Ah, yes. My very first Harvest Moon story. And, to top it all off, it's IrohaxRio. I wouldn't be surprised if no one read this! XD
But, if you do, I hope you enjoy it. :)
She visited me again today, thrusting the Moondrop flower under my nose. I took it, smiling sheepishly as I thanked her. She smiled back, muttering something about visiting Clement's later, or perhaps going on a walk. I nod, knowing that as soon as she left, I would over think her whole entire invitation. We were only friends, something I had to remind myself of every time she graced my presence.
"Around four, maybe?"
"That's fine," I smile again, holding the flower to my chest. "See you then, Rio."
"See you then, Iroha." She smiles wider, flouncing out the door.
I smile softly, watching the door close gently behind her.
Ever since I first laid my eyes on the girl, I knew I'd have to keep my distance. She was a beauty, with her short, brown hair and stormy, gray eyes. I had noticed them, Hana and Rio, standing in the mountains before they noticed me. I decided to act oblivious, keeping quiet to stay unobserved. Yet Hana, with her old, yet somehow strong sight, noticed me.
But it was Rio who really saw me.
Afterwards, when she helped me find a home (With a forge, no less), it was hard to keep away from her. She always visited, trying too hard to be my friend. In the end, the feeling was mutual, and I found myself grasping onto her. My very first...'friend'.
I had always been so caught up in training that I hadn't had any time for friendships. My family was always so quiet, so distant, so focused on forging. Considering I had three brothers to go into the blacksmith business and carry out my father's name, I was meant to be trained as a housewife. My father decided to take my brothers on a long journey to become a better blacksmith, but left me behind. It was then, after several years of fighting with my stubborn mother and stoic father, I decided to leave on my own. It was my dream to be a blacksmith, unlike my brothers, who would so anything that father asked of them.
Because of my family, I wasn't quite sure how I was supposed to act around people. My mother held the element of charisma, but I always tended to take after my father. I was closed off and quiet, yet somehow friendly. I also had no social skills, considering half of my life was spent sparring with my parents about my future.
So, when Rio decided she wanted to be my friend, I was overjoyed, yet a bit scared. How was I supposed to be someone's friend? How does that work?
With Rio, it didn't really matter. Turns out, friendship comes naturally.
I close my door behind me, taking a deep breath before making my way to the restaurant. A small puff of air shoots from my nose suddenly, and I realize just how cold it is outside. Shivering, I started walking faster.
Halfway to Clement's, I meet up with Rio. She has something in her hand, and holds it out for me.
"I figured you didn't have a scarf, so I brought you one!" She smiles brightly as I hold the object in my hands.
I glance up at her, inspecting how she has it wrapped around her neck. I'm not an idiot; I know what a scarf is...
I've just never worn a scarf before.
She realizes what I'm doing with a loud laugh, causing a few people to glance at us. I ducked my head at their eyes, blushing slightly.
"I-I've never worn a scarf before."
She smirks.
"That's all right, 'Roha. I'll help you."
She places the scarf around my shoulders, wrapping it around slowly. It wasn't too tight, wasn't too loose. It was snug. I reached up, grabbing it tenderly.
"Thank you, Rio."
She laughs again, her gloved hands on her hips.
"No worries! Anything for you."
She walks ahead, as if she doesn't mean anything by her words. I feel a blush on my face once again, but luckily, I can blame it on the cold.
Throughout the dinner, Rio seemed nervous. She was never this way. Usually, she was bouncy, loud, kind, and sensible. I wanted to calm her, but I wasn't quite sure how I was supposed to.
"So, how's Red?" I asked, smiling slightly. I usually disliked animals, but her cute little dog was something special.
"She was barking at a butterfly before I left. So, ya know, she's still scared of just about everything." Rio pouted. "She was supposed to be a guard dog..."
"Why not get another, then?"
"Well, I think that'd hurt Red's feelings. I like her just the way she is."
I gave a small laugh.
"You want a guard dog, but you like Red just the way she is? You're contradicting yourself, Rio."
"Am I?" She laughed nervously, fiddling with the napkin on the table in front of her.
I reached out, hesitantly placing my hand over hers. She stares at me, her nervousness seeming to melt away. Instead, she gets this goofy look on her face, an emotion I wasn't able to place.
"Enough. What's wrong, Rio? You're not yourself."
I feel her hand relax under mine and the goofy look seemed to shine brilliantly on her face.
"Sorry, Iroha. I was just worried about those Town Restoration plans that Dunhill gave me. I'm having trouble finding enough material stone!"
I know she's lying, but I decide to let it go. I pull my hand back, placing it back in my lap. Her face seems to falter, but it brightens back up as she notices the check coming towards out table. Felicity shoots me a knowing gaze, winking quickly. It seems that I had forgotten that we were around...so many people.Tina sat in a chair, staring straight at me, disguised in a brown trenchcoat and sunglasses. She's scribbling on a notepad, a smirk written on her face,
I blush.
"Ah, that was such a good meal!"
I glance over at Rio, smiling brightly.
"Yes, it was, wasn't it?"
Rio suddenly gasps, her eyes widening dramatically. A look of complete happiness takes over her face as she glances up, twirling around. I slowly stare up to the dark night sky, not at all surprised at what I find.
"Snow!" Rio shouts, her mouth open wide.
My gaze lowers back to the girl beside of me. Her eyes were closed, her arms were raised high, and she was trying to catch the snowflakes on her tongue. She opened her eyes slowly, staring at the beautiful sight silently.
"It's...beautiful."
"Yes...beautiful."
I spoke these words softly, in a whisper that was almost nonexistent. It only took me a second to realize that I wasn't staring at the snow, but once I did, I immediately blushed, covering my mouth with my hand. To me relief, she doesn't notice and begins to walk ahead.
"So, uh, w-where do you want to walk to tonight?" I stutter, ducking my head as we walked along.
"I was thinking we could walk to the lake. You know, that one right near the cliff?" She glances over at me to see my response.
"Sure." I nod, staring up at her. "I bet it looks lovely with the snow falling."
She smiles, her eyes closing slightly.
"That's exactly why I wanted to go!" Her voice is full of excitement. Suddenly, I notice exactly how close she's getting. At first, I think she's just falling off her course a little (She is clumsy, after all), but that's when I feel it, the slight tug on my sleeve. She's looking away from me, her eyebrows furrowed together, her eyes closed, and her mouth in some sort of nervous frown. I smile slightly, giving a small laugh.
I envelope her hand in mine, intertwining our fingers together.
Her face relaxes instantly, and she begins to smile again. We walk in content silence for the rest of the trek, but somewhere in the middle of it, she manages to press up against me as we walk, resting her head on my shoulder.
When we finally reached the pond, she pulled away from her resting space on my shoulder, but doesn't let go of my hand. She stares at the pond, leaning over and looking into its icy blue.
"...I wouldn't be surprised if it's frozen over by tomorrow."
Her voice is calm; gentle.
"Perhaps we can go ice skating."
I surprised myself by even offering such a thing. It was...unlike me. Rio looked over at me, smiling slightly.
"I'd love to. It's just, I'm not so sure I know how to ice skate."
This time, I crack a grin.
"Well, like with the scarf, I suppose it's my turn to help you out."
She drops her head, smiling that same, slight smile that I've come to enjoy. She turns towards me, grabbing my other hand hesitantly. I meed her half way, intertwining our fingers once again.
"Iroha..." She starts softly, biting her lip. "You wanted to know why I was so nervous, right?"
I nod, but realize that she can't exactly see.
"Yes, I did."
"Well, don't get me wrong, I am worried about the Town Restoration plan. Dunhill isn't doing much to help me, unfortunately. But the real reason is...well, this."
I blink.
She leaned forward slowly, her small puffs of breath mingling with mine. She looks up at me, biting her lip once again.
"I was worried about how you'd respond to...maybebecomingmygirlfriend?" She speaks so quickly that it was almost too hard for me to understand.
Almost.
Her face grows worried at my slow response and she begins to pull away, sputtering apologies. I quickly grab her arms, pulling her back towards me. I smirk as our noses touch, a blush heating my entire face.
"Only if you let me teach you how to ice skate."
She gasps, giving me the perfect chance to kiss her.
Her hands work their way around my neck and my hands, hesitantly, find a place on her waist. She pulls me closer, trying to deepen the kiss. I can't help but smile as she pulls away. I open my eyes, noticing her smiling as well as she bites her lip again, tenderly.
"Happy birthday, 'Roha."