So I'm going to be kind of evil and let you know how things have been going. With my finals coming up on Dec. 6 and 7 I'm probably gonna be pretty swamped with studying. Also, I've been finishing a chapter ahead of what I've been posting since the end of chapter two…which pretty much means I'm holding back from letting you guys see each chapter as soon as it's finished. Don't kill me :). I think this is a better format anyways; I can post a chapter when the next one is finished, giving me an adequate amount of time to edit the last one, and giving you guys enough time to get up to speed without shoving a whole bunch of crappy unedited chapters in your face.

Thanks to AnriMia24 and Mr0cheese for reviewing. Honestly, I can't say for sure how long this fic is going to be, but these are still the beginning stages. Hopefully you like reading long ish fics :P. Mr0cheese, since you are a mudshipper, I'd assume you've already read it, but check out The Angel and the Slayer by Auteur87. It's pretty much the most well known Golden Sun fic out there, but if you haven't read it then you're in for a treat .

Disclaimer: Still don't own Golden Sun

Confusion

It was nearly five months before Isaac received his letter from Mia; he couldn't suppress his feelings of joy when the postman came with a letter designated to him. In truth, he hadn't been doing much since their friends had departed. Even after Garet had spoken to her, it took almost two months for Jenna to finally allow him to apologize for what happened that day, and even now they weren't as close as before the incident; so this was a rare moment that he had looked forward to since that day. He knew it was from Mia as soon as he saw the handwriting on the front. 'Isaac, New Vale' it said in very neat curvature. Dropping the other mail on the kitchen table for his parents to see, he bounded up the stairs leading to his room where he could privately read the contents of the letter from his dear friend. Impatient but careful, he opened the envelope so not to accidentally tear the contents within. He took a seat at his desk by the window and happily read the letter.

Dear Isaac,

How are you? It feels like it's been ages since I left New Vale for Imil. I'm sorry it took so long for me to write to you, but the trip took a little longer than I was expecting. It seems as though the land has begun to change since we last journeyed in Northern Angara, and I got lost around Bilibin. Thankfully, Lord McCoy recognized me from the Kolima incident, and had me escorted all the way through Bilibin Cave. One of the soldiers was quite attractive, but I suppose you won't care to hear about that. When I finally reached Imil I realized that the journey had taken nearly three months! Usually it would be a two-month journey on foot, but I think it had to do with the changing landscape and my getting lost. I'll have to remember to go out and learn the geography sometime. That's enough about me though. What have you been doing since we've been gone? How are things going with Jenna? Is Garet still getting into trouble? I really miss all of his silly antics. I hope you aren't too lonely with everyone being gone now, but I'm sure you aren't because you have Jenna. I've retaken my post as the Great Healer here in Imil, but I think in a few months Justin will be ready to handle it on his own. By then he'll be able to start training Megan himself and I'll be free to do as I please for a while. I'm hoping to come back to New Vale for a bit, but who knows what will happen with the landscape changing. Anyways, I should wrap this up before I head to the sanctum; I wouldn't want to postpone this letter getting to you any longer than I should!

Keep in touch, I miss you.

Love Mia.

It was good to see that she was doing well, and he was happy to hear about the things she was doing. However, he couldn't help feeling as if he had read the last part incorrectly. 'Love Mia'?! Isaac blushed profusely when he read this part. He had to admit that, for her, he felt something similar to what he imagined a sibling's love would be, but had never considered her anything more than a very close friend. Still, he felt a warm sensation come over him as his eyes hovered over those words. It felt as if something within his chest was stirring; like butterflies, only it wasn't a nervous feeling. This was something he used to only feel around Jenna, but as of late he found that it was less and less common. He discreetly stored the letter under his mattress, and pulled out a blank piece of parchment. He dipped the feather in the inkwell, but didn't pull it out until he figured out what he wanted to say. He hadn't written many letters in his past, as all his friends and relatives lived in Vale when he was younger. Still, it couldn't be too hard. He decided to start by answering her questions. Tapping the quill on the edge of the inkwell to prevent it from dripping, he slowly but confidently began writing his letter.

Dear Mia,

I've been well, thanks for asking. It's been pretty quiet around here without the five of you to keep us busy. Even with Garet causing trouble (it's hard to believe he's almost twenty) not much else really goes on other than the occasional party at the inn. Truthfully, I haven't been doing much of anything since you guys left. Jenna and I had a…misunderstanding after you left. It's kind of complicated so I might tell you about it when you come visit. Hopefully by then this whole mess will have blown over. It's just been weird not talking to her as much. She seems distant, but maybe I'm just thinking that because the eight of us used to spend all our time together. I can't really remember much about what life was like before, but hopefully this isn't too different. I miss you guys a lot. I should probably come to Imil sometime so that you don't have to trek all the way here again; it wouldn't be fair to make you do all the walking. Besides, I'd like to visit Megan and Justin again and see how the Mercury Lighthouse has changed.

He paused, not knowing what else to say; yet feeling like his letter was unfinished. He hadn't asked her any questions, but she had basically covered everything he might have asked her in her letter to him. Stumped, he sank back in his chair trying to think of something else he could write.

When his mind failed to deliver, he carelessly looked around the room as if there would be something written on the walls or ceiling that he could say to her. Instead, his eye caught something shiny and gold hanging by the hilt of his sword. It was a lucky medal. He'd saved it because he thought that they had already won all the possible prizes at the fountain in Tolbi. He had planned on using it in Lemuria, but Ivan surprisingly pulled out a small fortune's worth that they used to play to their hearts' content. Isaac strolled over to it and removed it from his sword. He examined the Xianese markings on either side: 'Luck' on one side, 'Fortune' on the other. Feeling the ribbon he had fastened on it, he grinned as he remembered the ridicule he had gone through while wearing the oversized medallion around his neck. Garet and Ivan burst out laughing at him, blatantly saying it looked goofy for anyone to wear something that excessive; even Mia had to restrain herself from losing control of her giggles.

Walking back over to his desk with medal in hand, Isaac sat himself back down to finish the letter.

I'm sending you something along with this letter in hopes that it'll make you laugh or at least bring a smile to your face. You have a pretty smile, Mia, and the people of Imil will appreciate my gift if it allows them to see you smile more often.

Write to me soon,

Your Isaac.

He blushed as he wrote down those last words, but didn't bother scratching them out. It may have been a bit embarrassing, but he meant every word. He put a cork in the inkwell, and laid down his quill; allowing his freshly written letter to dry. Leaning back in his chair, Isaac sighed and rested his hands behind his head. Everything was so peaceful now. Even the weather seemed to agree, he thought, gazing out the window into the sunlit picturesque of the lush green village. Then he saw Jenna walking towards the direction of his house with what appeared to be a basket full of freshly baked muffins. Isaac grinned as he got up from his seat and hastily went down to the door to meet Jenna. It's probably her way of truly accepting my apology, he guessed, his mouth watering with the thought of Jenna's famous baked goods. What a way to make up! He opened the door to meet her before she could knock. To his surprise, however, she walked right past his house without even noticing that he had opened the door! Without thinking, he quickly went to catch up with her.

"Hey Jenna!" he called when he was only a few steps behind her. "Whatcha got there?"

She turned her head to look at him, but didn't stop walking. "Hi Isaac. It's just some muffins I baked. I'm taking them to Garet's house."

"Oh," he said, trying to mask his slight disappointment. She hadn't baked him anything in weeks. "Mind if I try one?"

"Erm…I only made enough for each person in his family."

"Oh," he said again. He thought that this had been something that would bring them closer, but instead she seemed to be just as distant as ever. "I guess…my mom could make me some if I asked her to."

"I'm sorry, Isaac," she said, a weak smile forming on her face. "I could make you some another time."

He didn't say anything for a moment. Why did she seem so distant? Lately she hadn't wanted to spend much time with him, and when they had it was because Garet wanted to get together. Doesn't she still care about me? Want to spend time alone with me? Does…does she still love me? These thoughts haunted his mind as they approached Garet's house. It was supposed to be perfect with Felix gone for a little while. He and Jenna would get to spend more time alone without her brother constantly lurking around to make sure Isaac didn't 'try anything funny' as he would say. Instead he had gotten somewhat of the cold shoulder since Felix's departure, and was feeling lonelier than ever.

"Isaac?" said Jenna, taking him out of his thoughts.

"Yes Jenna?"

"I'm…gonna be at Garet's for a while. You know…just talking with his mom and stuff. I think you might get bored if you come in. Maybe I'll see you later?"

"Oh," he repeated for a third time; it was starting to get repetitive. Why is she pushing me away? I always go over to Garet's just to hang out. I dunno what's going on with her, but it's really starting to bother me. I wish I knew something about it, anything even! "Sure, I…uh…I'll go find something else to do for now."

She flashed him another weak little smile. What was it about her expression that seemed so different? Was she sad? She seemed almost guilty. Isaac decided he would ponder these more at his thinking spot. He leaned in to kiss her, but she didn't turn towards him to return it; so he lightly pecked her cheek, hurt by her lack of affection. Not wanting her to see how upset he was, he quickly turned away from Garet's house and walked a few steps before running off towards the pond.

When he reached the bridge, Isaac picked up a few stones and tossed them in, causing the water to ripple more than it already was. Why was she doing this to him? He huffed and leaned on the rail, resting his head against his arms. Was it something I did? All I want is for things to go back to normal. He thought back to the day of the knighting ceremony. She had promised him something right there on the bridge. 'Don't ever change, Jenna.' 'For you, Isaac, I won't.' The memory replayed itself over and over in his head. He could feel his eyes start to moisten. Trying to get out of his funk, he thought of reasons why she might be avoiding him. She's probably just been busy lately. I remember her saying something about working down at the bakery. That's got to be it; she wouldn't avoid me for no reason. He sighed again. It was a pretty weak answer, but what else could he believe? It was times like this when he wished he could speak to Mia in person: ask her what to do, what to say, what Jenna might be thinking, why she was avoiding him, if she even realized she was avoiding him. There were just so many things that he didn't think anyone else could answer for him. He thought back to the knighting ceremony again. What if she did see us on the bridge..? She didn't seem upset over that, but maybe that was the instigator for what happened when they left. All these thoughts were hurting his brain. He just wished that she would open up to him. At least she wasn't snappy anymore, but that wasn't the problem. He gazed forlornly as he recalled the day he apologized to her.

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"Jenna, wait up!" She turned to glare at him, but didn't say anything. It had been two months since their friends had left New Vale but Jenna would still not tell Isaac what was wrong.

"What do you want?"

"I just…wanted to talk. You haven't said so much as a few words to me since everyone left, and at first I didn't think too much of it but now it's making me worry!"

She continued to stare angrily at him, but rather than responding she turned around and continued to walk away. Isaac was starting to get annoyed, but kept pushing to see if he could get an answer from her.

"Jenna, stop! You always walk away from me when I tell you that you're worrying me! Did you at least talk to Garet? I figured that I should find out what was wrong from you, but if you're gonna persist in not letting me in then I'll just have to ask him instead!" He hadn't meant to raise his voice, but he was truly getting fed up with her attitude.

To his surprise, she stopped and turned towards him. With her arms flexed straight down at her sides, she stomped over to him. She looked like she was about to slap him, so he braced himself for the impact; however, it never came. Instead, a powerful, jabbing finger poked him hard in the chest.

"You can't talk to me that way! You're so insensitive, Isaac! Sometimes I wish I could clobber you over the head, but that would make me just as insensitive as you!"

Those words stung at his heart. She thought he was insensitive? He could feel his chest drop as he processed the words in his head.

He didn't want her to turn away from him again, so out of impulse he pulled her into a tight hug, making sure she couldn't get out of his arms.

"Mmf! Let go of me you jerk! You insensitive prick! You're an ass, Isaac! I hate you!" She continued screaming similar things, punching his sides and his back with her half-trapped arms.

"I'm so sorry, Jenna. If I hadn't gotten so emotional over that parting with Mia, none of this would have happened. You're my everything. Mia means little to me when I think about you." He received no response for a minute until she suddenly stopped hitting him, and he realized she was shaking slightly. He looked down to see tears pouring from her eyes like little waterfalls.

"If you knew th-that was why I was upset, why d-didn't you apologize earlier?! I-I-I hated resenting you, Isaac. But I couldn't face you if you d-didn't know why I was upset!" It was difficult to understand her as she choked between her sobs. He suddenly felt very guilty. He should've approached her the moment Garet had told him what he thought the reason was.

"Shh," he whispered into her ear."This is my fault, and I'm stupid for not realizing it before. I shouldn't have asked Garet to talk to you for me."

She sobbed again; her breath was choppy and stuttering. "I didn't w-want Garet to c-console me. I j-just wanted t-t-to know that you were still here f-for me."

Her nose started to run, and Isaac was unsure of what to say next. He felt extremely bad for letting her deal with this herself and couldn't express his apology enough in words. "I'm so sorry, Jenna. Please stop crying. I hate seeing you so upset like this. Let's get you home and we can talk about it there, alright?"

She nodded shakily and they walked slowly back to Jenna's house. At least he had gotten through to her.

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It was a rather unpleasant memory, but it made him feel better to think that he had gotten through to her. Unfortunately, he didn't think that she would continue to stay away from him after they'd finally made up. She'd seemed so relieved when she finished crying; it just didn't make any sense to him. Isaac prayed that she didn't realize what she was doing to him, but how could she not? He recalled the look in her eyes when she told him not to go inside Garet's house. That look of sadness with a hint of guilt, and that weak little smile. He hated seeing that smile more than seeing her cry. It made him feel weak because she was essentially preventing him from questioning her further.

He decided to take a walk away from the bridge. Perhaps the spot was bringing up too many memories. Slowly walking away from the pond, Isaac started in the direction of Kraden's house; not that he was looking to speak with Kraden or anything, but he thought that perhaps the old scholar would be up to something that would help him take his mind away from his sad memories. Isaac looked in the window as he came closer to the cottage. Sighing, he passed it by after noticing that Kraden had company. It seemed to him that everyone was with someone except for him. Seeing nothing of interest as he continued walking, Isaac eventually made his way to the front gate. Glancing back, he shuffled under the archway, and followed the path out of New Vale.

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Vault was just the same as he'd remembered it: a relatively small village with lots of friendly people. He smiled, thinking back to when he and Garet had first met Ivan here. It seemed like such a long time ago. But he was glad to know that the town hadn't changed much in nearly three years. He aimlessly wandered the streets until coming to a bell tower. Shrugging to himself, as he had nothing better to do, he began climbing it.

It was quite the view. He sat himself on the edge, allowing his legs to dangle in front of him. It had taken about half the day to reach Vault, but it wasn't like he had anything else to do. Besides, he could easily make it back before sunset if he ran. Looking up at the clouds, his face contorted a bit. He used to stare at clouds with Jenna. Thinking of it now only made his heart ache. Why did everything remind him of her? Had they really spent so much time together that he couldn't think of anything without the pretty brunette popping up in his mind? He shook his head and looked out to the plains leading to Kalay. An odd sight met his gaze.

"Was that…Cybele?" he muttered to himself. Surely he had imagined it, but a sudden growth of oversized vines convinced him otherwise. Quickly descending the ladders, Isaac sprinted towards the outskirts of the village, wondering why the goddess would appear here of all places. As he neared the scene, it became apparent that Cybele had not shown up without reason.

"Felix!" cried Isaac, running towards the brown-haired boy. It seemed reasonable to assume Felix was in trouble. He visibly looked like he was in pain, and the strange monster in front of him seemed unfazed by the goddess of nature's attack.

"I-Isaac?" he stammered, spitting blood to the ground. "What are you doing here?"

"I'll tell you later, but it looks like you could use some help right now!" Isaac didn't have his sword with him, so he had to rely on his psynergy. Standing closely to Felix, he focused his mind on the healing energies of Venus. "Potent cure!" he shouted, a golden light glowing from his hands. Felix's wounds glowed the same colour; slowly stitching themselves back together.

"Thanks, but this monster may be too much to handle," said Felix, quickly dodging a swipe from the monster's claw.

"What on Weyard is this thing, Felix?!"

"I have no idea! I didn't even see it coming towards me out here! I'm completely tapped for psynergy, too!"

The strange creature roared, swiping its claws at Felix. He barely dodged the monster's attacks; his body lagging from the constant ravaging of its earlier onslaught. Isaac had never seen anything like it before. It looked kind of like a mauler crossed with a cave troll and a ghoul. It had large ears and oversized hands and feet like a troll, but its hide was a ghoulish green. Everywhere except its face, hands, feet, and chest was covered with a thick fur like that of a mauler and it clearly had rows and rows of dagger-sized teeth.

Concentrating his mind again, Isaac raised his arms above his head. "Ragnarok!" he screamed. It was a good thing he didn't actually need a sword to cast his signature spell. The gigantic sword flew down from the sky, stabbing the creature through its back and out its abdomen. It howled in agony as the blade exploded and disappeared. Isaac grinned, but his confidence didn't last long. The hole going through the creature suddenly healed itself, and it angrily turned to face its new attacker. With surprising speed, it charged towards Isaac, smashing him to the ground and crushing his leg. Snarling in his face, it prepared to snap its jaws around Isaac's head. This is it, he thought, I'm sorry, everyone. I didn't want it to end this way. He closed his eyes, preparing for the worst.

"Die you filthy beast!" shouted Felix, suddenly leaping onto the monster's back. Isaac opened his eyes to see the tip of Felix's blade protruding from the monster's mouth, barely missing his nose. He pushed the creature off of him and watched as it quickly disintegrated into thin air. Felix reached his hand out to help him up. Taking it, he stood and brushed himself off.

"You alright there, Isaac?"

"Yeah, sorry. I guess I was just more of a distraction in that battle," he answered.

"Don't worry about it. I was more concerned about how you were fighting actually. You seemed slower and a bit distracted. I'm surprised you managed to keep your mind off of that thing."

"Well, I've got a lot on my mind. Sorry if it hindered you at all."

Felix looked at him, a slight look of worry coming over his stern expression. It wasn't like Isaac to get distracted during a battle. "Let's head to Vault. You can tell me about it when we get there. We're in no shape to head home right now, so you'll have plenty of time to let me know. Besides, I want to know what you were doing so far from New Vale anyways."

"Alright," Isaac answered solemnly. It may be awkward talking to Felix about his sister, but at least he was someone Isaac could talk to right now. Slowly limping back to Vault, the two Venus adepts supported each other as they left the site of their recent battle.

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"I see…" said Felix, dabbing at his bloody hand with a wet cloth. "I had no idea you two were having issues."

After checking into the inn at Vault, Isaac had spent the past hour explaining his problems with Jenna to Felix. The sun was going down, and he was afraid of how worried his parents might be, but knew that he couldn't trek back home; especially if there were more of those monsters out there.

"When did this all start again?"

"The day you all left New Vale. I figured out what was wrong before, but now I can't understand why she's still avoiding me."

"Hmm... It seems to me, Isaac, that she may still think that you and Mia have…something. Have you heard from Mia lately?"

"Yes, but Jenna couldn't have known about it. I only just received the letter today, and she went over to Garet's this morning."

"I'm…not exactly sure what to tell you then. It seems that all you can do is wait until she decides to tell you what's going on."

Isaac sighed, falling backwards onto his bed. He had already come to that conclusion a while ago, but hoped that Felix would be able to give him some more sound advice. "Let's change the topic. This is making me depressed."

"…Alright, what do you want to talk about?"

Isaac pondered for a moment before realizing something. "Why were you gone for so long? With all the trade routes opened, I thought you'd have been back sooner."

Felix gave him an odd glance. Was he blushing? That was something Isaac had never seen before, but he ignored it nonetheless, waiting for Felix to answer. "I…I spent a little longer in Lalivero than I'd expected to."

"What does that even mean, Felix?"

Felix continued to blush, an awkward smile coming over his face as if recalling some strange memory. It was possibly the most ridiculous expression Isaac had ever seen on someone's face. "Well, Faran was surprisingly forgiving, considering I'd brought Sheba back home safely. In fact he allowed me to stay with them for a while. Sheba and I got to see each other a lot more, and one thing led to another…" He trailed off mid-sentence. Was that intentional?

"And?"

"…and I'm moving to Lalivero to be with her…"

Isaac was ready for him to say something out of the ordinary, but it still shocked him to hear those words coming from Felix. "Wow…I didn't realize you guys were so close."

"Yeah…I hope Jenna won't be too upset. I only came back to get my things. I left a message with Ivan to come pick me up by caravan in a few days. I was only going to say goodbye to my family before heading off."

Isaac looked over to him. It was odd seeing this side of Felix. He didn't even know there was a softer side to him. "I'm happy for you. I'm sure that you'll be happy with her. I'd be thrilled to live with someone who really cares about me…"

"You mean like Mia?"

"Yeah…whoa, wait, what?! No! I meant someone like, uh, Jenna! That's just who I assumed you were going to say!"

Felix chuckled lightly. "Relax, Isaac, I was just teasing you. Actually that reminds me. You should warn Mia about the monsters that have been running around lately. Believe it or not, I ran into more than one of those things on my way back. Everything seems to have gotten stronger since the Golden Sun incident. I think that thing may have been a few monsters morphed together by the power of Alchemy!"

It was surprising to hear that Felix had run into more than one of those things on his way back. He had narrowly defeated that last one, but perhaps that was because he was exhausted from slaying the other ones. "I didn't realize we'd caused so much trouble."

"You're hopeless, you know that? Everything we start talking about seems to depress you more and more. I don't know how you're planning on facing Jenna if she decides to open up to you anytime soon."

"Sorry…it's just been a long day. Could you…could you maybe ask her to talk to me? You are her brother after all. Maybe she'll listen to you."

"I suppose I could let her know what she's been doing to you. I still think that you should wait it out or ask her yourself."

"I have; I just can't get a straight answer from her, though. She seems to brush it off like it's nothing."

Felix paused for a moment, looking at his companion's sad expression. "I've had enough of your whining for one day. Let's just rest up for the night and we'll head out early tomorrow morning."

"Yeah…wake me if you're up first."

"Good night, Isaac."

Isaac heard Felix slip into his own bed. He must have been worn out from his journey and all the monsters he'd faced. Quietly slipping under his covers, Isaac lay on his side. Truthfully, he was quite fatigued as well, but he couldn't seem to fall asleep. It seemed like hours before his thoughts clouded with times when he and Jenna were happy. Finally, he drifted into a sleep filled with sorrowful dreams.

Ugh, long chapter is looooong. I'm not sure if I like exactly how this chapter went… I don't think there's anything wrong with it, but it just seemed like it was a slow progression for the story. Maybe it's because Isaac didn't have a whole lot of interaction with other people, but I would've liked to have written something a bit more…romantically appealing. I guess it makes sense that I show how depressed he is, though. Even though it's slow progression, it is a necessary component to the story.

If you actually liked this chapter, though, let me know in your reviews, or let me know how I could've made it better. I can't improve if I don't know what's wrong :P

-GengaJupite