This is just a one-shot drabble. It's nothing serious and is simply meant to be amusing. I'll probably end up writing a longer RF2 story set in second generation with Aria. Please, enjoy and review so I know what you think.

Disclaimer: I don't own Rune Factory 2 or Harvest Moon.

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With the morning sun rising, Aria got up from bed, yawned, and made her way to the dresser. She put on the first thing she grabbed and, racing out of the room, nearly ran into her mother.

"Aria, slow down! You'll trip!" Cecilia said. Aria noticed her mother was balancing a basket full of clothes on her hip. It must have been laundry day again.

"Oh, mom. Hi!" She smiled.

"You look adorable this morning. But don't forget to brush your hair…or teeth! And straighten out your clothes."

"Huh? My clothes are straight."

Cecilia shook her head, sighing. "I swear, Aria. You need to pay attention to these little details." With that, she set the basket down, and proceeded to make the proper adjustments to Aria's clothing.

When she was done, she stepped back and said something Aria didn't quite understand. "You can't run around in that shirt anymore."

She blinked. "Why?"

"It's—it's all a part of growing up. Oh, dear. It's happened so fast."

"What?"

"You've grown so much…"

"Yeah?"

"I mean, you've…developed. Don't worry, it happens to us all! I mean, not men, but all women. Why, you're simply a young woman, and young women do grow. I suppose it was about time." From Cecilia's expression, one could tell this was the last thing she wanted to be dealing with.

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with this shirt?"

"Nothing really. It has more to do with you."

"Mom, you're scaring me. What are you talking about?"

"You've developed breasts."

"… …oh. Okay. Um." Aria was blushing insanely. She had somewhat noticed recently that her shirt didn't fit the same way it used to, and how she had been feeling a little off-balance. She had been tripping really easily lately and whenever she picked up her sword, she had found herself swinging it differently…but she had simply brushed it off as nothing.

"We'll have to get you something for them. For now, I think we can get away with tying a cloth around your chest…but, dear oh dear, you're so athletic you'd accidentally slip out of it. That's no good. But it will have to do for now until I can get you something better."

"Yeah…"

"Don't be embarrassed! It's no big deal. It's just another step to becoming a woman!"

From the other room came Kyle, still in his pajamas. "What is?" He asked.

"Nothing, dear! Nothing at all. It's just our little baby girl is growing up. It just seems like yesterday that I was holding her in my arms. Don't you remember? But now she's so big and grown up! It almost makes me sad."

"Well," he said. "She is fifteen. But what, specifically, brought all this on, Ceci?"

Aria, embarrassed, ran back into her room, shutting the door firmly behind her. She had been taught about these things, but she never really paid much attention. It almost seemed as if it would never matter to her. Why, all the other girls had developed so much faster than her that it seemed as if she was going to stay as flat as a board for the rest of her life, which was just fine by her. She didn't need that sort of thing. All she wanted to do with her life was to be able to keep cultivating the land, or befriending wild beasts and raising tiny seeds so that they became something bigger and stronger. She loved the dirt, the earth, nature and every creature in it.

She didn't love this at all.

There was a knock on the door.

"Yes?" She said hesitantly.

"Let me in," her mother said.

With a sigh, she drew open the door.

"Here you go, honey." She handed Aria a long strip of cloth.

"I think I'm going to die."

"But this is a happy day! You're finally becoming a woman."

"And I wasn't a woman before? I don't need this, okay?! It's scaring me."

"It's inevitable. It had to happen sooner or later. I assumed it would happen earlier than this…it did for me…but you're just a late-bloomer!"

"How can you be so nonchalant? This is the single weirdest thing ever!"

"You'll get used to it. It's just new to you now." Then she kissed her forehead, and left to go downstairs.

When Aria finally managed to drag herself downstairs, she saw her father there, his clothes already filthy from working in the fields. He smiled as she sat at the table.

"Morning," he said.

"Morning."

He set a plate of eggs in front of her.

"Thanks. Where's mom?"

"She's out visiting Alicia and Mana."

"Oh."

He sat down across from her. "So…Aria, is there…anything you want to talk about?"

She blushed again and swallowed her eggs. "Um…nope! Everything's fine."

"Do you…have any questions?"

"What did mom tell you?!"

He sighed. "I was really hoping we could hold off on this conversation for a few years. Or never. Look, we've never really had any need to talk about this before, but your mother insisted so…" He made a face. "So here we are. You do know it's at this point that boys are going to become interested in you, don't you?"

"Boys don't pay me any attention."

"Oh god, but they will."

"I'm not…but I'm not, you know, pretty enough! I'm not pretty like Leann or Sera or anyone!"
"What are you talking about? Of course you are. You know how pretty your mother is? Did you know you look just like her? And what about me? You have a lot of me in you too. No, looks are something you never have to worry about."

"You…mean that?"

"You have good genetics."

"Then how come all the boys ignore me?"

"Nobody ignores you, and as far as boys go, that's coming. Believe me. And you need to be ready."

"I mean, I have a few male friends…"

"Exactly. And you need to be cautious of them. Especially be wary if a boy finds out your favorite thing and then proceeds to give it to you as often as possible, or invites you and all the other girls to watch the flowers, stars, etcetra or talks to you everyday, or does everything you say, even if that includes finding a tiny locket somewhere in the wilderness or fighting off your less-than-polite suitor. Matter-of-fact, be wary of racist half-elves! They'll make difficult rivals for any boy who wants you…not that you should let any boys want you. Because, you see, boys are…just be careful! Also be wary of boys who talk and do things for you and seven other girls…Also be cautious of boys who watch the request board like a hawk and immediately do whatever request you have posted. Because they're interested in you."

"Bud don't I want them interested in me?"

"Well, perhaps you do, but—but you need to be careful because they don't always have you're best interest at heart. They can be selfish bastards who are just giving you gifts for the hell of it…that and all seven other girls."

"Um, okay, dad. Thanks for the talk. I feel…enlightened."

"You're welcome," he said, hoping he'd never have to bring up any of this ever again for as long as he lived.

She ran out the front door.

Kyle simply sat and sipped some tea until there was a knock on the door, so he answered it.

"Hello, sir, is Aria here?"

Kyle stared down numbly. In the boy's hands was an apple, which was Aria's favorite thing. In his other hand, he held a locket. It was a locket Aria had lost earlier when she had been out and about, so she posted a request on the bulletin, hoping someone else could find it for her since she had little time or real inclination to do so herself. The request had been posted yesterday.

"What's that apple for?"

"Um…for Aria."

"That's for Aria?" Kyle repeated.

"Yes, sir."

"And—and that locket, you did that because it was a request, didn't you?"

"Yes, sir."

"You do all of her requests?"

"Every one I encounter on board, sir."

"And—and you think you're going to take her to the flower festival tomorrow, don't you?"

"I would like to."

He slammed the door in the boy's face. Then he frowned and looked as if something had struck him.

"Oh god," he said. "I'M TURNING INTO DOUGLASS!"