Note from the author: I've been reading some ANB fics and I got this idea for one. Anyway I will still be working on my other stories too, so just a warning but updates will not be at a regular interval. Rio will be making it to the village Ch. 2.

I hope you enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review and let me know what you think (just no flames, but I do welcome constructive criticism) :)

Disclaimer: I do not own harvest moon or the image for the story...

"You told them what!?" I screamed.

"Rio, honey, calm down," my mother replied.

"Calm down? How can I calm down?" I continued to rant. "This was not part of the agreement. All I had to do was run a ranch for a year to prove that I could live on my own in the big city. It was supposed to be a test to see if I could support myself in a small town, judging whether or not I could make it in the 'big leagues'. Pretending to be a boy was not part of the deal!"

"Rio, Dunhill and the town think you are a boy. We cannot just break it to them that you are a girl. Besides, just think of it as another challenge," my mother said serenely.

"Please explain why they think I am a boy and why it is not okay just to tell a town with a population of like five people that I am actually a girl," I questioned, crossing my arms.

"Look Rio, when your mother was pregnant we were convinced you would be a boy. We got excited and sent letters to everyone. We prepared everything and on your birthday we found out you were a girl. We were in the city then and just never sent letters to everyone, saying you were a girl. I got a phone call from Dunhill soon after saying how he was so excited that I had a strong boy to take care of the family farm one day. He sounded so excited; I decided not to tell him. I never anticipated using the farm again so it did not matter at the time," my father explained.

"Oh that makes perfect sense," I said.

"See I told you she would understand," my mother smiled.

"That was sarcasm mom. I am not okay with this. Why do I have to cover up the lie? Just tell him the truth," I retorted.

"Rio, I forgot I never told Dunhill the truth and he has already made preparations for a young man. He even told the whole town about you. You do not want to make the town mayor look like an idiot, do you? Plus if he gets mad at me, it might make living there harder for you," he replied.

"Harder? I think pretending to be a guy is harder. I rather deal with an angry old dude, than spend a year as a guy. And is telling the town's population that you lied really that hard for someone? Especially a town with less than five people. What if I get caught? Did you think about that?" I argued.

"Look young lady, I am getting impatient with you. Take the deal or leave it. You fend for yourself as a boy for a year and we will pay for everything to send you to where ever you want to go and live. If the town finds out, you come home, pretending that you were not actually Rio. Game over and you are stuck in the family business. You fail to sustain yourself and game over. Got it? We are giving you a chance, so if you really want it, take it," my father stated.

I grumbled to myself. I had no intention of staying here and running the family business, but I did not like the idea of having to lie to people about my gender. Then again it was only a few people. It could work. Could I pull it off for a year? I mean I did not mind the idea of starting off small to prove I could be independent, but as a boy. The idea was absurd. However it seemed to be my only option. I eyed my little sister smirking from the couch. I glanced at my parents. None of them thought I could pull it off. They were probably making it harder so that I would have motive to stay or quit. I have to prove them wrong.

"Fine, but how am I supposed to pretend I am a guy. I am pretty sure I look and sound like a girl," I said.

"You could cut your hair. It looks messy anyway," my sister piped.

"Hey, no one asked you, brat," I replied. I clutched my dark blue ponytail. "I like my hair. It took me forever to get it this long. I refuse to crop it."

"Well, we could get you a wig, but you would have to trim your hair. Wig caps are harder to place when your hair is so long," my mom offered.

"So a wig and some clothes. I think I can get some things later," my dad said.

"It helps that Rio can be a boy's name too. Oh and since you are flat anyway, loose clothing ought to do the trick," my sister smirked.

"Stop insulting me, before I make you," I yelled.

"Mommy, Daddy, Rio is going to hurt me," she shouted.

"That's it. Get over here punk," I spat.

"Rio! Do not hurt your sister. Calm down," my father ordered. I recrossed my arms and rolled my eyes.

"Whatever," I mumbled.

"Deepen your voice," my mom said. I gave her a funny look. "You need to be convincing."

"Great, this is going to be so much fun," I said in imitation man voice, with lots of sarcasm. My mother smiled with a look of approval.

"Hold still!" my mother cried.

"You are yanking my hair too much," I complained. She ignored my complaints and continued to yank. I heard some snipping and the yanking stopped. I grabbed a small hand mirror. I viewed my reflection. "How much did you chop off!?"

"Five inches or so," she replied. My eyes widened. My hand brushed through my hair. My hair went from ending halfway down my back to barely past my shoulders. I frowned and swiftly parted my hair, then fastened my hair into pigtails. "Oh that looks nice. It will make your wig cap easier to put on too. You can just place the pig tails on the top of your head and fastened it like you do with your swim cap."

I sighed. I was about to respond, when my father barged in with a box of stuff.

"I found some old farmer's cloths and a nice blue and yellow hat to go with it. Oh and I stopped by the wig store. I chose the farm boy style wig to go with the hat. I got two, since an extra will probably come in handy," he said, handing me a box.

"Thanks, wait what is this? My hair is dark blue. I thought we agreed to keep it that way, to blend with my eyes, so I don't look as feminine with them standing out," I asked.

"They were out of dark blue, but dark green is the next best thing," he replied. I sighed. This is going to be way harder than I anticipated.

"When do I leave?" I asked.

"We'll take you to the sea port on Spring 5th," he said. I nodded. Only a few more days. I can do this.