The world had gone into a quiet stupor as rain began to fall, tapping against leaves and wood on its path to the ground below. Water was the ultimate force, capable of delivering life to the parched soil or eroding it away at its whim, the same dignified pattering delivered to everything in its path equally. Rain did not care where it landed, or if it even landed at all. Its world was no larger than the droplets that made up its bulk.
Not all of it made it to the ground, stopped just short by the back of the girl standing barefoot, her feet squishing into the mud with each step. The water didn’t bother her, her hair slicked down her neck and clothes hanging heavily, as she was too focused on her task.
She frowned as she bent down, the hem of her skirt lifted away from the ground by her knees as she reached her hand forward, her fingers brushing against the miniature petals of the erica flower she had turned her attention to. It was cold, shrivelled under the force of the rain assaulting the fragile structure. Standing, she took to searching once again, though now, her arms raised to cross under her chest, a shiver running through her body. She hadn’t noticed before, but now, she was feeling cold, her legs weighed down by the pounding in her eardrums as the rain grew stronger, lashing down against her cheeks as she looked up at the sky.
She couldn’t open her eyes fully through the stinging sensation pelting her face, but she rooted her feet into the ground, her arms splaying behind her and fingers pointing out as she attempted to mimic the shape the erica took, her chin raised high and frown fading to a small smile.
She couldn’t hold the posture, and soon found herself losing her balance, arms flailing as the brown mass of her wet hair flew forward, before she landed on her back in the mud, sinking quickly into the dirt as it began to churn.
~~~
The sound of an alarm clock jolted Shizuoka awake, and for several seconds, she lay still in her bed, staring at the blurry surroundings of her room with narrowed eyes as the device continued its fanfare. She contemplated returning to the safety of her blanket in the cool morning air, but soon enough, logic won out, demanding that she sit up, groaning as she fumbled her hand across her nightstand for the familiar feeling of the circular rims of her glasses, blinking a few times as she chased away her sleepiness and looked around her room.
As usual, it was dry, warm, and comfortable, softly lit by the sun shining through her pastel curtains. The room was a mess, she had spent much of the night before pulling out the contents of her bookshelf in an effort to sort it for the new semester, but there was still much to do as books and papers lay in varying states of completion.
“Kiyomi!” came the voice of her mother calling from the stairway outside her room. “Are you awake? You need to get ready!”
“I’m up!” Shizuoka called back, yawning as she pressed her finger to the alarm clock to stop its ringing, before she slid out from under the security of the covers, setting foot on the carpet and looking down. It felt soft, but she didn’t sink, and it was dry. No flowers in sight, no storm casting its shadow on her world.
This was solid ground, familiar territory that she could navigate with ease as she spun herself around the unsorted pile, grasping her doorknob and pulling herself into the hallway before pausing.
She had intended to take a quick shower, but after the dream she’d had, water was the last thing she wanted to interact with. Pulling up the sleeve of her pajamas and taking a whiff, it seemed that her over-preparation the night before meant she was clean enough to forgo another wash, and she sighed in relief, relaxing and returning to her room, closing the door to stand in front of the mirror velcroed to the inside. She was a mess, pajamas crinkled and loose and her short brown hair poofed up from her sleeping position, and she had bags under her eyes from sleep deprivation. There was no real need to be so paranoid, but that was how she had always been. No sense in changing now.
She had left her school uniform in a small pile at the foot of her bed, and moved to grab it before finding her foot catching on the books strewn about, sending her careening to the floor with a thud.
“Is everything alright?” her mother called again, and she groaned, sitting up and readjusting her glasses, having instinctively turned her head to the side to avoid breaking the large lens, before calling an affirmation to the woman. It wasn’t the first time, and certainly would not be the last that gravity defeated her.
She sat up, brushing herself of the dust and ignoring the slight aching in her knee from the fall, and set to work changing. Though she wobbled as she righted herself to a standing position, the rest of the act was robotic, second-nature to her as she hummed to herself.
Another move to the mirror for a final check, and despite the change in appearance thanks to the navy blue vest and skirt and red bow covering her white undershirt, the tired expression on her face didn’t change much. Looking at herself wasn’t something she enjoyed doing, so she quickly moved on, opening the door to head down the hall towards the stairs.
The smell of breakfast attracted her into the dining room, where her father sat at the table, a newspaper in hand and attention fully on the pages as he gave her only a quick glance. “Look who’s awake. You don’t want to be late, do you?”
“Dear, Kiyomi never has trouble waking up like you do. Isn’t that right?” her mother asked, appearing behind the girl and kneeling to set the three year old boy in her hands on the ground so that she could stand in front of Shizuoka, who turned to face her as the woman gave a soft smile. “Your bow is crooked, how much sleep did you actually get?” she asked, raising her hands to undo the red ribbon and rearrange it in the proper orientation as her daughter turned her eyes sidelong, hesitantly laughing.
“At least 5 hours. I think…” she responded, and the woman chuckled, taking a step back before flicking her finger up to poke the girl’s chin and causing her to reel back at the surprise.
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“You don’t need to be so nervous, the first day of school is always easier than you think it is. You’ll be fine, just think of it like any other day. Hush, Kou.” The latter statement was directed at the boy clinging to her pant leg, her arm reaching down to pat the child’s head as he babbled to her.
“Kiyomi isn’t a child anymore, Shizuku.” her husband stated, setting down his paper to look at them. “She’s 17 and entering her third year. Besides, she has Kaminari right there in the first-year hall now. That boy will do anything for his precious sister.”
Shizuoka rolled her eyes at her father’s statement, shaking her head as she stepped back from her mother’s touch. “He’s going to get in trouble someday if he doesn’t stop.” she stated, moving to sit down at the table as Shizuku sighed, kneeling to pick Kou up.
“He’s just learning his place. Once he’s figured that out, he’ll calm down. But enough of that. It’s a bright day today, the forecast is completely clear. You should be on your way, don’t you have an opening ceremony to get to early?”
The girl nodded, sighing as she stood up again and moved to the door. Her bag had already been placed there in preparation, so all she had to do was bend over to slip her shoes on. As she opened the door, she smiled, returning the wave her mother gave her before exiting the house.
The early April air was cool, but it wasn’t cold, and she could tolerate it as she walked down the street, bag in hand on the path she’d been taking for the last two years. Like her uniform, this was second nature, her feet moving forward of their own accord as she passed by the houses making up her neighborhood. It was a predictable life, everyone having their own fixed schedules and preference toward a quiet atmosphere. Here, there was no cold rain churning up the stable ground.
She lowered her head, altering her path to avoid a biker heading in the opposite direction, and pushed her glasses up again, moving nearer the center of the footpath and away from the waist-high metal fencing to either side as she crossed onto a bridge over the canal that formed the border of the neighborhood.
She blinked as she became aware of a rhythmic tapping ahead of her, forcing her to raise her head, and she stopped moving, staring forward at the surprising sight.
Atop the fencing stood a boy about her age, his arms out as he jumped between the flat tops of the fence posts, his head turned away so all she could see was the shock of blond hair reflecting the morning sunlight.
Eventually, he turned his head to face the water below, and she frowned at the expression on his face. Despite his dancing, he didn’t look happy, a forlorn gaze that seemed to reach far beyond the concrete banks of the canal. Unsure whether to say anything, she simply stood still, mesmerized by the scene as it took place. It went on for several moments, before she finally spoke up.
“You...What are you-” Her eyes widened and she jolted with a small squeak as he suddenly turned to face her, one leg lifted out towards the water as his arms curled in front of him to maintain his balance, and his expression lifted to a wide, open-mouthed grin as his eyes closed.
“Oh, was I bothering you? Sorry, normally there aren’t any people around right now. It’s a good day to go swimming.” With that, he laughed, kicking off the post with the one leg he stood on and sending himself launching out.
Shizuoka instinctively rushed forward, shouting as she raised a hand, but she was too late to catch him, staring forward as she felt herself freeze. What had she just witnessed? She’d never seen someone jump like that, what was she supposed to do now if he-
The boy’s laugh took her from her thoughts again, and he pulled himself up with a hand, having caught the edge of the fencing with his fingers. He jumped, smiling as he set his rear on the post, leaning backward so his head was in line with hers and his arms planted to his sides with his feet kicked out.
“Just kidding. You know, rain can fall wherever it wants to, but we people are unfortunate. We’ve got squishy bits that can bruise, and hard parts that can break. I’ll never really do it, it’s just fun to give in to the pull of the current sometimes. Hm?” He tilted his head, confused by the shell shocked expression on her face, and he smiled, waving a hand in front of her to get her attention. “Hello, Earth to stranger-chan. I’m no jumper, you don’t need to be so concerned!”
The comment broke her from her haze, and she stood straight, huffing as she adjusted her bag. “That’s dangerous! And shouldn’t you be going to school? You’re wearing our uniform.” It was true, he had on the same style of vest she did, coupled with navy slacks that seemed tightly fitted to his legs. Who was he? She wasn’t very social, but she’d never even seen him before.
He tilted his head up to the sky, tapping his chin, before grinning as he pulled himself to stand on the post once more, though this time, he turned to face her, kneeling and spreading his knees in a squat to set his face close to hers, a smirk playing on his face.
“It’s still early, and I don’t normally go this way. I just thought it was a good idea since today’s special.” he responded, and she frowned, moving away from him and holding her arm up defensively.
“And why is that?” she asked, debating simply leaving him behind and rushing to the end of the bridge. She wasn’t athletic, but it wasn’t far, and once there she could take a slightly longer route if she needed to keep her distance.
“Why?” he asked, before pointing his thumb at the sky. “Because it’s raining today. Big changes happen when the sky opens up.” he responded. His serious tone and passive demeanor caught her off guard, and she narrowed her eyes.
“It’s not going to rain today, the forecast said-” She was about to finish when, right on cue, she felt droplets hitting her head, and as she looked up, clouds seemed to form overhead, and within a minute, the steady beating of water hitting the concrete was all around her as her eyes widened. “That it would...be...clear? How did you know?” She brought her arms together, leaning forward in an instinctive effort to defend against the drizzle. She should have brought an umbrella. She never forgot one, why did she have to be in such a rush?
The boy was standing now, his arms raised out to his sides as he balanced his way along the fencing, and she felt compelled to follow, if only to find shelter from the water, though from the happy expression on his face, it seemed he was loving it. He was a completely different person than just a few moments ago, whistling a tune as his body formed a wall that slightly protected her from getting the worst of the water.
“My name’s Aichi, by the way.” he stated, turning his head to face her as he jumped off the last post, kneeling to pick up his own bag where it leaned on the metal. “Yours?”
“Shi-Shizuoka.” she said, confused by the turn of events. She blinked, realizing that she had instinctively moved closer, pushed up against his side and using him as a human shield from the rain as the two walked together on the path she normally took. “I...hate water. It’s cold and horrible, how can you like this?”
He tapped his chin, before shrugging. “Water’s all about life and rebirth. It’s fun to think that I’m connected to it a bit more when it’s like this...or something like that. I wonder, is this what you’d call a ‘fated encounter’?”