Storm Clouds and Grey Skies

Summary

Leia's been there for Claire ever since she took over the farm at Mineral Town one year ago and the two thought they'd remain friends forever. But Leia's wondering if there's more to life than just the sea and in the distance, storm clouds are brewing.

Based on MFoMT/BTN/HM DS Cute

Rated teen for more mature themes in later chapters!

Disclaimer

I do not own Harvest Moon, nor any the characters.

This is purely a work of fiction; if you take this seriously then please go to a psychiatrist and have your head checked.

If there is anything that offends you, please hit the back button.

Chapter Three: Fireworks

"Claire, what's going on?"

I could only stare at Zack, eyes wide, mouth agape as I clutched Leia's body. Zack stared back at us, his eyes widening.

"Is that..." he started, "...a mermaid?"

I nodded slowly, holding her closer, protectively.

"Mngh, Claire..." Leia whimpered softly, her head nestling against my chest as she passed out once again.

"Leia!" I snapped my head back, eyes concentrating on her serene, peaceful face. I could hear Zack's footsteps in the sand as he moved closer to us.

"Here, let me," he said, gently taking her from me. I couldn't believe it either; he lifted her as if she were as light as a feather.

My heart skipped a few beats. What was he going to do with her? What if he threw her back in the sea or went and announced it to the entire town about her existence?

"Claire, aren't you coming with me?" I heard him say. I looked up, eyes still wide, my heart thudding, threatening to tear out of my chest. His eyes softened slightly, but his expression was still serious, "We'll talk inside my house, out of way of prying eyes."

I nodded slowly, following after the hulk of a man back to his little wooden lodge. Each step seemed to last an eternity.

Leia was resting peacefully on Zack's bed, a wet sheet covering her tail. Zack placed a mug fall of tea in front of me, but I wasn't really in the mood to eat or drink anything.

"So, about this mermaid..." Zack said, softly. I could feel my face turning red, eyes prickling with tears, "What's wrong, Claire?"

I snapped my head up, looking him straight in the eye, my words coming out partially garbled, "You can't tell anyone about her! Ever! She says people get scared of her tail! She hates people being scared of her!"

"Claire...I'm not going to."

"Huh?"

"First of all; she's a mermaid. How many people will believe me?"

He looked a little hurt, "You didn't think I was going to boast and show her off like some kinda trophy, did you?"

I shook my head. Alright, yes, in the back of my mind I did, but he didn't need to know that.

Zack turned his head towards the sleeping figure, "It's been a long time since I saw a mermaid,"

I blinked in surprise, "You've seen one before?"

Zack nodded, "Yeah, a long time ago. When Rod first brought me to the village; we were on the ferry over here when we hit a patch of pretty rough weather. Wind, rain; it was getting dark too."

He seemed to blush, "But even through all that shitty weather, I couldn't help but admire how beautiful the view was. To tell you the truth, I'm one of those odd bods that love storms."

"And suddenly, just a few feet away from the ferry, was this long, glittery tail and this girl with long green hair poked her head out of the water and smiled at me, before disappearing back under the waves. She looked a lot older than this one here mind you."

I sat there, eyes still focused on Zack, "I told Rod about it, but he just laughed and told me the light must have been playing tricks on me, but I believed it."

Zack sat back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling and rubbing his chin, "So don't worry. You're fishy friend secret is safe with me."

I smiled at him brightly, "Oh Zack, thank you..."

He grinned, "No problem."

I started sipping at my tea, but the situation with Leia quickly became my main concern, "Do you think Leia will be alright...?"

"Leia? Oh right, the mermaid," Zack turned to look back at her, "I'd say she's just had a rough trip. She must have gotten caught up in the storm."

"But why? Why would Leia do such a stupid thing?" I snarled; my eyes close to tears once more.

"Maybe she wanted to see you about something?" he replied.

"But, when I made the promise to her about seeing her each night, we both agreed it would be best if I stayed at home on bad nights!" I explained. We both went silent, the only sound was Leia's breathing, her chest rising and falling under the wet sheet.

"Hey, what's the situation with you and Leia anyway?" he asked, sipping from his mug.

"Ah, well..." I started, explaining to him how we met and the promise I'd made to her.

"Ah, sounds like a real 'Little Mermaid' tale," he replied with a smile as he got to his feet, "I have to run a few chores now, but you're free to stay here until she wakes up, Claire."

I nodded, "I'd appreciate that Zack, thank you..."

"No problem, honest," he said, patting my shoulder, "If you get hungry there's some stuff in the fridge to make a sandwich and help yourself to juice and stuff."

I weakly smiled up at him, "Thank you..."

He grinned cheerfully at me, "Hey, quit saying 'thank you', we're friends, aren't we?"

"Yeah," I replied with a nod. Zack left quickly, off to do whatever chores he had as I pulled my chair up by Leia's bedside. The wet blanket was to keep her tail hydrated, but if it were me, I couldn't help but imagine it would be uncomfortable. Still, Leia was a mermaid, so I doubt she minded it. I looked over her pale body, noticing one or two bruises she'd probably received as she was battered by the sea. Her eyes looked a little bit red as well. I moved my hand onto her forehead and tenderly stroked it, brushing her hair out of her face. I remembered my mom would do this when I was little and had trouble sleeping or after I had nightmares.

As Leia's eyes flickered open I pulled my hand away quickly, blushing slightly.

"Claire...?" she murmured, turning her head to look at me.

"Leia..." I smiled back, "Are you feeling okay? Zack and I didn't know what to do with you, so he brought you back in here..."

"Zack?" she repeated, "Oh, that big hulky man? I've seen him before..."

I nodded, "Yeah, don't worry though. He...he won't say anything about you being here."

Leia nodded, smiling tiredly, "That's good."

"Do you want anything? Fish, err, juice?" I quickly offered.

"Water would be nice," she said, followed by a giggle, "My throat feels a little dry,"

I panicked a little inside, "That's not because you're on the bed is it?"

She shook her head, "No, this sheet's keeping me hydrated enough, but water would still be nice."

I quickly got to my feet and rushed over to the sink, grabbing a glass and filling it with the water, then taking it back to her and helping her sit up.

She sipped at the water slowly, taking a moment to look around at her surroundings, another smile growing on her lips, "So this is what a house looks like inside."

"Well, usually houses are much nicer than this one, but this is a bachelor pad, so they tend to be pretty basic."

Leia giggled, "A bachelor pad..."

The light hearted mood didn't last long though, because I had to break it for a serious question.

"Leia," I said sternly, instantly grabbing her attention, "What were you doing out in that storm? You could have died!"

Leia lowered her head, her eyes watering up as her lower lip trembled.

"W-Well, you see," she stuttered, turning towards me as she pressed her face against my chest, her hands gripping my shoulders. She started sobbing softly, her upper body trembling, "Oh Claire, it's horrible. When I got back from our meet up the other night there was this merman waiting at home with my mother and grandmother. He told me he wanted to marry me! But I don't know him, Claire!"

"So why does he want to marry you?" I asked, a little confused and bewildered.

"Because apparently my grandmother organised it, she wants me to get married soon because she's 'worried' about my love life." she spat, bitterly. This was a whole new side to Leia. I've seen her angry before, but never like this.

"I see," I replied, stroking the back of her head. She kept sobbing, explaining small bits to me about running away and not wanting to go back.

"And what does your mom think about this?" I asked. She pulled away slightly, frowning as tears flowed down her cheeks.

"She's against it of course! But you can't go against my grandmother's word! Everyone in my village respects her." she replied, bitterly, "I don't want to get married to him though, I hardly even know him!"

I nodded, holding her closer, "I know, I know."

Inside though, I could feel anger building up inside. I couldn't believe mermaids did this kind of thing in this day and age. But then again, it was an entirely different way of living under the ocean. But this was Leia, my best friend. I couldn't ignore it. Still, what could I say? I didn't want to give her false promises but I still wanted to comfort her.

"What should I do, Claire?" she begged, still clinging to me, "I love my mother and my grandmother regardless, I can't abandon them forever but..."

"But when you go back, he'll probably be there."

She nodded miserably.

I gently pushed her back and looked into her eyes, sincerely.

"Here's what you'll do. You'll go back home and gently explain to this guy that you're not interested. And you'll apologize to your mom and grandmother, because I'm positive they'll be worried about you, especially when they learn about the storm last night. Explain to your grandmother that as much as you appreciate it, you're a big girl and you can control your own life and one day, in your own time, you'll get married,"

Leia nodded, biting her lower lip, "But what if..."

"If there's any trouble, tell them to come see me." I replied, smiling at her.

"Al...Alright," she smiled weakly, tears still rolling down her cheeks. I wiped them off with my sleeve.

"Feeling better now?"

"A bit,"

"Good. And don't ever do something so stupid like running away, in a storm, again."

"I won't,"

Leia latched onto me again, hugging me tightly.

We spent the rest of the afternoon talking about the farm again, and the storm. Leia listened eagerly, and she asked me about Zack and how he'd carried her all the way into his house...that reminded me of something.

"Oh, by the way, Leia," I said, grinning, "I spoke to the carpenter yesterday. He's gonna build me a horse cart so I can put you on the back and take you up to the farm."

Her face lightened up instantly, "Really?"

I giggled and nodded, "Really. It'll take a few days, but he promised to build me one."

"That makes me so happy!" she said, beaming; "Now I can see what the land is like,"

"Mmhm," I replied, "Oh and you won't believe what happened afterwards."

"What is it?" she asked, cocking her head curiously.

"Well, when I got back to the farm, the blacksmith's grandson was there, Gray," I told her, giggling slightly, "And it turns out he supposedly has a crush on me,"

"Oh..."

Well that wasn't the reaction I was looking for.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Does that mean you'll be spending more time with him?"

"Well, yeah...I like him too," I replied, "But that doesn't mean I'd break our promise."

She smiled a bit more cheerfully, "That's good. I'd be upset if you stopped talking to me as frequently as you do."

"Besides, it's only a crush," I reassured her, "He might grow out of it, but that's not to say it could develop."

She smiled at me weakly, her cheerfulness fading once more, "Well, I'll support you no matter what."

Something really wasn't right. But if I tried to confront her about it she'd probably get defensive.

"Anyway, so about this cart..." I started, changing the subject. Even though I described all the places we could visit, it didn't seem to shift her melancholy mood very much. In all honesty, I was a little relieved when Zack returned, just as the sky was going dark.

"Oh hey, you're awake," Zack stated, closing the door behind him. Leia nodded, clinging onto me again. He laughed softly, "Hey, don't be afraid. I'm not gonna hurt you,"

"She's just shy, Zack," I explained, looking to her beet red face.

"How're you feeling now?" he asked. Leia pulled away from me, nodding and smiling.

"Much better, thank you," she replied, "I'm so sorry for all the trouble I caused, and for making your bed wet,"

Zack scratched the back of his head, "No worries. I can change it."

I stepped back into my farm house, plopping myself on my bed. I ran a hand through my hair, sighing deeply. What a day.

Zack helped Leia back into the water, and she promised us both to go straight home and talk to her family.

I opened my eyes, staring out the window. The sky was still grey and a light drizzle started. I sat up and looked to the calendar; I really hoped the fireworks wouldn't be cancelled.

It was still a few days away, so surely the weather would clear up by then.

After how upset Leia had been today, I wondered if I should ask her. Surely there was a little secluded area on the beach that she could sit in comfort without there being any danger of being seen.

I closed my eyes and found myself drifting off to sleep before long.

I found myself hiking up Mother's Hill in the warm, dry, sunny weather with Gray a few days later. I hadn't seen Leia for the past few days due to the weather getting stormy towards the evening each night. Today was the first sunny, warm day after the wet weekend, and I was desperate to ask Leia about the fireworks, especially considering the fact the fireworks display was tomorrow.

"Are we there yet?" I asked, my rucksack bulging with herbs I'd been picking up on the way up. Gray turned to look at me.

"I can take your bag, you know," he stated. I didn't see how though, because he already had a messenger bag hanging from his shoulder.

"I'm fine!" I puffed in protest, before he moved back down behind me and peeled my rucksack off me.

"I insist," he replied, with a small smirk. I pouted, my cheeks feeling hot. Gray had been coming over to the farm for the past few rainy days as well, generally to help out and to hang out afterwards. Nothing serious was going on between us; it was just a friendly gesture, right?

I watched as he pulled the backpack on and extended his hand to me. Blushing I took his hand as he led me up to the top of Mother's Hill.

I'd never really been to the top of the hill and taken notice of the scenery. With the end of summer approaching, the trees were already starting to turn brown, red and gold. It's was beautiful. In the distance you could see Forget-Me-Not Valley and behind me was Mineral Town. You could see Mother's Lake twinkling in the sun below us and in the distance the sea sparkled like one great big sapphire.

"Oh wow," I whispered, taking the sights in.

Gray smiled at me, "I thought you'd like it,"

I nodded, walking a few feet forward. I then blushed and turned back to face him, "I really hate to say this, but this is the first time I've ever actually been up here."

Gray looked a little surprise, "Not for the Full Moon festival or New Years Eve?"

I shook my head, "I was still a little shy back then, I only started going to the festivals this year,"

Gray smiled at me, "So you haven't been to a moon viewing..."

"No, I haven't," I replied, sighing, "Why?"

Gray chuckled softly, "Well, I just thought maybe we could go together then."

I blushed, "Just the two of us,"

He started to blush in response, "Yeah."

I averted my eyes slightly, "Alright. I'll make some dumplings that night then to eat."

"That'd be great," he replied, "But in the meantime,"

He sat on the grass, pulling both of the bags off him and setting them beside him, "I asked Doug to make us some packed lunches before I left,"

"Oh, great," I replied cheerfully, heading back towards him and plopping myself down opposite him, "I'm getting pretty hungry anyway"

And as we were happily munching away at the various sandwiches Doug had made for us, Gray piped up again, "So...I was wondering if you were going to the fireworks festival with anyone..."

I looked up, a part of the sandwich lodging itself in my throat. I coughed; banging my chest hard as I swallowed it forcefully then took a gulp of juice.

"Actually, I have someone in mind," I replied, smiling at him sympathetically. Gray looked a little surprised and then looked a little upset.

"Oh..."

"No Gray, it's not like that. It's a girl friend of mine," I explained, casually biting into my sandwich and swallowing, "She's been feeling a little down lately and I thought watching the fireworks together would cheer her up."

Gray seemed to perk up a bit, "Really?"

"Mmhm, I haven't had chance to ask her yet though," I replied, "She...visits the town from time to time, y'know, like the people from Forget-Me-Not Valley. But if she says no I'd be happy to go with you,"

"Well, I won't get my hopes up," Gray said, with a small smile, "But it's nice you'd do that for your friend,"

"Thanks. I mean, I really like you Gray, but right now I really need to be there for her," I explained, "Besides, I just promised to go to the Moon Viewing with you, didn't I?"

"Yeah," he replied, his smile brightening as he blushed.

I giggled, "Well then,"

We sat in silence as we proceeded to finish our lunch, packing away the leftovers and the rubbish back into his bag. We pulled out respective bags back on and set off back down the track.

"Hey, how about on your days off during the autumn we go up Mother's Hill and have lunch together when it's sunny?" I asked. Gray looked to me, his eyes a little wide with a smile playing on his lips.

"I'd really like that, Claire,"

I smiled back, "Well, so would I. And autumn's a lovely season with all the colours and food about,"

Hm, I wonder if that would be the best time to take Leia to the farm. Gotz started on the cart today, I found out as I passed by his house, so surely it wouldn't take long to build it.

We reached the farm as the sky turned orange, the sun beginning to set.

"I had fun today," I told Gray, leaning over towards him and pecking his cheek softly, "Thank you,"

"No...No problem," he said, pulling his cap over his eyes with another smile plastered on his face.

I giggled, "You've been smiling so much more recently too,"

"You think so...? Ann told me the same the other day," he said, softly.

"You look cuter when you smile, Gray," I replied, watching his face turn beet red, followed by another giggle, "But I'd better get back to work. Take care, Gray."

He nodded, "Alright Claire,"

As I turned to head into the house, he suddenly grabbed my hand, causing me to turn to look at him.

"Claire," he started. I could see him just barely, visibly shaking. Ohmy, I wonder what he was going to say, "Err...thanks for today. I really enjoyed it,"

He leaned forward, making me feel all giddy and giggly inside. He brushed his lips against mine softly, moving his hands to my arms and holding me firmly. I felt my cheeks go hot as I closed my eyes and shyly kissed back. It didn't last long though; he pulled away startled as one of the rooster's next door crowed.

"I like you too," he blurted out awkwardly, "So uh, I-I'll see you later."

And after that he hurried off without another word, and I stood there, watching him.

"Leia!" I called out as I walked down onto the pier, finding she was already sat at the end of it. She looked over her shoulder, smiling at me. I took a seat next to her, looking at her eagerly.

"So how did it go with your family?" I asked.

Leia sighed with relief, "It went well. My grandma started to protest, but my mom defended me. As for that merman, I just let him down as gently as possible. And he understood."

She leaned forward, holding her hands to her chest, sighing deeply once more, "I'm so relieved."

"I'm happy for you," I replied, "But hey, how about in celebration, we watch the fireworks display together?"

"Fireworks?" Her expression clearly stated she hadn't a clue in what I was talking about.

"They're these bright flashing lights in different colours. They're really pretty to watch," I explained.

Leia looked thoughtful, before smiling bright and nodding, "I'd love to."

And as promised, we both sat together on a secluded area of the beach, away from the sight of others. We'd found a spot on the rocks to sit, instead of sitting on the wet sand.

Leia's eyes sparkled with amusement and amazement as each firework blew into a million tiny sparkles that faded into the night air.

"It's beautiful," she murmured, watching as another flew into the air, "I've never seen anything like it."

I giggled, wrapping my arms from behind her, resting my chin on her head, "Isn't it?"

"I wish we could have things like this under the sea," she whispered, grabbing onto my arms and squeezing them, "Sometimes I wish I was born human."

"But then you wouldn't have ever met your mom and you probably wouldn't have met me," I replied, gazing up at the star filled sky.

"Oh! That's probably true," she said, followed by a nervous giggle, "But still; we don't have 'Christmas' or 'Easter' or even that Pudding festival,"

"Pumpkin," I corrected her, although the idea of celebrating pudding didn't seem half bad.

"I'd love to have those experiences at least once in my lifetime..."

"Say Leia? How long do mermaids live for anyway?"

"Oh, about...three hundred years,"

"Three hundred!"

"You sound surprised," Leia said, turning her head upwards to smile at me. I blinked.

"So, how old are you then?" I asked nervously.

Leia narrowed her eyes, "I'm the same age as you."

"Oh, right," I replied, giggling, hugging her tighter and burying my face in her hair. Leia started to giggle.

"Claire, what are you doing?"

"Never letting go of you," I replied, smiling as my eyes softened, "I love you Leia. You're my best friend..."

Leia smiled back at me, followed by a giggle, "I love you too, Claire, but what's brought this on?"

I thought back to the other morning, her body so cold and weak. I drove those thoughts out of my mind instantly.

"You just scared me the other day; I thought I'd lost you," I replied, "Leia, if something happened to you...I don't know..."

Leia hushed me, "Let's not think about that. Let's just watch the fireworks and have a good time, alright?"

"Yeah," I replied, nodding. She was right; we didn't need those kinds of negative thoughts bringing the atmosphere of such a lovely, calm evening down.

I was convinced that Leia would always be there for me, always with me. And once I had the horse cart, we wouldn't be restricted to constantly sitting at the beach. Zack might be willing to lend a hand as well. We might actually be able to sit inside the house or the barn when the weather was bad, and I'd finally be able to show her my animals I'd worked so hard to raise. Maybe she might even be able to spend Christmas Day with me.

That's what I thought anyway.

At the time I didn't realise my time with Leia was precious, and in the distance storm clouds were brewing and the skies were turning grey.

Well I do hope I've left with a cliff hanger that has a very foreboding feeling.

I really hope everyone enjoyed this chapter too!

And there was no way Zack would blab about Leia; he's too much of a softy in my opinion. I bet he's the type to cry uncontrollably at weddings too.

"Oh no, I've just got something in my eyes, that's all!"

Poor Zack. When will Lillia realise Rod's probably run off with another woman and never coming back and just marry Zack instead?

Anyway, as promised there was more Leia in this chapter, along with some more Gray x Leia development.