Hello, everyone. I hope you enjoyed the previous chapter, and are looking forward to this next one. Albait, it is shorter than the others, but, it explains quite a bit. Well, perhaps only in my eyes... Anyways! Let's just moe right along here, shall we?

Disclaimer:I do not own YYH, its characters, or any of the rights. The only things I own are a few characters, the plot line, and a few other things.

And now, without further ado...~

-A few hours later

With a soft groan, Nozomi clutched at her throbbing head, her eyes shut tight. She groaned softly once more, her entirety feeling as if it were numb. She practically jumped out of her skin when she felt something graze her left hand, which had been lying still by her side. Feeling a small surge of panic rise within her, her mind racing, she frantically wondered who it was that was touching her.

"Calm yourself… It's just me."

Recognition dawned on her, and immediately she relaxed, her hands releasing their tension, and returned to lying limp on the bed. With eyes fluttering, her cerulean eyes shimmered dully in the darkness as she began looking around. Surely enough, almost directly to her left, were a pair of hovering golden orbs, to which she recognized as Youkos' vivid golden gaze watching her. Through the darkness, she watched him, her mind blank, yet racing at the very same time.

"Y-Youko…" Her body soon began trembling, tears spilling from her eyes as she soon began crying. Silently moving from the chair he had been sitting in to the bed itself, he gently wrapped his arms around her, comforting her without saying a word. He gently caressed her hair, allowing her to cry, to let all of her pent up emotion out. "Y-Youko… P-please…" She begged, hugging him suddenly. "P-please…don't think differently of me…"

To this, Youko glanced down at the sobbing form he held in his embrace, curiosity flooding through his veins. Quietly, he spoke. "And why would I think any different of you?"

She sniffled, attempting to hide her face by smothering herself against his chest, her eyes closed tightly as his right hand rested idly atop her head. "B-because…I-I have powers…" She mumbled, fear evident in her voice. "I-I don't want to be judged…."

By now, Youko had a basic understanding of how she worked as a whole. Depending on how others reacted to her actions, not only would she change, but she would make it so that no one could complain about anything if she had any say in the matter. It was no real surprise to him that she didn't tell anyone that she had powers, even though normally that would never come up in a casual conversation. Just imagining it happening brought a faint smirk to his lips. Knowing, by now, that she was as fragile as a flower, her emotions linked directly to her actions, he sighed softly inwardly, wondering how in the hell he got himself caught in this situation. And yet, oddly enough, he wouldn't want it any other way.

Holding back the urge to actually smile, he spoke softly. "You shouldn't worry about it."

This caused her to glance up at him in surprise. "W-why shouldn't I?"

After gazing into her bright cerulean eyes for a few brief moments, he closed his eyes, exhaling softly. From within his hair, he withdrew a single red rose. Holding it before her, his eyes still closed, he slowly began feeding energy into it. Silently, Nozomi watched the rose bud that was being held before her through teary eyes. And then, slowly, the rose began to blossom, until, in an instant, the crimson petals unfurled fully, and the rose was in full bloom. Opening his eyes, gazing down at the obviously surprised and speechless princess, he spoke.

"Because you're not alone."

At his simple words, she stared at him, her mind suddenly racing. Before she could help herself, she asked, "W-who….are you?" To which he did not reply. Still staring at him, she managed to gently shake her head, still having a small headache, and continued on, more thoughtfully this time. Keeping eye contact, she continued. "Youko… Who are you…really? I mean… Not only are you a Pirate Captain, but I get the feeling you might be something else. Now I know why the crew fears you so much…or at least a reason." Falling silent, feeling as if she were rambling, she sighed softly, her head pounding dully.

Having turned her gaze to focus on her folded hands on her lap, she sighed softly once more. Hearing movement, she glanced at him, only to see him now standing with his back facing her. He was moving towards the door.

"Youko?"

He paused, just as he had placed his hand on the doorknob. Glancing ever so slightly at her, he spoke quietly. "It's….best if you do not know." He then proceeded to opening the door and closing it shortly afterwards, leaving the confused princess speechless and once again in the dark.

Sighing softly, she sunk back down into the clean sheets, unable to truly see any details due to the fact that there was absolutely no light within the small room. Beginning to doze off, she hoped that he would tell her soon, and wondered if it was so bad that he refused to tell her. Even after all this time…

-That is the end of this chapter. As I've mentioned before, it is indeed a smaller chapter. But, important. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and review your thoughts and comments. I bid all of you a farewell, and hope that you all enjoy yourselves.