"Rin! Hurry up, we're almost finished!"
"Coming! I've only got two lines left!"
"Well hurry up! That's the last field left! We've got the celebration tonight!"
"You guys go get cleaned up and I'll finish up here! But don't you dare start celebrating without me!"
"Okay, but if you take too long we're going to leave you with nothing but cold water!"
Rin laughed and waved at the group of girls as they made their way towards the mill, each of them carrying a large bundle of cut rice stalks on their shoulders, ready for threshing.
The afternoon sun beat down on her from just above the treeline, pale gold as it transitioned into evening. She stood and stretched, her back aching. A full day in the fields was hard work, especially when the harvest had been as bountiful as it was this year. The whole village had been working non-stop since harvest season began, but it looked like they were finally about to wrap up.
"Guess I better finish up too. Alright, let's show this rice who's boss!" She wiped the sweat from her brow and with a grin set to work hacking the rest of the stalks down. The small sickle in her hand was a familiar weight now, almost a comfort. Muscles tightened in her arm and shoulder as she went through the practiced motions, leaving a trail of severed stalks in her wake.
She moved methodically down the last line, ignoring the growing strain in her back and shoulders. This was the last of it. After this, the harvest would be done for the season and they could enjoy the festival celebrating the season's yield and thanking their Lady for her blessings. And maybe she could convince Maki to give her a massage. She rolled her neck, the tight muscles protesting. Yeah, that would be good.
Other villagers walked by the field as she finished up, some of them calling to her as they did. She waved to each of them in turn. They all carried their own bundles, and Rin worked faster.
The sun dipped below the trees as she neared the end of the final row and when she finally cut through the last swath of stalks she hopped up and down, letting out a cheer.
"Yes! That's it! This year's harvest is officially complete!"
"Well, maybe for you, but some of us still have to get this stuff threshed and through the mills, Rin."
"Wah!" Rin spun, nearly dropping her sickle in the process. "Umi! What are you doing here?"
The blue-haired girl was standing next to a pile of chopped rice stalks, hands on her hips and a small smile on her face. "I heard you were almost done, so I thought I'd come make sure you weren't overdoing it. Are you feeling alright?"
A touch of heat rose to Rin's cheeks and she chuckled. Umi must have been behind her gathering up the stalks for a while now, but she hadn't even noticed. "Ah, yeah, I'm fine. I was only sick for a little while you know! I'm totally back to one-hundred percent! Honest, it wasn't even that bad."
Umi quirked an eyebrow. "Rin, you were were in bed for a week with the highest fever Healer Touya has seen since the plague. I'd hardly call that "not that bad," would you?"
Rin dug her toe into the dirt. Well, when she put it that way, sure it sounded pretty bad. But it wasn't like she'd wanted to get sick! Harvest season was her favorite time of year, and she'd hated being stuck in bed while all her friends were out working hard so that they'd have enough food for winter. The last thing she'd wanted was to be a burden, but she'd made half the village take care of her for a whole week while the other half picked up her slack in the fields.
She was interrupted from her thoughts by a cool hand against her forehead, and she looked up, startled, at a frowning Umi. "Honestly, Rin. You push yourself too hard sometimes. It makes the rest of us worry."
"Ah…" Rin wasn't quite sure what she should say to that. "Sorry, Umi."
Umi pulled her hand away and smiled. "No need to apologize. I've known you since we were kids. You've always pushed yourself to be as good as you can be. I've always admired that about you." Her face turned more serious and her voice took on a scolding tone. "But that doesn't mean I want you working yourself into the ground, you hear me? If I find you passed out in the field again I'm going to drag you into the woods and leave you there, understand?"
Rin couldn't help but laugh. She tossed her sickle aside and pulled Umi into a tight hug. "Umiiiii you're so sweet! Thank you for caring about me! Honestly, I don't know what I would do without you."
Umi struggled to extricate herself but Rin held firm and eventually she relaxed into the embrace. "I imagine you would have collapsed in a ditch somewhere. But just remember to take care of yourself, okay?"
"Okay, I will. Sorry."
"I already told you, don't apologize." Umi pulled away, smiling again. "Now, what do you say we get this over to the mill? The sun will be going down soon and I heard something about a celebration?"
"Oh!" She'd nearly forgotten. "Dang, if I don't hurry I'm going to have to take a cold bath!"
"A true nightmare. Come on, let's go."
They gathered up the last of the cut rice stalks as the sun disappeared over the treetops, and by the time they'd made it to the mill the edge of the sky had begun to turn purple.
Rin turned back to look out over the fields, an indescribable feeling in her chest. They stretched off into the foothills, following the winding dirt path that bisected her little corner of the world. Trees rose up against the edges of the fields, creating a forbidding barrier between them and the wildness beyond. An intense feeling of contentment welled up in her as she gazed at the fully cleared fields, the last stragglers ambling up the road with golden rice stalks carried on their backs.
There was something magical about the harvest, and she couldn't help but feel a little melancholy. Her back and shoulders ached, and she was certain her face was as tanned as a hide by now, but she didn't mind. That was simply the price she paid to be part of something incredible.
"Rin?"
"Hm?" She turned back to find Umi staring at her. "Oh, sorry. I was just looking at the fields. I always get a little sad when we finish a harvest, you know?"
Umi shook her head. "I'm afraid I don't follow. We've been breaking our backs for weeks, and we're finally almost done. What's to be sad about?"
"Well…" Rin wasn't quite sure how to describe it. They had food for the winter and could finally relax, but still… there was something else, something she couldn't quite put into words. An emptiness that battled with her sense of satisfaction.
"Ah… nevermind, I guess I don't really know what I mean." She laughed and pushed past Umi into the Mill. "Come on, let's drop these off!"
"Drop them off, huh," Umi grumbled, rolling her eyes and following Rin inside. "I still have to thresh these, you know."
"Oh, right. Sorry, Umi!" Rin laughed and gave her friend a pat on the shoulder. "You'll be there for the celebration though right? I hate to think of you sitting in here all alone while everyone else is off having fun."
"Well, I wouldn't say I'll be alone." Umi dumped the stalks into a giant pile near the thresher, and stretched her arms over her head. "Honoka said she'd help tonight, and I think Nico is in charge of the milling, so I'm sure it will be pretty active."
"Eh? Nico? But didn't she nearly break the mill the last time she was in charge?"
"Yeah…"
They both shuddered at the memory of the diminutive girl's antics. She had some pretty good ideas, but sometimes she didn't know when to leave well enough alone. Rin could still hear her cackling over the sound of splintering wood, echoing in the back of her mind like a phantom.
"A-Anyway, she was put in charge, so I'm sure she knows not to go overboard this time." Umi looked a little green, and Rin thought she sounded entirely unconvinced. "But don't worry, we'll all be at the celebration. We'll finish the rest of the threshing and milling in the morning if we need to."
"Eh? But aren't we starting preparation for the Harvest Festival tomorrow?"
"Well, you certainly are." Umi began to sort through the stalks. She pushed up her sleeves and donned the thick woven apron she always wore in the mill before tying her hair back with a rag. "But the harvest is huge this year. We may have finished the reaping on schedule, but that's just because the mill crew pitched in a bit. Which means we're behind schedule."
"Eeeeeeh? You mean you were out helping too, Umi?"
Umi shook her head, picking out rotten stalks and tossing them aside. "No, I've been here the whole time. I just left earlier because I needed a break and I heard you were still working so I thought I would check on you."
"Well that's not fair! Let me help!"
Rin moved to grab a pile of rice stalks but Umi fixed her with a glare that rooted her to the spot.
"Not so fast, young lady." Rin gulped. Umi was using the tone she had mentally started to refer to as her "mothering voice," though she would never have said that to Umi's face. "I already told you I don't want you overworking yourself, didn't I?"
"Yeah, but Rin will be fine, really!"
"Sure." Umi huffed and stepped forward to poke her in the forehead. Rin yelped and rubbed the spot, pouting. "You know, you only call yourself "Rin" when your excited or when you're lying, and I bet I know which it is right now. And if you collapse, Maki is the one that's going to have to take care of you, right?"
Rin flushed. Thinking of her housemate being forced to take care of her again put a damper on her enthusiasm pretty quickly. Maki never said anything about it, but Rin knew she had been the one who had taken care of her during the worst of her fever, even if she could barely remember it.
"Besides, you don't know the first thing about using any of this equipment, do you?"
Ah. Well, that much was certainly true.
"Well… noooo. But you could teach me?" It came out as a question, and Rin knew she was losing ground.
"I could," Umi replied with a nod. "But tell me, how would me taking time out to teach you how to use the equipment and then watching to make sure you don't hurt yourself make this go any faster?"
Rin blinked. "Uuuuum."
"Exactly."
Umi grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her around, pushing her towards the door. "Now, out with you. I don't want to see you at the celebration later without you having taken a bath, and if you don't hurry you're going to have to do it in the river."
"Okay okay, I'm going! Sheesh, Umi. You sure know how to make a girl feel unwelcome."
Sharp knuckles rapped against her forehead and Rin yelped again.
"Don't give me that. I look after you more than anyone, so I don't want to hear you trying to say I never do anything for you, understand?"
"I know, I was just kidding. You know I appreciate it."
Umi's expression softened. "I do. Now go get ready and I'll see you later, okay?"
"Okay." Rin stepped out into the cool evening air and turned with a smile. "Thanks again, Umi. I'll see you later!"
With a wave Umi disappeared back inside the mill and Rin took off at a jog down the path leading back towards the village. The roads were clear now and the sky was a dark purple. Torchlight lit the town and behind her light poured from the open windows of the mill, shrinking behind her like a fading beacon in the approaching gloom.
She pulled the scarf from her hair and let the breeze cool her head as she jogged down the dirt path. The weather would turn soon, she could feel it in the air. Within a month, six weeks at most, the first snow would arrive, and then she'd be stuck in the village for four months straight.
The thought was enough to put a damper on her otherwise good mood, and she slowed to a walk. She could appreciate winter. Snow was beautiful, and she always looked forward to waking up to find the whole world coated in white and silence, but after a while she couldn't help but feel shut in. She needed to be outside, doing something, moving around and enjoying the sun. Weeks upon weeks of huddling inside just to keep warm and seeing the sun maybe once a week at best always made her stir crazy.
She smiled. Of course, it was probably just as bad for Maki. She loved winter, but the unfortunate trade-off was that she had to put up with an antsy Rin for days at a time, and even Rin knew that was no small feat. She didn't like to be a bother to her housemate, but sometimes she just couldn't help it.
She crossed the bridge into town, stopping for a moment to watch the fish swimming up the river. She always wondered where they were going. Had they come down from the mountains? Were they going to follow the river all the way to the sea? Honestly, she didn't even know if the river that separated Kosai village from the fields even went all the way to the sea, but she felt like it had to. All rivers had to end somewhere, right?
With a smile she left the fish to their journey, silently wishing them luck, and passed through the center of town. It wasn't the fastest way to the baths, but it was the path she always took as it led her past the statue of the Field Maiden in what passed for a village square. Seeing it always lifted her spirits, and as she passed she gazed up into the wooden face of the girl.
The statue had been there as long as anyone could remember, somehow immune to the weathering of the seasons. No one knew who had carved it originally, but Rin had always thought whoever it was must have been an incredible artist. The depiction of the Maiden was so lifelike, so unlike any other carving she had ever seen, that it almost felt as though she might come to life at any moment. Rin sometimes liked to believe that she might.
Even carved out of wood her face seemed soft and kind. There was a benevolent smile on her face and she was holding a bundle of rice stalks the way one might cradle a child. Her eyes had a strange life to them that made it feel as though she was looking down at you, reassuring you that everything would be okay, and Rin smiled up at her.
"Thank you, Maiden. It's been a wonderful harvest this year." She clapped her hands together and bowed. "Rin is sorry she got sick, but she'll do her best next year!"
There was no response of course, but Rin hadn't been expecting one. With one last look, she set off towards the baths at a jog, her excitement for the evening's festivities returning full force.
By the time she reached the baths the sky was dark and there was no one else there. In the distance, she could hear the preparations for the celebration beginning, and she quickly stripped out of her filthy work clothes and slipped into one of the large basins. The water was lukewarm, much to her chagrin, and it was already brown with dirt. She didn't mind. She always managed to be one of the last ones to bathe anyway, and she knew how much of a pain it was to refill the basins. Getting fresh water for every bath was a luxury no one in the village could really afford, not even the merchants.
She bathed quickly, not wanting to waste anymore time than she had already, and didn't even bother to dry her hair - it was short enough that it would be dry by the time she got home anyway - before quickly wiping herself off, throwing on her clothes, and racing back home. The celebration would be starting soon, and she didn't want to miss a second of it.
"Welcome back."
Rin let the door close behind her and made to tackle her friend in a hug. "Hellooooooo Maki! How was your day?"
Maki sidestepped and pushed Rin towards the wardrobe. "Change first, you're still wearing the clothes you worked in. Honestly, I don't even understand the point of bathing at all if you're just going to put those filthy things back on."
"Awww Maki is so cruel to Rin." Rin laughed and began to strip while searching for something to wear. "You know how forgetful I can be. But hey! You didn't answer my question yet."
"Hmm? Oh." Maki sat on the edge of their bed, glowering at her fingernails. "It was fine. Long, but I got back about an hour ago. I've been waiting for you so we could head to the celebration together. You finished up today, right?"
"Yep!" Rin pulled on a set of linen trousers and a green-dyed shirt, one of the nicer articles of clothing she owned. "Umi helped me carry it to the mill and said she and the others will join us later!"
"That was nice of her. Be sure you thank her, okay?"
"I know, I know. Jeez, Maki, I'm not that dense, you know? I always say thank you!"
Maki made a noncommittal noise, still staring down at her nails. Rin picked up her dirty clothes and tossed them in the overflowing hamper. Laundry was going to have to be done soon. She was certainly not looking forward to that.
"Do you have to work tomorrow too, Maki?"
"No, I'll be off for festival preparations. It's only been studying and clinic work lately anyway, so it's not terribly busy."
Rin flopped back on the mattress next to Maki with a sigh. It was lumpy and uncomfortable, filled as it was with discarded rice stalks, but right now she couldn't have cared less. It always took a little bit for the work of the day to catch up with her, but when it did her entire body felt like she'd been run through one of Umi's threshers.
"Aaaah that's no fair, Maki. You're smart, so you get to work with Healer Touya all day while I'm out breaking my back in the fields. Lucky Maki."
"Excuse me?" Maki shoved her hand under Rin's nose and she recoiled with a yelp.
"Eeew Maki, what the heck is that smell? You reek!"
"It's just a part of being so "lucky," Rin. While you were out in the sun reaping I was up to my elbows in a bucket of pig guts for the better part of the afternoon."
Rin made a face, nose wrinkling in disgust. That wasn't the way she'd pictured Maki's days at all. "Really? What the heck for, that's gross!"
"Master Touya says that I need to be able to differentiate different organs by how they feel if I'm going to take over as the Chief Healer some day." She crossed the room and plopped down in front of their wash basin. With a gusto Rin rarely saw in her reserved friend she began scrubbing her arms with a lumpy brick of soap. "Being a healer's apprentice isn't easy, you know. I have to get up just as early as you, and at least the rice doesn't bleed when you cut it. Besides, I bet you haven't had to lance any of auntie Mia's boils lately, have you?"
An image of the old woman's toothless smile appeared in Rin's head and it was all she could do to keep herself from gagging at the thought of having to deal with any of that old bat's health issues. She was always complaining about something.
"Okay, that's a good point," Rin conceded with a sheepish grin. "I guess I would rather be in the fields all day than have to deal with that."
"I thought you loved harvesting anyway," Maki said, scrubbing until Rin was sure her arms were going to fall off.
"I do! I really do, it's just hard work, you know? I mean, I love being outside and all but even I have my limits." She flexed her hands and winced. "It's gonna take me a week to get the feeling back into my hands."
Maki nodded. "I suppose it has its up and downs. At least the weather held this year. I heard we have a record breaking harvest."
Rin flipped up into cross-legged position, beaming. "Yeah! It's great! When we have the Harvest Festival next week we're going to have to pray extra hard to the Field Maiden. She really graced us with a haul this year. Eli even said she thinks we'll have a surplus, so we can do some trading. We might even be able to get new furs for the winter!"
Maki looked up and smiled faintly, staring out through the window. "That would really be nice. I think we've just about worn out the ones we've got."
Rin snickered. "Awwww Maki, and here I was hoping I'd have an excuse to hold you close this winter. Don't you want to share your body heat with Rin?"
A faint blush appeared on Maki's cheeks and she glared. "We already share a bed you know. What would you call that?"
"Hm? But Rin wants to get reeeeeeeal close to Maki."
The redhead rolled her eyes. "At least twice a week I wake up with you wrapped around me, Rin. I'm not sure we can get much closer than that."
"Oh, Rin can think of a few ways." Rin laughed as Maki's face exploded in red and ducked the bar of soap she hurled across the room.
"Say that again and you're sleeping on the floor!"
"Sorry, sorry, I was just kidding." She leapt up and stretched until her back cracked. "Come on though, let's go! The celebration will be starting soon!"
"Just calm down." Maki dried her arms and gave them a test sniff. She wrinkled her nose and sighed. "Guess there's no helping it. Alright, come on. Let's go."
Rin squealed and grabbed Maki by the hand. She pulled her out the door and into the evening air, ignoring her protests.
"Come on, Maki! Tonight is going to be great!"
And it was. That night, Rin had more fun than she could remember having in a long time. But even exhausted as she was, when she and Maki returned home she wasn't able to fall asleep.
She tried everything she could think of, but even resorting to her old standby of watching Maki's peaceful face as she slept didn't help. Her body was aching with exhaustion from the day's labors, but her mind wouldn't let her calm down enough to sleep.
The celebration was still fresh in her mind; getting together with all her friends and congratulating each other on all the hard work they'd put in that season had put her in a fantastic mood, and now she couldn't wait to get started on the festival preparations. The celebration was always fun, but it was tiny compared to the festival proper. Merchants came from miles around to peddle their wares, and they always had a great many visitors from the nearby towns. Kosai village was famous in the region for its harvest festival, and Rin loved showing off her home to all the strangers.
But if she couldn't fall asleep, she wouldn't be at one-hundred percent to help out, and that was a problem. The last thing she wanted to do was slow everybody down.
After what must have been an hour of tossing and turning under the scratchy blanket, Rin finally decided that the only solution was fresh air. It had been a while since she'd needed to take one of her late night walks, and Umi would probably scold her for going out at night and risking getting sick again, but the thought of staying in bed a moment longer was intolerable.
Moving carefully so as not to wake Maki, Rin slipped out of bed and pulled on her clothes before slipping on her sandals and quietly exiting their little house.
She took a deep breath, enjoying the cool night air on her skin. The moon was waxing, nearly full, and combined with the stars shining above cast the whole village in a beautiful silver light that felt almost supernatural. It gave the night air an energy that was infectious, and soon Rin was skipping down the road towards the fields.
Rin was a creature of sun and light, but even she could appreciate a night as beautiful as this one. The chirps of nocturnal birds and the calls of insects filled the air, an invisible symphony. The sights and sounds were all so different from what she saw during the day that at times Rin felt as though she had been transported to another world that ran parallel to her own, one with a jewel filled sky and pale, silver sun.
Of course, she knew that wasn't true. Her feet followed the familiar path and her eyes adjusted to the moonlight. This was the same path that she walked every day, the same fields that she worked to sustain her village. Back in those darkened buildings, the same people she talked and laughed with slept. But somehow, it still felt different, and she didn't mind that at all.
She crossed the bridge, the clear water an inky black, and continued on towards the mill. It was dark now, but in just a few hours she knew it would be bustling with activity again. Umi, Honoka, and Nico would be hard at work before the first rays of the sun pierced the eastern sky, preparing the rice that had been so painstakingly cultivated and harvested for storage and trade.
She didn't envy them that. Rin loved the sun, but greeting it as it rose was not on her list of favorite activities.
As she approached the mill, something caught her eye and Rin slowed. She caught movement near the entrance and her brow furrowed in confusion as a girl she'd never seen before walked from the mill towards the fields. She didn't seem to have noticed her, and something stopped Rin from immediately calling out to her.
There was something strange about her. She moved with a grace that seemed almost animal, and her flowing clothes glowed bright in the moonlight. Rin hadn't heard anything, hadn't seen any light coming from the mill, but the girl must have been inside. Where had she come from?
'Who is she?'
It was hard to distinguish her features from this distance, but even in the moonlight Rin could make out her chestnut hair and smooth, porcelain skin. She followed at a distance, something in her not wanting to disturb the girl. They weren't supposed to be in the mill at night, and even though she was technically breaking curfew herself, she was sure this girl would be in way more trouble than her if it came down to it. Especially if, as Rin was starting to suspect, she wasn't from the Kosai at all and had come from one of the neighboring villages.
Rin grit her teeth, keeping crouched on the road and following as the girl made her way to the fields. Was she a thief? That was the only reason she could think of for some stranger to be in the mill, but she certainly wasn't dressed like one. Not that she had ever actually seen a thief, but in all the stories they dressed in black and snuck around. This girl stood out like a sore thumb, and besides, she didn't seem to be carrying anything. Why break into the mill if she wasn't going to take anything?
If the girl was a thief, then the smart thing to do would be to head back into town and alert someone. They didn't really have a town guard or anything, but if she started banging on doors, or at least woke up Maki, then she was sure they would be able to drive the intruder away. She didn't look particularly dangerous; from where she was crouched Rin couldn't see any weapons on her. Actually, she seemed completely unencumbered. She could probably drive her away by herself. She could be at the mill in a moment, and she was certain she could find something to use as a weapon there.
But she did none of those things. Seeing an intruder should have set off all sorts of alarm bells, but instead Rin felt a strange sense of peace as she watched the girl. She didn't seem like a threat at all, and the way she walked across the ground was so graceful she practically seemed to be gliding. It was mesmerizing, in a way, and Rin followed, keeping herself out of sight as best she could.
The girl continued down the road, shining in the moonlight, until she came to the fields. By now Rin had managed to close the gap between them to no more than ten meters. Here, the road was raised to allow for flooding of the fields, and she hid herself on the opposite side of the path. What was she up to?
She glanced around, and Rin ducked down, trying to get a look at her face. She still wasn't entirely convinced it wasn't just one of the village girls, and she just didn't recognize her because of her clothes. They were white and flowing, and caught the moonlight in a way that made the fabric seem to glimmer like the inside of a sea shell. No one she knew had anything like that, and it looked terribly expensive. Was it made of silk? If it was it must have cost more than everything Rin owned combined.
Seemingly satisfied, the girl glided down the embankment and into the field. 'My field,' Rin realized. The last field of the season to be harvested.
She strode to the center of the field and stood, gazing up at the sky. She raised her hands up towards the glittering stars and Rin watched, transfixed, as she began to dance.
It began slowly, her arms falling in a graceful loop as she slid to the side. Rin looked down and realized with a start that she was barefoot, and yet from here it looked as though her feet were perfectly clean. She drew up one leg, and lunged forward with all the grace of a deer and let herself fall forward before drawing herself back up, her sleeves trailing after her like ribbons of light.
Over and over she repeated the motions, her body flowing like water, and Rin watched. All thoughts of the girl possibly being a thief or running back to town had evaporated, and in their place a sense of awe had settled. Rin didn't want her to stop. She didn't want anyone else to see the grace and beauty of the girl in the empty field. She just wanted to watch her, to preserve this moment and keep it forever.
A cloud passed over the moon and the field was cast in darkness. The girl kept dancing though, and it took Rin a moment to realize that even without the light of the moon the silvery glow that illuminated the dancer remained.
'It wasn't the moonlight at all. She's the one that's giving off that light!'
A gasp escaped her throat and the girl in the field froze. Rin's hands flew to her mouth, eyes wide, but it was too late. The girl was staring right at her, and for the first time Rin was able to get a clear look at her face.
She couldn't have been any older than her, yet her features were far softer than those of any girl Rin had ever seen. Her face was round and reminded her somehow of the moon. She wore a crown of twisted rice stalks and her hair framed her face in such a way that Rin's attention was drawn to her wide, shining eyes. They were a pale purple, a color Rin had never seen before, and once their eyes locked Rin found she couldn't look away.
She was beautiful, so much so that something inside of Rin ached just to look at her, but more than that she realized as she stared at her that she had seen this girl before. She saw her every day.
She was the Field Maiden, the spirit that blessed their fields. She'd seen her likeness in the statue in the center of the village every day for as long as she could remember.
And now here she was, standing in the middle of her field looking just as surprised as Rin felt.
It took several seconds for Rin to convince herself that she wasn't dreaming, and several seconds more to realize that she needed to say something, anything, to the deity that had given them so much. She had to express her thanks, needed to get down on her knees and beg the spirit's forgiveness for spying on her. She had to do something, but she couldn't. All she could do was sit there, crouched behind the road and stare at the girl, struck dumb.
Then she was gone, vanished without so much as a flash to mark her passing, and the spell was broken.
"Hey, w-wait!"
Rin scrambled over the road and tumbled down the embankment on the other side, picking herself up and running to the center of the field, but there was no trace of her. The clouds passed and once again the field was bathed in moonlight, but this time she was alone.
For a long time she simply stood there, hoping, praying that the Maiden would show herself again. But as the minutes dragged on and the moon rose to its zenith, nothing happened. In the distance an owl hooted, and Rin gazed back towards the mill. It was dark and empty, no trace of anyone having ever been there in the first place. The field, too, was bare, save for her own scattered footprints.
With a heavy sigh Rin's shoulders slumped and she began the trek back to the village. Had she simply imagined it? There was no way that was true, right? She'd seen things when she'd been sick with fever, but none of that had ever felt so real. It had felt as though she could have reached out and touched the girl, if only she'd been close enough.
Maki was still asleep when she returned and without even bothering to strip out of her clothes Rin slid into bed next to her.
It took her a long time to fall asleep that night, and when she finally did, she dreamt of those pale, purple eyes, staring at her through the darkness.
A/N: Well then. I'm not really sure where this came from, to be honest. I suppose I can thank Roadmart for getting me started on Love Live (and giving this a read through), and RinPana is simply too cute for me to ignore. Readers of my other work (if they're reading this as well for whatever reason) might find it strange that I like cute, but I do, in fact. It's harder for me to write, but I do enjoy it. For now, we're just trying to establish the setting, but the cute will come, and hopefully in the meantime you're interested enough to read.
Actually, the idea for this came from a poster of harvest Hanayo I saw at an Animate store (the same pic as the cover, in fact). I was rather enthralled by the idea, and as I've been into writing out some of my random story ideas lately I thought I'd give this one a go. Once I started though it practically wrote itself. Hopefully that trend continues.
If you read and enjoyed I hope you'll let me know! I love getting reviews and messages, so please let me know what you thought. I'm always looking to improve, too, so even if you didn't think it was amazing I'd like to hear what I can fix. Thanks again, and see you next time!