A/N: Ok, so here I am with the second chapter. To everyone who read the first chapter: THANK YOU! You don't know how happy I am that people actually give some of their time to check out my fic! It makes me feel good ^_^ A very big thank you to Blood-red Moonlight for being my first reviewer!

I'm gonna stop now! I present the second chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon.

CHAPTER 2: Change of Plans

Lillian stood in front of Rutger with a determined face. She was well aware that she looked ridiculous; purely a mess. Covered in dirt, hair messed up, one shoe, clothes ruined and all. But she stood firm. She was trying her best to ignore the fact that Phillip was now her 'rival'.

Phillip was such an insensitive guy.

He isn't a mean spirited person or anything remotely close to that. In fact, he was actually a decent guy. He just has some issues. Lillian had her own problems. But she told herself that she would wipe the slate clean and start over. Didn't Phillip also say the same thing?

Phillip and Lillian promised each other that they would always be a team.

Phil 'n' Lil.

It was a blurry and vague promise. Forged late at night while riding a train. With only Lillian speaking and Phillip bobbing his head, trying to stay awake. But a promise is a promise. And Lillian had never liked the idea of breaking a promise. No matter how small it was.

It gnawed at her that she was doing it this very moment. She blew her top off and was a tad bit high prided to put it back on. She didn't like that about herself.

Sure, pride is good for self preservation and dignity.

But Lillian knew that when it came to friends, pride never gets you anywhere. She was sorely reminded why she acted the way she did when Phillip said that they were running away. He struck a nerve. It was wrong of her to be so spoiled. Despite their frequent clashing, Phillip had always helped her when she needed it most...

Even though she was aware of this, she still felt like being mature and patching things up right away felt wrong at the moment. Something in her told her to let things flow. To react to stimuli. To be honest and go with gut feeling.

"Lillian, eh? Lovely name! You befit the image of what my town represents. Come now, let us go to Bluebell!" Rutger started towards the path to the left. "It was nice meeting you, Phillip." The boy merely nodded in response. The mayor of Bluebell went on, not even bothering to bid farewell to Ina.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Ina. See you around!" Lillian smiled at Ina before following Rutger.

"Hey!" Phillip called out.

"What do you want now? I'm not changing my mi—ack!" She exclaimed as something was thrown at her face.

Her jacket.

Lillian glanced at Phillip. She hoped that he would say something comforting like;

'Make sure to stay out of trouble. I'll see you later.' Or 'I hope you understand that we're still friends.'

"You'll need it when the weather turns cold." Phillip stated simply, walking away with Ina to the path towards Konohana. Not even taking a single glance back at her. It made her feel sad. As if he was walking away from her and never coming back.

"Y-yeah. Right." Lillian chided herself for stuttering. She stared at Phillip's retreating back and sighed before going her way.

She shouldn't feel this way. After all, they weren't particularly close. But she knew.

She knew that during the short time they have been in each other's company that a bond was formed. They were friends. ARE friends. This squabble they had was merely a mild slip in their relationship. They would make up right?

Why am I even thinking about this? I'm stressing over this way too much. Lillian thought with a sad look.

It was his fault why she reacted angrily. He should have put more stock in his thought process. Any self-respecting person would be angry if they heard his tone.

And yet she couldn't help but be upset about the fact that her only friend in this alien place was leaving her. She trusted him to always guide and be there for her as she would be as well. Because she was…..

Never mind.

It's probably for the best. This way, we can both start fresh without troubling one another.

And so the two friends parted with frowns on both they're faces.

Lillian followed Rutger to her new home. As they were walking Rutger kept saying things about Bluebell; it's brief history, animals, flowers, horses, traditions and not to mention how good the townspeople were at cooking. Cooking, cooking and cooking!

"Bluebell folks have the best cooking I've tasted since I was but a wee lad!" Said Rutger in one of his proud descriptions of his beloved town's culinary skills. Lillian could only nod in return. As much as she wanted to find out more about Bluebell on her own, she was dead tired and just wanted to rest. She could explore later.

They continued walking. After a while, the chatty old man suddenly halted almost causing Lillian to bump into his back.

"Welcome to your new home!" Rutger declared with a flourish.

Lillian looked around her new residence. Her home was a simple cream and peaches combo with flowers on the window sills and a sturdy looking door. She was silent for a bit…..this place is…..

"AMAZING! I love it! Looks like a cozy farm!" Lillian remarked with starry eyes. The simplicity and calmness of her new environment excited her. It made her feel…at peace yet invigorated. This is what she was hoping for! It looked like in was straight out from a fairy tale book.

"Haha, I'm very pleased you like it." Rutger chuckled at her reaction. "I'll show you around but first, what would you like to name your farm?"

Name? This got her thinking. Lillian wasn't very good at thinking up names. In fact, she avoided giving names or nicknames to things. She sucked at it. Her lips twisted into a grimace of distaste before responding.

"I have no idea what to name this farm. Can't we just stick to its old name?"

"You want your farm to be called Ol' McBeaver?" Rutger clearly seemed to dislike the name. Lillian thought he was joking, but the expression on his face was clearly serious.

"Ol' Mcbeaver? Seriously? Whoever used to own this farm must have been real old school." Lillian remarked, chuckling.

"Well, the person who used to own this farm didn't live in it. Only used it to grow flowers. So names were irrelevant." The mayor waved it off.

"Oh, I see. Then I guess YOU'LL have to name it." Lillian smiled at Rutger expectantly.

Rutger looked surprised, "Me? Why, that certainly is not my work to do. This is your home. You are entitled the honor of naming in of your own choice. Marking it as yours." He responded waving his hands at her as if to repel her suggestion.

Lillian's eyebrows knitted in deep thought. Sure, she wanted to make this place solely her own, but she was really stressing over the fact that the name she will give might ruin the whole lovely image of her new abode. She closed her eyes. She wasn't a whiz at words. HE was.

If only Phillip was here. He'd know the perfect name for it.

Lillian opened her eyes quickly. They were at a state of disagreement. They haven't made up yet. So why would Phillip help her at something as meager as naming a farm? Her farm, especially. He wasn't bitter…but he was a pretty high prided guy.

"Um, can you give me some time to think about it? I want to give this place the perfect name." Lillian requested.

"Of course, my dear." Rutger smiled. "Let's get to showing you around, shall we?" Lillian energetically nodded in response.

"This is your chicken coop. Your chickens will be kept here." Rutger said as he showed her a small edifice. "And this is your barn. Your sheep, cows and other animals will be kept here." Rutger pointed to the barn to the left of her house.

He then proceeded to enter her house. "So, what do you think? Your house only has the bare essentials. A bed, a kitchen, bathroom and a closet."

"I love it. I could do a lot with this place." Lillian stated, the gears of her brain already turning.

Rutger called out to her, he walked to her closet and pulled out some articles of clothing. "Here, Lillian, take these clothes. You wouldn't want to start out dirty and muddy, do you?" He handed her what seemed like a simple European style dress. It was a blue dress with puffed up sleeves and small ruffles. "That is a Bluebell outfit made with locally available materials. I believe that it will suit you well. Footwear such as farming boots and the like are under your bed." Lillian bobbed her head in understanding.

"Well, I'm sure you're tired. I'll leave you alone so that you can rest. But if you can muster up enough energy, why don't you check out the bookshelf? It will help you a great deal. Good day to you, Lillian and please rest up. Ta-ta!" Rutger waved goodbye.

Left to her devices, Lillian decided to take a bath. The books can wait.

The warm water soothed the tired muscles of her body. After properly rinsing herself from all the dirt and mud, she changed into the clothes Rutger gave her. After dressing, she jumped into bed.

It was really soft. Lillian smiled playfully and stood up on the bed. Though she was tired, she jumped.

And jumped and jumped on the bed like a little kid. "Ah hahaha!" She laughed, the feeling of change starting to spread through her body. It was thrilling. The thought of living all on her own in an unknown place where nobody knew her was a little scary but great! The sound that the springs of the bed produced felt like a welcoming cacophony to her ears. Finally, she stopped and fell on the bed.

Sinking into the comfy mattress, she sighed in satisfaction. She glanced at her wall clock. It was only nine in the morning. Having nothing to do at the moment, and feeling that her eyelids were rather heavy. Lillian decided to sleep.

This can't be happening.

It's not possible.

These were the thoughts that ran through Lillian's head as she looked over her friend.

"Lilly…don't worry. It's alright. Don't listen to them." He smiled comfortingly.

Lillian gave him a disbelieving look.

"Alright? It's not alright!" She yelled at him. "It was okay before, but not anymore. Now YOU are being blamed, too!" She frowned.

He just shrugged his shoulders. "So what? Let them talk and accuse all they want. I don't give a crap about a single thing they're saying."

But Lillian did. Sure, she was used to being accused of things she hadn't done, but this time it was different. They accused him. Not her. HIM!

And it was wrong.

He's her first friend here and all he ever did were acts of pure kindness. It seemed wrong to pin all those horrible accusations at him. It made Lillian feel that it should be her instead. But as usual, he was being the hero and taking all the blame for something Lillian knew was based on nothing but hot air.

"I know they're wrong." She stated, "But I can't help but be angry because they're saying all these lies about you! It just makes me want to wring their necks!"

"Haha, come on Lilly. We both know you would never do that. Let's just let it go, okay? If we show them that we're affected, more tongues will wag. "

"But..!"

She was suddenly engulfed in warm hug.

"It's really fine. Don't worry your pretty little head. I know that it will be tougher now, especially for you. But we'll make it. As long as we have our friends, it's all good." He said, his voice soft yet determined. "But thanks. Thank you for worrying about me, Lilly."

"No problem. And you're right. As long as we all stick together, it'll turn out fine. But I hate this. This whole 'doing nothing about it' tactic makes me boil. I don't like running away." She smiled strangely.

"We're not running away. We are simply going to make them see who we really are. Start anew in their eyes, so to speak. But we won't change. Why would we when we've got nothing to change? We'll just make them think that so they'll leave us alone." He laughed a bit. "And for your information lil' lady, starting anew doesn't mean that we're running away."

She nodded while smiling genuinely. She had such great friends. With them around, nothing could possible make her lose hope that on day everything will change.

He pulled away from her. "But promise you won't say anything to Carmen. You know what she'd say. She'd say I was giving bad advice and tease to no end for being sagely."

"Hahahaha, of course, I promise." She grinned before a loud thud sounded.

To her horror, she saw her friend fallen on the ground with his head bleeding. Above him stood the attacker, clutching a metal bat.

She screamed.

"NOOOO!" Lillian screamed, jolting her awake from her sleep.

Lillian whipped her head around her surroundings.

A dream. That's all it was. A dream.

Lillian panted. But, darn, it seemed so real.

A memory from the past.

Lillian took a deep breath before standing up.

Her legs wobbled a bit. But she steadfastly walked to the bathroom, turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on her face.

"Snap out of it, Lillian! It was just a dream! A dream! That all it was!" She told herself, looking into the mirror. Her face seemed normal.

Except her eyes were very wide. Her eyes reflected horror and sadness.

She turned the faucet off and padded back to the bed. She sat at the edge.

She shut her eyes tightly and shook her head.

I can do this! Gotta shake off these vibes! Her head was pounding. What would Phillip say? At that thought, her eyes fluttered open.

That's right. What would Phillip say?

'Don't be such a pansy! Getting all shaken up just 'cause of that! I thought you said you were the woman of steel! Haha, steel, please!'

He'd laugh at her for being so weak.

She'll show him!

Lillian stood up with renewed strength and pulled out a pair of boots from under her bed. She slipped them on and made her way to the front door.

Pulling it open, she stepped outside. A warm breeze greeted her. It was only noon. One in the afternoon to be precise.

Stepping outside, she glanced around her farm. It was beautiful. Just the mere sight of it soothed her. It wasn't spectacular or majestic or anything like that. It was simply…

Hers.

All her life she never thought she would have something that would be solely hers, without anyone fighting for dominance or proof of superiority over her. She had enough of that.

It was hers and it was wonderful.

But…what would she call it?

Maybe something like Miracle farm or Starry Sky farm or…

No way. Those names suck. She wanted her farm to symbolize something.

Maybe she could name it after one of her friends…

Gah! It's too hard! Maybe I'll come up with something tomorrow…

Having decided that she could no longer go back to sleep even when her mind was already at peace, Lillian picked up her rucksack absent-mindedly. She slung it over her shoulders. She thought of it as needed in her exploration. She might find a pretty flower or something.

Lillian walked out of the vicinity of her farm.

The path she treaded on was surrounded by flowers of varying shape, size and color. The trees shed petal like leaves in the air, causing what seemed to be a rain of pink. Lillian was mesmerized. Her head kept whipping back and forth, taking in the whole scene.

Eyes moving about, her line of vision suddenly locked on a structure. And a huge bell.

It was a church. It had white walls and a purple roof. The glass stained windows reflected the colors of a rainbow. A fountain along with some wooden benches was situated at the left while a huge gold bell hung to the right of the church walls.

Lillian loved the look and feel of the place, so she decided to check it out. While she was heading up the steps towards the indigo colored and golden knobbed church doors, she spotted someone.

Rutger.

He was standing in front of a chest like box. Lillian stepped down and headed towards the mayor.

He looked as though he was counting something…

"MAYOR!" Lillian greeted loudly with a grin while walking towards him.

The old man jumped in surprise, but sighed in relief when he saw that it was Lillian.

"Lillian, my child, I'm glad to see you rested, but never do that again please! I'm afraid my dear ol' heart won't be able to take it if you do."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just wanted to see what you were doing with this…box thingy." She gestured at the chest in front of them.

"This is a shipping bin, Lillian. It's where you place all the items you want to gain a profit from. Be it farm produce or gathered natural resources. I'm sure it will be used by you a lot." He explained, waving around a cane Lillian didn't notice before. Its tip was shaped like a horse's hoof with wings. It looked a bit strange. "And I was just checking the currently placed items. None today yet…" Rutger commented.

"Ahhh. Okay." She simply nodded. She was about to say goodbye when Rutger suddenly asked,

"Since you don't look busy at the moment, will you come with me to town? I would to show you something."

"Sure. I've got nothing better to do anyway. Lead the way, please!" Lillian was excited to see what the town was like.

"Very well! Come along!" The mayor smiled happily.

Lillian was astonished.

Bluebell was a vision! It was like living in an old English film. It looked exactly how Rutger described it.

Once again, Lillian's head turned this way and that way, drinking in her surroundings.

She was glad she chose Bluebell.

I mean, I'm sure Konohana is a great place, too. But Bluebell's atmosphere makes me feel different. A good kind of different. She thought. She suddenly thought of her friend and if he was doing fine.

She shook her head.

Of course he's fine. He's Phillip, after all!

They've both been through a lot. They might not be best friends, but they shared a certain amount of trust. They always depend on each other before coming to this mountain. But now…

They have to live independently.

Lillian's thoughts continued to swirl around independence and whatnot.

"Lillian, look at this." Rutger called out, breaking her train of thought.

"Hm? Look at what?" Lillian stood beside Rutger and stared at wooden board in front of them. "What's this? A notice board?"

"Sort of. It's the request board."

"Request board?" Lillian repeated blankly. What did a bunch of request have to do with her?

"Yes. This board allows any villager to put up requests. The request can be basically anything. From finding something to delivering. Someone can even request a friendly visit from anyone if they are lonely and since this is a small town, everyone is like family, so no one feels scared of anyone"

Lillian took in this new bit of info.

Request? She has to follow orders even here?

"You mean I have to do these request?" Lillian asked.

"Oh no. You don't 'have to'. You can accept only if you feel like it. You don't need a reason to help folks around here!" He laughed.

Lillian smiled. "That's good. I don't want to be pushed to help someone." Lillian loved helping people. But she had her limits, too. There will always come a day when you can't help someone and Lillian was afraid of the pain and disappointment that that person would feel if that ever happened.

"Well, to be honest, I would accept many requests if I were you." The mayor remarked.

"Huh? Why?"

"Rewards." That simple word had Lillian spiraling.

"R-rewards? Really? Well, that changes everything. You sly dog!" Lillian laughed and patted Rutger on the back. "But don't worry. I'm sure I'd be in it for the rewards as well, but I'll help people only because I want to."

"Good, good." Rutger commented while rubbing his back. He muttered something about how the youth today didn't know their own strength.

"Excuse me?" Lillian asked politely. She heard what he had muttered about. She wasn't angry. In fact, she was happy.

Finally, someone acknowledged the fact that she wasn't weak! She always wanted to be athletic and graceful. But she somehow lacked the poise.

It's only a small thing but it was important to her. Lillian almost laughed at herself for being so cool.

"Ahem, anyway," Rutger cleared his throat. "I want you to try accepting a request. I've already put one up just for you."

"Really? Oh, okay, sure." Lillian went up to the board and saw only one piece of paper posted. She ripped it off the board and read the contents:

Welcome to Bluebell! This is your first request from me, Rutger the mayor of Bluebell! Come talk to me for more info!

Lillian looked up from the paper and turned her eyes to Rutger.

"Sooo, what's your request, mayor? Lillian asked curiously.

"Well, my request is simple. Go ahead to your farm and I'll catch up."

At that, Lillian headed to her farm without skipping a beat.

She perched herself on the fence and waited for Rutger.

"Sorry for the wait." Rutger apologized, entering her farm. He was tailed by two females. A middle aged lady and little girl.

Lillian left her sitting position to answer the mayor.

"It's fine. I didn't really wait that long anyway." Lillian placed her hands behind her back, "Um, hi. My name is Lillian. Nice to meet you both." She offered a bit shyly. Lillian wasn't exactly a shy girl. She's actually very outgoing and friendly. But you must admit that even the most confident person in the world would feel bashful at times. Especially in a place where she is a complete alien.

"Hello there. I'm Jessica. Nice to meet you, too Lillian." The older woman smiled gently, gray eyes shining warmly. Her short gold hair swaying with the breeze. She wore a traditional countryside outfit. Complete with an apron and a handkerchief on her head that acted as a bandana.

"I'm Cheryl! Nice to meet you!" The little girl loudly introduced herself, smiling and giggling with a childish flirt. She curtsied and giggled some more. She gestured at Jessica. "I help my mom out with some farm work!" The little lady did resemble Jessica in so many ways. Same eyes and same hair color. Although Cheryl's hair seemed more bright and lustrous.

"Pleasure to meet you, Cheryl." Lillian replied waving at her with a smile.

" I'd like to inform you that Jessica owns a ranch as well. If you ever need advice on raising livestock, go visit her. Her house is the first one you see when you enter town." Rutger supplied.

"That's right! Don't be shy, you can ask me anything." Jessica smiled at Lillian. "And to welcome you here in Bluebell, I've brought you gifts!"

Gifts?

The moment after Jessica said those words, a sound suddenly pitched in.

Mooooooooo!

Buck-buck!

Lillian, startled, looked behind Jessica and Cheryl.

She just noticed it now.

A cow and a chicken!

Lillian glanced at Jessica blankly.

"For me?" She tipped her head in the direction of the two animals. Jessica nodded with a big smile.

"Really? Oh, I couldn't possibly…but thank you so much!" Lillian said loudly to Jessica, jumping to wrap her arms around her in gratitude.

Laughter sounded from Rutger, Cheryl and Jessica.

Lillian quickly clamped her mouth shut and removed her arms around Jessica's shoulders, murmuring a small "Sorry 'bout that..." and another 'thank you' quietly.

"Haha, no need to hold back! You're welcome, dear!" The older woman laughed, while Cheryl giggled.

Lillian looked at them and said,

"I can really keep them?"

"Yeah, of course! But why don't you name them first?" Cheryl said.

Ugh. Names.

Again!

Lillian roamed her eyes around her. A name for a cow and a chicken, huh?

After a few minutes, she spoke.

"Okay, I got it! My cow will be named Winter and my chicken will be known as Minty!" She smiled.

"What nice names! They suit them!" Cheryl beamed.

"Ahaha, thanks." Lillian giggled. How come she can name a cow and a chicken easily while she is stumped when it comes to naming her farm? Lillian thought with a silent sigh.

After giving the proper ways of raising livestock and some tools, Rutger, Jessica and Cheryl headed off.

"Oh, by the way Lillian, make sure to visit often. I'd love to know more about you!" Jessica warmly smiled. "I'm sure my children would love it, too."

Children? Cheryl has siblings? Lillian thought curiously. Before she could ask, the three had already disappeared.

A/N: So, what do you guys think? I actually finished writing up the chapters but school is unforgiving! I couldn't type 'cause of it…But I guess it's all good since I managed to update! I honestly put effort in writing this. Sorry if it's not detailed much. I felt that describing a lot of things seemed…redundant, maybe?

Anyway, please forgive my mistakes!

Give me your opinions!

THANKS FOR READING! :D

rain stops goodbye