After five days of cheering, her team got to the finals. And after a long battle between Kai and Johnny, Kai won, with his usual showing off and setting the dish on fire, and with Ray and Tyson's win, put them firmly in the line for the championships being held next month in America.
"Could all the bladers please return to their locker rooms as the stadium is prepared for the closing ceremony." DJ Jazzman came up on the intercom. The teams retired to the locker rooms so that the BBA could organize the arena for the closing ceremony. Charlotte sneaked away from her handlers to go see them. She ran down the stairs and up the hall in her heels and got to his team's locker room. She breathed deeply, catching her breath and thinking of the next few hours ahead of her. She opened the door and walked in on the guys taking a shower.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I'll come back a little later." She said, covering her eyes.
"No, come in. We'll just cover up." Kai said, stepping out of the shower, dripping wet, and wrapped a towel around his waist. He walked up to her and looked devilishly at her. She was staring at him, blushing. She bit her bottom lip and looked at his face. He smiled at her, looking her up and down.
"What?" she asked, when she saw that he was thinking something too.
"Does the prize still stand?" he asked her. She smiled and blushed even more.
"It certainly does, Mr. Hiwatari. And congratulations, by the way, to all of you. You performed as per my expectations." She said, looking past Kai at the others.
"Yeah, thanks." Max said, smiling.
"No problem." Ray added.
"Piece of cake…mmm…cake." Tyson said. The team laughed at his bottomless pit of a stomach.
"And with not too much damage, for a change." Kenny said, looking at the four beyblades on the table in front of him.
"So, you won." She said, nervously, trying not to look down Kai's body.
"I always keep my promises." He smiled and she smiled back.
"So do I. I'll be waiting for you in the winners circle." She said, looking past Kai at the other team members.
"I'll see you there." Kai smiled back at her.
"I'll be waiting." She smiled, turning around and repeating herself. She was clearly flustered, being so close to him almost naked. He pulled her back and kissed her on the lips. She pulled away, smiled and put her finger on his lips.
"Not yet." She smiled and continued to walk towards the door. She looked at him and grappled for the handle and found it eventually. She turned the handle and left.
"You so have the hots for her." Tyson said, washing his hair.
"What gave it away?" Kai smiled, pulling off his towel and starting to get dressed.
She leaned against the door and blushed at the thought of Kai in that towel. He was the most handsome man she had ever seen, and it looked like he felt the same for her. She saw something move in the shadows down the hall and her heart stopped. She looked down and swore she saw someone standing there.
"Who's there?" she called out and no one answered. She relaxed and went back to the arena.
As the bladers gathered on the arena floor, the Bladebreakers gathered on the podium. The mayor of Paris was there and so was Mr. Dickenson. As they all watched, Charlotte made her way up the podium and came to stand next to the mayor of Paris, who offered his hand to her.
"Now, as per tradition, the European qualifying medals will be handed over by a member of the royal family. Princess Charlotte, would you do the honors?" Mr. Dickenson asked and she took the wooden box and opened it. Nestled inside the red velvet pillow were five golden medals, one for each team mate and their engineer. She handed each one their medal and a kiss on the cheek. Each one blushed and Kenny nearly fainted. In the crowd, they could hear the Majestics sneering at them. She got to the last one, Kai's. She took out of the medal and handed the box to an assistant.
"So Kai, where would you like me to pin it?" she asked him.
"You can just give it to me." He said, holding out his hand. She smiled and put the medal in the palm of his hand, which he closed over her hand as soon as she did. He held her hand gently and then the spectators knew that there was something between them.
"And the rest of my prize?" he smiled at her. She slipped her other hand in his and she leaned in to kiss him on the lips. She crowd went quiet as their lips touched. He reached behind her and slowly pulled her into his kiss. She put her hands on his shoulders and felt the warmth emanating from his body. His rippling muscles under his skin warmed her even more.
"Well, I guess the rumors are true then. You two are a couple." Mr. Dickenson laughed and they broke the kiss. And they looked at him, and she blushed.
"It looks like Mr. Hiwatari found love in the City of Lights." The mayor laughed. In the crowd, the Majestics had to pick their jaws up off the floor. This had all happened right under their noses. The crowd cheered for them as they held hands on the podium and took a bow. Kai wrapped his arms around her waist as she leaned into Kai and whispered something in ear.
"I'll be waiting in your hotel lobby. Tonight, you are going to see Paris." She smiled and walked down the podium to go do a press conference and a photo op. They had their own obligations to attend to.