Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon, or the song "Light Up The Sky" by Yellowcard, which I got this story idea from.

Note: This was written in celebration of my accomplishment: I finally married Kai in HMDS Cute. xD I swear, I hate that "you must collect sixty Harvest Sprites to marry" part of the deal. Took me a while. But, yay! :)

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Light Up My Sky

"Hey, you!"

"Her name's Claire, Kassey."

Two voices, one rough and the other softer, and urgent knocks on the door in the distance. What kind of weird dream was this? Why could I feel the sunlight on my face? And why could I see yellows and oranges behind my eyelids instead of the blank darkness I usually saw when I was asleep?

Wait. I was asleep, right?

"Yeah, whatever, Pat." The harsher voice retorted; it was obviously him who was knocking so loudly. "What kind of farmer is still asleep at nine, anyway?"

Okay, so I wasn't dreaming. Apparently, Kassey and Patrick – or maybe just Kassey – had rudely ruined my morning to deliver some kind of news.

Hell, this better be good, I thought with a sigh, getting up reluctantly from the soft cloud that was my mattress. I almost reached for the brush on the vanity table, but decided against it. I didn't need to look good for these two...elders.

"What is –" I opened the door and began. Only I was knuckle-punched in the nose before I could finish my question.

That really woke me up.

Cussing impulsively, a hand flew to cover itself around my nose, in case Kassey would "knock on my door" again. I felt even grumpier when I heard Kassey howl with laughter, and see Patrick – Patrick, the friendlier one, the one I liked out of the two – not-so-subtly chuckle.

I swallowed my anger and pasted a grin on my face. "Good morning." I tried to say it as pleasantly as I could, but it didn't sound so neighborly through gritted teeth.

"Yo," Kassey said in his gruff voice, thankfully done laughing from the accidental hit. "Tomorrow's the Fireworks Festival. Patrick an' I are puttin' on a show. Come."

An uncomfortable pause, probably how I was looking at them, narrowed-eye-glare and all. Patrick cleared his throat. His voice was just as gruff as Kassey's, but there was a nicer tone to it. He smiled, or what looked like it behind his thick gray mustache, and added, "We worked on it extra hard this year."

"Yup, since you didn't come to last year's show." Kassey muttered under his breath, then turned to leave. "'Kay. Well, see you."

Farm work is more important than watching some fire, or whatever the heck it was, in the sky, thank you, I wanted to reply. I kept silent, however, and instead kept myself entertained with eyeing the ironic smiley face design on Kassey's dirty overalls.

Patrick gave a sheepish wave. He didn't say anything, but I knew he was silently apoligizing for his brother's bad manners. "Hope to see you tomorrow," he said, and I denied his sincerity.

I mumbled a "goodbye" and closed the door before me. Thanks for interrupting my sleep with a less-than-friendly invitation to some festival I don't even care about.

-

"I don't see why you shouldn't go. Besides, you missed it last year, didn't you? It was really amazing."

Ugh. I didn't come to the Snack Shack for this. I came for a reason not to go...and this cooling cherry snow cone. I took a spoonful of the ice and stuck it into my mouth before protesting, "What's so special about fireworks, anyway? They're...loud" – I winced dramatically, hoping he wouldn't see the reality behind it – "and Kassey and Patrick's are the kind that give you seizures."

"How would you know? You've never seen fireworks before." Kai smirked. Whatever was it that amused him from this, I didn't know. "See, it'll be your first fireworks show. C'mon, why don't you want to go?"

"It's just..." I racked my brain for more excuses, anything that saved me from explaining that stupid event that left some stupid effect on me. I looked down at the red on white of my snow cone, and finally came up with something. "T-the farm...it's in a bad condition, you know." Toss in a laugh, Claire, and maybe he'll buy it.

He didn't, though. Kai knew me more than that, he wasn't one to easily fool. He was frowning now, serious, but immediately changed his expression. I knew that glint in his eye, though. He was going to try to squeeze it out of me. Well, bring it on. I wasn't going to let anything slip from my mouth.

Straightening up, I faced him with determined, challenging eyes. He chuckled, and began working his charms on me. He placed his elbows on the counter and rested his chin on his fists, leaning towards me.

An involuntary, betraying gasp escaped my lips at his proximity. The pools of chocolate that were his eyes grew larger and whispered at me to dive and swim in them. "Your farm," he began in a huskier tone than normal , "just has a few weeds here and there, that's all."

"Weeds that need to be pulled," I snapped, closing my eyes so that my breath wouldn't hitch when I looked at him. Still, my voice shook a bit.

Much to his advantage. I felt his warm fingers travel across my face as he placed a stray lock of hair – dammit, should've tied my hair, I thought, trying not to shiver at his touch – behind my ear. "But, Claire..." I really wish he didn't purr my name like that. "I have no one to watch the fireworks with. What kind of girlfriend would you be to let up a romantic date like this?"

"F-fine..." I clamped a hand over my mouth and glowered at the victorious Kai. Damn him and his ways.

He laughed, proud of himself, before he gave me a peck on the cheek and said, "So, tell me, why are you afraid of fireworks?"

How did he... "I never said I was!"

"It's kind of obvious, y'know. I'm guessing you don't like the sound?"

I gave in. There was no use denying what he already knew. "Yeah..." I played with the spoon and the now-empty cup. God, these things were hard to explain. And I didn't like looking so silly and weak in front of others, let alone the one I cared about most.

Kai took the cup from me, staring at me, concerned and interested, waiting for me to start explaining. He was such a fascinating person, able to go from seducing me in one second to looking serious in the next.

"Umm..." I couldn't meet his stare, could only look down at my fingers, which I were twisting around each other. "Promise you won't, like, laugh or anything?"

"Promise," he murmured intently. "And you look cute when you bite your lip, you know?" He added lightly.

As small as that comment was, I felt myself blush. That was one of the things with Kai. I knew he was a ladies' man, naturally smooh with girls and whatnot, but every one of his compliments, tiny as they were, sounded like he meant it. Sometimes it still bothered me that he hadn't hooked up instead with the flawless Muffy or the beautiful Celia, that he deserved better than an average-looking, clumsy farmer.

"All right." I didn't even realize I was whispering. My heart began to ache a little at the memory that was stepping forward in my head, and I tried feebly to push the feeling away. "I had this dog... My mom found him on the streets one day, you know, and brought him home. I decided to name him Baluga..." I peeked up at him, searching his face for the tiniest hint of humor at Baluga's name. No, he looked purely absorbed.

I continued on reluctantly, winding and unwinding a strand of hair around my finger, "Not to sound corny or anything, but I didn't have any siblings, no one to play with, so he was like my brother, he eased the loneliness. If Golden Retrievers could be related to humans." He chuckled but retained his gentle gaze. "But then, one day – you know, happy things can't always stay happy – he managed to get inside the house. He wanted to sleep in my parents' room, and, well, my dad, starved from sleep, heard him, thought he was a robber, took his gun from under his pillow, and...oh, shit, no..."

I wiped the salty tears from my face. I'd sounded stupid, I looked stupid crying. Everyone had their sad times, so, really, there wasn't any point to mope over yours. "Sorry you have to see me like this, Kai." I tried to laugh, but it came out more like a sob. I hated this, looking like this, fragile and whatnot, and over something insignificant, too.

There was something, though, that was telling me it was okay to cry, and that I knew that Baluga wasn't insignificant, that he had been a precious friend. And it was Kai who was telling me those things – not exactly putting them into words, but he was showing it through his actions. I felt his strong arms around my waist and his head against my hair.

"It's 'kay," he murmured. Oh, how nice it felt, with his face in my hair, with his lips against my head. "But fireworks aren't the same as guns."

"I...I know," I said, gulping down the last of the tears. I wouldn't let Kai see me like this; he'd just get more worried himself. Finally, I drew in a deep breath, pushing away the bitter memories – Baluga's friendly brown eyes and how he'd slobber all over my face when he sensed my happiness – that caused the bitter liquid in my eyes. "But, it's just the sound, you know, it's kind of...frightening. And it'll remind me of him again..."

"I'm here, I'll help you get over it," he whispered into my head. "Pick you up at five tomorrow, all right? It's going to be awesome, promise. Besides, good ol' Balu's in doggie heaven." His body rocked with laughter against my back, and I found myself giggling along with him.

What did I ever do to deserve him, I'll probably never know. But I didknow that I was incredibly lucky to be with him, and that I didn't want to be with anyone else.

And I didn't care how sentimental that sounded.

-

"Are you sure this is appropriate for a fireworks show?" I eyed my outfit uneasily. "It's too...much, don't you think?"

Kai was looking over my body, clad in a white dress, with appraising eyes. He was looking pretty good himself, I had to admit, with his bandana off and his buttoned shirt with black slacks. "It's not too much. And you look beautiful, Mademoiselle."

"Don't make me laugh with your bad French at a time like this." It felt uncomfortable in this dress. I mean, the dress was pretty, but I doubted my attractiveness in it, no matter what biased compliment Kai gave me.

"Well, isn't it your first fireworks show? I want you to wear something special, and besides, I'm not so at home in my clothes either."

He was so good at doing that, easing the atmosphere. I laughed and decided he had a point. "All right." I took his hand and together we walked down to the beach like a...married couple, it looked like.

The people already at the beach all turned around when we arrived. I looked down at the sand, embarrassed, as Theodore and Takakura nodded at me in approval. I mouthed an apology to Lumina when Rock couldn't stop looking over at me. But I couldn't help but giggle when Kai narrowed his eyes slightly at Cliff, who stammered over his "you look amazing, Claire".

Kassey was trying to hide a smile when Kai and I walked up to him. Instead, he plastered a smirk on his face. "I was pretty convincin', eh?"

Patrick, at least, didn't try to conceal his joy at my decision to come. "You'll love it," he promised me. I only nodded; I couldn't help but smile myself. Everyone was so excited and it was adorable when Hugh kept coming up to the brothers to ask when the show was going to start.

Finally, after Kai was finished showing me off to the villagers – "well, if you had such a pretty diamond, wouldn't you want to show it off?" he'd said, succeeding in making me blush, when I'd told him to stop – Kassey and Patrick announced that the show was beginning.

Kai led me away from where everyone was, to a set of rocks big enough to sit on. I knew immediately that that was he wanted to do. To watch the fireworks together, perched on the rocks.

"Mr. Romantic," I muttered, though I was grinning. He only grinned back at me as he took my hand and led me up to one of the larger boulders.

"I want your first show to be special. Now, how did it feel to be praised for your beauty so much, Aphrodite?"

If only blushing was something you can control. I didn't want to turn red, but I felt the warmth on my face, anyway. Stupid betraying cheeks. "You didn't have to show me like I was some prize to your Mineral Town buddies."

His smile only widened. "Sorry. Couldn't help it. But they all agreed that you're something, didn't they?"

I sighed. "I still don't believe I'm attractive." We sat with him behind me, his arms around my flat stomach, like at his Snack Shack yesterday. "Muffy –"

"Shush, the show's starting."

Two hands immediately flew to my ears and I began shuddering in dread. He pulled them back down to my lap. "It doesn't sound scary, Claire, really. And Baluga wouldn't want to see you like this, would he?"

I bit my lip but answered, "I guess not." I was still shivering, though, and decided to blame it on the chilly summer night.

A sound like something was shooting up in the sky. It didn't sound like a gunshot...yet, anyway. Then...

I didn't even hear the noise. All I saw was that the night sky suddenly lit up in front of me, gold spreading in different directions across the black.

"Oh, my gosh," I breathed. "I didn't even..."

"Told you," Kai said. I was so mesmerized that I didn't even mind the victory in his voice. He deserved to be smug. He was right.

I'd been afraid of nothing all along. The sight had ruled out the sound.

More fireworks, and I found that I wanted to see more. Reds, blues, greens, purples all danced before my captivated eyes. And though I didn't see it for myself, I knew Kai was smiling, just like me, too.

I needed to thank him later for the dress, for getting me to come here, for everything. And I'd probably be embarrassed when I remembered me thinking this later, but he did make my first fireworks show something special.

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Note: I feel like I should be proud of myself or something, but I don't like it. But don't listen to me – I hope you liked it, lol. :)

Hint: I love reviews!