(Sigh. Golden Sun is not mine, it is Camelot's. I wonder if they actually scour the web, looking for people who don't add this . . .)

"Amiti, how do I tell a girl I like her?"

Startled, the Mercury Adept tore his gaze away from Karis, who was helping Eoleo and his crew, using whirlwind to rid the trees that the pirates had cut down of branches and leaves so they could saw them into planks for repairing the ship.

Amiti flushed red, looking over at the person who'd asked him the question in surprise. "M-Matthew?" He asked, caught off guard, and then sighed gently. "Is it really that obvious?" He asked the earth user, his shoulders slumping in admission.

Matthew blinked, confusion entering his frown. "Huh? What's obvious? Who . . ." His voice trailed off, and he followed the line of sight the Prince of Ayuthay had been following seconds ago. "No . . ." He murmured in surprise, his eyes going wide. "You mean . . . Karis? Amiti, do you-"

"Shh!" Amiti hushed Matthew quickly before anyone else could hear him. "Yes, but please do not go announcing it to the entire camp!" He replied quietly, his face crimson by now. "But, you are correct . . . ever since Kolima and the Dream Tree, I have had affections for her." He admitted, grinning sheepishly as he turned his eyes once again toward the mint-green haired girl.

Then his mind processed Matthew's question fully. "But then, who are you talking about?" He asked, refocusing on the blushing Venus Adept. When Matthew didn't answer, the prince studied his friend's face for a second, using his remarkable powers of deduction from the Insight Glass to figure it out. Not Karis, obviously, since he'd shown pleasant surprise at Amiti's own liking of her. Himi was far too young, so that only left . . .

"Sveta?" He guessed, and then smirked as Matthew started in surprise. "I thought so. I do not need Mind Read to tell who it is, Matthew. But, you were saying?"

"Well . . . I just don't know what to say to her," Matthew sighed, his shoulders slumping. He sat down on a stump from a tree that was cut down earlier, large enough for a few people to use as a sitting place, though at the moment he was the only one. "I mean, I know how to talk to her, but when it comes to telling her how I feel . . ."

Amiti sighed, sitting down on the same stump. "I am afraid, Matthew, we both have a problem with our love lives . . . I cannot help you, because Karis does not know how I feel about her, either . . . We both have it rather hard, do we not?"

"Yeah, what is it about those Jupiter Adepts? My Uncle Felix fell for one too . . ." Matthew joked, getting a short laugh from both of them, followed by a few seconds of silence.

"Matthew . . . there is another problem." Amiti said eventually. "You might not want to hear what I am about to say, but you have to know what you are up against. Sveta and I . . . we are both royalty, and as such, we will be pressured to marry for political gain. In mine and Karis's case, I could probably argue the point using her political status as the child of one of the Warriors of Vale to convince the chancellor." He put a hand on Matthew's shoulder. "But Sveta is of the Beast Tribe. The chances of your love, no matter how much she may possibly return it, being accepted by her people, are slim. I'm sorry . . . but you need to know that she might have to turn you down because she could destroy her country by marrying you. I'm sorry, my friend."

Matthew was silent for a moment, then let out a deep breath, nodding. "I thought so . . ." He said wearily, and Amiti felt a pang of sympathy for the blonde earth user.

"However . . . you said the chances are small." Matthew continued, and he looked up, smiling at Amiti. "That means there's a chance . . . thanks, Amiti."

"Not a problem at all, Matthew." The water adept replied while smiling back, relieved to see Matthew wasn't put out by the news. If the leader of their group was discouraged, then the team would be unable to function properly.

"But about Karis . . ." Matthew continued. "I think you should be direct with her and tell her how you feel. I've known her for a while, and being vague isn't her style. She likes it when people are honest with her."

"I will keep that in mind." Amiti promised with a smile, and then turned as he heard a shout from the girl they'd just been talking about. "Looks like we have all the necessary lumber," He commented. "Shall we go regroup with the others and explore the cave? Perhaps, with our powers, we can make some headway where regular explorers have failed."

"I was thinking the same thing." Matthew said, standing up and stretching. "Maybe, if we're lucky, things will work out for us . . ."

And when he said that, Amiti knew that he wasn't just referring to the cave.

(Looks like Soulshipping's not the only pairing I'm doing, huh? ^^

Okay, lemme see, two new reviews . . .

Culebra and Feith: I've got a little bad news . . . I've already written all of this story, and this is just the uploading part. However, I am going to write two more stories cannon to this one, and you can trust they'll be longer and much better, so you have something to look forward to after this! But thank you for the reviews, anyways! ^^)