I apologize for the wait! D: Please forgive me! *bows*

I present…CHAPTER NINETEEN! Guess how many more chapters we've got after this one?! ONLY FIVE!

Oh, this was previously rated K+, but I changed it to T, because I think I want to do some heavy kissing or something. So if it bothers you, please be cautious.

Chapter Nineteen: APOLOGIZE!

Hikaru clasped her hands together behind her back as she paced the room nervously. How much longer would the boy be out-cold? It had been several hours since Ginga and their friends had gotten her and her new comrades back to the B-Pit. And Madoka had worked on fixing Kyoya up the moment she had her supplies within reach. As of now, the brunette girl was downstairs in the basement with everyone else, who were just waiting for news on everyone's conditions.

And luckily, Madoka had told Hikaru and Alice that their beys could be repaired as well, but it would take a while. The look on Alice's face was one of sheer relief; the poor girl probably couldn't imagine what life would be like without having her number one friend there at her side. And Hikaru? Well, she'd known that a mechanic as amazing as Madoka would be able to fix it.

The ice-blue haired blader sighed and turned back to the bed where Kyoya lay, sleeping peacefully. His face was no longer smeared with dirt; she and Madoka had taken care to get him cleaned up and wash his clothes. In fact, the once-cruel blader looked extremely peaceful there.

Hikaru padded over to him and let her hand rest on his cheek, carefully brushing some of his bangs to the side. She smiled upon hearing his soft breathing, and debated whether or not to bend down and give him a brief kiss.

She decided against it.

Hikaru stood up and continued to walk back and forth, back and forth, back and forth…Time was so slow! Already, the moon was sinking in the sky and the navy color was becoming replaced with the creamy golds and pinks of dawn.

There was some kind of shuffling coming from behind her, and a soft 'mmph' sound seemed to echo there in the room. She froze in her spot.

He's awake?

Hikaru spun around to see Kyoya sitting up in the bed, his icy blue eyes drowsily scanning the room to see exactly where he was. The white sheets had fallen off him, revealing the slender and bare chest that made him so irresistible. As he lifted one hand to run his fingers through his teal hair, his careless gaze rested on Hikaru.

Before she even realized what she was doing, Hikaru had bounded across the room and leaped onto the bed with him, flinging her arms around his shoulders as she cried out, "You're okay!" Her arms constricted around him so that she could hold him closer. "Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

Kyoya stayed silent, but after a moment, he let one of his hands rest on her back. He whispered, "You…didn't have to worry."

"But I did!" Hikaru pulled away so she could look into his eyes, and her heart sped up; she'd finally get a chance to be with him now, right? "We all did! Even Ginga!"

He tipped his head to one side. "He's alive?"

Hikaru nodded and spoke gravely. "Yes, but badly injured. Doesn't seem to stop him, though. The kid's determined."

Kyoya considered her words for a few moments, his eyes glazing over in thought. He stared down at the covers on the bed, letting his mind wander to all of the horrid events that had happened in his life recently. And Ginga had lived? But that wasn't the important thing to him. He looked back up to Hikaru, brow furrowed in curiosity. "Why would you help me…after how I treated you? Don't you hate me?"

Hikaru shook her head furiously, eyes confused. "I don't hate you," she said, matter-of-factly.

"What about Ginga?"

"I don't think he hates you."

He sighed. "I owe him an apology though, don't I?" he asked, his voice defeated.

Hikaru couldn't deny that she was slightly amused. Since when did the great Kyoya offer to apologize for something? She shrugged it off and snapped, "You owe us all an apology! Me and Ginga especially!" Kyoya blinked in surprise at her sudden outburst, but she continued, more furious than ever. "And Madoka! She was so worried for us! Do you have any idea how much she went through to treat you? And Kenta, poor kid was traumatized at seeing Ginga so hurt! And Benkei, he–" She broke off and her eyes widened when Kyoya pressed his lips firmly against hers, taking her face in his hands so she couldn't pull away. It took her a moment to realize what was going on, but she let her eyelids flutter closed as he pulled at her bottom lip with his teeth.

She allowed it, parting her lips so their tongues could meet for the first time in quite a while, a flurry of passion burning between the two. Hikaru made a small, choking noise as she tried to press him closer to her, desperate for the contact she'd missed so much.

Unfortunately, Kyoya wouldn't grant her that much. He slowly broke it apart, even though she kept forcing her face closer. But at last, she came to her senses and moved away, averting her gaze.

"This doesn't change the fact that I'm really pissed at you," she mumbled, though clearly, it did.

"Does that explain why you're still hugging me, then?" Kyoya asked with a growing smirk.

Hikaru leaped up from where she practically sat in his lap, and tears started to form in her eyes. "Do you have any idea how much grief you put me through!?" she shrieked out, her voice cracking with pain. "How much pain I was in?! How could you do that to me?"

Kyoya blinked sadly. "I thought we would be better off apart," he admitted, trying to clear things up, but Hikaru only screamed at him even more.

"Do you still think that!?"

"I don't deserve you," he pointed out slowly, "after what I've done. I don't think we should be together…"

"Yes, we should," Hikaru growled. "Because you care about me! Am I right?!"

Kyoya narrowed his eyes, clearly irritated with her. He retorted back, in a less sad and more annoyed tone, "Why do you still want to be with me?!"

"Because we're perfect for each other!" she insisted. "Every couple has a few quarrels; that's all this is!"

"I'm sure this is more than a quarrel, Hikaru. I'd explain things to you, but I don't have to justify my actions to –" He was interrupted by her small hand cracking against his cheek with a loud smack. Kyoya lifted one of his hands to touch the red print. "I guess I deserved that."

"You must not care about me as much as I thought you did," she growled. Hikaru crossed her arms, about to snap something else at him, but broke off when the door was thrown open by none other than Kyoya's biggest fan.

"Kyoya! You're finally awake!" Benkei thundered over to the bedside and gathered the scrawny boy in his arms, to which Kyoya wasn't able to protest.

Madoka padded in slowly behind him. "Thank goodness! Benkei was freakin' out!"

Hikaru glanced over at Kyoya, whose eyes practically begged for someone to help free him from Benkei's bear hug, and turned away abruptly. "Well, he's fine, as you can see. Now, I'm leaving."

Having finally been released by Benkei, Kyoya gasped out, "No, wait! Stay?" He choked on his last word, so that barely anyone could hear. "Please…"

She narrowed her eyes coldly at him. Oh, now he wants me? "Fine. On one condition."

Kyoya seemed to have perked up slightly. "And what's that?"

"You said you owe Ginga an apology. We all deserve one. Do I hear an 'I'm sorry guys?'" Hikaru smirked when he met her gaze. She was only torturing him. Every person knew that his pride was too great to actually apologize. But if he wanted Hikaru badly enough, he'd do it.

Kyoya stared down at his lap and whispered something inaudible.

Hikaru padded back over to him and cupped her hand around her ear. "What was that?"

He flashed her a glare and mumbled, "Sorry."

She smirked at him. "I still can't hear you."

"I'm sorry, okay!?" Kyoya spat out suddenly. "I'm sorry; I'm sorry; I'm sorry!" Then, he looked over to the girl with icy blue hair, practically begging her to say something.

So she did, moving close enough so that he could kiss her easily. "Now do I hear an 'I love you, Hikaru'?"

Kyoya closed the small gap between them, capturing her lips with his. Even though he longed to carry it on, he pulled away after a short moment so that he could see how beautiful she looked with her cheeks tinted pink.

"Awww! " Madoka cried. "You two are a cute couple! Just like Ginga said!"

Hikaru felt her heart do a strange dance. Ginga told Madoka everything, huh?

Benkei clasped his hands into fists as he shouted, "Congratulations, Kyoya! B-b-bull!"

Kyoya lifted a hand to push the over-ecstatic blader away. "Don't overdo it, Benkei."

A new voice broke the mini-celebration. A young girl with long blonde hair poked her head into the room. "It's Ginga! He's back!"

Hikaru felt herself break into a big grin as the girl left again, with Madoka bounding after her excitedly. Ginga's back!? He had stayed behind to go looking for Ryuga in hopes of battling him, so he hadn't been able to return with Hikaru and the others.

Kyoya slung his legs over the side of the bed and stood, but found himself dizzy and stumbling. Benkei caught him before he could fall, though, crying out, "Kyoya, please be careful!"

The teal-haired blader shook his head stubbornly as he collapsed back onto the bed. "I'm fine," he snapped. " Really. Go help Ginga."

"But Ky –"

"Go, Benkei!" he snapped back, in a voice so angered that it scared even Hikaru.

As Benkei left, Hikaru wrapped her arm around Kyoya and allowed him to lean on her as he tried to stand up without his legs wobbling too much. "Are you sure you're well?" she asked.

"I'm fine," he replied simply, reaching for his shirt that was resting on the chair next to the bed. Hikaru stepped aside so he could slip it over his head.

"You still have to apologize to Ginga."

"Yea, yea. Don't dog me about it." He picked up his coat and put it on. Once he was dressed, Hikaru moved back over to his side and put an arm around him again. More than willingly, Kyoya flung his arm around her shoulders to keep himself steady as they headed for the door.

:::::::

"I'm telling you, you should have let me battle Ryuga! I would've taken him down!" Shuske was saying.

Kyoya and Hikaru were carefully making their way down the stairs that led to the basement, more than a little amused at the arguments in progress.

Alice murmured back, "This battle is between Ginga, Ryuga, and Kyoya. Not us." It was clear by the way she sat alone on the couch that she was still feeling awkward in an unfamiliar place.

"Psht. Whatever."

Alice looked up as the two approached. "Kyoya! And Hikaru!" Her eyes met Hikaru's, and the two girls exchanged a knowing glance. "I'm so glad you're both alright!"

Hikaru chuckled slightly and nodded before asking, "Where's Ginga?"

"Madoka and Lila are looking him over. A couple of his wounds reopened in the journey, apparently."

Shuske had been approaching Kyoya, and when he reached him, he patted him on the shoulder. "Kyoya. Buddy…" he mumbled sarcastically. "Are things going well? You…back to normal? Or still going insane?"

A low growl ripped from deep within Kyoya's throat. "Back off."

Hikaru elbowed him, but immediately felt bad about it when she heard his gasp of pain. "Don't be rude," she snapped. Then, she smiled, only giving Kyoya the impression that she was bi-polar. "Look, there's Ginga now."

The redhead boy was walking in between the petite blonde from earlier and Madoka, with a slight limp. He smiled upon seeing the pair. "Ky…kyoya? And Hikaru…"

Hikaru smirked. "Kyoya, did you have something you wanted to say?"

"No."

"Yes, you did."

Kyoya glared at Ginga forcefully, yet he still found himself stuttering as he tried to spit out the words he'd so easily said to everyone else. "I-I-I…erm…"

Ginga laughed. "Apology accepted!"

Alice stood up and walked over to them, her voice soft. "So what now? Is it over?"

"Yea, did you defeat Ryuga?" Kenta added.

"Well….No…" Ginga mumbled, lifting a hand to scratch sheepishly at the back of his head. He paused for a moment, glancing over each and every person standing there in the basement.

There were his two closest friends, Madoka and Kenta. Madoka, the beyblade mechanic and Kenta, the strong little boy who could surely beyblade better than any other kid his age. Then, there was Benkei, the annoying blader who almost seemed like a pedophile. Kyoya, the one responsible for the whole thing. Hikaru, who was trying her hardest to help put an end to it. Alice, his long lost friend. Shuske, their newest pal. And Lila, the compassionate blonde who was only there to help tend to his wounds.

He smiled at them all. "But I have a plan to get rid of him for sure. And I need all of your help."

Credits.
Shuske Masamori belongs to Arttailfox021.
Alice Hara belongs to destended-star-girl.
Lila Lovette belongs to Sinfulrose2

You like?

Yea…I got a little lazy there at the end.

Anyways, please review! If you see any errors, point them out! And I'll respond to the reviews on this chapter next time(:

(:Mizune