Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Harvest Moon, and neither do you. Natsume and Marvelous Interactive do, so get over it.
Harvest Moon
Ninja Of The Night
Darkness came to the hidden forest of Wasurenai. A figure in back ran silently and stealthily through the trees and fields. Upon closer look, the figure happened to have long, curly pink hair, worried ruby eyes, and a black face mask. Much weighed figure's mind, yet its objective was clear.
"My first solo stealth assassination… I wasn't expecting to do this so soon! And to think the target is a rogue ninja. They must expect a lot from me, but… I cannot fail! I've worked too hard to finally shed myself of that childish reputation of mine! But… why did they have to assign me such a serious mission so soon? I would've been okay with another "charm & kill" mission! And that's my specialty! I can actually put that bubbly farce of mine to good use!" she thought with tears in her eyes.
"No! I must succeed! What would Lyla-semapi think of me if I were to just drop out? Besides… failure equals death, and I don't want that! Yes… this is all for the sake of both my and my life! And Lyla-sempai's reputation as well!"
A few moments later of running through the woods, and the figure was still breathing healthily.
"… Lyla-sempai… why did you have to convince me into doing this?" she thought in a sudden panic.
"Poppy-chan, I know this sort of mission isn't exactly the easiest, but all ninja must eventually do this if they are to truly grow in the ways of stealth. Besides, all things are usually hard the first time. I've been with you from the beginning of your training, Poppy-chan; I know what you're capable of. You have the skill, stealth, and cunning to pull this off, so I believe in you. Just do your best and everything will be just fine! I promise!" The voice of the figure's Student Mentor echoed in her head.
"Lyla-sempai…" the pink-haired ninja thought with fondness in her heart and tears in her eyes.
Eventually, after all the running, she spotted a tiny shack glowing in the dark. She immediately halted to slowly creep towards the luminous building. Afterwards, she put her back to the wall and slowly moved her way towards a window.
"This is it… I'm finally here! Now all I have to is get some useful Intel before offing the Rogue, and I'm home free!" she thought with glee.
Carefully, she took a quick glance in and saw not one, but two vague figures before pulling her head back.
"W-wait a minute!!! Two Rogues?! But… oh no! What if this rogue is connected to the sinister Kage Bushin organization? I… have to find out!"
"Poppy-chan" then took a glass cup and put it against the wall carefully to get a close listen to the conversation.
Inside the humble shack were two beds, two desks, and two shelves separated into two separate corners of the room. In the middle were indeed two ninja dressed in blue.
One was a hyperactive fellow doing impressive flips around the shack. His short blonde hair parted in the middle, and had lively hazelnut eyes. Some would say he had a rather handsome face. He wore a sky-blue ninja robes with a black shirt underneath.
The other ninja was meditating right in the middle of the shack, although she faced a lot of frustration. She had equally short scarlet red hair with loose flowing bangs. Her eyes shot wide open to reveal icy blue eyes as she glared at her excitable partner. In contrast, she wore Midnight Blue Ninja robes, but also wore a black shirt underneath.
"I'm a ninja! It's your birthday! I'm a ninja! It's your birthday!" The blonde ninja cried as he jumped around in glee.
"Would you--- quiet! I'm trying to concentrate!" The red-haired ninja complained.
"Dude, we're Ninja! We graduated from Ninja Tech!" the blonde boasted in response.
"Yeah, but that means… that means respecting what it means to be a ninja." The more cynical one argued back.
"No! Dude, I'm gonna go to parties… People are gonna go to parties and won't even know I'm there… and they'll be like "Did you hear something, Gray?" and they'll be like "No!" And then I'll be all "clanging" up on the ceiling! And they're gonna look up and they're gonna be like, "What the—a Ninja? Awesome! It's a party!" I'll be like, "Just throw the cake up here, please!" Dude, I'm a ninja!" the pretty boy ninja blathered.
The red-haired ninja let out a long sigh.
"Listen, no no no…Don't exploit---"
The blonde ninja interrupted by taking off his robe.
"I'm wearing all black!" he cried while pointing to his shirt.
"Don't exploit the ninja!" the red-haired ninja shouted. "The ninja is calm, REPEAT, calm!"
"Calm, yeah, I know…" the blonde muttered.
The ninja in dark blue then got up and began lecturing her eager partner.
"Okay, Defense!" she began.
"Oh yeah." The blonde said with a nod.
"Strategy…" the red-head voiced with strong emphasis.
"Yes."
"Eye of the Dragon…"
The blonde ninja let out an obscenely quirky warrior cry.
Then the red-head took in a deep, relaxing breath and developed a more serene look on her face. She actually looked quite enchanting at the moment.
"Feel the power of the energy from below." She instructed.
The blonde joined in and went into deep concentration…
But that lasted for only a few seconds.
He then clenched his hands with vigor in his eyes.
"We must go out, and "Ninja" in the night!" he proclaimed.
Surprisingly, his partner agreed with a cool grin.
Both of them then turned their heads towards the door.
"You must start our quest." The red-haired ninja insisted.
"Shall we?"
"Yes…"
The ninja duo started approaching the door.
Meanwhile, Poppy-chan from outside quickly made her way towards the entrance to strike them down.
"Now's my chance!" she thought to herself.
But before either the pink-haired ninja or the ninja pair could reach the entry door, a powerful figure crashed through the ceiling and stood before the duo proudly.
"Mwahaha… no way you're going out questing tonight, Blondy! Tonight's your last night to live, cuz' you're dealing with the greatest assassin of all. From America!" the intruder announced.
The incoming assassin had messy brown hair that went out in all directions, and equally-brown sharp eyes. He wore a "star-spangled" blue bandana with a red lining, and wore a white and red shirt beneath his brown ninja robes.
Immediately, the red-haired ninja reached for a few long needles and aimed them straight at the intruder's face, which he dodged at blazing speed.
"...What's the meaning of this?!" she shouted furiously.
The American ninja appeared right at the female's side.
"Huh… Nami. I wasn't expecting an elite "Jonin" to be in cahoots with a failure like him." He said while nudging his head towards the blonde.
The ninja named Nami took out a blade hidden in her robe and slashed at the boastful intruder, who avoided it with an impressive back flip.
"Failure?" Nami cried with a puzzled look on her face.
"Yeah, what do you mean, failure?! I passed the final test and graduated and everything!!!" the blonde cried out. "Granted, it was with a D- Grade Average, but I still passed, so there!"
"Huh…" The American ninja uttered with a chuckle.
"That's the thing--- the guys at Ninja Tech made a mistake. You were never meant to pass… not even "barely". Therefore, in order to make up for this fault in the system, the higher-ups decided you had to be erased from the system… permanently." He stated. "And that's what my job is!"
Meanwhile, on the outside, the pink-haired ninja clutched her hair furiously. "So THAT'S what this has been all about! They must've realized the High-Ranking Ninja hanging out with home, so they immediately sent these Elite to handle the mission as well!"
"Cocky little punk!" Nami snarled as she tossed a greater swarm of needles in the intruder's direction, but this time he slipped seamlessly into the shadows and disappeared from sight.
The shack echoed with devious laughter.
"Come now, Nami! You honestly think a few measly projectiles will be able to stop me in my tracks?!" he gloated.
"You think I'd waste my best techniques on some amateur like you?" Nami cried back.
"Might as well… you haven't been doing too well with your last few moves." The intruder taunted. "But I'm not sure if even Elite like you can measure up. Didn't you know? The best ninja are always born and raised… in America!"
Nami sighed. "Yeah, just ignore the fact that Ninja came from Japan…" she muttered to herself.
She then faced her ninja partner. "Hey, Rock! How about you take care of this Poser from across the Pacific?" she suggested.
Rock stared back in a panic. "Wh-what? Dude, are you serious? This guy just moved out of the way of your attacks with ease? What are the chances I actually have of being able to "Ninja" myself out of this?"
"Trust me; you have a much better chance than you think. My techniques aren't even worth the effort on this guy. Just remember everything I told you: Defense, Strategy, Eye of the Dragon, etc. This guy's just some loud-mouthed dodgaholic." She assured her.
"R-right… but doesn't all that stuff require a long period of concentra---"
"DO YOU WANT MORE CHANCES TO "NINJA" IN THE NIGHT?!" Nami interrupted.
In a panic, Rock nodded slowly.
"THEN JUST DO AS I SAY AND KICK THAT AMERICAN NINJA'S ASS!" she barked.
"R-r-right… sorry, Dude…." Rock whimpered back.
"Now please excuse me. There's something else I have to take care of…" Nami said as her eyes looked around cautiously.
A moment later, her body also faded into the darkness, which quickly followed with a dozen kunai aimed straight at Rock's head. The blonde ninja quickly reacted by "pulling a matrix" and limboed under the kunai in a hurry.
Again, the intruder's laughter echoed throughout the shack.
"You can't beat me, I'm an American!" the voice proclaimed proudly.
"Yeah? Well…uh, you can't beat me; I've got a better ship!" Rock answered back.
A period of silence befell the shack.
"Huh?" the intruder's voice plainly uttered.
Rock paid careful attention to the source of the voice and sent a fist towards that direction. Upon impact, the American Ninja was sent spiraling out of the shadows and onto the ground.
"Ha! "Do a barrel roll!"" Rock said with a goofy smirk.
However, the American Ninja recovered quickly and rubbed his bruised face.
"Y-you… what kind of stupid comeback was that?" The intruder asked.
"Well… it worked, didn't it?" Rock pointed out.
"Good point." The intruder agreed.
"And I'm gonna do it again!" Rock cried as he rushed the intruder at full force with a haymaker ready.
Right outside, the pink-haired ninja took quick note of the battle.
"Huh… I guess this means my mission is being taken care of for me. Sorry, Lyla-sempai, but it appears my obligation will be nullified soon. I still can't afford to be seen, so---"
"I thought I sensed another presence around here all of a sudden…" a cool voice behind "Poppy-chan" uttered.
The ninja girl quivered as she felt the cold steel of a kunai brush against her neck.
"You must be highly skilled, to be able to hide from my senses as such until that disturbance came along. Spill it, girl, did you come here for reconnaissance, or are you that American's backup?" she demanded.
"Poppy-chan" merely remained silent. Even with her life at stake, it was part of her code never to reveal anything to the enemy. Instead, she subtly went to work forming a few hand signs.
"Tonsou no Jutsu: Niwatori Bushin!"
"Wh-wha?!"
Nami was taken by surprise as the pink-haired ninja was suddenly replaced by numerous flapping chickens stirring up a panic.
"N-no way… but how did she pull that off without me catching it?" She asked herself in a panic.
Again, she jerked her head around in a fury to try and sense the position of the pink-haired escape artist, but no avail.
"Curses…" she growled. "But I should be thankful that I rarely discuss anything useful to that thick-headed partner of mine."
Suddenly, the screams of both men inside the shack emanated throughout the forest.
"For crying out--- Rock, you better not have screwed up!!!" Nami shouted threateningly as she rushed back inside…
The next morning, in the hidden Village of Niwatori, in a traditional Japanese house, "Poppy-chan" humbly sat while wearing a white kimono decorated with Pinkcat flowers.
Before her was a serene woman with similar pink hair. Her eyes constantly squinted, and her peaceful grin never faltered. She wore two red lilies on the side of her hair, as well as an elegant blue kimono with a red lily pattern.
"Momoko Popuri…" the woman uttered aloud in a soft, yet firm voice.
Popuri gulped. "I'm really, really sorry for not carrying out the mission personally, Lyla-sempai! If the clan insists penance, then I'll gladly accept it!" she cried in embarrassment while bowing over and over again.
The older woman named Llya sighed. "That is not necessary, Poppy-chan. We of the Niwatori Clan do not really care how are who fulfills the objective in the end, as long as it is carried out. Besides, I figured the American Ninja from the Hidden Village of Flowers would complain that we stole their kill had you succeeded."
Popuri let out a sigh of relief. "Oh… thank goodness! So then, what happened, anyway? Did The American succeed?"
Lyla lowered her head for a moment. "Actually, from what I was informed, the American Ninja somehow tripped on a loose board in the epic struggle, followed by the rogue twisting his ankle after tripping over the body over the former. Luckily for us, this means that the Rogue Failure will be put out of commission for awhile. This should give the International Council some time to decide whether or not to go on with the execution to cover for Ninja Tech's mistake…" she explained.
Popuri was about to do a personal celebration cheer until Lyla cleared her throat.
"Unfortunately, this still does not excuse your hesitation." She uttered coolly.
"Ah! I'm sorry!" Popuri squeaked with another bow.
"Poppy-chan… I say this to you not as a figure of authority admonishing a failure, but as a mentor concerned about your development: You can't expect to get better if you do the same kind of missions over and over. Being able to charm and deceive political figures with your cuteness will work from time to time, for sure, but an adjusting government and tighter security are making it increasingly harder to offer such jobs. And, believe me; such charms in humans will not last forever. As the most dexterous task-masters, we must be able to accomplish a multitude of missions, and that includes being able to successfully assassinate rogues who could sell the knowledge of our ancient ways at the drop of a hat. You knew the objective: There was no intelligence to obtain. Going over this, I felt you might have used that as an excuse to stall yourself…" Lyla told her pupil.
"I'm sorry, Lyla-sempai…" Popuri said in a remorseful tone.
"It's… okay. You're still adjusting to this new line of work, aren't you? I'm willing to be patient if you're willing to show more effort and enthusiasm for next time. And… I suppose it wouldn't hurt if we went over the basics of a solo assassination a few times." Lyla replied.
"Really?" Popuri asked hopefully.
Lyla nodded calmly. "Of course. As I've always told you, I see so much potential in you. You've already proven you have the skills, now all you have to do is hone them properly, and in no time you'll be among the best of our village." She assured her pupil.
"Oh, thank you Lyla-sempai!" Popuri squealed as shed leapt up and embraced her Student Mentor in great enthusiasm.
"I swear… next time, no excuses! I'll train extra hard for the next few weeks to make up for it, and next time some random American Ninja won't take away my job! I'll be the best Kuonichi in the village--- no, the greatest Ninja in history! You'll see! I make you more proud of me than you could ever imagine, Lyla-sempai!" Popuri proclaimed.
In this moment of embrace, Lyla stroke her student's hair gently. "I have no doubt you will, Poppy-chan." She answered in a motherly town.
A few moments after the embrace, Popuri's stomach began to growl.
"Oh… right, I haven't had breakfast yet! Well, time to go fix myself a Rice Omelets! Thanks again, Lyla-sempai!!!" Popuri cried.
She got up and rushed towards the exit door in earnest, then paused to bow respectfully towards her beloved student mentor one last time, and finally left to get herself some breakfast.
Lyla's grin grew wider as she giggled in delight.
"I can't wait to see your progress, Poppy-chan. You'll make a great successor of the Niwatori Clan Chieftain, yet!" she said to herself as she placed a triangular ninja hat upon her head with Japanese characters on the rim that translate to "Garden Fowl".
"It's a shame that the former Chieftain, Lilia-dono, had fallen to illness when she was still so young. I was forced to take you in as my apprentice and adopted sister that day and watch over your training until you've proven worthy. It's a daunting task keeping my current position in secret, but it would only be pandemonium if news of Lilia-dono's death were to get out."
She then took out a midnight blue cloak seemingly out of nowhere, wrapped it around her beautiful body, and held up two fingers close to her lips.
"Say strong, my precious Poppy-chan." She said before she disappeared from sight.
Author's Note: This Fic was inspired by a few random sources:
"Popuri's First Love" by Zumaka, which inspired the idea of Popuri being a badass assassin.
A Naruto Parody with the Song from this Fic's namesake, which made me decide all Harvest Moon Characters shall be ninja in this world!
Yu-Gi-Oh, the Abridged Series, which made me put Joe in here as a "l337 American Ninja", as well as a few Star Fox 64 references that might've went over your head.
So, yeah… so little plot, so many laughs. You got to love it, I hope…