"Oh my gosh! It's so cute!"

Tyson sighed, but the amused smirk on his face was telling the real story. "Hilary, you've said that for the hundredth time since we got here."

Hilary had stopped to look over the railing at the ocean. Fishes was leaping in and out of the water, their scales shimmering in the sunlight.

"That's because everything here is so amazing!" Hilary giggled, turning her back towards the railing. "This place sure is beautiful."

Now Tyson had his brow furrowed. "How can you tell? We just got off the plane 20 minutes ago."

Hilary smirked and shot the boy an incredulous look. "Tyson, anybody with eyes could tell you how beautiful this place is! It doesn't matter if it's been 20 minutes or 20 years. Just look at all of the trees, the flowers, the blue ocean!"

Tyson smiled and shook his head at her overexcitement. Hilary had tagged along for his vacation since their return from Seoul. He hadn't had a proper rest in a while, and as a result, Hilary suggested a vacation. She giggled, remembering their conversation.

"A vacation?" Tyson repeated, obviously intrigued. "To where?"

"Oh, there are so many places we could go!" Hilary replied, blushing heavily. She hoped Tyson caught on the 'we' part. Just the very thought of them on a trip together was enough to make her heart race. But sadly, that was something that perhaps a couple would do, and she and Tyson certainly weren't that. As much as she'd like to be.

"I think somewhere warm would be best," Hilary continued, hiding her flustered state. "Somewhere that's far off and very different from Tokyo."

"Hey, I know!" Tyson suddenly cried, alarming Hilary and snapping her back to reality. "Hawaii!"

"Hawaii?" Hilary muttered. "Didn't you travel through there once?"

"Sure did!" Tyson replied warmly. "It was great! There's so much food to try out there!"

Hilary rested her head in her hand and rolled her eyes. "Don't you ever think of anything besides food? The point of a vacation is not just food, Tyson."

"It's part of mine," Tyson grumbled, a small pout gracing his face.

"I'm surprised you're even taking the idea of a vacation seriously," Hilary continued, unaffected by such a look. "You're usually so ready to set off on the next Tournament."

"Yeah, but I think maybe I've been doing a bit too much of that," Tyson admitted, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess you gotta go a bit slower as you get older."

Hilary rolled her eyes at the comment. "Tyson, you're seventeen."

"So? That's older," Tyson reasoned.

"There's no beating you," Hilary sighed, tired of the banter. "Alright then, Hawaii it is. I'll call up Mr. Dickenson and ask him to book two tickets to Hawaii as well as to help us find a nice hotel."

"Two tickets?" Tyson tilted his head. "We aren't taking the whole squad?"

Hilary's blush from before returned, but this time it had intensified tenfold. She panicked, trying to think of an immediate answer. She brushed off, laughing sheepishly, "Well, I had already narrowed it down. Max's already in New York. Ray's gonna be busy at the restaurant. Kenny's got his studies." Her tone was trailing off, evident that she was running out of excuses, "We know Kai won't tag along, and well Daichi, I think he's gonna help out Granpda with the chores. So that just leaves you and me. And besides, I think you are the one whose worked up a sweat. So maybe you're better off without the guys."

Tyson deadpanned, "If that's the reason, then why are you bumping along?"

"Oh now, now," Hilary frustratingly blushed, suppressing her act, "There has to be someone there with you. Even though you wouldn't be training, you'll have to eat a little healthy, and take your supplements. Who can do that better than me?"

Tyson's face was now red as well. Hilary wasn't as good as a liar as she thought she was, "Alright. Guess it'll be fun then." Tyson teased, winking an eye at her. "Just you and me, the whole week."

"You…me…Hawaii…whole week…" Hilary stammered. Her plan was backfiring.

"Of course!" Tyson beamed. "There won't be any reporters swarming so looks like we'd have ample of time doing everything 'we' want! I mean, yeah, it be weird, since I'm a guy and you're a girl, but that's problem behind right. After all, we are so close."

A shiver went up Hilary's spine at the way Tyson used the word "close" He had said it in such a way that she wanted to say something else…almost like "close" was just a cover.

"Besides, you have been working hard as well these during the Tournament. You really didn't get your side," Tyson continued, "Looks you could use a nice vacation too! Don't you think?"

Hilary fixated her gaze at Tyson. He wasn't looking at her, instead outside at the two birds on a tree in his compound. But his eyes were wide, and his cheeks were red.

"I think it'd be fun if you came with me, Hils." The boy finally shook his head out before turning to face Hilary, smiling at her.

Her heart fluttered at the use of her nickname; the one that only Tyson called her by. The sweet smile on his face soon brought one to Hilary's, and she gave a small nod of her head.

"It does sound like fun…alright! Let's go to Hawaii!"

Once the duo were picked from the airport, and driven deeper into Honolulu City, the lights in Hilary's eyes were still glimmering.

"Look at all of these shops!" Hilary marveled, pressing her face against the glass of the cab they were riding in.

"Please no shopping," Tyson groaned, throwing his head back.

"Don't be silly, Tyson!" Hilary giggled. "Of course, I'm gonna have to do some shopping while we're here. They have such beautiful things, especially in the marketplace!"

Tyson sighed and sunk down in his seat. "And you get upset with me for talking about Beyblades…"

The cab driver snickered at the boy's misfortune.

Hilary finally pulled away from the window, smiling over her shoulder at the pouty teen. "Don't be such a grouch, Tyson. Remember, this is a vacation! You have to relax and enjoy yourself."

Tyson thought about this for a moment before replying, "You know what would help me relax?"

Hilary blinked, uncomfortable warmth beginning to tickle her cheeks. "What?"

"A bey-battle."

Hilary gasped dramatically and nearly fell out of her seat. "What?! Are you kidding me?!"

Tyson tilted his head, not understanding Hilary's dramatic response. "No. I find beybattles to be very relaxing!"

Hilary sighed and shook her head. "What about hanging out on the beach? That's relaxing! I think that might be a better idea than going out looking for a battle."

"But Hilary, don't you say wanted to try out new dishes?" Tyson asked.

"I meant food, Tyson," Hilary grumbled. "Not the bey dishes! "Tyson, I didn't want to come to Hawaii to watch you battle other bladers," Hilary hissed, narrowing her eyes at the confused boy.

"Then why did you want to come to Hawaii with me?" Tyson asked.

Hilary's heart nearly stopped at the question. The taxi came to a halt, Tyson and Hilary's eyes still locked and refusing to leave one another. The driver turned around to inform the two that they had arrived, but when he saw the current situation, he didn't interject. The two were just gazing at one another, the girl stuttering for an answer.

"Is everything alright?" the driver asked, confused by Hilary's expression.

"Just fine," she confirmed, nodding her head.

Realizing that they had arrived they alighted, uncomfortably. She grabbed her luggage, wheeling it towards the hotel, hastily avoiding the question. But he grabbed her hand.

"Hilary," Tyson pressed, "why did you want to come to Hawaii with me?"

"You know why," Hilary breathed. "I'm tired like you are and I wanted to relax. That's all."

Tyson just stared at her for another moment. "I don't think that's the only reason."

Hilary scoffed. "What, now you're a detective all of a sudden?"

"You've always liked watching me battle," Tyson countered. "You've always liked cheering me on. But now you keep talking about shopping and the beach…those are things we'd kind of do on our own, without anyone else."

Hilary sighed and averted her eyes. "It's just…I've missed you, Tyson."

"What?" he creased his brows, "You're always with me, Hilary! I don't go anywhere without you!"

He gasped softly, as she threw him an astounded look.

"It's not that Tyson." She shook her head, sighing. "I do love watching you battle, because those are the times I see you smiling. I hate it when you get cocky, and I hate it more when you stress out. But for the past three years, all you do is battle out. From one city to another. Don't you see that this is drifting us apart? We would see sunsets in different cities, but even now that has stopped. You are always the hot stuff around the press, and your friends… And now, we finally have the opportunity to spend some time together, and I'd like to do something that doesn't make me feel like I'm just staring at you sitting on a bench. I want to do something that we could only do together when we're with each other."

Tyson was just staring at Hilary with an unreadable expression, and all of a sudden she felt far too vulnerable to be comfortable.

"I…I don't even know if that makes sense," Hilary tried, "but-"

"It makes sense," Tyson cut Hilary off, his voice soft. "I'm sorry I didn't get it sooner."

Hilary's eyebrows shot up. Tyson actually understanding her? And apologizing for being dense? She could hardly believe it, and she couldn't stop her lips from curling up at it.

"It's okay," Hilary breathed, her voice a bit shaky. "I'm just glad I don't sound crazy."

Now Tyson was smiling. "You don't sound crazy. Not at all. Now…why don't we check out the rooms, and decide what you wanna do, next…"