The moon was full. It was so bright that it almost blinded him; so bright that it was hard to see the stars near it. It seemed somewhat unreal, but Geddoe knew quite well that he wasn't dreaming. He only hoped their hiding place was good enough because they couldn't afford to get caught.

He was on a scouting mission with three other members of the Fire Bringer. Wyatt was the leader of the small group; he didn't know the other two that well. They had volunteered to go, and Wyatt obviously knew them well enough to trust them.

They were about half a day away from their target. There was always the possibility of some Harmonian guards keeping an eye on the surroundings, so they had to be extra careful. Their mission was simply to find out where the Harmonian units were being moved and report that information to the man known as the Flame Champion.

Geddoe sighed. He had no idea why he couldn't sleep even though they had been on the move all day and were totally exhausted. Their small camp in the edge of the tiny forest had no fire, but the night was warm, so that couldn't have been the reason. The ground was quite soft too; sleeping there should be comfortable enough. Still, he had tried for over an hour then given up and walked around a little.

Right now, he was sitting under one of the bigger trees, wasting his time trying to count the fireflies that were circling around a bush nearby. The small trees near him caught the light wind blowing through the woods. It was almost silent; even most of the normal night sounds seemed to be quieter than usual.

Some time passed, and then he could hear footsteps. He didn't pay much attention to them; they were coming from the direction of the camp, and he knew they belonged to one of his teammates.

"Can't sleep, Geddoe?"

The dark-haired man didn't move. "Wyatt."

The blond man smiled, kneeling down next to the other. "If you don't feel like sleeping, you could just as well take over my watch..."

"Can do." Geddoe stood up and leaned his back against the tree, looking at the other man. "You tired?"

"Actually, no," came the answer. "I slept fairly well last night considering the circumstances. Ah well, I guess keeping watch together is less boring than doing it alone."

The other man didn't reply. They stayed quiet for the longest time, watching the dry leaves dance around as they were thrown up from the ground by the wind. Geddoe glanced at the sky; the moon had reached its highest point now. They would have to keep an eye on the plains in case someone was there.

"Say," Wyatt said quietly, breaking the silence. "Why did you volunteer for this mission?"

The older man closed his eyes. "Hmm. Maybe I thought you'd feel lonely without me."

Wyatt laughed a little, shaking his head. "Ryu would get a good laugh out of that answer. You're not the type to make jokes, though. So?"

"What?"

"Why? Or is there no reason?"

Geddoe didn't reply, keeping his gaze on the plains beyond the few trees. There was a small animal wandering around in the tall grass, but nothing else dared to show itself in the bright moonlight. There weren't any night birds up in the sky either; maybe the animals could sense that something was about to happen in the area.

"Just felt like it, I guess," the dark-haired man said finally, looking at Wyatt.

"How typical of you." The other man took a couple of steps forward, looked at the plains for a moment, and turned around. "Maybe I'll tell that to him anyway. Our friend the Flame Champion might find it amusing."

"Probably." Geddoe sat back down and leaned on the tree again.

Wyatt walked to him and sat down next to him. "At least he's happier now... Now that he has Sana." The other man just nodded, so he continued. "Wonder if that would work for you... Getting a girlfriend I mean. Considered that lately?"

"Not really," Geddoe answered, staring at the plains. A couple of clouds had appeared in the sky and had drifted close to the moon. That resulted in some shadows crossing the grassy plains, but they were gone as quickly as they had appeared.

"Aww. Must be because I've spoiled you."

"You wish," the older man replied, but couldn't keep a slight smile off his face.

"Ha! Made you smile," Wyatt commented, grinning.

Once again the older man didn't answer. Instead, he pressed his head against his friend's shoulder and closed his eyes, sighing. The day had been long, and he was starting to feel tired. Taking a nap sounded like a good idea.

"Tired?"

"A little."

"Sleep then." Wyatt moved a little, letting the other man take a better position where he was sitting. Only a couple of minutes passed before Geddoe relaxed, his steady breathing indicating that he had fallen asleep. Wyatt just smiled.

"Good night, Geddoe," He whispered. He kissed his friend - and lover - on the forehead before turning his head, to keep a watchful eye on the empty plains.

Author's notes:

Random snippet I started in October and then finished in December. Pointless little story really, but most snippets are like that, hmm?

Anyway, happy b-day, Brandi!

- Elmina (December, 2003)