The Saturn Adept

(Complete with boring title, unoriginal plot, and painful Mary Sue x Isaac action!)

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A/N:

Seems like quite a few of you scalliwags have written Mary Sues before... But now that you've reformed, let us all go bash up our past. :D I made a whole list of Sue traits, and I intend on fitting as many as I can into Xanaeya, Syruss, and any others. ;P

Dot-san -- How did you know? How did you know I'd tie in Luna Sanctum and everything? Gasp! Conspiracy against Azu! XD More on the other elements, when Xanaeya goes into her (totally uncalled for) lecture. :D

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Jenna was pondering to herself the chances of baiting Xanaeya leaving and taking Isaac with her, then considered the chances of Xanaeya actually falling for it. It was easy to predict, though, that Xanaeya would see through it, being of utmost intelligence. Or so Jenna presumed. She had taken to expect the worst as of late... Xanaeya was a blonde, of course, but (also) of course, that also meant she had to defy the standards and was smart. As heck.

Granted, Sheba was smart, and Menardi was awfully sly and cunning, but Xanaeya just looked like a stereotypical dumb blonde. Jenna didn't want to offend anyone, but she just looked like the epitome of one. Unless, of course, Xanaeya decided to randomly and suddenly change hair colors.

That would probably happen, now that she thought it...

"Curses!" She heard Karst yell in the guestroom. Jenna sighed. It seemed bleak for them now...

But wait.

Jenna narrowed her eyes, thinking of the chances of another of her harebrained schemes working. Her plan was this: Befriend Xanaeya, find out that "deep, dark secret" she knew the Saturn Adept had to have, and use it against her. Her only problem would be if Xanaeya saw through to her intentions.

Hmm... But to get rid of pests, and get Garet and Isaac back (As Menardi could wait for a little bit, though Karst would not be happy), she'd have to take some viable risks, right?

With a self-satisfied little smile, Jenna closed her eyes and eventually drifted off to sleep.

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Some time later, Jenna awoke to pounding on her door, and with a groan, rolled out of bed to open the door, yelling a "If you have some evil plans, I don't want to hear them yet" as she did so.

She glared sleepily at a girl who was not Karst. Mentally, she screamed, "I'm melting, I'm melting!"

"Who are you?" Jenna yawned, leaning on the doorframe.

"I'm Marie," the girl, with reddish-copper curled locks said, her hands clasped before her as she blinked up at Jenna. "I just came from Suhalla. I'm a... cousin of yours."

Double-you tee eff? went Jenna's mind. "...I didn't know I had cousins that came from Suhalla..."

"Oh, but you don't -- I, I mean..." The girl said, casting her gaze to the wood panels that lined the floor. "Well, to put it honestly, I'm a princess in hiding, but..."

Unable to restrain herself any longer, Jenna stepped back and slammed the door, then leaned against it, pressing her index and middle fingers to her forehead, grimacing. First it was Xanaeya, some foreign Saturn Adept who had Isaac drooling over her every action. Then it was Syruss, who had Menardi around his little pinky finger. Now it was Marie, some cousin-princess that hailed from Suhalla...

"Um, Jenna? Are you okay?" Marie called from the other side of the door.

Jenna bit down a "No," and instead responded tersely, "I'm fine." Re-opening the door, she peered down at Marie, who watched her as though she would leap at her. "Sorry about that."

"It's.. It's okay." Marie mumbled, twisting a strand of hair around a long finger.

"Have you met Felix?" Jenna asked as she walked past her to the bathroom, where she washed her face.

"Felix?" Marie queried blankly.

"...You..." Jenna stopped in mid-rub of her face with a towel. Where had Felix gone? Well, it was probably some other scheme of Xanaeya's. She wouldn't be surprised if the Saturn Adept had him locked up somewhere in her harem... er, dungeon. "Uh, never mind that. Have you had breakfast?"

"Oh! No..." She said sheepishly, looking at her feet, which Jenna then noticed were clad in very fancy looking pumps. "I just got here."

Jenna had a million other questions to ask, like the reason for wearing nice shoes when traveling a great distance – unless, she mused, she warped here, or even flew, and neither of the ideas struck as particularly surprising – but decided, for the moment, not to voice them. "You go down to the kitchen... I'll go wake up Ka – er, a friend of mine."

"Alright." Marie said, with a little nod that shook her curls. Jenna watched her go, and couldn't help feeling a little disgusted at her magnificently rich-looking dress and the gold hair pin in her beautiful hair... Which Jenna had to admit, she was a little jealous of. Just a little. With a huff, Jenna stalked down the hallway to Karst's room, and pounded on it.

"What?" Karst croaked from inside. Jenna could hear rustling as she got herself out of bed.

"It's time to get up. Not only that, some random cousin I didn't know I had has just come from Suhalla, and she's also a princess... She's wearing a gold hair pin in her gorgeous coppery hair, and she's wearing awfully nice pumps, even though she just came from Suhalla..."

The door flew open, and Jenna was suddenly face to face with Karst, who looked wild with unhidden fury.

"You don't say," she said icily. "Where's the brat?"

"Kitchen." But after telling her that, Jenna suddenly felt as though she'd done a very bad thing... "Uh, don't get my parents into anything, please?"

"I won't. This girl is all I'm after. What's her name?" Karst asked as she went to retrieve her scythe in the corner.

"Marie." Jenna said dully.

"Marie," Karst said slowly, as though testing it out. With a sour look, she muttered, "Definitely a princess name."

"Or at least a name of some fair maiden that's been locked away in a tower..." Jenna sighed, and rolled her eyes.

Karst made an amused sound, then, with her scythe in plain view, went in the direction of the kitchen, chuckling evilly to herself as she did so. Jenna looked doubtfully at her as she went, the metal of the scythe flashing occasionally in the beams of sunlight that came in through the windows. Jenna sighed, allowing herself a moment of thought. What had brought all this on, after all? The rise of the Golden Sun?

No, really?

Rolling her eyes, Jenna walked back to her room, changed into her usual clothes, then left the house, telling her parents she needed a breath of fresh air. She didn't bother to tell them that Karst was lurking in the background behind them, knowing their lives had been stressful enough while they had been held captive by the other Proxians. Knowing a homicidal girl that had come from the place they had been locked up in that was itching to kill her suddenly-existing-cousin would definitely bug them a whole lot.

Jenna just hoped they didn't all get heart attacks or something when they finally noticed her.

The Mars Adept supposed the plaza was her best bet in finding Xanaeya. And sure enough, once she reached the steps that led down to the plaza's level, she saw Xanaeya sitting at the base of the large Psynergy Rock, Isaac beside her and holding her hand, a goofy smile on his face as he watched her intently. Jenna managed to keep herself composed and not chuck herself over the side of the stairs to her bloody death.

She had to "befriend" Xanaeya, after all. You couldn't do that while your head was in halves and your body looked like a rag doll's.

Enough with the gory imagery, though. Jenna reached the bottom of the stairs, and with a forced cheerful expression, waltzed over to the – dare she speak it out loud? – lovebirds. "Good morning!"

"waht do u wnt jenea?" Isaac asked, blinking. Jenna thought she saw some glimmer of the old him in there, but the moment passed quickly. She didn't understand (or rather, couldn't) his gibberish, so she just smiled sweetly at him.

"Good morning, Xanaeya," Jenna said politely. "How are you doing?"

Xanaeya stared at her levelly, then slowly stood, one hand on the hilt of her katana. "I know what you're doing, and I don't like it."

Jenna hoped the "Meep!" she heard had been just in her head and didn't actually come out of her mouth.

"B-but you don't even know me!" She said defensively, sweating. "You don't have any proof that I – "

"I know you want Isaac, and I'm not going to let you have him." Xanaeya cut her off, a frown apparent on her pale face, her eyebrows furrowed together and eyes narrowed. "Isaac and I... We have a bond. A bond that cannot and will not ever be understood by any others!"

"Uh, Xanaeya, I don't -- " Jenna tried, eyes clearly showing she was worried. Xanaeya still at least appeared to know how to use that sword of hers.

"...He's lit up something inside of me that I didn't know existed – my soul." Xanaeya continued, as though she hadn't even heard her at all. Isaac was hanging onto her leg. "I never want to let him go, because that means I will lose my spirit..."

Jenna sighed, tuning the girl out as she did so. She had to twist everything as she saw fit... Including Isaac, she thought ruefully, giving the Venus Adept a look of utmost pity.

"...But you! You don't understand! Especially since the four base elements are aligned with only Sol, while my extinct race as well as that of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, are aligned with that of Luna, as we are definitely more demure and harder to understand..."

Jenna looked up at that. That didn't make any sense, though... Considering... Well... She couldn't explain it, but she knew that didn't make any sense!

"And while Mars Adepts are fiery, Venus Adepts are cool and reserved. Mercury Adepts are kind and caring, while Jupiter Adepts are scholarly and wise. Meanwhile, the Saturn Adepts are a cautious race who do not accept others well -- so by my accepting Isaac, I've basically betrayed my clan!"

And then what, Jenna asked to herself. Neptune Adepts were charming and rather... lascivious, and Uranus Adepts... well... From what she remembered hearing about Kraden's own ranting, Uranus was basically a sideways planet, right? So did that mean Adepts from the Uranus clan had split personality disorders or something? And Pluto! Pluto Adepts had to be cold and uncaring, then, due to their location...

"Then a tramp like you comes in and tries to steal him away when we've made it quite obvious we're in love -- "

"Actually, no," Jenna said calmly, finally cracking. Xanaeya looked as though she had been decked -- Figures, the Mars Adept sighed in her head, she must not be used to be interrupted, much less opposed. "No, I haven't seen you two making out or anything, but it wouldn't bug me even if you were. Why? Because I could care less. If Isaac's happy" - and here she swallowed her pride - "then I'm happy, okay? I just wanted to talk to you, maybe get to know you a little better. I have no intention on taking Isaac away from you."

Xanaeya looked shocked for a few moments longer, then with an exhale of air, visibly relaxed, her now-violet eyes calm and serene. "...I see."

Jenna had a happy-go-lucky smile on her face and nodded. "So then... Umm..." Thinking quickly, but deciding on the wrong subject, she said, "What you said about the elements was informative!"

"I used to study the planets and their peoples." Xanaeya seemed disdainful then, careful to avoid eye contact with Jenna. "But once the Pluto and Uranus Adepts all but died out, I quit. Afterwards, I trained myself in the arts of stealth and silent killing. (1) Then Alex came and wiped out the rest of my clan, leaving me..."

Not wanting another impromptu history lesson, Jenna said quickly, "So, how do you and Syruss know each other?"

Xanaeya finally raised her eyes to look at her again and Jenna was vaguely disturbed to notice they were now a bright, eerie gold like a familiar Lemurian's. A familiar, missing Lemurian's. "That's personal."

"Uh, okay..." Jenna knew by now that Marie was probably dead in a puddle of her own blood, and Karst was likely to be on a rampage. She needed to retreat and rethink some things, anyways... "Well, um, I gotta go check up on my cou -- yeah, my cousin! I'll see you, Xanaeya, Isaac!" She backed away, then turned around and all but sprinted for her house, ignoring Garet, who still stood there, with birds nesting in his obnoxious hair.

Jenna stopped short of her house when a pillar of fire erupted out of the roof. With a groan, she walked into her home to see what had happened and fearing for herself as she did so. "Karst? Karst, you better not have – "

A redheaded Proxian approached her, her face charred black and the end of a strand of hair lit with fire. Jenna licked her finger and doused the flame, then stood back, a concerned but rather curious look on her face.

"That girl is evil." Karst said after coughing up a small cloud of smoke. "She attempted to cook pancakes and..."

"Burned the roof off?" Jenna blinked. "...Speaking of burning, why isn't the house in flames now, anyways?"

"She has 'amazing Mars powers' from what I've seen." Karst muttered, brushing some ash and things

off her face. "Far more powerful than any Proxian warrior or savior of the Golden Sun's..."

Feeling oddly offended, Jenna rolled up her sleeves and stomped off to the kitchen, knowing that if Marie continued to stay under her roof, her place as daughter would soon be nonexistent. And that was one thing she wasn't going to let go of so easily. (2)

"MARIE!" Jenna yelled as she stormed into the kitchen, eyes aflame with anger. Marie turned around from her spot at the stove, a bright smile on her face and no apparent trace of an explosion of any sort in the area.

"Jenna, you're back! Have some of my pancakes, they're delicious, or so your parents tell me." She said, beaming like a morning...sunbeam. Jenna grimaced internally at herself for even thinking like that.

"Um..." What would Karst say, being the paranoid Proxian she was? Don't eat it, she'd say, it's probably poisoned with her noxious sweetness! You cannot let her win your over to their side! "I – I'm allergic to pancakes!" Brilliant, Jenna.

"Oh, really?" Lucky for her, this cousin of hers was about as gullible as Garet when he was completely sloshed. "That's too bad..." Marie said, with a frown that seemed to draw dark clouds over the sun.

"I'm not feeling hungry right now, anyways... Maybe next time?" Jenna smiled. She seemed to be faking a lot of those recently...

"Yes... Yes, maybe I can make you lunch!" Marie smiled, chasing away the dark clouds. Jenna turned around to face her parents seated at the table nearby, allowing her frustration to show on her face but keeping her eyes on the ground.

"I didn't know you were allergic to pancakes, Jenna," her father said, spearing a piece of a pancake on his fork and popping it into his mouth. Jenna stared at him, unsure as of how to respond. Thankfully, she didn't have to, as another explosion -- one outside -- cut anything coming out of her mouth off.

"Karst! That's a tree, you idiot!" Jenna screamed as she ran outside, grabbing a short sword placed awfully conveniently near the door as she did so. "That's not a... a..."

Karst held two fireballs in her hands, glaring up at some strange being floating in the sky. Jenna wanted to cry, seeing the girl's long, snow white hair and demure, red-eyed gaze, and majestic silver wings spread out behind her, blocking out the sun's light.

"Again?" Jenna asked weakly as she managed to stumble over to Karst, who hadn't broken her stare with the angelic being.

"Yeah. I'm guessing it's a true Luna Adept." She hissed, drawing her hands back and combining the two fireballs to form a large one.

Does she mean Pluto? Jenna thought to herself for a moment, before saying carefully, reaching for Karsts's arm, "Um, in all consideration, Karst, all of these new Adepts seem fairly powerful... Are you sure angering one would be a...good idea?"

"Shut up, Jenna. I'm sick of all these random Adepts popping up and – and – destroying my sister!" Jenna raised an eyebrow skeptically. "If I go down, at least it's for a good cause!"

"Karst!" Jenna cried, not liking where the situation could possibly lead. "If you go, I'll be by myself – "

Another woman's fierce battle cry cut through their bantering, and a sword's tip burst out the angelic girl's body – through her gut. Jenna winced as a spray of – what? – silver blood rained down to the grass, crystalizing it upon contact. The sword twisted once before slashing all the way through upwards. The angel burst into a million little shards of glass, and the feathers of her glorious wings rained down upon them.

"All these people... They're from my past. They're haunting me."

Jenna and Karst blinked. Karst's fireballs disappeared.

"But I don't want them to hurt the ones I care about..." Xanaeya (Jenna saw that coming, for some reason) said softly, walking up to them, her katana pointed at the ground as she held it limply in her right hand. She gave them a weak smile. "Especially not you, Jenna... My new friend."

Part of Jenna's mind panicked at hearing that, while the other was reduced to mush at the sweetness. But the first half slapped the second half, and Jenna looked calmly back at Xanaeya, who had fallen onto one knee. Karst glared down at the Saturn Adept.

"Er... Are you okay?" Jenna asked, bending down to the blonde's level.

"I'm fine... It's just... My katana is not made to take the life of that of one who forged it..." Xanaeya panted, one eye shut in pain as she held her side. Jenna's eyebrows raised. "I'll... I'll be fine..."

Jenna knew Karst was attempting to glare Xanaeya into the next world, but was failing miserably.

"Say..." Jenna said before Karst could call up a meteor or something similarly painful, "What do you say about us going in and having some coffee, and talk about... some... things?"

"Do you have tea?" Xanaeya asked, still wincing.

"Um... Yes..."

"That'll be fine, then," and she promptly collapsed. The two Mars Adepts stared at her body for a moment.

"Can I put poison in her tea?" Karst asked, a hopeful light in her eyes.

"No, Karst," Jenna sighed.

You need the girl in question to be alive to pull off the Plan, after all.

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END CHAPTER THREE

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(1) – Ever notice Sues seem to 'train themselves' when it's practically impossible? I've heard of Harry Potter Sues teaching themselves wandless magic... Is that even possible?

(2) – Jenna's right -- these Sues suddenly pop up and completely push another canon character out of the story and take their place. I made Marie into the type of Sue that everyone accepts and is capable of anything and everything except fighting. ;D

Some of you may be asking why poisoning Xanaeya wouldn't be easier, and I have two reasons: One, it'd cut the story a lot shorter, which is not my aim, and two, how do you know she isn't resistant to poison, like most Super Sues are:P Sues are vulnerable only to their Deep Dark Secret. It's the truth! ...Most of the time, anyways.

'nother Azu fact: I once named Jenna 'Marie' in the GS game by way of the naming cheat. Eheh.

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