RK: Hello! Yes, I know, first fic, but hey, give me a chance! A well used idea with a slight twist, though I'm still working on it myself….hehe. Well, read and review, please? Constructive criticism appreciated!

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, then only things I own are the plat. Nothing else is mine. All belong to Nobuhiro Watsuki……darn

RK: And I have a few flashbacks. Kenshin remembering. Important, even though they are pretty close together. Gives some background information.

Summary: ok, let's lets say Kenshin is an assassin for the government and a soldier in the army. Let'sLets also say that he doesn't use a gun, but an ancient style of swordsmanship passed down through generations in his family. Let'sLets also put this story in 2004, the three years after 9/11. And, let'slets also say that he just got out of the army, leaving the hundreds he has killed behind him and deciding to further his education by going to high school. And, for appearances sake, let'slets have him as Hitokiri Battosai, the man of legends. No one really knows who he is, for he fights in the shadows and no one has ever truly seen him and lived to tell about it, even with a gun.

Now, Kenshin Himura shows up as a sophomore in Satoshi High school at the beginning of the year. He is a moody, withdrawn teen. Okay, for those who have seen the TV show or read the manga, all those battles he fought, well, lets just say there will be some interesting high points in this story. And what'swhats up with gym class? Why are they teaching Kendo the second week of school? And how will Kenshin fair during the physical test the first week? Hee, I'mim so evil!- Oh, and some of the stuff about the war isn't true. I just put it there for my own purposes.

Some of the characters are OOC because they have to be. And keep in mind, Kenshin only left the battosai side of him behind a little over a week ago, so he's going to be a little different than the Kenshin we have all come to know and love!

A hectic first day

"Hey, Sano, have you heard that that guy, the battosai, left the army? All that's been said is that he disappeared. Not one of the governments agents have been sent after that killer either!"

The speaker was a short kid with spiky black hair and dark eyes. He looked to be about fourteen. The person he was talking to was twice as tall, though his hair was even worse than the shorterother boy's.

"I bet their all too scared to go after him. The rumors say he's six feet tall with arms like tree trunks. They probably don't want to have the chance to fail at trying to capture him. I'd love to get my hands on him though. After all he was the one who single handedly obliterated my father and all his guards." Sano looked wistfully around, his eyes not seeming to look at anything in particular, that is, until the bell rang.

"Well, Yahiko, you'd better get to class. Don't wanna be late your first day in high school! See ya third for PE!" (Okok, for appearances sake, Yahiko has to be IN the school for this story to work out, so he's a teenager. Deal with it.) Sano ran off, heading to his first period before he got detention. As he skidded around a corner, he ran headfirst into, it seemed, a brick wall.

"OW! Who the hell put this wall here….." Sano trailed off as he looked up into the face of a young man, whosewho's bright red hair made Sano think of blood. He shook the thought off as he stood up and offered his hand. The boy looked at it strangely, then, realization dawning on him, he shook it.

"Who are you?" Sano asked. "You look lost. Need some help?"

"The name is Kenshin Himura and this one is new to the school. OneHe would appreciate it if you helped mehim out." Kenshin looked up at Sano, and the tallerother boy inwardly gasped.

Kenshin's face was marked by a crossed shaped scar on his left cheek that enhanced rather then took away from his looks, and the violet eyes were wide and deep. His face was smiling, but those eyes. Those eyes were deeper then the ocean.

"My name is Sanosuke Sagara. Pleased to meet you. Let me see your schedule. I'll help you out from there." Kenshin handed over the piece of paper in his hand, the wide, innocent expression still in place. Sano stared a little strangely at him, then glanced at the slip of paper.

"Good, we have all the same classes. I'll show you around until you get the hang of things. Oh, and by the way, sorry for runnin' into you like that. You must have like rock hard abs or something."

"Um….hehe. This one works out a lot?" Kenshin offered weakly, the expression changing from innocent to sheepish. Sano laughed.

"You're gonna have to take me with you one of these days. Oh, and call me Sano. Everyone else does." The two of them headed off to first period, history.

Walking in the room was a nightmare for Kenshin. He really didn't want to face people again, so soon. And besides, he wasn't much of a people person. He felt comforted by the weight of his backpack. As soon as he walked in, late, for the bell had already rung, the teacher glanced over at them.

"Mr. Sagara. Late as usual. Well, what's your excuse this time?" her expression was forlorn, like a puppy who had chased itshis tail over and over again without luck.

"I had to show the new kid where everything was! Don't punish me for being helpful!" Sano adopted an innocent expression.

"Sano? Helpful? I didn't think those two words could be used in the same sentence without a 'not' between them!" A girl in the back of the class yelled. Sano's head whipped around.

"Shut up Megumi! I don't need your smart ass comments the first day back!" The girl, Megumi, chuckled, and Kenshin could have sworn he saw fox ears pop out of her head. Get a grip on yourself Kenshin. You must be nervous or something. He shook off the thoughts and stared at the teacher, who was silently appraising him.

"And what is your name?" Her eyes were boring straight into his own. He stared right back and answered.

"Kenshin Himura. This one just registered today." All heads turned.

"Ah, so that is why you are not on my attendance roster. Well, just go sit down with Mr. Sagara. He'll help you out, if he doesn't get you put in detention." All the kids laughed at this while Sano just muttered a couple unpleasant phrases and headed to the back of the room.

Kenshin followed, and ended up sitting between Sanosuke and a girl with blue eyes and long black hair up in a ponytail. He didn't have much of a chance to do anything other then get out his paper and pencil before the teacher assigned class work.

"Ok, class. Since today's the first day back, all I'm going to give you is a current event for you to write about. As you all know, and, from what I've heard going around the school this morning, you've been discussing with great interest, your assignment is to write at least four paragraphs on the disappearance of the battosai." (I love the irony of this, don't you?)

Kenshin froze, eyes staring straight ahead, his brain fuzzy. "You need to have something that is fact, and a theory on why he disappeared. You have until the end of class. You may work with a partner if you wish. Get started." With this said she turned and sat down at her desk. Kenshin hadn't moved. He just sat in his seat, dumbfounded, while everyone else had gotten up to find a partner.

"Hey, Kenshin. You ok? You look like you've seen a ghost. All this assignment is is busy work because the teacher's lazy." Sano was staring, concerned for his new friend. Kenshin didn't answer. He looked like he was in another world. Sano shrugged, looking over at the girl sitting next to Kenshin.

"Kaoru, did you see what made him go all still and silent like this?" The girl shook her head.

"All I saw was when Mrs. Omasu said we had to write about the Battosai he froze. Must be something serious. Well, I'm pretty sure he'll come out of it soon enough. Lets just get to work." With this said, Kaoru turned back to her paper and began scribbling down notes and ideas.

Kenshin, on the other hand, was remembering.

The blood. All that blood. That's all I see anymore. No happiness, no remorse, no guilt. All I see is the blood of countless men falling, dying. The bloodstained sword swings, and more blood falls. It covers me; it drenches me, and still, the bloodstained sword arcs high, and the silver light flashes. Another falls. More blood. The screams, the yells, the shouts of horror, and I move on, deaf to everything but the horror. As I progress onward, trails of the dead behind me and the voices of those I killed still ringing in my ears, I witness a massacre. A massacre of many, many people. They are all killed, blown to bits with one bomb. A bomb meant for hell, instead it causes hell, it causes the chaos that surrounds us all, and, as I watch, I am once again engulfed in a realm of madness and sorrow, of killing and blood. I, a sixteen year old child, has killed more men that any other single person in this war. And I am the one who leaves the dead behind to take more lives, all for a cause that may one day come to pass, or may not. And the screams and blood fall even harder. It rains blood everywhere I go. Must I always kill?

Kenshin slowly calmed down, his pulse returning to normal, his eyes losing the look of horrified sorrow, his face reclaiming its innocence. Sano and Kaoru stared at Kenshin as the amber color in his wide eyes returned to its normal unusual violet shade. He breathed out slowly, hands clenching and unclenching.

"Uh, you ok man?" A voice from his right asked. Kenshin's head whipped around so fast you could hear the bones popping.

"Oh, it's just you Sano. Sorry." Sano looked confused.

"You okay? I mean, you just zoned out for a moment. You feeling alright?" Sano and Kaoru traded identical looks of confusion.

"Yeah, this one is fine now. Sorry to worry you. This one just zoned out for a moment." Kenshin's eyes closed. He could feel the blood pumping through his veins, see it rushing behind his eyelids.

"Well, might as well get started on this paper. It's gonna take the rest of the class period to finish. If only the real Battosai were here to help. Then we wouldn't have to do all of this hard thinking stuff." Kenshin, naturally, fell off his seat and Sano stared down at him.

""What? I'm only joking. I wouldn't want that killer in the same room as me unless I was beating him up." To emphasize the point, he punched the table, only managing to hurt his fist and dent the desk slightly. "OW! That hurt!" Sanosuke clutched the injured left fist in his right hand.

"Sano, cut that out! Do you really want to be sent to detention the first day back for defacing school property?" Megumi hissed. She was sitting on the other side of Kaoru, and her pretty face was glaring at Sano. "We need to get to work on the assignment Mrs. Omasu gave us, and I'd rather not get a poor grade on my first paper." With this, she huffed and turned to face Kaoru.

"Do you have any ideas on why the Battosai left the army? I'm lost." She asked, a small frown on her face. Kaoru stopped writing and looked up.

"Well, I have a couple, but most of them are pretty dumb ideas." She looked morosely down at her paper. "Sano? How about you?" Sanosuke shook his head. The three of them turned in unison to Kenshin. "How about you?"

"Well, this one has an idea. Maybe he was just tired of killing people?" This didn't seem to work for them.

"Why would it be that? I mean, he's been killing for years. Why would he just give it all up now? And right when the war started to turn our way? I mean, he couldn't have chosen a worse time to retire!" They all nodded in agreement to Sano's words. Kenshin looked sheepish.

"Well, you do know that the Battosai is still only a teenager, right?" Three heads turned in his direction, and three simultaneous popping sounds were heard.

"HE'S STILL ONLY A TEENAGER!" three voices shouted, and every head in the room turned towards them. Kenshin's face was a bright red color as he nodded. My, how ironic is it to be talking about yourself without letting people know that you are the Battosai? A part of Kenshin pondered, sounding amused at his predicament. Oh, go shove it. He whispered back. He heard the voice chuckle as it receded to the innermost depths of his mind. He turned his attention outward as the whole class, as well as the teacher, stared at him.

"How do you know this?" Mrs. Omasu asked, her face a pale mask. "Are you sure of it?" Everyone was crowding around the helpless teenager, eager for answers.

"We--..we--.well this one'sones uncle was fighting in the same area the battosai was and he caught a glimpse of the guy. He wrote that the battosai mustn't have been any older than seventeen and that was two years ago!" Kenshin's words were muffled through the pile of bodies pressing against him, all impatient to hear what he had to say.

"So your saying that he's nineteen now?" a boy called out. Boy, isn't this interesting. I quite liked that lie you told. Quite convincing. You again? I thought that you left! Kenshin was almost about to kick everyone off him when he was saved by the bell.

"Ok everyone. Since we didn't finish the current event today, I want it handed in tomorrow as homework. Bye! Have a good first day!" Everyone walked out, all talking animatedly about the battosai, and Kenshin sighed in relief.

"Math's next. Algebra 2. I hope you brought a pillow, because the teacher can't get any more dull then Mr. Hoji. He thinks he's all that. It's annoying and gets boring after a while. You might as well sleep, there's nothing better to do." Sano led Kenshin to a room on the second story, where they parted ways with Kaoru and Megumi.

"See you two third! Bye!" Megumi called over her shoulder. She and Kaoru waved goodbye and headed off to the right while Kenshin and Sano went left.

"May this one ask where they are going?"

"They go to the advanced math class while we get stuck in the normal one. Sorta sucks, doesn't it?" Kenshin didn't say a word.

"Ah, Mr. Sagara, you're not late. How amazing. Please take a seat. And who might your friend be?" The teacher pointed at Kenshin.

"Oh, this is a new kid. Just registered today. His name's Kenshin Himura." The teacher, Mr. Hoji, wrote the name down on the bottom of his roster and beckoned Kenshin to a chair in the back, next to Sano's.

Tossing his back under the desk, Sano flopped down, motioning for Kenshin to do the same thing. With a lot more care, Kenshin set his bag down and sat, then just slumped forward and fell asleep, much like any other teenager would do in math. Though he did fall asleep, he also dreamed, and his dreams weren't all that pleasant.

(Okok, before anyone gets mad at me, some of the following pieces of information about the government are not correct. Thank you.)

It was raining blood again, and the boy in the shadows, wearing an old fashioned Japanese kimono, was holding a sword, wielding it with deadly precision and accuracy……

His target was coming down the road. Sozo Sagara, head of the NIA, Neutral Internal Affairs. It was that man who was stopping the US from declaring any sort of war against Al Qaeda. He must be eliminated. The boy waited until he was within range of the katana, then struck out with deadly threat. The katana gleamed silver in the moonlight, flashing in and out of bodies, causing the sky to rain blood down upon him once again. It disguised the tears leaking from his eyes as he killed man after man. His god-like speed enabled him to slayassassinate every last one before they could get a shot at him.

His task completed, he sheathed his sword, and with a final glance at the bodies of the slain, Kenshin Himura, Hitokiri Battosai, retreated once again into the shadows, leaving behind only the nonexistent cries of the dead and their bodies, and taking with him more murdered souls.

Kenshin woke with a startled gasp as the bell rang. All around him was a normal high school classroom, filled with students leaving.

"Come on, weirdo. We have PE next with Mrs. Shurra, and she hates it if we're late." Lifting his hand off the desk, a couple papers caught his attention as they fell off. He snatched them out of the air and looked at Sano.

"What are these for?" he asked inquisitively. Sano shrugged.

"You take them home. They're the rules and guidelines for his class. All you missed was him gloating on how good he is at teaching, so, not much. Let's go meet the missy and Megumi before they kill me for getting you in trouble." Sano towed the short red-head out of class and down the hall to where Megumi and Kaoru were waiting, albeit impatiently, for the two to show up.

"What took you so long?" Kaoru demanded, looking at Sano for an explanation.

"It's not my fault. I had to wake up Mr. Shorty here. He slept through math." Kenshin stood up indignantly.

"Hey, don't blame all this on me.this one. Sano was the one who said people could sleep in Mr. Hoji's class, and this one was tired." Kenshin pointed an accusing finger at the rooster headed boy. The two girls stared at him, and Sano raised his hands in defeat.

"Lets just get to PE, before we're late and have to do laps." The four of them ran down to the PE room, only just making it. The teacher stood off to the right of the large gym, holding up a clipboard and calling out names.

"Kamiya Kaoru?"

"Here"

"Sagara Sanosuke?"

"Here"

"Takani Megumi?"

"Here"

"Ah, and who is the mystery kid with you three?" the teacher asked. Kenshin looked up into dark brown eyes, his own indigo ones staring back.

"MyThis one's name is Kenshin Himura. This one justJust registered today." Kenshin watched, borednonplused, as his name was written down at the bottom of the roster sheet.

"Ok, everyone. Go dress out. We are starting the physical education presidential test, to see how well you stayed in shape over the summer. Come now, students, go dress out." Everyone groaned.

"Why do we have to dress out our first day back?" one kid whined.

"Yeah, I mean. She could have just let us play basket ball or something." They trudged to the locker rooms, where sets of loose workout clothes were sitting on shelves outside the doors. A sign hanging on one of the shelves read:

DO NOT STEAL UNLESS YOU WISH
TO RUN 10 MILES EVERYDAY

Mrs. Shurra

"Well, I don't think anyone's going to take any this year. Mrs. Shurra sure is tough." Kaoru commented, searching for a pair of black shorts and a red top that fit her. Megumi looked appraisingly at Kenshin.

"I'm not sure they have anything that will fit you. You're so short and skinny. How about………THESE!" Megumi pulled out a 'small' pair of shortssmall short and an 'extra small' shirt. "I think these will fit just fine. And you'll need this to pull your hair back." She handed him the clothes along with a pony tail holder. He took both and followed Sanosuke and a younger boy off to the left into the guys locker room.

"Hey, Yahiko, this is Kenshin Himura. Kenshin, this is Yahiko Myojin. He lives with Kaoru. He's an orphan." Yahiko stuck his tongue out at Sano, then looked at Kenshin.

"Are you sure he's even old enough to be in high school? He looks like he should still be in middle school." Yahiko appraised the now glum Kenshin.

"Why is everyone picking on this this one today? Three people have called this one short in the last fifteen minutes. Jeez." Kenshin began to dress out. When he took off his shirt, Sano and Yahiko could see well built arms and a rock hard stomach. But the most surprising thing was the numerous scars decoration his body, small and large, all over. Sano and Yahiko looked at each other, then back at Kenshin.

"Well, what do you think happened to him?" Yahiko asked Sano in an undertone.

"No idea, but it must have been bad. I'll ask him later. Let's get dressed." As the three guys finished up, the girls had met up with Misao Makimachi.

"HEY MISAO! How's it going?" Kaoru asked the freshman. Misao waved at her friends, bouncing with excitement.

"This year I'll be in the same school as my Aoshi is!" Her eyes turned into little hearts as she sighed dreamily. Kaoru and Megumi sighed in exasperation. Misao was referring to Aoshi Shinomori, the junior she's had a crush on since she was in 5th grade, four years ago, and she hasn't given up yet.

"Ya ready Misao? Today's the beginning of the physet test. Think your going to do ok?" Misao nodded enthusiastically. She was ready to set the record at this school for being the best. "Then lets move out!" Kaoru led the way out of the locker room and back into the gym, where most of the boys were already done. The three girls joined the three guys and stood, talking lowly amongst themselves as they waited for class to start

"Hey, Kenshin. This is Misao Makimachi, a freshman. Misao, this is Kenshin Himura, a sophomore and new to the school." Sano introduced the two.

"Hi Misao. Do you like high school so far? This one finds it very confusing." Misao stared at Kenshin strangely.

"Do you always talk in third person?" she asked inquisitively. Kenshin nodded, his face a little red. "wh…" she was interrupted when the teacher began to speak into a megaphone. All heads turned to listen.

"Welcome back students. Today, we are starting out with height, weight, muscle to fat ratio, then we are doing the vertical jump and the long jump. Boys in a line to my left, girls to my right. You will write down what your height and weight is, along with your age and name on top of this sheet of paper, which will be handed into me at the end of class. Line up!"

The boys and girls fell into their respective lines, and papers with charts on it were handed out. As Kenshin wrote down his age, he lied a little. Instead of putting nineteen, which no one would believe anyway, he put sixteen, just like he did on his transcripts.

When he was measured for height, the rest of his friends laughed at him. He was five foot sixtwo inches. Even Misao and Yahiko were just a little shortertaller then him, though not by much. He weighed quite a bit for his height, though it was soon explained. He was all muscle.

Next was the vertical jump. His weight, however, surprised even those teachers that were helping out, and his muscle to fat ratio surprised everyone but him. He had no fat. Misao did pretty good on the vertical jump, setting a new school record, as well as in the long jump. Sano broke it just as fast, though he couldn't beat the long jump.

Then it was Kenshin's turn. He took his place by the wall, bent his knees just a little, and sprang up. Everyone stopped what they were doing to watch him. Well, actually, they stopped to gape in amazement as he balanced lightly in the ceiling beam twenty odd feet above them.

"Uh, Sano? Are you sure Kenshin's human? No human can possibly do that." Yahiko was staring up at Kenshin as well. The young man looked calm and peaceful standing up there. Then he looked down at those watching him, and jumped off.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING HIMURA! YOU'RE GONNA KILL YOURSELF!" Misao yelled, though her worries were groundless as Kenshin landed gracefully on the floor.

"Um, I think we just broke the world record in a vertical jump, and, unless I'm dreaming, that boy ain't human." The PE teacher muttered under her breath. Kenshin ignored everyone's gaping mouth as they asked him question after question. He just walked right on by, straight back to the only friends he had ever had.

"Uh, Kenshin? Are you sure you're human? 'Cause no human I know can do that." Sano asked. Kenshin just looked a little perplexed, but walked on by and got in line for the long jump. When his turn came, he rocked back and forth for a moment, then pushed off, landing a good thirty-five feet away. Everyone went through the same routine, with Kenshin shrugging off whatever anyone said, slightly confused.

After they changed back in, it didn't take long for word to get around the school on what had happened, and this time, there was no exaggeration.

"I saw it with my own two eyes. That Himura kid jumped a straight twenty feet into the air, landing on the ceiling beam. I swear! It was amazing! And then he jumped off it and landed without getting hurt! Now that's what I call cool!" Kenshin overheard a couple boys discussing the events in the PE room today and sighed. He really didn't think it was all that special, but then again, he had never really been out in the general public in a long time.

Kenshin glanced over at his new friends, who were just staring at him with expressions of apprehension still plastered over their faces.

"Uh, Sanosuke, what's our next class?" Kenshin asked, trying to break the ice. It seemed to work. Sano snapped out of his reverie and looked down at his schedule.

"English, with Ms. Yumi. She's okay. Strict and vindictive, but okay. We probably won't be doing much anyway."

Sano was right. As soon the four of them entered the room, Misao and Yahiko had to go elsewhere, the bell rang. They sat in the back of the class, Kenshin in between Sano and Kaoru while Megumi sat on the far side of the missy, as Sano called her. The teacher, Ms. Yumi, started calling role, stopping between names to see where students sat and marking it down on a sheet of paper. When she got to the back of the room, she noticed an empty chair on her seating chat that was filled with a red-haired teenager looking slightly uncomfortable.

"And who are you?" she asked, pointing her pen at Kenshin. He looked around, hoping she was gesturing at another kid, but got up resignedly when he noticed that no one else was getting up.

"MyThis one's name is Kenshin Himura. This one justJust registered today." He remained standing, aware of the eyes that stared at him. Apparently, word got around fast, and everyone knew who he was. He was 'the kid who jumped to the ceiling'. He sighed.

"Do you write in third person as well?" She asked, wondering if his strange dialect extended to his script. He didn't answer, too far into his own thoughts to notice what she was saying. 'Then I'll just have to find out later. I think I'm going to enjoy this year'syears bunch of kids. Especially the red-haired one.' Ms. Yumi turned from the students and picked up a piece of paper and began to write on the bored.

Assignment due tomorrow for a grade:

1. Write a short essay about the battosai. Come up with several ideas on why he might have left the army and what he may be doing now. Must have at least three facts and a quote from a government speaker directly related to this incident.

2. Write a short story on what the battosai might have been like, and what he could have done. Be sure to have appropriate details. Include at least one fact.

You may work with a partner.

Kenshin banged is head on the desk, wondering if the torture would ever stop. 'I thought I came to high school to get AWAY from the battosai side, but now it seems to be following me everywhere. If only if only I could ever escape it. Kenshin was frustrated. He didn't think that he would get two assignments on himself, but high school offered a whole bushel of surprises at every stinken' turn in the road.

'Ah, tis seem as if the whole world is turning against you. You know, I don't think the government's going to have to send anyone after you, you'll just drive yourself insane before the end of the week. There, job done.' The voice sounded extremely self-satisfied. 'GREEEEEEAT, now I'm having conversations with myself. What else do I need? A group of assassins trailing after me and the picture of 'Battosai the haunted' will be complete. God, I need more sleep if that's the best I can come up with.

The three others sitting around the troubled teen watched as he repeatedly banged his head against his desk, managing to leave small dents in the wooden top.

"Isn't this getting old?" Was heard, repeatedly, coming out of Kenshin's mouth. The four just watched him

"Do you think we should stop him? I meanman, he might get brain damage if he keeps it up." Sano asked pointedly. Then, as suddenly as it began, the banging stopped. Kenshin sat up, rubbing his now red forehead and looking around. Before he could ask any questions, the teacher started speaking again.

"Ok, I'm going to hand out several pieces of paper with the guidelines and rules for my class. I expect you ALL to follow them. Then get to work on the assignment on the board. Got it?" All heads nodded as she began to hand out the papers.

Kenshin took his from Ms. Yumi and shoved them in his bag, which happened to be a navy blue gym bag for some as of yet unknown reason, careful to only open it enough to slip the papers inside. Then he grabbed his pencil and lined paper, setting it on the now slightly screwed up desk. He looked faintly surprised for a moment at the dents, then turned sheepish, his cheeks stained red.

"Uh, Sano? Would it be okay if this one used your desk for a while?the moment? This one's seems to be messed up at the momentminute…hehe." Kenshin looked over at Sano, who was trying hard to hide his amusement at his short friend's predicament.

"Sure. Just try not to dent my desk while you're at it. I really don't need to go to detention for defacing school property on my first day back. Wouldn't be a good way to start the year out. I'm trying to get on friendly terms with the deans." Megumi seemed to be choking on something, and Kaoru was red faced from suppressed laughter.

"YOU? On the GOOD side of the deans? After you blew up the entire boys' bathroom in the two hundred hallway? I don't think an entire life's worth of repenting could make up for that!" Megumi gasped out, tears running down her face as she laughed silently. Sano just glared at her.

"You blew UP the boys' bathroom? How on earth did you manage to do that?" Kenshin asked, surprise in his voice. Sano grumbled something under his breath. "What did you just say?" Kenshin demanded, his voice teasing. Sano muttered a few choice swear words before answering.

"Katsu gave me something he had been working on. Said it would be cool if we tried it out. The only available location inside school was the bathroom. I didn't know it was a bomb." Sano muttered a few more choice words, causing Kenshin to raise an eyebrow.

"WHY THE HELL DID YOU TRUST THAT MANIAC KATSU! ITS NOT LIKE WE DON"T KNOW HE'S A CHEMSCIENCE MAJOR!" Kaoru yelled, her voice right in Kenshin's ear. He pushed the enraged girl back, hoping for a little breathing space, and some piece and quiet.

"OW! Did you know that your voice is very painful when it is being used o yell in this one's ear? And very loud?" Kenshin asked of Kaoru, hoping to calm the other girl down. No such luck. Kaoru turned towards the red head and attempted to literally take his head off. Megumi, the only one not involved, watched in amusement as both Kenshin and Sano were pummeled. Kenshin's violet eyes went swirly while his head flopped around on his shoulders. Sano was already on the floor. Deciding to step in before it got ugly, she laid a hand on Kaoru's shoulder.

"Kaoru, before you get carried away, we might want to get started on our essay." Megumi pointed out, causing Kenshin and Sano to breathe a sigh of relief. Kaoru cast a glance over her shoulder, and the two teens gulped.

"Kaoru is scary." Kenshin whispered to Sano, who nodded in agreement. They both got off the floor, Kenshin sitting in Sano's desk and Sano, well, he was sitting on the floor with a binder in hand.

"I don't see why you had to steal my desk. You could have been the one on the floor Shorty." Kenshin just smiled as he stared down at the blank paper in front of him. 'What do I do now. I have no idea what to write about. It's not like I can just say that I'm the battosai. Someone help me.' Kenshin pleaded silently. The voice, which Kenshin had officially dubbed 'Voice' started laughing.

'What are you so happy about?' Kenshin muttered silently, wishing he could just yank it out and pound it into dust. He was quite enjoying the mental image when voice interrupted his train of thoughts.

'How about you let me take over? I can help you write the paper without giving away your secret. I promise not to kill anyone.'

'Oh, that's reassuring, though I highly doubt I could stop you anyway. But one question. Who the hell are you?' Voice laughed at him.

'Haven't you guessed already? I'm your other side. Anyway, I can help. Just let me have control of your right hand. That's all, I promise.' Kenshin reluctantly yielded control of his command of saidright hand, though he kept a tight rein on the being inside. He had no idea who it was, but the thoughts felt familiar. Kenshin leaned back in his chair, making sure that he didn't lose track of what the voice was doing, but resting his eyes.

Sano, Megumi, and Kaoru stared at Kenshin. "Is he doing what I think he's doing?" Megumi asked, her eyes wide. Sano and Kaoru nodded.

"As long as your thinking that he's writing super fast without looking at the paper, then yes, he is. How though?" Kaoru was staring. She didn't mean to, but at the moment, he looked so relaxed that she could almost see him as a child, instead of an uptight teen who could do things no ordinary human could. She stared at him, taking in all the details, from the long khaki pants and sandals, to the bright pink shirt and vivid red hair. Her eyes settled on the cross shaped scar, and she wondered how a young child like him had ever managed to acquire such a wound.

"You taking a liking to him, Kaoru?" a voice whispered in her ear. Her head whipped around, almost a full 180 degrees, to stare into Megumi's face. She was smiling, her customary sly look on her face.

"It….It's nothing like that Megumi! I was just…..watching him write. I wanted to know how he's writing like that. That's all, I swear." Kaoru was stuttering. Megumi just smiled, her hand over her mouth to hide it.

"Sure. Whatever you say." She turned back to her own work, the sequence on her blue shirt sparkling, and left Kaoru to her own devices. It would do her some good to find a guy she liked, and Kenshin didn't seem all to bad. At least, in the worst possible case, he would let her down gently. Or so Megumi hoped. If not, then Kenshin would be in serious trouble.

Said teen wasn't paying any attention to anyone, and was practically asleep. The only thing holding him back was the fact that he still didn't have control of his hand. So he just sat there, hoping to high heavens that voice wasn't writing anything that would get him in trouble.

'There, all done. Now, was that so hard?' Voice said.was done. Kenshin scrambled out of his daydreams and looked at the paper, but before he could read it, the bell rang.

'You'd better pray to the gods that this is appropriate.' Kenshin muttered back to the recaltracent voice. The voice just chuckled, and receded back to the depths of his mind. Muttering something abut pesky voices and people that don't listen, Kenshin followed the others out of class and down the hall.

"So, Sano, what do we have next?" Kenshin asked, praying it wasn't another class. Sano grinned.

"We have lunch! Isn't that wonderful! I'm starving, and it looks like you could use a break." Kenshin gave a sigh of relief. Lunch. The best class of the day. The four of them walked, or rather, Kaoru and Megumi walked while the two boys ran, down to the lunch room.

"Hey, Kenshin. Why don't you stand in line and get us some food while I put our stuff down? How does that sound?" Sano really didn't like standing in lines, and had found an easy way out of it. Now, if only Kenshin said yes.

"But this one has no money, so how do you expect him to pay for the food? And he doesn't know what you want." Kenshin protested. Sano dug out some change and told him to get anything but the fruit cups. Kenshin sighed. He might as well. Taking off his bag, he handed the single strap it to Sano and went to stand in line.

"Man, this thing is heavy. What the hell is he carrying in here, bricks? And and how is he holding it in one hand anyway?" Sano muttered under his breath as he staggered to a table in the far corner. He got there in time to turn towards Kenshin and see someone throw a plastic knife at someone else. He grimaced, watching Kenshin get caught in the middle. The teen would be screwed before he got a chance to eat.

He didn't have time for another thought before a boy by the pasta grabbed the metal spoon to throw it at the kid who had chucked the knife at him. But it veered off course and was headed straight for Kenshin.

"Aw, shit. There goes my lunch." He muttered, but watched in amazement as Kenshin easily ducked the UFO coming at him from behind. The spoon hit the glass case in front of him, which shattered. Kenshin ignored it and walked on, pausing by the cookies and grabbing a few.

While he was slowly counting out exact change, one of the teachers grabbed him by the shoulder, a crazed look in his eyes.

"DidDo you know who threw the ladle at you?' He asked in a hushed, hurried voice. Kenshin didn't say a word. All he did was gesture at the guilty boy over his shoulder , pay, and walk towards Sano, who, having had been joined be Kaoru and Megumi while Kenshin was busy, was staring.

"Is this good Sano? This one didn't know what you wanted, so he grabbed a little of everything but the fruit." Kenshin was easily carrying a platter in one hand. On top of the tray were two plates of pasta, six or seven cookies, two drinks, two ice creams, a salad, and two bags of chips. In one hand. Sano had to double check, just in case he was imagining things. That guy had managed to duck with all this in hand? Not possible.

"Yeah, I think it's enough to feed all of us, not just us two" Sano was gazing at the short teen with a question in his eyes. "Uh, how did you dodge that spoon?" the two girls nodded in synch. Kenshin looked confused. That seemed to be happening a lot lately. Comprehension dawned on his face.

"Oh, the spoon? Uh…well….um….This one heard it?" He tried this excuse out. This was beginning to be a very trying day, and Kenshin wondered why he left the army, or why he chose this particular high school. Well, yes, California was a long way away from the main government, but they most likely already knew where he was. They're probably just devising a plan to get him back. They don't want their precious killing machine to get away. He snorted in disgust.

"You know, I think this is the strangest first day in the history of first days." Kaoru muttered under her breath as she and her friends watched the unusual boy in front of them become more and more agitated by the second. He was glaring off into the distance, his eyes flashing between amber and indigo, his mouth working its way into a small scowl. Then, as suddenly as it started, ithe stopped. His face returned to normal, and his eyes settled on indigo. For now at least.

"Sorry, this one spaced off for a moment. Here's the food." He handed the tray to Sano, who almost dropped it. That boy made it look to easy. He thought, setting the heavily laden try on the table and un-stacking it. The pasta was passed around after Kaoru fetched two more plates until everyone had some. The cookies were handed off, one to each person, then an extra for Kenshin and Sano. Kaoru and Megumi declined the second cookie. The soda was split up as well. Kenshin had been smart enough to grab extra cups, though Kaoru had to fetch more silverware for the pasta. The ice creams went to the guys, as the girls had also declined those as well.

"What are you two doing? Going on a diet?" Sano asked, roughly stuffing a cookie in his mouth. Kenshin chuckled at this, then sampled his own food.

"This stuff is good!" He exclaimed, drawing weird stares from those around him.

"Have you never eaten before? The cafeteria food is the worst in the world. They have no idea how too cook, and those that do are worse then me! And their taste in flavors sucks. How can you say the cafeteria food is GOOD?" Kaoru asked in a derisive tone.

'If this food is the worst in the world, then they have never tried army rations. You haven't had bad food until you're out in the field and have to live off the freeze dried junk they give you. Now that stuffs nasty.' Kenshin thought to himself, nibbling on another cookie. "Well, this one still thinks it tastes good. It is better then this one is used to." With this said, Kenshin fell silent.

"Just what are you used to then?" Kaoru asked, apprehension lacing her voice. Kenshin shrugged. He had no intention of answering her. They finished their food in silence, until Kenshin asked a question.

"Where are Misao and Yahiko? This one thought they would eat with you three." The three in question shook their heads.

"Misao is probably draping herself all over Aoshi, and Yahiko wouldn't be caught dead at the same table as me anyway. He needs to get a better reputation then the one he had in middle school. For all I know, he's probably sitting with those seniors over there, pretending to be enraptured by anything they're saying. Rather stupid if you ask me, but whatever. It's his life, not mine." Kaoru told Kenshin. Kenshin looked around, wondering who this Aoshi person was. The name sounded familiar. Then, thinking about names, Kenshin turned to Sano, dread filling him..

"What did you say your last name was again, Sano?" He asked, praying to god it wasn't what he thought it was.

"Sagara. Why?" Sano watched as Kenshin's face drained of blood. Sagara. No, it couldn't be.

"Your father was Sozo Sagara? The one they say was killed by the battosai five years ago?" he hoped to the high heavens it was a different Sagara. He was out of luck.

"Yeah, my father was Sozo Sagara. And yes, he was killed by the battosai five years ago. And if I ever get my hands on him, that guys dead. I swear." Sano pounded his fists together, almost missing whatever it was Kenshin had muttered.

"I'm so sorry Sano. You don't know how sorry I am." His eyes were half lidded, and his face was pale.

"Don't be. It's not like it was your fault. No need to be sorry." Kenshin began to laugh, a cold, humorless laugh that chilled Sano, Kaoru, and Megumi to the bone.

"Don't be too sure of that." He whispered, too quiet for anyone to hear. He got silently to his feet and went to throw his trash away. The other three just watched him go.

"He has more secrets then the popea government official, doesn't he? I wonder why he has so many." Megumi thought out loud. Though it was only the first day, they had met a very peculiar person who seemed like he was more than anyone had ever believed.

Sano got up and chased after Kenshin, yelling over his shoulder,

"See ya seventh!" before running after the moody teen. He wanted some answers. Said teen was standing outside the lunch room, his back against the white-washed walls. He looked like he was depressed.

'I killed Sano's father. Me. I'm the one he wants to kill. Oh I god. I knew I would run into this one day. I just hoped it wouldn't be so soon. And this is still only the first day of school. I'm just dreading the rest of the week. Kenshin was shook, forcefully, out of his thoughts be a rough hand. He looked up into the serious eyes of Sanosuke.

"Here, you forgot this." He handed Kenshin his backpack, straining to not drop it, though he was making an effort to hold it in one hand. Kenshin took it back, surreptitiously searching it be hand to make sure it hadn't been opened. "Now, what was that whole thing about my father?" Kenshin sighed, and opened his mouth to tell Sano something that would change his whole view on life. Then the bell rang. Kenshin breathed a sigh of relief. Now, he had time to make up a decent excuse. Sano gave him a look that told him he wasn't off the hook yet, but led him to his next class, science.

They didn't do much. The chemistry teacher took role, but since Kenshin had already been to four classes, all he had to do was answer up when his name was called. He leaned back on the stool, forgetting the fact that he was supposed to be an ordinary teenager, not one with extreme physical abilities.and mental states. And he didn't notice all the odd looks he drew from the rest of the class, for he was only sitting on one leg of the stool, much like a monkey, but with more grace. Sano just dismissed it as another part of Kenshin, who was slowly revealing himself to be a many-faceted piece of work.

'You know, you could always tell him the truth.' Kenshin had taken to discuss the predicament with voice. He didn't care if people thought he was crazy. He seriously needed help, and Voice sounded at least partly logical, even if Kenshin didn't like some of the replies he got.

'Oh yes, and get not only kicked out of the school, but probably beaten to death and dragged to the government in a body bag. Yes, that's a REAL good idea.' 'What? It was only a suggestion. I didn't mean it literally. God, you're way too to serious for your own good. You need to lighten up a little." Voice was teasing Kenshin, who didn't seem to appreciate it one bit.

'Any other bright ideas, you little pest?' Kenshin asked sarcastically, mentally waving a hand around and into a bow. Voice took on a haughty tone. 'Well, if you really wanted to get out of it completely, you could take that pretty sword out of your bag and kill everyone. Then the problem would be solved.' Kenshin slammed the metaphysical door between him and the voice shut and locking it. He was pretty sure it wouldn't take the voice long to figure out how to get out of it, but hey, it was worth a try. The voice didn't sound logical anymore. Now it just sounded crazy.

Kenshin dragged his thoughts back to reality, and watched as the teacher, Mr. Okina, the schedule had said, hand out a packet full of information, along with pictures of pretty girls. Apparently, they had a perverted science teacher. Great, just great. Just what they needed. Another mental teacher. Kenshin jumped off the stool when the bell rang, and walked out of class, Sano trailing along behind him. Sano had resolved to ask what Kenshin had been talking about at lunch after school.

Their next class, one that Kenshin had never heard of before, much less knew that it could be taught in school, was the class devoted to fighting techniques. It didn't teach them, but it studied them in depth. Kenshin thought he might actually enjoy this class. It looked pretty interesting. The teacher appeared to be a very tall man, his white cape billowing around him, long black hair streaming down his back. Kenshin had a funny feeling he knew the man from somewhere. The name on the schedule, Thyman Shiko, was unfamiliar, but still, he had that feeling. He knew who it was as soon as the man turned around.

"Master Hiko!" he whispered incredulously. The man, Mr. Shiko, as the name tag said, gave Kenshin a smirk before turning as the other students filed in. Misao and Yahiko were there, but Kaoru and Megumi had decided against this class and took something else. As he began to call roll, he stopped at one name in particular.

"Himura, Kenshin?" He called out, his eyes landing on the red head. Yahiko and Sano watched something pass between the two of them the instant they locked eyes, though what is was, Sano could never guess.

"Here." He raised his hand, a smirk identical to the teachers etched on his face. Sano stared. Kenshin, smirking? That can't be right. I didn't think he was capable of doing anything other then smile or stare dangerously off into the distance. Well, anyone can change, even if it is in the blink of an eye.

The teacher finished roll. "Ok, it seems as if everyone is here. My one and only rule is this. Do anything to anger me, and you won't know what hit you. Literally." Kenshin smirked and rolled his eyes. 'Same old master Hiko. I'm going to have to ask him why he started teaching at a school. He never did like people.' Kenshin's mood had cleared the instant he walked into the room. He knew this guy, and what he was like. It was unlikely that his former master would tell anyone anything about him.

"Ok, this semester we are going to be studying the Japanese style of fighting, including different sword techniques, ninja's, and martial arts. If anyone has any questions, ask me after class. I…dislike interruptions." Kenshin snorted. Dislike was an understatement. Whenever he had interrupted, he had gotten hit upside the head, usually with something sharp and pointy.

"I also dislike smart ass comments, so if you have any, leave them in the hallway. I guarantee they'll still be there when you leave. Now, I'm going to hand out a packet. The first thing we are going to learn about are swords. If anyone knows anything, stand up. Don't be shy. Even if you only saw it on TV." Almost half the class, including Kenshin, Sano, Yahiko, and a boy sitting on the other side of Misao, stood up. Hiko smirked.

'So, my former pupil has the guts to actually stand up. How amazing. He even has a smirk on. Now, to cut him down to size.' Hiko was following Kenshin with his eyes, noticing the scar in his cheek and a look about him that told the whole story. 'Kenshin has been through a lot since he left me seven years ago. And still, he's the same idiot apprentice.' Hiko smirked, Kenshin did the same. Sano noticed how their eyes followed each other.

"Those who know any particular style, or anything special about swords, stay standing. The rest sit down." Kenshin, Yahiko, and the boy by Misao remained upright. The rest sat, muttering. "So, only three. I was expecting a few more then that, but, hey, whatever. The three of you. Give me your names, if I don't already know them, and what you know about swords in a brief summary. Starting with you on the end. Aoshi Shinomori."

"I learned about swords in Japan. The Katana, the Kodochi, and the wakizashi. They are the three commonly used blades. Samurai used to carry two swords, one their preference, the other a wakizashi. I was taught a little during the few years I lived their, in the dual kodachi style. That is about it. May I sit now?" He asked. Hiko nodded. The boy, Aoshi, returned to his seat, his dark eyes gleaming in the light. Yahiko was next.

"My name is Yahiko Myojin. I study swords at a dojo near the middle of the city. The Kamiya Kashin style. It's a style that was created by a samurai in Japan hundreds of years ago, as a way not to kill. The style was passed down through Kaoru's family, who taught it. We usually use bokatos, or shinais, but never real swords." Yahiko sat down. Kenshin was next in the line of three. He looked happy for some reason, but for what, Sano couldn't guess. His face was a mask of emotion that it made it hard to read.

"Well, and how about you, Kenshin? You got anything?" Hiko smirked. Kenshin smirked. All he said was one word, but that was enough.

"Master." And sat back down. The teacher grinned at him, and wrote something by his name. No one had any idea what he meant by, 'Master' and no one could guess. So they just sat and stared at the two, like they were aliens in a melting pot. Though it didn't seem too far fetched to Sano.

"Ok, class. We re going to begin by reading the handout I gave you and answering the questions in the back. This is due by tomorrow. All the answers are in the packet, so read it. And if I catch anyone talking, they're going to be giving me a hundred pushups for insolence. Begin." Hiko turned away from the class and sat down, back facing them, as they started their way through the difficult questions.

"I don't get it. What does is mean, 'What is the difference between Katsujin-ken and Satsujin-ken. What do those words mean any way?" A boy in front of Kenshin whispered to his neighbor. Kenshin shook his head. The poor boy was done for. He was lucky he only had to do a hundred. Master Hiko always made him do as many as it took until the sun went down. That could climb into the thousands.

"Boy two rows behind me, three seats over. Come to the front of the room now." Kenshin smiled. Just like his old master. The boy got shakily to his feet and walked to the front of the room, trembling as he stood behind the teacher's chair. "A hundred push ups. Now. The rest of you, take this as a warning." When the boy just stood there, gaping at the back of the teacher's head, Hiko whipped around.

"I said, a hundred push ups. Now. Would you like me to double it for you?" He asked, an a sweet tone of voice that deceived no one. The boy shook his head. "Good. Now, if I were you, I would get down and do the push ups. Wouldn't you?" The boy nodded, and got onto the floor, straining to push himself up just once. Though it might have been helped if Hiko hadn't placed a large textbook on the boy's back.

"Disgraceful. I wonder what your football coach would say if he saw you. Kenshin, get down here and show this boy how to do real push ups." Kenshin's head jerked up, surprise clearly on his face.

"But…but sir! Why?" Hiko gave him a look that froze Sano's bones. Sano figured Kenshin might as well get up, before the mental teacher killed him.

"Do you really expect me to show him?" He asked, derision in his voice. "Well? Get your but down here and demonstrate for him." Kenshin reluctantly stood up. Sano snickered. Kenshin, doing push ups? Someone else was, apparently, thinking along these same lines.

"Him? Doing push-ups? He looks to weak to even lift his back pack up, let alone to push-ups!" A kid in the back of the class called. He was assigned push ups after school.

His back pack. Sano shot a look at it as Kenshin sullenly walked to the front of the room, muttering to himself about self-important, egotistical masters. Hiko smirked.

"Did you saw something, Kenshin?" He asked, a pleasant look on his face. Kenshin shook his head. "That's what I thought. Now, get down and show the boy how to do some real push-ups. Hear, I'll even be nice to you." He placed three thick text books on the teens back.

"If that's him being nice, then I'd hate to see him when he's not being nice." Yahiko muttered to Sano as they watched the spectacle unfold. Kenshin shot the teacher a look of utter complacency and began to do his push ups. The whole class stared.

Kenshin was fast, was the first thought that came to Sano's mind. He was flying though the pushup's as if they were nothing, making Sano wonder where he had gotten the strength from. As he flew through a hundred of them, the teacher put his feet on his student's back, resting on top of the text books. Yahiko could swear he heard the teen growl at the teacher. When he was done, which didn't take long, Kenshin stood up, shoving Hiko's feet off his back as he did so.

"There, happy now Master?" he added the last part in an undertone. Hiko smirked. He took the text books from Kenshin and gestured the boy back to his seat, then looked at the boy lying at his feet.

"Here, I'll make you a deal. If you can do just as many as Kenshin did, with the same amount of weight, I won't ever make you do push ups again. But, you have to finish by the end of class. If you don't you have to come back to class at the end of the day and finish them, with twice the weight. And I'll still give you push ups. Have we got a deal?" The boy looked at the clock. They had thirty minutes left in class. He nodded. Hiko looked at Kenshin.

"So Kenshin. How many did you do. Be honest." Kenshin shrugged.

"This one lost count around 175. Sorry sir." The boy on the floor paled considerably. Hiko smirked.

"You heard him. 175. Get started." With this said, Hiko turned back towards his desk as the boy, his name was Gohei Hiruma, started on the pushups, three heavy books on his back. In his mind, revenge was formulating.

The class sat in wary awe of both Hiko and Kenshin. When one boy raised his hand, the teacher let out a sigh.

"What do you want Mr. Mitchel. Make it quick." The boy, Mitchel, gulped, as if asking for a death sentence. "I said answer me."

"Ca-can I go to the restroom Mr. Shiko, sir." Mitchel stammered out. Hiko raised his head from his papers and turned to face his students. Gohei was still doing pushups. Every so often, you could here a number.

"Be back in five minutes. Go." He turned back to his desk.

"One…hundred….and one……one hundred and……two…..one hundred……and….three" was heard from the floor. Kenshin sighed in pity. He really didn't mean to do that many, but his master was just an evil, conceited man anyway. Unfortunately, the bell rang, and Gohei was still seventy short of the number Kenshin did in less than four minutes.

"Ah, too bad. You didn't make it. Pity on you. Well, see you after school! Bye now!" Hiko said cheerfully to Gohei. Kenshin turned to Sano and Yahiko, as Misao and followed her crush out as soon as the bell had rung.

"Wait for this one outside, by his locker. He will meet you there in a couple of minutes. If this one is not there in two minutes, head on to the next class." Without waiting for a reply, Kenshin headed straight up to the teacher.

"I have a strange feeling that those two know each other. I don't know why, but they do, somehow." Yahiko was scratching his head in confusion. Sano sighed. The clues were so obvious.

Back in the deserted classroom, Kenshin faced his old master for the first time in seven years. It was good to know that not much had changed.

"So Master, why are you, of all people, teaching in a high school? This one thought that you hated people." Kenshin asked. Hiko laughed.

"Because, I knew that, when you finally saw your mistakes and left the army, you would go somewhere as far away as possible. So I trailed you for a couple days, saw where you were going, and decided to teach there, introducing a new class and maybe have the chance at watching my idiot apprentice struggle through high school. And besides, my talent shows in anything I do." Hiko ran a hand through his long black hair.

"Just as conceited as usual." Kenshin muttered under his breath. The stars winking around said arrogant man went out.

"No need to say that, even if it is true. Anyways, I noticed that your friend, Mr. Sanosuke, he's the former head of the NIA's son. How long do you think you can hide things from people, Kenshin? One of these days, someone's going to find out. Then what are you going to do? The government already knows you're here by now, and you can't stop running just to protect people. Soon, you're going to have to face all that you've done with a clear mind." Hiko heard Kenshin snort.

"This one? A clear mind? He can't seem to get rid of an annoying, nagging voice in the back of his head." Kenshin laughed. "Well, this one needs to get to class, before Sano and the others come looking for him. They have a weird habit of watching him all the time. See you later Master Hiko!" Kenshin walked out the door, his master's eyes on him.

'That boy has grown in different ways since I last saw him, but his mind is still that of a twelve year old child, only now it is laden with grief, sorrow, and the horror of what he has done.' Hiko thought to himself, preparing for his next class. Despite the fact that he wasn't a people person, he was dealing quite well with the kids, and even enjoyed torturing…uh...tutoring the students. He had managed to scare all of his classes today, and at least one student in each class had push ups to do. Well, one more class to go! He turned and started prepping.

Kenshin walked out eh door, running head first into Sano, who was joined by Yahiko, Kaoru, Megumi, Aoshi, and Misao, who was hanging all over Aoshi. The boy looked uncomfortable, but he couldn't shake the overly cheerful girl off.

"Have you been there the entire time?" Kenshin asked warily. Sano shook his head.

"No, we just got here. It's been two minutes already, and our class is right next door, so I thought I'd catch you before you left. Anyway, we'd better get going. The art teacher's crazy, I hear." The seven of them walked into the class next to Hiko's and took a seat. The teacher looked like a very pretty young lady.

"Hello everyone, my name is Mr. Kamatari. We are going to be learning the basics of art and some history. I will call role, then go over the rules and requirements of my class." The teacher announced. Everyone's jaw dropped.

"That person….IS A GUY?" Misao whispered, dumbstruck. "There's no way a guy can be that pretty." She had just voiced the entire class's opinion, unfortunately in the teachers hearing.

"Would you like some proof?" He asked, innocently enough. All the girls in the class violently shook their heads.

"NO WAY! NO FLASHING ALLOWED IN SCHOOL PERVERT!" a girl in the front of the room yelled, her face bright red. Kamatari laughed.

"Ah, so I'm a pervert on the first day of school, eh? Well, no matter. You aren't the first to call me that in any case. Well, now. Why don't we get started handing out the papers?" Kenshin drifted off into a waking sleep while the teacher droned on and on about what they were supposed to do in art. His mind drifted back to how he would explain to Sanosuke about his father. In his desperation, he opened the metaphysical door, reluctantly, and let the annoying voice back in to his conscious thoughts.

'Ah, so you finally decided to let me back in. About time too. I was starting to get bored.' The voice sounded irritated just a bit. Kenshin laughed inwardly.

'Well, you deserved it. Now, do you have any plausible, non killing ideas on how to tell Sanosuke?' Kenshin asked. Voice harrumphed.

'I stick to my first plan. Tell him the truth.' 'Oh, yes, that's a great idea. Any others?' Kenshin's voice was dripping with suppressed sarcasm. 'Uh, well, you could lie.' 'Yes, I know that already, but what do I tell him?' 'Well, just say you heard it on the news, or some other such nonsense like that. Oh, and by the way, next time you see Hiko, tell him his former student said hello. And I don't mean you. Tell him Shinta said hi. The one he trained for four and a half years.' Kenshin sat straight up.

'So, you're saying that YOU are ME?' Kenshin was confused, as was the par for him in any situation. The voice sighed. 'Isn't that what I said? Anyway, it's not from me. It's from the other, fainter, voice that lives in you. He doesn't come out very often though.' Kenshin sighed. This whole thing was going straight over his head. At least before he didn't have to deal with pesky voices.

He sat and stared off into space for the remainder of the class, only looking up when Mr. Kamatari, he was never going to get used to that, handed him a paper, which he shoved in his bag and resumed staring off into space. Sano had to shake him back to reality when the bell rang.

"Come ON weirdo. School's over. We get to go home now!" Sano yelled in his friend's ear.

"Home? Now? Schools over?" Kenshin repeated dimly, then his face lit up. "OH! School's out! Come on! Let's go!" With this said, he raced out the door, stopping short and causing Sano and Yahiko to run into him. He stood unmovable, his face full of suppressed laughter.

"Huh? What's going on?" Sano and Yahiko peered around Kenshin. When they saw the spectacle, they couldn't stop laughing.

In front of them, a pleasantly cheerful Hiko Seijuro, known to his students as Mr. Shiko, was dragging not only Gohei, but five other boys along behind him as well.

"Didn't I tell you six to come to my class after school ended? It would have saved me the trouble of tracking you down. Come on, the other kid is waiting in the classroom. You five have a hundred push ups to complete, and you're going to stay until you finish all of them. Got it?" Hiko was whistling cheerfully while the three guys, as well as numerous other students, were laughing, watching the teens being dragged along to do punishment no one should have to suffer in school. Maybe in military camp, but not school.

"Oh, this one needed to tell Master Hiko something. Be right back!" Kenshin ran for the slowly shutting door next to the room Sano was in.

"Huh? Who's master Hiko?" Kaoru asked, coming up behind the two boys at the door. They shook their heads.

"No idea. I guess we'll just wait until he gets back. Hope he's not too late. I have to be home by four, and it's already two thirty. Hurry up Kenshin."

Kenshin ran for the slowly closing door and slipped inside. "Uh, sir? This one has something to tell you." Hiko looked up from watching his students do push ups into Kenshin's face.

"Well, what is it Kenshin?" He asked. Gohei looked up at the standing teen, surprise written all over his face. When their eyes met, Kenshin could see hatred forming. "Have you come to tell me you mean to show these weaklings how to do real push ups?" Gohei froze at the sound of Hiko's voice.

"No. This one is merely passing on a message."

"AH, have you finally become so low as to take messages to people?" Hiko asked, his voice amused. Kenshin shook his head.

"This one is sure that if the person could deliver it, he would. But, unfortunately, that isn't possible. So this one is to bring the message."

"Well, get on with it." Hiko said impatiently.

"Shinta says hi. That's the message. And before you ask how this one knows, he will explain it later. Bye!" Kenshin dashed out of the room, back pack swinging, and went to rejoin his friends. Hiko stared after him.

'Shinta. Been a long time since I heard that name. Well, I'll ask my idiot apprentice later.' He looked down at the floor where the six boys were groaning and straining to do the push ups, all with a textbook or two, or in Gohei's case six, on their back. He chuckled. How he missed doing this to Kenshin. These boys had it easy anyway.

Kenshin caught up with his friends, and the seven of them walked outside. Aoshi split from the group, heading over to the buses. He waved goodbye over his shoulder.

"BYE AOSHI! I'LL MISS YOU!" Misao yelled back. Aoshi's head drooped while Kaoru and Megumi laughed.

"What's so funny? I mean, it's not like he doesn't like me or whatever." Misao protested. Kaoru and Megumi just shook their heads.

"Hey, Kenshin. I meant to ask you something. Like what happened earlier today, outside the cafeteria. What was that all about?" Sano looked at Kenshin, who was staring at the ground. "Well?" Sano prodded. Kenshin looked into Sano's face, his eyes blank.

"This one heard about it one the news. This one is sorry for earlier, it just surprised him. That's all." Kenshin forced a smile onto his face. Sano sighed.

"Oh, okay. One more question. Why is your back pack so heavy?" His face took on an innocent expression as Yahiko looked on. Kaoru and Megumi were on their own little world, discussing homework. Kenshin shrank back.

"Well, this one has yet to find a place to stay, and since no one he knows lives in the area, all of his stuff is in the bag." Kenshin said slowly, and Kaoru's head whipped around.

"You don't have a place to stay? How long have you been in California anyway?" She asked incredulously. Kenshin shook his head, the held up a hand and started counting.

"Uh, only two days, Miss Kaoru." He said sheepishly. They all stared, dumbstruck.

"So, where were you before?" Yahiko asked curiously. Kenshin seriously thought about not telling them, but what harm could there be in telling the truth.

"Washington D.C." Kaoru looked at him suspiciously.

"Fine, so how did you get all the way to California from Washington D.C. if you have no relatives here? And why here anyway?" Kenshin paled a little. He highly doubted they would believe him if he told them he walked the whole way, so he just shrugged and lied.

"This one took a plane. He came to visit an old friend, and to get away from the government, but the old friend had died, so he just stayed here. This one had nowhere else to go anyway." Kenshin explained. They all nodded.

"But why don't you have anywhere to stay? I mean, didn't your parents give you money to rent an apartment or something?" Kenshin looked down at the ground, which was slowly moving under their feet.

"This one doesn't have any parents." He muttered. "They died when this one was little."

"Oh, I'm sorry Kenshin. I didn't know." Kaoru's face drooped, then suddenly brightened. "I have an idea! You can stay with Yahiko and me! We're orphans, and can use all the help we can get! How about it?" Kaoru looked expectantly at Kenshin. He considered it, but before he could give an answer, Yahiko butted in.

"Yeah! And you can help us with our chores! Like washing the dojo, or cooking, since I can't and Kaoru sucks at it!" Yahiko was whacked upside the head.

"So, how about it?" She was holding the large textbook menacingly in her hand, Yahiko on the ground swirly eyed, with a cheerful expression on her face, though her eye twitched. Kenshin nodded reluctantly. "GREAT! And by the way, Yahiko, Cleaning the Dojo helps you with your training. So deal with it." Kaoru walked off, dragging Yahiko behind her. She turned for just a moment to wave goodbye to Misao as the freshman split and headed downtown.

"Well, I'd better get going too. I have to get homework done so I can get to my job." Megumi said.

"Oh, you work? Where?" Kaoru asked, stopping to wait for them to catch up.

"I work in the local pharmacy, stocking the shelves. I want to be a doctor when I grow up anyway, so this helps! BYE!" Megumi waved to them and ran off, her blue shirt sparkling. Sano left as well, saying he'd stop by the dojo later, to check up on them and to make sure Kaoru hadn't murdered Kenshin yet. The boy was so weak willed sometimes.

"AH, we're here! Home sweet home!" Kaoru announced after a few more minutes of walking. Kenshin looked up at the building. It was an older structure, a house with a small Japanese building of some sort attached to the side. It looked like a dojo. The house was two stories, small, but decent. A covered walkway ran from the dojo to the house, and then to a small building on the other side of the house.

"Hey, Yahiko! Go run and fetch the hand brushes from the shed! We have work to do!" Yahiko managed to look indignant.

"BUT I HAVE HOMEWORK! WHY DON'T YOU GO GET THEM YOURSELF UGLY?" He yelled at her. Kenshin winced. From what he'd seen, Yahiko was in major trouble. He was right. Kaoru's face grew red, and, as she dashed for the dojo only a couple meters away, Yahiko ran for the house. They each emerged with some sort of sword. Kaoru had a wooden one, where as Yahiko only had a bamboo bokato. Kenshin could easily see who was going to win. Yahiko was no match for Kaoru, but he did manage to get in a few whacks.

"Do you think you're going to be able to beat me like that, you pipsqueak?" Kaoru screeched at Yahiko.

"What do ya think Ugly?" Yahiko yelled back at her. Kaoru dealt him a swift blow to the head, and the boy fell to the ground, swirly eyed once more. Kenshin backed up as she turned her gaze on him.

"Um, hehe, this one is going….inside. Bye!" Kenshin backed up swiftly, towards the house. The he turned and ran, his bag over his shoulder. Koru ran after him, yelling,

"HEY! YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO STAY! HEY! WAIT!" Kenshin skidded to a stop.

"Oh, um….hehe, then this one guesses you might want to show him." He said sheepishly, hand behind his head, face red. Kaoru caught up with him, dragged him inside and up the stairs to a room off to the left of the bathroom.

"You can have this room. It used to be my parents room, but since they died, I guess this room needs to be used for something. You can put what clothes you have into the dresser over there. Don't mess with the drawers on the desk until I can, please?" Kaoru looked at him, her face beseeching. Kenshin nodded. She breathed in relief, then left it to him.

Kenshin took a look around the room. It was decent sized, with a small closet off to the right and a bed to the left. The dresser which Kaoru had spoke of was next to the bed, and the desk was by the closet. He sighed, and began to unpack. He set the many books he had gotten that day on top of the desk, along with homework papers and notebooks. Then he dug down until he reached a smaller bag and pulled it out. It contained the money he had left, which was quite a bit, considering.

Digging into the bag again, he pulled out a long, metal sheath which contained a sword he had received from an old friend a long time ago. He drew the blade, cautious in case anyone was standing outside the door. It was a sakabato, a sword in which the blade- and dull-edge were reversed, since he had sworn off killing after he left the army. This blade was sufficient to protect him if necessary, but he didn't want to kill anymore. He refused to.

Putting the sword back into the bag, he pulled out the spare change of clothes and held it up to the light. There were small holes in them, and they were ragged and thread bare. Kaoru walked in at that moment and saw them.

"Are those your only set of clothes?" She asked, aghast. He nodded. "Then we need to go shopping. I'll grab Yahiko and we'll leave right away. We can't have you in those tomorrow. They are disgusting. Worse then my workout clothes." She ran out the door while Kenshin was left with a protest on his left and his hand outstretched. It was useless to protest against a girl with her mind on something. He reluctantly gathered up the money he had, the back pack, for he wasn't going anywhere without the word, and set the worn out clothes on the dresser, leaving the room silent and dark.

"Kaoru, do I have to come? I have homework!" Yahiko yelled up the stairs, math book in hand as he sat at the little table in the kitchen.

"FINE! STAY HOME! But take a message from anyone who calls! And don't open the door to strangers!" Kaoru yelled back, running out of a room down the hall, hair in hand and a pony sitting in her mouth.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. God, you'd think I was still a baby, the way she treats me." Yahiko muttered under his breath. Kenshin just smiled. These two were a pretty good family together. He just hoped he wouldn't ruin it.

The car, as it was aptly named, had been parked around the side of the house, invisible from the street. Kaoru climbed into the drivers seat, purse in hand, as Kenshin sat in the passenger seat.

"Why are you bringing your bag?" Kaoru asked, pointing towards the blue back gym bag slung over his shoulder. Kenshin just shrugged.

"Just because. It has something that this one needs anyway, so what better place to carry it?" Kaoru looked at him questioningly, but let it slide. Kenshin was too weird to fathom anyway. The way he was looking around all the time, like he expected them to be attacked at any moment. Made a girl wonder sometimes.

They arrived at a large mall with a neon sign flashing 'THE MALL' on the front.

"Not very original, is it?" Kaoru commented as they walked to the front entrance. Kenshin sighed. He disliked shopping malls. As it turned out, Kenshin bought a few outfits for himself, then spent the rest of the trip watching as the teenaged girl mooned over this, or that, or another thing. He ended up with all the bags, and he staggered as they went to the food court.

"Man, I'm parched. How about you Kenshin? You hungry?" Kaoru turned to the shopping bag rack standing behind her.

"Y-sh-th-ne-oul-ike-a-ink" was heard from somewhere underneath the many bags.

"What did you say?" Kaoru asked again, removing the back in front of his face.

"Yes, this one would like a drink." He repeated, breathless. He had thought Master Hiko's training was hard. Nothing was hard until you went shopping with a teenaged girl. That was a nightmare. Kenshin found a table and set the bags down, whipping sweat off his brow. Another man happened to pass by, following a woman. He too was carrying bags.

"Ah, so it seems I'm not the only one who was roped into this torture." The man remarked, sitting down at the neighboring table. "Though you worse off then I do. Who you shopping with, a teenager?" He asked.. Kenshin nodded resignedly. The man laughed.

"Oh, and by the way, my name's Maekawa Miyauchi. I run a dojo in the middle of the city. It's quite popular. Have you heard of it?" he asked, looking at Kenshin expectantly.

"No. Though the name is Kenshin Himura. This one is staying With Kaoru at the moment. This one just arrived in San Francisco. AH, there she is now!" Kaoru walked up to the table, then did a double take when she saw who was sitting at the table over.

"Maekawa Sensei? Is that you? What are you doing here?" Kaoru asked, looking happy at the sight of the man. He laughed.

"Ah, the famous kenjustu princess! When are you coming down to help? The students really miss you!"

"This Saturday, I hope. And I'll probably drag Yahiko along as well. Wanna come Kenshin?" She asked, turning to the teen.

"Sure, why not. It would be fun to see how you practice kendo in today's world."

"Uh, is that supposed to mean anything Kenshin?" Kaoru asked. Kenshin frantically shook his head. "Fine then, I'll just go grab some food." Kaoru stalked off. The teen let out a strangled gasp.

"Teenage girls are scary." He muttered.

"Couldn't agree with you more. Hey, do you practice swords?" Kenshin turned and looked at Maekawa. He didn't look suspicious, and Kaoru knew him, so there was no real harm.

"A little, here and there. I pick things up every so often." So it wasn't really the truth, but it wasn't necessarily lying. 'Yeah, just keep telling yourself that. You might actually believe it one day too.' Kenshin didn't even bother replying, just sent the thick metaphysical door slamming shut with a reverberating clang as his answer. The two guys chatted for a while, touching on a few different subjects until their respective counterparts came back with food.

"So, see you Saturday Kenshin?" the teen nodded. "OK! I hope I get to have a match with you, see how much of the sword arts you picked up here and there. Talk to you later! Bye Kaoru!" Maekawa turned to his wife, a slim, robust woman with a head of gold hair about to the middle of her back.

"Have a good time talking with Maekawa sensei? He's a really nice man, once you get to know him." Kaoru commented, more to herself then to anyone else. They ate the food in relative silence, until Kaoru interrupted.

"AW SHIT! We have to get beck to the house! It's almost time for lessons and I still haven't done my homework! Aw man!" Kaoru hurriedly shoved the rest of the food in her mouth, handed Kenshin the bags, and raced to the car. She opened the truck for Kenshin, then threw herself into the front seat, yelling at Kenshin to get in. He did so, slamming the trunk and almost having to race to shut the door as Kaoru took off like a rocket.

"Miss Kaoru, this one thinks we are breaking the speed limit!" Kenshin yelled over the roar of the car. Kaoru gave him a look, so he shut up and prayed that they wouldn't run into any policemen.

Thankfully, they didn't, and arrived home with ten minutes to spare. Kaoru parked the small BMW around the side of the house again, and then raced indoors, leaving Kenshin to carry the bags in.

"Where did you two go, the mall?" Yahiko asked, eyes wide as Kenshin staggered in, straining under the parcels.

"Yes, and this one never wants to go back, not with a teenage girl. They buy too much. All this one bought was one bag, ONE BAG! The rest are all hers! How can girls buy that much anyway?" Kenshin sagged to the floor, bringing the gym bag he had faithfully held on to clattering to the floor with him.

"SO, Kaoru's working you to the bone and it's only your first day here." Sano remarked, walking in unannounced. He was carrying his backpack slung over his shoulder. When Yahiko looked at it, Sano just shrugged,

"Thought I could come over here to get some homework done, bug Kenshin a little on Mr. Shiko's packet thing, and take a look at that paper he wrote in English. Well, how about it?" Sano looked over at Kenshin, who was leaning against a chair, propping himself up with the corner of his bag. He nodded wearily. "Great! Then why don't we get started!" Pulled Kenshin up by his arm, slung it over his head, and helped the tired teen walk up the stairs to the second floor, and his room.

"Never go shopping with a teenaged girl. Never, IF you want to live that is." Kenshin muttered under his breath. He caught his breath, then walked over to the desk and pulled out the homework he had left, along with the paper for English. The two of them sat on the floor and took out the packets Hiko had assigned for them to do.

"So, Kenshin, what is the difference between Satsujin-ken and Katsujin-ken?" Sano asked, looked confused at the packet.

"Satsujin-ken is the art of killing, swords used for the express purpose of slaying your opponent. Katsujin-ken is the art of conquering your opponent without killing. Miss Kaoru teaches the second one." Kenshin replied, not even looking at the packet or Sano, instead concentrating on the current event he had to do. Finally, he just wrote down a few paragraphs and hoped that was all the teacher wanted.

"And you know this how?" Sano asked, pointing to the packet that clearly wasn't in Kenshin's hands. Kenshin shrugged.

"Picked it up somewhere." He turned back to the paper in his hands. It was the one Voice had written and Kenshin had yet to read. He turned his attention inward. 'Hey annoyance. Is this paper you wrote appropriate for school?' Kenshin asked suspiciously. 'Of course it is numbskull. I wrote it' Kenshin sighed. 'That's what worries me.' 'You'll never trust me, will you?' it was more of a statement then a question. Kenshin had yet to figure out a way to threaten a metaphysical voice. It couldn't be killed, nor could you physically hurt it. So what were you supposed to go? Kenshin shrugged it off, turned to the essay, and began to read.

The stars were out, the moon high in the night sky. A boy was in the shadows, waiting for his prey. His dress was that of a traditional Japanese kimono, and a sword rested at his hip. His eyes were embers, glinting in the night, glowing with an inner fire. He waited, this fourteen year old child, for the man he was to kill.

Sonny Hatami came into view, surrounded by a few trusted men. He was a biochemical weapons engineer. It had been confirmed that he was done with a new, more powerful weapon. The government wanted it, but he wouldn't give it to them, intent on selling it to a terrorist group in exchange for millions. All that their little assassin wanted to know was that he was to be killed, not the reasons. It wasn't as if he had much of a choice anymore. Then Sony Hatami walked in front of the young teen.

"I have no personal grudge against you, but you must die for the sake of the government." the boy said quietly, stepping from the shadows.

"Who is this kid?" Sonny asked, turning to the nearest of the four men. He shrugged.

"Maybe he's some kid who thinks he's all that." A man on the far side of the teen said.

"I am known as Hitokiri Battosai. You will all die here tonight." Then he disappeared. A flash of silver later, the young hitokiri reappeared, two men falling to the ground, his sword dripping blood. Sonny backed away, face full of terror. The two men remaining jumped in front of him pulled their gun out and pointed them shakily at the child.

"How can he do that? He's just a kid for god's sake." Sonny whispered, horrified by the child assassin in front of him. "Has the government stooped so low as to use children to kill?" The boy's amber eyes landed on him, and Sonny gulped at the anger and blood lust in them. This child was different.

The child disappeared, just as the guns were fired. He reappeared behind Sonny. The man turned in time to see tears slip down his face. He left the world at a child's hands, knowing that this teen assassin was still just that, a child.

"Mr. Hatami!" One of the remaining men cried out. Then the gun was knocked from his hands. As the sword arced high over his head, he fumbled for the knife at his belt. The sword started on its decent, and the knife flashed out.

The guard fell, ct from head to toe. The boy held a hand to his cheek, where a wound bled sluggishly. The he turned to the last guard, and cut him down as well. Then he sheathed his sword, picked up the knife and left, leaving the bodies behind him and taking memories, and that knife.

As Kenshin finished, he realized his hand was on his cheek, touching the same scar he had received that day, so long ago. 'Why did you choose this particular one?' Kenshin asked silently. 'Cause, this one happens to be the most interesting, in my opinion.' Voice replied haughtily. 'Whatever.' Kenshin returned to the paper, silently brooding.

"Hey, can I read that?" Sanosuke's head popped over Kenshin's shoulder. Kenshin gave the paper to him, and watched as he read. His face went through a series of emotions, interested, curious, sadness, horror, and confusion.

"Kenshin? How the heck did you write this?" Sano asked turning seriously to the teen. Kenshin shrugged, and hoped that his face was blank and innocent. Sano looked a him for a few more seconds, then turned away, handing the paper back to its owner. The two of them finished their homework in silence, and descended the stairs for diner with a little discomfort between the two.

"YAY! WE GOT PIZZA! NO HOMEMADE FOOD! PIZZA! PIZZA! PIZZA! PIZZA!" Yahiko chanted, over and over as he took a slice from the box on the table. Sano stared at the box for a minute, the raced over, grabbing a slice and sitting down to wolf it up. Kenshin stared, then, slowly, he took a piece out and looked intently at it, then ate it. He hadn't had pizza in a long time. You really don't get much of it during a war. The other two were too busy eating or fighting over a piece they didn't see Kenshin slowly eating one after another.

"Hey, are you three gonna help me or not?" Kaoru yelled from the dojo, where she was cleaning up from the few students who had been there.

"Hey Kaoru! We have pizza! You want some? Before we eat it all?" Yahiko shouted from the kitchen. Kaoru's head popped up just as Sano beamed Yahiko with a spoon.

"Why'd ya do that blockhead? We could have had the pizza all to ourselves!" Sano complained. Yahiko didn't reply. He was to busy lying on the floor.

"But that's not nice. Miss Kaoru lets you come here all the time and eat without paying! This one thinks that awfully nice of her." Kenshin muttered. Sano ignored him while Kaoru seemed to teleport to the kitchen and wolf down two slices before they could blink. This was much better then her cooking. Kenshin just stared.

"ORO?" A teacup went flying across the room, hitting Kenshin in the head. He stumbled back, then lifted swirly eyes to Yahiko, who had tried to beam it at Sano.

"Oops, sorry Kenshin. My bad." Yahiko muttered, looking embarrassed. Kenshin just shook his head and turned towards the stairs.

"This one is gonna go to bed. Night Everyone! Thank you for letting this one stay here!" Kenshin walked up the stairs and into his room, shutting the door behind him and locking it.

"Aw man! My stuff's still in there!" Sano whined.

"Well, you can just go get it after you help me clean up this mess, both in here and the dojo. You too Yahiko. It's part of your training." Yahiko groaned.

"I thought I was supposed to be learning swordsmanship, not how to clean." He complained. Kaoru just hit him on the head with her shinia. "OW! Whatcha do that for ugly?" He said, rubbing a large bump forming on his head. Kaoru hit him again.

"Don't call me ugly, and I won't hit you. Got it?" Yahiko muttered something under his breath. "What did you say?" she asked, warning in her voice.

"Nothing." He said.

"That's what I thought. Now, you two, march." Kaoru pointed. They began to walk resignedly towards the dojo, muttering darkly under their breath.

As the two of them, supervised by Kaoru, who had a wooden sword in her hand, slowly cleaned the dojo, floor and walls, till they sparkled. Then they dragged themselves out of the dojo, down the walkway connecting it to the house, and into the kitchen.

"CAFFEINE! NEED CAFFEINE!" Sano shouted, dashing to the fridge and yanking it open. He grabbed a coke out of the bottom drawer and opened it with a pop, drinking deeply till it was gone. "Ok, all better. Now, I'd better go grab my stuff. My mom wants me home before nine, and it's already eight thirty!" Sano dashed up the stairs, but stopped when he felt a weird energy coming from Kenshin's room. He got closer, until he could hear the teen breathing hard inside. So he wouldn't disturb the guy, Sano crouched low to the floor, and looked under the door.

"What the heck?" Sano whispered silently. Kenshin was standing in the middle of the room, a sword sheathed in hand and his eyes closed. The air around him swirled, and the breeze outside rustled the windows. Sano watched in amazement as some of the leaves on the floor rose and began to move around Kenshin, as if the guy was a magnet or something. Then, they began to tremble, and finally, tore in half, when no one was touching them. His eyes opened, and stared around the room. Sano caught a glimpse of them, and they weren't their ordinary indigo shade.

"Who is that kid?" Sano breathed in shock. Kenshin sure as hell wasn't normal. Deciding to keep it a secret for now, Sano walked quietly to the stair, then, about halfway down them, he turned back to the top.

"HEY! KENSHIN! I NEED TO GET MY STUFF!" he yelled, knocking on his door. Kenshin opened it, empty-handed.

"Oh, sorry Sano. This one forgot about it. Hehe." Kenshin said sheepishly. He was totally different then when Sano had seen him just a moment ago. For instance, his eyes weren't glowing amber, and he wasn't looking dangerous. Sano walked in just as Kenshin hid a piece of paper behind his back. 'Wonder what that was?' he thought to himself, but decided against asking. He really didn't want to know just now.

When Sano left the room, Kenshin breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that his friend had seen him, but there was nothing he could do now. He just hoped Sano thought it was a vision or something and forgot about it. He looked at the paper he had tried to hide.

Hitokiri Battosai

Come to the old dojo on the outskirts of

town, unless you want us to burn that

house you're staying in to the ground.

Shinko-Ryu

(hehe, I rhyme)

Kenshin had heard of this group. It wasn't an official government group. It just did their dirty work when the money was right. The irony of the whole thing is that they were planning to overthrow the government one day, and reestablish a new one from Japan's glory days. They also used traditional Japanese weapons, though a few used modern day guns, and were known for being the best around, next the Oniwabanshu, descendents of spies from Japan. It seemed as if everyone was from Japan these days.

Kenshin crumpled the note in his hand, then began to change into his old outfit, a kimono. He slid the sakabato into his sash, and, checking to make sure his door was firmly locked, he jumped from the window and onto the ground, silent as a mouse. He had to do this. He couldn't let Miss Kaoru and Yahiko get hurt just because who he had once been. It wasn't their fault. They had no idea.

The teen made his way to the outskirts of San Francisco, and found the dojo they were talking about. It was large, though in extreme disrepair. As he walked in, he kept his guard up. He felt a number of presences in the room, all hidden in the shadows.

"Come out now. This one is here, like you wanted. Now one wishes to know the reason you have sent for him." Kenshin stated, his voice echoing in the large space. His foot caught on a hole in the ground. As he pulled it out, two men walked into the moon's light. One was holding a double-sided sword, and the other had an ax.

"We are not here from the government, if that is what you were wondering." Kenshin was surprised, though he didn't show it. So what were they here for? "We are here to ask you to join our group. We know how strong you are, and you could be of great use in overthrowing the government. What do you say?" The man with the double-sided sword was speaking.

"No." Simple and straight to the point. Unfortunately, the men didn't want this answer. They glared at him.

"Then we will have to kill you." Suddenly, all four men in the room charged. Kenshin jumped and flipped out of the way, his hand flashing to his sword. Two of the men were on the ground before he landed. The other two just stared.

"So the master wasn't lying when he said the battosai was strong. He's almost inhumanly strong, and as fast as the gods." A man whispered in awe. Kenshin turned to the remaining two. They gulped, but stayed put, standing in front of Kenshin.

"Don't say one didn't warn you." Kenshin disappeared, and then suddenly, a flash of silver later, he was there, on the other side of the men. They stopped, then fell, mouths gaping. None were dead, but he left them a note.

Tell anyone, and this one will

Make sure to hunt you down.

Not a word.

HB

Kenshin didn't like resorting to threats, but decided that this was an emergency. He really didn't want the cops in the area to know he was here. He left the dojo and silently headed back to the house. It was only nine thirty. He still had time to sleep tonight before school tomorrow. What a relief. He didn't notice a pair of eyes watching him as he left.

'Ah, so the rumors of his strength were true, defeating my top men in under five minutes. Amazing. I just have to have him.' His watcher thought, slowly retreating into the dark.

Kenshin arrived at the window he had left only forty minutes ago. Staring up at the house, he was sad. So many people were nice to him, yet none knew the truth. If they did, they would most likely kill him. He shook off the thought, preying that they would never know. He didn't want to return to who he was. Not again. Never again. He jumped up to the window, landing lightly on the frame, and stepped down into the room. Then, slowly, he changed into his pj's, climbed into bed, and stared at the ceiling. 'What a hectic first day'

RK: Yes, I know, long chapter. Very long. 37 pages to be exact. And any ideas will help! Please? And if anyone wants to be a beta, as I have none, please offer! I really need one! Thank you! And see that little purple button down there? I bet you it will make the world blow up if you press it…..

Cai: (mutters) you wish.

RK: Shush! Review, please?