Rain On My Parade

 Fall came along with gusts of wind and cloudy skies, only parted by a few sunny days.

Today was not one of those nice, warm days. At least, when it came to the afternoon. In the morning, when I arrived at school with Arisu, the sky had been clear, and I didn't think of checking the weather forecast. A mistake I now heavily paid for.

With the last lesson of the day coming to an end, I couldn't tear my gaze away from the window, watching the rain pour down from dark clouds, with no end in sight. I wasn't the only one watching it with worry. Arisu looked downright scared by the amount of water drumming down on the school building. With that expression on her face, I really started to worry. She was afraid of water, wasn't she? Was this enough for her to be scared? How would we get out of the school? Even if we had an umbrella, we...

My thoughts were interrupted by the bell. Even our teacher didn't look all too excited to end the lesson today.

"Class is done. See you tomorrow," he said, glancing at the window, "And try not to get too wet."

Hesitantly, we followed, packing our own things up. I tried to get Arisu's attention, but to no avail. She was focused on the rain outside. Even Maria didn't notice my intense stare. The smile on her face implied a different emotion, though. Maybe she imagined a date in the rain? It would be cute, sure, but...

I shook my head. This isn't helping me. I mean, what should we do? I don't want to go out now, when it's this cold and wet, and especially not without an umbrella. But staying here in the classroom also didn't seem like an option. Finally, I got up and walked over to Maria, gently shaking her shoulder.

"Hey, how do we get home?"

She looked at me, and back at the rain.

"Ah, I think we should wait for a bit. It'll stop soon, I'm sure..."

I looked at her. She didn't look like she was too happy waiting here, and even shivered. But I also didn't see an umbrella or a jacket with her.

"Oh. You also forgot to bring something."

"I did," she sighed, "And I had hoped someone would save me..."

She trailed off, looking at our classmates, with some boys joking around with each other while they left the room. I sighed.

"Well, I can't help you with that. Sorry."

"Ah, don't worry about it."

She smiled at me, but there was a hint of sadness in her face. Whoever she had set her heart on now must be really cute. I forced a smile, trying to be optimistic.

"But it's fall now, I'm sure you'll get another chance."

At least, she seemed to appreciate the thought.

"Actually, you're right. There's always another chance."

Her smile deepened, and I felt some sort of pressure lifting from me. It was impressive how she still chased love, even though her heart got broken time and time again. How does she do it? Oh, but it's not that important. I just hope...

"Never change, Maria."

She laughed.

"I don't think that's how it works, Sara. But I'll try to be the best me that I can be." Again, she giggled.

Suddenly, Arisu appeared behind her, wrapped in a protective cocoon of her hair, with only her eyes peeking out.

"Urgh. Why is it raining so much?"

She looked at the windows, and apparently hadn't heard our conversation.

"That's just how it is in fall," I shrugged, "We'll have to wait."

It didn't seem like we had much choice in the matter. Some other students were waiting in the building, just like us, hoping for the rain to stop. It was surprisingly chilly in the classroom, and I stood up, walking around my desk just to keep warm.

"It'll stop?"

Arisu's eyes followed me, and I nodded at her.

"Of course it will."

That made her relax a little, and her cocoon softened, so that her whole face could be seen again. PURIRIN was beeping somewhere in that mass of hair, but Arisu didn't care. She was afraid of the water, and this was the biggest rainfall yet this year. No wonder she was unsure if it would ever stop.

"We just don't know when that will be," Maria sighed.

Even though the rain looked like it would never stop, as time passed, the clouds became lighter, just like the constant downpour. A few students without umbrellas braved their way home, interpreting it as a small break during the rainfall and not the end of it. We stayed behind, slowly making our way through the school. I watched the raindrops fall and hit the puddles on the ground outside. Then, I glanced at Arisu.

"Are you, like, allergic to water? Or are you just afraid of it?"

It was easy to forget she was an alien. But maybe that was the reason. And if water really was dangerous for her... I tried to swallow my worries down. We had already spent so much time together. A little rain wouldn't destroy that. But maybe...

But Arisu shook her head. While she was still wrapped in her hair, now it swung more loosely around her body.

"I just hate when it's so much water." She scrunched her face together. "Just hate it."

"Okay." I let out a breath. "Then we just have to wait for it to stop completely."

Down here, right by the doors, it was easier to see the rain falling down. Maria leaned towards the windows, looking up at the sky, and I joined her. While it was easier to see shapes in the clouds if they were white and fluffy against the blue sky, even now, the gray clouds in the gray sky seemed like creatures roaming around. What a silly thought, I said to myself, before shaking my head. Next to me was an alien afraid of water. What did I know about things in the sky? I couldn't tear my gaze away, and so I watched as the clouds grew lighter and lighter, and finally, the rain stopped completely, leaving behind a comfortable silence. Finally, I looked again at my friends with a smile.

"Shall we go then?"

"Ah, sure."

Maria stretched and went towards the doors. Arisu and I followed her, shuddering in the cool air outside. Arisu got slower, and she seemed uncomfortable. I gave her a questioning look.

"Hey, is everything alright?"

She shook her head.

"You said it would stop."

I looked at her, then to the sky, and back at her again. There was not a single drop of rain coming down.

"It stopped."

Still, she wrapped her hair closer around herself.

"Yeah, but..." She sighed. "There is so much left of it."

Ah. I think I get it. When I looked around, there were puddles all over the place, some shallow, some deeper. Normally, I wouldn't even register them until I soaked my shoes in them, but right now, I was aware of how much water remained.

"You don't like the puddles either, do you?"

"Water is water." She shrugged. "And there is too much left of it."

I stayed close to her near the door. Maria had gone ahead, and waved at us.

"See you girls tomorrow!"

I waved back at her.

"And don't forget an umbrella tomorrow!"

"Ah, I won't!"

She laughed, before turning around, splashing around the puddles. She looked cute, as always, but now even more so. With all the gray around, she seemed like the only bright spot. A small smile crept on my face. I was happy having these people in my life. Then, I turned to Arisu.

"Well, an umbrella won't help us, huh? I think even with the biggest umbrella the rain would be too close for your liking."

Arisu nodded.

"Probably."

She still shot a glance at the puddles every now and then, as if she expected them to disappear. This wasn't going to go well. I needed some idea, how I could manage the water with Arisu... Then, it hit me.

"Hop on my back."

With those words, I crouched down. While I wasn't in the best shape, I should still be able to carry her, at least for a bit. Hopefully somewhere with less puddles.

"Really?"

She looked at me with big, green eyes. Maria wasn't the only cutie around. I turned my back to her, motioning with my hands for her to get on there.

"Really."

I could hear her take a few, uncertain steps towards me, and had to keep myself from rolling my eyes.

"It won't break my back, you know." I laughed. "You can't be that heavy."

"Oh! You're so smart, Sara. Wait a moment."

Right now, I certainly didn't feel smart, crouching down on the cold floor, as my knees started to hurt. But I could hear her doing something with PURIRIN, the small thing emitting several beeping melodies. Then I could feel her legs brushing up on me as she slung her arms around my neck.

"Okay, hold on. I haven't done this in years."

With that, I put all my energy into standing up, much faster than I anticipated. I let out a small yelp, almost falling over. Thankfully, I didn't splash a puddle, but my heart was racing.

"Woah, you weigh like, nothing!"

It was a weird sensation. I could feel her on my back, but weight-wise, it felt like I only put a few more books into my backpack. Whatever she did to herself thanks to PURIRIN would help me so much. While I couldn't quite see her, I tried to watch her out of the corner of my eye.

"Thanks, for whatever you did there."

"It was all your idea."

She smiled, even though I couldn't see it, but her voice gave it away. There was not a trace of fear in it. I braved the first puddle, and while her hair clung to me like a hug, she didn't seem to be fearful. Step by step we avoided the puddles, as she was squishing my backpack (not that it mattered, really), and slowly made our way home. Even though it was colder now than it had been this morning, I felt warm and comfortable with her. As the clouds had vanished, the weather was quite nice, actually. A few rays of sunlight glittered in the puddles and reflected off of water droplets, bedazzling the most mundane things with rhinestones. The air was still heavy with the smell of damp soil, and a few waterdrops fell into puddles with a tiny splash. Around us, more and more people dared to go outside again, ready to go on with their day. We continued in our own pace. Surprisingly enough, this walk felt like a well-deserved break.

"It's weird. Too much water," Arisu mumbled next to my ear.

I blinked. What did she just say?

"Hm?"

She continued: "But this is nice. I just wish there wasn't so much water."

I smiled, only wondering briefly if she could see it.

"Don't worry. The longer fall goes on, the more familiar you will get with the rain."

I could feel her hair tighten around me, but she quickly relaxed again.

"So, there will be even more water?"

I nodded.

"Yes. But next time, I'll bring an umbrella for us. So you don't have to worry."

It was only a small thing, but I could sense how much it meant to her.

"Thank you," she whispered back.

We fell silent again, enjoying the scenery after the rain. I exhaled, as the cool breeze tangled Arisu's hair. What a nice, slow way to change into fall.