The boy lay, spread eagle, on the moist earth, its heady, heavy scent filling his nostrils. He was alone, parallel to every night he spent melding into the darkness. Unlike every night, however, a darkly shrouded figure slowly made its way to join him.
"What are you doing here?"
"I followed you."
The expected anger did not come, rivalry melting into the night. The second character lowered himself slowly beside the first, one arm thrown around his legs, the other holding him up. He threw his head back to stare at the sky.
"I love it here"
"Hm?"
"I love gazing at the stars, it reminds me of silver eyes watching over me, reminding me my suffering is worth something. I love feeling the trees above me, standing old and strong, holding the might of ages. I love listening to the wind, whispering tales lost to the fast-pased human world, the dead's suffering and the living's joys. I love smelling the eternal earth, our mother and creator, anciently everlasting. I love tasting the night on my tongue, the suffocating darkness consoling my sorrows with its mysterious ever-flavor. Is there anything better."
"There is."
A confused frown flickered across shadowed features, head tilting slightly, urging tonight's companion to continue.
"It's better when the sun shows its true self and rises above its oppressors."
"Sunrise?"
"It's better when I can gaze at the sun's face, smeared with peace, serenity surrounded by golden thread and orange flame. It's better when I can feel its pulsing heat beside me without fear of burning alive. It's better when I can listen to its soft whispering when it asks questions none can answer and answers them itself without hesitation. It's better when I can smell its sweet, light-bearing perfume and know the darkness within." The boy swung his arm so his palm would press against the cool, damp ground, arm stretching across the other's chest, his upper body hovering above the second boy's. Dark begging eyes stared into clear confused orbs. "And it would be ever better if I could find out how spicy and sweet and sour the sun can taste." The eyes became half-lidded as the boy lowered himself quickly so his lips would brush against the soft pair beneath him before pulling back up, unwilling to watch the reaction, which should soon be coming. Displeasing, his lids fluttered open when an arm draped around his waist and fingers brushed palely against his cheek.
"My favorite nights are those where the moon large and full over the cliff, barely out of reach." Sparkling crystal-blue absorbed the pale, translucent face and hands, the dark mysterious depths many refer to as eyes, the silken shadow-strands most call hair, and the navy night-clothes that missed but stars. Tan fingers trailed up to the cool, slender neck, leisurely tugging the nightly apparition towards him. "It seems tonight the moon is closer than ever."
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If any asked why either the sun or the moon were absent that night and the next morning, the answer was simple. "In a quiet moment on a clifftop under a sky of twinkling light, they have put aside their endless cycle of chasing and bettering, and have found each other."