Bus Stop by Sereia

Bus Stop

Hanakotoba Matsuri Week 04: Support & Friendship

Prompt: Pink Tulip (friendship), School AU

Level: Bloom

Inspiration: "Bus Stop" by The Hollies

..::**::..

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you?"

Sesshoumaru shook his head, sliding his feet into his boots. "Public transit will be sufficient."

"But it's pouring!"

"You make it sound like the end of the world, Izayoi-san." His stepmother was sweet but tended to worry needlessly.

"It could be!" she insisted. "Everyone's in such a rush in the morning. And pedestrians are hit all the time—"

"Nii-san! Breh-wah!"

Sesshoumaru's expression softened as Inuyasha dragged a large umbrella down the hallway. His half-brother was only three but was hellbent on protecting him from everything—including spiders and wet feet.

Patting the boy's head, Sesshoumaru took the umbrella. Inuyasha grinned and pulled out his own, getting into a defensive stance and using it like a sword. Sesshoumaru chuckled, then did the same, batting at the bright red umbrella before landing a hit on Inuyasha's shoulder.

The toddler pouted, then puffed his chest out. "Six seconds today!"

"Indeed. A major improvement."

Inuyasha beamed, then tugged on Sesshoumaru's coat, pulling him down before smacking him on the face with both hands. "Be safe."

"I will," Sesshoumaru agreed. "Keep your mother safe."

Striking another defensive pose, Inuyasha grabbed his dropped umbrella, then ran back down the hallway, intent on starting a fight with his stuffed animals.

"You are so good to him."

"He is my brother," Sesshoumaru answered simply.

Izayoi smiled softly, then grimaced when he opened the front door. "Are you sure—"

"Positive. Mother has requested a meeting after my classes have finished anyway."

"You make afternoon tea sound so formal," she said with a laugh.

Sesshoumaru shrugged, then opened his umbrella and headed down the driveway. A ten-minute walk to the bus stop, a seven-minute wait, then an eleven-minute ride. It was always the same.

Today would be no different.

Sesshoumaru hadn't accounted for his usual bus being so full that the driver had refused to stop for him. It seemed everyone else had chosen to take the bus instead of their own vehicles that day.

A fifteen-minute delay wouldn't make him late for his classes, but he was now forced to wait while water poured off the edge of his umbrella. This bus stop didn't have a shelter to protect him from the rain, which was why Inuyasha had been so insistent about his umbrella.

Perhaps he could catch up on reading before—

"Did the bus for Todai go by yet?"

Sesshoumaru stepped back as a woman with dark hair skidded to a stop next to him. She bent over, trying to catch her breath, the back of her jacket soaked.

"I didn't miss it again, did I?"

Sesshoumaru frowned, then checked his watch. "The bus for Tokyo University is not set to show up for another eight and a half minutes."

"Really? That's a relief! I thought for sure—" The woman straightened, brushing damp hair out of her face. "Do you go to Todai too? I've never seen you at this stop before."

Keeping his eyes on the road, Sesshoumaru shook his head. "I go to Keio."

"Wow, really? That's amazing! What are you studying?"

"Medicine."

The woman snorted. "Well, duh. That's kind of what they're known for. What field are you in?"

It seemed she was determined to drag him into a pointless conversation. "Pediatrics."

Water sprayed his face as she clapped her hands together in excitement. "You want to work with kids? Me too! Well, I'm studying to be a surgeon, but I'm hoping to specialize in younger patients."

That caught his attention. Surgeons were another breed, having to think on their feet if something went wrong in the middle of a procedure. It had been Sesshoumaru's first choice, but his goals had quickly shifted after Inuyasha had been born.

"That is a noble profession," he said, finally turning towards her. The woman's hair was matted to her head, and the collar of her jacket was pulled up to protect her from the rain, but happiness shone out through piercing blue eyes, and Sesshoumaru found himself captivated.

"Thank you. I really want to help people."

"I'm sure you will." The words escaped without permission, but he found he meant them. Noticing she didn't have an umbrella of her own, he shifted his weight, holding his between them and sheltering her from the rain.

The woman paused in the middle of squeezing the extra water out of her hair, then gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks. I thought mine was in my bag this morning, but no such luck. I'm Higurashi Kagome, by the way."

"Taisho Sesshoumaru."

..::**::..

"Nii-san, does the wain make pee-poe swow?"

Sesshoumaru zipped up his backpack, doing a final check that he had all his notes for the upcoming exam. "I would guess the opposite."

His brother hummed, then went back to gazing out the window, rain pelting the glass. "But it makes you swow."

A pale eyebrow raised. "How so?"

Izayoi chuckled. "Probably because you leave a little later every time it rains. Are you worried your usual bus will be full again?"

Sesshoumaru felt heat rise to his cheeks, and he ducked his head, trying to hide his reaction. He wasn't quick enough, and Izayoi's eyes widened.

"Who are they?" she asked excitedly.

"No one."

"They have to be someone to make you react like that!" His stepmother lowered her voice. "How long have you known them?"

Sesshoumaru sighed, knowing she wouldn't relent until she had all the information. "Since the first time my bus was full."

"But that was over a month ago!" Izayoi's eyes widened in shock. "Why haven't you said anything?"

"She is just a friend," Sesshoumaru insisted. It was the truth, regardless of how much he wished it to be otherwise. He straightened, tightening the straps of his backpack, and Izayoi laid a delicate hand on his shoulder.

"Have you asked her about it?"

He pursed his lips. "We are only together for a few minutes before her bus shows up."

"But she's there every time it rains?"

"Indeed."

A feminine smile touched her lips. "Ask her about it."

"But—"

"Trust me on this, Sesshoumaru-san." She gave him an encouraging smile. "And I expect all the details when you get home."

Inuyasha poked him in the stomach with his umbrella, distracting him from responding. "Don't let the wain make you too swow, Nii-san." The boy managed to last seven seconds before Sesshoumaru landed a hit this time.

"Have a wonderful day, Sesshoumaru-san!" Izayoi called from the front porch.

Sesshoumaru gave her his usual wave from the end of the driveway, a frown pinching his features as he walked towards the bus stop.

Higurashi had showed up like clockwork every time it rained since their initial meeting. If he was being truthful, he hadn't thought about her until it had rained the following week. He'd followed his usual schedule but found his steps slowing as he approached the bus stop.

It had been windy that day, rain coming down sideways, and he couldn't help but wonder if the sodden woman he'd met before would be as rushed as she was last time. And so, he'd waited.

The smile she'd given him when she'd turned the corner had done funny things to his stomach.

She was so carefree and refreshing, so different from himself.

"Taisho-san! Good morning!"

Nine minutes left.

"Good morning, Higurashi-san."

She ran under his umbrella, wiping her hands on her scarf. "You're a life-saver."

Izayoi's words echoed in his mind, and Sesshoumaru's jaw clenched. "Do you not own your own umbrella?"

"Of course! It would be kinda stupid to live in Tokyo and not have one."

He frowned, confusion marring his brow. "Then why do you not bring it with you?"

She avoided his gaze, running her fingers through her ponytail. "Because then I wouldn't have an excuse to share yours."

The blush on her cheeks was nothing compared to his own, Sesshoumaru's mouth opening and closing as his mind went blank.

An oncoming car revved its engine, driving closer to the curb than it should've been, and Sesshoumaru barely had enough time to shift the angle of his umbrella before water arched off the street. They both breathed a sigh of relief as they were protected from being completely soaked.

"That was close."

"Indeed. It would be better if you—" He turned his head, his mouth going dry at how close she was.

Higurashi's tongue ran along her bottom lip. "Better if I what? Kissed you? Would that make sharing your umbrella more official?"

Sesshoumaru swallowed and managed to nod, blue eyes brightening before she leaned in, her kiss soft but lingering. He'd just begun to respond when she pulled back.

"Good. Because I really like sharing your umbrella."

He straightened his shoulders, willing the colour in his cheeks to disappear even as a smile tugged at his lips. "As do I."