Author's Note: Inspired by the album "What Would You Say?" by Part Time, this story follows Karen of Harvest Moon 64's Flowerbud Village as she learns what love is and what it means to truly love someone.

Each chapter corresponds to a track on the album. I highly recommend listening to each song as you read.

Comin' in hot and heavy for this first chapter. Rated M for Mature.


Track 1: Thunderbolts of Love

Are you alone?

The rain fell in sheets as I ran through the night. With my hood drawn over my head, I hastily made my way through the familiar grove which was barely recognizable in the darkness of the storm. Thunder rumbled high in the sky. I groped the back wall of the wine cellar, looking for that crack in the cement, a secret entrance I had known about ever since I was a little girl. I used it for much more innocent endeavors then. Thunderbolts of love crashed into my eyes. There he stood shrouded in the darkness, his smooth, dark skin and soft eyes illuminated briefly by the lightning.

There were no words exchanged. I ran into his arms, my hair dripping from the rain, his strong hands cradling my face as I kissed him longingly. The kiss deepened, his grip tightened, my hands fumbled at his belt buckle. Quickly, I kept thinking, we had to be quick. There was never enough time. Suddenly, he picked me up and put me between the wall and his chest, the hardness of his stomach exposed as his muscles tightened from the strain, my legs wrapped around his waist, his body chiseled from years of hard labor. I held on around his neck. He smelled faintly of cedar wood and red wine.

"Karen..." he whispered, barely audible over the storm outside. I hushed him with another hard kiss, my tongue finding his.

I felt him push against me, finding his way in. I stifled a moan. Even with the roar of the thunder, we couldn't risk being heard. The lightning crashed again, his skin glistening from the exertion, by back against the cold cellar wall. I bit his neck to quiet myself as we rode out the storm together. I felt my heart quicken its pace, my breath shortened, I dug my nails into his back. He pushed harder against me, my legs quivering from being hoisted in the air. His grip tight, he pushed my legs back further, my flexibility reaching its limit. I almost couldn't take it. He pulled back far enough for me to see his body as he slid back into me for the final time, his mouth finding mine as his warmth pleasantly came forth inside me.

I felt like a wild animal. A tiger. I could never be tamed.