Timing is Everything

"Hiro!" Kana sighed, running a hand through his hair, tightly holding the arm of the cowgirl who was losing her balance and hiccuping. "Are you free? I need some help."

"Pay attention to me, too! Hey!" Georgia slurred, whining like a child.

"Shh!" Kana scolded her.

"Aw! You meanie..."

"Is Dr. Ayame here?"

Hiro answered, shaking his head, "No, she's on her break."

Kana smiled in relief, "Good! Do me a favour, will you, bro? I think Georgia's... Uh-"

"Had some sort of overdose with alcohol?"

"She's drunk."

"Aha! Am not!" Georgia laughed, "Right, Hiro?"

"Kana, there's no medicine for that. Just let her sit down." Hiro reasoned, trying to ignore Georgia.

"That's all? So what now?" Kana questioned, worried, "I hide her 'til she's sober again?"

"Yes, it's as simple as that, and maybe some bread will help her."

"Ah, thanks, Hiro. I owe you, dude." He patted the top of the apprentice's head, grinning.

The tipsy cowgirl watched, eyes narrowed with suspicion. She latched herself on to Kana's arm and said, "Cut it out... Pay attention to me. What exactly is your relationship with Hiro, huh?"

"Wah?!" Hiro and Kana exclaimed. Georgia pouted, then suddenly was in a fit of laughter.

"Y-yeah, she should sit down." Kana breathed, face palming.

Hiro nodded. "I'll get the bread." He quickly, making his way upstairs.

Kana lead Georgia to sit down on one of the beds. Georgia was silent, as if deep in thought.

"I'm so dizzy."

Her voice came out steady and tired.

"Feeling better?" Kana asked.

"I guess."

Kana inched closer, tilting his head in curiosity. "What the hell were you thinking about today? Georgia..."

He smiled widely, "I don't live in this town, I live in the town next to it, over the mountain."

Georgia nodded her head. "Oh. I'm Georgia. I like your horse."

He was so easy to talk to. He was very friendly, and had a laid-back vibe. She suddenly wished that they lived in the same town.

The smile plastered on the child's tanned face grew, as he replied, "Thanks! And I like your accent!"

Georgia blushed deeply, her heart pounded. "You do?"

He added, "Yeah! Hey, do you want to play in the mountains sometime?" Before she could answer, the boy placed a thumb on his chest. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. My name's Kana."

Georgia was eight and Kana was nine when they first met. Eight years ago, actually. Georgia just moved to Bluebell.

After the day they met, she couldn't help but want to see him again. After being so afraid of being teased because of her accent, she was already complimented by the nice boy on her first day.

She would often find Kana on the mountain. She thought their timing was perfect, because they always seemed to bump into each other.

"What are you doing here?" Georgia asked.

"I like to walk around when the weather's nice, maybe even sing a little." Kana joked, grinning. "And you?"

She smiled, "I'm picking flowers."

"You're such a girl." He teased, and she stuck her tongue out at him in reply.

Before she knew it, she would find herself spending hours on the mountain with Kana at least twice a week.

"Maybe we can race with our horses someday." Georgia suggested.

Kana teased, winking, "It won't be much of a race if you're competing with me! My horse will be in top shape, and she'll leave yours in the dust!"

"Ha! As if!" Georgia scoffed, pushing him slightly.

He chuckled, then looked at her. "I like talking to you, Georgia."

"I- I like talking to you, too."

Georgia wasn't even aware of the long feud between the towns. Life was so simple. She didn't even work much yet.

"You have really short hair for a girl." Kana once stated.

As a child, Georgia had wavy, red hair (still as bright as ever) that only made it slightly below her chin. She would usually clip a strand away from her face.

Georgia nervously tucked a few locks behind her ears. "Is that bad?"

He shook his head. "No, but have you ever thought of growing your hair out?"

"Why do you ask?"

"... 'Cause I have." The boy mumbled. He ran a hand through his short, spiky hair. "My dad always cuts it way too short."

Georgia snorted. "Okay then, we'll grow our hair out and see who looks nicer."

They both sat by the lake, Georgia stroking the petals of the flowers Kana picked for her.

"How's Bluebell? Are you making more friends?" Kana asked, looking at her.

She nodded and replied, "This sweet girl named Laney. She's the daughter of Howard, who works at the café."

"That's good..." He smiled. He couldn't help but worry about her. She seemed so lost without him. "You have a café in Bluebell?"

"And you don't?"

"Nah, we have an awesome tea house, though!"

Georgia licked her lips. "Is there fried rice there?"

He nodded, his eyes wide just thinking about the delicious food. "Sometimes. The food's great."

"Oh, I just love fried rice!"

"Hey, then maybe one day I'll bring you there!"

She couldn't describe what she was feeling. She cared about the boy - a lot. Was she too young for this sort of thing? She once heard Laney talk about her crush on Ash. So this kind of feeling... was normal for a girl, right?

Georgia made her way to the summit of the mountain, sitting, occasionally adjusting her dress, or her hair that she's been growing out.

How long has it been? Minutes? An hour?

She finally lost her patience and made her way to Konohana, remembering the one time he brought her to look at the horses. She nervously knocked on the door, expecting Kana's father to answer, or even Kana himself. She knocked again, a little harder this time.

"Kana? It's me, Georgia. Are you home?" She asked timidly.

She knocked one last time, saying softly, "Kana, I-"

The door opened by itself, revealing an empty house, with everything packed up in cardboard boxes and tightly sealed. She didn't dare go in without permission, taking a few steps back, then looking at the sign outside.

It read: Closed.

"Sorry, little miss," a worker said gruffly, carrying the rest of the boxes to the shipping bin, "The father and son moved out. They're in the city, I think. Don't know where, though." Georgia didn't even want to speak. She just nodded politely.

"I don't know when or if they'll be back, so head home, girl." The man dismissed her.

Georgia quickly walked away, still a little dazed at what just happened. She read it correctly, right?

Closed.

So they were gone. Kana was gone. That was it? How long would it be closed? Why? And why didn't Kana even tell her he was leaving?

Georgia felt something boil in her chest, and she stomped her foot, her face flushing with anger. Her eyes burned, but she forced herself not to cry.

She hissed, "Kana, I hate you!"

Kana was gone for two years. Two, long years. Georgia held a grudge against him, for disappearing without leaving a single trace, without telling her or looking back. She hated that.

And when he suddenly came back with a big grin like he never left, well, that just made her furious.

"Hey, Georgia! Long time no see!" He was eleven years old now, his hair longer like how he wanted. "Your hair is still as bright as ever. Hey, do you still have your accent?"

She didn't speak. She glowered at him, and stuck her nose in the air.

"You wouldn't believe all the horses I saw while travelling around with my dad." He added. "How are things with you?"

So that's why he was gone? She thought.

"Oh. Sounds fun." She replied coldly.

"Yeah, my dad and I planned that trip a while back, so I would get a taste of how he works, and stuff." Kana explained. "'Cause some day, probably when I'm older, he's going to move out again and leave the house and horses to me in Konohana while he goes travelling around the world to study more horses."

If they planned it a while back, why didn't he tell me sooner? Why did he allow me to develop feelings for him just to be abandoned later on? Why did I have to find out, to be rejected like that? She wondered, not even wanting to look at Kana.

He got no answer. Kana frowned. "You alright?"

"No. Can you just... not talk to me anymore?" She said, trying not to raise her voice.

"Why not-?"

"Because I hate you!"

Those words confused him.

Kana was still persistent, talking to her whenever he saw her, wanting to know the reason on why she suddenly hated him. His father asked him once, "What ever happened to that sweet, Georgia girl?"

"We stopped talking... She's uh- busy." Kana told him.

"You told her that we were travelling, right?"

"Um... no, I didn't want to."

"Why not?" His father demanded.

Kana answered quietly, "I wanted her to make more friends."

"But you are her friend! Are you telling me she didn't know you left? Go find time to talk to her again, alright?"

Seasons passed, years passed, but he didn't get anywhere. Even after his father moved out, and Kana was living alone, working on his own, he tried to find time to talk to Georgia.

What did he do wrong? It irritated him.

"You're such a dense, blind, idiot!" She would tell him.

Why?

"I hate you!"

Why?

Georgia blinked a few times, as her vision focused more. She chewed slowly on the warm, doughy, bread Hiro handed to her. She swallowed, then hunched over, groaning.

"Goodness, my head aches." She complained.

"Georgia, are you...?" Hiro began nervously.

"Are you sober yet?" Kana finished for him, in a rather loud, almost angry voice.

Georgia looked up, eyes wide, and embarrassed. She blushed a beet red, and covered her face.

"I'm so sorry!" She gasped, "I hope I wasn't any trouble! Dang it, I really messed up today... In Konohana, too..."

Suddenly, Kana burst out into laughter, holding his sides as if they were going to split. "Don't worry!" he said between his laughter, "It was one hell of a day. Luckily you had Hiro and I here."

Hiro asked, "Do you remember anything, Georgia?"

"Uh, well, sort of..." She mumbled, suddenly feeling really grateful that the two took care of her, but then burst out, "Oh no, what did I say before?!"

"What exactly is your relationship, huh?"

Hiro smiled nervously, "Eh... A few things. Do not worry, we won't tell anyone."

Kana crossed his arms around his chest, smirking, "A lot of things - to me, if anything."

"Like... what? Oh, I'm so embarrassed!"

Georgia's voice echoed in Kana's head:

"Oh, you're always pushing me away, Kana. Always leaving me and I never know where you are... or where you're going. Like when we were kids, you'd run off. It made me sad... You were gone for so long..."

"If all it took was one glass of wine to tell me a bit more about yourself, I should have given it to you a while ago." Kana chortled.

Georgia raised an eyebrow. "Don't avoid the question-"

Hiro gawked at him. "So it was Kana's fault you were like that?"

"Don't get the wrong idea!" Kana protested, raising his hands in defence. "Not my fault she's a lightweight!"

"Hey, but don't think I'm some kind of drinker, okay, Hiro? I'm a down-to-earth cowgirl, I'm really not like how I was today!" Georgia snapped, "And don't talk as if I'm not here, Kana!"

Then the two began to argue again, with Hiro still smiling nervously. He didn't want to admit it, but watching them argue reminded him of an old, married couple. If anything, Hiro could tell they didn't just meet a month ago.

From the look on their faces, the way they would argue or glance at each other, and even the subtle hints of how they cared for each other, all seemed like they were friends before.

"I wonder what happened." Hiro mused, and it didn't matter whether he said it out loud or not. The two were too busy arguing.

A/N: Just as promised! I updated! Well, that was a lot of Italics... If it's difficult to read, please tell me and I will change it. So, you all know why Georgia hates Kana! I really hope no one is OOC. Aha, I just had to add in Kana and Hiro's tiny bromance.

Thank you very much for the reviews. Please leave a review to tell me how I did for this chapter! They also tell me whether people are liking my fanfiction. I'd really appreciate it. Hopefully I can update the next chapter sooner than later. Thank you for reading :)