I never liked the rain until I walked through it with you
Every thunder cloud that came was one more I might not get through
On the darkest day there's always light and now I see it too
But I never liked the rain until I walked through it with you
-Clint Black, 'Like the Rain'

Chapter Five

8:15 AM, Sunday Morning

"Remind me, again, why I'm doing this?" Kit sighed, casting a long-suffering glance at Nita, who was trying to unstick the zipper on her favorite sweater.

She looked evilly at him, a grin on her face. "Because I'm your wizardry partner, and I've put up with you for Powers-know-how-long."

"What's to say I haven't had to put up with you, huh?"

He smiled slightly as Nita rolled her gray eyes at him, affectionately smacking him in the shoulder hard enough to knock him backwards a few paces.

"Me," she replied with a toss of her head, flicking her auburn ponytail over her shoulder and pulling the zipper up to her chin, all in one graceful movement.

She grinned at Kit and opened the door.

"C'mon, Kit… let's go for a walk."

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They walked in silence toward the dim crimson glow of the distant streetlight, twin silhouettes nearly invisible against the dramatically darkening sky as another raincloud rolled over Manhattan.

Nita heaved a sigh as she trudged onwards, her gaze wandering from her worn Adidases to Kit's battered Nikes, then back to her own shoes, only too aware of the uncomfortable silence hanging in the air between them.

Why, why did her mind choose that exact moment to go blank?

As she chased her thoughts around inside her head, trying furiously to sort them into some kind of order, Kit sighed, and her mind blissfully wiped once more, concentrating only on their proximity to one another.

"Nita… " he began, something like uncertainty hanging in the undertone. Nita didn't hear that often. She slowed to a halt and looked expectantly at Kit, fearing the worst.

He looked up from his sneakers at her, then sighed again and glanced over at a nearby truck.

"Neets," he began again, his voice definitely carrying the same note of hesitancy. "I was thinking… last night… about what you said on our relationship."

"Yeah…" Nita said slowly. "What about it…?"

Kit stared at her, and suddenly, one thought made itself very, very prominent in his mind, despite all his good intentions.

Wow… she looks really nice in that sweater…

Nita cocked her head to one side curiously. "Kit? You okay?"

Kit desperately tried to sort out his furiously buzzing mind, to no avail. In his sheer panic, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"I love you."

Nita froze, the L-word ringing in her ears.

He admitted it… she thought, waiting for the panic to set in.

Instead, it never came.

"Kit…" she began awkwardly, at a loss for words.

An uncomfortable silence fell between them, during which the clear notes of a piano from a nearby home drifted between them.

Nita sighed suddenly, a small smile gracing her pretty features as she listened to the notes of the piano weave themselves into song.

"Pachebel's Canon in D…" she murmured half to herself, her eyes alight with warm memories. "Mom's song…"

Kit watched her, then smiled and touched her shoulder gently, pulling her out of her reverie.

"Dreamer," he said quietly, pulling her close. "May I have this dance?"

Dreamer. He called me Dreamer… Mom's pet name for me…

Nita's heart skipped a few beats, and she smiled through sudden, unexplained tears at him. "Of course," she replied, grinning from ear to ear as he took her hand in his, slipping one about her slim waist.

And they revolved slowly on the spot, Kit marveling at the grace with which Nita moved as they waltzed to the joyful serenade of the piano. The world around them slowly faded away as they sank into their own environment, the music propelling them along as they danced, sharing thoughts and emotions that no words in either English or the Speech could accurately describe.

Kit couldn't believe he had never thought of this before. It all fit together perfectly. No wonder the Powers that Be had partnered them together… it was a blessing. A blessing he might never have found if it hadn't been for wizardry.

Then, the music and the exhilaration of the dance caught up with him, and his mind went blank as the music washed over Nita and him, speaking to them of love, of life, of happiness, all within four inches of the two teens.

Nita, her eyes bright with joy, love, and a few other emotions Kit couldn't identify, paused for a moment, pushing up against Kit as far as she could.

Kit? she inquired, her mindvoice similarly blazing with love.

Neets?

I love you, she murmured, and leaned up to kiss him.

Their lips met, and the music exploded in their ears, joyful and lively as they deepened the kiss, knowing, in their hearts, that all previous thoughts on their relationship were incorrect.

This is the way it was supposed to be, Nita thought, her eyes closed, Kit's mouth warm and welcoming against hers. I love him. It's just the fact that I was too stupid to realize it.

With a contented sigh, she placed her arms around Kit, not ever wanting to let go as the piano's notes sang on, serenading the newly found couple as they broke apart, huge smiles gracing both of their faces.

Nita looked shyly at the ground and scuffed one sneaker on the wet concrete. "Looks like I'll have to put up with you now," she smiled at Kit.

Kit grinned and pulled her close. "Would you have it any other way?" he asked, prodding her playfully in the ribs.

She laughed softly in response and nudged him.

"C'mon, Kit… let go of me… stoppit, that tickles!"

Kit grinned down at her, scratching her behind the ear once more, causing her to burst into laughter again and belt him a moderately good punch in the shoulder.

"Ooof… oh, all right, Dreamer… have it your way…"

She smiled. "Dreamer. It's been a long time since someone called me that…"

Kit ruffled her hair affectionately. "Let's go."

Nita laughed, and leaned up to kiss him once more.

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A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long… I couldn't get what I wanted down on paper quite correctly, and this is the ninth try. It's still not completely what I had in mind, but bear with me. I'm currently plotting an idea out for the next chapter…in hopes that it will be better than this one.

Wow, I'm surprised… I asked for five reviews, and I got twelve, maybe thirteen. Thanks go out to all my reviewers… and thank you for your time. I can only hope that you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope the next one will turn out better.

Thanks!

Viper676