Ack!! *kicks AOL* Sorry for the spam, but the attachment didn't
want to go with the email! *kicks AOL again* Here it is, for real
this time.
Once again, sorry for the spam
Nicky
-- Listar MIME Decryption --------------
-- Name : NEWLIF~1.TXT
-- Decode : from quoted-printable...
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.
All songs quoted belong to the people who wrote them; in
other word, not me.
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.
PS: I am in this fic too, but my part is fairly minor.
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
what 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, "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...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
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
college."
"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 relationship, 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 the tabi 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 huge deal. 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.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
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 was 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
upset him. 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 his female classmates surrounded
his desk. His listened politely to introductions, and
equally polite, if even somewhat 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 we came
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 20
feet 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 tended to have
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 that way...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 sort of OOC. I have
reasons. C&C is always welcome!
PS: I wanna thank Tae-san for her invaluable comments,
and fantastic editing! Arigatou gozaimasu! More thanks
go to Zaz-chan, for ALWAYS reading my fics (no matter
how bad they are) and for her encoragement!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Part 4
"I can feel the discomfort in your seat,
But in you head it's worse.
There's a pain, a famine in your heart,
An aching to be free... Can't you see?
All love's luxuries are here for you and me"
Depche Mode, Halo
Kaori leaned up against the slippery tile of the
shower, as the too hot water poured over her, slicking
her hair to her body and her face. The noise of the
water was comforting to her; and it drowned out the
sound of her sobs.
"Endless rain, fall on my heart, kokorono kisuni,
let me forget all of the hate, all of the sadness...*"
she sang quietly to herself. This song always comforted
her, when nothing else could.
Why did that boy upset her so? But most of all,
why did he seem so familiar to her? Normally when she
turned a guy down for a date it wasn't anything to her.
She was just protecting herself. But this time...
She felt like she'd been reunited with a long lost
lover, only to tell him that she'd married someone else
after they broke up. And if she didn't know better,
Kevin had looked crushed.
She hated that expression. After getting away from
him, she let herself cry, although she didn't really
know why she was crying. Was it for her, or for Kevin?
She shouldn't be crying for herself anymore.
Crying may make you feel better but it didn't change
anything. Nothing could change what had happened,
especially not crying. She let herself sink into a ball,
and the water run over her. She stayed there, until the
water went from steaming hot, to ice cold.
The freezing water sent her sputtering out of the
shower to the safety of a fluffy warm bath towel. After
briskly drying herself, and donning her robe, she padded
barefoot down the hallway and returned to her room.
Through her open window, the sky was dusky, blue and
purple, and sprinkled with wayward clouds, still stained
pink and red with the remnants of the sun. A few brave
little stars had begun to peek out from under their soft
night blanket, blinking their eyes sleepily as they
prepared for their long night.
Such romantic metaphors, Kaori thought to herself.
She didn't have time for anything like that. She had
schoolwork, and she had Kendo practice, weather it be
for her Kendo club or for her family's old Kenjitsu
school. He parents sometimes swore that she was born
with a bokken in her hand. That always made her smile.
Born for the sword...that made her think of Kevin
again. He had taken to Kendo like ducks take to water.
He swore that he'd had never held a sword of any kind-
wooden or otherwise- in his life. But there was a faint
smile behind that statement, as if there was more to it
then he was saying. His grips, stances, and swings were
all perfect. She had only shown him everything once, and
he'd absorbed them perfectly, as quickly as she could
snap her fingers.
Later, she'd had him spar with one of the older
members. Her first true shock came when she realized how
fast he was. His only real problem was, that he handled
the shinai as though he was used to something heavier.
What that something heavier would have been, she chose
not speculate on. Besides that small over-balance, she'd
think that he'd been practicing for years.
Kaori shook her head hard to clear wayward
thoughts away. She had a long night of homework ahead of
her and she needed to concentrate.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"What did you do to make her scream and run away
from you?" Nicky huffed indignantly. No wonder his
master had called him baka deshi. He was dumb after all.
"She didn't scream!" Kevin replied hotly "She
just...ran." He finished lamely.
"Oh so she just RAN, he says! When someone runs
from you, that means that they are scared. You of ALL
people should know what it means when people run from
you. I'm sure people used to run from you all the time!
Are you on crack?" She was so baffled she couldn't think
of anything else to say.
After a moment of silence, she asked tiredly "What
did you say to her?"
"I just asked her if she wanted to get some
coffee!" His voice rose in pitch defensively, and his
reply came out almost as a squeak.
"And nothing else?" Nicky added threateningly.
"No, nothing at all! However, one of the other
guys from the Kendo club said that she got burned pretty
bad by an ex-boyfriend."
"Well then, it might not be you, even as unsmooth
as you are." Nicky stated dryly with one eyebrow arched
nearly into her hairline. "And another thing! How can
you wear those jeans?"
Kevin looked down at the pair of jeans he was
wearing curiously. "What's wrong with them?" he asked
innocently, his face quizzical.
"What's wrong with them? They're HUGE!!" Nicky
spread her arms wide, as if to indicate their size.
Kevin smiled pleasantly at Nicky's pole-axed
expression. "Wearing these raver jeans is like wearing a
hakama again. The fit about the same."
Nicky plucked at the cuff, and pulled it taut
around his ankle. "That's gotta be around 32 inches...
But I guess your right. I never thought of it that way.
But back to Kaori. What are we going to do?"
Kevin shook his head helplessly. "I really don't
know. Just wait and hope for the best?"
"You know, I think that's all you can do, at this
point. Out-wait the enemy and all that rubbish. Anyway,
my androgynous little friend, I need to go to sleep.
Even Heavenly Guides need rest sometimes." She winked at
him. "Don't worry sweetie, we'll figure something out.
I've never failed a mission yet!" With that, Nicky
snapped her fingers and disappeared in a picturesque
cloud of smoke.
Kevin sighed, and lay back on his bedroom floor,
his hands beneath his head. Life was never easy, was it?
This was a new experience for him. This was the
first time that he was truly doing something all for
himself. He wanted to help her because he loved her, and
because that would bring her to him quicker. He felt
horribly selfish, but it was a good feeling all at the
same time.
Music. He needed thinking music. For some reason
'Kevin' seemed to function better when there was music
on. He examined his collection, amazed by its sheer
size. Kevin hadn't just liked shoes. He liked CDs too.
Most of it was 80's British pop, with some gothic and
industrial peppering the mix. The longer I live in
Kevin's body, the weirder he seems to me, he thought,
baffled at their differences, and even more confused by
their similarities.
Kevin's clothes suited him just fine- big worn
raver jeans, ancient and soft pairs of cotton and wool
slacks in somber colors like gray, navy and black. All
of the shirts were loose, some brightly colored, some
not. It was his shoes he didn't like. After a careful
inspection of the shoe collection, he discovered
something wonderful- a pair of worn-in leather fisherman
sandals, which you HAD to wear with socks. Right up his
alley.
It was odd though; this time didn't seem so
foreign anymore. When he'd seen a car this morning he'd
nearly jumped out of his skin. But on the way home he
didn't even notice them at all.
He sighed and looked at his desk where his books
were stacked. He had homework to do. He'd better get
started, if he wanted to get to bed at a decent hour.
But first he had to have music.
Music helped him think now- it was a 'Kevin'
thing. He went down through the list. He settled on Once
Upon a Time, by Siouxie and the Banshees. Time to start,
Pre-Calc was waiting.
Only 20 minutes later a knock at his bedroom door
interrupted him. His mother poked her head in and looked
briefly around.
"Kevin, sweetie, what are you doing?"
"My Pre-Calc. This stuff is hard!" He threw his
pencil down in frustration. "I need a calculator..."
"Kevin I didn't even know you could do Calculus!"
Shock was evident on his mother's pretty face.
"Oh I have to learn Kana too, so I can read
everything, but that's not too hard really."
"So I guess you had a good day at school then?"
Shock turned into surprise gradually.
"Yeah, I did. I joined the Kendo club, and I met
this really pretty girl too. I asked her out, but she
turned me down. I'm gonna keep trying though. Her name
is Kaori, she's the kendo club's captain."
"Wow, sweetie, that's wonderful! I'm going to
leave you to your homework. Study hard!" She gave him a
thumbs up.
"I will, mom."
His mom shut the door, and walked slowly down the
stairs to where her husband sat in his favorite leather
chair, watching TV in the family room.
"Honey, I just had a weird experience."
"What's that, Jenice?" Her husband asked without
turning his eyes from the TV, the glare shining off his
glasses in the dark.
"Kevin was doing his homework." Jenice replied,
deadpan.
"He was actually doing homework? I wonder how
badly they threatened him at school." Sarcasm dripped
off the statement, like water off an oil-slicked
surface.
"And he actually joined a school based athletic
club too."
"That I don't believe."
"He did! Well, he told me he did. And he told me
about a girl he was interested in too."
"KEVIN?? Interested in GIRLS? I never thought
that would happen! I'll believe that when he brings her
home, and we actually meet her."
"I'm willing to believe it, just because I've
always wanted him to be normal. Not that there's
anything wrong with being gay, but...."
"Well as long as he's actually doing his school
work I'll support him in whatever else he does as long
as it's not drugs!"
"We can only hope for the best."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Later that night-
Myoujin Kaori slept, and in sleeping, dreamt. In
her mind's eye, she saw a pretty red-haired man. He
smiled at her, and did her laundry. He was a poor man,
but was happy with his life. They all wanted to be like
him.
They?
Yes, her and the rest of her family. None of them
were related by blood, but all were her family,
regardless. None of them stood out terribly, she simply
remembered that she loved them all dearly.
Who was this red-haired man, that she could
remember him, but not the rest of her family? It
couldn't be simply that he was beautiful- although he
most certainly was. His long red hair, so glossy in the
sun, and she was certain that it was as soft and fine as
the hair babies had on their head's when they were born.
His purple eyes looked soft too- and they were earnest
in whatever they expressed, weather it be joy, sadness,
or the most extreme anger-
(No, that wasn't right. When he was very angry, his eyes
glowed yellow-)
The only thing that marred his beauty, and kept
him from looking completely feminine, was the harshly
angular cross scar on his left cheek.
(But that scar is gone now, and he is even more
beautiful...)
But he was dead- he died young, and he died with
a smile on his face. She'd lived her life without him
after that, and taking comfort in the serene smile that
had been on his face when he'd left them. They'd taken
his sword, which was as unique as he was, and enshrined
it in the dojo, so that they could always feel him
there-
(It's still there, you know)
She missed him so much. She still loved him as
much as she had all those years ago-
(Yes, you still love him don't you? Go and be with him,
and tell him.)
Yes, that sword was still in their dojo even
after 120 years. There was a picture there as well, from
when the founder of their dojo had taken them on a train
to Yokahama-
(How did I know that was where it was? How? HOW?)
Kaori's eyes snapped open, and she looked around
her room in confusion. She was too far off the ground-
(A bed, not a Futon)
Her heart calmed slowly. Too slowly. Why was she
scared? She was in her room, in her house, and nothing
was out of place.
Then why does everything look different to me?
(-Because it is different-)
She briskly shook her head. This had to be her
imagination. She was hearing voices. This couldn't be
happening. She scrambled out of bed, and slid her feet
clumsily into her slippers, even while struggling into
her bathrobe.
She rushed through the old rice-paper hallways of
her turn of the century house, and out, to the walkway
the led through the yard and into the dojo. Once there,
she went to a small recess that had been built into the
right wall.
There, sitting serenely on its stand was that
man's sword. She walked by this sword 3 or 4 times a
day, and it had never seemed particularly interesting
before. Her mother swore that it was evil- she didn't
know why. Her father would never touch it, except to
clean it. To him it was sacred. He knew who this sword
belonged to. He had once told her when she was small,
that as long as that sword was here, that this dojo and
who ever lived here would always be safe.
Although she never had before, she believed him now.
And now as she knelt before it, she saw for the
first time, the small yellowed photograph. There were
four people in it; one was a tall man with spikey hair,
who looked like he's just been poked in the rear with
something sharp. Also there was a small boy, who's hair
much resembled that of the tall man, and next to him sat
a girl- no, a young woman- in what would have been a
beautiful kimono. Her parent's had often told her that
she resembled this woman, Kamiya Kaoru, who had left
this dojo to her great great grandfather, Myoujin
Yahiko, when she died. The photo was so old, that she
could hardly make out the floral pattern on the kimono.
And next to her-
-Was that man. Scar, hair, sword, and all. He was
smiling, and it was a sweet smile.
Where had she seen that smile before? Everything
about this man was so familiar. Like she'd known him
herself.
Behind the sword, and under the photo was an urn,
which held his ashes. According to the antique dealers
that her mother had tried to sell it to, both the sword,
and the urn were worth a fortune. The sword, not simply
because it was old, but because of who this man was, and
because of who made it, but most especially because it
was totally unique. The urn because of who made it- some
famous potter who had lived outside Kyoto at the time-
and also because of who's ashes it contained.
Kaori had never been told why this sword was
unique. It looked like every other katana she'd ever
seen. The cloth on the grip was disintegrating with age,
and she wasn't sure the last time the sword had been
cleaned. She knew her father cleaned it- she just wasn't
sure when.
She felt like a thief as she reached forward to
take the mouldering grip in one hand, the hard and
polished wood of the saya in her other. Lifting it
carefully from its stand, she unsheathed it to inspect
the blade.
A gasp escaped her, and left her lungs screaming
for air that she couldn't draw. The sharp side was on
the inner curve instead of the outer!
("Could I kill anyone with this?")
("The blade is on the wrong side! And there are no
scratches- why, it's practically brand new!")
She let her gaze slid to the hilt. The bolt was
loose...probably with age...
("The loose bolt is why Shishou is alive- it allowed the
blade to give just enough. If not, the ougi would have
killed him.")
Kaori looked at the sword in horror. It was -
talking- to her! She quickly resheathed it and set it
back on its stand. -Looking- at it was comforting, but
she didn't want to touch it.
After long moments of looking at the strange
sword-
(Sakabattou)
-She realized that there was a gap in her memory.
She could recall almost everything about this man. But
she couldn't remember his name! She was certain her
father had told her multiple times, but she couldn't
recall it to save her life.
She continued to stare at the sword in hope that
it would somehow jog her memory. Eventually, Kaori
simply shook her head, and got up to go back to bed.
Reaching forward to slide the old wooden door
back in its runners, Kaori paused and turned to look
back around the darkened dojo.
("If you must leave, will you at least tell me your
name?")
("Kenshin. Himura Kenshin")
Frozen at the strange voices echoing eerily
through the large room, her eyes moved hastily over the
walls, and familiar wall hangings. There is no one here
but you, she told herself, trying desperately not to
loose the battle to remain calm.
She was loosing. She'd only been this terrified
once before in her life. The scream welled up in her
throat, even while she tried to smother it. Eyes and
fists clenched tight, she curled into a ball and leaned
against the wall, and tried to take control of the
situation again. After a moment, and a few deep breaths,
she straitened up, and squared her shoulders. When no
more strange voices floated out of the old walls, she
sighed, and left the dojo, and hurried back to the
relative safety of her bedroom.
*Endless Rain, by X-Japan
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Part 5
Touch me, Touch-
Was the heat too much?
I thought I lost you from the start.
Time-Clock of the Heart, Culture Club
Kaori blinked her eyes sleepily at the mass of
words in front of her. They sat in the library again,
and she was currently trying to correct Kevin's kana
homework, but the characters swam together before her
tired eyes.
Worry was etched into Kevin's beautiful face.
That she saw clearly. He was worried about her.
(Of course he's worried. He would never let anything
happen to you.)
She shook her head fiercely to clear the cobwebs,
and tried to focus. She pointed out the mistakes she was
conscious enough to catch, and ignored the ones she saw
out of the corner of her eye, and could point out later.
"Did you have any problems with your other
homework?" She asked wearily. Kaori felt her head
starting to fall towards the table, but she caught it
quickly enough not to hit her head.
Kevin shook his head. "Not really. Only the Pre-
Calc was hard, but I figured that out. Kaori-san...are
you okay?" she looked like she was ready to pass out,
she'd nearly hit her head on the table a second ago.
"No, I'm fine! Really. I just didn't sleep that
well last night...I had a really bad dream"
He was so concerned for her. His perfectly shaped
eyebrows had drawn together, puckering his skin. His
eyes were the most beautiful shade of purple, the color
she had always imagined that sea would turn right before
the sunset. She wanted to dive into that sea and swim in
its warmth. One moment she was drowning happily, and the
next she was falling, the ground jumping up from it
stationary position. The world turned red, then yellow,
and finally went mercifully black.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
He hadn't been fast enough to catch her before
she hit the floor. The thud of the side of her head
forcefully striking the ground made something inside
him squirm in panic. He snatched her up in his arms,
hurridly asked the librarian the location of the
infirmary, and shot out the door, as fast as this
pathetically slow body would carry him
After dodging around several curious students, and
more then a few concerned teachers, he had her resting
comfortably in a small bed in the infirmary. All that
remained now, was to locate the school nurse.
"Hello young man. What seems to be the problem?"
Turning around quickly, he said "Thank god, you're
here Sensei-" And his words abruptly left him. If not
for the gold rimmed spectacles, and the modern clothing,
he could swear he was looking at Megumi. She had the
same glossy black hair, only it was braided loosely down
her back. The same red lipstick applied to perfection.
He shook himself mentally. He could think about this
later.
"Kaori-san hit her head." He continued after a
moment "I carried her here as fast as I could."
The doctor (he couldn't help but insert the name
Megumi in his head) nodded earnestly before kneeling
next to Kaori, and checking quickly for lumps. Just
above Kaori's left temple, she found one- or the start
of one. The doctor touched it gingerly, and Kaori
winced, even in her blacked out state.
She nodded her head. "That's a good sign. That
means that she's isn't out cold. The poor thing looks
like she hasn't slept in a week! I really should try to
wake her, but she probably needs rest more then anything
else. She needs to go home." The doctor sat down at her
desk, and pulled up Kaori's medical records on the
computer, and made a few phone calls. Finally she
replaced the receiver. She shook her head, and sighed.
"No one is home, and I can't get a hold of her
parents at work either. She doesn't have any other
numbers listed. Do you know where she lives? Can you
take her home?"
After a moment of thought, and a sigh, "I can call
my mom and see if she'll pick us up."
The doctor nodded. "That's as good a plan as any.
I'll give her a call then."
The both talked briefly with his mother, who
agreed happily, almost too happily, when she learned who
she was taking home.
Kaori woke up during the trip to the parking lot.
She squirmed, embarrassed. This small activity seemed to
wear her out, because she dozed off again, not five
minutes after waking up. Kevin started; Kaori's face was
buried in his neck, where she sighed in her sleep.
When he finally made it to the parking lot, his
mother was already there, grinning insanely for what
seemed to him like no reason. He stashed Kaori as
comfortably as possible in the back seat and buckled her
in, before taking his place, shotgun. The only words
spoken were the directions the Doctor had given him.
When they pulled up to what must be Kaori's house,
Kevin felt his jaw hanging slack in shock. The place
still looked mostly the same as it had 120 years ago,
only a second floor had been added somewhere along the
way. Otherwise, the old house, the dojo and its
surrounding yards still looked the same.
When he realized that he was gaping, he made quick
work of getting himself and Kaori out of the car inside
the house's massive gates. His mother had just grinned
at him, and told him to be safe coming home, and had
pulled away.
It was fairly obvious which room was hers. It was
messy and yet organized at the same time. Dirty clothes
were piled in one corner, but only in that corner. All
of the clean clothing was hung neatly in her closet. He
desk was littered with papers, school books, pencils,
and pens and various other things. But everything of
that nature was confined to her desk. The thing that
tipped him off about who's room it was was not any of
this however. It was the perfectly spotless white gi,
and the equally clean and wrinkle free hakama hanging
from a hook on her door. It was obvious what mattered to
her, he thought wryly.
He lay her down on her bed, and arranged her to
be as comfortable as possible. After searching for a few
minutes, he located the kitchen. It was strange to be
there- Once the whole place was nothing but wood cutting
board, a stove, and a rubbish heap. Now all that wood
counter space was covered in flawless white ceramic
tile. The old stove had been replaced with something
that practically blended into the counter. There was a
sink below the kitchen window now, and a toaster sat
comfortably next to it. Wooden cabinets lined the walls.
The most foreign object though, had to be the
refrigerator. With all this new stuff, his old kitchen
seemed almost painfully small. He simply sighed,
retrieved the ice he had come for, wrapped it in a towel
he'd gotten from the upstairs bathroom, and went back
upstairs.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The first thing Kaori noticed as she woke up was
the throbbing pain in her head. Then she noticed how -
cold- that section of her head was. She groaned briefly,
and tried to open one eye. The light only made her head
hurt worse, and she reached up to put an arm over her
face, and accidentally brushed the bruised portion of
her skull. Through another, much louder groan she heard
the sound of her blinds being pulled and her curtains
drawn. Seeing the light decrease through her eyelids,
she made another attempt at opening her eyes, and found
the light level far more pleasant the second time
around.
She glanced around briefly, disoriented. She was
in her room, comfortably ensconced in her own bed, a
worried Kevin standing guard. He had pulled her desk
chair up to her bedside, and was perched in an
uncomfortable cross-legged position. She tried to sit
up, and he swooped out of his seat, and gently pushed
her back down.
"Don't sit up. You'll probably feel very dizzy and
sick if you try. And although I would hold your hair
back for you if you had to throw up, I don't
particularly want to." His serious expression convinced
her not to try it again.
She blinked a few times in the darkened room, and
them asked quietly "Why are you here? How did we get to
my house?"
Kevin shook his head briefly and then explained
"The nurse said that you probably had a light
concussion, and that you needed to go home. She couldn't
get a hold of your parents, so I called my mom, and she
drove us here. I stayed to make sure you were alright
when you woke up."
All she could manage in response was a slight nod;
any movement made her head hurt even more, if that was
possible.
"Why did you do this for me?" She said quietly
after a moment. "Why didn't you just go back to class?
It wasn't your problem."
Kevin shrugged a bit and said, "I wanted to help.
If I had hit my head like that, I hope someone would do
the same thing for me." That silenced Kaori for a few
moments.
This boy is genuinely kind, she thought after a
moment. That sort of kindness; one that doesn't expect
anything in return; was something she had only dreamt
of. It even shone in his deep lavender eyes.
-Wait. Lavender eyes? Where had she seen purple
eyes before?
(Red hair and purple eyes. But no scar.)
Recognition shocked her for a moment. She knew
where she had seen Kevin before. He looked like that man
from her dream last night! What a strange coincidence,
she thought, not thinking anything more of it. If he had
that weird scar he would look just like him...
(That scar was gone now, and he was even more
beautiful...)
If her head hadn't hurt so much she would have
shook herself. She was hearing those strange voices
again. She tired to pass it off as her blow to the head,
but it wasn't quite working. The resemblence was eerie.
Kevin was looking at her strangely. "Are you
alright?" he asked, his eyebrows knit together in
concern. Her eyes had gone totally blank for a moment.
If he hadn't seen her chest moving as she took her
breaths, he almost would have thought her dead.
She smiled a little as she spoke "Yes, thanks. I
really appreciate you taking me home and stuff. I'm
sorry I was so rude to you yesterday. I just...avoid
guys now."
She watched one of his eyebrows raise nearly into
his hairline. "Oh? Is that so? Should I give up all
hope?"
Realizing what that sounded like, she protested,
albeit weakly, "No! I didn't mean it that way! I
just...had a really bad experience once, a few years
ago. It was really scary and I don't like to think about
it. It's made me really paranoid about dating from then
on." She finished quietly. Why was she telling him this?
(You trust him.)
Why, she didn't know, but she did trust him. She
wasn't about to tell him the whole story-
(-Not yet-)
But strangely enough, although she only met him
yesterday, she knew this boy wouldn't hurt her ever,
physically or mentally.
(Like the other one did.)
Kevin's eyes had turned sad, and almost wistful
as she explained. One corner of his mouth had quirked up
into a tiny smile. "I'm sorry if I made you
uncomfortable yesterday. I didn't mean to."
She reached out and took his hand in hers. "I
know that. You didn't know. How could you have? Don't
worry about it. Besides, you're different. You're
actually a nice person."
His grin immediately widened. "Does that mean I
get a chance anyway?" She couldn't help but smile and
chuckle a bit over the innocent hope that expression
held. Could she? Should she?
After a moment, and after he looked like he was
beginning to despair of getting a positive answer, she
smiled. "One date. You had better impress me if you want
there to be a second one."
He squeezed her hand, and the flash of joy that
traveled over his almost pretty face was amusing in its
intensity. This boy made her smile a lot. She supposed
that that could be taken as a good sign.
"Classic dinner and a movie work for you?" He
asked, his grin nearly taking in his ears.
"Sounds great." She said with as much enthusiasm
as she could, considering she had a minor concussion.
Realized then that she was grinning like a maniac too,
she tried to stifle it, and found herself unsuccessful.
They just sat there and grinned at each other like
idiots, until the loud chiming of the downstairs clock,
brought them back.
Kevin looked at his watch and gasped. It was
almost 7:00! "I'm really sorry, but it's getting late. I
should probably go. Tomorrow is Friday; when do you want
me to pick you up?"
"6:30 Okay? Then we'll have time for that movie."
"Perfect!" He realized later that he sounded a
little too enthusiastic, but he couldn't help it.
"Well...I guess I'll see you tomorrow at school?
Are you sure you'll be alright by then?"
"Oh yeah. The pain is fading fast. I'll be fine
in a few hours probably. I just need a goodnight's
sleep. I'll see you tomorrow." She fell asleep almost as
soon as she closed her eyes. For a moment he just
watched her sleep, content. He gave her sleeping form a
soft smile, before closing her door behind him, and
slipping out of the house, and through the gates.
Through the dark he went home, happiness and extreme
nervousness building inside. Now it was his turn not to
sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Part 6 A
Another night with open eyes,
To late to sleep, to soon to rise
You're short of breath, is it a heart attack?
Hot and feverish, you face the fact-
You're in love
Can You Forgive Her? From the album Very,
by the Pet Shop Boys
Sleep evaded Kevin that night with frightening
determination. He stared at his blank ceiling, thinking
only two things- "Oh god she said yes, I have a date
tomorrow night!" and "If I don't fall asleep now, I'm
going to be a zombie at school tomorrow."
The first being most important to him, of course.
He quietly watched the minutes on his alarm clock tick
by, and the light slowly rise from the bottom of his
window. Slowly his room filled with light, until it
filtered through his blinds in a bright shaft, bits of
sparkly dust swirling in the draft created by the air
conditioning.
At 7:00 AM his alarm screamed for him to get up.
He smacked it into silence, and went about what had
become a morning ritual to him in only three days.
Shower, blow dry his hair, put his clothes on, grab a
bite of breakfast and a can of soda, head out the door
to school, where he met Nicky. They then walked to
school together and discussed how "The Plan" was
proceeding. The good news he had for her, granted him a
bear hug, and a somewhat sloppy kiss on the cheek, along
with an enthusiastic "Ganbatte yo!"
School zoomed by at light speed. His nervousness
multiplied exponentially as the clock chimed each hour.
Almost too soon, school was over, and he realized that
there was Kendo practice today. Although he was new, and
couldn't really afford to miss practice, he decided he
needed to skip. He hoped Kaori wouldn't be mad.
The houses along the streets became a blur as he
hurried home, recapturing some of his old speed in his
urgency. When he realized that he was practically out-
running cars, he slowed down. It would be embarrassing
to get a speeding ticket on foot.
Once home, he attacked his closet with a frenzy.
"Kevin" had tons of clothes...but, oh, WHAT to WEAR?? He
got no further then choosing an appropriate pair of
boxers before becoming frustrated and stocking down the
stairs (in said boxers) to where his mother sat in the
kitchen working on some of her files.
His mother's eyes bugged out of her pretty head,
as her nearly naked son plunked himself down
unceremoniously at the kitchen table.
"Kevin, dear, what's the problem?" She asked,
sensing something was wrong, but unsure as to what.
"I have absolutely nothing to wear!" He
practically wailed.
Kevin's mother had been through this before. She
wished the change she had been seeing in Kevin a safe
trip where ever it decided to go, and brought her
attention back to her semi-naked and wailing son. "Dear,
you have more clothes then I do. That wasn't helpful.
Okay, what's the occasion?"
"I have a date with Kaori tonight." He murmured
miserably, as he smushed his face into the table "I want
to impress her!"
Jenice tapped her manicured fingernail on the
table for a moment. "Dinner? She inquired. "Somewhere
nice?"
His face still squashed into the table, Kevin
nodded.
She snapped her fingers. "Simple! Make a suit out
of that black velvet jacket you have, and the velvet
pants! With that button-down shirt I found you at that
thrift shop, and your father's onyx cuff links, you'll
be the best dressed guy in there. Do you still have that
wonderful silk cravat?"
He stared at his mother in amazement. She had
solved his problem in a second, when he'd been lamenting
over it all day. It was so nice to have a mother again!
As for the cravat...
"You mean the purple one?"
"That's the one! Now, go shower, get dressed and
get back down here, then we can figure out what shoes
you're going to wear."
He nodded mutely at his mother, before clambering
up the stairs to follow her orders. An echoing shout of
"Don't forget to deep condition you hair!" swept up the
stairs as he entered the bathroom.
He eyed himself in the bathroom mirror, while
slathering his hair up with Paul Mitchell Hair Repair
Treatment. Kevin had kept himself in fairly good shape,
although it had probably been out of vanity, as opposed
to any concern for his health. He was somewhat muscular,
but no where near as -defined- as he had been as
Kenshin. Of course not, he thought ruefully, I haven't
been struggling to keep Shishou from knocking me out
every five minutes. Or hiding from and or assassinating
government officials, and then practically starving to
death for ten years he added to himself dryly. He let
the conditioner soak into his hair for ten minutes
before climbing into the shower.
Another ten minutes later, he stood in front of
the mirror again, now toweling himself off. No scars, he
thought, smiling to himself. Not on my body, not on my
face. After mourning the loss of his cross scar for the
past two days, he had decided that he could live without
it. His memory was working fine, and that's what
mattered.
He had to admit he was enjoying being 17 again,
and having no real worries, except what he was going to
wear on his first date with Kaori, and getting his
schoolwork done on time. This life was so different from
his other one; this was pure luxury in comparison. He
smiled softly at his reflection, and told it "I did
deserves this." Selfish indeed, but truly, he had
suffered. And now that a life of luxury and privilege
had been handed to him on a pretty silver platter, he
certainly wasn't about to tell The Powers That Be no.
Padding into his bedroom, towel clasped low on
his hips, the boxers he'd chosen earlier clutched in his
other hand, and he closed his door behind him. He let
the towel fall into a shapeless heap, as he inspected
his closet for the articles of clothing his mother had
indicated. The "button down shirt" turned out to be a
slightly shiny and lightly striped affair, but still
very classy. It did need cuff links. Pulling his boxers
on, he began his search for the velvet pants. Once
locating those, he pulled them on as well, straightened
his boxers, buttoning his shirt and tucking it in before
fastening his pants. After quick trip downstairs to
retrieve the cuff links, and to enlist his mother's help
in fastening them, and he was back upstairs searching
for that purple cravat. He spent the better part of ten
minutes trying to tie it strait. Once it was properly in
place, he threw the matching velvet coat over his shirt,
buttoned yet another set of buttons, and tucked in his
cravat. Looking over his reflection, he realized that
something just didn't look right. He tapped faintly at
his mirror trying to figure out what it was. When he'd
bought the cravat....
It had come with a waistcoat! That's what was
missing. Now where was it? He dug through his closet and
all his drawers, and as always with his luck, it was in
the very last drawer, and looking a tad wrinkled. But if
I'm wearing it with a coat over it, no one will notice,
he convinced himself.
The full-length mirror on his door revealed a
very gothic, but still very classy looking person. Now
the test: his mother.
Back downstairs he went, and once again found his
mother in the kitchen. He did a little catwalk type
turn, struck a pose, and said, "Well? How do I look?"
Her hands clasped in front of her chest she said
dramatically, "You look how I've always thought Armand
should!"
"Are you saying I look like one of Anne Rice's
vampires?" He tried to keep the annoying screech out of
his voice that seemed to show up when he was annoyed.
Kevin hated it. He hoped fervently that he could mimic
Kenshin's soothing mellow voice with practice. He would
certainly give it a good try.
"Is there something wrong with looking like a
beautiful immortal boy?"
Kevin sighed. "I suppose not." He didn't quite
understand his mother's nearly occult obsession with
Anne Rice, but to be compared to her favorite vampire
was a compliment indeed. "Now, what shoes?"
Snapping her fingers again "That's easy! The
Daljeets*." He thought again that he had entirely too
many pairs of shoes, but at least the Daljeets were sort
of normal looking. Patent leather they were, and also
very expensive, but not as pointy as some creepers, and
thankfully not platformed. The silver buckle would look
good with his tie tack, and his cuff links.
The deep rumble of the garage door opening
filtered through the wall clearly. His mother winked at
him "Maybe I can get your dad to let you take his
Prelude." Kevin could only shake his head. His mother
was being almost as nuts about this date as he was!
Presently, his father had come in, and had let
out a low whistle "Well, hello. What's the occasion?"
His mother nodded stupidly while speaking "Kevin
has a DATE. With a GIRL." He completely missed the
significance of his date being with a girl, but his
father smiled widely.
"Is that so? Going somewhere fancy? If not, you
are now." He found five thousand yen deposited in his
hand along with his father's prized, but never used,
Platinum Visa. Kevin could only blink in surprise at his
father's generosity.
He stared dumbly at the shiny plastic card in his
hand, only to be spooked when he found a set of car keys
dangling in front of his nose. "Take the Prelude, son.
Be careful, the driver side is opposite, you have to
shift with your left hand, and drive on the left side of
the road. If you dent her, you'll never driver her
again, and it will be out of your wallet to have the
dent pulled out." Kevin winced a bit, but nodded
dutifully. He headed back up to his room silently, not
about to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Once in the safety of his bedroom again, he
stared terrified at the shiny metal keys glinting almost
evilly on his bedspread. He remembered how to
drive...sort of. Plus with the differences of driver's
side, and everything being in kilometers.... He sighed
helplessly.
"Having doubts?" Nicky. Thank god. He was almost
glad that she could appear and disappear at will
whereever she chose.
"No, no doubts at all. Just..." He gestured
briefly to the car keys.
Nicky grimaced. "When did you need to meet
Kaori?"
Kevin looked at his wristwatch. "I still have an
hour. Besides my hair still needs to dry." He snatched a
hair tie off his dresser, and pulled his hair back into
its customary low ponytail. "Hey, where have you been
anyway? I've been at my wits' end trying to pick out
clothing!"
Nicky waved one hand, basically indicating that
she wasn't going to tell him. "Oh, here and there.
Nothing to concern you, my pretty friend. Anyway, I'll
give you a driving 101, if you would be so kind as to
meet me in the garage in two minutes." Nicky disappeared
into her signature puff of smoke. He stuffed the money
his father had given him, along with the credit card,
into his wallet, and was happy to see his California
Driver's License still safely tucked inside his wallet
as well. He had known how to drive. 'He' had done it
once; he could do it again. Just like if he really
tried, he probably still perform most of Hiten Mitsurugi
Ryu's special moves, with the exception of the ougi of
course. Scooping up the car keys, he went to meet Nicky
in the garage.
He spent a mere ten minutes remembering how to
shift, and use the clutch properly. Another ten getting
used to being on, what was for him, the passenger side
of the car. And yet another ten getting used to driving
on the wrong side of the road. But it only took him a
few minutes to figure out how the stereo worked (His dad
had a CD player in the dash. He was glad he remembered
to grab a few CDs before leaving the house) Nicky merely
patted him on the back, gave him a good luck hug, and
disappeared again. He wanted to get to Kaori's early. He
pulled up to the old dojo fifteen minutes early, his
speakers blaring Erasure, and he felt on top of the
world.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
* For all you Non-Gothic people, Daljeet used to be a
huge Gothic clothing store in San Francisco. They seemed
to specialize in patent leather. Think of it as a
designer brand of Gothic/Mod/Dark Wave people. Just as
expensive too. *sighs, remembering her own pair of
Daljeet creepers*
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A New Life, Part 6, B
You spin me right round, baby, right around
Like a record baby, right round, round, round
You Spin Me Round
Off the album Youthquake, By Dead or Alive
Kevin wasn't the only one who had trouble sleeping
that night. Kaori also lay awake, hers eyes focused
intently on the ceiling. However, unlike Kevin, who was
simply nervous, Kaori was experiencing full on panic.
Although she was safe, in her parent's house, in
her own room, in her own bed, she couldn't help but feel
terrified. What if what happened before, happened again?
She thought. She carefully reminded herself that what
HAD happened, had not been on their first date. It had
happened after she had broke up with Shiro. And besides,
Kevin didn't seem like the violent type...
There were a few things about Kevin that did scare
her. First, he had long hair, like Shiro, and he wore it
in a ponytail, only Shiro had worn it up higher. And
Kevin's hair didn't look sharp like Shiro's had.
Anything that reminded her of Shiro at all made her
edgy.
The other thing that scared her was that eerie
sense of familiarity she got whenever she saw Kevin. The
fact that the redheaded man in her dreams looked just
like him...she shivered involuntarily. She also felt
strange whenever she walked past the sword in the dojo
now. She had made the mistake of asking her father who
that sword had belonged to. She felt she had to confirm
her dream, and yet it scared her.
And her father HAD confirmed it. He had known the
story from family history, as well as history books. It
turned out that the sweet looking red-headed man had
been a famous assassin on the side of the Ishin Shishi
during Bakumatsu, THE most famous assassin of that war
in fact, Hitokiri Battousai. That was were recorded
history stopped and family legend started. The man's
true name had been Himura Kenshin, just as her dream had
said. She had discovered from her father that after the
war, he felt so bad about all the life he had taken that
he'd given up his katana for a Sakabatou; that backwards
bladed sword in the dojo; and had sworn never to kill
again. He'd wandered for ten years, before meeting and
saving the owner of the dojo at the time, Kamiya Kaoru.
She had asked him to stay and he had.
During his two year stay at the dojo, they seemed
to collect vagabonds- first, Myoujin Yahiko, her great
great grandfather, who had been all of ten years old,
and working for the local Yakuza. Then a streetfigher
type, named Sagara Sanosuke, and Megumi Takani, who
turned out to be from a family famous for their medical
skills; Megumi had been no exception. When they found
her, she had been making Opium for another local Yakuza
branch.
Then, suddenly, one day, Himura Kenshin had just
died in his sleep. No particular reason could be found-
he hadn't been poisoned, and there were no signs of
struggle or violence. In fact, he had died with a smile
on his face.
Kamiya Kaoru had been hopelessly in love with
him, regardless of the age difference, and after that
she had lived to teach, never married, and died without
an heir. She left the dojo to Yahiko, who had always
been her best student, and his wife Tsubame, and the
rest, as they say, is history.
And even stranger, now that she thought about it,
she had known all that, without ever asking.
Confirmation was what she had wanted, and that was
what she had gotten. The fact that Kevin looked exactly like
Kenshin had, simply without the scar, and had known
precisely how to use that shinai the moment he'd picked
it up made her think. Now if, in theory, there was a
connection, as Kevin had handled the shinai like he was
used to something heavier, that something heavier would
be a sword. More specifically, a Katana, or perhaps even
the Sakabattou.
Kaori mentally shook herself. Things like that
NEVER happen in real life. She was just being overly
romantic and paranoid, and combine that with lack of
sleep, and a minor blow to the head, no wonder she was
thinking strange things. What mattered was she had a
date with this strange and gorgeous boy tomorrow night.
What mattered was that her fear was completely out of
habit, and yet she KNEW with a certainty, that her fear
was completely unwarranted. If in fact, he had some
connection to the ex-assassin who had once lived in her
home, so long ago, she should feel completely safe, for
if her second suspicion was correct, she had been Kamiya
Kaoru. Kenshin had once sworn to protect Kaoru, and keep
her from worrying about him.
If all this WAS true, who else could she have
been? How else would she know these things? And if Kaoru
had died still in love with Kenshin, wouldn't that
explain her instant attraction to Kevin?
In the dark of her room, Kaori giggled softly.
She was indeed a hopeless romantic. Lovers separated by
death and reunited in the next life. It was almost
cheesy. However all this what if-ing had calmed her down
considerably. Thinking that Kevin had been Kenshin, no
matter how improbable that might be, took all her panic
and nervousness away. Making her resolve firm, she
decided two things; first, she would have fun on that
date tomorrow. Second, she was going to go to sleep
RIGHT NOW.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
She spent her whole school day completely zoned
out. Time and people passed by her without her
knowledge. Once or twice, she had looked Kevin's way,
and he had smiled, and nodded to her.
Of course none of this escaped the other girls in
the classroom. They all glared at her back, and although
she felt it, she staunchly ignored them. To her, most of
her female classmates were weak and simpering. It would
make her life easier if they liked her, but she didn't
particularly mind that they didn't either. She suspected
now, that it was her strange appeal to her male peers,
(she didn't understand it either) that made them hate
her. So, because she knew that she couldn't change
anyone's minds, weather they be male of female, she just
ignored them. What else could she do?
Other then that, school passed quickly, and
uneventfully. She had put up a notice earlier this
morning that Kendo practice canceled. After school as
she walked out the gate, she watched Kevin haul ass (the
only way she could describe it) down the street in what
she assumed was the direction of his house. She giggled
to herself, as she watched him, and his cloud of dust
disappear, and thought that she had been giggling a lot
lately. Shaking her head in self-annoyance, a wry smile
graced her mouth. She wasn't about to let herself become
a simpering female, a quality she disliked in anyone,
especially herself.
She walked home at a comfortable pace. When she
got there, she sat down and ate a few crackers and had a
glass of iced tea. She relaxed for a bit, then glanced
at the kitchen wall clock- 5:00PM. She padded up the
stairs, and into her bathroom, stopping briefly to
snatch her bathrobe of her inside doorknob. Turning the
on the tap, she ran herself a hot bath, and poured a bit
of a scented oil into her bath water. Relaxing
completely in the hot aromatic water, she let go of the
last of her nervousness with the help of a long history
in meditation.
After her soak, she toweled off, and headed back
in her bedroom. Kevin hadn't said if they were going
somewhere nice or not. She hoped they were because she
planed to dress nice; in fact she was going to wear the
only dress she owned. She had bought it along time ago
to wear to a Senior dance with Shiro, that they had
never gone to. It was a black satin affair, but not too
short nor too skimpy. It had wide shoulder straps and a
moderate square cut neckline. It fell to just above her
knee, and was cut to be form fitting, and yet concealing
at the same time. It had a small slit up one side of the
skirt, but neither did the slit go up very high, it just
enough to keep the skirt from impeding her walking.
However, she had grown since she had bought it
two years ago, and both her bust and her hips were
larger, making a not-so-skimpy dress look a little
slinkier then it should have been. However the effect
was not unpleasing; it still appeared to be rather
modest. If anything it complemented her figure more, and
made her waist look tiny.
And now to accessorize! She threw a black
cardigan over her dress and left it unbuttoned, with the
addition of a pair of small silver hoop earrings, and a
short silver necklace, she completed her outfit. Simple
yet classy. Perfect. Pulling her hair up high on her
head, she tied a long and wide black ribbon in it, and
let the ends trail into her hair.
Kaori was putting the finishing touches on her
hair, when she heard a car pull up. She glanced out the
window, and got a bit of a shock. She watched Kevin step
out of a car, and a rather nice one at that, and start
up the path to the house's front door. Kevin's family
could afford two cars? She winced a little as she
thought how much that fancy little Honda he was driving
had cost. That Kevin even knew how to drive...
She hurriedly applied a bit of gloss to her lips,
and checked her reflection again. Perfect. Just then the
doorbell chimed. She padded down the stairs, to find her
poor mother gapping at Kevin. She didn't blame her.
Kevin looked like something out of an American movie, to
be sure. Although his suit was all of a modern cut, he
still looked terribly old fashioned, and yet...She tore
her eyes away, and looked at her mother, who was still
gaping. Kaori only shook her head, grabbed her coat, and
sat down to fasten on her heels.
They were about to step out the door when her
mother recovered herself. "Stop right there! I need
pictures!" She scurried down the hall and returned a few
moments later with a camera. After arranging the poor
couple till they were practically hanging on each other,
she snapped a picture and scurried off, once again.
Kevin could only shake his head.
"What is it with parents today?" He whispered
loud enough for Kaori to hear.
"Yours too?" She thought that just her parents
were going batty today.
Kevin nodded earnestly. "Oh yeah. When mom told
dad that I had a date, suddenly I had car keys and a
credit card in my hand." He shook his head. "And now you
see, my mother has me dressed up like a vampire."
"It looks great." Kaori said helplessly now a
little worried. He was right, he did look downright
vampiric. That scared her just a little.
"You look better" He immediately shot back. It
was true- she didn't need the fancy clothes to look
beautiful. She'd look gorgeous in a burlap sack, naked,
or in Versace. It just didn't matter.
A faint blush had stained across Kaori's
cheekbones. Although she knew he was trying to stifle
it, Kevin had a "Forget dinner, can I have you instead?"
sort of look in his eyes. Although it made her nervous
again, it also made her insides jumble pleasantly and
warm in just the right places. Kevin was certainly a
vision himself. He exuded glamour, as incense gave off
smoke. Although he was not very tall, all the black made
him seem that way, and combined with his natural
slenderness, and his posture...well it wasn't helping
her jumbling insides at all. He was fairly broad-
shouldered, and the cut of his jacket even made him seem
more so, and he stood with his hips pressed forward,
hands in pockets. All of that, added to his brilliantly
glossy red hair, and deep purple eyes...she felt like
she was dating some kind of model or movie star.
She must have been silent for quite a while, or
perhaps she was starring something awful; but briefly he
looked confused. "Kaori-san is something wrong?" He
asked, the now familiar expression of worry etching
itself onto his face, making his eyebrows draw together,
and the skin around his eyes pucker slightly.
She gave herself a mental kick in the butt,
before replying "No, nothing is wrong at all!" She
punctuated that statement with a brilliant smile; "Well,
I think my mother is done fawning over us, shall we get
going before she decides she wants more pictures?"
This instantly wiped the worry of Kevin's face,
and he gave a low chuckle. "Good idea. Hey, turns out
while I was getting dressed my mother made reservations
at some Italian restaurant called Biba's. Have you heard
of it? Do you know where it is, because I sure don't."
A surprised gasp escaped Kaori's lips.
"Reservations at Biba's? I wonder how she managed to do
that! That's one of the most expensive restaurants in
town, and it's ALWAYS packed. And, yeah, I know where it
is. Let's go before they give our table away."
"They wouldn't really do that would they?" Worry
worked its way back into Kevin voice and face.
"They've done it before; they did it to my
parent's on their anniversary."
"Then we are leaving NOW." Kevin gently took hold
of Kaori's arm, and steered her out the door. Upon
reaching the car, he opened the door for her, and held
it until all her limbs were safely tucked inside. After
climbing inside himself, he looked over to find Kaori
shifting nervously. "A bit like a cockpit, isn't it?" he
asked with a grin. "Please keep hands and feet inside
the vehicle until we have to come a complete stop. Thank
you and enjoy your ride" He said jokingly in his best
announcer-esque voice. Kaori put a hand over her face
and tried to stifle a giggle. It didn't work.
The car came to life as soon as he turned the key
in the ignition. Since this was a sporty car, Kaori had
expected it to roar to life with all the ferocity of a
hungry lion. Instead it was very quiet; in fact it
purred very softly. Kevin punched a button on the dash
and music blared into the small car. He quickly turned
down the volume; he didn't want to deafen her.
On the way to the restaurant, Kevin amused her by
trying to sing the lyrics from his Erasure CD in
Japanese; he failed miserably, not in translation, but
in making the words fit. Knowing he sounded ridiculous,
he switched back to English. According to her, she
understood English just fine, and had been one of her
favorite subjects in school. And so he picked a song in
particular:
"Angel made in Heaven,
Oh, my one and true love,
Give me some of that action, reaction
Angel made in Heaven
Only one and true love,
Gimme some of that action!"*
The content of the song, Kaori understood
perfectly. She wondered if he had picked this one out to
get a message across.
"Arrow in my heart, we were meant to be
I knew it was my name you were calling
Celebration: now your standing next to me
Show love and emotion, I'm falling!"
She chose to ignore that verse, and everything it
could have meant. Now she wasn't sure if she was being a
hopeless romantic, or just being paranoid. If she wasn't
reading meaning into things that weren't there, why
would he want her to love him? Unless....
Unless her suspicions were correct. She couldn't
think about it anymore now, however. They had pulled up
in front of the restraint, and Kevin was stepping out,
and handing a liveried valet his keys. Yes, there was
plenty of time to think about this later. Right now, she
had promised herself she'd have fun, and she was going
to keep that promise.
* Erasure, Heavenly Action.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
--I don't want to start any blasphemous rumours,
But I think that God's got a sick sense of humour,
And when I die, I expect to find him laughing.--
Depche Mode, "Blasphemous Rumours"
A New Life, Part 7
"Nicky"
Nicky shifted in her regenerative state. She had
tired herself out earlier when she had re-taught Kevin
to drive.
"Nicky! Wake up!" the voice came, far more
insistent this time.
One eye opened drowsily to find an annoyed
heavenly ruler standing over her. Bounding to her feet,
she straitened her clothes and checked to see that she
was properly materialized.
The being nodded sharply. "That's better. You
haven't reported to me once since you started this
mission. I shouldn't have to come find you myself.
Report. NOW."
Nicky snapped her heels together and saluted
smartly, her skirt swishing around her legs with the
quick movement. "Yes, your Majesty!! My mission
objective was to help Himura Kenshin, in his
reincarnated state as Kevin Hannah, to find the
reincarnated Kamiya Kaoru, thought and confirmed to
Myoujin Kaori, and fulfill his wish to be with her
romantically. The purpose of his wish was for there to
be a more peaceful time and place where their
relationship would not be interrupted."
"My current mission status is as follows" Nicky
continued formally, "Kevin is out on a date with Kaori,
and appears to be doing fine in the modern world.
Something that was not part of his wish, but was an
added bonus was his age reduction to one nearly Kaori's
own. I believe it makes him more comfortable around
her."
The heavenly ruler nodded slowly. "So everything
is working out perfectly for him then?"
"Yes, Your Highness. He is adapting fine. That is
the end of my report."
The attractive androgynous face of the being that
ruled Heaven twisted into frightenly evil smile. "Good.
Time to throw a kink in the plot. I can't let him have
it that easy."
Nicky felt shock take her. "But...I thought you
were going to give him a break!" Her hands balled into
fists, fingernails digging painfully into her palms. "I
thought he was one of your favorites!"
The smile on God's face only widened and it
shrugged its shoulders. "So I lied. And he's one of my
favorites to PLAY with. You've worked for me for a long
time Nicky, you should know me better by now."
Closing her eyes tightly, she tried to press back
the tears. She had worked so hard to make sure nothing
went wrong this time. For once she had managed to do her
job perfectly. However, she understood the nature of
things now. God did not care if she actually completed
her mission. It only wanted to watch the troubles she
and her human charges suffered as they tried! Despite
her best efforts, the hot tears poured down her cheeks.
Poor Kevin. And he was so happy! He deserved it! Nicky
took a deep gulping breath to calm herself, her large
green eyes seeming all the larger magnified by tears,
and after a moment she spoke.
"With all due respect Your Majesty, I believe
that you should take pity on him, and let him rest and
enjoy himself for a lifetime." Nicky's head was
inclined. She was really pushing her luck now.
God's eyes narrowed sharply. "If I cared what
you, a simple heavenly guide, thought of how I go about
my business, I would have had you appointed to the
Council long ago. Remember your place!"
Nicky raised her head and matched God's hard
stare. "Forgive me, Your Highness. I've overstepped."
She tried to keep the sarcasm from dripping off her
words, but still a hint remained. "May I ask what you
have in store for him, that I may prepare more
sufficiently?"
She heard God scoff, and raised her head again.
"Of course not. It won't very interesting to watch if
you are prepared." With a curt wave of it's hand, God
banished Nicky back to her earthly state.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
All he could do was watch intently as she picked
through her food. Even the way she pushed the food
around on her plate...And so he stared, his own plate of
pollo marsala* forgotten long ago.
Kaori wasn't really eating either. She was
literally pushing her food from one side of the plate to
the other. How could she possibly eat when Kevin was
staring at her THAT WAY?? At school he was okay, because
he had to wear that same all consuming uniform that all
the other boys did. School uniforms are never
flattering. However, now seeing him outside of school,
he dressed and carried himself completely different. And
he always stood hands in pockets, his hips pressed
forward, causing his back to bow in such a way... She
mentally shook herself. Her insides hadn't stopped their
gymnastics either. In fact they must be getting a really
good workout, because she was warm, almost sweating. She
knew very well what this feeling was; it had been there
with Shiro, but was so very pitifully small compared to
this.
Kevin had leaned forward, elbows on the table,
his hands forming a bridge to support his chin. "You've
stopped eating."
Kaori jumped, and couldn't stifle her nervous
laughter. "Well of course I've stopped eating! You're
staring at me! And your not eating either."
A tiny grin sneaked onto Kevin's face; "I'm not
staring. I am admiring. If you want me to, I'll quit." A
hint of something he wasn't aware of had sneaked into
his voice, but Kaori picked it up clearly.
"You are staring!" Kaori insisted. "Your eyes say
you'd rather have ME for dinner then your food!" She
wasn't sure she was comfortable with where this was
going. She was far too attracted to this boy for her own
safety, and obviously the feeling was more then mutual.
Instantly, his eyes changed, from the warmth that
was making her squirm in her chair, to sadness. The
purple, which had acquired an alarming pink tinge in the
last half-hour, became a deep blue, as the pink tinge
left them. His head lowered, and cocked to the side,
allowing her nothing but the view of an eyelid, and
eyelashes. "I'm sorry. I've made you uncomfortable..."
He flagged the nearest waiter, and flashed his father's
credit card, calling for his check.
He kept forgetting that this wasn't Kaoru in
front of him. Well it was her, but it wasn't. This
person had had something awful happen to her at the
hands of someone she had loved. But persons' Ki could
only tell you so much. Currently it was telling him
things he was sure she wouldn't want him to know. She
was fairly glowing with sexual energy, and she was
obviously uncomfortable with the feeling. He understood,
because if bad stuff went down with her ex, then of
course she would be uncomfortable. All he could do was
mentally kick himself, and apologize. Sometimes he
wished that THAT ability had stayed gone.
Although...he wasn't quite used to this kind of
tension either. After he'd gone on his journey, part of
his penance had been abstinence. So when Kaoru had
flirted, he'd ignored it. He sighed as they brought him
the check, and he tucked the card inside, and the waiter
went to scan it. He looked back up at Kaori then, to
find her eyes shining with tears.
"Oh no..." he reached forward across the table to
take one of her hands. "Please, don't feel like you've
done anything wrong! You haven't. I've made you
uncomfortable, so it's my fault." Something about this
only made the tears rise faster and they now threatened
to spill over.
How could anyone be so nice? He had to be the
sweetest person she'd ever met. He said it was his fault
when it wasn't. It was all her. She shouldn't be
uncomfortable, after so long. Perhaps it wasn't the
feeling itself, just it's intensity? That was something
she'd just have to figure out. But she wasn't going to
let herself cry in the restaurant. She'd wait until they
left...or at least she was going to try.
He'd gotten his dad's credit card back, and now
they could leave. He offered Kaori his hand, and she
stood up, and let him lead her out of the restaurant.
The valet retrieved the car, and he made a quick surve
y for new dents; his dad would kill him if there were.
Luckily there were none, so they could leave. Once in
the car, he turned the music back on, but quietly, and
put in something less bouncy then Erasure. He figured
London Suede would fit the mood better.
She seemed to be calming down a little, but he
didn't want to risk it. He pulled the Prelude into a
fairly empty parking lot, and parked the car under a
light.
Kevin turned in his seat to look at her. "Do you
want to talk about it?" He asked gently.
Shaking her head, Kaori whispered, "I don't think
I could explain it to you. It's strange..."She paused
for a moment, searching for the words. Telling him of
her odd theory was out of the question, as was talking
about Shiro. "Part of it DOES have to do with...what
happened last time. But...I feel like I've met you
before. Like I've known you for a long, long time.
That's what confuses me most."
A little bit of shock followed by a lot of
elation filtered through Kevin's brain as her words sunk
in. That was definitely a good start! Maybe in time, she
would remember WHERE she knew him from. When or if she
did... everything would be perfect.
Kaori glanced up then, to see what Kevin's face
could tell her. He looked strangely happy at what she
had said. Perhaps he felt it too? No...that would be too
weird...and further confirm her odd theory of
reincarnation.
But did she really want it to be confirmed? It was
one thing to find out her dreams were in fact events,
but to really discover that by chance you are dating a
person you loved in a previous live...that would point
to order in the universe that just couldn't be there.
Perhaps she had developed a bad case of pessimism since
Shiro, but people just DON'T get that lucky.
But, what if they did? Was it really so hard to
believe? She looked back up at Kevin, his concerned face
looking at her waiting patiently for her to continue her
explanation. They were so comfortable with each other;
it almost felt like they had been together for a long
time. Kevin was certainly different from most guys.
Anyone else would have taken her home and never talked
to her again, if she had started crying in a restaurant
like that. The next morning everyone in school everyone
would know how 'weird' she was. Instead, he had taken
her somewhere quiet, and asked if she wanted to talk
about it.
Quite suddenly, she realized something. She
WANTED it to be true. She wanted to believe that
something out there, whether it was God or whatever
anyone wanted to call it, could be kind enough to give
the love of her life back to her. She glanced up at
Kevin again. The love of her life? Kenshin had been the
love of Kaoru's life. And she wanted to believe, so she
would believe.
"Kaori-san...Are you okay?" She had been silent
for a long time, as if lost deeply in thought. Every
once in a while she'd look up at him and smile just a
little bit, like she was remembering something from a
long time ago. It took a while for his question to reach
her. She looked up and smiled again.
"Yeah. I'm okay. I may be better off now then
I've ever been. " Her smile widened as she spoke. "I was
wondering...I hope I don't sound dumb...but do you
believe in fate?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kevin parked the Prelude in his garage, and sat
back in the cockpit style seat. When she had smiled at
him and asked him if he believed in fate, his heart had
nearly stopped. He almost couldn't breath. She hadn't
explained the elusive comment, but he had a feeling
parts of Kaoru were coming back to her. They were
probably vague impressions of half-forgotten feelings,
but it seemed to be enough. They didn't end up going to
a movie, but had sat in the car and talked for an hour
and a half.
Their date hadn't been what he'd expected, but he
felt that it had turned out BETTER. When he'd dropped he
her off, he'd gotten out to open the car door for her,
and walked her to the gate that still lined the yards of
the old dojo.
"Do you mind if I kiss you goodnight?" He'd
asked, knowing very well that it might not be okay; he
still had no idea what had happened with her ex, in fact
she wouldn't even say his name out loud. That subject
had been completely avoided during their talk in the
car.
She'd blushed darkly, and in the glaring light of
the street lamp he could see her nose and her cheekbones
stained a vivid shade of pink. He almost though she was
going to say no, but after a moment she nodded her
assent.
Once again he'd felt his heart skip, and his
breathing halt. Not even daring to put his arms around
her, although he would desperately love to do so, he'd
merely taken her hands and pressed a soft, chaste kiss
to her mouth, only lingering slightly. After a whispered
goodnight, he watched her walk inside, before climbing
into the car, and driving home.
He heaved a contented sigh, and pulled the keys
out of the ignition. He locked up the car, and went in
through the door that led into the kitchen, to find both
his mother and father waiting up for him.
He proudly held out the car keys to his father.
"No dents!" he proclaimed happily. "I told the valet
that I would kill him if there were any." His father
nodded, and took the keys from him.
"Kevin" his mother said seriously. "How did it
go?"
"Perfect. Great. Better then perfect." Heaving
yet another contented sigh, he fell into one of the
kitchen table chairs.
"Did ya kiss her?" His parents said in unison as
they leaned forward over the table expectantly.
Kevin drew himself up, and tried to look
insulted, but couldn't pull it off. He was secretly too
proud of himself for it to work. "Maybe." Was all he
said, shooting his parents a sidelong glance through
narrowed eyes.
His parents smiled at each other. "He kissed
her." his dad said though a large grin.
"He certainly did." his mother replied through an
equally large grin. All of a sudden though, she went
serious. "Kevin we have a piece of news for you."
He perked up again. News? That didn't sound good.
"What kind of news?" He asked, worry creeping into his
voice.
His parents shot each other unreadable glances,
before his mother continued. "That depends. Remember
that tall guy with the brown hair you were dating when
we moved? He called tonight. He's coming with his father
on a business trip over here. He said he wanted to see
you while he was here."
Kevin felt his night go from wonderful to horrid
in two seconds flat. This was a part of "Kevin's"
memories that he hadn't paid attention to. It seemed
he'd overlooked something quite important. How was he
going to explain -this- to Kaori? He could only hope she
was liberal.
Silent, he left the kitchen table, and headed up
the stairs. His parents watched him disappear with
worried looks etched into both their faces.
"Do you think now is a bad time to ask for my
credit card back?" His father whispered.
Jenice could only look at her husband in
amazement. "Yes. I think this is a very bad time. Ask
for it in the morning. I don't think I should have given
that boy our address. Oh well, it's too late now."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kevin wandered up the stairs to his bedroom in a
daze. "That boy I was dating" he said quietly to
himself, as he opened his bedroom door. He was too
shocked even to panic.
He stepped into his bedroom to find a bawling
Nicky sitting on his bed. Momentarily forgetting his own
problem, he tired to understand Nicky through her
hiccups
"Kevin!" She exclaimed. "I have some *hiccup* bad
news. God called me in for a report. *hiccup* When it
heard how well you were doing, *hiccup* it decided it
was time to play with your life again! I tried to talk
it out of it, but it wouldn't listen to me! I'm so
sorry, I tried, I really did!"
Oh. Well that explained things, now didn't it?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I want to thank Miyu-chan for flattering me, and
Sakka-chan for curing my writer's block. Even more
thanks to Miss Led; she is a big part of why this is
readable ^_^
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Part 8
"How can I explain,
When there are few words I can choose?
How can I explain,
When words get broken?
Erasure, Chains of Love
A tall boy, very obviously foreign to the
neighborhood, and in fact, the country, stood calmly
outside the high school gates. Female students looked at
him for a moment in awe, before scurrying away, suddenly
frightened.
Until you looked at him closely, this boy seemed
much older then his 18 years, much older indeed. It was
impossible to tell if it was from the hard-bitten
experiences of a childhood gone awry, or if that was
simply the way he was.
He was very tall, easily over 6 feet, his spiky
hair a shiny dark brown, except for the long bits that
fell over his forehead and into his eyes. Those had been
bleached to a very contrasting white. The rest of his
hair had been ratted out, and coated in hairspray until
it stood up nearly strait. His clothing was just as
outrageous as his height and his hair. He wore a pair of
black riding breeches, the kind that ballooned out on
the side, and over them was a pair of knee-high black
boots that had been strait-laced skin-tight. The domed
toe announced a steal plate hidden under the thick
leather. Thick creamy lace was sewn to the cuffs and
collar of his poet shirt, and from his neck and wrists
jingled the distinctive presence of a bondage collar,
and matching bracelets.
The high school students walking past him on
their way home could only stare. The closest thing to
this they had seen was a J-rocker, but this boy lacked
the shiny/glitteryness they tended to have.
The boy finally noticed the crowd of curious
students gathering a respectful distance from him.
Through his hair, they all saw his eyes slide their way,
and his gaze held the thinly veiled threat of violence.
The crowd scattered quickly, and no one stopped to stare
after that.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kevin felt a disgusting amount of pride as he and
Kaori walked through the halls to the exit. As they left
the classroom, she's taken his hand, and smiled. He been
shocked for a moment; he'd thought she wouldn't want
anyone to know, especially all the boys she's turned
down. He was happy to see he'd been wrong.
He simply couldn't believe his luck. It had
almost been too easy. And now as they walked down the
hall, many angry and envious stares beat against their
backs. Sometimes he was glad that he had gotten back
some of his ki reading ability; like now, there was no
fighting ki floating around. Just envy. And other times,
like their date, he just didn't need to know.
They walked out the large double doors that led to
the huge expanse of lawn that graced the front of the
school. As they stepped out, almost on cue, a tall boy
stepped from behind the high plaster wall that lined the
lawn, and in through the gates.
Panic stitched itself in Kevin's stomach, and
crawled through his veins, making his body go numb, and
begin to tingle. *HIM* That spiky brown hair was
unmistakable, and if not that, the slanted brown eyes,
even lined in kohl, certainly were. Currently, they were
narrowed dangerously at the girl on his arm.
The recognition had hit him on two levels. The
part of him that was Kenshin still recognized the
exterior to be that of Sanosuke, while Kevin saw only an
ex-boyfriend he had never expected to see again.
Kaori felt Kevin stop. It was so sudden she
almost didn't stop walking. She also felt Kevin self-
consciously pull his hand out of hers. Shock was quickly
replaced by a deep hurt she couldn't explain. As if
something she had worked very hard for was being
cheerfully taken away. She felt that withdrawal as
easily as she handled her bokken.
That was when Kaori noticed the tall boy standing
far down the path to the gate. A strange looking
character indeed, his clothing so foreign as to be
unplaceable to her. His glossy brown hair stood on end
as if he had put his hand in an electric socket. And
yet...somehow, he looked familiar, similar to how Kevin
had looked familiar to her, only there was a different
sentiment attached to this one. The actual boy in front
of her sparked a touch of fear, but the feeling his
memory gave her was one of long friendship, and
protection. The memory told her not to worry; the boy in
front of her told her to run.
She looked from the tall boy back to Kevin. His
face showed a panic she'd never expected. Did this tall
boy come to hurt him? Kevin was fairly small and
slender. He didn't look like he would do well in a fight
with someone that large.
(He won last time, why should this be different?)
Damn! She was hearing those voices again! She
still didn't know what they were, or what part of her
brain they came from, but so far they had never lied to
her.
Striding confidently down the path, the tall
brown haired boy came towards them, and he came to a
stop some ten feet from them.
"So Kevin, who's your bitch?" Kaori didn't
recognize the English word bitch, but Kevin's eyes and
face hardened to that of a stone figure. She knew from
the rest of the sentence that he was referring to her,
and from the look on Kevin's face, the word must have
been something derogative.
"My parents told me you were coming. I hoped they
had lied to me. You haven't changed at all have you? But
then I haven't been gone very long either." Kevin ground
the out the English words; his teeth bared in what would
almost be a feral snarl. Kaori had never seen Kevin like
this, had never thought his face could become so
frightening.
(--But when he was angry, his eyes became the most
chilling yellow.)
After her brain's last wayward interjection, she
couldn't help but look over, and wonder if Kevin's eyes
had indeed turned yellow. She had seen them change color
before. After looking, she quickly turned her head back,
and looked at the concrete with a great deal of
interest. Perhaps her imagination was overactive but she
could swear she could almost see the yellow-gold flecks
gathering and multiplying in his normally purple irises.
Kevin tore his eyes away from the tall boy, and
back to his new girlfriend. He could sense the confusion
and fright wafting off her. He took one of her hands
again, and with his other, he raised her chin so she
would meet his eyes. For some reason, she was studying
the concrete with great intensity.
"Kaori...look at me." He had switched back to
Japanese. She looked back up, her gaze tentatively
touching his. "This is someone who I used to know from
where I used to live. I don't have time to explain the
details to you now, but he is angry with me. I would
feel better if you left for now, and I will explain
things to you later. Also, before you go, can I borrow
your bokken?"
"My bokken?" Kaori hesitantly touched her
favorite practice bokken where stuck out of her school
bag at a jaunted angle. She preferred her own bokken to
the shinai the school provided, so she carried it to and
from school on practice days. "What do you need my
bokken for?"
Kevin choose his words carefully, not certain of
what was going to happen once she left. "I was thinking
I should get some extra practice in. Is it okay? I'll
give it back tomorrow, I promise." He tried to smile
reassuringly, but she probably knew that his smile was
forced.
That smile is sooooo FAKE, Kaori thought, eyeing
Kevin's face with trepidation. What he had said wasn't
exactly a lie, but nor was it the truth. But it was a
fact, either way.
"Fine. A sword is for protection. Remember that,
okay?" She pushed the old wooden practice sword into his
hand and then quickly kissed the hand that still held
her other. With that she ran past him, and then past the
tall boy, and out the gate.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kevin watched Kaori sprint out the gateway, and
then turned back to the tall boy.
"Samuel Sanguinetti, I am NOT happy with you."
Kevin eyed the other boy's tall frame as he shrugged his
massive shoulders. "And she is not my 'bitch'. She is my
girlfriend."
Sam stepped forward to where Kevin stood, and
poked the shorter boy in the chest. "But Kevin, you
don't like -girls-, remember? And I don't recall us ever
breaking up, do you?"
Kevin stepped back and threw up his hands. "This
is not the place to discuss this! Just because they are
Japanese, doesn't mean they can't understand us, you
know! Follow me, okay?"
Kevin led Sam back to his house. The sat down on
the porch, Kevin against a wooden post, Kaori's bokken
resting against his shoulder comfortably. If it were
only a little heavier, Kevin thought, missing his
sakabattou for the first time since his reincarnation.
He never thought he would need to use a sword of any
kind again, wooden or otherwise, but everything about
Sam's posture told him otherwise.
Sam had leaned back against an opposite wooden
post, but remained standing, his arms crossed over his
chest, one leg crooked, and his foot on the post. "So
are we going to talk like good little flamers? We
couldn't ruin out clothes, now could we?" Sam bit out.
Kevin looked up into Sam's angry face. "Perhaps
you noticed that my significant other is now female?
Whether we were or are gay has nothing to do with this.
You say we never broke up? Well fine. Then I'm dumping
you. I'm with Kaori now. I know you're not the type to
stay friends with your ex's so maybe you should just--
AAH!!"
"I don't like this cold politeness Kevin. You are
not breaking up with me." Sam hauled Kevin up by his
shirt front. Or he attempted to. He felt a blow hit his
chest, to see Kevin -flying- away, and after a perfect
back flip in mid air, he landed in a crouch several feet
away on his lawn. Sam stared at him in amazement. The
blow wasn't enough to hurt him, or knock him down, but
he couldn't believe what his eyes told him he'd seen.
Kevin had rebounded off his chest using his feet, and
landed perfectly. He'd never know Kevin to be terribly
coordinated unless he was dancing, and certainly not
athletic to the extent necessary to perform that cute
little stunt. But he had done it, almost as if he'd been
doing such things for years.
"How...how did you do that?" Sam sputtered,
taking an instinctive step towards Kevin. He stopped in
midstride when he saw through the shadows that the
fringe of flame colored hair created. Eyes that were
normally a warm purple burned a frozen blue now. That
was the only word Sam had for it. They burned.
The figure in front of his stood up slowly, so
that more then anything he appeared to -uncoil-. He
couldn't think of the cold figure in front of him as
Kevin. He had been warm, and almost girlish at times.
Even before he'd gotten angry, Kevin had still been
completely different from when he'd left California.
That 'Oh no, my favorite shirt! This was a Gucci
too!" attitude was gone. The severe black slacks and
high- collared jacket suited the remote person in front
of him; it would not have suited Kevin at all.
But strangely enough, even as foreign as this
person seemed there was something so familiar about it.
He could remember seeing Kevin this angry once before,
but he couldn't really remember when. Something to do
with a police officer... Sam shook his head briskly to
clear his thoughts.
Kevin watched the confusion march across Sam's
hansom face. But through the confusion also showed a
great amount of hurt. Sam probably had loved Kevin, he
thought to himself, momentarily forgetting that he was
Kevin now. How strange it was to think like one person,
and be another! But now was not the time to back down.
"Look, I'm sorry about this." Kevin's posture had
softened considerably. After all...he could very well be
looking at who Sano had become. "But really. I have a
girlfriend now. You live in an entirely different
country..."
Sam shook his head, almost wearily. "You're not
Kevin. You act nothing like Kevin did. That sword in
your hand may be wooden, but you seem to know how to use
it. Kevin didn't know how to fight; he was a dancer.
You're not Kevin." Sam repeated as he looked up at him,
pain evident in his chocolate brown eyes.
"I am Kevin." He insisted. "I am. I'm just not
the one you're used to. Things are different now."
A pained chuckle crossed with a sob left Sam's
chest. "Che. I guess they are." He straitened his
shoulders, pain evident in his posture. Part of him did
remember this boy more fondly; part of him remembered
everything about this boy. To part of me, Kevin thought,
this boy was my lover. I will miss him. And I don't want
him to leave so sad.
"Do you mind...if I kiss you goodbye?" Sam
whispered, bringing Kevin back out of his memories. "I
mean, I'm sure I'll never see you again, so..."
If it will make him feel better...Kevin let that
thought trail off in his head, as he nodded his okay.
Sam stepped forward, and swept him up in his arms, for a
moment only burrowing his face in Kevin's hair. Kevin
had never remembered feeling so small; Sam was extremely
tall, and now he could feel his feet dangling six inches
off the ground.
It was shock when Sam kissed him. It was as if
Sam was trying to devour something important inside of
him, so that he could take it home with him. It was
overwhelming to be attacked this way...but somehow
pleasant....
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kaori has stopped short when she saw Kevin
literally bounce off the taller boys chest, and had been
completely shocked when she saw him execute a back flip,
and land in a fluid crouch some distance away. She had
followed them when they left the school grounds. Even
though something in her head had told her Kevin could
take care of himself, she wanted to be there, just in
case he needed her help. But from the litte stunt he
just preformed, it seemed he was far more adept, then
she could have ever guess, and had probably even been
holding back during all their Kendo practices. Although
it was obvious now that Kevin would indeed be fine, just
as that mysterious piece of her brain that had taken to
talking to her had said, she still wanted to stay.
For awhile the just stood cross for each other,
and occasionally, one of the two would make some kind of
angry gesture. Eventually though, Kevin's posture
softened, and the taller boys' became more and more
dejected. But that was all she could see from a little
more then half a block away.
Eventually it seemed the Kevin had softened
entirely, and the tall boy swept him up in a bear hug,
with Kevin's feet dangling some six inches off the lawn.
But then the taller boy kissed him! She watched her
boyfriend slide his arms around another BOY'S neck, as
though he didn't mind....
Maybe he didn't? But...Scenes from another time
swept through her head. Last time had been much worse,
but at least it had been a girl...Kaori didn't even
realize she was crying, until she realized that the
distant forms had blurred to being unrecognizable. She
had been right earlier when she had felt something
slipping away...
Without another glance, Kaori turned and ran.