Disclaimer: Nope, Harvest Moon doesn't belong to me.

A Special Day

Dark clouds shrouded the sun over a snow-covered and frozen Forget Me Not Valley. Icy wind cut across the barren landscape like a knife across as an approaching late winter storm drew ever closer.

Most of the valley's residents had headed the warnings and were now hunkered down and ready to ride out the storm in the warmth and comfort of their homes. All it seemed except for one lone farmer, who at that very moment was getting ready to venture out into the bitter cold.

Jack buttoned up his coat and pulled the collar up around his ears, he reached out and picked up a covered basket from the table and walked over to the door. After making one last check of the baskets contents he re-secured the cover and opened the door. The bitter cold greeted him like a painful slap across the face. Yet, the farmer smiled and headed off towards the small town not far away.

On the other side of the valley a woman with long sandy blond hair watched as the swirling clouds drew ever closer. As she gazed at the swirling gray clouds, a smile appeared on her face. In her mind, winter, with all of it's bleak emptiness and bitter cold was her favorite season. Empty and cold, seemingly just like the feelings within her heart. She watched a bit longer before turning her attention back inside, over to the large black cauldron that filled the center of her small home.

A scowl replaced the smile when the witch looked into the steaming kettle. Her keen sense of smell told her that something was missing from the concoction brewing in front of her. She stepped back from the pot and walked over to a nearby table. There she opened up a well-worn leather bound book and flipped through the pages for a moment. She stopped and looked down intently at the page displayed. The smile returned to her face as she read what was written. She nodded and walked over to a shelf filled with a wide assortment of glass bottles and small bins. She picked and poked in several of the bins before emerging with a small brownish red bag. She then returned to her place in front of the cauldron and emptied the pouches contents into the bubbling brownish liquid.

"There, that should do the trick," she said with a satisfied smile. "Now I just need to let it simmer for a while."

Jack struggled against the strong wind as he made his way through the deserted streets of the small town. Large flakes of heavy wet snow were now falling, further impeding the farmer's progress. Yet, at the same time, he didn't seem to mind.

Finally, he arrived at the steps of the Romana villa. He paused for a moment to catch he breath before beginning to ascend the icy steps. At the halfway point he looked to his left and smiled, his goal now in sight his heartbeat quickened as he approached her small hut.

Hikari wondered whom would be silly enough to be out in this weather when she heard the knocks on her door. Getting up from her place at the table she walked over and opened the door. "J… Jack, what in the world are you doing out in this weather?"

The farmer smiled and stepped into the warmth of her home. "Well, I just had to see you on such a special day!" he exclaimed as he removed his coat and hung it on a hook near the door.

Hikari gave the brown haired young man a confused look. "A special day, what's so special about today?" she asked curiously.

Jack smiled and held up the basket. "You don't think that I forgot do you? Today is your Birthday! I even brought you some gifts."

The witch was momentarily speechless. Until now, no one other than her mother had ever remembered her birthday, let alone brought her a gift. "It's… it's my… my birthday you say?"

"Of course! Don't you remember telling me when we celebrated my birthday? How could I possibly forget that today was yours?"

Hikari smiled. "I see. It's just that I'm not used to anyone remembering it, let alone making a big deal about it."

Jack returned the blonds' smile. "Well, that was before you met me!" He handed the basket to the girl in front of him. "Here, these are for you. I hope you like them."

A blush filled the witch's cheeks as she accepted the basket. "What did you get for me?"

"Open the basket and you'll find out."

Hikari nodded and pulled the cloth cover from the top of the basket. An audible gasp escaped her lips as she looked at the baskets contents. "Oh, Jack…. Where did you get these?" she questioned as she reached in and took out several red grass plants along with some toadstools. "They look so fresh, almost as thought you just picked them."

Jack grinned. "I picked them and stored them just for this occasion. I had a feeling that you might like them now, since you can't get those during the winter season."

Hikari looked at the plants and smiled. Suddenly a feeling of warmth surrounded her. She looked up to see Jack wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a hug.

"Happy birthday Hikari," he cooed softly. "I'm glad you like the gifts."

Tears began to well in her crimson eyes as she wrapped her arms around the farmer. "I… I don't know what to say… But thank you Jack, thank you for remembering."

Jack smiled more. "No problem! It was my pleasure. I'd do just about anything to make you happy."

Hikari looked at the young man curiously. "But I'm the Witch Princess and all I do is cause trouble for people. I've even played some of my pranks on you! Yet…in spite of all that, you're so sweet to me. Even though I'm a witch and most mortals seem to want nothing more than to avoid me, that doesn't seem to bother you. Why is that?"

"None of that bothers me," he replied. "Sure you like to cause trouble and play pranks on people, but to be honest, what I see is a warm and caring girl who just likes to have a little fun. Yeah, it's at others expense, and yeah, I know you've had some fun at my own expense. But hey, you really don't mean any harm with your pranks."

"Thank you Jack…" Her sentence was cut short as Jack's lips pressed against her own. At first she was shocked! Was he really kissing her? The feeling was warm and she could feel his love for her in the embrace. Quickly though, she accepted the feeling and began to return the kiss. As they parted, she let out a soft sigh. "You know, you are the first mortal who has ever kissed me."

"Just think of it as an extra special birthday present," he replied.

Hikari blushed and gently pushed him away. "Would you like some tea? I can make you some if you'd like," she said in a hopeful tone.

The brown haired young man smiled. "Sure, some tea would be nice, thank you."

Hikari walked over to the small kitchen area of her hut and went about the preparations for the tea. Jack took a seat at the table and watched as the witch worked. Not long later Hikari returned to the table, two steaming mugs of tea in her hands. She placed on down in front of Jack and on down for herself. She sat down and watched as the farmer took a sip.

"This tea is my own special blend. I hope you like the taste."

Jack looked up from his drink and smiled. "It tastes sweet. Did you add honey to it?"

The witch shook her head. "No, not honey, I used some extract of frog skin. It's really sweet if you prepare it correctly."

Jack gasped a little when he heard that she'd used extracted frog skin to sweeten the tea. Yet, at the same time he brought the mug back up to his lips and took another sip. Afterwards he set the mug down and smiled. "Well, under normal circumstances, I would never drink anything made with frog skins. But I figure that you know how to use it to make something good."

"Thanks for trusting me on that Jack."

Jack finished his tea and stood up. "Well, I need to get back to my farm. My cow is going to need to be milked and I need to make sure that all of my animals are fed." He pushed in his chair and walked over to the door.

Hikari stood as well and joined him as he put his coat on. "Thank you for stopping by Jack. And thank you for remembering that is was my birthday."

The farmer smiled. "You're welcome Hikari, I'm glad I could make you happy." With a wave he opened the door and headed out into the still blowing snowstorm.

Hikari waited until he disappeared into the whiteness before closing the door. She walked back over to the basket and smiled. Jack was certainly unlike any mortal she'd encountered before. She felt warmth in her heart for the brown haired young man. She knew that it was a feeling of love for him. She smiled and walked back over to the window. Even in the cold and featureless winter, there could be warmth within her heart.

Happy Birthday Christy! I hope you enjoyed this, even though I was so late in getting it written.