How Kouri found HADES

By Tsukime P. Heap

She found herself in a strange, snowy forest. Looking around, she slowly moved across the snow-covered ground, putting one foot before the other. She was just wearing her pajama set but she didn't feel the cold, just as she had never felt it her whole life. Slowly, the trees before her parted and she found herself facing a wolf. A giant white wolf with bright yellow eyes that stared at her. Somehow, she wasn't scared. She felt as if she had know the wolf for a long time. There was a flash of light and the next thing she knew, the wolf wasn't there. In its place was a handsome man with hair the same as the wolf's fur and the same eyes. He opened his mouth as if to say something.

Kouri woke up at the sound of someone banging at her bedroom door. She scowled and sat up, feeling a headache staring. Instinctively, she knew that it was her mother who was knocking to wake her up.

"I'm awake!" she called out.

The banging stopped and she heard footsteps going down the stairs.

Kouri shrugged. Typical morning, she thought as she hurried through her morning rituals, which was not much. Take a bath, dress,and comb her hair, that's all. She doesn't know about make-up, or lotions, or such, for no one told her.

Walking down the stairs, she found the house empty. Inside the dining room, on top of the dining table, was a long brown envelope, sitting beside her breakfast.

Opening the envelope, she found a note from her parents and also her credentials from her old school. She had just been kicked out two days ago for giving frostbite to all her classmates. Unintentional, true, but no one would believe her. Most especially the Headmaster who had called her freak in her face.

Sighing, she read the note.

Our beloved Kouri,

I hope you don't mind that your Oto-san and I went out early. We had to hurry so that we could arrive at the mall earlier. It's sale day, you know.

Another excuse to avoid being in the same room with her. She would bet her entire year's savings on that. Ever since she entered adolescence, the temperature around her dropped alarmingly and her powers started to reveal themselves. Though she had always been surrounded by coolness (the literal meaning of the word), the sudden drop was devastating enough that the whole class, including the Science teacher that time, developed fever and chills, which eventually caused her very first drop-out.

Also, we decided to let you enroll yourself this time. The school's address and map is included in the folder along with cash that would be enough for your fare, meals, tuition, and three-month advance payment for the apartment of your choice. If you need more cash, there's also a credit card with non limit. Fell free to use it.

Apartment of her choice? Kouri doesn't like the sound of that. Scowling, she read on.

We believe that it would be beneficial for us three that you enroll to a boarding school. The Oxford University was kind enough to accept your application. Good thing you're really intelligent, huh?

Kouri's jaw dropped. Oxford? But how? Shuffling through her credentials, she found her Grade Sheet and read the headmaster's note. "Expelled due to exceptionally high IQ. Our accelerated classes are elementary for her." They paid the headmaster to fabricate the real cause of her expulsion. Well, no wonder she always gets accepted.

So, dear, I hope you pack your things today and head off to the airport. We wish you good luck and godspeed!

Lovingly,

Your loving parents

Kouri took a deep breath and noticed that the outer side of the dining room's window glass is fogging. She was scared. It would be the first time that she would be separated from her parents, frequent disappearance due to her powers not withstanding. At least, even if they disappear, she knows that they would still come home, but going abroad... She forced herself to calm down. If her parents believe (and trust her enough) that she could be independent, then she would do them proud. She would be brave and face this.

Convinced that her parents really do believe in her capacity to be independent, she rushed into packing all her clothes and important things (which are her mp3 player and the professional camera that she had bought with her savings two years ago). When she was done, she confidently went out of the house with one hand dragging her bag and another holding her precious envelope. She had left a note for her parents on the dining table. It said, "I will do you proud, Oto-san, Okaa-san. Love you, Kouri ♥"

She made it safely into the right bus and she was in the airport in no time.

The airport is crowded. As she was walking, people pushed, and jostled her. Apparently, in too much of a hurry to notice the slight chill in the air. She bought her ticket and was walking to a vacant seat when someone tripped and bumped into her causing Kouri to drop her ticket. Worried, she helped the guy up. "Are you alright, mister?" she asked.

The man nodded, grateful for the young lady. "Thank you," he said and disappeared from view.

Kouri was glad that she had helped someone and bent to pick up her ticket. As someone who never saw a plane ticket before, she didn't bother to read everything. Just the important-looking ones with letters and numbers that didn't resemble a word.

Soon enough, she was in a plane. And what a plane it was! Londoners must be very rich to have passenger planes with comfortable-looking leather chairs, round glass tables in which a small metal ice box sat, and soft, plush, brown carpets that covered the whole plane from floor to ceiling. There was even an individual phone beside and a television which also allows the user to surf the net in front of each chair.

She sat, careful not to do any damage on the leather and enjoyed the flight (which she showed through sleeping).

When she arrived on the plane's destination, she went down and looked at her map, unaware that it was swapped for another. She carefully followed the directions, because it just wouldn't do good for one to be lost in a foreign land.

The taxi driver, who had grudgingly accepted such the cheap passenger (for Kouri became really money conscious since she had read her parents' letter earlier), dropped Kouri in front of the entrance to a school. The large plaque beside the entrance said "Human Advancement and Development in Excellence Studies".

Kouri was confused for a few minutes and, indeed stood in front of the said plaque for the duration of her confusion, and then it hit her! Oxford has changed its name!

Smiling confidently, she entered the school's premises and proceeded to process her enrollment.

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A/N: Well, that just goes to show that the more intelligent one is, the denser they are. This is Kimi, and I hope you enjoyed reading. ^_^