A/N: Hey there, MFB readers. I'm here with another one-shot, this time featuring a love triangle that I enjoy very much.
Disclaimer: I don't own Metal Fight Beyblade or any other season of Beyblade (like Zero-G).
It was a hot, sunny, summer day in Metal City.
Kyouya was leaning back against a tree near Bey Park, hopping its shadow will protect him from the sun's angry rays. Never had it been so hot in this town, and if it ever had, he didn't remember.
The heatwave that hit Metal City proved to be too much even for the King of Beasts himself and, in order to withstand the hot weather, Kyouya took off his sleeveless, black jacket, leaving him in his short, green shirt. He didn't really care that he was almost shirtless. It was so hot that even under the dark shadow of the tree he'd taken refuge beneath, Kyouya could feel sweat forming on his brow.
Why did he go out in the first place? He could have remained in his apartment or he could have gone to the warehouse district, but no, he had to go to the B-Pit, hoping to find Gingka there so they could battle again. Long story short, Gingka hadn't been there. The bey mechanic, Madoka, hadn't been there either. That had been pretty unusual. She would not be absent unless. . .she was with him — with Gingka.
For sure that was it.
He was sure that the warehouse would be nice and cool to be in right then, and Kyouya sure regretted his decision not to head there from the beginning. Now he was forced to stay there until the sun decided to hide behind the clouds and, unfortunately, there wasn't a sight of any on the clear, blue sky. Just his damn luck.
Kyouya closed his eyes. If he couldn't do anything productive in this weather then he could use a nap.
Time was passing by and the boy could feel sleep slowly overtake him. He was ready to fall asleep when a faraway voice disturbed him.
"Kyouya!"
It was his name and the voice was pretty familiar, he noted.
"Hey, Kyouya!"
The voice could be heard getting closer and closer.
"KYOUYA!"
He opened his eyes, recognizing the person right away.
Gingka.
Kyouya turned his head towards the shouting and, as expected, there was Gingka, a goofy grin on his face, holding in his hands a rectangular box. Kyouya looked behind the redhead and, just as he had thought, Madoka was catching her breath.
When his eyes moved back to the redhead Kyouya noticed that his rival's outfit was the same. White scarf around the neck, blue bandana and jacket. Seriously? Wasn't he dying in that? Kyouya was sure that after another minute in this heat his boots were to follow the black jacket. His shirt too.
Even Madoka had changed out of the usual attire and sported a light blue summer dress.
Gingka didn't seem to mind the weather too much, though.
"What do you want?" Kyouya asked with a glare. If it was bey battling then he could forget it. Now he wasn't in the mood for it.
"Nothing really. I just saw you and thought I might stop by and see what you were up to," answered the redhead, missing the way Kyouya's eye twitched at his words. "But now that you ask. . .have you ever heard of the cherry stem myth?" Gingka asked enthusiastically, opening the box he was carrying to show its contents; it was full with cherries.
"I don't think so. Why?"
The Leone wielder didn't like the tone of his rival's voice, nor the mischievous glint in his hazel eyes.
"Well, they say that if you're able to tie a knot in the stem of a cherry with your tongue you're a great kisser!" Gingka exclaimed, fist raised in the air.
Kyouya sent him a perplexed glare. What does that even have to do with kissing?
"I heard about it from Masamune. He said he could beat me at it, but I proved him wrong," the redhead said, the wide smile not slipping from his face.
Masamune? Really? I wonder where he heard about that from. . .Never mind that. I really don't need to know.
From beside the Pegasus wielder Madoka gave him a small, apologetic smile.
He got her in this too?
Kyouya raised one eyebrow back at her before fixing his blue eyes on the red haired boy and saying, "What do you mean you showed him? Who can't do such a thing?" He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest.
"If you don't believe me then I'll have to show you too!" the Pegasus blader shouted before pulling a stem off one of the cherries he had in the box. Gingka then popped it in his mouth in a comedic manner. A few moments and laughable faces later the redhead stuck out his tongue to reveal a sloppily tied knot in the small stem. Still, it indeed respected the promise he made.
"Do you see it? That's how it's done." Gingka grinned at Kyouya then, turning towards Madoka, he said with pride, "See, Madoka? That definitely means that I'm a good kisser, right?"
Kyouya could feel the blood rushing faster than before through his veins at his rival's words. He had actually did it and was now showing off with it. How annoying.
Madoka only laughed in response, but that still encouraged the redheaded blader to continue with his boasting, much to Kyouya's growing annoyance.
"That's nice, Gingka, but it doesn't mean that you can beat me at it," she slowly said as she took one cherry from the box, pulled the stem out and proceeded to place it in her mouth.
Folding the stem in half around the tip of her tongue, she took the folded stem between her front teeth and bit down gently until the two ends crossed over, forming a loop with an x-shape crossover of the stem ends. Holding one end of the stem with her teeth, Madoka used the tip of her tongue to push the other end of the stem through the loop that she'd made. After a few moments, the gird pulled out a stem that was tied much neater and tighter than Gingka's attempt.
The two boys watched in amazement, mouths wide open.
"Madoka, how did you do that so good?" Gingka asked while still staring at the stem. He had never managed to do that before and even after seeing the results the bey mechanic got, the ginger still couldn't believe his eyes. There had to be some trick involved.
The brunette giggled back at him."Well, Gingka, that shall remain my secret alone."
So that means she's a great kisser, the green haired blader got lost in thought and he almost shook his head when he realized where those thought were going. That's if we base it on that stupid myth. Who wouldn't be able to beat Gingka or Masamune at that? Please, how hard can it be?
"Kyouya, you still haven't tried it yet," Gingka said all of a sudden as he gave Kyouya the small, opened box.
Not one to back down from a challenge, the Leone wielder snatched a cherry out of the box and pulled the stem off. After a few moments he spit out a rather deformed and broken cherry stem, full of dents where he had probably tried to use his teeth. He grunted and took another stem in order to try again, but results were the same as before.
"I can't believe this. You actually can't do it." Gingka gaped at him. "That makes you bad at kissing!"
Kyouya was sure he had heard Madoka laughing in the background and he felt a pang in his lower abdomen. Maybe the broken pieces of his lion pride were hitting the bottom on his stomach?
"This is ridiculous. It doesn't prove anything."
"Yes, that or maybe you don't want to admit it, right, Kyouya?" Gingka teased the green haired blader.
Kyouya snorted, which in turn made the other teens break down into a laughing fit. Looking at them, a smirk started to form on Kyouya's face despite him being the motive of their mirth. We'll see who laughs in the end. We'll see, he thought, an idea already forming in his mind.
It was something that would shut them up for good.
The male slowly sat up and let his head lean forward until his pine green hair was shadowing his face. Gingka and Madoka stopped in their giggles at the sight.
She was the first to break the silence that had fallen over them. "Actually, it's okay, Kyouya. That's not some talent you are born with or something that you can be good at from the start, but a skill that practice makes perfect. It took me some time to get it right, and Gingka too. Right, Gingka?" the girl replied, elbowing the hazel eyed boy in the ribs.
"Yeah," he admitted. "And besides, it's just a myth. We shouldn't just believe everything we hear, right? Even if it could be true," he said the last part under his breath and Madoka seemed to have heard it because she turned to glare at him.
"What Gingka here is trying to say is that we're sorry about teasing you like that, but it's all in good fun."
In that moment, the redhead opened his mouth to speak, yet again ruining Madoka's attempt of making peace with the King of Beasts before things got out of hand, "If you want, we could teach you how to do it. It's what friends are for, after all."
A vein popped up on Kyouya's brow. That was it. They've crossed the line. Nobody messed with his lion pride.
He was going to show them just how good he was.
Kyouya grabbed Madoka's wrist and pulled her towards his taller frame. She only had time to let out a small yelp as his chapped lips connected with her much softer ones. He blue eyes were wide with confusion but, soon enough, they closed when Kyouya grabbed the back of her head, keeping her in place as his mouth moved against hers.
The red haired blader had an astonished expression on his flushed face. He was probably still processing what was happening or maybe he was not believing his eyes.
Madoka didn't expect her first kiss to be this way. Nor did she expect him to be her first. Though, despite her inexperience, she tried her best to follow his moves and make the best out of it. Seconds later they broke apart from each other, Madoka's cheeks flushed pink, Kyouya grinning to himself, a little breathless himself, and Gingka still staring at them in pure perplexity.
"What has just happened?" was all the Pegasus wielder could muster to say.
Still grinning, Kyouya responded, "Well, how's that for kissing? Does your stupid myth live up to it? And you even had the audacity to suggest to teach me."
Madoka was looking at the ground, words never finding their way out of her throat as her fingers played with her dress' skirt.
"Why you? Kyouya! What was all that about?" Gingka yelled fiercely once out of his stupor, jealousy and fury clear on his face. He wrapped his arms around Madoka and pulled her back against his side, as if protecting her in case his rival decided to try anything else.
"You don't have any reason to complain. You brought this on yourselves. See you later, Gingka," Kyouya stated nonchalantly and turned his eyes on the girl. "Madoka." He promptly left the scene, but didn't miss the way Madoka's face reddened again or the way Gingka's arms tightened their hold around her.
Maybe now the two he left behind will figure out their feelings.
Watch out, Gingka Hagane. You better get her before I do because she's got my attention and I don't think I can stay away from that for too long. . .
He didn't care about the heat anymore. He's got himself a kiss from the pretty beyblade mechanic. A really good one, if he could say so.
Maybe now Gingka wasn't his rival only when it came to beyblade.
Beware, Gingka. Beware.