Rain in Africa

    Aisha gazed out at the African savannah. There weren't any herds of gazelles or much of anything to watch today, except the rain. The pounding, torrential rain. She stepped out of the doorway, feeling the water pour over her. Angel Grove didn't have rain like this, so pure, so cleansing. She didn't think anywhere civilized did.
    Still, she missed Angel Grove. She missed her friends and she actually missed being a Power Ranger. Sure, helping save lions was nice, but it didn't fill the void that losing her powers had left, especially since her parents did most of the work. Every now and then, she got a letter from her old friends. She knew that Tanya, the girl she replaced in Africa, was fitting in well, that she and Adam were now dating and that Billy had left for Aquitar.
    That was one reason Aisha loved the rain. She knew that Aquitar was mostly water, so when she danced in the downpours, she felt a little closer to her old friend. I never got to say goodbye, she thought, turning her face towards the heavens. She had been interested in Billy for a short while after transferring to Angel Grove, but nothing had come of it. He had just been a good friend.
    As it usually did, her mind turned to Adam. Sweet, shy Adam, her friend from birth. When they were younger, they had played in the rain together with Rocky. She remembered one time in particular where they had found what had to be the largest, muddiest puddle in all of Stone Canyon. By the time they went back to their respective homes, it was pretty impossible to tell Rocky from Adam. They could only tell her apart from the boys because of her hair. All three of them had been yelled at. Aisha remembered the seven washings it took to get all the mud out of her hair.
    She turned slowly, feeling the raindrops hit her body in an ever-changing cadence. It was a good sensation, reminding her that she was still alive. She began to run through one of the slower tai chi katas, feeling the resistance of energy and the slow pull of her muscles working.
    Adam had taught her tai chi several years ago. Aisha found it fascinating, a good contrast to her faster hip-hop dancing. She used to practice to a cd player that blasted out the latest pop music and ballads. Now, she practiced to the rhythm of the rain, feeling the beat of nature. These days, she had no idea what was popular in music. She found she didn't really care anymore. Africa had its own music in its people, its animals, and its nature. Aisha had learned to listen to the silence, to find the music in what was everyday. She heard the nature's music everywhere.
    The rain pounded down, pelting Aisha with its strength. In the distance, she heard thunder rumbling, taking up the percussion section of the song. Lightning flashed in a cymbal crash. The rain poured harder; Aisha felt it soaking her. Her clothes were plastered to her body as she spun into a frenzied dance, letting the sound of the rain guide her further and further from her home, deeper and deeper into the savannah. Harder and harder she danced, her feet churning the ground into soft mud. She wanted to let go, to become one with the rain. Maybe if I dance hard enough, I'll become the rain, and rain down on Angel Grove, on my friends.
    She turned faster and faster as the wind picked up, her movements becoming a blur. She let the rain and the wind set the tempo in this, her tribute to life. She didn't stop until the rain calmed for a few moments, the wind dying down. She stopped turning and found herself staring into a pair of warm brown eyes.
    "Hello," the owner of the eyes spoke in a soft, pleasantly accented voice. "I've been watching you dance. I hope you don't mind. My name is Daniel."
    Aisha looked at Daniel. He was clad in the tribal way of loose pants and a pair of sandals. His face was handsome and friendly. She quickly lost her thoughts of Angel Grove. "No, I don't mind," she said breathlessly. "My name's Aisha. Would you like to dance?"