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The soft thrum of the engine was an alien sound, but on the long trek across the ocean; Kirisame found that it helped ease the tension from the day's training. Helping her find a meditative trance that had once been hard to obtain back on the island under Minister Ibara and Moz.
The kingdom of science was strange in that way, Senku and Ryusui were demanding leaders, but they always seemed accommodating to the individual workers' needs; one just needed to speak up and a solution would be found in short form, all the faster if it aligned with something Senku himself wanted.
Kirisame never needed to approach them, she was fine as she was; she missed some of the fruits of her home island that the supply had run out on, but that was it. Her duty to Prince Soyuz and his order to assist the Kingdom of Science didn’t require much, and what distractions Ryusui put on for the crew were just that for her; distractions that she didn’t need.
The creaking sound of the nearby hatch had her turning her head slightly, a flush coming to her cheeks as the guard from Ishigami Village stepped onto the deck carrying a plate of whatever fried fish that Francois had cooked that night. The smell of the simple meal made Kirisame’s stomach growl in reminder that she hadn’t eaten since that morning before their intensive training.
“I’m sorry to disturb you, I noticed you were missing from dinner.” Kinro said, pushing his glasses up as he set the plate down beside her, shifting slightly as he stole a glance while she was distracted by the plate, “food is essential o doing our duty effectively.” he was sure Ginro would be mad at him for such a line, but he genuinely couldn’t think of anything else to say in the face of a woman who took his breath away.
“Thank you.” She said softly, not looking at him as she pulled the plate into her lap, using it as an excuse to avoid his intense gaze, “I hadn't noticed the time.”
He simply nodded in acknowledgement; he didn’t waste time on needless talk, and Kirisame could respect that in the stoic guardsman.
The simple thought that he cared enough to bring her food-and to even notice that she had been missing was enough to cause her heart to flutter alone; she wasn’t sure she would’ve been able to find her words even if he had begun talking to her. So she was content to eat silently as he leaned against the nearby bulkhead. Eyes scanning the churning sea as he would scan the forest of his home for threats.
For Kinro’s part he had been searching for something to say, but had decided against it when noticing her relaxed posture. Frivolous chatter wasn’t something she was for, and he could respect her need and want for silence.
For a few moments the only sound that filled the air was the thrum of the engine and the sound of Kirisame quietly eating. Soon that too was gone and the two warriors were left in a companionable silence that held an underlying edge of tension the likes of which neither could explain.
The wind blew and Kirisame shivered a bit, making Kinro glance at her, a bit amused to see that she was pretending like the chilly gust hadn’t affected her, though the slight tremble in her frame was obvious. “Not used to the chill?” he questioned, and she turned her head to hide an embarrassed flush.
“The Island rarely saw the chill of the north.” she mumbled, pushing one of her dreadlocks back out of her face, “and as attached as I am to my clothes from home, it may be prudent to change once winter starts settling in earnest.”
“It would be the most logical thing to do,” Kinro agreed, shifting a bit as a bold thought came to mind, “nevertheless; you’re cold now,” he said as he carefully sat down next to her.
“W-what are you-” Kirisame stuttered as Kinro put an arm around her, gently pulling her closer with as casual an air as he could muster; his body heat immediately staved off the slight chill that she’d experienced, and the heat that burned in her cheeks helped keep it away. ‘H-how forward…” she whispered, surprised to see a blush dusting Kinro’s cheeks.
“It was the only thing I could think of to help.” he murmured in a rare show of bashfulness that had Kirisame’s heart fluttering again, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed-” he went to move away, but Kirisame’s slender hand grasped a handful of his tunic, not tightly, but firmly enough that Kinro stopped moving.
“I-it’s okay,” she stammered, forcing her heart to slow, “it was…it was just a surprise…I don’t mind…”
Kinro nodded slightly, relaxing just a bit as silence once again descended over them. Now they could identify the underlying tension between them; an unspoken attraction that they’d been ignoring, for how long? Neither knew, they’d been hyper aware of each other since the end of Minister Ibara’s stone reign and they’d been revived once more. Kirisame had admired the fighting prowess of the simple village guard and Kinro had admired the elite warriors' unshakeable faith in her chief and his returned son. They hadn’t interacted beyond training with the combat team, but they always seemed to orbit each other; stolen glances and small smiles the extent of their silent courtship that neither had even fully known they had been partaking in.
Tonight felt different.
Tonight Kinro had sought her out, brought her the food that she’d foolishly forgotten about, and he’d been bold enough to sit beside her and pull her into a warm embrace under the guise of keeping her warm.
She didn’t know how to react to it, not really; she hadn’t thought romance would ever be an option for her. Back on the Island her only options were Moz or Ibara, maybe the island’s champion. But she hadn’t felt attraction to any of them, and the fleeting interactions with the villagers hadn’t given her heart the same flutter it did anytime Kinro was brought up in conversation.
She’d always been a bit of a romantic, she wanted the same softness she’d seen couples on the island-and even in ishigami village-partake with each other, she’d even been jealous of Kohaku and Senku-or ‘the lab’ as she’d thought his name was at the time-in addition to being flustered at their blatant show of love in a time when uncertainty would’ve kept most couples hidden.
Now she was curled up next to a man who got her pulse racing and sent her usually cool and calculating mind into a tizzy. A part of her screamed at her to run, make an excuse and retreat quickly back into the ship, back to the hold where she could hide from her mortification and embarrassment in her quarters.
But another part gently reminded her there was no need for that; she was already in his arms, he was already focused on her; what she wanted was right there, why should she sabotage herself when the moment was already as close to perfect as she could have ever wished for.
So she allowed herself to relax, the fist that had twisted itself in his tunic slowly eased to rest gently over his steadily beating heart, her head gently reclined back against his strong shoulder as she looked out across the waves, wondering at the endless expanse of water that reflected the starlit sky in a way it never had on the island.
Kinro didn’t ponder as much on his actions as Kirisame did, he was a simple man. A straightforward one; he had done his duty and followed the rules to the letter all of his life. The few moments of selfishness that he’d allowed himself over the years were rare and fleeting compared to his brothers want and need to slack off work.
Rarely did he indulge in his wants, rarely did he ignore duty or introduce something new that would interrupt that duty.
Romance was a distraction, one that he had convinced himself would come in it’s own time after his service as the village’s guard had ended.
He hadn’t accounted for the changes in his life, he hadn’t accounted for the kingdom of science or the expansion of his duties and the rules.
He hadn’t accounted for Kirisame, and the foreign feelings she kept stirring up in him. Nor had he thought it would ever bring him to this level of distraction.
But for once in his life, as he watched the way her stoic mask fell away to reveal the wonder in her eyes in the face of the startlingly beautiful night in front of them; Kinro found he didn’t care about distraction.
Moments later both were reluctantly heading for their quarters, the night was late and both had morning duties that needed to be attended to. They walked side by side in a companionable silence until they came to the split off; Kirisame shared quarters with Minami, Nikki and Kohaku, while Kinro was bunked with the other Ishigami men.
For a fleeting moment, neither wanted to leave the other; but with a soft sigh, Kirisame turned towards the girl's quarters, hands folded together in front of her.
“Goodnight, Kinro.’ she whispered, steps hesitant as she reached for the hatch.
Only for her hand to be caught by the weathered, calloused hands of the village guard, her eyes widened a bit as she turned to look at him; his other hand already cupping her cheek as he caught her lips in a gentle kiss.
Kirisame hummed low in her throat, eyes fluttering shut as she went weak in the knee’s; only keeping her feet under her because Kinro’s free arm came around to support her.
A moment later he was pulling away, hands lingering as he whispered, “goodnight, Kirisame.”
His words shook her out of her daze, and she pulled away from his grasp and disappeared into the girl’s quarters, the hatch closing with a loud metallic click.
Kirisame pressed her back against the cold steel of the hatch, taking a few steadying breaths as her hands came up to pat at the burn in her cheeks, “I can’t believe he just did that,” she whispered to herself, smiling as the tips of her fingers ghosted against her swollen lips, “how…bold.”
“Well, well, well.”
Kirisame froze,looking up in sudden terror as she found Nikki lounging on her bunk, a teasing grin already breaking out on the muscular girl's visage.
“And just who did what that was so bold?” she asked, leaning in as Kirisame flushed in embarrassment.
Out in the corridor, Kinro was frozen in place by his own audacity.
I didn’t even ask permission, he thought, I just…kissed her, I kissed her. “By the ancestors, I kissed her,” he said out loud, dumbfounded and just a bit giddy.
“You definitely did.”
Kinro jumped and turned to face a smug looking Kohaku and Minami, who was happily waving her camera around and letting him know she’d no doubt taken a picture of their private moment. “Don’t know if you should’ve done it in the corridor, but congrats Kinro.”
Kinro gaped at them for a few moments before clearing his throat, “have a good night,” he said with as much dignity as he could muster before beating a hasty retreat down the corridor.
“Oh Kinro!” Minami’s teasing voice had him faltering for a moment, “If you want the picture I’d be more than happy to hand it over once it’s developed!”
He could feel the steam pouring out of his ears as he darted into the men's quarters, Minami and Kohaku’s laughter following after him.