"This drought is really killing everything," Kurama complained, "the water isn't even coming into the pipes anymore." He tried turning on the faucet and nothing happened since the mandatory shut off had been in effect for a whole day already.

"Shuichi," his mother said, "check the well out back. It might have water in it even through this is drought. I hate it when the city turns things off without much warning." She frowned at the kitchen.

Kurama asked, "The well? We almost never use it Mother, and since the whole area is in the drought I doubt there's water in there. I'll go check, just to be sure." He walked out the back door toward the ancient well that was in the backyard leftover from before electricity existed.

At first he tried putting the bucket in but he could only hear it hit something hard, no water splashing sounds. "It has to be dry but still, something seems off," he looked over the edge and tried to see into the darkness only to lose his footing.

He fell all the way down to the bottom, which did have water in it up to his thighs. "Water," he said to no one, "but barely. I hope no one saw that." He looked up and saw how bright the sky looked.

He took a seed out of his hair and created a vine large enough and long enough for him to climb up and out of the well with ease. Once he climbed out, he made the plant disappeared and looked around. His backyard looked completely different. "Mother?" he asked nervously. He looked over and saw multiple buildings that weren't there before, and laundry was hanging on a clothes line. "Where am I?" he asked no one. He looked over and heard movement inside the house connected to the yard he was in.

"Hey Kenshin can you-" a woman with black hair and brown eyes wearing a kimono walked over to the edge of the porch and stared at him, "You're not Kenshin. Wow, the resemblence is amazing. Can I help you?"

The style of Japanese she's speaking is an older one, he thought, I remember speaking it around 150 years ago as Yoko, but it seems I'm still in or around Tokyo somehow. "I'm sorry," he said awkwardly, "it appears I'm lost. I didn't mean to-"

"Oh!" she said, "Well you found yourself at the Kamiya-Kasshine dojo. How rude of me! I'm Kaoru Kamiya. You have such striking eyes, bright green. Wait a minute, red hair, green eyes, are you a fox in disguise!?" She examined him slowly.

Kurama replied, "Of course not." I'm definetly in old Japan, he thought, how did I get here? "My name is Kurama Minamino." Kurama? he thought, No I meant Shuichi. I haven't have to introduce myself as Shuichi in months. Oh well, too late now.

"Welcome Kurama!" Kaoru replied.

"Miss Kaoru," a young man with long red hair wearing a faded red men's kimono said as he walked out of the dining area, "I finished the laundry and-oh who's this?" Kurama and Kenshin stared at each other for a moment.

"Hey Kaoru I thought-whoa, who's the Kenshin look alike?" a young boy asked as he walked out of the dojo.

"No kidding," a tall young man who wore all white said, "you do look alike."

Kaoru said, "How about instead of bombarding him with questions we invite him inside. Is that okay? How come your clothes are all wet?" Kurama looked down at himself.

"Coming inside would be nice, thank you," he replied awkwardly.

After being invited inside for lunch and explaining everything and the introductions were done, Sanoske explained, "So you're name's Kurama and you're lost. Too bad you showed up on a day that the missy here is cooking."

Kurama took a bite and said, "Well, it's alright cooking. I've had worse." Kaoru looked depressed in the distance. "Sorry," he said nervously.

Sanoske said, "You've got green eyes. You wouldn't happen to be a fox pretending to be a human, would you?" He examined Kurama closely.

Yahiko asked, "What does that have to do with anything?"

Kenshin explained, "It's an old legend that people with red hair and green eyes are actually spirit foxes pretending to be humans and that you have to watch out for them because they're cunning and ruthless. Even if someone has green eyes with a regular hair color it's said they have magical powers."

Kurama made a goofy face and thought, I have to get out of here. "It appears I'm lost in more ways than one I'm afraid," he said, "I don't remember what year it is."

"You do have a nice size bruise on the back of your head," Kaoru replied, "it's the 11th year of the Meiji era."

140 years, Kurama thought, as I thought. Just when Japan was starting to become more westernized. No wonder they're still wearing kimonos and this tasts like it was cooked over a fire rather than on a stove. "Of course," Kurama said.

Yahiko asked, "So Kurama, you were named after the mountain that's outside of Kyoto?"

"Yes," he lied, "my parents weren't very imaginative."

Sanoske asked, "Where were you headed before you came here?"

"I don't remember," he lied, "one minute it seemed like I was exactly where I was supposed to be and the next I'm here and was greeted by a young woman."

"A young woman," Kaoru repeated, "I like the sound of that."

"An ugly woman like you would," Yahiko teased.

As they went at it, Kenshin asked, "How old are you if you don't mind me asking, Kurama."

"15," he answered.

"What?" Kaoru asked, "You look like you could be the same age as Kenshin and he's old!"

Kenshin said, "Come now, Miss Kaoru, 28 isn't that old."

I have to find a way to get back, Kurama thought as they all bickered in front of him, my mother will start worrying about me and not to mention everyone here will assume I'm a fox simply because of how I look. They won't even be wrong!