A/N: Not bad...I guess it's not really making sense to people. I will continue though, because the thoughts of this story are plaguing me.

A Nickel For Your Thoughts?

So, as Kamiya Kaoru had said, I was taken by ambulance to the hosptial. I really didn't think it was that bad, but I obviously couldn't convince her otherwise. She thought that I must have been leharigc with I spoke to her. I really wasn't making much sense to myself. I ramble often, and this just so happened to be one of the times.

At the big looming building that I hated and will not say its name, I was put through several different kind of machines that were all abbriviated words. Once those were finished, I was put in room where I waited with Kaoru for my parents. What parents? Last thing I remembered, I was basically an orphan. I mean, I had Seijuuro Hiko who Kaoru was saying was the owner of a multi billion dollar company. It was hard for me to believe her. Last thing I remember was Hiko being a hermit and basically as poor as I was now...or was I guess. I made a deal with him that I could last. That apartment that I was evicted from lasted three years while I jumped from job to job, I guess I won the bet. But, I lost contact with him. So to think that now he was wealthy and I was his son was a bit of a stretch.

The door opened, and the first to enter was an old doctor with a kind smile and a clipboard. After him came in the tall and strongly built man that would be Seijuuro Hiko. Everything was the same about him, even the arrogant grin that he would get every now and then, these being one of those times. The only difference was the clothes that he was wearing. A black suit that really looked nice on him. It reaked of money too. But behind him was a small woman with dark red hair all bunned up in her wide brimmed hat. She rushed over to the bed, faster than Hiko could even think about it.

"I'm so glad you're alright baby," she whined. She tightened her arms around my neck as tight as she could get them. This woman was my mother. I remember her. I barely remember. I was only six when she passed away of cancer. And the only reason that she couldn't live was because we didn't have enough money to give her the right procedures.

"Good to see you too Mom," and hugged her back. Hiko walked up to the bed and loomed there for a moment. Not emotional. Nothing about him had changed.

If you must know, he's not my real father, but he might as well be. He's raised me ever since I was in diapers. My Dad ran off shortly after I as born. Probably not wanting to be burdened with a child. Mom found Hiko and things just went their course. At least they were still together.

"How bad are things?" Mom asked the doctor. His nametag read 'Genzai'. I turned my head to looked at Kaoru also interested in the disgnosis. I just filtered it out as he spoke. At least I was right. My nose was broken. Joy. He also said something about a minor concussion saying that I would act a little weird for the next few days. Then Mom began to thank Genzai before he walked out. The whole time was a little out of it. I kept staring at Kaoru; I would see her all the time on the red carpet for events. She was such a modest person. And she was so kind. And she looked just a s good in person as she did when she was on T.V. I smiled to her, and she smiled back grabbing my hand in a comforting way.

"Where did you go Ken?" Mom asked me. I had to snap out of my trance and look over to my Mom. Her face had aged appropriately over he years. But she was still as radiant as I could remember.

"Just around. Browsing."

"Browsing? A word I haven't heard you say," Hiko responded. I guess I must have stumped them or something.

"Just walking around. I was bored."

"Now that sounds like my son," Hiko said proudly. My son. That didn't sound like Hiko. I guess things must have changed over the course of getting money. "Are you aware of what we were suppose to do today?" I didn't flinch. If I didn't move, he wouldn't be able to say that I said anything. Hiko sighed.

"Honey, it's alright." Mom said. "You can always go over that stuff another time. He's probably jittery about that."

"What?" I was lost.

"Hiko wants you to learn more about the compnay, get you in the swing of things whenever you take over." Kaoru explained.

"Was that today?" I was surprised. "Whoops...sorry."

"Excuses excuses..." Hiko pinched the bridge of his nose. "The day's over now, so there's no use berating you. At least tell us where you hid the car."

"Car?" I hadn't ever owned a car. Hell, I wasn't sure that I even had a driver's license.

"Yes, your car..." he started mumbling something about how the doctor was right about being confused. "The Shelby?It's red."

Now that was definately my car. At least my dream car. I smiled a moment and thought. Where would I leave a car like that and know it was safe when I returned. Hoping now that my counter part in this awkward universe was on the same wave length that I was.

"The park...I think...wait give me a sec."

"Honey, your stressing him out. If he can't remember, it's not that big of a loss right now. We can go look for it. It won't be that hard to find."

"True. Hoping that it isn't stolen by now."

Somehow they were unintentionally berating me for my actions. I wished I could close my ears and not listen to it, and I managed by starting to fall asleep. Kaoru shook me awake.

"Kenshin?"

"Yeah."

"We're going home alright? We'll be back first thing in the morning."

"Why do I have to stay here?"

"They just want to observe for the night, make sure that nothing's wrong with you that they didn't catch." She kissed me on the forehead. "I promise, break of dawn we'll be back." I held Kaoru to that promise. She was a very honest person I believed. When she left, I turned over in the and started to fall asleep.

I was right to believe that Kaoru held her word. She came back at the start of visiting hours and picked me up. By then I was ready to leave. I'd been in hospitals when I had gotten pnuemonia, and I really didn't want to go back after that. So when she pushed me out of the hospital with my mother in tow, I was relieved.

"Are you feeling alright sweetie?" Mom asked.

"Yeah. Pretty good."

I lifted up from the wheelchair and was awestruck by the sleek black car in font of me. And I knew this was nothing but a Lincoln Continental that was probably Kaoru's.

"Did you guys have any luck looking for Shelby?"

"You were right. Which your father was really mad about," Mom said. "He thought that you were out of your mind to park it in such a public place."

"It wouldn't be stolen in such a public place. Lots of police lurking around I figured." I sat in the back behind the two ladies of my life. "We're going home right?"

"Of course. Where did you think you were going?" Mom asked. I shrugged because I really didn't have an alternative answer. I just liked the idea of saying the word 'home'.

Arrival was both enticing and a little frightening. The mansion was...incredible. I couldn't believe that something like this really existed. A wrought iron gate was set up and it was what was separating us from the thing that was frightening me. The paparazzi. I guess being the son of a billionaire had some bad points to it to. There were hundreds of men and women that Kaoru patiently waited to sift through while guards created a pathway to the home. And I knew why they wanted pictures. They wanted to see how bad the damage was. Paparazzi yucked this stuff up, and I never really understood why.

Once the gate was closed, we were as safe as we would get. I looked out of the back of the car to the people that were trying to fight the iron. I looked up to my mother and Kaoru who were calmer than I was, most certainly.

"Well, I should have seen that one coming," Mom stated. She flattened her shoulders and took a breath. She looked back at me and her face softened when she saw me leaned down from the windows. "You alright Ken? I've never seen you shaken about that stuff."

"I'm fine, it's just...I don't know."

"Well when we get home it's straight to bed looks like," Mom said. "You need a little more rest. You look like you haven't slept in weeks."

In the other world, maybe not. I was always tired because I had a mild case of insomnia. I couldn't do too much about it. I constantly worried over losing my place. It was a bigger deal than I was making it out to be. That me must have really been reflected into this world.

I stepped out into the suns rays and examined the finely kept yard of the manor. Every blade of grass, every topiary leaf, every tree limb seemed to be cute to perfection by the gardners. And the house only reflected the yard with stunning beauty. It was a glossy shade of white complimented with black shutters that I was sure didn't actually shut. This place was four stories tall, by the window count. Kaoru grabbed my arm and led me inside. The foyer was just as unimaginable as the outside. Circular with marble tiles. I was ashamed to know that since marble was so soft I would be scuffing it. I was pressed on down a set of steps that led into the main living space. A second set of spiral stairs led me upstairs were Kaoru showed me to my bedroom.

It was...let's try and put this as delicately as possible...enormous. It basically reflected the outside, as it should have. The bed was focused in the center on top of an Oriental rug. It was a king I guessed. The rest of the room was decorated like a teenager's room should. A desk was across from the large window. On the desk was a drawing pad that I automatically went to. I liked to doodle every now and then, and they turned out pretty cool. But when I looked at these, I was amazed. Professional quality. Kaoru leaned on my shoulder. She noticed the one that I was looking at. A picture I must have drawn of her where she was nearly nude.

"I wished you wouldn't have done that one. If Tokiko ever finds it, you're so screwed."

"I'm eighteen aren't I?"

"You're also still in this house. You're under your mother's rules remember," she patted my head. "Now, as she said. Bed for you mister. A day's worth of rest before you go to school tomorrow," Kaoru pushed me over to the bed I was undressing in the process.

"School?"

"Yeah. Did you forget that too?"

"No, no...time just flies doesn't it? I shouldn't have wasted my Saturday..."

"That was your fault. I don't really see why you would bail out on Hiko-san like that. But, I don't understand half your reasoning, and I don't plan on trying."

The bed was so soft that I began sinking into it. Despite my injury, I wasn't really tired, and really didn't want to stay in bed knowing that the only way that I could seem more normal is if I knew my way around the house as though I had been there for all eighteen years, or close to it.

"I really don't want to sleep," I told Kaoru. "I'm actually kinda hungry."

"Figures. C'mon, breakfast should still be going on right now. Hiko-san's probably still reading that morning paper."

"Yeah, that's Dad for you."

Kaoru turned and looked at me with this odd smile. It was as though she was happy, she was confused about something. I managed to smile back which seemed to console her other than the fact that she shrugged her shoulders and grabbed my arm to pull me along into the dining room.

I think somewhere along the line I got use to seeing everything large and expensive as we strolled through the long corridors full of Oriental rugs and odd busts. I could image Seijuuro Hiko as this kind of person. He was not without his eccentric quirks, I had to admit. His love for all things strange never ceased to amuse me when I was on "the other side". Bu the way, as a heads up, that's how I will refer the other side of myself.

This house only showcased his love for these sorts of things. By the time we reached the dining room where Mom was looking over a magazine while sipping her tea and Dad was leaning back casually reading the paper, it had been at least a half hour. I sat down with Kaoru next to me and started to make a plate of the foods that I was sure I hadn't had in a while or hadn't had ever. This garnered the attention of my parents in a negative way. They looked toward one another as I began to scarf the food down. I even noticed the way that Kaoru was looking at me very shocked.

"You must be starved," Mom said. I stopped to nod. "Did you not eat yesterday while you were out?"

I thought a moment. "Not that I recall."

They were extrememly silent as I ate, and when I finally had enough of it I asked:

"Is there something wrong?"

Mom automatically began drawing something from the pocket of her robe. Dad started to roll his eyes and hide behind the paper. This wasn't good...definately not good. Even Kaoru was ducking her head alittle. Mom laid the item on the table. It was a bag that was full of something that resembled brown sugar. I knew what it was; I ducked my head a little and tried to hide behind the food.

"The maid found this in your room when she went through it to clean yesterday. She found it underneath the bed with other items that I would not like to speak about..."

"Playboy and Penthouse," Dad said in Mom's place. She shot a glare over to Dad and huffed to say that this was her problem to deal with. I lowered my eyes from her gaze. The only other time that I could remember her doing this to me was when I was five and I had stolen from the store.

"What I want to ask you is...where did these things come from?"

I let my eyes float over to Dad knowing that he was hiding for a reason. It wasn't the heroin, Dad's not that stupid, but the magazines, well, that was obvious because I knew that he had looked at those things before as well.

"The magazines are from Dad," I said quickly, "and I don't even know what that is," I said pointing to the bag. I started to flick it toward Mom.

"Kenshin...don't lie to me. I would fell better if you told the truth. It wouldn't make me as angry."

"Mom, I don't know where it came from. I don't so that stuff. If you don't trust me, take a pee test, seriously. Or something like that. Hair, whatever," I told her. She began to cry a little. They knew something that I didn't know. Shit...why the hell couldn't I remember what happened when I came into this body...shit.

"Ken...I don't want you to fall off the wagon," Mom said. Kaoru was hugging my arm again. "Just tell us who you got it from. Please?"

"I don't know. I would tell if I did. I don't know." I continued to shovel the food into my mouth. It was getting intense. Maybe staying in bed would have been better.

"Maybe we'll take you up on that test," Dad said. I noticed how monotone his voice got, which meant something. Something good. He trusted me; God was that rare.

"Well, if it turns out that this was really a planted thing, then how would it have gotten there?" Mom asked. She was asking herself this. I didn't have any answers for her. I just ate and drank a few glasses of milk before going back upstairs.

"Kaoru-dono?"

I was sitting on that soft bed once again. My eyes scanned the neat room to find something I could do to get my mind off what just happened. But I needed answers about myself. At least, this self that I didn't understand. I turned to the rack of music that was across the room and started to rummage through it.

"What?"

"Never mind...I forgot."

"You're doing that a lot aren't you?" she touched my hands with her soft hands. "Are you okay?"

"I just got smacked in the head with whatever the hell that thing was yesterday," I registered that my voice was very hot despite me wanting to say that very calmly. I shook my head. "Sorry. I didn't mean to say it like that."

I pulled out one of the CD's that was a classical Cd. I put it in the stereo and let the orchaestra fill the large bedroom. It was a welcomed relief. On the nightstand there was a laptop that I could use. When I sat down on the bed, Kaoru headed for the door.

"Where you going?"

"I'm gonna let you rest a little. I'll be across the hall if you need me alright?"

"Sounds good."

Later on, I came to the page that I was looking for on the computer. While I didn't know much about it, I knew enough that I could find what I needed. I never really trusted Wikipedia, but it was the best thing I could trust. I typed in my name and waited for a moment. The page was rather long, but the first thing I saw was a picture of what looked to be a mugshot. And there was my scar. I touched my cheek. I wonder how I got it.

I scrolled down and began to read slowly. These were just some of this things that it said:

Himura Kenshin, the only son of Seijuuro Hiko and Seijuuro-Hiimura Tokiko is widely known for his eccentric antics and eratic behavior.

He has been known to be very violent towards the paprazzi and began using an umbrella nearly every time he steps outside. On one occasion, a violent outburst on one photographer when he was out with his girlfrend, Kamiya Kaoru, for her birthday, ended him up in police custody after he broke a few of the man's ribs.

"Wow...I'm a piece of work..."

I was trying to think in an opposite reality that I was a violent and rude person. I certainly wasn't as I was now. I huffed and continued to read what I found interesting. And that was how Dad had made his money. I think I knew how though.

And I read the exact thing that I was sure of. When I was about four or five, Dad told me that there was a chance for him to take this tremendous deal that later on his life on the other side did actually turn into a multi-billion dollar company. When they gave him the choice whether or not he wanted to do this, he denied it because he honestly thought that it was going to fail. Boy, was he wrong. He never regretted not taking the deal on the other side, he seemed a bit happier actually. Not that Seijuuro Hiko was a really happy person in the first place.

So that makes this one of those butterfly effect things. One decision that Hiko made in past completely altered the future for him and those around him. Ergo, me. And I wasn't be brought up as the most cheery kid in the world.

The door to my room opened again to Kaoru. She was in her pajamas. She sat on the bed and crawled up next to me. I made sure to close the computer before she got to me. I smiled as she snuggled next to me. There must have been something that made me appealing to her, because it certainly wasn't my attitude.

A/N: I sort of got this idea from an episode of Jimmy Nuetron, so...I guess if you see similarity there...I can understand.