Mariah walked slowly through the night. Just that morning Ray had told her and the rest of the White Tiger team that he and Kenny had just gotten together. While her crush on him had faded a long time ago, it still hurt. A lot. Mainly because he had hide it for the 6 months the two had been dating.

"Stupid Ray. Stupid Kenny. Stupid…Tyson?" In front of her line of vision, the twice world champion sat at a small park bench looking at the sky. Wrinkling her brow in confusion and walking soundlessly towards him, Mariah began to think of reasons as to why the world champion would be out in the middle of the night.

"Tyson? You in there?" She rapped his head lightly a couple times, startling the boy enough to make him fall off the wooden seat.

"Mariah! What are you doing here? It's kinda late to be…well never mind." The blue haired boy slowly trailed off as a magenta-colored eyebrow was raised in a smug sort of way.

"Sooooo…what are ya doing way out here at this time, Tyson?" She sat down on the seat that previously belonged to the boy. "Hmmm…seats warm. Thanks Ty!"

"Ty?" A look of confusion made Tyson scrunch up his nose, which Mariah decided was a big thirty-one on the cute scale of one to ten.

"Yeah, you have a problem with your nickname?" She tried to make it sound like she had just been mortally offended, the genki grin on the boy's face told her that he knew she was kidding. A comfortable silence fell between the two.

"Ne, Mariah…?"

"Yeah, Ty?"

"Ray told the White Tiger's about him and Kenny, right?" Tyson looked uncomfortable, Mariah frowned and the fidgeting figure slightly.

"Yeah, why?"

"Did he tell you about Kai and Max too?"

"……….No, no he didn't…Ty, I fail to see where this is going?"

"Have you ever been in love?" Mariah swiveled in her seat to get a good look at the boy. Once again he was staring at the sky, almost as if he was waiting for something.

"No, not really, I suppose. I thought I was once, but…no. Have you? Ever been in love I mean."

"I thought I was in love too, more than once." Tyson's eyes began to shine and a dusty rose blush bloomed on his cheeks. "But then…then I met him and I knew that I fell, and hard…"

"Tyson! Do you…I mean could…Doyouhaveacrushononeofyourteammates?"

She spat the last part out in a hurry, turning a scarlet color, which clashed with the pink in her hair. Tyson gave a bitter laugh still watching the sky.

"Something like that. I know what you're thinking, but your wrong. It's not Kai or Max, and it's not Kenny or Ray either."

"Than who…" She was cut off as a sudden flash of green light filled the sky and the figure of Drigger, the white tiger, stood before them. Pushing herself as flat as she could manage against the hard, wooden back of the bench, she watched in mute horror as

Tyson calmly got up and walked over the giant bit beast. Mariah managed to squeak out her fear in monosyllables as Tyson slowly scratched behind the green and white beast's ears.

"Do you see now Mariah? Why I've never told anyone before? They would take him away f…from me, and I'd never see him again…I'd die Mariah, I'd kill myself before having to spend an eternity away from Drigger!" As the boy choked out the words the huge figure growled deep in his throat. The blue-haired bishonen was sobbing now and clinging to the beast. "I love him!" Mariah's eyes widened and she stopped breathing for a second.

"Tyson, you can't…it is wrong…it's just not right." Tyson buried his face into the ruff of fur around Drigger's neck, sobbing quietly.

"Please…please don't tell anyone, Mariah, please. I'm begging you. If you do, Ray will leave and I'll never…never see my hu ai * again! Please…" Tyson's voice faded away, leaving racking sobs to shake his slight frame. Drigger's eyes narrowed at Mariah for making his mate cry. A low, primal growl was emanating from the tiger's throat, and his teeth were bared, ready to sink his teeth in the throat of the girl his bonded had once bladed with. How dare she hurt his little love. Another bright green light penetrated the night, and then a tall green-haired youth stood, in place of the huge tiger bit beast. Wrapping corded arms tightly around the lamenting boy he toward over the human beast cooed softly in the boy's ears, while shooting evil looks at the apprehensive girl on the bench.

"And what, preytell, is wrong with our relationship? Is it so wrong that we can feel for each other? Or should we entomb our feelings beneath emotional concrete? Like you have done?" Mariah's eyes widened and tear threatened to spill down her cheeks.

"What's the point of even hoping? Tell me that?" She screamed to the two silent figures standing on the park footpath. Tyson cocked his head to one side, and looked with tear-stained eyes between the heaving girl and the primal boy whose arms he now hide in.

"I don't understand, Dri-koi, what do you mean? Mariah, what's he talking about?"

"Tyson….I how…"Mariah stuttered quietly, trying to create order in her mind at Drigger's questions. They had triggered something in her mind, a memory, a deep feeling. "How did you know you loved Drigger?"

"How…? Well, every time some one said his name, I got some kinda shiver up my back. Soon, all I cared about was watching Ray battle, seeing him. I think I freaked the others out a bit." He cut off chuckling softly. "And when I battled him, I felt…gods I don't know how to describe it. It just felt…right." Mariah fell back onto the park bench.

"Oh gods….I…That can't be right."

"But it is young one." Drigger's voice, no longer rough with anger came out smooth. "It's true and you know it. There is nothing you can do but accept it." Looking at the distressed girl he tug his mate in a silent plea to leave her to her thoughs. A plea which Tyson accepted, and so both left the park. Mariah with her head in her hands, a fine mess, finally, after so long, unburied her heart and spoke the words which sealed her fate to that of Tyson's.

"Gods….I love…"

~3 years later…~

"TY!!!!" A loud cry came from a familiar magenta-haired woman. The others who had come with both the woman and the blue-haired young man were slightly startled as she threw herself at the laughing man. None of them knew the two had been that close.

"Hey Mar, how have you been?" A sad look crossed the man's face.

"Fine and you?" An equally sad face shadowed hers.

"Lonely."

"Aren't we all?" The group; Kai, Max, Ray, Kenny, Hillary, Lee, Gary and Kevin, all looked back and forth between the two obviously missing something. But none of them knew what exactly.

"Hey you guys, what are you doing tomorrow?" Tyson asked the dumb-founded group.

"Nothing that I know of Tyson, why?" Kai asked suspiciously. While Kai gave him a star for effort, it was easy to tell that somewhere along the way, someone had hurt him bad. Not that he would ever voice this to anybody but his Max-koi, but he really cared for the world champion. The others had also voiced their complaints on his behavior, and he was just going out on a limb, but he guessed that the White Tigers also had similar complaints about Mariah.

"'Cause there's suppose to be a battle at the park tomorrow. Zeo against some hotshot. I think it'll be one sweet battle."

"Cool! Can we go Kai-koi? Please?" Max's dreaded puppy eyes where now being used full force. A resounding sigh and a 'yes Max' came from the team captain.

"Well I hope you guys have fun!" Rei looked at Tyson with narrowed eyes.

"What do you mean Tyson?"

"Simple, I can't go with you. I have a previous engagement." A wistful smile fell over the boy's face. Mariah looked at him and wondered just what he was up to. Well she would find out eventually…

~Later the next day~

"Ty? You here Ty?" Everyone had come home from the match between Zeo and the cocky boy. Zeo had come back with them, wanting to talk to Tyson about the next world championship. Mariah walked carefully to the training area, where she knew a large beyblade dish sat. A crumpled figure on the cement alarmed her. Tears filled her eyes as she finally figured out just what Tyson had to do that was so pressing. Face down, in his own blood, with his blade nearby, a blade that no longer held the legendary beast Dragoon**, lay Tyson, stone cold dead. Something caught her eye then. There, in the scarlet pool of blood, written with the last of his strength was the simplest of all phrases.

'Zutto ai'

Tears dripped down her face and mixed with the blood. Throwing back her head she let out an ear-piercing scream, bringing the others to the yard to see what the hand of fate had dealt them. A pure soul had departed that day and, perhaps unknowingly, opened the path for another to travel.

~2 year later~

"It's been 2 whole years Kai." Sad blue eyes looked at his boyfriend's huddled figure. He knew Kai blamed himself for the death of his team-mate, for Tyson's suicide. Hell, he blamed himself. If only any of them knew just how deep he was in his own depression. But Max really pitied Ray. Poor Ray, who blamed himself for both Tyson's suicide and Mariah's a year later. Carefully setting the snow-white lily by the tombstone, Max, with Kai in tow, turned and left as the memories became to much for both to handle. And on the grey headstone, a monument to Tyson Konnimia, written in stone, for all to see was the phrase;

'Zutto Ai'

And somewhere in China, in a small village the same phrase graced another tombstone. One that belonged to a young woman named Mariah.

~In another dimension ~

"Drigger, I'm so glad that I came here, to be with you. And this way I can watch over my friends and family and still be here with you and Dragoon, too!"

"Don't forget Dizzy and Mariah."

"Yes," The blue-haired man laughed merrily, "that was really unexpected. But I'm glad both are happy. They deserve it." A silence fell before the young man once again spoke up.

"Do you think we should we should have Dizzy tell the other's we're here? Maybe they wouldn't feel so bad then…"

"No, it wouldn't help them Koi, just make them suffer more. Besides they love you and will never forget you. You just watch them like the angel you are, ne?" A happy laugh bubbles up from Tyson's throat, and the two destroyed any doubts about the oneness of each other with the mind bending kiss they shared. And a sigh was given from the universe as two soul mates had ultimately found each other, forever and all eternity.

A.N. And done! That was for Lisa who reviewed and asked me to write another one for her. So here it is! ^___^

Lisa's homepage: ai – Chinese for Tiger love

**Zutto Ai – Always Love