Disclaimer: I, the author of this fan fiction, am not, in any way, shape, or form, trying to take credit for the creation or current ownership of any of the GOLDEN SUN games. If I am, may I be set upon by bloodthirsty weasels and struck by lightning multiple times.

Chapter 12: Finally a True Night's Rest

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After a long trip by night, the party managed to get to Vault before sunup. Vault was sort of a 'home away from home', both when Vale was being rebuilt and the long weeks when they tried to stop Saturos and Menardi from lighting all the lighthouses – and then wound up lighting them. Even heroes needed to have some fun. Isaac, Garet, and Ivan in particular where the most recognized by the populace in Vault. Heroes also needed to sleep.

The innkeeper, who was named Rupert, woke up at the incessantly ringing bell that alerted him that customers needed something. His wife, who will be called Florence, in a half-asleep drawl, said "Just leave it alone honey…"

Gold was gold, either way, thought Rupert as he pulled a dressing gown over his pajamas. With a monstrous yawn, he opened the door and crept down the stairs. There was a brief sulfuric odor and a flash of light as he lit a lamp with a match.

The bar and parlor was the normal mess, as it was every night after the quaffing and fighting. Rupert had learned to let these things take their course, because it was considered good adventurer etiquette to gulp down a 98 proof adult beverage and smash the bottle upon the head of the nearest bystander. If you could also get your other flailing hand to strike another bar patron at the same time, you got bonus points.

It was just then that he noticed the young man standing patiently behind the counter.

Mitch was such a good hider that being hidden had become his natural state. Not hiding was harder. In a dark room, he had to clear his throat or wave a hand, lest the observer's mind fitted him into the background.

Rupert coughed and Mitch looked around.

"What do you want ranger?" Rupert asked irritably.

"I'm here to get some rooms," Mitch replied sharply, not impressed by the man's mannerisms.

"Rooms?" Rupert asked as he got behind the counter and opened the huge book that innkeepers always have. Inside the front cover was a badly made floor plan of the inn. Some of the rooms had names scribbled in with pencil, barely readable with the backdrop of long erased and totally incomprehensible squiggles, "Why rooms?"

Mitch gestured behind him. Rupert noticed the rest of the group, in various states of consciousness, standing (or in some cases, leaning, sitting, or being carried) behind the ranger.

Rupert jumped as a brown blob in the crook in Mitch's elbow that he had hitherto thought was some kind of plume let out a soft snore. The blob turned out to be hair, and the hair was attached to Jenna, who had slipped and sprained her ankle earlier. She had hotly refused to be healed, for some reason unknown to Mitch but seemingly obvious to the rest of the group. Her boot raised and sank rhythmically with her snores while it rested on her abdomen and her right ankle was expertly bandaged and hanging off Mitch's arm opposite to her head. One of her arms was draped around his neck and the other hung totally limp, pointing to the ground.

"Rooms please?" Mitch asked wearily. Rupert snapped back to reality and scanned the paper in the front cover.

"We have two rooms available," Rupert replied, "Err…A double and a big suite…"

"We'll take them," Mitch said as Jenna snored again, "How much?"

Robert got the glint in his eye that all innkeepers got when a group of adventurers stopped in town. "Well, since you're adventurers…I give 'em to you for…a hundred gold…"

Mitch frowned.

"A hundred? That's kind of steep. Ten."

"Ten!" Robert yelped, "Ten for a night? Seventy-five."

"There's not much night left friend. Twenty."

"I can't take any less than sixty."

"Twenty-five."

Robert scowled, but he was defeated, "Make it thirty and no charge for breakfast for you or your friends."

"Done."

Mitch handed over the money and Robert grabbed the last two keys from a little board with pegs in it.

"We've got two rooms," Mitch said as he stepped back to the group, "One big and a double." It was actually an amusing sight.

Isaac's eyes where bloodshot with fatigue and he yawned hugely. He had an arm around Mia, who was being mostly held up by Isaac and her ocean blue hair stuck out in odd places at odd angles. Jenna was, as mentioned before, sleeping in Mitch's arms while Sheba was being supported by Ivan, who barely had enough energy to stand up on his own, so they basically where leaning on each other. Kraden had long ago flown off on his machine and was probably at home, sleeping soundly. The caravan had quartered somewhere outside the town, and Mitch really had no idea why everyone decided to go to the inn. Garet, oddly enough, seemed like the only one who was moderately awake. He nodded and took the key to the big room.

"We'll take the big room," Garet said, "It'll be just like when we where on our adventure…"

"What?"

Garet chuckled, "Ever tried to comfortably fit nine people in one room? I'm surprised that we ever got any sleep!"

Mitch chuckled as well, "Well, what do I do?"

"You've got a room, right? Take Jenna up there too."

Emotions flittered across Mitch's face. First was surprise, and then, after he had a second to think about it, he smiled, frowned, smiled, scowled, and he settled on a look of acute terror.

"Isn't one going to be a 'Girl' room and another 'Boy' room?"

Garet looked at him skeptically. "That's our usual custom, but c'mon Mitch, it's one o' clock in the morning! We'll sort it out later. Besides, I'm sure Jenna won't mind."

With those words hanging in the air all big and pink, Garet leaded the parade upstairs and out of sight around the corner.

Mitch thought hard for a moment, and then gave up. With a hopeless shrug he looked at the key and then to his right. Above the solid oak door was a plate of engraved copper that said 'D1'. He shifted Jenna around a bit so that he could just barely operate a doorknob and opened the door with a well-oiled silence.

He laid out Jenna's limp form on one of the double beds and smoothed the blankets around her, taking care not to touch her ankle. This set him thinking about how it happened…

Flashback

Jenna strode foreword confidently, swinging her right hand in a wide arc, which resulted in Mitch's hand following the trajectory. He was holding her hand not totally out of affection, but rather of worry that if he didn't at this point in time, Jenna would assume more desperate measures, i.e. sneaking up on him while he's sleeping and handcuffing them together.

"Y'know Mitch," Jenna said, turning her head to beam at him, "I think we're becoming very good friends." Her smile drilled through Mitch's eyes and turned his heart into a pile of mush.

"Y…yeah," was all he could manage.

"In fact," Jenna continued, "I think we could even be…ARRGH!"

Jenna was unwilling to let go of Mitch's hand and Mitch was even more so desperate to not have his arm torn off. This resulted in a sort of slingshot like effect which left Mitch slightly dazed and Jenna on the ground, whining in what sounded like sharp pain. Mitch, after shaking his head a few times, pulled himself together and rushed to Jenna's side.

"Ohhh…" Jenna moaned, "My ankle…Oww…"

"Let me see it," Mitch said kindly as Jenna threw her head back. It would have looked halfway real if Jenna hadn't been peeking playfully through her fingers while she complained.

Mitch sat up, a puzzled expression on his face.

"Err…It looks fine,"

"No! OW!" Jenna yelped, "It'll get worse! I don't think that I can walk…"

Mitch looked even more confused.

"Really? I mean it looks fine,"

Jenna moaned again, causing Mitch to gesture to Mia.

"Uh,'" he began helplessly, "Could you see if there's anything…"
"Alright," Mia said, oozing helpfulness. She knelt down and looked at Jenna in a funny way. Jenna waited until Mitch was looking away before winking and nodding.

"Bad news Mitch," Mia said, suppressing a laugh, "It looks like Jenna has badly sprained her ankle."

Mitch's eyes widened. "Are you sure?" he asked, "It's only a little red! Is she really hurt badly!"

"Oh yes." Mia said, looking at him with her best poker face, which was a pathetic one at best, but Mitch was too drunk on worry to notice, "She might have even broken it!" Mia added, gesturing widely.

"Broken it!" Mitch yelped.

"A little…" Jenna whispered with a feigned wince as Mia wrapped clean white cloth around the 'injury'. Mitch had knelt by her and was gently wiping her forehead. This was cruel, she knew, but it was so much fun that she simply couldn't help herself.

"Is everyone set to go?" Isaac asked as Mia finished.

"Maybe I can walk," Jenna said as pathetic as possible, "If someone can help me…It just… Sob hurts…" To emphasize, she closed her eyes, rested her head against Mitch's leg, and looked up at him. She looked into his eyes, at her reflection, and finally, plunged deeper…

Anguish and pain cascaded forth from the deep chocolate pools that where Jenna's eyes, intensified and strengthened by the tears that Jenna did not bother to blink away. Jenna watched her magic take hold of Mitch's soul and put through the metaphorical wringer. She knew it wouldn't last forever, but she could wrap it gently around her, joining it with hers, taking them both to a utopia where nothing existed but one another, a place where she could openly observe his heart.

It was scarred. Scarred in a place where none may see, and much less heal. Even now, with everything silenced, with all threats safely sealed away, he hid it, locked it away beyond doors of unbreakable metals, held fast by locks of unpickable complexity. It was a subtle thing, she had to look close to see it, and she had almost missed it. She wondered why he protected it so fanatically, why it was worth guarding. She prodded it, trying to find a way in. The curiosity was killing her. He did not resist, but he did not simply allow her in either.

She encouraged him. She allowed him into her heart, inviting him with open arms, so that he might find that she had nothing but the best intentions for him. He was still reluctant. He did not trust her enough yet.

The magic was starting to fade. She was pushed away, but gently, almost like he was trying to…protect her…

Jenna blinked and shook her head.

"You guys alright?" Mia asked, looking at Jenna and then at Mitch, who was wearing a glazed expression, "You look like you blanked out there for a second."

Their gazes where still locked together, but now it looked like they were both back in their own heads.

"You really do have beautiful eyes," Mitch said. Jenna blinked a few times.

Mia rolled her eyes and sighed. When she was done with her treatment, she stood up and watched the couple with a scornful eye. Jenna was wearing a huge, lopsided grin as Mitch bodily picked her up.

"Hey? What's the hold up?" Isaac asked as Mia headed on. Mitch followed wordlessly and occasionally would listen to whatever Jenna was whispering into his ear.

"Nothing sweetie," Mia replied, planting a quick kiss on Isaac, "They're just having another one of their moments,"

End Flashback

Jenna started to wake up, and she groaned softly as she fidgeted around a bit. When she opened her eyes, Jenna could see only darkness. She opened her eyes and closed them a few times, which was no improvement.

"Hello?" she tried. Something rustled. Jenna's hand automatically went to her dagger, which was hidden in a sheath on her left thigh. With her hand resting on the weapon, she groped through the darkness until she found a candle. It flared to life when she blew on it.

Whatever had rustled did so again, and it occurred that this time Mitch might not be able to bail her out of this one. She slipped the dagger out of its sheath and held the candle at arm's length in front of her. She felt something soft. She prodded it with her knife.

"Wflzl." It said before swiveling around. Mitch's face popped out of the covers. He wasn't very happy. He'd just gotten to sleep.

"Wha?"

"Mitch?"

Neurons fired erratically in Mitch's brain. He was suffering from late-night-irritation syndrome which brought with it the dexterity of wet paper and the intellect of a duck. This is normal for married men, as their wives usually 'hear something' downstairs and refuse to let you sleep even though you know it's just the damn water heater. His brow screwed up as he riffled through his memory.

"'shenna?" he slurred, trying to get to speed.

"Where are we?"
Again the grimace of late-night thought.

"'er at the inninninn," he said, slamming his eyes shut, "Itsh shafe…kay?" He stretched over to pat her hand comfortingly and missed by six inches.

Jenna put her head on one side.

"You sure you're alright honey?"

Scowl. Frown.

"'m tired,"

"Tired?"

"Yesh…Shleepie now 'shenna kay?" he bubbled before pulling the covers back over his head.

"It's safe right?" Jenna asked just as a wife would say, "You're absolutely sure the air conditioner goes clonk like that?"

"Yesh 'shenna," came Mitch's voice from the covers.

Jenna frowned at the darkness. She couldn't see anything wrong. From what she could see, it looked exactly like regular inn room.

"Well…alright…" she resigned, laying back down and shedding most of her clothing and replacing it with her favorite pink and red nightgown, which was now much redder than it used to be following her questioning after the first attempt on her life.

As she slid into sleep, she had a terrible urge to try and convince Mitch to don her bathrobe and slippers and investigate downstairs with a baseball bat.

She had no idea why.

Donutmaster: I was attacked by poetry. Please don't ask.

Jenna: I liked it!

Mitch: (Shrugs)

Garet: Ickie!

(Sound of shovel being smashed into someone's head)

Garet: Ouch!

Jenna: And this is for not updating.

(Sound of someone being hit by an oar)

Donutmaster: Ouch!