Hello everyone! How're you all? After a long time, huh? Yes! After a long, loong, looong...time, I have written an angsty one-shot for one of my most favorite couples: RayXSalima (I know that it's not famous anymore in this site, but just couldn't control my fingers)..Hehehe...

Inspired from:"We met at a crossroad" by Linvn89.

Based on: "Checkmate", one of my oldest stories.

Rating: M

Warnings: You need? Read the warnings of Checkmate, it will work here too.

Pairings: RayXSalima, KaneXSalima, RayXMariah.

Since a long time, my hands were craving for writing a dark, hot, angsty story for RaySal...and here I go! It's my first M rated RaySal and I think the first-ever M-rated RaySal of too! I've completed writing all the ratings for one more favorite pairing of me too! Yayyy!

So...shall we go?


The navy-blue Audi stopped before the gigantic green gate of the mansion as the blunette driver parked it, stopping rotating the steering wheel. Opening the doors, both the husband and his red-haired wife came out. The man was tensed, biting his lips but the woman was horrified. Before a while, the mistress of the house had phoned them and almost pleaded to them to come there because of something emergency. The raven-haired Chinese hadn't been opening the door of his room since the dawn. The pinkette was alone at home as their 10-year old daughter had left for summer camp on the previous day and everyone else was out of the town. Since Kane and Salima lived quite close to them, Mariah had called only them for help.

As the redhead tapped the doorbell, the door didn't take more than two seconds to be open. Salima discovered a terrified expression spreading all over the face of the pink-haired lady. Her magenta tresses were clinging to her forehead due to much sweating and she was panting with enlarged eyes. Seeing her bloodshot honey orbs, it could easily be said that she was crying. The beginning of the day wasn't really freshening and pure for her like other days. How would it be? She hadn't got to talk to her husband yet who locked himself in the study room. Seeing her, both the redhead and the blunette gulped.

"Mariah?!" Salima shrieked, "Has Ray opened the door?"

"No," The pinkette sniffed, shaking her head, "He isn't even responding to my calls. I...I cannot hear what's going on inside. Salima, Kane…please, break the door! I…I cannot do it because Rin took both Driger and Galux for her summer camp. Please!"

"Don't worry, Mariah," Kane said, "We'll try. Salima, have you brought Cyber Driger?"

"Hm." Salima nodded determinedly.

"Good." Patting her shoulder, the ex-psykick leader pulled out the launcher and the blue Beyblade, so did Salima. Adjusting the blades to the launchers, they took a few steps back from the door as the pinkette watched them, worried and biting her nails. Her feet were shuddering; she hoped that the worst wouldn't happen. The pairs of blue and black eyes shone with equal determination through the conversion of their tension to their strength and willpower. Specially, the redhead was more restless than her husband.

"Three…two…one…let it…riiiiiiip!"

Both the indigo and the white-green blades dashed from the launchers as the couple pulled the ripcords and smacked the door hard. They fell on the ground since the door didn't become open but they didn't stop spinning. Again, they hopped and slammed on the gate locked from inside, just like a spring. At the third time, it banged open, revealing the mess in the study room. Torn pieces of paper were blowing everywhere. The mirror of the dressing table was shattered; glasses were scattered on the floor. Ink was trickling down from the uncapped fountain pen kept on the table, smearing the light shade of wood into dark. But what horrified the most was the center of the chamber.

The male neko-jin, fallen on the floor, was still and silent. Beryl pupils were covered under his eyelids, the dried marks of tears made a slight portion of his cheeks deep. Jet bangs were sticking to his sweat-drenched forehead; the extension of his hair was unbound, splayed beneath his back. Lips had an anguishing mien; one of his wrists was slit, a small pool of dark-crimson fluid was below it, spreading all over the tiled surface and making it bleary from transparent. Another palm possessed a penknife from which the beads of blood were still trickling. The pinkette couldn't bear the sight, kneeling down right there. Salima and Kane rushed in.

"Ray!" The redhead held the head of the raven-haired on her lap and shook it gently. Unexpectedly or not, she found no response. Her husband quickly bandaged the wound on the wrist with his handkerchief and checked for a pulse around his neck. His expressions got hardened as he placed his ear on his chest, begging immensely so that it didn't have to be frustrated. Two fingers were brought before the nose, they returned, not being touched by exhalation of carbon-di-oxide. As a last attempt, the guy took out his phone, turned on the flashlight and held it near the pupils of the fallen man.

Nah, it failed too.

The phone from the hand of the blunette as Salima kept silent, motionless. She couldn't flinch even or make any sound, realizing what had happened to the male neko-jin. A thud could be heard due to Mariah's passing out on the ground as she couldn't bear the sudden, shocking estrangement of her beloved husband from her. The blunette rushed in her direction but Salima didn't move a single inch from her position. Still, the head of the raven-haired was placed on her lap. Kane was calling her to help him with Mariah but she didn't respond. She felt as if she also had been no more like the neko-jin.

'Ray…' She whispered, 'Why?'


Flashback:

"Kane!" The red-haired lady demanded, "Buy me those earrings too, please! Look, they're so pretty!"

"Salima, you already have 20 pairs of earrings," The holder of the silver dragon huffed, "And 40% of them are still intact, unused. You want to buy another?"

"C'mon Kane, don't be a miser," Pouting, she hung her arms round his neck, "I'm your only wife, ain't I? If not mine, whose wishes will you fulfil? Besides, you also have a lot of unused gadgets at home, right? Then why do you buy them?"

"Uh oh…" The blunette sweatdropped, seeing no other way, "Fine, I'm accepting my defeat. But in return, you have to pay the bill of the restaurant, okay?"

"Yayy!" Salima leapt and smooched on Kane's cheek, not noticing that they were in a public place, resulting the little amount of blood rush in his face, "I knew that you would agree with me, hubby! Thank you so much!"

"Wow!" A feminine voice exclaimed, "Someone is pretty hubby-girl here!"

Startled, both the blunette and the redhead looked back, meeting another couple. The woman had pink hair, grinning slyly at them. The raven-haired neko-jin also smiled but there was formality more than genuineness. The faces of the former couple beamed as they rushed towards the latter.

"Mariah!" Salima exchanged a hug with the pinkette as the blunette shared a handshake with the raven though the neko-jin did it much unwillingly. After the greetings, the redhead asked, "How're you both?"

"Fine."

Ray whispered, not looking at her. Salima's heart skipped a bit at his tone. He was seeming gloomy. Somewhere, deep inside her core, she felt a strong amount of pain, discovering his condition. She was craving to have a single glimpse of him on her but he might have made a vow that his eyes would never meet hers. Kane and Mariah were talking to each other heartily about their married life and children but unknowingly, Salima wasn't feeling so brave to exchange a few words with the raven-haired who was looking so dejected. Why? Only because they'd had an affair in the past?

"Let's go to any coffee-shop," Kane offered, "We can talk there more."

"Thanks, Kane," Finally, Ray replied, "But not today. Rin is alone at home, we have to go there as soon as possible. Maybe, someday else."

"Kane…" Salima looked at her husband who was a bit upset at the rejection of the neko-jin, "I think…we should let them go for today. Besides, we have the contact numbers of one another. So…we can call them any day we want."

"I lost it."

Ray narrowed his eyes at Salima though it wasn't the entire truth. The actual fact was that he'd deleted it from his phone before years. Gritting her teeth, Salima exchanged numbers with him though the uneasiness was noticed by neither Kane nor Mariah. Both the couple went to respective home. Ray's brain wasn't ready to accept that he had forgotten Salima and moved on. However, unlike the raven-haired, the redhead forgot it easily through the household chores, coffee and gossip time with her beloved husband and playing with her four-year old twin babies. Tired at night, she went to sleep with her stainless heart, snuggling in the embrace of her current life-partner, under the blanket, with him.

However, things weren't so easy for Ray. He spent all his day in the study room, trying to read a few books that he had put in the bucket of his wishlist but couldn't concentrate. Rin was trying to spend some time with her dad but he couldn't even fulfil this wish of his daughter. But when he'd broken up with Salima, the red-haired girl had been the one to get shattered more. The neko-jin had been almost a heartless, thinking that he'd become free. Since his marriage had been fixed with Mariah, he couldn't have disobeyed the orders of his elders and the rituals of White Tiger village. Soon, getting married to the pinkette, he'd forgotten the old feelings and grown new ones for his newly wedded wife. He was happy with Mariah, wasn't he? Then why had his heart been aching when he'd seen Salima with Kane? Did he…still love her?


Next day, when the scarlet opened her eyes as sunshine knocked at her eyelids, she found her husband gone. Rubbing her face and waking up with a jolt, she instantly heard the sound of shower in the bathroom. Her chest heaved a sigh in relief as she beamed, slapping lightly on her own forehead. Thank goodness….

She slid her hand under her pillow and took out the phone. When she saw Ray's message at the top of all the notifications, she cocked an eyebrow, not expecting it to be so soon. However, instead of ignoring it, she decided to open the message. It read:

"Hotel Red Planet. Room number-207. 4.00 pm. Not obligatory."

Salima thumped the phone on her bed. What did Ray want from her? Things were no more between them and they had moved on. Then what now? She couldn't convince her mind whether she should go there or not. Though Ray had told her that it wasn't obligatory at all, she was still perplexed. Her brain was strictly saying, "You're married, Salima. You've a caring, loyal husband and two lovely kids. Don't jump in the arms of another married man. Who's he to you?" On the other hand, her heart was constantly pleading, "Maybe, he's none to you. But what could he have not been to you? Perhaps, he's got to say something? Just listen to him. Otherwise, you may have to repent in future."

She had to put a semicolon at the flow of her thoughts when her husband came out from the washroom. Smiling gently, she left the bed and went to kitchen for preparing breakfast for their little, lovely family. After completing the meal, Kane got ready and left for the office. The redhead also prepared her twin children and dropped them at school. Returning home, she did a few household chores including pressing some cloths, washing dishes and making the lunch. Bringing the children again, she had the mid-day meal with them and played until the hour hand on the large wall-clock hit 3. When her eyes fell on that, she gasped.

'I think…I should go there,' She finally decided, 'Maybe, for one last time.'

Getting up, she got clad in a dark-violet collared shirt, folding the sleeves up to her elbows under a black jacket and white skirt that reached her knees. The same outfits she put off in which the neko-jin had seen her at their first meeting. Binding her blood-rose tresses into a messy bun, she inserted a white wooden hairpin there. Streaking her beautiful eyes with kohl and mascara, she applied red lipstick on her lips, adorning her in the best way. Even she herself also didn't know why she was wasting so much time but she kept doing it as her heart was getting some relief. Dropping her children at the neighbour's place, she drove the car to the hotel.

Climbing up to the first floor, she pressed the doorbell of room number 207. The door got opened within no moment, revealing the sight of a raven-haired neko-jin in his early thirties. His bangs were ruffled, golden pupils were bloodshot. He stared at her without blinking and continued it. Salima noticed his feet shivering. She gulped. What was wrong with him?

Not letting her ask anything, Ray seized her wrist and pulled her in, closing the door with a thud. Pinning her against the wall, he kept grabbing both of her wrists so that she couldn't be free from his clutches. Salima shivered but her heart lost its senses when she found a pair of lips crushing hers. He was literally sucking her lips. She should have protested or flinched but she simply did nothing. Without any reason or logic, she wrapped her arms around his back when he understood that she wouldn't object. One of his hands visited her bun and pulled out the hairpin, letting her hair fall like a cascade on her back. Swathing her waist like a serpent, he slid his fingers inside her hair and grabbed it as the kiss got fierce, yet, deepened.

Salima wasn't also the woman to give up. She simply put off the bandana from Ray's forehead and tore his hair wrap, revealing the density and bottomless darkness of his shiny black-diamond locks. Lips danced with lips like ever-forgetful crazy vagabonds. Ray's red wine and Salima's ripe cherries satisfied the thirsty taste buds of each other as their tongues battled. Not able to corner hers much, his hands progressed towards her jacket and shirt which were on the ground within less than one second. She was only in her black bra, embodying her gorgeous skin tone. Salima's fingers did the same job with his white qipao shirt, travelling across his hard biceps and tanned but toned chest. Taking the bottle of red wine from the side-table, Ray poured it all on the scarlet-haired, half-naked lady. She quivered with a soft sigh.

In your love how should I say

How restless am I

I'll look into your eyes

And I'll steal your dreams

My shadows are there

My friend where you are

For this life that I'm living

You're the reason, you're the reason

For this life that I'm living

You're the reason, you're the reason…..

Half-clear, half-red droplets trickled from the smudged lips, stained eyes and the unbound tresses of the girl as she bathed in the unholy, processed, fermented juice of grapes. Ray dropped the bottle on the floor as it produced a boom, shattering in one thousand shards. Moving down from her lips, he proceeded across her wine-drenched shoulders, chins, neck and beauty bones. Salima felt as if hundreds of jolts of current had passed through her spine. She knew that it was forbidden, it was illegal, it was a sin. Yet, she couldn't stop. She was being controlled by the raven-haired neko-jin. She had no power to stop him. Pampered, Ray's fingers went behind her back and undid the hook of her bra. It shortly fell on the ground, divulging her milky c-cup breasts with coral nipples. Though she was the mother of two children, they didn't get loosened yet. Ray kept staring at them surprisingly, like watching the naked idol of any Greek Goddess. Simply aesthetic.

Is this intoxication or poison

What name should we give to this love

A story has been incomplete since long

Come let's complete it today

How can I forget you

You're my first mistake

For this life that I'm living

You're the reason, you're the reason

For this life that I'm living

You're the reason, you're the reason

Carrying the topless scarlet in a bridal style, Ray gently reposed her on the bed as Salima kept hanging her arms round his neck, gazing deeply but emotionlessly at his passionate eyes. Restraining her there by clutching two arms with one hand, he fondled one of her breasts and dipped his nose in her cleavage, snuggling there. Tears trickled down from her half-closed eyes. She didn't want to do this but she didn't even know how not to do this. Soft moans escaped from her throat as one of her nipples was between his lips. Tender bites sent jolts again. His testosterones had surely overflown that day. As a result, he was blind to his conscience. But Salima? How was she feeling? Was she really enjoying this? However, that wasn't Ray's concern as long as the girl wasn't remonstrating.

You don't know my intentions

I'll steal your breath away

My heart says that, become a criminal

There is peace beyond these crimes

I'm like a lost night

You're my blissful morning

For this life that I'm living

You're the reason, you're the reason

For this life that I'm living

You're the reason, you're the reason

You're the reason, you're the reason

You're the reason, you're the reason….

Ray sild a hand under the skirt of the girl, traversing through her thigh. Salima gasped both in pleasure and guilt, clutching the bedsheet. What was she doing? She was married to Kane, a righteous, loyal, caring husband and had two children. She wasn't supposed to make out with another man, it was a sin. How would she face Kane after it? That's why, she screeched, "Stop!"

The neko-jin winced at the sudden outburst of the girl. Nonetheless, he did whatever she'd told him to do. Getting up from her lying position, she gave a dark, heated stare at the guy who seriously didn't have any idea about what the wrong he'd been doing. The teeth of the lady were gritted, nails were dunked in the bedsheet due to wrath and agony. She was panting wildly. Ray frowned, baffled and completely lost.

"Enough this is!" She hissed, "I am a married woman and the mother of two kids. You cannot do whatever you want to do with me, Ray."

"What?" He cocked a brow, "I was doing everything because you didn't protest. I thought your silence was your consent. And now, when it came to your virginity barrier…which is actually no more now, you started bringing rules and vices?"

Clenching his fangs, the guy turned away, "You're such a pathetic bitch, Salima. Now I'm feeling sorry for Kane. He's much better and righteous than you."

"Oh really?" She simpered, "What about you, Ray? Are you the most decent guy? Is Mariah the luckiest wife in this world? Aren't you taking the advantage of her innocence and blind trust?"

Ray didn't reply. He grabbed the empty wine glass from the bed-side table which got broken in his grasp due to the sheer force he'd applied on it. The glass shards pierced his palm as blood drizzled from their in narrow streams on the floor. Salima stood up from the bed and put a hand on his shoulder but he didn't turn back to her.

"Ray…" She took a sharp breath, "Forget whatever happened between us. In fact, forget me."

"What?" Ray wheeled behind with a hurt expression, amber eyeballs sparkling with tears. Nonetheless, the girl heavily nodded.

"Yes," She confirmed, "From your brain, please, remove my existence. Otherwise, you'll be hurt at each and every step of your life. Consider me dead, Ray. Please….I'm begging to you."

"Impossible!" The guy squeezed her shoulders and shook them violently, "How can a bird forget the sky? How can a fish forget to swim in the water? Just like them, forgetting you is impossible, Salima! I-I cannot do this!"

"You've to do this!" Salima screeched with more loudness in her tone, "Remembering me, you'll only destroy everything! Not only ours, Kane's and Mariah's lives will also get ruined forever! Besides, we have children too! You have to accept the harsh reality I don't belong to you, I NEVER BELONGED TO YOU! Do you understand? I never….never belonged to you!"

Ray's eyes went widened in shock. Holy cow, why didn't he notice it? Yes, really, Salima did never belong to him. That's why, they'd broken up in the past. Turning away from him in the same way, Salima said, "I have to cleanse the dirt of disgrace from my body. Coming out from the shower, if I see you in this room, I'll end myself with one of the glass shards fallen on the floor. And I don't take more than 15 minutes in a quick shower."

Rushing inside the washroom, she thudded the door close and revolved the knob of the shower. Drizzles landed on her head and spread all over her shoulders, chin, neck and the areas which had been touched, fondled, kissed and bitten by the neko-jin. The droplets of the red wine were long gone but the girl was feeling that, they were still clinging to her skin persistently. The smell of alcohol, she didn't think why, wasn't gone from her body. Kneeling down on the floor, she covered her face and cried. She really loved Ray, she still had feelings for him but they were forbidden now. She had love for Kane too and she had to choose only the deserved person. She did, yet, conscience was biting her. Hot tears got mixed with cold shower and lost their temperature. But amidst all these liquids, no one got to see the oozing blood from the fresh wound of her heart.

After a while, cleaning herself, when she came out, she found the guy nowhere. A set of new cloths with undergarments were kept on the bed with a short note. There was written:

'I wanted to make you wear them with my own hands. But you didn't want to see my face. Stay blessed, Sal."

Tearing the note, she quickly wore the cloths and drove her car back to her home. Inserting the keycard, she stepped in, only to face a confused and agitated blunette. She quickly gazed down. After all these things, she really didn't have the courage to make her eyes meet his. Nonetheless, he demanded an answer which he deserved.

"Where were you?" Kane asked, crossing his arms on his chest.

Salima flinched, sweating bullets. She could have lied to him, Kane believed her more than himself. Nonetheless, she raised her face, shocking him with her bloodshot orbs, wet nose and puffy cheeks. Shaking her head, she answered, "Nothing special. Just think that a butterfly got distracted by the color of flames and was about to approach there. But suddenly, she realized that flowers are her actual home, not the fire. That's why, she returned."

Smiling a bit, Kane lifted her chin and cupped her face affectionately in his palms. Placing a tender kiss on her forehead which wasn't so rough as Ray's, of course, he pulled her closer to his chest. Salima wrapped her arms around him, burying her head right there. Kane's fingers stroked her half-wet hair heartily. Salima closed her eyes in absolute bliss and safety.

She belonged to Kane, not Ray. At this sentence, her heart got convinced, but wasn't happy, mysteriously.


Flash forward:

The scarlet was standing in the same reading room where the incident had happened before two days. Everyone had gathered in the lawn out of the house from different cities and countries across the world. Ray was all their all-time favorite and they could never believe that he would pass away so soon. Since that day, Mariah was fainting, unable to bear the eternal estrangement from her husband. Little Rin was sobbing, hugging Hilary who was trying to comfort her. In the entire sky, no ray of sunshine could be seen since the past hours of torment. The slate-haired guy was trying to investigate the actual reason because he wasn't convinced that it was a mere accident. His brain was telling him something else.

Yeah, it was Kane who'd figured the actual matter within no time. But he'd convinced, or say, strictly ordered Mariah and Salima to hide it from the rest of the world because he didn't want any ink of disgrace to stain Ray's image. Besides, if the truth was known to the people once, everyone would point their nasty fingers at Mariah, saying, "What kind of woman she is! She doesn't know how to control her husband!" and at Salima, like, "What kind of woman she is! Despite having husband, she keeps an illegal affair with another man, totally destroying his life! Witch, bitch, demoness!" Kane was righteous, he'd never had those thoughts about the poor women. Rather, he'd praised his wife for her sudden, right, proper decision at the ultimate time but the world wasn't like him. That's why, the fact was kept hidden.

Discovering a thick, black-covered leather diary on the table, the red-haired girl curiously picked and opened it, maybe, trying to view the no more guy for the last time. Some dry rose petals fell on the floor, each of them containing the first letter of her name in silver ink, along with a folded paper. Lifting it, she unfolded it which contained a few words. The ink was smudged a bit as if any liquid had fallen on it. Yet, it was readable:

"Salima,

Pardon me. I couldn't keep your promise. I can do everything in this world, but I…I cannot forget you. You took leave from my life. Yet, I lived because I believed that you reside in my memories. For me, nothing in this world is greater than memories.

I loved Mariah too. But she was my nest. In the end, every bird has to return to his/her nest. And you? You were my sky. I wanted to fly in you too. Is it a fault of any bird? If yes, cut their wings. (Duh, pardon my incoherent words).

But that day, when you were standing before a crossroad, discovering the sudden rage of storm, I understood that you are any reserved for clouds, not for a bird like me. I was feeling so guilty that I couldn't even look at Mariah's eyes for the rest of the day. I felt ditched from my own nest. Then where should I go? Where does a bird go if he fails to enter his nest and fly in the sky at the same time? I don't know the answer. That's why, took this decision.

Maybe, in any other world, I'll fly in you. Till then, keep waiting for me (If you have a bit of feelings for me left in your heart).

Keep Kane happy forever. Don't bring him in these dark matters of us. He's righteous, it will choke his breaths.

Please, tell Mariah not to be sad. She's so innocent and soft-hearted but with the passage of time, she'll be healed. Take care of her.

Take care of my princess Rin too. Tell her sorry on behalf of me. I loved her a lot, just couldn't say that.

Farewell, Sal."


Donee! So, I know that once again, you all are ready to chase me with brooms but you all know that Misty has no control on her hands ever. Besides, this is the perfect essence of RaySal, angsty. Not in uniting, their beauty lies in their separation, their estrangement, their failure to achieve each other. Misty's eyes have caught the beauty, that's why, she loves her dark, secret, illegal, forbidden OTP *Closes eyes in bliss*

Okay, enough ranting, sorry for being so personal and emotional. Dear people, do read and review. Pardon the grammatical and spelling errors. Take care and stay safe :D

Well...was it really a suicide? To know, check the promo of its sequel:

Kai: At 3.45 pm on Sunday, you entered the hotel and came out at 5.00 pm. Before 10 minutes of your departure, Ray left. The receptionist said that you both were in room 207.

Salima: *In tears*

Kai: Don't worry, nobody is gonna know the truth. But...my question is: Who hit Ray's head from behind when he was in his study room at that night?

And...on 21st February, on International Mother Language Day, I'll write a story based on a historical, real-life event "Tainted in pink and red". It will also be a tragedy, a pretty heart-wrenching tragedy. Student politics, KaiHil. Stay tuned for it. ;D

-Misty ^_^ ^_^