A/N: Hello, everyone! Welcome to my newest fan fiction work. I made up a mini-tournament in a scenic place to make the story plot work better. Atami is a city located in the Izu Peninsula. Everyone is around eighteen or nineteen years old. The plot might be a bit cliché, but I hope you can overlook it and enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Constructive criticism and pointers are appreciated. Enjoy!

Summary: Rei is usually so cool, calm, and collected. During a walk, will a slight glimpse of naked flesh send his instincts into overdrive? A Rei&Mao lemon.

Droplets
By Melissa Moore

It was a beautiful day in Atami. The sky above was without a cloud in the sky, painted by a rosy hue as the sun set, and the slight breeze carried the scent of the sea with it. Rei had just finished his food and decided to take a walk to kill some time before his next match. Might as well sight-see. They would only be there for a few days, after all.

But that wasn't the only reason he had decided to go on a stroll. The organization throwing the Beyblade tournament had decided to break for dinner, and to allow teams to repair their Beyblades before their next match. It was in the dining hall he caught a glimpse of his former teammates… in particular, a certain pink-haired girl. He had known they were going to be there, but still, seeing her caused a shiver to course through his body. Even in their late teens, Beyblade was very much still a part of their life. Mao had done well for herself in this male dominated sport.

Although he could vaguely hear his teammates next to him chatting, his golden eyes were focused only on her, and he watched her say something to The White Tigers before getting up from the table and walking out the door. He kept his eyes trained on her through the bay window, however, as she untied the pale pink ribbon she usually had in her hair. She was headed toward a wooded area about 100 yards from the building where the tournament was being held, and although he knew he should've been paying attention to the strategizing of his teammates, his curiosity was piqued and he glanced at the clock before muttering something and leaving the dining hall.

He still had an hour before the matches would start up again. He would find out what Mao was doing, and still be able to make it back in time. Curiosity killed the cat, his mind told him, and he chuckled aloud as he shoved his hands in his pockets. His teammates had always told him he resembled a cat, with his sharp reflexes and eyes that never missed anything. He felt like one now, following the girl thirty yards in front of him like he was some kind of predator.

She hadn't noticed him, thankfully, and didn't even check to see if anyone was following her as she turned and walked through a break in the trees. His eyebrows furrowed, he stopped walking and waited a bit to see if she was going to come out, but when she didn't, he bounded forward and went through it as well.

Surprisingly enough, there was a small path going straight forward, although it was covered with dead leaves and a few broken branches - Rei guessed from Mao's recent trek through. He followed the path and was even more surprised to hear the sound of water, and more importantly, the sound of it being splashed. Inching forward so as not to be seen, he took cover behind the veil of the trees and peeked around a trunk to see a pair of clothes on the ground - including undergarments. Rei gulped audibly and his eyes slowly rose up to catch sight of something that made his throat dry up and his face flush a dark red.

Mao was completely naked, standing in the middle of a shallow, clear lake, running her hands over her wet hair as droplets of water fell from her breasts and elbows. Her eyes were closed, face turned to the canopy of leaves above her, the water of the small lake reaching just up to her slender hips.

Rei felt something akin to electricity shoot throughout his body and felt something stirring within him. He had never seen Mao like this, and would have never imagined that her body would look like this. Last time he had seen her in person, she had no curves, no breasts… she had definitely not looked like this. She had still been pretty, at least in Rei's eyes, since he had never had eyes for anyone else. But in the year they hadn't seen each other, Mao had suddenly grown up, and was very, very much a woman.

Her breasts were small but perky with hard, pink nipples, no doubt hard from the chill of the water. Her stomach was flat, her hips round, and Rei could just barely make out the top of her rounded bottom before it dipped below the surface of the water. He could see the beginning of her pubic hair, and suddenly found himself perturbed that the water was blocking his view.

He managed to tear his eyes off of her for a moment, his mind racing as he caught sight of her clothes once again, a devilish thought creeping into his mind so fast he didn't even have a chance to stop it.

When she had her back turned to him, Rei scooped up her pile of clothes and hid back behind the tree trunk, waiting rather impatiently for her to get out of the water. His mind alternated between berating him for pulling such a stunt, and berating him for not peeking at her naked body as much as he could've.

Minutes later, he heard a splash as she finally rose from the water, and couldn't resist peeking out at her when there were no restrictions.

She was breathtakingly beautiful, and he wondered how the transformation had happened so fast. Rei watched as she looked at the ground in confusion, twirling around to look at all the banks of the lake in search of her clothes. He decided it was about time he made his appearance.

"Looking for these?" he asked with a false confidence, holding up her clothes with one hand as he stepped from behind the tree.

She whirled, and once again he was assaulted with the frontal view of her womanly body. His eyes feasted on every drop of water that rolled down her skin, and had an urge to lick every single one of them off.

There was a moment of stunned silence before Mao's face turned bright red and she shrieked, spinning around to dive back into the water.

Angry that she would try to shield her body from him, Rei dropped the clothes and grabbed her wrist before she got away, yanking her back into his hard chest and holding onto her as she struggled viciously.

"Let me go!" she yelled, following her demand with a string of obscenities. His mind told him he should let her go, but the more she thrashed against him, the more aroused he became. He was holding her tight against him and became that much more aware that where his body was hard planes and taut muscles, her body was sloping curves and satin skin.

He knew his body was responding, and he gritted his teeth as she stopped moving suddenly and her already red face turned to an even darker shade as she tried valiantly not to meet his eyes.

"W-what are you doing, Rei?" she asked timidly, and even her voice had changed. It was much softer and higher pitch than before.

He didn't answer, instead releasing one of her wrists to cup her chin and bring her face up to look into her eyes. Were her eyelashes ever this long? Were her eyes ever this molten? Were her lips ever so full and kissable? Before his mind could answer these questions, his other arm wrapped around her waist as he forced his mouth down onto hers.

For a brief moment she struggled, a squeak of indignant outrage escaping her throat as their lips connected. But as he nudged her lips apart and caressed her tongue with his, Mao knew this was something she had been secretly hoping for for years, and simply gave in, falling against him.

He stroked his hand up her back to rest on her shoulder blade, sensing that she was giving in to the tidal wave of sensations that were so palpable he could almost feel them in the air.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Mao knew she should be cold, but all she could feel were hot flames flicking across her skin, something low inside of her melting with every sweep of his velvety tongue against hers. Her body seemed to react on its own. Her mind was yelling at her, Run away! but her body was telling her to hold on for dear life and find out just what was causing that tingling sensation.

Rei pulled his lips away from hers roughly, trying not to smile in self-satisfaction as he heard Mao whimper in disappointment. Assured now that she wouldn't try to run away from him, he slid his hands down to cup her hips, grinding her pelvis against his as he sunk his teeth into the tender skin of her shoulder. Her head rolled back and she emitted a soft moan, her nails digging into his chest.

The blood thundered through Rei's body, his mind was fuzzy and he knew, he knew then and there, that he wasn't going to be able to stop. And when he pulled back to look into Mao's half-glazed eyes, he knew she wouldn't stop him.

He nuzzled her flushed ear with his nose and nipped it softly. "Stay," he said huskily, letting her go for a brief moment to take his shirt off.

Through all the sensations he was making her feel, she was still able to focus enough to stare at him. He had always had muscles, but in the past year, he had turned from a lean young boy to a man with a broad chest and shoulders, his torso tapering down to a trim waist. The defined muscles rippled beneath his sun-bronzed skin as he pulled his shirt over his head, tousling his raven hair in the process. It was then that she fully realized just how different they were now, just how attracted they were to each other, and just what was about to happen. Her knees suddenly went weak.

Rei leaned over to lay his shirt on the banks of the lake, then grabbed Mao by the wrist and laid her down on top of it.

As Rei leaned down over her and caught her lips for yet another drugging kiss, Mao weakly pushed her hands against his chest, the feeling of his bare skin and the sound of his deep groan causing lightning bolts to shoot through her lower body. She desperately tried to remember what she was going to say.

"R-Rei, we should-" Whatever she was going to say was cut off as Rei dug his nails into her hip and latched his lips over one of her taut nipples. It was as if the breath had been knocked out of her, and she had to press her thighs together - for what reason, she didn't know.

Rei seemed to know, however. With a smirk, he laved his tongue over her breast, nibbling and kissing her nipple until she had grasped his hair with her hands, and he could hear her strangled gasps. He had always known Mao would be a passionate person, but the way she was reacting to his touch and touching him in kind was driving him insane. He reached up and toyed with the nipple he had just released, putting his mouth over the left one as he kneed her thighs apart. He didn't want her to alleviate anything. That was going to be his job.

Mao's back arched and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. As Rei continued to lavish attention on her breast, his hand left her right one to travel down to the triangle of short hair between her legs.

Suddenly fear flashed through her. She couldn't figure out what it was, but she was scared, and began to throw herself back and forth, attempting to break his hold. "R-Rei!" she cried.

"Shh, shh," he whispered in her ear, stroking her hair. "It's okay. Just trust me." He nibbled her earlobe and began a descent of slow, soft kisses. One of his hands stroked her waist lovingly, the other rubbing at her inner thigh in a rhythmic motion.

Slowly, her body began to relax, and she felt the tingling sensation taking hold again. He continued to lick and kiss her upper body, and she found herself gripped again by the passion he had bestowed on her before.

He stopped suddenly, looking up into her eyes with the softest expression she had ever seen on his face. "Do you trust me?" he asked breathily.

Without a moment's hesitation, Mao nodded softly. What he did next ripped a shocked gasp from her throat and caused her eyes to fly open. The fingers that had been stroking her thigh so tenderly now pried into the folds of her womanhood, the musky scent hanging in the air. As he ran his shaking fingers over her mound, her back arched once again and her hands dug into the ground.

Rei gritted his teeth and tried to focus on giving her the most pleasure he could. He was inexperienced at this, but she seemed to be enjoying what he was doing for her and as long as she enjoyed it, that was all that mattered. But the overwhelming desire to bury himself inside of her was becoming more and more prominent, and as his member throbbed against her thigh, he wondered just how much longer he would be able to hold out.

As his fingers continued to run over the moist flesh, her moans got heavier, and beads of sweat had begun to form on her upper lip. She was so wet, and smelled so good. Two of his fingers hovered right above her entrance, and when her hips began to press forward frantically, he slid them inside, reveling in the feeling of her muscles clasping them so tightly.

"Rei!" This time it wasn't a protest, but a throaty moan as her hips moved of their own volition. A rosy blush had formed on her cheeks, and she was biting her lip to keep from being too loud. The picture she had made right then, with her eyebrows furrowed, her pink hair splayed out against the green of the grass, and her chest heaving, was an image Rei hoped to keep locked in his mind forever.

He slowly moved his fingers in and out, gauging when she wanted him to apply more pressure and when to be softer. As her gasping picked up pace and her fingers began to curl and uncurl faster, although he had never done this before, he knew she was about to come undone. He pumped his fingers into her faster and more furiously than before, and she felt her entire body go taut right before something exploded behind her eyelids. As this happened, Rei had scooped her up and dug his teeth into the curve of her neck and shoulder, his fingers still inside her as she carried out her orgasm.

When she went still and the only sound was their gasps, Rei laid her back down on top of the shirt, kissing her deeply as he reached down to unclasp his jeans.

Mao was still trying to sort out her muddled thoughts when she felt something hot and throbbing against her inner thigh. Strangely enough, however, she wasn't frightened. Maybe it was because she was feeling languid, or maybe it was because she was no longer embarrassed. She loved Rei. She had loved Rei since she was a child. There was no shame in making love with someone you had genuine feelings for.

When he stopped and lifted himself over her, his eyes liquid gold and questioning, Mao smiled softly and reached to pull his head down to hers. Taking that as a good sign, he kissed her neck softly and whispered, "I'm sorry."

Her thought was barely formed before a sharp pain echoed through her body, causing tears to spring to her eyes immediately. Rei held her below him, whispering repeated apologies as he kissed the tears away from her cheeks.

He buried his face against her chest and held himself still, a feat that was getting more and more impossible by the second. His teeth ground together as he felt her body relax, and then her inner walls began to as well. She was so hot inside, so soft, that he thought he would go mad if he didn't move inside her soon.

As her body adjusted to his size, he tentatively began moving, the feeling like nothing he had ever felt before. Her breathy moans spurred him onwards, and he withdrew and plunged into her depths with a fierceness that caused both of them to gasp.

"M-Mao!" he groaned, delving his fingers into her silky hair as he continued his motions, one hand going under her bottom to grasp the flesh there, his nails digging in with a desperation as he felt something coiling tighter and tighter within him.

Mao ran her nails down his chest and over his nipples, her core inflamed. The ragged groan that met her ear caused shivers to go down her spine. Rei began thrusting into her harder, her breasts heaving, and as their bodies tensed at the same time, for one brief moment the two of them seemed as if they were suspended high above the earth in a cloud of pleasure.

Rei, breathing heavily, collapsed on top of Mao without leaving the warmth of her, resting his head against her breast and listening to the pounding of her heart and the gasping breaths she was taking as she caressed his hair.

The world came back to them, birds chirping in the trees above them, and Rei leaned up and kissed her red face softly. "Are you feeling okay?" he asked, a concerned look on his face.

She nodded softly, bringing his hand up to kiss his fingertip. "You?"

He gave her a wolfish grin. "More than. C'mon. We had better get washed up." He stood, smiling broader when Mao squeaked in embarrassment at his naked form. Pulling her up to stand beside him, he grabbed his shirt and stepped into the lake, surprised at how cold it actually was.

With his shirt, he tenderly washed away the sweat from her body, and she in turn wiped him down, all the while with a scarlet blush on her cheeks. They left the small lake together, Mao got dressed while Rei put his pants on, and then they stood, staring at each other with an intensity that was so thick it could be felt.

"Mao, I-"

"Rei?!" a voice shouted from beyond the trees. Rei sighed, knowing it was Tyson, his Beyblading teammate. Judging from the distance, he was on the main road, and close to where they were.

"I need to go back… But I want to talk to you later tonight. Come meet me at my room tonight, okay? I'll be waiting for you. 8 o'clock. Room 486."

"Rei!" Tyson yelled again.

He growled in frustration and yanked Mao forward, burying his fingers in her hair as he kissed her passionately, releasing her lips sluggishly. She looked dazed and he smiled. "Wait a few minutes before you leave, okay?"

Without another word, he turned and darted through the trees. Mao's knees began to shake, and she collapsed to the ground, her hand to her heart and a look of happy disbelief on her face.

"Why are you shirtless, man? And ew, your hair's all wet," she heard Tyson exclaim.

Rei chuckled. "I went for a… swim."

A short while later, Rei sat in the waiting room that led into the arena. He could vaguely hear the screaming and cheering of the rabid fans, but all his mind could focus on was Mao. How she felt, her breathy sighs, her golden orbs as they stared shyly up at him. He was also vaguely aware when the announcer made everyone aware of their entrance, and the Bladebreakers shuffled single file into the arena amongst the screams of adoration and the bright glare of the spotlights. Rei realized his time was coming, and tried to plaster a smile on his face and push the thoughts of a naked Mao from his mind to focus on the battle ahead.

Unfortunately, as they sat on the benches while the opposing team came in, Kai said evenly, "Something seems to be bothering you. Or, more accurately, someone. You'd better focus or we all go down with you."

Mentally Rei cursed his teammate for being so damn perceptive. Even more unfortunate was the fact that Max, who was usually a ditz, was unusually attuned to when his friends were having troubles with girls. "Mao, huh?"

"Shut up." Rei glared at him harshly but couldn't ignore the pinkish hue his cheeks took on as the girl's name was mentioned.

Takao immediately looked up with a devilish expression. "Oh, so it's Mao on your mind, is it? Is she the one you were frolicking in the woods with?"

A hot gasp and a flip of his stomach caused Rei to surge off the bench to stare at Takao incredulously. "What are you talking about?"

The midnight blue-haired boy chuckled. "You think I didn't see her slipping out of the woods behind us? And funny thing was, she was wet, too. You two must've had a lengthy swim."

The rest of his teammates stared up at Rei in astonishment, the raven-haired boy's mouth working furiously to try to come up with some kind of excuse, anything to deter them from thinking that he had spent his afternoon with a girl rather than with them. If Takao had seen her, what else had he seen? Was he just feigning calling for him? It seemed almost too suspicious that Takao started calling for him right after Mao and Rei had finished their... swimming.

Rei's luck had steadily been slipping downhill, as he didn't hear the soft patter of footsteps behind him before he blurted out angrily the first thing that had come to mind. "Are you insane, Takao-kun? Who would be caught dead with an annoyance like Mao? She was my friend when I was little, now I can barely tolerate her during matches."

Their breathless silence was lengthy enough to convince him that he had just made a serious mistake. Even Kai, as stoic as he was, seemed unusually interested in some point just past the man's shoulder. He knew when he turned Mao would be standing there, and his suspicions read true as he pivoted on one foot and felt a sharp pang as her tear-filled eyes centered on his.

"Mao..." he said softly.

Despite her tears, she clasped her hands behind her back and offered a watery smile. "I-I'm sorry for coming to bother you, I just wanted to wish you all good luck." A salty drop slid down her flushed cheek and she hurriedly wiped it with the back of her hand. "That's all." And without another word, she spun and flew toward the end of the arena.

His desperation to go after her was hard fought, as he alternated between staring at his feet and at the admonishing visages of his teammates. They all knew he was crazy about the girl. He walked on stiff legs to the other side of the bench, and was about to sit down before Takao exploded.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he growled in vexation. "Go after her, you moron!"

Rei lifted his head, and with a baleful stare, observed the faces of the rest of the group. The Professor and Max were both simply staring at him with their brows furrowed in consternation. Kai, as usual, was standing braced against the wall with his arms crossed. Not to say that Rei expected much emotion where he was considered, but the rigidity of his back suggested otherwise.

Without further debate, he stood and ran his way to the doors he had seen Mao leave through.

After he had run from the building, it took him a second to think of where she might be. She might have fled back to her room, but something in the back of his mind told him to look at the lake where they had had their tryst.

It took him a couple passes to find the opening in the dark, and he ambled through it with as much grace as he could muster. As he entered the clearing and saw a shaft of moonlight pooling on the lake surface, the images burned into his mind from a couple hours earlier flashed white hot in his memory once again, and in an effort to keep them from claiming his attention again he gazed around in search of the pink-haired girl. She wasn't on the shore, nor anywhere near it like he had suspected.

His shoulders had slumped considerably in disappointment, until he heard a suppressed sniffle behind him. Whirling, he spied the girl he had been searching for staring at him with watery eyes, rimmed with dark, thick eyelashes that had been clumped together by her tears. Her lips were swollen, one corner bleeding a bit as her teeth even now worried it. She was sitting at the base of a tree, her arms encircling her legs, and before Rei could say anything in way of an apology, she stood and began to make her way back the way he'd come.

"Mao, wait!" he gasped, reaching forward frantically until his hand clasped around her delicate wrist. "Please... will you listen to what I have to say?"

Against her better judgment, she glanced into his soft eyes and felt her undoing. Hesitantly she nodded, and he gestured for them to sit on the bank of the lake. As they approached, they both blushed furiously at the signs of their earlier lovemaking imprinted in the soft earth.

After they had settled, Rei cleared his throat. "First, I want to say that I'm sorry for what I said. I know you might not forgive me, but the boys were on my back and it was frustrating me. I kinda lost my temper when I thought Takao-kun might have seen or heard something about... what we were doing."

She looked immediately worried. "Kinomiya-kun heard something?"

"I felt that he might have. I was angered that anyone but me might have heard or seen you during... that time. I lashed out, and I will always be apologetic for making you cry. It wasn't my intention." He gathered a small hand into his, and was once again astounded by how smooth her skin was. He was gratified when she didn't snatch it away.

"So you don't really find me annoying?" she asked in a small voice, causing his gut to wrench painfully.

He brushed a lock of hair behind a finely-shaped ear and smiled. "Of course not, Mao. Truth be told, you don't and have never annoyed me. I actually..." His smile faded, and his hand stopped the ministrations. He frowned for a moment, silently contemplating whether or not he should continue on his train of thought.

"What is it?" She suddenly grew worried. What if he had suddenly changed his mind? "You actually wha-"

"I love you," he blurted out in earnest before he could stop himself. Her look of shock made him feel infinitely more at peace with himself. "I always have, even before I left. Ever since we were kids. I'd be willing to say even ever since I first laid eyes on you."

Her breath came in short, quick pulls as she tried to wrap her mind around what Rei had just told her. It couldn't be true. Her feelings were actually requited? A few more tears slipped down her cheeks unbidden, and it sent Rei into a frenzy.

"I'm not lying, Mao!" he insisted urgently, trying to assuage any residual fear she might have had. His hand squeezed hers firmly. "I do love you."

"I love you too, Rei."

The affirmation of her feelings was no more than a whisper, and when his ears caught hold of the muted phrase and the deep hue of her cheeks, a ferocious warmth bloomed in his chest as he pulled the girl to him. "Truly?"

Though slightly wishing the earth would swallow her whole lest she die of embarrassment, she nodded and embraced him back. "Truly. I think it began... when I met you."

He settled her into his lap, and looking up into her shining eyes, he brushed a knuckle across her lip. "Should I show you just how much I love you?"

Her eyes showed a brief moment of confusion before he pulled her head down to mold her lips to his. He gently massaged her swollen lips with his, trying to ease her pain. As he lowered her to the ground beneath him, she wrapped her arms about his neck and had a inkling of what he meant.