BLACK AND WHITE

A Monochrome Children Fanfiction

Prologue

Everyone wants to be accepted. Everyone wants to find the place where they belong.

Sarah hesitated only a bit as she looked up at the large, stately building, brushing her long, golden-brown bangs out of her eyes. It was about time to trim them.

Tall and almost mansion-like in appearance, it was suitably impressive for somewhere that had been giving away a scholarship for free.

How she came to be here had been a strange thing, finding a totally black flyer printed with white: Kemono Academy seeking a transfer student. Board and tuition paid, only one opening.

Too good to be true, anyone would say that. Yet, she had been unable to ignore it. A chance to go to a private school for free, something she would never accomplish by herself, and a promise of an adventure. So she sent in her application and… she was accepted.

"Well now, this year's Rabbit is cute," came a chuckle from along the path. A tall young male, black catlike ears twitching atop his dark hair, strode towards her. His tailored black uniform, trimmed in white, made his intense blue eyes stand out.

"You can't eat her Kyou, remember that," chuckled the student beside him, his long, speckled tail flicking. His amber eyes sparkled with mischief, chin-length auburn hair just shy of being straight. He grinned at Sarah, who blinked at the two in a manner that was somewhat perplexed, but not as shocked as they might have expected.

Her thoughts were not oh my god, the usual reaction, and she seemed almost… amused.

Grandma was telling the truth.

Her grandmother used to tell her stories about the friends she had when she was a child, people from another world with the ears and tails of animals.

The old woman had told her that she had been brought into a special school to help those children learn how to live beside others, disguised as a rabbit-eared classmate.

The Rabbit always runs away, she had said, in that wistful way that elderly people tended to do. It was the first thing that they told me. I said I wouldn't run but… I did. I've regretted that ever since.

So Sarah smiled, her soft green eyes shining. "Nice to meet you," she said cheerfully.

Kyou seemed startled, but his companion laughed. "I like her." He snapped his fingers, a slight flash replacing her simple dress with a white skirt and jacket, trimmed in black. On her head were two bobbing white ears, a small, fluffy tail poking out from the back of her skirt.

Sarah reached up to touch them, feel that they were real, and smiled a bit. It was exciting to know that she was going to the same school that her grandmother had come to, and there was determination in her eyes. She wasn't going to run away.

The Leopard offered his hand with a grin. "Hey, nice to meet you, "Rabbit." My name is Neo, third prince of the Leopard kingdom."

"Kyou, fifth prince of the Black Panther kingdom," drawled the second youth almost boredly, but he winked a bit at her.

"I'm Sarah," the girl answered a bit shyly, shaking Neo's hand.

"You smell so good," laughed a female voice into her ear, makign Sarah yelp a bit as she turned to see a beautiful blonde with startling violet eyes. A long, sleek tail waved behind her, tipped with white. A fox. "Princess of the Fox kingdom and current class head, Hiromi. Nice to meet you."

"She's the most likely to eat you, be careful," Neo laughed.

Sarah laughed too, her new ears twitching in excitement. She didn't know how this magical disguise worked, but honestly she didn't need to. She had found her adventure, and she couldn't wait to see where it could go.