AnimeKiwi369: And here's the last chapter! Sorry if any of the other characters that are not OCs are OOC, but this is my first Beyblade story and I'm a romantic sap. And I apologize if Kai is OOC. However, considering this is a future fic, there's always the possibility of his personality change. Not to mention he is the most reserved of all the characters, so who's to say that there isn't this side of him. I'm going off on a tangent. I don't own Beyblade or its characters in any way, shape, or form. I only own my OCs and this plot line. Please enjoy the last chapter!

Trail of Roses

Chapter 3

Adeline took a deep breath to calm her heartbeat and chattering teeth. She hadn't been too nervous, if at all, at any of the other locations, but she was nervous now. The hospital didn't hold the best memories for her. But that didn't matter. The next rose and set of directions were in there. She took another deep breath and looked straight at the entrance to the hospital. She kept her eyes straight as she walked into the eerily familiar surroundings. She tried to remember what ICU number she had been in. That seemed so long ago.

The brunette tried to remember, but found that that number was as vague as the moments before she entered her coma. She swallowed her nerves and went over to the reception desk. The older woman behind the desk looked up, and the green-eyed woman asked the other woman to look up the ICU room she'd been in several years prior. The woman was surprised, but when the brunette said what her name was, the older woman just nodded. She told the partial Russian that the holder of Dranzer had been there earlier. And that he had specifically said to make sure that when the brunette got there she got the room number.

The green-eyed woman felt a little embarrassed as she hurried into the ICU room she'd been in. She entered the room and felt a wave of remembrance crash on her system. She reeled back. It was a little weird going into the room where she'd lied in a coma. It was a bit nauseating, too. She couldn't remember what room she'd been in after her heart surgery, but she had a feeling that this may have been the same room. Adie took another deep breath before re-entering the room.

She looked at the bed, spotting where the rose lay. It was in the center of the bed. She slightly shakily went over the bed and sat down next to the rose. The brunette lifted it off the sheets and placed it with the others, picking up the envelope. She broke the seal and went to read it, but stopped. She looked around the ICU, memories flooding back. She shivered again. But as she remembered, she recalled the day that she woke up. And how the first person she saw that wasn't a doctor was Kai Hiwatari.

Her lips gently curved upward remembering that surprised look on his face when he came in after hearing she was awake. She had been more than surprised when she found out that he, a former Bladebreaker, had been the one to rescue her. That he had been worried about her, and that he had come almost every day to see if any progress was made with her condition. She frowned a little remembering the nightmares she had started having in there.

She shook her head of those thoughts and thought of how worried he had been when she had heart surgery. She thought it was during those moments when she realized that she was in falling deeply in love with him. The brunette often wondered when the violet-eyed man had started to fall in love with her. It was sometimes perplexing for her to think that someone like the two-toned-haired could ever love someone like her. But she was glad that he did.

Adie looked down at the next poem.

This type of building holds much of my past.

My experience with this game is rather vast.

You have much experience as well with this game.

Our levels of skill are nearly the same.

However for this I have traveled further.

Here was where I first defied my grandfather.

She reread the note a few more times, trying to think. The game was obviously beyblading. The building was a beystadium. Was it the one there in Moscow? During the first Beyblade World Championships? It couldn't be the Abbey. That wasn't where Kai had defied his grandfather. He had defied him at the beystadium. He had defied when Voltaire had offered him Black Dranzer as a way to beat Spencer as long as he betrayed the Bladebreakers. That had to be what the riddle was talking about. It had to be the Moscow beystadium.

She stood and hurried out of the hospital to her next destination. The brunette was a little shaky on this location, but there was no other place it could be. That had to be the place. She was excited to go to that location as well. She felt so alive when she beybladed. Just as the man she loved did. Both loved beyblading and that was probably the violet-eyed man had decided to leave a rose at that location. She knew that in the past, Kai had wanted nothing more than to beat Tyson Granger, which was the main reason for his second betrayal and partially for the first. But she wondered if he still felt that intense passion to beat his friend. If he did, it obviously wasn't as intense as before.

As she entered the warm beystadium, she didn't hear any battles going on. Or the sound of anyone in there. That was strange. There was always something going on in the beystadium. If the violet-eyed man had done this, she'd feel even more embarrassed than she already was beginning to feel. She slowly walked down the hallway into the center of the building where the beydish was. But that was all that was there. The stadium was empty. Her boyfriend had to have done this.

Her face flushed; this was sweet and embarrassing at the same time. She looked around the stadium for the rose. She went up to the beydish, finding it there. She carefully stepped into the dish, down to the center, where the flower resided. But there wasn't an envelope beneath it. Was this the end of the line? She hoped not. She was enjoying this rather odd display of affection from the holder of Dranzer. Puzzled, she picked up the rose and placed it in the basket as she stepped out of the beydish. She looked around for any sign of the man she loved or envelope.

"Looking for this?" another familiar, male voice, but not the violet-eyed man, asked.

Adie looked up slightly startled at a familiar redhead that was leaning in the doorway of the hallway across from her. In his hand was an envelope, "Oh, Tala, you scared me." she commented, going over to him.

"This is what you were looking for, right?" the Russian asked with a smirk.

"Yeah," She replied. "Can I please have it?" He didn't respond, but stayed silent as if contemplating the idea. She sighed, "I'll battle you for it if I have to."

"Here, take it," He finally responded, handing her the envelope. "As much as I'd like to make you work for this, Kai and probably Domynika would get after me for delaying you."

"Thanks," she said as she took the envelope and opened it, "I think." She thought a moment before looking at the paper, but looked back up at Wolborg holder, "I'm guessing Kai didn't say anything about his plans."

"That would correct," The redhead replied. "But whatever has to be important for Kai to be leaving roses all around Russia for you."

The brunette blushed again before looking back down at the paper.

You're the only one I see worthy for this

Job as the head research scientist.

She didn't even need to think about this location. It was their work. The Russian branch of the BBA. Unofficially. Everyone that worked there pretty much referred to it as that. No one wanted to refer to it as the Abbey because of what had gone on there in the past under Boris and Voltaire's care. But it was a great place now. It made beyblades, repaired beyblades, had a training facility for beybladers, and a research center. Which was where she worked. The research included new improvements with beyblades, which included a ton of physics. It was a good thing all sciences were her specialty.

"Thanks for holding onto this, Tala." She commented, placing the paper with the roses.

"Yeah, whatever." He replied, "Tell Kai he owes me one."

She laughed slightly "All right."

The brunette left the building as quickly as she came and headed towards her work. She could still remember how she had even applied for it. It had been shortly before she and the violet-eyed man had started dating. She could still remember Kai coming home frustrated because none of the candidates that had applied to the position seemed qualified enough. She remembered how she had gone up his room to see what was wrong. And how after he told about what he was having trouble with, she had started gathering enough information from her past regarding her talents with sciences to create a résumé.

The two-toned-haired man had been more than surprised when he saw her résumé. A few of the candidates that didn't get the position thought that he was favoring her because of how close they were as friends. But those candidates thought the two were dating at that time. However, he had reassured them that he wasn't the only one to make the decision of giving the brunette the job. He had stepped back to make sure and been there to agree with the others who made the decision, so he didn't play favorites. It wasn't too long after the green-eyed woman started her job that the holder of Dranzer had asked her out officially. They were often teased now that they were dating, especially when they were caught stealing kisses every now and then.

As she thought about how their relationship had progressed, the brunette found herself thinking about their first kiss. She had been more than surprised when she found herself pressing her lips against the violet-eyed man's after he made the first move. Her face flushed at the memory. But as she kept thinking about it, that night had really been the first night she could remember where all she'd had were sweet dreams. The first time she hadn't felt uneasy as she went to sleep. The green-eyed girl smiled and leaned against the outside of her work building. The more she thought about that first kiss, the more she was beginning to realize that she missed her boyfriend. Now she was hoping that the riddles would end soon, so she could see him.

She blew in her hands as she entered the building. It was getting a lot colder outside since it was becoming late afternoon. She didn't realize that she was starting to become exhausted. Hopefully she'd be home soon. She wandered the halls of the building a little as she made her way to her office, where she kept files and planned out experiments and such. Adie knew the building like the back of her hand; she could find her office with her eyes closed. She could find most places at her work with her eyes shut.

The brunette came to the door of her office and opened it quietly. She slowly went inside, flipping the light switch on. She had half-hoped to find the Dranzer holder waiting in there. But, alas, no. The red rose, however, was resting on her desktop. She went over to it, placing the flower in the basket. She lifted the envelope off the desk and quickly opened it. Before she could read it, she heard footsteps come to her doorway. The green-eyed woman spun around to see who it was.

A dark-haired woman that was just a couple years older than the brunette stood there. She had bright gray eyes and stood a few inches taller than the holder of Atalyx. She was fully Russian as well. The dark-haired woman worked there as well, usually as a beyblade educator to new beybladers. But she sometimes assisted Kai with menial tasks when she was having a slow day. Her name was Svetlana and she was an older cousin to Domynika. The brunette hadn't known her as long as her cousin, but had known her since her new life began.

"You've finally come to get the rose." the gray-eyed woman commented, "Kai's always right, isn't he? He said you'd be here, and here you are."

"Yeah, I guess he is." The brunette replied, "I should have thought earlier that he'd plant one here."

The dark-haired woman shook her head slightly, "Stick to physics, hon. Puns are not your specialty."

The green-eyed woman shrugged with a chuckle, "I wasn't even trying. I've never been funny though."

"Your humor is not why that lone wolf loves you." The other woman replied.

"I know." The brunette responded, "He loves me for me. By the way, do you know anything?"

"No," Svetlana told her simply, "Just that he had a surprise for you later."

Adie nodded and finally looked down at the riddle.

Because of you, I truly know love.

And sadly these riddles are nearly done.

But just as I, I hope you've enjoyed.

Now back home where the last rose resides.

"Looks like I have to get going." The brunette said, "I'm getting close to finding out what he has planned for me."

"Good luck, then," the other woman responded as the green-eyed one left the office, locking it.

The brunette left the building at a quicker pace than she had been using. She was excited as she made her way back to the house she shared with her boyfriend. The last rose was there. And that probably meant that the two-toned-haired man was there to with whatever the surprise he had for her was. She was sure that whatever the surprise was, she was going to enjoy it. It was going to all be worth going around Moscow looking for roses on one of the coldest days of the year.

The green-eyed woman smiled as she finally reached the door to their house. She slowly opened the door, hoping whatever she was expecting was right in front of her. The brunette entered the house and made her way to the living room. The lights were dimmed very low and the fire in the fireplace was providing most of the other light. She went around to the couch and took off her jacket, scarf, and gloves, placing them neatly on the couch. She placed the basket she'd been using to hold the roses on the coffee table and started to look around for the last rose.

The brunette looked around the living room. As her eyes passed the small Christmas tree that they two had decorated, a thought came to mind. The two-toned-haired man normally wouldn't decorate the house. But since the green-eyed woman had come into his life and changed his personality, there were a lot of things that he now did that he normally wouldn't have done. She went over to the tree and looked around each of the red ornaments. She smiled as she saw an "ornament" that didn't look quite right and lifted it out of the tree. Her boyfriend was definitely clever.

Adeline untied the paper that was attached to the rose and started to read it to herself:

"Here's the last riddle, you kind-hearted girl.

These past few years have been a whirl.

From saving your life,

To helping your strife.

From helping find bliss,

To each and every kiss.

Since that night you told your name,

Our lives would never stay the same.

You've turned my life completely around.

Even when you make no sound.

And we've come to be

More than friends, sweet Adie.

I care for you as much as I can.

Which has turned me into a better man.

You trust me much in many a way."

She paused for a moment as she heard footsteps come into the room.

"Now there is something I really must say," a familiar voice said. She turned around to look at Kai as he continued off where she left off. He slowly came over to her as he spoke; "Now I'm not the best when it comes to words. But believe me, you're the best part of my world." He grabbed the brunette's hand that wasn't holding the rose and lifted it to his cheek, "I mean this truly, my dear Adeline. And I want forever to call you 'mine'." The violet-eyed man tugged his girlfriend to him, "I have done this game to let you know, just how I truly love you so." He leaned down slightly, putting his mouth near her ear, "You've said those words more than I, which will forever be the reason why I can and always be able to see the reason you're so beautiful to me."

She blushed lightly, "Kai…"

He pulled away to look her in the eyes and placed a finger on her lips, "From your eyes to your voice. I'm so glad I am your choice. I want to go on and say all again. But this game is now at its end." He touched his forehead to hers, so his face was close to hers, making her blush a little harder, "And though I desire to kiss your lips, for you I have a better gift."

The brunette smiled softly as the Dranzer holder stepped back a little. His hand still held hers, and he pulled her to him again. He slowly lowered down onto one knee, sitting his girlfriend onto his propped up knee. The brunette's eyes widened at what he was going to do. Was this what he had been leading up to with the trail of roses?

"K-Kai?" she stuttered, lost for words.

He placed his finger on her lips again, "Now, Adie, I must inquire. What is your heart's deepest desire?" he asked, still rhyming, placing his hand over where her heart would be, making her face flush, "The past six years, you've shown me to truly love, which before I never knew." He placed his hand over where his heart would be, "I love you with all my heart and from you I wish to never part." The violet-eyed reached back into his pocket and pulled out a small, black velvet box, "By your side forever to be." Kai opened the box to reveal a small silver ring with a small turquoise gem set in the middle, "Adeline Taskwood, will you marry me?"

The brunette was lost for words as small tears formed in her eyes. She stayed speechless for several more seconds before a clever idea came to mine, "Love is my heart's deep desire." She said slowly as she brought her head close to his and tangled her fingers in his hair, "If I refused, I'd douse that fire." She closed her eyes, "And I'd never see this day through." The brunette opened her eyes and smiled brighter than she had in years, "Yes, Kai Hiwatari; yes, I'll marry you!"

The holder of Dranzer smiled softly and tightly embraced his new fiancée as he fully slid onto the floor. She laughed lightly and rested her head on his chest, wrapping her around round him. He grabbed her left hand and carefully slipped the ring on her finger. He reciprocated the brunette's actions, slipping his arms around her slender figure. Everything he had said and wrote was one hundred percent true. He had never felt so happy until he had met her. He placed a hand on her cheek and brought her face to his, planting his lips on hers. She kissed him back as tears ran down her face. She'd never felt so happy. Ever.

"I love you, Adie," the two-toned-haired man said after he pulled away, "And I always will. I mean it. I really do."

She rested her head on his shoulder, nuzzling his neck, "I love you, too, Kai. I always will, too."

The two of them just stayed there next to each other for hours. They just wanted to savor being near each other. New things were going to come. Good things.

And to think that whole day had begun with a trail of roses…

AnimeKiwi369: And that's all she wrote folks! I am thinking of doing an epilogue, let me know if I should. I should also clarify one thing, this story ties into one of my upcoming Beyblade fanfictions, "One Last Championship", so a more detailed description of Adie's past will be included in that. And again, I apologize if Kai is too OOC. But please be kind and please review! It's been a great ride and I'll see you next time! :]