Winter's Child: Chapter 6

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Mitsuo is a promising martial artist and dating the most popular girl in school. Life seems perfect until his sixteenth birthday when he comes into his mother's heritage and his father's curse.

 
 

Winter's Child
Chapter 6
New World

By
Amethyst
“I don’t think you need to worry about maintaining my modesty,” I joked, “I don’t seem to have any.”

 


 
Author's Note: I'm back in the swing of things. I have this finished and a start on Alex, T&H and Bloodlines and should have them ready to go for the weekend. Thanks as usual to my readers and of course the Big Closet team who work tirelessly to give us all a great place to post and read TG fiction. ~Amethyst.
 


 
Chapter 6: New World

I woke early the next morning and padded down to the dojo to go through my kata. As I worked through the movements I let my senses expand around me, letting my body go on autopilot while I focused on my surroundings. While I had gone through the motions once barehanded and again with Yuki no Hana I was quite aware of the other presence that had slipped into the room. Zoe though made no move to speak with me but merely watched as I continued what I was doing. Once I finished my kata and had sheathed Yuki no Hana while turning to face her as she applauded. ~That was beautiful Miyuki, you really are good.~

I smiled and shrugged at that as I responded, “I should be, I’ve been practicing all my life.” I took a quick look at the mermaid and the uniform she was wearing. There was a black blazer with some sort of gold emblem on the left breast over top a white blouse and red tie; a red, black, and gold pleated plaid skirt, and white knee socks with black Mary Janes. Her copper hair was tied back in a high ponytail and she was wearing green colored contact lenses. “You’re up early, or have I been practicing longer than I thought?”

She smiled and shook her head. ~No we’re the only ones awake; everyone else should be getting up soon though. I’ve been up for hours since I only sleep an hour or so a night. I was about to go start breakfast for everyone but I sensed that someone else was up. When I realized that you were in here I thought I would come and watch you. I hope you don’t mind.~

I shook my head, “I don’t mind having an audience, I’m used to practicing in front of my mother and grandfather.” I looked once more at her clothing and asked, “School uniform?”

~Yes,~ she replied. ~ You should be getting your own later today once Aunt Gina and your parents register you at the school. You and Kei will be going to the same school as Jenny and me. It’s a school especially for Paranormals so at least we can be ourselves and not have to worry about screwing up with normal people around.~

“Well that’s a relief; I wouldn’t want to accidentally freeze someone at a normal school, that could cause issues. But if we can be ourselves why are you wearing contact lenses?” I asked.

~I’m used to wearing them whenever I leave the house and I usually drive myself and Jenny there so it’s better to have them in just in case we get stopped by the police or something happens on the way,~ she responded. ~Anyway, I should go up and start breakfast. I can call you when it’s ready if you like.~

I smiled at her as we left the dojo and headed upstairs. “Thanks Zoe, that would be great. I think I’m going to go get cleaned up and then I’ll see you when I come down. I’d offer to help but I still don’t have the heat feeding thing completely under my control yet and I would hate to have your hot breakfast go cold because of me.”

While Zoe headed to the kitchen I went upstairs to my room to put Yuki no Hana carefully in its new shrine and then take a shower. I was noticing that I was getting a bit of stubble under my arms and along my legs and the thought of being anything less than downright sexy did not sit well with me. I hadn’t yet gotten the chance to shave and I was a bit worried about doing it wrong and marring my perfect flesh so for several minutes I just stood basking in the hot water, drinking in its heat to mentally prepare myself. When I was finally ready to brave the dreaded women’s razor I discovered that I had no need for it, the stubble was gone.

I started to go over in my head what I had been doing that could have caused that when it hit me. I had been drinking in the heat of the water. Feeding on heat effectively returns my appearance to factory settings and when I manifested I had no trace of hair on my body. Well that would certainly make my self-care regimen easier. I quickly set about washing myself and my hair and was soon out of the shower feeling very refreshed. I had to give up on drying my hair though since I was just feeding on the heat from the hair dryer and it wasn’t getting me anywhere. I really needed to learn better control I thought as I looked at the dryer in disgust.

~Breakfast is ready Miyuki,~ Zoe’s voice sang in my mind. ~Oh and please wear clothes. Jenny has a hard enough time settling in for an entire day in her school uniform without seeing other people naked.~

~I’ll get dressed and be right down,~ I replied. ~I would have been down by now but I’m having trouble drying my hair.~

~Hurry down and I can help you with that,~ she offered. ~Water is my specialty.~

I quickly got into an ice blue satin bra and panty set with a black t-shirt that left my midriff bare and a pair of hip hugging jeans that may as well have been painted on me. Then, properly dressed, I made my way down to the kitchen for breakfast. Everyone else was already seated at the table when I arrived except for Zoe, who was placing plates in front of everyone. “Ohayou,” I greeted everyone with a smile.

Before I could take a seat Zoe pulled me aside and literally pulled all of the excess water from my thick hair, leaving it dry and a lot lighter and more manageable. ~There you go Miyuki,~ she said with a grin as she held a ball of water in her hand. I grinned back at her and leaned forward to kiss the ball and suck all the heat from it to freeze it solid. ~Eeeee! That’s cold!~ I giggled at her mental yelp as the frozen sphere dropped into her hand. She juggled it from hand to hand before depositing it in the sink and motioning for me to take a seat at the table.

I took my seat beside Kei and Zoe took her own beside me, bearing a plate for each of us. ~Sorry it’s not a traditional Japanese breakfast,~ she quickly apologized, ~But I don’t really know much about what you Japanese eat in the mornings. This is fairly traditional around here, pancakes, eggs, sausages, toast and hashbrowns.~

I looked at the plate in front of me and shrugged. “Well we’re living in Canada now so we might as well get used to how things work here. It looks very good Zoe, thank you for making it for us.”

My mother nodded her agreement after swallowing a mouthful. “This is very good Zoe, there is no need to apologize. If you would like to learn about traditional Japanese foods I would be happy to teach you. I could show all three of you girls how to make a traditional Japanese breakfast tomorrow morning if you would like.”

I started to eat my own meal and found that it really was good. Zoe meanwhile was nodding enthusiastically. ~I don’t sleep much and I enjoy cooking so usually I end up making breakfast. I would love to learn how to make some Japanese dishes. Just please, no sushi,~ she joked.

I almost choked on my food at that, “Worried we’ll be eating a relative?” Kei asked while I managed to swallow and get control of myself.

The mermaid shook her head. ~When you grow up in the ocean or rivers you eat raw fish a lot. It gets tiresome after a while and I want to try new things.~

“Well there will be fish Zoe, but we’ll properly broil it. We’ll do some shopping today to get all the proper foods for a traditional Japanese breakfast and you girls can help me make it in the morning,” my mother replied. “That includes you Miyuki, it’s about time you learn how to cook if you want to be a proper wife for Kei someday. Marriage isn’t all about sex and having kids you know.” I ended up choking again at that and Kei turned a very bright red.

Jenny gave me a smile and a sympathetic look from across the table. “You’ll get used to hearing things like that. My mom was the same way. Nymphs are very open sexually. Our kinds are very similar in a lot of ways. It will be nice to have someone around who’s like me. I miss my mom and I never got to know any other Nymphs…” she trailed off, a pained look in her eyes. It must have been hard on both these girls to lose their entire families like they did.

I reached across the table and gave her hand a squeeze. “Well, you got me and my mom here now. We’re not Nymphs but we’re similar and I’m new to this whole paranormal thing but we can learn together and Okasan probably has lots to teach us.”

Aunt Gina nodded to that and smiled at us both, “You all have a lot to learn, and the training will begin soon enough. Just remember that we’re all family here and we stick by one another no matter what. I’m sure I speak for David and Yuki as well when I say that any of you kids can come to us for advice or to talk when you need to.”

My mother and father nodded their agreement and my dad spoke up. “Miyuki may be our only biological child here but we’re here for any of you if you need us.”

>^..^<

After breakfast Zoe and Jenny left together for school in Zoe’s Prius and the rest of us climbed into the limo for the ride down to the Paranormal Defense Agency’s main office in old Montreal. As we drove through old Montreal toward Old Port Natsumi and Aunt Gina pointed out some of the old gothic cathedrals and some of the other tourist attractions Montreal was well known for. They also told us about some of the history of the city and its historic sites. One such was Stewart Fort on St. Helens Island and its role in the Patriot Rebellions of 1837 and how Paranormals were involved. It was interesting stuff to learn and I found myself eager to play tourist.

Eventually we pulled up in front of a rather nondescript warehouse with an attached office building in Old Port. The name on the sign was “Werehouse Imports and Exports.” Not only did the company act as a front for the Paranormal Defense Agency but the warehouse in its official capacity employed a large number of Paranormals and some of the imports were unusual or hard to find items that Paranormals needed to live somewhat normal lives. Aunt Gina and Natsumi led us into the office building to the elevator and the second floor. The first floor was for official shipping company business and the remaining floors were for PDA business. All registration and government services were located on the second floor, the third floor was dedicated to counseling and Paranormals with special needs, and the fourth floor was for helping Paranormals find employment and homes suited to their needs and recruiting specialized Paranormals for emergency work.

My Mom looked concerned as Aunt Gina explained all this. “You haven’t mentioned anything about policing Paranormals, which is usually a pretty important part of any government agency dealing with us.”

The Kitsune nodded and grinned, “They don’t like to be obvious that we police Paranormals here. There is a basement level that runs beneath both the office building and the warehouse. That’s where the policing division is run. Investigations, Hunter teams, cover up teams, training center, special ops, it’s all run down there.”

Mom nodded her head and gave an approving smile, “If I weren’t going to be so busy training these kids I would see if they need an experienced Hunter.”

“You can always offer your services as an independent contract Hunter,” Natsumi suggested. “Then you can get some Hunting jobs when the PDA Hunters are overworked and do them on your own or if you feel that there’s not much danger to the kids you could use that to get them some on the job training. A lot of independent Hunters hire their own teams for contracted Hunts or use the chance to train their Manifested children in the family business, and as subcontractors the kids would get paid for any work they do as well. They’re sixteen so they can legally work.”

Mom took one look at the grins that Kei and I were both wearing and groaned. “We’ll look into it before we leave but I’m not putting you kids in any situations I don’t think you’re ready for.”

>^..^<

We had been waiting a while before they finally got around to seeing us. There were no issues with our citizenship or registration with the PDA though, especially with Aunt Gina sponsoring us. It seemed that she had a lot of pull with the PDA. They took our photos for our new PDA ID cards and for my parents’ new driver’s licenses and sent the appropriate paperwork to the school Kei and I would be attending as well. Once we were done there my dad went upstairs to speak with the head of the counseling department while the rest of us made our way downstairs to the basement level.

Natsumi sauntered right through the waiting area and up to one of the desks where a middle aged man with receding brown hair and violet eyes sat. He looked up at her appearance and chuckled, “Are you slumming Natsumi? I thought you gave up Hunting to live the glamorous life of a professional bodyguard. What can I do for you?”

“Oh I did Mike and Miss Fox keeps me plenty busy. I’m here to do something for you though,” the Harionago replied.

“Oh really?” he said, raising a bushy eyebrow. “I assume this has something to do with your current entourage?”

Her response was a gentle slap to his shoulder, “You don’t miss much do you Mike, is that why the PDA pays you the big bucks to sit behind a desk?”

“We don’t all age as slow as you Nat and some of us still need to work for a living,” he retorted with a smile.

“I’ve missed you too Mike but I brought you a present.” Natsumi turned to point at each of us in turn, “You know my employer Gina Fox of course. This is Yuki Thompson, her daughter Miyuki, and Miss Fox’s nephew Kei Tanaka. Yuki was a Hunter with Division Nine in Tokyo and she’s considering taking on some contract work while living here in Montreal. Everyone this is Captain Mike Klein, Air Mage and the man in charge of contract work here at the PDA.”

The Captain gave us all a good once over before nodding and smiling, “Any friends of Nat’s are friends of mine, we used to be partners over in Investigations.” His gaze settled on my mom, “So what department did you work in?”

“I was team leader for one of our Hunting teams for fifteen years. We handled investigation and Hunting of dangerous Paranormals,” my mother replied. “My specialties are close combat, Ice magic and strategy, I’ve also done mountain and ice storm rescues.”

Both bushy eyebrows rose in interest, “We definitely could use someone like that here. There’s no shortage of work here for someone with your skills and experience. Would you be working alone or with a team?”

Mom nodded toward me, “I’ll take it on a case by case basis. My daughter here and Kei are both interested in being Hunters when they’re out of school, and there are two others I’ll be training as well who may be interested. This will be a good way for them to get some experience and prepare them for working as a team while I keep an eye on them.”

He looked me and Kei over, “As long as they know what they are getting into and can follow orders I have no issues with them working with you. I’ll need you and any possible sub-contractors or team members to come in to fill out paperwork and get a photo taken so we can give you badges and Identification to mark you as PDA CHIs.”

“CHIs?” I asked.

“Contracted Hunter/Investigators,” Captain Klein replied. “It means that you are authorized by the PDA to investigate and deal with Paranormal threats but it doesn’t give you the kind of authority and influence a regular PDA agent has, so there are some things that you’ll need to know.”

Mom nodded soberly, “I can understand that, so what are these things we should know?”

He made sure to look directly at Kei and I as he spoke. “First, we may not be able to legally back you if you go too far in an investigation unless you can provide convincing evidence as to why we should. Second, you are independent contractors, not actual PDA employees, so any legal problems are your problem unless we decide to intercede on your behalf. Third, you are responsible for purchasing and maintaining whatever equipment you need unless the PDA requests special equipment on a case which we would provide. Lastly, if you end up in the middle of something that you haven’t been contracted to do, for God’s sake call it in so we know what’s going on and wires aren’t being crossed. As a first respondent at a Paranormal event you can act and have rights to a case, but only if you call it in and let us know what’s going on. We can’t support you or send in a cover up team unless we’re in the loop.”

“Those seem like perfectly reasonable points to me Captain Klein,” I admitted.

He laughed and grinned at me, “You’d be surprised how many adult contractors we get that don’t think so,” he replied while turning his smile on my mother. “So if knowing all that you’re still wanting to become a contractor we’d be glad to have someone with your experience.”

Mom nodded, “It sounds fine to me. I’d offer my services full time if I weren’t training these kids. At least this way you can have me on call if you need me, and the kids can get some real world experience. Should we get the paperwork done now? I can have Miyuki bring the other two by this afternoon if they’re interested to fill out theirs.”

“I’ll need a waiver and signed authority from their legal guardians but if you can manage that then we can get your paperwork done now and do theirs when they can come in with the needed waivers and signed forms,” he agreed.

Aunt Gina laughed, “I can fill out the waiver and other paperwork since I’m the legal guardian of the two girls she’s speaking of. Yuki can fill out her daughter’s and Kei’s forms since she is their legal guardian.”

An hour later all the forms were filled out and properly signed and witnessed. If Jenny and Zoe decided to join us in this all they would have to do is sign their names and get their photos taken. Captain Klein told us that he should have CHI IDs and badge numbers ready to be assigned to us by the end of the day and we could pick them when we came by with Jenny and Zoe. We were just heading upstairs to see if my dad was finished yet when Captain Klein shouted, “Oh Nat! Don’t forget to warn your new friends about the dogs.”

“Dogs?” Kei asked, his eyes on Natsumi.

It was Aunt Gina who answered the question though after a brief sigh. “Most local Paranormals call them the dogs and Captain Klein is right, you should be warned. The past couple years a religious group of humans has been gaining notoriety here in North America. They call themselves the Hounds of God and they preach that Paranormal creatures exist, are an abomination in the eyes of God and must be hunted down and exterminated. We don’t know where they get their intel but they have been hunting down Pararnormals and attacking places where we gather. They’re becoming as big a problem as rogue Paranormals and it falls under joint PDA and CSE jurisdiction to deal with them.”

My mom sighed as we left the elevator, “I don’t like the sound of that at all, but I guess it’s no different than organized human Hunters back home in Japan. How does the PDA deal with them?”

Natsumi grinned, “Any way we like. The government’s official standpoint is that they are terrorists. We usually try to capture them and let the courts deal with them as terrorists but in extreme cases lethal force is authorized. The RCMP isn’t equipped to deal with them and the CSE are in the loop about the PDA and will work with our people on cases which could involve Paranormal affairs. They cover PDA’s ass in any public cases that involve us and we help them out when they run across things they can’t explain or deal with themselves. If you ever get held up by a CSE agent just show them your ID and badge and usually an understanding can be reached.”

“What’s the CSE?” I asked.

“CSE stands for Communication Security Establishment,” Natsumi explained. “They are the Canadian version of the American NSA and like the PDA they don’t officially exist. That’s the reason we can work together, neither organization exists on government books and we have no accountability to any organization other than ourselves and the top levels of government.”

My head was beginning to spin with all this new information and new realities since my Manifestation and our move to Montreal. At that point though we had met up with my father and he announced that he would be starting work as a counselor at the PDA on the following Monday when Kei and I started school. In turn we shared all the information we had learned and the fact that Mom, Kei and myself were going to be CHIs. Dad wasn’t too thrilled about the possible danger but he relented when it was pointed out that Mom would be in charge and that we would need to learn about Hunting and protecting ourselves anyway.

>^..^<

Once we were finished at the Werehouse Aunt Gina took us all out for a nice lunch at Sergio’s, a very nice restaurant that catered to Paranormals and was hidden away in a building that looked abandoned and run down from the outside. The inside was a completely different story, there were crystal chandeliers, finely embroidered tablecloths and napkins, and possibly the best Italian food in the city from what I was told. I had to admit that the chicken Alfredo was delicious. Finally Kei asked, “How do the normal humans not realize this place is here and how do Paranormals know it is? It’s not so well hidden but I don’t think I’ve seen a normal human walk in yet that wasn’t with a Paranormal.”

Aunt Gina smiled and asked, “Do you remember that little bit of blue graffiti we saw to the side of the door? The little star with the letters PNR underneath?”

Kei nodded and replied, “Yeah I thought that was just typical graffiti, like a gang name or someone’s initials.”

The older Kitsune shook her head. “Only Paranormals can see that symbol so if you see that symbol beside a door to a place that looks abandoned it means there’s a place of business there that caters to Paranormals only. PN stands for ‘Paranormal’ obviously and the R stands for ‘Restaurant’. If there’s another letter there it refers to another type of business. Like for C it stands for ‘Clothing’.”

I thought that over and asked, “All these people can’t have just come in from seeing that symbol and I don’t know if word of mouth or repeat business would give enough business for a place like this to remain open.”

Natsumi shook her head and smiled, “You’re very astute Miyuki, most teens wouldn’t think about details like that. Most people in the Paranormal community here in North America make good use of modern technology. The PDA and other such agencies that deal with Paranormals offer phone applets and such which show local Paranormal businesses for whatever city you happen to be in. Then once you know where the business is just look for the symbol by the door.”

“Won’t people get suspicious by people walking in and out of abandoned buildings and such?” Kei asked.

Aunt Gina shook her head, “No, these type of businesses hire Divine magic users to cast a spell on the building or storefront that causes normal humans to look away and not notice anything unusual going on, then once they pass they forget they even saw an empty shop. That does remind me though; these are for the four of you. They have the applet for finding Paranormal businesses and the number for the PDA as well as mine and Natsumi’s numbers programmed in, as well as each of your own numbers.” She reached into her purse and pulled out four cell phones. A silver one was given to my father and white one to my mom, while Kei got a black one and mine was a light pink.

I looked over the phone and discovered that it was one of the top of the line touch screen models with a camera and all the bells and whistles. I looked over the contact list to find that Zoe’s and Jenny’s numbers were also programmed in. “Thanks Aunt Gina, I’ll feel better knowing I can contact any of you when I need to,” I admitted. I honestly was relieved. Montreal may not be near as big as Tokyo but it’s still a big and strange city and without company I had a feeling that I would feel more than a little out of place.

>^..^<

After lunch we went to Belanger Academy, the school for Paranormals that Kei and I would be attending with Zoe and Jenny. Belanger Academy was in Pointe-Claire and about a ten minute drive from our new home. We arrived at one thirty and after being introduced to the Headmaster, a Satyr we were introduced to as Monsieur Remis, Kei and I were given a run-down of the school rules, dress code, and a lengthy tour of the facilities. Besides the classrooms there was a cafeteria, gymnasium, ice rink, indoor track and soccer field, and an Olympic sized swimming pool. It was very impressive and almost totally funded by the PDA and generous donations by Paranormals like Aunt Gina.

Once the tour was completed we were given two school uniforms each as well as two gym uniforms and our schedules were discussed. Due to us arriving so late in the semester they tried to make our schedules as easy as possible on us, though we were told we were required to join at least one extracurricular activity. “Do you have any kendo or martial arts clubs?” I asked.

Monsieur Remis shook his head, “While we do have a martial arts club there are two reasons we can’t let you be involved in that activity. One, I feel that your abilities and the fact that you’ve been studying all your life would give you an unfair advantage. Imagine how it would look if we compete with other schools with teams of students that are naturally gifted. For example if we were to have mermaids on the swim team. Even in their human forms they are much better swimmers than natural humans. If all our teams were like that we could come under too much scrutiny from normal human schools and we like to keep this a safe environment where our students don’t have to worry about that kind of scrutiny.”

I sighed but nodded my head in understanding. “I guess I can understand that. You said there were two reasons, what’s the other?”

The Headmaster gave us a smile, “We try to broaden the horizons of our students. We want give you a chance to try new things that you wouldn’t try or consider normally to make you more well-rounded people. There are even clubs where you might learn things that could enhance your current skill set.”

I looked at the list of extra-curricular activities and sighed again. Nothing really interested me at all. Even worse was the fact that Kei had without any hesitation chosen to join the track team. I liked exercise but running around in a circle didn’t really appeal to me at all. Finally Aunt Gina suggested, “How about gymnastics Miyuki? It would complement your martial arts skills nicely in combat once you become good at it and you can practice in the gym at home as well.”

I actually considered it before shaking my head, “As interesting as that sounds Aunt Gina most gymnasts are not as… developed as me. My assets may get in the way.”

My mother gave me a dirty look as she said coldly, “That is a stereotype Miyuki dear. Plenty of girls with our endowments are involved in gymnastics. Besides think of it, all those guys watching you move around in a leotard that leaves little to the imagination, almost like you’re wearing nothing. And they would be imagining what else you can do with your body as you move around and contort your body into unthinkable positions.”

Damn her for playing to my exhibitionist streak and my need to feel sexy. I could feel myself smiling and my nipples hardening as I pictured it. “Gymnastics it is then.”

“I dunno Miyuki,” Kei interjected. “I don’t know if I’m comfortable with other guys looking at you like that.”

I leveled a cold glare at my boyfriend, “Get one thing straight right now Kei, I love you but that does not mean you get to decide what I do in my spare time. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself if a guy decides to do anything more than look if that’s what you’re worried about. Also, other guys may be fantasizing about getting me into bed but as far as I’m concerned you’re the only one who’s going to be doing it.” That shut him up pretty quickly.

Monsieur Remis coughed and redirected his gaze for a moment to collect himself. “Ummm… yes, just so long as you both remember to keep your affections to a manageable level while on school property.” The Satyr looked very uncomfortable and I imagined it was pretty hard for one of his kind to be in a room with both me and my mother at the same time, especially with the topic of sex being thrown around so casually. Yes I said hard, so sue me. It was probably the truth if what I heard about Satyrs was true and we affected them as badly as normal men. It seemed though that we were finished and I was instructed to go see the gymnastics coach about a school leotard before we left.

We left the Headmaster’s office with Kei accompanying me to the gymnasium while Mom and Dad went home with Aunt Gina and Natsumi so they could pick up the SUV and get some grocery shopping done. I texted Zoe and Jenny and asked them to meet Kei and I at the gym one they got out of class. With that done I knocked on the coach’s office door to see about my leotard. The door was quickly opened by a tall, slender, and pretty woman with silvery hair, amber eyes with slit pupils and pointed ears. “Hello, are you Coach Sylhael? I’m Miyuki Thompson I was told to come see you for a leotard.”

The strange woman looked me over, “Yes that’s me. So you’re going to be starting school here and want to give gymnastics a try? Have you ever taken gymnastics before?”

I quickly shook my head. “No, but I’ve been studying martial arts since I could stand up so I’m pretty limber.”

“I see,” she said as she continued to look me over, “There’s something familiar about you… I’d say you were a Nymph but I don’t feel Earth magic from you, it feels closer to Water.”

I grinned at her. “It’s Ice actually, I’m a Mixed and half Yuki-onna, we and Nymphs are similar in a lot of ways I’m told.”

“Mixed?” she asked with a raised eyebrow, “You turned out well then, your other half must have been fairly compatible.”

“I guess so,” I replied, “My dad is a Cursed, we can change into Snow Leopards.”

She nodded and smiled, “That explains a lot. Even standing your movements are graceful and fluid, I think you’ll take well to gymnastics. Let me see if I can find to a leotard in a larger size. With your height and your curves I don’t think a regular size would be a good fit, well not and keep you modest anyway.” She turned and went back into her office, waving us inside as she looked through some black and gold leotards on a rack.

“I don’t think you need to worry about maintaining my modesty,” I joked, “I don’t seem to have any.”

“You do have a lot of similarities to Nymphs,” she said with a grin. “Nymphs and other forest creatures are very special to my people, I will be very interested in seeing how you progress Miyuki, you and the Kitsune boy who can’t keep his eyes off you. I take it there’s a story there, I hope to hear it someday. Ah here we go! This one should fit you well enough, if a bit snugly.” She pulled a leotard off the rack and handed it to me. “We meet Mondays and Wednesdays after school.”

“Domo arigato, I will see you on Monday Sensei.” I added the leotard to my pile of school clothes and supplies and Kei and I went to find Zoe and Jenny outside the gym. They were waiting for us and both smiled when they saw us approaching with our arms full.

~All ready for Monday then?~ Zoe sang at us.

I nodded, “Yeah, as ready as we’re going to be. I’m disappointed they wouldn’t let me take martial arts for my extracurricular but gymnastics might be fun. Kei decided on Track. What do you two do for yours?”

Jenny gave Kei a jealous look, “I wanted Track but I have an unfair advantage. My legs are really powerful and I’m probably the fastest runner in the school. Unfortunately there are not a lot of sports that are doable for girls with hooves. I ended up joining the archery club. Zoe is in the computer science club.”

“I hope we weren’t keeping you two waiting too long,” I said. “I was talking with the gymnastics coach, she seems really nice.”

Jenny shrugged, “It’s okay, we were on the phone with Aunt Gina. She was telling us about your mom working for the PDA and how we could as well as part of our training. Miss Sylhael is great. She’s one of the Fey you know, and has a soft spot for Nymphs.”

I nodded with a smile. “She almost thought I was one at first but I didn’t radiate Earth magic. I think she took a liking to me though, probably because of our similarities and because I’m part cat. What do you two think about the idea of working as CHIs?”

~If nothing else it will help our training and get us to work well as a team. I’m all for the idea.~ Zoe responded.

Jenny grinned, “Neither of my natures are very violent but I need to learn to defend myself and my family. I think you and your Mom will be good teachers for me and if it works out we’ll all have job experience in the future if we decide to join the PDA as an official team. So we need to go down there and get set up right?”

Kei nodded, “That was the plan, and after that I guess our evening is open. We should hang out and get to know one another better.”

~Great idea Kei let's go find my car and get downtown.~ Zoe replied as she led the way to the parking lot. ~Once we’re done at the Werehouse we’ll go grab some dinner. I know where they serve the best poutine in the city.~

“What’s a poutine?” I asked as Jenny dragged me alongside her in pursuit.

The other Mixed just grinned at me, “You’ll find out soon enough. You have a whole new culture to explore.”

 © 2013 Amethyst Gibbs
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Comments

Satyr ended up

cold shouldered. Well done another wonderful chapter and your characters grow so well

Goddess Bless you

Love Desiree

No doubt about it, getting an

education will be a most interesting adventure for these Unseen students.

    Stanman
May Your Light Forever Shine

Pun?

Werehouse? Pun or spelling error, if the former it made me laugh.

The nature of Monkey is - Irrepressible!!!

pun

Amethyst's picture

and a intentional one at that ;)

ChibiMaker1.jpg

Don't take me too seriously. I'm just kitten around. :3

Well, looks like.....

One and all are settling into life in Canada. I'm guessing this is the calm before the storm? Amethyst hon, so happy you feel up to writing again! (Hugs) Taarpa

Thanks Taarpa

Amethyst's picture

Thanks hon *hug* it's good to be back in the saddle and following my muse. Definitely the calm before the storm, I'll let them get settled a bit before I turn their lives upside down again. ;)

ChibiMaker1.jpg

Don't take me too seriously. I'm just kitten around. :3

What I like is the character developement

In particular how the former girl, Rei let her heart and goodness override her family prejudice and take the chance to be with her love again, even at the cost of her femininity. Mind you she didn't know THAT would be the price but as a Miko she knew Kitsune were mischievious and not always to be trusted. Still she took the chamce. Brave girl now brave man.

It was a high price as she was a happy and lovely young woman but as the Kitsune and other supernaturals helping them out have hinted there is something great that may happen if these two can stay a couple.

That our heroine would adapt, nay thrive as a woman was almost a given knowing now who her grandmother and mom are. Even the dad's were curse may have helped her adapt and embrace her womanhood.

Rei becoming fast adapted and happy as the dishy young man Kei seems at first harder to explain. But as a Miko she knew of magic. Plus she was beginning to rebel against her family's harsh line towards all supernaturals. And it is obvious she was deeply in love/devoted to her boyfriend, now the lethally beautiful Miyuki. Love conquers all seems to apply here.

We do have this nasty anti unseen group in Canada and always the threat of Kei's former family.

Still things seem brighter now, for the time being.

I am a little surprised the Japanese govt knowing many/most supernaturals are harmless, even helpful why they did not crack down on tyhe less rational *hunter* such as Rei/Kei's family?

Or is it that *we must preserve the old ways* concept that is so ingrained in Japan? But then in the US we allow natives to hunt endanger species -- whales and such -- as it is traditional.

Rock and a hard place on that. But these supernaturals are THINKING beings. I find it hard to see why they are *allowed* to be slaughtered.

LOVED the *torment* the Satyr went through.

Naught girls.

BTW will his kitsune based and Miko based powers allow Kei to satisfy his lover?

Mind you the mom found a way via extreme exercise and her love for her husband.

In a previous chapter it was explained why she has waited on trying for another child.

Will she now let her native fertility take hold?

Miyuki deserves a baby sister, brother or several of each to spoil.

HUM? I have not noticed Kei doing much more *girl* coaching of our heroine. And visa versa for that matter. Is it Miyuki's own supernatural nature has made her more feminine, while remaining a lethal swordswoman, than Rei ever was. And that is saying something. And the kitsune magic that changed Rei into Kei has similarly made him feel comfortable in his new skin?

As I have said before, Kei is a very special young man and Miyuki is an equally exceptional woman. Their children will be extraordinary.

Charming characters. And the secondary characters are no cardboard cutouts either.

John in Wauwatosa

John in Wauwatosa

Thanks John

Amethyst's picture

I always try to make interesting characters. There may be new family members for Miyuki soon and I think she and Kei will be good together. They're both adapting well and when they do need one another's advice they know they can turn to one another.

*hugs*

Amethyst

ChibiMaker1.jpg

Don't take me too seriously. I'm just kitten around. :3

Excellent!

I always enjoy your stories. In fact I enjoy them so much that I decided to join the site just to comment on them!

Thank you very much :)

Amethyst's picture

I am glad that you like what I am producing so much and will have some more for you soon as long as my laptop cooperates. It is a wonderful compliment that you joined here for that and I am deeply and flattered and will do my best to keep doing what I'm doing. There are so many great writers on this site and I'm just glad to be included and to have a place to post my own scribblings.

*big hugs*

Amethyst

ChibiMaker1.jpg

Don't take me too seriously. I'm just kitten around. :3

Re: Winter's Child updates

Amethyst's picture

My laptop still isn't working great but at least I have it working well enough for the word processor now. I'm about half finished the next chapter now and hoping to have it ready to post sometime tomorrow evening or Friday at the latest. It's taking some time to get back into the groove for each of my stories after my absence but I think I'm almost back into the swing of things.

Amethyst

ChibiMaker1.jpg

Don't take me too seriously. I'm just kitten around. :3

Reis parents

I doubt we have seen the last of them

hugs :)
Michelle SidheElf Amaianna

Poutine

Podracer's picture

Haven't tried it yet, but suspect I will love it, as was brought up on fish'n'chips, parents had a "chippy".
Anyway, I hadn't realised two things; first how far back this story went, and second, that I didn't read the rest after I enjoyed the start, enough to comment even! Duh..
Never mind, got to it now and it's good Amethyst.

"Reach for the sun."

If you love ...

AuPreviner's picture

Bangers and Mash, you will adore Poutine.

Anyway, I just had some poutine today. It was so delicious.

AuP


"Love is like linens; after changed the sweeter." – John Fletcher (1579–1625)