Corruption

Chapter 7: Badum… Blush

A/N: I myself have become corrupted. I recently started playing World of Warcraft and have become addicted. At least it isn't as bad as of a drug compared to Harvest Moon. I still wake up in the middle of the night and turn on Back to Nature for a few hours. As for Popuri's little act, there wasn't much of a choice but to use her. In my mind, the only girls who would do something like that would be Karen and Popuri and Karen's kinda disposed at the moment. Maybe Elli would have done it too, but you know how I feel about Elli. So Popuri it is!

(-)

Mineral Town was up and running again, just one week after Zack made a surprise announcement that he was quitting his job, leaving Mineral Town forever. Almost immediately after Zack's departure, there was a sudden boom in the economic cycle for the citizens of Mineral Town. The sudden return of cash had brought the suffering businesses out of the slump that Zack had put them in and were now more successful than ever. Oddly enough, their own individual success wasn't what made the town's people happiest. The Supermarket was back under the ownership of Karen, a duty that should have been rightfully hers since the night of those tragic incidents.

Nobody was happier for Karen than Jack, the man who had been detrimental in removing Zack from office. Yet, if anyone asked him about the details, the young farmer seemed far-away, lost to some sad thought. It was almost as if he had lost something dear to him and he was remembering what had once been. But, in truth, Jack was wondering if it had ever meant to be, like if the attraction that he felt for Karen was nothing more than a fabrication of his own beaten mind.

Yet, Jack's subconscious drew him towards the Supermarket day in and day out. Everyday, he found himself taking one step closer to walking in that door and speaking with Karen, telling her exactly how he felt and everyday, he chickened out. Today, on the seventh day since things began to return to normal, Jack stopped himself from walking away. Karen was the best thing that had ever happened to him and he shouldn't let her get away without a fight.

"Welcome! How may I…" Karen's greeting trailed off as she locked eyes with Jack from across the store. Immediately, Karen tried to look away, hoping that Jack would get the sign that she wasn't comfortable with him around. Instead, Jack walked right up to the counter and waited for Karen to look at him once more. "Oh… Jack… what… what can I help you with?"

"Karen, I want to explain something to you. That kiss with Popuri… you know that…"

Jack couldn't even finish his explanation before Karen silenced him with an icy glare, "Look, Jack. What I know is that you were the only one who helped me when I was down and out…" Karen trailed off as she glanced down at the scar, "And I really do appreciate it. I do. But, let me get one thing straight. That doesn't mean that there was any sort of connection or romance or even a spark between us. Love doesn't work that way."

The young farmer seemed stunned by Karen's words as if a jolt of electricity had shot through his body, halting his heart for a second. "But… that kiss…"

"I pulled away before it ever happened because I knew it wasn't right. I was… a lot of different things, especially fragile… and you should know better than to trust the signs of a hurt girl. The signals are shot. You were a hero to me then… and still are… and you made me feel… safe. I'm sorry if you thought that there was something more behind my actions, but there wasn't."

If you could see Jack's heart at that exact moment, you would see the poor organ go through every metaphorical 'broken heart' phrase ever imagined. Jack meekly nodded in masked understanding. The poor lad simply couldn't comprehend what Karen had just said. Actually, a better way to say it was that Jack didn't want to believe any of it. But, there was still one tiny part of him, deep down, that refused to give up hope, "Does that mean that there will never be anything like that between us?"

The tiniest of playful smirks had flashed across Karen's face, but she quickly masked the spurred emotion with dull optimism. "Maybe some time, but not for a while. I don't want to deal with men right now."

If Jack was his normal, fun loving self, instead of being so depressed at the moment, he might have made a wiseass comment about implied lesbianism. Other than the fact that such a comment would have ruined all future chances that he had with Karen, it might have livened the mood slightly. The Supermarket was sure in need of some extra cheer at that moment with Jack and Karen locked in an awkward silence.

As if summoned by an invisible force, a new customer entered the store. "Good afternoon, Karen! I just need some things for my mom and then… Jack!" Upon hearing his name screamed out as if by a crazed fan, Jack turned to face the pink haired maiden. Suddenly, he found himself enveloped in a very, shall we say, 'Badum… blush' inducing embrace.

Seemingly unaware of the discomfort that she was causing Jack by her closeness, Popuri bedded her head against Jack's chest, breathing the words, "My hero." The farmer's face had reached a previously unrecorded shade of red, one that surely would need the attention of Doctor Tim. While he was at it, the good Doctor would be wise to remove the daggers that Karen shot at Popuri. Was jealousy the root of Karen's reaction? It was a shame that Jack's attention was directed downward at a surprisingly pleasant view.

"Duh… hello brea… Popuri." Jack stammered, unable to divert his eyes.

"Uhm… Isn't that a little risqué, Popuri?" Karen forced herself to ask, keeping the level of ire in her voice down to a minimum.

Popuri pulled herself away from Jack, a move which met with some resistance from the farmer. She looked down, examining herself for a few short seconds. "Nope, not at all. It's really warm out today and all of my white blouses are dirty, so I decided to wear only my black corset top. What do you think, Jack?" Popuri innocently struck a provocative pose for Jack, who responded with a dull thud as his jaw hit the floor.

Finally, Jack managed to pull himself together, long enough to ask, "Popuri, would you like to go out to dinner tonight with me?"

Both Popuri and Karen appeared completely shocked by Jack's question. Popuri was blushing now, her face a light rose color almost matching her hair. She absent mindedly fiddled with some stray pink strands draped over her shoulder, contemplating Jack's proposition. A smile crossed her face barely seconds after she begun thinking. "Sure thing, hero. Why don't you walk me home so that I can get ready? Oh, and Karen, Rick will come by to pick up our order later tonight."

Sure, add insult to injury. Now she was going to be forced into conversation with a man that she truly despised, while her mind was elsewhere, worried about Jack and the pink haired twit. Wait, why would she be worried? She had just finished telling Jack that she wasn't interested in him at the moment. Yet, what the hell was he thinking asking Popuri out, seconds after he had been rejected by Karen? All Popuri had done was flash some cleavage for Jack and he became nothing more than an obedient dog. "Maybe if I tried… no, that's not my style…" By the time that Karen looked up from her thoughts, the newly formed couple had vanished from the store, leaving Karen all alone.

(-)

A/N: Popuri lovers are going to despise me when this is all over… But, on a serious note, I should not be using Love Hina style romance in here. Wait… haven't I already said that this isn't romance? I'm confusing myself, but at least I'm writing something… different. Ok, so it's a dark angst driven drama with comedic romantic interludes? Yeah, that sounds right…