Author's Note: WTF. I came back. I came back. I CAME BACK. I. Came. Back.

Ahem, hello there :)

It's...been a while...but, I've managed to make it back to update. Amazing, right?

Anyway, I hope you don't hate MY GUTS right now, but I am just elated at the fact that I can start updating this again. I'm using my new netbook, so the only word processor available to me would be WordPad, which sucks since there's no spellcheck on it...

So please try to ignore any grammar or spelling mistakes I made, and hopefully you will enjoy the SIXTH chapter of Skye's Game.

R&R and thanks to those who stuck with me even during the year long absences and crap. :) I wuvs y'all.

BTW Damn, lots of POV changes in this xD Hope it doesn't confuse or annoy anyone reading this. It's just that there's a lot of interactions between the characters that I want to address as Jill progresses through her journey. I'm specifically referring to the conversation between Claire and SKye, which will undoubtedly be a very important factor in the future.

So, NOW please enjoy the next chapter of Skye's Game that I have put off for so long -_-;

Chapter Six
My Prince

The moon shone brightly against the dark canvas of the sky with white stars twinkling as the night progressed. A gentle wind blew over the quaint valley, and leaves of green flew amongst the wind, resembling a school of fish swimming along a current.

It was around this time that a certain silver-haired thief walked briskly towards his destination. For once, instead of concealing himself within the shadows, he was out in the open, unconcerned about the possibility of getting caught. The man was much too preoccupied within his mind to think clearly about his actions.

I don't get it. That rumor..it can't be...it just can't be true...

Skye ran his fingers through his long hair, his head whirring with the voices of the villagers gossiping about the newfound discovery that struck everyone to the core. His speed increased as he continued up the dirt path.

It's not true, it's not true, it's not true. Skye thought to himself, repeatedly denying the harsh, cold statement that shook his spine. It couldn't be his Jill...right?

Wait. HIS Jill?

The thief stopped in his tracks, staring blankly into space, unaware of his surroundings, and instead immersed himself within the confinement of his thoughts.

Nonononono. He didn't mean it like that. Jill was his FRIEND. F-R-I-E-N-D.

FRIEND.

Still, he stood there, unmoving. Friend? Why did the word feel so...bland.

That word did not describe his relationship with Jill nearly as much as it was supposed to.

After that day at the Goddess Pond, Jill frequently visited him at the same spot each night. Their conversations started out as small talk, but gradually became more and more prolonged until they would talk up to the point when the sun began to rise. During those nights, the girl and thief would laugh, poke fun at each other, and discuss their lives. As time passed, Skye found himself enjoying Jill's company considerably more than Claire's...

What is wrong with me? I can't think like that... He thought to himself, shaking his head. I just became friends with Jill two weeks ago...and I've loved Claire for...months. Skye didn't exactly remember how long he had been with Claire...

Well, I met Jill three months ago, the same time I met Claire...

Why was it that he could remember the time he met Jill more clearly than he could with Claire?

"Damn it, I need to focus..." Skye walked on, increasing his speed with each step until he broke out into a sprint.

He found himself in front of a tent after a few minutes, and took a parchment out of the pocket of his jeans. He read it to himself quietly:

"At midnight, I will be helping myself to the valuables in your tent.

Yours truly,

Phantom Thief Skye."

The message was written with a silver pen on a thick black piece of paper. His signature took up more than half of the space provided by the paper.

Wasn't it common knowledge to make certain that the person reading the letter would clearly remember your name?

Okay, not really, but Skye did enjoy writing his name in that BEAUTIFUL fancy handwriting of his...

He quickly led himself into the tent, and placed the letter within one of the sleeping bags. Hopefully his effort of creating a fake robbery would not be wasted. Sighing, the platinum-haired thief sauntered out of the empty tent with little trouble.

Now the sun had risen into the light blue sky, like a golden disk among the sea. A small statured woman in overisized overalls and thick-lensed glasses skipped along the path perkily towards the Excavation Site. There she planned on delivering some tools to the archaeologists. No one could say for sure why Jill was in such high spirits, and neither could she. All she knew was that for some reason she looked forward to that night...

The brunette paused for a bit, a small hand on her hip, and her eyebrows furrowed.

I wonder why Skye didn't come to the pond last night. Her amethyst eyes stared up at the blue sky, still contemplating on Skye's absence. It felt a bit lonely waiting for him...

Shaking her head, Jill walked up to the tent, poking her head inside to check for the archaeologists. Flora and Carter were in the center of the tent, seemingly poring over a piece of paper Flora was clutching in her hands.

"Hello?" Jill reluctantly invited herself in to make herself known. Carter looked up while Flora kept her eyes on the parchment.

"Ah! Jill! Just the girl we needed!" Carter walked up to Jill, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, but there's a favor we need to ask of you-" Flora cut off Carter.

"CARTER! Jill's busy taking care of the shipments and her farm! Don't be selfish!" The woman smacked the back of Carter's head with the paper. Rubbing the back of his head, Carter grinned sheepishly.

"Now Flora." he seethed through his teeth. He glared at his assistant from behind his spectacles.

"Hm? What's the matter?" Jill questioned. Her eyes flickered towards the paper in the assistant's hand, and she instantly knew what the dilemma was.

"Skye." Jill whispered to herself flatly. Flora looked up at her, adjusting her glasses.

"Why, yes. That's correct. It seems that we have gotten ourselves in quite a predicament here, involving the 'Phantom' ". Flora stated, nodding her head.

The brunette crossed her arms, and pursed her lips, deep in thought. "Damn, that thief..."

Despite the harsh words, Jill's voice held no air of hostility in it, and Flora seemed to have caught this fact.

"...Is there something bothering you?" Flora asked suspiciously.

Shaking her head, Jill turned to face the other way. "Nope. Just irritated by this cocky bastard." She rebutted.

Shrugging, Flora nodded slowly, still a bit suspicious. A grin set on his wrinkled face, Carter took the letter from his assistant.

"Well, I've heard that you've been a great help in cornering the thief-" the professor was once again cut off.

"We never got close to that point, professor." Jill said, now looking back at the two.

"I suppose so, but after bumping into him twice now, do you think that perhaps you have an advantage?" Carter asked.

Jill cocked her head to the side, and looked up at the ceiling, thinking over what he had said.

"...Maybe." she stated plainly.

"Then, if you have no objections, would it bother you to come over around ten to twelve to help us capture the scoundrel?" Carter questioned.

Again, Jill absorbed herself in deep thought. There was a descision to be made.

Skye, or her pride?

The thief had recently become a good friend of hers, but refusing to help her fellow neighbors would make her seem selfish.

What to do, what to do...

"I'll help. I have nothing to do anyway." the brunette stated casually before making her way out of the tent.

"Wait a minute!" Jill turned around to face Flora.

"Is it true? You know, that rumor..." Flora asked.

Jill furrowed her eyebrows. "You mean the one that EVERYONE'S been asking me about?"

Flora nodded. "I guess so. That's the only one I've been hearing."

"Then, yeah. It's true." Jill smiled brightly, and left the two archaeologists in utter shock and disbelief.

When she was completely gone, the two exchanged glances.

"...Wha?"

Long strands of ebony graced the floor as she walked, her eyes downcast upon the dirt below her. Tugging at her long hair, the princess sighed warily, before kneeling down to pick up her finest treasure.

A sword, crafted thousands of years ago to the point of mere perfection, is what she held in her hands. The hilt was covered in rubies and shimmering gold, and the blade made of only the finest steel. With this sword, the girl could cut through great boulders and slice a fully matured cow cleanly in half with only one strike.

In fact, the room she was trapped in consisted of walls of only boulders. The woman had thought of this as an option to get her out of this hellhole many times before, but unfortunately, the sword would never be the solution. A curse was placed upon the cave she was confined in, disabling her ability of ever escaping.

So all she could do was sleep. It was sleep that temporarily whisked her away to a land far, far away from here. In her dreams, she saw herself running in fields of green, sniffing flowers of every kind, gliding across streams of cerulean, feeling the sunlight upon her body... A land of beauty that she had walked upon so long ago...

But that could never happen. It was a dream, not the future.

If only there was a prince that could rescue her from this personal hell of hers.

"WOW, WAT THE BUCK, -hic- CWAIRE?"

A red-faced and sweaty brunette made her way into the barn. She was greeted by the simultaneous mooing of her cows, and the giggling of her best friend, who was also in the same condition as she.

"Woah, you're SO STONED~" The blonde said in a sing-song voice. Jill groaned, and leaned against one of her many cows.

"Stoned? I'm DRUNK beotch..." she hiccuped. "What made you think it was -hic- a good idea to bring an unlabeled -hic- bottle of alcohol into my house? -hic-"

Shrugging, Claire giggled again. "I dun know~ Ur cows are so pwetty..."

"GOD DAMMIT -hic-." Jill banged her head against the barn door, and stumbled closer to the blonde. Pulling at her long, gold strands of hair, Jill glared into her sapphire eyes.

"Speaking -hic- of which, how come YOU'RE -hic- drunk too?"

"I dun know~ Teehee, ur sheeps are SO fwuffy~" Claire attempted to hug one of the unsuspecting sheep, and was kicked right in the stomach by it. "Ow~" she cluthed her stomach tearily.

"Psssh. How come -hic- you're actin' more drunk than -hic- me anyway?"

"I dun know~ I always wantsss a pet puppy, y'know? So cute and happy~" Claire mumbled. She bent down to pick up Jill's beagle, Bud, who was currently sniffing Moomoo's sweet smelling, and fertilizer-like gift to the soil beneath them.

"-hic- Don't contaminate -hic- the poor dog -hic-" Jill exclaimed, shoving Claire away before she could have a chance to touch it.

The tears in her eyes started forming big droplets. "B-but whyyyy~"

"Ya already have your -hic- own dog. Stooooopid." Jill rolled her eyes, but ended up feeling dizzy and fell on her back.

"HAHAH. FUNNAY JILL~always FALLING." Claire cackled before she too fell backwards.

About a night ago, Claire had decided on making a trip to the Blue Bar. For some strange reason, the blonde felt compelled to flood her distress in large amounts of alcohol...

Whatever that distress was, Claire couldn't say for sure.

All she knew was that a certain silver-haired man kept popping into her head after each shot of wine she took.

The girl had spent hours there, until Jill ruined her fun and dragged her companion back home.

The next morning, Claire had found herself still drunk from the night before, despite a long night's rest, and Jill found herself drunk from mistaking the bottle of whiskey Claire brought home as apple juice.

Resulting in two very drunk farmers, both of them still lying on their backs.

"Wow. -hic-. We're so stoned..." Jill mumbled.

"Psshaw. I told ya~!" Claire giggled maniacally.

At that moment, a woman stomped into the barn, her arms crossed over her chest.

Said woman was the archaeologist Flora: dressed in a simple green tank top and tan shorts. Her wavy, strawberry blond hair was pulled back into a low ponytail with an orange piece of fabric. Glaring at the two farmers through her rounded glasses, the woman sighed, placing a hand firmly on her hip.

"Well, well, well. Looks like I've come at the wrong time..." Flora trailed off, looking down at the mess before her.

Shaking her head slowly, Jill hesitantly got up, and leaned against the barn door for support.

"Wazzup -hic- sista?" she slurred.

"Yah yah, wassssup~" Claire echoed, still on her back.

Uncrossing her arms, the archaeologist narrowed her eyes. "What exactly happened here?"

"No one knows. -hic-. Just go with the FloW~" Jill lifted her arms up. The spectacled woman shook her head in disapproval, a deep scowl set upon her peach face.

"Erm...right. I was going to ask you for a favor, but I'll come later, I suppose?" Flora asked.

"Yeah, we're like, SUPER busy right now, so DON'T bother us. GOSH." Claire lifted her head a few inches off the ground to stick her tongue at Flora.

Backing out of the barn, Flora pursed her lips, and left without another word. Jill fell onto her back once more, dizzy from standing up for so long.

The two girls lay there silently, waiting for something to happen. Moomoo, Patricia, and Mocha (Jill's cows) just turned their beady eyes down towards the farmers, stomachs grumbling.

The world was spinning, as Jill intelligently noted in her mind. Spin spin spin...

The cows were too. The spun like a carousel, slowly, but kept going around and around and around...

It's normal for the world to spin, right? Just like it's normal for Harvest Sprites to be real, Jill was sure of that...

...

Why won't it stop? Perhaps it was because she felt that there was something to be done, to be finished.

"Hey," Jill started, "Flora -hic- just came in. That's gotta -hic- means something, right?" she asked.

Shrugging, Claire grinned. "Teehee...Idk."

Rolling onto her side, Jill curled into a ball, thinking hard. But when you're drunk, and you try to think hard, it just doesn't work out, you know?

One second, Jill was thinking about Flora's reason for visiting the two girls...

Then the next thing you know, she's thinking about those cute monkeys that come out of those barrel..things.

"Hey Cwaire, you know those monkey -hic- things?"

"Yup yup. I thinks so~" Claire replied. Jill nodded, then shook her head. That wasn't important right now!

Jill let out a sigh of exasperation, her head still buzzed. Trying to think clearly, the brunette closed her eyes, trying to focus on what had happened that morning. Flora had stopped by, but for what? Still sprawled out upon the floor, Jill pondered on the thought. Though she was still drunk, her head could at least think a little about the matter.

Flora. Flora. Flora. I know there's something I'm not getting. Flora. The girl with glasses. Archaeologist. Looked mad. Flora. Smart. Knows kung fu. Flora...

Groaning, Jill clenched her fists. What was it? There was something that needed to be done, and it involves Flora! But what?

Jill opened her eyes to a view of the blue sky through one of the openings in the barn's ceiling.

Sky. Blue sky. Nice sky. Very nice Skye...

Skye. Thief.

Skye. Steals.

Skye. Mansion.

Skye. Blue Bar.

Skye. Excavation Site.

Excavation Site...Flora.

Her violet orbs widened. Excavation Site, Flora. Skye! Game! SKYE'S GAME!

The farmer leaped up from her spot. "Cuh-laire, we need to go!"

"Ehhhh~? she tilted her head to the side in her apparent befuddlement. "Like, now~?"

"Yes, right NAO." Jill grabbed the blonde's hand and helped her up, stumbling her way towards the door as fast as she could.

And she fell.

A tall hill overlooked the quiet atmosphere of Forget-Me-Not Valley. A light blue sky hovered above the valley, and white clouds passed by like a water brush gliding across a painting.

Atop that hill, was none other than the Phantom Skye, who patiently sat right above the Excavation Site, planning his next motive. The thief never got up this early, but feelings of anxiety tempted him to leave his small home to experience what was known as the "daytime": something Skye rarely got a chance to indulge himself in.

And he hated it.

Having been awake for two days straight, Skye was in a ruffled circles had formed underneath Skye's otherwise perfect eyes, and his skin was even paler than usual. His silver hair, which was usually combed to mere perfection, was now a bit matted at the ends and didn't hold as much of the silky texture it usually had. His leopard print shirt was wrinkled and covered in sweat from all the damn heat.

And for what?

Pure boredom, he supposed.

He had been on that hill, just thinking. No. Watching.

Watching her work on her farm. Watching the way she moved so gracefully (clumsily). The way she whistled happily while working...

You think that's "stalkerish"?

I'm appalled. How could you think like that?

It's much more than that.

It's creepy.

Ahem.

But in all seriousness, Skye was just content with the feeling of for once being able to admire Jill, without being beaten up by her for his behavior. He didn't care that his hair was messed up (okay, he did care a little) or that his skin was in poor condition (...actually...). Jill was the number one thing that kept him going (but then again, his fancy leopard print jacket...).

She was just so perfect. How could he not have noticed before?

Right, because of those ridiculous-sized glasses and ugly overalls she used to wear. He thought to himself, smirking at the memory. But even then, Skye had begun to fall in love with her. The thief began to smile.

She...was different from other girls, and I liked that. She didn't swoon over me the moment she saw me, and she never fell for any lie I used to feed her. I loved the feeling of having someone act normal around me (well, Jill isn't exactly normal, but close). Becoming enemies was easy, but becoming friends was much easier. I guess I can honestly say that I love her. But, Skye's smile faltered into a frown.

Does she love me the same way?

Pondering over that thought was a bit depressing, so he shook his head, and looked up at the blue sky, his frown deepened a bit. What an ugly color. The night sky is much nicer. This light blue sky, reminded him of her eyes.

Ugh. Another depressing thought was beginning to form in his head. Not good.

Looking back over to Jill's farm, Skye noticed that the farmer was acting a bit odd as she stumbled out of her animal barn. Just a while ago he had seen the archaeologist's assistant, Flora, stomp out of the building. Surely Jill should know that it was her cue to start the game, right?

Skye continued to watch the farmer's actions as she scrambled to get up. She rocked back and forth, side to side, and to and fro like a pendulum. In his confusion, Skye narrowed his eyes, completely befuddled by the strange behavior.

"HAY CWAIRE! -hic- I THINKS FLORY NEEDED SOMETHINGZZZ-hic-zzz." Jill literally screamed loud enough fo Skye to hear. The thief chuckled. What the hell?

"OH REALLLAY~? I DIDN'T KNOWS DAT~." Claire bellowed, making her way out of the barn before tripping on her own feet.

"HAHA. NOW WHO'S FALLING...NOW?" Jill cackled.

Hmmm...this was getting kind of weird.

Shrugging, Skye laid down on his back, closed his eyes, and fell into a deep slumber.

There he was, a handsome prince. Only an outline of him was visible, but she could tell it was him. She was a bit disappointed at what she saw though. The prince stumbled, and acted in such foolish ways that she could not describe, but she also knew that he didn't normally act like this. The prince was usually calm and collected, albeit a bit stubborn and hot-headed at times, but he was actually determined and brave. This prince was on an entirely seperate quest, but she couldn't help but hope that he would come across her, and maybe rescue her on his way...

The sky had now turned into a dark blue, with tiny stars dotting the night sky.

"OI!"

A loud cry instantly woke Skye up. Narrowing his turquoise eyes, Skye stared down at the brunette with a look of malice.

"Gee, thanks." he muttered. The thief was feeling pretty cranky from the lack of sleep he had been given these past few days.

"-hic- So like, whaddya wan'?" Jill bellowed.

"What do you think?" Skye smirked. He was a bit perturbed by the strange behavior Jill displayed, but nonetheless eager to continue the game.

"Wait a minute...I got it! Yer game, amirite?" Jill slurred out thoughtfully. By this time, you would figure out that she was drunk, right?

Well, this idea hadn't crossed the thief's mind yet. In his eyes, she wasn't drunk, just being weird. That wasn't an unusual trait of Jill's, so he shrugged it off.

Expertly jumping off the ridge of the hill, Skye landed on the ground gracefully, and smoothed out the non-existent wrinkles on his leopard-print jacket. He propped his hand on his hip, providing a perfect bishie image without really trying. You could just hear the fangirls screaming their heads off in the distance.

"Alright, this round of the game is quite simple. Just hand me that paper you found last time, and I'll tell you what you're looking for." Skye held out his free palm expectantly.

Jill stared.

Skye stared.

And Skye just realized that Claire was passed out on the floor.

"Has she been here the whole time?" he asked, his hand still held out to Jill.

"Me? Course I have. -hic-." the brunette replied.

The thief simply shrugged. "So, the paper?"

Amethyst eyes widening, Jill clasped a hand over her mouth. "I FERGOT ABOUT DAT." she said loudly.

"Okay, just go get it." Skye sighed. "But you're time limit will be shortened, so make it quick."

The brunette sprinted back towards her farm, bumping into a few trees along the way. Raising his eyebrows at the brunette's quirkiness, he turned to the other farmer.

"Hey, is she oka-" Skye looked down at the fainted blonde.

"Never mind." he folded his arms across his chest, glancing at the direction Jill had left. Once again, he began to ponder about his beloved.

He was fully aware of his own feelings, but what about hers?

Did she feel the same way about him?

Did she wake up every morning with only Skye in her mind?

Did she stay up hours on end, pondering about ways to impress him?

Did she dream about him?

Did she wish that there was more between them than just friendship?

Sighing, Skye tried to rid himself of all the negative thoughts threatening to leak into his head.

She must feel something. A tiny spark was good enough. He just needed assurance that she atleast loved him a little.

What's the point in lying to yourself? A voice asked.

"It's you." Skye stated bluntly. He leaned his back against a boulder that stood admist the waterfall.

It's obvious...you don't want her to just feel something. You want her to have the same strong love for you as you have for her. Skye smirked a little. It was strange for the goddess to suddenly become so sentimental when most of the time she was simply...mental.

"Of course."

Why? Why do you love her so much?

"And I should tell you because...?"

I don't know if I should keep trying to interfere, or let you continue with whatever you're doing.

"Naturally, my vote is for the latter." He smirked.

I'm keeping watch on you. Until I'm sure whatever you're doing is a good thing, I won't let my guard down. The determination in her voice could be heard clearly.

"Oh. I see."

He waited a little longer to see if she'd say anything else, but only silence greeted him, so removing himself from the spot he stood in, he trudged over to Claire. There was no sign of her waking up anytime soon.

"Hey." He kicked her arm gently. A groan escaped the blonde's lips.

"Hey." He kicked a little harder. Nothing.

"Hey!" Kicked harder. Nothing.

"HEY!" He kicked REALLY hard.

"OW!" Claire sat up. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT?"

"Why are you and Jill acting like weirdos? I mean, it's normal for Jill to be weird, but I haven't seen her act THAT weird before. And not you either."

Well, it seems that our previously oblivious Skye has been enlightened. Whoop de doo.

"I dun knowwwww...maybe itz cuzzzz...WE'RE STONED!" Claire cried out.

"...Stoned? Where in this quaint little valley would you even be able to find weed?" This was scaring Skye.

"Heheheheeeee~ it's everywhere..." Claire pointed at a patch of weeds in front of the tent.

"Not that kind..."

"HEYHEYHEYHEYYYYYYYYY!" Was that a monster calling out to them?

Oh wait, that's Jill. It's hard to tell between the two sometimes.

"You...have the map...right?" Skye asked hesitantly. It was quite obvious that these girls were high/stoned/drunk, so in order to avoid any mishaps, Skye decided to keep low for now, and avoid annoying the girl in any way.

"This, amirite?" She held out a slightly crumpled piece of paper. A small diagram of the inside of the last floor of the excavation site was on it.

"Yes, yes, just hand it over." If the game was stalled any longer, time would run out too soon.

Jill handed the paper to Skye. Smoothing it out a bit, Skye pointed at the small X in the center of the page.

"See that? That's where you're headed. This only shows the last floor of the mine though, so getting there is your problem. Although, I can provide some helpful advice," the thief continued, "There are some traps laid out on the odd-numbered floors, and on every floor are these...creatures. They look a lot like barn animals, but they're quite different." He nodded.

"OOOoOoOoooh. Animals~?"

"Yes. Animals that should not be trifled with. And since this is a VERY hard task, I'm giving you a whole day to complete it. Which in that case you will need this." The thief handed the girl a large backpack.

"It has many essentials you'll need. A tent, sleeping bag, some granola bars, water, a first-aid kit..."

"How does it all fit in thare~" The girl asked. The thief shrugged.

"Don't question these things. I'm being extremely considerate here."

"Do I start nao~?"

"Mhmm. But before that, any questions?" Skye asked.

Shaking her head, Jill started making her way towards the entranced of the site.

"Wait a minute!" The thief cried out suddenly.

Turning around, Jill cocked her head to the side. "Yesh~?"

"...Be careful."

The prince was off on his quest. The fact that he still acted like a blundering fool did not erase her trust in him. Hopefully, the prince will recover, and daringly make his way through the mystical traps that were indirectly set for him by the evil magician.

Sadly, she could see nothing more than a silhouette of her prince. Perhaps if she waited a bit longer, she could see his face and live happily ever after.

"Lalalalaaaa LAAAAA~ lalalalaaaaaa LA. LALALALAAAAA LA. Lalalalaaaa~" The brunette skipped around happily, brightening up the darkeness of the cave with her god-given singing abilities. As she continued to repel any creatures from coming within a 5 foot radius of her with the theme song of Star Wars, she smashed open rocks with her totally safe hammer that weighed double her size.

She repeatedly fell, hole by hole by hole. But, that didn't matter too much. Her brain was already damaged enough. We can't be too sure what'll happen once she's sober though...

"Oh geez! What is THIS?" She casually picked up a shining blue diamond from the floor. She held it up, and examined it, squinting her amethyst eyes.

"I DON'T LIKE IT." The brunette tossed the ugly piece of garbage over her shoulder and stuffed her backpack with pounds of junk ore.

"Teehee~ Imma be RICH once I get back."

"Coo."

Jill dropped her backpack of ores as she turned around, trying to figure out just what made that weird noise. Figuring it was just her imagination (was she finally sobering up?) she decided it was best to ignore it.

"Coo."

Ummmmm...yeah.

"Coo."

She felt something tug at her pant leg.

"HOLY SHIT!" She kicked her leg up and a dark colored chick smashed against the celing. Seconds later, the animal crashed back down onto the dirt floor.

"COO!"

Her eyes widened, Jill looked down at the animal below her.

"Oh no...are you okai?" Soberness level +1. Just twenty more, and she'll be back to normal. Hopefully.

She crouched down to pick up the furry chick. The chick lay there motionless in her hands. Jill poked it, hoping that some kind of reaction would come out of the poor creature.

It slowly opened its eyes, and looked up at Jill. Baring its teeth, it clamped down on Jill's finger with all its strength.

"Awwwwww...are you hungwy?" She reached into her backpack and took out a granola bar. Breaking it in two, she placed one half in her palm next to the chick, and the other in her free hand.

"Let's eat, okai?" Jill watched as the chick's eyes glowed with gratitude as it ate its share.

"You. Are. So. Cute. I'm bringing you back home." She gently placed the chick in one of her pockets, and making sure that its head was poking out for air, she picked up her hammer and backpack, and continued looking for some deep hole to fall in.

As expected, the prince is a kind soul. Helping creatures in need, expecting nothing in return. Even if it were a monstrous abomination, the prince would not leave it. With this in mind...he would save her as well, right?

But that magician...he lurks just outside the castle...possibly to dispel any ways of the prince ever reaching her.

All she could see was an outline-the prince was thin, and quite short. That didn't matter to her though.

"You know~ I loved you." Her eyes half closed, Claire smiled up at Skye from her spot on the ground.

"I STILL do, actually. Yer a DAMN bastard for making me feel dis way." the blonde continued.

Patting her blonde hair, Skye merely shook his head.

"Sorry. Wish I could say the same, but I'd be lying then." He stated bluntly.

Glaring, fire swirled in her glass blue eyes. "Dint ya use ta love me too?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. I'm not sure anymore, because my love for Jill completely erased any affections I had for you."

"It's her fault then." Although it was meant to be whispered softly, it came out as cold and harsh.

"Mostly yours." Skye looked up at the stars.

"Just cuz of dat thing? It wasn' dat big of a deal ya know."

"I could have gotten arrested. Don't act like you didn't do it on purpose. At least Jill wasn't swayed by the fact that she could have been rewarded money for my capture. You on the other hand disappoint me." Skye's icy voice cut through the thin air.

"Forgive me, then."

"No. Even if I did, my love for Jill is much too strong to steer away now. She's completely trapped my heart."

"And you're okay with that?" Her eyes were on Skye, hardened, and no lie could escape her watchful gaze.

A soft breeze passed them as Skye paused to contemplate his next words.

"Perhaps I should reword my sentence. She didn't just capture my heart, I purposefully led my own heart into loving her."

"This is the right way right?"

"COO!"

"No? This way then?"

"COO!"

"ARE YOU EVEN HELPING ME HERE?" Jill pleaded.

Ku responded by chomping on her ear.

"KU!" Jill shrieked. "Look, I'm gonna put you back in my pocket if you don't behave!"

"COO!" it growled. Sighing, Jill proceeded to smash another boulder with her hammer.

They were now several feet below the surface; atleast a hundred floors towards the bottom. The cave was now much darker and damp and very little light shone through the ceiling now. Having been accustomed to the dark though, Ku (Jill's newfound companion) served as somewhat of a navigator, prodding Jill in the right direction as they went along their journey.

With no idea of what time it was, Jill could only assume that atleast half a day had passed.

"Fine, this way?"

Ku made a small chirp of approval. At this, Jill walked forward until she found herself falling through a hole: as usual of course.

The fall this time was quite short, and the two had found themselves deeper into the cave.

"Alright, almost there..." Jill paused, and a horrible sight greeted her.

This room was much brighter than the floors above it. It was an odd thing, since the cave was supposedly darker as they went deeper. But, alas, that was not the problem Jill concerned herself with at the moment.

Looking around, Jill found herself surrounded by barn animals-cows, sheep, chickens...

But these were different. Their bloodshot eyes were narrowed into a noticable glare and their coats were a dull gray. The creatures' sharpened teeth were covered in foam, and the only sound that could be heard in the room was the low growls of the animals.

There was literally an army of them ready to tear her to shreds.

"Hey, they like granola bars too, right?" Jill asked Ku in a shaky voice.

Ku had burrowed itself in the pocket of her jeans, whimpering to itself.

Gritting her teeth, Jill exclaimed, "Oh, what GREAT help you're being right now. Just support me while cowering in fear in there, why don't you?" Her small hands were wrapped around her hammer tightly as she examined her opponents and came up with strategies to get herself out of this hellhole.

The chickens posed little threat: Jill simply had to kick them out of the way and they would trouble her no further.

Sheep were a bit more difficult to deal with: perhaps she could manage to aim at their legs as they ran towards her. Their legs were quite scarwny after all.

But cows were a different story. They were muscular everywhere so finding their weak spot would be troublesome.

Aiming at the head might be effective...

She stood straight, with the hammer held in the air like a bat as the animals started charging at her all at once. Swinging her hammer to and fro, Jill knocked them down one by one without a scratch as her strategies proved to be successful.

A kick there, a fist here, a bloody battle waged between the monsters and Jill. Okay, not too bloody, but damn, it was pretty violent.

Her prince was strong: for one of such a small stature, the prince showed no struggle of overtaking his opponents. One by one they fell, and finally, the prince had won.

He was so close...

After a long two hours of real life Black Ops action-except with a hammer and animals-the creatures lay in defeat, motionless, and Jill grinned in triumph.

"Naturally, I would have won of course." she stuck her tongue out.

"Now," Jill gasped for breath, "You're still alive, right, Ku?"

A small chirp was heard. Nodding, the farmer smirked to herself.

"I was thinking about cooking you for dinner as punishment once we got home, but since I'm a vegetarian, you're one lucky ass animal."

"Meep!"

Chuckling, Jill scooped the bird out of her pocket and placed it back on her shoulder.

"Okay, okay, I was just kidding. I didn't expect much help from you in the beginning anyway, you know." At that, a loud rumble could be heard throughout the room.

Towards the back, two boulders spread apart like a gate, and opened up to show that there was another room in this floor of the cave.

There was light. A light shined down upon her prince. What a beautiful sight it was, to finally be able to see her true love. A full figure stood before her: not a sillhouette and neither an outline.

My prince.

Hello there. Miss me? :D Ok, if you don't, then it's totally understandable. I've been neglecting this, and I'm sorry. As always, here is my usual excuse:

School. Enough said.

So, I'm sorry if there's a lot of grammatical errors in this chapter. It's been SO long, and I was eager to post this up already, but I'll fix up the mistakes when I look through it again.

I hope this story is still being read, because I feel like I failed everyone who's actually been waiting for this for so long.

I'm sowwy :(

Next chapter's coming up soon though :D And I mean it this time. Since summer's almost here, I will devote my time completing chapters as fast as I can from now on.

Oh yea, & reviews give me motivation ;) *hinthint*

See ya :)