If you're looking for a long, in depth chapter story that revolves around the Golden Sun world, then you've come to the wrong place. If oneshots aggravate you, run away while you can. If you're looking for something predictable, where you always know what'll happen in the next chapter, then may the Djinn be with you, but you'd better click that back button now. However, if you're just bored, looking for a way to pass time, or don't mind reading the random practice scribbles of a fan fiction authoress, then maybe you'll be able to maintain your sanity throughout this project. Maybe.

This is a collection of oneshots, short stories, and other brief works that I write from time to time. Sometimes, I proof read and edit as though life itself depends on it. Other times, I'll flat out write something for the pure sake of writing and beating a small hole in whatever writer's block I'm stuck with at the time. So... um... yeah... Kinda hard to explain it all without taking up a massive amount of time and space, so I guess I'll just let the "chapters" speak for themselves. Just keep in mind that the genres and ratings can go all over the place, and I might eventually go so far as to write an M piece (big "maybe"). Hmm, seems like a good time for a disclaimer...

Disclaimer for this chapter and all the rest to come: "Golden Sun", "Golden Sun: The Lost Age", and all other official GS stuff belongs to Nintendo and Camelot. The fanfics in this collection belong to me. Enter at own risk.

That should do it.

&&&&&&&&&&

Title: Playing with Fire
Rating: K+? (holy cripes, I wrote something below the T rating)
Genre: General, Friendship-y-ness, slight drama, unless you count little kids pouting as "angst" XD
Summary: Garet wants to learn Psynergy, and when everyone else says you're too young to learn something, what could be so wrong about teaching yourself? Simple: plenty of reasons. (Oneshot)

Author Notes: What happens when I'm only at the start of one story, but have my mind stuck on something that won't happen until much later? The answer: stuff like this is created. I'd really been wanting to write something on young Garet and Isaac, and this oneshot was the 4 or 5 hour response. It was also originally only going to be posted on my deviantArt account, but I decided to finally edit it more and upload it here as well. If you really really want to think of it as the making of a Garet/Isaac pairing, that's not what was intended, but go right on ahead if that's what floats your boat.

&&&&&&&&&&

He hated it. Hated it, hated it, hated it. His parents could use Psynergy. His older sister could use Psynergy. Heck! Even Felix was starting to learn Psynergy! But not him. Noooo, it was always, "Maybe next year, Garet," or, "When you're older, Garet," or, "Not until you show some responsibility, Garet."

Did he mention that he hated it?

At his tenth birthday party, he had wished to be taught to use Psynergy. Instead, his big sister Kay had started showing the signs not a week later. That had been two years ago, but he kept wishing for it. Now, Felix was learning, and he wasn't being modest about it, either. Showoff.

And so, while all the other kids were busy being easily impressed by the older boy's simple, "move item three feet from spot A to spot B," Garet opted to move further downriver. Hanging his feet over the side of the village's southernmost bridge, he couldn't help being glad that the waterfall behind him drowned out all the ooh's and ahh's that otherwise might have followed him.

Some time later – whether it was ten minutes or an hour, Garet wasn't keeping track – he heard light footsteps on the wooden planks, until a small shadow fell partly over him. "Hey, Garet?"

Garet made a small noise in his throat, meaning he'd heard the other boy, but didn't feel like putting it in so many words.

"You okay?" Garet shrugged, as though sarcastically saying, "What do you think?" The boy, Isaac, edged closer a step. He was twelve years old, the same age as Garet, but a little smaller and thinner. When the spiky redhead didn't move or look up, Isaac seemed to take it as an okay to sit beside him. Now two sets of legs dangled over the water.

Another few minutes passed. Finally, Garet sighed and hung his head. "Did everyone go home?"

Isaac shook his blond head, even if Garet wasn't looking. "Nah. They were playing walnut shells when I left, but Felix was having trouble keeping track of the pebble while moving everything else. Everyone could tell which shell it was under."

Garet let a small grin and snicker slip. Another minute of silence passed before he broke it again. "Isaac, you don't know Psynergy yet, do you?"

Isaac shook his head a second time. "I don't even know what element I am yet. Mom thinks I might be earth because of how quiet I am, and I don't have blue hair. I heard only people with blue hair can be water."

"I don't think I'm earth." The redhead nodded, thinking. "I've got it." He hopped back to his feet, grinning the grin that Isaac knew would mean trouble. "Let's teach ourselves."

"Teach… our… selves?" Isaac stared at Garet as though he'd grown horns. On second thought, maybe he had, and they were just invisible. "Garet, we're too young for that! The Great Healer says so in almost all of his lectures!"

"Wait, you mean you actually listen to that stuff?" Isaac faltered as he tried to back step, but it was too late for that. "Good grief, Isaac, quit being such a goody two shoes and help me out, okay? Come on, what could possibly go wrong?"

Knowing you, lots, Isaac thought to himself, rolling his eyes, but stood anyways. "Okay, fine. What're you going to do?"

If Garet's grin could become any wider, Isaac was sure it was going to stick. "Just follow me."

&&&&&&&&&&

"Garet, are you sure about this?"

"Isaac, since when have I ever given you reason to doubt me?"

"Everyday?"

Garet didn't respond to that as he tried lighting another match. About a dozen failed attempts were already on the ground. The boys were hiding out behind the empty northwest house, Garet sitting cross-legged, and Isaac sitting on his own heels.

The match lit up, and Garet somehow dodged blowing it out in a brief cheer. "Okay, candle?" Hesitating, Isaac held out the tall candle they had managed to sneak from Garet's house, and Garet ignited it with the small flame. The older boy did almost everything but clap his hands and dance in place. It was only a candle, but Isaac just went along with it.

Whatever bright idea Garet had before, it had since dimmed. "Um… what next?"

"How should I know?"

"Some help you are."

"I'm holding the candle, aren't I?"

Garet huffed stubbornly. "Fine, fine. The grown ups usually wave their hands when they use Psynergy, so maybe…" He waved one hand over the flame in a circular motion, hand flat and palm down. Nothing happened.

"The Great Healer usually waves his hands a lot for Psynergy. Maybe you aren't waving enough?"

Garet gave Isaac a look to say he hoped he'd misheard, but shrugged and tried it anyways. If this works, I promise I'll start listening to the Great Healer's sermons.

He moved both hands over the candle. Nothing.

He moved his hands quicker. Nothing.

He tried moving his hands back and forth, instead of in circles. Nothing.

Standing up, he started waving his arms in circles, then back and forth, then up and down as though trying to lift off. Still nothing. At least he wouldn't have to listen to the Great Healer for it.

Falling back to sitting on the ground, Garet glared at the candle like a newfound enemy. "Garet, I think the grown ups might have a point."

Garet shook his head. He refused to be beaten, but he was starting to hate Psynergy even more. No wonder Felix and Kay were always so slow at making things happen. They would always sit and stare and have a look as though they were thinking too hard-

Ding! Bright idea, welcome back. "Garet?" Garet shushed his friend quickly. He continued glaring at the candle tip, mentally willing it to move, to grow, to do… anything! He was starting to get a headache when, finally, the light flared a couple inches and settled back down.

"Ha! Did you see that?!" Even Isaac was interested now. Garet focused again. This time, the flame stretched and wiggled, looking more like an orange garden snake dancing on its tail tip. Garet jumped up, laughing. "Alright! I did it! I can- Wha?"

Isaac's smile vanished with Garet's, both staring dumbstruck as the fire continued to grow upwards. As it grew, its movements became broader. With a yelp, Isaac tossed the candle as the flame licked his hands. The stick of wax landed on the ground, and within seconds the grass between the boys began to smoke and spark.

"AH! Isaac, what do we do? What do we do?!" Garet was now dancing between his feet, gripping his hair, but it wasn't from childish excitement anymore. The fire crackled and popped, growing even more. The redhead gulped and edged away as the orange began to shift. He'd never even imagined anything like this: the flame was shaping itself, transforming into the shape of dragon head coming out of the ground. The neck alone was twice as wide as the boy, and the monstrous face did not look pleased. Garet whimpered at a loss as the head pulled back in preparation, and then lunged forward to strike, its mouth open and fangs ready.

Just then, something slammed into Garet's chest, knocking him on his back as the fire's roar filled his ears. A flash of violet and golden light above him forced him to look away and squeeze his eyes shut.

A moment later, Garet was blinking his eyes open again. The first thing he noticed was that the dragon, and every other bit of fire, was gone. Second, there was absolute silence around him, not even a sound to say if the other boy was still there. The thing he noticed next was a weight on top of him. "I… Isaac?" There was a low moan from the weight, making Garet gasp and suddenly sit up when he realized what, or who, it was. Eyes closed, the source of the weight didn't move on its own, and Garet had to quickly catch and support his friend. "Isaac?!"

There wasn't any response, and Garet's breath caught in his throat. Okay, think, Garet. Think! Not many people came to this part of the village, and most of those who did were kids. Isaac was smaller, but he was still too big for Garet to carry all the way back, and he didn't want to leave the boy alone either. He mentally kicked himself for ever thinking up this stupid plan to begin with. Stupid, stupid, stupid! And as though that wasn't bad enough, he'd dragged Isaac into it like he always did.

A small voice broke into his thoughts. "You owe me..."

"Huh?" Looking down, Garet saw Isaac crack open one eye and give a wry smile. "Y-You're okay?"

Isaac shrugged and, sitting up, though a little stiff at first, turned so he was sitting beside Garet. "Okay enough. Don't ask me to hold a candle for you like that again, though." Clearing his throat, he glanced over to where said candle lay in the middle of the charred ground. "Think we'll get in trouble for this?"

"Nah. How can we get in trouble if the grown ups don't even know about it?"

&&&&&&&&&&

"OWW!!"

Garet's mother clicked her tongue. "Oh, quit whining like a baby, Garet. You should learn to think of these things before you two start causing trouble." She tied off the bandages on one of Garet's hands, and he whimpered miserably as she set to work on the other hand. "Just what did you boys get yourselves into this time, anyways? Playing with matches?" The boys exchanged glances, but otherwise said nothing as to what had happened.

Later, the two of them were back to sitting alone on the bridge. Both of Garet's hands were bandaged from where the fire had gotten too close, although it was only a light burn. Isaac's hands had been wrapped to keep him from further irritating the red spots that had appeared on his knuckles. He also had the equivalent of a sunburn on the back of his neck, but that was easily covered by a yellow scarf he liked wearing often to begin with.

Garet finally broke the silence between them. "What did happen back there?"

Isaac shrugged again. "Beats me. I had my eyes closed when I knocked you down, and then it just got quiet. Sure felt tired for a minute, though."

Garet thought about it. He'd been able to control fire, even if only for a brief moment, but it had been something else that had made the fire go away. Isaac had said he didn't know any Psynergy, though. Unless… No, they couldn't have both started using Psynergy on the same day. Could they? Then again, he did remember the Great Healer talking once about how, as a last resort, Psynergy could protect an Adept, even if not knowingly willed into action. Bleh, since when did he ever pay attention to what the old man said, anyway?

Isaac was first to break the silence this time. "One extra scoop." He watched his swinging feet over the edge, feeling Garet's confused stare on him. "I said you owed me. The next time one of the families makes ice cream for the village kids, you have to give me one extra scoop from your share."

Garet studied him for a moment. "That's it?"

"Yup." Isaac scratched his chin in mock thought. "Oh, and you also have to admit that the grown ups may have been right about us being too young to use Psynergy."

"Gah?! And admit defeat?!" Isaac looked at his friend innocently. "No. No way. I'm not falling for it!" Garet jumped to his feet and started to walk away.

Hiding a grin and biting back a laugh, Isaac got up as well and followed. "But Gaaaa-ret, you prooom-ised."

"No, I didn't. You just made that up."

"Nuh uh."

"Wanna go bug Felix?"

"You're changing the subject. Besides, you'll probably make Jenna mad at you somehow, and then we'll be right back in trouble again."

"Well?"

"…Okay, fine."

&&&&&&&&&&

The End