Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize. This fic is based after the song 11 Gatsu No Ame by CHiCO with Honeyworks. Some of the sentences here are translated versions of the original lyrics, taken from https* 2015/11/19/juichigatsu-no-ame-translation/ by Hazuki no Yume (remove asterisk).
A few flakes of snow fell from the sky and onto a young woman's hair. Hayami wrapped the scarf around herself tighter and her pace quickened.
The twenty-year-old woman's boots hit the pavement as she walked to the train station, breath coming out in white puffs. The delicate snow falling from the sky somehow reminded her of something. Rain.
On a morning with the early winter wind blowing, you suddenly crossed my mind as I breathed into my cupped hands.
"I wonder how you'll doing now." Hayami muttered nobody in particular.
Hayami was walking on the road she had been walking to and fro ever since she was little. Naturally, that road held a lot of memories for her. She remembering the days in middle school, when everyone chattered happily as they went home, sighing about their failed assassination attempts.
A lot of people came to Hayami's mind when she thought of her middle school times. Mainly, her ex-target and beloved teacher, Koro-sensei. And also her best friend for five years, Chiba. She smiled gently when she thought of him.
On this road to school during those rainy November days, one of our umbrellas would always stay closed for half of the way.
Prior to the pep talk Koro-sensei had given to them when they faced Gastro, Chiba and Hayami's relationship had been strictly work related. And after that, they began to trust each other emotionally, and went on a couple of awkward dates. They even began to walk to school together.
Neither of them really talked when they walked to school, save for the customary greetings and topics such as today's assassination.
It was the beginning of November. Chiba looked up at the dull grey sky, the rain falling down like thousands of silver needles.
"Ah. The rain." Chiba waited for Hayami at their usual spot. She would usually arrive two minutes after he did, and he knew she had a purple umbrella, which she would bring because of the rain.
Something had shifted in the very air surrounding us.
Footsteps neared him, and he saw Hayami walking towards him, using the purple umbrella as he had predicted. He waved his hand in greeting.
But still, I kept on walking beside you.
The duo made their way to school, the rain pattering on their umbrellas.
"It's November." Chiba remarked.
"Yeah. Four and a half months left."
"And we still haven't killed him."
There was silence as the two focused on the path in front of them.
"Hey, Chiba?"
"Hmm?"
"Time sure passes quickly."
Hayami was right. So far, the year had been pretty hectic but filled with fun, and neither of them wanted it to end.
"Yeah, it sure does."
I listened to the unchanging sound of the rain, believing that there's such a thing as "forever."
"...It's raining."
Hayami sighed as she looked outside gloomily She and Chiba had stayed behind for some extra practice, but she never thought it would rain, so she didn't bring an umbrella. It was raining pretty heavily too, and water was seeping through the old wooden planks in the 3-E campus.
"I'll give you my umbrella." Chiba offered.
"Then you'll get wet."
"So…" Chiba knew what was coming up next. "Uh, umm, you wanna share my umbrella?" he stuttered slightly, and coughed awkwardly.
Hayami turned red. "I-It's not like we have any other choice."
They walked to the door. The rain looked like it wasn't going to stop anytime soon. In the distance, thunder rumbled and lightning flashed in the grey clouds.
Chiba took out his black umbrella and opened it. Hayami hesitated for a second before joining her friend under the umbrella.
"Don't get the wrong idea." Hayami reminded Chiba coldly.
"Yeah yeah, I won't." Chiba replied, and Hayami was a bit irked that he treated it like a lighthearted joke.
Koro-sensei couldn't get outside because of the rain, but he poked his round head through the door, face pink as he wrote something down in his notebook for gossiping.
"Ah, young love. Isn't it precious?" The octopus smiled fondly. "Nurufufufu!" he cackled, rubbing his tentacles together.
Hayami and Chiba were quiet as they walked down the staircase. Both of them were nervous and blushing a bit. Chiba kept a firm grip on the handle of the umbrella, eyes fixed in front of him.
When they reached the junction that would part them, Hayami said, "I'll go home by myself now."
"Okay." Chiba was secretly a bit sad because he had liked it when they were under the same umbrella, but he knew they had to part some time. It was inevitable.
"So, bye." Hayami stepped away from under the umbrella, putting her school bag on top of her head to shield herself. She dashed away to the nearest shelter, accidentally stepping into a puddle, wetting her shoes. The rain also created several wet drops on her blouse.
Chiba parted his mouth, but words didn't come out. "Bye." he managed to say finally, but by then Hayami was already out of earshot. Unmoving, he watched her back until she was out of sight. A rumble of thunder brought Chiba back to reality and the boy made his way home alone, getting the distinct feeling something, or rather someone was missing.
To kill, or not to kill?
That was the biggest question the students of 3-E faced during December, in the winter.
Nobody had the heart to kill him after hearing his backstory. But at the same time, they didn't want to waste all of their efforts, all the time spent on trying to kill him.
It was because of the assassination classroom Koro-sensei created that made them grow. It wouldn't feel right to remove it suddenly.
Chiba and Hayami met in the winter holidays for some so-called shooting practice. Their hearts weren't even in it, and they didn't care if they missed a lot more shots than usual. It was just an excuse for them to talk.
There was nothing we could do, young and helpless as we were.
Thus the changing seasons robbed us of what little time we had.
To be honest, the snipers enjoyed their assassination attempts. But now, they weren't sure if they could ever even try to assassinate their teacher ever again.
It was raining when they returned home. Hayami absentmindedly spun the handle of her umbrella.
"I wish we could continue our fun assassinations, even just for a bit longer." Hayami muttered.
"Yeah."
Silence.
"I wonder what the others are thinking." Hayami tried again.
"Mmm." This time, Chiba didn't even give a reply.
The way you forced yourself to keep the conversation going made me so sad, I just wished this rain would eventually stop.
It was an awkward silence between them again, the only noises being the rain and their feet hitting the wet road.
I just wished it would eventually stop.
All their questions and dilemmas came to an end when Class E's civil war took place in January. After the war, everyone was focused on one single goal.
"Even though we lost, I'm kind of happy that the blue team won." Chiba said as he and Hayami walked to school, the cold wind stinging their cheeks and rain slippery under their feet.
"That's because deep inside of us, we don't want to kill," Hayami responded.
I knew very well that it'd come to an end, but still, I kept on walking beside you.
Chiba vaguely collected it had been raining when they met in the middle of winter break. A month ago, they were troubled with their problems. And a month later, they were ready to save their teacher.
"It seems rather extreme that if we can't successfully save Koro-sensei, we'll do our best to kill him." Hayami commented.
The months were speeding past. Sometimes it felt like only yesterday when Hayami and the rest of the class were informed of their assassination mission, sometimes it felt like an age ago, because she had learned so much.
Hayami was glad that Chiba was always beside her no matter what happened. She felt content walking next to him in the rain, as if the rain was helping the small bud in her heart to blossom.
I listened to the unchanging sound of the rain, praying that there's such a thing as "forever."
She didn't know that Chiba felt the same too.
February. Valentine's Day.
Nobody knew whether the chocolate Hayami gave to Chiba was giri or honmei. The way she gave it was very ambiguous.
To be frank, even Hayami didn't know whether her feelings were platonic or romantic. She just knew she felt obliged to give Chiba chocolates. Their relationship was neither only platonic or romantic, and Hayami could best describe it as something between.
When they went home that day, it was raining- again.
At least Hayami bought her umbrella, so there would be no more "awkward umbrella sharing" moments.
Even though she thought like that, a small part of her longed to walk with Chiba under the same umbrella. She toyed with the handle of her umbrella, thinking.
There was nothing we could do, young and helpless as we were.
Thus the changing seasons robbed us of what little time we had.
Chiba actually wanted to know whether the chocolate Hayami gave him was giri or honmei. But he could never muster the courage to ask her.
He could feel in the chocolate balls in his bag rustle with every movement. He really had been happy when he received chocolate from Hayami. It was the first time he had ever gotten chocolate on Valentine's Day, save for the times when his sisters would give some to him.
"Eh?" Chiba's thoughts were interrupted when Hayami didn't open her umbrella, and chose to stand under his. Her green eyes looked up at him shyly as if to say, "Is this alright?"
"I like you." The words remained unsaid while the rain passed us by, but I'll find a day when I can eventually say them to you.
"It's okay." A small smile tugged at Chiba's lips. The couple walked home together, sharing an umbrella, not by force, but by choice.
Surely, Chiba and Hayami would have gotten their answers to their feelings for each other.
There were only a few days left before Koro-sensei's deadline in March. The rain was pouring heavily, somewhat representing everyone's mood in 3-E. Their hearts sagged every time they thought about their future.
No one wanted Koro-sensei to die. That was a fact that nobody said aloud, but everyone knew. But what they wanted and what would happen were different things.
Everyone treasured every single second spent with their assassination classroom, their octopus of a teacher, and their peers. All of it would end sooner than they thought.
Chiba and Hayami would be going to different high schools, meaning they wouldn't spend so much time with each other after their graduation.
Both Chiba and Hayami wanted to talk, since it was nearing the end of the year and all, but their conversations were just as short and as choppy as before. Other than the usual "good morning", they couldn't say another word.
Today is our last rainy day, so I thought I'd go with a smile, but we just couldn't keep the awkward conversation going.
Pitter patter. The rain landed noisily on their umbrellas. After a pregnant silence, Hayami thought she might have heard Chiba say something, but the rain covered it up.
The sound of the rain hitting the ground drowned out our voices, and the road to school felt even shorter than usual.
A lot of things happened.
Koro-sensei died. The obnoxious media poking their noses into memories, precious memories that would only be shared by the members of 3-E and their teachers. Karasuma-sensei, no, Karasuma-san and Irina-san protecting them. Graduation from middle school. The official end of their assassination classroom, the end of their weird yet so much fun year.
Karasuma and Irina acted surprisingly like parents to help the devastated class to cope with the loss of their teacher. Irina even let the students hug her, while Karasuma kept his professional distance, but they could feel his support.
Chiba remembered hugging Hayami and crying into each other's shoulder. Neither of them could say a word, just sobbing and hiccuping.
Then, 3-E went their separate ways, in separate schools. Although they still kept in touch, they could feel that they were becoming more and more distant. And they knew nothing else other than assassinating their teacher would fully repair their bond ever again.
Chiba and Hayami kept their friendship, although for their high school years, they never moved beyond being friends, to the slight annoyance of their ex-classmates (aka. Karma and Nakamura).
In the last year of high school, everyone were so occupied by their exams and future universities, Chiba and Hayami barely even got to see each other. As very work-oriented people, they couldn't let themselves screw up something that could determine their future, so they had to sacrifice their time with their friends and family.
Chiba and Hayami continued to like each other, but neither of them confessed, for fear of breaking their friendship. The time when they were lovesick fools sharing umbrellas seemed so long ago.
One day, Hayami happened to see Chiba on the streets. To her surprise and shock, she saw a girl with him. They were chatting, seemingly happy.
Even though they were never even together, and that girl could be just a friend, Hayami felt something tug at her heartstrings. What if he doesn't like me? What if he found someone? Those kind of questions came into Hayami's mind.
This is just stupid. Hayami thought to herself. But she couldn't get rid of the unpleasant feeling feel in her heart.
The next time she saw Chiba, she didn't mention it. He, however, revealed that he had been accepted into a university for architecture in the United States.
"That's brilliant!" Hayami congratulated her friend wholeheartedly.
"Yeah, it is…" Then Chiba looked downcast. "But I'll be leaving a lot of people behind. My friends and family."
"But you really love architecture. It should be worth it."
Hayami went to the airport to see Chiba off. Her mood was a bit dampened because she wouldn't be able to see her friend for quite some time. Chiba said he didn't know when would he come back to visit.
Maybe Chiba would even find a girlfriend over there. Who knew. She felt her heart clench when she thought about that possibility.
"It's no big deal, even if you forget about me."
Chiba had wondered what he would say as his parting words to Hayami. Something that wasn't too cold, nor too mushy.
"I'll see you," was what he finally decided on.
If you can't hold back your tears, then please, just don't say it.
"See you too." Hayami plastered on a fake smile she had learnt by working as a waitress in a café. She didn't want him to see that she was upset because he was leaving, which would just completely ruin his mood.
Listen to the sound of the rain.
Chiba came back for the first year.
Due to his time crunch, he had only managed to visit their old campus with a few other old 3-E members to clean it up.
Of course, Hayami was with him. She silently swept the leaves away, as Chiba inspected the building intently.
"I think it's still quite sturdy." Chiba said. "It probably won't collapse anytime soon."
"We'll have to take your word for it, architecture major." Isogai grinned.
There was nothing we could do, young and helpless as we were.
They didn't get to spend time alone, to recollect the emotions they had buried in their heart. Like a draft of wind, he came and went.
Chiba didn't come back the following year.
Of course, Chiba and Hayami texted each other. But for people who didn't like talking, they preferred to phone each other for some reason. The time zones however, became a problem if they wanted to call each other.
Thus the changing seasons robbed us of what little time we had.
Gradually, they didn't even text each other. Both of them lead busy lives, and they didn't want to bother the other by seeming too needy.
"I love you."
Sometimes, Chiba wondered if he could just tell her. His fingers hovered above the keyboard, before he turned off his phone screen and sighed.
The words remained unsaid while the rain passed us by, but if you strain your ears, you would be able to hear them.
It was a cold rainy day in January when a twenty-year-old Hayami received a text.
"Rinka-chan," the text read. "I'm studying abroad now, and I realized that Chiba's school isn't too far away. Wanna visit during spring break?"
Hayami stood to the side of the street to properly read Nakamura's message and think of an answer. She looked up, the rain dripping from her umbrella, the droplets creating ripples in the puddles.
We're still connected, even now, on rainy days such as today.
Nakamura was fast asleep in her bed when her screen lit up with a single message from Hayami, who was listed as "Rinka-chan" in her contacts.
"Sure."
Obviously, it was Nakamura's idea to surprise Chiba.
"I don't think he would have expected you to come over." Nakamura said. "It will be a nice early birthday present for him."
A mischievous grin spread across Nakamura's face. "From what I've seen of him, I think he still is head over heels in love with you."
Hayami blushed at Nakamura's comment, and shot her friend a glare.
"Come on!" Nakamura pushed Hayami towards Chiba's university. "I want a proper confession!"
"H-hey! Give me a moment to prepare!" Hayami protested.
"Fine fine." Placing her hands on Hayami's shoulders, Nakamura forced her friend to do a 180 turn and march away, a cheeky grin on her face the entire time.
Hayami wasn't sure what to say. Although her communication skills had improved, she still had to rehearse what to say to people she didn't know. Besides, Hayami had never been a romantic. What do people say during confessions anyways?
Hey Chiba, I really like you. Hayami decided to be straightforward. Will that be too cold?
Meanwhile, Chiba was reading the old text conversations he and Hayami had. So far, he had scrolled to when they were in their assassination days.
He had secretly vowed to tell Hayami he liked her the next time they met. Too bad he didn't know when that would be. She was probably on the other side of the globe. Chiba looked out of the window, and saw that it was beginning to rain.
I hope the rain will carry my words to where you are.
Hayami walked forward, holding her umbrella, rain boots clanking in a steady pace on the road. Nakamura had sped off to give them some "alone time".
Nakamura had always been a huge shipper, and she had wanted to Chiba and Hayami to get together for a long time. She knew Chiba would be free at certain time slot, and specifically brought Hayami there at that time.
Chiba was walking to the opposite end of the street. He was deep in thought when a flash of all-too-familiar orange hair caught his attention.
He followed the familiar hair to a familiar face. Hayami beamed when she saw him, eyes crinkling.
Chiba's heart skipped a bit and he returned the smile, the rain pattering in the background.
I hope it will carry my words to you.
A/N: I waited 2 months to post this. I so badly wanted this to fit in with November.
Anyways, I really liked the song 11 Gatsu no Ame (11 月の雨). It gave me the feels when I first heard it, even though I didn't understand it. That's the power of music.
Please read and review!
(By the way, a Chinese/ Japanese pun from me. Chiba's kanji is 千葉 and Hayami's 速水. 千葉 and 速水 means "thousand leaves" and "speed water" respectively in Chinese (dunno about Japanese), so I was like "water speeds down on a thousand leaves" which is a mash of their kanji's meanings. I thought water speeding down was basically raining, so I said "raining on a thousand leaves" and my friend thought it was strangely poetic lol.)