Part 13!

Thanks to all those who reviewed! (I'll admit I was a little worried there when nobody reviewed because of the funny glitch thing. Because I will honestly tell you, I was a little worried about that last chapter…this one is much lighter thankfully!)

This means WAR!

The Turning Point

"Whoa, there Chi-chi…calm your jets…" Akari had just finished telling him about her day and could tell the boy sitting across from her was about to have a tizzy fit.

"He kissed you!?" Chihaya cried in disbelief. "Twice!?"

"Yeah…" She said watching him closely. "No need to get all upset."

"Upset!? And then you kissed him!?" The poor guy looked as though his head were about to roll.

"Yes…but only to throw him off as I inflicted horrific pain!" Her eyes glimmered at that last part.

"But you kissed him!?" Chihaya wailed, hurt evident on his face and in his voice.

"Stop exclaiming in a question!" She spat at him a little too harshly. "I'm the one he kissed! And it was my first kiss too…"

"He stole your first kiss!?"

"Stop that! The point is, I should be the one who is upset!"

"Then why aren't you upset?" Chihaya finally asked in a normal question tone.

"Because I'm more mature than that…" She joked, not fooling anyone. "But if I catch that skinny ogre so much as look at me, I'm going to plow his face into the pavement!" There was a bloodthirsty glint in her eye that made Chihaya sit back contently. That's the Akari I know and love. He thought happily.

---

Gill woke up with a start and stared numbly at the two lumps of his feet at the bottom of his bed. The hairs went up on the back of his neck, he knew he was being watched.

"What do you want, father?" Gill asked coldly without looking up. Mayor Hamilton waddled out of the shadows and into the sunlight seeping through the window.

"You were gone a long time, Gill. I was worried."

Gill's brows furrowed as he remembered his ultimate blunder the night before. I cant believe I was so cruel… He thought.

"So…" Continued the mayor, unaware of his son's discomfort. "How did it go?"

"Go?" Gill glanced up confused.

"Yes, go! Did you tell her how you feel?"

Gill shook his head, still rather confused.

"Well, that's your problem!" Hamilton announced. "She won't know unless you tell her!"

"Maybe its better that way…" Gill mused, wincing as he remembered the look in Akari's eye. "I'm pretty sure she would try and kill me if I told her."

Hamilton stared at his son in shock for a moment. He wasn't denying anything, he wasn't running away to hide behind some book, he was…different… "Wow, son." Hamilton shook his head. "You've got it bad…"

You're telling me….

"I don't understand you kids and your 'killing'…" The mayor went on. "Yesterday you go around saying you want to 'kill' her and now you say she wants to 'kill' you…" He smiled at his son. "The way I see it, she feels the same way about you."

Gill shook his head. "No, I'm thinking she would really kill me." He sighed and looked out the window. I was too late…

"Don't give up so easily son!" Hamilton exclaimed slapping him on the back. "If I would have given up that easily then I never would have married your mother!" Gill raised his eyebrows. "She didn't want anything to do with me in the beginning. But once I wore her down and scared away all the other men, she fell right into my arms!"

Oh… that's comforting….Gill thought. Father son bonding moment over!

---

Akari awoke to the shuffling of Chihaya as he was leaving. She had insisted he stay the night since their conversation had lasted into the wee hours of the morning. He was folding the blanket that he had used and put it on the couch, then just stood there staring off into space.

"You going to work?" She turned and smiled to her. "Yeah. Sorry if I woke you."

"No, it's fine. I need to get up anyway." She propped herself up on her elbows. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh no! Of course not, why would there be?" He exclaimed defensively.

"What is it?" She asked with a yawn, patting the end of her bed for him to sit down. He wrung his hands for a moment before complying.

"It's just…I can't stop thinking about what he did to you. It's horrible."

"I told you not to worry about it." She said rubbing sleep from her eyes. "You of all people shouldn't worry about it. He should be worried about it. He should be worried about what I will do about it!" She smiled at him. "Besides, there are worse things…for example, what I'm going to do to him which ends in an early grave!"

Chihaya laughed. "I'm glad I'm not him."

"Yes, be glad, Chihaya." She added dramatically. "Be very glad!"

---

Awhile later after Chihaya had left, Akari stared down at her plants in dismay. They still hadn't given her any fruit! She rubbed her fingers through her hair trying to figure out what she was doing wrong. She always watered them so that wasn't it, she was even using fertilizer so that couldn't be it…what was it?

Just then a twig snapped and she whirled around to confront whoever was sneaking up on her. Little did she know who she would be confronting.

"Gill!" She exclaimed as her heart leapt sickeningly, her face flashing instantly to menacing. "Get out of here!"

He took a step back hesitantly but kept his eyes locked with hers. Why am I doing this to myself…? He thought. "Look, don't get mad." He said holding up his hands. "I'm not here to pick a fight."

"Then why are you here, pray tell!" She hissed through gritted teeth. It took all her strength to stop herself from pummeling him right then and there.

"I'm here to… help…" He looked at her curiously.

Her anger faltered, he took advantage of it. "I want to help you on your farm." He continued with more courage. "It's the least I could do."

He screwed up right there. "The least you could do!?" She spat violently. "You're sick, you know that? I cant believe I--" Her eyes flickered away briefly. "Look, just get out of here before I do something I'll regret." And with that she turned her back on him, picked up her hoe and drove it into the soil with all her might as if to say, 'Hey, see that?

That's going to be you!'

Gill stood awkwardly behind her willing himself to come up with something to say that would make her stop looking at him with those scary eyes. He pursed his lips together determinedly and yelled, "You're a pretty good kisser!"

Needless to say that wasn't it, and she chased him off her farm with her hoe swinging frightfully close to his head.

---

After Akari and finished all her chores, she found herself at the bar with Chihaya placing a lemonade into her hands. "I'm going to kill him…" She hissed, squeezing the glass tightly.

Chihaya nearly dropped the glass he was drying. "Don't tell me Gill---" One look at her told him he did. "What did he do?"

"Well, first he said he wanted to help me…like he pitied me!" She said bitterly.

"What?" Chihaya said in disbelief.

She nodded. "Then he told me I was a good kisser."

Chihaya's face flushed red quickly, but he turned away from her before she could see. "He did what!?" He exclaimed with his back to her.

"I know! I find it incredible too!" She shrilled, throwing her hands in the air. "Not only is he twisted, but now he's lost his mind!"

"I know what will make you feel better!" Chihaya said, whipping back around. "Let's plan our next attack!"

She tipped her head to the side. "I guess…maybe that will work…"

Just then the bell above the door chimed, indicating a new customer, and as Chase lifted his eyes to see who it was his face paled. Akari took that as her cue to leap behind the counter and hide herself between some shelves. Chihaya looked down at her briefly before turning his attention to the young man who had just entered. "G-Gill…" Chihaya said scratching the back of his head casually. "Speak of the devil…" He muttered under his breath.

"Hey, Chihaya, how is your day?" Gill's smooth as silk voice came up over the counter to curl up in Akari's ear. She hunkered down tighter in a ball. Chihaya was silent for a moment. Not quite sure how to respond to Gill's uncharacteristic question.

"Um…fine." He finally settled on. "Can't complain…"

"Well, that's good." Gill said as he pulled himself into a seat. "Do you think you could get me a tomato juice, please?"

Chihaya was unsure again. If it hadn't been for the boy in front of him asking for tomato juice, he would have sworn it was a Gill impersonator. "S-Sure!" Chihaya finally said, busying himself with his job while stealing glanced at Akari who was burying her face in her knees. Oh was this déjà vu or what?

"Look Chihaya, you haven't seen Akari around have you?" Gill asked after Chihaya handed him his tomato juice in exchange for a few coins.

"N-No, not at all. Why do you ask?" Chihaya stumbled over his words.

"No reason." Gill said with a slight raise of his eyebrow. He sipped his juice contently while Chihaya fidgeted. What felt like a lifetime later Gill finally finished his drink. "Well, I ought to be going now…lots to do at Town Hall you know."

"Yeah, sure, whatever…" Chihaya muttered.

Gill nodded and got off the stool, he raised his hand in a wave and said, "Have a nice day."

"Yeah…nice day." Chihaya echoed weakly as Gill gave him one last confused look before exiting the building. Chihaya heaved a great sigh of relief then crouched down next to Akari on the floor. "I thought you said you were going to kill him."

She glanced at him sheepishly. "I will…just not right now. Nice Gill is scarier than mean Gill."

"I think your right…" Chihaya mused as another bell was sounded indicating another customer. "Oh, Luna!"

"Where is Akari, I know she is here somewhere!" The little voice rang out through the building.

Akari popped her head up over the counter.

"Ah-ha! I knew it!" The short girl exclaimed. "Or rather, Candace knew it!"

"Knew what?" Akari and Chihaya asked at the same time.

"Oh, you don't know?" She asked.

"Know what!?" They repeated.

"Don't worry, you will soon enough." She shrugged then glided out the door. Akari and Chihaya had the chance to exchange bewildered looks before the bell rang again, this time Mayor Hamilton strut in as if he were the king of peacocks.

"Have you heard the news!?" He exclaimed.

Chihaya was the first to pull himself together. "No…"

"Well, of course you have heard the news!" He said to Akari who just stared at him dumbfounded. "My Gilly is in LOVE!"

A painfully awkward silence followed that brash declaration.

"Isn't it marvelous!?" Hamilton urged.

"Y-Yes, of course…" Chihaya reassured him with a side glance at Akari. "Who is the lucky…girl?"

"Oh! Chihaya! A suave and dashing man, such as yourself, must know one must not kiss and tell!"

Akari suddenly became nervous.

"Besides!" Hamilton continued. "I want my Gilly to announce it to everyone himself!"

"Then why are you here announcing it to us now?" Akari asked matter-of-factly.

Hamilton puckered his lips in a pout. "Well, he is my only son. You can't deny my being happy for him, can you!?" He spun on his heel and patted Akari affectionately on the cheek and gave her a wink before he twirled right out of the Inn.

"It's a comfort to know at least the mayor is acting normally." Chihaya said sarcastically.

"Yeah, my thoughts exactly." Akari smiled.

Alas, the bell rang once again and once again Chihaya's face paled. But this time Akari couldn't get to her hiding spot fast enough.

"Get him away from me or I'm going to pop his head off before he gets the chance to tell us the good news." She hissed under her breath to Chihaya as Gill called out, "Akari! Luna said you were here!"

She betrayed me again!

"What could you possibly want now, Gill?" Chihaya asked not trying to mask the annoyance from his voice.

Gill extended one pale finger at Akari who was tugging at a lock of hair nervously.

"Her!"

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Bwahahahahaha! Old habits die hard, eh? If you remember that is exactly how the first chapter ended, with Gill pointing to Akari! And well, I couldn't pass it up! I'm evil right?

I had much more fun writing this chapter than the last one…its not fun writing mean things…but then sometimes it totally is! haha!

Notice how the roles kind of change? And how Hamilton has a sane moment! Shocker!

Anywhoos! Please review!