Original Author's Note: I'm squeezing in some writing time before school starts again for the week tomorrow. I won't be able to do much writing during the week, due to all of the commitments I have, but I will write whenever I can. With that in mind, enjoy!

Editor's Note at the end of the chapter.

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Soft hues of gold and orange dawned across the sky as the sun peaked out from the horizon. Chickens and roosters startled to life, clucking and shouting spritely tunes for the town to awaken to. Plants unfurled from their nightly slumber, sleepily absorbing the gentle kisses of the sun for their hungry roots. Tree branches wrestled with one another lightly, splendid emerald collages that bore badges of gold through soft slits of light. As warmth rose from the ground, a feathery breeze circulated the stuffy air into a bearable distribution.

Claire strode out from her home, inhaling deeply. The fresh air was intoxicating, flooding her muscles with a burst of energy. Her sunny hair waved along in the breeze as her glowing eyes glanced toward the sky. The sun gave a harsh greeting, forcing her to raise her hands to block out the more aggressive rays. She returned the sun's greeting with a smile before turning on her heels to leave the farm.

The time was 5:30; 30 minutes before she would usually awaken. Claire was never one to awaken early when she could help it. 6:00 was already early enough considering the number of times she toiled into the deep hours of night, where the only sounds were the yawns of owls and scampering of crickets. However, Claire had awoken with a purpose today.

She was going to the Poultry Farm.

Had Claire been able to have it any other way, she wouldn't be waking up early to go to that place, where ghosts and forgotten dreams resided. She would've found a way to purchase whatever she needed from someone outside of town. Heck, she would've gladly taken the half-day hike to Forget-Me-Not to "borrow" her desired items from Mark.

But, Claire, while stubborn, was not entirely unreasonable. The expense to purchase from out of town would be far too excessive for the trouble of briefly confronting distant memories of the past. And, while visiting her brother was a tempting prospect, her time was not unlimited. She had a duty to plan every moment of her time with a desperate precision. The trip to the Valley and back would take all day. If Claire was to view time as a currency, then her status would be quickly surmised as "in poverty".

No, she could bear to brave a short trip to the Poultry Farm. There was a 66% chance that she wouldn't even run into him. That was enough to convince Claire that she would surely be lucky enough not to deal with the man in question. Well…she would hardly call him a "man", but it was the most appropriate term if she wished to keep herself unacquainted with her memories.

Claire took a deep breath as she reached the streets of Mineral Town. Lights flickered inside buildings as merchants prepared to open for the day. The light sound of hammering echoed across the streets as Mr. Saibara hammered away in the forge. And all too quickly, the sound of chickens squawking greeted Claire's ears.

Claire paused her walk as she listened to the squawking. They were rather energetic and…heated, compared to what she'd been used to hearing. Despite Claire's hesitation (after all, it'd been years since she'd really dealt with many chickens) she slowly grew more confident that there was something odd occurring. She quickly ran to the entrance of the Poultry Farm, gasping as she caught sight of a truly spectacular scene.

A lone figure stood in the middle of a large horde of chickens. All of them screamed and waved their wings explosively. A few even dared to jump up and down in demanding movements, and a few others started to jump forward and peck the ground around the figure threateningly. Claire blinked, stepping forward instinctively to help diffuse the situation…

That was, until she realized that the figure was Rick. The person she had been hoping she wouldn't see. There was only a 33% chance to catch a glimpse of him! Why did it have to be him?!

Claire's nostrils flared as she whipped around, taking a step forward to leave. Good riddance! A bitter smirk split Claire's face as the karma felt too sweet to not indulge in at least a little bit.

"Claire?" a desperate voice called out.

Had Claire had any sense, she would've continued her walk of victory and left the suffering soul behind her in the dust. It was only payment in kind, for what he'd done to her. His current predicament was…well, it had to be the Harvest Goddess giving payback for Rick's crimes, right?

Right?

Claire froze in place, turning around before she even knew what she was doing. Rick's eyes were wide, like that of a child frightened during an explosive thunderstorm. The look…a universal expression of utter humanity and fear. Claire…even back then, she'd never seen him so…petrified.

"Please!" he called out, reaching a desperate arm in her direction. The angry mob pushed back the step he took as they heightened their tumultuous rally.

Claire's lips formed a firm line as she waited. Warring factions collided in her mind. She was tempted…oh so tempted…to listen to the one side that screamed for her to leave. He deserved it.

But…something in his eyes. The way they flashed absolute, pure terror…that unsettled her stomach. A sickening nausea swirled within Claire at the sight of Rick so…pitiful. Yes, pitiful was the best term. (She wouldn't allow herself to admit that Rick was far from pitiful.)

Claire sighed, closing her eyes as brought up two fingers and gave an ear-bursting whistle. "Alright, listen up!" she shouted at the chickens, completely entrancing the horde that turned to look at the strange new human in their midst. Claire pointed toward the coop with a flame in her eye. "You're going to get back in there! And you're going to do it NOW!"

The mob didn't move. Some of the chickens gave strange, quiet coos as they appeared to deliberate Claire's demands. A few chickens ruffled their feathers apathetically. But…then, one chicken from the back turned and walked.

It walked and walked and walked…back to the pen. Then a second one followed. Then a third, a fourth…

Rick watched the scene in wonder as all of them obeyed Claire's command. Not one chicken rebelled or attacked. They just…listened. Minutes passed as all of the chickens easily walked back to their designated coops. Rick shot over to shut the gate, firmly preventing any mischievous poultry from escaping once again.

He snapped his head to see disbelief blink across Claire's face. She even looked back at him for a full second before turning away. "Wait!" Rick shouted, running after Claire. She reached to rest a hand on the fence, more so to steady herself than anything else.

Why did I help him? Why?!

"Thank you," Rick panted. "I don't know what got into them. I was just feeding them this morning and next thing I know I'm cornered in the middle of the farm."

"…You're welcome," Claire replied, refusing to meet his eyes. Rick crumpled his lower lip as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Um…so, what're you up to? You seemed…well, correct me if I'm wrong, but…it seemed that you were coming here…to—"

"Oh, yes, that," Claire said quickly. "I know you guys don't open till late, but I'm in a bit of pickle and was hoping I could do a purchase before store hours?"

"Of course. I mean…well, I just want you to know that we never really do this—"

"Trust me, I wouldn't be asking if I could've avoided it. I ran out of feed faster than I'd anticipated and need to get more so my chickens don't starve. I promise, it won't take long."

Rick chuckled. "Didn't think it would! Come inside; I'll get you all sorted."

Rick walked toward the house with Claire following behind reluctantly. As the pair entered the house, Rick jumped behind the counter and started stacking bags.

"How many do you need?"

"Just 6 will be fine."

"I'll get you 10," Rick replied.

"I'm not looking to spend that type of money," Claire replied, calmly agitated.

"I'm not asking you to. The feed will be on the house," he stated with a grunt as he stacked the last bag onto the counter. Claire shifted her jaw as she pointedly looked at Rick.

"I'm not here looking for freebies or special treatment. I've come here to purchase 6 bags, that's all. You don't have to pity me or grovel at my—"

"Woah, woah. Who says I'm doing either of those things? I didn't realize trying to thank somebody for a good deed was a form of pity these days," Rick replied with a good-natured grin.

"If showing a bit of spine to some chickens is considered a good deed, then…wow, that's sad." Despite Claire's intention for the sentence to be dry and humorless, she laughed at the end, rousing a hearty guffaw from Rick.

"Alright, point taken. But still…you…didn't have to do that. It was nice of you to help me out, even if you didn't have any obligation to."

The underlying understanding between the two remained unsaid. However, the facts of…everything carried the same subtlety as a bull in a China shop. She knew it just as well as he did. Neither had the courage to bring it up. It was far too large for the moment or for their current moods.

"You're welcome."

Rick beamed briefly before the silence sat for a moment too long. And then a moment longer. And longer. Claire shuffled on her feet, folding her arms as if it were a safeguard against the interaction.

Rick cleared his throat, scratching the area below his chin. "Um, so, feed."

"Right, feed," Claire replied.

"If you really want to just buy the 6, then have at it. But, I'm perfectly happy to give you all 10 for—"

"I'll take it."

"Wuh—you will?"

"That's what I just said, didn't I?" Claire asked, tapping her elbows. She grimaced at the thought of accepting even more charity from Rick. But…well, she couldn't deny it would be a relief to her bank account.

"Alright then. Would you like help carrying them? It will make things a lot faster."

"I'd prefer you not," was Claire's clipped response. Rick rose both of his hands.

"Suit yourself."

Rick watched as Claire grabbed two bags from the table, tossing them over her shoulders. She quickly shuffled out of the house, allowing the door to swing closed behind her with a resounding hmph.

Rick remained at the counter, twiddling his thumbs as the excess flow of adrenaline subsided. He was consumed by the sudden need to do something…anything to get himself moving, doing…distracting himself. He couldn't help her with the bags; Claire had made that abundantly clear. What could he do?

Well, he knew for certain that he didn't want to occupy his mind with thoughts of sun-head and her ocean irises, that's for sure. Unfortunately, that appeared far too easy for himself to do, since the image of her screaming at the chickens plopped itself into his mind effortlessly. It seemed that it would take effort to shove it out of his brain.

There, he'd been standing with absolutely no hope for escape. And yet, within seconds of pleading for help, Claire took the reins and somehow wrangled an entire army of unruly chickens into an orderly pilgrimage back to the coop. Such a spectacle was rare, and Rick wasn't thinking about the chickens.

The spectacle was seeing the such demands combust from Claire. Rick was well aware that Claire was confident (most of the time) and could take hold of situations (most of the time) when they were younger. But…seeing her completely solve the predicament in such a short amount of time with her unwavering demeanor…Rick had to distract himself with the angry mob of chickens not to swoon.

Popuri was right. He had it bad. Really, really bad.

His thoughts popped out of his head the moment the door opened again. Claire's ragged, red face greeted him as he looked up at her quizzically.

"Everything alright?"

Claire took a moment to breathe. "Yep."

Rick rubbed his chin a second, debating whether the next question he wanted to ask was treading too deep in dangerous waters. "…You sure you don't want help with the bags?"

He braced himself for a resounding no. But, instead, a long, heavy silence stretched in the air. Claire's eyes were distant while the gears trudged through muddy thoughts in her mind. Rick felt himself grow breathless, waiting for Claire's answer.

"I'll tell you where to put the bags," she finally replied. Rick hesitated a moment, ensuring that he understood her words. He timidly reached and threw two bags over his shoulders, following Claire out the door as she walked at a surprisingly fast pace.

It appeared that Claire had no interest in Rick being able to keep pace with her, based on the fast powerwalk she endured back to her farm. Rick, on the other hand, took a slower pace to ensure he didn't exhaust himself. He was strong, but the bags of feed were no joke.

By the time Rick reached the entrance of the farm, Claire was leaning against her house, arms crossed. A flicker of annoyance dragged across her face before she managed to dig up a pleasantly neutral expression. "Follow me."

Rick nodded, adjusting the bags before following Claire as she practically raced to the coop. She waited impatiently by the coop, giving a very sharp gesture to the side of the coop to indicate where the feed should be stored. As Rick dropped the bags, he noticed that Claire was much redder than she had been when she came back to the shop for the second round of feed.

"We just need one more trip and we'll be done," Claire stated before breaking off into a jog. Rick remained standing by the coop, watching her rush off into town with a vague disposition. He waited another moment before chasing after her.

Claire was already exiting the shop when Rick arrived. Before she could trudge back to her farm, he put up a hand.

"Maybe we could walk together this time? It might make things a little easier."

"I don't think talking during heavy labor makes anything easier," Claire retorted with a firm frown. Rick sighed.

"I just…sometimes talking helps me out a bit. You look tired—"

"So?"

"I just thought walking together might help you get a breather before you have to do the rest of your chores," Rick stated lightly. "You know…it might get you to pace yourself?"

Claire huffed, dropping her two bags onto the ground. "Get the last two bags."

Rick nodded, rushing inside briefly before coming back out to see Claire waiting for him. Hoisting the bags onto her shoulders, the two walked side-by-side toward the farm. Rick glanced over at Claire, keenly aware of the heavy puddles of sweat pooling around her forehead.

"So, uh, I've gotta say, it looks like you've made a lot of progress on the farm," Rick said, attempting to spark a conversation. Claire turned her head as much as she could, looking at him thoughtfully before turning to look straight forward.

"I try my best."

Rick nodded, allowing a few moments of silence to pass. "I, uh…well, I never had any doubts. But…it's really impressive, that you're running everything by yourself. It's a lot of work, and to see you stick it out is inspiring."

Claire gave a clipped sigh. "Indeed."

Rick bit his lower lip, sifting through his mind for another ideal source of conversation. "Have the animals been giving you any trouble?"

"No."

"Hatched any chicks lately?"

"Yes."

"Alright, well, pop-quiz: how long does it take for a chick to hatch from an egg?"

Claire gave Rick an insulted look. "3 days. Do you think I'm stupid or something?"

Rick laughed, hints of his nerves tucked in its undertones. "Far from it. I just thought I'd keep you on your toes."

Despite herself, Claire gave a slightly confused smile at Rick's response. "Alright."

"I…I just think it's inspirational, what you've done. There are very few people who can put in that type of work into a place, and so persistently too."

"Thanks…it means…that's nice of you to say," Claire replied. The pair unceremoniously reached the farm where they laid down the last of the feed. Claire reached out a hand to shake Rick's quickly. "Thanks for your help. See you around."

"See you around," Rick said with a smile.

As he pivoted to leave, Rick found himself taking a glance backward. Claire was already turned away, carefully talking to her chickens from within the coop. He could barely make out her form crouching down to the ground to get a hold of one of the younger members of the coop. Rick felt himself grin at the sight, finally departing.

During Rick's walk, he paid no attention to the world bursting to life around him. The trees escaped his notice. The hammering at the blacksmith's tuned out of his ears. The steady click of his feet on the brick roads were completely muted by his mind.

No, Rick was too occupied with thoughts of a certain sun-head. So much so, in fact, that he didn't realize when he'd accidentally landed himself in the middle of the Poultry Farm's chicken coop, where an entire horde of chickens stared at him with a fiery vigor.

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E/N: This was chapter 16 in the original draft of the story. I decided to rearrange the order in which I presented events, since I didn't want to neglect the timeline that occurs in the present too much. I plan to expand upon the storyline in the past more, and felt it was better that I bring back the present storyline so that there is momentum in both without completely neglecting the present in favor of the past.

As for other changes, I worked to better express the thoughts going through the characters and where both Rick and Claire were regarding each other. Rick's thoughts were neglected in the original version that was published. This story is not necessarily fixed in Claire's POV, which led me to believe that balancing the thoughts between the two more was a reasonable path to take. Otherwise, I wanted the flow and dialogue to occur more naturally while keeping the personalities of the characters recognizable. (I also hope to characterize Rick better, since I feel that in my original version, Rick wasn't very well rounded as a character).