Authoress: Ack! Sorry for the cruel and unusual delay! (bows) forgive me, readers!

Kai: And now, you bow to the yaoi couple.

Locke: Who will never actually reach yaoi status if you don't update, Miss Lemondrop.

Authoress: Sumimasen! Oi, readers, if you're still around.... I'll be updating more frequently-

Kai: (dryly) Wow, more frequently than ONCE EVERY TWO MONTHS. That's truly an amazing feat.

Locke: Shh! Anger Miss Lemondrop and she'll start writing Save the Homeland yaoi or gasp yuri!

Kai: Please, Locke. The fans (all, what is it 12 of you?) love me.

Lemondrop: Disclaimer. Now.

Locke: Harvet moon belongs to Natsume, not Miss Lemondrop.

Kai: Though if she had designed the game we wouldn't have to deal with two month dormant periods. And we'd be canon.

Lemondrop: Yeep, overlong opening. Well, the rating won't go past PG 13 it seems, though I will consider an optional-but-connected-to-the-storyline lemon if the fans request. This chapter is rated probably G, possibly PG for uber-homophobic folks..

Chapter 3

(Kai's P.O.V)

Every summer when I come to Mineral Village I stay at the Inn. Starting last year, this other guy shares my room- his name's Cliff. In a lot of ways he reminds me of Locke- and not just because they look somewhat similar.

They're newcomers with mysterious pasts and something to prove here in the village. The difference is....

"...Well, good night then."

He made sure to whisper it as he slipped into his bed. See, that's the difference: while Locke is openly friendly,

Cliff pretends to go along with the village guys in public. I don't hate him for it- he's more shrewd than Locke in that aspect. Not to mention Duke (Rick's right-hand man in the bashing of yours-truly) is like a second father to him. For some people, it's easier to go with the majority.

"'Night, Cliff."

".........Kai?"

Now there's a surprise. I slid into my own bed.

"Yeah?"

"Ann......she's friends with Popuri, you know..."

I rolled my eyes. What's with everyone thinking I'm Popuri's secret lover or something? Sheesh!

There's no such thing as meaningless flirting with a small-town girl...I wink a few too many times when I'm fourteen and suddenly we're engaged or something.

"And Ann wanted...she asked me if you were going to the Fireworks Display."

Oh, so that was his problem. I shook my head.

"Look, Popuri asks me every year."

"And you refuse every year."

"Look, Cliff, truth is, I'm going with -"

And it's then I saw that worried frown. I could sympathize, just a little, at that moment. Ann strikes me as the type to shoot the proverbial messenger.

"Tell Ann this year is just like the others as far as you know.

He looked relieved.

"Good night, Kai. And...I'm not taking sides in this but.... Good luck with your date."

And then he just rolled over and went to sleep. Date? That confused me. I'm not dating any.....oh. The Fireworks Display.

A date? Me? With Locke? That's laughable... so why wasn't I laughing? I'd always contributed my lack of romantic interest in Popuri to an aversion to relationships in general.

And it's not like I'd have some kind of relationship with Locke even if I did get the chance...

I get enough heat from the village guys already; I don't need to drag him into it.

......Notice how none of these arguments included "He's a guy, that's disgusting/unnatural/immoral"? Yeah, I noticed it at that moment too.

And I realized then that maybe this idea had been floating around longer than I let on, even to myself.

Ah, but what kind of thoughts were those? This was Locke.

He's so open and honest (even if he is a bit of an eavesdropper), and I couldn't imagine he'd ever have

an ulterior motive about anything.

If his intentions for the Fireworks Display included anything beyond getting Rick and I to bury the hatchet, I'd know.

And if I did know, I'd just tell him we could go off for a walk along the beach during the day...

(Sunday, when Popuri's at church) and.... Great, Kai, I thought to myself.

You finally make a guy friend in the village and you go and get a crush on him!

Okay, temporary stop on that thought while I go and make an ass of myself trying to be friendly with Rick,

all to see what the big hubbub about the fireworks is. Oh, Goddess, the things I do for that guy...

It'd be easier if he did have an ulterior motive....