Disclaimer: I dun own RK…and judging by the current situation, I wouldn't really want to since if I did, my best friend would strangle in me or saw me in half since she wants it so badly. Yes…she's a Kenshin fanatic, whose passion overthrew her sanity. Her romantic dream: to buy/ purchase RK someday (when she's already filthy rich) and change the damn ending of the last OVA, which I also, personally hate. Oh well, who am I to stop her? She's bigger than I am so why argue. I'd rather agree than face the consequence…. what a loser …
Author's note: I find myself lost in thought while reading my own fic…how come Jinpu just popped out of nowhere? AHHH! Must-re-sist-stupidity – im-pulse! (Bangs her head on the wall)
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CHAPTER 3: THE HOW, THE WHAT, THE WHEN AND THE WHERE…
"What this place? Is this heaven?" Kaoru wandered
"This is the portal of time. This will take us to the time where your friends were transported and probably and a way to bring them back." Jinpu answered her queries
"And where exactly is that time?" Kenshin asked, still hanging onto the piece of measuring wood
"We've drifted quite far …but if my instincts are right, we're heading for the future" Jinpu enlightened the scar-faced red head "Never let go of me…as astonishing or as inviting as it looks, it's still very dangerous…we are in the portal of time and space. If you get lost, it will be like you're lost forever or …you'lljustbeseparatedfromthegroup etc…and other stuff like that." Jinpu warned the others
"U-huh…" Kaoru nod, still enchanted with what she is currently seeing. It was still something so implausible but is already happening…like the huge tsunami that swept Phuket Thailand (may their souls rest in peace)…no…or Elvis and a talking dog (may his soul rest in peace…is the dog still alive? oh well, peace for his soul too)… in short, it was like the possible impossible…
(A/N: is it that hard to understand? Sheesh! It's just time travel man! Get over it!)
Kaoru: Hey! You're the one telling me to say and think these thoughts! Why blame me! Am I right Kenshin? …
Kenshin: Oro?
Kaoru: what? Am I right or Am I right!
Kenshin: Uhhhh… I dunno…I wasn't listenin' closely
Kaoru: Kenshin!!!!!
Due to the argument the dumb author started, poor Kaoru, quote and quote accidentally, let go of Jinpu's really weird looking ruler.
"AHHHH!" Kaoru shrieked
"Kaoru- DONO!!!!!" Kenshin tried to reach for Kaoru's kimono but it was too late. She disappeared into the abyss leaving Jinpu, Megumi and Kenshin hanging on for safety on the safety ruler (A/N: it's serves as their floatation device…I think)
"First Yahiko…then Sano…and now…k-Kaoru…" Kenshin's eyes blurred at the thought that he had just lost the most precious woman in his life. The on thing that he had ethereally sworn to protect…
"Now he knows how I felt when, that bubble head, Sano disappeared…" Megumi thought giving Kenshin that spoiled expression in her face.
"We'll find a way to find her. It's really not that distant to where we are going so she just might arrive a week or a month earlier in that time frame. But it's actually the same place." Jinpu pulled Kenshin back "you must remain safe to look for her…"
Kenshin, hindered by the Feng Shui guy's words, took his grip back on the powerful piece of wood/ ruler "You're right. I should… "
"Don't worry about Kaoru. She's a high spirited woman and don't forget that she's also the master of Kamiya kasshin style… she can pretty much defend herself against evil doers" Megumi stated "I think you should instead be wary of the guys from the future…. you never know if she will replace you with one of them" Megumi teased
"Oh…Kaoru would never do that" Kenshin assured her
"We're almost there" Jinpu interrupted the two
In no time at all, the long swirling tunnel's end began to show up…there was an incredible amount of blinding white light and when they opened their eyes…
"What is this place?" Kenshin & Megumi asked in unison
"This is Japan…. in the future…I have to admit that it is quite diff'rent from what it was in our time…so it will be quite difficult to find Kaoru and the others." Jinpu hid his ruler in his shirt pocket. "We have to hurry and find them though…the spell I used will only hold us here for a month. If we don't get back to our time in that period, we may never be able to go back"
"You mean we'll be stuck here forever?" Megumi asked
"Then what are we waitin for…we should stop talking and start working." Kenshin arranged his sword and started walking when Jinpu called out to him.
"Wait!" Jinpu shouted at the determined samurai
"Huh?" the red – headed samurai looked back.
"Do you know where to go?" Jinpu asked him.
Kenshin looked at him with eyes that says "OH MY GOD HE"S RIGHT!" which gave Megumi another chance to tease him
"By the look on his face, I'd say that he has no idea…I bet you he's too anxious to get his girl back" Megumi crossed her arms and snickers
She was right. Kenshin knew nothing of the new Kyoto that he was standing on that very moment. But the urge to see his beloved woman kept him from thinking about details. He was scared of what may have happened to her… where she could be that very moment and what was she doing...was she safe? And most important of all, did she meet another guy and hooked up? What is he going to do if that was true? What if she refuses to come back with them and stay there? These questions swirled in Kenshin's thoughts like choc' late syrup in a glass of milk (A/N: cool huh? I was actually doing that when I wrote this…WTF! It's not chocolate! It's soy sauce! Darn it!)
"Uh…Kenshin…are you alright?" Jinpu asked worriedly of his friend while waving his hand before the samurai's eyes
"He's fine…" Megumi clicked her fingers and Kenshin popped out of his daydream "see? He was just thinking…"
"Whu…what ha- happened?" Kenshin asked the two
"You were day dreaming… I think" Jinpu answered his query
"Be thankful it wasn't one of those flashback daydreams or this would've took longer to finish" Megumi added
"What? What are you guys saying?" Kenshin asked with that big black question mark floating over his head
"Never mind that…about finding you friends…I think we should find some place we can distinguish first before we could start looking for them. That way, we know where to meet just in case anybody gets lost… " Jinpu suggested
"That's a great Idea JINPU!" Kenshin praised the Feng Shui guy's attempt to cook up a strategy "but I don't think we could find them all in one day. I suggest that we find ourselves a place to stay in too," Kenshin added
"Great… that's the plan then…my suggestion would be …to get started while the sun is still up…I don't want us to sleep on the streets you know" Megumi paced, leading the way.
CHEPOT: as a (cute) curious kid and not an author…I would just like to ask…Jinpu is the Feng Shui guy…why don't he just use his knowledge about chi and balance of nature stuff like that to find them? Wouldn't that be much easier? …Oh yeah…because if he did, this fanfic won't last that long and you won't be able to relish the story…and he'd probably be the center of attention and not the characters, who're supposed to save the day…LIKE THE POWERPUFF GIRLS!
CHEPOT imitates the power puff girl's narrator's voice and says: AND ONCE AGAIN! THE DAY IS SAVED THANKS TO THE FENG SHUI GUY! …. CHEPOT thinks for a while and says: That sucks…."
Along the way, the group has seen a lot of fascinating things. They tried to fit in but the best that their act can do was to be mistaken for Anime cos-players on their way to an anime convention. But the good thing about it is, it's working quite well for the rest of them. They had a little difficulty on crossing the street at first but since they went along with the flashflood of people due to the office rush hours, they were able to ride with the flow of people and successfully reach the other end of the street.
They wandered endlessly in the vast urban jungle, inhaling the toxic emissions of the horseless carriages (pertains to cars) and watching the amazing over-all make over of Japan. But among these, none of them seem to point to any of neither their missing friends nor a place that they are familiar with… Since Megumi is complaining about her feet being worn out, they decided to hang out in the park. They sat on a bench beside a vending machine to rest.
"We've been searching for hours … are you sure that they're here in this time line?" Megumi asked Jinpu while massaging her throbbing foot
"We can't be wrong Megumi –San…The pattern of the energy that I used is the same as the Ninja Jyonen's … I'm quite sure that they're here…we just have to look harder"
Kenshin, lost in his thoughts, eyed the cute little girl and her grandmother who're playing Frisbee at the middle of the grassy plain. From this vision, his brain formulated some kind of a commercial length movie. Kaoru's face glistened as she mentioned his name. Her face, as pure as ever, preserved in her youth, gave Kenshin a reason to go home. Home to where everyone that he wants to protect; home to where he can clearly feel the warm gentle caress of Kaoru's hug. This was too much pleasure for someone who has killed so many. He knew he didn't deserve this young and pure love but he is, after all, just human…
"Grand ma! Look!" he heard the little girl say to her grandmother. She was pointing at them and tugging on her grand mother's skirt.
"Huh? Who are those people honey?" the old lady asked the little girl
"Don't they look interesting?" the little girl exclaimed. She ran towards Jinpu and the others and smiled while rocking back and forth on her little feet. "Hi! I'm Kaoru!" said the little girl "Are you anime cosplayers? What anime are you dressed up like? Wow! Your sword looks real! Is that real? And her hair…it looks so soft and shiny!" the little girl pestered them
Kenshin was a bit surprised too. He leaned towards Jinpu and whispered something in his ear. "Could it be that Kaoru …Uhhhh…well, could she have gone reload and become ah…a kid?" he asked nervously. He was afraid to take this if ever this was true. Nothing could prepare him for this…"its like phidophilia! AAAAHHHH!" Kenshin snapped out of his nightmare and listened to Jinpu's reply
Jimpu shook his head and said "I don't think so…in our current situation…unless she wishes to be young again…or become a child, she will remain how she is."
Kenshin breathed a sigh of relief "she wouldn't do that…right?" he then asked himself
Megumi is beginning to form red veiny like things on her head…vital signs that she starting to be irritated with the kid.
"What a cool outfit? So which character are you? Huh? Huh? Huh? And where sis you buy those nifty sandals? They really look so …old Japanese!" the kid went on…
"O-old? T-that's it! Your outta here!" Megumi shrieked at the little girl's remarks about her sandals. She is not really comfortable with the word "Old"
(Sudden break)
chepot: old…old oldie oldie old!
Megumi: stop it!
Chepot OOOOOOOOOLD!
Megumi: gahhhh! I said stop it!
"I'm sorry if Kaoru bothered you all…" the old lady approached the group apologizing for the little girl's actions
(Megumi: (to CHEPOT) STOP SAYING OLD!!!! (Covering her ears))
Megumi stopped when she saw the grandmother coming. She hid her hand behind her back and smiled at the old woman. "A-hi-hi what a cute grand daughter you have here!" she patted Kaoru's head. "I'll kill YOU!" she screamed in her thoughts
"I can't help but notice …your clothe really look familiar young man. "she pertained to Kenshin, who merely pointed to himself, as I asking if she was talking to him.
"That looks very much a like battousai's" the old woman mentioned with a smile
"B-Bat-Battousai?" Kenshin stuttered to mention his battle name. "Y-You know him?"
"Yes… he is a big hero among my family. My house is just around here…if you're interested, I can show you some pictures and some things that used to belong to him"
They followed the old lady and Kaoru.
"Is she like your fan or something?" Megumi whispered to Kenshin
"My what? …I don't think so…I hope not" Kenshin replied with a meek smile
It wasn't long before the group came upon a familiar street. Some of the old structures still stood there but there were some very noticeable changes.
"Isn't this our neighborhood?" Megumi whispered to Kenshin
The place did resemble their old neighborhood…but Kenshin is still in doubt. If ever he would pass by one place, he may be able to answer that question. "If everything is the way it used to be, the Dojo should be over there" Kenshin blindly pointed to a spot "what the-" it was a sight fore sore eyes. Is it true? Could it be?
The little girl approached Kenshin, whose jaw was already on the ground and is still pointing. "You're so great mister! How did you know that this is our dojo?"
"Is this your house?" Megumi asked due to Kenshin's failure to speak. He was muted by the scene that laid before him
"Yes. This is the Kamiya Dojo." She happily relayed to the others. She pointed to the sign which conveniently hung beside the gate "Ka-mi-ya. See? It says Kamiya…"
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OKAY! This is where I end this chappy. I hope you liked it. I know it's a bit confusing but everything will clear up in a moment.