Seeing as how more people managed to review in a week than I usually even get in two weeks time, I've decided to update! Thank you to those that did review. This next chapter gives us a little peak into the inner workings that is Nozomi!

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

And now, on with the chapter!

-A few days later

Youko had ordered the crew to change course and to sail to the nearest island. Naturally, no one had dared to speak out against this, thus creating a strange sense of uneasiness that hung heavily over the vessel. Nozomi had regained her calm demeanor, and had returned above deck, doing random small jobs that others didn't have enough time for. She attempted to approach Youko, but each attempt was met with a cold glare, and a simple 'You should return to work.' before returning to whatever it was he was doing before.

Feeling defeated, and incredibly bad, Nozomi had begun to mope around the ship, no longer being very useful. Yomi, watching this, saw his chance and took it, noticing how his boss no longer seemed to be doing much of anything about the fair princess. Wandering over, temporarily not having anything to do at the time as the others had it covered, he took a small break, sitting down next to her, his back leaning comfortably against the railing.

"What's up, Rose?"

"He hates me…" She replied, hugging her knees, a strand of light brown hair moving out of place from behind her ear.

Blinking, Yomi glanced over at Youko, who had his golden eyes focused on the horizon. Part of him had the feeling that he was listening, and watching, but another part refused to let this opportunity slip.

"I wouldn't say that." He responded, smiling softly at her. "After all, who could hate such a doxy?"

At this comment, she turned a cold and hard glare upon him, to which he did not expect. "Don't call me that… I don't care who you think you are… But don't you ever call me that again…"

Holding up two of his hands innocently, he quickly responded with, "Okay, okay! Fine, I won't!"

After glaring at him for a few moments longer, she sighed softly and rested her chin on her knees once more, hugging her knees just a bit more snugly.

'So much for that compliment… Maybe I should try a different way?' "Hey Rose?"

She sighed softly once more, her eyes focused on the ground. "What is it, Yomi?"

"Has anyone ever told you that, when you're sad or worried or very pensive, your eyes are as blue as the sky?"

Blinking once, Nozomi sat up and slowly turned to stare at him, a light blush appearing on her cheeks. She hadn't realized that he had been watching her so attentively that he had noticed such a small change in color of her natural eye color, which was cerulean, a blue green color. Blushing a bit more, she quickly hid her face and hugged her knees tighter, mumbling something.

Laughing at this reaction, finding it cute, he feigned innocence. "What? I'm being serious." He became just a tad bit more reflective, the smile disappearing. "Honestly, though, Nozomi. I've been noticing a lot of the little things you do. Like, in the middle of the night, when you think there's no one around, you use the mop as a sword to practice, or you sometimes climb up to the crow's nest and look up at the stars, and ask whoever is up there to teach you about them." By now, she was staring at him, wide eyed. He smiled gently. "I've noticed a lot of the little things you do, and…well, I would like to learn more."

Nozomi opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a boot making contact with the wooden deck before them. As they both turned to look, they both flinched somewhat as they made eye contact with Youko, who had his arms crossed.

"Yomi; go unfurl the main mast. We will be arriving shortly."

Nodding, Yomi quickly stood and began jogging away. Before he was too far away, he glanced back and waved, "Talk to you later, Rose." before he began to climb the mast.

Not bothering to wait another moment longer, Youko turned and began walking away. Reacting out of desperation, Nozomi quickly scrambled to her feet and, covering the distance between them quickly, practically latched onto his right arm, hugging it tightly.

"Youko…please wait…"

The action itself was enough to stop him, though her words also caused him to pause momentarily. His bangs once more covered his eyes, and his entire body was rigid. Noticing this, Nozomi felt a stab in her heart. She knew she had caused this. Her usually calm and clear mind had gotten clouded by anger and mistrust, thus causing her to speak words that weren't entirely true. Feeling the urgency in her core, she knew she had to say something quick, for fear of the worst…

"Youko…"

"Not here." Were his only words, to which Nozomi immediately understood, though she refused to let go.

Noticing that she wasn't planning on letting go any time soon, a soft sigh managed to escape his pursed lips as he slowly turned and they both walked towards his quarters. Just before he closed the door, he gave one final, menacing glare to his on looking crew before slamming the door shut.

Watching from aloft, Yomi sighed inwardly. 'I hope she's okay…'

-Inside the Captain's Quarters

Nozomi cried out painfully as her back slammed against the back wall. Youko had, more or less, in an attempt to get her off, swung his arm towards the wall, causing her to be practically thrown in that direction. Now, her back slowly slid down the wall, her body quivering from the pain. Walking up to her, slowly, as if stalking prey, he approached.

His eyes were cold and cruel, a different side than she was used to. As he stopped before her, merely a foot from where she lay, she looked up at him, her lower lip quivering ever so slightly.

"What is it you want."

Flinching at the tone, noticing that it was a command and not a mere question, she gulped softly.

"Y-youko… I-I…." A single tear slid down her left cheek . "I'm so sorry! Youko! I….I didn't mean it!"

Youko glared down at her, unmoving, his eyes narrowing. "Liar."

The sting of his single word carved deep into her heart, causing her to fall silent. She sniffled, hanging her head.

"You are nothing but a spoiled princess, used to getting her way." He continued, his tone equally as unforgiving as his expression. "You may be a caring and merciful ruler, but you lack in discipline. You expect that your word be the last." He snapped, his sharp teeth clicking softly against one another in anger. "In case you haven't noticed, princess, you have no power here. Your word will never be last, especially on my ship." He turned his back to her, crossing his arms and closing his golden eyes. "You are nothing more than a weak child who knows not her place, nor her own flaws. You have no place here."

Behind him, Nozomi grit her teeth, a few more tears managing to slide down her face. Still, she slowly rose to her feet, standing tall and firm. Reaching out slowly, she quickly grabbed his left shoulder and forced him to face her, getting in his face. Not caring if he saw her tears, she glared up at him, now both angry and hurt.

"How DARE you!" She yelled, motioning towards herself. "For one, you were the one who brought me to this stinking rat hole of a ship in the first place! And yes, I dare to insult this pathetic excuse of a dinghy because if this is the ship of the King of Pirates, then there's something wrong with you! No pirate king that I know of would dare sail the seas in this pathetic excuse of a vessel! For another…" She sighed heavily, controlling her anger, but still glaring coldly up at him. Lowering her voice so that she wasn't yelling anymore, she continued. "…yes, I was lying. But, not entirely." She sighed once more.

"What I said the other day, about how I hate helping people… It's true." Her eyes softened as she spoke, though still managed to contain a certain sharpness them. "But, I can not help myself. I'm kind hearted, as I told you when we first met. I care too much for fools who manage to find themselves in a tight spot, and even though I hate what I'm doing, I do it anyway." Her eyes hardened once more. "But I am not incompetent. I am aware of my weaknesses, and my strengths. Maybe not all of them, but enough to get by…"

She sighed softly once more, her eyes closing briefly, and, tilting her head to the side, she gazed off towards the far corner of the room. After a few silent seconds, she released some air that she had apparently been holding and gazed back into his still sharp golden eyes. "I'm sorry, Youko. I really am. I'm sorry I hit you…you didn't deserve it. What you did, you did for me. I only realized that after the initial shock and my abrasive action that what I did was wrong…" She shook her head and turned to the left, hugging herself for comfort. "I'm sorry…for calling you selfish…" She gave a dry chuckle. "Heh, you even became a slave for 15 seconds just to have me freed…" She looked back up at him, her cerulean eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

Youko stood there, surveying her. Her eyes, usually cerulean, he now noticed, were currently sky blue. It was as Yomi said. Seeing her body language, she was definitely insecure, and not comfortable, however, from her scent, she was speaking words of truth. But, what truly made these words of hers special…was that they came from the heart; her heart. When she initially turned him around, he was surprised. He had not expected such forcefulness from someone who was that soft spoken. But, upon hearing her words, his eyes had slowly begun to soften, though his overall demeanor remained the same. He partially wondered if she could tell. Hearing her sigh softly and turned to look away from him once more due to the prolonged silence, a smirk broke out on his face. Using his right hand, he gently cupped her chin and turned her head to face him once more.

In a soft voice, he spoke. "You are forgiven…only if you promise me one thing…"

She blinked, blushing softly as she gazed deeply into his dazzling amber hues. "W-what is it?"

He smiled softly, gazing into her currently sky blue eyes. "Promise me you'll stop acting around me. The others, I do not truly care what they see, but around me…promise that you will act more open."

Blinking in confusion at first, realization dawned on her suddenly, physically showing as her eyes widened ever so slightly. Smiling a bit more broadly as he saw her nod, he gently pressed his lips against hers, sharing a tender kiss. Blushing immensely, Nozomi closed her eyes, shyly kissing back, glad that they had reconciled. In a sudden movement, he easily swept her off of her feet and into his arms, bridal-style. With her arms wrapped around his neck, he gazed down at the blushing princess. A part of him cursed himself for getting too soft. However, a different part of him accepted that even he, the King of Pirates/Thieves had one soft spot…or perhaps even two. But, no one had to ever know… Perhaps this little princess could one day herself find out, but now was no time for that. Instead, he twirled her around a bit, enjoying the feeling of her grip tightening around his neck, before he gently put her back down on her feet.

Smirking once more, crossing his arms, he spoke once more. "Now that you've promised… I'm going to be more specific. When I meant 'more open', and this is just to be sure that we are on the same level of understanding, you are to act with me as you acted with your friends back on your island. They know the real you, and now it is my turn."

Blushing slightly, she nodded, fumbling with her skirt. "I-I s-suppose so…" To which he raised an eyebrow. With a heavy sigh, she cleared her throat softly and spoke once more. "I guess… If…that's what you really want."

Giving a satisfied single nod, Youko turned and began heading towards the door, when he suddenly stopped. Watching curiously, Nozomi wondered why he had stopped, and was now turning around. Walking back up to her, he gently held her in place with both of his hands on her upper arms.

His expression was soft and apologetic, which was highly unusual for him. "I'm sorry for having to do this, but…" Without another word of explanation, he bent down and, after moving some of her hair out of the way, gently bit into her neck.

A strange sensation flooded through her as she half moaned, half cried out in pain as she felt his incredibly sharp fangs sink into her soft and tender flesh. She could feel her body tense, yet somehow get somewhat aroused by it, which was strange in itself. As he removed his fangs, his lips remained, draining the blood that escaped the small wound. It took a while for Nozomi to realize that his bite took away most of her energy, her legs suddenly feeling like jelly. The only true reason why she was still standing was because he was holding her steady. Feeling his tongue passing gently over her new wound, she felt a strange sensation wash over her as his lips left her skin, the area where her fresh wound was suddenly getting cold. Shivering, she practically collapsed into his arms, her strength having half returned. Picking her up, Youko carefully maneuvered her towards the hidden room, where he silently opened the door and placed her gently on the bed. She looked up at him, her eyes half open.

"W-what…did you do…?"

After silently staring at her for a few moments, he responded softly, his expression calm and tranquil.

"I…" He paused, half kicking him self for hesitating. "I marked you…for your own protection. If you ever get into trouble, I'll know…" Seeing her expression go from confused and inquisitive to astonished, he continued in a soft voice. "Do not worry. So long as you keep part of your hair on that side, it will be hidden. Besides, it's not a mark that anyone can see. Only those who look closely enough to your neck will they even see the faint markings…" Leaning over her, he gently kissed her forehead. "It is to protect you…" Managing to steal a kiss from her soft lips, he smirked slightly and left her there, closing the door silently behind him.

Lying in the dark, now incredibly baffled, Nozomi sighed softly, placing a slightly trembling hand on her neck, or more specifically, the mark. A strange feeling was emanating from her heart at his words, and she had the strangest thought that maybe she was growing feelings for him. Blushing within the darkness, she came to a sudden realization in her soul searching; she loved him. Her, the princess of a kingdom, loved the King of Thieves and Pirates. It was the last thought that echoed within her mind before she drifted off to sleep.

-And that's a wrap! Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, and don't forget to review! Feel free to make any comments, or suggestions in them. I'd love to hear more ideas from my readers as to suggestions on what other chapters I can randomly imbue into this. Hope to hear from you again soon!