Whew, here we go! I hope you guys like it! Now remember if you like it review! Reviews=More Chapters. That's easy math right there. I also love critiques! They can only help! Okay I need to stop putting exclamation marks after all my sentences! ...Oops... welp here we go.


Akari woke up, the day starting like any other. She ate her breakfast-two pieces of bacon and a bowl of oatmeal-then moved to get dressed. She brushed her hair and brushed her teeth. She moved to her door, ready to farm, except... she couldn't.

She looked at her stupid leg, with that stupid wound from that really stupid sickle. Ughh, she hated herself sometimes. She wouldn't be able to farm for a month and that month was excruciatingly slow and there was Luke, just on time, coming to do her work for her.

She'd would order five pounds of spinach, though she doubted that'd be enough to satisfy the stomach of Luke.

The blue-haired young man jogged up to her as she leaned on his door. He wore his regular brown boots, fire bandana, and jeans, but his cut off jacket was missing, leaving only his wife-beater on. Akari might have found his toned arms appealing, if he didn't have the personality of a ten-year old.

"Alright Akari! Reporting for duty!"

Akari pushed off the wall, motioning to a tool box next of her. She wasn't allowed to put pressure on her leg and had to use a crutch to get around. She didn't like it, but she couldn't risk he wound open and another compensation.

"Well," she moved to the box, Luke eagerly following behind, "You already sowed and planted so... You've just got to do the dirty, dirty job of pickin' weeds and then you have to water the plants."

Luke bent over and picked up the watering can, surveying it his hands, "Anything else?"

"Actually, you've gotta milk the cow and pick some fruit from the tree."

"Ughh, I've gotta juice the cow?"

"Juice?"

"Yeah, what?"

Akari looked at Luke for a moment, utterly (no pun intended) confused. Juiced... what the he-

"Nothing, nothing at all."

Luke jogged over to Akari's nearby well, filling up the can and he immediately went to work, watering the fields in a way only he could. He flung around, spinning and jumping, water flying everywhere, humming a theme maybe? Akari could only shake her head with a smile. She hated watering, but he made it look so fun.

It'd already been a week since she's been out of commision and it had gotten to her. She was eager to pay off her astounding debt, had gone and searched for a job, any job she could get. She had finally settled on a job at the city hall, sorting and organizing through documents and other things of importance of the city's. It was about the only job she could find that didn't require movement, but she hated desk jobs, their the reason why she became a farmer in the first place.

"Then I'll leave you to it," Akari shouted in Luke's direction. After receiving an enthusiastic wave, Akari clumsily made her way to town.

When she reached the town hall, she expected to be met with the mayor, the one who had taken pity on her and given her the job in the first place, but was instead met with his indifferent son.

"Oh..."

"Miss. Akari," The blonde stood behind the main desk of the city hall.

"Phill," Akari walked to him, trying to give a friendly wave.

"It's Gill."

'Oops...'

"Right, right...Sorry."

They stood silently for a moment and she could cut the awkwardness with a knife. Awkwardness was the only thing she couldn't stand the most.

"So..."

That was probably the worst way to break off awkwardness, in fact it sort of added to it.

"Work. Are you going to teach me?"

"Yes, right this way."

Gill led her to a nearby desk, going over what would be required by her. She'd have to organize, organize, and organize. Great, she loved to organize.

"That's about it," Gill moved away from her, going to his own desk across from her.

Akari watched him sit, then looked over to the pile of documents sitting on her desk. What a bunch of fun this day was gonna be.

The next six and a half hours loomed by, with absolutely no conversation with the two, besides a question Akari had every now and then. She couldn't hate this job more.

At twelve thirty it was lunch and Akari thanked the goddess. Gill moved from the room without so much a word.

"Lunch ends in an hour."

Oh wait, never mind.

With a sigh Akari reached under her desk, pulling out a raggedy homemade lunch. It was mostly of small snacks she'd just thrown in a paper bag. She pulled out a small container filled with tomatoes. It was a favorite little snack of hers, tomatoes with salt, though a lot of people always thought she was weird for a taste like this.

She bit into her tomato slice as Gill reentered the room, biting on his own tomato.

They looked at each other for a bit, before they both lowered their tomatoes slowly.

"Really?" Akari smiled and Gill finished his tomato.

"There's nothing strange about it," Gill picked a piece of paper from his desk, "Tomatoes are delicious."

"Haha, I guess not," Akari rubbed the back of her hair, "But I still thought I was the only one. I'm glad I'm not!"

Gill didn't respond, but instead of leaving the room again he sat at his desk. Silence took over them again, with Akari chewing on her snacks and Gill reading over his paper.

"Do you understand what you're doing?"

Akari looked up. Was he talking to her... well of course he was... but was he starting a conversation?

"Uh..."

"You don't?"

"No, I do! It's just..."

"What?" Gill crossed his arms.

"Nothing, sorry."

No..."Gill leaned back in his chair, looking to the white ceiling and crossing his arms, "It's fine. I'm sorry."

"Wha-"

"I've been rude to you," he touched his cowlick, pulling on it.

"No really your..."

"It's fine...I'm just...not a very social person."

"Well, at least you did it politely."

Gill gave a slight, but quick smile. She had barely caught it, but couldn't help but think he should really smile more.

"We should probably get back to work," Gill shifted in his seat and tapped a stack of papers on his desk.

"Yeah."

As the two began to work again, it was quiet again but this time it wasn't an awkward tense silence but instead a calm peaceful quiet.

The only thing the only awful thing was all the work, she could barely take it.

When work was over she quickly said goodbye to Gill and left. Luke would have already left by now, but she didn't want to go back all the way yet so she headed to the bar. She needed a drink.

She entered the near desolate bar, except for Owen and Ramsey in the corner.

She went up to the bar and hit it with her palm, gaining the attention of the ginger behind the counter.

"Get me something strong!"

Chase whipped around, giving her a suspicious look.

"First she's cutting herself and now she's becoming an alcoholic. You know they have people for you to talk to," Chase leaned on the counter.

"Oh shut it. I don't need your lip today."

"Oh Goddess, what the heck happened to you?"

Akari sighed, "It's nothing. I just... hate desk jobs..."

"Desk job? You got a desk job? Where?"

"The city hall."

"With Mr. Cold Eyes?"

"Ya' know. He's actually not that bad."

"What? Are we talking about the same people?"

Akari slapped her hand on the table once more, "Ya' gonna serve me or what?!"

"No, you're only nineteen."

"Oh, come on! This town doesn't even have police. Just give it to me!"

"No," Chase walked to the fridge, pulling out a container and grabbing a glass from a cabinet nearby. He poured the liquid into the cup and slid it to Akari, "There, have some chocolate milk."

"What am I? Five?," Akari complained, but took a sip of the milk nonetheless.

"When you're twenty one like mwa, you can have the good stuff," Chase smirked at her, leaning on the counter once again.

"Don't rub it in," Akari glanced to Chase's hand, "How is it?"

"What?"

Akari frowned, "Your hand idiot."

"Oh," Chase lifted his hand and surveyed it, as if he hadn't been paying any attention to the healing of his hand, "Why do you care?"

"Well excuse me," Akari shifted her eyes embarrassingly to the milk instead of him. They were quiet for a moment, Owen's laughter raging out in the background.

"It's fine and you?"

"Wha?" Akari met eyes with him once more.

"Your leg, idiot."

"Oh," Akari fumbled with her glass, even more embarrassed, "It's all good."

"Alright," Chase straightened up and moved past her, responding to the beckoning Owen, thirsty for another drink.

Akari finished her milk in peace, before slapping the money down on the table and walking out of the bar.

On the way home Akari saw a crew of men, scrubbing at the streets. 'Welp, there's my compensation hard at work,' She thought angrily.

When she arrived home, she expected all to be quiet. It was dusk and Luke should have gone home by now, but there he was, sitting on her steps.

"Luke?" Akari shook the bluenette, who snored furiously, a dribble of drool running from his mouth.

"Luke!"
Luke's eyes shot open, the drool falling on his wife-beater at his jump.

"Aghhh! Akari! Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry..."

"If I had had my axe with me, you'd been sushi!"

Akari shuddered.

"Why're you still here?"

Luke regained his composure, readjusting his seating, "Well ya' had your first day at work."

"Yeah? So?"

Luke beamed, "I wanted to ask ya' how it was, but 'cha didn't come home right away, so I fell asleep."

Awww Luke was so adorable.
"Your so adorable."
'Oops, I just said that out loud...

Lukes lips went into a straight line, his eyebrows becoming furrowed, "I ain't adorable! I'm a man!"

Akari could only laugh at him, not feeling responsible for the slight red taking Luke's cheeks.

"Hey seriously! M-A-N!" He jumped to feet, flexing his right arm, trying to regain his man card.

"Sorry, sorry!" Akari held up her hands in peace.

Luke crossed his arms giving her a hard stern look. The extra height he gained from being on her steps made the height difference at least a foot. Dang was Luke tall.

"Okay, then," Luke uncrossed his arms, seemingly forgiving her immediately, "How was it? On a scale of one to ten, ten being really awesome."

"Hmm...five."

"Jeez! That sucks!"

"Hey that's average right?"

"Still sucks!"

"Well it'd be a two, but I think I made friends with Gill."

Luke gave her a shocked expression, "Holy crap Akari! You're superman! Oh wait, superwoman!"

"Haha...Oh Luke one more thing."

"Don't worry! I already juiced the cow!"

"Wh-no that's not it."

Akari reached into her back pocket, pulling out a key, "It's a spare key. Since you're working here for the month. Feel free to go inside, take a quick shower, eat some food. Hey even take a nap if you have to."

She handed it to him and look turned it over in his hands.

"Th-thanks."

"Yeah, no problemo."

"I'll see you tomorrow then. Later Akari!"

Luke ran past her, Akari turning to fit in one last word, "Thank you for your hard work!"

He returned with a wave and continued on.


I know it's annoying having the story go day-by-day, but don't worry, that changes next chapter! Anyway, before I go I almost forgot to do this...

Disclaimer: None of these characters or settings belong to me, only to Natsume.

~Foxliax