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Lightning had started days off on the wrong foot before, but never so literally as she did this morning. And Serah just wouldn’t let her hear the end of it. She felt trapped under the umbrella Serah was holding as they walked and felt trapped whenever she opened her mouth. It was only a light shower and she had only made a small misstep, but neither the skies nor her sister refused to let her go lightly.
“Just admit it Lightning, you got a little curious and couldn’t help yourself. It’s natural.”
“For the last time, I didn't mean to walk in on you changing. So please stop teasing me about it already.”
She asked nicely, hoping to appeal to her sister’s sense of guilt, but knew her playful side was too much to contain. Lightning avoided Serah’s smile by glancing past the umbrella at the dreary skies above, thinking that they weren’t looking as heavy as before. Though she enjoyed the rain she wished that it would stop already while they were walking in it. She thought that by asking Serah nicely, maybe she could appeal to the sky’s sense of guilt too.
There was at least some consolation in knowing that they were approaching the train station: Lightning could finally see it peeking out over the trees. They rounded the stone path out of the shrubbery onto the main sidewalk, continuing through the early morning mist.
“But it’s rare that I can make you blush Lightning, and if you get to take a peek then I should get something too, even if it really was accidental. That’s only fair.”
Serah started swinging their hands and smiling, knowing she made a valid point that her clever sister couldn’t counter. She was right; fair was fair. Even if Lightning wanted to tease her back, she didn’t have any dirt on Serah, so instead of playing on the defensive she stuck to what she was good at: creating an opening when not presented with one.
She lifted Serah’s hand and yanked with enough force to bring her stumbling right into her. Lightning caught her as she collided with her chest, smirking while Serah steadied herself.
“Woah, Serah. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were trying to cop a feel right there.”
“What? Oh, so that’s how you’re going to play? Nice try Lightning.”
“Annoying, isn’t it?”
Serah tore away and walked next to her again, still watching with that playful grin.
“I’m only teasing you Sis. Stop taking it so seriously and smile a little will you?”
Serah leaned forward to give a demonstration, but found Lightning already smiling just as she had asked her to.
“Only teasing, huh? I’m starting to think you keep bringing it up because you want me to stumble in more often,” she said while squeezing Serah’s hand. “And look, I made you blush.”
Serah dropped her grin to frown at Lightning. Only a few steps later however it returned, having already come up with a response.
She abruptly pushed Lightning away outside the protection of the umbrella, playing keepaway when she dashed back to it. The rain dampened Lightning’s clothes, stifling her movements as she reached out and chased after Serah, but noticed that her clothes were wet too when she finally grabbed her coat. Serah was giggling and holding the umbrella far enough from her sister’s reach that she was getting rained on as well. Finally caught, she stopped playing around to allow her sister back under the umbrella with her.
“And why are you laughing Light?”
“Because I’m not the only one who got rained on,” Lightning said as she reunited her hand with Serah’s, raindrops melting between their fingers. “And I was able to make you blush, so we’re even.”
“Maybe I got a little carried away, but that’ll teach you to try to put words in my mouth. Even if you are right.”
“The only thing that taught me was that I should be the one holding the umbrella,” Lightning retorted while she swept the raindrops off of Serah’s cheeks.
“You can hold it on the way back,” she replied, showing a promising smile that curled up as Lightning’s thumb grazed across. “As long as you promise not to step in on me again, at least, not without my approval first. But for now, remember that I have control over who gets rained on.”
“Maybe I’ll think about it, if you promise not to get us wet again. I’d like to dry off before we get on the train.”
“Fair enough. I just wanted to have a little fun. That’s all.”
“Try to save some for the city,” Lightning said as they walked up the gray marble steps of the station platform and under the roof. Lightning checked her phone on the way up while Serah lowered and closed the umbrella. “Fifteen minutes ahead of schedule.”
“Really? I guess we left earlier than I thought.”
Lightning put her phone back in her pocket and stopped to gaze out past the tracks and the trees, to the vast plains beyond them. The mist hung over them, descending from the silvery clouds above. She felt it on her skin as she followed Serah to a wooden bench against the peach-colored stone wall and sat next to her. Serah wove her arm around Lightning’s and reclasped their hands.
“The mist feels so nice. It’s actually making me feel a little drowsy.”
“Take a nap then. I’ll wake you up when the train comes.”
“Are you sure Lightning? Fifteen minutes can be awfully lonesome. I feel bad.”
“I’ll make it.”
They shared smiles, and Serah shuffled closer. Lightning felt their legs and hips touch, and Serah’s head resting on her shoulder.
She watched the clouds on the horizon and the sunbeams fading through them, falling just short of the grass. The rain still came down around them, but not so forcefully now. Instead of the long fall from the skies to the ground the rain dripped from leaves onto pavement while humming on the roof of the station. The breeze cooled Lightning’s skin, and soon she found herself drifting off under the sun showers.
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Lightning awoke with a breath of fresh air; quite possibly as fresh as air could be. She breathed the scent of rain while watching the sun flooding brightly on the field in front of her. The mist was gone and her skin was left warm and bristling. The rain was silent. Gray clouds retreated across the sky.
She stretched her legs in front of her and craned her neck around, once and then twice, astounded by how stiff her shoulder was.
’Oh. Right.’
Serah breathed softly while she slept on it.
Lightning pulled out her phone again, wondering how long they had slept.
Of course. Thirteen minutes too late, and the next train wouldn’t be here for another thirty-two. She sighed with the sinking feeling that she was going to hear about this for the rest of the day, and that Serah was going to take the umbrella-holding privilege back again on the way home. Although, it had stopped raining… maybe, if she asked nicely enough, Serah would forgive her too.
‘Yeah right. Wishful thinking. Although, stepping in on her again isn’t starting to sound like such a bad idea. She wasn’t wrong. I am very curious.’
Lightning considered it while she waited for the train.