Raphael watched the young woman from the edge of the rooftop. She was just standing there, her face raised to the pouring rain.
"You should go inside, Cadie," he told her. She turned in his direction and laughed quietly.
"I love the rain. Just look at it, Raphie," she said. He walked over to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. She leaned back against him.
"Eh, I've seen rain enough times," he murmured in her ear. Cadie turned her face upwards again.
"Not like this. Close your eyes and do what I'm doing," she said.
"Ok," he said quietly. Then he did as she instructed. After a moment he growled.
"I don't see the point of this,"
"Shut up, see with all your senses, not your eyes," she said.
"How the hell am I supposed to do that?" He asked. With a sigh she opened her eyes and turned to face him.
"Feel it, listen to it, smell it. You're a ninja, experience it in every way you can," she told him. He looked at her face, the face he knew so well. Gently he ran one fingertip along her jaw and then leaned in to kiss her gently.
"Stop trying to distract me and just do it, Raphie. You'll see why I like the rain so much then,"
"Fine, fine, but only for you, if it was anyone else askin' I'd say no," he growled. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes. After a few moments of feeling the light raindrops hitting his skin, hearing them patter against the rooftop.
"It smells fresh, like it washes away all the bad smells when it's like this," he said in some suprise.
"See? It means something else when you just experience it. As if nothing else matters," she smiled at him.
"I guess I understand a little better now. It's so different this way," Raphael said. Cadie spun away from him and twirled around arms outstretched as if dancing to a tune only she could hear.
"Dance with me, Raphie," she said, holding one hand out to him. If anyone else had called him 'Raphie' he'd have thumped them, but with her it was different. With her he was someone he never was around his family. He took her hand and pulled her against him and they danced slowly.
"Have I told you that I love you?" He whispered in her ear. She pulled back a little, a look of surprise on her face.
"No, I don't think you have," she replied.
"Well I'm tellin' you now," he looked down at her. Pulling her tighter against him, he kissed her on the mouth gently.
"I love you, Cadie. Thank you for showing me the world the way you see it,"
"I love you to, Raphie," she murmured to him.
"We should both go inside before the both of us catch a cold," He pulled her towards the fire escape. He waited while his blind girlfriend carefully made her way down the steps of the fire escape.