Hey, everyone! For those of you who've been reading What is Happiness? this is the oneshot I was talking about doing. It seemed like a good time to take a short break from WiH for a bit so that I could expand my works and audience a bit, albeit this is still a mudship… :)

I felt like one of those brilliant(ly irritating) English professors who makes their students over-analyze every sentence of a short story when I came up with the title with this. It's probably already been done, too, but that isn't the point. Basically, the idiom is that something is not clear and is very difficult to understand. It's also the name of the shipping for Isaac and Mia, thus I used a title that effectively demonstrates the difficulties of the relationship between my two favourite adepts :). Please, hold your applause :P

The idea for it was still kinda murky (haha because the title… and mud is murky…) while I was thinking out how it would go down, so I apologize if it seems awkward or super cliché. It's completely separate from my other story, so newcomers of my work don't have to worry about knowing that one. So, to all of the new readers I say thanks for taking this time to check it out, and to the people reading WiH I say thanks for your continued support!

Disclaimer: I don't own Golden Sun

So without further adieu, I present…

Clear as Mud

Endless blue as far as the eye could see. The sea was such a beautiful sight on that perfectly sunny day. The way the waves curled and crashed as they sparkled from the light of Sol could take anyone's breath away. Puffy, white clouds floated lazily in the soft breeze that blew across the sky. The smell of tropical fruits and cooking filled the air from the nearby village situated by the beach. Aquatic fauna splashed and leaped along the surface of the crystal-blue waters, adding a hint of playfulness to the calming scene. A smile graced the lips of a familiar, cerulean-haired beauty as she took in the spectacular scenery, allowing her senses to embrace the soothing stimuli from all around her.

She didn't know how long she sat watching the calming splashing of the waves. The sense of peace and tranquility had often kept her distracted for countless hours in the past. Being surrounded by the pure essence of her element always made her feel at home: comfortable and carefree. It didn't matter if it were the icy waters of Imil, the endless blue that lapped against the Lemurian ship, or the tropical waters of Apojii, which she was, in fact, currently staring out at. Despite being raised near the frozen shores of northern Angara, these beautifully transparent waters were arguably the Mercury adept's favourite so far.

Though she was accustomed to the bone-chilling weather surrounding Mercury Lighthouse, Mia found herself enjoying the warm climate of the tropical islands. She'd long since abandoned her thick, winter overcoats and robes for some more weather-appropriate clothing. She had always felt odd wearing thin clothes, as she had grown up wearing layers upon layers to fight the sub-zero temperatures of her hometown, but found herself smiling when she was able to leave her thick dress and robe in a heap on her bed quarter's floor. There was a certain weightlessness to leaving behind the restricting clothes. She certainly found the release relieving, but couldn't help her cheeks from flushing at the looks she'd received from her male companions due to her, for lack of a better word, skimpier clothing. It made her wonder how a water temple could be so near to a place that so oppositely represented her home; after all, the lighthouse certainly didn't make Imil a tropical village.

And it wasn't as though she disliked the sudden attention, but she was still a shy girl. Even after travelling with three boys for the past seven – or was it eight? – months, she'd never quite gotten used to the fact that they looked at and spoke to her slightly differently than they did each other. She certainly didn't want to be treated as one of the guys (she'd realized this after observing their somewhat brutish interactions with each other), but it was odd to be treated differently. She almost felt like they were giving her special treatment. It was times like these that she wondered what it would be like if one of her companions could be female, but she couldn't imagine what the journey would be like if any of the boys weren't there to support her.

There was Ivan, the silly Jupiter adept. Like Mia, Ivan was a rather timid boy who only liked to speak when he thought his opinion would be necessary. It had taken a while, but he had eventually gotten on a comfortable level with the group to the point where he could speak freely most of the time. He was the youngest of the group, edging on sixteen, but usually seemed the most mature. He was also very bright, as he had demonstrated in his puzzle-solving abilities throughout the various dungeons, caves, ruins, and other trap-filled places they'd had to explore. Despite his wisdom and maturity, Ivan was a prankster through-and-through. More than once had Mia fallen victim to his small practical jokes, as he usually saved the more elaborate ones for Garet.

That brought her to Garet, the humourous Mars adept. Like his element, Garet sure had a fiery personality that seemed to get him in trouble on numerous occasions. When she'd first met him at Mercury Lighthouse, he'd intimidated her with his towering stature and muscular build; however, behind the loud personality and powerful looks belied a caring heart and trustworthy friend. He'd instantly proven himself as a fierce fighter, bravely – though somewhat recklessly – flinging himself into large packs of monsters to take them down all at once. He was quite the opposite to her in both stature and personality, so Mia had actually been surprised to get to know him quicker than the others, as her first impression had been less than admirable. Gluttonous appetite aside, she found herself most enjoying his company when they were feeling down, as he'd always been the one who could pick them up when even their steadfast leader was upset.

Then there was the leader, Isaac. Mia felt a shiver run up and down her spine, despite the warmth of the tropical sun on her skin. Even thinking of him made her skin tingle, and a deep blush made it impossible to hide her inner feelings for him. On multiple occasions he had courageously risked his own life to save her from the dangers of a vicious monster's attack to a light flu that plagued Garet and Ivan. He, like Garet, also proved to be a powerful warrior and adept, but unlike their Mars companion Isaac showed that he could make effective strategies in the split seconds that they had to dodge and return attacks. Mia's bond with Isaac was definitely closer than the ones she shared with the other boys, and the rate of how quickly they'd gotten close surprised her. What shocked her more, though, was that she'd found herself falling for him, something she hadn't even felt for any boy in Imil, let alone a complete stranger from a far-off village.

Often she wondered if he returned her feelings, but it had become apparent that he treated his two male friends equally, albeit she was the only girl so it was rather difficult to determine what 'equal' entailed. So many times she'd tried to convince herself that she simply found him attractive and nothing more, but her heart always smacked her in the face when she would see his wonderful smile. What was it that drew her to him? She'd never exactly been able to pinpoint it because there were multiple things she liked about him. Was it his selfless nature; his physical and emotional strength; his deep, crystal-blue eyes; his heartwarming smiles; his loving (in a friendly manner, mind you) hugs; his gorgeous, toned, shirtless torso…

Mia shook the last few thoughts from her mind, lightly smacking her hot, reddening cheeks. I only saw him shirtless one time! And it was an accident anyway. How was I supposed to know that he was going to start bathing in the river? It wasn't like I purposely planned to see his rippling abs and hot, glistening body as his beautiful…

She huffed and splashed seawater on her face. The sand she'd been sitting on must have been getting hotter; that or it was the sun. She was embarrassed by her thoughts of Isaac and how easily captivated she became when thinking of him in such… compromising situations. More than being embarrassed, though, she was frightened by her rapidly growing feelings. This was all such a new experience, being that there weren't many boyfriend-material guys in Imil. She found that it was easy to get carried away when such a handsome person was her new best friend.

But that was all she could say he was: just her best friend and nothing more.

It was hard for her to admit, but that was more than she would ever be to him. She knew that Garet was his best friend, so what was she considered? They'd gotten close, but he probably didn't think of her in the same way she thought of him. Heck, even Ivan was probably just as close to Isaac as her, so that left her on the bottom of the totem pole. Any special treatment could be explained by the fact that she was the only girl in the group. All she could be to him was his pretty-faced, female companion who was secretly, hopelessly in love with him…

Wait, in love?! It can't be that, I've only known him for seven or eight months! Clearly it had been a strange thought, but Mia couldn't deny that it hadn't been the first time that thought had come to her mind. It frustrated her to no end to have her mind act like this. She could never really tell if it was her heart or her head that was talking to her; maybe it was both, or maybe it was neither and she was just going crazy. Crazy in love…

How could she be in love with him, though?

Having never even had a crush on someone, how could she be so quick to assume her feelings were that of being in love? What did love even feel like? She couldn't possibly be at that stage with Isaac; it just wasn't emotionally possible, was it? In all honesty, she barely even knew the guy! Sure, they'd had conversations about his life before the journey and she'd gotten to know him a bit more personally, but that was to be expected! It wasn't as though she didn't get to know the others. Okay, maybe she'd only half listened to Garet's outrageous stories of triumph and strength, and perhaps she only partially paid attention to Ivan's explanations about reading the minds of countless animals in Kalay, but that wasn't the point. The point was that she was not in love with Isaac the way her head or heart or whatever kept tricking her into thinking she was! She was just a shy girl who just so happened to be the only girl in their party, and had a crush on her attractive best friend. Was that so hard to believe? Apparently her madly blushing face and racing heart still thought so.

What made her want him so badly, anyway? She'd always hoped she could just live the simple, quiet life of a healer, and that didn't include running off with some tireless group of boys set on saving the world! Healers were supposed to aid wounded travellers and sickly people. Before meeting them, she would have never even considered someone as bold and brash as Isaac. She'd always wanted to meet someone who was kind, strong-willed, caring, a good listener…

Well… okay, maybe Isaac was all those things, but she certainly never thought she'd fall for someone so unique as him. In truth, she thought she might spend her future with some ordinary Joe, one who could at least fulfill her basic needs. However, Isaac had been there to hear her story because he was genuinely interested in learning more about her. Whenever she felt homesick or like she didn't belong in their group, Isaac was always the one to talk some sense into her with his soothing voice. Isaac was always the first one to help her on their feet as they crossed the scorching Lamakan Desert, and he'd even given her his extra water when she grew dehydrated and fatigued. Once while travelling through a cave that was so dark they could barely see an inch in front of their faces, he'd held her hand so she would not get lost, and she swore that her legs must have turned to jelly at his touch. Everything was Isaac this and Isaac that, and it began to make her head spin with how many things he had done for her. There were so many indications that gave her hope that he felt something for her as well, but unfortunately she knew the reason that that couldn't be true.

He was chasing after Jenna.

Ugh, why did that girl have to go and get herself kidnapped? True, if Megan or Justin had been taken away Mia would have given chase without a second thought, but this was different. Jenna had been Isaac's friend since childhood, and Mia had already heard many stories that indicated the two were clearly keeping some inner feelings from each other. She wanted to hate this Jenna girl that Isaac and Garet spoke so fondly of, but she just couldn't force it. Mia had never hated anyone except for Alex, and she didn't even hate him until he'd revealed himself as an accomplice of Saturos and Menardi. Even then, her feeling of fury had died down, so how could she possibly hate someone she didn't even know, let alone have a half decent reason to, if she didn't even fully loathe her traitorous cousin? It wasn't Jenna's fault that Isaac had feelings for her, so what difference would it make if Mia held the flame user in contempt? It would only make her angry with herself for letting her feelings get out of hand. Mia was never one to let her emotions run amuck, so getting flustered over something as trivial as a silly one-sided crush was just plain stupid. Were these things always so difficult?

The Mercury adept sighed and brought her knees up to her chest. She was overreacting to the whole situation. If she could speak to Garet or Ivan without fear of humiliating herself, they'd probably laugh and say she should just take it easy. It's your first crush, Mia, Ivan would say, so don't let it bother you. You just don't know what it's like to have feelings for someone, so you're associating it with true love. It'll all come to pass eventually. Mindlessly, she began drawing pictures in the damp sand beside her. Unbeknownst to her, a certain Venus adept leaned against a palm tree as he watched her from afar.

Isaac smiled to himself as he eyed the lone female of their group sitting on the sand. He always knew where to look for her when she wandered off from the rest of them, because he knew that she felt most comfortable near her element. He could empathize with her; after all, he still found amusement in the childish act of jumping in mud puddles. However, ceased to continue doing so (to a certain extent) after Mia was forced to hose him down, scolding him all the while. Ah, Mia, she truly was one of a kind, a sort of mother figure for the troublesome boys. He watched as her finger drew some squiggles in the sand. He was a bit too far to actually see what she was drawing, so he decided it wouldn't hurt to approach her. It seemed that she didn't notice his approach, as her gaze was directed on the picture, and his shadow was cast behind him. Now that he was closer, he could see that she'd drawn a heart.

Typical girl doodles, he silently chuckled to himself. He watched as two letters began forming within the shape from the tip of her finger. A capital M with a capital I beside it was all she wrote before sighing and turning out towards the water. Slightly confused by her drawing, he spoke up.

"Looks like you forgot the A, Mia"

She jumped at his voice and quickly turned her head to look at him. A light blush formed on her cheeks, and she seemed just as confused by his statement as he had been by her drawing.

"H-huh? What are you talking about, Isaac?" she squeaked.

"Uh, your name," he scratched the back of his head and let out an awkward chuckle, pointing to the heart beside her. "You wrote out the M and the I, but you forgot the A… y'know, for Mia."

"Oh… right, how silly of me." She looked down at her drawing and quickly scribbled a messy, off-centered letter A beside the I. Something about it seemed off, but Isaac decided to ignore it, now being more intrigued by Mia's jumpiness.

"Is everything alright, Mia? You seem a bit tense," he said, taking a seat beside her on the sand.

"I… I'm just trying to relax a bit before we head off," she lied. "We've been so busy lately that it's a little hard to settle down for just a few days."

"Mm," he replied, turning to look at her. Even after travelling together for months, he still had a hard time remembering that they had a female in the group. Isaac had been so surprised that such a beautiful girl like Mia had decided to join their group so long ago. He was afraid that she'd be scared off by the fact that she was the only girl, and they weren't exactly tasked with something easy. She always managed to surprise him, though, with strength and courage that hid far beneath her outer appearance. She was far more than just the healer who completed their quartet of adepts. She'd become a companion, a helping hand, and a very close friend. Isaac was grateful that she'd been able to carry her weight out on the road, and it certainly helped that she was attractive.

He couldn't help but blush a bit when he noticed the thin sundress she wore. It was pale blue in colour, and flowed gracefully around her figure. It was just a plain, halter dress, but Mia had a way of making plain clothes look good. A purple ribbon wrapped around her waist and tied into a big bow at the back. It accented her curves a bit more, and Isaac had to admit that he didn't usually take much notice of her… feminine qualities, as they usually hid beneath her thick robes. It wasn't as though he'd tried to check her out – well, not often anyway – but it never seemed to cross his mind that she was… y'know, girly. As always, her hair was tied in a neat ponytail that allowed him to see her gorgeous, aquamarine eyes. She could definitely pull off the summer look, even if she was used to frigid temperatures.

He had to say, she was probably one of the most beautiful girls he had ever met. Jenna was, to be blunt, hot, but she seemed to lack the quality of beauty that Mia exuded. She almost had a sort of regal bearing about her, not to say that she demanded to be treated like royalty. Mia was very pretty, but his biggest shock was that of her charming personality. Most attractive girls he knew were snobbish or short-tempered (kind of like Jenna), but Mia was different. He didn't expect such a gem to be so timid around them for the first few months. Usually he'd be concerned with getting pushed around, but in this case he was afraid to even speak too loud out of fear that she might break. For the first week away from Imil she'd barely spoken more than ten words, and he almost felt guilty for taking her with them.

Isaac always wondered what this azure-haired girl thought of him, as they didn't really speak of what they thought about each other. It was sort of an awkward topic to bring up anyway. What was he supposed to say: what do you think of us? She would obviously feel obligated to say that she liked all of them, but it would be somewhat difficult to know if she were telling the truth or not. Secretly, he always hoped that she would bring it up so that he could see how she felt about him before he potentially embarrassed himself. Why would he embarrass himself? Well, that could be answered with three little words.

He liked her.

It seemed strange to grow so closely to the last member of their group in such a short time, but for the past while Isaac realized that his feelings for her had grown beyond the level of friendship. Other than Jenna, he'd never really gotten too close with any of his other female friends back in Vale, so it was odd to suddenly find himself bonding rapidly with the Mercury adept. True, he'd basically be living on the road with her for some unknown amount of time, but it wasn't like the girls back home had been far away. Mia was special, and she deserved to know how he felt about her. If he weren't such a damn coward, he would tell her right then while they sat beside there on the beach. He could fight off hordes of terrifying beasts and risk life and limb to protect his friends, but he couldn't even say those three little words to the girl sitting only a few inches away from him. Fear wasn't the only problem, however, as there was something else that was keeping her from knowing how he felt.

Isaac wasn't supposed to fall for Mia.

Ever since he could remember, Isaac and Jenna had always been the couple that everyone talked about. Back in Vale, their friends, all the adults, and even Kraden occasionally referred to the two of them as lovebirds, sweethearts or some other term associated with couples. The two of them and Garet had been inseparable, but everyone knew that the mutual feeling wasn't between the Mars adepts. He felt somewhat guilty that Jenna hadn't returned Garet's feelings, but it always seemed like she and Isaac were going to spend the rest of their lives together. Garet wasn't one to hold grudges, though, and had supported his friends regardless of his lingering feelings for his two best friends. No one had ever stood in their way, and Isaac was going to make sure he and Jenna would be together after he'd rescued her.

Well, that had been the original plan, but a certain Mercury adept had apparently run his train off the tracks. It happened so suddenly that he wasn't even sure if his old feelings for Jenna had even been real. One day he was thinking about his future life with Jenna and then whoosh, Mia's the one he's thinking about. He was now forced to choose between the girl that everyone expected him to be with or the one that he currently wanted to be with. While the decision may have seemed simple enough, he also had to think about his future.

Suppose he chose Jenna. Isaac knew that Mia had some sort of attraction to him, though he believed that it was strictly platonic. If he chose Jenna he risked being with someone that he didn't necessarily want to be with, and if Mia's attraction turned out to be more than on a friendly level, then she'd end up getting hurt. On the other hand, Mia was also a viable option. The problem with choosing her was if Jenna found out, which she would inevitably have to if they planned on rescuing her. Obviously Jenna had feelings for him, so she would be heartbroken to hear that something had happened between their 'happily ever after' ending. And what if something happened between him and Mia after Jenna got over him? Then he'd be alone without love for the rest of his days.

Love. Did he really mean that?

He knew that Mia was someone he cared for greatly, but had his feelings really developed to such a powerful emotion in the short time he'd known her? It wasn't possible, was it? He'd never loved someone in that way before. Though he would never admit it, the only person he could say he'd told he loved them was his mother. Isaac loved Mia as a friend, yes, just like he loved his other friends. In fact, he could comfortably say that he loved her as a best friend. He'd acknowledged Garet as his best friend all his life, but something about the girl beside him had changed that. Somehow she'd managed to squeeze herself into the place in his heart where he once held Garet and Jenna as his closest friend and potential girlfriend respectively. Something about her drew him in so quickly that he barely had any trouble at all accepting that she'd stealthily replaced Garet on his imaginary list of friends ranked by their closeness with him.

A few geyser-like spurts of water broke him from his thoughts as he turned to look at them. Something he'd learned about Mia, as well as with other adepts, was that she liked to play around with her element when she was troubled or stressed. It gave one a sense of control when things were getting out of hand. He knew what it was like, as he and Garet had been stressing quite a lot when they first set out for their journey. The path from Vale to Vault to Goma Cave would probably never look the same with all the misplaced rocks and burnt down plants. Because of this, he knew that something was up, but Isaac was never one to push someone, so instead he threw some sand into the air and had it fly over towards the blobs of water that Mia had made.

"What's on your mind, Mia? You seem a bit stressed out."

Could she tell him? Why was it so hard for her to just say what she was feeling to the boy seated beside her? She hadn't meant to give herself away when she started playing with the water, but Isaac was quick to catch on to her gesture. Why was telling the boy she had fallen for so difficult? Was it fear of rejection or fear of ruining their friendship? She loved what they had together as two friends, but was it worth risking their friendship for something better? There was no way of knowing how much longer their adventure might take. If she screwed things up now, they could be in an awkward situation for months, maybe even years! She couldn't do that, it wasn't fair to any of the four adepts.

"It… It's nothing, Isaac. I was just thinking."

"Come on, Mia, you know you can tell me. It can't be nothing, otherwise you wouldn't be so introverted right now. When have you not been able to trust me?" he said, giving her a cheerful smile.

She couldn't help but smile back at him; he was just too darn cute for her, pardon, for his own good. Looking back out at the water, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply. "I suppose that's true. I've just been thinking about you… a-and the others!" she added quickly, hoping he didn't notice. "It's just a bit new for me to be making friends so quickly. I didn't have many friends my age back home; Megan and Justin were my only close friends, but they're still just kids. I'm really glad that I got to meet all of you."

Mia's words warmed Isaac's heart. "We're glad to have met you too. I certainly couldn't tell that you didn't have many friends in Imil. You're such a caring girl, Mia, so I just assumed that you would be popular around town."

She giggled a bit, allowing herself to relax. "Well, I don't know if you noticed, but there isn't many young people in Imil. Even amongst the people close to my age, we don't really see each other a lot because there are always things that need doing. Is it not like that in Vale?"

Isaac chuckled; did she just call him lazy? "I guess Imil's pretty different from Vale. It's a pretty lively village, but it's peaceful. Everyone around our age are known for being troublemakers, but not in a bad way; it's just that we're teenagers and that's what we do. Even though we usually have things to do, people are pretty lenient about when we skip out on it, unless it's really urgent or important."

"I guess I was right about you Vale folk then."

"Oh? And what conclusion did you come to. I'd like to hear what you think of the village that you got to visit only once."

She stifled a laugh, a devious smirk forming on her lips. "Well, from what you've told me, I can only assume that you're all preppy lazybones. I'm glad we met the way we did, because I don't think I would've even associated myself with you guys if I'd come to Vale instead of you coming to Imil."

Mia didn't typically joke around much, so it delighted Isaac to see her loosen up. He laughed and nudged her lightly, causing her concentration to break a bit so that the water blobs almost splashed back into the ocean. Now laughing, she glanced towards him, only to see him staring back at her with a smile etched across his perfect face. It was in that moment that Mia knew she had to know what his feelings for her were. If he felt nothing more than friendship, at least it would give her some closure. It would hurt to hear him say it, but she could get over it with time. Now she just had to think of a way to ask him. Feeling slightly embarrassed by how she would approach the subject, she cast her gaze back out towards the sparkling water.

"What's it like to be loved, Isaac?"

"W-what do you mean? Where did that come from?" he asked, clearly baffled by her sudden question.

His reaction made her blush, but she continued nonetheless, "Well, my parents died when I was very young, so I hardly remember them. My only real familial companionship was Alex, but he left me and turned traitor to our clan. That pretty much leaves out family love and I've never… I've never had a boyfriend. I just want to know how you would describe love."

He was left speechless for a second. Isaac had heard Mia's life story before, but it still made his heart ache when he heard that she never really gotten to meet her parents. But what left him the most dumbfounded was that she thought he could explain love to her in a simple way. Familial love was just something he'd grown up with, so how could he possibly explain that to her. To add to that, he wasn't sure he'd ever experienced love love from anyone. He didn't want to jump to conclusions by saying that Jenna loved him. He knew that she liked him beyond the point of having a crush, but it would be a pretty bold claim to make if he said she loved him. Besides, things might have changed in the many months they'd spent away from each other; they certainly had for him.

"I, uh… well, if you want my honest opinion, I don't really know how to describe it because I don't know what it's like either. Familial love is hard to explain because it's sort of like knowing that someone is there to support and care for you, but only in a family-related sort of way. Sorry if that's a crappy description, but it's not really something I've ever had to describe. I don't mean to sound harsh, but being loved by your family is just something that you have to experience firsthand. As for, y'know, that kind of love, I've never actually had a girlfriend, despite what you may think from what I've told you about myself. Jenna and I have never officially declared ourselves as dating, so technically I've never been with anyone either."

Mia felt her lips curl up slightly upon hearing that Isaac had never had a girlfriend. It made her feel more confident in her feelings for him. Perhaps he was just as nervous as she was. Just because he'd had some sort of relationship-type dating thing with Jenna didn't mean that he was now the expert on girlfriends. In fact, he seemed just as lacking in knowledge as she did. She suddenly felt much of the tension in her system ease out and allowed the water blobs to slowly descend back into the sea.

"Relationships sure are confusing, aren't they?" she said.

"I'm not sure I would put it that way," he replied nonchalantly. "I mean, there's a lot of confusing components to a relationship, but the relationship as a whole is relatively straightforward. It's always about knowing the other person well, and being able to communicate with them properly. That's usually easier said than done, but when you find the right person, it shouldn't be a challenge to do so. Putting their problems before your own is usually the way to show that you truly love them, because it means that you want their happiness before your own. I know that I would do anything for my friends: Garet, Jenna, Ivan, and especially you, Mia. You really mean a lot to me."

It was at that moment that she simply couldn't help herself anymore. Try as she might, Mia was unable to control her emotions upon hearing how heartfelt his feelings about relationships were. His explanation was so true and so real, that any restraints she held on herself immediately caved in and broke before her impulses. Curse him and his unyielding attractiveness! Why couldn't he just be like a regular teenage guy and chase skirts in a completely not cute, unattractive, non-philosophical way?! She was definitely going to regret this. Stupid hormones.

He, of course, had no idea what she was about to do, but found himself presently surprised when he felt the soft squish of her lips pressed upon his own. It was so shocking that he just froze on the spot. His mind was racing, but it seemed as though all his motor functions had shut down. He truly wanted to kiss her back, but his body wouldn't respond to his command. His eyes were wide and he wasn't quite sure what to do with his paralyzed body. However, as quickly as she began the kiss, she shot her eyes open and ended it, a dizzyingly red blush spreading across her pale cheeks.

"Oh, Luna, I… Isaac, I can't… Oh, Sol, what… I'm so sorry, Isaac!" she stuttered. He simply stared at her blankly, still too shocked to say anything. Without waiting for a response, the Mercury adept quickly made a run for it. She had to get away; anywhere would suffice as long as she could hide her embarrassment from Isaac. What was she thinking?! How could she get so caught up in the moment that she would do something so bold as kissing him. She knew she'd regret her impulsive decision, but she couldn't help herself. Why did he have to be so damn perfect?! Once again, stupid hormones.

Isaac took a second to register everything in his brain before realizing that Mia had already run off. After what seemed like a lifetime his body became responsive to his brain signals. The sudden regaining of control caused him to fall onto the sand. Cursing as he stood and brushed himself down, he looked to see which way she'd run off to. Quickly as he could, he raced after her, trying to catch up before she was out of sight. Luckily for him, he was a faster runner than she was, so it didn't take long to gain on her. He reached out for her arm as she was about to duck around a palm tree.

"Mia, wait!" he cried, gripping onto her wrist firmly. She struggled a bit against him, but he was too strong for her to wriggle her arm away.

"Isaac, let me go! I didn't mean to do it, I'm sorry! Please just let go of me and we'll pretend this didn't happen! I won't tell the others, I promise!"

"Mia, stop and hear me out for a second," he said calmly. The tone of his voice forced Mia to stop squirming, though she still wouldn't meet his eyes. "Thanks, I just… you didn't give me a chance to speak."

"What could you possibly have said, Isaac: 'Sorry but I'm on this adventure to save Jenna'? You don't have to be nice to me about this, because it's my fault for not thinking. I know that's what you're doing and that's why it's highly inappropriate for me to-"

She stopped talking, Isaac's free hand placing a finger on her lips. Once he was sure she'd calmed down a bit, he interlocked his fingers with hers. He was almost certain his hands were shaking, but it could've been Mia's hands as well. He wasn't completely sure why he grasped her hand, but it seemed to calm her down and he definitely liked the way her soft, gentle hand felt in his. She almost seemed too stunned to say anything about it, an evident blush creeping onto her cheeks. He could feel the blood rush to his cheeks as well, but now he was ready to admit his feelings for her. It almost seemed cowardly for him to do after she'd kissed him, but it was now or never; he wouldn't let there be an awkward time period between them. He'd finally realized that it's what he should have done all along. Worrying about the future was irrelevant because he cared deeply for Mia right now. If something happened in the future then they would cross that bridge when they got to it. He leaned his forehead against hers, their proximity closing by the second. Even their noses were practically touching before he decided to speak.

"Mia, I should have told you this the moment I realized it. I was too much of a coward before, but now I feel that you've given me the strength to say it. It still makes me nervous, but you've already risked more than I could. I guess you're braver than even I am."

Her face was burning, and having him right up against it felt, well, intimate. She couldn't be certain, but she was pretty sure that her face was a deep crimson. If she hadn't been right up in his face she might have been too distracted by her own embarrassment to notice his scarlet cheeks. "W-what are you saying, Isaac?"

He took a breath to ready himself. "Mia, I… I care about you a lot, so much in fact that you've become my closest friend out here. As we travelled across Weyard, my feelings for you have continued to grow, growing so fast, in fact, that you started to become something more than a friend to me. At first I thought it might have been because you were the only girl in our group, but I've come to realize that it's far more than just a simple infatuation. I didn't think it was possible to feel so close to someone I've known for such a short time, but you've shown me otherwise. You make me feel warm inside, Mia, warmer than any other girl has ever made me feel. I get jittery and nervous just by speaking to you, yet I feel most comfortable conversing with you. Even Jenna, the girl I'm 'supposed' to end up with, doesn't make me feel the way you do. Mia, I've wanted to tell you for a while now that I'd like to be more than your friend because, well, you mean more to me than just a friend, so much more. I don't know what's right or wrong, what the future holds, or if we'll even make it to the end of this journey, but I know that right now I want to be with you. With you by my side, I can do anything, Mia, as long as we can be together."

Before she had the chance to say something back to him, Mia found her lips pressed in a heavenly lip-lock with the boy she'd been thinking about all day. Never in her wildest dreams did she think that he would return her feelings for him. But here he was, kissing her under the shade of a palm tree in a tropical paradise. She couldn't have asked for a better place to share this feeling with the boy she'd fallen for. She felt as though she were floating on cloud nine, high above the world she thought she knew. Everything around her disappeared as she closed her eyes and returned his kiss. Every slight movement his lips made sent tingles throughout her body, and she could almost feel the electricity pulsing through her. Elation, ecstasy, euphoria, and any other mood-appropriate word that starts with the letter E could only try to describe her feelings to the fullest.

They stayed like that for a long time, both adepts experiencing many emotion-filled, mush-centric, clichéd feelings that occur during the first kiss between lovers. Though she'd never been kissed before, Mia knew Isaac had to be a good kisser. She doubted that a bad kisser could have made her feel so dazed and giddy. She didn't want the kiss to end, but unfortunately something interrupted the special moment between the two. She couldn't say that she was angry (how could she after a moment like that), but it did irritate her slightly when a few snickers were heard from behind her. Isaac, however, did not give Mia the chance to turn around to see where the sound was coming from. Instead, he kept his forehead leaned against hers and smirked as he added one final statement to his heartfelt speech.

"And despite the fact that Garet and Ivan have been watching this whole scene play out, I would be overjoyed if you accepted me as your boyfriend."

Her heart melted at those words, and she couldn't help but let out a dreamy giggle from his cheesy humour. She wrapped her arms behind his head as she felt his snake around her waist.

"I'll have to think about it," she teased before pulling him in for another kiss.

The End

One thing I tried to avoid was for either of them to say 'I love you'. While it's evident that they share a mutual attraction for each other, I think it's terribly cliché and unlikely that two seventeen-year-olds who've only known each other for a short period of time to just up and say it like it's nothing. I think that unless a major amount of detail is included in a oneshot, it seems odd to make the characters say they love each other, but maybe that's just me. So despite Mia and Isaac both thinking they may be in love with each other, I can comfortably say that as far as this story goes, they do not (at least at this stage of the relationship). I'm not that much of a hopeless romantic :P

Anyway, I had fun writing this and it gave me a nice refresher from spending all my time on WiH. It's always nice to write something uplifting instead of a depressing story like that, but I guess it's my own fault for choosing said topic.

So, yeah, I hope you guys enjoyed this little tidbit of mine, and maybe it'll help boost my popularity a bit more :). I apologize for any errors, as I was too lazy to edit it for a third time.

Please review!

-GengaJupite