Thank you all for your support for my other stories! I hope you enjoy this one too. I promise to make this story shorter than the last haha~ Good and bad reviews accepted!

Chapter 1

The giggles and murmurs quickly hushed as the homeroom teacher opened the door and strolled in. Tossing his books on the desk, he fixed his glasses as he cleared his throat. Some students in the class passed each other anxious glances when they noticed that their teacher had not closed the door behind him. A new transfer student was the rumor going around that morning. The classroom began to fill with excited murmurs again until the teacher knocked on the desk with his knuckle to quiet down the class.

"We have a transfer student joining us starting today." The teacher announced. The students sat up in their seats, straining their necks to catch a glimpse of the new student. "She has moved from a rural area so she may not be accustomed to the city life. Let's give her a warm welcome, shall we?" Their teacher said and looked towards the door. "Rin? Why don't you come in?" He cleared his throat again and stepped aside. Everyone brought their attention to the doorway and waited to see who walked through the door.

Rin managed to push herself away from the wall and cautiously stepped into the classroom. Her heart thumped against her chest. She had to swallow back her nerves as she walked in. She made eye contact with a couple students but she was too nervous to get a real good look at their faces. Stepping to the front of the class, she tried to stiffen her legs because they began to tremble. She was nervous but excited as well. Gripping her bag tightly, she bowed and was able to give the class a warm smile.

Straightening up, she simply continued to smile and carefully observed each and every one of her classmates' faces. They all watched her, waiting for her to begin speaking, but she never opened her mouth. The classroom fell into an awkward silence. The teacher cleared his throat.

"Everyone, this is Noto Rin. She and her family have moved from the country side to Tokyo, so this is a big change for her. She…" He hesitated, trying to find the best way to explain the situation without insulting her in any way. Rin just glanced at the teacher and gave him a reassuring smile. "…also has the inability to speak." He finished. She took a piece of chalk and began to write her name on the board. Beneath her name, she wrote; "nice to meet you all!" Turning back to face the class, she gave them another bow.

A student raised her hand and asked how they should communicate with her. Rin stuffed her hand in her pocket and pulled out her cellphone. She waved it around a bit to signal that she could communicate to them by typing her words. Everyone nodded their heads in unison, curious as to how well they would communicate with her.

"Why don't you go sit beside Inoue-san and Saki-san?" The teacher pointed Rin towards an empty desk. Sitting on either side of her desk were two girls, both smiling and waving for her to come over. Rin made her way towards them. Rin was a bit envious at how cute both girls were. One introduced herself as Mao and the other introduced herself as Chiyo. Mao had long black hair that fell in bouncy curls around her shoulders. Her nails were decorated with pink jewels and bows. Mao seemed to be very girly and the fashionable type. Chiyo had straighter and shorter hair, and seemed less concerned with fashion. Rin was relieved to find that they both seemed very friendly. Both girls pulled their desks to Rin's and shared their textbooks with her. This wasn't necessary since the three didn't pay attention to the lesson but instead passed each other notes. By lunch time, they had gotten along well and Rin felt comfortable enough to think they would be good friends. Mao and Chiyo were not the only ones who were kind to her. All her classmates made an effort to introduce themselves.

"So have you memorized how to get back home?" Chiyo asked Rin. Chiyo bit into her sandwich and wiped off the crumbs that fell onto her desk. Mao was not eating but simply drank some tea. She was apparently on a diet. Rin nodded her head in response and typed in her phone.

"The train system is very easy." Chiyo read the message and nodded her head.

"Well if you ever need help, you can just message one of us." She said. Rin smiled and nodded happily. She was really glad she found people she felt she could rely on. At that moment, Rin looked up to find a classmate walking towards them. His eyes were on her and a smile was on his handsome face. She straightened in her seat. Mao and Chiyo casually waved as he came over.

"Noto-san, it's nice to meet you. I'm Kohaku." He introduced himself. Rin bowed her head to greet him and looked at him again. "I'm the class leader so if you need any help you can ask me, alright?" He smiled and Rin returned it with her own smile. He waved goodbye and walked off. Chiyo rested her chin in her hand and looked at him.

"It is no wonder he is the first year prince. He is always trying to help everyone." She said.

"Do you have a boyfriend, Rin?" She turned her attention back to Mao and Rin. Rin vigorously shook her head. And Mao nudged Rin in the gut and secretly pointed at Kohaku. She blushed and shook her head.

"A high school girl's life revolves around love." Mao sighed and sipped her tea. Chiyo rolled her eyes and gave Mao a tired expression.

"You are always like this when summer comes around." She teased and Mao just flipped her hair over her shoulder in response.

"All you do is make fun of me but you aren't getting anywhere either!" Mao said.

"I already have someone I like!" Chiyo stuck out her tongue. Mao gripped Chiyo's collar, knocking over her tea bottle in the process.

"You liar! Who is it?" She asked but Chiyo smacked her hand.

"I'm not telling you." She said and Mao tugged on the sides of her hair.

"This is not good! I need to find someone soon before summer is over!" She cried. Rin smiled at her absurdity. Although she could understand Mao's excitement to experience love, she wasn't in as big of a rush. Rin realized that it would be difficult to find someone patient enough to deal with her lack of ability to speak. Most people found it tedious to talk with her. And so Rin decided to express her opinions less as she got older and just let the other person speak.

Rin snapped back to reality and found Chiyo and Mao were still bickering with each other. She chuckled to herself and slowly packed away her lunch box. Chiyo ignored Mao and turned her attention back to Rin.

"What are you doing after school today, Rin?" She asked. Mao pouted.

"Are you guys going to play without me? I have to go to tennis club." She said. Rin looked surprised.

"You're in the tennis club?" She wrote.

"I know, isn't it strange? A girly person like Mao plays a sport?" Chiyo laughed but put a hand on Mao's shoulder. "But she is actually really good." She said and Mao looked proud.

"When I wear my uniform I look super cute! Boys like it." Mao winked and Chiyo rolled her eyes again. Rin responded once she saw the two of them almost begin to bicker again.

"I still have some unpacking to do, so I should go home and help my uncle." She showed them her message. Chiyo realized Rin didn't mention anything about her parents and decided against asking her about it. Mao just clapped her hands.

"Okay! We can just play on a weekend when I don't have club activities either!" She smiled. Rin responded.

"But one of these days I will come watch you practice. I am curious to see you play."

"I'll go with you!" Chiyo said and Mao nodded excitedly. Rin felt happy. All the nerves she felt earlier that morning were long gone. She was actually looking forward to her high school debut.

The school day came to an end before Rin even realized it. As she grabbed her school bag, Mao came to her side.

"Are you all done throwing out the trash, Rin?" She asked and Rin nodded her head. "Is Chiyo still sweeping?" Rin shook her head in response and as if on cue, Chiyo made her way towards them. Chiyo glanced at the time.

"You should probably head off to tennis." She said to Mao. Mao looked at Rin.

"I'll walk with you guys to the entrance to see you off first." She said and Chiyo went to grab her own bag.

"Okay, I'm ready." She said. As the three of them started heading out of the classroom, Rin bumped into Kohaku as he was entering.

"Oh, are you leaving Rin?" He asked her. A charming smile appeared on his face when she nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow then. Have a safe trip back." He said and waved to her before someone called his name and pulled his attention elsewhere. Mao giggled. Rin was astonished.

"He is so kind!" She wrote.

"That's why he is the first year prince." Chiyo shrugged.

"Chiyo has known Kohaku since they were young. They went to the same school since elementary school." Mao said with envy. "That's why she doesn't see him as a big deal." Rin nodded knowingly.

"Is he popular with the girls then?" Rin was curious. The three of them began to walk down the hallway.

"Oh, of course! Kohaku fits the bill as the perfect boyfriend. That's why he is the first year prince." Mao said but Chiyo snorted in an unlady-like manner. Rin frowned. Mao kept saying 'first year prince'.

"Are there other 'princes' in the school?" Mao and Chiyo passed each other a cheeky smile. Rin began to smile. This was getting exciting. Chiyo brought her voice down to whisper and looked around. The two of them pulled Rin closer to the wall.

"The second year prince is Inuyasha. You'll know who he is the moment you see him." Chiyo giggled.

"How will I know? Is he really that handsome?" Rin typed quickly.

"Not just that. He has a genetic mutation." Mao said which caused Rin to give a fearful expression. Hearing the word 'mutation' made her think of disfigured monsters from horror films. Chiyo shook her head upon seeing Rin's expression.

"No trust us, this genetic mutation makes him look inhuman." She said but Rin just looked even more scared.

"No no no, inhuman as in he is too beautiful to be human! I don't even know how to describe him." Chiyo threw her hands in the air. Mao broke in.

"He has silver hair and gold colored eyes." Mao lowered her voice even more and Rin's mouth dropped open. That had to be a lie! But she thought otherwise when Chiyo and Mao both looked quite serious.

"Too bad he is taken though." Mao sighed, dejectedly. "His girlfriend is quite average looking but she is very kind." She finished and Chiyo agreed.

"She has a twin sister but her sister is kind of cold." She said and paused talking when some upper classmen walked past them. "The guys in school really like her though because she is pretty." Rin nodded, quite interested in all this.

"Inuyasha's friend is pretty handsome too but he has a bad reputation for being a bit of a pervert." Chiyo said and Rin's mouth turned down into a grimace. "I've met him though." Chiyo continued. "Kohaku's sister is dating him. He might be a bit of a pervert but he seemed like a really good guy."

"Inuyasha's friend may be good-looking too but is nothing compared to Inuyasha."

"Well too bad there is only one like him." Rin joked but Chiyo and Mao vigorously shook their heads. Rin blinked in surprise.

"That's where the third year prince comes in…" Chiyo said. The air around them got so tense that Rin felt like she had to hold her breath. Mao began to speak but was interrupted by someone approaching them from behind.

"Noto Rin?" A deep voice called her name and all three of them suddenly tensed. They turned around and Rin jumped when Mao and Chiyo suddenly gasped out loudly. She felt them grip her arms and pulled her towards the wall. Rin also did not fail to notice the other students in the hallway stopped and stared in bewilderment. "Noto Rin?" The person said again and Rin looked up. No, she didn't just look up; she had to actually strain her neck to meet his gaze. His voice was so deep and low, she felt a vibration in her lower belly. She sharply sucked in her breath. Sesshomaru looked between the three of them.

"Which one of you is Noto Rin?" He asked. Mao and Chiyo both looked at Rin and he sighed. He stuffed his free hand into his pocket while the other held a book. "Are you Noto Rin?" He asked and she nodded. "Your teacher asked me to show you the way home." He said and Rin was confused as to why the teacher would ask him to do such a thing. "It seems you and I are neighbors." He finished and Rin flinched again at the sharp gasps from her school mates. Sesshomaru stared at her and she felt like he was studying her.

"I'll be at the front gates." He said and waited for her to nod before he walked off without another glance. Once he was gone, the hallway grew loud with murmurs. Mao let out a huge exhale.

"Oh my goodness! I was actually holding my breath!" She exclaimed. Rin and Chiyo also released their breaths. Chiyo stared at Rin and pointed her finger in his direction.

"That was the third year prince. Inuyasha's older brother, Sesshomaru."