"Tree House"

Chapter 2: "Kai's Date . . . and More"

Disclaimer: It's in the first chapter, and that's the only time I'm saying it.

Author's note: This is where the romance actually begins. However, there will still be humorous elements, and I will throw in some interesting plot twists. Ready? Read on!

Timeline: Originally, it was just after the final fight with the Saint Shields. Now it's after the Beyblade World Championships.

Kai was examining his wardrobe.

"Hey, Kai, whatcha up to?" Tyson asked.

"Wondering what I should wear to this date thing I got with Mariam," Kai replied.

"A date?" Tyson asked. "You mean that you traded a date for your revenge on Joseph and Dunga?"

"I never went on a date before," Kai replied. "As a matter of fact, I never interacted with girls that much before. Living in the Abbey, you didn't learn social skills, just the 'beauty' of defeating your enemies."

"That's sad," Tyson said. "Can I help you?"

"Have you gone on a date before?" Kai asked.

"No," Tyson admitted.

"But he'd like to go on one with Hilary!" Max interjected.

"No, I wouldn't!" Tyson denied vehemently. "She's loud, pushy, and annoying! Why would I want to go on a date with someone like her?!"

"She sounds just perfect for you, Tyson," Mariah commented.

"Yeah," Ray agreed.

"Since when did this turn into a discussion of Tyson's persistent denial of his feelings for Hilary?" Kai asked. "I thought we were helping me figure out what to wear for my date with Mariam."

"I am not denying anything!" Tyson protested. "I have no feelings for Hilary except extreme annoyance!"

"And the only thing I feel when it comes to you is an urge to throw up!" Hilary retorted.

"Oh, yeah," Tyson said. "You can't handle all this!" He made a gesture toward himself to underscore his meaning.

"Please," Hilary scoffed. "You're not all that, as much as you'd like to think you are."

"Both of you, shut up," Kai said. "I'm tired of your bickering, and I'm trying to figure out what to wear, which I can't do if you're going to keep arguing." He sighed in annoyance.

"Keep the top, but those baggy black jeans look good," Max said.

"Thank you," Kai said.

"You're welcome," Max replied.

The Saint Shields' lair

Mariam was looking through her wardrobe for a suitable outfit. After all, she did want to look good on her date with Kai.

Ha. Like she didn't already look good.

"The white sweater, black skirt, and fishnets work nicely," Ozuma's voice said from the door.

"Ozuma!" Mariam exclaimed, turning to look at him. "You startled me."

"Sorry," Ozuma replied. "Good luck on your date with Kai tonight."

"Thanks, Ozuma," Mariam said. "I'm really looking forward to it."

Ozuma chuckled. "I think it's fairly obvious by now that you have a thing for Kai. Is that why you offered him the date in exchange for bringing him to Joseph and Dunga?"

"How'd you know?" Mariam asked.

"Please," Ozuma replied. "It was easy to figure out after that one night I heard you moaning Kai's name in your sleep."

Mariam blushed. "You heard that?"

"Yeah," Ozuma replied. "Anyway, I'll leave you alone now." He departed from her room, leaving her to get dressed.

In the tree house

"You think we oughtta follow Kai when he goes out with Mariam tonight?" Tyson asked.

"That's a bad idea, Tyson," Kenny said. "What if they catch us?"

"They won't," Tyson replied. "Not when we're wearing these!" He held up what looked like a black ninja costume.

"Now that is the most ridiculous idea I've ever witnessed you come up with," Hilary said.

"You're just jealous that you didn't think of it first," Tyson retorted.

"Oh, yeah, I'm jealous," Hilary admitted sarcastically. "I'm jealous that I didn't come up with a stupid idea to dress up like ninjas so that we can follow Kai."

"These costumes will enable us to blend in with the night," Tyson explained. "Kai and Mariam won't be able to see us."

Mariah took one of the ninja costumes. "Hey, this one's got a ribbon like mine!"

"You mean to tell me that you actually sewed these yourself?" Kenny asked.

"Yeah, I did," Tyson replied. "It wasn't that hard. I just got some nice black fabrics and made us a bunch of stealth outfits." Just then, he threw one into the shadowy corner of the tree house.

"Hey, where'd it go?" Max asked. "I can't see it anywhere."

Tyson reached into the corner and pulled it out. "See my point? It blends in with the shadows, thus making whoever it wears it practically invisible!"

"All right, I'm sold," Kenny said. "I strongly disagree with this, but I'm coming just to watch your backs."

"All in favor of spying on Kai and Mariam's date, say 'aye,'" Tyson said. Then with Max, Ray, and Mariah, "Aye."

"I guess we know who the 'nays' are," Ray said.

"You don't have to go if you don't want to, Hilary," Tyson said.

"I'm with Kenny," Hilary said. "I don't agree with this, but I'm coming anyway just to look out for you."

"Gee, I didn't know you cared," Tyson cracked.

"Shut up, Tyson," Hilary retorted.

Nightfall

"Ok, Kai's leaving," Tyson said, reporting from the tree house. "You guys ready?"

"Yeah, we're ready," Max said.

"Let's go," Tyson commanded. He leaped down from the tree house, revealing that he was in the stealth garment. The others followed him, wearing their own stealth garments. As one, they followed Kai, keeping him in their sights and keeping themselves hidden.

They followed him all the way to the Saint Shields' lair. Once there, they hid themselves in the shadows while staying in a position to watch him.

Kai's point of view

Kai was standing outside the door, pondering on what to do. Finally, he knocked on the door. Soon enough, Ozuma answered.

"You're here for Mariam?" he asked.

"Who else would I be here for, Dunga?" Kai replied.

Ozuma chuckled briefly at that. "All right. I'll tell her you're here." He turned back inside and shouted, "Mariam! Kai's here!"

"I'm on my way, Ozuma!" Mariam's voice shouted back.

After a minute or so, Mariam came down the stairs, dressed in a white sweater, black miniskirt, fishnet stockings, leather boots, and a chain-choker. "Hi, Kai." She looked him up and down. "You look good."

"So do you," Kai replied.

"I'll leave you two alone," Ozuma said, slinking off. "Have fun."

Kai removed his hand from behind his back, revealing a bouquet of violets. "I didn't know what else to get you. I was thinking roses, but somehow it didn't seem right."

Mariam blushed. "These are my favorite flowers! How did you know?"

"I didn't," Kai replied.

"Thank you," Mariam said.

"You're welcome," Kai replied.

Is it just my imagination, Mariam thought, or is Kai actually shy? She chuckled silently. Oh, he is!

"So where do you wanna go?" Kai asked as he and Mariam walked down the street together.

"I'm famished," Mariam said.

"That's all right," Kai replied. "I know a perfect place for us to eat."

A downtown restaurant

Kai and Mariam arrived at an upscale restaurant called Yukinko, after the Snow Woman of Japanese legend.

"I'm feeling a bit underdressed," Mariam said, looking around at the other patrons, who were dressed mostly in suits and dresses.

"Don't worry," Kai said as he escorted her to a table. "I made friends with the owner of this place." Just then, a waitress came over to them.

"Why, Mr. Hiwatari, this is the first time you've brought someone with you," she said.

"Yeah, it is, Sae," Kai replied. "This is Mariam. Mariam, this is Sae, my regular waitress."

"Nice to meet you," Mariam said.

After taking down their orders, Sae departed.

"So what do you think of this place so far?" Kai asked.

"I think it's nice," Mariam replied. "One question, though: Why is Sae so familiar with you?"

"She's a good conversationalist," Kai replied. "Besides, who else is there for me to talk to?"

Mariam smiled, her crystal green eyes twinkling. "You've got me now, Kai."

"Thanks," Kai said.

After Sae came back with their orders, Kai and Mariam proceeded to eat. "Mmmm, this is good," Mariam said.

"I know," Kai said. "The owner of this place is actually an old friend of my father."

"What about your father?" Mariam asked.

"Not something worth talking about now," Kai replied. "He's gone, and thinking about the past has never been good for me. Too many bad memories."

"Maybe I could help you build some new ones," Mariam suggested. "Better memories."

Kai said nothing for a full minute. Then, the corners of his lips curled upward in a small smile. "I'd like that, Mariam. I'd like that a lot."

Meanwhile, the other Bladebreakers, Mariah, Hilary, and Kenny had been spying on Kai and Mariam through the window.

"Hey, Kai's actually smiling," Max said. "I never thought I'd see the day."

"He must really like Mariam," Tyson commented.

"This is stupid," Hilary said. "This is Kai's first date! It's a sacred moment in a teenage boy's life! And we're intruding on it!"

"Pipe down, Hilary," Tyson said. "These stealth suits keep us out of sight, not out of hearing. And what would you know about sacred moments in a teenage boy's life?"

"I know enough," Hilary replied saucily.

"Oh, get a look at this," Mariah said, sounding excited.

"What is it, Mariah?" Ray asked.

"Look," Mariah replied.

The six teenagers looked and saw an unusual sight --- unusual for Kai, that was. He and Mariam were feeding each other their food.

"Whoa, I don't believe this," Kenny said.

"That's so romantic," Hilary said, a blissful expression on her face, which was currently hidden by a hood and a cloth over the lower half of it.

"Yeah, sure," Tyson said sarcastically.

"I pity you, Tyson," Hilary said. "You spend so much time acting like an ass that you don't know what romance is. In fact, you wouldn't know what true love is if it bit you in the rear!"

"I just care about my beyblading," Tyson said. "I could care less about 'romance.'"

"Oh, I know someone you'd like to be romantic with," Ray said, smirking.

"Yeah, who?" Tyson asked.

"You were just arguing with her," Ray replied.

"Hilary! Hell, no!" Tyson shouted. "There's no way I would be romantic with her! She's pushy, bossy, demanding, and obnoxious!"

"In other words, your perfect girl," Mariah said.

"No way in hell!" Tyson shouted.

"Ditto!" Hilary agreed. "He's lazy, overconfident, egotistical, and annoying!"

"The perfect boyfriend for you," Mariah said.

Tyson and Hilary looked at each other.

Me with her? he thought.

Me with him? she thought.

Ironically enough, their next thoughts came simultaneously and were identical.

NO WAY!

However, another thought impinged on their consciousnesses.

"Oh, Tyson," Hilary said.

"Oh, Hilary," Tyson said, holding her in his arms. They were looking into each other's eyes, love burning inside them.

"I love you, Tyson," Hilary said.

"I love you, Hilary," Tyson said.

"Kiss me," Hilary said.

"As you wish, my love," Tyson said. They inched closer and closer to each other, their lips just millimeters away from meeting.

That was when they both snapped out of it, shaking their heads rapidly as though to shake that thought out of their minds.

"Something wrong?" Max asked.

"Where do you get off putting thoughts in my head?" Tyson asked Ray and Mariah. "Now I'll have nightmares for a month!"

"Only a month?" Hilary asked. "I've got enough bad images for two!"

"You just can't handle a man of my stature," Tyson scoffed.

"You're barely passing high school!" Hilary retorted. "If anything, you can't handle a strong, confident woman like me!"

"Try obnoxious little girl," Tyson rejoined.

"You know," Max said, "I think this is one of those things where they're going to end up kissing."

"You're arrogant, cocky, narcissistic, lazy, and obnoxious!" Hilary exclaimed.

"Well, you're pushy, abrasive, demanding, and domineering!" Tyson exclaimed.

"I didn't know you could read the dictionary, Tyson," Hilary replied sarcastically.

"I wish you would just shut up!" Tyson yelled.

"I wish you would just shut up!" Hilary retorted.

Suddenly, Tyson reached out and removed her hood and face cloth, exposing her face in one swift motion. He removed his own hood and face cloth and then they were kissing like the oxygen in each other's lungs was what they needed to survive.

"It seems that you were right, Max," Kenny said.

"Well, it's about time," Dizzi said from within the laptop.

"Hey, Kai and Mariam are leaving," Mariah said.

That was what snapped Tyson and Hilary out of their haze of passion. They pulled away from each other like vipers had bitten them.

"You kissed me!" Hilary exclaimed, horrified.

"You kissed me!" Tyson exclaimed, just as horrified.

"You liked it," Ray said, smiling. "I know you liked it."

"That was the most horrifying experience of my life," Hilary said.

"On that much we agree," Tyson said.

"Settle this later," Dizzi said. "The phoenix and the shark are on the move."

Tyson pulled his face cloth back up over his nose and mouth and pulled the hood back over his head, as did Hilary. Then along with Max, Ray, Kenny, and Mariah, they followed Kai and Mariam.

"So where do you wanna go now?" Kai asked.

"I think it'd be nice to take a walk to the park," Mariam replied.

"Sure," Kai said. "That would be nice."

So they walked to the park, blissfully unaware of the six ninja-garbed youths that were stalking them. Mariam sat on a swing.

"Care to push me?" she asked.

"All right," Kai replied. He placed his hands on her lower back and pushed, sending Mariam soaring high on the swing.

"Wow," Mariam said, giggling. "You've got strong arms!"

"Yeah, I do," Kai said, smirking. He pushed her again.

"Now they're playing on the swings," Ray said from his vantage point. He paused. "Actually, Mariam's on the swing and Kai's just pushing her."

"Hey, now Kai's getting on a swing," Mariah said. "This ought to be interesting."

"Let's see who can swing higher," Kai said.

"You're on," Mariam replied. "I should warn you: These legs aren't just there to look pretty."

"And you do have pretty legs," Kai said, smirking.

"Why, thank you, Kai," Mariam said.

"You're welcome," Kai replied.

So they began their swing competition. "You're good at this, Kai," Mariam said.

"Oh, I'm quite the swinger," Kai replied, smiling.

"It's about time someone made that sourpuss smile," Tyson said.

"Looks like Kai's in love with Mariam, too," Max noted.

"They barely interact," Ray said. "How can you be sure?"

"Haven't you ever heard of 'loving from afar'?" Mariah asked. "Ray, Ray, you can be quite the innocent sometimes."

"As if you're experienced," Ray replied jokingly.

"Ok, I'm done swinging," Kai said.

"Me, too," Mariam agreed. "Now let's see who can jump farther from the swing. Ready?"

"Ready," Kai replied.

"3," Mariam said.

"2," Kai said.

"1 --- go!" they both shouted, leaping off their respective swings. Both landed gracefully, like gymnasts off a vault.

"Uh, we're both pretty close to each other," Kai said.

"Yeah," Mariam agreed. "Kinda hard to tell who landed farther."

"Ah, never mind," Kai said. "You're a good jumper, Mariam."

"Thanks," Mariam said. "You're not so bad yourself." She smiled. "Do you want to come back with me?"

"Sure," Kai replied.

"Where are they going now?" Kenny asked.

"Looks like they're going to her place," Hilary said.

"With the other Saint Shields?" Mariah wondered.

"Sounds like it," Ray replied.

"Let's follow them," Tyson said.

So the six followed Kai and Mariam. However, they soon discovered that they weren't going to the Saint Shields' lair at all. However, Max recognized the path they were traveling.

"Hey, I know where they're going," he said.

"Where?" Tyson asked.

"To the hotel," Max replied.

"You serious, Max?" Tyson asked.

"Of course I'm serious, Tyson," Max replied. "Now let's keep following them."

The hotel

Kai and Mariam entered an upscale hotel. They walked up to the counter and Mariam said, "We would like a room to spend the night."

"Yes, I'll check to see if there are any rooms available," the woman at the counter said. She looked through her database and then looked up at the young couple. "We have one vacancy."

"Whatever it is, we'll take it," Kai said.

"It's the honeymoon suite," the woman said. She smiled. "You two are such a cute couple. Are you going to get married?"

"We're not quite old enough for that yet," Mariam replied.

"Oh, well," the woman said. "Enjoy your stay. The bellhop will show you to your room."

Outside the hotel, the other Bladebreakers, Kenny, Hilary, and Mariah were watching. Fortunately, the windows weren't soundproof and so they managed to hear where Kai and Mariam were going to be staying.

"The honeymoon suite?" Tyson repeated. He smiled wickedly underneath his face cloth. "Oh, this is going to be so freaking cool!" However, practicality soon reared its head to silence Tyson's jubilant spirits. "Where is the honeymoon suite?"

"That's what we have to find out," Ray replied.

"Oh, no!" Kenny protested. "No! We've gone too far already with this. Now you want us to spy on Kai and Mariam as they lose their virginity to each other?"

"Who said either one of them were virgins?" Tyson asked. Hilary whacked him upside the head for that one. "Ow, Hilary! What was that for?"

"For that remark, smart-ass," Hilary replied.

"I didn't know you were checking out Tyson's backside," Mariah said. She smiled evilly. "Although, he does have a nice butt."

"Hmph," Ray said.

"Yours is even nicer," Mariah replied.

"Why, thank you," Ray said.

"You're welcome," Mariah said. "But while we're down here chatting, they're up there losing their virginity to each other. Now let's go see it!"

"Even if I wanted to see it, which I don't, the fact remains that there's no way for us to climb up there," Kenny said.

"Of course there is," Tyson replied. "Micro-suction cups are built into the soles of our boots and the fingers of our gloves." He placed one foot and both hands on the wall, then reached up with one hand and pulled himself completely up onto the wall. Once on it, he began climbing.

"Who does he think he is, Spider-Man?" Hilary asked.

"We should follow him," Kenny replied. "For his own safety."

So the five teens climbed up the wall to follow Tyson. They scurried along the walls, looking through the windows for the honeymoon suite. They finally found it when they saw Kai and Mariam enter the room from which window they were observing.

"Just sit back, Kai," Mariam said. "I have to go get ready." She kissed him on the forehead. Then in a sultry voice, "I'll be back."

Kai smiled and sat back on the bed. "I can't wait."

"Oh, you'll wait," Mariam said. "And it'll be worth your while." She sauntered off into the bathroom, leaving Kai to wait.

"What is she doing?" Max asked.

"It's a woman thing," Ray replied. "They tease to get our blood flowing."

"Besides, the anticipation is half the fun," Mariah added. "Why do you think we do it so much?"

Inside, Kai was in an agony of anticipation. Whatever she has planned for me, I'm sure I'll like it, he thought.

"Oh, Kai," Mariam's singsong voice said. "Waiting for me?"

Kai turned and saw Mariam wearing a black rose-patterned bra and thong with a garter belt holding up her fishnet stockings. He immediately felt his blood pumping, although all of it was going south.

"Do you like this, Kai?" Mariam asked.

Kai was stunned speechless. Normally, he didn't see much of a need for it, but right now he wasn't silent of his own choice.

"No need to say anything," Mariam said, smiling seductively. "That bulge in your pants is answer enough." She sashayed toward him, her hips swaying seductively. She knelt on the bed and crawled toward Kai. Finally, she was on her hands and knees over Kai. "Hello there, love." That said, she kissed him deeply, her tongue probing the inside of his mouth.

"This is gonna be good," Tyson said.

End Notes: And there's the end of that chapter. You're probably very mad at me for this, but who cares? Assuming I can settle my problems with mediaminer.org (they won't let me upload chapters for my fanfics), you'll get to see Kai and Mariam do the deed. Until then, please review.