Note: New project time! I'm going to give you a rundown on some rules I've given myself for this. First of all, it is an ABC Challenge. To make it harder on myself, I am going to be doing the letters in order and they will all be centered on MaxMariam (other pairings may show their faces, I don't know). Also going to try really hard to not make the given word painstakingly obvious; as well, I already have all my words selected for….

Speaking of which, need to give a big thank you to AzikaRue394 for giving me all 26 words about forever ago! Not to mention, thank you for putting up with my stupid questions and rants and just, overall, for being an awesome person.

As always, constructive criticism is appreciated and wanted. Please feel free to review as I really do value what you guys have to say!

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade.

Again

It was an endless stream of guilt, if anything.

The first time it happened, it surprised her. It wasn't often that someone delivering mail outside of town came beckoning down mountains asking for her. The poor guy was out of breath and sweating worse than Dunga on a hot day just to deliver a single letter to Mariam. Everyone in their small village came out of their houses or stopped working outside to see what it could possibly be; even the man who had delivered it, now on the ground rubbing his sore feet, looked up at her curiously.

Looking at the address that day, she frowned. With a roll of her eyes she walked away from the disappointed looks being cast her way; it wasn't of any interest to her to open the letter.

"H-hey," the mailman called out, "Aren't you going to open that...?"

She didn't reply, regretting going outside.

Mariam began regretting it every week as a routine started to unfold. The same man would come to their village with a single letter for her; each time with a hopeful gaze that she would open it. And each time she would take it with annoyance and retreat home to hide it from prying eyes.

Prying eyes came in many forms in her family. It started with the least harmful gaze of her Mother; her soft green eyes sending her meaningful glances as Mariam's attitude progressively got worse with every letter. Next was Joseph and his curious demeanor, wanting to grab the mysterious letters and tear the contents out into the open world. But he knew better; knew his older sister all too well to even try such a stunt. His narrowed stare at each delivery revealed this, for Mariam knew her little brother just as much.

But the main reason she had to wreck an inconspicuous floorboard in her room and dig a shallow hole to hide her letters was because of her Father. He didn't need more ammunition to resent her.

Since the day the Saint Shields had returned, her Father had positioned the blame on Mariam for their failed mission. No matter what Ozuma said, it did not seem to matter. It was her fault, and only her fault. She was the straw that broke the camel's back. And it was all because of that boy too; being a girl, they should have known she would just mess things up because of a few cutesy words and some charm. It was safe to say Mariam didn't talk much to her Father.

He was one of the reasons she never bothered telling the team about the incident that occurred with the building collapsing with just her and Max in it. Details, details. What was important, at the time, had been the power injections that kid's 'blade was getting. If her Father knew what occurred that day…. Well, that was why she dug the hole in her room.

"Mar, you got another letter." Joseph often warned her of the incoming mailman. He found Mariam rather amusing in her state, frazzled and frustrated with each coming week. The green haired boy would actually sit casually on the roof of their house until he caught the first sights of the village being disrupted; then he would pop right outside of her window, feet linked to the roof so he wouldn't fall head first to the ground.

Annoyed, she got in the habit of slamming her window and making Joseph have to jump from his loss of footing to the dusty ground uncomfortably. It amazed Mariam that the whole town seemed so enthused about her constant fleet of letters still; the matter at hand had been going on for some time and the faint buzz of gossip was going around town. Most of the villagers tried to hide it from the knowing teenager, but there were a few girls that approached her with hearts dancing in their eyes. Most people speculated they were love letters in town, including her Father.

She honestly wouldn't know, having never opened a single one. Max struck her as a hopeless, lovey-dovey, head over heels kind of guy, so she wouldn't put it past him. That did not mean Mariam felt the same way, nor did it mean she was going to. The guy just couldn't take a hint.

"Hand it over," Mariam sighed, her palm held upward with aggravation.

"Aren't you ever going to open one?" the mailman asked exasperatedly, he plucked the worn letter from his journey out of his pocket. From the time this all started, the poor guy was starting to get used to the long distance between the villages, not needing to fall to the ground in despair and massage his feet. "You're not in the least bit curious?"

"Not really."

"Don't you ever write back…?"

"No."

"Isn't that a bit cold hearted?" the man quirked his head to the side, clearly feeling bad for the writer. "I mean… every week without a response…."

"I didn't ask for this," Mariam snapped, eyes narrowing into a penetrating glare. The man jumped, taking a step backward in caution; this had been the longest conversation the pair had had together and he did not expect the snarl in her voice. "So until he gets the message, you'll still be coming to town. Just give me the letters from now on and shut-up."

"Uh…," came the stammering reply as she retreated to her home.

Mariam quickly learned she shouldn't have said 'he' in her little spat with the mailman. The chatter amongst town became widespread, especially amongst the teenage girls that squealed in her presence, always causing her to roll her eyes. Her Mother decided it was best to smile at her sympathetically every chance she got and Joseph's glinting eyes became darker.

And her Father, well, he was inviting older boys from town over. Men, as he called them, who were training to be warriors in their town. Who knew why they still needed warriors, their enemy tribes had either given them peace after centuries of war or died out a long time ago. Mariam made it a point to ask them, amused to see their faces hot with frustration. Females weren't supposed to question their actions, but Mariam did not agree with that mindset, and as a factor, most men did not agree with her beyond looks.

It was yet another topic her Father would go on tirades for. Mariam broke too many traditions and disrupted the stereotypes set in town. It was one of the reasons why he had enlisted her in common female jobs upon her return: to make her more womanly. In town that meant polite, abiding, and conservative; everything Mariam wasn't. Even less so when she had to prepare vegetables, nicking her hands continuously and eliciting curse words from her lips loudly; that only got her in more trouble with the instructor.

Cooking was never her strong suit, but Mariam had hated it even more since the letters started coming. It was a hot spot for gossip and the teenage girls, all younger than her and better suited for stereotypes, tended to form groups around her, whispering with their eyes glued on the blue haired girl as if she may do something amazing at any moment.

"E-excuse me…?" One time a girl had approached her when the instructor had left for a few minutes, hand over her heart as her voice quaked. "What is he like?"

Feigning interest, Mariam cocked an eyebrow. "Ozuma?" A lot of girls asked about him, an optimal bachelor in town. Sometimes she would play with people and ask if they meant Dunga just to get a laugh. Most girls after hearing the burly teen's name gawked before shaking their heads furiously.

"No… the one boy," she threw a look for support over her shoulder where the other equally nervous girls had gathered in interest. "The one that writes you."

Thankfully, Mariam hadn't been cutting anything at the moment. She slammed her hands on the counter top forcefully, hoping to scare a majority of them away; if not, she sent a glare their way, telling them it was best not ask about him. Most of the giggly girls got the hint, hightailing it off until their instructor returned. Unfortunately there were a few left looking at her.

"Yes?" the blue haired girl asked annoyed, gritting her teeth.

The girls spared glances amongst themselves, shrugging their shoulders and walking away, making sure Mariam saw their dirty looks. "What's her problem, anyway?" one of the girls spoke loudly enough for her to overhear, "With that attitude, she should be happy a boy is even writing her…."

And yet, she wasn't.

The letters were mounting in their shallow grave; she would soon need to dig another hole or make the present one deeper. Mariam couldn't fathom how one fifteen year old boy had so much to say to her; how he could still think she wanted to hear from him after all this time. She was on the verge of writing a letter of her own telling him to stop and that she could care less if she ever saw him again.

He had an entirely different idea.

"What the…?" Joseph yelled from on top of the roof, his voice cut off by a loud noise that seemed to escalate throughout the sky. Mariam was one of many to go outside to see what the constant thudding sound was, running into the center of town, her brother on her heels, she had met with a huge crowd.

"A helicopter?" Ozuma asked skeptically. The team leader had already made his way to the center of their village by the time the siblings had gotten there. His fierce eyes darted toward the oldest member of the Saint Shields team, "Dunga, don't tell me you actually chartered one."

Huffing, the blond spat, "That was a few years ago I said that, Ozuma."

"What were you, waitlisted?" Joseph laughed, "What are we going to do with a helicopter?"

"I said I didn't do it!"

The buzz amongst town for once wasn't around Mariam as the village folk looked at the landing machine in the distance with wide eyes. Men started to come forward, bearing shields as they headed for the unknown. "This is what warriors are for," one of the men said to her as they passed, a cocky smile on his lips. She realized he must've been one of egos she tore down in her Father's presence now thinking he had one over her.

"Well, don't let it eat you," Mariam replied sarcastically, enjoying the fact the guy actually did a double take with concern written on his face.

Ozuma sighed, "I'll follow them."

"Ha. You think you're leaving us behind?" the blue haired girl smirked, nodding in the direction of her little brother and Dunga. In agreement, the two boys also nodded, signaling to their captain he had no other choice but to agree.

"Let's go then," Ozuma stated. Mariam had to be careful to make sure no men saw her approaching the odd machine as they already had other women and children under cover. The boys she was with now knew she could handle as much as any man, except for Dunga who still had some slight doubts. A helicopter was no threat though.

"Stay where you are or we'll attack!"

Well, they knew. The warriors, on the other hand, didn't seem too bright. Joseph cackled, catching their attention rather quickly, walking right up to the now stopped helicopter on the ground and kicking it lightly. "It's not alive," the green haired boy grinned.

Reddening, the warriors reluctantly lowered their shields and called back to town. "You can come out, there are no threats! We have secured the area! I repeat…."

"Oh, shut-up," Dunga scowled, pushing past the men. Most of them were half his size, it was quite comical to see the brute knock them aside as if they were ragdolls; sliding up to the door, he knocked rigidly to tell whoever was inside to get out now. A click motioned for the blond to step back as the door was about to open, obeying he allowed the door to move upward into the sky to reveal the occupant.

"Guess we parked a little too close, huh?" Nervous laughter flitted through the air as Mariam's gaze hardened. The crowd of villagers approached the helicopter, staring at the boy standing within who was wearing a lopsided grin.

"Max?" Joseph broke the silence, genuinely surprised to see the teen for the first time in two years. His mischievous eyes glinted for a moment knowingly, passing a glance to his sister before widening. "Uh-oh…. How fast can that thing take off?"

Jumping down carefully, the sole blue eyed boy shrugged. "Uh… I don't know. You would probably have to ask the pilot." Running a hand through his blond hair, he purposely messed it up while he looked around curiously at his surroundings. Noticing the large crowd, he smiled sheepishly, "I hope I didn't interrupt anything?"

"Who are you?" One of the warrior boys demanded, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "And why did you come here?"

"He's not a threat," Ozuma answered, pulling the warrior back. "He has Draciel." A silence befell the crowd in that single statement making Max even more nervous than before. Everyone knew what the dual haired boy had meant in that statement; what power the kid held.

"You're one of them, then," the warrior deducted; unimpressed, he started to break away from the crowd and was followed by the rest of the warriors. Max was left still rather awestruck at the attention he was receiving and the only thing he could do was smile awkwardly.

"I really didn't mean to cause such a disturbance, I just…," Max sighed, his statement trailing off as his gaze fell to Mariam, "… wanted to visit."

The blue haired girl huffed with a roll of her eyes, she pushed through the crowd, as Dunga had earlier, not caring about the hurt look on the kid's face she knew would be there. The remaining Saint Shield team watched her retreating form alongside the Bladebreaker; the lingering crowd was now whispering vividly, nudging each other with wide eyes and nods. Mariam was really starting to hate the attention she was getting.

Avoiding the ordeal, Mariam lounged within her room. She was skipping her cooking classes to avoid the drama the giggling girls were sure to bring up and at home was the best place to steer clear of Max, the last person she wanted to see.

"He came here to see you, you know?" Joseph quipped. Somehow her brother had managed to sit on her windowsill without her noticing, his feet dangling outside in case he was pushed. "People are starting to catch on anyway… even Dunga, who finds it hilarious." Hearing the green haired boy's snickering, Mariam abruptly stood up from her bed with a growl.

"There's nothing to catch on to."

Joseph shrugged helplessly, twisting his body so that he faced his older sister. "I don't know what to tell you, Sis," jumping into the room, he smiled sympathetically, "He's here. You don't talk to him when people see you, people are going to think something is going on behind closed doors…."

Growling again, Mariam knew her little brother was right and that her plan wasn't going to work after all. And without a word she marched out of the house and made her way toward the stationary helicopter where the blond boy was sitting cross legged on the ground, answering questions with a loose smile for a bunch of village women. Max was quite the attraction in town.

The blue of his eyes brightened when Max noticed Mariam approaching him, bouncing to his feet suddenly, the other women that had gathered looked over their shoulders to notice her as well. Sending their farewells, the women made sure to smile at the blue haired girl as they passed. "Mariam," the teen said casually, "How are you?"

"Shut it," Mariam scowled, hands on his shoulders as soon as she was close to him. With force, she pushed him against the helicopter and glared at him mere inches from his face. "What is your problem? Get a clue, Max. If I didn't reply to any of your stupid love letters, what made you think I actually wanted to see you?"

Max gulped from his position. Her hands were pushing him against the metal of the helicopter quite hard, but their proximity captured his attention more as he gawked. His blue eyes struggled to keep up with her penetrating gaze, ducking his head down and glancing past her to see a few bystanders watching them curiously. "I… I knew you didn't read my letters…," the blond finally muttered in disappointment.

Saying a few things Max didn't understand, Mariam seriously contemplated hitting the boy for not listening to what she had actually said. "I don't want you here. You're giving everyone in the town the wrong idea about us. Nothing is even going on between us, no matter what you came up with in that prepubescent brain of yours!"

Max gave her an incredulous look. "You're the one who has me pushed up against a helicopter."

The blond haired boy flinched when Mariam had actually growled at the comment, fearing that her fist would soon find its way to his face. Her grip on his shoulders tightened momentarily before she relented and walked a few paces away from him as more foreign words were elicited from her mouth. "Leave," she demanded, her glare darkening further, "Now."

"I can't." Max moved away from the helicopter, rolling his shoulders to get the feeling back. "Everyone thinks I'm on vacation for the week and I already paid the pilot…."

"How is that my problem?"

"I guess it isn't, but I'm staying for the rest of the week."

"Of course," Mariam frowned, turning on her heels to walk away from the boy in haste. Her fists were clenched down at her sides, ready to swing at the nearest thing. "When aren't you difficult?"

Max sighed. "Yeah, well maybe you should actually read my letters."

"What makes you think I haven't?"

Running a hand through his hair briefly, Max turned to climb into the vacant helicopter to make his own escape from the other teen. "It's pretty obvious," he stated simply, disappearing into the large vehicle without another word.

Mariam watched over her shoulder as he closed the helicopter's door behind him, much to her annoyance. Rolling her eyes, she marched back toward her home with rigid movements. She made sure to scowl at every person she passed, their expressions changing from curiosity to fear as they looked in the opposite direction as fast as they could.

Her arrival at home was signaled by the slam of the front door and eventually the slam of her bedroom door. No one dared bother her, news of the event had likely spread like wild fire across town. Hours were spent alone in her room, pacing and lying about in unspeakable frustration. Every now and then her gaze would fall to the ruined floorboard that hid the grave of Max's letters, all unopened and anger inducing.

Her eyes were trained on the floorboard my midweek, annoyance with Max's presence still in town boiling over to a new high. Mariam had never felt so livid in her life. She desperately wanted to shove every letter Max had written down his throat, have him swallow his words. The floorboard was becoming as obnoxious as he was, its existence all too obvious and mocking in the middle of her room.

It bothered her how he had known she hadn't read his letters. Max's general smugness got on her nerves; as if those letters weren't some confession of undying love. She didn't know who he was trying to kid. Honestly, knowing how annoying Max had been when trying to be just her friend, Mariam wasn't sure how the letters could be anything but a waterfall of lovey-dovey emotions.

Her aggravation and the silent taunting of the letter grave drove Mariam to finally succumb to many months of avoidance. Sitting on the ground, she carefully lifted the floorboard out of its place using her nails and discarded it to her left. Her eyes peered downward into the hole filled to the brim with sealed envelopes tossed every which way in an attempt to forget them as quickly as possible. With a sigh, she grabbed handful after handful and laid them beside her so that she could put them in order starting at the earliest; she needed to know exactly how long it took before Max even uttered a hint of romantic interest.

Holding the first letter in her hands, dirty from its time within the confines of the hole, Mariam reluctantly ripped open the seal. Removing the paper from within, she realized the blond had handwritten his thoughts in messy blue and that the letter itself wasn't that long. Leaning against her bed, Mariam let out another deep sigh knowing she was in for a long night of ridiculous sweet nothings and hormonal boy talk.

"Dear Mariam,

I'm writing this letter to you and the rest of the Saint Shields so that you know the truth. The media is having a heyday and rumours are going wild lately and I think it is important that you know what is going on.

Ray, Kai, and I have left the Bladebreakers. They changed the rules for the newest competition, and for our own reasons, we each left to have an equal chance in the game we love.

I don't want you to think, that because we're not a team right now, that the bit beasts are at risk. We would never let anything bad happen to them, as you know. Without a doubt in my mind, we would come back together to protect them in a heartbeat.

I just wanted to tell you firsthand about what is going on. I didn't want you to think that the bit beasts were suddenly in danger. I hope everything is going well with you guys, we haven't seen you in a while. Maybe one day we can all have a rematch!

Sincerely,

Max."

Mariam stared at the letter. No connotations at all. He had honestly written her in an attempt to stop a possible catastrophe within their clan. The Saint Shields had not heard a thing about these new rules, nor about the Bladebreakers splitting up, which was honestly a good thing. Those that had grumbled on her team's decision to let some boys, as they put it, keep the sacred bit beasts would have lost it; probably would have sent another team in after them.

Her gaze shifted to the other letters that now littered the floor of her bedroom, doubting it was possible that all the letters were similar to the first. There was no way she misread the situation; Max was obviously in love with her, he had to be. No logical person would rent a helicopter to stop by for a visit.

Yet every letter she opened was informative, just keeping them up to date with what was going on in their lives. Max was sure to tell them that all four of the sacred bit beasts were fine and finished with the thought that he wished for a rematch one day.

"Dear Mariam,

The BBA has been taken over by someone who has threatened our bit beasts before. Not a lot of people seem concerned, but we have decided to band together to take them down.

I don't know what's going to happen. Honestly, I don't expect a fair fight.

If something comes up, I'll be sure to write you again.

Max."

Mariam had grown annoyed as she opened letter after letter, finding that the boy had been on a strictly business agenda. She had suffered through the torment of her townsfolk, their giggling and dreamy sighs, this whole time and Max was just being informative. Mariam still wanted to shove the letters down his throat, but now for a whole new reason. How could she have been so stupid?

She did, however, discover what was happening in the world outside of her small tribe. She knew now that the Bladebreakers had split up, only to be formed as an entirely new team later to protect the Beyblading world. She knew that they eventually won out and the BBA was reinstated and that their bit beasts had never been in any danger. She knew that Max was happy they didn't have to come down and help protect them, but was sad because he hadn't seen them in such a long time.

Setting another letter aside, Mariam looked to the pile of sealed envelopes that laid before her. It was late at night and her eyes stung from reading through her sleepiness, yet she didn't know if she could stop – if she could let herself be wrong. She swore that she saw something when Max looked at her with those blue eyes of his, but with each letter she was proven wrong. They were simplistic. To the point. Mariam considered giving up, just throw the letters, opened and unopened, back into their grave and just let Max be his annoying self.

Mariam rubbed her eyes briefly, leaning forward to grab just one last letter. From the moment her hands touched the envelope, she noticed the difference. It was thicker than the others. Ripping the seal effortlessly, she removed the contents. The pages were somewhat worn compared to the others, wrinkled and warped from being moved about. The blue pen also seemed hastier at first glance, his words occasionally running into each other and slanted every which way. Curious, the female leaned back in her previous position against the bed.

"Dear Mariam,

If you've been reading my letters, and something tells me you haven't, I know this will be the one where you stop. Probably the one where you start to hate me, if you don't already. I wouldn't be surprised if you threw this one out like all the others… and I guess I am okay with that.

I'm writing this letter for me.

Don't get me wrong, I was thinking about Draciel every time I wrote you. Tyson and the guys might not have thought about the impact of our actions on you and your tribe, but I did. I really didn't want to see you guys getting into trouble for our personal affairs. You guys having our backs when it comes to the bit beasts means a lot, I know it gives me peace of mind.

But at the same time… I was thinking of you.

I guess I was just really hoping to turn around and see you with the rest of the Saint Shields. Maybe that's a little selfish though, wanting to see you again. It's been such a long time and I can't stop my brain from going back to those days where I tried too hard to be your friend. I was pretty obvious and you saw right through me. I wasn't even going to write you again.

But now I can't help but wonder if I'm crazy? Did things not happen the way I remember them? I thought we left off on good standing. Well, the best standing a thirteen year old boy could hope for. Maybe I just deluded myself into thinking there was something there, that you finally thought more of me than just some kid.

Maybe I'm just in love.

Maybe when I think about you it keeps me up all night. My mind just gravitates to you. Everything about you, every memory. Your hair, your eyes… your confidence. I never met anyone who holds themselves like you do. It drives me insane. I think of the perfect things to say and what I would do if I ever saw you again and I just draw blanks.

It kills me to think that you could be in love with someone else. At the same time, I want you to be happy. You deserve it. And, whoever he is, better treat you like the world. If he doesn't, he doesn't realize how lucky he is and doesn't deserve you.

You probably think I am just some lovesick teenager. To be honest, I probably am. That would explain why my heart does flips when I think about you and how I rehearse what I'll say if I, by chance, see you again.

If you read this letter whole letter without throwing it out, thank you.

If you didn't, I think I'm okay with that. I just needed a channel to get these feelings out 'cause my brain feels like it's drowning and I can't get to sleep. Maybe one day I'll get over you. Move on from whatever I made myself believe as a kid. Then again, maybe I don't want to. Maybe I like the way you just sift through my brain and catch me breathless.

I don't know how I can say it any other way, I love you.

Max."

And suddenly there it was. The turning point. The letters turned into rambling confessions, the ones Mariam imagined they were all along. She couldn't help but smirk at how head over heels he seemed, going on about how much he thought about her and questioning whether or not his feelings were normal.

It was obvious Max had grown confident with his words as the letters progressed, relying on the fact that she was discarding his letters without a second thought. Where at first he had been somewhat contradictory and all over the place, he found his footing and spoke with such softness about everything he believed her to be. He went on tangents for paragraphs about how beautiful she was in one letter while the next he spoke about her being the strongest woman he had ever met. To be honest, Mariam felt flattered.

Yet, at the same time, it bothered her. He was three years her junior and had no experience in relationships, how could he possibly know what being in love felt like? Max built her up on a pedestal like she was some Goddess. And while reading his newer letters left Mariam charmed, she knew all of it was far from the truth. That didn't stop her heart from fluttering whenever she read something extra sweet though, much to her annoyance. Mariam felt she should be smarter than this; cutesy words shouldn't be getting the best of her.

But they were and it was getting ridiculous.

Mariam had finished reading all the letters sometime in the middle of the night. Not even remembering falling asleep, she awoke on her bedroom floor amongst a sea of paper. Her Father was knocking on the door harshly, angered by her absence in all of her responsibilities for the past week. She barely listened to him as he droned on, not being a morning person. Instead, she collected the letters and placed them within their grave once again and quietly eased the floorboard back into its resting point.

"Mariam!"

"I know, I heard you!"

Although this was a lie, Mariam knew her destination in town was essentially the gossip hub that was more formally known as cooking class. Upon her arrival, the younger teenage girls stared in awe and whispered to each other as their gazes remained on her. The instructor, clearly unimpressed with Mariam's nonchalance over being gone for so long, merely sneered and continued teaching.

This was how the day went. Giddy girls watching her closely, nudging each other, and making up stupid dreamy stories of romance; all the while, Mariam fought the urge to vocalize her annoyance, and instead opted to send rigid glares. The instructor's temperament was tested continually, her voice rising to speak over incessant giggling or have a minor argument with Mariam due to her apparent attitude.

It finally boiled down to a point where the instructor threw her hands in the air and called for a break before leaving the room with a huff. Luckily for Mariam, her classmates decided to follow the instructor and empty the room out completely. What struck her as odd was that their constant need to chatter suddenly died away before doing so and she had not made a threatening move toward them in a while.

"Mariam…?"

That explained it. Max. Tensing from her spot at a counter, she didn't bother to turn around and face him. "I thought I told you to leave me alone."

"I am," he said softly. She could hear him shuffle from his position in the room, and much to her dismay, it sounded like he was getting closer. "I'm leaving soon…. I just wanted to say goodbye and explain to you why I came here in the first place. The Bladebreakers, we…."

"Split up," Mariam interrupted him, her voice on edge and silencing Max right away. "I know."

"How…?"

"I read your letters." Max didn't say anything. With a roll of her eyes, Mariam reluctantly turned around to face the boy, her back to the counter as she leaned against it casually. "All of them. So you can stop playing games. Oh, and don't give me that crap about you really being here over the Bladebreakers. I'm not stupid. They ended up being love letters so I don't know why you were being so high and mighty."

The blond ran a hand through his hair, his face flushing. "I never said you were stupid," he told her lightly, his voice a direct contrast to her cutting tone. "I just wanted to be honest with you."

"I think you've said enough."

Max nodded slowly, taking in her words. He approached her further, making his way around the counter tops that made up the classroom to be across from her. This made Mariam frown as reminders of how stubborn the boy could be came rushing back. "I think you're scared to let anyone get close to you."

"Oh God," Mariam groaned, already unimpressed with where the conversation was going. "Give me a break, Max. What makes you think that you know me better than I know myself?"

"I never said that either," he smiled warmly. Max then just stared at her for a few seconds in silence, his eyes showing hints of sadness as he did his best to conceal it. "I'm sorry that my letters… I have been bothering you. I guess it was all just in my mind," the boy continued softly, "I won't write you anymore… and if I see you again, I guess it is your call."

Mariam didn't say anything, sensing a 'but' in his statement.

"I just… I don't want to leave here with any regrets." And for the same stupid reason Mariam let herself be charmed by his letters, she also managed to let his lips meet hers without even realizing it. It was like one moment Max was being hard to decipher from a safe distance away, the next he was kissing her with his hands resting on the counter top on each side of her. What was worse was that fluttering feeling was coming back and her brain wasn't in the least bit alarmed with what was going on.

Needing to pull herself out of the situation, Mariam placed her hands on his shoulders to push him away as easily as possible. But the mere touch of her hands made Max break away from the kiss and step back, his hands away from her sides, and his face a slight shade of red. Neither of them said anything to each other; Max's head ducked down sheepishly and Mariam between herself on what to do.

The chatter of approaching classmates brought them out of their stupor as their eyes met each other a final time. "I should go…," Max finally murmured as students filed into the room, their eyes on the pair with glee. "Goodbye, Mariam."

With that, the blond haired boy ushered himself out of the room in silence. His head was tucked down to avoid the gazes of the teenage girls swooning after him as he eventually vanished behind a corner. Mariam watched the door quietly for a moment, having a battle with herself to follow after the former Bladebreaker or not. Logically, she told herself she shouldn't. However, that lovely fluttering feeling kept intervening and telling her otherwise.

Max was leaving and that's what she wanted this whole time. She didn't care about how he knew all the right things to say, even when his words were jumbled beyond repair, or how utterly stuck on her he seemed to be. It didn't matter that when he kissed her she felt a jolt go through her system and that she had been tempted to kiss him back.

Something was definitely wrong with her. That's what Mariam decided when she stormed out of the room, brushing past the instructor in the hallway on her way out of the building. She had never felt more stupid than now, rushing after a boy that gave her life so much grief. Upon exiting the building, she could see the helicopter parked in the distance and Max and the pilot standing outside talking.

Getting closer the vehicle, the pilot was boarding the helicopter as Max watched after him. "Wait," Mariam called relatively loudly. She did not need another audience full of gushing romantics, but she did want the boy to stay a tad longer.

Max looked in her direction, his features lighting up. "Can you give me a minute?" he asked the pilot. The man gave him a nod from his position in the helicopter. Swinging a bag off of his shoulder, Max handed it to the pilot to put on board before meeting Mariam halfway. He stared at her curiously, a smile beckoning on his lips.

"You can't leave here thinking I'm perfect." The simple statement brought an incredulous expression to Max's face, not that it lasted long. The next thing the boy knew, Mariam had rested her hands on both sides of his face around his jaw line and pulled him into a slow kiss. It caused Max to completely freeze and Mariam to smirk at the effect she had on him. When Max finally realized what was going on and figured he should probably kiss back, Mariam teasingly broke away.

Her hands drifted away from his face back to her sides and Max was left in numbing confusion. "Was… that supposed to be bad…?" Mariam half expected him to go on a tangent, much like his letters, about it being the complete opposite of bad.

"I have other flights scheduled for today."

Max broke his stare from Mariam to glance at the pilot, mildly annoyed. "Yeah, just give me a second." He took Mariam by the arm and led her somewhat away from the helicopter. "I… I don't understand."

It was her turn to break their gaze as she looked around her village. Unfortunately for her, there were a lot of people outside and all of them seemed to be staring their way rather obviously. "I'm expecting a letter detailing what was going through your mind just then…."

"A… letter?"

"Mmhmm," she hummed her agreement, enjoying the hopefulness that was starting to inflate his words. It was then that Mariam caught sight of her Father, a frown evident on his lips even from as far as he was. "I can't guarantee I'll be able to write you as much, I have some issues I need to work out here first. Maybe then you won't think I'm so perfect."

"I don't think that's possible," Max told her with a shrug. "Other guys in town may want to change you, say they've tamed you. I wouldn't ever ask you to change. I mean… I know everyone has their faults, but who you are… I think we'd be perfect together."

"Give it some time."

Max pulled a smile. "What if your plan backfires and I never stop feeling this way about you?"

"I really hate to interrupt, but we got to get moving!" The pilot shouted from the helicopter, making a motion with his watch as he leaned out the open door.

Mariam smirked at the slight lapse of anger that crossed Max's features. "Then I guess I'll be stuck with you, won't I?"

"I'm not really seeing the downside." Max gave her a lopsided smile.

"You should probably get going…." Mariam told him, nodding toward the helicopter and the growing impatient pilot. Max made a grunt of disappointment before he edged forward to give Mariam another kiss. Unfortunately she stopped him, placing a single finger on his lips and watching his expression crumble. "My Father's over there and I'm sure he's already looking for a reason to kill you…."

"Right…," he nodded a few times, a tad crestfallen. Max reluctantly started to move back toward the helicopter, his gaze glued to Mariam. "I hate that I have to leave like this… but I'll write you, I promise. If you want me to that is…?"

"Be sure to tell me where you are so I can stop by for a visit." His face lit up at the news and Mariam had to resist the urge to roll her eyes.

"I will! Goodbye!"

"Bye."

Mariam watched as the pilot took his position in the helicopter, Max boarding and sealing the door shut. She was joined by the town, their eyes on the machine as the blades began to spin faster and faster before it ascended into the sky and eventually vanished into the distance. Without a word, Mariam made her way back home, past the gossipy girls, her silent team mates, and her seething Father to board herself up in her room.

Three days later Mariam was called to the center of town by Joseph, the all too familiar mailman had made his way to town with a single letter. He handed it to the teenager, not even bothering to ask for her name.

"Thought he gave up, didn't you?" the mailman joked, "First week in about a year or so he missed, isn't it?"

"Decided to change tactics. He flew down last week."

"Oh," the mailman said, sounding a bit worried for the letter writer. "Well, he can't be dead if he's still writing you letters. I suppose he's not getting your message?"

"I decided to change my message," Mariam stated simply, opening up the letter on the spot. The mailman gawked having never witnessed her open a single envelope before. Doing a quick once over of the letter, she smirked at the occasional thought she saw that jumped off of the pages. "Looks like you'll be delivering these for a while…."

Walking away from the mailman, who was still confused about what had just happened, Mariam once again took note of the people decorating her town, in particular the swooning girls. They weren't subtle with their giggling and they often sighed about having a boy like Max, so romantic and sweet. Mariam had even heard them talk a few times amongst themselves, when they believed her to be out of earshot, what a boy like him could see in her. To them it made no sense.

For Mariam, a part of her wanted to show them the letters. Point out in detail everything Max loved about her and rub it in their generic faces. But a bigger part of her wanted to keep them to herself, in their hidden home within her room, and she wasn't sure why.

Maybe she was in love.