Storm Clouds and Grey Skies

Author's Notes:

I feel terrible for the last chapter. I really think I made Claire out to be a creepy stalker perv! *Laughs*

Saying that, I apologize for the lack of quality in my writing last chapter and hope this chapter makes up for it!

P.S: I've just had a thought and was wondering if anyone would be interested in proof reading this fanfic (and perhaps future HM fanfics?) for me before I post new chapters to ? I would be extremely appreciative! =) Send me a PM on site and we'll talk! Thanks!

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 Eight: Crazy

I woke to the sound of birds chirping outside my window, and rays of sun in my eyes.

I giggled softly, what an odd dream I had; about a random witch up next to the mansion on the hill and watching Leia in the ocean like some kind of lovesick stalker.

Goddess, I really am going mad.

I'd spent my week with Leia, and things seemed fine. She didn't look upset or say anything, she'd been introducing me to some of the villagers as her best friend and she'd even managed to renew Daryll's trust in me!

So why the hell wasn't anyone answering the door?

I knocked on the door harder this time, tapping my foot impatiently.

"Come on Leia...I really want to get going," I muttered to myself in frustration. I wasn't the most patient of people.

Eventually, I decided to just try the door; I'd been standing outside for ten minutes, and I didn't like the look of those grey clouds hanging in the sky. I suppose they just made me paranoid.

"Hello?" I called out to an empty room.

The place was a mess, with books toppled over, a glass of water had fallen and smashed on the floor in hurry and the covers on Daryll's bed were lying on the floor-

Wait.

Why did Daryll's look as if it had been ransacked? Alright, it usually looked like it was ransacked anyway, but not like this. Leia told me she was staying on top of the cleaning. Nervously, I stepped into the room and it instantly felt as if I'd been teleported to a different world. I shuddered and swallowed hard...for some reason, I had a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach.

I could hear voices from below the trapdoor and instantly I walked over to it and pulled it open.

"Hello!" I called out, poking my head down.

The first person I saw was Daryll, who turned and looked at me, startled. The next person was...wasn't he the doctor? I remember Leia introducing me to him...

"Claire..." he said softly, something that made the hair on the back of my neck stand.

"What's going on?" I replied meekly, taking care as I stepped down the narrow steps into the dimly lit basement/kitchen. I felt my stomach twist. I knew what was coming.

"There's something wrong with Leia," he explained grief evident in his eyes. I kept my distance, "What...do you mean...?" I chose my words carefully.

The doctor...Hardy, I think his name was, turned towards me, his expression serious. I tried to avoid looking at the body curled up in the bed.

"She came home late last night. Said she didn't feel well..." Daryll explained, looking unsure, "Then she collapsed, so I got out of bed, got her into her own bed and called Hardy."

I swallowed again, trying to stay calm.

"She fell unconscious sometime after I called Hardy,"

I nodded.

"Unfortunately, I've never seen anything like this," Hardy explained, his voice just as soft as Daryll's, "At first, I thought it was a fever. The symptoms are similar."

My throat felt dry. I couldn't swallow anymore.

"It's strange...I've sent for the doctor and nurse from Mineral Town, they should be here soon," he replied.

I must have turned pale myself.

"Claire, maybe you should sit down..." Daryll suggested. I complied instantly, moving closer towards the bed. Hardy moved to the side, allowing me to sit in the chair stationed next to Leia's bed. Her cover was pulled over her head, a few stands of green flowing onto the pillow.

The two men must have sensed my desire to be alone, as Daryll gently placed his hand on my shoulder.

"We'll be upstairs waiting. If anything happens...come get us..." he explained. He was scared. Tears were forming in the corner of his eyes. And because he was scared; regardless if he was scientist albeit a mad one, it made me scared. They both disappeared up the stairs, closing the trapdoor behind them to give me some privacy with the mermaid.

I stared at the white bundle before gently pulling the covers back, so I could see her face.

I wanted to cry.

She looked so pale, her cheeks flushed slightly. I placed my hand on her forehead; she was really burning!

"Leia..." I said softly, "Leia, wake up..."

The Goddess must have been in a good mood, as Leia's eyes fluttered open nearly instantly.

"Claire?" her voice small, and croaky. She smiled weakly, "Claire..."

I smiled back, leaning down and kissing her burning forehead softly, "It's alright, I'm here now..."

"...How long have I been asleep...?"

"Since late last night, from what Daryll told me," I replied, my voice still soft, as I got to my feet, "I'll go get them for you-"

Leia grabbed my hand before I could stand fully, "No, wait..."

I stared down at her, concerned.

"Don't go yet...please..."

"Leia, they need to know you're awake..."

"Not yet, please..."

She gave me these large eyes and I felt compelled to do as she asked. She tugged my hand softly, "Lie with me for a minute..."

"But Leia-"

"Please..."

She was begging me now, and again, I obeyed her request. I kicked off my boots and climbed onto the bed beside her. She shuffled back and slowly rolled onto her side so she was facing me. Then she smiled at me so happily.

"How are you feeling...?" I muttered, brushing some stands of her hair from her face, behind her ear.

"Weak. My entire body's aching."

"Do you want me to go get Hardy?"

"No, not yet..."

She paused for a moment, her eyes locked onto mine.

"Claire...will...will you kiss me?"

I stared back at her, my expression unreadable. And then, automatically, I shifted closer to her, gently sliding on arm around her waist as I pressed my lips to hers. She really was fragile, like a porcelain doll. And it was then I realized how much bigger I was compared to Leia. While she was slim and lithe, I was filled out and slightly taller than her. She closed her eyes and slid her hand onto my cheek, poking my lips with her tongue, and for some crazy reason, I complied.

I closed my eyes and allowed her tongue to slip into my mouth, gently prodding hers with my own.

I felt heat rise to my cheeks as I kissed her more deeply, pulling her closer to my body. I heard her moan softly into the kiss and that's when I pulled away, a little dazed and confused. She looked back at me and smiled, "Thank you...you can get Hardy now..."

I took a deep breath pulling away from her quickly. My cheeks felt hot and my heart was thudding hard in my chest. I turned away from her promptly and barrelled upstairs.

"She's awake," I gasped, eyes focusing on the two silent men. Daryll's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he got to his feet, rushing down the stairs into the basement. Hardy remained calm, but as he passed me he gently put his hand on my shoulder, "Perhaps you should take a walk. Tim and Elli shouldn't be much longer."

A walk sounded good.

He pulled his hand from me and continued on down the stairs. As soon as he was out of eyesight I darted out of the house as quickly as my feet could carry me.

The world was spinning slightly. It was spitting now, and it would probably turn to downpour, but right now I really didn't give a damn.

I found myself by a pond next to a large tree. The atmosphere here was somewhat mystical, and it didn't take a genius to figure out this was one of the Harvest Goddess's ponds. So I sat beside it, staring into the water, watching it ripple as a leaf fell onto the surface silently.

And then I started to cry.

Did the Goddess or some other Deity just hate Leia? The doctor had to call in another doctor and even Daryll didn't know what was wrong with her! I'd lost her once and it seemed like I was going to lose her again, this time for good! My chest started to feel tight. My eyes were burning as tears continuously rolled down my cheeks. I shifted onto my knees, leaning over the pond and staring at my own reflection. Then the downpour hit.

My reflection distorted, my tears merging with the rain as each droplet fell into the pond, breaking its surface and causing it to ripple constantly.

"Oh Harvest Goddess..." I sobbed, "Don't take Leia away from me. Not again. Never again!"

The words just kept flowing from my mouth, "I'll do anything. Anything! I'll throw strawberries into the pond back at Mineral Town, each day for the rest of my life! I'll start going to church! I'll eat my overalls! Anything! Just don't take Leia away from me again!"

And then the strangest thing happened.

The rain stopped and the sun instantly came out. The pond turned still once more, and a warm breeze gently wafted over my face. But that wasn't even half of it.

"Oh my, do you really think I'd expect you to do all that?"

I looked up, alarmed, at the tall, green haired woman; her hair neatly tied into two buns a long, lone braid hanging down from one of the buns. Her dress, blue as the sky, seemed to merge with the pond and gently rippled in the breeze as if her dress was water itself. And then I realised I was no longer in Forget-Me-Not Valley. I looked around, surrounded by thousands of beautiful white flowers that I'd heard about in books.

I turned my attention back to the women standing what seemed to be on the pond.

"Are...are you the Harvest Goddess?" I stammered; convinced this was it. I'd finally snapped. Perhaps I'd fallen face first into the pond and drowned, and now I was here in heaven.

"Yep, that's me," she replied with a giggle, bending down and extending her hand down to me, "Please Claire, tell me what's troubling you."

"It's Leia...m-my friend..." I gasped, desperately, "She's sick and the doctor doesn't know why..."

"And neither does the scientist, correct?" she replied, still smiling. I nodded.

She leaned forward, one hand cupping my chin, the other wiping my tears, "Now, now. No need to cry," she said softly, "The problem with Leia is that she's been cursed..."

I didn't quite understand that, "Cursed? How...?"

The Goddess simply continued to smile, "Tell me Claire, do you know how she got those legs...?"

I shook my head.

"In Forget-Me-Not Valley, there lives a witch up by the mansion on the hill," she explained.

So was I dreaming last night?

"Her spells have a tendency to mess up, you see, and have unexpected results..."

I wasn't dreaming.

"That day that storm hit you, I'm sure you were surprised. How unusual for it to hit with little to no warning!"

I nodded slowly, trying to take in what she was saying.

"The spell affected Leia, and she was transformed into a human girl. To her, this was a blessing. Unfortunately, the spell has gone awry and become a curse..."

Another nod.

"Have you ever read "The Little Mermaid", Claire?"

"I remember it vaguely..."

"The young mermaid princess asks the sea witch for a potion that will turn her human. And on the day her beloved prince marries another, her heart will break and she will turn to foam."

"So Leia's going to turn into foam?"

The Goddess just laughed at me and patted me on the head, "Not quite. Answer me honestly, Claire. Do you love Leia?"

"O-Of course I do...she's my best friend..."

Her expression turned sterner, but she continued to smile, "No Claire. Do you love her? With all your heart? Does it hurt to be away from her? Does it feel good when you're with her?"

This was starting to sound like a sappy fairytale, but I still thought seriously about what the Goddess was asking me. I felt completely lost without her all that time she was missing. And I was so happy when I found her again. But then she kissed me, and I felt confused and betrayed...and now, after repairing our relationship, it was like nothing ever happened.

"You're afraid of loving a woman, because of the prejudice in the mortal world," the Goddess began, "But there's no need to be afraid. Love is truly a wonderful thing. And you have my blessing."

I blinked, my cheeks flushing. This sounded extremely cheesy.

"Wait, your blessing?" I replied, looking up at her.

The Goddess giggled, blushing herself, her eyes practically sparkling, "Of course! I know exactly how you feel, Claire."

I blinked, a little flabbergasted, "You...do?"

"Yes Claire. For I too, am in love with a young woman from the farm on Forget-Me-Not Valley!"

Wow. I wondered how Carter would feel to know our Goddess was into the ladies.

"But that's beside the point. The point I'm trying to make is there's no need to feel ashamed for loving someone of the same sex Claire. Go to Leia, and tell her how you truly feel."

"Wait, this is all really confusing. I mean, I have Gray..."

"Do you love Gray?"

"W-Well, I-I care about him..."

"Don't lead him on Claire. It's not fair to either of you."

"B-but..."

"Claire."

The Goddess's expression turned fully stern as she placed her hands on my shoulders, "Listen to me. Listen to your heart. I know this sounds cheesy to a young woman like you, but for thousands of years I've watched humans fall in love. I've also seen them lead others on through confusion of their own feelings. End your relationship with Gray; otherwise, it will only lead to disaster, for him, for Leia and for yourself."

I lowered my head, staring into the pond. This was all so confusing and a little frustrating! My head was beginning to pound.

The Goddess lifted her hands onto the top of my head, gently stroking the blond strands, "Please, listen to me. Tell Leia how you feel..."

"Will that cure her...?" I asked in a low voice.

"You'd be surprised," the Goddess replied. I looked back up at her and she was smiling a little strangely. But it quickly turned sincere and she giggled again, "Please; trust me. Tell Leia how you feel and I promise you, her health will return."

I stared back at her, my eyes fixed on hers.

"Alright," I replied, and instantly I was back in Forget-Me-Not Valley. Alone. Wet. The weather had no intention of letting up.

You may think I'd chose to believe what I just experienced there was craziness. But for once, in these string of strange events, I chose to believe what happened really did happen.

After all, it's not every day the Harvest Goddess answers your prayers.

And so ends another chapter. I do hope you all enjoy this chapter; there's really no structure to this chapter at all! I just went with the flow of what poured out of my brain. Now my brain hurts.

Still, I do hope you enjoy it and consider it much better compared to my last chapter! Also, I really hope the "Carter's feelings towards the Goddess liking the ladies" doesn't cause offense. I didn't intend it to. I just thought it would be a rather humorous aspect. Though, Carter's a nice guy. I'm sure he'd accept it.

I'll just confirm everyone's thoughts while I'm at it, if you haven't figured it out already. Yes, the Goddess is referring to Jill as her honey bunny.

With that, I'm off! Please don't forget to leave a comment and let me know what you think or feel free to chat to me in my forums!