Series: Beyblade

Genre: General

Author: Aethyrial Flame

Summary: It is something strange between them, and he knows not neither that which she wants nor needs; and it perplexes him, for she wants for none of those.

Disclaimer: I don't own beyblade or it associated characters and trademarks, but I do own the original characters and settings in those one-shot.

"You're a pervert."

The words where rather flat, though the amused, teasing lilt to them had his eyebrow twitching upwards in response. Lolling in the water, she splashed idly for a moment before turning to face him.

"Seriously,"

She added, gossamer strands of night drifting about her, weighted down and slowly sinking. He nodded, gaze fixed on the mirror. Emerald eyes quickening with gold narrowed, her mouth quirking into the wry smile he knew so well.

"You are,"

This time an audible pout leaked into her words, and he sighed, shifting his weight. Crimson burnt against the reflective surface before him, glimmering past dark drapes and flickering flames.

"Mmrrr."

Her grumpy growl prompted him to turn slightly, icy locks rustling as he looked over his shoulder. Water sloshed against the tall, sloped sides of the tub as she rolled over quickly, flesh tantalisingly concealed by mounds of bubbles. Slender ankles rose and fell rhythmically as she kicked the water, splattering the walls with frothing liquid.

"Hn."

"Very descriptive,"

She shot back dryly, sultry smirk spreading across her face. It was ruined by one calloused hand crankily scraping strands of sable from her face, but he was concentrating on the reflection significantly lower, anyway.

"Totally and utterly stunning, you know?"

Rich with whimsy, her light, teasing words echoed faintly from the arched ceiling. He sighed, arms uncrossing and recrossing to the soft creak of leather and the whisper of silk.

"Blech. Stinky,"

One grimy hand crept from the tub and unsuccessfully reached for the drifting edge of his scarf.

"Closet Romanist,"

Was her accusation, and she received a stifled snort of laughter buy way of reply. Smiling smugly, dark crescents feathered against her cheeks as she sank deeper into the water.

"They'll never believe you,"

Soft and rather bland, it took a practiced ear to pick the subtle smirk out from beneath the words.

"I know."

She groused, before giggling and splashing a spray of water at him. Stiffening, the older teen twisted, one baleful crimson orb pinning her to the spot. Blithely ignoring the threat in his gaze, she grinned impishly and repeated the action.

Pointedly, his hands began to move, stripping themselves of adornment. Giggling once more, she swam away from the edge, humming a soft tune.

A blush frisked its way across her cheeks as he began to undress, and the wet slap of her hair as she tossed her head provoked a smile from him.

"Don't make me come in and get you,"

He threatened, down to the bare necessities. She tossed her head once more, dark banner of silk rippling beneath the surface of the water.

"Shan't."

Was her childish reply, as she rolled onto her back and began sculpting something out of bubbles on her stomach. A sigh echoed through the room as he strode over to her, loose cotton pants billowing about his ankles.

One eye cracked open before she sank deeper into the water with a scowl.

"Move it, short cakes."

Her jaw dropped, before she hastily gathered her composure and splashed a vengeful wave of water at him. Bobbing up, her hands fanned the water at her sides as she trod it for a moment, glaring with all the indignity of her wounded pride.

"I am not SHORT!"

She hollered, before giggling again. The sound was abruptly cut off as she disappeared beneath the water, before bobbing back up, hacking and spluttering water.

"Idiot,"

He murmured fondly, though the mocking glint in his eye hardened the words. Wiping her streaming eyes with equally wet hands, she pouted petulantly and rolled over once more, bubbles clinging to the smooth skin of her back.

"'M not getting out,"

Mulishly, she ground the words out and then disappeared beneath the surface of the water, reappearing about a metre away.

"C'mon get me, ice man."

She began to laugh, now, at the stony look that crossed his face. He was funny, like that; he hated getting wet. But the dark scowl he shot her way froze her breath in her throat as he tensed, muscles rippling as he prepared to dive.

"Aiiee!"

With a high pitched yelp, she began frantically scrambling for the other side, determined to reach the relative safety of the cat walk. A splash behind her startled the emerald eyed teen, and she doubled her efforts to reach the other end.

"Lemme alone! It wasn't my fault!"

She whined, stopping to tread water. Glancing around suspiciously, she gathered a mound of bubbles to her, placing them protectively around her. Time trickled buy, and she began to fret a little.

Her keen hearing could detect no movement nearby, and she was just edging towards the other side, where her towel was, when a wave of water crashed over her.

"Aaahh! Go'way go'way!"

Panicked, her wail echoed throughout the room, firelight dancing across the rough, choppy surface of the water. Softly, a whimper burned its way from her throat, as barely healed muscles stretched and strained.

Clutching her wounded side, she curled up in the water, fists clenching spasmodically.

Water darkened to a grey streaked navy, crimson burned from beneath icy bangs as he hurriedly swam over to her. She flinched away from his touch, and the older teen's jaw hardened at the faint pink tint colouring the water around her.

Gathering her to him, he swam with swift, confident strokes to the edge of the large bath, relief briefly loosening his facial muscles as his feet hit the bottom.

"Idiot,"

He snapped, fearful anger sharpening his tone. Ignoring him, slender arms wound about his neck as she stayed curled, ankles crossed buy his side.

Teeth clenching, he rose, water sheeting from about the two of them. In the darkened room, lit only buy candlelight, it was difficult to see how much she had damaged herself.

With great care, he laid her out on the thick towels, flicking aside the dangling straps of cloth that so precariously covered her body. Emerald gaze wide and wet, she watched anxiously as he carefully removed the darkened bandage from her side.

Sinking her teeth into her lip, she gave a muted grunt of discomfort when the sticky edges of the cloth pulled at her skin, but otherwise endured it stoically.

"Idiot,"

He repeated, and neither where sure just who he was talking of.

"Catch me!"

She shouted, and ran laughing across the street.

Face fixed firmly in a scowl, he trudged after her, pointedly ignoring the way the playful breeze frisked her filmy sundress flat against her body, and the sunlight gilding her hair a gold burnished sable.

"Ice-man, wanna icecream?"

Mouth stretched into a teasing grin, she unceremoniously shoved a soft serve ice cream into his face. Upper lip curling slightly, he took it from her with a clear expression of distaste. Emerald eyes dancing, she watched strong, capable fingers deftly wrap around the wafer cone.

Satisfied that he was holding it securely, she skipped a few paces away, taking an enormous lick of her cone as she did so. Pink tongue snaking from her mouth, she curled it around the smooth, cold confection, before pulling it back within her mouth with a satisfied hum.

Flicking his crimson gaze to the sky, the older teen snorted lightly at her immature actions, but followed her nonetheless.

Giggling like a girl half her age, she skipped from store to store, 'ooh'ing and 'aah'ing over anything that sparkled and caught the light, or was what she defined interesting. Exotic spices and incense she ignored, having suffered a particularly virulent bout of sneezing from a tentative whiff.

"C'mon, boats, boats!"

Gold flecks spiralled through her eyes as she grinned at him, lithe body clearly illuminated buy help of the strong light and thin fabric clothing her body. Pink skittering across his cheeks, the captain ignored the uncomfortable tightening of his groin, and let her pull him along.

Paddleboats, he noted, weary indulgence wafting through his thoughts. Paddle boats. Still, as per her request, he uttered no protest; a bet was a bet, after all.

"Go!"

A decidedly canine grin spreading across her face, she shot forward in the water, strong legs pumping as she propelled a large green frog over the small lake. Whooping and cackling with laughter, she bumped into as many boats as possible, carolling out her 'head' count as she did so.

Slowly, his lips settled into a smirk, and icy brows narrowed. It didn't take long for his competitive streak to rear its ugly head, and he was soon shooting across the water after her, swiftly matching her numbers to his own.

"Aaiie! Jerk! Nick off, you tosser!"

Her blistering oaths split the air with that familiar, peculiar Australian drawl. On the shore line, the indulgent mothers developed scowls, covering their children's ears, despite the language difference.

She was smiling, though, dark as night locks whipping about in the wind, fangs peeking out as she grinned for all she was worth.

Evidently sensing the brewing conflict, the other boaters left the pond to them; but their fear had no bounds. Doubled over with laughter, she was barely able to retaliate, frog-boat drifting about aimlessly as she cackled and howled.

Warily, he cracked a smile; she grinned straight back, though, unlike a human, she didn't bare her teeth. Tossing her head in a gesture as familiar to him, now, as the track of a spinning 'blade across the bowl, she gestured him closer.

Moving awkwardly, and with a great many exaggerated shrieks and muffled yips, she hauled herself into his boat. It was a one-seater; unperturbed buy this, she sat herself on his lap, legs trailing over the side, arms wound about his neck.

"Silky,"

Was her observation, fingers tangled in the scarf and hair at the nape of his neck. Furiously stamping down the urge to blush, he turned the boat to shore.

Gently pressing closer to nuzzle his neck and throat, she sighed deeply.

"Please?"

Beset buy indecision, he hesitated. Without any propulsion, the swan he'd rented slowly drifted to a halt, bobbing gently in the almost non-existent current.

Above, the sun shone down on them, warming the gentle breeze. Damp earth, fresh grass, and the implacable, musky scent of her filled his nostrils. Burning embers banked for a few precious seconds as he closed his eyes.

"You pay."

He shot back curtly, before guiding the boat towards a small stand of willows, experienced hand soon seeing them there. A strange sort of smile curled her mouth, when he darted a look downwards; she was just sitting there, curled up in his lap…

Mentally, he shook his head in frustration. This girl… he'd never understand her.

Never.

The slight impact of the craft bumping against the bank startled her from her light doze, and she arched her back with a yawn, coiling and flexing against him. Something like fear snapped through him and he stiffened, crimson hardening to maroon.

Buy the time they had walked up the soft sand of the bank to the wiry grass beneath the willows, he had withdrawn once more, becoming the cold, stoic captain.

Content to simply be outside, she sat beneath the gnarled tree, leaning against it, drowsy emerald-gold gaze flicking out across the lake.

"It didn't really hurt, at first,"

Unbidden, one calloused hand drifted to her side, where a palm sized bandage was faintly visible beneath her dress. He froze for a moment, breath quickening at the memory, they way she'd looked-

"Then it started to bleed. That was when it hurt,"

She added, tone soft and wondering.

"I mean…I just didn't feel it. I'm standing there, and I know it happened, but it didn't hurt, so… how could it be real?"

That pause, that emphasis, the lilt of her words, all wove about him in a siren's spell of deeper meaning. This time, however, did she really mean something else? Brow furrowed as he attempted to puzzle out her words, he almost missed the last of them.

"I want a pizza. For dinner. A pizza,"

Emerald eyes laughed at him from beneath gold, and she flashed him a bit of fang in mischief, as she rose to her feet. One eyebrow rose as she grinned at him, hands on her hips; never one to back down, he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Not health food or that shitty diet, a pizza."

Pausing, she held one finger up for particular emphasis, shifting her weight to her other leg, white sandal clad feet grinding into tough grass stems.

"One memento, a real one, like normal people would do."

His breath gushed out of him as if he'd just been sucker punched, leaving him aghast at the implications of her words. Did she…what…with him!

Grinning wolfishly, she ambled over to him and grabbed his hand, tugging him back down the boat. Snapping out of his daze, the icy teen shot her an artic glare, stiffly tugged her hand from his, and jumped onto the paddle-boat.

Tossing her head, sable locks rippling in the wind, she picked her path carefully, smooth calves drawing his eye, hips a-swinging as she made her way back to him. Casually draping herself over him once more, she suppressed a smile as he automatically adjusted his position, in order to support her.

A low, dull throb of heat spiralled up from her side; on the pretext of watching a bunch of kids racing kites, she bit her lip and sucked in a quick breath to ward off the pain.

Her perch wasn't the most comfortable of ones, as his thighs rhythmically flexed and bounced her around, as he propelled them to shore with long, smooth strokes. But it was…nice.

Nice to be there, inhaling that dark, spicy chocolate smell of him, nice to know that he was there to keep her safe from harm.

And later, when she'd laughed and joked and weaselled her way even deeper into him, she drew him to her as they stood outside the hotel room, uncertain of how to proceed.

Bright, lurid crimson light washed in from the window further down, and she was mesmerized buy the way it lit up his gaze, smoky and dark in that strange, fey light.

Breath quickening, she leant closer, head unconsciously slanting as one hand tentatively brushed her waist. Reflexively, she grasped his hand, before stilling, emerald eyes flickering with gold.

And then soft, warm lips pressed themselves to her forehead, the hand at her waist twirled her expertly, and the hotel room door was shutting before she had time to gather her thoughts. Eyes wide, her hand brushed first her lips, and then the centre of her forehead.

Silver bells pealed in the hallway, and she hugged herself in joy, laughter spilling from her mouth in sudden realization.

Not exactly what she'd had in mind… but it was a start.

Reviews would be appreciated, so tell me what you think of this, and if you'd be interested in more of the same.