I do not own Golden Sun. It belongs to Camelot, Nintendo, and its other respective owners. This story focuses on a gay pairing and includes minor straight pairings, so don't read if you don't want to. It's also rated M because of some later chapters I have in mind, so don't read if you're not supposed to.

~o~o~o~

The Commitment

"So the entire town is scared to death of this curse turning men into trees?" Isaac asked, eyes wide. The three now had mugs before them. Isaac had skipped the alcohol, never really liking the stuff, but the other two had indulged themselves a bit. Although from what they were explaining, he could understand why the other two were a bit shaken.

"Yes," Garet answered, the worry in his voice apparent. "Everyone was more worried about what's going on to the east in Kolima than about Saturos and his company."

"I basically had the same results," Ivan added, his voice shaking slightly as well. "Some people deny that it's happening, but it's only outwardly. In truth, everyone's scared, and they're all worried that what happened in Kolima will happen here."

"Great…" Isaac said, putting his face in his hands, trying to think of what to do.

"Did you find out anything?" Ivan asked.

"Well, I asked around while at the shops and here at the inn. I honestly have barely heard a word about that. I can see why they avoided the subject, though…they must be trying to avoid scaring away their business. I did find out about Saturos, though," Isaac explained.

"Okay, out with it!" Garet exclaimed, suddenly all business. Isaac had noticed that he seemed to get very serious any time when Saturos and his band were mentioned. He wondered if it had something to do with Jenna…Isaac had heard rumors, but hadn't given them any credence until now.

Perhaps they were together, he thought. I wish I could say the same thing about myself and Ivan…

"They gathered some supplies at the same shop I visited, rested here for a night, then travelled north," Isaac stated, trying not to get caught up in his thoughts. "Apparently there's a town called 'Imil' up north, and that was where they were headed. I've also heard mention of a lighthouse, which is where Saturos and his group are suppose to be travelling to. Then I asked the innkeeper, and he confirmed that the group did travel north."

Ivan and Garet were quiet for a bit, trying to process what Isaac had said. Finally Garet asked, "So when do we leave?"

"Not for a while," came Isaac's response. "According to the innkeeper, the mountains up north are still snowed in at this time of year. There's only one cave that leads through the mountains to Imil and the lighthouse, and it's suppose to be covered in snow and inaccessible for another week at least."

"So we can catch them before we get to the lighthouse!" Garet said, excited. "Why would we wait?"

"Just…a feeling. I don't know; it's hard to explain, but I just don't think it'd be wise to follow them just yet," Isaac explained slowly. "…and there's something else…"

"This curse?" Ivan asked.

Isaac only nodded.

Garet furrowed his brow. "I understand your concern, Isaac…but doesn't our mission come before anything else?" He lowered his voice, looking around. "I mean, we're talking about the potential destruction of the world, here. Not just the fate of one village."

Privately, Isaac was wondering whether Garet had more personal reasons to put their mission before anything else, but he didn't want to accuse his friend of something like that, especially when he was far from sure of the situation.

"Garet, I don't know…" Isaac answered. "It just…doesn't seem right. Just writing off Kolima, and perhaps even Bilibin as well. If we're supposed to be on a quest to save the world, shouldn't we try to do what we can to help everyone? Especially in these dangerous times."

Garet sat back in his chair, considering what Isaac had said.

"And besides, most of these troubles seem to stem back to the Psynergy crystals that erupted when Mt. Aleph erupted," Ivan added. "The monsters didn't show up until then, and most of the troubles in Vault and here started around that same time. I think that eruption had many consequences that we aren't even aware of yet."

"So just like we're suppose to fix our mistake by retrieving the elemental stars, we should be trying to help out the people that are suffering due to the eruption?" Garet asked, seemingly more to himself than the other two. "Put that way, I don't see how we cannot help. But let's wait until tomorrow, and discuss this with Lord McCoy. From what I've heard, there's a barrier to the east, and you need Lord McCoy's permission to get through it."

"Okay; it's decided," Isaac said. "Since Saturos can't continue on through the Bilibin Cave right now, we might as well try to do what we can to help Bilibin and Kolima. Once that's taken care of or the time gets nearer to when the pass clears, we'll set off north to stop them at the lighthouse."

"Yes, that seems to be the best route of action for now," Ivan agreed.

"And we'll do the same in the future, right? This is a commitment. We can't ignore those in need when we have powers that aren't exactly common," Isaac stated.

"Yes," Ivan confirmed without hesitation.

Garet nodded, then stretched and yawned, "Well, now that that's decided, I'm going to bed. Good night." He grabbed his key off the table where Isaac had put it, and left without another word.

Isaac and Ivan sat at the table for a few seconds, both embroiled in what this decision meant for their little company.

"I think it's good that you're not forgetting the rest of the world while on this journey," Ivan suddenly said. "It's brave to take on more responsibility than you were initially given, especially considering what we're up against." The remark caught Isaac off-guard. Ivan had never said anything so nice to him.

"Thanks. That means a lot to me," Isaac answered, then added without thinking, "Especially when it's coming from you." As soon as the words left his mouth, he wanted to call them back. He looked up at Ivan, wondering what his response would be.

"Isaac…you're, um…too kind…" Ivan said, breaking eye contact to look down at his mug. In that response, the earth adept heard something…He didn't know what it was, but there was something there…something powerful.

"There's…something I've…" Isaac said, struggling to get the words out. "Well, there's-something-I've-wanted-to-talk-to-you-about," he finally said, speaking so quickly that he doubted that Ivan could have understood what he meant.

"Very well," Ivan responded, his voice hiding all emotion now. He still wasn't making eye contact. "There's something I've needed to say to you as well… Let's go outside, though." He then turned away and walked out the door without a backwards glance.

Isaac quickly got to his feet, thinking enough to leave coins on the table for the drinks, and chased after his crush, his heart brimming with hope…and worry.

As Isaac stepped out into the cool night air, he barely caught sight of Ivan's tunic disappearing behind a house at the end of the lane. The earth adept practically threw himself after the wind adept, trying to keep up.

For several minutes, Isaac followed his blond-haired crush, wondering what Ivan was thinking with this chase, but unwilling to stop following. Somehow he never caught up enough to see any more than just a flash of Ivan before he disappeared around the next corner.

Isaac soon found himself near the edge of town, at the base of a stairway leading up to the wall around the town, right where it met with a cliff that provided the rest of the town's protection. He quickly jogged up the staircase, looking up at the top where Ivan had disappeared.

When he reached the top, he found himself confronted with the most wondrous sight he had ever seen.

The moon was full and more beautiful than Isaac had ever seen it. Shining like a gorgeous diamond, it bathed the entire scene in an unearthly light. In the moonlight, the whole world seemed to be caste in silver. The forest in the distance looked like an intricate sculpture inlaid with jade. The river seemed to flow with quicksilver. The grass was an intricate painting of green, silver, and ebony. The stars shone like thousands of minute diamonds, amazing, despite being outshone by the moon. Otherwise the sky was the deepest, purest black ever seen, but still beautiful, not dark or evil. The mountains uniting the earth with the heavens seemed to have been crafted by greatest artisans the world had ever seen, with a deep mixture of purples, greens, and browns, with the tips white as the purest pearl.

The world Isaac saw was perfect, yet to him, it all seemed drab compared to the true source of the world's beauty.

That source was leaning against a pillar on the wall. His arms were folded and his head tilted slightly to the side, his stance casual. Yet at the same time, he exuded confidence more than Isaac had ever seen. The purples and greens of his robes seemed to be made of the same wondrous colors as the rest of the scene. Ivan's hair was the only thing in the entire world that was gold, rather than silver, and it seemed even brighter and more beautiful than the moon and all the stars combined. He wore an almost sheepish half-smile, but it seemed to convey happiness greater than the broadest grin. His brilliant purples eyes also spoke of the happiness that seemed to be radiating from the young wind adept.

"Isaac," Ivan said, his voice filled with a chorus of angels, the perfect musical accompaniment to the scene that surrounded him. "You said there was something you wanted to tell me, but there's something I need to tell you, first…"

"Very well," Isaac said, struggling to seem as casual as Ivan was. "You first then."

~o~o~o~

Hey, I had to leave you with a real cliffhanger at some point, right? And it's not like everyone doesn't know exactly what's about to happen anyway. The reason for the absurdly quick update was because I was really looking forward to writing both this chapter and the next, and I've had a lot more time the last few days to work on this. Read, review, and enjoy. The next update should be up very soon, so keep an eye out for it.