A/N: Hullo! Sorry for the late update!
Oh, uhm, maybe you'd like to read an original work? Please try my original story, My Girlfriend Is a Zombie. It can be found on Fictionpress. Same pen name. The link's on my profile. Thanks.
Word count: 2, 283
So, without further ado, here's the third chapter of Rugged Boy!
Rugged Boy
By TheMaskedGirl
Spring 30
7:30am
The last few days of the season passed by uneventfully. Claire did her job without much passion.
"Good morning, chickens," she said. She dumped a pack of bird feed on their still-full container.
She trekked to the barn and took out her brush. "Hey, cows and sheep." She brushed her cows and sheep. She placed fodder in their container and left, not even bothering to milk or shear them.
After her chores, she went straight to her tiny house. She sat in her couch and hugged her knees to her chest.
9:00am
Knock! Knock!
Claire was knocked out of her reverie literally when two knocks resounded. She carried herself to the door and opened it.
A man with a rather dark tan and painstakingly good looks stood in front of the farmer. A purple bandanna was tied around his head, covering his brown locks. He wore a brown polo with a ¾ length sleeve over a white shirt, purple pants, and black boot-like shoes. He grinned at the blonde farmer, showing his dimples. His big brown eyes looked at her, seeing through her soul. "Claire!" he exclaimed and engulfed him in a bear hug.
"Kai," Claire said, her voice hoarse from crying. She hugged him back.
Kai broke the hug and held the girl at arm's length. He examined the farmer and said, "You look horrible!"
Claire rolled her eyes. "And you look great, Kai. Come in."
9:27am
"Really? He did that to you?" Kai asked incredulously.
The farmer, who was sitting beside him on the couch, nodded. Her eyes were red and puffy again.
"Who caught him?"
She leaned on him. "We called the city police. Harris, do you know him? He was there. Apparently, Skye was also making trouble in Mineral Town. Harris wanted to catch him so he was the one who came here. The mayor of Mineral Town also came here. All the residents, except the children, were here, too."
"Goddess, I can't believe it," he said and ran a hand through his brown curls. His bandanna was lying on the table, forgotten.
"I can't believe it either. And to think he cheated on me with my three best friends!" she said angrily.
"How are they?" Kai asked and put an arm around her.
"Who?"
"Your friends?"
Claire shrugged. "They're fine. Lumina and Celia said they only had a crush on Skye. Muffy, on the other hand, was smitten with him. But not as smitten as me. She cried for a few days, but that's it. She's fine now," she explained. "Enough about me. How are you? Why are you here so early?" she asked and tilted her head to face her friend.
"Silly Claire. It's already the thirtieth of Spring!" Kai said and raised a brow.
"Thirty? Oh my goddess, I've been moping for," she did a quick calculation, "eight days!"
He grimaced. "Damn, Claire. Is that why your farm is such a mess?"
Claire furrowed her eyebrows and asked, "What do you mean?"
Kai shook his head once more and tugged at Claire's arm. "I'll show you."
He walked to the door and opened it widely. He stepped out and with a sweep of his arm, said, "Your farm."
Claire gasped, then her eyes rolled and she fell. Kai caught her before she hit the ground, all the while shouting, "Claire! Claire! Oh, my goddess! Claire!"
10:15am
"Sorry to bother you, doc," Kai apologized. He scratched his bandanna-clad head. How he managed to wear his bandanna while carrying Claire with both hands was a mystery.
"Nonsense. It's my job, my duty, my passion, my vocation to help those in need! I may be old, but I've still got bones," Doctor Hardy grunted. "Don't underestimate me."
Kai gulped. "W-what I mean to say is-"
"Yes, yes. I got what you're trying to say," said the old man. His mechanical right eye glinted, creeping the other man out.
"S-so, what's up with her?" Kai asked and looked at Claire.
She was lying in the clinic bed, pale but alive. She was breathing slowly. Her hair was spread out in the pillow, like a golden halo.
"She was depressed, boy. No, she is depressed. She also hasn't eaten anything for days. Look at her, all bones," the doctor said. He removed the disc-looking thing from his head and wiped it with a striped handkerchief.
"I see," Kai said, a worried look on his face.
"I reckon you two are very close. Help her recover, boy. Take care of her. If she refuses to eat, force her. But of course, don't make her eat too much. That would upset her stomach. Got it?" the doctor asked. His mechanical eye glinted again.
Kai had no choice but to agree. He was greatly intimidated by the old doctor. Claire was a very close friend of his too. She's his best friend, in fact. "Yes, sir-uh, doc."
"Help her manage the farm too," he added.
Kai nodded. "Okay. Uh, how much does this cost?"
The doctor looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"The examination, the medicine," said Kai.
Hardy shook his head. "Don't bother."
"But-"
"You don't need to pay. Claire's a very special girl. She's like my granddaughter. She'd bring me all sorts of grasses and herbs, you know? When I was sick, she took care of me. She's a sweet girl," the doctor said, more to himself than Kai.
"I-I see. Thanks, Doc Hardy," Kai said. He carried Claire bridal style to bring her back to her farm.
"You're welcome, Kai. Take care of Claire and yourself, of course."
5:30pm
Claire awoke to the smell of good food. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and stood up from her bed. The bed creaked in response. She stretched and walked out of her small room and followed the smell of the food.
"Hey, sleepyhead," Kai greeted. He was sitting on her couch, watching television.
"Kai! You're still here!" Claire exclaimed, surprised to see the man.
"Yeah, you fainted on me," he answered, his eyes glued to the screen.
"What are you watching?" she asked and sat beside him on the couch.
"A cooking show. I didn't know you got cable already," Kai said with a chuckle. "You hungry? I cooked something for my best lady friend."
Claire grinned. "So that's what I smelled. Yes, I'm hungry. I'm very hungry, actually."
Kai turned the TV off and pulled her to the dining table where a feast was laid. They sat down and Claire started wolfing down the spaghetti.
"Woah, slow down," Kai said and laughed loudly.
"Maym hamgray," Claire answered, her mouth full.
He cringed at her and said, "That is so unladylike, Claire."
She swallowed the food and answered, "And I'm not one, so I don't think it matters. I need something to drink." She looked at him and batted her eyes.
"Brat," he mumbled and stood up to get her some water.
"I heard that!"
Summer 1
7:30am
Claire once again awoke to the smell of food. She dashed out to the dining room and sat on a chair. Her strength was back, thanks to Kai's great food. She was still heartbroken and depressed, but she was trying very hard to hide it from her friend.
"Good morning, Kai!" she greeted him with a smile.
"Good morning, Claire," he greeted back. He set a plate in front of the hungry girl. "Breakfast is served."
Kai sat down on the chair situated on the other side of the square table and placed a plate with less food in front of him. "Blueberry pancakes, your favorite," he said.
"Thanks, Kai," she said sincerely.
"You're welcome, Claire-dear," he said with a wink.
"Oh, Goddess, thank you for the food that you have given to us," Claire prayed.
"Dig in!"
They ate the pancakes, savoring the blueberry-y taste. They made an agreement that Kai would be living in Claire's small house for the whole season. In return, Kai would cook food for her.
"So what are your plans for today?" Claire asked her gorgeous companion.
He swallowed the food he was chewing and said, "I'm going to help you 'round the farm, cook lunch, help you 'round the farm, cook dinner, and sleep."
She rolled her eyes. "You don't need to help me. I'm quite capable, you know."
"Yeah, right. The last thing I need is a blonde farmer on a clinic bed." Kai stuck out his tongue and continued eating his pancakes.
"I've been farming for a year and a season now, Kai."
"I promised Doc Hardy. Though, even if he didn't tell me, I'll still help you."
"But-"
"I will help you, whether you like it or not," Kai said sternly.
"What about your shack?" Claire was intent on doing her farm work on her own.
"Hey, it's not as if I'm going to help you for the whole season. Just for a week or two," he assured her.
Claire sighed. "Fine."
8:27am
"Good morning-oh, Goddess!" A shocking sight greeted Claire and Kai.
The coop was a mess. Eggs were scattered around. Some of the shells of the eggs were broken, but some were still in good condition. Bird feed was all over the floor because the container was overflowing.
"Oh, my Goddess, Claire. What happened to your coop?" Kai asked, dumbfounded. Last time he checked, Claire was a neat person
Claire bit her lip, trying her hardest not to cry. "I got distracted. I didn't take care of them properly. Oh, Goddess. I hate myself."
Kai placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Claire, you were depressed. It's not your fault. I'm sure your animals understand you."
She knelt down and picked up the chicken who was pecking on her shoes. "Corchy," she said and hugged the beautiful but dirty chicken.
"And I'm here to help!" Kai exclaimed.
Claire smiled. "Thank you. Let's get to work then."
Three and a half hours later, the coop was clean, the chickens were clean, the good eggs were in crates, neatly stacked inside the shipping bin, and the farmer and traveler were exhausted.
"Goddess, we stink," Kai complained.
"And I'm so tired," the blonde farmer added.
They were sitting underneath the blooming peach tree, trying to relax.
"My muscles are sore," Kai whined. "I've never felt like this even if I've got lot of customers in my restaurant."
Claire nodded in agreement. "It's tiring, isn't it?"
"I can't believe you were able to these alone for a year and a quarter," Kai said, amazed.
Claire shrugged. "It must run in the blood. Besides, I bathe my animals every other day. So it's not that hard since they're not that dirty."
They were silent for a while until Claire's stomach grumbled loudly.
Kai laughed out loud while Claire blushed like a tomato. "Shut it, Kai," she said, embarrassed.
He stood up, still laughing, and offered his hand to Claire. She took it and he pulled her up. "I'm going to cook lunch," he said, a big grin on his handsome face. "On the other hand, go to the barn and check on your animals."
"Are you telling me what to do?" Claire asked, brows raised, and hands on her tiny hips.
Kai copied her actions and mocked, "What if I am?"
The two laughed and went their separate ways: the brunet traveler to the farmhouse and the blonde farmer to the barn.
The situation of the barn was less horrific. Claire started with bathing her filthy animals. A few minutes later, the door of the barn slammed open. A hysterical Kai walked inside the barn to Claire. He proceeded to holding her shoulders and shaking her.
"What's wrong, Kai?" she asked her friend. "And stop shaking me."
"It's the first of Summer, Claire," he said. His beautiful brown eyes sparkled with worry.
"And?" Claire asked, still not getting it.
"First of Summer, Beach Opening Day, eat-all-you-can feast?"
The blonde farmer's hands flew to her mouth, flabbergasted. "Oh, my goddess. What time is it?"
The olive-skinned traveler checked his watch. "Ten minutes after eleven."
Claire bit her lip and thought for a bit. Then, her eyes twinkled. She grinned and rubbed her palms together. "We still have time."
1:50pm
"We thought you'd never come!" Rock complained.
Ruby whacked him in the head. "Stop complaining, Rock. Go and help them!"
Rock groaned and walked to Claire and Kai. Claire was holding two baskets, one in each hand, while Kai was carrying two baskets in each hand. He grabbed two baskets from Kai and placed it beside the shack.
"Thanks, Rock," Kai said. He dropped the other two baskets and helped Claire with hers. "Where are the others?"
Rock shrugged. "They said they'd be back at two in the afternoon. They got bored waiting for you. What took you so long anyway?"
Claire smiled at them apologetically. "Sorry about that. Kai was helping me around the farm and we forgot about the festival today," she explained.
Rock shrugged again. "Figures."
"Rock, dear, please help us," Ruby said.
She was setting the tables in the beach and Kai was setting up his shack.
Rock groaned. Claire grinned. "Let's go, Rocky."
7:00pm
"That was fun!" Claire said and sat down on the couch contentedly.
Kai was sprawled on the wooden floor, groaning. "Yeah, because all you did was eat."
Claire snorted. "As if. I only ate one plate. That's so unfair."
"Like I said, you're not allowed to eat a lot. You have to adjust to it first."
She sighed. "Fiiiiine. If you say so. Do you want me to cook dinner for you?" She stood from the couch and went to the kitchen, not bothering to wait for his answer.
"Thanks! Don't poison me!" he said. He heard her say, "I'll try." He chuckled softly. He moved from the floor to the couch. Kai loved his friend, but he's a bit worried about her cooking his food.
A/N: There you go! I believe in the saying that, "It's not a Graire fanfic without Kai." Haha. I love Kai. I can't help it. But not more than our precious little blacksmith. Haha!
I'm sorry for the errors!
CrimsonButterfly07: Thank you!
Jazz: I feel so special. Haha. Thanks!
Apples Parachute: Thank you!
Ancient Liddel: Thank you!
Krosec13: Thank you!
See you on the next chapter!
Please leave a review! Thank you!
Love lots,
TheMaskedGirl