Chapter I

It was pouring. My thin and worn clothes were soaked and were not even trying to hold back the sharp winds and chilling rain. Wet hair clung to my face as I staggered along the road, which was no longer dirt, but a simple cobblestone path. It was beginning to flood over, puddles joining together to become a small stream, covering the lane and making a muddy mess. My feet plopped in and out of the slop as I staggered onward. I had no place to go, but I didn't stop to find cover from the slaughtering rain. It wasn't worth it; I had already assumed, from years of experience, that a town was just ahead of me, fighting off the same storm.

Thunder rumbled and I almost didn't hear it; I was consumed in my thoughts. Like a quicksand, it pulled me under and seemed to stifle my senses. Sometimes, I would stumble over a rock, plain in view, but I would not have realized its small presence. I guess I was just that stupid.

Trees shook as a wind cut through them and myself; making me shudder. Rain began to fall harder, and yet, I just kept walking. It was the only thing I could do. It wasn't like I could turn around and go home. No, I didn't have a home anymore. I didn't have a warm house to return to, a family to welcome me, a dinner ready on the table, or even a friendly smile to let me smile back to. I was on my own and that was that.

I didn't look up, but from the corner of my eye, I could see a small sign. I didn't read it, but I just knew it was the welcoming sign of the very town I had guessed was just ahead. Another sharp breeze slashed through me like a knife. I actually recoiled in surprise, stopping and taking a moment to rub my arms, which were raw and bare against the elements. I had no coat to wrap around myself, but my equally cold hands to try and stroke my chilled arms. Needless to say, it was in vain.

Maybe it was the thunder, maybe it was the softening of the wind, but I suddenly looked up to find myself in the center of a town's street. It was unfamiliar, but somehow comforting at the same time. It looked like one of those small towns that you would just pass by without a second glance, or maybe even a first.

I stood in front a large brick and stone building bearing the name 'DOUG'S INN'. It seemed to have a cold exterior to it, but that may have been the storm still raging against me and the taverns walls. But the glow of the windows created a soft light outside, like when a fireplace was lit to just the perfect touch of warmth, attracted me and made my feet slosh through the shallow mud waters. My hand touched the cold, cold metal of the door handle and before I could think for another second, I had already opened the door.

I didn't even walk in, but stood there with my hand still on the handle and scanned the area. There was no lobby, but a large open room filled with tables, all set up and ready for customers. Even though the owners obviously worked hard to give off a welcoming air, there were only a few people in the enormous room. Two men, one standing behind a counter with orange (turning gray) hair and complementary mustache and the other with dark (also graying) hair and a smile lined with small wrinkles. They were chuckling loudly over a joke that was told before I had opened the door.

Walking in, they didn't hear me over their laughter. My footsteps were seen on the floor, wet muddy stains on the wooden boards. I could feel tiny droplets of water trace across my jaw and then finally fall to the floor. I stumbled over to a stool, where I sat and the relief of my weight not on my feet made me let out a sigh. It was almost silent, not counting the low hum of the two men talking to each other. They weren't even very loud at all, just a chuckle and a word to each other; both seemed content with just a slow silence and taking a sip of the wine in front of them. Frankly, I didn't mind the peace either.

A low rumble from outside made all of us turn towards the entrance, as if expecting something to happen. The dark haired man poked at the redhead, smirking a drunken smirk. "Hey, you ain't afraid off thisss" A small hiccup. "Thisss sstorm, are you, Doug?"

The man called Doug simply chuckled, his cheeks a slight pick tinge from the wine. "Nah, not fear my friend, not fear." He began to clean a glass that seemed already spotless. "Just wonderin' when it'll stop, Duke."

"Never." Duke chuckled as though it was a joke. Doug smiled and laughed along with him, and I guessed it was an inside joke between the two old friends. I turned back around to face the counter and just stared at its wooden boards. The tiny lines of grain in them made small grooves and when I touched the boards gently, I could feel them. My mind wandered again and then came the quicksand.

It was almost like I was back outside; water seemed to flood in my head, making my eyes close and a blackness sweep over me. The voices of the two men's laughter seemed to fade away slowly as I fell into a dreamlike trance. Memories filled my head, flashing before me, trying to burn a hole in my brain, as if they wanted to stay there forever. I knew that they probably were there forever. It began to be as if every time I closed my eyes, they would flicker on, and I would be forced to watch.

"Hey, you okay?" A voice came clear through the blackness; I knew it wasn't part of my memories. It was new; feminine, but kind of gravelly and not overly sweet (unlike some of the voices of women that I've met). I opened my eyes to see a young woman leaning on the counter, a small smirk playing on her lips. She was close to me and I fell back a little, not quite prepared for the proximity. A laugh escaped her lips; it was sort of gravelly, too. "Sorry 'bout that, there. You seemed a little out of it there and I thought I would ask what was on your mind."

She had red hair, braided and falling down her back, held up by a white bow. Her blue eyes stared at me, not intently, but not glazed over either. She wasn't the prettiest girl that I've ever met, but not the ugliest by far. Out of all the women I've met, she was probably the least fake. "So, did you need something?"

'Money, food, water, a house…' I thought. "U-Uh, n-nothing…" I stammered, mentally cursing myself. I couldn't help but stutter; I never really wanted to talk much and I wasn't really good at holding a conversation either. She didn't seem fazed by my shyness, though. The young woman nodded and shrugged.

"Suit yourself, but if you need somethin', give me a call." It wasn't like she was flirting when she said that, which I've actually gotten a few times if I stopped by a bar, but just casual politeness.

I dug a fingernail into my hand as I watched her walk away. "U-Uh, w-wait…" I stopped her and she turned around, giving me a curious look. "I-Is there a-any room f-for me t-to stay the n-night?" I asked quietly.

A grin broke out on her face. "Do we have room? Boy, you've never been to Mineral Town have you?" She laughed, her hands resting on her hips. "We'll always have plenty of room! There's a nice bed upstairs waiting for ya for only 100G." I felt relief come over me. I had 100G. "Food and other stuff will be put on the bill as you go, but 100G is the price for every two weeks."

I actually smiled. I had money for that, maybe for even more than a month! I could feel a warmth rush through me. That meant that I had a place to go to when a storm rolled by. The woman leaned against the counter again. "So, you stayin' or not?"

"Y-Yes, t-thank you…" I stammered and took out 100G, placing it in her outstretched hand. My hand was obviously cold as I noticed her eyes widen quickly when we came in contact.

"Jeez!" She gave a tiny shriek. "What, have you never heard of gloves?!" I felt my face heat up, despite my cold hands and everything. "Let's get you something hot to eat; on the house." I looked up at her with surprise. Free?!

"I-I thought I-I h-had to p-pay for food a-as-"

She waved it off as though it was nothing. "Yeah, yeah, I know what I said. Don't need to remind me." She grinned again. "But you look like you need a good hot meal, buddy. And don't try to tell me otherwise, 'cause I can tell you suck at lying."

There was a low grumble, but it wasn't the thunder outside. I placed a hand over my abdomen, blushing furiously with embarrassment. The woman laughed loudly (I was starting to like her laugh, gravelly and all). "That's what I want to hear!" She beamed and turned away, still talking. "I'll be just a minute, it won't take long at all; you like curry?"

I nodded my head vigorously, but then I realized that she didn't see me. "Y-Yes, i-it's my f-favorite."

"Great! That just so happens to be my specialty!" I just knew that she was smiling by the tone of her voice. She turned into a room, where I heard the clang of pots. There was a tiny roar of a starting flame and then a sizzle of oil on a pan, along with rice and curry powder blistering. "So… why were you out in a storm like this?"

I didn't say anything. There was the low hum of the two men still talking, still oblivious to my or the young woman's presence. The sizzle and the roar of the flame were the only things that I heard from the kitchen, not a word from the woman. I bit my lip, hoping that she didn't take it the wrong way; honestly, I had no idea either; why I was out there standing the storm. But that didn't mean that I wanted to talk about it.

The tiny sizzle faded as the resulting click of a burner knob was turned off. The blistering noise of cooked curry slowly died and I realized the dish must have been done frying; that meant that she was coming out. A small flicker of panic built up in my chest. She might be annoyed with me; she could be irritated with my silence, my smothered answer. There were light footsteps on the wooden boards, a tiny stumble when she turned the corner, dish in hand. I was surprised to see an apologetic sheepish smile on her lips. "Err, sorry 'bout that…"

I was taken aback by her apology. My jaw sort of fell, not completely so that I looked like some slack-jawed moron. "Y-You're s-sorry?" I asked and she shrugged, placing the curry on the counter.

"Yeah, I get this a lot… I get a little excited, ya know? Sometimes I wanna know about people who come in here and I end up getting a little nosy." She laughed. "I'm just curious! Sorry if I made you uncomfortable and stuff."

I pursed my lips, my face heating up again. "I-It's okay…"

"So…" She poked her finger at the curry. "Eat up and tell me how great it is." Her face broke out into a grin. Her modesty wasn't as annoying as others' were. I smiled a little and picked up the fork, plunging it into the spicy food. I popped it into my mouth, chewing it slowly as the woman leaned against the counter once more, cupping her chin in her palms, expectant. The food seemed to spark; it was amazing! The spice was just perfect, tingling my tongue and at the same time was cooked to excellence. I blinked twice, shocked. The woman laughed, her head thrown back. "I knew it!"

She pointed at the dish again as I forked into it once more. "I used my own special secret curry powder; it's all mine." She was beaming. "First concocted it when I was twelve!"

"T-Twelve?" I asked, about to shove another fork-full into my mouth.

"Yeah, I've always loved to cook." She nodded. Her lips pursed for a moment and then she whipped out a fork from under the counter. "Don't mind, do you?" I was about to ask her what she meant, but she didn't seem to need an answer. Her fork went into the curry and then into her mouth. "Mmmm, I love curry." She saw my surprised look and then laughed. "Sorry, you made it look good!"

I smiled a little. "R-Really?"

A laugh escaped her lips. "Oh, don't flatter yourself, boy!" My cheeks heated up. "Say…" Another fork of curry popped into her mouth. "What did you say your name was?"

I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling hotter. "I-I d-didn't…"

She raised an eyebrow. "And it would be…?"

I noticed the curry was finished, so I put my fork down. "Ummm… C-Cliff…" I stammered, my voice softening. She smirked and then picked up the clean plate, putting the two forks on top and walking away to the kitchen.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Cliff." She replied, yelling from the kitchen. "How long will you be staying here at Doug's Inn?" I pursed my lips, feeling a tiny bit of dread. Was there a time limit or something? "Um, hellooo? Earth to Cliff? Do you know how long you will be staying?"

"U-Uh, n-no…" I answered finally and the woman came out of the kitchen, drying her hands.

"Okay, that's alright." I could feel my chest ease out of relief. The young woman leaned against the counter again, a smirk on her face. "Name's Ann, by the way."

I hunched over a little, blushing. "N-Nice t-to meet y-you, A-Ann…"

She laughed. "You're sure shy, aren't you Cliff? Well, don't worry; you'll get out of your shell eventually." Another gravelly laugh. "Especially with all the nice people around here!" She leaned over a little closer. "Though, be careful about the Rose Square ladies; they're such gossips."

I smiled a little and she grinned. "Okay! Let's get you upstairs and settled in!" Ann walked around the counter, seeming to look for something. She scratched her head, looking slightly confused.

"Ummm…" I felt a little nervous. "A-Are y-you looking for s-something?"

"Yeah; where are your things?" Ann straightened up and gave me a look. I felt my face heat up with embarrassment. "Don't you have a suitcase or something?"

I looked down at the floor, as though it was more interesting than Ann. "N-No…" I muttered and I saw Ann wince.

"Aw, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that…" She rubbed the back of her neck. "Let's get you upstairs, 'kay?" I nodded and followed her.

As we walked across the room, I turned to see that one of the men had left, the dark haired one, leaving his emptied wine glass behind for the redhead to clean. There was silence, which before I came here, was a blessing for me. But now, the silence was kind of somber and I wanted to actually hear something, someone. Ann turned around, walking up the stairs backwards as we went upward.

"You're gonna have a roommate, by the way." I nodded and she rolled her eyes. "He's not really nice and ends up venting about his grandpa all day, so just deal, you know? You'll only see him for a couple hours a day; he works at the blacksmith's and he's totally serious about his job. He's like a workaholic, but he usually gripes about it a lot."

I smiled and she laughed. "S-So, d-do y-you o-own t-this I-Inn?" I asked and she scoffed.

"No way, my dad does. He's down there; see?" She pointed to the redheaded man, whom looked up and smiled at her. "Hey dad, I got a customer; I'm just gonna take him to the room, okay?" He nodded and continued cleaning. She turned to me with a smile. "Good ol' dad."

My heart sunk, but I tried my best to maintain a smile. Yeah, good ol' dad… She turned back around and jogged the rest of the way up, with me trying my best to remain right behind her. She would laugh when she stopped and I almost ran into her; it just made me blush profusely and stammer uncontrollably. Finally, after much stammering and blushing, we made it upstairs.

Ann opened the door to reveal a pleasant room. Its walls were a very plain color, matched by three beds against the right wall. There was a table with a vase on it, flowers popping out, unaware of the oncoming winter that would soon wipe out their friends outside that stood against the autumn storm. Thunder growled outside, proving my thoughts. Ann ran over to the window just as a tiny bolt of lightning lit up the sky. I expected to see a frown twist on her face, but an exited grin was bore into her face. "Ohhhh! I LOVE thunder storms! Don't you?"

I shook my head vigorously and she rolled her eyes. "Well, I think they're cool. Anyway…" She pointed to the beds. "That bed over there is Gray's –the guy I told you about earlier- so don't touch it. You can take either one of the other two, but that one is off limits." Ann folded her arms across her chest. "Besides, you like to live, don't you?"

I felt some color erase from my face and Ann laughed. "Don't worry! He won't mess with you now that we're buddies!"

A smile started to show up on my face. "B-Buddies?" I asked and Ann nodded.

"Yup! We're going to get along great, I just know it!" She laughed again and I started to chuckle a little. Now, I had a place to come back to, a friend to greet me, and even a friendly smile to smile back to.

Miss Rouge Apple~ I LOVE this pairing and I just had to write a fanfiction for these two. Please review and tell me how I'm doing so far! They are greatly appreciated and those who do get chocolate!!!!