The resigning dawn slowly seeped from the earth as the stars rolled over the trees. There were dark clouds posing besides the full moon, accumulating moisture for a hard rain by midnight. As the cold winds from the nearby ocean slowly started to howl, the small band of soldiers became startled, and began to converse each other to hide from the sounds of a hurricane coming from the woods.
A certain purple-haired girl strode between the tents, her feet kicking through the weeds instead of treading on them. She was bored out of her mind and told herself that she would find someone to spar with beneath the stars. She didn't find any success with the bishop and decided to look for the commander, if only to chat with him. The tall grass in the distance curled back and whistled as the nightly winds passed over them. The clangs of metal on metal could be heard coming from within the forest.
"Commander Ike!" she called while making her way through the camp. "Commander Ike! I need to speak with you! It's very important!"
She looked around only to see that her calls were answered by crickets. In fact, she felt that they were mocking her, and so she drew her sword and began slashing away at the dense foliage within the forest. Others watched this strange situation with no surprise at all, assuming nothing more than an outburst of character.
"Mia, you were looking for me?" said a certain blue-haired boy from behind her.
"A-ha! I've found you! Prepare yourself, commander! I'm you're opponent now!"
She swung her sword in a full arc, generating all the power that she could only to meet another sword blocking the strike with little effort or movement.
"Whoa!" said Ike as he stepped back from Mia. "That was a bit rash. I could've gotten hurt if I didn't block that."
"Nope! I knew you'd block my strike because I know your style too well. You're lightning fast when it comes to close combat."
"Fine, I'll take that as a compliment. Anyway, what were you calling me for?"
"Just tryin' to find a sparrin' partner."
"That's it?"
"That's it," said Mia as she smiled.
The vampire moon watched the couple as they gazed at each other in silence, neither of them knowing how to respond.
"Fine," said Ike.
She smiled again and charged at him with an unwavering focus. The crows in the forest departed in to the night skies as the two soldiers struck and parried each other's blows. Their swords flashed like thunder, slicing through the resisting air. The dust rose from the ground and manifested a sandy fog between the two.
Ike pulled back his arm in anticipation for a dodge and then an attack. Mia charged forward, accumulating a wall of wind behind her as she prepared to attack. She missed her strike as Ike sidestepped from danger and wound his arm behind his back. He saw his chance and swung his arm for the winning strike.
Mia quickly summoned her nerves and positioned her sword to meet Ike's. The two blades met and the force of the strike propelled both combatants' weapons out of their hands. Mia's legs buckled and she lost balance, falling in to Ike's hands as they both tumbled to the earth.
She blushed, and then he blushed.
The crickets continued to play their song as the fireflies danced to it in a fervid waltz. Smoke that rose from a crackling campfire besides the two melted in to the atmosphere.
"Ike…. I-" she said.
Ike was still too dazed from the fall to open his mouth. He just looked in to her eyes with a fiery desire.
A few droplets of water fell from the sky. The wild flowers around them rejoiced in the anticipation of rain.
"I've never kissed a boy before…" she said, her voice trailing off in to silence.
"R-Really?"
She nodded.
The rain began to fall down with more ferocity. The campfire sizzled out and the familiar smell of burnt wood permeated through the camp while the clangs of metal against metal could still be heard in the distance.
Ike wrapped his arms around Mia and pulled her body close to his. She gasped a little and then relaxed as their wet lips met.
The rain turned in to a torrential downpour. It didn't care what Mia and Ike did, but the trees could tell that this was the start of a powerful bonding between the two soldiers-turned-lovers. The crickets' song was drowned out by the pling-plang of the rain pounding on the trees, but the fireflies still pranced around under the dense canopy and provided a peculiar, inexplicable aura that resonated a certain feeling of hope. They would continue to dance until the early hours of morning, circling the two humans as their bodies mingled under the midnight showers. The rest of the army sat in their tents waiting for dawn and dew.
But they were to be disappointed, because it would be a long night after all.
