A/N: Wow it's been 4 years since I updated this story. Oops. Well you know how things go, I started to write this chapter about a year or so ago and I found it recently on my hard drive and decided to finish it up. I hope to actually keep up with the chapters this time around and finish the story! As always, read and review! I know it's been a long time!

Chapter 7 The Missing Hoe

Tell me stories about the city…

Jack suddenly awoke from dreams of his childhood. The little girl he once played with on the back hills…could she be Popuri? That little girl was also interested in hearing stories of the city. Jack found it hard to remember her name. The more he thought the more he realized that he didn't even recognize what she looked like. If that little girl was Popuri then why can't he remember playing with a little girl with pink hair!

Jack got up and started to dig through his toolbox. He couldn't remember for the life of him where he had left his hoe. After searching the entire house and around his field he decided that it might be time to go to pay the blacksmith a visit. He wasn't going to find that hoe anywhere.

While walking to the blacksmith on that bright and sunny spring morning Jack could hear screaming and yelling coming from his neighbors home. Jack slowed down his pace so that he could hear what they were saying but not slow enough to look suspicious.

It was Popuri and Rick arguing with each other. Peaking around the corner Jack could see Popuri waving her arms around in the air. Rick was scolding her.

"Popuri! How could you forget to put this ONE chicken away! Now it's dead because of you!"

"Oh Rick, I hate you!" Popuri sobbed and took off running away from him.

Jack just shrugged and continued to the Blacksmiths shop. He wasn't too sure what to think about his neighbors yet. Popuri just seemed really irresponsible and Jack definitely did not like Rick, but for obvious other reasons.

Inside the blacksmith and Gray were moving around, working on new tools. From behind him Jack could hear a nervous woman's voice say to him, "Oh h-h-hello Jack." Jack turned around to see Mary standing there in the doorway, blushing, adjusting her glasses. "It's a b-b-b-eautiful morning isn't it? Are you here to buy tools from Saibara? He makes excellent tools." She walked past Jack and into the shop.

Gray was the first person to notice her. "Hello Mary." He nodded sheepishly at her and continued to work.

"Hello Saibara, how are you doing this morning?" She asked him.

He just grunted.

"I'm sorry if you are busy, but I thought I would come by and give you this raisin bread I made to thank you for the tools you made for me. They were a big help in fixing up the library." She set the bread down on his table.

"Thank you young lady, that's very kind of you." Saibara continued with his work.

"How are you doing today Gray? Will I be seeing you at the library again today?" Mary asked him.

"Of course, I love to read your books Mary," he replied.

"Oh no Gray! Look!" She ran over to him and examined his arm. "You have a cut on your arm, doesn't that hurt?" She started to rummage through her pockets as if she were looking for something.

"It's no big deal really…" Gray tried to pull his arm away.

"No it is, if you leave it like that it could get infected." She pulled a band aid out from her pocket and put it on his cut.

He blushed a bright red. "Thank you Mary…"

"Umm well okay, I'll see you later Gray!" She turned around and quickly left the shop.

That's when Saibara finally noticed that Jack was there. "You here to buy something?" he asked.

"Well yeh, I lost my hoe and I was wondering if you would be able to make me a new one?"

"Sure can, but it's going to cost you." Saibara continued hammering away and the tool he was making.

Jack shuffled through his pockets to see how much gold he had on him. Lately he had been doing much better for himself, but still not earning a lot. "Is 500 enough?"

Saibara set aside his work for a moment and came over to the counter where Jack was standing. "You don't want anything fancy? Just a regular hoe?" Jack nodded. "Come back tomorrow for it." Saibara took the gold from Jack and pushed him out the door. "I need to concentrate!" The door slammed behind him. Jack stood there for a moment, stunned, and then continued on his way.

Jack found himself wandering around, past his farm and into the forest. It wasn't a busy day for him, nothing needed to be harvested and all the plants were already watered. Remembering that Ann and Popuri liked to sit by the Goddess pond in the morning, Jack wandered up in that direction.

Where he got there he noticed that today only Ann was sitting next to the water. He came up next to her without saying anything at first.

Ann turned suddenly, like she wasn't expecting anyone, and said, "Oh Jack! You are here…"

"Did I interrupt anything?"

"Oh no," Ann shook her head, "I was just thinking that's all."

"What's up?"

"Nothing really, it's just kind of stupid." Ann sighed, and then continued. "The cooking festival is next week and I don't have idea of what to cook this year. It's my chance to prove that I'm just as good of a cook as my father! But I'll never be able to do that if I can't think of what to cook. Then there is the problem of competition from people like Manna and Lilia…"

Jack interrupted, "Wow, sounds like a big thing for you."

Ann nodded. "It is. See if someone else other than my father or I win, well… that just looks bad for the Inn. We are supposed to have the best food in town and if someone else wins, that just means our food is just alright. It's bad for business."

"I think you'll figure something out and even win this year!"

"You really think so Jack? I don't know, my dad is really good. He always thinks up interesting ways to change normal meals and make them even more delicious."

"I wouldn't worry about it Ann," Jack said as he smiled his most reassuring grin. "You just have to have some faith in yourself. I have faith in you."

Ann perked up a bit. "You really mean that Jack?" He nodded. "Wow, nobody has said anything like that to me before and umm…" she was blushing, "I should go now!" Ann stood up and quickly left.

The next day the rain poured down from the sky. Jack looked out his window and wondered if he should attempt to do anything outside. His horse did need to be taken care of, so as soon as it looked like the rain slowed down a bit Jack was outside making his way to the horse barn.

After he was done, Jack began to make his way back to the house. He was fighting the wind and the rain, holding his hat down on his head so that it didn't blow away. Just as he was about to open the door, off in the distance a bit he noticed a blob of red coming towards him. It was flailing its arms trying to get his attention. "Jack! Wait Jack!" It was Rick. He was soaked, his hair dripping down into his face. "Have you seen Popuri!" His arms continued waving around like a madman's.

"No Rick, what is the problem?" Jack walked towards the crazed man.

"It's Popuri! She's gone missing!"

"Calm down Rick. Are you sure she is missing?"

"Yes I am sure Jack! I wouldn't be making such a fuss if I knew where she was! We had a fight yesterday and I don't think she came home last night. I checked everywhere in town. Harris is even going door to door to try to find her. There is no sign of her anywhere! Have you seen her? Is she here?"

Jack thought back to the day before, and remembered that he didn't see Popuri by the Goddess pond where she usually was in the morning. "No Rick, I haven't seen her…"

Rick grabbed Jack's shoulders and began to shake him. "You've got to help me! If anything happens to Popuri…"

"Get ahold of yourself, man!" Jack pushed Rick away. "You have to think rationally if you want to find Popuri. When was the last time you saw her?"

"Yesterday morning. We fought and then she went running off towards your farm."

Towards his farm? Jack saw the fight, he was pretty sure she went running off in the direction of… "Have you had anyone search the forest yet?"

"No, I was going to get Gotz after I came here."

"Okay good, Rick you go get Gotz and search the top of Mother's Hill. I'll search closer to here, around the Goddess lake."

Rick went running off toward Gotz's house. Jack followed behind him, wondering where a girl with bright pink hair would want to hide. He knew she loved the Goddess pond, but there wasn't really anywhere to hide there. There was the hot spring but you can tell when somebody is in there.

When we arrived at the pond he began to search through the bushes, calling Popuri's name. There was no sign of her. He looked around for anything she might of left behind, but with all the rain and the wind it was hard to see. Jack looked towards the cave and approached it, but suddenly stopped.

Listening carefully, he could hear a faint sound of someone crying. It was Popuri! Jack entered the cave, but it was too dark to see. "Popuri? Popuri are you in here?" he called out to her and the crying stopped for a moment. Then it began again. "Popuri! I can't help you if you won't answer me!"

After a few moments, she spoke. "Who… who is there?" she said between sobs.

"It's me Jack. Tell me where you are so I can help you get out."

"I… I don't know. I was angry at Rick and I started to dig and now I'm down a few levels and it's dark and scary and I don't know how to get out!" Popuri started to cry again.

"Hold on Popuri! I'm going to get you out of there. I'll be right back!"

"Hurry Jack! I'm scared…"

Jack ran back to his house and found the flashlight that had been buried at the bottom of his toolbox. He knew it would come in handy someday. Then he started to search through his bag for his hoe, remembering that he had purchased a new one yesterday. He ran out of his house and to Saibara's shop. It wasn't open yet, but that didn't stop Jack from pounding on the door.

"Saibara! Open up! It's an emergency!"

The gruff old man opened the door, looking slightly annoyed. "What is it some kind of farming emergency? Can't it wait until we open?"

"No!"

"Fine." Saibara went back into his shop and emerged with Jack's new hoe. Jack thanked the man and quickly went running off towards the Goddess Pond.

Inside the cave Jack moved quickly to dig his way down to the next floor. He continued talking to Popuri the whole time, asking her questions of how long she had been there and how many floors she thought she was down. Judging from the distance her voice traveled, she couldn't of been down too many floors.

Finally he made it to the floor Popuri was on. He shinned the flashlight around and saw her huddled in the corner, her knees to her chest and her eyes red from crying. Next to her was Jack's missing hoe. He frowned when he saw it, but realized there were more important things to take care of when he saw Popuri get up and move towards him. "Thank you for saving me Jack!" She reached out as if she was going to hug him, but collapsed at his feet before she could do so.

She must have been weak from not eating for a day. Jack picked her up and carried her out of the cave. Outside Rick and Gotz had returned from searching the top of Mother's Hill. Rick looked distraught, until he caught sight of Jack carrying his sister.

"Jack you found her!" Rick yelled and quickly walked towards them. "Is she alright!"

"I think she'll be fine. She needs to eat though, and maybe take a warm bath."

"I'm so glad you are okay Popuri! I'm sorry that I yelled at you yesterday." Rick let out a sigh of relief.

"It's… okay…Rick," Popuri said weakly.

Inside their home, just as Jack was about to set Popuri down in her bed, she stopped him, leaned up, and kissed his cheek. "Thank you for saving me Jack." She smiled a little.

Jack blushed and set her down without saying anything.

I left my hoe down in that cave…