Chapter 5: Tender Interlude

A/N: Wow… I never expected to be this busy for the holidays. Friends and family are understandably super happy to see me. Well, during one conversation with some friends, we came up with some great ideas for stories. So, after I finish this current set of fanfiction, I will be taking a permanent leave in order to try and finish an actual novel. Wow, imagine me, Tint, as a professional writer... This'll be fun.
Also, I apologize for the horrendous wait period between this chapter and the one prior. I got caught during some bad times and ff wouldn't work for me. Then there was yesterday's major overhaul. Sorry, it won't happen again.

(-)

Reality was slowly beginning to become clearer for Karen. All she could remember recently was a blurred vision of a white tunnel. Now she could make out her surroundings, but could not figure out where she was. She was propped up against a tiny wooden crate, which was one of the few pieces of furniture in the spartanly decorated room. As her vision cleared, she realized that the single room was actually the entire house and there was someone else with her, seated right beside her. Karen immediately recoiled away from the stranger, thinking that it was Zack.

"I see that you're awake." The young man said with a smile as he opened up his hands to Karen. Even though he was trying to show her that he meant her no harm, Karen perceived the action as if the young man was about to strike her. Jack paused to look at his hands, wondering what he had done to frighten the poor girl that he had come to idolize as his untouchable dream lady.

Karen was trembling uncontrollably, desperately attempting to avoid looking Jack directly in the eyes. The only thing that she could focus on was the red handkerchief that was wrapped around her wrist. She gingerly lifted the edge of the fabric, taking a peek underneath. "Wh…. what happened?" Karen stammered, her voice was barely above a whisper.

Jack only made a quick glance over to the jagged red line that Karen had her eyes glued to. "I think that you did that to yourself…"

"Really?" Karen continued to stare at the self inflicted wound. She could only wonder as to what had driven her to such a miserable state that she would consider taking her own life. Everything from the past few days was nothing more than a blur to her. But, she could remember that something had happened between her and Zack and she wanted to lose that memory. Karen looked up at Jack's friendly face, wondering who this stranger was, even though there was a slight feeling of recognition building. "Who are you?"

"My name's Jack. We met once before, but it was only for a moment. I had saved you from Zack and you gave me this flower." Jack reached into his rucksack and removed the deceased flower.

Karen carefully reached out, touching the flower's petals lightly. Yes, I remember him… "I never got a chance to thank you for that," Karen admitted shyly.

Jack merely shrugged his shoulders, "It was nothing. You were in trouble and I only did what any decent person would do."

"But, weren't you afraid of what Zack could do to you?"

"Not really," Jack replied callously, "He can go ahead and try to run me into the ground. He'll never break my spirit."

Karen suddenly felt ashamed to be in the presence of Jack. Here was a man who had stood up against Zack, just as she had tried to do. But, unlike her, Jack had stood strong under the oppression of Zack. "What's wrong?" Jack asked, seeing that Karen was trying to shimmy away from him.

"I don't deserve to be alive." Karen spat out.

"Look, I don't want to sound like an overly religious person, but everyone deserves to live. There's always a purpose for everybody and that purpose changes over time. Sure, you may not know what that purpose is at this moment, but that's no reason just to give up on life. It is things like this that make us stronger."

"It's easy for you to say that. You haven't had someone you care deeply for die." Surprisingly, the remark seemed to have an effect on Jack. The young farmer got up to his feet and walked over to the only window of the small hut. He stood there, looking out the window with a far away look on his face. "Sorry… I must have said something wrong…" Karen stammered out the apology.

Jack shook his head, "No, not really. You just reminded me of why I came to Mineral Town." Karen could tell from the dreary sigh that Jack let out that something was indeed wrong. She pushed herself up off the floor, grimacing slightly from a jolt of pain in her wrist, and carefully sidled up beside Jack. Jack looked over at her, a watery line running down his cheek where a fresh tear had recently been shed. "My grandfather passed away recently. He was the one who used to own this farm before I inherited it from him."

Karen's uninjured hand was slowly beginning to snake up Jack's side, eventually coming to a rest on his shoulder. The farmer turned to face Karen, his own hands finding themselves resting on Karen's waist. There was a momentary pause as Jack looked down into Karen's eyes, that feeling of love at first sight returning to the young farmer's heart. Jack leaned forward, his lips hovering barely above Karen's, their quickly warming breath mixing together.

But Karen pulled out of Jack's grasp. "I'm sorry Jack, but I can't. It just makes me feel wrong. It's not your fault or anything, it's me."

"Don't apologize." Jack had retreated to one of the crates, where he sat with his head in his hands. "I shouldn't have done that. All I am is just a stranger who saved your life. I don't even know your name and I'm trying stuff like that."

"Karen."

"What?"

"My name is Karen." Karen explained.

Jack looked up to see the girl standing right in front of him. She was still beautiful, even with her perfect skin marred with the recent bruises and scars that lined her face. "Who did that to you?" Jack asked, looking directly at a purple patch right beneath her right eye.

Karen hesitantly reached up to touch the bruise that Zack had given her the previous night. She had no choice but to give in to the horrid man and suffer his abuse. "It was Zack." The mention of his name, even from her own lips, filled her with enough shame to bring back the desire to end her life.

Jack got back up to his feet and stormed over to the door. He paused in the open doorway and turned back to Karen. "You can stay here as long as you want, I don't care. Someone in this town has to do something about Zack and that someone is me."

(-)

A/N: Yay! Fight!