If they are related, they're not anymore. Alex and Mia are not related for this fic. Just in case they are. I forgot where I read it, but THEY ARE NOT BLOOD RELATED IN ANY WAY!!! Thank you.
This is only my second Golden Sun romance fic, and the first really long one. If you must be harsh in your review/flame, at least remember that. Flames are welcome in the form of constructive criticism; reviews are no doubt always welcome, and appreciated. R+R!
But one more thing: remember, if you just don't like a couple, don't make it an excuse to flame endlessly. Try to look past it, and if you still don't like my writing style, THEN you can flame. Within reason of course.
Now I'll let you read!
Disclaimer: I own nothing. All characters, places, and etc. belong to Golden Sun & whoever owns/made Golden Sun. So there. Now you can't sue me. ^-^
1- Trouble of Spirit
It was yet another gorgeous day in Vale, where Mia was residing until the worst of the winter storms let up, so she could head back to Imil. She was currently their healer, so to speak, and lived in the inn, with a charge of ten coins per night. With the fees she accepted for being a healer for people and animals everyday, it was more than enough to pay for living at the inn.
Ivan was also spending nights at the inn, for lack of better place to be. They (as in Mia, Isaac, Garet, and Ivan) had rescued Jenna and Kraden, as well as Felix, who was now living happily back in his home, joyfully welcomed with open arms by his parents. Ivan was making quite an enjoyable study of the huge piece of Psynergy stone at the entrance to Vale.
Every evening during dinner, the two could be found sitting at a quiet corner in the inn, over bowls of untouched soup or plates of steak or vegetables, rehashing their day. Ivan enthusiastically went over everything he was learning about the stone, and its properties, with Mia, who shared his interest and enthusiasm in learning new things. She was often an active participant in the conversation, asking questions with bright blue eyes, engaging friendly but heated debates between topics that both brought up. Likewise, he nodded over everything she found about diseases or illnesses that animals and people had, and what the environment might have a hand in it. Usually, a bit before they finished their dinner, Isaac and Garet would join them (probably because they didn't wish to be subject to a conversation about a cold or the 'slab of rock at the front of the town') and they would have a merry time talking about something or other that went on that day.
Mia and Isaac, in particular, had similar days, for she was spending an abundance of her time healing Dora (is that Isaac's mom? I haven't played the game in a while), while Isaac helped or watched anxiously over her shoulder. Usually it was Garet who had a more exciting day; often complaints about his sister, or his younger brother, who were irritatingly joyous company to him. On one hand, he had missed them while he'd been on his journey across the continents and oceans, but on the other…
Well, weren't siblings supposed to be annoying?
So basically, life was supposed to be perfect. Their journey had ended a little over half a month ago, and Ivan, Mia, Isaac, and Garet had settled back into a peaceful life at Vale with happy hearts and enjoying the chilly weather of the latest days of the remaining and fleeing winter.
That was the key word, wasn't it?
Supposed to be perfect, indeed, Mia sighed, as her thoughts came back down to her small room in the inn. Small, but cozy, to be exact, and she was currently chipping away at a small piece of sapphire, which was taking the shape of a rearing horse. It had turned to become one of hobbies, shaping and carving precious and semi-precious gems, something she did on the more quiet of her days. Arts of work, she sold them to traders at the local weapons, armor, medicines, and herbs shop, where she also spent some of her time, making more medicines and comparing notes from her journal of healing with the local herbalist/healer. She was often found in her room at night, or on the grass in front of the inn in the morning, chipping or chiseling lightly away, with an oddity of water in front of her knees.
Just a little more… Mia squinted, and used her Psynergy like a trickle of water to smooth out part of the horse's mane.
::It's pretty!:: Fizz squeaked, his voice sounding clearly in Mia's distracted mind. For her, they'd been chatting like this for a long time; she wasn't sure about the others, but she wanted to keep this secret. After all, they were her Djinn, she reasoned.
"Why thank you, Fizz. What think you, need I shape this beauty more?" Mia said softly in the melodic language of the ancient peoples who had protected Mercury lighthouse. Her ancestors.
::No! It's perfect!:: Six other Djinn joined her first, squeaking and jumping about the bed where she worked. Dew, especially, loved to jump and bounce and "fly", so to speak. Now, she hopped as high as she could on the fluffy comforters, squealing.
"Come on, all of you. Let me see if you managed to hurt yourselves, playing and romping about with Isaac's and Garet's and Ivan's Djinn. Gosh, it's been almost a year that I've had some of you – and still you don't listen to me! Here, sit still, while I – ow! – alright, settle down, and I'll do that mist thing, okay, Mist? Thank you – now, hold it right there, I need to heal you, you little r–! Why, hello Isaac." Mia smiled sheepishly, surprised and with a guilty expression on her face. She was sprawled awkwardly over the bed on her stomach, and the clear object of her search lay just out of her reach, blinking up innocently at Isaac, as if there was nothing wrong. He chuckled, perfectly comfortable in the company of Mia and her Djinni.
"Don't worry about me. Just finish doing whatever you are doing with them… and Sleet's alright. I made sure she was safe and sound with Quartz while I walked around Vale. And then after your healing session-" Both Adepts looked at each other with amusement, Isaac serious but with his emotions shining in his eyes, Mia with relaxed blue ones and a small smile on her face.
"Thanks, Isaac. Just hold on a minute while I finish with the rest of them…" Mia murmured, but glared scathingly at the others at her last sentence. Isaac's mouth curled up in the rare smile, as she turned away her eyes drew blank. A beautiful mist-like shape wreathed at her window, opened into the dark sky, and the Djinn hopped off the bed to follow it, except Fizz, who nestled unseen into her hair. As they jumped through the sparkling cloud of mist to land in the soft bushes below, Mia looked serenely at Isaac.
"What brings you here so late? I'd told you to watch her when temperatures dropped lower than usual."
Isaac's cheeks tinted just the slightest of pinks, and Mia looked on wonderingly, waiting for his answer while withholding her own blushes. He coughed and admitted that he'd wanted to ask her something.
"And you have caught me alone, and I am definitely willing to listen. I'll just move this stuff aside-" Mia placed her little gem statue to a side and looked back at him. "What is it, Isaac?"
He cleared his throat and his face became very red. As red as Garet was thick-headed sometimes.
"I – uh – well, Mia, i-it's like this..."
"..."
Isaac smiled tightly as he tugged the bottom end of his tunic, wanting to get it over with yet not wanting to sound too forward.
"Isaac, what exactly are you babbling about now? Every day you are in Garet's company, you act more and more like him."
"Well, I suppose that's accurate enough," he muttered, pulling his hand through his unruly blond hair. "Anyway," he hurried on, "I just wanted to know if you'd like to come with me to Sol Sanctum. To see it. The inside of it..."
A flicker passed through her eyes, and Mia nodded, looking out the window. "Tha- If it's not too much trouble for you, Isaac. I don't want you to do this just to be polite," she finally said. The blanket of silence hovered over them. Now both looked away, eyes never meeting. Isaac leaned uncomfortably against her door, fidgeting with his clothing and hair until Mia, watching him out of the corner of her eye, ached to straighten it out. Longing for their former leader made her cheeks hot with embarrassment.
"Mia, you lo-"
"Isaac, I-"
Both of their mouths shut and Mia looked away, a sudden image of Alex popping up in her head. While trying to get rid of the inconvenient vision, she became embarrassed for the words that had been about to leave her mouth. There was never a right time to say what she wanted to say to the blond Valean. Seemingly, her conscience was using that against her.
Unbeknownst to her, Isaac was watching her indecision with a most un-Isaac like feeling welling up in his cold exterior. Always the leader, the helpful one, he was. He hadn't been like Garet, flirting with all the town girls and giving compliments left and right. Not that Isaac didn't give compliments to people, he just didn't release them as lightly as his more humorous friend. Now's your chance, Isaac, the knight thought to himself. You've always wanted to tell her that you loved her, but you never do get the nerve to. He blinked slowly, and when his eyes reopened Mia was blushing hotly, the full realization of what she had been about to say fully hitting her. The tiny smile that had been tugging at the corners of his mouth came, and his eyes softened. Now's not the time. There will be another chance, one that is perfect.
Isaac walked over resolutely and took gentle hold of her near-bare shoulders. "Wishful dreams, Mia," he whispered in her ear, and kissed her mouth as softly as his breath had caressed her hair. When she looked up at him, he stared back, a small smile on his face. She returned it and whispered the same phrase, looking down a split second later. Unseen by Mia, he smiled wistfully and walked out, shutting the door softly behind him.
Mia shut her eyes hatefully. How could I have lost that chance?! Why think of Alex? Why can't I just say it? I love you Isaac. More than you ever could think of. I've loved you ever since you saved me in the Suhalla! She ran the back of her hand along her cheeks, and clenched the other in the bedspread, wanting to break down but not wanting to submit to weakness. Weakness that had come almost nightly long before she'd ever met Isaac. Weakness that had disappeared at Alex's arrival in Imil, and as their initial training sessions with the ancient Mercury healer began.
Why can't I just forget him? He turned against me. He didn't care enough about me to stay and help me fight the sickness plaguing Imil... I don't even know why I'm thinking about him. I love Isaac. Not him... not Alex. We used to mesh so well, together in everything... how could I lose him? I always sensed, he didn't think me brave enough. But that was what made us so perfect, wasn't it? No! I never loved Alex. I... didn't. My heart no longer belongs to that cold-hearted man.
Mia shook her head sadly, releasing the bed. It was then she noticed the wetness coursing down her cheeks, dripping forlornly onto her hands. Her chin trembled, and she got up shakily. Crawling to her neatly folded pile of clothes on a free chair besides the bed, Mia combed through everything until she found the small necklace. Clutching it gently in one hand, she pulled her hair out of its usual tight ponytail, letting it fall down her back in a blue cascade. Letting a sob tear from her throat, she fell backwards, staring unseeingly at the wood ceiling and fingering the light silver chain. The dampness on her cheeks proved further that she was crying, and didn't care to wipe the tears.
Great sobs racked her body soundlessly, as she lay on her back in the Inn. She was shaking, from internal wounds inflicted by Alex two years ago at his untimely departure, and from the cold seeping in from the window. When a hoarse cry escaped her lips, she covered her mouth with her hand, and she sat up carefully. Walking to the window, trying to see through the blur that was her torrent of tears, Mia reached for the handle that would, when pulled in easily, close the window.
She halted.
There was warmth where there shouldn't have been.
Dragging her palm hard against her eyes, red-rimmed eyes stared at the same icy blue ones that she sported. Hers widened, and the tears and sadness were forgotten.
"I'm sorry."
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So there you go. Short first chapter. I'm going to try posting up one chapter per day, but if that doesn't work, then I'll have to do one per two days. Hopefully. Winter break is coming up, so that'll give me a good chance to write. ^__^ Thanx so much for reading!!