Title: Memories Of An Apricot
Rating: K+
Pairing/Characters: Mystel/Mariah
Summary: Where colors faded but never disappeared, and where a taste of a simple fruit can be the sweetest memory of all.
Disclaimer: Beyblade © Aoki Takao-sama.
Author's Notes: It turned out to be more of a friendship fic than a pairing… but I guess it depends how you want to look at it. Enjoy!

Memories Of An Apricot

The bright sun shone directly overhead, her light pink locks gleaming under the shimmering rays, her line of vision becoming slightly spotty as the light practically slapped her in the face as she stepped outside, launcher in hand.

Mariah squinted as she walked, her steps light and quick, almost a skip as she padded down the road, neighbors waving and greeting her as she passed the many fields and huts that lined the village.

She never realized it would be so hot today – perhaps a nice rain storm would be nice – but all the same, she hadn't had a good workout in awhile, Galux sitting tucked away in the pink fabric of her outfit. She couldn't help but imagine it – Galux lying forlorn in her pocket, the edges covered in cob webs and her bit covered in pesky dust – and she cringed at the image. It pierced through her whole mind; that thought being the only thing she could concentrate on.

Yes, the workout would do her some good, and for her partner as well.

The wind began to pick up, tickling the edges of her hair and causing her pink bangs to fall messily in her face, her golden eyes narrowing and her nose wrinkling in bemusement as the dirt began to rise, and she felt her eyes sting as a grain of dirt dug painfully into them, making them water.

The little surprise had her throwing a hand over her face, closing her eyes and waiting for the sting to stop, and she could've sworn she dropped her launcher as she did. And after the sting did disappear, she blinked away the watery feeling in her eyes, and then leant down to pick up her fallen launcher, the pink shooter almost shining in mockery as it gleamed, not a scratch on it as she sat in the pile of dirt.

"Just great…" she mumbled to herself, looking down and seeing her dirtied clothes, the pinkness darkening into a slight grayish color. It didn't really matter, since she was getting ready to train anyways, but the dark splotches were less then appealing to her. She'd have to wash her hair, too…

Mariah shook her head, making such thoughts go away as if a dark cloud was beginning to disperse. She'd just have to wash up later. It made no sense to do so now when only moments ago she planned on going to the forest to train as Lee had mentioned before about her doing. She remembered seeing both him and Rei training there during the last tournament where the raven haired neko-jin had rejoined their team – climbing and jumping up the high tree-tops and slashing at the low stumps and bushes with their Beyblade – never missing a beat in their dance of white tigers and lions.

Memories of such events played through her mind like a string of film without sound, each one as memorable as the last, though never shadows of what once was, but a sweet mixture of old times and faded colors where she could take them out of their trophy cases, sitting them on her lap and examining each of them, going over each and every word that was engraved on them, then put them back in their containing again for safe keeping until she felt the need to reflect. Where all memories could be recalled again and again, maybe the color in the picture being slightly faded like any other would be after time, but it was still something she felt was worth remembrance.

The lush green grass spread out across the fields, stretching on for miles as she walked through the mass of vegetation. She almost took off her shoes – the blades of grass tickling her feet and brushing against her toes – though she put it to the back of her mind, deciding she would do so later when it was cooler.

Perhaps the others felt the same way too, and perhaps Rei was thinking of each of them this very moment like she was thinking of him. She wondered how much he thought of them. How much he recalled of the old times, and if he would sit down and empty his own trophy case of memories into his lap like she would do.

Sighing, Mariah dug into her pocket, gripping Galux tightly and bringing her partner up to her face, studying the bit in the middle which seemed to glow in response, the minx's claws extended, and promising pain if such a weapon were to be used in battle.

She sighed again. It had been awhile since she had battled. Rei and Lee had been partners in the tournament, leaving her, Gary and Kevin to be understudies. It made her feel slightly depressed, thinking back on it. But she didn't dwell for long, as another strong gust of wing picked up, tugging at her, dirt kicking up and whipping around her, and if possible, she felt even more dirty then before.

Spitting out a strand of pink hair that she had involuntarily swallowed, she coughed, letting the desire to gag fade, before running a hand through the long locks, then almost instantly, she realized her signature ribbon was no longer there, and her golden eyes narrowed into slits as she noticed it drifting away in the light caress of the wind, almost as if daring her to follow.

"Wait!" she called, frantic. She kicked the dirt in frustration, before sprinting towards the floating ribbon, fully determined to catch it. It was a regular occurrence: walk out of hut, mind her own business, and then let a strong gust of wind carry her precious pink ribbon away, only to let her trail behind, waiting for it to get caught in a tree so that she could take the time to climb up and get it again. At the moment, it was something she didn't feel too compelled to do, but she reminded herself that it was her favorite. The pretty ribbon always tied on top of her head, taking on the form of cat ears. She would follow. She just hoped it would hurry and pick a nice spot to land soon.

The wind gently caressed his tanned skin, his long golden hair entwining with the air, rising slowly, before falling down once again, landing on his shoulder. The sunlight almost twinkled off the edges of the long braid, his crystal blue eyes gazing intently at the tree-tops, which stared back silently, the only sound being that of the birds and their soft melodies, along with the wind that seemed content with running its invisible fingers through his hair.

An unexpected yawn cut through the quiet that had settled, giving the earth around him a livelier feel then what had been mere seconds before. The birds resumed their activities, not showing any sign of care at their spectator's obvious lack of intrigue.

Perhaps birds don't care either way…Mystel though distantly, his mind in a daze that contained nothing but fuzz and a strange lack of interest in his usual desire to jump the cliffs. Perhaps, he thought again. Perhaps birds don't need spectators.

The young man had sat upon that same tree branch for a little over an hour,

contemplating similar thoughts as his previous one. His hand groped around, grabbing for something, though not knowing what. His efforts were rewarded – the splinters being a nice souvenir given hand picked from the trees – though he felt the need for something less tedious.

It was truly a boring morning.

Mystel sighed again, before bringing up his banded arm and staring fixedly at his splintered hand. He arched his brow up in a wince, his jaw twitching as he started pinching the little gifts out of his palms, occasionally giving a small hiss of pain every now and then.

When that was finished, and his hands were deprived of the small tokens, he ran his hand through his bangs, bending a leg and sitting up, taking his yellow mask out from his pocket, the red eyes glinting maliciously – something unbefitting of his personality, though he liked the image it gave – under the rays that were beaming lightly through the many leaves that covered him.

He'd go to pick some fruit soon. The tasty sweetness of the delicious fruit was something he could taste already, and he felt himself lick his lips in eagerness. Perhaps that would ease the boredom he felt. A good climb up the rocky cliffs of White Tiger Hills was always something he took pleasure in, the vast blue skies appearing closer than before, like he was towering over the land below him like how a bird would fly through the clouds, seeming to not have a care in the world.

Maybe he needed a change in scenery. The thought crossed Mystel's mind, before he promptly decided that that was probably the reason for the lack of enthusiasm that seemed to plague him. He couldn't think of anything else that could be the reason – and even though White Tiger Hills was a beautiful place that he enjoyed greatly – he was never one to stay in the same place for too long, so perhaps that was it.

He had stayed for a few weeks already. After the fall of BEGA, he had decided his attention called for a change in scenery, the city life of Bakuten becoming dull and grey, his nomadic ways starting to call out to him. So, he had decided to come back with Rei's old team, the White Tiger X. The old leader had been slightly surprised with his decision, but even so, he wouldn't be there – deciding to stay with G Revolutions was probably his choice from the beginning when he became a member – and Lee had seemed a little reluctant at first, their first meeting not being all too pleasant, he recalled vaguely, images of the neko-jin racing after his flying figure, but he still seemed to accept the idea. He was a good guy. All of them were nice.

It was pleasant. The air clean and the vast space being something he much appreciated. But now, perhaps it was time to move on again.

"Wait!" a shrill voice called in the distant, startling the teen out of his thoughts, and before he knew it, he felt his seat on the tree becoming non-existent as he began to tumble down. He gave a light cry of his own, reaching out and finally finding the tree branch something worth grabbing. He hissed as more splinters imbedded themselves in his skin, but he held on, using his strong legs to kick off, doing a graceful flip than caused him to land back in his previous posture.

Before he could even glance at his stinging fingers, he felt something connect with his face, engulfing it entirely and giving him another surprise that almost caused him to fall out of the tree again. He tensed his hands, gripping the bark tightly, despite the piercing pain.

Slowly, he brought his hand up again, careful not to let go of his supporting branch, and grasped the air-depriver that still covered his shell-shocked features.

Entwined between his fingers was a light pink ribbon. The gentle flutter caressed his skin, ruffling against his face, and in the back of his mind, he was surprised that such a thing was familiar to him. The swirling pinkness that contrasted against the many shades of brown and greens of the forest was now the only thing his mind focused on, and he felt slightly dazed as he tried to remember exactly what it was that made it feel so familiar, the colors of his memories faded slightly, the image placed directly in front of him, though it was still blurry to him.

"Please! Come back here!" the voice called again, and he glanced down, only for the swirling images to come back into focus as he remembered. It had been a few months ago, really. She had lost her hair accessory and he had given it back to her, tying it to a tree so that it couldn't float away again. She had been so grateful that she had invited him to dinner.

He suddenly felt a little grin curve his lips as he watched her from high up above. He wondered how long it would take her to notice him, seeing as she had stopped, taking in everything around her as if the mass of greenery scared her. Her vibrant pink hair pooled around her shoulders, her clothes spotted with dirt. He saw her heave, placing her hands on her knees as to steady her wobbling movements.

Mystel frowned, then looked back to the fabric that was still weaved through his fingers, and placed it protectively into his pocket as he took a leap down, and was relieved to feel his energetic self take flight again. Perhaps the morning wouldn't be so boring after all now that he had company with him.

"Hey there!" Mystel called, and the neko-jin below him appeared to jump out of her skin as she whipped around, staring wide-eyed at him, her mouth agape as she let out a shrill scream that pierced through the calm air, the birds no longer singing, but instead flying through the air and out of the trees as the sudden noise made them storm away and high into the clouds until they were no longer seen.

Mariah tried calming down her pounding heart, her breath coming out in pants as her wide golden orbs took in the sight at Mystel's cheery face, and she felt all her frustration well up inside of her, molding with the new fog of fear that had descended upon her. She narrowed her eyes, the pupils dilating into cat-like slits as she stared up at him in bemusement.

Mariah wondered exactly how long he had been watching her, for amusement seemed to be playing across the shadows of his face as he smiled at her, as if waiting for her to laugh back and join in with his fun. Well, this had certainly been a bad start to the morning, she decided weakly, her eyes dimming slightly as she realized her ribbon must be long gone by now.

"Nice morning, isn't it?" Mystel commented, staring into her sullen face. The shadows of the trees stretched across her, her eyes shimmering with hidden emotions.

Mariah glanced up at him, and then gave a small nod in reply. Breathing out a sigh, she plopped down next to the tree Mystel had been previously occupying, holding her head with her hands as she placed them on her lap.

Mystel thought she looked like the picture of sadness. Her eyes downcast, her light pink hair hanging limply in her face, and her arms cradled to her chest like a kitten trying to escape the cold.

Clicking his tongue on the roof of his mouth, Mystel pursed his lips, before digging into his pocket, pulling out the pink ribbon that would complete the girl who sat in front of him. With a grin, he held it out to her, the fabric right under her nose as he spoke, "I believe this is yours," he said evenly, watching her expression as it contorted from one of sullenness, to one of utter surprise that caused his grin to widen that much further. It reminded him of the first time he had retrieved it, and he wondered if she remembered too.

With a small gasp, Mariah took the precious ribbon from his hands, weaving the fabric through her fingers, letting the familiar feel of it wash over her with great relief. She looked up at the smiling boy in front of her, and let a smile of her own come to her face. When he had held out his hand to her, she had been surprised to see her hair band laced around his fingers. It was as if he were holding it out on a platter, and along came a lone memory of a boy who tied a ribbon to a tree and had leapt away afterwards. So with sincerity, she spoke the only words she could at the moment that would show her gratitude.

"Thank you."

To her surprised, he laughed. She watched in confusion as his eyes twinkled in amusement. What had been so funny for him to laugh at her thanks? It was certainly not something she felt grateful for. So with a small frown curving her lips, she spoke, "What's so funny?" It was a simple question, though it got the point across quite nicely.

Mystel blinked in confusion. Almost as if he had never laughed in the first place, he looked clueless before he smiled again, warmth gleaming in his eyes. "Oh, well I was just thinking about how bored I was until you came by."

Mariah blinked. She had never known the blader to be prone to boredom – his skills being something to entertain himself with – but she supposed everyone got bored sometimes, but couldn't help herself from asking the question, being the curious neko-jin that she was. "Bored?"

Mystel nodded, pulling out his golden mask and slipping it onto its owner's face. "Yep," he said simply. "But I'm not anymore." And with that, he jumped, causing a startled squeak to emit from the back of her throat as she watched him disappear into the trees, and she couldn't stop the feeling that she had missed something entirely.

But when fruit started pouring down from the sky, Mariah could've sworn she had gone mad as she stared wide-eyed up into the trees, the apricots each falling down one by one and landing limply next to her feet.

"Guess I had to work for my food, huh?"

As if hearing her silent worries, Mystel jumped down, suddenly becoming visible once again, crouching in front of her before standing up fully and picking up the fallen fruit, rubbing it against his shirt before taking a bite out of it.

As she watched him eat said apricot, Mariah tied up her loose hair with her now found ribbon, and silently wondered exactly how much fun he was having in that moment. She hadn't had breakfast before she had left the living quarters, and now she could feel her stomach growling in hunger as she stared at the fruit in his hands.

Mystel let his tongue lap over the apricot plopped in his mouth, enjoying the sweet taste that came with it, but when he felt her gaze on him, he stopped. He slowly opened his eyes, letting hidden blue meet gold as they watched each other. At first he was confused, but when he glanced down at himself once more, seeing the delicious fruit cradled in his arms, he believed he understood.

With a blink, he held out the bundle. "Hey, you want some?" he asked, watching as her face seemed to lift as she nodded at his inquiry. Walking over to him, she grasped some of the outstretched fruit, before sitting down against the tree trunk once again, not wasting a moment to engulf the food.

As he took off his mask once again, Mystel grinned, taking another bite out of his own piece, sitting down next to her, letting the ruffling of the trees and soft chirps of the birds overcome them in a comfortable silence as they just sat there, occupied with the task at hand.

With reluctance, Mariah cast a small glance Mystel's way, watching how he stared up at the trees as he ate, his peaceful expression washing up on her in such a satisfying way that she couldn't help but smile. And when the juice of his snack ran down his cheek, she chuckled at his seemingly uncaring composure.

Noticing her laughter, he grinned with restrained amusement. He had always been someone who would laugh along with another, their grins and chuckles being contagious in such a way he couldn't help but go along with it. So without really knowing why, he laughed with her, each sound resonating from the back of their throats mixing with that of the trees and the singing birds, each noise shifting into harmony that made things look just a little brighter when the sun came out from behind the clouds.

Stifling more laughter, Mariah smiled. "What are you laughing about now?"

Mystel looked back at her as if it were obvious. "Well, you were laughing, weren't you? It's better to laugh along too, don't you think?" he asked with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

Mariah shook her head, but smiled anyways. "I guess so," she replied honestly. Better to be laughed with then to be laughed at, she supposed. But as she looked at him more closely – his grin never leaving his face – she wasn't sure who had been laughing with whom.

No matter, she decided. Some things were better left unsaid.

"What exactly were we laughing at?" Mystel asked.

Then again, she supposed, some things were too interesting to let go. "You need to wipe your face," she replied, pointing at his face in example. "It's all sticky," she added as an after thought.

Mystel brought a hand up to his face, touching it lightly with sticky fingers, before bringing back the digits and staring at them with confused eyes. To Mariah, he looked like an innocent child you just lost his candy.

"So it is…" Mystel replied, seeming strangely dazed before he brought his fingers up, letting his tongue wrap over them, and licking up the tasty juices. Mariah clicked her tongue on the roof of her mouth. He'd just found his candy.

Glancing over towards her as he caught her staring, Mystel grinned. He wasn't really sure why having her there entertained him so much, but it did. It appeared that his daily routines caused her amusement, if not a little wonder, her bright golden eyes staring at him as if she were waiting for him to perform some amazing trick.

Mystel mentally hit himself over the head for that one, realizing what a stupid thought it was.

"So..." Mariah started reluctantly, seeing his slightly scrunched up features. "What were you doing all the way out here, anyway?" she finished, watching as he seemed to snap out of his thoughts, the warm smile returning to his face once again.

"Well, what about you?" he retorted, giving a wave of his hand. "What brought you out here?"

"I asked you first!"

"Yes, but I asked you second. First is the worst, second is the best…" he paused for a moment, thinking, "Err…third is the one with the…hairy chest, I think?"

Mariah giggled at his comment, and considered saying something along the lines of 'oh, no, it's the other way around!' but decided against it, seeing as Mystel would probably know the difference anyways. "Well, I don't have a hairy chest," at his raised eyebrow, she waved a hand dismissively before continuing, "But fine. Lee said it would be good training out here, so I wanted to practice with Galux…but my ribbon flew away again…"

Mystel nodded in understanding.

"Maybe I should just glue the thing to my head or something? It's flown away so often…maybe I should just tie a brick to my head instead…at least it wouldn't fly away anymore…" she said sadly, tilting her head to look at him, then raised an eyebrow as he nodded once again. "You're not going to say anything?" she asked.

Mystel's face took on a confused look before he shook his head. "Well, it's not polite to interrupt, so I thought I'd just listen," he replied with a nod as if giving himself a pat on the back.

Mariah's mouth formed a nice rounded 'o' before she nodded in understanding. She couldn't help but look away from the sea blader, her eyes falling to her half-eaten apricot which lied limply in her hand. She couldn't help but feel slightly out of place, sitting here under a tree and eating fruit with the old BEGA League member, but he appeared to have no trouble with sitting here and talking with her. So she just turned her head away, intent on watching her food instead.

Mystel tilted his head to the side at her sudden silence, wondering what the matter was. She had appeared fine a moment ago, complaining about her hair accessory, but then she had quieted down. Perhaps her complaining was of actual concern for her little pink ribbon? Mystel thought that kind of silly, but who was he to question a female's thoughts? He wasn't one, and he wasn't sure what Mariah was thinking at the moment, no matter how much he wanted to.

"I was thinking of going back to see Garland and everyone else back in Bakuten," he said, nothing else really coming to mind.

The statement caused Mariah to avert her attention back to the blonde, and the question 'Why?' instantly sprung to her mind, before she let it die down and instead said, "Oh…when were you planning on leaving?" It wasn't what she wanted to ask – his plans really not being any of her business – but she felt it better than the previous one, and her curiosity was always something that made her mouth say what her mind told her not to.

Mystel shrugged, before beginning to juggle some of the apricot fruit lightly, each piece falling and rising before repeating again, falling back into his hands. "Not sure. Probably soon, though. You know me."

Yes, I do know you, Mariah thought absently, twirling a strand of pink hair around her finger, before she let it hang across her shoulder again. She had heard before that Mystel was a bit of a nomad, and didn't like to stay in one place for long. Somehow, she had never thought much of it, which had ultimately caused her to forget for a few short moments. That is, until he brought up the topic. Now she felt that he was a close friend. He almost reminded her of Rei, but mentally shook her head at that. He was Mystel. And she would miss him.

"We'll miss you."

Dropping his rounded objects of entertainment, Mystel started in surprise at her sudden statement, before looking at her with wide eyes. He wasn't really sure what he expected her to say, but her statement had brought him out of secluded thoughts of passing trees and tall buildings that he knew he would be seeing soon.

Running a hand through his hair, he replied. "Yeah. I know," and thinking it wasn't enough, he added, "I'll miss you guys too." He watched as she smiled, and returned the gesture. "Tell Lee to try and not get bored without me, alright?" he grinned.

In the corners of her mind's eye, Mariah placed this moment in a trophy case.

"You've got it."

They laughed.

The singing of birds swept throughout the vast space of White Tiger Hills, the morning dew clinging to the grass, the morning sunlight invading windows and causing sleeping villagers to rouse awake from their peaceful sleep.

All in all, the day promised good weather. And as the wind danced with the dainty pink fabric that swayed with its leader, a neko-jin could be seen following along after them, her wild hair doing its own dance as it whipped around her body.

"Come back!" she yelled, and stopped in awe for a moment, squinting up into the blinding sun as it actually obeyed her commands. And when she felt her narrowed eyes finally adjusting, golden orbs met crystal blue, the pinkness of her ribbon just blending in with the painting.

Mystel grinned.

Perhaps he'd stay for just a little longer.