Hello! I'm sorry for the slight delay in posting, I know its going to be a bit before I can post the next chapter as well, so I've tried to space them out accordingly. Also, hope some of you guys watched Shark Week, cause that's what inspired this story a few years ago. :D

Thank you to Exotic girl 26 and Fanfic Jewels for reviewing! Fanfic Jewels, thank you for your very insightful review; it has definitely allowed me to see where my weaknesses are and how I can improve them for future stories, if not this one. This fic is coming to a close so I don't know how much I can do to address this fully here, but going forward I will try to incorporate your advice as best as possible.

I do not own Metal Fight Beyblade.

Madoka peeked into the hospital room. Gingka was awake, but hadn't noticed her yet. He was too busy looking out the window at the orange and yellow streaks painted in sky.

She pulled herself out of view again, leaning against the wall of the hallway. It was still hard to process everything that had happened in the few short hours since she'd last been here.

The cops showing up had been a major surprise. They'd gotten off easy, which she was immensely grateful for, but she had no idea how they could've known the girls were there in the first place. The house had been utterly deserted; who would've been watching it? The police wouldn't have gone there for no reason. That meant someone had to have alerted them. But who?

The thought that someone may have been watching them without them knowing sent chills down her spine.

Madoka had a feeling they were getting into territory that was better left alone. But, at this point, it was already too late. Elise had drawn them in, and there was no going back.

Madoka shook her head. She needed to get all this out of her mind.

Gingka was waiting for her in the next room. He'd already been through enough. The last thing she wanted to do was worry him any more.

Madoka pasted on a smile and walked through the door.

"Madoka!" Gingka sat up straight, grinning.

"Hey," she sat down in the chair next to his bed. "I brought you these." Madoka placed a large assortment of snacks on the table.

Gingka's eyes lit up. "Awesome!"

Madoka let Gingka led the majority of the conversation. He seemed bored out of his mind and needed to let some of his endless energy out. Besides, listening to him talk helped chase away her heavier thoughts.

"So how did everything go for you guys today?"

Her throat tightened. "Oh, not bad. Nothing too unusual."

"No luck?"

"Not exactly," she glanced at her phone. "It's getting late. I'll fill you in tomorrow?"

He examined her closely. "Works for me, but I know something happened. You can't keep it a secret from me forever."

She sighed. "Fair enough."

He nodded. "Thanks, Madoka. You being here means a lot; you've done a lot." Their eyes met. Madoka could barely look away.

"It's no big deal. You would do the same for me."

Gingka smiled at her, then moved closer to her face, shutting his eyes. Realization suddenly dawned on her.

Gingka was going to kiss her!

Unexpected excitement rushed through her. Madoka closed her eyes, anticipating… Then nothing. She opened them, confused, only to see Gingka dangling off the bed.

He used his good arm to lift himself back into the bed. "Sorry," he said sheepishly. "I kinda missed."

Madoka laughed. "Just a little. Now stay still."

She closed her eyes again, and leaned toward Gingka. This time, she met his lips.

She dropped to the ground, narrowly avoided the swinging weapon. Crawling away as fast as she dared, she soon realized whoever had attacked her had stopped, at least for the moment. Knowing being on her knees left her at a major disadvantage, she stood up rapidly, ready to face whatever fate awaited her.

Hikaru gulped, turning around slowly as the voice sent shivers down her spine. She'd only heard it once before not all that long ago, and it hadn't been pleasant then either.

She didn't dare speak. Fear bound her tightly, but she forced herself to look at the man who had found her.

Charles Melcher was standing near the grave, shovel in hand. She couldn't quite place the expression, on his face, but she didn't like it. Elise flashed quickly behind him, immediately vanishing. Hikaru took an involuntary step back. He'd already proved he wasn't afraid to use that shovel, and she wasn't going to give him a second chance to use it. She took another step, her blood racing.

He wrinkled his nose. "Didn't I just see you a while ago?" His eyes narrowed. "That's right. You're one of the brats that came asking about Elise."

Hilary felt her back hit a tree. She didn't know whether to stay or get the hell out of there. Instinct told her to run, but something else made her stay.

Large raindrops slipped through the trees. Far off in the distance, a faint sound of thunder could be heard.

Charles advanced toward her; she stayed rooted against her tree. The shovel in his hand seemed more ominous than it had a few seconds ago. Still, he didn't outright try to attack her or anything. Instead, it seemed like he was waiting for something. He glanced back at Elise's current resting place.

"You know, when Elise first disappeared," his voice held a strange tone, "the police were all over me. Then it was the tourists, and eventually things calmed down. No one cared about a missing girl in a wedding dress, even if they thought they'd seen her walking around the island. The police stopped investigating. The story of Elise became a cold case. Then you and your friends show up out of nowhere years later, asking about her. I heard someone had broken into her house. It didn't take much to figure out who it was. And now you're here, of all places. Let me tell you, you're making things quite difficult for me."

"I-What do you mean?" Hikaru finally found the courage to speak.

He gestured at Elise's remains. "When you started nosing around, I got concerned. I was afraid there would be reason to reopen the case. I've spent more than enough time being harassed by the police. This ends now."

"I don't follow," Hikaru said coolly, her hair prickling on the back of her neck. She had a bad feeling about where this was going. She could only pray she was wrong. As nervous and scared as she felt, Hikaru did not want to let it show.

"Let's just say I had some unfinished business to... Put to rest. And where better to do it than out here in the middle of the woods. No one in their right mind would come out here, so I guess that says quite a lot about you."

Hikaru's hand flew up to cover her mouth, the worst confirmed. Trying to maintain a calm exterior was impossible now that she was faced with a man who had more or less just admitted to being a monster. "Y-You did it! You killed Elise on your wedding day all those years ago!"

"Well that's certainly an accusation, young lady," he bared his teeth. "But I won't deny it. Not this time."

"But why- Y-you're not going to let me live, are you." It wasn't a question. As soon as the shakily-spoken words left her, Hikaru knew they were true.

She should have ran as soon as she had a chance. Now, she was definitively trapped as the truth finally came to light.

"Afraid I can't," Charles frowned. "It's not that I want to, but you know too much, sweetheart. You could bring the police back here, back to me. I'm not risking that. It was hard enough bringing her out here in the first place. There's no time to move her again, not before you ruin everything."

Move her again? That explained the fresh grave and the mud. He must've gotten nervous when they showed up at his house. Wherever Elise had been originally, it must have been a good enough to place to keep secluded from the police, but not good enough to that there wasn't potential for someone looking for clues to find her.

"I had her hidden away in a secret cave initially," Charles seemed to read her mind. "But with the recent storms and increase in tourists it didn't seem safe anymore."

He shrugged. "It's not the first time I've had to move her. If someone gets too close, then I have to act before they learn the truth. Rough way to live, but I suppose I brought it upon myself. I wasn't planning on coming back here, but I forgot my shovel. Can't have that lying around here on the off chance somebody finds it. Do you know how damning it would be with my fingerprints all over it? I wanna spend my last few years as a free man, not in captivity."

Hikaru glanced at the man. He was definitely old, but the malice emanating from him left no doubt he was more than capable of carrying out his plans for her. She wondered if anyone else had found out what he had done to Elise before and joined her as his victim.

He took another step toward Hikaru's and swore.

Elise had reappeared, and judging by his reaction, Hikaru assumed Charles could see her, too. Anger replaced the shock.

"Should've known you'd be here, bitch," he muttered. "Elise, if you'd just kept your mouth shut we wouldn't be in this situation in the first place. But no, even in death you had to stick around, never letting me forget."

Elise looked at him reproachfully.

Charles lunged forward; Elise was gone in that instant. She wasn't his target, though.

Hikaru was.

Hikaru narrowly avoided the metal edge of the shovel. For an old man, he could move unexpectedly quickly.

Fury and rage danced in his eyes. In that moment, Hikaru knew exactly the terror Elise must've felt when Charles took her life.

Panic flooded her body. She didn't think. All she could do was run while she still had the opportunity.

The dense foliage made it nearly impossible. As soon as she would push aside a branch, she found herself stumbling over a tree root. Fallen logs blocked her path at every step. Behind her, she could hear Charles moving, closing in on his latest victim.

The rain was coming down harder now, heavily obstructing her view. Lightning flashed overhead.

She crashed right into a tree, unsteady. It had come out of nowhere, carefully hidden by leaves, branches, and the numerous other trees.

Regaining her balance, she picked up the pace once more. That little bump had hurt in more ways than one. She could hear her pursuer much closer now. Why wasn't he having such a hard time navigating the forest?

She could feel herself starting to run out of breath. She needed to stop for a moment, but that was out of the question. The initial burst of adrenaline was beginning to wear off. She had to find safety soon. Unfortunately, she was even more lost than before. There was no telling where the maze of a forest ended and civilization began.

A rock whizzed past her ear, causing her to shriek. She ran more wildly now, fear fully in control. She didn't bother to push the branches aside anymore, letting them slap her freely. That was her mistake.

With less visibility, she hooked her foot right under a raised tree root. Hikaru went flying forward, tumbling to the ground, landing right next to a small creek. She gasped in pain, her vision slowly clearing.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Charles emerge from behind a particularly large tree, looking both amused and annoyed. Hikaru tried to scream, but nothing came out.

She struggled to crawl away, but her foot had gotten stuck under the root. She tugged as hard as she could, trying to free her foot.

Nothing.

Hikaru flipped herself over just in time to see Charles bringing the shovel down on her. Instinctively, she raised her hands over her head in a desperate attempt to save herself. Hikaru shut her eyes, bracing for the end-

The impact never came.

Her eyes flew open. What the-

Someone was standing in front of her, blocking the shovel with their forearms. Hikaru stared.

"Don't just sit there!" they growled. "Get going!"

Hikaru blinked, shock wearing off.

Ryuga!?

She twisted her foot, finally freeing it from beneath the tree. She stood up just as Ryuga pushed the shovel to the side, sending Charles off balance. It took seconds for him to regain it.

"Run!"

She wasted no time. The rain made it close to impossible to find a path. As soon as she saw an opening in the trees, she took the opportunity.

She risked a quick glance back. Ryuga blocked Charles again, sidestepping, effectively stopping the old man's attempt to chase her.

She stumbled over another tree root, falling face-first in the dirt, barely managing to catch herself in time. She rolled across the damp ground, hiding behind the tree. Carefully, she peered out behind it, concealing herself as much as possible.

Other than the rain, all was silent. The only movement came from dripping leaves. She was still, more or less, safe. Hikaru stood up, and picked up the pace. She didn't yet know how much that second fall had cost her, if at all. Her mind raced faster than she did.

An anguished yell cut through the air, not too far behind her.

She skidded to a halt. She'd just left Ryuga there, with someone who wanted to kill her! What was she thinking?

She was frozen to the spot. Hikaru was torn between her innate desire to save herself and fear for Ryuga. He'd risked himself to help her and she'd deserted him. Granted, he had told her to, but it still felt wrong.

Abandoning her shot at freedom, she dashed off in the direction of the scream.

It didn't take long to find them. Ryuga was holding his shoulder, wincing in pain. His eyes widened when he saw Hikaru standing there.

"What are you doing? I told you to go!"

She stopped mid-step. The panic in his voice chilled her to her core.

For the first time since… Well, for the first time ever, Ryuga looked scared.

When they had gotten caught in the storm and spent the night in the rain, he'd been strong. When they got back, he'd reacted harshly, even if Hikaru knew he was really upset at himself. When he found out Gingka was in the hospital, he took it in stride. If he was ever afraid before now, he'd never let it show. If she hadn't seen the expression on his face, she never would've believed it herself.

Maybe it wasn't as apparent in him as the rest of them, but the summer had worn him out, too.

Deciding Ryuga was injured enough to leave be for the moment, Charles turned his attention to his original target. Hikaru's heart sank.

He lunged at her; she leapt to the right. To her horror, she instantly realized her mistake. It'd been a feint. The shovel hit her across the legs, sweeping her off her feet.

Hikaru fell hard, her head smacking against a rock. Her vision blurred as stars danced around her. Slowly the fog cleared and all she could see was Charles advancing. She scooted backwards, whimpering. This was it. She was done for. Hikaru hated to go down here, but there was no way she could fight any longer. Her strength had been sapped and her throbbing head made it difficult to think clearly.

Once she was out of the way, Charles would go after Ryuga and that would be the end. They would turn out exactly like Elise and Charles would continue living his life, pretending nothing ever happened.

If Charles had his way, Hikaru and Ryuga's bones would join Elise's in seclusion in the deep forest forever.

"No!" A feral snarl ripped through the air. "I won't let you do this!"

Ryuga grabbed the shovel, trying to pull it away from Charles. The old man held tight.

The two wrestled, crashing to the ground, fighting over the shovel. After what seemed like an agonizing length of time, Ryuga wrenched the shovel away.

Hikaru couldn't even bring herself to stand. Her head ached terribly as she watched the scene with wide eyes. She couldn't have gotten away if she'd wanted to. Her attention was firmly fixed on the nightmare continuing to unfold in front of her.

After an eternity of battling it out on the ground, Ryuga and Charles made it back to their feet. Ryuga held the shovel like a bat.

The shovel must've been heavier than he anticipated, though, because it took him a few swings, all of which missed, to get the hang of it. Charles dodged each attack with ease, even moving in closer, taunting Ryuga.

His actions became his undoing. Charles looked away from his opponent for an instant as he sidestepped the shovel, and Ryuga seized the opportunity.

Clang.

Ryuga swung, finally landing a hit on his enemy's turned back, sending Charles stumbling face-first into the dirt. He carefully approached Charles, then prodded a pressure point on the man's head. Once he was satisfied, he backed away, leaving the man alone in the downpour.

Ryuga tossed the shovel aside, disgusted.

"He's unconscious. Not dead."

Ryuga limped over to Hikaru. He extended his hand and she took it, unsteadily making her way to her feet. They locked eyes.

He was completely drained. Hikaru took a step back, letting go of his hand. She didn't have the slightest clue where to begin. Should she thank him? Was he going to yell at her for this? Anxiety gripped her.

He'd been so abrasive in their last few encounters. And as far as she was concerned, she was the one responsible for this latest adventure. Sure, Elise had led her there, but she didn't have follow. And how could she even explain Elise in the first place? If Ryuga hadn't shown up… She didn't want to think about it.

He was going to rip her a new one, she just knew it. Hikaru held her breath, bracing herself.

Ryuga grabbed her hand and pulled her close, hugging Hikaru tightly.

She tensed, relaxing after a few seconds. He didn't seem liked he planned on letting go anytime soon.

Not that she minded.