Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade!

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Her eyes opened suddenly, as if they had been pried. Simultaneouly, she had shot into a sitting position. Her actions held the speed of a cannon, and somehow, she wondered if her actions had made enough noise to awaken one of their sleeping team mates. Now, however, as she blinked, she sought desperately for the difference between reality and fantasy.

The white hot fear her dream -- no, her nightmare had instilled in her took precedent, holding her captive from rationality. Although, at that hour of night, dreams and reality were commonly mistaken. Even so, she sobbed silently, careful not to awaken any of her friends. Tyson and Daichi could sleep through a tsunami, yet Kai would awaken the second she so much as uttered a syllable.

When her eyes darted to his sleeping bag, she found it untouched. It was beginning to sound like her dream. Where was he? Feeling as though she was weaving through the dream with each step, she searched through each room. With each step, the feeling of dread replaced the silver-lined tendrils of thought she associated with her dreams.

In a way, she felt almost silly, her eyes wet and cheeks puffy. There she was in her powder pink, oversized shirt, the one she always slept in, shorts she had stolen from Kai, who never wore them anyway(the boys never knew he even owned a pair), and even so, those shorts nearly came down to her ankles if she didn't pull them extremely tight. Her petite figure made them nearly fall off, but she trusted only Kai, Ray, and Max to see and not try and look up her long shirt when she wore no shorts. She would never go anywhere outside that room in daylight dressed as she was, but this was an exception.

Hilary felt like a baby looking for her mother after a bad dream. After finding the house vacant, a more intense fear gripped her. She pinched herself, to learn that, as she had suspected, she was in the real world. This was no dream, and the possibility of finalities scared her to death.

In her dream, Kai had vanished into thin air. It was not like his usual disappearances: it did not last only until the off-season was over, or until a new, more worthwhile tournament came along. This one was permanent, and the scaries thing was that she was the only one. She was the only one of her friends to understand the truth: Kai would never come back.

She felt salty tears leak from her eyes and gave into them, fearing the worst. She knew she was vulnerable to her dreams. The prospect of it being Dé Ja Vu grew increasingly more horrific to her by the second. Taking a few shallow breaths, she walked to the shoji that linked the outdoors to the quarters inside, to step into the night air.

The moon shone through the clouds, casting an eerie sakura colored glow upon the sky. It frightened her, deviating from its typical whitish blue light that cast bright warmth upon the world while the sun was away. The moon looked evil tonight, and she did not like it. She closed her eyes to block it out, only to see the reoccuring highlights of her dream. She prayed that sunrise would come soon, and the moon would yield to the sun and a new day. Would it be worth it? Would a new day truly be worth it without Kai coming back? No, she decided, it would not.

Almost immediately, the wind picked up, rendering her immobile. It was as if leaves and other objects around the yard were attached by invisible strings and a giant hand was moving their marionettes, making them move. The fear in the pit of her stomach spiked dangerously, and she bit back a whimper. Where was the strong girl she was in the daylight? Shaken, obviously. She supposed to see Kai would be her only way out of it.

Eventually, she felt her muscles relax, and she took in the scent of the wind. Rain, she realized. It was about to rain. Silvery drops of liquid began to plummet to the earth as the pink-tinted moon was swallowed by clouds. Realizing that she looked perfectly foolish, she made no move out of the weather's way. Instead, she did the only thing she could think of: tilt her head skyward to let the rain hit it as well. No other noise, aside from the rain was heard as her tears, the rain her fear, and the now gentle breeze became one.

After staying there, in that position for what seemed to be an eternity, she retreated indoors, using a towel to mop up the worst of the precipitation on her. The rain shower had disappeared as quicky as it had come, leaving a crystal clear sky whose color was deeper than black, white lights of the infinite stars, and an almost blue tinted moon.

Breaking her daze, the shoki from which she had just entered slid open again, much more quiet than it had been when she entered. To her surprise and delight, it revealed the boy she had been dying to see. Instinctively, she rushed over to him, catching him off guard. She seemed to do everything except notice that, as she was right up against him, feeling the heat that radiated off his naturally warm body.

Kai Hiwatari looked down at the petite and shaking form of Hilary Tatibana, whose hands were crushed between their bodies. His arms encircled her as she leaned against him, tears pouring down her face. What had scared, or God forbid, hurt her, he did not know. Yet, whoever or whatever it was would feel his wrath in the morning.

"I-I didn't think you would come back," the small muffled voice of Hilary confessed, as she wiped away stray tears. She bothered not to break his hold, and it was surprisingly nice to the champion, who especially liked Hilary, to be comforting, as opposed to the daily Ray or Max.

He said nothing, wondering why she would think that he would leave for good. He always came back, and it was unspoken but true. Even Mr. Dickenson knew that he always came back.

Luckily, he was told the reason as she spoke again. "It was just a-a stupid nightmare," she whispered, trying to chuckle, perhaps nervously, at herself. Kai remembered the feeling. He had nightmares before. They were the worst mind games he had ever come across in his childhood. "It - i-it just seemed so-"

"Real," he finished, in that silky voice of his. She could only nod, and Kai led her into the kitchen, away from the door. It was at this point that he decided to ask the question that was on his mind. "Why are you all wet?"

She looked scared, almost afraid to answer. He made no move to force the answer, since he rarely asked questions anyway. However, if he was to ask a question it was either to Ray or Hilary, the two members of their team he chose to hold no control over.

"I wanted to know if I was dreaming or not," she managed finally.

"Hn." He went to the faucet, pouring himself a glass of water, but instead of drinking it, he set it before her, reaching for another to call his own.

"Thanks," she said delicately, to receive no answer. She took a few sips of the liquid, feeling the iciness of it awaken her insides like a breath of fresh air. He sat down beside her, watching her every few seconds. She knew what was going on here. Gathering herself, she sighed. "It was just you," she said quietly, realizing that if anyone save Kai was sitting beside her it would sound like she was trying to get with them. "You were just... gone and I was the only one who seemed to realize that."

He gazed at her intently, thinking of how to respond. She had calmed down now, and perhaps the water had sobered her up from the fantasy she believed to be real. "How often?"

She sighed. How often did she dream about him? Well, a lot, after all, they were really close friends. But nightmares? "Only when you leave," she said, looking at him, wondering what this was all about. "Or when you just come back. Not too often otherwise."

Kai nodded and stood up, heading into the bathroom off the kitchen. Each step he made was silent, and if he did not hug her before, she would have assumed him to be gliding above the floor. He returned a moment later smelling of the toothpaste she had used two hours before, and shirtless, holding out one she rarely saw him wear.

Clutching the grey shirt, she went into the bathroom, trying desperately to imitate his silence. It was close enough, she figured, since she was good at sneaking around. She and Kai were always up first in the morning, followed by Ray. When she emerged, she noticed that she smelled of his aftershave, the very smell fan girls stocked for their closet shrines of the bishounen.

Again, the feeling of a baby, clinging to its teddy bear emerged. Kai had taken her by the hand, leading her wordlessly to the room that both they and their team mates shared. His light violet eyes flickered carefully as he led her around the sprawled out figures of Daichi and Tyson, and toward the two sets of blankets at the end of the row. Kai aways slept on the end, followed by Hilary. No one could walk past her without either of them waking, so they both were safe from the boys' tricks.

Kai lingered at her sleeping bag and blankets, before kicking off his socks and shoes. She blinked as he lowered himself into the blankets, lifting up an arm to allow her to enter in as well. She did so, facing him as to ask the question she was dying to get off her chest.

Her eyes seemed to say it for her, so she refrained from speaking. Without words, a hand found hers and brought it to his lips. She smiled as they brushed the soft skin on the back of her hand. A light blush rose to her cheekbones, gracing her porcelain skin. She snuggled up against him, knowing that Kai's actions were in place of words that failed him.

It was not long before she was wrapped up in his arms, the rhythm of his steady heartbeat lulling her between dreams and reality. Only this time, she knew they would be all too pleasant. And if not, when she woke up, everything would be even better.

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Alright, so, you should definitely tell me if I should make a comedic-type of sequel involving an all too akward morning afterward, complete with Grandpa Granger and a few other calamities...

Hope you liked it!

Distant Storm