Kitty: So NiNi wanted to get more into depth about the pet store, I guess. Besides, I know literally nothing about kittens. Even though I have one. Nickey, is that sad?
Nickey: Well no... Cuz you have me... And while I pretend to know nothing, I know lots :D
Yami: Yeah... Pretend...
Nickey: TWO PLUS TWO CAN SO EQUAL FISH, YOU'RE JUST AN IDIOT!
Yami: Whatever you say... *looks to Yugi*
Yugi: No, Kitty, it isn't sad. It just means that M takes care of the pets.
Kitty: *nods* So... my head is killing me... Unless Key-chan wants to ramble on for a bit, this is all for the intro.
Nickey: KEY-CHAN SHALL RAMBLE ONWARD! :D I apologize in advance because I'm super duper hyper :D Next update is Sunday, December the 4th! So, look for that then... :D
Yugi: Enjoy!
Yami: Don't forget to review... It'd be a shame if you accidentally disappeared...
Kitty: Yami Ratina Sennen! They do NOT have to review!
Nickey: Dude... She just full named you... Watch out... Also, we would certainly appreciate reviews, we read every SINGLE one of them! :D
Kitty: They would be nice, though, huh...? Should we start doing the replies to the reviews...?
Nickey: Let's let them decide... Would you guys like us to start replying to your reviews? If so, let us know! :D
Yami: Yeah... Cuz they're gonna do that...
Nickey: Shut up Yami, or it's a one way ticket straight to hell... ENJOY THE CHAPTER! :D
The Abused and the Bullied
Chapter 8
New News and Apologies
Yugi had run ahead, but somehow I caught him at the door. I followed his line of sight, seeing one of the new girls from earlier. I looked back at Yugi who looked conflicted. Joey walked up beside me, noticing the scene as well. I looked at him before making my decision.
"Do you know her?" I asked, causing Yugi to jump. Whoops, didn't mean to scare him. I pointed at the silver haired girl from earlier, letting him know who I was referring to.
He spun around, his posture relaxing a bit as he realized who it was. "Um... Yeah, I do. She's my mom's friend's daughter. Usually her sister Nickey is with her, but she obviously isn't. I don't think they'd have gotten so close to her if she was.."
"Stay with Yugi" I told Joey, walking over to confront the group of three. First Yugi, now a helpless girl. They were boys! You can't just pick on a girl! "What do you think you're doing?" I growled, my anger getting the best of me.
I heard footsteps behind me, I could only assume it was the older of the two, and from the sounds of her boots, she was pissed. Something heavy hit the ground, and since the three of them were still standing, I assumed it was her bag. She stopped next to me, her fists and jaw clenched and her eyes glowing with anger. Yep, pissed was an understatement...
"I have to agree with Sennen on this one," she said, her jaw still clenched as her brows furrowed. "What do you think you're doing with Kitty? I don't believe she's done anything to you."
I didn't get scared often. But standing next to this girl, I felt two feet tall. Her aura screamed for others to run.
A fist came flying, my eyes widening for a couple reasons. First off because a guy would dare to take a swing at a girl, secondly because the girl had caught the fist inches from her face. The boy hit the ground as she gave his wrist a twist backwards, her boot met his knee, making it crunch under the pressure, and I was pretty sure it was broken.
His friend came up behind her and she lifted her left elbow, meeting his nose while simultaneously releasing the first guy, twisting to the side and letting her right fist meet his left cheek. It was graceful, but powerful, kinda like she was dancing.
I caught sight of the third guy attempting to jump in, but as I moved she gave me my warning. "You move, and I'll beat you too" she said. "That's your only warning."
It was harsh, but if she didn't want me in it, I wouldn't get in it. I backed away, letting her know I would stay out of it. She started going towards the third guy, her head lowering to look at the ground. I pulled out my phone glancing at the time "Shit" I cursed, backing up to where I left Joey and Yugi. I pulled Joey to the side once I reached him "Stay with Yugi, make sure those guys don't come after him once she's done with them. I gotta go."
He nodded his head before returning to Yugi's side. I started running, waving to Yugi before breaking into a sprint. I was going to be late to work if I didn't hurry.
I made it to work with five minutes to spare, so I ran to the back and changed in the bathroom, a white button up with a black tank top underneath, the top two buttons undone, black dress pants, and my favorite black and red converses. I ran my rounds, playing with the animals as I went.
The bird cages needed cleaned, they had yet to be fed. I had feed the rodents, and watch for any new babies in the cages. The fish had to be fed, and dead ones removed. Customers needed help and wanted to know information on animals they wanted to get.
My job in the pet store was to clean cages, feed animals, make sure they get socialized so they get sold, and to know just about everything about the animals we carried. I was the go-to person because I was the only worker that would go the extra mile, and the bosses knew that. I also had to restock shelves, fill up the food containers in the front, capture any escaped pets, and set up any new displays we got in. It was exhausting, sure, but the pay was good, and the customers and animals seemed happy.
"See you tomorrow, Sennen" my boss waved as we exited the store.
"Bye" I waved back, beginning my walk home. It was a little chilly, but nothing I couldn't stand.
I walked past the park on my way home, looking over to see it lit up by multiple lamps, speckled all around so the light was spread evenly, and very few dark corners lurked. It looked like it would be a romantic walk to go on. Violet flashed across my view, and so did that smile. "I'm not disappointed" he had said.
It felt good. To know of all the disappointments I'd done, all the disappointing things I had done, and yet one person wasn't disappointed in me. I looked up at the moon, smiling out of genuine joy. A joy that made my heart feel a way it'd never felt before. Maybe there was more reasoning behind my need to protect the boy. I'd followed him to all his classes, beaten bullies off of him, lingered around him to make sure nothing happened, used my best friend to protect him, and many other small things, just to search for his approval, only to ensure his safety.
I looked back down sadly. Was it really love? I like Yugi, sure.. But.. Why do I feel like it's my duty to make sure that every day he makes it through his tasks unscathed? I shook my head and kept walking, I needed a shower, and a nice relaxing night to just sleep away. A yawn escapes, causing my eyes to water as I lazily make my way home, backpack over one shoulder.
ABD
I woke up at six a.m., opening my window to test the weather. It didn't feel too cold out, but might get cooler later on. I pulled on a silver tank top, covering it with my favorite, sleeveless, dark red hoodie. I traded out my gym shorts for a pair of black leather pants, pulling on a pair of socks before slipping into my converse. I quickly combed my hair back, the shorter blonde bangs flipping down over my forehead, refusing to go back even with the gel. I gave up on trying and decided it was good enough.
I grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge, pulling my keys from the counter to lock my door on my way out. I tucked the keys into my hoodie pocket, opening up the water and taking a drink while walking to work. The pet store wasn't as far away as Maji Burger, but it was still a pretty good distance. This early in the morning though, it wasn't like you could overheat from the exercise. I would clock in fourteen hours today since it was a Saturday. We opened at seven, closed at nine, and got a half hour break around lunch time, and two ten minute breaks in between, one before lunch and one after. The bosses were good people, and the managers of the place. I was their favorite, so I pretty much got to do whatever I wanted.
The morning was always slow, so I took that time to tend to the aviary room. We were in the middle of painting it and setting it up with cages for the birds. The room didn't go up to the tall ceiling, and a net was over the top, so maybe our parakeets would stop escaping their cages and taking free roam of the store. It also allowed us workers to hear outside of the room, and since I was the only one here that ran the back, it was important to be able to hear.
I was painting a colorful Macaw when I heard someone calling. I wiped my hands, sitting down my paintbrush and heading for the door. "Is anyone here...?"
The voice sounded faintly familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on where I'd heard it from. I walked out the door to the aviary, looking down to tuck in the towel I had been using. "Hi, my name is Yami Sennen. How can I..." Oh shit. "help... you..." Dammit, I knew that voice sounded familiar. I mentally cursed myself as I stopped dead, being met with the bright face, of Yugi Moto.
"Oh! Hi, Yami! I didn't know you worked here." He seemed really cheerful about it, while I just kinda stood there. But, I had to admit, he looked better out of the school uniform.. In casual clothes! I added mentally. Jeebus... What was wrong with me? One look back at him, his cheerful violet eyes, his similar hair that was pulled back in a ponytail, it looked good on him. And that smile...
"Um..." I quickly pulled myself from my trance, getting back to the matter at hand. "What are you doing here...?"
He laughed and my heart leaped up into my throat. "Getting a cat for my sister. Her birthday is in a couple weeks."
I nodded, giving myself a chance to swallow my heart back down. How was going to make sure he didn't tell anyone about this? He didn't seem like the kind of person that would tell, but I'd only known him a few days.. I chewed my lip as I thought, looking around, trying to take my attention away from his smile. "What will it take for you to not tell anyone about this? I'll give you anything... Just, don't tell..."
His head went to the side and I was pretty sure this boy was out to kill me. How can you be as old as he was, and still be more adorable than a toddler? "Be my friend" he said, my attention returned to the conversation. "If you be my friend, I won't tell..."
Be his friend? That was all he wanted? A thought crossed my mind, and I couldn't hold back the smirk. 'Friends' wasn't good enough for me. I wanted more. I stepped forward, stopping only when there was barely any space between us, and I stood over him. "What type of friend?" I asked, and he gulped, his violet eyes showing all sorts of emotion. Shock, awe, maybe even desire... "A boyfriend or a best friend?"
He swallowed and it looked like he was having some troubles thinking up words. "Um... uh... which... one would you... like better...?" That little bit of innocence was all it took. I lifted my hand to his chin, gently bringing him forward and pressing our lips together. The kiss was short, but it was all I'd imagined it to be and more. I had to restrain myself from stealing another, remembering that we were in a pet store, I was working, and he came here to find something. We were also in the middle of a conversation.
"I'd very much like the former to be the case," I told him, leaning my forehead against his. I didn't want him to feel like he didn't have a choice in the matter, though. "However, I will settle with just being your friend."
His cheeks turned red, his eyes looked heavy, and he held the perfect image of starstruck. It took a minute for him to gather his thoughts, and from the look of it, he had a lot of them. "I would... Very much like to be your boyfriend..." his voice was somewhere between a whisper and his regular vocal range.
I smiled and pulled away, crossing my arms as I let him gather his wits about him. The blush that had started to go away was back, and so was the smile. He blinked and seemed to remember why he was here. "Um... can you help me...? I need to get my sister a kitten... I'm not a big cat person... I prefer horses..."
I chuckled, and who wouldn't with how awkward he was acting. "C'mon, I'll help you out." I waved him back to the room where we were holding the kittens while we were renovating. "We had to take them out of their cages and put them back here because we're redoing the store."
"You renovate your own store?"
"Not my store. The owners wanted it renovated and asked if I would help. I know a little bit about everything, so I said yes. And they offered to pay a little extra, so," I shrugged "I'm not greedy or anything, but it's my own money."
"Didn't really picture you as the greedy type either" he laughed.
I opened the room to reveal the cats in separate cages, the big ones having their own cage, while the kittens shared in groups of three or four. "So, kitten, right?"
"Right."
"Any particular color? Or... Gender?"
"Female. And she likes black cats... Um.. 'Rasu is a happy, kinda mellow person."
I thought for a minute. If anyone here knew these cats, it was me. I looked around the cages, when my eyes landed on her. Tiki. "How do you think your sister would feel about a black and white cat?"
"I mean.. she likes cats, so she'd probably love it the same."
"Well" I said, pulling my keys from my pocket so I could unlock the cage. "This, is Tiki" I pulled the kitten out, her lower half and some of the upper was white, a black saddle with a smaller black dot were on her back. Her eyes were green, her face was black on top a small freckle on her upper left lip, and a bigger dot on the right half of her chin, the rest of her face was white, with a blaze running up her forehead, ending in a peak on top of her head. Her tail was black with a white tip, and her left front paw held a black spot around the ankle. "She's a sweetheart, and there isn't much that she doesn't like."
"She's cute" he said, looking at the kitten but not offering to take it.
"But?" I urged, looking at him accusingly.
"But, what?"
"That's it? 'She's cute'?"
"I told you, I'm not a cat person..." he pouted and I couldn't hold back the chuckle.
"Well, I think your sister will like her" I told him, pulling out a box to put her in. "C'mon, Tiki."
I handed him the box once the kitten was inside, walking with him back to the main store. "Morning, Duke" I greeted the other employee as he came in.
"Morning, Sennen" he returned with a smile. "You going on break?"
"Right after this customer. You getting the reptiles?"
"Yep. I'll get them."
"Thanks."
"Who was that?" Yugi asked once we were out of earshot.
"Duke. He's another worker here."
"Oh." He seemed to want to ask more as we continued forward. I watched him from the corner of my eye, and smiled as I watched the gears turning. "Are you guys friends?" he finally asked, and I chuckled.
"I mean, we work together. We don't hang out outside of work, though."
"Oh."
"Is that all?" I asked, a smile on my face as I looked at him.
He blushed and nodded his head "that's all."
I walked down the aisle, looking at the foods. "She likes this food best. She's really not picky, but she'll eat this one the best." He watched me as I talked, taking in everything I said. "You need everything for her, or do you have a litter box?"
"My mom said to get everything it needs. So I'm assuming that I need everything for her.."
"Alright." I grabbed a pink collar as I walked by it, a little pink bell hanging from it. "This ones on me." We kept walking, I grabbed everything he would need for the kitten. A litter box, cat litter, a couple toys that she loved to play with, and anything else that I wanted to get. "And that's all you need." I told him, tossing everything up on the counter. I walked around the counter, grabbing my house keys and replacing them with the store keys. I grabbed my sunglasses and put them on my head as Yugi finished paying.
"Lizzie, will you clock me out for break?"
"Sure."
"Thank you." I turned and looked at Yugi "Need some help?"
"I mean... I have to carry this stuff home.. Soo, unless you plan on joining me on that walk, then I guess I'll have to figure it out."
I grabbed all the stuff I had picked up, thankful that Lizzie had put most of it in bags. "I'll be back in ten" I told her, walking out the door with Yugi in tow. "Lead the way" I told him.
Three slowly walked blocks later and we made it to a house that looked a lot like my parents' house. It was nice, clean, and the hedges were well trimmed. We walked up the walkway and he opened the door.
It'd been so long since I walked into a house like this one, that I couldn't help but look on with awe. Of course, this house was a lot nicer on the inside than my old home. That was another thing. Walking in, you could feel the home-y aura, it made me relax a bit.
"Who's your friend, Yugi" a woman asked. I turned to find a woman that looked a lot like Yugi, staring at me, a smile on her face.
"Mom, this is Yami" he introduced me, and a look went across her face. It was like she was remembering something.
I raised a brow as she approached without another word. A kiss was placed on my forehead, causing my eyes to widen. "Thank you" she said before leaving the hallway without another word.
I blinked and looked back to Yugi, my brow raising once again. "What was that about?"
"Well.." he drawled on, his cheeks darkening a little once again. "Everyone may or may not know about you beating up the bullies for me.."
"I'm going to go ahead and say that they do know, Mr. Innocent" I teased.
"Don't look at me! I'm not the one that told them!" he laughed as I narrowed my eyes playfully, a smile remaining on my face. "I didn't tell them. My sister did."
"And how did she find out?"
"Mai" he said matter-of-factly, sticking his tongue out.
I chuckled as his mother entered the room once again. "Will you be joining us for lunch, Yami?"
"Uh, no. I have somewhere to be. Thank you though." I pulled out my phone, checking to see how much time I had left. "Is there somewhere specific you want this stuff? I have to be going."
"Just sit it down here, Yugi can take it to where it needs to go. Thank you."
"No problem."
I sat the stuff down, Yugi sitting the box down and walking me to the door. "Thanks for helping me home."
"Not a problem at all."
"You sure you don't want lunch before you leave? Or.. Brunch I guess, since it's only ten. I feel kinda bad because you spent your break helping me carry stuff home."
"Yugi, this is only my first break. I get a half hour for lunch and another ten minute break in the second half of the day. I'm fine, I promise. I'll head home for lunch, it'll give me some time to work on homework too."
"You don't do that when you first get home?"
"On weekdays, yes. On weekends, no."
"How long do you work today?" He looked at me questioningly, and I know he worried a little.
"Thirteen hours. Seven a.m., to nine p.m."
"You work open to close?!"
"It's the weekend, Yugi. What else do you want me to do?"
He looked down like he was thinking before looking back up at me with a shrug. "I dunno.. Spend time with your family?"
"Pff" I laughed, lifting my hand to his shoulder. "That will not happen. But the thought was nice. Now, I have to get back to work before I'm late. Give me a call if you have any issues out of Tiki." I told him, writing down my number and handing it to him. "And, Remember our promise, won't you?"
The blush was back, and I couldn't help but chuckle. "I'll see you later" I told him, pressing a kiss to his forehead. Unfortunately, it was at this time that a girl that I could only assume to be his sister decided to walk in the door we were currently standing in front of. I pulled away, the two of us looking at each other with a blush as his sister's eyes sparkled. "Um, gotta go" I waved, running off laughing as Yugi called after me. I would have to apologize for that one later.
Kitty: My head still hurts... Nickey and Yami will be doing this since Yugi's cooking me soup... I can't cook...
Nickey: AND I'M NICKEY!
Yami: You shouldn't have had sugar today...
Nickey: WE ALL HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE CHAPTER! :D
Yami: And next time, Nickey will more than likely be more sickly, and not as hyper as she is right now...
Nickey: Yami... I don't feel good...
Yami: Let the festivities, begin... We'll see you next time folks!
Nickey: GOODBYE! :D Don't forget to review on your way out! :D
