Lillian couldn't comprehend what Mikhail had to say to her. She laughed softly and began to blush. "Mikhail, you have a fever.."

"Lillian, I'm being serious, I'm not delusional. It's true. I know I've only known you for about a month, and I've only been dating you for a couple of weeks but, I've never felt this way about anyone before. I'm so happy I'm with you."

"Mikhail."

"Please Lillian. If you don't feel the same way, don't hide it from me."

"I do, Mikhail. I truly do. I feel the same way about everything. To be honest, I wasn't even worried about relationships or marriage when I moved here. I was just so focused on raising a great farm, it just never hit me.."

"I know how you feel, Lillian. I'm kind of the same way. You see, when I lost my parents, there has always been a hole in my heart. Yeah, my instructor was like a father to me, and I loved him very much, but when I got into different relationships in the past, I never felt anything. The most I've ever done was hug before I kissed you. With that kiss, I felt alive. More alive than I've ever been."

"That means a lot to me, Mikhail. It really does."

"And it means a lot to me knowing that you are going to be here for me no matter what."

"Of course."

A few hours passed, and Lillian stayed by Mikhail's side. She gave Mikhail his last dose of medication for the night, gave him a kiss on his forehead and walked out of the town hall and back to her farmhouse. "He loves me.. this is a big step! And I love him too. He's the first person I've ever loved besides my family. Oh, I really hope this lasts!" she made her way inside and went straight to her dresser. She changed into her pajamas, and slid underneath her warm covers. She stared up at the ceiling for quite some time before she slipped into a peaceful slumber. Was this all a dream? Were they really in love?

~Lillian's POV~

Dear Diary:

I know I hardly ever write in you anymore, but today I felt like it was a good time to do so. It has been 6½ months since Mikhail and I have gotten together. It's the beginning of spring, and I feel like I have gained more friendships since I have moved to Konohana. Each week I participate in the cooking contest, and I have led my town to victory with each competition. Now, both of the mayors are getting along great, and Bluebell's villagers are stopping by more often to trade products with us. Bluebell's carpenter, Eileen, has dug through the old tunnel down the way from my home, making it easier to travel to Bluebell and back, what a relief! She's like an older sister to me, and has agreed to remodel my home before next fall. I seem to get along with all of the Bluebell folk, but Georgia and I seem to be on rocky terms. She's a bit jealous because Mikhail and I are dating.

Mikhail and I are doing very well! He treats me so good, and has even been teaching me how to play his violin. I wonder if I will ever become as good as him? Oh, as for Kana.. he seems to get along nicely with Mikhail, despite their rough encounter. Kana finally got over me (from what I know) And is now dating Nori. Every so often, we go on double dates. It feels good to have your best friend and lover get along. As for Reina, she's still odd as ever, but none the less, a great friend to talk to about plants and telling secrets. Both Nori and Reina keep bothering me about getting married. They say I'm ready to start a family, but everytime I think about it, I get nervous. Not in a bad way, but I just can't see that far down the road. Tomorrow marks the first day of summer. I wonder what summer will bring.

Until next time!

Lillian

Lillian closed her diary shut and looked out the window. It was very sunny, and her livestock was outside roaming around. She decided to step outside and head into town. She was about to walk outside of her farm when she noticed that Mikhail was walking towards her in the distance. She waved and started to run towards him. She tackled him to the ground and hugged him tight. She then noticed that he was carrying his violin case, and a sack full of clothes.

"Good morning, Mikhail!"

"Ah, yes. Good morning sweetheart." He smiled and adjusted his glasses. He stood up, pulling Lillian up to face him. "I was just coming to see you."

"Obviously!" Lillian laughed and took his hand. "So, where shall we go today? Bluebell? Or should we stay in Konohana?"

"Well, nowhere.. I need to talk to you about something." He rubbed the back of his neck and felt his heart beating faster. He noticed that Lillian was still smiling brightly towards him.

"Okay, what do you need to talk to me about?"

"Lilly.. you know that the first day of summer is tomorrow..right?"

"Yeah? And?"

"And you know how much I hate the summer.. the heat, the sound of cicadas and other insects.. "

"Yeah.. I don't know if I follow."

"Lillian. I'm packed and will be leaving for the summer to go somewhere cooler."

Lillian felt her heart sink. She couldn't believe what Mikhail had just said to her. She shook her head and looked back up to him. "Is.. is this a joke? Because it's not really that funny."

Mikhail sighed. "I knew you wouldn't take it that well. Look, we aren't breaking up or anything. I'm just going away for awhile. Just think of it as a vacation."

"Well, I'll come with you! It's not a problem, really!" Lillian took his hand, and felt Mikhail tense up. He turned his head and looked down.

"Lilly.. you can't do that. You have a farm to run, remember?"

"It's okay, really! I'll find someone to take care of it while we're gone. Please Mikhail, I don't want you to leave me."

"I'm sorry Lillian. Please don't hate me. You know I love you more than life itself. I'd be more than happy to take you with me if you didn't have work to do." He leaned down and kissed her softly. He noticed that tears were flowing down her cheeks. "I need to go now.. I have a long day ahead of me. Take care of yourself, I'll be back at the end of summer. I love you Lillian."

"I..I love you too Mikhail. Please, stay safe for me."

"Of course. I have a beautiful woman to return to after all." He smiled and began walking towards the mountain summit. Lillian watched as he walked away, soon disappearing into the forest. She felt her heart break, and ran towards Kana's place.

'Lillian baby.. please don't hate me for this.' Mikhail felt tears swelling in his eyes, and began to cry as he gripped onto his violin case, and kept on walking.

She burst through the doors and straight to the back where Kana was sitting at the table, sipping a cup of morning tea. Kana whipped his head around and noticed Lillian was running towards him.

"Hey you, good morning!"

Lillian began to sob as she threw her arms around Kana's neck. She buried her face in his shoulder and continued to cry. Kana's eyes widened as he wrapped his arms around Lillian's body, feeling his vest become drenched from her tears.

"Whoa, Lilly what's going on?!"

"It-It's Mikhail! He left me! He's going away for the summer!"

"He's what?!"

"He said he had to go away for the summer and that he'll come back in the fall. I don't know what I did wrong, Kana!"

Kana felt his heart become enraged. He grabbed ahold of her shoulders and faced her in front of himself. "Slow down and tell me exactly what happened."

"W-well.. he said that he hates the summer and the hot weather and the insects.. and that he was going away to somewhere cooler. When I told him I was coming, he refused and told me that I had a job to do.." She choked back tears and wiped her eyes. What did I do wrong, Kana?! Why would he want to leave me like this?!"

Kana brushed Lillian's hair behind her ears gently. "Lil.. He's not breaking up with you. He just needs to leave for the summer, that's all. Trust me, Mikhail and I are good friends now because of you. He's told me how much you mean to him. He wouldn't just break up with you just like that."

"But I don't understand why he didn't tell me this before! Maybe if he would have, I would have had a chance to find someone to cover my farm so I could go with him."

"I think it's deeper than that, Lillian. He doesn't want you to fail. He wants to see you happy."

"But I'm not happy now! I'm heartbroken because he did this to me!"

"Lilly.. trust me. I'll have a word with him when he gets back."

"Don't you dare do anything to him!"

"No promises. He's a good friend of mine, but he made a promise to me to never make you cry."

"Please Kana. Don't."

Kana sighed and paused for a moment. He looked deep into Lillian's eyes and pulled her into a hug once again. "I'll try my best. Now, why don't you go home and try to relax. It's going to storm soon, and I know how much you hate storms."

"O-okay. Will you please come back with me?"

"Sure." He stood up and helped Lillian back on her feet. They both walked out the door and back to Lillian's farm. Kana looked around and decided to try to lighten the mood.

"Gee Lillian, your farm looks amazing!"

"Yeah. Thanks."

"Your livestock looks so happy! They are so lucky to have you as their owner!"

"Yeah, thanks Kana." She opened the door to her home and led Kana inside.

Meanwhile…

Mikhail had walked 3 hours away from Konohana and had made it to the town below the mountain. He walked towards the nearest inn and walked inside. He took a deep breath and walked up to the counter.

"Hello, how can I help you?" An older man was standing behind the inn counter.

"I need a room for the night. I'll come back down tomorrow and reserve a room for the whole summer."

"Alright then, I'll bill you when your stay is over. You will be in room 14." He handed Mikhail the key to the room.

"Thanks a lot." Mikhail lugged his violin and clothes to his room. He opened the door and walked inside. He noticed that there was a king sized bed and a small dresser with a lamp. He sat down on the bed and dropped his belongings below him. He opened his violin case and took out a picture of him and Lillian. They looked so happy together. It reminded him of the first day they met. He sighed and laid back onto his bed, clutching the photo tightly to his chest. "I can't believe I left her.. Lillian.." he stared up at the ceiling for an hour, and decided that he wasn't meant to be in that town for the next couple of months. He grabbed his belongings and walked out, and straight to the lobby.

"Hi there, can I help you with something?" The man looked up from a small book he was reading, and glanced over to Mikhail.

"I've decided I'm not going to stay here. I'm going back home. But thanks for the room, it was very nice." He sat the key on the counter and noticed that the older man was in shock. He shrugged and took the key from Mikhail and looked back down at his book. Mikhail walked out of the inn and straight back towards the trail that led up into the mountains. "Hold on Lillian. I'm coming back baby." He quickened his pace and made it back to Konohana in less than 3 hours. By then, it had begun to rain, and thunder was heard in the distance. He walked onto Lillian's property, and straight up to her door. He took a deep breath and knocked softly.

Lillian and Kana were sitting at the kitchen table and having a cup of tea when Mikhail began to knock. Lillian's eyes were swollen with tears, so Kana decided to open the door for her. He got up and walked towards the front door, opening it slowly.

"M-Mikhail?!"

"Kana! What are you two doing? I decided to come back for Lilly. I couldn't stand being away from her."

Lillian heard Mikhail's voice and jumped up from her chair. She ran towards the door and shoved Kana aside, hugging Mikhail tightly. She began to sob, burying her face into Mikhail's warm chest.

"Lilly.. it's okay, I'm here now. " He walked in and turned to face Kana. "Thanks for taking care of her, I'm sorry I caused you both trouble."

"I have a bone to pick with you." He grabbed Lillian and gently pushed her back, and grabbed onto Mikhail's collar, gripping it tightly.

"Kana, stop!" Lillian shouted as she tried to get in between Kana and Mikhail, but couldn't push Kana off of him.

"No Lillian. Mikhail promised me he would never make you cry! So why did you do it, you bastard?! I trusted you! Lillian never did anything to hurt you, so why did you hurt her?! "

Mikhail sighed and looked down. Kana gripped tighter and jerked his head back. "ANSWER ME, MIKHAIL!"

"I.. I didn't mean to hurt her. Honest. I was just doing what I thought was right for me, but I was being selfish. I got to where I was going, and decided that I did the wrong thing. I deserve to be hit."

Kana loosened his grip and jerked his hand back. Lillian hugged onto Mikhail tightly and looked back at Kana.

"Kana, he didn't mean to make me cry! Please don't hurt him! He was just doing what he has always done!"

"Lillian, I'm not going to hurt him. I was just so upset that he made you cry."

"And I deserved it. But from now on, I'm not going anywhere unless Lillian comes with me."

"Look, I'm sorry man. It's just that Lill-"

"Is your best friend. I know. I would have done the same thing." Mikhail smiled and held out his hand. "I'll never make her cry again, unless it's happy tears."

"It's a deal." Kana gripped Mikhail's hand and shook it firmly. Lillian stared up at Kana and sighed. She shook her head and folded her arms across her chest.

"Kana. You know I'm upset at you now."

"I know Lilly. I'm sorry."

"I'm just so glad you didn't hurt him." She smiled softly and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I am too. I guess I'll leave you two alone and get back home before it really starts to storm. Take care of her, Mikhail." He walked past both of them, and reached for the door handle.

"I will. I swear I will." Mikhail hugged Lillian tightly. Kana stepped outside and walked back to his house. There was a few moments where the two of them didn't speak, but just embraced each other tightly.

"Lilly.. I'm so sorry. I can't believe I did that."

"Mikhail. I don't blame you at all. I know you don't like the summer. Please, don't ever leave me again."

Mikhail reached into his inner coat pocket and pulled out a blue feather. He looked into Lillian's eyes and held it out to her. "I don't plan to. Ever."

"Mikhail! That's-"

"A blue feather." He kneeled down and held it up to her. "Lillian, will you marry me?"

Lillian began to cry once again, and nodded softly. "Of course I will." She took the blue feather and watched as he stood up. He hugged her tightly and bent down to kiss her.

"I love you Lillian. I want us to grow old together, and raise a beautiful family. I want to help you out with the farm, and play the violin every night for you before we go to bed. I'm so happy.. I know my parents are looking down from heaven and are proud of me for finding a perfect woman."

"I love you too, Mikhail. I know my parents are doing the same.