Thanks for the reviews; they made my day! Nice to know there are still some loyal ReiMao fans out there. I don't own Beyblade; you know this to be true.

-X-

Almost two hours after Mao had visited him, Rei was still wide-awake. Lee has visited him shortly after his sister, and done all the usual things Rei would have expected from one in his position; changed his bandages, asked him how he felt, told him to try and get some rest, but Rei couldn't bring himself to shut his eyes. The unnaturally clean smell, the brightness of the room, even at this hour, even the way the equipment was set out; it all reminded him of a time he'd rather forget.

He had no right to be thinking ill against Mao and Lee, as they had thought they were doing the right thing. But, as memories of thirteen years ago flashed through his mind, he inevitably thought that bringing him here would leave him in a far more distressed state than he had been in when he'd been attacked.

A surge of panic swept through him; after seeing both of the healers, his nerves had calmed, but neither of them could shake that foreboding feeling of panic that had managed to work its way into his system. Perhaps, if he'd been just those few minutes earlier, instead of figuring his two hosts had retired for the night, he would have been able to leave before Mao had seen him, standing up and ready to work his way through the thick white curtain drawn around his bed. But this was none of their concern, and he didn't feet the need to be a burden to them any longer. He was eternally grateful, but felt that he needed to get back to his own house, if he was ever to feel secure.

Rei sat up at a rate he found to be agonisingly slow; naturally he was quite agile, and his wounds causing him physical limitations was one thing he hadn't wanted. When he had finally righted himself, he used his arms to swing himself around so that he could slide off the side of the bed and to the ground with minimal pain to his back. Once he had accomplished this task, he paused for a moment, and leant on the side of the bed, while resting almost his entire body weight on his arms. From the hours of lying down, his legs were slightly unsteady, so he patiently waited until his limbs once again got used to the pressure of his weight upon them.

His next plan was to find something to pull over his top half, which was completely bare disregarding the bandages wrapped around his torso. Rei moved slowly to the edge of the curtains and pulled them back, his eyes adjusting to the moonlight, which was flooding the pallid room an eerie shade of grey-blue. Noticing the plain white shirt he had worn when he was attacked was in tatters on the steel operating bench, he quietly opened cupboards one-by-one until he found a cupboard stocked with a few spare shirts, which were operating gowns more than something you'd wear casually. He grabbed one that looked to be his size and slipped his arms into it, not bothering to do it up at the front. Now that he had managed to crawl out of bed and find something to shield him against the cool night air, his main objective was to get out of the building without waking Lee or Mao.

As slow as humanly possible, Rei crept through the house and past the other rooms on the ground floor. He suspected that their bedrooms would be up on the second floor to catch the breeze, but he didn't feel he could be too careful. And as he reached the final door before the front door, his route of escape, he realized how lucky he'd been in assuming that there may have been someone asleep down on the bottom story of the house.

Mao was curled up on a couch in what was probably some sort of lounge room. Her knees were pulled up to her chest, her arms were lying limply across the small portion of the couch that remained free, and her head was lying gently against the armrest. Her hair was tangled around her head, ruffled by the uncomfortable place she had chosen to sleep. Her ankle-length nightgown, trimmed with dark blue, had worked itself upwards and the hem now lay midway down her thigh.

Rei suddenly became aware of the way he was staring at her. She had shown him compassion and caring in a town that had never accepted him, a town he had arrived in, and had immediately been given the place of 'outsider'. A town that judged you on your purity of blood, and how far you could trace your family's noble legacy in the history of the people of the area and their various and detailed victories in tribal warfare.

He had none of these things, yet a girl whose family had probably lived peacefully in this place for dynasties had shown him concern and empathy as an equal, and saved his life. Perhaps this was the only thing drawing him to her, but looking down towards her uncovered thighs and feeling heat rise to his face, he somehow doubted it.

Mao suddenly stirred, as if she was aware of Rei's steady, admiring gaze on her sleeping form. Rei flinched, but found his legs unable to move, as if he were frozen to the spot. Thus, he could only stand perfectly still and stare as Mao's large golden eyes slowly opened.

For a short period, neither of them moved, as if it were a repeat of when Rei had first woken up and, unbeknownst to Mao, had tried to escape. Then Mao blinked, and her eyes were clear of all traces of weariness.

"Rei?"

She only had time to whisper his name before Rei regained his senses and bolted towards the front door, panicked by what he assumed Mao's reaction would be, and the surroundings that had left him so unnerved. Mao leapt to her feet and dashed after his, but by the time she reached the front door, Rei had already been absorbed by the darkness that blanketed the village by night, not even letting the silvery glow of the moon betray his whereabouts to Mao.

-X-

"He wasn't comfortable here," Lee tried to soothe his sister, who was uncharacteristically worried about their 'escapee'. "I'm sure he's gone back to... wherever he came from... and he's better off there than here."

"You sound like a parent who is trying to convince their child to release some animal they found in their garden," Mao sniffed in indignation, scraping honey across her toast with a butterknife rather violently. Lee watched his sister with an expression on his face, that read somewhere between bewilderment and mild amusement. His sister had always been a stubborn, albeit self-concerned soul, who never really went past the polite courtesies of physician for patient with the people that regularly trudged in and out of their practice; their healing and standard of care being the only one anywhere near the standards of good health set down by China within many miles, as many others turned to expensive but useless herbal remedies, or strange superstitions such as flagellum to keep themselves free of ailments.

However, with his sister around, to the common people they lacked the personal and friendly approach most of the less-qualified physicians had. So in effect, people chose between their health and friendly concern.

Mao didn't really understand her brother's incomprehension of her sudden concern for their latest patient. Finally, she had met a patient with even the slightest amount of gratitude for the work that they did for the town. How could she not be concerned for Rei, after so many more of the townspeople she had known since childhood had shown her no thanks or relief when she tended to their wounds? She supposed Lee had just said those things about Rei for the sake of making her feel better, while underneath she expected he probably thought the same of Rei as the mob who had attacked him did.

By who was she to be a hypocrite? Many people in the village had considered she and her brother, and indeed their forebears, to be strange for practicing a more modern type of medicine.

The two siblings had fallen into silence, but Mao's head was swimming with contemplation.

"Lee?"

Mao's older brother inclined his head to show he was listening, but was too busy draining his glass of milk to open his eyes to look at her.

"If we're not too busy today... I'm going to look for Rei."

Lee finished gulping down the creamy liquid and stared at his sister steadily. "Why?"

"He's injured!" she snarled, aware of what Lee was implying by that question, "And someone will need to find him to change his bandages, and clean his wounds anyway. You know if we leave him alone to his own devices like this, the wounds will not heal properly, and may even become infected, which would surely result in his death if left unattended." Lee's eyes slid closed, indecisive. Mao once again bristled at her brother's nonchalance. "It is our duty, and you know he's not going to return here of his own accord."

Lee sighed. Mao was impossible to bargain with at the best of times, but when she got her heart set on a cause, there was no stopping her. "Fine, Mao... as long as we aren't too busy..."

"Even if we are, we still have a duty of care," Mao snapped, and Lee shrugged.

"He left of his own accord. We don't keep our patients locked up. But I know my humble opinion isn't going to stop you."

Mao rolled her eyes and stood up, going to get ready to find Rei. Sometimes Lee was a hard person to work with, although she knew he probably thought the same about her. Presumably, Lee was angry because he thought she was attracted to Rei... something she wasn't particularly eager to discuss with her older brother. She snatched a black bag she used to carry her supplies to house calls, and started filling it with the materials she assumed she'd need to treat Rei; anything else she'd need for the average patient suffering from a physical affliction- bandages, antiseptic, massage oils, sedatives...

Once she had packed everything she figured she's need, she reached the hard part of her venture; actually finding where Rei had gone. He had to live somewhere in or around the village, and judging by the less-than hospitable welcome he'd got from the villagers, she doubted he lived near the centre of the town, like she did. Although most of the residents lived near the middle of their village, the boundaries of their home spanned out many miles, and finding him could take her the rest of her life. Perhaps the best thing to do was to ask the person that had beaten him in the first place…?

With a determined take to her stride, Mao grabbed the full bag and headed towards the front door.

-X-

Rei's tired golden gaze finally fell upon the familiar building, and a small smile made it's way to his lips. He'd made it home, finally, besides passing out on the way from pain, and waking up, bathed in daylight. He didn't care about that now, however, as he twisted the doorhandle open and looked upon the small, dark living room. He shrugged off the white robe he'd been wearing and regarded his surroundings. Truthfully, he had been afraid that the person who had found him had also had the sense to look for wherever he lived, and he'd had a sudden vision of the only remnants he had of his parents going up in flames.

But now that he was back to familiar surroundings, he felt himself relax, and his eyelids immediately become droopy. How that he felt safe, it would be easier to sleep, to recover... he dragged himself up the thin flight of stairs to his bedroom, and collapsed onto his bed, vaguely aware that his legs were hanging loosely from the end of the bed. Almost as soon as his head hit the pillow, he was asleep… however, one final thought slid through his mind...

'I meant what I said about you helping me, Mao, but your involvement will only further complicate things, and put you in danger... but truly, thank you...'

-X-

Blue eyes glistened sinisterly in the early morning sunlight, as the blonde man sat outside his house. A small white puppy scampered into the yard, chasing a small lizard and panting happily from the thrill of chasing it. The man smirked and picked up a small rock, waiting for the opportune moment to throw it at the small canine. However, his sadistic glee was cut short as the pink-haired healer woman from the centre of the village stepped into his yard uncertainly, avoiding the overgrown weeds delicately.

To him it seemed a real disappointment that a girl of her exquisite quality had been chosen to be a slave to medicine and the village's general population. She'd been a scruffy child, opting to play games like soccer with the boys instead of grooming dolls or dressing up like other girls. However, to men, social hierarchy had little to do with whom you actually socialized, while with girls, popularity seemed to be their lifeblood; perhaps it was good she'd grown up with a more even existence. Now, looking at the way her curves moved fluidly in her simple light pink robe and white shoes, he could see that physically, she was anything but even.

Mao smiled lightly as she drew closer, and the man drew his lips over his gums in a too-wide-to-be-natural smile.

"Hello, Mister..." Mao trailed off, unsure of the man's name.

"Liu. Liu Tzujin," the man filled the gap, with an incline of his head. Mao jerked her head down in a short bow, resenting that she had to show respect to this person purely because of his gender and then faced him again, glad of the fact that she was looking down upon him.

"I'm Mao Chou, a healer of the village," Mao introduced herself formerly. "And I understand that you were involved in an attack on that boy yesterday."

"I found him," Liu carelessly shrugged as though they were discussing the weather. "He has no significance or family link to this village at all; he's an outsider."

"Regardless, I am entrusted with the medical care of these people, and I require some assistance."

"And how will you be paying me back for this 'assistance' I offer you?" he asked, looking her up and down a few times. Mao felt her stomach twist at that implication, and she had the urge to turn and run before she was sick from the thought.

"You will tell me where he lives. You know my duty as well as I do, and I do not expect to be charged for this inquest."

Liu grunted and flicked his hand carelessly westward. "You know the river out that way? He lives about one hundred paces from the waterfall. Not sure which direction, but you should be able to see the place by then. Then again, if that kid hadn't been so heavy yesterday, it would be burnt to the ground. Tell him being fat is bad for his health."

Mao turned on her heel and strode away from the man, who had gone back to running his fingers through his greasy hair. It was moments like this that made her glad she would never marry.

She picked up the bag full of medical supplies that she had left by Tzujin's low stone fence, and began to head in the indicated direction, uncomfortably aware of the pair of eyes that were focused on her until she got to the commencement of the forest. This was a place that brought to even the most violent of people a strange inner peace. It was almost like a stereotype from a fairytale; she could hear the river running nearby, light filtered through the foliage above in tiny golden dapples and the leaves on the ground crunched crisply underfoot as she walked. For a while she wandered around in the shade, dawdling along her merry way. She should have been hurrying to find Rei, but now that she knew where he was it would be much easier to find him anyway... but that was really no excuse. Perhaps she was unwilling to see him after both the mishaps from the night before.

As she continued, her ears eventually caught the distant gurgling sound of the water rushing over the rocks and to the stream below, and knew she was close. Following the distinct sound through the trees, she eventually found the small cascade and strained her eyes, turning in a circle to look for where Rei lived.

Mao spotted a flash of white through the woods, and she walked towards it, uncomfortably aware of the heavy black bag digging into her arm. She reached a small clearing, and found herself staring at Rei's house.

It was a two-story house, albeit it was small and looked worn. It was constructed completely from wood and had once been painted white in its prime, but Rei seemed to have been neglecting it for some time now, as the paint was peeling, and a few of the timber slats used to construct it had been almost completely worn and splintered away. The only other structure within sight was a small shed with an iron roof, and a rusted tricycle by the front door. Mao tried to refrain from giggling as she imagined a three-year-old Rei pedalling around this clearing, with proud parents looking on.

This thought brought a question to her mind; where exactly were Rei's parents? Liu had said he had come to the village thirteen years prior, meaning he would have only been three or four years old in the first place; he couldn't have come here on his own. Her eyes narrowed. This was just one more thing she'd be left to wonder about him.

Cautiously, she walked up to the front door and pushed it open, realizing that it hadn't been closed properly by whoever had last entered.

"Hello? Excuse me..." Mao called, only to be answered by silence. The furnishing of the house had apparently been done with no sense of coordination in mind, as all of the furniture looked to be pretty much mix and match. She looked around for any identifying features, and noticed the white robe Rei had been wearing when he'd run away, embellished with a small cat paw-shaped drawing on the tag – both she and her brother had decided it would be a logo of sorts to them; so she was definitely in the right place. The only rooms that appeared to be on the bottom floor were the kitchen, dining and lounge rooms, so she proceeded to the flight of stairs.

The first doorway at the top of the stairs was closed, so she avoided it for the time being, afraid she would intrude into someone's private business. She went to the room on the right, and it was empty, except for a few boxes full of thing Rei had obviously wanted to store. The final room's door was open, and she peeked around the doorframe carefully only to lay eyes on Rei, who was lying on his side, still wearing the same pants he'd been wearing when she'd saved him, and no shirt.

Although she figured he must have been completely exhausted, his sleep seemed to be fitful, as his brow continually furrowed and his jaw was tightly set. His black hair was unbound and splayed out behind him; although still slightly matted by blood, it looked like he'd fallen asleep upon a satin sheet purely because of ebony tendrils fanned out behind him. Some of his hair had fallen into his face, and he snuffled uncomfortably as one of the strands brushed against the tip of his nose.

Mao's hand unconsciously moved forward to brush his hair from his face, but paused midway. Was it right to touch him so tenderly when he was unaware? Would he think ill of her? Sure, he had grabbed her hands the previous night, but this seemed so much more intimate to her... while she was not used to human contact or emotion, he seemed to be a person particularly apt at showing his feelings through actions rather than words, although he seemed to be able to display his emotions without even moving...

Mao crushed the doubts in her mind and slowly extended the tips of her fingers to his face and brushed his hair behind his ear, her palm lingering on his cheek. She was actually surprised of the softness of his skin, considering his work-roughened hands and the scars he'd have on his back from the attack.

Rei's eyes suddenly flashed open, taking her by surprise. Before Mao could say anything, Rei had twisted himself around gracefully and taken a tight grip on her wrist, eyes narrowed and teeth bared. Mao cried out, from surprise more than pain and yanked her wrist from his grasp violently. It was at that point Rei seemed to realize who she was, and his face lost its severity. Mao had backed up against the opposite wall, holding onto her wrist, having been startled by his sudden movement. Rei stood up slowly, being careful not to put pressure on his scarred flesh, and took two cautious steps towards Mao, who regarded him carefully, unsure of his motives. Their eyes locked, and Mao blinked rapidly, but Rei's gaze remained steady. Finally, he spoke, in a slow, even tone.

"Mao... why did you come here?"

-X-

And that's the end of this chapter. Sorry for the cliff-hanger, guys. The next update should be about a month or so away, as I have exams next week and the week after. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. And in the next chapter or two, the real ReiMao starts!