[Open] Rain

They always say when one door closes, another door opens. This is exactly the case when somebody loses a sense. Cases of people's hearing becoming sharper when they lose their vision were commonplace in the media, and Kuriko had experienced the change firsthand.

When she was born without sight, Kuriko was always quick to respond to her name. She could hear her parents talking at night on the other side of the flat, and even sometimes the neighbour's conversations. She'd always enjoyed listening at night ,especially to her parent's breathing. One of her fondest memories, though, was listening to the rain against a thousand Tokyo windows. The rhythmic tapping of the rain often lulled her to sleep, and especially helped on nights when her parents weren't exactly quiet... arguing about some bill or another.

Once she gained sight, however... she noticed it taking its toll. Her hearing wasn't as sharp as it used to be, and this upset her. Although nothing could replace the gift of sight, rainy nights weren't as special as they used to be.

And thus, we find ourselves in the present: Kuriko sitting on a bench in a park in the pouring rain with her eyes closed, getting absolutely drenched yet having a pleasant smile on her face, oblivious to the world. Her usually immaculate blonde hair hangs in thick, dark clumps around her face, and the sparing eyeliner that she applied to her eyes that morning was dripping slightly, giving the effect that she has been crying. The evening gloom reveals the faint blue glow from her eyes, seeping through the small crack between her eyelids.

"This is what I get for putting off going to the store till the last minuet, it rains on me." Mihoko thought to her self with a sigh as she walked through the park on her way to the small store. The rain and cold didn't help her leg either, these conditions always made her prosthetic leg stiffen up in the knee joint and as a result making it harder to move. Even though she had on her dark purple p-coat and the long scarf it did little for her leg. As she walked along she carried a large white and blue golf umbrella to keep her self dry, the sight must of been odd due to Mihoko's size compared to the large size of the umbrella. Suddenly she noticed a blond girl sitting on a bench getting drenched by the rain.
"Hey, aren't you afraid you're gonna catch a cold, sitting in the rain like that?" she asked the girl, then adding "I've got plenty of room under here if you wanna stop getting rained on." as she motioned to the large umbrella.

Kuriko showed no signs of response for a few seconds, then breathed a deep sigh, slowly turned her head towards the teacher and opened her eyes. The mechanical lenses rotated and the LED glowed brighter as her eyes focused, and she said in a quiet voice, "I'm fine thank you."

She took in what was in front of her, a teacher from her school with a huge umbrella. "It's not that cold." She says cheerily, "I just love listening to the rain."

"Alright then, but you know there are drier ways to listen to the rain. Why sit out in it and get soaked?" Mihoko asked, some what confused as to why one would need to sit out in the rain in order to hear it.

"It's all about immersion, Ikina-sensei!" Kuriko laughed, wondering how the teacher would react to a stranger knowing her name.

"OH! You're one of my students then? You'll have to forgive me for not remembering your name. I do have to say though it is interesting seeing someone your age experimenting with immersion. What brought that about if you don't mind me asking that is."

"I don't study history, Ikina-sensei." Kuriko says with a smile, then leans back and lets a small smile form on her lips. "I think you can probably guess that I've been blind from a young age," Kuriko says airily, gesturing towards her cybernetic eyes, "I've missed the sound of rain. My hearing isn't what it used to be since I regained my sight. It's nice once in a while to experience something without seeing it... hence the immersion. Sound, feel and smell at the same time."

She glances the teacher up and down, "Why're you out here, anyway?" She asks, brushing her wet hair from her eyes with one hand.

"I was on my way to the store to get a few things." Mihoko answered before she just stood there in the rain for a moment listening as the drops hit and rolled off of her large umbrella. Suddenly she broke the silence
"I lost something when I was young too, not quite as intense as my sight though, but when I was little I lost one of my legs in an accident. Wait a second...how do you know who I am if you're not one of my students?"

"My boyfriend is in one of your classes." Kuriko says with a smile, before turning apologetic. "Losing something you'd always had must have been harder... I'm sorry, Ikina-sensei. I had no idea, or I'd have been more, err... tactful."

"No need to apologize, It was a long time time ago. It doesn't really bother me now...well aside from my getting a little stiff in this kind of weather. My sight did get damaged in the accident though, that's why I have to ware glasses." She replied. After a moment she asked
"So...which of my students is your boyfriend then?" with her trademark devilish smile.