Notes: this is written in 2nd pov.

Through the Years

Beyblade Fanfiction
by zulka
TalaxJulia

Love is not a matter of counting the years -
it's making the years count...Wolfman Jack Smith.

Perhaps it was the way he looked or his cool indifference when you first met. You don't really know and now you don't really think about it. You both have come a long way with petty fights and loving nights. You wondered what he ever saw in you just as he wondered what you saw in him.

He was a glacier in the Artic and you the sunlight of a tropical climate. You could melt crowds with your winning smile, and he could freeze them with a cool calculating look. So, you both wondered how it was that you fell for one another. You've both had your share of pain. You've both had your share of happiness. You can say you know everything there is to know about him while he can say the same about you.

You know he likes to drink black coffee in the mornings and that he's not a big fan of sweets, except for that one pastry that he can eat all day long. You know if he is mocking you with his smirk or if he truly is smiling. You learned that he had lived in the streets of Russia, that his mother abandoned him and left him with an alcoholic abusive father, you learned about his life in the Abbey all the while holding him when he shook with anger and sadness. You know it wasn't easy for him to open up, to tell you about all the scars he carried, some of which had never healed.

You saw the anger in his eyes when you cut your long hair and dyed it black after that huge fight. It was done on purpose because you knew full well he would be upset even more because he loved your long brown hair. You changed your dress and put on black lipstick knowing the risk you took was great. But deep down you knew that he would accept you because he loved you for you. Didn't you? You knew that regardless of what you did to your appearance, he still knew you to be Julia.

You wished he wasn't so strong, so you could get a decent hit every once in a while, or at least hope he didn't have great reflexes so your hand could finally meet his cheek in a slap during one of those fights, fights that might go on just because you both were too damn stubborn to admit defeat.

You would sigh and laugh whenever he tried to help you train because as strong as he was he wasn't that flexible. You would tease him about it only to have him walk off annoyed and upset. You would always wound his pride, but he would let it slide. He took a few tips from your brother but never truly tried them because he was embarrassed.

You knew he liked to read before going to bed and often you had to take the book and put it away as it lay sprawled on his chest while he slept the night away. But you didn't mind because it was those small things that endeared him even more.

You knew how much stress the wedding had caused on him because he wasn't used to being in the spotlight while you adored it. It was something you both had to work on, and it wasn't easy but you both found a balance.

You loved the way his bright red hair felt because it was so soft without the gel. You would often tease him about it until finally one day he didn't put it on. You laughed and called him handsome while he only rolled his eyes. But you knew deep inside that he enjoyed your flattery. You grabbed his hair a little above his shoulders and tied it in a small ponytail. He didn't necessarily liked it, and next thing you knew he had cut it.

You both often sat watching the stars from the roof of the house, talking about nothing and everything in life, ranging from stars to dreams to goals. You would walk barefoot on the clean freshly cut wet grass and smile as you saw him playing with the dog.

You saw the apprehension and happiness when you told him you were pregnant. You saw the doubt in his eyes and knew what he was thinking and drawing him into a hug told him that he would be a great father. Those months were chaos for both you and him. But you both got through it and every time you thought back on them you laughed.

So much time has passed since then and your baby grew into a beautiful girl with brown hair and ice blue eyes and you both adored her even though she brought you headaches and sadness. Both of you watched her grow and leave to make a family of her own and once again it was only you and him.

You saw time steal your years with those lines etched around his eyes and lips. You saw his bright red hair streaming with silver; a perfect mirror of your own. But it didn't matter because you still loved like you did when you were young, performing in the circus or attending tournaments.

He gave up his coffee. He no longer read before going to sleep instead he drank a pill and turned in before six. You held him close in those mornings knowing that instead of lying in bed he would be jogging to keep in shape. And when he forgot you, despair took you and you wondered what would come next. But the intensity of his ice blue eyes when he would remember you often told you not to give up.

You loved him as he loved you and it only grew more when you knew you were going to lose. It is in these times of merriment that you miss his laughter and voice even more. You miss his bright red hair streamed with silver and most of all you miss his eyes, eyes that often told you everything with a single look.

But the memories of the past bring you comfort because you lived as much as you could. There were many things you left undone, but you still did so much more. You both traveled around the world and opened up your School of Gymnastics like you wanted when you were young. You watched the sunrise and the sunsets of many days and he took you walking along the beach under the moonlit sky. No, your years were not wasted. There are regrets but the happiness of those years erases them.

You think about him in his bright red hair and you smile as you lay the red roses on his grave. You feel tears prick at your eyes and you feel arms around your frail body. You are not as young as you used to be. Looking into your daughter's eyes you know, and you smile nostalgically as your grandchildren say Grandpa was the best.

You might not see him again in this world but as you close your eyes and drift away you know that he is waiting for you. You also know that he will smirk and tease you, asking: What took you so long? But you know that he knows because his eyes will smile at you.

.

.

the end

2018: this story was originally dedicated to Lamanth, and it still is. This is very old, and it came about when I fell in love with the idea of Tala and Julia as a couple. Hope you all enjoyed.