Well Allo!!!!!!! As you probably guessed, I'm updating!!!!!!!!! It's a miracle!!!!! I finally got the reviews I wanted, plus the fact that I've recently been inspired. Lucky you!!!! Well, if you like this story, that is.

Disclaimer: yadda yadda yadda.

Note: This is a story in which things are *not* as they seem, so my dear readers, don't make assumptions too quickly, because unless you are very good at guessing, you have no idea. I intend to incorporate some major plot twists and hopefully cause confusion. ^_^

Oh, and I have made a decision to change the setting of this story. Forget that in the first chapter I set it in Illinois or wherever, 'cause I've decided that I like the idea of setting it in Montana is better, especially as I have more knowledge of the general topography there. So, replace the corn fields with plains, and even if I'm wrong in my descriptions, remember the artistic license and that this is set very far in the future, so let's say that over time, the population there became significantly smaller, as more and more people left in search of bigger things. K?

{me butting in}

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Amy dismounted when she came to the beginnings of the forest, and led her sweating horse through the dense growth, dodging the several branches that threatened to painfully remove her head. She had run Pepper hard to get there quickly. She seriously needed to cool off from her second encounter with the new hand. He was quite possibly the most infuriating person she'd ever met! He just waltzed into town, stayed in her house, and then gave her the royal brush-off, as if he was so much better than her {this is her point of view, anger-clouded and all, not necessarily the real scenario}!

Further into the woods, the trees suddenly started clearing dramatically. A town had once stood there, she knew. It was deserted hundreds of years before, when a drought had ravaged the land and war had struck, and even the technologies that were available couldn't save it. The same story had been true for much of Montana and its neighbouring states. It was depressing to think about, as the death toll from starvation had been high, and then people began leaving in masses as the threat of natural disaster had loomed. The people in Amy's town were, in a way, pioneers. The highly advanced technology of the day hadn't touched Georgetown yet, and people did not live in large apartment complexes or condominiums. They owned land and built houses, and worked the old ways to make a living. A computer technologist would fail in what the rest of the exceedingly urbanized rest of the world considered Hicksville. People were self-sufficient there. They depended on naught but themselves and their land. The population was indeed small, as very few people wanted to live in such a comparatively rustic area; it had been one hell of a cultural shock to her when her father moved them there. Now, a lake covered what people speculated to have been "downtown" Atkins, Montana.

Amy released Pepper to roam for a while and climbed a boulder that jutted out over the lake. Though inaccurate, she considered this unnamed body of water to be hers. Tilting her face to the bright sun, she breathed deeply of the fresh, clean air and focused on calming herself and emptying herself of her anger and all emotion but serenity. After a moment, she stood again, and took a running leap off of her giant rock. The chilly water shocked her, and, floating with her eyes closed to the glare of the sun, she decided that since it was only early June, she should have expected the temperature to be such, and promised herself that she would try again when the coming heat wave struck, as it always did every year.

She swam to the shore and whistled for Pepper, who came to her immediately, nuzzling her head and blowing a short puff of air into her soaked hair. She laughed and patted him, scratching him in between his ears. Quickly, she swung her leg over the saddle and began her trek back to her home. Pepper knew the way better than she did, so she relaxed and closed her eyes, smiling to the cloudless sky and the colors starting to dye it as the sun descended slowly towards the western mountains. Half of an hour later, she was still soaked, but she was almost home, Pepper keeping a steady trot.

~*~

Hiiro looked up at the sound of hoofs striking the ground and the distinct sound of a horse's snorting. As he did, his breath momentarily caught. For Kami's sake, he was the Perfect Soldier, but he was still a man. Amy was a vision, her wet hair partially drawn back and sticking to her skin, her shirt clinging to her body, and that calm look of peacefulness gracing her perfect face. Her eyes were closed and she seemed a heavenly apparition designed to stun him. The backdrop of the painted sky enhanced her beauty, and as she dismounted and led her horse towards the barn, she smiled, and swung her hair back out of her face, and when she bent over to pat on of the dogs, Hiiro was seriously in need of a cold shower, and was mentally cursing at himself for his reaction to her.

She patted the horse, and continued to the barn. Unfortunately, she had to go towards him to do such, and when she drew up next to him, a brief look of annoyance marred her features, but she tentatively offered him a small smile, which he ignored as he quickly stalked away. He barely heard her murmur "Bastard" as she led the large animal into its stall and fed it. From the other corner of the building, he watched her brush her beast, scratch it, whisper nonsense to it, and pick it's hooves before lugging a bucket of water over to the stall. He was almost tempted to help her, but decided against such a silly notion. Finished, she walked- or rather, *swished* out, calling over her shoulder that "If you want any supper, you'd best get inside!" He followed, trying his damndest to ignore the way her hips swung and the soaked cloth that still clung to her every curve.

At supper, all was silent for the first five minutes, and it was easier to actually look at Amy when her aesthetically pleasing body was covered with new, dry clothing. Clearing his throat noisily, Ken started the only conversation there was by asking where his daughter had been to all afternoon.

"Oh, I took Pepper out to the lake and thought for a while, then took a brief swim, and headed home, but I was going slowly, so it took a bit longer than usual."

"How was the water?"

"Cold. But I half-expected such, as it is still rather early in the year. By July though, the chilliness will certainly be welcome, though, I'll have to host cooling-off parties all the time again!"

"That's nice."

After that brief exchange, the room fell quiet again, and they quickly finished. Amy collected the dishes and loaded them into the dishwasher, then stretched and yawned, and excused herself to her room. Ken left to make one more round before he too retreated to bed, and Hiiro himself retired to his room. Lying in bed, he wondered what was wrong with him. He had never reacted to any female in such a way before. Kami, that Amy was dangerous.

Similarly, down the hall, Amy was wondering why Hiiro annoyed her so. Normally, if someone gave her the cold shoulder, she just returned the favor, but for some reason, she couldn't let go of her irritation at the new guy. He was just so..ugh! She sat at her desk, and brought out her stationery and started to pen a letter.

'Dearest sister,' the letter began. A moment later, Amy dropped her pen. She couldn't continue. She didn't know what to say. After a bit of hesitation, she placed the unfinished letter in the box in her closet, filled with the identical papers. She turned off the light.

~*~~*~~*~ ~*~~*~~*~ ~*~~*~~*~ Well, what do you think? I, for one, am very proud of this chapter. I think it went well. And, it's longer than usual. 4 pages!!!!!! Review!!!!!! When I get 10, I'll write another chappie!