A/N: Hi! This is my first ever story posted on this site , so yeah, I hope you guys forgive my errors, also be a pal and point them out to me so that I may correct them! The main mechanics are mostly based on the game (such as the festivals, characters, and the like). But I'll change a few things. Please read and review if you want. Anyway, ON WITH THE STORY!
Enjoy
Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon.
CHAPTER 1: Beginning
"Welcome to a mountain of lush green forests and wildlife.
Nestled at the foot of the mountain on each side are two distinctive villages.
Those with dreams of owning a farm can come here to make those dreams real!"
"Hey, slow down!" The young man yelled, looking up from the brochure he was reading. His ginger-like hair was slightly dishelved due to the wind that whipped around his face as he held the reins of his trusty white steed, his azure eyes showing slight annoyance. He was moving in a fairly moderate pace, while his companion…
"Haha, no can do! The wind feels sooo nice! If we follow your pace, we'll get there tomorrow!" The girl yelled back at him, her violet eyes twinkling with amusement. She whipped her head around to laugh as her companion frowned at her, "Fine, fine. I get it."
She halted her brown horse and waited for him to catch up.
It was late in the afternoon already.
"I want to get there as soon as possible, too. But you have to be more careful. We are at a mountain right now; we could get hurt if we're careless." He scolded the female.
"Yeah, ok. Sorry…" She bowed her head slightly in apology, her long auburn hair spilling around her face and shoulders.
"Let's get going. It'll be dark soon." He took the lead.
"Those clouds look bad, too." The lass added.
They continued to ride along in peace increasing their speed, wary of the dark clouds looming above them. The atmosphere was quiet, only the sound of hooves hitting the ground sounded until someone broke the silence.
"Hey, what kind of place do you think it is?" The cheerful voice chirped.
"There are two towns, you know." He replied smoothly.
"Umm, you're the one reading all the brochures. What are the two towns like?"
"I don't know. Nothing much is given about them. This area is kind of isolated. Heh, like it matters. We'll know when we get there." He shrugged it off.
"For someone who claims to hate being unprepared, you sure are relaxed." She mumbled while looking up at the sky with concerned eyes. They had no umbrellas, tents or anything in case it rained 'cause apparently, her companion saw no reason why they should since the trip would only take about half a day and the weather report said it would be sunny. But the sky above seemed about to contradict that notion.
"I think we should rush a bit. I smell a storm brewing." She looked at him.
"I think you're right," He agreed, picking up the pace, "But make sure to stay close."
"Aye, cap'n!" She giggled at his seriousness, even if he did have every reason to be.
The young man just rolled his eyes at her.
"Ooh, don't be such a grouch. You're the one who said that being too serious will make you uglier. Although I bet you can't get any uglier than you already are." She smiled.
"Don't blame me if all our stuff gets wet because of your antics."
"How would my 'antics' cause our belongings to get wet? I'm just trying to make you laugh! You haven't cracked one smile since our journey began." She huffed.
"…"
"Is it because of..?" She trailed off, glancing at him with concern in her eyes.
"Yeah, but I'll be alright. Your joke kind of makes me feel a little better. But just don't go overboard, 'kay? My head already hurts." He replied simply, looking ahead with dazed eyes.
They kept a steady but fast speed, heading down the path towards the foot of the mountain. The young man was a little ahead of his female companion. They kept going for what seemed to be an eternity. The sun had set a long time ago and they both came to the conclusion that they were not arriving until tomorrow.
'Well, that's what we get for leaving late in the afternoon. At least it isn't raining' the girl sighed. Thinking whether they should rest for the night, but she worried about the fact that they had none of the paraphernalia needed. The duo stayed quiet, wrapped in their own thoughts before they felt water droplets falling.
The pair looked at each other, one looked rather worried while the other looked purely amused and started to laugh. The young lad raised his brow at her. Nothing was amusing about their current situation. No town in sight, no umbrella, no shelter. Their stuff would get wet along with their steeds. Not to mention about the possibility of them becoming ill if they were to get soaked. The season was still rather chilly. Winter had just ended and Spring was just beginning to bloom into life.
"Oh, come on! I told you it wouldn't kill us to bring an umbrella or something. But, no, you just had to be all convincing and say that it would be pointless since it was sunny the whole morning and only a short trip!" She laughed harder. Then he remembered; his companion LOVED the rain. In fact, he did, too. Just not in these types of circumstances.
"Let's look for some shelter before we get soaked and become sick, you idiot!" He pulled his horse along and began to search for any possible shelter from the now pouring rain.
He spotted a stone bridge with enough room for shelter. He started heading into its general direction.
"Hey, I found one! Come on before the rain gets any stron-"He was cut off when something whooshed passed him. He whipped his head and gasped.
"You idiot! What the heck are you doing!" He shouted furiously. This was seriously dangerous. Raining hard with no shelter, it was dark and darn near impossible to see anything.
The girl paid him no heed and just pushed her horse to go faster.
The young man muttered something under his breath and whipped his horse around to follow the lady.
Hair wet and sticking onto his face while his clothes clung to his body, coldness seeping in, chilling his very bones, he pushed on, solely focusing on the rushing figure that was drawing nearer and nearer as he closed in.
Faster.
Nearer.
Her dark figure came into reaching distance.
He began to reach for her when a scream rang in his ears.
"AHHHH!"
It all happened so quickly.
One moment he was just about to reach her, then the next thing he knew her horse suddenly changed direction and the girl was flung into the air.
He reacted swiftly and then darkness took over his vision.
"Hey, are you alright?"A voice asked, the sound stirring the unconscious lad. Then, he felt a firm hand lightly shaking his shoulders. With barely enough energy to open both eyes, he settled with cracking one open, groaning.
The sun shone down at him. He lifted an arm to provide a shield from its bright light.
"Thank goddess you're alright." The youth slowly turned his head to see the source of that poised and refined, though clearly aged, voice.
He was met with a kindly face of an old man whose blue eyes looked concerned. His forehead wrinkled as his quite sparse blonde hair posed on the side on his head. A mini top hat sat on his bald spot.
"W-what? Where? How…?" The young man mumbled in confusion.
"I was quite worried, I'll have you know, finding a young man in the middle of the forest unconscious! I feared you would never wake up…The hospital is far from here, too…" The old man replied with a frown. "But it's alright now! You're alive and well! Pray tell, just how did you end up in this situation?"
The youth stared at him blankly before a flash of memory hit him.
The storm.
The frantic search for shelter.
The figure that whizzed pass him.
Rushing.
Yelling.
Darkness.
THAT IDIOT!
He shot up straight with a shocked face and began to frantically scan the area for his friend.
The senior flinched back at his sudden movements, his classy starch suit wrinkling.
"What is it, my boy?" He asked the shocked lad.
The youth spotted something beside him. It was his female companion's jacket! But where's the owner?
"Did you see anyone else?" His voice sounded hoarse. He cleared his throat before carrying on.
"Did you see a girl? My age, long brown hair, violet eyes?" The person he questioned merely shook his head. "She's my companion. We were riding along the mountain when a storm hit us. She was going really fast when her horse suddenly changed course. She was catapulted into the air! I grabbed her hand to save her…then…nothing…" He finished with furrowed brows after explaining what had happened quickly.
It was true. He remembered nothing after grabbing her hand.
"I'm very sorry, but I haven't seen anyone other than you. Why don't we head into town for you to rest? I'll recruit some people to conduct a search party and then—"
"Please hurry! He needs help!" The lad heard a familiar voice frantically yelling. The voice sounded near.
The boy whipped his head around. Running at top speed towards him was the very girl he was looking for.
She crashed into him and he was quickly engulfed in a tight hug.
"You're awake! Thank heavens! I was so worried! Even if we do argue often, I would feel bad if anything happened to you! " She said in relief.
He hugged her back for a moment before pulling away. Holding her by the shoulders, he inspected her body, searching for any injuries, before smacking her lightly on the head.
"OW!"Was her reaction. Well, at least he thought it was a soft hit, "What'd you hit me for?"
"You hopeless moron! When I woke up, I was shocked to find you nowhere in sight! I seriously thought you fell into the river and drowned or hit your head and was bleeding to death somewhere!" He said furiously.
"You were worried about me? Aw, thanks. But I'm perfectly fine, haha." She giggled. This girl! He raised one brow and was about to say a reprimand when an unfamiliar voice spoke. A figure appeared behind the girl.
"You shouldn't run so quickly. What if YOU got hurt?" The voice huffed. The voice belonged to a sharp looking woman. She had dark eyes and hair. She wore an oriental looking outfit consisting mostly of the color red."So where is this friend of yours in need of dire help?" She added.
"It's alright now! He's alright." The young lass responded.
This got her a relieved sigh from the sharp looking lady."Well, that's good. From the way you suddenly grabbed me and ran yelling that you needed help, I thought someone had died!" She shook her head, "Here I was posting requests on the board when a young girl suddenly arrived looking like she rolled down a hill frantically screaming that she needed someone to help her friend and then-YOU!" The lady suddenly raised her voice, pointing at the old man.
"What, is he your granpa or something?" The young man inquired. Looking back and forth from the lady and the old man. There was absolutely no resemblance.
"Far from it! I would never be related to her!" This time it was the old man who responded.
"I would never want to be related to you either!" The sharp lady retorted.
The two young people looked at each other. Those two were fighting. It wasn't intense but things could get worse. The two older people looked like they purely detested each other.
"Sooo, where are we?" The young female asked loudly, catching the attention of the bickering pair.
"Oh well, we are currently at the top of the mountain." The old man replied.
"Yes, that's right. The very mountain which separates two towns, Bluebell and Konohana." The lady added.
"Bluebell and Konohana, huh? I was reading a travel guide that had a brochure of the mountain and its two towns. Not much info was written down. So we were kinda having a hard time. We both came here because we read about farms, dreams and whatever." The young man inserted nonchalantly. His companion elbowed him before adding, "We want to be farmers! We both got tired of city life, so you know, we were hoping for a fresh start!"
"Is that so? Well, you've come to the right place. There's no other place better for starting anew! Oh my, where are my manners? I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Rutger. I'm the mayor of the lovely town of Bluebell! My Bluebell has a farm, there's no other place better at farming. Brick and stone houses with beautiful colors, flowers blooming everywhere and an atmosphere of tranquility. When we talk about farming, it means livestock! And Bluebell reigns at raising livestock! The shiny coats of the cows, the soft wool of a sheep, the fresh milk and eggs, why Bluebell has it all. No other place could be better to live in!" Rutger finished with pride.
"Farming means livestock? Don't talk nonsense!" The sharp lady said incredulously. She placed a hand on her forehead and explained with a sigh, "Sorry about that. I just don't want you two to make a mistake. I'm Ina, the mayor of Konohana. When you speak of farming, it equals to crops! And when it comes to crops, Konohana is tops! The taste of fresh vegetables harvested from one's own land can't be beaten, fruit trees growing high and mighty with fruits so delectable that your mouths will water by just looking at them! Plus, the town has uniqueness in style and coziness you can't find anywhere else! Konohana is the place to be!" Ina ended with a bright smile.
"They both sound wonderful to live in!" The female youth exclaimed with a smile.
"You think any place is good to live in. But yeah, they both seem like swell places to live." Her friend agreed.
"So have you both decided where to live?" Ina asked, eyeing the two.
Well...
"Actually, we need to talk about it first. Come on!" The young man stated, dragging his friend along to a corner. "Now what?" He asked her.
"Well, seems like we get to pick! Honestly, I like both places and didn't we agree that we'd run the farm together? Like a team like how we always do things since-"
"That incident? Yeah, I guess so..." He cut in with a serious tone.
"And both towns seem great, right? We can just pick the one we like the best. Honestly, I think Bluebell is a nice choice; cute and fluffy animals sound like music to my ears. And besides, didn't he hold a soft spot for cute animals?" The young lady added, careful with her choice of words.
She received nothing but silence from her companion.
She proceeded with slight hesitation, " Uh, although if you think about it, Konohana looks like a great town, too. You and your family's a big fan of oriental culture and stuff, right? At least you seem to be..." She trailed off.
She looked at his face.
He was looking at the ground, his bangs obscuring his eyes.
This time, with a cheerful tug to her voice, the lass tried again, "So! I think any place is fine. After all, we came here to-"
"We came here to start again, didn't we? Talking about the past certainly doesn't help." He cut in, sounding a bit angry. He clenched his fists. He didn't want to hear any more.
She didn't give up. "Well, we have to talk about it someday, right? Otherwise, we'd just be running way!"
"Earth to birdbrain; we ARE running away!" He said, knocking on her head. He was taking it out on her. He knew it wasn't very mature of him, but still! She really is too much of a blabber mouth. He usually doesn't mind, but the words that poured out of her mouth struck a nerve in him.
"We are not! Just 'cause we're starting anew doesn't mean we're running away!" She shouted at him.
He cringed. She can be really loud sometimes. He resisted the urge to cover his ears with his hands; that would only infuriate her even more, which would result to her raising her voice even more.
"It does so." He replied, his voice lacking the anger he was originally aiming for, a calm tone replacing it instead. The heat of his anger had already cooled.
She mistook his tone as serious and solemn. "You make it sound like we left everyone behind…" She said looking sad. She was thinking about them again. Her eyes started to look watery.
His eyes widened. He wasn't good at dealing with these kinds of situations! His eyes darted around, as if looking for help. Finding none, he did what seemed natural to do.
"Don't pull that face." He said pulling at her cheeks, trying his best to comfort her. "You look a lot uglier than you usually are when you do, by the way." He couldn't help it.
"I wouldn't if you weren't such a jerk!" She shouted at him while punching him in the arm, anger replacing sadness.
"You hit like a girl!" He rubbed his arm in mock pain.
"I am a girl, stupid!"
"Really? Goddess! I never noticed!" He ducked as a walnut was thrown at him. "Hey! You could've hit m—oof!" He was hit by a mushroom.
Now, she was getting violent. At least she didn't look like she was on the brink of tears anymore. He preferred angry and strong than crying and miserable. He could handle it better.
The lass on the other hand, was purely aggravated. She just wanted them to get along. But, no! He just had to ruin everything!
They continued to bicker as the two mayors watched them. The young female kept throwing things as the young man ducked and dodged. They went on for a few minutes, each one saying taunts to the other.
"I can't stand your face!"The girl spat. Slightly true. Partially false.
"I can't stand your carelessness!"He returned. Partially true. Slightly false.
"Fine, if you can't stand me than just go away!" She yelled stomping towards the two mayors. "I've decided. I choose Bluebell."
"If you're gonna act that way, then two can play at that game. I pick Konohana!" He walked towards Ina. He knew he was acting childish, he knew it wasn't helping the situation, but still, he had no other ideas how to deal with this. Choosing opposing towns might be the best option, since they both wanted to try a new way at living. And currently, they weren't exactly in good terms with each other.
"So, what are your names?" The two mayors asked then glared at each other for speaking at the same time.
"My name is…" The young man glanced at his companion, his eyes speaking a secret message. "…Phillip. I guess I'm the new guy."
"And I'm…" She also glanced at him, "Lillian. I'm looking forward to staying at Bluebell." She said, standing in front of the mayor with only one shoe on, since she threw her other shoe at her friend-turned-rival.
A/N: So, what do you think? I hope it wasn't confusing. I did my best with this chapter. Sorry for the mistakes and if you thought the characters acted childish, or out of character. Their personalities will be more in development in the future chaps! I tried to make this more…humorous, I guess. I kept it fairly short since I was in a bit of a rush. I will probably update real soon, regardless of how many review! Coz I hate leaving something unfinished. Soooo…
If you've got something to say, go ahead and review or PM me. ^_^
THANKS FOR READING! GO READ CHAPTER TWO!
-rain stops goodbye-
