Author's Notes:

It's been a while since I last wrote anything, so bear with my rustiness. I've had this idea swimming around in my head for a while now.

I really love playing Harvest Moon DS Cute, and I've been dying to write a fanfic for ages. Shame they never kept the best friend ceremony in the English version.

On a side note; I've based how busy Claire was and the lack of a social life on my experience with the game. When I first started out, I don't think I really managed to talk to many people until half way through summer.

Summary

Leia's been there for Claire ever since she took over the farm at Mineral Town and the two thought they'd remain friends forever. But Leia's beginning to wonder if there's more to life than just the sea and in the distance, storm clouds are brewing.

Based on MFoMT/BTN/HM DS Cute

Rated teen for more mature themes in later chapters.

Disclaimer

I do not own Harvest Moon, nor any the characters.

This is purely a work of fiction; if you take this seriously then please go to a psychiatrist and have your head checked.

If there is anything that offends you, please hit the back button.

Storm Clouds and Grey Skies

Chapter One: Promise

I kept my feet dipped in the cold sea, a gentle summer breeze blowing the bangs out of my face and past my shoulders. My eyes were focused on the sea, with the sky full of colour as the sun set past the horizon.

A small smile played on my lips as I hummed softly, enjoying the peacefulness of the evening as I reflected on the previous year.

I'd been living in Mineral Town for a year, having moved into the old farm up next to the Poultry Farm. It was rundown and abandoned, neglect was obvious as the barn was falling apart and the field was full of weeds, boulders and sticks.

I was mortified when I'd realised what I'd gotten myself into, but by then it was too late. I'd bought the farm and spent the majority of my money getting to the little town. I couldn't go back to the city either; I'd already sold my apartment and left my job.

Still, I was totally determined to drag the farm back onto its feet, and spent the entire year working on it.

I didn't have much time to socialise back then either. I spent a majority of the first month growing a few crops to sell and trying to clear out the field. Then I had to save up to fix the barn. By the time I was finished working on the farm for the day, it was dark and everyone had already gone to bed.

The amount of hours and effort I put into the farm were rewarding, but I was really lonely. I love my dog, but she'd not the best at socialising, and it's not like I can speak dog.

You'd think I could just do half a day's work then continue the next day seeing as I was just starting out, but that's not how it works. I had bills to pay, and with the little money I'd arrived with, there was no way I was going to be able to pay them without working my backside off each and every day.

So needless to say, I was pretty lonely during those first few months.

I snapped out of my thoughts temporarily, kicking my legs and sending droplets of water flying through the air, causing tiny little ripples in the ocean where they landed. The sky was growing darker quickly; I barely see all the little stars appearing up in the sky. Even though it was summer, it sure got cold during the evening. I shivered a little, pulling my feet out of the sea.

Where was she?

I was starting to wonder if something had happened to her. What if she got trapped in a fisherman's net? Maybe a shark attacked her?

No, she was smarter than that and wary of the dangers too.

Still, she was the most important and dearest friend to me; she'd taken away all the pain of loneliness and isolation of working on the farm.

Sometimes I began to resent buying the farm, but talking to her reminded me of why I'd chosen the lifestyle I had in the first place. I wanted change, and I'd got it.

I still remember though, sitting in this very spot, hunched over with my head in my hands, sobbing to myself as my tear drops fell into the sea below me.

I hated being lonely, and some of the villagers were a little...funny when it came to new residents moving in. Mainly the housewives and the owner of the winery, I think his name was Duke. I didn't pay him much attention though; my first impression of him was that he was a total and utter arsehole. His wife seemed nice though...a little nosey, but nice.

But still, that wasn't the point. The point was that I was lonely, and I didn't think it would affect me as much as it had. Because I was crying so hard, I didn't realise the girl approaching me quietly in the ocean.

"Hey there..." came the softest voice I'd ever heard. It was hushed, and she sounded a little...scared, almost like she wasn't supposed to be speaking, "Are you alright?"

At the time, I didn't question her tone or why she was in the ocean. My eyes were scrunched up tightly, trying to feebly wipe my eyes before I looked at the girl.

"What's wrong...?" she asked, still hushed and soft. It was a little hard to make out above the sound of the waves crashing into the beach. And it wasn't until I looked up that I'd realised why she was speaking so quietly. I must have looked pretty shocked, because she moved back slightly in the ocean, frowning slightly. And I just stared at her. I wasn't sure what to feel.

She grew uncomfortable quickly, and her eyes more or less said she wanted to cry at that very moment. I could understand why, after all. How many mermaids reveal their existence to a human in a lifetime anyway? I quickly closed my mouth, a small smile spreading over my face.

"I'm sorry," I started, my voice a bit raw and croaky from the crying, "I've just never seen a mermaid before."

At that point, her tensed body relaxed, smiling back at me, "It's alright. I tend to have that effect."

I giggled softly in response, causing her to giggle too, "Most people run away screaming when they see my tail, but you just sounded so upset...I couldn't bear listening to it..."

My smile widened a bite; she'd been worried about me.

"I'm fine," I explained, continuing to explain the situation with myself and the farm. And after a while, we just sort of started chatting. She sounded so interested about the farm as well, and how it was going. Like, she was actually genuinely interested. Whenever the housewives of Mineral Town asked me how things were going, they listened so closely, with this strange look of fake interest on their face. They were like wolves, waiting for me to slip up and give them a piece of gossip. If they didn't have the entire story, they could always fabricate the rest after all. That's the way small communities worked after all.

She'd eventually moved up onto the pier beside me, her tail resting in the ocean. We talked for hours, it wasn't until the sun began to rise behind Mother's Hill, and the sky began to grow lighter and change into lovely colours that we'd realized how long we'd been speaking for.

"Promise me you'll come and talk to me, every night if you can," Leia begged, taking both my hands, "I want to hear more about your farm. And your dog too, Meg, right?"

I nodded, smiling at her, "Don't worry Leia, I promise."

She smiled broadly at me, but quickly added, "Don't worry coming on rainy or stormy nights though! I know how easy it is for humans to get sick, and I don't want that getting in the way of your work!"

"I won't, I promise," I said, followed by another giggle. And as she slid back into the water and swam away, she quickly turned back to face me.

"Remember! Every night, you promised!" she shouted, laughing as she disappeared under the sea.

And that's how I met Leia.

And I stayed true to my words, I kept my promise. I'd wait down on the pier until she arrived, and she usually arrived before the last of the dying light, but already the moon was climbing high into the clear sky. The stars twinkled above me, mocking my current loneliness.

I was starting to get really worried now. And it's not like I could phone her or call out her name. Zack, the shipper, lived in the little wooden house behind me, and if he heard me calling the name of person he'd never met before he might actually start to think I was crazy.

I could hear my heart thudding in my chest, as more nightmarish thoughts flashed through my mind.

Suddenly, I was splashed with the freezing cold water, squealing in surprise.

Leia's head bobbed up and down the water, a broad grin across her features. She swam closer, jumping up onto the wooden pier and settling next to me.

"I'm so sorry I'm late," she started, looking a little guilty, "My mom held me back,"

I sighed with relief, throwing my arms around her and hugging her tightly, "I'm just glad you're okay, Leia."

I think she was a little surprised with how worried I was. She looked even guiltier afterwards.

And so we started talking about the general things; how the farm was, how Meg was, etc...

Leia always asked me to describe what everything looked and smelled like, and how they felt. She'd close her eyes with this wistful look on her face.

"It sounds lovely, Claire," she said to me, her head resting in her hands, "I really wish I could see it for myself."

I tapped my chin gently, I would have loved to have taken her up to the farm was well.

"Can't you just go upstream?" I asked her, but she shook her head, looking at me with those sad, deep blue eyes.

"I've tried already. The stream's too fast, and some of the ledges are high up," she explained. She sighed softly, "You just work so hard on it. And I've never seen a cow or a sheep before."

I'd told her about my two new additions to the farm that I'd bought in during the first month of spring this year. I thought more about getting her up to my farm. By this point the moon was high above us, casting a soft, silvery light against us. It made Leia's tail shimmer like the tinsel you wrapped around a Christmas tree.

"Well, what if I carried you?" I said, getting to my feet.

Leia turned to look at me, eyes widened in surprise, "Carry me...?"

She looked a little hesitant.

"Come on Leia," I urged her, "I lift heavy tools for a living, so I'm sure I could carry you up to the farm,"

Leia bit her lower lip, before she nodded, "Alright..."

"Can you get your tail up onto the pier?"

Leia complied without much hesitation. She swung her tail up onto the boards, water trailing off it. I carefully placed my legs either side her hips, careful as not to stand on the fins that protruded from them. I kneeled down, wrapping my arms around her waist as she slid her arms around my neck for security. I took a deep breath.

"Ready?" I asked. Leia nodded, gripping the back of my overalls tightly. With all my strength I pulled her upwards, slowly standing up. Leia always looked so thin and lithe, and probably looked light. But I never thought about how much her tail weighed, as it hung awkwardly in the air. I heard Leia whimper; she wasn't too sure about this, and as it became increasingly difficult to stand up straight and hold the mermaid, neither was I. I could feel my body wobbling as we both went forward, head first into the sea.

I was worried about if I'd hurt Leia as we fell into the sea. I'm not sure how far down I sank, but I must have released Leia when we hit the ocean. And as I looked around my heart sank; you couldn't see the ocean floor despite the moon shining above me. It wasn't like land; the light didn't reach down into the watery depths. It felt like despair manifested into a physical form. Was this what Leia had to put up with each and every night?

I turned my body upwards, kicking my legs. I scanned the surrounding area, looking for the mermaid, but she'd disappeared from view. And as I reached the surface I took a deep gulp of air, before looking around for the emerald haired woman.

"Leia!" I hissed, followed by a small pant. I swam around in circles, not realising she was right behind me.

"Claire!" she whispered, her expression full of concern and worry as I turned around to face her, "Are you alright?"

I nodded, "Are you?"

She nodded to me, swimming closer and wrapping her arm around my waist as we both swam back to the shore.

As I sat on the soft, wet sand, squeezing the salty water from my hair, Leia pulled her body up onto the rocks.

"Oh Leia, I'm so sorry," I apologized, unable to look at her. I felt like I'd let her down.

"It's alright," I heard her reply, "Don't get upset Claire, what matters to me is that you tried."

I looked to her and she was smiling at me. I gave her a small smile back, but I still felt horrible. If only there was a way...

"Claire, you should probably get back now," Leia said, her eyes softening, smile fading slightly, "You'll catch a cold if you stay in those wet clothes."

I nodded, "Yeah, you're right..."

She must have forced the next smile, "Let's talk again tomorrow, alright?"

"Alright," I scrambled to my feet, pouring the water from my boots. She dived back into the water as I pulled them back on.

"Goodnight Leia," I called out after her, prompting her to turn around and give me a wave, before disappearing underneath the water's surface.

And with a small shiver and a sneeze, I began walking straight back home.

And that's it for chapter one, everyone.

Really hope you enjoyed it and I'm off to work on the next chapter.