Ok, this chapter starts kind of dreamy, like a tale, so I decided to name it "Once upon a Night". It might get a little hot as you read it(at least that's the goal^^), but you will hopefully see something good while we're getting closer to the end (not the chapter's end, the story's end, but that's quite a way we've got...)

Enjoy...

Once upon a Night

It was late at night...The moon was shining bright above the city of Tokyo, and some stray stars were sparkling on the sky...A cool air was breezing, and it was such a sweet night that you could see couples wandering around with no particular reason, just to admire their night-walk...

Such a beautiful night to be in love...

Melane Stewart, though, still hidden in the bathroom, was freezing cold and swearing that it was the first and the last time she was staying over some stranger's house. To her, that night was the worst she had ever lived!

"Damn it..." she said as she sneezed loudly, and her voice echoed in the small room. "I'm cold..." She stood up on shaky legs and pressed herself against the wooden door. It was slightly better than the cold tiles. She then pressed her ear against the wood and closed her eyes in concentration.

Silence...

With a deep breath, she opened the door, even so carefully, and took a step outside the bathroom. The living room was dark and silent, the moonlight was freely entering through the window. For a moment she stood there, with the towel loosely hanging around her. The shimmering light was so welcoming, but evenly welcoming was the old, soft mattress in Toua's room.

Standing in the doorframe, she looked inside. No sound, just the silver moon on the sky. She smiled and stretched her hands above her head. The towel fell on the floor and she stepped towards the mass of pillow and white sheets on the bed. In her mind, she was already curled up under them, facing the wall the bed was touching in one side.

Eyes closed before her body touch the mattress; she fell behind and hugged the sheets. They felt so nice and so warm after the cold tiles and wet towel. And, as always, they smelled like Toua...

"Hmmm..." she moaned and nuzzled against the pillow.

"Content?" she heard a voice, a little too close to her. Her body froze.

'Oh-oh'

"...T-Toua-San?" she faltered and fixed her eyes in what she previously thought was a mass of sheets.

"Who else?" Toua's voice said somewhere above her head. She followed the voice and ended up staring at a familiar pair of golden eyes. And, unfortunately, those eyes belonged to a very real, very sleepy, very naked Toua, with his blonde locks messy from sleep. And Mel realised that what she had mistaken for the pillow and had been hugging was a very manly, very broad chest...

"I-I'm so sorry..." she mumbled and, at once forgetting she was naked, she tuned her back to him and tried to get out of the bed. A hand grabbing her wrist stopped her.

"If you stand up you'll feel even more embarrassed, if possible, because I'll be able to see your body again." Toua said, and Mel could hear the smirk in his voice. "If you stay here, I will pretend that nothing happened and continue to sleep..."

"I'm not sure if I can sleep right now..." Mel whispered and blushed.

'Damn it! I shouldn't have thrown that towel!'

"Just lay back down and relax, Melane..." Toua said and she felt him rather that heard him turn to face upwards.

"Ok..." she muttered "Ok..." and she laid, even so carefully, next to him. She shivered as she felt the heat from his body, so close to her.

"Are you cold?" he asked and she covered herself as well as she could without sheets. She nodded lightly, and he laughed.

"Come here." Toua said and opened his arms. She hesitantly glared him, but he had his eyes closed. "Come. I promise I won'tbite you." he mocked.

"Damn you..." she cursed and hungrily gazed his chest. She guessed it would be warm there...

"You'll get cold unless you come." Toua patiently said. She frowned and looked desperately at the ceiling.

"Is that my only option?"

"It's me or the couch, but without sheets or blankets." Toua teased.

"Pfff..." She moved close to him and, with a momentary hesitation, she nestled in his arms with her head resting on his chest. He closed his arms around her and covered them with the sheets and the blanket. "You know I would chose the couch if I wasn't cold, right Toua...?" Mel whispered, finally warm. "This is the craziest thing I've done so far. I'm sleeping in the same bed with a complete stranger..." she said, and heard him laugh. "What?"

"Well" Toua said and slipped his fingers in her hair "you don't seem to have a bad time..."

"I...I..." She didn't know what to answer. It was so comfortable, his touch so gentle and his warmth so overwhelming, the mattress so soft, and his beating heart so familiar...and his scent..."It just feels nice..." she muttered and nuzzled against his chest, her eyes closed and her arms came to rest around his waist.

"Uh..." Toua looked at her surprised. "Are you feeling all right?"

"...It is strange, isn't it?" Melane said as if she hadn't heard him "I met you only two days ago, in the first match...and now we sleep in the same bed..."

"Are you always like this...?" Toua asked, but smiled and pulled her even closer on his chest.

"Oh, I'm never like this, ever..." she mumbled.

"I bet you won't remember a thing in the morning." he said and rested his chin atop her head. He breath was coming in hot puffs against the skin of his neck.

"Hmmm..." her breath tickled him, and her lips left a soft kiss against his neck.

"Sleep, Mel." Toua whispered.

"Yeah, sleep..." Her breath evened and, finally, she was asleep. Her body relaxed copletely and Toua found he had been breathing in sync with her all this time. He smiled and closed his eyes.

"You really are tired, after all..." he whispered and drifted off to sleep himself.

The moon was still shining outside his bedroom, shedding shreds of light on the two covered bodies. It was such a nice sight that the moon decided it had to shine even brighter. Then maybe those two would just see the light...

...

'Oh, what a sleep...' Melane thought when she started waking up. But she didn't wan to open her eyes just wet. There was that very cloudy dream she had last night that she wanted to keep alive some moments more, before it slipped against her fingers like water...It was a dream in which Toua was hugging her and holding her close to him, and everything was warm and comfy...

'Pity it was just a dream...' she mentally sighed and her eyes parted. 'Strange...' she thought as her vision became less blurry.'Am I still dreaming?'

That body next to hers, or rather glued to hers, was alltoo familiar. As well as the scent hitting her nose...

'It can't be!' and she pulled away. 'Oh, it can be...'

"Toua...San?" she whispered as she glared the half naked body on the bed and the memories of the last night became clear in her mind. "Oh my God...Is he...?" She covered her mouth with her hand and, eyes wide in shock; she picked the sheet up from his lower body. Blood rushed in her cheeks and she put the sheet down slowly. 'Yes, yes he is! Oh my God...' She sat with her back resting at the bed frame and brought her knees close to her body. 'What will I do now? I don't even remember if something happened! I only remember falling asleep! But he is naked, and I'm naked too! So...So...' She blushed even more and covered her eyes.

It was then Toua chose to speak, for he was awake and staring at her from the moment she opened her eyes. Well, to be exact, he was awake and staring at herlong before she opened her eyes...

"Good morning..." he mused and smiled as she jumped and fell off the bed with a loud thud, pulling the blankets with her. She landed on her back, legs spread and still tangled in the sheets. "Well now that's a reaction!" Toua laughed and rested his chin in his hand. His golden eyes where full of joy, and the only thing Melane could think was 'Please, don't stare at my breasts' because she knew she would blush even harder if he did. But Toua just held his hand out and helped her sit on the bed, and covered her with the blanket.

"Thanks..." she said and looked down.

"Relax...nothing happened last night." Toua said and laid back with his hands behind his neck. "You were very cute, though." he teased.

"Oh, stop it." Mel said and stood up straight with the blanket forming a strapless dress around her. "I was tired! I don't know what I do when I'm tired." she explained and searched for something casual in her suitcase.

"That doesn't change the fact that you are cute...And you know you are partially lying..." Toua said and she heard him standing up. Her heart started beating faster, and it jolted when she felt him hugging her from behind. "You are awake now, and rested. Right?" he murmured against her skin.

"Y-yeah..." she breathed and her eyes flattered. That body, that voice...

"Then why aren't you keeping away from me?" She could almost hear him smile, and she wanted to push him off and tell him...

...Tell him what? She forgot everything when his lips started leaving kisses on her shoulders and his hands gently massaged her back and waist. His fingers worked slowly to slip the blanket off, and she was yet again naked when it formed a pond around her ankles, this time under the bright daylight. His hands came to rest on her flat belly as his lips nibled her earlobe. "I can't keep on lying to myself. I want you, even if I know you so little...Melane..." he whispered and turned her to face him. "Don't deny you want me too..."

Without thinking, she moved closer and nuzzled her face against his neck, taking in his scent. His golden eyes were closed when she kissed him on the lips, and he titled his head to the side.

'It's going too fast...'

"Stop it, Toua..." she gasped and pushed him off of her. "Please, don't...You may be able to charm your teammates, but I'm...You don't know me, and I don't know you, and this...This is wrong." she said and picked up the blanket, then wrapped it tightly around her, happy that she managed to complete a sentence and totally forgetting that she was the one that kissed him. She paced away without looking at him, clothes on hand. "I have to stay here for six more days, but please...Don't do such a thing again.' she said and left him standing in the middle of the room, gazing at her back as she paced away.

Toua picked his jeans from a pile on the chair and slid it on. It seemed that what happened had little effect on him, for he was smirking.

On the other hand, maybe he knew that what happened was only the beginning of what seemed to be a very amazingly promising - but also complicated - bond between him and this beautiful young woman...

He also knew that what he did would so delightfully press her to her limits. But, God, it was only the beginning...

He looked outside his bedroom window and he heard the door of his apartment closing. He smiled and waited till he saw Melane rushing out of the building. She didn't know the streets of Tokyo, she had already had an accident and she didn't have money.

"You are so coming back, Mel..." Toua said and leaned against the wall. He closed his eyes and shivered at the thought of her lips as they grazed his. Something inside him told him that he would be feeling her kisses again pretty soon...

^^ I told you it would be a longer chapter.

I can't change the rating yet, and I don't know if I want to, but...There are some rabbits in my hat that really wanna come out and play!

Till my next chapter...

xxx