Only my second ficcy on my baby pairing? What was I doing?

I have an obssession with Salima writing stuff! Anyway, this is for Lamb, because she was the first person to support this pairing with me, and just because I luv her lots. :P

Enjoy!

Salima chewed her pen thoughtfully, before carefully putting it to the new piece of paper - her sixth so far.

Dear Kai, she began.

I hope you're not faring too badly out there! You said in your last phone call you had sunstroke, just casually threw it into the conversation as if it was something little and mildly bothersome! Typical you! I mean, sunstroke? Are you in hospital? If not, why the hell not?! Get in there right now! How did you end up with it, anyway? If I find out it was something stupid like doing one of your three-mile runs in the desert, you are going to be in so much trouble! Drink lots, no alcohol, and do whatever the doctors tell you - do you even know you can die from that? Probably not.

Not a chance, she sounded like some nagging old mother. Attempt number six landed in the bin next to her. At this rate, she would go through an entire pad of paper and miss the post deadline.

Dear Kai,

How are you? I hope you're recovering well from the sunstroke, it's a truly horrible thing to have. Make sure you drink a lot, ok?

Glad this tourny's going well. Whatever you do, don't put your blading before your health? Please? The last thing I want to do is go over there just to make sure the nurses know how to do their job. And remember, they have 24/7 behind-the-scenes cameras now, so you can't fool the world by holding it together until you reach the changing rooms anymore, ok? Some people might think that collapsing after a battle is a sign of a "real" battle, I say it's a sign of a vicious battle. I don't know how you can all do it; beybattles should be fun, surely, not half-kill you?

Anyway, now then, what's happened recently? Well, one little tibit you might not know, Max has just come out. Not to the media, just to his friends and me. Apparently, his mother's not too happy, which isn't good.

No, too long-winded. She could go on forever in that vein, and it was never a good idea to put important things like Max's bisexuality in a letter that could be intercepted. An idea struck her. Why not try and get everything that she wanted to say out of her system, so that she could actually write something decent afterwards? With a new energy, she stuck the pen lid in her mouth to chew on and began writing.

Dear Kai,

I really miss you. Nothing's the same without you. Seeing you battle just makes me worry about you, and your really infrequent phonecalls make me want you back here even more. Especially when you say things like, "Oh yeah, I got sunstroke yesterday. Don't worry, I'm ok."

Don't worry? Me? Sometimes I think that's all I'm good for! And sunstroke????? So, I am worried about you, I'm worried sick, even more since DJ announced that one of your team mates would be covering for you until you recovered. Please, please, please take care of yourself!? Although, who am I kidding? I know full well that your pride overrules your health and your rationality.

I know you have to win.

But ... Oh, Kai, does it have to be at all costs?

I sometimes find myself wondering, when I wake up, cold and lonely and hugging the blanket to me in the pretence that it's you, do you feel like this? Do you miss me? Or do you just miss the sex? And if that's it, do you find my replacement out there? Have you slept with anyone since our last "meeting"? God only knows there's enough attractive girls in the sport now. I know the way you look at other girls, that slow, insolent stare that makes them blush and stammer or laugh and flirt depending on their type, and in the end, I'm just so glad it's me you come back to every time.

Or is it? I don't know. I can't know - that's what hurts. I wan to trust you; I need to trust you, but I just ... can't. It's not in me. I'm a worrier, you know that - what you say once? "Paranoia incarnated"? Yeah, it works.

I'm being stupid. Sorry. I'm just scared, that's all. Scared I might lose you.

I miss you; I love you. Come back safe, and soon?

xSalx

Absentmindedly, she put it to the side, alternating between hating the part of herself that had taken over during that letter, and drowning in want for Kai; whether for his hands stripping her bare or simply his arms around her, she didn't know; she didn't care either. Quickly, she scribbled out a line on yet another sheet of paper.

Kai,

Hope you're ok. Glad you hear the tourny's going well - you'd better believe I've been watching it all! Don't take it too far, and that's an order! (Not that you'll listen, of course!) Talk soon, I hope!

Love, Sal

xxx

With a feeling of relief, she got up and wandered off to get a drink. Later on, she fell asleep, lulled by the quiet of the house and the way that her quality of sleep was somehow better with Kai, even with his constant tendency to get up and stare out of the window at three in the morning. Waking an hour later and seeing the time, she let out a cry of panic and scooped the paper on the table into a stamped envelope, then dashed off in an effort to post it in time.

-------

Two months later, a ring of the doorbell dragged her from bed at seven in the morning. Grumbling death curses at the postman, who had turned up at seven solidly for the past week, she wrapped a dressing gown round herself, couldn't find the belt, swore, held it as best she could, and shuffled towards the door while blinking sleep out of her eyes.

Pulling open the door, it took her eyes few seconds to focus on the figure standing on the doorstep, and a few more for her brain to process what, or rather who, she was seeing.

"Kai?" she whispered, then flung her arms round him and buried her face in his neck. "Why are you here? I wasn't expecting you back for months!"

"Really? I was under the impression that you wanted me back soon?" Salima simply stared drowsily as he held out a slightly crumpled envelope.

"I only said talk soon ..." she defended herself. Kai gave her a small, smug smile and opened the envelope.

"No, you didn't." Salima read the first few lines and felt cold humiliation flood her body with a jolt. Kai wasn't supposed to read that one! As she turned to flee back indoors, Kai caught her and pulled her flush against him, his mouth at her ear as he whispered, "It's ok, Sal."

"That was just me being stupid and sappy, I'm really sorry you had to read that ..." She trailed off as Kai turned her to face him and kissed her with a force that left her breathless.

"You're such a paranoid bitch sometimes." he said, almost as an afterthought. She slapped him gently and nestled into his embrace.

"Glad you're back." she whispered. Some instinct prompted her to ask, softly, "When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow." Her face fell, then brightened.

"Then let's make the most of it!" Taking him by the hand, she lead him inside. He went obligingly, with a faint smirk that disappeared as she looked back.

Hm. Odd ending. I don't quite know what I intended there.

Review?