AAN: random idea that came up due to the rain and would not leave me alone. Figured writing this might just get me going on other stories. I will be referencing one of RockyRoadSmith's stories briefly in this. set during season 3.

Drenched!

Genki could hardly believe the volume of water being poured down upon them. It made his mission all the more difficult as it limited visibility and the range his voice would carry. Once again the group had bumped into some baddies, they seemed to pop up like mushrooms sometimes. This time they had proven to be very problematic. Holly had somehow gotten separated in the fray, trying to defend herself no doubt, as the group had be swarmed by baddies. Now Genki and the others race through the thick woods and the pouring rain to find her. They feared she could be injured or worse, thus they would not take the risk of waiting for the rain to stop. Genki stopped leaning against a tree panting. He was completely soaked and the rain was getting colder. He shivered, as he stood again ready to move on and hopefully find her. Out of the corner of his eye he saw something as he went to leave his temporary shelter, a small cavern. * I'm sure she would try to get out of this if she could. * Thinking it was logical he decided to check it out. Upon entering he noticed it had been used by someone at one time; Broken pots lie sluen a crossed the floor, what used to be a makeshift bed lay in the corner, and a small hearth built out of stones was near that. This section of the cave was very damp though, and he knew the hearth would be useless because of it. *Probably why it's abandoned... it seems this cave gathers water. * Just then he heard something, looking over he found the person he was looking for.

"Holly?" he called softly. She looked over at him, her eyes tired.

"Genki... you found me..." He rushed to her side finding that she was holding her side; gently he coxed her hands from the wound as he spoke to her,

"What happened? Last thing I saw was a Cabalos chasing you." he moved her tunic and long sleeve shirt out of the way causing Holly to blush. She knew he was only doing so to get a decent look at her wound but it was still embarrassing.

"He chased me quite a ways, I manage to dodge most of his attacks but one of his horns got me. I managed to use my dagger on him though… after that I was disoriented, I wandered around calling for a bit but then decided it'd be best to wait this out. Did you all go looking?"

"Yeah, we split up." he carefully cleaned the wound with some of the cool water he found near by. He knew there was little he could do about infections with just what Holly had in her bag. Genki took his pack off and dug through it. Finding what he wanted, he used the antibiotics he had from his world on her wound. Holly hissed as they stung, but she knew better then the protest. After he finished he bandaged her side. Making Holly blush again as she held her shirt up for him. He was too focused on his task to blush. Once finished he gave her a gentle smile, "I'm glad you're alright. We were worried about you."

"Thanks Genki… what about the others?"

"They all know whoever found you would stay with you till the rain stopped. They will meet back up at the spot we picked. We'll go there after the rain stops." he smiled as she nodded. He saw a shiver run through her again, it was obvious she was also drenched. He sighed, the rain showed no signs of letting up. Finding a smooth area in the back of the cave he guided her back there with him. He pulled out his blanket and pillow, now very glad he had been prudent enough to put them inside his backpack. Though slightly damp they were nothing compared to their clothes. *This won't do us much good… * Holly had also been thinking about their situation, she knew what they needed to do as far as survival went, but that meant them having a very uncomfortable experience. Genki dug around finding his cloak… pulling it out he noticed it was too wet to be of use. He hung it up to dry instead. He then sighed and sat next to Holly, pulling her into a one armed embrace hoping to give her some warmth. She smiled to him blushing, noticing the blush on his face as well. He gave her a shy glance then looked away.

"Genki… you were thinking about what to do about our wet clothes weren't you?" He glanced back over then nodded.

"Yeah… if we stay in these wet clothes… we might get sick or worse."

"I know. Genki… I think we can get through this…. I trust you… and its not like it'll be the first time." Holly's face flushed profusely at the memory, she noticed Genki fidgeted where he was and also flushed. It was obvious he remembered. *Not that he could forget… neither of us could forget that awkward situation. *

"You're right. But do you really want to do that again?"

"I don't think we have a choice." he nodded.

Taking the blanket he handed it to Holly. Then turned away to give her some privacy. Holly understood without his telling her that he wanted to make sure she could cover up. Holly carefully began to strip down, taking her travelers vest, red tunic, and white long sleeve shirt off. Noticing Genki had his shirt off and was wringing it out; she decided to do the same. Wringing her clothes out best she could. She giggled as she saw Genki's amazed look at how much his hat had soaked up.

"I didn't know I was wearing sponge." he joked playfully, hoping to lighten the mood a little.

"I've never seen an orange sponge before. Maybe it's a special type of sponge," she giggled. He grinned and glanced at her for a moment then looked away again, a blush heating his cheeks again as he removed his boots and then his shorts. Wringing his shorts out best he could, he then took the articles of clothing and hung them up to dry. Putting his boots upside down on some stalagmites so they would drain. He did the same with Holly's boots and upper clothing as she stripped her pants off. She wrapped her blanket around her then tossed the last article of clothing to him. He wrung them out then set them up to dry. Holly averted her gaze as he did so. He joined her shortly afterward, pulling some dried fruit that was sealed from his bag. Holly couldn't say she didn't look him over a little. But she tried not to look, just as she knew he did the same for her. *Is it just human nature to want to look… to know what the opposite sex looks like under their clothing? Or is it just hormones? I've never been able to tell which… I'm sure he is struggling with it as well. * Holly felt his arms move around her and he pulled her closer. She knew he was doing it to stay warm as they were both shivering, but it still made her flush and lose her voice for a moment. Genki tried not to fidget though he was nervous. He wasn't questioning his nature like Holly but he still wanted to know why she had this kind of effect on him.

* I wonder if I would feel this way if it were someone else? Probably not… Holly is special… she always has been. * He gave her a shy glance noticing she also was blushing profusely from the situation. Though they had seen each other in their underwear briefly when the swapped clothing, they hadn't sat next to each other or remained unclothed for very long. Holly fidgeted slightly as she tried to calm her nerves. She knew Genki would never try to hurt her or do anything inappropriate around her. It was rare that she had to get after him for being perverted. Usually it was Suezo or Hare starting that whole mess. The couple ate their fruit hoping their clothes would dry soon and the rain would stop. Genki finally warmed up and was relaxing against the smooth rock face against his back. Holly noticed his heart rate was back to normal and looked over at him curiously, she giggled to herself as she saw he was drifting off to sleep. *Not a bad plan actually. * Deciding to join him she leaned against him, resting her head again this shoulder she attempted her settle herself into sleep. She realized that she found the musky scent he carried to be soothing, and hoped it would help her sleep. But after almost falling over she found that difficult. The final time she woke with a start she woke Genki too. Groggily he coaxed her to lie down and use his pillow. Soon she felt his arms around her again as she spooned him. Though it felt awkward and inappropriate she knew it was the only option. Soon her world blurred as exhaustion over took her as well.

When Genki woke he found Holly still in his arms. His hands resting on her flat stomach, he realized she felt soft against him. This confused him, as he knew she had a lot of muscle from various things he'd seen her do; after a bit though he shrugged it off and decided it was just a woman thing. He took a deep breath and noticed a slight lavender scent to her hair. He had always loved it when she just bathed, her shampoo smelt great and her hair always looked so nice. Though he would never admit to paying that much attention. He wasn't sure how she would take it if she did know. He sighed looking over at the entrance of the cave; it was still raining. * Man is this ever going to let up? I know we had to have slept for a couple of hours at least * the cave was dry in this area and so was the air. *The dry air will dry our clothes but I think the sun would do better… * despite the dry air it was chilly in the cavern, as with all caverns it stayed at a constant temperature, usually in the sixties. After a moment or so he realized how comfortable he now felt next to Holly. * That's weird… I was completely nervous before… why the change? * He pondered it for a while but couldn't come up with an answer. He felt Holly stir and realized he should really check her wound again. * I'm sure the bandage will need changing by now…. * Holly shifted to glance back at him, she still felt nervous around him, though not as much as she had been. She too was mystified by this change.

* Is it just cause our bodies are used to it now… or is it something else? * She then smiled and turned her attention to her friend resolving she would ponder that question later.

"Genki… is it still raining?"

"Yeah… how are you feeling Holly?"

"Better, my side still hurts but not as bad as it did." he smiled to her.

"I should probably change your bandage…"

"Yeah," her voice very quite a blush lighting her cheeks. She knew he would have to see her with just her bra on even if the blanket covered her lower body. With a sigh she sat up and lowered the blanket off of her. The cold air meeting her flesh caused goose bumps to pop up all over her body. Genki resolved to work quickly as they both were not fond of the cold. He carefully unwrapped the blood soaked bandage, taking great care with the end that met her wounded flesh. He cleansed it again, making Holly blush both from embarrassment and from seeing him in his underwear briefly while he fetched water. He then reapplied the antibiotic he had with him and wrapped it back up.

"It looks much better now." he spoke softly as he finished tying the bandage end off.

"I'm glad, it feels better now. Thank you." he smiled, putting his things away. He was thankful for the second first aid kit he carried.

"Genki… I'll be right back I need to relieve myself." He nodded, and then pointed to a corner that had a rock slab in front of it. She understood with out words that it would give her privacy. She then rose and went to it blushing profusely as she felt self conscious for walking around in front of him this way. But Genki wasn't watching when she looked back. He had sat down and was digging around for some food in his pack.

Genki was focused on looking for something to help them out in this situation but found nothing. He knew they had enough food to last them awhile if needed but didn't think they would need it. Genki rose with a sigh and went to check their clothing. Though not as soaking wet, they were still damp enough to be a problem. He turned the boots up right, setting them on the floor of the cavern now that they had drained. He knew this would help them dry. As he walked back over to sit down he saw Holly returning. His eyes wondering over her body briefly before he caught himself, but he had noticed hers do the same to him. His face beet red he took a sat trying not to look at her further.

"I'm sorry… I shouldn't have…" he trailed off not sure how to talk about this. He had no real experience with women and he knew little about how they felt on this topic. He knew Holly never liked Suezo or Hare being perverted so he figured she wouldn't like it if he did so either. Holly returned to his side, her face also red with embarrassment. She covered up and made sure he had some of the blanket to cover himself with.

"Its fine Genki… I know you weren't trying to…" she also seemed to struggle for words. She felt awkward all over again. Wanting to have her clothing back just so she could speak to him with out a problem. He felt her shiver and realized she must still be chilled. Moving slowly he put his arms around her and puller her closer to him.

"You feeling alright?"

"Yeah… just chilled…" she felt him nod. Feeling his breath on her neck made her skin tingle. She closed her eyes trying to control her emotions. Holly realized her hormones were definitely causing her to act this way but she wouldn't have it. * I'm better then this… I don't think of things like this… especially not with friends… what is wrong with me? * Genki was having less of a battle with hormones but more of one with his conscience. He knew she was upset but not sure why exactly.

"Holly… I'm sorry if my looking at you bothered you. I never meant to upset you. …I don't know what got into me…" she looked back at him in surprise, she hadn't realized he knew of her being upset.

"Genki… I'm not upset at you. I'm just… frustrated. Its nothing you did. I know you weren't trying to be perverted or anything. And I can't blame you for wanting to look its apart of our nature I think…"

"Maybe so but I still shouldn't have. Our nature doesn't over rule our decisions…"

"No it doesn't but it can be hard to battle with it when your hormones are causing you problems." she blushed and took hold of his hand giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Its alright, its not like I'm blameless you know." he nodded understand what she meant. He had felt her gaze on him several times but had ignored it.

* Does that mean she is attracted to me as well? I wonder if she would tell me even if I asked? * As he pondered how to talk to her, she worked and getting her self calmed back down.

After remaining silent for a while she decided to speak with him again, knowing they were completely alone made things easier. No way could she talk to him about this sort of thing with Suezo within earshot.

"Genki… I know you are attracted to me… I can tell by how you act. I really like you too… and I realize that maybe we should talk about what we both want to come of this." He stared at her as she shifted to face him. He blushed again; he would have looked down to avoid her gaze but knew that would make things worse with Holly in only her under garments next to him.

"What do you mean by 'what we want to come of this'?" he looked confused though he was still blushing slightly.

"What I mean is… do you want to act like this never happened? Or do you want… to build on it? I know you care about me, but do you care enough to want a relationship with me…?"

"You mean other then friendship?"

"Yeah," her voice very quite now. She waited patiently, knowing she had caught him off guard. She had known from past experiences that Genki had trouble interacting with girls as far as romance went. He couldn't even take a compliment from one very well unless it was battle or skill oriented. It took Genki some time to find his words but soon enough he looked her dead in the eye again.

"I want to build on it. I really like you a lot and I want to be with you…. I don't know why but I have always been attracted to you for various reasons. First in trusting you when I didn't even know you, then in other things. I'd like to know you better then I do now… if you'll let me." He smiled to her gently, his cheeks stained red from his confession. Holly was surprised by his confession but she soon returned the smile.

"I was hoping you felt that way. I want to build on it as well. And I have been attracted to you for a long time as well. There was always something special about you, and it wasn't just that you came out of a mystery disk." her face equally as red now. Genki wasn't sure what to do at first now that they were talking about this. But then he understood she was waiting for him to do something.

"Holly… I think we should get to know each other better. I know we do know a lot about each other but… it has always been within the context of the group. I'm sure there are things you want to know about me that you never asked about because Suezo was around." she nodded smiling,

"There are, I wasn't sure you would answer my questions in front of the others. Knowing I would only want to know if I had an interest in you." he nodded,

"Then ask now." she proceeded to do so. He answered her best he could, using this as a way to pass the time till their clothes dried and they could leave the cave.

Later they had settled into sleep, tiring each other out with all their questions. Genki learned a great deal about Holly's family life before her father left. He also knew that she had few friends in her village other then the monsters. This saddened him to some degree to know she was considered an outcast solely because she was a little different then the rest. Having had to mature faster to take care of things for her father and her grandparents she had been pushed into isolation. The adults wouldn't talk with her much due to her youth and the teens wouldn't talk to her because she seemed so different, cause of her maturity and knowledge. Something he also learned was that Holly was told she was a lot like her mother, who was also a kind woman. * If that's true… I bet she was just as beautiful * he blushed at the thought as he waited for her to wake again. He looked out to check on the rain's status. * Dang… still raining… I hope this isn't like a monsoon or something ridiculous like that. Suezo will have a heart attack before we can get back… either that or Tiger will murder him… * Holly woke looking up at him, her head moved from his chest as she shifted to stretch. She had to admit she felt better about being with him now, even if she still felt a little nervous. Knowing more about his family and his world made a lot of difference. She found it strange that he had only a few close friends in his world when he made friends so easily here. She also found it strange that he was more mature then those his age; it told her they had a longer child hood in his world, Something that wasn't true in her own. Her voice came to his ears softly,

"Genki… are you physically attracted to me? You said you were attracted to me but never mentioned anything more then that." he gawked at her a moment not sure how to answer that. She realized she had thrown him off balance. "Sorry I know that came out of the blue."

"Yeah it did…" he paused thinking on how to answer. "Yeah I am Holly… you are beautiful… and you have a great… bo… err… heart which is why I trust you so much." heart wasn't what he was going to say but he doubted his saying she had a great body would go over well. "I really like being with you." he embraced her for the first time since they had sat down together. It was rare they embraced at all. Usually is was soothing touches or his holding her for another reason. He had wanted to hold her close just for the sake of holding her for a while now. Holly returned it slowly understanding his feelings. He did desire her physically but also he saw she had a good heart. His little screw up hadn't gotten past her though; she had a feel she knew what he was going to say. But appreciated his taking her feelings into consideration.

* I'm not sure what we should do about our physical attraction... I mean we can't just do that can we? I know girls around my age marry all the time but it's usually to someone older. And would he even feel comfortable going that far? I mean he is young, and he seems hesitant to go very far with me. But maybe he's afraid I don't want that… after all I am always yelling at Suezo and Hare for their perversions. * She sighed, and then decided to pose the question to him.

"Genki… did you change what you were going to say cause you thought I'd be mad at you for telling me you like the way I look?" he hesitated a moment then replied,

"Yeah… I figured my saying you had a great body would… be wrong in some way, I do really like what you look like… what I did see anyway. I was trying not to look…"

"Genki, I'm not mad at you… thank you… I know you meant what you said about my being beautiful. I've never thought of myself that way… but it's nice to hear. I liked what I saw too. You seem very fit… and handsome." both were blushing heavily now, neither expecting to be talking about this when they woke.

"Holly… I know you tried not to look too… but I don't mind if you want to... Look me over…." Holly's eyes widened a moment before she recovered.

"Genki… I'm not sure we should do things like that. I know here… girls my age can marry but what about in your world? And would you even want to go further with me. If we tempt each other doing things like that, it might come to that." her voice so soft he barely heard it.

"People have to wait till they are eighteen till they can marry in my world. The government won't allow it before that. Though in my country arranged marriages are still allowed. It's a traditional thing with some families."

"Wow… that is different. That doesn't answer whether you are ready or not…."

"I… don't really know… I mean apart of me wants to but… apart of me doesn't… only because I figured you wouldn't want that. You've always seemed so reserved and wholesome about this sort of thing. If you ever thought anything inappropriate in the past I never knew about it."

"Genki… I don't want to push you. That's why I am asking…. I am open to the idea but I don't want to hurt or frighten you in the process… but if we did fool around… I'd like to know you would stay with me and you weren't just looking to have a good time for a night."

"I'd never treat you that way… if we do fool around… I will stay with you. I have no plans to start something I can't finish. I just want to make sure we both can do this and not have any problems." She nodded, though she was still uncertain of the choice she would make on seeing him with out fearing being caught.

*If we do this will it make things worse, will we want more? After all human nature is to… find a mate. * "Genki I just want to make sure we don't… make things worse for us. We could easily get caught up in lust for one another."

"I know. I want to share this with you… its something we can do together that has meaning. It's a deeper trust then what we have now. And its something we can do and no one will have to be the wiser of it. It'll be our secret experience." it was obvious that Genki wanted to share an experience with her that required trust and would be special between them. Holly though was unsure that this would be productive.

"We can have an experience like that without… checking each other out." her blush worsening.

"How?" he seemed genuinely at a loss.

"Like this…" she leaned forward, being much bolder then normal, and placed a feather light kiss on his lips. Genki was wide eyed with shock at her bold move. When he recovered he smiled, tilting his head, he moved to pull her into another soft kiss. Slowly this evolved into gentle making out with each other. Holly wanted to remain gentle for fear they would drive each other over the edge. After a few minutes they stopped, having to come up for air. "See… that was special enough right?"

"Yeah," his voice a harsh whisper as he tried to regain his breath.

The couple enjoyed each other's company as they settled what they wanted to do at this time. When the rain finally stopped Genki rose to check their clothes. They were dry enough that the sun would finish drying them. He brought the only slightly damp clothes back over and handed Holly hers. Taking a deep breath Holly rose and dropped the blanket to the floor. As she let it fall away she realized Genki was staring at her wondering what she wanted him to do. He had seen an interesting look pass through her eyes. She took her clothes from him then put them down. Moving closer to him she pulled him into another embrace. She felt tingly all over and it wasn't from the cool cave.

"Genki… I want you to look at me…"

"Holly I thought you said…"

"I know… but we aren't going to get another chance… we are never alone long enough. I know we can kiss without being caught but this is different." she pulled back her eyes meeting his. Her face held a bright blush, though not as bright as Genki's. Even though he had suggested it, it still made him nervous.

"If that's what you want then I will… but I want you to look over me too… its only fair." she nodded, take a deep breath she stepped away from him. Genki took a deep breath as well, he then let his eyes wonder over her. He noticed that she was growing nicely in her curves, even more so then the last time he had glimpse her upper body. He also noticed her breast was larger then last time. He may not have had time to measure it but he knew she had grown. He felt the heat in his body and face rise as his eyes mover lower. He liked the curves of her hips and noticed they were wider now then before. Before they were not equal with her shoulders, now they were. He knew she was looking him over well enough too. He felt her gaze and knew by glances to her face that she too was struggling slightly with this. He finished his look over with her nice legs, long and well built he knew she was in great shape. When he finished he met her eyes, Holly's had darkened slightly with desire but he was sure his had as well. She moved to him again, he met her half way as they kissed. She moved her hands over his upper body checking the tone of his muscles. Realizing for the first time how well toned he was for his age. She felt his hands on her back and noticed them over to her stomach and sides. He never attempted to touch her anywhere else. Smiling she broke the kiss, he pulled her close holding her. "I wish we could stay this way… Holly… you feel so soft against me though I know you're strong… and… I love your scent… it's soothing." he truly enjoyed her soothing aroma and hoped her being 'soft' would be a compliment. She giggled,

"I wish we could do that as well. Women aren't meant to become hard and muscular. We can be strong with out it. I enjoy your scent too." she had noticed it over the past couple of days. She really did like his slightly musky scent that was unique to him. After awhile she pulled back looking into his eyes. "We need to get back. I would hate to be caught by the others like this…" he nodded understanding. Genki checked her wound one more time, he made a point of touching her a little more then he needed making her giggle at him; and turn them both shades of red. Dressing slowly, not wanting to lose their time together they spoke about how they would have time alone together once they were back. After they finished Genki packed up his stuff and they headed outside hand in hand.

By the time they got to the meeting point Suezo was on the ground smoking. Genki sighed; he knew Tiger wouldn't tolerate the eyeball long term. And Suezo was probably panicked over not seeing Holly for so long.

"Holly, are you alright?" Hare asked, as he was also worried.

"Yes, Genki found me and helped me treat my wound. I'm fine. The rain just stranded us. We were cold enough without getting completely soaked a second time." Hare nodded, Tiger walked up brushing against her leg in a show of affection. He did this rarely but it meant a great deal when he did.

"We were really worried. I'm glad he found you and that you are alright."

"Holly, oh my phoenix! What happened?" Suezo had finally woken from his near death experience.

"I got chased by a Cabalos, he injured me but I fended him off."

"You're hurt!" he yelled causing everyone to cover their ears.

"I'm fine Suezo. Genki helped me take care of the wound. And he gave me his blanket so I could stay warm." Tiger had studied the couple by now and knew something had happened that they were omitting. Genki was standing abnormally close to her and he had noticed how quiet the boy was.

* Good for you kid, you finally made a move. All it took was a storm and being away from us. * Suezo eyed the couple as Tiger smirked.

"Well I am just glad you are safe."

"I know Suezo." she hugged him awkwardly, though she was used to it. He was her monster and she knew how to deal with him best. With that settled Hare spoke up again.

"We should get a move on."

"Hare is right… we must get to next tournament… win legend cup… then we can set your dad free Holly." Golem smiled, as he rose from his seated position. Mocchi, who had just returned flung himself at Genki.

"Genki chi!"

"Hey Moch. You ready for the tournament?"

"Yeah chi!" he pumped his fist in the air as his trainer always did.

"Alright gang, let's get a move on!"

"Yeah!" they all joined him, the group chuckled seeing him back to normal. * Its good to have him back to normal… Serious doesn't suite him * Holly thought as they began to walk towards their next destination. * At least I have something to look forward to with him now though. We can finally move forward in more ways then one * she smiled as she fell in line beside her monster watching Genki prance on ahead.

AAN: yep got the idea from all the rain we have and the new story RockRoadSmith put out. Thanks so much! I may do a one shot sequel to this later when i get time. 8 pages and my hands hurt from all the typing. Read her story 'How Awkward' though.