[Destiny Smasher]

Allrighty, then.

I'll keep this description brief and explain details later if people show interest.

I'm in the process of writing a major crossover fanfic project called the Destinia Saga.

This fic is one of the stories in that series, and all of the stories tie together in one very large plot.

Anyway, this fic focuses mainly on Jenna and 'Eddy,' who is essentially Isaac. However, I went through the whole Golden Sun series with his name as 'Eddy,' and the name stuck, so bear with me on that. Not like he ever talked much, anyway...

You may notice the crossover elements this fic will dive into right from the get-go. Though I certainly pay attention to other Golden Sun characters, Eddy and Jenna are the main two I focus on.

The other Golden Sun characters get caught into the plot of another Winds of Fate story- A Thousand Needles. (Tales of Symphonia/Golden Sun/InuYasha)

Anyway, like I said, I can answer questions and explain later. For now, here's the Prologue...

**********

Winds of Fate: Golden Sunrise

Prologue- A Chance

The fierce winds drifted around erratically, and the three figures atop the legendary tower conversed calmly. Although rain poured and cold harsh winds blew, it mattered not to them. After all, they were supernatural beings. And here they werem setting aside differences to arrange the types of plans that god-like figures do.

As a matter of fact, the rain passed clear through them, as if they weren't there. Though in some form or another, they must have been.

They were three figures quite different from one another in appearence, and probably in motive as well. But they all seemed to be agreeing on one goal.

The first was a large, round rock which floated in the air with ease. Upon his gray, bumpy surface, smack in the middle of his front side, was an almost unworldly eyeball. The eyeball was the only thing that let one know this creature as alive, and it was surprising just how much one eyeball coud show emotion.

"Are you sure that now is the right time?" he questioned solemnly, doubt in his tone.

"Oh, very sure," came an old, equaly wise voice from his right.

This figure was similar in the aspect that it really had no body, and merelt floated around. But this being was yellow, in the shape of a star. Plastered upon his face were two eyes and a large, white mustache that covered his mouth. The mustache wiggled around whenever he spoke.

"How is that so?" The Wise One, a god-like figure of Weyward, asked the star.

"Right now, things have been quite difficult lately. We realize that unless we pool our strengths together, we may not stand a chance against this threat. Our numbers are growing, but so are theirs."

The star was Eldstar, the leader of the Honorable Star Spirits, a group whose duty was to manage Star Haven, a special place where wishes could be granted. It was their duty to protect Stellon, their homeworld. Or at least see to it that someone ELSE protected it, for that matter.

The cunning 'rocky-eye' paused to ponder this. He knew not of this 'threat' of which they spoke, but he felt he could trust them. Whatever it was, it must be dire.

"So you wish you connect this world with the rest," he assumed in a very thoughtful tone.

"It's been some time since Weyward has been open. I've kept it shut off for quite some time. What if in opening it up again only leads to more disaster? It was only recently that the Golden Sun rose, it's energy still lingers above the planet. Anyone with the right capabilities could easily absorb it..."

Eldstar's brows furrowed. He was right, was't he?

"Kamek..." the star grumbled, noting the 'anyone' part of the Wise One's scenario.

"I don't believe Kamek will notice the Alchemy until Weyward is closely linked with the rest of our galaxy..." Eldstar noted. "He's so contained with everything before him that another world would simply not be in his best interests right now. Besides, if we wait too long, then Kamek will eventually breach into Weyward. And I feel confident in saying that this planet cannot defend itself alone, not from what Kamek has become, and certainly not from what he will be should we do nothing to stop..."

Finally, the third being chimed in. She was a bit small in comparison to the others, and a lot skinnier. A human-like form, with tan skin. She had a pinkish suit of silk, and large, gold bracelets on her arms. Her hair was a flaming red, put into a large, puffy ponytail. She was Din, a goddess from the world Hylia. She and her two sisters had created the planet and ruled it ever since.

"Whoa, like, wait a minute..." her fiesty voice cried out.

"Like, what's big the deal?" she asked irritably, her hands on her hips.

Eldstar and the Wise One stared at Din for a moment as if she were a fool.

"Hm, I see you aren't quite up to speed with foreign affairs, are you?" Eldstar mumbled. "I would think one of the three Goddesses would surely-"

"I don't do all that!" Din spat out, crossing her arms. "I take care of my OWN place, I worry about my OWN creatures..." Her beautiful, unworldly eyes darted around, observing the night skies, the raindrops, the wind...It was quite marvelous, she had to admit. And this great tower...A beautiful peace of architecture, she wasn't so sure if her little Hylians could build such a thing as the Mars Lighthouse.

"-in which case, who shall we send?" The Wise One questioned, his eye narrowed at Eldstar.

"Hm..." Eldstar paused. "Your planet, it...it has no heroes? No one with a pure heart...?"

The Wise One's eye opened slowly, and glanced southeast, toward where Vale once stood. The peaceful town of vale, of course, had been destroyed when the Golden Sun's rays bathed Mount Aleph. Thankfully, everyone managed to escape in time, so no one was killed.

Din's attention snapped back to the conversation at hand.

"Whoa, wait...What are we deciding...?"

Eldstar sighed and muttered, "Din, I am relieved to know you have two sisters who help maintain your world, your attention span is far too short to fully make wise choices..."

Din huffed and rolled her eyes at the Star. Who was he to say such things! She was much older than he!

"In order to fully link worlds together, a candidate must be chosen to commence the portal. It can sometimes be a very serious process, for the whole security of the planet is vulnerable for a time."

Din blinked at him, her eyelashes fluttering a bit. "Soooo...Like, what does THAT mean?"

"It means," Eldstar boldly declared, "That someone with a noble heart must be chosen. They must be trustworthy and able."

"And I believe I may know of the perfect candidate..." The Wise One murmured, stil staring southeast.

"Who may this be...?" Eldstar inquired, his attention completely leaving Din.

"Mmm..." The Wise One's eye closed calmly. "He has a loyal heart. He cares about those around him with all of his heart, as well. And his greatest wish is to make those around him happy. To make sure all know that he cares. I believe he would do ANYTHING for his friends."

Eldstar nodded in agreement.

"If you believe this boy is the right One, then you must send him out immeditately. We must get this task accomplished as quickly as possible."

"Have no fears, I trust this One...The powers of the Golden Sun rest within him..."

"Indeed," Eldstar said, understanding The Wise One's confidence. "Very well. I shall depart, no doubt things back home are in near shambles. Wise One, Din," he nodded to them both. "Good day to the both of you. I'm sure our paths will cross again soon."

"Totally," Din cried as he flew off. "And you'd better take good care of my Linky!!" she shouted sweetly.

"He is in good hands!" Eldstar declared, vanishing into the heavens of Weyward.

"Sooo!" Din turned to the rock with glee, her hands folded over her chest. "Is this hero-guy cute? Can I play matchmaker? I LOVE playing matchmaker with the little mortals! It is, like, SO TOTALLY FUN!!!" She squealed her last sentence, and she hopped a bit, her puffy ponytail whirling around gracefully.

The Wise One's eye displayed a sulky expression. For a Goddess, she seemed a bit immature in his eye. He was certainly not going to hand over the Fate of his creatures to this crazed girl. It was time to call him. It was time for the boy to prove his worth.

**********

[Sea of Time]

Wow...where do u get your ideas? That was amazing! You have to continue!

[Destiny Smasher]

Oh, you haven't seen the BEGINNING of my ideas.

I plead you to try out my other fiction, at least a Thousand Needles. The plot of A Thousand Needles relies a lot on Weyward, though the two main characters are from Tales of Symphonia. I am pretty happ with the ideas I've concocted for THAT fic. Matter of fact, I would REALLY like it if you tried out my other fics, too, assuming you have the time. ^_^

But if not, that's cool. ;)

Anyway, really sorry, but I can't post Chapter 1 right now. -_- I SWEAR I'll have it up tomorrow, unless something bad comes up or something... :(

But I doubt it. :)

This fic, by the way, focuses on Eddy (Isaac) and Jenna. The other Golden Sun characters have some plot at the beginning, but in order to see where their journeys take them, you'll have to read a Thousand Needles.

Tales of Symphonia, Golden Sun, and InuYasha characters are all thrown together, along with plenty of bizarre cameos.

-_- My brain is a stealthy ninja of freaky crossover-ness. Beware. :blink:

[Linear]

O_O! That's really interesting. Now your making me more tempted. XD awsome, cant wait. *goes to see story*

[Destiny Smasher]

As promised, here is some more, folks, but expect me to post any more of my fiction unless I get replies. ;)

I don't want to waste time here if no one is enjoying my work, is all.

*****

Winds of Fate: Golden Sunrise

Chapter 1- Awakening

Light filtered in through the windows, and spilnters of gold pricked at her face. She squinted in response, and yanked her blanket over her head for protection frm the sun's attack. But the beams of morning seemed to penetrate her defenses. With a groan, she decided it was no use and tossed her blanket off of her. Fortunately, it was actually fairly warm, so she didn't suffer from 'morning freeze'. (You know what I'm talkin' about!)

Her eyelids remained half-closed, and she sat on her bed, groggy for a monent or two. She wished she could have taken that lovely dream and hid it in a box to open up later. Afterall, what did she have to look forward to today? Just more of the same, and...

!!!

{OH!} She suddenly remembered what it was. She had been looking forward to this type of thing for SO LONG. Now all she had to do was get out of bed and go wake him up!

As she hurriedly put on her normal attire, her mind whirled.

{How much time am I gonna have? What will we talk about? Should I...Should I tell him...?}

When she felt comfortable with her outfit, she rushed to the small mirror in her room an scooped up an old brush that her mother once used when she was young.

Inspecting her hair, she concluded that it could certainly do with a good grooming. It was a fairly decent amount of hair, one could argue, but it didn't take her very long- she was used to it. With a sigh, she noticed three forks of hair poking up out of the elegant sea of auburn.

{Those ones never give up, do they?!} she whined within her mind. But it didn't matter, no one ever seemed to care.

Running her soft hands through her even softer hair, she noted that it was all in order, and stormed out of her bedroom, down the stairs, and into the kitchen.

There stood her mom, cooking as usual.

The teenage girl almost didn't notice the peculiarity of it, though. She was not making a traditional breakfast, but rather, she was making soup. At the time she was chopping up potatoes.

The girl skidded to a stop, a little confused.

"Jenna, where are you running off to?" the woman with short, red hair questioned, not even looking up. "You haven't even eaten anything. At least grab a roll or SOMETHING before you go scampering off."

Jenna gave an embarrassed smile and reached into a basket near her to feet to retrieve a delicious looking red fruit called an apple.

"Um...Mom, what are you making...?" she pondered curiously.

"We're having a big dinner tonight, dear, to celebrate. All your friends and their families will be coming, you know."

It came and smacked her in the face. Ah, of course! After weeks, all their efforts to rebuild Vale had become worthwhile, and the new place, although in a new location, was just as good as the old one.

"Oh," she murmured, her eyes darting for the door impatiently.

"Don't make me stop you," her mom chuckled warmly. "But at least tell me what you're doing."

"Oh, well, I'm just..." Her face turned pink, and her eyes wandered. Thankfully, her mother couldn't see. But mothers don't always need to see with their eyes. "I had plans with Eddy today, so we're gonna hang out and...-" She trailed off, unsure as to how specific she had to be. Her hands were hung low in front of her, the fingers fiddling around anxiously with the apple within them.

"Allright, dear," the her mother said kindly. "Just make sure you're back before it gets dark, allright?"

"Sure thing, mom!" she called merrly as she bolted out the door faster than a Shine Plasma.

The sights of the newly built Vale came flying by her beautiful brown eyes. The little kids playing tag, the gruff man tugging a bucket out of the well...But that cave...The cave was missing. The one that they used to all hang out in...

But that didn't matter right now. All that mattered was getting to his house. Chances are he was still sleeping- he was so cute when he was sleeping!

She loved to come wake him up, but she would always admire the way he slept first. Reaching the household of her good friend, Jenna dashed in the door as quickly as she had burst out her own. It was OK, she was a friend of the family. Her house was theirs, and their house was hers. Ever since the rebuilding of Vale, the community itself had become closer as a whole.

Eddy's mom, by coincidence, was also preparing for the feast that night. But instead of soup, she was making tons of bread. The smell was warmand inviting, but Jenna wasn't hungry at the moment. She would be eating enough for all three meals that night.

"Oh, good morning, Jen, dear," she greeted kindly, flour covering her face, hands, and hair.

"Good morning Mrs. Megiddo," she greeted sweetly, waving a gentle wave. "Is he still sleeping...?" she inquired with a grin, glancing up the stairs.

Mrs. Megiddo chuckled warmly and answered, "No doubt. He worked real hard yesterday to finish things up...He said he had plans with you today," she added in a sly tone, turning Jenna's cheecks red. "Said you were going out for a little venture together..." She took her sneaky gaze away from the girl and returned to her dough, pressing it around.

Jenna stood awkwardly, pink-faced. Her hands fiddled with the apple in her grasp. In a desperate attempt to avoid the embarassed feeling she had, she bit into it.

"You go wake him up," Dora suggested, back to her kind old self again, though an amused chuckle followed.

"Uhh...Right! OK..." she mumbled, turning for the stairs. "Ya know," she began, slowly coming to a stop. "I'll bet he sleeps in so much because he likes to dream..."

Dora nodded and smiled. "Sounds like my boy to me," she concluded.

Jenna grinned and proceeded up the wooden stairs in a rush. Coming upon the hallway, she headed straight for the door in fron of her. To the left a little ways rested his parents' bedroom.

"Eddyyyyy!!" she sang out sweetly with anticipation. While dashing up the stairs, the apple which had been in her grasp was carelessly dropped to the wooden floor of the hallways, where it rolled around before stopping at the wall.

The door to Eddy's room was closed, and Jenna smiled with glee as she pushed it open, revealing his cozy room. It had a warm tone to it, with all kinds of little knick-knacks dotting the walls and shelves.

His bed was in the corner to her left, at the far wall. And at the foot of the bed a window sat. At the time the window was propped open, and the dark blue curtains were tossed garcefully by the morning breeze.

Jenna admired that for a moment, and then her mind whirled to the matter at hand. She skipped over to the bed. The blanket picthed on it was a nice auburn color, identical to the girl's hair color.

"All right, dream-boy, time to-..."

Her eyes widened with shock, her lips parted to let gasp come out, and her arms dropped to her sides.

He wasn't there. She would have begun to search elsewhere, but...There was a note.

Jenna froze in worry for a moment, staring at the yellowed paper. The wind flowed in peacefully, creating waves of brownish-red with her hair.

She inched toward the parchment slowly, a slight amount of fear about her. Reaching her destination, she stared down solemnly, trembling with nervousness. Why wasn't he here? Why had a small note been left? Her heart quivered as she reached down to scoop up the paper.

Written on the side of the folded paper that had been pointed up was one word, written in black ink. As her once glowing eyes stared at it, her jaw dropped ever so slightly.

"Jenna."

The fiery flames in her jewels for eyes had been extinguised as her quivering hands slowly but surely reached down for the paper. The crinkling of the note was gradual as it was unfolded. Just as the words spread out before her, a strong gust of wind flew in, wildly tossing her elegant hair around without mercy for a second or two.

She proceeded to read the parchment. It appeared to have been written in a hurry, though Eddy wrote fast most of the time anyway. She could almost hear his voice speaking the words aloud to her.

"I'm sorry I'm not there right now. I was looking forward to today so much, but...Something has come up. I am SO sorry, but I had to leave..."

"Why...?" Jenna whispered to herself, not realizing she'd said it aloud.

"I was called forth to tend to some very important business. I can't say why or where I'm going...But I swear, I will come back as soon as I can. I promise..."

Her brown eyes began to get wet as it sunk in that he wasn't there, and wasn't going to be there. How long would he be gone? Why? Why had he left by himself? He had all his friends to help him...Even if not, he certainly had HER...

"Listen, don't worry about me, I'll be back before you know it. Cheer up, OK?" It was almost as if he knew she'd be near crying at this point. "It shouldn't take too long, I'm used to this stuff. Tell everyone I said hi and I'm sorry I can't be there for the big get-together tonight...I know this is real sudden and everything, but this is just something I have to do..."

Jenna was having trouble keeping her eyes in working condition, as liquid was fogging her vision. So long she had waited for a day like this, only for it to be thrown away. Why did this always happen?! She realized what was happening to her eyes and finally took one hand from the parchment to hurriedly brush the forming tears away. After a sniffle, she returned to the letter, hearing his voice in her mind once again.

"I've left all my Djinn, I have no need for them right now. I know it sounds a little crazy, but I'll be fine. Please make sure everybody tales good care of them. I would like it if you were to take care of Flint, especially. He's the first one I ever met. As a matter of fact, I left something for you. I've told Flint what to do, just ask him. Go ahead, go ask him!"

A half-smile crept onto Jenna's face as she glanced down at the bed to notice the small brown creature bouncing playfully. It wasn't too big, it could fit in the palm of your hand. But Djinn had immense powers.

"Don't look so sad, Jen!" his happy voice rang out merrily. Jenna choked out a laugh. She couldn't help it, Flint just beamed out joy. "Over there, look over there." His gaze was glued to the wooden dresser standing next to the bed. His blue eyes were more like shining stones then anything.

Jenna blinked in wonder for a moment, then proceeded to slowly pace to the smooth, dark brown furniture.

"Yea, in the first drawer," Flint chimed out slyly. Jenna gently slid the wooden drawer out. What met her eyes had them well up with tears again.

It was a golden piece of apparel Eddy was never seen without. Until now, anyway. It was like a cape, only shaped more like a scarf. He would wrap it around his neck and let the sides hang down over his left shoulder. Felix had one like it, but his was blue, and not quite as long.

Jenna's jaw dropped in awe as her trembling hands scooped the soft cloak out of the drawer. She marveled at it for a few moments, feeling its surface with her hands. She knew this thing meant a lot to Eddy, he wore it everywhere. But he'd left it, just for her. The note had been dropped and had fluttered gracefully to the ground. Flint promptly bounced nimbly to it, and managed to pick it up and lift it above him.

He noticed Jenna was in a mixed state of joy and sadness, and waitied patiently until she'd admired it long enough. Noticing the Venus Djinn on the ground before her, she immediately placed the cloak on the bed, being gentle with it.

"Thank you," she murmured, her cheeks pink, as she took the letter back to continue reading. Flint smiled as he noted her glazed eyes. The smile she had on her face when she'd seen that cloak. And the concern that radiated as she read more. He knew all those expressions...Eddy wore them on occassion. And he knew exactly why- her. Jenna went on with her reading.

"I hope you like it, and I hope you wear it. It needs lots of attention." The glazed eyes had a touch of warmth to them as she paced to the bed, scanning the ink symbols. "Anyway, I've really got to go. Please make sure everyone knows how much I wish I were still there, OK?" Jenna nodded slightly, as if responding to the voice she heard. "I'll be back. Don't worry. I won't forget the promise I made yesterday. I hope you can trust me on this..." Jenna's eyes closed quickly as a memory flooded back to her. It was from atop Jupiter Lighthouse, after all the fighting had ended.

{I hope you can still trust me, Eddy,} she'd said, feeling bad about having joined her brother and not trying to find her friends before-hand.

Eddy's sapphire eyes had glinted for a moment as he stared at her. It had been quite some while since he'd seen her. He'd fought so hard through so many trials, eager to save his best friend. And here she was, worried that he'd lost trust in her.

{Jenna,} he'd said calmly, warmly. {I never stopped trusting you. And I never will.}

Her insides had melted when he'd said that, and they had again when she recalled it. When had she fallen for him...? Was it at that moment? She couldn't really remember. But did it matter? No, it didn't...The only question was how HE felt, she knew exactly where her heart laid.

"I'll see ya soon! ^_^" A smiling face had been scribbled.

"Eddy"

The signature, unlike the rest, was written in cursive, and the 'y' looped over to form into a unique paw-print symbol. Jenna didn't quite know it's symbolism, but she did find it cute.

Her face had become warm again, and Flint admired it for a few moments. Making someone else happy felt so good. He would make sure to be at her side and always try to make her happy. It's what Eddy had wanted him to do.

{You take good care of her, allright?} he'd asked as he had slid open the window, preparing to bound into the rainy night.

Flint's thoughts were jarred as Mrs. Megiddo called up the stairs.

"Jenna, dear? Is he giving you trouble?"

Jenna's eyes lost their warmth in that moment, and began to well up again.

"No," she called, her voice trembling.

"Is he still asleep? That boy..." She chuckled to herself as she went back to her cooking downstairs. "Well, tell him he'd better wake up, or else I'll wak ehim myself."

Jenna sat on the bed solemnly, tears dripping down her cheeks. Her hands had let the note fall to the floor again. The golden cloak was in her hands, resting on her lap. As she cried, her eyes vacant and staring into nothingness, her hands caressed it with care.

{How am I going to tell them...?} she wondered to herself. {Why did he have to leave...? Does he think I wouldn't wish to help him? I'd follow him anywhere...If I have to, I'll find him...}

The wind soared in again, and the soft auburn hair on Jenna's head danced a sad dance, a gentle one.

"Jenna? Jenna, is everything all right?" Dora's voice was now a bit concerned, but Jenna was barely paying attention.

"No," she whispered, loud enough for only Flint, who was now feeling awful, to hear. "Nothing's right...Nothing's ever right for me..."

*****

[Destiny Smasher]

^_^ :P :D

That IS who you are!!! :D Haha! I KNEW you got that name from Evolution Worlds, Linear! :( Kinda sad, really...I barely played that game, and I did so MONTHS ago...

Is it worth playing? No offense, but it's not a top notch RPG. Symphonia and Paper Mario 2 dwarf it in many aspects of gaming, but it does have a charm all its own. :D

Oh, sorry, just got all happy that my gut reaction was correct.

Anyway, um...Since no one's replied, I decided to update again.

*****

Winds of Fate:

Golden Sunrise

Chapter 2- Lost

The beaming sun was high in the sky now, a little ways past zenith. The grass blades bowed down to the majestic breezes of the early afternoon, and the fields before Jenna were bright and cheerful. Unfortunately, she was not.

The soft mass of auburn on her head danced on the warm zephyrs. And there she sat, on the very hill where their journeys had ended weeks before. The mass that rose up out of the ground overlooked where Vale once stood. But now what remained was a pile of rubble from the ruins of Mt. Aleph.

She sighed a deep and longing sigh as she sat on that elegant hill. Her knees were curled up, and she was hunched over them, appearing to be trying to hide from the world.

Hours before, her eyes had glowed like embers, but now it was as if those embers had lost their flame and were but blackened rocks.

In the grass to her right was her staff, resting loyally. And sitting to her left was something just as loyal- Flint.

In her hands she tightly gripped the cloak that had been left behind for her. She clung to it with firmness yet with a gentleness all the same.

Flint was solemn and silent as he sat there, trying to figure out a way to console, but he had done just about everything he could think of at the time. He stared as a tear would slowly drip down her cheek every here and there, and in a way, he was puzzled. Eddy had promised to return as soon as he could, it wasn't the end of the world...

But Jenna wasn't crying because it was the end of the world. She was crying because nothing had seemed to go right ever since the Golden Sun had risen. And today...Today was going to be her chance.

{I should be with Eddy right now, not his Djinn,} her thoughts groaned in complaint. {But he promised...We were supposed to be together today, so that...I could...}

{So you could tell him.}

Jenna jumped with fright as words poured into her mind, not of her own creation.

"You wanted to tell him how you felt, and at just the time you were ready, he left..."

Jenna's head swiveled around sharply to see a short boy standing there with short blonde hair and a wooden staff to his side.

"Ivan..." she muttered, blushing.

"You don't need to be embarrassed, Jenna. I already know what's going on," he responded calmly, walking to her side. Though he was small, standing before Flint made him look a giant.

"...Oh, right," Jenna murmured, her mind recalling Ivan's ability to read minds.

"I thought I'd find you here," he concluded with a smile, gazing off into the fields. "Everyone's worried, you know. They were afraid you'd gone off to go find Eddy yourself."

Jenna didn't meet his gaze, but stared at the horizon gloomily.

"You ARE going to find him..." Ivan grumbled, his expression dull, as he realized what was going on. "But...Jenna, listen, that's just crazy, you don't even know which DIRECTION he went in."

She let out a deep sigh, not meeting his eyes. He huffed and shook his head.

"What? Jenna, that's just not happening. The least you could do is take us WITH you..."

Jenna's eyes remained dull, almost emotionless.

"...Ah..." was all Ivan could muster.

"...Listen, just don't go doing anything rash, ya know? Think before you go jumping out there. At least stay her until sunset, huh?"

Jenna finally responded in the literal sense and nodded grimly.

"Oh, come on, it's not so bad," Ivan tried to convince her. "He'll be back. He asked you to trust him and stay here, didn't he?"

Jenna rolled her eyes. He just had to be able to mind read, didn't he? It mad things so much more complicated...But then a thought struck her. She broke out of her hunched position and dug into a pocket in her shirt to yank out a crumpled note. She scanned it thoroughly, and confirmed her hope.

Not once in the note did it say she had to stay home...

"Uhh...N-now, w-wait, here, Jen," Ivan stammered. "You don't know where he went! You don't even know what DIRECTION he went in!"

Jenna's eyes stared back up at Mt. Aleph's ruins sternly. And the flames in those eyes were rekindled as she decided where she would look first.

"Come on, Jenna!" Ivan pleaded, right behind her. "I mean, if you're going to go, take everybody with you, at LEAST wait until after the celebration tonight..."

"What's to celebrate...?" Jenna asked him gloomily. "He's not here..."

Ivan let out a huff and crossed his arms over his chest.

"OK, OK...Go ahead, then...But if you do, then you're going to make everyone else feel the same way you did when Eddy left...Do you want that...?" He spoke with firmness, and his words gripped the teen girl.

She opened her mouth a couple times, trying to speak, but words didn't come out.

"Riiight...I thought so. Good decision," Ivan said slyly. "You stay here for a while, at least, hm?"

Jenna slipped the note back into her pocket and picked up her newfound 'scarf', staring at it anxiously.

"...OK..." she murmured gently. "But he'd better be all right..."

Ivan chuckled. "Jenna, I've seen him fight more than you have- believe me, he'll be OK..."

Jenna sighed, but not of relief. It was a trembling sigh, for she was uncertain. Eddy HAD wanted her to go to that dinner, hadn't he...?

{Allright...Now I have time to let everyone ELSE in on this, don't I...?} Ivan pondered to himself.

"Jenna," he added slowly. "...I know I'm not going to stop you...You've fallen for him..." He smiled sheepishly. He had trouble talking about this sort of thing, partially because he could find these things out without even asking.

Jenna's face turned red, and she avoided his gaze.

"You've fallen HARD, haven't you?" the blonde kid added with a little laugh, trying to lighten her mood.

Jenna closed her eyes, sucked in a deep breath, and nodded slowly.

"...Mm hm..."

Ivan, who had shifted himself slightly so he was at her side, gave her a pat on the back as he sat down beside her.

"It's nothing to be ashamed about, Jen..." he tried to convince her. "You should be happy."

"But...What if he doesn't like it...?" Jenna mumbled dismally.

Ivan paused, for he knew fully well the answer to that. But it wasn't he who was supposed to tell her, but Ed.

"Listen, Eddy cares about you with all his heart. Nothing you could say or do would ever change that..."

Jenna let out a crack of a smile as she remembered that. This much was true. He had always been there for her...Sometimes, she felt, she hadn't been there for him, though...He had fought long and hard, trying to to save her, and what had she done in return? She'd abandoned him and joined her brother...

A semi-distant voice broke their quiet and intimate conversation. It was definitely familiar, all right, and both of them almost winced, for now was not a good time for him to be butting in.

"Guys!! Hey!" A bulky boy with tall and spiky red hair came running up the hill behind them, gasping and wheezing. He finally reached them and paused to catch his breath.

"Whew!...MAN, that was a nice jog..." He coughed and sputtered a bit as he was bent over, panting.

"Hello, Garet," Jenna grumbled bluntly.

Garet frowned at her remark as he stood upright.

"Don't tell me you're mad at me AGAIN," he muttered irritably.

Jenna's eyes didn't remove themselves from Mt. Aleph, or what was left of it.

"I never said I was," she groaned back, with a sense of hostility. Ivan was shaking a little bit and inched away from her slightly.

Garet paused and contemplated a moment, staring at her back. She was hunched over again, her chin on her knees, her arms around her legs, her hands grasping the article of clothing left behind.

"Ugh..." He shook his head quickly. "Jenna, listen...I know you're upset and everything, but...He'll be back. It's not like he's dead or something, I mean-"

Jenna's eyes squinted shut as the thought of him being killed struck her hard. he was all alone, he didn't even take his Djinn with him. What kind of duty was he off on? For all she knew he WAS dead!

Ivan flashed Garet a dagger glare, picking up on the thoughts rushing through Jenna's mind.

"-he's a strong guy, and..." Garet noticed Ivan's cold eyes, and froze, leaving the rest of his sentence in the air.

"Umm..." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he searched for what to say next.

"I, uh..." He stepped to Jenna's right side, noticing she was still intent on not looking at him. "...I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"You didn't do anything," Jenna mumbled softly. "I'm not angry at you..." Those statues for eyes were glazed over now.

Garet felt better knowing he wasn't at risk of having his head turned to ashes, but he still felt awful.

Garet looked to Ivan expectantly.

{She's real shocked and everything,} Ivan explained within the realms of Garet's mind. {And she's worried about him. How would you feel if Mia disappeared so suddenly?}

Garet let out a sigh, which was the only literal sound heard, and tried to explain with his thoughts.

{Listen, Ivan, I'm not all too happy, either. Me and Ed, we're buds and everything. I wish he were still here, but he's not...If he says he's gonna come back, he's GONNA come back, ya know? Besides, Mia and I are together and everything.}

{And what do you think Jenna wants, Garet? Can't you see it in her eyes?}

{Maybe if she LOOKED at me I might,} Garet defended, a grumpy look about him.

{...Well, go ahead. Look at her eyes. Look, and you tell me what you see,} Ivan instructed calmly, nudging his head at Jenna's left shoulder.

Garet, sitting to her right, acknowledged his friend's request, and leaned over a bit, so enough so he could see Jenna's face and eyes better.

For a moment, she tried not to look, but as his curious face obstructed her vision of the ruins, she blinked, almost in surprise, and met his eyes.

"...Jen...? Do you...want to talk with me about it...?" he probed.

Jenna shook her head quickly, and Garet nodded in response. He began to pull back, and he watched closely as her gaze hit the stones off in the distance.

{I don't get it,} Garet pondered. {She's sad...What's so special about it...}

Ivan, in the literal world, rolled his eyes. Garet never got ANYTHING until it was explained twice, did he?

{Don't you see it?} he asked plainly. {She's in love...}

Garet was a bit taken back, and it took a while for those thoughts to sink in. In love? Bah. How could she be in love, they'd never even been on a date before!

{Exactly,} Ivan concluded, answering Garet's thoughts. {And that's what she was supposed to have TODAY, remember? She feels like she's lost her chance at discovering how she really feels. She's unsure as to what to call it, but she cares about him more than anything. And to be honest, I'm pretty sure that's called love.}

Garet seemed a bit skeptical about it still.

{You're entitled to your own opinion,} Ivan admitted as he gazed down on the rolling fields below them. They were beautiful this time of day. Bright green, tossing in the breeze...Wonderful...

And so the three of them sat there silently, absorbing the atmosphere and pondering to themselves. Ivan, surprisingly, stayed within his own mind for those few minutes.

But then there was a shout. It was sudden, horrified. And it was Garet.

The two friends beside him spun in shock to see Garet's wide eyed face gasping for a moment or two.

"Nice of you to drop by," he mumbled, beginning to frown. "Ya didn't have to grab my shoulders like that...Freaked me out..." He trailed off, muttering.

"Hee! You've been avoiding me, haven't you?" the gentle voice guessed aloud. The girl had a ponytail of blue hair, though it wasn't quite as large as Jenna's. She wore an odd outfit, and held a staff. The tip of that staff was shaped into a symbol that looked a lot like the symbol for 'female'. Her name was Mia.

"Damn right I've been avoiding ya!" Garet chuckled, still trembling a bit. "Geez...How'd you find us, anyway?"

Mia grinned slyly at him and responded, "I dunno. Just a guess, I suppose."

She glanced at Ivan, who smiled back at her knowingly.

But then Mia noticed the girl in between the boys with the elegant auburn hair.

She pondered for a moment, unsure as to what she should say. She couldn't just say nothing...She motioned Garet to slide over a bit and give her room, and Garet reluctantly moved farther off to the right. Mia slowly sat down at Jenna's side and reached out her arm. She placed a caring hand on Jenna's head.

"Hey..." she murmured, trying to sound cheerful. "You OK...?"

Jenna, once again, refused to take her eyes away and look at anyone around her.

"...No," she grumbled quickly.

Mia paused and stared at her eyes to confirm her guess. After feeling she had been correct, she began to run her hand across Jenna's head, trying to comfort her at least a little bit. She really wasn't very close to Jenna. Out of everyone in the whole lot of them, she knew Jenna the least. After all, four of them had journeyed far with her, and two had been her friends ever since she was little. And Ivan, he could read minds, so he didn't have much trouble getting to know her. But Mia was still working on it.

"...I don't blame you," she replied calmly, still trying to smile. It wasn't easy when you were surrounded by three solemn faces. "Don't worry, everything will be all right..."

Jenna let out a sigh as if to say, {I don't know...} and closed her eyelids for a few moments. Everyone around her was silent.

Back when they were on the road, trying to ignite the lighthouses, Eddy had began to develop romantic feelings for Mia. As his luck would have it, though, she had already hooked up with Garet, though it wasn't obviously notable for a while.

There weren't any hostile feelings, though. No one was at fault, no one to blame. But looking at Jenna's face, Mia felt bad about it still. What if Eddy hadn't gotten over her yet? Would Jenna be angry at her...? She hoped not. And she felt fairly confident that Eddy had indeed taken it well, and had found someone else. And if Mia had to bet who 'someone else' was or would be, she'd bet her life on the girl right beside her.

"Well," Mia began slowly, searching for words. "Why don't we go and do something else instead of sitting around here, ya know?"

No one responded, and Mia felt a little nervous. She wasn't comfortable around all these gloomy faces and all this silence.

"Come on, we can go and help prepare for the party tonight. That should get our minds off things for a while..."

"I don't want my mind off things..." Jenna moaned.

"I'm not saying to forget everything," Mia quickly defended, removing her hand from Jenna's hair. "I'm just saying that you'd be better off doing something else beside moping here..." She froze, hoping she hadn't sparked up any anger.

Jenna opened her eyes again, frowning, and stared at the ground for a second.

"All right..." she groaned, slowly standing up. As Jenna stretched out her arms, Mia noticed the cloak in her right hand and smiled at it.

"Great!" Mia cried, jumping to her feet. "The others are helping set things up back in town, let's go!" With that, she wrapped her arm around Jenna's shoulder in a friendly way and nudged the dreary girl along. Jenna walked with a slouch, as if there was no reason worth walking. Mia kept poking a bit here and there, trying to lighten things up a bit.

But then, quite suddenly, Jenna's arm flailed about, violently tossing Mia's off of her shoulder. She had a very annoyed look on her face and continued to drag her feet along.

Mis paused, a little frightened by this burst of hostility.

The other two exchanged worried glances from just in front of Mia.

Then they noticed that Jenna had stopped. She stood there in an elegant way, letting another sudden breeze play with her hair, her cape, and her 'cloak'. (Dammit, what do you CALL that thing?!)

She spoke slowly and sadly.

"...I'm sorry..." She murmured, sniffling. "...I'm just...-" She trailed off, letting some more tears take over, trying not to let the others see.

"...Jen, it's all right..." Mia mumbled, stepping forth, passing between Ivan and Garet. "I know, things are tough...But they'll get better. You just have to be patient..." She was doing her best to sound optimistic, but it didn't seem to be affecting Jenna that much.

"...OK," she whispered, swallowing. She was forcing back her tears as Mia came face-to-face with her.

"I just feel so lost..." she continued in her soft, quiet tone.

Mia nodded, understanding. She had lost for quite some time. And then she'd met Eddy, and Garet, and Ivan. It seemed that Eddy had an odd quality of helping people get...'UN-lost'...

Jenna wiped her eyes with her hands delicately, and pressed on, in a more hurried state than before. Mia sighed deeply as Garet placed a firm hand on her shoulder.

"She'll be OK..." he mumbled. "And a week from now, she'll deny having ever acted like this," he added in an almost despising tone. If there was one thing he hated that Jenna did, it was that she often let her pride get in the way of what really mattered.

When faced with the fact that she had been crying atop the Mars Lighthouse, she shouted, {As IF! You have no proof!}

{Now you must go easy on her,} Mia had defended. {She thought her parents were dead...}

{You cried for us, Jenna?} her mom had inquired with a smile.

{No!} Jenna lied. {I said I didn't...}

For some reason, Garet just hated that. He still hadn't forgotten that moment. He supposed it was because to him, it felt as if Jenna were saying, {No, I don't care. If you died, I wouldn't care one bit!} But everyone has their flaws, he supposed. But she could at least get rid of THAT one...

As Garet and Mia walked hand-in-hand, Ivan had a solemn face. Garet noticed it very quickly. Ivan knew something the rest of them didn't, he was sure of it.

New Vale was a ways off in the distance, bustling with happy faces and cries of joy.

{Just another little downfall...} Jenna told herself. {I lose my parents, I lose my brother...My brother abandons me, I get kidnapped...I find my parents, only to almost KILL them...Our home gets destroyed...And now we were finally going to be together, and something ELSE had to happen...}

**********

[blade]

Nice!!!!very very very very nice