.:G o o d D a y s , B a d D a y s:.

This is my first fanfiction! I honestly am not a huge fan of Maya x Chase—just the Chase part. This idea just sort of formed in my head and I thought it would be fun to write! Please tell me what you think and point out grammatical errors, I really would love to improve so don't hold back (just don't make me cry). If you don't like the story, I'd love for you to tell me why and how I can improve. Enjoy!~

Disclaimer: No matter how much I wish otherwise, I do not own Harvest Moon.

Maya strived to please Chase each and every day but she wasn't sure why. He caused her nothing but pain. He was cold, hard...just like stone. Had he ever been anything else? It didn't matter; their childhood together was just a wistful collection of memories hidden away in dusty photo albums...

Lazy afternoons spent eating orange ice cream and picnics with their parents on the beach. And often, Maya would injure herself. Strangely enough, those were her favorite memories, hurting herself. Maybe it was the way he took care of her when she was howling in pain. Chase would scold her whenever she scraped her knee or tripped and twisted her ankle. "Maya," he would say, wrapping his arms around her. "You gotta be careful else I'll be alone! Let's go to see Miss Irene." He would then grab her hand and they would walk hand in hand to the clinic, Maya sniffling and Chase comforting her. She always stopped crying on the way there and she resolved each time to be more careful for Chase's sake.

That was the only pain they knew at the time. But a just few seasons after Maya's seventh birthday and Chase's sixth, his parents died. It was a greater pain than a mere cut, but it hurt differently for Maya. Her heart ached for Chase's loss and suddenly, she was the one putting her arms around him in comfort.

After a few years, he was able to smile again but he was never quite the same. Chase was often seen at the Church and when he was almost sixteen, he decided to leave the island. Perhaps he wanted to look for a new future and move on. All Maya knew was that her heart was breaking and she cried herself to sleep almost every night after his departure; especially after dates with Toby or Owen. They just couldn't compare to Chase, even if he had only been her best friend. Nothing else.

Ten years later, he came back. But he was different. Mean, emotionless, and unwilling to spend time with Maya. On the day of his return, Maya baked a cake for him. But he spit it out immediately...The texture was all wrong! She put too much sugar in it! And what was with the strawberries? He retreated to his old house and Maya's pillow was stained with salty tears that night.

The next day, she again baked a cake. But this time it was topped with frosting made of oranges from the local farmer's orchard. Maya put less sugar in it and made sure that she whipped the batter until it was silky smooth. She carefully carried the tray all the way to Chase's house—she was determined to please him, to make him happy like the old times when they baked cookies together in her toy oven.

"What the hell is this?" Chase asked when she presented him with the tray. "I thought I made it clear that your cooking is atrocious. Go poison someone else like Yolanda." He crossed his arms and Maya flushed with embarrassment.

"Look, Chase...I know my cooking isn't the best. You don't even need to pretend to like it! I just...worked so hard on this. It took me all morning and I even had to beg Angela to sell me one of her oranges from last season!" At that, Chase smirked.

"You honestly expect me to be grateful for this lump of shit? It's terrible, Maya!"

Maya's face fell and her lower lip trembled. "You...you don't even care that I put my heart and soul into this?" Silence. Maya closed her eyes and inwardly crossed all her fingers and toes, hoping that maybe, just maybe, he had missed her. That it was possible, not impossible, to reach his heart anymore. She tried to read his eyes, but they were guarded very well.

"No."

Tears filled her eyes and she covered her mouth. Was this how he was now? He didn't even care about their past friendship? Maya had always thought that it was a gift from the Harvest Goddess.

Without saying anything, she bolted from the house, tripping over the door frame in the process and scraping her knee. She quickly picked herself up and ran, the stinging pain reminding her of the old Chase. He would have grabbed her and taken her to the clinic. This thought made her chest tight and she pushed past her mother when she entered the inn.

"Maya! You're soaked!" She was? Somewhere along the way it had started raining. Maybe the Harvest Goddess felt the same way as Maya did and was crying. Maybe the Harvest King had been mean and cruel to her like Chase had been. She felt sympathy for the poor Goddess, but at least she had the Harvest Sprites to comfort her. She probably didn't even have those problems...she was perfect in every way. Of course the Harvest King loved the Goddess! What was Maya thinking? She felt ridiculous, it was just rain.

She slammed her door shut, her breath catching when she felt the pain in her knee. Maya pushed the scorching pain aside and collapsed on her bed. She buried her face in her pillow and began to weep for her lost friendship. How could someone so wonderful be so heartless? Oh, how her heart cried...

The next morning, Maya resolved not to speak to Chase. But she couldn't help it. As she walked past him in the Caramel River District she said a chirpy, "Hello, Chase!" He turned around with annoyance on his face and opened his mouth. Seeming to think better, he closed it and brusquely pushed her away. Needless to say, that day was terrible and ended with a soaked pillow when the stars graced the indigo sky.

The following weeks ended in the same way with Maya reduced to tears. She would invite him to lunch, he would decline with some cruel remark. Was this how the rest of her life was going to be spent? She longed for her past friendship to be revived, to mend his still broken heart after so many years. So she tried again and again to rekindle their relationship. Maya needed to think of something that he would love to do

Chase was in his kitchen, preparing orange tea when Maya burst in. She had been struck with inspiration late at night, and her plans were made apparent with bikini in one hand and a heavy picnic basket in the other. Skipping towards him she called out happily.

"What do you want, Maya?" Annoyance laced his voice. He was about to dismiss her again and Maya was not going to let that happen again. Determined to make him forget his troubles, she continued.

"Chase let's go on a pic—! Aughh!" She had somehow stumbled over a tile and bumped her head on the edge of his counter.

He fought the urge to to laugh and Maya thought she saw amusement in his eyes. But he was smirking like always. He tried to say something derogatory but his lips twitched until finally, they turned up into a genuine smile. "Good Goddess, Maya...What am I gonna do with you?" Maya blushed furiously and her heart jolted when they locked eyes. Gone was the irritated tint to his purple eyes, replaced by something else. A new emotion Maya had not seen since they were young children.

Almost playfully, she stomped her foot. "Don't be such a meanie, Chase! It hurts!" Oh, Goddess, she was acting like a child but Maya hoped it was working.

Chase laughed, his surly attitude melting away completely. Closing the distance between each other, Chase wrapped his arms around Maya. She relaxed into this familiar gesture and buried her head into his chest. Again, he laughed, as if he was relieved. "Your forehead is swelling up. Let's go see Miss Irene." They joined hands and exited his house, Maya rubbing the swollen lump on her forehead.

Today, she thought, was a good day.

Fin.