Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon, Karen, or any related characters or
events; to the best of my knowledge, they're all owned by Natsume. Any
resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or events is purely
coincidental. This story is based primarily on the plot of Harvest Moon 64.
Wine Red no Kokoro
by flame mage
Part 3: Family Matters
**********
"Get out! OUT!" my father roared. I ran, teardrops already splotching the dry earth around me.
Harris was just opening the mailbox when I charged through the gates of the Green Ranch. He ducked out of the way, nearly slamming into a scowling Gray. I could just hear the sound of yaoi writers everywhere picking up their pencils. Good, let them suffer.
I hit a rock in the pasture and went down hard, slamming my face into the ground. I heard someone cry out, and I looked up to see Ann looking down at me.
"Karen, are you okay?" Ann asked, helping me up. "What happened?"
"The usual." I ran my fingers through my hair, getting the dirt out. "My father's being a total creep. And then Kai starts in with his 'Miss Karen, please make up with your father' crap. It's enough to make me sick."
"Sit down!" She grabbed my arm and dragged me to a chair inside. "Cliff," she ordered, "don't just stand there! Get her something to eat!"
"Cliff?" I blurted out, nearly giving myself whiplash whirling my neck around to see who she was talking to.
"Oh, yeah!" Ann pounced on someone standing in the corner and dragged him over. "This is Cliff. He's new around here. He's been wandering around for a while, but now he's doing a few odd jobs for us."
I looked at the brown clothes, the messy blond ponytail. "You moron," I laughed, "that's my cousin."
He did a double take. "Karen?"
"Yep, one and the same. Where have you been these last few years?" I asked. I was recovering from my anger pretty fast. Ann peered in to study his face, then smacked herself on the forehead.
Cliff replied, "Wandering around, mostly. I've seen all kinds of things..."
I leaned back, waiting for the story, and then Ann burst in. "Hey, hey, eat first, talk later! Cliff, go get her food already!"
He pulled away from Ann and came back with a plate of fish, eggs, and some cookies. "Eat!" she ordered. When Ann starts throwing orders around, even cheerfully, you usually want to sit down, shut up, and do what she says. I ate.
When I'd finished, she said, "Okay. Now tell me what you're gonna do."
I took a deep breath. "Go back, I guess. There's not much else I can do."
"You want me to come?" she asked. "Cliff and Cain can come along, too."
"Cain?" I looked at Cliff. "You still have that bird?"
"Cain's my best friend!" he snapped.
"Karen!" Ann waved her hand in front of my face. "Do you want us to come?"
I shrugged. "Nah. I'll go alone. There's no point in you getting bawled out too."
The sun was setting by the time I finally got home. I got out of seeing my father--he was at bar, I guess, but it was my night off. Mom was lying facedown on the sofa, crying, when I came in.
She looked up when she heard the door slam and instantly jumped to her feet. "Oh, Karen. I..."
"Stop that," I said. She didn't move. "Stop crying!" I cried, without understanding why her tears made me so angry. She was just standing there silently, her tearstained face turned toward me, but her eyes unseeing. I turned and fled from the house.
I was crouched in a corner of the wine cellar when Kai found me.
"Miss Karen, what's wrong?" he asked.
"Why would you care?" I snapped. "I'm so sick of everything!"
"Everything?" he repeated.
"I'm sick of seeing what Dad did to her! She cries all the time!" I clenched my fists. "If that's what marriage is like, I'd rather be alone all my life."
He started to say something, but I wasn't finished. "I hate the way he drinks all the time. He used to be happy when he was drunk, but now he never stops yelling at me. I just wish I could leave and never look back!"
I stopped and glanced up at Kai. He was gazing down at me with a quiet intensity.
"You can," he said.
"What?" I blurted out involuntarily.
"You can leave, Miss Karen. The ferries to the mainland leave every week. You could leave this island tomorrow. In a few days, you'd be in the city, and you'd never have to return."
As much as I'd talked about running away, the idea--the concept that I could actually leave, that I could do more than talk about it, had never occurred to me.
Turning it over in my mind, I crossed the yard back into the house and my room. My mother's face was still tearstained. My father never said a word.
Wine Red no Kokoro
by flame mage
Part 3: Family Matters
**********
"Get out! OUT!" my father roared. I ran, teardrops already splotching the dry earth around me.
Harris was just opening the mailbox when I charged through the gates of the Green Ranch. He ducked out of the way, nearly slamming into a scowling Gray. I could just hear the sound of yaoi writers everywhere picking up their pencils. Good, let them suffer.
I hit a rock in the pasture and went down hard, slamming my face into the ground. I heard someone cry out, and I looked up to see Ann looking down at me.
"Karen, are you okay?" Ann asked, helping me up. "What happened?"
"The usual." I ran my fingers through my hair, getting the dirt out. "My father's being a total creep. And then Kai starts in with his 'Miss Karen, please make up with your father' crap. It's enough to make me sick."
"Sit down!" She grabbed my arm and dragged me to a chair inside. "Cliff," she ordered, "don't just stand there! Get her something to eat!"
"Cliff?" I blurted out, nearly giving myself whiplash whirling my neck around to see who she was talking to.
"Oh, yeah!" Ann pounced on someone standing in the corner and dragged him over. "This is Cliff. He's new around here. He's been wandering around for a while, but now he's doing a few odd jobs for us."
I looked at the brown clothes, the messy blond ponytail. "You moron," I laughed, "that's my cousin."
He did a double take. "Karen?"
"Yep, one and the same. Where have you been these last few years?" I asked. I was recovering from my anger pretty fast. Ann peered in to study his face, then smacked herself on the forehead.
Cliff replied, "Wandering around, mostly. I've seen all kinds of things..."
I leaned back, waiting for the story, and then Ann burst in. "Hey, hey, eat first, talk later! Cliff, go get her food already!"
He pulled away from Ann and came back with a plate of fish, eggs, and some cookies. "Eat!" she ordered. When Ann starts throwing orders around, even cheerfully, you usually want to sit down, shut up, and do what she says. I ate.
When I'd finished, she said, "Okay. Now tell me what you're gonna do."
I took a deep breath. "Go back, I guess. There's not much else I can do."
"You want me to come?" she asked. "Cliff and Cain can come along, too."
"Cain?" I looked at Cliff. "You still have that bird?"
"Cain's my best friend!" he snapped.
"Karen!" Ann waved her hand in front of my face. "Do you want us to come?"
I shrugged. "Nah. I'll go alone. There's no point in you getting bawled out too."
The sun was setting by the time I finally got home. I got out of seeing my father--he was at bar, I guess, but it was my night off. Mom was lying facedown on the sofa, crying, when I came in.
She looked up when she heard the door slam and instantly jumped to her feet. "Oh, Karen. I..."
"Stop that," I said. She didn't move. "Stop crying!" I cried, without understanding why her tears made me so angry. She was just standing there silently, her tearstained face turned toward me, but her eyes unseeing. I turned and fled from the house.
I was crouched in a corner of the wine cellar when Kai found me.
"Miss Karen, what's wrong?" he asked.
"Why would you care?" I snapped. "I'm so sick of everything!"
"Everything?" he repeated.
"I'm sick of seeing what Dad did to her! She cries all the time!" I clenched my fists. "If that's what marriage is like, I'd rather be alone all my life."
He started to say something, but I wasn't finished. "I hate the way he drinks all the time. He used to be happy when he was drunk, but now he never stops yelling at me. I just wish I could leave and never look back!"
I stopped and glanced up at Kai. He was gazing down at me with a quiet intensity.
"You can," he said.
"What?" I blurted out involuntarily.
"You can leave, Miss Karen. The ferries to the mainland leave every week. You could leave this island tomorrow. In a few days, you'd be in the city, and you'd never have to return."
As much as I'd talked about running away, the idea--the concept that I could actually leave, that I could do more than talk about it, had never occurred to me.
Turning it over in my mind, I crossed the yard back into the house and my room. My mother's face was still tearstained. My father never said a word.