Here's a bit of a time skip, so it won't affect those who lost track of the story. I'm sorry!!! Really!! But well, here it is. Reviews are loved!

Oh, and I'll finish this story, even if it takes forever. -_-

Spring didn't bring much of anything else after the storm. Festivals came and went normally, Alex would tend the clinic like always and Claire would take care of her farm. She wasn't visiting the clinic as often as she used to since she had taken a liking into mining and that consumed most of her day. Still, every now and then she'd find her way to Alex and Elli's place to chat and occasionally snatch a cup of cocoa.

Finally Summer had decided to make its grand appearing, bringing the heat along with it. This wasn't one of Alex's favorite season, since many people came around because of the extreme changes of temperature. It was a way to make himself get back into schedule though, so he wasn't really complaining.

Sure, some distractions like the Dog Festival arrived along with Summer, but Alex decided that if he wanted to be a great doctor, he needed to have the commitment to stay focused in his work. He managed to outshine most distractions, and was pleased with his work so far.

"Elli? Please bring me the brown briefcase from the second floor." He said as he wipped his brow tiredy. In a few minutes she came with the recalled item, smiling brightly. He opened it and took out an odd item with a few rubber lumps. "Thank you."

"What's that?" Elli asked curiously, eyeing the item with a raised eyebrow.

"Its this." He smiled, showing her an old magazine that explained what it was. Somehow it used negative ions to give you relaxation or something like that, she wasn't able to read it since he threw the magazine over his shoulder a few seconds afterwards. "If it really works, it's going to be quite popular in the village."

She considered it and nodded, grabing the lightweighted item. "Hm, it looks expensive..."

"Don't you see? It'll pay for itself in no time." He smiled proudly. "It will bring down the villagers' stress levels."

"Whatever you say..." Elli sighed and returned to her desk to hold her head. Alex was so hardheaded when he wanted to be; sometimes she felt that he acted like a stubborn child.

Alex placed the item in a drawer of his desk as soon as he finished with all his paperwork. That afternoon was slow and boring, just like it used to be a few days ago. His eyes scanned his office for what seemed to be the hundredth time.

The heavy lids that covered his onyx colored windows to reality were tempted to close for a few hours, but his mind bolted up and kept him awake and alert most of the day.

Most of it, anyway.

"Alex, its time to close up the clinic." Elli said loudly from her desk. He didn't respond so she curiously stood up and knocked on his office's door. After a second or two, she gently opened the door and found him fast asleep, face-first on his desk. "…Alex?"

She walked toward his desk and sighed, noticing the mess in his office. All of his research was spread around the desk and floor, giving the sensation of being suffocated by all the papers. She placed a hand over his jet-black hair softly, caressing it absentmindedly.

"You really work too hard… too much for your own good." She mumbled as she continued to rub his head. In response, he yawned and wrapped his arm around hers, using it as a pillow. She giggled and placed her other hand over his, feeling bubbly inside. "Alex? Wake up…"

He began to mumble things incoherently, causing her to smile again. "Come on, let's get you to rest."

"But what about this…?" He frowned, still with his eyes closed. For a second, Elli thought that Alex was awake. After a few seconds of silence, she realized that he was still on his dream realm. "…I really can't leave yet…"

She laughed quietly to herself as she yanked his arm a bit harder. It was a failed attempt, so she let go and crossed her arm as well as he could with his own in the way. "Alex…?"

He covered his head with his arms and continued to mumble every few seconds. Elli thought that this was because of his lack of rest, though even if she immensely was worried, she couldn't help but think of this scene as adorable. "Let's get going now."

"What about…Claire?" He managed to say with his rant.

Elli didn't know why, but she could feel her heart sinking all of a sudden. All the warmness in her insides disappeared, leaving her to snap back to reality. With a faint feeling of disappointment, she shook his shoulder a bit harder while calling his name.

"What…? Erm…" He groaned sleepily as he rubbed his eyes. "Oh my… Elli? …I fell asleep again, didn't I?"

She raised an eyebrow and nodded. "You need to rest… I'll go and put the "closed" sign on the door."

He held back a yawn and then noticed the messed up paperwork. Before he even began to sort them out, Elli had returned and was pulling him towards his room. "But-"

"No buts, Alex." She came to a stop in front of his bedroom door. "Go to sleep. You have to relax! Tomorrow's Wednesday, so don't worry about waking up early… it's your day off."

"There's no such thing as a day off for us." He muttered sadly. It was true; even if the front sign and his calendar said that there was no work, a doctor had to take action if anything happened.

"Don't be so pessimist!" Elli exclaimed, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Besides, nothing big ever happens here. Give yourself a break, that way you'll have the strength to be better every day."

He showed a shadow of a smile and hugged her. "Thank you."

Her cheeks turned a soft shade of pink as she stared at him blankly. "For what?"

"For just being here." He backed away and grabbed the doorknob; then he turned to face her. "The world could use more people like you."

She smiled gently and opened her room's door, telling him once more to get some rest.

Once she was in her room all alone, she couldn't help but think about Doctor and about how much she cared for him. He'd always been there with her, battling against life's challenges… always side by side. She never told a soul, but she truly enjoyed spending so much time with him.

Alex was her best friend, the one she could count on. They lived together; everything for them was almost like if they were a family.

Almost.

It was strange, but lately she felt as if he'd been absent; like if his mind was concentrated on something else.

"No, not on something else, but better said on someone else." She said bitterly to herself. "On Claire."

Deep down she was happy for Alex and Claire's friendship, but she was only human, and still at times the little green monster of jealousy clouded her mind and convinced her that she had to stop them. They were too close; he liked her too much.

She shook off those thoughts and sat on her bed, realizing now that those feelings were new to her. She had never known about those mixed feelings: a collection of sadness, joy for him, anger and resentment. They had begun to grow only weeks ago, when she saw Alex walking Claire to her farm, their fingers wrapped together tightly.

Her chest hurt slightly as the recent memory of Alex calling for Claire during his sleep flashed before her eyes. "Why couldn't he say my name-?"

Did she really mean what she had just said? She brought a petite hand towards her head, and then she let out a sigh. She closed her eyes tightly as her head spun with so many thoughts. She didn't hate Claire or felt anger towards Alex…

It was with herself for being so selfish.

"He's my friend, that's all…" She said out loud, battling her mind. Sadly, her mind was the one with the last word. '…and it's all he'll ever be.'

…oOo…

The yellow sunrays overpowered the shadows of the night a few hours afterwards, sending a blast of color to the black canvas of the broad heavens. A stray thin string of light found its way to a young woman's face, causing her to wake.

Her ocean colored eyes met the blinding bother for a second; it let her know that it was time to go to work. The gentle summer breeze greeted her skin as she opened the door, accompanied by the not so delicate sun that provided all his livid heat. Immediately, her vast farm greeted her view.

The large terrain was mostly clear, though a few stubborn weeds decided to make their presence known. She rolled her eyes and walked toward her chicken coop, grabbing a white ball of feathers with a faint smile.

"Ah, Yuuki… want to get some sun today?" She smiled at the little animal.

It happily flapped its wings as well as it could in her arms. She walked outside and grinned as Yuuki darted toward the weeds hungrily. "Well, that should keep her occupied for a while…"

She then resumed with her chores, finishing everything around an hour later; not that they were a lot, anyway. With a small bottle of honey in her hand, she wondered what she could do for the rest of the day. It was a bright summer day, packed with heat and silence. The very limited breeze only appeared every once in a while, giving her the sensation of being inside a gigantic cooking pot.

Her view was attracted by the woods to the south of her farm; the shade was cool and inviting, pulling her feet in playfully. She let herself go and found herself beside the lake, where the "previously burnt trees and bushes had already grown back and gave a peaceful scenario once more.

Oh, I love this place." She sighed contently, taking a lungful of air.

"Me too."

She opened her eyes and saw Alex on the edge of the body of water, studying a blue grass. He was wearing a white shirt with black jeans, never losing the style of the clinic. His hair was as messy as always, though this time he wasn't wearing the mirror on his head.

"Hey, Al. How's your day off coming along?" She lazily found her way beside him, peeking over his shoulder to look at the item in his hands.

"Hm? Oh, I'm satisfied with it." He shrugged, still staring at the blue vegetation. "What about you? How have you been?"

"You know; same old…" She smiled weakly, kicking the ground melancholically. "So… How's Elli?"

They haven't been able to see each other as often as they did on the beginning of Spring due to Alex's work and Claire's efforts to make her farm as great as it could be. Their friendship was as strong as ever, though the distance kept a gloomy atmosphere on them almost every day. The time they had spent together, just looking at the sky as it changed from black to blue at night, seemed so far away now that the nostalgia was overwhelming.

They hadn't been able to enjoy each other's company like they used to either. It was something that just happened, not planned and not wanted either. Still, when the rare occasion of meeting appeared, they took advantage of the opportunity and tried their best to have fun together.

"She's alright; working hard and taking care of Ellen." He finally turned around to face the blond, mimicking her soft smile.

"Elli's an amazing person. She's strong, kind and beautiful." Claire said, staring at the still waters of the cool lake. "I wish I was more like her…"

"I really don't know what I'd do without her." Alex sighed deeply, not noticing as Claire's eyes saddened a bit. "I've been with her all my life, and to just think about living without her in it seems… incomplete."

Alex had no idea that every word he had said pained Claire little by little. She had begun to discover feelings beyond her understanding for Alex; a close friendship that was so special that no words could ever describe it. It wasn't love, she told herself, but at least a crush for him was obviously growing within her. Hearing him speak like that about another woman made her feel uncomfortable, unimportant and unwanted.

She knew it was selfish for her to think that way, but Alex was a very important person for her. His opinion was more valuable to her than all the gold in the world. She wanted to be on the top of his priority list, and truth to be told, to know that Elli was on a higher rank than her made her feel jealous.

"Well, um… have you done anything out of the ordinary lately?" Alex asked, taking her hand and pulling her under the shade of a tree. He sat down and invited her to do the same, enjoying the refreshing breeze that blew on his face. "I believe that I'm making progress on my research for Lillia's illness."

"Really? That's great!" She sat down beside him and pushed her bitter feelings aside. "I got a chicken! I guess you can call that out of the ordinary…"

"That's good." He smiled at her gently, chuckling afterwards. "You're becoming quite a farmer."

Even though she knew that he meant that as a compliment, she couldn't help but feel a bit inferior by his statement. A farmer; that was all she was capable of being while he was a doctor, wise and important.

'There's no way he could think of me as in more than a friend.' She sheepishly thought to herself as she observed as Alex placed the blue grass back into its place. In her eyes, he deserved someone better, someone who could offer more than her. Someone more prepared for life and its challenges.

Someone like Elli.

"I guess I should get going, Al."

Alex looked at her disappointedly, wanting to spend a bit more time with her. "So soon? But it's been so long since we've properly talked… I was hoping that-"

"I'm really sorry…" She interrupted sadly while getting up, not being able to look at his face. "But I really should go back to my farming."

He smiled sadly, stood up too and nodded understandingly. Without any warning, he walked to her side and hugged her tightly. The sudden warmth took them both by surprise, but as friends, it wasn't something to make a fuzz of. "You are an outstanding woman. I'm… proud of you."

She could feel her cheeks becoming hot as she blushed. She tried to hide it by looking at the lake, though he could still see the hint of pink in her cheeks as soon as he let go. This only brought a little smile to his face. Once she considered that she had regained control over her features, she turned to face him quietly.

"Proud of what? All I do is pull out weeds and feed a chicken."

He chuckled and looked at her tenderly. "Claire, do you really think that's all you do?"

"Well… no, but it's pretty darn close to reality." She managed to smile and look at his eyes. The tension that was surrounding her melted away with the warmness he offered. "I'm not that big of a deal…"

He raised an eyebrow and shook his head. He knew what she'd been through over the past few years and thanks to his knowledge in psychology he understood why she always felt so unconfident. He might not know her aunt in person, but it was obvious that she had scarred Claire deeply. He was willing to help her recover her self-esteem; he was willing to keep her happy.

"You think that what you do is not important?" He asked stubbornly, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Think about this for a second… You've only been here for around a season, correct?"

Claire only nodded, looking at the ground. That only made her think about her feelings further. 'It's only been a season and already I'm getting dramatic over a crush… I'm just pathetic.'

He cupped her chin softly and turned her attention back to him.

"I can tell you three things in less than ten seconds that you have done to help in this village in that short period of time."

That caught the young woman's attention. "Like…?"

"First off, economy. Without you, this island's economy would be down the drain. Zack can explain that with full detail… you sell all sorts of things that are only available in this island. It keeps the gold in the island running."

"Any villager can do that!"

"Second of all, you've restored the farm to its former glory."

"But I don't even have livestock… or crops…" She pouted, trying her best to contradict him.

"And thirdly…" He looked at her carefully, not sure how to put what he wanted to say into words. "You've managed to bring life back to this place."

"Um…?" She stared at him blankly for a few seconds. 'Bring life? What did he mean by that?'

"You've managed to transform every villager's life by just being in this town. Like for example, have you noticed how happy the mayor is with you here? Or how happy the Poultry farm is now, having a real farmer for a neighbor? A responsible at that too… Zack has someone he can actually talk to when he picks up his shipment, May and Stu have someone to play with, Mary has someone to read books with… should I go on?"

She simply stared at him at a loss for words.

"…Have you noticed how happy you make me?" He finished off quietly, this time looking at the sky and the shifting clouds that swam in it.

Claire just stood there, staring at the man before her. He looked sincere, though she really couldn't tell what the big change in Mineral Town was. Then again, she didn't know how it was before her arrival, so it might as well remain as a mystery until she could see the truth within his words.

"Al?" She managed to say, though the sound was like an imitation to the breeze's whispers. "Why are you so… nice to me?"

He looked down at her sky-blue eyes tenderly. "Truth to be told, I don't know myself."

Claire was surprised to have heard him say that. When she thought about his words, she felt strange. It was a response that really didn't answer anything. It was… empty.

"Well, that's great…"

He chuckled; instead of feeling offended by her sarcasm, he thought of it as a way of saying the truth in her own way. "Ah, Claire. You just... came into my life when I needed a friend. I can't imagine acting differently towards you. I don't plan on acting "nice" around you… it just happens."

She smiled and looked at him thankfully. Her golden locks got pushed around by the wind and straight into his face. He ducked slightly; that made her giggle and step back, noticing now how close they really were.

"Well… I'd better get going. For real… I have some chores to do around the farm."

"Alright then." He could tell that she felt better already and the urgency of her voice gave away the truth. "Um… Claire… have you ever thought about…"

"What?"

She had already begun to walk away, so she turned to see him clearly.

"Er… nevermind." He smiled sheepishly while placing his hands on his pockets. "It's not important. I'm just rambling random stuff…"

She stared at him for a second or two, and then with a shrug she returned down the path towards her farm.

He on the other hand, stayed on the slippery edge near the lake. His mind traveled through the streets of his memories and stopped on the day he arrived on Mineral Town. He felt lost and confused at first, but lucky for him, Elli was traveling with him and her grandmother lived there. It was enough to make him feel at home; a fake family to come home to.

That was probably why he was so nice to Claire. He knew how hard it is to arrive to a new town with no one to talk to. Also, he wasn't lying when he said that she arrived at the perfect moment; he felt empty in that village, even if he was surrounded by his family.

And that single word made him remember what he was about to ask Claire. It would've been awkward to ask out of the blue if she'd thought about staying on Mineral Town to build a life there, to build a family. It was a really personal question, but it was only brought to him because he believed that a great family was all it took for someone to find real happiness. He was glad that he remained quiet at that precise moment, perhaps if not; he would've pushed her away even further.

He took a deep breath and began to walk to the Clinic, feeling that noon was arriving. All these thoughts about family reminded him of his own. He tried to think about something else; his real family wasn't exactly something to remember with a smile. They weren't there when he needed them the most, they were always too busy. He understood that their job was demanding, but he also knew that there should've been a balance to their lives.

"And speaking of being busy…" After distracting himself for around an hour, he found himself in front of the Clinic. "…I'm back to the routine."

…oOo…

A woman was walking through a dirty path that led to a small village. She had the feeling that she would find who she was looking for soon. After setting foot on Forget-Me-Not Valley, she couldn't help but smile widely.

"You can't hide forever, you stupid brat. I'll find you, even if I have to turn around every single pebble in this place."

…oOo…

That afternoon was the hottest one they've ever had in Mineral Town; at least, that's what the Major had announced in the bulletin board. The breeze that used to refresh the heat had disappeared that morning, leaving the villagers to suffer the temperature's high level.

Claire had finished with her chores a long time ago, and Yuuki was already inside the coop. To tell the truth, she had no idea of what she wanted to do that day. She found herself in the Rose Square, facing the entrance of the beach.

It seemed to be quite breezy there, which really was something to look forward to. She headed over to Mineral Beach, stopping on top of the stairs to take in the beautiful view of the sea at once. A smile crept to her face as the refreshing cool air brushed against her smooth skin. She closed her eyes to enjoy the sensation, but a loud argument could be heard from nearby. She turned around to see what was causing it, and was surprised to see Rick yelling at Kai.

"What the…?"

"So you better stay away from my sister!" The blond yelled angrily, to what the tan man just laughed.

"And just who do you think you are to boss us around?"

"I'm warning you!!"

Kai just crossed his arms and sat down on a bench, watching as if it was a TV show as Rick continued to give him a speech about the hundred reasons he should stay away from Popuri. The argument ended quite quickly with Rick walking away and leaving a confused Kai on the shore.

Claire was still on the entrance of the beach, not being sure of what to do. That stranger was just yelled at by one of her neighbors, so perhaps he meant trouble.

"Hm, one way to find out." She shrugged, walking over to meet him.

"Well, hello there, Blondie!" The man smirked as soon as he saw the farmer, winking.

"Er… hi there." Claire felt uneasy the instant he talked to her. Maybe this was a bad idea? There was something about him that made her feel strange, a feeling of familiarity was in the air. "My name's Claire, not Blondie."

"Oh, well excuse me, Claire." He smoothly apologized, still eyeing the girl closely. "The name's Kai. I come here around the summer to run this shack right here. Feel free to come and eat whenever you like!"

"Wait… Kai?" Claire blinked, walking closer to the man who now seemed to be confused. "The same Kai that was on Turnip Oil City last Christmas?"

"Oh man, I knew you looked familiar!" He grinned once realization hit him. "Claire! What the heck are you doing all the way over here? Weren't you a workaholic back at New York?"

"Well, not anymore, as you can see…" She smiled, changing her view to the ocean as she remembered the first day she arrived. "I kinda… ran away."

"So Kasey doesn't know you're here?"

At the sound of her aunt's name, Claire couldn't help but frown. "No. I'd appreciate if you keep this between us… some stuff happened back at home, so I looked for a place far away… and here I am."

"Oh, don't worry… It'll be our little secret." Kai placed a hand on Claire's shoulder, chuckling in a friendly manner.

Claire just laughed as well, shaking her head as she remembered that Kai used to be one of the only people she used to hang out with ever since she began living in New York. He used to visit her house every Christmas, his father being some sort of relative to her aunt.

"You never change, do you?"

…oOo…