AN: Hey guys, another Beyblade attempt at an unusual pairing. I just know some of you are gonna freak out over the nature of this one so I'm a bit excited. Hehe. Read and let me know what you think, and whether or not you're interested in the next two chapters. They're already written because myself and a friend of mine have been sharing these back and forth, so once I get like 5 reviews I'll update.

There are a lot of people out there who tell you that it's impossible to love two people at the same time.

But you think you do.

You know you fuckin' do.

Don't kid yourself; it was pulling you apart at the seams in the beginning. Sometimes it still feels that way. One wants you there, the other one here... Society sees you with one and doesn't know the other one exists so you're traveling to her house like a ghost, while his friends are asking him where you are.

You gotta rationalize to yourself all the time how one is more important than the other. You don't rationalize that to them, though. They don't need to know that. You just gotta do it to keep yourself sane.

(Sane... Ha, that's a fucking notion right there. Especially for you.)

See, you got history with both.

You battled him once years ago, nearly killed him. But he did the same to you in return. It took a long damn time for that wound to stop festering and when it did you still had your doubts that he was worth fucking with. Bad blood and all that shit. Honestly there was a small part of you that still wanted to hurt him. But there was a bigger part of you, that thought Rei Kon was hot. Gettin' a piece of that would've been pretty sick.

So you tried. You didn't, for awhile. But in the meantime you did something you weren't sure you were ready for: you got close. Close again after you'd just been hurt. That closeness grew, and grew until you were figurin' out shit about him you hadn't really cared to even wonder about before.

Now it's hard to friggen picture being far away from him. Kon has his claws in you.

She, you didn't know from your distant past. The Bladebreakers knew her. A couple other teams. You talked with her online a couple times, figured out she could give as good as she got and she got you, instantly curious.

(This was before your second-go-round with Kon.)

So naturally when you two met at a hotel for a publicity tournament you had to have a drink together. Now normally for you that meant you were gettin' laid but it actually didn't happen. Not yet, anyways. It took a couple weeks. You actually went to visit her. You left the fuckin' country. Russia, the only place you always knew what was coming at you. And you left it. Went half a world away to see her. At least you fucked.

And maybe you had hope.

Then things went to shit. It was her goddamn fault.

(Wasn't it?)

Hell Mariam pushed you into Kon. You just hoped you didn't push her into something a lot worse than a long-haired Chinese twink who was actually a really decent fuckin' person.

'You're with Rei. You're with Kon', fuckin' say it. Think it out loud and remind yourself that you gotta keep appearances up.

Mariam is... Well. Being friends with your exes, as it turns out, is actually a really fucked up concept. Can you really fuckin' talk about normal things with somebody after you've stayed up all night together? Kissed because you actually wanted to? Can you pretend you didn't do that shit or even worse: know you did that shit and still be 'friends'? She sucked your cock. Let alone you fucking came inside of her like it was your right.

You tried to be friends. She tried too. Some shit went down with her and another dude. Didn't end well. (You probably should've noticed something wasn't right when the idea of some guy hurting her made you so fucking angry that it pained.)

She disappeared. You were with Kon. You were happy with Rei, but fuck it if her silence online and absence from the teams's chat platforms didn't make you nervous.

You lied. You told Rei you wanted to go back and see the guys. It wasn't often you were all apart; barely fuckin' ever, so, it worked. He was happy enough to let you go. Gave you a big kiss on departure.

You lied. Not about the fact that you were already missing him, but about the flight after your first stop. You didn't go home to Moscow. You went to Japan.

A heartbroken ex and a couple drinks later, romance ensued.

Now look where you are.

Rei is happy. Mariam is happy.

They're happy with you.

Together, and apart.

You've sat yourself down a lot and tried to comprehend the traits that drew you to both of your partners, and honestly it gets you fucking no where every time. It's not like you can't compare them: the ways Mariam and Rei were alike, you could count on one hand. But the ways they were different were nothin' short of goddamn mindblowing.

Rei was smart. Like really really fucking smart. Anything to do with money, anything to do with managing time or physics and he was sure to figure it out. His brain skills went a lot farther than knowing exactly how much was in an ounce; how many minutes it would take to cook the perfect chicken. He was a talented tradesman too. Could fuckin' build anything. You've enjoyed the nights you spent with him, fixing his failing roof. Convincing him to have a bottle of beer with you while you worked. Maybe he was predictable but hey.

Mariam had good intuition. If there was something bad on the way, she somehow had it figured out before anyone else. Sometimes it made her seem wise beyond her years, like she'd already experienced everything and knew what to tell you to do. Now ask her to add 2 + 2 and you'd probably get an answer like 6 or 12 or some shit but she had good excuses. How many nights have you spent in bed, a basket of nachos between you and a horror movie on so you could try to guess who was going to get axed in the head first?

They both cooked. And they were both good cooks. Rei was better though. He had more training and he cooked these huge meals, basically delicacies and he made you try shit you wouldn't have ever dared touch. And you liked it. She cooked too, but her baking was better. You didn't know you had a true love of pumpkin spiced anything until you met her.

Rei was a bit of a pussy. (Aha, see what I did there? Obviously. This is you, dumbass.) Doesn't like violence, doesn't like gore. He would rather back down from a fight instead of encouraging a beat-down even if he very well fuckin' knew the dick on the other side deserved it. You know Rei has the power inside. Fuck, with all the martial arts shit he does he could probably give Garland or fuckin' Jet Li a run for their money. But he doesn't. Because, he's a pussy. (You tell yourself that. It's easier to call him a pussy than a 'good guy.')

Mariam was too brave for her own good. There was no manner of mask or spectre, no amount of blood and gore and cheap special effects that could gross her out. She was also a challenge in every essence of the word. If she stood for something and she felt she was right or you were wrong, hell would come to pass. God forbid somebody threaten someone she loved or cared about. Her bravery had her tryin' new shit, all the time. And a lot of it ain't good for her. Sometimes her bravery equated to recklessness, in your opinion.

They both loved animals. Every animal. Every size, every color. You were still somewhat shell-shocked that Lord of the Pussy Rei Kon did not, in fact, own twenty cats. Not even one measly kitten. In fact Rei didn't own any pets. But he saved the scraps of every single damn meal he cooked and he'd take it out to the porch and there would be an army of starving pigeons and Great Tits (aha seriously, it's a real bird) and neighborhood dogs waiting for their Grade-A supper. Mariam has a chinchilla. You thought at first you wouldn't like the rat but when you went to stay it took a liking to you. Can't reject it now, you suppose. She'll get more animals someday, when she stops flying around so much from city to city. The only thing you know Mariam won't find herself the owner of was a spider.

Well shit; Looks like she ain't so brave after all. But you don't mind because her fear is fuckin' hilarious.

Rei had a nasty habit of holding onto his anger, bundling it up and shovin' it deep. In fact he hid it so well that you were beginning to think the guy never got pissed at all. But just the same, you'd seen it. You'd seen the tiger come out in Rei during your first World Championships. Nearly used you as a fuckin' scratching post. But the Rei you've come to adore so much was always calm, always cool. Collected as fuck. He was prepared to talk through anything and handle it with as much social grace as a damn debutante. Made you feel downright inferior sometimes. And then, on one really fuckin' unfortunate day he would explode. Gentle demeanor gone. Rei was like a savage tiger caged in a zoo and there ain't a goddamn thing you've figured out yet to make that anger go away. You've learned to ride it out, even though it tries your patience. Like a lot. You envied the control though: while it lasted.

Mariam was the opposite. When she was pissed off you were gonna hear about it. Just how many screamin' matches have you had by now? Too many to count. But a lot of 'em also ended in some pretty impressive 'gonna fuck you up' sex so you won't complain. Her hatred of certain things ran deep and when it crashed it was like waves, roarin' on the shoreline. You've seen her worst enemies cower at her feet like piss-poor puppies try'na be guard dogs. She often joked that she had a reputation for making bodies disappear. Sometimes, you weren't sure if she was lying. And you love it.

Their hair... Oh god, the hair. Guys don't fuckin' look at hair, okay? We know it's there. We know it's dirty or clean or soft or not. Before them, you didn't look at hair. With Kon it was the memory of your attack slicing that white roll of tied silk that contained his. It exploded. Waves and waves of ebony hair, spillin' all over the dish. You admit it: it stole your attention away, even from the blades down below. And right up until the end of the battle, when you were just comin' to as they were hauling Kon off on a stretcher, you watched the long tails of dark strands hanging over the edge of the white sheets. Made you wanna pull it. Now you do. Mariam's ain't as long as Rei's. And that means Rei's is as long as a year spent in the fuckin' abbey, because Mariam's hair is pretty long. Long and fuckin' perfect. Rei was into styling his hair one way and he didn't wear it free because he didn't like the feminine look. Mariam was a chick, so she got away with it and did she ever. It never looked the same. Sparkly things, dangly things, curls, straight, waves... You actually learned about hair-care products and that was fucking disturbing. One day you saw her at the beach, bent over at the waist, facing you, and she was letting the sea water just run from her tossed hair onto the ground. She felt you there and she looked up, the sway of her hair revealing her face and she smiled. She looked beautiful, hair drenched like that. Made you wanna pull it. Now you do.

Did I mention sometimes shit was the opposite?

You knew when you took things too far. But you couldn't always stop yourself. A snarky comment, a tug a bit too hard in your direction... You aren't exactly gentle. Not in touch, not in heart. It took you some time to figure out why everything you did seemed to bother Rei but Mariam just took your shit with a sigh. Kon wasn't great at masking his sadness. Not at all. He got mopey, lazy, he grumbled and altogether he fuckin' pouted like a kicked puppy. It hurt sometimes to watch but you were able to fix it fast most of the time. A direct comparison to his anger response.

Mariam denied sadness. She hated cryin', refused to let you see that more than once and even while you've been staring her in the face and saying you have to go back and see your boyfriend now, she'd barely quiver. Shrug her shoulders, say alright and kiss your jaw and send you away. It took some time that you were takin' it for granted, for you to really figure out that she ached over it. She hurt too. She wasn't stone. She just hated that she wasn't. Puts up a damn good front. Quiet sadness, unlike her loud anger.

They both had a tendency to escape the confines of the walls sometimes. You'd wake up and she's not in bed. You don't panic because you know she can't sleep sometimes and she's almost always gone to the beach. You'd wake up and he's not in bed. You don't panic because you know he's an early riser and he's gone to enjoy the sun coming over the mountains. Nature went hand in hand with them. Hell, maybe you don't like it just because you're from a place naturally so cold your nipples could cut glass as soon as you stepped outside. But Rei loved the fresh air and sparse cool days of summer. He wanted to be out, working in the fields or helping kids blade. Mariam longed for the heat of a sunny day to be able to put on a bathing suit, dive headlong into the blue surf. They could both be gone for hours. (Gives you time to miss them.)

Yeah, I know what you're waitin' for.

You want me to talk about sex.

Because what is a relationship without hot, dirty fucking? Not a relationship you want to be in. Rei is very much a comfort lover. He needed a lot of coaching and coaxing sometimes because he wasn't as experienced, but fuck did he prove himself. That bein' said, Rei was as cuddly as a lazy cat. He liked that slow fucking that built you both up, a single step at a time. He liked being told he was loved and that he was handsome and good-looking and important to you. Rei liked feeling like he was a part of you and you were a part of him. Corny shit, I tell ya. But good. You never pegged him to be a screamer when he came, so that took you by surprise. Every single time, your night ended with a single kiss. You took a lot of pride in that ritual. You knew it and it knew you.

Mariam was a bit more wild. A bit more uncontrolled. When she wanted to be, of course. Most of the time she was pretty content to let you have your way. The only time you felt like you were actually a lot stronger than she was and she trusted you. Not to say she never liked it slow ever, but most of the time she was happy to take your all. You've broken more than one table. Bruises and bumps and scratches; not always on her. Biting and panting and cursing. You preferred her bed when you were stressed out or pissed off because fucking her was the perfect way to blow off steam. And then, when you were finished she had this goddamn way of turning you into a sap. Playin' with her hair and holdin' her close and that shit. She always said she liked being yours.

He turned you on with his words.

For someone so reserved, Rei had a shockingly dirty mouth. He'd always manage to say just the right fuckin' thing to get you going. Sometimes it was a whisper in your ear: 'I'm hard... I'd like you to touch me.' You didn't like bein' ordered around usually. With Rei it wasn't so bad. Other times it was a teasing taunt while he was cooking at the counter. Bendin' over, sticking out his ass. One time he put on just an apron and nothing else. 'Does this suit you? I could cook like this every day, if I were rewarded after... And during.'

She turned you on with her touch.

Mariam didn't talk dirty but everything she was good at, she was good with her hands. You could be doin' anything at all when a pale finger trickled down your neck; a slender arm snaked around your waist and she rubbed your chest. Massages were her thing, and while you wish you could keep your hands off her while getting one you just can't. Because she didn't touch only with her hands... She would stretch herself out, not so tall as you across your back and place little kisses across your shoulderblades. Enough to drive you crazy.

Bottom line is: you're not able to pick one of them based on fucking ability.

So back to their fuckin' heart of hearts, or whatever people call souls these days.

(You're pretty sure you don't have one.)

They were pretty alike in how they viewed the world. Rei was vocal about its beauty and its worth and about how truly fuckin' cool everything was. Marveled at the scenery, at culture, all that shit. Mariam did too but she wasn't as loud about it. You'd catch her in moments of silence, starin' at whatever she had reason to think was interesting.

The difference in them came from how they viewed people.

Rei thought that there was a use for everyone, but he wasn't so naive that he would waste all his time trying to help people who couldn't be helped. He was quite realistic in that way, and you liked the fact that you didn't have to share him with his goddamn conscious. He wasn't selfish, but he wasn't selfless either. Though sometimes it made you wonder how far you could really push Rei, until he decided you just weren't one of those people who were worth it. Mariam on the other hand, though nobody would ever think so, was about as selfless as they came. You need it? You got it. In fact the way she was so ready to put her head on the chopping block to save other people worried you sometimes. You spend a lot of time wondering if that worry, is worth it.

So they were different those ways too. Solve your problem?

(Nope.)

Maybe the secret was in how they felt about you.

You have a bit of baggage. That's what they call it, right? When you've got a violent past of world domination and child abuse and emotional psychopathy? Anyways. When you and Mariam got close for the first time you told her everything. You weren't sure why, but you did. She told you some stories of her own and for the first time, someone outside your team understood. You feel whole.

Rei knows all the details now too. But he does not have stories of his own and you can see him try to force himself to understand everything that happened to you and everything that you went through. But fuck, he tries hard. You feel hope.

Christ, what other comparisons are there?

When you're staying at her place, you go on skype with him. When you're staying at his place, you sneak away to call her.

You love him. You love her. So what the fuck are you to do?

Look where you are.

Rei is happy. Mariam is happy.

They're happy with you.

Together, and apart.