Perfectly Incompatible

Summary: A few of the mothers from his hometown think it's time for him to settle down, but Michael can't stand the girl they chose for him; Mariasha! What happens when he gets into a fight with Mariasha and ends up lost in a snow storm? Who will come to his rescue?

Pairings: Michael/Kai

Disclaimer: I don't own the Anime Beyblade or any character associated. I do own Mariasha "Maria" Evans. She is an original character and all likeness to people living or dead is purely coincidental. This character is not on based one anyone else's character design, again if any likeness, it's purely coincidental. There are also minor Ocs in this story as well, eg; Michael's mother and great aunt.

Warnings: Kai is a girl in this story. The use and introduction of a female Original Character. Any fans of OCs and OC pairings should leave now. Anti-OC pairings and blatant bashing of my own character. I created her; I can do what I want with her. And I plan to.

Gripe for the Day: Just a little piece of random information. I typed in "sister" into the search engine under Beyblade, and do you know how many records were found? 237! Yeah, that's right, and that's only a handful of the shit that is out there. I don't care what anyone says, if your character is a sister to a canon, it's a Mary-Sue! It's not original, not even interesting; it's one of the biggest clichés on the face of this fandom! -rages-

AN: Hello again everyone. Lol, I'm so glad that everyone liked the confrontation between Kai and Mariasha. Was there any doubt that Kai would become victorious? Don't worry, there will be more confrontations between them in the future; Mariasha isn't the type of woman who gives in easily and Kai isn't the type to take any of her crap. Poor Michael is going to be in the middle. No Mariasha in this chapter, though, had enough of her 'sassiness' in the last one.

Thanks very much to; kaitouahiru, mimic shalle, dragonfire7654321, G-Wing Gurl, DarkBombayAngel, marishka91, The Cattan Wolf (-pats- I know exactly how you feel. And that's only a fraction of all the hideous KaiOC fics that are out there), CleverPhoenix, angelvan105, van, Rapunzelle, Elemental Gypsy and First Lady Lestat (I know how you feel as well. Feel free to have a rant to me anytime, don't be shy ^^) for reviewing the last chapter!

Suggestions and comments are always welcomed and appreciated. Rants are encouraged ^^ Have fun and let me know what you think.

Chapter 9:

As the last fragments of the a faraway dream fade away, Michael began to become conscious of his surroundings, quickly realizing that he was not in his usual position of laying down in his bed, but rather sitting up in a contraption that was quite comfortable. His brow furrowed in slightly confusion as he tried to lift his hand to rub at his face, finding that there was a thick blanket draped over him. The sound of a crackling fire swiftly brought him back to the reality of his current situation and he sat up in his seat, stretching his arms over his head as he yawned wildly.

That's was right, he crashed at Kai's early this morning.

A light wince appeared on his face as he scratches the back of his neck, realizing what a pathetic sight he must have been this morning. He doesn't really recall much of it as he was inwardly seething about what Mariasha said about his father and at her audacity to think she could insult him and get away with it.

Now, he could really understand how Kai could get so angry that her body trembled with inner rage; that type of anger was scary.

Thankfully, though not that surprising now that he thought about it, Kai didn't just scoff at him and tell him to stop being a baby and get over it when he told her what happened. She was very supportive and soothing, telling him that it wasn't his fault and that Mariasha provoked him. Really, that was what he needed to hear, that he didn't just lose his temper without reason, like Mariasha will no doubt tell everyone.

If he told one of his teammates what happened he probably would have gotten a simple glare and a lecture on how he has to solve his own personal problems, or a 'Stop being a pansy and tell her to piss off' from Rick.

He has tried just about everything under the sun to get Mariasha to realize that he did not like her; he loathed her, detested her, and despised her. There was no love-hate; it was all hate on his behalf. There was nothing he could say about Mariasha, nothing at all. She's...argh! A right pain in the ass!

But Mariasha was either incredibly stupid or very persistent not to get that point.

Maybe she was persistently stupid?

Running a hand through his hair, Michael stood up from his comfortable seat and glanced around at his surroundings. He can't hear Kai anywhere inside and figured that maybe she was still in town as he walked into the kitchen to get a drink of water for his dry throat. As he walked into the large caterer's kitchen, a white piece of paper on the bench caught his attention.

Picking it up, a smile made its way onto his lips when he realized it was a note from Kai, saying; If you're reading this, I guess it means I'm not home yet. I've just gone into town to pick up the paint supplies for the first bedroom and I didn't want to wake you as it looked like you needed the rest. I shouldn't be too long, but make yourself at home anyway. There's some soup in the fridge if you get hungry. And don't worry about Mariasha; she's not worth getting angry over. If she does anything else, I'll deal with her. I have a lot of experience with obnoxious brats like her.

Kai.

A warm chuckle escaped Michael's lips as he puts the note back down, feeling a sense of happiness that Kai seemed to care enough about him by letting him stay while she ducked into town and to also allow him free access to her house. Not only that, but to promise she'll handle Mariasha in the future just makes him chuckle as he just had this mental image of Kai beating the crap out of her.

Now, that would be a sight to see.

The sound of a shrill ringtone pulled Michael abruptly from his thoughts. He glanced around the kitchen, idly wondering whether or not Kai left her phone behind. But then he realized the noise was coming from the pocket of his jacket and that it was his phone ringing. With a sense of hesitation he pulled it out of his pocket, breathing a sigh of relief when he recognizes the number to be that of Nana's mobile.

Flipping the phone open and pressing answer, Michael pressed it to his ear as he moved out of the kitchen. "Hey Nana," he said in a somewhat guilty tone.

"Michael?" Nana's voice wafted through the phone, relief evident. "Oh, good, I got the right number. I still can't figure out this blasted phone."

Michael gave a genuine laugh at the annoyance in Nana's tone and plonked himself down into a nearby chair. "Sorry for skipping out this morning," he said solemnly, swiftly realizing that Nana would have woken up this morning and had no idea where he was.

"Marly told me about last night," Nana said, her voice holding an uncharacteristic sense of bitterness.

A quick wince appeared on Michael's face. "I'm the bad guy again, right?" he asked as his brow furrowed in frustration. He really was getting sick of having to explain himself to everyone just because something Mariasha said.

"Not if I had anything to say about it," Nana swiftly added, her tone still bitter, which brought a small smile to Michael's lips. Good ol' Nana; he knew he could also rely on her for support.

"Your mother is in a bit of a titz at the moment."

Michael blinked and then sighed. "Something happened?"

"You could say that," Nana said from the other side of the phone, this time reluctant to go into any further details. "You were right, you know."

"The gossip is in full swing, is it?" Michael muttered in a resentful way, a sense of irritation bubbling in his chest at the thought of a bunch of mothers sitting around and badmouthing Kai to the point of viciousness. "Did they say anything bad about Kai? Be completely honest with me."

There was a pause on the other side of the phone which did nothing for Michael's growing aggravation. "They were unsure of your friend since they don't know her very well," she finally said.

"Since when has it been necessary for a newcomer in town to tell everyone their life story?" Michael said as he stiffened in his seat and immediately became defensive. Kai's past was a touchy subject for her to talk about to someone she knew quite well; how painful would it be for her to explain it to a bunch of meddling old women?

Oh no, he was not going to let that happen. He was not going to let Kai get prosecuted all because the Biddies in town liked the 'perfect' and 'beautiful' Mariasha.

"Why should Kai have to present herself in front of the entire town and tell them all about herself?" he finished with a soft growl in his voice.

"You are most certainly right," Nana replied in an agreeing tone. "It's disgusting what they are doing to the poor girl."

Michael felt himself relax at her reply and sunk back down into his seat, a small sense of pride of knowing that if things got too out of hand, Nana will bring everyone back in line, quelling the irritation a little. "It's all Mariasha's doing, isn't it?"

There was a scoff on the phone. "I really don't know, but most likely."

"Tch, typical," Michael muttered as his eyes narrowed a fraction. "Kai is a private person; she gets defensive when people start prying. Are they trying to run her out of town?"

"Don't give them any ideas, child," Nana said with a sigh before she paused for a moment. "Are you alright? What happened?"

"Just had a fight with Mariasha," he replied as yet another wince appeared from the mental imagery of what happened between the two of them last night, a sense of guilt settling in the pit of his stomach when he recalled how angry he felt.

"What did she say?"

"...She mentioned dad again," Michael said softly, swallowing thickly when he thought about his departed father. God, he missed him so much.

"I knew it," came an uncharacteristic hiss. "What did she say?"

"Nothing that held a hint of truth to it," he said with a sad smile. "I'm just sick of her referring to dad like she actually knew him, like it's ok for her to soil his name. It just...urgh."

"I know, I know," Nana said in a soothing tone. "Me too. Where are you now?"

"I'm at Kai's," Michael said as he took a moment to look around his surroundings again, his eyes falling onto a set of curtains he helped put up and a smile appeared on his lips. He then realized that Kai was probably buying paint supplies so he could take the time to be momentarily distracted and not think about Mariasha.

She's so considerate.

"She's in town at the moment, but she said I could stay here."

"Did she now?" Nana said and Michael could just imagine her giving him that knowing smile.

"Yeah, I might stay here for the night, Kai won't mind," Michael said as he stretched in his seat, really making himself comfortable. For some reason being in Kai's presence or talking about her always made him feel at ease. "Besides, she's a good cook. Not one for desserts though."

"Hmm, interesting," Nana said with a soft and light hum. "Child, could I ask a small favour?"

Michael subconsciously tilted his head to the side in question. "What is it?"

"I would like to meet Kai, if I could," Nana said with a level voice. "I would like to visit her."

Michael blinked slowly, momentarily flailing at the sudden request. Never before has Nana asked him if she could visit one of his friends; they usually come over to meet her first. Nana has been his rock since father passed away, yet she'd never force her way into his life. She was always there when he needed her, waiting patiently in the background for a plea of help. But this was new. Maybe...

"Here?" he stuttered lightly. "Now?"

"If I may?"

"Sure, that would be great," Michael said with a smile, his grin growing when he heard the sound of a car pulling up out the front. "Kai's back now. I'll hang up and come get you, ok?" he said as he climbed to his feet, hoping to greet Kai as soon the car stopped.

"Sure, I'll be waiting," Nana said, sounding somewhat pleased. "Don't worry, you're mother isn't here at the moment."

"Ok, see you soon," Michael said as he shut off his phone and opened the front door, watching as Kai stepped out of her 4WD and close the door shut behind her, heading for the boot of her vehicle.

Michael was actually pleased that Nana asked to meet Kai on her own turf as he didn't want her to be ganged up upon by his mother and Mariasha who always invited herself over at the most inconvenient times. It also showed that there was something different about Kai if she caught Nana's attention without first meeting each other first.

"Hey Kai," Michael greeted as he stepped outside into the cool winter air.

Kai turned around and gave him a small, tired smile that instantly caused Michael to furrow his brow in concern. "Hey, you're awake," she said as she gave him a gentle look and folded her arms tightly under her bust. "Do you feel better now?"

"Yeah, much better," Michael replied as he moved closer to her, his concern growing when he realized that she was trembling slightly and wondered whether it was from the cold or from something else...like anger.

Kai's smile became a little bit warmer, pleased that he was feeling better than he was. "That's good."

"Are you alright?" Michael asked as he suddenly lifted up his hand and placed it on her cheek, his frown deepening when he realized that the tattoo marred skin was warm to the touch. "You look a bit flustered."

Kai felt her heart skip a beat at the tenderness of Michael's hand against her skin and she subconsciously leaned into it, her eyelids drooping a little from tiredness. It felt nice having his warm hand against the skin of her cheek, it felt like he actually cared.

"It's a long story," she said as he two of them subconsciously took a step closer, their bodies inches away from each other.

Michael found himself staring into her eyes, realizing that they looked just like cut and polished rubies; deep and mesmerizing. The blue triangles on her cheeks seemed to suit her so well; had it been on anyone else, they would look outlandish and gaudy. But on Kai, they only added to her exotic appearance. He had seen a few fangirls try to pull off Kai's trademark scarf and face paint of different colours, but they all failed miserable. They looked fake and unoriginal. This was Kai's look, something only she could pull off.

Lightly rubbing his thumb along the outline of one of those triangles, he was inwardly surprised that it blended into the soft feel of her skin and he quickly realized that she wasn't wearing face paint...they were real tattoos.

A sense of awe mingled with sadness appeared in his chest when he realized that she must have gotten these as punishment of some kind while in the Abbey, or maybe from her grandfather. Or maybe, she got them as a rebellion to her grandfather.

It doesn't matter how she got them; the triangles are a part of her, not who she was.

A large gust of cold wind sudden appeared and wrapped around them, causing the two of them to shiver. The two then quickly realized what they were doing and abruptly pulled away, light blushes of embarrassment on their features.

"I, ah, I've got the paint supplies for the room," Kai said as she walked to the boot of her car, Michael trailing behind to help her.

"That's good," Michael said as they began to remove the items and placed them on the veranda for future purposes, the awkwardness that should have followed after such a moment between the two of them nowhere to be found.

"Hey," Kai said as she closed the boot and walked over to him, a small smile on her lips, her cheeks still holding a flushed appearance. "I want you to know that not everyone in town is pro-Mariasha."

"What do you mean?" Michael asked as he tilted his head to the side.

"Well," Kai drawled as she began to count with her fingers. "The kids fear her, the doctor is indifferent to her, the clerk at the general store reckons she's a headcase and the manager thinks you deserve better."

Michael's eyes immediately widen in disbelief. "Seriously?"

Kai nodded her head once, her smile not wavering. "Yeah, they told me themselves."

Michael remained silent for a moment before a bright smile appeared on his lips. "That's brilliant!" he said, to which Kai laughed lightly.

That truly was fantastic to know. He had no idea that he had so many people against the union between him and Mariasha. Hmm, the general clerk at the hardware store? She must have met Noel. Well, Noel is definitely getting a Christmas card from him this year!

They must be really against it if they told Kai what they thought of Mariasha, but then again, Kai had this aura about her where she could ease anyone into telling her the truth.

Glancing down at his watch, Michael quickly remembered that Nana was waiting for him and he grinned in anticipation at the meeting between her and Kai. He just knows the two of them will get along swimmingly. "Hey, I'm going to pop out for a sec."

"Ah, sure," Kai said in slight surprised, but also a tiny sense of disappointment. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah," Michael said in earnest as he flashed her another grin. "I need to go home for a sec, but I'll be right back. Is that ok?"

"Of course it is," Kai quickly replied. "You can drop by whenever you want, even if I'm not here."

"Thanks Kai," Michael said as she suddenly walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her in a quick hug, one that was filled with gratitude for all she has done for him. If and when he ever decides to settle down, Kai's the type of woman he could see himself with very easily; considerate, understanding, generous yet strong and passionate about what she believed in.

"I'll be back in about ten minutes," he said as he pulled away and jogged over to his car, calling over his shoulder to her before jumping in behind the wheel. "I have a surprise for you!"

"A surprise?" Kai murmured as Michael started the engine of his car and began to back out of the driveway. She gave him a small wave and watched until his car was out of sight, a soft smile spreading across her lips, her heart fluttering lightly at the thought of what Michael could possibly have planned. "I wonder what that could be."