Lord Cynic: "I really hate you sometimes."

Mashu: "Right back at you. But unless you can write depressing drabble instead, I'm in charge. So shush."

Lord Cynic: "Pfft. Wuss."

Mashu twitches, causing a mass of goats to fall on top of Cynic.

Goats: "Maaa!"

Mashu: "We… well, I don't Golden Sun. Oh, and before we start, let's not state the obvious. That mostly means length (since this is drabble), although anything else is fair game. This is kinda the first genuine drabble so mistakes and whatnot are to be expected…"

Protect

She watched him sleep.

It was nearly midnight, and the group of four travellers had decided to camp out in the open. After the fierce battle they had just encountered, they had no choice. The nearest town was at least a few hours walk away, and the sun had already set, making it a tricky business to travel as far as they wanted. Coupled with the injuries sustained during the fight, it was just too inconvenient.

Isaac hadn't objected. Of course, he couldn't have – he was literally out cold. A ferocious swipe from a killer ape had rendered him unconscious, before an eruption spell from Garet had vanquished the beast. Consequently, he suffered a gash across his chest, and Mia could still see he was having difficulty breathing. The sharp, strained rasps escaped his mouth with every heave of his stomach. It was obvious that even after Mia applied her Ply psynergy, it was taking the Venus Adept a while to recover.

The reason why Isaac was in this state was gazing at him with forlorn, ocean blue eyes. She had allowed herself to get distracted during the scuffle, giving the monster permission to almost crush her. That was when Isaac had haphazardly charged in, before being knocked away, like a gnat. But she had been safe. He had protected her from harm, at the cost of his own safety.

Mia knew Isaac would recover and be back to normal. He never let down his team-mates. Whether it were from battle scars, heat fatigue or even the common cold (all of which Isaac denied any real severity or danger to his well-being), within a few hours or a day's rest, he was back on his feet and leading the group to their goal. Sometimes that self-ignorant, yet selfless attitude was cause for concern, but when he would flash a rare smile, crinkling his pure blue eyes at everyone, they knew they could relax. He would continue to lead and protect them like he always had.

Which was why, as she continued to watch the blonde Venus adept, Mia promised to him and herself that she would protect him like he had her today. She wanted to be the one he woke up to see first the next morning. She wanted to see him smile at her with that familiarity and care he always had for his friends.

She would protect him so that his smile would never die. For if it died, hers would as well.

The End

Mashu: "Technically this is the part people don't read anyway, so I might as well introduce myself. I am Mashu, real name classified. Let's just tag on a cliché and say I'm Cynic's human vessel. Anything else necessary would be on the profile."

Cynic: "People don't read that. Well, plus with the amount of garbage that's there, they most likely can't."

Mashu: "Point taken. Just expect me to be around more often."

Cynic: "Stupid fluff lover…"
Mashu twitches again and the fat lady that sings… does so, rendering Cynic unconscious while Mashu listens to Bleach songs.