Dislcaimer: I do not own, never will and never have…-_-;; If I did…there would be at least more than half a dozen more female characters…
*****
Tam raised his eyebrow that wasn't occupied with two navy spiked rings.
"Back so soon?" Amber eyes glared at him hatefully, black pupils slit like a wild cat's.
"I want a rematch and this time…you are going down."
Tam smiled darkly, "You just try it love."
~*~*~
The pink haired teenager was once again in the small fenced area with smooth concrete flooring, and a large bey-dish at the side. There stood her opponent on one side of the dish, and she on the other. Sharp whizzing and grinding sounds came from the large bowl between them. For some reason, Mariah wondered why her opponent hadn't verbally assaulted her to leave like he promised the day before.
Mariah withheld herself from biting her lip, but she couldn't help it. She was losing again…to this egotistical bastard!
"Dammit, what's wrong with me! Mariah shape up! Now you're proving the White Tigers right if you lose twice in a row to some chump on the streets! Pick up the pace!" Mariah scolded her self, she was getting irritated at herself and ashamed that she was losing. She didn't notice that Galux blink a bright white color before mellowing back to its soft pink. "Galux, Use Scratch attack again!"
Tam did though. He tightened a fist, "Anubix! Finish her off quickly!" His voice was harsh and demanding, almost as if the boy with many piercing was afraid of something.
Gold eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Galux, don't let him get to you! Bring him down!" Both beyblades were a navy and pink blur trying to get an advantage over each other. The winning game point was five (even though it was usually three), Tam had four and Mariah: three. The next point was earned by…
"Looks like I've won again minger." Tam smirked, "When will you learn to just give up?"
Mariah glared hatefully, daggers of ice wishing death upon the boy with gold-green hair. She kept her stare on the tall boy (he was taller than her by at least half a foot, and it made her want to curse her Chinese heritage) and held it until a voice from the left snapped her out of her hate fest.
"Hey, you. Girl, c'mere." It was the shady looking boy, in an oversized black utility jacket and black slacks. He crooked his finger in invitation to come closer. Mariah hesitantly took a few steps until she was a foot away. "What's your name bird?" He asked, his blue eyes were bloodshot and Mariah noticed there were purplish creases under his eyes. His face looked pale and sickly, like he was on drugs or something.
Gold catlike eyes seemed to see right through him, "Why do you want to know…?" As an afterthought she added, "What's yours?"
The shady teenage boy pushed a long dark green bang behind his ear, leaving the other to hang in front of a blue eye. "Well I can't very well beyblade against you without knowing your name. And…" He took a close step to Mariah, a snake-like smile on his face. "Name's McGuyver. Call me Guy." The pink haired teen took a step back, uncomfortable with the closeness from this stranger with the crooked smile and pale face. He had a soft voice, yet was clear and crisp enough to make out his words easily.
"Mariah…" She attempted to make a joke to lessen tension. "You can call me Mariah."
A boy that was only an inch or two taller than her came to Guy's side. He had pale purple hair that was cropped to his chin and warm polite face. He looked dashingly charming, and it made her wonder what he was doing around these two males. He dressed nicely, as if he was from a well-off family. She didn't recognize seeing him yesterday, could she have overlooked him? Nah…there were only two at this place yesterday. Guy and the boy she lost to twice.
"Hello my name is Keef," His voice was suave and sophisticated, Mariah felt her cheeks warm up in the slightest bit. He was absolutely dashing. Then he smiled, and it felt like it was an "aw" moment. He looked so boyishly dashing. "Actually my real name is Marcus O'Keefe but Keef is what I prefer to be called."
He's really polite, Mariah thought with an inward smile. She frowned when the guy with many piercing stepped up behind Keef, looking at her from over his shoulder. He ruined the picture of Keef! You jerk, Mariah thought.
Tam seemed to notice Mariah's sudden contempt for him and smiled cheerfully, showing teeth. "And I…am the wonderful and charming bloke, Adam Tamdoun, I like being called Tam though. Call me Adam and you'll find yourself done over!" He hooked an arm around Keef like old colleagues would and sneered, "And just cuz' ya'ur a girl don't mean I won't hit ya."
"Ahem guys" Guy smirked at his pun, "But I would like a go at this lairy bird." He held out a beyblade the color of dirt, "Well what do ya say mate?"
Already feeling a little under the weather and still stinging from her earlier loss, Mariah was going to decline. Until the dashingly handsome boy named Keef interrupted politely. "Actually, I was hoping to propose a challenge to lovely lady."
"No way, I asked first! Wait yer' turn Keef! Well c'mon girl, just because you lost the first time don't mean you'll lose a second ya?" If Mariah wasn't so down on herself, she would have mistaken his comment as a statement of comfort. Taking a deep breath, and releasing she let her worries hit the skies.
"Okay, fine then."
"Aw mate, sound a lot more confident than that. Say 'I'm gonna send your arse-over-tit self into the galley.'"
Mariah laughed. She hardly knew this 'Guy' and already she had taken a liking to him. This is the common ground that most bladers could bond on, beyblading.
"Three…two…one! Let it rip!"
It didn't take long before they were all enraptured into the game once the tops were launched.
They both battled a companionable fight, and then Mariah noticed the white blinking of her Galux. It piqued her interest, what was happening? That never happened before.
Do…you want my blessing…?
Mariah looked up, only noticing her surroundings. Nobody had talked, they were too busy watching the lion and oversized vulture duke it out. The winning game point this time was three, both players had two. They both were on their wits end, trying to earn the next point.
"Nehkbet, goddess of protection, send blessings down to Nehkbii…Spirit assault!" A glowing white flash emerged from the bit chip of Guy's beyblade and the wings of Nehkbii the vulture-thing blazed up and before Mariah knew it, she had lost again.
"What are you guys beyblading here for? You've definitely got potential to be a great team! I know it!" Mariah exclaimed.
Guy arched a brow, "Oh really…?" He brought his hand to his chin in thought, "Well…I guess we never considered that. Not like we can anyways."
"Why not?"
"There's only three of us bird. Didn't ya notice?" Tam interrupted.
Rolling her eyes, Mariah held back from sticking out her tongue in a childish manner. "Well that's obvious. Why haven't you tried finding another teammate to complete the circle?"
Tam held his head up high and puffed up his chest like a rooster about to crow. "We haven't found anyone to our standards. We're really picky ya know, not just anybody can march in and declare their gonna blade with us. It just doesn't work that way, love."
"And have you seen the pansies around this place? It's infested with complete cabbages and Doris'! Like their gonna step off their high throne and get their bloody fingers sodden." The dark-green haired boy nicknamed Guy exclaimed enthusiastically.
"Eh? What's a cabbage and Doris?"
"A slow person is a cabbage and a plain woman is a Doris," Keef informed. Mariah smiled thankfully.
"If you did have a team…" Mariah started, "And I mean if…what kind of person would you look for?" Her gold eyes glanced between the three of them, and for some reason she felt a spark of hope ignite. Why…? Mariah asked herself, Why would I want to be apart of them? Their all a bunch of street punks…She thought staunchly, sort of…
Running a hand through his unruly gold-green locks revealing at least six pairs of silver hoops on both of his ears. He gave a half grin that made Mariah want to reconsider her opinion of him. The piercing infested boy almost looked average for a second.
"Somebody that can earn all of our respect, because that's the only kind of bloke allowed within our ranks. Not some overbearing sissy girl that has mood swings the size of a hippo's." He sneered. Okay…I take back normal, Mariah thought as Tam sneered. He was an absolute Grinch, seemingly nice one minute then sniping the next.
"That's…reasonable." Mariah said loftily, brushing a hand into the air as if shooing an imaginary fly. "A pretty good reason…makes me wonder why nobody's gotten your respect. What, none are buff and grisly enough?"
Tam snorted and Guy arched a brow. What a sassy bird, Tam thought in disgust and maybe a tinge of admiration. Keef cleared his throat loudly, a sign for attention. His eyes were closed in some kind of happiness, and bowed to Mariah. "Miss…may I propose my challenge once more? There's something about your…skills that interest me." In his hand was a pale purple beyblade, the attack ring was the color white and looked intimidating.
Throwing all precaution into the wind, Mariah grinned ruefully. "Well…I guess another loss ain't gonna bring my pride lower than it already is…Heh sure."
The game was off to a beautiful start, with Mariah earning the first point. It had brought up her spirits greatly, and she felt almost confident enough to win. She looked at Keef, he was smiling once more. He seemed to always smile, the golden-eyed teenager noticed. Suddenly, in a flash of white a boar of humongous proportion knocked Galux away like a spinning rag doll. Point for Keef.
"Miss Mariah…if you were perceptive at all, you would have noticed a white flash. Am I right?" Eyeing him oddly, she nodded.
Then Keef smirked…and his whole personality changed. His eyes had a jagged glint in them, and it seemed his smirk was maliciously cruel.
"If I may, I conclude…your defense is a lot weaker than my own. Victory is in my hands if its not too rude to say." He flicked away the only strand that hung between his eyes. "You don't stand a chance."
"What the? Hell no! Galux, Scratch attack!" Mariah hissed like a feline, and Galux glowed white again, then flashed to a hot fiery pink. Point for Mariah.
The pale haired boy merely snorted and called another attack. Another point for Keef. Mariah grit her teeth in anger.
"What cat got ya're tongue?" Then a flash of blinding white appeared…and Mariah won. It happened so fast, she herself didn't know what happened. Her head spun in every direction it seemed and she tried to keep herself steady. "I won. Three points for me, I scored game point already."
Her fair-haired opponent looked at her with wide eyes, all visage of a cold man left. The corner of his lip curled. "You won indeed Miss Mariah."
Mariah's stomach clenched, and she almost hurled right then and there. Something was pulling at her. With a shaky countenance she walked away confidently, but succeeded in only looking like a drunken fool.
"What's going on…?" the golden eyed teenager whispered, her head swirling. The white flash, it was more significant now…but why? The same thing happened when she fought against Tam and Guy. It had to be coincidence…right?
I've been looking far and wide…and you have potential…
"'Ey minger what's got your knickers in a twist?" Tam asked, her face was pale and pink brows were met.
"Don't call me that." she growled, and rubbed the temples of her head. "And don't worry, nothing's wrong."
Keef brown eyes looked at her imploringly, and it seemed that her headache interested him. The headache grew, and that feminine hissing voice repeated her words.
Call to me…You know you want to…
Picking up her pink beyblade, she all but staggered out of the gate to the small beyblading area. "I…I've gotta go. Bye, I'll be back…I think."
Guy sent Tam a look, and they both nodded in an agreement of something unknown. Tam's face looked vaguely disgusted. Keef smiled, he knew something she didn't.
"Looks like we've got another one mates."
***
As Mariah was against the fence and headed towards the direction of the box steps, she bumped into a stranger that looked shadier than Guy.
He sneered angrily and pushed her away in disgust, "Watch it you bloody tom!"
Her head pounded and her irritation grew. If she wasn't so scatterbrained at the moment she would have showed him a thing or two. She didn't live in a martial arts oriented village and not come out without knowledge of combat.
"Shuttup," Mariah hissed, not caring if the dark shady stranger had already walked by her and out of hearing range. "Damn people, their so rude."
Her vision blurred, and the last thing she could see was touching a mysterious cross with a looped top half. She hit the ground, laying a few steps away from the box stairs.
"Ah…"
She saw the odd cross again, and if her memory served her right it was a symbol of something. Was it some kind of religion…or was it a god icon?
A flash of an eye with its stare baring down on her, it was odd. It was just one eye, a right one if she could think straight, it looked like an attached tear was falling out of it's eye.
Eye of Ra…that voice? Who said that?
A cat-headed figure blurred into Mariah's existence that brought her falling to her knees in awe. Instead of a human head, this being had the head of a lioness, fierce and intimidating. She was clothed in gold and silk drapery and long flowing black hair surrounded her shoulders. Her head was pointed to the ground, not letting her face be seen.
I am Bastet…Sun goddess and Protector of cats…
Her eyes were gold and held a feral wildness that sent a shiver down Mariah's spine. The only time her mouth moved was to yawn, revealing sets of sharp and dangerous looking teeth.
I choose you…to have my full blessing…no one else…
Wait? What are you talking about? How can I…? As quickly as she came, she was pulled out of her vision of lion-headed goddesses and holy symbols…
When the time comes…you will know what to do…
"AAAAAAAAAHHH"
Mariah snapped to attention, her headache gone leaving her a clear head. She noticed she was laying haphazardly on the ground, the box stairs she had peeked over the other day right beside the pink haired teenager.
"What's going on? Why doesn't anything make sense? Huh?" She looked up, it was another scream. A lot like the one that woke her up, she got to her feet. Golden eyes narrowed. It came from over the fence. With a huff of determination she once again climbed the box steps.
Charlie, she heard. Was that the stranger's name?
****
Tam growled like a rabid beast (XD) and eyed Guy with a worried expression. Guy was shaking with a more pale than usual expression. All the color had left his face and left in its place was a petrified ghostly Guy.
Grabbing the front of his friend's shirt he lifted Guy a few good inches off the ground. It was quite and accomplishment being that he was two inches shorter than the shady teen.
"I thought you quit doin' Charlie, Guy?! Blimey, ya bloody wanker! What the hell was that bloke doin' here for!!"
If possible Guy's face had gotten paler, and his eyes became even more dreary. "I-I did mate, I did stop. And trust me, I'm not gonna go back into doing that. Its just…its not easy leaving businesses like that…"
"Hey, what's Charlie?"
All three guys snapped to their attention to the side.
"What are ya doin here?" Tam demanded, he released Guy from his death-grip. He stuck his hands in his pockets, looking at his black Vans. "And what's it to ya?"
Mariah stared at them, "Keef, what's Charlie? Please tell me."
Looking very cross, Tam said, "What are ya tryin to do?! GO AWAY!"
"Please tell me Keef."
Brown eyes looked at her searchingly, before closing in satisfaction. His pale purple hair swooshed with motion as he tilted his head to the side. "Charlie is our way of saying crack or coccaine. You do know what that is right?"
Glancing between Guy and Keef, she asked, "So…that man…he was here for you Guy?"
"That's none of yer bloody business! I really think ya should lea-"
Guy cut Tam off, his pale blue eyes and ghostly countenance sparking a fire within Mariah. "Yes…I used to be…involved with things like that. He was only doing what he always does…threaten to kill me." He smirked, "Not unusual. He's just a lackey."
"But you've quit! He should leave you alone!" She didn't know why, but her hands ached for a fight. "You can't let that just happen to you like that! You have rights!"
"Drugs are illegal anyway you put it. I go involved, and now I'm paying the consequences…" Guy smiled bitterly, his long dark green bangs shadowing his face.
Mariah looked into Guy's eyes and he felt a warm suddenly. Like a feeling of self-worth. Her gold almond eyes held a determined glint to them, and they shined beautifully. He almost gasped at her next words.
"No, you don't have to pay. You don't have to pay the consequences at all."
Feeling as if a duty was set upon her shoulders, Mariah spun on her heel and ran.
****
"Hey you! Rat face! GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE!"
"Hu-?" Before he could get out a decent reply, a fist had already met his nose. "AH!"
A powerful kick to his stomach sent him to his knees gasping for air. "What tha…?" Then he looked up, and felt fearful for his life.
She looked like a vengeful modern goddess coming for retribution. Her sharp golden almond eyes glared a promise of pain and pink strands of hair framed her sleek face with the rest pulled into a cat-ear ribbon. She was dressed in white t-shirt with a black long-sleeved shirt underneath and loose navy jeans. Her expression almost made him want to duck and dive.
Her foot easily struck his chin, knocking the bastard to the ground. Spluttering expletives he immediately clawed at the ground, hoping to trip her over and get in a hit. He was a sneaky little rat.
"Oh no you don't." Mariah hissed cattily, and stomped on his foot with her shiny black combat boots. She grinned in satisfaction when she heard a loud girlish scream coming from him. "Haha…where's your macho guy self now?" She kicked him in the ribs, "Oops, I'm sorry!" She feigned a girlish giggle, complete with hand to lips.
She pressed her boots into the small of his back, and heard him howl in pain. "Now…I don't know what ya did. But if you don't leave this place now you'll get more than a few bruises limbs and ego." Feeling devious and powerful, Mariah leaned close to his ear.
"If I ever see you around these parts again…your ass is grass mister." Removing her foot reluctantly, she watched as the terrified male ran like hell. The pink-haired teenager smirked mightily, the feeling of power brought such a devious person out of her. She sorta liked it.
The sound of hands clapping caused Mariah spin on her haunches.
Keef smiled warmly, his eyes closed in joy. "Well done Miss Mariah. I couldn't have done it better myself."
A pretty red blush spread over her cheeks. An inviting hand was held to her crouched figure.
"You've earned my respect. You have one to go." He swept her off the ground easily, looking her straight in the eye. She hardly knew him, yet it felt like they were friends of way back.
"One…? Wait, what are you talkin' about?"
"You'll see eventually. He's very stubborn."
Her pink haired head nodded, she was still a little puzzled.
Spinning on the heel of her shiny black boots, she headed home. It had been a looong day.
*****
Hehe I'm having fun writing this, it's a shame that not a lot of people like Mariah, she's a straight up kick ass character. Well…when she's not thinking about Rei, but don't fear…she's been trying to forget about him…forizzle…she should open up her eyes! There are so many males just as cute as Rei around her! ^___^ that's why I like Mariah alternative couples. I'm waiting for G-Revolution actually…I think Mariah's appearance has been changed, I wanna see!
If any body has any spoilers for Mariah on G-rev, would ya mind pointing them out to me? I would greatly appreciate it!
And…read the TalaMariah fic called Lucidity ^_~ It's under my profile, and its by me. Lol