By: Lady Sapphire
Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade, that's all. Oh, but I did go and get myself a little Kai figurine thing from Burger King! Must have been odd, imagine a sixteen-year old marching into Burger King and ordering a Happy Meal...-_-" But, but....Kai! I really wanted a Ray figurine, and also a Mariah, but they didn't have it at that time, so I got Kai...*huggles Kai* ^_^ Maybe another time! Anyway, moving on...
Chapter 9: Morning Pains
Early morning drops of dew dripped from the broad leaves of the towering trees and trickled down Mariah's pale complexion. Wrinkling her face out of irritation, she rolled over and continued sleeping.
"Mmm…so tired…it's too early to wake up…I must remember to fix that leak on the roof…" she murmured half-heartedly. Then it hit her. 'No wait a minute, there wasn't a leak in the roof! I'm not even sleeping underneath a roof! That must mean…'
Her eyes fluttered open wide suddenly and she was graced with the sight of wilderness. She groaned. 'Great. Just great. I'd been hoping that this was all a bad nightmare, but I guess that's not possible,' she sighed.
Yawning, she pulled herself up from her lying position to a sitting position and craned her neck to get rid of the awful cramp she had from sleeping on the high, hard log. She winced for now, not only that her foot was still sore and numb, but her neck and back were in pain as well. 'Ugh, what a horrible night…'
Rubbing her eyes, she took a moment to revitalize her surroundings. Kai was missing, up already and probably off somewhere exploring. The fire had been long put out. It was already daylight and she wondered how long she had been asleep.
When she stretched her arms in the air, a dark-coloured piece of cloth slid down her body. Frowning in confusion, she picked it up and noticed it was Kai's coat! How in the world did his coat get on her? She did not remember asking him for it. Like hell she'd ask for anything of his after he so rudely treated her last night! She crossed her arms and glowered at the piece of clothing, pondering what to think of it.
But then, her frown slowly turned into a slight smile of amusement. Kai must have wrapped it around her last night when she fell asleep. It was a sweet act of him, although she didn't know why he did it. Any anger she had for him last night quickly dissolved. Hugging the coat to snugly to her chest, she smiled to herself.
Then she heard the snapping of some branches behind her and whipped around sharply, glaring at the intruder who had caught her by surprise. Kai came into view, carrying something in his arms, as well as a thick tree branch that he used as a walking stick.
"Finally awake? I was wondering if you had died or not…" he said mockingly, walking towards her and setting what he was carrying on the ground. They were a pile of mushrooms. He sat down near her.
Mariah glared. "Of course, I'm awake. You can't get rid of me that easily!" she started, but froze as she realized something, "Wait, you…you're speaking to me again?!" she asked incredulously.
"No, I was speaking to the tree," he replied sarcastically, and Mariah choked on the air as he mimicked her exact thoughts from last night. Kai rolled his eyes and changed the subject before she could ask him why he acted the way he did. "Here is breakfast. Fresh mushrooms! And no, they are not poisonous. If I wanted to kill you, I would have done so at the base of the cliff," he informed her, with a slight grin.
Mariah nodded and picked one up to eat. Mushrooms weren't her favourite food in the world, but when you're stuck in the middle of nowhere, there was no place for being picky-choosey. Munching silently, she remembered Kai's coat. Swallowing, she held out the coat to him. "Thank you, for blanketing me with this yesterday night. It was really cold."
Kai froze. He had forgotten that he'd have to face her sooner or later. "Whoever said I gave it to you last night? I woke up early this morning and didn't need it so I just threw it aside…it must have landed on you," he shrugged. He knew it was a terrible lie, but it was all he could come up with, besides telling her the truth. And the last thing he wanted her to know was the fact that he was being nice to her.
She shrugged, not believing a word of what he had just explained. "Well, thank you anyway. Do you want it back?" she asked kindly.
He shook his head, no. "It's okay, you can keep it."
She smiled. "Are you sure? Thanks!" she exclaimed, quickly putting her arms through the sleeves. She didn't know why, but the coat gave her more than just warmth, but comfort as well. Maybe from the fact that it belonged to Kai…
"How's your foot?" he asked, greatly wanting to change the topic.
"Huh? Oh, my foot!" she had forgotten about it for a brief moment back there. She tried to move it around; it still hurt, but not as much as it did the day before. "It's better, but it still hurts…"
Kai nodded, "That must mean that the herbs are taking effect," he concluded. He then handed the stick over to her. "This should help you with the travelling," he told her.
Mariah observed the walking aid. "All right. Thank you…" she said, taking the stick into her hands and placed it aside while she continued eating. She was glad that now she did not have to lean on Kai for support anymore, and yet she was a bit disappointed. She had liked the feeling of his proximity. Shaking her head to clear the thought, she reprimanded herself again to not think in that way. She did not like Kai! It was a ridiculous concept. She hated his cold, sardonic attitude. Reassuring herself, she finished the last of her breakfast and tried to stand with the aid of the stick, when she felt Kai's fiery touch at her elbows, helping her to get up and gain her balance. She blushed.
Kai didn't notice. "I've checked out the area. The easiest and shortest way out seems to lie southeast of where we stand now," he told her pointing towards the direction. "That path will lead us to a side of the cliff with the gentlest slope. From there, we should manage to climb up. The other ways are either blocked by fallen trees, extremely crowded paths, or steep slopes."
Mariah nodded, impressed with what he had discovered in that time frame he was gone.
"Let's get moving now," he suggested, leading the way.
Mariah staggered close behind following his lead. Soon they would be out of this nightmare, and soon she would be rid of him.
*~*~*
A/N: I felt bad for leaving you guys off with no Kai/Mariah, so I wrote it out as soon as I could (but didn't post it ^_^)... Hope you liked it! Next one is almost done as well, just a few more details to add! Hmm...I think I'll call the next one, "Tender Hearts"...why? Wait and see...^_^