I'm sure when you started reading this you were waiting for the moment in which Kai and Hilary meet each other for the first time. Well, here it is, in a very roundabout way!

Thanks to AJ and Sky d for reviewing, who I couldn't thank personally!

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade

Chapter 3

This was his first love and there was no doubt about it in his heart. The slight twinge of nerves in his stomach brought upon by his anticipation for the public spectacle to be unleashed before the night was done made him feel as if he was finally living. It was strange, that. For him to feel like he was living, he had to almost face death. Surely that would be waiting for him should this entire thing fall through: death or a fate worse than it. It was exciting.

The parade was due to start shortly and the crowds had gathered in the streets already, Kai and his Resistance with them, trying to fit in and doing quite the job of it, albeit many people knew who they were and cast them nervous glances every so often, wondering what it was they were up to. Kai felt somewhat relieved that they didn't do anything to acknowledge them, completely aware that Kingston's soldiers were already patrolling the streets trying to sniff them out like bloodhounds. Unknown to them, Kai could easily be in their clutches if they would have the sense to look beyond the masses and pick out the individuals, instead of seeing the crowd as a whole. Of course to single out one person would be just as simple as finding a needle in a haystack, especially since they were dressed just like every other teenager gathered with hooded jumpers pulled over their heads and hands in pockets, looking like they couldn't be bothered with anything but feeling the complete opposite.

Beside him, not looking directly at him, Tala's tenseness could be felt. "How many do you figure they have?"

"About fifty on this side, Garnet says there's another twenty or so where she is and God knows how many are scattered around the streets or plain clothes. None around here anyway."

Tala made a grunt of understanding and folded his arms, taking care not keep blending in. The art to make yourself invisible was one he had mastered from quite an early age. He could blend into almost any crowd, becoming a fly on the wall. "How long until he comes by?"

Kai turned his head in his friend's direction. From the disgust in his voice he knew exactly who he meant by 'he'. "Around thirty minutes. Be ready. I'm going to find Ray and get in position."

Not sparing so much as a glance, Kai moved deeper into the crowd, passing by face by face and not focussing his attention on any particular one. In fact, he wasn't paying attention to anything but finding Ray. He hardly even noticed when he banged into a girl, almost sending her wheeling back.

"Sorry," he said in a distracted voice, letting his eyes slip to her face and finding that they stayed there longer than was perhaps necessary nor intentional. Her eyes were red the colour or rubies and her face was one of the most beautiful ones he'd ever seen. Looking at her apparel, he got the distinct impression that she was trying to blend in too, like him. Curiosity got the better of him and he wondered what her story was. She definitely wasn't a member of the resistance. He had a feeling he would recognise eyes like hers, especially the way they were looking almost fearfully at him, worried that he might give her away. Give what away he had no idea but it must be something serious.

"Don't worry about it," she replied with a quick smile and continued on. Her heart was pounding so quickly she had to scold it. In her head she kept telling herself to be cool or she'd give herself away. Where was the strong woman she'd convinced herself she was before leaving mingle with the masses? It seemed she had shriveled up and died at some point, especially when she knew there was no going back now.

Not quite knowing why, Hilary turned to look behind her at the boy who'd walked into her. His face, though hidden mostly by his hood, looked so familiar to her but she couldn't find the name to match. A chiselled jaw like his certainly shouldn't be one she should forget nor the glimpse she got of her eyes when his hood had ruffle slightly on the impact. The colour had been the same one her mother had used to describe the fiery look of sun rise on a new day: crimson. Those eyes had burned into her with a tiny look and she could feel them still, though he had gotten lost in the crowd. Shaking her head, she reminded herself that now wasn't the time to indulge in little childish fantasies. Now was the time to find Mariah and make sure they were undefinable from the next person.

With care not to draw attention to herself any more than she already had, she weeded her way to the back of the crowd and at the gates to her home where Mariah said she would be and sure enough, her pink haired partner in crime was leaning on the gates talking to a boy who was probably a year older than her, occasionally laughing and – Hilary found this quite amusing – flirting her face off. Not wanting to barge in, Hilary turned her back to her but it didn't matter for Mariah had spotted her anyway.

"Hils!" She shouted, her voice sounding unfamiliar in its bubbliness. "I'm over here!"

Trying to pretend like she hadn't seen her (and sure she was making a complete mess of it) Hilary waved and walked towards her, taking in the good looking boy she was talking to. He had amber eyes much like Mariah's with jet black hair tied behind in a cloth wrap. His clothes looked scruffy, but Hilary had a strange feeling it wasn't his normal choice of clothing. It was the way he held himself, though since she'd never actually laid eyes on him before she couldn't make an accurate judgement.

"I got a little bit lost there," Hilary explained with a slight smile. "There's so many people."

"You'd think you'd never been to one of these things before," the boy said with a tone to his voice that indicated he knew more than he'd ever let on. He held out his hand with a grin that she immediately liked. "I'm Ray. I know you're Hilary. Mariah told me."

"Ray's my boyfriend," Mariah added.

Hilary's mouth formed an 'oh' and she smiled. "I'm glad to meet you. Mariah's told me so much about you." His eyes darted alarmingly quickly in Mariah's direction that made her think she'd perhaps be better pulling her foot back out of her mouth. "You know, about college and things like that."

"Oh, right," he said with a laugh that held a hint of relief. Little known to Hilary, Ray didn't even attend college, nor had he ever even applied. "It's been nice to meet you but I've got to go. There's a few friends I need to catch up with. Stick around. I think tonight's going to be quite...eventful," he added with a wink.

"Handsome, isn't he?" Mariah laughed when Ray was safely out of earshot. "We've been going out since we were kids. But just so you know, he looks better without those clothes on." Hilary burst into laughter when Mariah realised her mistake, clearly shown by the redness on her cheeks. "Oh grow up. You know what I mean."

"I know but your face was priceless. The sheer horror. But I bet you've seen him in such a state anyway."

"Milady, this is not the topic in which we jest with our Lady-in-waiting." As an afterthought she added, "And yes, I have."

Hilary looked at her for a second, contemplated saying something and then thought better of it. She was right. They may be friends, but realistically it had been something pushed upon them both without much choice. Obviously there was still a boundary up she had still to climb over but that was fine. People deserved their privacy and she was only too willing to allow them it. It was only fair. That and she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know the full details in fear that she might feel pangs of jealousy that it wasn't her getting to feel these things with some one she truly loved, not getting the chance to find some one she truly loved. Envy wasn't an emotion she felt often but sometimes she felt it when Mariah spoke of her life outside of her position, a life she knew she could never lead. She turned her back to Mariah for a brief second and looked at her house, wondering just how easy it would be to get back in. So long as she and Mariah didn't get split up, it should be fine but if they did she was in trouble. Mariah had the iris access to get through the servant's entrance but she didn't, as ridiculous as that sounded. It was her own home, yet she couldn't get back in if she went out. The privilege had been taken away from her last time there had been an attack by the Resistance.

Noticing the furrow of her brow, Mariah chuckled. "Will you relax and stop worrying! Nothing is going to happen. You won't be found out and we can laugh about it tomorrow, you'll see."

"I'm thinking what if we get split up. How will I get back inside?"

"If any trouble comes about, grab my hand and don't let go. I'm not going to go back in without you. Promise. Don't forget, my own butt is on the line if I do."

There was no point in denying that. Hilary was under Mariah's charge, like she was to protect her from the dangers of the outside world. Their fates would be intertwined: if something happened to Hilary much the same would inevitably happen to Mariah, though it would probably be far less pleasant. Perhaps this was the reason Mariah was avoiding her eyes for the time being, or maybe it was something else. She got the feeling that her Lady-in-Waiting was hiding something for her and that her intentions weren't as innocent as they seemed. There was definitely something in the air tonight. She could feel it from every man, woman and child who walked past her. Without a doubt, there was going to be something much bigger than a parade going to go down tonight and somehow she was caught up in the middle of it all. She had no idea how but it was a deep feeling in her stomach. It was as unsettling as knowing when you were going to die.

From a few streets away a mighty cheer rose up and like some Mexican wave, it had soon traveled to them, going through person by person and encouraging them to join in too. So as not to seem suspicious she did and for much the same reason so did Mariah, though her reservation was clear in her eyes. It was clear that the parade was now starting and just to confirm what she thought she knew, heavy percussion music started up, obviously giving the dancers something to move their bodies too. The crowd too, it seemed. The nerves inside Hilary kicked up even more as the music got closer and she found herself fidgeting once again with her hat.

Her hands were slapped away swiftly by Mariah's and she looked at her friend rebukingly. "Don't!" She hissed, though to be heard it was almost a shout. "You'll look suspicious! There's people here looking for people like you who look like they don't belong. Don't give them a reason to question you or we may as well just go up to Brooklyn right now and tell him the truth!"

Hilary stopped immediately and stared straight in front of her. The truth and Brooklyn never had boded too well together. Now the truth, Brooklyn and her being outside going together would have an effect similar to that of the atomic bomb. She never had been a fan of nuclear warheads so that would have to be avoided as best as possible, especially if the bomb was to land on her.

The cheer from the crowd got even louder as the dancers – male and female alike – circled the corner and arrived at the main square, twisting their hips and shaking their shoulders with the rhythmic intensity of a Latin American dance number. Hilary's eyes were drawn to their elaborate costumes. The girls wore bikini like tops of silver sequins with beaded threads hanging down to their navels so that every time they moved they rustled like a lion was stalking through them. For the bottom half they wore skirts of the same material and all of them had dyed their hair silver and tied it up to the top of their heads. The men had much the same, except they wore trousers and no tops. To Hilary, who had never seen anything so entrancing, it all held the elaborateness of a wild but vivid dream. She was asphyxiated.

And then Brooklyn's float arrived. He sat on a chair that looked like a throne, making the message clear for all to hear. He was soon to claim one for his own. On his left, Mystel sat with his usual charming grin on his lips, making eye contact with more girls than was perhaps necessary and on his right, Garland sat. His face was a stern as always as he sweeped through the crowds, trying to pinpoint the undesirables. Hilary hoped with all her might he failed. The three of them were as bad as each other alone, but put together they were a deadly team, working together as lions to tackle their pray with frightening accuracy. God help anyone they were sniffing out.

A deafening roar of silence rose up as the music stopped suddenly, catching Hilary off guard. The dancers disappeared somewhere and Brooklyn stood, waving to unbelievably loud cheers. It was surprising to Hilary that, when the Resistance didn't appear, the people appeared to love their leader. How easy it was to win them over, she observed with a strange feeling of distaste.

With a raise of his arms, Brooklyn quietened them down, smiling warmly. This was the first time she'd ever seen her betrothed in action publicly and she had to admit she was both surprised and impressed. Though he was apparently adhered by all, it was clear he was respected. So much so with a simple gesture he had a crowd of thousands at his command. Was power this easy to take and control or was Brooklyn just a natural at it, as he was with many things? She hoped it was the latter. If it was so easy to control people then it was a very dangerous world she lived in.

"I have a confession," Brooklyn said, his voice booming over what had to be a sound system. "My people I have led you all on. I am not, as I pretended, parading in my own honor. Even I'm not as arrogant as that." He was silent for a few seconds, creating an overwhelming feeling of anticipation. "The real reason I am celebrating is because I'm to be married." A murmur of surprise rose over the streets, even to those in which the float wasn't visible but who watched on big screen televisions on the sides of buildings. "Hilary Tatibana, who unfortunately couldn't appear tonight beside me, and I are to be wed in three months time. She is, as I'm sure some of you know, the niece of the late King Stanley."

"And I'm sure that's not the reason why you've chosen her above so many other suitors, Lord Brooklyn. Or should it now be King?" A voice, calm and collected and silkily sarcastic, echoed through the crowds. Brooklyn looked to both his Generals and they nodded, scanning the crowd carefully so see who the perpetrator was, though it was clear all of them knew. "Tell us why she couldn't come tonight. This Hilary. Is she being held prisoner in some dungeon because she refused to marry such a malicious bastard like yourself? Or was she just too ashamed to be seen next to a coward like you who has to stab his enemies in the back to get what he wants?"

Despite what Hilary expected, Brooklyn smirked. "Hiwatari. Isn't it rather hypocritical to call me a coward when right now you're hiding amongst the crowds, not brave enough to face me like a man?"

Kai Hiwatari – or who Hilary assumed it was – chuckled. "It's not a matter of bravery. If it came to a face to face battle with you believe me I'd never refuse. It's a matter of stupidity, something which I don't have. To show myself would lead to my arrest and undoubtedly my death. Your soldiers would ensure that before you and I had even had a chance to fight each other."

The three on the float had been able to zoom in on the area Kai was but they still couldn't spot him from every other face. Brooklyn continued to lure Kai out, or at least find him in the crowd. "I'm not an idiot either. How can you trust a man to fight with honor when he won't even show his face to his enemies? You would fight me in a duel with one hand behind your back while the other one fires a bullet into my head."

In the blink of an eye, he removed his pistol and aimed it at the crowd. Everyone moved out of the way except one boy – the one who Hilary had banged into earlier on. Applauding, he shook down his hood. "Well done. You found me." The tone in his voice made it perfectly clear that was what his intention had been the whole time. "As you can see, I only hide to stop the ladies in the crowd fainting from my rugged handsomeness."

This time it was Brooklyn who chuckled. "Yes well, we'll see how handsome they find it with a bullet through the head."

"Don't I get a trial?"

"I think its perfectly clear that you're a traitor to the crown-"

"Traitor to the crown?" Kai's voice was angry to the point of dangerous. The sudden change came as quickly as a ray of light, surprising many, including Hilary. "That crown doesn't even belong to you! It belonged to King Stanley and now Hilary! Long live Queen Hilary!"

"Long live Queen Hilary!" A few voices in the crowd echoed.

"Long live Queen Hilary!" Kai shouted again.

"Long live Queen Hilary!" Kai didn't need to join in this time as the chant became self sustaining until every member of the dubious audience was shouting it at the top of their voices. Hilary felt stunned. These people didn't even know her, but they supported her solely on faith that she would have to be better. Could she even live up to their expectations should she one day role? She found it rather doubtful. Kai held Brooklyn's furious glare with a calm smirk. There was some sort of invisible battle going on between them that was soon to erupt.

A shot fired and there was silence once more. Hilary's eyes went fearfully to Kai and beside her Mariah gasped. Kai was still standing, though his composure was slightly wavering. He no longer looked at Brooklyn but at his leg, where a stream of blood trickling from a hole roughly the size of a bullet. Kai's jaw was clasped firmly shut, obviously trying to keep in a cry of pain which no doubt wanted to be free. His stance faltered and he sunk to one knee. The crimson eyes that had captured Hilary's like an exotic painting snapped angrily up to Brooklyn who smiled, clearly pleased with himself.

"And now, Hiwatari, that you see my threats are completely serious I'm going to give you a choice. You can come quietly and avoid further bloodshed and especially of the civilians, or you can choose to fight a battle you will lose. What will it be?" Every soldier in the square aimed their guns at Kai

Struggling to keep his voice steady, Kai said, "Both very tempting offers, Kingston. But may I offer my own? Look at your chest."

He did and growled in outrage. There was a small infrared spot on his army uniform, right over the centre of his heart. "A sniper?!" Mystel and Garland took out their own guns and tried to find the location of the hidden gunman but stopped when two more spots appeared, one for each of them. They in turn growled at Kai.

"Obviously. Now what do you say you ask your men to lower their weapons?" Kai smiled pleasantly, struggling to stand but helped up by a member of the crowd whose own hood had lowered to reveal a girl with raven black hair.

"Lower your guns!" Brooklyn commanded.

"Thank you. And if the crowd would be so kind...?" People surrounded Kai and all at once he was out of sight.

The beams of the snipers disappeared too and Brooklyn immediately shouted, "Find him!"

Guns began to fire and all at once there was chaos as the people ran in all different directions, trying to get to cover. Hilary reached out for Mariah's hand but didn't find it. Suddenly, she felt as panicked as every other person present. Forgetting all about keeping cover, she ran into the middle of the battleground, screaming Mariah's name over and over again. She tripped over something and screamed, this time in horror. The body of a bloodied soldier lay under her feet, gazing at her blankly with a vacant expression on his face. She quickly scrambled up and looked around her. At either side there was a fray going on between the soldiers and members of the resistance. Gunfire was all around her and she had no idea where to go.

Suddenly a hand grabbed her shoulder and pulled her down, as a bullet whizzed overhead. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?" The voice of Kai Hiwatari demanded. "What's the matter with you? This is no place for a civilian to be." Without giving her any warning he took her hand and at a sprint she struggled to keep up with him as he dragged her away from the middle of the fighting. She noticed with great worry that Kai's steps were labored and his face a grimace of pain. He hadn't even put a bandage on his leg to stop the bleeding, though how he would have had time to make a makeshift one would have been beyond her.

Mariah appeared in front of her, her face a disarray of mixed emotions of fear, worry an anxiety. "Hilary! Where the hell did you go? I turned around and couldn't find you!"

"Hilary?" Kai asked in surprise. "This is Hilary!? What the fuck did you let her get into the middle of this for? You were supposed to keep..." He didn't manage to finish his sentence. He'd lost consciousness before that and sunk to the floor.

"Kai?!" Mariah screamed in horror. She looked at his blood soaked jeans and then to Hilary. The urgency was clear in her tear brimmed eyes. "How much blood do you think he's lost?" Hilary shrugged helplessly. "We've got to get him to safety. He could die if we don't."

"Die? We?" Hilary repeated, half in confusion, half in question.

"Hilary, he's my cousin! I can't let him die. Please, help him! Let me take him to your home and let him hide there. Please!"

She shook her head. "Hide him? But Brooklyn..."

Mariah's hands went to each of her shoulders in plead. "Please?"

Taking another look at Kai, who could easily have been sleeping he looked so peaceful, she nodded. What was life without its risks, and were would her beloved country be if she didn't risk everything to save their only hope? "Alright. Let's get inside and we'll hide him inside."

"Thank you, Milady," Mariah hugged her tightly. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

"No," Hilary said. "I suppose I don't. Come on, we have no time to lose or we'll be seen!"

Struggling with their cargo, the two girls hurriedly ran inside to Hilary's house, finding it a miracle that no one had seen or heard them. As they put Kai onto a makeshift bed underneath Hilary's own, she had the strangest sensation that she was now a part of something huge, out of this world. Looking at Kai, she became aware of this but didn't fully understand just how involved she was. This game she was now a player of was dangerous but unknown to her it was about to become even more so. It had only just started.

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