The rain fell and she was glad.
The rain fell and she was grateful.
The rain fell and her thirst was quenched.
The rain fell and that was how it was.
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She felt the strain on her shoulders as the weight of the clouds fell upon her, crushing her from the inside. Gasping for air, she plunged through the clouds, losing her wings as she did, all of the chakra that went into them spilling out along with the blood that coated her back as they were ripped away. A scream built up in the back of her throat, but she kept it there, knowing that letting it out would release the little oxygen that she had left. Her lungs were empty, her mind drowning in the bliss of letting everything go…
The earth was speeding up to meet her, the wind battering her as she plunged through the air, all conscious thought lost. For a moment she thought that she would die, but something caught her, lifting her up and away.
A pair of arms were wrapped around her waist, hoisting her up higher and higher then slowly sliding down to earth, landing gracefully. She choked and whoever placed their mouth over hers, blowing air—how welcome it was, the ability to breathe again!—into her lungs, filling them, acting as her breath, her lifeline. She shuddered and began to take in huge gulps of air, her chest expanding again and again. Whoever it was above her lifted her up again, cradling her torso.
"Careful…Don't exert yourself Hina." The voice had a playful tone, its timbre light and cheerful. She saw a rim of rosette at the top of her vision and smiled slightly before continuing the struggle to live.
"You'll be okay," whispered the voice as she half flipped the girl in her lap, placing one hand with its healing chakra over the holes in her back. Concentrating, her arm and the wounds began to glow blue, sluggish strings gently sliding in and stitching up the tears, repairing bones and muscles as it went. Finally the process ended and Hinata sat up, feeling tears creeping up behind her vision. Not tears of fear, but of relief.
She looked up into the green eyes of her savior and noticed that they were over bright, as though concealing a river.
"You had me scared there, Hinata," Sakura said, smiling for the girl's sake. Slowly she drew her own bat-like wings back into her body, grimacing as she did so. It was so odd…Seeing two girls in the sky, one of the wings of an angel, the other like a looming dragon. They had joked about it, staging training fights where one of them fell and the other swooping the rescue just in time. At some points, "just in time" had been when they both crash landed into soft dirt or water, always coming up laughing.
They were both shuddering and suddenly, instinctively, Hinata reached out her arms and drew the other girl into them, feeling Sakura clasp her and shake. She had felt the fear; she could only imagine what it must have been like to watch.
"Hey, Hinata?"
"Yeah?"
"Let's wait awhile before we do that again."
They both laughed nervously and drew apart. The Hyuuga heiress suddenly felt uncomfortable, like she had felt around Naruto, and noticed that Sakura was blushing slightly, her short hair falling into her eyes. It was always short now; it was her way of telling people that she had forgotten about the Uchiha; that she had given up. A small part of her was glad of that; however, she had no idea why.
It's so much easier
To love
When you know
Why you love.
"Sakura?" She watched the girl as she stood, her gaze somewhere else. She knew that look; Sakura reserved it for when she was thinking, and truly thinking. She could hear her low breathing, even as though she were meditating. And in a way she was really. The wind tossed her hair playfully, whipping it around her face like a doll's. She was too beautiful then, a storm tossed angel looking for a home.
"Hinata…" she breathed, almost as though it were a question.
"H-hai?" Her voice trembled, something it hadn't done in years.
Sakura opened her mouth as though to say something, then stopped, instead walking forward and putting her arms around her neck, burying her face in her shoulder. Hinata embraced her, moving her legs so that they fit together. They were almost like a puzzle; each was like the missing piece to the other.
Her body was on fire again, it seemed, both with Sakura's heat and her own. She shivered slightly and placed her lips in the girl's pink hair, gently rocking her back and forth as she felt the girl sobbing, both out of fear and relief, judging by the erratic pulsing of her heart. The warmth of her tears soaking through her shirt was comforting, a negative thing made positive.
They sat like that for what felt like no time at all, yet seemed to stretch on forever. She would never forget that moment, especially not when her friend raised her head, eyes red from crying, and looked into her eyes.
For a brief second, time stopped. Then slowly, ever so slowly, it started up again, chugging back into action with a stolid confidence. She looked down and realized that their fingers were entwined, but it didn't matter anymore. Nothing did.
"Hinata…" Sakura finally whispered, her voice soft.
"Yeah?"
"It's raining…"
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The rain falls on
Wet, wet wings,
Soaking through
Right to the bone.
And for a moment,
Everything is fine.
Because…
The rain fell and she was glad.
The rain fell and she was grateful.
The rain fell and her thirst was quenched.
The rain fell and that was how it was.