A/N: Hallo, my peeps! I'm back! Well, I wasn't really gone in the first place, but this 'fic was on hiatus. In fact…it still is. I really have no clue as to why I wrote this, but rejoice! A new chappy! Yayness and joyness and stuff… -happy dance-
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Really, I don't. ;; Meepy.
Warnings: Rated for drinking, underage drinking, and bits of language.
Chapter 2
Bad Boy Boogie
Shinji looked around the farm…his farm disdainfully. There were so many weeds and stones! There was no way he could get rid of all of them! Sighing, he turned around to face the small wooden house. It was his house now. He was responsible not only for it, but every other item on this giant rotting patch of land. At the moment, he was the only living being inhabiting it – the plump little mayor, Thomas, had left a short while ago after giving Shinji a tour of the rundown farm and a long explanation of how to run things. It was hard for Shinji to imagine taking care of cows and sheep and horses and chickens when he could hardly keep a simple cat alive for more than a week. As a child, he usually got bored with his pets after only a few days, leaving his parents to take care of the animal. How in the hell was he going to take care of a farm full of animals!
This is impossible… he thought dryly. I suppose I might as well go inside my 'new' home… Shinji grabbed the knob of the door to the small house he had once stayed in as a child and pushed the door open. Looking around, he smiled lightly. It wasn't too bad on the inside. A small, one-person bed was against a wall in the upper right corner. The wooden floor was decorated with a simple rug, a table with two chairs resting atop the rug. A nightstand was placed nest to the bed and a small table with two drawers was sitting in bottom left corner of the house. Shinji figured that he was supposed to put his clothes in there. But the best thing by far about the little house was that it had…
"A TV!" Shinji grinned when he spotted the small television. Dropping his bag filled with his personal items on the bed, Shinji strode over to the TV pushed back against the wall next to the bed. Pressing the power button, the device flickered on, making Shinji wince. A picture of a woman with sunglasses and a wide brimmed sunhat appeared on the screen.
"Today's weather will be sunny with a temperature reaching a high of 102 F and reaching a low of 84F," the woman announced. "A warm front will be passing over the valley later this afternoon. Tomorrow's weath—"
But the reporter never got to finish her sentence as Shinji switched channels. This channel showed a woman and two men talking…about farming. Shinji sighed.
"Now we'll take the farming quiz! This time, Jack will be the one to—"
"Augh…" Shinji grunted, flipping the channels again. This time, flashing lights lit up the screen, making Shinji blink.
"This week on 'Puni Puni Poemi' – Futaba is forced into slavery by the evil alien K! Poemi travels to space to save the beautiful maiden, but by a strange twist of fate, our heroine Poemi is killed by the alien! What will happen next! Will Poemi Watanabi be resurrected yet again! Will the evil alien K finally have his way with Futaba! Only you can know the answer to these questions by watching…'PUNI PUNI POEMI'! Rated pg17 for naked anime girls, attempts to brainwash the viewer, attempted rape, attempted murder, attempted theft, attempted abuse, and little chibi blob-things randomly rolling giant balls around. Note to viewer: If we have not insulted you in some way, we have not done our job!"
(Note: Puni Puni Poemi does NOT belong to me. It indeed exists as a movie and IS rated pg17. On the back of the case, it INDEED says, 'If we have not insulted you in any way, we have not done our jobs!' Believe me, that movie really messes with your mind. WATCH AT YOUR OWN RISK!)
Shinji shook his head. That show did not sound pleasant – not even the naked anime girls. Shinji just didn't swing that way. Sighing, Shinji flipped the channel. A man next to a calendar appeared before Shinji's eyes.
"On the 12th day of Spring, Barley, owner of the Yodel Farm, will be hosting the annual 'Cow Festival'. On the 18th of Spring, Thomas, the mayor of Mineral Town, will be hosting the Horse Races. On the 23rd of Spring, find your special someone to watch the Fireworks with."
Shinji froze. 'Special someone'? The thought hadn't even crossed his mind when he first agreed to accept the farm as his own. Shinji sighed and pulled his knees to his chest. Was it really necessary to have a 'special someone' in this town? Shinji's last relationship hadn't ended to well – his boyfriend had dumped him in front of the entire high school they were attending at the time, saying that Shinji was 'too childish' for him. Since then, Shinji had vowed to act more mature. He would never be called 'childish' again, especially not in front of hundreds of people he knew. Hugging his knees and burying his head in his arms, Shinji figured that it was necessary to have your 'special someone' in this town as he heard the man on the TV go into detail about the Fireworks event. If holidays were made especially for lovers, then a lover was obviously required in Mineral Town. A slight smile graced his lips as thoughts of a certain 'someone' crossed his mind.
Shinji's thoughts were soon interrupted, however, by a knock on the door. His door. Rising to his feet, Shinji stretched his arms upward, wincing as he heard his bones crack unpleasantly. Man, this farming stuff was going to be tough.
Ignoring his bodily functions, Shinji made his way to the door, expecting Thomas to be behind the door, and, annoyed, snapped, "What do you want this time? Did you forget to explain to me how to use the bathroom or what the tree in my yard is for or anything else equally obvious?"
Opening the door, Shinji froze. He wasn't met with the now-familiar pink top hat or the giant bushy moustache taking over the short mayor's face or the wild yellow polka dot tie the mayor wore, but with a chest. A very muscular chest. Looking up, Shinji was met with light brown eyes that were, at the moment, eyeing Shinji curiously.
"Grumpy, aren't we?" the man asked, raising an eyebrow, amused by the shocked expression on Shinji's face. The man was clad in nothing but simple jeans, a gray tank top that was obviously too small to fit his muscles properly, and a plain white towel was draped across his broad shoulders.
"Ah!" Shinji cried out, blushing. "You're not – I didn't mean – well, I thought…" Shinji sighed and pressed his forefingers to his temples, trying to regain enough composure to string a single sentence together. "I thought you were someone else…I'm sorry for attacking you like that…" Shinji ended his apology with a slight bow.
The older man just grinned cheerfully. "It's alright! So…I take it that you're the new guy?"
Shinji nodded. "Yeah, my name is Shinji Mimura. I now own this farm…"
The man's grin widened. "The name is Zack. I'm in charge of shipping for Mineral Town. See that bin over there?" The man named Zack indicated towards a large box with his forefinger, directing Shinji's gaze to it. Upon seeing the box, Shinji nodded. "That is you're Shipment Box. Put things you want to sell in there, and I'll come pick up whatever's in there by five pm everyday – excluding holidays. I'll take your shipments to the city to be sold and I'll give you the money when I come back. Depending on what you sell, you could make a lot of money fast. Like the herbs out in the mountain pay good money. Doctors in other towns and in the city can't find the plants elsewhere, so they're willing to pay good money for them."
Taking a breath, Zack glanced around Shinji's lifeless farm. Looking back at the boy, he said, "You also have the Chicken Coop for your chickens and a barn for cows and sheep. Another Shipment Box is in each of them, so any milk, wool, or eggs you get you can sell as well. You can ship anything you grow or find on the mountain."
Crossing his arms and nodding his head to himself, Zack's face had grown serious and had a sudden ferocious gleam to his eyes. Clenching his giant hand into a fist, he turned his attention to Shinji. "Work hard, but not too hard!" he practically yelled. "Don't overexert yourself! If your face turns blue, then that probably means you're about to collapse! If that happens, you'll be sent to the Clinic, and you'll be out of commission for a while! You may not have any animals now, but once you get some, you won't be able to afford to be out of commission."
Once Shinji gave the older man a shaky nod, Zack seemed satisfied and returned to his carefree self. Patting Shinji roughly on the back, he said, "Okay. I think that's everything you need to know! Now that you know the basics, farming should become easier as time goes by. Good luck!"
Shinji bowed slightly. "Thank you for your help."
Zack waved Shinji's thanks away with a flick of his hand. "Don't worry about it. Well, I should get going. Bye now. And remember: five pm everyday!"
With that last statement, Zack turned on his heel and left Shinji's farm. Shinji sighed. All of this farming seemed so pointlessly and un-essentially confusing. But there was one thing Shinji needed to know:
—where he could find Kai.
It was already late afternoon when Shinji began walking around the small town, trying to remember what was where. The memories from almost 12 years ago eluded his mind's grasp and became hazy from the elapsed time that had passed between then and now. Sighing, Shinji shrugged. He'd just have to relearn where everything was. Everything about coming here was just a mess.
Looking around, he saw two buildings – one of the buildings had a fence filled with chicken in it and had the words 'Poultry Farm' engraved in pink letters on a wooden sign. The other building was on the other side of the street and had a small sign in front of the door. A notice on the door announced to the world that this building was, indeed, 'Closed'. Walking up to the sign to read it, Shinji soon learned that it was a shop.
'Saibara the Blacksmith
Open 10AM-4PM
Closed Thursday'
Above that, the closed sign gently swayed in the gentle wind. Looking at his watch, Shinji learned that it was now…5:34PM. Like the sign said, this shop was closed. Shrugging, Shinji turned around to survey the other building on the other side of the street but stopped when a door behind him opened. Spinning around, Shinji's eyes were met with the coldest blue eyes Shinji had ever seen. The icy azure eyes flashed when they saw Shinji, and the boy whose eyes belonged to turned his head away from Shinji. Shinji took this moment to study the taller boy. A blue cap with the letters 'UMA' written on it covered the boy's unkempt blond hair, shadowing his pale face. A formal pallid suit covered his even ashier skin.
Looking up, the boy didn't smile or show any type of emotion at all as he stared back at Shinji. "I don't think I've seen you around here before." His voice was deep and smooth, making Shinji shiver.
Looking down, Shinji nodded. "I doubt you have. I just arrived yesterday, on the last day of Winter. I've just moved into the farm down back there."
"Oh, you're at the farm, are you?" The pale boy sighed. "Well…welcome to the boonies. The name's Gray."
Shinji smiled. "I'm Shinji." Shinji outstretched a hand towards Gray, still smiling. Gray stared at his hand for a moment, not moving and making Shinji feel a tad awkward, before shrugging and slowly grabbing Shinji's hand, giving it a light shake. Shinji held back a shudder as he felt Gray's hand rub against his own. It was so cold – what was wrong with this boy?
Seeing Shinji's uncomfortable position, Gray quickly withdrew his hand, dropping it protectively back to his side.
"C'mon. I'll introduce you to my old man." Gray muttered. Without sparing once last glance at Shinji, Gray turned back around and opened up the door, completely ignoring the 'Closed' sign. Shinji followed Gray inside the little shop. Once inside, Shinji was overcome with a stench of burning metals and irons. The shop was filled with steam, making Shinji's eyes water slightly. Fighting back the urge to choke as the fumes invaded his lungs, Shinji winced as a slight strangled gag escaped his throat. Gray glanced at Shinji momentarily before stepping through the smoggy mess.
"You'll get used to the smell the longer you stay around it." Shinji could hear Gray mutter to him. Shinji nodded before following Gray. Shinji swiped glances around the shop, taking in every detail. A very large furnace was placed at the back, pushed up against the back wall. Steam was flowing from out of a large pipe extended from the top of the furnace. Next to the furnace was a stove. Hanging on the wall next to the stove were shovels, hammers and other large, metal utensils used for hefting scalding hot ores from one place to another. The large tools were hanging on the wall, dangling from nails nailed into the wall. On the far side of the room was a giant pot filled with water. Shinji didn't have time to see anything else as Gray approached a door through the smog. Stealing a quick glance the older boy, Shinji saw Gray's face harden. Shinji tilted his head as if to ask 'why', but Gray ignored him completely and raised his hand to knock on the door twice.
A low growling sound came from the other side of the wooden door, but soon after came the gruff voice, "We're closed! Go away!"
Gray answered, his voice a bit shaky. "Gramps…uh, Saibara sir. It's me, Gray."
"What are you still doing here! Your time here is up, go back to the Inn!" the voice replied harshly.
"Uh! But…but sir. I would like to introduce you to someone…" Gray mumbled, peeking at Shinji. Shinji gave him a questioning look, but Gray just shrugged. Then the voice behind the door sounded once more.
"Who?"
"It's, uh…the new guy – the one Thomas told us about, sir."
"Him?" the voice asked. Shinji heard footsteps inside the room followed by a small 'click. The door opened to reveal a man a head shorter than Shinji. Many wrinkles plagued his face, making it sag. His aged lips were set into an undying scowl covered by a bushy, drooping white moustache. His eyes barely peeked out from wilting, bushy white eyebrows, adding to the scowl. The old man examined Shinji for a moment, who stood rigid under the old man's gaze, before turning his attention to his grandson.
"Leave. Work is over, there's nothing here for you to do. Get out." The man didn't wait for Gray's answer and beckoned to Shinji. "Hmm. So you're the new man. So it would seem, seeing as how I've never seen your face around these parts before."
Shinji nodded, watching Gray out of the corner of his eye as the blond man left the store. "So it would seem…" he repeated absentmindedly.
"Well, that's tough for only one man, but you can do it if you try. Good luck, young man."
Shinji smiled. "Thank you. I'm…really going to need it…"
The man nodded his head, satisfied. "I'm Saibara, the blacksmith."
"Ah! Oh yes, I'm Shinji. Shinji Mimura."
"Yes, well…" Saibara cleared his voice. "If you ever have questions, come to me. If you ever need help with the farm, I'll have Gray help you out. Now, I have to get back to melding irons for jewelry. So if you'll excuse me."
Shinji nodded, understanding that the conversation was over and he wasn't wanted in the shop anymore. Taking that moment to make his leave, he turned and left, looking back at Saibara and waving as he did so. Once Shinji closed the door to the shop, he took a gratifying breath of air, deeply appreciating the fresh quality to it. After taking another deep breath of fresh air to clear out the remainder smog in his lungs, Shinji looked up. In front of him was Gray with his back turned to him and his arms crossed over his chest.
"Gray?" Shinji intoned.
Gray looked over his shoulder at Shinji and began walking away. Shinji ran to catch up with the older boy.
"So…he's your grandfather?" Shinji asked. Gray merely nodded, not looking at Shinji. Shinji continued. "What did he mean… 'there's nothing here for you to do'? Do you work for him?"
Gray nodded again. "Yes, I work as his apprentice. I'm training to become a blacksmith, like him, so I can take over the smithy when he's finally gone.
"Gray! Do you… uh, well…when you mean 'gone', do you mean you…want your grandfather's death?" Shinji asked hesitantly. After his own late grandfather passed away, 'death' had become touchy topic for Shinji. He had loved his grandfather so much, so he just couldn't imagine anyone wishing their grandfather's death. Gray looked down at him and shrugged nonchalantly.
"Maybe. I dunno. I just want him out of my life – I don't really care how. I can't stand him. I really do…hate him."
Shinji's eyes widened at Gray's answer. "Why! How could you hate your grandfather!"
Gray stopped in his tracks; Shinji stopping soon after. "How could I not? You saw the way he treated me back there, the bastard! He can't stand me, either! No matter how hard I try, my grandfather never praises anything I make or do! He neglects not only my hard work, but me as well! To him, I'm nothing more than some ignorant, useless apprentice, not a grandson! But I swear, I'm going to get that old man to praise me no matter what!"
"…Oh…" Shinji replied intelligently. Gray ignore him and continued walking, turning a right. Shinji watched as they passed a Winery. It was a simple house with a smaller building and a vineyard next to it. Grapes randomly dotted the leafy vines, and Shinji guessed that the smaller building was a wine cellar. His suspicions were confirmed when a man with slicked back, shiny black hair strode out of the door with a crate of filled wine bottles in his arms. Spotting Shinji and Gray, he smirked and waved before entering the bigger house, not seeing Shinji wave back.
Running back to Gray's side, Shinji saw another building, though this one was one of the biggest he'd seen so far. It towered above their heads and was two stories tall. The building was made of wood with random glass windows placed in the walls. Scanning over the windows, Shinji caught sight of a boy staring gloomily out of a window on the second floor. Before Shinji could take in any details about the boy, he glanced down at Shinji and their gazes met for a split moment, but was broken a second later by the boy turning away from the window and out of Shinji's sight. A moment later, the curtains were closed. It seemed out of place cloaked amongst the other exposed windows as it was the only covered window.
Tearing his eyes away from the window, Shinji looked at the pinnacle of the building at a noticeable sign placed on the top.
'Doug's Inn
Hours: 8AM-10PM
Closed: Never'
"So…this is the Inn?" Shinji asked.
Gray raised his blond brow and gave Shinji funny look. "Well, if the giant sign in front of you isn't enough of an answer, then yes. This is an Inn. I've been living here ever since I moved out of the city and came here to work for that old man."
"Ah! You lived in the city!"
Gray nodded, amused by Shinji's shocked expression. "Yeah. What about it?"
"Well…I used to live in the city, too, before I came here and took possession of the farm." Gray shrugged, obviously uninterested. But Shinji wanted to find out more, so he continued, "What school did you go to?"
"Destiny High." Gray stated simply.
Shinji's shoulders straightened. "But…isn't that a—"
"Private school? Yup. I attended a private school for three years before coming out here." Shinji opened his mouth to comment on that, but Gray finished before the other boy could interrupt. "I graduated a year early, when I was seventeen. I'm eighteen, now. What about you?"
"Eh? Me? Well…I'm sixteen. I never graduated my local high school because I was expelled during my junior year." Shinji said as he twiddled his thumbs.
Gray raised an eyebrow. "Expelled?"
Shinji laughed nervously. "Yeah, expelled. I was always hyperactive as a child – I think the only reason I was able to skip the third grade was because my teacher couldn't handle me. But…in my third year of high school, I almost set the school on fire." Gray's eyes widened. "It was an accident! I was just fooling around with my lighter, and then suddenly…the school was up in flames. Aheh, who knew paper would burn so easily?" Shinji sighed. "After that incident, my parents disowned me. Takura, the original owner of the farm, was the last thing I had left. When he stopped answering my letters, I came to see if everything was okay, and suddenly I inherit his farm. Now I have a chance to start a new life!" Shinji grinned happily.
Gray shrugged. "I don't see why you'd want to start a new life here…"
Shinji tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean?"
"I hate it around here. There's nothing to do. Don't you think so, too? I just get so bored in this town. I want to go back to the city!" Gray complained, crossing his arms. Shinji looked down.
"I…I don't have much of a choice…" he muttered.
Gray sighed. "Whatever…C'mon."
Not waiting for Shinji to comply, Gray pulled the double door to the Inn open and stepped inside. Shinji followed. Inside were many tables with four chairs seated at each table. In the far upper left corner was a staircase leading up to the second floor. In the back of the giant room was a door. All against the back wall were barrels and shelves filled with liquor and alcohol. An oversized counter was set in front of the shelves with barstools placed at the front of the counter. A small payphone was set on the counter, and a grumpy looking man with slicked back orange hair stood behind the counter, next to a cash register. Orange sideburns traced the side of his face and a small orange moustache covered his lips. Brown eyes spotted the two boys and he smiled welcomingly.
Gray watched as Shinji eyes the liquor shelves and nudged him. "This place becomes a bar at night."
"Oh…" Shinji muttered absentmindedly. Gray ignored him and headed for the stairs. Shinji stayed behind and stepped up to the man behind the long counter, smiling. "Hello!" Shinji greeted. The man nodded as a response.
"Well I haven't seen you around these parts before!" His voice was gruff and matched the way he looked. Shinji shook his head.
"I just moved here from the city."
"Oh, you're the new lad up at the farm, eh? My name's Doug, and I run this here Inn. Welcome!" Doug grinned, making his moustache turn upwards as well. Shinji smiled back.
"I'm Shinji." He told Doug. Doug nodded and turned to the phone as it began to ring. Shinji decided this was the best time as any to make his leave. Turning around, he was about to head for the stairs when he saw something running down it. It was a person. The same person Shinji had seen in the window. The boy turned to glance at Shinji, but when their gazes met, he turned away again and ran out the door.
"Weird…" Shinji muttered, watching him leave. When the boy was gone, Shinji continued for the stairs and began stepping up them. Once he reached the top, he looked around. There were many doors lining the wall, and even a cat wandering around the hall, but what caught Shinji's attention was the first door. It was opening and a girl with red hair pulled back into a braid stepped out. A cute pink bow kept her long braid in placed as it bounced around when she walked. Simple blue overalls and a plain yellow t-shirt decorated her slim body. When she spotted Shinji, her bright blue eyes gleamed even brighter with curiosity. She bounced up to Shinji and smiled.
"Sorry, do I know you? Wait—don't tell me…" her voice trailed off as she thought. "You're…Ah! You're the new guy at the farm, right? Thomas said there would be someone new arriving here."
The girl didn't give Shinji a chance to talk, so he just nodded. The girl laughed lightheartedly. "And I thought you were a guest! Silly me. What's your name?"
Once she paused to catch her breath and give Shinji a chance to answer, Shinji quickly said, "Shinji. My name is Shinji."
The girl smiled. "Oh, your name is Shinji? I'm Ann. I work here at this Inn. My dad's the barkeep, and I work as the cocktail waitress during night and just a waitress during the day. I clean, too!"
Shinji tilted his head to the side. "Oh really? You work here?"
Ann nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! I really don't mind cleaning, you know? I love getting dirty and then taking a long, hot bath!"
Shinji smiled awkwardly. "Sounds…nice…"
"Oh, it is! We've been having more guest these days. That makes it much more fun around—" Ann stopped as she heard her name being called from downstairs. Glancing at the staircase, she shout back, "Okay, dad! I'm coming!" Sighing, she turned to Shinji. "Well, I hope I'll see you around here soon, okay? Bye!" After giving Shinji a quick wave, she turned and practically jumped down the stairs.
Sighing, Shinji walked down the hallway. "God, that girl is exhausting…"
Suddenly, a door opened and pulled Shinji in. Looking up, Shinji saw Gray's looking back down at him. After regaining his posture, Shinji glanced around the room he was in. Two separate futons were pressed against the side wall, and a small table like the ones downstairs with four chairs was in the center. Two different bookshelves were against the wall opposite of the futons.
"So this is your room?" Shinji asked Gray. Gray nodded.
Looking at the two futons, Shinji asked Gray, "Do you room with someone? Is that why there are two futons?" Gray nodded again.
"What's their name?"
"His name's Cliff." Gray replied simply. Shinji tilted his head to the side, but decided that the topic wasn't important and continued to study the room. Suddenly, something caught his interest. Against the back wall were two windows. But that wasn't what intrigued him. The window on the right was covered by curtains.
"Ah!"
Gray stared at Shinji, but Shinji ignored him. So this is the room that boy was in… Shinji thought to himself. Cliff…
Gray shuffled his feet uncomfortably. Turning to Shinji, he looked at the floor. "Shouldn't you be getting back to your farm now?"
Shinji froze and stared out of the window that wasn't covered by curtains. The sky had darkened and was now rapidly turning to night. Stars slowly began dotting the darkened sky, slightly illuminating the night sky. Shinji tore his gaze from the window and turned to Gray, frowning.
"Yah. I suppose I should get back. Bye!"
"See ya…I guess…" Gray mumbled. Shinji nodded and left the room, heading for the stairs. As he reached the bottom floor, he saw that the atmosphere had completely changed from when he had first entered the Inn. Before, the mood was calm, inactive…dead basically. Now it was the complete opposite. It was lively and energetic with bar music in the background. Everyone one in the room had a beer and was talking animatedly. Doug was behind the bar, mixing up a drink for a man Shinji had seen earlier. He was the one who was at the Winery with the slicked back, shiny black hair. He and Doug were laughing heartedly about something and seemed to be good friends. Many other people were there – a man with a vest and a hat with a feather sticking out of it; a boy with glasses and long, wild, spiky blond hair; a girl next to the be-speckled boy who had a pinkish hue to her face (she seemed to be already drunk); Saibara was there with a bottle of whiskey; a man with slicked back, shiny black hair who looked like a younger duplicate of the Winery man; and a man with blond hair and a kind face with a black robe draping his body (he seemed to be a priest of some sort). Shinji was even surprised to find the mayor Thomas sitting at one of the tables with a cocktail in his hand.
Ann was walking around the tables with a tray in her hand. What confused Shinji was that atop the tray wasn't beer or liquor of any kind, but a simple glass of water. Watching as she delivered the glass to a table in a far right corner, Shinji's jaw dropped when he saw who grabbed the glass. It was the boy from the window; the boy who had run out of the Inn when he caught sight of Shinji – Cliff. Taking a deep breath to regain his posture, Shinji sauntered over to the table where the boy sat and watched as Ann sat down and began talking to Cliff. Shinji's eyes narrowed.
Damn her…she stole my spot… he mentally growled.
Shrugging, Shinji approached the table where Cliff and Ann sat, trying to walk with a sexy stride. As the thought crossed him mind, Shinji nearly tripped over his feet. What the hell am I doing? he though angrily. Sighing, he continued walking towards the table in the corner. Cliff didn't look up, but stared down at his drink sorrowfully, slightly stirring it around with his finger. Shinji watched it. Ann was talking animatedly to Cliff, but Cliff refused to look up. It was apparent that the whole conversation was pretty much one-sided. It was only when Shinji approached the table that Ann ceased her conversation with Cliff and turned in the wooden chair to look at him, eyes sparkling.
"Hey! What's up!" she basically yelled at Shinji. Shinji forced a smile.
"Hey, Ann." When he spoke, Cliff finally glanced up from his glass of water. Shinji looked down at him and smiled, trying to encourage him into the conversation as well. But Cliff didn't take the hint and only stared. Shinji's smile disappeared as he stared back. Their gazes held, unbroken, and Ann looked between the two, trying to figure out what was going on. She opened her mouth to say something, but shrieked when a large 'crash' slammed against their table. Only then did Shinji's hold on Cliff's gaze cease as the boy backed away from the table, his chair backing up as well. Ann shrieked again as the man from the Winery tried rolling off their table. Cliff watched the scene with wide as he tried to scoot his chair back even further, but his back was met with the wall.
"…The hell?" Shinji gasped.
"Take…that, Uncle…Duke!" came a slurred voice. The man on the table, 'Uncle Duke', sat up on his elbow on Cliff's table, wiping a bit of blood from his mouth. He glared in front of him at the source of the voice. Shinji followed his gaze and was met with the girl from before. A bottle of wine was clenched in her left hand. Dirty blond hair covered her face in a sweaty mess, but Shinji could tell she was smirking foolishly. Her free hand was balled into a fist and she reeked of booze. It was obvious she was drunk.
"Dammit, Karen!" the man on the table top yelled.
The girl, Karen, ignored her uncle and began to unsteadily stumble out of the Inn. Doug sighed and walked up to the Winery man, offering him a hand. The man took it gratefully and hopped of the table. Turning to everyone else in the bar (who were completely silent as they watched the scene before them), Doug cleared his throat.
"Everyone! The bar is closed for tonight! Come back tomorrow! Now get out, ya' drunkards!" he ordered cheerfully with a smile plastered to his face. A few of his costumers laughed and headed out the door, while other finished their drinks and staggered out the door as well. Shinji was no different. As he headed towards the door, he grabbed someone's unfinished drink and brought it with him. Once out the door, he turned back to wait for Cliff to catch up, but the smaller boy was no where to be seen. Remembering that Cliff stayed at the Inn, Shinji shrugged and brought the drink to his lips. Tipping the glass back far enough to make the fizzing liquid enter his awaiting mouth, he froze when he felt the cool alcohol slide down his throat. Immediately, Shinji began to gag. He could feel his eyes watering as he continued to retch the bitter drink. Clutching his burning throat, Shinji squeezed his eyes shut, willing the coughing to stop. Once he was finally able to restrain his gagging, Shinji opened his eyes and swallowed, soaking up the flavor of the alcohol. It left quite a bitter aftertaste, but a pleasant floating feeling clouding his mind was left with the bitterness as well. Shinji glanced down at the drink in his hands, wondering if he should take another drink. The gagging was complete hell, but the after effects were worth gagging your lungs out. Besides, the gagging was tolerable. Just as Shinji began to take another drink, he felt a hand on his shoulder, making him jump and causing the liquor to spill over the glass. Spinning around, he came face-to-face with the man from the bar. He wore a hat with a feather sticking out of it and a vest covering his chest. Camping equipment was strapped to his back, making him look pretty much like a tourist. Brown locks fell from his hat and around his blue eyes.
"Hey there!" he said cheerfully. "Are you a tourist?"
Shinji's jaw dropped and his eyes widened. He was in complete shock. Someone dress up like this man was actually asking if he was a tourist. Shinji shook his head in disbelief. This man must be drunk. Yes, he must be the drunkest out of everyone, even that girl, Karen. The man tilted his head as he watched Shinji shake his head, thinking that the boy meant, 'No, I'm not a tourist', instead of, 'Get this drunkard away from me. Who the hell does he think he is?'
"No? So are you new in town?" he continued.
Shinji sighed. "Yes, I moved into the farm down that way."
The man smiled. "This town is beautiful, and the people are nice, so I bet you'll like it here. Sure the people tend to get a bit drunk at times, but they're still nice, nonetheless."
Shinji smiled back. "Thanks. I'm Shinji by the way. You are…?"
The mans smile faltered for a second, but was replaced by a bigger smile. "Me? Oh, sorry, the name's Basil. I'm studying the flora of this area. Of course, I go have a drink after the day's done. All work and no play makes Basil a dull boy, am I right, Shinji?" he laughed. Shinji nodded, raising the glass in his hands to his lips again. Taking another sip of the alcohol, Shinji pulled the glass away as he began to cough again, a bit of the bitter liquid dripping down the side of his mouth. This time, though, his coughing fit didn't last as long as the first and it only took him a few minutes to restrain his gags. He was quite proud of himself. After a few more sips, he doubted that he would be coughing at all anymore! Shinji grinned to himself, slightly reveling in his thoughts. But laughter interrupted his thoughts. Shinji looked up at Basil, who was clutching his stomach as he laughed.
Shinji glared at him, but his glared turned into a pout. He had never quite mastered the fine art of glaring yet. "…What…" Shinji asked suspiciously, an offended tone etched into his voice. Basil took a breath a stopped laughing to answer.
"What's wrong, kid? Can't hold your liquor?" Shinji flushed red and looked away with a pout/semi-glare on his face. Basil chuckled and snatched the glass away from Shinji's grasp, making Shinji whimper in protest. Basil ignored him and in one quick quaff, downed the drink in one swallow. When the liquid was gone from the glass, he looked up at Shinji and grinned.
"Mmm…Scotch Whiskey. One of Doug's specialties." Basil told Shinji, licking his lips.
Shinji crossed his arms. "I was gonna drink that, you know…"
Basil grinned. "You're underage."
Shinji glanced at him, blushing. "So what? Half of the people who were in there were underage. Doug didn't seem to mind at all!"
Basil laughed. "You got me there, kid. Doug's just funny like that. As long as you're willing to pay, he doesn't care who you are. Besides, it's you and your parents' responsibility. If your parents don't want you to be drinking, then Doug won't sell you anything. Like my daughter, Mary. She's almost seventeen now, but I've let her drink a bit. She, personally, doesn't like to drink very often, but when she does, she really knows how to put it away!" Basil laughed.
Shinji didn't say anything. Basil continued. "Well, I should get home. My wife doesn't like it when I drink, and she really doesn't like it when I stay out late to drink. So…see ya!" Basil smiled and turned around, turning right on the corner of the Winery.
"Bye!" Shinji called out. As he walked past the Winery, he could hear shouting coming from inside, soon followed by something glass breaking. Shinji turned to stare, but quickly turned away again when the door opened and slammed shut again. The man from the Winery stepped out with his coat hanging on his shoulder. Spotting Shinji, he stopped and walked over to the boy. A pinkish hue was spread across his face. He was drunk.
"Hmm? Who the hell are you?" he asked curiously.
"Ah!" Shinji started. "Eh, I'm Shinji."
"Oh…you're the new lad at the farm, are you? Thomas told Manna and me about you. My name's Duke. Pleased to make you acquaintance. I run the Winery and make the wine, while my wife, Manna, sells it." The man told Shinji. Shinji nodded. Suddenly the door to the house opened and a small bag filled with clothes flew out, followed by the door slamming shut again. Duke sighed and picked up the bag filled with his clothes.
"Hey, sorry you had to see that. Manna can't stand it when I get drunk, because then she has to pay the tab…which gets pretty high when I drink." Duke laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, slightly messing up his slicked back hair.
Shinji bowed slightly before saying, "I'm sorry to hear that."
Duke waved Shinji's comment away with his hand and turned around. "See ya, kid."
Shinji nodded and began the trek back to his farm as Duke began walking towards the Inn.
As Shinji entered his lifeless property, he sighed. He still had so much work to do. But that work would have to wait. Right now he needed sleep – badly. As he entered his small house and headed towards the bed, he clutched his head. He felt a major headache coming on, and tried to will sleep to come to him faster. Maybe he could just sleep through the headache. But Shinji knew better. After seeing his father drink, he knew that he would wake up to something much worse than what he was feeling that moment. And he only had two sips of whiskey! Just two!
Soon, Shinji's tired body slowly drifted to sleep, plagued by dreams of his father's drinking problems. He really hoped that his father's desired to drink hadn't been passed on to Shinji.
A/N: Pathetic ending, I know. So sorry about the whole drinking thing. As you can tell, there will be some more underage drinking in later chappys. I hope that doesn't bother you… just pretend that they're all 28! Yeah, that's it! But seriously, in the game, they can't be any older than 18, yet almost everyone drinks! –sigh–
I won't tell you the pairings yet, but you'll find out soon enough! And I type as I think, or maybe I think as I type…or something…I really don't know…
Does anyone think I should continue? Hmm? n.n
Review, or I'll eat your children! XD
…Just kidding…