A Mother's Love
Game: Harvest Moon – Animal Parade
Chapter: What should a Mother say?
Pairings: AkarixToby (But it's mainly about the kid)
Listening to: Young (By: Hollywood Undead)
Now this is where it goes into how I thought the cutscene should have gone!
By the way, Chase doesn't hate Akari. He really likes her (Best friend wise), so he loves teasing her cooking skills…or lack thereof. I made it that way b/c my sis married Chase and I'm gonna marry Toby, hehe.
A/N: By accident, I made the flashback 1 year ago when it was supposed to be 10. Daichi is ten and it wouldn't make sense if he was ten when Toby and Akari met a year ago. Oops, Forgive my mistake
"And then Angie went fishing with me!" Daichi grinned and pulled his short arms apart wide. "I caught a brown trout this big!"
"It looks like he got it from his father, eh?" Akari nudged her husband's ribs playfully as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Maybe he could teach you a thing or two."
"Maybe," Toby took a sip of water and smiled. "This old man is losing his touch. I mean, I nearly missed when I had to fish your mother out of the water on one of our dates!"
The brunette blushed in embarrassment and then crossed her arms. "T-T-That was because I tripped when the fish tugged hard!"
"Yeah, a pond smelt could pull a nineteen year old girl into the river." The blunette chuckled as he remembered those days.
"Hey, can you tell me now?" their child began curiously. Akari and Toby blinked in confusion.
"Tell you what?"
"About how you met and who proposed!"
Both of them turned as red as a freshly grown tomato and they fidgeted.
"Honey, maybe we should tell him." Toby insisted, although the red in his cheeks remained. Akari sighed and nodded in defeat. But in the end she smiled.
"Yeah. We should…"
10-Years Ago…
It was the first day she arrived in Harmonica Town. The mayor had offered her land and a place to stay. Before getting all her things together though, she decided to visit everyone on the island. There were the storeowners of Sonata Tailoring, Brass Bar, the Fishery, Simon's Photo's, the Clinic, and Ocarina Inn. It was a lot of land to cover and apparently she still wasn't done. She visited Marimba Farm and Horn Ranch. But she couldn't shake the feeling that she missed something…
The sound of running water attracted her ears. The feeling of dipping her aching feet in the cool waters were all too tempting as she jogged down the hill towards the waterwheel. There, she caught sight of a shock of light blue hair. It was a man fishing contently. Curious, Akari walked over. The surface of the water rippled and he turned his head slightly to see her walking towards him.
"Oh!" he pulled his line back and carefully set his fishing rod to the side. He turned fully to greet her and smiled. "Hello. You must be the new rancher, right? My name is Toby." He began to bow and Akari stumbled on words.
"I'm Akari! Pleasure to meet you!" she bowed as well and flashed him a wide grin. Her eyes trailed down to the river and she frowned a bit. The water level was a little low for this type of location. If anyone had to decide on where to build a waterwheel it would be in a place where the water ran strong and true. Right now, the wheel barely moved.
He noticed her gesture and frowned. "You may have noticed as you went around, but things have been a little…different. The land is almost lifeless now. Even the wind hardly blows."
"I see…" She nodded slowly, understanding his sadness. If the land died, then people would have to move on. She once lived in the city, where nature didn't thrive as strongly there as here. But that didn't mean she couldn't feel anything towards a dying land…
Toby let out a deep sigh but then his eyes snapped open at a thought. Akari almost jumped. It was the first time she saw his eyes. They were a beautiful light green, like peridot. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but he was rather attractive. The other males on the island had their charms, but this one seemed easy to get to know and talk to. Okay, so he wasn't gorgeous by any means. This wasn't a love at first sight thing either. It was a normal meeting for two people who would unexpectedly fall in the deep ditch called love…eventually…
The fisherman looked to the side and grabbed his spare fishing rod. "Here. The fishing isn't exactly great right now, but it's still really fun!" he smiled sheepishly and held his gift out. "This one is my old spare but it should still handle fine. You might even get lucky to catch a king fish!"
"Are you sure?" she asked skeptically. She had gotten a lot of things from these people of Harmonica Town. She felt bad she couldn't give anything in return. "I mean you just met me. I could be some crazy chick for all you know."
He put a finger to his chin in though but then grinned slyly. "Well, you're not crazy, are you?"
"No!"
"Kidnapper?"
"No."
"Bandit?"
"Nope."
"Psychotic murderer?"
"Toby…" she hissed playfully at his final jibe. After a few seconds, both burst into laughter while scaring away the fish in the process.
"Well, if that's the case…" he wiped a tear away from his eye in his laughing and offered her his hand. "Then it will be a pleasure to get to know you." There was an almost hopeful tone behind his words and Akari smiled at the gesture.
She took his hand in his, relishing in its warmth beneath her gloves.
"The pleasure is all mine."
"Papa thought Mama was crazy?" their son let a laugh rip out from his lips as the two of them joined in.
"Well, I had to say something to your mother." He insisted but Akari scoffed.
"But to ask if I was a psychotic murderer?"
"I was nervous!"
"So when did you propose!" Daichi cut in impatiently.
Akari made a soothing gesture and smiled. "Now, now…we're getting there… Well, your father and I often met each other in town. Occasionally we would both go fishing on days when I was free."
"Which was hardly a lot," Toby added with the shake of his head. "I had to convince her that I would get her a year supply of strawberries just so she would let someone else watch her farm for a day or two…"
"Which only lasted half a year!" she insisted with a pout.
"Haha, but we went on a good date right?"
"Took you long enough to propose though…" Akari mumbled and grimaced at the memory of going through those mines just to find a blue feather at the top of the mountain. "Do you have any idea how hard it was to find that blue feather?"
"Sorry, sorry!" Toby smiled nervously and held his hands up.
"So mama gave papa the blue feather?"
"Yes, Daichi. Your mother worked very hard to find that feather." Akari grinned proudly once Toby let those words leave his lips. Daichi guessed that they had this conversation before.
"I was going to propose…but I couldn't find a good time." He said. But then he smirked smugly. "Meanwhile, your mother just finds the most convenient time to, huh?"
The brunette frowned and scratched the back of her head. "Not my fault I didn't know you and Renee were having a little friendly chat…"
"Papa…cheated on Mama with Ms. Renee?" Daichi asked. "Jeez Papa. Mama wasn't enough?" The wedded couple gawked at their son.
"D-D-Daichi!"
"Where did you hear that!"
He shrugged but a sly smile crossed his features. Toby managed to glare at his wife half-heartedly.
"That did not come from my side of the family…"
Like her son, Akari shrugged and grinned as well. "I can't help it if he takes after my charms…"
Toby threw his head in his hands and shook his head in an over exaggerated manner. "What have I done?"
After dinner, it was time to go to bed. The day had finally arrived. Tomorrow, Daichi would leave for Waffle Town to care for the new tree with Finn. She would admit that she would get lonely without the small harvest sprite zooming around her head every ten seconds and waking her up in the middle of the night. But…
Creak…
Akari's ear pricked up and her eyes snapped open. Careful not to wake her still sleeping husband, she turned on her side as if shifting her sleeping position. As expected, the creaking stopped for a minute before continuing. The door opened and shut silently and Akari for once cursed her habit of oiling the hinges so much. She learned from experience to at least give your door a bit of rust so that you don't get surprised of any unwanted visitors.
Not that it happened for a while now. When she first started out, a few animals managed to sneak in her shambled living quarters to steal what little produce she decided not to sell. After that, she vowed to get her house fixed up as soon as possible…
But enough of the memories. Akari carefully extracted herself from her husbands loose grip around her waist and grabbed her rucksack by the door (duly noting that another rucksack was also missing). She had a feeling she knew where to look. Quickly, she jogged over to the beach next to the farm to see that familiar shock of blue hair. Akari shook her head and grinned. 'That boy never seems to quit, huh… Guess he really does take after me.'
"Couldn't sleep? Akari asked while smiling softly. She sat down next to him on the white sandy beach.
Her son jumped and stared at her in surprise. "Mama?"
There was a short silence before Daichi sighed. "Mm-hm." The sounds of waves lightly beat against the shore. "I'm…leaving tomorrow right?" He suddenly stood up and walked closer to the water. It caressed his boots as he inhaled the salty air he grew up to. Then he shook his head. "I guess I'm kinda scared, but…" Daichi felt the next words choke him. "Being apart from you and Papa… I'll be lonely." Somehow, he allowed a small laugh to escape him. "Seriously. You can't even wake up in the morning without me pulling the sheets!"
Akari giggled, recalling those times. But she stopped when she heard a soft sob escape her son.
"Papa probably won't be able to sleep worrying about me…" at this, Akari almost laughed at the irony. It was her doing most of the worrying.
The brunette stood and took a step closer to her son. He turned towards her with his eyes filling with tears that were held back by sheer willpower.
"Mama…" he asked while looking up at her with pleading eyes. Those same eyes that twinkled at her when he was happy. Those same eyes that flared slightly when she got hurt. Those same eyes that softened in concern when she pushed herself to the brink of passing out. "Did I… Did I make the right decision?"
Her brown eyes widened at the question and the smile she wore weakened. He… He was worrying about the same things she was? And he didn't break down?
Akari looked at her boy. The one that came to her when he couldn't solve a problem at school. The one who took fishing lessons from his father. The one that went to her when he had a nightmare.
She looked at him and let the corners of her mouth curve up once more as she also fought the tears that threatened her as well. The brunette promised herself she wouldn't cry anymore. She would send her son off with a big smile.
"Daichi," she began carefully. "You'll meet new people. You'll see new lands. You'll even make new friends." Akari closed her eyes in nostalgia, remembering what her own mother said before she left. The brunette echoed them now, passing them down from mother to child. "The world is changing. People grow, not just from the flow of time but from the people we meet and the experiences we encounter."
"New…people?" he repeated and frowned deeper. "What if I…forget everyone else? What if I never meet you or Papa again?"
Her hand fell to where her heart resided and her other went to where his was. "We'll always be with you right here."
Daichi's hand overlapped hers. "Here?"
Akari nodded. "So whenever you get lonely, just think of us. Your father and I…" she choked a little. "We're so proud of you, Daichi."
The boy broke out into a wide teary grin and tackled her mother in a tight embrace. His short arms attempted to wrap around her waist.
"Thanks, Mama!" he mumbled against her shirt. "That's such a relief to hear…"
"You're what roots us down, y'know?" she laughed at her own little joke [1] and held him close. The brunette also nuzzled her sons hair. "With your father always napping and me being practically a dead-weight in bed, what will we do without you? But I guess a little runt like you could still use some advice from me, huh."
A shooting star passed by and caught Daichi's attention.
"…Mama…?"
"Mm-hm?"
"I wanna be like you when I grow up…"
She chuckled. "You want people to call you psycho?"
Daichi shook his head and huddled more into her warmth, not wanting to forget her scent of fresh pine and mint.
"No, I want…" he sighed. "…to be kind…and work hard…like…Mama…" When she felt his breath slow, Akari held him a little tighter.
"I'll always love you, Daichi… No matter how many season pass… Even if you get lazy like your father…even if you get as stubborn as me…"
Carefully, she began to pick her slumbering son up and adjusted him onto her back.
"Eat well. Sleep early too. Don't pull all-nighters like I did or you'll get a stern lecture from the village doctor."
They continued up the hill towards the farm.
"Don't overwork yourself in the beginning. Take things slow and figure out how to balance the work load."
Akari stumbled for a second on a rock but fixed herself and made sure Daichi was secure on her back.
"Make good friends because you'll be dealing with them for a while. And don't drink until you're old enough! Don't challenge the people at the bar at drinking contests either because you'll lose horribly."
A few drops of water fell down on her face. Strangely, they tasted of salt.
"Fall in love and find someone to settle down with. But be careful about it. You might have competition! Make sure you can handle a family before starting one too."
The farm was in sight and she caught the early sun begin to rise.
"Grow old and watch you kids do the same. Die long after I do."
At the doorway was her husband with a knowing smile on his face. Akari grinned sheepishly and went over to him. He kissed her forehead and led her inside after wiping the tears away from her face. They both tucked Daichi in and watched his slumbering form. Toby pulled his wife in for a hug from the back. She leaned into his warmth and sighed in bliss.
"And don't ever forget that we're always with you."
Awwww, so cute! Honestly, I didn't know how that happened. Sure, I had my thoughts on how the chapter would be but wow… I tried keeping Akari un-angsty but who wouldn't when their only child had to leave? So I opted for, "Shed the least amount of tears you can" kind of mother.
[1] I might have made Akari seem weak, but she's actually stubborn and energetic. Toby is the calming side of the family. But even he gets a little…too calm sometimes. Daichi keeps them all together. Actually his name means "Earth", so it's almost a pun on his name. DON'T HURT MEH! –cowers in fear-
I think I'll have one more chapter of A Mothers Love. The next one is the departure of Daichi. I'm a little sad now that this is gonna end…or will it?