Happy New Year! I don't really have any resolutions for this year because I'm usually pretty consistent with the things I already do, so changing it up would just mess with my system :P. Anyway, not much else to say, so let's get to it!

Thanks to AnriMia24 and Mr0cheese for reviewing!

Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own it.

Forgiveness

"Captain, there's a few shady characters hanging around the outskirts of town. Shall we dispatch them?"

"No, just go see what they're up to. I'd like to avoid a conflict tonight if I can. Act defensively: don't start fighting unless they instigate. Understood?"

"Yes, Sir!"

The lightly armoured man saluted and ran off, leaving the captain to continue his nightly patrol by the eastern gate of Imil. It was difficult to describe how such success had befallen young Captain Isaac of the Imil Militia. Having only spent about one and a half years in Imil, he had surprisingly garnered the fame and love of the citizens by forming a militia to keep the town safe from monsters and dangerous folk. Even the soon-to-be twenty-two-year-old captain couldn't explain his success, other than by luck in timing.

Realizing that his shift was up, Isaac quietly marched to the small watchtower to relieve himself. There hadn't been much trouble as of late, but Isaac's rise to becoming a well-known figure in the town had been – in his eyes – mostly due to being in the right place at the right time. A group of gnomes and trolls happened to decide that they would try to raid the town on the same night he'd finished training his ten recruits. Using his tactical skills, Isaac saw to it that the ten newly trained soldiers fought off the outnumbering monsters without any casualties on their side. The following week, he'd had an overwhelming number of applicants wishing to become soldiers under the name of Captain Isaac. Since then, not even the large morphed monsters that he'd seen with Felix had been able to penetrate the walls surrounding Imil.

Descending the stairs of the watchtower, he nodded to the soldier who was to relieve him of his patrol duty. Rather than heading home, Isaac instead trudged in the direction of the sanctum. After a long day of keeping watch he wanted to do nothing more than see the woman he loved. Despite his reputation, he often still felt embarrassed by the praise he received from the townsfolk when they spoke of him and Mia. 'The Saviours of Imil' they were known as. Mia thought it was cute, but Isaac was too humble to consider himself a saviour; he felt that he'd done what anyone capable enough would have done. However, the townsfolk loved their heroic lovers as if they were some sort of fairytale prince and princess: the stalwart, heroic captain, Isaac, and the beautiful, angelic healer, Mia. Together, they were a pairing that Venus smiled upon.

"Hi, Isaac! Anything cool happen tonight?" asked Megan when he opened the sanctum doors. She was standing at the altar with a rabbit she'd healed after finding it with a broken leg.

"Nah, just a couple of thugs outside the city. Doesn't sound like they were causing any trouble, though. How about you?"

She shrugged, "Nothing cool usually happens in here. Mr. Puff is getting better, though."

Chuckling, he petted the small, white rabbit before heading into the back to find Mia. Though the townspeople were glad for him and Mia, they still would have found it somewhat blasphemous for them to live together since they weren't married. The two of them were fine with this situation, however, as they had only lived in a household together while staying in Bilibin. His house wasn't too far from the sanctum, anyway, so they could see each other pretty often.

The door creaked open to reveal the large living room where the three Mercury adepts could relax and prepare meals and such. Justin was sitting by the fire reading a book while waiting for his soup to boil. Isaac smiled when he saw the title of the book: The Beginner's Guide in Swordplay, Tactics, and Fighting Techniques. When first forming the militia, Justin had pleaded Isaac to let him join. Isaac had always felt guilty for telling Justin that his duty was as a healer, not a fighter; Mia would never forgive him if something happened to one of her closest companions. Since then the young Mercury adept had been reading books on fighting, and swinging Isaac's fencing sword around. In truth, Isaac could see some potential in Justin, but he'd sworn to Mia that he wouldn't let him join until he was at least eighteen, and even that made her uncomfortable. He always figured that it was because Mia had been like a mother figure to them after Alex deserted her.

"Hey, Justin, is Mia around?"

"Oh, hi, Isaac. I think she's in her room right now," he said without looking up from his book.

Thanking him, Isaac turned towards the staircase that led up to the healers' rooms. Mia's was at the end of the small hallway, and Megan and Justin's were on either side leading towards hers. Isaac once asked where Alex used to sleep, but she said that he was old enough to inherit his parents' home after they passed away, so he never had to live at the sanctum.

The door was slightly cracked open when Isaac approached, and he decided to take a quick peek in before knocking. From what he could see, Mia was sitting by her desk fixing her hair. The locket he'd given her all that time ago was hanging around her neck while she tied the ribbon around her hair into a ponytail. He watched as she clicked the locket open and smiled. The gift from Venus had been a perfect fit in the heart-shaped side in the locket, and she'd put a small photo of them on the other side. Deciding he'd spied on her for long enough he knocked on the door.

"Coming," she said melodically, closing the locket. When she opened the door, he got a better look at her. She was wearing the casual, wavy, green dress he'd bought her for her twenty-first birthday. She smiled and gave him a quick kiss, "I was about to come see you."

"Well, then it's a good thing I got here before you left," he chuckled, wrapping his arms around her. "How was your day?"

"Not bad, I got a letter from Piers today. Apparently he's been discovering all sorts of new landmasses all across Weyard. Ivan, Hama, and Kraden are all with him right now. I think he said something about coming here to visit. I haven't told them that you're here with me, so it'll be a bit of a surprise for everyone."

"Yeah, although I'm sure Kraden will be less surprised since he was still in New Vale when I left. It'll be nice to see everyone again."

"Mm. Isaac…"

"What is it, Mia?"

"I… Well, it's been quite some time now, but… Have you spoken to Garet or Jenna recently?"

Isaac looked blankly at her, mouth opening a bit as if to say something. He hadn't talked to either of them since he left New Vale. His parents were the only ones who knew where he was, as he still kept in touch with them, but they never spoke of how the two Mars adepts were doing.

"N-no, I haven't. Why do you ask?"

"I'm sorry, Isaac, it's just that you always said that you were happy that they were happy together, but you haven't spoken to them at all. I thought that maybe since they're your best friends you might have at least given them one letter."

It was true that he'd forgiven them a long time ago, but he was still unsure of how to talk to them. To go from seeing people every day to not seeing them at all was something that had cut his ties to them completely. He used to be able to talk about anything with them, and yet he had no idea how to even say hello anymore.

"Don't apologize, Mia, it isn't your fault. I just… I just don't really know how to talk to them anymore. What am I supposed to say: how have you been? I don't want to treat them like they're strangers, yet that seems to be the only way I can think of keeping in touch with them. I know they'd say that I can talk to them the same way that I always used to, but they don't really understand that it's going to take a long time before things can go back to the way they were, whether I've forgiven them or not."

For once, it seemed that Mia didn't know what to say. Usually she'd have some sort of advice to give him, but this time he figured that his argument was solid enough that she didn't have something to respond with. Instead, she let go of him and opened one of her desk drawers. Shuffling through some papers, she found one that she instantly folded into a neat little rectangle and handed to him. Confused, Isaac began unfolding it before she stopped him.

"I think you should read this on your own time, Isaac. The letter is addressed to me, but there is a reason I want you to see it. Just not right now. Let's go to your house for now; it's quite a bit comfier there than it is here." She smiled and took him by the arm. Kissing her on the cheek he turned them around and led her out of the sanctum towards his house.

Upon reaching his house, Isaac fumbled with the lock a bit before opening the door to let them in. Apparently, this had been Mia's home as a child before her parents passed away. He thought it odd that he'd somehow ended up buying the same house she'd grown up in until the age of six, but he enjoyed that she always seemed so calm when she came here. It must have been a strange but refreshing experience for her to revisit a place she knew so well. Though she wasn't old enough to inherit the home as a child, he was glad to welcome her into the house whenever she felt the need to go there.

Mia went to sit by the fireplace while Isaac went to change out of his armour and put the letter away. As he ascended the staircase, he became awfully curious about what the contents of the letter might contain. He didn't want to keep Mia waiting for him, so he decided that he would quickly scan the letter to get an idea of why she'd given it to him. The first thing he noticed was that it was in Jenna's handwriting, but the letter was signed from both her and Garet. The second thing he noticed was that his own name was written several times throughout it. While he didn't get the chance to actually see what context his name was being used in, it was clear to him why Mia wished for him to read this letter. Quickly stripping off his armour and changing into some casual clothes, he put the letter on his desk and went back downstairs to join the Mercury adept.

She was lying on the couch when he got downstairs. She giggled and held her arms out for him to sit her up; however, when he went to pull her into a sitting position, she pulled him down on top of her in a playful manner. The two of them laughed as he lightly fell onto her and shared a few kisses before getting into a more comfortable cuddling position.

"So, Captain," she said playfully, her back leaning against his chest, "what sort of trouble did you get up to today?"

He chuckled, "Not much, really. Lately there hasn't been too much trouble; I guess we showed those monsters who's boss. The mauler and troll battle for territory is getting a little more heated, though. I think once they've stopped fighting each other they might head towards Imil, so I've been preparing the troops for that. Other than that it was just a few thugs outside town tonight."

"I'm so glad that my big, brave, strong hero is here to keep little me safe from all those scary beasties," she giggled.

He gave a breathy chuckle and kissed the top of her head. He loved how adorable she could be even if she was playfully mocking him. It didn't matter what she did, everything about her made his heart melt.

"Well, if I ever get hurt by one of those 'beasties', at least I'll have the lovely angel to tend to my wounds," he responded just as playfully.

She grinned and turned her head to face him. She gave him a quick peck on the lips before he smirked devilishly. "Actually, I was talking about Megan, but I guess you could help out too."

She laughed and elbowed him lightly, as it was all she could manage to hit him with. "Ew, you pedo! You're almost twenty-two and she's only thirteen! You can't even joke about that!"

He laughed in response, trying to think of a good comeback, "Yeah, you're right, she's too young for me. Maybe Justin, though; he's an awfully good healer."

Mia fell into a perpetual giggle fit, unable to stop even after she seemed to calm down a bit. Isaac laughed as well. One-nothing Isaac he thought to himself.

"I hope to Mercury you aren't actually into guys, Isaac. What would that say about us?" she finally managed to say between giggles.

He tried to think of something serious to say, but he was on a roll with all these comebacks. "Well, I guess that would mean you remind me of a guy," he joked, bracing himself for a smack from Mia.

Just as expected, her mouth dropped open and she bopped him on the head, but continued laughing the whole time. "You dick! Take that back!"

Upon hearing those words, Isaac couldn't restrain himself from bursting out laughing. Mia hardly ever used insulting words, so it was unarguably humourous how unnatural it sounded for her to use such words. Turning her so that she was now facing him, he pulled her into a long kiss as his way of apologizing. When they parted lips he softly said, "How could I think the most beautiful girl in all of Weyard looks like a guy? I would never want to see what other girls looked like if that were the case."

She blushed bashfully and gave him a tight squeeze. The two of them went on joking and talking for quite some time. Eventually Mia fell asleep, as she often did when they spent late nights together, and Isaac carried her up to his bed. Laying her down, he kissed her and whispered, "Good night, love," before grabbing the letter from his desk and heading back downstairs. Now that he had time to read it, he made sure to pay close attention to the words neatly written on the parchment. It seemed that Jenna had already talked to Mia about what had happened between the ex-couple. Upon further inspection, he also noticed that Mia hadn't told the Mars adepts that she had already found him.

Dear Mia,

It's been ages since we last saw you! I think it's been about ten months already. I guess we can't blame you for when you said that something came up when you were coming to visit four months ago. I'm sure Isaac misses you as well, wherever he is. I'm not sure if we told you, but he left right before you were supposed to arrive. I feel horrible for what happened. Garet tells me that I shouldn't worry because Isaac knows how to fend for himself, but I can tell that he's worried too. We haven't heard from him at all, and I hope he hasn't done anything reckless to himself. Isaac is such a close friend and this was exactly what I was afraid would happen if he found out about Garet and I. You were always such a dear friend to him, and I'm sure if anyone could help him it would be you. I suppose that you'd have to know where he is to help him, though. I don't mean to distress you with this news that he's been missing, I'm just upset that I'm the cause of all this. I have Garet to help me through all of this, but Isaac's all alone now. Please, if you see him, let us know if he's okay. We would never be able to forgive ourselves if something awful happened to him.

Yours truly,
Jenna and Garet

Isaac could feel his eyes begin to water, and he lay the letter down on his lap. Despite everything they had put him through, he couldn't stand the fact that he'd made them so worried. Yes, he was mad at them, but Isaac wasn't the type of person to deliberately hurt someone if he could help it. He didn't even want to think of how his mother must have felt when she read the note. His father would have been there to comfort her, but this feeling of guilt was unbearable, and he felt his heart sink into his stomach. Something nuzzled against his neck and he looked to see Quartz sitting on his shoulder.

"You can't blame yourself for this, Isaac; it is not your fault. Everything that you regret doing was actually quite justifiable in the situation."

"I appreciate that you're trying to help, Quartz, but I am guilty of my actions. If I'd stopped to think how it might affect the others, I may not have hurt so many of them."

"Ugh, I can't stand listening to you go on like this," sounded Mist's condescending voice. Two blue flashes emitted on top of the letter to reveal Mist and Sleet.

"I knew I didn't like you for a reason," said Sleet. He was typically a quiet djinni, but he spoke with such power in his voice on the rare occasions that he did say something. "Self-loathing is not a strong attribute, and certainly does not fit with Lady Mia."

"Listen up, rockhead!" Mist poked at him with her tail, "All you can think about is how much worse you made everyone's lives, but you're missing one of the most important things here: you've made Miss Mia happy! I have no idea what she sees in you, but all I know is that she loves you and you love her. You two are happy together because of what you did, and all you can think about is the negatives. For all we know, you'd be killing yourself if you had stayed home. I don't want you going and hurting Miss Mia with all your negativity, so you better watch your back!"

With that, the two Mercury djinn disappeared, leaving a speechless Isaac and Quartz. Before either of the two could say anything, Flint, Bane, Eddy, and Balm appeared beside them on the couch.

"My word, that Mist certainly likes to shoot her mouth off, doesn't she?" said Eddy. He seemed the exact opposite of Mist, calm and collected.

"I swear to Venus, if she rants on Master Isaac like that one more time, so help me, I'll personally stomp her tail flat!" growled Flint.

"Master Isaac, please forgive young Mist. It seems that, being the youngest of my clan, she feels that she holds no authority to anyone but Lady Mia. I shall warn her again that if she continues to behave in this manner that there will be consequences," said Balm. It seemed to Isaac that Balm was a female, Mercury equivalent to Bane: the eldest of her type of djinn.

"Thank you, Balm. It really isn't any trouble to me. Truth be told, I can understand what Mist is talking about. I do put too much blame on myself without thinking of the positives."

"Nevertheless," started Bane, "it is unacceptable for a djinni to speak to a Master in such an inexcusable manner. I believe that I shall also pay her a visit with you, Balm."

"Isaac," Quartz said quietly, "what will you do now that you've read this letter? Clearly Miss Mia wanted you to see it for a reason, but are you going to let Miss Jenna and Garet know where you are and how you've been?"

"I suppose that would be the responsible thing to do right now, Quartz. I'm an adult now, so I should treat the situation in a mature way." The elder djinn all hopped to show their support for him before disappearing, once again leaving Isaac and Quartz alone.

With Quartz still sitting on his shoulder, Isaac walked into a small office room, which contained a bookshelf, a desk, and a lantern. Pulling out some blank parchment from the desk, he sat himself down and tried to think of things that he could write to Jenna and Garet.

"Any idea how I should start this Quartz?"

She shrugged and hopped onto the desk to help him think. It wasn't long before he decided to start by letting them know that he was okay. Dipping his quill in the inkwell, he began writing his letter.

Jenna and Garet

I'm sure you two will be very surprised to hear from me. It's been quite some time since we've had any sort of communication. I must apologize for the worry I've caused you to feel. I had to sort out my feelings, but I've finally been able to settle and figure out my life. While I may have been extremely angry with you before (again, I apologize; especially to you, Garet), I've been able to look past it and see the positives. For the past two years I've been with Mia. Just over a year ago, I moved to Imil and I'm now the captain of the local militia that protects the village. In my time here I've been able to forgive the both of you, and I'm actually glad that you're happy together. I've found my happiness with Mia, as we've been a couple for as long as I've been living in Imil. Perhaps leaving New Vale was one of my less thought out plans, but it's led me to where I am now: happily living with the woman I love. I hope that we can all stay close friends, no matter the physical distances between us. Choosing to leave was the easy part, but learning from it has been one of my greatest challenges. I do hope that I can see you again. I've heard that Piers, Ivan, Hama, and Kraden will all be in Imil soon, so perhaps you could come visit at the same time as them. We'll always be friends, no matter what.

Yours,
Isaac

He scanned over his letter before setting it down to dry. He was satisfied with what he'd written; although, he would've liked to make it feel a bit less distant. He shrugged and leaned back in his seat, figuring that it felt distant because he'd been distant, so it only made sense that the letter turned out as such. A blanketed pair of arms circled around him from behind, causing him to jump slightly.

"I'm so proud of you, Isaac," said a sleepy Mia. Had she been waiting for him to write the letter?

"I… I had no idea they were so worried about me. It was bad enough thinking of my mom, but I didn't know they would feel the same way."

She came around the chair and sat on his lap, leaning her blanket-huddled body against his. "Oh, Isaac, of course they were worried about you. Whether they thought you hated them or not, they would be worried because they're your friends. True friends care about each other through everything. You yourself said that you missed them, but you never did anything about it. I figured that you just needed that little push, so I showed you the letter she wrote to me a while ago."

Isaac held Mia tightly, pressing his face into the blanket she had wrapped around herself. He couldn't understand how he'd managed to find someone so wonderful. She always had his best interests in mind, even if he didn't know what they were himself. He loved everything about her, and it had been because of his decision to leave that he'd been able to realize it.

Starting to feel tired, he lifted Mia as he stood and carried her to his room. She giggled a bit, noticing that he was tired but still willing to carry her to bed. Not bothering to change into his nightclothes, he crawled under the blanket that Mia replaced on the bed. They kissed goodnight and went into their regular spooning position.

Well, it seemed a bit shorter than I wanted it to be, but when I tried adding more after they went to sleep it just didn't seem to flow very well. Hopefully I'll be able to get the next chapter out quickly (writer's block ugh) so that you guys don't have to wait around forever for an update.

Anyway, R&R and check out my soundcloud!

-GengaJupite