Authoress's Note: Yay! My first chappie for my first Willy longfic and a big than you to my beloved Kuya and Ate! I do hope that this story will help in spreading the Willy love.

Disclaimer: I won't ever own HM. Ever.

Innocence isn't an object that can last forever. Even though it has been shown in many ways, such as the innocent faces of young children or the empty minds of teens, yet the worst seems greatly feared… the innocence of love. They say that when one experiences this feeling, he or she falls into a pit of sand where you seem to be stuck no matter how hard you try to escape. If you try to struggle, you will just sink deeper and deeper until you are swallowed into nothing.

Being born into a noble family, I vowed to myself to never fall into that pit.

I walked across the islands and saw couples buzzing by here and there, both young and old. From the expressions on their faces, you can see joy and contentment radiating from them. I turned to see a girl with beautiful blond hair wearing an elegant ivy dress staring quietly, yet talking rather boisterously, at a fisherman wearing a mauve bandana.

"That's so funny, Denny!" I heard the girl coo. The dark skinned man laughed in unison with his partner all while continuing to fish for underwater bounties. They shared humorous stories while remaining right next to each other. I glanced to my left to see two young children playing tag near the shore as well. What were their names again… was it Charlie and Eliza? It doesn't seem important at the moment since the pair is enjoying their time rather blissfully.

Two villagers, a boy and a girl with hair the color of a ripe peach, were both cleaning the rooms of their lovely abode while happily humming a tune. The same was going on with another peach-haired lady who at the moment was busy sweeping the front of their house. They were all smiling and laughing and having fun all at the same time.

It seemed that love is far too prominent in this village. Whether it involves family, friendship or romance, love is in great abundance here. Question is will I find my share of affection here as well?

I took a short boat trip going to Volcano Island. As I rode on the small quaint boat, a small sly smile escaped from my lips. The salty spray of seawater splashing across the surface of my face calmed my nerves while the sun shone brightly across the azure sky. Aquatic creatures of different shapes and sizes, of different hues and shades, swam below the cool surface of the clear seawater that surrounded the islands.

When we arrived on the island, I thanked the boatman and walked briskly toward the entrance near the caves. Before I was even ten feet from the cave, I stopped abruptly.

There across the shore stood a majestic white yacht floating near the island. I squinted my eyes in an attempt to see clearer. Yet in the end, I ended up walking half a mile at least for me to fully appreciate the aquatic transportation. Looking at it closer, it almost looked like a carriage made for seawater explorations.

"Hello there," a voice called from behind me.

My skin tingled and I automatically changed my position to a defensive stance. To my surprise, the voice came from another newcomer like me. I lowered my stance and replied in a rather stern voice.

"I'm sure you realize that it's not polite for you to sneak up from behind other people's backs."

A soft expression filled the young man's face. "Please forgive me. I was just rather excited to see another villager walking around the island." His voice was rather calm and gentle so I softened my voice as well. I smiled at him rather playfully.

"You know, if you want to mingle with the others you should park this beautiful yacht somewhere around Sprout or Verdure Island. Most of the villagers have their homes built there and I'm certain such a vessel will attract their attention."

"I see." He gave me a sincere smile then bowed before me, not as one might bow before royalty, but more of a polite act. He then gently took my hand and kissed it as well. In return, I curtsied and smiled at him once more. I couldn't help but wonder why I suddenly felt so warm inside. Shaking my head I tried to make sense of what I was feeling. Maybe it's the weather to blame I told myself.

I averted my attention back to the large ship. "You really have quite a magnificent yacht, really. I've only seen ships like that in magazines, never in person." I gazed once again up at the lovely aquatic ride, tracing the small outlines of sailboat patterns right along the edge. Golden engraves could be easily be spotted right along the edge along with the faint trimmings of waves.

The young man gave me an appreciative smile. "Thank you for your kind words. The ship was actually a present from my father. He gave it to me when we both decided that I would travel all over the world."

I nodded. "It seems that we're the same, you and I." I approached him and pointed to all the bare rocks and soil that was scattered around the sandy shoreline. I grabbed a tiny rock and held it up to show him. "You see this tiny seemingly innocent stone?" I placed the stone in between two fingers and with a little power; I smashed the tiny rock, revealing a sparkling stone inside.

"You see, like you I travel the world to find treasure. Not just gold and gems, but other treasures that have been hidden and that are meant to be kept away from the world. It's those hidden ones that are most difficult to find and very rare. But once you find it at the location and reveal what has been hidden away, all the labor you have invested becomes worthwhile." I showed him the rock that I just crushed and slowly look into his eyes… his dazzling azure eyes. Orbs that were the color of the sky and ocean, no, maybe even more.

My daze was broken when I noticed a silhouette looming over him. I turned to the right to see that it was the sun, and it was setting over the horizon. I suddenly panicked at how late it had become and I knew that it was time to leave. "Well then, it was a pleasure meeting you today," I said. I curtsied before turning and slowly walking away from the gentleman. I turned once more and gave the handsome young man a quick wave as I headed back towards the boat dock. He returned my wave and I hurried on my way.

Bright hues of pink, orange and red were painted all over the clear, cloudless sky. Birds, seagulls and sparrows and more to even mention, flew across the sky. A few flocks even dove in to spray some water or catch fish before evening fell. Little did I know that the blond haired young man had been left awestruck and speechless.

-0-

This day was something I didn't expect that would happen.

I've been having haunting dreams lately not nightmares as these dreams were never scary. They were just haunting… something that leaves you afraid and you don't know the exact reason why. I always dream about the same place, the same time, and the same reason but as to why it always comes back every night I don't know why.

Standing in the grassy meadows on one of the islands here, I see a beautiful sunset, but not an ordinary one that you would see every day. The sun burst hues, shades and tones of mauve, fiery red and gold. The colors seem to shift from one shade to another, from darker to lighter and back to normal. The cycle repeats again and again, like it was a giant kaleidoscope we were seeing, a day-time aurora being lit in the sky.

I take a few steps along the cobblestoned pathway, lined with roses of each kind varying from color to fragrance to bloom, until I read the beach. The beach was decorated in some sort of fancy wedding-like atmosphere with rose bouquets strewn all across the pier and the rest of the cobblestoned pathway.

Petals of red, pink and white lay scattered all across the sand following a constellation pattern. In the middle stood a table, a round three-legged structure like the one used in the café. Directly in the center was a basket full of different gems displayed as the centerpiece. Fragrant candles filled the air with scents of orange blossoms and vanilla.

But the most wonderful part was that a tall, lean man was standing near the shore observing the view, inhaling the atmosphere at its finest. Slowly, step by step, I approach him and extend my arm… wrapping it around his. His golden locks swayed with the wind like mine, and his sapphire orbs seem to turn into a soft liquid color which made my heart conjure up a tornado inside.

Then, it slowly dissolved away like it was the end. The sunset colors, the fragrance of the roses, the soft brush of his fingers with mine, his last whisper of a soft "Hello", all gone. Gone with the wind…

I sat bolt upright, unbeknownst to me that it was all just a dream, a dream that had the potential to either kill you, or to send you to an eternal bliss.

Dreams are wishes of the heart, are they not? But why do those haunting images return every night? I didn't wish for those, I didn't yearn for those and yet still they return…what a mystery.

I'm your average dreamer who yearns to have their own happy ending someday. And maybe, just maybe, in spite of my best attempts to avoid it, I'm slowly sinking to that pit of innocence I feared.