Title: When Worlds Collide
Authoress: Ladya C. Maxine
Rating: T
Summary: see chapter one
Warnings: see chapter one
Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade or any of its characters. Any and all unrecognizable characters belong solely to me and are not to be used otherwise. I am not making any money off of this and I write with the sole intent to entertain.
"How's it going?"
"Have I fallen in yet?"
"No…"
"Then I'm alright, aren't I?"
They'd been down this road before. Leaving the redhead alone for now, Ray rolled his eyes as he pulled up the net, leaning over the side of the boat. Lee was doing the same behind him. Tala was pretty much keeping an eye out for…never mind. Tala wasn't doing anything, and he seemed content to keep it up, sitting as far away from them as the small boat allowed.
Jabs and snarls aside, it'd been a productive morning. They'd already filled their boat with fish once and were now back on the water. The river, which ran through the entire mountain range, was wide and long; no one had ever reached its end. It was a good twenty minutes walk out of the village just to reach the piers, where only few boats had remained; the true fisher men had left before dawn.
"Have you ever been in a boat?" Ray had asked Tala while Lee jumped in without restraint.
"I've been on many boats. I've never been in something like that," Tala had snorted, studying the simple vessel with some amusement and plenty of distaste. "But if you can do it—"
"'I can do it too', I'm sure," Ray had shaken his head, given the redhead a halfhearted push in the back. "All the better. Just don't lean over too far, or walk around too much."
"Don't worry. It'll be tough, but I'll try to contain myself, as ecstatic as I am."
"Just get in, will you?" Lee had snarled, already untying the boat. "Unless you're just stalling…"
"Hardly," Tala had griped back, defiantly but confidently stepping in.
Tala seemed at home now, sitting mightily while they did the work, offering 'insightful' comments that only served to ensure that Lee be pushed to his wits' end. Ray was forced to keep himself between the two as much as possible, should Lee snap and lunge at the Russian.
"You're infuriating, you know that?" he whispered tiredly to Tala while Lee was busy untangling one of the nets.
"…And?"
Ray didn't have time for another lecture; not when it would only offer them temporary reprieve. Instead, he gave himself a break and tuned both of them out, at least trusting that they wouldn't kill each other while he sat back and appreciated the lush forest and nice weather.
They'd been assigned another spot on the river, but Lee had insisted that there would be more fish further down, where the water was deeper and the atmosphere quieter without the other fishers around them. In search of a better catch, they'd continued downstream. Ray kept an eye on the mountain; using it as a landmark. If they lost sight of it they'd gone too far and he'd have to turn them back 'round. The river banks were silent, but beautiful, and the trees thick and plentiful. The sun was shining, not too hot but enough to burn away the cool morning air.
Ray smiled, completely relaxed. They were heading to another fishing spot, a sizeable catch already at the bottom of their boat. The smell of fresh fish was making him hungry; breakfast seemed like an age or two ago.
"Even these fish are pretty small," Lee said, picking up a still wriggling creature and studying it critically. "I don't get it. Why do the fish always so hard to find this time of year?"
Tala, who'd been staring at a cloud, reclining on the bank he'd commandeered for himself, pushed up his sunglasses to stare at Lee and his fish.
"It really hasn't occurred to you that, just maybe, with the more than usual amount of fishing being done this time of year for, coincidentally, the festival, there aren't as many fish left in this part of the river?"
"What do you know about it?" Lee snapped, tossing the fish back on the pile. "You don't look like the outdoorsy type."
"I like to think of myself as the commonsense-y type," Tala said, lying back down. "You should try that sometimes. It's really refreshing."
"You're both right," Ray jumped in, forced to referee once more. "The fish here are smaller and less. I know one last spot we can try, but it's further ahead than I'd like to go. We'll try anyway. Lee, why don't you start sorting through these and Tala, you keep an eye out for any ripples in the water; they often come up to the surface to feed."
Not moving until they'd both thoroughly reminded each other how much they hated being around each other, Lee and Tala sharply turned their backs to each other and set about doing as Ray had asked; he wished they'd respect his request for them to get along. Sighing, he assured himself that they hadn't tried to throw the other out of the boat, which, if one looked really hard, was an improvement of some kind.
"OW!"
Both Ray and Tala jumped at the sudden cry that shattered the long silence. Lee was shaking a hand vigorously and they just caught sight of a victorious fish flopping over the side of the boat, landing with a resounding splash in the water.
"It bit me!" Lee unnecessarily exclaimed.
At the head of the boat Tala actually erupted in snickers, his shoulders shaking as he rolled over on his side. While Ray couldn't display his own amusement so openly, he felt his lips twitching even as he made his way over to where Lee was scowling unsightly at the redhead. There were a series of small but deep holes across his palm that were slowly bleeding bright red drops.
"It's not funny!" Lee hissed to Tala, not commenting on Ray's smile. "I could get an infection!"
That only made Tala snicker more as he sat up and pulled off his sunglasses to wipe the tears from his eyes. Though it had come at the expense of his best friend, Ray felt that it was kinda worth the sight of their stoic guest openly laughing.
"It'll be fine," he told Lee, handing him some dry linen that was kept in an onboard box for just these occasions. "You've got to admit it, though, it's kinda funny. A White Tiger being bitten by his favourite food. Payback, eh?"
Lee failed to see the humour in any of it, especially since Tala was getting such a kick out of his misfortune. However, he gave Ray amiable snort before turning back to the remaining, more manageable fish, only to sit up and take notice of something else.
"Hey, we're moving!"
"On a flowing body of water?" Tala asked, no trace of laugher left in his voice, only sarcasm. "No way! What are the chances of that happening?"
"I meant," Lee said through clenched teeth, "we're going faster."
Frowning, Ray looked down. Indeed, the water was streaming by them faster now, but not enough for any concern. It was weird though; this part of the river wasn't known for having a strong current. Unless they must have drifted further down than expected. He looked around them, searching for the peek of the mountain. No matter where he turned, he couldn't find the snowy peak.
"I think it's time we went back."
"But we haven't caught our quota," Lee objected, also standing, noticing too that the mountain was out of range. "That spot you were talking about can't be too far from here. Let's just give it a try. I don't want to show up at the village with only this."
"It's no big deal. We volunteered to help out, so anything we bring in will be well received."
"We would have gotten more if it weren't for certain circumstances."
"It must be nice, being totally ignorant of reality," Tala sighed, lazy swirling a hand in the water. "Life must appear so simple to you."
"Don't start," Ray groaned, having some difficulty turning the boat around. "I need help, Lee."
"You didn't do anything!" Lee almost shouted, sizing up Tala, who promptly stood too.
"Meaning that I neither contributed to nor hampered your work, so take your accusation back."
"Guys, now's not the time to—"
"No, Ray! I've had enough! I've tried! I've tried and he just keeps throwing it back in my face! I don't care what Mr Dickenson said; when we get back I'm going to talk to grandfather! I'm sick of this! I'm sick of him!"
"Good!" Tala shouted back, throwing his sunglasses to the bottom of the boat. "Get me out of this godforsaken land! I'm sick of this whole charade too! Go talk to your grandfather and you'd better get on your knees and beg if you must; as long as I don't have to put up with you people and your backward lifestyle any longer!"
"STOP IT!" Ray intervened, grabbing Lee and pulling the two apart from where they had been shouting almost nose-to-nose. "Just shut up for once! You know what I'm sick of?! The both of you! I'm sick of you arguing! I'm sick of trying! I'm sick of giving this my all when neither of you even care to give it an honest try!"
Stunned, they stared at him. Next to him Lee's mouth opened and closed, trying to say something to calm him, worry and guilt painted all over his face. Tala's thoughts were tightly guarded, face neutral and showing no signs of guilt. Ray's shoulders sagged, feeling a bit lightheaded after his outburst and ashamed with himself for having lost control like that. The only sound for a long time was the water against the hull of their boat.
"Ray, I…" Lee started but Ray waved him off.
"Just forget it," he muttered, unable to summon any optimism.
Tala, who stood facing them both, started to turn away as well but something caught his eye up ahead. His mouth fell open and his eyes went wide.
"Move!" he shouted and with no other warning shoved Ray back.
"Whoa!"
Ray was thrown off balance as the boat began rocking a lot more. He couldn't right himself fast enough and could only take one final breath before he hit the cold water, the force of impact pushing him far below the surface, but not before he heard a loud crash; a crushing sound of splintering wood.
Still trying to shake off the shock, he was pulled along by the current. He felt something graze his leg and turned. A large rock, against which their boat had just been smashed to bits, jutted up from the deep riverbed. Staring at the jagged stone as he floated past it, Ray came around and kicked, pushing himself to the surface. From this point of view the once majestic river appeared treacherous as it pushed him along.
"Lee?! Tala?!" he shouted, not fighting the water, but turning as he went. "LEE! TALA!"
He saw nothing but water, which was steadily flowing faster. He didn't know how far he was from the rapids, but he had to get out now before he found out the dangerous way. He was sure he could make it to the shore; what worried him was the whereabouts of his friends.
Just as he started to begin swimming sideways towards the shore, making good progress, another rock suddenly sprung up in the close horizon! This one didn't let him get away that easily. Ray cursed, unwilling taking in a mouthful of water when he struck it with his shoulder. It wasn't done with him yet, though. Around the rock, the water swirled and bubbled, driven by deeper current, one of which snagged him and he was pulled back down, this time too sudden to even draw in a fresh breath.
'No! Come on, swim!' he ordered himself, kicking furiously, helplessly staring as the glittering surface drew away, higher and higher.
The current was too strong, and it just kept going down even as it travelled along at high speed. The water was darker down here and Ray couldn't see anything and was quickly becoming disoriented. He kicked his legs, his injured arm numb and useless. He didn't stand a chance down here, but he'd fight for as long as he could.
'…Am I going to die?...Just like that?'
His lungs were under such pressure and the urge to breath in, despite being underwater, was getting as hard to resist as the current. He no longer had any idea what was up and what was down; everywhere looked just as dark, and the total blackness was creeping in around the fringe of his sight.
'Is this…what it was like…mom…dad…? I guess…I wouldn't have been able to save you…after all…'
It was so quiet down here. So empty too.
'Guys…I wish I could have told you…how much…I…loved…'
He kicked one last time, his strength and morale exhausted.
'I wish…I could have…done so much…more…'
Releasing the little bit of air left in his lungs, he stared at the stream of tiny bubbles, resigning himself to he would never see anything else ever again.
He merely stirred when his hand brush against something.
No…it was the something that was doing the brushing…and it grabbed his hand! He couldn't see anything but according gripped back when he felt himself being tugged. The current wouldn't give him up that easily, but the other force was even more determined. With one last pull he felt his body freed from the crushing flow. The water around him was getting clearer, but before there was air, there was ground beneath his feet.
Surfacing with a big gasp, Ray remained on his knees in the waist high water, sucking in as much air as he could loudly, trying to smother the fire in his lungs. His bangs stuck to his face, obscuring his sight, and his shoulder, now exposed to the air, out of the cold water, was stung, his arm barely capable of movement, but all he cared about that there was air all around. Lots of it.
Through his heavy pants, he heard the sound of pebbles shifting somewhere ahead of him. The sweet air in his recovering lungs already lending him the strength he needed, he dragged himself up the shore, practically clawing his way completely out of the water. He didn't get more a few feet before collapsing on the smooth stones, flipping over onto his back and enjoying the gift of life. Beside him he could hear heavy breathing.
"Thanks. Where's…Lee?" Ray asked, surprised to hear his own voice once again.
"Safe," was all his rescuer could get out.
Relieved, Ray turned his head to one side. Tala looked in better shape than him; there were no obvious wounds on him, but he did look drained, eyes closed and panting softly on his back. At some point the redhead had shrugged off, or lost, the vest he'd been wearing that morning.
"I thought…you said you were a strong swimmer," the Russian challenged, gaining his regular breathing pattern as he wiped his hair out of his face to glare at Ray.
"I would have made it…if…it weren't for that stupid…rock…Man, it feels so good to breathe!"
They lay there a while longer, staring up into the tree branches. By the time Tala pushed himself up into a sitting position they were both half-dry and Ray just wanted to go to sleep, having grown used to the pebbles poking him in his back. Closing his eyes, he was about to nod off when Tala hissed loudly, gripping the left side of his ribcage.
"Be careful," Ray said, shakily sitting up. "We'd better get back to the village to have someone look at it."
"It's not broken and I'm not—" Tala winced, almost doubling over when something stabbed him on the inside.
"…Is there anything I can do?" Ray asked, unable to think up something fast enough himself.
"Next time…bring a life vest."
It took a while for Ray to realize that Tala was being his sardonic self. He wanted to come up with a comment of his own but foolishly shifted onto his bad arm and it buckled beneath him. He fell back down, groaning.
"I don't suppose," he said, blinking rapidly through the pain, "that you have a quick pain relieving method for busted ribs or shoulders, do you?"
"It might be dislocated," Tala said, stretching his spine carefully. "Can you move it?"
"Barely."
"Sucks for you."
"Wow, thanks a lot! If you wanted me to suffer you could have just left me to—OW!"
"Not dislocated," Tala observed, pulling Ray's arm away from him, rotating it this way and that, ignoring Ray's loud protests. "Not fully, anyway."
"Do you think it's going to have to be reset or—OWWW! DAMMIT!" Ray screamed, tears running down his face when his poor arm was roughly pulled and pushed back into its socket. "Can't you ever give a warning beforehand?!"
"That might have pinched a bit," Tala smirked, sitting back on his heels.
"You know, your sarcasm isn't as cute when I'm in a lot of pain."
"Sucks for you," Tala repeated. "Anything else needs to be popped back into place?"
"No!" Ray said, shaking his head vigorously. Calming down, he reached out to touch Tala's side but the redhead shifted out of reach. "Just let me have a look at it. You helped me."
"I don't need your help in return."
"Don't make me jab you."
"Dare to and I'll twist that arm clean off."
Giving up, Ray sat back, wriggling his fingers and wrist to stimulate the blood flow.
"I can't believe you saved my life," he said. Tala looked at him, somewhat offended. "I don't mean that I didn't think you had it in you to care enough to; I just mean…That's the closest to death I've ever come…For a moment, I really did give up, waiting for everything to just end. It's…I was…"
"Scared," Tala said, gingerly pulling his knees to his body and resting his head on his folded arms, apparently growing tired once more.
"Is that how you felt when you saw your parents…?"
"No. I had a choice; I knew I'd live if I listened to Boris. I wasn't scared then. It's when you don't have a choice, that's when it grips you."
"I never would have thought you'd admit to being scared of anything," Ray smiled faintly, troubled by the thought.
"If there's one thing man can rightfully fear, it's death, isn't it? Because it's inevitable and final, and all we can do is live every day with the knowledge that it might be our last."
"Not always. I mean, when in the village, with my friends around me, I don't think of death. I feel safe there; almost invincible." He stared as the blue eyes lowered to the ground. "You…You ever felt that?"
"…No."
The sun was beating down hotly. It was high noon, and the cool effect of the water on his skin was evaporating, though his clothes were still pretty cold, sticking uncomfortably to his body as he scooted closer to Tala, who automatically wrapped both arms around his ribs, still not trusting Ray to not examine the ailment.
"Here's what I'm thinking," Ray said, smiling confidently. "I owe you my life, so, to repay you, I'll make you invincible."
"And how, exactly, do you plan to accomplish that?" Tala asked sceptically.
"Give me one more shot to get you to like it here. Tonight, during the festival, just do your best to open up your mind to what we have to offer and I'll do the rest. You don't have to be afraid here, Tala. You really don't have to."
"And we're back to the happy-happy-joy-joy attitude you keep rattling on about," Tala sighed. "Why should I have to do something like that when I'm the one who saved your useless self?"
"Then you should have thought of that before coming after me. Please, Tala? One more try. You're not the type of guy who gives up, or who lets others affect him. You said you hated it here, but you don't have to. Wouldn't things be so much easier if your stay here was more than arguing and griping?"
"If I say 'no', will you start shouting again?"
Ray's face lit up, burning his cheeks.
"Hey, you guys were being a pain," he defended his actions.
"So was your voice. If there were any fish in the area you certainly scared them off," Tala said candidly, tucking his hair behind his ears.
"Ha ha. But stop changing the subject. Do we have a deal? Besides, you still owe me."
"Owe you what?" Tala wondered.
"You saved me from drowning, but you didn't give me that mouth-to-mouth I specifically asked for," Ray grinned.
Tala scoffed, gathering his feet beneath him to stand.
"It's still up for the taking," he replied, meaning it as a mordant comeback.
Ray knew that he didn't mean it, but his mind went blank for a moment, and in those few seconds his body decided to act on its own. Pulling the Russian back down, he planted a quick kiss on the other's lips. His mind kicked back into gear upon contact and he pulled away, mortified. Tala was stunned into silence, kneeling next to him with a lost expression on his face.
"Whoa…I mean…I was just joking and…" Ray scrambled to explain himself but couldn't honestly remember what he'd been thinking at the time. "Just wanted to…damn it…"
But Tala wasn't listening. Instead, he was hesitantly closing the distance between them. Ray stopped his rambling as Tala leaned over him. He didn't know if it was because he was trying to stay away from the other, or if he was just obediently doing as his body felt was the right thing to do, but he lay back down on the pebbles, staring up at the face now above him. They weren't making any contact but their closeness was maddening.
"S-Sorry…" he tried again, but Tala shook his head, wordlessly telling him to stop talking.
His lips parted, anticipating the lips that were slowly getting lower. But it were the blue eyes that stirred him the most as they got closer. Their breaths caught loudly at the second, ever so slight touch that was more a brush of their mouths than an actual kiss. Tala shifted, resting on his elbows, eyes fixated on Ray's mouth.
"Again," he said softly, no longer acknowledging his sore side. He looked…intrigued.
Bravely, Ray reached out and cupped the back of the redhead's neck, guiding him back down. Tilting his head, Ray kissed the smooth cheek, almost digging his nails into the other's neck when Tala turned his head to meet his mouth, but, again, it didn't last long. Their touches were fluttery, uncertain, but the more they touched the more Ray wanted, and he could tell by the other's atypical open feelings that Tala was also having trouble holding back.
"Come here," he whispered.
Tala agreed and, shaking off the last reservation, he leaned back down. Ray's fingers tightened in the flaming hair and one of Tala's hands slowly traced up and down Ray's arm, actually making him shiver when it moved to creep up his loose shirt. Though it was a new experience for both of them they were being driven by instincts and knew where to touch to elicit the right responses. Ray licked his lips expectantly, hungry for Tala's, feeling a different sort of light-headedness than what he'd felt at the bottom of the river.
At last, their lips met with force and—
"RAY!? RAY, WHERE ARE YOU!?"
The heated air around them was sliced by Lee's desperate voice.
The body on his started. Tala blinked, as if waking up from a long sleep, and upon finding Ray beneath him, his eyes flew open and he quickly stood, causing his ribs to painfully demand his immediate attention.
Also regaining his own sanity, Ray still had to fight the overwhelming urge to smash his head back against the rocks. If it weren't for the treacherous currents, he'd throw himself back into the water in hopes of cooling off his burning body.
Before he even had a chance to address the situation, a happy voice cried out.
"There you are!" Lee shouted, running towards them from the tree line. Brushing past Tala to fall to his knees next to Ray, he looked like he'd been crying. He had dark bruises on his arms and face and his hair had come undone. His eyes glistened. "Lucky we came out on the same side! Man, I'm so sorry, Ray! I was being a jerk and because of that none of us were aware of what was going on and…I thought you were a goner. Please, forgive me. I swear, I'll never do something so stupid again!"
"We're alive. That's all that matters," Ray said, earnestly glad to see his best friend conscious and walking, but still disappointed. "It was just an accident."
"Yeah, but still…Doesn't matter. We're all okay. What happened to your shoulder? It's all blue and bloody. We'd better get you back to the village."
"I'll go ahead and inform them that you're coming," Tala unexpectedly said.
"You know the way back?" Lee asked doubtfully, taking no notice that the other was still gripping his side. "We should stick together, otherwise you might go and hurt yourself and the last thing we need now is having no choice but to save you."
"Worry about yourself," Tala snapped and set out, heading into the trees but keeping the water in sight as he walked back upriver. Ray wanted to call out to him but he couldn't say anything with Lee there.
"Whatever, Conceited," Lee grumbled, turning his back on the redhead. "Hey, let me help you up. Sheesh, I was freaking out. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't made it out okay. The others would have been devastated too." He laughed dryly. "Never realized how important you were to us, pal. The whole village would have gone into mourning. Especially after what happened to your parents…But you pulled through. I'm proud of you."
Ray barely heard any of this as he allowed himself to gently pulled to his feet. If he had he would have informed Lee that he would have been a waterlogged body by now if it hadn't been for Tala. All he could think of now, however, was just Tala. Just Tala, and everything about him. If it weren't for Lee keeping a hold on him, he'd walk straight into a tree, too deep in thought to pay any mind to where he was walking.
He could still feel the other on him. His skin was just beginning to lose the tingling sensation.
He was feeling other things too. Emotions, some of the strongest he'd ever felt before, all linked to the redhead: interest…puzzlement…concern…protectiveness…camaraderie…amusement……attraction………l…love…?
'No way. We just got caught up in some happy-we're-still-alive moment…' he dismissed, faintly hearing Lee retelling how he'd fought his own way to shore. 'It was just some sort of stress relief…It was…'
He didn't know what it was.
And he didn't really care. What he did know with great certainty was that he wanted to experience it again. And soon.
Tbc…
A/N: I got this strange feeling of déjà-vu when I had Tala refit Ray's shoulder. It wasn't until I'd finished the chapter that I realized that the same kind of scenario played out in "Untold Truths" when Tala snapped Ray's hand back into shape. Ah, memories…
This is new for me: I usually have a clear idea of who's the seme and who's the uke in my fics, but I'm still wrestling on this one. Both Tala and Ray are my favourite uke's (when paired with Kai). Habit wants me to make Tala (the bad boy) the seme, but in this fic Ray's the more passionate (as in, human) of the two and the most likely to instigate any contact. Hmm…I'll work something out.
Alright, the next chapter WILL be the festival! The river scene just needed its own chapter as it's an important turning point in the story. And that damn yaoi ball has finally budged!
prods yaoi ball with index finger
Roll, damn you, ROLL!!
P.S. I've returned to LiveJournal. I've also got some fanarts in my scrapbook, if anyone's interested. Since I don't have a scanner I'll just take pics of stuff I've drawn and post it there. Expect the most unusual diary entries too, but some of it's kinda fun so check it out! It's about time I became a bit more…s-s-s—steels nerves—social.
Read & Review, please.
