So this is just something I came up with after I got Harvest Moon Animal Parade and saw stories on this website about it! It's also my first fanfic ever! Hope you like it! Oh, I think I'm supposed to say that I don't own Harvest Moon... So, I don't! Enjoy!

First and Only Love

Chapter 1

Something about the way the sun hit the island made my heart swell with emotion. It was just so beautiful! I hadn't seen anything like that after living in the city my whole life.

"Quite a sight, isn't it?" a friendly voice called.

I turned and saw the elderly boat captain smiling from me at the wheel. His blue jacket blew in the wind, his white sailor's cap threatening to fly off and expose his gray hair.

No one else was on the little boat, so I found myself obligated to go over and stand beside him.

"I'm Pascal," he said, "If you need to get off the island at any time, I'm your guy."

"It's nice to meet you," I said over the roar of the wind, "My name's Akari."

"Akari, huh? I hear you're going to be starting a ranch on Castanet? That sounds like a lot of work."

I blushed and rubbed the back of my neck nervously. Even to me it sounded like a lot of work. But I just couldn't stand staying in the overly crowded city with all those snobs… I had to get away from it all. Farming on a small island seemed like the perfect escape.

"Yeah, it'll be hard at first," I admitted, "But I'm sure I'll get used to it."

He smiled at me like he was looking at his daughter.

"You look like you're capable of handling that. How old are you anyways?"

"Nineteen."

I wanted to lie and say I was older so he wouldn't suddenly start treating me like a kid, but I didn't want my whole life on Castanet to be based off a lie. The only way I was going to make friends and build relationships was to be honest.

"Yeah, you look young," he sighed, "But like I said, I'm sure you'll be fine."

My cheeks flushed. He actually thought I could do this even though I was just nineteen. I was pretty sure he had more confidence in me than I did. That probably wasn't a good sign. How could I do this if I didn't even think I could?

Once the boat docked, I walked off the gangplank, Pascal following behind. I looked around the little town in awe. It was so cute! There were a few shops in front of me and some stairs that led to even more. On the left I could see a pier and a lighthouse, as well as what looked like a fishery. When I looked to the right, I saw two more shops and two paths, one going left and one going right. The one going left went up and climbed up a steep hill, so far I couldn't see where it ended. On the right, the road went over a bridge and started to wind around the beach until I couldn't see that anymore either.

"This is Harmonica Town," Pascal said as he saw me observing, "Most of the citizens live here, and consequently most of the shops are out here. Your house is across that bridge and down that path in the Clarinet District… the mayor will explain it to you better than I can."

Just as I was about to ask him where the mayor was, I saw a short, pudgy man hurrying towards us, huffing and puffing from the energy he was exerting. Once he reached us, he had to stop and catch his breath before speaking.

"I'm Mayor Hamilton!" he gasped, "You must be Akari!"

"Yes," I said as I stifled a laugh, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Why thank you! Now, I'd love to give you a tour but I'm afraid it's getting dark… How about I give you one in the morning?"

"That's fine."

"Perfect! Now let me show you where you'll be living."

He smoothed out his blue suit and began walking to the bridge, the way Pascal had told me I'd be going. I hoisted my suitcase up and trudged after him, not having to go too fast since his legs were so short and stumpy, thus not carrying him very quickly. We walked down the path for a really long time, making me wonder just how far away I was from the town. Just as I was about to ask him, I saw what was mine. It wasn't at all what I had expected.

There was a small, run down house that had some tiles missing off the roof and a lot of the paint chipped away at. There was a chicken coop and barn in the same (if not worse) condition next to it. A small plowed area was parallel to the house, with a few tiny sprouts sticking up and a few trees that weren't in bloom. My expectations were less than met, to say the least.

"I know it's not much," Hamilton sighed. Yeah, no kidding. "But with some paint and TLC, it should work out just fine, don't you think?"

"Oh, yeah… sure."

He looked at my unhappy expression and sighed to himself. Great. Now he was going to think I was some spoiled rich kid who didn't show any appreciation.

"It's really great," I said in a more convincing voice, "Thanks."

That seemed to lift up his spirits, for he smiled brightly and reached out to shake my hand.

"Well, I must be going," he sighed, "I'll see you around ten tomorrow morning? I'll have Owen come down earlier to help move your furniture and everything."

I had no idea who Owen was, but I just smiled and nodded in agreement, trying to be as polite as I possibly could. Once Hamilton left, I went inside the unlocked house. It wasn't that bad. There was a bed with a nightstand in the corner and a bookcase with a dresser. The kitchen was there, but I didn't really see any utensils. Figured it wouldn't be very expensively furnished.

I dragged my suitcase to the side and set it down by the nightstand, not wanting to deal with putting my clothes away just yet. I'd do that in the morning or something. What I really wanted to do was go to sleep, but it was still so early. I thought about wandering around the island, but it was so big I feared getting lost.

As I was about to go back to Harmonica Town to find a map or something, there was a knock at my door. I raised my brow curiously. I'd just moved in and I already had visitors?

When I answered the door, I looked up to see a tall, heavyset man with a thick blue mustache and matching hair on top of his head. He was dressed almost all in denim, from his jeans to his vest, except for a white shirt and his boots. Compared to me (being so tiny) he looked quite intimidating.

"Hello," he said, "I take it you're Akari. My name's Dale. I'm the carpenter up at the Garmon Mines."

"It's nice to meet you."

He had a strong, firm handshake, proving that it wasn't just his looks that were strong.

"I just wanted to see how things are going for you," he said, "It's pretty big around here at first and I didn't know if you needed a tour… I'm too old, but my son would be more than happy to. He has plenty of energy to burn off."

I smiled at the generous offer. I wasn't quite sure if Dale's son had actually agreed to that, but it was the thought that counted.

"Thanks, but Hamilton offered to give me a tour in the morning," I said.

"Well, that's probably best since he's the mayor. I gotta get going now… Goddess only knows what Luke and Bo are up to now."

He shook his head and said goodbye, heading up a hill near the back of my house. Hmm. I wondered if that lead to the Garmon Mines. If so, perhaps that was closer than Harmonica Town. Maybe I'd spend more time there since it was closer. If it was closer/worth it.

I'd noticed that the sun had gone down, so I took that as a decent excuse for going to sleep. I changed into some sweats and a t-shirt, crawling under the thin sheets of the bed. Luckily it was spring so it wasn't like I'd get cold or anything.

I just concentrated on sleeping and thinking about how I was going to do this. How I was going to handle my new life.

Yeah so that's it for the beginning. I wrote like nine chapters already before I could publish anything so reviews aren't required for me to post more and whatnot but they are appreciated!