Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade or any of its characters, merchandise, TV rights, ect… (I think you get the point.)

Summery

ONE SHOT – Love gives us wings so we can sore to the heavens, only to brake them and watch as we crash onto the rocks. (Bryan/Mimi) (Kai/Sal/Rei)

Like all of my work this is just something that happened to float through the empty void inside my head. Like it or hate it please R and R as honest opinions are always welcomed, as are random acts of worship.

Lamb: I had one line of this in my head and the fic kinda grew round it. And when squish started mooning over Kai/Sal/Rei I thought it would fit well into this.

Muse: Unfortunately what you think and reality often tend to be two very different things.

Lamb: If I close me eyes he will just go away.

Dedi: It's never worked before but anything's worth a try.

Lamb: I like clutching it straws.

Muse: Prat.

Dedi: This fic is dedicated to Iluvbeyblade, who always says the things Lamb needs to hear even if she dosen't want to hear them. So Iluvbeyblade this is for you.

Lamb: As always sorry for any bad spelling and if you feel the need to throw things at me please wait until I've hidden behind the sofa kay!?

Muse: On with the fic!

Now I can't breathe,
No, I can't sleep,
I'm barely hanging on,
Here I am, once again,
I'm torn into pieces,
Can't deny it, can't pretend,

Decisions

"I love Rei and I hate Rei. I love Kai and I hate Kai." She turned suddenly whirling to face her refection and away from the girl she considered her best friend. "Shit I have to cheat just to make all the pieces fit."

"But I thought you said...?" Ming-Ming said her voice trailing off as she stared at the back of the young woman whose words were failing to make any sense.

"I did! I'd never cheat on Rei." Salima half sobbed half screamed. "I'm not sleeping with him, hell Kai and I have never even kissed, but..." She placed her hands on the top of the dressing table and Ming-Ming was distressed if not all that surprised to see the way the redheads nails were digging into the varnished surface.

"Oh you wouldn't understand." Sliver eyes brimmed with tears as she fought the wave of despair that washed over her. Ming-Ming sighed; she had been expecting something like this for some time. The storm had been brewing for so long that she had know it would only be a matter of time before the normally calm and collected Salima broke down.

Pushing azure hair from her face she stood and crossed the room to where her best friend stood still staring blankly at her refection. Comfortingly she slipped her arms around the taller girl's waist, hugging her tightly and resting her head on her shoulder. "Wouldn't understand? What? That when you're with him nothing else in the world seems to matter."

Ming-Ming rubbed her check gently against the fabric of the redheads white T-shirt before continuing. "It's like he's wounded or something, and you just want to make him whole again. You know that you'd do whatever he asked if, even just for a moment, you could make the sadness in his eyes vanish. They're all like that; all of them are broken. You'd sleep with him if he wanted and you wouldn't even think of it as cheating because when you're with him…there is no one else but him."

In the mirrors reflection Salima could see the tears that were rolling silently down the bluenettes cheeks and knew that somewhere along the line Ming-Ming had stopped talking about her situation with Rei and Kai had had begun talking about herself. Without specking she turned and hugged the smaller girl to her, feeling her friend return the pressure. For a long time they simply stood holding on to each other while tear fell from red rimed eyes and rolled in cascades over their skin.

"What happened to you?" Salima questioned, pulling back so that she could look down at the person who knew her better than anyone else in the world. "Who did this to you Minmin? You've always been so strong and now this…"

"What happened?" She repeated softly. "I fell in love, that's what happened. I fell in love with someone who probably dosen't even really know who I am. He sees me in the corridors and just blanks me, like I don't even exist. And each time it happens I swear that it's over, but then he calls me and I go to him, I can't help it. Lying in his arms it's like nothing can touch me, but in the morning he's cold and distant."

Before Salima could even think about forming a response the shrill ring of the telephone split the air of the hotel room. Ming-Ming tensed at the sudden sound and like a child buried her head into the redheads' shoulder, as if by ignoring it wouldn't have happened. Twice more the phone rang, but both girls ignored it as the now sat on the edge of the double bed still hugging each other tightly. It was strange that even after all that they had been through in the years that had past, the friendship between them had been the one constant. And when they were in need of comfort or commiseration it was still to each other that they turned.

For a long time they simply sat holding tightly onto each other, hugging one another as they had done so many times before. When Ming-ming was eight years old and her mother had been killed in a car crash it had been to Salima that she had run, trusting more in their friendship than in the relationship she had with her father. Then when years later as she watched her parents marriage disintegrate Salima had all but moved in with her friend, it was in Ming-Ming she had confided her fears when at long last her parents had announced they were getting divorced. Memories poured in on one another feeding off each other filling both girls with a sadness they felt they could almost touch.

The crash of the door being shoved open was enough to make both girl's jump, and Salima just had time to lament the fact that she had not locked the door before a figure stormed into the room. For one heart stopping moment she thought it was Kai, though when looked back on the incident she knew they would have been no reason for him to be there. But still her traitorous heart skipped a beat, but it was not Kai who had entered the room it was Bryan his cold gaze fixed intently upon the pair of them, his silver orbs glittering dangerously.

Ming-Ming seemed to flinch away from the directness of his stare, and Salima caught herself marvelling at the change in her long time friend. From the first moment she had met the blunette she had been captured by her love for life, she was barely over five foot tall and yet managed to take up all the space in the room. And now here with only a look, Bryan had seemingly striped away all of her self-confidence.

"You slut." He sneered down at her acid dripping from his words and Ming-Ming shuddered dropped her head. It took a second before the implications of Bryan's statement registered with the redhead and even as she opened her mouth firstly to denied what he had implied and secondly to defend her friend he had already turned on his heel and headed back out the door.

Salima felt the shudder run through her friend, but made no move to stop her when Ming-Ming pushed herself to her feet. With trembling hands the bluenette smoothed out the creases in the denim dress she wore and then she too headed towards the now open door. For a moment she stood in the open doorway that bright light from the hallway casting her profile into shadow, but even then Salima could see the dark circles under the honey orbs.

"Oh Min…" As always when her emotions where running high a slight Irish lilt tugged at the redheads' words. Sliver orbs swept over the small figure standing half in shadow and wondered how she could have been so blind to what had been happening to her friend.

"You have to choose Sal," there was a deep throaty quality to Ming-Ming's voice as if she were trying to hold back still more tears. "You can't go on like this, not with both of them even if you aren't sleeping with Kai I know … I know you want him. And it's not fair like this."

"Don't you think I know-" Salima began, she too now rising from the bed, but she was cut off as the small bluenette waved her hand imperiously.

"I mean it's not fair on you. Oh Sal," Ming-Ming stepped back into the room and grabbed her friend's hands in her own. "Look at me."

And doing as she was told Salima looked closely at her long time friend and saw that there where hollows in her once rounded cheeks and the dress that once hugged to the curves of her body now seemed to hang loosely from her. There was no longer any light dancing in her honey eyes that now held a fever brightness. "I don't want you to become like me, slowly killing yourself over things you can't change. I think you know who you want so follow your heart before it's too late."

With one last squeeze Ming-Ming let her friend's hands fall and once more walked resolutely towards the open door. Her hand was on the handle when a softly whispered question caused her to pause and look back at her friend. "Is it worth it? All of this." Salima waved her hand as if she were trying to, with that one gesture include Bryan, Ming-Ming and the toll their relationship was taking on the bluenette. "Is it worth it?"

"I don't know Sal," tears glistened in huge dark eyes that looked far to big for the girl's small face. "I just don't know."

With a sad half smile Ming-Ming slipped out of the room closing the door behind her and leaving Salima standing alone in the middle of the room. In her minds eyes the half-Irish girl could almost see her friend tapping lightly on the door to Bryan's room and entering only to be greeted with a cold hard gaze. Was it worth it? Ming-Ming hadn't known but she had been right when she had said that Salima knew whom she really wanted to be with.

Running a hand through her hair, Salima scowled when her fingers snarled on the knots in the mass of scarlet strands. Biting on her lower lip she sat down on the edge on Ming-Ming's bed and after a moments hesitation picked up the phone and prepared to dial the number of the room she knew to be his. For what seemed like an eternity her shaking fingers traced lightly over the numbers. Now, she thought she must do it know before her nerve failed her before the image of her friends pain faded along with the incentive it gave her.

Taking a deep breath she pushed at the relevant keys and listened as the phone rang once, twice and three times before it was picked up and a male voice spoke.

"Rei, there's something I have to tell you, can I see you?" A single crystalline tear rolled it's solitary way over Salima's cheek and around the curve of her jaw.

Muse: Well she's back to making everyone miserable.

Lamb: What can I say, I'm a sadist. Now as for who Sal chooses, you're going to have to work that one out for yourselves.

Dedi: You're so nice sometimes you know that?

Muse: Sarcasm much, but please let us know what you thought.

Dedi: Sarcasm a lot and Iluvbeyblade we hope you liked it.

Please R and R I'd love to know what you thought.

Big luv see ya

Lamanth