So I got Final Fantasy III for the DS at the beginning of the year, and I'm really impressed with it. In particular, I'm in absolute love with the massive opening sequence. Sometimes I watch that thing multiple times in a row, just because it's so epic. (cough) But the game is amazing, and I get super-excited when a cutscene comes, because it lets you actually see how the characters interact with each other.

This story has been drifting through my brain for quite some time now, and I finally sat down to write it. Frankly, I think it's even funnier written out than it was in my head, but I'd love to hear what you think.

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy. Or the characters in this story.

"So I'm thinking Refia exploded," Luneth began, nudging the loose heap of crimson robes with the toe of his boot. His mouth was twisted up in a wry grin; his violet eyes were glittering with mischief. He turned his head to look at the silent youth huddled among the twisted roots of a nearby tree. "Arc? Are you listening to me?"

The boy jumped in surprise, jerking his nose out from between the pages of the book he was reading. The wide-brimmed Black Mage hat perched atop his head tumbled into his eyes at the sudden motion; it was a few moments before he figured out how to put the book safely down and remove the obscuring article from his sight. Luneth sighed. "I recognize the no," he muttered. One silver eyebrow quirked up skeptically as he watched his companion struggle. "Seriously, that thing is too big for you. We wouldn't have judged you if you wanted to stay Freelancer, you know."

"I'll get used to it in time, I suppose," Arc replied. He blinked a few times slowly, like someone wakening from a dream. "Did you say something before that, though?"

"Yes, Arc. Yes I did." Luneth gestured with an open hand to the pile of red fabric. "These are Refia's clothes, right?" Arc nodded. "Where's Refia? Did she melt or something?"

"She's taking a bath." Arc returned his attention to his reading—a little more intently than usual, Luneth noticed. "Said she couldn't stand smelling like sweat and monster guts anymore." A conspiratorial gleam appeared in Luneth's eyes. "Don't get your hopes up, though," the soft-spoken youth continued, as if he had seen the other boy's expression. "She set Ingus as a guard to make sure the area is free of pranking peeping Toms."

"Are you serious?" Luneth asked. He spread his hands wide in a gesture of hopelessness. "It's like she doesn't trust us to respect her delicate feminine modesty."

"Specifically, Luneth, she doesn't trust you." Arc glanced up from his book before retreating further into his voluminous robes. Was that a blush creeping between the freckles on his nose? Luneth couldn't say for sure. "She asked Ingus to keep an eye out for you—I'm just staying here to be on the safe side." A pale hand appeared from the wide, black sleeve and pointed to the forest behind his tree. "They're somewhere back in there, I believe...if you really have a burning desire to see her naked."

Luneth tugged stubbornly at the high collar of his white shirt. "Who's to say you don't?" he challenged. Arc shrugged—at least, that's what the shifting beneath the robes appeared to be.

"Honestly, this book is fascinating," the Mage murmured. "Here—read over my shoulder a bit, and you'll see what I'm talking about." Luneth obliged, perching on a low branch and peering down at the columns of tiny text. No pictures, save for diagrams of proper hand positioning and the resulting cast magic. Arc turned the page slowly, as if he feared the countless printed words would fall into the margins and be lost forever. Luneth smothered a derisive snort. He'd known Arc his whole life, and never—never—had he understood his friend's almost religious respect for books.

"Only you would find this fascinating," the silver-haired boy muttered, sliding from the branch to make a landing befitting the Thief that he was. "Well, I'm heading out on a walk, if anyone asks." He double-checked the pack hidden beneath his green sash, nodding in satisfaction.

"Didn't you just get back from one?" Arc countered mildly.

Luneth hesitated. "We don't have any firewood for tonight," he said. "Remember what Topapa always said about being outside at night without a fire?"

Arc nodded, shuddering a little at the memory. When they were younger, the pair had snuck out of Ur for the night and slept under the stars. Just after midnight, a party of raiding Goblins had overtaken them, frightening the two boys half to death. Fortunately, they hadn't gone far from the village, and their terrified screams had awoken a few of Ur's braver citizens. Topapa, the elder who had raised Arc and Luneth, had scolded them not so much for leaving the village without permission, but for sleeping outside without a fire. Monsters fear fire, he had told them. No matter how strong you may grow, never sleep without first making a fire.

"At any rate, I figure it's smart to gather wood now, while there's still daylight," Luneth continued, and he stepped under the trees' spreading branches without another word. As he turned, he could have sworn he saw Arc glance over his shoulder towards the woods.

It wasn't long until Luneth heard the chuckling of the stream, and only seconds after hearing it, he saw it. The few rays of golden, early-afternoon sunlight that made it between the lush leaves flashed brightly off of the rolling water. The youth paused by the bank and lowered his bare, cupped hands into the shining waters. He slurped quickly, knowing full well that the longer he sat gazing at the clear liquid, the faster it dripped between his fingers. Giving his hands a quick rub with his sash to dry them, Luneth pulled his heavy, dark gray gloves back on and started downstream. He decided to leave the small pile of deadwood where he had dropped it, planning to collect it later, when he made his way back to camp.

Briefly, his mind wandered in the direction of Refia, the only female Warrior of the Light. Bathing. Wet. He admired her fiery spirit and the dedication she showed to her three male companions. Wet. Naked. She was never catty or flirtatious, something that made him like her even more. What does she look like without those heavy robes on? She was better with her two swords than even Ingus—and the lad had practically grown up with a sword in each hand! Luneth thought about her merciless fighting style, and couldn't help feeling a little jealous. Wet. Naked. Refia. He wondered if the slash she'd received a few days earlier across her back had healed fully yet. Yes, I'm just concerned, and that's why I'm thinking so much about her being so bare and exposed and without any mail or robe or tunic to shield her from harm, because—

"If you know what's good for you, you will stop now, Luneth."

Luneth pulled back, narrowly avoiding walking face-first into Ingus's outstretched, heavy-gauntleted hand. He reeled for balance, but failed and landed hard on the ground. The blonde warrior standing before him folded his arms sternly across his chest. Luneth laughed and held up his fist for the other youth to bump in greeting.

"Ingus! Hey, how's things?"

"Things are quite well," Ingus replied stiffly. He regarded his companion's fist with wary disdain for a few minutes, before sighing hopelessly and reciprocating the gesture. "I see you've returned from your walk only to set out upon another." Luneth nodded. "A walk leading you right to the spot where Refia has chosen to bathe?"

"Coincidence," the silver-haired boy responded airily. "I was actually out gathering firewood." He pushed himself back onto his feet and began to walk around the thicket where Ingus stood guard. The stoic youth followed him every step of the way, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You don't believe me, and that's fine. Watch me gather wood for all I—"

"Leave, Luneth," Ingus interrupted. "There are plenty more places for you to gather firewood than this forest. Refia specifically told me to keep you from watching her bathe, and it is a request I shall honor." His blue eyes sparked with the threat, and Luneth backed off with his hands raised defensively. Once away from the glowering guardian, he shoved his hands deep into his pockets and kicked at a tussock of grass.

Ingus didn't believe him, which made him angry and defensive. He's probably poking his head through the branches every so often to get a look at her. True, the two youth had never fit anyone's definition of "best friends", but Luneth certainly didn't walk around with angry threats to Ingus in his gaze. One might almost think the stoic boy was hiding something today. Poor, wet Refia. Getting seen naked by the one who swore to protect her modesty. The blonde's suspicion was understandable, though. Luneth was a self-admitted trickster. Tricky, sneaky. Think I'll sneak in to see her myself? But even then, he had no intention of disgracing his female friend, even if it meant missing out on the chance to see her naked. Bathing. Wet. Naked.

Luneth's footsteps led him back to the camp. Curiously, he noticed that the hollow in the trees' roots that had formerly been Arc's nest was empty. Even more interesting was the neatly-folded Black Mage robes lying beside the hollow, and the peaked hat atop them. Had everyone but him and Ingus decided to run around in the nude? Luneth looked around. "Arc?" he called, lifting into his hands the book that Arc had been reading just before Luneth had left camp. He pulled off a glove and felt the covers, then the robes and hat. All of them still faintly radiated the warmth of the body that had formerly held them. The shy boy couldn't have left more than a few moments ago. "Arc?" Luneth tried again.

"I'm here." Arc appeared from behind the tent Ingus had set up earlier in the day. Luneth noted that his friend was wearing the same cream-colored tunic he had worn in Ur, but without the green overcoat that he loved so dearly. The silver-haired boy frowned thoughtfully. "What? Is something the matter?"

"Yeah." Luneth walked over to his companion and held out the tome. "I thought you found this book fascinating. How could you stand to put it down—and to just leave it out in the open? It's not like you."

Arc's cheeks glowed a faint shade of pink and he fidgeted with the buckle of his belt. "Well, I...I had to relieve myself," he murmured. "I figured I'd only be gone for a few moments, so I thought it would be safe to leave my book unattended."

"Mmm," hummed Luneth. "You know, Ingus won't be too pleased if he finds out you peed behind his tent." Arc's face flushed more noticeably, and Luneth gave the other boy a consolatory slap on the shoulder. "Ah, don't worry. I won't tell him if you won't." Arc smiled a little. "By the way, if you decide to go hiking through the woods, don't follow the stream. Ingus is about ready to spit fire at the next person he sees."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"By the way," Luneth muttered as Arc took back the book and began to walk towards his nest in the tree roots, "is there any reason for leaving your robes out like you're ready to put them away?"

"Oh, that?" Arc shrugged. "I've been thinking about what you said earlier. Those robes are quite big, and the hat keeps falling into my eyes in the heat of battle." He gave an embarrassed grin. "I'll see how I feel tomorrow morning—maybe I'll go back to freelancing after all."

"Hey, whatever makes you happy." Luneth snagged an apple from the small basket of fruit beside Ingus's tent and bit into it. "Well—mmf—I'm headin' back out. See ya 'round." Arc gave him a dreamy wave as he sat down in the small hollow. As he walked back into the forest behind the tent, Luneth considered two things: that he could not pick up the smell of urine at all, and that Arc hadn't leaned back as if he were preparing to read.

Luneth started down a forest path, hoping that he had found a trail the would not lead him in the direction of Refia's bathing spot. He tried to push her from his mind and focus instead on his self-assigned task of gathering wood for the fire tonight. Deadfall had to be light enough to be hacked into carry-able pieces with a dagger. He spotted a fallen branch nearby and began to carve. He'd reduced it to half its original length before the crunching of footfalls on leaves attracted his attention. His brow furrowed in curiosity. He knew those footsteps.

"Arc? What are you doing back here?" he asked the surrounding trees. A heartbeat later, the quiet youth appeared between two oaks, waving shyly.

"I...I thought I should help you carry wood back to camp," he said. "Do you need a hand?"

"Yeah, actually. That'd be great." Luneth quickly gathered up some of the lighter pieces—of the four Warriors of Light, Arc had the least physical strength—and loaded them into his friend's waiting arms. "Can you carry that?" Arc nodded. "All right. If you see anything good on your way back, try and drag it a little to make it stand out more. I'll grab it when I pass."

He watched Arc walk away for a while before returning to his work. He was glad his old friend had come to help, although he couldn't help feeling a little suspicious. This was the second time Arc had left a book behind—something that had never happened for as long as Luneth could recall. It seemed unusual that he would abandon his reading of his own free will. Shrugging, the Thief collected the remaining wood and started down the path Arc had taken. It was different from the way he had come, but perhaps the quiet boy had found a shortcut back to camp. Luneth realized that he would appreciate a shorter walk. Sawing away at the fallen limb with his twin daggers had really worn him out.

He hadn't been walking long when he heard a commotion up ahead. Refia's screams mingled with Ingus's angry yells. Forgetting his tiredness, Luneth rushed ahead, the firewood clattering hollowly in his arms. He burst out of the trees in time to see Ingus return to his former post, breathing heavily and holding a piece of wood in one hand. The youth approached cautiously. "Ingus, is everything all right?" he demanded worriedly. Ingus lifted his head, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"I just caught someone trying to spy on Refia," he panted. "I chased them off, but I never saw who it was. All I found was this." He held up the piece of wood. Luneth drew closer, his amethyst gaze curious as a kitten's. "Interesting to note is that it appears to have been sawn from a tree or perhaps another branch...by a small blade. I'd guess a dagger." Ingus held it against the stack of branches in the other boy's arms. "Much like the wood you've got right now, Luneth."

Luneth's eyes widened. "You think it was me?" he asked incredulously. Ingus nodded. "Listen, Ingus, it couldn't have been. Think about it—why would I take a peek at Refia, run from you, and then make my appearance after you gave up the chase?"

"I did not 'give up the chase'," the Warrior insisted stubbornly. "Whoever it was that fled from me was simply faster than I. Knowing that I would not catch them on foot, I returned to my post to continue my watch." He shook his head and dropped his piece of wood onto the stack held by Luneth. The other boy grunted and tried to shift the new weight around. "But that does not matter. If it wasn't you, then who could possibly be carrying wood cut by your dagger?"

"Arc!" Luneth breathed, and Ingus laughed. "No, I'm serious! He was helping me carry wood back to the camp, Ingus, and he took this trail!"

"Why would Arc try to watch Refia bathe?" Ingus asked, still laughing. Luneth frowned thoughtfully. Frankly, he'd be laughing at him, too, if he wasn't so sure that the shy boy was the perpetrator. Unable to defend his statement, the youth shrugged.

"I dunno. I guess it's like they always say: It's the quiet ones you have to watch out for."

"Luneth, I do believe that if Arc ever saw a nude woman, he would faint with shock."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

Ingus's stern frown returned. "Take that back to camp," he ordered bluntly, nodding at the firewood in Luneth's arms. "And don't me let me catch you anywhere near here until Refia has finished her bath and is fully clothed."

Something occurred to Luneth. "If we're all bent on protecting her modesty, why are her dirty clothes laying in a heap back at the camp?" he asked. "Did she strip down and then prance into the trees like some kind of redheaded forest sprite?"

"Refia brought fresh clothes with her when she chose this spot to bathe," Ingus explained patiently, although the words redheaded forest sprite caused a spark of amusement to melt his icy stare briefly. "She handed the dirty ones out to Arc, and he then took them back to camp."

With a frustrated grunt, the silver-haired boy shrugged and started in the direction of the clearing where the four had settled for the day. His eyes were focused on the wood Ingus had dropped atop his stack, a piece that was undeniably cut by his own hands. He couldn't remember every single piece he had handed off to Arc, so he'd be lying if he said it looked familiar. Only one thought remained in his mind, and that was the question he had prepared to ask his friend.

"Care to explain this?"

Arc looked up from his book, his light brown eyes curiously taking in the sight. Luneth had dropped his stack of wood beside the small pile already on the ground, and was holding up one piece in particular. He was frowning suspiciously.

"That's a piece of wood, Luneth. You cut it yourself, as I recall." Calmly, the boy went back to reading. Luneth shook his head and moved closer.

"Ingus said he chased someone away from Refia's little bathing thicket," he explained. "And all he found after they got away was this." Arc smiled innocently up at him. Luneth tugged off a glove, then ran his finger across his friend's forehead. "You're sweating like you've been running, and I can hear you trying to keep your breathing even."

"Could it be that I dropped the wood accidentally on my way back to camp?" Arc asked. "And that I'm sweating and out of breath because I'm not as strong as you are?" Luneth frowned uncertainly, watching his friend from the corners of his eyes. "Luneth, why would I want to peek at Refia?"

"I'm not sure," the youth admitted. "But I just want you to know that I'll be keeping a very close eye on you until Refia finishes her bath." Was that a flicker of anxiety in Arc's amber gaze? Even if it was, it was gone before Luneth could fully focus on it. The silver-haired boy brushed wood dust from his shirt nonchalantly and knelt beside the messy pile. Carefully, he straightened it up, forming it into a neat bundle. Then, he pretended to snap his fingers in frustration and mutter a swear. "This'll never last us through the night," he said to himself, though he intended his companion to hear his words as well. Without a word to Arc directly, he padded out of camp, leaving through the trees behind Arc's reading spot. He could have sworn he heard the other boy shift restlessly.

The woods were silent as Luneth stalked through the lower branches of the trees. The young Thief had his trusty daggers sheathed at his sides, and was leaping from limb to limb without a sound. Gathering more wood was the furthest thing on his mind right now, although he really did think that the current pile would not sustain an all-night fire. No, for here and for now, he was intent on finding Arc. He was sure that the youth was trying to catch a glimpse of poor Refia, and he wanted to catch his friend in the act. Luneth made a daring jump into the branches of a motherly oak tree and sat down to wait. He surveyed the forest below carefully, his sharp purple eyes flicking rapidly from side to side.

Wait—what was that?

He'd seen a flash of red amongst the green. Was it the blood of an injured wanderer, waylaid by a pack of wandering bandits? Perhaps a stunning flower that would appeal to his female friend's heart? Luneth pulled his binoculars from his pack and peered through them. No, it wasn't blood or a flower. His heart skipped a beat nervously, and he gulped. It was the unmistakable winged hat of a Red Mage. Refia's hat.

The poor boy was unable to tear his eyes away from the scene. He'd managed to perch himself right outside Refia's glade, and was looking directly at the clean clothes she'd brought to change into after her bath. Hungrily, he twiddled the focus on his binoculars. Oh, it was Refia's, all right. A flash of auburn attracted his attention then, and he realized that the girl was now stepping from the small pool in which she'd bathed. His heart hammered in his chest as if trying to break free from the cage formed by his ribs. A strange warmth began to burn in his belly. Try as he might, he couldn't look away. One word filled his brain: Refia.

His magnified range of vision was centered on her creamy-pale back. His earlier worries about the slash across her shoulders were laid to rest. Though heavily scabbed, the wound was healing quite nicely. Luneth sighed happily. He took in breath in a sharp gasp as her bottom filled his vision. Oh, how nice. A beautiful backside. She'd be gifted with a wonderful figure, to be sure. He'd never really thought about it, but her body was slender as a doe's and curved perfectly in all the right places. Quickly following were her shapely legs, which Luneth's eyes raced up and down eagerly. He'd never seen Refia quite like this before, and the experience was strangely exciting. The burn in his belly was spreading now, flooding his whole body with glorious warmth. Luneth watched as she dried herself off; her back was still to him, and frankly, he was content to have it that way. He didn't really want to see her breasts or...He gulped. Well, certainly not that.

Suddenly, Refia froze. Luneth saw every lean muscle in her body tense, and felt his own body respond in like. Through his binoculars, he saw the undergrowth rustle, watched his female companion's head follow the twitching bushes. He swore he saw a flash of tawny fabric, and leaned in closer with interest. Closer, closer...Then Refia startled him with a screech, and poor Luneth tumbled from the branches to land right at Ingus's feet with a low grunt. He was dazed, and for the longest time, all he could do was watch the Warrior's rage build like a thundercloud. Ingus's hand shot out and hauled him up by the throat.

"I warned you, Luneth!" he snarled. "But you couldn't stay away, could you? You could not leave Refia to have a private moment!" Luneth gripped Ingus's hand in his own two, and kicked and struggled; the other youth's grip was like iron. There was no escaping.

"Wasn't—trying to," he protested breathlessly.

Ingus's eyes shot open wide. "And are those...your binoculars?!" he demanded. "I thought you were better than this, Luneth!" As if agreeing with the stern boy, Refia's screams adopted a note of incredulity.

"Wasn't—me!" the boy gasped. "Swear—it—Arc!"

"Don't try to blame this on the poor lad," warned Ingus. "I'm sure Arc is sitting back at camp, reading and wondering what all this fuss and commotion is about." Luneth opened his mouth to argue his innocence again...and paused. Refia was not alone in her cries. Clearly, Ingus heard it as well, for he slowly lowered the other boy to the ground and leaned in the direction of the glade. The two looked at each other in disbelief and strained forward to listen. The shouts, once soft, were now picking up volume, and were accompanied by the sound of what seemed to be rocks whizzing through the leaves. Every few seconds, the other screamer's breathless yells would be punctuated by a whimper of pain.

When Refia's furious screams took on actual words, Ingus's jaw nearly fell to the forest floor, and Luneth almost fell over laughing.

"ARC!!! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!!"

Ingus turned back to Luneth, who regarded him with a kind of aristocratic amusement. The Thief smirked. "You might want to get between the two of them before Refia actually carries out that threat," he murmured. "I'm kind of fond of Arc." With a tense nod, Ingus sped off through the forest, leaving the other boy alone. Rubbing his sore neck, Luneth couldn't help a bitter laugh. "It's always the quiet ones," he muttered, whistling as he set off to gather more wood.