Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Prisoner of War ❯ Defiance ( Chapter 15 )

Ms. Zeal - Well, he just got the sword and nobody of real importance has seen it yet. The guards, obviously being of lower standing because they are guarding a military hospital instead of fighting in the war, must also be afraid of Aoshi. Note that they didn't do anything when he tried to kill Kenshin and stared at him as he came in at the beginning of chapter 13. Me thinks that they are chickens. Also, Tomoe will not make an appearance. Although, when I was writing the dream sequence in chapter 12 (before all that old and ugly stuff came in) I was envisioning her. I thought his plight would be more poignant with a less beautiful woman though.

Okay, well on to the next chapter. Sorry to keep you waiting for so long.

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The snow crunched under Kenshin's feet as he walked. Kaoru had given him dark brown socks to cover them, but they weren't visible under the white flakes. They did little to protect him from the biting cold and froze to his skin. Kenshin followed quietly behind the doctor in front of him. She wore little black shoes and didn't seem to care about the cold. Her long loose black hair swayed as she continued her trek. Kenshin looked outward and watched unhappily as the sun died on the horizon. It was devastating to him. What little light he had left was gone. There was only darkness before him then. Black trees, black sky, black lake, and long, swaying, black hair. She stopped in a small grove of trees. It was the same grove that Kaoru took him to swing around the wooden sword. It reminded him of his childhood, of days when he smiled often for very good reasons. Of times when the screams of the dying had not yet met his ears. But he swung it anyway, despite the painful memories, for her. Always for her. He could envision her standing there smiling at him. His heart was heavy at the thought of never seeing her smile again. Megumi spread a blanket out under the boughs of the trees. They were sagging down with the weight of the soft white powder. The tips of some of the branches touched the ground. The wind made them write mournful love songs in the snow with long, even strokes. She looked back at the chained warrior. He drooped more than the trees. His arms hung low in front of him with black irons holding them together. His body was slumped, making his small form appear even smaller. His head was hung downward, allowing his bangs to cover his face, shielding his eyes from her sight. He was a picture of pathetic resignation. Megumi thought it odd that even in only the light of a waning moon, the bright red of his hair of his hair stood out. She found herself wanting to touch it. Had it been any other man, she would have described it as beautiful.

"Come here." He followed her demand and walked slowly to her. The sound of his crunching footsteps along with the new howling of the wind was unnerving. She wrapped her fingers around the place where his chin and throat met. She pushed his face up to look at hers, and his bangs fell away. She stared for a moment into his narrowed violet eyes. The swirled with emotions, fear for Kaoru, despair, anger, and mostly, hate. These were not the same eyes she had seen before. There was no acceptance in them that made her feel better about what she did. That part of him was gone. Megumi's breathing sped up as she looked into those eyes. They shook her to the core. She quickly released her hold, and his head dropped back down. Again, his hair slipped into place, and again, her fingers called to her to touch it. She pointed firmly to the blanket on the ground. Kenshin thought it looked like a black void against the white snow.

"Lie down." He moved to comply, but did not lie down. Instead, with a fluidness of movement that she had not seen before, he sat cross-legged on the blanket. His back was straight, but his head stayed bent. She felt her body tingle with cold and anticipation. She lifted the hem of her kimono and jerkily stepped in his footprints to reach him. She knelt on the blanket in front of his slender body. Her hands were shaking, though she didn't understand why, as she reached for the opening of his gi. She pushed the carefully stitched and lovingly assembled material off of his shoulders. It pooled around him, the sleeves bunched about his irons. His chest and arms and stomach were all exposed to her. They were covered in well-defined, lean muscle. How she wanted to feel those muscles pressed against her skin. To have those arms and hands worshipping her. To bite that slender white neck. To run her hands through that fiery red hair. Yes, he could have been very beautiful.

"Maybe you don't remember how this works, Battousai. I know this must feel familiar. Lie down." He did not move. Megumi angrily reached out a hand and grabbed his shoulder. He jerked away. As he did so, a few strands from his ponytail trailed across her fingers. Had she taken the moment to think about it, she would have been amazed by its softness. It was like finely spun silk, softer by far than her own meticulously cared for locks. Much effort must have been put in to keep it so near perfection. But she did not have that moment. Instead, she was caught by his glare. He shot it at her from under his curtain of hair like a tiger springing from behind a bush. And she was stuck. It was such a frightening look that it held her there like a statue. Her mouth hung partway open, and her hot breath was visible in the air.

"I must find her. Tell me where she is!" Megumi was startled by the fierceness of his demand. There was a fire in him, and she felt as if it had burned her. She could not find her voice.

"Tell me!" The flustered doctor sprung up. Who was he but a slave? How dare he speak to her like that? How could he think that was all right? She glowered down at him.

"This is her own fault! She should have followed her husband's rules. No, society's rules. If she hadn't kissed you, this would not have happened to her!" She was loud, and the trees shook with her volume. Snow fell from the heavily burdened boughs around her. The limbs began to return to their rightful position. Slowly, Kenshin stood. He did so with magnificent grace. His head was high. His eyes seared into her. Although he was a few inches shorter than she was, she suddenly felt very small.

"Don't you understand? I must find her! I will find her, and you will help me! Tell me where she is!" Megumi said nothing as she stared at him. At that moment, she thought that he deserved to be called the red headed devil, as overwhelmingly imposing as he was. She would not have been surprised if his lean arms ripped out of his irons and slit her throat. His words, however, cut her more than anything else ever could.

"My God! Haven't you ever loved someone before?" Kenshin's gaze did not waver as he watched Megumi's legs buckle from under her. She did not dare look up at him as she cried into the cold ground on her knees.

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A/N: Okay my friends, I know that I said chapter 18 would be a lemon, but now I'm not so sure. I tried to write a "practice lemon." It came out like crap. I don't think I'm cut out to write that stuff. Oh well, I guess I can keep it PG-13/R and still be okay. Oh and I would like everyone's opinion on something. I am trying to come up with an idea for my next big project. Which concept do you guys like better?

Letters From Home- This would be an Inu Yasha fic that consists entirely of Kagome's letters to Inu Yasha while he is away (read drafted) fighting in WW2 while she is in the States in a Japanese internment camp. Angst/drama/romance

Kenshin slave fic 2- There will be a better title. The Shogunate won the war. As punishment, many Imperialists are forced into slavery. One in particular (Kenshin) is treated horribly. He is abused to the point where he won't even speak (maybe) and Kaoru takes pity and buys him. Angst/drama/romance

Modern Kenshin fic 1- Again with a better title. Kaoru is a college student. One day she meets a man (Kenshin) in her English class. He is a veteran of the Gulf War (which could put him at about 28/29) and is now furthering his education. Kaoru decides that she really likes him. Romance

Modern Kenshin fic 2- Yet another promise of a better title. Same concept as the previous one except she also works at a restaurant. They get a new manager. It happens to be a red head who looks remarkably similar to Kenshin. It's Battousai, his little brother. Which man does she want more, or which man could want her. Romance/drama

Okay, please let me know what you think about this and this chapter. The two modern fics would be the most difficult to write (I don't write much modern stuff if you hadn't noticed) and the slave fic would be the most fun. Well, please review!!