The song mentioned is "I've Just Seen a Face" by the Beatles

Chapter 4
The Windy Hilltop

It was cold. Haru was shivering violently, hugging her body for warmth as she stood in the path of wind. She stood on the top of a dark and lonely hill in the middle of the night. The wind whipped fiercely around, shaking her and stinging her face. The grass fluttered about violently at her feet and in the distance the trees groaned and shook with the almighty force of the weather. Haru's chattering teeth were the only sound that could be heard amongst the roar of the night. Off near the horizon the dark, cold ocean's waves bit mercilessly at the shore with icy white foam.

How did I get here?

Haru knew she was in the valley, but she had no clue of how she had come to be standing on this hill in the deep, inky blackness… or how the weather had changed so fast. Her ears were turning pink with cold and the noise of the wind was getting unbearably loud.

That's right… I was waiting… waiting for someone…

At once the most intense wave of fear and worry began to paralyze her body. It was blind panic that gripped her. Something was coming… something terrible…

But she had to wait… she had promised.

Then without warning the world began to spin in blackness and there were clammy hands gripping all over her body.

"HELP!!" She screamed, struggling madly. There were people everywhere, holding onto her, shouting at her. The feeling of hatred was so strong… there was madness… The grips tightened and tumultuous roar of the wind and the shrieking voice reached an unbearable crescendo. It was as if something sharp were penetrating Haru's ears.

"Please, please don't kill me!" She heard herself say, "Please… please!!"

The scream grew so painfully loud Haru tried to cover her ears, but she found her body was paralyzed. She was trapped in a blackness, trying desperately to move her body.

NOO! LET ME GO…. LET…ME… GO!!

Her arms suddenly burst into life and she regained control over her body. Haru's eyes sprang open and she realized she was in her own bed, only someone was still screaming.

Haru felt Griffin sit up in bed beside her, murmuring in a sleepy, surprised way as Haru saw who was screaming at them.

"MOTHER!!" Haru screamed back in surprise. In a moment's time she grabbed the sheets around her and covered up her naked chest in the utmost embarrassment. "What do you think you're doing!?"

Fuyuko was standing in the doorway with her bags all around her ankles. She had an expression of strained horror across her face as she gaped and sputtered at Haru.

Haru could not remember feeling more humiliated in her entire life. She was so incredibly furious with her mother she could barely focus on what was happening. This added to the effects that Haru's odd dream had had on her was just enough to keep her rooted in bed, unable to think or say anything.

Griffin was incredibly embarrassed. His face turned a deep red and he could barely even speak as he pulled a sheet around his bare chest as well. Yuko opened and closed her mouth in a way that a fish might do for a few seconds before she rushed forward and began beating him over the head furiously with her bag.

"YOU… HORRIBLE…. MAN!" She breathed viciously at Griffin as she thwacked her purse into his head. He tried to defend, but he was probably still sleepy and powerfully disconcerted.

"Mother, stop this instant! What do you think you're doing!?" Haru wrenched the bag from her mother's grip while still holding the blanket around her body.

"Haruka… you've… you've been… defiled..." Yuko said the word in a strained and desperate whisper like it was a terrible curse. Great big crocodile tears were pouring down her face. Griffin looked absolutely stunned. Haru could not even begin to believe what was happening but she knew she had to get her mother out immediately.

"Mother…" Haru's voice was low and dangerous. "Get… out." She pointed fiercely in the direction of the door and did not move. Yuko stared horrified back at Haru for another moment, then stiffly went from the bedroom to the living room and shut the door quietly behind her.

Griffin and Haru exchanged glances. Haru could not even think of what to say, so she just sat open mouthed and stared at the foot of the bed pointedly for a few minutes.

Ten minutes later both Haru and Griffin had gotten properly dressed and went out to talk to Haru's mother. It wasn't the morning Haru had been looking forward to after such a wonderful night. Images and feelings from her odd dream were still heavy in her mind as she sat down as calmly as she could in front of Yuko.

"Mom…" She began in a restrained voice, her inner feelings rageful. Griffin stood shy and silent in the corner. He was scratching his head and looking at his shoes.

The living room of Haru's house was small and square and consisted of a large green sofa, a television and several other mundane furnishings. A clock, calendar and several framed pictures adorned the walls and one potted plant stood in the corner opposite to the one Griffin was standing in. Griffin's guitar lay next to the television and an archway covered with a tiny curtain led to the kitchen.

"Why… did you barge into our house… at six in the morn-"

"Well, I was knocking for about twenty minutes!" Yuko replied as if she were the victim, "And when you didn't answer I figured you were elsewhere! The door was unlocked, so I just came in to see if I could wait for you, and… and…" She took a great rattling gasp and fell silent.

"That still doesn't explain why you're here… what do you want?" Haru was trying her best to stay calm. She wanted to work out the fastest way to get her mother out and keep her that way.

"I came here to get some help! I'm renting out a room at the Inn and I needed help with all my luggage, so naturally, I thought my own daughter would be-"

"Whoa, back up. Did you just say you were going to be staying at the inn?" Haru's heart sank. Should could not believe the lengths to which her mother was going. It was an absolute outrage.

"Why, yes, I did!" She retorted, "I am going to be here assisting Phillip to try and save your future happiness! Obviously, there is some sort of skullduggery happening here and I will not stand for it." Yuko was blustering away with anger. She stood up and marched over towards Griffin who was still looking thoroughly mortified. He did not meet her eye. She put a stubby finger up to his chest and poked him sharply several times as she spoke.

"You, sir, are an animal. I don't know how you did it, but somehow you've tricked my daughter into marrying you… and I sense there is some sort of blackmail going on… but you just watch out… I'm onto you… and when I find out what you've done-"

Haru couldn't take it any longer. She grabbed her mother by the shoulders and pushed her away from Griffin and towards the front door.

"Haru! What are you-"

Haru felt terrible for what she was doing to her own mother, but this had gone far enough for her taste.

"Mom… I'm sorry… but you've insulted my husband enough. You need to leave right now." Haru swung open her front door and ushered her mother out with force. Yuko was looking dumbstruck and completely hurt.

"Haru… I'm you mother."

"I know, that's what is so sad about it. If you could just open you eyes for a moment you'd see that I love Griffin and I'm happy with my life… and you'd be happy for me. But you just want to continue being rude. I need you to go now, please." Haru told her all of this in a small voice. It was difficult to do. Haru brought Yuko's bag's out to her and shut the door with a small goodbye.

She was feeling the effects of turmoil as she slumped back down on the couch, her face in her hands. After a few moments, Griffin came and sat beside her, looking a little scared.

"Haru…I'm sorry… should I-"

"No… this is not your fault… I'm sorry about her… can you try and disregard what she said?" Haru was trying hard to get a grip on herself. To her surprise Griffin smiled warmly and pulled her into a one-armed hug.

"It's your opinion that matters, Haru. I'll just try and ignore her while she's here. Eventually she'll realize the truth and accept your decision… Though I don't think I'll ever get over the humiliation of…" He trailed off and Haru gave him a smile.

"I guess we'll get through this… I mean… compared to last winter, this should be a cake-walk, right?" Haru attempted at humor and Griffin laughed a little.

"We can get through it… just remember I love you, always." Haru told her husband before kissing him lightly, "Now… I've got to get to work, or I think Takakura will throw me out."

"Good luck." Griffin told her and she collected her tools and went outside.

It turned out a few hours of toiling away in the fields was exactly what Haru needed to relieve her stress. In the morning she always let her cows out into the pasture first thing. She breathed in the sweet morning air as her cattle milled out slowly in the pasture that she had hand-sown. The barn that she had almost perished in last winter had been accordingly rebuilt and renovated. The spring morning was quite pale and several thin clouds swam lazily across the sky as Haru attended to all of her livestock. After all the milking, brushing and feeding had been done, it was time to move onto the chickens.

Haru dragged the heavy bags of feed out of the shed and across the dirt floor to her chicken coop as the day began to heat up a little. The birds madly clawed and pecked at the feed bag as Haru poured out the chicken's breakfast. A mad chorus of squawks and clucking began to grow in sound and exuberance as the haughty hens pecked madly at the ground. This always made Haru laugh to see the chickens squabbling amongst themselves for food. After all the eggs had been crated up and properly stored, Haru moved onto the crops.

Watering crops had always been her favorite part of being a farmer. She moved happily from row to row talking cheerfully to her plants as she went. Sometimes during days when she sure Takakura wasn't around to hear, she would sing loudly as she watered and harvested the crops.

Today she began singing a loud song to the plants as she watered each and every one of them. The sky had turned from pale to a bright cerulean blue and a warm, mild air had settled down of the bustling farm as usual. The trees in the orchard swayed gently in the soft spring breeze and the scent of flowers wafted in from the village below. Haru was humming merrily and tipped her watering can over the vast fields. Her strawberries and cucumbers were growing nicely. The field before her was like a miniature forest of deep, earthy green and brown.

"Laa laa laa!" Haru sang out happily, feeling her stress melting away. As the sun gleamed down on her brightly and she finished up the last of the crops she was almost positive that this whole thing with her mother was going to blow over in no time.

"Doo doo be doo…" She continued on cheerfully as she returned back to the front of her farm to return all her tools to then shed. She felt very tired, but somehow relieved. Farm work always affected her positively.

"Falllingg! Yes I am falling! And he keeps calllin'… me back aga-"

"Well, Haru. I didn't know you were a vocalist." Said a calm voice from the hillside just a few feet away. Haru froze and turned around to see who'd spotted her in mid-song.

"Phillip!" She exclaimed, feeling embarrassed for the second time that day. He gave her the smallest of smiles, but his face remained mostly blank. Haru immediatly wanted to get away from him as fast as she could.

"I came to say hello… I'll be staying here for a while, that is. Father insisted that I come visit your farm."

"Well, here it is!" Haru threw her hands up a little in a gesture. "Feel free to look around… my work's done for today, so I'm-"

"Oh, can I look around?" He asked and Haru spotted a little of the Phillip she knew as a child. He was always madly interested in exploring and charting territories he did not know previously.

"Sure, go for it. Just don't bother the animals too much. I'm actually going to Vesta's for more seeds, so I'll have to say goodbye for today. See you around." Haru waved at him as she went past him down the hillside. She was glad that Phillip wasn't as bothersome and meddling as their parents were. She knew he would just wander around the premises for a while and be gone… which was good because she definitely wanted to avoid him. She knew that her mother was behind his appearance and it would be just what she wanted if Haru was seen hanging around with Phillip.

"Well, see you around, I suppose." Phillp responded without looking at Haru, taking a few eager steps towards the pasture.

Haru finally got the leave the farm, feeling like her head was spinning. Too much was happening too fast for her liking, but she supposed that soon enough she'd be back to sleepy days on her farm with nothing much to do after work was done.

"At least I've got a wonderful husband to spend time with, now!" She spoke to herself as she walked down the lane and towards Vesta's farm. The rest of the village seemed to be taking it easy today. Not many people were in the streets or wandering around. Delicate pink blossoms fluttered down from the trees and into the river where fish jumped and snapped at them in the afternoon warmth. Spring always seemed to agree with Haru the most. As she got closer to the farm, she saw that someone was sitting on the bridge and looking into the river with their legs swinging slowly side to side. Haru recognized that messy, blonde hair and glasses on the person and suddenly felt an intense pang of guilt. Flora had needed her and she had totally forgotten.

Haru crept closer to where Flora sat, wondering if she could make up for her negligence somehow. Flora's face was obscured by her hair as she looked down into the water.

"Hey, Flora." Haru greeted her gently, feeling slightly intimidated. Flora looked up with surprise. It had been obvious that she had thought no one was there.

"Oh, Haru." Flora sounded relieved suddenly. She looked up at Haru for a long time, not saying anything else. As Haru stared back at her face, she noticed that Flora's eyes were red-rimmed and watery. She'd been crying.

Haru sat down next to her on the bridge and dangled her legs over the water as well. The seeds could wait for now.

"Flora… I'm really sorry about yesterday… I just-"

Flora smiled soberly back at Haru and closed her eyes a little. She sounded more in touch with the world and serious than Haru had ever seen her.

"I understand. You were getting married and a million things have been crashing down on your life… It's a lot to deal with." Her voice was more awake than usual. Haru knew something must really be up.

"Flora… if it's not too late, did you still want to talk…?" Haru asked genially, hoping that Flora would still trust her. Flora's face became pinched for a moment and she looked back into the river. The water was splashing along noisily beneath their feet, sending up a light spray.

"Promise you won't think less of me after I tell you?" Flora asked. There was a notably vulnerable sound in her voice and Haru was a little taken aback.

"No, of course not. What's the matter?" Haru tried to appear as open and understanding as she could. Though she was worried for Flora, she was also extremely curious. The bespectacled woman was silent for a long time, then suddenly spoke as if she were confessing a terrible crime.

"I'm pregnant."