Counting Crows

Author: FaKe

Pairing: Rei/Mao

Rating: K+

Warnings: Mild Cussing

Fandom: Beyblade

POV: 3rd person

Disclaimer: I do not in any way own Beyblade or any of it's related characters

A/N: Hello, This is using the same sort-of plot as Another day in China, will be focused the same. This is generally the story re-written with different aspects in it.

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+ The Counting Begins +

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The slim, lightly tanned form of a female shifted slightly, the mattress beneath them creaking ever so slightly in their movement, the body twitched and snuggled further into the pale blankets, the cream covers ruffling and dipping in the bends of her body. Mao yawned and tried futilely to clutch at the sleep that was trickling away in a steady river, she groaned slightly and burrowed further beneath her bed covers, attempting to escape the bright white light streaming through the clear window behind her. She frowned and heard the muffled sound of someone walking up the stairs and past her room, she figured that it must be Rai, their parents were rarely up at that time, whatever time that was, the girl pondered inwardly, she had a mild guess but not an accurate one, she thought it may be around seven, it being earlier or later a great possibility.

She lifted her head, the act seeming to sap her energy despite how small it was, she breathed loudly and blinked blearily at her head board merely an inch from her nose, she sniffed and turned in the bed, her eyes sliding closed again to avoid the suns rays. Her pink hair dropped over her face as she turned her head towards the light, her pointed ears picking up the sound of a person walking back towards her room, she prayed they would just go by and not come in to awake her from her non existent sleep. She cursed the morning silently and scoffed lightly under her breath as the person did what she was hoping they wouldn't. Rai smirked slowly, a fang glinting before he shook his head, tanned hands reaching down and gripping the edge of the duvet, his mouth spreading to a grin as he pulled at it violently, whipping it straight off of his sister and into a pile on the wooden floor.

He watched, greatly amused as her left hand fumbled around for the blanket blindly as a shiver slivered through her, the winter air creeping over her and causing goose bumps to form on her exposed thighs and arms, she curled further into herself to try and stay warm, only managing to make the other side of her body cold, she grumbled under her breath before shifting and sitting up, her bright amber eyes narrowed angrily at the boy who was smiling serenely from his spot, she sighed and swung her legs around and off the side of her bet, her bare feet touching the freezing floor, another shiver moving through her. She stood and rubbed her eyes slowly, hearing her brother exit and close the door behind him.

"Why do mornings have to be early so damn early?"

She asked the silent air, her fingers moving to flit through her matted and tangled hair, lithe appendages sliding through the strands and straightening them into a somewhat presentable state, she padded over to her desk and decided against trying to go back to sleep, her mind thoroughly awake by this time. Her hair bobbed a little as she sat down somewhat ungracefully, her thin hands reaching forward to pick up the hairbrush on the wooden surface, her vibrant eyes flitted over the top of the desk, taking in the items and what she needed next after she finished with her hair, a few irritable noises made themselves heard as the brush snagged on a few tough knots in the silky tresses. She placed the brush down and shook her head a little, her soft pink hair now fluffy and light as it draped over her back and shoulders.

She applied a faint layer of black eyeliner and a thin coating of shimmering gold eye shadow, the glittery eye makeup bringing out the colour in her eyes further, not that she needed the enhancement to them, she yawned and got to her feet her legs taking her over to her wardrobe where she proceeded to strip and change into her new school uniform, the white shirt form fitting with three quarter length sleeves, the black skirt short, barely covering any of her legs, she made a noise of irritation as she pulled on the v necked sleeveless sweater, the black matching that of her skirt. She pulled out the remaining items and shut the doors with a quiet slam, it was times like these she was glad for training; one foot rising to allow a black knee high sock to cover it and then the same with the other, flat black shoes with a single strap over the front were slipped on easily over her socked feet, and last but not least, a black tie tied around her throat and tucked under her sweatshirt.

"There! Done, now to go downstairs and shout at Rai for waking me up so early"

She said to herself, apparently not caring that it wasn't really a sane thing to do, she smiled and picked up a sleek black ribbon on her way out, her lithe fingers deftly weaving a tight plait at the base of her neck, the ribbon being tied in her usual fashion, the ends pointing out horizontally, the tips dropping ever so slightly, she hummed as she walked down the wooden stairs, her hand trailing down the banister rail as she went, a smile still painted over her soft lips, the edges curving up slightly in a graceful manner, she jumped down the remaining few steps and walked into the kitchen, sliding her rear onto a stool silently as she watched the black haired boy fight with their toaster, he apparently hadn't really gotten the hang of all modern appliances, she giggled behind her hand quietly, earning herself a narrowed eyed look, she lowered her hands to the table to steeple them on the shiny surface, her thumbs rotating around each other idly as she observed the male, a smile still present, her amusement obvious to anyone who could see her.

"Oh forget it, come on Mao, let's go"

"What, already Rai? But I'm hungry"

"Then you should've gotten up earlier shouldn't you?"

Mao frowned and folded her arms over her ample chest, her mouth moving to mimic his words silently behind his back as he walked her feet following after his, her eyes watching him as he bent to pick up his backpack. She just stuck her leg out as he started out of the house, her limb causing him to trip over and only just catch his balance, she giggled again loudly and picked up her book bag, the smooth brown leather strap fitting easily into her hand as she flew out of the door suddenly and started running down the hill from their house, her upper body turning allowing her to watch Rai as he begrudgingly stood to close and lock their front door, she laughed loudly and waved before facing back forwards again, her legs carrying her speedily into the forest and around the trees, she was glad her legs could keep up with the accumulated speed, it wasn't a nice feeling when your body was trying to keep going from momentum when your legs can't do the same.

She slid to a quiet halt and smiled, her lungs expanding as she took in a very deep breath, her legs crossed over each other as she spun full circle twice over, she hopped up onto a small boulder, her balance only slightly impaired by her current footwear, she smiled to herself and jumped back off the rock, a few small petals and seeds flying and being suspended in the air momentarily from the gust of wind only to get shifted quickly as her legs moved forwards again, her walk more of a hop or skip as she continued to the side, going off the path completely as she headed for a cold clear river.

Mao's soft pink hair and airy black skirt elevated slightly as she dropped to her knees on the grass, her body leaning forwards, her arms bracing her to stop her falling into the liquid. She smiled into the run, her white teeth being reflected back at her in the same light smile, she turned her head slightly, her eyes catching on a small kitten, it's fur a reddish brown with black spots like that of a cheetahs, the feline continued towards her, it's paws thick and large compared to it's legs and it's tail double the length of a normal cat's tail. The girl lifted a hand and waved it in the air slowly at the cat, it's response a sharp nod of the head in greeting before it seated itself, staying in the shadows, it's vividly bright green eyes glowing slightly around the edges.

"Hey Galux"

Mao said simply, her head turning back to the water, she moved to lie on the grass, her arms folded on the floor, her chin on top of them, her eyelids slid down to cover her orbs, her breathing evening out slightly as she relaxed, the muscles in her body releasing their tension and becoming lax. She felt like smiling at that moment, her frame being too relaxed to perform the extremely simple action. She jumped and out of her limp state, her body turning and her eyes focusing on the person above her, she grumbled and got to her feet slowly, a soft yawn being covered by her hand. She took another look at Rai before grabbing her bag again and putting her free hand on her hip, her legs moving into gear to follow him as he walked back to the path were they could walk to school and hopefully arrive in a timely manner as it was their first day.

"Do you think we'll get friends?"

She frowned at his back as he just shrugged, she sighed and slammed the heel of her hand into his right shoulder, he started and looked at her, noting her displeasing look he sighed in an over dramatic fashion and dropped into step beside her, his hands in his black pants pockets. She smiled and wished she had both her arms free so she could fold her arms, she settled for turning the smile into a smug one as she watched him roll his eyes and open his mouth to reply to her verbally, if somewhat reluctantly from being pushed into doing so.

"I don't know, probably, we're not exactly dislikeable are we?"

"Nope, no we're not, well, I'm not, you are!"

She laughed and ducked out to avoid his arm swinging at her head to swipe her up the back of her pink covered cranium, she stuck out her tongue slowly and started walking backwards, having successfully avoided the slap. She hopped wordlessly over a log, her hands clasped behind her back as she continued her trail, not being able to see where she was going but not letting it bother her, after all she could easily manoeuvre without being able to see the floor or anything other people would need to take note of to avoid falling or tripping on anything.

She rotated herself around and stopped to allow Rai to arrive at her side again, she smiled brightly at her brother and they both started their walk again, the trek to their school taking the better part of an hour, the tiring walk proving to be more annoying in the chilled weather of the coldest season, their breaths fogging slightly in the frozen air. They both seemed to blink simultaneously and watch a black bird fly by them with quick movements, it slowed and perched itself atop a tree branch, it's dark eyes finding their forms and watching them, it's scrutinizing gaze cold and unfeeling, Mariah frowned and noted it was just completely solid in colour, it was black and seemed to have a glossy purple sheen, a Crow? Just one… Now how did that rhyme go?

One For Sorrow…

Two For Joy…

Three For A Girl…

Four For A Boy…

Five For Silver…

Six For Gold…

Seven For A Secret Never To Be Told…

Eight For A Wish…

Nine For A Kiss…

Ten For A Time Of Joyous Bliss…