AN-So, chapter two. I'm sorry this took so long, but I just couldn't get into it. I'm looking forward to writing more, this was just one of those difficult chapters haha. I'm not very pleased with it if I'm honest, so will probably come back and tweak it, but for now here it is!

So, we're introduced to the young and wealthy Sayori Wakaba, the Sherriff's daughter, and Yuki Kuran, the Mayor's daughter, gossiping about the events from chapter one. I apologise for Yori acting out of character , it was an idea I had that hasn't particularly turned out the way I'd like….it might work better in later chapters, it may not, please bear with me =). Enjoy!

Chapter 2

Yuki's POV

"Yuki did you hear about that robbery?" Yori, the Sheriff's daughter inquired. We were perched upon a swinging seat in the grounds of my father's plantation. Not particularly interested in the comings and goings of people in this small county, I was paying little attention to the news my best friend had brought about some robbery. I was much more preoccupied with the romance novel I had balanced upon my lap, while trying to keep the continuous swing of the seat going. I replied with a simple mmmm really none too interested.

"Hey Yori, once I've finished this book you should borrow it, it's so exciting!" I replied, desperate to change the subject to anything but news. I lived in the romance novels my father provided for me, finding the excitement and adventure I longed for in the pages and characters of these books. She gave me a rather irked look that I had interrupted her, before digging the heels of her boots into the ground below us to stop the sway of the seat. I sighed, folding the page I was on and shutting the book.

"I know you find this sort of thing boring, but listen, this is something I think you'll find interesting." Yori smiled, her eyes seeming to gleam with a secret excitement, one she clearly longed to share with me. I cocked my head, suddenly intrigued by my best friend's enthusiasm. I gave another little sigh, hoping she was right, and that I wouldn't find this tale a boring one.

"Well did you hear that the Souen family were robbed?" She asked quickly, as if it were a trivial fact, that she were only mentioning to inform me of some background information before advancing to the point she had to make. I nodded slowly, recalling my father had mentioned it hastily over breakfast earlier that same morning. Robberies were not uncommon, and the thief was normally caught soon after the crime too place, so the story didn't really grab my attention.

"Well it sounds like much more than you average robbery….It was that man, the one everyone's been gossiping about recently!" She said hastily, seeming to stumble over her words. I rolled my eyes, as if I knew what everyone else had been talking about. I tilted my head, trying to imply that I had no idea what she was talking about. Now it was her turn to sigh. She slapped my arm playfully with her gloved hand, before tucking a stray strand of amber hair behind her ear.

"I should've known! Surely you must have heard of the Outlaw Yuki!" Yori exclaimed, her tone of voice suggesting this man she spoke of was a well known criminal. I shook my head. She seemed to forget that I was not nearly as informed as her, her father was the Sheriff so knew everything about the criminals in the area. She leaned back in the swinging chair, already exhausted by my lack of knowledge on the subject of our home.

"I'll take this slowly….For a few months now there's been a young man around who's been courting all of the girls around here, though he doesn't stay with any one girl very long…." She announced, her eyes seemed to glimmer with mischievous thoughts. I frowned. The boy just sounded like a delinquent to me, just another reckless boy that toyed with the hearts of unsuspecting women….I'd read many a novel including that type. After leaving a string of girls broken hearted, they usually got what was coming to them, either through being caught or maybe even killed. I didn't expect the boy Yori was talking about would be killed, but most certainly he would be thrown in jail if he was stealing.

"No one knows where he comes from….but so far he's been with miss Rima, Seiren, Ruka….and I hear he's been hanging around miss Maria of late…there are more as well, just not as notable." She finished quickly, trying to conceal the blush that had come to her cheeks. I gave a small smile. I had never seen my best friend behave this way before, she was usually so cool and collected, not at all the type to develop crushes, especially ones that would most certainly lead to heartbreak. No, that was more my thing.

"Yori….do you like this…Outlaw guy?" I asked, a coy smile creeping to my lips. She quickly turned to look me in the eye, suddenly seeming rather flustered. I broke into a playful grin, pretty sure I'd hit the nail on the head. She quickly shook her head in response, seeming to grasp for a response, but not forming one quickly enough. I let out a small laugh, at her awkward response to my question. She shoved me playfully, causing the chair to sway gently under the force.

"…I know it's not like me….but there's something rather romantic about the whole thing….I don't know what it is. Even so, I'm the Sherriff's daughter, there's no way he'd be interested in me anyway….that's probably for the best though…." She replied, sighing in a melancholy way. I watched her picking dejectedly at the skirt of her dress, fiddling with some of the lace detail. I felt bad, for what could I say to console her? The boy she'd taken a liking to was clearly a criminal, and not the kind of person I would like to see my best friend with anyway. In fact, I was a little concerned, Yori was such a well behaved and pleasant girl, one that wouldn't usually fall so easily for a man, let alone such a dangerous man. It was very out of character for her.

"Yori….have you even MET him?" I blurted out, blushing a little. I hadn't meant for it to sound so blunt….it had just come out that way. She turned to look at me once more, a smile forming on her face once more. She seemed to think for a moment, before nodding slowly. I cocked my head, a little unsure of why she seemed so apprehensive. I hoped she hadn't been another one of his victims….

"In a way….I was walking through town on my own the other day…..and I heard lots of shouting going on not too far from where I was….then I saw him, he turned the corner on this magnificent white horse, and he was looking around as if to see if he'd been followed…..I assume they were still after him because he came past at such a speed…..At the time I didn't know it was him, or even who he'd been running from….but I was in awe…" She spoke, her voice almost trembling with some new emotion she didn't quite know how to handle. She paused, leaning her head on her hands, and staring out into the distance. She gave a sigh, seeming to relive the incident in her head. Surely he wasn't this amazing that he's caused my sensible friend to fall for him!

"Go on then!" I urged, desperate to hear what had occurred that had caused her to fall for this unlikely young man. She began to swing her legs, causing the seat to start swinging again. I joined her, gently swaying my legs and feeling the gentle swing of the seat accelerate a little, though not enough to cause concern.

"Well….as I said, he came past at such a speed I dropped the packages I'd been carrying….and…even though he was obviously in a hurry….upon realising he came back and leapt off the horse, and helped me retrieve my things….then he smiled at me and apologised….." She rested one of her gloved hands against her cheek, as if to try and disguise the blush that had tinted her soft complexion. I raised my eyebrows, surprised that such a delinquent had actually stopped to help out a young girl. Come to think of it….she hadn't even told me how old this man was. I imagined he couldn't be too old, considering all the woman he'd slept with had been young so far…the women surely wouldn't fall for an older man, then again, what did I know about the other women?

"Wow Yori, so you think you have feelings for this boy now?" I asked in astonishment. I was one for romance myself, but Yori was so level headed….hardly the type to believe in 'meetings of fate'….perhaps this 'Outlaw' guy was 'the one' for Yori? Whatever the case, even if he was I didn't see what luck she'd have with him. It wasn't actually getting him to take notice of her that would be difficult….clearly he'd already taken notice of her, and by the sounds of it he wouldn't say no to a young lady taking interest in him…but actually winning his heart…..well….

"I really don't know Yuki…I suppose I'd better just forget about it anyway, like I said, he'd never take an interest in me…." She sighed, her expression turning melancholy. Never one to give up, I laid a supportive hand on my best friend's knee. She looked up at me hopefully, perhaps having hoped if she came to me I'd be able to come up with an idea. I smiled warmly at her, trying to concoct some kind of plan….

"I don't like the sound of this boy….I'm scared he could hurt you Yori, he sounds like trouble to me." I told her truthfully. I wouldn't usually hesitate to help out my friend in any way I could, but something about this 'Outlaw' person gave me such a bad feeling. She smiled sadly at me, completely realising how serious it would be getting mixed up with his type. Her father was, after all, the Sherriff, the last thing he wanted was for his precious daughter to get mixed up with a criminal.

"…I know you're right…I just can't help this light headed feeling I get when I think about him…but you're right. What would my father say if he knew I'd developed feelings for one of the criminal's he's trying to catch?" She asked dejectedly. I had to turn away for fear she'd see the excitement in my eyes. If it were a romance novel…it would be perfect. I shook my head, reminding myself that this was not a silly story book, and that anything that happened to my best friend concerning this delinquent would be real, not some twist in the romantic plot that would eventually lead to a happy ending. I fiddled with red ribbon tied around my waist, desperately trying to think of something positive to say about the situation.

"….Tell me more about him….like, how old is he? What does he look like?" I blurted out, mentally scolding myself for encouraging the situation. I had to keep this under control, and not further persuade Yori to do something dangerous. She smiled warmly at me, not able to contain the wide grin that spread across her face despite herself. The Sunlight beamed down on us, almost highlighting the joy Yori seemed to feel at being able to express her feelings.

"I don't know exactly how old he is, to be honest he's very secretive, no one even knows his real name….I'd say he's roughly our age, no, actually a bit older, eighteen, nineteen maybe?" She began. I was actually a little surprised he was so young. I'd pictured a man in his early twenties perhaps, who had developed enough experience in the art of flirting to win over so many women….so many women of high stature in particular. None of the women Yori had mentioned were poor. Rima Toya was the daughter of a wealthy railroad tycoon, very pretty and a talented young actress or so I'd heard. Seiren's father ran the local newspaper, and was also pretty well off. What surprised me about Seiren was she was, much like Yori, if not more so, a very quiet reserved girl who kept much to herself. Rumoured to be very intelligent, probably set to take over from her father one day. As for Ruka and Maria…both of their father's were wealthy plantation owners, what exactly they did I wasn't entirely sure, but I knew they were daughters to two of the wealthiest men in the county. None of them seemed like the type of girl to sleep with a man before their wedding night….nor was Yori. Hence my feelings of fear and distrust towards the elusive 'Outlaw'.

"As for looks…well he's one of the best looking men I've ever seen, rather muscular, he has light, almost silver hair….and the most unique eyes I've ever seen, they're a lilac sort of color." Yori told me, but I was barely listening. The more I thought about this 'Outlaw', the more tense I began to feel. I didn't trust him. I didn't want him near Yori, or near me. This was no romance novel, it was reality, and in reality men like that could destroy a girl's reputation forever.

"Yori! Promise me you'll stay away from that man!" I pleaded suddenly. She seemed a little taken aback at the sudden change in my composure. I gulped, my heart was pounding as if I'd just had a close encounter with him myself. My intuition told me to stay away from that man, and that's exactly what I planned to do. Yori's cheerful expression suddenly changed to one of worry.

"Yuki, are you alright? You look really flustered…" She told me, retrieving her thatched Sun hat and gently waving it up in down before me to create some kind of breeze. I smiled shakily at her, not sure what had just happened….Had I ever had such a reaction upon simply hearing about someone I'd never met before? No. There was definitely something strange about the Outlaw, and this sudden need to protect Yori was one that couldn't be ignored. I snatched the straw hat from her, gently placing it beside her on the swinging seat. She looked at me in puzzlement, but I didn't care. I took hold of both her hands, clasping them tightly in my own.

"PROMISE me Yori. I have a really horrible feeling about this 'Outlaw' man…a really bad feeling…just promise me you'll stay away from him please!" I begged her, staring deep into her amber eyes. She stared at me a little uneasily as if I'd lost my mind…perhaps I had, but still. She opened her mouth to argue but I shook my head, adamant that this was something I couldn't allow to happen.

"Just….just trust me, please." I implored her, willing her to take me seriously. She looked doubtful, averting her eyes from my own brown ones. She paused, seeming to think this through carefully before looking back at me. She nodded, I could tell she was downhearted but she trusted me. I smiled thankfully at her, throwing my arms around her and embracing her tightly. I just prayed she would really do what I said and avoid that man.

"Okay Yuki, I trust you, you're right, he's not good for me." She confessed, but she couldn't keep the despondency out of her voice. I let her hands go and gazed over the grounds of my home. It was too warm for my liking right now, and a thought struck me.

"Come on Yori, come horseback-riding with me!" I told her encouragingly. She seemed to perk up at this idea, turning to face me and nodding. I swiftly stood up, extending my hand out to her to help her up. She took it, and was almost catapulted into the air with the force with which I yanked her from the chair.

"Easy Yuki!" She laughed, her light-hearted mood returning in an instant. I giggled in response, running eagerly towards the stables despite the fact I wore boots with heels. I felt her stumbling behind me, clinging to my hand for balance, not used to running.

"Hey Yori, I've been learning how to ride astride the horse now, side saddle is such a pain!" I teased, knowing she'd be shocked by this 'unladylike' behaviour. I heard a short gasp from behind me, causing me to smirk to myself as I bounded towards the stable.

"Yuki! I don't think your father would be happy…" She scolded a little. I shook my head laughing. It rather irked me how women were expected to ride a horse so daintily, even here in a place where horses were such a large part of our transport. Of course horses would pull carriages, but what was the point when you could simply ride the horse yourself?

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him…come on Yori, I'll show you!" I laughed mischievously as Yori simply taking my 'reckless' behaviour with a pinch of salt. This was how it was supposed to be, Yori the sensible level-headed one, and me the silly, sometimes irresponsible one….and perhaps that was why the 'Outlaw' frightened me….it was in my nature to act in such a way, perhaps what really frightened me was the thought that if I ever did come across the Outlaw…I'd be the next girl who fell for him.

AN-Sorry, I don't usually do an author's note at the end of chapters, but this is really just a warning for the next chapter- I warn you, chapter three is going to be little more…obscene, after all this is ultimately a story about Zero sleeping with a number of girls….so, just a heads up!