Solstice and Eclipse: Part II

Chapter X: The Watchtower

His hero costume was stowed safely beneath his seat as the train rattled and shook his body, barreling down the tracks towards Kanagawa Prefecture. When he had first stepped foot on the metal beast, he had been expecting the worst. Sardined together for over an hour in an enclosure travelling well over 300 kilometers per hour (200 mph). Quite frankly, it seemed like something out of one of his worst nightmares, so he was surprised to find the experience quite peaceful. The other passengers kept to themselves for the most part, and the rhythmic beating of the train's wheels against the tracks was almost relaxing. He might even have fallen asleep if not for the rather uncomfortable situation he found himself in.

They hadn't spoken since he had yelled at her during the Sports Festival. It seemed Yaoyorozu had taken his words to heart and, at his own shouted request, left him alone this past week, without so much as a whispered good morning. He had made no attempt to repair the relationship either. Even if she hadn't been serious when she'd said it, he was still angry with her. So, they had kept a consciously respectable distance from one another.

But now due to some ironic twist of fate, and also the fact that there were no other available seats, she was sat on his immediate left. Her shoulder bumped into his with every rattle of the train, always accompanied by an awkward apology on the girl's end, followed by her readjusting so she put as much space between them as possible, which was really only a few inches, until the next shake of the train launched her back into his side.

The rounding of a particularly sharp corner caused her to slide into him once more, the centripetal force keeping her glued there for several seconds before she hastily scooted away, her face thick with embarrassment.

"Sorry." She whispered.

"You don't have to keep apologizing." (L/N) said.

"Right." She said smally. "Sor...mm."

Being in such close proximity to Yaoyorozu after their most recent interaction wasn't the only thing keeping (L/N) on edge. It appeared they weren't the only two to have accepted an internship in Kanagawa Prefecture. If given the option, he would have gladly taken a train full of Yaoyorozus over the reality that befell him, because sitting on his right was Kendo.

She had become a stuttering mess when she saw him at the train station, a lump settling uncomfortably in her throat that prevented her from forming any coherent sentences. She almost wanted to cry with how overwhelming it all was.

Yaoyorozu had been the first to board the train, almost eager to get away from (L/N), or so it appeared to Kendo. Ironically, there were only three seats available, all next to each other. Given the choice, Kendo would have placed Yaoyorozu between the two of them, but her Class 1A counterpart had already taken the seat on the edge, forcing them into the seating situation they found themselves in now. It was going to be a long ride.

They were nearly an hour into their two-and-a-half-hour commute. Kendo's eyes were growing heavy, and she would have liked nothing more than to take a nap. She looked to her left and found Yaoyorozu had already fallen asleep. What was more, her body was leaned up against (L/N)'s side, her head resting against his shoulder. And though (L/N) did not look too pleased with the situation, he made no attempt to move her either.

Kendo found herself overcome with a mixture of sadness and jealousy. She remembered a time, countless times really, when they would simply sit next to each other on his bed and just talk. It was more her talking at him really, long after the sun had set, until eventually she would rest her head against his shoulder, always with the promise that she was just resting her eyes. And when she woke the next morning, it was to find his cheek pressed against the top of her hair.

(L/N) gently nudged Yaoyorozu awake as the train came to a stop at the Kanagawa station. Blushing, the girl quickly grabbed her things from beneath her seat and avoided the young man's gaze as they exited the train behind Kendo. Climbing the stairs that lead back to the surface, (L/N) made an immediate left out of the stairwell, departing without a single word to either of the others.