Disclaimer: I do not own anything in Harvest Moon.
AN: For this story, I have taken a different approach to some things. This fic is dedicated to Awesome Rapidash!
A cool autumn breeze swept across Forget-Me-Not Valley. Different colored leaves covered the ground, while some moved gracefully across the sky. The sky was blanketed in clouds, and it was forecast to rain later in the day and the next day as well. And yet, it was still a beautiful day.
Jack smiled to himself as he pulled out one of the weeds growing on his field. No matter how many of these things he pulled out, more always seemed to appear. But he learned that as long as he did some weeding daily, then they wouldn't take over his entire field.
Taking out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his brow, his thoughts wandered to a girl living in Daryl's basement. A cute girl with short green hair, soft blue eyes, pink seashell accents in her hair, and a fish like tail. That girl was named Leia and she was a mermaid.
When the farmer first met the mermaid, he had been shocked because he had never seen one before. But now, he was happy that he had seen her. He came to visit her every single day, unless something held him back for whatever the reason.
With his daily chores done for the day, Jack rose to his feet and headed toward the front gate so he could head to the village. On the way, he spotted Takakura, so he smiled and waved on his way out. Takakura returned the farmer's gesture as he headed back into his own house.
Daryl looked over the experiment he was working on his lab. Though honestly, today, it was a little bit harder to concentrate, because every once and a while, he would hear a sneezing sound coming from the basement.
He sighed quietly to himself. He had gone to check on her just this morning. The scientist had even considered taking her to Doctor Hardy and even asked her about it. However she'd declined. But she promised that if it got worse that she would allow it.
Well, he even considered making something that could work as medicine, but truthfully, he really wasn't so good at that kind of thing. That's why he suggested the mermaid should see the valley's doctor.
Just then, Daryl heard a knocking sound on the front door. As there was only one person in the valley who ever came to visit him, he didn't bother to go and check. "The door is open, Jack," he called.
The door opened slowly and the farmer came inside the lab. "Hello, Daryl!" he chirped happily as he closed the door behind him. Jack smiled as he took out an orange grass out of his rucksack, and placed it on the table. "I found this on the way here. I know how much you like these things."
Daryl turned toward the young farmer and saw the gift he left on the table. He smiled a little bit. "Thank you, Jack. That is very thoughtful of you."
Jack titled his head as he eyed the other man. "Hey, are you okay, Daryl?" he asked.
"I'm fine," Daryl quickly assured. "However, Leia…"
Before the scientist could continue with what he was saying, the sound of sneezing came from the basement. Jack's eyes widened when he heard that sound, and quickly ran toward the basement's entrance. Without even thinking about it, he opened up the door and moved down the steps as quickly as he was able.
He turned around the corner and saw Leia, holding onto a tissue and sniffling. The mermaid wasn't looking good at all, what with her flushed cheeks, and her nose was a little red too. Feeling another sneeze coming on, the fishy girl sneezed on her tissue.
"Leia!" Jack gasped as he rushed over toward her.
Despite the way she felt, Leia looked over at the young man with a look of shock in her blue eyes. "Jack? W… what's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong with me," Jack answered. "I heard you sneezing from upstairs, and came to check on you."
The mermaid managed a tiny smile. "Really, y… you came to check on me?" she asked with a sniffle.
"Of course, why wouldn't I?"
Leia's smile widened when she heard the farmer say that. "Thanks for your concern. I just have a little cold, that's all."
Jack looked all over the floor and discovered a few waded up tissues near the trash can. There was even some in the trash can too. From the look of it, the mermaid must have tried tossing the tissues into the trash can and she missed a few times.
The farmer went over to the trash can on the other side of the room, and carefully threw away the little balls of tissues. "Are you sure? Looks like you've been sneezing a lot. Maybe I should take you to see Dr. Hardy."
With the tissue she had in hand, Leia blew her nose, then crumpled it up into a little ball, leaving on the side of the tub instead. She reached over for the pink tissue box that Daryl gave her in the morning. "That's what Daryl said…" she said softly. "But… I'm a little nervous."
Jack looked over at the fishy girl confused. "Why? I mean, if you're sick, wouldn't you want to be treated right away?"
"More than anything," Leia said with a nod of her head. She gently rubbed her nose with the new tissue she had just taken. "It's just that… well…"
For a moment, the mermaid went silent, with the occasional sneezing, and a couple sniffles. Jack was really beginning to worry now. He couldn't tell how bad this cold was, and he didn't know how a cold affected mermaids. Could the common cold be worse to a mermaid? He didn't even want to think of it! He just wanted her to get better!
The mermaid sighed again. "I'm just… afraid that's all. I haven't met much of the humans here, aside from you and Daryl, I mean. You two have been so nice to me…"
When he heard that, Jack nodded in understanding. "Ah, now I get it. You're afraid of meeting other people."
Leia nodded slowly and sneezed again. "Yeah."
Jack gave the young mermaid a reassuring smile as he approached the fishy girl in her tub. "You don't have to worry. Most of the people living here are very nice including Dr. Hardy. He may look intimating, but he cares for everyone in the valley if they get sick. And you have nothing to worry about. I'll be there with you. I'm sure if you want to, Daryl could come as well."
Leia smiled at the thought. While she was worried about seeing the other people in the valley, she would feel much better about this trip if both the farmer and scientist were with her. "Yeah… okay."
"So you'll go?" Jack questioned the mermaid.
Leia nodded a little. "Yes, I'll go."
Jack smiled in relief and he reached over to pick the fishy girl out of the tub. This time, he was more careful as he walked up the stairs leading to Daryl's lab. The black haired scientist smiled when he saw the young man carrying the mermaid.
"She agreed to go see Dr. Hardy," Jack explained. "Would you like to come with us? I think it would make her feel better if we both went."
Daryl smiled at the young man's suggestion. "I don't see any problem with that."
Jack and Daryl waited in the waiting room of the clinic, waiting for Dr. Hardy to finish his examination of the mermaid. It came as no surprise to them that she was a little nervous when she saw the doctor for the first time. It had to be the metal part on his face, and the way how his face looked in general. But seeing his shorts and flip flops seemed to put her more at ease.
Jack sighed to himself as he let his mind wander again. This time, he was worried about the mermaid's condition. Sure it could only be a little cold, but maybe it was like that for a human. Leia was in a different place after all. This could be more serious than he really knew!
"You need to calm down, Jack," Daryl advised, seeing the look on the farmer's face.
"I know, but what if it's worse than we think it is?" Jack asked.
"I should say not," the scientist remarked. "Even if it is a little worse, I doubt its life threatening."
"Still, I can't help but worry…"
Daryl looked at the young man carefully. He had been watching the two sometimes, and because of this, he was able to see something that some people could not. Especially since most people didn't know of the mermaid living in his basement. Of course, it might be different now, but it had to be done nonetheless.
"You love her, don't you, Jack?" the scientist suddenly inquired.
A look of surprise filled Jack's brown eyes, and a blush crept into his cheeks. "Is it really that obvious?"
"You're talking to a man of science here," Daryl remarked. "Of course it's easy for me to find out."
Jack looked away for a moment. "Yeah, I love her, even though she is a mermaid, that doesn't mean anything to me. She is a very special girl to me."
Just then, Dr. Hardy came out into the waiting room. As soon as he did, both Jack and Daryl immediately stood up. "Leia's condition isn't too serious. She just has a seasonal cold that's all." He handed a bottle over to Daryl that had a dark red liquid inside. "Have her take a dose of this every four hours, but don't make her take more than three a day. If her conditions worsens let me know."
"Thank you, Dr. Hardy," Daryl said politely and looked to where Jack was standing.
The sun began to set over the peaceful valley, as Jack stood in the basement, carefully pouring the medicine's contents onto a spoon. Leia sneezed and watched curiously as the farmer approached her tub.
"Take this, it will help you feel better," Jack told her.
The mermaid nodded and opened her mouth, allowing Jack to give her the medicine. Her face twisted a little in disgust, and she cringed a little bit. "Yuck… that tastes awful," Leia complained.
"True, but you have to take it if you want to feel better quicker," Jack pointed out.
The mermaid nodded slowly. "That's true," she agreed. "And I have had other medicines that have tasted bad."
"Why don't you get some rest?" the farmer advised. "You'll be able to heal quicker if you do."
"Good idea," Leia agreed, sniffling a little bit. "But, Jack… before I do, I have a question. Even though it was just a cold, you looked so worried. Why?"
"It's because… I love you, Leia," the farmer said slowly, controlling the burning feeling he was getting in his cheeks.
"Y… you love me?" Leia repeated, surprised but at the same time she was happy too.
Jack nodded his head, and looked away from her for a bit. "Yes. I've felt that way for a little while now. You are the most important thing in the world to me. You are a very special girl, and it's not just because you are a mermaid."
He was about to continue, when he heard a light snoring sound. Looking back toward the tub, he saw that Leia's head was resting on the side of the tub, and she was fast asleep. In a way, he didn't really mind, because the extra rest would be just what she needed to feel much better.
Carefully, he pushed aside the locks of green hair to give her a kiss on her forehead. "I hope you feel better soon, Leia."
A couple days had passed, and there was no more sneezing coming from the basement. In fact, Leia felt wonderful! She was up and about, balancing on her tail to make some food, and everything else she was able to do. But something was missing.
Wanting to do something different for a change, Leia made her way over to the stairs. It wasn't easy to get up those steps, but she did the best she could without falling flat on her face, using the rail to keep herself upright. She carefully opened the door to the basement, and poked her head up.
"Hello, Daryl!" she called cheerfully as she climbed the rest of the way up.
"Leia!" Daryl gasped seeing his fishy guest. "Are you sure you should be out of your tub right now?"
"Oh yes, I feel fine now," Leia said happily. "Anyway, I was wondering if you could do me a favor."
The scientist gave the mermaid a curious look. "A favor?"
"Yes," the mermaid replied with a nod of her head. "Jack always comes to visit me. So, I want to return the favor and visit him this time! So, I was wondering if you carry me to his farm."
"I would be delighted to do that," Daryl said with a wide smile. He moved over to the girl and carefully lifted her onto his shoulders.
It didn't take them too long to reach the farm, though a couple people did notice that Daryl was carrying a mermaid on his back. At first, Leia was a little worried what people would say, but most people came up to introduce themselves and say hello.
Many were surprised that she was a mermaid, and yet they treated her kindly. This eased the mermaid's fears that she had only a couple days ago.
When they finally made it to the Pallet Farm, they discovered that the farmer was not busy in his field. Thinking that he might be inside, they headed to the front door. Daryl knocked and he received a moan for an answer. A concerned look filled Leia's face as the scientist opened the door.
The cute dog and cat that Jack owned were on top of his bed. Leia recognized them as Jack once brought his pets over to see her. Buddy and Luna were the names as she remembered. But it wasn't just the animals near his bed that caught her attention.
Jack's head could be seen poking out of his blanket. His cheeks were pink and his nose was all red. His brown hair was a complete mess. There was no doubt about it. Jack was the one who was sick now!
"Jack, what happened?!" Leia gasped.
"L… Leia?" Jack asked and coughed a little bit. "W… what are you doing here?"
"I wanted to visit you this time," the mermaid explained.
"You must have gotten sick from working in the rain yesterday," Daryl remarked. "I'll leave Leia here, and I'll bring Dr. Hardy." He set Leia down beside the young man's bed. Leia watched as Daryl left before turning her attention back to Jack.
"Don't worry, Jack. I'll stay by your side," Leia told the sick farmer.
"Y… you would do that for me?" Jack asked softly.
"Yes. Because you are special to me, and I love you too," Leia explained with a smile as her cheeks became red at the thought.