DISCLAIMER: I STILL don't own Golden Sun. Or the characters, EXCEPT for Kierra, who is my own character. Although…

"GIVE ME THAT KEYBOARD!"

No way! Back off!

Note: Whenever you see a little tilde thingie—that's this: ~ —then that means I'm changing POV's. Comprende vous? (Yes, I know that's two different languages.)

~:~:~

I stared. Sure, I hadn't known Jenna as well as Isaac did, but she still looked like the Jenna I saw when I was reading his mind, so long ago. But, then again, so many years had passed since then…she was far too young. Only then did I notice a peculiar white streak in her hair.

"State your name and business," she growled, still holding that javelin.

"Uh, my name is Ivan, and I don't want any trouble," I responded.

"State your business," she said again through clenched teeth.

"Look, I was just passing by…who are you?"

"That's for me to know and for you to find out, blondie."

I sighed, then got an idea. "Fine. I'll gladly find out."

~

He closed his eyes. What is he doing? I thought. Then I saw an aura build around him. Just like when I…

He was using Psynergy! He was going to attack!

~

My thoughts were interrupted when I was smashed into the ground. Next thing I knew, she was on top me of me, holding that javelin barely inches away from my throat. "What was that for?!"

"For trying to attack a Tolbi Guardian," she hissed.

"I wasn't going to—"

"Oh, sure you weren't."

I panicked. Here was a seventeen year-old girl threatening to kill me. As if my life could be any worse. But then…

"Kierra! Who is that?"

I recognized that voice. But who…

She suddenly had a startled look on her face and leapt up. "Lord Iodem, he was about to attack."

"I was not!" I yelled angrily. Then I recognized the voice. "Iodem?!"

"Ivan? Is that you?"

"Yeah!" I tried to advance, but the girl—I think her name was Kierra—swung the javelin in my path, blocking me. She glared at me.

"Kierra, that's enough. I know this young man."

She hesitated, then muttered, "Yes, Lord Iodem…"

He nodded. "Very well. Come, Ivan."

Soon, I was being led into the palace. "What happened to Babi?" I asked.

"Oh, the poor fellow…he died long ago, of old age." He sighed. "Since he didn't have any heirs to the throne, I became king."

"Ah…and who was that?"

"Who, Kierra?"

"Yeah. Is that your daughter?"

He laughed. "Oh, no, of course not. She's too young and I'm too old. She showed up a long, long time ago. Poor girl was an orphan, barely a year old. I raised her to fight, and she became the Royal Guardian of Tolbi. I daresay she gave you quite a handful, no?" He laughed again.

"Er…yes…" I couldn't stop thinking about how much she looked like Jenna. And that white streak, too…it almost looked blue. And she knew I was using Psynergy… "Is she an Adept?"

"Oh, yes. An extremely powerful Mars Adept. She can hold her own against a small army."

"Wow."

"Yes, I know…"

I thought on how to say this. "Erm…you know…she does look an awful lot like a woman from Vale…when she was younger."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes. Her name is Jenna. And since you just said that Kierra was an orphan…"

His eyes widened. "You don't think…"

"I do."

"But…Vale…that's so far away from here."

"Well, Jenna is also a Mars Adept."

"I see…"

"You think that maybe I could take her back to Vale with me and…you know…ask around?"

He thought a moment. "Well…I don't suppose it could do us much harm…I mean, there isn't really anything in Tolbi to honestly protect since Colosso is over for this year."

I nodded. "Very well then."

"But, let me go tell her…I very much doubt she'll be able to trust you."

~

I sighed, with, yet again, nothing to do. That guy—Ivan—wasn't too boring, but then Lord Iodem came and said "he was to be trusted." I growled. He was going to attack me, damn it. Couldn't Iodem see that?

Then again, in my position, it might've seemed as if I was the attacker.

Damn.

I could hear someone coming up behind me. I turned around. It was Iodem. I sighed again. "What is it, my Lord?"

"You have nothing to do, right?"

I nodded warily.

"I mean, you yourself have complained of nothing to guard, necessarily…"

"And?"

"Well…have you ever heard of a village up north, called Vale?"

"No."

"Ah. I didn't think so. I was just wondering—"

"Does this have anything to do with that Ivan?" I asked quickly.

He paused. Maybe I was a bit too fast. "Er…yes…"

"I know where this is going. Ivan is going up to Vale, and since I have nothing to do, I might as well go with him. Is that right?"

He looked startled. Why should he? I was always good at this type of thing. "Er…yes, every word."

"You must think I'm crazy. There's no way I'm going."

"And why not?"

"Because…I have to guard the city. That should be obvious."

"Ah, but you just said you have nothing to do here."

Oops. "But…he tried to attack me!"

"Kierra…"

I couldn't think of any more reasons. "Oh, fine!"

"I knew you'd understand," he beamed. "Ivan is ready to leave. How about you?"

Well, all I really needed was my javelin. "Yeah. …Wait, are you suggesting we leave immediately?!"

"Well, not if you don't want to."

I knew that tone. Even though he said I had a choice, I really didn't. "All right."

"Good. It'll be quicker if you cross the Karagol, but if you—"

"Yeah! I mean, uh, yes." I nodded. I sounded a bit too eager, I guess. But I was. I knew that the Karagol was an inland sea, but I'd never been on a ship before.

"Very well then. I'll go get Ivan."

~:~:~

After we got off the ship, I noticed that Kierra looked slightly disoriented. "You okay?" I asked.

"I'm fine," she said, then glared at me. "We're walking on the way back, you hear me?"

"Relax, you won't have to worry about that for a while."

"What?"

"It's a bit far off to Vale. Don't worry, though, it's not too long. We can stop in Kalay, if you want."

She nodded weakly. "Fine…"

~

I'd never been to Kalay. Sure, I'd heard of it—who lived in Tolbi that didn't? But I'd still never been outside of Tolbi.

We stayed at the Kalay docks first. They'd built an inn there a few years back. There, I heard the innkeeper muttering something about Alchemy. I don't know why I noticed it, but I could feel a warm breeze sting my face and I just…noticed. "Excuse me?" I asked.

"What?"

"Well…what were you saying?"

He looked at me oddly. "Oh, nothin'…" He looked at the building where they sold tickets and sighed. "You know what used to be there?"

"Uh…no." A house.

What? I thought I heard a voice in my mind. That's not right…

"A house. There lived just about the nicest family you ever did see, but…"

"But what?"

"There was a fire. Killed all but one, their kid. And he had an odd little crystal, which gave him powers…strange powers…"

"Like what?"

"He was immune to fire, for one. That was why he survived, I guess. But he could also attack with it."

Psynergy, I thought.

"A few days after the fire, he just walked out of the village…was never seen again. What makes the story strange, though, is that basically the same thing happened up in Bilibin, with a little girl, about the kid's age."

"What were their names?"

"Chris and Sarah. She disappeared without a trace, too."

"Ah…I see." Interesting story. But why did I want to listen to it, anyway? I sighed. Some things I would never figure out… "How long ago did this happen?"

He thought. "About…twenty-four years ago."

"Ah. Okay." Then it doesn't concern me, I thought.

It does. More than you could ever imagine.

It was that voice again. It wasn't my own; it was male, and commanding. It sent shivers down my spine. But why?

~:~:~

Note: The thingie with the two kids disappearing doesn't really become a major plot thingie until MUCH much later…but the same doesn't go for the crystal thingie. ^_^

"You must really like the word 'thingie'…"

More than you could ever imagine, Bluebell. ^_^ Oh, yes, and please review. It's just a friendly reminder that some of us are still ALIVE.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

Maybe I'll tell you as soon as you wipe that look off your face and get your friggin' mind out of the gutter.

"Yes, Seru-chan…"