Sooo... this is my first posted story here-here. I have been writing for... almost my whole life. I don't like to write fanfiction very often because I'm a perfectionist and worry about characters being OOC (out of character) but I decided to give it a go again and post up this SkyexJill story. I haven't written fanfiction in a while and this is my first Harvest Moon fanfiction, so... yup. I hope it's enjoyable. Constructive criticism is very welcome, but if you just want to leave any sort of review, feel free. If you want to flame (do you really think it's that bad?), you're free to do that as well. Some flames are actually quite funny. ^^

~Aella Star

Jill woke to the sound of rain pounding on the roof of her little house.. if it could even be called that. Ever since she'd moved back to her father's farm the previous season (winter) she'd wished she could be back in the city on rainy days. Ick, rain. It was enough to make her want to stay inside all day, but she had crops to check on (no watering, only nice part of the rain) and people to talk to.

She petted Cookie and Candy, her dog and cat, and went outside to begin the day's chores. Weeding the farmland, breaking up rocks for stone lumber, picking strawberries... she didn't have any other animals yet, she was working on the funding and the timing was terrible. Every day she had enough to buy a Chicken Coop, that darn Gotz closed up shop. Then it began again. After all, she had to buy food for the week, and Bodigizers were expensive! Maybe she just worked too hard... but she was making up for lost time. She had sprites and the Harvest Goddess to save.

Once she was done, she ran down to the town to say hello to the villagers. She knocked on the door of the Inner Inn, but to her great dismay it was locked. She went to the Blue Bar. That was closed as well. She even went to Dr. Hardy's and Kate's house. Chris and Wally's house was closed up too. She went back to her house.

When she checked the calendar, she realized that it was the 14th. Spring Thanksgiving?

Jill felt stupid. Well, nowhere to go today... but she was too awake to go back to sleep. She decided to head over to the Excavation Site to find some jewelry. Whoever ever said farming paid was either lying or just... not a beginner like her. But no, how she made money was by shipping weeds and selling the occasional jewelry.

She worked for hours and found more than ever. Fourteen old bracelets, fifteen necklaces, sixteen brooches, and thirteen pairs of earrings. And, oddly enough, sunblock. Seriously, why was there sunblock here? Did somebody leave it? Was it really ancient or... Was the Witch Princess playing a joke on people by trying to confuse them? Oh, well, it didn't really matter that much.

When Jill went outside she was instantly soaked again. She headed down to the crossroads, but the rain got so heavy she couldn't see where she was going. Not to mention, she'd left the rest of her Bodigizers in Ol' Taka's refrigerator and she was exhausted. She ended up heading for Mineral Town, and apparently Jackie was taking the day off for the weather (or just couldn't see her), because she wasn't stopped. She'd been walking for a while when she realized that she should've passed something by now. Jill began to get scared. Where was she?

The rain began to lessen. She was on a road she'd seen a few times before... the road to Mineral Town. At least she was on a road. Thankful for small blessings, she started to turn back but realized she was closer to town. So she decided to spend the night at Doug's Inn and call from the phone there. The rain intensified again, but not quite as much. Jill ducked under the nearest tree to catch her breath, and discovered that she had stumbled upon a steep hill. Or maybe she just stumbled on it and fell.

She rolled down to the bottom, screaming, though she was sure she couldn't be heard over the rain and the wind. She came to a stop with a wet smack. But it didn't hurt like it would if she'd hit a tree or a boulder. How she knew? That kind of thing happens.

Suddenly, Jill felt herself being lifted off the ground. She struggled and nearly got free, but couldn't. She was moving forwards. And then it wasn't raining. She slowly opened her eyes. She was in a cave. And being held by... a giant polka-dotted flower. 'Oh, goddess, no!' She screamed and hit the flower with a free hand. It yelped and put her down on a giant mushroom. It was spinning around and around. The roof of the cave twisted into a vortex of rainbow and Jill fainted.

When she woke, it was still raining, but only pouring buckets, not bathtubfulls. She couldn't remember where she was after the rain had gotten stronger and expected to be in her own bed. No such luck.

Someone was leaning over her and pressing something cold on her forehead. She yelled and smacked them off.

"Ouch! I was only trying to help you!" cried a familiar voice. But whose? She turned her head to see and discovered a throbbing headache. But she saw... silver hair.

"Skye?" she asked, and started coughing.

"Are you all right? -Yes, my beautiful Jill?" He was instantly back at her side.

"Why am I here?" she asked in between coughs. She wasn't sure if she was so she didn't answer his other question.

"Yesterday evening you fell down the hill into my current home. Were you looking for me, Jill?"

"No, I don't know, I don't remember. And I really feel awful so I don't want to talk." Her voice was scratchy, her throat sore, she had a headache, and she kept coughing.

"...I'm sorry. You were out in the rain for a long time and your face was blue when I caught you. I think you were hallucinating, you said something about flowers and mushrooms and rainbow zebras and... broccoli? I'm not sure what you said. Hehe."

Jill nodded wearily, but that hurt. "Listen, how about I click my tongue to answer anything?" She demonstrated.

"That works, I suppose. One for yes, two for no?" He tilted his head. Cute. She was delirious. Darn hot thieves, making girls like them. She clicked once.

"All right... can I make you some soup?"

Click.

"I'll be right back." He moved out of sight. Jill quickly became bored, and that led to the intensifying of her headache. Skye better stick around... She couldn't really think clearly, either, so without him, absolute boredom and pain. Besides, she had an excuse to stare at him. She could claim she was just spacing out because she was sick.

Finally, he was back. He carried a tray of steaming hot soup! It smelled very good. "Can you sit up to eat?" he asked.

Jill sat up, but there wasn't anything to lean back against. Skye saw this and brought her a folded-up blanket, placing it behind her. Much better. She wondered... was this his bed? As a thief, he'd probably stolen it, but how do you get a bed into a cave down a hill? She decided to risk speaking and ask.

"Oh, this? It's just a couple of mattresses. Yes, I really bought them. It's a little difficult to drag a mattress out of someone's house, don't you think?" He had a point there.

"Where did you sleep?"

"Actually... I didn't. I was making sure you were all right." How sweet...

"You do look tired... you can sleep if you want."

"I'm mostly nocturnal. It wasn't much to stay awake all night. Heh. But yes, I am getting tired." He was too much of a gentleman to admit that he usually went to sleep several hours earlier.

"Well, then..."

"I'm not going to sleep until I'm sure you're all right."

"I'm okay for now. In fact, I think I'll go to sleep now too. But why is it still raining?" Stupid question, she knew.

"Because it is. How am I supposed to answer that?"

"I dunno. I don't like the rain."

"Neither do I. That's why you don't see me in the Valley on rainy days."

"I just thought you were going off to steal somewhere else."

"No, I don't like to go outside in the rain."

"Scared a little water will ruin your hair?"

"Hey, I resent that comment."

"It's true?"

"Maybe. But I can't tell you-"

"Not this again? Spare me."

"Is your throat feeling this much better?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. What did you put in the soup? Or was that just all I needed?" Really, since she started the soup, her throat hadn't hurt at all.

"It's a mystery." Typical Skye.

"Apparently. Anyway, I feel so much better. But I still hate the rain." It was a repetitive comment, to be sure, but she still said it. If in doubt, being sick is an excuse for anything.

"So do I."

"Hey, you know that rhyme?"

"What rhyme?"

"Rain, rain, go away, come again some other day... That one."

"Yes... and?"

"Let's sing it."

"You just did?"

"No, no, I mean together. Let's sing it together."

"It's a bit childish..."

"And I'm sick. Humor me."

"All right... on three?"

"One... Two... Three..."

They sang it together. Skye felt silly, but Jill seemed to be having fun.

Of course, while she'd been unconscious, he couldn't help but rifle through her rucksack. He did have a thief's instincts, after all. He'd nearly squealed with joy when he saw all the jewelry, but he remembered that it was Jill's and that Jill kept count of all her jewelry findings and that he really didn't want to get on her bad side again. So he left them alone, although he did take the sunscreen. His last bottle had run out when he was camping in the open, before he'd found the cave. When you sleep in the open in the middle of the day, you generally hope not to become scorched by the sun. Thus, sunscreen. And since he wasn't sure how long he'd stick around this cave, it was nice to have some on hand.

Though that jewelry was so tempting... maybe Jill would give him some as a reward for helping. She gave him a few pieces whenever she saw him, so it wasn't too far-fetched. (or really far-fetched at all.)

They had lapsed into silence and thought. Skye was leaning against the mattress/bed, and Jill was sitting up, twirling the spoon from her now-finished soup. Yes, there was something in the soup. Skye's special... curry rice. But how on earth did...?

Skye-made curry has healing powers? Wait and see. :3 If you like, send me a guess in a review. ^^