Hey everyone! Sorry if the chapters have seemed a bit dry and angsty lately. I'm ashamed to admit that I've been gradually losing inspiration for this story as it's progressed. I'd like to say that it's only because Isaac and Mia are separated so I'm not sure exactly what to write about, but it's also because I've been getting caught up with other plans I have. I kind of dug my own grave by knowing this would be a depressing story, so I think I'll stick to more cheerful ones after this :P

Oh and also, thanks to those of you who checked out my other story, Clear as Mud. It's quite a bit more detail-oriented than this story, which I think you'll find enjoyable if you really like knowing every thought that crosses the characters' minds. It even got it's first favourite within an hour or so of being posted *tear of joy*. I like it because it's not depressing :)

Quick note: I see this chapter as more of an intro that leads up to the next one. I personally thought this one was lame, but love how the next one is coming along, so think of this as part I of II.

And it's time for another gaming update! Anyone here like Fire Emblem? I preordered Awakening so I received it on the 31st (it doesn't go on sale in stores until the 4th) and I've just been playing through it like a mofo. Seriously, if you have a 3DS, buy this game! It's definitely the best in the series and I'm only halfway through it! For those of you who don't know the FE series, I'd recommend trying it out because it's a fun SRPG series and is very open for shippings. In fact, you can basically ship any guy with any girl you feel like in game through the support system. I'd say start out with The Blazing Sword (simply known as Fire Emblem outside of Japan, for GBA), as it's a good game to start out with; not too hard, not too easy, and contains all the basic elements that future games expand upon. For those who are curious, in order from least to most favourite, I've played Shadow Dragon (DS), Sacred Stones (GBA), Blazing Sword (GBA), Fuuin no Tsurugi (GBA), Path of Radiance (GC), Heroes of Light and Shadow (DS), Radiant Dawn (Wii), and Awakening (3DS). I think I started playing Thracia 776 (SNES) but never got around to playing past the first or second chapter.

Thanks to AnriMia24 and Mr0cheese for reviewing! And don't worry; Jenna's not getting pregnant quite yet. There are a few things that need to be settled before that can happen.

So, yeah, onwards we go!

Disclaimer: Just… no

Rise and Fall

"And do you, Ivan, take Samantha to be your lawfully wedded wife, to forsake all others, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

"I do."

"Then, by the power invested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

A thunderous applause erupted as Ivan and Sam pulled their faces together in a feeling of pure joy and love. Isaac couldn't help but grin widely as he stood beside his newly married friend. He briefly turned around to look at Garet, only to see what appeared to be the Mars adept wiping a happy tear from his eye. The Venus adept chuckled lightly and turned back towards the married couple. Despite all the feelings of envy he once held towards Ivan and Sam, those negative feelings were quickly washed away with gladness at seeing his friends in their moment of love and happiness.

And for the first time since Mia had left, Isaac could honestly say that he was genuinely glad.

This moment wasn't about him, after all. Why should he always wallow in pain when others around him were so happy? Surely he would have preferred if Mia could be there with them, but that was beyond his power. Besides, he and Mia would have their moment soon enough, though he hoped it wouldn't be as crowded as the lavish wedding that Ivan and Samantha had put on.

Four months after Isaac and Garet's return from Morgal, the residents of New Vale had finished settling into Kalay completely, and one month later Ivan and Sam had made their wedding open to all who wished to attend. Of course, with Ivan being the adopted son of the rulers of Kalay, almost the entire city had attended. Even an unexpectedly great number of Sam's family from Tolbi had come to attend, nearly filling the sanctum hall with only relatives of the two lovebirds. Of course, out of those who attended, the Warriors of Vale plus Patcher and a few of Sam's friends had all been chosen as bridesmaids and groomsmen.

"Hey, congrats, my man!" Patcher called to Ivan as they gathered around for the reception.

"It's certainly a big day for all of us," said Isaac, patting the groom on the back.

"Man, I never thought I'd admit it, but I was crying like a baby out there!" Garet laughed. "Who'd have thought that little Ivan would be the first one of us to get married?"

"Marriage, a most admirable stepping stone indeed," Piers mused.

"Awe, thanks guys. I honestly don't think I could have done it without any of you. Ever since our adventure I've just been growing stronger and stronger, and having you as my groomsmen was just that last little boost that I needed," Ivan replied, a seemingly permanent grin plastered to his face.

The rest of the evening went by smoothly, filled with entertainment, mirth, and joyfulness. Patcher and Isaac found themselves the last two guests to leave as they slowly headed up the moonlit path towards their homes. Saying goodnight to the de facto leader of the mountain community, Isaac made his way towards the tunnel that would lead to his cabin.

Now that the only thing he'd looked forward to was over, Isaac felt his mood start to wane a bit. With something to look forward to, he'd been able to keep himself occupied one way or another, but now that it was over he wasn't sure what to do. As always, he missed his angel, but he wasn't sure when she'd be back. It could be countless days for her return, and the Venus adept could only observe Mt. Aleph so many times before boredom and loneliness set in. True, he was able to get a closer look with the newly completed soarwing, but the volcano wasn't exactly the most interesting thing to observe. The most activity he'd seen from it lately was a few rocks spewing out the top, but nothing notably alarming or dangerous.

He sighed as he unlocked the door and made his way towards the fireplace. It was something he'd always used to do with her wherever they went: curl up by a warm fire and keep each other company. He could almost hear her humming that sweet tune as she went to prepare a kettle over the fireplace. What had she called the song again? Winterly Imil or something like that. Mia told him that her mother used to sing the tune to her as a child, but she had long since forgotten the words. It didn't really matter to him, as Mia had a beautiful voice whether she was humming, singing, or just plain speaking. Oh, how he missed her voice. He longed for the day when it would grace his ears again.

Isaac lazily poked at the logs in the fireplace, watching as the embers burst upwards in a spectacle of miniature fireworks, much like the ones he'd used when he proposed to her. Everything he did seemed to associate itself with Mia, no matter what he thought about. He just wished she'd come home soon. It was killing him to spend so long away from her. Isaac knew that he was edging on thirty, and Mia would follow soon after. Their birthdays were only a couple months apart, so it pained him to know that both of them would probably miss each other again, as they had for both of their twenty-ninths.

"What am I doing wrong, Quartz?" Isaac spoke aloud. A light flash emitted beside him as Quartz appeared.

"You aren't doing anything wrong, Isaac; if anything, the pain you're feeling is the right thing. Anyone can see that only true love would make you feel the way you're feeling right now."

"But I just want to stop hurting and longing for her. I'm not saying that I don't love her, but I feel like I should be looking forward to the day when she returns instead of grieving for the fact that she's gone. I tried, you know I did, but I was kidding myself by pretending I wasn't in pain."

Quartz paused for a moment, furrowing her 'brow' to show she was thinking. "Um, it may not be the best idea, but perhaps I could call one of Mia's djinn over here. I'm not sure if it'll help you at all, but I don't really know what else to say that Patcher hasn't already told you."

Isaac thought for a moment. It wouldn't hurt to speak to one of Mia's djinn, but what was he supposed to say to them? In his head he thought it might help a bit, but in truth it would be no different than writing letters to her. Shaking his head, Isaac turned back towards the small Venus djinni.

"Thanks for the offer, Quartz, but I don't think it'll help. Besides, I don't want Mist to jump at the opportunity to bash on me. I don't think I could take it right now if she decided to blow up with insults and such."

Quartz, not quite sure what to do, just waited until Isaac waved his hand over her, signaling that it was okay for her to go back to wherever it was that djinn hid when they were not in battle. He sat alone again, staring at the orange flames that licked the bricks lining his chimney. What was he supposed to do without her? He'd already gone on an entire adventure and come back, but it still seemed as though Mia was far from returning.

"A year and a half," he muttered to himself, "what's another year without her? I might as well get used to this because it seems like this is what it's gonna be like for quite some time."

He stayed like that, muttering depressing things until his eyelids began to droop and he felt his head fall back. The stairs suddenly seemed far away, and the room became dark as he fell into an uneasy slumber.

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"Isaac? Hey, Isaac, wake up. Isaac… c'mon, man, get up already! ISAAC!"

Said Venus adept was roughly shaken awake by what felt like an earthquake. He groggily opened his eyes to see Garet standing over him, his strong hand still on the Venus adept's shoulder from shaking him awake.

"Ugh, finally you're up. Man, you must've been out cold."

He wasn't really sure what Garet was talking about, but as he went to sit up, a massive pulsing, swelling feeling took over his head. Garet immediately noticed and lay the Venus adept back down on the couch.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, easy there, big guy, you're gonna knock yourself out. Had a little too much to drink last night I can see."

Isaac blinked confusedly at his friend. He was… hung over? He'd only had a few glasses of champagne that they used to toast the newly wedded couple.

"Too much? Garet, I only had two glasses of champagne! If I recall correctly, it was you who let yourself go at the wedding!" Isaac's own shouting caused another throb to pulse itself through his head, causing him to groan in pain and rub his temples.

Garet however looked down at his friend in the utmost confusion. Isaac wasn't sure why his friend had that look on his face, but the Mars adept's expression quickly changed from confusion to amusement. Before he knew it, his moustached friend was laughing, though lightly so not to hurt Isaac's head.

"Wedding?! Man, I knew something was up when I hadn't heard any news from you in a while. Isaac, I'll try to clear this up for you. I wasn't with you last night. In fact I haven't seen you for three months now!"

Isaac's eyes shot open. He couldn't have heard that right. Three months? But he was just at the wedding last night, how could Garet have been gone for three months?!

Noticing his friend's obvious confusion, Garet continued, "Gee, if I'd have known you were this depressed about Mia I wouldn't have left your side, Isaac. Ivan and Sam have been married for six months. You must've been dreaming or something, because I have no idea how you thought all of that happened last night. Have you… have you been drinking every day, Isaac?"

Foggy memories started to creep back into Isaac's mind as he tried to remember the past six months. Scattered remnants came to him, so he tried as best he could to piece it together for the concerned Mars adept standing over him.

"I, uh… I don't really know. I suppose that would probably answer your question though. I guess tried to keep myself occupied after Ivan's wedding, but I only kept myself busy for some short amount of time. After that I must've started drinking heavily enough that everything from the wedding to now is just a blur."

Garet crossed his arms, showing signs of disappointment towards his alcoholic friend. Isaac was the last person anyone thought might wind up as a drunkard, but here he was, lying on his couch after another night of drinking himself stupid. It certainly seemed unbecoming of someone with the titles of Captain, Lord, and the Master of Earth. The Venus adept was ashamed to admit it, but he felt like he and Garet had switched roles at some point, since Garet now seemed like more of the casual drinker. Isaac couldn't even recognize himself anymore.

"I can't believe you, Isaac," Garet scolded. "It's one thing to do nothing except act all bored and depressed, but turning to binge drinking is not what anyone expected of you. I'm actually curious now, have you and Mia still been writing to each other? If you can't even remember a day of the past six months, I'm almost afraid to see some of the things you've tried writing to her."

Isaac motioned to his room to indicate that any letters he may have written or received would be upstairs. Garet swiftly made his way upstairs, careful not to make too much noise. Now that he thought about it, Isaac couldn't remember if he had been writing to Mia. He feared more than anything to worry her with a lack of his communication. She would assume the worst, probably thinking that Mt. Aleph erupted again and took out the cabin with it. It was a lot for his drunken twenty-nine – no, he must've been thirty by now if it really had been six months – to take in. The sound of Garet's footsteps descending the stairs made Isaac hold his breath. He was relieved, then, to see his friend holding a stack of papers that seemed much thicker than it had been the last he remembered.

"Well, lucky for you, you don't seem to have come off as a drunkard in your letters, judging from Mia's regular-sounding responses. You better get clean, though, Isaac. Whether Mia's coming back soon or not, you can't spend all your time – not to mention gold – on regretful nights of drinking and hating yourself. I'm gonna tell Patch what's been going on and make sure that his new bartender doesn't sell you anything. I'll be damned if you try to get alcohol some other way."

With that, Garet stormed out of the house, dropping the stack of letters on Isaac's chest. He must have assumed that Isaac didn't remember any of the contents, so Isaac was thankful that he left them for him to look over. He rapidly flipped through the unrecognizable papers and read over Mia's words carefully. How it warmed him to see that she'd never stopped writing to him, even while he was a drunken mess. It must have taken him quite an effort not to appear as though something was wrong when he was writing his to her (though in a few of her letters she noted that his penmanship was sometimes messy and difficult to read). Oddly enough, the last letter she'd sent him was dated back to two months ago.

An uneasy feeling crept into his chest at that point. What if he'd stopped writing to her, or what if he'd said something to ruin things between them? Doing his best to ignore his hangover, Isaac quickly got a glass of water and headed upstairs to investigate his room for any signs of a recent letter.

What he found was a bedroom in tatters. The blinds were bent in the middle, allowing for sunlight to shine through some spots; there were bottles lying everywhere; and his mattress was clearly stained with spilled booze. The smell of lingering alcohol nearly made him throw up, but Isaac held it in as he carefully shuffled through his drawers and cupboards. The only thing he could tell was that he had written to her some time ago, as his dried out quill lay beside a blank piece of parchment on his desk. However, his pigeon was nowhere to be seen. Though he assumed that this was an indication that he had responded to her, the thought that his drunken self may have released or accidentally killed the bird was something he could not overlook.

With nothing left to find at the cabin, Isaac threw on his blue, armoured trench coat and left his house, making sure to lock the door behind him. Maybe Patcher would have answers for him; after all, Isaac had apparently been frequenting the place over the past months. It couldn't hurt to try, and he was pretty sure that he wouldn't be tempted to buy a drink. Quickly as he could, Isaac set out from the cabin and down the path.

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It was dark outside, and Isaac was exhausted from all the running around he'd been doing that day. After trying to get some information from the new bartender (though, the unfamiliar bartender had apparently been serving him for the past while), he made his way down to Kalay to see if anyone had heard anything about him over the past few months. Apparently, no one could think of anything regarding him other than that he hadn't shown his face around anywhere for the past half year.

Disappointed with his findings, Isaac trudged up the mountain path, head hung low in disappointment as he walked. No one had been able to give him much helpful information, and from the limited things everyone had been saying, he'd just been living like a hermit, only going out to get himself drunk before going back home. For all he knew his relationship with Mia was destroyed. How could he possibly have screwed up the one perfect thing in his life? She made him stay so that he'd be safe, but he may as well have gone after her to Imil since he'd broken his promise to be safe anyway. He was a danger to himself without her guidance.

Isaac sighed as he passed by the lively community nestled in the rock face. He watched as a laughing child ran out of a doorway, soon followed by her smiling father. The parent roared and picked her up, pretending to eat her as she squealed in giddiness. He swung her around and gave her a big kiss on the cheek before a voice caught both of their attentions. A pretty woman stood in the doorway of the house, a baby boy in her arms. The father let his daughter down so she could run back and the two parents shared a light kiss as he took his son from her. The family quietly re-entered their house and closed the door behind them, completely unaware of the Venus adept who had watched them from afar.

Mia… I hope someday we can be like that. All I ever wanted was to have a loving family and live like a normal man. Why must all this pain and sadness exist in my life? I'm burdened with such horrible loneliness, and all I ever wanted was love. I don't know if I drove you away, but I'm truly sorry for anything stupid I may have said. I know you can't hear me, but know that I love you, Mia, and I always will.

Isaac sadly sniffled and wiped his nose before dragging his feet towards the tunnel. He never thought that he'd asked for much in his life, just to be a normal person living a normal life. Before he met Mia, it didn't matter whom it would be with, just so long as he loved the woman he was with. Now that he'd met his soulmate though, it just seemed impossible to picture himself with anyone else.

He shook his head as he entered the crystalline tunnel. No, no more depressing thoughts. Being depressed is what wound me up here in the first place. I do need Mia, but I can't have her if I don't get my act together. All I've done for the past two years is mope and complain about how my life is terrible. If I don't pick myself up, then I don't deserve someone like Mia. Right, starting now, I'm a changed man. I'm going to clean up my act and make sure that Mia returns to someone who deserves her love.

Keeping his chin up, Isaac exited the tunnel with a newfound confidence. He almost laughed at his strange new strength as he crossed the bridge towards his cabin. Stopping in the middle, he gazed out towards Mt. Aleph. The volcano was like him; it brimmed with power but kept it all inside. He needed to let his feelings out at a regular, healthy rate or he would end up like the volcano, bursting and potentially destroying everything around him that he once held dear. Tossing a rock over the canyon, Isaac casually paced towards his cabin.

Upon reaching it however, he was surprised to find the door unlocked. He was almost certain that he'd locked it when he left, and there were only a few people other than himself that had keys. He cautiously pushed open the door and unsheathed the small knife on his belt. Someone was definitely here. The lantern by the bookshelf hadn't been on when he left, and he definitely hadn't left the back window open.

"Isaac…" came a voice by the kitchen doorway.

Said adept quickly spun towards the source of the voice and held the knife up over his head. But what he saw made him start to shake and shiver. He felt paralyzed, not sure if he should be saying something or running towards them. The knife clattered to the floor as his clammy hand lost its grip on the handle and fell to his side. The speaker, realizing Isaac was frozen in place, chuckled and started pacing towards him.

"I was planning to surprise you, but I didn't realize you'd be so… how should I put it, immobile."

He felt his throat dry, disabling him from speaking when the other person closed the door. His heart was just about ready to burst out of his chest. Was he afraid? Why should he be afraid? Where had all that newfound confidence gone? So much for that pep talk. He was feeling about as brave as a kitten and stable as a cooked noodle. If not for his muscles being stuck in their current position, Isaac was sure he would've collapsed to the floor.

"Aren't you going to say something? I was hoping we'd be able to have a conversation," laughed the speaker. "I suppose it has been some time, but it almost looks as though you've forgotten me. I certainly hope that isn't it, for I couldn't forget about you if I tried. Or is it that my sudden appearance has left you speechless? If that's the case, then I'm flattered."

Isaac continued staring, still unsure how to react. That long, azure hair; those piercing, blue eyes; and familiar white robes left the Venus adept in what could be best described as a trance. He wanted to do something, anything, but his body seemed to disobey him. A gesture would suffice if he could move, but the paralysis still hadn't left his body. After what seemed like minutes of silence, he finally managed to stammer out a single word, though his dry throat hurt as he muttered it. It was such a fluid motion for his tongue that he wasn't sure why he hadn't been able to say it before. Without another thought, the sound escaped his dry throat.

"M-Mia?"

Oh shiiiiiiiiiiii- Mia's finally back! In case you were wondering, yes, I was trying to make it seem like Alex had come back and invaded his house. Sorry if that made Mia seem a little OOC, but now that you know it's her, reading that in her tone of voice should still seem at least somewhat characteristic :P

Man, I wasn't going to have her come back just yet, but I honestly couldn't think of any more angsty things for Isaac to whine and complain about. I was also running out of things to have him do in the meantime lol. I apologize if you find my time jumping lazy, but I'm sure that most of you, like me, are tired of waiting for his fiancée to return to his life.

To be honest, I rather disliked this chapter while writing it. I couldn't get into it at all, but I couldn't find a better way to have it work up to Isaac and Mia reuniting. It's also really short because of that, so I apologize dearly. I know that I probably shouldn't post a chapter until I'm happy with it, but I don't think I could've been happy with this chapter, it's just the way this one plays out. Besides, the next chapter is a direct continuation of this one, and it will be much more dramatic than all of this other stuff I've been writing.

The main point of everything, though, was to get Isaac and Mia reunited again. Sorry for all those depressing filler chapters for the past while, but they were kind of leading up to this moment. I had to ingrain the feeling of desperation and loneliness felt by Isaac into your souls. Things should start to pick up from here (by pick up I mean get more interesting, not necessarily uplifting), so hopefully I haven't bored everyone out of their minds from the last few chapters.

So, what did you guys think? Did you dislike this chapter as much as I did, or did you actually like it? I'd like it if more than just my regulars reviewed because I seem to only get the same two or three people reviewing every time. Not that I don't like you two, in fact you're my favourite people :), but it would be nice to hear what the other readers think of this, too. Don't think I don't know that you other people are reading this, I can see the statistics on my story page :P

Please review and check out my soundcloud (two new songs)! Oh and if you haven't already, I respectfully ask that you also read my other story, Clear as Mud. It's not at all depressing or related to this one :)

-GengaJupite