Rurouni Kenshin Fanfic
Rurouni Kenshin & Samurai X Original Japanese Version (c) N.Watsuki/Shueisha * Fuji-TV * SME Visual Works Inc. * Sony Pictures Entertainment
All Fanfics created by Chiruken (me) were written for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.
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Endurance
By Chiruken
Chapter 3
Megumi stared at the closed shouji for a moment, drawing in a deep calming breath before turning her attention back to her patient…her friend. "Kaoru?" She gently touched the young woman's shoulder, wincing when she flinched at the contact. "It's all right. You're safe." She bit her lip, and leaned forward, gently smoothing her tangled hair from her face. "Can you tell me what happened?" She was amazed at how calm her voice was when inside she was quaking with horror and grief.
Opening her eyes, she stared up into Megumi's concerned expression and burst into tears, sitting up to throw her arms around the older woman. "It was horrible!" She sobbed, her shoulders shaking with the force of her tears. "It was so horrible…" She whimpered softly, dark shadowy images flitting through her mind, mingling with the overwhelming sense of terror and pain.
Gently smoothing her hands over the younger woman's back, Megumi felt a surge of bitterness grip her. Kaoru didn't deserve this. She was always so full of life, a bright shining light of innocent joy at living. It was unthinkable that she should endure such an ordeal. But she had. Someone had shattered her innocence, took her by force, and she prayed to all the kami she could think of that he would endure the fires of hell for all eternity for what he'd done. "Shh…it's all right. Cry, Kaoru-chan…we can talk later." She gently rocked the sobbing young woman, murmuring soft words of comfort and understanding. Slowly, the sobs subsided and she pulled back, brushing strands of dark hair away from her dirty and tear-streaked face.
Lifting her gaze to the quiet concern in her friend's familiar features, she drew in a shuddering sigh. "I-I don't remember…" She broke off, her words hitching on a sob and she shook her head sharply, not wanting to break down again. She had to get the words out, no matter how horrible they were. "I don't remember what happened. I woke up in a cabin…alone…and my arms were tied behind my back." She held up her hands, showing the raw and bloody flesh marking her wrists in rings. In the light of the small lamp set to the side, the wounds were ugly, harsh, portraying the brutality of her experience more than words ever could. Instantly she wanted to hide her hands, never look at them again. She hated the way her stomach clenched at the sight of the raw flesh. For a moment the room tilted and she fought the heaving of her stomach, fearing that she would empty the contents into Megumi's lap.
Drawing in a sharp breath, Megumi reached for her medical bag and began treating the wounds marring the previously smooth flesh of the young woman's slender wrists. She felt another surge of hate and anger directed at the unknown assailant. "This will sting a little." She warned as she cleaned the cuts before wrapping bandages around protectively. "Do you know who did this?" She asked softly, setting the roll of bandages aside to take her hands in her own, squeezing lightly in gentle reassurance. She knew the authorities should be notified of this incident, if only to prevent the same pain and suffering from happening to another innocent victim. If Kaoru could identify the man responsible it would help in bringing an end to his reign of terror.
She shook her head, tears filling her eyes again. "No. I don't…" She swallowed and shook her head again, a looming form filling her mind's eye, face obscured by shadows as he bent over her. Desperately she pushed the image away, terror and loathing filling her with dread. "I don't remember, Megumi." She closed her eyes briefly, willing the nightmarish reflections of remembrance from her consciousness. **Later…** She silently promised herself. **I'll deal with it later, when I'm calmer, not so frightened…**
"It's all right." She forced a smile, wanting to weep for her younger friend. Her pale features clearly showed the strain of her earlier ordeal and her continued struggle to cope with the terrors she'd been forced to endure. "It's all right, Kaoru." She repeated softly. "It was a horrible thing to experience and it's understandable that your mind wants to forget." She wondered if her younger friend would ever recover from the events of that night.
She looked around, blue eyes widening in sudden panic. "Kenshin!" She turned her frightened gaze back to the doctor. "Where's Kenshin?" She looked around the room, terrified the rurouni had left her alone, never to return, disgusted with her now that she'd been ruined. Tears filled her eyes, spilling over the splash against her pale cheeks, grief overriding the early panic before returning to the fear of being left alone forever.
Alarmed at the way her breathing was becoming erratic and her eyes were beginning to glaze over with panic, she tightened her grip on her hands, feeling them tremble within her own. "He's outside, not far." Kaoru was obviously still in shock from her ordeal. Her mind was still living her waking nightmare. "I asked him to leave while I saw to you, that's all." She kept her world calm, her tone gentle, as she met the younger woman's dazed gaze. Pity welled up within her, warring with anger and her own shock. Kaoru's recovery wasn't going to be easy.
Nodding with a jerky movement she forced herself to relax. Kenshin was just outside, he hadn't left her. He was still near and if she called out to him, he'd be there. She looked down, seeing the blood on herself and cringed. She felt her stomach heave again, imagining that she could smell the man who'd attacked her on her body. "I want a furo." She whispered. "I feel…dirty." She wanted to scrub herself clean, erase all evidence of the attack from her body and, maybe if she were lucky, her mind. She wanted to cover the scent of her attacker with perfumed soap, clean the stench of his filthy body from hers, and remove the blood drying and flaking from her thighs. If she washed enough, maybe she could cleanse the ordeal from her soul.
She nodded and stood slowly, reluctantly releasing the younger woman's hands as she did so. She understood Kaoru's sudden need. If she were in her place she'd feel the same. "I'll ask Ken-san to light the fire." She bit her lip as she stepped back towards the shouji, seeing the fear returning to Kaoru's eyes. "I'll be right back, I promise. I'll leave the shouji open…" She was afraid to leave the distraught woman alone in her current state.
"I-it's all right. I'll be fine. J-just hurry, please? I don't want to be alone…" She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to still her trembling, wondering how it was possible to feel so cold in the warmth of Megumi's house. She clenched her jaw in an attempt to silence the chattering of her teeth.