Okay here is chapter seven, the one you guys wanted so badly. I don't have much to say so just go on and enjoy this chappie!

Chapter Seven: The Other Way Around

Kenshin slowly woke up from his deep sleep as the first rays of sunlight seeped into the room. He looked out the window and saw two birds in a nest together with their young, chirping happily. Kenshin sighed sadly. He was hoping that one day, he and Kaoru could live together just like that. But it wouldn't happen, and he was sure it never would. He slowly got up and put on his hakama and gi then went into the kitchen to prepare breakfast like he normally did before everyone got up. Or so he thought.

"Oro?" Kenshin said eyes going wide when he entered the kitchen to find the Kaoru finishing setting the table. Kaoru looked up at him and smiled giggling on the inside. 'He looks so funny like that.'

"Ohayou Kenshin, thought you might be hungry so I making some breakfast. I'm surprised with Yahiko he's really a good help the two of us are already getting along quite nicely." Kenshin stared for a moment or two before reality struck him.

"Oro! Ano, Sakura-dono you really didn't have to do this de gozaru." Kaoru laughed. "It's no big deal Kenshin." Just then Yahiko's voice was heard from the kitchen.

"Oi Ka-Sakura it's burning!" Kaoru sat upright. "Oh! Coming Yahiko just a minute!" She bowed at Kenshin slightly before heading to the kitchen. "Go ahead and sit down, I'll bring the food out in a minute." Kenshin obeyed and sat down, his gaze falling nowhere in particular. 'Did Yahiko almost call her Kaoru? Demo, why?' Kenshin shook the thought off. 'Perhaps he just wasn't thinking straight.

"Yahiko be careful, you almost let it slip!" Kaoru scolded while finishing with the cooking. Yahiko started placing the food on the table. "Gomen, I didn't mean to." Kaoru sighed.

"Daijobou Yahiko, just try to get used to calling me Sakura," she said as she carried the last of the food and set it on the table. Kenshin just stared at everything. He was not use to this. He was use to doing everything and cooking breakfast. Kaoru could tell he was surprised by her actions. She stole a glance at Yahiko who winked at her. She grinned.

"Yahiko can you go wake up Sano, I'm sure he won't want us to eat without him or he'll throw a fit!" she joked surprising Kenshin. Yahiko agreed laughing quietly. "You got that right, I'll go get him." Kenshin looked over at Kaoru.

"You are right demo how did you know?" Kaoru cocked her head at him quizzically. "Know what?"

"That Sano would throw a fit," he answered. "From what I see you never heard of him." Kaoru sweat dropped. 'Uh oh. Think fast Kamiya!' Kaoru waved her hands in the air.

"Eto, while I was cooking Yahiko was telling me things about all of you!" she said somewhat calmly. 'Oh yeah, smooth.'

"Oh, sou ka," he responded.

"Why do you ask?" Kaoru asked. Kenshin couldn't really think of an explanation for that one. "I was just curious is all, nothing really Sakura- dono." Once Yahiko and Sano, much to his surprise that they waited for him had come they started eating.

"Wow Kenshin this is good," Sano said stuffing his moth. Kenshin smiled. "It is demo sessha didn't cook it de gozaru." Sano looked up. "You didn't, then who?"

"Sakura did," Yahiko said pointing to her. Kaoru simply grinned. "Don't choke now." Sano looked at her. "Since when did she start doing the work here Kenshin?" Kenshin sweat dropped. "She happened to be up even before me de gozaru." Yahiko smirked and Kaoru just sipped her tea quietly. Having finished up before everyone she picked up her dishes and put them in the sink.

"Just put all the dishes in the sink when you're finished and I'll clean them later," she said before heading out. "Where are ya going?" Sano asked curiously. Kaoru smiled more to Yahiko than him who was snickering softly.

"I never finished the laundry I started because I had to cook breakfast. I'll go finish it now." Kenshin sputtered his tea wetting his clothes. Kaoru couldn't help but giggle. "I'll have to wash that too." Kenshin stared in astonishment.

"Sakura-dono, you're the guest de gozaru, you shouldn't be doing the chores you don't have to." Kaoru gave him a grin. "Oh really, well I figured I could. A friend of mine once told me about a wanderer who stayed here and always did the chores around the house. She use to tell me how she wouldn't keep saying 'You don't have to.' Demo he was just too stubborn. I figured since I'm a wanderer I could do the same thing. It's to repay you for letting me stay here." Kenshin was dumbstruck. She had a really good point there, he did always do the work here and everything despite what anyone said. Kaoru smirked at the look Kenshin had plastered on his face.

"Looks like I've hit the mark," she said before heading outside, Yahiko in uncontrollable fits of laughter. "I guess you just got a taste of your own medicine Kenshin, you have competition!" Yahiko said in between giggles. Sano was giggling too.

"Never thought I'd see the day when Kenshin would meet his match!" Kaoru hung around listening to their rantings and smiled to herself. 'Let's just see how Kenshin will handle today.' For once, Kaoru found doing all the chores rather fun. As she did the laundry, she noticed Yahiko was the one cleaning the dishes.

"Yahiko, don't worry about the dishes I'll clean them just as soon as I finish this," she called out to him. Kaoru got a head shake in response. "No need to worry Sakura, I got it and besides it's fun to torture Kenshin like this," he said laughing at his joke. Kaoru snickered. "Point taken." Kenshin sighed overhearing their conversation. 'This feels strange de gozaru.'

"Kenshin, would you like me to prepare a bath for you?" Kaoru asked almost startling him. Kenshin smiled his rurouni smile. She missed that smile. "Iie, it's alright Sakura-dono I'm just fine why don't you let me finish the laundry?" Kaoru shook her head.

"I said I've got it, my goodness Kaoru was right when she said you were in love with doing the laundry." Kenshin fell over anime style oroing at the sky. Kaoru sweat dropped. "Oops, gomen ne. I shouldn't have said anything about..." Kenshin's eyes were glistening but he was still smiling. "No harm done, you don't have to feel sorry de gozaru ka." Just as Kaoru was about to help him up, she was pounced on from behind by two other people." Kenshin's eyes widened. "Oro, Ayame, Suzume where did you come from?" They weren't listening, they were busy all over Kaoru.

"Kaoru nee! Where have you been!!!!" They both squealed both of them hugging either of her arms. Kaoru smiled sweetly at both of them. "Kaoru nee, is that what you called her?" They looked at her with curious eyes. "You not Kaoru nee?" Kaoru shook her head.

"I'm Sakura, you must be Ayame and Suzume, you guys are a lot bigger than when I first saw you two." Ayame stared. "You look just like Kaoru nee."

"Hai Kaoru nee, are you her twin?" Suzume asked. Kaoru giggled, these two were something else. "No I'm not but I knew her. She told me how much you guys liked playing if you guys want I'll play with you two as soon as I finish here ne?"

"Yay! Play play!" They both yelled jumping around leaving Kaoru in a laughing fit. They were so cute. Dr. Genzai appeared at the gate not too long afterwards to see what all the commotion was about.

"What's going on over hear and-who are you?" he asked looking at Kaoru. Kaoru stood up brushing herself off. "I'm Sakura a wanderer and an old friend of Kaoru's. I just got here from Kyoto and visiting Kaoru's grave." Dr.Genzai smiled sadly. "Oh, Kaoru never told me about you my name is Dr.Genzai and these two here are my grand daughters Ayame and Suzume." Kaoru nodded.

"I already met those two, after I finish here I promised them that we'd play together." Ayame and Suzume jumped on her, holding either side of her kimono and hanging on laughing the whole time. "Play Sakura nee!" Kaoru laughed. "Alright you two better run or I'll get you!" She said chasing them. They squealed in delight as they ran away from their pursuer. Dr.Genzai looked at the three. "She gets along very well with them. This is almost exactly like when you came here Kenshin." Kenshin nodded watching the three playing. This was exactly like when he first came. His eyes saddened a little. This reminded him of how Kaoru had welcomed him here just like he did with Sakura. What reasons she had for wandering he didn't know but he knew his and Kaoru never did care. He felt like he was now in her place. Dr.Genzai noticed Kenshin's slightly sad look.

"Is it Kaoru?" he asked sadly. Kenshin remained silent. "Don't worry Kenshin it's alright, I must say she looks a lot like her wouldn't you say?" Kenshin tried to lighten up by smiling.

"Yes she looks a lot like her de gozaru. It is strange but when I look at her it's almost like I am looking at Kaoru, like she is..."

"Kaoru's reincarnation." Dr.Genzai finished. "I know what you mean, after all Sakura does have her eyes and her hair. She just very well could be." Kenshin felt his heart tighten. Kaoru reincarnated? He suddenly felt strange. In his heart, just like Tomoe he could never replace Kaoru. But there seemed to be something about this girl that did resemble her.

"Sakura, can I ask you a favor?" It was Yahiko who appeared in the doorway. Kaoru appeared with the two girls clinging to her kimono again. "Nani Yahiko?" Yahiko scratched his head pretending to look embarrassed. "Well eto, I heard you mastered the Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu just like Kaoru once did and I was wondering if you could-"

"Train you? I probably can if you want." She answered winking at Yahiko. "Just get me a training hakama and we can." Yahiko grinned and headed into the dojo. While he was gone Kaoru went inside and to see if the kitchen still needed cleaning the girls not far behind. Kenshin attempted to catch up. "What are you going to do now?" he asked.

"Just see if I still need to finish the dishes from before, then I'll head to town to buy supplies for lunch is all. Maybe I'll go fishing, do you have a pole?" Kenshin oroed again and waved his hands. "Sakura-dono, really there's no need for this I can go fishing de gozaru." Kaoru loved this. "Kenshin daijobou I said. Demo, I am not very good with a fishing pole so why don't we both go and you can teach me how." Genzai cut in. "I can teach you too if you want, the girls love going fishing."

"That's sounds like fun, you two want to go fishing?" she asked Ayame and Suzume.

"HAI!" they both screamed. Kenshin giggled a bit. He was surprised he even laughed. "I guess we'll all be going fishing de gozaru."

"Yay, fish!" the two girls cheered running around the room. Yahiko appeared with the training hakama. "Here you can put this on," he said handing it to her. "Arigato I'll just go change then we'll both go to the dojo to train okay?" Yahiko nodded while he went to get his shinai. Kenshin decided he would just get the dishes done. Finally, something to do. Ayame and Suzume were now playing with a paper ball and Dr.Genzai was watching them, Yahiko was waiting for Kaoru to finish changing.

In her room, Kaoru was wondering if she should keep her hair in a low ponytail. 'But it gets hot.' She said to herself, but then, if she put it up high she would most definitely draw attention. Giving up, she decided she would just wear it up but with her red ribbon. She never wore a ribbon when practicing. Once she was ready she went out to where Yahiko was waiting. Everyone's mouths dropped. Despite the ribbon she had in her hair she looked exactly like Kaoru, causing everyone's eyes to widen.

"Whoa." Was all Yahiko could say, Kenshin was oroing, and everyone else was staring.

"Sakura nee looks like Kaoru nee!" Ayame and Suzume said examining her. Kaoru began to feel uncomfortable. The way Kenshin was looking at her was making her nervous. He seemed to be looking at her in a way he normally would Kaoru. 'Maybe I should've just kept my hair down.'

"Well, come Yahiko you said you wanted to train right? Let's go!" she took off towards the dojo. Yahiko sweat dropped. "Uh, right!" he said going to follow her. 'Man, I swear Kaoru should not have put her hair up.' Once they were out Dr.Genzai breathed heavily. "I have to say I almost thought that was Kaoru," he said looking at the wide glistening eyes of Kenshin who was staring off in the direction Sakura and Yahiko went. 'I think that could be her..Kaoru...have you...come back?'

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Uh oh, I think Kenshin is on to her! O_O Did you guys like this chapter? I tried to make it longer than the last one because after this I'll be gone for the weekend so, I'll see you guys later and I'll get started on another chapter when I get back! I'll miss you all and please review! ^_^