Author's Note: I am forever guilty of pairing up Hinata with almost every character in the Naruto-universe, be it crack or not. She's just too precious!

This is a pairing I have been obsessing over for a while and there is just not enough fanfiction for it. With that said, here you go!

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Naruto in any way, shape, or form.

.


.

Dark clouds blocked out the final rays of the sun as a gentle sprinkle of rain fell to Earth. The raindrops danced onto the ground, forming puddles she wanted very much to jump in. Her thin jacket did little to protect her skin from the cold water falling from the sky, but she didn't care in the slightest. Holding her small hands out in front of her, the Hyuuga girl smiled at the tingle the cold rain sent through her body.

It was times like this when the rain forced every sane person indoors that Hinata felt free. Free from judging eyes, free from putting on the façade of perfection, and most of all…free from herself. The harsh inner voice ringing through her mind that berated her for every little thing would be silenced as that first raindrop touched her skin. It was times when the rainclouds overhead blessed her with their tears that she could let all of her worries disappear.

What grade she received on that Math final, the expectations placed upon her, that cute boy from the mall that gave her his number, her cousin's constant nagging…none of it mattered. All that mattered was the rain.

Hinata Hyuuga loved the rain.

The playground was blissfully empty as the dripping wet girl made her way to the empty asphalt under the bright lights of the court lamps. Pulling her hood down, Hinata fully accepted the downpour that didn't waste time in soaking her long hair. Her shoes squished with each step, there was barely a dry spot on her entire body, but she had never felt better.

As the harsh lighting bore down on her, Hinata closed her iridescent eyes. With only the rain as her witness, the Hyuuga let her worries fall away as she began to dance unabashedly under the falling raindrops. She let her head fall back as laughter of joy left her lips, the raindrops kissing her face like a gentle lover. Any dry spots that had remained after her long journey to the playground were conquered by the time her dance came to a close.

Her breath came out in pants as her feet finally stopped. The sky was completely dark now, the final minutes of daylight long gone. Hinata took a deep breath. "You'll catch a cold out here, yeah," a deep voice drifted to her ears from the branch of a tree beside the asphalt.

Hinata jumped several inches into the air at the unexpected break in her peaceful silence, turning her body to face the direction of the voice. The ground turned to mush underneath her feet as she went to stand directly under the tree she knew the voice had come from. Peering up into the tree, her iridescent eyes caught sight of a boy older than her relaxing on a fat limb as if it were the most normal thing in the world. His blue eye lifted up in amusement as she stared at him. "What are you doing in a tree?"

"What are you doing dancing in the rain?" Hinata felt her cheeks begin to burn with embarrassment. This stranger had witnessed the time she reserved for only the falling rain, the show only the empty playground was supposed to see. Seeing her troubled face, the boy chuckled. "It was beautiful, yeah. A true work of art."

Hinata felt her face twist in confusion. The boy sighed. "I've never seen anyone so carefree like that, in the rain no less. Shouldn't all girls run away from the rain like they are going to melt?"

She felt herself giggle despite her embarrassment. "I suppose most do," she said through a smile. "You never answered my question. What are you doing in a tree?"

He showed her a wry smile. "I was watching the show, yeah."

"Creeper," she said offhandedly.

The boy glared at her playfully as he clutched his chest. "You wound me, milady." Hinata's blush returned with a vengeance at his words. He hopped down from the tree in a single jump, making her step back to avoid being flattened under his feet. "What is a young lady doing out in the pouring rain, hm?"

For what must have only been three seconds, their eyes met. Hinata turned her gaze to the sky, giving the rain better access to her face. "I like the rain," she said clearly without any hesitation. "It makes me feel…like I could do anything." Those pale eyes many considered odd returned to his with a gentle smile gracing her lips. Why she was still conversing with a complete stranger, she didn't know. Oddly enough it wasn't awkward or troubling; it was nice, carefree.

The boy considered this, nodding his head as if he understood everything in the universe. "You're strange, yeah. What's your name?"

"Hinata…" she lowered her gaze to the ground, "and yours?"

He bowed dramatically with a wide grin. "Deidara, at your service, milady." The blush still adorning her cheeks darkened at his nonchalant manner.

With a chuckle, Hinata pantomimed a curtsey. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Deidara-san."

"No honorifics, milady. Deidara will be just fine." He winked at her with his only visible eye.

Hinata forced the blush threatening to approach away. If her cheeks darkened any more she would look like a tomato. "Deidara," she repeated with a slight tilt of her lips. Deidara responded with a warm chuckle.

He held out a hand toward her. "May I have this dance, Hinata-hime?" She was reluctant, her father and cousin always told her to stay away from strangers, but the thrill of being in the rain made her bold. Placing a dripping hand into his, they began their short walk to the asphalt. Deidara pulled the hood from his head, revealing the mass of blond hair pulled back into a ponytail.

Hinata and he moved among the falling rain like two beings free from all care in the world. Deidara spun her under his arm, the two running in circles with their arms held out. Laughter rang from both of their throats, neither caring about any past troubles. The two strangers were completely free under the dark sky, the cold downpour. It was as if all of the worries in their lives were washed away with each drop that caressed their skin.

They only stopped when their lungs began to burn with exhaustion. Her throat was hoarse from all of the laughing, but she couldn't help herself as Deidara gasped for breath dramatically. His blue eye glittered with some hidden secret, the edges of his lips tilting up in a sly smile. Hinata found herself fearing for her life.

Though it would not do much good, Deidara kicked up water from a nearby puddle onto Hinata's soaking wet frame. The challenge had been set; all that she needed to do was accept. The Hyuuga smirked mischievously, her foot kicking up water from a puddle of her own onto his lap. Putting on the face of one fatally injured, Deidara returned the attack. The two forgot all about the burning in their chests, the aches of their muscles.

None of that mattered…

All that mattered was the rain…and the one they were sharing the rain with.

Hinata Hyuuga really loved the rain.

.


.

Author's Note: Yeah...the idea for this literally came out of nowhere. I know it's short and stuff, but it's supposed to be. Was it horrible?

Did you notice I refused to make Hinata stutter and that she's a little bit less shy? Ha!

Thanks for reading!