III. Catch

Yeah I know who you remind me of
A girl I think I used to know

 And she used to fall down a lot
That girl was always falling
Again and again
And I used to sometimes try to catch her
But never even caught her name

- Catch, The Cure

Kaoru's gaze was broken when a shadow passed over the light, disturbing the gleaming reflections of the ring.  Looking up, she glimpse a trail of red passing in between the French doors that led to the gardens.  The sunshine seemed so inviting so Kaoru quickly made up her mind to see the roses in bloom at this time of the year.  Pushing her chair back, she hastily made her way towards the doors.

A faint but distinct buzzing coming swiftly and he swung his head towards the sound, sharp eyes picking up the small insect.  He stepped to avoid it and collided with something soft before hearing a crash and a muffled "oof" coming from the nearby bush.  Cursing his luck, he instinctively knew he had bumped into a woman and judging from the way his luck had been going, it would be the same woman from his table.  Still, his inner conscience could not allow him to walk away.  "I'm sorry," he mumbled as he extended a hand towards the fallen body. 

Reaching out, she accepted his help and got back on her feet.  Her small hand still in his firm grip and their eyes locked gazes for what seemed like an eternity.  He vaguely heard himself offer the apology and her lips formed into a small smile.  Slowly, she pulled her hand away and proceeded to straighten herself up.  "You have some leaves," Kenshin whispered as he moved closer to her again "in your hair."  He touched her hair and picked the leaves out carefully, his fingers lightly brushing the back of her neck.  "I'm sorry," he said again.

He was standing too close, Kaoru thought as she stepped away from him.  "It's okay," she replied, her voice sounded softer than the rose's petals and she nodded firmly.  She slipped her hands behind her back and suddenly, she felt shy in his presence.  Feeling his gaze was still on her, she felt a blush creeping on her cheeks and she wrestled to keep her control.  "I wasn't looking where I was going," she admitted as Kenshin took another step, closing the distance between them. 

And from that moment on, time seemed to stop.

~Owari

Author's Notes: Yes, yes.  That's the end of it.  I said a love story in two chapters, right?  I guess, depending on how you see it – this could be Chapter 2 or 3.  Anyway, I don't own RK, otherwise I wouldn't be where I am now, right?