Well, Ike has returned. Yayy! And, by the way, my other story is called 'pigheaded' now. This is short, but the next will be longer.
Don't own! On with the show!
They sat together in a secluded little park. Only the occasional person ever came here, it was far overshadowed by the more easily accessible and much grander park nearby. However, this one had a charm of its own, and part of that was the peace and quiet. Sanaki knew it well, this park had always been her little hiding place when she had to escape from being only rank. Here, she would pick flowers, throw stones into the crystal pool and make wishes, and just take time to be herself. The only other person who knew about her hiding place was Ike, who had stumbled upon her there when he first came with Elincia to ask for her help. It had been awkward, but now she was glad to have someone with which to share her favourite secret.
Now they sat on the edge of the cracked fountain. It no longer pumped out water, and its surface was all overgrown with vines, but the water in it was still crystal-clear, except the occasional petal from the vines.
"Sanaki..." Ike said. He wished he knew how to say some of the things he wanted to say, that he had missed her, that he hoped she hadn't changed too much, that he hoped she still loved him like she had before, but he didn't know how. Three years was a long time for a fragile bond to stand. So he settled for a slightly awkward, "You're looking well."
"As are you," she replied. "I see travelling agrees with you."
"It always has," said Ike, "But this adventure was rather lonely. Though I met other people and made new friends, we always had to part ways, because they had their own paths to follow, and a homeless wanderer can never keep up a friendship for long with someone who has somewhere to stay, and thoughts of my old life and promises kept me moving. I missed my old friends, I missed Tellius, I missed my home... I missed you."
Sanaki smiled sadly at him. "And now the wanderer is back where he came from. But will you stay, or will our bond be as bittersweet as the ones you made on your journey?"
"I'll go places around Tellius," said Ike, "I've got to visit the old group, Mist, I'll have to go see my home again... But I'm content, for now, with what Tellius has for me."
Sanaki smiled, more happily this time. "Then, as long as you are on Tellius, we can write letters to each other, and you can tell me of our old friends and what has been happening to them. There will be no more uncertainty, I won't have to wonder if you are alive or dead or captured, or if you'd forgotten all about me."
Ike smiled himself. "I would never forget you. As for the other things, they will not happen now, in a peaceful continent. I can easily turn aside brigands, and that's all the danger there really is in Tellius." He seemed to put some unconscious stress on 'in Tellius'. Sanaki wondered what danger he might have encountered outside of their homeland.
"So what happened to you on your journey, anyway?" Sanaki asked. "Whatever it is, it must have been interesting. So tell me about it."
"You sure you want to hear?" Ike asked. "It was not one of my most successful adventures."
"I want to hear," said Sanaki. "Now stop making me more curious. And no skimming!"
"Fine," laughed Ike. "I can see you haven't changed."
"Not one bit," agreed Sanaki, "besides learning a couple of new things."
"Alright," said Ike, "Here's my story..."