Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Prisoner of War ❯ Three Days ( Chapter 20 )

YAY!! I finally got over my writer's block in a big way. Check out "Letters Home," "Together," and "Reflection."

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.

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Three days. It had been three long days since Kenshin had smiled, since he had seen Kaoru. He sat cross-legged in his bed, his head down. He was carefully examining his hands. He stretched them out and looked at the small lines and wrinkles, the dirt under the fingernails Kaoru had so meticulously trimmed. His fingers were long and thin. They almost looked too delicate to belong to a murderer, almost too feminine. The sun setting outside the window cast a reddish glare on them. He turned them over. His palms were covered in rough calluses caused by too many years of clinging to the hilt of a sword. He wondered how the harsh skin had felt against the softness of her breast. Had it really only been three days? He curled his hands into fists and watched his knuckles turn white. Blood seeped out from under his carefully trimmed fingernails. He looked at the crescents he had pierced through his tough skin. The biting pain and the blood pooling in his palms felt strangely good. He closed his eyes.

"Still alive." His voice was airy and soft as if he barely believed it. He heard someone get up and pad across the floor. There was a swish, a swallow, and a small splash as the man took a drink from the water bucket. The man in the next bed was already asleep. He was breathing steadily and soundly, unplagued by awful nightmares of the past or worse, the future. The irons clinked as Kenshin turned his hands. The blood fell slowly, drop by drop, making a red pattern on the white sheets. The door to the hospital opened, and his breath caught. It was her. Suddenly, there was nothing, no one but Kaoru. He forgot the irons and blood on his hands and was surprised when he pulled against them.

"Kaoru!" His eyes were full of fear as she kept her head down. Why didn't she look at him? Why didn't she respond when he called to her?

"How dare you?" He turned to see Captain Saitou barreling toward him.

"How dare you call my wife by name?" Kenshin uncurled his legs, bent to the floor, and stood all in one motion. Saitou stopped in his tracks. White beads clattered and dripped with Kenshin's blood. Saitou's hand went to his side. The sounds of swords being readied were heard. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. The captain and four guards.

"Where did you get that sword?" Kenshin gripped the hilt with chained hands and swung the sword forward. The sheath slid across the floor and landed near Kaoru's feet. She did not look up. The red light from the window reflected off the naked blade.

"Lower your weapon, Battousai. I am not here to hurt you. I am here to bring you back to your owners." Kenshin barely heard him. Why was she staring down like that?

"I have no intention of returning to Kyoto." He sank into a battle stance, sword raised. Saitou smirked and drew his own weapon.

"You will do what you are told."

"I will not! Kaoru!" His voice was loud and desperate. Saitou moved toward his wife.

"Still calling her name?" He grabbed her chin.

"Don't touch her!" Saitou laughed.

"Don't touch my own wife? My property?" Kenshin's violet eyes blazed.

"She belongs to no one."

"She belongs to me." Saitou lowered a kiss to her mouth. Kenshin shook with anger.

"Are you upset, Battousai? Are you jealous?"

"Get away from her so I can strike you." Saitou smiled and pushed Kaoru against the wall. She slammed into it, then righted herself, head down. Kenshin glared at Saitou.

"You won't ever hurt her again."

"Try and stop me." They rushed at each other. Their blades hit, echoing through the room. They circled like wolves, faces inches from each other.

"You will pay for touching her." Kenshin was livid, his voice sharp.

"So will you." They flew backward then charged again. Over and over. Attack. Parry. Counterattack. Parry. Break. They were a flurry of red and black hair. Every movement was fluid, almost choreographed, as if they were performing in some elaborate play. Kenshin occasionally called Kaoru's name, but her head stayed down like she was more interested in the floor or perhaps the bloody sheath and its beads. Red lights danced on her kimono and down turned face from the swords like splattered blood. Saitou cried out as he was hit with the blunt edge of Kenshin's sword. Suddenly, the sharp point was under the taller man's chin.

"Kaoru!" She didn't move.

"Kaoru look at me!"

"She won't look, Battousai. She knows her place."

"Kaoru!" Kenshin stared at her. She was not the Kaoru he knew, the Kaoru that had called out his name as he expressed his love. The woman before him was a shell. She was Captain Saitou's wife as he had been Battousai instead of Kenshin. His chest started to ache, and his sword lowered. What was he fighting for? In a moment, he was on his back. His weapon joined his sheath in their place on the floor. Saitou's sword rested at his throat.

"Watch, wife. Look at him as he asks and watch as I remind him of his position in life." Kenshin locked eyes with Kaoru, and his heart sunk. In them was no pain, no fear, no sadness, hatred, or love. There was only acceptance in those eyes. She would not fight or even speak up. She would watch silently like she was told. For the first time at the familiar feeling of a blade piercing his left cheek, he did not cry out.

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A/N: THIS IS NOT THE END!!!!!! There are at least five more chapters and maybe an epilogue if you want one. For a sneak peek at the next chapter, listen to "Black" by Pearl Jam. I am actually using one of the lines. Please review!