Heya, all! I hope you enjoy my latest work! (And just for anyone that doesn't know, ladybugs are a sign of good luck in China...)
Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade; it belongs to Aoki Takao.
Lucky
Raindrops pattered softly to the ground, despite the fact that the Sun could be viewed peaking out from behind the gray clouds. Misty fog swirled near the ground in result of the two very different weather conditions coinciding. Chinese Villagers were tucked away in their homes, resting, relaxing, enjoying the beauty of Nature. All except a few, who were out-and-about…including Ray Kon.
Ray was seated cross-legged underneath a large tree, with rain droplets slipping through its leaves and down onto him as he leaned against it. He inhaled deeply, taking in the freshness that lingered in the air when the rain fell and the Sun shone at the same time.
Not that Ray's mind was solely focused on Nature. As a matter of fact, it kept wandering, namely to a young, beautiful girl…Mariah.
Zoning out for the umpteenth time that day, Ray was lost in his thoughts of the girl: Her beautiful amber eyes shining in contrast to her flowing pink locks, her personality that radiated courage and contentment, her skills in a beydish and in the world. How could Ray suppress the wandering of his mind when he was aware of such perfection?
No, nobody's perfect, he told himself again.
Yet somehow, he couldn't believe this was true.
Sighing, Ray forced the neko-jin girl from his mind, and he gazed toward the colorless sky, peppered with clouds spilling their contents.
--
Elsewhere, Ray's food-for-thought was leaning against a small building in the center of the Village. Mariah was admiring the way the Sun endeavored to push away the rain clouds, though they defiantly stayed put. Closing her eyes lightly, she relished in the way raindrops slid down her skin, soaked her clothing, rejuvenated her spirit.
When Mariah opened her eyes, she couldn't help but gasp. A faint rainbow—red, yellow, green, blue—painted a cloud.
"Oh…how lovely…," she murmured to herself, her attention immediately grabbed.
--
Back under the huge tree, Ray found his mind back on Mariah.
Must I hold these feelings for her? he mentally pondered. I don't even understand them. She gives me such joy…even thinking about her sends delightful shivers down my spine. What can I do?
Ray mulled this over whilst mindlessly fiddling with the grass blades near his hand. A miniscule insect from one of them scaled his fingers, and it took Ray only a few moments to realize it was there.
Carefully lifting his hand, Ray examined the tiny ladybug.
Maybe I should just confront her, thought the Chinese boy, Maybe she likes me too.
He smiled, watching the black and red arthropod scuttle across his hand.
And…it seems Lady Luck has sent me this ladybug to help me do so, Ray concluded as he made his decision.
The raven-haired young man stood up, causing the ladybug to spread its wings and fly away, toward the secure bark of the tree. After briefly flexing his muscles, Ray hurried forward without hesitation to find Mariah.
--
Twisting a strand of pink hair around her finger, Mariah viewed the rainbow disappear and reappear, becoming a fleeting glimpse of beauty.
I hope Ray's seeing this, she reflected, The rainbow will probablytotally dissolvesoon, and I wouldn't want him to miss such a pretty sight.
At the mention of his name, Mariah couldn't help but think about Ray. She, too, secretly harbored feelings.
Ray…, she thought, I adore you. The way you smile, the way you laugh…your confidence and proficiency in everything you do…your slender frame and purely black hair…. If only you knew the way I feel….
--
There she is…, flittered across Ray's mind.
The boy came to a dead stop, entranced with Mariah, who was still leaning against the building, hair around her finger, pink bow flattened against her head due to the rain.
Heart thumping, Ray carried himself forward, feet hardly visible through the mist, hoping desperately that he would not mess this golden opportunity up: Barely anyone else was around, Nature set a beautiful scene, and luck was with him.
Out of the corner of her eye, Mariah caught sight of Ray.
"Oh Ray!" she called out gleefully, straightening her body out. She grinned and gave a small wave of greeting. "I've been hoping you were around out here."
Ray's heart pounded harder against his ribs.
Did she justimply thatshe wanted to see me? he asked himself, unintentionally bordering on becoming a lovesick teen.
Mariah continued, "I wanted you to see this!" The pink-loving girl pointed toward the sky, her gaze now focused on the rainbow again.
Stifling a sigh of disappointment, Ray looked upwards. He saw a rainbow, barely visible, lightly shading a fraction of a cloud. It was beautiful, Ray couldn't deny it, but he had hoped for Mariah to feel yearning for him as he had for her...
"It's not as full as before," Mariah's voice, now softer, said from next to him. Ray started, having not realized she had walked closer.
And now that his eyes were on her, he couldn't look away.
"Just a bit earlier, it was brighter and bigger," she persisted, unaware of Ray ogling her.
I have to do something, the Chinese boy told himself, I must talk to her about—
"Aw, you can't see it anymore," stated Mariah, squinting as if that would better her vision.
"Oh," Ray mustered, finally tearing his gaze away and looking once again toward the sky, blinking against the raindrops.
Mariah sighed. "Oh well. It was nice while it lasted."
"Yeah…." It's now or never, his brain reminded him. Do something, Ray, say something.
Ray clenched his fist out of nervousness so hard, his knuckled tinged white.
What should I say? echoed through his brain.
"It's chilly out here, I think I'm going to go in," Mariah informed him, staring at Ray, crashing his train of thought.
He looked down and their amber gazes met.
Silence descended between the two, and all that could be heard was the steady rhythm of the rain.
"I have a confession." Raycracked the stillness with his blunt statement.
"Yes?" inquired Mariah, voice just below that of normal speaking tones.
The raven-haired boy gulped down the gathering lump in his throat before persevering. "I…well…you…I don't know how to say this…."
Mariah seemed to be catching on, and her heart began to race. "Try."
"Well…."
In a moment of unexpectedness, Ray leaned forward and quickly planted a kiss square on Mariah's lips.
Red blush tinting his cheeks, Ray pulled back and looked away. Without another word, he turned around, about to leave…before a hand was firmly though tenderly clamped onto his arm.
Startled, Ray turned around, to meet with the questioning gaze of his secret crush.
"You…mean it?" Mariah asked anxiously, delving into Ray's eyes for truth.
"With all my heart…," muttered the boy-in-question with sincerity.
This time, Ray was on the receiving end of the kiss on the lips, and Mariah was the one to draw back with a blush. Ray fully turned his body, so the two were face-to-face.
With their amber eyes locked, drowsy bliss hanging in the atmosphere, and Mariah's hand still grasping Ray's arm, the two leaned in for a kiss--with the efforts of them both this time. Raindrops attempted to wet their clothing further, the Sun made efforts to warm their bodies, and the lovers tried to stay in this position forever.
--
Lee stepped outside of his hut, noticing that the rain was falling lighter and lighter. Pondering where Mariah and Ray were, he ambled along a misty, muddy pathway.
Only a few moments into his stroll, his eyes met with a surprising sight: Lee viewed his two friends, lips interlocked in a passionate kiss.
Grinning, he mumbled to himself, "Well, it's about time…."
At that moment, atiny ladybug flitted by Lee's face, off to provide luck to other people in need of it.
End
Yay! I finished my fifth one-shot this month! I'm ecstatic!
Okie-dokie, hope this was satisfactory! Please press that little button and leave a review!
have a nice day
CyborgRockStar