Disclaimer: And now, as an adept of the obvious: Farscape is owned by the grand high Mucky Mucks and the Jim Henson Company, I'm just mangling the characters a bit :) I'm making no money off this. No copyright infringement is intended. Any similarity to any other story is coincidence.(and there is similarity to "Long December")

Title: The Harvest
Genre: Farscape ficlit; Chiana character piece; spiritual/melodrama
Rating: PG for Farscape swears.
Timeline: Two years after the Peacekeeper Wars
Summary: Chiana is on Hyneria with a small farm that she's built. She's still not really over D'Argo's death, but someone has just arrived to help her heal.
Author's Notes: Story breaks are indicated by boldface and an ellipsis. Dreams are indicated by purple text.

Harvesting the Hatha
Dreams
Sleepless
Haunted



Chiana reached down into the dark water for yet another bunch of the pink grape-like fruit. Her thin banta reed net scooped up the floating fruit gently and she placed the bunch in the heavier floating basket by her side.

Already, she and Yael had harvested a third of the chiagos fruit from the large pond that took up a good portion of Chiana’s small farm. Dozens of baskets lined the shore, glistening in the light of the blue suns. Bunches of chiagos fruit filled each basket, waiting to be stored in the cooling chambers that had been set aside for them in the storehouse.

Yael stood about a yard away from Chiana, up to his waist in the cool water. He had removed his loose blue shirt and the patterning over his skin was vivid in the sunlight. He used his own banta reed net to carefully harvest the wet fruit from the swirling dark waters.

Chiana took another moment to watch Yael, then waded back to the shore, pushing her reed basket over the water before her. She slid the basket up the shore, then fully waded out of the water and sat down. Slowly, she closed her eyes and tilted back her head, soaking in the sunlight…

“You want to leave,” D’Argo accused, his voice carrying quiet anger and disappointment.

“D’Argo, I can’t do this. It’s not that I don’t love you, I do, but…”

“I should have expected this,” D’Argo continued, his voice still tinged with disappointment.

“D’Argo,” she said, reaching out to him in the dream.

“No, you betrayed me once, I should have expected this,” the Luxon said coldly, pulling back from her…

Chiana woke, gasping and reaching out, uncertain as to where she was. Then she recognized the bank of the pond and the fruit baskets all around her. Yael was kneeling beside her.

“Chiana?”

“I’ve betrayed him, he’s so disappointed.”

“No, Chiana, see truth,” Yael responded, reaching out his fingertips to touch her temples. His fingertips were cool and wet against her face and she focused in on the sensation.

“I can show you truth if you are willing to see,” Yael said.

“Why do you want to help me? What do you want from me?” Chiana asked, years of hard life, and a universe that had nearly broken her time after time, echoing in her wary voice.

“I’m Pa’u,” Yael replied simply. “Let me help you begin the A’hadis, the healing.”

Chiana’s head nodded beneath his cool hands. “Show me.”

The Delvian priest pressed his forehead lightly to hers, keeping a gentle pressure on the Nebari’s temples with his fingertips. He reached into himself, seeking that piece of D’Argo that he had touched when he had shared Unity with the Luxon warrior to bring him back from death. As a thirty third level Pa’u, it was not hard to reach within and then share D’Argo’s soul thoughts with the young Nebari…

“Chiana?” The image thought of D’Argo asked the question carefully.

“D’Argo,” she whispered, reaching forward irresistibly.

Before she could draw her hand back in, D’Argo stepped forward and took it in one of his own strong hands. “I hate to see you so unhappy, Chiana.”

“It’s so hard D’Argo, and I miss you so much. I just…I’ve tried to do what you would have wanted, but it’s just not the same without you.”

“Chiana, all I ever wanted was for you to be happy.”

“Then why did you die? Why did you have to be the hero?” Chiana asked, tears in her voice.

“Oh, Chiana,” D’Argo sighed, as he reached over to touch her cheek. “I died to save you. Why did you die with me?”

“D’Argo I haven’t…”

“Chiana, if you really love me, you’ll live, really live. Be happy Chiana.”

The young Nebari nodded quietly as the image of D’Argo faded…

The images faded from Chiana’s mind as she came back to herself on the banks on the pond where the chiagos fruit floated peacefully. Yael eased his touch from the young gray girl and knelt back on his heels.

“You have begun the A’hadis,” the priest said simply.

“A’hadis,” Chiana whispered…