Maelstrom

Chapter 5

Ruse's POV

As you were following the red haired man known as 'Shanks' which was a very strange name -but you really couldn't judge with a name like Ruse- you noticed that he seemed relaxed, but also taunt.

It was almost as if he was expecting someone to come crawling out of the woodworks shouting a battle cry at any given moment. Well, him being a pirate, he probably was.

Speaking of pirates, how the hell were you supposed to know who the Red-Hair Pirates were?

You really could care less about ranking and popularity- which is why you hardly ever looked at the news coos unless they had something about you. What could you say? You were just a magnet for trouble. But going back to the point, you could have sworn the name seemed familiar to you somehow. Hmm...maybe they were in the new coos before? Ahh, who cares! This was too much thinking for you and you didn't want to hurt your brain. Especially when you hadn't eaten yet. Which thanks to the redhead pirate known as 'Shanks' you haven't been able to yet. In all actuality if you didn't get food soon, you might as well eat him- the redhead was the cause of your misfortune after all.

You shook your head at the traitorous thoughts. Cannibalism was bad Ruse. Yes, even if the person you want to eat was a complete pain in the ass- sadly you couldn't eat someone. It was considered to be 'inhumane.' You snort as you internally monologue, briefly looking back at the redhead in question.

Huh. He seemed to be deep in thought about something and you honestly didn't know what in the seven hells this man could be thinking so hard about.

"What? Cat got your tongue or something?" You taunt childishly, just seeing if he was listening to you.

He jolted out of thought and narrowed his eyes at you, seemingly cautious for some reason.

Why? This man in front of you was the scarier one by far. You were just a small-time criminal that was laying low under the radar. Sure, you had weird eyes and stupid white hair, but honestly you really weren't anything special.

Yet this man seemed to be cautious around you all the sudden.

You pause, feeling your heartbeat beginning to steadily strum faster.

Something was going to happen soon and you sure as hell weren't about to stick around long enough to find out what. Your golden eyes quickly dart around, beginning to visualize and try and plan out any possible escape routes- just in case something went wrong, like it normally did- but as you were scrutinizing the situation you felt an icy cold grip of realization takes ahold of you.

You hadn't even realized that the red haired man was watching you until just now.

His steely grey orbs gazed at you, and you froze.

He knew what you were doing? So quickly too.

Scary.

You stare right back at him, sweat dropping slightly.

This man was seriously weird. You really didn't know why, but you felt like he was dangerous. Like a predator watching its prey or something similar to the sort.

Steely gray eyes that seemed to stare right through you, he opens his mouth to speak. "You said Ruse D. Argenti didn't you kid?"

You nod, waiting for him to continue.

"Impossible. You shouldn't know that name if you don't even know who I am, much less the rest of the news around the world." He growls out, voice low and taunt with thinly veiled anger.

"Why the unholy hell should I not know my own name? Sure my parents just left me on someone's doorstep like a goddamn early Christmas present with no return address, and they're probably dead or happier without me in their lives, but y'know I really don't see how that's any of your business you intolerable red haired idiot!" You were losing your patience, and you were losing it rather fast.

First this man had insulted you about running from home like a snobby brat, then he assumes you're illiterate or something for not keeping up with the news, and now he's saying you're not who you say you are? With a name like Ruse you sure as hell weren't nearly as crafty as you wanted to be. It didn't help that you tended to let emotions cloud your judgement either. Kinda like exactly what you were doing right now. Emotionally thinking rather than logically thinking. Ironic wasn't it?

Ahh hell. These types of situations really just make your blood boil. What sort of people were this blatantly objective nowadays?

You snarl, completely ready to give this redhead idiot a right hook to his pretty face for his rudeness.

"You....truly..." He shakes his head in disbelief. "Aye. I suppose you really don't know do you?"

A momentary pause.

"Ruse." The pirate replied to you, seemingly calmed down from his prior anger and shock.

You? Not so much. You were very much confused on what the hell was going on and you honestly didn't have the slightest bit of a clue as to what he was talking about.

"I really don't get what you're trying to say Shanks-" You emphasize his name in a harsher tone than normal, a scowl on your face as you stare unflinching at the man before you.

There's a brief moment of silence that hangs heavy in the air, the two of you caught in a stare-down.

You continue, not looking forward to the answer you were about to be given. "-But I'd appreciate it if you were to tell me outright instead of tiptoeing around it."

You let out a low growl of frustration as you look back at him, folding your arms across your chest impatiently.

"Well?" A quirk of your brows, prompting the redhead's response. "Enlighten me."

--