Summary: While in search for the last Sun Stone, Chelsea discovers that in order to achieve that, she must first achieve something for herself, and as if things wasn't awkward enough, she has three years to do so. You know what they say: desperate times call for desperate measures . . .
Disclaimer: Own nothing. Yuk, yuk.


Chapter 1


29th Fall


"MOM! GRANDPA!"

The front door of the humble household burst open and in marched a fuming pinkhead.

"What's with this barging in all of a sudden!" groused old man Taro. "Your mother could have lost a finger that way!" He added, pointing his walking stick at Felicia in the kitchen.

"It's okay, Dad," said Felicia who was in the midst of chopping carrots. "But he's right, dear. You really gave us quite a fright."

"Oops . . ." Natalie cringed. "Sorry, Mom. Gramps. It's just that I got something really big to tell you two!"

"Hmph!" huffed Taro. "Unless you just got engaged, I don't see what the excitement's about."

"Grandpa!" yelled Natalie, turning a bit pink around the cheeks.

"He's joking, dear," insisted Felicia. "Go on. Tell us."

"You heard your mother. Out with it while I'm still alive."

Natalie began, but not before throwing her grandfather a dirty look. "Well . . . It has something to do with Chelsea."

"What about her?" demanded Taro.

"I know this is going to sound really strange . . . But I think she's stalking Elliot!"

"Stalking?" Felicia looked alarmed. "What do you mean?"

"I was on my way back from the Diner when I saw Chelsea crouched behind the well. At first I didn't think much of it, but then I saw Julia and Elliot hanging around outside the animal store and Chelsea was staring at them the whole time. It was really weird. I didn't think she was actually spying until they left for Sprout Beach and she followed!"

"Oh my."

"Also, when Elliot left the beach, Chelsea left straight along with him."

"And you know this how?" Taro raised one bushy eyebrow.

"Um . . ." Natalie crossed her arms defensively. "When she first followed Julia and Elliot, I kinda followed her . . ."

The old man sighed. "In a place as small as this, even a simple-minded affair becomes a royal scandal. You're making news out of nothing. That girl might just be interested in starting a courtship."

"But through spying?"

"Everyone on these islands know for a fact that the girl ain't exactly a people person. That includes you. You can't be so hard on her just 'cause she don't know the right way to approach a fella." Taro said matter-of-factly. "Kind'a ironic if you think about it. Since you ain't exactly reeling in any catches yourself."

"Goddess, Gramps! Will you stop shooting me down for once!"

"I wouldn't have to if you started acting like a proper lady!" Taro straightened himself in an authoritative manner. "Either way, what I heard so far ain't anything big or even news. If it's a courtship the girl's looking for, all I can say is that it would do you a world of good to take a lesson out of her."

Natalie let out a frustrated cry. "You wait and see! When Elliot's decomposed body turns up at the bottom of the well in a few weeks and the only way to recognize him is through his dental records, you''ll regret not having listened to me!"

With another great slam of the front door, she left.

Old Taro sighed and addressed Felicia, "We all adored Frank, but I blame him for getting his daughter hooked on those nonsense detective stories."


It was unconventional to say the least. She knew that one day she'll want to get married, but never have she thought that she'll be faced with a deadline. And a life-or-death situation to go with it.

However, despite all that, Chelsea was in a great mood.

That's because, due to a stroke of genius, the rancher managed to secure a loophole in her inevitable marriage contract.

A final stroke of her pencil, and there. It was done. Chelsea leaned back into her dining chair as she admired her handiwork. In front of her was a tiny notebook, newly purchased from Chen, and on its pages was her battle strategy. She picked the little book up, and reexamined its content.

The front page read:

- - THE PERFECT HUSBAND - -

She flipped over to the next page.


ELLIOT

Pros:
1. His family runs the shipping business/free labor.
2. His grandfather is the weatherman.
3. He's the smartest boy around.
4. But he's not smart enough to cheat.
5. He's tall.
6. His apron is actually quite manly.
7. Pink hair would be so cute on a girl.

Cons:
1. His sister throws like a man/not sister-in-law material.

2. He's into blondes.
3. Our kid might take after him.

Conclusion: 70%. Grade B candidate. Standard accepted.


It was genius.

Divine intervention be damned. The Goddess may have stuck her all-powerful nose into every personal space of hers, but this time, Chelsea was sure as hell going to decide on her own. Her own husband that is, and he was going to be the finest, most striking male to have walked these islands. Or at least, be tolerant enough to provide her with a child she wouldn't mind raising until she gets her hands on that last Sun Stone.

Three years? Pfft. She had turned a derelict ranch into a success story in less than two. Surely nabbing a groom would be a cakewalk.

Chelsea smiled, satisfied, and closed the book.

One battleplan? Check.

Evaluation? Check.

Re-reevaluation? Check, check.

One husband? That's about to be check and mate.

Literally.


Over the dinner table, Elliot sneezed into his soup.

"You alright, bo-oi-ah-ah-ACHOO!" Old Taro nearly flew off his seat.

"Oh my!" Felicia gave a start. "Seems like you two got a cold."

Taro sniffled and rubbed his reddening nose. "No," he said. "I feel a storm's coming."

"I . . . I t-think I feel it too," said Elliot, noticing a slight chill in his bones.

The old man winced. His joints were suddenly acting up like crazy. "It looks like a big one." His face darkened.

None of them would predict just how big it was going to be.


30th Fall


The next morning, at a chirpy 7am, Chelsea carefully stepped into Taro's house. As usual, the residents were too busy preparing for the start of the day to notice the quiet rancher, all except Taro himself.

"Ah, Chelsea! Good morning. My guts telling me it's gonna be sunny tomorrow."

It was an immediate reaction on Taro's part. The rancher never came for anything else.

But not today. Today, Chelsea walked in with purpose. And she wasn't going away satisfied with just the weather report. Chelsea turned her eyes to Elliot, smiled and watched as he raised an eyebrow in question. She took a plastic container from her rucksack and made her way over to him.

"Hi," she said like a woman who knew what she wanted. She held out the gift. "This is for you."

The entire household stopped like clockwork, whirling around to stare. The blush on Elliot's face was becoming increasingly red and Chelsea, too, found it hard to keep up her composure for long.

"It's stir-fried veggies. I heard it's your favorite." She hurriedly explained. "I hope you don't mind . . ."

When Elliot still didn't reply, old Taro stepped in to save the day.

"SAY SOMETHING ALREADY, BOY! OR ARE YOU WAITING TILL I'M DEAD!" He yelled.

"Dad!" cried Felicia while Natalie choked on her cereal.

"I-It's okay, Mom," said Elliot. He turned to the farmgirl and prayed to Goddess that he didn't look constipated when he smiled and said, "Thank you, Chelsea."

"Thank you," she whispered back.

She held his gaze intently for a few moments and it was the first time Elliot realized that they were the color of the ocean. Just as sudden as everything had happened, it stopped. She left without another word, ducking her face as she did to hide her triumphant grin.

Elliot stood and stare. If it wasn't for the warm container in his hands, he'd never believe the events that had just played out. But it had. And he held the proof right there.

As Felicia watched the conflicts across her son's face, it occurred to her that she had seen a similar expression years ago. A buried memory, slowly rising to the surface like the sunken islands that surrounded them, and when it finally did present itself in full view, it brought her a surprising amount of joy. She looked to her father and knew that he saw the same thing too. Taro was as lost for words as the rest of his family, but the old man's chest was puffed out and he looked smug for reasons beyond the youngsters of the house.

Felicia brought a hand over her mouth to cover a smile.

Unfortunately, Natalie was too perceptive for that.

"What's with that look?" she demanded.

Felicia's smile only widened. "Your brother seems rather happy, doesn't he? The last time I saw a look like that . . . It was the same look your father had on when he first saw me. (1) Have I mentioned how much Elliot resembles your father?"

Natalie remembered too well their past conversation about Elliot and her father. She didn't want to believe it, but as she observed her brother herself, it couldn't be anything but the truth. The goof did look happy, annoyingly so.

Natalie felt a sudden chill in her bones and she shivered. She could feel the drop in temperature even before her grandfather announced it. For the second time in two days, Taro declared in grave tones of an approaching storm, and by Goddess, it was a big one.

However, the storm was a lesser concern than the problem at hand. As Natalie watched Elliot handle his vegetables almost lovingly, picking them one by one out of the container and savoring it with all the time in the world, she had only one thought in mind.

"Julia's gonna be pissed."


To be continued . . .


(1) Spoiler for and derived from a Friendship Event called "Natalie's Father".

So! Conniving Chelsea, besotted Elliot, and . . . vindictive Julia? Oh, ho, ho! All that in the next chapter. Review, loves :)