Author's note: In this chapter I'm just trying to lay down all the back story I think is important to know, so sorry if it seems a little random or rushed. If you see anything that could be improved, just let me know! And of course I don't own Harvest Moon or its characters. But how awesome would that be? ;)

Chapter 1

"That's all we made this week?" Mirabelle sighed, tossing the form onto her desk. "I hate to say it, but Vaughn, you're totally useless. There just aren't any jobs for animal ranchers in a city like ours. The northern part of town is too industrialized, and the south is too poor to afford such things."

I turned my gaze to the poor sales figures staring up at me. "So…you going to fire me?"

"No, of course not. We'll just have to take our business elsewhere, that's all."

"Did you have somewhere in mind?"

"Well….." On cue, she pulled out a rather old looking pamphlet from her desk drawer. The front cover featured a huge smiling sun with orange text labeled "Welcome To Sunny Island". "This is the island I want to take our business to."

My eyes remained glued to the annoyingly bright hues. "…I quit."

She laughed as if I was kidding and said "Now don't try that whole tough guy act of yours on me! It has undergone a couple of changes since this brochure was made."

"Oh really. Did they change that idiotic name?"

"Well, no, but..."

I stared at her silently. People always smile nervously when they think I'm mad, but Mirabelle doesn't. She just continues on like normal. I like that about her.

"To put it simply, the island was hit by a devastating storm a few years ago and its inhabitants were forced to evacuate. But I hear that people are starting to come back to the island, and it has the potential to become a good market for our products. Julia went to see it the other day, as a matter of fact. And if you need even more persuasion, I'm gonna be moving there myself!"

I crossed my arms. Julia was Mirabelle's daughter and my co-worker. I trusted her judgment almost as much as Mirabelle's. And they'd both said it was a good idea…Besides, they were the only ones I even bothered with in this city. I shrugged.

"...Whatever. If you both think its ok then I guess I'll check it out."

"Good choice, Vaughn! I knew you'd cave. Alright, I want you to bring shipments over every Wednesday and head back for the city on Fridays, got it? I'll have someone else take over the warehouse here. I'll take care of that tonight and see you on the island tomorrow."

I headed home to grab a few things for the trip, then went to the docks to wait for the boat as Mirabelle had instructed. Sunny Island. Stupid name. Still, I owed them both. They took me in when I needed a job. They were the only ones who'd given a rat's tail about me after my parents had kicked me out for dropping out of school and ruining their good reputation.

My parents were wealthy stock holders who had control of pretty much the whole city. They'd never cared about me, all that mattered to them was their money and their reputations. When people heard that their prodigy son had quit school, they were horrified and banished me to some crappy shed in the run down southern part of town, where I was sure to never see them again, punishment for embarrassing the family name. I hated it there. I hated the stares I received for being a part of an upper class family. I hated the stares I received for being kicked out of said family. And with the exception of Mirabelle and Julia, I was totally alone. I was seriously about to give up on people.

That's when I met her.

I had woken up in a particularly bad mood and was wandering down to the docks, where I always went when I wanted to unwind. As I was passing by one of the back alleys, however, I saw a scrawny looking girl with extremely messy chestnut colored hair crying her eyes out, screaming at a group of boys to give her back a necklace. I would have just continued past the entire ruckus, if one of the little punks hadn't seen me and decided it would be funny to steal my bandanna. I glowered at the brat and told him I'd beat the crud out of him if he didn't hand over the goods. I could see he wasn't going to comply, however, so I had to stoop to telling him who my family was and watch as a look of horror spread across his face. He immediately dropped the goods and ran off with his thugs. Perhaps having a feared family has its uses…

I put my bandanna back around my neck and handed the necklace to the sniveling girl. She stared back at me tearfully and attempted a smile. It was seriously the most pathetic thing I had ever seen. She managed to mutter a thank you as she put the chain back around her neck. I turned to leave, but she grabbed my hand and pressed a coin into it. I shook my head.

"I don't need-"

"No, please, take it…this necklace means a lot to me…I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't gotten it back. You're a hero."

I watched in blank wonder as she stood and ran off….a hero? Funny…but she made me smile that day for the first time I could ever remember. That was the first time a stranger had said anything positive about me.

Now here I was, 14 years later on the same dock, that same coin the girl had given me in my hand. I had taken to carrying it for luck. I smiled to myself. I guess I had subconsciously taken it out during that daydream. I don't know why I still thought about it, about her. It's not as if I'd ever see her again, and it's not like it was anything special. Some things just stick with you, I guess.

I glanced up as the boat's horn sounded in the distance. I shoved the coin back into my pocket and stood, wondering what the island would be like and what I had gotten myself in to.