Anyone else having issues with editing documents? Probably. I have no editing tools :( Anyway, I wrote this several months ago and never uploaded it. So here it is. It's set during the third world tournament before BEGA.

Hilary: Moonlight Serenity doesn't own or affiliate with Beyblade or Cascada. She's just a nerd that writes too much about kissing.

AJ: Watch out for the kissing!

Kai: On with the fic!

Because the Night

"Come on now, try to understand

The way I feel when I'm in your hands

Take my hand, come under cover

They can't hurt you now."

- Cascada "Because the Night"

"I know you're there, Kai," Hiromi Tachibana abruptly whispered to the stale, arid night. "They're gone. You can stop hiding." The bushes shuddered and a pallid figure emerged from the shadows. "Have you been waiting very long?"

"I needed to see you," the male responded. The pair stood silently beneath the stars for a few minutes. The brunette inhaled deeply and turned her body toward the other figure. She held out her hand to him.

"I know. I missed you, too," she murmured, answering his unspoken feelings, as she stared into his flickering, amethyst orbs. Kai responded to her invitation by moving toward her and clasping her hand. A moment later, he fluidly pulled her into his arms and buried his head in her tresses. He breathed her scent in deeply before nuzzling his nose into the crook of her neck.

The midnight sky always allowed them a degree of cover that they appreciated. "The others won't be back until tomorrow afternoon," he informed her. One corner of the girl's plush, pink lips tugged upward into a small smile that was almost bittersweet. They'd somehow created their own little world in this midst of all the chaos. It excluded everyone else – an "us" as opposed to "them." They belonged to two realities now that were nearly impossible to interlink. It was very difficult, but they relished the few secret moments they stole together.

They were shrouded in the blanket of the darkened sky as they traversed to Kai's empty hotel room. The couple moved fluidly beneath a waning crescent moon. Kai's arm rested on Hilary's shoulders and her own limb was draped around his waist as they travelled mutely. Their bodies were very infrequently interwoven, but they fit together seamlessly. They were never able to have physical contact in the public eye, but could only savor a degree of closeness. It was therapeutic to finally connect at all.

Eventually, the pair arrived in front of the stark, white door of Kai's hotel room. The hall was empty at such a late hour and they'd carefully avoided any unwelcome eyes during their journey. The young man reached into his pocket, retrieved his card, and slipped it through the censor without ever breaking the entanglement with his companion. The two moved into the room and Kai closed the door. He pressed a button the keypad and the green light flashed red to signify the entryway couldn't be opened from the outside. It beeped. Temporarily, the two effectively blocked away the rest of the world.

Ravenous with suppressed wanting, Kai swiftly maneuvered the arm around Hiromi's neck to and sinuously pressed her back to the door. His mouth hungrily ensnared her pliable lips and his hands twisted in her soft, chocolate locks. The Japanese girl responded eagerly to his kiss and groaned headily. Kai growled appreciatively. Within a few moments, the two parted for air. Hiromi gasped and panted while Kai, unwilling to waste a single minute and unable to restrain his long suppressed desires, began to trail hot, fervid kisses down the column of her throat. He ran his warm palms down her limbs as he rose to once again capture her mouth. He kissed her softly. Tenderly. Lingering. Once. Twice. He paused and pulled away to look into her eyes before wrapping his arms around her form. She rose on her toes to place her lips affectionately upon his painted cheek.

Kai wanted to drink her figure in once more. It wasn't often he could look upon her in such an unguarded manner. It wasn't often he could appraise her lovely being. He put his hands on her shoulders and stepped back to stare. She stood noiselessly while he memorized her appearance. He committed the cut and length of her thick, mussed, choppy brown hair to his memory; her large, almond eyes – their lively, sparkling ruby hue; her fair skin and the few training scars that marred it; the small nose; her cupids bow; her long neck with its steady pulse; the gradual slope of her shoulders; her muscled arms; the ample swell of her chest; the floral dress that cloaked her figure and masked her taut abdomen; the hulk of her long, powerful legs; the practical black tennis shoes she wore in order to always be prepared. Hunger and pride made his chest swell again and she shivered under his gaze.

"Are you cold?" he asked in an unwittingly husky tone.

"No, not really," she contested, but he'd already moved to turn up the setting on the thermostat.

"Hungry?" he furthered his inquiry.

"I'm all right," she stated. "We were so late because Takao decided we should all get a late, late dinner." She headed toward his couch and kicked off her shoes. He leaned against the doorframe of the kitchenette. "He's been distracted about the upcoming match so it was pretty easy to get him to go on ahead while I ran a last errand. He's tired, too; he won't wait up."

"I know," Kai said as his eyes continued to rove her form freely, "I heard them." Them, again. "Are you tired?"

"Yeah, a little," she assented and punctuated her statement with a nod. "We all got up early, too; it was a wild day. We were all over the place and Takao has no sense of time." She moaned unhappily as she stretched out of the couch, "this tournament is starting to make me crazy." She frowned. "This is hard. I miss you a lot."

Hiromi didn't enjoy much about this situation. She used to spend undisturbed hours on end with Kai and took advantage of them. Now, she could only steal a few nights with him in secrecy. Takao didn't know about this relationship and he couldn't know now. It would crush him and she would stay with him. They were friends and she wouldn't abandon him in his time of need. Kai could take care of himself and didn't crave friendship like Takao did. Kai didn't feel betrayed or like a traitor. If Takao knew she was with Kai, it would hurt him badly while he was already wounded by the absence of his friends. She would be another defector by association. She didn't want any of her other friends to find out, either, for risk of them telling Takao and the paparazzi couldn't find out, as well. It was a private relationship, after all, and it would cause too much upheaval when everyone really needed to focus.

Kai said nothing while she spoke or thought, but moved to make the two of them a pot of coffee. A few minutes later, he brought her a mug and she took it contentedly. She propped her head on the armrest. "I do, too, but I have to do this." The boy perched on the couch near her feet and rested his hands on her shins.

"I know," she said as she sipped the rich liquid, "I understand." She flexed her toes. She really wasn't mad or wounded anymore. She truly understood why he had to leave. She was just glad to be with him at the moment.

Kai waited until his companion finished most of her coffee before he let his desire take hold of him completely. When she swallowed the last of the dregs, he gripped her free wrist and helped pull her to a sitting position, but he didn't release her limb when she put the cup down; instead, he pulled her into his lap and once again ensnared her lips – a strange, tangy combination of bitter black coffee and her natural sweet flavor greeted him. He tasted her hungrily and his hand fisted in her hair. He twisted to push her down onto the sofa and he hovered over her. His fingers ghosted up her sides and she shuddered.

"I miss you," she said again between kisses.

"It won't be much longer," he said without pausing his current ministrations – his lips were busily skimming along the flesh of her neck

"I know," she repeated. He stopped abruptly and rested his head on her chest to listen to her heart pulsing steadily. The cycles of frenzy and tranquility they were flitting through weren't atypical during their short meetings. They were a couple comfortable enough with one another to be calm, but they were also passionate and often separated – the passion that lay dormant during the daylight hours sparked and burned ardently during stolen nights.

"Are you going to walk me back tonight?" she breathed finally. The spell was starting to break.

"Yes," he said simply, "do I get to walk with you?"

"No," she said after a short duration. He growled – he wanted to hold onto her as long as possible and Takao's feelings be damned. He gripped her arms and kissed her until his frustration subsided. She looked a little dizzy when he pulled away. "Oh," she exhaled, "if you're going to kiss me like that I will definitely need you to support me on the way back to the hotel."

If he were a foolish man, he would kiss her again only to be able to walk her home, but he was not a foolish man. He was sure Hiromi wouldn't retract her earlier statements even if he did kiss her into blissful oblivion. He settled on looking into her ruby eyes and watching the light dance within them.

"I'll win," he told her. "I will return to you afterward."

"Because the night belongs to lovers

Because the night belongs to lust

Because the night belongs to lovers

Because the night belongs to us."

- Cascada "Because the Night"

It won't let me out of the centralized text stuff! Nooo! So I'll keep this brief! Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it. I know, I know - lots of kissing. I do so much mushy for some reason. Anyway. There was minimal plot, lots of kissing, and some OOCness, but I liked it. And Kai clearly does not keep his promise about coming back - jerk. Runs off for BEGA.

Please review and let me know what you think!

xoxo

Moonlight Serenity