Happy New Year, everybody! I hope this didn't come too late. It's in time for Chinese New Year, right? CNY lasts for fifteen days, the last day being 5th Feb. Anyway, thanks for all the nice reviews! I hope I don't sound too greedy, but – could you leave more reviews? Thanks so much!

Beyblade does not belong to me, even if I wished for a million times for it to happen. I haven't tried it yet, but I will – one day. So… yeah. Just carry on reading. Oh, and before I forget, this one-shot contains a lime. ^-^ I'm getting worse…

Unannounced Decisions

By

Aquarius Galuxy

Chinese New Year was just around the corner, a week away. Red was the majority colour as lanterns, firecrackers, banners and charms were hung everywhere. Red lanterns were hung above the streets to create a closed and cosy atmosphere, with prospects of good luck at every corner.

The air was thick with the aromas of New Year goodies such as love letters (actually brown and light crackers), pineapple tarts (needless to explain), spicy prawn rolls (they're crunchy), dried pieces of barbecued pork (they're red in colour), mandarin oranges, coloured melon seeds (red or black in colour), and assorted sweets. These were common in every household. Besides the smells, noisy and cheerful conversations peppered the streets, adding to the atmosphere of lightness and a new year.

One such example of a place was the White Tiger Village in China.

- Cameras zoom in -

Ray hung a small, scarlet lantern beside the front door of his house. (Well, of course he stays with his parents. For the time being, at least.) Yet another Chinese year had nearly passed, and he was going to turn eighteen next year. (Meaning he's going to be eighteen in the solar calendar this year.) His relatives would all be coming over to his house to his house on Chinese New Year's eve for the customary reunion dinner they had every year. He'd wanted to invite someone over, but… the raven-haired teenager knew that she would have to be at her family's reunion dinner.

A wave of helplessness washed over him. He stared at the fixed paper lantern. It paled from a bright red to a familiar shade of pink. Ray sighed. His eyes were playing tricks on him again. That was one of the reasons why he dreaded – and yet looked forward to – Chinese New Year. He sighed again.

"Why the gloom, Ray?" A voice spoke behind him. He took a step back, turning so that he faced the speaker. There was a small smile on Lee's lips. "You don't want that unhappiness to be carried over to the next year, do you?"

The feline ex-Bladebreaker lightened up, breaking into a smile. "Of course not!"

His heart gave a lonely little beat.

"Anyway, I've come to tell you about the selection, Ray," Lee said, smiling mysteriously.

Ray blinked twice. Selection? His golden eyes widened when he remembered.

Every year, the village elders would pick a few nearly adult villagers (of marriageable age) they thought were best suited to each other, and then pair them off for marriage. Their decisions were final and no one could oppose them. That was why people chose not to fall in love early, and lovers who got wrongly paired usually eloped. "I got chosen?" Ray asked slowly, dreading the answer. But – more importantly, whom was he going to be engaged to? There was only one person he wanted to spend his life with… But – what if they weren't put together? What if she didn't even feel the same way?

Lee nodded. "I'd have thought you expected it, my friend."

"So… do you know…?" Ray tried not to let the anxiety he felt seep into his voice. His friend appeared not to have noticed, shrugging.

"What I heard was just a rumour. It may not be true," Lee replied, although deep in his heart, he knew that it was going to happen. He smiled, turning away. "See you later."

Ray swallowed. That smile did not look like a good omen to him. Although Lee was his best male friend, he always did not seem to approve when the golden-eyed teen got a little too close to his sister. Now the smile. Was Lee happy because he… didn't get paired with Mariah?

'Please don't let it happen…' he prayed.

'Don't let what happen – you not getting engaged to Mariah through the elders' choice or she not loving you in the way you love her?' Driger spoke in his mind.

'You know, then.' Ray gave a mirthless smile, turning back to stare at the lantern, hands stuffed in his pockets.

'Of course.'

'Since when did you find that out?'

'Since the first round of the Asian Tournament when you battled her.'

The memory dug itself from the depths of his mind and replayed itself in front of his eyes.

*Flashback*

'Why can't I concentrate?' Ray thought in frustration, watching his blade spin a little out of control, as a new feeling within him stirred and was awakened.

*End flashback*

An emotion that he couldn't identify at that point in time… He now knew what it was… and it still existed in him.

'Now you realise why Galux and I took the trouble to create that bond between the two of you, little one. So that your friendship would be rekindled.'

'Thank you, Driger. I owe you one.'

'Well, you could repay me by doing something. Go and tell her how you feel about her. She feels the same way about you, you know.' The bit beast laughed at his master's raised eyebrow, despite the situation. 'I communicate with Galux quite often.'

Ray nodded slowly. 'Did you hear about the selection?'

'Naturally.'

'Who did I get paired with?'

'I'm not supposed to tell you. But take our conversation as a clue.'

'Did they match us together?' The teenager's heart beat faster with hope.

Driger kept silent. There was a pregnant pause.

'They… didn't?' Ray felt the spirit's presence fade away.

This was bad… He only had two weeks before the elders' decisions were announced. Whipping around, he set off to find the pink-haired female he loved.

Mariah held Galux tightly in her hand, walking briskly past a street vendor who had caught sight of her and was mow harbouring intentions of making her buy at least one of his products. Her nimble legs took her round a corner; to a street where she didn't usually visit. A row of boys, older than her by a few years, leant against a wall, with nonchalant expressions on their faces. The pink-haired girl winced. She jerked her head up defiantly, then walked quickly down the street, looking straight ahead, regretting not bringing a coat along to cover herself up.

The boys, or rather, hyenas, began to catcall once they caught sight of her. Mariah wished that she could just launch Galux and knock them out of their senses. All of a sudden, one of them whispered something to another. The message spread like wild fire, and the hormone-filled teenagers stopped catcalling. They merely watched on as she shot past. That did not usually happen.

So, she was chosen, then. There was no other reason for it. But… she didn't want just anybody. Only one appealed to her. Someone with g-

Another group had started to catcall. This time, there were only a handful of boys, all nearly twenty and with below average looks. 'Don't tell me…' These were most probably the chosen ones this year. Those who knew they were selected, anyway. She looked through the group. The one she wanted wasn't there. But – her heart warmed – he wouldn't stoop so low, and she knew it. Still… did he get picked, too? Was she lucky enough to get him? Chances were low. Then – she would have to tell him herself.

The feline girl was suddenly and painfully aware that the "chosen" group was eyeing her rather hungrily, particularly some areas she was rather sensitive about now. She mentally hit herself for forgetting to put on looser clothing, or at least, bring a jacket. Moaning inwardly as two of the boys started after her, she took to her heels. No way was she going to face those creeps if it meant feeding them more eye candy!

She was running by now. They did not frighten the teenage girl; she was just trying to get out of harm's way without any spilt blood. Why did a couple of perverts have to come after her just a week before Chinese New Year? The wind rushed through her hair. Mariah looked back to see where the two males were. She wasn't running fast enough. They were catching up. Turning back, the feline girl felt herself crash headlong into someone. The impact made them lose their balance. She squeezed her eyes shut as she fell forward… and onto the other person.

Mariah scrambled up in shock and embarrassment, turning to look at whom she crashed into. "R-Ray?" she said breathlessly.

The raven-haired teen got up, colouring a little. "What's wrong, Mariah?"

She pointed at her two stalkers, who had stopped when she crashed into Ray. "Those perverts tried to come after me1"

His eyes flashed with anger as he faced the two lusty males, clenching his fists. No matter how easy-going and friendly Raymond Kon usually was, no one doubted his skills in martial arts. Especially when he was one of the teacher's favourites. "Care to explain yourselves?" he growled in a voice that did not suit him at all.

The girl stood a little way behind him, albeit worriedly. She hadn't seen Ray like this before. Yet, part of her marvelled at the way he stood up against those teenagers older than him. Would he do this for every girl in the village? Or was he like that just for her sake? She hoped so.

One of them stood forward, ready for a fight. After all, he was older. Of course he would win. He thought wrong. The man was down, unconscious after a few minutes.

The remaining unlawful offender whimpered, then scuttled away like a rat running for its life.

Mariah heaved a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Ray."

His face softened as he turned back to her, his body relaxed. "You're welcome, Mariah."

She remembered something. "Listen, Ray, can we go somewhere quiet? I want to talk to you about something."

Her face flushed slightly. The raven-haired teenager had a feeling that the contents of the 'talk' would not be similar to one of their usual conversations. Nervousness made his heart beat faster, although he masked it, calmly replying, "Sure."

The pink-haired girl smiled and grabbed his hand, pulling him into a deserted back alley.

Ray became more confident, although he was caught by surprise when she stepped forward and gave him a hug.

"Thanks for getting rid of those people for me, Ray."

"It was no big deal, really," he replied awkwardly, patting her on the back. What was he supposed to do in a situation like this?

"Oh?" She pulled away from him. He blushed and turned away. This girl sure knew how to make him feel nervous, shy, and happy all at the same time, just by being with him. "So… have you heard about the selection?"

"Yeah… I was picked."

"Me too!" She was hoping…

Ray caught her look. " I checked with Driger. He didn't seem too happy with the results."

Her face fell. She bent her head down, causing her fringe to cover her eyes. A gasp escaped her as he slipped a finger under her chin to tilt her face towards his. Their eyes met. His other hand found its way to her shoulder.

"I want to tell you something," the raven-haired teenager murmured. He took a step closer to her, then leant forward, placing a soft kiss on her lips. They were as soft and sweet as they looked, and he wanted nothing more than to once again caress them with his own. She rested a hand lightly on his cheek.

"I love you," he whispered, watching as her eyes shimmered. No words needed to be exchanged for him to know that she loved him, too. She sighed.

"But we can't be together… Lee never seems to approve of us. Besides… It's only two weeks before they announce the pairings…"

"Then we'll elope." Ray paused. "…But if only you agree."

She melted into his arms. "I love you, Ray. I want to be with you."

"We'll elope the night before they announce it."

She nodded, snuggling closer to him, placing her head on his shoulder. Oh, how long she'd dreamed of doing this! "You know something, Ray? I've loved you since we were kids."

Mariah straightened to look into his eyes. He secured his arms around her back, using his lips to brush stray strands of hair from her face. "Me too. If only I'd known…"

"At least it's clear now…" she said quietly. He smiled, pulling her to him. She slid her arms around his neck, leaning towards him for another kiss.

The ignition line was lit. A spark of fire shot down the thin string, reaching the neat rows of firecrackers. A 'bang' was produced as each short, red, paper stick exploded because of the gunpowder stored inside. This marked the beginning of Chinese New Year at midnight. The village square was crowded.

Ray pulled his hand out of Mariah's, extending it to her. "Mao, xin nian quai le!" ['Happy New Year, Mariah!' in Chinese.]

She shook his hand, smiling warmly at him. "Rei, xin nian quai le!"

Once the formalities were done with, the couple embraced.

"I'm so happy to be with you, Ray." His shirt muffled her voice.

"Same here."

"A-hem." A throat was cleared quietly behind them.

The two of them sprang apart, blushing, whipping around to face the 'intruder'.

Lee watched them, legs apart, arms folded across his chest. He looked solemnly at them, making the couple squirm under his gaze. Then, suddenly, as if nothing had happened, he smiled and said, "Ni men lia, xin nian quai le!" [Happy New Year, the two of you.]

The greeted him back dazedly, shaking his hand. The shocked look was still plastered on their faces when they were done, as well as the slight shade of crimson.

"Um… Lee?" Mariah paused uncertainly, fiddling with her fingers. She glanced at Ray. "Aren't you… angry with us?"

Her elder brother gave a wry smile. "No. Just pissed off. Your getting together was meant to be a surprise for you."

"But- but everyone said that we wouldn't be paired together!" the raven-haired teenager exclaimed, various emotions whirling in him like a huge storm. 'Driger?'

The bit beast chuckled. 'It was quite amusing to see you rush all the way to her, you know. Besides, it would be more sincere, and you have more time be close to her,' the tiger said in his mind.

Ray sent a wave of slight irritation to the spirit. It smiled.

"It was a secret," Lee explained slowly, not very shocked by their reactions. "You weren't supposed to find out."

"But – I thought… you didn't like to see us together?"

"It was for your own good, Mariah. What if you fell in love, and were mismatched?"

"Then we'd elope," Ray said quietly.

"I'm not surprised." Lee started to turn away. "And I'd pay more attention to my surroundings if I were you. People have eyes. I'll see you later today."

The teenager walked purposely away, having an idea what the two of them might get up to. He decided not to interfere in whatever activity they were going to take part in.

Mariah turned to the boy beside her. "Ray?"

"Hmm?"

"I've decided that I couldn't care less if people saw us together." She placed her hands lightly on his shoulders. He pulled her to him by her hips, holding her warm body to his.

"I'm glad you did."

She smiled coyly at him, and then lifted her head to caress his lips with hers. He felt so warm and inviting that she rested her weight on him, leaning on him for support as her legs had gone soft.

Ray deepened the kiss, gently cuddling her to himself.

Moonlight streamed through the thick crown of a short tree and into the second storey of a house, creating dappled spots of light in the floor.

Mariah lay on the bed, dressed in a form-fitting, traditional Chinese dress. It fitted her well, to say the least. She stared at the ceiling, getting used to the feel of the room. She'd accepted Ray's unspoken invitation to follow him home, and was now… well, lying on his bed, beside him. The pink-haired girl crossed her fingers, sending a prayer up to the sky, anticipating what would most probably be happening that night. She did not make that choice blindly. Closing her eyes, she opened them a few seconds later, turning to her young man.

Ray was lying on his side, with his right arm tuck under his head. He was gazing at her, unable to believe that this was actually happening. She'd agreed to come home with him. 'Everyone starts to suspect when you bring a girl home with you.' (Hopefully, his parents didn't think too much about it.) What more, she came up to his room with him. 'Oh, man…' There were few things one could do when one was alone in a bedroom with a love. And yet… she did not seem to mind… Was she starting to regret now?

The answer came when she glanced at him, then lowered her eyes shyly, making him smile. Reaching over, he wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her closer to him. She slid a hand up his strong chest, making shiver with pleasure, then brushed his lips softly with her finger. He let go of her, pulling an arm away, while the other one was still resting lightly on the curve of her waist, then catching hold of her hand to place feather-light kisses on her fingertips.

A wave of longing invaded her heart when he laid back on the bed, shutting his eyes. Mariah gave in and fed her desires, rolling onto him. She squirmed a little to adopt a more comfortable position. The golden orbs shot open. Ray blushed from feeling their bodies that close together, or rather, how her chest was pressed enticingly against his. It was enough to make his heartbeat and breathing faster.

The feline girl could almost sense his feelings as she lowered her head to kiss him softly. She was about to pull away when he gave a tug on her lips, drawing her deep into the liplock. His arms found their way around her waist, and a shiver rippled through her frame as he ran a hand down her body, the smooth material of her dress doing little to hide her curves.

Mariah broke the kiss, whispering breathlessly, "Ray…"

"We're not married yet…" he murmured, although there was a certain mischievous sparkle in his eyes. "You do have a nice body…"

She flushed scarlet, watching her fingers caress his cheek. What was she supposed to say to that? "Well, in reply to your 'married' statement – I'm still going to be yours, aren't I?"

"True." A low purr resonated from his throat as she brushed her fangs against his neck, giving him a lovebite. He reached for the button-like knots holding her outfit together, pausing for her approval.

"I'm yours," she said softly into his ear as all traces of rational thoughts were wiped from their minds…

The air was thick with emotion as the end of the ceremony drew near.

"The groom may lift the veil," the village elder announced.

The now-married couple, dressed in red for good luck and prosperity, got to their feet, amid the teary-eyed parents and relatives. Lifting the thin, red cloth carefully, the man smiled lovingly at his bride as everyone else applauded.

Ray leant forward and gave Mariah a soft kiss.

"Wo ai ni."

Heh… I'm evil… Anyway, it's my birthday on 3rd Feb, and you could give me a b-day present in the form of a nice review, 'cause I'm going to post another fic later this month. Oh, and could you also tell me if the rating should be increased to R? I don't want FFN to come after me… *cowers* Remember to leave a review, K?