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Better than a Hot Bath

By: IsaacGaretMia

Disclaimer: I do not own golden sun… no, it's true! NO, NO STOP SPAMMING ME I CAN'T MAKE GOLDEN SUN 3 ANY FASTER!!

Ivan sat down, having the blinding headache that came with using too much psynergy. He observed his surroundings again, for the millionth time that day. He was in a small room in Xian, learning from the native fighters. The small room was called a dojo, and was filled with several fighting technique practicing dummies and various blocks of wood. Ivan was studying the fighter's style of strength, which they called Chi. It was the opposite of his psynergy, in that they were using their bodies as conduits for their power instead of their minds. It was a grueling program, but it was very useful for non-adepts. Many of the fighters even came close to matching Ivan's power, even though he was strengthened by his nine djinn. He rose again to meet the boy opposite him. He was fighting without weapons, trying as hard as he could to summon up energy within his body, instead of using his mind. His opponent, a young child his size, was throwing punches and kicks with the style of Kung Fu. Ivan was blocking and dodging these blows with more effort than he had thought. After dodging a kick that otherwise would have winded him, he grew frustrated, wishing he could be done with this and be back with Jenna again, and his arm then moved without his knowledge nor meaning to. The arm glowed, slamming down onto the boy's leg with brute force that Ivan did not possess. He heard a bone crack, and he called the sparring match to a halt. He knelt down and examined the boy's leg. He could see a bruise already form, and the boy was in obvious agony. Well… he should've been. The boy was sitting there in awe, looking at Ivan with an expression close to wonder. The master of the dojo came over, and asked his student what had happened:

"Boy. What happened?"

"Th- The boy! He used Chi!"

"The boy has the power of Ki. Are you sure there is no mistake?"

"No, master. The boy's arm shined! I do not know if he know what he did!"

"Warrior. Is that true?"

"I-I do not know… I don't remember even doing anything… I saw my arm glow, but I wasn't using psynergy as far as I could tell."

"I will take him to the healing place. When I come back, we will spar. I wish to see your Chi."

Ivan was still in shock. He did not use psynergy, he was sure of it. But the leg was broken, and his arm could not have done it on its own. He looked at it, and saw something different than his psynergy inside of it. His arm would linger in places it had already been, forming phantom images as it moved. The pictures faded in a few seconds, but Ivan saw what was going on. His core character was emitting psynergy, not his mind. Somewhere in his body, there is another source of power like his psynergy, but normally inaccessible. Interestingly, he felt his arm strengthen, as his other muscles relaxed. He remembered the Master telling everyone that his strength of Ki was limitless, but Chi matched his body's strength. Ivan stood up again, walking over to one of the training dummies. He decided to try something out, as he had a theory. He closed his eyes, and dulled his thoughts. He did not access the power in his mind, rather, he started to picture the dummy. He struck out with the arm that had Chi, but did not feel the same sensation as before. He started to punch the dummy with more force, and progressed into a full brawl with his entire body. He would headbutt the dummy every so often between kicking it and striking it with his palms or fist. Then, without warning, his left arm struck again, and in his mind he could see a sudden blaze of light where his arm was. He confirmed his suspicions. He could now see his arm without actually using his eyes. His other muscles relaxed as his hand curled into a fist and slammed into the dummy. Opening his eyes, he could see a smoking hole left where his arm broke through the soft cloth. Behind him, the master had returned just in time to see the spectacle.

"Child! You used Chi!"

"Oh, yes I guess I did… Why can't I stand straight?"

Indeed, his legs started to give out, and he stopped falling with a firm hand under his arm.

"Yes, young warrior. Chi uses your body, while Ki is using the mind, you understand? Your body may transfer energy, but Ki uses stored power, you follow?"

Ivan nodded, understanding now what his body was doing. Chi was nothing more than his body's strength moved from other parts to one part, and solidified. Ivan was limited to whatever his body could withstand moving. He was escorted back to a bed; his master telling him to rest up, for Chi produced massive muscle cramps the first time it is used. Ivan shuddered, remembering the massive headaches he had had the first few times he used psynergy. Ivan was in the middle of a rigorous training schedule set to him by his sister, Hama. She envisioned him fighting with a whole new strength if he learned how to focus Chi with his own psynergy, or Ki. His friends encouraged him, but did not follow. Sheba was going back to Lalivero, with Felix. Mia was headed back to Imil, to check up on the town as well. Jenna, Isaac, and Garet were rebuilding Vale. Piers would join them, after flying his ship to the river and docking it close by. Ivan was left alone in Xian until he started to grasp the power of Chi. He would then go back to train with Hama, who could supposedly teach him to combine his strengths. The next few days were filled with harsh training techniques, designed to bolster his muscle mass and strengthen the channels through which energy could travel. His new sparring partner was the master of the dojo, who would always beat him easily. The duels were always over in a matter of minutes, his arms moving faster than Ivan could comprehend. He would always keep moving, but the master was always faster.

"No, no, young warrior. Stop jumping, and crouch more! You will not stop me, you must push me with your own Chi. You understand?"

"No, I DON'T understand! I can't do this at will!"

"You must learn, young warrior, before you go back to your sibling."

Ivan sighed. The master thought everything was easy to him, but that was because he had been doing it for years. He resolved to teach him a lesson.

"Alright, let's try it again, master."

"If you wish, warrior."

He charged again, with barely a warning. Ivan could see him coming, and pushed his blow to the side of his body. With his momentum still in full force, Ivan jumped over him. As the master turned around, Ivan started running. The master chased him, and was met with an open palm to his chest. He was thrown back slightly, but there was no Chi behind the blow. The master came back with a headbutt, and Ivan was forced to duck. The master's body was thrown over Ivan's shoulder. Ivan jumped into the air, threw in a backflip, and landed on the master's back. His arm was shimmering, copies of the arm lingering as it moved, next to the master's neck.

"Concede, master."

"I give up, young warrior. You have a better grasp on Chi than I thought. You may go home to your sister."

Ivan left the dojo the next day, thanking the students and their master for their help. He apologized for the young boy's leg that he broke, as well. They all waved away his thanks, saying it was the least they could do for such a promising warrior such as himself. Ivan walked through Silk Road late that day, feeling better than he had in years. The training regimen had strengthened his muscles more than he ever thought possible. His arm was as thick as one of his swords was wide. Suddenly, a crushing boulder fell from one of the ledges above him. It landed crushingly upon Ivan, forcing him onto his back. The boulder was crushing him, he knew. Ivan despaired, remembering the boy Hsu they had saved from the same fate. Ivan stopped, remembering his psynergy. He could do this. Summoning his strength, he forced a gale to form above him, a twister forming under the rock. Even with its strength, the boulder only rose slightly, not enough for Ivan to burst free. There was nothing he could do.

Jenna was supervising the boys as they constructed a fence around the pool where the boulder fell into. They could not risk someone falling in and hurting themselves, as the pool was immensely shallow where the boulder lay. Felix took a wooden stake, straight from the pile left to them from the villagers. He set it above its designated spot, waiting for a certain someone to do something.

"Pound!"

And there it was. Jenna pulsed with a small glow of psynergy, as a ghostly fist rose above his stake, and slammed it into the ground. Felix just barely stopped the stake from dropping all the way into the earth, as the spell would have done. Felix was hardening the ground below a certain point, where the stake should stop. It was hard work, and Felix was beginning to tire. They had been at this all morning.

"Come on, Felix. You can't really be tired, right?"

"You try this Jenna! Wait… no, you'll probably burn it!"

Next to him, Isaac laughed, pulling another stake from the pile. They were almost done, and there were only a few more stakes to be pounded in. Felix was now sliding boards into slots punched into the stakes, which was their job the previous day. Two boards per two stakes were enough to make their point, and it didn't take long for Felix to slide the boards in, and find another stake from the pile. Next to him, he heard Jenna again.

"Pound." She sighed, clearly getting bored with her menial task. She was obviously thinking about him again… Jenna had a crush on Ivan, he knew. That little boy was the happiest, most carefree boy they had ever met, and Jenna had liked him ever since Jupiter Lighthouse, where he had fought against Agatio and Karst for their friends lives. Sure, he wasn't the strongest, but he was definitely a force to be reckoned with. Felix still wasn't sure whether he approved of his sister's crush, but at least he was off training far away. He could decide what to do before he got back. Jerking away from his thoughts, he took it upon himself to drive his own stake into the ground, letting it fall into a hole, then solidifying the earth around it. It was basically like glue, only better. Isaac took the last two boards from the pile and slotted them into the correct holes.

"All done." Isaac said happily. This venture had only taken half the day, not like yesterday's fiasco.

"A lot easier than punching holes into wood, eh Isaac?"

"You bet!"

"Calm down, boys. We have the rest of the day off, how bout we have some fun?"

Jenna was the mischievous one of the three, but Felix and Isaac were as bored as she was, so they agreed to have a little fun.

"Let's play tag! If you're it, you have to hit one of us with a spell to tag them, got it?"

No sooner had the boys said ok; Jenna had used a simple Fume and shouted:

"Fume! You're it, Isaac!"

Isaac was scorched, and Felix ran away swiftly, melding into the sand.

"No fair! No hiding with psynergy!"

Jenna called out to him, and Felix cursed. He rose out of the sand, and took a Spire to the chest.

"Ha ha! You're it Felix!"

Felix was angered, and summoned a nice Gaia for his sister. Jenna was caught in a rock avalanche in her hiding spot, in one of the branches of a tree. It didn't hurt bad, but of course she was it. After the spell faded, Isaac and Felix were nowhere to be found. She fumed silently, wondering where in Sol the boys could be. Looking around, she saw Isaac's blond hair sticking out behind a barrel. Smiling, she summoned a flare wall. The barrel burst into flames, and behind it she found a broom waiting for her, with a message: "Ha ha! We fooled you! Nya na na nya nya!" How childish! Summoning her strength, she shouted:

"DRAGON FUME! FIND ISAAC AND MAKE HIM PAY!!"

Her dragon complied, shooting off with a burst of flame towards a certain tree. She focused the fire, making sure it would only light the tree Isaac was in, and not the whole forest.

"OW!! JENNAAAAAAA!"

Isaac screamed in pain, his shirt was on fire. Jenna fell to the ground laughing, the sight of Isaac in a burning shirt was just too funny to think of. She ran off once she was done laughing, hiding in the Inn. Neither of them would look here! They hated inns; ever since their journey had ended they had refused to come within three meters of an inn. Jenna hadn't minded so much as them, but pretended to. She knew it would come in handy someday. She bought a room for the next few hours, and saw Isaac running through town, cursing the other two for being such good hiders. Of course, her awesome hiding spot gave her ample time to think about the blond haired wind adept she was so fond of. Of course she had a crush on him! How could she not? Ivan was so cute, and smart, and funny, and he was stronger than the others knew. She had seen what he could do with wind, and noone else knew how hard it was to combine wind and electricity to make a storm. They assumed it was easy, but she had seen him concentrate hard whenever he used a Ray. Of course, Felix was also hiding in the inn. Coincidentally, he was hiding one room over from her. Isaac finally gave up at sundown. He summoned the agreed Grand Gaia in the forest, and the siblings found themselves running into each other in their haste to get downstairs.

"Felix?"

"Jenna? What in Sol are you doing here!?"

"Hiding… like you. I thought you hated Inns!"

"Ditto. I guess it's quite useful to have a good hiding place. Now it's ruined though. Come on, let's go find Isaac."

"Sol yeah!"

They raced out of the inn, letting the innkeeper know that the rooms were now open. They ran to the forest, surprising Isaac by being together.

"What in Sol… Were you both hiding together?!"

"Umm… Yes, although we didn't know it while we were hiding." Jenna explained.

"Where in Sol were you?"

"The Inn." Felix replied this time, laughing with his sister. Ticking off Isaac used to be his favorite pastime as a child. Isaac looked furious.

"Aw, lighten up, Isaac! We got you something!"

Jenna brought out a piece of chocolate, offering it to the enraged Venus adept. Of course, chocolate contains endorphins, which cause minor euphoria when consumed. In Garet terms, they make you happy. Isaac calmed down almost instantly.

"Well, I'll see you guys tomorrow. Mom's taking a break from making dinner, thank Sol, and Dad is making his super spicy Chili!"

"Where in Sol does your dad get the spices?"

"Well…"

In truth, Isaac was forced to teleport to Xian, Fuchin Temple, and Lama Temple to gather spices for him. It was his secret, and he didn't want anyone else to know the secret to his dad's chili. He loved the stuff, and wanted to learn how to make it himself. He watched him over and over, put something Isaac did not see into the chili when Dad thought he wasn't looking. Someday, he would figure out what it was. They said farewell, and Isaac headed to the center of town. He touched the Psynergy Stone, and formed the teleport spell. It was tough, but the psynergy stone supplied most of the power for this trip. He appeared in front of Fuchin temple, and walked towards the temple next to the waterfall. He leaped through the falls, finding himself inside the cave. This particular spice only grew in dark places, and he headed towards the place where one of the Jupiter djinni had softened the cave floor, allowing this spice to grow. He stored the spice in one of his spare Vials, and teleported again. This time, he appeared outside Xian, and walked to the forest. This spice grew where a Mars djinni had been hiding. The scorched earth north of Xian held rare minerals in its soil, and the spice grew plentiful there. He added the spice to his Vial, mixing it with the other spice inside. This chili was going to be great. He headed down to Silk Road, not bothering to teleport to Lama temple. This would be easy enough to walk to, and he didn't want to waste psynergy. As he walked through the pass, he saw Ivan being crushed by a rock. He stood by, waiting to see if the boy could shake it off by himself. A small tornado formed on either side of him, and Isaac could see the stone being lifted slightly. It would not be enough, though, and Isaac could see that. Still, he waited to see if Ivan had learned Chi and could do something now… Ivan concentrated, maintaining the whirlwinds. Ivan raised his hand, which was flat and not balled into a fist. He brought it down upon the rock… And hurt his hand.

"OW! Grr…"

Ivan growled, clearly ticked off. He raised his hand again, and this time Isaac could see strength coursing into it. It was not psynergy… It was nothing like anything he had ever seen. As it moved, it left phantom images behind it, and the rock cracked into pieces under the force of the blow. It was a good thing it did, for Ivan's chest could no longer support the rock with his weakened abdominal muscles. Ivan sat up, and rubbed his chest where the rock had rested. Isaac could see blue/purple splotches across his chest. There may have been a broken bone. He ran forward to help the boy sitting there.

"Isaac? What- where did you come from?!"

"I was watching you as you broke that boulder. That was phenomenal! How in Sol did you maintain the Whirlwind spell?!"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU HELP ME?!"

"I wanted to see what you can do. Now stop yelling or I won't be able to focus and heal you!"

Ivan was clearly ticked, but he stopped long enough for Isaac to focus and send tendrils of Venus psynergy into the skin, healing the broken bone and bruised skin.

"… Thank you… HELP ME NEXT TIME, OR SOL HELP ME I WILL…"

Isaac laughed, knowing exactly what Ivan would do. Ivan got up, and started walking. Isaac followed him in silence. Ivan would surely ask why he was there, in a matter of time. Three… Two… One.

"Why are you here?"

"I'm gathering certain herbs that I need for something. I'd rather not tell you what it is, Family secret."

Ivan glowed, and Isaac nudged the probe from his mind like he would a fly. He had learned a few things too, and Sheba had tried to read his mind so much that he figured out how to form a sort of shield with his psynergy, which could pulse and shove off the Mind Read easily. He was going to teach it to his children someday, if he ever had any, but not to anyone else. He would let others learn by themselves.

"Grr… Where did you learn how to repel a Mind Read?!"

"I figured it out one time when Sheba tried to read my mind. Suddenly, she was thrown off mid thought, so I learned to replicate what I was doing at the time."

"What were you doing?"

"My secret." Isaac grinned, knowing he was infuriating Ivan to his max.

"Whatever." Isaac stopped grinning, knowing that Ivan had just shrugged his comment off like it was nothing. Oh well, he knew he would not be goaded himself.

"So… how did training go?"

"Well… It was horrible at first, but then I accidentally used it without help."

"So… what happened?"

"I broke my sparring partner's leg."

"Ouch… That must have hurt really badly."

"I wouldn't know… I don't have any healing psynergy, so I cannot feel an Empathy-thingy you were telling me about. Anyway, he just thought it was cool that I used Chi."

"… So… What now?"

"I don't know… I guess I'll train with my sister for a while…"

"For how long?"

"Until I learn what I'm supposed to… I guess. Why?"

"Well… Jenna misses you."

"She does?"

"Noone else can tell, but I just know she misses you. She keeps thinking about you all the time, Sheba tells me. And sometimes she just goes off in the middle of a job, freezing in whatever pose she had just been in. She gets that look every single time she's thinking about someone she cares about."

"… You're kidding me, aren't you. You know I like her, and you're telling me this just to play with me…"

"You really think I'd do that?"

"You think I thought you'd leave a friend with a boulder on his chest just to see if he could shove it off himself?"

"Fair point. No, I'm not kidding you… Wait, you like Jenna too?"

Ivan looked like a tomato. Isaac stopped; looking at Ivan's reddening face with a look of pure delight. This was going to be so much fun…

"Isaac. If you tell her…"

"Why would I? That would ruin all of the fun!"

Ivan suddenly glowed. Isaac was thrown into a tree trunk with crushing force.

"Augh! Dammit Ivan!"

"You are going to swear that you will tell noone about this, got it?!"

"I… Can't… Breathe… cough" Isaac was being crushed with the force of the gale. He managed to nod slightly, and was released. Isaac fell to the ground, gasping for air.

"There's more where that came from if you tell anyone. See you around."

Ivan walked off feeling happier than Isaac had ever seen him. Apparently, seeing him in pain felt good to Ivan.

"Dammit… I'm going to make him pay. I may not be able to tell anyone, but I can think it all I want."

He sat up, giggling like a schoolgirl. This was going to be the best payback ever. He reached Lama temple not very late in the day, but still close to sundown. This spice grew under a chest only visible and solid when seen with Reveal. So of course, he could bend down and take some spice into his Vial, then teleport back home. Chili that night would be the best he had ever tasted.

Ivan walked past his friend gasping for air without a care in the world. When he was out of sight, this carefree manner was replaced by a mask of emotions, most of which were anxiety. He was nervous about coming back to Lama temple, after he knew full well he had not mastered Chi yet… He was nervous that Isaac would indeed, find some way to communicate in forms other than telling someone, and… Nervous about the reaction Jenna would have when she was told. After all, she occupied most of his thoughts when he was not training. When he was sleeping, he dreamed about her. When he ate, he imagined her right beside him. When he rested between sparring, she would sit right next to him and make him feel better. He knew he liked her, but he just didn't know if the hot-tempered auburn haired girl liked him back at all. Lost in his thoughts, his mind did not register the fact that he had arrived at Lama Temple until he was inside the doorway.

"Is… Something wrong, Ivan?"

"Uh… Uh, n- no. Nothing's wrong, sister. I was just lost in my thoughts."

"Indeed, I could see that. Got some girl on your mind, no doubt." His sister smirked, clearly having seen this before.

"Did you read my mind, Hama?"

"Didn't need to, little brother. I've seen that look on people before. I demand that before I teach you to control your new power, you deal with the person that is so clearly controlling your thoughts right now. Only then, will I teach you the new technique."

"But, Hama! It is nothing to be concerned about!"

"No, Ivan. No buts. You will tell this girl how you feel, or you will not learn from me."

Ivan was infuriated at his sister. Ivan never dreamed that she would take control of his life like this.

"Why?"

"Because. Love interferes with all parts of the body. Before you master Chi, you must experience love, as it is the final test. You must have been thinking of her, as you first used it."

Ivan remembered, he had thought about her right before he broke that boy's leg. And when he was fighting the master, he remembered thinking how Jenna would have been proud of him. He conceded, giving his word that before he came back, he would have talked to her. Hama set him off with her blessing. When he was gone, Hama would be inside, laughing.

"So. Ivan did indeed find someone to care for. I must say that I am surprised. He is so introversive… Mind Read does that to people, I guess. I wonder if this is the same Jenna that Isaac and Garet were chasing..." For, indeed, Hama had read Ivan's mind as he had stood there. Ivan had no clue as his mind was completely off target. Ah, daydreams. Hama wished she could have led the life Ivan had… Contigo was not a place to be a child if you were an adept. If you let it loose, people might think that you were something that was strange, and therefore something to be feared. Hama had to always be on guard, to not use her powers in front of the townsfolk. She had never been truly a child, allowed to do what she would. She was glad Ivan could at least live this part of his life.

Ivan walked through the Lamaken Desert, finding one oases after another with Reveal. He was one of the only ones who could cross the desert, besides Mars adepts. He passed the desert with no trouble, and headed toward Kalay. He would rest there, for a night, before turning north for Vale. There, Jenna would be. He would have to tell her how he felt about her… No matter if Isaac had already or not. Doubtless he was already telling someone without breaking his promise. Isaac was as smart as Ivan himself, although he would not admit it to his face. The night in Kalay was paradise compared to what he had endured for so long. Hammet and Layana treated him like royalty while he was there, despite his protests. He did not want to be treated like anything but a guest. Nevertheless, he got a suite as grand as Hammet's himself. He sighed, knowing he could not change their minds. He took a bath, a long bath, as he loved the hot water. It gave him time to think, and rest, and relax all at the same time. Nothing else ever gave him the same feeling of comfort. When he was clean, he would lie on the bed, and relax more. The next day, he set out feeling better than he had for months. He travelled north, past the bridge that had been recently fixed, and into Vault. He paused for slight rest, before continuing on towards Vale. On the way, he was stopped by the Thieves.

"Oh. You again."

"And so it's the little weird boy from Vault. And without his playmates too! Oh, this is going to be good."

The lead bandit glowered at him, and Ivan could feel the hostility. Of course, he would spare no time for this, and unsheathed his Tisiphone Edge with a flourish.

"Well? It's your move."

Indeed it was, as the thieves charged at him. Ivan hopped over the first one, summoning a burst of air below him to push the thief to the ground. Landing, he summoned a Spark Plasma to ensure unconsciousness. The second thief attacked him while his back was turned. With Reveal, Ivan saw it coming. His arm shot up in a flash, snatching the knife right from the man's hand. His other arm glowing with Chi, he smashed the arm into the thief's stomach, driving all air from his lungs in the process. The leader was standing back, watching his flunkies fall to Ivan like they were nothing. He leveled his Bandit's Sword. This would not be over without a fight. Ivan took no notice, walking at him with purpose and determination. The bandit should have fled, but he was stupid. The sheriff from Vault never did find the bandit's body. He didn't believe the thieves tale about the boy sticking one finger in his stomach and driving all of the air out. Ivan wasn't that strong! He locked the pair up, who were then treated by a psychiatrist behind bars for the rest of their lives. Ivan, of course, had been well on his way to Vale by that time. He arrived to find the villagers busy at work, rebuilding the town. The plaza was mostly back into shape by the time Ivan came back. He stopped at the psynergy stone to recharge his energies, and then headed north towards the Mt. Aleph. Doubtless there would be someone up there building something. He found Felix hard at work building a house by the river. A dock in the river had already been reconstructed by the looks of things, and Ivan could see the craftsmanship in the structure.

"Ey, Felix!"

"Ivan! What are you doing here?"

"Hama wasn't at the temple when I arrived, so I decided to come here for a while and check back later."

"Oh. That's not good. Anyway, you should check out Isaac's house. Kyle and Dora have been helping him rebuild it for weeks now, and it's almost done."

"Nice. See you around, Felix."

"Ditto."

Ivan walked away, heading to Isaac's house. He would have to see about a certain someone's promise. He found Isaac on the roof, putting the finishing touches on the house.

"There, all done."

"You missed a spot."

"Ivan! Holy Sol you scared the crap outta me! Why are you back here?!"

"Just checking to see that you honored our agreement."

"I haven't told anyone… yet."

"If you're going to, you better to it fast or I might beat you to it."

Isaac looked shocked.

"No… way… you wouldn't…"

"I'm under orders to. Anyway, just wanted to check. Here's the finisher for ya."

A gust of wind brought down the final bit of thatch that Isaac needed to the house, which neatly stuffed itself onto the patch Isaac had missed. Ivan was very charitable when he was nervous. He acted nonchalant to throw Isaac off, making sure he wouldn't tell anyone until he got the nerve to do it himself. After a search of the village, he found Jenna sitting under a tree next to the fence they had built the other day. He walked over, saying:

"A nice day."

Jenna was risen from her daydreams by Ivan walking up to her. Could this really be true?

"Ivan?! I thought you were training in Xian!"

"I was, and now I'm back."

"But weren't you supposed to train in Lama Temple after?"

"Hama asked me to do something here first…"

"What do you need to do?"

Ivan, instead of telling her, sat down next to her under the tree. Something was off… Ivan would tell her if it was something trivial, so something must be making him afraid or nervous.

"Ivan? You can tell me…"

"Jenna…Have you ever cared about someone so much, and yet felt that you can't tell them about it? Like… You want to be there right next to them, and you want them to feel the same way… But you know that they probably don't feel that way about you…"

Ivan trailed off. In truth, Jenna felt that exact way about Ivan, but of course she couldn't show it.

"Yeah… I do. Who are you feeling like this about?"

She was afraid of the answer. Ivan wouldn't be telling her about this if it was about her… Then again, that could be why he was talking to her in the first place! It was all so confusing. Love shouldn't be this complicated!

"I… It's…"

Ivan couldn't string two words together… He must be really nervous about telling her. Jenna crawled over and sat right next to him, looking into his eyes.

"You can tell me Ivan. It'll be our little secret."

"Um… It's… well… I uh…"

It was the oddest thing… The closer she got, the more nervous he seemed to become… That could only mean that…

"Ivan… do you actually feel that way about me?"

"I… yes, I meant every word."

"I don't know what to say."

"I know, it was stupid of me. You probably like someone else. I'll go now."

Ivan got up, and Jenna broke out of her shock long enough to say:

"Ivan, wait."

Ivan stopped dead in his tracks.

"I… I missed you, Ivan."

"I missed you too, Jenna."

Then Jenna did what she never thought she would do with a boy. She ran up and jumped on Ivan's back, driving him to the ground. There, she rolled until she was on top, and kissed him on the lips.

Ivan was on Cloud Nine. He hadn't expected her to feel that way about him by a long shot. When she kissed him, he felt better than he had in the hot bath. It was like she brought to mind everything he had been missing, and then gave it all to him in one fell swoop. Ivan kissed her back, and they only stopped for air. It lasted until sunset, when they were interrupted by a dark, tall shadow looming over them.

"So, I never thought you would actually do it. Ivan, I gotta hand it to ya, I never knew you had the guts to come tell her."

"Felix! You knew?" Jenna was shocked. Was she that transparent?

"It was plain as day. And as for you, Ivan…"

Ivan was plucked out of Jenna's embrace like a child from a mother's grip.

"You make her happy… Or Sol help me I will hunt you down."

"Wha- wait… You're not going to kick the crap out of me for kissing your sister?"

"Nah, I heard from Hama that you're as strong as I am now. And of course, I can see your muscles bulging."

Felix dropped Ivan unceremoniously to the ground.

"Ow… Well, I'm glad you finally see sense when Jenna is involved."

"Yeah, I'm glad to hear it, Felix." Jenna hugged her brother, and then walked back to Ivan. She hugged him too, kissing him on the cheek. Ivan could swear his face was melting from the heat.

"So… Uh, I wanted to ask you something… Felix, would you mind if I asked your sister to come back to Lama temple with me to train?"

"Well… I guess, as long as she's safe along the way I could get behind that plan."

"Brother, please. I could Fume any enemy into the ground before they got within ten meters of me. I'll be fine."

"Alright. I'll be making sure that you guys are okay by talking to Hama, alright?"

"Yes, yes, of course. Wait, how are you going to do that?!"

"Uh, well… My secret. See ya, bye!"

Felix left in a hurry, leaving the two alone again.

"So… do you want to come with me?"

"Well… do you want me to?"

"Of course I do…"

"Then I'll come. I'll be with you always."

They kissed again, and it was like he was having ten hot baths at once.

Isaac, having finished the roof, came back inside to find his father cooking dinner.

"Hey, father. How's the chili coming?"

"Poorly… I don't have enough spice mix, I think I was almost out last time."

"No problem, father. I refilled the supply last time I had the chance. Here you go."

"Ah, good thinking son. I think it's time to teach you the secret. You see this packet?"

"Um… Yes… Why?"

"It contains a little poison called Vale Constrictus. This is a species unique to Vale, and completely wipes the lung's ability to hold air. The spices you just got me completely neutralize this effect, and give it the spiciest taste in all of Weyard. I've been making this chili ever since my father taught me how to make it. All you do, is add all of the spices with this packet at the same time. There is plenty of the stuff in this packet in the wild, but you need to be extra careful when harvesting it. You can't touch it with your bare hands, or you'll die. Venus psynergy won't help; the only salvation is these spices mixed with the water inside a Potion. You have a stockpile of these, of course, so you are safe. So, add the spices, and we'll have some dinner."

Isaac added the spices and the poison from the packet, seeing the greenish color of the spices mix with the red color of the dust to form a brownish mix, which then melded to the chili sauce. Just how he remembered it… Dinner that night was the best he had ever tasted.

"To the new house!"

The rest of the family echoed the words, knowing that this chili was great because Isaac had made it.

Ivan and Jenna set out the next day. They walked at a leisurely pace, Ivan conscious of the fact that Jenna could only take so much. They stopped in Vault for rest, and Ivan took the time to explain to her what Chi actually was. They were in a room at the inn, and it was close to nightfall.

"So, you understand how psynergy uses the charge of the mind as power, right?"

"Yes, Ivan. We learned that from Lemuria, remember?"

"No, I wasn't there. Anyway, Chi is the exact opposite. Chi is the body's strength siphoned and shifted from other parts of the body to one place, where it can be used in a similar manner as psynergy. Observe."

Ivan thought about Jenna, his love for her triggering his body to react to the stimuli. He summoned his strength from his abdominals to his hands, summoning a Move technique that normally he could not do. A solid hand emerged, pushing the block he had been focusing on forward. Jenna watched in awe, noticing that this was power that Ivan did not possess.

"Oh, Sol… This is so wonderful."

"There is a catch, I'm afraid. The technique siphons energy from other parts of your body, weakening them. There are limits to Chi, where there are none to psynergy. Also, it takes rigorous training to learn to use Chi, where psynergy may emerge on its own."

"Teach me. Teach me to use this Chi."

"Okay. Focus on your hand. Do not access psynergy, just focus on your hand."

She focused on her hand. She felt this exercise to be silly, knowing that her psynergy would soon kick in whether she tried to or not. She desperately held it in, wanting to look controlled in front of Ivan.

"Oh Sol!!" Ivan yelled.

At the thought of Ivan, her hand shimmered much like Ivan's had when using Chi, and Jenna felt weak from her whole body.

"Jenna, Jenna stop! Stop thinking about me, whatever you do!"

Jenna had to strain to stop thinking about Ivan. Every few seconds, he would pop back into her head, until finally she focused on the ceiling above her, and her strength slowly trickled back into her limbs.

"That… was scary." She coughed out weakly.

"Jenna, I'm sorry. I didn't think you would be able to focus that much power and… well, it's dangerous to use that without strength in your core to keep your heart beating and… Well, we had better not try that again for a while."

"Ivan… I'm sorry for worrying you."

"It's ok, Jenna. Just promise me you won't scare me like that ever again."

"I promise."

They kissed again, and fell asleep for the night. The next day, they headed south towards Kalay. Ivan preferred to not enter the town, for fear that Jenna would never want to leave. They headed west, through the Lamaken Desert. Ivan let her splash around in each oasis for longer than him, for he wanted her to be safe at all times. Even though she was a Mars adept, the heat affected her still. They passed the Desert with ease, and reached Lama temple in a day.

"Sister."

"Ah, little Ivan. I see you have brought your friend."

"My name is Jenna. Pleased to see you again."

"Ah, so we have seen each other before. I remember you from Contigo. Little Ivan was more pleased to see you than Isaac and Garet were!" She laughed.

Jenna laughed too, and Ivan was not put off in the slightest. As long as Jenna was happy, he was happy.

"So, Ivan… shall we begin? I shall teach you to control both your psynergy and your Chi together, then I shall help Jenna. I'm sure watching you will help her grasp the concept."

"She… she has already used Chi once, Hama."

He felt his mind being read, and did not try to stop it.

"Ivan, that was foolish. Jenna is not strong enough to focus on only one thing for her energy!"

"I know… I am sorry."

"Be sure never to endanger her again!"

"Please, Hama. I asked him to. I assure you, he did not know what I was capable of at the time. I was shocked myself that I could focus on one thing."

"Well, we shall fix that problem. But first, Ivan. Follow me."

Ivan was led to the center of the ring, while Jenna sat on the outside.

"Alright. Ivan, focus your Chi into one hand, and your psynergy into another."

Ivan had some difficulty. Jenna decided to help him out.

"You can do it, Ivan!" Jenna yelled from the sidelines.

Ivan immediately formed strength from his body into his hand. It shimmered like always when he used Chi. He then focused not only on his hand, but on the psynergy as well. It flowed into the palm of his other hand, as he held them both out. Hama inspected them.

"Yes… this is adequate. Now, I want you to form two balls of power. Make the Chi mold itself based on Jupiter psynergy, okay?"

Ivan nodded slightly, already straining to comply. His psynergy hand immediately glowed and produced a ball of wind. His other hand… Try as he might, he could not spark the power. What would Jenna be thinking of him right now? Immediately, the Chi hand held a ball of lightning.

"Excellent! Now, bring the two balls of energy together!"

Ivan felt his hands drawing closer together, merging… Ivan found himself brimming with power, not only from his mind, but from his entire body the power flowed. A hand dropped to the floor, and immediately several daggers appeared around the hand, forming a circle of sharp points level to his middle fingertip. The other hand dropped and conjured the same.

"Good, Ivan. You are strong now. Open your eyes."

His eyes opened, and he found four daggers forming a square around his shoulders. One was behind a shoulder, and the other was in front. He turned to see a training dummy at the other end. A flick of his wrist, a bend of his thoughts, and two daggers launched themselves from their positions from his wrists and embedded themselves into the dummy's chest.

"This feels good…"

He let the other daggers disappear, falling into dead space that absorbed them like a black hole. Ivan had never felt this power before. Then, he felt Jenna coming up to hug him. This felt amazing… He felt his love for her wash over him, and he decided that as much as power felt good, this love felt better.

"I would give it all up just to be with you, Jenna."

"I never knew I meant so much to you, Ivan…"

"I didn't either, until I felt your arms around me."

It was Jenna's turn now. Ivan sat down, and watched Jenna struggle. Hama instructed her to punch the dummy as hard as she could. She complied, making a tiny dent in the cloth.

"No, no… Imagine that that dummy is keeping you away from Ivan."

The dummy soon found its way to the floor in a million pieces.

"Well, we know now what Mars adepts are known for. Now, I want you to focus again, this time on one of your hands. Then, I want you to think about Ivan."

She complied, willing her mind to focus on her hand. She wondered how easy it was for Ivan to think of her while he did this… Immediately, her limbs felt weak, but her arm felt charged.

"Good, now don't faint on me. I want you to focus and do what I told Ivan to do. Focus your psynergy into your other hand, make the Chi focus into the Mars element, and bring them together."

Jenna did what she was told, imagining a rose, blazing with fire. Her hand immediately held a ball of flame. Her other hand also held a ball, with a fiery dragon contained within. She brought them together, and felt a surge of power as her body and mind were connected and liberated, controlling vast amounts of power. Opening her eyes, she could see balls of flame around her, much like the daggers on Ivan. But on hers, there were tiny doughnuts, with spikes around them engulfed in flames. She willed them to fly towards the dummy, and soon it was littered with tiny black burning spikes. She let them disappear like Ivan's knives did, and felt his arms around her.

"That was amazing, Jenna. I never knew you were that powerful."

"Only when something keeps me from you."

They kissed again, and Hama found herself watching Ivan fall in love. She wished she could have done that, in some point of her life. She excused herself from the temple, giving the couple their moment. She imagined they didn't even know she was there. They were probably in their own little, happy world. She gave them her blessing.

Wow, that was my longest yet. Almost 8000 words in this one!! I hoped you like this one, as I didn't even think of the story beforehand. This one just flowed from my mind, and it took about 3 hours, broken up of course, to write it all out. Enjoy. Review this one please, if you only review one, please review THIS one.