Hello once again everyone, and I'm glad I got the reviews that I did. It...means more than anyone could guess. So, once more, I say thank you...from the bottom of my heart...
Now! To avoid getting all mushy, this chapter has more dialogue, definitely, but it definitely protrays their characters a bit more... At least, in my opinion. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and can't wait to read the reviews~!
As a bit of an after thought, I wanted to remind everyone reading that this is OLD. I have yet to get to the more recent parts... which, by the way, is a notable difference... Feel free to give me any suggestions you think might work for the story, since there are still some holes in it, though I know the general direction I want it to go... So...yeah! ^^
Disclaimer: I do not own YYH, any of its characters, or its right. The only things I own are a few characters, the plot line, and a few other things.
And now, for the next chapter~
"I…My name's Nozomi…" She managed out, her fear edging at her voice.
He still glared coldly at her, as if deciding if she were telling the truth or not.
She blinked, seeing the golden color in his eyes. She knew that he was waiting for something. Wondering what it was, she just followed her instincts on what to say, like she usually did.
"I…I came here to this small beach…just by myself… And I was just standing over there when you washed up on shore… You coughed, which caught my attention, so I ran over to help, but you had passed out already." Her fear had disappeared. All that was left was her deep care for helping a person in need. The man must have noticed for his eyes grew colder and even narrower. "I'm the one that dragged you over here, away from the waters' edge. You had gotten sand all over you, so I was just cleaning it off…" She finished in a murmur, feeling sadness suddenly as she realized that he was most definitely not believing her by the look he was giving her. She sighed, slouching down on her knees as she sat before him in the sand. "Kill me if you're going to, if that'll make you feel better…"
He continued to glare at her for a few moments before he backed away, re sheathing his sword. Ignoring her completely, he attempted to stand, struggling as he did so. Watching him, surprised he had backed off in the first place, she grew panicked.
"You mustn't try and move yet! You're still too weak!" She said, standing up herself as he used the rock behind him for leverage.
"Shut up, shrew!" He barked, pushing her roughly aside as he tried to take a few steps forward. Giving a small cry of pain as he clutched his abdomen suddenly, the man sank to his knees, his eyes shut tightly.
"I am not an ill-tempered or vicious woman!" She cried, then saw him in pain and gasped, kneeling down next to him and wrapping her arms around him, supporting him.
The man opened his eyes slightly, watching her help him, not to mention get so close to him.
"Here…let me help you lay back down…" She offered, and, being as weak as he was, he reluctantly agreed.
Grunting slightly as the pain relieved itself as he lay back down, he turned his eyes to the girl, who had gone to soak the handkerchief once again and was bringing it back. Folding it, she gently placed it on his forehead, allowing the cool water to drip down his seemingly feverish face.
Sitting back down next to him, she sighed, lowering her head slightly.
"Tell me, Nozomi, what are you, exactly?" The man asked suddenly, attempting at a conversation.
She looked up at him, surprised that he had even spoken to her at all. "What….do you mean?"
Blinking, he gave a soft sigh as he leaned his head back all the way against the rock, trying to relieve his massive headache.
"Clearly you are no commoner. You have high class vocabulary."
She blinked, unaware of the fact that she had been using high vocabulary with him. She blushed, knowing that she had been caught. Slouching even more, she lowered her head even more, her eyes covered by her bangs.
"I….how did you know?" She managed to ask, her voice low.
The man scoffed slightly. "Please, spare me your idiocy. If you knew what the word 'shrew' meant, you are clearly someone of high class." He glanced at her with narrow eyes. "Tell me the truth; I can tell when someone's lying."
She glanced up at him, clearly thinking about it. Sighing heavily, she finally responded after a long and uncomfortable silence, "I will tell you who I really am when the time comes."
The man straightened his neck, half glaring at her, half staring at her. "Impressive. You've managed to stand up to me twice already, and I barely know you. Not to mention that you barely know me."
She stared back into his eyes, her mind blank, yet her mind was working behind the blank wall.
"May I ask you something?"
The man looked away. "You're bound to ask me more than one question, so you might as well. I'm not going anywhere any time soon, apparently." He replied bitterly, his eyes narrowing as he focused on a small crab moving along the rocks.
"Who are you really?"
The man's eyes were on her in an instant, his gaze boring into her, as if surprised she had even bothered to ask such a question.
Instead of getting angry, he grew curious. "Why do you ask?"
"As you said about me, you talk too high class to be a commoner. And yet, you are a pirate captain, which is impressive."
The man now stared at her openly, surprised. "Captain? You knew I was a captain?"
"I figured it out." She replied, shrugging lightly. Reaching up, she got his hat and lowered it so that it rested gently on her lap. "Your hat washed up next to you after I had found you…" After rotating it slowly in her hands, she handed it back over to him.
He took it back, his eyes still on her. "As for your question, I shall give you my name, but nothing else."
"Fair enough." She replied, smiling gently.
Raising an eyebrow, he said quietly, "My name is Youko Kurama, but you may call me Youko." He replied, nodding in courtesy, more or less. "Seeing how people call my younger brother Kurama now…" He added more quietly, glad that she didn't notice.
"Nice to meet you, Youko Kurama." She smiled again, her eyes closing as she did so. "My name is Nozomi, but my friends call me Rose."
Youko's left eyebrow rose, watching her curiously. "Oh? You consider me a friend already? We barely know each other."
"True, but you're not going to be socializing, right?"
He gave a small nod, impressed by her knowledge. Reaching up, Nozomi checked the rag and noticed that it had gotten warm and the water was almost all gone. Gently grasping it from his forehead, she stood and went back to the waters' edge to rinse and soak it again, repeating her little routine. When she had grabbed the rag, Youko had felt just how soft her hands were, and watched her closely.
Clearly, she was dressed in commoners clothing. But, obviously, she was definitely not a commoner. Seeing how she walked to get back over to him, she carefully folded her cloth and placed it on his forehead, giving a friendly smile as she sat back down. Behind her, in the background, the sun was beginning to set.
Looking past her, looking more to the horizon than anything else, Youko gave a small sigh. "I wonder how far away I drifted from the ship…" He muttered, not meaning for her to hear him.
She glanced over her shoulder at the horizon, then at the sun set. "I haven't seen any signs of a ship near here… But, it is a nice sunset…. Sunset!?" She said quietly, then added more loudly as realization set in, her eyes widening in shock. "Oh my god! Is it that late already!?"
She stood up quickly, pacing back and forth, as if deciding whether she should leave or stay.
Youko watched her curiously, yet coldly. "Why the rush? Under curfew, eh doxy?"
She stopped dead and turned sharply to him, her eyes suddenly stone cold. "What did you just call me?" He remained silent, smirking amusedly. She walked forward, almost getting in his face. "What did you just call me?!"
He raised an eyebrow and turned his head away, yet glanced at her through the side of his eye, still smirking.
"If you already know, why bother me to repeat it, wench?"
Nozomi, not able to control her anger, slapped him. The sound echoed across the sea and away, seemingly towards the horizon and beyond.
With her body trembling in anger, she said quietly, "Let's get one thing straight, Youko Kurama. I don't care who you think you are, and I don't care who you think I am. But, you have no right to disrespect me after I took the time to help you before you drowned in the sea. And, let's get another thing straight! I am not attractive! I hate it when people say that! They call me pretty, gorgeous, and worst of all, beautiful! I know I'm not ugly, but it pisses me off because I can't see what you, apparently, are capable of seeing! Now, if you don't mind, DON'T SAY IT AGAIN!"
She whirled around and ran off, leaving a stunned Youko staring after her, his left hand on his left cheek.
"Talk about fierce…" He chuckled to himself as he gently massaged his tender cheek. "And to think that such brute force…belongs to the princess…."
-And that marks the end of Chapter 2. I am going to be adding a few definitions, however, so that you have a better understanding of a few nautical terms.
Shrew - ill-tempered, nagging, troublesome, or viscious woman.
Doxy - A term for a young woman connoting feminine charm, sexual allure, or a tendency toward sexual promiscuity.
Wench - The term was used literally to refer to a prostitutevbbefore it came to be used more figuratively to refer demeaningly to ang young woman or girl.
This information came from the book "The Pirate Primer", by George Choundas. (I own the book, but am not the author and thus claim no rights.) It has helped me on and off in a jam as I've written this and the other story, so I hope you enjoy learning a few new nautical words. ^^ Anyways, please R&R~!
