A/N: In response to reviewer () {I/E. he/she left the name section blank}
the version I am basing this fic on is the play station version not the N64
version since I have never played the N64 version. The characters were
changed in between versions. Also.... I am guessing you have never read
anything I have done since you requested Takari? Suffice it to say, this
will most likely be Yaoi in the end (If Takeru ever gets to the point where
he is dating ANYONE.... that would be far into the fic since it would be
far into the game.) Also, I plan to do only select days, not thirty days
per month (I.E. you will not be getting thirty chapters devoted solely to
spring.... that would be insanity... pure and simple) Anyways, on with the
farming fun!
Takeru woke up groggily the next day, staring at the small clock that read five thirty on it's shiny metal display (he has to cook remember? Thus he wakes up a half hour before the game would) He groaned inwardly as he hauled his sore body out from under the sheets. His legs buckled on his initial attempt at getting up, and only after three more tries did he manage to stand. Sighing out loud, Takeru moved stiffly over to the small cabinet where he stored his food packet. He picked out a can of prepackaged food, and then went to his bag to retrieve a small kerosene stove. Fifteen minutes later he was enjoying a bland meal of canned meat with toast.
Takeru's eyes tried to focus to the morning sun as he finally emerged out of his makeshift home. The second he stepped out he heard his name being yelled. Looking over, he saw Taichi running towards him. The taller brown haired man finally reached Takeru's side, and paused for a few moments to catch his breath. "Takeru-san! I just got word of a suspicious character coming in from the south part of town. If you see a man about your height, with bluish-black hair, and sunglasses please stop by and tell me, we want to make sure he isn't anyone dangerous," with this Tai turned to leave, failing to notice the figure approaching Takeru from the other side of the farm.
The man was dressed in an odd uniform comprised of entirely yellow material; save for the jet-black sunglasses he wore. The man gave a small wave to Takeru as he finally reached his side, offering a friendly hand in greeting. "Ohiyou Gozaimasu... my names Ken. I am a sales man who specializes in... 'antiquities', and I was hoping I could take a short rest before making my way into town. You won't even notice my presence," as he said this, Ken moved over to the small apple tree resting opposite the house and leaned his weight against it. Takeru merely shook his head as he hefted the small watering can into his hands and proceeded to walk around his newly planted fields, giving each individual plant a short spray.
It was nearly an hour later when Takeru was finished with his watering and with that done, Takeru decided to do some exploring in the nearby forest. The first thing Takeru noticed as he entered the forest was the presence of an older girl, watching the nearby river pass by. He moved over to her side and lightly tapped her on the shoulder, causing the girl to jump up in fright. "W-Who the heck are you? Don't sneak up on someone like that! You could have given me a heart attack." "Gomen.... I just wanted to introduce myself. My names Takeru and I just moved into the farm across the road. Pleased to meet you." "Oh! So you're the one that moved into that old dilapidated farmhouse. I am surprised that someone as young as you would take on such a task. Especially in a city like ours. I tell you, if we lose any more money... this place could all be gone," With this, the girl turned back to the river, seemingly captured by the thought. "Gomen... I didn't quite catch your name there...." "Oh! Good lord how rude of me! My names Sora and I work in the local inn. Nice to met you Takeru-san." Takeru stood there for a few more minutes before realizing any more of a conversation would be useless. He sighed softly as he made his way across the small hilled area towards a hot spring.
As Takeru wandered the area, he suddenly found himself being tripped by a rather malicious tree root. He gave a startled yelp as he landed roughly. After taking a few moments to collect his now scattered thoughts, Takeru looked around on the ground near him, hoping to find the root that tripped him and destroy it viciously. If only I had my axe with me... As Takeru searched for the offending root, his eyes where drawn to a small patch of blue flowers that where growing around the tree. The plants seemed to give off a calming glow as he looked at them. He noticed that two of the flowers seemed much larger then any of the others. I guess those two must be mature, Takeru thought as he reached out and gave them a gentle tug. To his surprise, he found that the flowers where in fact connected and that they came up quite easily. " hese might come in handy," He said to no one in particular as he shoved the item carefully into his pack.
Takeru whistled softly as he continued his short trek up the hillside. He soon came to a small clearing with a few trees surrounding it and a lack with a small island in the middle. He sighed as he watched the river slowly flow around the small island to fall off into a waterfall, supplying water to the farms below. Continuing onward, Takeru came to a small bridge hung over the river. He crossed quickly, hesitating only once when the bridge gave a soft squeaking noise underneath. Hurrying along, Takeru came to an odd place. The entire area was surrounded by naturally growing wild flowers, save for the exact center, in which stood a tall tree. Takeru went over to the tree and curiously poked at it. The old wood seemed to be like metal as it resisted all attempts at prying and or pushing. Finally Takeru gave up in frustration, picked two of the wild flowers, then left with the intent of heading into town.
---------(Several minutes later)---------
Takeru wound his way along the small streets as he worked through the midday sun. It had already begun to get slightly warm in the surrounding area, and Takeru could feel the slight sheen of perspiration that dotted his forehead. As he marched onward, Takeru came up to the library. Maybe they would know what kind of flower this thing is, Takeru thought as he brought out the small twin blue flower. He decided to try his luck, and entered the small building.
The room he entered smelled of old pages, and well-worn leather. He marveled at the various stacks of books surrounding the walls of the room as he searched for any life. As he was about to leave he heard a small sneezing noise come from a particularly high stack of books. Smiling softly, Takeru stole around the stack, hoping to surprise whoever was on the other side. As he leapt forth, he instantly recognized the small boy who had plowed over him only yesterday. Iori took one look at the leaping figure before him and shrieked at the top of his lungs, flailing an arm out and accidentally toppling the stack of books he had been organizing. Takeru chuckled softly, as he pulled the struggling boy out from under the piles of books. "Gomen Iori-san.... I just thought I would come see how you where doing, and see if you could tell me about something I just found."
After regaining his former composure, Iori turned deep, intelligent eyes towards Takeru. "And just what did you find Takeru-san?" The young male asked as he looked his older counterpart up and down. Takeru produced the twin flowers from behind his back and smiled inwardly when he saw the reaction of the younger boy. Iori's eyes light up as he saw the product Takeru held. "T-those are blue grass flowers... They're used in medicine production, and can be sold for a tidy sum. We have been in a severe shortage lately as the one plant we knew off seemed to dry up a few days ago.... wherever did you find those?" "Well, I think I will keep that my own lil' secret... but, since I really don't have any use for this and you seem so excited by it, why don't you take it Iori-chan?" "Y-you mean I could keep it? Wow... Domo Takeru-sama... I didn't think I would ever get to study something like this! " "Well, let me make a deal with you, every time I see one of the flowers blooming, I will bring you at least one sample, while I sell the other ripened plants okay?" "You've got a deal Taker-san! A-and... thanks for the gift," whispered a now blushing Iori as he tucked the small plant away into a pack of his own. Takeru spent the next three hours, searching the library, learning about the local flora and fauna.
Takeru gave a meek wave goodbye as he finally left his new friend. He hated leaving so early but he still had some rudimentary chores to do on the farm, including some more clearing of the weeds/rocks that littered the fields. Takeru looked back as he noticed Iori watching him from the sole window next to his desk. Iori gave a quick wave before returning to the paper he was writing on. I wonder why he seemed so touched by the gift... oh well, at least I have made one friend here.
---------(One hour later)---------
Whipping the small sheen of sweat from his brow, Takeru looked up from the large area of powdered stone he had created. He watched as the sun shown brightly down on the land as it made its progress towards the nearby ocean. He smiled as he got a sudden idea. Packing up a few pieces of corn he had saved from his lunch, Takeru left his farm at a short jog, turning down the path and making a bee line for the poultry farm.
Takeru chuckled softly as the various chickens surged towards him at the sight of the few kernels of corn he had. They formed a small circle around him, clucking contently as he tossed a few pieces of corn out at a time. As Takeru continued to enjoy the evening feeding, he failed to notice a short red haired man sneaking up behind him. Takeru nearly jumped out of his skin, as Koushirou's hand landed onto his back. "Giving the girls a night snack, ne?" Koushirou asked quietly as he turned Takeru around. Takeru was relieved to find the young man smiling instead of angry. "Hai, I thought that since I had some kernels left over from lunch I would stop by and see if they wanted a lil' extra tonight. Everything all right Koushirou san? I saw Mimi running off a little earlier." "Hmmm, yeah, she ran off yesterday when we had a fight and she still isn't speaking to me. I thought that by now she would have calmed down but... wait... how did you know our names?" "Well, Mayor Thomas was showing me around the village yesterday and he told me just about everyone's names. I thought that I might be able to help you with Mimi though.... is there anything I could do?" "Well... maybe if you could find her for me? I think she went off into the mountains a little while ago and.... it's nearly time for dinner so I am a little bit worried. Do you think you could go look for me? Her favorite path is right behind the farm here," Koushirou pointed along a small dirt path that seemed to wind its way towards the mountains. Takeru simply nodded as he threw the last few kernels at the chickens and took of towards the mountain.
The pathway lead slowly up a hill, towards a small shack. As Takeru moved his eyes caught a hint of blue off to the side. He immediately ducked down searching the ground, hoping to find another set of the strange flowers that had so impressed Iori earlier. His search was soon rewarded as he found another set of the strange plants growing off of the corner of the small shed. Takeru quickly scooped up the plant before turning off to try and find the young girl.
As he walked he suddenly recognized the area he was in. He watched as the all to familiar stream wafted along next to him. As he listened to the stream burble along, his ears caught another faint sound. He moved quickly, hoping his ears had not been inaccurate, as he crashed through the underbrush. Finally, he came to the edge of the waterfall, and the sight he had been looking for.
Mimi was clearly quite upset, as he shoulders hunched softly and she sobbed into her hands. She was also clearly ignoring her surroundings, as Takeru was able to come along side her before she even noticed that he was there. Takeru gently pulled the still sobbing Mimi towards him, and gave her a gentle hug to try and stop her tears. The girl looked up quickly in shock as she realized that someone had come up while she was crying. "Oh.... hello... sorry if I didn't notice you at first..." "It's okay. You were clearly thinking about something else. I hope it isn't something too bad, since Koushirou did send me down here to come find you...."
"No... it's just that... well, I am kind of mad at him." "Will you tell me why Mimi-san?" "Well, yesterday we got in this big fight since he was yelling at me for leaving the chicken coup unlocked... which lead to one of our chickens... who's name was Pon by the way, to be killed by a stray dog. I really never meant for it to happen but.... Kou just wouldn't stop screaming about how it was my entire fault, and how I shouldn't have been so careless and everything. Sometimes.... sometimes I think he likes those chickens more than me!" Takeru held the young girl as tears once again flooded her eyes. He continued to stay like this for another hour while the young girl tried to compose herself. Finally, Mimi straightened herself, and kissed Takeru on the cheek, "Thanks for helping me... oh... I never really caught you're name? " "It's Takeru. I moved into the farm next to yours." "Ahhh! That would explain all the noise I heard there today. It sounded like someone was crushing rocks with a hammer," With this exclamation, Mimi turned and left.
"Well, if I had anything better wouldn't you think I would use it?" Takeru asked the air as he lowered his head, and made his way back home.
Takeru woke up groggily the next day, staring at the small clock that read five thirty on it's shiny metal display (he has to cook remember? Thus he wakes up a half hour before the game would) He groaned inwardly as he hauled his sore body out from under the sheets. His legs buckled on his initial attempt at getting up, and only after three more tries did he manage to stand. Sighing out loud, Takeru moved stiffly over to the small cabinet where he stored his food packet. He picked out a can of prepackaged food, and then went to his bag to retrieve a small kerosene stove. Fifteen minutes later he was enjoying a bland meal of canned meat with toast.
Takeru's eyes tried to focus to the morning sun as he finally emerged out of his makeshift home. The second he stepped out he heard his name being yelled. Looking over, he saw Taichi running towards him. The taller brown haired man finally reached Takeru's side, and paused for a few moments to catch his breath. "Takeru-san! I just got word of a suspicious character coming in from the south part of town. If you see a man about your height, with bluish-black hair, and sunglasses please stop by and tell me, we want to make sure he isn't anyone dangerous," with this Tai turned to leave, failing to notice the figure approaching Takeru from the other side of the farm.
The man was dressed in an odd uniform comprised of entirely yellow material; save for the jet-black sunglasses he wore. The man gave a small wave to Takeru as he finally reached his side, offering a friendly hand in greeting. "Ohiyou Gozaimasu... my names Ken. I am a sales man who specializes in... 'antiquities', and I was hoping I could take a short rest before making my way into town. You won't even notice my presence," as he said this, Ken moved over to the small apple tree resting opposite the house and leaned his weight against it. Takeru merely shook his head as he hefted the small watering can into his hands and proceeded to walk around his newly planted fields, giving each individual plant a short spray.
It was nearly an hour later when Takeru was finished with his watering and with that done, Takeru decided to do some exploring in the nearby forest. The first thing Takeru noticed as he entered the forest was the presence of an older girl, watching the nearby river pass by. He moved over to her side and lightly tapped her on the shoulder, causing the girl to jump up in fright. "W-Who the heck are you? Don't sneak up on someone like that! You could have given me a heart attack." "Gomen.... I just wanted to introduce myself. My names Takeru and I just moved into the farm across the road. Pleased to meet you." "Oh! So you're the one that moved into that old dilapidated farmhouse. I am surprised that someone as young as you would take on such a task. Especially in a city like ours. I tell you, if we lose any more money... this place could all be gone," With this, the girl turned back to the river, seemingly captured by the thought. "Gomen... I didn't quite catch your name there...." "Oh! Good lord how rude of me! My names Sora and I work in the local inn. Nice to met you Takeru-san." Takeru stood there for a few more minutes before realizing any more of a conversation would be useless. He sighed softly as he made his way across the small hilled area towards a hot spring.
As Takeru wandered the area, he suddenly found himself being tripped by a rather malicious tree root. He gave a startled yelp as he landed roughly. After taking a few moments to collect his now scattered thoughts, Takeru looked around on the ground near him, hoping to find the root that tripped him and destroy it viciously. If only I had my axe with me... As Takeru searched for the offending root, his eyes where drawn to a small patch of blue flowers that where growing around the tree. The plants seemed to give off a calming glow as he looked at them. He noticed that two of the flowers seemed much larger then any of the others. I guess those two must be mature, Takeru thought as he reached out and gave them a gentle tug. To his surprise, he found that the flowers where in fact connected and that they came up quite easily. " hese might come in handy," He said to no one in particular as he shoved the item carefully into his pack.
Takeru whistled softly as he continued his short trek up the hillside. He soon came to a small clearing with a few trees surrounding it and a lack with a small island in the middle. He sighed as he watched the river slowly flow around the small island to fall off into a waterfall, supplying water to the farms below. Continuing onward, Takeru came to a small bridge hung over the river. He crossed quickly, hesitating only once when the bridge gave a soft squeaking noise underneath. Hurrying along, Takeru came to an odd place. The entire area was surrounded by naturally growing wild flowers, save for the exact center, in which stood a tall tree. Takeru went over to the tree and curiously poked at it. The old wood seemed to be like metal as it resisted all attempts at prying and or pushing. Finally Takeru gave up in frustration, picked two of the wild flowers, then left with the intent of heading into town.
---------(Several minutes later)---------
Takeru wound his way along the small streets as he worked through the midday sun. It had already begun to get slightly warm in the surrounding area, and Takeru could feel the slight sheen of perspiration that dotted his forehead. As he marched onward, Takeru came up to the library. Maybe they would know what kind of flower this thing is, Takeru thought as he brought out the small twin blue flower. He decided to try his luck, and entered the small building.
The room he entered smelled of old pages, and well-worn leather. He marveled at the various stacks of books surrounding the walls of the room as he searched for any life. As he was about to leave he heard a small sneezing noise come from a particularly high stack of books. Smiling softly, Takeru stole around the stack, hoping to surprise whoever was on the other side. As he leapt forth, he instantly recognized the small boy who had plowed over him only yesterday. Iori took one look at the leaping figure before him and shrieked at the top of his lungs, flailing an arm out and accidentally toppling the stack of books he had been organizing. Takeru chuckled softly, as he pulled the struggling boy out from under the piles of books. "Gomen Iori-san.... I just thought I would come see how you where doing, and see if you could tell me about something I just found."
After regaining his former composure, Iori turned deep, intelligent eyes towards Takeru. "And just what did you find Takeru-san?" The young male asked as he looked his older counterpart up and down. Takeru produced the twin flowers from behind his back and smiled inwardly when he saw the reaction of the younger boy. Iori's eyes light up as he saw the product Takeru held. "T-those are blue grass flowers... They're used in medicine production, and can be sold for a tidy sum. We have been in a severe shortage lately as the one plant we knew off seemed to dry up a few days ago.... wherever did you find those?" "Well, I think I will keep that my own lil' secret... but, since I really don't have any use for this and you seem so excited by it, why don't you take it Iori-chan?" "Y-you mean I could keep it? Wow... Domo Takeru-sama... I didn't think I would ever get to study something like this! " "Well, let me make a deal with you, every time I see one of the flowers blooming, I will bring you at least one sample, while I sell the other ripened plants okay?" "You've got a deal Taker-san! A-and... thanks for the gift," whispered a now blushing Iori as he tucked the small plant away into a pack of his own. Takeru spent the next three hours, searching the library, learning about the local flora and fauna.
Takeru gave a meek wave goodbye as he finally left his new friend. He hated leaving so early but he still had some rudimentary chores to do on the farm, including some more clearing of the weeds/rocks that littered the fields. Takeru looked back as he noticed Iori watching him from the sole window next to his desk. Iori gave a quick wave before returning to the paper he was writing on. I wonder why he seemed so touched by the gift... oh well, at least I have made one friend here.
---------(One hour later)---------
Whipping the small sheen of sweat from his brow, Takeru looked up from the large area of powdered stone he had created. He watched as the sun shown brightly down on the land as it made its progress towards the nearby ocean. He smiled as he got a sudden idea. Packing up a few pieces of corn he had saved from his lunch, Takeru left his farm at a short jog, turning down the path and making a bee line for the poultry farm.
Takeru chuckled softly as the various chickens surged towards him at the sight of the few kernels of corn he had. They formed a small circle around him, clucking contently as he tossed a few pieces of corn out at a time. As Takeru continued to enjoy the evening feeding, he failed to notice a short red haired man sneaking up behind him. Takeru nearly jumped out of his skin, as Koushirou's hand landed onto his back. "Giving the girls a night snack, ne?" Koushirou asked quietly as he turned Takeru around. Takeru was relieved to find the young man smiling instead of angry. "Hai, I thought that since I had some kernels left over from lunch I would stop by and see if they wanted a lil' extra tonight. Everything all right Koushirou san? I saw Mimi running off a little earlier." "Hmmm, yeah, she ran off yesterday when we had a fight and she still isn't speaking to me. I thought that by now she would have calmed down but... wait... how did you know our names?" "Well, Mayor Thomas was showing me around the village yesterday and he told me just about everyone's names. I thought that I might be able to help you with Mimi though.... is there anything I could do?" "Well... maybe if you could find her for me? I think she went off into the mountains a little while ago and.... it's nearly time for dinner so I am a little bit worried. Do you think you could go look for me? Her favorite path is right behind the farm here," Koushirou pointed along a small dirt path that seemed to wind its way towards the mountains. Takeru simply nodded as he threw the last few kernels at the chickens and took of towards the mountain.
The pathway lead slowly up a hill, towards a small shack. As Takeru moved his eyes caught a hint of blue off to the side. He immediately ducked down searching the ground, hoping to find another set of the strange flowers that had so impressed Iori earlier. His search was soon rewarded as he found another set of the strange plants growing off of the corner of the small shed. Takeru quickly scooped up the plant before turning off to try and find the young girl.
As he walked he suddenly recognized the area he was in. He watched as the all to familiar stream wafted along next to him. As he listened to the stream burble along, his ears caught another faint sound. He moved quickly, hoping his ears had not been inaccurate, as he crashed through the underbrush. Finally, he came to the edge of the waterfall, and the sight he had been looking for.
Mimi was clearly quite upset, as he shoulders hunched softly and she sobbed into her hands. She was also clearly ignoring her surroundings, as Takeru was able to come along side her before she even noticed that he was there. Takeru gently pulled the still sobbing Mimi towards him, and gave her a gentle hug to try and stop her tears. The girl looked up quickly in shock as she realized that someone had come up while she was crying. "Oh.... hello... sorry if I didn't notice you at first..." "It's okay. You were clearly thinking about something else. I hope it isn't something too bad, since Koushirou did send me down here to come find you...."
"No... it's just that... well, I am kind of mad at him." "Will you tell me why Mimi-san?" "Well, yesterday we got in this big fight since he was yelling at me for leaving the chicken coup unlocked... which lead to one of our chickens... who's name was Pon by the way, to be killed by a stray dog. I really never meant for it to happen but.... Kou just wouldn't stop screaming about how it was my entire fault, and how I shouldn't have been so careless and everything. Sometimes.... sometimes I think he likes those chickens more than me!" Takeru held the young girl as tears once again flooded her eyes. He continued to stay like this for another hour while the young girl tried to compose herself. Finally, Mimi straightened herself, and kissed Takeru on the cheek, "Thanks for helping me... oh... I never really caught you're name? " "It's Takeru. I moved into the farm next to yours." "Ahhh! That would explain all the noise I heard there today. It sounded like someone was crushing rocks with a hammer," With this exclamation, Mimi turned and left.
"Well, if I had anything better wouldn't you think I would use it?" Takeru asked the air as he lowered his head, and made his way back home.