This was an unexpected turn in the plot. Took the advice, building more background. I realize this is now chapter 10, so for you perverts who were looking for more lemon, I'll make it up to you and show you the Witch's chest later if you keep reading. Deal?

Akari turned off the shower and grabbed the deep navy towel the wizard had given her to dry her hair. The towel was old, well worn and fading yet still in pretty good condition despite its apparent age. Once she seeped as much of the water from her hair as she could, she began drying her limbs, then her torso. Hot showers were always so nice in the morning, but she hated the sticky feeling of her skin against the towel after. She hurriedly pulled on her clothes, the steam was slowly dissipating and she realized that it was still winter in an unheated home.

As she entered the main room again, she found the wizard finished with his coffee and dressed.

"Want me to make us something for breakfast?" She asked.

"No… I'm alright…"

"Ok, well I'm not quite hungry yet so let's get going." She smiled, she was excited to show him her animals and crops.

"… Sure." He replied sheepishly.

The two headed out the door, down the road to Akari's ranch. The cold air combined with her still partially damp hair gave Akari chills. At least it wasn't long anymore, she was glad she decided to cut it once she started her farm work; otherwise it would be such a hassle. The two engaged in a little small talk along the way, nothing special. "Alright, here we are," Akari announced as they entered her property. They walked up the dirt pathway to her house.

"Hm.. " Akari glanced at the wizard quizzically. "Lets get you some gloves."

She opened her door, gesturing for him to enter as well. As soon as they were in, her two cats meowed happily and sauntered over to rub against her feet. She knelt to pet the two needy felines. "Sorry I didn't come home last night you guys," she spoke apologetically, scratching their chins and behind their ears. She glanced up at Wizard, who was observing. "This is Cortez," she said petting the orange cat, "and this one's Alabaster," motioning to the white cat on her other side. She was now sitting, letting the two curl up in her lap.

"They really do seem to have missed you… "

"I found them outside, in Harmonica town actually, with no caring for them. I brought them fish and other treats when I could, and eventually they both just followed me home." She stood up, brushing the two disappointed cats off of her, "but now they really won't leave me alone." She said playfully.

She walked over to the side of her bed and began rummaging around in a short tool box. "Aha!" She turned and tossed a pair of scratchy, canvas gloves into the wizard's chest. He reached up and grabbed them before they fell. "Sorry they're not fabulous, but they're the only ones that I have to fit you. And, I don't want you ruining those soft hands of yours." She teased him, playfully.

Wizard blushed as he put the gloves on. Akari really did love to see him squirm and go pink when she got him flustered. "… They're just fine… Thank you."

"Alright, we can get to work then, follow me." Akari lead him to the chicken coop. "Here," she handed him a feed bag. "Poor some down both of the troughs; I'll collect up all of the eggs."

"Uh.. Alright… " He nodded and began his task. Akari gingerly searched for eggs in the hay of each nest, but made sure to keep an eye on the wizard. Any moment now…

As soon as he began to poor the seed out into the trays, the ducks and especially the chickens realized that he was now responsible for their food. The clucking picked up, and Akari watched as the poultry swarmed the unsuspecting man. His expression quickly turned from concentration to panic; Akari giggled, a little more manically than usual. "Ah, Akari?" He spoke in a quicker tone than normal.

Akari put on a straight face, "What? You're doing great," she waved him off passively, "just keep it up." She turned back to the eggs, trying not to giggle too loudly.

He realized that she had abandoned him and wrinkled his brow, back in concentration mode. Akari watched from the corner of her vision as he awkwardly stepped about the frantic chickens, trying to get as much of the feed as he could into the troughs.

As soon as the feed bag was empty, he sighed with relief as he sat against a wall. Akari wandered over, basket full of high quality eggs, "ready to see the livestock?"

"As long as I'm not in charge of the food…" Akari giggled and helped him up.

"Sorry about that, but you handled it well." She smiled supportively and led him to the barn. "Don't worry the live stalk is much more peaceful," she pulled out a brush. "Here, why don't you brush everyone?" To apologize for the chicken incident, she told him that she would help him thru this one.

They started with her first cow, "Here, this is Bessie." She pet the old heifer and she let out a grateful moo. The wizard looked a little intimidated, but more ready than before. Akari took his hand, and gently placed it on the cow's head, Bessie didn't seem to mind at all. "There, see? She even likes you."

"A- Alright… " He relaxed, and rubbed behind her ear as Akari had.

"Ok, so you want to brush her along the way her hair grows, like this… " Akari took his other hand with the brush in it and move it down the girl's side. "Got it?"

"… Yeah," he said tentatively, then began to brush her by himself.

"Great," Akari smiled happily, he might be quiet but he was very quick to catch on, and she was sure he could finish up with the rest of the animals. "I'll get their food and product; just give each of them your attention." She walked off to the feed silo.

After doling out the hay and milking her cows, Akari inspected each of her animal's coats. Quite clean and shiny, even the sheep that she needed to sheer. Akari was well impressed by the wizard's work. "Hey," Akari then looked up to thank him and she found him wrestling with a baby goat over a glove, "Obie! Stop that!" She grabbed the little goat and placed her fingers at the corners of his jaw, pushing up with the index and middle, pulling down with her thumb. The glove fell free and the wizard stumbled from the release in tension. "Sorry about him, he's not even a season old if you can believe that. Still doesn't know what he is allowed to chew on."

The wizard returned the glove to his hand, a little blush on his cheeks. The two then went out to the Starter Plot where Akari was growing Buckwheat. She also had purchased the River Plot, but that was used as her orchard (She was confused as to why she had to purchase the damn thing, it was already on her land and she had assumed that it and the other large plot were a part of the deal…) and being winter none of the trees were currently producing fruit.

Akari examined the plants, almost ready for harvest. Sigh… That means she would have to feed each individual crop of Buckwheat into the mill… What a pain… A mental rain cloud formed over Akari's head for a moment, raindrops washing over her face with a 'Do I have to? Really?' expression, before she realized she had company and snapped back into form. Fishing around in her pack she pulled out a watering can and handed to the wizard, she explained where to refill it if he ran out of water, and that each plant will only need to be watered once. "I'm going to pick some weeds over in the other field, alright? Shouldn't take me long." She took off for the other field.

She quickly finished her work, even checking the trees bark to make sure the cold hadn't gotten to them too badly, then headed back over to the field. Light was finally shining on the farm, but the clear skies and frigid whips of wind weren't letting the sun do its job. Akari found herself still quite chilled, and when she reached the field she saw the wizard sitting on the shipping bin, quite exhausted from his work. "All done?"

He nodded.

"Alright, now one more thing left to do." She said this almost happily.

Wizard leaned back over the bin and looked at her upside-down, "… Oh?"

"This way." She smiled and led him back behind the barn, the wind didn't blow as harshly back here blocked by the buildings and the outcropping of rock that ended her back property. The air became warm as they came upon a hot spring, hidden in the rocks. "Pretty, huh?"

The wizard looked relieved that this was the destination. The air was filled with steam from the contrast in temperature between the air and the water, rising up bringing its humid heat with it. Akari quickly pulled off her coat and unbuttoned her pants. "You ever been in an outdoor spring? It's a wonderful way to relax after work. Come on, it'll be nice." She pulled her pants down the rest of the way.

"A-Akari I don't have anything to… Cover myself with." He looked down and away, scratching his head.

"Well if you're going to be shy I just won't look then," she confidently pulled off the rest of her garments, leaving only her panties, and stepped into the hot pool. She looked at him, covered her eyes and turned away with her hand still over her face, sinking onto a groove in the rocks where she could relax her muscles.

For a moment she couldn't hear him moving, but then he made a small noise still in protest and she could make out the sounds of his silver necklaces being moved about. Then a moment more, and small plunk as he joined her in the water. "… Alright."

"See, I told you it would be nice," she removed her hand from her eyes and found him more than a few feet away, his chest submerged. The water was relatively motionless but the surface still distorted the rest of his body from her view. She glided over to him, still chin deep in the water, and grabbed his hand. She gave him a quick kiss, then sat behind him, and pulled him down to sit between her open legs, now her chest slightly protruded from the water and pressed up against his back.

She felt him quickly tense his body, and tighten his hand around hers. She could tell his face was turning red. Akari leaned back a bit, pulling her hand free gently and began to kneed at the muscles in his back with her palm and knuckles. "You really shouldn't be so shy around me," she scolded in a somewhat patronizing way. "I've known you for a few seasons now and you still blush madly if I even bump into you." Secretly, it excited her quite a bit that she could pull those reactions from him, but telling him that would spoil the fun of it.

"I'm sorry, it's just… "

"Hm?" Still massaging his back. Very firm, she was impressed.

"Well, you're the first person I've been around, in a really long time… It's difficult to adjust." He spoke quietly, and even relaxed a little bit, leaning back into her hands slightly. "To be honest… You're also quite... Brazen."

… Not really the romantic words she was hoping for, but she was none the less happy to get a real sentence from him. Akari pulled him close and kissed his neck, she wrapped a leg around placing her foot between his knees and rested her head against his back.

"And Akari?" She lifted her head, "Thank you for today. I enjoyed myself."