A/N: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand, I'm back! I'm really sorry for not being able to update for sooooooooo long. I'm really sorry!
We're leaving FMN Valley now. I hope you like this chapter. I did. Our dearest heroine will finally meet our dearest hero! Yey! I was supposed to say something, but I forgot what it is, so never mind. Hee.
Word count: 2299
So, without further ado, here's Chapter 4 of Rugged Boy!
Rugged Boy
By TheMaskedGirl
Fall 8
Summer had come and gone. Kai had to leave again to tend to his restaurant in Mineral Town. Claire reverted back to her old self. She had cried to sleep every night ever since the boy left. She realized that she was alone. Her best friends had moved on. Lumina had Rock, Muffy had Griffin, and Celia got engaged to a businessman from the city. The other bachelorettes in town, Flora and Nami, have gotten married to Carter and Gustafa respectively. Marlin was single, but he's got his sister, Vesta. While she... she was alone.
In Forget-Me-Not Valley, she has no one. Everyone else has someone who loves them. Even Takakura, the old man, has a daughter who will come to help on the farm in a few days. Her only relative, her brother, was in Mineral Town. She couldn't leave the farm to go to him...
The blonde suddenly shot out of bed. She dried her tears and clumsily walked to the calendar, tripping on her discarded shoes.
She cast a quick glance at the wall clock which read: 4:00am.
"Takakura's daughter is coming today!" she exclaimed. Her mind started to race. A plan was formed.
9:48am
It was settled. She was leaving the farm to Takakura and his daughter. She trusted Takakura, he wouldn't let the farm crumble to ruins. Her animals, which she loved dearly, will be shipped to her brother's farm. She was leaving for Mineral Town in a few days.
"Are you sure about this, Claire?" Takakura asked for the fifteenth time.
The ex-farmer grinned. "I've never been surer. Besides, I know you and your daughter will take care of the farm very well."
He smiled. Claire knew what she was getting into. She was a smart girl. "If that is so. When are you leaving?"
They were standing beside the windmill, the same place Claire waited for Skye seasons ago. But she didn't notice this. "On the thirteenth," she answered. She looked at the entrance and the exit of the valley, looking for the brunette that was Takakura's daughter. They've never met before, but she's got a feeling that she was nice.
A few minutes later, a brunette pulling two suitcases came into view. Her brown mane was tied in her signature ponytail and her periwinkle eyes twinkled with delight. She let go of her bags and hugged her father. "Oh, daddy! I missed you, too."
"I missed you, too, Jill," he replied softly.
Claire stood in the corner and observed the father and child. Her heart ached with longing for her dead parents. She made the right decision to leave. She needed her brother.
"Jill, meet Claire. She's the owner of the farm," Takakura said.
Claire smiled. "Hey. Take care of my farm well, Jill."
"What do you mean?" Jill asked, her eyes twinkling with deep curiosity. Her father never told her she would be owning a farm of her own.
"I'm leaving," was Claire's brief reply.
Fall 13
10:00am
"Got it?" Claire asked.
Jill nodded. "Yep."
The blonde sighed with relief. "Good, good. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me. You've already got my brother's telephone number on your phone, right?"
"Yes." Jill was the only one in Forget-Me-Not Valley who had a cellphone.
It was the day of Claire's departure and she was panicking. It wasn't because she didn't trust Jill and Takakura. She was just worried.
"Are you sure I can live without my animals?" she asked again. Her animals, together with March and Cindy, were already in Mineral Town. Some dude with long orange-y hair from Mineral Town picked them up.
"Yes. If I really need animals, I can buy them. I've earned enough money in the city to buy me tons of cows," Jill replied. They've had this conversation for five times already.
"Tools?"
"I bought a hoe, sickle, watering can, hammer, and an axe in the city," Jill answered, just for the sake of humoring her.
"Seeds?"
"Dad bought from Vesta."
"How about-"
"Claire, calm down," Jill instructed. She pushed the blonde down to make her sit on the couch. She went to the kitchen, grabbed a glass and filled it with water from her fridge, and shoved it into Claire's tiny hands. "We've been through this for five times already."
"Really?" Her eyes widened.
"Really." Jill's lips curved into an amused grin. "I can handle it, I promise. I'll take care of your farm."
Claire took a big gulp of water then placed it in the table. She massaged her temples and said, "I know, but I can't help but feel nervous."
"That's normal, but it's not anymore if you react too much." She sat beside the blonde and
"I got it. Thanks."
1:57pm
"Goodbye, Claire. We're going to miss you terribly," a crying Lumina said.
"Don't forget to send us letters and call us from time to time. Promise us you'll come back?" Muffy asked, her face streaked with tears.
"Take care of yourself, Claire. Don't forget to eat and don't work too hard," Celia reminded the ex-farmer. However timid the brunette was, she was the most responsible and motherly between the four of them.
"I'm going to miss you, too," Claire said, her tears flowing freely. She gave each girl a tight hug. "I promise, I'll visit every season. And I'll send you letters and I'll call you. I love you, gals. Don't stress yourselves, alright? And please welcome Jill. She's a darling." And then in a soft whisper, she added, "Help her with Marlin. They would look good together."
Despite their tears, they all laughed heartily. "You're leaving and yet you're still playing matchmaker. Oh, Claire, we love you so much," Celia said.
"Goodbye?" Claire asked.
Muffy shook her head. "No. We'll see each other again."
The ex-farmer nodded and hugged each girl again. "See you soon, then." She waved goodbye and pulled her suitcases.
Takakura and Jill were standing a few feet from the exit of the valley. Claire let go of her suitcases and hugged the man and his daughter. "Thanks for supporting me, Takakura. Take care. You too, Jill. Work hard, but not too much. Call me if anything happens?"
Jill nodded. "Yes, of course. Thanks for trusting me, Claire. Call us once you're in Mineral Town."
Takakura, who rarely had any emotion, was trying to suppress his tears. "Good luck, Claire. We won't forget you."
"I won't either. And please do me a favor, Jill? Doctor Hardy, you've probably met him. If he needs help, please do help him. He's like a father to me."
Jill nodded. "Of course. I'll take care of him like I'll take care of dad," she promised.
"Thank you." Claire was about to exit the valley when a familiar voice shouted, "Wait!"
She turned and saw Dr. Hardy running, holding a large bag. When he reached her, he was panting hard. "I thought I wouldn't be able to catch you before you leave," he said in between pants.
She smiled. "I thought you wouldn't say goodbye."
The doctor with the cyber eye laughed. "You're like a daughter to me, Claire. Alright, I ain't going to make this cheesy at all. Ya take this bag, ya hear me? Full of medicine. They've got labels and all that. Just call me if ya run out of these and I'll ship more to you."
She hugged the doctor tightly. "Oh, doc, thank you so much. Thank you. I promise I'll take care of myself. But promise me you won't overwork yourself ever again."
"Ya do that. And I promise. Ya won't be here to take care of me anymore. Call me, girl. I won't forgive ya if ya don't. Now, go. I don't want to cry in front of ya," he grunted.
Claire hugged him one last time and said, "Thank you, dad."
The old man grinned, appreciating her gesture.
The whole town was there and they all bade her goodbye. She waved at them one last time and left the valley.
5:00pm
Claire settled into the hotel bed. It was comfortable enough for a cheap hotel and a cheap room. True, she had enough money to last ten days in the most luxurious room of a five-star hotel, but she didn't want to use up all her money for excessive comfort. The room was not dingy, it was actually very clean and well maintained. The same goes with the bathroom. It was small, yes, but cosy. Just like her home in Forget-Me-Not Valley. She sighed longingly.
She shook her head. "No, I made the right decision. Moving would help me move on," she told herself.
She realized she was talking to herself. She snorted. "I must be crazy." She kicked off her runners and went to the bathroom to take a shower to relieve herself from the stress.
9:00am
"Shit, I'm late," a certain blonde ex-farmer cursed as she grabbed her rucksack from the bed and pulled her suitcases. She checked the room to see if she left anything. Nope. Everything was in her bag. She left the room hurriedly to go to the pier. Her ferry, the one that would bring her to Mineral Town, would leave at ten.
Thirty-eight minutes later, she was sitting on the bench, waiting for the ferry to arrive. It arrived some minutes later. The passengers, or rather, the passenger, got off the ferry. He was an odd lad. He wasn't carrying anything other than a small rucksack. Claire didn't see his eyes for it was covered by his hat. It was blue and it had the words UMA on it. But she did see that he was frowning. He wore a dark blue shirt and black denim pants.
She stood up from the bench and approached the man. She had time to spare before the ferry departs and she was curious as to why he looked as if the world had shunned him.
"Hello," she said.
He looked up, surprised, but he looked down immediately. He wasn't expecting anyone to talk to him. "What?" he asked gruffly.
When he glanced up, she saw his eyes. They were a pretty shade of blue, lighter than her own, just like the sky. They were hypnotizing, those eyes. She offered him a smile, though she couldn't see the blue orbs anymore. "Hello," she repeated.
"Hi," he replied in his deep voice. He surprised himself when he said hi back. It was highly unusual of him.
"Did you come from-," she stopped mid-sentence when the operator of the ferry shouted, "Passengers of the Pearl of Mineral, voyage to Mineral Town, all aboard!"
She grinned sheepishly. "That's my call. It was nice meeting you, Mr. Blue Eyes. Bye!" She waved goodbye and pulled her suitcases to the ferry.
He looked at her, a brow raised, and then shrugged his shoulder and went his way.
Claire tried to put her baggage up the ferry, but they were too heavy. She frowned. "Damn bags. I can carry a hammer and mine all night long, but I can't carry my damn bags?" she said to no one in particular.
She heard a deep chuckle from behind her. She looked back and saw a man with black hair and a white coat. There was also a weird-looking disc around his head, like Dr. Hardy's. He's probably a doctor, Claire thought.
"Don't curse your bags," he said. "Here, let me help you." He hauled her two suitcases into the ferry without breaking a sweat. He then helped her board the ferry and followed suit. They were ready to go, but the operator was nowhere to be seen.
"Thanks. But where's the-," Claire started when the burly man wearing a wife beater appeared in front of them holding potpourri flowers.
"Sorry, I'm late. I had to buy some flowers," he explained.
The man beside Claire said, "It's alright. To whom are you giving those?"
The operator blushed. "N-no one i-in particular," he answered nervously.
He let it go. "Alright," he said.
The operator grinned at Claire. "Hi, miss. The name's Zack. Are you Jack's younger sis?"
She grinned at him. "Yes. I'm Claire," she said and shook his hand.
"We'll arrive there in three hours," Zack said, "Nice meeting you, Claire. See you. You too, doc."
So he is a doctor, Claire thought. Or his name is Doc.
Zack went to the engine control room to start their short cruise.
"I'm afraid I haven't introduced myself yet," Doc said. "My name is Tim. I'm the doctor of Mineral Town."
Oh, so I am right. I'm right. Oh, goddess. I am so good. "I'm Claire," she said and shook his hand. "Old owner of the farm in Forget-Me-Not Valley, Sunlight Farm."
Tim looked at her, surprised. "You mean, the Sunlight Farm?"
Claire tried to suppress her grin. "Yeah."
"I love your milk!" he exclaimed.
Claire raised a brow.
"The milk from your cows," he said, "Are delicious. And your corn and pineapples. They taste very lovely. But the Supermarket in my town stopped selling your milk last Spring. Thankfully, they started to sell it again last Summer."
The blonde nodded. "I had a problem last Spring. But brother's products, do they sell?"
Tim nodded. "Yes, but I usually don't get to buy any. He's very popular with the ladies from neighboring towns. They would pay a really large amount of money just to get one of his farm produce."
She giggled. "That's my brother." She was already starting to like the doctor. She had a feeling they were going to be great friends.
The ferry started to move. Perhaps moving to Mineral Town wasn't such a bad idea. Starting a new life there would help her discover herself. She smiled. I'm ready.
A/N: Sooo, how was it? And did you squeal when you read what our dearest hero was wearing? Because when I was writing it, I did. Holy cow. Yum!
I was supposed to name Doctor Doc. Okay. Let's do that again. I was supposed to give the doctor the name Doc. Because it sounded cool. Doctor Doc. Hahahaha. Okay.
Sooo, pretty please leave a review and make me happy?
Btw, I love Korean dramas. Like asdfghjkl. Simply awesome. Eeeeh. I love Kim Soo Hyun! Eeeeh.
Oh, and Confident Claire is absolutely adorable. Eeeeh!
Okay. See you!
Love lots,
TheMaskedGirl