By: Lady Sapphire
Note: A friend of mine, twilight knight, and also a reviewer suggested that I space out my paragraphs...I found nothing wrong with my original format, but for all you readers who have the same complaint, I've reformatted the WHOLE story so that it is more spaced out. Is it better now?
Chapter 11: Plight of Rain
The journey that followed was truly a discomfited one. Each remained hushed as they traveled, as not to further intensify the awkward atmosphere. Mariah made it a point to stay at least three feet behind Kai so that they would not face contact. Her eyes concentrated on the road beneath her feet and she dared not look up, for fear that he would do something to her again.
Why? That was the question that ran through her head over and over again. Why did he kiss her? Why hadn't she jerked away from him? Why had she let him take control of her?
Biting her lip, she envisioned the tender kiss, her first kiss, again in her mind. It wasn't whom she had imagined it with, but the feel, the touch…it was just ideal. It seemed so real…yet, so delusive…
'Did that really happen?' pondered Mariah, 'I mean, come on, this was Kai we're talking about. The ever-so-dispassionate Kai, who regarded no one but himself, and whose only ambition in life was to achieve perfect perfection. So how could all this be real?'
She shook her head, disbelieving the incident, "It was just a mistake; everyone makes mistakes, right? He must have just slipped, or maybe it was just an accident…I don't know…but I know, he did not mean it…" she murmured quietly to herself, although a part of her still wished that wasn't true. By now, Kai was already too far ahead to hear.
Kai was well aware of the tension that had arisen since his bold move, and candidly, he couldn't blame her. He, himself, was starting to have his doubts. Moving briskly, he made his way, not stopping to check if the girl was still following.
'Why did I do something as foolish as kiss a girl?' he demanded of himself, with distaste, 'More importantly, why did she let me?' He wished that she had slapped him or yelled at him at the least, for it would have made it clear that he was making a mistake. But, she did nothing. Absolutely nothing. She had willingly let him kiss her and then not say a word. He couldn't figure it out. He had lost control of himself, but that was no reason for her to lose her senses as well. And now, he didn't know what the right thing to do was anymore.
Throwing a slight glance over his shoulder, he observed her grim expression, lost and confused, and felt a short pang inside of him. 'I wonder what she thinks of it. I never wanted her to be unhappy. I wish she would say something, anything to show what she was feeling; anything to show me the path I should take, ' he contemplated.
Then he began thinking in a way he never thought before. 'Does she care about me? Or else, why would she have let me come that close to her?' he mused, freezing for an instant. His heart pounded faster and his hands were ice cold. Clenching his fists he asked himself, 'Do I care about her?' For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to answer the question, nor could he bring himself to controvert.
Although the canopy of trees shaded the midday sun, it was still very hot. Beads of sweat skidded down their faces in the sweltering heat. However, the weather was capricious. In the next moment, dark grey clouds eclipsed the glowering sun and a rolling rumbling sound could be heard in the distant sky.
Kai frowned, glaring at the darkened sky. It was just their luck. Just when they were about to escape this prison of nature, the heavens decide it would be funny to delay them a bit longer. He growled inwardly, cursing the sky.
"We better hurry," he said monotonously, halting his step so that she could catch up. "It looks like there's going to be a big storm coming up. If we hurry, we can reach the base of the cliff before it lets down. There is a cave in the cliff which we can take shelter in until the rain gives heed."
Mariah, forgetting her distress, glanced at Kai and then upward at the sky. "Yeah, you're right. At this rate, we'll have to start the climb tomorrow morning…" she added glumly, quickening her pace.
Another rumble of thunder sounded and soon after, drizzles of raindrops began to descend upon the Earth. Lightly at first, but then the rate of the raindrops accelerated to a faster speed.
The two of them broke off at a desperate run to avoid getting completely soaked. Kai had already taken note that she wouldn't be able to run very fast, and leaned her weight against himself to help support her. It didn't even feel awkward anymore since the kiss, and besides the fact that the rain was on their minds. Hastily, he led her to the cave he spoke of, just in time, for the next second, the rain poured down like a waterfall. The vision outside the cave became blurred with heavy raindrops.
Panting, the two of them tried to catch their breath. Mariah, totally worn out, collapsed to the floor. "Stupid weather! It just had to rain today! Just when we were almost out!" she complained bitterly. She was wet, and she was cold, therefore she was a very unhappy person. Squeezing the water out of her hair, while continuing to mutter under her breath, she untied the damp pink ribbon that secured her hair in place and shook out her hair. She ran a hand through it to get out any knots that had formed from the rain.
Kai watched her in awe. She looked much more beautiful with her hair down. He never imagined her in this way before. He regarded silently as she huffily squeezed the water out of her clothes.
Her clothes…the wet clothes clung to every curve in her body, revealing her slender form. Kai blushed, mentally slapped himself and turned away. How could he even think in that manner? It was a most inappropriate thing, to gape at a feminine figure, especially for someone of his stature. But nevertheless, he found his eyes trailing towards her. Quickly, he busied himself by gathering sticks and twigs found on the cavern floor to start a fire, attempting to purge his head of that mental image. When he had enough, he placed them in the centre and summoned his trusty bit beast to ignite the wood.
Mariah smiled, "Thanks Kai. I don't know what'd I do without you," she said kindly, drawing herself nearer to the fire. Holding out her hands, she rubbed them together to create warmth.
Grunting a reply Kai sat down on the ground, on the opposite side of the fire, a safe distance from her, and forced his eyes to stare at the ground.
Suddenly, he heard a sneeze. Looking up concernedly, he saw Mariah rubbing her nose and sniffling. "Mariah, you're going to catch a cold. Take off your clothes and let them dry by the fire," he told her, without thinking.
Instantly, her cheeks flared up and became as red as two ripe tomatoes. "WHAT?!" she squeaked, embarrassedly. She wanted to die there and then.
Kai's eyes widened as he realized the unintentional meaning in his request, and blushed too. "I mean…um…" he said, trying to cover his mistake. Desperately, he surveyed his surroundings for a solution. The cave was dark and dank. It wasn't very deep, but the oddest feature was a ledge-like piece that extended out from the wall of the cave and acting like a barrier… Perfect.
Assembling another pile of sticks, he brought them over to the other side of the barrier and started another fire. "Come here," he ordered, coming over to the other side.
Mariah reluctantly did as she was told. She understood his intentions, but the thought of removing her apparel…was simply disturbing. Slowly she ambled over to the other side and sat before the fire.
Kai made his way back to the other side and seated himself to where she sat before. "Now you can remove them."
She heard his voice from the other side of the divider, but made no movement to do as asked. All she did was blush and sulk.
When he heard no sound, he assured her, "I promise I won't look. Come on, you'll catch a cold, and that's the LAST thing we need…"
"What about you?" she blurted out, before she could stop herself, "You're not immune to illness either."
"Hn," he replied. There was a pause before a soft rustling sound could be heard.
Mariah blushed a deeper crimson at the thought of a bare-chested Kai. Sighing, she slowly began peeling away her wet clothing as well, starting with Kai's coat that she still had on. She left her undergarments on though; she rather have been dead than be completely bare. Wreathing the material to get out as much water as she could before extending the wet clothing over the fire. She prayed that they would dry as soon as possible. An eerie feeling kept crawling through her skin.
Kai did the same. Holding out the wet material, he concentrated on not letting his mind wander unexpectedly. It was a very uncomfortable feeling, sitting undressed with only a rock separating a reciprocating female form. An uncanny silence grew between them, each not knowing what to do or say to the other.
Unable to bear the silence any longer, Kai decided to try and make conversation. Since he had the side of the cave that was near the entrance, he decided to comment on the topic frequently used when a topic wasn't at hand…the weather. "It doesn't look like the rain will let up anytime soon," he commented, "And even if it does today, it'd be too late to start the climb. We'll stay here for tonight and start bright and early tomorrow morning."
"All right…" she replied. She heaved a sigh. "It'd be so great to see the White Tigers. I wonder how they are doing. They must be worried," she said thoughtfully. "Do you miss your family?" she asked all of a sudden.
Kai frowned disdainfully. "My parents are dead," he stated bitterly.
"Oh. I'm sorry…"
"Well, there's my Grandfather…but he doesn't care about me," responded Kai, feeling sorry for inflicting sadness in her.
"Why do you say that?" she wondered, raising an eyebrow.
"Hn…" he replied, hesitating to answer her question. He had never discussed his life with anyone before. It was too painful a memory to be reconciled with. However, he felt as if he could communicate with her, that he could tell her what was on his mind and she would listen. In these short days, a sort of bond had formed between them. After all, he had kissed her…
"Ever since I was a child, he has put me through strenuous training procedures in order to make me the best. He hated failure, and expected me to be perfect in every way. He did all this not for me, but for himself, for his own pride. By the time I had reached the age of ten, he had me doing these little 'missions' for him…" his trailed off, remembering his latest mission…
"I'm sorry to hear that…" whispered Mariah only loud enough for it to be audible to Kai. She fiddled with the clothes in her hands, turning them around. It was no wonder Kai was such a grouch and unsociable jerk sometimes. He never did have a normal childhood. And the way he commanded the Bladebreakers…it was all part of the lifestyle he grew up with. "I wish you had told me this sooner. What kind of missions did he make you do?" she ventured.
He froze, knowing this was coming. "Things like collecting bit beasts, searching for new and more powerful ones…they never really bothered me, until the one he gave me yesterday…"
"Which was the reason why you were in the forest? To think it out?" she questioned.
Kai nodded, forgetting that she could not see him.
"What was it?"
He had been prepared for this question. Last time, he had not answered her because he was uncertain. Now, since he had already poured out his life story to her, he decided he was ready to tell her the truth. Besides, after putting her through what he did to her yesterday and at noon today, she deserved to know the truth. "He...he wants me to find a wife," he proclaimed, cringing at the word.
"Oh. That's a rather odd request," she said half-heartedly. To her amazement, she was blushing when she had said that.
"Yeah…problem is, I still don't know how to solve it and if I don't, I will be kicked out of the Hiwatari bloodline and Dranzer will be taken from me…" he said gloomily, holding his Beyblade.
"That's horrible!" she cried out. The thought of losing her Galux was unbearable to her. "That isn't the way love works! You cannot just force it upon yourself to fall in love and expect it to be reciprocated immediately! These things take time," she preached passionately.
"Hmm…" he murmured, considering her words, "Tell me then, Mariah, what is love?"
She was flustered. "Well, I don't know exactly. There are many views and opinions on what is love. This is my view," she said, taking a breath before continuing. "Love is when you care so deeply for another that you would risk anything for the person. When the mere thought of losing him or her is an insufferable reality. When your heart longs and pangs for the sheer sight of that person every waking moment…" her voice wandered off. She wasn't sure how to continue describing this emotion.
Kai contemplated this. "And how will I know if love is true? Will it not deceit me?"
"It won't. It's a special feeling, once you find it, you'll know it right away," she guaranteed him.
There was a pause. A meandering question lingered at the tip of his tongue. "Have you already felt this way? With Ray, that is…"
Mariah blushed. "Ray is a good friend. We grew up together in the village. He has always been like a big brother, and he always will be."
For some reason, this brought comfort to him. It reassured his mind that there was nothing going on between Ray and Mariah. He didn't know why, and didn't have the time to ponder the question, for at that precise moment he realized that his clothes were dry. "My clothes are dry. Probably, so are yours."
Mariah ran a hand through them and indeed they were dry. Hastily, she put them on and waited for Kai to give her the signal to cross the borderline. She gave him a broad smile as she saw him, not only because he had missed the sight of him, but because the rain had knocked his hair out of place. It amused her to see the prim and proper Kai Hiwatari in such a dishevelled state. "Thanks Kai, that was an interesting conversation we had," she told him, grinning.
Kai was busy trying to straighten out his hair, but gave up when he found it useless. Casually, he walked over to the other side to put out the fire there, as it was not needed anymore. 'No, thank you, Mariah. You've helped me more than you'll ever know,' he thought, but didn't speak.
Mariah shrugged. Oh well, you win some; you lose some. Kai was back to being his moody self.
"We better get some sleep. Tomorrow's a long, tiring day ahead," he said briefly, before settling down on the ground, back against the wall, arms crossed.
Mariah took one look at the ground and groaned. She remembered how difficult it was to sleep last night. This was going to be considerably worse. Frowning, she sat on the ground and leaned her head against a wall opposite to Kai. Hugging herself to a ball, she prepared herself for the task at hand: falling asleep.
Kai too recalled how troubled she was sleeping on hard surfaces. Feeling as he should do something, he called out to the pink-haired girl. "Mariah, come over here," he said simply.
Mariah raised her head to look at him with a confused expression. What did he want? Scrambling over to him, she awaited to hear his request.
Kai said nothing. Instead, he pulled her head onto his lap. "Sleep here, tonight. It'd be easier."
Turning red, she began to protest, "But-"
"Shhh…" he hushed, "We've got a long day tomorrow. You need the rest."
Sulkily, she gave in. She slowly positioned herself uneasily in a comfortable position on Kai's lap.
He smiled slightly at the sight, and shifted himself to a passable position to sleep in as well. Promptly, they fell asleep, before the blazing warmth of the fire, and the patter of the fateful raindrops, sent to bring life upon the world, and to bring two hearts closer as one.
*~*~*
Note: ...*sigh* I love the way I ended this chappie...so sweet and perfect. But the story's not over yet! Unfortunately for them, the climax is coming up! The part where Kai gets hurt comes next chapter ^_^! Stay tuned until then to see how this will play out!
Elbereth_Gilthoniel: Perhaps I do get on the cheesy side when I write, but then again, that's my style! And I like writing like this. This isn't some comedy or action story, it's a romance and it's supposed to be mushy...and with that comes cheesiness, I suppose. I just try to put into words how I picture the scene in my head so that others can see it too. And no, I did not get anything from Shakespeare, I haven't even read all of his plays yet! So far I've only done three in school, Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet, and in the process of Macbeth (which is, by the way, a great play! Although a bit creepy...and it is a tragedy! :( I love the witches' lines! Nice and rhymey...). However, I am flattered to be compared to such a fantastic writer, and a writer of some wonderful romances! *sigh* I know I'm weird, but I actually like the old English they used to use...
I'm going to be busy reading my English novel study for a while. Yay, we get to read Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë! I haven't read all of it yet, but from what I've read so far, it's a good story! I think I will enjoy it! But, it is a very hard book to go through! It's thick, with very puny font, and I can't sit through and read without cracking open the dictionary every few lines! -_-" If you think the vocabulary I use in here is hard, wait till you read this book...blame the novel...I'm picking up new words and incorporating them here...-_-" So, I probably won't update till the book is done :( Oh well, that's school for ya...I forced myself to finish this chapter before the March Break ended, and it is by far the longest chapter :) Bye for now!
Disclaimer: I own my story, that is it. The rest is copyrighted by the makers of Beyblade.