Always Together

---

Poor Garet gets bashed too much. I'm sticking up for him! Kinda. Eh, Camelot owns Golden Sun.

---

I have to put up with so many harsh words and insults sometimes. They bash against my skull like hammers, penetrating it and squeezing through the cracks, getting to my brain. I try to block them out, I clamp my hands over my ears, I laugh, I joke, but they still come. They slip through my fingers, they slither down the eardrums, I can't help but hear. I don't want to hear them, I try to pretend nothing's being said, I try to pretend it's all just a joke, but it's so hard. Sometimes I want to scream, tell them to leave me alone, but I can't let it out. So I just keep having to put up with it.

It wasn't so bad... I never realised how much it hurt me... but then then the voice came. I'm not sure what to think of the voice. It's kind of strange. It says weird things, it knows how I feel, but I don't quite trust it. I know what trust is. I trust Isaac, and he hasn't led us to our dooms, so he's definitely a good leader. Felix too, I guess.

I remember when the voice first came. I was just lying in bed, feeling pretty tired. We'd had an eventful day, we went to beat up Sentinel, and we also had to deal with a bunch of Wonder Birds. Their fire is awfully hot, even when you're a Mars Adept. Thank goodness we had Mia and Piers on hand. Ivan got a pretty severe burn on his arm, but Mia healed it so he was okay. We went to Izumo, since it was the closest, it's pretty noisy sometimes with people celebrating. I admit I had a little fun, I used Halt on the man who was banging the drums. Most of the dancers stopped and asked what was going on though so I had to quickly talk to the drummer. He had no idea what had happened and kept on banging the drums. We shouldn't really use Psynergy in public, they said so in Vale...

Oh yeah, the voice. I'm not sure if it's a he or a she so I just call it it. It's kind of like the Wise One, you don't know if it has a gender or not. I never thought to ask the Wise One actually, we were kind of in a life-threatening situtation, me and Isaac. Anyway, the voice... I was just lying there, not really thinking about anything, and this voice just goes and talks to me out of nowhere. I don't know where it came from, it just came, it popped right into my head.

---

Hello, Garet...

"Huh?" I sat up straight in bed, looking around. Who had said that? There was nobody in the room.

I'm not out there... I'm right here... in your head...

"What the heck? Ivan, if this is your idea of a prank, it's not funny!" I yelled, half expecting the young mage to pop out of the cupboard or something, looking very guilty. Or he might look amused. Or both. Annoying little midget, that he is. Always calling me stuff like doofus. It's not very nice.

I'm not Ivan. This is real. I'm right here... in your head... I know how you're feeling.

"Huh?"

You feel angry, don't you? Somebody teases you for eating way too much, everybody else laughs. They call you names like oaf, moron, idiot, doofus. They think you lack brain cells. Wouldn't it be great if you could just get them to stop somehow? If only everybody respected you, maybe even looked up to you. Wouldn't that feel great?

"Respected me? Hah!" I found that pretty funny... who would respect me? Besides, I don't want to be respected, I just want the teasing to stop. It has to stop sometime right? I wish it would... please... let it stop... I don't know how much more I can take...

You have a pretty poor morale, I see.

"Morale?" I frowned, not recognising that word. "What are you talking about?"

Never mind... you need to realise your potential. You want them to be nice to you for once, don't you? I know how you can do it. Listen to me, I bet we could make a great team.

"Wh-who are you?"

"..."

"Are you there?"

"..."

"Hello?"

"..."

"Hey!"

The door swung open and Isaac stood in the doorway, framed by dim candlelight.

"What are you yelling about now, Garet?" Isaac asked.

"Isaac... have you ever had voices in your head?" I wondered.

"...No." Isaac frowned. "I thought only insane people had voices in their heads."

"I'm not insane!" I exclaimed in horror.

"Of course you aren't." Isaac smiled. "'Night, Garet!"

"Goodnight!" I watched the door close and lay back in bed with a sigh. Was I going insane? Surely not. Maybe it was only my imagination. Make the teasing stop? Yeah right. What was the voice going to do, pop out of my head and scold everybody? Hit them on the head with a rubber chicken and threaten to do it again if they didn't leave me alone? I seriously doubted it. It was gone now, anyway, so I just turned over and went back to sleep.

---

"Oh, Garet, you ate all the food again, didn't you?"

"Garet's such a pig, he eats everything."

"You're so greedy, Garet."

"Yeah, and moronic."

"Ivan, be nice."

"But he is!"

"We have to pay for that stuff, you know!"

"Yeah, it's for all of us too!"

"What a doofus."

"Tch..."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry I ate all the food!" I exclaim, while all seven of them gang up on me. I was hungry. Besides, the voice said it was okay to eat it. I just tend to eat a lot, why does everybody pick on me for it? It's not like I'm big and fat or anything, not like that Hammet guy. Oops, I hope Ivan doesn't read that in my mind, he might Spark Plasma me to kingdom come, before Mia could even tell him not to.

"We've got loads of money," Jenna speaks up. "We can afford to buy food, so maybe we shouldn't be so hard on him for it."

"But at this rate, the food's going to be all gone before we've even left the coast," Sheba sighs. "Why does he have to eat everything?"

"Because he's intellectually deficient, that's why." Ivan smirks. I bet that was an insult. I don't know what it meant, but it had to be an insult, right?

"Does it really matter?" Felix is looking pretty tired of the debate. "Just go and buy some more food. Chewing him out isn't going to bring back the food."

"Hah." Piers looks somewhat amused. "Chewing him out..."

"I wasn't trying to joke, Piers," Felix said shortly.

"I'm just going to go out for some fresh air," I say, breezing past the group and heading off the ship. We're currently docked near that village, Loho. I'm going to sit in a nice little place where the sun's shining, nice and warm over there. So I'm sitting there, it's nice and quiet, and then that voice comes back.

So they're at it again, aren't they, Garet?

"Leave me alone, you annoying voice thingy."

Now what kind of greeting is that for a friend?

"My friends don't usually live in my head."

Maybe I'm just the first friend to live in your head, how about that?

"Go away!"

Why? I'm the only one who's nice to you. I don't call you idiot, doofus or whatever, do I? I don't scold you for eating all the food or anything.

"You encouraged me to eat all the food and they told me off!"

I encouraged you? Are you sure? Are you sure it wasn't just your own selfish desires acting for you? Did I really tell you to eat it all or was it all a trick of the mind? Why would I tell you to do something that got you into trouble? I'm your friend. Friends don't get each other into trouble.

"You're not my friend!"

Ahh, in denial now are we? Maybe you're just angry at me. You think I should be helping you, telling everybody to leave you alone, but what can I do? I am only in your head. I'm your moral support, I help keep you sane. I'm here for you when you're upset or angry... when you're feeling low, I'm here to cheer you up. Nobody else listens to you. They are too busy complaining about you, talking about you behind your back. I would never do that.

"How do I know that? Maybe you run off to chat with other voices in people's heads and tell them about your latest victim, who's a moronic greedy idiot who eats everything and is so stupid, he would walk off a cliff! Well... they never said that..."

How do you know they don't say it in private? When you're asleep, they're up, they're talking, saying all kinds of mean things about you.

"Shut up! Shut up!" I grab my head and hold it in my hands, trying to block out the voice.

They don't like you, not really. They are only pretending. You're better off without them.

"Please... go away... leave me alone... don't come back... don't..."

You know it, Garet. They wish you'd go away too. They're better off without you. Why don't you go home?

"Home?"

Home. Go to be with your family. They miss you, don't they? You miss them too, I can see it in your mind...

"I can't... I promised... to stay with Isaac... I have to help... I can't go back... not until we're finished..."

What's the point of staying with them? You can go home. It's only over the mountains, northeast of where you are. You can do it. Go home. Back to Vale. Go on.

"Shut up! I won't! I won't leave Isaac and the others... they need me... they do..."

They need you? Are you sure? They already have a Mars Adept, you know, they don't need you. You can go home, free of worry. They won't notice you're gone. You know you want to. See your family again... go and see them again, Garet, you want to. Never mind the others, they don't care. Your family cares about you.

I feel a big ache in my heart as I think of my family... but I can't go home, even though I want to, so bad. The longing gnaws away at me. I want to go home. The voice says to go home. Maybe they won't mind... not if I go, just for a little while.

Are you going to go, Garet?

"Okay... fine... they don't need me... I'll go."

And with that, I get up and start walking. They aren't going to miss me. I'll just go for a little while. I set off towards the mountains, running a long way, even crossing the river on the way. I don't know where I'm going, I just know I'm going in the right direction. I soon reach the mountains and begin climbing them effortlessly, although it takes a while, and I soon reach the top. The sun is already going down and the sky's getting dark. Standing on the top of the mountain, I can see Vale and Mt. Aleph, I look right down. If I look hard enough, I think I can see Aaron playing with a puppy, Mom calling him inside, probably because it's suppertime now. I want to go and have supper, taste Mom's cooking some more... just be at home... with the family... back home. I see Isaac's mom standing outside her door, looking so sad. I can't tell if she's still ill or not... but she looks so sad. Isaac's gone... she thinks his dad is dead too... but he isn't... he's alive and in Prox, waiting to come home... and we're meant to be going to Prox... to save the world...

What are you doing, Garet? Go on. Everybody hates you. You don't need them. They all think you're stupid. You know... doofus, moron, idiot, oaf... they always call you all that and they think you're okay with it. All you do is laugh it off, they think you don't mind... you're like some sort of punchbag... you don't retaliate... you're just the comic relief for them. The guy they can make fun of and tease without worry. You don't need them, Garet, forget about them, forget about the stupid quest.

"N-no..." I sit down, nestling in a crevice in the stone, staring fixedly at the peaks of Mt. Aleph. "I've got to save the world... we have to... it's shrinking... we all need to save it... what am I doing? I shouldn't be doing this. I should be with them..."

No! You're wrong! They don't want you with them, they think you're better off just sitting on your backside and stuffing your face full of food a million miles away from them! Don't bother going back to them!

"But..." I think hard. Do they really want to be rid of me? No... even if they tease me so much... they still care about me... they could have just let me drop off Jupiter Lighthouse, but they didn't! Why would they? They care about me, they do... they are my friends...

Friends? Pah! I'm your friend! Not them! You don't need idiots like them! They don't give two hoots about you. Isaac's too concerned with saving the world, Ivan throws insults at you all the time, Mia doesn't even really bother trying to stop him, Felix doesn't really care either, Jenna and Sheba tease you too, and... well, I'm not sure about Piers, but honestly, just go home, Garet, your home's right there! Go on!

"They are my friends," I say stiffly. "I won't abandon them. I want to be with them, we have to be fighting side by side... we're going to be the heroes who save the world. I'm going to be a hero. I'll help them save the world, and I will be somebody! I won't be a nobody. If I just went back home and left them to their own devices, I'd be nothing, a coward who abandons his comrades when the going gets tough."

No... don't.. you must listen to me! You idiot! You're just going to destroy yourself, going off to fight something when you don't know what you're up against!

"I won't be..." I say confidently. "Because we'll all be together, fighting side by side. That's what friends do, they aid each other in the fight and when we're together, there's no reason to lose... we've got each other. Even when they tease me, we all still care about each other... sometimes they take it a bit too far, but I just laugh it off and forget about it. I wouldn't hold a grudge against my friends. You aren't my friend! You called me an idiot, you insulted my friends and you told me not to bother trying to save the world! You must be evil!"

No! I... am... not... evil... I'm... your... friend...

"You're just my resentful side, aren't you?" I guess. Okay, it's a long stretch, but how many people have voices in their head anyway? "I just suppressed you for too long, so you came out in your own little way. Well, I'll deal with it, I don't need you! Next time Ivan calls me an idiot, I'll just call him a midget and tell him to shut up! I don't care if Mia yells at me, I'll just do it. They are my friends. I care about them and they care about me. Even though they yell at me quite a bit... I still have my good qualities... I don't fly off the handle, I don't get into fights with other people or anything, I'm loyal and trustworthy, I'm strong and reliable... I've got loads of stamina and I'm good in battles. I'm alright, I'm happy with myself, and I wouldn't be myself if I changed! I'm happy the way I am, and everybody loves me the way I am anyway, so, whatever you are, shut up, alright?"

... no...

"Is it gone?" I whisper to myself. There's nothing but silence. It's calming, it makes me feel relieved and happy. I grin and get to my feet, noticing that it has gotten dark. I grimace and hold out my hand, letting a fireball flicker into life on my palm. It's too dark to go down the mountain, it's not safe. I'll just have to stay here until the morning. I'll be fine. Mars Adepts are resistant to the cold... it's better than breaking my neck. I locate a pile of branches and drop the fireball onto them. The branches flicker and burst into flames. I curl up near the fire and close my eyes, soon drifting off to sleep, soothed by the fire.

The sound of birds singing to each other in the treetops awakens me the next morning. The fire has died out, leaving nothing but cold, grey ashes. I struggle into a sitting position and wriggle around, easing up my muscles. My joints are hurting from spending all night on a mountain, it's pretty uncomfortable here. I should be heading back to Loho now, everybody must be so worried about me. I get to my feet and look down at Vale one more time.

I am suddenly filled with such gut-wrenching sorrow that I have to kneel down, my head is spinning and I feel dizzy, I can feel grief welling up inside me and I want to cry. It's so horrible, I feel such a terrible pang, it's bursting inside me, fighting to get out. I tremble all over, lost in the pits of despair, mourning although I know not why I am mourning. Somehow, I get the feeling that I'm grieving for Vale, but I don't know why, Vale is right down there, it's okay, it's as lively and beautiful as ever, people are walking around. It's shaking a little, I doubt it ever stopped doing that, Mt. Aleph keeps occasionally rumbling, but it's going to be fine. We'll come back when the journey's over, we'll return to Vale, and we'll be happy. So why am I so sad? It's more than just homesickness and a longing to be with my family... this distress... it's so bitter... it engulfs me, choking me, binding me... my eyes sting...

Then it's gone. The torment releases me and I get to my feet again, shaken by the experience. Throwing one last, longing look at Vale, I tear back down the mountain, being careful not to fall and I'm soon tearing across the land, going as fast as I can. I get short of breath, but I don't care. I cross the river, I'm nearly there... yes... I can see the ship... and there's Loho... and... oh, there's Isaac and everybody else...

"Hey!" I yell, to grab their attention. They are all standing in the middle of the... well, town... and they turn at the sound of my voice. I come to a stop, gasping for breath, exhilarated from the long run, and they come running towards me. Jenna comes cannonballing into me and latches her arms around my neck, burying her face in my shoulders. Everybody's calling out my name, surrounding me, barraging me with questions. They all look so glad to see me back.

"See? I told you he'd be back," Kraden says gleefully. "After all, he would have to come back since Loho is the only town in this area, the rest..." I automatically tune out as he goes on about how I didn't have anywhere else to go. I suppose he didn't expect me to climb any mountains.

"Garet!" Jenna cries out, her voice somewhat muffled. "Where did you go? Why did you go off like that, you idiot? You worried us... I was so scared... I thought maybe you ran away because we yelled at you... it was only food... stupid... why did... you... run..." She stops and I swear I can hear a choked sob.

"Jenna?" I say softly, hearing a few sniffles. "Jenna, are you..."

"You made her cry," Felix says. "I really should beat you up for that, you know, but we're all so happy to see your ugly mug again, so I think I'll save it for later."

"Jenna... I'm sorry... I'm sorry, everybody..." I look around sheepishly. "I shouldn't run off like that..."

"No, you idiot, you shouldn't!" Mia looks scary... she's angry... angry Mia is very scary... "You worried us so much! We didn't know where you'd gone!"

"Please." Jenna looks up, her eyes filled with tears. "Don't ever run off like that again. We need you, Garet, we really do."

"I won't." I mean it. "I'll stay right here with all of you."

"That's right." Ivan nods. "You listen to Jenna. She knows best, doesn't she?"

"It's good to see you back." Isaac grins. "It's just not the same without you, you know."

"Of course not," Piers agrees. "Without Garet, everything just seems... dull."

"Definitely." Kraden nods.

"Heh..." I'm lost for words, I'm just happy... everybody's here, we're all happy... we're friends and we stay together. Even though we might be a bit mean to each other at times, we do care about each other. We all go together, the eight of us, and Kraden too. Always together.