forget whatever you were thinking about!' His mind reprimanded. Or maybe it wasn't a bad idea at all?
He denied again with his head. He put up his sight and walked to where she was. But he didn't try to ask if she remembered, he didn't need to. Her confused look told him it wasn't the time, yet.
"We really should go back." He said, trying to convince himself that the lawyers could be needing them.
"Okay, but let me guide you this time, I have the feeling I know where to go." She said, confidently. He smirked, and followed her trough the hallways, laughing to himself. She was absolutely lost.
She turned left... and then right... then right again... then left… A really huge door raised in front of them, he laughed to himself and smirked playfully. She stared, even more confused. "Wait… I…"
"You think you know this place?" he asked, using an instinctive low voice. He had been observing her moves all the way, of course they were familiar. They were the same moves she had done years ago, in their childhood, when she had accidentally gone to the library.
"No! I never was here before but-" she was forced to stop when she turned round. The way he looked, so sexy, so handsome, made her gasp. She stared into his crimson eyes that looked at her piercingly. It was the kind of serious expression that made Kai look so good.
"Are you sure?" he asked again.
"Stop playing with me! You're why I feel this way, of course I know you, I met you and your friend Tala in the European tournament when I was fourteen, but I've never been at your house!" She almost shouted back.
"Absolutely sure?" he inquired, laughing slightly.
"YES!!"
Don't shout we're in a library." He said mockingly, then she turned round. Sure enough, they were inside a room with the huge doors. It was an enormous library with lots of books in it. She frowned at the sight of a chair that was inside. "What the hell…" she murmured, loud enough for him to hear.
"You have amnesia."
"What are you talking about Hiwatari, explain yourself!" She demanded, each time more confused about her own feelings and sensations.
"You know what I'm talking about." He loved playing with her like this, poking her, making her feel so frustrated and making her get so mad at him.
"NO! I have absolutely NO IDEA of what you are talking about! Just take me to the living room for once and STOP PLAYING WITH ME BECAUSE THIS IS REALLY ANNOY--" she was cut off by something placed abruptly around her head, not covering her mouth but rounding her neck in some way that seemed even more familiar. She opened her eyes, which were closed because of her irritation.
She gasped at the sight of a white thing… scarf, to be clear. Then she looked up, his neck was bare, it was HIS scarf. She closed her mouth, which was opened, and stared into crimson eyes, surprise mixing with anger inside her soul. Something that unfortunately, he didn't realize.
"Your memory definitely needs to be refreshed." He said, provoking her. Her expression denoted anger, but he didn't notice. He was too busy taking a step closer and placing his right hand on her back, pulling her closer and tightening her body against his.
Her eyes stuck opened when he pressed his lips, still smirking, on hers, and slid his tongue by her lower lip parting her mouth. Julia let him in, enjoying the kiss. But when she breathed in the middle of it, she received the so familiar smell that he had.
His left hand went to her cheek and caressed her skin, however, her hands were hanging from her arms at both sides of her body. She couldn't react, and stayed still.
Flashes of memories started to come to her mind, one specifically. It was one in a very desolated place, it was snowing heavily and there she was, with this guy, only some years younger. Maybe they were ten, or around eleven.
She was sitting next to him, and taking his hand. Then he kissed her cheek, and she kissed his. Some words she knew were changed there, but she couldn't remember.
Pictures of pain, anger, suffering, jokes, friends and foes. Altogether in the same place, sometimes alternating with the mansion in which they were.
Suddenly she parted the kiss and frowned. "H-Hiwatari!" she managed to say, still shocked by the scene. He smirked, proud that his idea had worked, and made a quick move with his head to allow her next question. "W-What the hell was that? I still don't know why I came here and now you're kissing me!? Is this a kind of reception for your visits?!" she asked, denoting anger and even more frustration in her hurt voice.
"You still don't remember... why this place is so familiar to you, why the room is so known, why you knew exactly where you were going… well sort of... doesn't it trigger anything? You really should refresh your memory in another other way then… maybe a visit to the doctor?" He said sarcastically. And if she was going to tolerate his phrase, then the last sentence definitely changed her point of view.
"I-I DON'T NEED TO REMEMBER ANYTHING! I CAME HERE BECAUSE MY LAWYER ASKED ME TO. THAT'S ALL I NEED TO KNOW!!"
"Are you sure?" He asked, his voice calm again.
"I-! … Of course I'm sure." She said, uncertainness evident in her voice. He frowned, and then stared at her emerald eyes, now wet because of the desperation.
She kneeled on the floor, and he leaned on the nearest wall, closing his eyes and folding his arms. "When you want to go back tell me." He said, in a low voice, trying to go back to normal.
About five minutes passed until she finally answered, with another question. "Kai… what were those things… that came to my memory? Why do I remember them from? Which is that place?" With the last question he finally opened his eyes.
"Do you remember it? Do you remember Balkov Abbey?"
She gasped when he pronounced the name, and then frowned when she realized he was no longer speaking in English, but had changed language to Russian. "Do I speak Russian?" she inquired, a stupid question, she was using that language to ask. She seemed so confused, he smiled comprehensively.
"K.. Kai I don't understand a thing…"
"It's okay it always happens the first time." he said, confidently.
"Where do I know all this from…?" she asked, staring at the floor.
"It's a long story… but later I can take you there, to where the Abbey once stood. You'll tell me what you remember. The rest, well, I have remembered some parts, some of them are still absent." He confessed.
"Balkov… what was his name?" she asked, her emerald eyes denoting her frustration and helplessness.
"Boris. Boris Balkov. But now we better go downstairs, Gander and Hillander must have got to a conclusion now, and they may tell us the details. I don't know what I want to do yet, but I'm afraid we have no options this time." He said, now confident that she knew what he was talking about. But she blinked twice, and asked…
"No options? About what? What's the decision I've got to make?"
He sighed heavily and stared at her eyes, before turning round again and pronouncing… "No decision, this time the compromise is already established."
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Mikaera and Dong-chun-mei.