Disclaimer: I still don't own Golden Sun.

A/N: Lord Destroyer, I mentioned in the story that they did not save Hsu. And they will return to Kalay after they go to Vale and Vault.

I surveyed the land in front of us. We'd decided to go home to Vale before stopping in Vault. It was time to stop for a brief lunch before heading...home.

I recalled my promise to Mother and grimaced. But I had to make sure she was all right! And Garet's family was sure to be worried, and Mia and Ivan were anxious to see our hometown...

I was just making excuses. I knew I was going back on my word, and it made me feel awful. The others didn't understand, didn't even know. Not even Garet knew of the promise I'd made to Mother.

I bit into some freshly killed and baked (thanks to Garet) wolf meat. But my attention was not on the food. I was lost in my own mind with visions of home.

Home, yes, but home without Jenna. Had they already crossed the sea, our only other option? Were they, just now, entering Venus or Jupiter or Mars Lighthouse? Lighting it?
But we had no choice, I reminded myself. The ship would not leave port for a few days. If only Saturos and Menardi had not blocked Silk Road! We would be in Tolbi or farther by now...

Yet I did still wish to visit home again before we traveled too far to reach it. For even after we saved Jenna-the thought pained me-for even after we saved her, we would need to stop them from lighting the remaing lighthouses.

How would we do that? We would be, indeed, lucky, to have that trouble, but what would we do if that happened? Return Jenna to Vale? But I knew she'd never agree to that. But if we took her with us, then she would possibly be captured again. No, I thought, I would not let that happen again.

It felt funny, but rescuing Jenna seemed to be the milestone. But now I realized that even if we did, that didn't solve all our problems.

And what of Felix? Would Jenna even leave without him, if he was truly one of them?

I felt a poke in my side and nearly jumped.

"Isaac, are you all right?" came Garet's worried sounding voice. I blinked.

"Um, yeah." I stammered.

"Is something bothering you?" Mia wanted to know.

I started to nod and then thought the better of it. "No," I lied. I hated not telling the truth to my friends, but they looked to me as a leader. "Nothing's wrong."
And a leader could not show his feelings. I envied them. I wondered if any of them had noticed how I tried to restrain from complaining in the desert, how I never revealed my worries anymore.

It was a terrible burden, and Kraden had laid it on me. I wished he hadn't. And then I thought back to the days before Sol Sanctum. They seemed a lifetime ago.

"Isaac, what do we do?" Jenna would ask.

"Hey, Isaac, what's the plan?" Garet would call.

I could even remember Felix saying, "So, Isaac, what are we doing today?"

I shook my head, clearing the memories away. Kraden had not been the one to lay it on me. Besides, Ivan and Mia had never even seen Kraden.

I felt myself being shaken and I looked up into Ivan's face. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine!" I snapped.

Ivan viewed me with unconvinced eyes. "Are you sure?"

I glared at him. "I'm sure!"

"Really, Isaac," Mia said softly.

"Really!" I snapped. I got up hastily to avoid more questioning. I grabbed my pack and with perhaps a bit more violence than was necessary flung it over my shoulder.

I could hear the other three quietly talking, most likely about me. I didn't care.

Part of my mind was protesting. You do care!

I ignored that part. I stomped on, but my walking became lighter as my thoughts drifted to peaceful memories of Vale...

"Hi, Isaac!" Jenna greeted cheerfully, walking out of her front door. It was a warm July day, exactly one year before the storm.

"Hi!" I replied, waving to Garet's sister Kay as she passed the two of us.

Jenna looked from left to right. "Where's Garet?"

I rolled my eyes. "Who knows? I was just about to look for him."

"I'll help," she offered.

"Okay," I agreed. We walked along the edge of the pool, and all of a sudden I had a great idea.

Grinning, I tried to shove Jenna in the water. She squealed in protest and pushed me in turn.

I almost lost my balance, but steadied myself with the Psynergy Stone. Jenna just grinned and tried to push me again.

But I moved backwards, out of her reach. For a moment she teetered, but finally she tipped into the water.

I laughed. She surfaced, spitting water out.

She reached out and grabbed my ankle. My laughs turned to protests as I fell over and rolled into the pool.

Jenna grinned. I glared, but I didn't really mean it. I dived under, meaning to grab her.

But she was faster and swam away, to the opposite side of the Psynergy Stone.

I made a face at her and swam towards her. Jenna was trapped.

She hopped out of the water and began dashing up the steps out of the Plaza.

Spitting water, soaking wet, I jumped out of the pool and began racing after her.

When we finally arrived at Garet's house, he opened the door to find us both soaking wet and breathless...

I paused from my rememberings and looked around. We were nearing Vale. Suddenly feeling as though I might be able to go back to that very day I had been remembering, I ran forward, trying to reach Vale as quickly as possible.

I dashed straight into Vale.

Heads turned at my dramatic entrance. The nearest people started shouting and calling, "There's Isaac!"

"Is your quest over?" a man shouted.

I held a finger to my mouth. Garet, Ivan, and Mia rushed in. "We're not done with our quest, and we want to surprise Garet's family and my mother!"
Everyone quieted down. "This is Ivan of Kalay, and this is Mia of Imil," I continued.

Garet grinned. "I can't wait to see everyone again! Mia, you can stay for dinner at my house. Ivan, you too. And of course, Isaac."

I smiled. "I'd like to check up on Mother, first, though."

Separating from the others, I silently walked up to my house, half-afraid of what I'd find.

I finally reached my home. The ladder still leaned against the house, and the holes were still there. That worried me.

I entered the house silently. I discovered Mother laying in bed, gray sags under her eyes.

I felt like my insides were being torn out. Gently, I checked her temperature with my hand. Her eyes opened.

"Who...who is it?" Mother wondered, coughing. "Is it time to eat?"
"It's me, Isaac." I answered gently.

Mother sat up excitedly. "Are you finally home?" she asked in a hopeful tone. "Have you completed your mission?"

I shook my head sadly. "No. I know I am going against my word, but I had to come check on you."

"Who told you I was ill?" she demanded. "The mayor? The innkeeper?"

"Nobody told me. I just wanted to check on you, that's all." I couldn't tell her the reason why I had to check on her. But first I lost my father, and then one of my best friends. What would I do if I lost my other parent?

"You can't get out of your promises just because you were worried about me," Mother said sternly.

I bit my lip. "Mother, are you sure you're all right? I could have Mia, one of my friends, help you."

Mother shook her head. "I..." she coughed violently. "I just caugh a cold. That's all."
"She's great with colds!" I insisted.

"But I'm fine now." Mother protested. She coughed again. "Look!"

She clambered out of bed, walked to the wall, and then turned. "I'm fine!"
I didn't believe it. "Really, Ply works wonders!"

"Don't worry about me," Mother insisted. "Go on. Do your best to complete your quest, all right?"
I nodded.

"Do you need supper?" she fretted. "The innkeeper-"
"It's okay," I interrupted her. "Garet invited us over for dinner."

Mother nodded. "Then go have fun. Goodness knows you need it. Goodbye."
"Goodbye." I replied, leaving.

Outside, I paused a moment before heading up to Garet's house. I found him inside. Kay and Mia were chatting excitedly about something, and the mayor was questioning Ivan. Garet himself was just sort of standing there, watching. I joined him.

"Hey," he responded when I stood next to him. "How was Dora?" Mother insisted on all my friends calling her by her first name.

"She's sick," I replied, my eyes downcast.

Garet looked worried. "How sick? Should we ask Mia to help?"
I shook my head. "I suggested it three times. Mother refused each time."

Garet sighed. "Oh, well. It'll be about an hour before dinner, and I don't know what to do."

Ivan joined us. "Maybe I could have a tour of Vale?" he suggested hopefully.

Mia walked over to us. "A tour? That sounds great."

Garet shrugged. "All right. Isaac, do you want to be the tour guide or shall I?"
I held back a laugh. "You."
He shrugged again. "All right. All aboard!"
"All aboard what?" wondered Mia, sounding confused.

The four of us started out the door.

"And this is the training stone and garden," Garet announced as we passed Kay's garden.

"The Sanctum," he announced. "Mt. Aleph and Sol Sanctum. The waterfall. The stairs. Kraden's house. The cave."
He paused. "Hey, Isaac, could we show them around the cave?"

"But there's a boulder in the way!" I protested.

"Use that lift-thing you got in Altin!"

I shrugged and dug the chip out of my pack. I concentrated on the boulder lifting...lifting...

Finally the boulder floated high enough for even tall Garet to walk beneath. And we entered...the cave.

I felt somehow guilty. I'd never gone into the cave without Jenna before. And I'd never brought anyone into the cave.

In the second room, I noticed something.

"A Jupiter Djinni!" I exclaimed.

Ivan looked up. He made a noise that sounded like a cross between a sigh and a groan.

"They do make you stronger," I reminded him.

"How do you get to it?" wondered Mia.

Garet shrugged. "Dunno. Not from this room, unless you want to swim. But I don't think I want to do that."
"We used to," I remembered.

Garet shuddered. "A small correction. You and Jenna used to. I didn't trust it."
"That's not true!" I protested. "You swam in it, too!"
"Before I caught a cold."
"Oh, right."
"Why don't we just back to the last room and try to get to the Djinni?" Mia broke in.

We reentered the last room. Six stumps floated in the water as they always had. But they were too far apart.

"I guess we have to go the swimming route," I decided, but Ivan stopped me.

"No," he said. "Reveal."

As he pronounced that word, I could feel my vision change. Suddenly I saw a hidden stump.

"Brilliant!" I complimented.

He grinned. "Let's go."
One by one, we hopped across the stumps. After that, we climbed the ladder.

I'd climbed that ladder a million times if I'd climbed it once, I thought as I scaled it.

Next, we moved things over to reach a treasure chest. I knew what the treasure was, for the chest had been empty the first time we dared to go that far. We'll filled it with a Druminat nut. I picked up the nut and glanced around the dead end. The Djinni was on the other side of the chasm.

Returning, I figured out the puzzle. I used Move twice and we headed on.

As I walked down the familiar passages, my thoughts turned to Jenna. Not like they ever left her, these days. But this time my thoughts weren't on the kidnapped fifteen-year-old of today. No, I was thinking of the Jenna at eight, the one with pigtails and an adventurous expression.

Finally we reached a treasure chest. It had been empty for as long as I could remember, but inside I found a small gem.

Ivan picked it up. "I assume it bestows some sort of Psynergy, right?"
I shrugged. "It wasn't in here before."

And then...the Djinni. It turned, looked at us, and hopped off the cliff. We slid down after it.

It seemed to be mumbling to itself. "What was that again where I could tell whether they're evil or good?" it mumbled.

I chased it and it ran, alwas around and around. I gave up, leaning against the wall.

"I've got an idea," Ivan reached into his pack and pulled out the gem. Immediately the Djinni froze.

The four of us approached it carefully.

Flint popped out. "Hey, hi, hello, how do you do, what'cha doing?" he squeaked.

The Djinni turned slowly. "Hello, I'm Kite. I was just about to fight those Adepts."
"Why?" Flint wanted to know.

"Why what?" Kite asked.

"Why were you going to fight them?" Flint demanded.
"Who?" the Djinni wondered.

"The Adepts!" Flint said, sounding exasperated.

"Oh, them, what about them?" Kite asked.

"Kite!" came a familiar, squeaky voice. Ivan made the groan-sigh noise again.

"Oh! Hello...Huff? No...Fluff? Gruff? Gus?" Kite guessed.

"Gust!" Gust answered. "Are you going to join these chivalrous knights on their quest to rescue the kidnapped princess and fight the dragons that are keeping her captive? For lo! they saved me from my eternal peril, the peril of imprisonment! Yea, they are brave and worthy knights and I am proud to be but their humble servant!"

Kite looked a little confused.

"Hey, are you a warrior Djinni?" Spritz wanted to know.

She shook her head. "No."
"A guardian Djinni?" Spritz questioned.

"No." Kite answered.

"Then you must be a healing Djinni, like me!" Spritz assumed.

"Well...wait, what am I again? Who are you?" Kite wondered.

"I'm Spritz," he answered. "And I was just asking what you are."
"Oh. I...I...I allow...I allow the person who commands me one minute where nobody but them moves." she remembered.

"A guard Djinni," Spritz decided.

"Kite!" came the voice of Breeze.

"Kite!" echoed Quartz.

"Kite!" Granite.

"Kite!" Smog.

"Kite!" Vine.

"Kite! Kite! Kite! Kite!" came the voices of the rest.

I shuddered when I saw the full horror of the sixteen Djinn (counting Kite) who now traveled with us.

Kite looked very confused. "Who are all of these people?"
Breeze fluttered over to her. "Oh, come on, don't tell me you don't recognize your own brother! You're as bad as a Venus Djinn!"
"Hey!" Flint protested in an annoyed tone.

"Brat?" Kite wondered. "Bronze? Brief?"
"You're close!" Breeze encouraged his sister. "Breeze."
"Oh! Right!" Kite blinked. "What was I saying?"

Breeze sighed. "Kite, why don't you go to your Adept?"

"Wait, how do you know my name?" she questioned.

Breeze sighed again. "This way."

They promptly disappeared. Ivan massaged his forehead as all the other Djinn set themselves.

"Five. Wow," Garet commented. "At least that really makes you stronger."

My stomach growled. "It must be about time for dinner," I figured. "Let's go."
And we headed off for dinner. Dinner in Vale. Yet as I stuffed myself, I thought about how Jenna ought to have been there.