Okay, I didn't get the four I wanted, but my two reviews were so nice that I decided to update anyway! Thanks to my two most devoted readers, answering as soon as I posted. Aww, you guys rock! (hugs beda and Summer Chill)
Summer Chill: Thanks, and yeah, you have a cool name! You blushed! (blushes) Hee hee! Yeah, it was my first time truly synchronizing their schedules, and I thought it came out badly. But you seemed to like it, so, YAY!
beda: You like my story that much? (tear runs down face) Thank you so much! As I said in my last chapter, is this fast enough for you?
Well, enough chit-chat, and on with the story!
At ten o' clock, the Bladebreakers left for practice. They were all getting ready in their reserved dish when they saw the White Tigers nearby.
Ray sent a pleading look over to Kai. The team captain rolled his eyes and put up five fingers, signaling five minutes. Ray gave Kai a look of relief and began walking over to the White Tigers.
"Hey Mariah" Lee said, nudging her and pointing to Ray, who was coming over. Mariah seemed surprised, and Lee said, "Go on".
"You're not…mad?" Mariah asked, and Lee shook his head. 'Mental not' Mariah thought as she walked over to Ray, 'Give Lee an extra helping of dinner tonight'.
When Mariah walked up to Ray, he embraced her. "Are you sure we should be doing this?" she asked.
"There's no press or any others around" Ray said, nuzzling her, "But if it would make you more comfortable, we'll go somewhere else".
Ray took her over to the side of the building, where they were in shadow. He touched her locket.
"I see you got my gift" he whispered. Mariah nodded and responded, "It's beautiful". She wrapped her arms around his neck, and Ray's eyes grew wide.
They suddenly pulled into a passionate kiss, and Ray wrapped his arms around Mariah's waist. They broke apart only when they heard Kai screeching Ray's name, and Ray began to leave.
Mariah gave him a quick goodbye kiss on the cheek and ran off to her own team. Ray touched the place where she had kissed him and returned to the Bladebreakers.
"You were there for ten minutes, I gave you five!" Kai yelled. "Fine geez, I'll be earlier next time!" Ray said, drawing confused looks from everyone except Kai.
Max and Tyson looked at each other. That didn't sound like Ray, it sounded like, well, them. Kenny finally broke the silence.
"What has Mariah done to you, Ray?". Ray jumped about three feet into the air.
"You know?" he asked. "Well how couldn't we, with you over there kissing on her" Tyson spoke up.
"And then you ran off with her, who knows what you did then" Max said, throwing Tyson and himself into a mad fit of giggles, and turning Ray's face beet red.
"Have fun?" Kevin asked, sneering, as Mariah returned to the White Tigers. He began to snicker and Mariah raised her hand to slap him, but Lee started training back up just then.
"So" Tyson began as Max and Kai began a warm-up battle, "How come you never told us about you and Mariah? We're you're friends, you know".
Ray gave a deep sigh. "Well to be honest Tyson, it was you I was most worried about telling".
"Me?" Tyson asked, pointing to himself. "Mmm-hmm" Ray said, and resumed looking at the sky.
"Why me?" Tyson asked, putting on a hurt face. Ray laughed.
"Well, no offense, Tyson, but you have a big mouth. I was afraid it might slip out to someone".
"Oh, are you afraid to lose you're fangirls?" Tyson asked, putting on a fake high voice, "Oh no, Ray's taken! We'd better move on to Tyson!"
"On second thought" Tyson said, returning to his normal voice, "Maybe I will tell".
"Dream on, Tyson" Ray said, laughing again, "Though I could definitely live without the fangirls"
Suddenly, Ray's voice grew solemn. "It's Lee I'm worried about" he said.
"Lee?" Tyson asked, "What's Lee got to do with anything?" "Everything" Ray said, getting up and brushing the dust off his pants.
"You see, our friendship is just beginning to repair" Ray continued, "If one of my teammates let it out that I was, well, you know, with Mariah, it would totally mess up our team's reputations and turn us into some stupid Romeo and Juliet story. Because I would be the boy involved, and not to mention it's his sister I like, our friendship would plummet"
"Hang on" Kenny said, speaking up for the first time, "Let me get caught up. You two were best friends, right?". Ray nodded.
"You left the White Tigers to become a better blader, he held a grudge-" "As did the rest of the team, and I don't blame them for it" "But why did he hold a grudge after everyone else had forgiven you?"
Ray sighed and sat back down. "That's a good question, Kenny. And the answer is probably because he was my best friend, and he felt I ditched him. Not to mention, well…"
"It tore his sister apart when you left" Kai said, walking up to them, Max in tow, who was looking at Draciel with a frustrated face. Ray cringed and bit his tongue at Kai's words.
"Come on, Ray" Kai said, "You're up". Ray nodded and went up to the Beystadium, while Kenny went up to Max and looked at Draciel. He nodded and said, "I can fix that for you, Max". Max handed over his Beyblade and Kenny went off into his own world again, talking to Dizzi, muttering, and pointing to parts on the blade.
"Kai can be such an asshole sometime, can't he?" Max whispered to Tyson. "Huh?" Tyson looked up from the battle, which Kai was currently winning.
"He knows Ray is sensitive on the subject of him leaving the White Tigers, and then he goes and brings up the worst part of it!" Max said.
Tyson nodded and Max slanted his eyes. "Are you listening to me?" he asked.
"Huh? Wha'd you say?" Tyson looked up. Max was about to give a sly remark when Kai suddenly screamed.
"What is UP with you, Ray! You're not even concentrating!" "I have a lot on my mind, okay?" Ray muttered, clearly trying to end this.
"Like what?" Kai continued to yell. Ray's face grew angry, but then suddenly he turned and began to walk off.
"Where are you going?" Kai demanded. "I'm going to going to think" Ray turned and gave him such a Kai-like glare that Tyson, Max, and even Kenny all sank to the ground.
But Kai didn't melt so easily. He returned the glare, and this lasted about a minute before Kai nodded and said, "Go on".
"Tyson, get over here!" Kai barked. Tyson scrambled up at the sound of his name. "Wait but-" "Shut up and get to blading". Tyson sent a worried look over his shoulder at Ray, and then loader his launcher (absolutely no sick-minded thoughts, people) to prepare.
Mariah looked up from her Beybattle with Lee to see Ray walk through the grass and then plop down. Lee looked up to see what she was looking at, then scowled.
"Go on then" he said. "Oh, no….I….can't" Mariah said, still watching Ray but also looking at her brother.
"Yes you can" Lee put on a fake smile. Mariah looked at him with a 'really?' face, and he nodded. "Have fun" Kevin snickered as Mariah began to leave.
Mariah turned around only to give Kevin a good kick in the shin, then strode off. She glanced back once to see Kevin collapse to the ground in pain and Lee and Gary howling with laughter.
Ray was so deep in thought that he didn't notice when a certain pink-haired girl sat own beside him. Mariah thought over just the right opening, not wanting to sound like Kevin. Finally, she decided.
"Needed to think, huh?" "Oh, Mariah!" Ray felt his pulse get faster.
"I saw you collapse back here. Is there something wrong?" "Oh, just the usual" "And that is?"
"Wondering if I made the right choice, about leaving you guys and then joining the Bladebreakers" Ray gently began to stroke Mariah's soft cheek.
Mariah moved her own hand up to touch Ray's, and let out a sigh. "Well, you're still friends with everyone, aren't you?"
"I dunno, am I? You tell me" "Well, Gary, being the big softie that he is, was the first to forgive you. I was the next, though I was never really mad, just hurt"
Ray removed his hand, put it and his other hand against his face, and moaned. Mariah debated on what to do, and decided to continue.
"It took the other two a lot longer" she said, "Kevin acts like he doesn't care, but I know inside he forgave you" "And Lee?" Ray said from behind his hands.
"Well, he's tough. Lee was really torn when you left, too". Another moan from Ray. Mariah bucked up her courage and continued.
"But because we're closer, our teams, I mean" Mariah blushed, and she could have sworn she saw a snort of laughter from Ray, but he covered it up by saying, "And?"
"I think he's kinda forgiven you" "Kinda?" Ray finally lifted his head from his hands.
"Yeah, I think he's still kind of nervous about you and me" "Why?" "Maybe he's afraid he's going to lose another teammate, another person dear to him" "I'm dear to him?" Mariah nodded.
"It wouldn't have been so bad had it been Kevin or Gary who left, but you….Well, it used to be only you, me, and him, remember?"
Ray remembered. There were so many memories of when he was small, like little Mariah scraping her elbow and crying while little Ray comforted her as little Lee ran off for a first-aid kit.
Or little Lee and little Ray leaving for school, and little Mariah crying as they left her at her and Lee's house because she wasn't yet old enough to go to school. Or even little Lee and little Ray practicing Beyblade at recess, while little Mariah watched with wide eyes.
Ray sighed as he recalled those days. He knew Mariah clung to those memories, and that they would probably never have a chance to become reality again.
"You know" Mariah said, rolling onto her stomach and cocking her head, "If anything ever happened with the Bladebreakers, you could always come back to the White Tigers"
Ray began to stroke Mariah's soft strands of pink hair. "Maybe someday" he whispered. Suddenly, they heard Lee calling Mariah's name.
"Mariah, we're going in for lunch!" he called. "All right, I'll be right there!" Mariah yelled back, "I have my key!"
"Well" she said, turning back to Ray, "Goodbye" "Goodbye" Ray said softly, and kissed Mariah's cheek. Mariah kissed him back and left, allowing Ray to finish up his thoughts and return to his own team.
Author's Notes: Long chapter, I know. Or at least, longest for this story by 6 written pages (2 typed pages). Actually, the next chapter is longer by one written page, or one-third of a typed page. I did type up an alternate ending for this chapter, but it would have changed the story so much that I decided to stick with the original. The alternate ending has been copied, pasted onto a blank document, and saved for later use. That's the lime I was talking about in my summary. Anyway, to beda and Summer Chill, have a cookie! They're chocolate chip, I know you can't resist! If anyone wants a cookie, they can review then next chapter, I'm just finishing up a batch of oatmeal raisin! rubs tummy
