Charlie

San Francisco a town full of life whether it was night or day. That was one thing Hilary had to agree upon. It was now two week since her life came to an abrupt stop when the love of her life had walked out on her.

After arriving in the airport Hilary was determinant to forget all about Kai and her life with the Bladebreakers, it was time to start a life of her own. During her life with both Kai and the Bladebreakers, she had educated herself as a business secretary, thinking that might come in handy if she ever was going to have a life with Kai, but that dream went out in the gutter. Luckily for her, a big business corporation had stumbled over one of her old teachers who had highly recommended her and now she stood to have a job interview with a multi billion business corporation. She had decided to go out and celebrate the good news with a drink, but it had soon turned over in sadness, anger and the horrible feeling of missing her friends and Kai. It didn't take long for one drink to be two mores and another one and so went the night.

The rays of the sun were annoying her eyes immensely, she opened them looked around and found to her horror that she was not in her rented hotel room. No, she was in a shabby looking motel room and she didn't remember anything. Perhaps I should stop drinking...weird stuff always happens when I get drunk... Hilary thought, then a sudden movement right next to her made her eyes widen.

She slowly looked over her right shoulder, she came face to face with a strange man and did the only thing she could do...scream. "ARGGHHH". Strangely the man had obviously thought the same thing and was screaming just as loud as she, if not louder. Anyhow, the screaming caused the two naked people to fall off the bed they only seconds ago had been sharing. Both suddenly aware of the lack of clothes furiously pulled at the bedcovers to cover themselves up. Hilary victoriously got a hold of the bedcovers while the man was necessary to take the sheets. This is so not happening to me, I can't have been sleeping with a strange man! Hilary thought madly not knowing that the unfamiliar man was thinking the same thing just with a different reason.

A WOMAN...I'VE SLEPT WITH A WOMAN! The strange man thought looking shock as if his whole life foundation had been shook to its very core, which no one really could blame him for. A thought entered his mind and he quickly stood up facing Hilary, who was sitting on the other side of the bed. "Look I d-didn't raped you... I don't do horrible things like that..." his voice trembled, "My boyfriend just broke up with me and I needed to get out...s-so I got drunk" he tried to reason, if he just explained the mysterious girl the whole thing she wouldn't accuse him for anything...he hoped. Hilary just sat staring at him shocked, he was drunk just like me... his boyfriend broke up...wait a minute...BOYFRIEND. Hilary slowly got to her feet; the strange man was watching her with anxiety written all over his face and suddenly she couldn't take anymore. All the past weeks events just came over her and she broke down, crying her heart out. The man felt a protective feeling coming over him and he rushed over to unknown woman, "Oh sweetheart" he said and gathered the small woman into his arms, "m-me t-too" Hilary sobbed and then explained herself further, "m-my b-boyfriend broke up with m-me too". It didn't take an expert for the man to understand what the woman in his arms was talking about, she too had gotten drunk and the two of them had both lost someone they had treasured very much.

He tilted her face and smiled at her, "My name is Charles Manor, but my friends calls me Charlie", Hilary smiled a weak smile back, "Nice to meet you Charles Manor. I'm Hilary Tachibana." He took out his hand and shook hers, "Well nice to meet you too Hilary Tachibana" and slowly Hilary felt that she had found a new friend in a bit unusual way, but a friend none the least.

The two adults sat in the shabby motel room for an hour or two trying to figurer out what had happened the previous night and both of them came up with absolutely...nothing! Then Charlie thought of most brilliant idea that Hilary hadn't heard in a long time, shopping.

Charlie guided her through the most popular places in San Francisco; they spend hours together of talking about their lives, their ex-boyfriends. Apparently Charlie's ex-boyfriend had thought of him too serious about his life and he had wanted to find someone much younger and more "fresh".

Hilary had in turn talked about her life with the Bladebreakers and her relationship with Kai.

Charlie stared at her in pure wonder, "You kidding me... right? He actually went and did that?" Hilary laughed at Charlie's face expression, "Yeah... He chased Mark, Connor, Clark, Rao, Raidon, Simon, Dirich, Jaspar, Frederic and Alex away and of course I thought that there was something wrong with me, that I was the horrible one that I actually was a wicked witch" Hilary said amused. Charlie looked at her questionable, "So, how did you find out?" Hilary's eyes went unfocused as she remembered the memory.

She was walking slowly in the rain... down to the beach. She really didn't feel like going to Tyson's dojo and say that the tenth guy who had asked her had dumped her. She could just imagine Tyson laughing straight in her face and how Max, Kenny and Ray would try to comfort her...pity her and Kai... well Kai she considered as her best friend now. The two of them had gotten closer the past year and she could just imagine Kai say that it was her mistake to make, not that he had ever said it to her, but she could definitely imagine it.

Hilary was silently thankful for the rain as it poured down her face, washing away all evidence of her tears away, when she thought about it Kai had been acting weird these few past months ever since Tyson's party where she on mistake got herself drunk and made-out with Oliver, she was thankful that she didn't remembered that incident, it was like Kai was hiding something from her, something important. Of course whenever she asked him about it, he would just "hmph" at her and walk away.

Finally she reached the beach, but stopped as soon as she heard some familiar sounds and voices. She walked forward slowly and saw Tala and Kai. They were in the middle of a beybattle, Kai appeared to be winning. "So you chased away Hilary's new guy...huh" Tala grinned, Kai slowly looked up, "It's none of your business", he snarled. Tala just seemed to smile more broadly at that remark, "You like her...don't you?" Kai furiously slammed Dranzer into Wolborg as a reply to the question, "Shut up! You don't know what you are talking about" Kai hissed. A frown appeared on Tala's face, he had just teased his friend, but he could certainly pick up the vibes that erupted from Kai...it was serious. "You did chase those guys away" Tala said serious and was shocked as the revelation finally dawned upon him, "You like Hilary!"

Kai immediately launched a powerful attack against the unprepared Tala. The energy from Kai's Dranzer send Tala and Wolborg out on a small flying trip and he landed hard on the ground. Kai summoned Dranzer back to the palm of his hand, he turned round and froze... Hilary was watching him paralyzed and with eyes widen. She slowly walked up to him and stared at him, still shocked at what she just heard, but she couldn't stop her anger from coming out. "How dare you!" she hissed out before starting pounding at him with all her might while she yelled, "Howdareyouhowdareyouhowdareyou" tears was running down her face mixing with the water of the rain, she fell all her strength leaving her and would had fall to the ground if it hadn't been for Kai. He pulled her up against his body while she continued to mutter curses at him.

Hilary stopped her cursing when she found her body maybe a little to close to Kai's. She looked up at him, "Why Kai?" she asked desperate, "I thought you were my friend, why would you do something like that to me" Hilary sobbed. She felt Kai's hand caress her cheek and heard him answer, "Because we can't be friends anymore", Hilary shot him a questioning look, "not when I want to be more than a friend to you" Kai answered slowly capturing Hilary's beautiful ruby eyes in his crimson ones. Hilary looked down at the ground, she didn't know what to say and it wasn't helping one bit that Kai held her as close as he did. Then a thought entered Hilary's head and she turned her focus back at him into his trapping eyes, "Well... you owe me a date for the ten others I didn't have" Hilary said a bit stern. Kai on the other hand cracked a half smile, "deal".

Tala looked at the two teens from his position in the sand and smiled. It was not every day you witness a miracle.

"So that's how it happened" Charlie confirmed staring at Hilary's dreamy face. Hilary's face then turned sad, "and then it ended...just like that". Charlie stood up from the bench they had been sitting on and glanced down at the sad girl. "Well, here's my advice" Charlie said taking Hilary's hand making her stand with him, "You and I will stop thinking about our old jerks and start, as you put it, a new life and the first thing you can do... is telling me when and where that job interview of yours is." Hilary gave a small smile, she had completely forgotten all about that. "Well, its job at the McKinney Corporation as an assisting secretary, it should pay good money" Hilary stated not seeing Charlie's bemused face, "It does" he said, Hilary quickly looked at him, "How do you know that?" Hilary asked. Charlie gave a big grin, "because I'm working there and I'm doing the exact same thing as you do".