Summary: There are three things you should know. One; I hate that stupid jeweller, Yuko, with a bloody passion. Two; I keep getting into... Awkward situations that involve her. Three; I've been seeing the same girl in my dreams for five years, and I think she's somehow connected to Yuko... I can't put my finger on HOW they're connected though.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon or its characters in any way, but Yuko is mine.

.

.

.

"Do you want to play?" she asked, a faint smile as she held out a pale hand.

"Who are you?" I questioned back, yet I walked over and took her small hand, allowing her to lead me toward a wide meadow, where the grass was the brightest of greens, and flowers of every colour scattered throughout the tree-lined opening.

She just smiled at me, the same response she always gave when I asked the so-familiar question. I watched her, as a child may watch a flower, waiting it to bloom, waiting for any sign she would tell me her name. The girl was only a child, but then again, I seemed to be as well; her hair was the whitest of white, and her eyes clearer and greener than any emerald. She was dressed in a frilly pale green and white dress, its design any porcelain doll would be envious of. "Let's dance," she said finally, stopping in the middle of the meadow to turn to me. She took my right hand and placed it on her left hip, holding my left hand in her right.

We danced in silence, my eyes glued to the ground as to make sure I wouldn't step on her feet by accident, but every now and then I would glance up to see her smiling at me.

In the distance, a clock tower bonged three times, alerting to all it was three in the afternoon. Our dance stopped abruptly as she stepped back and curtsied, obviously something that was more instinct rather than a practiced action. "I must get back now. I'm already late for afternoon tea with Mama." The girl smiled and turned, running towards the forest at a speed one wouldn't expect from a child so petite.

"Wait!" I called and started after her. She didn't slow her pace, but rather quickened it, trying to get me off her trail, but my long legs gave me the advantage. In a few moments time, I was able to take hold of her wrist, causing her to yelp and stumble back a few steps. "Please, what is your name?" I tried again, hoping for an answer this time 'round.

The girl wouldn't do so much as look at me, keeping her face straight ahead. "I must get back now. If I'm late, Mama will surely scold me."

"Just tell me your name!" I begged, tightening my grip on her arm.

She looked back for a moment, smiled, and I glanced down at my hand when I felt the sudden dissappearance of her wrist. I looked up just in time to see her vanish into a black, smokey mist, almost like ash. I whipped my head around, looking for her, trying to find a sign of where she went. But rather than a sign of where she went, I looked around to see the meadow get eaten by darkness, every blade of grass and every flower petal turning into the same ash that the girl had become in mere seconds.

I opened my eyes, just to stare up at the familiar ceiling of my room in the Inn. No meadow, no grass and flowers, no girl, no ash beside me. It was a dream.

A dream I've been having every night for the last five years.

Well, not exactly; each night somewhat varies. Sometimes the girl is just a babe, others, like tonight, a child, sometimes a teenager or adult, and others an old woman. But there're two things in common with each dream; every night it's the same girl, whatever her age, and every night, I'm unable to find out what her name is.

Sitting up on my bed, I rubbed my eyes with the heels of my hands, blinking a few times and just sitting there in a daze. I finally yawned and stretched my arms to the sky, shaking off my covers and standing, glancing over at my night side table, and staring at the numbers on my alarm clock for a few moments. I continued looking at the numbers until they made sense. "Crap! I'm late!"

I was practically running around my room, thankful my roommates weren't here to start yelling at me to keep the volume down; Nope, the first one, Kai, was long gone now considering it was late fall, and he only came to town during the summer. And Cliff? Well, he just had to get up early to get to the Winery on time for work every morning, considering he really needed that job if he was to stay in town. By the time I was ready and glancing over at the clock once more, four minutes after I last checked it, I was in my uniform of work boots, tan slacks with a coat to match, along with a navy turtle neck shirt so the bitter cold of the outdoors wouldn't freeze me to death. Grabbing my blue, red and yellow UMA cap, I was out the door and off towards the Blacksmiths, in no rush at all; half way down the stairs, I had realized I was late already, so what difference would a few extra minutes make?

"Gabriel. Elliot. Johnson. Over here. Now."

Yup. Gramps was pissed. Saibara, the actual blacksmith or the town, was my grandfather, mentor, and the reason I would go deaf earlier than anyone else my age.

Sighing, I prepared myself for the worst, rubbing my left temple a moment before walking over to him. "Yes?" I asked, and I could literally hear the annoyance in my own tone. No doubt he would give me a ten minute lecture if I was lucky, but it would likely go on for twenty, maybe thirty minutes. And then he would send me to the bitter mines again to "ponder over my mistakes".

"I want you to go over to the mines today. Bring Yuko with you; she'll keep you in check and make sure you're doing your work. I expect some good copper or silver at the very least," the white-bearded man said, skipping right over the expected daily lecture for the first time in… Well, ever.

In all honestly though, I would rather have him lecture me every hour for the rest of my life than be stuck with… With her. With Yuko, of all people. He must have skipped the bloody lecture and made it so I went straight into my bloody punishment. "I would rather go myself," I replied, giving the old man the sharpest glare I could muster before turning and picking up my hammer.

"No. Yuko is going with you, and that's final."

Glaring at the door I was so close to having escaped through, I let out an agitated sigh, putting a death grip on my hammer, imaging how nice it would be to hit Saibara with it. Unfortunately, my sister, Ann, and my dad wouldn't be too impressed if I killed or hurt Mom's last living relative that we knew of.

Walking over to the back of the shop, I banged hard against a door that would lead to Yuko's workplace; she was the jeweler of the island, and Thomas, the damn mayor, decided it would be convenient to place her here in the Smithy's. "Yuko!" I called in utter annoyance, glaring at the back of my grandfather's head. Hearing nothing from inside, I opened the door, to find her fumbling with her newest piece; a necklace from the looks of it.

"Bloody hell Gray, don't scare me like that. And what do you want? I have work to do," she said in annoyance once she got a proper hold on the peice of jewelery, obviously as displeased with talking to me as I was her.

Yuko, the girl who owned a tongue of venom, was a fairly small girl, and one could tell more so when she stood beside Gray; her being five foot six and him standing at a solid six feet. Her hair was black as coal, and hung straight to her lower hips. In contrast to her dark hair, her eyes were a bright sapphire that mirrored the colour of my own eyes, but her eyes were usually set behind a pair of black rimmed glasses that were usually perched upon her nose. Of course, I've heard she only wears them for work purposes, and just doesn't bother to take them off before or after, but who knows?

"Hellooooo?" she said as she stood and waved a hand in front of my face. "Why're you in my office? Does Saibara need me or something?"

Sighing in annoyance for the billionth time, I took my UMA cap off for a moment, running my fingers through my hair, placing my hat back on my head right after. "Gramps said you're to come to the mines with me tod- Why are you grinning like that? "

"Your hair. It really is a reddish-brown," she said in what seemed to be amusement. She really did notice the oddest things about a person. "I've never seen you without your cap on."

I tugged my cap down, mentally cursing myself as I felt my cheeks heat up slightly. Goddess, it was too easy to make me blush… And the fact that the person I hate more than anything in the world was making me blush was ten times worse. "Well stop grinning like that. You're freaking me out. And hurry up, Gramps is gonna get in a mood if we don't leave soon." Well, really, I just wanted to leave already so I could get the ores in the mines faster, and be rid of this treacherous woman.

"Uh, Mister High-and-Mighty, three things; one, don't tell me what to do. Two, I'm the jeweler; I'm not supposed to go to the mines. Especially with a jerk like you. And three, I don't have a hammer." The damn woman stood in position, her arms crossed, obviously unwilling to come. What did she think she was? Superior to me? Yeah, not a chance.

"You leave me no choice then," I said, a smirk cutting across my lips. I took two long strides over to the girl, and before she could get a "What the hell do you think you're doing?" in, I lifted her up and slung her over my shoulder, the way one might carry a sack of potatoes. I picked up my own hammer along with a smaller one for Yuko, a rucksack to put any ores in, and with those in hand, I was off to the mines, a screaming, hitting and kicking woman over my shoulder. Ah, it was always so amazing to piss her off. "For the record, we're going pretty deep into the mines. Considering you're a beginner in mining, you'll most likely pass out. But don't worry; I'll come get you before the coyotes eat you. Maybe."

"Oh really?" she hissed, obviously unimpressed at the fact she was being carried around like an object. I grinned at the thought. "Well you know, I'm a klutz and all, and knowing me, the hammer might just slip and hit you on the head when we're there." And with that, I let go of her completely, allowing her to fall to the ground, her shriek piercing my ears as she was air born for a few seconds.

"Whoops. Pardon me. I guess you just slipped from my hands." I dropped her hammer on the ground, causing Yuko to jump slightly, flinch and pull her hands and feet back as if she expected me to drop the tool on her or something. Which would've been a good idea, actually; I should have thought about that beforehand. I'll have to keep it for next time I guess.

I continued walking, and after a few minutes, I heard a lighter echo of my steps, obviously belonging to none other than Yuko. Damn. I was hoping she would turn back after I, uh, dropped her off. "You know," I called, eyes glued ahead at the path that wound up a miniature mountain, and that would lead us up to three places; the mines, the Harvest Goddess Spring, and the Hot Springs. It was actually quite convenient having the hot springs so close to the mines; it meant you could soak in the water, relax and regain some lost energy after working in the mines. "If you keep walking behind me like that, people are going to think you're stalking me to the hot springs or something, and watch as I bathe."

"You're calling me the stalker?" she retorted, and I could hear the acting as she tried to sound shocked, "Yet you're the one who follows me home every day!"

"We live in the same place, and we work at the same place, so we get off work around the same time!" I shot back. I couldn't believe she actually tried saying that I, of all people, was a stalker!"

"You still follow me every day. Even Ann notices!"

"Annabelle is my sister. She doesn't count, since she says that stuff just to embarrass me!" Ug. Why did I have to open my mouth in the first place? Things were so peaceful before… Actually, I should have just ignored Gramps in the first place and left without her; that would make things ten times easier!

"Sure, sure," Yuko replied, jogging to match her pace to mine, allowing me to see the devious smirk on her face. I hadn't even noticed we arrived at the mouth of the cave until she continued, "Well, are you ready then Sweetie Pie?" she asked, only to receive a smack upside the head from me. "Hey! What was that for?"

"Never call me that again," I stated simply, walking over to the Goddess Spring, kneeling on one knee and silently praying that the journey within the mines would be a safe and successful one. This was the one thing I did right before I went into the mines at any time; I refused to go in without praying after Ma died in a freak cave-in when she was on a business trip. Opening my eyes, I glanced over to see Yuko staring at the spring, but something was off… I rubbed my eyes with the heels of my hands, and looked at the woman again, her eyes the same sapphire as I remembered. Humm. I guess I'm seeing things now. I really need to stop listening to Kai's messed up stories that he tells whenever he's in town.

Without another exchange of insults, we went into the mines, and started smashing rocks. Thankfully I had been in the mines a few days prior, allowing me to uncover a few sets of stairs that we were able to walk down with ease. The trail of uncovered stairs stopped at what I counted to be the seventh floor; not too deep down, but at least there would be something decent at this level.

By the time I could hear Yuko's ragged breathe, I had smashed a good twenty stones or so, and uncovered seven copper and two silver. "G-Gray…" she started, causing me to look over, just to see her leaning against her hammer with five broken stones in a circle around her. "Th-this isn't working. I c-can't find… A-anything…"

I picked up my ore and slid it into the rucksack, slipping one of the bags straps over my shoulder, holding my hammer in one hand before I walked over and kneeled down. "You aren't looking hard enough then wimp," I stated easily with a small grin, picking up a gold ore; something rare this high in the mines. I slipped it into my bag and surveyed her other broken rocks, only finding a copper; the other three just had junk ore, which was of no use. "This should be enough to keep Gramps happy enough for today. You better be able to walk up the steps yourself, or I'm leaving you here for whatever is down here to find you," I simply stated with a grin, despite the fact I was one hundred and fifty percent serious.

I watched as she picked up her hammer with shaking arms, and saw her nasty glare sent directly to me before everything went black. Yuko screamed at the sudden loss of light, her voice echoing to who knows how many levels. I heard her move forward rather than see her before feeling her body collide with mine. It only made me step back a few steps, and I was thankfully able to keep my footing. I looked down, despite not being able to see a thing, and smirked when I felt her shaking hands clutching the front of my jacket. "Aww, is little Yuko scared of the dark?" I teased.

"Shut up and get us out of here," her voice replied, as shaky and unstable as the hands that clutched me. I rolled my , forgetting she couldn't see, and started leading her back towards the stairs, knowing where they were from having walked up them many times before. Plus any good miner knows to remember where the exit is in any mine, just in case something like this happened. A sharp growl from the left stopped us both hard in our tracks. "Please tell me that was you."

Usually, I would make some kind of sarcastic comment, but mutely, I just shook my head. Remembering she couldn't see me, I spoke up, "No; I was hoping it was you trying to freak me out… But let's keep going to the stairs," I suggested, nudging her leg with my foot to keep her walking.

The growl sounded again, and something to my left caught my attention; a sound, something moving in the darkness, I don't know what, but something. Looking over, I saw nothing, but Yuko's tensing, stopping and tightening her death grip on my clothes caused me to look forward once more, only to see two red and glowing circles, that oddly resembled the shape of eyes…

.

.

.

A/n: LOOK WHO'S BACK! Well, technically you would know me as Misty121416 if anything, but this is my new account, so yeah xD But sorry for the two to three month absence! There's been a lot of stuff lately keeping me from being able to write my fics Dx Mainly computer-related things, but also the fact I recently moved xD

NOW ONTO THE STUFF ABOUT THIS STORY!

As some of you may have guessed, Big Surprise is a re-write of the story (on my old account) Yuko's Little Secret, but this is written in first person in Gray's perspective. I've been thinking about making a second story titled Little Lie that would be Yuko's point of view, but it's still undecided whether I'll do that or not. If I get a fair amount of reviewers or if I have a few people who want me to write the second half, I'll write it. One way or another, Big Surprise is my top priority. And man. I was reading the first chapter of YLS while writing this, and even though it's similar, I'm changing the content of this one so much xD Oh well, at least this time around, I have a solid story line for the most part.

Anyways, I hope you liked chapter one of Big Surprise! Remember, reviews are always good ;D Ciao for now 3