2 Trespasser

The hoots and hollers that were coming from the main deck could be heard from his private quarters, much to Kaito's dismay. He had been hoping for some peace in order to catch a wink of sleep but because his four-man crew was obnoxious and loud with everything, it didn't seem like he was going to be obtaining any this afternoon.

He groans momentarily, not wanting to rise from the comforting caresses of his bed. The sway of the ship being moved by the waves was a constant companion of his, one he grew accustomed to after a week's worth of sailing. Years later, Kaito grew fond of the comforting feeling the swaying gave him, never once growing sick of it.

Upon stepping foot onto the main deck, the young Captain scans the open area, watching his crew leaning over the right side of his ship.

"What's this ruckus all about?" he questions, stomping over to them as he took upon his authoritative attitude.

Mark, his trusted helmsman, turns to face him. "Murphy and Jasper were in the midst of fishing when they started yelling."

Kaito sends a look towards his cabin boy duo, finding the two brunettes bashfully looking at each other. "Over?"

It was the cook, Henry, who answered this time, his attention turning to their Captain. "Well, they say there was a girl on the net."

"A what?" Kaito asks in disbelief. They were practically hundreds of miles away from any land so how could anyone be drafted out this far?

"Yeah, we had the same reaction." Mark shrugs before pointing over his shoulder, towards the water. "Until we took a look for ourselves."

Beginning to think his crew was finally losing it, Kaito pushed past his members to look over the rails, wanting to get a glimpse for himself.

Sure enough, there was a girl. One who was determinedly holding onto the ropes of the fishing net, her eyes skewered shut as she was raised with the boys' efforts.

Kaito found himself helping with lugging the net upward, an unknown feeling cursing through him with every pull. They were able to reel in the net back on deck, with their trespasser clumsily falling down with it.

As if staring at a foreign subject, the Captain and his crew circled her, wondering why the hell she was out in the ocean alone.

"You think she's a siren?" Jasper questions, dull gray eyes full of curiosity as he looked around at his crew mates.

"Don't be ridiculous," Henry sighs with a shake of his head.

"I am not whatever you have claimed me to be," the girl retorts, staggeringly standing up in the process. Briefly taking in the sight of her rescuers, Cardia's gaze comes to land on the man whose silvery hair has caught her attention; it was a very rare sight to see someone of his age with such an appearance. "I am Cardia Ribeiro from the Ribeiro household in Lockard County, and I thank you for your rescue."

Kaito, who was momentarily distracted with the sudden female voice, comes back to his senses and steps forward, facing her directly. He puts on his Captain persona, using the same tone he would with an enemy. "This was no rescue. You trespassed."

"You pulled me in." She replies, leveling her gaze with his.

He sizes her up for a moment, taking in the one diamond earring and pearl necklace she adorns. "You come from wealth; I see."

"Why should that be of any concern to you?"

"I wonder how much your family will be willing to pay if we took you as hostage."

"You know what?" Cardia says, stepping away from this devilishly handsome man and off of the piles of fish she had been standing on. Gross, she internally seethed. "Just put me back."

"Into the water?" Mark asks which she nods in response. "What the fu-"

Kaito's eyes gleam with amusement at her words. "You want to swim with the fishes that badly?"

"It would be better than being a useless hostage." Cardia replies. The last few days had been rough, and she was in no mood for unwanted inquiries.

His eyebrows raise at this but makes no comment on the matter. "What were you doing out in the middle of the ocean?"

"Running away, obviously."

Amusement flashes in his eyes as he stares down at the girl, wondering how she had managed to get this far without getting into some sort of trouble. "From?"

"Listen here, Mister," she points a finger his way, noticing the sudden hush that falls across the group, "I didn't climb onto this boat to be questioned."

"It's a ship." Jasper chimes in but clamps up after one glance from his superior.

"Listen here, Miss," Kaito mocks, "you're on my ship, therefore you'll have to show a tad bit of respect, yeah?"

"Your ship? We look to be about the same age. How could you own something like this?" Cardia remarks.

"Well, when you're a pirate, almost anything is possible, wouldn't you think so?"