SkyexJill: To Catch a Maiden 14

Say what I'm thinking... I wandered along the path to the valley, still thinking about Claire's advice. Does that mean I shouldn't plan out what I'm going to say ahead of time..? She said something about no sugar-coating my words, and to only say what I really mean... So, I'm allowed to tell Jill that she's the most beautiful maiden in the world, because she is, right? What if that's too much? Maybe I should just stick with her being very beautiful... No, because I tell every maiden that she's beautiful... This is going to be harder than I thought. Plus, Jill seemed pretty dead-set on catching me. She's probably realized how often I break into her house to watch her sleep, so there's probably a trap... Wow, I really am a stalker. Jill won't like seeing me this late. I should wait until tomorrow to-

There was a loud thud and a scream. I heard some rustling in the trees, followed by a familiarly frustrated voice shouting, "Stupid… tree…" 'Jill.'

I tried to silence my laughter, but a quiet chuckle slipped from my lips. She knew that I came from this path. You're actually trying to set up a trap here? My darling Jill, you should really be more quiet while setting up a trap. I know exactly where you are... I slid into the brush along the road where I had heard Jill's voice.

"Where are you? I know you're there, Phantom!" Jill called me.

Very bad at setting traps, indeed. Unless, of course, she's using herself as bait. I laughed at this thought and wandered over to where Jill was. "Very impressive, Jill. It seems that you can find me easily. Catching me, however, is going to be much more difficult."

Jill looked beautiful standing in the moonlight. It illuminated her perfect face and made her amethyst eyes sparkle. I was so happy to see those eyes again. Even if the owner was covered by dirt and leaves. She's obviously been in a tree, or something, setting up this trap. Couldn't be more obvious.

"Now what kind of elaborate plot is this? Let me see," I looked around for some ropes or a net. There wasn't enough light to see much of anything. "I come to help the helpless, fallen maiden, and Marlin jumps out and tackles me. Or maybe you've got a net somewhere that I need to step on?" I smiled at her playfully, "Am I close?"

Jill shook her head, but something was wrong. It looked painful, and she actually cringed in response to this movement, grabbing her head where it hurt. Then, I noticed the blood dripping down her face. Her hands were covered in her own blood.

She's actually hurt! And head wounds are bad! I stared at her dumbfoundedly as it sank in. "Jill…" I raced over to her, panicking for a moment. "Jill, what happened to you?" Oh, Goddess...

"I, uh, fell again, I guess," she said the words only a true idiot would say as blood poured from her head. "And I hit my head."

"Yes, I see that!" I exclaimed, somewhat annoyed. What do I do? I was panicking and couldn't think straight. "Oh, Jill. What should I do? What can I do?"

"I've got some stuff in my rucksack that might help," Jill pointed at her bag weakly.

I frantically started shuffling through her bag, pulling out different objects and throwing them off to the side. What can I do? What do I need? What stops bleeding? What do I do? Jill's hurt. Oh, Goddess! What in here am I supposed to use?! There's just a bunch of farm tools! Is she expecting me to use a hammer to put her out of her misery?! Oh, good Goddess! I could never do that! Not to my Jill!

"That would work," Jill stopped me, breaking my train of thought as I pulled some gauze out.

Good thing she stopped me before I threw it like everything else...

I reached up to press it to the bleeding part of her head when she took it from my hands. "I've got it, thanks. It's just a little cut."

I nodded dumbly. Just a cut? How can you take a head injury so lightly..? I looked away, up at the stars. Seeing my Jill like that was making me panic too much. I needed to calm down. This wasn't a trap. She's actually hurt. I thought it was a trap, but it wasn't... But why else would she be out here..?

"What are you doing out here, Jill?" I asked suddenly.

"Hm? Oh, well I was just running," Jill said.

That's a lie. I looked at her skeptically. "Oh, really."

"I was!" she insisted.

"Fine, fine," I muttered, "But why were you running?"

"Because Ro-" she started, then changed her mind about how to word her response and said, "Because I needed to get away for a little."

"So you decided to run, at night, in the winter?" I said, hinting at sarcasm. Is this how she feels when I say things that she doesn't believe are true? Because if it is, I really don't like this feeling, either... I sighed, "I'm sorry if it sounds like I don't believe you, Jill, but I don't. Can you tell me the truth?" I stared into her beautiful amethyst eyes, pleading for her to be honest with me, like I was trying to be with her.

Jill seemed to be having a mental debate with herself. After about a minute, she finally relented. "Back in the Valley," she said cautiously, "Rock just said some things that upset me, I guess. But, I mean, he was drunk so it's not like… I mean, he didn't mean… I don't know. He was trying to get me to, I don't know, just go with him somewhere I guess, but I wouldn't."

I clenched my fist. Rock... He's that blonde playboy... First the farmer, now him. Why do people keep moving in on my Jill...? I decided that these were thoughts I should keep to myself and allowed Jill to keep talking.

She continued, "That made him really angry so he just ended up yelling at me. He said how I should be more pretty like Muffy or Nami and that I was just a dirty farm girl that never did anything but work and how it doesn't even mean anything. It made me wonder if he was right. I'm no beauty queen, I know that. I mean, I'm really just a farmer, nothing special."

Just a farmer? No, no, no, no... You can't possibly think that about yourself. Not when you're so spectacular...

"Don't you ever say that again, Jill!" I blurted loudly. I decided this would be as good a time as any to tell her how I really saw her. I placed my hands on the ground and leaned in close to her as I spoke. "You are one of the most beautiful girls I have ever met; no, the most beautiful. Your hard work and dedication to do what you love is what makes you beautiful, and don't you ever let anyone tell you otherwise. Understand?"

"…Skye," Jill blushed. She was looking at me, completely absorbed by my words. More than ever before. "Do you really think I'm beautiful?"

"More beautiful than every star in the heavens," I replied. That may have been too much. There's probably a line where even my genuine thoughts become ridiculous and sound... not real... Right?

"Even when I'm covered in dirt and leaves?" Jill asked, smiling slightly.

My Jill... You think a few leaves can spoil that perfect beauty of yours? That's beside the point. She understands! Claire was right! Oh, thank Goddess! I shook my head, laughing slightly. "Especially when you're covered in dirt and leaves. Because then I can do this," I said quietly, leaning closer to her. I placed my hands on her face, carefully rubbing the dirt off her face. Don't you know? I love having any excuse I can to touch your beautiful face. I slid my hands back and started taking the leaves out that had become entangled in her hair. I was amazed that she was letting me touch her for this long. Especially since I was so close, and staring at her.

Jill was also blushing pretty bad. Normally, when she blushed this much, she'd be pushing me away, but she wasn't. She just stared back at me.

I stared into her amethyst eyes. I've never been able to stare into them this closely before... The bright moonlight was bringing out a certain beauty in her face that I hadn't noticed before. I stared at her, trying to place what this feeling was. It was similar to the feeling I had the night at the bar when she admitted that she thought our meeting could have been by fate. I was starting to feel that this was somehow a similar situation. I thought back on that time. Her hair was down then. It was the only time I had gotten to see her with her hair not pulled back in a ponytail, despite the fact that she looked so pretty with her hair down. I wonder if she'd let me...

I pulled her hair tie out and her hair fell onto her shoulders in cascading waves. My heart was pounding, being so close to such a beauty as my Jill. This was such a perfect moment. I wanted to stare into her beautiful eyes and run my hands through her silky hair all night. I want to kiss you, but...

"Skye..." Jill breathed, her lips tempting me.

"Yes, Jill?" I asked, somewhat hopefully. Does she..?

"I," she spoke hesitantly, like she wasn't sure of what she was about to say, "I need to get home."

Oh... My hopes were suddenly dashed. What was I thinking she would say, anyway? Idiot. Like she'd even...

"It's just…," Jill explained, "You helped me realize that being a farmer is what I want to be. Even if it's not beautiful to others, it is to me. Thank you, Skye."

Her words made the breath catch in my throat and I felt my face get warmer. I smiled and stood up, hoping she wouldn't notice the blush on my face, "I see. In that case I would like to formally offer to escort you back to the Forget-Me-Not Valley." I offered her my hand, which she took. It made my heart soar. I pulled her close to me, putting my arm around her shoulders. She felt somewhat cold in my arms. What if she doesn't want me to hold her? "That doesn't bother you, does it?" I asked, slightly worried.

Jill shook her head, smiling, "No, it feels nice, warm."

My heart fluttered. Is this how young maidens feel when I talk to them? I pulled her closer to me, not wanting to give her a chance to second-guess her reply.

The walk to her house was wonderful. I was able to just stare at her, and she didn't seem to mind. She'd occasionally look at me and quickly look away, blushing every time we made eye contact. I laughed every time she did that. She's so cute... The best part was the smile she had on her face the whole time. She very rarely showed me that lovely smile of hers. It made me so happy.

Claire was right. I just needed to be more genuine. Now, I have my arm around the most beautiful woman in the world. She's not resisting AND she's not unconscious!

When we reached the edge of the Valley, Jill's smile faded and she shook her ankle, looking at me awkwardly.

"Is there something wrong with your ankle, Jill?" I stopped and asked. I looked down at her ankle, and could have sworn that I saw what looked like a very little man with pointy ears hiding behind my Jill's leg. What the heck... I reached down to touch the creature, but it quickly turned into a bunch of sparkles and disappeared. I immediately retracted my hand. A hallucination..? I haven't been drinking, though...

"Uh, no everything is fine, Skye!" Jill said quickly, something sounded off about her words, "My foot just, uh, fell asleep was all! Trying to shake it awake, eh heh…"

"I thought I saw," I started. Then, I realized that talking about seeing little, pointy-eared men would ruin the moment. I quickly shook the idea off. "No, never mind, it's silly." I smiled at her and changed the subject, "I hope it's alright if I walk you all the way home. I know I'm a thief, but beautiful maidens should never be alone during a night like this."

Jill smiled again. It made her so beautiful...

Since it was so late, we didn't run into anyone. At Jill's door, I reluctantly released my grip around Jill. I suddenly felt somewhat empty.

"Thank you, Skye, for everything," Jill said quietly.

I nodded politely. "I would do anything and everything for you," I replied. She smiled and reached for the door. Should I just let her go? I want to kiss her... No, she wouldn't want that. I can't be so selfish. I need to wait for her to be ready. She doesn't want to kiss a no-good thief. I smiled at her, covering my disappointment at this decision. "Goodnight, beautiful."

"Goodnight, Skye." Jill stepped inside her house and closed the door behind herself quietly.

I let out a heavy breath that I didn't realize I had been holding. I slid to the ground, leaning against the door as I tried to steady my racing heart. What? Did I expect her to grab me by the collar and kiss me, or something? I thought, somewhat scolding myself.

Still... There was definitely something different about tonight than any other night. This being genuine thing could really work. Jill might actually open up to me if I keep this up. I looked at the hand that I had wrapped around her shoulder. She let me touch her... Jill let me run my hands through her soft hair and touch that beautiful face of hers... My Jill...


I could definitely win. Jill's heart of stone could be broken into. Since I'm the phantom thief, I'll be able to win her heart. Then, maybe... Maybe she'd open up to me. She might be my girlfriend, and even my... My... My what..? I thought about how I was going to finish that sentence. I had bet that I'd win her heart, but what did I really want to do after that? I just wanted to have her all to myself, but what did that mean? What would that make her? My Bride? Wife? If we got married... My cheeks tingled at the thought. Marry Jill? It's a little early to think about marriage, don't you think..? I mean... I'm still not sure about how she feels about that farmer, and...




The ache of jealousy started to fill my heart yet again. My eyes widened slightly. Oh, that's right... That guy, what's-his-name? ... Rock. What he did to my Jill... I couldn't let him get away with hurting my Jill like that. What to do about him...