Hello everyone! I seem to be doing drabbles lately… Sorry about that. Anyway, this drabble takes place in the setting of the bath house in the movie Spirited Away, so… Hope you can sort of picture the place. ;)

P.S. This was done for the ReiMao LJ community.

I do not own Beyblade, and I don't think I ever will.

At the Bath House
By Aquarius Galuxy

He strode past the occupied stone tubs, sparing them a disinterested glance. An accidental spray of water almost hit him, narrowly missing him by an inch as an embarrassed apology ran out behind him. The man turned to give the person a forgiving smile, before continuing on his way.

The robe he had on was mainly for blending into the crowd, although he had visited the bath house for its hot baths before… That was when he'd met her, and learnt to feel for her…

There was so much noise all around him, and his ears strained to pick out the one he loved and treasured the most. He glanced around again.

There she was.

He kept his eyes on her as she served yet another customer, walking to a corner of one of the stone tubs. His golden eyes swept over her in admiration as he stood, mesmerized. He could feel a faint stirring in his heart, one that made him long for her, made him want to pull her close and touch her…

Perhaps she felt his gaze on her when she turned, and he slipped away, not wanting to distract her. The thought of seeing her again later that night weighed heavily on his mind. Why couldn't time cooperate with him? It fleeted by when he enjoyed himself, yet crawled when it was spent otherwise.

Silently, he made his way to the stairwell which led up to the employees' quarters, finding himself in the familiar darkened corridor.

Rei looked around. There didn't seem to be anyone about… It was so quiet, compared to the baths downstairs. His feet took him to a spare room, one that they always used for their meetings.

He slid the wooden door open, stepping in and shutting the door before taking a look around. Everything was the same as when he'd last been here. The memories flowed back – of him waiting, of her arriving, of her being there first, of them embracing, kissing, gazing at the moon together…

He was already waiting for her return…

The bath house was almost quiet when they were done with the cleaning up, save for the low chatters of the other women who worked there. Mao hung the clean towels out to dry, then headed upstairs to the room she shared with a few of the other women.

It was still empty. She must have been early today, then. And she was going to meet Rei… A thrill of excitement ran through her body, causing her stomach to flip.

Something – she wasn't quite sure what – made her dig her nightclothes out of her few belongings, one that was provided for all the women who worked here. A red, bare-backed Chinese apron lay in her hands, with a length of thin ribbon looping from one of the top corners to the other to allow her head to slip through, while another two loose ribbons were attached to the lower corners for tying the base of the apron to her waist.

She'd gotten used to the loose, flowing sensation around her body, though she would much rather have something tighter… Show herself off to Rei, maybe?

She found the dark shorts which accompanied the apron. Her hand stilled momentarily, her mind trying to make her think about what was happening. But her heart rose and brushed her worries away.

Mao got out of her uniform and pulled her nightclothes on, reluctantly tightening the ribbon at her back. This would be the first time Rei would see her in this, and she felt shy about it… She usually wore her uniform when she met up with him…

The woman placed the thick uniform at the spot she found her nightclothes, then looked around once more. She could hear the voices of the others growing louder as they clattered up the stairs. Soon, they would be here, and she wouldn't be able to leave the room… They would start asking questions which did not concern them and start gossiping, or block her way out…

A spurt of adrenaline charged through her body, and she ran to the door, her nimble feet taking her almost silently across the floor. Sliding the door to the right, so that there was a little gap formed, Mao slipped through and pulled the wooden panel back, then sprinted all the way to the spare room, doing the same to the door she now faced, before stumbling into the room and shutting the door behind her.

It was then that she noticed the man.

He was sitting casually on a rolled-out mat – presumably one of the spares – with his legs stretched out and his hands placed behind to prop himself up. Light from the fullest moon she had ever seen fell on the entire mattress, illuminating his form when she arrived.

Mao was suddenly bashful under the intense gaze he was giving her, but she walked forward anyway, covering the distance between them.

He smiled, patting the space on the mat next to him. "Come, Mao, sit beside me."

She nodded self-consciously, her cheeks warm. A moment later she was on the mat, snuggled up against him. The woman began to relax when he rubbed her back, a soft purr escaping her throat. What did she do to deserve him?

He watched her in fascination, the feel of her bare skin tempting him to do… things to her. He liked the wide expanse of smooth skin, although the back rub was a mere excuse to touch her… He couldn't help himself…

Her golden eyes were nearly identical to his, but hers had been bright at first, when she first rushed into the room, and he'd admired her for how she looked almost wild, like a feline… Now they looked calm and sedated, perhaps obliging to anything he wanted. But he wouldn't take her if she didn't want him to… He held her in great esteem, and he would never cause her harm or pain…

Rei ran his hand across her shoulders, causing her to shiver, before trailing it down her side, so that his fingertips brushed the edge of her apron. Mao purred again. Then his hand slipped down to her waist, where the knot was. Her lips parted as she drew a sharp breath. He realized it and pulled his hand back up. The woman seemed a little disappointed…

"Why the dressing tonight?" he asked softly, slipping his arm around her waist to pull her close.

She looked down at her clothes, pulling them straight. "The bath house provides them for our nightwear."

A grin crept up his lips. "I like you dressed like this…"

She hit him lightly on the arm, blushing. "You rascal."

Rei laughed. He loved how she acted sometimes… "And you're the little minx."

"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow, then rested her hand on his chest, toying with the material of the bathrobe. "Speaking of clothing, I'd have to get this washed afterwards…"

The woman pretended to pout. "That's more work for me."

Rei inclined his head. That was a first. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her temple. "You've never complained about that to me before… Though if you want, I could give it to you right now…"

"Then… are you wearing anything else underneath?" she couldn't stop herself asking.

"No."

"You shouldn't have told me that…" Her cheeks burnt. Now she could picture him naked… It wasn't as if she hadn't seen naked men before – she worked at a bath house. But Rei… This was a different case altogether. He was next to her, with his arm around her… "I was joking…"

His eyes were dark when he pulled her onto his lap, tipping her chin up before kissing her roughly. She wound her arms around his neck, eagerly responding to him, instinctively brushing her body against his. He was so warm and inviting…

Rei gasped and reached up, slipping his hand between their bodies – she shivered in anticipation – and cupped her breast, fondling her. She moaned, straining against him… Rei shivered, nudging her lips so that they parted willingly for him. He slipped his left hand down and undid the knot, so that the apron hung loosely from her neck. He crept his other hand beneath the cloth, continuing the exploration of her front…

She fumbled with his robe, causing it to loosen. Breaking away, she let her gaze sweep down his body, her heart catching at the sight of his form.

"Told you I wasn't wearing anything underneath," he murmured huskily between breaths, smirking.

The flame of utmost desire crept upon them as she yanked her apron off her body and pressed closer to him, caught in another kiss…

Tell me if you liked it (or if you didn't)!