It was dark. The only light in the area came from the remains of a campfire. Light breathing could barely be heard in the shadows. Tidus was awake, stalking through the shadows, trying to be as stealthy as possible. He didn't want to be seen.

As he stepped through the trees, the breathing became louder. Where was it coming from? He looked around, squinting into the darkness. There it was. He stepped forward slowly and steadily, raising his arms.

There he was, right behind the other shadow in the night. He slowly reached around, the other figure still not alerted to his presence, before grabbing the entity around the waist and pulling it close.

"Ahh!" Rikku yell-whispered with false surprise as Tidus pulled her into his chest. She tilted her head back, looking up at him and resting on his chest. "Hey," she said quietly, glad that none of the others had woken up from the sudden, albeit brief, commotion.

Tidus looked down into her eyes. "So, you're still up too?" he asked, despite the fact that she was obviously awake.

"Yeah," she murmured before looking back straight ahead through a gap in the trees. "I thought everyone was asleep," she whispered absentmindedly, her true focus being not on the conversation but the view of the nighttime horizon.

"Not me! I couldn't rest, it's just too noisy out here in the middle of the woods. I'm surprised the rest of them didn't insist on moving on to an inn."

"Hmm. You'll be tired in the morning, you know."

Tidus undid his 'behind hug' and walked over to her side. "Nah, I've never needed much sleep anyway," he grinned with a rather large yawn.

Rikku laughed. "Then what was that?"

"My, eh, nightly deep breathing exercise. All Blitzball players do it. Keeps us alert and focused the next day."

"I see," she said, playing along and resting her head on his shoulder. Her eyes were locked on the Moonflow glowing in the distance. "It's pretty at night, isn't it?"

"Yup. I always wanted to see it at night." Tidus placed his chin on top of her head. They stood, staring silently into the distance in a euphoric half-sleep together.

They were suddenly brought back to reality by a rustling behind them. Wakka was awake, sitting up behind them. "Hey, it's the middle of the night. You should get some sleep, ya?"

Tidus couldn't help but laugh, if only in his head. Even after he had retired, Wakka still slept with a blitzball. Sleep had shaped his hair into a mass of twisting points and curls.

"What you smilin' at?" he asked groggily.

Rikku was also looking now, giggling lightly and burying her face in Tidus's chest in a feeble attempt to hide it. "Wakka, your hair!" she said, pointing.

He ran a hand through it, feeling the spikes but generally making it stick up even worse.

"Yeah, Wakka," Tidus said, "your hair looks like hell."

"I'm sure yours would too if you would get some sleep tonight, ya?" He waved a hand as if to say 'do whatever, I'm going to sleep' and dropped back down almost as though he had passed out.

"I guess he's right," Rikku whispered, "I'm gonna get some rest now. Goodnight." She gave Tidus a smile and went to a warm place by the embers.

Tidus stepped over and sat down next to her, staring at her sleeping face in the dim light of the dying fire, before he laid down close to her, but not too close, and fell asleep.