New story from moi~! XD I reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaly love the pairing Graire~! It makes my kokoro go doki-doki XD... My fanfiction library is not complete without a fanfic about GRAIRE!

*Ahem* Anyways~! Please do enjoy this new fanfic *bows* and oh the Italic words= the character's thoughts

Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon and its characters... :3

1st Chapter
Boy meets Girl

Spring, where flowers starts to bloom again and where a girl with blonde hair is bored in her apartment.

That girl lives by herself and she doesn't have that much friends to talk with but it's just enough for her. The only problem is she's tired of her life in the city.

One day, after she went home from her work, the blonde girl saw something interesting in the newspaper, an advertisement. Her eyes glow as she reads it.

'Tired of your current life?'
'Want something for a change?'
'Well, don't hesitate and do some farming!'
'If interested call this number...'

Her mind is creating a picture of the farm that shown in the picture in the newspaper. She's imagining the things that she is going to do in that farm, taking care of her livestock, harvesting her crops, playing with her little dog, Scooby in her free time and lying down at the grass when she's tire from all of that farm work.

The girl didn't hesitated, she immediately picked up her telephone and called, the girl was overjoyed when she was told that she got the farm. The man from the other line asked her when she will go there.

"Tomorrow!" she replied quickly with pure excitement in her.

The man laughed and told her that there will be someone to pick her up in the harbor tomorrow after dawn. After putting down the receiver, she quickly packed her belongings and went to her landlady to tell her that she won't be staying in her apartment anymore starting tomorrow. The girl went back to her room to turn in for tomorrow. As the girl sleeps, she's dreaming, a dream that she saw earlier. She cannot get it outside her. The girl is so excited, she can't sleep, she tossed around her bed but no matter what she does, her eyes won't shut, and it remained open. The dawn is approaching but she's been in the harbor before dawn, waiting. At the horizon she saw an approaching boat, the girl knew that it's the ride she was waiting for. The boat stopped and the boatman saw her, he waved his hand to the girl which she replied with the same gesture.

"Are you the one who bought the farm?" he asked. The girl nods and smiled but the boatman is not satisfied with the nod she gave him as an answer. "Are you serious?"

The girl was confused. The man in front of her has a worried expression as he question her. She shrugged it off and just nods furiously. She boarded the boat after her small talk with the boatman. The sound of the horn of the boat echoed throughout the pier, telling its departure.

Goodbye City! Hello Mineral Town!

It's the girl's first time to be in a boat and her first to be away from the city. She smiled as she smell the scent of the sea, the dog with her barked with happiness, it's just like it's telling her that it want a new atmosphere, it doesn't want to be in a city forever. The girl pats her dog and looked the ocean again.

Today is the new tomorrow.

The boat slowly stopped at the shore of the beach, the boat's horn has been sounded again, telling its arrival to the town. The girl got off the boat and the boatman told her the direction to the farm. She carried her belongings and whistled her dog to follow her. The girl was astonished to the beauty of the town where she is, the flowers are blooming, the branches of the trees are swaying with the wind and the flower petals are everywhere. Every step she takes it's just like she walking in the sky, she never felt amazed in her life.

She finally saw it, the farm that she wanted to see ever since yesterday but that entire happy image faded when she saw its horrible state today. Weeds scattered throughout the fields, tree stumps are still there and rocks, either small or big is everywhere and the house is small. It is so much different on what she imagined and what she saw on the newspaper.

Her dreams are now crashed, all she could do now is to sank to the ground and sob on the folly she just made. The girl regretted on believing what the advertisement said, she's too desperate to have a change of phase on her boring life, she didn't even thought of the consequences of her action. She can't go back now, all of her money is spent to buy the farm, she already handed over her keys to her landlady and she quitted her job as a waitress in a themed cafe.

A short man with a red top hat approached her, he appeared to be the mayor. He asked the girl if she's the one who bought the farm, she can't open her mouth to talk so all she could do is nod in her frustration.

"Hah! You have been fooled! I can't really believe that you fell for that advertisement!" he said while laughing to his heart content.

Irritated, the girl called her dog. "Scoob... Get 'im boy!"

The dog growled and barked at the mayor, he cowered in fear. He started running and her dog started to chase the mayor. The two of them ran in circles at the farm. The mayor cried as he pleaded for the girl to tell her dog to stop, she hesitated for a while but she decided to call her dog.

The mayor apologized to her for making fun of her because of she fell for that cheap advertisement and because of that ad, it made her quit her job and leave the city.

"What's the point...? I lost all of my money already..."

An idea suddenly popped up to the mayor's mind.

"Why won't you make the farm restore its former beauty?"

The girl looked at the mayor with wide eyes. She was surprised with the mayor's suggestion. He told the girl that she doesn't have to worry about the money she going to use to buy for the seeds, the mayor's going to care that.

"B-but! I don't know a thing how to run a farm! I only know is to plant and water plants but other than that! None!"

The mayor told her that not to worry about that too, he told the girl that there's a book about farming at the nearby library that she could read a thing or two about farming. Including the farming book, she could ask the people around the town for tips regarding on farming and at the same time, she could be friends with them.

Having no choice, the girl agreed to the end. There's no way back for her, her last resort is to run the farm she bought.

She went inside the house. The girl was surprised, it may be small outside but it's large in the inside, she's even surprised how cozy it is. At least the house cheered her up, there's a television, a bed, a cushion, a table, a chest for her other belongings and a bookshelf. She placed all of her bag beside the chest. While placing her bags aside, a knock on her door sounded. She immediately opened the door and the girl saw the mayor again, he told her that she should be greeting the people around because a word just spread around.

Someone bought the run down farm.

The frustration from earlier had disappeared and replaced with a little bit of happiness. The girl nodded and she'll be out in a jiffy.

She went out of her farm, deciding to greet all of the people of Mineral Town. The first building that she saw is the Blacksmith's. The girl went in the establishment with a smile but two booming voice resounded, like two people are arguing. She peeked at door to confirm it.

They really are arguing.

An elderly man is screaming some words at the other person, an orange haired boy who wears a blue hat. Both of them are fighting with each, not caring if there is someone is listening at them. The girl felt that it's like she's eavesdropping on them, she turned her heel and started to walk away but the old blacksmith noticed her and called the girl. She froze as the old blacksmith called her, he's voice is so deep, deep enough to scare her. The old man called her again but she's too afraid to look at him, scared that he might hit her because she was eavesdropping on them or maybe he's scary because of his beard or maybe either of the two?

"Girl, why won't you turn around and talk?" the old blacksmith asked.

"Maybe because she's scared of you because of your voice is so deep that it scares her?" the young blacksmith complained.

The old man realized how frightening the tone of his voice, he laughed and told the girl that she must not be afraid of him. The girl felt a hint of gentleness at the old blacksmith's voice, she turned around and gave him a small smile.

She approached the counter the old man opened his mouth to talk.

"Are you perhaps the new farmer?" the blacksmith asked with a smile. The girl nods and the old man chuckled but the young blacksmith was surprised. "What? The new farmer is a... girl?" he questioned the girl with suspicion.

The girl could do is to stare straightly at the young blacksmith's eyes. She's not planning on answering his rhetorical question. The old blacksmith yelled some sense to him and apologized to her, she just smiled and told the old man that it's alright and there's no harm done. The girl looked at the young blacksmith again, he averted his gaze from her and it looks like he pouted.

"My name is Saibara, and that stubborn young man is my hard headed grandson, Gray." he stretched out his hand, offering a hand shake to the girl.

She took the old blacksmith's hand and shook hands with him. "I am Claire... Nice to meet you Mr. Saibara, sir." she introduced herself with a smile.

Saibara, the old blacksmith, yelled at his grandson again, telling him to introduce himself properly. He snorted and stood up and walked in front of Claire, looking down at her.

Gray towered the girl, he's so tall. Claire looked at the ground, she gulped quietly while the young blacksmith continued on looking down at her. He outstretched his hand and introduced himself but the girl didn't lifted her head, she remained looking at the floor. The young blacksmith tapped his shoes repeatedly, showing his irritation with the blonde in front of him. Perhaps knowing that the guy in front of her is now irritated... again, she outstretched her hand and shook his hand.

Gray heaved out a sigh of relief and went back to his work bench. Saibara shook his head, showing his disappointment in his grandson.

A good way to make a stupid impression... Nice.

The old man apologized at Claire again and told her the purpose of his humble establishment. After Saibara's explanation, the girl bowed and bid a farewell to old blacksmith and to the young one too, she doesn't want to be rude like Gray is.

After she went out of the Blacksmith's, she inhaled for a fresh air, all of the intensity inside of her was from the atmosphere she got from the blacksmith's grandson is slowly disappearing.

Claire pats her face lightly with her palms and smiled to her heart's content.

I mustn't show a frown with the people that surrounds me! I have to show my smile to them! Because that's the best thing that I'm good at... Making people smile!

And she continued on introducing herself on every person on Mineral Town.

How was that? Not (REALLY Very Bad!) bad for a start, right?

If there's a typo, don't be afraid to tell me :3

PS: I'M A POTATO!