You guys are gonna love this! Listen: I had actually thought that I had already finished and posted this chapter! Seriously! I have already been working on chapter Eight. That being said chapter eight is almost done, which means it should be posted next week…hopefully….

Chapter Seven:

(starts right where I left off in chapter six! ; D )

Just thinking about it made him blush…so he thought again about it. It was a pleasant thought but when he could not think of it and blush how was he to take her up on her 'thoughts' without serious nervousness and then embarrassment? Better not. So he spoke a different sentence…(A/N: ya know…like prison sentence, death sentence…) after calming his thoughts and clearing his throat of course. "Well, from the blush on your face I know what you're thinking, but, no." What to do? What to do?…What does she despise the most? He was deep in thought; thatKaoru could tell from her position still beneath him. No, she despises nothing that I could force on her…He blushed…unless it was improper.

Meanwhile Kenshin's female counter part was wondering what was taking his thought process so long…though…she didn't mind her position at the moment. Bad Kaoru! Bad! But how could she help it? How could she help enjoying the body of a sexy, hot, scrump-well a very good looking man- living with her? Being around her? She wasn't a child anymore or a teenager. No. She was a full-grown woman. Just then she noticed that the scrumpt-um, very good looking man- had finally regained his motive.

"Your sentence is to do both our chores" Kaoru's eyes went wide in bafflement as he continued. "for an entire week" She tried to intervene but he charged forward "-scratch that, make it until Sano's surprise party to Meg…"

"But-" He cut her off as soon as the word came from her.

"I'm not through yet" And this he said very definitively "Everything-except for dinner, lest you actually succeed in burning the house down."

"Hey! You ass-" Kenshin quickly covered her vile mouth with his hand and added a bit of two cent wisdom.

"This way you'll be too busy to leave this house, which means you have no chance to ruin the surprise part of the party." He looked down at her almost smugly it seemed to Kaoru. Too smug in fact.

Well, if he thinks he can win over me with commands he has another thing coming! I will never lie down like a dog and die! Tally HO! (A/N: this is one of my sayings --;) "You think a little bit of extra chores is going to keep me here? HA! You've never seen my ultra speed Kaoru mode! HA! HA! HA! HA!" Kenshin just stared down at her smirking.

"Oh, really? Is that the mode you were just in when I caught you? Or were you simply not trying your best to catch me?" Kaoru's lips puckered as if she just tasted something sour. "Or maybe," He continued slyly "you wanted me to catch you."

Kaoru was outraged! Well, not really just shocked, startled, and unsettled. Had she? One word: No! Of course not! Well, okay so actually four words and two exclamation marks (whose to count really?). But she had to save face of course…some how.

So she grunted and with a quick show of strength changed their positions till she was on top of him. Which of course bothered him not a bit. He lay there; hands cushioning his head, staring gamely back up at her. This is getting mighty interesting.

"Kaoru Kamiya never let's anyone win! This is just one small battle you have Kenshin Himura, but there is still the war." Kenshin sat up and tossed her off of him before he bounced to the doorway of the kitchen.

"You're right, but lets not forget who won the first skirmish." Then he became unnaturally calm and composed. He became…diplomatic. "You can always trade one sentence for another, but, you have to find out what I want first." The red-head could hear her growl from her position on the floor. "Which is not gonna happen, might as well do the chores."

Kaoru's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Ken-shin…" She growled.

"Are you hungry, Kaoru? I'm starved!" And made a hasty retreat as his roommate stalked him to the dinner table, a she lion waiting for her kill.

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This was great. It was the next day and Sano had stopped by to remind her of the gig that night. Of course there was a gig! It was Friday night! How could there not be a gig on the night when people finally got away from work for the weekend? But that was not the problem, she was ready for the gig, it was the other circumstances cluttering her life! She had a morning packed with piano lessons all around town, then had to get her ass back home to clean the house before she had to set up at the Aoiya…then come back home yet again to shower, eat a quick dinner, get ready and finally get back over to the Aoiya to play their set. It was critically mind blowing, but after a hot shower that cleared her head she was ready to take on the day.

"Kaoru?" Kenshin's voice came through the wooden door of her room as she struggled to get dressed without tripping on the clothes that had been discarded on the floor.

"Yes?" Her voice echoed through the door. She could hear an answering sound, the soft thud of his body hitting and leaning against the door.

Kenshin's steady voice responded. "Breakfast is ready." Kaoru zipped up her jeans then stumbled to the door arms askew in the sweater she was struggleing to pull over her head.

"Oh, thanks Kenshin, but I don't have time! I have two piano lessons before lunch then one more after!" She still had both arms in the air, pale blue sweater stretched between them, when she opened the door. "Don't worry, I'll get something at the 'Time Café' on the way."

Kenshin didn't think he had seen anything so cute. Her, with her arms flailing, clothes hanging and shrouding her face form view. But Kaoru had that to her, every new act was more endearing than the last. Too Damn Cute. He pulled the knitted cloth down over her before speaking, his hands still on the hem of her top, face grinning into hers. "No, you won't. I know you Kaoru. You'll run right by the café without thinking twice. That's why I packed your breakfast to go."

Kaoru could feel the bubble of joy and appreciation rising in her heart. "Oh Kenshin, you're the best!" She threw her arms around him in a quick squeezing hug before sprinting down the hall and on down the stairs. "I'll clean the house this afternoon before the gig!"

Kenshin called after her while watching her ebony hair fly. "Breakfast! It's on the table by the door!" A thanks, along with the slamming of the door was the only sounds that answered. Quietly walking down the stairs he smiled to himself. Yep. Too damn cute.

Meanwhile his roommate was running through the streets of London, steadily chewing on the bagel with cheese, egg, and sausage that Kenshin fixed for her. In between bites she bit her lip in an effort to contain her giddiness. Damn that Red-head. He's just too cute.

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When Kaoru arrived home later ready to do some rush cleaning and already stressing over getting it all done in time before the gig, and also realizing that today was actually Thursday (as well as Meg and Sano's anniversary) she found instead of a dirty townhouse and clean home. With flowers and a note upon the table.

Kaoru,

Don't worry about the house, just relaxe. I'm at the Aoiya to help set up, don't worry about that either. You have a couple hours so take a bath and relaxe. Suppers in the fridge. See you tonight.

Kenshin

Kaoru, yet again, could not keep the smile off her face. This time however it was gentle and soft. He really is too good to me.

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I had actually wrote all of these a long time ago before I had finished wrapping up the chapter…so, some things might be out-dated…especially Iram's.

Shaeya Sedjet: Thank you! I hope this one lives up to the last to receive more of your toddler talk. I'm serious! More? Please? Thanks for the review!

Ixchen: Well, here is what happened! I was going to jump ahead and leave it to your imagination, but then they would be moving too fast (so I tried to slow it down) . I hope everything seems as smooth to you as it does to me. See-ya later Pilgrim!

Iram: Hello dearest! It is hard to keep review-to-review commentary between us and my two stories isn't it? I was just looking at your review for the last chapter of this and it was soooooo long ago! I'm glad Pops is doing better, and he is/was taking a rest before he got back to work. Geese, work-aholics…well all work and no play make daddy a very dull man. But, send my love. And I am glad you enjoyed both the Kaoru/Kenshin and Sano/Megumi interaction! There will be a lot more of Sano/Megumi coming in the future chapters and I have everything planned a little more smoothly. I was reading all my chapters of this and like some of the way I wrote them but I noticed they were a little unstable. So I am writing all the rest of the chapters how I would write a regular story. (I guess I wrote the first couple like that because I wanted them to be dramatic…but I have learned a lot more about writing and have written a lot more to know that as long as the material is good there are no worries.) Well, I better go. It was a miracle that I actually updated both my stories so close together! I guess I just needed to get back in the mode! Well, love ya Pookie! See ya soon!

Junyortrakr: Yeah, but the thing is that he is not rurouni or battousai. He's Kenshin, both. So you never know!