Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon nor any of the characters. Also I haven't played Tree of Tranquility so I'm kind of improvising after getting hyped up and reading game summaries so any errors… were kind of planned for. I'm addicted to Harvest Moon games but I can't afford a wii.

This is a short one I know. I'm having one of those days... sorry.

Slumping down, arms crossed, and a very evident pout on my face, Takeru paced in front of the chair he had yelled at me to sit in. "What the hell Arika?" he was flabbergasted. I had never understood this whole overly-protective nature of his. "You shoot off in the middle of getting to know these people which is rude in itself, but then you disappear for half a day?! What. The. Hell?!" Only little while before I had exited the bath in my pajamas and been attacked. Takeru had swept me into a cradle in his arms—kicking and screaming too since I had no idea it was him at first (not that knowing that made it any better). He took a deep breath before yelling some more. "What's wrong with you? That's twice you've taken off like that. I can't believe you would act this way. Why Arika? Tell me why?"

I snapped then. This had been going on for a good ten minutes and I only had so much of a wick to burn before I exploded. SMACK. "Why does it matter Takeru?" I stated solomly as he held his cheek looking completely shocked. My voice was deadly and low. "We aren't in the city anymore and you aren't Papa so stay out of it. I'm just as old as you are—"

"Then dammit ACT like it Arika!" he cut in. "What is going on with you? You've been so different since we moved here. Is something wrong? Do you hate me? What is it?!"

My eyes threatened to burst tears at any moment, but this was a fight and I was not going to cry. No. I wouldn't. "I want to go home," I whispered looking away from Takeru. "I don't like this. I'm not this kind of person who works outside with nasty animals all day. I'm not good at new things. I want to go home and take care of Papa and work in the bakery again making cakes for Miss Berris. I don't like this place."

Jiji who had been silent all the while sitting on my shoulder just about had a spastic attack. "WHAT?!" he shrieked. "Human! You cannot leave I forbid it!"

"Are you saying that… you're scared?" Takeru's voice was a lot gentler now.

I looked up my eyes starting to turn red around the edges as a tear leaked out. I was furious. "And when have I ever had an issue admitting my feelings Takeru? Isn't that you that you're confusing me with?"

"So that's all it is?" Takeru smiled weakly to himself. "Thank god. I thought it was me."

"Why would you think it was you?" I mumbed completely embarrassed that I was actually crying. Damn tears were betraying me. I never cried in front of Takeru. If I did that then he would mince his words and not say what he meant. He'd go soft. I wanted the truth not lies to make me happy again.

"I've been trying so hard to be friendly to people for you Arika. You were so upset when we got on the boat and I just wanted to make you happy…" he trailed off pulling me into a hug. "I'm sorry. I thought maybe I did something wrong and messed up. It's my fault we're here in the first place so I guess I really did do something wrong. I just want the old Arika back."

That's when it hit me. I realized what was going on in that moment. Takeru and I had truly switched places. I was no longer the responsible sister who took care of the brother who shut himself out from the rest of society. Our roles had reversed. I was slowly becoming the Takeru I had hated and Takeru was becoming me. Takeru was now the responsible, kind, gentle one. I pushed away from him now realizing that the person I was really mad at was myself. I practically flew up the stairs of Cresson and Rucola's home and into their daughter's room slamming the door behind me as quietly as I could out of respect. The bed was an open invitation and I ran to it hugging the traveling girl's pillows so hard I was surprised that feathers hadn't exploded out of them.

"Dammit, dammit, dammit," I whispered banging my face into the bed with each utterance. "I'm so stupid. Arika you idiot. Why are you acting like this?"

"You aren't going to leave are you human?" Jiji asked timidly near my ear. I shook my head but didn't raise it from where I was trying to suffocate myself with the pillows. I heard the little sprite release a breath of relief. "I think you're a wonderful person. You shouldn't be upset. I like you. Most everyone you've met likes you."

"I don't care if anyone likes me," I said. "I only want to like myself and right now… I hate myself."And I fell asleep thinking that my eyes swollen and irritated from crying.

The next day I had a session of a little game I liked to call "Avoid Takeru for as Long as Possible". With Jiji as my lookout I was invincible. No way would I be in Takeru's presence for long enough for him to bring up the issue from the day before. I tended to gardening with Taylor again that morning watering the plants and collecting ripe vegetables and fruits. Taylor was peppy as usual starting random conversation on how wonderful zucchini squash smelt, though I was couldn't say I agreed at all. Soon after Taylor drug me with him to another field full to the brim with grasses that reached well above my waist.

"Have you ever used a sickle before?" the optimistic man asked. I shook my head as visions of a grim reaper's scythe popped to mind. "Here," and I was handed a stubby staffed rusty curved cutting instrument. The thought about how dangerous this was did occur to me for a moment. Letting me have a dangerous, potentially fatally so, tool was not the best idea.

"Um," I held it out before me carefully hoping I didn't cut myself and have to get a tetanus shot. Looking at Taylor helplessly I realized he was laughing. He was covering his mouth and trying to hide it but doing a terrible job. I stuck out my bottom lip. "What are you laughing at?"

"It's so cute," he said between gasps for breath finally letting his laughter take hold. "You really are clueless! Aw, little one. It's adorable! Don't look like that, that face makes it worse."

I rolled my eyes and walked forward carefully with the sickle. "What do I do?" I asked trying to lessen my humiliation and just get this stupid job over with. "I'm not going to hurt myself am I?"

"Well, that is entirely up to you dear," Taylor smirked. "If you do it right how I instruct you, then you should be perfectly unscathed when you leave this field." He held his own sickle out in front of him to where the blade was directed away from his body. "Just swing it at this angle and you should get a good bunch every time. But it will probably take a little warming up to."

I copied him and made a little swing carefully jumping back from my own arm. Taylor laughed for a good thirty seconds again. I hadn't really managed to cut much of anything which disappointed me to say the least. "We may have a problem," Taylor chuckled rubbing the back of his head.

Next was another job that Taylor was trying to teach me. I was in hell. The feathers were all over and I held my nose as the bigger man urged me into the coop. I felt nauseous and scared to death. They all watched me with their beady eyes. Clucking every so often one would stir and make me flinch. I was tenser than I had been in a long time remembering one of the bad experiences I'd had when we were in elementary school and they had taken us to a petting zoo. The rooster had attacked me and left a good sized scar—that I still had mind you—on my stomach with that talon on the back of its leg. Evil monsters.

"We're going to collect the eggs and then we'll clean the whole place out." To my utter horror Taylor wasn't joking when he said this. "So let's get to work. And you'll need both hands so you need to let go of your nose."

Exasperated and completely discontented I followed orders eventually actually descending to truly being sick and having to excuse myself for a moment. And the chickens, while they didn't shred me to pieces, did end up leaving me with a small battle wound or two. One was actually from being pecked. Needless to say the coop was spotless—until one of them pooped in there which I'm sure would be soon enough. Nasty birds.

"Good job today," Taylor stated patting me on the hand after taking off his gloves thank goodness. I wouldn't want anything that touched that glove to come into contact with my head. Chickens… I shudder at the thought.

"Arika!" Takeru was waving at us from the farm house. I cringed and stopped walking. I wasn't mad at him, but how could I face him?

"I'm going to take a bath," I said quickly veering off toward the bath house.

"See you at dinner," Taylor said in his usual cheerful manner giving me a little wave. I sprinted off toward the bath at full speed in hope that Takeru wouldn't be able to make it there in time to corner me before I was stripped down and safely in the water. I didn't want to deal with him right now.

When I finally was submerged in a sea of ginger scented bubble bath I relaxed letting all the worry slide off. Jiji sat on the side of the tub dipping in his feet. I looked over at him. "What's wrong?" I asked. After all, he'd been uncharacteristically quiet all day also he wasn't pleading me for my shampoo… which surprised me. He'd fallen in love with it apparently.

"I'm tired," he stated.

"Did you sleep alright last night?" I was a little concerned. It seemed pretty well to me that we was tired now that I looked closer. I scooted over to him and began my study. His eyes were half-lidded with rings of darkening blue beneath them, and he had definitely not acted like himself. "You aren't sick are you?"

He shook his head. "That's absolutely impossible. Sprites are immune to any kind of disease or illness."

"Aw, but Jiji, you don't look too good." I countered putting two fingers across the span of his forehead. It was hard to tell really though because I didn't know what temperature harvest sprites normally were nor could I really tell with just two fingers if it was higher or lower than it should be whatever "should be" was. That was when my tiny companion just about collapsed into the bathtub. I let out a surprised "eep!" and caught him before he could drown. Laying him down a little way from the water I got out and wrapped a towel around me then hurried back over to him and dried him off. He was still in a little pair of black shorts so there was nothing to be covered, but I was really worried.

"Jiji!" I said beginning to feel panicked. "Jiji!" I shook him gently trying to wake him up. My heart began to pound. What if something was really wrong with him? I mean, something was wrong, but what if it was serious? I quickly threw my smelly clothes back on and yanked on my boots. Picking up the sprite carefully I cradled him in my arms wrapped in a fluffy towel. Then I sprinted out of the bath house and out toward the woods. The sun was setting, and I knew this probably wasn't the best idea, but what could I do? Take him to the clinic? Yeah right, like the doctor wouldn't just throw me into a mental ward.

Stumbling through the brush and not on a path I searched the woods for the enormous dried up tree. Where was it? Something large and dark caught my eye and I stared at it a moment attempting to make out what it was. Was it the tree? No, I couldn't have possibly made it there this quickly. What was that thing?

And then it moved.