8BTFreek: E3 is heaven on earth... I love you, Nintendo... There is no greater good tha- Hehheh... Uh, you didn't see that... A-hrem! Nice to see that people reviewed. Let's respond!
REVIEW RESPONSES:
ACL: When did what come about? Thanks for the review, at any rate.
Mesoforte: Yeah, I'm going there, but I'm more nervous than excited. Thanks for liking the change in perspective. It's not what you would've expected, is it? Thanks for reviewing, as always.
Allexandra: Strange? Well, I tried to model them off of the kids I've observed, always curious and anxious to tell everything that happened to them and all that. Thanks for reviewing!
Ral: Yeah, I meant Wil. Actually, originally they were going to be named after Mat & Rand in WoT, but I decided against it, using the names that I like to use instead of the actual characters' names in Golden Sun. As for your Alex comment: How's he going to make fire? Unless you forgot, he didn't get the full power of the Golden Sun. That also means that... [catches self before he says too much] You'll find out.
Joker: Re-grabbed interest? I lost your interest at one point? [curses to self for making readers lost... or just disinterested] Well, hope that your bad mood's passed!
END RESPONSES
8BTFreek: Well, the chapter's beginning. And yes, the song kick is still on. Some chapters might not have a song title, but most will. Trust me. [grins evilly]
Eshli: Ugh! Okay, Dad doesn't own Golden Sun.
Freek: Yeah, because if he did, I would've gotten to beta-test it.
Gannon: Freek doesn't own Golden Sun, either.
Freek: Damn you! I'm going to need to figure out a way to win a hostile takeover on ten bucks. Well, chapter 11's still on the Song Kick!
[XI]Chapter 11: Separate Ways, or A Split within a Split[XI]
Jenna took another sip of tea. Usually, Hama was the one drinking tea with Kay, but seeing as how the two weren't on speaking terms for the moment, Jenna had taken her place. {Vile drink, tea. It ought to be banned.} Still, she accepted the cup, mainly because she didn't want to offend her friend. "So, how are things going, Kay?"
Kay smiled. "Things are going just fine." Her smile twitched a little. "Rhoen's carving figures all day long, Ivan and Feizhi are... I won't go there. And Sheba..." The smile upset completely. "Sheba's pining over Piers, and if she even thinks of going near Rhoen..." She growled, a deep guttural noise coming from her throat. "Just because they're from the same place doesn't mean they can..." The growl rose again.
Jenna's eyes had widened during the remarks about Sheba. "Kay, trust me. Sheba has about as much romantic interest in Rhoen as she does in Felix - probably less. The only reason why she would approach him is to learn more about what he has to say about her birthplace." Jenna had been one of three allied with Piers to believe that Rhoen was telling the truth. All of those on Kay's side accepted that for fact.
"Still, if she does..." The growl rose again. A burst of knowledge entered Jenna's mind.
"You love him, don't you?" Kay looked puzzled. "Rhoen, I mean. You love him, and you want to make sure his heart doesn't wander."
"Nonsense," muttered Kay. "Utter nonsense." She spoke in a slightly louder tone. "There is no reason to suspect that I might be falling in love with my house guest." Jenna rolled her eyes. "Don't do that! What makes you think I'm in love with him?"
"Well, other than the fact that you can tell me his sleeping and eating habits and the fact that you take almost any suggestion of his as being absolute truth, there's no reason to think you're in love or even possibly obsessed." Kay blushed. "It's nothing to be ashamed about, it's just... strange. Tell him, Kay. I guarantee he won't say no. In fact, I think he's in love with you."
"Nonsense again. Who could love me?" She sighed. "Look at me, Jenna. I'm twenty-three. I'm not young; I'm not beautiful. Sure, I'm pretty - pretty ugly. There's nothing about me that could attract him, despite what his carvings look like." Jenna arched an eyebrow. "Well, it's just that he has me depicted as a heavenly being or something like that. You know - an unearthly beauty, if you will."
Jenna leaned back. "Well, it sounds like Rhoen is deeply in love with you. Of course, you could just ignore my five years of dealing with love, but it's your choice." She set down the teacup. "Such a vile drink. Oh, and Mia, Isaac, and I will be dropping by later today." Kay nodded, dazed by the double blow she had been dealt. "Kay, dear, it's not that you don't make good tea; you probably do. I just don't like to drink the stuff." She stood and walked out.
[XI]
A knock interrupted Rhoen's work. "Come in." The doorknob turned, admitting Kay. Immediately, he set down his tools and indicated that she should sit next to him. He could tell she was looking at the carvings that now covered most of the room. "What is it, Kay?"
She was having a hard time accepting something, he could tell. She was behaving rather nervously, and she had to swallow twice before she talked. "Rhoen... do - do you think I'm... beautiful?" The question was not what he was prepared for, and he barely had time to think before he answered.
"What kind of question is that? Of course you are, what gave you the idea you wer-" He clamped down on his mouth. "I mean, uh, yes. Yes you are. You're very beautiful. More beautiful than the sunset over the o-" He caught himself again. His face was beginning to grow hot. This was frustrating. {Keep your distance from the women of this place! Honestly, you're being too forward with-} His thoughts stopped as she kissed his cheek.
"You're sweet," she said. "But it's not true, I know it isn't." She was sitting next to him, looking away from him. "I'm ugly, aren't I?"
It took him a moment to get over the fact that she'd kissed him, but his answer was almost instantaneous. "Absolutely not! If you're ugly, then I'm my father!" He stood up, pulled her up, and planted a kiss on either cheek. "Why else should I fa - er, I mean, accept your hospitality?" The reasoning was flawed, he knew, but it was the best cover he could come up with. He didn't want her to fall in love with him. He was unworthy.
"But I am! Er... I mean... What were you going to say?" She had become curious with his last statement, he guessed. Some things shouldn't be said, and that was one of them. He clammed up. "Well?" He remained silent. "Tell me!" she shouted. Silence. "Tell me or I'll kick you out!" That caused him to jump.
"I was about to say, 'Why else should I fall in love at first sight?' Of course, the real question is probably 'who wouldn't fall in love with you.' To me, anyway. I'd better say it. Kay, I have spent not more than a week in your presence, and already I love you. It's not that I can't find anyone else; it's more that I don't want to have anyone else. I want you, if you'll have me." He hung his head, a dour look placed on his face.
For a few moments, Kay was speechless. Then, she placed a hand on his chin and jerked his head upwards. "Don't drop your head. Just, please, answer this one question. Why me?" He locked eyes with her.
"The truth of it is, I thought you were beautiful, and I admired your skill with gardening. You were the one person who trusted me when I got here. I have a question for you, though. Do you..." His throat tightened. He couldn't speak. "D-do you..." The words refused to come.
They didn't need to. "I guess... I do." She grabbed him in a tight embrace, one that he swiftly returned. They were in each other's arms, and they were happy.
[XI]
Piers paced Felix's den. "How do I get her to come back to me?" he asked his friends. Garet shrugged.
"What's her favorite flower? If you give her some of those, maybe she'll be willing to make up. Anyway, I've just got to figure out a way to get back in Mia's good graces. Lately she's been kind of... feral. Wild. Getting all these crazy ideas, you know. Feeling like you're wrong." He didn't dare voice his opinion, but Mia did produce a convincing argument.
"Well, there's no reason to suspect Piers is wrong. After all, he's probably older than any of us. Just how much older I still haven't been able to pry out, but it's somewhere over twenty, I think." Piers shot him a look that could be interpreted as pretty much anything.
"Well, if I can find them, she likes roses. Unfortunately, there's not a single rose in Vale." Piers didn't mention the rose bushes in Kay's garden, but that was probably because he always refrained from mentioning anything that had a connection with Kay, save Sheba.
Garet, on the other hand, had momentarily forgotten that Piers disliked hearing anything about anything that had a connection to Garet's sister. "Well, there's always..." He trailed off at a cold glare from Felix. "I'm going to go out for a stroll. I might not be back until late," he said, striding out of the room. As he exited, he could hear Mia talking with Jenna.
"I don't know, Jenna. I mean, I tried to tell him, but he didn't seem to believe..." His heat spun to look at them and he walked in their direction.
"That's because it sounds too strange to be true." The two spun to look at him. Neither of them seemed very happy. "I have a reason to be out here. I was just walking, and I heard you two talking about me. At least, I think it was me." He shook his head.
"Um, yes, we were talking about you..." Mia stared at the ground. "But it was nothing bad."
"You sounded a little angry." She turned red, and stared harder. It seemed like she was trying to focus on a blade of grass. "It's the Sheba thing, isn't it? I don't know, I just have a hard time believing it. But you do make it sound true. I just don't know. I haven't seen her since this whole split began." He looked at Mia. "Don't be embarrassed, Mia. I just want to be sure." He walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Mia, it's been only a couple of weeks since he's been here, but already we're growing more distant. Tell me what's wrong. I'll try to fix it."
Her mouth opened slowly. "It's just... so much has happened." She turned to face him, her face furiously red. "How could you abandon your sister like that?! After all, she is your sister! For the love of Weyard, how could you?" He hung his head in shame.
"Something told me it was dangerous. I don't know - remember how we were all taken in by Piers's arguments?" She blinked twice, nodded slowly. Garet continued. "But now, I'm having doubts. Doubts planted by you. If you'd like, we could go to my sister's place. It's frozen solid in there." He jerked his thumb in the direction of Felix and Hama's house. "Besides, it's about time I made amends with her." Mia nodded, smiling slightly.
Together, the two of them walked off. Isaac and Jenna joined them at the doorstep, Jade standing between the two pairs. Isaac knocked on the door. The one to open it was Sheba. "Oh, hi Isaac. Hey Jenna, Mia." She bent down and ruffled Jade's long brown hair. Then she turned her attention to Garet. "Garet," she said with an almost frosty tone.
"Hey, Sheba," he said. "Uh... I want to... to..." Kay stood in the door behind the short blonde woman. "I wanted to apologize to my sister, so if you could let me in?" Sheba sighed, glared at him, and let the five in. Garet went straight to Kay and bent his head. "Sorry for ostracizing you. I didn't mean to let it go so long - is it too late to make amends?" Kay shook her head, then smiled.
"Welcome back home, little brother." Garet smiled too.
[XI]
Alex sat watching the stone board. The Wise One had kept the beasts from flowing through the portal for three days now. He could barely stay awake. Finally, he screamed with rage. "WISE ONE!!!"
The docile rock-man teleported into the room. "Yes?"
"You've been cutting off my food supply. Return it, or Fate will be wrecked."
"You wrecked it already. Do you think I could care about ruining it more?" Still, he allowed a single beast in - a rat. Alex blasted it with a lightning bolt. He took a bite. The Wise One shook his head. "You've been playing with the Chosen Ones."
Alex swallowed, then said, "No, there's a difference. I've been observing."
The Wise One made a motion with his eye that was close to a smile. "And I've been playing with you."
Alex glared over his dinner. "What is play to the cat is death to the mouse."
The Wise One returned his glare. "Listen to the pot call the kettle black." Alex let out a scream of rage before tearing off another chunk of meat.
[eoc]
8BTFreek: Well, that's chapter 11.
Eshli: Eew... Alex is gross...
8BTFreek: Beggars can't be choosers. Anyway, I'm doing requests, if you have any. I'd like to do another OneShot Songfic, but I'm having trouble figuring out the "what." E-mail me with your requests. I'll try to keep up with them.
Eshli: And review, or... [whispers to Freek] what threat do we give them?
8BTFreek: Well, here's the threat. Review, or I will torment you with horrible singing!
Eshli: That's not a threat. [pulls out a sign saying "Review or I will end the world with pyrotechnics that will only be seen from space"] That's a threat.
8BTFreek: Dammit! Movie quotes in the author's notes, cliches in the chapter... bloody hell. Review, or I'll send you an e-mail with thousands of cliches.
REVIEW RESPONSES:
ACL: When did what come about? Thanks for the review, at any rate.
Mesoforte: Yeah, I'm going there, but I'm more nervous than excited. Thanks for liking the change in perspective. It's not what you would've expected, is it? Thanks for reviewing, as always.
Allexandra: Strange? Well, I tried to model them off of the kids I've observed, always curious and anxious to tell everything that happened to them and all that. Thanks for reviewing!
Ral: Yeah, I meant Wil. Actually, originally they were going to be named after Mat & Rand in WoT, but I decided against it, using the names that I like to use instead of the actual characters' names in Golden Sun. As for your Alex comment: How's he going to make fire? Unless you forgot, he didn't get the full power of the Golden Sun. That also means that... [catches self before he says too much] You'll find out.
Joker: Re-grabbed interest? I lost your interest at one point? [curses to self for making readers lost... or just disinterested] Well, hope that your bad mood's passed!
END RESPONSES
8BTFreek: Well, the chapter's beginning. And yes, the song kick is still on. Some chapters might not have a song title, but most will. Trust me. [grins evilly]
Eshli: Ugh! Okay, Dad doesn't own Golden Sun.
Freek: Yeah, because if he did, I would've gotten to beta-test it.
Gannon: Freek doesn't own Golden Sun, either.
Freek: Damn you! I'm going to need to figure out a way to win a hostile takeover on ten bucks. Well, chapter 11's still on the Song Kick!
[XI]Chapter 11: Separate Ways, or A Split within a Split[XI]
Jenna took another sip of tea. Usually, Hama was the one drinking tea with Kay, but seeing as how the two weren't on speaking terms for the moment, Jenna had taken her place. {Vile drink, tea. It ought to be banned.} Still, she accepted the cup, mainly because she didn't want to offend her friend. "So, how are things going, Kay?"
Kay smiled. "Things are going just fine." Her smile twitched a little. "Rhoen's carving figures all day long, Ivan and Feizhi are... I won't go there. And Sheba..." The smile upset completely. "Sheba's pining over Piers, and if she even thinks of going near Rhoen..." She growled, a deep guttural noise coming from her throat. "Just because they're from the same place doesn't mean they can..." The growl rose again.
Jenna's eyes had widened during the remarks about Sheba. "Kay, trust me. Sheba has about as much romantic interest in Rhoen as she does in Felix - probably less. The only reason why she would approach him is to learn more about what he has to say about her birthplace." Jenna had been one of three allied with Piers to believe that Rhoen was telling the truth. All of those on Kay's side accepted that for fact.
"Still, if she does..." The growl rose again. A burst of knowledge entered Jenna's mind.
"You love him, don't you?" Kay looked puzzled. "Rhoen, I mean. You love him, and you want to make sure his heart doesn't wander."
"Nonsense," muttered Kay. "Utter nonsense." She spoke in a slightly louder tone. "There is no reason to suspect that I might be falling in love with my house guest." Jenna rolled her eyes. "Don't do that! What makes you think I'm in love with him?"
"Well, other than the fact that you can tell me his sleeping and eating habits and the fact that you take almost any suggestion of his as being absolute truth, there's no reason to think you're in love or even possibly obsessed." Kay blushed. "It's nothing to be ashamed about, it's just... strange. Tell him, Kay. I guarantee he won't say no. In fact, I think he's in love with you."
"Nonsense again. Who could love me?" She sighed. "Look at me, Jenna. I'm twenty-three. I'm not young; I'm not beautiful. Sure, I'm pretty - pretty ugly. There's nothing about me that could attract him, despite what his carvings look like." Jenna arched an eyebrow. "Well, it's just that he has me depicted as a heavenly being or something like that. You know - an unearthly beauty, if you will."
Jenna leaned back. "Well, it sounds like Rhoen is deeply in love with you. Of course, you could just ignore my five years of dealing with love, but it's your choice." She set down the teacup. "Such a vile drink. Oh, and Mia, Isaac, and I will be dropping by later today." Kay nodded, dazed by the double blow she had been dealt. "Kay, dear, it's not that you don't make good tea; you probably do. I just don't like to drink the stuff." She stood and walked out.
[XI]
A knock interrupted Rhoen's work. "Come in." The doorknob turned, admitting Kay. Immediately, he set down his tools and indicated that she should sit next to him. He could tell she was looking at the carvings that now covered most of the room. "What is it, Kay?"
She was having a hard time accepting something, he could tell. She was behaving rather nervously, and she had to swallow twice before she talked. "Rhoen... do - do you think I'm... beautiful?" The question was not what he was prepared for, and he barely had time to think before he answered.
"What kind of question is that? Of course you are, what gave you the idea you wer-" He clamped down on his mouth. "I mean, uh, yes. Yes you are. You're very beautiful. More beautiful than the sunset over the o-" He caught himself again. His face was beginning to grow hot. This was frustrating. {Keep your distance from the women of this place! Honestly, you're being too forward with-} His thoughts stopped as she kissed his cheek.
"You're sweet," she said. "But it's not true, I know it isn't." She was sitting next to him, looking away from him. "I'm ugly, aren't I?"
It took him a moment to get over the fact that she'd kissed him, but his answer was almost instantaneous. "Absolutely not! If you're ugly, then I'm my father!" He stood up, pulled her up, and planted a kiss on either cheek. "Why else should I fa - er, I mean, accept your hospitality?" The reasoning was flawed, he knew, but it was the best cover he could come up with. He didn't want her to fall in love with him. He was unworthy.
"But I am! Er... I mean... What were you going to say?" She had become curious with his last statement, he guessed. Some things shouldn't be said, and that was one of them. He clammed up. "Well?" He remained silent. "Tell me!" she shouted. Silence. "Tell me or I'll kick you out!" That caused him to jump.
"I was about to say, 'Why else should I fall in love at first sight?' Of course, the real question is probably 'who wouldn't fall in love with you.' To me, anyway. I'd better say it. Kay, I have spent not more than a week in your presence, and already I love you. It's not that I can't find anyone else; it's more that I don't want to have anyone else. I want you, if you'll have me." He hung his head, a dour look placed on his face.
For a few moments, Kay was speechless. Then, she placed a hand on his chin and jerked his head upwards. "Don't drop your head. Just, please, answer this one question. Why me?" He locked eyes with her.
"The truth of it is, I thought you were beautiful, and I admired your skill with gardening. You were the one person who trusted me when I got here. I have a question for you, though. Do you..." His throat tightened. He couldn't speak. "D-do you..." The words refused to come.
They didn't need to. "I guess... I do." She grabbed him in a tight embrace, one that he swiftly returned. They were in each other's arms, and they were happy.
[XI]
Piers paced Felix's den. "How do I get her to come back to me?" he asked his friends. Garet shrugged.
"What's her favorite flower? If you give her some of those, maybe she'll be willing to make up. Anyway, I've just got to figure out a way to get back in Mia's good graces. Lately she's been kind of... feral. Wild. Getting all these crazy ideas, you know. Feeling like you're wrong." He didn't dare voice his opinion, but Mia did produce a convincing argument.
"Well, there's no reason to suspect Piers is wrong. After all, he's probably older than any of us. Just how much older I still haven't been able to pry out, but it's somewhere over twenty, I think." Piers shot him a look that could be interpreted as pretty much anything.
"Well, if I can find them, she likes roses. Unfortunately, there's not a single rose in Vale." Piers didn't mention the rose bushes in Kay's garden, but that was probably because he always refrained from mentioning anything that had a connection with Kay, save Sheba.
Garet, on the other hand, had momentarily forgotten that Piers disliked hearing anything about anything that had a connection to Garet's sister. "Well, there's always..." He trailed off at a cold glare from Felix. "I'm going to go out for a stroll. I might not be back until late," he said, striding out of the room. As he exited, he could hear Mia talking with Jenna.
"I don't know, Jenna. I mean, I tried to tell him, but he didn't seem to believe..." His heat spun to look at them and he walked in their direction.
"That's because it sounds too strange to be true." The two spun to look at him. Neither of them seemed very happy. "I have a reason to be out here. I was just walking, and I heard you two talking about me. At least, I think it was me." He shook his head.
"Um, yes, we were talking about you..." Mia stared at the ground. "But it was nothing bad."
"You sounded a little angry." She turned red, and stared harder. It seemed like she was trying to focus on a blade of grass. "It's the Sheba thing, isn't it? I don't know, I just have a hard time believing it. But you do make it sound true. I just don't know. I haven't seen her since this whole split began." He looked at Mia. "Don't be embarrassed, Mia. I just want to be sure." He walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Mia, it's been only a couple of weeks since he's been here, but already we're growing more distant. Tell me what's wrong. I'll try to fix it."
Her mouth opened slowly. "It's just... so much has happened." She turned to face him, her face furiously red. "How could you abandon your sister like that?! After all, she is your sister! For the love of Weyard, how could you?" He hung his head in shame.
"Something told me it was dangerous. I don't know - remember how we were all taken in by Piers's arguments?" She blinked twice, nodded slowly. Garet continued. "But now, I'm having doubts. Doubts planted by you. If you'd like, we could go to my sister's place. It's frozen solid in there." He jerked his thumb in the direction of Felix and Hama's house. "Besides, it's about time I made amends with her." Mia nodded, smiling slightly.
Together, the two of them walked off. Isaac and Jenna joined them at the doorstep, Jade standing between the two pairs. Isaac knocked on the door. The one to open it was Sheba. "Oh, hi Isaac. Hey Jenna, Mia." She bent down and ruffled Jade's long brown hair. Then she turned her attention to Garet. "Garet," she said with an almost frosty tone.
"Hey, Sheba," he said. "Uh... I want to... to..." Kay stood in the door behind the short blonde woman. "I wanted to apologize to my sister, so if you could let me in?" Sheba sighed, glared at him, and let the five in. Garet went straight to Kay and bent his head. "Sorry for ostracizing you. I didn't mean to let it go so long - is it too late to make amends?" Kay shook her head, then smiled.
"Welcome back home, little brother." Garet smiled too.
[XI]
Alex sat watching the stone board. The Wise One had kept the beasts from flowing through the portal for three days now. He could barely stay awake. Finally, he screamed with rage. "WISE ONE!!!"
The docile rock-man teleported into the room. "Yes?"
"You've been cutting off my food supply. Return it, or Fate will be wrecked."
"You wrecked it already. Do you think I could care about ruining it more?" Still, he allowed a single beast in - a rat. Alex blasted it with a lightning bolt. He took a bite. The Wise One shook his head. "You've been playing with the Chosen Ones."
Alex swallowed, then said, "No, there's a difference. I've been observing."
The Wise One made a motion with his eye that was close to a smile. "And I've been playing with you."
Alex glared over his dinner. "What is play to the cat is death to the mouse."
The Wise One returned his glare. "Listen to the pot call the kettle black." Alex let out a scream of rage before tearing off another chunk of meat.
[eoc]
8BTFreek: Well, that's chapter 11.
Eshli: Eew... Alex is gross...
8BTFreek: Beggars can't be choosers. Anyway, I'm doing requests, if you have any. I'd like to do another OneShot Songfic, but I'm having trouble figuring out the "what." E-mail me with your requests. I'll try to keep up with them.
Eshli: And review, or... [whispers to Freek] what threat do we give them?
8BTFreek: Well, here's the threat. Review, or I will torment you with horrible singing!
Eshli: That's not a threat. [pulls out a sign saying "Review or I will end the world with pyrotechnics that will only be seen from space"] That's a threat.
8BTFreek: Dammit! Movie quotes in the author's notes, cliches in the chapter... bloody hell. Review, or I'll send you an e-mail with thousands of cliches.