AN-So here's chapter four! I know it starts off slow, but there's some interesting stuff in this chapter! Well, I don't have much to say haha. Enjoy!
Chapter Four
Yuki's POV
Yori and I were strolling through town, as we often did when the weather was fair and we had some time to kill. We'd been wandering around for about an hour. It had been late morning when we'd left, the Sun had been rising steadily, but the air had still been cool from the night air. It hadn't been cold, but the kind of temperature that allowed one to feel comfortable enough to amble aimlessly around town without breaking a sweat. Now the Sun was high in the sky, and both Yori and I were beginning to grow weary. I'd slung my parasol over my shoulder, my hand lazily curled around the thin handle. I was thankful of the mild shade it provided, but becoming irritated with having to carry it. I glanced to my right, seeing Yori drowsily fanning herself with her cream colored hand fan.
"Maybe we should head home?" I suggested in an exasperated tone, attempting to juggle my parasol and the packages containing all of the snacks I had purchased today….What would my father say when he found out I had wasted all of my money on cakes again?
"Yes…you're probably right…would you like a hand with those?" She giggled, watching me stagger along with my hoard of goods. I shook my head in response, but she ignored this and took the parasol from my grasp anyway. I smiled at her gratefully, regaining my balance and making my way towards our horses. Yori continued to hold the parasol above my head until we reached our transport, watching me struggle to force all of my items into the side bag attached to my jet black horse, Artemis. I'd successfully managed to force most of my shopping in, and was about to persist with the rest when my body suddenly stiffened and a strange anxiousness seemed to overwhelm me. I swivelled around, dropping my remaining packages in the process.
"Yuki!" Yori exclaimed, but I held a hand up signalling for her to be silent. She stared at me in concern, but I kept my hand up, warning her not to move or speak yet. My eyes darted around the area, surveying the wooden buildings surrounding us. We had left our horses in a quiet area, behind the busy shops where people rarely roam. Almost like a back alley. I hadn't thought it dangerous, because although it was quiet, you only had to walk around a corner and you'd be greeted with the hustle and bustle of the shoppers. Now…I felt my stomach knot…..the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and I had the feeling we were being watched. My heartbeat slowed, seeing no sign of a stalker…still…I'd felt something….
"Y-Yori let's go!" I begged, still not completely reassured that we were alone. She gave me a baffled look, clearly perplexed by my sudden change in attitude and my strange behaviour. Suddenly eager to get away from this place, I dropped to my knees, retrieving my fallen items from the floor. Yori packed her own things away swiftly, before kneeling beside me and assisting me.
My heart stopped, as a pair of brown leather boots came into view before us. Both of us stopped what we were doing and tilted our heads up to stare at the stranger standing before us. Yori let out a small gasp as her eyes passed over the tall stranger, causing her to drop the item she was holding, as she clasped her hands over her mouth. I stared at her perplexed, and watched as a pink tint colored her cheeks. I was frozen, too scared to move an inch. Something about this person made me feel uneasy. As the stranger knelt down to recover the item that had slipped from Yori's hands, I allowed my eyes to venture up into the face of this mysterious person. My breath caught in my throat. My brown eyes met with a pair of lilac ones.
It was such a cliché moment….so similar to those out of my romance novels….but it was if, for a moment, there was no one else but this man and I. Something about his lavender eyes was enticing, captivating even, and I could feel myself leaning towards him. He looked to be a man of nineteen, maybe twenty; I'm not very good at guessing age. His features were smooth but masculine, and there was no denying he was attractive…not beautiful in the conventional sense…not like a prince or a man of wealth….something about his eyes told me he was a man who had not had an easy start to life…yes his eyes were that of an older, wiser man, but there was an almost mischievous glint to them, one that reflected his youth. His gaze locked with mine, and a small smile formed on his lips. My heart raced as this handsome man looked at me. The moment was brief, and he turned to face Yori, his smile widening. I felt a pain in my chest, an emotion I didn't recognise.
"You dropped this….you're Miss Sayori right? The Sherriff's daughter? We ran into one another a few days ago…." As if in a trance she stared at the handsome man in awe, before suddenly coming back to reality and nodding hastily. He let out a small chuckle. I was awestruck, even his voice was mesmerizing. It was masculine but soft….and I felt as if I could listen to his soft tenor forever. She blushed, gratefully accepting the small package from him. I gulped as he turned to look at me once more.
"Are these yours?" He asked gently, rescuing the remaining two packages from the ground. I nodded slowly, my eyes wandering over every inch of him face, taking everything in. He extended his hands towards me, the two small packages perched upon his palms. I reached out, reclaiming the packages from him, but my hands lingered a moment longer upon his skin. A strange rush of electricity running through my body as my finger brushed against his palm. I recoiled at the new sensation, not entirely sure what to make of it. Both Yori and I scrambled to our feet.
"Miss Yori…you look rather pale, are you alright?" The stranger asked concern apparent in his voice. Now that we were standing, I truly got a sense of how tall he was. I would say he was roughly six foot…perhaps a bit shorter than that. I blushed a little noticing that his dark shirt was unbuttoned to his stomach, allowing me to gaze at his chiselled chest.
"I….I'm fine…t-thank you….I, I didn't get the chance to thank you the other day….f-for helping me…" She stuttered nervously. He shook his head, taking a step closer towards her.
"It was really no problem at all….what kind of man would I be if I hadn't assisted a pretty young lady such as yourself?" He beamed at her. He certainly was charming. Only then did it hit me. Silver hair, lilac eyes….the Outlaw! This man was the Outlaw! I gasped, stumbling back and falling against Artemis. She whinnied as my back collided with her, but I was too frightened to move. We were alone with a criminal! He turned to stare at me, his eyes filled with concern. I wouldn't fall for it though.
"Are you okay Miss?" He asked me, taking a step towards me. I held my hands out in front of me defensively, signalling for him to stay where he was. He stopped in his tracks, looking bewildered. My heart was racing, and my body trembled. I wanted to scream at Yori to get away from him, but she was in daze.
"S-Stay back! I know who you are! Yori, get away from him!" I demanded, finally regaining the power of speech. I had intended to sound intimidating, defiant, but my voice came out croaky, and shook with fear. The Outlaw chuckled in amusement, moving towards Yori, much to my disgust.
"Get away from her! Yori come on! This guy's a criminal, get away!" I cried, desperate for someone to hear me and come to rescue us. No such luck. Both Yori and the Outlaw ignored me, and he persisted to charm her, though he'd dropped his tone to a whisper so I couldn't hear what he was saying to her. I was frozen to the spot, torn between leaping on Artemis and running away to get help….or snatching Yori away and running…. I watched the pair conversing quietly as if I weren't there. I watched Yori's expression light up as the man moved close to her, leaning in close and whispering something in her ear. That was it. I sprinted towards them, using all of my strength to shove that man away from her. He was caught off guard, and blinked a few times, clearly shocked, before actually doing anything. In this time, I grabbed Yori's arm, and dragging her back towards our horses.
I helped Yori to clamber on to her own horse, before slinging myself on to Artemis' back. I glanced back at the Outlaw. I was surprised to see he was still standing in the spot I had left him in, a calm, almost amused expression on his face. As we rode away, I saw him wink at Yori and mouth something, but I didn't see what. I didn't care. I just kept forcing Artemis to run faster. I had to get away from that man and so did Yori because….now I had met him…I knew he was dangerous. I knew he was trouble. The worst part being….when I recalled his handsome face….my heart skipped a beat….and I realised he had me….just like he had Yori and all those other girls….and if I wasn't careful he'd realise that…I clutched the reigns tighter, willing myself to forget about that man. No. I didn't trust him….but what worried me the most was…I didn't trust myself either.
