This is the final chapter of Beautiful Soul! I hope you all enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade!
Forever Can Wait
A hysterical laugh erupted from Hilary's mouth as she and East watched the candles being lit in a perfect circle. In the middle of it was a picture of East from a magazine and Hilary's silver pendant that sparkled and twinkled in the light of the candles. Mariah sat crossed legged outside of it with a few sheets of paper sitting in the space provided and her back was leaning against Kai's desk. Kai's office had been the most spacious room in the whole building so they'd decided to perform the ritual there.
A flash of lightning lit up the room, making everyone's faces seem eerily ghostlike: Hilary's most of all.
"Everyone take your places. You know what you've to do." Kai said, checking his watch. "It's about to toll twelve so as soon as the bells are over, Mariah, you have to begin."
There was silence in the room as they heard the first almost unearthly chime of a church bell echo through the room from the nearby cathedral. The only competitor was the heavy rain that beat down on the window and the beginnings of a storm. Even East was quiet as the bells rang for his execution like a funeral bell, only providing happiness and relief rather than sorrow and pain. Hilary's hands began to thump against the back of the wooden chair which they were tied behind by a silk scarf – which Garnet had almost been brought to tears by using – so that her hands wouldn't be scratched form the roughness of rope.
"Kai," Hilary called. "Let's not be hasty, shall we? There's no going back once you do this." No one paid her any attention. There were only five chimes left and they needed all their concentration. Or, rather, Mariah did. "Kai don't ignore me when I'm talking to you. It's just rude." Her eyes began to dart about the room. East was getting desperate. "Kai you little son of a bitch let me go! I swear I'll fucking haunt you till you die, you little shit."
"Can't we gag her/him or something?" Garnet moaned. "It's so annoying."
"As much as I would like to, no we can't. The only way for a spirit to leave the body is through the mouth and if Hilary's mouth is covered then this will all be a waste of time. We'll just have to put up with it for the time being." Kai explained as the bell tolled its last. "And not for much longer now."
Mariah's hands began to tremble as she slowly and concisely read the chant Kenny had given her. Her voice quivered as she stumbled over words that were foreign to her. She'd been practising for the past half hour but still it was as if she'd never seen the words never mind spoken them before.
"Lord of the light, Demon of the dark, we summon you to relieve us. Take the spirit and move it on. Take the spirit and move it on to the next life. Free us from its binds. Free us from its evil."
As she went through the repetition, East's plight began to get stronger. He banged against the wooden floor with such anger that the very room was shaken. A few items from Kai's desk fell off and there was the sound of glass smashing as a photo frame and several other items fell into the circle. It didn't matter so long as there was nothing to interfere with the ritual.
"I swear to fucking God, I'll take Hilary with me if you don't untie me now." Hilary's face went a deep shade of red and spittle flew from her mouth. Her eyes seemed to bulge out of their sockets in a demonic way. East was once again ignored. This only acted to infuriate him further. With one mighty surge of inhuman strength the chair legs broke free and Hilary shook the remainders of the chair from her body and set about releasing her hands from their silky bind.
In a flash, quicker than the lightning outside, Kai had pushed her into the wall with such force he was afraid he might have hurt her. She put up a fight and struggled against his firm grip. She tired to kick out at him but Kai put a foot on each of hers, rendering her immobile. There was once again silence in the room. Mariah had stopped.
"Finish it!" He bellowed at her with a rage he'd never used before with his friends. It was like he was the one that was possessed.
"Lord of the light, Demon of the dark, we summon you to relieve us. Take the spirit and move it on. Take the spirit and move it on to the next life. Free us from its binds. Free us from its evil. Lord…" Mariah continued on with a new found confidence provided to her by her cousin's desperation and anger.
Slowly, Kai watched as Hilary's body began to glow. Softy. Heavenly. A direct contradiction to the evil within her. He could feel that something inside her body was taking place. There was a disturbance. He could feel the exorcism that was taking place inside her. He could feel her.
Her lips smiled darkly as her eyes began to get their former shine back that made them look like rubies. "You think this is it, don't you? You think you've won?" She snickered hysterically. "You've not won." Her voice was as dark as the room. Perhaps even darker. It reflected the spirit that had taken control over it.
Kai smirked. "Look at yourself, East. Your spirit's leaving." Suddenly, a black hole appeared above the centre of the circle. It would suck the soul into it. The exorcism was a success. "And there's your ride. All the way on the highway to hell where you belong."
"I wouldn't be so sure. Look at the picture in the circle." Kai, not quite believing he was being truthful looked anyway. There were now a few of his possession inside ranging from pencils to pens to sheets of paper. He saw then what East probably meant: a picture of himself, Garnet, Tala and Mariah. "You're forgetting that I'm not dead."
"True. But if there're two souls sharing one body and both are technically being exorcised then what one stays? Let's find out. Give me a kiss, lover." Hilary pressed her lips onto Kai's and immediately he felt his body lose its control. It was as if there was some one else in the driver's seat and he was now the passenger.
"No!" Screamed Hilary as she watched in horror as the two souls left the body.
It seemed that in the scenario of two souls being exorcised from the one body, no one got to stay.
Kai's lifeless body fell to the floor in a mixture of confusion, agony, shock and death.
There was a bright light as Kai felt himself awaken. His senses became immediately alert as he looked at the white nothingness that surrounded him. He was suspended in mid air as there was no floor to support him. Then he realised that he was dead. It didn't fill with as much dread as he thought it would. On the contrary, he felt at peace, calm. He could float in this beautiful emptiness forever…just in peace…
"Hey doc." East's voice shattered the harmony around him. Kai wondered what he was doing here if this was heaven. Then he realised that it obviously wasn't heaven. "Where are we?"
"Purgatory, it would seem. We're awaitening the final judgement." Kai felt like groaning. It could be several millennia before the judge came to them. "It'll then be decided wither we go to heaven or hell or wherever it is the good and bad people go."
East nodded. "You're taking this pretty well. It kind of hoped you'd be a bit distraught about the whole dying thing but you seem pretty calm."
Kai fell back onto an invisible cloud. "I am."
"I'm kind of sorry it had to end like this," East said.
Kai looked at him through the corner of his eye. He seriously couldn't be bothered with the man at this point. He couldn't be bothered with anything: life, death, anything. All he wanted to do was sit back and sleep…
"…with me dying. I thought I would live until I was an old man." He looked down his nose at Kai's relaxed body. "I don't care about you. You messed with my life. You deserve to be here."
"Right back at you."
East sighed and gave up. On earth he could easily get under Kai's skin but in this otherworld nothing was going to faze him. Kai had obviously accepted death. Strangely enough, so had he. This was what death really felt like. Not like the trail run he'd had when Kai had killed him. That had been horrible. There had been a constant feeling of incompleteness. This death, real death was great. He felt at ease, so calm, so tranquil…
"What's that?" East asked and shielded his eyes. Approaching them was a bright light, brighter than the whiteness around them and possibly even brighter than the sun.
"Judgement." Kai said simply.
The light stopped in front of them and before them materialised the most beautiful woman either of the had ever seen. Her skin was as pale as the snow and her hair as golden as the sun. Her face was as pure as a new born baby. She looked strangely childlike yet wise at the same time: as if she knew more than they would ever know. Her eyes had neither irises nor pupils. They were a blank space that shone in a heavenly white light. She wore a white dress – plain – and nothing on her feet. On her head there was a tiara of gold and down both her arms a golden bangle wrapped itself from her wrist until it rested just before her shoulder.
She was so beautiful both men felt like crying.
Her hands folded underneath her stomach as she looked at both Kai and East carefully but not scrutinising. Then she spoke. Her words echoed throughout the ages with the delicacy of a bell. The tinkling sound was one which neither of them would forget.
"Kai Hiwatari and Craig East. You are here to be judged. The paths you chose in life will determine those which you walk in death. If you have fought evil and corruption then you shall live in my kingdom forever in peace; the peace you know here. If you have let evil take over you and live within you then your fate will not be as pleasant. You shall live in the toil and labour of the Dark world until you can redeem yourself and can be forgiven.
"Craig East, you have lived a life that so many people would have gladly died for. However, you lived it with greed and hate. These things drove you to do terrible things to those that you once care about and to those who are cared about by them. In death, you shall wear the chains you forged in life." She shook her head and diamond tears fell from her face. "I'm sorry, but you can't live with me. You have to find redemption in the fire and brimstone. You must serve your sentence." Her voice changed to a gentle whisper. "I'm sorry.
"Kai Hiwatari, your life had been spent helping others to live their eternity in peace and happiness. You have devoted your time to aiding those so desperately in need of help. Your involvement with Hilary Tatibana has led to you death but now is not your time to die. Like the phoenix, I shall give you the gift of new life for there is more of your destiny still to come. I see a future with this woman and a happy life with your children." She smiled to reveal pearl white teeth that seemed to glisten like crystals themselves. "What you have done in life has given you a second chance. Don't waste it."
There was the sound of crackling flames approaching and Kai felt the distinct smell of smoke rise through his nostrils. He saw East smelt it too. And he looked petrified. The Judge was sorrowful as rusty, iron shackles clasped around East's wrists and ankles, binding him in eternal chains. A scream of horror filled the air as he fell through the emptiness and was swallowed up by a black hole that had formed. Once it had devoured its pray, the hole closed up again and there was peace.
"Kai," The Judge met his crimson eyes with her lights, "before you go I want you to promise me that you'll let go of the past that haunts you inside. I can see that there is still a pain in your heart that has never left; a pain that's caused by the guilt from your past actions from which you are deeply sorry." She smiled that smile again. "Those who have left you are at peace now. They never blamed you and they never will. Please let go of your past. It might one day destroy you."
Kai said nothing. He couldn't say anything at all. Nothing he could say would fit the presence of this godlike woman.
"Farewell, Kai." Slowly she raised her palm to her ruby red lips and blew gently.
Kai felt himself being thrust backwards and landed on something hard with a painful jolt. There was only darkness around him but he could hear voices. He could hear the voices of his friends: his family. A surge of relief that he didn't know he had flooded through him. He had been sent back to live again. They'd given him another chance. He had another chance to be with Hilary.
"Is he breathing?" Max asked with some distress.
Something rested on below his nose. "I can feel air coming out!" Garnet sounded hysterically happy. "He's came back! We've brought him back."
His shoulders began to shake roughly. "Wake up Kai! Wake up!" Hilary screamed.
He opened his eyes slowly and looked around him. The room was the same as he had left it: a terrible mess. He was also surrounded by a collection of worried faces. Then he saw Hilary's. Her's was – to him – the fairest of all. He reached for her and pulled him tightly. He could feel her body heave up and down with sobs.
"I thought you died. I thought you were dead."
"I was."
"Don't be stupid." Tala shook his head scolding. "You didn't die or you wouldn't be here, right?"
"I'm not so sure. His heart stopped beating and he wasn't breathing so technically he was dead for thirty seconds." Mariah checked her watch. If they were lucky, an entire minute had passed since Kai had fallen to the floor. It had seemed like an eternity.
"Only thirty seconds?" Kai sat up. "It seemed like much longer."
Kenny frowned and looked at his boss. "How would you know? You died. You'd have no concept of time unless you were dreaming. Even then, though, it would take up to five minutes for any dream to completely take wing."
Kai looked at his friend sceptically. "It seemed pretty damn real to me."
"What happened?" Ray and Tyson asked together.
Feeling weary, Kai shook his head. "I'll fill you all in later." Slowly he stood up. His entire body felt like it had been in an earthquake. All over there was pain and stiffness. He made a mental note never to die again. "Let's all go to bed. I think we need some rest."
Agreeing wholeheartedly, the troupe of teens left the hauntingly empty office for the night. Kai waited behind and surveyed the damage. Thank God for insurance. His eye rested on the photograph of East. He bent down to pick it up and ripped it into pieces. Justice had been done.
Some one cleared their throat at the door and Kai looked up to find Hilary smiling. She held out her hand to him and he took it almost too readily. He found himself suddenly missing her, every part of her: from her skin to her hair to her eyes to her mouth. That was his destination. He met his lips with hers and they kissed for what seemed like forever.
Forever wasn't long enough for him.
"So are you going to tell me what happened or are we just going to kiss for the rest of our lives?" Hilary asked teasingly.
"Well," Kai said, smirking, "I've been given some pretty good predictions from a very reliable source. Predictions about you and me."
"Oh…" Hilary raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Were they good?"
"Oh yeah," He kissed her softly. "Kids were mentioned, too, if you'll believe."
"Kids? Why, how many?"
Kai smiled as he walked her out of the room, his hand around her waist, closing the door behind him. "I'm thinking two or three. Maybe four."
"Is that all?"
They both laughed as they walked off to bed and to sleep. Their laughs echoed in the hallway as they talked lovingly. That was an emotion that would haunt them forever. But right now, forever could wait.
And that would be the end of Beautiful Soul. This has got to be one of the most enjoyable stories to write that I've ever had! I have some ideas for the future for anyone whose interested, though they'll be nothing to do with BS.
I hope everyone likes this ending! And to those who don't, aww man:(
Thanks to everyone who read this story! Knowing that people are reading what i'm writing makes me hapy:D
jellybean-kitty