Well I didn't really update on time but it was only a week out. The beginning of this chapter came sort of easily but writing the rest...That was the cause of the delay. Hopefully I'll be back on schedule now as I really don't think there's much more to go. I'll do my best anyway.

Thanks all who reviewed! Hope you like this chapter! Sorry that its shorter than usual.

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade

Chapter 16

It was cold and no matter what position she switched too, Mariah couldn't make herself comfortable. There was nothing in her cell. Not even a toilet or a blanket. If she wasn't in hell she wondered how truly horrible hell could be. Not much worse than here. After all, Kingston had to be the devil. No human being could possibly take delight in such cruelty towards another. It just wasn't humane nor natural. He was a demon. Truly. And he was after Kai and Hilary. If he should find them...She didn't even want to think what would happen if he found them. She only hoped that Mystel would get to them first before it was the end of everything. She may be imprisoned but so long as Kai still had his freedom there was still hope that her death wouldn't be in vain.

She held the little pill between her thumb and forefinger, twisting it back and force. Such an innocent looking thing. It was white like a pain killer and circular. In fact, it could easily pass for paracetamol of ibuprofen. It was amazing how such a simple thing could kill her. She wondered how long it would take. An hour? A minute? Not that it mattered. In this place time stopped. There was no such thing If it did, all it would be was the countdown to her death. She was going to die. That was inevitable. It was something she had come to terms with long before. She knew that if she was going to spy there was a very high chance of her being caught, the result of which would be pain beyond anything she could imagine. What she had gone through already had been bad enough but she knew she was in for worse. Far worse. They hadn't even started with her. She could tell as much from Mystel's desperation for her to take the pill

She wanted to cling to the small hope that she would be rescued. Ray would surely stop at nothing to save her. Even in his current condition he would try every trick he could think of. Was that a risk she'd want to take? He could be caught as well, forced to go through what she was already going through. Did she want that? The answer was simple. She loved him too much to let him even try. No doubt the grief would all but kill him but at least that wouldn't take his life. They were so young, all of them. They shouldn't have to make decisions like these at their ages, nor should they be having to give up their lives for anything. However, that was a very simple truth. They shouldn't but they did. Mariah loved Ray and she knew she couldn't stay here for two reasons: incase Ray came to rescue her of incase the torture eventually made her crack and she ended up telling everything about the Resistance. She was strong but their methods were stronger.

The pill rolled into the palm of her hand temptingly. Thoughts of Ray went through her head as she threw it back into her throat and swallowed. A few seconds passed and she felt nothing, no difference. Then she felt drowsy, her head heavy. She smiled. It was a wonderful feeling. She didn't need to worry anymore. Everything was alright. Everything was fine. She would soon be gone and she would be at peace. This world would no longer be her concern. She closed her eyes for a few seconds and lay against the stone wall. Her back no longer hurt when she tried to get comfortable. In fact, every inch of her body felt lighter than air, like she was floating in a cloud of ecstasy: not a care in the world.

Her eyes closed and she was about to drift off to sleep however there was an interruption as the cell block door opened. She lazily opened one eye and watched to see who was coming in. She saw two soldiers drag a struggling prisoner to the cell beside her and throw him in. Behind them emerged Kingston with a smug grin on his face. She saw him leering down at the new prisoner.

"Now you can join your cousin. A little family reunion, so to speak."

He dealt a powerful blow to the man's stomach and he doubled over in pain. Still grinning that manic grin, he left, head held higher than ever and with that look of superiority Mariah had gotten to know so well. She gave him no second thought and instead gave her dozy attention to the occupant of the next cell. Her mind was too fuzzy to make sense of Kingston's words but her eyes were working well enough, though in the darkness of the prisons they couldn't see too well. The only light was a single lamp hanging in the middle of the ceiling.

The figure stirred and rushed over to the bars. "Mariah? Mariah are you okay?"

"Kai?" Mariah replied., sitting up. Her body now felt heavy and moving was difficult, though not enough to be unpleasant "Oh please don't tell me that's you. Please don't!"

They took each others hands through the bars. "I'm sorry but Kingston followed Mystel to me and Hilary. It's over for me, now. Hilary too. God, this is so fucked up." He looked at Mariah and had to swallow a gasp at her face. There was a nasty bruise on her cheek and several small cuts on her chin and forehead. The top of her hair was also matted with blood. "Mariah what have they done to you?"

"Don't worry about me," she replied smiling bravely. "I'm alright."

Kai looked around at his empty surroundings. "It looks hopeless doesn't it? I swear its not over. So long as I have another breath in me I'll do whatever it takes to get us both out of here. That's a promise."

Mariah laughed quietly, sadly. "Don't make promises you can't keep."

"What do you mean I can't keep? We're both going to get out of here." He looked at Mariah and sensed there was something wrong. Her movements were slow, almost as if she was about to fall into a deep sleep. "Mariah?" he prompted, frowning with worry.

"I'm not getting out of here, Kai. I've not got very much longer. Mystel gave me the easiest way out and I took it." She smiled sadly. "I'm dying as we speak."

"Dying? But..Mariah! Are you hurting? Are you okay?"

"Shh," Mariah whispered. "Don't worry, Kai. I don't feel any pain at all. I'm at peace. I can hardly be hurt now. I'm not alone now and that's enough. You'll keep me safe. You won't let me go."

Kai reached his hands around her and pulled her in towards him. Though the bars separated them they never felt so much like they were together. There were no barriers between them save for the physical ones. She rested her head on his shoulder as best as she could. Her eyes were getting heavier by the second and she could feel her heartbeat slowing.

"You're going to live, 'Riah! For God's sake you can't die. Not like this. You deserve so much better!"

"Just hold me tight, Kai and let it be. Just comfort me."

Her head fell heavier into his shoulder and he stroked her hair gently. "If only I knew how to let you live but I have no idea how to help you." His head fell. "I just don't know. Except keeping by you but what good will that do? If you die, if you feel that hurt-"

"Nothing can hurt me now. What we do now will wash away what's past. I can be in your arms the way family should. I shouldn't feel like this but whatever brought you here must be heaven blessed. Now that you're here with me I feel like I can finally rest and put everything we've ever gone through behind us, all our hurt, all our problems with each other,the words we've said...It doesn't matter anymore." She smiled again. "So like I said. Don't worry about me. I don't feel any pain at all."

Her eyes began to close and Kai held her tighter. "Hush now, 'Riah. You won't feel any hurt." His voice cracked and he could feel tears in his eyes. "I'm here with you."

"That's all I need to know," she whispered.

"I'll hold you until you're asleep. I'll stay with you."

The smiled stayed on her face and Kai took her hand, feeling it weak and cold in his strong grip. She couldn't see him anymore but she could feel him and that was enough. She wasn't going to die alone. It felt like this was the way it was supposed to be; Kai was supposed to be the one to bid her the final farewell, no one else. She found that she wasn't upset by that. She was happy to be with him, more so than any other person in the world. Her thoughts were getting sparse now. She couldn't make sense of them anymore. Instead, she listened to her muffled heartbeat as it slowed, slowed, slowed...

A final grip on his hand told him she had finally passed. He kissed her cheek softly and laid her down on the ground as gently as he could. His cheeks were wet but he didn't wipe them. His tears belonged to Mariah. They were sacred. He'd let them dry in so she would always be with him, a part of him. She'd died a heroine in her own right and that was something he would never forget. He was glad she would no longer need to suffer. She was at peace now, the smile still on her face told him as much. What right had he to wish she was living still? Suffering still?

Ray would be heartbroken. Far worse. He tried to think how he would feel if Hilary were to die without any warning. His mind couldn't even comprehend the idea. What would Ray do? How would he live? Could he carry on? He would have to, wouldn't he? They all would. However Ray may be the only one to suffer more than he. Mariah had been his only family and the one person who truly knew him. None of his other friends could even pretend to know him half as well as she did. When he was stoic around them it was only she who knew what was going on in his mind. That connection was lost.

And Mariah...What she must have suffered to make her choose death. She had always loved life so much, had embraced each day. For her to take her own life...

He lay on his back and turned towards her. Although he should be contemplating how to get out and his mind should be concocting some plan, he couldn't. His memory should be replaying the entire scene at the cliff but it wasn't. His thoughts were with Mariah as her spirit traveled to her eternal resting place, where ever that may be. He wished her Godspeed.

Hilary was sitting in her room waiting for her fate to arrive. She doubted it would be much longer now but until then she was left to suffer in the turmoil of her thoughts. Everything was over now. Her life was over, the Resistance were over, her happiness was over. Nothing would every be the same and she knew she would never know contentment again in her life because she would never see Kai again, could never be with him. It wasn't just that though, was it? Brooklyn was going to kill her, or leave her something short of it. Of that there was no doubt. She had seen the hurt, the pure and blunt betrayal. If only he could understand that she did love him, she was sure of that but it was in a different way. Maybe no love, but fondness. She hadn't meant to hurt him. That had never been her intention. She's just wanted to make a difference and look where it had gotten her. Her love was in jail never to be free again and she was under Brooklyn's control with the same fate. It seemed ironic that in trying to secure her people's freedom she's ended up giving up her own. It was funny but not in a ha-ha way.

If there was a part of her Brooklyn left, even just a small smidgen there may be a chance for her to reason with him. He could possibly see the sense and the reasons. Maybe even come to forgive her. After all she had gone to Kai to end the relationship. Wasn't that enough?

Then it hit her. Of course not. It would never be enough, not for Brooklyn. She would always love Kai and he knew that. No matter how hard he'd tried he'd lost one prize and that was her heart. It was the prize that would have meant everything and he's lost it to Kai of all people. It would just be him to feel the wrath of his losing such an important game; she would suffer just as equally in a different way.

Perhaps the biggest part of her suffering would be the knowledge that she had failed. She had failed her people because she couldn't fight her feelings. Her love had just been two strong as had Kai's. It was the greatest tragedy. Their love had been so dangerous it had to be hidden but so strong it couldn't be. As a result what was already a bad situation was going to get far worse. This had only been the calm before the storm, as was her time alone in her room.

She'd tried the handle earlier with an idea that maybe she could make a last bid for freedom, maybe even try and find the Resistance base and ask for their help in freeing Kai. Of course it had been locked. Even if it hadn't would it even have worked? All her plans thus far had failed her. Hadn't Kai left them? Did that also meant that he'd left bad feelings behind him too? Surely not. Surely they'd at least try to set him free. They were still to carry on, weren't they? If they were as true as Kai had always been then they would at the very least try to help her. If she and Brooklyn were to marry in what she feared was his current state of insanity then all hope would be gone, not just hers.

What of their children? He would surely want to have heirs. What guarantee did she have that her children would be safe from his madness?

The air suddenly grew heavy.

"Something wicked this way comes," Hilary muttered humorously.

She poised herself on a chair in her sitting area and awaited Brooklyn's arrival. He was heard before he was seen and initially, though his footsteps had the heaviness of a man who wasn't in the best of moods, the slow pace told Hilary that he was feeling pleased with himself. Well, why shouldn't he? He'd secured his biggest enemy, found out the mole and was about to have his way with his enemy's lover.

The door flew open and Brooklyn stepped in with the air of a man who was very pleased with himself. "Hunny, I'm home!" he sang, grinning wildly.

He advanced towards her slowly, menacingly. She kept her ground, keeping his gaze steadily. From experience she knew that showing fear would only encourage him further. She was determined to be brave. Brooklyn wouldn't get a cry, whimper or scream from her.

"Oh that's right, isn't it? You're not my hunny. It was all just one big game to you. I bet you laughed about it with Hiwatari the very second my back was turned. Oh how I bet you both just chuckled at that one," the grin slowly faded and Hilary saw the anger he was feeling. She saw it and felt sick. He had every intention of showing her first hand just how angry he was.

"Brooklyn, that's not what-"

She was stopped by his hand on her throat, squeezing it so she could barely breath. Easily, he lifted her off her chair and brought her up to his height, meaning her legs dangled a few inches above the ground. She gagged against his grip, fighting for breath.

"You!" he spat, glaring into her eyes. "You tried to wrap me around you little finger while you played whore with some other man."

"No," she managed to spurt out. "I never meant for you to be hurt."

Brooklyn snarled. "That's a lie. You never meant to be caught, is what you mean."

She was feeling dizzy now. Brooklyn refused to loosen his grip. "I met with Kai to call the whole thing off," she wheezed. "I was going to stay with you instead. I wanted to be with you!"

His other hand slapped her across the face with all his might. Her head snapped sideways with such force that her neck felt it might snap off. She had to bite her tongue to stop her squealing in pain.

"Stop trying to twist things you little snake," he hissed. "The only reason you would want to be with me is if you were getting something out of it for you."

His grip released enough so she could at least breath again without being in total pain, though the sting on her cheek was enough to forget anything else. She looked up at Brooklyn's face and wondered what had caused the brief moment of mercy and then she saw it. He was hurting, bad. His eyes were shining with it and that was dangerous. Brooklyn wasn't the kind of man to write his feelings down in a diary to make him feel better. No, he would vent them in another way. On her.

"You made me believe that you loved me..."

Hilary shook her head desperately. "No, Brooklyn."

He tightened his grip once again. "You made me believe that you loved me!"

With a cry of rage her threw her onto the bed and pinned her down by holding her hands above her head. She forgot all about putting on a brave face and screamed, desperately trying to fight him off but she just wasn't strong enough under his powerful and heavy body. Her own was so small in comparison. Her kicking legs were quickly stopped by his own and as much as she tried to twist and writhe she couldn't break free. Then his hand went for her jeans button, unfastening them and pulling them down to her knees, her underwear with them.

She looked into his eyes for a trace of the Brooklyn she knew, the man who she could maybe plead with for mercy but to her horror she saw he had gone forever. In place of him was this monster. A monster hungry for revenge and retribution.

He pulled down his own trousers and entered her, thrusting painfully against her. Hilary closed her eyes and just waited to for it to be over, not caring about the tears spilling over her face. She'd never been in so much pain, mentally and physically and Brooklyn showed no sign of stopping soon. He would stop briefly and then begin again, saying nothing to her and the only sound were the ragged breaths of a man climaxing and the whimpering of a terrified woman.

After what seemed like an age he pulled out from her. His face was covered with sweat and his hair clung to his forehead. He did up his trousers and spared Hilary not another glance.

"Think of that as your punishment if you want to but you'd be very wrong. It was more about getting revenge on your lover. I promised him that I would do it and I always keep to my word."

"What else did you promise to do?" she whispered harshly. Her voice had almost gone. So much screaming had caused it to roughen and become hoarse.

He didn't reply to her but walked out instead, locking the door firmly behind him. Pained and in a daze, Hilary got shakily to her feet, pulling up her jeans and fumbling with her zipper she gave up. Her fingers were too numb and her mind too distant to work the simple device so she gave up and instead walked to her balcony. The rain was falling now. Heavily. It would fall for some time now, she predicted. Even when the sun shone down their country would always be raining. In her world at least the clouds would always be dark and the leaves would always be falling. She shivered as the rain fell down on her, wetting her hair and clothes and collapsed against the railing.

She hummed to herself and brought her knees up to her chin, wrapping her arms around them. Slowly she rocked back and forth. She didn't recognize the song at first; only knew it was some melody from a time when she knew nothing of pain and misery. Then she remembered. It was a song her mother had sung to her whenever she had a nightmare and couldn't sleep. One that always took her to her childhood dreamland and banished the demons and monsters from in her closet and under her bed.

Eventually she fell asleep but her dreams were a tormented foretelling of what was to come.

Brooklyn and Garland sat in the board room drinking brandy with each other, toasting to the dawning of what was going to be a very good day indeed. He was in a far better mood having ridden himself of his anger with Hilary in a way he'd never known the pleasure. He'd calmed down notably and even had a clear head now. Despite discovering that Mariah had passed away during the night – a full postmortem was going to be carried out to find out why her death had been so annoyingly peaceful – things were shaping up to be pretty good. The news of Kai Hiwatari's death had already been given to to the press so that there would be a full report on it in the morning's tabloids. Of course the story would be based on the on provided by Garland which differed by the true event quite drastically to work to Brooklyn's government's full advantage. Kai had once been hailed a hero of the people. The title was going to be stripped from him by the afternoon. His name would be bile on people's lips. They would believe anything they read in the papers.

The Resistance was finished, too. Their futile attempts to overthrow him had been for nothing. Although there had been times when he could admit he thought they may actually get the upper hand he had emerged victorious, shining in his glory. With Kai imprisoned they couldn't possibly carry on. They were fools but even fools would have sense enough to admit when all hope was gone for them.

Wouldn't they...?

But Kai had left the Resistance and it hadn't been fully by his own accord, had he? He had handed over leadership to Tala. That was the most he knew of the situation and he knew finding out more was going to be much harder. From his own experience in dealing with the Valkov family he knew that Tala would be well capable of handling the task. Maybe even as well as Kai had in his own way.

He drank the rest of his brandy, letting the strong flavour remain in his mouth for a few seconds before swallowing.

"Another?" Garland prompted and poured from the bottle before getting an answer.

It was drank even quicker than the first. "I don't think everything is clear sailing yet. Valkov is now the head of the Resistance."

"You're worried?"

"Indeed. Hiwatari was all show. Ivanov will be much more subtle, no doubt. Sneaky. I don't like the idea of not knowing when they're about to strike. At least Hiwatari was predictable, though almost impossible to fight against. Valkov doesn't have that weakness, if it could even be called that."

"Yes, but they had Mariah working here to inform them. They have no one now. We have the element of surprise."

"So do they..."

Brooklyn drummed his fingers on the desktop, frowning deeply. They'd gotten only a little information out of him and it had all been willing while the took Mariah's body away. Even though he's lost Hiwatari couldn't resist taking it like a sore loser and informing him the game was still on, only with a different opponent. Well Hiwatari, Valkov, whoever. No matter who the player Brooklyn would always win. All he had to do was thwart them before they had a chance to strike them. He would put out this little fire before it became an inferno. He would find their hideout and -

"He'll never talk," he said suddenly, knowing what he'd already known. "No matter what we do he never will. I could do anything to him and he would keep all the Resistance's little secrets. He was loyal to the end. When he was in danger of betraying them he left, putting himself at risk for their sake. No torture I could unleash on him would hurt more than betraying his friends."

Garland raised an eyebrow. "I think you're looking at this in the wrong angle. What have you been planning all along which would make any attempts to overthrow you futile?"

The question require no answer. "That's all very well but I still have another three or so weeks to wait until Hilary is of age. That's three or so weeks more than I'd like to give them for a chance to attack. I have a feeling that when they do it will be the last one the Resistance ever needs. I fully believe that had Hiwatari and Hilary not been together during the ball – and this has to be the case as this is the only explanation for both of their absences and similarly appearances – I would not be living. Valkov has no such distractions. If he does have a girl he no doubt has access to her whenever he wants and requires no secrecy when doing it. His marksmanship will be second to none if its anything like his fathers."

"You have druids."

"They're not around me twenty-four seven. Besides, how can they save me from an attack I don't even know's going to happen. Having to wait such a length of time is dangerous."

"Then don't wait." Brooklyn's eyes flicked up to the other mans and he saw that he looked like he knew something important, something he wanted to share. "Marry her sooner."

Brooklyn regarded him with a raised eyebrow. "And how do you suggest I do that?"

"The problem always was getting her full consent, wasn't it? That's why you had to wait. Now if she did consent fully you could marry her by tomorrow night if you wanted."

"And to get her consent?"

"You use her weakness."

They were both smiling now. "And her weakness is sitting in a prison cell. Let's see just how deep her love is, hmm?"

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jellybean-kitty xx