Disclaimer: I don't
own any of these characters. Square
owns Hein, and Anna has been used in other stories; I'm just using the name to
fit with continuity.
Note: this fragment was originally part of a story called
"In a Flash," which covered Hein's life
up to his attempted suicide, but I scrapped the idea due to the fact that I
don't have the time to write it all, and other unforeseen circumstances that
totally destroyed my continuity. But
this fragment was just so sweet, I thought someone might like to see it.
WHEN IT RAINS
Anna yelped as it began to rain. Not just rain; drops of
water cascaded down her face, slicking her strawberry blond hair to her
cheeks. Startled at the watery assault,
Hein lifted his face towards the ceiling, blinking rapidly to keep the rain
from his eyes as he scanned for the source.
"What's going on?" he cried.
Anna lifted her hands to the water and laughed
joyfully. "It's the sprinkler system!"
she cried over the tumultuous downpour.
"It's programmed to simulate storms for the plants!"
"Did they have to simulate such a heavy storm?" Hein
groaned. His college sweater clung to
his body like a second skin, and spiky black strands of hair hung in his
eyes. "How long does this last?"
"It's all random, silly!" she laughed, taking a wet hand in hers. "No one knows when it's going to end. Like a real rainstorm!"
She closed her eyes, letting the water wash over her fine-boned face.
A real rainstorm.
When was the last time anyone had experienced one of those? Hein had vague memories of standing in one
with his mother, long before the atmosphere had been completely ruined by the
Phantoms. That was so long ago… Nowadays, leaving the barrier cities to
enjoy a storm was foolish, especially since what rain did fall was poisonous. And yet, the rhythm of the rain was
relaxing, and he found himself shivering in delight. Perhaps, one day, he could experience a real storm again. With Anna at his side…
That brought him sharply back to reality. "Anna!
There's a reason I asked you here."
She lowered her face, green eyes slowly opening. His hand went to his jeans pocket, finding
the sodden velvet box. In one smooth
motion, he dropped to his knee in the mud – this had seemed so much more
romantic when he'd planned this! - and
presented the ring to her. He tried to
frame the words he'd practiced so long that morning, but they couldn't seem to
force their way past his throat. If the
others could see me now, he thought.
Hein, the wonder-boy, tongue-tied
on his knees in the mud! He'd
never hear the end of it. He gathered
up his courage, looked up into the face of the woman he loved, and gasped out
"Would you marry me?"
She stared for a moment, and Hein thought she was going to
laugh. I must look ridiculous…
Suddenly, Anna bent down and planted her lips on his. He nearly dropped the ring in his eagerness to take her in his
arms and hold her close. Anna caught
the ring before it could fall, her green eyes sparkling. "Yes," she gasped. "I'll marry you!"
Hein sank back onto his haunches with relief. Suddenly, the cool rain felt good on his
flushed face, and he didn't care how undignified he looked. Anna was sliding the ring onto her finger
with delight. Then, she dropped into
the mud beside him and brushed an unruly strand of hair from his face. "Oh Douglas," she murmured. He cupped her wet chin in his hands, gazing
at her beautiful face. He vowed to himself
that he would save the world for her.
If he had to, he would wipe every Phantom off the face of the Earth, so
that maybe, some day, they could sit together outside in a real storm.
As Anna leaned forward to kiss him again, Hein decided the
world could wait for a moment, and concentrated solely on his love.
