A/M: Hey minna! So, I recently watched Wolf Children, and I absolutely adored it! Yuki is my favorite character, and since
I really did not like the way the movie ended, I decided to write this. Please review, it would mean the world to me!

*Disclaimer: I do not own Wolf Children nor any of it's characters.

"Maybe you'll laugh when I tell you, or write it off as a fairy tale. But it happened, and it was real."

It was my first year of junior high school. The summer months before, mom spent the days reminiscing of the past twelve years, and how she had raised my brother Ame and I, her wolf children. She told the story with a smile on her face, so I knew she would be okay with me gone to live at the dorms. Mom dropped me off in front of the girl's dormitories and hugged me tightly. "If you ever need me, Yuki, I'm only a phone call away." She whispered in my ear. I simply nodded and hugged her back just as tightly before climbing out of the red jeep; my duffel bag in hand. I waved to her as she drove away before pulling a slip of paper from the pocket in my blue dress. Throwing my duffel over one shoulder, I read the paper as I walked. Dorm 1A, it said, and I looked at at the tall buildings in front of me before steering left, towards Dormitory 1. Once inside, I walked down the long hallway, smiling at some of the girls I recognized from Elementary school. My room was the last one on the right, and I pushed the wooden door open before stepping inside.

There were two beds in the room, and a girl was currently sitting on one, looking out the window. I knew who she was just by the black braided pigtails, and greeted her. "Hey, Shino!" Shino turned to look at me in surprise, and I soon realized why. Tears had made trails down her cheeks, and she quickly moved to wipe them away, sniffling as she replied. "Oh, Hello Yuki. I wasn't expecting anybody to come in for awhile." I frowned and set my duffel bag down on the empty bed before walking to where she was. "What's wrong?" I asked my best friend since first grade, sitting down on the edge of her bed as I do so. She shook her head and sniffled again. "I just... Miss my family already. What about you, don't you miss your mom and brother?" "Yes, I do miss them." I reply to her. It was true, I missed my mom already, but I had been missing Ame for months. I tried to visit him in the forest, and actually transformed into my wolf form to do so, but I couldn't find him. "But," I added to Shino. "We get to see our families during winter break."

That seemed to encourage her, for she gave me a smile and nodded. "You're right. I'm sure time will fly too!" She exclaimed, sounding more like her old self. I smiled in return and moved back to my bed to unpack. The room was pretty plain, but had a lot of open space, so I didn't mind. The shelves and desks were a plus, too. I unpacked what little personal belongings I had quickly, and when Shino asked if I wanted to explore the campus with her, I agreed.

So we left the Dormitories and walked around. The campus was so large, it amazed me that it was a junior school, and not a University. But, starting tomorrow, we would have teachers leading us around. We came across the cafeteria pretty quickly, and since both of our stomach's were growling; we decided to go eat dinner. One thing hadn't changed at all in the past twelve years, and that was my ravenous appetite. I could eat an entire meal, and still go back for seconds. My friends would always marvel at how I never seemed to gain a pound, no matter how much I ate.

The cafeteria was a large room filled with long, white tables and chairs. The fluorescent lights over-head flickered once as we made our way to the line of kids. The food was set up in a buffet style, though there were a few women standing behind the bar, watching to make sure none of us took more food than was allowed. I was grabbing my tray when I heard somebody shout my name. Thinking I imagined it, I furrowed my brows and began to move behind Shino, stacking my plate with rice and Takiyaki. I was grabbing a small carton of milk when I heard it again. "Yuki!" The voice shouted, and it was definitely a male. I turned my head to the left, the direction from which I heard the yell, and saw Souhei waving me over from where he was sitting at one of the long tables. I gestured to Shino with my head before walking towards him, my tray gripped firmly in my hands. Souhei and I met in third grade, and he was the first, and only, person whom I told my secret to. He had visited me a few times over the summer, but besides that we hadn't talked much. Not since that night at the school, when he told me he knew I was a wolf, and not to cry anymore. I gave him a small, awkward smile before sitting in the chair next to him, with Shino sitting across from him. "Hey, Souhei!" Shino greeted enthusiastically. He smiled and returned the hello before turning toward me. "Hey, Yuki. You like Takiyaki?" he questioned, his nose crinkling in obvious disdain.

"Souhei," I replied and looked over at him, nodding once. "I do. Don't you?" He shook his head. "Octopus balls? Ew, no way!" he said before beginning to shove rice into his mouth. I simply rolled my eyes at him and began eating as well. We ate in a comfortable silence, and once I had finished my meal and was sipping my milk, did Souhei look at me again. "Yuki, mind going on a walk with me?" he asked. I raised a brow at him over my milk carton, then glanced at Shino who shrugged. "Sure..." I replied slowly and set the empty cardboard carton down. "Ready?" I asked. He nodded and picked up his tray. We threw our trash away and stacked our trays before exiting the building.

For the first of September, it was chilly, and I shivered; drawing my arms around my chest as I walked beside Souhei. He had led me to the school's outdoor garden, which was deserted as the sun was beginning to set; and I wondered what he wanted to talk about. Finally he stopped and turned to face me, his brows pulled together with concern. "Did you ever find your brother?" He asked bluntly as he watched me. I stood, frozen in place as I looked at him. I had told him of my plans to search for Ame over the summer, but I didn't expect him to ask about it. Finally, I broke the gaze, looking down at my feet as I whisper. "No. I think he was hiding from me. I searched an entire day, but didn't find him." Souhei reached out as if to touch me, but thought better of it and dropped his hand back to his side. "Are you sure he was hiding? What if-"

"Don't!" I cut him off, looking up angrily. "Don't say it, Souhei. Nothing like that happened to Ame!"

"How can you be sure though?" He asked, and though I knew it was mere curiosity in his voice; the very question upset me. I clenched my hands at my sides and glared at him. "Because. My brother is stronger than that." I replied before turning and running away from him. He didn't follow me this time, not like he did in third grade when I lost control and scratched his ear. I run the entire way to the dormitories, and by the time I reach my room, I'm panting. Shino was laying in her bed, but sat up when I walked in; raising a brow at me. "You okay? What happened?" I shrug and force a smile as I kick my shoes off and climb into my bed. "Nothing. I just didn't want to get in trouble for breaking curfew, so I ran." I replied and turned off my lamp before crawling under my covers. "Good night, Shino." I said, muffled beneath the blankets, and her muffled reply. I waited until her breathing evened out, signaling she was asleep, to let the tears flow. Living here, in these dorms, away from the forest and my mom, was harder than I thought; and even though I decided I wanted to live as a human, there was a part of me that yearned for the feeling of wind hitting my face as I ran up the snowy mountains.