Mashu: "Your self-inflicted hiatus is nearly up, Cynic."

Lord Cynic: "Yeah, I know. Shut up."

Mashu: "You gonna try the Fragile story again?"

Lord Cynic: "Yeah. I know how to fix it. But it'll take a while."

Mashu: "And meanwhile, this is our contribution to the Easter festivities. Although Cynic only believes in getting chocolate…"

Lord Cynic: "Darn straight."

Mashu: "We don't own Golden Sun. And somehow, I'm already regretting this…"

Lord Cynic: "Suck it up, fluff lover."

Mashu: "Trashy singer!"

Easter Antics

The celebration of Easter in Weyard would be odd. That has been established. But that doesn't mean it can't be exposed, right?

Ding, dong!

Isaac Cybele yawned and plodded down the stairs to the front door. "Coming!" He opened the door to find, "M-Mia?"

"Good morning," the blue-haired girl and his closest female friend named Mia Boreas chirped cheerfully. Suddenly, her face adopted a heavy blush as she stared at him.

"Huh?" Isaac followed her gaze, and his cheeks coloured like hers. "Ah, I'll go and put a shirt on -"

"No!" Mia intercepted, somewhat desperately. She flushed even darker at her uncharacteristic outburst. "Th-That is, it's okay," she added awkwardly. "Here." She presented the blonde boy with a box of chocolates. "Happy Easter."

Isaac gawked at the box, before tentatively accepting it. "Th-Thank you," he uttered quietly.

Mia's face brightened at the words of gratitude. "You're welcome," she replied amiably, before walking away.

Her departure left Isaac to examine the gift with confused eyes.

"'Charon Chocolates'," he read off the logo on the box. His eyes widened immediately. "This is foreign?"

Isaac sat in his room, a fretting mess. The unopened box of chocolates lied on his bed as he stared at it in disbelief and horror. He was quite astounded that Mia would bestow such an extravagant gift upon him, and his words to himself voiced thus concerns.

"I can't believe she gave me this," he muttered somewhat incessantly. "But why? These chocolates must have cost a fortune. Not that I'm complaining, but…" He groaned aloud. "Argh! What can I do?"

Thankfully, he was spared further self-inflicted psychological damage (talking to yourself is unhealthy, don't ya know) when his mother's voice called from downstairs.

"Isaac, dear! Your friends are here!" Dora Cybele, the blonde, middle-aged woman announced to her only son. She knew what was on his mind, and thought it was very kind for Mia to do something like that. But she wondered where the blue-haired, blue-eyed girl got the money.

The shuffling of dragged feet caught her attention, as it did the boys she was talking about. Garet Kirin, Ivan Procne and Felix Zagan watched with varying expressions of bewilderment, amusement and curiosity as Isaac trudged their general vicinity. Dora smiled knowingly despite Isaac's zombie-like state.

"Have fun, Isaac, dear," she said kindly to her son. "Don't tease him too badly, boys," she then added to the boys who had made the house call.

"Mom!" Isaac whined as the door was shut in his face.

"So, what's got you looking like the living dead?" Garet the red-headed boy asked with a grin. The question went unnoticed, however, when Isaac asked one himself.

"Hey, guys, have any of you heard of 'Charon Chocolates'?"

"Sure, they are made in Izumo," the shorter blonde boy named Ivan answered instantly. "Top of the line, so I've heard," he added. "Why do you ask?"

Isaac groaned. "I'm so screwed… Mi-a!" he wailed pitifully.

Garet whistled at Mia's gift to Isaac, while Ivan smirked and Felix snorted at Isaac's state of comical despair. The blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy glared at them.

The older blonde boy turned to Felix, disgruntled. "Well then, Mr. Moody, are you buying chocolates for someone?" he asked unexpectedly.

Felix started, his usually stoic expression faltering. He blushed faintly as he replied in a gruff voice, "Mmm." He mumbled the to-be-recipient's name, but Garet picked up on the vowels and commented stupidly.

"Gay? Who's gay?" The Kirin boy's eyes widened. "Are you gay?" Garet pointed at Felix triumphantly. "I knew it! I knew – oww!"

"Moron," the brunette muttered as he thumped the loudmouth on the head. "I ought to neuter you myself because I know whom you plan to give chocolates to," he growled menacingly.

Garet didn't pale at the threat, but blushed indignantly at the comment. "So? It's not like I'll have it easy. She's your sister, after all."

Felix smirked. "Good point."

Isaac rolled his eyes as he consulted the youngest member of their group. "Do you have someone to give chocolates to, Ivan?"

"Nope," the shorter blonde answered simply. He grinned maliciously. "I'm here to watch you guys make idiots of yourselves."

Felix shrugged off the insult. "What, not even Sheba?"

Ivan shrugged nonchalantly. "We don't do that sort of thing." He congratulated himself on maintaining his composure, much to the chagrin of the older boys.

Isaac sighed, silently envying the sneaky member of the bunch, but recognised Mia from across the street. She turned her head at his gaze, noticed him and gave him a smile and a wink. Isaac blushed and paled simultaneously, provoking snickers from his male companions.

"S-Shut up," he mumbled abashedly. "C'mon, let's hurry before the market gets overcrowded."

To the boys' annoyance, the market was already festered with heavy swarms of late-minute shoppers, which mostly consist of males desperate to buy their love interests something before they became subjected to several types of punishment. Upon entering the domain, Ivan offered to stay on safe ground while the others searched for suitable gifts. Isaac, Garet and Felix stared at him sceptically, but he just grinned wryly and sent them on their way. Isaac took a deep and reluctant breath and delves into the darkness.

It's now or never…

Ten minutes later, he had had little success. The best he had managed was a medium-sized chocolate Mercury Djinn. He shrugged off an odd questioning voice in his head (involving why Vale celebrated this "Easter" at all) as he scanned the crowd for the familiar heads of the others. Or just Garet's unmistakeable red broom hairstyle.

To his horror, Mia was also a head in the masses. He shoved the chocolate hurriedly in his pocket and stumbled backwards, only to collide with a chocolate vermin stand. Face aflame, both in colour and temperature, he sprinted away before anyone can see him. But not quickly enough for Mia to detect his presence and smile at his clumsy antics.

A few minutes later, everyone gathered around Ivan, who has been mysteriously joined by Sheba Atlanta. But not without additional company. Jenna Zagan was having Garet carry an armload of chocolate boxes, while Kay Kirin was literally glued to Felix's arm. The girls glared at each other, and Felix glowered through the boxes covering Garet's face, daring Kirin boy to make fun of the brunette male.

Isaac stared at the odd crew before turning to the blonde mischief-makers. "Sheba, I won't ask how you got here. I take it that Jenna and Kay were the people Garet and Felix were talking about, though?"

Ivan and Sheba smirked and nod in unison while Isaac sighed again in despair. Jenna broke eye contact with Kay upon hearing the audible breath, leaving the Kirin girl to cling harder to a paling Felix, to comfort the taller of the blonde boys.

"Don't worry" she assured the fusspot. "As long as it's from you, Mia will love any kind of chocolate."

Isaac blushed upon being "busted". "H-How did you -"

"She's right, buddy," Garet chipped in. Before adding, "Mia won't care how pitiful it is."

"You tactless oaf!" yelled Jenna irritably, hitting Garet on the arm.

"Oww!" her unofficial boyfriend yelped. He unintentionally dropped the boxes all over his feet. "Ah!"

Jenna fumed as Ivan and Sheba laughed rudely. Felix and Kay had already departed by now, the girl having forcefully led the boy away.

"GARET!" The Zagan girl shrieked, before unleashing seven types of hell on the broom-headed boy. Isaac counted himself lucky that Mia wasn't as abusive as Garet was promptly beaten to a pulp.

Isaac stood outside Mia's door, sweating profusely and a wobbling mess. After what seemed like hours, he finally knocked, albeit hesitantly. Just when he had composed himself, however, the door flung open and the sight of Mia knocks him for a loop.

Although she was wearing a simple sundress, he was only used to seeing her in heavy robes (and he still didn't know why she wore them in the first place). His eyes involuntarily scanned up and down her slim and slightly curvy frame, and the blood rushed to his face until he suffered a massive nosebleed. Mia blushed but smiled at the less-than-subtle flattery.

"Hello, Isaac!" she cried happily. "This is a pleasant surprise! Why'd you come here?"

Isaac finished plugging his nostrils with tissues so he could reply. When his hands were finally free, he reached into his pocket to extract… the broken Djinn chocolate. His face plummeted and his eyes darkened.

Mia carefully took Isaac's ruined gift in her hands "Oh," she uttered gently.

No… no…

Isaac's fists clenched and unclenched as he lowered his head in self-disgust. His laboured breaths were easily audible, and his body trembled. He couldn't believe all the trouble he'd gone through had resulted in failing at the last and most difficult hurdle.

"I… I'm sorry," he finally choked out. His voice was strained and ready to break like his sorry excuse for a gift. "It wasn't meant to be like this… it wasn't…"

On the other hand, Mia looked at the cracked chocolate in her hands and smiled. She turned her gaze to the miserable boy in front of her.

"Isaac?" she whispered so he could hear. "Look at me."

Isaac slowly complied, his eyes hardened with guilt. They widened instantly when Mia kissed him lightly on his now-crimson cheek. She giggled at the tone of his blush, which intensified it tenfold.

"Isaac, it's okay," she consoled him. "Really, it is. Thank you." She smiled secretively as she chipped some of the chocolate off and popped it in her mouth. "You know, or maybe you didn't," she giggled at her silly mistake, and the small crack of a smile on Isaac's face "I was watching you all day." She relished in the stunned expression on the blonde boy's face. "I know you wanted to get the best for me. I appreciate all you've done for me today."

Isaac was gaping at her speechlessly as she casually ate more chocolate. Mia giggled at his dumbstruck face again, before winking seductively at him and kissing him on the lips. It was quick, but enough to suck the rest of the breath out of the boy and render his face completely scarlet.

Mia licked her lips a little seductively. "You know, foreign chocolate's good, but I prefer homemade chocolate the best." She stole another kiss from the unsuspecting boy's lips. "Mmm, definitely homemade chocolate for me."

Isaac could only nod dumbly. On the other hand, at least now, he knew what to get her for next time.

The End

Lord Cynic: "I'm gonna puke…"

Mashu: "Yeah, fear the fluff!"

Lord Cynic: "Fear the manga collection that's gonna get torched if you don't stop that."

Mashu: "NO!"