Strawberry Fields- If you read it, you can't un-read it.

Alright, so our last chapter was a bit more relaxing, but this one's more of a transitional chapter. Keep your eyes peeled for some clues as to what might go on later. Actually, I meant for some other stuff to happen here as well, but I decided on separating that into the next chapter. Anyway, here goes.

xXxX

Early the next morning, Makoto found himself mulling over the events of the Goddess Festival while sitting at the counter with his second or third cup of coffee. Whatever Elli said that left Rick deep in thought, he was flustered over missing it. Surely, Karen probably wanted to know if Elli got through to Rick.

After draining the cup and washing it out, Makoto headed out the door to get a start on his work.

xXxX

Sometime a few weeks before, during winter, a few of the townsfolk came to the decision that Mayor Thomas needed to track Makoto's progress at the farm come springtime. Of course, Mayor Thomas got the job because everyone else was either too busy, or they just didn't want to do it.

Mayor Thomas checked his pocket watch as he stood on Makoto's porch, protected from the cold drizzle. After all, as mayor of such a small town, he made it a point to visit the townsfolk as often as possible. Something told him Makoto would come outside at six on the dot, unless he overslept. In either case, the Mayor had everything planned from the moment Makoto would step onto the porch.

"Mayor Thomas," he heard a voice say. Shocked, he spun around to see Makoto at the shipping box. Makoto looked tired, but still held a huge crate full of milk bottles without much trouble. He managed to kick the box open with his foot, and before too much cold air could escape, he placed the crate inside and promptly shut it.

"Looks like you're working hard there, m'boy," Mayor Thomas said with a lopsided smile. Makoto nodded as he headed for his porch. For a moment, Makoto stood around in silence, until the Mayor asked: "So, how're you doing with livestock?"

"I've got a handful right now, but I'm doing fine," Makoto told him. "They all seem happy."

"Really?" the Mayor asked. Makoto nodded. "I'm glad to hear that, then," the Mayor added. "Sounds like you're doing well."

Makoto nodded at that. "Yeah." When he noticed the Mayor shivering in the rainy morning wind, he said: "If you wanted to talk, there's no reason to stand out here if you're cold. Wanna come in?"

The Mayor nodded.

"Definitely," he said. As he followed Makoto inside, he continued with: "I never have any idea how you get by wearing a T-shirt in this cold."

Makoto motioned for the Mayor to sit on the couch while he headed for the kitchen. He waited for the Mayor to say something, but instead, the little man seemed engrossed with staring at all the sepia-toned photos on the wall.

Each picture depicted a large family, separately or together, en route from a hole-in-the-wall apartment to out in the country. He saw pictures of a smaller family standing outside a larger house that stood where Makoto's house stood. Almost instinctively, the Mayor turned to the kitchen window. He noticed the ugly curtains with a nod. Finally, he turned back to Makoto.

"You still have all his pictures," the Mayor said absently. "And his curtains." He looked back to the wall. "And his wallpaper, too."

"Maybe I share his taste in decoration," Makoto deadpanned from the kitchen as he slapped together sandwich meats. The Mayor dismissed it with a shake of his head. Silence fell in the house after that, until Makoto's voice floated back from the kitchen: "You want breakfast, Mayor Thomas?"

Thomas shook his head. "No, no... too early for breakfast, I think. But I would like it if you joined me in your parlor for a minute." Then he added in a none-too-severe tone: "You should show guests some manners."

With a sigh, Makoto placed his half-made sandwich in the fridge and headed for the living room. "I shouldn't let you out without giving you anything, so..."

Mayor Thomas chuckled. "Not a worry, m'boy!" he said jovially. "Maybe next time, you can have some scotch ready!" Makoto gave a sheepish, faint grin as Thomas let out a laugh, taken with his own crack. After regaining some composure, he continued. "Anyway, I've been wanting to pay a visit to see how you're doing on the farm. How about when the rain clears up, you give me a tour?"

"No problem," Makoto replied. A few moments of silence passed before he asked: "What was it you wanted to talk about anyway?"

"Oh!" Mayor Thomas paused to gather his thoughts, and then turned his attention back to Makoto. "It's just that I've been thinking that it's come time you do some expansions on this house." He motioned to the counter and kitchen. "I see you already got to some, but..." He paused again. "I don't know exactly how to say this, but... It's just that this house should be ready to sell in case you don't stay here after you're done with your trial." Almost nervously, he looked over Makoto.

"That's alright," Makoto answered. To him, it seemed the Mayor meant Makoto wouldn't be staying on his own accord, and not that he was acknowledging the possibility of the townsfolk voting him out of town.

"It's just that this house should have a second floor, you know, be livable, in case someone else moves in to take over the farm," Mayor Thomas continued. Makoto wished he wouldn't keep trying to explain himself, but let him talk nonetheless. "Of course, if you do stay here, it'd be nice to get it ready for in case if you ever... ummm... you know, get married." Makoto arched an eyebrow, wondering what difference it made to the Mayor whether he had a second floor or not. Then he thought the Mayor almost implied that he and marriage didn't seem to go together hypothetically.

He decided not to think much of it, but when he took notice of the Mayor, he could see him looking about the house nervously. So Makoto looked out the window instead. Thankfully, the sky started parting. "Hey, Mayor Thomas," he started. "The weather's looking good now."

Sure enough, the Mayor looked relieved.

xXxX

Maintaining a slow pace so the tiny Mayor could keep up, Makoto walked past the fields and allowed the Mayor all the time he wanted to get a good look at where sprouts were growing into leafy stalks. Clearly impressed, the Mayor nodded and said: "It looks like you're going to have a big harvest this season."

"I hope so," Makoto said in a tone that was neither dark nor sarcastic, but, as the Mayor thought, was humble. He could see that Makoto was genuinely happy about the success he had on the farm up until then. As they continued past the apple tree and fish pond, Makoto looked up at the sky to see it threatening rain again. The Mayor seemed to notice as well, and sped up his pace somewhat.

After looking over the chicken coop, they headed for the barn. There, the cows and sheep nuzzled themselves on Makoto, much to the Mayor's amusement.

"They all really like you!" he noted as Pixy Dust, Makoto's first sheep, bleated gently and accepted a chin rub from Makoto. With that, Thomas asked: "May I?"

Makoto, on his knees, looked over at him. "Sure," he replied as he stood up and motioned for him to come closer. The Mayor chuckled as Pixy Dust rubbed her muzzle on his hands, and said:

"She's really nice. Isn't she the one that won the prize at the festival last fall?" Makoto nodded, and Mayor Thomas added cheerfully: "I can see why!" Unable to help a small laugh, Makoto replied:

"She's a real sweetheart, isn't she?"

The Mayor nodded at that, then surveyed the two cows and the sheep in the barn as he did before. "You're doing an excellent job with your livestock, Makoto," he said. "I'm no expert, but I think Barley would agree."

Makoto gave a wry, sheepish smile. "Thanks," he replied.

After a good ten minutes in the barn, during which one of the cows licked Mayor Thomas upside the head with her slobbery tongue much to his own amusement, they headed outside. Heavy-looking, patchy clouds lazily moved about in the sky. Mayor Thomas took notice.

"Looks like we're in for some bad rain again," he noted underneath his thick mustache. Makoto nodded at that. After a brief silence, he turned to the Mayor, to see him deep in thought.

"What's up?" he asked after a bit. Mayor Thomas cupped his face in his palm as he mused, and then snapped his fingers.

"A-ha! I remember now!" With an arched eyebrow, Makoto waited for the Mayor to continue. "I was thinking... Could you do a bit of community service today?"

As the first drops fell, Makoto nodded. "Sure," he replied. "What do you want?"

"Well, I figure she'll need the help since it's going to rain," the Mayor said. Before Makoto could guess who needed help, the Mayor added: "Could you help out Anna today?"

Makoto blinked. Unfortunately, he knew 'could you?' could never be an option, though he wished it were. At that point, he would've helped anyone but her. As he awaited his response, the Mayor rocked on the balls of his feet and looked up at Makoto. But Makoto could do nothing more than swallow his words and nod weakly.

xXxX

After spending some time in the fields, Makoto cleaned himself up and headed out the farm's entrance on the way to the Supermarket. Along the way, he still wished he didn't have to meet up with Anna. He almost longed for another chance to scrub the yuking toilet at the Inn with a grimy brush, or better yet, the chance he'd have to do some menial work at the Clinic under Elli's close supervision.

The iron grey sky stirred and rumbled while the rain fell. As Makoto found himself passing the same houses he and Elli passed en route to the day before, he found himself taking in the scenery again. He saw Gray sulking about under the eaves outside the Blacksmith, possibly seething after an argument with his grandfather. They acknowledged each other with a quick nod before Makoto passed the smithy and rounded the Winery, where Duke worked outside in the vineyard.

"G'morning, Mac!" Duke called out broadly. Makoto waved to him and called out:

"Morning. What's up?"

Duke jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Work, as usual."

Makoto nodded at that, and then waved farewell to Duke before continuing down the road. Along the way, he quickly greeted Mary as she entered the library, and gave Officer Harris an acknowledging nod as the cop slowly patrolled the street in the opposite direction.

He felt he reached the Supermarket too soon. For a moment, he stood at the door and took a few deep breaths. Then he reached for the door's handle, and pushed open the door.

The bells above jingled as he entered, immediately grabbing the attention of Jeff, and unfortunately, of Anna. "Hey, Makoto!" Jeff greeted cheerfully. Makoto greeted him with a nod, and then tossed a quick glance at Anna.

"G'morning, Anna," he said, half mumbling and doing his best not to look her in the eye.

For what seemed to be just too long, Makoto helped Anna with her shopping. Thankfully for him, he found himself some time to talk to Karen as she helped straighten out the shelves. The first thing he noticed about her was that for the first time in about a week, she didn't look all that hung over. Then he remembered he wanted to talk to her about Rick, but before he could, she said in a hushed voice:

"I can't believe Thomas made you work with her."

Makoto let out a barely audible groan and shook his head, mumbling something under his breath. "I mean," Karen continued. "Mary's cool and Basil's a nice guy, but she's a little..." She rolled her eyes a bit and looked sheepish.

"Well, if she chops me to bits and sticks me in a stew, I'll let you have my stereo," Makoto whispered. Then he cast a bit of a sick-looking glance at Anna. "I'm scared," he added, turning back to Karen.

Karen shrugged, looking a bit bemused but not entirely taking her focus away from her work. "You don't have to be scared," she assured him. But Makoto sighed and shook his head. Karen didn't know the half of why Makoto was scared of working with Anna, and frankly, he didn't want to get into the overly long story involving Anna and something of hers he never, ever wanted to see again, and wished he never saw. "Ahhh..." Karen continued, waving her hand at him. Then she added sarcastically: "You can be scared if you want."

"Yeah, sure," Makoto hastily replied. Then he noticed Anna at the counter, beckoning for him to help her. With that, he gave Karen a goodbye and sulked forth.

"See ya later, Mackie!" Karen called after him with a smirk. He looked back at her, rolled his eyes, and then kept walking.

After gathering all the bags, Anna led Makoto back to her house. She kept her back to him all the while as he stared off at the clearing sky in the distance. As long as he didn't have to face her, the better off he thought he was. Soon enough, they arrived, and Anna pushed open the unlocked door.

Antiques watched Makoto from everywhere around the foyer, den, and dining room, touching the air with a chill. The stiff couches in particular looked as if Anna prohibited her husband and daughter from sitting on them, and instead stood more for show than anything.

Anna tonelessly steered Makoto in the direction of the kitchen. Despite the fact he shifted about five shopping bags in his arms, he managed a passing glance at a photograph of a tall, rather lanky teenage girl with Asian features. Beside her stood a much younger and slightly more laid-back version of Anna, and both held what looked like school books. Still, Makoto couldn't get much of a look at the picture, though he wondered what drew him to that one out of the whole group of them.

"You know," Anna piped up, without stopping or turning to look at him, "I don't think you've ever been in the part of my house where guests usually are welcomed."

Makoto knew he couldn't dish out a caustic reply, otherwise, everyone else in town would hear about it. He didn't think Anna was a particularly detestable woman all the time, but he didn't want to take chances.

"Follow me now, Makoto," she said as she made her way towards the kitchen. Makoto followed, carrying all of her bags, but only because he offered to when they left the Supermarket. She pointed to a black countertop, where he promptly set the bags down. Between the black countertops and the old wooden floor, the kitchen looked drab. Not even the pale green curtains brightened the room.

"Sorry about the looks of my kitchen," Anna told him. "I don't know what I was thinking years ago." With that, she added: "You know the contents of my private drawer are a little more colorful, so at least you must not completely hate my taste."

Makoto choked on his words before he managed a reply.

"What's with bringing that up now?" Makoto asked, keeping his cool. "Isn't your husband home?"

"You know Basil's hardly ever home," Anna told him. "He's off hiking on Mother's Hill, as usual." Makoto groaned and shook his head at that.

"You're never gonna let me live it down, are you?" he asked, cutting her a dirty glare. Anna seethed.

"Watch your attitude, young man!" she spat. "You know, you should learn to keep that in check."

"No," Makoto told her, feeling himself getting riled, but struggling to stay cool. "I'm not gonna stand for you rubbing what I did in my face."

"I'll tell everyone in town that you came into my house with a disgusting attitude," Anna replied, gaining the upper hand and knowing it. "And I'll tell everyone you broke into my private drawer last year."

"Funny," Makoto began cooly as he leaned on the counter. "Because I can just as easily tell everyone what you have in that drawer that makes it so private." He watched Anna as she silently fumed.

"You wouldn't dare," she said, slowly and articulately.

"Yes I would," Makoto told her in the same manner. "Unless you agree that everything that happened here stays here."

"Fine," she spat. "I'll agree to it." Makoto stood up again and extended his hand. Resigned, Anna hesitated before she shook on it. With that, she let go of his hand and turned to her groceries.

"While I put these away, I want you to de-weed the back yard," she ordered him. "I'm sure you can do that, right?"

"Yes, I can," Makoto told her nastily. With that, he made his way to the glass door, slid it open, and stepped onto the creaky wooden porch. All the while, he couldn't help but wonder why, out of everyone else in town, he had to get stuck doing community service for Anna.

"I want you to start helping with my gardening too," Anna called from the kitchen. Makoto groaned under his breath. "And I expect a good garden this year with your help, Mister." At least she gave him that credit, as Makoto thought.

When the warm noontime sun washed over Makoto's face, he yanked off his hoodie and tossed it over the rail of the porch as he made his way down the steps. He didn't notice too many weeds around, but he could tell from first inspection that something was wrong with the tilled soil by the fence.

"You've got some bad soil back here, Mrs. Fawlty," Makoto called over his shoulder. He thought about suggesting burning the soil, but quickly nixed the notion. When Anna stepped onto the porch, he looked up at her and said: "It's depleted of nutrients."

"How so?" Anna half-scoffed, arms folded. With that, Makoto jogged to the patch of soil, slid down on his knees, and scooped up a handful of dirt. Then he got up and jogged back over to Anna, holding the soil so she could see it.

"See?" Makoto began, pinching some dry looking, dull soil between his forefinger and his thumb. "When it looks like this, it's no good for planting," he explained. Anna leaned in to get a good look at the soil.

"So that's why my tomatoes didn't come in well last year," she noted. "How do I fix this?"

"When you till, you've gotta dig a lot deeper to churn up the soil underneath," Makoto continued. He made sure she looked interested before saying more. "The roots of the plant sap minerals out of the soil, so when you flip it over by tilling, you can provide the next plants with fresh minerals." He pondered something else.

"Also, don't plant the same crop or flower in the same spot for the next time. Different plants require different nutrients, so you have to alternate where you plant them to give the soil a chance to develop the depleted nutrients from the last plant."

"I never knew that," Anna said. "I mean, Basil is very knowledgeable about botany, but he's no gardener." A slightly unclean look crossed her face; she looked like she bit into a lemon. "My husband, always passionate about plants," she added idly.

Makoto nodded. "He sure is," he told her. With that, Anna mused on another thought.

"You know, Basil was an architect back when we lived in the city," she continued. "We bought a house out here because he's always enjoyed nature." She let out a dreamy sigh and stared out at the verdant scenery ahead. "I enjoy it here much more than in the city. At first, I didn't like it at all, but I came to like it after I got to know everyone, and after I adapted to the lifestyle."

Makoto took a long look at her for the first time. She didn't look like the country type at all with her expensive-looking dress and jewelry, but it seemed then there was more to her. Finally, he shook the dirt from his hands and said:

"Tell you what. I'll teach you how to get a nice garden going." Anna's face brightened somewhat with his offer. "I'll be busy and everything, but I'll try to come over as often as possible to help you out."

"Thank you so much, Makoto," Anna replied. "Not even Joe did anything like that when we moved in." Makoto arched an eyebrow. "I mean, he probably gave me a pointer or two whenever he dropped in to visit, but I never asked him to help with my garden entirely since he spent so much time working on that farm. The first few times I grew plants back here, they all came in so well."

"Joe came by to visit?" Makoto found himself asking. Anna nodded.

"Joe visited everyone as often as he could," she told him in a matter-of-factly tone. "Everyone in town used to invite him over to their houses often for dinner, since he couldn't cook on his own."

Makoto nodded inwardly. "No wonder all I had to cook with when I moved in was a hot plate," he half-muttered. Anna didn't quite hear what he said. She leaned in and asked:

"What was that?"

"I said no wonder all he had in the house to cook with was a hot plate," Makoto repeated. With that, Anna cracked a smile and small laugh. Makoto flashed his own smile at that. "Not even a kitchen," Makoto added.

"That sure sounds like Joe," Anna said, still smiling. "He never had kids, never got married, so he never felt the need to expand that tiny house. Whatever he didn't need or couldn't find a use for, he didn't buy."

"But he had that piano," Makoto told her. Anna nodded.

"He inherited that from his uncle," she told him. "Anything that came from his family members, he kept." Makoto thought about all the pictures in his house."Joe never had a family of his own, so he held everything he received after his relatives died close to him." She smiled a bit, seemingly enjoying the conversation, and seemed to muse on a thought. "You know, Makoto..." she started, turning her gentler gaze on him. "You played really nicely at the Music Festival last autumn. It came as a surprise to a lot of us, actually."

Makoto shrugged, looking a bit sheepish. "Thanks," he said, finding himself tongue-tied.

"You should play for people more often," Anna added, still watching him with a slight haughtiness. "It's such a nice thing that you can do that."

With a nod, Makoto said: "Maybe I should do that...", sounding a bit distant as he thought of the one person he wanted to play for. Then Anna went on a bit about how Joe used to play piano at the Music Festival. But as she continued, Makoto thought it strange that someone as allegedly amiable as Joe owned a piano, but never seemed to invite people to his house to listen to him play.

Then Anna looked to Makoto, as if waiting for some a reply. He simply nodded, and still felt taken aback that Anna wanted to talk to him. Anna took notice of this, and asked:

"What's the matter, Makoto?"

Makoto kept his watch on her. "Kinda strange you're talking to me, you know," he half-mumbled. When Anna looked a bit taken aback, Makoto regretted saying it. But he didn't even know why he said solemnly: "You just seem lonely."

Anna stared him down, a touch of bitterness in her eyes. Finally, she said:

"Get to work, Makoto. It'll be getting late soon." With that, she turned and made her way into the house. Makoto watched her bustle around the kitchen as she shoved some kind of chicken dish into the oven and threw the door shut. With a sigh, he trudged to the back of the yard and got to work.

All the while, he wondered why what he said set Anna into a foul mood. But he decided not to mull on it too much. After all, she seemed to stew enough for two, as he saw every time he took notice to the slight scowl set on her face.

xXxX

That evening, Makoto was sure to leave Anna's house without much stalling, as he could tell she wanted him out of the house as hastily as possible. He even left his sweater on the banister outside the kitchen. but didn't dare ask for it as he crossed the living room with her tailing him. Of course, he realized he would have to see her again anyway. He just didn't want to think of it at that time as she cordially bid him goodnight as she shut the door behind him. Without wasting much time, he turned and headed on his way home.

All the while, thoughts of her friendliness set off a twinge of annoyance within him as well. It seemed she actually enjoyed talking to him. But he figured there had to be something more behind her warmth, and he wanted to find out what it was.

Thankfully, he had more of an idea about why Anna reverted to her initial foul mood after having such a friendly conversation, but he still couldn't help but mull over it.

------

Meanwhile, Elli stepped outside her house after dinner with her grandmother and brother. After her grandmother's insistence, she decided to take a walk that night and deliver some leftovers from that night's meal. The pale yellow beams from the street lights flickered on as she turned from her walkway onto the cobblestone road, casting Mineral Town in a warm glow.

Far down the road, she could make out the figure of a skinny boy, glasses glinting in the street lamp's light. But before he saw her, Rick turned the corner and headed in the direction of the Inn, no doubt.

She made it to her destination after a few more minutes. To her delight, piano music drifted out from inside the house. Makoto, having adapted one of the local practices, always kept his door open in nice weather, leaving the only screen door shut. Elli could see him slightly sway his mop-topped head as he played a few running melody lines, and smiled to herself.

But slowly, and without finishing the song, he stopped playing and placed down the piano lid. Elli could've sworn she caught a flash of his smile, but before she knew it, he stood up, turned, and saw her.

"What're you doing here?" he asked, still smiling. Elli opened the screen door and let herself in, and then said:

"I brought you some of our dinner." With that, she placed the tupperware on the counter, and then turned to Makoto. "Grandma wanted me to, but she says she'd rather you come over and eat with us again."

Makoto looked away. "Sorry," he sighed. "I should've stopped in, but I was a bit..." He trailed, and then sat back down on the piano bench, looking at a loss for words.

"What's the matter, Makoto?" Elli asked as she headed over to the bench and sat down next to him. Makoto slumped forth and propped his face up by his palm.

"You know," Makoto replied. "People getting mad at me... this time Anna. She was all friendly, but then she got angry with me. But I don't think I did anything wrong this time."

Elli smiled at him. "You could've just as easily admitted to not liking fish or something," she said jokingly, getting a smile from Makoto. With that, she rubbed his back, and said: "Well, if you don't think you did anything wrong, then maybe she's just angry over something else."

Makoto nodded, feeling a warmth where Elli gently ran her hand over his back. Although he could piece together the problems Anna had within her marriage, he didn't really know too much about it firsthand. But he found he didn't feel much like pondering it anymore.

"Thanks, Elli," he said, letting out something of a relieved sigh.

They sat for a few moments, not quite looking at each other, but inwardly smiling and enjoying each other's company. But after a while, Makoto found himself taking a few quick glances at his piano. After a few more moments during which a few of Anna's kinder words came to mind, he wordlessly swung his legs over the bench and turned to open the lid.

Then he motioned to Elli, and lifted the piano lid as she gingerly turned to face it. "Wanna play?" he asked.

"I don't know how," Elli answered as she eyed the keyboard sheepishly. With that, Makoto sat down on the right side of the bench. "But I'll try," she said, watching as he played a few chord progressions.

Then Makoto held up his fingers. "Good thing I have big hands," he said, before he played more progressions. "You can play the melody," he added.

"Alright," Elli replied. Then they took a few minutes as Makoto played the melody for her and she watched. After that, Makoto watched her as she played, and nodded approvingly.

"Great," he said. "Let's try it together." With that, he started off with a few chords. When Elli's turn to play came, he met her eye and nodded. They played together for a few long moments, both relaxing and exchanging fleeting gazes.

But after a while, the notes started faltering on both ends as Makoto and Elli turned their focus on each other. Slowly leaning forth, they brushed against each other's cheeks. Their fingers slid over a few more stray notes before all sound faded from the air as they grazed each other's lips.

They found themselves not wanting to pull away from each other. All the while, they felt for and held each other's hands. When they broke away, Makoto saw Elli's ears redden as she shifted her gaze nervously. Then Makoto put down his hands and gave a slight frown.

"Awkward?" he asked, looking at her expectantly. She nodded as the blush crept to her face. "Why?"

"We're broken up?" Elli half-answered. "Or we're supposed to be."

"You know, you're really confusing me," Makoto said.

Elli stood up. "Well, you're confusing me, too," she told him.

"You're the one who asked me to the festival yesterday, Miss Mixed Messages," Makoto told her, his voice growing less deadpan.

"And you're the one who broke up with me for no reason," Elli shot back, fixing her sideways glare on him.

Makoto sputtered. "It wasn't for no reason," he said, looking up at her. "It was..." But then he trailed as he realized he couldn't figure out his own rationale for breaking up with her in the first place. With something of a triumphant smirk, Elli crossed her arms and said:

"Go on, Makoto. I'm waiting to hear it..." But then, Makoto jumped up from the bench and headed for the door.

"C'mon!" he said, not even looking over his shoulder. "Let me walk you back home before it gets any later."

"I win this round," Elli said lightly as she too headed for the door. Makoto stood by the door frame and then followed her outside, grumbling:

"Oh, shut up."

Throughout the walk back to Elli's house, Makoto kept his hands stubbornly shoved in his jeans pockets and occasionally cut her a dirty look. Elli didn't retaliate, though. Instead, she snickered, and then smiled sweetly. After a while, Makoto swore under his breath, and she laughed aloud.

Before Makoto knew it, Elli turned and headed up the stone walkway. When he followed her absently, she said: "I thought you couldn't wait to be rid of me."

"Go put a sock in it," Makoto muttered darkly.

"I win again."

Makoto let out a groan, deciding he had enough of her. With that, he grabbed her by the shoulders and stopped her in her place, then leaned forth and kissed her. She smiled as she shared the kiss, and drew herself closer to him.

Meanwhile, Karen, on her nightly stroll, stopped at the optimum voyeur's distance and watched Makoto and Elli, arms wrapped around each other and very much preoccupied. Incredulously, she rubbed her bleary eyes. But as she watched, she snickered and shook her head. Then she continued on her way, still, not quite leaving the vicinity.

After a few moments, Makoto and Elli broke away, but kept their gaze on each other until awkwardness set in again. Elli turned from him, the tip of her ears once again red, and headed for the front door. Before she entered, she turned to Makoto and asked.

"What do you think, then?"

Makoto looked a bit puzzled. "What do I think...?" he echoed, arching an eyebrow. Elli rolled her eyes, and said:

"Yes, Makoto, I want to know what you think."

Either she was testing him, he thought, or she was just plain being strange. But knowing her, and the sly look crossed between with a flustered smile, she had to be testing him.

"You mean the kiss, or our relationship?" Makoto asked. Elli looked at him blankly, a frown forming on her face. A good moment passed before Makoto realized hindsight would ridicule him to no end for blurting out that one. Then Elli rolled her eyes and said:

"Alright, Makoto. Good night."

Makoto already started suffering hindsight's derision as the words he knew he had to say came to his mind. But instead, all he could utter was: "G'night, Elli."

With all the ridicule he knew he was about to endure that night, he knew he'd need to switch to decaf if he ever wanted to get to sleep. He slumped as he ambled down the road, and as he rounded the corner, he heard the pattering of boots rushing up behind him.

"Ow!" he winced when he felt someone slap his shoulder. He spun around, only to see Karen had jogged up beside him. Ignoring his eye roll, she slyly said:

"Looks like you and Elli are back on, huh?"

"Pfft." Makoto rolled his eyes again, and shoved his hands in his pockets. "She... errr... inquired discreetly..." he grumbled, "...about the whole getting back together thing, but..."

"But..." Karen interrupted. "The point was here..." She waved a finger in the air, "...and here's your head..." She held out her other hand near her torso, oblivious to Makoto's grumpy expression.

"Yeah, it went over my head. I get it," he muttered, rolling his eyes again. "Jeez." Then he paused, getting her to stop as well. "We're heading to my place. I should be walking you home."

Karen sniggered, having planned on spending more time meandering the town streets and paths near Mother's Hill. "Alright then," she said with a bit of a drawl, and the two turned and headed in the opposite direction. "Anyway," she continued, gathering her thoughts.

"I can't believe I said that," Makoto sighed. "And I hurt her again, too." Karen could hear the despondency in his voice, and let out her own sigh at that. "I'm such a jerk," Makoto capped, shaking his head and casting his eyes downward.

Karen balled up her fist and punched him, and he let out another yelp. "Shut up!" she snapped, stopping him under a street lamp. He found he couldn't look at her directly, but she kept a hard look fixed on him and said: "You can fix this, you know." He looked at her incredulously. "Obviously," she said, making accompanying hand gestures, "she wanted to get back together with you, hence her asking. Now, you..." She jabbed a finger at his chest. "You've got tomorrow, and..." She looked up at Makoto, who looked dejected. With that, her expression softened. "Tomorrow's another day," she finished.

A good moment or two passed. "You're not chewing me out?" Makoto asked, staring blankly.

With a brisk nod, Karen said: "I know, it sounds really, really tempting, but..." She playfully rolled her eyes. "But as long as you go up to Elli tomorrow and say what you were supposed to say tonight, you can't go wrong."

Hearing Karen's praise sent a feeling of relief through him. He nodded resolutely at that. Then Karen let out a snicker and grinned wryly. "Or at least I hope you can't," she added, getting a mock-groan from Makoto as the two continued on their way to the Supermarket.

"And if I do, you can chop me up and put me in a stew," Makoto deadpanned. "Then you can have my stereo."

"What's with you and having yourself chopped up into stew meat?" Karen asked, sounding a bit wary at his humor. Makoto shrugged.

"Bit hungry," he mumbled, finding himself looking forward to the dinner Elli brought him. Karen laughed to herself at that, and then as she approached her house, she turned onto her walkway and bid Makoto goodnight.

But unbeknownst to Makoto, Karen watched him as he headed down the road. Once he was out of sight, she stepped out from under the shadows of her stoop and slowly ambled up the cobblestone road in the direction of the shore, knowing she had too much on her mind at that time to want to sleep.

xXxX

As the usual patrons started heading home after some time at the bar, Ann, Doug, and Cliff worked to close up for the night. But that night, Cliff couldn't help but look over his shoulder at Rick, who sat with his shoulder slumped at the bar as others paid their tabs.

Cliff handed a few mugs to Ann as he rounded the bar, and then headed over to Rick. "Hey," he said as he sat down at the stool next to him. Rick looked up from his beer and gave him an acknowledging mumbled greeting, but Cliff continued. "You alright, dude?" he asked.

Rick looked up at him, almost wondering if he had even heard a lick of the gossip about his love life. He was about to give him a caustic reply, but instead said: "I'm just thinking about what I should do with Karen."

Folding his hands, Cliff leaned forward a bit and rested his arms on the countertop. "Well, you've gotta take some kind of action. You can't just go on avoiding it forever." Then he looked up, only to see Ann balancing a far-too-full tray and positioning herself to kick open the kitchen door. With a sheepish inward smile, Cliff rose from the barstool and headed over to help her, but not before briskly patting Rick on the back first.

Rick turned his attention back to his beer as Ann said: "C'mon Cliff, I can get the door myself!"

"Didn't seem so," Cliff chuckled, only for Ann to groan at him. But Rick didn't pay attention to them while they passed into the kitchen, Cliff laughing and Ann muttering at him.

Then Ann quickly poked her head out of the kitchen, and called: "Keep at it, Rick. You can definitely fix things between you and Karen." Rick looked up, and to Ann's pleasure, smiled and nodded.

If he hurried, Rick would probably be able to find Karen at one of her digs. Either she would be meandering about the beach to clear her head, or hanging out by the hot springs and watching the stars. Still, it was a lot of ground for him to cover in one night, he thought.

But when the ground lurched up at him once he got up off his bar stool, he unconsciously decided reconciliation wasn't best done during times of inebriation. But he knew after he had some time to sleep on it and some aspirins, he could certainly take on a conversation with Karen.

xXxX

Hope you guys enjoyed it. Thanks to all who read, and the reviewers (Terra89, EvanescentShadow, Rhianwen, kelley28, and Ghost Rider CSV). Until next time, during which if Makoto doesn't do what he's supposed to, you're all invited to beat me with ladles. Or not.