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Harvest Moon: Rose Red- My New Beginning 15

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         Chapter 15: Clarity

Once again the morning found me with a hollow heart and no recollection of my surroundings, and as I weakly opened my eyes, there was a shout from a couple of yards away. "Red! You okay?" I frowned, watching silently as Weiss rushed to the chair that had been set by the bed. My throat felt dry and scratchy, and my mouth was too heavy to open, so I just looked up at my cousin and tried to smile. Why did I feel worse all of a sudden? And how come Weiss was here so early? He said he was going to cook and drop by, but it felt like mid-morning. Letting my shallow breaths steady, I glanced out the window to see the shadows angling East. So it was sunset? Then I'd slept all day... I frowned and looked at Weiss expectantly, trying to clear my throat without erupting into a spasmic fit of coughing. His cheeks turned pink as he nodded, obviously thinking I was upset with his slowness, and fetched a glass of water, fidgeting as he tried to figure out how to give me it.

With a slow sigh I disobeyed my body and sat up as far as I could. A damp hand towel slid down my forehead and landed on my lap almost silently as I reached a shaky hand out to take the glass. The condensation on the surface rolled down my hand, and after I'd taken a sip, it slipped from my grip and splashed on the sheets before the glass rolled off the bed and shattered on the ground. "Sorry," I mumbled. I reached down to pick up the pieces, but my fingers barely grazed one of the shards, and if I hadn't sat up I would have followed the cup to the floor. "What time is it?" I asked. Looking at Weiss' soft white hair, I really wanted to play with it. Of course, I wasn't about to reach over and do that, but the thought occurred to me. His brown eyes took on a confusion they'd neglected to hold before, and I frowned. This couldn't be good. Weiss mumbled, "Seven pm... On the ninth." I shook my head and snapped, "It was around one am on the seventh when I fell asleep!" My cousin nodded, and I stared at him with my most puzzled expression falling into disbelief.

"Soseki had said to let you sleep, since the fever hadn't broken, but Emma came by my house to drop off your shipping money, and we decided to send for Klaus since your temperature wasn't dropping, but we couldn't find him, and now I don't know where that idiot and the doctor are, and I've been freaking out for a little over an hour." After listening calmly to his panicked run-on sentence, I grabbed Weiss' shoulders and gave him a good shake, snapping, "Quit freakin' out. It's after Klaus' hours, so Soseki's probably gotta go find him. I'm fine, probably just tired from all that running around I was doing this past week..." I paused, looking at the bag on the table. "How much did I earn in shipping?"
"A little over twenty-thousand g with the ore and gems," Weiss answered. I almost had a heart attack on top of everything else. I hadn't been that far out of the red in at least a year... If I could make mining a regular activity, maybe I'd earn enough to buy back the land in Orchard Town. From the way my cousin was shaking his head, I figured he knew what I'd been thinking. With a sigh he did little to mask, Weiss knelt by the bed and started picking up the bits of broken glass, grumbling, "I thought moving here meant you'd also moved on. The entire town's been bought out. There's nothing there to go back for. If you wanted to replant there, you'd have to destroy what that company's going to build as well, and don't think you can do that for less than ten million g." He stood and dropped his collected shards into the trash bin, studying the floor in case he'd left any behind. Then he simply sat and stared out the window impatiently.

After maybe ten minutes I hazarded a suggestion. "You know, since I'm up, I'm doing well enough for you to go look for them. I'll stay in bed. Just leave me another cup of water." Weiss' initial reaction was similar to my 'not a chance' look, and I gave him a not-so-subtle frown. "Tch, you don't think I can take care of myself!" With a frown of his own, he replied, "No. That's why you're here. You never worry about your health or safety. It's always, 'This looks interesting, let's check it out and disregard that it could kill me.' How did you manage to stay in good health in Orchard Town with no one reminding you to wear a raincoat or use common sense? I worry about a lot of things, Red. My animals and crops, the town, the fact that my foot's still swollen from the other day... But you're the most worrisome person I know. It scares me to think that you'll hide your illness or injury just so it doesn't bother others. I know you don't like to share suffering, but please at least tell me when these things happen. If you'd made it home before collapsing, would you have called for the doctor?"
Watching him rant about my carelessness, I began to wonder whether he had a point. At the question, I shook my head and answered, "No. I would have slept it off. Even Klaus said it wasn't serious anyway, right? C'mon, you can trust me for ten minutes while you find Soseki and Klaus, right? How much trouble can I get into when I can't climb out of bed? You can ask around and see if anyone's noticed either of them... And I'm sorry I don't like to talk about being careless and- stuff." With an annoyed but convinced look, Weiss scooted the chair closer to the head of the bed, setting a mug of cold water onto it. "Well, if you ever have 'stuff' you need to tell someone, remember that I'm here." Smirking, he added, "My parents were right about you." I glared after him as he left the room, calling, "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Nothing." Weiss set the washcloth on the counter and waved, heading outside. The second he was out of sight, I climbed slowly out of the bed, amused that I was still wearing my boots. I drank the cup of water and set the empty mug back on the chair, shuffling unsteadily over to the door. I know I'd said Weiss could trust me, but really I needed to know what was going on, and it was too stuffy and hot to think in there. After opening the door I paused. My body wanted out, but my mind wasn't having any of my crap, so I just stood there for a couple of minutes with the door hanging open. I wasn't really disobeying anyone since I was still inside. The cool, Winter air felt soothing, and I held onto the doorframe to prevent myself from doing anything stupid (like joining the search, which I sort of wanted to take part in.) Even without running around outside I felt much better, and I closed the door quietly, walking back to the bed. As I sat down I realized that not only had I been asleep for almost three days, but I'd also been stealing Soseki's bed the entire time... I wondered if he'd gotten any rest, or if he hadn't returned because he himself had collapsed on the way...

Thanks for the worry, mind. With a sigh, I reined in my thoughts and found myself wondering once again about the mushroom spaghetti. At this point I really didn't care who'd made the mistake. I wasn't going to blame Clement for my illness, since as Weiss said I was careless anyway. But there was a nagging thought that wouldn't go away, reminding me that the chef would definitely never mistake a poison mushroom for an edible one. Someone else must have made or tampered with the pasta for them to be there... Did that mean somebody had tried to poison Weiss' order? The only ones who'd have access to the ingredients would be Clement and Felicity, and as far as I knew, there wasn't  a chance they'd do something like this on purpose. As I stood and walked to the sink, I remembered Grimm's delivery. He'd been so friendly that day, and every time we'd met. But he had access to the prepared spaghetti... Could he have switched the mushrooms? It didn't make sense, but he was the only lead I had. After all, he didn't know Soseki and Weiss. After washing my face and trying to fix my matted hair, I looked out the window. No one was in sight, and I gave a sigh. I needed to talk with Grimm...

Five guilt-filled minutes later I knocked at the door of Grimm's room, hoping he was in. I'd left a note in case anyone returned before I did, but I hoped strongly that I'd be the first back. Weiss would never trust me again if he knew what I was doing, but maybe he'd forgive if I explained why. Though knowing Weiss, he'd be even more upset that I was confronting someone I suspected of poisoning me, however accidentally it may have been. Luckily I felt nothing like I had when I'd first woken, and I was able to keep my throat clear and stand steadily as I waited for Grimm to open the door. What greeted me when he did was nothing like I'd anticipated. I found myself trapped in the tight hold of a hug, and only after about twenty seconds did he release me, apologizing over and over. "I'm so sorry Rose Red. I was just really worried. I heard about your illness, and I haven't heard from you in a couple days, so I was just really relieved to see you looking healthy. Are you okay? I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I wanted to try making the spaghetti, but I used the wrong mushrooms, and I told Clement, and he told me to pay for your treatment, so I went to find Klaus. I'm sorry. When I did though, he was with that long-haired writer, and when I explained, Soseki started shouting at me, so I came home, and now you're here. I'm sorry, please forgive me, Rose Red."

I stared at Grimm for about a minute, letting his words sink in. They seemed sincere, but there was something chilling in his last sentence. Those words and that voice... He was... I took a step back and brushed against the door to my own room. "Grimm... It's fine," I lied, smiling to hide my shock. "I've made similar mistakes. I have to go, but I'll see you later, okay?" With a friendly nod, the raven-haired man waved, closing his door as I walked in slow, measured steps down the hall. Once at the stairwell I looked back, relieved that the door was still closed. As soon as I was outside I broke into a run, knowing that I risked Weiss finding out about my visit if I slowed.

I only allowed myself to think once I'd closed the door of Soseki's house behind me, and I leaned against it for a minute before snatching my note from the table with shaking hands and tearing it up. Who is Grimm? Why does his voice sound like the one from my dream??? Was he telling the truth, or...? Once again, my mind was racing out of my control. I laid on my back on the bed, putting an arm over my forehead as I stared at the ceiling. Nothing was making sense, and I was afraid of what I'd find if I managed to piece everything together. I closed my eyes, letting the darkness aid me.  Grimm seemed to be suffering far more than he'd let on when he'd told me of his home and spaced out at the restaurant. But why would he have lied to me? The more I learned of Grimm, the less I could be sure of, and that was dangerous. If he truly was the dark wraith of my nightmare, why did he seem so sad and lost? And if he wasn't, why did he so strongly resemble one in desperate need of the freedom that specter craved?

The door was opened, and I listened blindly as three pairs of footsteps marched to the 'room' I was resting in. "Rose," Klaus' voice called, "If you're awake, please do your best to sit up so I can give you the immunizations." With a groan I obeyed, holding out my left arm. I didn't like being jabbed with needles, but with Klaus' strict procedures they couldn't have been contaminated with anything vile. As the doctor swabbed the injection site I looked past him, giving Weiss and Soseki a wave with my free hand. My cousin smiled back, but the journalist didn't notice the gesture. He looked either pissed or brooding, and I wondered if he was upset about the conversation he'd had with Grimm. Of course, I wasn't about to ask him and give away my earlier escapade, but I did joke, "What took you guys so long, huh?"

Weiss frowned at Soseki, grumbling, "This idiot had to buy his own shot from Klaus because he hasn't slept enough, so when I got there he was lying on the path mumbling nonsense while Klaus prodded him with a stick. Apparently they'd run into that Grimm guy, and after chewing him out Soseki finally toppled. Since Klaus didn't have his gear and obviously couldn't leave the guy there, I helped him drag Soseki to the clinic. Once he was back to normal-ish we grabbed the medicine and came back here. Sorry you had to wait." I chuckled and glanced at Soseki as Klaus handed me a bandaid and set the syringes in a plastic bag. "Are you alright, Old Man?" With a half-convincing smile, the journalist replied, "That's still my nickname? Then I think I'm fine."

"So, can I go home now?" I asked Klaus eagerly. With a frown, he shook his head, sighing, "One more night under observation. The injections should take up to twelve hours to take effect. After that, you're free to stay wherever you wish. I advise you to be careful, and in the future, please at least try to maintain your health." Returning the sigh, I replied, "I get it..." Once the doctor had taken his leave, I looked to Weiss and Soseki, who always seemed to be involved when I needed anything. The overprotective relative and the troubled friend, huh? "Thanks, you two," I mumbled, frowning at Weiss' grin as he asked, "What was that?" The smile endured as I snapped, "I said thanks. You got a problem with that?" Soseki, who finally seemed to be in the conversation, replied, "I think we should celebrate. Who's up for some grass juice and eel rice?" Weiss gagged and shook his head. "Grass juice? That's just nasty." Amused but not about to make Weiss drink it, I looked at Soseki, asking, "How about you make some Cafe Mocha instead? It does go well with eel rice." The writer nodded, and Weiss shrugged. "That's fine by me," he added.

Since there were only two chairs, Soseki moved the table toward the foot of the bed, propping pillows as cushions and sitting there after setting the food and drinks on the table. Ten minutes later, amidst laughter and a pleasant meal, he was sound asleep, and Weiss confided in me something he told me Soseki needn't know. "The way he's treated you these past few days is something I hadn't anticipated. I don't want to see him hurt by your apathy. I will say that I trust him now... But please, if you care about him, don't pretend you don't deserve a friendship. This guy seems the type to be easily fooled, so if you act like you hate his guts he'll believe you."

I stared at Weiss, griping, "So you're saying you think I like him? As if, moron. I've known him for technically nine days now, and not once have I thought about him like that. So take your preaching somewhere else." With a knowing smile, Weiss shrugged, adding, "It's not my fault if you do something stupid in your denial and miss your chance." I frowned at him. "What chance?" I inquired suspiciously, careful not to sound too interested. "Yes, what chance?" Soseki echoed, yawning and sitting up to take a clueless drink of coffee as Weiss and I froze in place, staring. "How much did you hear?" Weiss asked suspiciously.

"Enough~"

... Great...
My name is Rose Red. I'm a writer. My cousin, Weiss Snow, is the man chosen to revive Echo Town a year ago. After mourning my parents' deaths I accepted Weiss' invitation to live in Echo Town, and his challenge to attend the Starry Night Festival. But with prophetic nightmares and my own inhibitions in my way, could a journalist with a dark past be the key to my new beginning?
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