Hello everyone! How're you? I'm back, this time, with my first MaxMari tragedy. Umm...actually, it is not fully MaxMari, but an OzumaXMaxXMariam triangle. with some one-sided OzuMari. I dedicate this one-shot to one of my cutest cousin whom you know as Blue. Yes, he's co-writing TWOS with me. On 19th, it was his 18th birthday. He's the Max Tate of our family, head over heels for Mariam and Salima (Sometimes, I cannot understand whether he is Max or Kane? Umm...he would never be Kane because he's not intelligent like Kane! Hahaha...sorry Blue *Holds ears*) Once again, many many happy returns of the day (Belated), Blue. May Allah keep you happy and blessed always.

Okay, this is a canon fic, portraying a heinous culture across the world, practiced specially in a few orthodox areas of South Asia. Its name is: Honor-killing. Whenever the parents of the family find their son/daughter to be love with someone, they just kill him, misinterpreting the religious books. To be honest, I freaking hate this culture, totally against it. If the children are doing wrong, the parents should deal with them affectionately, logically. If the children can be happy with their lovers, the parents should bless them. But instead of doing so, they do what? Simply shooting them to death! Ironically, girls are falling victims to it more than the boys. People, let's say no to it :)

Anyways, enough with my lecture of wisdom, now back to the fic :)

The inner portion of the prison cell was quite dark. Of course, at nights, everything would be dark but since the dungeon was under the ground, even the moonlight couldn't peep in, through the gaps of the grills. Not even a single gust of the spring wind hovering outside. The atmosphere was heavily black and silent, weighty enough to choke someone's breaths. Even if a pin were dropped, it would also resonate in the whole cubicle. The inhalations and exhalations of the royal blue-haired girl seemed both eerie and mystical to her own ears, at the same time. For a moment, she felt as if she'd gone blind. For another second, she wasn't but the people of her village were.

She'd been locked there for the last two days. During these solid 48 hours, she didn't even eat properly though food was supplied to her. Be it eating or starving, it didn't matter to her anymore. Her navy-blue hair was ruffled, clinging to her sweaty cheeks and forehead, splayed on her back. The right corner of her lips and the left portion of her temple were bearing the swollen blemishes. Left cheek possessed a dried cut, along with a linear bloodstain. Her cloths were shabby, torn in some places. Hands and feet were still bound in iron shackles. Propping her back against a pillar, she was snoozing in absolute relief despite knowing that it was her last night in this world.

What did she do by the way for which she had to leave the earth so soon? Murder? Robbery? Theft? Involvement with any terrorist gang? Stealing any bit-beast or being unable to do that? The answer was: Love. Only love became the reason behind her getting sentenced to death, announced by the villagers. In her eyes, it was love but from the perspective of the orthodox people of her village, it was an unbleachable stain on their honor to love a foreigner. According to the rules and century-old customs of the area, the wedding of the village girls was confined to the village boys. However, the men had the independence to get married to the women from other areas in this world, no one ever minded.

Mariam smirked in her snoozing state, recalling how she had been caught, actually, arrested by her own parents and younger brother when she had been having glimpses of the photos of the blonde American, sticking to pages of her own personal diary. At first, they themselves had beaten her hard. Even, Joseph, her dear little brother, hadn't also opened his mouth due to the feat of his parents. After it, the heartless parents had got her arrested by the village rulers and confined in the underground dungeon. Many a time before it, she had been asked to give up her feelings for the American but too adamant she was to do it. Love wasn't so cheap to her, nor was her own honor. She was even tortured hard but she didn't step an inch back from her firm decision. Compelled, the villagers had to sentence her to death; as a ritual of honor-killing in their village. Mariam didn't have any objection against it. With a smiling face, she accepter her punishment. Her only grief was that she couldn't inform Max about it or see him right before her death.

In front of the closed eyes of the blunette, something shone brightly, as a surprise in the condensed obscurity. She squinted and rubbed her eyes, trying to adjust with the sudden light. Opening them, she discovered her dual-haired friend and teammate, standing out of the prison with a burning metal torch in his hands. In their yellowish-golden flames, his emerald eyes were flashing. His facial expression was stoic as if he hadn't feeling pity for the blunette a bit. Like a statue, he was standing before her cell, letting the flames dance and giving an eyesore to the imprisoned girl who learnt to live in darkness.

Seeing him, the blunette stood up from her position and walked to the grills, carrying the burden of the chains around her ankles and wrists. She went very weak from not eating properly, thus, losing a few pounds. Beautiful jade eyes had dark circles beneath themselves. Yet, her face was brighter than the flames; especially, the determination glowing in her pupils. Ozuma smirked, "You haven't learnt your lessons, have you?"

"Lessons? Which lessons?" Mariam smirked, "Mariam teaches, not learns."

"Stop your adamance, Mariam!" Ozuma snapped, "You are being thrashed here, starving without any food and water, your eyes cannot see the daylight but your ego hasn't left you yet!"

"You call it ego, I call it honor, my own self-respect," The sharkrash-wielder turned away from her comrade, "Neither it will leave me, nor will it leave the earth even after my departure, Ozuma."

Ozuma felt down, very minor before the determination and pride of the blue-haired girl. He had always feelings for her but for the first time in his life, respect for her was growing in his heart. Gently unlocking the door of the prison, he entered there and sat on the floor, placing the torch to one of the torch-holders on a pillar. Mariam screwed her brows, baffled and surprised, nonetheless, didn't utter a single word. Placing her back against another column, she was just looking above at the roof. Even she herself didn't know why she was doing so, nor did he.

"Mariam," After a pause, the leader of Saint Shields asked, "You haven't eaten anything today. Do you want to eat something?"

Mariam gave Ozuma a look as if he'd gone mad. Then, she shook her head, "I am not hungry."

"Mari," The twin-haired leopard-owner lowered his eyes, "The gate is open. If you want, you can flee."

Once again, the bluentte gave her friend the same look. Ozuma wasn't ready for it, he rephrased his words, "I mean…you can meet Max again and start a new life with him. You don't need to lose your life untimely."

Mariam bitterly laughed, "What will you gain from it, Ozuma? Except doubts?"

"I-I…" For the first time, the leader of Saint Shields didn't have any words to utter. How would he tell her that he cared for her-maybe more than her own boyfriend sometimes? How would he inform her that how much he loved her? He wanted to scream, he wanted to hug her, he yearned to protect her from all the dangers but he was helpless. Like her, he was also bound in shackles. He never cried, he didn't know how to shed tears but deep inside, his heart was getting ripped, seeing his ladylove suffer like this. He could never have uttered those three words before her. Had he done, the situation would have been something else.

"I won't escape from here," Mariam's voice was stern, "It will be nothing but a stain on my honor and I'll never allow someone to do that. Not even to you, Ozuma!"

Ozuma heaved a painful sigh, not able to tolerate the state of his friend and crush. He badly wanted to save her. Let her be with Max, he didn't care. Let her do whatever she wanted, he would never mind or feel bad. He got her in his heart; he didn't want anything else-except her welfare and safety. But...the problem was: She herself wasn't agreeing with him. What else could he do for her? What else could he do for the peace of his own heart?

"Ozuma," Mariam stood up straightly, removing her back from the pole, "Soon, it will be dawn. If someone sees you here, it won't be so a good thing-I guess. You had better leave."

"Fine," Ozuma gritted his teeth, "If you really want to die, do whatever you like. I won't protest."

Taking the torch and closing the gate, the dual-haired man rushed out from there, once again, dipping the place into absolute darkness. Mariam slumped on the floor, tired and agonized. Tears rolled down on her cheeks, she sobbed, remembering the blonde. What would he feel if he knew about her condition? No, Mariam vowed to herself that she would keep it as a secret. Let the world turn against, she never let Max know that she would be killed by her own villagers within a few hours. She didn't want her love to wage a war against her family members, her near and dear ones. That would, of course, be a threat to her honor.

The sun was shining dazzlingly above the small, hilly village of rural Japan. Mariam was brought under the shade of the large banyan tree which was considered to be the center of the parish. Summer it was, yet, the brownish-red leaves were taking leave from the branches. Unlike other days, no bird gathered on the twigs, understanding what was going to happen there. Two guards tied the blunette to the tree with ropes. When she was being confined, Ozuma's eyes couldn't meet hers in embarrassment and regret but she kept her eyes outstretched, not letting them see the ground of a single second. As the other people from the village gathered there, the assembly began.

"As we all know," Ozuma's father, the head of the village, announced, "We all have gathered here to sentence a sinner, insolent girl to death, to what she really deserves. It will be a lesson to all the women of the village so that they can never even imagine of crossing their limits in their dreams. Thus, doing this auspicious task, we'll able to protect the honor of our glorious Saint Shields village!"

Turning to Mariam, he spoke, "Any last wish?"

"Yes," The blunette nodded, "I want to talk to Max once, in front of you all."

"Bitch!" The person immediately slapped on the cheek of the girl, "Do you know what you are wanting? Despite bearing so much, you couldn't change your nature, could you?"

"Father," Ozuma cleared his throat, "I think we should let Mariam fulfill this last wish of hers. Otherwise, it will be an injustice to her. Besides, after it, nobody will be there in the village to make a relation with any foreigner."

Staring at his soon with his bloodshot eyes for a few seconds, the village-head nodded, "Okay. But Mariam should keep her phone in loudspeaker mode. Not more than five minutes."

Mariam gave a thankful stare to the dual-haired boy at which, he sighed. The phone was brought to the blunette, Joseph was holding it near her right ear. After ringing for a few times, a clear, joyful male voice could be heard, "Mariam! How're you? Why didn't you see my messages that I sent you yesterday? You know how much I was waiting for your replies?"

"Sorry Maxie, I was just…" The blunette huffed, "Busy. Got some free time today, that's why, decided to call you."

"That's so sweet of you, Mari," Max smiled from the other side, "Anyways, how are you?"

"Fine," Mariam also tried to smile, "You?"

"When was I bad by the way? Hmm?" The blonde pretended to pout, "Well, you know, I am missing you so much. Can you come to Tokyo for a while?"

"Sorry, Max…." The blunette sighed as her heart was getting torn, "But not now. I'm busy a bit."

"Oww…." Max's mood went off, but only for a millisecond, "No problem, sweetheart. It's okay. Love ya."

Mariam didn't know why but at the last sentence of her blonde boyfriend, tears blinded her eyes. Biting her lips, she screamed which echoed in the environment of the orthodox village, shaking the trees, hills and rivers, "I love you too, Max! So much! In fact, my love for you is so immense that even the death cannot separate us from each other ever! Let the world turn against, let the society try to defame us as much as it wants, let the illiterate people try to separate us, I will never turn my face away from you. Nor do you, I know!"

The villagers dropped their jaws and exchanged worried looks with one another. Gritting his grip, the village-head was about to approach the girl for gifting her another slap but at the last second, Ozuma held the hand of his father, preventing him to go to the blunette and shaking his head negatively. Tears flowed on the cheeks of the beautiful shark-princess; she bit her lips so that Max couldn't hear her crying.

"Mari?" Max was puzzled, "What happened? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I am." Mariam sighed, "Sorry…just, got carried away a bit."

"No problem, dear," The blonde smiled, unaware of what was happening with his girlfriend, "Take care. Love you."

"Same to you. Bye." The blunette spoke, trying her best not to sound sobbing.

When the call got disconnected, taking the phone, Joseph got down from the podium. Facing the sister of the green-haired boy, the village-head chewed air in his mouth, "Now, Mariam, it's time to apologize to Almighty for whatever you have done that completely shattered the honor of this village."

"Pardon me, Sir," The blunette shook her head firmly, "But I don't think that I've done anything which can harm the honor of my village. Honor is not made of glass; it is made of steel. Love only makes it shine, not leaves rust on it or breaks it."

"Guards!" The head blurted, "Shoot her! Right now!"

A queue of soldiers raised their pump-action shotguns at the same time. Mariam closed her eyes, filling her face and lips with a smile, belonging to eternal bliss. The executioners tapped the triggers of the guns.

"BANG!"

A few birds flew away from the nearby trees, crows started cawing out of nervousness. The villagers swallowed, gasping. A crude smirk rose in the lips of the village-head. Ozuma just turned his eyes away, unable to bear the scene in spite of being so courageous and mighty. The emerald eyes of the girl went wide-open but only for a second. After it, she gave a sad, heart-wrenching smile to the villagers. Blood dripped from the bullet sieves made on the different spots of her body. Her cloths went drenched; she became pale. Under her feet, a pool of fresh crimson fluid was created. When she was untied, her limp body thudded on the floor. While trying to clutch the ground with her nails, she softly uttered, closing her eyes and emitting the last bits of carbon-di-oxides from her lungs.

"I…love you…Max…."

Ozuma snickered in grief, not facing the the lifeless body of his crush which was being carried away on a bamboo stretcher, by four men. Nah, Mariam might never have accepted him. Exhaling deeply, he tried to forget her images, her memories, their last conversation in the prison cell. Yet, he failed, miserably.

According to the last wish of the blunette, the actual reason wasn't told to Max but it was informed to him that Mariam was no more. Along with the Bladebreakers, he attended the funeral of his late girlfriend. There were no barriers against the flow of his tears. Tyson was hugging him closer to his chest and patting his back so that he could calm down but the blonde wasn't showing any sign to do so. For a few moments, he fainted too. The souls of the villagers shuddered; they wiped their tears but it couldn't bring any change to the heart of the village-head. On the other hand, Ozuma didn't know how to cry. That thing was hurting him more than the American.

After burying Mariam, all the villagers left the graveyard, except Max and the Bladebreakers. The blonde was weeping hard, kowtowing beside the grave of the blunette and leaning his forehead against it. Tyson, Kai and Ray kept their hands on his shoulders but they couldn't lessen his grief. Thus, the blonde vowed that he would never get married in his life since he lost his one and only love of his life, forever.

However, after a few minutes, the Bladebreakers took Max from the place. While leaving, the blonde was looking back again and again. Nonetheless, once they left, Ozuma appeared in the graveyard. He'd been watching everything, hiding behind a bush. He'd been jealous of Max, at the same time, thinking how fortunate the American was. His hand was carrying a bouquet of some unknown wild flowers. Mariam loved them more than roses and famous florets of love in the cities. Placing them on the tomb, Ozuma knelt down beside it to show proper honor to the late blunette which he had never done in his life.

Saluting her, he spoke, "Mari, today, in front of you, even the sun and the moon have faded away. So have I, this worthless Ozuma. The whole world should learn from you how to love. Even in this modern world, you have proved what love is. I know…I didn't get your love but this teaching is enough for me. As long as I'm alive, I'll carry it in my heart, thus, protecting your honor which you have left to the world.

Forever."

Done! Thus, I've completed my first MaxXMariam tragedy and the second MaxXMariam tragedy in this site. I've to write more of this sweet-sour, cutie-pie couple. Dear people, if you cannot remember, among the Bladebreakers, only Max and Kenny were shown not to have a child in the final chapter of the Manga. I guess...Max didn't marry because I truly believe that the girl that Max loved from the core of his heart was Mariam. Since he didn't get her, he didn't long for any other girl. So...what about your views on it? Share!

Do read and review. Pardon the grammatical and spelling errors. Take care and stay safe :D

-Misty ^_^ ^_^