Chapter 1

It was nearing dusk, and the weary sun was just completing its long, lonesome arc across the expanse to sink morosely behind the column of rugged mountains in the west. This spectacle went on, all but disregarded by the majority of the denizens of Forget-Me-Not Valley, as a maelstrom of storm clouds jockeyed irately for position transversely across the darkening horizon. It had poured all day, and the rain had appeared far from pleasant showers- the spring season had been particularly damp this year, and the novelty of the sporadic, "charming drizzle" had long since worn off. The ground under toe was sodden and in many of the lower portions of the quaint little valley, distastefully swampy.

Within the vale, rain was considered a gift and a curse. A sort of objectionable necessity, as local farmers half-heartedly dubbed it. The benefits were obvious- an increase in crop growth and a decrease of manual work such as watering. But with these small elations came sickness in livestock and people alike, and a general dismal ambiance that seemed to hang around citizens as thick and suffocating as the storm clouds themselves. It was evident that for most people, the impression was that one either loved it or despised it. The effects would vary as diversely as the intensity of the rains themselves.

On this day in particular, however, the rains were nothing but symbolic. Jack Baker, who had only just arrived in the humble valley from a distant city, was hopelessly distraught.

He sat in a dark corner within Blue Bar and gazed somberly out through the rain-splattered windowpanes, occasionally shifting to take a steady sip from a tall glass of moonflower ale. It was a strong drink, but he needed it. The day had not gone placidly for the farmer-to-be. Shivering slightly from a sudden draft, he exhaled sulkily and thought back to the day's previous events.

The young man had arrived by boat, just as the current storm had begun to pick up, to be greeted by the ever-curt Takakura, the one who had sent for Jack in the first place. He had been an old friend of the younger man's late father, and had co-owned the prominent Bell Ranch with him until his recent untimely death. Answering to man's outrageous yet desperate plea, Jack had cut his losses and thrown caution to the wind, leaving a mother and an established city life behind to stumble headlong into a line of work about which he hadn't the slightest notion. It had been a fool's mission from the start- the kind of situation that only a person of Jack's age could try to fathom, much less take a crack at. Had it been a desperate, fleeting attempt to finally come to "know" his father as he had once been? Had it been merely a whim? Or had he felt genuinely compelled to strike out on his own to follow in his father's ambitious footsteps? Whatever the reason, he had suddenly found himself on a ferry heading swiftly for a distant shore before he knew he had made a conscious decision. He had arrived earlier in the day and had come ashore just as rain had begun to release its load, so that his first real impression of his new hometown had been cloaked in mist and precipitation. Adding to this, there had been a previous miscommunication resulting in Takakura's delay at the beach- so Jack had been forced to wait on the shore with minimal shelter, lost and alone, for at least half an hour before the ancient man had realized the time change and come to greet him.

He followed the old-timer up a slight incline already soaked to the bone, past a homely looking old inn, and soon they had found themselves overseeing a vast property of farmland.

Jack had surveyed the area, and a rather disenchanted look had passed furtively athwart his face. The place had seemed even more monotonous than he had imagined it. Perhaps it was the dreary weather playing its cruel tricks of deception. The man had felt the plummeting sensation, however, that the ramshackle old ranch showed all that it was in actuality. With this unfavorable truth dawning on him, he knew that he would've had a much better feeling about the ranch in general had his spirits not already been particularly low. The downpour, which he usually considered quite divine and relaxing, was having a telling effect on him today.

After several moments of initial scrutiny, Jack remembered having sighed heavily, the first of many that would come throughout the day.

"So… this is it." It hadn't been a question for Takakura, merely a self-supportive statement. Nevertheless, the older man nodded bluntly and hummed out a gruff answer, neither in apology nor reassurance. Leading the newcomer forward across the chattels, he played tour guide, ambiguously pointing out the pasture, the crop fields, the barn/supply shed, the chicken coop, Jack's house-to-be, the food storage shed, and his own modest cabin. He then noted briskly that there was a lone heifer in the barn that needed daily attention, and something about how Jack should take care where he chose to plant his crops, and then had been off, mentioning as an afterthought that if Jack needed any help, to just ask.

The new ranch owner had been left all alone for the second time that day, standing awkwardly in front of his new ranch house, unable to settle upon what he should attempt first. He had finally decided to acquaint himself with his lodgings foremost, using the key Takakura had handed over to enter the building. Walking into the cold little room, he gazed around and, for the first time that day, felt a small surge of hope well up within him. I can make this work, he realized. A bit of light, warmth, and love could turn any accommodation into something charming and inviting. He set to work on his house, unpacking his miniscule bag of personal possessions, arranging and rearranging furniture and practical items, when he noticed the clock by his bed. It had been getting on in the day, and he had recalled Takakura's mention of the cow in the barn. Setting his possessions down, he made his way out into the cold towards the large building just across from the house.

At this point in his glum recollection, Jack took another gulp of his ale, watching the tiny bubbles fizz up to the top and tickle the tip of his nose. The milking of Sakura, the name he used to inaugurate the old cow, had been an adventure in itself; though it had seemed a rather frustrating experience (indubitably for both man and heifer) he could actually chuckle about it now. It was as they always said after all- that there was no use crying over spilt milk- and there had been plenty of milk to spill. There was nothing to be said of it, save that it had proved a very valuable lesson in the behavioral patterns of cattle for the young man. A cow was not to be taken lightly or regarded as a mere producer; when one was milking the animal, one was not taking the milk, one was asking for it. And important point that Jack had obviously missed is that a great deal of trust was required to obtain the most and best milk from a cow. He apologetically regretted the fact that Sakura had most likely come out of the ordeal worse off then he himself had, no doubt feeling more than a bit harassed. But he was sure that they could learn to cooperate with one another in due time.

After the milking incident, Jack remembered having emerged shakily from the barn, without milk but not without hope for better chances to come. Looking around himself at the rundown old farm, he settled on a nice drink at the local pub as his next choice of action, recalling a recommendation by the captain of the ferry he had voyaged on to reach the Valley. Feeling the rain against his skin as it started to gradually seep through the fabric of his clothing, he figured it would be wise to find the place quickly to escape the rain and the coming darkness of twilight.

He found it soon enough, coming across a well-beaten path just outside his ranch and following it past the old inn he had noticed earlier to reach the welcoming sounds of friendly banter and lounge music within the bar before the town's lights flickered on in unison. He must have looked like quite a wreck as he appeared suddenly in the doorway, soaked to the bone, with a stony face and tired eyes, because the chatter within halted abruptly as locals turned to peer at him questioningly. There was an eerie silence for a moment and the only sound had been the soft music being played in the background, and Jack met their stares nervously, suddenly feeling utterly out of place. The tension was severed however by the bartender's rich, resonating voice as he addressed the newcomer.

"Welcome to the Blue Bar, kid; you must be the new owner up at Bell Ranch. Looks like you've had pretty rough first day- how 'bout a drink on the house?" The big man grinned disarmingly, gesturing to a seat at the end of the bar.

Jack let a whoosh of air from his lungs in overwhelming relief as, one by one, the regulars carried on with their conversations. He trudged over to the end of the bar and plopped onto a stool, the bartender pushing a tall drink his way and starting up a conversation.

"Here ya go, one or two sips of this moonflower ale will getcha feelin' right as rai- uh, what I mean is, it'll pick your spirits up a bit. Seems like you need it," he added after doing a double take. "Name's Griffin, and I run this joint with the help of my lovely assistant, Muffy." He swiveled and began to look out across the bar. "Hey Muffy, come over here a sec! I got someone here I want you to meet!" He beckoned by cocking his head in Jack's direction, then had turned to Jack himself to slip him a sly wink. Jack had been puzzled, but hadn't the chance to ask before a pretty looking blonde scooted up next to Griffin, eying him curiously.

"Muffy, this is…what's your name kid?"

"It's Jack."

"This is Jack, the new owner of Bell Ranch. Seems like he's been a little down on his luck on his first day, so do your best to make him feel welcome, hear?" Stealing another quick glance at Jack, he began to make his way to the other end of the bar.

"So you're the one they've been talking about then, hmm?" Muffy's golden locks had bounced a bit as she had leaned over the counter towards Jack.

The words of an answer were on the tip of Jack's tongue before his eyes drifted down a bit. His heart missed a beat upon realization that he could see straight down the bar assistant's flowing blouse. Gulping forcefully, he shifted his eyes back up to her face quickly, but she had already noticed and done nothing, eyeing him flirtatiously. Turning beet red, he formulated a meek answer.

"Y-yep, that'd be me…" Blinking, he tried not to remember what he had seen as he goggled at her face.

She giggled, her curls quivering with the slightest movements of her neck. "I see… well, I wish you all the best with that. You know, I think that a man who can hold his own and work hard like that is really sexy. So whatever you do, keep it up." Batting her big eyelashes at him, she giggled once more softly to herself before moving down the aisle to help serve the drinks Griffin had prepared.

That had been only five minutes before. Now Jack was sitting back, continuing to gaze out the window, entranced at the thought of those big blue eyes, those blonde locks cascading down her back, that flowing blouse… he snapped out of it just in time as he heard the door to the bar slam shut. He knew girls like Muffy from the city- in fact, she was probably originally from the city; he could see it in her. Women like that were bad news, he knew that for sure. They would play men at the drop of a hat and leave them in an instant. Jack made a mental note to keep his bearings around the bar waitress from then on, as a distraction like that had to be the last thing on his mind.

Growing restless, he squirmed around on his stool to see who had just arrived. To his surprise, he saw that it was another young woman, looking around his age. She had rather short, auburn hair, and wore a T-shirt, khaki shorts, and a vest. She looked like she was going hiking somewhere- the hiking boots confirmed it. All the same, she was strikingly beautiful, her azure eyes drifting leisurely across the room, calculating, shrewd. She chose the smallest table in the darkest corner of the place, and gingerly took a seat facing the window, swinging her feet up to rest on the sill. She took one last fleeting look at her surroundings, and then turned back to the windowpane, losing herself in the spectacle.

"You wanna drink or somethin', Nami?" Griffin called out from behind the bar. The girl called Nami recoiled swiftly, eyes widening as she craned her neck to see him.

"N-no. I'm fine, thanks." She seemed rather perturbed at the idea that any sort of attention had been attracted toward her. Shaking it off, she turned back to face the scene outside, following the flicker of the streetlamps as the light bent through the glass and grew distorted by the rain.

Jack peeked over toward her curiously. Beckoning for Griffin, he stealthily pointed over in Nami's direction.

"Who is that? She seems a little bugged by something." He half-whispered to the barkeep.

"Her? That's Nami. She isn't really from around here; she's been staying at the inn for a while. I hear from the innkeeper that she doesn't have any sort of home, so she travels all the time. Who knows what she's looking for? But I wouldn't make much of her little attitude- she always seems bugged by something." With this, Griffin stopped to ponder. "Guess I'd be a bit bitter too, if I had no place to come home to." He shrugged, and then noticed Jack's empty glass. "Ya wanna 'nother one?"

"Will it be free, too?"

"Nice try." Griffin chuckled.

"Then I guess I should be off. I get the feeling that the next couple days aren't gonna be much better than today- the farm is a mess." Jack's shoulders slumped.

"Hey, don't worry! Things'll pick up- s'posed to be sunny tomorrow! And there ain't nothin' prettier'n a spring sunrise in Forget Valley!" He removed the glass from the bar and began to wash it mechanically.

"That should be nice. Hey, thanks again for the drink. I'll be back soon, you have my word!" Jack waved goodbye then stalked across the bar toward the door.

Unbeknownst to the farmer, Nami had been watching him since he got up, and her sapphire eyes narrowed in inquiry as they instinctively followed his movement across the room. Her thoughts were her own as she shifted her weight back to the window to peer at him outside as he made his way up the road toward the ranch.

He must be the one they were talking about in the inn, she thought to herself. She wondered what changes he would bring to the valley, and whether they would affect her in the least.

End of Chapter 1