Sunlight slowly crept in through the mesh tent window. The birds had net yet begun their morning song, else the whole mountain would be awake already. On the peak, there was always a heavy, cold breeze; but in the confines of Claude and Rena's tent, body warmth was more then enough to keep them comfortable.
Originally they'd had two mats, but one of them was discarded to the side because they no longer needed it. In order to use one mat, they had to sleep very close together. Neither of them were about to complain, as they were doing such anyways.
Rena woke first as the sunlight tickled her eyes. It was slightly unusual to her, as Claude was normally awake and ready to go before she'd even stirred in her sleep. She smiled as she remembered how close they were two nights ago, and she began to feel a little distant. A cold gust of wind shot through the tent, and she leaned closer against his chest.
Claude woke at that, and began to feel the gust as well. He stretched his arms around her and held her tight. She responded by leaning her head against his chin. It's so nice to be close to him, Rena thought.
"Good morning", Claude said.
"Good morning", Rena replied, turning in his grasp to face him. They now laid face to face, Rena with her head against his shoulder.
"We should probably hurry, or the others will get-", Claude began.
Rena looked up at him and gently pressed her lips against his, effectively silencing him.
"Or…we could just stay her like this", Claude corrected himself.
Rena sighed happily.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Celine took off the window cover carefully, letting the sunlight into the tent. She'd wrapped a blanket around herself as covering, otherwise she wasn't yet dressed. She was ready to go bathe, but now she had to wait for her dozing husband.
She dropped her blanket and lay down next to him, running a finger through his hair, feeling the waviness. She dropped down to his neck and it slid down towards his chest. She took several fingers and moved them around in circles around that area. It moved slowly closer down his stomach and down-
His hand quickly yet gently grabbed hers. Apparently he'd just woken up in time. "A little frisky today, 'Line?"
She smiled. "Just trying to wake you up."
"Well, that would have done it. It would've caused me to reciprocate though."
She giggled and moved closer to him. "Hmm, Chris…my husband." She wrapped her hands around his neck.
He kissed her. "I thought we needed to bathe."
"Not anymore", she said, and held him tighter.
"But what about-"
"Chrisss….", she said, trailing the S.
"They'll notice us!", Chris argued.
She looked out the tent window and raised a hand. She chanted something, and instantly an energy field surrounded the tent. Celine chanted something else, and the field turned opaque.
"Better?", She asked, lowering her gaze to his.
"Much", he replied, kissing her deeply.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Chisato and Ashton were up long before the sunrise. They'd gone to bed before the others, so they needed less sleep. They were sitting at the stream, watching the water fly by. Chisato was a little nervous, an annoying situation for a reporter. She knew Ashton would have a barrage of questions for her.
He had been sitting next to her, letting her lean against him. He gently set her upright and stood, walking to the edge of the stream. Here it comes, she thought. He'll want the truth, and that's what he'll get, I suppose. Isn't that what I always want too?
"I think we'd only been in Central City for less then a day", Ashton started.
This caught Chisato totally off guard. "…wha?"
"We'd just checked into the inn and were going back to see Narl, and there you were."
Chisato grew red at the comment. That memory wasn't a good one, as it showed how easily she'd been noticed by the ones she was trying to follow.
Ashton continued. "You just kept with us, through ever place we went. Then you dropped that card in the cave…I've always wondered, how did you follow us there?"
Chisato smiled. "We reporters have our ways." Wearing a blue wig and lying to the dimwitted transporter personnel wasn't the proudest moment of her career, but you gotta do what you gotta do, neh?
"Anyways, I'm glad you followed us. When we went back to Central City and recruited you, I had always thought of you as just a battle partner…I guess there's always been something there for you, because now I wouldn't trade you for anything. You know?"
He looked back at her…and realized she wasn't there.
He pondered for a second. Where did she-…oh no…
The resulting splash was the combined weight of Ashton and Chisato hitting the water at the same time.
"Ashton…you talk too much", she said, kissing him. He kissed her back, ignoring the comment and the fact that he was now soaked. That didn't matter. They were together, she was with him, in his arms.
"Chis-"
"Too much!", she said again, kissing him. "If you don't shut up, I'll never stop."
"Then why would I want to do that?", he said, invoking another kiss.
"Because…then that's all I would concentrate on, kissing you. I don't want to just concentrate on that…multi-tasking…", she trailed off, kissing him yet again.
"A-awwark Awrrk!"
They both looked up at Urunun. Gah, blasted dragon, what now?, Ashton thought. But Urunun wasn't looking at them, he was looking towards the shore. Ashton and Chisato followed his gaze.
On the hill, Claude and Rena were standing there watching, speechless.
The birds began to sing.