ME: 'Sup?

CHIBI CHAO: Excuse me?

ME: I said 'sup? Don't you speak English?

CHIBI CHAO: Well, actually...

ME: Alright, enough! I need a disclaimer!

DO I OWN GOLDEN SUN? AH, IF ONLY...

ME: Right, I'm sick of having to listen to my muse talk. Get on with the chapter!

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When Isaac woke up on Tuesday the hard, cold, uncomfortable feeling beneath him gave him a strange feeling of Déjà vu. No, hold on, that's not what I meant...

'Ah, please tell me it wasn't all a dream.' He thought desperately.

"Isaac, get up! Your breakfast's ready!" His mother's loud holler from downstairs made his eyes snap open instantly. It wasn't a dream! But he was on the floor.

Odd.

Standing up, he stretched and cracked his neck to one side, wincing. But the question still remained; why the Hell had he slept on the floor? Deciding that this puzzle needed more pondering still, he dressed quickly and made his way downstairs.

When he entered the kitchen, Sheba was already there, wolfing down her porridge as dignified as she could muster. She muttered a porridge- mutilated greeting to Isaac as he sat down next to her at the table.

"Where is everyone?" He asked her. She shrugged.

"Last I saw, Mia was getting dressed and Ivan was in the bathroom. Oh, and your mum's gone down to the plaza to do some shopping, apparently."

Hmm, Mia getting dressed...No, Isaac! Bad boy! He mentally kicked himself. Sheba didn't seem to notice though, as she was far too engrossed in her meal.

"Damn, your mother's porridge is good, Isaac!" She said, while reaching over for the large pot that sat in the middle of the table and helping herself to some more.

Well, they obviously didn't make food like that in Lalivero.

"Morning, guys!" Mia's cheerful voice rang through the small kitchen as she joined the table, sitting a little too close to Isaac for him to escape with his sanity intact.

"M-Morning Mia!" He said, hoping she didn't notice the stutter. She didn't, luckily for him.

"Mrrming, Mimph!"

Mia turned to Isaac. "What did she say?"

"Morning, Mia. It's just that her mouth is full of porridge." He explained, while frantically trying to shut up the little voice in his head that kept telling him that if he just shifted his hand a little to the right, he'd be touching her leg...

Gaah, breathe man, breathe!

"So, where's Ivan?"

Isaac looked at Mia again, remembering Sheba's earlier answer.

"Bathroom, I think."

"Still?" Mia exclaimed, a little surprised. "He's been in there since six this morning!"

Isaac raised his eyebrows. "Really? What's he doing in there?"

"I'm not sure I want to know."

*BANG!*

The front door slammed, and minutes later, Garet walked into the kitchen, complete with a hooded cloak covering his face. He removed the clock to reveal a set of extremely blood-shot eyes. Isaac's eyebrows raised for the second time that morning.

"What happened to you?" He asked, eyeing his friend warily. Garet banged his head off the table.

"I got caught 'sleeping over' at Jenna's."

Isaac grinned wickedly, wishing that Ivan were here to share this truly brilliant opportunity for making fun of Garet. "Who caught you?"

"Felix." The Mars adept muttered. Isaac burst out laughing. So did Sheba and Mia.

"Wahahahaha, F-Felix caught you?" Mia asked Garet, through tears of mirth. He scowled.

"Hey, we weren't doing anything at the time!" He protested. This only made his friends laugh harder.

"Hahaha, I can't-can't believe Felix finally caught you!" Isaac said. Then he was hit by such a huge wave of laughter he fell off his chair and continued his laughing fit down on the floor. "Hahahahahahaha!" "Hey, it isn't funny!" A new voice joined the conversation, and Isaac looked up (Eyes blurred with his tears of laughter.) to see Jenna staring down at him looking more than a little bit pissed. He noted that though her eyes weren't bloodshot, there were very large bags underneath them and she looked exhausted.

"Wow Jenna, I'm surprised Felix let you out of the house." Garet said, looking up at his girlfriend. She shrugged.

"Well, he's got some uh, 'indiscretions' I know about that he'd rather keep a secret too." She said, smirking. "So I cut him a deal."

"Heh, I never knew you were so devious."

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me yet, Garet..."

"Whoa!" Isaac got back into his chair. "I'm don't think we want to hear this."

"Yeah, I'm eating!"

"Really, Sheba?" Jenna said dryly, looking at the way the young Jupiter adept was shovelling down the now lukewarm porridge. "I never noticed."

"Shut it. This stuff is delicious!" Sheba continued to eat at top speed. "You don't know what you're missing."

"Sure I do. I've had to suffer Isaac's mother's porridge most of my life. It's great at first, but after having it served to you every time you sleep over at Isaac's, you do get pretty sick of it."

"Never!"

"Oh, you wait and see. Why do you think Isaac hasn't touched any?"

"What's all this about my porridge?"

Everyone in the kitchen turned to see Isaac's mum standing at the back door. Jenna went a bit pale.

"Uhh, nothing. Just telling Sheba how good it is!"

"No she wasn't! She told me she was si..." Sheba never got to finish her sentence though, for Jenna had picked up her spoon and stuffed some more porridge in her mouth.

"Eat it before it gets cold, Sheba."

"Mmmph!"

Isaac's mother shook her head. "I'll never understand you kids." She said. Then she turned to Garet. "Oh, Garet, dear. Felix is looking for you."

All the colour drained from Garet's face, and he took a diving leap under the table.

"If he comes in here, tell him I've emigrated to South Gondowan." He said. Isaac's mother took this opportunity to shake her head disapprovingly again, and wander away, saying something about, "The crazy younger generation." Everyone else just stared after her. Well, except for Garet, because the tablecloth obscured his view. Though I doubt he cared.

"Right, let's go." Mia said suddenly, standing up.

Isaac turned to look at her. "Go where?"

"No, not you. Me, Jenna and Sheba."

"Why can't we come?" Garet asked, from under the table. Sheba kicked him.

"Because it's girls only." She said, also standing up. "Right, ready?"

Jenna looked doubtful. "Y'know, I think I want to stay here with Garet."

"No chance, Jenna!" Mia said firmly. "We're not letting you get away with this again."

"But..."

"No way. You're coming with us, whether you like it or not!"

And then Sheba and Mia dragged Jenna out the back door, shouting a cheery, "Bye!" As they went.

Isaac sighed. Now it was just him and a guy under a table. "You can come out now, Garet." He said. "Felix wont come here."

"You think?"

"Yes. Now, get out from under there!"

Garet came out, and smacked his head off the edge of the table. "Ow!"

"Idiot. I don't know what Jenna sees in you."

"Shut your mouth, at least I have a girlfriend. And the clock is ticking for you on that subject."

Isaac stared at him sourly. "So Ivan told you, did he?" Stupid Ivan.

"Of course. He told Sheba and Jenna too, I think." Garet sat on the chair next to Isaac, rubbing his head. "Does your mum have any ice?"

Isaac wasn't listening by then. "He told Sheba and Jenna?!" He said, in a strangely high voice. "Everyone in Vale will know by Friday!"

"Oh, come on, give the girls some credit. I'd say Thursday."

"Oh no." Isaac slid off of his chair and went under the table. "I'm doomed."

"Yeah, but what can you do?" Garet asked cheerfully.

"You're not helping! No, wait..." Isaac came back up. "You can help me!"

Garet eyed him suspiciously. He wasn't that brightest guy in the world, but he knew that Isaac was planning something. And that usually wasn't good. "How do you mean?" He said slowly.

"You can keep Jenna quiet. Y'know, make sure she doesn't tell anyone."

"What about Sheba?"

"Ivan."

"Ah." The Mars adept rubbed his chin. "Quite a plan, but with one big flaw."

"What's that?"

"I won't do it."

"What?! Why not?"

"I have my reasons."

"Aw, come on, please?"

"Uhh...no."

"Please? Pretty please?"

"Nope. No sale."

Isaac grabbed Garet's shirt. "Help me!"

"Hey, watch the material!" Garet pried his friend's fingers off his shirt. After all, it was new and he didn't any creases. "Alright, alright, if it means that much to you, I'll help."

Isaac fought the urge to hug him.

"On one condition."

The urge died.

"What condition?"

"You help me find a good way to ask Jenna to marry me."

"Deal." They shook hands. Then, "What?!"

"You heard." Garet glared at him. "Don't make me repeat myself. Someone could be listening." Someone like Ivan. Or even worse, Felix.

"But-But...you've got to be kidding me!" Isaac laughed. "You've only been together a month!"

"So, I've had feelings for her for much longer than that. And that's beside the point now. We have a deal, Isaac."

"Fine, Dammit. I'll help you if you help me."

"Great." Garet reached over and grabbed the porridge pot. It was empty. "Aw."

"Yeah, I'm afraid Sheba's beaten you to it, my friend."

"Tch, that girl eats almost as much as I do."

"Almost? I think she's got a long way to go before she can match you, Garet."

"True."

Later on:

Ivan was dead. Isaac was going to find him, and then kill him.

Stupid Ivan. Just where was here?!

"Y'know, if you keep on going like that, you'll burn a hole in the floor."

"Shut up, Garet. Or you'll be the one in a burning hole in the floor."

"Ooh, nasty." Garet grinned at his best friend. "Don't get so worked up, Isaac. It's not like he's vanished off the face of the Earth of something. He's probably just gone out for a walk."

"For six hours?!"

"Yeah. Why not?"

"Because I need to talk to him, as in, now. Before Sheba starts shooting her mouth off." Isaac ran his hand through his hair impatiently. "This is bad."

"You're just looking on the downside of things. Sheba might not tell anyone. You're being a pes...uh, a pessim, erm, a..."

"A pessimist?"

"That's the one! Yeah, you're being a pessamist."

Isaac rolled his eyes. "Pessimist."

"Whatever."

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ME: Hmm, this was a long chapter. Well, compared to the other two it was. And it had a lot of dialogue. Sorry about that. (Grins.) But anyway, next chapter! Lots of stuff happening, I think. Will Felix ever catch up with Garet? Will Garet ever learn to say 'pessimist' properly? And will Ivan ever leave that damn bathroom? Such things will be revealed in the next chapters of, (Dun dun duuuuuuuun!) Seven Days!

But only if you review.