Author's Note: I'd like to take a moment to thank to Juan and Dross263 for their reviews. Each one provides more and more motivation to the table, which will ultimately lead to the conclusion of this story…but Mizore still has a long road ahead of her! Please continue R&R-ing!

And no, Juan, Mizore didn't get struck by "lightning". The one who was carried away was Ashiyo. Just to clear that up. Mizore ain't so weak to be injured/killed off so easily.

And with this, ladies and gentlemen, the chapters move to the double digits, and the 20K word count is reached!

As one of the readers suggested, feel free to youtube "Rainy Mood" while reading this chapter; it did add a nice touch to it.

Ch. 10- Mizore's First Day

"Are you going to come in, Ms. Shirayuki?" Yusuke asked, "Or are you going to stay out there in the rain?"

Mizore stepped inside, failing to shield her amazement. "You live in here?"

Yusuke shrugged. "People would have a very hard time finding this place, and I'm never far off from my field. It might not be much, but to me, it's home."

Mizore had to agree that people would have a hard time finding this. Alongside the edge of the cliff was a thin series of steps extending from the edge of the cliff face. It curved so sharply underneath, she would have easily missed it if Yusuke hadn't guided her to it. The stairwell slithered down the cliff a solid twenty feet until finally stopping at the entrance of a cave, a place which Yusuke was now calling his home.

The cave itself was almost the size of the school gymnasium. Mizore estimated that it could fit around seventy people easy. Everything was a solid, dark brown rock, but the floor felt soft and smooth underneath her feet. There was even a hole in the rock wall that served as a small window, though the view was darkened by the sheets of rainfall.

The only thing out of place was a bare, worn mattress lying in the far corner. Beside them where several plastic bags. Yusuke reached into one of the bags and grabbed a handful of dried dog food, which he poured on top of a pile of old newspapers. Shadow entered in behind Mizore, who only had a moment to step away before the dog shook herself dry, before plopping on a pile of newspapers in the corner, greedily chomping away.

Reaching into another bag, Yusuke pulled out two cans of soda. "Hope you don't mind warm soda." He tossed one to Mizore, who dropped the bento boxes to free her hands.

"Hang on, give me yours for a second," Mizore said, holding her other hand out. Yusuke handed over his soda and watched as both cans quickly began to cool. "Hope you don't mind them cold."

He took the can back and opened it with a hiss, releasing a cool mist. "Huh, that's useful," he commented with a nod. Taking one of the bentos that Mizore dropped, he sat a few feet from Shadow, who was still stuffing her face. As he opened his box, Yusuke muttered "Itadakimasu" and began eating.

Mizore merely stared at her own, unopened lunch. Yeah, thanks for the food, she thought. And…thanks for letting me not eat alone.

Yusuke stopped eating, glancing at her. "What's wrong? Not hungry?"

"No. It's nothing," she said, opening her own box and quickly started munching on her food.

"This is pretty good," he said, taking a bite of a veggie bun. "Did you make this yourself?"

Mizore shook her head. "These were premade in a store. I not very good at cooking."

Yusuke acknowledged this with a nod. He looked toward the mouth of the cave. "The storm is worse than I originally thought. I don't think you'll be able to return to class on time."

"That's not a problem. I was suspended yesterday."

"Is that right?" he murmured, taking a swig of soda. "What happened?"

As Mizore expected, he was about to start a salvo of uncomfortable questions. I came here so I wouldn't have to dwell on it, she thought crossly. "It's nothing I can't handle."

Yusuke was silent for a moment. "Ms. Shirayuki…Mizore." This caught her off guard. "I could tell from the start that you need to get something off your chest." His normally critical eyes had softened, as if he actually cared. "It'll help if you talk about it, I promise."

Mizore hesitated. All this tension and doubt that has been broiling in her mind for the past few days. It felt like it was going to burst out of her at any moment. Could she trust him? "It's a long story," she dodged, but it sounded weak.

He simply gestured toward the mouth of the cave. "Time is on our side today."

Mizore looked from him back to her lunch. Maybe it would help. She took a deep breath. Where to begin? "It…it all started when I first arrived here to Yokai Academy…"

***THREE MONTHS AGO***

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Shirayuki!" a welcoming Ms. Nekonome greeted.

"Likewise," Mizore said curtly, shaking her hand. "Are you a teacher here?"

"I am! My name is Shizuka Nekonome, and I will be your homeroom teacher."

"Homeroom teacher," Mizore repeated. "That mean's your my main teacher throughout the year, right?"

"That's right," Nekonome said, looking at her curiously. "Have you never attended a school before?"

Mizore shook her head, explaining that she had been "homeschooled". Tsurara had spent some time in the previous week to educate Mizore on the know-how about schools, as Mizore had never been to one before.

"Well, that's no problem then!" Nekonome stated encouragingly. "Even though it's the middle of 2nd term, you'll learn quickly enough. School life here isn't hard at all to get used to. Now, if you would please follow me, I'll give you a tour of the Academy."

"Wait," Mizore said suddenly. "I was told Yokai Academy was a school for…"

"Monsters?" Nekonome finished.

"Yeah, for monsters. I don't mean to be rude, Ms. Nekonome, but why is a human guiding me into the Academy?" Mizore gave a once over on the teacher, seeing nothing monstrous about her.

But instead of being offended, the teacher laughed. "Oh, my. I'm not a human at all!" Something appeared behind her head. A tail. A yellow, white tipped tail. Mizore watched as it swung back and forth behind the woman's back. She began to notice the some of the other details; her golden blond hair with twin tufts that resembled ears, the collar around her neck with a bell attached, and the way she bent her wrists when she talked. And the tail. "See?" Nekonome grinned. "I'm just as Yokai as you are."

"I…see." Mizore said, still withholding the word monstrous from the list of words to describe her.

Nekonome clapped her hands together. "Oh, that reminds me. I need to tell you our most important rule here. As you may know, the main purpose of this academy is to allow monsters like you and I to learn how to live in the world of humans. To establish this, everyone must stay in their human forms."

She held her arms out. "Is this human enough?"

"That's just fine, dear. Although," Nekonome looked at Mizore's white blue-sleeved sweatshirt and similar skirt, "you're going to need a few school uniforms. But those can be bought at the shopping district later today. Now on with the tour!"

However, the pair had only just entered through the main campus gate when someone approached them. He was a tall, muscular (man?) with blond hair, dressed in complete sweatpants and shirt. "Ms. Nekonome, there you are!"

"Mr. Kotsubo?" Nekonome said. "You were looking for me?"

Kotsubo, who easily towered over the cat teacher, scowled. "Don't you remember the staff board meeting is today? Announcements about it have been sent out for the past week, and it's going to start in ten minutes."

Nekonome nearly coughed out a fur ball. "Oh no, I completely forgot about it!" She looked at Mizore, unsure. "But I need to give Ms. Shirayuki the tour around the academy."

Kotsubo glanced at Mizore. "Seeing as you must go to the meeting, maybe I should take over and escort her for you?" Perhaps it was the way his eyes slowly scoped every part of her body, or the way his lips were curled into a smile. Whatever the reason, a chill went up Mizore's spine, a rarity for a yukionna. Going on a tour with this guy was definitely not a good idea.

Thankfully, Nekonome gave Kotsubo a quizzical look. "But don't you have to go too? Seeing as you represent the physical education department of the school?"

Kotsubo's eyes unlatched from Mizore to Nekonome, and they weren't happy. "I can get one of the other coaches to do it for me."

But the cat-teacher shook her head, making the bell on her collar jingle rather comically. "That won't do, Mr. Kotsubo. You can't miss this meeting any more than I can!"

Kotsubo's look turned dangerous. "Then what would you suggest?"

Ms. Nekonome thought for a moment, all the while Mizore silently prayed. Please don't leave me with him! Please don't leave me with him! Please don't leave me with him! Suddenly, the cat teacher suggests "I can get the Student President to give her the tour!"

At first, Kotsubo seems like he's going to violently reject the idea and snatch Mizore away. Instead, his anger vanishes from his face and is replaced by cool indifference. "Fine then, just make it quick so you're not late for that meeting!" Then he walked away back toward the school.

Mizore just had enough time to thank her lucky snowflakes when Ms. Nekonome beckoned for her to follow. "Ms. Nekonome?" she asked. "Who was that?"

"That was Okuto Kotsubo; he's the head physical education teacher here." Mizore made a mental note to, if she could help it, avoid any gym classes for the next few school years.

A few doors and hallways later, Nekonome stopped at a classroom. With a swift knock, she popped her head in. "Excuse me," Mizore heard her say, "May I borrow Mr. Arashito for a few minutes?"

Mizore peered into the classroom through the window. Inside, the class was completely filled with humans in sea green uniforms. No, not humans. Mizore thought, recalling the one big rule. They're just like me. We're just monsters that look like humans. For some reason, the word monster just didn't roll off her tongue the right way. Kotsubo, maybe…but not me.

"Ms. Shirayuki," Nekonome said. "I'd like you to meet the student body president!"

Mizore turned and found herself looking into pair of striking violet eyes, set in a lightly toned face, framed with flowing locks of black hair. He gave a curt nod, and revealed perfect white teeth when he spoke. "Nice to meet you, Shirayuki Mizore. I'm Ryuu Arashito." She swallowed, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

Mizore fought to keep her voice level. "M-Mizore Shirayuki."

"Anyway," Nekonome was saying, "I've got to run so I'm not late for the staff meeting. Would you please give Ms. Shirayuki a quick tour of the Academy grounds?"

He turned to the cat teacher. "Of course, Ms. Nekonome. I'd be happy to show Yokai's newest student around." With a thankful nod, Nekonome walked briskly down the hall and out of sight.

Mizore suddenly wished that Ms. Nekonome was still there. When Ryuu looked back at her, she felt like melting. "Now then, shall we go?"

For the next half hour, Ryuu escorted Mizore around the campus, pointing out all the important buildings and areas. She noticed that Ryuu hardly smiled, but his voice revealed a soft and gentle personality. Everywhere they went, he tried telling her about all the great things about the school. If he had told her it was a common past-time to dig your own grave in the nearby graveyard and lay in it for a few hours, she would have done it without a second thought.

But Mizore wasn't listening to the amazing things about the school. Instead, she just kept her eyes to her feet, hoping that she wasn't blushing.

When they arrived at the female dormitory building, Ryuu finished off by saying, "Well, that's about it, Ms. Shirayuki. Was there anything else you'd like to know about the academy?"

She suddenly didn't want him to leave. "Well, I…uh…"

"You're a snow girl, right?" The question had caught her completely off guard. Ryuu quickly added, "Forgive me, I know the rule about maintaining human form and not telling anyone about your real self."

"How did you know?" Are all yukionna's blundering idiots?

"I've seen your village before. I…used to travel a lot when I was younger, you see."

If any of the snow women of my village saw you, there'd be a bloodbath on who'd get to marry you first.

"Anyway," Ryuu said, "Ms. Nekonome told me this was your first time away from home. Is the change in climate affecting you at all?"

"No, I'm fine. It's nothing I can't get used to."

Ryuu smiled, and Mizore's heart did a little flip. "That's good to know. I can suggest to Ms. Nekonome to have your room outfitted with extra air-conditioning, if you'd like. Mid-August heat could really get to you if your not acclimatized." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded slip of paper. "Here, this is your class schedule, starting on Monday. Your classes are all around the West Wing of the campus, just like I showed you."

"Thanks," she said, taking the schedule and wishing she had paid more attention to the tour.

"If there is anything else you can possibly need to make your stay here easier, Ms. Shirayuki," he implored, grabbing her hand with both of his. "Please, don't hesitate to ask me. Being president of the student body has its advantages." Blushing. Mizore was sure that her face was beet red. But before Mizore could relish in the moment any longer, Ryuu walked back toward the main building.

With her hand still in the air, as if held there by a puppeteer's string, Mizore watched him go. Her heart continued to run on nitro mode for several seconds. Slowly, she brought her outstretched hand to her heart, unable to stop smiling.

Her decision on coming to Yokai Academy was definitely the best choice she had ever made in her entire life.

***PRESENT DAY***

"But it didn't turn out so great in the end, did it?" Yusuke asked, head resting on his fist. Shadow was laid out on the pile of newspapers, fast asleep. The storm was still raging outside, but was slowly beginning to recede.

Mizore sadly shook her head, tasting cherry from the lollipop that Yusuke had provided a few minutes earlier. "No. If I knew this was going to happen, I would never have fallen for him. I wish I could just go back in time and just stop myself…do something different…"

Yusuke watched her. "So you developed a crush on the student president, and then what? Did you confess to him?"

"Oh yeah. I confessed," Mizore said, her voice sounding hollow. "It took me a few months, but I finally gathered the courage to tell him how I felt."

"And what did he say?" he asked gently.

"He rejected me." The sentence burned in her throat on its way out. Tears began to gather in the corners of her eyes. "I poured everything into it. But he rejected me anyway. And then his girlfriend saw us. She started shouting at me, accusing me of ridiculous things. She…slapped me. She told me that if she ever saw me with Ryuu again, she'd kill me." Her hand immediately went to her cheek, as if she could still feel the burning pain.

"So top student rejects you, and angry girlfriend unjustly attacks you..."

Mizore looked up at him, lips curled in a sad smile. "The thing is, Ryuu didn't heartlessly turn me down. He tried explaining to me that it wouldn't work, and that I should find someone else. Even though he didn't share my feelings, he still cared about me." Finally, she broke down and the tears started flowing. "But that only made the pain worse. And now my mom hates me, and my best friend is avoiding me! Why am I being abandoned like this? I don't want to be alone!"

Her head began to spin. She couldn't hold it in anymore. All the tension, all the depression, all the loss, everything liquefied and poured out of her eyes. She tried to hold it in, to not seem so weak in front of Yusuke.

Before she knew it, Yusuke was by her side, an arm around her shoulder, holding her close. "Idiot," he whispered. "Who have you been talking to, a brick wall? I'm here, so you're not alone." He gently squeezed her shoulder. "Not anymore."

Like a dam bursting, Mizore buried her head into his chest as her emotions ran loose.

Author's Note 2: I know Kotsubo has red hair in the anime. Mid-way through writing this chapter, I decided to look up the anime episode that introduces Mizore and that's when I saw it. I've only read the manga, and that's what I'm basing this fanfic off of. I swear, I always thought Kotsubo was a freakin' blonde!

However, for the sake of the story, Kotsubo has blond hair. Please refrain from sending any reviews or messages saying how it's not right. I KNOW, but it can't be helped. Thank you.