It was a beautiful day in Animal Village. If one looked up, they could see how well the white clouds stood out in contrast to the blue background, making it a perfect sky. The sun provided more than enough light to reflect just how pretty everything in their town was. The plants and crops glowed with a youthful appeal to them, and the water droplets from the last storm slid off with ease.
Ai stretched her arms high above her head. She moved around more to get rid of any knots that had formed while she slept, and then stood to look at the scene before her. The rain last night had been heavy, and she wasn't just using that term lightly. She'd been walking out in the square when it started, and she just had barely enough time to rush back to her house before she could be completely soaked. But even then, the water had gotten through her clothes and she had to wash them thoroughly before going to bed.
It's hard to believe that such an intense pelting mellowed out to this extent... She thought, bewildered by how calm everything seemed now. Well, I'm not about to complain. This change is welcome! She smiled, before setting out to the square.
It was a Saturday, so she didn't have anything to do for Tom Nook - and it was just her luck too. She enjoyed her job, but the amount the packages weighed made it hard to ride her bicycle sometimes.
When Ai arrived at her destination, the first thing she did was go to the bulletin board at the front of Town Hall. It was there that newspapers and announcements would be posted up for everyone to see, and she wanted to make sure she didn't miss anything.
However, she sighed when all she found was the usual stuff - help wanted ads, small events that she wasn't particularly interested in, and the mayor continuing to beg for votes from his citizens. The festival isn't even for another couple months...
Deciding that there was nothing more to be seen, she headed toward the Able Sister's store. She'd heard they had a new pattern for sale - courtesy of Sally's prowess. She smiled at the thought of her friend. The last time she'd seen her was a couple days ago, proving how even though the elephant had moved to another town, she and Ai were still able to keep in touch.
Going inside the store greeted her to the same warm interior, their shelves stacked with new clothes from various cities. The thing that caught her attention though, was the pattern that stood at the front of everything else. It came in various styles; as a shirt, dress, or even pants.
"Wow! This must be Sally's new design." Ai exclaimed.
"Yes, aren't they beautiful?" Mabel, one of the sisters, walked up to her. "They just came in this week. That girl never ceases to amaze me with all of her new ideas!"
The pattern had a green and pink colour scheme, fitting the current spring season. Pink cherry blossom flowers inched up from the bottom that seemed to wrap the green cloth around like a vine.
"And the special part about this design, is that the flowers are hand stitched!" Mabel gestured toward the bundle, very elated to be talking about it.
Ai nodded along with her, "You're right, Mabel. I think I'll get this pattern in a dress, and maybe a short roll of it to take home with me."
The hedgehog happily clapped her hands together and took the dress and cloth that Ai pointed to. The pigtailed girl followed her up to the cash register and paid for the items, thanking both sisters before walking out of the store.
First purchase of the day, Ai thought, reaching for the dress from her bag to take a look at it. "Eeee! I'll wear it as soon as I get home!"
She began making her way back, but not before hearing a sudden noise from behind her. She paused, wondering what it was. It sounds like... digging?
As soon as those words entered her mind, she knew who it was. Yu was probably out in the forest with his buddy Albert again, searching for more of those fossils he kept talking about. She would've thought he'd gotten more than enough from the cave, but it seemed like he still wasn't done with his hunt for more.
Oh well, I might as well see what he's doing. He hasn't been in the village very much lately. She went behind the store and into the path that lead to the forest, inching around puddles from yesterday's shower. The forest was devoid of people, which made finding Yu a lot easier.
The boy had his shovel out, a rather sizeable hole at the edge of his feet. Several little fossils and trinkets he'd found were gathered in a large plastic bucket.
Ai had to scoot around the many other holes he had made before reaching him, "Hi, haven't seen you in a while."
"Woah, Ai!" Yu stopped digging, looking up to face her. "Wasn't expecting to see you here either." He had on a caveman costume, topped with his dinosaur skull hat. It was a favourite of his that he took to any time he went digging.
She asked, "What are you doing?"
"Looking for fossils, of course!"
Figures, Ai rolled her eyes.
"I still haven't hit that jackpot yet, but someday I will! It'll be just as big as that dinosaur you found in the cave!" He yelled, going back to digging.
"I'm pretty sure we all found that together though," She commented, before looking around them. "-Albert isn't with you?"
Yu took the tiniest pause, "A-Ah, he's busy today. Said he had something to do."
"Oh," Ai hummed, not noticing the look of nervousness that he was trying to hide. "Isn't it tiring to dig out here all by yourself?"
"Yeah, but I do it because it's fun. If I find something rare, I wanna rub it in his face and make him jealous!" He said, before bending over to pick something up. "Another bug fossil."
She watched him as he sighed and threw it in the bucket. If he wants to find something rare, why does he keep digging in the same places? "You know, you could look in some other areas besides this one. The only things you've been finding here are normal fossils, right?"
"Then do you know any other places?"
"Hmm..." She put her hand to her chin, "I don't, but Bouquet might. She's probably got more then just that cave that nearly collapsed on us."
"We should go and ask her then!" Yu climbed out of the hole he'd digged up, hauling the shovel above his shoulder. "Ai, come with me!"
"But what about the bucket?" She asked, looking down at the container that overflowed with fossils.
"We'll just come back and get it later!" He tugged on her hand, "Pleeaase, you're the only one who knows where Bouquet lives!"
"Fine, fine, just stop pulling!"
He let go of her hand and she dusted it to get rid of some dirt that had rubbed off on her. "Come on, let's go."
He followed her out of the forest and back on the Main Street, where all of the shops were. It was of her knowledge that the path to the right lead to the neighborhood, which was where Bouquet lived.
Ai looked over to Yu, who, despite how tired and worn out his body looked, seemed excited at the prospect of looking for more fossils. Does he ever run out of energy? Truth be told, she hadn't planned on running into the hyperactive boy while on her morning stroll. She'd hoped to go shopping for clothes and food, before perhaps heading back to do her chores. Still, I haven't hanged out with my friends since Sally came by. Maybe it'll be fun...
"Hey Ai, what places do you think Bouquet would have in mind?"
"Huh?" She was stunned out of her stupor, flinching at the sudden question. "Um, maybe a forest, or another cave. Or maybe even a town we've never been to before."
"A different town?" Yu asked to seemingly nobody. He went silent after that, causing Ai to blink questioningly.
Bouquet lived near the center of the neighborhood, where the gardens were the prettiest. The many different colorful flowers stood on the ground in an organized fashion, complementing the cutesy design the feline chose to go with for her house. There was no way Ai could ever forget the first place she had delivered to.
The two stepped onto the front porch and rang the doorbell. Yu had to hold himself back from smashing the door down, much to Ai's chagrin.
"Coming!~" A voice could be heard from the other side. The door opened to reveal Bouquet, wearing a dress that was patterned with one of Sally's designs. "Ai!" She beamed upon seeing her friend, and looked over beside her. "And Yu? What brings the both of you here?"
"Well, Yu wanted to-"
"Do you know any good places to look for fossils?!" The boy interrupted, screaming into Bouquet's face. He was oblivious to the glare Ai sent his way.
"Eh?" The cat was caught off guard. She noticed the shovel Yu was clutching onto, and blanched. "Don't tell me..."
"I want another place just like the cave, with lots of ammonite fossils. I've only been able to find really basic stuff lately, but I want, no, need some better finds!"
Bouquet frowned on instinct, slightly puzzled by his desperation. "W-Well, I don't know if it'll be as good as the cave, but there is a place that I know of."
"Really?!" Yu latched onto the cat's shoulders, "Where?! Where is it?!"
"I-It's in a d-different town! Stop shaking me!" She pulled away from him and rubbed her shoulders. "The town is called Boondox. I've heard about their large dirt supply, so maybe there's some good fossils to be found there."
"Boondox? Like the village filled with people who only eat grilled cheese sandwiches made of dirt?" Ai questioned. She imagined how that would taste and cringed, doesn't seem too good...
"Yep! Go look there and tell me what you find, 'kay?" She patted Yu's back, before going inside and closing the door.
Ai crossed her arms, "Bouquet, she doesn't even want to touch dirt... Yu?" She turned to face the boy, who had gone silent upon hearing Bouquet's suggestion.
"Well that was useless!" He huffed, lips pouted in a childish way. "That scaliwag, what happened to her helpfulness from last year?"
"Huh?" She tilted her head, having not expected him to say that. Wasn't it him who was raving on about going to any areas to dig? Then again, I was the one who made the proposal. "Yu, I think you should go to Boondox. They might have some fossils there that are of more value than the ones back in the forest."
Yu looked at her, "...Yeah, I think I'll go there right now. Thanks for coming along with me, Ai." He smiled, before hopping off the steps and back on the path.
"Wait, don't you want any help?" She called after him.
"Nah, if I need any help I'll just ask Albert!" He yelled back.
She watched him walk away, hunched shoulders and dragging his shovel across the ground. Is it just me, or does he seem a little dejected?
Perhaps he had already searched in Boondox. It was rather close to Animal Village, and was well known for it's lack of money and resources. The only thing the town was abundant in was dirt, which they used for practically everything, including food. She'd have thought that they were hiding some valuable stuff underneath all the soil, but if the town was still poor than maybe not.
But then, why did Yu say he was going to Boondox? Could it be that... he lives there?
Ai had never really thought of where the other human lived, always taking his word for it when he said "another town." On top of that, every single one of their friends all lived in Animal Village, except for him. It was strange that she'd only wonder about it now, but once the thought had planted itself in her mind, it wouldn't let go.
If he lives in Boondox, then it must mean he's poor... That statement gave her a new perspective. She suddenly felt sadder for him, looking on at his retreating form with pity in her eyes. She felt a surge of determination, Alright, I know what I have to do now.
I'll go follow him!
A.N.
Yayy an Ai x Yu story. There aren't very many of these, and I got a sudden craving for the pairing so I decided to make my own story. I'm not that good at writing but I hope it's still readable!
Reviews are very much appreciated!