Disclaimer: My creative thoughts spawn from the Natsume Chain of Harvest Moon games and their characters. 3

Gill had it perfectly planned out by the day. He would woo Luna in any way possible. He would charm and flatter her and bury her in gifts and privileges if he had to... which he had planned to do. It would be pretty tough... from what he understood Luna wasn't exactly one to settle. How else would she still be single?

Gill sighed and rubbed his neck, looking at the calendar he'd planned out. It would go perfectly if he could just stick to the plan, which wasn't very hard to do. All he had to do was make himself as nice looking as possible. It was perfect. He would pass by the Tailor's Shop, and by the third day she'd come and confront him. He'd talk with her awhile and repeat that day after day. On the tenth day, he'd surprise her with a gift of strawberries, perfect ones, and shining ones when he could get them. After a couple days of that, he'd do that and go inside to chat with the rest of her family. What was wooing a girl going to do if his family didn't also remind her of him daily?

After all of this, he'd spontaneously 'leave' for a couple days. At approximately the third day, she'd come up to his house and come inside, bearing with her his favorite food items. He'd smile at her and he'd thank her, and then he'd ask for things to get serious between them. Of course, he'd give it some sappy wording, but it would work.

After that, she would be completely hooked. But, just to be safe, he'd wait about a month more for Luna to fall for him even more before sending that... obviously wilting... rose of Japan off of his island. Then he'd have peace and a potential wife. It would be perfect, absolutely perfect, and nothing could ruin it. Everyone could try, even the Goddess herself, to break him away from his plan, but it just wouldn't happen.

Gill looked at the clock and jumped up from his chair. He was still in the town hall... he'd been there for five hours straight, planning what would happen to get that thing off of his island, and of course get Luna to actually like him. He couldn't forget now. It was perfect, and starting tomorrow, it would become not just an idea... but a reality.

----

The next morning, Gill got up with a smile, looking extra spiffy today, if he had an opinion. He had made himself look absolutely perfect for Luna, or for her to see him. He got up early just to make sure she didn't miss him. He knew that she.. slept in.. but that had nothing to do with this. He would walk by at about ten or so, just to be safe. So, Gill nonchalantly took a bag of Strawberries out of the fridge... just in case. Maybe he could even speed things up a bit. Now that... that would be perfect.

With a bounce in his step and what seemed to be a smile on his face, Gill walked outside of his door.. only to end up with his shirt and vest ruined by a whole glass of juice. Grape juice.

Gill's face stayed calm, and he looked down at his shirt, and then back where the juice had come from. There standing not ten feet away was that... thing, getting off of the ground.

"You.." Gill whispered in a hostile tone.

Angela was still getting off the ground before she looked up to Gill with a shocked kind of look. "Oh! I'm so so sorry! I didn't mean to do that! I didn't even know anyone was coming out and I just tripped before I knew what was actually happening and I'm so sorry! I ju-"

Gill put a hand up to cut her off and Angela looked down at the ground before looking up. Gill just turned around slowly and walked back into his house. She was an idiotic moron! She was... she was... evil. Pure evil. But it was just a sign, no doubt. Even this wouldn't make him hesitate with his plans. And so quickly, he changed, and slipped out of the back door of his house, evading any contact with that little twit.

Finally, Gill got to the other side of town and nonchalantly walked by. But... just to be safe, he walked by again. Gill bit his lip. He sighed lightly and turned around, passing by just once more to be safe, and then headed onto work, mentally cursing himself for acting like a stalker, the previous mishap completely forgotten.

---

There had been a time when Gill was a happier, better person overall. He used to like everything, and be as jovial as the mayor was himself. But it was back... way back. To the time when his mother was still alive.

"Gill!" A fairly attractive lady stepped off of the stairstep into the backyard of the large house the family called home. She had chocolate brown eyes and long silky hair. Her skin was soft, and her cheeks rosy. She was the type of person you would want to know, the type of person who's smile was contagious.. the type of person everybody longed to be, and yet, wanted to know.

"Gill! Come inside! It's time for supper!"

"But mom, can't we have it outside?" A little boy of about 8 stood up from behind the bushes of the garden, his face dirty, but with rosy cheeks and a big smile, like his mothers. He was a blonde, more like his father, Hamilton.

And speak of the devil, here he came out of the house. "Oh, I don't suppose it would kill us to have it outside dear." Hamilton said. The Hamilton of ten years ago had been strikingly different. His messy pale blonde hair almost reached his ears, and his blue eyes shone brightly and with love towards his family. He was a great deal skinnier, which made him seem taller, even though he was a very short man, much shorter than his wife. But, she didn't seem to care. She was in love! What was greater than loving a sweet man for the rest of your life?

The brunette looked down at her husband with a small laugh and leaned down, kissing him on the cheek before walking back into the house and starting to take supper outside.

And they had a great meal, talking about the day that they had, the days of the past, and the days of the future that lie just ahead. And they were all happy, and they were all good. There was nothing that could have brought them down.

Until of course, the inevitable happened. It wasn't soon after this that a disease rained its blessings upon the mother of the family. For a year, she lay in bed, the color fading from her cheeks and lips more and more each day. It wasn't long until she started looking paler and weaker. Sometimes she couldn't even eat anymore. Gill had spotted his father crying more than once each day. He kept asking if momma was going to die.. but the only answer he would ever get was, 'You just worry about yourself, alright?'.

Day and night, Gill tried to figure out what was happening. He swore to his mother everyday that he would find some way to fix her, and she'd always smile in that way that made him want to smile and cry at the same time. He didn't know why, but the night she died, Gill couldn't sleep, and somehow, he already knew what happened. He crawled in next to his mother's body and cried the whole night, praying to the goddess to bring her back.

After that though, he aged horribly. He wasn't a jovial young boy anymore. He was a straightforward, and perfect boy. He was cold and hesitant to get close to anyone. He was smart, and he wasn't afraid to prove anyone who disagreed with him wrong. He did what he wanted to, when he wanted to do it, and he was the one who decided how to run the island.

This young man, cold and silent sitting at his work desk, filing papers every single day, holding inside a crying little boy, only doing what he could to get by everyday, even if that meant kicking somebody off of the only thing he had left.. the island that he grew up on.

---

Gill sat at his desk, nonchalantly filing the papers that had built up over the past few eventful days. Did Elli really do absolutely no work around here. But then, he heard something outside. It was a laugh.. It rang through his ears, as if a fond memory was making itself apparent. Gill walked softly over to the window and opened it ever so slightly to peek out for a view of the town square. There he saw Julius and Angela. Gill crinkled his nose. Well, they both had strange tastes. He was about to close the window when he heard the laugh again.

Gill looked out to see that the noise was coming from Angela. It was just too pretty to be coming out of the mouth of that.. imitation gem. But apparently, Julius couldn't see the difference between an imitation gem and a real one. Gill rolled his eyes and watched the two. Julius smiled at Angela and she smiled back, their silence only being broken by a bird call.

Oh no, this was bad. Gill got a sinking feeling in his stomach. She wouldn't leave if she got married, they couldn't force her to leave if she was even remotely happy in this island. She didn't blame her for feeling happy on the island, that was what it was for, but really, this was bad. He had to do something... There had to be something...

"Gill?" Elli called from the other side of the desk, "What's so interesting?"

Gill turned around quickly and then spied Elli, an idea spinning its way through his head. He smiled.. the idea finally blooming into a beautiful, elegant reality.

"Oh, Elli." Gill said with a small sigh, "It was just my understanding that you liked Julius."

Gill's mental smile became even more apparent when Elli blushed furiously. My oh my did observations come in handy.

"How did you know?" Elli stammered, looking up to him.

"That's not important." Gill said, waving the look off, "If you don't ask him on a date or something, it looks like he's about to be hooked to another. You better move fast." Gill said, pointing out the window.

Elli got up and pushed him out of the way, looking out the window with widened eyes before running out of the door.

"Heh." Gill said, before looking back out of the window.

There Elli stood, panting, looking at the two of them. After a couple of deep breaths, she stood up and looked towards Julius. Gill heard her ask something to him and then he blinked, looking back from Angela to Elli.

"Come on, come on.." Gill said, and finally, as if by magic, Julius turned to Elli with a smile and kissed her hand lightly, saying something along the lines of, 'Lead the way'.

Gill let out a deep breath until she saw Angela wave at the two and head straight towards town hall. Gill's mouth gaped open and he ran towards the back, hiding under his desk. There was no way she was going to talk to him, never. Never ever ever, especially not alone. Gill stayed still under his desk as he heard the bell signaling someone entering the building. He heard nothing but a pair of feet and the undeniable stench that she was here.

Gill shuddered from under the desk, and waited. He heard nothing for a long while until he heard somebody using the phone.

"Hi." Angela said.

Even from the first word, it had piqued Gill's interest.

"Oh, I'm just fine, just fine. Really! Don't worry. And you can't trace the call, so don't even try." Angela said.

She waited awhile, as if listening to some really long explanation.

"Mother, I'm happy here. There's nothing wrong with living the normal life."

Angela sighed, and he could almost hear the eyeroll.

"Yes I know but-"

"Well yeah bu-"

"Mother I j-"

"MOM! Please I-"

And then the phone was hung up, a small sniffling sound the only thing he heard before hearing the door open again and the stench leaving the area. Gill sat up and sighed. Well, the kid didn't exactly have it easy, but she still needed to go. She couldn't stay here, that was for sure. He knew of a place called Mineral Town.. maybe she'd like it there better?

Gill got up and sat in his chair with a contemplating look upon his face. No, she needed to go home. She was ungrateful for what she had! If he had been the son of a wealthy man, he wouldn't take it for granted. No, now she really needed to go. Not because she couldn't stay here, but because she needed to go home.