Sekamu: alright, shorter chapter than we're used to, but it is an update! After losing interest in this story, I recently picked it up again, and thought, "you know, we had a plot all worked out for this, it would be a shame to lose it."

So here we are, the next chapter of Second Chance!!

"Convenient. Has he—?" But Kurama's question had been cut off by the bokken he had grown connecting with his head. "ORO!"

"Thank you…" Myojin said, a small vein pulsing on his forehead. "Now, what the hell is going on?!"

"Er…"

"Well…" the two Spirit Detectives oh-so-eloquently countered.

"Explanation. NOW."

"Well, he's your teacher, Kurama. I'll leave you two to talk…"

"No, you will not." Kurama contradicted. Just the power in his voice was enough to turn Yusuke around and bring him back. Sighing, the redhead turned back to his teacher and said in a defeated voice, "What do you want to know?"

"How do you know a street punk like Urameshi Yusuke?"

Kurama almost fell over, but Yusuke burst out laughing. "My reputation precedes me!"

"We've been friends for a while," Kurama explained blithely. "Anything else?"

"I thought your name was Minamino…?"

The two looked at each other again.

"Kurama's a nickname."

"What about the tail?"

Again, Yusuke started laughing. "Tail?! Only Youko's got…" he trailed off as Kurama glared at him again.

"Perhaps we should take this discussion somewhere else…?" Kurama suggested.

Myojin nodded, agreeing as long as he got his answers.

"Alright, so what kind of tail are we talking here?" The three were in Kurama's house, his mother blessedly absent

"I suppose fluffy," Kurama said absently, causing Yusuke to snort slightly.

"And I was hoping you meant story…" Myojin sighed.



"Well…" Yusuke said unhelpfully. "There's that, too…"

"Yusuke, as long as you continue to make this situation worse, I shall continue to envisage my death plant feasting on your entrails. Are we understood?"

Yusuke gulped. "Yeah, gotcha Kurama."

Myojin was surprised at the venom in Minamino's voice and his casual use of death. He was shaken from his thoughts by Yusuke commenting, "You know, you're death glare is even scarier than it usually is. Especially with the freaky-amber-eye-thing you've got going. I mean, Youko much?"

Kurama's glare intensified again (Myojin noticed that his eyes were indeed amber), and Yusuke clapped a hand over his mouth and darted out the door.

Or would have, but a single potted plant placed beside the bedroom door discouraged such an exit by rustling warningly.

Yusuke backed down. Myojin stared, looking between the plant and a slightly smug looking Kurama. "Thank you for deciding to stay with us, Yusuke…" The punk nodded and sat back down.

"Wha--?"

"I'm not human," Kurama said bluntly, cutting Myojin's half-formed, stunned question off.

Nod. Nod.

"I can control plants."

Nod. Nod.

"And I was a thief in a former life."

Nod. No-- "Wait, what? You can't mean Himu--"

Kurama blinked, and held up his hands to forestall any protests. "No, not at all. I meant Youko Kurama. He's the one that I remembered first, the one I've always remembered."

"And how many times have you been reincarnated?" Yusuke asked exasperatedly.

"Not as many times as I've been incarcerated," he shot back.

"Huh?"



"Two that I know of… One and a half. Depends on how you count Youko…" he said, ignoring his previous comment.

"Wait," Myojin said thoughtfully, the whole exchange having been missed. "How old was Youko?"

"Er…" Kurama paused, dumbfounded. "Over a thousand?"

"Himura-san died only 250 years ago. How can a demon and a human, having lived at the same time, be living in the same body now?"

Kurama blinked. "Why didn't I realize this?" he sighed, before shrugging, explaining. "I don't really know. But there's no way they haven't, is there?"

"What exactly happened?"

"He—I(stupid pronouns) I was almost killed by a bounty hunter, and fled to the human world instead, possessing a human in embryo. I grew up, regaining my strength and powers, and here I am." Kurama finished, shrugging again. "If I had to guess, I would say that the soul of the child was Kenshin-san's."

Myojin nodded. "Makes sen—" He was cut off by a shrill ringing. Yusuke sniggered as the teacher turned red and fished into his pocket for his cell phone. Glancing at the caller ID, he sighed and flipped it open. "You have really bad timing, Kumiko…" He visibly winced and pulled the phone away from his ear.

"What am I supposed to do? I come back, and there's no note, no sign as to where you've gone, you and your student have both disappeared! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

Kurama felt extremely sorry for Myojin at that point, but he felt even sorrier for him when he got home, especially since Myojin simply hung up. "I hope you know how to handle her," he commented, smiling slightly.

"With a chair and whip," Myojin muttered. "As I'm sure you can tell, I need to go…"

Yusuke snickered again, and Kurama shot him a look. "I'm sure Yusuke can sympathize. After all, Keiko runs him ragged, and they're not even brother and sister." He beamed into Yusuke's glare, and then stood. "I'll walk you to the door."

"Don't think you're getting away that easily!" Yusuke said, bouncing to his feet and following the fox and teacher.

Right outside Kurama's door, Myojin turned back, as if forgetting something. "That's right! The sakabatou! May I please see it?"

Kurama nodded. "Come back inside for one moment, and I'll run up and get it."

Yusuke noticed that he seemed slightly shaken when he came back downstairs, sword in hand. Ignoring the quizzical glance the detective gave him, he held the sword out for Myojin's inspection.

His teacher held it reverently, drawing it about an inch out of the sheath. He whistled softly. "It's in fabulous condition. How did you find it?"

"A friend of mine keeps a temple several miles from here. I found it there."

"It's in excellent condition. I'm surprised, in fact. The hilt should probably be replaced, and doing that could give a chance to prove that this is indeed the Sakabatou Shinuchi forged by Shakku Arai."

Yusuke looked confused. "We would know that… how?"

"Well, most sword smiths sign their works. On Sakabatou Shinuchi, Kenshin-san's old sword, there is a poem. We could verify in that way."

Myojin looked in surprised at Kurama before shaking his head. "Yes, that's it exactly. This will definitely take some getting used to, Minamino-kun."

Kurama bowed to him as Myojin passed the sword back. "Thank you. Good luck with Myojin-dono."

The last thing Myojin heard as his student shut the door behind him was Urameshi saying, "-Dono? Seriously, -dono?!"

Kurama ignored Yusuke in favor of watching Myojin walk off down the street. "Yusuke, I have homework to do before tomorrow. Perhaps you should get going as well?"

Yusuke sighed. "Alright, but… you don't have to handle everything on your own, you know." He waved over his shoulder as he walked out the door. "See you next Saturday at the hag's temple."

Thoughtfully, Kurama walked back up the stairs and sat at his desk, staring at the chair Myojin had formerly occupied.

There was a deep slash in the chair, just the width of the sword he now held in his hand.

Carefully, he replaced the sword on the wall and retrieved a needle and thread to stitch together the seat of his desk chair.

Kurama woke suddenly, and in a position very different than the one he went to sleep in. He had been under the covers, in the bed, with the sword safely on the wall. Now he was 

sitting up, sword resting on his shoulder, and leaning against the wall. The position was eerily familiar, considering he had slept in it for decades in a former life.

He shook his head, clearing those thoughts from his head. His "Kenshin-side" as he had mentally dubbed it (though if any of the team found out he even had a "Kenshin side", he'd probably never live it down) felt comfortable in the position. His preincarnation had a point, it was easier to defend from this position…

Kurama sighed. How much of his personality would turn into his past life? He drew his sword slightly, standing and moving to hang it on the pegs again. A flash of white passed across the blade—a flash that was in no way from the light of the moon hanging outside his window.

The fox turned around, looking for what could have cast the reflection. No one else was in the room with him.

It has to be something wrong with the sword. Enishi couldn't have found me this fast… could he? Kurama forcefully shoved the doubt out of his mind. No. He couldn't have. I'll go back to the grave tomorrow, and find out more from there.

Decision made, Kurama sat against the wall again, sword propped against his shoulder. No use in taking chances, after all.