Strawberry Fields- In Soviet Russia, Strawberry Fields reads YOU

Alright... in this chapter, there's loads of confusion about love. I've tried to write this as carefully as possible, so there's a lot of waffling done. Hopefully it comes across well. Happy reading!

Edits- As of 5.6.7, there's a small line in the dialogue fixed. Nothing too big, however. The edit occurs during the opening scene.

xXxX

There was a peacefulness that came from sitting in the graveyard that evening. Makoto thought it might have come from the fact that he and Elli were sharing so much with each other. There were difficult questions to ask and answer, but things became somewhat easier for Makoto and Elli as time went on. Finally, with the feeling of his throat knotting up, Makoto found himself asking what it was like explaining the death of Laine and Evan to Stu.

"It was the hardest thing Gram and I ever had to do," Elli sighed. "He was only three at the time, so he'd always ask where Mom and Dad were, when they'd be coming home, why they were gone for so long."

Puzzled, Makoto asked: "Why would he do that?"

Elli didn't answer right away. "Well," she started. "When you're three, four years old, you don't understand what death is." She motioned with her hands as she spoke. "We had a dog who died when I was about three... she was ancient." She added that with a slight laugh. "I thought she must've ran away."

Makoto felt his stomach knot up as he wrung his hands together.

"I guess that's why I never understood where my mom was," he replied quietly, hanging his head. Elli nodded at that, and started rubbing soothing circles on his back, relaxing him somewhat. "Poor Stu..." he sighed."I know I had a lot of trouble growing up, and I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that I didn't know my mom." He looked over at her. "So you know, I... well... acted out a lot."

With that, he looked out to the verdant fields in the distance, where he could see the gently swaying branches of a lone pine tree glowing in the sunset. In his long silence, Elli leaned forth attentively. Finally, she spoke up. "But it's because you said you never saw your dad much," she said, stirring him.

Biting his lip, Makoto nodded idly. Elli kept rubbing his back comfortingly when she saw him struggling with his words. "There was no need to give him a hard time whenever I did see him," he continued, troubled and looking at the tree again. "Just like there was no need to give my kindergarten teacher and my babysitter a hard time, or to get this." He quickly lifted up his shirt and showed her the unsightly scar on his abdomen.

"How did you get that, anyway?" Elli asked, furrowing her brow a bit.

If anyone else had asked him that, Makoto knew he would've hesitated. But with Elli, he found he didn't. "Where my dad and I used to live, I used to get away from the babysitter after school and sneak into this huge, overgrown field an old man down the road owned," he explained. "I used to do retarded stuff, like set junk on fire or shoot at cans with my BB gun, thinking I was really tough and all that. But the thing is, there's only so much you can push someone." He sighed. "I had it coming. I egged the guy on, so he tried to shoot at me to scare me off." Seeing that it seemed that Elli didn't know what to say, he knotted his fingers and continued. "But what I mean to say is that I understand where Stu's coming from."

Elli sighed. It was her turn to knot her fingers. "I should talk to Stu about Mom and Dad more," she admitted solemnly. "He really doesn't know as much about them as he should." She looked over at Makoto; the look in her eyes reflected her tone of voice. After gazing into her eyes, Makoto slipped his arm around her and she eased herself close.

"You should stop being upset with yourself," he told her. "I don't think I would have it in me to go through what you've gone through."

Elli sighed. "But I don't know..." she started. "I..."

"Elli..." She looked over at him. "Listen," he continued. "I really don't know how to say this, but..." Deep in thought, he looked away. "I've always liked you, but when I got to know you, I began to see how strong a person you are." He paused. "I mean, it's almost impossible to get you down on something. You've gone through so much in your life, yet you've gotten through all of it." Then he sighed. "What I mean to say is that I really admire you for that. It's part of why I like you so much."

At first, Elli couldn't reply. She wiped away a stray tear. "Thanks, Makoto," she finally said, leaning her head on his shoulder. She gave a contented sigh. "That really means a lot."

After a while, they figured out that they'd been out long enough, so they headed down the dirt path leading back to the main road. A few stars were beginning to show up by the time they made it back to Elli's house. Upon noticing them, Elli took Makoto's wrist. "Ohhh..." she started, glancing at his watch. "We were out later than I thought."

They stopped outside the front door. "Would your grandmother be upset that we missed dinner?" Makoto asked, furrowing his brow in concern.

"Maybe a little," Elli replied guiltily. "But Gram understands that since this is about the time... you know..." Makoto nodded, watching as Elli leaned her back on the other side of the door frame. "I kinda ran out earlier without any notice," she added, giving a sheepish laugh. "She was taking a nap, so I don't think she heard me go out."

"I'm sure she noticed the flowers missing from her garden, though," Makoto told her, nodding at the bed of colorful flowers underneath the kitchen window. Looking ashamed, Elli said:

"That's... not the first time I've done that either."

Motioning to the flower bed, Makoto dryly replied: "But it looks like you carefully steal the flowers, so the garden still looks good." Elli shook off his comment as she reached for the doorknob, laughing inwardly.

"Let's head inside, Makoto."

Ellen had been waiting for them in the foyer, perhaps after seeing them out on the front stoop for a while. When she immediately pulled Elli into a hug, Makoto stood back and watched. "I spoke to him about yesterday," she told Elli. Pulling back and looking her over, she added: "He understands."

Elli smiled. "Thanks, Gram." She sighed. "I'm sorry for running on you out like that."

"It's okay, dearie," Ellen replied as the two of them headed for the living room. Makoto stood in the foyer, unsure of whether to stay or head back out. It seemed that it was time to leave the family on their own for the evening.

But then. Elli poked her head into the foyer and waved him towards her. He followed her a bit reluctantly into the living room and sat with her on the couch as Ellen settled into her rocking chair.

"So..." Elli started, looking over at a kindly smiling Ellen, "where is Stu, anyway?" Ellen pointed past Elli.

"He's right there."

Elli turned to see Stu standing in the entrance of the living room, his T-shirt rumpled as if he'd been sleeping in it all day. "Hey, Stu," she said. "What's up?"

Stu sighed. "I'm sorry, sis," he mumbled solemnly. He shuffled and looked at his feet as he walked up to Elli. As he came closer, Elli stood up from the couch, only for Stu to hug her.

"It's okay, Stu," she told him softly, sharing the hug. Then, getting on her knees and looking him in the eyes, she said: "I understand that you're mad at me."

Shaking his head and reflecting Elli's manner, Stu quietly said: "I'm not mad now." Elli smiled at him, just as he threw his arms around her again. After they let go and sat back down on the couch, Elli apologized for taking the flowers from Ellen's garden.

"Oh, I have terrible luck with tulips, anyway," Ellen told her. "Did I ever tell you about the time your parents trampled the garden?"

"Mom and Dad messed up your flowers, Gram?" Stu asked, grinning. Ellen smiled at him.

"Oh, yes." She laughed fondly. "It happened a little while after they first met." She looked at Elli as well while she spoke. "They took such a liking to each other right from the start, and they were talking out on the porch. Then your father... I happened to be coming up the walkway with groceries, so I know..." After laughing again, she continued. "He teased your mother about something, and when she got upset, he started tickling her until she shoved him. She lost her balance too, and fell right off the stoop with him and into the flower bed."

Stu smirked at Elli. "No wonder you're such a klutz, sis," he said. "Mom was, too." Elli laughed, and then whacked him on the head with a pillow. Ellen haplessly shook her head. But all the while, Makoto watched quietly as if he was someone from the outside looking in.

When he stood up, Elli looked up at him, baffled. "Hey, what's the matter?" she asked him.

Makoto shook his head. "Nothing," he replied. "But I should go." He looked to everyone, having trouble with his words. "It seems you just want some family time... so... you guys take care." But before he could even turn away, Stu piped up.

"Don't go!" he said, frowning.

"You heard him," Elli said wryly, tugging Makoto's hand and pulling him back into his seat. He grinned faintly at her, settling comfortably in his seat. Elli kept her hand on his, and quietly said to him: "I want you to stay, too."

Makoto smiled warmly. "Okay."

They stayed up late that night as Elli and Ellen told stories about Laine and Evan. Stu rested his head on Elli's lap, while Makoto sat next to her and stretched out his long legs, picturing the stories all the while. He learned that Evan was a burly guy with a wicked smile and a sharp sense of humor, and that Stu was starting to look a lot like a lankier version of him. Laine, Ellen's daughter, was kind and beautiful. She always found herself as the brunt of Evan's teasing, though all in all, she loved Evan very much, just as he loved her.

After a while, Ellen let Elli tell all the stories, and instead opted to gently rock back and forth in her favorite chair until she dozed off. Soon enough, Stu drifted to sleep as well, but Makoto and Elli didn't take notice for a while. When they did notice, they looked at the old clock on the mantel and realized that it was nearly eleven. Exchanging tired smiles, they settled back down.

"Elli... your parents sound amazing," Makoto said, taking Elli's hand. She looked into his eyes.

"They were great," she told him. She smiled and sighed, resting her head on Makoto's shoulder. "I really wish you got to meet them."

"I do, too."

For a little while afterwards, they sat together in silence, content just to sit there and maybe fall asleep together. But Makoto had to go back to his house eventually, just as Elli, Ellen, and Stu had to get to sleep.

When he returned to his house, he flicked on the light switch and looked around the tiny living room. For once, his house didn't feel so empty.

xXxX

The next day, Elli spent her time off with Stu. As they headed out a little after noon to buy food for dinner, she spoke up.

"Stu, maybe you should go play with May while I'm at work tomorrow. I'll take you over there and everything," she said as the two of them headed down the front path. In his silence, she turned to him and asked: "Would you like that?"

Humming indifferently, Stu replied: "I guess. At least there's cows and sheep over where she lives."

"There you go," Elli told him, noticing the flag on the mailbox and stopping to check the mail. "And Barley said it'd be okay for you to come over one of these days." She paused, pulling out a birthday card from a great uncle a few states away along with a few bills. After shaking her head at her the way her uncle spelled her name, she continued speaking. "Anyway, we can talk to him about it when he and May come over for dinner tonight."

Stu cried out. "May's coming over for dinner?"

Laughing a bit and shaking her head, Elli said: "Why do you think we're going out to get lots of stuff for dinner?" Stu only shrugged and mumbled an 'I dunno' in reply. Then Elli, a bit puzzled, added: "I thought you liked May." She tucked the mail back into the mailbox for later, and the two continued down the road.

Stu groaned. "Ugh, yeah right! She's soooo annoying, and she always has peanut butter on the side of her mouth."

"Yeah, maybe two years ago," Elli corrected. "You don't usually find much peanut butter around her mouth these days." She cracked a smile. "Besides, you went through a 'sticky stuff around the mouth' phase."

"Nah-uh! Did not!" Stu protested, sticking out his tongue at her. Elli shook her head haplessly.

"You were fond of peanut butter, too," she added dryly. "Not to mention, you're always coming home all muddy and dirty."

"Yeah, but that's because I'm busy being a secret agent!" He struck a pose, and did a few karate chops in the air, yelling out each time. Elli smiled at him. "Mission Impossible! Hah!" Stu exclaimed, only for Elli to ruffle his hair. They kept walking for a short stretch in silence until Stu piped up again. "I'm glad May doesn't come over every day, because she annoys me when she does."

"Why's that, kiddo?" Elli asked.

Stu sputtered. "Ugh! You know why!" he told Elli. "She's always..." He made a repulsed face. "...She's always following me around." Then he launched into a high-pitched imitation of her voice. "Let's play house, Stu. Let's play dolls, Stu. Let's do stupid girl stuff, Stu. Blah blah blah, I'm a stupid girl with stupid pigtails and I smell."

"Ouch. You're insulting my gender," Elli said dryly as they arrived at the Supermarket.

Oblivious to Elli's comment, Stu rolled his eyes and huffed. "Why does she do all that stuff, sis?" he asked, stopping in front of the door.

Hampering a giggle, Elli said: "Well, she likes you." She couldn't resist getting a load of his grossed-out reaction. He sputtered.

"EWW!" he cried. "That's sick!"

Elli clicked her tongue, still finding it hard to keep a straight face. "Oh, Stu. You should be happy."

For a few seconds, Stu stared incredulously. "Why?" he asked.

Elli gave a laugh. "Because a girl likes you, silly." Stu folded his arms over his chest and huffed again.

"Well, I don't like her," he retorted stubbornly.

Elli shook her head, and though she kept a sweet tone in her voice, she sardonically said, "I'm sure you don't." as she held open the door for Stu. Stu trotted inside, sticking his tongue out at Elli.

"That's right. I don't," he said. Elli playfully rolled her eyes at him as she followed him inside. He always had to get in the last word.

Once they were inside, Elli picked up a basket at the door, greeted Jeff, and met up with Karen to talk with her and look for some of the things she needed for dinner. Stu ran off to look for a few things as well.

"Is this one good, sis?" he asked after about a minute, holding up a can of chicken broth. Elli nodded at him, not noticing as he took another five cans off the shelf after she turned back to Karen.

"Listen, Elli," she started, looking bothered and concerned. "Yesterday..."

Diverting her gaze, Elli nodded inwardly. "It was one of those days..." she admitted quietly. With that, she looked at her shopping list, and then scanned the shelf for a box of cereal. "You know how that is," she added, nodding at the nutrition facts printed on one of the boxes. As she placed the cereal into her basket, she gave Karen a warm smile.

"I guess," Karen replied, sighing. "I was worried, though. I talked to my mom about it and everything..."

"Ohh... Karen..." She put down the basket and gave Karen a hug. "Thanks," she added as she let go. She cracked a smile.

But before Karen could say anything, Stu rushed over and got onto his knees, dumping the six cans of chicken broth into the basket. Then he looked up at Elli and grinned. "Wow, that's great, Stu..." Elli said, "but I think that might be too many cans."

"One for each person," Stu told her, furrowing his brow in Makoto-like manner. She smiled.

"Two cans will do fine for six people." Behind her, Karen smirked and shook her head.

Giving a pout, Stu moaned. "Ohhh, man! I gotta take four back?"

"You brought all six over," Elli told him, smirking a bit. Defeated, Stu tossed up his arms and protested for a moment or so, but eventually brought the cans back to the shelf. After he left, Elli turned back to Karen.

"So, you have Stu slaving for you today?" she asked jokingly.

"That's what little brothers are for," Elli replied. She laughed wryly. "Actually, Stu and I are spending some time together today." Sighing a bit, she added: "I really owe it to him."

Then Jeff called out from the register. "Hey, Karen! Could you come over here for a minute?"

"Sure thing, Dad!" Karen called back. She turned to Elli. "I'll be right back."

"Alrighty." With that, Karen left. Elli had nearly finished her shopping by the time she came back, only to see her looking miffed. "What's wrong?" she asked, concerned.

"Goddamned art collector called again," she huffed, taking out her anger by sorting out the cans on the shelf. "Dad gets choked up talking to him, so I took the call," she added quietly. Elli looked rueful.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said. "I should've asked you about what was going on with that. What happened?"

Karen looked over at her and sighed. "It just sounds like he's got his thumb rammed firmly up his ass." She rolled her eyes, kicking over a step stool and climbing on it to straighten out boxes on a high shelf. "He went off with this whole 'is it worth my precious time?' thing, and if it wasn't for the fact I was doing this for my folks, I'd dish this jerk a good one."

"Maybe the jerk was having an off day," Elli offered. When Karen hummed in response, Elli continued. "So he's coming by soon?" she asked, looking for one last can on a lower shelf.

"Next Wednesday, actually," Karen answered, sounding a bit ho-hum. Elli picked up on her tone of voice.

"That good, huh?" she asked. Karen suddenly swore, and before Elli knew it, a few cookie boxes rained down from the top shelf and hit her on the head. Karen groaned and threw up her arms.

"Jeez!" She turned to Elli. "I'm sorry, Elli. Are you alright?"

Elli smirked. "I suppose there's worse things than getting attacked by Oreos," she replied. With that, she bent down along with Karen to help her gather the boxes. Once they finished putting them back on the shelf, Karen said:

"I just hope Dad can manage to sell a painting or two, you know?"

"Hey, this art collector must think there's something worthwhile about your dad's paintings if he agreed to come out this way, right?" Elli asked brightly. Karen gave her a playful eye roll.

"I guess you gotta look on the bright side, huh?" she said, shaking her head.

xXxX

After finishing his chores, Makoto headed to the Yodel Ranch to place an order for fodder. As he walked along the ranch's fence, he stopped to gently pet the muzzles of the cow and sheep that came up to him. But as he petted them, he felt his heart sink. It was a feeling that nagged at him every time he stopped over there.

Barley, though usually a laid-back man, showed his annoyance at Makoto once in a while. Makoto understood why. After winning the cow and sheep festival and making plenty of money after his fall harvest, Makoto came to the Yodel Ranch under the impression that Barley would give him at least three sheep and four cows all at once. Looking reluctant and furrowing his brow at Makoto, Barley immediately refused his offer.

"Look, Barley," Makoto had said, leaning coolly on the counter. "I really need to get my barn going. Winter's coming, you know."

"Yes, I'm aware of that," Barley replied, though managing an amiable tone in his voice.

"I have the money," Makoto said flatly. Barley nodded.

"I understand that, Makoto," he replied with forced patience. "But you shouldn't take on all those animals at once. You know, just one cow is a lot of work."

"I can handle four and the two sheep," Makoto assured him. "I've got a lot of time now." But Barley shook his head.

"That's all well and good, m'boy," he told Makoto. "But I'm still only selling you two cows and a sheep right now." He thought about something else. "Besides. I don't have all the animals you want immediately for sale. You'll have to wait until I can call up the ranch in either the Valley or Hackettsburg." With that, he motioned for Makoto to follow him to his kitchen.

Makoto furrowed his brow for a moment, but then pushed himself off the counter and followed Barley.

"I dunno," he began as the older man began filling out a few forms. "It's going to start snowing soon." Barley somewhat acknowledged him, but did his best to concentrate on writing. "And I don't know if I'll be able to get my cows and sheep if no one can be able to travel on the roads-"

"Makoto!" Barley snapped, shooting Makoto a dirty look. "You'll get all the livestock in due time! Enough already!" Makoto remained silent, but wore an unclean look all the while. Finally, Barley turned to face the farmer boy. "Listen," he said. "I know you're in a rush to pick things up before winter, but the matter is I can't sell you all those animals at once. You've never even taken care of a cow before. I'm not about to give you four."

Makoto nodded, still upset at Barley.

"I'll tell you what," Barley continued, still annoyed. "You can come here over the next day or two, and I can teach you how to take care of a cow. And if you do that well, I'll give you two cows to start with. Sound good?"

Again, Makoto nodded. "Sounds good," he said flatly.

xXxX

Makoto found that he wished he wasn't so pushy with Barley then. As he sighed, he barely noticed that the cow and sheep he petted with each hand both seemed a bit bored. They headed off, and once they were gone, Makoto headed down the road with the presence of his memories nagging at him.

But before he could make it to the entrance of the Yodel Ranch, a voice called out to him. "Makoto! Come over here for a sec!"

Makoto turned and saw Barley standing in the middle of the Yodel Ranch's small field, waving him over. "Hop the fence!" he added. Once Makoto had headed over, Barley asked: "So, how's your livestock doing, Makoto?"

"The new cow's doing great," Makoto answered, slipping his hands into his jeans pockets, making himself look cool. "Actually, yeah... everyone's well." Stroking his beard, Barley nodded.

"Good... good..." he replied, musing. Then he nodded again. "Listen, Makoto, how would you like to have a horse?"

Nodding, Makoto replied: "That'd be cool." He still found himself nervous around Barley, so he stammered a bit. "I'd love to have a horse."

"Great!" Barley said, clapping his chapped hands together and rubbing them vigorously. "Now, I want you to look at Henry, so you can make up your mind about him first." With that, he motioned to his stable off along the fence at the opposite side of the ranch, overlooking the forest.

"Henry?" Makoto asked curiously, arching an eyebrow. Something seemed strange about a horse named Henry.

Inside the stable, a monstrously huge horse with a dark mane snorted and stomped at the ground, catching Makoto's attention. He loudly gulped. "What's the matter?" Barley asked him, looking up at him.

"Uhh... nothing," Makoto hastily replied. "Dry throat." With that, Barley nudged Makoto, and then hobbled over towards Henry. Gulping again, Makoto followed. Once he came closer, he could see that Henry was even taller than he was. He noted that aloud as the two of them stopped a few feet from the stable.

"And you're a tall guy," Barley replied, looking Makoto up and down. "How tall are you?"

"Six foot four," Makoto answered, shrinking back as he stared uneasily at Henry. The horse sniffed at the air and snorted. For some reason, Makoto expected Henry to stare him down, but he didn't. Instead, his eyes seemed dull and milky-looking.

"Oohh... boy, Henry must be close to twenty hands, then," Barley laughed. "Come to think of it, I've never seen a horse this big, though of course it isn't unheard of." As Makoto kept examining Henry's eyes, he found himself baffled.

"I read about animals having milky eyes like that," he noted. "Is he sick or something?" He looked over at Barley, who shook his head.

"Naw, he's just blind," he said. Frowning, he added: "I got him from a friend of mine who runs his own ranch. He was about to put poor Henry out to pasture not long after he was foaled, so I asked him if he could bring him over here instead." Then he stroked his beard, looking thoughtful. "In fact..." he continued. "Joe took him for a while before he died. Henry's about eight now, I reckon..."

"So you've had him since Joe died?" Makoto asked. Barley nodded.

"Yup. A few days before he died, he gave me all of his livestock, including old Henry," he answered. "I'm caring for a few of his older cows and sheep now." Makoto nodded at that, not quite taking his eyes off of Henry for fear that he might run down the stable and rampage on the town at any minute.

Barley kept stroking Henry's muzzle. "Anyway," he continued, watching Makoto curiously. "I've been looking after Henry for over a year now. I wanted to give him to you last spring, but since you'd broken your arm, I didn't think you'd be able to handle Henry." He furrowed his brow at Makoto, who kept staring at Henry. "Are you listening to me?"

Makoto nodded and mumbled. "Yeah. Umm... sorry." When Henry gave a loud snort and stamped at the ground, he jumped and yelped. Coolly, Barley kept stroking his muzzle, placating him.

"It's getting a bit hard to care for him," he explained. "I'm getting up there in years, y'know."

Makoto arched an eyebrow at Barley. "Do you think I could handle Henry?" Laughing inwardly and shaking his head, Barley stepped away from Henry and walked up to Makoto.

"Of course, of course," he replied assuringly, clapping him on the arm briskly. Looking him in the eye, he added: "You've been doing well with your livestock already. And you're young. I think you'll do just fine with Henry." His face fell. "That is... if you agree to take him." When he saw Makoto still looked unsure of himself, he added: "Just try taking him for a little while, and if you feel you can't handle him, let me know, alright?"

Henry let out a loud cry, getting Makoto to gulp again. He looked nervously at Barley, who calmly petted Henry's muzzle. Knowing he would be letting him down if he refused, he finally nodded and said: "I-I'll take him."

Barley clapped his hands together again. "Great! You can pick him up tomorrow afternoon."

xXxX

Later on in the early evening, as the sun began setting, Makoto worked cleaning out the stable on the farm that hadn't been used in two years. Elli watched him, having come to Strawberry Fields to meet up with him before they went to have dinner at her house.

"I remember Henry," she said fondly. "We all came over here after we heard Joe had gotten a horse. Karen, of course..." She gave a laugh. "Karen wanted to see him, so we all came over here with her. He was really sweet..." Humming, she added: "Scared of his own shadow, though."

As Makoto swept the dead leaves on the floor of the stable into a pile, he mumbled something about Henry. Elli shook her head.

"Oh, Makoto," she started, smiling lopsidedly. "Don't tell me you're actually afraid of him."

"He's taller than me," Makoto pouted, keeping focused on his work.

Elli gave a slight laugh. "Not by much, though, right?" Makoto groaned.

"It's kinda hard not to be afraid of him, you know," he muttered flatly, apprehensively biting his lip. Then he turned to Elli. "Elli, what if I can't handle him?" Elli clicked her tongue and shook her head.

"You'll do fine," she told him assuringly. "You're doing really good with your livestock."

Makoto sighed. "But it's different with a blind animal," he explained. "I really don't think I can handle him."

Maintaining her patience, Elli continued. "Barley wouldn't have given you Henry if he felt you weren't ready to handle him." Makoto furrowed his brow and gripped the chipped handle of his broom tightly. "He's probably more afraid of you than you are of him," she added brightly.

"I thought animals liked me," Makoto mumbled, looking at the floor. "Well, except chickens."

Elli sounded mildly flustered. "Oh, Makoto, stop putting yourself down," she told him. " Everyone says you have a knack for handling animals, and you know it. Maybe Henry just needs some time to warm up to you." But when Makoto despondently nodded, she headed over towards him, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed him on the cheek. "Don't worry," she said, looking into his eyes. "You'll do fine. I promise."

For a moment, Makoto didn't reply, and instead shared the gaze. Finally, he gave a slight smirk and quietly, but teasingly, asked: "You promise now?" Elli couldn't help but laugh, and neither could Makoto once he saw her eyes light up. After they calmed down a bit, they stood around grinning at each other for a few moments.

Finally, Elli spoke up: "Are you almost done yet?" she asked, motioning to the pile of leaves at Makoto's feet.

"Ummmm... yeah, almost," Makoto replied, sweeping the leaves into a dustbin. With that, he set the broom and the dustbin in the corner, nodding at Elli.

"Good," she said, nodding back. "Because I have ulterior motives for coming here."

"Really now?" Makoto asked, playfully arching an eyebrow.

"Yep," Elli said, taking his hand. "I want to talk to you before we go back to my house." Makoto nodded, and the two headed out of the stable. They sat down on Makoto's porch a few minutes later. For a few moments, they idly stared out at the fields.

Finally, Elli piped up. "Your crops are looking great," she noted.

Feeling proud, Makoto replied: "I'm glad." He turned his gaze back to his fields. After a few moments he felt Elli's hand on his lap and turned to see her smiling at him.

"You know," she started, "I just wanted to thank you for everything yesterday." Before Makoto could say anything, Elli placed a hand on his and looked into his eyes, unable to help but lean forward and kiss him. After they pulled back from each other, they kept sharing their gaze.

Finally, she spoke up. "Makoto, we've been boyfriend and girlfriend since last autumn... mostly, kind of, and..." Makoto gave a slight smile, watching her expectantly as she looked away again. "What I mean is... I've never taken the time to say how much I appreciate you." She playfully rolled her eyes and added sheepishly: "Even if you drive me batty once in a while."

"I'm sorry about that," Makoto sighed, looking rueful.

With that, Elli found herself a bit rueful as well. "Well..." she continued. "It's not just that you're good to me, but that you're good to Gram and Stu. I mean, Gram loves it that you come over."

Makoto smiled. "You know I love spending time with your family," he said. With that, he let out a contented sigh. "Come here," he said softly, gently pulling Elli into a hug. "I know what you're saying... but..." He trailed. "The thing is, you've been the one who's always supported me," he said. "More than I've supported you."

"Oh, Makoto," Elli started. She sighed, pulling back from him a bit so she could get a look at his face. "If you think about it," she said brightly, "you had a lot more to deal with than I have this past year."

Makoto cast aside his gaze. "Yeah..." he agreed half-heartedly.

"Oh, Makoto..." Elli said, smiling and shaking her head haplessly. With that, she gently rubbed Makoto's cheek, gazing into his eyes. She knew what she wanted to say, but at the same time, it seemed there had to be a specific way to go about saying it. Before she could figure things out, Makoto moved forward for another kiss.

Hopefully, she would be able to tell him in time.

xXxX

When Makoto went to the Yodel Ranch the next day to get Henry, May noticed him right away and ran up to him. "What's up, May?" he asked as she hugged his legs. Letting go, May looked up at him and pouted, tugging on his shirt. He got down on his knees so she could talk to him.

"Grandpa says he has too much work to do today," she told him. "Can you play with me, Mackie?" Makoto looked at her ruefully.

"I'm sorry, May," he said. "I'm gonna be busy, actually. I gotta take Henry with me, you know."

"I named Henry," May piped up. Makoto arched an eyebrow. Henry still seemed like a strange name for a horse.

"Wow, that's cool..." he replied awkwardly. He didn't speak for a moment or two after that, watching instead as May fiddled with one of her pigtails. "So," he started, "would you wanna play some other time?"

"I guess," she replied glumly.

After bringing Henry back to Strawberry Fields and letting him graze for a while, Makoto tried brushing his mane. But Henry cried out each time, startling Makoto until he dropped the brush. Swearing to himself, he bent down to get it.

"How am I supposed to do this, Henry?" he finally asked, a bit frustrated as he set the brush on a shelf in the stable. But when he looked at Henry, he found himself grabbing the brush again. After all, Elli believed he could handle Henry.

With that thought, he approached Henry again and began brushing his mane. That time, Henry seemed calmer. He gave another snort, sniffing at Makoto's hoodie pocket.

"There's a treat for you in there if you're good," Makoto told him, smiling to himself. That time, Henry's snort sounded almost discontented. "Fine, fine," he sighed as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a sugar cube. He held it up to Henry's snout. "Take it." Henry sniffed the cube for a moment, and then licked it continuously. Cautiously, Makoto gently petted Henry's muzzle with his other hand. "Good boy," he said. "Please don't eat me."

Henry gave another grunt.

"I'll keep that in mind, sir," Makoto deadpanned.

After some trouble getting him there, Makoto left Henry in a large fenced-in pasture to graze and sun himself some more. Seeing that the horse seemed contented on his own, Makoto sat on his back fence and watched, occasionally looking at the fields down the stretch of road. He gave an acknowledging nod when Popuri waved cheerfully at him, and sighed when he saw what looked like May playing all by herself.

"Whatcha up to, Mackie?" someone suddenly asked him. Makoto craned his neck around to see Popuri coming up behind him. With that, he kicked his legs around and turned to face her.

"Not much," he mumbled. Pointing his thumb at Henry, he added: "I've got a horse."

Popuri clasped her hands together. "Awww!" she exclaimed. She craned her neck to get a better look at Henry, and then said: "Henry's soooo sweet!" But before Makoto could say anything, Popuri gave him a curious look and asked: "Say, you wouldn't happen to have gotten a letter for me, from Kai..." Sounding hopeful, she added: "Have you?" Asking him that became a habit of hers, seeing as Zack or Harris occasionally mixed up some of their mail.

"Nope," Makoto replied. He arched an eyebrow. "Why? Were you expecting him to write you?"

"Well..." Popuri started, flushing red and turning away. "I sure hope he will." She smiled. "Don't you think it would be romantic?"

Makoto found he wasn't quite sure how to respond, so he asked: "Is he still coming by this summer?"

"Of course!" Popuri promptly answered. But sounding a bit despondent, she added: "Well, I hope..."

With his eyebrow still arched, Makoto asked: "Doesn't he come every summer?"

Cracking her enormous wad of gum, she cheerfully answered: "Every summer since 2000."

Makoto shook his head. "You have a crush on him, right?" Excitedly, Popuri nodded and cracked her gum again. "Weren't you... what... twelve years old then?"

Angrily tossing back her hair, Popuri said: "No! I was..." But as she counted on her fingers, she calmed down and said: "Yeah, I was twelve. But he was soooo cute!" She giggled. "I mean, he's still cute, and soooo dreamy!"

"Yeah, he's a real cutie-patootie," Makoto deadpanned. Popuri gasped.

"Makoto!" she said, beaming. "Are you bisexual?" In shock, Makoto nearly fell off the fence.

"What?" he sputtered, grabbing the rail to keep himself balanced. Before Popuri could repeat herself, he said: "No! What gave you that idea?"

"Well," Popuri started, giggling despite her matter-of-factly tone. "You're in love with Elli." She giggled again, but sincerely said: "I mean, you're like a puppy dog when you're talking about her." Flustered, Makoto rolled his eyes, though it was better than having Karen compare him to a teddy bear. "And now, you think Kai is cute!" With another giggle, she said: "You have good taste in boys, Mackie."

Makoto rolled his eyes again, and humoring her, said flatly: "Yeah, okay. Whatever. I like boys."

"I knew it!" Popuri chirped. Makoto found himself wishing she would stop giggling, but nothing could stop her once she got started.

"I don't swing that way, Popuri," he explained, burying his face in his palm. "I like girls."

Popuri rolled her eyes. "Okay, Mackie..." she said, sing-song and giggling. "Your secret's safe with me."

Groaning inaudibly, Makoto decided to change the subject. "So..." he started. "You're May's neighbor. What do you usually see her up to?" When he saw Popuri looked a bit baffled, he added: "I'm just curious."

"Oh," Popuri said, looking upset. "I feel so bad for her. She usually just plays by herself..." She pointed to the wooden fence between the Poultry and the Yodel Ranch. "She likes to come over to play with me once in a while, though." Makoto nodded, watching as Popuri cast her gaze away thoughtfully. "Hey," she said, looking over at him again. "I saw you and Stu playing together the other day. I think it's so sweet that you help Elli out like that."

"Well, Stu's a good kid."

"You're such a good boyfriend!" Popuri added. Casting his gaze at the ground, Makoto shook his head, quietly disagreeing. Popuri huffed. "Oh, come on, Mackie!" she said, placing her hands on her hips and rolling her eyes.

Makoto shook his head. "Listen," he said. "I'm feeling bad for May, and for Stu. It's like they have nothing to do." Popuri nodded, and cocked her head at him curiously at he fished for the words. "I mean, what would you, Elli, Karen, Ann and Rick do around here when you guys were their age?"

"We all used to play together all the time," Popuri replied. "It was fun." Makoto nodded, waiting for her to say more. "Sometimes we'd spend days in church. Old Pastor Brown used to watch over us and tutor us and everything." She pondered something, and then said: "Oh yeah. I like to go to church on Sundays to talk to Carter. Anyway, he was telling me last week about how he would like to do a little more than sit around in the church all day, writing sermons..."

Arching an eyebrow, Makoto asked: "He said it like that?"

"Yep," Popuri answered. "He told me that he's noticed how May and Stu are always by themselves, so..."

For the first time throughout their conversation, Makoto gave a broad smile. "So, he wants to help?" he asked.

"Yeah!" Popuri replied excitedly.

"That's awesome," Makoto said. Popuri nodded, but suddenly seemed a bit ho-hum.

"Yeah, but then he went on about how he wasn't sure if he could take on May and Stu," she told him. "He said he would be willing to pick them up and watch them and stuff, but he's not sure if he could handle little kids."

Makoto furrowed his brow. "Well, Stu and May seem to get along," he pointed out. "And they're good kids."

"Yeah, Stu's all mature for his age," Popuri added. "And May's real sweet." Since it seemed like a perfect arrangement for Carter to watch over May and Stu, Makoto found he couldn't understand the reasons behind his reluctance.

"Popuri, do you think you could help me convince Carter that maybe it might be better for all of them to do this?" Makoto asked. Popuri tilted her head a bit from side to side as she considered Makoto's question, not seeming entirely willing.

"I don't know if I'd be able to," she replied.

Shrugging, Makoto said: "Well, that's cool. I'll talk to him."

"You really shouldn't force him to do it," Popuri told him. "If he doesn't want to, then he doesn't want to." Makoto frowned.

"I'm not gonna force him," he replied. After idly glancing at his watch, he said: "Crap, it's getting late." Looking up at Popuri, he said: "I gotta get Henry back in his stable so I can get ready to head to Elli's for dinner."

Popuri nodded. "Oh, okay then. I need to help Mom with dinner, too," she said, cracking her gum. She waved him goodbye. "Byeeee!" Makoto gave her a quick nod as he hopped off the fence, and then headed off to get Henry.

xXxX

Makoto arrived at Elli's house to find everyone else in the front yard. It seemed Stu had been protesting about keeping May company while the adults prepared dinner. Elli came up behind him, ruffled his hair, and said: "Go on and play for a little while before dinner." Stu took another look at May, and rolled his eyes.

"Okay, I'll play with her," he groaned. May, however, didn't seem discouraged. She laughed and grabbed Stu by the hand, dragging her groaning friend along as she skipped happily along the side of the house. Once they were gone, Elli greeted Makoto, and then spoke up to Ellen and Barley.

"I hope Stu and May can start playing together more often," she said. "I think it does the both of them a world of good."

Makoto thought about telling them about Carter, but then realized that it probably wouldn't be best to say anything without knowing for sure if Carter wanted to watch over Stu and May all the time. As Ellen and Barley ambled up the walkway to the house, Elli stayed back with Makoto to give him a kiss. With that, the two of them headed up the walkway as well. On the way, Makoto craned his neck to get a better look at May and Stu.

"Get a load of Stu," he said quietly, stopping Elli. "He's smiling."

When Elli looked over, she broke out with a broad smile. Makoto couldn't help but share it. "And he says he doesn't like playing with her," she replied wryly.

xXxX

After about an hour of cooking and preparing dinner, Ellen spoke to Elli.

"Elli, dearie," she said. "The children are probably playing in the back yard. Do you think you could go get them?"

"Sure thing, Gram," Elli replied, drying off her hands. After she left the kitchen, Makoto came up behind Ellen, quietly excusing himself as he reached for the utensil drawer. She smiled at him, catching his attention.

"What's up?" he asked.

"I just wanted to thank you for being so good to Elli when she really needed you, dear," Ellen told him warmly. He turned from the drawer to get a better view of her, unsure of what to say.

"I..." he stammered, shaking his head. "I was just..."

"Elli talks about you a lot," Ellen continued fondly. She chuckled as she leaned on the counter, and looking out the window overlooking the front yard added: "Even when she's upset with you." She paused. "I know she can be reserved, and I see she's that way around you." Turning back to Makoto, she said kindly: "But she really feels for you, Makoto."

Makoto looked out at the yard as well just as Elli had stepped outside, watching her brush back her hair as she trekked across the yard. Finally, seeing Ellen kindly smiling at him reminded him to answer.

"Do you remember that talk we had when I first got here?" he asked her.

She nodded. "Makoto... you really love her," she replied. "Don't you?"

Still watching Elli talking to Stu and May, he idly asked: "How do you know?"

Ellen shook her head haplessly, gently touching his arm. "Oh, Makoto..." she said quietly as she headed for the stove. With that, Makoto opened up the drawer to get the utensils he needed. Once he finished, he took one last look at Elli. Then he turned from the window and headed, utensils in hand, to the dining room to set the table.

Outside, Elli watched as Stu and May headed back into the house, laughing to herself when she saw Stu making a point to stay ahead of May. May began running after him calling out: "Wait for me, Stu!" He finally did wait for her on the front stoop, bored, as she caught up.

After a moment or so, a voice stirred her from her thoughts.

"Hey."

It was the Doctor. Elli looked over, where she saw him approaching from the Library. Since it was late for him to be returning, Elli figured his trip must have lasted longer than he had anticipated.

"Hey, Tim," Elli said, trotting up to meet him. "How was your trip?"

The Doctor smiled faintly, giving a slight laugh. "Alright. But it turned out I had some more work to do than I thought." After Elli had taken notice to the circles underneath his eyes, he added: "I'm exhausted."

Elli nodded. "You look like you could use some rest." The Doctor agreed quietly. For a moment or two, they stood around, avoiding eye contact. Finally, the Doctor spoke up.

"Well, I gotta go," he said. "See you tomorrow." Elli smiled at him, but before she even realized it, he leaned forth and kissed her on the cheek. She stood there, unsure what to say or do. "Enjoy your evening," the Doctor said hastily, looking a little rueful.

"Yeah..." Elli said. "See you later." The Doctor pulled his backpack over his shoulder, still doing his best not to meet her eye. As he stepped off the lawn and headed down the cobblestone path, she watched him, sighing. She couldn't figure out why the Doctor chose to come around after she had gotten together with Makoto.

Finally, she headed back inside. As she stepped in the foyer, Makoto came out of the kitchen, careful not to tip the heavy pot of soup he held as he headed for the table. Then Elli found herself biting her lip, hoping Makoto hadn't seen the Doctor kiss her.

After a moment or two, Makoto came back into the foyer. "What're you doing just standing here?" he asked, cracking a small smile.

Elli shook her head. "Sorry about that," she said sheepishly. "I just kinda zoned out."

Makoto chuckled. "Come here," he said softly. Slipping one hand on Elli's cheek and the other on her waist, he leaned forth and kissed her. Maybe, Elli thought as she pulled herself closer and shared the kiss, that it wasn't best to worry about whether or not Makoto saw anything. He would've known that something was bothering her if she worried about it too much anyway, so she allowed herself to enjoy their moment together.

xXxX

After dinner and a conversation about what everyone planned on cooking for Sunday's cooking festival, Elli showed Makoto to the door. They stalled at the front stoop, sharing a few goodnight kisses. Finally, it came the time when Makoto had to leave. But he didn't leave after they stepped back from each other.

"What's the matter?" Elli laughed, eyeing him.

He shook his head, smiling inwardly.

"Nothing," he said quickly. But when Elli gave him a humored, curious look, he continued. "There was just this look on your face today when Stu and May were playing together..." Elli let out a laugh and smiled at him. "The way you smiled, though... it was really... I dunno," After he realized he was stammering too much, he just smiled lopsidedly and shook his head. "Your eyes just lit up, and you just seemed so happy."

By then, Elli knew her ears were turning red. Makoto looked embarrassed as well. He shook his head and mumbled: "Well, that's stupid of me to say it. Of course you'd be happy."

Elli looked him up and down, and wryly said: "You're really sweet, you know that?"

"You really think so?" Makoto asked. In response, Elli stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him. When they broke away, all he found he could say was: "Goodnight, Elli." With that, he stepped off the stoop and made his way down the front path.

There was something to be said, and as Elli stood on the stoop and lamely waved to him, she knew it. Makoto smiled at her all the way down the path leading to the cobblestone road, and then turned.

Elli couldn't take it anymore. "Makoto!" she called out, snagging his attention. He turned to her, still wearing that smile of his that she couldn't help but share. After a moment or two, however, that smile of his became more of a 'Well... what are you going to say?' expression. Elli sighed. "Listen, Makoto," she said as she stepped off the stoop and walked up to him. "It's kind of silly, really," she started, nervously diverting her gaze.

After another bout of silence, Makoto spoke up. "You seem weird tonight, Elli," he said flatly, furrowing his brow.

"No, it's nothing," Elli blurted out. Makoto arched an eyebrow at her. "No!" she added, shaking her head. Then she looked at him, though he didn't look entirely convinced. "I really need to tell you something." Makoto watched her quietly. "It's just that... I..." She shook her head, diverting her gaze.

"You're nervous," Makoto told her. Elli's smile showed it.

"No I'm not," she lied. "Not at all." When Makoto eyed her incredulously, she mumbled: "Well... maybe a little."

Sounding a little sick, Makoto said: "You're making me nervous, Elli."

"Makoto, I love you."

Once she said it, she found she wasn't sure whether she should've said it or not. But to her, it was as if she couldn't control her mouth. The next moment felt like five or ten minutes of silence, during which Makoto stared, mouth agape and speechless. Elli couldn't tell whether he was happy or shocked; she was too dumbfounded with what she had said. Both pleasure and regret overcame her.

"You do?" Makoto asked flatly, arching an eyebrow. His mouth twitched, and Elli hated it. It could either turn into a smile or a frown. But before Elli could say anything, Makoto gave something of a laugh and said: "You realize I'm the happiest guy in the world right now, right?"

"Well..." Elli started shyly, keeping her focus on the ground. But in Makoto's silence, she found herself looked back up at him.

"I just didn't know when or how to say it," he told her. "But I wanted to tell you..." He trailed, gazing into her eyes. Finally, as he moved forward for a kiss, Elli stood on her tiptoes to meet him. At least he was happy.

After they broke away, Makoto still kept her close. "I love you too, Elli," he said. "A lot." He rubbed her back gently, and though not intentionally, stirred her attention. She looked up at him, just as he leaned down for another kiss. It seemed everything was right.

They spent some time outside that warm evening, oblivious to Stu and May watching from the living room window. May looked on with great interest, but after a moment or so, Stu gagged and turned away.

"Gram!" he whined, heading up to Ellen as she rocked in her chair. "Elli and Makoto are being all gross again!"

Ellen looked to Barley, and the two of them shared a laugh. "Young love," she said to him fondly.

xXxX

After Makoto had gone home, and after Barley and May had left as well, Elli and Ellen put Stu to bed. But as Ellen was about to head into her bedroom herself, Elli, without thinking twice, stopped her.

"Gram," she started quietly. Ellen turned around, concerned. "Can I talk to you?"

Ellen smiled. "Of course."

Over some camomile tea, they sat at the kitchen table. Elli held out on speaking right away, so Ellen had to give her some gentle prodding to get her to say something.

Elli sighed. "Tonight..." she started. She idly pulled the string on the tea bag, watching the color of the tea leaves seep into the warm water. "Tonight, I told Makoto that I loved him." Ellen quietly watched her troubled granddaughter. "But looking back on it, I think it was too soon to say it."

"You're just worried, dearie," Ellen told her kindly. "It's a big step to say 'I love you'."

Elli nodded. "But I know myself. I shouldn't be this confused," she explained solemnly. "I mean, I don't think there should be any reason for me to feel so apprehensive." Ellen listened. "I know I'm probably making this more complicated than it really is..." She shook her head. "I've always liked talking with Makoto, ever since he first got here. Then I started liking him, because I felt that we clicked getting along, even though we had a bit of a rocky patch at first."

She sighed again. "And now, Makoto's been a great boyfriend, even if does some stupid things once in a while." By then, she was entirely ignoring her tea. As she fished for the words, she watched as Ellen, with her eyes on her, took a sip from her own cup. "I know Makoto's not the most expressive of people, but he's always sure to show me that he loves me. Kind of like Grandpa, right?" She paused. Ellen nodded fondly.

Elli smiled faintly, and then finally took a sip of her lukewarm tea. "And then," she continued. "Makoto comes over here and has dinner with us, when he really shouldn't have to. I mean, what do you think of him, Gram?"

Ellen smiled. "His heart's in the right place," she said. Pushing back a strand of her short hair and looking idly to the slowly rotating ceiling fan, Elli nodded and smiled again.

"He thinks you're great, Gram," she replied. "And he really likes Stu, and Stu likes him." Resting her face on her palm, she pondered some more. "There's no doubt that Makoto's a good guy." As she spoke, she traced circles on the table with her finger. "I was upset about Mom and Dad the other day, and he stayed with me and let me cry my eyes out, and he talked with me about it, and he assured me I was doing fine with Stu, and he called me beautiful!" She said all of that with one breath, and by the time she finished, she ran her hands through her hair.

"Tonight," she continued, "when I told him I love him, I don't know why I said it." She sighed. "I feel for him, Gram. I really do love him." She paused. "But I wasn't ready to tell him, and it just came out." She shook her head. "But there's no reason, with everything he does, that I should be so confused about this."

Ellen rose from her seat and headed over to Elli. After watching her for a moment, she leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. Looking up at her, Elli sighed. "I hate being all confused and wound up over this, Gram."

Ellen smiled and replied: "It's just part of being in love, Elli."

After that, she bid Elli goodnight and went off to bed. Elli stayed in the kitchen late, idly sipping her tea. Either she really was making things too complicated, and Ellen was right to kindly dismissing her, or she really had a problem. After a while of pondering, she figured she needed to get off to bed, reminding herself that she had to get up early for work the next day.

But as she thought about work, she stopped short, keeping her finger on the kitchen light switch. Her hand fell at her side. "Oh, God..." she whispered to herself.

She still might have been making things more complicated than she needed to, but then again, Doctor Tim could've been the reason she found herself so apprehensive over Makoto.

xXxX

Hopefully Ellen came out alright in this chapter. I think this is the most I've had to write her at once.

Anyway, I figured that since I usually take some time between chapters (cough), I would give little previews here and there about what's coming up. So, you've probably guessed that Jeff and Sasha are gonna meet up with this art collector soon... that's coming up soon. I was thinking of doing the cooking festival as a "Bonus" chapter, a shorter chapter assuming it doesn't turn into a full lengther between now and when I post it. Oh yeah... Elli. Poor Elli. Is she gonna be swayed, or is she gonna stick to her decision? You'll find out within the next 1000 years.

Thanks all for reading/reviewing. And now, shout-outs. Evanescent Shadow: Damn for not allowing you to express your inner fangirl! (Or for not allowing any of us to express our inner fangirl in that case.) Terra89: Hope you enjoy that Wii and PSP. I'm envious :). Yep, May is gonna be showing up a bit more often now, thankfully. Chii of Spades: Thanks. I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Rhianwen: That really means alot. Hopefully I can keep it up. :) And I think you're the winner of the "Guess What Stones Jeff Has" contest.

Until next time.