Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Prisoner of War ❯ Just a Toy ( Chapter 6 )

Sorry about the length of time that has been elapsing between chapters. My finals are not over yet, and I have been writing term papers out the wazoo. If any one wants to know the meaning of the last line of Kate Chopin's "The Storm," I got a 3000 word essay that will tell you. That being said, let's move on to the disclaimer.

Disclaimer: I still don't own them.

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Megumi looked unhappily at the man who lay chained on the bed. She didn't understand why the captain would want her to make a special trip to treat a slave. She had grown up in Kyoto but had moved to Edowhen she had married. Her husband had long since died at the hands of some Kyoto soldier in the war, so she was stuck there. It had been a while since she'd even seen a slave, but she still remembered their place in society. Her family even had some of its own slaves as she grew up. She distinctly remembered how they were supposed to be treated. They were worthless. They were not quite human beings. Her life in Edohad been tolerable because she felt that she had been putting her talents to good use. Now she felt like they were being wasted. She looked at the slight body that lay before her. All of the things she needed to see were covered by bandages though. She leaned down and began to unceremoniously rip his bandages off. He flinched and caught his breath at her rough treatment. His wounds had been deep and were still very tender.

"Doctor Megumi, be careful. You're hurting him." Megumi didn't respond to Kaoru. She was a naïve young woman who Megumi didn't respect. She stared at the man's now almost bare body. The only things keeping his skin from her sight were the loincloth and the irons. He had many scars that bore testament to the harshness of his existence. They littered his small yet incredibly well formed body. Without them, he would have been a sight to behold. The epitome of strength and agility. But they and the five wounds made him look frightening. Megumi inspected each wound carefully. None of them were infected because of the meticulous care of Kaoru, but the one in his chest was still a little open. Megumi probed into it with her finger, and Kenshin's body arched off the table. He cried out in pain.

"Doctor Megumi!" She turned to face the flustered girl behind her.

"Will you shut up? I'm trying to get this over with." Her finger remained in Kenshin's wound, and blood seeped out around it. His breathing had become ragged as the pain from her intrusion coursed through him.

"I can't! You're hurting him!" Megumi lifted her finger out as Kaoru ran to him. She cradled his head in her hands and looked at him with intense concern. She couldn't believe how he was being treated.

"Do you know nothing? My god, you really are stupid. He is a slave Kaoru. There is no need for gentleness." Kaoru glared at the indifferent doctor. How could she say such things?

"He is still a man, Megumi." Megumi's face twisted. How could this woman call a creature such as the one lying on the bed before a man?

"No, Kaoru. That is not a man." She pointed at the wounded slave. She said the word "that" as if it was the most vile insult she could think of. Kaoru stared at her in disbelief.

"How can you say that? Of course he's a man."

"No, you idiot. Men have jobs. Men provide for their families. Men take wives and take care of them. He has never been able to make a decision for himself. He has never made a dime. He could never provide for anyone more or less take care of them. And furthermore, he can not take a wife. He is played with by many women though. How many lonely girls have paid for your company, Battousai? How many nights have been sleepless because they were waiting for you, one by one? You see Kaoru; he is a tool for the government. He is a toy to be played with. He is many things, but he is by no means a man." Megumi pushed a stunned Kaoru away and ordered Kenshin to get up. After struggling, he sat up in the bed. Kaoru stood gawking at them.

"Lift your arms, Battousai." Kenshin labored to oblige, but it was too much and his arms fell after only being lifted about a foot. Megumi hit him in his wounded shoulder and repeated her command.

"I said lift your arms!" Kaoru recovered from her stupor and rushed back over.

"What are you doing? Isn't it obvious that he can't do it? Why are you making him suffer like this? How could you…" Kaoru's words died in her throat as Kenshin looked up at her. There was something new in his eyes. His expression was stoic and untelling, but his eyes seemed to scream at her. They yelled that he deserved the treatment that he was receiving, that she just didn't know it. They were full of pain and acceptance. It hurt Kaoru deeply and she was unable to find her voice again. With much effort, Kenshin lifted his arms then lowered his had so his bangs shielded his eyes. Megumi looked him over for a few more minutes, then rose and walked to Kaoru.

"If he is to heal properly, he will need to be unchained. I will tell the captain." Kaoru nodded dumbly, and Megumi walked out. After a moment, Kaoru looked over at Kenshin. He was still sitting but was slumped slightly forward with his hands in his lap. The hair that was not restrained by the band, hung in front of his face. Kaoru moved to his side and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. She could feel him flinch under her touch, and it scared her.

"Kenshin?" He looked up at her with eyes full of fear. The amber that she had worked so hard to dispel was beginning to creep back up again. She pushed a stray lock of hair from his face. It hurt too much to look into those eyes. She did not want him to fear her. If anything, she should be fearing him. She hurried over to the cabinet and pulled some fresh gauze and ointment from it. She returned to his side and began to rebandage the wounds that Megumi had so hastily unbound. After a few moments, her gaze returned to his face. Again the hair shielded it, but his chin was visible and from it droplets of water were falling. He was not shaking or making any noise. He was not even breathing in a way that could betray him. But Kenshin was crying. Kaoru's hands quickly found his face and tilted it toward her. She wiped the tears away. His voice startled her.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what, Kenshin?"

"Being so gentle. Taking care of me." Kaoru frowned. Could he really not know?

"I told you before that all life is precious."

"But I am just a toy." His eyes searched hers. He needed an answer. He needed to understand why she was being so kind when all he had ever known was pain. Being with her for the past week had made him forget some of his life. She made him feel like a real person. But Megumi had just come and shattered that illusion or him. He had to know her reasons. Kaoru stared back at him. His words had torn her heart. Did he really think of himself that way? Tears began to cloud her vision, and then they gently fell down her cheeks. This surprised Kenshin.

"Kenshin, I may be young and not know many things. But there is one thing that I know for sure. You are most definitely not a toy. You are more of a man than any I have ever seen." Both of their tears flowed freely as he smiled at her. The frightening amber began to recede, and she finished bandaging his wounds.

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A/N: Okay, until next time, please review!