Well, this is a story that is a continuation of She's so high and Lovers in a Dangerous Time, chapters 3 and 4 of my story, 'in a Dangerous Time'. This is just the prologue.


I always needed time on my own
I never thought I'd need you there when I cried.

Sanaki stared at the ceiling, stretched out on her bed. Three years. Three years waiting, not knowing whether he would ever be back or not, not knowing if he was alive or dead, if he missed her and still loved her. Three years of loneliness. They had said she would forget him eventually. Boy, how wrong had they been.

And the days feel like years when I'm alone
And the bed where you lie is made up on your side

She remembered how it felt to have him near her, and it made her smile. She remembered the strange and funny things that had happened to them, and her smile grew. They had been together for such a short time, it seemed, and yet it had been perfect. Colour had come into the dull world of Beignion's Apostle when he had arrived, a whirlwind to stir up her life. At first, she had hated him for it, but soon she had seen that he had been right all along.

When you walk away, I count the steps that you take.
Do you see how much I need you right now?

She wondered how he was doing. Was he having many adventures out there, wherever he was? Of course he was. Wherever there was trouble, Ike was always in it. She wondered if, when he came back, he would tell her the stories of his adventures. But would he come back at all? The question burned in her mind. She trusted him, but she didn't know if he could return.

When you're gone,
the pieces of my heart are missing you.
When you're gone,
the face I came to know is missing too.
When you're gone
the words I need to hear to always get me through the day,
and make it ok...
I miss you.

She got out of her bed, and donned her Empress' robes over the light dress she had been wearing. There were things to do, things that needed to get done, places she needed to be. For instance, right now she had a parley to attend. Though life went on, it seemed strangely empty to her. The more she tried to fill her life, the emptier it seemed.

I've never felt this way before
Everything that I do reminds me of you

She carefully followed the Dance master's moves, making sure to copy them exactly. Her legs ached, but she did not say anything. Learning to dance was one of the things she had done to try to keep her mind off of her friend. It had failed utterly.

"Alright, now you try it, Sanaki," her dance teacher said.

Sanaki began. She moved swiftly, gracefully, but then she faltered and her leg dropped to the ground.

"It's alright," her teacher said. "You'll get it eventually. See, it's like this."

And the clothes you left, they lie on the floor
And they smell just like you, I love the things that you do

On the back of a chair in her bedroom hung a cape. Ike's cape. He had left one night while she was asleep, and as he had left, he had wrapped it around her. When she had woken up, she had seen it, realized what it had meant, and cried into it for Goddess only knows how long. Now she sat in the chair, reading a book. The brush of the cape against her shoulders was a fondly remembered sensation.

When you walk away, I count the steps that you take.
Do you see how much I need you right now?

She stood in the empty room. She would get it right, she knew, eventually. She had to. She began, but then, a memory came into her head, and she smiled and stopped.

"Sanaki, why aren't you dancing?" Sigrun asked.

"You know very well I can't dance," Sanaki replied. "Besides, I don't have a partner."

"What about Ike?" Sigrun said, pointing to the blue-haired young man who stood off to the side, talking to some others.

"Dance with him?" Sanaki asked. She could feel her cheeks reddening.

"Why not?" Sigrun said. "You like him, don't you?"

"Very much," Sanaki said, "But..."

"Hey, Ike!" Sigrun called.

Ike looked over, and walked to where they stood. "What is it?"

Sigrun looked at Sanaki expectantly.

"Well..." Sanaki said.

When you're gone,
the pieces of my heart are missing you.
When you're gone,
the face I came to know is missing too.
When you're gone
the words I need to hear to always get me through the day,
and make it ok...
I miss you.

She had chickened out, lied through her teeth, and asked him a question. He had answered, and gone back to talk to the others. Sanaki had been too embarrassed to go and join them. She had never gotten another chance to try and dance with him again. Even if she had, she had been so ashamed of her lack of dancing ability that she probably would have chickened out again. That was part of the reason she had been so determined to learn to dance.

Maybe she could use her rebellious memory to her advantage. She conjured up an image of him in her mind, easily and clearly. She imagined him there, right in front of her. She decided to dance for him, show she could. She closed her eyes.

We were made for each other,
out here forever.
I know we were.

She glided through the steps, barely feeling her feet move. Her eyes were still closed, and she could almost hear the music playing. It was suddenly so easy, so thrilling. Twirling, a whirl, a lift... and a final, slow spiral.

She heard the applause of a single person echo through the room.

All I ever wanted was for you to know,
everything I'd do, I'd give my heart and soul.
I can hardly breathe I need to feel you here with me.

Her eyes flew open, and for a moment she wondered if she was hallucinating. Ike stood in front of her, clapping and smiling. His pack was on his shoulders, his sword at his waist. The same stance, the same smile.

"Ike!" she cried. She raced over and threw her arms around him. He hugged her back, and she could feel his happiness.

"You have no idea how much I missed you," he said. He kissed her.

"Oh, yes I do," she replied.

When you're gone,
the pieces of my heart are missing you.
When you're gone,
the face I came to know is missing too.
When you're gone
the words I need to hear to always get me through the day,
and make it ok...
I miss you.