Read and review. Please no flames. That's allI ask.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Skies of Arcadia, locations, character, etc, save for three people who will make themselves apparent as the fic progresses.

I hope you enjoy it.

Dearing

Prologue

A Love Denied

She ran. Her eyes blinded by tears, away from the balcony and up to where the flag of the Blue Rogues sat flapping in the wind.

She had thought it was true love, him and her, together forever. All those moves he had made, the way he talked to her, the way he touched her, had all been for nought when she saw him kiss Aika with such passion, they did not even notice her come up in the darkness of the night.

She had watched in horror as Vyse, the only man she had ever loved, now was in love with someone else. They kissed each other's faces again and again, as Aika's loose hair flew slightly in the wind. Eventually she couldn't take it anymore. Biting her knuckle to stop herself from crying out in sadness, she quickly and quietly once more stood on the elevator that took her down to ground level.

Once she reached the floor she ran, she ran all the way to the flagpole, the place where she and Vyse had embraced, the night before the final battle with Ramirez, the night she truly thought that she loved him. Only when she had reached the flagpole did she finally cry out in sadness and depression.

The tears ran freely down her cheek as she slumped down onto her knees, crouching over on the warm ground.

She felt awful, she felt like she should just step off the island and end all her sorrow, but then something came to her. She would run away, run away from her pain and sorrow, away from her once-best friends, but where would she run too?

Several places came to mind. First there was Nasrad, but there was no one there she knew, then came Yafutoma, but she would require the Delphinus to be able to fly over the Dark Rift, then came Pirate Isle, but that was too far away and besides, Vyse's Father would probably bring her back home on the Albatross anyway.

Then it hit her; Enrique!

If she could steal some supplies and one of the islands long rage skiffs, then she could seek refuge in New Valua.

Enrique was sure to be able to help her out in some way.

So it was decided; she left tonight.

She quickly packed what food she could onto the Skiff, along side the Victory, the wooden ship built by Enrique for Vyse when the Blue Rogue gave back the Delphinus.

The skiff looked very much like the one used by Gilder and the crew of the Claudia, only the sails were blue and had Vyse's Blue Rogues call sign on the sails.

Once she had packed enough food for the weeklong journey, she quickly ran back to her room to get Cupil and write a letter to Vyse.

As she approached the Living Quarters, she noticed a light on in Vyse's window. Sure enough when she looked up at the balcony of the meeting room the two figures were no longer there.

She bit her lip to stop the tears from forming in her eyes again and quickly ran up the ramp to her room.

As soon as the door was closed she shifted through her drawers of her desk, looking for a piece of paper and a pen.

When she found what she was looking for she began to write.

My Dearest Vyse,

By the time you read this letter I will have left Crescent Isle for good. I saw you and Aika, and I am very happy for you both. I will not tell you where I have gone, because I know you will try and come looking for me. To stop you from further looking for me in case you have figured out where I have gone, I have sabotaged the engines of the Victory, as well as the remaining two Skiffs.

Before I finish this letter, I just wanted to say that I loved you. I believed we had something special. But it appears I was wrong. I hope you and Aika have a happy life together. Perhaps our paths will cross again, but for now, I hope not.

Say goodbye to Aika for me.

All my love

Fina.

Her tears once more formed in her eyes and splattered on the page.

With a heavy heart she woke up Cupil and took a dagger from her drawer, the one Vyse had given her sometime ago, the one he had had made especially for her. The one with a small chunk of purple Moonstone in the hilt where the cross bars met.

"Where are we going Miss Fina?" Cupil asked telepathically as the headed towards Vyse's door.

"Far away from here my friend, to Valua," she transmitted back.

As she approached Vyse's room she heard his gentle snores...and the quiet mumbling of Aika.

Oh how she would miss both sounds.

Holding out the letter to the door, she forcibly pinned it to the wood with the dagger, before turning away and heading towards the underground dock.

Vyse woke up drowsily as he heard something knock hard on his door.

He woke up bleary eyed and sat up straight.

'Who could that be?' he thought as he looked down at his beloved Aika, who had her arms locked gently around his waist.

Chuckling slightly to himself, he slowly detached the still sleeping Aika from his body and went to see who was at the door.

Upon opening the door, he saw nothing but darkness, only the sun starting to creep upward in the east.

He smiled slightly at the sight, thinking he should wake Aika up so they could watch it rise together. Then he looked back at her peaceful form, and decided he would see if Fina would like too instead.

He had to admit, he loved Fina, but only as much as a sister, he had only known her for five years, and he had known Aika since childhood. Tomorrow he would announce to the island of his and Aika's engagement, but first, he would go and wake Fina and explain everything to her.

It was then he saw the dagger.

It was poking out of his door like a sore thumb and was most likely the sound he heard that woke him up. Upon closer inspection, he realised it was Fina's dagger, the one with the Purple Moonstone embedded in the hilt.

He gazed at it intently for a few minutes, wondering what her dagger was doing in his door, when he noticed that it was pinning a piece of paper to the wood.

He just had to read a few sentences to realise two things:

One: it was Fina's handwriting

Two: he realised why she had left.

As he continued to scan through the letter he suddenly heard the loud sound of the clanking of gears as the hidden entrance to the underground dock was opened.

He looked on in horror as he saw the small outline of a skiff fly past at its best speed, framed by its warning lanterns fore and aft.

"FINA!" he cried in vain, but it was too late, the skiff, was already out of sight, heading South for Nasrad, into an upcoming storm.