It's me!!! I've been completely uninspired and virtually dead for long enough that I felt like I had to write something. This idea's been accumulating in my brain for a while, but now I finally have time to write it.

Ivan: *Ahem* Well, there are things called 'finals' coming up...

Finals? What ever are those? I'm sorry, Ivan, but you've lost me. ^^

Disclaimer: Own Golden Sun, the authoress does not. Belonging to Nintendo and Camelot, Golden Sun is.

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She stumbled through the darkness, searching. Where was he? Panic gripped her as her eyes struggled to adjust to the sudden lack of light. Slowly she made out his form, sprawled limply on the ground. She dropped to her knees and shook him. No response. She whispered his name, and shook him harder. Blood from a cut on his shoulder was seeping into her robes, but she didn't care. She called him louder, fighting the dull pain that was creeping into her heart...

"IVAN!"

Sheba sat bolt upright in bed, soaked in a cold sweat and gasping for breath. Her violet eyes, wide with terror, darted around the room for a few moments before she remembered where she was. Vault inn. Second floor, third room on the right.

She pulled herself out of bed with a deep, shaky breath. Glancing in the mirror, she realized there were tears on her cheeks.

Sheba paced around the small room, absently running her fingers through her hair. They were almost immediately caught in a tangle. She glanced back at her bed. The sheets were twisted and wrinkled, and one of her blankets had been thrown off completely. Had she really been that restless during the night?

A soft knock sounded at the door, pulling Sheba from her thoughts. "Just a minute!" she called. Rushing to the bed, she threw the offending blanket back on, and scrubbed her eyes on a corner of her pillow. She returned to the mirror. Her eyes were still a bit red and puffy, but it would have to do. Gathering her composure, she pulled the door open, and was met with Mia's worried eyes.

Silently Sheba cursed her luck. Aside from Ivan, Mia was the likeliest person to sense that something was wrong.

"Good morning." Sheba pasted a pleasant look on her face. She could tell Mia wasn't fooled. She watched as her aqua eyes moved slowly around the room and back to Sheba's face.

"I... heard you yell." Mia spoke quietly, as if afraid she might break Sheba in her fragile state.

Sheba winced. Was she really that loud?

Mia seemed to read her thoughts. "No one else was awake except Ivan, and he's on the roof." Sometimes Sheba swore Mia was the Jupiter Adept, not her. "Are you sure there's nothing wrong?"

"I just... had a bad dream... that's all." That's all, she repeated to herself. It wasn't a premonition. It just couldn't be.

Mia gave one last attempt. "There's nothing... that you want to talk about?"

Sheba felt like crying. Mia had no idea how much she wanted to talk! But she couldn't burden the others with this, at least not yet - she needed to find Ivan. "No, I'm fine, really..."

Finally, Mia seemed to give up. She withdrew slightly from the doorway. "Okay... I guess I'll see you later then." Her eyes were still questioning.

"Yeah... see you later." Sheba slowly closed the door. She hoped she hadn't seemed rude. Her thoughts tumbling around her head, she made her way to the dresser and ran her brush through her hair. It was just Ivan... she didn't know why she cared how she looked. But today she did.

She made a more thorough attempt to wipe her eyes. When she was satisfied with her appearance, she made her way out of the inn, nodding to the innkeeper as she passed through the front room and out the door. Sheba found the ladder, and climbed up. The wind swirled around her as she skirted the entrance to the inn's small attic and found footing on the roof.

Now she saw Ivan, sitting cross-legged on the roof, eyes closed. He looked up at her as she approached, and smiled. She found herself smiling back; already she felt a little better. Being near him always seemed to cheer her up.

She sat down next to him, letting the wind calm her. It seemed to be excited to have two Jupiter Adepts present, and embraced both of them with its cool touch. Sheba knew Ivan sensed something wrong, but he didn't pry. They sat in silence for a while, watching Vault open its sleepy eyes. Below her, Sheba heard Garet's snoring stop.

Sheba looked over at her friend, and images from her dream reappeared in her head. She fought back tears. Why was she being such a baby? What was wrong with her?

Ivan moved closer to her, looking worried. "Sheba, what's the matter?" He put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

Sheba began to sniffle. She leaned in closer, letting her friend comfort her. "Ivan, I had an awful dream..."

He seemed about to say something, but looked up as someone approached the inn. Sheba glanced up too. It was Dora, and she looked panicked. She stopped running, and hesitated when she saw the two on the roof - but only for a moment. "Ivan! Sheba! You and and your friends are needed at the sanctum! It's important - please come quickly!" And then she was off again.

Ivan turned back to Sheba. "We'd better go... do you want to talk later?"

Sheba forced a smile. "No, I'll be fine... it's nothing important. We'd better get the others now."

Ivan didn't look at all convinced, but he let it go, helping her up from the roof. The Jupiter Adepts closed their eyes and reached out to their friends.

A few minutes later, Zephyr soared through the skies of Vault, and eight purple blurs shot toward the sanctum.

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Well, there ya go. A little short, maybe, but I'm satisfied. This story might be delayed for a while though, because I'm leaving for camp on the 21st, and I'll be gone for four weeks. No electronics allowed there - that's right, I can't haul the laptop along. And even if I could, I doubt the cabins would have wireless internet connection... ^_^

I'm gonna miss ff.net, though. T_T So if I don't update by June 21, I won't for a long time. Sorry!

P.S. I'm not sure if 'sanctum' was the right word to use - I meant the place with the Great Healer who revives and removes curses and all that good stuff. If I'm wrong, please correct me!

Read & Review!!!