"Have you ever done a rain dance?"

He laughed.

"Hey, don't laugh! I'm serious."

"I don't think so," he says. "How does one go?"

"I can't just tell you. I'd have to show you. But you start out by drawing a turtle in the sand, and spitting into it."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. And it rains every time."

Silence. I continue.

"I like the rain. When I feel the rain on my face, I feel like it's washing away all the bad things. Just like, the ultimate cleansing shower." I laugh. "You know?"

He laughs, too. "I've actually never been outside in the rain. I've always just watched it from inside." He pauses. "I love to watch it, though."

"Just watching it from inside? That seems like it would make you kinda sad."

"Yeah, it does."

"…but you like it?"

"Well, yeah…," he trails off. In his silence I can hear the urgency of his search for the second half of that thought.

"But I guess something really great always happens after it rains."

I laugh again. "You really let me down with that one. I was expecting a dramatic and poignant one-liner. You had the lead-up and everything."

"A line like, perhaps, the 'ultimate cleansing shower'?"

"Oh, shut up." I roll my eyes, and they land on my clock. "Holy shit. 2:55."

"We're gonna have to kick these long conversations when Kakashi comes back, and we start getting missions again." He yawns. "I'm tired."

My heart sinks a bit at this statement.

"But he's not back yet. And besides, you've already stayed up this late."

"Because in an inch of rain, I can see the reflections of sixteen years of disillusionment staring back at me, but when it clears all I can see is the road ahead."

"…and what was that?"

"My one-liner. Like it?"

Once again, I laugh. "Hey, it was an improvement."

"Seriously, Naruto…" I hold my breath, knowing and dreading what he will say next. "I'm really tired…"

"Okay, okay, fine…go to sleep."

He chuckles. "Goodnight, you idiot."

"Goodnight, bastard."

Click.

I sit up in my bed and fumble around on my bedside table for a minute, but instantly forget what I was doing.

As I look outside my window, I can't help but smile.

It's raining.