I know it has been a while since I have updated. It has been a crazy first couple of months of college. I apologize about that; I hate putting off this in order to do homework just in case someone is reading. I will try and be a little bit more consistent with the coming months. I won't make any promises, though, just in case it continues to be hectic.

Meanwhile, go ahead and enjoy this. :)

Chapter 3

Lone Traveler

Tap, tap tap!

Jack opened his eyes and blinked as he instinctively rose from his bed. It took him a few seconds before he realized where he was: in his room when he was supposed to wake for the day. He shook his head, pushed the covers aside and got out of bed. His energy was improving; after a few exhausting and hard-earned lessons, he was finally starting to discipline himself to sleep earlier – and he could already see the rewards of his actions. He finished buttoning his overalls, stretched one last time, and opened the door to step outside.

The cold brisk air awakened Jack's senses again. Off beyond the hills the sky was still dark; the light from the lamppost broke through the fog that crept from the shore. Jack walked quickly along and opened the door to the storage shed. He was quickly becoming familiar with the land and the buildings on the farm; already the place seemed less foreign and more routine. The milker and some bottles were removed from their places on the shelf; the door to the stable creaked as it was opened and shut.

Clover lay on a bed of straw, her ear twitching occasionally as she gently snoozed. Jack stacked the bottles and milker to the side and tentatively opened the gate to slip inside. He stepped closer, his breath held in anticipation. Suddenly, he grimaced as one of the bottles fell from the unstable structure and clattered as it fell to the floor. Clover's blue eyes revealed themselves, full of wrath.

"Mooooo!"

Jack scrambled to the outside of the pen as the cow leapt to its feet to defend its territory. The farmer slammed the gate, his breathing elevated. He was not surprised, though; he was also becoming familiar with the animal's surly side. He took one last glance at the fallen bottles and shrugged; Takakura would be able to handle it. He quickly left the irritated cow and returned to the tool shed to find Takakura already grabbing the tools needed for the day's work.

"I guess from the noise in the barn that she still wants me?" He asked as he tossed an empty watering can to Jack. The farmer remained silent as he opened the door to the outside; Clover's protests answered the question.

Nothing suggested to Jack that the day would be unique or special: the trees looked the same, their leaves swaying in the gentle breeze; his reflection as he scooped the watering can into the well looked ordinary. Yet there was something out of place as he and Takakura finally reached the large field near the back of the farm.

"Watch your step," Takakura said with a smile as he pointed to Jack's feet. Confused, the young man stared down and saw an odd shape that had not been there yesterday.

"Wait a minute – " He reached down and gently brushed the small bud with his hand.

"They've sprouted!" He said, intrigued as he looked down the row, spotting other shoots pushing away from the earth. Takakura knelt beside Jack and examined the new life with a stringent eye.

"They look like they're doing fine – give them a few days, and the rest should be coming out, too." He stood up and grabbed a watering can. "Ready to get to work?"

Jack nodded vigorously as he grabbed his own can and tipped it over the first plant. It was remarkable how his perspective had changed. He wasn't working for something that might not develop; now he could see the results of his labors. The small leaves looked up to him as he gave them water, over and over again, mildly pleased that the first step of the process had been successful.

It took less time to completely water the field than Jack thought. Soon both he and Takakura stood watching their efforts, the sun barely over the edge of the mountains. The older farmer patted the younger one's back, nodding encouragingly.

"Well, that will take care of them for this morning. How are you doing today?"

"Better," Jack replied, his eyes focused on the life near their feet. "Not so tired right now."

"Well, we'll change that soon," Takakura said cheerfully as he lifted his watering can and turned to walk. "For the rest of today we are going to tear down the roof shingles on the barn; they need to be replaced. I'll need you to go get nails from Van before we get started, though."

"Who's Van?" Jack asked confusingly as they approached the pasture.

"Oh – Van is the local merchant. He's the only one that comes to the valley, so for supplies he's who we deal with for whatever we might need. He comes every couple of days, and he'll be down by the Inner Inn pretty soon, so go ahead now. I can finish milking Clover while you go."

"Alright," Jack replied and handed his empty can to Takakura in exchange for the small gold coins that he placed in his pocket. Takakura watched the farmer run ahead and turn the corner around the tool shed; immediately after, a quick blur emerged from behind the house, barking excitedly after Jack. Takakura let out a small chuckle as he unbolted the door to the barn to let Clover out to the pasture.

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"All right, Buddy, you can come along!" Jack said exasperatedly as the puppy leapt onto two feet and leaned on Jack for support. "Crazy dog…" Jack muttered under his breath, half amused, half frustrated as he left the farm behind started on the trail to the Inn. Dirt flung into the air as Buddy scurried ahead. Jack watched the puppy move straight past the Inn for a person waiting by a large tree and began barking and jumping excitedly.

"Hey, Buddy! Stop! Cut it out!" Jack said alarmingly as the dog began leaping onto the stranger, who gave no outward indication that anything was jumping on them. He ran to them and grabbed the squirming creature away from the victim.

"No, Buddy.No," he scolded sternly as the puppy scrambled to be released from his master's grip.

"You didn't have to worry about that," the person said in a brittle tone. Jack blinked surprisingly, taken aback by the comment.

"Um… what – "

"He wasn't hurting me," the person interrupted, bending down to pat the puppy. With surprise Jack realized that the stranger was a woman. Her crimson hair was short, not even to her shoulders. Her blue eyes looked at Jack, with a piercing, almost harsh look.

"So what are you here for?"

Jack started; he had forgotten his task. "I, uh – I'm looking for someone named Van, do you – "

"He's right there," the girl interrupted again, pointing behind Jack back the way he had come. The young man turned around to find a large man, even larger than Tim or Vesta, panting as he attempted to jog, his large pack shifting around with every step he took. He gave up his task when he reached the door to the Inner Inn and went inside, struggling to regain his breath. The slam of the door echoed through the silence afterwards. Jack opened his mouth – then hesitated, unsure of what to do next.

"You should go after him," the girl said simply; she seemed almost bored with the conversation. Jack gave her one last look, then quickly turned to run to the Inn, with Buddy fast behind. The stranger started at the retreating pair for a few more seconds, her eyes still staring at the farmer with a smirk on her face, before she turned herself to walk away.

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" – Worked out – great – for me – " someone wheezed as Jack opened the door.

"Van, you know Matkin's hasn't done a thing," a voice responded that Jack recognized as Tim's. "I don't see a single thing different about you."

Jack stepped inside the Inn to see the man he had seen before doubled over but filled with excitement in his face. He was wearing a thin pink-red shirt over a darker purple one. His black hair was in a ponytail, though his hair was not long enough to justify it. His spectacles continued to slip off the edge of his face when he waved his hand at an exasperated Tim as if he were swatting a fly.

"Ah, fine – believe – what you want, but – who are you?"

Buddy leapt into the room and began to jump around the people, barking excitedly. The large man laughed uproariously as he bent down slowly to pet the creature. Tim noticed Jack shutting the door quietly and said, "Hey, how are you doing, Jack?"

"Doing all right, thanks, Tim," Jack said over the din being made.

"Ah so you're the gentleman Tim was telling me about!" Van said excitedly as he strode to the young farmer and shook his hand. "The name's Van." He circled the young man, looking intently at him. "Hmm… Interesting build for someone working on a farm… Have you been here for long?"

"Not really," Jack admitted. "Just a few days. I've barely started." Suddenly he remembered Takakura's list and grabbed it out of his pocket. "Oh, by the way – you wouldn't happen to have some supplies handy, would you?"

"Well, let's see…" Van replied. He removed his gigantic pack from off of his back and began ruffling through the contents. "Here they are!" He exclaimed after a few moments as he pulled a few small boxes out and shook the contents vigorously to confirm. He handed the box to Jack as he said, "You're lucky – that's my last one for a long time."

"Why is that?" Jack asked as he counted the slips of money to pay, interested. Van shook his head disappointingly, his ponytail flapping back and forth.

"There's a steel strike right now in the city – doesn't sound like it's going to let up anytime soon. Nothing in the city is doing very well – even I'm been having problems finding places that are able to make any trades with me."

"So the recession hasn't backed off yet?" Jack said. Tim shook his head this time.

"It hasn't, and it doesn't look like it will be for a while. Thankfully, most of us in the valley can take care of ourselves – but it certainly doesn't make our lives easier."

Jack stood silent, deep in thought at what he heard. He opened his mouth, but closed it after a few seconds, still pondering. His thoughts were disturbed by Tim's voice.

"Jack? Jack? Do you mind if we move your dog outside? Ruby'll kill me if there are any marks on the rug; it cost us a fortune to get that."

Jack blinked and saw Buddy leaping around, still giddy at being in a new place with so many fascinating smells. The farmer scooped up the protesting animal and said, "Sorry about that, Tim," before he waved goodbye to Van and stepped outside.

As he shut the door to the Inn, Buddy scrambled once again out of his hands and tore away from the farmer's sight in the direction of homes further away.

"Buddy? Come back now!" Jack shouted into the air. His words echoed further away as he heard the puppy's barks grow fainter.

"Did he escape again?" a voice behind Jack asked. He turned around and saw Tim quietly shut the door.

"Yeah…" Jack sighed and searched the distance for any indications. Suddenly, he saw a small blur in the distance jumping around the figure with red hair. She knelt down to pet his head, and instantly the puppy laid down, watching her intently.

"Do you know who she is?" Jack asked curiously. Tim nodded with a sad smile on his face.

"Yeah, her name is Nami. She's been here for a little while; one day she just showed up, paid for a room and hasn't left since."

"Where did she come from?" Jack asked, still focused on the girl.

"We don't really know much about her – she keeps to herself most of the time. We keep offering her a permanent room because we don't get a lot of travelers around here and she wouldn't really be a burden – but she keeps refusing."

Jack watched her whisper something to Buddy before the puppy left her and bounded towards his owner, manic energy restored. The farmer grunted as the animal collided with his leg, sending him tumbling backwards.

"Looks like she can calm your puppy better than you can," Tim said with a smile. Jack picked himself up and looked again to Nami. She looked for a second back at the two before strolling away until she could not be seen. Jack hesitated for a moment more before he shook his head.

"I'll see you around, Tim," he said warily, and turned to the path that led to the farm. Tim hesitated for a moment himself, looking where both people had left before entering the inn again.

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"Ah, there you are!" Takakura called as he raised his hand to shield his vision from the sun and squinted in the young man's direction. "Did Van keep you busy?"

"Yeah, Van and Tim and I had a little chat about… stuff," Jack said hesitantly as he climbed up the ladder. Takakura nodded and gave a quiet "Mmm" as he pried another piece of roofing off. Jack grabbed his own tool and followed the older farmer's example.

"So how long do you think this will take?" He said with exertion in his voice as he struggled to remove the piece. Takakura smiled smugly at the scene.

"Well, at the rate you're going, I'd say we've got a while before we're done. We will want to finish before a storm comes, though – Clover wouldn't be too grateful with us otherwise."

"How are we going to do that?" Jack asked disbelievingly as he continued to wrench the roofing off. "There's barely enough time to water the plants during the day, let alone this."

Takakura nodded his head quickly. "I know, I know – which is why I asked Vesta if we could borrow Celia for a little bit."

The tugging stopped immediately as Jack turned to Takakura, confusion on his face. "What?"

"At this point, ripping them off can be done with pretty much one person – and seeing as you seem to be having some trouble with the job – " Takakura smiled again, "I'll go ahead and do this until we're done stripping – then I will need your help. But more importantly, Celia's going to be showing you how to take care of the plants – now that they're sprouting, we'll need to watch over them more carefully to make sure they're fine as they grow."

Jack remained silent, staring off into the forest. He thought of her brown hair, her small smile –

"Hello? You alright with that?"

Jack started back into consciousness and looked back to Takakura. "Huh?"

"Are you going to be alright with Celia helping you out?"

Jack hesitated for a moment before he nodded. Takakura smiled as he resumed his task.

"She's a really nice girl once you get to know her," he said cheerfully.

"I'll bet," Jack replied with as much confidence he could muster.

…But are you?

Jack mentally shook his head with determination. Stop it, he said fiercely, that doesn't help anyone. Yet the thought lingered beneath the surface. He frustratingly turned his attention to his task, using every tug of his tool to reveal the drafty stable below his feet.

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The sheet of metal creaked as it was pulled away from its resting place. The remnants of sunlight streamed in between the trees in narrow bands, illuminating the site with a dusty and still glow as Takakura wiped his brow of sweat.

"Well, we did a lot, Jack – I think we're good to stop for today. Thanks for your help."

Jack silently nodded and began to slowly climb down the ladder.

"You okay?"

The farmer stopped and looked back up. "Yeah, why?"

Takakura shrugged his shoulders. "You were real quiet today, that's all."

"Well, I'm doing okay, thanks," Jack answered quickly and continued his descent.

"Jack?"

The farmer stopped again. "Hmm?"

Takakura lowered his head and stared at the young man. "If you need to tell me anything, just go ahead, okay?"

Jack opened his mouth, then hesitated for a moment before saying, "Thanks," and finished climbing down. He wearily headed straight for his house, Takakura's words rapidly fading. It had been a long day, and he wanted to go straight to bed –

"Hiya, Jack!"

Jack blinked unexpectedly. There were the three brightly colored and miniscule Harvest Sprites, standing where just a moment ago there were no Sprites.

"Uh – hi, guys," he replied, trying to follow their manic movements all over the place. They were worse than Buddy. "You seem to be doing fine – "

"Yes, we're very happy," said the large red Sprite, who had stopped bouncing and landed on Jack's shoulder. "But we wanted you to come to our house so we can be even happier!"

"Oh, I, um – I'm sorry, guys, but I'm just too tired right now," Jack said truthfully, "And I think I'm just going to go to sleep. Sorry," he apologized as the trio let out a high-pitched Awwwww, "But maybe next time. See you later."

He quickly bounded for the door, opened it enough to slide in, and shut the door firmly. The Sprites bounced over to the window, each tumbling over each other to get a better view inside. They saw Jack sigh before he walked slowly to the table and began to write.

"We have to show him the secret!" The blue one squealed, and began jumping around. The large red one nodded vigorously.

"Yes, he must know the secret!"

The three watched Jack write a bit before springing off into the darkening forest.