A/N: This is my late Secret Santa gift for QuartzFox a.k.a. OffCenterFold! Sorry for the lateness, I really am! ;A; As promised, this is a story that focus more on friendship and starting out. I admit that this isn't one of my best works but inserting all the lessons I've learned when I was still adjusting in college and council work really gave me the feels on this story. I hope you enjoy this mess, my dear Santee!

As for the rest, please enjoy! If you liked it, please leave a review!

Her Wish

"Oy, get up."

Beat.

"You've been sleeping there for three days, already! Haven't you slept enough?"

Beat.

"For Goddess' sake, wake up already!"

The sound of splashing water rang inside the house.

Claire woke to the sound of an exasperated voice cursing at no one in particular. At least, that was what her still sleepy mind tried to make out from the things she was hearing. She attempted to inhale, making sure that she was still alive. Once. Twice. Only when she exhaled through her mouth did she gained the courage to open her eyes.

The first thing she saw was a girl standing above her wearing clothes… could they even be classified as clothing?

Claire thought that maybe it was just another punk trying to mess with her when she realized that she was wet. Droplets had started running down the tips of her locks and she could still feel the cold water's sting on her face.

"You're finally awake."

Sitting up, the blonde finally noticed that the girl was holding an empty bucket in her right hand.

Figures, she thought.

"I'm going to make this quick, so listen up," the stranger spoke out as Claire began twisting her hair, "You're Mineral Town's new farmer so you better starting getting used to waking up early or the mayor will kick you out."

The fact that she had suddenly changed occupations didn't sink in for Claire until she finished drying her hair… and realized that she was wearing overalls. Overalls.

"Are you sure you're not mixing me up for another person?" Claire desperately asked, "I'm pretty sure that I live in an apartment down at 5th avenue, not this stuffy cottage!" She pointed out that though the house was thrice bigger than her room, she could count the amount of furniture that decorated the place in two hands. For a while, the blonde went on and on and on since the stranger wasn't listening at all to what she was even saying in the first place.

When the stranger had finally gotten tired from her yapping, she walked away from where she was standing and made her way towards the door.

"Look," the stranger muttered, which was more than enough to silence the girl, "I don't care who you are, what you were doing before you got here or why in the world my sister asked me to wake you up."

"Your… sister?"

Stranger opened the door to reveal that the sun was just about to rise. "I don't know what she's planning but I've got no choice but to follow through."

"Why? Why are you doing this?"

The girl standing at the door way turned her head to look at Claire one last time. In that moment, she was speechless as she stared into red orbs that seemed to shimmer in different colors as the light slowly struck her face. The person she was staring at didn't feel human at all.

"Because you wished for this. And granting wishes is our job."

\\\\\\

Farming. Of all jobs Claire could have landed, it was to be a farmer. She hated the outdoors. She hated getting herself dirty. Most of all, she hated going anywhere outside her air-conditioned haven. There's a reason why she picked paperwork over field work in the first place.

"And what did she mean when she said I wished for this? In no way would I wish to live in a village this boring," Claire muttered as she continued her walk through the town.

Speaking of the town, Claire thought to herself, it was a pretty quiet place to be in considering that summer was quickly approaching. But, then again, who'd want to spend their vacation in this kind of place? It practically screams old-fashioned. The houses the lined the roads were probably decades old, judging by their architecture. Heck, even the very walkway she was stepping on was made of bricks, not asphalt nor concrete. Judging by the absence of electrical wires, Claire was almost pretty sure that electricity was the exception here, not the norm.

The blonde turned right at the next corner and went straight ahead for the Supermarket. According to the weird stranger, if Claire was not into wild grass and mushrooms, the next best place to procure food was the Supermarket. Why did the stranger even suggest questionable forage as food? Claire will never know.

Claire did not have expectations when she reached the grocery building. The only thing she was hoping for was anything edible that can fill up her stomach. So, one can imagine the look of surprise on her face when she saw that it was actually well-stocked. Food items like flour, bread, and riceballs were lined up to her left while bags of seeds were piled up in the center of the store. To the far left were something that resembled like baskets and… what was a blue feather doing there of all places?

She noticed that not a single person was attending the store. She was about to call out when she saw a girl step out from the door at the back looking furious.

"Dad, how many times do I have to tell you to STOP that habit of keeping tabs already?" the girl screamed out. She had long, brown (or was it blonde?) hair that flowed smoothly past her shoulders. As far as Claire was concerned, she also had a shapely figure that even models would gladly die for. But one look from her fiery emerald orbs and she knew that that option was not in the girl's list of careers.

"Oh, you must be the new farmer," the girl's voice was warm and welcoming, completely different from just a moment ago, "I'm Karen and welcome to the Supermarket. Is there anything you need?"

"Um, food items, I guess?" Claire said, mildly irritated that her presence was only noticed now.

Getting the food and paying for them was surprisingly quick. Claire found herself finishing her newly-bought rice balls before she knew it. She knew she had to keep a good watch on her gold, but for now she'll stuff her face with comfort food. The blonde was making her way out of the store when she noticed that bags of seeds she definitely did not pay for was in her rucksack.

"I'm pretty sure I didn't buy these," Claire said as she began unloading them from her bag. She was completely stopped by Karen who gently, but firmly, gripped her hand.

"It's on the house," Karen replied, letting go of her grip, "Besides, you're still starting out, right? Think of it as a welcome present."

Nodding, Claire put the bags in and looked straight at the girl, "You know, I didn't even think of being a farmer yet here I am now."

"Well," Karen leaned on the counter as she looked at Claire, "I always thought that everything starts out that way." When the farmer stayed silent, Karen continued on. "I mean, everybody's all so unsure of the beginning because we don't know anything. We're all afraid to make mistakes or get hurt or mess everything up because we don't have any idea of what we're signing up for.

"But, when you look back on it, all the things you did start to make sense. Those mistakes, those times you get hurt, everything you have shapes up who you are, right? Like the food items and the seeds and the blue feathers here make up the Supermarket.

"And I guess that's what makes life fun!" Karen exhaled before whispering, "I could sure use a drink right now."

Claire stood there speechless for a while. What she said didn't bring her any closer to figuring out what was her wish or if she should still pursue the life of agriculture but she was sure, so sure, that she's going to learn a few things during her stay here in Mineral Town. With a wave of goodbye and a promise for drinks sometime in the future, Claire walked with a newly found spring in her step.

Maybe farming wouldn't be so bad, she thought.

If there's anything Claire hated more than field work, it was being stuck in a place with nothing but BOOKS for company. Really, the only thing that made it bearable was the fact that the raven-haired librarian wasn't privy to anyone's business. And when she said librarian, she really fit the image to a T with her hair in two neat plait and glasses that seemed to make her onyx eyes wider. She glanced to see that she was finishing up a book about Mineral Town's history, completely oblivious towards her who was having a hard time finding the books about starting out for the farm.

"You know, a while ago, I may have thought that farming was not such a bad idea. Now? I'm beginning to regret this," Claire muttered as she plopped herself on a nearby table. She was thinking of heading back so that she could at least mine some ore in her spare time when she felt someone take the seat in front of her.

"Miss Claire, um, if… you have any inquiries, I… would be more than ready to assist you," her voice was soft and gentle, like a gentle caress on one's ears. Though it annoyed the blonde that the librarian was too timid for her taste, she'd make do with what she had.

"Aren't there any other books about farming that's easier to read? Some of these are so outdated already that it hurt to just even stare at them, uh, Miss Mary, right?"

The librarian fixed her glasses. "I'm afraid this is all we have."

A disappointed sigh. Looks like her chances of having a nice farm had ended before it even began.

"But, if I may suggest, Miss Claire, that doesn't mean you should not try giving it a try," Mary gave her a warm smile as she closed her book.

"Don't you think I'll just be messing things up if I do?"

"Then…" Mary hesitated before giving her answer, "think of it as another lesson."

"Another lesson?" Claire plopped her head in her crossed arms once more on the table, "But I'm done with school already!"

At that remark, Mary chuckled. "What's so funny, Miss I-know-everything?" Claire retorted back.

"But, Miss Claire, you do know that learning is an endless process for us, right? Only through getting to know about the things around us can we even truly get to understand and enjoy life."

"It's such a huge hassle taking everything all in as we grow up, you know?"

"But growing up IS learning," Mary said with a more confident air, Claire noticed, "That's part of human nature."

Claire didn't even bother letting everything sink in. She just threw her fists on the table and gave out a large moan. After the sudden outburst, she faced the librarian with a much more meek expression.

"Can I still take you up on that offer for tea, Miss Mary?"

Making tea was one of Mary's biggest pleasures so she was more than happy to oblige. What brought a bigger pleasure in her heart, though, was that when she returned with her tray in hand, she took in the sight of the farmer before her struggling with the texts. None the less, she WAS trying.

"Would you like some help in reading those, Miss Claire?"

Claire loved animals. What Claire didn't love was taking care of them.

Okay, maybe that was stretching it out a bit. She loved eating meat. She grew up in the city where fried chickens and burgers and steaks were regular meals served on their tables. She'd eat the occasional pasta, and maybe some salad on the side, but nothing compared to the taste of that juicy beef, pork and chicken in her mouth.

So, when faced with the task of not only raising but breeding animals for their, err, by-products, she not only turned her face at the offer, she flat-out faced the sky and said "SCREW THIS, I'M GOING BACK HOME" to which she proceeded by running back to her house and stuffing her face with more rice balls.

If there's anything Popuri knew about Claire, it's that she only needed a little push.

One fine morning, Popuri invited the blonde over to the poultry farm. She asked Claire to be the one to make sure no chickens escaped from the fence while she was putting in the feed in their respective boxes. With a playful smile, the pinkette rushed off to fulfill her duties (well, the ones Rick forgot to do, anyway) while Claire leaned on one of the wooden stands, careful to keep her distance from the onslaught of feathers and caws.

The two worked in silence as the sun continued to rise high above the sky. Claire would occasionally take a peek at the field while Popuri started arranging their feed. Summer was the typhoon season and it was always better to be prepared. When the atmosphere turned dark and stars slowly settled in, Popuri thanked Claire for helping her watch over the chickens, but not before asking if she could help her again until their preparations were complete. She just nodded as she made her way back home. If it was just about watching over the chickens, then it was hardly a favor to ask.

Time passed by and, somehow, a thought always kept itself known in the back of her mind.

Claire kept on observing how someone so young could have the patience to continue collect eggs from the coop, make mayonnaise from said eggs, place the birds in the field for their food, kept the chicken feed's stock well managed and still have time to frolic around town after all that.

Don't you ever get tired of the same, old working routine every day, Popuri? She wanted to ask but right even before she could move her lips, the chicken farmer looked at her in the eye and smiled cheerfully.

It's not tiring when you don't think it's tiring at all, Claire!

Claire rolled her eyes. Be honest with me. Are you really happy here?

If I wanted to be happy somewhere else, I would have chased that a long time ago, wouldn't I?

That made Claire think. For maybe the hundredth time ever since she came to Mineral Town.

"Just what is it with this people?" she muttered to herself as she gave way to her thoughts.

Had I been forcing myself to be happy with the chance I was given?

Wait.

That's not right.

Had I been embracing the chances of happiness laid out right before me?

Maybe… just maybe… she silently thought. The blonde took a deep breath and walked towards where Popuri was by the coop. She was playing with the newly-hatched chicks. It was something so simple. Just the way her fingers caressed the little animals and their joyful response was enough to give light for this girl's world.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Claire reluctantly reached out her hand. She was nervous, utterly nervous as she sat down to reach out to those yellow balls of cuteness. She stopped mid-way, part fear and part she didn't know exactly what she wanted to do. But Popuri, young Popuri who now seemed wiser than she looked, guided Claire's hands like a mother would to her child.

That fateful morning, when the breeze was becoming cooler, when the leaves were turning red, when Summer was turning to Fall, Claire had in her hands a tiny, yellow ball of feathers who snuggled to her for warmth.

She smiled, unknowingly, with blue orbs that seemed to shine brighter than the sun. The little chick chirped loudly like it was smiling and Popuri was beaming proudly at her, too.

And for once, Claire was starting to get an idea of why she was sent here in the first place.

"You need to take care of yourself more."

Claire couldn't believe her ears. Who knew that it would've come to this?

Autumn season had begun to settle down on Mineral Town. Since the temperature was dropping down to temperatures, Dr. Trent was more than persistent towards the villagers to be careful with their health. He even insisted that all farmers should go to him once a week for a check-up to make sure that they won't be overworking themselves for the upcoming winter season.

The Doctor was more particular with Claire compared to the others, too, now that she was managing a field of crops, a coop full of chickens, a regular stock of ore and managing the forage necessary for the shipping.

With a scarf draped over her neck, Claire started her walk towards the Clinic. The only reason she was even considering of going there was because of Elli, the nurse who seemed to worry about others too much. If anything, Claire had warmed up to her the easiest simply because she was the one she was seeing the most, lately. That and the fact that she was one stubborn woman that Claire could identify with all too easily.

A sigh escaped from her lips as she opened the door towards the Clinic only to be replaced with a scream that could not come out from her lips.

The sight was almost too normal. Neatly arranged books on the shelf, floor swept with utmost precision and the scent of tea slowly filling the air. Elli, just right behind the counter, was a picture-perfect example of a person in great health. Except that she was messily trying to bandage up a wound on her right hand, which was unfortunately her good one.

Without pause, Claire rushed over to her side and took control of the situation. She took the bandage away from the girl and checked to see if the wound was cleaned well first. Seeing that the cut was not that deep and that the nurse had already applied ointment on it, Claire resumed bandaging it posthaste. It took her a while to get it right but when she marveled at her little job, she mentally gave herself a pat on the head.

Only then did she realize what had just happened and what she had just done.

Who knew that it would've come to this?

Who knew?

Claire did not remember when she started to care for others. At this point, she probably did not even bother. What she was sure about was the fact that a friend she has barely even known for a year was hurt and she was the one treating her wounds.

Of all people.

Her.

What surprised her more was that she felt happy. Indescribable joy she had never experienced in all her life. A joy in helping others was something she never got a taste of and she was wondering why she had not known about this before.

"Thank you, Claire," the nurse breathed out. Letting the now treated hand land softly in her chest, she stood up from the couch and proceeded back to her desk to finish filing up the paperwork. The farmer noticed that she was quick to hide a pair of knitting needles inside her desk. Maybe the cause of that wound was something better left unsaid.

Claire was about to take her turn to leave when Elli called out to her again. "Please," she gave quick glance to her left then continued, "not a word to the Doctor."

Claire raised her eyebrows. "And why not?"

"I don't want him worried, especially over a small scratch."

"Okay. Reschedule my appointment then." Elli nodded. She was about to head to the Doctor when she heard Claire's voice echo across the room.

"Just promise me that you stop worrying about others and start worrying about yourself for once."

After all, Claire thought, we are kindred spirits.

Winter. A time for gift-giving and merry-making and just all around good cheer. As a form of celebration, Mayor Thomas invited all the townsfolk to celebrate Christmas Eve at the Inn. And, as expected, everyone had come full of merriment for the holidays.

Claire was sitting at the bar by her lonesome. She had just finished eating the meal Doug had prepared for them and was just taking her time to down the wine they served.

For others, winter was a time for celebration. But for Claire, it was a time of gratitude.

She scanned over the bustling crowd, pondering over whom she would first give her thanks to.

There was a drinking Karen who helped her when she knew the beginning was always the hardest.

There was a reading Mary who taught her that making mistakes and messing were valuable lessons she should always remember.

There was a dancing Popuri who showed her that happiness always comes from within.

There was Elli who proved that she was not alone in struggling with herself.

Then, Claire's blue eyes settled on the still-working Ann, who, despite the holiday bustle, was still sticking around to do her job. She reached down from her stool and went to where the redhead was taking a quick breather.

She held out her hand. "Need help?"

Ann was more than ready to hand in the dishwashing towel. "You bet!"

Claire decided that she'd thank all people who've helped her become who she is right now. But, as she began washing the dishes on the sink to the tune of Ann's whistle, she'd first help the person who needs it right now.

Claire just smiled as she had come to realize something important.

She finally knew what her wish was.

When a green-haired magical being, appeared in Claire's dreams later that evening, she was not afraid to approach it. Rather, she welcomed it.

"I ask," the magical being began, "if you wish to revert back to the place where all of this began."

"Why?" was Claire's only response.

"If you find that we were not able to fulfill your request, you may do as you please."

Memories of what happened in the past year began flooding in her mind. From Karen welcoming her in Spring to spending the Winter night cleaning with Ann.

It had been a bothersome year.

But it was a year Claire wouldn't trade for in the world.

Not even her old life of fancy cars and jewelry back in the city.

"Thank you. To you and that weird stranger."

Claire smiled for the last time.

"My wish… has been granted."

With a satisfied smile and a wave of her fingers, the goddess began to fade away from her dreams.

Sleep overtook Claire's senses as she began to drift off.

End.