Welcome to chapter 1 of a new story! This is my second fanfic on here, and I'm still as nervous as I was with the first, but I'm more excited to share :). Reviews are awesome, I offer virtual cookies to all who do so, and I enjoy responding to (and learning from) them. So here goes!

**I don't own Harvest Moon or any of the characters or settings etc etc**

Bright blue eyes gazed up at the snow as it slowly fell on a weary face. Time seemed to stand still as the moment wrapped around her frail body, bringing all of her hurts to the foreground. Her hand gripped the pole to an IV that was stabbing into her thin arm, the cold seeping through the metal and into a body that had long since lost all warmth. The thin gown that was wrapped around her fluttered softly, and a shudder ran through her body. Her head dipped in silent prayer and her eyes closed on tears she refused to shed. Her grip hardened on the pole and a desperate determination etched itself into her features. A gasp sounded behind her and a concerned and frantic voice called out, "Miss Claire! What on Earth are you doing out here?! We've been looking high and low for you!" A blanket was thrown quickly over her shoulders as the nurse patted her down with wide and worried eyes. The nurse gripped her carefully and guided her back to the building from which she had come. With one last glance behind her at the quiet courtyard, Claire let herself be led away.

It had been three weeks since Claire had settled in to the farm she had bought, and everyday she was hard at work trying to restore it. The ground was covered with stones and tree stumps that would take potentially months for her to clear out, but she pushed through. She managed to clear out a small square close to her house and plant turnips during the first week, and now they were already showing signs of pushing through the soil.

Claire wiped her brow with the back of her glove covered hand and grinned down at her first crop. She collected her tools and stuffed them into her rucksack before checking the coin in her small purse tucked into the pocket. Every morning she would gather colored grasses to sell, and she had finally saved up enough to buy her very first chicken. While it may have seemed silly, she was quite proud of this accomplishment, and almost giddy at the idea.

When she arrived at the front door of the poultry farm, she stopped to take a deep breath to calm her nerves. Not only was she buying a new life to care for, she was meeting her neighbors. She knocked on the door before cracking it open and poking her head inside. She was met with a warm smile from a frail woman seated behind the counter next to the door. The rest of the room looked to be the living room to the home, so Claire stepped over to the counter and smiled politely in greeting. "Hullo... I'm Claire. I, uh, own the farm next door." Nervousness crept into her as the woman gazed kindly at her.

She reached a hand out to her, "Oh, I'm Lillia. We were wondering when we would get to meet you." Claire's smile turned sheepish and she chastised herself for not making an effort to meet her neighbors sooner. Lillia, however, was nothing but welcoming as she beamed at her, asking politely, "What can I do for you today?"

Claire cleared her throat and pulled out her small purse to place on the counter. "I would like to buy a chicken please." Lillia gave her the total and Claire pulled every last coin from her purse to pay, a smile on her lips as she handed it over.

Lillia put the coins into the register and called out softly, "Rick!" She smiled back to Claire and handed her a receipt. "My son will help you pick out your chicken." He came quickly down the stairs, stopping as Claire turned around to face him. "Rick, this is Claire. She needs help picking out a chicken for her farm," Rick nodded his blonde head at his mother before she added pointedly, "and I'm sure she would appreciate help getting it home as well. It was nice meeting you Claire, stop by if you need anything else." Claire nodded as she followed Rick out the door, waving a final farewell to Lillia.

A few minutes later, she was staring at him as he pointed out the different chickens in the yard for her to pick from, wondering how he could be comfortable in a sweater in this warm weather. His long hair didn't look like it would help in the heat either, even with the white band around his forehead holding it back. She was thinking about these oddities when he turned to her, and a blush of embarrassment crept over her as she realized he had asked her a question. "I'm sorry, what?"

Rick laughed, and it was friendly, making Claire smile. "It's okay, it's a lot of information to take in. So, which one would you like?" Claire stared at the chickens before her and picked one at random, they all looked the same to her. Rick chuckled and lifted the chicken into his arms. As it's feet kicked about, scratching at his arms to be released, Claire realized it was probably a good idea that he wore a sweater. "Alright then, let's get this little lady to her new home then, yeah?" Claire couldn't help but smile back at his happy face, and she led the way back to her farm.

Chickadee, as Claire decided to call her, settled into the coop quickly. Rick spent a few minutes showing Claire how to care for her properly, resulting in more proof that she might want to invest in a sweater just for chicken care. He chuckled softly as Claire attempted to repeat what he had shown her.

In between the tips, Rick made a point to ask Claire about herself. She was sure that the questions belonged to more than just him though, so she was careful with her answers. The simplest, and yet hardest to explain, was when he asked why she had decided to buy the farm. She stood still for a moment, the tip of her index finger tapping her lip as she thought. "Well, the short story is that I needed a change."

Rick caught her hesitation in answering and peered over at her curiously. "And the long answer?" He blanched when Claire's eyes went wide and put his hands up. "Sorry, that's a bit much to ask having just met." His eyes were worried, and he feared he had offended her. "Maybe an easier question would be to ask if you'd like a guide through the town sometime? Promise I won't ask any nosey questions."

Claire's shock melted into a kind smile and she nodded, "That would be nice actually, thank you." Rick smiled back at her and let out a relieved sigh. Clearly there was something about her decision to come here she was hiding, which made him that much more curious, but he didn't want to scare her away. Even more so, he actually enjoyed her company.

When she had finally felt like she could sufficiently take care of her chicken, they left the coop. Claire let out a huge breath and wiped her brow in a mocking manner, which Rick chuckled at. "Well now that that's done, I guess I can head to the blacksmiths and check out the prices." She shuffled her feet nervously as she looked Rick in the eye. "Would you mind if I walked back that way with you?"

Rick nodded and pointed towards the shop with a playful smile. "I'll do you one better, I'm heading there myself anyways. So, I'll walk you there and introduce you to Saibara and Gray."

The walk to the shop was quick and filled with short stories and laughter. When Rick told Claire about his younger sister and her obsession with some guy at the beach, she laughed. "You sound like my older brother." Ricks face contorted into such dramatic shock that Claire laughed even harder. He stumbled over his words as he tried to reassure her that he wasn't going to be a big brother figure to her. Which made Claire go into hysterics.

The laughter in Claire's face faded into confusion as they stepped into the shop though. Shouting was coming from behind the old man at the counter, and she froze in place. Rick moved forward to the counter and greeted the man there, "Good afternoon Saibara. Rough day I take it?" Saibara huffed at Rick and eyed the grumbling young man behind him. "Well, I brought in the new owner of the farm next to mine. This is Cla-" He turned to see she was still standing at the door, her eyes wide. "You okay Claire?" He moved closer to her and she seemed to snap out of her stillness as he gazed curiously at her.

Stepping closer to the counter, she introduced herself to Saibara. As she shook his hand firmly, the young man who was yelling moments ago stomped over and placed a sickle in Saibara's free hand. Claire watched the old man examine the tool for a few moments. He shook his head with a frown. "Gray, you must see that this is flawed. Start over. This shop does not produce inadequate work." Gray glared at the old man and Claire watched as his face turned red. When his eyes met hers, she flinched.

Stepping back from the counter, Claire shrank behind Rick and whispered to him, "I have to get going. Um, forgot something at home." She turned quickly and made for the exit.

He turned to follow, but she was already out the door. He opened it and saw her running down the path towards her farm. "Okay..." he sighed as his face and shoulders fell.

Claire sat with her back to the front door in her living room, her knees tucked tight to her chest. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she frowned at the floor. "Idiot." She sighed out. She had run fast as she could to get away from that shop, from the hate in those eyes. Her chest had tightened and she felt as if she couldn't breath. A creeping cold settled there now as she focused her breathing, closing her eyes to the world around her.

A knock sounded on the door, making the cold in her chest grip tighter as it clawed towards her heart. She could hear a sigh come from outside of the door and was glad she had left the lights off. Maybe... he'll think I'm not here. And just go away. A few minutes passed, and one more knock, before a piece of paper slipped under the door.

Claire waited a few more minutes before reaching out to take the paper, making a note to herself to fix the stripping on the door.

Claire, I got all the prices for upgrades at Saibara's shop. Sorry you had to leave so quickly, but I hope to see you again soon!

-Rick

Claire sighed at the list he attached to the bottom. She walked to the bookcase near her bed and pulled out an old binder. When she opened it, pictures greeted her. Her face scrunched in disgust and she flipped a few pages. Halfway through the album the pictures were replaced with memorabilia; a torn piece of cloth, a hospital band, and a fading hair ribbon were most prominent at the end. Her fingers slid over each in turn and came to rest on the last.

She pulled out the ribbon and turned it over in her hands to read the words she had written on it. A heavy breath escaped her, and the last vestiges of bitter cold left her chest as the words sunk in. She tucked it back into the book and carefully put it back on the shelf. Her fingertips lingered on the spine and her face steeled. Her hand turned to a fist on it and she whispered to her shadow, "Be defiant..."