Author's Notes (04-08-05): I've never done this before. It's a Modern AU, how exciting! I know, I know. There's a million modern AU's out there. So how is this one different, you ask? Well, it's based loosely around my own experiences of living in Japan. Give it a chance, you might enjoy it.

Dislaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin and I'm not really an "authority" on Japanese culture. I do have a minor in East Asian Studies (specializing in Japan) and am currently an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) at a Japanese High School.

Heisei 17: Year of the Rooster

Chapter 1: Banished to Izu

March is, undoubtedly, the most dreaded month among teachers in Japan.

Before the start of the school year in April, teachers from every school run the risk of being transferred. The government and individual Prefectural Boards of Education don't really seem to care if people have families, homes, and lives rooted in a certain area. And while they don't usually split up married couples with children, it's a different story for everyone else. If you happen to be young and single, your chances of getting transferred to the middle of nowhere or the farthest reaches of a prefecture increase.

Most people know what they're signing on for when they start their teaching career.

Twenty-three year old Takani Megumi, however, had no intention of spending the rest of her life as a high school teacher. She'd gotten the job halfway through the second semester, covering for a biology teacher who'd had a mental breakdown. Or as her co-workers put it, the crazy lady had "quit for personal reasons." Megumi had never even stopped to imagine that a mere five months after starting her assistant teaching job, she would be forced to move to a new school.

Away from her friends. Her family. Her life. And everything she'd ever known.

Somehow, the thought had never crossed her mind.

Her father and two brothers loaded up the family van while her mother helped her pack the last of her things.

"What about Pooh-san?" Megumi's mother held up an adorable stuffed Whinnie the Pooh. She hummed the Pooh theme and made the pudgy plushy dance.

Megumi sighed. "I don't need every single stuffed animal that I own, mom."

Her mother frowned. "But he's your favorite."

Megumi pointed to an open cardboard box. "You've already packed three of him. Plus Mickey, Minnie, Tigger, Piglet, and Roo. I think I'll be fine."

"Well, this one is particularly cute." Megumi's mother had a habit of getting one idea in her head, and sticking with it. "I think you should take him. Maybe you can keep him in your car?"

While she knew the futility of argument with her mother, Megumi had developed a few bad habits of her own. "My car's already full."

"I'll help you make room for him."

Further argument was cut short as Megumi's cell phone buzzed. She flipped it open, causing her extensive collection of cell phone straps to jingle.

It was a text message from one of her new co-workers:

"Everything's taken care of for your new apartment. I'll meet you at the gas station with the keys and some paperwork from school. See you in a few hours!"

While Megumi appreciated all the help that her new school was given her, she still wasn't thrilled about moving to the furthest tip of the Izu Peninsula. Izu had nothing to offer her, unless you count beautiful scenery and tons of natural hot springs. Megumi didn't really care about the country scenery. She was a city girl, born and raised. Her shoulder's slumped.

"Was that one of the teachers?" Her mother asked.

"Yeah... Kamiya-sensei says she'll meet us at that gas station."

"Which gas station?" Her mother asked, puzzled.

"The only gas station for miles." Megumi said, trying to keep her irritation to a minimum. It wasn't fair to take out her frustrations on her mother. "The one by my new apartment in the middle of nowhere. The one I'll be passing every day before starting my 45 minute commute to work."

Her mother folded some clothes in silence, packed them, sealed the box, and then turned to smile at her daughter. "You'll be fine, dear."

"After this school year, I'm done. No more teaching. I'm going to study my ass off and pass that English exam."

"Language." Her mother warned softly.

Megumi continued, unfazed by her mother's quiet scolding. "Then I'm going to medical school in America. And then I'll become the greatest doctor in Japan."

She hadn't noticed her father standing in the doorway.

"I thought I was the greatest doctor in Japan?" He said teasingly.

"Sorry daddy." Megumi smiled. "The times are changing."

"That's true." He commented as he helped his wife tape up the last cardboard box. "Back when I was in medical school, you didn't have to be fluent in English." He winked. "Lucky you."

"Western medicine is the key to health care reforms." Megumi stated simply. "You know that."

"Right." He grabbed one of the remaining boxes in the room and headed for the door. "We're ready when you are."

Megumi cast a longing glance around her old bedroom. Its emptiness was depressing. "We'd better leave before I have second thoughts." She got to her feet, grabbed a box, and headed for the van.

The three hour drive on the Tomei expressway was both boring and frighteningly exciting. Megumi had never actually driven the Tomei. She'd never had a reason to. Whenever she'd wanted to go visit somewhere more than an hour away, she'd taken the train.

Her MINI Cooper hugged the road as she wove in and out of traffic. It was tough to keep her father in view. He drove the van like it was some kind of expensive foreign sports car. If people assumed that doctors were more cautious than normal people, her father would have surprised them.

Megumi just smiled and kept pace with him. She'd been known to take a few risks, now and then.

Besides, if she got into a serious car accident she probably wouldn't have to start her new job in the middle of nowhere. Megumi sighed and pushed the thought away. There was no sense in worrying about the inevitable. She'd just deal with the problems as they came along.

Her legs were cramping as they finally pulled into the unnamed gas station in her new boring town.

The young PE teacher, Kamiya Kaoru, was waiting for her.

"Hello, Takani-san." She said cheerily. She had one of those smiles that could brighten up a room. Megumi kind of hated her for that.

"Kamiya-sensei." Megumi greeted her with a nod and a smile that was only slightly forced. "This is my father and mother."

"Nice to meet you." Kamiya-sensei bowed.

Before they could continue their pleasantries, they were interrupted by the gas station attendant. "Anybody actually buying gas?" He asked lazily.

Megumi turned to regard the man that had so rudely interrupted them. Sure, it wasn't customary to pull up into a gas station and chat, but she really wasn't in the mood to deal with unwanted pests. She opened her mouth to chew him out, but after her first glance she thought better of it.

He stood there with a toothpick in his mouth and his hands buried in his pockets, looking for all the world like he'd never worried or cared about a thing.

She pursed her lips as her father fumbled for his keys.

"I need gas, young man. Let me just pull up to the pump."

Megumi only watched as the lanky station attendant nodded and sauntered away. Leave it to her father to smooth things over.

Kamiya-sensei and her mother were discussing information about her new apartment, but Megumi was too distracted to listen.

The attendant was still annoying her, for some reason. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. She watched as he guided her father up to the pump with the standard, "Alright. Alright. Alright. Ok."

His voice was rough and gravelly, but he managed to sound just about as enthusiastic as any average gas station attendant.

It looked like he was at least competent enough to do his job, though that isn't saying much. However, if the state of his red and white gas station uniform was any indicator, Megumi conceded that he probably worked pretty hard. His work clothes were well-worn, stained with grease, and heavily wrinkled. There was something extremely natural about the way they fit his body. If she didn't know better, she might have even suspected that he slept in them.

To complete his outfit, he wore a tacky red baseball cap that did a poor job of containing his long, wayward hair. Even at a distance, Megumi could see rough stubble on his chin and jaw line. It would have taken him five minutes to shave. Apparently that was five minutes more than he was willing to spend on personal hygiene.

And yet, there was something about him. "Fill 'er up." Megumi's father said when the scruffy attendant came to his window.

"Regular?"

"No way." Megumi's father joked. "My baby takes only the best. Can't you recognize a high performance vehicle when you see one, son?"

Megumi allowed herself a moment's self-consciousness at her father's antics. She half expected the lanky guy to shrug and walk away.

"High performance?" He countered with an amused grin. "What have you got under the hood? A hundred hamsters with those tiny exercise wheels?"

Her father laughed and Megumi couldn't help but feel a bit impressed. Not many people bothered playing along with him.

"Hamsters?" Her father chuckled again at the sheer absurdity. "Uh uh. You're looking at a the finest four-cylinder racing van in the prefecture!"

"You couldn't outrun my moped in this thing." The attendant placed his hands casually in the open window frame of the van. It looked like he was hunkering down to shoot the breeze for an undetermined amount of time. Megumi idly wondered if he had anyone to talk with while he was on the job.

"You think you could beat my baby? Where is this dream machine of yours?" Her father's voice held the perfect level of mock-offense.

The attendant pointed off to the small repair garage attached to the gas station office. A dismantled moped sat like an uninhabited island in a sea of spare parts.

"Of course, I'd have to put it back together first."

"Of course." Her father agreed.

"Hey, hold on a sec, will ya?" The attendant stood up to his full, and slightly impressive height and faced toward the office. "UKI! Get out here!" He bellowed.

Megumi was a bit shocked to hear him barking orders. Who'd listen to a grungy gas station attendant?

A young girl came rushing out, pulling on a gas station uniform coat as she ran. "What? What?"

"Fill this guy's tank and clean his windows."

The girl stopped, staring incredulously at the lanky attendant. "You've been talking to him before you even started pumping his gas? What kind of gas station worker are you?"

Megumi was wondering the same thing.

"Uki-chan?" Kamiya-sensei put her conversation with Megumi's mother on hold.

The young girl jumped in surprise and tore off the work coat. "Kamiya-sensei! How nice to see you! Lovely weather we've been having lately, don't you think?"

The young PE instructor put one hand on her hip. "Did you get permission to be working a part time job?" She asked, sounding stern.

"It's Spring Break!" Uki started to argue. "I thought it was legal, honest."

"Is your father around?"

"Eep." Uki covered her mouth with her hand. "I mean. I don't know. Are you gonna get me in trouble with him?"

Kamiya-sensei dropped her serious expression. "I was just going to ask him if it's ok for you to be working. If it is, I can take care of the rest of the details tomorrow."

Uki grinned. "Really? You'd take care of everything so I don't get suspended or something?"

"Right."

"Man, Kamiya-sensei. You kick all kinds of ass. Have I ever told you that you're my favorite teacher?"

"Only twice a day." The young instructor said with one of her perfect smiles.

"I'll go find my dad. I think he just went home real quick to check on my little brother." Uki started back towards the office but the PE instructor called after her.

"Actually, Uki-chan. I've got some things to take care of right now." She gave a pointed glance to Megumi and her mother. "I know your father asks you to help out around here, so I'll just get you your permission forms when you show up for practice tomorrow. How's that sound?"

"Perfect!" Uki cheered.

"By the way, this is Takani-sensei." Kamiya-sensei indicated Megumi. "She's the new biology teacher."

"Biology, huh?" Uki questioned, eyeing Megumi suspiciously. "I hate biology."

"Be nice." Kamiya-sensei said.

"Do you like softball?" Uki asked and Megumi could tell by her tone that it was a question to be taken seriously.

"Love it." She replied, lying easily.

Uki sniffed and crossed her arms. "Ok. You'll do."

Megumi felt like she'd passed some kind of entrance exam. Playing popularity games with 16 year old girls wasn't her idea of fun.

"You should come check us out at practice tomorrow." Uki was suddenly overexcited. Leave it to the mood swings of a teenager. "Kamiya-sensei says we've got the stuff! We might make regional's this year!"

"Ok, I'll make sure to stop by." Megumi promised.

Uki flashed her a "V" and headed off at a run. "See you tomorrow then!"

"Nice work." Kamiya Kaoru commented. "You've already endeared yourself to one of the most popular girls at school. There's really only one girl with more influence in the entire student body, and the two of them just happen to be best friends and co-presidents of a highly amusing fan club. If you come to softball practice tomorrow morning, you can meet the rest of them."

"Lucky me." Megumi commented dryly.

Kamiya-sensei smiled. "They're good kids. Their grades aren't the best and their skirts are always too short... and their classroom behavior is somewhat lacking... but they've got a lot of heart."

"Great." Megumi replied, trying to sound enthusiastic. Her gaze unconsciously drifted back to her father and the lazy attendant. The guy had finally realized that Uki wouldn't be of any assistance. He was still wiping down the windows when the pump clicked, indicating that the tank was full. He finished up smoothly, using broad strokes and fluid movements.

He'd cleaned a lot of windows in his time.

"Anyway, as soon as your father is ready I can take you to your new apartment." Kamiya-sensei was saying. "That is, if you're quite finished checking out the gas station attendant."

Megumi's mother laughed softly as Megumi spun to face the PE teacher. "What did you say?"

The young teacher smiled innocently. "You weren't paying attention at all earlier when I explained lots of important things to your mother. I mean, I realize that the guy is attractive, but you don't see me spacing out and staring at him."

Megumi felt a faint blush creeping up her neck and into her face. "Attractive?" She hadn't noticed. "I wasn't checking him out. Trust me."

"Ok, fine. Have it your way." Kamiya-sensei said, sounding not at all convinced. "Anyway, if you want to follow behind me, I'll lead you to your apartment now."

"Yes. Good." Megumi was still flustered. "Let's go." She got into her MINI Cooper without another word. While she waited for the others, she glanced cautiously at the attendant, trying to figure out what the PE instructor had been talking about.

Maybe he wasn't particularly bad looking.

He was tall and lean, slim hips, broad shoulders. His pants fit him perfectly, showing off his butt whenever he leaned forward. And even though he was wearing a baggy coat, she could tell that his chest and arms were perfectly muscled.

His face could have been chiseled out of stone. His jaw was strong, his eyebrows thin and expressive, his nose, perfectly formed and neither too big nor too small.

He must have sensed her staring at him because he turned toward her, making eye contact for the first time. The brown orbs seemed to hold fathomless depths. She could see strength in them. Bravery. Determination. Control. As well as warmth. Passion. His other features seemed to pale in comparison to the confidence that he was able to transmit through a look, a glance.

And then he smiled at her.

Megumi decided that it was high time to get out of there. She put her car into drive and headed toward Kamiya-sensei's silver Honda Civic.

Ok. So maybe the gas station attendant was kind of attractive. There was nothing wrong with noticing. After all, what was she there for, if not the scenery?

Chapter Notes: On Japan

For those of you who wanna know more. Here's a few things I've learned or noticed about Japan. If you have any questions about life in Japan, feel free to leave them in a review or email me.

Heisei 17: Dates in Japan work a bit different than many countries. The times are named after the current Emperor. This is how you get things like Meiji 11, or the eleventh year of the Meiji Era. Heisei 17 just happens to be 2005.

Japanese School Year: There are three semesters in Japanese schools. The first starts in April and goes until July. The second starts late August and goes until December. The third is the shortest, and runs from January until early March.

Winnie the Pooh: He's super popular in Japan and everyone calls him Pooh-san. Which I think is adorable. You also see a lot of Disney and Peanuts characters (especially Snoopy).

Cell Phones: Every single Japanese person I know owns a cell phone, or "keitai" as we call them over here. I've got one, and I tried valiantly to avoid loading it down with all the little toys and decorative straps that everyone has. But I failed. I've been given two as gifts, and I think they're cute. But two straps isn't much. I've seen students with over ten, and often with tiny stuffed animals attached. How they actually USE their phones is a mystery to me.

The Izu Peninsula: The cast of RK visited the Izu Peninsula in the first season. It's where they met Yutarou and fought Raijuuta. The Izu Peninsula is in Shizuoka Prefecture. I live in Shiz (as we foreigners call it), but I haven't actually been to Izu yet. I've got a lot of friends who live there though!

Tomei Expressway: The fastest way to travel by car. It's a lot like American freeways, but with toll booths all over. A cheaper (but slower) way to travel by car is the Bypass.

Gas Station Etiquette: Most gas stations in Japan are full service. You pull up and they guide you to the pump. They pump the gas, wipe your windows, take out your trash, and empty your ash tray (if you happen to smoke). And the only word you really need to know in Japanese is "mantan": Essentially "full tank" or "fill her up."

Students and Part Time Jobs: It's against the rules for high school students to work without getting special permission from the school. During holidays it is more acceptable, but since Spring Break is fairly short (not to mention the break between school years) students are less likely to be allowed to work.

Teachers and Clubs: Just about every High School teacher is assigned a homeroom and a club. Club activities keep teachers busy every week, even during vacations.

High School Uniforms: If you've watched enough anime, you've seen school uniforms. However, I find that junior high uniforms are more common in anime than HS ones. During April, students are still wearing their winter uniforms, which includes a suit coat, bow tie (or regular tie for guys), skirt (pants), cardigan (for cold days) and a dress shirt. Colors and styles vary based on school. And the kids have to wear them ALL the time.

Personal Parallels: A Real Life Crossover

Things from my life that I've worked into this story.

The Gas Station Guy: I am currently contemplating starting some kind of relationship with the guy who works at the gas station right by my apartment complex. I have some doubts though, and some of these doubts will be played out by my favorite Rurouni Kenshin couple. I've tweaked a lot of things for the purpose of the story. But this is why I started writing this story in the first place.

The Cool PE teacher/Softball Coach: At my high school, there's this awesome young teacher who will be portrayed by Kaoru. Sudo-sensei is one of my best friends over here. She used to be a professional softball player and I've actually seen her on TV for interviews and stuff. Pretty cool, eh?

Izu Transfer: This is one of my greatest frustrations right now. Not because I got transferred, but because my best friend was. She was an assistant English teacher, filling in for some teacher that I never met (who had a mental breakdown). Her family lives right by the high school and Tomoko was even a graduate from here! And yet, she got sent off to the furthest tip of Izu. ARGH!