OoC: Thank you all for supporting this story! I'm so glad you could enjoy my Golden Sun writing... ;3 Your reviews mean a lot to me. Here's the next installment, a oneshot about Felix and Sheba (as per Mr-Mikey's request). There are a few small creative liberties I've taken - I'm interested to see whether you like them (or hate them!). I hope you enjoy this!! And if you have a suggestion for the next story - is it time for Jenna and Isaac yet? - please let me know!

Felix smiled softly, a warmth radiating from his dark eyes. His smiles used to be rare; now it seemed the tall swordsman had finally found inner peace. He used to be distant, worry creeping into his blank expressions, cold fear and determination his only driving force; now the Venus adept looked as though an immense burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He could smile and laugh like a boy again. It was quite an amazing transformation, Jenna remarked inwardly as she waved good-bye, how much my brother had changed.

She had never really considered how much burden Felix had taken upon himself, but - there was lighting the lighthouses, defeating the monsters that ravaged Weyard, rescuing their parents, protecting her and Sheba... Jenna grinned at her short friend Sheba, waving extra big as the pair walked down the path away from Vale. She would miss them, as they went on their trek to Lalivero. It was only fair, though, for Sheba to return to the people who had raised her like their own. And Felix, ever kind and peaceful Felix, had so graciously offered to accompany her there, despite finally being reunited with his own parents.

Jenna sighed, turning to step back through the doorway to their house. "That's just the kind of guy he is, though," she grumbled with a sour face. "As long as he knows people are happy, he can leave them behind without a care." She frowned, but her expression softened. Their parents hadn't protested his journey at all. They acknowledged his new status as a warrior and an adult. And they had exchanged such happy, knowing glances when they saw how precious Sheba was to him... Perhaps... it made her a little jealous. Jenna smiled sadly, shaking away her unhappy thoughts. It was just a part of growing up. After all, they had all gone their separate ways, hadn't they? She hadn't seen Mia, Ivan, or Piers for a long time now. Isaac and Garet were the only others living in Vale. And she had come to accept that, because they were precious to her.

"I guess this is meant to be... Take care of my best friend, Brother. You'd better keep her happy... okay?! And... come visit soon..."

"Ah, it feels so good to be on the road again!"

Sheba exclaimed happily, bright violet eyes reflecting the afternoon sunlight. She smiled cheekily at her companion, the taciturn adept Felix. He stood head-and-shoulders above her, his tattered green traveling cloak fluttering in the pleasant breeze. His dark shaggy hair was drawn back into a small horsetail, and there was a sword hanging at his waist, for any kind of protection necessary. His natural powers should be more than enough to defend himself and his friend from any kind of threat, but - it was the gesture, that he was prepared no matter what. It made him feel much safer. And of course, Sheba felt safer with Felix than with anyone else, even out of their old party.

"It's a beautiful day," he remarked softly, offering her a smile in return. His low, husky voice was unused to much speaking, but he was always willing to answer anything Sheba brought up. The blond girl felt a slight blush rising in her cheeks, and whirled away, marching enthusiastically up the path.

"Th-thank you for coming along with me, Felix," she called over her shoulder, genuine gratitude in her clear voice. "I... I wouldn't have the courage to make a journey like this without you. N-not that I couldn't handle it! I mean, the land is safe now, without monsters, and - my Psynergy is powerful enough for any brigand! I just... I'm nervous," she trailed off, biting her lip.

Her conversations always sounded one-sided to any eavesdropper, but the two had a relationship based on more than just words. Felix always attentively listened to whatever Sheba had to say. He liked hearing her voice, high and sweet like a bird's. And he would nod when appropriate, and sometimes offer simple advice to guide her. She liked to talk to him for this reason. She, the oddball, the girl who had fallen from the sky, always felt comfortable around this man.

"Nervous about Faran?" Felix prompted gently, boots making small clouds of dust where they trod upon the dirt path. His dark eyes were always watchful, sweeping the fields around them for any signs of danger. He would let no harm come to those he cared about. But of course, there was nothing dangerous here. There probably wasn't anything in Weyard that could pose a threat to them. Still, he shaded his gaze with a gloved hand, peering down the path ahead of them, just to be sure.

Sheba repositioned the food pack she'd insisted on shouldering. She looked a little uncomfortable, and not just from its weight.

"Well... Yes, of course! Faran has always been like a father to me... I mean - weren't you nervous about seeing your parents again? Did you... Did you ever wonder if they still cared about you, after all that time had gone by?"

Felix regarded her calmly, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, maybe you didn't, but - they're your real parents! They created you, gave birth to you... Faran adopted me. The whole town took care of me and worshiped me as a child of the gods. Once they figured out I'm not that special, well... Won't they hate me for wasting their time? And... I mean, Faran already gave me up to Babi for the sake of the lighthouse's construction..." Sheba mused aloud, brows furrowed with concentration.

"That was how we met," Felix reminded her softly. Sheba blushed as she recalled it - her long, lonely days locked in the tower, hating herself for being so helpless. A group of strange people with powers like hers had visited - it was Ivan, if memory served her well, that tried to read her mind. Shortly after they left, Saturos and Menardi arrived in their wake. They had scared her jailor into fleeing, and bullied her into joining their party.

Actually, though, it didn't take much convincing for her to accept the kidnapping. The Proxians were frightening, to be sure, but they promised her more freedoms than Iodem and Babi allowed. And they also promised to let her go once they'd gained access to the lighthouse. There were three other adepts with them that had much friendlier auras about them, who did not disagree with the statements Saturos and Menardi were weaving. So she had risen from the bed she'd been languishing on, and defiantly nodded, agreeing to their offer. The one who had taken her hand and smiled to welcome her to their quest, though, was the tall silent Venus adept... Felix...

"I know, and I'm so glad things turned out the way they did," she quickly admitted. "Without that, I would never have gone anywhere in my whole life, probably! And all the amazing places we've been, the things we've seen, and the great things we've accomplished. I can't believe everything worked out so wonderfully. I just... hope Faran wasn't too worried about me."

Felix watched as Sheba trailed off, fiddling with the straps on her pack.She intended to stay, he quietly realized. She was going to live in Lalivero. Her guilt over leaving her people is so great that she intends to repent for having traveled by holing herself up in their town and never leaving again... No wonder she's nervous about returning. This is... her last chance to see the world.

They walked along the path in silence for quite some time, marveling inwardly at the trilling birds in the trees, the colourful flowers dotting the fields, the tranquility of nature as they left the secluded valley behind them. After the fifth time Sheba readjusted the leather straps of the heavy pack, Felix lifted it from her shoulders, hoisting it effortlessly onto his own back.

"Hey, that was my job!" she exclaimed indignantly, bristling at him. That fierce expression on such a small person reminded Felix of how sparrows puff up their feathers when threatened... He covered his mouth with a hand, stifling a chuckle.

"Hey, are you laughing at me?! Felix! Hey! Give me back the bag! Felix - eeyahh!"

His gloved hands caught her gracefully by the knees and back, scooping her up into his arms. He grinned down at her, clearly teasing her, as he not only carried the sword, the food, but Sheba, too.

"You're so little," he remarked quietly, rewarded by how red her face flushed.

"I am not!!" She cried, struggling to extricate herself from his gentle grip. She soon gave up, though, as she realized they had reached a river's edge. She'd rather not get wet, if it could be helped. So she jutted her lower lip at him, too proud to admit that she didn't mind, and pretended to sulk in his arms.

"The last time you held me like this, we were half-drowned in the ocean, after falling off the lighthouse," she muttered, watching as the water streamed below them. Felix's agile movements carried him across the jutting rocks and half-submerged logs, keeping his boots dry.

"I was so scared that day," she added in a whisper, shivering. "Or rather... I was when I was falling, but... You came after me. I thought I was dreaming, I thought once I slipped out of your hands that I'd never see you again. You were always so kind to me, but... You dove after me, and kept my head above water, so that I didn't drown. In the end, we both passed out, but... you saved my life..."

Felix smiled mysteriously, landing safely on the far side of the riverbank. He began to let her down, so that she could walk again, but Sheba made no effort to move from his arms, so he hugged her small form back to his chest again. It was nice to carry her. With his arms around her, nothing else could touch her. She would be protected.

"Felix, why did you do it?"

Sheba asked suddenly, her violet eyes sharp to match her voice. She sounded angry, frustrated even.

Felix's steps faltered for a moment. Wasn't she happy about that memory...? Could it be... something painful to her? His face went blank, eyes shadowed. Had he been in the wrong that day?

"Why would you throw your life away for someone you hardly knew? You were always extra nice to me, even when your sister was there! I could never understand it. You never stopped, either! I mean... Air's Rock..."

Sheba's voice trailed off again, softly biting her lip as the recollection resurfaced. After seeing the beautiful moonlit village of Garoh, Felix had led the party up the harsh mountain Air's Rock. It was the hardest task they had ever attempted up until that point. The climb was grueling, the peak was riddled with ancient traps and puzzles, and they had to constantly defend themselves from monsters while descending down the many floors to the center.

When they finally reached the shrine at the heart of the temple, where the tablet was inscribed, 'Wielder of Wind's might... Lay your hands upon this stone... We bestow upon thee the power to see the truth unclouded...' She had been so frightened of it. This ancient power, humming all around her, she hesitated... But Felix had given her that kind smile, a reassuring squeeze on her wrist, and so she had swallowed her fear and placed her hands onto the tablet. She had learned how to Reveal illusions, and it had greatly assisted them in their journey. But all the same, she could not forget how he had looked at her, so calmly and encouragingly. She saw his face every time she used that Psynergy.

"In battle, you would protect me, too - like when we fought Agatio and Karst! And every time I was afraid of something - like when Saturos and Menardi would threaten me, or when I was falling into the sea, or in Air's Rock, you were always the one who made me feel safe again! When... When we never found out where I came from, you... You reassured me. You held me on the ship that day after everyone walked off, as we sailed away from the Jupiter lighthouse, and told me it wasn't the past that mattered. It was the future. You've always been there for me, Felix... Why?"

Sheba slipped down from his arms, standing on her own two feet again. Her arms were crossed defensively over her chest, an angry flush in her cheeks, shaggy blond hair shading her intense violet eyes.

"You can't stay with me forever, you know! You belong in Vale with your sister, your mom and dad! I belong in Lalivero! That's just how it is, and it would be easier for you if you left now, so that you didn't have to say good-bye -"

Sheba's voice caught in her throat, and she stubbornly turned her head to one side, refusing even then to show weakness to the man she cared so much about. If he could be so strong for her, then she should be just as strong for him. If family meant so much to him, then he could take care of his, and she would return to the closest thing she could call hers -

"Sheba," came his soft reply. She couldn't meet his eyes, so she glared furiously at the grass beneath her boots. His voice sounded so... sad.

"Sheba... you can read minds. If it bothered you so much, to know what I was thinking, you could have found out on your own..."

There was a twist of irony in his quiet tone that made her think he was smiling. He was always smiling for her. No one else. Always her. Why? She... liked to think that he thought she was special... The Laliverans were always kind to her, always treated her with respect and adoration, but their affections seemed hollow compared to the smile Felix had for her. But she wasn't special. She didn't have parents, she wasn't as pretty as Jenna, or as brave as any of the others, even though she pretended she was. So why hadn't she read Felix's mind? She was afraid... Afraid to find out what he really thought of her...

Was it pity? Was it that she reminded him of his sister in some way? Was it because she was so much younger than everyone, that she was like a pet? She didn't want to know... The truth would hurt too much.

"Sheba... you're wrong. I will be with you forever, because... I can't leave your side. If you choose to stay, then I stay. If you want to visit back and forth between Vale and Lalivero, then I shall always accompany you. If you choose to wander all of Weyard, I go with you."

Sheba swallowed hard, realizing not only how powerful his words were on their own - she would never be alone? - but the fact that he was speaking so much had its own enormous significance. Felix never spoke any more that he absolutely had to. It was just how he was. So to deliver such a speech, solely for her benefit... Tears were welling up in her sharp violet eyes, but she mustn't let him see, it would make him lose all faith in her -

"You ask 'why'? I protect you... I follow you... I fight your fears... because... you are the most precious person in my world. I will be with you forever because I cannot imagine being without you. Even seeing your pale face in that dark tower for the first time, you being so defiant and scared and lonely, I knew... I knew it from the start. I didn't hesitate to plunge off the lighthouse after you, because I couldn't be without you. I'd rather drown alongside you. But I'm glad we lived. Because now..."

Sheba blinked in surprise as her hot tears traced down her cheeks. She felt the soft, cool leather brush against her chin as Felix's gloved fingers cupped her face, tilting it upwards towards the sun. His dark, shaggy hair fell into her damp face as he leaned over her, softly pressing his lips against hers in a gentle first kiss.

"Because now the past doesn't matter. Because we have our whole lives ahead of us. Because we have our future... together. I'm here for you, Sheba... Because I love you. I've always loved you."

Her startled violet eyes met his dark gaze as he whispered his final reply, and as always, her sharp fear melted into calm happiness. Her pale cheeks were blushing furiously - was that really her first kiss? The birds in the trees scattered into the skies as her flustered mind conjured up a miniature tornado behind them, whirling about like her emotions. But - but she was only fourteen! He - so mature, so cool, her crush - he had kissed her!

There was a faint pinkness in Felix's face, too - he had been bold, but he did not regret it. He had always felt this way about her. He would always be with her. But it would be nice to be on the same level as her... Not to carry her all the time, but to walk beside her, as her equal, as her love...

"I, I, I l-love you t-too, Felix," Sheba stammered, her blush even darker than Jenna's had been that day in Madra, when Sheba teased her about liking Isaac. I guess this is her revenge, making her brother kiss me, was the first disjointed thought that popped into her head. She shook it away, continuing.

"I... I r-really do... Felix. Thank you for always being there for me... I want you to be with me forever! Please, don't let me be afraid of anything... Keep me safe... like you always have..."

She slowly encircled her arms around his waist, pulling him into an awkward hug as she buried her face against his chest. Felix said nothing. But he wrapped his arms tenderly about her thin frame, hugging her back. And as he raised his face to the skies, and the warm sunlight illuminated his noble face, his lips curved slowly into a sweet, gentle smile.