Rain (Lilly)

[SophisticThesis]

There was something about the rain that simply irked Lilly Satou.

Perhaps it was the way that the constant droning of the drops muted out all other types of sound, or the fact that the wet ground made it even more difficult to get around than it already was, or maybe Lilly simply didn't like to be wet. Or perhaps all of the above.

No matter the reason, Lilly Satou was irked, though she might have used a stronger word were she not driven to stay somewhat dignified even while soaked to the bone and sitting along the side of the road.

Had someone asked her, Lilly wouldn't have even been able to say what had possessed her to go out for groceries on this fine rainy Friday. She didn't even need anything in particular from the store. Hanako usually would have gone with her, but the timid girl hadn't been in the dorms - she was most likely caught up in the library. Yet, for whatever reason, Lilly had decided to take a walk down to town and head for the convenience store. Alone. In the rain.

You've outdone yourself this time, she thought. Granted, it hadn't quite been raining at all when Lilly had left, but it was surprising how quickly a downpour could start. She managed a sigh, and pulled her legs closer to her body for the small amount of heat it would grant.

Walking with a cane truly wasn't all that difficult, not when she had been doing it more or less her entire life. It was only when there were unknown hazards that it became troublesome. Unknown hazards such as puddles, which were far harder to feel with a long stick than any rock or sidewalk could ever be. And with the rain pounding down, there was no splash to hear either.

Lilly flushed in embarassment at what had happened, despite it being no fault of her own. Well, perhaps it had somewhat been her own fault; slipping in a pool of water was one thing, but somehow losing grip of her cane while attempting to get up was yet another, and flailing through the mud looking for it only to accidentally push it out of arm's length was still another. Not willing to risk getting hit by a car or digging herself deeper, she had instead opted to sit and think about her situation, hopefully coming up with something that would work and get her back to Yamaku safely. So far, nothing had quite come to her.

She sneezed, and tried to curl up even closer in a futile attempt to stave off the cold. She couldn't feel anything properly as she was now, not through all the things already bombarding her senses. It was freezing, the wind was blowing directly into her face, the pounding of the rain still continued, and every few minutes a horribly loud thunderclap rang in Lilly's ears. And perhaps worst, she was completely soaked. Her entire being felt wet, down to her very soul. It was a terrible feeling.

Another thunderclap sounded, louder than those that had come before it. And Lilly felt the tears well up in her eyes. Would she be there all night long? She hadn't really thought about how long it had been since she set out for town, but surely it had been over an hour. At this point, it couldn't have been far from sundown.

Another thunderclap, though it oddly sounded a bit softer than the last. Lilly put her hands over her ears, trying to block out the sound, only to feel the wind even harder on her exposed face. She tried to still her breathing, but it was hardly any use at this point. With the rain pouring down, she didn't even bother to try and wipe the tears away.

Lilly Satou was crying.

She could almost hear the thunder calling her name, seemingly mocking her. Lilly! she could hear it say, as if laughing at her display. She faced towards the sound out of instinct, but soon returned to facing the ground, if only to divert the wind away from her face. Her tears only made it seem colder.

Lilly! mocked the thunder once more, the sound even closer now. She didn't bother facing the sound this time, simply curling up even tighter. The rain began to let up slightly, though not remotely enough to lessen her frustration at the entire situation.

"LILLY!"

This time, she turned her head. That definitely isn't thunder, she thought, straining her hearing to pick out the voice.

"Lilly, are you all right?!" the voice asked urgently, and Lilly heard someone come to a stop beside her, nearly slipping in the mud.

"...Hisao...?" she asked slowly, suddenly doing her best to steady her breathing and stop the tears. I can't let him see me like this! she thought, taking a deep breath and feeling it catch in her chest.

"You're soaked!" Hisao said, and Lilly could hear him put down an umbrella. "Here, take my hand."

Slowly, almost reluctantly, she extended her hand and felt Hisao grasp it. To anyone else, perhaps, his hand would have felt practically frozen. To her, it was warm, so wonderfully warm.

Hisao helped her up gently, and fetched his umbrella. Lilly sighed in relief as she felt the rain cease to strike her face.

"We need to get you out of this rain," he said, trying to usher Lilly forward.

"But, my cane..."

"I'll find it for you after I take you back," he interrupted. "You've been out in this too long." Lilly didn't bother protesting, and unconsciously gripped Hisao's hand harder.

It was only once the storm had mostly passed and they had reached right outside the dorms when realization struck Lilly. "Hisao, what were you doing out today?"

"Oh, me? Um...just going to get groceries, you know," he said, opening the door into the girl's dorms for Lilly. She turned toward his face and let herself smile softly. Having walked together all this way, she could tell that he had no groceries on his person.

Apparently realizing this for himself, Hisao began again. "Uhm..."

"Good night, Hisao," Lilly interrupted, stepping inside the dorms. "I'll be able to manage from here, I think."

"Uh, good night, Lilly," he replied.

Moving slowly and feeling the walls and doors, Lilly slowly but surely made her way to her own room. If every rainy day turns out like this, she thought, perhaps they aren't so bad.

=-=-=-=-=

I have no idea if people think like this, I'm just making stuff up about blind people now.

[Leotrak]

Nice piece of writing, anyway

[ze spy]

As a bkind petson I cqn sat I lobe the raion.

[kosherbacon]

Well, I liked it. That was cute as hell. Have you created an account with the forums?

[SophisticThesis]

Have you created an account with the forums?

Can't say I have.

Can't say I plan to at the moment, either - though I will eventually.

[Nyr]

Wonderful story, very cute and I liked it. ;D Only nitpicky thing that kind of hit me while reading is the cane; if she only pushed it out of grabbable range (haven't really got a word for it, so I'll name it this), why couldn't Hisao just pick it up? It's nearby, there's no 'need' to find the cane.

But that's just my inner nitpicky self. Well done! Hope to see you write more often in the future.

[Juno]

Wonderful story, very cute and I liked it. ;D Only nitpicky thing that kind of hit me while reading is the cane; if she only pushed it out of grabbable range (haven't really got a word for it, so I'll name it this), why couldn't Hisao just pick it up? It's nearby, there's no 'need' to find the cane.

But that's just my inner nitpicky self. Well done! Hope to see you write more often in the future.

"Arm's length"?
She might have hit the cane hard enough for it to roll downhill.