Kabocha Fumi no Kokuhaku

Pumpkin-flavored Confession

The spicy, sweet smell of Autumn fills my nose as I step outside. I can hear the Buffamoos mooing and the chickens clucking, and even the crops in the field seem to be swaying towards some unheard beat. "Looks like today will be a good day." I say aloud, taking in another large breath of Fall air. I check the time. It's 8:50, time to go to school. "Bye, Dad!"I call out to the field. "Study hard, Aria!" With this exchange, I take my leave.

Brown and yellow colored leaves cover the road. I spot my best friend, Leanne, waiting patiently near the forest gate. She looks up and sees me, and her mouth curls up into a polite smile. "Good morning, Aria. It's already day 20 of Autumn. Just 11 more days until Halloween!" "Yep! I'm really excited! Say, what are you doing this Halloween?" A mixture of emotions appear on her face. "About that... after school, can you come over to my place? I need to talk to you." Due to my surprise, there's a long pause. Leanne had never told me she needed to talk with such a serious tone before. I smile. "Of course!" I then look ahead to see the clock near the school building. "Oh no, we're late!" I grab Leanne's hand and we race to the door. "You're late." An irritated, yet almost emotionless voice greets us in the front hallway. The blonde elf glares at us. "Because of your tardiness, we've had to postpone class." I smile apologetically. "Ahaha, sorry Orland!" His eyes narrow at us. "Hmph. Go sit down so the teacher can start."

I look at Leanne, who is looking down at the floor nervously. "Come on, Leanne." Leanne looks like she was snapped out of a daydream. "Ah, sorry." I sit down at the desk in the middle of the room, Leanne sitting in front of me, with Orland to her right. The teacher, Barrette, stands up from the front desk. "Nice of you two to join us today." I hear a few snickers from around the room. I glance at Orland, who simply seems annoyed at the loss of class time. "Well then, let's start today's lesson. This time we'll be learning how to make a steel sword.."

The town of Alvarna is very small, and the school only has 8 students. We come Monday through Friday, 9a.m to 3p.m. Barrette teaches weapons and accessories in the morning, and Mana teaches cooking and medicine in the afternoon. My mother, Yue, is a traveling merchant and only comes home for a week out of every season. My dad is busy with the farm from sunrise to sunset, so I look forward to school each day. Today's lessons go by fast. Remembering our exchange this morning, I wait for Leanne outside the building. She comes quickly and we head towards her house.

I said house, but... it's definitely a mansion. As we walk up to the door, I stare in awe at the castle-like home. Leanne is the youngest member of the de Sainte-Coquille family, the local rich people and founders of the town, but she isn't snobby at all. Leanne is a very quiet and polite girl, coming off a bit as a loner. My dad and Max are close friends, so many days when I was younger, I'd play with Leanne at the mansion all day long. Even now, we still hang out all the time.

After greeting Max and Julia, we head up the stairs and into Leanne's room. It's a very large room, with a king size bed and a canopy fit for a princess. We sit down across from each other on a heart shaped rug at the foot of the bed. "So, what did you want to talk about?" Leanne looks nervous, shifting her gaze around the room, then looks straight at me, a determined look in her eyes. "Let's have a contest. We'll both carve a pumpkin." "Hm, that sounds pretty fun." I smile, but notice Leanne still has a serious expression. "Then, Orland will pick which one he likes more, and whichever of us made that one will go trick-or-treating with him." "Huh? Why don't we just go together with him? And why do you want to go with Orland anyway?" I can't conceal my confusion. Orland is a very serious and sometimes rude person. Trick-or-treating with him would be boring. "That's the thing. At the end... one of us will confess." I still don't get it. "Confess to what?" Now Leanne seems confused. "Confess to being in love with him!" "WHAAAAAAAAT!" I'm so shocked that I fall backwards, my head hitting the rug with a loud thump! "Why would I confess that- wait, you like him!"

Leanne doesn't seem to understand. "Don't you have a crush on Orland?" "NO!" Leanne ponders my reply for a while, then comes to a conclusion. "I see. You're hiding your feelings for my sake. Thank you, but this is why I decided on this contest." "But I really don't love Orland!" "I know you do. The way you cheerfully talk to him despite his cold exterior, the way you two work together to use your magic, how you always come back smiling after a trip to the forest to get materials... it's obvious." I give up on trying to convince her otherwise. It's true that I have some kind of bond with Orland because we're the only kids who can use magic, and always like to try breaking through his coldness... but I don't like him like that! Unfortunately, it seems Leanne won't take no for an answer.

"O-okay. Let's do this contest." Leanne smiles, pleased."Great! I already told Orland about it at school, so we just need to carve our pumpkins over the next 10 days and he'll pick on Halloween afternoon." For some reason, I feel nervous that he knows about it. "What did Orland say?" "He seemed content with it – of course I didn't mention the confession part. He seems to think we're just doing it for fun and dragging him into it. Oh, and I already picked up my pumpkin from your farm. Your dad has one with equal size reserved for you." Oh no..she's not dragging everyone into this, is she! "Well, that's about it. May the best pumpkin win!" Leanne gives me a quick hug and I walk out of the de Sainte-Coquille mansion, feeling completely exhausted.

The next morning, I arrive at school early. I hesitate to walk inside because Orland always comes early, and I'm worried about what he'll say. "Ugh, it doesn't matter! It's not like he knows about the confession! I'll just make a horrible-looking pumpkin and be done with it!" I slam the door open and it hits something hard. Bam! I slowly and cautiously pull back the door, worried about what kind of damage I might have just caused. Standing there, blood running down from his forehead, was Orland.

"Aaah! I'm sorry!" Silence. "I didn't know you were right there!" "If you're sorry, go get a towel or something," he muttered. "Oh, right! Hang on." I run into the bathroom and grab a washcloth, cursing myself the whole way. I wet the cloth with warm water and gently rub his forehead. "I can do it myself, you know." He seems a little embarrassed. "But I'm the one who caused this bleeding, so it's the least I can do. I feel really bad.. is there something I can do to help you out?" Orland thinks for a while. "Well, my dad needs some ore to make a spear with.. you could mine it for me." I nod enthusiastically. "Sure!" I'll still feel bad about slamming the door in his face, but at least it's a start. "During lunch break, then." "Got it." We both walk to our desks. The other students trickle in, and class starts.

After making a quick trip home to get my hammer, I meet Orland at the forest entrance. "So, which dungeon is the ore in?" "All my dad needs is scrap metal, so let's go to Trieste Forest." Orland quickly defeats the Pomme-Pomme and I start hitting away at a rock. "He needs 10 pieces." Orland says, sitting down beside the rock. "Okay." It becomes quiet, my hitting the rock is the only sound. I look at Orland, who is staring off into the distance. I decide to break the silence by asking about something I'd been wondering about. "Why do you study so hard?" Orland looks at me as if I just asked why trees are green. "Why wouldn't anyone study hard?" This response catches me off guard. "Well, um, maybe because we should just play and enjoy our childhood?" I genuinely meant this. From what I knew, Orland always studied, whether at home or at school. Even on holidays, he'd bring a textbook to the festival grounds. "Hmph. There's no time for that." I open my mouth to inquire more, but Orland stands up and picks 2 apples from a nearby tree, handing one to me. "Thanks!" I smile and take a bite out of it. I continue eating the apple and talk with Orland about school-related things.

"Done!" I point to the stack of 10 scrap metal next to the destroyed rock. I take in a deep breath, stretching my arms. "Good." Orland nods after carefully inspecting each piece. "Let's take them to the shop." We each take 5 pieces and head to the blacksmith. As we walk through Alvarna Square, I notice all the Halloween decorations and am reminded of the contest. I blush and increase my pace.

We arrive at the blacksmith shop and place the metal on the floor near the forge. Orland talks with his father, Jake, about weapons for a while and I look around. "...I wish they'd make the classes harder. School is too easy." I hear Orland say. Oh! School! I look at the clock on the wall. It's already 2:30! Lunch starts at 11:30 and ends at 12:30. That means we're 2 hours late to Mana's class! A part of me concentrates on getting back to school as soon as possible, and the other part wonders how time went by so fast. Butting into their conversation, I shout "Orland! It's 2:30!" He checks the clock in disbelief, then grabs my hand and we run to the school. Mana welcomes us with an irritated smile, and the remaining 30 minutes pass without incident. I notice Leanne looking at me curiously, but she never asks about what happened. Upon dismissal, I go up to Orland and smile. "That was fun, huh?" He looks away. "I guess slacking off once in 13 years won't hurt too much." I laugh, and we part ways.

The next few days were fairly normal, though me and Orland talked more during our trips to the forest for materials. I felt myself liking him more than I thought I did. I found that I like how he's such a hard worker and watches out for his classmates, despite not approving of their study habits. I do wish he'd have more fun, though. This gave me an idea. "Orland, are you busy today?" I ask, standing in front of his desk. "Not any busier than usual.. why?" He doesn't look up from the paper he's writing notes on. I place my hand on his, causing him to stop writing. He looks up, slightly surprised. "Let's go play, then!" I flash a huge grin. Orland ponders this suggestion for a while, then puts his pencil down. "I guess it won't hurt my studies too much." He's so stubborn.. it's kind of cute..

We arrive at the forest entrance. "So, to which dungeon?" I ask. Normally, the kids and adults of this town would never dare step foot into a dungeon – they're infested with monsters. Only people who can use magic – elves and earthmates – can send the beasts back to the Forest of Beginnings and make it out alive. "Padova Mountains." Orland says, looking slightly excited. I feel a little worried. Padova Mountains is the Winter Dungeon, the place with the strongest monsters and roughest climate – a freezing 30 degrees year round. Yet, it wasn't as if I hadn't been through there before. In fact, I had to defeat many monsters there in order to rescue my dad. That fact and that Orland was very good at magic made me feel more at ease. I led the way into the dungeon.

A rush of cold air hits my face as we step through the barrier. Snowy mountains stretch for miles ahead. I shiver, wishing I had brought a jacket. "Aren't you cold?" I ask Orland. He shrugs and replies "I'm already used to it." We walk into the icy cave, easy defeating 2 orc vikings on the way. My weapon of choice is the Gaia Blade, a shortsword of the Earth element. It's the most powerful weapon I've made, and it's the sword I used to defeat the Fire Dragon with, a fact that I'm proud of. We continue on the icy path, the monsters getting stronger and stronger. Arriving at an area surrounded by waterfalls, we sit down beside each other near the edge of the ice. After a few silent minutes of staring at the beautiful sight in front of us, Orland initiates a conversation to my pleasant surprise.

"Don't you ever feel lonely?" he asks, looking straight into my eyes. I feel my heart rate increase. His eyes are a light, shiny blue color and I can't help looking back into them. Something about him makes me answer honestly, an answer I wouldn't have revealed to anyone else. "I do. Sometimes at night, or even at dinner, I start thinking about my mom. She's usually traveling, and I miss her a lot. Also, back when my dad went missing, I had to devote all my time to bringing him back, and that caused me to not get to spend much time with my friends and by the time everything went back to normal, only Leanne was still talking to me." Orland ponders this answer for a while. I wonder if I said too much? "I've tried to talk to Cammy and them again, but they're still bitter about me ignoring them for so long. It makes me feel lonely." Then I remembered the people who were by my side. "But I really am not alone!" I stand up and face Orland. "Leanne has always been with me, even if there were periods of time when we barely got to talk! And now my dad is here."

I smile, and then realize one more person who has always been near me. "And also..." I pause, suddenly feeling embarrassed. "You were there a lot, too. You helped me train to fight the boss monsters. Now that I think of it, we really spent a lot of time together.." Orland stands up and looks towards me. "I-" he starts to speak, but a look of horror comes across his face. He grabs my arm and pulls me towards him. I slam into him just as an axe hits the ground where I was standing. Somehow, an orc viking made its way in here. I realize I left my sword at the spot we were sitting at, but before I could start to pick it up, Orland pushed me hard to the area behind him. Surprised, I stumbled backwards and hit the cold, hard ice. Orland, now 10 feet in front of me, forms a large blue ball of magical energy between his hands and flings it towards the monster.

The orc viking falls to the ground, and is sent back to the Forest of Beginnings. Orland walks towards me and holds out his hand. Still shocked from the whole thing, I slowly reach my arm out, and he pulls me up. He hugs me for a few seconds, then quickly pulls away. "Be more aware of your surroundings." "I..I will." I said, flustered. He sighs, and turns around, starting to walk back the way we came. I get my sword and follow behind him. We don't say anything the whole way. Upon arriving home, I look at the calender. It's day 28 of Autumn. There's 3 days left until Halloween, and I haven't started on my pumpkin yet. I now feel a desire to win and spend the holiday with Orland. I realize that confessing at the end would no longer be a lie. I grab my pumpkin and a knife and get to work.

"Aria! Leanne is here!" I hear my dad call out from downstairs. "Coming~" I yell out in a weak voice. Today is Halloween, and I spent all last night finishing the pumpkin. I get out of bed lazily and put on some clothes. Leanne knocks on my door. "Come in." She enters with her pumpkin in her arms. Looking at it, it looks just like her. She carved it to have a polite smile, and it radiates of elegance. I pick up my pumpkin and hold it out for her to see. "It looks like you." she says, in reference to the energetic, open-mouthed smile I carved into it. "Orland will easily be able to tell who made each one." she notes. "It's probably better that way." I nod. "Well then, let's go." She holds out her hand, and we walk to the school. We place the pumpkins on top of a bench. I feel nervous and hug Leanne. "No matter what happens, we're still best friends." "I agree." she says, hugging me back.

At the sound of footsteps, we look towards Orland, who has just arrived. He studies the two pumpkins for no more than a minute before pointing to the one on the right. My heart jumps out of my chest. "T-that's mine." I say. Orland nods and holds out his hand. I walk to him, excited and nervous. "Have fun!" Leanne calls out from behind. I take his hand and we walk towards Alvarna Square. For about an hour, we walk around the main road, collecting candy in our baskets. Neither of us says much. I try to converse, but I'm overwhelmed with nervousness about confessing. After walking out of the port, Orland finally speaks. "Let's go to the pond." I nod, and we head to the serene spot.

There is no one around. We stare at the water for a short while, and then I decide that now is the perfect time to confess. I take a deep breath and face him. "Orland, I-" "I'm in love with you." he finishes first. "Eh?" I stare in disbelief. He turns towards me and repeats himself. "I love you." I continue to stare and stammer "I-I was just about to say that.." He seems surprised. "Really?" "Yeah..that was what this whole pumpkin thing was actually about..though I only realized my feelings a few days ago." He steps closer to me and we slowly hug each other into a tight embrace. "I love you, Orland." My previous nervousness is replaced by a very warm feeling. Memories of us together flash through my mind. Trips to get materials, training together, studying together.. I was able to be myself with him more than anyone else. Our heads move closer together and our lips slowly touch. The kiss feels like it could last forever. We smile at each other, then hold hands and walk back towards the town.

...

My daughter looks at me, her innocent eyes full of curiosity. "Mommy, why do you keep that pumpkin on your dresser?" I smile to myself at the memory that happened not too long ago. "That pumpkin led me and your dad to become a couple." "Wow~ Is it magical?" I pat her head. "It just might be." The door opens downstairs. "Come on, let's go greet him." "Okaay!" I glance at the pumpkin and smile again. It hasn't changed since that day. I follow my daughter down the stairs and embrace the blonde elf who I love so much, just like on that day. The day of the pumpkin-flavored confession.

Authors Note:

It took longer than expected, but it's finally done! I wrote this whole thing at school, and I am never going to write and then type ever again! It took me longer to type what I had written than when I wrote it LOL. Well, AriaxOrland is my favorite Rune Factory couple of all time, and I wrote this for a contest but it's already more than a month past the deadline, ahaha... I just wanted to finish it since it was about 70% done at the time. I'm proud to say that this is the first story I've ever finished! I always have lots of ideas, but can never finish writing them out. As you can tell from this story, my writing skills are extremely noobish, but hopefully I'll improve. As for the story itself, I feel the beginning was pretty good, but it went on a downhill slide from there, not improving until the epilogue in italics at the end. The second half was especially rushed, and the romance scene was... bleh. I blame that on my lack of real-life experience. I do think the characters acted very much in canon, however. Though the epilogue hints some at it, I like to tell what happens to the characters after they get together, so here it is: Aria tells Leanne the next day what happened, and although she is sad, she supports their relationship and they remain best friends for the rest of their life. Aria and Orland get married in 3 years, when they are 16, and Aria moves in to the Eagle Inn. Cecilia, Jake, and Egon move out and Orland takes over the blacksmith shop. At age 19, they have a half-elf daughter named Aradia, who eventually becomes the magic teacher at the school. Well, I hope the story wasn't too agonizing to read~ Please review :D