Chapter 8
Hikari
Hikari watched Wizard leave. She had wanted to comfort him but it appeared that she made him more upset. His torn expression when he pulled away from her hug lingered in her mind. The farmer reluctantly tore her eyes away from his retreating form. It was probably best if she left him alone. She had other things to worry about as well.
Hikari surveyed her wide field. Weeds had sprouted up overnight once again. If she left them, they would slow down the growth of her crops. Shaking her head, the farmer began to pull out the stubborn weeds that clung to the soil. It was unusually silent today without Finn chattering by her side.
That was fine... she could deal with it.
She would be able to complete her tasks more efficiently if no one was there to distract her. Nodding, the farmer continued with her work. As she watered her crops and tended to her animals, the brunette made note of which islanders would like each of the items.
Gill would like the tomatoes and honeydew. The farmer bit her lip as she eyed the still unripe crops. Perhaps it was best to focus on befriending the bachelorettes on the island and get their wishes first. It would be best to stop the rumours –she hadn't heard any herself, but she knew that there had to be some circulating around the island, especially after she disappeared from the Animal Festival.
Sighing, Hikari counted the number of wishes she had received from the bachelorettes. Three –Anissa, Candace, and Renee's. And even though she had Anissa's wish, she had to win back her friendship as well.
The farmer groaned and covered her face with her hands. She had a lot of people to befriend.
After she had milked her cows and collected the eggs, the farmer headed towards Flute Fields on her horse. The scorching sun beat heavily down on her, an indication the summer had truly arrived. The vast fields marking the region slowly came into view. Rows of corn made it seem as if the entire field by the Marimba farm was carpeted in gold. Hikari tentatively eyed the farm as her horse slowed.
She would have to face Anissa eventually.
"I'll go there after," she told herself firmly. The farmer bit her lip and urged her horse to head over to Horn Ranch.
"Hikari, it's good to see you," Cain called as he approached her. Renee's father stopped by her horse and smiled in welcome. "How are your animals?"
"Fine, thank you," she replied as she lowered herself onto the ground. The farmer pushed her worries into the back of her mind, smiled winningly up at the taller man and clasped her hands together behind her back. "It's thanks to your guidance though. Thank you so much!"
"It's nothing at all," Cain laughed. "You've earned everything you have through your diligence."
Either the rumours had not reached his ears or he did not believe in any of them. She was relieved.
"Anyway, please accept this as a token of my thanks," Hikari chirped. Reaching into her rucksack, she pulled out a shining egg.
"Oh, I'm fond of this. Thanks a lot!" he said as he carefully took the egg from her hands.
The farmer grinned. "I should stop bothering you. I'm going to drop off some gifts to Hanna and Renee and go."
"Alright, I'll see you around."
Waving, Hikari jogged over to the shop. A bell sounded above her head as she pushed the door open. The comfort of cool air washed over her body and she softly closed the door behind her.
"Hello, Hikari!" Hanna greeted. The woman smiled in a motherly manner from behind the counter. "Did you want to buy anything?"
"Oh, no, I had some extra eggs and thought that you might like some," Hikari said as she held out another shining egg. The farmer smiled shyly as the woman that had taught her everything about the technical aspects of raising animals grinned happily.
"Oh my, thank you so much!"
"It's no problem at all," Hikari assured the rancher as she bowed. "It's thanks to you and your family that I'm able to be such a successful rancher. So thank you."
"You should give yourself more credit, Hikari," Hanna said kindly.
Hikari felt her nervousness slowly ease. Perhaps it wouldn't be so hard to earn the friendship of all the islanders.
"I agree," Renee sang as she entered the shop from outside. "I'm sure you would have done well at the Animal Festival too. I think you had an excellent chance in winning the livestock contest and animal race, am I right Kathy?"
The door swung shut behind the two, causing the bell above the door to sound once again. The waitress that had entered the shop behind Renee crossed her arms over her chest as she eyed Hikari. Based on her scowl, Hikari didn't think that she agreed with her friend.
"I admit that her horse is fast. It's rather unfortunate that the owner of the horse is such an irresponsible person."
"Kathy, that wasn't nice," Renee frowned, turning around to gaze disapprovingly at her friend. "I'm sure it had to be an emergency that led to Hikari leaving her animals at the festival."
"You shouldn't trust people so easily, Renee," Kathy scolded gently, her expression softening as she regarded the rancher.
"Hikari is normally a very responsible person that takes great care of her animals," Renee maintained. "A person that treats animals so kindly cannot be a bad person."
"And that is why you shouldn't form judgements based on that alone. This person here—"
Hikari bit her lip and bowed. "I'm sorry. I assure you that I will be a more responsible person from now on. Please accept my apology."
"You shouldn't be so harsh on Hikari," Hanna chipped in. The motherly woman walked over to Hikari and comfortingly placed a hand on the farmer's shoulder.
"Whatever."
Hikari raised her head, to see Kathy glaring at the wall. The blonde appeared as if she wanted to say more but was restraining herself for Renee and Hanna. Hikari bit her lip, knowing that this issue was far from resolved. It was best if she left.
Waving to the three women, Hikari exited the shop and approached her horse. Her heart felt heavy as she climbed onto Ashe. Hikari gazed down at her hands. The waitress watched over Renee in such a caring, sisterly manner... and Hikari couldn't help but feel slightly envious that no one watched over her in such a way. No one cared if she was lied to by someone. No one visited her every day just to have fun.
And no one was there to comfort her when she wanted to cry.
Hikari bit her lip and urged Ashe to move forward.
Perhaps Finn had tried to watch over her in such a way, but she couldn't allow the innocent sprite to share such heavy burdens with her. Now she had lost him as well.
She had to do everything on her own.
Shaking her head, Hikari repeated to herself that she would be able to make it through life on her own. Everything would work out somehow.
She halted her horse in front of Marimba Farm and Hikari smiled wryly. She would be able to do this. Taking a deep breath, the brunette pushed herself off the horse and headed into the building.
Taylor, who was leaning against the doorway between the kitchen and the shop, glanced up and scowled when he saw her. She was getting a lot of those today. The farmer waved politely at the child.
"Um, hello," Hikari greeted.
"Welcome. Are you here to buy seeds again?" Ruth asked, looking up from the basket of seeds she was arranging. She swept her shoulder length hair aside and turned to direct her full attention on her customer. Ruth was a practical person and did not concern herself with the trivialities such rivalries between others. For that, Hikari was glad.
"Oh, no, I'm just here... to visit."
"No one wants you here!" Taylor growled.
Hikari uneasily shifted her weight, unsure of how to reply to such a response.
"Taylor, what did I tell you about minding what you say?" Ruth frowned, her hawk-like eyes narrowing.
The child shrank under his mother's disapproving gaze and uncertainly adjusted the goggles on his head. "Don't you care that she is trying to steal Jin away from Anissa?"
"If Hikari is interested in the doctor, then she is free to compete with Anissa for his affections," Ruth answered firmly as she crossed her arms over her chest. Though others may find it unusual for a mother to not side with her daughter in such a situation, Hikari had a small degree of understanding. Ruth was not the type of person to shelter her children –she allowed them to grow and find success on their own. It was a valuable life skill that every child had to learn. Both Anissa and Taylor had grown to be very independent people. Despite his young age, Taylor even had his own seed shop.
Taylor's hands curled into fists. "She isn't interested in him –she just wants to play with the hearts of all the men on the island!"
The farmer winced at the accusation that was hurled at her.
"Is that true, Hikari?" Ruth asked calmly, turning to analyze her. Her sharp eyes seemed to pierce through the farmer's calm mask. Hikari shrank back and nervously clasped her hands together.
"It's not my intention," she said quietly.
The woman nodded briskly and turned to Taylor. "Now that that is cleared up, you should stop saying such things to Hikari. I want you to apologize."
"So you just believe what she says?" Taylor asked angrily.
"I trust my judgement," Ruth replied evenly.
"Well, I don't believe her!" he shouted. Taylor pushed past Hikari and stormed out of the shop. The door slammed loudly behind the child and Ruth shook her head in disappointment.
"I apologize on his behalf," she said, bowing.
"It's alright," Hikari said. She hoped that she would be able to fix everything eventually. Biting her lip, the farmer reached into her rucksack and drew out a spinach cake. "Thanks. Um, please accept this."
The older woman smiled genially. "That's very thoughtful of you. Thanks."
Hikari smiled nervously. "Is Anissa here today? I wanted to talk to her."
Ruth nodded towards the back of the building. She thoughtfully gazed at Hikari. "Clearing things up might be difficult, but you shouldn't give up easily and allow things to persist as they currently are like you had in the past. That was one of the mistakes you made that led to this situation."
It seemed that Ruth had been paying attention to Hikari's actions after all.
"Thank you," Hikari replied, blushing slightly. "I'll do my best."
The farmer headed towards the back of the shop and poked her head into the living room. Anissa sat primly on the couch, reading a book about herbs.
"Um... Anissa, it's been a while."
The dark-haired woman turned around. Surprise flickered across her face before disappearing behind a mask of calmness. She gently closed the book and set it beside her on the couch.
"Hello, Hikari, what brings you here?" she asked as she rose from the couch to approach the other farmer. If Anissa was wary, she was able to hide it well since the way she moved was confident and graceful.
"I wanted to clarify my intentions," the farmer answered as firmly as possible. "I really am not interested in Jin. I promise that he is just a friend. I'll even stop visiting him--"
Anissa raised a hand to stop Hikari from continuing and smiled sadly. "He speaks very highly of you."
"I'm nothing special."
Anissa glided over to the window and slowly drew back the curtains. Rows of tall and lively sunflowers waved happily in the breeze. The farmer smiled softly, her eyes distant as she stared out the window. "When I left this land, the fields were lifeless and barren. Many believed that they would have to leave the land. But after you arrived, the land began to recover. There are many islanders that believe that you are responsible for this miracle."
"I cannot compete with you though," Hikari responded. Memories of her life before coming to the island flickered back. She forced a smile onto her face as she tried to maintain her composure. "You're intelligent, perceptive and kind-hearted. I'm not talented... nothing special. Everything I've ever had, I've obtained through hours of work."
Often, even that wasn't good enough. Hard work could only take a person so far.
"You shine beautifully because of that effort," she replied as she examined the field.
And she was nothing without it. So she needed to keep fighting in order to be adequate in what she did, and rely on others for the strength, encouragement and inspiration to continue exerting so much effort. She was weak... and she was tired of needing to try so hard to achieve what others already had naturally.
Charisma? None –she needed to go around giving gifts in order to make friends. Natural talent? None –she had to work harder and for longer periods of time to be able to competently complete a task. There were so many things she lacked and had to work harder than others in order to achieve.
"If I shine because of my effort, then I am nothing if the reasons for exerting such effort disappear."
Anissa tilted her head to the side. "Your shine hasn't faltered once since you've arrived. Every day, no matter the weather, I see you toiling on your field and caring for you animals by yourself. What are the reasons for all your hard work?"
Hikari thought of Finn's childish enthusiasm, Julius' love of beauty, Candace's passion for sewing, Renee's concern for the animals and Wizard's wish for the island to recover. A small smile formed on her lips.
"The people I care for," Hikari answered firmly. "I want to be able to make them happy."
Anissa nodded and turned to gaze out the window. Hikari mutely watched the dark haired woman, wondering what was going through her mind.
Anissa finally broke the silence. "Finding someone you love is a difficult thing."
Anissa turned around to look at Hikari.
"I don't want to lose him," Anissa said steadily. "So, I need to do everything I can to shine brighter."
Anissa's statement suggested that they would not be able to be friends at this point in time. The farmer was disheartened.
"I understand," Hikari replied hesitantly.
"I hope you don't mind," Anissa smiled, easily reading Hikari's expression. "Our current relationship is fine as it is, isn't it? I haven't been antagonistic toward you and you haven't purposely done anything to impair me either."
Hikari would have liked to have won her friend back, but it seemed as if there was nothing she could do. She had Anissa's wish, so this situation wouldn't impede her quest either. "Alright."
"I'll see you around then," the herbalist said.
Hikari nodded and exited the shop. The sun was already fairly low in the sky. By the time she returned to her farm, the blue sky would have transformed into a deep orange. The day was ending. Hikari doubted that the islanders would appreciate her interrupting their dinner to give gifts. She would be unable to start befriending the residents of Harmonica Town and the Garmon Mines today. That was fine. She did not have enough items either.
Hikari shifted her now light rucksack and considered asking Wizard for a more detailed list of items that the islanders loved. She only faintly remembered the list he had given her back during the autumn and he only provided her with one item for a handful of islanders. The farmer gazed at the darkening sky and resolved to ask him tomorrow.
After leading Ashe back into the barn, Hikari pulled open the creaky door of her house and sighed. Deafening silence wrapped itself around her. It was the first time that the house had been so silent since she moved here.
She missed Finn's chatter.
Moving past the large table in the middle of the building, the farmer headed towards the fridge and pulled out a few mushrooms to nibble on. She would need to save the other food items in her fridge for gifts. Surveying the peeling wallpaper and warped wooden floor, the farmer noted that she would have to put off upgrading her house as well.
Empty. The house felt so empty. Hikari closed her eyes and leaned tiredly against the fridge. After all she had achieved on the island, it still felt like she had nothing... or at least, none of things she had wanted. She just had herself and some degree of success.
How pathetic. The voice inside her head taunted her, telling her that no matter what she did, she would still have nothing. She would never find happiness.
Even Finn, her closest friend, was gone. She was inadequate and her life would always be empty.
Pathetic.
"Stop," Hikari muttered to herself. The farmer rubbed her eyes. She wouldn't be able to sleep here tonight without having these thoughts haunting her. She needed someone to talk to and distract her.
The brunette furrowed her brow as she grabbed her rucksack and slipped her arms through the straps. She also didn't need to start more rumours. There probably wouldn't be good things said about her if she visited any of the islanders in the middle of the night. Contemplating her options, Hikari nodded and started to head towards Garmon Mine. The path she took led her back to where she was yesterday evening.
"What are you doing here, human?"
Hikari stopped as she neared the dais and nervously clasped her hands together.
"It is late, you should return home," the Harvest King stated, his back still facing the farmer.
"I... just need to sort out some thoughts," Hikari said. "Is it alright if I stay here for a while?"
He looked over his shoulder and frowned. His deep ruby-coloured eyes were contemplative, as if he were trying to unravel a puzzling concept. She smiled nervously, and the god turned his head back around and resumed staring at the land below. "Suit yourself."
"Thanks."
Hikari settled beside Finn, a few feet away from the Harvest King. The sprite looked the same as yesterday evening. His expression was still hauntingly sad. Hikari gently placed her hand on the crimson orb. She was glad that his condition wasn't deteriorating though. Drawing back her hand and turning to look at the Harvest King's back, she noted that the crimson glow surrounding his body was a little brighter than yesterday. Locks of his fiery orange hair drifted elegantly even though there was not any breeze.
"You look better," she smiled.
"Hm..."
Hikari shifted her weight. Though there was not much conversation, she wasn't mulling over her unhappy life. Oddly, watching the Harvest King was enough to distract her from any unhappy thoughts and the chilly mountain air. The scene looked like it was from a beautiful painting too. The sharp contrast between his glow and the dark night sky, the ancient ruins surrounding his towering figure, and the sea of clouds that stretched out before her all looked too stunning to be real.
"You look just as disordered as you were yesterday," the god stated calmly, drawing Hikari out of her thoughts.
"Haha, is that so?" Hikari laughed. She rubbed her eyes and shook her head. "There is just so much that I need to do... and I'm not sure if I can do those tasks."
He tilted his head to the side. "Why?"
"Making friends is difficult for me," Hikari answered hesitatingly. She wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm not charismatic and... making friends was not my top priority when I was younger so I'm not particularly good at it."
"Hm..."
The brunette smiled wryly. "You're not convinced?"
"Any human that is able to summon me is far from incapable," he replied, shaking his head and focusing his attention on his duties once again.
Hikari imagined that the Harvest King didn't give out compliments often and smiled. Even though their relationship was not close, his words meant a lot. "Thank you."
"I am merely stating the truth," he replied in a bored tone.
"Still... thanks."
He sighed and turned his body around. Irritation was reflected in his eyes. "Are all humans this redundant?"
Hikari laughed. "Probably not. Sorry."
He shook his head and looked up at the dark sky. "You are not planning on returning home."
"It feels empty without Finn there," she murmured, drawing her knees to her chest. She closed her eyes and assumed that the god's silence meant that he was fine with her sleeping on the mountain once again. She heard the shift of cloth as he turned around to survey the land once again.
"Humans are strange creatures," he murmured.
Hikari smiled and drifted off. The burden that she carried constantly on her shoulders was forgotten in her sleep. It was nice to let go of such heavy weights. If only such rest could last a little longer.
"Why is she sleeping here?"
"I told her to go home."
The powerful voices slowly dragged Hikari out from her sleep. She cracked an eye open and closed it once again. It was really bright up here... and very uncomfortable. There was a dull irritating pain in her head, and her back and neck muscles ached. As she waited for her headache to fade, the farmer gradually realized how cold her surroundings were.
"Her body is weaker than ours," the Harvest Goddess explained patiently. "She'll catch a cold."
"She was well informed about the condition of the mountain when she decided to sleep here. If she does catch a cold, it is of no fault of mine."
Hikari heard a soft sigh and the whisper of cloth moving past her. The bright light raining down on her was cut off.
"Hikari, you should get up," the Harvest Goddess said softly. Her voice reminded Hikari of the gentle sound of flowing water that filled the Harvest Spring.
Hesitatingly, the farmer opened her eyes. The goddess' aquamarine eyes were filled with worry as she held out her hand to the farmer.
"Sorry," the young woman mumbled in embarrassment as she placed her hand in the goddess'. Hikari was smoothly brought to her feet and she winced as her muscles protested.
"Are you alright?" the Harvest Goddess asked, her warm hand lightly holding onto Hikari's arm.
"Yes, thank you." The farmer politely bowed to the goddess.
Turning to gaze at the irritated Harvest King, the farmer bowed and thanked him for allowing her to stay the night.
"Hmph."
"Um, I should return to my farm. Once again, thank you."
She picked up her rucksack and after bowing once again to the two deities, hurried down the staircase and to the teleportation stone. Hikari arrived at the base of the mountain and looked up at the sky. It was dark and gloomy –a sharp contrast to the overly bright mountain top. The clouds rolled angrily in the sky and Hikari wondered if it would start raining.
She tugged on the short sleeves of the blouse she was wearing. It was cold today.
It started raining halfway through her journey and she quickened her pace. The rain intensified a few minutes later and the land was now drenched with water. On the bright side, she would not need to water her crops. Hikari wrung out the water in her hair after reaching the shelter of her barn. Her clothes still clung heavily to her skin and droplets trickled down her legs but it was the best she could do. After wiping her face with the back of her hand, she started to tend to her animals. There were not a lot of shining quality products today. It was only the fourth day of summer and none of her crops were ready to be harvested either. Hikari furrowed her brow and cursed her lack of foresight –flowers would have made wonderful gifts if she had planted some. She was glad that she had a couple of apple, cherry and orange trees though. She really needed to ask Wizard about alternate gifts.
Nodding, Hikari briefly entered her house to retrieve an umbrella and headed towards Harmonica Town. The taps of millions of rain drops on the surface of her umbrella were loud and disorganized. Looking up at the swirling clouds in the dark, gray sky, the farmer hoped that there would not be a hurricane tomorrow... or any time at all this season.
The river that flowed under the bridge leading to Harmonica Town flowed violently, fuelled by the rain. Sheets of water flowed off the roofs of the cosy buildings that made up the small town. Hikari furrowed her brow, wondering how the rain would influence the usual activities of each of the islanders. Hopefully she would be able to find the ones she had gifts for.
She arrived at the unique house that belonged to Wizard. To her surprise, the door was locked.
"Wizard?" Hikari called as she knocked on the door. "It's Hikari."
No answer.
It was nearing noon so he couldn't be sleeping. Perhaps he was submerged in a book. She knocked harder.
Oddly, it upset her to be ignored by Wizard. Smiling wryly, she realized that he had grown to become an important person to her.
"Are you alright?" she called. "Please answer the door."
There was still no reply and the farmer felt concern well up inside her. Perhaps something had happened to him? But he was a magical being with centuries of experience. It wouldn't be easy for something to harm him. The image of his torn expression the last time she had seen him flickered in her mind. Did she upset him that much?
"I'm sorry if I upset you," she said. Her grip on the umbrella tightened. "You should tell me when I say or do things you don't like."
She had been abandoned by Anissa before. So why did it hurt so much more than before?
"Please answer me... I promise I won't hug you again, if that's what you're upset about!"
Someone made a disgusted noise from her right and Hikari turned to find Luna glaring at her as she walked past Wizard's house. She didn't need to be a mind reader to hear the accusations of her playing with the men on the island reflected in the woman's eyes. Hikari grimaced and made a note not to go near Gill for the time being. Not that she planned to since she decided to befriend the bachelors last.
She pressed her forehead against the rough wooden door and closed her eyes.
"I need your help," she whispered softly. He had always been there when she needed him. It was odd that she never realized how much she had relied on him. "Please."
Please don't ignore me. The cold air bit at her wet skin and she shivered slightly. She stood there for half an hour before giving up.
"I'll come back tomorrow," she promised before turning away from the building.
