By: Silver Neko
A/N: Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, Yu Yu Hakusho, or any products, movies, or other things mentioned in this fic. Please don't sue me, I'm too young to pay for a lawyer.
Me? I'm new at this, so please don't flame me too badly unless I really deserve it. I welcome constructive criticism, but there is a line. If the characters are slightly out of character, please remember the point of view I'm using for this- a neko-youkai's perspective may be a bit skewed. Please, Tell me if this comes out well- I have no outline, just wanted to write out a funny little scene. If you like it, please review. Oh, yeah. Rated for some cursing, maybe some sexual references later on. That's about it. Thanks.
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I have some of the weirdest ideas sometimes, even for a neko. Honest. I am going to go to school, in a place where I barely know the language. Why? It's not like I need much human knowledge to survive- even around most humans. Hell, half of the humans I've encountered don't have very much human knowledge. But I was so curious... Why do humans bother with such a stupid system? What happens in those big old buildings?
Why do such hot guys endure a building like that?
So, the last question really gave me a motive. Can I help it? I'm a neko, and youkai are rare, anymore. I can have my fun, can't I? An-y-wa-ay... I need money. I need a lot of money, because I don't have any living relatives who would be willing to pay for things like trips, or tuition, or anything like that. Also, the living ones are all back in the States, where I'd started school just long enough to get transferred. I'd always wanted to go see Japan- there's such history there, y'know? And they have a better school system anyway, as far as I'm concerned. With more youkais, might I add.
Oh, what's a neko, you ask? It's a neko-youkai, honestly, or cat-demon. I just happen to take on a human form most often. I usually have black fur and black fuzzy ears on my head and a cat's tail, even in human form, but I have a concealing spell for those unfortunate un-transformable parts of me. At least, I haven't figured out how to transform them out.
You'd probably see me as a human like the ones I grew up around, but prettier. I can be greedy, no? I normally have long, black hair, so I kept that. The eyes just have normal pupils instead of cat ones, and I wear long, black outfits, to remove some of the strain holding an illusion up for a day gives. There's white skin, so I don't stand out so much. I shorten my canines, in this illusion. The tail is hidden. I tried to just disguise it as a belt or something, but it gives away my emotions, which is not good for an inanimate object like a belt. So it, and my ears, are invisible.
I look pretty damn good for a hundred-year-old. Then again, for my race, at least, I'm just getting to the start of the best part of my life. Yay! Rah, Rah, Rah! Go me! Now, back to the point.
I needed money. I have only four real talents. Three of them would get me in trouble with human laws, and besides, I have a bit too much self-respect to perform the first two where I could get money for them. The last one was art. I admit, it's hardest to get money there, but there was no chance of being punished, a low chance of being humiliated, and, if I did it right, I could rake in a rather generous sum of money. This is always good, since sometimes I'm just too lazy to chase down my prey.
I seem to leave the subject quite a bit, don't I? At any rate, returning to my subject, I was at a fair. Not at a freak show, since that is also degrading, and besides, that's what concealing spells are good for. I was giving out those paint-on tattoos that seem to be a feature of many carnivals. For a fee, of course. What do you take me for? A charity?
I have a fairly good talent with these things, so I can give out tigers and roses, along with clown- and cat-faces. Children and adults come by alike, and I was pulling in that good profit I mentioned. But this is when I ran into a problem. You see, sometimes, the adults who come by aren't happy about paying up for their kids or something. I don't want to be kicked out, so I generally just ask them to leave with enough prescence behund the request to intimidate them. They usually take off at some fairly high speeds.
This had worked all day, but as the day wears down, some of my customers begin to grumble about being out of money. I generally pack up right about now, but there are just four more potential customers here, waiting in line, unlike the corpse-on-the-feet crowd around us.
One's obvious trouble, a street tough who may or may not pay me. He probably won't intimidate easily, either, but right after him are a cute couple who will definitely pay up if I ask nicely. Sure, the girl has a strange aura and seems to see through my concealing spell, and the guy smells of inu-youkai, but if he's willing to carry those huge plushies for the strange girl, who isn't yelling at a youkai, even a hanyou like mutt-face there, I'm happy. Apparently, though, mutt-face and their kitsune-kit have never heard of concealing spells, and both wear hats. Can't be comfortable.
The tough guy demands a symbol, a skull and crossbones, on his right arm. Pretty typical of a customer like that. What really irks me is that he threatens to hurt me if I don't give it to him free. He doesn't scare at a show of prescence, at least, not enough to run away. The couple's kitsune-kit, adoptive, of course, is watching, so how can I possibly respond to a threat like that? I shoot a look at the kit before carefully choosing my wording.
"How about I give you this tattoo, and we can discuss payment after, hmm?" Is it just me, or does he look like a cub in a sweet-shop? And what's with the staring? Oh, who cares? My paws are already itching to steal his pockets clean, just in payment. The instant he isn't watching my paws, I'm going to strike, I swear. Instead, I start on the tattoo, keeping it very simple.
As I'm starting on the skull, it occurs to me that the comment I'd used had some distinct sexual connotations. Damn. Human minds can be twisted- I just meant that I wanted to give him a discount, say, 25% off?
"Why you little thief!" He yelled, about halfway through. Apparently, that paw wasn't as un-watched as I thought. Uh-oh...
Think, Shadow, think. How do you get out of a situation like this one? Oh, of course. I hate to use the cute couple like that, but if I don't, I'll have to expose myself. Thanks, but no thanks.
I pretend to just now notice the hanyou. "Hi, brother! Glad you could show after all! Could you take care of this? I just have to stretch my muscles." Poor hanyou. He's about to take my place for a beating.
It just now occurs to me that the kit will still have to witness some violence, now. Worse, it's the kit's adoptive dad. Why didn't I think of that before? Oh, well.
I dodge the thief who called me a thief as he throws a punch, neatly sidestepping it and replacing his target with the hanyou. I'm pretty sure I hear him go, "What the hell?!" as I walk off, whistling a cheerful tune as I hear a plushie take the hit, then I disappear into the crowd as the girl begins to recover from the whole mess exploding like that. The kitsune already did, he's struggling to follow me, pulling himself out of his "mother's" arms.
Good luck catching me, kid. I cover my scent with the humans around me, and walk slowly. There's a crowd already gathering around the fight behind me, and all of my money is securely in a pocket. I'm one happy little neko as the shop closes.
But maybe I shouldn't ever do business with that particular carnival again.
Ever.
One more month until school starts, and I can continue to figure out this mystery. Good thing I got all the money I needed from today's haul.
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A/N: As you can probably guess, I have at least a few chapters in the works for my character. It's a weekend, so I'll probably get chapter two up soon. Like, after I write it. Hmm... Please review! Is it too short? Should I change or add pairings? Huh? Huh, huh?
My beta-reader-type-person pointed out an inconsistency. Why is she referring to herself as a youkai? That's Japanese, and she's born in the states. Truth-told? Iunno. I shall figure this out and maybe write up a reason in later chapters. I shan't interfere with your reading pleasures by putting these in the fic itself, just so you know. I find mid-fic A/N's annoying as anything I've ever seen. Till next time!