Okie, some fluff in this chappie! And a new little surprise, too! Bwaha! I'm so evil. Okay, hope you like this chappie! It's dedicated to all you Mariah/Ray fans out there!!!!
Midnight Meeting
Near midnight Tasha sat up in her bed and stared at the wall for a while before she threw off the covers to reveal her clothing that she still wore. She slid out of bed and moved silently out the door, grabbing her blade on the way out. It took her only a few seconds to cross the main room and she touched the handle of the door before she looked back. The doors of the two rooms that her teammates were in were still shut, but that didn't mean they were sleeping. Draco probably was, but was Melody? Throwing caution to the wind, Tasha opened the door, slipped through, and headed silently down the stairs.
Ray lay awake in bed, staring at the clock with growing anticipation. Ever since the end of the match that afternoon he had been stoked for meeting Mariah again. Granted that he could get out of the room without Kai knowing, of course. I wish I had taken the couch instead of Kai. Now whenever I leave, I have to get past him!
At last the clock switched and it was midnight. Ray slid out of bed and tied his sneakers before he snuck out of his room and tiptoed through the main room, keeping an eye on the sleeping Kai. This time Kai was fully dressed and he had his blade in his hand. Ray stopped and looked at him a moment when he thought he heard Kai shift and then saw that it was only just that and that Kai wasn't waking up after all. Relieved, Ray continued to the door and eased it open, slipping through and shutting it as silently as he could.
A cool night breeze blew in from the south and ruffled his midnight black hair as he walked quickly down the deserted streets, skirting the streetlights whenever he came to them. The moon hung high in the sky, shedding silver light on the street, illuminating everything in a light, ethereal glow. It was a rather romantic setting, actually, if one were to think about it. Stars twinkled brightly high in the heavens, seeming to wink down upon the teen as he entered the park and headed toward a specific park bench.
The moment he got there he looked up and saw that she was already there. She stood up and ran toward him, heedless of everything around them, and threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder as he wrapped his arms protectively around her waist. "Ray! What kept you?" she asked when she had finally pulled away, her pink hair falling in cascades of silk over her shoulders as Ray ran his fingers through it absently.
"Kai didn't fall asleep until a half hour ago," Ray admitted, giving her a wry grin. "He was practicing or something. I had to wait for him to be asleep for a while before leaving. Have you been waiting long?"
"No, and if I had, it wouldn't matter," Mariah said, shaking her head. "I'm with you now, so it's okay." She suddenly broke into a smile and she jumped up and down excitedly. "I saw you win your match on TV. The whole team was rooting for you!"
Ray couldn't help but swell with pride. It was an odd feeling to have the White Tigers cheer for the Bladebreakers, but this was a special situation and it called for different things to happen. "What did you think?"
"You were fantastic!" Mariah purred, tightening her hold on him as she nuzzled his chest in a very feline way, making him laugh. "I knew you would win! I just knew it. And you'll win the next one, too. I'll be watching you."
"Glad I've got your backing," Ray said, grinning down at her when she looked up. "What do you think of the competition?"
"I don't really know, but I've done some digging today and I heard that Element Dream is in this tournament," Mariah said, standing back before Ray led her to the bench so they could both sit down. They faced each other, Ray sitting Indian-style and Mariah curling her legs up beside her. "They're a really tough team, supposed to be one of the best."
"We've run into one of them," Ray said thoughtfully, thinking back on their encounter with Paige Summers. Or rather, Kai's encounter with Paige Summers. "What do you know about them?"
"Well, they're a bunch of whores," Mariah said in a very decisive tone. "I haven't met them personally, but I've heard stories and what they do is absolutely disgusting. Their leader, Paige Summers, does it the most. She'll single out someone she thinks is her greatest competition among the guys, and will try to seduce him so that he won't give his best when she's against him in the arena."
Ray frowned and said nothing for a while. Is that what Paige was trying to do to Kai? How well did it work, in her opinion? It didn't change his performance in the match this afternoon, that's for sure. But what about when he's against Paige? Or does he have something up his sleeve and he's using her instead of the other way around? "We've met Paige," he said finally. Mariah's eyes widened and she listened intently, leaning forward slightly even though she could hear him just fine. "Kai's talked to her more than the rest of us, though. She's been trying to hang around him ever since this morning, so you think that's really what she's after?"
"Without a doubt," Mariah said, nodding in agreement. "But... I guess you really don't have to worry about Kai, do you? I mean, he's not exactly easy to get, if you know what I mean."
Ray shrugged, knowing exactly what she meant. "The way they were talking, I would have thought otherwise until I heard him get her to spill more of their team secrets. I think he's seducing her instead of her seducing him, but I really can't see him doing that, so it seems very strange."
Mariah frowned and shook her head in confusion. "You mean to say that he's flirting with her to get what he wants? I don't know Kai at all, but that really doesn't sound like him at all."
The White Tiger shrugged again and gave her a small smile. "I don't know much about him either. Everyone's in the dark where Kai's concerned, but I think it might have something to do with Tasha Reeves."
"Tasha Reeves?" Mariah frowned and narrowed her eyes, thinking about it before she suddenly brightened. "She's part of the Shadow Team, right? What does she have to do with Kai?"
"I don't know, but ever since we first ran into her Kai's been acting weird."
Mariah giggled. "Maybe he likes her." [A/N. ~keehee!~]
Ray shook his head, although the prospect did seem possible in certain light. "No, they hate each other too much to like each other. Last time he talked to her he was fuming when he came back. They really hate each other. More than I thought was possible, really. Even for Kai. He seems to hate everything."
"He likes Dranzer," Mariah pointed out.
"Okay, he hates everyone." Ray and Mariah looked at each other and then they both began to laugh. "What do you know about Tasha Reeves?" he asked when he finally got his breath back.
Mariah rubbed her head, her hand hitting the headband that held the cat ears on it and she shrugged. "Not much, really. I've just heard that she's a real shady person but probably one of the greatest bladers in the world. Hardly anyone has ever seen her in a match, though, so I won't believe it until I see it. But if Kai seems to find her threatening, I'd be willing to bet she's pretty good." Mariah paused before she continued, thinking on it again. "If she wasn't such a loner and didn't intimidate the guys so much, they would be all over her."
Ray blinked in surprise and then thought of Tasha. He had never really noticed before, but she really was very attractive. She didn't have the classic beauty, but she had beautiful eyes, however cold, and a nicely sculpted face, now that he thought about it. Her cold attitude frosted it over and he wouldn't have noticed it if Mariah hadn't said anything. "I never noticed that." Ray shook his head and began to laugh again. "That never occurred to me. Is there anything else about her you know?"
"Well..." Mariah frowned and seemed to be thinking about it. Finally she shrugged and looked rather sheepish. "No, that's all I really know about her. I'm sorry, I'm not much help."
"I never asked for help, but you gave it anyway, and I really appreciate it," Ray said gently, reaching forward and cup her chin in his hand. He gave her a warm and almost loving smile and Mariah smiled shyly back. "You're the best."
Mariah blushed and then leaned forward to give him a hug, running her fingers through his dark hair and listening to him breathe as she did so. He moved his head so that his lips brushed against her neck, but did nothing more, although it still sent a delighted shiver down her spine. "Wish I could be there at the tournament to watch you."
"Me too." Ray pulled back slightly and rested his forehead against hers, gazing straight into her eyes for a while before he tilted his head and his lips brushed against hers. Mariah slid her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer as she kissed him back, asking him silently to deepen it. Ray responded immediately and he wrapped his arms around her waist, closing his eyes as he caressed her lips with his own.
"I really don't think Kai would like it if he knew you were doing this."
The two teens immediately pulled apart and whirled around to see Tasha Reeves leaning against a tree only a few yards away, her arms crossed over her chest, beyblade in hand. Her black hair was pulled in a ponytail and the purple highlights shone in the moonlight. She was wearing the clothes she had worn before, although the bottoms of her pants were darkened because she had walked through the wet grass. The girl from the Shadow Team had a tiny smile on her face, but it wasn't one of malice.
"Not if he doesn't know about it." Ray gazed straight back at her, surprising himself with his own bravery. She might be his age, but there was something very intimidating about her.
To their surprise Tasha smiled. "True."
"Are you going to tell him?" Mariah asked, finally finding her voice from the shock Tasha had given her.
Tasha gazed at her for a while, her expression remaining the same before she finally shrugged. "I have no reason to tell him," she said finally. "What he doesn't know can't hurt him. If it could, I would be certain to tell him." She paused a moment before adding, "Although I suppose it would hurt you more than him."
Ray held his breath, knowing that if Tasha told Kai about what she had seen, he could be in a great deal of trouble. It wasn't Kai that he was afraid of, it was Kai's decision that he feared. "And?"
"I didn't see a thing." Tasha gave them a brief smile that seemed to transform her features from cold indifference to an almost kind face that was actually quite attractive before she turned to go. "But I suggest you get back soon." With those words she disappeared into the shadows and was gone.
Ray and Mariah sat where they were, staring after her for several minutes before they turned back to face each other. "I wasn't expecting that," Ray said finally.
"Me neither." Mariah shook her head in confusion and then sighed. "I guess we should count our lucky stars, though. But why do you think she's keeping mum about it? Blackmail to Kai, maybe?"
"Maybe." Somehow that didn't seem like it was the right answer, but he didn't have any better ones, so it was good enough for the time being. "Mariah..."
"We should go, I know." She sighed and then looked up at him, fixing her gaze upon his before she looked away again. "I don't like meeting like this."
"Neither do I, but what else could we do? Lee wouldn't like knowing that we're together, and neither would Kai." Ray leaned against the bench and closed his eyes for a while before he opened them again, gazing off in the direction in which Tasha had disappeared into. When he looked back at her, Mariah was gazing straight at him, waiting patiently for his answer. "I'll see you again tomorrow night?"
Mariah nodded silently and opened her arms to hold him close. Ray held her against him and buried his face in a curtain of her hair, running his fingers through the strands before he pulled back to put a feather-light kiss on her lips. "I'll see you tomorrow, all right?" he repeated, his voice softer this time, just above a whisper.
The girl nodded and her eyes showed her sorrow for having to leave him and he had to look away so his wouldn't reflect that same sorrow. "All right. Just promise me this."
"Anything."
Mariah gave him a small smile. "Knock 'em dead."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Purra: *purrs* Okay, I'm making myself feel all warm and fuzzy now. Fluff isn't that bad, I suppose. Unless you overdo it. Let me know if you think I did!
Kai: You overdid it.
Purra: *glomps Kai* You would think so because you're insensitive. A lot of my reviewers here want me to send you after them! Should I let you go or not? *grins mischievously*
Kai: *pales* You could let me go, but I'm staying.
Purra: *grins and purrs, hugging Kai* I just knew you loved me! *purrs maniacally* You know what to do! Review, review, review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!