Vignettes: Stories from the world of 'Between the Devil and the Deep' and 'Letter of Marque'

By Gemini

Kenshin and Kaoru: Happily Ever After

There were few things Kaoru found more relaxing than manning the helm of her own ship, especially when she was trying to work her way out of a black mood. At the moment, however the wheel had failed to perform its usual magic and she was still quite annoyed; her aggravation radiated off of her in waves, sending whatever crew members were about a clear message to leave her alone. Not that there were many about this late at night, just a skeleton crew that had probably heard every single word of the fight that she and Kenshin had just had.

She scowled and drummed her fingers on the worn wood of the wheel. Seven months they had been together and, although they mostly got along just fine, there were some things they had been unable to work through with any degree of success, things that had an annoying habit of popping up and causing fights. It had not exactly been happily ever after and that worried her. Her parents had fought a lot, and their unhappiness had been palpable. While she and Kenshin had yet to get to that point, every fight made her worry all the more that things would fall apart, a worry that was given more weight than usual these days, given the circumstances.

With the exception of the wind sighing in the sails and the slap of water against the ship's sides, it was quiet, quiet enough that she heard Kenshin approaching quite clearly. She knew the sound of his steps, which she found both terribly romantic and slightly odd. Who knew footsteps could have personality? His did: a strong, sure gait, purposeful and commanding.

He approached her carefully, noting the tense set of her shoulders and the white-knuckled grip she had on the wheel. She was still angry and he did not want to fight with her again. So, instead of speaking, he simply stood next to her and followed her gaze out past the bow of the ship and towards the stars. It took time, but eventually, she relaxed enough for Kenshin to feel comfortable speaking. "You left before I could apologize." He murmured softly, no reprimand in his voice, just a hint of regret.

"I left before I hit you." She replied.

He smiled. "I might have deserved it."

"You did." She tensed again, not as much as before, but he sensed it and rushed forward with his apology before he lost any ground.

"Kaoru, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten so upset, but…"

She cut him off before he could finish. "Don't give me any excuses, Kenshin. You know what I do, what I am. Even with that little piece of paper in my desk giving me some legitimacy, I'm still a pirate."

"A privateer." He corrected with a small smile.

She shrugged. "Amounts to the same thing."

He tried again, hoping to convey how he felt without upsetting her more. "I worry, Kaoru, I'll always worry, especially now, with…"

The tension in her gave way to weariness, her shoulders slumped. "I'd never put myself or the baby in danger, Kenshin. Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you. It's everyone else I worry about." He replied carefully. When she didn't respond, he decided to try and coax her out of her mood so they could talk rationally. He moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder. Sometimes he could do more with simple gestures than he could with words.

She sighed and leaned into him. "Pretty soon you won't be able to get your arms around me, you know. I'll look like a beached whale."

He chuckled, relieved that she didn't seem to be as angry. "A very pretty beached whale."

"Oh now you're just trying to get back into my good graces." Her bad mood evaporated, powerless in the face of his obvious affection.

"Is it working?" He nuzzled her cheek and gave her a little squeeze.

"Maybe." She replied archly.

They were silent for a long while before he spoke again. "I can't help worrying, Kaoru. And if you won't let me protect you, then how can I be sure you're safe?"

Kaoru sighed again, this time she sounded slightly exasperated. "You'll just have to trust me, Kenshin. I can take care of myself. I won't let anything happen to this baby while I'm pregnant. And after it's born, you can be as protective as you want. You can be as overbearing, suffocating and authoritarian as you want. In fact, I expect it."

He grinned. "Be careful what you wish for, Captain Kamiya."

She laughed. "I've already learned my lesson about that, sir. I wished for Prince Charming and ended up with you."

"I'm a perfectly good substitute, I assure you." He replied with false hurt.

She just laughed again and turned enough in his arms to give him a kiss. Perhaps there was something to the idea of happily ever after, after all.

A/N: Hello all! This just popped into my head and voila! Here it is. You probably have noticed that the 'Vignettes' series jumps around in time. I just wanted to focus on these little tidbits that give the characters life. I think for the next one, I'll try something about the night Kaoru became captain. It won't be pretty or fluffy like these two have been, but it's definitely one of those character-defining moments. We'll see.