Heads or Tails: Live or Die

Ch. 1: Time to Get to Work

Hey there everyone! My name is Miss-Blade-the-Bullet! Cool PenName, huh? Well anyway...I'm here to tell you that this is a Frutis Basket Story...and I'm not going to follow the plot line very much...mostly not at all.

A/N: I do not own Fruits Basket...the owner of that is Natsuki Takaya!

2ndA/N: I do own my OC! If you wnat to use one, just ask.

Iris Hisae

Long ago and far away on the island of Japan lived the Sohma family. Now, the Sohma family lived under a horrible curse. Where did this curse come from, no one knows. The horrible affects of this curse are caused when a member of the Chinese Zodiac...add the cat from the folk tale...hugs a member of the opposite sex that are not of the family's cursed members; the members of the Zodiac turn into the animal that they embody. However, they do change back to humans after a period of time which is unknown to everyone.

The curse that they live under, forces the members of the Zodiac to live un-normal lives; where they live in fear of the outside world and what it brings. The few people who do know are very protective of the members of the Zodiac, which drowns the poor members in sorrow and grief. Nonetheless, the curse does not only affect the members of the Zodiac, but the people around them suffer as well. And this suffering is where my story begins.

I awoke ona June summer morning sweaty from the heat of the night in my two bed-one bath home. My cell phone rang which awoke from my nightmares of Johnny Altono. My brown eyes opened slowly. I searched for my cell under my pillow to feel the cool handle of my pistol. I smirked at finding my partner. Without it, I would have died many a times before.

The ringing became louder and louder as I moved the cover and pillows off of my bed. The annoying sounds of the rings were making me irritable with my work. Being called on duty on my day off was not something I looked forward to. Finally, I found my slick flip phone and answered.

"Iris Hisae, here! How can I help you?" I asked in a harsh tone.

"Hisae-san!" my boss, Mr. Okapi-san yelled with delight. I glance over to my radio alarm clock on my nightstand to have it read 8:30 A.M. "I need you down at the bureau right away!" he ordered me.

"Sir, Mr. Okapi-san, sir, it is my day off and I have been doing outstanding work!" I told him. This was my day off, and I was not about to lose my break. I mean, I did strain the word 'outstanding' for quite some time...

He sighed over the phone as I sat up on my bed and threw my cover to the wall where my bed leaned against, "I know, I know…but I need you to take a look around a property called Sohma House for me. There has been sightings of a lose convict there…and well, we don't pay you the big bucks for nothing. Anyway, I'll give you TWO days off if you do for me," he bargained with me.

I sighed, "Sure I'll be down there soon. Give me an hour and I want those two days off! Got it Okapi!" I yelled at my boss for four years at in a playful tone.

He chortled at me and said, "You're the boss," then hung up on me.

I slammed shut the phone and fell back onto my bed. I wanted to feel the warm covers around me and in the arms of my night in shinning armor like in my dream. Yeah, like that would ever happen. Me get a guy? In my dreams! I thought to myself. I sighed at myself, again. Why did I have such a hard time in the dating pool? Kolina had an easy time finding love. I thought of my best friend.

Kolina Mint was her name. She moved to Japan only as an infant. Down the lane, two houses to right, next to the cherry tree grove was where her little blue house laid. That little blue house that, I, came to every morning, to go to pick her up for school. The little blue house that brunt down in the fire. The little blue house that no longer stands there next to the cherry grove. The little blue house that I shall always remember.

I met Kolina Mint when I was five years old. I played in the park every Sunday with my mother and father near by. However, that Sunday was very different. I played in the sandbox with my shovel and pale at hand making a very big sandcastle. I was doing finishing touches to my sand castle only…to have it smashed to ruins. My jaw fell to the ground with utter anguish.

My eyes glanced to the figure overshadowing me. It was a petite girl around the same age as I. She had red hair with smoky gray eyes. She looked at me with a smirk crossing her face. Then, tears burst from her large eyes that I only knew for a short period of time.

"I'm so sorry!" she howled at me.

I was what you called slightly confused by her outburst, "Why are you crying?" I asked with my head cocked to the side.

"I smashed your sandcastle…I didn't mean to…it just happened!" she whimpered to me.

I got over fast to realize I had a child to play with and told her, "That's okay. I'm Iris Hisae!" my smile was ear to ear.

She sniffled away the last of her tears and said, "My name is Kolina Mint!"

Ever since that moment we had been the best of friends. We grew up together, went to the same school together, crashed the senior prom together when we were freshmen, and we still call each other to eat ice-cream together after a bad break-up. Without Kolina, I don't think I would be able to live a complete life. That's a fact.

I moaned once I got up from my very soft bed. I swayed as I made my way to my shower. The warm water woke me up from dream and nightmare I had in my sleep. I rubbed the lavender body wash skin. The cool liquid soap dissolved by the warm water was so soothing. I stood there for a while as my long brown hair that went to my hips washed out all of the soap out of it. I stood there longer. Not thinking of anyone or anything. My mind was blank.

"Shit! That's fucking cold!" I yelled in the shower. The once warm water turned to ice, "Guess it's time to get going," I sighed at I turned off the water.

I stepped out of the shower and made my way to my closet. I looked at the row of clothes that I had. I stood there in my purple fuzzy towel and decided what I wanted to wear. I grabbed my knee-ripped blue jeans with a simple black shirt with a phoenix on the front. I went to back to my bathroom to dry my hair. After twenty minutes my hair was fully dried. I pulled it into two pigtails and tied them with red ribbons.

I moved slowly to the kitchen to grab a pastry. I ate it and made my way to the door to grab my sneakers that were white with a black stripe on each side. I locked my oak apartment door that had the number J26 on it. Checked my door to see if it was locked and I made it onmy way.

I walked down the clean hallway that was painted a light blue. The carpet was a pale white color that was astoundingly clean without a blemish to discover. I skipped my way the elevator singing a happy tune. Maybe today won't be that bad. Maybe today I'll find a hottie. Maybe today…I'll get my guy! I thought happily in my head. I reached the elevator pressed the button 'G'.

Time passed and before I knew it, I was in the parking lot. I walked to the first row of cars and my eyes fell upon my baby. My 2005 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R Diecast Motorcycle was my baby. It was the colors sliver and red. I rode it everywhere I went. It was the fastest thing that ever hit the streets of Japan, Tokyo. Now, I was going to make my boss regret ever calling me on a day off.

I drove down the streets with the wind in my hair. I always had fun riding my motorbike. I rode down to the bureau that was on Kami Parkway. I knew where this place was like the back of my hand. However, I didn't know the back of my hand very well. Or be able to make funny jokes. Not my strong point in life.

I drove up to Tokyo Police Department or the bureau as I called it. I drove to my parking spot; it had the name Hisae on the sign. It was right in front like I was on the papers. I got off of my bike as I turned off the engine. I removed my helmet and placed it in the compartment under the seat where I kept it.

I walked up the ten steps that led to the two glass doors of the bureau. They were a shady glass with blue outline. On the doors were black letters that spelled of Tokyo Police Dept.; I knew those doors very well. On my first day…I walked…right into them. It left my head with a gigantic bump for three days.

I grabbed the cool metal handle and open the right door. I walked inside to see it busy as ever at…I glanced at the clock on the wall…10:30 A.M.; it was going to be a long day. I walked down the black and white checkered tile to my boss's office. On my way there many people said "hello" and "good morning" to me as I did to them. I was liked my most people in the bureau.

I made two right turns and one left to see the office door of Mr. Cedric Okapi or so it said on the sign. As I made my way there I heard voices coming from inside the office. It sounded that like everyone was going to be there. Well, everyone that I usual worked with at least.

I clutched the brass door handle to hear more laughing coming from inside. I couldn't make out what they were saying however. I smiled and opened the door, "Hey, hey, hey! What's up, guys?" I asked in a suave manner.

"Finally!" complained one of my three partners. His name was Yokio Koto. We called him "Jax" for some reason. He had short light brown hair with green eyes. His mother came from America, which is why he had green eyes. He was a little over six feet tall and only the age of 23. He was strong, being a black belt in martial arts. I treated him like a brother.

"Hey Jax, calm down!" said the next one of my three partners thateased Jax. He was Xavier Aki. He was what you called a colorful character. He had died his hair a light auburn color just the week before. He had his upper ear pierced with a tattoo on his back of an evil looking butterfly. However, he might have seemed strange; he was one of my best friends since middle school. He also had light blue eyes. He was compassionate and classy, but once we had a job to do he used his charisma to allure the targets that we were after away from the hostage.

"Yeah…Jax…you heard Aki!" the last one was Mr. Juro Tokai. He transferred to the bureau only a month before. I didn't have that much information on him. However, he was very easy to get along. He also had good aim when shooting. He had blonde hair with blue eyes.

"Seems like you took your sweet time…" Mr. Cedric Okapi told me in a sweet aggravated tone. Okapi was in his early 40s with gray hair starting to revel itself to the world. He had a soft wrinkly face…when he wasn't mad at me. He had fatherly brown eyes that helped me get through my toughest days. He taught me most of the tricks that I used when I was working. To sum him up: he was my second father.

"Sorry…I'm just going to sit down now…" I trailed off and sat on one of the chairs that were in the office.

"Well, since we are all here now…I would like to get down to business," Okapi said in an urgent tone. We all nodded our heads. "Well, Hisae…the only reason I called you today is that this lose convict that we are dealing around "Sohma House" says that she'll only come out of hiding if you will be there."

I was bewildered by what he meant, "Who?" is all I was able to say.

He grinned at me, "Remember Margo Maskano?" he questioned me. I nodded my head "yes". He went on, "Seems that Maskano was going to get out of her three year term soon for good behavior. But, it seems like she wants to get her revenge on you, for taking her daughter away from her," he told.

"That's so stupid!" I yelled as I shot from my seat, "She was hurting her little girl by leaving her home by herself for a month. The kid is only nine years old!" I yelled some more. I gritted my teeth in rage.

My three partners didn't say anything, only the chief did, "Yeah, well if you don't go…she says that she is going to hurt the Sohma children. So make up your mind. You going to kick her ass or what?" he questioned me.

I closed my eyes and took a few minutes to think about it. I grabbed the handle of my pistol. I caressed it. Then I made my choice. "Gentlemen! It is time to get to work!" I bellowed. I grabbed the manila folder with the directions and my lips curved to an evil smirk. It was time to get to work.