"The moon goes through many phases and displays several colors, but I find my favorite moon of all is the bright orange moon that comes just in time for the harvest."

Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon.

"Jill! Keep up!" Jack hollered back at his sister. Jill was definitely the slowest runner of the group, she wasn't built to be the athlete Jack was. She took after her mother that way.

"Jack, I'm whippin' you." A redhead with two braids smiled back at Jack as she sped past him.

"Not if I can help it, Ann!" Jack rushed forward, leaving Jill straggling behind.

Jill paused a moment and kneeled over, trying to catch her breath. Her side was stinging. She really hated running, especially on these uneven stone roads. She watched Jack round the next corner and pushed herself to run ahead. She might lose them if she straggled too far behind and she still wasn't comfortable with the area. As she rounded the corner herself, she wondered whose idea it'd been to race to the lake. She tightly clenched her eyes closed as the stinging in her side flared.

"Ouch."

Jill fell forward, the impact to her face and stomach nearly knocked the wind out of her.

"Get off will ya'."

Jill's face reddened as she stared into the blue eyes of the boy she was currently straddling. Heat rushed from her neck to her ears as she jumped to her feet and apologized, "I'm sorry. I wasn't looking and-"

"I could'a guessed as much." The boy retorted, cutting Jill off.

Embarrassment turned to annoyance. She gaped her mouth, a little put off by his attitude, especially when she was apologizing. She huffed and started to dust herself off, trying to convince herself that it would be unbecoming if she bit back. The boy dusted off his khaki coveralls before shaking a hand through his orange hair. He certainly was taking his time cleaning up, Jill thought. Noticing his hat was still on the road Jill reached down and picked it up for him.

"Here you go." She did her best to smile, hoping to turn his attitude around.

The boy took his hat as he mumbled something that sounded like a 'thank you' to Jill.

"What's your name?" Jill asked as she watched the boy position the oversized hat on his head. She hadn't seen him at Sunday lessons.

He opened his mouth, about to answer her when another voice seemed to escape from his lips. Jill cocked an eyebrow at the phenomenon and almost laughed as Jack's voice seemed to be speaking through the boy.

"Jill!" Jack's voice resounded, louder this time. Jill's face lit up as he ran up to her. She wanted to introduce the new boy to Jack as well.

"Jack…" she started, probably sounding a bit more enthusiastic than she meant to.

"Why do you have to worry everybody?" Jack huffed as he reached her.

Without looking at the other child standing there, he tried to grab her hand when the other boy stepped between them. Jack's eyebrows rose as he looked from his hand to the boy now standing between him and his sister.

"If you're supposed to escort her then do it right. Don't leave a girl stranded." The boy scolded him. Then turning to Jill he continued, "If that's your beau you're better off without."

"He's my brother." Jill responded, her face scrunching up at the thought.

"Who are you?" Jack finally acknowledged the boy and puffed up his chest at him.

The other boy faced him and glowered as well, Jill had to suppress a giggle at their attempts at displaying manliness.

"There they are." Ann's voice hollered from around the bend ahead.

"Rick, over here." Popuri yelled.

Popuri came bouncing down to join them, but when she reached Jill the other boy came into view and Popuri's smiled faltered.

The same happened with Rick when he caught up to them. Ann had stopped a bit up ahead, already recognizing the other person and not willing to be in his presence.

"Mornin' Gray." Rick muttered through clenched teeth.

"Mornin' to you too." Gray responded equally as harshly.

Jill darted her eyes between everybody, but lingered especially between the three boys. She knew why Jack was put off, but she couldn't understand why Rick was acting coldly. The silent small town throwdown lasted only a minute or two, but it seemed like much longer to the small group. Every moment Jill felt herself getting smaller in the overwhelming pressure.

Ann suddenly turned around and sprinted back the way she'd came. Popuri and Jack were first to notice and chased after her. As Popuri reached the end of the street she turned and yelled for Jill and Rick to hurry up. Rick nodded, though he was still staring hard at Gray. He only broke eye contact to look at Jill.

"Let's go." Rick said as he took Jill's hand. "You shouldn't associate with this bad egg."

Jill's eyes widened at Rick's comment and she yanked her hand away.

"Rick, that's a horrible thing to say, Mrs. Lillian would ring your neck if she heard you." She'd spoken so quickly she made her breaths short. But as the adrenaline and frustration vanished from her, it was replaced with anxiety. What had she just done? She'd only been friends with this group for a little while and now she was threatening that friendship for someone who'd been rude to her. She lowered her head, not wanting to show off her face. She could tell from the heat in her cheeks that she was red; from frustration or from embarrassment at her own forwardness, she didn't know and she didn't want to be misunderstood either.

Gray bit his lip. "You've both got some nerve to shoot your mouths off like I ain't standing here."

Rick took a step towards Jill before stretching his arm out in front of her. He grumbled. "See, not worth putting your neck out for, is he?"

Jill looked up as Rick grabbed her wrist. Then she looked at Gray, but couldn't see his face behind the oversized hat.

"Let's go." Rick gave Jill's hand a tug. "I'm sure everybody's at the lake by now."

Jill nodded, but before leaving she turned her head to Gray and smiled. "Good day, Gray."

Then Rick pulled her ahead towards the direction the others had went.

"You don't need to be nice to him." Rick scolded her as they ran.

Jill looked back at Gray one last time before she and Rick rounded the bend in the road. Gray hadn't moved from his position, but he was staring at her as well now. Jill's eyes widened as their gazes locked with each other, only to be broken by the building she and Rick pasted. Gray was different and that made her curious about him, but it seemed her current friends didn't like him, which was also curious. Though, thinking clearly, she knew it would be smart not to test the waters so soon by showing interest in someone outcasted. Still, she couldn't shake the nagging feeling of wanting to talk to him again.

Later that evening, back at their grandfather's farm, and after dinner someone knocked at the door. Their grandpa opened it to let in another older man. His face was covered in thick whiskers and he had shoulder length white hair. As he walked in, Gray walked in behind him.

Jill's stomach fluttered as she watched him pass through the wooden threshold. Jack, standing beside her, balled up his fists. The twins had gotten an earful from Rick about how Gray was a shoddy person. A lot of it didn't make sense to Jill though and she'd decided to make the final judgement herself, but Jack only needed to hear that Ann couldn't stand Gray. That was enough to turn Jack against him.

"Jack, Jill, this is Saibara and his grandson Gray." Their grandpa introduced them while ushering the two inside. "What can I do for ya Saibara? Fancy a glass of tea?"

"Don't trouble yourself. Gray just wanted to return somethin' to your granddaughter. She must'a dropped it earlier today."

Saibara nudged Gray ahead. Hesitating at first, Gray pulled out from his pocket a small open heart pendant hanging on a chain. Jill grabbed at her neck, not having realized she'd dropped it. She reached out and took it from him.

"Thank you."

"Nothin' to get worked up over. Just figured someone'd be in a tizzy if you lost his gift." Gray answered while stuffing his hands back into his pockets.

It wasn't an important necklace to Jill. She'd received it from an old flame in Forget-Me-Not Valley, but she'd grown so accustomed to wearing it that she never took it off. Of course she couldn't see herself telling Gray that, even though he was insinuating something. As she wrapped her hand around it she felt something rough. She looked down and noticed that the clasp had been repaired.

"Ah, sorry 'bout the messy job. Gray insisted on doin' it himself." Saibara commented as he noticed Jill playing with the clasp.

It was horribly done, but it was a sweet gesture.

"Thank you." She said again. This time she stepped forward towards Gray as she spoke.

But Gray tensed up and stepped backward from her, causing Saibara to hit him on the head. Gray grabbed his head with both hands while shooting a look at his grandfather that could only be translated as, 'what was that for?'

"No manners." Saibara grumbled towards Gray before turning back to everyone else with a smile. "Well, we best be off. Early morning ahead and heaps of work with the candle visual vast approachin'."

"Almost that time again 'eh?" Their grandpa sighed.

Jill waved at Gray, but he didn't look at her as he rushed out the door, followed by his grandfather. The twins grandpa bid the two a good night and shut the door behind him.

"A good boy there." Her grandpa commented aloud as he walked past the twins and into the kitchen to finish cleaning up.

"I still don't like him." Jack muttered before leaving also.

Jill stood silent, in thought. With one small gesture Gray was proving that he wasn't at all like the other children made him out to be. He had a bad reputation and he had been sour when she'd first meet him, but-

"He can be kind too." Jill mused.

Welcome to the world of Harvest Moon, and yeah this is a farming RPG. But I love this game so freaking much! It is crazy how much I love this. So, anyway, Jill is formally known as Pony in the series. She is the one of the first three girls to come out on Harvest Moon. If you couldn't tell I used Sara and the first Pete as their parents in this story. Jill is going to be seeing faces from all of the Harvest Moon games, so if you have a favorite, don't worry, it will show up eventually. But I have to start where my Harvest Moon game addiction started, Mineral Town.