(A/N) This was done as a gift, inspired by Bai-Feng333's wonderful fanart by the same name. Please search for it on DA (just type in Kurapika Senritsu She Always Loved the Rain) as FF is being stupid and not letting me put the link no matter how hard I try. =.=
On another note, I'm fairly satisfied with Melody in the 2011 version of HxH. I was terrified they'd give her an awful voice! (Though she's a bit fangirly in this version... "I'd like to know your name..." But that's just plain cute. :3)
Kurapika and Melody don't belong to me, they belong to Togashi-sama. The character of Melody's late friend Hika (though he isn't named in this fic) doesn't belong to me either, but was designed by Kojika and characterized by Bai-Feng. I have permission to use him. ^^
And I suppose that's all. :) Please enjoy!
I had never liked the rain, not really. It was pleasant to listen to upon roofs and watch through windows, but water wasn't my favorite thing in any from. I remembered, vaguely, getting stuck out in the rain when I was a child; I was too young to find my way home without the guide of the sun, and I had been scared and cold and soaked to the bone. When I finally spotted my mother through the trees, I had run to her and buried my head in her heavy skirts, with little or no desire to ever face the world again.
More recently, I had gotten caught on the Nostrade's lawn when the sprinklers came on. That hadn't been as unpleasant as my childhood misadventure, but far more embarrassing. Leorio was not above pushing me into a fountain while the two of us enjoyed a sandwich in town, as if I needed more embarrassing associations with water. And on top of it all, I had never been a fan of thunder.
To summarize, rain held no appeal for me.
So of course I stood, staring out moodily from beneath my black umbrella, watching as people less prepared ran for shelter from the odd spring rainstorm.
I didn't like to think about the long, wet trip back to the Nostrade's mansion, though that horrid place had never held more appeal. Sighing, I set out, never one to put off the inevitable. A car raced by, and I leaped back to avoid the resulting splash of filthy water that washed around my feet. Shaking my shoes crossly, I quickened my pace until I was nearly trotting down the sidewalk.
I'm not sure what made me pause and glance across the street- but it wasn't a natural reaction. I had no reason to stop, that was certain; I hadn't seen her before I hesitated. But there she was, across the rain-soaked street, her face tilted toward the sky.
Melody.
She didn't seem to notice me, which was odd; usually she could identify my heartbeat a mile or so away. But now she had a distant look in her eyes and a slight, dreamy smile on her face, standing frozen beneath a narrow strip of awning in front of a shop. I felt the umbrella slip a centimeter, and quickly gripped it to keep the little sanctuary beneath it dry. But instantly I was distracted again, seemingly taken into her strangely sorrowful expression.
I felt something swirl around me that wasn't wind, then; it made me jump, but didn't feel threatening, so I simply stood still beneath my umbrella, certain my mind was playing tricks on me and that it was just wind, after all.
"She always loved the rain…"
I stiffened as the words appeared in my head, seemingly from nowhere. Then I felt it again, more insistent this time. And for the first time I recognized it, recognized it as a feeling that sometimes hung around Melody, a feeling that I had always assumed was an extension of her nen. But here it was… wreathing around me.
My vision when black suddenly, and I saw a girl I didn't recognize. But I was… running beside her… through the rain. Our feet slid on the slick grass, and then we both fell into a giggling heap upon the muddy ground. She rolled on top of me and… kissed me softly. She kissed me softly as the rain poured down around us, the roiling clouds dancing above us… as we laughed like children and held one another… like lovers.
With a gasp I was back on that rain-soaked street, my umbrella hanging uselessly at my side. That girl's laugh echoed in my ears. That… girl's… laugh…
Melody!
I recognized her voice, buried deep within the girl's, and it slowly dawned on me that they must be one in the same. But… that vision…! How had that…
"She always loved the rain."
There was that voice in my head again, the feeling of a mysterious nen pressing in around me. Who are you? I shouted in my head as I looked around, wondering briefly if someone was playing a trick on me. But the streets were deserted except for the dozens of cars and Melody, still staring distractedly at the sky on the other side of the road. That was you, wasn't it? That was you in the memory, with Melody! Who are you? Please…!
Though I received no answer, the strange aura stayed draped around my shoulders, conforming to me almost like a second skin. But somehow or other… I still didn't feel threated by it, even in such close quarters. The only thing I felt… was an overwhelming desire to reach Melody, across those four rushing lanes of traffic.
But… is that desire mine… or his…?
"Both."
I stiffened as the voice answered my question; the single word carried a dose of hopelessness so potent that it nearly brought me to my knees. Because I could walk forward, and he couldn't. Because I could shout to the sky, and he couldn't. Because I could run to her, and he couldn't. Because I could hold her, and he couldn't.
Because I was alive, and he wasn't.
Suddenly loathe to let another precious moment slip by, I dashed across the street, ignoring honking cars and angry shouts, seeing her look of surprise and alarm as she spotted me, for I must have looked mad. But then I scooped her up, feeling her in my arms and suddenly convinced that I could never let go, not when I was so lucky. I felt the strange texture of her skin beneath her dress, the toxin rolling off of her, but that was all nothing. For she was soft and warm, practically glowing amid the shadows the clouds cast.
I felt my feet slip on the pavement as I spun in a circle, and her expression changed slowly from shock to joy. I felt myself begin to laugh with childish abandon, content to dance in this rain that I had disliked only a moment ago; content to hold this girl that I had taken for granted for too long.
Then I was out of breath, letting my back come to rest against the side a building partially beneath an awning, as the umbrella I had valued so lay abandoned at my feet. There were tears along with the water dripping down Melody's face, and I could have sworn there were some in my own eyes, as well. But they held only a shadow of sadness, a shadow that was conquered by something far more pleasant.
Was it happiness? Or was it something far more confusing and intoxicating?
Could it have been love?
"What's gotten into you?" she asked with a giggle, and I could only smile back, although I'm sure it held traces of pain.
"I'm just so blessed," I whispered, leaning down and resting my forehead against hers. "And I didn't want to let this moment pass."
Both of our eyes were closed, and my ears heard her laughter even though she was silent; her face, both present and past, danced behind my eyelids. He was there; I could feel him. But while I didn't resent his presence, that moment in the rain belonged to us.
No one would ever take my place, for I would treasure her… watch after her. And I would always dance with her when it rained, because she deserved that and so much more.
THE END
(A/N) Hope that was cute. ^^ Please leave a review if you are so moved to.