Niko sat outside his house and looked up at the stars. Having promised he'd never fall in love until she returned, Niko spent time usually with his friends and Rouge who was more like a sister to him. Taking a deep breath he reached up into the sky and grabbed at the air. WHen he brought his hand down he saw he had grabbed a small star. He smiled and let it loose back into the sky. Rouge walked out of the house to see him sitting there. Giggling, she walk up to him.

"I figured you would be out here." Rouge said smiling. "Lemme guess; Sapphire?"

"Yeah." Niko said sadly. "She's been gone for a year and a half. She doesn't write...I write to her more often than she does to me and she rarely replies. I figured as much that she'd be trying to keep a low profile but so low that she can't at least write?"

Rouge gave Niko a look of pure indignation. She's seen him like this before, he has never missed Sapphire this bad before.

"Don't worry she'll come back." Rouge said rubbing Niko's shoulder. "Now...get inside...it's cold out here and my nipples are-"

"Rouge!" Niko said disgusted. She was always said perverted things like that, but Niko always played it off as a joke. This time she was about to go a bit too far.

"I was going to say solidifying in the cold." Rouge said laughing. "Lighten up will ya?"

"Yeah yeah yeah..." NIko said walking inside "I just wish something exciting would happen...I honestly don't care what it is.

The night was cold and crisp; her favorite. She sat on the roof of her father's old home. The wooden walls were old and rotten, and the house wasn't pretty. But, no one ever came around, so she dealt with it.

"... and everyone's doing great." The message buzzed into her earpiece, and she smiled at the words. She knew they would be fine.

"Good to hear, Garnet," she replied. She was met with a pregnant silence.

"You know, you can come back, Sapphire. Everyone misses you. Hell, I miss you... I'm not cut out to be Director. Everyone would love to have you take over again."

"I'm sure you're doing great," Sapphire replied, her words honest. "Everyone will be looking up to you in no time." As Garnet sighed, she knew that wasn't the reply he wanted.

"Will you visit sometime?" Garnet asked, his voice hopeful.

"Of course," Sapphire replied withno hesitation. "I might even go on a few missions with you for old time's sake. But you know why I left it to you. You know why I had to leave." She paused. "I just couldn't handle it anymore. The Direc- I mean, my father's death, was a huge blow, and-"

"I know, Sapph, I know," Garnet cut her off. "Well, you're always welcome at the Insurgent's base... You and I should both get some sleep. Goodnight, Sapphire."

"Goodnight, Director Garnet."

Sapphire turned her earpiece up and got to her feet. She listened to the wood of the roof creak in protest as she played with a small spark of energy in her hand, thinking like she always did.

Sleep. The thought was nice, but the thought of the nightmares that would come with sleep was not. Nightmares about the Insurgents, about her father... About Niko.

She sighed as the energy dissipated and she leaped from the roof. She'd walk to clear her head.