Summary: Gray and Yuko never got along; ever. Really, they seemed to hate each other with a passion, but will that change when Gray find's out Yuko's secret?
Disclaimer: No, I unfortunately don't own Harvest Moon…
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Yuko sighed as she sat at her desk, rubbing her temples as Gray continued to nag at her about how it was her fault his arm was in a sling, and that he couldn't work because of it. You would have thought he would have been happy about getting a few days, if not weeks off from work, which meant a while away from Saibara, and more importantly, her. The girl was tense as his words went through one ear and out the other as she attempted to concentrate on the broach she had started the day after the incident, now after ten days, every curve, crescent, and swirl were perfect in her mind's eye.
"-ko- … -uko- …. YUKO!" a voice shouted in her ear, causing her to scream and drop the broach, the part that first came into contact with the floor shattering. The girl's tensed, turning her head very slowly to the blacksmith, her body giving off an aura of pure anger, and slight hatred. Her hands were stiff, and her glare seemed to drill through one's skull. Her look alone said a very annoyed "What the hell do you want?", causing Gray so smirk and cross his arms, not guilty for breaking her newest work in the slightest. "If you were paying attention," the redheaded-brunette said, now standing by the door, "you would have known I was trying to tell you Gramps was calling for you."
The girl, still tensed with her angered glare, stood slowly, pushing past the boy, making sure to elbow him in the stomach with all the strength while she passed him. The boy grunted, wincing slightly as the girl elbowed him, causing him to rub the stinging area as he followed her out, curious as to what Saibara wanted the girl for. There she stood, hands clasped behind her back as Saibara moved from behind the counter, a small box wrapped in pink paper with an orange ribbon in his hands. "Yuko, I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday. I bought you a small something to show how much I appreciate your helping out here," he smiled with a nod, stroking his white, slightly tangled, beard.
Yuko smiled, a small blush brushing her cheeks, "Oh Goddess, I forgot it was my birthday," she laughed, slightly embarrassed as she rubbed the back of her head. "The days seem to blur together now… But thanks Saibara," she smiled, giving the large man a one armed hug, holding the small, palm-sized box in her other hand. "Can I open it?" The Santa-Clause looking man smiled and nodded at the girl, watching her carefully unwrap the orange ribbon and pink paper. She gasped, eyes widening as she opened a black box, lined with white satin on the inside. Obviously, it wasn't the box that amazed her, but what lay inside; a pouch filled with twenty thousand gold. "Saibara, I couldn't take this, I really couldn't…"
"I thought you would say that," the old man said, smiling slightly, "But this is the money I made in the city by selling your work; it's gotten quite popular you know," he explained, stroking his beard. Gray looked at the scene with pure disgust; Saibara was his grandfather, but did he ever get things like this for his birthday? No. Hell, the old man usually forgot his birthday, even though he had had twenty-two of them already, the twenty-third in only a few weeks more. The boy glared as Yuko hugged the man once more, thanking him most likely, before walking to the door, slamming it loudly behind him.
Yuko jumped as she heard the oak door slam shut, turning to look at the window, watching the beige-covered back of Gray who was assumingly walking up to the Inn. "Thanks so much Saibara, but I'm gonna go see what's wrong with him," she explained, giving the man a one armed hug, jogging into her office where she grabbed her bag, slipping the small pouch of money in one of the many pockets and swinging the button-covered, cream sack over her left shoulder.
The girl slipped out the door in silence, somehow managed to not slip and fall; something that tended to happen quite often. And no, Yuko was not clumsy; gravity just hated her. Well, that was the excuse she always used. The girl turned the corner, seeing the man walk, his hands stuffed deep in his pockets, shoulders hunched with a pissed off aura surrounding him. She jogged up behind him in utter silence, coal black hair dancing in the air behind her as she snuck up on him, only slowing when she placed herself beside him. The boy scarcely noticed the girl, continuing to walk as if she wasn't there in the first place.
"You know," Yuko started, placing her hands behind her head, "It's rude to ignore people." Gray continued paying no mind to the girl, completely in his own world. The girl sharpened her eyes in a glare, speeding her feet as he subconsciously sped his own. "Tch, rude one aren't you?" Still, no response in the least, which meant it was insulting time. "Imbecile. Stupid. Retard. Moron. Idiot. Doofus. Gay." Oh, she could have kept going for quite a while, but was stopped as she got smacked upside the head.
"Would you shut up already?" the boy muttered with a glare, returning the hand of his un-injured arm into his pocket, a feat slightly impossible with his other arm that was wrapped and held in a sling so it wouldn't move. Just because the poison was out, didn't mean his arm had to stop stinging. Yuko muttered a few extra insults under her breathe, rubbing her now throbbing head. "Goddess, I'm pissed off enough without you harassing me, you two-inch, mouthy little imp!"
"Who the hell pissed in your cornflakes today?" she shouted, glaring at the boy to match his, much less effective when you're much shorter than the one you're arguing with, but that didn't stop Yuko. Not to mention with her, that look was pretty damn effective one way or another. "And I'm not an imp! Or short!" The girl shouted back, hands balled into fists, glaring as she thought a moment about her height. She was a solid five feet, six inches, but that probably didn't say much next to his six feet, four inches.
"Then why do you have to always look up to talk to me?" he asked with a smug grin, turning the corner to see the Inn just beyond. "But I guess vertically challenged is the politically correct term these days huh?" The girl just fumed, glaring at him, her fists clenched tight. Gray noticed this, grinning once more, causing the girl to snap and punch him with all her strength. The boy stumbled back slightly, eyes widened while he used his good hand to touch his cheek. "You… You punched me…" he said, stating the obvious, a small dribble of blood running from the corner of his mouth due to the fact he had bitten his tongue when the girl socked him.
"Ug, couldn't you be nice for one day?" she shouted, eyes almost looking slightly glazed over behind her thin-rimmed, black glasses. "I was only trying to get your attention to find out what was wrong with you, and you make fun of me? Thanks Gray, thanks a lot!" she hissed before running towards the Inn that was only down the street. "It was too much to ask that he isn't a dick on my birthday… Then again, it's Gray, what could I expect?" she thought, feeling something wet slide down her cheek. The girl touched the tear, wiping it away before looking at the bar counter, the source of her tears; Cheese. The being around the stupid dairy product brought tears to Yuko's eyes considering she was quite allergic to it, as much as she hated it due to the fact she loved cheese.
Sighing, the girl started walking towards the stairs, before a familiar voice cut through the idle silence. "Yuko!" a cheery voice said, followed by the soft pattering of feet that lead to none other than Ann. "Happy Birthday!" the redhead grinned, taking the jeweler in for a bear hug, "I would'a wished you a happy birthday earlier, but you had left for work before I woke up," she explained with a grin, only to be replaced with a frown in a mere second. "Were you crying? Did Gray say something and hurt your feelings? Why I outta-" she started, rolling up her sleeves, a determined glint in her eyes. Seriously, sometimes Yuko believed Ann was somewhat bi-polar; it just wasn't natural to be so cheerful one second, then about to kill the next.
Laughing, the dark haired girl put a hand on her friend's arm, shaking her head slightly. "Don't worry Ann. The cold outside glazed my eyes and the cheese on the counter made the tears slip out," she explained with half nod; and it was true in Yuko's mind. Even for the start of winter, it was quite chilly out; supposed to snow sometime soon actually. "So just chill. And thanks," she smiled, giving the girl a one armed hug, hand holding the strap of her backpack.
"Now, time to get you ready~" Ann smiled, linking her arm with Yuko's and dragging her up the stair's to the girls room. Inside, Mary sat reading a book on one of the beds, Popuri and Karen laughing about something or other; probably something the chicken freak did to embarrass himself. Again. Before Yuko could get a word in to ask what they were all doing in her room, the girl who had lead her up here started undressing her; first, the well-fitting, knee length, smoky-grey jacket that stayed closed with three black buttons (there were three buttons on the other side for decoration, so it would look symmetrical) along with a rope-like string that tied around her waist for more or less appearance. Then someone took off her black, brand named board shoes at the same time as someone else stripped her of her long-sleeved, V-necked, violet wool sweater. A heartbeat later, Yuko felt someone yank off her jeans and belt.
The black-haired girl was blushing violently, her arms crossed her well-endowed chest. Without knowing what was going on, she was now standing in the middle of her room wearing her black, slightly lacey bra with black panties; honestly, who wouldn't be embarrassed after being stripped of all their clothes? "What are you guys doing?" she asked, voice cracking slightly as she looked around at the girls. Ann grinned at Karen, giving a small wink as she snuck up behind Yuko, groping her chest and squeezing it slightly, causing the glasses-wearing woman to shriek.
"Relax," Ann said, laughing so hard she was on the brink of tears; really all the girls besides Yuko were. "We're just gonna give you a makeover; it is your birthday after all, and you should look amazing for your party." Yuko turned, face still bright as a tomato to ask what party, being interrupted by the redhead once more, "You're birthday party that you are going to, whether you like it or not. Dad went over to the Winery, and said we can have the Inn to ourselves. It's going to relatively small though; just us girls," she said, moving her hand in a semi-circle to explain she meant herself, Yuko, Elli, Mary, Karen and Popuri. "Along with Cliff, Trent, and the chicken freak."
Yuko couldn't help but smile as Ann used the nickname they had made for Rick a few seasons ago when Yuko first moved to the town. Karen, on the other hand, glared slightly as the nickname of her fiancé, but couldn't hide the small, close-lipped smile on her face. "… No Gray?" she asked, knowing that the girls doubled the boys, and quite often, Ann liked her symmetry.
"Well…" Popuri said, fiddling with her fingers, an apologetic look in her ruby eyes. "He does live here, and we can't kick him out… But he'll probably stay up in his room all night anyways, right?" The pink haired girl's suggestion brought a smile to the jeweler's face as she nodded. "But enough talk about that; it's time to give Yuko a m-a-k-e o-v-e-r," she said, a grin of mischief that didn't fit too well with her cutesy attitude.
Though, to Yuko's dread, Karen and Ann mimicked the chicken freak's sister, nodding as they brought out a dress, slipping it over the girl's head with ease, zipping up the back before she could react. The dress was a relatively simple design; it was made of black material, a medium-blue kind of material under the black, making it look like the skirt had many more layers than what it really had. It clung to her curves tightly, but still managed to be comfortable. The top was strapless, the skirt falling to mid-thigh, a white ribbon lining the top and bottom hems, another slightly wider under her bosom. "Were you guys practicing this or something?" she asked as Ann took off the removable straps on Yuko's bra.
In reply, Karen nodded, grinning all the while. "Caught us already?" she asked with a laugh, doing a few extra adjustments. They walked Yuko –who was rolling her eyes and sighing- over to the bed, where Popuri got to work with a straightening iron, making her butt-length hair look even longer. Elli was in charge of jewelry, most having been made by the jeweler herself, putting in two pairs of small, silver hoops in her lobes, placing a black chocker around her neck, decorating her wrists with different bracelets that glinted in the light, not bothering with Yuko's ankles considering she was already wearing an anklet; one she refused to take off no matter what. While Popuri and Elli were doing that, Ann and Karen has disappeared to fetch some shoes, leaving shy little Mary to do her makeup. "Wow Yuko, you look good without your glasses; have you ever considered contacts?"
Yuko nodded slightly as she pointed to the drawer by her bed, "I have some, but I don't usually wear them due to the fact they're a pain to put in and take out," she explained, closing her eyes as the librarian applied some eye shadow once she had finished putting on the eye liner and mascara. Mary finished the makeup that was mainly eye-makeup, along with a touch of blush and lip gloss that made her pink lips shine in the light.
The Librarian stood, walking over to the nightstand table, moving things around until she found what she was looking for, "Put them in; just for tonight," she smiled, placing a small box of contacts in her hand. Yuko sighed and nodded with a small smile; one night wouldn't hurt anything. As soon as the girl felt Elli finish with straightening her hair and pulling the hair that framed her face back and holding it out of her face in a small pony-tail like thing, she walked over to the mirror, placing the clear contacts in her eyes, being cautious as to not stab herself in the eye.
"Wow," Yuko said, eyes widening as she looked in the body-length mirror. "Is that really me?" she asked, pointing at her reflection as she looked over at her friends her grinned and nodded. Before she could say anything more, she felt someone raising her foot, only to see Ann and Karen sliding her feet into two-inch high heels that had thin bands crossing over the middle of her feet to assure the don't fly off. Well, fly off as easily at least, but knowing Yuko, she would probably find a way… "I hope you realize you guys are total pains in the ass for making me do this…" she sighed, shaking her head but had to give each one of them a hug.
Ann smiled as she hugged the birthday girl back, being the last to receive a hug. "Now, enough thanking. Go talk to your guests while we get ready," she grinned, Karen opening the door to allow Ann to push Yuko out who stumbled, her ankle twisting strangely at the edge of the stairs.
The jeweler's eyes widened as she felt her ankle twist, making her loose balance and despite her waving arms, became air born. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, bracing herself for the pain she was about to feel when something wrapped around her waist. It took a few heartbeats to realize she wasn't airborne, allowing her slowly crack her eyes open, looking down to see an arm clad in a black, long sleeved shirt. Her eyes slowly started going up the person's arms, her mind quickly crossing off anyone it could be. For one, it had to be someone around her age to be at the Inn that was reserved for the party. She mentally crossed out all the girls who she knew were all chatting and laughing in her room. It couldn't have been Chicken-Freak or Trent due to the fact they had no reason to be up in the guys' room. Kai was never around during the winter, and even though Cliff was muscled, he was no where near the man who had saved her. "Are you alright?" a familiar voice asked, worry threaded through his voice. Yuko furrowed her brows slightly, looking up at the blacksmith apprentice whose arm stayed around her until she straightened up at the top of the stairs and smacked it away.
"I'm fine, Jerk," she muttered, straightening the skirt of her dress, glaring at him with her sapphire eyes that seemed so much larger without her glasses. Why was he being so sweet all of a sudden? He was insulting her only earlier that day! Not to mention he seemed to hate her guts for whatever reason…
"Wait…" the boy said, sapphire orbs widening in realization. "Yuko? Is that you?" Honestly, she didn't look that different… Did she? Maybe the contacts, makeup, hair and dress really did make her look like a different person? Honestly, it wouldn't really surprise her in the long run considering she wasn't positive she was looking at her reflection after the makeover was complete, and she had known what they were doing. Taking her "look" as a yes, the boy's eyes widened more slightly in pure amazement. "What happened? You look so… So different…"
"It's a miracle what a little makeup and a different outfit can do huh?" she muttered, grabbing hold of the railing as she walked down the stairs, trying her best to ignore the throbbing in her ankle. She sighed, sitting at one of the barstools without so much as a glance at the men who had been dragged to the party.
"Why so glum, chum?" a familiar voice questioned from behind, causing the jeweler's eyes to widen, a small grin appearing on her face as she spun around, seeing none other than summer-time Kai, wrapped up in what was probably two sweaters, a scarf and a wool hat. Yuko almost squealed as she jumped up (on her good foot mind you) before wrapping her arms around Kai. "Happy birthday," he smiled, ruffling her hair before taking a seat beside the stool she had been sitting in. "And might I say you look gorgeous. I take it the others think so too," the tanned man grinned, jerking a thumb behind him.
The girl had sat once more, leaning over to look past Kai and see Trent slightly wide-eyed, Rick's eyes wide and jaw slack, and Cliff was sitting there, his drink completely missing his mouth and pouring onto the floor. "Wow," she said, a slight blush spreading on her cheeks as she leaned back. "And this is from seeing me?" Kai laughed and nodded, rubbing his hands together and breathing into them. Yuko just smiled and shook her head slightly, taking his hands in hers, almost shivering at how chilled they were. "Wow, you weren't kiddin' when you said you weren't a winter guy."
"Nope," he grinned, happy to have the warmth of her hands around his. "But I had to make an exception for my girl's birthday," Kai smiled, giving a small wink, allowing Yuko to laugh and roll her eyes. Just as she was about to say he must have been confused considering Popuri was his girl, a door sounded from above, revealing the other girls who had finished their own transformations.
Popuri had straightened her long, cotton-candy curls and tied her hair back into a high pony tail, her dress a crimson that matched her eyes, also strapless and mid-thigh, but hers' was more or less a bubble dress, her whole mid-section covered with a red ribbon, a large bow resting in the front to the right side. Elli wore a white dress with spaghetti straps that fell to her knees, large black flowers covered the left corner of the skirt, her hair left just as it was; but really, her hair was practically too short to do anything much. Ann was wearing a pale blue dress that billowed from the waist down, ending at her knees, her hair loose and in waves; part natural, partly from the braid she always had in her hair. Karen walked out with her hair curled in loose ringlets, her dress's top halter-like, the bottom almost reaching the floor, but her leg still showed through a large slit up the side that ended at the top of her thigh. Mary was also standing there, using contacts as well to show off her large eyes. Her long black hair was slightly wavy, hanging over her one shoulder, her dress a violet colour that was relatively plain, its straps slightly thick, going down in a v-neck.
Yuko looked over at the guys who had averted their attention to the other girls, holding a laugh in check as she cold have sworn Rick and Cliff were about to drool. Trent was blushing and smiling at his wife, probably remembering their wedding due to the white of her dress. She looked at Kai's face last, who was smiling at Popuri, but glanced down and ruffled Yuko's hair. "I still think you beat them Yu. Well, tied with my other girl, but still," he laughed, causing the jeweler to smile and take off his hat just to ruffle his hair as well.
She looked over at the girls who had now gotten to the bottom of the stairs, Gray's wrist locked in Ann's iron grasp; maybe they really were family after all. "Okay kiddies," she smiled, though she was one of the youngest (and most child-like) of the group, taking something from behind her back. "Anyone up for a game of Spin-the-Bottle?" Yuko almost burst out laughing as she looked behind her, seeing all the guys with their hands raised, only Gray standing there with a glare of pure annoyance on his face, free hand clenched by his side. The orange haired girl laughed in response, leading her brother to the back door, everyone following pretty close, making it virtually impossible for Yuko to get away, making it so she had to join the game as well.
They were led into the living room, all the furniture cleared from the center of the room, eleven small sitting-mats set up in a circle. Sighing, the black haired girl sat in one of the "seats" that was obviously meant for her considering all the cushions were red, besides one that was blue, ribbons tied at the corners of the cushion. "Ann, how long have you had this planned out?" the girl asked with a small smile, watching as everyone took their seats. Starting at her left and going around, the was Ann, Cliff, Popuri, Rick (who made sure his sister stayed away from Kai), Karen, Gray, Trent, Elli, Marry, and finally, Kai, who sat on Yuko's other side.
"Please, you don't think Karen and I were gone for so long for nothing?" she laughed, shaking her head, setting the green glass bottle in the center of the circle, before standing and running into the kitchen area. She returned with some drinks; oh, this would most defiantly be interesting considering a few of them were light-weights. BIG light-weights that would probably get drunk off of the one drink alone.
Laughing, Yuko shook her head slightly. "Yuko, you go first," Karen commanded with a smiled, resting her head against Rick's shoulder. "You are the birthday girl after all." With a small smile and shrug, the girl took a sp of the drink that Ann had brought, spinning the bottle, watching it slow and finally come to a stop. Looking up, she saw the face of who she least wanted to get; Gray. His face was a few shades redder than normal, mouth a gap as he stared –well, glared more or less- as the bottle, glancing up to look at Yuko whose features mimicked the shock of his own.
Maybe Spin-the-Bottle wasn't the best game to play?
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A/n: I like my cliffiesxD So, what do you guys think? Will she kiss Gray in front of everyone? Or will she do something to avoid it? And for the record, I can see Ann doing what she did to Yuko okay? She's just one of those friends who loves making people blush in my opinionxD Hmm... Not too, too much to say about this chapter. But might I say, this was quite a long chapter? Honestly, these notes go the middle of the eighth page ;D Oh well, no harm in typing out a few extra pages for you guys; I'm sure you don't mind at all.
Oh yeah! Special shout out to my friend Bella, who just turned fourteen this month! I hope you had a great day hun! Also, thanks to Pulchritudo in omnia for reviewing! I really appreciated it ;D