He was sitting on the bus, heading back home. The encounter from the day before still slightly lingered in the back of his mind. But at the same time, he told himself not to worry too much about it as the chances of them meeting again were extremely slim. Afterall, the city was a big place and their lifestyles were completely different, so they would surely not barge into each other again so soon. Or ever again as he hoped. Besides, he had other things to worry about, such as school and the upcoming exams. He had to prepare himself if he wanted good grades to enter Law or Medic School. It would mean a lot to his father, he was sure of it.

He had always been a good student until now, investing much time into studies and projects to the point of even ignoring love letters given by girls at his school and even the most popular girl got a dismiss note from him, saying it would be a waste of time focusing on a relationship when he still had so much to do and prepare for. He ended up being a hard catch for everyone and even friendship would be a big challenge as he saw it as a waste of time as well. Sports, clubs, friendships, love, all that he saw as a waste of precious time, his mind always set on studies, even though many sport clubs like the basketball club had asked him to enter and they would even finance his studies and possibly provide a scholarship.

But no. It was a waste of his time and he couldn't be bothered by it. Even if he wanted to.

He was going through his notes when a noise, a very irritating noise, reached his ears. He tried to block it out, but could only do it for so long. Frustrated, he turned his head to see where the noise was coming from and gasped when he noticed the source of the entire ruckus.

Right there, standing on the bus' intersection, was none other than the youth from yesterday. His clothes were different, but still looked like that of a street punk or beggar, that annoying hood covering his head and headphones, just a few strands of his hair showing. His slim hands were casually placed inside his pants' pockets, which looked baggier than the ones from before. Or maybe he was very thin? He couldn't tell for sure. He was sure of one thing, though:

That noise was getting on his nerves.

The music blaring out of those headphones was provocative and gave him a headache. He continued to glare at the youth when he out of nowhere felt eyes on him and turned his head to spot the owner of those stares. Suddenly, and he didn't know why, he had to blush, out of embarrassment for staring, he thought, and quickly looked away, sticking his nose back into his notes, a bit too rapidly for someone who was earlier actually paying attention to them, trying to block out any noise that would come his way. 'Ignore it. Just ignore it. I doubt he'll remember you anyways, so why bother?'

But that's where he was wrong. Before he knew it, the youth was already sitting next to him, that friendly cheerful smile on his face as he casually said 'Hi'. Eyebrow twitching, he continued to ignore him, but the music, which was now very close, was highly difficult to ignore. He couldn't take it anymore.

"Turn down your music, it's bothering the other passengers." The youth looked at him surprised and pulled the headphones down. "Besides, it's irresponsible to listen to music on such a loud volume. Are you deaf or do you intend to become it?" Why did he even care? He didn't even know this guy, so why does it matter? Maybe he wasn't worried about this person... but worried about himself. About his image. Afterall, now that the youth was so close, people would surely associate the two and whenever they saw him, they would connect this annoying individual to him. He simply could not have that. He would either get him change his ways or leave him alone.

The youth frowned lightly, pursing his lips a little. "They don't seem very bothered. Besides, I like listening to music so loud. It's fun"

"It's not fun when you put your health in danger. It's irresponsible to you and everyone around you" he growled back, but was once again met with surprise.

The youth was smiling again. "Mmhh... is that so? Well, don't you think they way you're living is also irresponsible?" He turned to him in surprise, not sure of what to say, so the other just continued. "You worry about what other people think of you. But tell me, do they worry about what you think of them? You are right, though, I could live my life according to the way everyone thinks would be right, but why should I please those that do not know me, much less care for me and live the way they want me to if when I do it nobody will notice it anyways?" He smiled at him. "Everything that is fun bears a glimpse of danger somewhere, but isn't that what life is all about? You only live once and if you don't take it in full accord and making it memorable, you will regret not having lived it to the fullest, enjoying every moment, no matter how small and insignificant it may seem. So tell me again" he stretched himself a little, his slim frame shaking a little as he did so, a sign he was enjoying it; a simple act such as stretching himself. How curious. "Do you think you are living in a responsible way when you are letting your whole life run by you and spend more time worrying about others rather than yourself?"

The other was left speechless. All he could do was stare at the youth. No one ever spoke to him like that.

"This is my stop." He said as he got up, adjusting his hood. "Hope to talk to you sometime soon. It was fun" he smiled at him as he got off the bus, leaving the other literally dumbstruck. It was awkward, but at the same time, it felt... enlightening. How come he never thought of those things? Should he even pay it thought? He just couldn't tell.


The upcoming weeks were literally torture for him. Not only did he forget his homework twice, but he also confused nearly the entire school schedule and forgot he had to go buy groceries for dinner after school as requested by his mother. Now he was running all the way to the store to fulfill his duty and promise he had made. But that wasn't the worst.

No. The worst was that it had started to rain. Pouring, actually. It had been threatening all day, but just when he was halfway away from home did the sky decide to open up and dump all the water it had stored on him. And he hated the rain. He always did, ever since he can remember.

When he was little and wanted to go out and play, his parents would always forbid him when it was raining or even the days after it had rained. They told him to stay inside so he wouldn't get wet and dirty. He always liked to play outside and playing in the mud was fun. All his friends would always play in the mud. But not him. No, he would always have to remain inside and entertain himself with books or drawings. No TV as it would damage his intellect or so his father said. It was boring, to say the least, and none of his friends would ever come over to play with him, rather preferring to play outside and have fun, playing mud wars and making mud bears and even mud drawings, which would later be destroyed by the passing cars. But the children didn't mind as long as they had their fun.

That's why he hated the rain. It never allowed him to have fun. ... Wait a minute, where had he heard that before?

He ran through the park to cut some road on his way to the store when something caught his eye. Sitting on one of the fountain's statues was none other than the youth from before. He seemed calm, face towards the heavens and eyes closed, but he was also drenched. He guessed that the other had been sitting there for quite a while. Why he was staring at him, he didn't know either. It startled him a little when the youth suddenly lowered his head a bit before opening his eyes and looking back at him. Their eyes met for a few seconds before he smiled that sweet loving smile, once again catching him by surprise.

"Isn't it irresponsible to be outside in this weather?" he taunted lightly, that smile never leaving his lips. It was endearing.

"I... I suppose so" was all he could answer as he stared up to the youth. He didn't know what or why, but he felt inclined to join him at the top of the fountain's statues. Taking a seat next to the youth, he continued to eye him curiously as he had closed his eyes again, attention on something in particular, but he couldn't tell what. "You're not as grumpy as usual" the youth suddenly asked, eyes still closed.

"And you're not as obnoxious as usual. No music today?" he asked a little sarcastically, but the other only smiled at him.

"You're wrong. The rain is my music. I just love listening to it. It's lovely." The youth remained with his eyes closed and something in him began to boil.

"Don't be ridiculous, there's nothing lovely about the rain." Why was he being so aggressive? And why always with this person? He didn't even know him. "And there's nothing musical in it either. It's simply a waste of time, seeking something philosophical such as music in the rain when there are more important things to worry about. It's utterly pointless. That's like saying it is lovely weather during rain when it's just something annoying and bothersome." He was doing it again and he didn't even know why. But once again, the other did not bite back, but instead replied with a fake hurt expression.

"But it is lovely weather when it's raining. It's not bothersome, much less annoying." He was about to respond when the youth suddenly added a soft chuckle. "I think I now know what your problem is"

"My... my problem?" That had caught him off guard. No one ever told him he had problems. Issues maybe, but never actual problems. Not like he wasn't aware of them, he knew there were some, but still, to have someone else point their finger at him when he tried so hard to hide every dirty spot of him from the outside world. While he was curious, part of him worried.

"You try to be different from everyone else, but at the same time, you walk with the flock. A black sheep that stands aside, but still follows the rules. You are afraid to step outside of those given guidelines and worry about other people's thoughts about you. You want to be different. But at the same time, you want to be part of the whole. You let others decide for you and how you should live your life instead of thinking for yourself and making your own decisions." The youth raised his head a little, pulling the hood back a bit so the rain was now falling freely onto his face, that smile never leaving. "You see small things as irrelevant or a waste of time when it is those small things that make life worth living. The rain is a good example. Everyone says the rain is a bad thing and dislike it and you think the same. I bet you never thought about it before. But it's all actually quite very simple. All you need to do is close your eyes" the youth spoke, closing his eyes, always with that lovely smile on his face, the other completely baffled. Hesitant at first, he soon followed path, believing it to be silly, but his curiosity was stronger. He closed his eyes and just listened.

And before he knew it, he understood.

How the rain could be musical. How each drop produced an individual sound, mixing together and creating a wonderful symphony of drops falling from the sky. He had never thought the rain could bear such a wonderful side to it.

"Small things might seem useless on the big picture, but if you pay them enough credit, they can be the most amazing things in your whole life." The youth continued and he just listened to his voice mixing with the rain.

"Do you know what I also like about the rain?" the youth suddenly asked. The other just shook his head lightly, continuing to listen, eyes always closed, when all of a sudden he shot them open when he felt a pair of lips touch his own. It was a soft touch, barely present, but still burned like a vivid fire. Not even a second did it last when the youth pulled back, a smile on his face. It was radiant.

"'Each drop is a kiss from heaven.' I think it's very accurate." The youth continued to smile as he just stared back at him in shock and disbelief. Did this guy just kiss him? A mischievous smirk suddenly crossed the youth's face. "Oops. Were we expecting something more?" While he struggled to find the words, clearly irritated, the youth only laughed softly and leapt off the statue, landing rather gracefully despite the wet and slippery ground below. "Well, I gotta go. Hopefully, I'll see you around. I like talking to you, it's nice" he said as he looked up to him, that smile always present. He waved lightly at him before his hands put his hood back onto his head and then disappear into his pockets. "Bye" he turned around and began to walk away when a sudden pull on his hood caught his attention.

"Wait!" the other was out of breath, clearly having run as fast as he could, holding tightly onto the youth's hood. "I... What's your name? I... would really like to know your name" It was true. For the first time, he felt appealed to actually get close enough to someone to ask their name. And out of his own initiative.

The youth smiled, his cerulean eyes sparkling lightly as drops ran down both his smooth and young looking face and silky straw blond hair. "Link. My name's Link. Now you can probably talk to me next time we meet. How does that sound?" He joked softly, the smile growing. He was contemplating that smile, not sure why he felt so drawn to it.

"Why are you like that? Why are you so... so different?" He had to know. He just had to. Link chuckled softly behind his hand.

"Well, if I wasn't different, I wouldn't be me, now would I?" He laughed a little before tilting his head a little, a few strands of hair gluing themselves onto his cheek. "I really need to go now, but I hope to see you soon. Bye" Link turned and left, leaving him alone in the rain, its symphony continuing, being the only evidence that time had not stopped.

He stood there for a long time, looking after Link when his words came into his mind. "... 'Each drop is a kiss from heaven', huh?" he touched his lips, remembering Link's soft touch on them, blushing lightly at the thought. He looked up at the sky when a drop fell right onto his lips, the feeling of the kiss returning to his mind. He couldn't help, but smile. "I guess..." he touched his lips again, closing his eyes. "I don't want to forget about you..."