One Shots | Shin Soukoku

One-Shot | 004

"SINGING IN THE RAIN"
(AKUATSU)

“Anyone who says sunshine brings
happiness has never tried and found joy
by dancing and singing in the rain.”

- Anonymous -

וווו×

Atsushi and Akutagawa had just finished having a dinner at a local restaurant and were enjoying strolling through the stores in adjacent shopping center.

They went into a shop that sold handcrafted items in hopes finding a few last-minute hand gifts for their mentor.

The scent of handmade soaps and potpourri teased their noses as they walked through the door.

There was a lot to see. Every shelf and wall was loaded with different crafters' handiwork.

As Atsushi walked through the store, he noticed a wooden plaque hanging unceremoniously on a wall. He turned to take a second look and remember shaking his head “yes” at the message printed on the plaque.

Moving on, Atsushi enjoyed looking at other items in the store, but found himself being drawn back to the plaque.

Standing in front of the plaque, he felt a little like a child who, when digging through the sandbox, finds some unexpected treasure—a shiny quarter or a lost toy.

Here among the other handmade items, he found a very simple, yet profound treasure hidden in a message. A message he needed.

'Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass,'  the plaque proclaimed. 'It is about learning to dance in the rain.'

"Dear, Ryuu, look!" As he pulled his husband over and directed his attention to the plaque, Atsushi could see that Akutagawa too appreciated the simple lesson the plaque shared.

How often in their daily lives had they put conditions on their happiness? When they get paid off, then they can be happy. Or only when things settle down between the Agency and the Port Mafia, then they'll be able to do more happy things together.

There is so little joy for the here and now in the uncertainties of the whens and thens.

Looking at the plaque, Atsushi found himself thinking back to a hot and muggy day in these summer, when he unknowingly lived the plaque's message.

Dark clouds had rolled in along the foothills of the Rockies, heavy with their burden of moisture.

Rain began falling lightly by mid-afternoon, building to a downpour that filled the gutters with rushing water and then moved on as quickly as it had come.

Light rain continue to fall as Atsushi walked out to get his mail. Water was still running high through the gutters. Atsushi don't know what came over him, but he suddenly felt compelled to do something a little crazy once in his life.

So, he slipped off his shoes and stockings and began walking barefoot through the water. It was deliciously warm, heated by the pavement that had been baked by the summer heat.

Akutagawa saw him, smiled then he joined him. Dancing and singing together in the middle of the rain. They're sure their neighbors thought that they had lost they last vestige of sanity due to often fight between them.