Disclaimer: I do not own Rune Factory, or anything from it.

Chapter 9: A visit.

A couple of weeks had passed from that day…the day I spent an entire day with Raguna. It was so dreamy, to have him so close to me as he helped me lift up the plough…I adjusted the rose in my hair and skipped down the stairs, to go to Neumann's store.

As soon as I got out, the sun's blinding rays hit me. It was the middle of summer, and the heat was unbearable. I had to get into Neumann's and get the heavy, hot coat off my shoulders. I looked at my watch. It was nine, I had been dreaming too much when I was getting ready. Quickening my pace, I went into the store without knocking. Somebody crashed into me; I went flying back and would have hurt myself, had somebody not caught me from behind. I turned to see who it was.

It was Raguna.

He had his arms around me, and was looking at me a surprised and amused expression. I smiled back at him, turning a bit red. He let go of me, and we went into the store. Whoever had crashed into me had obviously had gone back inside. So we opened the door and went inside. Inside, we saw Neumann sitting at the counter, his head in his hands. I ran up to him and put my hand on his back.

"Hey, Neumann, are you alright?" I asked, getting worried. Raguna looked rather concerned too. Neumann shook his head, and then mumbled from inside hand.

"What do you need, Raguna?" he asked. Raguna looked at me doubtfully, and I gave him a warm smile, encouraging him to continue.

"I, uh…need house extensions, and Mist told me that you could help me…" he asked. Neumann gave a muffled chuckle, and I smiled. We both knew that only if Raguna got extensions could he get married. He gave me a cookie at the Spring Festival; he would obviously have some feelings for me.

"Hey, got a girl in mind?" taunted Neumann, from somewhere inside his huge hands, as Raguna and I blushed.

"N-no! It's just that I can get a forge fitted into my new house, and I can then forge better weapons and defensive equipment!" he spluttered, looking very cute. Neumann suddenly became serious.

"How many pieces of Lumber do you have?" he asked.

Raguna paused for a minute, the said quietly, "1900 pieces of Lumber…I think." Neumann chuckled again and asked him how much money he had. He had enough money, but the lumber was not enough.

"Get another 100 pieces of Lumber, and then I will get your house extended." he said, his face still in his hands. I got irritated by him, and then pulled his face out of his palms.

"NEUMANN, GET OVER THE DEPRESSION MODE ALRE---Oh my god!" I cried as I saw his eyes. They were red, possibly from last night's drinking party. He looked at me for a moment, before burying his hands into his palms again. Raguna took out a hangover medicine from his shelf and gave it to him. Neumann looked at it for a second before gulping it down.

"I miss her so much…" he whispered. Our gazes stayed on each other's for about a minute before he walked over to the stairs. He looked over his shoulder and said, "Shop is closed today."

I knew it would be hard for him, and I really felt bad for him. He was like my big brother, and I felt sad when he looked so depressed. I was about to ask Raguna to come another day, but he stood in front of me and gave his handsome smile.

"Since the shop is closed, do you mind coming over to my farm again?" he asked, looking rather hopeful. I thought about it for sometime. I did not have anything to do, the shop was closed, my picture of the pink cats was finished and framed up in my room, I wanted to draw his field and besides, I really wanted to spend the day with him again. I looked at him carefully.

"Are you going to make me water the entire field again?" I asked craftily. He laughed and shook his head. I smiled and agreed, and he pushed open the door and held it open for me, bowing like a faithful guard. I curtsied slightly, and walked daintily out, both of us giggling hard. He held out his hand to me and I took it, thinking we were continuing the joke. But he seemed serious about it. So I tagged along beside him, enjoying the fact that he was so close to me, and was holding my hand.

When we came to the vicinity of his farm, I saw that it was covered with plant life. There was a Rune drifting lazily over a patch of Pumpkins. It floated over to us, as though it knew Raguna and wanted to help its master. I hid behind him, because I was slightly afraid of it. He laughed and touched it with one hand, and his entire body glowed with a eerie blue light, before dimming down. Raguna gave a sigh and then picked up his watering can. I skipped over to the shipping box and sat on it. As he watered his crops, we began to talk.

"So, what happened to Neumann today?" he asked, watering a patch of plants in an astonishing speed. I gaped at him for a minute before shacking myself back to the Earth.

"Um, I really don't think I can tell you, you see…It's not exactly my secret to hold." I said. He looked at and smiled.

"You really are faithful to your friends." he remarked, pulling out a weed. I got tired of sitting, so I stood up. He was still smiling, and I figured that I could tell him, anybody could trust him and he would not betray them.

"Well, you see…" I began. "Neumann and Sabrina were married." I blurted out to him, and he dropped the watering can on his foot. He picked it up, moaning from the pain. Raguna looked at me as though I had just told him that Tabatha liked to play around with wool when she was bored. Of course, I would never tell him this, it was a girl secret!

"Are you serious?" he asked. I nodded. A sudden realization hit him. "You mean Neumann and Sabrina are Nicholas' parents?!" he spluttered. I nodded again. He looked surprised before shaking his head ruefully.

"I should have figured that one out a long time ago." he mumbled, and we began to laugh. He then dropped his watering can and picked up his axe as Chip the Chitter ran up to me. He jumped into my hands and I patted his head. Raguna smiled again.

"I think he has a crush in you, you know. He always looks around hopefully for you whenever I go into the barn." he smiled, and I giggled. Chip was really cute. Just like his master. Suddenly, Raguna looked serious.

"Hey, do you have any feeling at all for…m-Neumann?" he asked. I shook my head. He raised an eyebrow mockingly, and I turned slightly red at his gaze.

"No chances do I like him! He has a kid! And when you say such thing like that, what about you and Mist?" I countered. He turned red and denied my accusation immediately. I teased him, although it hurt me. But I knew he was serious. He had no feelings for her.

Suddenly, we saw a Rune float up from his patch of now-ripe Pineapples. We watched it amazed, as it was a sight worth seeing, the way the Rune majestically rose from the ground. He smiled happily, but I turned red when I remembered an old Kardian Myth I had once heard of.

"When two young birds of love see a Rune arise from its abode the Earth, they will be blessed with an eternal life together."

Raguna saw my crimson face and touched my cheek concernedly. He asked me if something was wrong, to which I replied that I was completely fine. He then smiled and told me to take the Rune, as he wanted me to feel the immense power fill my soul. I looked at it carefully. I always wanted to touch a Rune, but they always looked rather intimidating. This one however, tried to lure me into its cyan interior.

I held onto Chip tightly and extended my hand to touch the Rune.

~*~

She slowly extended her hand to touch the Rune. For some strange reason, I felt a feeling of dread fill my heart. Her hand touched the blue orb.

It was about three in the afternoon. The afternoon summer sun shone its harsh rays onto us. My crops thrived in such weather. The various multicolored grasses in my field seemed to catch the occasional gusts of wind and fluttered in it.

The Rune touched the tip of her finger and then extended and covered her hand, then her entire torso, and finally; it enveloped her completely. She levitated above the ground a few inches.

She screamed out in pain.

Felicity dropped Chip, and he scampered over to the barn. I tried to pull her out of the blue cloak now surrounding her, but it sent a shock of pain through my body and I was thrown back. I had no choice but to wait for the Rune to release her.

It was agonizing, to see her frail around and moan in the Rune's grasp. But there was no other way to it.

The wretched cyan light now dimmed and she fell into my waiting arms. She looked at me with exhausted, tired, sleep-deprived yet pretty eyes, before fainting then and there. I decided not to take her to the Clinic as she had told me before that Lara would yell at her if she went there with another problem concerning her health. I placed her on my bed, pulled the sheets over her and then went to fetch Doctor Edward.

Lara was not in the clinic, so I managed to tell the Doctor of the entire situation and get him to my house with all of his tools. We practically ran into my house, and we witnessed a very sweet scene.

Chip and Wooly were sitting next to Felicity, and they were looking at her anxiously.

I smiled at them and nudged them out of the room, but they seemed to want to stay with her, so I had to keep them away from the bed as Edward performed his traditional check-up. He got up after a few minutes, sighing.

"Don't worry, she will be fine…as usual." he spat. I wondered why he was acting like this, so I asked him. "Felicity's illness," he began, "is a very strange thing. No matter what medicine I give her, she remains as ill as ever, if not worse. When I check her up, she is perfectly fine. But even after such suicidal acts like this, my medicine still is ineffective against her illness. I think it is a certain type of virus which does not want to be cured." he explained. I felt really bad. He continued his speech. "I often think it is a supernatural thing that is going on, but being a man of science, I cannot succumb to such childish notions. Don't worry; she will wake up soon enough. Good day to you." and saying this, he walked out of my house, his usual happy aura slightly depressed. I looked at Felicity.

She had an incurable disease, yet she lived life with full gusto. She paid for it after having her fun, like she was doing now. But the reason she did it was because she wanted her freedom. She did not want to be imprisoned forever. Between her father, Doctor Edward and Lara, she was trapped in a doomed triangle, and I did not want to become the fourth person in it. I patted her head.

It was amazing how she kept up with such a life.

Look, I am so sorry for the late update. I will be posting all chapters late for the noxt one month, as I have exams. Sooo sorry! Also, my mother will kill me if I go on the comp anymore. SO see ya! Review! The drill does not change! Bye!

-LL