Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-yasha

Claimer: I own all rubber chickens

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I'm short. My nickname's "Shrimp" or "Mental Midget" but people usually say Shrimp. I usually get chosen last for sports or I'm the odd man out. My Friends, Miroku and Kohaku, are ok guys but they usually lead in the teasing.

"Hey, Shrimp!"

I turned and saw Kohaku with a basketball coming up the street.

"Wanna play a game?"

"Yeah!"

"Cool…"

Kohaku shot and missed the rim by mere inches. I got the ball and was about to shoot when I felt something like a cement block hit my head. I crashed to the floor and felt that familiar hot liquid run down my nose.

"Ouch! Ya jerk!"

I looked up and saw Kikyo Tama. Not the most likeable person in the world. Anyway, she started yelling at me! Like its my fault she can see as much as a bat in daylight. She finally stopped and grabbed the ball, and started playing with Kohaku. And you know what? He totally forgot about me! Tch. So I took a seat on the sidewalk and watched them play. Kikyo was not good at all and she kept tripping on purpose to get Kohaku to catch her. But everyone knows Kohaku is dating Rin, so she's wasting her time. Here's the weird part. I was watching Kikyo be a total flirt and everything and there was this guy. He looked older, maybe sixteen. Anyway he came out of nowhere looking really scared, like he just killed someone and he was thinking it over. I decided to talk to him.

"Hi", I said.

He looked at me with a scared/ blank expression.

"Hello", he said.

I could barely hear him and he spoke with a thick accent so I almost didn't understand him.

"What's your name?"

The guy stared at me again like he didn't understand me. He looked down at the sidewalk and I thought he wouldn't answer me.

"Inu-yasha"

"Huh?"

That got me by surprise. I looked at him. I noticed he wore red pants that were way too big on him. He also had on a tight black shirt. He wore a necklace of rosary beads with something hanging from it. He noticed I was looking at the beads so he stashed them under his shirt.

"Cool. I'm Shippo."

"Shippo?"

"Yeah."

"Shippo funny name."

Now that I think about it my real name isn't really tease proof. Actually my real name is worse so I prefer "Shrimp".

"Uhh… Yeah. You can call me 'Shrimp' though."

"Yes."

"Hey, you don't speak English very well, do you?"

Inu-yasha shook his head.

"I know. I move here from Kyoto. Is in Japan."

"Wow. That's awesome."

Much fighting there. Very dangerous. Me and brother Sesshomaru live here. Other family back Kyoto."

"I see."

I told Inu-yasha I'd see him later and went home. My dad wasn't home so I cooked myself some leftover ramen and watched TV. Later I got a call from Miroku.

"Hey, Shrimp! Kohaku told me you were hanging with a new guy! What's the story?"

"It was just a guy I met. No story attached."

"Right, Shrimp", Miroku said in one of his world famous sarcastic voices. 'I totally believe you."

Then he hung up. 'Great' I thought. 'Maybe this will blow over by tomorrow.'

Well my maybes never come true. Sure enough the next day there was Miroku with his usual gang of girls.

"Shrimp, you never answered my question yesterday."

"Look, you pervert. I don't know anything about that guy!"

"Hey! Who's that!"

Speak of the devil. There was Inu-yasha, standing at the front of the room. The teacher wasn't there yet and he had the same scared/ blank expression on his face.

"Heh. Well it looks like we gotta new kid.", Miroku yelled.

Inu-yasha just stared at him. Same expression.

"Now don't be like that! C'mon sit down at that nice desk in the front!"

Inu-yasha stood there, not with the same face, but this time with a serious expression.

"No. In Kyoto student never misbehave."

"What! Idiot! You're nowhere near Kyoto!"

"I not sit."

He crossed his arms and that was the end of that. The teacher came in, like two minutes later, told us to shut up and curiously looked at Inu-yasha. He handed her a card, which she read and told the whole class, "This is Inu-yasha! He has moved here from Kyoto! Make him feel welcome! Now he is older than all of you, but this is the grade level where he will learn English faster!" Then she put his name on the board:

Inu

"Hey! Sounds like Emu to me!"

"Miroku see me after class…"

Inu-yasha Takashi

"There! You can sit in the seat next to Shippo over there. Shippo raise your hand.

I did, he saw, smiled a little, and sat next to me.

"Hey, Emu!"

"Emu, Emu!"

"Emu, do you know what this is!"

It was break time, usually for playing, right? Not that day. Everyone was, including me, were having fun teasing Inu-yasha. His nickname is Emu if you haven't already guessed it. Its so much easier and funnier to say. Some of us aren't really sure if he knos what an emu is…

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So sorry for the cruddy ending. I'll do better the next time around! Till then I own all rubber chickens!