No Money!

Comment: Weekend today! Hyuuu (Faye whistle). Chapter 3 were posted yesterday, and when I checked my mail today, I saw there were many feedbacks. I was so happy! But when I started to read them, I kind of get depressed, because most of them were telling me the fact that my English is poor… I know my English is poor, but I didn't know that my English is that poor…. Yeah… to be very honest, I am kind of depressed, but I know it's the fact. On the other hand, I am just glad that people are honest! I prefer the truth than a lie! So, from today, I will try to find a person who can help me to beta all my fictions. But… it's not easy… So, if you can help, please please please let me know!

Anyway, I am very happy that people are enjoying this fiction. This story was categorized as angst and drama, but after reading all the feedbacks were people are telling me the story is kind of funny, I changed the category over to drama and romance at once.

As some of you know, I am currently writing two stories. A Bloody Path to the Paradise, a TezukaxFuji fiction. The other story is No Money. To compare these two stories, I find writing No Money is more enjoyable than A Bloody Path to the Paradise. For those who have read the other story, I think you will understand… There's nothing but angst, hatred, pain and revenge. While No Money… is kind of funny because I am making Fuji so miserable, and Atobe… sorry, I mean Atobe-sama so arrogant and bad! I will make No Money into a romantic drama with lots of angst and humour. (I will try, because I am not good with humour….). Okey! Enough of babbling, here comes chapter 4, enjoy!

01/01/08 - Capter beta'ed by T-chan! Thaaaaanks!

Chapter 4 - Confusion

Damn!! Atobe almost felt like crying. How could such a pathetic person make such good food?! If there weren't anyone around him, he would have licked the plates and bowls clean. Never in his whole life had anything tasted better, not even from the most expensive and prestigious restaurants in the world. No matter how many countries and restaurants he had visited, nothing came close to Fuji's cooking. Although Atobe was torn inside—irritation that Fuji's food could make him desperate and elation that he had control over the boy so that he could request a dish whenever he felt like it—his face was a mask of boredom and superiority.

"Okay, you pass! You're starting today, is that clear? Not like you have much of a choice anyways, with your debt. You won't be able to find a better offer with your skill. It's a pity you don't look any better. If you looked prettier you could have sold your ass to some rich psycho man! Well, since you can't, then you will accept ore-sama's offer."

"… yes…" Fuji gritted his teeth, biting back the words he wanted to throw at Atobe. Patience… I must endure… for my parent's sake!

"Good! Now then…" Atobe looked at the pathetic form of Fuji. How could he employ such a pathetic looking guy? What if the costumer saw him? He didn't want someone that looked so out of place Atobe didn't want the vibe of his pub to go down because of one guy. Atobe was a strict boss when it came to the image of his employees. All his employees must have good skills and good looks in order to match the pub and its boss. The more Atobe studied Fuji, the more peeved he got. How could someone be so tasteless in the fashion department? And from the look of his clothes, it probably came from the thrift store. And his horrendous glasses…his hair…why, everything that could go wrong seemed to be on Fuji. Someone, please save this human infront of him! He pointed to Eiji. "Oi! Eiji, I will hand Fuji over to you today! You will bring him to a salon today. I don't want any of our costumer to get a heart attack by seing a ghost wandering in my pub. And, for goodness sake, get him some contacts! I don't ever want to see him wearing coke-bottle glasses. And also, get him a chef uniform." Atobe turned around and looked at Fuji without really trying to focus in on the details. "And you! Get some sleep today. I don't want a zombie walking around in my restaurant. You will scare my costumers away. And don't look at me with that stupid face! Ore-sama will be paying for everything! You'll start working tomorrow, then. Is that clear?" he said in an imperious tone, as if daring Fuji to say no to everything he decreed.

Fuji looked dumbfounded at Atobe. He hadn't expected any of this. Compared to how he was treated at his other jobs, this pub was like a sanctuary. The pub's kitchen was big and modern, with all the equipment the best that could be bought with money. Fuji enjoyed working in this kitchen. The salary was three time higher compare to the other restaurant. And Atobe even gave him time to rest. Although Atobe was an arrogant and selfish man with an inclination towards insulting people he thought were lower than him—which was just about every living person—he doesn't seem all that bad. Nonetheless, Fuji was distasteful of him. Those who talk behind his back, he could ignore. Those who hurt him, he could endure. But those who hurt his pride, he could not stay silent.

Eiji was sitting in a middle of a café, reading a magazine and enjoying an ice mocha.. Eiji brought Fuji first to the salon, and after the salon, he sent Fuji to an eye clinic. He and Fuji agreed to meet in this café after he finished the check-up and got his contacts. He wondered when Fuji would be done. Reading an article about tennis, he didn't realize that someone was standing in front of him.

"Hi…sorry to…keep you waiting," a soft voice said, bringing Eiji's attention away from the magazine. Eiji barely recognized the young man in front of him. When he saw the low-priced clothing and the black-ringed eyes, he finally recognized that it was Fuji. "Wow, it's you, Fuji-chan! I barely recognized you at first. You look so pretty!" Eiji exclaimed, hugging Fuji.

Fuji was initially surprised. When Eiji suddenly hugged him, his reflex was to push him away, panicking at the contact. Eiji didn't expect Fuji to push him away, and he fell onto the sofa. Fuji eyes widened with fear, and when his mind was clear again, he bowed to Eiji and apologized "I'm… sorry. I… didn't… mean…" Fuji was getting more and more agitated. How could he have done something like that to the one guy that was nice to him? Fuji could almost cry. Ever since the accident, he had always been afraid of physical contact with other's… including his brother that he loved and trusted the most. Fuji bowed again and again in order to express his deepest apology. Eiji looked at the pale and fragile figure in front of him, who was apologizing desperately. His eyes softened, and a gentle smile appeared on his lips. Eiji stood up slowly and put his hands on Fuji's shoulder.

"Look at me, Fuji!"

Fuji was still, and he looked up nervously like a lost kitten at Eiji.

"It's okay! Don't worry about it. I'm not gonna be angry over something that small! Anyways, I am sorry for scaring you back there! I shouldn't have jumped on you without warning." The smile grew wider on Eiji's face. "Let's sit down and enjoy our free day with an ice cream It's my treat. Let's celebrate for you, okay? Nya?"

"Celebrate…?" The word sounded so unfamiliar to him. How many years ago did someone hold a celebration for him? Back then, only Yuuta and his sister celebrated his birthday with him. But after Yuuta died… Fuji stopped the flow of his thoughts as a sharp pain rippled through him. And what did Eiji want to celebrate for…?

"Baka! We are going to celebrate for your new work, and your new beginning!"

Fuji looked dumbfounded at Eiji. A big chocolate sundae appeared in front of him. Fuji looked at the ice cream, then at Eiji. He felt something warm inside of him. Fuji finally smiled an angelic smile.

Eiji started to babble while Fuji listened. Eiji enjoyed spending time with Fuji because Fuji seemed to be the type that would listen carefully to everything that is said and was a very gentle and nice person.

"You know what? Back then, Atobe was the captain of Hyotei tennis club. He even lead his team to the national tournament! By the way, have I ever told you that I also played tennis before? I was in another school called Seishun Gakuen, or Seigaku. I also went to the national tournament! Hehe… at that time I was playing double with Oishi-kun. Atobe was one of the greatest tennis player in Japan at that time, together with my captain Tezuka. Tezuka lost to Atobe, but that was because Tezuka had injured his shoulder before he played Atobe. I think Tezuka's better than Atobe, but don't tell Atobe that I said that. He'd probably kill me if he heard." Eiji stuck his tongue out childishly and continued. "But, beside that, Atobe is really something. He is only 24 years old, and he has become one of the richest men in Japan. He is a genius, and his grades were the top in Japan. His family is very wealthy, but he didn't want to rely on them. As a result, he's been depent on his skills to get him to where he is today.. He owns a lot of companies, such as financial companies, pubs, investments companies, and a lot of other ones. But you need to be careful with him; most of his businesses are with the mafia and black market. Aside from that, he is a good boss! Except his personality."

Fuji was astonished. He didn't know Atobe was that great. Atobe was even younger than he was, and the differences between them were so big. Ever since he was little, his parents has never liked him because he was too quite and introverted. His parents didn't like him spending too much time on reading. Yuuta was very extroverted and liked by everyone. As an athlete, Yuuta was a very promising runner and said that one day would be the representative for Japan. Yuuta was the pride and joy of his parents. Unlike himself, however, because of his feminine looks, he had brought nothing but trouble since he was a little kid. And after the accident, he was nothing but shame to his parents. No matter what he did, his parents would always yell at him angrily, or even beat him. Fuji tried everything to make his parents happy. He achieved the best grade in his school. But his parents didn't get happy at all. They ripped his books and told him instead of wasting time on something useless, he should spend his time on helping their fast food restaurant. From that day, Fuji had been working in the kitchen of their restaurant.
One week had passed. Fuji learned something about his new boss. Atobe was not only the most arrogant bastard in the whole universe, but also a playboy. Everyday working in the Prince Pub, Fuji had to control himself from punching him. Fuji felt like an idiot for almost thinking that Atobe might actually be a decent person. Everyday, he was verbally harassed by his boss. In just one week alone, he observed Atobe with at least five different partners. His partners were both men and women, but they all had one thing in common: they were all extremely beautiful. How come such a bastard can be so popular?

"Thank you, Fuji! You see, my girlfriend is coming from Kyoto to visit me today. Thank you for helping me out!" After saying that, the young man handed the mop to Fuji and ran happily away. Everyone in the pub knew that Fuji's was the kind of person who never turned down any requests. As a child, Fuji had problems saying no to people. As a result of that, he was known to be a pushover. Fuji mopped the floor silently, contemplative. With one hour spent on mopping the floor, it meant one less hour to sleep. He yawned, his eyes heavy with fatigue. Even the four hours seemed like a dream now. Suddenly, the kitchen door was slammed open roughly. Fuji, startled by the sudden noise, looked up and saw Atobe grab the young man.

"How dare you to run off without telling ore-sama beforehand? And you even made Fuji finish your work? Who do you thing is going to cook ore-sama's dinner? Fuji, hurry up! I want two portions of curry beef. You have fifteen minutes." After saying that, Atobe slammed the door and disappeared into the pub. The young man grabbed the mop nervously from Fuji and started to clean the floor. Fuji walked into the kitchen, thoroughly bewildered. While Fuji was cooking, he heard some whispers behind his back saying "Che… who does he think he is? Why does the boss only eat his food? Bet he has already given his butt to him…"

Another voice whispered "Yeah… and why is his salary so high compared to ours? It's unfair! I bet he was the one who told the boss that you ran off!"

"What?! That bastard."

As he cooked in silence, the pain in his heart deepened. He didn't bother to explain himself anymore because it only seemed to cause more trouble in the end, just like it did in the past.
Fuji was standing behind the bar, helping Eiji wash the glassware. "You don't really need to help me Fuji! Why don't you take a rest? You look so tired and pale all the time! You need to eat more, too. You're so thin! Are you taking proper care of yourself?"

Fuji smiled gently at Eiji. Eiji was the only one who was really worried about him. He truly enjoyed spending time with this cheerful young man. However, he didn't dare tell Eiji that the truth: he didn't want to stay inside of the kitchen because of the animosity he was shown by the other chefs.

"Hey, I've noticed something," Eiji whispered in a conspirator's voice. "You know, Atobe only came down to the pub a few days out of the month. But, ever since you came, he's been around every single day."

While making a sound of neutrality, Fuji secretly wished that he wouldn't have to deal with Atobe every day.

"Hey! Is someone talking about me behind my back?"

Eiji and Fuji jumped in surprise.

"Geez, Atobe-kun, don't scare us like that!" Eiji smiled nervously at Atobe who was standing behind them.

"How come you are here, Mr. Ghost?" Atobe looked kind of pissed at Fuji. Why are these two people so closed? He grew even more irritated.

"Why are you always mocking him? I think he looks like an angel now. And he doesn't look half bad in the uniform." Eiji stated.

"Che… At least he doesn't scare people to death now! But he is nothing near beautiful or handsome! For ore-sama, he is always the ugly, greedy and tasteless man!" Atobe took a closer look at the fragile figure in front of him. Well, he did look better compared to the previous week. But why did it look as if Fuji never slept?

"By the way, Mr. Zombie, ore-sama wants you to start working during the day time! The working time starts from 2 pm. And in the middle of the day, you will have 2 hours break before the night shift. I'll give you a raise too. Is that clear?"

"I… can't…"

Atobe hissed, "How dare you to protest ore-sama's order?"

Fuji looked around on the counter and found a pen and paper. He wrote something on the note and handed over to Atobe.

Atobe read the note loud "Thank you for your offer, but I can not. Because I have promised my other boss that I will be working in the day time. If I leave, it will cause a lot of trouble for him.

"Jeez! You're always bringing me trouble, you know that?" Atobe said. Right before he left the bar he smiled wolfishly at Fuji. "There's no such thing as 'no' in my vocabulary."

Fuji swallowed hard. I have a bad feeling about this…
The next day, after delivering newspapers, Fuji went to the restaurant. When he entered the restaurant, his boss stormed to him angrily. "Fuji! Do you know what you have done? Yesterday night, some mafia looking men in black suits came into the restaurant. They were looking for you. And thanks to them, most of our customers left! Those men told me that you owe them a lot of money, and they won't give up on finding you until you have cleared your debt. How can you do something like this to me? I have always treated you nicely."

Fuji bowed nervously "I'm so… sorry…." Fuji didn't know else he could do but apologize. "From today, I don't want you in this restaurant anymore!"

Fuji eyes widened.

"You hear me?!"

"… yes…"

Fuji was both depressed and angry at the same time. He was sad because he had brought such a problem to his boss, and he was angry because he knew Atobe was the one behind all this. How could he…. But, now it seemed he no other choice but to take up Atobe's offer. To be honest, he preferred working in Prince Pub as compared to his other restaurant. The only similarity was the fact that none of the chefs seemed to like him much. The only true friend he had was Eiji. And the kitchen and treatment in Prince Bar was much better. He had all he wanted to eat during the break. Or he had the option of sleeping on a sofa. But, most importantly, he earned a lot more in Prince Pub . But, could he really accept the offer just like the way Atobe wanted?

"Ohayo Fuji-chaaaan!" Eiji smiled and waved happily to him behind the bar.

When Fuji saw the happy face of Eiji, he smiled shyly back at him. "Hello."

"Since you are here so early today, does it mean you have accepted Atobe's offer?"

Fuji thought about it. The offer seemed nice, but he didn't want to take it, especially when resorted to such a sly method to have him fired.

Fuji shook his head, and he started to write on a note on the counter.

Eiji took the note and read aloud, "I don't want to accept the offer because he forced me to quit my other job. Do you know of any other jobs between 11 am to 5 pm? Fuji, don't be so hard on yourself… we both know how good the offer from Atobe is. I know he can be a little forceful sometimes, but really, he is not that bad!"

"I… wouldn't know… because he... he seems to… dislike me… a... lot…"

Eiji shook his head "Of course not Fuji! If he really hated you, he wouldn't have even bothered to waste his time talking to you. Believe me. I know because I have known him for many years."

Fuji looked at Eiji doubtful. He wanted to trust his friend, but this time, it seemed as if Eiji was wrong. Because there's no way that Atobe liked him, with all the harsh words and strict orders.

As with most days, Fuji was swamped with orders from the customers requesting for his food. In the middle of a particularly busy hour, Fuji found himself cornered by an irritated Atobe.

"Oy! Shabby-kun, Ore-sama's dying with hunger. Hurry up! You have fifteen minutes to get ore-sama one portion of Cola Chicken," Atobe commanded.

Fuji glared at Atobe. "I have… other… customers before you…"

Atobe narrowed his eyes "Well, I don't give a damn about them! Make ore-sama's food first."

Fuji almost exploded with anger. "They are your costumers!"

Atobe looked at Fuji with a 'are you an idiot' look. "So?" After saying that, Atobe left the kitchen, leaving a confused and angry Fuji.

How can this man be so… selfish and arrogant?

Finally, the work was over. Fuji changed his clothes with Eiji in the locker room.

"Hey, have you decided to accept the offer or not, Fuji-chan?"

Fuji shook his head. To be honest, he didn't want to follow that bastard'ss order any more. But he really needed the money.

Suddenly, Atobe appeared beside them. He looked at Fuji and said, "Oy! From tomorrow, you'll have to go to the address on the note and cook breakfast for your new boss everyday. Your salary will be as much as the amount written on the note. And remember to come here right after!" Atobe didn't wait for any reply from Fuji and stuffed a note into his palm.

Fuji saw himself in a dilemma, seeing as how he had to deliver the newspapers in the morning. "I… cannot… I… have another job… in the morning…"

Atobe sight, "Ore-sama doesn't care. I will cancel the job for you. Anyways, remember to be punctual." Again, he left so swiftly that Fuji didn't have time to complain.

Eiji looked with pity at Fuji. Why was Atobe always so hard on him?

Fuji looked at the note that Atobe gave him, and he was very surprised to see the amount. The salary was 5 times higher than the salary for delivering newspapers. And all he had to do was breakfast for someone? Fuji made a sighed. He felt like he was cornered into accepting the offer.
It was seven in the morning, and Fuji found himself on the steps of what was the most extravagant building in the city. He looked at the address on the paper again to confirm. It was correct. Fuji took some deep breath to calm down, and took a step towards the entrance. Taking the elevator to the top floor—the penthouse—of the building, he though to himself, "What kind of person his new boss will be like? Anyone but Atobe would be good. When the elevator reached the penthouse, Fuji stepped out and saw a grand entrance. Fuji looked at the number beside the door. Yup, this is the right place. Fuji had been quite nervous all the way here because he had never been in such high-class place before. It was like another world to him. Again, he took a deep before pressing the doorbell. When no one replied, he pushed the doorbell again. No one answered. Would it be another sick joke from Atobe? But why would he… Before he had more time to think, a noise came from behind the door.

"Who the heck is ringing on ore-sama's doorbell so early? If you feel like dying, then I can make your wish come true!"

Fuji eyes widened when he saw the one who opened the door was Atobe.

"Damn, what are you doing in front of ore-sama's house so early?"

Fuji looked angrily at the sleepy young man in front of him who wearing nothing but a pair of boxer. "You were... th... the one… who told me to… come!"

Atobe looked at Fuji. "Damn, you are right. Ore-sama did ask you to come. But for goodness sake, why did you come so early? Do you know what time it is now? I was busy with a pretty woman yesterday until 4 am... Anyways, come inside." Atobe opened the door to let Fuji in.

He looked around at Atobe's apartment. It was big, and the decoration were elegant and modern. Atobe closed the door behind him sleepily, and pointed at the sofa in the middle of the living room. "Hey, get some sleep on the sofa over there! Ore-sama doesn't need a meal until… let's say 12 pm, because I have an important meeting at 1 pm. You understand?"

Once again, Fuji was confused. The man in front of him was not only offering him an easy job with a high salary, but also offering him time to sleep. Fuji didn't understand the man at all.

"Ore-sama is going to sleep now. If you dare to wake me up before 12, I'll make you regret that you came to this world, you hear?" Atobe turned around and walked sleepily into another room and closed the door behind him.

Fuji looked at the sofa by the living room. A sleep doesn't sound half bad, he thought to himself. Right before he plopped onto the sofa, the door of Atobe's bedroom was opened.

"I forgot to say this, but if you dare to make my sofa dirty, you'll be veeeeeeeery sorry!" With that final statement, Atobe slammed the door.

Fuji, sitting on the couch, didn't know if he should lie down or not…
To be continued!

Pooooor Fuji… I really love to torture him… I guess I am not the only one? Hehe… Anyway, looking forward for more feedbacks!