a blistering summer calls for an inevitable heavy rain.

today, the weather forecast had warned them about a particular heavy downpour in the afternoon that would continue into the evening. it's cold, muggy and the incessant buzzing of the rainfall outside was enough to cause a sensory overload.

kazuha's eyes are glued outside the window, mesmerised orbs staring up at the dull, wailing sky that granted her a sense of tranquillity.

she deems whoever skipped school today lucky. perhaps they're having a whale of a time napping away in a cool weather such as this, well-deserved after weeks of the unforgiving, scorching sun. compared to the sunshower drizzle hours prior, the sky is now a dome of dreary grey, where large pillows of cloud blotted the old-gold colour of the sun.

in the midst of the racket outside, kazuha feels calm. she has always liked the rain.

"i can barely see anything past the field."

the same can't be said about sakura though.

the girl cranes her neck towards the window, where beads of rain were pitter-pattering angrily against the glass. she narrows her eyes as if the more she squints, the better she would be able to see past the wall of rain that obscured everything beyond the school field.

so much rain was falling that the cacophony was blurred into one long whirring noise, like the rotor blades of a helicopter.

"yeah, it's really pouring." kazuha hums and glances at sakura, a thin smile brewing on her lips when she notices a frown slowly forming on her face. she's never been too fond of the cold.

they're in their last hour of class and the teacher is awfully late, kazuha only hopes they haven't slipped in a puddle somewhere. at the very least, she's able to use this time to take it easy — the words from her textbook were starting to blur and it was getting harder to shake away the grip drowsiness had on her.

the rest of their classmates were using the time leisurely too — no surprise — sneaking off to their friends' desks to chat among themselves, the occasional laughter evoking from various tables.

in her boredom, she had planned to doze off, silently praying that it would be an empty period until the dismissal bell would blare in their ears, screaming 'freedom awaits!'.

seeing how sakura had risen from her seat at the front and decidedly toddled towards her table by the windows, kazuha eventually straightened from her slouch and sets her sights on her girlfriend with a crooked smile on her face.

the cherry blossom had taken the liberty to place herself in front of kazuha's desk, she had pulled the chair of the vacant table in front of her — her tablemate had ventured off to someone else's in the meantime.

she looks so much smaller in her hoodie, kazuha muses, wants nothing more than to engulf sakura in a bear hug if all that warmth wasn't enough. it probably isn't, with how often she's shoving her hands in her pockets and the way her shoulders were hunching up all the way to her scarlet ears.

"what if i just-" she watches with confusion as sakura cautiously tries to push open the window by an inch, her curiosity and impulsive thoughts getting the better of her.

for what purpose? kazuha doesn't know but she figures a wave of regret is now washing over the older girl seeing how the rain had managed to slip in, and gasps when a few droplets were quick to kiss those cherubic cheeks, some of it getting on the edge of her desk. kazuha instantly closes the window and tries to contain her giggles when sakura's face contorts in a grimace, the water droplets trickling down her right cheek. she's visibly appalled by the audacity mother nature had shown her, frozen in her seat for a good five seconds before the cold pricks at her skin once again.

well, she dawned it upon herself.

"cold... that's super cold..!" sakura shrieks, teeth practically chattering due to the burst of wind and the frigid rain that slapped her right in the face.

kazuha is quick to reach out, and uses a hand to wipe sakura's face dry. it merely took a single swipe, considering how big her hands are. an amused grin makes its way onto her lips.

"i don't know what you expected," kazuha says, watching fondly as sakura takes her wet hand and uses the sleeves of her own hoodie to pat it dry. it creates damp patches on the fabric and sakura folds it up a couple times so it doesn't bother her too much.

"definitely not getting splashed in the face..." sakura mumbles in embarrassment, still feels the cold lingering on her cheek, like a vampire's palm clutching her face.

kazuha laughs, it's deep and gentle. despite how loud and cold it was outside, sakura feels as if a blanket was wrapped around her shoulders whenever she hears that familiar melody. and for a while, she forgets the frigid air even exists, smiling warmly as her eyes trace kazuha's soft features, looking out the window with a content smile.

in sakura's eyes, kazuha is comfort personified.

in this fast-paced world, where everyone appears to be constantly rushing into things, they tend to forget to slow down and unwind. some who are aware of their own neglect, start to crave for something or rather, someone to anchor them when they feel the world quaking beneath their feet. and when their world starts to tilt, at the very least, they would have that one person to stabilise them no matter what.

for sakura, it's nakamura kazuha. or at least she feels so, and she starts to wonder if she could be that person for kazuha. perhaps it was too early to be thinking something so profound at an age so tender, but she couldn't help it.

kazuha's existence had burrowed into her mind like a rabbit and dug out sentiments even she herself couldn't put into words verbally.

"i always wonder why we tend to get upset when it rains. i get giddy when it starts pouring, like how the earth is being cleansed, it feels like my mind is being washed away too." kazuha speaks, eyes still fixated at the downpour and her tone is as soft as a duvet.

sakura wants to bury herself in it, bask in all the warmth it has to offer.

if she didn't know any better, kazuha looked as if she wanted to dance in the rain.

"i get you, the sound of the rain is so loud yet so relaxing that it empties your head of any thoughts. and when we stop to pay attention, everything just feels... peaceful?" sakura replies and nods in agreement, it's silly when she realises she's said all that and never once did she tear her eyes away from the girl in front of her.

putting aside her state of reverie, kazuha agrees that the rain was like a lullaby on its own.

"i should've skipped school and slept the day away." she states half-jokingly, sighing as she slumps in her seat, so tempted to just melt against her desk and instantly enter a state of slumber like a bear in winter.

"hang in there, we're an hour away from dismissal. you'll survive." sakura chuckles, gently shaking kazuha's arm to keep her awake.

the teacher strolls in a few minutes later (finally!), unperturbed by the fact that she was utterly late. if anything, she seemed as if she wanted to be anywhere else but here. it was like the cool weather had placed a drowsy spell upon everyone in the room, every movement languid and every word drifting like those sombre clouds within the sky.

sakura doesn't really pay attention either, an elbow propped on her desk as she palmed her cheek while the other mindlessly doodled in the corner of her textbook pages.

and it's of a cat nestling up to a napping samoyed, finding warmth in its lush, snow white fur.

"with how much it's raining today, best believe walking outside would feel like hell in the following days." sakura grouses and heaves out a long sigh, she's bound to get sick one of these days.

now that classes are over, everyone is suddenly wide awake, the after school hours injecting them with adrenaline unrivaled. the multitude sounds of footsteps shuffling along the corridors and nonstop chit-chat combined with the unfaltering rain feels like white noise drilling into her eardrums. sakura hunches up her shoulders when a cold breeze her face, ruffling her bangs out of place.

"my bike's doomed, but i get a free wash i guess..."

they turn a corner towards the stairs and kazuha juts out her lower lip, broods about her poor bicycle which had been left out in the open.

"seriously, the school really needs to invest in a shelter for the bike racks." sakura says and she shakes her head, knowing kazuha would most likely leave it at school today under the rain and pick it up tomorrow.

"someone needs to bring it up in the student forum." the taller of the two responds.

kazuha glances over her shoulder before swiftly pulling sakura by her arm, hugging the walls as they walked down the stairs. she frowns at the boy who suddenly comes bounding down the stairs with no brakes in his steps, with disregard for the safety of other students or the slippery floors.

sakura stares at him wide-eyed, startled by his urgent movements and lets her eyes trail after him until he disappears around the corner. if kazuha hadn't pulled her in, there probably would have been a major accident.

"...should we call a taxi?"

they stand idly at the veranda, absentmindedly staring as students rush out with umbrellas sheltering their heads.

"don't, it's a waste of money." kazuha tells her girlfriend, eyebrows furrowing upon the idea.

it truly would be a waste, with how much fare prices are increasing, coupled by the fact that their homes are more or less 15 minutes away. if they went by car, it would have been less than half of that time and kazuha thinks paying a hefty sum for such short distance is absurd.

"then how do you suppose we get home without getting soaking wet?" sakura looks up at kazuha with eyebrows raised, genuinely curious about the latter's reply.

kazuha lifts her shoulders, hands tightening her grip on the straps of her bag.

"i don't know, run?" she says sheepishly, lips curved in a strained smile knowing sakura would not approve her ludicrous idea.

and just as she had expected, sakura groans and facepalms.

"zuha, you know how bad i am at running. i could slip and die!" sakura pointed out dramatically, and kazuha almost laughs at the sheer amount of overthinking her girlfriend does.

"i could hold your hand," she tries.

"then we will slip and die."

kazuha releases a long sigh, there's really no winning the overthinking war with sakura.

granted, they had umbrellas each but kazuha wasn't really comfortable with having to walk on their own. their umbrellas would bump into each other's and there would be no way for them to walk together at the same pace.

"we can use my umbrella, it's bigger." kazuha points out quickly after roughly comparing the sizes of their umbrella with her eyes, sakura having one a little smaller than hers.

"sure, we'll have to squeeze in together though."

kazuha slowly nods, opens the velcro of her umbrella and unconsciously bites her lower lip.

"yeah, are you... okay with that?" she tentatively asks and looks at sakura for confirmation, ignoring her cheeks which began to warm up faintly. her uncertain tone probably gave away her ever so innocent intentions.

alas, sakura can be a little dense sometimes. she barely registers the undertone behind kazuha's words and instantly replies with a displeased look instead.

"i'm gonna be honest with you, i'm not. it's gonna be very hard to walk properly and our shoes are gonna be flooded-" sakura admittedly retorts, getting a little too factual unintentionally.

"right..." kazuha trails off and perhaps the disappointment had been too pristine in her voice because sakura glances at her questioningly due to her sudden change in tone.

and then it dawns on her.

"OH, you mean that ..." sakura realises, an awkward silence follows after and she bursts into giggles when kazuha refuses to meet her eyes.

"you could've just said you wanted to hug me, zuha." she playfully nudges the taller girl, bumping their shoulders and gets the pleasure of watching kazuha's already rosy cheeks turning a shade darker.

"th-that's not..." an awkward cough, and kazuha gives in. "okay yeah, i do..."

"you're my girlfriend, why wouldn't i be okay? also, do you know how warm you are?" sakura reassures her and her words fill the taller girl with a newfound confidence.

all that timidity disappears in an instant and is replaced with a big grin across kazuha's face, and sakura wonders if she was ever shy at all.

kazuha's umbrella pops open, then she glances at sakura knowingly before offering her arm to the older girl.

the butterflies are quick to swarm her tummy just as her girlfriend loops an arm around hers. and when they step into the rain, it's like going to war with a waterbender.

sakura ends up sticking closer to her much more than anticipated — their elbows locked within each other's, shoulders glued every so often that they might as well have been conjoined. kazuha could feel her socks slowly getting soaked with the amount of puddles they have accidentally stepped into.

normally, she would have been grumbling to herself about how disgusting it felt but sakura was a great distraction. so the entire time, she's only focused on their skins brushing each other's, the fluttering feelings in her stomach never at rest.

and by the time she realises it, her hand had found its way around sakura's waist, wrapped around her like a protective belt whenever the wind blew a little too hard.

her role as sakura's knight in shining armour didn't last for so long, however. it's a little embarrassing — kazuha thinks of herself as someone with rather good reflexes but perhaps she had been too busy relishing in the moment her and sakura shared that she blurred out everything else, focusing her attention solely on her girlfriend.

sakura sees the incoming car first, panicked eyes darting back and forth between the vehicle and the dauntingly huge puddle on the side of the road. and by the time sakura pulls on her arms and tries to retreat back as far as possible (with kazuha giving her a puzzled look and a dumb 'eh?'), they're hit with a tidal wave, quite literally a tsunami that leaves their front drenched.

for a while, they stand at the pavement at its furthest end, too dumbfounded to speak. there were several passerbys who got caught in the crossfire too, and sakura watches with dripping bangs as they huff in disbelief, throwing daggers at the damn car before storming off with steam coming out of their ears.

standing under an umbrella feels utterly useless now with how wet they are.

(at least their backpacks are safe? they didn't have to worry about wet assignments but sakura isn't sure if she's supposed to feel better after all that .)

"great, all that was useless." sakura exhales, long and jaded, seemingly given up on giving a damn about their unfortunate predicament and is unusually quick to accept reality.

kazuha's lips stretched in a thin smile, glances up at her umbrella before sighing. she already pictured it in her head, maybe if she had paid more attention to her surroundings, she would've foresaw the stupid car and used the umbrella as a shield.

nevermind, it's no use thinking about that now... kazuha mentally facepalms, her chance at a heroic act crumbled because she was too busy being captivated by her girlfriend.

embarrassing, but can you blame her?

"ugh... i can feel my hair frizzing up." kazuha grouses as soon as they rushed inside sakura's apartment lobby, the two sighing in relief after finally getting out of purgatory.

she wrings the water out of her hair, frowning as she stares at it dripping from the ends and creating a small puddle on the floor, with sakura mirroring her actions.

"even in the rain, your abs are working so hard." sakura suddenly says, a small chuckle escaping her lips.

kazuha gives her a confused look promptly, then notices sakura's eyes dropping down lower, and it's when she realises the damp patch coincidentally centering her abdomen and her uniform sticking to her skin.

a clear '11' on display.

kazuha blinks as sakura shuffles towards her and wordlessly zips her volleyball windbreaker up to her chin. kazuha sees the faint blush painting sakura's cheeks, lips pulled up in a tight, flustered smile.

she's so pretty, kazuha subconsciously marvels at the girl who stands before her. when sakura glances up, kazuha shoots her a charming grin and doesn't mention her red cheeks to save the latter from embarrassment. so she quietly takes in the precious sight for herself, and brings up her hands to adjust sakura's disarrayed bangs.

her slender fingers occasionally graze sakura's forehead as they meticulously attempt to fix the tousled strands, earning a couple giggles here and there because it tickled the older girl.

sakura pulls away slightly and gives up, merely brushing her bangs back and leaving her forehead bare.

"ah, i worked hard fixing them though..." kazuha whines, and seeing the pout on her lips, sakura feels a twinge of guilt and gives her an apologetic smile.

"sorry, do it again." her heart can't stand how cute kazuha can be sometimes.

kazuha laughs and ruffles her bangs instead of fixing them again, earning a pinch on the side from sakura.

"i don't know why you get bangs when you seem to get irritated by them often."

"you said i'd look good in them."

"and you do."

sakura rolls her eyes, because that's her instinctive reaction to kazuha's smooth talk. she figures it's better than stumbling over saying a shy 'thank you', knowing how much kazuha likes it when she gets flustered.

"i'll go now, see you tomorrow?" kazuha wraps up their little moment with a satisfied smile on her lips, backtracking towards the open.

"where are you going?" sakura clutches the hem of her jacket before she could take a step further, there's a frown on her face and kazuha is once again rendered perplexed.

"home...? should i be going somewhere else?" kazuha replies, more of a question than a statement, cocking a brow.

sakura huffs through her nose, gives her a piercing look before punching the elevator button.

"you're ridiculous if you think i'm letting you go out alone in that crazy weather."

"oh... are you inviting me up?" kazuha points to herself in genuine confusion as if there were anyone else.

"yes, now come on!"

when the elevator doors slide open, sakura practically hauls her inside. the ride up was silent but it wasn't uncomfortable, just that kazuha often leaves the cherry blossom confused. and it's because she gets all stiff and very smiley (she can't tell if it's strained or she's just happy to be there) whenever she's invited over. sakura doesn't blame her, she has visited the nakamura's a couple times and her awkward, formal side comes out on automatic as a form of respect.

the first time was merely trying to pass the girl her homework because kazuha had been absent that day. the second was because kazuha had invited her over for a movie hangout — in which both her parents were at home. it was awkward and the nakamuras had been nothing but welcoming, but sakura couldn't shake off her nerves.

(sakura had been so on edge that she refused to make any kind of physical contact with kazuha in order to avoid suspicions, even suggesting to leave the door ajar so they don't stir weird speculations. they never had any funny intentions anyway.)

thinking back, sakura feels sorry, they practically hung out with an invisible barrier between them, which wasn't a very ideal 'date'. but kazuha is a person so understanding, she had told her to do whatever that makes her feel at ease even if it was a little.

she repaid the younger girl with a real movie date the day after that, and surprised her with a deep kiss while their fingers intertwined on the cinema seat's armrest. one that left kazuha breathless and undoubtedly gave her an unforgettable experience. when sakura told her that it wasn't merely an apology and that she had actually been wanting to do that for a while, kazuha was the happiest person alive.

so most of the time, it's kazuha coming over hers, courtesy of sakura's mother whose warm words were 'you can come over anytime!'. sakura thinks her dear mother would have taken kazuha and the other three under her wing if she could.

flashbacks aside, they enter sakura's vacant home promptly — her mom's out with her little brother somewhere, she doesn't know, an errand perhaps.

kazuha's eyes glaze over the familar warm interior, feels her heart swell and follows after sakura who ambles straight to the kitchen to fetch some face towels.

"we probably look silly right now." sakura says in between giggles.

they're wiping each other's face dry. initially, it was sakura who did it for kazuha first, before the latter mimicked her gesture and took another towel to do the same for her girlfriend.

"thanks," kazuha gives her a grateful smile, gently wiping sakura's cheek one last time and with utmost subtlety, caresses the older girl's cold skin with her knuckles.

"do you wanna take a shower?" sakura bestows her a tempting offer, her damp state wasn't exactly comfortable with the fabric sticking to her skin.

and just as kazuha was about to take her up on that offer, her phone buzzes in her pocket.

"um, that's okay. my mom's actually coming to pick me up right now. she left work early." kazuha tells her truthfully, eyebrows knitted in a frown as she stares at the chat window shared between her and her mom, informing her that she had taken shelter at sakura's house.

"oh that's good!" sakura clasps her hands, at least now she'll know kazuha will return home safely.

on the contrary, kazuha is whining in her head. she had hoped to spend more time with her girlfriend. in a cold weather like this, she only fantasizes about cuddling with sakura. kazuha suddenly feels her neck grow hot, they haven't reached that stage of physical intimacy yet.

"tea?" sakura's pleasant voice breaks her out of her reverie.

"oh um... yes! please." kazuha stammers, clearing afterwards.

she doesn't realise it, but she's trailing after sakura everywhere even in the small space of the kitchen. sakura's used to it though, feels as if a benign shadow is looming over her from behind. in her head, kazuha was like a clingy puppy.

"you're still cold?"

it's sweet just the right amount, the tea. like sakura's gentle gaze on her as she takes a few sips. kazuha has her entire hands around the mug that sakura begins to doubt there was even one in the first place.

sakura doesn't answer her question immediately, lips slowly stretching into a smile. and kazuha simply stares, not sure what she was waiting for but it definitely wasn't the next thing.

without warning, sakura swoops in and occupies her personal space, careful of the tea in her hands, and then proceeds to place a soft kiss on her lips. sakura smiles into the kiss, just as she expected — kazuha is as soft, warm and sweet as her tea.

"hm... not anymore." she says after pulling away, a playful smile dancing across her lips.

and kazuha... well, kazuha just turned into stone, never once expected that move sakura had boldly pulled. ultimately, she was robbed of her speech and utterly enamoured but there was no denying that she loved it.

she couldn't suppress the uncontrollable grin spreading across her lips as she meets sakura's brilliant brown eyes, a hint of mischief glinting in them. her playful side influences kazuha so easily, because right after the girl sets down her mug on the counter, she captures sakura within her arms and dives in to pepper light kisses across her face.

sakura squeals in surprise at first, closing her eyes shut during the barrage of kisses and tries to push kazuha away by her firm shoulders. but later on, she yields and stops resisting, only her loud giggles echoing throughout her house.

she revels in the warmth of kazuha's lips gliding across her features, in kazuha's firm yet gentle hold around her waist, in the loving comfort that is kazuha's presence.

"are you feeling warmer now?" kazuha finally pulls away, her smile wider than ever as she looks down fondly at the girl in her arms.

very very warm, sakura hums in content, keeping hold on kazuha's shoulders as she recovers from her high.

"i remember when you weren't even brave enough to ask for a kiss." sakura teases, and it's kazuha's turn to become red.

"...i was super shy back then."

"mhmm, thought i was dating a hermit." sakura chortles, fingers picking on kazuha's windbreaker, smiles when she sees the latter's gaze flickering back and forth between her eyes and lips.

unfortunately, good things never last. just before their lips could meet again, kazuha suddenly breaks away to turn around and let out a loud sneeze. at the same time, her phone rings, and sakura bites her lips, wanting to laugh at the chaotic situation.

"well... my mom's here," kazuha pockets her phone slowly, smiling softly at her girlfriend as they wordlessly make their way to the entrance.

"i'll uh... ehem, i'll walk you to the lobby-"

"no need, you stay in and keep warm." kazuha puts her hands on sakura's shoulders when she was about to step out, a firm expression on her face.

"...fine." sakura grabs onto the arms on her shoulders and lowers them down to intertwine their hands.

"bye bye," kazuha endearingly says, a laugh escaping her lips when sakura swings their joined hands playfully.

and then sakura surprises her yet again by pecking her cheek.

"take a long, warm bath right after you get home, you hear me?" sakura tells her firmly, squeezing their hands briefly.

"yes ma'am!" kazuha brightly responds and salutes, ecstatic after earning yet another sweet kiss.

she ends up waving to sakura throughout her short walk to the elevator, a dazzling grin on her face from just a small peck. even when the elevator doors close, sakura sees her peeking through the windows and waves until she descends.

sakura laughs to herself, her chest becoming significantly warm as kazuha continues to occupy her head even after her departure.

all that charming height and she only sees cuteness oozing.