Me: Not exactly sure how I got this idea… I was probably just for some reason thinking about the earrings the Saint Shields wear when this popped into my head. The fic is slightly Ozuma/Mariam I think, so read at your discretion.

Disclaimer: "Beyblade" is property of Aoki Takao, Hudson Soft/Takara/Hasbro, Beyblade Project, TV Tokyo, Nelvana, d-rights, etc.

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Lost and Found

Where could it be? Did he even put it somewhere? The last time he remembered having it was when he fell asleep. The next thing he knew, he woke up and it was missing. Therefore he was spending his whole morning in the warehouse by himself looking for it. He tried retracing his steps around the enormous room, checking every nook and cranny he could remember passing by the previous day. Still, he couldn't find it. Now he was getting frustrated, capsizing crates here and there where possible.

"Are you looking for something?" Of course, he couldn't expect any of his teammates not to check up on him by now.

Still agitated, he turned around to look at his company. Mariam was poised with her hands on her hips, watching him tear the place apart. She had a bothered expression on her face.

He was about to say something to her when his eyes caught sight of something; a… or maybe two certain things which may have been the answer to his problem. Mariam was in front of the open door, sunlight streaming in and catching those glittering gems in a charming manner. He never had such appreciation for sunshine until now.

Taking a step towards her, Mariam dropped her arms. "Ozuma? What are you looking at?" His zombie-like advance was beginning to make her uneasy. She took a step back. "Ozuma, what are you doing? Cut it out!"

The boy paused in front of her, shaking off the odd trance which had overcome him. More like himself now, he asked her, "Mariam… may I borrow one of your earrings?"

She stared at him as if he had lost his mind. "What did you say?"

Patiently, he repeated, "I asked if I could borrow one of your earrings."

Mariam blinked. "That's what I thought you said."

"So may I?" He held out his hand expectantly.

Her initial shock of the question turned to defiance. "No!"

He frowned at her. "Why not?"

"Because… because they're mine!"

Ozuma raised an eyebrow at this answer. "Because they're yours? Don't be so childish."

"I'm being childish? You're the one who won't go outside until you've found your earring!"

"Well I can't find it right now, so borrowing one of yours will have to do for the moment."

"I told you, you can't use mine. Why don't you borrow Joseph or Dunga's? Borrow an earring from a boy."

"Exactly; they're boys and only have one each. You have two; it only makes sense to ask for one of your's instead."

"I need both of them!" she protested. "I can't wear one like you guys do. Otherwise I don't feel…" She hesitated with her excuse. "…like me."

Ozuma looked at her with an expression she couldn't quite read. He turned his back to her and walked towards the crates he had toppled over. "Nevermind; I'll keep looking." He pushed the boxes aside to search behind them, though he felt it was fruitless. He was sure he'd combed the area closely, but to no avail. Picking up one of the crates to stack it back up, he noticed someone else crouching down beside him to pick up another. "Mariam, you don't have to help me."

She stood up and neatly placed the box back in its spot. "It's the least I can do."

As morning was ending, their search for Ozuma's elusive earring trickled into the afternoon. It took less time to prod around with two people there instead of one, but they still couldn't find it.

"Well, that's it." Mariam straightened up, pushing her bangs back with the back of her hand. "We've looked everywhere."

Ozuma was leaning against a few stray crates. "I guess I'll just get it replaced when we get back to the village." The leader of the Saint Shields never considered himself vain or materialistic; but he felt like what Mariam had said before was true. He didn't feel the same without his earring.

Unexpectedly, the aforementioned girl walked up to him and held out her hand. Ozuma turned to face her. Immediately he found something different about her appearance. Glancing down, he saw that in her open palm was one of her earrings.

"Here," she offered. "You can borrow it for now."

Shifting his gaze from her hand, to her face, and back again, Ozuma slowly reached for the earring, picking it up between his thumb and index finger. The metal was warm from Mariam's hand… and as he stared at it, he thought for a moment it glittered. Why was she letting him have it now? Before she was pretty adamant about not lending it.

He looked back at Mariam. She was waiting for his response with a gentle expression – as if maybe she felt sorry for him? He didn't want to be felt sorry for. He didn't need it either; but he recognized her gesture as one of friendship. Ozuma contemplated this for a moment.

Finally, he said, "Keep it." He held the piece of jewelry back out to her. "You were right before; you need both. Besides, I'm not used to seeing you without them."

Mariam seemed surprised with his reaction. "Eh – Are… are you sure?"

"Yeah." He gave her the faintest of smirks. "It looks better on you anyway."

It was just one surprise after another. Mariam was struck. Was that just a compliment? And from Ozuma of all people? The only thing she could reply with was a staggered, "What?"

"What?" Ozuma answered with the same word, though in an evener tone. He didn't appear to have given as much insight to what he had said as Mariam had.

"Didn't… didn't you just…"

With a quizzical look he echoed, "Didn't I just, what?"

Maybe she was over-thinking the situation. Mariam shook her head. "No… nothing."

Still puzzled, Ozuma let go a sigh. "Sometimes you make me wonder, Mariam."

"How so?" She tried to distract herself by asking that question. Plus, a part of her felt she should know what he had to say.

He shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it's because you're the only girl on the team."

Mariam snickered. "Don't try talking about things you know nothing about, Ozuma."

"What would that be?"

"Girls," she stated evidently. "You're pulling that whole, 'boys know nothing about girls' routine."

"I may not know much about girls, but I'm not trying to pull a 'routine' as you so put it."

"So you're hoping you'll get out of it?"

This topic was making him feel exasperated. "I have more important things to think about rather than girls right now."

Mariam was about to mention the mission when she stopped short. She hadn't taken the earring back from Ozuma yet. During their conversation, he had somehow managed to get close to her – close enough to give the earring back himself; or should that be, to put it back himself? Ozuma was fitting the trinket onto her ear, apparently thinking of this as a casual action, as he continued to speak.

"Anyway, I'm not sure how to deal with girls." He stepped back from Mariam, his eyes sweeping over her face as if to examine his work. She must have really looked out of it, because the next thing he said was, "Mariam? Are you still there?"

Snapping out of her reverie, the girl stammered, "Uh – yes?"

Though slightly dubious of her condition just a second ago, Ozuma brushed it off. "Let's go get something to eat. It's past lunch already and I've been in here for too long." He went past her for the door, but Mariam remained motionless.

Hesitantly, she brought her hand up and placed it over her ear – the one Ozuma replaced the earring on. Fingering the warm gem, she remembered how his fingers grazed against her skin as he pinned it on her earlobe, the gesture being gentler than she thought it would have. Mariam put her arm back down, turning to see Ozuma leave the warehouse. 'Maybe… I think… you'll do fine.'

- - -

"What the heck do you have in your pocket?" For the longest while now, Joseph had been putting his hand in his pocket, only to take it back out again with nothing else revealed. He was doing this on such a constant basis, that Dunga eventually blurted out this question.

His outburst startled Joseph at first, but then a smirk came upon the younger boy's face. Reaching back into his pocket, Dunga bristled at the repeated action. This time however, Joseph brought his hand out with something clenched within it. When Joseph showed him just exactly what it was, Dunga gaped.

"An earring?"

"Not just any earring," Joseph replied with the air of one who knew more than they were letting on. "It's Ozuma's."

"Ozuma's?" Dunga's mouth went even wider. "How… When did you…?"

"I snuck it off him while he was asleep; more difficult than it sounds."

"I'm sure, but… why did you take it in the first place?"

Joseph shrugged his shoulders. "It's been a bit dull lately."

"So you stole Ozuma's earring?" Dunga retorted dangerously loud.

"Hey, keep it down!" Joseph waved a hand in front of him.

Dunga only reigned in his voice when he spotted something up ahead. "Huh? Where are those two going?"

Joseph turned to see what Dunga was looking at. Emerging from the warehouse was Ozuma, followed soon after by Mariam. They were heading in the direction opposite from where Dunga and Joseph were, enabling the two to make their speculations.

"So Sis finally got him to come out of there, huh?"

Dunga furrowed his brows and repeated, "Where are they going?"

"Doesn't really matter." Joseph got up from where he was seated and moved towards the warehouse.

"And where are you going?"

"I need to plant this thing before they get back." Joseph held up his hand, still clutching Ozuma's earring.

"Seems like it was a waste taking it," Dunga grunted. "The only thing that happened was Ozuma spending a whole lot of time in the warehouse looking for it."

Joseph looked back at Ozuma and Mariam, his sister oddly trailing behind their leader. "Maybe…" he muttered.

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Me: It was supposed to be a humourous fic, but I guess it turned out to be something else, huh? Sorry for any OOC-ness detected.