Harry Potter: Meiji Era

Hermione sat in the car with her father on the way to the appointed meeting place with the Weasleys. Ever since Harry's birthday, they had not heard a single word about him. It was now a week later, when finally they had heard something. Or rather, read something. Sirius had burst into the Grangers' residence with a note. Hermione had not asked him any questions, but she read the note in complete silence. Sirius had stood in the doorway, waiting for a reaction. He had not, however, gotten the reaction he was looking for. She calmly showed her father and demanded of him to drive her to the meeting place. Even though it was a good thirty hours away. Even though they might miss the appointed time. He could not say no to his daughter, simply because he saw something in her eyes. Something that he had only seen in her eyes when she spoke of Harry. Never of anyone else.
So here they were, driving to the meeting place, with over ten hours more driving to be done. Questions mulled about in her head. She wanted to know so much about what had happened to him, why he had left, and everything else that she could possibly squeeze in one breath. Sirius had said, after Hermione had pried the knowledge out of him, that Harry was not the same as he used to be. Sirius had said that Harry might not even respond to Harry. Sirius said that Harry might not even recognize Hermione. All of this worried Hermione.
For everyone except Harry and Hermione, it had been obvious. They were destined to be together since that fateful meeting in the bathroom. When that troll had attacked Hermione, and Harry had decided to save her. Only at Harry's bidding had his best friend, Ron, gone to help her as well. Ron had known this from the start, even though he still had feelings for Hermione, he suppressed them for Harry's sake. Hermione sighed. She wondered if anyone would recognize her for being a girl. Excluding Krum, who seemed unable to stop writing to her. She didn't want to be recognized when at a ball, when she had spent enormous amounts of time getting ready, using makeup and other potions to enhance her looks.
She sighed and looked out the window.

---

Ron sat nervously in the Leaky Cauldron. His parents had somehow gotten him an Apparating License and he barely knew how to do NEWT level magic. Not that he had tried to perform NEWT level magic, except for DADA magicks. His outward calm façade did not portray his inner fear. He had never apparated before in his life, and he was scared. He had only a couple of minutes before his first apparation to the meeting place. The place where he would see the new Harry. The one Sirius had said would not recognize him. The one Sirius had pointedly said it would be doubtful if Harry responded to the name Harry, or even in English.
Never one for caring much about questions, Ron figured he would just go see Harry, and whatever came out of his mouth would come out of his mouth. He sighed as he watched the sun fall down in the sky, and wondered if Hermione would be there to see Harry when he returned. He looked over at his sister, Ginny, and wondered how she would react. She was not allowed to go see Harry. His mother was very adamant that only Ron should heed the message given by Sirius.
All of a sudden, Ron thought about the previous year. He gave an involuntary cry and his mother ran to him.
"Mum," he said, "Sirius died last year in the Department of Mysteries." Mrs. Weasley stared at Ron and fainted as she remembered the story from Dumbledore.

---

Hermione jumped out of the car and rushed over to the appointed place. She saw Ron apparate into the clearing. He smiled widely as she saw him appear and look at him in shock. She jumped into his arms for a very friendly hug.
"Ron! Where'd you learn to apparate! You aren't of age yet..." She looked at him curiously.
"Well, Mum and Dad decided to get me a license anyways... They figured it was easier for me to apparate here by myself than get a Port-Key." He smiled softly down at Hermione. She, instead of seeing his smile, looked at her watch and frowned.
"We still have two minutes before he is to come... Ron, did he tell you anything about disappearing so suddenly? I don't even know if he got my gift I sent to him. The owl did not return, with a letter from Harry nor with a return of the gift." She glanced around the clearing with a sigh.
Ron stuck his hands in his pockets. "I really don't know Hermione. I really don't know," he sighed, the same questions now bouncing around his head. Ron jerked his head to the side and Hermione looked up at him, then in the direction he was staring.
"What is it, Ron?" she whispered.
«Master, this one does not see why this is the end of the lessons. This one still has yet to learn the succession technique.»
«Quiet. You will learn this in time. But for now, you must continue your mastery of magic. This is going to be the biggest test. You are two people in one, which of you will remember these people?»
«Two people? What do you mean, Master? Do you mean this one and the Hitokiri that Father left inside of this one?»
"No, Kenji, I do not mean either of those things. I mean you, both of them, and the person you have been for the past sixteen years. Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived."
"Master, you know this one is all three of them put together. And you also know that you left this one's wand back in the house before they rebuilt the room... this one doubts that a wand, which looks remarkably like a stick would be saved." Hermione gasped as she heard Harry speak in English once again. His glare snapped up from his companion's face and his visage softened. "Hermione... Ron. What are you two doing here?"
"Harry? You... you still remember us?" Hermione asked in a whisper. Ron was lost for words.
"Hiko..." Kenji said with a smirk. "Did you really go to their houses and tell them that this one might not remember them?"
"I'm sorry, Kenji, but you only started to remember your other life about an hour ago. The shock of knowledge the medallion gave you, I'd thought, erased your mind."
"Hiko, you were the one who gave this one the medallion." He smiled however and pulled a stunned Hermione into a hug. She stood limply in his arms for a second, then returned the hug.
"You have a lot to tell us, Harry," she said, her voice rasping. Kenji, however did not respond. He simply looked into her eyes and smiled. He let Hermione go and gave Ron a hug. Hermione only stared at Kenji. What happened to his eyes? she thought in horror. His eyes were still the emerald green eyes she had left at Kings Crossing Platform 9¾, but they were different. There was something new underneath the green. She shivered.
"Hermione, are you cold?" Kenji asked, pulling out of his hug with Ron, as if Ron was not even there. She shook her head, but Harry still took off his cloak and placed it on her shoulders. Hermione then got a glance of the new Harry. He was wearing a baggy blue kimono. He had a white sash tied around his waist, with at least three swords tucked into it. She gasped and took a quick step backwards. Her foot caught itself on a rock and she started to fall backwards. Kenji watched for a second, and Ron snuck a look at his friend. The previously emerald eyes were not emerald anymore, nor were they the friendly eyes Harry used to have. Ron blinked and Kenji had disappeared. He flinched towards Hermione and his eyes widened in shock. Within the span of under half a second, Kenji had gone from standing by his mentor to picking up Hermione from her fall.
"Harry... what the bloody hell are you?" Ron asked quietly.
Kenji flinched. "Do you know the story of this one's father?"
"Of James Potter? Yeah, I know the story. Sirius told us that story."
"Sirius? Who is Sirius?" Kenji replied to his stunned friends. "Not the story of James Potter, this one's adopted father. The story of Hitokiri Battôsai." Kenji's eyes narrowed and he blinked, his eyes becoming a menacing yellow. "The story of Himura Kenshin. My father."
"Kenji," Hiko said softly. "Snap out of it."
Kenji stopped moving for a second, then his fist shot up and he punched himself in the forehead. He looked back at Hermione and Ron with an apologetic smile. "This one apologizes for the mistake." Hermione's eyes widened and stared as blood started running down Kenji's forehead. «Hiko, this one would like to resume lessons. Ron-chan and Hermione-dono may watch if you do not have a problem with it.»
Hiko looked at Kenji in shock. The only other person Kenji had honoured a name with "-dono" was his own, Hiko-dono. «Hermione-dono you say?» After a sharp acknowledgement from Kenji, Hiko nodded. "Well then, let us finish our lessons."
"Hermione-dono and Ron-san, you may stay to watch this one finish learning. This one would like to tell you this one's story afterwards." Kenji smiled at Hermione and Ron. "And please, do not call this one Harry. This one is not Harry anymore. This one would prefer to go by Himura Kenji, or Kenji-chan."