Throughout the entire afternoon, Kaname cleaned and cleaned some more. There was so much filth and junk inside the old shack, she wasn't sure what to do with it all, and staring at her collection gathered outside in a heaping pile, she mused. What, oh, what would she do with all this trash? Where was a garbage recycler when she needed one?
"Oh wait... not here. Don't tell me I have to drag all this back into town?" She asked, sighing aloud. Unless she burned it all... and since there were no trees in the vicinity, she wondered if she could get away with that. The smoke would definitely stir some commotion in town, and probably seeing it from the new tenants would probably look bad. "Actually... I better not."
Once everything was dragged outside, she swept the ceilings and corners of the walls free of built-up dust and cobwebs, jumping from side to side as tiny insects fell through the air. As horrifying as that ordeal was, it was short-lived, and soon enough, she was scrubbing the walls and floors with a rag and bucket of water. Too bad she didn't have any soap or proper scrubbing materials, but it worked well enough for this shabby place.
Satisfied with her progress, she wiped down all the furniture-a three drawer dresser, a makeshift wooden tool chest, bookshelf, and an old wooden framed bed with creaking springs and an uncomfortable, firm mattress. Wonderful. And worse yet, a thick layer of filth covered all of that, even the inside of the cotton pillow cases. Was there any saving those sheets, and was it worth all the effort?
The hours seemed to shift rather quickly, and before she knew it, it was already past four. Only two hours remained before meeting up with her brother at the Moonlight Café, but she wasn't nearly as finished as she would have liked to be. It was bad enough there wasn't any air conditioning, but she didn't let up. Kaname worked until the sweat clung to her clothes and washed the sheets in a decently sized wooden basin with a rimmed washing board. It was better than nothing.
As she scrubbed and scrubbed, moving the length of the sheets up and down the washing board, she thought about everything that had happened since she woke up here. Flower Leaf Village. A small and quaint village nestled within Forget-Me-Not-Valley, completely isolated from the outside world and on an island famous for its minerals. This was more than just a dream, because by now, she would have woken up long ago.
"And I wouldn't have all these blisters forming either," She said, frowning at the redness on her fingers and palms. It hurt, and the sun blaring down at her didn't help matters either. "This is definitely not a dream, but this can't be real either..."
So, what the heck was going on? Why was she in a Harvest Moon World, filled with familiar characters from her teenage years? How did it happen? And how was her brother here? If not a dream... then...
Her eyes widened. "Could it be... I'm inside our fanfic?" No... that wasn't possible. Nothing like that ever happened outside of video games, manga and television. But what other explanation was there? "That dream I had earlier... about the Harvest Goddess—"
A figure sauntered up the path directly in front of her new home, and assuming a resident dropped by to visit, she smiled and waved her hand in greeting. What rewarded her was nothing short but a scowl and a dirty glare from someone wearing a cowboy hat and pink and white poncho. Kaname wasn't sure if the person was male or female, but she dropped her arm with flustered cheeks.
Geez... what's their problem? Talk about rude!
Kaname was fairly sure she remembered that character, but for the life of her, she couldn't remember that person's name. Probably because they weren't an interesting part of her video game years. At least, that's what she assumed. Whatever business they had up in the mountains wasn't any of her concern, but as she watched them sprint the remaining distance up the hills and out of sight, a thought surfaced.
"The cave... The Harvest Goddess dwells inside the spring cave."
It all pieced together now, and after quickly hanging the sheets to dry, on a line she connected to the house and to a branch sticking out of the rocky wall several feet away, she followed that person. But because the ordeal to hang the linen took far longer than necessary, she lost track of him through those hilly paths, littered with giant boulders.
Eventually, she came to a crossroads, one leading further up the mountain, and another leading to a cluster of trees and a wooden bridge which elsewhere. Kaname paused and waggled her finger from right to left, all the while humming a childish tune aloud. "My mother said to pick the very best, and you are not it," She said and stared in the direction her finger pointed. "Left it is!"
What awaited Kaname on the other side of the surprisingly safe bridge was a flat stretch of terrain and a cluster of forests that spanned in two separate directions. There wasn't much to see, but a monkey gnawing on some fruits lying on the ground and two cute white rabbits hopping about. The sight was precious, but despite her confusion surrounding the monkey and the lack of jungle in the area, she proceeded down a dirt path toward an opening in the mountain walls ahead.
The Spring Cave.
Much like the dream she had earlier, a glistening pool of water and sparkling gems embedded in the walls shrouded the cavern in an ethereal glow. And at its center, in front of a cascading waterfall, was the figure of the Harvest Goddess. Only she was a statue. Nothing but stone. For whatever reason...
"I wonder how long she's been like this..." Kaname asked, reaching forward to touch the face of the deity. Before her fingers touched the smooth stone of her petite face, an unfamiliar hand grasped her wrist and pulled her away, none too gently. She staggered and twirled and met the aqua eyes of the person she'd glimpsed earlier. "Ow! Get your hands off me! That hurts, you know!"
"You shouldn't be here!" He said, finally revealing his gender. "Don't tell me you were following me?! Typical! Don't just stand there with your mouth open! Get lost! You're not supposed to be here!"
What the hell crawled in his tighty-whiteys? Where did he get off, not only grabbing her roughly but ordering her to take a hike? Whoever this guy was, if he thought he could bully her, then he had another thing coming. Oh, she was seething so hard; it took all her restraint not to punch him in the face.
Deep breaths, Kaname. Deep breaths. You don't know him, and he doesn't know you.
"First off, what makes you think you own this cave? Huh? It belongs to the Harvest Goddess for your information, pal!" She said, jabbing her finger at his chest. "What's your problem? Whatever happened to treating your neighbor with respect? Before you run your mouth to someone, maybe you ought to think first!"
Those eyes narrowed viciously, and his face reddened. "You—"
But Kaname didn't stop there. "And for your information, person with the purple hair, I'll have you know I have every right to go where I please. I didn't see a sign warning me to stay away. So next time you decide to pick a fight with someone, at least have the curtesy to walk away first!"
"It's because you're not the chosen one! I am!"
What sort of nonsense was he spewing? "You know what? I honestly don't care..." She said, pinching her temple before checking the time on her watch. "Oh, geez! It's already past five! Where did the time go?"
"Hey! Are you even listening—"
No, she wasn't, and she shoved past him and ran out of the cave, following the path until she crossed the bridge and returned to her tiny home. When she saw no locking mechanism on the door, she closed it and turned down the trail to the village.
It didn't take long to arrive on the cobblestone path leading into the settlement, but when she finally did, it was suddenly sunset, and she checked her watch once more. Ten minutes until six. Where had the time gone? It felt like only a few hours at most since she woke up and cleaned her house, and it seemed like only minutes when she stumbled into the cave.
"That's right... Time always flew by so quickly in those games."
Kaname was sure if she so much as wandered off the path, she'd wind up lost. After all, she wasn't familiar with this place. This was undoubtedly a mixture of several games in one, and she was certain she'd see at least a handful of familiar people soon enough. But now was not the time to think too deeply into such things; that could always wait another day, one where she wasn't so exhausted.
"Oh right... low stamina. I almost forgot about that," She said, suddenly noticing her slower steps and increased breathing. "Where is the café? Am I even going the right way?" Oh my goodness, I made a rhyme. "I can do that... anytime..." A sigh escaped her yet again.
A movement from behind made her swerve around, but she lost her balance until a firm hand caught her by the waist. When she stared at her savior, her eyes widened at the familiar face. No way... Was it who she thought it was? Or was it just a knock off version of the character she loved from More Friends of Mineral Town?
Two possibilities presented themselves to her. One, it could be Ray, the young fisherman of the village, or two, it might be the loner from Mineral Town. Cliff. Kaname's eyes scanned his clothing briefly as the sun set behind her. A simple button down white sleeved shirt with the sleeves folded at his elbows, a maroon vest over top it, fitted blue jeans and flats.
The outfit wasn't familiar to her.
He carried a basket of apples and oranges in hand while steadying her fall. Realizing she'd been staring this entire time, she pulled away and folded her hands in front of her, all the while awkwardly smiling. "Oh, I'm sorry! Thank you for catching me."
"As long as you're alright, then I'm relieved. Where might you be running off too this late, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Moonlight Cafe," She answered, surprised by his talkative nature. Maybe it wasn't who she thought it was? "Oh, my name is Kaname! I just moved into town today!" She said, extending her hand to greet him.
Somewhat timidly, he warmly smiled and took her hand in his. "It's nice to meet you, Kaname. My name is Cliff."
So, it was him!
Even though she wasn't well acquainted with him yet, he was so alike and so different from the Cliff she remembered. The same shoulder-length dark hair, blue eyes and broad shoulders, and his cute smile when embarrassed. Although she could fawn over him all day, she quickly put an end to her gawking and dopey smile. The last thing she wanted was for him to get the wrong impression of her.
"I suspect you and your brother just moved here?" He asked, gripping his basket with both hands.
She nodded. "Yep! We haven't had the chance to meet with everyone yet."
"Are you feeling any better? I noticed your brother and the mayor rush you to the clinic early this morning while I was working."
A blushed settled on her cheeks. "Oh, you saw that? Yeah... I sort of fainted. But don't worry. I'm much better now. I guess it was too much sun exposure."
"Yes... That seems to be the problem this time of the year. Every Summer it's the same, especially with this drought," Cliff said while shaking his head. "A word of warning. If you plan to grow any crops this season, be sure to water them frequently during the days, and provide them with enough shade. Otherwise, they may end up dying."
Kaname frowned. "Is it really that bad?"
"Yes... It has been for many years, ever since I came to this island. I'm not too familiar with planting crops though... If you need any help, you can ask Nina and Ellen here in town, and I'm sure a few other residents may offer you some guidance."
"Thank you for the heads up, Cliff! Oh... I hate to cut this short, but can you tell me where I can find the Moonlight Café? I'm still not familiar with this place."