Blessing of Mercury That sounds almost like a cheesy sounding attack Sailor Mercury would use. "MERCURY AQUA... BLESSING!" ... It's the translators fault. Dark Blessing? Water Blessing? >_>

---
Yay! Brand new not so well written fanfic!
Felix: You write about ten a month. Pfft. I'm sure I've beaten that record now.
Yeah, so? ^_^
Felix: o.O'
Its based off The Lost Age, so may unsurprisingly have some small spoilers in it. Its a bit difficult basing off a Japanese game too! *sigh* Yet another fic with inconsistencies. Roll on, April! That's when it was released...
Felix: But youre in the UK-
Im importing it, dummy! And, uh, I guess its gonna be kinda shippy too. Blah.
Felix: Oh boy... what couple this time? Kraden/Maha. Not.
Cant you guess from the title? OMG! It's Hydros/Piers!
Felix: ...Mia/Picard? Screw that. Piers/Picard? o_o Oh wait...
No v.v; Mia/Alex! Even though, Mia hates his guts and stuff. Let's ignore that of course.
Felix: Oh!
Disclaimer?
Felix: *holds up a cardboard sign splashed with paint which says 'Camelot made Golden Sun and Kyarorain owns nothing, just the fanfic'*
Now youre wasting PAINT! =o We really need to do something about your stupid disclaimers... -.- Disclaimers seem so pointless...
---

He was having trouble getting to sleep that night because the people in the next room were being too noisy. That day, he had just had a long, tiring journey to and from the Jupiter Lighthouse. Now, three lighthouses were lit and Agatio and Karst had the Mars Star.
Alex sat on the side of his bed which just made it even harder to get to sleep, staring through the window. He wondered how his life had managed to change so much. Once he was an ordinary Mercury Adept training under Mia's father, then Saturos and Menardi found him with his hands down his pants and they recruited him, turning him into a very powerful Adept, though, I doubt they would even bother. They didn't let Felix fight, even more powerful than the very man who trained him.

Nearly half a year ago, life escalated to new heights. He travelled to Mt. Aleph, Vale, with Saturos, Menardi and Felix. They ended up blowing up a mountain volcano and escaping with three stars, and also two hostages, Jenna and Kraden. Isaac and Garet followed them, picking up Ivan and Mia along the way, tracking the group down all the way to Venus Lighthouse shortly after Saturos and Menardi kidnapped Sheba, the Jupiter Adept. WE KNOW ALL THIS ALREADY. STFU.

Alex remembered the events on top of Mercury Lighthouse as if it was yesterday. He could remember Mia's shock, her anger, how she almost yelled at him. He had lit the Mercury Lighthouse, something the Mercury Clan had been trying all along to protect because they really liked the idea of Weyard eroding away. Alex had broken that rule, but he had done it for Mia. O RLY? He freed her from her duties in Imil, yet she hadnt seemed grateful. It hurt him deep down but he didn't show it, he kept his cool and made a quick escape. Alex thought he had always been good at keeping his cool, it was important not to lose your temper too quickly. He had done pretty well, considering he had travelled in a group with three Mars Adepts AND Bad. No random capslock. Felix, who was quite good at losing his own temper sometimes.

Saturos and Menardi had perished in Venus Lighthouse, while Alex, Jenna and Kraden waited patiently on Idejima and Kraden suggested a threesome, which the two quickly rejected. Felix and Sheba saw it all, then fell off the lighthouse and were washed up onto the peninsula, even if it had just been torn off the mainland by the wild waters. Shortly after that reunion, a tsunami struck the island, smashing it onto the Indra continent.

Alex had decided he no longer wished to travel with Felix, Jenna and Sheba, and especially Kraden because Kraden had the hots for him. He fled while they were still unconscious, next seeing them in Deli Village Daila and Arafura Alhafra. But he remained stubborn, refusing to join them and they didn't press him to because he was an annoying jerk anyway. They went their separate ways.

The Mercury Adept narrowed his eyes to small slits as he remembered how he had ended up travelling with two more Mars Adepts rather than going alone as he wished to.

~Flashback~

Alex was tired but he wasn't yet down. He had his own ship, once belonging to Saturos and Menardi, which defeated the entire purpose of looking for a boat and he was travelling the seas alright, but it just wasn't easy when so many monsters attacked and he was alone. Just about all the sea monsters were resistant to Mercury so he was virtually useless despite the fact he could easily throw them about with a geyser. The sun beat down on him, and he reached up to wipe beads of sweat off his forehead. The heat disorientated him, and he wasn't used to travelling these lands, so he was almost lost. The best
he knew was that he had left the Oceania Osenia continent a few hours ago, so perhaps he should be somewhere near Angara or Gondowan by now, but he just wasn't sure.

Something smacked the ship hard from the side, and Alex was sent rolling across the floor. He struggled into a standing position and looked around wildly, as the ship began to rock from side to side.
"It cant be too bad, can it?" he wondered, running to the opposite side where the impact came from. Alex peered down into the murky depths of the churning waters, a foreboding dark blue. His long pale blue hair flapped around his face, wrapping around like a scarf and the annoyed Adept swept it back, trying to get a better view of the water.

Four long pink-orange tentacles suddenly latched themselves on the side of the boat and attempted to tentacle-rape Alex, and as the hefty bulk started climbing over the side of the ship, Alex immediately wished he was anywhere but on that ship because he didn't like the idea of being subjected to tentacle sex. Several sea monsters had been bad enough, but Alex was certainly no match for the Kraken, the biggest danger of the sea. It had far too many tentacles for all those crazy tentacle pr0n orgies and was
twice his size, as well as being resistant to his own strength, so he was severely disadvantaged. The Kraken gazed at him before violating him with its tentacles unleashing Dark Blessing.

The last thing Alex remembered was choking on heavy black smoke before he fell unconscious... and prayed he wouldn't wake up afterward.

"Should we just kill him then?" Yeah. Go ahead.
"He probably stole that ship! The very ship belonging to our clan brother, and your own sister... which is probably meant to be floating around somewhere in the Eastern Sea."
"I'll kill him then, watch!" That's just like Karst, isn't it?
"No wait, don't, we don't know how he claimed it-" That's strangely unlike Agatio.
"And if he stole it?"
"Then we kill him."

Alex slowly opened his eyes, taking in his bearings. Looking directly up he could see the sky, clear blue with a few clouds. I think we know what the sky looks like. A bird winged its way through the sky, screeching as it searched for food. He could feel that he was lying on a soft surface. His right hand moved across the surface on which he lay, shifting the ground. Alex realised he must be lying on a beach.
A face moved into his line of view. It was not an overall pleasant face. A blue-faced Really? Agatio's face doesn't look blue to me. man wearing a green suit of armor, and he had huge pointy ears and EVIL!!!1 red eyes. The man reached down and grabbed Alex's front, pulling the surprised Adept up to his feet.
"Speak at once!" the man bellowed, "How did you come by our ship?" Don't you have your own ship? You must have got there somehow.
"It's mine!" protested Alex, "Saturos and Menardi gave the ship to me!" No, they didn't. But he's kind of a liar anyway.
"Saturos and Menardi?" The woman stepped forwards. She was pink-skinned with red hair and red eyes, and also sported the typical large ears of the Fire Clan of the North.
"Yes, Saturos and Menardi," Alex nodded, "I... I used to travel with them."
"Where are they now?" asked the man. "Wait, don't tell Karst, because then you'll go and contradict the Madra scene."
"Tell me who you are and I'll tell you everything I know."
"I am Agatio, the strongest member of the Fire Clan of the North O RLY?, and this is Karst, the younger sister of Menardi. Now tell us everything quickly as possible.

So Alex told them everything he could. He hadn't particularly wanted to, but he had to, otherwise they could potentially harm him. After he revealed all...

"You can travel with us then, Alex." smirked Karst. If he told them everything, she's awfully cheerful knowing her sister's dead. Oh well...
"Um, I don't really want to..." started Alex.
"Why not? You travelled with Saturos and Menardi and everyone else!" sneered Agatio.
"I prefer to go alone!" declared Alex stubbornly.

Agatio then reached with one large gloved hand into a pocket inside his armour and pulled out a large black orb. It appeared to have whirling vortexes of different colours inside it, glimmering and shifting effortlessly. Ooh! Weird, wacky plot device of doom!
"This should persuade you otherwise." he said finally.
Karst grabbed Alex from behind before he could escape and held his arms tightly. The Mercury Adept tried to struggle but she was too strong. Too strong to resist a short girl like Karst. Weakling. The orb seemed to softly pulsate, boring into Alex's frightened gaze. He clenched his eyes tightly, but jerked them open again when Karst hit him with a painful Flare Wall attack. Karst uses Flare Wall? The orb seemed to melt into his head, growing inside his conscience until he could no longer resist it. He gave up eventually,
"Very well," he said flatly, "I shall do what you both say."

~End of Flashback~

Alex got up and walked over to the window, pressing his face against the cool glass. His breath condensed on the glass and he backed away. He raised a finger and quickly scribbled on the condensed vapour before it could completely clear away,
'FREE ME' from this cruel world!!!1
He sadly watched the words disappear, wishing someone would hear his prayer. He couldn't run away, he knew they would find him and they would just control him. He was their captive, forced to do their bidding, or else they could very likely kill him because they were like, evil, and stuff.. He was exhausted from a hard, tiring day spent in the Jupiter Lighthouse. He had been using so much Psynergy, warping Agatio and Karst everywhere, and healing whenever necessary, and he never got any thanks in return because he's an annoying shmuck. He had even spent much Psynergy on healing not Agatio and Karst, but Felix and his companions. Alex hoped it was enough, to convince them he wasn't truly evil just because he was being forced to travel with evil people. But, because Karst and Agatio aren't after world domination, the logic fails. But he would probably never know, he couldn't just walk off and go and ask them. Karst and Agatio would find him.

The exhausted Mercury Adept moved away from the window and walked slowly and painfully back to the bed. He was so tired, yet he was having trouble getting to sleep. Some might say he was too tired to sleep. Frustration about being prevented from going to get Alchemy is probably keeping him awake. He stared for hours onward into the darkness, imagining shapes twisting and turning, shapes that weren't even there. He saw Agatio's luminous EVIL!!!1 red eyes watching his every movement, Karst sneering at him, her eyes flickering with the flames she was constantly using to torture him.
He saw Felix, Jenna, Sheba and Picard looking at him with disappointment, and some anger. I can see anger. The disappointment is because he hasn't fallen off a cliff and died or something. He saw Mia's desperate look,
the look of one who has been betrayed.
Then Alex finally fell asleep.

"You're late." Karst glared at him, when he came downstairs. They were sitting around a table in the inn, finishing off their breakfast amongst the other guests at the inn. Agatio and Karst often got some curious stares, but they usually ignored it.
"I couldn't sleep." said Alex coolly, glaring back.
"Don't look at me like that or you'll regret it!" hissed the flame-haired woman. Then Alex threw her with a Geyser and she went flying through a wall.
"Can it, Karst, the stupid boy obviously hasnt learnt any manners yet." Agatio placed one firm hand on her shoulder. It wouldn't be a good idea if Karst jumped up and tried to barbecue Alex in front of all the guests. Mmm, barbecued Alex. Medium rare, please.
"I'm hungry, any breakfast left?" Alex asked cautiously. He couldn't be bothered to go and get his own breakfast.
"If you'd come down earlier, you might have got some scraps. You're far too late, you will have to go without." Agatio smirked.
Alex clenched his fists but he did not lose his temper. He was used to this kind of treatment by now. I suppose Saturos and Menardi treated him like crap too. *eyeroll*
"Very well," he said shortly, "I will be in my room if anybody needs me."
"If you want to make yourself useful," Karst grinned demonically, "We have a mission for you later."
"A mission?" Alex was chilled by the thought of this, "I'll only do it depending on what it is."
"No," Agatio looked at him like a mother might when scolding her child, "You WILL do it, if you like it or not." Then, Alex, being a Mercury Adept, drenched him in water and he changed his mind about ordering Alex around.
Alex turned away and ran back up to his room, feeling a rising pain hammering inside his head, like an oven warming up.

"You want me to WHAT?" he asked later, in disbelief. He was now standing at the door to Agatio's room, and Karst and Agatio had just told him what his mission was.
"That's right, slave, we're going to put you in the BDSM dungeon," snickered Agatio, "Now put on this leather suit. We want you to kidnap somebody."
"I'm quite sure you're the expert on it after travelling with Saturos and Menardi, rest her soul. That's about the only thing I'll say about my sister. Why am I not crying in rage?" Karst stood tall, swinging her scythe gently back and forth. It gleamed eerily in the daylight, polished white, with the merest brown specks of old, dried blood that wouldn't wipe off. Cleaning detergents are just too expensive in this day and age.
"I never did the kidnappings myself, it was always them. I'm not them! They were EVIL!!!1 and stuff! And I'm not. Duh." Alex's voice rose in anger.
"Do it..." Agatio raised one hand threateningly, "Or else."
"Or else what?" Alex shot back. "You'll hit me with the element I'm strongest against? That's dumb."
His question was answered when Agatio idiotically fired several rounds of scorching flames directly at him. Alex tried to avoid them but he couldn't escape being scorched badly by the angry flames. He backed away into the corridor, smoke rising from his singed hair, his clothes almost blackened. He didn't realise he could easily overpower them with Water Psynergy.
"Get back in here!" screamed Karst, pointing an imperious finger at him. He hastily obeyed, casting Ply to heal his wounds
and washing the soot away.
"You do what we tell you to do, Alex," Agatio placed his hands on his hips as he spoke loudly to get the point across, "You are going to kidnap a member of Felix's party so that they may be slightly disadvantaged and have little luck reaching the Mars Lighthouse. Karst and I are going to light it first (First? A lighthouse can be lit more than once? Or are they planning to unlight it, then light it again?), we will not allow Felix to get in our way." I think they were slightly more concerned about getting there and lighting it rather than whether Felix followed or not.
"Fine!" Alex spat angrily, "I'll do it, but that doesn't mean I approve of it!"
"Wise choice, Alex..." Karst's gaze momentarily flickered from him to her scythe then back. He shuddered involuntarily.

Agatio, Karst and Alex managed to locate Felix and the others a few hours later, outside an inn in a village a few miles
south. They seemed to be having a discussion during one of their frantic orgies. Alex tried to listen, but he couldn't really hear what they were saying, he was too absorbed in watching their activities. Agatio and Karst sat behind him, whispering. The three of them were secluded behind a leafy shrub so that they were not easily seen.
"Alright, Alex, we've made our minds up." smirked Agatio.
"Huh?" Alex was startled and turned around, confusion in his azure eyes, "About what?"
"About who tops! we want you to kidnap!" snapped Karst impatiently.
"I don't get a choice?" asked Alex. "Threesomes are no fun unless I get a say."
"No." said Agatio shortly. "You're on the bottom. Pants off."
"Just shut up and listen!" Karst almost screamed.
"Now, Alex," Agatio's gaze flickered to the group and he smiled menacingly, "We think it would be best if they were one healer short. They have too damn many of them anyway, I doubt kidnapping one will make a difference."
"You're not trying to kill them are you?" asked Alex in exasperation. "After all, Jenna, Isaac, Felix and Piers could ALL decide to stop healing! The horror!"
"We don't mind if they get KILLED," chuckled Karst, her sinister laughter sending a chill down Alex's spine, "We're just trying to make things difficult for them. Besides, we arent asking you to remove all the healers, that's a bit too difficult, isn't it?"
Alex sighed and looked back to the group. Jenna was throwing a fit, Sheba seemed to be joining in and Felix appeared to be trying to pacify them and getting burned/scorched in the process. Mia was scolding Garet for being an IDIOT LOL, Ivan was discussing something with Isaac and Kraden was talking at Picard. Just a normal day for them then, but their quest was anything but normal. He felt a pang at the thought of them being so near, yet he couldn't give them back the Mars Star Karst had so ruthlessly snatched from Felix atop the Jupiter Lighthouse. He honestly wouldn't care who had the Mars Star, so long as they were actually going to light the Mars Lighthouse.
"Alex!" shouted both Karst and Agatio. Alex almost jumped and turned around, his eyes wide and questioning.
"Oh, we know," Karst sneered, "We know you feel guilty, you really want to be with them on their side don't you?" Alex is on his own side. Nobody else's.
"I..." Alex cringed, "I never said that."
"But that's how it seems," Agatio leaned forwards, menacingly, "Tonight you are going to get into that inn and capture one of them, or else we'll come for you and give you rough buttsex. Without lube. Well, I will. Karst can use her scythe if she wants.."
"W-who do you want me to kidnap?" asked Alex.
"The Mercury Adept of course." smiled Karst.
"Wh-which one?" choked Alex in alarm. They wouldn't, would they?
"The girl," sighed Agatio, looking almost world weary, "Who do you THINK?" Well, Mia is slightly more useful than Piers... but it is that obvious?
"No way!" shouted Alex defiantly.
"Do you really want to put your life on the line like that?" hissed Karst.
"We wouldn't hesitate to finish you off, you know..." snarled Agatio. Because he's evil of course. >_>
"Forget it, your stupid threats aren't going to work on me!" Alex boiled up inside with fury.
"Agatio, I think we need to increase our control..." Karst turned to her partner.
"Sure." Agatio reached into his pocket again.

Alex could feel their hold slipping, he could feel his defiance pushing its way to the surface. He was on the point of losing his temper, he wasn't going to bow down to two stupid Mars Adepts that he could easily overpower. He wasn't that stupid. He could just call out and Felix and the others could come running and help him fight them... or would they? No. Alex watched the orbs emerging from Agatio's pants clothes and he squeezed his eyes shut in disgust.
'Don't open your eyes,' he said to himself mentally, 'don't let them get you again.'
Boiling flames scalded his body, but he had been expecting it. He tried to ignore them, tried to pretend they weren't there, they weren't really scorching his skin. It was hard, they hurt so much. He almost wanted to scream, but he kept it down. Alex refused to show weakness, he was going to be strong, resist their forces. It didn't occur to him he could simply douse the flames.
"Alex, open your eyes, dammit!" snapped Agatio.
"He's not responding to my Psynergy attacks." Karst complained.
"Alright then..." sighed Agatio. He winked at Karst.

"It's alright, Alex..." Karst said sweetly, "We're sorry. If you fall for this trap, you're a stinking idiot."
"We were wrong, we know. Let's go back to our inn and rest, then we can hurry to the Mars Lighthouse alone. No kidnapping
involved. We will love and cuddle each other all night long."
"Pr-promise?" Alex murmured, still not opening his eyes.
"Yeah, it's too difficult to kidnap anybody." Karst continued speaking gently. "After all, all of them combined could kick our asses."
"We promise." smiled Agatio.

Alex warily opened his eyes and was horrorstruck when he ended up gazing directly into the black orb, he couldn't wrench his gaze away from the moving shapes, they were claiming his mind once more.
"Foolish boy, you are no match for our trickery!" cackled Karst delightedly. "That was a rookie mistake, moron!"
"You have a LOT to learn." sneered Agatio. No kidding.
"..." Alex's willpower slipped away fast and he was once more under complete control by Karst and Agatio. He was too weak to
resist yet again, forced to do their bidding.

Night fell swiftly, throwing a dark blanket over everybody as they slept soundly. They liked to go to bed early. Everybody was safe and secure as they slept because in the good old days, people were kind and honest and didn't go murdering or raping people in their beds or anything. Yeah right., except for maybe one person. Sleeping among her friends, she had no idea of the peril she would soon come to face.
The door slowly creaked open with just the slightest sound. Silent footsteps could barely be heard, as someone stepped
nimbly across the floor, his blue boots coming down slowly with each step. His long blue cloak flapped behind him His cloak had a mind of its own and liked to flap about all by itself as
he moved swiftly towards her. He looked warily at the other two sharing the bedroom. Jenna and Sheba also slept soundly,
not hearing him moving past them. His blue gaze fell upon her sleeping form and he paused momentarily. He wanted to flee
right then and never come back, but if he did then there was no telling what Agatio and Karst might try to do to him. Probably give up on him when they remembered Prox was in danger of falling into a rift and hurry back home to light the lighthouses.

His heart skipped a beat as he looked upon her. She looked like an angel when she slept. She had a smile on her face, and her long silky blue hair flowed everywhere, almost giving her a halo effect. Mia would be horrified by her bad hair in the morning. Alex squeezed his eyes shut, trying to deny this was happening, but he was there, in the bedroom, about to kidnap her.
"I'm sorry, Mia," he whispered, "I'll make sure they don't harm you. It's not like you also have the advantage against them or anything."
He slowly pulled back the bedcovers and reached under her, scooping her into his arms. She stirred slightly in her sleep and murmured something, almost giving Alex a heart attack, but she didn't awake, she continued to sleep which you kind of implied with "she didn't awake". Talk about redundant.. Alex sighed in relief and
quickly warped away before anything else could happen.

The sunlight woke Mia up the next morning. She groaned and turned over but still the sunlight shone upon her. Mia ran through a mental check-up of yesterday and frowned. Had her room looked like this? She could have sworn she hadnt been next to the window. And hadnt she been sharing a bigger room than this? Alarmed, she sat upright and looked around the unfamilar room, on the verge of panicking,
"JENNA? SHEBA? ANYBODY?" she called out loudly, abusing the poor caps lock, her eyes wide in fright. She didn't even know where she was. Was she still dreaming? Mia was pretty sure she wasn't, but she pinched herself to make sure. It hurt. Mia jumped out of the bed and looked
around wildly. She didn't even have her things, not even her Crystal Rod or any other weapon. All she wore was her nightgown. Her hair was loose, flying around her shoulders, and she lacked the ribbon to tie it back with.
"HELP!" screamed Mia, quite sure the people who had put her here would come to her aid, running to the window and looking through it frantically. She didn't even recognise the village, it certainly wasn't the one she had been to yesterday.

The door swung open behind her and she turned around wildly, wondering who was there. Horrified, she backed away into the wall as she recognised them.
"Agatio and Karst..." she whispered, terrified of the 'evil' Proxians. She had nothing to defend herself with, except her Psynergy. And if that ran out, what then? Uh... summon Boreas twice? Unless she'd switched around her Djinn...
"Good morning, Mia..." cackled Karst. She sure likes cackling. Is she a witch or something?
"Lucky you, you get to be our hostage!" sneered Agatio.
"Why?" Mia couldn't think of anything else to say.
"So that we can put Felix and his party at a slight disadvantage of course," smiled Karst. And while they are wasting their time with this crap, Prox is getting even closer to the rift...
"We don't expect your disappearance to STOP them," assured Agatio, "But it should slow them down a little." I'm not sure it's possible for them to be any slower than YOU.
"They'll find me!" Mia's anger rose, "You wont get away with this! They'll come here and they'll rescue me! Just you wait!"
"You sure about that?" Karst snickered, raising a hand high. A fireball began to glow from her palm. Mia cried aloud.
"Stop that!" a new voice cut in, "I said you weren't allowed to hurt her and I wont let you!"
"ALEX!" cried Mia. She'd been inflicted by some disorder that made her say people's names in all caps. Oh, except the Proxians'.
"But we don't make promises, Alex!" chuckled Agatio meanly. "We promised to come back to Prox as soon as possible to save everyone. Are we doing that? Uh, no."
"Very well," Karst blew out the fireball, "But if she tries anything, don't expect us to treat her lightly."
Alex glared at them both as he walked into the room. Mia watched his every move cautiously. She was scared, but of Karst and Agatio. She didn't think she could really be scared of Alex, she had known him since childhood. But she wasn't completely sure how much Alex had changed. He was a mystery to her and it saddened her. But if she really felt threatened, she could always tie him up and mace-rape him.
"I wish to talk to her." Alex looked pointedly at Agatio and Karst. Alone? In the bedroom? *gasp*
"Alright, fine!" snapped Karst, "But if you let her escape, you're dead!" She turned on her heels and stomped out.
"I wouldnt take Karst's words lightly if I were you." Agatio followed, slamming the door behind him. I'm thinking I really, really want to go putting in missing apostrophes, but that would take too much time...

"Alex..." Mia looked away, then down at her bare feet and her face went pink, "I-I'm not decent!" It could be worse. She could be naked...
"Sorry..." said Alex lamely. Mia looked up again, and her temper flared slightly. It was that time of the month.
"SORRY(for abusing caps lock)? You let them kidnap me! How the hell did they kidnap me?"
"They didn't do the work themselves..." Alex trailed off miserably, trying to avoid Mia's scathing gaze.
"So YOU did it? You did their dirty work for them?" Mia exploded, "How could you just go and do this? I never thought you would stoop to kidnapping ME! You were my DAD'S apprentice for crying out loud!" Yeah, like that makes a difference. Alex doesn't care about anyone but himself.
"I couldn't help it!" exclaimed Alex, "If I don't do what they say, they'll kill me. And they... they control me with some
stupid orb thing. I cannot resist Agatio's huge, manly orbs."
"Pathetic excuses," Mia glared out of the window, down at the village, "You're just a spineless coward." It takes a special kind of "spineless coward" to tackle a one-eyed rock...
"It's true. Mia, please, try to believe me."
"An ORB?" Mia laughed bitterly, "You're trying to tell me they control you with a damn BALL?" Ever since Piers taught Mia how to be a sailor, she'd started speaking like one.
"It's hard to explain..." Alex sat on the side of the bed, sighing heavily, "But it works most of the time. I tried to resist, but... it's just too difficult."
"Why do you travel with them?" Mia turned around, staring at Alex curiously.
"For the hot threesomes. They make me." said Alex simply.
"All right..." Mia sighed, "But I'll only co-operate on one condition... get me some frosty chocolate milkshakes!"
"Huh?" Alex was confused. He supposed it would be some extremely difficult task. Why, she might even ask him to lick his own elbow.
"Go out and buy me some clothes or something! Make sure you buy a bondage suit too! I'm not flipping well travelling in a nightgown!" she exclaimed.
"Oh, right!" Alex stood up and headed towards the door, "I'll do that. Mia... would you like me to buy some handcuffs as well?"
"What? Of course. Also, a whip."
"don't try to escape or anything," Alex looked sorrowful, "They will only punish you. A mere Mercury Adept could never take down two Mars Adepts."
Mia shuddered. Like Alex, she had forgotten she was superior to them.

Alex returned an hour later. Mia took the clothes from him without a word. Then changed right in front of him and gave him a nosebleed.
"Got some strange looks, but at least I got them. And, uh, I totally did not try them on in the changing room... *shifty look*"
Mia still didn't respond.
"Umm..." Alex stared at her nervously, "Arent you going to thank me or anything?" That's ironic. Alex expecting good manners.
"Thank you," Mia said emotionlessly, "Now go away please, I wish to change in private."
Alex quickly hurried out of the room, closing the door behind her. ... ... ... I SHOULD PROOFREAD MY DAMN FICS. Mia felt a slight pang, but she ignored it and
started getting dressed.

She examined herself in the mirror, and actually approved of Alex's choice. He obviously knew her tastes well. Either that or he has experience with women's clothing ^_- She was now
wearing a long blue and purple silk dress with a long dark pink cape which wrapped around her torso and swept down her back, and a thick blue robe to wear over it, completed with pale blue satin slippers. She even had her hair tied back in a white ribbon. Is this vital to the plot in some way? Mia was only happy for a few minutes however before she remembered the situation she was in. She sat back on the bed and buried her head in her hands, crying softly. Mia had become a big wuss.

Alex stood outside, shamelessly eavesdropping. He had hoped to hear Mia's conversation with her imaginary friend. His heart sank as he heard her crying bitterly. He wanted to rush in and enfold her in his arms, tell her everything would be alright, but he couldn't, Mia might go nuts. He hated himself for kidnapping her, he hated Agatio and Karst for forcing him to kidnap her.

"What's the matter then?" Alex jumped as he heard a nasal voice behind him. His expression hardened as his gaze lingered
upon the red-haired woman standing casually in the hallway. A cruel smile played upon her pink face.
"You feeling sorry for the stupid little girl?" asked Karst, chuckling lightly.
"She's not a stupid little girl!" ranted Alex, "She's my childhood friend, watch your mouth!" Not long enough to be a rant...
"Maybe you should do the same?" Karst retorted icily, her voice hardening, "You don't tell me what to do, it is the other way round, remember? Especially since you seem to have forgotten I am weak to your element or something."
"Why?" asked Alex simply.
"Because we are of a much higher authority than you, you foolish boy!" cried Karst angrily. I think Alex might be just a little older than Karst...
"That all?" The Mercury Adept shrugged carelessly.
"AND," Karst continued, her voice dropping to a low hissing, "YOU had the ship which used to belong to Saturos and Menardi that should have gone missing which was the whole damn reason you were searching for a ship in the first place. They are dead, so the ship is rightfully mine and Agatio's, and you wanted to keep the ship."
"I did?" Alex's brow furrowed as he tried to recall that day, "I don't think so..."
"Well," Karst stepped closer, her hot gaze boring into his, "Just remember, you're just the pawn, we're the players, and don't think you're going to be the best when it comes to protecting her. Your inability to respect and obey us might mean she gets hurt a little..."
"You wouldnt do that!" exclaimed Alex, backing away in horror. Of course they would... they're "evil".
"Maybe we would." replied Karst, turning away and disappearing to her room, laughing as she went. Alex banged his head on the wall, and ended up clutching it in pain.

Mia was at the other side of the door, listening intently. She had stopped crying shortly after she began and heard raised voices, so her curiosity got the better of her and she listened to Alex and Karst's conversation. She was shocked by what she heard.
"Poor Alex..." she whispered, feeling sorry for his situation, "Damn Agatio and Karst." Then she remembered Alex had betrayed her clan and didn't even apologise, so she promptly stopped feeling sorry for him.
Wiping the last streaks of tears from her stained cheeks, she got up and walked to the window, gazing sadly over the village. She felt quite lonely without her friends around her. Mia wanted to be free, but she knew she was no match for Agatio and Karst alone. Groaning in frustration, Mia rested her forehead on the cool window panes and closed her eyes,
in silent thought and desperation.

The next morning, Alex was sent out to get supplies. He was the one who had to run constant errands after all. Agatio and Karst couldn't be bothered to do the work themselves, so it was all down to Alex. So that's why they aren't going to light the Mars Lighthouse? They are lazy? The frustrated Mercury Adept wandered into the Items store and approached the counter. The Items shopkeeper smiled,
"How may I help you?" she asked.
"10 herbs and 10 antidotes please." Alex placed the money on the counter. The woman hustled to the back and returned with an armful of herbs and antidotes which she handed over. Alex left the shop and stood there in the middle of the village in deep thought.
"...still havent found Mia..."
Alex dropped his herbs and antidotes and they rolled over the ground everywhere. The Mercury Adept hurriedly kneeled to the ground and picked them all up again. If Agatio and Karst heard of it, they might punish him and he didn't want that. Herbs and Antidotes were important to him too when they saved him from having to use his healing Psynergy. I'd rather use Potions and Nuts and such, but hey, if he wants to use the cheap healing stuff... Finally picking them all up, Alex stood up and wandered towards the source of the sound.

He was shocked to see Isaac and Garet standing behind the next house, having buttsex talking. They were discussing Mia. Then Ivan came running up and spoke rapidly. Isaac shook his head. Ivan spoke again. Garet got annoyed for some reason. Isaac started trying to pacify him. Alex must be so far away he can't even hear them...
'They are looking for Mia...' Alex thought guiltily.
"ALEX!"
The stunned Adept turned around and saw Jenna glaring at him. He backed away hurriedly, right into view of Isaac, Garet and Ivan. They saw him and also shouted. Then Felix, Sheba and Picard came running. Alex was now surrounded by seven angry looking Adepts and he didn't like it at all.
"Where is Mia?" demanded Isaac. Of course, they have already assumed Alex kidnapped Mia. Except, why would he even bother in the first place?
"Hand her over at once!" yelled Garet. "Get back to going to get Alchemy like you're supposed to, idiot!"
"We know you have her!" Ivan glared at him in fury. In fury?! I would never have guessed!
"Wait, wait!" cried Felix. Everyone stopped and turned to stare at him.
"What is it, Felix?" sighed Jenna, looking annoyed at her brother for some reason.
"How do we know he has Mia?" asked Felix. He secretly had the hots for Alex and didn't want to think badly of him.
"Of course he's got Mia, who else would?" cried Sheba.
"Simple, isnt it?" smiled Picard, "Agatio and Karst are trying to play foolish games with us so they go and kidnap one of us. Why don't they just go to Mars Lighthouse instead of toying with us?"
"Alex, have you got Mia?" demanded Felix, turning to face him. He gave up his doubts pretty fast. Alex avoided everyone's hot gazes and contemplated throwing water at them to cool down their gazes tried to think of what to say next. He felt like he was trapped in a tight corner.
"Um, well... I suppose I would be lying if I said no..." he said finally.
"YOU KIDNAPPED HER!" screamed Ivan. "Caps locks are so cool!"
"WHY?" demanded Isaac, agreeing with Ivan that caps locks were cool. Everyone else was about to say something but they stopped, waiting for Alex's answer to Isaac's question.
"Because Agatio and Karst told me to." answered Alex. "I am a frigging wuss who forgot they are weak to my element."
"She'd better not be harmed..." growled Garet, clenching a broad fist in a threatening gesture.
"Relax, I shall not let her be harmed," said Alex seriously, "I am not like Agatio and Karst." Oh? So they are "evil" and you aren't?
"Then why don't you let her go?" Jenna asked.
"If I do, then Karst and Agatio will kill me!" Alex tried to make it sound like the answer should be obvious, And is that a bad thing? "I'm just their errand boy, the useless person they like to use, they wouldn't hesitate to finish me off."
"Does the same apply to Mia?" Sheba went pale at the thought. These are the same people who tried to kill Felix and Piers on Jupiter Lighthouse, and you and Jenna when you joined them. Of course it would apply.
"Please, Sheba, I don't wish to know the answer to THAT." Picard's eyes widened in horror. He'd suffered amnesia that caused him to forget the fact those same people attempted to kill him just for being there with Felix.
"What do you think?" asked Alex. "You are all idiots if you think they won't at least try to off her."
"You'd better do a good job protecting her." Ivan pointed at him, trying to get his point across. Unless he realises Mia is useless, then he won't even bother.
"Or else..." Isaac drew a finger across his throat. "I'm really arrogant. I think I can take Alex down. Woohoo."
"Great, I've got death threats from all sides..." whined Alex. Alex, whiny? Who is this Alex? He is not the Alex I know.
"Well, you kidnapped one of us, what did you expect?" asked Felix. "So why don't we just... you know, go and BEAT UP Agatio and Karst and get Mia back? We should be able to take them down all together!"
"Because we are a bunch of idiots. We want Mia back as soon as possible, and not dead." said Garet. Everyone flinched.
"GARET!" screamed Jenna. "Let's all just act like a bunch of wimpy idiots and serve no purpose whatsoever! Yay! Alex was right when he called us useless!"
"What?" Garet backed away, looking around in surprise. "Seriously, why aren't we just going to try and save Mia?"
"I would not let Mia wind up dead," said Alex coldly, "And I have now had enough. I wish to get back to the inn with my supplies. I bid you all farewell and a safe journey."
"Wait, Alex!" cried Sheba, but it was too late. Alex had already used his Psynergetic warp to escape and was now fleeing out of sight towards the inn. And the idiot Adepts either stayed somewhere else or never bothered to... check the inn. What's WRONG with them?!

"What is it, Alex?" asked Agatio when Alex rushed into his bedroom, looking wild. He was still clutching the herbs and antidotes in his arms as if they were his life force.
"It is Felix and company," Alex was alarmed when the words just came straight out. He had only come to deliver the supplies, not to tell Agatio that. It showed how much control Karst and Agatio had over Alex, he was helpless, bound to tell them whatever they needed to know, even if Alex liked it or not. He's been reduced to a wimp who can't remember he's got the advantage over them. Woe.
"They are here?" asked Agatio, approaching him and taking the supplies from his arms. "What are these? HERBS? What would we want with pathetic herbs?!"
"Ye-yes..." Alex nodded hastily, "They are right here in this village. I just had a narrow escape."
"Then we flee from here at once. Get your stuff ready." Agatio threw the supplies into a bag and glared at him, "Go on, get out!"
Alex fled in terror. He's terrified of them? ... I give up. No, really. I give up. ... What? I have to see this through to the bitter end? Poop.

"What do you mean, we're leaving?" cried the astounded Mia, as Alex shoved at her a bag. He didn't bother to tell her how pathetic and useless her 'friends' were being.
"I mean what I mean," Alex shifted his rucksack slightly to lessen the weight upon one shoulder, "We have to go now. We don't know when they will actually use their brains and check the inn after all."
"But why?" Mia looked piteous as she threw her nightgown and some washing supplies into her bag.
"No time for explanations," Alex took her hand and gently pulled her towards the door, "And if we don't hurry up, Karst and Agatio will hurt both of us. You don't want that, do you? Because, really, our Psynergy is so useless against them. Not."
"No, no." said Mia quickly, going with him.

Agatio and Karst were careful to take a route which meant they did not end up encountering Felix and company. They want to avoid them, yet they were staying at the inn? They scaled the back of the village and took an almost hidden route out of the town, ending up in the overworld. Calling it an 'overworld' (as in overworld map) in a fic is a little strange... The four of them walked quickly towards another village to take refuge. There must be a lot of villages where they are. Where are they anyway?
"Ok, Alex, why the hell are we running away?" demanded Mia. "And why am I using words like damn and hell?"
"Because Felix and the others are there, and Agatio and Karst are so scared- OW!" Even though Alex was whispering, he still felt pain inside his head. He gritted his teeth, annoyed that he couldn't even say anything against Agatio and Karst without getting hurt.
"They are THERE?" cried Mia, throwing a desperate glance back at the village, her eyes beginning to well with tears. You'd think if they knew Mia was there too, they would have been combing every part of the place for her and not letting the Proxians get away so easily...
"Afraid so," said Alex dumbly, "I met them. I told them I wouldn't let you be harmed. They'll kill me if I do."
"They know I'm with the three of you?" Mia's hopes rised slightly.
"They suspected it from the very start, I think," mused Alex, "They were immediately accusing me of kidnapping you when they saw me."
"That good at sneaking up on you, huh?" Mia smiled slightly.
"Well, I hate to say it, but Jenna just sneaked right up on me when I was watching Isaac, Garet and Ivan," sighed Alex, "Then she yelled and Isaac, Garet and Ivan yelled, so Felix, Picard and Sheba came running and I was surrounded by all of them. Then we had a HAWT orgy."
"You should have just told them I was at the inn..." Mia trailed off into silence. Well, DUH!
"Sorry." Alex also lapsed into silence and they walked alongside, neither saying a thing for the entire journey.

By the time the group of four reached the next village, night was beginning to fall. Mia was exhausted and kept stumbling every so often. Alex held her upright as they walked slowly into the inn. Karst paid for the rooms and everyone went upstairs to their separate bedrooms. Alex helped Mia to her bedroom and she lay on her bed staring sleepily at the ceiling.
"'Night, Mia." Alex headed towards the door.
"Alex..." started Mia, propping herself up on her elbows and looking straight at Alex with a smile on her face, "Do you remember that day, a long, long time ago, back in Imil..."
"Which day?" asked Alex, leaning back against the doorframe.

It was cold as usual, in the snowy village of Imil. It was so cold, being so far up north in the northernmost part of the continent of Angara. We know where Imil is. It was not much of a tourist spot, but a few villagers lived there. Actually, many villagers lived there once. That was in the twilight years of the Mercury Clan of Imil, before nearly all of them disappeared mysteriously. They got sick of healing people and ran away. The Mercury Clan were healers, looking after the villagers and healing them when they needed it, since a lot of viruses often struck the village.

Mia and Alex were some of the youngest members of the Mercury Clan, being 11 and 12 respectively. I think Alex is at least three years older than Mia now, but eh... They were both just starting training to become proper healers, under the guidance of Mia's father who was an excellent teacher. Alex's parents had succumbed to monsters a few years before and he was an orphan, so he stayed with Mia and her parents.

That day, they were building a snow fortress at the very edge of the village where few people could see them. They are eskimos? They laboriously stacked snow upon snow, the white frost covering their gloves and seeping through to chill their hardworking hands. Mia's face was streaked with water, since she stopped every so often to wipe back stray strands of hair from her face. Her hair was blowing everywhere in the wind, but she was used to it. Every day Imil was full of snow and cold weather, you either succumbed to it or grew to love it. Alex worked hurriedly, trying to get it as high as possible in the quickest possible time, until an idea came to him.
"I know. Stand back and watch, I'll get this finished easy peasy and super quick!"
"What are you going to do?" Mia stood back, staring curiously.
"This!" grinned Alex, trying his best to call forth some Psynergy. He focused hard on the snow around him, trying to bend it to his will. Alex bent it to his will alright. He caused a mini snow cyclone and ended up blowing the fortress apart. He stopped using his small sample of Psynergy and stared in stunned silence at the shallow hole in the snow where the snow fortress once stood. Well, it probably sucked anyway because he's not an eskimo, so who cares?
"Look what you did!" exclaimed Mia, her eyes beginning to fill with tears, "We spent so long on it and you spoilt it!"

The angry child turned and stormed wildly out of the village. She was blinded by such childish rage that she didn't even see where she was going, otherwise she wouldnt have put herself into such a dangerous situation.
"Wait, Mia!" yelled Alex, "You're not supposed to leave the village, it's too dangerous out there! MIA! I'm sorry, please come back!"
"You are mean, I hate you!" shouted Mia, breaking into a run.
"It was only a pile of snow, we can start again!" Alex called back, also breaking into a run and pursuing her.

The two young Mercury Adepts started running around the snow in circles. It began to turn into a game of chase while Mia changed directions every so often, laughing wildly as Alex tried to tag her. They began to forget about the dangers which surrounded them, the instincts only too natural for a child taking over. Finally, Alex managed to wrap his arms around Mia's waist and they fell over, rolling over the snow and both of them laughing wildly, just lying there in the snow and looking up at the sky.

That was when they heard the loud roaring... Bears can roar that loudly?

Alex acted quickly. He got to his feet and pulled the dazed Mia to hers. She looked around in confusion as Alex began running wildly, pulling her behind him. Mia realised what the roaring was and added her own sound affects with a few theatrical screams as they both fled back to the village.

Ten Maulers were right behind the children, they were quick and strong and the snow did not hinder them. They had huge bulky forms, and a thick hide of fur. Their claws were sharp and their teeth were long, pointed and well maintained. They had a keen sense of sight and smell. The two Adepts were at a severe disadvantage against these powerful monsters, feared by many.

Alex and Mia were almost at the boundaries of the village, and the Maulers were quickly gaining on them. Alex gritted his teeth in frustration and pushed Mia right ahead of him. The surprised girl ended up stumbling right into the village and fleeing to safety before realising that Alex hadn't come all the way with her. She stood there in the middle of the village, dumbstruck.

Alex turned around and concentrated hard. He could almost smell the Maulers' horrible breath but he willed himself not to let it deter him. Once again, Alex summoned forth Psynergy and bent the snow to his will. He actually managed to control it this time and directed it straight into the nearest Maulers' faces. They stumbled and clawed at their faces in rage, blinded by the snow. The Maulers behind them barged straight into them and the ten wild, hungry bears ended up fighting while Alex was able to flee to safety. Finally, the indignated Maulers retreated back to their natural habitats, far from the village.

"Alex!" cried Mia, sobbing as she flung herself on him, hugging him tightly, "Don't do that again!"
"I had to!" Alex squeezed her back, "I did it to protect you."
Mia gazed at him tearfully, "Protect me?"
"Yeah," Alex wiped the tears off her face, "I have to protect you after all."
"Promise?" smiled Mia.
"I promise." grinned Alex.

"You remember now, don't you?" Mia was now sitting on the edge of her bed, looking at him curiously.
"Yeah... I remember..." said Alex sadly, "How could I forget?"
"You promised," Mia looked at the ceiling, lost in a world of memories, "You promised to protect me. You seem to be doing a crappy job though."
"Protecting you won't help me get Alchemy any quicker. Yeah, I did, didn't I?" said Alex thoughtfully.
"You remember when we were on the Mercury Lighthouse Aerie?" said Mia suddenly.
"Um, yeah, why?" Alex flinched slightly, still slightly raw from the memories of that day.
"You said you couldn't stay the same Alex forever..." Mia got up and walked towards him, her gaze penetrating his, "Were you telling the truth?" I'm sure he was.
"I..." Alex looked away quickly, "I don't know."
"I missed you, Alex," sighed Mia, "I missed you so much when you left Imil. You just left without a word, without a warning. I was worried I wouldn't see you again. And then you turned up out of the blue... I was so shocked..."
Alex backed away nervously.
"Alex?" Mia stared at him.
"Um, goodnight, Mia." said Alex quickly, turning and walking away down the corridor.
"Alex!" Mia called after him, but he didn't reply. Sighing, she closed the door and went to bed. She cried herself to sleep for the second time, except it was for a different reason.

Alex couldn't get to sleep that night. He lay awake in bed as the twilit night passed by and a new sun began to rise, signalling the coming of the dawn. He decided to get up early for a change and did so, quickly dressing himself. He quietly crept downstairs, taking care not to wake anybody else sleeping at the inn and slipped outside, running through the village. The morning air was chilly and it helped him to clear his mind, to get a good grasp of his senses. He needed to think, but he couldn't do it up in the inn, Karst and Agatio were there and their presence always unnerved him. Alex wandered out of the village, his hands remaining near his swords in case any wild monsters decided to attack him out of nowhere. He was always prepared for danger, or at least he tried to be.

Mia was awoken a few hours later by angry shouting. She quickly got dressed and ventured out to the corridor, looking in both directions to try and determine where the shouting was coming from. It sounded like Karst and Agatio. Sure enough, an angry looking Karst appeared onto the landing and glared harshly at her,
"Where do you think you're going?"
Startled, Mia took a step backwards.
"Am I allowed to go to the bathroom? I, I wasn't going anywhere..." he protested. Mia had turned into a man in the space of three seconds... I need to proofread, darnit.
"Alex has escaped!" thundered Agatio, storming up towards them, "And don't you think you're going to get away as well!"
"He's GONE?" cried a stunned Mia.
"Gone, alright, we don't even know where he is!" raged the furious Agatio.
"And we did tell him if he misbehaved, someone else might get hurt..." Karst looked at Mia dangerously, "I'd call running off misbehaviour alright."
Mia fled back into her bedroom and tried to slam the door, but Agatio's foot was quicker. Karst forced her way in and Agatio was right behind her.
"DON'T!" exclaimed Mia, "It's not fair, I'm not responsible for Alex's actions!" All she had to do was summon Boreas and hope it was enough to slow them. Wuss.
"Sure?" chuckled Karst, a low hiss accompanying her voice.
"We're doing this to teach Alex a lesson!" crowed Agatio.
Mia squeezed her eyes shut and cursed the Mercury Adept, who the night before she had been crying for.

It was already noon when Alex returned to the village. He could already feel masses of pain exploding in his head and he ran back to the inn at full speed. He could tell that Agatio and Karst were in a terrible rage, their fury directed right at him. It wasn't fair, he had just gone for a walk. For a few hours? He nervously made his way through the dining area and then was confronted by the two Mars Adepts.
"THERE you are!" exploded Agatio, sorely tempted to whack Alex with a fireball.
"Oh don't worry," smiled Karst, "You're back now so we don't need to punish you. We will punish you if you do it again. Don't run off again."
"Uh... okay..." Alex mumbled nervously. Why were they letting him get off so easily?
"We let someone else take the rap!" Karst crowed delightedly.
Alex was stunned. He pushed right past them, running at full speed up the stairs.

He rapped sharply on Mia's door.
"Mia?" he called, "Mia, let me in! Please!"
There was no response. He was almost frightened by the silence. It could mean one thing... or it could mean another. It could mean Mia had been struck with a terrible bout of laryngitsi.
"Mia, are you there?"
He pressed his ear close to the door and listened intently. He could not hear a thing. A lump rose in his throat. Surely, they wouldnt have done that, would they? Oh no, anything but that. Alex sharply nipped that thought in the bud and willed himself to calm down. Of course they wouldn't. Sure, they seemed ruthless enough, but would they? On the other hand, they practically tried to on the Jupiter Lighthouse. They tried to kill everybody.
"Mia?" Alex choked, almost sobbing, "MIA! Are you in there?"
The silence wrapped around him like a thick, unforgiving blanket, choking him, pulling him down into a deep dark abyss. He wasn't even sure if he should just walk right in. Who knew what he might find? Naked Mia. He hated to think about what he might find in there. It was as if his worst fear was waiting at the other side of the door, like a gigantic Mauler, waiting to pounce if Alex so much as opened the door one tiny little crack. He tried again, almost on the verge of giving up.
"MIA! MIA! Please answer me!" Maybe if he stopped saying her name in caps lock...
Alex gazed sorrowfully at the thick wooden oak door. It was a solid brown, with rich darker brown hues running their course along the woodwork. Who cares what the door looks like? His paranoia began to twist what he saw, so the wood appeared to be stained with dark red blotches which almost resembled blood. His mind began to wander, filled with dark thoughts of what might be lying inside that room. He squeezed his eyes shut as he reached out for the doorknob slowly. He hated to burst in like this, but if Mia wasn't answering for some reason, he would have to go in and find out what had happened.

Alex jerked back in alarm when his hand came into contact with a blazing hot object. His eyes opened wide in horror and he carefully examined his hand. The pain faded away quickly, and his hand was unblemished, it did not show even the faintest trace of a burn. Alex reprimanded himself for letting his imagination take over and, while taking several deep breaths, he gripped the doorknob once more. The brass was smooth and cold, not at all scorching hot. Alex slowly twisted the door knob, fancying that it was emitting a low, breathy groan like one's last dying breath, and gently pushed the door open. Just open the damn thing already! The soft creaking sounded to him like a cat's purring emitted at about a thousand times larger, as if the cat had grown to immense size. Ugh. He willed himself to put one foot forward, then the next, slowly stepping into Mia's room and quickly shutting the door behind him. Finally.

Alex warily looked around Mia's room. It was quite a small room, only consisting of a cupboard and a bedroom. He stood next to the wardrobe and peered around it, seeing the bed situated at the centre of the room, facing the window. Alex could not see what might be on the other side of the bed on the floor, so he had to go and look for himself. He quietly crept around the end of the bed and peered around nervously. The sight he saw almost made him hurl, but he quickly swallowed down the rising bile in his throat.

Mia was lying on her side, facing the wall so that Alex could not see her face. Her dress was covered with several scorch marks, and he thought he could see some small bloodstains on the floor. Mia was in a hunched up position, her legs drawn up to her chest and her arms loosely flopping over them. Alex could see several bruises on her arms but he could see nothing else. He resisted the urge to scream and flee, it was quite unlike him, so he quietly kneeled behind Mia and reached out slowly to turn her over and make sure that Mia was just unconscious. She was just unconscious, wasn't she? Or was she...

Before Alex could do anything, the hunched up form in front of him uncurled and whirled around to face him. She was lying on the floor for some reason? His frightened azure gaze met with her blazing hot aqua stare. Mia was breathing heavily and she opened her mouth, but the words took their time in coming out. Her face was covered with several ugly bruises as opposed to attractive and beautiful bruises, and a trail of dried blood was trickling from her nose. A large red burn branded her forehead. Alex was filled with sympathy and also rage at Agatio and Karst for doing this to her.
"You- you promised!" hissed Mia, who was on the verge of bursting into tears, "You promised to protect me, but they still hurt me!"
"Mia..." Alex's heart almost broke, "I'm so sorry... I didn't know..."
"Where were you?" Mia began to sob quietly, "I hoped you'd come and stop them, but you never came!"
"I just went for a very, very long walk..." Alex tried to explain. Mia was nearly hysterical now.
"Excuses, Alex, you're always full of excuses!" sniffled Mia, "You made a promise!" Her eyes were red and swollen and her tears stained her face, mixing with dried blood.
"I didn't know," protested Alex, "I didn't know they would do it. I only went for a walk, I had to go out and think..."
Mia didn't say anything, she just bowed her head over her legs and rocked herself back and forth, sniffling quietly.
"Come on," Alex wrapped his arms around her and gently lifted her up, "Let's get you cleaned up."
"No," said Mia stubbornly as he sat her on the side of the bed and sat next to her, his arms still around her, "I can do it myself."
"Just relax," said Alex, clearing the stray tendrils of her aqua hair from her face, "I'll do it for you."
Mia sobbed hysterically and leaned on Alex's chest as he summoned forth his powerful healing Psynergy, the smooth waves gently caressing Mia's wounds and repairing broken skin, clearing away the scorch marks of old. She relaxed considerably, letting his Psynergy wash over her and rejuvenate her. Her pains faded away and when Alex was finished, she just stayed there, enjoying the warmth of Alex's body.
"I'll try harder," Alex said, resting his chin on her head and stroking her hair, "I'm really sorry about today..."
"We all make mistakes," said Mia quietly, "It's only human."
"I thought you were dead." Alex hiccuped quietly.
"Not yet," said Mia grimly, "Although they said I might as well be."
"Karst and Agatio?"
"They used their powerful fire Psynergy on me..." Mia mechanically replayed the awful events of a few hours before, not flinching as she spoke, "They punched me, stabbed me, pushed me against the wall, kicked me down. But I'm still alive and kicking. See?" What she didn't tell him was that she was actually a zombie.
"Why didn't you answer me?" Alex looked at her sadly.
"Didn't want to..." Mia looked down at her slightly scorched dress, "I just didn't want to... wanted to just lie there until they forgot about me. Perhaps I should just fade from existence altogether."
"Don't talk like that, Mia!" Alex's grip tightened slightly on her, "I don't want you to be gone, understand?"
"Okay, Alex..." Mia looked up directly into his eyes and smiled wanly, "I'll forgive you this time... goodness knows, you've got a lot to be forgiven for."
"That's a shame," Alex smiled back, "But I guess nobody's perfect!"

"That's right, you're a long way from being perfect!" A deep, nasal voice called out.
"We're not finished yet!" added a harsh, feminine voice.
Alex sprang up and leaped to the floor, glaring at them in rage. Mia cried aloud in fear, still sitting on the bed, as she craned her head to look at them. Her eyes were wide with fright. She is such a freaking WIMP.
"You hurt her!" shouted Alex, walking around the bed and squaring directly up to them, "I said not to hurt her!"
"Alex, I told you we didn't make promises..." Agatio's eyes glinted coldly.
"And we said if you didn't obey us, she would get hurt!" Karst said finally.
"All I did was go for a walk!" cried Alex.
"WITHOUT our permission!" thundered Agatio.
"For all we knew, you could have done a runner." Karst spoke harshly.
Alex was silent, boiling inside with fury, but he knew better than to lash out, their retaliation would be far more brutal. He still couldn't be bothered to just blast them with water.

"Anyway, as Karst said, we aren't finished yet..." Agatio reached into his pocket and brought out the orb again. Alex backed away in alarm, trying to wrench his gaze away but it had him again, pulling him back in, further away from his own willpower.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" screamed Mia. Are the caps really necessary?
"Shut up!" shouted Karst, storming straight up to her and smacking her in the nose, causing it to bleed once more. Mia quickly cast Ply and healed it. That must have been a really hard smack...
"What are you doing?" asked Mia again, her voice dropping to a fearful whisper.
"Controlling him further." answered Karst, smiling sadistically.
"What?" exclaimed Mia, looking at Alex in horror.

Alex's thoughts were completely swallowed up in blackness as Agatio took his controls to new levels. Before, Agatio had allowed a little bit of free will in Alex, it amused him to see Alex rebel at times then he would get punished for it, but now he allowed no free will. Alex was completely under Agatio's control, bound to do his bidding no matter what it was. It was as if Alex had faded away from existence altogether and only the dried husk remained, filled with deep empty blackness. We get it already...

"Kill her." said Agatio simply.
"HUH?" Mia looked around wildly, trying to figure out what Agatio meant. She was horrorstruck. Surely, they didn't mean... no, they wouldn't... they couldn't!
"Why do it ourselves when we can make our little errand-boy do it?" giggled Karst, moving back to the doorway and standing next to Agatio, so that they both blocked the door. Agatio repeated his previous orders.
"Kill the girl." he demanded loudly.

The dazed Mercury Adept turned and looked around blearily. It was as if his brain had turned to cotton wool and his mind had the consistency of mashed potatoes. Pretty strange comparison to make. He couldn't think clearly, all he could concentrate on was his master's orders. The screaming girl had no effect as he slowly, deliberately moved towards her, a hand jerking towards the hilt of one of the swords at his waist. His soft footsteps echoed loudly in his ears, but they did not block out the orders of Agatio, his orders ruled over all other thoughts. Nothing mattered now, just obeying his master, and nothing would get in his way, ever.

Mia had to think quickly. Alex was getting closer.
'No, not Alex,' she reminded herself mentally, 'It's just Agatio using someone to get what he wants. That's not Alex, it only looks like Alex but it isn't him.'
She looked fearfully into his eyes, searching for any traces of him, but his eyes were a deep blue, emotionless, looking straight through her. His pupils were swallowed up in the startling blue, like an ocean swallows everything and everybody up, drowning in the mass of water, unable to escape, hidden from view. Talk about being overly descriptive...
Impulsively, Mia sprang forwards and wrapped her arms around Alex, pressing her lips to his and holding him tightly. If this didn't work, then nothing else would and she would die.

Alex was startled when she sprang on him. He thought he had been attacked, but no, this was different. A warm feeling surged through his body, clearing all horrible thoughts away. The orders of Agatio were swept away by the tide and Alex's free will returned. Mia stepped away, looking at him searchingly. His eyes were back to normal, and he blinked at her in shocked confusion. The brainwashing is removed by the power of true love. How clichéd...

"Alex..." whispered Mia.
"NO! Agatio, do something!" shrieked Karst.
"Hold on..." Agatio fumbled with the orb and stepped forwards, obviously planning to administer control once more.
"Oh no, you don't!" screamed Mia, lunging past Alex and firing an Ice Missile attack at Agatio. He was so stunned he dropped the orb and it rolled across the floor until bumping into Alex's feet.
"Destroy it!" screamed Mia, backing away from Agatio and Karst, "Hurry!"
Alex didn't think twice. He pulled his kodachi sword out and held it directly above the orb, before plunging it down towards that smooth glass surface. Didn't he already have a sword out? Why did he have to pull another one out?
"No-o-o-o-o!" Agatio and Karst howled simultaenously, their voices merging into one, a horrified, shrieking voice.

The sword struck the orb with a loud noise and pierced the surface. Cracks rippled across the glass ball and then it exploded. Masses of thick, murky black smoke poured out of the ball and faded into the air, despite the window being closed. The orb was now nothing but dull, crystal clear glass fragments lying on the ground. Alex felt something lift, a heavy burden that before he had not realised he was carrying. Mia ran forwards and held him tight as he resheathed his sword.
"Thank goodness..." mumbled Mia softly.
"Wait." Alex pushed her away gently and walked past to face up to Agatio and Karst. His pale blue eyes glinted with a dangerous, cold fury that he didn't normally possess and it would surprise anybody who thought they knew Alex well.
"That's it..." Alex spoke coolly, his voice low and dangerous. "You've just about pushed me too far. I'm giving you one more chance to get lost and leave me and Mia alone so we may escape, otherwise I will not hesitate to use my Psynergy in any way I can. You know, you could have used it before... And I do not wish to ever see you two again. Take the ship, go where you like, just let us go."

Agatio and Karst were slightly intimidated by the glaring Mercury Adept. Outside, he seemed cool, reserved, but inside they sensed a hot, rising fury threatening to explode, like steam escaping from the kettle as water boils. Stop with the comparisons already... They backed away nervously.
"Karst... let's leave them be..." Agatio cleared his throat, unable to believe Alex was scaring him.
"I hate to say it, but I think we should."
The two Mars Adepts fled for their bedrooms, to hide until they felt they were safe. Alex headed to the door, but before he left he turned and smiled at Mia,
"Pack up, we're going."
A joyful smile spread across Mia's face and she immediately sprang across the room, grabbing her bag. She couldn't wait to get out, get away from the two terrifying Mars Adepts of the Fire Clan of the North.

They walked across the grassy plains of the overworld, heading back to the last village. Alex wrapped a protective arm around Mia as they walked slowly towards their destination.
"Alex?" asked Mia tentatively.
"Yes?" Alex looked at her quickly.
"Are you going to come all the way with me when we get there, or...?"
"No," said Alex quietly, "I prefer to go by myself. I have things to do like stealing Alchemy and taking over the world. But I'll be back, I promise."
"Sure, Alex, you promise," smiled Mia, "Um... you know about earlier?"
A quick flicker of worry crossed her companion's face.
"What, the orb thing? That wasn't-"
"No, not that, silly!" Mia shoved him gently, "I know that wasn't you. But, you remember I kissed you?"
"Oh yeah, that!" Alex flushed pink.
"What did it feel like? It must have been something." Mia gazed at him thoughtfully.
"It felt nice," smiled Alex, "But wasn't it just to try and break their control over me?"
"No..." sighed Mia, "It was a real kiss of passion. Love conquers all, Alex (Blargh)... and that's what happened to us. You do feel the same about me don't you?"
Alex stopped, and gazed for a long time at Mia before leaning forwards and planting a kiss on her, then stepping back.
"Of course I do." he replied warmly.
Happily, they picked up their pace as they headed towards the village, two hearts singing out as one, united in the love they never knew was there but now it had emerged from a lost past.
"Hey!" Mia stopped, right before they reached the boundaries of the village.
"What is it now?" Alex stopped as well.
"The Mars Star..." Mia looked at him desperately, "We didn't bring the Mars Star, did we?"
"And screw with the plot? No way! Agatio and Karst have it. They will be heading to the Mars Lighthouse. Mia, you, Felix, everybody, you must all get to the Mars Lighthouse as quickly as possible and reclaim the star."
"It's Felix's destiny to light the lighthouses..." Mia spoke softly, "He has to light the final lighthouse."
"And he will," Alex embraced her once more, "Now go back to your friends, and remember, I am never too far from you. We shall meet again."
"Goodbye, Alex..." Mia walked past him, stopped, turned and passed a long, lingering gaze at him before running into the village.

"We should leave and find Mia at once!" yelled Garet angrily. "We could have done that when they... you know, were STILL here. Why are we being such dumbasses?!"
"But we don't know where to go." argued Isaac. "Because we're complete idiots who have been pushed aside for the sake of this crappy plot."
"So what can we do?" Ivan glared at them, "Isaac, you're supposed to be a leader, you should know what to do... but... you kind of suck at the moment."
"What about Jenna and Kraden? We found them didn't we?"
"Oh, that's funny!" giggled Jenna, "I thought WE found YOU!"
"Who cares?" cried Sheba, "We have to find Mia before it's too late." Too late for what?
"We have to get the Mars Lighthouse lit as quickly as possible," Picard reminded them, "So it's a bit of a difficult situation. What do you think, Felix? Aren't Agatio and Karst SUPPOSED to be going there anyway?"
"I don't know..." said Felix hopelessly.
"Now, I wouldn't expect that sort of attitude from a leader like you, since you are the head of the group, everyone looks to you for your opinion..." Kraden, who was also present, started going off on another one of his tirades.
"Well!" Another voice cut in, "I say, forget finding me, we got to go and get to the Mars Lighthouse as quickly as possible, because I'm right here! And you are all a bunch of lazy idiots and I hope you all burn in heck."
"MIA!" everybody shouted joyfully as the Mercury Adept stepped into the circle, her face stained with tears of joy.
"GROUP HUG!" shouted Jenna. Everyone complied.
"Hey, it's great to see you all again-" choked Mia, trying to loosen several strangleholds, "But has anybody got my clothes and my Crystal Rod? This dress's burnt and I kinda miss having a weapon!"
"Sure, Mia!" chuckled Sheba, "We brought them along, don't worry."
"Hey, did you escape?" asked Isaac curiously.
"It's a long story, a very long story." smiled Mia. That I don't want to hear again...

---
I hope you all liked this. And guess what? This is the longest Golden Sun fanfic I have managed to write so far. Gosh, it sure seems like it. I know. I just sporked this. Longest spork so far. Hurrah!