Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin belongs to Nobuhiro Watsuki and "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" is the property of Yash Raj Films.

Author's Note: Yes, Kamiya Kaoru will be a part of this fic after the flashback. Expect Kenshin and Kaoru to meet up again later (in the present). Hehehe ..

On another note about the fic in general. Yes, there are a lot of fics that are similar in nature to this one. Love triangles have always been popular and the best friend realizing that he/she is in love with the friend is also popular. Hehe. But anyway, as I said before, I'm lightly basing this fic off of a Bollywood movie called "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" which is based on a love triangle between a guy, his best friend, and the new girl. It's not similar to other love triangles where the guy ends up with whatever girl and you'll see why later on.

^_^

But I loved the movie .. and I'm sure you'll like the basic story for this fic ^_^ Of course it's not exactly the same as the movie .. but the main plot is pretty much the same.

Information about the Fic:

Ages of Characters:

Kamiya Kaoru – 21

Himura Kenshin – 22 (Lol . . yes, Kenshin is only 1 year older than Kaoru. .hehe)

Yukishiro Tomoe – 22

Sagara Sanosuke – 22

Shinomori Aoshi – 22

Makimachi Misao - 20

Any Differences in Physical Looks Compared to the Anime:

Kamiya Kaoru – during college she had short hair (*gasp! Lol)

Himura Kenshin – he still has his long hair and the cross scar in college. (kenshin wouldn't be kenshin without it ^_^) but when he is older, he cuts his hair short.

~ WHEN SOMETHING CHANGES ~

Chapter 3

Meetings

Continuing Flashback, 4th Year of College

Kamiya Kaoru sat back in class as she remembered the look on Kenshin's face that time. So what? He's a guy . . and the new girl is pretty.  Why should I care who he looks at?, she asked herself. She bit her lower lip. After consciously reconfirming the fact that she didn't care whom Kenshin liked, Kaoru felt a bit better. The uneasiness in the pit of her stomach went away.

When class ended, Kaoru noticed the new girl of the school waiting in the front of the class. Professor Genzai motioned for Kaoru to come over. The raven-haired girl did so. Her heart started to beat faster as she approached the other girl. For some reason, Kaoru felt nervous about meeting her.

"Good morning, Kamiya-san," Dr. Genzai said with a pleasant smile.

Kaoru bowed her head as she said her greetings.

Then Professor Genzai put a hand over the new girl's shoulder. "This is Yukishiro Tomoe." Tomoe nodded her head slightly and smiled. Kaoru looked up and felt entranced. She was even more beautiful up close when she smiled. The girl felt her heart clench a little in pain. How can I measure up?, she thought. But . .but why do I care?

She regained her composure as she introduced herself. "Welcome to Tokyo University, Tomoe-san! My name is Kamiya Kaoru." Kaoru said with the brightest smile she could manage at the time.

"Arigato Kamiya-san," Tomoe said.

Kaoru laughed. "Just call me Kaoru. By the way, what's your next class? I can show you where it is on campus."

Tomoe smiled as she took out her schedule on the piece of paper.

Her writing is perfect also!, Kaoru sighed. Her eyes widened as she read the next class on her list. "Oh, we have two of the same classes together!" She looked over at Tomoe and beamed. She quickly grabbed her and took off. The other girl's eyes widened as she did so and waved good-bye at the teacher.

"Bye Professor Genzai!" Kaoru said as she looked back.

The both of them made their way quickly through campus to get to the next class. When they got there, they saw a sign on the door.

ECON436 Cancelled

"Yes!" Kaoru shouted out in joy. Tomoe looked over at her with an amused expression. The blue-eyed girl smiled and said, "Well, since we have an hour to kill, why don't you tell me about yourself?"

Tomoe nodded her head meekly as the both of them went outside and sat down in one of the grassy areas on campus.

Kaoru gave her a winning smile as she asked, "Where are you from?"

Tomoe smiled as she responded, "Kyoto University. Since my father recently expanded his business to Tokyo, he thought that I should transfer here."

"Aaa . .I see."

The two of them continued on like that for another forty minutes. By the end, the both of them had gotten to know each other a lot better and seemed to like one another. Kaoru admired the woman before her for her elegance, beauty, intelligence, and kindness while Tomoe admired the other for her vivacity, strength, compassion, and friendliness.

"Kaoru-dono!" someone called out.

Both Kaoru and Tomoe turned around to see a young red-haired man making his way through the crowds towards them. He was out of breath when he finally reached them.

"Oh, Kenshin! My Economics class was cancelled today. It's such a relief. I don't think I could have sat through another one of Jineh's lectures," Kaoru said exasperatingly.

Kenshin smiled and then looked over at Kaoru's companion. His eyes widened as he recognized that it was the girl that he saw the day before. He blushed when he realized that he had been looking at her for such a long time. He gave an uncomfortable laugh. "Where are your manners? When are you going to introduce me?" he playfully said to Kaoru while giving her a friendly nudge.

Kaoru made a face and stuck her tongue out at him. "I was just about to if you would have been just a little more patient." She sighed as she introduced the both of them. "Kenshin, this is Yukishiro Tomoe. She's a junior like us."

Kenshin smiled. Tomoe .. what a nice name, he thought with a smile. "Nice to meet you, Tomoe-san." He stuck his hand out and gave her a firm shake of the hand.

"And Tomoe-san, this is my best friend Himura Kenshin. I have to warn you though, he's a bit of an idiot. Don't let him annoy you too much," she said nonchalantly with a wave of the hand.

Tomoe almost laughed at the face Kenshin made.

"Maa, maa Kaoru-dono. Must you always introduce me in such a manner?" the young man sighed.

Kaoru laughed jubilantly. "I'm just kidding. He's a great guy once you get to know him."

A bright smile appeared on Kenshin's face as Kaoru complimented him and his lavender eyes lit up. Tomoe noticed the surreal color of his eyes and she felt her breath catch in her throat. His eyes .. they're absolutely beautiful, she thought.

As time passed by, the three of them noticed that it was time for their Greek Literature class. Kenshin was delighted to find that Tomoe was in both his Lit class and one of his Business classes.

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In Greek Literature class

Himura stifled another yawn as he lay back in his seat as far as possible. He really didn't want to come to this class. It wasn't a part of his major at all, but it was required as a part of their school's General Education program. He found himself stealing glances at the new girl, Tomoe. Her beauty .. it was entrancing to him.

"Himura!"

Kenshin quickly sat up. "H-hai," he answered. Kaoru, who sat in the seat next to him stifled a giggle. He looked so adorable when he looked confused like that.

"Tell me . . since we're on the subject of Venus and such. How in your opinion do two people fall in love?" the female professor asked.

He smiled. "Love grows from friendship. You can't have love without friendship," he said confidently.

The teacher nodded, "Good answer. Now back to . ."

Kaoru drifted off to her thoughts. Love and friendship?, she looked over at Kenshin and he gave her a friendly wink. She quickly looked back down at her paper and a slight blush started to appear on her cheeks. Do I love Kenshin?, she asked herself. She reminisced of all the times that she had been with him: middle school, high school, and now college. She never had need of a boyfriend because she had always had Kenshin. Now that she thought about it, she wasn't sure how she could continue to be so happy without him there. She fondly looked back up at him. He was jotting some notes down in his notebook. I wonder . .I wonder if he feels the same way about me?

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Kaoru spent the next few days in cloud nine. Her good friends and roommates, Makimachi Misao and Takani Megumi eyed her weirdly.

"Kaoru, what's going on?" Misao asked as she found Kaoru humming to herself and playing with her hair.

"Nothing," she said in a sing-song voice.

Megumi narrowed her eyes as she marched herself next to her friend and put her fists on her hips. She gave a suspicious smile. "Did you find yourself a boyfriend or something?"

Kaoru gasped as she turned around. "O -  Of course not, Megumi! You know I'm not interested in anyone here."

"Except Ken-san."

Kaoru's face turned red. How .. how did she know? The taller woman chuckled at Kaoru's embarrassment. She had always guessed that Kaoru felt something more towards Kenshin than just friendship.

Misao's mouth dropped open. She had known Kaoru since high school and had no inkling of an idea that Kaoru had feelings for Kenshin. She turned towards Megumi, "How'd you guess that?" she asked. "I've known Kaoru and Kenshin for a longer time than you have."

"Well, it's quite obvious from any third person's point of view. I'm surprised you didn't realize it yourself earlier, Kaoru."

Kaoru's face turned beet-red. Now that the both of them knew, would they tell Kenshin?

Megumi sighed. She knew what was going through this girl's head. "Don't worry tanuki. Your secret's safe with us."

"Yeah. We promise not to utter a word to Kenshin about it," Misao agreed.

Kaoru gave a sigh of relief. She looked back up at her friends and smiled.

"Ohohoho. To think that our little tanuki is starting to grow up. I was afraid that since you dress like a guy and act like a guy, that you were going to fall for a girl. Ohoh . ."

Kaoru had gotten up and hit Megumi with a pillow before she could finish.

"Why .. . Ken-san's not going to fall in love with a tomboy like . ."

Another pillow in the face for Megumi.

Her eyes narrowed as she took up "arms" and began fighting back. Misao joined in the brawl and pretty soon feathers and laughter had filled the entire room.

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A month had passed by and to Kaoru's disappointment, she found that she was spending less and less time with Kenshin. He had a test for his Business class coming up and he and Tomoe had been hard at work studying. She sighed. She really missed his company more than anything.

And also. .

Also .. that day was coming up. She hoped that Kenshin would still remember.

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October 18

Kaoru brushed back her short, raven-black hair as she studied herself in the mirror and sighed. She wondered if Kenshin remembered. Of course he does, she said. He wouldn't forget, right? She looked at the clock. It was almost five. She gave another sigh. Kenshin's classes have all ended by now. I wonder where he's at?

She picked up her cell phone and speed dialed his number.

RING, RING

Kaoru sat in the chair and picked at her black shirt while she waited for him to answer the phone.

"Hello?"

A bright smile broke out onto Kaoru's face as she heard his voice. "Hi Kenshin! I thought that we could go see that movie that we've been wanting to watch, 'The Last Samurai'". 

"A . .ano .. eto . ." She heard the hesitation in Kenshin's voice and it gave her a strange, uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach. She already knew the answer.

"Ano . . I'm sorry Kaoru-dono. I made plans with Tomoe to go to the coffee shop and look over the notes that she missed from class."

"O . . oh," she said trying to hide her disappointment.

Kenshin noticed the change in behavior and added, "How about we go tomorrow?"

"Umm . . okay. That sounds good," she said trying to sound excited about the prospect.

"I'll see you tomorrow, that I will. Bye Kaoru-dono."

"Bye Kenshin."

CLICK

Kaoru sat there looking at her phone. It really wasn't the movie that she wanted to see, she had just wanted to spend time with Kenshin again. She sighed as she looked at the calendar. October 18th. Today was the 8th anniversary since her mother had passed away. Tears began to stream down Kaoru's cheeks.

And Kenshin .. .

He had forgotten for the first time.

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The next day

Kaoru waited at the front of the movie theatre for Kenshin to come. She was dressed in a pair of casual jeans and a light blue t-shirt. Her hands were clutched in front. For some reason, she felt a little nervous about spending time together with him. She blushed with anticipation as she watched people go pass her. Her blue eyes searched for a sign of crimson hair.

And there he was.

She smiled. He was dressed in a dark blue polo and slacks. His hair was tied up in a tight ponytail. Kaoru sucked in her breath. Ever since she knew him, he would always wear his hair in loose ponytail. He gave an air of danger with his hair tied up like that. That look . .it suited him also.

As he approached, she noticed another figure walking beside him.

It was Tomoe. She looked incredibly beautiful that day in her dress outfit. As she glanced from Kenshin to Tomoe and Tomoe to Kenshin, she noticed that they indeed looked like some couple. Her heart ached at the thought. She shrugged it off as they approached. Tomoe couldn't be interested in someone like Kenshin, she reassured herself. They're just friends . .right?

Kenshin smiled at her as they came within range. A faint blush rose up her cheeks as she realized how handsome he looked face-to-face.

"Hi Kaoru-dono," Kenshin said. He looked over at Tomoe. "I hope you don't mind that I brought Tomoe along. She was interested in seeing the movie, that she was and didn't have anything else planned for the day."

Kaoru managed to give a cheerful smile as she looked at her. "Hi Tomoe-san. I'm glad that you came."

Tomoe smiled as she nodded her thanks.

"Kenshin . .why don't you buy the tickets while Tomoe and I go find seats," Kaoru said as she grabbed Tomoe's hand.

Kenshin nodded as he stood in line.

He watched the two with a smile donning his visage.

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During the movie

The lead female actress was seen tending to Tom Cruise's wounds. Kaoru couldn't help but feel a little attached to that entire era. She wondered if it was because she had practiced kendo ever since she was a small girl. She looked over at Kenshin and smiled. He would have made a great samurai, she thought.

Throughout the entire movie, Kaoru found herself drawn in. She absolutely loved it. The fighting scenes. The scenery. Everything. Especially the unspoken love between the male and female leads. It was beautiful.

She looked over at Kenshin. Instead of watching the movie, Kenshin had been stealing glances at Tomoe. Kaoru felt a pang in her heart.

It hurt. It hurt to see that the one that she loved was interested in someone else.

Her eyes began to water up as she tried to focus her attention back onto the screen.

It was the final scene.

Tears fell down her cheeks and she quickly brushed them away.

"Kaoru-dono," someone whispered. Kaoru looked over and lowered her head. She didn't want Kenshin to see that she was crying.

"Kaoru-dono . . . " he continued as he gently lifted her chin with his fingers so that he could look at her. "I've never seen you tear up like this at a movie before. Are you okay?" he asked. Genuine concern for her laced over his every word.

Kaoru gave him a small smile as she nodded her head. "I'm fine . . it's just . . just that . . I feel very attached to them for some reason," she said as she focused her eyes somewhere else. At least that's half the truth.

Kenshin smiled. "I know what you mean. I feel like wearing a samurai uniform myself, that I do."

The girl chuckled at his choice of lame words as she punched him playfully on the arm. "Mou Kenshin . . . will you stop it with the "that I do's" and the "that I will's"! No one speaks like that."

Kenshin laughed. He would only talk like that to Kaoru knowing that it would get a rise out of her. It brightened his day to see his friend happy once again. The last thing that he wanted to see were her tears.

"Would you two keep it down?!" someone from behind them said angrily.

Kaoru and Kenshin looked at one another and covered their mouths with their hands as they stifled another laugh. The young man looked at her with a comfortable smile on his face. He truly had missed her company the past few weeks.

When the movie was finished, the three of them walked back to the parking lot. Because of the chill in the night air, Kenshin quickly ushered Tomoe into his car. Then he walked Kaoru back to her own car.

Before Kaoru got in, Kenshin stopped her and grabbed both of her hands.

She gasped as she looked up into his deep lavender orbs.

"I really missed you these past couple of weeks and I have something important to tell you, Kaoru. Meet me in our regular place tomorrow afternoon at twelve. Promise me that you'll be there," he said in a sincere voice.

Kaoru smiled shyly and felt her cheeks become warm as she replied, "Hai, Kenshin. I promise."

And that night Kaoru couldn't sleep. For she was afraid that if she did, all that had happened today and all that Kenshin had said to her would have been nothing but a dream.

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- To be continued

Author's Notes:

Please read and review! Thanks much! I would really appreciate it! Some extra notes about this chapter:

1.) The scene in the classroom asking the question about love is significant. This is when Kaoru starts to question herself about her feelings for Kenshin and also wonders whether or not Kenshin returns those feelings. Kenshin's answer may seem kind of .. umm .. corny. Lol.. but it's directly from what the character in the movie said.

Reader Responses:

Miss Behavin – Hi! Thanks for reviewing!! Hehe ^_^ I love reading your reviews. They always make my day just that much better. Anyway, I hope you had a great holiday. I hope you update your fics soon. ^_^ I can't wait to read more Ask Hiko columns. Lol.

OniTokage – Hi hi! Thanks for reading this fic also. ^_^ I'll make sure to check out that fic you mentioned. How sad. .sniff sniff. . Kaoru dies? =( .. but anyway, thanks again for reviewing! I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter also! ^_^

KryAngel – Thanks for the review! Hope you enjoy the rest!

Darkends – I'm glad you like the story so far! ^_^ Thanks for reading.

Wistful-Eyes – Hello! Yeah…it's very sad that Tomoe had died so early, but it's good that she had a child ^_^

Lonelystar07 – Hi. Thanks for reviewing! Kamiya Kaoru will be in the present story also in the later chapters. ^_^ You'll just have to wait. ^_^

SailorUniverse 1 -  Hi. Yes, I'm sure there are a lot of fics with this kind of love triangle concept. This particular fic is based off the movie "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" which is Hindi for "When Something Changes".. at least that's what it means roughly. I hope you enjoy the rest of this story!

Fan4000 – Here's the next chapter! I hope you enjoy reading it!

Serenity Blossom – Aww. .^_^ thnx for the review! I really enjoy reading them. Anyway, I hope you find the rest of the chapters just as enjoyable and moving.

Ryoga – Hi! Thanks for reviewing my new story. Hope you like the rest.