V

An Unwanted Dream Come True

"Kai! Bro!" Denny called out excitedly as he ran to his cousin, Kai, who just came down from the boat. He dropped his fishing gear onto the sand and ran headlong down the pier to where Kai was standing.

"Denny! Dude!" Kai shouted back, laughing as they hugged each other, holding the other's hand and using the free hand to pat the each other's back. Hugging bro style.

"How are you, bro?" Denny asked, slapping Kai's back a few times as Kai carried his bag and started walking towards Denny's house. A beaten old shack that seems like it's gone through too many hardships. Kai was surprised it was still standing since the last time he was here. "How's Popuri? Still dating her?" Denny added, waggling his eyebrows in the process. Kai chuckled a bit, shaking his head a bit.

"No, we broke up. She was starting to ask me for jewelry and too much stuff." Kai answered, thinking back about the pink-haired girl who he once used to date. Things ended terribly. Denny patted his back in comfort.

"It's okay bro, you'll find someone else," Denny said, but one look at Kai's smile and he added, "Or did you already find someone? Dude! Tell me! Was she hot? Does she have a sister? Because I'm-"

But just before he was able to finish his sentence, Denny was hit hard on the head with a watering can. He whimpered in pain before turning back to stare at Chelsea, his wife.

"You're what?" Chelsea asked, her face smiling but her eyes asking do you want to die?

"N-Nothing baby. I was going to say….Because I'm in love with my wife, so don't even think about introducing anyone to me." Denny said, laughing nervously as he walked slowly to go hug his wife.

"Hey Chels." Kai greeted casually, giving the farmer a playful grin. "You know you could always dump his ass and we could elope together and see the world. I'm available."

"Aww, sorry Kai, but this loser-"

"Hey, I'm right here!" Denny complained.

"-has stolen my heart. I can't possibly go with you, but thanks for the offer." Chelsea finished, kissing a very happy Denny's cheek.

Kai playfully squeezed his chest and acted as if he was in pain.

"Oh no, I'm rejected."

They all laughed together before Chelsea changed the topic, "So Kai, how long are you staying this time?"

"Only a week or so probably, and then I'm going to Mineral Town. It's almost summer you know."

"That's too bad. Now who's hungry? We're having grilled fish!" Chelsea announced.

"Woooo! And this is why I love you!" Denny kissed Chelsea quickly before both making their way back to her farm hand in hand.

Kai sighed in boredom, ever since she married his cousin, all they eat was fish because it was Denny's favorite food. Kai slowly made his way to Chelsea's house, but stopping once to look back at the sea. He smiled, his mind drifting to Claire and their time on the boat. He'd just love to see her at least once more in this lifetime.


"Claire…" Cliff whispered softly, as if afraid that a mere loud word could break her. She just looked so fragile at the moment. He took one more step closer to her before his knees became weak and he fell down to his knees right beside her. "Is she-"

"No Cliff, she's not dead yet, but she's still unconscious at the moment." The Doctor stated as he stood at the back of Cliff like a professional. Cliff looked back at the Doctor, trying to hint that he wanted to be alone with Claire. Elli seemed to got the hint because she dragged the Doctor out right away. Cliff turned back to look at Claire, his hand stroking her pale and cold cheek.

Even though not dead, she could have been passed as a corpse. Her beautiful blue eyes were hidden behind her closed eye lids, blue veins visible on them. He skin was pale and white instead of the golden, tanned skin she used to possess. Her lips weren't the same rosy color Cliff remembered, but were tinted blue and dry from the cold. Her golden hair was sprayed all over the pillow and they were tangled in knots too. Cliff's eyebrows knitted together as he could only imagine about what she went through to become like this.

"Claire…wake up." He whispered again, his hands now gloving her hand that was lying across her stomach. "Please, wake up!" He begged again, his eyes now squeezed shut and tears on the verge of coming out. He couldn't bear to lose her, not like this.

"Cliff, we're going to close the clinic now-"

"Please Doctor, let me stay." Cliff begged, his stare not tearing away from Claire's face for one second. "I want to be here when she wakes up."

If she wakes up, both Elli and the Doctor thought sadly. Women who have been in the ocean for over 24 hours or more in the middle of autumn don't always wake up. It was a miracle that she washes up on the shore of Mineral Town, but do miracles occur twice?

The Doctor nodded, allowing Cliff to stay with Claire. He said goodbye to his nurse, locked the clinic's door, and made his way upstairs to his room, leaving Cliff alone with Claire.

For the next few hours, Cliff sat there, his hands holding Claire's and his eyes glued at her face. He has always been dreaming about the day they will one day meet again, but this was not how he imagined it to be. One of them almost broke and working in a dead end job while the other was unconscious and barely alive, definitely not how he planned it to be.

"Claire…don't leave me alone." He whispered once more before he fell asleep right next to her limp body, oblivious to the twitch she made with her eyes.


Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon