Title: Best Friends

Fandom&Pairing: Harvest Moon Tree of Tranquility/Animal Parade; AkarixLuke

Disclaimer: This piece of fanfiction bread is only a contribution to the fandom but Harvest Moon is copyright of Natsume.

Best Friends:

It was hard to tell who was more embarrassed, him or her. Both averted their eyes, one pair shut in sheer shame and the other blinking wide with bashful realization. They sat side by side atop the white fence overlooking the pasture. Cows ate serenely. A black horse with cloudy mane snorted from nearby. It was an ideal summer day. Early, so it had yet to reach intolerable temperatures of heat.

The blue haired young man was speechless, though to his credit he did attempt to speak. It was just that each attempt resulted in his mimicking a fish out of water as no words were uttered. At the very least he seemed to be faring better than the young farm girl beside him. Her blush was so strong that she had to shut her eyes tight and gripped the fence until her knuckles were white with the effort.

Time passed as the two struggled to form coherent sentences. Finally able to control her embarrassment, Akari looked up, trying not fall off the fence with the effort.

"Look, I was just telling you what Kathy and Renee mentioned over lunch, okay?" She grumbled, completely uncomfortable. Her brown hair was windswept and she took a moment to toss her head to flip her side bangs out of her eyes. Luke chuckled nervously beside her.

"Those two don't even know what they're talking about. Figures." He scratched the back of his head. His discomfort was painfully obvious and Akari scowled at his next words. "Girls are always thinking about weird stuff like that."

"Wh-what's that supposed to mean?" She narrowed her eyes at him, leaning close.

Luke tried to pull his head back. "Whoa!"

"Oh! Luke!"

Akari scrambled off the bar, nearly tripping over herself to get to her companion from where he lay on his back in the grass. There was a fresh look of pain across his features as he rubbed the spot on his head that had hit the ground. Akari felt bad. She grabbed his arm to haul him up.

"I'm sorry about that."

Luke grinned then winced. "Don't worry about it." He gave her his traditionary thumbs up. She scowled again and pushed his hand aside.

"Darn it just accept my apology. I know you only fell because I got too close."

"What? No, it-it wasn't that."

"Liar." She announced. Crossing her arms she leaned against the fence post. Luke felt himself getting nervous. Akari wasn't going to let him breathe and he knew it. "So tell me again what you meant by 'Girls are always saying weird stuff like that'. So what? I say weird stuff?"

Luke shook his head and quickly tried to think of what to say to keep him from making the situation worse. "No! I just meant that you aren't like them!"

Wrong answer.

Luke never noticed how Akari's brown eyes could get so narrow that they almost looked snake-like as she all but shrieked. "WHAT?!"

"N-not that you aren't a girl!" He was quick to add. "Just that you don't think of stupid things like what they were talking about!"

"They were talking about us dating! Am I too stupid a choice for you?! Not girl enough?!"

"NO!"

Luke was panicking now. The situation was entirely out of his control and he literally had no clue how or why. When Akari had shown up to hang out like always she had seemed normal enough. But the minute she mentioned what Kathy had said, how the two of them should just start going steady, well he obviously hadn't been the only one shocked.

Akari was his best friend. She was just as nuts as him. Loud was an understatement when she and Luke were together. No one else went along with his pranks or escapades with as much enthusiasm as her. She was a mischievous little raccoon. He didn't think of her as a girlfriend though his dad had pointed out the reality that his best friend was a girl quite often. Luke didn't understand why people would want him to complicate things and have him and Akari date. If it was anything like what Kathy and Owen had then Luke wasn't interested. Owen was never any fun when Kathy was around. He would quit paying attention to everything else to focus on her. Then there was the kissing. Luke never kissed a girl before but if it kept a guy from doing fun things then he couldn't see what was so special about it.

But he didn't want to make Akari feel bad. He loved hanging out with her. He enjoyed everything they did together. He wasn't dumb enough not to see that whatever was transpiring between them meant something to Akari. It meant something to him too! He just didn't realize that maybe Akari wanted to have a different name for them besides 'best friends'.

So absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice Akari's change in demeanor. She practically deflated, her head falling, gaze downcast, fingers fidgeting. She knew she was being unfair. She shouldn't expect so much from Luke. He was a simple guy, smart in a way most people wouldn't recognize. There was one thing everyone could agree on though. Luke was DENSE in all subjects pertaining to women. He was completely unprepared when it came to knowing and handling a flirty girl when she turned her eyes on him. Just about every woman he knew he had known since he was a child. So when a girl who came from off the island moved into town, he naturally assumed they would be just like all the others he knew. Some you treat like sisters and the others were just like guys to him. Romance was a thing that didn't exist to Luke. Akari was aware that Kathy had been lightly baiting. She was forever being teased by the girls for always hanging out with Luke. It was just so aggravating to know that everyone on the island knew how she felt about him EXCEPT the one person who should know!

'It may be for the best if I just never act on it...' She thought, thoroughly miserable.

"Akari."

At her name she perked up, dropping the desolate expression and adopting one that she knew he would respond to positively. Her brows rose when she saw the look of complete determination on her friends face. He looked ready to pick up his axe and chop down a whole forest. Which he'd done once.

"Y-yeah? What's up?"

It was very rare to see Luke completely focused. Whatever he was thinking about, he was concentrating on fiercely. She stared right back at him, unnerved.

"Uh...Luke?"

She jumped when he suddenly moved towards her. Akari was no stranger to being touched. She liked to give hugs and she and Luke were constantly wrestling despite Dale's continuous warnings. Still she was a bit poleaxed when he placed his hands on her shoulders and exclaimed with as much conviction as she'd ever heard from him.

"Akari, will you go out with me?"

It had become so silent that someone could have set off a bomb and Akari wouldn't have noticed. Her eyes were perfect spheres of disbelief and her mouth hung open so wide Luke was certain he saw a fly buzz in and out.

"Wha-" When she finally found her voice she found that she was incapable of anything above a whisper. "Wha-wha-what are talking about Luke?! Do you even know what you just asked me?!" The hysteria was evident even to her own ears. As expected, Luke didn't notice. He smiled at her, nodding his head like a kid who'd just been asked if he wanted cookies.

"Yeah! I asked you to go out with me!" He seemed so unbelievably cheerful that Akari almost believed him until he continued in excitement. "This way you can tell everyone we're dating but we'll be just like we always are and they'll leave you alone!"

The floor fell out from under her and she sagged in his grip.

"Whoa, you okay 'kari?" He grabbed her around the waist and helped her steady herself.

'No. I'll never be fine again.' Was her only hollow thought. 'Should've known.' Hardly paying attention to the worry in his face she shrugged out of his grip. "Mm-yeah... I'm fine Luke. I'm super. That uh... That sounds like a fine idea."

"Really?" His sheer enthusiasm hurt her in ways no physical pain could. "Because I know how annoying it can get with them trying to tell you to get a boyfriend all the time. This way, we're just like we always are but we tell everyone we're dating so they'll leave us alone about it."

"So...we wouldn't really be dating..."

"We'd be best friends, just like we are now." He happily chirped.

Akari couldn't hold in the sob. Luke's bright mood instantly evaporated and his amber eyes grew wide when she turned away from him, tears streaming and her body curling in itself as if to shield herself from a blow.

"Is that... is that really enough for you Luke? We'll always be just friends?" She asked, hiccups breaking her speech in a way that made Luke worry.

"No. We'll be best friends." His firm answer only made her cry harder. He had no idea what was wrong. He didn't understand what was happening but he knew that seeing Akari cry was one of the few things he couldn't stand in life. As she sank to the ground to huddle in a ball and cry, Luke kneeled next to her, arm wrapping around her shoulders.

He was all but frantic as he tried to pry her hands from her face. "Hey. Hey. Akari, come one. Whats wrong?! What happened? Come one, talk to me."

Her head was shaking, her body wracked with sobs, looking as pitiful as anyone could. It was starting to scare Luke. He felt his own eyes fill but he blinked the tears away. "Akari! Talk to me!"

"You just don't understand!" she wailed. "You won't get it!"

"Get what? Come on, tell me!"

"No!"

Luke was now fighting her arms with both of his and while Akari was doing a great job as a farmer, her strength was nothing compared to the carpenters toned biceps. He succeeded in wrenching her fingers from her face and given full view of the splotchy red-nosed girl he cared about. Her expression was one of desperation, misery, and hopelessness. And Luke couldn't help but feel that he was the one who put it all there.

"Tell me Akari." he asked, quieter this time.

She hiccuped once, obviously torn on what to do. Yet there was something in the look he gave her, a plea that made her rethink lying and instead braced her for what she was about to do.

"I love you." She whispered. He blinked, eyes widening. She swallowed, chest heavy with her labored breath. "I love you." She repeated a little stronger. "I love you and I've loved you and I don't want to just be your friend or your best friend. I want to be your girlfriend."

The young carpenter hesitated, clearly unsure of how to respond. Akari hastily continued, wanting to tell him as much she could now that she had finally confessed what she had been holding in for the past year and a half. "I know you probably don't know exactly what I mean Luke. What I'm saying is that what I feel for you is more than just a friend or a sibling can feel. I want to be with you. Romantically. I want you to know that you're all I see. I want to be the only girl you hug and hold hands with and kiss. I want to be with you always."

"But we're always together..." His lips were numb as he spoke. Akari shook her head.

"Always together as friends." She countered sadly.

A look of panic crossed his features. "But if we become girlfriend and boyfriend, we won't be able to do any of the stuff we always do together!"

"Why not?"

"Because when you have a girlfriend you're not allowed to! I don't want us to be like Kathy and Owen!"

Akari had sat up but almost doubled over in laughter at his words. "Wh-what?! What do you mean?"

"All they do when they're together is argue or kiss all the time. They're not fun at all!" Akari burst into such a fit of giggles that Luke had to catch her from tipping over.

"Luke! That's just Owen and Kathy! Not all couples argue or kiss all day! Most hang out like we do! Look at Renee and Toby! They go fishing together!"

At his confusion her laughter got worse. "Luke, those two are a worse kept secret than my crush on you! How could you not have noticed? Why do you think they always go to the waterfall together?"

She completely lost it when his face remained blank. He blushed, defending himself. "Come on! How am I supposed to know?! No one ever tells me anything."

Still laughing Akari launched herself at him. They fell to the grass together with Luke grunting from the impact. They shifted themselves, Akari lying against Luke's side rather than cutting the oxygen to his lungs from laying on top of him. She nestled her head in his shoulder.

"Luke, being a couple means not only do we get to do all the things we do when we're friends, but you also get to do things that you can't do with anybody else."

"Like kissing?"

"Yes." She giggled at the disgust in his tone. "But I promise it won't be gross like with Kat and Owen. I actually think you'll really like it."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Oh..."

Akari lifted her head, the apprehension on her face mirrored by his. She licked her lips timidly. "We could even try right now if you'd like." She offered shyly.

"Right now?" She saw him gulp. The hands around her were shaky. She nodded. He took a breath and nodded back slightly. Willing herself to calm down Akari leaned forward as Luke leaned up, both staring into the other's eyes until the last second.

Their lips met once, shortly, just a simple press of lips against lips. Akari pulled back, suddenly breathless and mind foggy. Luke was in the same state, looking as if he'd just gotten hit over the head with a hammer.

"That was kissing?" He whispered incredulously. Akari, not trusting herself to speak, nodded yet again. Luke bit his lip. "It-it wasn't that bad..."

Akari smiled brightly, cheeks glowing. Biting her lip she asked him, "Want to try again?"

The enthusiastic bobbing of his head warmed her whole and she squealed with happiness before pressing her lips to his again, this time with a great deal more force.

Luke decided then and there that maybe kissing wasn't so bad...

And neither was changing the words best friend to girlfriend.

-OWARI-

And we have Akari and Luke! Yaaaaay! Haven't written for them in a long time but this was part of a set I did a long time ago but I've gone in and rewrote it. I love writing Akari as a bit of a tomboyish hot head. Luke in the game is really sweet but he is obviously a simple guy. I love marrying him because he always seems so sincere! Makes me blush everytime I'm playing. Haha.

Thanks for reading!