A/N: Hello, friends! Sparty here. This is a new story I've had floating around in my head, and I know it's been YEARS since I've updated anything, but I've really missed writing and even if nobody ends up reading this or enjoying it, I know that I will enjoy writing it (hopefully). I'm taking a new approach from previous stories by having a plan of sorts with this one. I'm still not 100% sure in my head what I'll do, which is if I want a darker or more light-hearted approach to this, but I'll probably end up choosing the latter. Let me know what you guys think though, too!

Rating is for safety, but mostly because of language here and there.

The POV will mostly focus on Molly, but Kasey and other characters will have their thoughts shared to a certain degree as well. As best as I can, anyway ^^'

Anyway, enough chatter - here's my newest story, Roots. :)

Chapter One: The Favor

"I already told you, Kasey. Out of the question." Molly retorted to her brother, who was giving her sad puppy-dog eyes.

"Why not, Molls? You'd love farming!"

Molly sighed in exasperation as she tried to wander through the cobblestone church grounds to avoid her badgering brother. Initially, she was excited to finally see him after so many years and accompany him to Harmonica Town's annual Flower Festival. From their long-distance phone calls, he would often mention how pretty the cherry blossoms were.

Right now, however, she was starting to regret making the trip out here.

He was asking her to take over his farm for him while he went on some mission trip to Goddess-knows-where to "improve" the dwindling economy. Molly figured what he really meant was: the land is going to shit, I'm not making money, I want to leave without the people here thinking I'm a jerk.

Molly couldn't understand why Kasey thought it was a good idea to pursue a career in farming in this day-and-age. Castanet was once known for its bountiful resources, but it was common knowledge that the lands were deteriorating over the past fifteen or so years. Regardless, Kasey instantly fell in love with the place during a family trip when they were younger. Molly must've been too young to remember the trip, though, as she barely remembers the area at all.

Kasey poked her side, startling her from her train of thought.

"Eep!" Molly recoiled from the jab, then glared at her brother. "Kasey, cut it out! I'm trying to actually enjoy the festival." She gestured to the flowery displays and the few booths set up by the townsfolk. Which wasn't a total lie — the cherry blossoms were beautiful this time of year compared to the ones in the city.

"If you love the festivals here so much, why don't you just stay?" He gestured his arms as if he was forming a rainbow over the space between them and smiled brightly. "Please, Molly. You'll really be helping me out," he concluded sincerely.

Molly exhaled through her nose, annoyed at his pestering but understanding that her brother was in a sort of a predicament. Usually when he wanted a favor, he'd give up by now. She sighed, but softer this time.

"Why can't someone on the island just help you out? You've lived here for, what, three years?" He nodded at her estimate. "Surely you've made connections with the other farmers here," Molly suggested, her tone not as exasperated as before, which Kasey took as a sign that she was lightening up to the idea.

He scratched the back of his disheveled brown hair and gazed at his surroundings, trying to avoid eye contact — a nervous habit Molly recognized from their childhood.

"I uh... Guess you could say I've made some connections," he coughed into his fist before continuing, "but they have their own problems to deal with. I don't want to be a burden to anyone." Kasey reasoned. After the words left his mouth, he saw a twinkle in his sister's eye — and not a happy one.

"And it wouldn't be a burden for me?! I just got out of high school, Kasey!" Molly practically yelled in the middle of the church grounds, earning the pair a few curious and judging side-glances.

After Kasey (gently) informed Molly that people were staring, her voice was a decibel softer as she continued her spiel. "I should be using this time to think about my future, not-"

"Kasey!" A feminine voice interrupted. "Of course all that noise is comin' from ya!" Kasey turned and smiled at the person approaching, waving them over.

"Hey, c'mere! There's someone I'd like ya to meet," Kasey gestured to Molly, who's face was tinted red with embarrassment from the comment about the siblings being loud. She attempted to smile when the stranger arrived but it came out forced. "Kathy, this is my baby sister, Molly."

The stranger, Kathy, smiled brightly at her and extended an arm. Her bright green eyes were friendly and her blonde hair was pulled back into a long ponytail. "Why, hello there!" She greeted sweetly. Molly muttered a small 'hello' as she shook her hand. "It's a pleasure to finally meet ya! Kasey here mentions yer name from time-to-time when he's visitin' the bar. Oh, that's where Daddy and I work!" Kathy's voice was melodic and had a strong Southern Belle drawl, but the sweetness in her voice dispelled Molly's earlier embarrassment.

"Oh?" Molly questioned, shooting her brother a look. "And how often does this happen?" She asked, speaking to Kathy but seeming to direct the question to Kasey. Kathy opened her mouth to respond but it was Kasey who answered.

"That's uh, not important right now." He coughed, putting his hand on the small of Kathy's back and gently leading her away from his sister. "In fact, we actually have a lot to catch up on, so how about I talk to you later?" He asked kindly, but it came out more as a plead than a question.

Kathy didn't seem to notice the discomfort in his tone. Either that or she didn't care. "Oh, gee, am I embarrassing ya?" She giggled and winked at him playfully. "I'll just get out of your way, then. Take care, you two!~" Kathy waved goodbye then skipped over to one of the festival booths. Kasey's smile lingered as he watched her leave, before noticing Molly's curious expression at the two's exchange.

"No wonder the phrase is called 'Chatty Kathy', eh?" Kasey chuckled at himself. Molly rolled her eyes at his humorless joke, but couldn't help the small smile forming.

Same ol' Kasey, she thought fondly.

"So about you staying-"

The smile vanished and immediately turned into a frown. Yup. Same ol' Kasey.

Molly's groan cut him off. "Look, Kasey, I know you want to just dump all of your problems on me for old time's sake, but we aren't kids anymore..." She sighed and rubbed her temples, a sad expression replacing her irritated one, "I thought you wanted me here because you missed me... Not to annoy me into doing you a favor."

It was Kasey's turn to frown. He could see the hurt in her copper-colored eyes. "Molly..."

Another voice interrupted their conversation — this time belonging to a stout man with gray hair and a blue overcoat. Kasey pointed him out to Molly earlier as Mr. Hamilton, the mayor of Harmonica Town.

"Thank you all for coming out to support this year's Flower Festival!" He jovially announced, receiving small applause. "The booths will be closing soon, so please make your rounds before heading out, and we hope to see you at the Circus next Sunday!" More applause. "Oh, and be sure to head home safely!" He finished with a grin and hopped off the stage, which was really just a small wooden platform set in the middle of the plaza.

Molly groaned in annoyance. She didn't even get to enjoy the festival thanks to her brother's whining. "Just walk us back, Kasey," she said softly, defying her request by disappearing into the crowd of exiting townsfolk and tourists without even waiting for a response.

Kasey sighed. What am I going to do?

Molly changed out of her clothes and into one of Kasey's old t-shirts and her favorite pair of sleeping shorts when the siblings got back home. Kasey went out to run some errands, but based on today's events, she assumed he just wanted to go the bar and forget about their earlier arguments. Besides, who ran errands at 11:30pm? She laughed humorlessly. Kasey always was a terrible liar.

She was lying on her back on his couch, staring at the ceiling, sighing for what must've been the hundredth time today. She pondered in amusement about how much air she must've lost with all the exhaling and sighing and groaning she's done today, which lead her mind to think back to his proposal again and, once again, feeling herself getting annoyed. How could he just assume she would want to just drop everything she was doing and do all of his chores and work while he went out and did whatever-it-was he needed to do? How was that even fair to her? This was his problem, she thought — not hers. There was no way she would do this.

Plus, she was only eighteen; how could he expect her to just run a farm, anyhow? Sure, that was about the same age he started, and their parents were farmers before they retired and moved to the city... But still! She isn't her father or her mother, and she most certainly is not her brother. She's Molly Greenfield! A simple girl who loves to read and enjoys ice cream a little too much. This was her time to figure out what she should do with her life, which was not cleaning up her brother's messes. Like when he almost burned the house down when he was fourteen and she tried to defend him to their angry parents by claiming she was hungry and asked him to cook. Or how she'd cover for him when he was out past curfew, partying with his friends.

But he wasn't a kid anymore and didn't need her to come to his rescue. Shouldn't the older sibling be the one to help out the younger, anyway? Besides, he's been living on his own since he was nineteen: shouldn't he have learned some responsibility since leaving her with their father and moving almost twelve hours away? The memory of the day he moved caused Molly to draw a shaky breath. Boy, had she been lonely... She had her friends, sure, but none of which could replace the brother that could have her pulling her hair out one second and being a shoulder to cry on the next.

Molly rolled over on her side, trying to get into a more comfortable position, but to no avail. Now annoyed that she couldn't get comfortable, she decided maybe she should try to hear him out instead of just getting annoying and shutting him down. Kasey loved Harmonica Town; every time he would get a signal and call her, all he'd ever talk about were the people and the scenery and how much she would love it here. He wouldn't leave without good reason.

With newfound determination she threw herself out of bed and briskly headed towards Harmonica Town... before realizing she wasn't entirely sure where Harmonica Town was. After she reprimanded herself for being so careless, she noticed a small wooden sign by the fork in the dirt path right below Kasey's farmland. Maybe that'll point her in the right direction.

As she approached the sign, she found the target of her search sitting in the sand by a small seashore just south of his property.

"Kasey!" Molly called as she jogged over to him, hugging herself to keep warm when she reached him. It may have been spring, but the nights were still chilly. How could she forget her jacket? She looked down. And apparently shoes?

Her inner scolding of her forgetfulness seized, however, when she noticed Kasey's surprised — and what looked like scared? — expression at seeing his sister. He hurriedly got to his feet as she approached.

"Kasey, I'm glad I found you! I need to-" Molly paled as she took notice to something sparkling behind Kasey's shoulder. What is that? She thought as she leaned closer, before identifying it as a small being doing a very poor job of hiding behind her brother's shoulder.

Said being was in an orange cap, could probably fit in the palm of her hand, and had a pair of pixie-like wings that it was using to hover behind Kasey's shoulder to peek at her. Molly thought the thing's face looked confused at the fact that she was staring right at it.

What in the...?

Kasey looked at his sister, then over the shoulder she was staring at, then back to her. "What, Molls? What is it?" He asked, his voice a little shaky.

"K-Kasey?" Molly stuttered, and not from the cold. "I uh... I think there's something..." she finished lamely, trying to peer behind him to get a closer look, but Kasey seemed to rotate with her.

"What was it, Molls?" He questioned as he scratched the back of his head, trying not to sound nervous but ultimately failing. What is he hiding?

"Kasey, what the hell is going on?!" Molly demanded, Kasey realizing by her tone that she was on the verge of losing her patience, and quite possibly her marbles.

Not wanting to start (and lose) a screaming match with his sister, he sighed and stepped aside to reveal the small being floating in the air and looking absolutely petrified.

"Molly... I'd like you to meet Finn, a Harvest Sprite."