✔Summer Rain |Fruits Basket| HatsuHaru Sohma

1- Rain

 The summer rain had started as a trickle and was at a full-on downpour by the time I was too tired to walk any longer. I knew what I was doing was stupid, but I'd had just about enough of everything and was at my breaking point.

My mom's expectations for me to be the perfect daughter and student had just become so suffocating and the being cooped up in the house had all but driven me insane with her constant nagging. It wasn't even the first day of school yet and I was already being pushed to the edge by her so called 'summer schooling' to prepare me for being the top of my class again.

I sniffled, wiping some stray tears from my lower lashes. I hadn't brought an umbrella with me when I'd left, and I had no doubt that mixed with my crying in the middle of a public park just made me look like a mess. Of course, my assumptions were confirmed by the looks I was getting from pedestrians who were passing by and much more prepared for the rain than I was. No one stopped, which I was grateful for and didn't want to push my problems onto some random person who probably had more than their fair share of problems.

I looked out over the river, tugging at my soaked through shirt. If anyone from school were to see me like this, I'm sure my life would be over as I knew it. To my classmates I was the smart unapproachable and cold girl that no one could make friends with. If they saw me crying in the rain like someone from a television drama I'd probably become even more of a rumor covered girl than I already was.

"Are you going to keep sitting in the rain like that?" I jumped, wiping my eyes with my wet sleeve. The rain had stopped falling on top of me and I looked up, my eye catching the inside of a black and white umbrella. Whoever was holding it was just outside the umbrella, his face covered as he held it low above me.

I stood up, brushing the dirt off of my now slightly less than pristine white skirt. "I'm fine." I said, ducking out of the cover of the umbrella. "Don't waste your cover on me, the water won't kill me."

The man sighed, pulling the umbrella back so that it was dangling lazily over his shoulder. Now that I could see him, I mentally face palmed and took a step back.

"Are you a student?" I asked, taking in his dark roots and dripping wet white frosty tips. He looked young, maybe a second or third year in high school. He was only a bit taller than me, even if I was unnaturally tall compared to most people my age. Although I hadn't seen him around Kaibara, so he might have been an out of towner just passing by.

"I thought I asked you a question?" He said nonchalantly, closing the umbrella and letting it fall at his side. "Why are you sitting in the rain? You'll catch a cold."

"I happen to enjoy the rain." I said, crossing my arms. "What about you? I think it's kind of idiotic not to use your umbrella in the middle of a rain storm, isn't it?"

"I enjoy the rain." He said, looking up at the sky. "It's calming." He glanced over at me carefully, holding out his umbrella. "But you really should get out of the rain. You'll get weak if you stay out too long."

"I think I can manage." I huffed, staring at the umbrella. Then I trailed my eyes to his outfit, a smile adorning my face. He wore some long white coat with a black fur collar, much too hot for the middle of summer.

"At least let me take you a doctor to get you checked out." He grumbled, shoving the umbrella open.

"How do I know you aren't some creepy pervert or something?" I asked. "Taking advantage of a pathetic girl like myself?"

"Jesus you're fucking difficult." He groaned, grabbing my hand so that I was under the umbrella with him. "I'm just making sure you're alright. And it's a family doctor, you have nothing to worry about. Just take my offer and zip it, alright?"

I had to admit, it was nicer to be out of the rain. And he was right, I did feel a bit weak. I'd never really had the strongest immune system and being out in the rain would make me ill if I was out too long. As much as I didn't want to follow him, I probably wouldn't make it home in one piece in this weather.

"Fine." I said, pulling my arms into my chest. "Just- don't try anything, got it?"

"Wasn't planning on it sweetheart." He said, staring ahead. Come to think of it, it was almost like he had switched personalities right in front of my eyes without me noticing.

We walked in silence down the wet pavement, catching the eyes of people walking opposite us. I'm sure we both looked quite rough given we'd been arguing in the rain for a good ten minutes beforehand.

"Are you a student?" I asked again, wanting to make some sort of conversation.

"I start high school next week." He said, shoving one of his hands into his pockets to pull out a phone. "You?"

"Second year at Kaibara Municipal." I said, ringing out my long hair so I could put it in some sort of bun.

"My cousins go there. I'll be starting there as well with my other cousin." He said as he punched in a text message on his phone.

"And this doctor- is he a cousin too?" I joked.

"Yes."

"Oh." I shut up, focusing on the road in front of us. We had turned up an alley street on the richer side of town, not much to my surprise. He looked like some sort of rich boy.

"Hatori said he'd check you out. We'll have to be quite though, don't draw any attention to yourself." He looked down at me, eyeing my appearance. "Not that it'll make much difference."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I huffed, crossing my arms. "You draw plenty of attention to yourself already."

"Just be quiet. I'm not risking you getting found out right now."

"Found out?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Just forget it." He stopped in front of a large set of oak doors. "Just keep quiet and stay close to me, alright?"

Now I was starting to get a little uneasy about my choice to follow him, but I was already here so there wasn't really any point in going back home to mom anyway. "Alright-" I said cautiously, watching the big doors swing open to reveal a large estate. 

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Word Count: 1159 Words