Hello to all the lovely people who have reviewed!! Thank you @_@~~~! Will keep updating as fast as I can for your sakes *_*
I just realised I have no idea how to split things into chapters. I'm just throwing breaks in when I think I've gone on too long : P.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own RK! I'm borrowing it! Nyeh!
*Chapter 4*
Miname dove for the phone. "Y-ees?" she gasped into the receiver.
"Oh. You're back. I saw some boys tailing you as you left the library," Natsumi's lifeless voice came over the line, "I was going to call the police if you hadn't picked this up."
"Why, how sweet of you." Miname didn't know whether to be touched by Natsumi's unprecedented show of concern or mad at her lack of action. "Did it occur to you that you could have called for help earlier, when I was being attacked??"
"Oh." pause. "I suppose."
Miname blew out her breath. "Anyway, that's not important ... " She quickly filled her friend in on Kenshin's mysterious appearance. "The thing is," she whispered into the receiver as she watched Kenshin gingerly pick up the TV remote and study it, "He really acts like he's from the Meiji - freaks out when a car drives by, that kind of thing. But... his story is just impossible... Do you think he's a psycho???"
"Possibly," Natsumi was being particularly receptive for once. Miname strongly suspected she had would-be-Kenshin's Kogoro Katsura connection to thank. "You say he's in your home now and that he has a big sword...?"
Miname's heart turned to ice, "Natsumi-chan... don't scare me... Anyway, I thought you could, you know, establish his um - integrity. No one could possibly know more about the bakumatsu than you do, maybe you could test him or something..." Kenshin had succeeded in turning the TV on, promptly falling over in shock.
"That's a good idea," Natsumi sounded vaguely surprised, "Someone obsessed with the battousai would probably only research the era and the personages in relation to his character. If Kenshin is the real deal, he should know more about Katsura Kogoro than someone with only a passing interest..."
"How did I guess you would bring Katsu-whatsit into this?" Kenshin tore his eyes away from the TV screen to mouth in some panic There are small people trapped in this box and they are moving..."Oh, nevermind that Kenshin, get over here and talk to Natsumi..."
Kenshin approached Miname and the telephone headset she was brandishing with great caution. "Er... what is that?"
"It's a telephone - look, I'll explain later, just talk to Natsumi, please??"
"Ah, telephone. Soka," he took the receiver from her outstretched hand, "It looks different, but I guess it works like the one we saw at the trade fair...or does it?"
"JUST USE IT ALREADY!!!"
*****
Kenshin spoke with Natsumi for about twenty minutes, before handing the handset to Miname with a speculative look in the eye. Miname didn't bother to question him but waved him away impatiently. When Kenshin had resumed his study of the TV set, she put the receiver to her ear. "So?"
"Oh, he sounds authentic to me..." Was Natsumi actually breathless?? "He was MOST informative on Kogoro-san. MOST most informative. Did you know that..."
"Okay, okay, tell me later. So somehow he was brought over into this time. How do I send him back?"
"Well, you brought him here. Just do what you did in reverse or something." Miname heard voices in the background, "Oh, I have to go -time for my night classes. Ja ne,"
*****
Miname replaced the receiver to find Kenshin looking at her expectantly. She threw herself onto her sofa and scratched her head in frustration.
"Ok, I guess I believe you now", she admitted. "Somehow you were sucked through time and ended up here... If I remember correctly, that happened after I grabbed this pendant- " she lifted it up to show him. "In fact...!!" Miname leapt to her feet and started unearthing her apartment. Kenshin could only watch speechlessly as she sent piles of magazines, boxes and bags flying in the air.
"How could I have forgotten...a-ha! I found it!" Miname sat up triumphantly with a gift box in her hand. She opened it and removed a piece of paper from within, scanning the lines quickly.
[Miname, a gift from your father with this accompanying message:
Miname-chan, look what I picked up yesterday when I was in Germany. It's not worth much but it has a great story attached to it, which I thought you would like. Apparently this was owned by a noble lady who was accused of dabbling in witchery of some kind! She had an uncanny knack of being able to predict the future. Anyway, some family tragedy drove her insane and she was locked in an institution for the rest of her life, but this pendant was uncovered in her estate when she passed - along with this little rhyme.
"Clasp tight to open Time's Gates/Seize on to control destiny and fate/'Ware to your thoughts, where you are at/These determine which wishes are met."
Anyway, that's bad poetry if I've seen it. But I've paid more for worse things. Enjoy and try not to get into too much trouble - we're running out of schools to send you to ]
"Oh ha ha, tou-san, very funny." Miname repeated the verse out loud for Kenshin's benefit. She undid her pendant and held it out for his inspection. "So according to this verse, holding on to this," she jerked the necklace,"open's up "Time's Gate" - some portal for travelling through time, I guess, [kumo - see, watching lots of TV has its benefits ^_^]..."'ware to your thoughts, where you are at..." "
"Those would be the key to determining what happens when you use the pendant ..." Kenshin's brow was furrowed. "Miname-dono, could you please tell me exactly what happened earlier in the woods."
"Umm.." Miname rubbed her nose thoughtfully, screwing up her eyes as she tried to recall. "Those jerks were after my pendant, and I was getting more agitated. I felt this throbbing feeling all over me... then Shou reached to grab it, but my hand got there first....and I remember... I remember" Her eyes flew open and she smacked a fist in her palm emphatically, " I remember thinking, "If Himura Kenshin were here I would so sic him on you sorry lot!". That's when the light and buzzing started! That's when you came!" She had seized Kenshin by the shoulders and was shaking him excitedly.
"....as simple as that?" Kenshin reached out to take the pendant in his hand, looking at it speculatively.
"That's got to be it - I was thinking about you being here, and here you are..." Miname could hardly contain her excitement, "so that's all there is to it - you grab it and you wish yourself back, and whoom - away you go...." And, phew, I can get on with my life!! Ack, I think I just missed my favourite TV programme!!!!!
*****
"Its NOT working...!!!!" Miname blew out her breath impatiently and hopped a few times in frustration. It seemed like they had gone through all kinds of permutations. Kenshin had tried it, Miname had tried it. They had been wishing the same thing - that Kenshin would go back to the Meiji era - trying all kinds of different wordings. A couple of times, it had felt like they were coming close to something, a similar kind of build up in tension she had felt back in the woods, but nothing had happened. "Arrrrrgghhhhhh..!"
"Miname-dono...!" Kenshin successfully rescued the pendant from being crushed to powder.
"Aaa..." Miname scrubbed her heavy eyelids with her hands. She was so sleepy and this was taking waaay too much time. "Honestly, Kenshin, is it so important that you go back anyway?" she grumbled thoughtlessly, "Isn't it better being here where no one knows who you are, then back in the Meiji where you're hated and feared?". She had made her way to the kitchen where she poured herself a drink, still talking, "I mean, what's life like there for you? People must be terrified by you...and your friends - wow, talk about exciting - man, I bet there are people just waiting to take you out," recalling various kungfu movies, Miname was getting carried away, "just lying in wait to pounce on you and slice out your guts... get your title as the strongest fighter...that would make a great movie!!... umm... Kenshin?"
She had made her way back to the sofa where Kenshin was seated, lost in thought. He slowly turned his head towards her, and it seemed like a light had been switched on in his head - he smiled gently at her, unable to disguise the sadness in his eyes.
"Miname-dono, you could be right." He didn't elaborate. "Arigatou."
*****
They had agreed to stop trying for the night and Miname had unceremoniously showed him to her study where she kept a spare bed. Lying in it and staring out the window into the night sky, Kenshin reconsidered her words. It was true, life in the Meiji was a constant battle against fear and paranoia for him. Not so much for his own safety, but primarily for that of his friends... especially... He shut his eyes and drew his right hand over his forehead. He recalled his anguish when he thought he had lost Kaoru. Also, the way his friends had worried when he had left for Kyoto. He didn't want to have to cause them that kind of pain - it would be unfair not to continue trying to find a way back.
Time mends most things though. He knew that even the worse kind of pain would dull with the passing years - even the pain of taking a loved ones life. They would be able to recover and move on eventually. Even Kaoru. Especially Kaoru. Wasn't that what he admired so much about her in the first place, her resilience? If I could know she was safe and happy...His thoughts faded away into deep sleep.
*****
Notes: Uh-oh - I think I'm getting angsty. Originally this story was going to be angsty. Then it came out all weird. But I think its going back to its roots. Argh. I liked it weird! Can something be humorous and angsty at the same time?? I'll try! ^_^x!!! Also, sorry for the corny pendant story and cheesy rhyme -hee hee talk about unoriginal! What am I saying, this is a FANFIC ...!!!
