Letter of Marque
Sequel to Between the Devil and the Deep
A Rurouni Kenshin AU Fic
by Gemini

Rated R: For cursing and other naughty things

Disclaimer: This Rurouni Kenshin franchise is owned and operated by Earl "Nobuhiro" Watsuki,
Tim "Shonen" Jump and "Sony" Jones. There are also a few silent partners I can't recall.

The events in this story take place one year after the end of 'Between the Devil and the Deep'

Chapter 7: Pleasure and Pain

Kenshin hurried out of the Cat O'Nine Tails, but had to pause once he hit the street so that he could get his bearings. He looked around, hoping to determine which way Kaoru had gone, but it was impossible to tell. 'It's not as if she left you bread crumbs to follow.' He thought with a roll of his eyes.

Even at this late hour, the area around the harbor was teeming with all manner of people. Sailors and prostitutes rubbed elbows with merchants and other members of the middle and upper classes, everyone looking for a good time. Kenshin had spent little time in red light districts, and he had to admit to himself that he felt a bit uncomfortable.

"Hello, Red. How's about I show you a good time, eh?" A ghastly looking woman with stringy, filthy blonde hair and a tattered dress of indeterminate color wound herself around him, smiling up at him with a mouth filled with black, rotting teeth. He tamped down firmly on the urge to shake her off his arm and instead reached into his pocket with his free hand to produce a few bills.

"Actually, I'm looking for someone, maybe you can help." He said, waving the bills under her crooked nose.

Her eyes watched the money hungrily and she nodded. "I'd love to be of service, mate. Who're you lookin' for?"

"She's a young lady, about nineteen or twenty, with long black hair and blue eyes. She's wearing men's clothes and just left this bar," he jerked his thumb in the direction of the Cat O'Nine Tails. "I want to know which way she headed."

"Was she wearin' black pants and a red velvet vest, then?" The woman asked, her eyes still glued to the money.

"Yes." Kenshin felt a small upsurge of hope.

"She went towards the docks." The woman pointed a long, thorny fingernail in the direction of the docks. "'Bout five, ten minutes ago."

Praying silently that he wasn't being sent on a wild goose chase, Kenshin handed the woman the money, which she immediately tucked into her withered bosom. "Thanks a bunch, love." She said with a grotesque smile. "Come see me any ol' time, I'll give you a bit o' fun on the house." She winked at him and sauntered off.

He swallowed, wondering if he'd ever be so desperate for female company that he'd solicit that woman. 'Not as long as I'm alive and sane.' He thought, shaking his head slightly before starting off towards the docks.

The further he went from the red light district, the quieter and darker it became. Eventually, all he had to illuminate his path were the scattered lights of the occasional home or business, open late. He relaxed slightly when the tangy smell of salt water reached him, as familiar and comforting as home. Perhaps Kaoru drew as much consolation from the sea as he did, he mused. The sound of water slapping against wood pilings and the shrill call of sea gulls greeted him a few moments later, also familiar old friends.

The docks were deserted, their harsh lines and weathered appearance blunted by the darkness. Ships bobbed gently with the tide, black smears against a navy blue sky. He walked slowly past each pier, looking for Kaoru.

He had passed about ten ships when he found her, standing at one of the empty piers, arms wrapped around herself as though to give comfort. She was staring straight ahead, her head tilted slightly, listening, to what he did not know.

"Did he tell you?" She asked quietly, still staring at the sea.

Kenshin started, slightly surprised that she knew he was there. "What?"

"Aoshi. Did he tell you?"

He hesitated, not exactly sure how to answer. Finally, he decided that honesty was best. "Yes."

"I don't want your pity." She said firmly.

He frowned, his expression lost on her since she still hadn't turned around. "I wasn't planning on offering any." He replied.

"Liar." There was a tinge of bitterness in her voice that bothered him.

"Actually, I wanted to apologize to you." He said, stepping forward until he was close enough to touch her, but he didn't.

She finally turned around, her expression incredulous. "Apologize?"

He nodded, looking pained. "If I…if my advances were too aggressive…if I made you uncomfortable, I'm sorry."

Her eyes widened. "Are you worried that you might have scared me?"

He nodded again. "If I had known, I wouldn't have been so…" he hesitated, "I would have asked your permission and listened when you said no."

"But you still would have made advances? Even if you had known?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Yes."

"You're not disgusted?" She looked so pathetically amazed; it hurt him to see it.

He frowned down at her. "No, not at all. You weren't at fault. Why would I be disgusted?" He reached out a hand and brushed a few strands of stray hair away from her face. "You're still beautiful to me, Kaoru."

Her shoulders slumped and she laughed quietly. "Oh, you don't know how I dreaded..."

He gently folded her into a warm embrace, stroking her back soothingly. "Don't worry about it, love. My feelings haven't changed."

Her shoulders shook as she sobbed into his chest with relief. He was surprised, to say the least. She rarely showed such emotion or weakness. It was hard to explain, exactly, but he felt honored that she allowed herself to be vulnerable with him.

"You are such a complicated woman." He whispered as he laid soft, gentle kisses on her forehead.

Her laugh was choked with emotion. "You have no idea."

"You are so in the shit with the Captain, Aoshi." Sano muttered as he, Aoshi and Misao left the bar a half hour after Kenshin's abrupt departure.

Aoshi merely grunted and shoved his hands deep into his pockets, a scowl etched on his face.

"Seriously, why have you been such an asshole? I thought Kaoru was important to you." Sano looked honestly puzzled.

Misao laughed, drawing Sano's gaze from Aoshi down to her. "What are you giggling about, midget?" He drawled irritably.

"Isn't it obvious, jackass?" Misao rolled her eyes at him.

"Well, unlike you, I don't have the luxury of listening to this fuckhead talk in his sleep." He paused and frowned. "Not that I would want to." He added hastily.

Misao laughed again. "Listen, you dickhead, Aoshi was being a complete and total asshole because he deeply cares about Kaoru."

"You'd better start talking sense, shorty, before I knock you into that horse trough over there." Sano muttered, waving a hand in the direction of the aforementioned wooden vessel.

Misao seemed unruffled by his insults. "I'd kick you in the balls before you even had the chance, chicken head." She said cheerfully.

"Just explain, Misao." Aoshi cut off their banter.

Misao sighed and looked thoroughly put upon. "All right. I'll go very slowly so you two morons can understand me."

Neither Sano nor Aoshi looked amused.

She flashed them a genki grin and continued. "Aoshi considers Kaoru to be like a sister. Naturally, anything that hurts her, hurts him, just like it does the rest of us." Misao took a deep breath. "Aoshi was worried that Captain Himura, who Kaoru seems to have quite a thing for, which I can't understand…I mean, he's kind of cute, but he's too short, and that hair…"

"Misao." Aoshi growled.

She flushed. "Sorry. Anyway, Aoshi is worried that Captain Himura will hurt Kaoru. She obviously has feelings for him and it seems as though he shares them, but there is a lot that is keeping them apart." She ticked the reasons off on her fingers. "One, she's a pirate and is wanted for various crimes, two, he is a navy man, charged with bringing in criminals such as Kaoru, three, she won't leave her ship or her crew for anything, four, we can assume that he won't leave his post for anything, although I'm beginning to wonder about that, five, he has a certain standing in society and he has many, many women lusting after him and his bank account, and most importantly, six, she has this secret hanging over her head that she's afraid he'll discover."

Misao glanced at her six upraised fingers and wiggled them. "So, with all these problems, the chances are very good that she'll end up hurt. But despite that, Kaoru seems determined to have something with Captain Himura, and Aoshi, being the not so subtle blockhead that he is, decided that the only way to protect her was to make sure that Captain Himura was gotten rid of before he could do any real harm, which he tried to do by sending Kaoru to the guy's house yesterday to tell him to back off." She paused to glare at Aoshi, "That plan backfired, so then he figured that if Kaoru really wanted to be with Captain Himura, then he had to eliminate the one thing, over everything else, that was truly bothering Kaoru, the thing that he figured would be the deal breaker between the two of them if the Captain wasn't serious, that is, the truth about her rape. If he forced a confrontation, then they'd have to deal with it. And, happily, it appears as though Captain Himura and Kaoru have weathered this particular storm. Whether or not they'll survive the others is entirely up to them." She finished triumphantly.

Sano scratched his head. "So, because he loves Kaoru like a sister, Aoshi decided to hurt her…for her own benefit?"

"In a nut shell." Misao replied cheerfully.

"Crap. That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard." Sano muttered.

Misao shrugged. "Well, I didn't say it was right. I was just telling you what happened."

Aoshi ignored the argument the two were embroiled in and walked ahead, still scowling. He was annoyed at Misao for knowing him so well. It was slightly disconcerting to say the least. She had, in the past year, woven herself into the very fabric of his being and, although he sometimes had the urge to push her away, he knew he couldn't, she was too much a part of him. For a man who had spent the better part of his life isolating himself from people, it was a bit of a shock to suddenly be so dependent on another person like he was on Misao.

He was pulled from his musings by the feel of her arm slipping through his. Suddenly, he was aware of the fact that they were alone. "Where's Sano?"

"He went back to the ship." She replied quietly.

He nodded slightly and continued walking in silence.

"Aoshi?" She gave his arm a tug, stopping him in his tracks.

"What?"

"I won't pretend to approve of your methods, but I do think you did the right thing." She murmured. She pulled his hand out of his pocket and raised it to her lips for a kiss. "You're an idiot, but a sweet one."

He stared down at her with a frown, but he found his fingers tracing her lips of their own volition.

She smiled up at him, a wicked glint in her eyes. "I think you'll be punished soon enough, so you don't have to sleep on the couch tonight."

He raised an eyebrow. "How generous of you." He replied drolly.

"Well, you know me, always thinking of others." She took one of his fingers and sucked on it briefly, grinning at the growl he made low in his throat. "Let's hurry home, Aoshi."

He swallowed, taking a few seconds to marshal his control, lest he push her into some dark alley and have his way with her right there. Not that she'd mind, she certainly hadn't the last time, but he wanted more than just a rough stone wall and several minutes of pleasure. He wanted comfort. "Let's." He replied after a moment, taking her hand in his and pulling her towards where one Maiko's many small carriages was waiting to take them back to the manor.

It was well after two in the morning before Kaoru returned to Maiko's. She had been slightly annoyed that Aoshi and Misao hadn't waited for her, but not very surprised. She had, after all, told them to go home.

Kenshin, being the chivalrous gentleman that he was, offered to take her home, if she didn't mind sharing a horse with him. She didn't, not at all. She found that riding with him pressed against her back, his strong arms encircling her as he held the reins was quite nice, though it left her with a restlessness she couldn't quite explain. The occasional kisses he would drop on her neck were nice, too. All in all, she was quite pleased that Aoshi and Misao had abandoned her.

When they reached the main house, Kenshin got off his horse first, so that he could help her down. Despite her protests, he grabbed her firmly around the waist and lifted her off. He didn't let go of her after her feet hit the ground, instead, he pulled her closer and kissed her full on the mouth. She wrapped her arms around his neck and reciprocated for a few moments, biting his lower lip gently before reluctantly pushing him away.

"I have to go." She murmured, caressing his cheek for a moment. "I still need to talk to Aoshi."

Kenshin dropped his hands obligingly, but looked slightly mutinous. His expression made her shiver.

"When will I see you again?" He asked.

"Soon, I'd imagine." She replied, taking a step towards the door. She dropped her gaze to the ground and studied the carefully raked gravel. "I'm meeting with Admiral Serizawa tomorrow, or today, I guess. He's invited me for lunch."

Kenshin cursed under his breath. "If he so much as lays a finger on you." He growled.

"Then I'll cut it off." Kaoru replied. She reached out and grabbed his hand. "Don't worry about me, Kenshin. I won't let him do anything. I plan on lacing his drink with one of Megumi's sleeping powders and while he's out, I'm going to go through his papers."

He squeezed her hand. "Be careful, Kaoru."

"Of course. I always am." She used her grip on his hand to pull him down for another kiss. "I'll see you soon." She murmured against his mouth.

She withdrew and went to Maiko's door, opening it slowly as not to make any noise. Aoshi had remembered to leave it unlocked for her. She turned and smiled at Kenshin as she slipped inside and he returned it. The last glimpse she had of him, silhouetted against the dark sky, moonlight playing with his hair, made her almost want to go back out there, grab him and drag him inside. She shut the door firmly and turned the lock, determinedly tamping down on that urge. She still had to talk to Aoshi.

Years of skulking had made her an expert at it; she glided through the reception hall and up the stairs without making a sound. She tiptoed down the hall, towards the room where Aoshi and Misao were staying, hoping to find her navigator awake.

She paused at the door, her eyes widening as she realized that he was most definitely awake, as was Misao. However, she didn't think that she should be interrupting them right then. She felt her face heat up at the impassioned noises the two were making and backed away from the door as though it were on fire. Later, she promised herself as she rushed to the quiet safety of her own room. She would most definitely talk to Aoshi later.

A/N: Not a new chapter, just a quick fix. This chapter had always bothered me, so I fixed it.