It was a cold and gloomy afternoon. Rain was falling in tiny, cold drops, ones that went through you, soaking you and leaving you freezing. The street was busy as always, cars splashing pedestrians with rainwater mixed with dirt from puddles on the road, people hurrying to find a warm, dry place to hide, some wearing hoods, others pulling the collars of their jackets up. You could see a person or two holding a newspaper over their head, as if that would keep them safe from the vicious rain.
She was walking calmly, slowly, holding her black umbrella in her left hand, her right one tucked in a pocket of her coat. Her dark umbrella mixed with all the others – brown, black, grey, navy ones. The street looked as if covered in a dark, moving blanket. People were shuffling near her, making their way around her and silently cursing the girl who blocked their way. She would move to the left or right, trying to dodge all of them, but failing miserably because every time she made way for one person another would appear behind her, angry , drenched and in a hurry.
And despite all of this she still liked the rain. The smell of it, the feeling of it on her skin – it made her feel pure.
But something made her snap out of her thoughts – among the sea of browns and blues and grays she saw an orange blob. Its brightness contrasted with its surroundings – the dark concrete, the dark sky, the dark sheet of umbrellas. She walked and walked and walked but it still seemed too far away. She squinted her eyes, strained them in order to distinguish what it was.
It was an umbrella. A bright orange umbrella, shielding from the rain a decidedly masculine figure. As the figure neared she made out blond hair and yellow sneakers and an orange scarf peeking from his blue jacket. When he was close enough she saw his eyes – a pretty sky-blue.
And her first thought? He's like a warm, sunny day. She wanted him to notice her so badly, to send a ray of sunshine her way. And he did. His pretty eyes shifted to her and he gave her a long look before passing her by.
She loved the rain, she decided.
The next day, by a stroke of luck, was rainy again. She made her way through Konoha, a smile gracing her lips. Her umbrella in one hand, she walked down the street, this one different from the previous, passing other people, wearing gloomy expressions and carrying dark umbrellas.
And despite their negativity she still wore a smile.
She was walking down the street, her mind on all the dark and gloomy colors around her when she spotted something familiar – the lone orange umbrella in the sea of darkdarkdarkones. Her eyes lit up. Fate was giving her a chance to catch his attention. So she put on a brilliant smile, straightened her back and took her hand out of her pocket.
He was 20 meters away, but nothing.
10 meters. Still no reaction.
5 meters and still it looked as if he didn't remember her. But who would? She thought, you are just like them – hiding under your black umbrella, hurrying home and not daring to do anything impulsive. Her smile fell.
And just as they were passing each other by a spark of recognition flickered in his eyes and her smile was back on.
The rest of the week passed, bright and warm and sunny. She hadn't seen him since that rainy day. But she had hope – the afternoon was darker than normal and black clouds started gathering.
By the time it started raining the clock had already struck 10. But she didn't care. She got dressed, took her umbrella and went outside in the pouring rain.
She'd been walking for an hour. Despite having an umbrella she was drenched. And just when she thought of giving up she saw it. The orange blob came from behind a corner, yellow sneakers in tow. This time, she decided, you are going to say something. And when he came to a hearing distance she looked at him, ready to say hello. He stopped two or three meters before her.
He was really handsome in her opinion. Those blue eyes sparkled in the midnight darkness with such brightness she felt the need to close her own pearly ones. His blond locks were flying everywhere in the rain, but her black pin-straight ones didn't even flinch. His tan skin glowed in a healthy way, contrasting with her pale, sickly one. And all words vanished from her thin lips as his full ones formed into a smile.
And her cheeks grew warm as she watched him walk away.
A month passed. Every day she walked through the busy city streets, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. Her car was forgotten in the garage and she wouldn't even think about public transport.
But still she never saw him. It was sad how she went out of her way in order to just see a stranger, but his face was carved into her mind and that smile burned her eyes whenever she closed them. Every day she would watch the weather report in hopes of rain and stormy weather.
And on the two-month mark her pleas were answered. It was a dark, stormy night in mid-November and she was out in the streets, searching for her ray of sunshine. Her black umbrella was in her left hand as always but her right one was clutching the collar of her coat, just above her heart. She was nervous – she had gone out on an impulse, hoping to see him. But if she did what would she do? Smile? Wave? Pass him by?
She was contemplating this as she turned the corner and found herself in the middle of an empty street. A lone lamp-post was illuminating it in a faint yellow light. She made her way towards it and just as she reached it she heard footsteps behind her. She twirled around and saw the silhouette of a man holding an umbrella. She couldn't distinguish any color, being blinded by the light, but as he made a step forward, coming into the illuminated space she recognized him – her ray of sunshine.
He looked at her with a smile and made a hand motion, indicating she came closer. And at that moment Hinata threw her black umbrella and ran to him, hiding under his orange one, a shy but happy smile forming on her lips.