Disclaimer: If I owned Rurouni Kenshin, all life as we know it would end. No, really, it would. If I owned ANYTHING all life as we know it would end.

Author's Notes: Alrighty then, I got this really freaky idea for a Rurouni Kenshin alternate universe fiction that was inspired by my dad's stories of when he was a bike messenger. If you don't know what that is, I'll tell you now so you understand the story. A bike messenger is a person who runs errands on a bike. Now, in a small, quiet, peaceful neighborhood, it would most likely be a ten year old boy. But, this story takes place in NEW YORK CITY. Yes, the place with all the cars, traffic jams, road rage, and people screaming vulgarities at each other (Hell, I live an hour away from this death trap and have been there fifty times, I WOULD know). NOW, we have a twenty-three (I'm changing the ages!) year old for a bike messenger. I think you get the drift. Rated PG-13... for the fact that we are talking about a dangerous city and the cursing and the road rage. Well, merry reading!

Dedication: My dad. His stories are what have inspired this story, whether they are true or not : )

The Message to Her Heart - Chapter One - Idiot Bike-Boy in NYC

Kenshin Himura, twenty-three year old bike messenger, continued riding the silver and black bike down the sidewalk. Traffic was heavy, and Kenshin listened to all the cursing and insults as he passed the cars that were now moving even slower than him. He was mostly concerned about the fragile package stowed away safely in his magenta backpack, and if he could get it to the house safely. Even though the sidewalk was crowded and busy, it was safer than the roads. He had been self-trained for this, and he knew that wandering into the streets would only make a tragic end to his life...as a pancake. Of course, people were cursing at him too as he passed on the sidewalk, and the teens snickered at his long red hair and girlish colored backpack that he had picked out of some unknown garbage can and fixed up. Of course, being concentrated on not hitting into anybody, when he finally came to a quieter street, he let his guard down.

And slammed right into the open door of a parked car.

---------

Kaoru Kamiya, twenty year old college student, continued to drive through the crowded streets. She was an uptown girl, she lived in Uptown, she was well paid for, she had money, and she had clothes on her back. She was just going back to the small house after a long week of school, and was very happy that she could finally get off for even a few days. As she came to the familiar stoplight, she impatiently waited for it to turn green, and made a left hand turn when it finally did. She was glad to see that there were no double-parked cars on her street, and traffic was moving through nicely. She drove past a red-headed boy on a bike, or at least, he seemed like a boy.

'Hm.... with hair that long and such a small frame, he looks a little girlish... wait, would saying that make me a hypocrite? Well, I am a girl, so maybe not...'

Kaoru parked her car, and struggled over to the passenger seat. She always got out on the passenger side, going out into the street was possibly the stupidest thing you could do on such a crowded block. She quickly reached back in her car, realizing she had forgotten her backpack, and heard the most unique sound she had ever heard behind her while her entire car shook.

"ORO!!!"

She turned around to see the bike-boy with the long red hair, pathetic build, and magenta backpack sprawled face-down on the ground, his legs tangled in his bicycle. He struggled to get up from his position and Kaoru quickly gave her assistance.

"Whew......at least I didn't land on my back."

"Oh my Kami-sama, sir, are you alright?"

Kaoru mentally smacked herself for speaking in partial Japanese.

"Hai, hai, madam, daijobu, that I am."

Kaoru's eyes widened a notch.

"Y-You know Japanese?"

He shook his head yes. Kaoru held out her hand.

"Well then, pleased to meet you. Watashi wa, Kamiya Kaoru."

"Same here, Kaoru-dono. Watashi wa, Himura Kenshin."

"What just happened, anyway?"

"I crashed into your car door."

Kaoru said a silent "oh", and then shut her car. She looked back at Kenshin, staring into his violet eyes, and finally noticing the cross-scar on his left cheek.

"So, why are you riding a bike around this part of the city, anyway? You DO know that this is the stupidest area in the city to ride at this time of night, correct? Well, any part of the city is stupid to ride a bike in, as a matter of fact!"

"Oh, I'm a bike messenger...

A small beeping could be heard from the end of Kenshin's jacket sleeve. He lifted his wristwatch, and panicked at the green digital numbers in front of his eyes, which in fact, read 7:30 PM.

"...Who is about to be fired. I'll see you around!"

He kissed her cheek on impulse, rounded up his bike, hopped on, and sped off down the sidewalk. Kaoru turned a bright pink, and touched her cheek.

'A perfect stranger just kissed me... and I think I liked it.'

---------

Kenshin knew that he was going at an extremely dangerous speed considering he was riding through Uptown New York City, but he couldn't help it.

'I'm gonna be late, I'm gonna be late, I met the girl of my dreams, which caused me to be late! Mrs. Hajime is going to hate me now... this it the fifth time I delivered her a package late! She is definitely going to call shisho on me now! And then I'll get the pink slip! Oh boy, she better believe me again, this is actually a good excuse! I've never even been on a date, that I haven't!'

Kenshin skidded to a halt in front of a plain brick house with a plain bright red door. He left his bike at the bottom of the concrete stoop, and bolted up to the door. He pushed the doorbell about five or ten times, and pulled the cardboard box out of his backpack. A woman in her mid-forties answered.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Himura, late again I see. What's the excuse this time?"

"Would 'I met a living angel' be a good one, Mrs. Hajime?"

Tokio Hajime raised an eyebrow at the boy in front of her.

"Really, Himura? By any chance, who would this 'angel' be?"

"Ever heard of Kaoru Kamiya?"

"She's my niece."

Kenshin's eyes grew just a notch. He examined Tokio quickly. He realized that they did both look a little alike, but Kaoru was even more beautiful. Tokio noticed the dazed look he had, and quickly smacked him upside the head.

"ORO!?"

"How DID you meet my niece, anyway, you little street bum?"

"She opened her passenger door onto the sidewalk, reached back into her car, and I crashed into it."

Tokio started laughing hysterically. Kenshin was having a problem seeing the comedy in his situation, for he already knew the downside to all this. Kaoru lived in Uptown. He lived in the basic dumps of the city, wasn't very well-educated, could barely afford anything, had to save his own ass from gangs every day, and made a large portion of his income by being a bike messenger. Of course, there were the other shifts of different jobs that he hacked at all day.........................

"Um, Mrs. Hajime?"

"Yes?"

"Why didn't you ever tell me that you were Japanese?"

"I'm not, my husband is you stupid fool."

---------

Kaoru walked into the house, and immediately dumped her bookbag on the floor, and plopped onto the couch. The house seemed like perfect heaven right then and there, and she still couldn't get something off her mind. That stupid, red-headed idiot who had crashed into her car door named Kenshin. For some reason, the name sounded familiar... it sounded like something her aunt complained about...

Kaoru picked up the ringing phone and answered with a cheerful "Hello!"

"Hello, Kaoru-chan, it's your auntie Tokio."

"Oh, hi! So, how's it going there?"

"Uncle Saito is still being an asshole about his job, and still works too many shifts, and my delivery boy was late AGAIN."

Kaoru froze. There were many delivery boys and/or bike messengers in NYC, and many of them were probably late when delivering, but she still had to ask.

"W-Who IS your delivery boy?"

"Kenshin Himura, why?" Tokio answered, sounding very sarcastic when she said those three words. Kaoru froze again, and fainted.

OWARI (for now)

Yay! Finished! Yes, this will probably be a short little fiction, and the chapters will get much, much longer, don't worry about that. I know that my other A/U fic came out very dramatic, but this one is most likely going to be like one of those light-hearted humorous romantic movies that takes place in a big city... -_-;;; now, reviews are a wonderful thing that every writer loves, so, it would be kind if you could leave one!

Translations:

oro: how Kenshin says he is surprised, basically means "huh" or "what"

Kami-sama: God

hai: yes

daijobu: I'm alright; it's okay

Watashi wa Kamiya Kaoru: I am Kaoru Kamiya

-dono: basic translation is "Miss"

Watashi wa Himura Kenshin: I am Kenshin Himura

shisho: master

-chan: 1: a term used for people younger that 15. 2: a term of endearment (used between close friends and family also) (in the case of a younger person saying it to an older person, it is an insult)

owari: end