A/N: My apologies to fans of this work for taking so long to update, but due to my recent lack of effort in participation of the school system, I am now working like a drone until the end of the school year. Just writing this is eating up my time.

Considering that I have four testing periods within the next two months (STAR tests, CSTs, AP tests and finals), I most likely won't update until late June to early July. I leave you with this chapter until then.


Chapter IV: Punches Fly and Fingers Twitch

Jack awoke as his new alarm clock bounced in the air and onto the floor at about 5:30 a.m. Reminding himself that he'd have to fix that, he yawned and stretched, careful not to disturb his wife.

As he sat up and saw the sunlight shining against the recently polished floor, he got up and stretched again. Realizing that it might help himself feel better the rest of the day, he opened a few of the books that Dr. Hardy had given him. One of the exercises particularly caught his attention. It was something called a "bridge," The picture of the man in the book showed him his stomach in the air, with only his palms, toes and forehead supporting his weight.

Eager to try something new, Jack got down on the floor, slowly bent over backwards and pushed himself off of the floor. He couldn't manage to get down to his forehead without his hands, but he found that he didn't need to use his hands to support his weight. Jack was unsure of how long he held the bridge for, but he figured that it was time to get to work anyway. As he picked up his rucksack, the clock read 6:00.

He thought to himself, Boy, I feel great! Jack turned around to see his wife asleep, and thought of waking her up to tell her something, but he thought against it. Good move, he told himself.

He opened the door and took a deep breath of the fresh spring air, reminding himself how good he felt about living on his property. Eager to start the day, he grabbed his watering can and filled it to the brim, then carefully but quickly made his way over to the large field full of sprouting crops including strawberries and potatoes. It only took him a few minutes, as opposed to the usual hour.

For some reason, he was tempted to check in the food storage room and order some more supplies. He checked his inventory to find all of his items in order and plenty quantities all the necessary items. However, he thought that a few extra packs of good fodder wouldn't hurt, so he snapped back on his rucksack and headed for the door for the food storage. He thought that his rucksack felt lighter, but he figured that it simply came from wearing it around all of the time.

When he reached the room and the ledger, however, he noticed that the money for the order he had left earlier was still there. It was awkward because Takakura usually left by 6:00, so Jack figured that he was still asleep.

Eager to get the day moving and keep the farm on schedule, he knocked on Takakura's door. There was no answer, but the door was open. Jack wasn't sure why, but once again he was tempted to open the door.

As soon as the heavy wooden door hit the wall, Jack saw Takakura standing in front of a large, awkward looking plant. He slowly came inside and looked the plant over, noticing that it had two faces and was moving from side to side on its own.

"Hiya, Jack!" said the plant. Jack looked at it and turned to Takakura.

With the straightest face and blankest voice possible, Jack spoke, "Takakura, why are you housing a two-headed, talking, Venus-fly-trap-like…thing?"

"That's rude! I'm not a Venus-Fly-Trap! I'm a hybrid between a human and a Venus-Fly-Trap, thank you very much!" Tartan did something along the lines of a tantrum, if possible by plants, by waving his heads in the air and swinging his root from side to side.

"I'd prefer you not explain how, but it's nice to meet you, um…" Jack pondered.

"Tartan's the name, gossip, loud-talking and other useless crap's my game!"

"…Tartan…why does that sound familiar?" Jack continued to ponder, half-ignoring Tartan.

"I dunno, I like to talk a lot, so maybe word of mouth has spread information of my existence. Oh boy, I'm famous!" Tartan got so excited that he tilted from side to side, eventually going too far and falling over.

"Oh, caberries!" He used one of his heads to push himself back upright, his never faltering smiles beginning to get on Jack's nerves.

"I wouldn't go so far as to call it famous…um, Tartan."

"Has jealously caught up to you, Jacko?" it was at this point that Tartan wished that he had eyebrows, just so he could have taken advantage of the humorous smirk that humans tend to make.

"No. And please don't call me…"

"OK, sure thing Jack! Need something? Go ahead, just ask!" Tartan yelled.

"Um…maybe later. Takakura, will come outside for a second?"

Takakura, who had been silent during the entire conversation, silently nodded and slowly made his way to the door, with Jack pushing him the entire way.

"What the hell is that thing?"

"I, really don't know. I noticed that I had the seed in my pocket a few days ago with a note attached it, asking me to take care of him. I planted it purely out of curiosity."

Jack glanced in through the window. Tartan waved through using one of his leaves, and Jack half-smiled and waved in return.

"So, what does this thing eat?"

"Well, he said that he can only eat crops and seeds, but he doesn't eat carrots. I saw one of your tomatoes in the food storage, so I kind of fed him one.

"You what?"

"Relax! He didn't actually eat it. He just sort of stuck it in that bulb like thing of his and told me the right seasons to plant it in and the quality of the crop."

"Hmm…that information actually sounds kind of useful, sans the fact that the quality and planting seasons of crops are written on the seed bag."

Takakura cleared his throat and replied, "Get back to work, I'll take care of Tartan for you."

Jack walked back to his fields slowly, contemplating several of the strange events that had been occurring lately. He looked over his fields one more time before deciding it was time to milk the cows, but then he got an idea. He figured that Nami would wake up in the next few minutes. This seemed strange, somehow knowing his wife almost as well as the back of his hand, whilst beforehand he had found it near impossible to make her smile.

Jack slowly opened the door and peeked inside to see Nami fast asleep. Quietly and carefully, he crept his way into the kitchen and worked like a typhoon. Figuring that because of Nami's…fragile figure, she'd be a little cold, so Jack whipped up some Earth soup, a few slices of toast (Town Jack had given him the bread), sliced melon and fresh squeezed orange juice. As he worked faster than light, he realized three things: he had never been able to make even the simplest recipes before, that the melon that had been sitting in his rucksack for two seasons was still fresh, and that oranges cost far too much.

At seven o'clock sharp, Nami awoke and slowly opened her eyes to see Jack standing over her smiling. She didn't know how to react, so she turned away and saw the tray with full course breakfast spread across her lap.

"Good morning." Jack said. Nami did not reply, but rather answered with a small smile and a kiss on the cheek. That was enough to make Jack's day for the next four weeks.


Sunlight poured in through the window of the Inn's eastern room. As it eventually crept up to Kage's face, he awoke without warning, stood up and threw a sheet over the glass, making sure that he'd actually have more than a few hours to sleep. After all, he felt that he deserved to actually rest once in a while, as opposed to walking for three days straight.

He turned over in his bed and closed his eyes, but found it almost impossible to rest with the amount of pain he felt in his gut. He hadn't eaten so much as a single bite of food in the last two weeks. Reminding himself that it was for the best, he got out of bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Couldn't exactly have crust blocking his view.

Slowly making his way over to the bathroom, he snuck a glance at Kyou, absolutely certain that the man would be willing to stab him in the back. Honor was an important moral value to Kage, and he made certain that his time was spent disciplining Kyou and stopping any chances of being murdered in his sleep, but dead men have no honor, as they say.

Kage spent the next few minutes looking at himself in the mirror, an exercise he found absolutely necessary. It's not that he was a narcissist, but it gave him time to think, time to relax and reflect. Unfortunately, he was still rather groggy from the lack of sleep.

After letting the water run cold for the next few minutes, he dipped his head neck deep into the basin, this serving both as a wake up call and a training procedure.

Tim knocked on the door two minutes later and after hearing no answer after several attempts, he turned the knob to make sure that the two had locked the door before they had left. He was surprised to see the door swing open and to see Kage's bed empty. He noticed the bathroom door ajar, so he thought it would be polite to try and acquire Kage's attention by offering him some breakfast. Tim poked his head through the doorway to see Kage's head dipped in the basin full of water.

Completely astounded to see a man of Kage's status attempting suicide caught Tim as the most bizarre thing he had ever seen. Before he could pull Kage's head from the water, however, Tim was knocked to the floor by a wave of black. He looked up to see Kyou looming over his head.

"I strongly suggest against that…Tim, was it?"

"What's the matter with you? Are you just going to let him die?" Tim yelled. Kage slowly pulled his head out of the water. He looked to his right to ensure Tim would not see his face, pulled a towel from the shelf and threw it over his head, and then pulled a stopwatch from his pocket.

"3:40 minus seventeen seconds. 3:23, new record."

Tim was speechless. Kyou smirked.

"Did you need something, Tim?"

Tim stuttered for a few moments before collecting his composure. "I was just wondering if you'd like some breakfast."

Kyou glanced towards Kage with a look of pleading. Kage smiled underneath the towel that obscured his eyes.

(It's been two weeks since this stomach has received any nourishment, and I feel about as exhausted as a soldier. I offer you my thanks and acceptance, Tim.)

Kyou sighed as if showing signs of relief. Kage turned towards him and smirked.

(What are you excited about? You don't get anything else to eat for another four days.)

Kyou stomped his foot so hard his leg went through the floor.

(And now you're going to need to fix that; I hope you saved some money from that job of yours three years ago.)

Kage began to laugh as he followed Tim out the door after slipping on his scarf and sunglasses. Kyou stood in the doorway, fist clenched and head full of rage.

Remember, Kyou, the only reason that he gets to order you around is because he hits harder than you do.

Kyou slowly calmed down and realized that perhaps listening to Kage was for the best. As much of a jerk he was and as brutal his teachings were, the results were phenomenal. When he had worked as the VP of a technology firm, he was unfit, tired and constantly hungry.

Now he had gained strength almost tenfold, been able to increase his endurance exponentially and could survive with a lack of resources for weeks.

You are a very wise one, my friend. You've earned the right to be arrogant, brutal and cynical.

Kyou took a look in the mirror and pulled off his shirt as he turned on the water for the showerhead. Cuts, scars, bruises and bullet wounds covered his entire body. But he figured it was worth it. At least being shot three times wasn't nearly as bad as being shot thirty.


Jack took a few minutes to walk around town once again. It was almost nostalgic, really. He felt as if it were once again his first spring in Forget-Me-Not Valley. Spring really did seem to him as the time of rebirth. The year was truly beginning again, and Jack felt as if the wind was blowing in a new direction.

"Morning!"

Jack turned around to see Celia running up the hill to greet him. Waving back happily, Jack was certainly happy to see her.

Jack had begun flirting with Celia the moment he had first arrived in town, but Marlin's attitude had scared him off a bit. Celia, determined to earn herself a decent, hardworking husband drove her to spend as much time with Jack as possible, so much, that they had grown even closer than Celia had expected. The two were so alike, that they pretty much considered themselves siblings.

Approximately ten days after he had first arrived, Jack had been walking up to the spring at around six to see Celia sitting by the pond. He went over to talk to her for a few minutes.

"Jack…"

Jack bent over to kiss Celia on the cheek, but she pulled away.

"What's wrong, Celia?"

Celia looked up at him with eyes full of love and sadness at the same time, "Jack, we've grown so close, that I don't love you in that way anymore."

Jack hung over like a limp rag. But he pulled himself together and nodded, "I hear you, loud and clear."

Celia nodded and smiled, and then made her way back down the road. Jack felt no sadness; he had lost one love and gained another. The mixture of emotions he felt was strange and new to him, but the only thing his mind told his body to do was to start walking.

He heard a splash and looked to his left. He slowly made his way over to the river and saw someone drifting unconscious down the river. Without waiting so much as a heartbeat, he dived in and pulled her out. Putting his emergency breathing skills to the test, he continuously recycled through the routine before the young woman awoke and coughed up a bit of water. She sat upright for a few moments before looking up at Jack, who was absolutely astonished to peer into the eyes of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, her eyes full of intelligence and wisdom.

Before she could take the opportunity to say anything, she passed out again. In a heartbeat, Jack lifted her up and carried her to Dr. Hardy's office over the hill. He almost passed out from exhaustion from sprinting up the hill, but he was not about to roll over while he literally held a woman's life in his hands.

As soon as he had reached the door, he fell to the ground, breathing heavily as he lay across the woman's stomach. Struggling with all of his strength to get to his feet, he felt a helping hand over his shoulder.

Dr. Hardy stood, "What happened?"

"I saw her…passed out…in the river." Those were the only words he said before he fell unconscious.

He awoke a while later to see the woman lying in bed, asleep.

"Don't worry, she's fine." Dr. Hardy said as he offered Jack a glass of water while he lay on the sofa. He sat up and looked up towards the woman, who stirred in her sleep. She slowly opened her eyes, which Jack had to brace himself to look into.

She looked up and smiled, "Thanks."

"Jack!" Jack half jumped as he snapped out of his flashback.

"Well, have you?" asked Celia.

Jack waited several seconds before answering, "Huh?"

Celia playfully hit him in the shoulder, "You doufus, I was asking about the new guy…um, guys."

"New guys, huh? Haven't met them yet. Why, are you attracted to one of them?" Instead of hitting him in the shoulder, Celia blushed heavily. Jack began laughing.

"I think he's…handsome…"

"Then I guess you've got yourself a husband now?"

"Stop teasing me, Jack!" she pushed him to the side half-playfully.

"So, what's he look like?"

Celia sat and pondered for a minute while Jack picked up a rock and skipped it down the river.

"Well, he's pretty tall, dark skin and black hair, but I haven't seen his eyes; he was wearing a pair of sunglasses."

"Don't you think that's kind of rude?" Jack asked.

"Well, I wasn't really thinking about it too much. I was thinking about, what he said to me."

"What did he say?"

"Well…he said…" before Celia could answer, Marlin called to her from across the bridge telling her that Vesta wanted her to pick up a package from the inn. She nodded and pulled Jack along by the wrist.

"Hey, why do I have to come?"

"Because I want you to meet him."

"Fair enough." As the two of them passed the bridge, Marlin nodded.

"Morning." Jack nodded in reply. That was a major advantage to having a sibling-esque relationship with Celia, Marlin didn't hate his guts.

"Tim! Vesta says that you have a package for us!" The two waited for a response, but to no avail. Tim was out and around. Celia sighed and turned back outside to see a figure in dark clothes walking down the street.

"Kage!" she called out to him enthusiastically.

He kept walking, so she ran to catch up and grasp his attention while Jack followed.

"Kage!" she said as she caught up to him.

"Kage is gone, I'm just wandering around."

"What?" Kyou turned around to reveal himself, but he did not remove his glasses. His scarf was not around him, so Jack took a good look at his face.

"THIS is the guy that you have a crush on?" Celia turned dark red.

Kyou began to laugh, "Every single time an attractive woman follows after Kage, he brutally rejects them. Now if you want some real man…" Kyou pulled Celia close to himself, but Celia resisted and ran back a few feet. Jack pulled himself in front of Celia.

"Look, punk, I don't know who you think you are, but nobody touches my sister like that."

Kyou began laughing again, "And just what are you going to do about it?"

Jack didn't know what happened next. His conscience was gone for split seconds before he realized that he had hit Kyou square in the nose. He lay on the ground, out cold, thirty feet away.

Celia was silent, realizing Jack's newfound strength. Jack was rather impressed with himself too, at least until Kyou rose from the ground and wiped blood from his nose.

"Impressive. But you lack form, technique, discipline."

Before Jack could react, he felt an unfamiliar pain in his stomach, something to the equivalent of having ten major organs being shoved up into his lungs before the recoil from Kyou's fist sent him skidding across the bridge to the foot of the mountain.

"Enough said."

Jack stood up and brushed himself off, the pain now gone and Jack undeniably pissed. He slowly made his way back over to the front of the inn where Kyou stood, laughing. Celia was absolutely horrified.

One more punch, just one more into that stupid expression of his, Jack thought to himself.

Jack focused all of his anger into his right arm, willing to break some bones if he had to. But before he could land another blow, his fist was stopped short in midair by somebody else trenched in black.

"One hour," he murmured.

"Pardon?" asked Jack, the one word he managed to say.

"Kage Ochisuita…Perhaps my introduction would have been more formal if I were not here to baby-sit." Kage turned to Kyou.

"I leave town for one hour and you manage to get into a fight with a local. Temper, temper."

"Let me cut him down…sir…it's my only…"

"If you don't calm down, I'm going to have to make you."

Jack snarled through his teeth. Kage responded coldly, "This goes double for you, sir."

Jack wasn't thinking, he just wanted to break Kyou's teeth. He struggled to pull his hand free, but that only made Kage tighten his grip. Jack's hand was in pain now; he could feel the bones in his fingers fragmenting slightly. Jack no longer struggled to fight, but to escape.

"Forgive me sir." Kyou pulled out his scythe and swung at Jack's head.

Celia screamed.

"Apology not accepted, I've taught you better." Kage spoke softly and calmly as blood dripped from the inch deep gash in his left arm. Before either Jack or Kyou had time to react, Kage drove Kyou's face right into his knee and he punched Jack square in the chest.

Jack couldn't breathe, he felt daggers through his lungs and heart for twelve seconds before falling unconscious.

Celia was absolutely silent as Kage lifted the two limp bodies over his shoulder and let the sickle fall from his arm to the ground.

He turned to face Celia, who did not know what to think.

"My apologies, Miss Celia, for my subordinate's inexcusable behavior. It seems that he cannot control his hormones around one with the amount of beauty as yourself. I might be one to call it jealousy. This one will be fine. From what I've observed, he heals very quickly and possesses colossal strength. All he needs is rest. I'll be sure to deal with Kyou's behavior later."

Celia was still worried, but she could say nothing. She saw a faint glance of Kage's eyes through his sunglasses, and suddenly felt better.

"Good day, Miss Celia," his last response before making his way to the farm.


Nami sat in front of the TV, watching the entertainment channel when she heard a knock at the door. She stood up to answer it and caught a small chill on the way to the doorway. She opened it to see Kage standing in front of her with her husband draped over his shoulder.

"...Who are you and what have you done?"

"Relax, ma'am. My name is currently of no importance. He simply got involved in a fight and should be fine. He has a few broken bones, but those should heal…"

"What do you mean, broken bones? Did you do that?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, but I really had no choice…" before Kage could finish his sentence, Nami threw a punch at his face. She missed completely, swinging at air. She turned around to see Kage lying Jack on the bed and slowly turning around.

"Good day," he stated, before disappearing without a trace.

Nami stood over her husband and watched him sleep. She thought to herself, I suppose that when they told me it was the farmer's wife's job to take care of the farmer, they didn't exactly expect this.

Without hesitating a second longer, she got up to prepare some lunch for herself and her husband. She felt helpless, it was the only thing she could do.