Author's Note: Just want to give a shout out to Aldsvider for alerting me to Minako's fear of thunderstorms in the awesome awesome (and HOT) story Acute Fear! If you haven't read it, you should. If you have read it, you should read it again because it never gets old.

Please enjoy responsibly.

~0~0

Storm of Passion

Rei was startled when she heard the distant rumble of thunder. She looked up and saw ominous black clouds moving rapidly towards the city. She groaned when the first drop of water struck her skin. The sky had been clear and blue when she'd left home to run some errands, nor had she heard any rumours of bad weather that day, so her umbrella was in her room, miles away. Useless.

A jagged chain of lighting cut across the sky, immediately followed by a massive thunderclap. Makoto would be so proud, Rei thought.

Abruptly, the sky opened up and she was soaked in minutes. She dashed headlong through the shopping district, thinking she would find a restaurant and wait out the storm there. Another thunderclap sounded as she passed a small alcove. She skidded to a halt when she heard what sounded like someone whimpering. She turned and peered into the space.

Someone was huddled against the wall, shaking like a leaf. Rei approached cautiously.

"Excuse me—" There was something familiar about the figure. Another flash and an explosive cracking sound tore a loud squeak from the person.

"Minako?" Rei crouched down to be certain, and immediately recognized the idol's dark baseball cap in the alcove's low light.

Terrified eyes met her own. "Rei!" Minako, completely drenched, flung her arms around Rei, shaking madly. Rei was rather alarmed by Minako's state.

"What are you doing, hiding down here, Minako? Are you hurt?" Rei immediately scanned her for signs of injury. Minako shook her head and buried her face in Rei's chest when more thunder sounded. Rei silently thanked the rain for being there to cool her flushing cheeks.

"C'mon, we need to get out of this." Rei was soaked to the bone. She helped the quivering idol to her feet. "Why didn't you call your driver when this started?"

"I-I panicked—I—" Minako was absolutely petrified. "—F-forgot."

Rei would have laughed if she hadn't been so concerned. Minako had been a bundle of nerves during the last thunderstorm that had hit the city, and that time they had been safely ensconced in the idol's apartment. The blinds were pulled to block out the lightning, music blasted to conceal the thunder, and Minako still hadn't stopped pacing frantically until Rei had forced her to the couch and kissed her senseless.

She automatically held Minako closer to her when more lightning snaked across the sky, followed by another thunderous crash.

"Let's get a cab," Rei murmured, and kissed her cheek. "I'll take you home."

0~0~0~0~0~0~0

Even after the cab ride, both women were still dripping wet when they stepped inside Minako's sizeable apartment. Rei kicked off her sodden sneakers. At least she didn't have soggy socks to contend with. She glanced at Minako. The idol was leaning against the closed door, her eyes shut.

"Minako?" Rei placed her hand on a quivering shoulder. "You okay?"

Minako nodded and after a deep breath, opened her eyes.

"Yeah. I'm fine." She slipped out of her shoes and shook her wet hair free of her baseball cap. "I'll grab us some towels."

Rei pushed her soggy bangs back from her forehead, and tugged at the hem of the tshirt she wore. It felt as though it had fused to her skin. She'd picked a fine day to wear white, she lamented.

A soft gasp made her look up. Minako, her cheeks glowing, had returned with the towels and was staring unabashedly at Rei. She reddened further when she realized Rei had caught her looking.

"H-here, Reiko."

Mutely, Rei accepted a fluffy blue towel and began to mop herself up. But most of her attention was focused on Minako, who was looking anywhere but at Rei as she dried off.

Rei's breath froze in her throat as the towel Minako was using snagged on the strap of her tank top and slid the material down her shoulder. She was oblivious to both the loose strap and Rei's open-mouthed gaze as she ran her fingers through her wet hair. The idol jumped when another clap of thunder rang out, and dropped her towel.

Shaking herself free of her daze, Rei stooped to retrieve it, not realizing until she straightened up that their bodies had somehow grown only inches apart from one another. Her eyes flickered towards Minako's shoulder, where the loose strap still hung, sweetly tormenting her. Rei felt both towels slip from her grasp as her hand rose of its own volition to Minako's other shoulder. She rested it momentarily on the damp material before sliding it downwards as well. Nervously, she raised her eyes to Minako's, seeking approval.

The idol was not looking at Rei's eyes. She was contemplating Rei's mouth with increasing intensity. Rei watched, mesmerized, as Minako's tongue slowly wet her lips. Her eyes flickered upwards, finally meeting Rei's. She barely blinked as more thunder crashed outside, and gently grasped Rei's wrist, where it still hovered near her bare shoulder. Rei swallowed at the unreadable look in her eyes, worried that she had made the wrong move.

Her knees nearly buckled when she found her hand just above the curves of Minako's chest. As Rei's fingertips brushed smooth skin, she realized just how revealing the idol's tank top was. Minako's hand covered her own, her burning gaze steady as she slid Rei's hand even lower. Rei thought the pounding of her heart might succeed in drowning out the thunder.

"Reiko." Minako stepped closer, pressing her body against Rei's. Rei wasn't sure which of them was trembling more.

The gap between their mouths vanished into a kiss so incredible, Rei would have stumbled, were it not for the wall behind her.

"M-Mina—" She gasped when the idol's mouth broke from hers and moved towards her neck. Lips teased the sensitive skin of her ear.

"We should—get out of these wet clothes," Minako breathed.

Rei could not even begin to describe the delicious sensation that shot through her body when she heard those words.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

They stumbled into Minako's room and toppled bodily onto her bed, never breaking their embrace.

Minako's hands, which had been roaming beneath Rei's tshirt, seized the wet material and tugged it insistently upwards. Reluctantly, Rei broke their fevered kiss, allowing Minako to remove the offending article of clothing and toss it aside. She made a mental note to wear more button-down shirts in the future. Rei knew she was blushing, especially with the way Minako's eyes raked across her. They were both breathing hard.

Unable to stand the distance any longer, Rei attacked Minako's lips again, making the idol gasp as she was pinned to the bedsheets.

"Rei—yes—" she managed as Rei slid her hands back up to Minako's shoulders, seeking the loosened straps of her top. Minako adjusted hers arms to let Rei pull the garment down to her waist, before wrapping them tightly around Rei's body again.

She moaned as Rei's hands and mouth trailed up and down her flesh, caressing it almost reverently, before coming to a halt at Minako's hips, where her tank top still rested around the waistband of her jeans.

Rei nearly jumped out of her skin when another crack of thunder shook the apartment. She looked at Minako, who had barely reacted to the sound.

"I think that one scared you more than me, Reiko."

Then, with a devious quirk to her lips, Minako flipped Rei onto her back and turned her attention to undoing Rei's belt.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O

Rei's entire world had been turned upside down.

Minako was dozing beside her, wrapped tightly in her arms. She kissed the idol's cheek, still hardly able to believe what had transpired between them. She would never be the same again. The thought made her ecstatic.

Minako's long eyelashes fluttered open. Rei smiled, feeling her face redden as their eyes met.

"Rei." Minako's mouth brushed against her own. "That really happened."

Unsure if she was capable of coherent speech yet, Rei brought her fingertips to Minako's cheek and gently stroked the soft skin.

"It did," she finally said.

Minako burrowed against Rei, sighing blissfully. "It sounds like the storm is over."

"Yeah. I, uh, kind of hope there's another one soon, though."

Minako's soft giggling tickled Rei's neck. "Me too. I like the rain."

It was Rei's turn to be amused. "Wait, you like rain, but you hate thunderstorms?"

"I like how it feels when it falls. And, I'm seriously reconsidering my anti-thunderstorm stance, given recent events." She smirked. "But I might need some more convincing."

Rei laughed and rolled over, pinning Minako beneath her weight. She leaned in and nuzzled the skin of Minako's throat before kissing it. "Personally, I've grown rather fond of storms." Minako shivered as Rei's mouth moved lower. "But if you need more convincing—" Rei slid her hands up Minako's thighs. "I'm more than happy to help."

Minako made an unintelligible sound of pleasure as Rei's lips found hers.

~O~O~O~

Thanks for reading!