Beyblade - Peace

It was a Friday afternoon, but all traces of sunlight had disappeared behind a curtain of gray. Rain came down steadily, wetting everything that wasn't sheltered. The shops were open, but there was barely anyone inside. The rain always deterred customers from venturing out of their homes, plus it was a weekday. The street was filled with stony silence and was almost deserted. Almost, for there was a lone teenage boy sauntering down the street.

He was wearing what appeared to be his school uniform. However, the red tie on his neck was hanging loosely round the unbuttoned collar of his long white shirt. Furthermore, his gray-green jacket, which was part of the uniform, was unbuttoned. His hair was naturally tousled into messy smoky-blue bangs at the front, while royal blue hair homed at the back of his head. Dark mahogany was the color of his eyes. Warmth was absent from those eyes, only a certain kind of iciness resided. The usual four blue triangles on his cheeks were missing, contributing to a less dangerous look. His mouth was in a neutral line, which completed the serious and mature look on his face. He was pretty much an iceberg – cold, and dangerous to the unsuspecting. His arms were crossed in front of his chest as his long strides took him down the street.

Kai Hiwatari – champion Beyblader and a lone soul.

Why was he wandering outside when it was a school day? Kai knew the answer perfectly well. He wanted to get away from everything in the school and to find some solitude, some peace. Besides, school had ended early; there was some function or something later that evening. He wasn't bothered to attend it; didn't even plan on going since the announcement was made a week ago. Stupid functions. He never liked formal attire and even with his school uniform, he defied the usual rules.

Of all components of his uniform, he disliked the tie most. He hated the feeling of something constricted around his neck as it made him feel trapped. Therefore, he rarely wore the red tie properly. Though he disliked ties, he very much preferred his usual long white scarf that was around his neck, regardless of the weather. Perhaps it was one item that had been with him since childhood after his beyblade. He was used to its feeling round his neck and it never constricted him in any way. But he couldn't wear it because of the rules and that was probably the only one he heeded when it came to wearing his uniform properly.

Strangely enough, the professors in school never seemed to bother about his attire and he had a nagging suspicion that it was due to his reputation as a champion Beyblader.

Kai abruptly turned into an alley. It was dark with a sense of foreboding. However, he strode, just like before, deeper into the looming darkness not even stopping for his eyes to adjust to the sudden change in light intensity. He only stopped when he was a fair distance away from the main street and the darkness around him would be too overwhelming for a normal teenager. But such darkness was nothing compared to the… things he had met and experienced before.

He leaned back onto a damp and graffiti-decorated wall of an old and worn building and tilted his head towards the sky, feeling the raindrops rundown his face. A small smile curved his lips. He loved the rain, the solitude and the darkness. It was where he could find peace and in a sense, it was weird. Peace was often depicted in pictures as a place with endless green meadows, beautiful flowers, a crystal-like flowing river, radiant sunlight and the soft chirping of birds.

But to Kai, peace was found in a place where it was dark, with the darkness enveloping him comforting him in a way brightness never could. He never understood why he felt more at home with darkness, although he knew it was never fully dark. He disliked extremes – total darkness and full out brightness. Why was it never fully dark? He was the fire in the endless scores of shadows. As icy as his exterior may seem, he was burning with concealed flames on the inside.

Few had seen him without his exterior. In fact, the number was zero. He was a melting iceberg, but still an iceberg nonetheless. His walls were still protecting, concealing him from the society. Only on a few situations did his teammates see his softer side. Solitude. He was a loner – and an extreme one too. He rarely spoke more than necessary and was always straight to the point. His interaction with other people was kept to the minimum too. He only interacted more with his teammates. He loved the quietness and the feeling of being alone. It was strange, but he knew all too well why he was what he was now. He had changed though, why else would he be a melting iceberg now?

Kai longed for peace, inner peace. His soul was a tormented one, a scarred one and it was hard to forget the causes. It would take time before he could finally leave the past behind and take a step out into the world. But was the world really such a great and wondrous place? He had seen too much in his younger days… too much evil, the lust for power and dominance.

He sighed, blocking out all these thoughts. He had escaped from school to find a place to get some peace, although inner peace would take much longer to come. The raindrops that trickled down his face cooled him and the slight anger that had built up as he almost relieved his childhood memories. Another presence burned warmly but strongly in his mind. Dranzer, the one soul that stood by him through thick and thin. The fiery phoenix was making him relax and he was thankful for it. Peace was hard to find for it was always broken in the end. Today, it was no exception.

He whipped his head towards the depths of the alley suddenly. His sharp senses had picked up a sound that was not made by steady raindrops hitting solid surfaces. If his hunch was right, it was a gang of hooligans. Just his luck, he'd never have peace for even five minutes. In school, overenthusiastic male students that never got the meaning of his death glares and "Leave me alone." hounded him. Out of school, a thousand and one fan girls chased after him, all having the same brain problem as his schoolmates. Now, he had a possible confrontation with a gang. What a life he had…

Slowly, his mahogany eyes adjusted to the intense darkness further down and he saw five figures glaring at him to no effect. Kai turned his head away and closed his eyes. If they would not bother him, then he would stay here and mind his own business. But something told him that this would not happen; it was always like this. Sure enough, one of the five spoke.

"Kid, what are you doing here?" a teenage boy with spiky black hair demanded gruffly.

Kai opened his eyes and glanced at them for a second, eyes flaring at being called a "kid". Kid? He was most certainly not a kid. However, he did not reply; there was no need to. Instead, he shut his eyes again with his head slightly angled to the ground, his arms firmly crossed across his chest. His posture radiated nonchalance to the fullest and that was his usual attitude towards strangers.

"I asked you a question! Are you deaf or what?" barked the same boy. This was his territory. Nobody trespassed it. Still, he received no reply from the blue-haired boy in front of him as quietness prevailed. Growling, he said, "This is my territory. Get out before we get rough." To prove his point, he and the other four cracked their knuckles threateningly.

"Then get rough," Kai threw back casually, not even flinching at the threat. There was a challenge, a sting to his reply; he was ready for anything they threw at him.

"You asked for it," another teenager growled. This one had brown hair with streaks of red through them. "Keene! Get him!"

A lanky teen with dirty blond hair growled in response. There was no need to send the whole group at Mr. Lone Ranger down there. He'd go down pretty soon against one of them.

Again, there was no reply to both the statement and the order of attack. Kai stood as per normal, leaning against the wall, pretending to be oblivious to the gang. In fact, he was ready to fight and be the victor. He had been trained to fight when he was merely seven and those techniques had not been forgotten. His childhood was different, to put it mildly, from the norm and fighting played a huge part – literally and metaphorically. His ears heard Keene charging towards him. Waiting until his opponent was barely a foot away, he let his trained reflexes kick in. His hands grabbed the raised leg of the teenager that was trying to kick him. With a wrench, Kai twisted the leg forcefully and Keene was forced to turn with his leg unless he wanted it broken.

Keene hit the ground with a thud as Kai released him, skidding a few centimeters because of the wetness. The teen got up again, facing his opponent warily. Something wasn't right about this boy. His uniform was one of a prep school, meaning that he came from a rich family. He never thought that rich kids would know how to fight; this guy was an exception. He charged again, getting ready to punch the youth. However, the blue-haired teenager leaped at the very last minute, before spinning around to drive home a hard kick to his abdomen, leaving him winded on the ground. This sparked off an attack from the other members of the gang as they saw that they had underestimated this fellow. They all charged at Kai.

His mahogany eyes narrowed dangerously and he went into a fighter's stance. He was ready for this. Before long, Kai was delivering a flurry of accurate kicks and punches. Dodge, punch, spin around and kick. Although it was four against one, he was doing most of the damage instead of vice versa. This was too easy for him. He had one on one battles in the past and he had came off much worse. Suddenly, he felt pain shoot up his side as a kick successfully connected with its target. Kai growled, not in pain, but in anger. Anger that he had let his guard down against such opposition. He had been trained to never lose focus when fighting and he had just lost it. Though it was only for a second, it was bad enough. Damn. No way was he going to get overconfident; he was still outnumbered.

"The pain does not exist," he murmured.

Kai's whole demeanor changed. His eyes were no longer cold, but neither were they warm. A fire was lit up in him, and in his eyes, it burned strongly. Dranzer's presence in his mind strengthened, growing bright and prominent. The phoenix was fueling him, getting him ready to finish off this fight. The pain in his side diminished and he was only aware of these things: to fight and to win.

The teenagers surrounding him noticed this abrupt change too. They faltered a little, stepping back to eye Kai who was looking at the ground, his smoky-blue bangs shadowing his face, creating a mysterious and dangerous effect. Something was seriously wrong with this boy. They could feel it in the damp air. When Kai looked up, a sinister smirk was evident on his lips and his eyes seemed to be burning.

Without warning, he attacked with viciousness that nobody present had ever seen before. He lashed out at the nearest teenager, catching him wickedly on the solar plexus. The teen gasped, staggering unsteadily backwards. Kai didn't let up, continuing his attack on the teen. He'd take them down one by one. The other gang members were too stunned to react. Only when the unfortunate teen was on the ground, defeated, did they snap back to reality.

The teens attacked the lone boy all at once, aiming kicks and punches to various parts of his body. Kai skillfully dodged them, delivering his own moves in the process and the foursome stumbled back at each impact. Kai landed in the middle of the circle of teenagers, chest heaving slightly as his loose tie fell back in place after doing various twists along with Kai's moving self. His eyes were now slit-like and darting about, alert for any signs of movement those four might make. Then he lashed out again, each stroke accurate and vicious. He was barely thinking, letting his instincts and reflexes do the work. In less than ten minutes, he had all of them lying on the ground, unable to fight.

Kai smirked and snorted with disdain, "This is how you 'get rough'? You need practice."

With that zinger, he strode steadily out of the alley into the street, leaving the five bruised and battered teens staring at his back with a mixture of awe and fear. Neither of them spoke even as the lone blue-haired teenager disappeared from view after a good ten minutes. That was the impression Kai Hiwatari had made.

---

Kai's feet found their way to a park and he settled down, leaning against a sturdy tree trunk. The greenery was startlingly bright and fresh compared to the dark and dampness of the alley fight. He sort of enjoyed the fight; it was refreshing. Apart from Beyblading, his passion, life was pretty bland and simple now. Perhaps he should hope that it would stay this way, for two years ago, his life was thrown into an utter state of hell.

Bio-volt, Kai growled in his mind and his face became dark and shadowed, the organization that destroyed my life, my childhood. Voltaire, you will never be my grandfather!

A fist found its way to the ground at high speed, leaving a slight dent in the soil as a growl of anger and frustration escaped his throat. Why was he thinking about these things? He had been trying to forget them, to put it behind him. But occasionally, they would resurface and he would think and reflect about them. Along with these memories, Kai would question why the Bladebreakers had stood by him even after he betrayed them.

Why had they believed in him when he had betrayed them and acted so acidic towards them?

Wouldn't they hate him?

Why didn't they?

"Simple, because you aren't a coldhearted bastard," someone quipped, but the tone was a soft one.

It was a very familiar feminine voice. Hilary. It could only be she, Kai never took much notice of how people's voices sounded like, much less girls. Wait, how did she guess what he was thinking about?

"You spoke out loud," said Hilary, surprising Kai with her perceptiveness. "Would you at least acknowledge that I'm here? Your usual grunt of a reply would be fine."

Strangely, Kai felt like smiling at her answer. It amused him somehow, but he couldn't pinpoint why. "How do you know I'm not a 'coldhearted bastard'?" he asked instead.

"Frankly, I didn't know you two years ago and I didn't know what happened in Russia. I've asked Tyson, Kenny, basically the other Bladebreakers about the team's history. As you know, I wasn't fond of Beyblading in the past, so I wouldn't know anything that went on in the world of Beyblades."

Hilary paused and Kai smirked. Oh yes, he remembered that. She couldn't even pronounce "beyblade".

"They never went into detail, but from what I gathered, you were different from what you are now. At first glance, yes, you are a coldhearted bastard, but as I listened, it was a façade. If you truly were a jerk, a coldhearted person, you wouldn't have done helped the team however subtle they might've been. And I heard from them that the reason you betrayed them was a due to a weakness. For what, they never told me, saying that it was not their position to tell me. You're the kind that hates any weakness, but nobody is perfect, Kai. Everyone knows that. That's why they accepted you back, I believe that's why."

Kai shut his eyes as Hilary finished her little speech. It had indeed served some usefulness in dissipating some of his questions. However, he still felt that it was incredulous that his teammates had accepted him so easily. He had been so harsh on them and so cold too. They could've died from frostbite just being around him then.

"That helped," he said to the girl. He rarely said 'thank you', but he wanted to show his appreciation to the effect her words made.

"Mmm…"

The blue-haired teen turned his head to look at the brunette, wondering slightly at her short and faraway reply. She was sitting quite near to him, her legs drawn up to chest level, arms wrapping around them. Hilary seemed lost in thought. Either that, or she was just looking at the view, if there was any view in the park worth watching. He suddenly realized that the rain had stopped, but the sky was still gray and downcast. He had been too deep in thought that he had failed to notice his surroundings. He had even failed to realize Hilary had appeared next to him until she spoke. Whatever happened to his sharp and sensitive senses?

Kai glanced at Hilary again quietly observing her still form, how the breeze was tugging at the tips of her short brown hair, how even her eyelashes were being teased…

He did not just notice that.

Kai blinked and shifted his gaze away from the girl. Hilary was just a friend, just a friend and nothing else. They only had a platonic relationship. If so, why did he notice such details about her? Before he could delve any further to sort out his thinking, he was snapped out of his thoughts by Hilary's voice.

"You still aren't convinced, are you?"

Hilary shifted her gaze to let it rest on the teenage boy next to her. He had a slightly surprised expression on his face, which was different from his usual cool and serious one. Apart from his normal expression, the only other expressions Hilary had seen Kai wear were annoyance, determination and… an occasional one of concern and worry. That was most evident when he saved her from the falling rocks on the creepy, booby-trapped island and when he prevented her from falling off the cliff. After he first saved her life, Hilary's judgment of Kai changed drastically.

"Not totally," Kai admitted.

Hilary didn't know everything about him. She knew little about how he was like in the past and her judgment of him was more or less based on their relationship now and some bits and pieces from the other boys. If she knew everything, her view might just change. If it didn't, then he'd be left with the same nagging question: Why did they accept him? It was still too hard for him to believe.

"For one thing, Kai, you have changed from what you were in the past to what you are now. I don't know what you've been through, just that it must be horrible to make you like this, so closed to the world. But it's in the past, just leave it behind and start a new. It takes time, yes, but at least try. Try by telling…" Hilary trailed off.

She didn't really know what to say. Kai was giving her a very odd look and in his eyes was a glint that she could not recognize. Another reason why she stopped was what she was about to say. If she had completed her sentence before she thought for the better of it, she would've have said, "Try by telling me." That would've been a totally tactless approach. Kai being already so guarded about the world would only tell someone whom he trusted. Hilary wasn't sure if she was that someone, so she had better refrain from saying that.

But the main thing that troubled her was why the thought had popped into her head. Could she really help him? Why was she concerned about the lone phoenix of the Bladebreakers?

"Telling someone?" questioned Kai, sounding like he almost choked on the words. "It's not so easy."

"Why?" the brunette blurted out before she could stop herself. Darn! She shouldn't have said that. Kai definitely had been through tough times, it couldn't be easy to tell someone about such things. "I-I'm sorry, K-Kai…"

"Never mind," muttered the teenage boy in a monotone.

Immediately Hilary felt even worse than before. She was being insensitive. As much as Kai seemed to be emotionless, he had feelings too. They were just hidden under layers of ice, shields… Her simple question had probably penetrated the ice and stabbed him in right at the heart of the problem, or problems.

"What makes you so sure I'm not coldhearted now? I don't give you or the others the friendliest greetings," Kai commented.

Well, that was a question Hilary could answer easily. She had been on the receiving end of his softer side twice.

"Remember that freaky island? You pushed Kenny and me to safety when the explosion occurred and the rocks started raining down on us. You even shielded me if any rocks were to come my way. If you were coldhearted, would you have bothered to warn us, to save us? When we resumed our journey towards the lighthouse, you helped me along until we reached firm, flat ground. Second, that time when Ray was battling against this Beyblader on a cliff? A blinding light was shot at us when we tried to help Ray. Everyone else either shielded their eyes or in Zeo and Tyson's case, they fell back on to the ground. But I slipped and fell over the edge. I seriously thought that this would be the end of me; I still think it was possible. But you caught my hand in time and prevented me from plunging down. Yeah, Max helped you to pull me up in the end, but if you hadn't caught me first, Max wouldn't be able to do anything and I wouldn't be here now. So how can you say you're coldhearted when you're not? You just seem cold to everyone else because you don't show your feelings often."

Kai closed his eyes and tilted his head towards the ground and his smoky-blue bangs fell in front of his face, once again shielding his features. It often happened when he was deep in thought, or contemplating about things. He remembered those incidents clearly, like it happened recently, yesterday. He had been afraid, yes, afraid that he would lose his friends. He couldn't lose them. He had lost too much already; he couldn't afford to have his only friends gone too.

Then, Hilary was a mere acquaintance. They had only met cause he had showed up and sort of motivated Tyson into being able to summon Dragoon. Hilary happened to be there with Kenny. He had ignored the girl when Tyson introduced her. It wasn't his thing to socialize; besides, there were more important issues then. Like cloaked Beybladers and scientists trying to steal their sacred bit-beasts. When they got to the island, it mattered that everyone would leave safely. In a way, Kai felt responsible for Hilary because she was Tyson and Kenny's friend and the two boys were his friends.

Another reason could be due to the fact that she was a female; it was probably why he had shielded her on the island. Kai used to think that females were weaker, though Hilary had proved that she could stand up for herself. As for the cliff incident, Hilary was a friend and part of the team though she didn't blade. Kai had to do something; he couldn't watch her plunge to her death no matter how blinding that light was. It had been a slight struggle to rush to the side of the cliff to grab her hand due to the light, nevertheless, he had to get to her and he did. He didn't want to witness any more deaths if he was able to prevent them.

So was he coldhearted? His walls of protection made him cold. But inside, in his core, it was a different case. Kai was a burning fire and Dranzer showed the true Kai to the fullest. The firebird was like what he was inside, beneath all those layers of ice. Somehow, the fire never melted the iciness of his mask. Somehow it… He suddenly remembered he wasn't alone when he felt a hand gently brush away the hair that was falling over his face, the tips of those fingers lightly grazing his cheek.

Instinctively, Kai's hand shot up and caught a slim wrist in a vice-like grip. A hiss of pain made him realize that it was Hilary and not some enemy. He loosened his hold on her wrist, but didn't let go.

"What are you doing?" he hissed at the girl more ferociously than intended for he was not used to such gestures.

He watched as a faint tinge of pink tinted Hilary's cheeks and she seemed to be struggling to answer his question. His mind produced an answer… a rather far-fetched one as he thought more about it while waiting for the girl to reply. After ten tense minutes, Hilary still hadn't answered. Instead, she seemed to find a dead tree stump awfully interesting and had her gaze fixed firmly on it. But the blush on her cheeks had not faded away. Kai decided that he needn't know the reason, or at least not now. That simple gesture was foreign to him, but at the same time he felt comfort and at ease. In the end, he'd still have to know why Hilary did that, and why he felt a sudden sense of warmth course through him.

He released her wrist and said, "Never mind, you don't have to tell me."

Hilary silently thanked Kai for his words. Truth be told, she had no idea why she had the sudden urge to just brush his hair away from his face. She could tell he was deep in thought for he looked so pensive, calm and… sexy. Heck! Did she just think about what she thought she did? Oh no, what was becoming of her? Hilary shook her head slightly, and mentally she gave herself a hard kick.

Her gaze shifted away from the tree stump that she was staring at for the past ten minutes and whom did it land on? Kai Hiwatari.

She observed him, realizing that he was back in his pensive mood again. But this time, he was leaning back onto the tree trunk, his legs stretched out in front of him and his arms behind his head. His eyes were once again closed; he looked a picture of perfect calmness… like someone who had no care for the world.

How ironic. Kai did care for the world, or at least the people who belonged to it. He also cared for Dranzer, his fiery bit-beast that he had once lost to Zeo but won it back later. Hilary remembered that incident, how Kai was on the verge of giving up Beyblading once and for all after the defeat that resulted in the loss of Dranzer. It was her who talked him round; he then trained Tyson hard, very hard for the latter's match against Zeo. She was sure that it was due to Kai's care for the team and also for Dranzer that made him do so. Also, if Kai didn't care, he wouldn't have saved her both from the falling rocks and the cliff. Speaking of which, she hadn't properly thanked him yet. Both times she was scared stiff and therefore, forgot to thank him.

Hilary supposed that it was better late than never, and so she spoke quietly, "Kai? I never thanked you properly for saving my life twice… So, um… thanks."

Kai's eyes opened and he sat up slowly, letting his arms drop to his sides. He regarded her for a moment before replying in a gruff voice, "You don't have to. If it weren't for you, I would be regretting my decision of quitting Beyblading. You could say you saved my life."

That was probably the most Kai had said to her in quite some time. Today, it seemed like he was coming out from his walls. Hilary wasn't complaining, but did that mean he trusted her?

"I saved your life?" Hilary asked with her eyes fixed intently on the blue-haired boy next to her. Somehow, she could not imagine how she did that.

"Dranzer means a lot to me. So does Beyblading."

Hilary slowly digested Kai's cryptic reply, which was quite a rarity for such replies to be coming from the teen. He was usually blunt with his answers, or perhaps it should be his opinions and criticism towards others. He hardly ever answered questions, so Hilary supposed that if he were to reply one, it wouldn't be surprising if it came out cryptically.

"Oh…" commented the brunette as she got the meaning behind his words.

A sudden illumination of the sky alerted the two youths that a storm would be breaking out soon and the sky was a threatening shade of dark gray. The cooling, light breezes had turned into howling gales, autumn-brown leaves were flying all around them and the intense rustling of the trees resounded throughout the park they were in. A sudden chill befell the youths as the winds whipped at their sitting forms and clothes. Hilary involuntarily shivered. It wasn't due to the wind; she had a fear of thunder.

Suddenly a loud rumble cracked the moving air and without realizing what she was doing, Hilary leaped up and dove into the arms of a shocked Kai with a little 'eep!" As the smaller rumbles made themselves known, Hilary buried herself deeper into Kai's chest, her hands grabbing the front of his white shirt tightly, seemingly refusing to let go. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw another flash lightning up the darkened sky. Automatically, she squeezed her eyes shut and when the thunder announced its presence, she let out a small whimper. Since she was a child, Hilary had been afraid of thunder. She had no clear idea why; it was probably an inborn phobia. Until now, she hadn't realized her actions and that Kai was looking more stunned than he ever had felt before.

Kai hadn't expected Hilary to dive into his arms when the thunder sounded. He was taken by surprise as the girl clung onto him tightly. Who knew that a girl like Hilary would be afraid of thunder? She was almost curled into a ball on top of him, her hands holding tightly on to his shirt and her body was shaking. A sudden sense of protectiveness welled up inside Kai as he regarded the smaller form of Hilary. His arms shifted from their current position – on the either side of his body – and slowly wound their way around her waist reassuringly. Feeling the sudden tensing then relaxing of Hilary's body, Kai knew he had achieved calming her down although his actions had startled her a little.

Strange as it was, he didn't feel the least bit awkward as he thought he would if he ever encountered such a situation. As his eyes spotted another streak of lightning, his arms tightened around the girl, drawing her closer to him, to his warmth, protecting her from the impending roar of thunder.

In Kai's mind, he suddenly felt Dranzer glow, as if reminding him something. With a jolt, he remembered that it was unsafe for them to be under a tree during a thunderstorm. They had to get to the nearest shelter as fast as possible. Kai silently thanked his bit-beast before shifting his head slightly to look at Hilary. One arm unwound from her waist and he gently tilted her head to meet his gaze.

"We need to get to shelter," he told her soothingly, noticing a slight trace of fear in her eyes.

Hilary nodded mutely and slowly rolled off Kai and stood up a little shakily. Kai stood up and, uncharacteristically, offered his hand to Hilary. He knew she was going to be freaking out during the onslaught of roaring thunder. Hilary accepted his hand almost too quickly and the pair set out quickly to find cover.

Hilary wondered if she was in a dream. It seemed so unreal that Kai Hiwatari would offer his hand to help her along as they sought cover from the storm. She had been shocked at first when she felt his arms around her, protecting her from the thunder's cries. Now, he was holding her hand in a reassuring grip as they half-walked, half-ran from the park. A loud bang startled her and she immediately stiffened with fright. Almost at once, she found herself in a warm embrace and she was leaning slightly to her left on a firm and toned body.

Kai's voice entered her ears as he spoke, "Relax… It's okay. It won't hurt you."

Hilary relaxed and she managed to stand by herself albeit shaken. Then she felt the warmth of Kai's body disappear and struggled not to shiver due to its loss. However, one of his hands was still clasped on hers as he started to walk quickly and she followed him, trying to match his pace.

She then felt a splat on her head, and soon, more raindrops joined the former in wetting her. Hilary felt a tug on her hand as Kai picked up his pace, probably hoping to find shelter before they became any wetter. However, the weather seemed to have other ideas. Larger raindrops plummeted downwards and the whipping winds lashed at them mercilessly. Hilary knew she'd most definitely catch a cold. She just hoped it wouldn't be too severe. Lightning flashed, thunder bellowed, the winds howled like there was no tomorrow and rain pelted down fast and furious. She sincerely hoped that they'd find shelter soon; the lightning was a huge threat to their lives.

Finally, Kai sighted a porch of a nearby building and they ran inside. He shook his wet bangs out of his face and ran a hand through his hair. Both he and Hilary were soaked to the skin and they both had a possibility of getting sick. Noticing Hilary hugging herself as the winds continued to blow at them, Kai took off his jacket. Walking up next to her, he draped the green garment on top of her shoulders. Though it was wet, it would still help to make her warmer.

"Thank you, Kai," he heard Hilary mumble, sounding almost shy.

He was about to reply with his usual grunt when the thunder so timely rumbled its apparent disapproval (for whatever cause Kai didn't know) and without thinking, the slate-haired boy pulled the slightly shivering brunette towards him in another hug. He felt Hilary hug him as well, and the rumble was exceptionally loud, like it was at its peak, at the climax.

When the thunder died down, Kai drew back slightly and he watched Hilary raise her head as their gazes locked. Kai noticed a billion and one things about the shorter girl in front of him, still held in his embrace. She looked astonishingly pretty when she was wet. Although his jacket covered her, he could still make out the shapely curves of her body, accented by the fact that her wet clothes clung to her body and showing it off perfectly. Because of the wetness, her hair was a deeper shade of brown and her eyes were a shining, beautiful auburn.

Kai's gaze traveled over her features, taking in the sight of Hilary slowly and finally it rested on her lips before he flicked it up to catch her eyes again. Something sparked in his mind and he slowly dipped his head towards Hilary, his gaze never wavering from her eyes. Kai lost himself in a newly emerged feeling, letting it control him as he captured Hilary's lips with his.

Emotions exploded inside him, running rampant in his mind, his body, his whole soul. The sensation was new to him yet he did not feel threatened. Kai flicked his tongue over Hilary's lower lip and they parted, allowing him to enter, which he did. As his tongue explored Hilary's mouth, his hands drew the girl closer to him, pressing her up against his body. He then felt two hands encircling his neck and the touch from those hands sent tingles down his spine. Hot, fiery passion seared through Kai and he responded by kissing Hilary harder, harsher, as his desires urged him on. In the middle of all the passion, of all the desire, something hit close to his heart and soul.

For the first time in his life, he had unexplainably found a sense of inner peace. How this kiss had brought him peace was a mystery to him, for now his brain was unable to form more than one coherent thought. The iciness gave way to fiery passion and the barriers crumbled along with it.

Kai and Hilary were oblivious to the ceasing storm, their senses filled only with each other. As the storm dissolved into mere rain, a silent consensus was formed mutually between them…