Beyblade One-shot: Losing You

Today was a normal day in China. The sky was blue, the sun was shining, and a couple of white clouds dotted the sky here and there. Soon there was to be another tournament in China. The White Tigers were training, for it, as usual. Gary and Lee stood on the sidelines as Mariah and Kevin were up for a practice match.

"Ready to lose, Monkey-boy?" Mariah said confidently, giving Kevin a smirk. Kevin scowled at her and made a face.

"We'll see who loses, Kitty-cat." He growled, and Lee started the count.

"Three..." he said, as Mariah brushed a strand of her pink hair from her face. "Two..." Kevin tightened the grip on his launcher. "One..." Staredown between Mariah and Kev... "Let it RIP!!!!"

The two beybladers were battling it out. The beyblades clashed and produced metallic sounds, sometimes sending sparks flying. The match was just fine until, all of a sudden, Mariah's Galux came out of her bit chip without her summoning it.

"Huh? Galux?" Mariah asked, but then quickly turned to the battle. Kevin, who noticed Mariah had gotten distracted by Galux, was about to attack. "Kevin, you creep! Galux, scratch it!" she yelled, and Galux, quick as a flash, ended the battle.

"Ahh! My poor beyblade!" Kevin whined, looking at his scratched bey.

"That's what'cha get for being a sneak!" Mariah countered. Then she turned to Galux, who looked worried. "Galux, what is it?"

Then they heard a knock on the door. Gary went to open it. What was his surprise when he opened it to Tyson! Tyson looked on the verge of tears. The White Tigers got worried.

"What happened?" they asked, all gathering around him. Mariah didn't know why, but she had a heavy feeling of dread. Galux looked even more worried. Had something happened? Her heart stopped when she heard Tyson's first words.

"Ray... he got sick. Hard. He had to be hospitalized." He said, and everybody except Mariah gasped. Instead, she ran over to him and unconsciously grabbed him by the shirt.

"Tell me, is he alright? You've gotta tell me!" she shook him. But Tyson didn't answer. Then, from the same doorway Tyson had come in through, Kai made his appearance.

"The doctors say he's got a new, never-before-seen disease that has no known cure. The disease..." he started, but then shut his eyes, looking to the side. He wouldn't let tears fall. Not him, not Kai Hiwatari, not now.

"The disease... what?" Mariah asked hysterically. She now moved in front of Kai. "What?"

"The... the disease is slowly killing him. The doctors have given up on him, there's nothing we can do. We're losing him." He said, and suddenly, Mariah burst out of the practice gym they were in. She didn't have to ask where Ray was. The only hospital around was about a kilometer away. Although it was pretty far, she was there in no time. In a dash, she was at the receptionist's desk, a kind-looking middle-aged woman.

"Yes, dear. How may I help you?" the receptionist asked her in a pleasant tone of voice.

"I need to see Ray Kon." Mariah said quickly, her voice breaking. The woman looked through her papers.

"Oh, but right now he's in the highest category of intensive care! I'm afraid you can't see him." She said, and Mariah slammed her hand down on the desk, startling the woman.

"I have to see him!" she said, tears falling from her eyes. "I need to see him. Please... I'll do anything." She cried, and the woman looked sympathetically at her. She then looked to the right and left. Seeing no one was there, she got up and motioned for Mariah to follow her.

Ray's room was dark and quiet. All the windows were closed, and you couldn't hear a sound. Ray was in bed, his eyes closed, breathing hard, burning with a 110ยบ fever, but freezing to death. He was sweaty, but he was also shivering. His whole body ached, and it was like he was paralyzed, from the neck down, except his arms and hands, which he could move, but with a lot of difficulty. At night, he had horrible nightmares, terrible dreams that stole his rest. And these were just the visible, regular symptoms. The disease, which the doctors called "Kon Disease" since Ray was the first ever registered case, was killing him from the inside, affecting his systems. Right now, Ray was resting, with his eyes closed only, not falling asleep, afraid of the nightmares that awaited him as soon as he drifted to sleep.

He was being watched over by Kenny and Max, who had relieved Kai and Tyson from the watch a while ago. They both looked so serious... Even the usually-full-of-energy Max seemed to have lost all emotion except sadness. A sepulchral silence reigned in the room, until it was dispelled by the sound of the door opening. Max and Kenny quickly turned to meet with the receptionist and a tear-stained Mariah. Mariah slowly made her way to Ray's bedside. Meanwhile, the two boys nodded at each other and exited the room behind the receptionist, leaving Mariah and Ray alone.

"Ray..." Mariah said, and Ray opened his eyes a little.

"Mariah?" he said slowly, and Mariah held his hand.

"H...how do you feel, Ray?" she asked nervously. Did Ray know he was going to die?

"Terrible..." he groaned. "I... I know I'm going to die." He said, depressed. Mariah broke out crying.

"Ray. Don't...please. Hold on." She begged. Ray tried to lift his hand, and after much effort, and aided by Mariah, he put his hand to her tear-stained cheek.

"Mariah...please...don't cry. It makes me angry at myself, because it's all my fault you're crying." He said, and then he was overcome by chills. He had to get completely under the covers, although in Mariah's opinion, it was suffocatingly hot.

She stroked his forehead, and then looked at his beyblade and Driger, which were resting on his bedside table. Suddenly, the great white tiger emerged from the bit chip. It laid down on the floor, with its head down, feeling for his master. Then, to Mariah's surprise, her Galux emerged from her bit chip. Galux went over to Driger and laid down next to him, tenderly nuzzling and comforting him. Mariah felt even sadder, if that was possible. She turned back to Ray, whose breathing was now difficult.

"Ray, please don't give up. Everything's gonna be just fine. I won't let you go!" she exclaimed. She loved him too much to just let him die. She was startled when Ray's pulse decelerated. "What? Oh no! Ray, come on. You've got to hold on!"

"Mariah... I... I'm sorry..." he managed to say, before his pulse stopped completely. "RAY!!!"

At the sound of Mariah's scream, the Bladebreakers burst into the room.

"What, what, WHAT?!" Tyson asked hysterically.

"Guys, look at his pulse!" Max pointed out, with a horrified look on his face.

"Damn him, he's... gone" Kai cursed in a low voice. Mariah was speechless.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --

Ray was floating in a very dark place. Around him he could hear many voices: his friends, the nurse, the doctors. When he opened his eyes, the voices could no longer be heard. He was lying down, so he got up. His pain was gone, so was his fever and his chills. He could move again.

"Hey, where am I?" he asked, looking around. He was just floating around, his eyes meeting with nothing but darkness. "Am I... am I dead?" He was then blinded by a strong light, then heard a powerful female voice.

"Ray Kon, I've been expecting you." He heard the voice say. When his eyes got accustomed to the light, Ray saw what looked like a beautiful glowing woman in front of him.

"Huh? Who are you?"

"I am the Angel of Love, Life and Death. I am here to decide whether you will or will not come with me to the other side."

"By...by other side...you mean...?" Ray said, his eyes going wide.

"Heaven, and spend the rest of Eternity in happiness and peace.

"So...you mean, this is it?" he said helplessly, his hands falling to his sides. That's it. He was done for.

"Hmm... let's see... Ray Kon. In life, you were a very balanced person, who was fair, kind and honest. Your love for your friends was strong and true." She said, as she read from a glowing parchment that had appeared between her fingers. "For those reasons, I decide to take you to heaven with me, right now.

Ray, well, he was starting to accept the fact that he was dead. Gone. But not necessarily lost. You know, all this "Heaven" might not be so bad. He closed his eyes and smiled. "Heaven, huh? I guess I have nothing to lose." He said, then he faced the angel. 'I have no regrets."

"Are you sure you don't?" the angel questioned.

"..."

"Well?"

Ray thought about his life. He had grown strong, seen the world, become a master beyblader and made his village and family proud. What was he missing? Then it downed upon him. His feelings for Mariah. They were feelings that were still locked deep inside his heart. He never got to tell her how he felt about her. That was it.

Meanwhile, the angel just stood there looking at him. She knew what was going on inside Ray's mind, and she felt sad. It must be terrible for a young soul like him to leave the world without ever telling the one they love their true feelings. She looked at Ray again. His face looked obscured.

"Mariah, I'm sorry. I never got to tell you this, but... I love you." He said, two gleaming tears falling from his obscured face and losing themselves in the darkness under him. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"You know, there's... someone from the world that wants you to know something." She said.

"Huh?" With a wave of her hand, an image of Mariah appeared in front of him. Ray saw that she was weeping, and she was doing so kneeled by him. Ray felt a knot of guilt form in his stomach.

"Please, Ray. Come back. I love you." She said, then started sobbing on the bed.

Ray was speechless at Mariah's confession. How he wished he could get up, put his hand on her shoulder, tell her everything was alright, that he loved her too. The angel, meanwhile, was smiling blissfully to herself, standing behind Ray.

"How hard do you wish to be alive again?" she asked, looking at the back of his head. Ray clenched his fists to his sides.

"Extremely hard. I'd do anything." He said automatically. He didn't even have to think it. If he had to give up his eternal heaven, he was willing to do it.

"Very well." The angel said, and once more Ray's world went dark.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --

Everybody was startled by the beeping that indicated Ray's pulse.

"Huh?" Mariah jumped, when she heard it.

"What the... he's still alive!" Kai said.

Ray opened his eyes and sat up, much to the surprise of everyone. His sickness was gone, and tests would later reveal that it was as if it was never there. Everybody rushed over to him.

"Ray, buddy ol' pal, you're still alive!" Tyson exclaimed with tears of happiness as he and Max squeezed Ray in a hug. Ray felt... well... squeezed.

"Eh... guys... can't...breath...need...air..." he gasped, and Max and Tyson quickly let go.

"Oops, sorry dude." Max apologized. Ray winked at them.

"Ray... Ray!" Mariah cried out as she his her face in his shirt. Ray comforted the neko girl by patting her back gently. "But, how can this be? Your pulse stopped, and then... and then... oh Ray, I thought we'd lost you! How did this happen?"

"I guess it was a miracle by the hand of God, or an angel. He said. Mentally, he said "Wherever you are, Angel, thanks."

"Oh, Ray, Ray, I'm so glad you're alive!" she cried. Ray loved how she said his name, and how many times she was saying it. But, there was something else he wanted to hear...

"Um, Mariah, could you... repeat what you said back then? He asked her, blushing a little. Mariah blushed too.

"Oh, I... well... I love you, Ray." She said, blushing madly, and Ray looked at her tenderly.

"I love you too, Mariah." He said softly. Mariah looked at him with loving eyes, and Ray gently lifted her chin up so that she was looking straight into his eyes. She couldn't help but lose herself in those golden, swirling pools of emotion. Then, he pressed his lips to hers in a kiss. They both felt a tingly, electric sensation running through their bodies. Mariah put her arms around his neck, making sure he wouldn't go away from her again. Having almost lost him once was enough to last her a lifetime. They had forgotten all about the Bladebreakers, who started clapping furiously and whistling.

"Yeah, Ray! You go, dude!"

"Hey, you're one lucky devil."

"Not every day one comes back to life and receives THIS welcoming, huh?"

Ray and Mariah broke away, blushing madly. Mariah was glad that at least her brother and teammates weren't there, or she'd never hear the end of it. Tyson smirked at Ray.

"Don't worry, Lover Boy. We're leavin', so you and your girlfriend can be... ALONE." He said, making big googly eyes. The others snickered.

"Moron." Ray said fondly, rolling his eyes. His look then turned to Kai, who was leaving the room.

"Kai?" he said, and the Russian turned to him.

"Don't you ever EVER scare us like that again, or I'll kill you." He said. But then he smiled to Ray, and gave him a thumbs-up. Ray smiled back before Mariah pulled him back to her.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --

Two weeks later:

Ray's POV

"I never knew why she sent me back, why she gave me one more chance at life. But all I can say is... I'm glad she did. Because, to leave this world without the one you love knowing you do, there is nothing worst than that."

THE END

Ayy!!! Please review! x