Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin belongs to Nobuhiro Watsuki and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai belongs to Yash Raj films and was directed by Karan Johar.

Special Thanks to drpepper4u for adding me to your Favorite Author's List!

Warning: Characters are a bit OOC.

~ WHEN SOMETHING CHANGES ~

Chapter 9

The Other Side

The Following Week

"Kaoru, you don't know how happy am I to learn that you're finally getting married!" Hana said with a big grin on her face. (A/N: Hana is Dr. Genzai's sister).

The raven-haired girl forced a small smile on her face. Her grandmother didn't notice the tense muscles and embraced her tightly.  A few tears came to Hana's eyes at the thought that Kaoru was finally, finally getting married.

Yahiko watched the scene from the opposite side of Kaoru and Hana with a concentrated face. He had noticed his sensei's look. What's wrong with Kaoru? I thought the old hag would be happy, he thought to himself. Enishi's a nice guy. And he's one of the only guys who would support Kaoru to continue to teach kendo. Yahiko sighed. He probably was just imagining things he reassured himself.

"So when is the wedding?" Hana asked with excitement laced over each word.

Kaoru looked up with as she mustered up another smile. "It's the month after the summer kendo classes are over."

Hana smiled brightly. "Great! That's only four or five months from now. Where is the lucky man?"

"He has a business meeting in Kyoto this weekend and has to go out of country for the entire summer for his silk trading business."

Hana frowned. "I see. That's too bad. I was hoping that he would come over for dinner sometime so I could congratulate the two of you."

Kaoru nodded and gave another big smile.

Yahiko studied his sensei solemnly. Her smile seems too distant. I'm not imagining things. Kaoru isn't happy, he thought with worry.

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Tokyo

"How long are you going to be gone, tou-san?" Kaoru-chan asked as she looked up from her dinner plate.

"For two or three days," he replied as he took another sip of his miso soup. "I'll only be in Kyoto and I'll have my cell phone on me at all times. You can call me anytime, Kaoru-chan."

"Oh. Okay," Kaoru replied as she began to pick at the green peas with a fork. "I'm going to miss you," she said longingly.

Kenshin looked up at his daughter and smiled. "I'll miss you too."

"Ano .. who did you call earlier?"

"Oh I was calling to find someone to watch after you the next couple of days," Kenshin said as he took a sip of water.

"I hope you didn't call Uncle Aoshi again. He doesn't talk much at all!" she replied and then crossed her arms.

Her father chuckled. "No, it's not Aoshi."

"Is it Auntie Misao? I like her a lot. I liked watching her kids. Did you know that Aunt Misao said that I can help baby-sit them whenever I have time?"

"No .. no, it's not her."

"Then who?"

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The next morning

"Just remember that I'm not your on-call nanny baka deshi!" Hiko berated as he came in. His figure loomed over that of Kenshin's small stature.

"Maa maa. . shishou." Kenshin said with his hands in a pleading gesture.

"Just because I'm a potter doesn't mean that I don't lead a busy life." Hiko pointed an index finger at him and shook it sternly. "You better know how big a favor this is that I'm doing for you."

Kenshin smiled a little too brightly at those words. "Haha," he chuckled uncomfortably, "of course I know." He rubbed the back of his head with his hands.

"You owe me sake for a month," he said. Then paused as he rubbed the bottom of his chin in deep thought, "Better yet make that three months."

Kenshin sweatdropped. "Hai hai." He bent down to grab his suitcase that was by the door. Kaoru-chan stood beside him and gave him a tight hug.

"Take care, otousan! I love you!" Kaoru said in a muffled voice for her face was in her dad's shoulder.

"I love you too Kaoru!" Kenshin replied with a smile.

He began to walk out the door and then turned back to face Hiko. "Ano . .shishou. . make sure Kaoru goes to bed by .."

Hiko's eyes narrowed. The thing he hated most was people giving him orders, especially his own student. Before Kenshin could say anymore, Hiko bellowed, "Be quiet baka deshi. I know how to take care of kids. I raised you, didn't I?"

Kenshin smiled sheepishly as he nodded. "Hai hai. Bye Shishou!"

Kaoru giggled. The only person who could intimidate her father was her Uncle Hiko and he did a good job of it.

Kenshin made a face as he looked at his daughter, "You're not taking sides with him are you?"

Kaoru nodded and put her arms around Hiko's waist telling her father that she was on her uncle's side. Kenshin sweatdropped and shook his head. Maa maa, I shouldn't have had shishou come here so often. Even my own daughter is taking sides with him.

Hiko grinned. "Bye baka deshi."

When Kenshin had gone out of sight, the little girl quickly pulled on Hiko's hand and took him to the living room.

"What's going on, Kaoru-chan?" he asked with an amused expression on his face.

"I missed ya Uncle Hiko!" she said as she hugged him. The tall man blushed out of warmth.

"I missed you too Kaoru-chan," he replied and patted her gently on the head.

"I have so much to tell you!" she said as she jumped up and down. Hiko's eyes widened with curiosity.

"Oh? What happened? Is it something to do with my baka-deshi?"

She tapped the bottom of her chin in a very grown up fashion. Hiko laughed amusedly, it was the same thing that Kenshin would do at times when he was thinking of something complicated. "Yes and no."

"Hmm .. yes and no?"

The little girl nodded. "It's about Kamiya Kaoru."

Hiko's lips upturned into a grin as he rubbed the bottom of his chin. "Kamiya Kaoru, eh? I remember her. She used to come over to my apartment all the time to see my baka deshi. I never knew what she saw in him."

Kaoru playfully punched Hiko's arm.

"Uncle Hiko. I'm being serious here!" she said as she stood up swiftly with her hands on her hips.

"Haha. Okay okay. Sit down Kaoru-chan and tell me everything."

Kaoru smiled triumphantly as she sat back down. "Okay . .well, it started out with . ."

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In the Kamiya Dojo

Kaoru walked around with a feather duster in hand screening the dojo. The summer camp was going to start in a little over a week and she wanted to make sure that everything would be in top-notch condition. She didn't want to stop to think because whenever she did, all she could remember was the fact that she was going to get married in a few months.

Mrs. Yukishiro Kaoru, she thought to herself as she paused in her dusting. She quickly shook her head as she shoved the thought out of her mind and began dusting the shelves once more.

In the earlier years, the thought of marriage had completely eluded Kaoru. She was happy with what she was doing and completely capable of handling the dojo herself. But however, as the time drew on, the girl became lonely and wanted a companion, someone she could talk to that was around her age. Her years spent with her best friend, Kenshin, had spoiled her. She liked the company he had given her and the time that he had spent with her.

Kaoru stopped what she was doing so she could take a breath. The memory of Himura Kenshin still hurt her although the pain of it all had decreased considerably over the past years. Now it was just a dull ache. It was forgotten for most of the time, but it was forever present inside of her.

She sighed as she went back to work. An image of Enishi floated into her mind. She couldn't believe that she was actually getting married to him. Kaoru knew that she should feel happy for somewhere within her heart, she had feelings for the man, although they weren't that of love. She remembered the first time Enishi had confessed to her that he loved her. I wasn't able to tell him that I loved him back, she thought and then added with a frown, I still can't tell him that now.

Achoo!

The girl sneezed from the dust that had fallen from the shelf. She quickly rubbed her nose and decided that it would be enough dusting for the time being. Then she went to the kitchen to grab a washcloth in order to scrub the floors. When she came back, she went down on her knees to begin the scrubbing with the bucket right by her side.

Even when she was hard at work, her thoughts strayed to her long lost best friend. She wondered how he was doing, how his wife was doing, whether or not he had any children. Kaoru smiled a bit at the thought of Kenshin's children. I wonder if they have red hair like his, she thought. She shook her head as she urged herself not to think of him anymore.

It was a long time ago.

It's over now.

Her thoughts then turned back to Enishi. Her fiancé. He was a great man. Wealthy, good-looking, compassionate, considerate, knew martial arts, and was a good friend to her over the years. She smiled a bit. Even Yahiko likes him. She paused in her work as she let herself drift off into her own thoughts. Kaoru sighed. What's wrong with me? I should feel like the luckiest girl in the world to get married to someone like Enishi. Why do I still feel like this? She curled up her fists into a ball as she furrowed her eyebrows. Don't I love Enishi? Wetness began to form around her eyes and her throat began to feel dry. She took a steady breath as she gently closed her eyes.

Enishi has been wonderful to me for the past year. In fact, he's like a best friend .. that is second to him. She sighed as her thoughts reverted back to Kenshin. Mou! Kaoru, she berated herself, you have to get over him. It's been so long. Plus ..  plus .. I'm engaged to Enishi now.

I should love him.

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Next Day

"Kaoru-chan!" Hiko called from the bottom of the stairs.

"Hai!" the little girl replied as she bounced down their carpeted stairs with a bright smile on her face.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Yes, I haven't seen Genzai-sensei in a long time," she said, her lavender eyes twinkling with excitement at the prospect of seeing Kaoru's grandfather. She had visited him a long time ago when she was around four or five. Her father had gone to see him when she had gotten sick. Because of the herbal medicine that he had prescribed to her, Kaoru had gotten better by the next day. She also remembered his smiling face the whole time he was treating her.

Hiko walked towards the door and pulled a light blue jacket off of the hanger for Kaoru to wear. "It's a bit cold outside, so make sure you wear this," he said.

The young girl nodded as she stretched her arms out so that Hiko could help her put her jacket on.

"Uncle Hiko?" she asked as she looked over her shoulder at the tall man next to her.

"Hai?" he replied as he straightened out the jacket collar with a determined expression on his visage.

Kaoru chuckled a little under her breath. Her uncle was very caring and a softie underneath all of that macho-ness he displayed in front of others. She liked the fact that her uncle could show this side of him to her. "Ano . . do you think that Genzai-sensei will tell us about Kamiya Kaoru's whereabouts now?"

The tall, muscular man stretched out as he got his keys ready to leave. "Hmm, we'll find out when we get there," he said as he pulled his white mantle over his shoulders.

"Okay," she said with a smile.

I'll find you Kaoru and I'll reunite you with my father, she said in her thoughts with utmost determination as she walked out the door.

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- To be continued

Author's Notes:

Please read and review! Thanks much! Sorry this chapter took so long to write! I had fun with the Hiko and Kaoru conversations though. I always thought that he was a softie at heart. ^_^ Hehe .. I'm gonna have lots more fun with him in the later chapters. Anyway, hope you have a great week! Hopefully it won't take as long for me to come out with the next chapter, but I have another midterm coming up soon. =/ sigh ..

Reader Responses:

Koishii sweet – Hehe .. yeah, Enishi isn't a freak in this fic. =P

Missbehavin – =) I'm glad you like the Kaoru/Enishi scenes. ^_^ Yeah, it's sad that Kenshin is re-entering into the scene. As for how Enishi will react .. hmm . .like any other man in this sort of situation. ^_^

OniTokage – Hihi! Sorry about putting you through that with "A Memory Forgotten". FF.net was really messing up for me for some reason when I posted this time. Sigh .. well, anyway .. I'm glad you enjoy this story as well.

Moderndaybattousai – Hi hi. Thanks for the review! Congrats with ur fic!

Nigihayami Haruko – Sniff .. I agree that Enishi deserves happiness too .. Although . . hmm .. k/k or e/k .. if you've seen the movie . .you'll know who she ends up with. =D I'm glad you like the story so far.

Ryoga – Thanks .. I like Enishi also.

CrismHeart – Your comments made me blush! Thank you! =) Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. Yes, there will be some K/K interaction coming up soon.

Julia – Thanks for reviewing! Hope you enjoyed the chapter.

CurlsofSerenity – Hi! Hehe. . chibi Kaoru is working really hard to find Kaoru with help from Hiko! =) Hehe . . Aoshi and Misao . .hm m. .you'll learn about them in the later chapter.

TenkunoMeiou - =) Yay .. I'm glad you're rooting for both E/K and K/K. ^_^ Well, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter!

Intuition – Hello! Another "KKHH" fan! =) Hehe .. I'm glad you like the story so far and noticed the little spiff that I did on Anjali and Rahul. I thought the movie was so great so I wanted to make a fic out of it. Hopefully by the end, it'll seem just as good. =/ ..

Saotome – thanks thanks

Oyuki – Hi. I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter! Thanks for reviewing! Belly dancing classes? Ooh . .how is that?

Wistful-Eyes – Hello. Thanks for the review. Little Kaoru has help from Hiko to find Kaoru! =D Hehe .. I like writing the Hiko and Kaoru interactions.

Gaby(hyatt– Hello. Yes, Kaoru should forget Kenshin . . but it's hard I guess since she knew him all her life. Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. Oh the author of "catharsis" is deleria. She is a great author!

Shermaine, anna, spike-person – thanks for the review!

Serenity Blossom – Thanks for the comments! I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Tsukasa Ryuu – Sorry for the long wait before updating! I hope you enjoyed this chapter nevertheless.

May – I'm glad you liked my portrayal of Tomoe in this fic. I don't like how authors sometimes make Tomoe out as a bad guy because she isn't. =/ Anyway, as for what happened to Aoshi and Misao .. you'll find out later. =)

Mz.Amber Eyez – Hihi! Thanks for the review! =D Yep, Kenshin does love Kaoru . .and as I've said before .. I think K/K are soulmates .. and Akira/Tomoe are soulmates.

Rurouni madness – Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you liked how I portrayed Enishi. I just thought he was lost in the actual manga .. so taking that into consideration .. without those awful things happening in front of him like in the manga, I think Enishi would've turned out as a pretty nice, normal guy that is .. to people that he likes.

Babo-chan –hihi! I haven't seen you online in a long time! No wonder .. hehe thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you enjoy the story!

Sonia – hi. *blushes .. better than the movie? Aww ..  =) thanks! Hehe .. I try hard .. Hopefully the rest will turn out pretty good. ^_^