A/N: I haven't been hiding. More like researching and taking a break in between my study abroads. And then this little guy popped into my head. Enjoy!
* * * * *
It started in June of his final year in high school. He was Student Council President now and while all the other students had left to go home because of the heavy rain, he had stayed. It wasn’t a typhoon but the outer fringes of a tropical storm that was on its way to Korea and due to the flooding, most Tokyo-area schools had cancelled after school activities. Finishing up the last of his work, Sesshomaru stood and made his way to the school exit. He passed a teacher or two on his way who warned him to go home soon, and he only nodded in response.
It was as he slipped on his shoes and searched for his umbrella that he realized he didn’t have it. He had walked his sister to school today and had promised to pick her up. The rain had slowed to a steady patter now, enough to soak him but not enough to drench him. Still, with no umbrella he would have to make his way to the middle school to pick her up so that he could go home and be partially dry on his walk.
The middle school was empty when he arrived, and he briefly realized that Rin’s school would have stopped after school activities as well. Hopefully, his sister had remembered to wait for him. A sound to his right caught his attention, and he turned to see a female student. She had bright, bold, beautiful blue eyes and in her hands was a hideous green umbrella. Her schoolbag was slung over her shoulder gracefully, and she shuffled her feet.
“Are you Rin-chan’s older brother?” He nodded wondering how she knew and then remembered that Inuyasha had gone to this same school until he had moved on to high school. And with their hair it was no wonder people associated the two of them.
She was speaking again, and her voice was soft and shy so he had to strain his ears to listen. “Rin-chan said she had told you she left and that she had sent you a message. She went home with her other brother.”
Sesshomaru blinked, wondering how she knew he was waiting for his sister, but pulled out his phone dutifully and read the messages from his sister. She had informed him that Inuyasha was picking her up and that if he did get her message then would he please walk her friend home? Kagome was scared to walk in thunderstorms, but she had to stay after today to do some work. He scanned the message for the girl’s last name and after finding it, pocketed his phone.
“Higurashi-san?” He asked politely watching the girl’s eyes widen. “My sister requested that I accompany you home.” He hesitated but looked at the umbrella. The rain had become steadily heavier in the time since he’d shown up at the middle school. “Would you mind terribly if I imposed and asked that you share your umbrella with me for a bit?”
“Oh, no. It’s fine, here.” The girl was shy, but her eyes were happy, and he realized that she had been silently hoping for someone to walk her home for a while. He wondered if Rin had told her to wait for him and promised himself he would ask his sister about it when he went home.
The green umbrella, a shade of olive green that he detested, was opened. Higurashi stood at the entrance, and he walked slowly towards her, his hands taking the umbrella so that he could compensate his much taller stature and asked her to lead the way. They walked silently, the wind blowing and the rain occasionally pelting them, while rumbles of thunder sounded once or twice in the background. When they arrived, he silently handed the umbrella back to her noting how the rain made her eyes more beautiful.
“Thank you.” She seemed to want to say more, but he was tired at that point. His clothes were also sticking to his chilled skin, and the idea of a hot bath was quite appealing. So with a nod in her direction, he made his way home ignoring the rain continuing to pelt him.
When he arrived, Rin was there to thank him, his step-mother there to usher him into the bathroom, and his brother there to look at him oddly. By the time he stepped into the warm bath, he would think of just who that blue eyed girl was. By the time he left, Kagome Higurashi’s blue eyes would continue to float through his mind.
* * * * *
The next time he saw her it was a late February Saturday afternoon. He had arrived at school that day, shuffling past the eager students wanting to see if they had passed the entrance exam, and towards the student council room. Having been accepted into Keio University, he had started making preparations for his departure as student council president. Today, he and the incoming president would sift through documents and files until Miroku had an understanding of what his new job entailed.
Three hours later, he and Miroku stood and walked down to the entrance to leave. He had promised Rin a date at a café that day because she had been adamant that she would take him out to celebrate his birthday. As he neared the entrance to the school, two female figures stood and a familiar green umbrella made its presence known. On cue, a few raindrops fell from the sky, and Sesshomaru sighed. He seemed to be forgetting his umbrella a lot lately.
Casting his eyes up to gage just how wet he would be and whether he had to run home, he found his perusal blocked by a familiar shade of olive green. And when he turned his gaze to look at the umbrella’s owner, he saw those bright, bold, and beautiful blue eyes that he had thought about in passing.
“Can I walk you home this time Nishikawa-san?” Higurashi asked softly. “After all, it’s raining and it seems you’ve forgotten your umbrella.”
He nodded his head and took the umbrella from her hands walking a familiar path with his companion after bidding the other two goodbye. As they walked, he cast a side glance at the girl walking next to him. He had assumed that she was Rin’s age when he had walked her back all that time ago in June.
“Did you take the entrance exam?” He found himself asking as they took a right down the residential street his house was on.
“Ah yes. I’m surprised I got in actually.” Her eyes were bright and her voice shy. It was something that had not changed in the months since he had met her. Her eyes still spoke when she herself could not express her feelings entirely.
“Congratulations.” Sesshomaru’s voice was soft, but he silently wondered why it was that the one girl whose face and eyes continued to haunt his dreams would elude him. They had reached his house now and with a hand on the gate he turned down to look at her. “Thank you.”
A gust of wind blew and when cold, frigid, rain pelted him, he closed his eyes and turned away. She murmured something about getting inside, and he watched her walk away before he too made his way to the door and stepped inside his warm house. Rin was instantly there, asking him why he had taken so long in coming home, and asking if he wanted to move around the lunch date to a day that wasn’t so cold and rainy. Tuning her out, he let a small grin upon his lips thinking of how those blue eyes sparkled when she had smiled and wished him goodbye.
* * * * *
It was over a year later that he saw her again. In the meantime, he had grown to like his University courses in business and finance. He had made new friends and often found himself at their apartments for late night study sessions or group get-togethers. Currently, everyone was away on trips and he was home alone. The day was unbearably hot and humid made worse by the death of the air conditioner the night before.
Seeing as he was the only one home alone and because the air conditioner was broken, he hadn’t sought to dress himself much. A pair of shorts was the only article of clothing he wore as he relaxed next to the fan and idly stared at the television. He heard the door open and ignored it. Whoever it was would leave soon anyway since the heat in the house was stifling, and he was not leaving his prime position next to the fan. A squeak drew his attention to the living room entrance and he stared.
She stood there, clad in a summer dress with her hands gripping tightly onto a bag. A blush coated her cheeks and her blue eyes met his. They were just as bold, bright, and beautiful as he remembered and they were staring straight at him. A box of pocky hit him in the face, and he fell in an ungraceful heap off the sofa scowling at the sister who had thrown it at him. She had her hands cocked on her hips.
“Really, nii-san, put a shirt on would you? I know it’s hot but I have friends over.”
His eyes blinking, he found the face of Kagome Higurashi and her eyes which had been looking at him now were looking at the floor. Scrambling, he stood and made his way upstairs hoping that neither of the two girls noticed how he flushed under Higurashi’s gaze. He hadn’t realized just how wonderful it felt when her blue eyes were trained on him. When he came down five minutes later, the two girls still stood in the living room.
“Good, you’re here! Let’s go. Mom refused to let us have a picnic unless you or Inuyasha came along.” His sister was out the door before he could say anything, and he let Kagome follow her before he locked the door behind them.
The picnic was nice. The girls had invited a few school friends and Sesshomaru acted as a watchful chaperone until most of the kids had ambled away and only Kagome, Rin, and he were left. The skies were darkening fast, which was what led to the friends’ departure, and he lazily watched as the girls packed up. A streak of lighting caused one of them to shriek and drop whatever it was she was doing. Glancing at them, Sesshomaru’s eyes found the frightened blue eyes of Higurashi. She was scared of being outside in storms wasn’t she?
He stood, grabbing the picnic basket and telling Rin to toss everything in it before starting the walk home. Kagome and Rin walked next to him and as another burst of thunder sounded, he heard another squeak. Stopping, he handed Rin the basket and the house keys telling her to run home and get changes of clothes ready. His sister looked like she wanted to protest but grumbled and did as she was told.
Awkwardly, Sesshomaru held out his arm to the trembling high school girl next to him. “We’ll walk together.” He stated softly as another streak of lighting lit the sky and the streetlights came to life because of the darkness the storm brought. “And you can tell me about yourself.”
Bright, bold, beautiful blue eyes looked up at his arm softly before an arm wrapped around it, and a female body pressed to the side of his. “What would you like to know?”
They spent the walk back distracting her and talking about all sorts of things. They got to know each other and by the time they were on the street that Sesshomaru’s house was on, the first patter of raindrops began to splatter. He tucked her closer to him, knowing that it was futile and urged her to run with him to the house. Her eyes were glistening with amusement as she ran next to him, and the rain became a downpour. They looked like drowned rats by the time they made it to the door and his stepmother threw towels at them both, but they were laughing.
Later that night, Kagome had shyly sought him out before she left. “Thank you.” Her bright, bold, beautiful blue eyes didn’t meet his and that small adorable blush still dusted her cheeks. And then she had leaned forward to kiss his cheek before she left.
That night, Sesshomaru would steal his sister’s phone and copy Higurashi Kagome’s number into his.
* * * * *
August was hot and there was not a single rainy day in sight. Walking around the festival with Rin he had simply nodded to her questions and commentary not really paying attention. He was not feeling anything much in regards to this festival. First, the heat was oppressive this August and even at night, there was no breeze or cooled down temperatures. Added to it was the fact that Rin had informed him Kagome wouldn’t be joining them.
“Didn’t you know?” She asked when he inquired why. “She and Inuyasha are going together. He finally noticed how much she likes him.”
He caught a glimpse of blue and his eyes found her laughing as she held Inuyasha’s hand and ate cotton candy. She was still beautiful and while he couldn’t see them, he knew her eyes were probably vivid and showing just how happy she was. Turning his own gaze away, he had tugged Rin away from them before she noticed and spent the rest of the festival with Rin, trying to forget how happy Higurashi had seemed.
It didn’t rain that night nor for the rest of the month.
* * * * *
It was January when he decided to move out. It was getting to be hectic having to come home late at night after spending hours at the library and then skirting around Inuyasha and Kagome. Plus, there were so many days Sesshomaru found himself waking up late and cursing as he ran to class and barely made it in the nick of time. His parents—his father, mother, and step-mother, had not been pleased with the decision, but finally his mother had mumbled something about him growing up and the matter had been settled.
Except he had to pay his own rent and cook his own meals and get a job.
The job had been the hardest bit, but after weeks of searching he had run across a middle school boy whose parents were forcing him to get a tutor. Within two weeks his popularity had increased and he found himself tutoring three students and enjoying the time. He made enough money to pay the rent and find groceries for his small studio with a kitchenette, and he still found himself excelling at schoolwork.
By the time he finished his second year of college, he decided that he liked things the way they were.
* * * * *
It was June again with the hum of cicadas and the rains of the monsoon. Inuyasha had been in Kyoto choosing to study there and he rarely visited during his first year away at University. Rin was supposed to visit him with Kagome this weekend, and he was supposed to go visit his parents for dinner. Shielding himself with his umbrella, a sturdy black one Rin had gotten him, he noticed a figure on a park bench. It wasn’t normal to see people like this in the rain and as he stepped closer, he realized that he recognized the form on the bench.
Carefully, he shifted so that the umbrella shaded the both of them from the monsoon deluge. Bright, bold, beautiful blue eyes looked up at him but they weren’t the eyes he had grown to love. They were dulled and sad, and her presence spoke of loneliness and heartache. Resting the umbrella against her, he found himself taking off his jacket and slipping it around her shoulders before sitting next to her on the bench in the rain with only an umbrella shielding them.
“He cheated on me.” She finally stated, her voice a dull remnant of what he remembered. “He cheated on me and all he could say was that he loved her more than he did me.” Her fingers clutched tighter to his jacket and the tears spilled down her cheeks making her blue eyes cloudy.
Gently, he shifted so that she was in his arms and her tears soaked his already wet shirt. The umbrella that was shielding them fell away to land with a splat on the muddy grass behind them and the monsoon deluge continued. Still, he didn’t care and instead held her, stroking her back in comfort as she cried and sobbed. By the time she stopped, the rain had dulled to a drizzle and his sister was coming up the path, a teenager next to her.
“Nii-san! And Kagome-chan!” Rin ran forward her eyes red. He knew she had been crying for her friend. “I was so worried when Souta called and said he couldn’t find Kagome and then you didn’t show up so I just knew you were with her!”
Kagome pulled away from him and gave his sister a shaky smile. “I’m sorry to have worried you two. I just needed to take a walk.” The teenage boy eyed Sesshomaru carefully before he nodded and then held out a hand to his sister.
“Well, walking time is over Kagome. Come on, let’s get you home. You’re soaking wet and we need to warm you up.”
Sesshomaru watched her go, his eyes not leaving her form until she disappeared from his view. Rin stood by him, watching him carefully, and finally understood what she had been blind to all along. Carefully, she tugged her brother’s sleeve catching his attention. She reached over him and picked up the black umbrella that she knew was his and ushered him up from the bench. Then, she asked him to walk her home.
A week later, after finally recovering from the cold he had received due to the rain, Sesshomaru found a simple text message on his phone.
It was from Kagome. She thanked him and asked if he wanted his jacket back.
* * * * *
“Kagome!” Rin growled frustrated at her friend on a warm August afternoon. “Who are you texting? Don’t you remember you have to study?”
Kagome nodded absentmindedly. She knew she had to study for the December university exams, but the conversation she was having now was much more appealing than the books in front of her. She wasn’t paying attention much so when Rin tackled her and wrested the phone from her hands, she was only able to watch in horror as her friend tried to determine just who it was that had her so distracted.
“Nii-san?” Rin asked incredulously as Kagome hid her head in her hands. “You’ve been texting him this entire time?” Rin sighed and then typed something on the phone causing Kagome to look up in horror.
“What are you doing?” She hissed lunging for her phone only for Rin to back away and keep the phone out of her reach. “Rin, give that back!”
“Nope!” Rin singsonged as she stood and made her way to the door of her bedroom, Kagome following her as they sprinted down the stairs. “I think I’ll keep this for now.” Kagome followed her into the kitchen, intent on getting her phone back, but stopped with a scowl as she saw Rin’s parents there.
“Kagome-chan.” Rin’s mother stated giving Rin a look that had Rin pouting but giving the phone back to her friend. “Have you decided where you’re going to apply yet for University?”
“No.” Kagome answered as Rin busied herself with getting a glass of water. “I’ve just been studying for the exams so far.”
“I see. Good luck studying then.”
“Thank you.” Kagome’s phone chimed, and she excused herself to check it. Eyes widening, she looked up at Rin after reading the message.
Rin merely grinned. “Oh you know, you can thank me after your study sessions.”
A month later, Kagome sat at Sesshomaru’s dining table with a math book in front of her and unintelligible formulas floating around her head. Her pencil tapped against the table as she stared at the problems in front of her. Try as she might, nothing made sense, and she looked up to see the college tutor who was sitting across from her. He was reading for his own classes while she worked but at her stare, he glanced up at her. Her bright, bold, beautiful blue eyes were happy but her face was pursed.
“I don’t get this!” She pointed at a formula and then the problems. “I’ve tried, trust me! I’ve been staring at this page for hours, and I just don’t get it.” Sesshomaru stood, coming to lean over her shoulder and look at the problems she was struggling with. With a sigh, he plucked the pencil from her fingers, explained the way to work for the solution and pulled away when she made a sound of understanding.
“Thanks!” She answered with a grin turning to look at him and then stopping. He was close and neither had realized just how close they were to each other. “Um… what time is it?”
Sesshomaru looked at his watch. “It’s nearing seven. We should probably get you home soon.” Kagome sighed as she gathered up her materials and began packing her stuff up.
“We should huh? By the way Nishikawa-san, thanks for agreeing to help me out. It really is nice of you.”
“It’s not a problem.” Sesshomaru answered watching her pack up her books and taking his jacket off a shelf to slip it on. “And I’ve told you to call me Sesshomaru. Are you ready to go?” She nodded, then paused looking at his kitchenette oddly.
“Do you cook?” Confused Sesshomaru crossed the room to her and looked at his kitchen. Nothing was out of place.
“Yes I do.” He turned to glance at her only to find her eyes fixed on him. He suddenly felt self-conscious and tugged awkwardly at his jacket.
“I’ll cook for you Friday.” He opened his mouth to protest, but she continued as though he hadn’t tried to speak. “It’s the least I can do for you helping me and well, for all of this.” She grinned at him as she toed on her shoes. “So yeah, I’ll cook for you on Friday.”
True to her word, she came to his apartment on Friday, her arms full of books and ingredients and he found himself enjoying a nice home cooked meal as they studied. And when she left, the image of her blue eyes sparkling with happiness and amusement would continue to flit through his mind.
* * * * *
December had come and gone, and Kagome had written her exams. She felt quite confident about them and as the end of January neared and exam results began popping up, she became more and more agitated. She also saw less of Sesshomaru. He was now interning during this semester at college at a private accounting firm. As a result, his days had become busier with schoolwork, internship work, and his regular tutoring work eating up all of his time.
Now, Kagome sat across from Rin in their favorite café, her eyes closed as her friend looked at the e-mails she had received on her phone. She’d gotten the letters from all three of the universities she applied for today but had yet to read them. Rin clicked on the one for Toyo University first.
"You got into Toyo.” She stated with a smile causing her friend to let out a breath. Clicking on the next one for Toudai, she made a face. “Um… Toudai, that is they…” Rin met her friend’s eyes across the table, and Kagome shrugged.
“I wasn’t really expecting it anyway.” She assured her. “Sesshomaru-san was the one who said I should apply.” Rin nodded as she clicked on the final e-mail. Her eyes widened, she hadn’t known her friend was applying there. Carefully, she scanned the letter and let a grin appear on her face. She was going to have so much with this information.
“You got into Keio.” Kagome peeked out from her hands and stared. Then a big smile broke out on her face and the girls began to grin and laugh and squeal and show their excitement. “Does nii-san know?” Rin asked as she handed the phone back.
Kagome shook her head. “I haven’t told him yet. Actually,” she blushed now and her voice was so low, Rin had to lean across the table to hear her. “Actually, I was thinking of maybe… telling him in a special way.”
Rin pulled away and looked carefully at her friend. “Kagome,” she began softly, “are you… do you like nii-san?” Shyly, her friend nodded her head, and Rin let out an excited squeal. “I knew it, I know the perfect way to tell him!”
On a rainy Valentine’s Day, Sesshomaru would come home to a package outside his door. Having known that it was likely chocolate and growing tired of receiving chocolate from everybody but the one person he wanted it from, he reached down to pick it up and possibly give it to Rin. A note on the box indicated who it was from and as he walked inside his apartment, he flipped the note open to see who had been the sender.
Rin wasn’t too surprised when she didn’t receive a box of chocolates from her brother.
* * * * *
Their relationship, Sesshomaru mused that December, was always centered around rain. He had met her due to the monsoon deluge and their repeated interactions almost always were on rainy days. Now, on Christmas, as she cooked dinner for him, he mused that he rather liked this. It was supposed to snow later tonight, and he had already gotten permission from Kagome’s mother to have her spend the night should the snow make conditions problematic on the roads. Snow was just winter rain anyway, he mused. Yet another rainy day milestone in his life.
He peeked out his window. The snow had been steadily falling even before he had picked up his girlfriend for dinner, and it seemed like Kagome might just stay the night. Thick, heavy flakes fell from the sky to coat the ground and in the past hour or so, he had already seen what looked to be a few inches on the ground. He heard her voice call him and turned to go into the kitchen where she stood next to a pot of curry.
“Try this!” Kagome thrust a wooden spoon in his face and he blew gently on it before taking a taste.
“Yummy.” He answered watching her bright, bold, beautiful blue eyes glisten with happiness and warmth.
“Dinner’s ready then.” She stated with a grin watching him move.
They ate dinner together over teasing jabs and good food, and washed dishes together afterwards. As Sesshomaru looked out the window again later, he found an arm nudging him to the side. Carefully, he shifted so that Kagome was in front of him and she too could watch the snow.
“Mama told me to stay if the snow was piling up a lot.” She hesitated but then looked up at him with hopeful blue eyes. “I don’t want to leave yet. Do you think by the time I do, it’ll be bad?” She was biting her lip, a habit he found endearing.
“Do you want to stay?” He asked instead cautiously.
Her eyes met his and as usual he saw her emotions reflected in them. And he knew his answer then too.
* * * * *
Sesshomaru came home to an apartment littered with books. He smelt something cooking in the oven but cared less about it. Rin and Kagome lay sprawled in the living room of his new apartment, new because he had only moved into it three months ago, and the two girls were engrossed in their work. Kagome was going to graduate in a few months, and then she would intern at a library for a few more before she became a full-fledged librarian like she wanted. The library she was interning with was one she volunteered at. She had already been accepted there, but first she had to graduate from Keio and go through the internship process as did all prospective candidates.
“Sesshomaru welcome home.” Kagome looked up from her work briefly and then outside. “It’s raining again isn’t it? That stupid typhoon. I invited Rin to spend the night so that she’s not home alone, is that okay?”
He nodded, making his way to the bedroom he and Kagome shared to change out of his clothes. He grinned as he looked around the room. It had been a rainy June afternoon, a week after moving in to this apartment, when he had asked her to move in with him. They had been lounging on the couch in his living room, and she had protested at first, before she accepted. She was such an important part of his life, and he couldn’t imagine living here without her.
He pulled out a t-shirt and some pants from his drawer, and his eyes fell to the box he had put there yesterday. He needed to move it soon before Kagome found it. It was supposed to be a surprise after all. There was a knock at the door, and Kagome walked in with her bright, bold, beautiful blue eyes glistening with mischief. His eyes noted what she was wearing-his shirt- and then widened. In a momentary fit of panic, he turned back and opened the box sitting in the drawer. It was empty.
A pair of hands came up in front of his face. It took him a moment to focus and when he did, he noticed the ring he’d picked out for her sitting on her finger. It looked just as beautiful as he had pictured and while he wished he had been the one to put it there, he was still elated at what it meant. Bringing her hand to his mouth he kissed each finger and then turned so that he could look at her. She was grinning, her eyes shining with love and mischief, and happiness, and he couldn’t help it.
With a grin he swopped down and kissed her soundly on the lips as Rin stood by the door and clapped her hands. “I never thought you’d ask!” She exclaimed when he pulled away.
Leaning forward Sesshomaru gave his fiancé another peck on the lips. “I was just waiting for the right weather.” He stated softly watching as Kagome’s eyes narrowed in comprehension. And then those blue eyes he so adored were lighting up with amusement as she squeezed him tighter.
“Your brother’s a real charmer Rin, I’ll tell you that.”
* * * * *
They would wait for a week where the chance of rain was high and have an indoor wedding. Their first child would be born in the middle of summer as a thunderstorm rumbled in the distance. And when their eldest child asked why the two would grin and go for walks in the rain with a hideous looking green umbrella, Sesshomaru would answer simply.
“Silly boy, it’s because of the rain that I met and fell in love with your mother.”