Old Memories & Tough Choices:
Hey…thanks to all that reviewed. I know…it is hard to find ray/salima fics. Besides…I think they look cute together. Anywho…like I said…this is going to be my final chapter. It all comes down to this. Two girls against two guys. And one has trouble admitting their feelings to their special person. The other…trying to prove he's better than my OC, after just one loss. Salima is trying hard to keep her focus…but…even after the battle's over…will she still have the courage to tell Ray her true feelings? And if so…will she decide to stay…or leave? Only time will tell.
(thinks: Ok…I've heard this kind of thing a lot of times in anime. Heh…I'm starting to sound like one of those narrators.)
I've already seen most of G-Revolution. It sounds interesting w/the twist that Boris is trying to turn over a new leaf. But…my guess is that he'll NEVER change.
Disclaimer: Yami Kero doesn't own Beyblade or any of the characters, or the dragon character Timaeus, from Yu-gi-oh! Waking the Dragons. THAT one (the Timaeus part), belongs to Kazuki Takahashii. Except Taiyou, which is his.
A Matter of the Heart: Salima's Decision:
As the 4 bladers released their beyblades, Taiyou didn't seem at all…nervous. She still kept that calm posture. Max noticed & wondered, 'I don't get it, in the last battle, she kept that same posture. What is she up to?'
"Get 'em Dragoon!" yelled Tyson.
"Go Driger!" yelled Ray.
As the two guys' beyblades surged forward, Taiyou could obviously see their tactic.
"Humph…you guys are going to have to do better than that to defeat us. Let's get 'em Salima," said Taiyou, as her beyblade went forward.
"Right behind ya," said Salima, following her lead.
"Attack pattern delta…go!" said Taiyou.
"Say what?" wondered Tyson.
"Salima…follow my lead," said Taiyou.
"Got it," said Salima.
Their beyblades began swirling around in circles & at the same time, trying to confuse their opponent. Ray was surprised, as well as Tyson. Suddenly, to their surprise, their beyblades swung right behind & attempted a surprise attack, causing Tyson's & Ray's beyblades to land on the opposite side of the dish.
"No way," said Tyson, shocked.
"I've been practicing," said Salima.
"Heh…that explains it," said Tyson. "Get 'em Dragoon!"
As Tyson's beyblade went for them, Taiyou held a smirk on her face, thinking that it was too obvious. As expected, her blade first dodged his, then followed him & knocked him out of the dish, & straight up. Meanwhile, Salima went going after Ray. Ray's blade managed to dodge her assault, but…she too did the same trick that Taiyou did. But Ray dodge that attack as well.
'Grrr…their attacks are like…in sync. We gotta come up with a different strategy,' thought Tyson.
"Heh…not bad Salima," said Ray, with a smile of satisfaction on his face.
"I've learned a few new tricks of the trade. Let me show you what I've learned so far," said Salima. Just as she finished her sentence, her blade went out of the dish, sailing up, and then…it did a flip over, went straight down & then flips back to its original position & knocked off Ray's beyblade. Taiyou was quite surprised, as well as the boys.
"Whoa…where'd she learn to do that?" wondered Tyson.
"I'm just as surprised as you guys are," said Max, in shock.
Meanwhile, while Tyson's blade was up in the air, Taiyou's blade went airborne & knocked it off course.
"Come on Dragoon!" yelled Tyson, trying to have his beyblade land back on the dish.
"You're not getting away THAT easily," said Taiyou. "Timaeus, attack!"
As Taiyou's blade went after Tyson, Ray tried his best to dodge all of Salima's attacks, but then…Salima managed to pull off another new trick. Her blade kept going in an X formation, knocking Ray's blade off balance & then…her blade did a star formation knocking Ray's blade out of the dish & out of commission. Ray was quite surprised at how well Salima beat her.
"Well…I guess I win that one," said Salima.
"Yeah…congratulations," said Ray.
"Thanks Ray," said Salima, with a smile.
"No problem. You were great," said Ray, with thumbs up & a wink. Just doing so, caused Salima to blush & she tried to hide it.
Goki & Jim watched from the sidelines & noticed Salima trying to hide her blushing.
"Don't you think it's quite obvious, Kane?" asked Jim.
"What's obvious?" he asked, trying to figure out what he was talking about.
"Salima likes Ray," said Goki.
"Yeah…I already knew that," said Kane, simply.
"HUH?" wondered Goki & Jim, at the same time.
"It was quite obvious. Ever since we left, I knew that she sometimes couldn't get him out of her head. She sometimes whispered his name in her sleep. Even when she's quiet sometimes & just staring at the stars. It was evident to me then," explained Kane.
"I see," said Jim. "So…you think she'll confess?"
"I think it's best if we stay out of their…business," said Kane.
"You've got a point there Kane," said Kai, standing from behind. "Besides…it would be rude of you gents to butt into something that doesn't concern you."
"Hey…we're just curious," said Jim.
"Well…you know what they say, 'curiosity…nearly…kills the cat,'" said Kai.
Meanwhile, Taiyou & Tyson were still going at it. Tyson's beyblade managed to land back on the dish & dodge Taiyou's attack. Taiyou…seeing that Tyson managed to survive her attack was kinda impressed.
"Heh…not bad Tyson. But you've still got a lot to learn," said Taiyou.
"Heh…we'll see about that," said Tyson. "Dragoon attack!"
"Timaeus…attack pattern delta, go!" yelled Taiyou. Timaeus took charge & began changing direction, & began to head on the opposite side of the dish. Tyson thought she was making a break for it.
"I'm not letting you get away THAT easily," said Tyson. "Get 'em Dragoon!"
"Something's not right. She's probably toying with him," said Max.
'Heh…he's WAY too confident that he'll beat me that easily. Oh well…guess I'll have to show him the hard way,' thought Taiyou.
"Serpent attack pattern, go!" said Taiyou.
"What?" wondered Tyson.
Just then, Timaeus began moving in a snake formation & Dragoon was giving chase. Suddenly it swung around & struck Dragoon in a X formation. Then it went out the dish, up in the air, & went straight for the final blow. Taiyou's beyblade began to emit an aqua aura & was heading full speed for Tyson's beyblade.
"Dragoon…STORM CYCLONE ATTACK!" yelled Tyson.
"Timaeus…counterattack with SONIC TYPHOON SLASH," said Taiyou.
"Say what?" wondered Tyson, in surprise.
"No way," said Ray.
Just as she thought, her beyblade began to spin in a spiral formation & then as it neared the dish, went straight for Tyson's beyblade. It dodged the attack, but for some reason, Taiyou's beyblade ricocheted on the dish & hit Tyson's beyblade at full force, knocking it out.
"That's crazy," said Max.
"You can say that again," said Dizzy.
"Not bad. You're pretty good, but don't let the whole title thing go to your head. Even though the championships are over, there's always going to be someone that's a step ahead of you," said Taiyou, as her beyblade went back to her hand.
"She's pretty good," said Hilary.
"How'd she do that?" asked Jim, in surprise.
"My guess…is that it's an ancient trick, used years ago," said Kane.
"You're actually right. My grandfather taught that technique to my father years ago. He was able to knock out a lot of fighters with that maneuver. When I was little, I tried applying that trick to my beyblade. It wasn't easy, & it took me a couple of years before I mastered it & combined it with the others tricks that I've learned & made quite powerful combo attacks," explained Taiyou.
Just as they were talking, the rain started to die down. Taiyou suddenly noticed this & thought, 'That was fast.'
"Wow…that explains a lot," said Jim.
"No kidding," said Goki.
After the intense match, the group sat down for a small snack of cookies & herbal tea. Ray noticed that Salima hadn't touched hers yet & felt like something was wrong. "You ok, Salima?" asked Ray.
Salima, snapped out of her train of thought looked at Ray & said, "Yeah. I'm fine. No problem."
As Taiyou quietly ate & drank, Kane asked, "So tell me…how exactly did you cause your beyblade to ricochet like that & still knock Tyson's blade out?"
To her…it seemed quite obvious that Kane was quite surprised by the turn of events & was even more surprised by her final move. So…she decided to explain how the trick was executed in detail. While she explained, Kenny began to run an analysis on Taiyou's battle with Tyson & was quite surprised when he noticed the way Taiyou's beyblade just easily ricocheted off the bowl & still hit Tyson's beyblade head on.
"I don't get it. How could it have bounced off the bowl & still hit it's target?" wondered Kenny.
As soon as Taiyou had finished her explanation, she noticed Kenny's confused expression & simply stated, "It's kinda easy. Like when someone fires a gun. Sometimes, the way the gun is pointing may cause it to hit something & bounce off the hard surface & still hit its target, but in a different direction."
"I get it now. When her beyblade hit the bowl, the way it was positioned in the air & the way it was pointing, caused it to change direction & still knock Tyson's beyblade from the dish," guessed Max.
"Sounds like someone's been doing their hmwk," said Taiyou.
"Yeah…I guess you could say that," said Max, chuckling.
Tyson was kinda disappointed by the fact that he got beaten…twice. Ray suddenly noticed this & said, "Come on, Tyson. Quit being all sour about it & accept. So you lost again. Big deal, we've all had our ups & downs."
"Ray's right, Tyson. You win some, you lose some. So just deal with it," said Kai.
Tyson, getting frustrated with the comments, stormed out of the room. Kane tried to follow but Taiyou stopped him. "Let him be, for now. He just needs time to blow off some steam."
Just then, Tyson's grandpa came in & noticed Tyson's upset expression.
"Hey, kids. What's up with Tyson? Why the mad face all of a sudden?" wondered Tyson's grandfather.
"He's just upset because he lost to Taiyou. Two times in a row," said Hilary.
"Oh well. Try to knock some sense into him by not rushin' into things, but…well…he just doesn't get it," said Tyson's grandfather.
"I'd have to agree. He has been a bit in a hurry lately. He just doesn't know when to cool his jets," said Dizzy.
Salima ate & drank in silence for a while, but then…Ray noticed the way she was acting & began to wonder, 'Something's on her mind. Ever since she came here, it's like…she's avoiding me or something. Could I have done something wrong that would cause her to act like this?'
Max suddenly noticed Ray's uncertain expression & asked, "Is something wrong, Ray?"
"No. I'm fine. Just…got a lot of things on my mind," said Ray.
"You sure?" asked Max.
"Yeah. It's nothing, really," said Ray.
Kane was the only one who seemed to have figured out what was causing Salima & Ray to act so strangely. Taiyou noticed this & asked quietly, "So…it seems you've figured it out, huh?"
"Yeah…it seemed evident to me lately. Right after we left the Battle Tower, Salima kinda lost her focus a bit. She hardly talks to us sometimes. And at night, right after dinner, she would just leave the group a bit & stare at the stars. But what seemed most obvious to me was when she whispers Ray's name in her sleep. Right then & there…I knew she loved him. Sometimes…she has nightmares, afraid that something bad might've happened to him, which gives her a hard time sleeping at certain times of the night," explained Kane.
"I see. Have you talked to her about it?" asked Taiyou.
"I try to. Yet…she seems afraid to tell me," said Kane.
"I understand. It's not easy trying to tell someone your true feelings," said Taiyou. 'I tried giving her the best advice I could. I just hope it's enough.'
Just then, Salima quietly left the group. Ray suddenly noticed this & decided to follow her. Once Ray was outside, he spotted Salima at the porch looking up at the stars. He tried his best not to startle her & sat beside her, doing the same thing.
"Nice night," said Ray, suddenly breaking the silence.
Salima, suddenly startled, turned & saw Ray sitting next to her. "Oh…Ray…its just you. You kinda startled me there for a second."
"Sorry. Just wanted to see if you were ok," said Ray.
Salima tried to hide her blushing & turned away for a moment. Ray noticed this & wondered what was bothering her.
"I'm fine. Really," said Salima.
"Are you sure? If something's wrong, you can tell me. I'm here for you Salima," said Ray.
Salima found it hard to respond to Ray. 'What is causing me to act this way? I want to tell him how I really feel, but…what if he doesn't feel the same way I did. I don't…know if I can bear it. I just can't,' thought Salima.
Ray noticed that Salima was feeling kinda down. He really wanted to help her, but it was as if she was in a constant struggle, trying to tell him something, yet couldn't. 'Poor Salima. I know something's wrong. If only I could find a way to ease her pain,' thought Ray.
"Please Salima. Let me help you. It hurts me already just seeing you like this," said Ray.
Salima was surprised at first at what she had just heard from him, but her fear was still keeping its hold on her. But the next few words Ray said, caused the fear in Salima to slowly fade.
"I-I…I don't want to see you sad, Salima."
She turned around & faced him, with a sad face. Ray lifted her chin up so that she could face him. Just seeing her like that nearly broke his heart. They both just stared at each other for a few minutes. Ray was the first to break the silence between them.
"It's ok. I understand," said Ray.
"Y-y…you do, Ray?" asked Salima.
"Mm-hmm. Ever since we met at the Battle Tower, I told you that I would try my best to help you, no matter what it took," said Ray.
Salima tried to hold back her tears, but Ray told her, "It's ok to cry, Salima. I'm here for you."
She was still shocked to hear Ray speak to her like that, but then…her emotions took over & she just cried & cried in Ray's arms. Ray understood how she felt & stroked her hair gently, while holding her close.
"I love you, Salima," Ray confessed.
When Salima looked up at Ray, her tears still fell. Ray was confused a bit & asked, "You ok?"
"Yeah. I'm just glad that you understand my true feelings for you Ray," said Salima, in between tears. "I was afraid that you didn't feel the same way."
"I was just surprised that you felt the same way that I did," answered Ray.
They kissed tenderly & held each other under the night sky. Just behind them, Hilary & Kane watched from behind.
"Awww…that's so beautiful," said Hilary.
'I'm just glad those two are finally together,' thought Kane.
Taiyou noticed the romantic scene & thought, 'My work here…is done.'
The next day, when the group woke up, they were quite surprised to see Taiyou already wide-awake & her stuff packed.
"Already packed, I see," said Ray.
"Yeah. I'm going to do a bit more exploring & practice a bit more on my technique," said Taiyou.
"Yeah…same with us," said Kane, joining them. "Who knows, maybe we might bump into each other sometime."
"True. We might. But you better watch out. I won't be easy," said Taiyou.
"Yeah…well…neither will we," said Kane.
As Kane & the others headed out, Ray & Salima were on the porch, just saying their goodbyes.
"I'll try my best to keep in touch," said Ray.
"Same here," said Salima.
They hugged each other tightly, & Ray gave Salima one last kiss.
"Ray…don't say goodbye. Because…no matter how far we may be apart…you'll always be in my heart," said Salima.
"And you will always be in mine," said Ray.
They hugged each other again, with tears in their eyes, knowing that even though they may not see each other, they'll always remember them, in their hearts.
"I love you Salima," said Ray.
"Me too, Ray," replied Salima.
They kissed passionately, & did one final embrace, before Salima went with Kane & the others.
As Taiyou turned back, she said, "Thanks again guys. It was nice meeting you." Then she bowed respectfully, & left.
As Tyson & the others went back inside, Ray looked up at the sky & thought, 'Till we meet again…Salima.'
Whew. Sorry I took so long to update. Its just…I've been busy creating other fics and well…my ideas are like…all mixed up right now. Anyway…I hope you guys enjoyed reading it. I'm kinda a total sap with romance/drama fics. (Thinks: No wonder I sometimes like reading tear-jerkers). I know…it's hard to find these kind of fics with this pair. So…I decided to write one up about 'em. Anyway…I'm still trying to keep up to date with the G Revolution season. For those that were inspired by any of the seasons, feel free to write up. And I'll probably read some of them.
Anyway…peace…& later.
Till next time.
3…2…1…LET IT RIP!
(Thinks: That's kinda starting to sound like a catch phrase to me.) Heh heh. ;
R/R.
