Hello peeps! No, I'm not dead, I've just not updated in a while. Thank you so much those who have reviewed, you keep me going. Anyway, before you've all noticed that I've written about Sesshoumaru and Nanae living their own separate little lives, well now that's all going to change. Here's ch 7!

Chapter 7: Tokyo Kokusai High School

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Nanae slammed her hand over the sleep button and groaned loudly. She rolled slowly to one side and fell off her bed with a thump and after a few moments of lying on the floor, she got to her feet sleepily. The first day of school had finally arrived, not that it was greatly awaited. Suddenly Nanae realized that she didn't feel prepared enough to face what loomed inevitably closer. Studying in a school with demons was not something she had ever done before, nor was it something she would voluntarily attempt. Yet a certain sense of excitement brew in her insides as she considered the possibilities of meeting beings that she had only seen from a healthy distance, beings that were far to complex to understand and that were situated on a completely different level than she.

After showering and getting dressed she trudged to the kitchen in the dark, tripping over a shoe that had been left carelessly on the floor. She stumbled and cursed under her breath, kicking the shoe away into a corner. She switched on the kitchen light and took out a bowl and some cereal from the cupboard. As she munched her breakfast she distinctly heard Makis get up and enter the bathroom to have a shower.

Twenty minutes later Nanae was standing, arms crossed over her chest, by the door with her schoolbag on the ground beside her and was tapping her foot impatiently. If Makis took any longer, they wouldn't make it in time for the new students' introduction. And arriving late for an event of importance would not create a good first impression for either of them.

"Makis!" She called out, "Hurry up!"

"Okay!" responded Makis' irritated voice from inside her bedroom. "I just need to do my hair, that's all!"

Nanae rolled her eyes and let her arms fall to her sides as she began to nervously pace the area in front of the sofa. She glanced at her watch. They now had approximately ten minutes to get to school. Nanae's heart jumped to her throat as she realised the possibility of arriving late on their first day of school. She gulped and practically ran to Makis' bedroom and hammered on the door.

"Makis! Come on! We'll be late because of you!"

"Wait…A…Minute!"

"We don't have a minute!" Nanae cried. She continued to hammer on the door, thinking it would get Makis out faster. She heard the lock click and the knob turn squeakily. As soon as Nanae realised Makis was ready she zoomed to the front door and grabbed her bag spinning around to wait for her friend, who strolled at an infuriatingly calm pace, bending down to pick up her back pack and adjusting its straps on her shoulders. Nanae positively jumped up and down with hysteria.

"Hurry up hurry up hurry up hurry up hurry up hur-"

"Calm down already!" said Makis, pinning back loose strands of black hair with a pair of green hairclips.

As soon as Makis placed one foot out of the apartment, Nanae grabbed her arm and almost left no time to slam the front door shut as she tore down the stairs half pulling, half dragging a bewildered Makis along with her.

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Sesshoumaru arrived on his motorcycle as he returned from dropping Rin off at school. He parked it and placed both feet on the ground while revving up the engine as a sign for Inuyasha that it was time to leave. He could hear the hanyou squawk in protest.

"Wait! I can't find my- Oh wait there it is. Sesshoumaru! Don't you dare go without me!"

Sesshoumaru suppressed an impatient sigh. Yes, they were getting back to the usual morning routine. With his demon hearing he was able to pick up the sound of his brother running down the stairwell muttering curses under his breath. Inuyasha burst out of the main apartment building and ran to the motorcycle. That idiot, thought Sesshoumaru irritably, he forgot his helmet.

"Forget something, did you?" asked Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha bent forward to catch his breath and then straightened up to blink in confusion.

"Wha-?"

Inuyasha slapped his forehead as he suddenly realised. He turned around to run but stopped, facing Sesshoumaru and holding up one finger. "One moment." He said and then tore towards the apartment building and raced up the stairs, two at a time, wrenching open the front door to his apartment. He grabbed the shiny, black helmet off the counter and positively threw himself out of the building. Between pants, he hopped onto the motorcycle and rammed the helmet onto his head.

"Lessgo!" he huffed as he tried to regain some of the oxygen he had lost during his run.

"Hmph." Said Sesshoumaru as he kicked off and zoomed into the distance.

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"Nanae! We still have a few minutes! Slow down!" gasped Makis as she struggled to keep up. Nanae was way ahead of her, forever glancing at her watch and picking up the pace even more with every passing minute. She thanked the gods the Tokyo Kokusai high school was only a few blocks from their apartment, otherwise they never would have made it in time.

The two girls were soon lost in a sea of students as they approached the doors of their new school. Nanae was forced to stop and wait for Makis to catch her breath since the girl was unused to walking even short distances. During the few minutes she waited for her gasping friend, Nanae took the time to look around her. Everything was so different from what she was used to back home in Osaka. One example of this difference could be found in the very students of Kokusai High, for among the dominating numbers of black haired teens a few individuals stood out because of their radical contrast in appearance. Nanae was able to spot a couple of wolf demons, laughing and joking as they entered the school and she noticed one of them had bright red hair. Looking to her left she also caught a glimpse of a girl with light green tresses but was unable to recognise the species of demon that she was. Another thing that was hard to ignore was the fact that many expensive and not to mention luxurious cars and other forms of transport were filling up spaces in the car park. Nanae couldn't help but feel wistful, even looking down at her own two feet with a forlorn expression on her face.

"Ok, I think I'm fine now." Breathed Makis, cutting short Nanae's staring time. Nanae nodded and together they joined the steady flow of students streaming through the doors.

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Kokusai High was a big school. That was the first thought that entered Nanae's head. The corridors were like extensive stretches of road that continued further than the human eye's visual capacities. However the width of the corridors couldn't hold enough space for the number of students pouring through them.

Nanae resisted the urge to cling to Makis but she still didn't want to be separated from the only person she knew in the whole school. Being on her own in a place she'd never been before was not something she had experienced with positive consequences. But Nanae had no reason to worry because Makis instantly grabbed her arm in a vice like fashion.

"Don't you dare let go, Nanae! The current is way too strong in these parts!" Makis said, a hint of anxiousness residing in her tone. Nanae couldn't help but giggle.

The new students were to go to the assembly hall for introductions and, of course, instructions. Not only were there new students coming in from other schools, but also there were those beginning their first year at high school, and all crammed into one auditorium. The auditorium itself was large indeed; however, the number of new students seemed to exceed the standard amount.

Once the chattering had died down, an elderly demon took his place before them and cleared his throat so that all attention would be turned to him. He introduced himself as Totosai, the principal of Kokusai High. Totosai. Nanae let out an 'ah' as she was finally reminded of the name she could never recall. He explained the rules and informed them of important events that involved the school's participation. Nanae noticed that he repeated himself on more than one occasion, in fact, she was sure that he shouldn't even be running a school at his age, it looked like he didn't even know what planet he was on. As he mentioned the important events again, one of the teachers present walked over to him and whispered something in his ear, while he wore a confused expression.

"Huh? Oh, right." He said, scratching his partly bald head. The teacher moved away. Totosai cleared his throat again.

"Those students who have arrived for their freshman year at this school, please follow Ms Sakana-"

"Saikawa." Corrected the woman.

"Ah yes, Saikawa. Please follow her out of the assembly hall."

Soon a mass of teenagers were bustling out the double doors, chattering excitedly and joking around as they followed the teacher whose name Totosai had called out.

Less than half the original number of students was left in the auditorium. Nanae and Makis looked at each other nervously.

Totosai coughed lightly. "Now, those of you who have arrived for their sophomore year, please go with Mr…um…Mr…" His brow creased in effort as he tried to remember the name.

"It's Mr Yoshimura, sir."

Totosai's expression lightened. "Mr Yoshimura! How nice of you to join us! What is it you need?"

Mr Yoshimura ignored the sniggering students. "Sir, I'm here for the sophomore kids."

"Ah, yes, yes. Sophomores please follow him."

The students left the auditorium with Mr Yoshimura. By the time Totosai reached the senior students, there were only four of them left in the whole assembly hall. Nanae stole quick glances at the other two who were obviously demon, since one had bluish hair and red eyes and the other had lilac hair and pink ones.

"Seniors, please leave with Ms Saikawa-"

"Sir, Ms Saikawa's gone with the students in freshman year." Said the only teacher left in the auditorium.

Totosai frowned. "She did? Oh." He scratched his chin. "And who are you?"

"Mrs Morimitsu."

"Excellent, excellent. Seniors here please." Said Totosai with a smile. The four students stood from their seats and made their way to the front. Mrs Morimitsu nodded at them and led them out of the auditorium. The corridors that had previously been jam packed with people were now empty and silent apart from the echoing sound of their own footsteps. Mrs Morimitsu spoke to them while she walked ahead.

"You have to understand that principal Totosai…well, he's not as sane as he used to be, if sane is the correct word."

Nanae's eyebrow shot up. The principal is a madman?

She heard Makis gulp. "You mean the school is being run by a loon?" the girl asked incredulously. Nanae stared at Makis. Her friend sure was blunt.

Mrs Morimitsu shook her head as she walked on. "I think I gave you the wrong idea. Totosai isn't crazy, he's just…old. Old people forget things, even old demons do. And Totosai's been around for a long, long time. I can't remember if it was eight centuries or nine…" She finished thoughtfully.

Nanae's jaw dropped. She knew about demons and their extended life spans but still, hearing about it shocked her. How can someone live so long and not eventually get tired of life itself? She could hear Makis breathe a 'wow'.

They arrived at an empty classroom where they were filled in on other information that Totosai had failed to supply. As she spoke, Morimitsu handed out their timetables and explained what the extracurriculars were. She was interrupted by three lengthy beeps that signalled the end of registration time. Out on the corridor students streamed out of their classrooms and to their lockers. Mrs Morimitsu ushered the four students out of the room that was seemingly her own and wished them luck on their first day.

Nanae and Makis quickly compared their schedules and both nearly cried out with despair upon seeing how completely different the lessons were. They had been hoping and praying to stick together but it seemed fate had other plans for them. Makis gave her friend a quick hug and set off to find her classroom.

Nanae would have sighed if she hadn't been so violently shoved to one side. The corridors were absolutely chaotic and no one with Nanae's gentle nature could ever hope to survive. With her jaw set in determination, she proceeded to push and shove her way through the crowd in order to find her classroom.

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Nanae plonked down into a seat and sighed with exhaustion. It had taken one hell of a time to finally find the place. As soon as the room was full the teacher closed the door and stood at his desk. The classroom was large, the desks were not organized in separate rows but pushed together to form half a rectangle and each desk had space enough for two people.

The teacher clapped his hands together enthusiastically.

"Well kids, another wonderful year at school, how about that?"

He chuckled at the groans and remarks thrown back at him. "Come on, it'll be great! I promise this year will change you all."

Many people let out cynical laughs. Nanae was one of them.

"Okay! My name is Mr Sakamoto and I'm your Japanese and Literature teacher. Feel free to call me Sensei or Great Lord of Language, either title is fine with me."

Nanae giggled, this guy was alright.

Mr Sakamoto began to hand out blank sheets of paper. "Now, since I don't know all of you or what you're capable of, I'd like each of you to write a short composition. It will be a poem of whatever you like but…it must have two verses and each verse will be of twelve lines in length." He ignored the protests and continued, "Anyone who fails to do this will receive double homework, understood?"

Despite the grumbles, Mr Sakamoto smiled brightly at his students. "Okay! Begin please!"

Nanae picked up her pen and held it over the paper. She sighed. Japanese and Literature was one of her favourite subjects after art and many people told her that she was good at it, but she could never write something out of the blue like this. Usually she would get sudden inspiration and rush around for something to write with. She began to feel panicky as she saw everyone concentrated on their work and scribbling their poems down.

She quickly bent her head and began to think. What to write about…? She chewed the tip of her pen anxiously.

As the soft moonlight surrounds the square

As the cool breeze whips through my hair…No! Too rhymey!

Nanae took the pen out of her mouth and tapped it softly against the sheet of paper.

Why attempt to gaze beyond this illusory world,

When even the moon leaves a reflection on the water?...hmmm, not sure but it'll have to do for now.

She started to write down the first two lines of her poem when she accidentally bumped elbows with the student sitting on her left, causing them to write a rather strange looking letter 'r'. The student, a girl with long black hair and a ghostly complexion, glared at her. She clicked her tongue against her teeth and crumpled up the sheet on which she had been writing some peculiar form of death poetry.

"I'm so sorry, it's just that I'm-" Nanae began.

"Is there a problem over there?" Said Mr Sakamoto, glancing up from the book he was reading. Nanae didn't know what to say, she just hoped the girl next to her wouldn't say anything incriminating. Mr Sakamoto looked at Nanae and then at the pale girl.

"Kikyo? Something wrong?"

The girl named Kikyo shrugged and jerked her head in Nanae's direction. "She jogged me, I need another piece of paper."

Mr Sakamoto looked at Nanae inquiringly. Nanae shook her head. "I didn't do it on purpose, it's just that I'm left handed so our elbows kinda…well, bump."

"Ah." Said Mr Sakamoto nodding his head understandingly. "Unfortunately, you're going to have to get used to it…unless there are any other left handed students here to switch places with Kikyo…" he looked around. Everyone was seemingly right handed.

"Nope, sorry about that. Just…do what you can." He said, and went back to his book. Nanae sighed and returned to her poetic attempts as Kikyo went to get another piece of paper.

When the three beeps sounded at the end of the first period, all poems were handed in and thankfully, no one received double homework…or any homework for that matter. Nanae searched through her jean pockets for her schedule and nearly jumped with excitement when she saw what she had for second period. Art.

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Never before had she seen so many people crowded in one space. Nanae was impatient to get to Art class but all the students in the way were preventing her from getting there.

"Um, excuse me…please." She said, rising up onto her tiptoes to see above the mass of heads. No one paid her any attention. She tried again.

"I-I need to get past, could you please excuse me?"

Again, no heed was paid. She took a deep breath. "Can someone let me through?" she cried, but it was hopeless for amongst the general chatter and babble of the crowd, her voice was lost. There was only one thing for it…brute force.

She began gently at first and without results, soon she was pushing and shoving just as hard as any student in the corridor, excuse me's and sorry's forgotten. As she progressed, she could just see the number on the classroom door but there were still many obstacles in the way. One of them was a very tall…demon? Anyway a very tall someone with very long and very silver hair with their back to her. She was being completely squashed by book bags and other students and her only option was to continue forward but the guy in front of her didn't even seem to want to budge. She sighed in frustration and tried to squeeze through the small space he was leaving.

"Excuuuuuse me!"

She almost literally popped through the gap after much pushing and made it to the Art classroom.

Meanwhile, Sesshoumaru tried his best to catch a glimpse of who ever had dared shove him to one side in that manner but it proved extremely difficult since all the parts of his body were being squished by the crowd surrounding him. He detested such close contact, especially with humans, hell; he hated it when demons came within a metre without his permission. He had to constantly remind himself that he was leaving school veeeeery soon. Or think of his little Rin. Both options were valid.

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"For those of you who don't know me, I'm Ms Saikawa, I'll be teaching art as I have done for a year now at this school."

Nanae recognised her as the same teacher from the auditorium whose name had been replaced by that of 'Sakana' by Totosai. Ms Saikawa was fairly young, in her mid thirties at most with short brown hair and a wonderfully freckled face. She dressed casually and gesticulated constantly giving the impression of a person who thoroughly loved what they did and showed enthusiasm for their work. Nanae wished she could be that carefree.

The Art room was different from the other few classrooms Nanae had seen, instead of desks there was just one large, circular, mahogany table situated in the middle of the room with chairs placed around it. Nanae sat comfortably wedged between two students, one on either side.

Ms Saikawa rubbed her hands together earnestly. "Right! I'm hoping to see new talent here! Everyone is going to draw this," she gestured toward a bowl of fruit sitting on her desk, "bowl of fruit, to be handed in at the end of the lesson. It's so I can see who can indeed draw and who…well…can't."

She looked at the many students sitting at the table until she found one she recognised. She smiled. "Ah, Hojo. Could you kindly place the bowl at the centre of the table please?"

Before he could stand up Ms Saikawa continued, "Ah! Before we begin, does anyone have any questions or anything they'd like to ask me?"

Nanae sat a little straighter. Should I mention that I'm left handed? I don't really want to jog anyone else. Okay, I'll tell her. Nanae raised a hand. Ms Saikawa looked at her brightly.

"Yes?"

Nanae shifted in her seat nervously. "Um. Yes, well…I'm left handed so…" Nanae gestured with her hand at her elbow and at the person sitting at her left. "It'll be awkward…"

Ms Saikawa smiled. "Oh okay. Is anyone else here left handed?" She asked the class. Nanae turned to see but her view was obscured by someone's head. Still, she could just catch a glimpse of a single raised hand.

"Very well, could you bring your things and swap seats with this student please?" asked Ms Saikawa as she pointed to the person sitting beside Nanae. Nanae heard no sound of movement from the other person but Ms Saikawa gave whoever it was a stern look.

"Now please."

Nanae heard a chair being slowly scraped back. Ms Saikawa nodded in approval.

Nanae stared at her blank sheet of paper. Great, now they're gonna hate me for making them sit here. Nanae, can't you do anything right?

"May I have your name?" Asked Ms Saikawa. Nanae could hear the person's footsteps slow a moment.

"Taiyoukai." Said a deep, masculine voice. Nanae looked up and gazed upon the most gorgeous being in the whole universe. Her heart seemed to stop for just a millisecond of a moment. Wow.

"Is there a first name that goes with that?"

The walking work of art gave an irritated sigh. "Sesshoumaru."

"Very well then. Sesshoumaru you'll be sitting here." Ms Saikawa said gesturing at the now empty seat beside Nanae.

"Okay, now remember, these are your seats for the rest of the year. I like organization. Plus if anyone changes seats, it'll throw the whole atmosphere of the room out of balance." She said, smiling as a few students chuckled.

Sesshoumaru sat himself down in the chair and glowered at the art teacher. Nanae continued staring at her sheet of paper no matter how badly she wanted another peek at the handsome creature beside her.

Ms Saikawa clapped her hands. "Right! Hojo! Fruit bowl on table!"

Eager to please, Hojo rushed to her desk, grabbed the bowl and practically ran back to the table, tripping over a chair leg in the process. He fell to the floor and the bowl of fruit flew up in the air and smashed as it hit the ground a few feet from his head. The room was filled with laughter and Hojo miserably picked himself off the floor and trudged to his seat. Ms Saikawa shushed the class.

"Okay, since there's no bowl anymore," she began and frowned as more sniggers broke out, "How about everyone turn to the person sitting next to them and sketch their portrait?"

She ignored the groans and smiled cheerfully. "That's great, now let's get started!"

The sounds of chairs scraping around and sheets of paper being waved about, followed. Nanae turned nervously to her partner who moved his chair slowly to face her. He looked very bored. Nanae placed her piece of paper on her sketchpad and leaned it on her lap, her eyes never leaving the safety of the blank sheet. She could hear faint movements on Sesshoumaru's part and she could only assume he was getting out his pen and paper.

"You're going to have to look at me sometime if you wish to finish my portrait…or indeed start it."

She almost jumped when he spoke and her eyes flew to his face involuntarily. She met intense amber eyes that could burn through anything yet still manage to hold in an icy gleam. Being of weak character, Nanae lowered her gaze almost immediately.

Sesshoumaru lip quirked upwards for a second. He had flustered her. He cleared his throat to catch Nanae's attention so that he could begin to sketch her.

After a few minutes, Nanae was feeling a little less tense since the most they were doing was concentrating on their drawings. She had never, ever drawn a demon before, nor seen one up this close. She wondered if all demons had markings like his. She sketched the indigo crescent moon on Sesshoumaru's forehead and started on his bangs. She noticed he had a slight feminine look but it wasn't so obscenely evident, just some subtle features suggested it. The only really evident thing was that he was extremely good looking; his silvery bangs fell into eyes with a sort of casual elegance that Nanae could never hope to capture on paper.

She felt uncomfortable though, every time his eyes flickered up to her face and then back at his sheet of paper. She shifted in her seat uneasily, but seeing Sesshoumaru scowl slightly at her movement made her stop.

"Okay! Time's up! Now, before you hand the drawings over to me, I want you to firstly share them with your partners, let's see if you like your portraits or not." Grinned Ms Saikawa, waggling her eyebrows.

Nanae heard Sesshoumaru give a 'hmph' before he handed his drawing to her. She passed him hers and at the same time received his sheet of paper. She peered at it, her heart thudding, she'd never seen her portrait drawn by anyone else. Sesshoumaru's portrait of her was amazing, she could tell he'd done this sort of thing for quite a while. She noticed his pen was the same as hers and yet he'd got it to swoop and spiral with such style, placing the figure on the paper with such confidence, a bold outline, immense detail with the hair, even capturing that sadness that always resided in her eyes. She breathed out. She wished could draw like that, she had always taken for granted the fact that she was good at art but now she finally met someone to steal that top spot.

"This is really good." She told him breathlessly. She watched Sesshoumaru's eyes scan her drawing quickly.

"Hm."

Nanae blinked at him. "What?"

He put down the piece of paper and his intense gaze clashed with hers.

"It's an average portrait." He in a bored tone, one that matched his expression. Nanae's eyebrows shot upwards.

"What do you mean average?" She asked, feeling a little offended. Sesshoumaru frowned, seeing that he would have to explain himself to her.

"I mean…your style needs fine tuning and you need to improve your sense of line."

Nanae opened her mouth and closed it again. That hurt.

He returned the drawing to her and reached over to get his, just when the signal for the end of lessons sounded. Ms Saikawa called for all the drawings to be handed to her before everyone left the classroom. Nanae was one of the last to go as she handed her sketch to Ms Saikawa. She still thought back on what Sesshoumaru had told her, feeling a little resentful.

No sense of line. No sense of line! Idiot, I have a perfect sense of line. As for style…I've got style! The moron just can't see it! Nanae though angrily as she went to find her locker. And here's me actually thinking great things about his drawing. Damn him. I guess I found a perfect example of the saying 'Good looks aren't everything'.

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A/N: Sorry for the slow update people, public exams y'know. I get my results this month and I'm so nervous. Okay, I think things are beginning to get a little interesting and if you think so too please let me know by leaving your comments. 'preciate it!