Hello, everyone! I am proud to present the first installment of my first Golden Sun story (and first fanfic period)! I feel like Imilshipping is one of the more underrepresented couplings in Golden Sun fandom, so I look forward to any suggestions you have. I don't know if I will be able to upload installments as regularly as I would like, but we'll see what happens with it. Thanks in advance for all your help!

Installment 1:

He dreamed.
The scene unfolded in his mind's eye. He sat cross-legged under the shade of a large tree, surrounded by little stick buildings of his own creation. He sat arranging twigs into a tall geometric structure in the dirt. He could hear the laughter of other children a distance away, as they played games in the warm sun of the afternoon. Springtime had come to Imil.

He glanced up at the other children for a moment to make sure they were distracted from his work. When he was confident that he would not be noticed, he pulled moisture from the atmosphere and laced the twigs with it. He cooled the air surrounding the structure and watched as small ice crystals began to form on the twigs, filling the gaps he had left when building the small tower. He sat back and admired his work, and then moved a few feet over to build another structure.

As he gathered sticks for his second tower, a young girl playing one of the children's games ran over to the tree to hide. As she neared the spot where he sat, she tripped on a root and lost her footing, knocking over one of the small ice towers.
"You ruined it!"
The girl looked down and saw the twigs sprawled at her feet, and all of the other little towers at the base of the tree. "I'm sorry. But you have a lot of other ones too."
"You still ruined that one! If you're not going to fix it, then go away!"
She frowned. "I said I was sorry. You don't have to be mean." She bent down and looked one of the other towers. "They're frozen."
He glared at her. "Yeah. Now go away."
"I'm not going to tell anyone, so you can stop being mean, like I said."
He didn't say anything.
"They're pretty."
He ignored her and turned back to his unmade tower.
"Can I make one?"
He grunted.
She collected some twigs and moved outside of the shade, into the sunlight.
If she makes one in the sun, he thought, the ice will melt from the sticks, and it will be boring and plain.
He thought about telling her this but decided not to, since she had knocked down one of his towers in the first place.
The girl studied the other towers. "You know, these look a lot like the lighthouse."
"They're supposed to," he grunted.
She turned back to her own twigs. "Why do you like making lighthouses?"
"I don't know."

She stood the twigs up and laid a few over the top, making the aerie. He watched her lace them with moisture, and freeze the water droplets into crystals. To his astonishment, the crystals caught the light of the sun causing the body of the tower to glitter, and the smooth surface of the aerie to reflect the direct sunlight, making him squint from its brilliance. Her only lighthouse is better than all of mine,he thought. Why didn't I think of making them in the sun?

"There." She wiped her hands at her sides and stood up. "I replaced what I broke." Another child called to the girl from a distance. "Oh, I guess it's my turn to Seek. I better go."
He watched her turn to leave. "Why don't they make fun of you for using your power?" He had said it before he could stop himself.
She looked at him. "Because I don't use it to scare them, like you did." Then she turned and ran back to the other children, her turquoise hair billowing behind her.

The dream faded, and he woke as it did. What time was it? There were no windows in his room, so he couldn't judge the morning's light. He should have gone to wake the others, but something held him where he was. He lay in bed for what seemed like a long time, staring at the ceiling and thinking. How long had it been since he had last seen her? It was at the Mercury lighthouse, and that was almost six months ago. The fact that she still held a place in his unconscious mind was undeniable; the dream was proof of that. What he didn't understand was why he had had that dream, out of all others. And when was the last time he had dreamed it? Wasn't it just before the Mercury lighthouse? What was the significance in that?

He rose and sat on the edge of his bed. He caught his reflection in a dresser mirror as he did so. He looked so thin. He knew it was no coincidence. He was beginning to forget why he had gone with Saturos and Menardi in the first place, and he couldn't let that happen. He knew himself too well, and what he would do if he allowed himself to forget.

His eyes pulled themselves from the mirror and fell upon Felix, who lay sleeping on another bed that occupied the room. Had he known Felix in another time, under different circumstances, perhaps they could have been friends; but with the way things were now, he knew Felix could ultimately only be an accomplice, at best. Through Saturos and Menardi's influence he had also taken the role as Felix's captor, and though it remained unspoken, they both knew that it would stay that way. He glanced at the other two beds, which were empty. Jenna and Kraden must have already gone downstairs.
He rose from the bed and dressed, and then walked out of the room into the hallway. He looked out of the window and judged the sky; it was still early morning, but they would have to leave soon anyway. He turned to knock on Saturos and Menardi's door, but it opened on its own, revealing a tall, severe looking man.

"Ah, Alex, I am glad to see you are already awake."
"I am anxious to be going, Saturos."
"Is Felix ready as well?"
"Ah... I believe not."
A woman, very similar in stature to that of her companion, appeared at Saturos' shoulder. "He isn't up yet? He is getting lazy. I think it would be in his best interest if he were reminded why he is a part of our quest."
Saturos smirked. "I agree a little persuading would be beneficial, but you must remember, Menardi, that we need him in good health for Venus lighthouse."
"And what happens after that?" said a gruff voice. Alex turned to see Felix emerging from their room.
"Why, you travel with us until all the lighthouses are lit and your parents are released," responded Saturos.
Grim faced, Felix turned and walked down the stairs, with Alex following and the two Mars adepts behind him.

They found Jenna and Kraden seated in the dining room of the inn, eating breakfast. Felix sat down next to Jenna, and she mumbled in protest as he ruffled her hair. Saturos left the group to pay the innkeeper for the night.
"We must be leaving soon if we are going to stay ahead of them," said Alex.
"My, you are anxious to be leaving," said Menardi.
"I just think it would be in our best interest to take as many precautions necessary to avoid an encounter with them," responded Alex.
Kraden spoke for the first time that morning. "I am sure they still have a lot of catching up to do. They will have to cross the Karagol, and with the recent monster sightings, they'll have their work cut out for them."
Menardi sneered. "As much as I know you would love to stay and see your dearly beloved Babi, we have no time to laze around Tolbi." Alex saw Kraden's hands clench at her words.
"And besides, Colosso will begin in a couple days' time, and that will most certainly slow our progress." Saturos had returned. "And I am with Alex. I'm not worried about having any problems crushing the little whelps if necessary, but I don't wish to waste my strength." He looked out the window. "The sun has gotten higher in the sky. I believe it is time to go."
At his words, Felix, Jenna and Kraden rose from their seats and moved to the door, with Alex and Saturos and Menardi following.