These were all originaly in html, and I just spent an hour
word wraping this thing by hand, just for this list. I hope
that after all that at least one person reads it! AOL likes 
to loose my email, so please send all comments to: 

<bishounenai@battousai.zzn.com> 

For anyone who may want to read the HTMLed versions, 
they can be found at:

http://nabiki.newberry.edu/nichan/fanfiction/newlife1.html

http://nabiki.newberry.edu/nichan/fanfiction/newlife2.html

http://nabiki.newberry.edu/nichan/fanfiction/newlife3.html


-- Listar MIME Decryption --------------
-- Name   : NEWLIF~1.TXT
-- Decode : from quoted-printable...

Nicky Townsend (bishounenai@battousai.zzn.com) 

Disclaimer: Obviously, I am not so brilliant as to think up
wonderful characters like those in Rurouni Kenshin. That honor
goes to Wasuki Nobuhiro alone. I also have no musical talent, 
so also obviously, I didn't write the song, "A New Life" That 
goes entirely to the two brilliant minds that make up the Pet 
Shop Boys. 
 
Additional Thanks go to Todd Hill, who is my dear friend. His 
wonderful Ranma fanfic "Careful Destiny" is a large part of the
 inspiration for this story.  

A New Life, Part 1

"Stars collect over head 
They look down on the channel 
And our lives grown dead 
Cars pass on through the night 
How do you get to Heaven if you never try?" 

the Pet Shop Boys, A New Life
Alternative (The B-Sides) 

"You'd never know how much tofu three people could eat until 
you have to go and buy it everyday." Kenshin mused, on his way
to the market.  The day was sunny, but there were dark clouds 
looming in the distance. It was a decent temperature, for the 
time of year, until the wind picked up, and when it did, it bit 
through his well worn gi with ease. All in all, it was a very 
mediocre day. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened for some 
time.  

Not that I crave excitement, Kenshin added to himself quickly. 
He'd just gotten used to having more...activity. He kept 
getting the feeling that this was the calm before the storm. 
He hurried on through the market to the appropriate store, 
and quickly retrieved that he had come for. When he was alone
now, he tended to think too much. And besides, he had laundry 
waiting for him. 

He retraced his path, and soon enough, the gate to the dojo, 
the place he now called home, loomed in front of him. Loomed? 
Hardly. It was a very ordinary looking building. Nothing was 
out of place... 

"Sir?" 

"Oro?" Kenshin spun quickly around, nearly splashing the 
stranger with the whey from the tofu bucket. How did this 
man sneak up on me like that? Kenshin eyed the man for a 
split second, evaluating. He seemed to be a normal peddler, 
if even a poorer one then most.  

The second passed, and politeness took hold with the ease of 
practice. "Hello Sir. Is there something I can help you with?" 
The peddler tipped his hat and winked. "On the contrary, sir, 
you looked a bit under the weather, so I was wondering if maybe
I could help you?"  

Kenshin blinked in confusion. Help me...? the thought passed 
briefly through his brain, before being dismissed out of hand. 
He bowed shallowly to the old man, and shook his head. "I don't 
think so. I'm sorry, I must be going" He turned to head through 
the gate. 

"Ah lad, are you so sure? It couldn't hurt to just look, could
it?" Something in the old man's voice made him turn around 
again. He's right, a small part of himself added, it won't hurt
to just look.   

The peddler grinned, and took his pack off his back. "I have
a few very special things today!" He produced a gaudy bronze 
mirror that looked ancient. "This mirror is said to be able 
to show events happening anywhere in the world! I have been 
told, however, that it likes to choose it owner" The old man 
eyed Kenshin's obvious, yet still polite, look of disgust. "I 
guess it doesn't like you." 

He placed the mirror back in his pack and produced a worn 
velvet case. After carefully lifting the top off he proudly 
displayed it's contents "These earrings are said to give 
flawless skin to who ever wears them!"  

Kenshin arched an eyebrow at that, and stated dryly, "I'm sorry 
Sir, but what would I do with those?"  

The old man sweatdropped. "Give them to a lady friend?" 

Kenshin coughed lightly, "But wouldn't that be a bit insulting...?" 

The sweatdrop grew. "I guess you're right..." He placed the 
top back on the box and stashed it back where it had come from, 
and dug hurriedly through the remaining contents of his pack. 

"How about this?" 

"No" 

"Or this?" 

"................" 

"I see. Well I wasn't going to sell this but..." He pulled a 
large and archaic looking ring out of his pocket. It had 
strange symbols intricately carved all over the band, and 
in the center, was a small hole, where a stone might be set.  

"But the stone is missing." The ring was beautiful in an 
old antique sort of way, but if it was missing it's stone, 
there was no point in buying it.  

"It never had a stone. That's why I didn't want to sell it.
You see, this ring has a legend." The old man waved the 
ring in Kenshin's face. "It's said before you go to sleep, that 
if you prick your finger, and let a drop of blood fall into 
the setting here" the old man indicating the lack of stone, 
"and make a wish, that when you wake up, your wish will 
come true." 

"What rubbish!" 
 
The old peddler nodded, "Normally, I would agree with you. 
But this ring has a different sort of feel to it. Here hold 
it for yourself, and see." He dropped the ring in Kenshin's 
proffered palm. 

The ring hit his skin, and he felt a jolt. Indeed, the ring 
did have some sort of feeling to it. He turned it over 
carefully in his hand "How much do you want for it?" 

The old man eyed him for a moment. "You look like you could 
use a wish or two come true. Take it, and use it well. As far 
as I know, you'll only get one." He shouldered his pack with 
a grunt, and waved a quick good-bye, as he walked away and 
turned the far corner, leading back into downtown.  

Kenshin watched the old man disappear. The wind was picking 
up, and whipping his hair around his face.  The sky had 
darkened dangerously during the short conversation he'd had 
with the peddler. "Oh my, it looks like it's going to rain." 
With that he hurried through gate, and back to his motley 
family.  

Later that night.... 

Having been mysteriously tired, he'd retired to his room 
early. He sat quietly on his futon, pondering the strange 
ring the peddler had given him. He normally wasn't 
superstitious, and he certainly didn't believe in magic, 
but there was just something about this ring... 

It was like it exuded a force of some sort. Almost like 
it was calling him. "Well if it doesn't work there's no 
harm done, right?" He whispered to himself.  

But what if it did work? What should he wish for? Only a 
few minutes passed before he knew. He picked up his 
sakabatou from where it lay beside his futon, and 
carefully removed it from it's saya. He pondered the sharp 
side for a second, before he sliced shallowly into his 
thumb, and resheathed the blade. Taking the ring in his 
other hand, he let a small drop of blood fall into the 
setting, and placed it on the ring finger of his right 
hand. 

"I wish that there will be a more peaceful time and place
where Kaoru-dono and I can be together." 

Waves of exhaustion rolled over Kenshin as he lay down to 
sleep. I suppose I'll know in the morning...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Small warning! I've inserted myself into this fic. You'll 
know me when you see me, because I'm keeping my real name.


A New Life, Part 2


"Oi! Kenshin!!"

Someone was in his room. A second later he was on his feet,
staring at the intruder. 

The intruder's eyebrow arched in question. "Well, aren't we 
a morning person? And I'm not an intruder. I'm your guide. 
So just sit back down and listen to me, okay?" 

Kenshin grudgingly settled himself back down. This person...
He couldn't tell if was male or female, was short in stature, 
and had close clipped white blonde hair. It was perched 
comfortably on a stool that had magically appeared in the 
corner of his room. 

"I'm here to inform you your wish has been granted." The 
being began. "God, IHVH*, Allah, or Kami-sama, whatever 
you want to call him, likes you. He's been watching you 
for many lives, and he's decided that you deserve a break 
for at least one lifetime."

"Now that I've informed you of this, I need to prepare you 
for your next life. Yes, your old body died. Deal with it. 
Kaoru lived her life, and stayed single the whole time. Now, 
since your wish focused on Kaoru and you being together, 
she'll be in your next life too. We've just stepped up the 
pace a bit."

The being hopped off the stool and handed him a manila 
folder. "The year is 1999. You're 17 years old. Your name 
is now Kevin Hannah. For your sake, we've allowed you to 
look the same, but we've removed your scar. And no, you can't
have it back, so don't ask. It's inappropriate for the era."

"In the folder is your birth certificate, ID, Social Security 
card, and Passport. You were born in the United States; 
Sacramento, California to be specific. Your father is in 
the US. Air Force, so your family has just moved to Japan. 
Your mother is a very accomplished psychologist. Your older 
brother is an English major in collage."

"After much debate we've decided to allow you to keep all 
your memories of being Himura Kenshin. However, we have to 
supply you with other new memories, so the new technology 
doesn't shock you too badly. Also the Japanese you speak is 
far too archaic, so try to use what I'm going to give you now. 
This may hurt a bit."

The being placed it's palms on his temples, and pressed 
lightly. "Get ready, here it comes!" A flood, no an 
avalanche, of memories passed through his brain, he saw 
himself being born, falling out of a tree when he was five
and having to get stitches, his first day in school, and 
later on, his first girlfriend, the first time he smoked a
cigarette,they just kept coming and coming, finally he saw 
himself go to bed the night before, his first night in 
Japan. He had to start school in the morning. He had to wear 
a uniform. The now huge part of him that had lived in 
California and spent his evenings drinking coffee with his 
friends, cringed at the idea, while the part of him that had 
been a peaceful rurouni in the Meiji era of Japan didn't think 
the idea was a bad one at all. 
"Hey! Kevin!"

"Yes?" He felt himself respond automatically. 

The being nodded happily. "That a good sign! Hey, what 
year were you born?"

"1850..."

"No, the other time you were born!"

"1981?"

"Right! Much better. Try not to get the two mixed up okay? 
I've divided your memories so they should be able to stay 
separate. Also, I'll be going to school with you, so if you 
need help, you'll be able to find me. My name is Nicky, by 
the way." The being snapped it's fingers and took on a 
decidedly female appearance, complete with school uniform. 
She looked at the uniform in disgust. "I may have to wear 
this dumb uniform but I'm not wearing loafers!" She exchanged 
her brown loafers for a pair of calf-high black lace-up boots. 

Flashing a V sign, she winked. "My trusty Doc Marten's! I 
never leave Heaven without them! This is what I'll look 
like. And now..." Nicky looked at her silver wristwatch. 
"Okay we still have some time. Do you have any questions?"

Kevin started. Questions? What in the world should he ask? 
He was now aware of things like automobiles, microwave ovens, 
computers, department stores where you can buy almost anything, 
and those machines that spit out money, called ATMs. He was 
vaguely aware that once, back when he had lived in California
(he wasn't quite sure what that was yet) that he had had his 
own car. Although the memory was slightly fuzzy, he could still
remember, or perhaps see was a better word, how to drive it, 
and even fix it if he needed to.

Was that how it was going to be? He -remembered- being 
Kenshin. He had been Kenshin for 28 years. Kevin was someone
 that he had never been, although he now had his memories, 
his body (which looked exactly like his) and in fact his whole 
life. He had literally been uprooted, and unceremoniously 
dropped in some poor kid's body.

Nicky shook her head at him. "Your missing something vital,
 my friend. Kevin has always been you. I didn't give you his 
memories; I gave him yours, although it felt the opposite to 
you. But you have always been the same person. Did that make 
any sense at all?" 

"Not really. So your saying that we've always been...?"

"Yes, always. I guess a better way to put it is that you 
have the same soul, although your personalities are different. 
And you were many other people before you were Kenshin and 
Kevin. And you'll be many more after. Life isn't a one time 
thing."

"What about Kaoru-dono?"

"What about her? You'll see her soon. Her name probably won't 
be Kaoru anymore, but most likely she'll look almost the same. 
Once again, it's a different body with different memories, but 
the vehicle is carrying the same passenger. I'm sure you'll 
notice simalarities between your Kaoru, and who she is now. But 
there will be differences too. Now you know some things about 
the time you'll be living in, you know that everyone's values 
are different. Sex isn't taboo. Being different is a good thing.
The major thinkers say to question authority. I guess you could 
say, that this is the age of idea revolution. Everyone passively 
agrees to disagree. Parents and children, the goverment and it's 
citizens, workers and their bosses. Wakari de gozaru ka?" 

"Hai de gozaru!"

"Dammit, I knew that you would say that! You gotta stop that!"

"Yes, yes..."

"There! Anyway, I'm sure you'll run into plenty of modern 
things that will confuse you or drive you batty, and that, my 
androgynous little friend, is why I am here. To help you out, 
and answer your questions. I used to hate all this modern 
bullshit, but once I got used to it it wasn't so bad."

"How long have you been a guide, Nicky-san?"

"Oh, a couple thousand years. Not too long, but the Big Cheese 
likes me, and I do my job well, and since your one of his 
favorites, he paired us up. He wasn't going to give you an 
amature! Anyway, do you feel ready to jump into the fray now?" 

"I suppose I'm as ready as I'll ever be. "

"Alright sweetie, your mom is going to wake you up to go to 
school. When you're all ready, I'll be waiting on your doorstep 
to walk you. I can't have my charge getting lost on his first 
day of school! See ya in a few" Nicky waved a quick goodbye, 
and her image fizzled out of sight.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Kevin! Kevin! Can't you hear your alarm clock? Wake up, or 
you'll be late for school! Kevin!"

That's right. Nicky said my name is Kevin now. It was Kenshin, 
but now it's Kevin. He pried himself out of bed, and looked at 
his mother, who was trying to shake him awake. 

My reflexes are gone. Normally someone's presence would have 
brought me instantly awake. But I have a mother again... "Mom, I'm 
awake! I'll be up in a minute."

He certainly didn't sound like himself. He couldn't. That would 
be weird. Talking like he used to, now. He still had to sort out 
his memories properly. He had to see how much of Kenshin was left. 
How much had the wish given, and how much had it taken? He 
supposed he would find out soon enough.

His mother had left the room, after placing his uniform on his 
dresser. Such a drab looking thing. Black with a high collar 
and brass buttons. At least it's cut well, a foreign piece of 
his brain added. It had matching black slacks, with no pleats 
in the front, thank god, that same section added again. To 
part of him, the whole thing looked hopelessly foreign, the 
part that was used to a loose fitting gi and hakama. Those 
pants looked unforgivingly tight.  

He heaved himself out of bed, and promptly fell on the floor. 
Western bed, his brain supplied, not a futon. After a second 
heave, this time off the floor, he made his way to his dresser,
and dressed quickly. He ran his fingers through his hair, which 
was thankfully the same color, and a similar length, if not 
longer then before. He worked out the tangles that had developed
from sleeping, and then tied it back at the nape of his neck. 
He needed to find a pair of socks. Check your dresser drawers 
nitwit, that new little voice in his brain supplied. After 
digging through a couple of them, he produced a pair of white 
socks. Not quite what he was used to, but they would work. 

The full-length mirror on his door showed him the new -him-.
He was taller then before, but only by perhaps two inches. Most
noticeably to him, and as Nicky had warned him, the cross-shaped
scar that had been on his left cheek since he was fifteen years 
old was gone. He missed it for what it had meant, but he was 
secretly glad to have his perfect complexion back.

Since when have I been vain? He thought. It seemed a lot of 
Kevin had mixed it self into him already. He gave himself a 
quick look, before nodding firmly, and moving to retrieve his
shoes from the closet. 

It seemed Kevin had had a thing for shoes. He pulled out the 
plainest pair he could find, which was a black suede, and had 
a pointed toe and a huge silver buckle, but at least weren't 
shiny, hugely platformed, or animal printed somewhere. All the 
other pairs were. He eyed one pair especially; fuzzy leopard 
printed creepers (he somehow just knew that was what they were 
called) with four inch platforms, and swore they would never 
leave the closet again.

"Kevin! Hurry up!" His mother called up the stairs.

"Coming!" He called back down. He grabbed what he assumed 
was his new book bag (but it looked more like a briefcase) 
and hurried down the stairs. 

"I'm leaving!" he called as he ran out the door, and 
promptly tripped over Nicky, who was, as she has promised, 
sitting on his doorstep. He caught himself and actually 
managed to land somewhat gracefully.

Maybe all my reflexes aren't gone after all. The feeling of 
helplessness that had been growing since he had woken up 
abated slightly with that comforting knowledge.

"Yo asshole, you gonna apologize for getting me all dirty 
before we've even left for school, or not?" Nicky stood 
indignantly behind him, tapping her black booted foot 
impatiently.

"Gomen, Nicky-dono" He tried to sound sincere, but for some 
reason he just wasn't feeling it. These major personality 
differences were starting to get to him. He should care. He 
needed to care. Nicky was here to help him out. 

Nicky harumphed loudly. "Apology accepted. But if you dono 
me again, I'm gonna hurl on your shoes, got it? People will 
look at you REALLY weird if you use that term now. I'm sure 
that if I puke on your shoes you'll learn quickly enough." 

Kevin blinked in surprise. He desperately hoped that not all 
modern people were like Nicky. First of all, she was loud. Too 
loud. And she was far to blunt. He did understand what she was 
getting at though. Over-politeness would be taken as rudeness 
in the wrong situation. That was always the case, but it 
seemed more so now.

He followed Nicky all the way to school, simply because he 
had no idea where he was, or even what the school was called. 
He did however memorize everything on the way there for future
reference. Some old habits die hard.

All too soon, they were in front of a large building, with 
an even larger gated yard. "Here we are! We're already late, 
so let's get this over with."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Something about today felt different. Kaori wasn't sure why
or what exactly it was that was different, if anything was at 
all. 

But it sure felt that way.

The kendo club was getting new uniforms, but that wasn't a 
hugedeal. It was cool that they had been able to raise the 
money, but still. This was even a different sort of different! 
It had nothing to do with the club. She did notice that she 
felt nervous for some reason. And the closer she got to school 
the more nervous she was. Was there a test she had forgotten 
to study for? Perhaps a report due, that had slipped her mind?
She would be absolutely mortified if it was either or.

When she finally reached the school gates and walked through 
them, she felt a quick flash of something, not nervousness 
this time, but anticipation. And then it was gone, as quickly 
as it came. She found herself rearranging her school uniform,
and checking her hair. As usual, not a one was out of place.
The obvious red highlights in her long glossy black hair 
glinted in the sunlight. Something had told her not to wear 
it up today. It fell in a long fluid sweep to her waist, 
and was slightly wavy. It was her pride and joy. 

Quickly she made her way to her classroom, and seated herself
in her customary seat in the row closest to the windows, and 
towards the back of the room. Most of the other students were 
already there, some milling about, some chatting with friends. 

Immediately, one of the boys trotted up to her desk. "Hey 
Prez, have the new uniforms come in yet?"

She smiled at him. He was one of the newer members of the 
Kendo club and hadn't even had a uniform yet. No wonder he 
was excited. 

"Yeah, they came yesterday! I'll be handing them out at 
today's practice"

Several of the other boys in the room who were also part of 
the club over heard, and ran to her desk. Soon she had an 
animated throng chatting happily around her desk, not only 
of new uniforms, but also of upcoming tournaments and 
practices. 

Kaori knew most of the girls in the school hated her. Even 
now, the looks tossed her way could wither small plants. She 
didn't care to terribly much about her clothes (as long as 
they were clean), and she certainly didn't care about what 
they thought of her. They felt she had an unfair chance with 
a lot of the guys. They didn't realize that to them she 
wasn't girlfriend material, because she was -one- of them.

She heaved a sigh as the teacher came into the classroom. 
The guys clustered around her desk scattered like sheep 
being chased by a wolf.

The teacher waited for a few moments for the room to quite,
 and then held up one hand for attention. 

"Class, we have two transfer students today. This is Nicky 
Townsend-" A short girl with equally short and spikey blonde 
hair and huge green eyes waved brightly to no one in particular.
 "-and this is Kevin Hannah." 

A slender boy with nearly waist length red hair tied back in a 
low ponytail stepped forward briefly as he was introduced. He 
smiled slightly as he nodded, his dark purple eyes earnest. 

Kaori felt her heart heave in her chest as the boy stepped 
forward. This was a new feeling. Even in her most important 
tournaments her heart didn't skip beats. But that was precisely
what it had just done. More accurately it had -stopped- and 
the restarted. 

There were several oohs and aahs at the two new people mainly
 directed at them from their respective opposite sexes. The two
 girls who sat behind her were giggling madly. 

The teacher harumphed loudly, before continuing. "Kevin is 
from America, so I expect everyone to be willing to help him 
out. Kaori-san, you were an excellent English student as I 
recall; why don't you go with Kevin to the library and begin 
tutoring him?"

She heard several female gasps of outrage, as she gathered her 
things. She quickly made her way out the door, and waited 
patiently for the new boy, Kevin to follow.

This was going to be an interesting day alright. 

Notes:

*IHVH is the Hebrew spelling for Jahovah

Pointless Note--I have a pair of four inch platform 
leopard print creepers ^_^;;;

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 
A New Life, Part 3

"You can live your life lonely, heavy as stone 
Live your life learning, and working alone 
Say this is all you want, but I don't believe that it's true 
Because when you least expect it, 
Waiting around the corner for you, 
Love comes quickly whatever you do" 

The Pet Shop Boys, "Love Comes Quickly" 

This boy...why did he seem so familiar to her? She found herself 
staring at him over the library table, and had to consciously tell 
herself to stop. Although she was sure he had noticed, he didn't 
seem to mind too much. When he caught her, he would just smile 
sweetly and silently go back to his work.  

It was strange though. He seemed to have a good knowledge of 
kanji, but had never seen a stroke of kana in his life. His Japanese 
was very good, if not overly polite. All she really had to teach him
was kana, and that shouldn't take too long since he already spoke 
Japanese so well.  

And now they sat in companionable silence, with only an occasional
question asked between them. The time seemed to pass more quickly
then normal, and it was time to return.  

They gathered their things, and made their way back to class. Many 
of the girls glared at her as she walked in the door. She ignored 
them,and walked directly back to her seat and sat down, without 
another look at either Kevin or the girls.   

She tried very hard to pay complete attention to her lessons, but 
she found herself sneaking glances at him again. She needed to stop
that. She didn't need anymore dirty looks shot at her back. 

None of them would ever get into a physical fight with her- she 
was the captain of the Kendo club after all. She knew quite well 
how to use her bokken, and her fists if necessary. Kaori sighed 
quietly to herself. Sometimes being the best at things wasn't all 
that great. The best student, the captain of the Kendo club, and 
as better dressed then most of them. Her family was even older 
then most. Perhaps they thought she was stuck up? Who knew? 
It really didn't matter. Kaori forced herself to dive into her 
lesson and forget about everything else. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

>From his seat two rows away, Kevin let his eyes slid her way 
again. It was her, it had to be. She looked almost exactly the 
same, except for the red highlights in her hair. And her name 
was Kaori. That couldn't be a coincidence.

When he learned that she was the captain of the Kendo club, it
only served to reinforce his original hypothesis. 

It was strange though; when he had walked back into the 
classroom, he had felt a wave of hatred roll over them. It wasn't
directed at him, but all same, it upsethim. The longer I'm in 
this body, the more of myself I seem to get back! He thought. It's 
almost as though I'm being -integrated-. He'd have to ask Nicky
about this later. 

He almost jumped when the lunch bell rang. Almost. He was 
about to get out of his seat to talk to Kaori, when a crowd of 
hisfemale classmates surrounded his desk. His listened politely 
to introductions, and equally polite, if even some-what coolly, 
he declined offers of tea after school, and homework help. As 
he tried to escape it seemed that they only crowded closer, as 
if trying to imprison him.
 
Finally in frustration, he stated coldly "Excuse me. I'd like 
to leave. Will you all move out of the way now, please?" General
shock radiated from the crowd, but they moved away. 

"Thank you" He added, as Nicky found him. 

"You! Come with me!" She hissed in his ear. He found himself 
being carried off, out of the classroom and down the hall. 

After locating a place that was somewhat empty, the drilling began.

"You didn't say anything weird to her did you?" Nicky instantly 
asked.

"No!" Nicky's accusing tone caught him off guard. "No, all she
 did was give me a bunch of books on modern Japanese, explain
 them a bit, and then wecame back to class. I didn't really get 
a chance to say anything." 

"Well that's a start. Are you sure it's her?"

"I'm certain. She looks just like her, and her name is Kaori- too
close to be a coincidence."

"I hope you're right. Makes my job that much easier for a 
change. I'm sure The Guy Upstairs is gonna throw us a few 
curve balls along the way, but so far so good. Did you learn
 anything else about her?"

"She's the captain of the Kendo Club. I guess she's the first
 female captain they've ever had."

"Are you going to join?" she asked pointedly.

"What?" Join? Join what? What was Nicky talking about?

"Are you going to join the Kendo Club?" Nicky repeated, irritated.

"I hadn't thought of that" It would allow him to get closer to 
Kaori, and learn more about her. He needed to make sure he 
wasn't trying to find something that wasn't there anymore. 
"...That might be a really good idea. Would you mind if I asked
 you a question?"

"What's that?"

"When I first woke up this morning, my mom was standing 
over me. Normally if someone came within a 10 meters of 
me, I would have woken up. Also I fell out of bed after she 
left. But when I tripped over you, I landed fine. And when I 
walked back in the classroom I felt something very near 
fighting ki from some of the girls. Could you explain this 
to me?"

"Kevin's body is getting used to having an ex-assassin sharing 
its space. I think  that some of your reflexes will come back, and 
it seems even your ability to read ki is being incorporated as well.
I doubt you'll get ALL of your old abilities back. But I could be 
wrong. Think of it like a new computer trying to load old software.
It's still trying to figure out what to do with it, before it can 
get anything running properly. Understand?" 

"Ano...Sort of." 

"Ack. I keep forgetting that...oh nevermind. Everything is going
 as well as can be expected, and that's what matters. Lunch is 
almost over, let's get back to class."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The bell rang again, announcing the end of lunch. Kaori had  
watched the blonde girl, Nicky, drag Kevin unceremoniously 
out of the room, and away from the crowd of disappointed 
girls loitering around his desk. And now they came back in,
both of them returning quietly to their seats. Well it wouldn't
surprise her if Kevin already had a girlfriend. He was gorgeous, 
she admitted to herself. She normally didn't let herself think 
that way because of what had happened the last time...

Kaori shook her head sharply to clear her thoughts. Best not to
 think of that anymore. She was Kevin's tutor for two weeks 
tops, and after that, they'd probably never have any reason to 
talk ever again. She valued her solitude.

Class passed quickly enough. She was looking forward to the 
end of school so that she could hand out the new uniforms 
and get practice started. 

Finally the bell rang signaling the end of school. She scooped 
her pens, binder, and schoolbooks quickly into her bag, 
shouldered it and scooted out the door.

Halfway down the hall, a hand fell on her shoulder. She spun 
quickly around, surprised.Kevin. He smiled that same sweet 
smile. 

"Would you mind if I came and watched you practice?" He 
inquired. He's interested in Kendo? It was probably just the 
obsession foreigners had with martial arts. Well, it couldn't 
hurt to let him watch, now could it? 

"Sure. Come on, I have some things to do before practice so 
we need to hurry." She didn't want too many people to see 
them together...

"I was wondering..." Kaori started as they hurried out to the gym. 

"Yes?" Kevin inquired, following a bit behind her.

"Is Nicky-san your girlfriend?" Kevin stopped in his tracks, and
stared after her for a moment. 

She thinks Nicky-san and I...? How absurd. Well, how could she
know? Kevin shook his head in amusement.

"What's so funny?"

"Dating Nicky-san would be like...dating my older sister. You 
don't need to worry."

"WORRY? Why would I worry?" Kaori snapped back at him.

Kevin waved his hands placatingly in front of him. "Calm down,
I didn't mean it that way! I'm sorry." But I'm glad you took it 
thatway...They must have had this same scene a million times 
before. If he wasn't sure of her identity before, he was positive
 now. She had reacted exactly how Kaoru used to when Megumi 
flirted with him. A secret little smile settled itself inside 
him, and life seemed so much brighter then it ever had.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"So, what did you think?" Kaori asked him while she toweled 
the sweat of her recent workout off her face. 

"I don't think I'm any good at it at all." Kevin looked at the 
shinai he held helplessly. He wasn't any good. -Anymore- He'd 
NEVER been good with a shinai, anyway. He had to remind himself
that this body hadn't been trained as his other had. And he'd 
been horrible when he started then too. Hiko had called him his 
baka deshi for a reason. 

But he had gotten better, he reminded himself. His helpless 
feelings were a chosen state of mind. What he had to do was 
look at the potential for growth.

Kaori gave him a skeptical look "What do you mean, you're not 
any good? Everything I showed you, you did perfectly, and on 
your first try! I think you should join the club."

"You think so?"

"Yeah! If you learn everything this fast, you could be competing
 all over the country in a year! Are you -sure- you've never done
 this before?"

"I've never held anything remotely resembling a sword before 
in my life."  The irony of that statement almost made him 
laugh. He'd never held a sword in -this- life. 

"I can't believe that. Anyway, are you going to join?"

"Well, if you think I'm good enough..." He let his voice trail 
off. Better she think she talked him into it.

"You're good enough. Or you will be soon. You're in. I'll order 
you a uniform as quickly as I can."

"Thanks! Um...I was wondering..." He went back over his 
earlier conversation with Nicky. As they'd headed back to class,
she'd given him a few tips on modern dating. 'Kevin' knew
most of it, but it was like he had to be -reminded- of it, for the 
information to be called forth. 'Kevin' had done what he was 
about to do many times. 'Kevin' had had confidence in his 
good looks. 'Kenshin' had never cared.

"What is it?" Kaori smiled at him. He felt two of his important 
organs go to putty with that smile. One was his heart. He could 
go without blood for a few minutes. The other was his brain. 
That on the other hand...

"Well...I was kinda wondering if...if maybe...well, you know...
if you might wanna go get a cup of coffee, or tea, or whatever 
it is you drink out here, or something. Yeah." He mentally 
shivered in disgust. Open mouth, insert foot.

Kaori's face froze. She shook her head, and bowed politely. "I'm 
sorry, I need to get home now. I have a lot of homework. I'll see
you tomorrow at school." She practically ran as she turned the 
corner, and left his sight

It was Kevin's turn to freeze; only his was in shock. He knew it 
wasn't the most brilliant thing he could have said, but it wasn't 
that bad! Or was it? Vague stirrings of panic fluttered through 
him, like dry autumn leaves. A billion what-ifs filled his head. 

"Oi, Hannah-san, your jaw is hanging open."

A boy his age, only shorter and wirier, stood next to him. 
Yoichiro. He was a member of the Kendo club, and one of
the better ones. Kevin let his jaw snap shut, audibly so.

"What did you do, Hannah-san?"

"I didn't do anything. At least I don't think I did anything. 
If I did, I don't know what it was."

"You didn't ask Myoujin "Ice Queen" Kaori out did you?"

" 'Ice Queen' ?"

"I remember she had a boyfriend her freshman year, and he 
was the Captain of the Kendo club then. He was a senior. 
When he graduated, he disappeared to college, and she 
didn't hear from him for a long time. 

"Then one day, she took the train to his dorm to visit him, and
 she 'caught' him with another girl. He tried to apologize, and 
get her to take him back, even offered to leave college for her,
 and ditch his scholarships too. She told him what to do with 
himself, and got a restraining order against him, so he'd leave 
her alone. After that he kept trying to call her. She's gotten him
 arrested multiple times for breaking the restraining order. I 
don't know what he did to her to make her hate him so much.
 She won't talk about it. But ever since then, she's always 
turned every guy down. So don't feel bad, man, it happened to
 everyone else too. No one's got a chance with her. "

"Ack. What a pathetic thing to do to someone!" Kevin couldn't
believe that someone would do that to her. He didn't know who
that guy was, didn't -care- who he was. He needed a beating.
Dark tendrils of anger flared inside his gut, and swam around
amidst his organs, stirring the person he once was, even a 
lifetime away. One golden eye slowly slid open, glanced around,
assessing the situation coldly, and slid shut once more. 

"I agree. Which is why I understand why she turns everyone 
down. You might wanna just do yourself a favor, Hannah-san,
and quit while you're ahead. She seems to think that she's 
found a great student in you. Be happy with that."

Yoichiro strode down the hall, in the same direction that Kaori
had gone. A second later, he stuck his head back around the 
corner. "You didn't hear that from me, got it? Last thing I need 
is a good beating -before- a tournament."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Some Notes: I've gone out of my way to make Kenshin/Kevin 
and Kaoru/Kaori seem a little  OOC. I have reasons. C&C is 
always welcome!

PS: I wanna thank Tae-san for her invaluable comments, and 
fantastic editing! Arigatou gozaimusau! More thanks go to 
Zaz-chan, for ALWAYS reading my fics (no matter how 
bad they are) and for her encoragement!