A/N: Here, after what? A year? More? lol is the first of two alternate endings for this story. Remember, the fist so much of the last chapter still applies to this one. This only replaces the "Original ending". Anyways, sorry but I didn't do this story in first person POV, it was just too hard. I know some of you will be disappointed by this and for that I deeply apologize but I hope you enjoy this installment all the same :)
Disclaimer: I own my OCs and nothing else.
"Damn it… why can't they ever make these things easy?"
Tala sighed in frustration as he starred at the instruction book in his hand. He'd spent the last hour and a half trying to piece together a new DVD/book shelf and needless to say, it was really starting to piss him off.
The redhead was just about to heave the pieces through his window when the sound of his cell phone ringing cut him off. With an irritated expression, Tala snorted humorlessly and turned away from his project before flipping his cell open.
"Yea."
"What's eating you now?"
Tala sighed as he heard Kai's voice on the other end of the line and leaned back in his chair as he spoke.
"Nothing. How's it going? Miss me yet?"
"Like a tooth ache." Kai replied bluntly. "That's why I'm coming home. I want you to pick me up."
Tala blinked in surprise. It had only been a few weeks since he himself had left Japan so he was a little surprised Kai was coming back so early as well. After a few moments of silence, Tala smirked.
"Is that so? I guess I could do that. But you owe me one Hiwatari."
"We'll see about that." Kai replied, a hint of amusement in his voice. Tala ignored him.
"Right." He said simply, attempting to sound casual when he spoke again. "So…. How's Amanda?"
Tala felt a prickle of annoyance when he heard Kai laughing.
"Just as annoying and irritating as ever. In fact she's being just that here now. Why don't you say hello?"
Tala felt his stomach do a little flip, his mouth went dry, and he opened it to say it was alright but before he had the chance, the sound of Kai's voice calling the girl made him swallow hard, forced to wait.
"Tal! I miss you so much! I can't believe you didn't call since you left! Your promises suck you butthead!"
A small smile crept up Tala's face in spite of himself and he felt a wave of affection and heartache wash over him upon hearing the voice on the other end. God, he hadn't realized how much he'd missed her too until that very moment.
"I'm sorry, I've been really busy lately." He said softly. "Promise I'll call more often from now on."
"You better!" The ravenette replied playfully.
Tala laughed lightly.
"So. When are you coming to see me? I think it's your turn to visit again."
"Soon!" Amanda replied enthusiastically. "As soon as I can get enough time off work."
Her voice was soft when she spoke again.
"I really wish I was coming with Kai…."
Tala felt his heart sink and his throat constricted slightly. Clearing his throat, he spoke again.
"Me too." He agreed softly, attempting to be playful then. "I'd much rather see your beautiful face then his ugly mug."
This made the girl laugh.
"Oh come on, he's not that hard to look at."
Tala smiled.
"I guess not. If you're into dark, moody, grouchy people."
Amanda laughed again, a little more this time, and the sound made Tala's smile widen; so much so that his cheeks began to hurt. It was the most he'd smiled in a long time and he hated to admit that his face just wasn't used to it.
"Anyway." The redhead began again a little more seriously. "I'll be looking forward to your call telling me to pick you up at the airport."
"Soon." She promised again softly. "Well, I gotta go get ready for work. Don't be a stranger this time Tal! You're killing me here! Later, miss you. Mwah!"
"OK, you too." The redhead replied softly again. "Have a good shift. "
Amanda's voice was replaced with Kai's again and Tala had to resist another sigh.
"So. I get in Monday at eleven am. Don't be late."
"Yea, I'll be there." Tala replied, his hard, deep voice returning again.
"Good. See you then."
"Yea. Later."
There was a click on the other end and Tala pulled his cell away from his ear and closed it. Placing his cell on his desk, he starred at the wall across him for a moment before reaching up and running his hands down over his face with a sigh. Head rolling lazily to the side, Tala gave the shelf pieces a dull stare before pushing his chair away from the desk and standing up.
"The hell with that." He thought in annoyance. "I've got better things to do – like watching paint dry!"
A deep sigh escaped Tala's lips as he leaned against a post with crossed arms and closed eyes.
"Damn I hate Mondays." He thought moodily. "Why couldn't he have come in on a Friday or Saturday. Hell, any other day is better than Monday!"
He hated to admit it, but that wasn't the only thought plaguing his mind. No, everything else was just an attempt at distraction; distraction from the one thing he couldn't stop thinking about.
"I wish I was picking you up instead of Kai…."
Tala immediately felt guilty, not for the first time, for that thought and decided to try again.
"No. It'll be nice to see Kai again too. I just wish you were both coming….."
With another heavy sigh, Tala lifted his head and looked up. Through the black tint of his dark shades, Tala imagined Amanda emerging through the glass doors, pausing at the top of the stairs as she looked around, looking for him. Kai would be one step behind her and she'd notice him just as Kai began to make is way down the steps. Of course, she'd grin that huge, cheesy grin as she practically flew down the stairs and raced towards him.
Unconsciously, Tala lifted his arms to accept her embrace but just before she reached him, the beautiful figure he'd so yearned to see disappeared. Frowning deeply as he realized it had simply been his imagination, Tala crossed his arms again, a little more tightly this time and stared at the floor with a bowed head.
"You've got it so bad." The redhead told himself sourly.
And it was true. Though he was loathe to admit it, he couldn't ever remember feeling for anyone the way he felt for that girl. It was a deep sense of longing, a tugging at his cold, icy heart that made him sick with want and need more times than he cared to count. It was a pang of pain every time he looked at her picture, heard her voice, saw her name somewhere. Worst of all, it was the life-like dreams he had damn-near every night; dreams that made him actually want to cry or scream when he awoke the next day, only to find that he was still alone and pining after something he couldn't have.
Tala closed his eyes, a small smile coming to his face as he remembered her; her scent, her touch… her taste. A shiver ran down the redhead's back as he remembered their first goodbye kiss – a kiss that had seared him from the inside out and completely melted the thick icy barrier he'd created around himself.
"Hell, I miss her so God damn much!" He thought, his teeth clenching tightly as he fought back the assault of emotions he still hadn't yet learned to deal with."Hmph. I don't know how'd I react if I saw her now anyway. It seems like so damn long…. I probably wouldn't even know what to…."
His thought trailed off and another frown creased his face.
"Tala!"
The frown disappeared as Tala imagined her calling his name. It never ceased to amaze him what sort of effect his name on her tongue seemed to have on him.
"Tala!"
The redhead frowned again. It sounded so real.
"Tala!"
This time the redhead opened his eyes and lifted his head again, pushing his shades up to the top of his head as he starred at the image of Amanda running towards him.
Strange, she was wearing something different then she was a moment ago. But stranger still, she was alone.
Tala watched with a mix of confusion and awe as the figure he so longed to see ran towards him with arms wide open and that same huge and cheesy grin on her face. Finally, the figure was nearly upon him and Tala felt a jolt of hope strike him as he dared allow himself, for the briefest of moments, to believe she was real.
In the blink of an eye, so fast Tala wasn't sure at first what had happened, the figure he'd been hoping for suddenly tackled him and the redhead was sure if he wasn't leaning against the post he would have been knocked down.
Tala stared down at the smallish figure in his arms, dumbfounded. She looked real, and she sounded and felt real. Still he wasn't quite convinced.
However, when a familiar scent met his nostrils, Tala felt a hot wave wash over him as he finally allowed himself to admit that she was, in fact, real. He didn't care how or why, but he knew now that it was true; Amanda was indeed standing there holding him tightly.
Unable to breath, nothing to do with Amanda's tight embrace, Tala finally reached up and wrapped his arms tightly around her.
There was a lengthy silence and neither person spoke until finally Amanda pulled back slightly, allowing Tala to continue to hold her as he looked her over with an intense gaze. After a while his gaze met hers again.
"Where's Kai?" He asked quietly.
Amanda grinned from ear-to-ear.
"Back in Japan." She said simply.
Tala furrowed his brows for a minute before something clicked in his head and a look of realization came over his face.
"Kai was never supposed to come here." He said simply. "You were the one I was supposed to pick up all along."
Amanda's grin widened and she nodded.
"Yep!" She replied enthusiastically.
Tala frowned and feigned a hurt look.
"You lied to me."
Amanda laughed.
"An eye for an eye." She teased. "Only mine was only a little white one!"
Tala immediately sobered up and a serious expression crossed his face.
"Touché." He replied simply. "Alright, you got me."
Amanda smiled again, a little softer this time.
"Now we're even."
Hardly, he thought, but before he could further comment, Amanda pulled out of his arms and took his hand.
"C'mon, I'm starved! Airplane food sucks. I wanna get something to eat and then go see everyone! I missed the guys."
Tala frowned as he starred down at their linked hands, thinking of Max and remembering his and Amanda's last conversation. He shouldn't be holding her hand, it was only bound to get him in trouble again. Yes, no matter how damn good it felt and how much he really didn't want to, Tala knew he had to let her go.
Obviously noting his change in mood, Amanda looked up at him with a frown.
"What's wrong?" She asked in concern.
Tala's frown deepened as he reached up to pull his shades back down over his eyes.
"I- we shouldn't be holding hands like this. It's only bound to get one or both of us in trouble."
Amanda blinked up at her companion for a minute before eventually, to Tala's surprise, grinning wide again and giving his hand a gentle squeeze.
"Don't worry about it, it's OK. Trust me."
Tala blinked at her for a minute before eventually smiling ever-so-slightly.
"OK." He said simply.
Allowing her to lead him towards the luggage collection, Tala helped Amanda with her things before following her out of the airport.
"I had fun today Tal. Never realized how much I missed my favorite Russian boys. Thank you."
Tala smiled slightly as he stared up at the stars.
"You're very welcome." He replied softly.
All was silent for a few moments until eventually Amanda's voice once again broke the silence.
"It's kinda chilly out here tonight."
Tala looked down at her.
"You want my jacket?" He asked, reaching up and shrugging it off his shoulders.
An amused expression crossed Amanda's face.
"No thanks." She said with a mischievous smile. "I've got a better idea."
After shrugging his jacket back on, Tala blinked in slight surprise as his companion peeled back the blanket they were under, moving then to situate herself between his legs and lie back on his chest before pulling the blanket back up around them both again.
"This is wrong." Tala thought with a frown.
At least, that's what he tried to tell himself. But try as he might, he simply could not convince himself that this, what they were and how he was feeling right then was wrong. Perhaps it was just his own selfish nature, but whatever it was, Tala could not bring himself to pull or push her away.
Instead, his hands slipped around her shoulders, causing her to smile and reach up to place her hands over his arms. Tala starred up into the sky again and there was a long silence before he eventually broke it.
"So. How's Max?"
Without missing a beat, Amanda immediately replied.
"We're just friends."
Tala stared down at the girl in his arms with a stunned expression. After another long silence, he finally managed to reply.
"That's not what I asked." He replied, trying to sound casual and playful. Be he couldn't hide the slight hint of hope in his voice any more than he could slow the sudden increase in his heartbeat. Both made the redhead curse himself.
Still, despite his response, Amanda ignored it and continued as if he hadn't spoken.
"We both talked and decided it was for the best that we were just friends…. I do love Maxie but not in the way that's required for a real relationship."
Tala was speechless and he simply stared at the girl in his arms when she tipped her head back and looked up at him with a smile.
"So. Do you understand why I told you not to worry?" She asked with a soft yet playful tone. "I wouldn't ever cheat on someone Tala, you should have known better. Have you ever known me to be that kinda girl?"
Tala tried to come up with some sort of playful or teasing comment, even a short witty reply. But nothing came to mind as he simply starred in shock at his companion, so instead he simply shook his head. This made Amanda's smile widen.
"Right. So since you know now that I'm single, you don't have to be afraid to touch me anymore."
Tala blinked at her for a few minutes before eventually smiling in amusement and hugging her tightly to him, leaning down as well so his lips were next to her ear.
"I'm never afraid to touch you." He whispered. "The only thing that scared me is the possibility of losing you again. Can you blame me for that?"
A slight pinkish tinge spread across Amanda's cheeks but her smile softened as she wrapped her arms around Tala's and looked at him over her shoulder.
"You won't ever lose me Tal." She whispered back. "No matter what, I'll always be around in one way or another."
The familiar tidal wave of emotions crashed over Tala again and a shiver ran down his spine in his attempt to suppress it. Closing his eyes, he leaned down and rested his chin against his companion's shoulder, his arms tightening as tightly around her as possible without squishing her.
Nothing else was said for a very long time as both people sat in complete silence, thoroughly enjoying each other's company.
-;-
"Tala..?"
Tala smiled, his eyes still closed from his spot against her shoulder. He always found it amusing that she was nearly always the one to break their silences.
"Yea?" He asked simply.
"Will you tell me something…? Something about you, or your past or… well something I don't know?"
Pausing for a moment, Tala spoke without opening his eyes.
"You first." He said softly, admittedly afraid of what she might think of him if she knew the truth about him and his past.
To his surprise, Tala opened his eyes as Amanda immediately started in on a story, leaving no detail out as she told him all about her past, where she grew up, how she came to end up in bey city and anything and everything in between. When she was finished, she bit her lip and looked away from him.
"I know how it all sounds, and I honestly can't blame you if you don't believe me but…. It is the truth. All of it."
Tala stared at the back of his companion's head for a moment. He thought about her and everything she'd told him and the more he did so, the more he realized that her story really wasn't all that hard to believe. After all, hadn't he himself been transported to a different dimension during his colossal battle with Tyson in their first world tournament battle all those years ago? With that in mind, was it really all that hard to believe that she'd come from another world as well? It would certainly explain a lot. Besides how could any one person honestly make up such an elaborate and detailed story like that?
After a while, Tala smiled and reached a hand up to turn Amanda's face back towards him.
"Trust me, I've seen weirder." He said playfully. "And, it explains a lot…. Thank you for telling me the truth."
Amanda was the picture of shock and surprise as she stared at him with saucer-wide eyes. Tala laughed lightly.
"Yea, I believe you. Besides, you're a lousy liar; I highly doubt you could come up with something as wild as that."
After a short silence this time, Amanda finally smiled, an eye-brightening smile that melted Tala's insides.
"OK, your turn." She said cheerfully.
Tala shifted a little to get comfy again and once again leaned down to rest his chin on her shoulder, this time turning to look at her.
"You obviously know everything about me already." He said with a playful smile.
Amanda laughed.
"OK. Then tell me a story."
Tala smiled.
"OK. Once upon a time, there was a cold-hearted bastard who didn't really care for anyone or anything aside from the very small circle of people he called friends. He tried to feel something, to have feelings like normal people but they seemed completely lost to him, so he decided to just give up and accept that he wasn't like other people.
Then, one day, he met a girl. She was funny and quirky and sweet and wasn't afraid of anyone or what they thought. He liked this girl, she was different. And the more time he spent with her, the more she made him realize that maybe he wasn't quite so different form everyone else after all. Suddenly, one day, the girl surprised him with a kiss and in that one moment, the guy realized that all the feelings he thought he could never feel, were very real and they had all been awakened thanks to this one girl. She made him feel alive, whole, and he instantly became addicted to her as if she were the most addictive drug.
The two had a fallout and just when the guy thought his heartache would kill him, the girl saved him once again. By this time, he'd accepted that he couldn't have her, and he was alright with that. So long as he had his fix every now and then; could see her face, hear her voice and feel her arms around him, he'd be able to survive.
Suddenly, one day, the girl appeared back into his life again and brought him a whole new hope. She came to see him, even though they lived very far away from each other, and with her she brought her old feelings of love and comfort. The guy thought he would burst from the renewed feelings but he forced himself to keep them under control. He wasn't sure what would happen to them, but he was sure he would always be glad for her company, no matter what she decided to let him be."
Tala looked back at Amanda and noted the deer-in-headlight look on her face, which made him chuckle nervously before looking away from her again.
"The end." He said playfully.
There was a long, awkward silence and Tala squirmed uncomfortably. He could feel Amanda's gaze still on him but he couldn't bring himself to look at her.
Eventually, the sound of her voice saying his name made Tala swallow hard before forcing himself to turn and meet her gaze again.
"You've never told me how you felt before." She whispered softly. "Not…. To that extent anyway."
Tala gave her a lop-sided smile.
"Who says the story was about us?" He replied teasingly, but both knew as well as the other that it was. Amanda continued.
"Tala I… thank you. For telling me the truth too."
Tala froze as she reached up and placed a hand to the side of his face, gently pulling her towards him for a sweet kiss. Before he could snap out of his trance, she pulled away again, leaving the redhead staring in shock and awe.
"I know what I'd like to happen to the people in the story." She whispered shyly with a tender smile. "All I need is the narrator's permission."
Tala starred at her for a moment before smiling slyly.
"That depends on what you want."
Amanda smiled sweetly and once more gently pulled his face towards her. This time Tala was ready for it and he hugged her tightly as he closed his eyes and kissed her back. This time, the kiss was deep and sweet and meaningful. Tala felt his insides burning and once more felt the ice inside him melt away to be replaced with a fire he had missed like air after the loss of breath.
Turning Amanda in his arms so she was facing him, Tala lifted her so she was sitting in his lap, her legs either side of him as his arms snaked tightly around her waist, holding her tightly again. The ravenette's hands went up to bury themselves in crimson strands as she deepened the kiss. A hot tongue teasingly licked Amanda's lips and Tala whimpered softly when she allowed him entrance, only to seductively suck on it.
"Mmmmmmm….." He hummed lowly in his throat. The woman was driving him absolutely mad.
Still, it was a good sort of insanity and Tala was more than willing to let her take him there.
His hands snaking up under her shirt slightly, Tala felt a wave of delight wash over him as he felt the soft, heated flesh beneath his fingertips. The feeling finally tipped the redhead over the edge and he pulled his partner as close as their bodies would allow, fully submitting himself to the beautiful creature in his arms, just as he knew she was fully offering herself to him.
This was certainly a much better ending to his story then he'd originally anticipated.