Last one tonight, I swear.

[dracobolt]

Disclaimer: YAY! This is the last time I have to write one of these things! YAY! This is the last time I have to write one of these things! I must admit that I'm a little sad to end my story, since it's been so much fun to write, but all good things must come to an end eventually. And so does this. As stated in all previous chapters, I don't own Golden Sun--just this story. So without further ado…

*Chapter 12*

The forest was almost completely quiet when the early light of dawn peaked through the leaves. How could the sun be up already? Last night had gone by all too fast , a whirlwind of acid hits and crazy sex, but perhaps that was for the best. Mia wanted to forget all about the Fire Clan and her unpleasant stay in Tartarus. Those guys had never heard of safe words. But the events of last night would forever remain fresh in her memory. Sneaking around the village streets under a cardboard box, confronting the guards, the battle against Valerdo, and then that final flare arrow that no one had seen in time. It played out like a movie in her mind I’m picturing Julia Roberts as Mia, maybe Heath Ledger as Isaac. Let’s just be sure not to get Jake Gyllenhaal as Garet., as did those sweet words from the one she loved with all her soul. She'd unintentionally fallen asleep shortly after that a little too much opium, which she blamed on both her illness and the sheer exhaustion from the escape.

Freedom felt like a miracle. Normally, she wrote off any good fortune to dumb luck, but this time she knew it was a real, heaven-sent, low-fat Miracle Whip.

A miracle named Isaac.

Her grandfather had once told her that everyone in the world has a soulmate--someone who not only loves you but also completes you. Then again, her grandfather also talked a lot about the damned aliens and their transmitters in his head, how the Republican Party was in league with the Soviets, and how that layabout newsboy hadn’t actually been delivering the news but had been stealing their milk instead. Mia usually chose to up his medication when he began working himself up into a frothing-at-the-mouth rant, but she was a naïve, romantic soul, so she’d listened to the old coot’s ravings and let herself get brainwashed. Supposedly, only the most fortunate individuals ever found that soulmate within their lifetimes. The rest had to settle for immigrants in need of citizenship and closet homosexuals who wanted to keep up appearances. If Mia had had any doubts about her love for Isaac or his love for her, the events of last night had totally erased them. They were true soulmates, parts of the same whole, and destined to be together forever. Except for the part where, you know, Isaac dies.

************

"Stupid piece of…" Garet sputtered. He was trying to get the ship unstuck from the shore, and everything he'd tried hadn't worked. Of course, he’d only tried shouting at it and running into it headfirst at full speed. How were they going to continue their journey when their ride wouldn't budge?

Jenna was sitting on one of the rocks nearby, watching the sky as it started to turn various shades of gold and pink with the beginning of the sunset instead of helping Garet or anything like that. She remembered Isaac's words; if I'm not back by sunset tomorrow, go without me If you drop the soap, leave it. His time limit was almost up. Where was he? He had to come back…he just had to! He had the key to her chastity belt, dangit!

"Dammit!" Garet cursed at the boat. "How's a guy supposed to save the world with this piece of junk for his transportation?" He’d been saying to Isaac for a long time that they needed to upgrade to an Arwing. He went to join Jenna. "Well, if we can't free the boat, I guess we'll just have to stay here a little longer."

"The sun's going down," said Jenna quietly, as porno music started playing in the background.

"Really? I hadn't noticed."

She scowled. The music screeched to a halt. "Is that all you can say? You idiot! Aren't you worried about him?"

"Hey, I've been pacing the deck just as much as the rest of you. Don't you dare accuse me of not being concerned!"

Jenna sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm just…"

"…Worried? Constipated? I know. We all are."

They silently watched as the glowing red disc sank lower and lower in the sky. Still no sign of their friend. Jenna felt her heart thumping against her ribcage and her stomach doing flip-flops. How could she have let Isaac go off on his own? And all for that girl no less! Ah, who am I kidding? she thought. If I hadn't chased Mia away, none of this would've happened. And if Isaac never comes back, I'll have no one but myself to blame. Stupid Mia! No one else to blame. Stupid Mia. Lol, denial. What do you have that would make him forsake everything else? Well… [Censored]. Also, [Censored] [Censored] and a [Censored] which is [Censored]. Also, lots of [Censored]. I’ll leave you, gentle readers, to fill in the blanks.

"Garet?" she asked. "Are you still mad at me?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. You did start this whole mess, after all, but I guess a part of me understands why you were jealous of Mia. Just see the last sporker’s note."

"Really? A [Censored]?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, Isaac’s practically my brother. I wouldn’t want anyone or anything to ever change that. Unless that meant we could, uh, star in some yaoi fics. Darn incest taboo."

"Then doesn’t it bother you that he chose Mia over you? That he threw away a lifetime of your
loyalty and friendship for a girl he’s known less than a year?"

Garet shook his head. "He didn’t throw it away. He made sure to put it in the recycling
bin."

"How can you say that? You and I both saw him stay behind to risk his life for that girl! How is that not throwing away everything he has with us?"

"Jenna, you and I both know that in a perfect world, the three of us wouldn’t ever have to split up, there would be month-long orgies, and I would have gotten that pony for Christmas five years ago. But the world’s not always perfect, and things are bound to come up that will divide us. And that includes relationships with other people."

"And you’re fine with that?" Jenna demanded. "Discarded just because he got involved with someone out of the circle? What's wrong with you? Why won't you fight for him?"

"You mean like you did?" he implored. "Look what came of that! What's the matter with you, Jenna? Why won't you let him go?"

Jenna's eyes watered the flowers. "You can ask me that when everything I held dear was stolen from me in one terrifying instant? You mean when you were character-raped in this fic? I have nothing to return to when this is over! My parents are gone and my brother may as well be. How can I let you and Isaac slip away from me when you're all I have left?"

Garet smiled reassuringly and put an arm around her. "Hey, don't cry, Jenna. We're not going anywhere--at least I'm not. Well, I might run over to Kroger’s to pick up a Milky Way in a little. I’m kinda hungry. But I’ll be back in fifteen minutes, tops. No matter what happens, we'll always be here for you one way or another. But to want Isaac to forsake his own happiness just for you is a selfish request. He's been through a lot too, and I think he deserves to have what he wants. And if what he wants involves whips, banana lip balm, and a trampoline, we have to be accommodating. Don't you agree?"

"Yes," she replied, sniffing a bit. She leaned her head against his shoulder. "Thank you, Garet. You may be an oaf, but sometimes you do know what to say."

Sheba and Ivan looked down at their friends from the bow of the ship, smiting. Then they both looked at the fading sun, wondering where their missing companions were and wishing that they'd hurry back. "Do you understand it, Ivan?" she asked.

"Understand what?"

"The answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything. This whole 42 thing’s just not working for me. Why Isaac chose to do what he did. Hormones. It seems a bit…illogical. Error. Error. Does not compute!"

Ivan shrugged. "Perhaps, but then again, I've never been in love."

"It's frightening to think that one emotion could have such a powerful hold over a person." Like a demon. She paused a moment, staring off into space. "Do you think they'll make it back?"

"We can only hope. With any luck, Isaac got in and out of Tartarus without being seen by anyone. But if the guards caught sight of him, he'd be horribly outnumbered." He scratched his head.

"Then again, Isaac's at his best when the odds are stacked against him." Can’t be properly heroic when things are plausible.

Sheba had a cancerous lump in her throat. "I should've said something sooner. If I had spoken up, Mia never would've left and none of this would've happened." I blame Sheba, too. Some Jupiter Adept she turned out to be. She could have foretold this whole travesty of a fic.

"Don't blame yourself, Sheba. It won't do any good. No matter how these events pan out, we can't change the past. All we can do is hope for a decent future." Not work for it, mind you. Just hope.

"I know, but what are we supposed to do without them?" Hot se- … I’m sorry, is that getting old by now?

"We'll continue on to the Mars Lighthouse and find Felix," Ivan replied plainly. "That's what who Isaac wanted, so that's what who we'll do."

"You're a really good friend, Ivan," she said with a small smile. "I'm glad that I've had this chance to journey with you."

"Likewise. I've felt so much more normal since meeting other Adepts, and meeting another Jupiter Adept is even better. It's as if I finally discovered my real place in the world." Ivan found his corner of the sky.

"Me too."

The ocean glittered with reflections of red, pink, orange and gold and octarine. Ivan and Sheba went to join Garet and Jenna on the beach and watch the sunset. Later, Garet would get out his guitar, and they’d sing songs while Jenna toasted marshmallows with her Psynergy. Normally, this would be a sight to enjoy, but not tonight. The four of them were at a total loss for words as the sun disappeared from sight and the final rays of light began to die away, along with their hopes of Isaac's return. If he had successfully rescued Mia, the two of them should be back by now. The fact that they weren't could only mean one thing. The two of them had found a cheap motel in which to, er, express their joy at their reunion. Tears slowly fell down Jenna's face, Matrix-style.

"Oh, god!" she whispered, trying to fight off her sorrow and despair. "He's not coming back!"

Garet looked up at the sky, not wanting to accept a future without his best friend. Miss Cleo had lied! What would he do without Isaac anyway? They'd been together all their lives--practically family. It'd be like missing a part of himself. Garet equated Isaac with his left ear and a chunk of his upper arm. "Isaac, you idiot," he sighed. "Why'd you have to run off and be so heroic anyway? For teh drama!!!1 You know that I do stupid stuff when you're not around."

"Well, I figured I could trust you to man the fort for a day," said a voice from behind. "Don't tell me that was a mistake."

The four whirled to see none other than Isaac and Mia Zoorti with a rusty metal hook standing near the edge of the woods, both of them smiling maniacally away. Garet, Ivan, and Sheba ran to embrace them, but Jenna stayed where she was and stared at them as if they were became a ghosts. They were OK! It was almost too good to be true.

"You're late!" Garet accused as he squeezed Isaac.

"Ouch!" Isaac yelped. "Be gentle with me please--I'm a little sore."

"Sorry," said Garet. He let Isaac go. "You both look like hell."

"Gee, thanks!" Isaac and Mia said together. They had practiced.

"I'm so glad you're all right!" Sheba exclaimed, hugging Mia. "We were so worried!"

"I'm glad to be back," said Mia. "I missed all of you more than I can say."

"I assume that the rescue mission went smoothly?" Ivan inquired.

"Well, it hit a few bumps," Isaac said. ”We had trouble finding a motel we could afford.

"A few?" Mia questioned. "Isaac, you took on a small army, not to mention one of their strongest warriors!"

"You mean you got to have all that fun without me?" Garet demanded. "No fair!"

Isaac made a face. "Garet, you're impossible, you know that?"

"Tell us all the details," said Sheba. "How'd you manage to get in and out of there alive?" Deus Ex Machina, author favoritism, plot device… Take your pick.

"Can it wait until later?" Isaac begged. "We're both exhausted, and Mia needs to be indoors where it's warm. And how come the ship's not ready to go?"

"Because Garet couldn't get it to move is an incompetent oaf whose only purpose is to be a foil to your heroic personality," said Ivan. "I'm telling you, Isaac--we'd fall apart without you."

"Isn't it sweet how much we all rely on you?" Mia implored. Like Peeps dipped in frosting.

"Now I know how my mom must feel," Isaac sighed. Hot flashes and all, Isaac? Jenna suddenly hugged him, which he willingly returned this time.

"I'm so sorry for everything, Isaac," she said. "What can I do to make amends for it? I'll do anything I swear! BSDM, furry role-playing, anything! I don't want you to hate me anymore."

"I don't hate you, Jenna," Isaac said. "I'll forgive you if you do two things for me. One, promise that you won't ever do anything like that again."

"Done," said Jenna. "What's the other?"

"Apologize to Mia."

"Oh, Isaac, that's not necessary," Mia said.

"No, he's right," said Jenna, going to Mia. "I was wrong, Mia. It was selfish of me to try to keep you away from him when he clearly loves you more than anything, even my sextacular bod. And I know that he wouldn't feel this strongly about you unless you felt the same way in return. I want Isaac to be happy, and if that's what you do for him, then you two belong together. But I wouldn't blame you if you decided to hate me forever."

Mia smiled. "I forgave you long ago, Jenna. I understood your desire to protect him and keep him close to you from the beginning, because I feel the same way about him. In fact, if anyone tried to hurt Isaac, I’d rape them with a mace and then eat them. Isaac's very special, and I know that anyone who could care about him as much as you do and be as important to him as you are must also be very special."

Jenna smiled too. "Yes, he is a rare and special friend. And it makes sense that the girl that could capture his heart must be equally so." Let’s all praise the canon Sue!

"Truce?" Mia asked, extending a hand.

"Truce." And they shook on it.

"Does this mean we won't be seeing any catfights?" Garet asked, sounding disappointed.

Jenna elbowed him in the stomach. "I take back every nice thing I ever said about you." The others laughed.

"Now that that's settled, what's next?" Ivan asked.

"We continue our quest The same thing we do every night, Pinky. Try to take over the world!," said Isaac. "Let's see if we can get our ride moving again pimped out."

************

By the following evening, everything was shipshape and the Adepts were at sea once again, continuing their search for Lemuria, Felix, and the Mars Lighthouse, wherever they may be. After dinner, Garet, Jenna, Ivan and Sheba sat around the table in the galley and listened to Isaac's tale about the escape from Tartarus, which held everyone on the edges of their seats.

"You do get to have all the fun," Garet griped when he'd finished. Well, they do say that about blonds. "I'm not letting you go off on your own ever again."

"We shouldn't have let you go alone," Jenna said. "It sounds like you could've used our help."

Isaac shrugged. "In the actual fighting, yes, but getting in and out of there was easier with only Mia and myself to take care of. If you guys had been there, it might've been harder overall. I'm just glad it's over."

"It sounds like you dealt a major blow to the Fire Clan by taking out that Valerdo guy," said Ivan. "Hopefully that means we won't encounter any more of their kind in our travels." Only if the author needs a convenient bad guy, Ivan.

"Something confuses me though," Sheba began. "You said that neither of you had the power to heal your injury and yet you're still here. Was it just not as serious as you thought, or did something else happen?" Heeere we go. DEM time.

"No, it was serious enough," Isaac said. He crossed his arms and looked thoughtful. "I don't really know what happened. We were there in the woods and Mia was crying like crazy, telling me that I couldn't die after all we'd been through to be together. I think I said that I wouldn't abandon her again, and the rest gets fuzzy. I remember seeing a warm green light and feeling the bleeding stop and then I guess I fell asleep. Very weird." I’m just glad you’re telling us this, not showing.

The others looked equally perplexed. "A green light?" Garet asked. "Are you sure it wasn't blue?"

"Positive. It was green."

"But what kind of Psynergy gives off a green color?" Jenna wondered. "All the elements have designated colors that don't ever change. Kraden Camelot was certain of it."

"Yeah," Sheba agreed. "I've never heard of such a thing as green Psynergy. Psynergy comes in only one of four colors--yellow, red, blue and purple."

"Maybe you imagined it, Isaac," Garet suggested. "It must've been Mia's powers that healed you and maybe you just thought it was green. You were kinda dying there."

"There was no way Mia healed me," Isaac said. "Believe me, she tried with all her might and nothing happened."

Ivan strummed his fingers against the table, thinking. "Earth is yellow, water is blue. And if one combines the colors yellow and blue, green is the result. Call me crazy, but I think Isaac really did see green Psynergy. I'll bet it was the result of his power combining with Mia's." Oh jeez. Here it comes.

"But neither one of them had any Psynergy left!" Sheba exclaimed.

"You can't combine something that's not there," Garet added.

"Remember that time we were in Kolima village and our Psynergy protected us from Tret's curse?" Ivan implored. "We weren't controlling it, but our powers made us immune to Tret's glamour and
we determined that some Psynergy must work only when it's needed. Maybe that's what happened here." It’s so incredibly cheesy.

"So since neither Isaac nor Mia had enough power to heal his injury, their Psynergy chose to combine in order to heal him?" Jenna asked. "That's a little far-fetched, don't you think?" Well, since you asked…

Ivan shrugged. "It's just a theory, but I don't think it's that odd when you consider how much Mia and Isaac love each other. Their love could be the answer to the energy crisis. It could power a medium-sized city.Their fervent desire to be together could've allowed them to tap any hidden resources they had."

Sheba sighed longingly. "Then their love saved the day! That's so romantic!" I think I saw a Harry Potter fan fic like that once.

Garet groaned. "That's so corny! I think I'm going to be seasick!" May I join you?

Isaac laughed to himself and silently slipped out of the galley, leaving the others to debate the matter as much as they pleased. He walked the short distance to the Captain's quarters--the plush stateroom that no one used. They'd been unable to figure out a fair way to determine who got it, since it was so much nicer than the regular cabins. For now, however, it served as Mia's room so she wouldn't risk giving her flu to anyone else. Solution? Give her a Psynergy Stone and have her cast Ply on herself. That healed the sick people in Imil, didn’t it? Oh, wait, I’ll bet her flu is some special Sue Flu which can only be overcome with the healing cock true love and plenty of fluids. He opened the door as quietly as he could, but she hadn't been sleeping very soundly and stirred at the soft creaking noise.

"Hi, Isaac," she said as she sat up. "I was hoping you'd come visit me before you turned in for the night."

"I'm sorry--I didn't mean to wake you." He shut the door. "How are you feeling?"

"Better. It's amazing what a warm bed and a good night's sleep can do." The color was already returning to her face. She smiled broadly. "Did the others like the story of how my brave, handsome, completely wonderful knight-at-arms risked everything to save me from the most fearsome creatures in the entire world?" This… is disturbing. The really scary bit? I’ve actually seen couples act this way in real life. Yeah, I know. It brings to mind the Pratchett quote “Real children don’t go hoppity-skip unless they are on drugs”.

Isaac grinned, chuckling and blushing a bit. "They were on the edges of their seats."

"Good." Mia lightly patted the bed to beckon him over. "This still feels a bit like a dream. I know we were only apart for a few days, but it felt like forever. I don't want to be away from you ever again."

"Me either." He sat down on the edge of the bed. "Like I said--I want us to always be together."

Mia looked crestfallen. "I'd never forget that promise we made, but those Fire Clan guards took the ring you gave me. I'm sorry, Isaac. I didn't ever want to take it off."

"Well, maybe this will make it up to you." Isaac rifled through his pocket and pulled out another ring. It was blue like the first, but this one also had a beautiful sparkling diamond. I carry around a couple spare rings just in case. You’d be surprised how often I have to propose to people.

"Oh, Isaac!" she gasped in complete surprise. "It's gorgeous! Wherever did you get it?"

"A vending machine in the supermarket. Would you believe I found it in the Jupiter Lighthouse? No. It was adorning a statue in one of the treasure shrines we found. I saw it and knew it was perfect for you." He smiled. "This ring seems more worthy of our vow, don't you think?"

"It's a little overwhelming. I've never permanentlyowned anything so glamorous. I used to be a bit of a kleptomaniac until I was caught stealing pencil erasers from Walgreens."

Isaac placed the ring on her finger. "Well, now you do. Mia, if any good has come of this mess, it's that now I have no doubts about us at all. I know with every ounce of my being that we belong together."

"Me too. We're soulmates, Isaac. You and I are one, now and forever." Why not just enter the astral plane already?

"Then there's only one thing left for us to do. Soulbond. What do you say, Mia? When our quest ends and all our duties are done, will you give me the honor of becoming your husband?"

She threw her arms around him, laughing in complete elation. "YES!" She pulled him in for a long kiss. Together at last as it was meant to be, they soon lost themselves in that sweet surrender. Then Mia got nauseous and puked all over him. She kinda had the flu, remember?

*~The End~*

OK, so it was incredibly mushy Yes. Yes, it was., but what can I say You’re sorry would be a start. --it's a love story! Thanks so much to all of you who read this and gave me those wonderful reviews. I hope you enjoyed my story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Now, question time! Should I spork the sequel?