Umbrella

Author: LonelyWriter42

Summary: Snow was always her favorite, especially now that her cousin had danced with her in it, but on that day, rain became her favorite when he shared an umbrella with her.

Disclaimer: I haven't written one in so long I don't know what to say. . . DRAGONFLIES!

Raindrops splashed into the puddles forming on the street as she opened her umbrella. The sun had been red and the sky pink this morning when she had awoken and gone to the dojo, but by the time she had left at lunch, dark, angry looking grey clouds had appeared on the horizon and now her afternoon training session with her sensei had been called off.

Kurenai-sensei usually didn't call off training for anything, at least, that had always been the unspoken rule until Akari was born. Hinata was happy that her sensei was happy and after her husband's death, Kurenai had had fewer occasions to be happy. Akari's birth had been a blessing for her sensei; the woman's dark red eyes had shown a spark of life again. And it helped that the little girl was so cute and easy to handle; unless it started thundering and lightning. Akari was terrified by both, hence the reason that training had been called off today.

Hinata was glad that she had through to bring an umbrella when she had seen darkening sky. If she hadn't, she would be drenched by the time she got home.

Citizens of Konoha were scurrying around trying to get their business done so they could get out of the rain but she was walking lazily down the street. It didn't matter how fast or slow she walked, she would be dry when she got home.

She passed Yamanaka flower shop and saw Ino diving for flower pots to get them out of the rain and her father throwing tarps in a futile attempt to save his plants from being waterlogged. The indigo haired girl laughed and waved at her friend. For some reason the rain had lifted her spirit and she felt like dancing even though it was completely illogical. But then again dancing in the snow was just as illogical and she liked to do that. . . A blush colored her cheeks crimson as she clenched the umbrella handle more tightly, her other hand going to her flush face. The snow had been melted for almost six months and yet she still blushed every time she thought of Neji stumbling upon her while she was dancing and then joining her.

Their relationship had always been complicated and now it was even more so as she tried to make sense of her jumbled emotions. She didn't have a crush on him like she did Naruto, but there was something between the two of them that was even deeper than a crush. She was sure it wasn't love as he was the man that not so long ago had tried to kill her merely because she existed but she did know that it was some sort of special emotion.

A whimsical smile came to her face as she saw a young couple walking slowly down the street much like her, under an umbrella. Her cheeks heated up slightly as she realized that she was thinking about how she wanted to share an umbrella with the boy she liked.

A movement caught the corner of her eye and she saw a kitten trying desperately to get out of the rain. She paused and debated what she should do. She wanted to help out the kitten but her father and sister were allergic to cats and would get rid of it as soon as they saw it. It paused in it's pawing at the door of the shop and turned to look at her. The most pathetic meow that she had ever heard escaped it's jaw and Hinata had to bend over and pick it up.

"What am I going to do with you?" She whispered as she cradled it against her chest. "You can't come home with me and yet I can't leave you on the street." A heavy sigh escaped her lips and in her contemplation she didn't notice the shop door opening. Hard won reflexes kept her on her feet and out of the mud of the street. Somehow she kept her grip on the kitten but the umbrella escaped her grasp as she flung it aside to catch herself on one hand. She looked up at the person who had opened the door ready to give them a harsh scolding when she saw that it was… Neji.

"You should be more careful, Hinata-sama," he sighed as he reached around her and picked up the umbrella. "What do you have?" He asked suspiciously, eying the ball of orange fluff in her arms.

"I couldn't just leave it in the rain," Hinata sighed as she showed him the cat. "It's drenched and I just couldn't leave it."

He cocked an eyebrow, "And just what are you going to do with it when you get it home? Hiashi-sama and Hanabi-san are allergic."

"Well, I," she glanced down at the cat and blushed. "Nii-san…"

"Oh no. I am not taking care of that cat," Neji protested.

"Please?" She turned all her cuteness on him. His eyes widened that she was willing to go so far for a stray cat. Maybe…

"Only if you will share that umbrella," he huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "I don't want to get wet going home."

She smiled at him. "Thank you, Nii-san." She positioned the umbrella over their heads and they started back to the compound in silence other than the purr that the cat was giving off.

"Rain isn't as pretty as snow," she observed when they were half way home.

"Oh? I like it just fine," Neji said, glancing up at the clouds. "Rain means that everything will be greener tomorrow."

"You are a poet," she laughed. "Everything will be greener on the marrow thus the rain today will not get my mood down. Or something like that, right?"

He gave her a quizzical look before shaking his head. "Hinata-sama," he sighed. "You are very whimsical, aren't you? Dancing in the snow, making poetry about rain. You are not cut out to be a ninja."

Her eyes widened and she almost felt like hitting over the head with her umbrella but then she heard his next words. "You should be a princess in a castle with all the men of the land vying to have your hand."

"Would you be there trying, too?" She tried not to sound interested but she couldn't entirely suppress it from her voice.

He looked over at her and the emotions she saw in his eyes were enough to make her heart stop. "Perhaps," he replied, reaching over to ruffle her hair. "Now let me see this thing that I will be taking care of." He scooped the cat into his hands and studied it. "Now listen, I'm going to be taking care of you. That means you will listen to what I say."

Hinata started giggling when the cat gave him a questioning look and meowed. "I don't think she understands you, Nii-san."

"She will, eventually," he replied.

"What are you going to name her?"

He glanced at her with the corner of his eye before grinning. "Hina."

"Hina?" She repeated with a blush.

"Yes, I have a feeling that she will be as much trouble as her namesake. Running away in the middle of the night to throw snowballs at me. I should have left you out there to freeze."

"You invaded my personal time and space. You deserved it."

"I thought it was because I made you blush," he idly stroked the cat's fur.

"You," she exclaimed, not sure if she was angry with him or not as they entered the gates of the compound.

"The rain has stopped," he smiled. "Thank you for sharing your umbrella with me, Hinata-sama." He bowed respectively and walked away, talking to the orange fluff in his hands again.

His words washed over her and she blushed crimson. They had shared an umbrella and all of Konoha had seen it. She wasn't sure if she was mad at him for slyly menuvering her into that position or happy that he saw her in such a light. All she did know was she was looking forward to seeing him tomorrow to figure it out.