Authors note: Yay, chapter 12! Thank you so much for reviewing the previous chapter, you guys are seriously awesome! I´ll try writing a lemon for the next chapter, but no primises;)
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! You are the best!
Marcie: Thank you for leaving a review, it really means a lot! Great that you are liking this fic so far, I am still not quite sure were it is going, but we´ll see. That is an excellent suggestion by the way, and I´ll definitely consider it, I just have to pic some annoying guy as the competition ;) Thanks again!
Emzy2k11: Thank you so much for another review, it really encourages me to write more and faster! ;) I totally agree with you regarding Judy and Emily. I don´t know, somehow they always end up being bad in my fics. I don´t know why but I just can´t seem to be nice to them! Anyways, thanks again and I hope you´ll like this chapter:D
Lioness of the fire: Fantastic that you left another review!:D You bet! I must admit that I really enjoy writing this fic, it is the first time I am writing Kai/Hil but I actually quite like the idea of them being a couple, even if they are two radically different people. Anyways, thanks again!:D
Izza-x23: Great that you left another review, thanks a lot! :D I know, perhaps I will try writing one, Mariah was actually a good suggestion for the third person! Anyways, we´ll see, but I have been considering it for some time. It would certainly spice up the dynamic between the various people :) Thanks again!:D
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Into the void
Chapter 12
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Hillary´s POV
I watched Kai disappear through the hatch in the ceiling with something close to shock. He had moved like lightening and with an almost cat like grace; one moment he was standing right in front of me, and in the next he was gone, sliding through the opening like it was nothing. Jeez…..the guy reminded me about some large jungle cat, ready to rip your throat out any second.
It never ceased to amaze me how he could be so tall and muscled, and yet at the same time possess the lethal speed and elegance of a ninja. Even Rey on a good day didn´t come close, and I was vaguely alarmed by this simple fact. When Kai Hiwatari wanted something he would take it, and no one would try to stop him. Not unless you had a death wish, or were suicidal.
I shuffled my feet uneasily, looking around. What to do? He had said that he would find me, which was a phrase open to interpretation. There was no way I was staying here, in this creepy white corridor until he came to "find me".
Quite frankly I was annoyed with him. Who did he think he was? Leaving me like this without a proper explanation? A small voice at the back of my mind insisted that it was the way he was, and furthermore that there was no point in being angry with him. After all it wasn´t like I could beat him in a fistfight.
My ears perked up when I suddenly heard the sound of voices, and then only seconds later, a terrible, wailing alarm. Oh no! What if it was Kai? I dismissed the idea immediately, no way had he set it off. He was totally badass after all, accidentally triggering the security system was more Tyson´s style. I remained frozen for a few seconds, before I hesitantly walked further down the corridor, in the direction of the voices.
Of course I deeply regretted this moments later, as I rounded a corner and…WHAM!
I collided with that red-headed bitch, Emily. She shrieked, horrified as we both fell to the floor in a messy heap of arms and legs. Her glasses fell off, sliding along the floor, and her white lab coat was fanned out behind her like a set of strange looking wings. I hit the floor with an uncomfortable crunch, a sharp stab of pain travelling from my hip and up my spine. Shit! We looked at each other, her eyes radiating pure hatred.
I was banged up pretty badly, and with some effort I got to my feet, inwardly laughing over the fact that Emily´s glasses had gotten a few noticeably scratches.
"Girls are you okay?" Judy pleasantly inquired, coming to stand next to Emily.
I hadn´t even noticed her presence before now, and forced a sickly sweet smile. She looked completely unfazed and pulled together as always, and offered Emily her glasses once she was also standing. Talking about taking awkward to a whole new level.
"I am fine", I said, sending her a very fake smile.
Emily was scowling, but nodded her assent.
The alarm was still going strong, and I looked around once more, realizing that I would have to try and explain my presence here. They were both looking at me strangely, and I flattened my top, suddenly feeling nervous. Kai, why did you have to leave? No one ever questioned him about anything, no matter how out of place he was.
"Erm…I was looking for Tyson and the others, you haven´t by any chance seen them?" I asked, trying to sound polite.
Judy´s eyebrows rose fractionally, but otherwise she didn´t question my presence any further.
"Actually yes", she said.
"However I am afraid they have triggered the alarm, you can no longer reach them from here, the building has been sealed off".
"Oh", I responded stupidly.
Emily rolled her eyes of course.
"Just come with us", Judy said warmly.
"Emily can show you out".
I inwardly cringed, but forced another smile. Oh man, would any of us get out alive? I fell into step next to them, on the other side of Judy. They both looked so professional; Emily was like a smaller version of Judy, wearing a similar skirt and heels, their lab coats identical apart from the placing of a few pockets. Unfortunately for Emily her hairdo and large Harry Potter glasses prevented her from having any of Judy´s sophistication, and I resisted a sudden urge to point this out.
"It is Hillary right?" Judy wondered, smiling when I nodded.
"What is it that you contribute to the Bladebreakers?"
The way she said it made it feel like an offense. Almost as if she was stating that I didn´t do anything at all.
"I am the organizer; I plan all the travels. Fix hotels, plane tickets, busses to the stadiums and so on", I said.
She smiled.
"That sounds very impressive".
No kidding. The guys weren't exactly the easiest to steer in the right direction, had it not been for their fear of Kai´s wrath I was pretty sure we would have been disqualified a very long time ago.
Then again Judy didn´t sound impressed at all.
Judy left us at the next intersection, and I followed Emily down a corridor to the left and into a state of the art elevator. No one said anything, we just kept stealing poisonous glances at each other. Gah! She was a complete nightmare, and add to that the fact that she had beaten Max so easily. Part of me wondered if Kai was impressed by her, and I tried to push the thought away. What if he was? Even though he had completely crushed her afterwards you could never know with him.
"Is Kai your boyfriend?" Emily asked me more or less out of the blue, and the sound of her voice made me jump.
I looked up, meeting her gaze.
Was he? I still didn´t know. He had said that he didn´t do relationships, but that he could make an exception for me. The memory made my face heat up with pleasure, but it didn´t really answer anything. Was he my boyfriend? To be honest I wasn´t sure.
"Yes", I said shortly, voice clipped.
Still, we both picked up the uncertainty in my voice.
"At least you think he is", Emily said nastily.
We glared at each other.
"Ask him then then, if you don´t believe me!" I snapped in an uncharacteristic moment of bravado.
Oh no, what had I done? What if she did ask? No good, it was after all never safe to say how Kai would respond. What if he said no?
"Maybe I will", she responded haughtily.
To my great relief the elevator opened seconds later, and I hastily exited, relieved to see that we were by the main entrance. I left without another word, jogging through the glass doors and then towards our buss. Grandpa Granger was standing outside, waiving when he saw me, and I caught Tyson´s mortified expression as he did a couple of tricks with his kendo stick. Needless to say it wasn´t the first time, and I couldn´t help but grin slightly as I entered the bus.
"Kill me now", Tyson mumbled, punching Kenny in the shoulder when he didn´t listen.
"Ahh….Tyson, what did you do that for?"
Max snickered.
"I said KILL. ME. NOW. " Tyson repeated, emphasizing every letter.
Kenny looked at him with a sour expression. And then to everyone's surprise;
"You know what Tyson, with pleasure! WITH. PLEASURE!"
To my no longer surprised self Kai was nowhere to be seen, but just as I was about to sit down he appeared behind me, placing a hand on my arm before sitting down next to me. I hiccupped nervously, blushing when goosebumps rose on my arms. It felt as if I had been burned where he had touched me, and a tingling sensation spread from his hand to the rest of my body, turning my legs into jelly.
"Hillary", he said breathily, voice a husky purr.
"H..Hi", I mumbled.
When I looked up he was staring at me, face unreadable. His eyes were blazing in that wonderful mix of mahogany, mocha and maroon….mmmm, like chocolate fudge brownie! …..Jeez Hills, pull yourself together! And, when he smirked even white teeth were revealed. Predator, a big dangerous predator, I reminded myself. But to no avail; the moment I met his gaze, inhaled that intoxicating scent, I was completely lost.
"Where…where were you?" I asked in a small voice, shuddering pleasantly when he expertly slid one arm around my shoulders.
He was wearing that leather jacket again, my favourite, and the sensation of the rough material against the inside of my arm was heavenly. I could feel those long, elegant fingers gently sliding over my wrist, playing with my bracelet. He shifted slightly, and I leaned back against his chest, all hot and bothered.
"Max set the alarm off", he simply answered, lifting his other hand to brush a stray lock of hair away from my face.
"And", I prompted, feeling him sigh in mild irritation.
He hated being questioned about things, but I just couldn´t help it, and for some reason he didn´t go all ballistic on me like he did with the others.
"We met two more people from Judy´s team. One of them beat Rey in a beybattle".
I took in this new information with mixed emotions. On one hand it made me angry that they yet again had beaten one of us, and then on the other Kai was pleased for some reason, which ultimately made me pleased. I could see the top of Rey´s head a few rows in front of us. He was slouching in his seat, radiating misery from miles away.
"And that is good how?" I wondered.
He raised an unimpressed eyebrow.
"Hn".
I spared him a quick, chaste glance. Oh shit, it was one of the dubious ones. It meant that the guys needed the lesson, and that I should have figured that out on my own. My bad Hiwatari, it is not my fault that you are so distracting!
It really wasn´t fair!
To everyone´s surprise the buss did not take us to the hotel. In fact it ventured straight into the wilderness, and for sometime all we could see was trees. It was grandpa Granger who announced that we were on our way to a special training camp planned by Mr. D, and I heard Tyson sigh with exasperation. Cleary he wasn´t too keen on Granger senior staying to provide adult supervision, and quite frankly neither was I. What if he tried to put a stop to my relationship with Kai?
Relationship…..gah, what an awfully complicated word!
The so called training camp was a joke, and everyone but Kai and grandpa Granger seemed visibly disappointed. A wooden cabin, no fancy equipment, not even beds for everyone. Mr. D, what where you thinking? A girl have to shower and dress and put makeup on…..and you send me here?
That being said the place was kind of beautiful. The cabin was situated by a lake, a couple of mountains were visible at a distance, and a small clearing covered the immediate area. Apart from this there was only forest, and part of me found it oddly appealing. I glanced over at Kai, who was standing back facing me, gazing out at the water. He seemed at ease here, like he belonged.
"Okay little dudes…..and dudette", grandpa Granger cheerfully opened, winking at me.
"There is space for everyone, but two people have to sleep in a tent. Any volunteers?"
The guys looked at him as though he was stupid. Correction; the brat pack.
"This whole thing is a fucking joke", Rey grumbled, grabbing his bag and walking up to the cabin before anyone had the time to protest.
"Sure is", Tyson gloomily agreed, following.
Grandpa Granger did not look pleased, but before he had the time to put his grandson in his place Kai abruptly turned around, nailing him with one of those very demanding looks. It was with a hint of awe that I realized not even grandpa Granger was immune to him. Max looked equally impressed. As per usual Kenny´s expression was impossible to catch because of his hair, and those gigantic glasses.
"I´ll take the tent, with Hillary", Kai said, like it was the most normal thing in the world.
This time even Kenny managed to look shocked, while Max nodded in deep respect. Granger senior was left standing in the middle of the clearing, looking positively crestfallen, while Max and Kenny ran up to the cabin. Clearly they couldn´t wait to tell Rey and Tyson about Kai´s bold move. Mr. Hot stuff on the hand calmly picked up the bag containing the tent, both our luggage, and walked off as if it was nothing but a couple of feathers he was carrying.
Of course I followed.
Sleeping in a tent with Kai, oh my!
He was so…capable…..