Chapter Twelve

Girl of Snow

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha but I own Miyu!

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

"I'm going to leave without you if you don't hurry!" A female voice called from the bottom of the stairs. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" Another female voice irritably told the first. Soon a teenager with snowy white hair, done up with ribbons to hide a set of dog ears that perched atop of her head emerged from the room, cursed colourfully, running back into the room.

The girl standing at the bottom of the steps sighed, shaking her head. "Honestly, Miyu, what's the point in having an alarm clock if you never listen to it?" The girl known as Miyu rushed down the stairs, book bag in hand.

"I use it." She protested as the two girls rushed out of the house, calling good byes to their parents.

"Yeah, you just keep hitting the snooze button until we have to run to school so we won't be late." Miyu narrowed her eyes slightly.

"It's not my fault! The stupid teachers just bog me down with so much homework that I don't get it done until late and I can't help but sleep in. I need my sleep, after all." The girl running alongside her just rolled her eyes.

"Or you could start on your homework when you get home instead of watching all that TV." The argument that happened every morning continued until the two reached the school with time to spare as most students took their time, lagging behind at their shoe lockers and out in the court yard.

"Oi! Rin-Chan!" Black hair swished behind her as she turned, seeing a familiar face. Rin smiled and waved as he jogged over.

"Hey, Kukai, you're here early." She said, looking at her watch. The boy with blue eyes and bleached blonde hair grinned at the female in front of him. "Yeah, early morning practice. Oh … you're on time today, Mii-Chan." Miyu blushed lightly at the informal way he addressed her. Crossing her arms, she spun around, her back to them.

"Just because you're dating my sister doesn't mean you can address me so informally." The boy grinned again and grabbed her in a head lock, ignoring her protests.

"Oh I don't call you Mii-Chan just because I'm dating Rin, I do it just because it's fun and it annoys you so much." He let her go and stepped back, turning his attention back to Rin just as the bell rang. "Well, I have to get going otherwise sensei will have my head for being late again this week." Rin smiled and nodded, not seeing her sister's disgusted face as the two shared a quick kiss before Kukai ran off. Rin stood, waving for a few seconds before turning to her sister with a smile.

"I have to get going too, the president of the gymnastics club can't be late. I'll meet you here after school. See you then, sis." She called, waving as she jogged down the hall towards the gym.

Miyu sighed, adjusting her school bag, slowly walking down the hall, her eyes on the floor though she wasn't actually seeing anything. That's just the way her life had become and having only recently moved to Tokyo in the last year, she really didn't have any friends. She didn't let anyone get close to her. She didn't know why, she just did it without thinking or even realizing sometimes. It was probably for the best, anyways, because once they realized what she was then it would just end up hurting her and the shred of normality Miyu was always desperately clinging to would be ruined.

Sighing again, she opened the door to the roof of her school and walked to the railing, looking down at the now empty courtyard. Sliding down against the cool metal, she looked to the blue sky with clouds lazily passing the day away. Closing her eyes, she let the warm breeze play over her skin.

Miyu stayed like that for a while, just feeling what the wind was telling her until a voice broke into her thoughts.

"Say, you're that girl that transferred here last term, aren't you? Miyu-san, right?" Miyu's eyes opened to deep violent ones and a warm smile that was framed with dark blue hair. A deep chuckle reached her ears and his eyes glinted in the early afternoon sunlight and he stepped back, giving her some space. Getting to her feet, she brushed off her pink and brown uniform before spotting what looked like a cat tail. Blinking a few times just to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

Her eyes travelled up his lean figure and, sure enough, perched on top of his head what a set of cat ears to match his hair and tail. Coming back to reality, she noticed that he was incredibly close and … smelling her! Miyu's cheek heated and her hands rested against his chest as he got closer. Her nose tingled and her strength left her as she involuntarily inhaled some of his scent.

"W-what are you doing? W-who are you and how do you know my name?" She asked quietly, her back pressed up against the railing as the distance between their bodies slowly got smaller.

He took one of her smaller hands in his, keeping it against his chest as his nose buried itself in the crook of her neck, inhaling deeply. He had been keeping close to her for months now and finally today, he couldn't take it anymore, he had to meet her, had to imprint her scent in his brain.

"I'm Kobayashi Tenrai and we've been in the same class this entire term. You sit in front of me, second row from the back next to the window." God, it's a no wonder why his parents named him as they did, he smelled absolutely divine and it was beginning to cloud her brain and her judgement, which could definitely be dangerous, especially since she wanted him to start doing other things than just smelling her.

His free hand that wasn't holding hers came up and cupped her cheek. Golden eyes met violet and their lips met, only briefly though it felt like it went on forever.

"Tenrai-kun? Are you up here? Sensei is looking for you!" A whiny female voice called from behind them. Miyu's eyes flashed open and she shoved him away, her face flaming like a hot tomato.

Tenrai put his hands in his pockets and his demonic qualities vanished just as the owner of the voice rounded the corner. "Oh, there you are." She latched onto his arm and blinked a few times at Miyu, leaning forward and examining the violently blushing girl.

"Huh? Who's this person?" The girl with relatively short hair questioned, making Miyu find her shoes quite interesting.

"Just a person from our class." He said casually. The answer seemed to satisfy her and she looked up at Tenrai with a smile, tugging him towards the door.

"Hey, hey, Tenrai-kun, come eat lunch with me and my friends today, alright?" The girl took his silence for a yes and she cheered, her loud voice gone when they disappeared inside the door.

Miyu waited a few minutes just to make sure they were really gone before she allowed herself a sigh as she slid back down against the railing. She touched her lips gingerly, still able to feel his soft warm lips against hers.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

The late afternoon sun filtered through the open doors of the school and she could hear the chimes, telling the students it was the end of yet another school day and Miyu leaned against the row of shoe lockers hers and her sisters were in. She couldn't help but replay the scene with that boy, Tenrai. With yet another sigh, the girl pushed off the lockers just as her sister came jogging up with her boyfriend, Kukai.

"Hey, ready to head home?" Rin asked her younger sister with a smile before noticing her sister's mood. "Are you okay?" The younger girl looked to the pair and smiled.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be? Well, let's get going." Spinning abruptly around and striding out of the school. Rin cast a curious glance to the boy standing beside her, frowning lightly when he just shrugged, falling into step beside her.

Once the school wasn't in sight, Miyu finally broke the tense silence.

"Hey guys, do you know a guy by the name of Tenrai Kobayashi?" The two looked at each other before looking at Miyu who just kept looking down at her feet.

"I haven't heard of him." Rin admitted, turning to Kukai. The male didn't notice as he pondered. "Kukai?" The female beside him called, tearing the boy away from his thoughts.

"I've heard of him, though I don't know him personally. They say he's really talented at sports and even though he attends the junior high part of the school, like you, he's the captain of the basketball team. The girls in my class are always gushing over him, saying that they would want him for a little brother though I've heard that he's a real womanizer. Why? Did you meet him today or something?"

Miyu sweat dropped, laughing nervously. It was a little creepy how on the mark he could be.

"Oh, no reason. I just heard some other kids talking about it today and was curious is all." She plastered a fake smile on her face, smiling at them. She was all too grateful when she saw their house up ahead.

"Well, I've gotta go. My mom wants me home early tonight because it's hers and my dad's date night tonight and they need me to watch the kids. I'll text you later tonight, though." Rin nodded and they quickly shared a kiss before he ran off, waving.

"We're home." Miyu announced as she opened the door. The usual chaos of her little brothers and sisters and her cousins running around the house greeted her. She had to brace herself as two little girls with long raven tresses attached themselves to her legs.

She looked down at her two smiling cousins and couldn't help but smile, detaching one and balancing her on her hip just as her aunt came down the hall, a bit flustered.

"Girls, I thought I told you two that you had to go wash up for dinner." A woman with the same color of hair and chocolate brown eyes scolded gently, picking up the other that was still attached to Miyu's leg.

"We're not dirty, though, Mama." They protested together, the one being held by their aunt clutched her school uniform tightly, causing their mother to sigh.

Miyu smiled, the events of the day completely forgotten. "Well, I'm going to go wash up like a big girl, you two can come if you want." She set the child down and began walking down the hall towards the bathroom.

The two looked at each other and ran after their aunt, their mother in tow.

Once each of the woman were helping a twin, the older one smiled at Miyu. "Thank you for your help, Miyu." Miyu smiled at her in return. "No problem, Aunt Kagome." The pair was silent until the two children's hands were clean and, upon setting the pair down, a conversation was started.

"So, how do you like high school? Have you met any boys yet?" A blush came upon Miyu's cheek when she recalled just who she had met and Kagome smiled brightly. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

The teenager looked to her aunt who just continued smiling at her and she slowly smiled back. "Thanks, aunt Kagome."

Soon, they were all seated at the large table, everyone from the little kids to the adults chattered about their day though Miyu remained quiet, picking at her food. As usual, no one noticed her and she quietly excused herself, removed her dishes and headed up to her room, sitting down on her bed with a sigh.

Picking up one of her ruffled pillows, she held it against her chest, the events with Tenrai kept replaying in her mind. With a cry of frustration, she held the pillow over her head for a minute or two before throwing it away and deciding to forget it all while sitting in the bath.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

With her hair still swooped up and a fluffy pink band keeping most of her hair out of her face, Miyu walked onto the balcony that attached to her room, wearing a colourful towel with an elastic inside the top and sighed, holding her glass of milk in her hand.

"AH! Drinking milk right after a bath is so refreshing!" Putting the cup to her lips again, a blue haired head dropped in front of hers.

"Drinking that won't make your chest get bigger." She was so surprised that she sprayed the milk that she was drinking and jumped back, her arms going around her body as if trying to shield it from the person as he jumped down in front of her.

"It's you! That guy from school! What are you doing here?!" Cat ears and tail appeared instantly and he locked his violet eyes on her and smirked, causing her to take a step back and then another as he advanced on her. Miyu's back came flush against the glass of the door that connected to her room and he kept advancing.

Her heart began pounding in her chest and her mouth went dry, a hot blush forming on her cheeks.

"I'll tell it to you alone. Turn your ear." He commanded softly. Miyu gulped, her hands beginning to shake lightly as the blush got deeper.

"W-what?"

"I mean, like this." Gently, his hands cupped her face and he turned her head gently to the side.

"R-really?"

"Yes, it's a secret." Miyu closed her eyes but they flew open when his mouth clamped over one of her dog ears. Shrieking, she clutched it as she proceeded to royally freak out.

Tenrai smirked as she sat on the floor of the porch, yelling at him and calling him names. It didn't bother him though, he just couldn't help but think how cute she looked.

"Pervert! Weirdo kitty!" Tenrai's face being placed in front of hers, Miyu quieted instantly, drawing back slightly, the blush returning.

"Keep it down, puppy." Miyu growled at him and then covered her mouth with her hands, surprised at the sound that had come from her.

"Miyu?" Kagome called out, opening the girl's bedroom door. Miyu swore quietly and turned to where Tenrai was or rather had been seeming how he had left just as mysteriously as he had come.

Kagome poked her head out the door and blinked at her niece that was sitting on the floor of the porch. "Miyu? What are you doing down there? Are you alright? I thought I heard you talking to someone."

Miyu waved her hands in front of her and shook her head, laughing nervously. "Nope, no one here but me."

Kagome frowned lightly. "Well, alright then. Good night."

"Night." Upon hearing the click of the door, the teenage girl let out a heavy sigh, mostly out of relief. She had no idea what she would say to her aunt if she had discovered that someone was there and that someone just happened to be a boy who just happened to somehow have cat ears and a tail.

Yeah, that would have gone over real well, she thought sarcastically. What had he meant by 'puppy'? And why had he shown so much interest in her when, clearly, there were plenty of other girls just throwing themselves at him.

Getting to her feet, Miyu looked at the round moon as it hung low and sighed again, shaking her head and heading into her room, making sure to lock her door.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

A/N: Well, I hope everyone liked this chapter! I worked very hard on it!

Now, as I tend to do, I did a time lapse and Miyu is currently 15 and it's her first year in junior high. In Japan there is no middle school and grade seven is junior high or lower secondary education. I believe that junior high is in a completely different building and/or location in real life in Japan since upper secondary education wasn't even mandatory until 2005 however, in this fanfic, I have combined the two.

Miyu has just gone into the 9th grade (third-year junior) while Rin is a third-year senior (equivalent to 12th grade in Canada and the U.S.) now and will be graduating in March, finals to be taken in February (just thought I'd give you all a little information on school in Japan). In case you didn't know, (I sure didn't) school starts in April and, I believe, ends in March of the following year.

I realize that the majority of Miyu's family (including her parents) weren't even in this chapter but they'll be in the next one and my reasoning is that I wanted to focus this chapter on teenage Miyu who pushes people away because she's different and doesn't know why (sounds like a certain hanyou huh?).

Anyways, you will be seeing more of her family in the next couple of chapters. And for those of you that know Shugo Chara then Tenrai will probably be VERY familiar to you, especially with that last little scene. You might also recognize Rin's boyfriend, Kukai (though probably just by the name).

Onto what most of you are probably wondering - why doesn't Miyu know that she's got demon blood in her? Well, if you read chapter 9 then you will recall InuYasha having a change of heart about where they lived, feudal era or modern. You will also recall the adorable half demon saying that he didn't want his daughter to go through any of what he had to, therefore, that influenced his decision to stay in the modern world with Kagome and raise his and Sesshomaru's family there (in the modern world).

Because of this decision, Miyu does not know of her or her parents heritage or the fact that she originally came from a world that, according to modern science and what not, does not exist anymore. I don't know why she hasn't questioned it or whatever, I just know that she hasn't.

Thanks to:

Valinor's Twilight

For their review on chapter 11.

Until next time!

Later days!