Chapter 12: Past Life

Hiko had called a sudden free class in gym and left in a hurry, leaving his students alone and bewildered. He hurried into the library and sat down at a computer, logging on to the internet.

"Hmm…" Hiko typed quickly and looked through search engines. "Ah," He said, clicking on one link. He began reading down the page.

"What are you doing?"

"Huh?" Hiko turned around in his chair and saw Soujirou smiling at him. "Seta-"

"You found our web page!" He said. "You could of just asked. I would have given you the link"

"Y-your page?" Hiko was stunned.

"No… Our page. We all man it. Ah… I see you've found the page about the Battousai. It's really deep. I'm sure you'll find it adequate."

"Why do you…"

"My friends and I are really into the past. We have pages on lots of people, like the Shinsengumi, and even the Oniwaban-shu. We have a few things on the Sekihotai too. Of course, I think the page on the Battousai is most extensive. I believe you'll find the paragraph about his master most interesting."

"What are-"

"Well, I've got things to do and people to see. Sayonara, Hiko-san!" Soujirou turned and walked away. Hiko stared after him for a long time.

"That child is… really odd… The air is so cold and empty when he's around…" Hiko muttered, turning back to the computer.

Before he could read, however, a hand collapsed on the top of the monitor, making Hiko look up. Saitou stood, smoking a cigarette, and staring at Hiko with a wolfish grin on his face. "Don't you have a class to be tending to?"

"They'll be all right."

"I supposed as long as the monkeys are caged…" Saitou shrugged. "-but since when did you hang out in the library?"

"You're wanting me to admit that your theory has some possibility, right?" Hiko asked flatly.

"I'm not going by bullshit written down on paper, Seijirou. I'm merely going over what I've begun to remember."

"Remember?" Hiko looked at him like he was crazy.

"Yes… Hajime Saitou… the Wolf of Mibu… Leader of the third squadron of the Shinsengumi, correct?"

"Maybe your parents just named you after him," Hiko said.

"This is true… but I remember my past… and it's time you remembered yours," Saitou walked off.

"What the hell is that man babbling about?" Hiko said aloud. "-but… then again…" He looked down at the page. "Hey, wait a minute!"

-

"What was the deal with Hiko-san's sudden change of tune, hm?" Sano asked, scratching his head.

"Maybe he forgot to do something, de gozaru yo," Kenshin suggested.

"So, will you teach us that slashy thing?" Sano asked eagerly.

"O-oro? I… I don't even know how I did that!" Kenshin explained. "-and it only cut in half because I was using a blade. I'm sure it was a weak dummy, that's all."

"Well… Let's all have a battle royal!" Sano yelled, his crummy buddies cheering the idea.

"Oro?"

"-or we could gamble! Yeah, let's gamble!" Sano yelled, with his pals, yet again, cheering him on.

"Uh… I have to go to the bathroom…" Kenshin sweat dropped and ran off.

"Okay, the name of the game is… POKER!" Sano yelled. The gym door slammed.

-

"Oro… What have I gotten myself into? They want me to fight and gamble?" Kenshin sighed as he stood in front of the urinal. "Oro…"

The bathroom door opened. Kenshin didn't really pay attention.

"Hello, Himura-san!"

"Oro?!" Kenshin looked over his shoulder.

Soujirou and Kamatari stood side by side, Soujirou beaming as usual, and Kamatari leaning on one of his hips.

"We want you to come with us," Soujirou said. "The rest of the team wants to meet you."

"So, wash up, and let's go, Battousai," Kamatari winked at him.

Kenshin quickly finished and zipped and buttoned his pants. "I'm not coming with yo-" He turned around and stopped himself.

Soujirou had removed a dagger from his uniform and had it pointed at Kenshin's neck.

"Sorry, but you don't really have a choice," Kamatari giggled, pushing him into the sink. He caught himself against it, though he did get a nasty bump on his head when he hit the mirror.

"Don't forget to wash your hands, Himura-san," Soujirou said. Kenshin winced as he looked down at the sink.

"Yeah, 'cause that would be gross," Kamatari said, turning the sink on for him, then shoving his head into the water.

He forced his head up moments later, his palm still firmly planted on the back of his skull. His glasses had fallen off, but he could still see. He didn't really think about it though, for he was concentrating more on gasping for air.

He slipped his hands into the water and grabbed his glasses, and suddenly, he was being dragged by his ponytail.

"I'm sure he'll come with us, Kamatari-san," Soujirou said, smiling.

"Let's not take any chances, Soujirou," He said. "Aren't they cute when they're helpless."

"I wouldn't know," Soujirou shook his head.

"Let go of me!" Kenshin tried desperately to pull away, only getting a pain at the nape of his neck.

"-or what?" Kamatari giggled. Kenshin whacked Soujirou's hand, sending the dagger flying through the air. Kenshin caught it.

"Let go or I'll kill you!" He yelled.

Kamatari let go. "Now, now, don't be like that, Battousai. Didn't you take an oath to never kill again?"

Kenshin was taken aback by this. "What are you talking about---" He felt a sudden weakness in his body as all of a sudden, he saw many things he had never seen before flying in front of his eyes.

He saw people being brutally murdered, not even given time to scream. There were flashes of his friends, dressed strangely, and then of many he didn't know, such as a man in a wicker hat with navy around his pupil and cornea. Then, there was a man wrapped in bandages, lit from behind by fire, making him barely visible. Then he saw a woman's body falling towards him, and then Kaoru in a kimono, on the ground, in tears. Was it Saitou coming at him in the dark? Was is Hiko Seijirou in that strange cloak, yelling at him? Was it Sanosuke in the white shirt with the symbol of 'bad' on the back? Who were the strange men of five, and who was the one in the back in the trench coat with his back turned.

Do you…

That was the sakabatou… wasn't it?

…believe…

Who were all those graves for?… and the purple scarf around the cross?

…in reincarnation?…

Kaoru, Yahiko, Sano, Megumi…

The sound of a blade clashing against another.

Everything went black.

-

"Oh…" Kenshin opened his eyes slowly.

"Himura."

"O-oro?" Kenshin stared up at the man who was leaning over him, his icy blue eyes staring blankly at him. "You are… Shinomori Aoshi…"

"Yes," He said, his deep voice shattering anything warm within him. "So, the Juppon Katana remember as well."

"Remember… remember what? I don't understand what's going on."

"…"

Kenshin rose up.

"Here," Aoshi handed him a black piece of cloth.

"What's this for?"

"Your face is bleeding," Aoshi said dead-pan.

"Oh.." Kenshin put it to his left cheek as if he already knew where it was bleeding.

"You passed out. Smooth move."

"I saw many strange things…"

"…"

"Did you save me?"

"I didn't save you. I merely dislike the Juppon Katana, and if you became one of them, then this world would come to an end. They'd be stronger than me, and I refuse to be weaker than anyone."

"Where are they now?"

"They walked off," Aoshi said. "They'll probably try and get you on their side again though."

"do you know… what I saw?"

"Flashes."

"Oro?"

"Flashes of your past."

"That never happened."

"-of your past… life. Look it up. You'll see what I mean," Aoshi said, stomping away, brooding as usual. Kenshin stared after him wide-eyed.

"My past… life?" He questioned.