paper petals | naruhina

paper petals

FIVE DAYS BEFORE summer drew itself to a close, a drowsy silence fell over a neighborhood of Konoha. Windows that were once reflected by the rays of the scorching sun looked desolated. The flowers were gradually dying while the grass withered to a dreary brown.

Needless to say, it was a gloomy and distressing afternoon.

The only person seen outside was a teenage girl sitting on the mini public playground's swing.

She was a petite girl with bright lavender eyes and dark blue hair. Her pale skin glowed especially with the gloomy mood of the neighborhood. And she needed time to relax after a day of work in the flower shop.

Her eyes were closed for a little while, imagining the current scene of the book she huddled close to her chest. She looked peaceful. She felt peaceful.

However, the euphoric feeling didn't last long—she felt wet droplets kissing every part of her exposed skin.

She looked up and met the darkness of the sky. After harshly placing her book inside her small shoulder bag, her hands quickly rummaged through it, hoping to grasp on an umbrella. There was no way she could fit an umbrella there but she looked for it anyway.

The girl heaved a deep sigh. She stood up from the swing and decided to sprint her way to the nearest area that could shield her from the pouring rain.

After a minute of running in the rain, she was finally under a school's covered bench. Not just any other school's, but the school she'll be attending in a few days.

She was soaked and in each minute that passed by, the rain gradually becomes heavier. There was no sign that it'll be stopping soon.

The walk to her apartment from her current whereabout is quite long. She thought about running as she was certain no one would share their umbrella with a mere stranger like her.

She waited for what seemed like thirty minutes. The rain was still pouring and the girl's patience is wearing thin. She was lucky to have a sweater on, but she was also wearing shorts at that moment. That way, she wasn't really protected from shivering and trembling in the cold of the rain. She internally cursed.

"Ugh... You know what? Screw it." She said as she prepared herself to put up with the heavy droplets coming from the darkened sky. It was late and she has to go home.

She hugged her bag close to her chest and finally ran for it. She was completely soaked. Her pale skin looked even paler. "Great. I'll be sick tomorrow when I had planned to do my last minute school supply haul." She thinks to herself. To say she was frustrated was an understatement.

Her walk hasn't gone too far from where she was. She saw an empty shed and decided to stay there as she can't afford withstand the rain anymore. She sat on the bench and wrung the water off her sweater to at least make it feel lighter.

She looked down at her feet. She could feel her eyes drooping and threatening to close but the fact that she was in public kept her awake.

She paced out and didn't even notice the tall figure dimming her view towards the concrete floor.

"Hey, are you okay?"

She looked up and her drowsy pale lavender eyes met piercing blue ones. His hood covered his head and he had an orange umbrella on one hand.

"Wait—You're obviously not!"

The boy reached for her cold hand and let her take his umbrella, "I-It's okay. I can wait for the rain to stop." She said weakly while handing him his umbrella back.

"I have this bad boy protecting me so I'm okay, believe it!" He said while pointing to his hoodie. "Keep the umbrella, you look like you need it the most."

"Oh, thank you." The girl managed to blurt out.

"Don't mention it—Anyway, I have to get going now or my mom will scratch my ears off." He laughed, standing out in the gloomy weather. 

"Before I go, What's your name? I don't think I've seen you around."

"Uh, Hinata. Hinata Hyūga."

"Nice to meet you, Hinata! Hoping we'll meet again sometime!"