Just letting you guys know, this will be my last update on any of my stuff for a while. My computer is being stupid, so I have to have it fixed. So anyway, for those who have been waiting for this chapter, I apologize for the massive wait. Things have been happening lately and it's taken me a while to bounce back into fanfiction mode.

Harvest Moon (c) Natsume

Song (c) Disney

Who d'ya think you're kiddin', he's the Earth and Heaven to you
Try to keep it hidden, honey, we can see right through you
Girl, ya can't conceal it
We know how ya feel and who you're thinking of

After the incident with Denny, Chelsea had gone straight to her two best friends: Julia and Natalie. Neither woman had ever seen such anger or sorrow fill the brunette's face in the time they had been together. Julia came up with a brilliant idea and offered to throw a slumber party in the Animal Shop that night. Natalie agreed with a bright smile and Chelsea managed a weak smile after agreeing. The three women stayed up quite late telling ghost stories and throwing popcorn at each other while they watched chick-flicks. After a while, Chelsea cheered up and had a good time with her friends.

The next morning, she bid both women farewell and headed up to her ranch. After a quick shower, she rushed out the front door, eager to get started on her work when a sudden weight threw her off balance. She and Denny were through. There was no reason for her to be so eager to do her work, not when there was nothing to do afterwards. With a deep sigh, she kicked a stone that was near her front door. Bandit, her dog, walked over whining at the sudden mood change of his owner. He pawed at her pant leg, hoping to get her attention, but she merely shook him off.

"Not now Bandit...Maybe we'll play later..."

She sauntered over to her crops and watered them lazily, not even caring if she got them all. Her other animals all watched her, wondering why their master was so depressed. The three hens in the middle of the field huddled near the edge of the pen, trying to get a good look at Chelsea. They clucked loudly, hoping to get her attention, but she continued watering her crops. Her two cows in their grassy pen chewed at the grass, only half interested in eating it. Bessie, the older of the two, mooed loudly in Chelsea's direction and was pleased when Chelsea looked up.

"I'll be right there, Bessie, just hold on!" the rancher said impatiently.

All the animals gave up after that. The chickens went back to plucking at worms in the ground and the cows went back to eating their grass. Bandit whined and his tail drooped as he ran up to where Bullet, the horse, was grazing near the cows' pen.

By noon, Chelsea was done with her farm work and was quickly bored. Had it been an ordinary summer day, she would have gone down to the beach and fished on the dock with Denny. Due to previous events, well, she didn't want to see him. Not now, not ever.

With a deep sigh, she got up from the shade of the tree she was beneath and wandered down towards town. She paused at the mouth of her ranch, looking down towards the beach. With a shake of her head, she went to the West side of town and looked around. She could go to the Meadow and fish there, but she liked having Bandit with her to watch him chase after grasshoppers. Her only other option was the Jungle.

She smiled slightly and made her way to the brand new bridge to the unknown area. Gannon, the local carpenter, had been commissioned by Chelsea to build the bridge to the jJngle and she had yet to explore the area. Excitement shot through her, but she kept the feeling hidden beneath a mask of indifference. As she walked across the bridge, the familiar sparkle of a Harvest Sprite showered around her. She waited for the small elf-like creature to appear and sighed deeply when he did.

"Hello Chelsea! My name is Manfred!" he squeaked happily, causing her to look down at him, wrinkling her nose slightly.

"Yeah, yeah. You guys really bug me," she muttered as she stepped over him.

The small blue sprite squeaked in surprise and covered his little head with his arms, hoping she wouldn't step on him. When he saw that she was wandering deeper into the forest, he reached out for her. "W-Wait Chelsea!" he stammered. When she turned, he sighed deeply. "There are wild-men living in the Jungle, so please be careful."

She scowled at him slightly, but turned and held up her hand, letting him know she understood. With a deep sigh, Manfred disappeared in another shower of sparkles. The Jungle air was thick and even more humid than it was outside the canopy of trees. The sounds of several birds rang through the trees, not one could Chelsea identify.

It wasn't until she couldn't tell where she was that Chelsea stopped. She sat on a log, pouting slightly as the unfamiliar terrain got the best of her.

"This is so stupid! Why did I come to the Jungle? I don't even have a map!" she cried, frustrated that she was lost.

Rustling in the leaves behind her made Chelsea jump to her feet and spin around. She pulled out her axe, more to appear menacing than to actually use it, and braced herself. Swallowing down her fear, she took a deep breath.

"Who's there?" Rustling answered and she scowled when she saw a pair of eyes. "Come out and I won't hurt you too badly."

After more rustling, a young man stepped out, each step cautious and thought out perfectly. He had dark skin and odd markings all over him. He held out a small dagger defensively and stopped in a crouch just a few feet from Chelsea. He sniffed the air and Chelsea tried not to laugh.

"What you?" he asked in a low growl.

"Um....What?" she asked, lowering her axe in confusion.

"What you?" he repeated, not moving at all.

"Uh, my name is Chelsea....Who are you?" she asked, putting her axe back in her rucksack. This man wasn't much of a threat or he'd already have attacked her.

He shook his head, still crouched. "Not name...What you?" Chelsea didn't respond and he straightened up, scowling at her. "Wada will know..."

Before she had time to react to what he said, he sheathed his sword, stepped forward and hoisted her over his shoulder. He held her with one arm around the inside of her knees and ran through the trees as if going blindly. Chelsea blushed slightly and was glad this wild man couldn't see her face.

"Will you put me down?!" she cried, banging on his back. He didn't seem fazed by it, so she pounded harder. "Put. Me. Down!"

"Wada will know...Wada knows all..." he muttered as he ran.

With a deep sigh, Chelsea gave up. She had no idea where he was taking her, but he obviously knew his way through the Jungle rather well. If she wasn't in mortal danger, she could have him show her out. Then she would never have to come back again. Yes, that was the best option.

After a good five minutes, the man arrived at a hut that Chelsea hadn't even seen and put her down gently before grabbing her wrist. She tried to struggle, but he was much stronger than she was and simply pulled her as if she wasn't fighting him. Another man was standing in the middle of the hut with a black lizard in his mouth. He was much older than the first and looked at Chelsea wild-eyed.

"Wada, Wada! Found something strange!" the first man yelled. The second man walked over and looked Chelsea over. "What it, Wada? It dangerous? It food?"

"No...Human....Like us...." the second man said simply.

Chelsea couldn't hold her laughter anymore. She had thought the first man's vocabulary was off, but the second hardly said a complete sentence. The men both looked at her, the first dropping her wrist quickly.

"Of course I'm human! What did you expect me to be, a turtle?" she questioned, giggling slightly.

The first man turned to the second. "If it a turtle, we eat?"

The second man shook his head and Chelsea looked at them both blankly. She then sighed and shook her head.

"If human, why not say so?" the first man said.

"I can hardly understand what you mean in the first place. You need to be more specific with what you mean to say." She knew she was being rude, but she was short tempered from recent events. Not that it was a good excuse...

The first man took a deep breath, pointing to himself. "Name Shea...You Chelsea, right?"

"Uh, yeah, that's my name," Chelsea muttered, amazed that he had remembered. She then pointed to the second man. "What about him?"

"That Wada. He strongest in tribe," Shea said, a look of pride filling his face. He then thrust his chest out. "Shea strong too. One day be stronger."

Chelsea laughed slightly and flexed her muscles dramatically. "I'm pretty strong too."

Shea walked over and poked her arms gently. "That not strong." He walked over to the small bed in the corner and lifted it with one hand. "This strong."

Chelsea's jaw dropped as he placed it down gently. Shea walked over with a pleased look on his face and stopped in front of her. His face suddenly turned curious.

"We friends?" he asked Chelsea.

"Um...sure?"

He grabbed her hands in excitement and bounced up and down. A big grin erupted on his face, making him appear young and innocent. "You visit lots? I'm happy!"

With a laugh, Chelsea nodded. She then glanced at her watch which read two o'clock. "Can you show me out of the Jungle, Shea? I'm sort of lost."

"You new to Jungle?" he asked as he led the way out of the hut.

She followed, ducking slightly at the door. "Yeah, I've never been here before."

"Jungle dangerous for strangers. I teach you to hunt for protect. Maybe tomorrow?"

"O-Of course," she stammered, alarmed that he spoke a sentence she could understand. "What time should I get here?"

"Time?"

"Yes, time. Like right now, it is two o'clock in the afternoon."

"Clock? Afternoon?" he questioned, tilting his head cutely.

Chelsea laughed and smiled at him. He was very isolated from the world and she would have to teach him as much as she could so they could talk properly.

Shea pointed to the sky. "Come when sun is at top of sky."

"Oh, noon?" she asked as she looked up.

"Noon? What that?"

He lowered his hand as she giggled again. "Ok, how about this. After you teach me to hunt, I will teach you all about time. That sound fair?"

Shea smiled and nodded. "Ok!" He then looked around. "Where live, Chelsea?"

"I live on a ranch in town. Actually, it's just over the river here."

They passed a river that winded through the Jungle and she could see the ranch from where they stood. Bullet was thundering around by the cow pen, the cows were grazing lazily and she could hear Bandit barking loudly as he chased after Bullet.

"That Chelsea's ranch?" he asked, pointing across the river.

"Yeah...But I have to cross the bridge to get there."

Shea shook his head and smirked slightly. "Hold hand."

She grabbed his hand and he pulled her close to him. As Chelsea blushed, Shea grabbed a vine from the nearest tree and tugged it hard. He stuck his tongue out slightly and got a running start before leaping over the river. The vine went taut and the pair soared over the rushing river below. Shea landed catlike on the other side and let go of the vine before releasing Chelsea. A little red-faced from both the experience and the close proximity of Shea, she managed to stumble forward. Shea pointed his knife at Bessie who mooed a greeting at her master.

Shea tugged on her sleeve causing her to look back. "What that?" he whispered.

Chelsea laughed and walked over to the pen, patting Bessie's big head. "This is my cow. Her name is Bessie."

Shea stood his ground. "Bessie is food?"

Chelsea turned on him with a stern look on her face. "No Shea. Bessie is not food. None of the animals on this property are food, do you understand?"

Shea nodded, but pointed his knife at Bullet as the gelding trotted up to the pair. Bandit lagged behind a little and whimpered when he saw Shea. "What those?"

"This is my horse Bullet and my dog Bandit. If you want, you can pet them." Chelsea moved so she was next to Bullet. "Come on, he won't hurt you."

Cautiously, Shea walked up to the horse and reached out. The horse snorted slightly and every instinct running in Shea's veins told him to attack. With a glance at Chelsea, he knew he couldn't do that. She told him that he wasn't to eat her animals. The horse let Shea pet him and before long, Shea was grinning happily.

Bullet let out a whinny before galloping away, causing Shea to tense up and crouch slightly. "He attacking?"

Chelsea laughed and grabbed Shea's hand as it hovered over his knife. "No Shea. That means he's happy. He's glad you two are friends."

With a final smile, Shea walked back over to the river. He then turned to face Chelsea as he picked up the vine he had abandoned. "I go back Jungle now. See you at...noon?"

Chelsea beamed; glad to have taught him something; and nodded. "Of course Shea. Goodbye." She waved at him from beside Bessie.

With a look of confusion, Shea merely smiled back and was gone in a flash. Smiling, Chelsea turned back to her ranch and picked Bandit up off the ground, kissing him on top of his head.

"I made a new friend today, everyone," she said as she sat down to tell them all about it.