For those of you who have read this before, okaeri! For those of you 
that are 
new here, good timing. I have to say that this version is a -lot- better. 
It's a whole lot clearer and more coherent (In general, I'm a rather 
incoherent person, so...) Anyway
most of this fic's improvment is due to a nice guy named Larry, who knows 
when to
be mean. ^_^ Wait. That didn't make sense. >.< You know what I mean. Anyway, 
thanks also go to Daniel Jacobson for moral support. <cut to scene>

Nicky: *being strapped into a strait jacket* "I'm going to kill him!!"

Daniel: *shakes his head sadly* "Nicky....your prereader is here to help you, 
if you'll
only let him."

	<cut back> Okay. Here it is. Have a field day. C&C is MORE then 
welcome. (As long as it's constructive!)  Be harsh. Be cruel. Make me cry if 
you have to. It's all for the best....

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nicky Townsend  
battousai@licensedtokill.com
Battou1028@aol.com
ICQ#:38753697

	Disclaimer: Obviously, I am not so brilliant as to think up 
wonderful characters like those in Rurouni Kenshin. That honor 
goes to Watsuki Nobuhiro alone. I also have no musical talent, so 
also obviously, I didn't write the song, "A New Life" That goes 
entirely to the two brilliant minds that make up the Pet Shop 
Boys.

	All lyrics are used with out permission and are the God-
given property of the people who wrote them, the bands who 
preformed them, the music companies who recorded them, and 
anyone else I may have forgotten.

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

 
			A New Life, Part 1
 
"Stars collect overhead 
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

	The market was already crowded when Kenshin arrived, having 
risen early to get the daily shopping out of the way. You'd never 
know how much tofu three people could eat until you have to go 
and buy it everyday, he thought wryly to himself as he maneuvered 
deftly through the throng of people. He shook his head at how 
domestic his thoughts had become of late, and continued on.
	
	Domestic indeed, a very small, sarcastic part of his mind 
shot back at him. He squelched the voice as instantly as it 
appeared. He didn't need any of that now. Things had slowed down
considerably. They had all gotten so used to all kinds of crisis 
popping up out of nowhere, that it had become nearly impossible 
to relax one's guard.

	Not that I -like- all that excitement, Kenshin added to 
himself. It was just that the comparative silence that had 
surrounded the dojo of late had given him the feeling that this 
was the calm before the storm. He hurried on through the market 
to the appropriate stalls, and quickly purchased 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, smiling at those that greeted. The 
need to be home overwhelmed him, and he found himself hastening 
his steps. He couldn't for the life of him figure out what had 
made him so edgy.

	"Sir?" 

	"Oro?" Kenshin spun around so quickly he almost splashed 
the poor man with whey from the tofu bucket. He looked the man 
over for a moment, wondering briefly how the seemingly normal man 
had sneaked up on him so easily. He seemed to be a normal 
peddler, if even a poorer one then most. 
 
	The second of cold evaluation passed, and the usual warm 
smile returned to light Kenshin's face as he greeted the peddler. 
"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 wouldn't 
hurt to just look. And if it would make the old peddler feel 
like he had done something good, then why not?  

	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 from his beat-up brown pack. "This 
mirror is said to be able to show events happening anywhere in 
the world! I have been told, however, that it prefers to choose 
its' owner" The old man read the barely hidden wince off Kenshin 
face and placed the mirror back in his pack. After digging 
through the deeper recesses of his bag, he pulled out a worn 
velvet case. After carefully lifting the top off, he proudly 
displayed its contents. "These earrings are said to give flawless 
skin to whomever 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...But it's not as 
if you'd have to tell her that's what they were for!" Pouting, 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." Kenshin protested. 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." 

	Kenshin chuckled at that, and shook his head. "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 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. White arcs of lighting danced in the distance, and the 
sudden boom of thunder startled Kenshin out of his reverie. 
"Oro...? It looks like it's going to rain." With that he hurried 
through gate to the safety of Kaoru-dono's strudy old house, and 
back to people who had become his family.  

Later that night.... 

	He'd been yawning all through dinner, and as soon as he 
finished the dishes, he quietly excused himself. Now 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? 
Happiness? Wasn't that selfish of him? Shouldn't he wish for all 
the internal conflicts of Japan to end?

	He shook his head roughly. How was wanting happiness for 
himself selfish? Hadn't he done his part, and then some? He 
wanted to be able to live somewhere where his past wouldn't hound 
him, someplace where he didn't -need- to protect Kaoru-dono, 
where they could perhaps have a life together... 

	He picked up his sakabatou from where it lay beside his 
futon, and carefully removed it from its 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...

	Sleep overtook Kenshin easily, as if sinking into the 
welcome darkness of death itself. A peaceful smile played on his 
handsome face, and he slipped into blissful unconciousness.


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


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


			A New Life, Part 2


 
	"Oi! Kenshin!!"

	Someone was in his room. Pure reflex tore him from the 
comfort of his futon, his hand making a swipe for his sakabatou. 
He came up to his feet a mere second later, his feet planted 
firmly in battou-jutsu stance, his sword hand hovering over the 
hilt. 

	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 that your wish has been granted." 
The being began. "God, IHVH*, Allah, Yahweh, or Kami-sama, whatever 
you choose to call it, likes you. It's been watching you for many 
lives, and Its 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, you've died, and have been reborn. Deal 
with it. Your current awareness will be channeled into your new 
body shortly. Kaoru never married, instead throwing herself 
whole-heartedly into the dojo. Now, since your wish focused on 
Kaoru and yourself being together, she'll be in your next life 
as well. 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, you're going to 
have Kevin's memories to deal with, and you may become confused. 
But never fear, after a while the blending will feel normal." 

	The being placed it's palms on his temples, and pressed 
lightly. "Get ready to awaken!" 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. The part of him that 
had been a peaceful rounin 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? 
There was a going to be a language problem, but God, being God of 
course, foresaw it and fixed it already. We had to mess with 
Kevin's memories a little, but here's the cover story: You had a 
friend who was really in to anime, who convinced you to take 
Japanese at school with him. 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. "What you're thinking is only 
partially true. You and Kevin have always shared a soul. So in 
fact, you have always been with him. All people carry the 
memories of their past lives with them, all I did was wake your 
memories up inside Kevin, and allow you to continue as if you 
never died. Did that make sense?" 

	"So your saying that every life I've ever lived is still 
stored inside me somewhere; I just don't remember them?" He 
couldn't help but allow a touch of skepticism to enter his tone. 

	"That's right. Well, some people remember more then others. 
Compared to most, you remember a great deal of your past lives. 
There is a reason you were so good with your sword. You've been 
accumulating the skills over many lives!" 

	He contemplated that revelation for a moment. "What about 
Kaoru-dono?" He asked hesitantly after a moment, unsure as to how 
everything would fit together.

	"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 similarities between your Kaoru, and who she is now."

	"Okay listen closely, this is important! While most of 
the world has become fairly liberal, Japan is one of the main 
exceptions. They've gotten insane over the subject of sex, and 
public displays of affection. While kissing your girlfriend in 
public in America would be fairly natural, you'd get a lot of 
dissaproving stares where you're going. Not to mention that they 
tend to be walking stress cases. They freak out about work and 
school very easily. Japan has had the highest rate of teenage 
suicide for exactly that reason for many years. Wakari de gozaru 
ka?" 

	"Hai de gozaru!"

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

	"Yare, yare..."

	"There! Anyway, you may find modern Japan to be a royal 
pain, so I'm here to help you if you get yourself in trouble. If 
you have questions, just call for me, and I'll apprear. So, do 
you feel ready to jump into the fray?"

	"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 you 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 keikogi and hakama. Those pants looked 
unforgivingly tight.  

	Scrubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he heaved himself out 
of bed, and promptly fell on the floor. Western bed, his brain 
supplied, not a futon. Bracing his forearms on the floor he 
pushed himself up, 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, that 
new little voice in his brain supplied. After digging through a 
couple of them, he produced a pair of white socks. Not 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 itself 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 seemed to 
have something of every kind. The variety went from shiny, 
platformed, and animal printed to very drab and normal. He eyed 
one pair in particular; fuzzy leopard printed creepers (he 
somehow 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. Quickly pulling on a lone 
pair of beaten up running shoes, 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 had 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 steadily 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 what?" Nicky stood 
indignantly behind him, tapping her black booted foot impatiently.

	"Gomen, Nicky-dono" He tried to sound sincere, but couldn't 
manage it properly. Nicky's posture and expression were so 
comical, that it was all her could do not to laugh.

	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 too 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, 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 of the two.

	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, nothing 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 her-
self in her assigned seat; it was 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 
Captain, 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 overheard, 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 too terribly much about her clothes (as long as they 
matched and were clean), and she certainly didn't care about what 
they thought of her. 

	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 quiet, 
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 spiky blonde hair 
and huge green eyes waved brightly to no one in particular. "-and 
this is Kevin Hannah." 

	A slender boy of medium height 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 soft purple 
eyes earnest. 

	Kaori felt her heart stop 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. 

	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. Making her way out the classroom door as quickly as 
possible, she stopped and waited patiently for the new boy, 
Kevin, to follow.

	This was going to be an interesting day all right. 


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