Disclaimer: I do not own HM:FoMT. This gets boring doesn't it? On with my story!

Chapter III: The Desire, And The Gossip at Rose Square

Popuri and May headed to Rose Square; they decided it would be a shorter route for them, though shorter meant that they would have a longer chat. May secretly disliked the idea in every possible way she looked at it, but she decided not to argue; she had already said some snide hints to Popuri, and it would have too rude of her to say such remarks to someone definitely of higher level than she was. The chattering that came from Rose Square could be heard as they walked, but it wasn't enough to break the silence that reigned upon their path. It was then that May decided to tease Popuri a little bit, and spoke first.

"Wow, you seem to be in a good mood today. I guess you met Kai along the way didn't you?" She asked with sweet venomous innocence. She heard Popuri gasp.

"Wha-? Yes, yes I did May, but how did you know?"

In her mind she wondered why May knew those things, though she was sure that May had not seen her that day yet. She gave up on thinking and eagerly awaited the young girl's answer.

Oftentimes, May played with Stu in their backyard, because her grandfather Barley was often busy at the counter attending to his work. It was Jack who kept him busy most of the time, who bombarded him with questions, tips, and jokes. There came one time when May was outside playing when she saw Kai heading for Saibara's shop, when Popuri blocked him on purpose and engaged Kai into a boring but animated chat about chickens. Kai simply looked flustered with the abrupt hold up, but decided to entertain the pretty Popuri.

It was then that May understood that Popuri had a desire for Kai. Both of them knew not, was that Kai felt the same way for Popuri. But Kai was weak hearted; he didn't have the courage to tell Popuri his feeling for her, and he was afraid of rejection. He was also subdued for the reason Popuri's brother Rick, kept on cutting his conversations with her short whenever an opportunity came to Rick when Kai visited during Summer.

"No, nothing Popuri, I just guessed, that's all. I remembered you and Kai were friends ever since he first visited Mineral Town."

"You can sure know how to guess accurately!" Popuri brightly exclaimed.

"Yeah, everyone says that to me, I'm the great fortune teller May! I got my powers from my mommy I think." May smirked, and she went on a roll. "And I'm predicting that a row will commence on umm." She placed her fingers on her temple. "Rose Square!"

Popuri giggled. "You're really funny May! Come on give it a rest now, you might run out of things to say!"

May sighed. She wasn't going to take Popuri's bait. She knew Popuri had already felt her sarcastic remarks and decided to turn the tide towards her. But she was too smart for Popuri. She had to think fast. If she continued her roll, she would definitely say something that would annoy Popuri. Annoying her would mean that their trip to the Goddess pond would be cut short. Cutting their trip to the Goddess pond would mean that she would miss Stu. She wasn't going to take a gamble. It was her day after all to make Stu notice that she was pretty. She made a quick decision. She decided to revert to the previous discussion about Kai, setting aside her humor that time.

"Umm Popuri?"

"Yes May?"

"Today's the end of summer. That means that Kai's heading for the city again isn't he? Why are you still happy?" She asked with true innocence this time.

Popuri blushed. She was secretly waiting for May to ask her that, and she even prepared a charming reply to her regarding her question.

"But that's it May! I met Kai this morning while I was feeding the chickens. He told me that he was staying this year because he wanted to see the flowers grow at autumn. But I think his real reason for staying was because he will be entering this year's Autumn Horse Race. I remember he started to breed a horse last year, but he left it in your ranch, as he can't bring it to the city with him. That's why I'm so happy!"

May smiled. She wasn't the only one who was having a great day after all. She decided to flatten his cold remarks, for the time being. She realized she was being too hard on Popuri, who was much older than she was, and whom she considered as a friend.

"That's good Popuri! You really like Kai very much do you?"

Popuri was becoming redder and redder now. She couldn't blame May for asking that question, nor hate her for making her blush, because hating what was true was being false. She also noticed that May's voice was inspired and calming, and Popuri figured that May broke the silly side of herself. She also smiled.

"Yes I do May, very much I do."

It was as if the two souls became one after that. They both held hands and trotted happily towards Rose Square. For once May considered that hanging out with Popuri wasn't a bad idea at all. Though both of them did not speak afterwards, their smiles told each other that they were happy they chose that route, where the conversation was stealthily waiting for them at the corner that brightened their moods.

Seconds trickled away as the clouds slowly moved in the sky, blocking the sun from view. It was the end of summer all right. The rays of the sun weren't as fierce as before, though the mirage was still present at the lampposts from the side of the street. Popuri decided to take a short break and rest for a while; May was panting due to the heat.

"Lets take a break now shall we? The clouds are blocking the sun anyway, so it won't be that hot" Popuri suggested.

"Thanks Miss Popuri, I was going to suggest that myself, I'm a little tired from going from my house to the church, and backtracking again."

The chattering that came from Rose Square could already be clearly heard from the bench they chose to sit on, and that gave them time to freshen up a bit, as well as eavesdrop to the daily gossips that Manna, Anna, and Sasha usually do every afternoon. May and Popuri knew not their topic that day, so they decided to elongate their hearing because they had nothing else better to do.

"You must be kidding!" Exclaimed a woman on white gloves, her eyes bulging like croaking frogs on the Kappa pond.

"You don't say?! That's definitely new to my ears!" Exclaimed another, with much more interest than the former speaker. Her eyes were twinkling like stars at Starry night Festival, and her ears were dancing like cats stuck on a pet shop for months that were about to be sold.

"Yes, yes, that's what I've heard." replied a rather impatient voice. "Surely Sasha, Anna, you are losing track of the latebreakers here in town, I've known that one ages ago." Manna added rather menacingly, though she enjoyed the fact that she knew something both her friends didn't, as she always have been.

It was the usual scene among the three women who spent their afternoons chatting about almost everyone in Mineral Town. Manna, her jet-black hair hanging limply up to her neck, was the ringleader of the party, as she was always the one who had the most interesting say among the other two women. She looked young in her middle years, but she thought everyone said that because her husband, Duke, the wine maker, looked old due to his already graying hair. Sasha and Anna on the other hand, were the audience of Manna's gossips; they could almost be bored saying shocked words and pulling surprised expressions weren't for Manna's always eye bulging up-to-date scoops.

"So Manna, tell us what happened with Karen, she never told me that she was already eyeing someone of her interest. That girl of mine, so impertinent on denying all this time! And to think I am her mother..." Sasha sighed.

"Don't be hard on yourself Sasha." Anna snapped. "You know my Mary, she never tells me anything at all! Always stuck in her library. Sometimes I hate Basil for buying and making all those stupid books, my young woman hardly ever gets out of the house nor the library to socialize!" she said, shaking her head afterwards. "That's why she's so shy."

Both Anna and Sasha sighed. They knew Manna had more problems with Aja, but they couldn't help but spit out their feelings to the cold ground, who would never feel bad about their woes. They instinctively looked at Manna, thinking she might do a ranting herself. But Manna's urge of telling her scoop was stronger that time.

"Quit your whining you too, you know my Aja, you should be happy for yourself you still sleep with your daughters at home!" She paused, thinking about Aja herself, but resumed her pace. "Well, you both know that Rick and Karen have been friends since the day they could spell supermarket right?

"Yeah, I taught Karen that word when she was little, but I don't think Karen likes Rick, he's such a wimp." Sasha interjected.

Manna and Anna scowled; they hated Sasha's interruptions more than anything else did in the world.

"Sorry. Continue your report Manna." grinned Sasha rather sheepishly, realizing she chose yet another bad time to be philosophical.

"That was the best thing you said all day Sasha!" Manna sarcastically replied. "Anyway, I heard that Karen is indeed placing her eyes on someone in town, and I heard that the lucky guy is not Rick, it's Jack! Well you see, I was poking around..."

"Yeah, you poke around all of the time." Said the two women listening to her. They were smirking at Manna, though she took no notice, and continued on.

"At the Goddess pond when I saw Karen humming a tune. Quite unusual of her really, as the only time I hear her sing is during the Music Festival at the church. But there's more! The more intriguing part was when I Jack came out of the Hot Springs I saw Karen blushed! I also saw her sneaking a side-glance towards Jack when he was heading for Gotz's house to buy some wood. Isn't that icing on cake as news?"

"Jack really is a sweet boy. She even has time to give me a present whenever she passes by the library to greet Mary you know?" Anna said thoughtfully. "Not like Gray who snaps more than I do."

Sasha looked flustered. "You should know Gray more it appears. He's also a fine boy really. The only guy here who looks pathetic to me is Rick," she hesitated for a bit, but spoke again. "as well as him." She said as if that concluded their discussion, pointing to someone by the huge board on the opposite side of their hangout.

The three women giggled with what Sasha said.

"True you are my dear Sasha, true you are." Anna and Manna said in agreement.

To be continued.

A/N: Again I broke this chapter for a reason that might be clear once I post chapter 4. Read and review peeps. :)