A/N: This was supposed to be one big chapter… but it was brought to my attention (PIERCE) that my chapters (for this or other fics, especially Enough is Enough - look, shameless advertisement!!) are getting hugely long to read in one sitting… So I've decided to start breaking them up at a good stopping point. Here's the first half of the next edition of Fast Food Fiasco… thanks for the reviews, and patience!!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, or any of its characters. The wonderful Yoshihiro Togashi does. Also, the Golden Age Manor (don't own that, either) does exist, though it is not a nursing home; and though some names may bear resemblance to persons associated with this place, it is not being suggested that the manor itself is like this place in the story, nor that any of the people from the real place are the same as these characters. Basically, IT'S NOT REAL, and so no one's meant to be represented in the fiction. Got it? Good…

Another thing… I'm really not some radical natural activist… nor a tree-hugger as some put it. But I do believe that de-forestation is getting to an insane point, and we're killing the planet that we need to live off of. So anyone who is offended by that point of view may say whatever they want about parts of this and the next chapter, but my view is exaggerated to be humorous. Go with it.

Nightmare: Part I

Scene 1

It was quiet that day at the Golden Age Manor. Even the crabbiest of residents seemed subdued. Of course, this could have been due to the fact that one of the more stern orderlies was leaving the job at the manor. Everyone was being extra silent, perhaps for fear of retribution from the employee, or perhaps so that any new replacement would think them peaceful enough to stay around longer than the last new one.

They'd had many new helpers in the last few months, each replacing the other when they left. Each was excited at the beginning. Each tried to do their best to be happy and serve the folk with a smile.

Each got eaten alive.

Everyone had left, probably to new careers, perhaps a mental institution or two. Though not as staff, no, sir. The elderly inhabitants of the Golden Age Manor Nursing Home drove every new employee to ruin or madness. Now they awaited the arrival of the new orderly they'd been promised. They awaited their new prey.

Scene 2: Urameshi Residence

Yuusuke had been pressing the "down channel" button on the T.V. remote for about 2 solid minutes. Channels and programs flicked by on a regimented one second interval, just enough time to catch one syllable of sound from each one before clicking over to the next. Every channel had already been shown. Twice. He was just staring at the colorful flicker like a zombie into the night. In fact, the only part of him that was actually in motion was his thumb.

Going on the third minute, Kuwabara, who had been sitting on the other end of the couch, couldn't take it any more, and grabbed the remote from Yuusuke's hand. Or, tried to grab it. Yuusuke held it firmly, still flicking, not taking his eyes from the screen. "Dammit, Urameshi, just pick a channel and stick with it, ok? It's what normal people do!"

Without even moving, Yuusuke spoke in a monotone voice, "Cut it out, Kuwabara, I'm watching something…" He didn't bother trying to get his friend's hands off of the remote, and simply continued flicking.

" 'Watching something??' Urameshi! You can't watch channels that go by in a second, so slow down and pick one already, I think I'm getting a headache…" Kuwabara tried again to pull the remote away, which only merited him a bump on the head as Yuusuke turned at last to hit him. "Ow!"

"Will you knock it off, you big doofus? I told you, I'm watching…" he stopped, turned to the screen that had stopped flicking, and stared at what he'd inadvertently chosen. "…Something…"

Kuwabara turned as well with a classic look of perplexed-blankness to see what had raptured his friend so. Surprisingly, it was a news station covering recent local stories. The newscaster had begun speaking already, and Yuusuke thumbed the volume button so that they could hear the report. On screen was a bar downtown. Kuwabara could only guess worry for his mom was what had made Yuusuke stop at the channel. Atsuko was a frequent bar-hopper, and was always drunk or hung-over.

As the volume grew, the reporter could be heard speaking of a riot that had occurred the night before, and how destroyed the inside of the bar was from a hundred drunk and wild women raving over some new bartenders.

"Wow, guess that was the place to be last night…" Yuusuke began in a flat tone. He then smirked and chuckled, "Maybe I should work at a bar… Sure would be a way to see girls all day long!"

Kuwabara growled, and hit Yuusuke on the top of his head. "You idiot! Don't you ever think of Keiko?" Yuusuke blinked at him, and Kuwabara just crossed his arms and turned his nose away, speaking in a superior tone. "Girls are supposed to be honored, Urameshi, not cheated on. You shouldn't even look at girls like that for Keiko's sake."

Yuusuke took on his naturally defensive tone, responding, "Yeah, well, it's for her sake I look, you know?" Then, sounding conniving, "Yeah… so I know what I'm missing or something, and appreciate her more…"

"You big liar!"

Kuwabara hit him over the head again, and this time Yuusuke responded with a punch instead of words. They got so involved with their petty quarrel, they completely missed the rest of the report, which showed just who had been at the bar gaining to much favor and female attention…

Scene 3: Town

Hiei had been at Kurama's house that morning, perhaps for encouragement, or maybe so the fox could squelch his hidden nerves… Whatever the reason had been, he hadn't stayed long enough for Kurama to find out. They'd had a brief sharing of complaints, and then parted ways on their separate journeys to the occupations that Koenma had assigned them. Kurama had taken the longest route he could devise to arrive outside of town at the site. He was not looking forward to a job that would keep him a part of killing trees for overpopulation's needs. He couldn't stand that plants had to die for human advancement. Yes, flora always paid for the life and existence of fauna.

Despite his best efforts of procrastination and delay, Kurama eventually arrived outside the gate of the "Wood Chuck" Lumber Company. He could hear the splitting machines, the shrill tone of those horrible biting saws, could see the spray of sawdust as if blood itself were being spilled in the forest that day. Life… Life wasted and thrown on a conveyer belt to be split apart for the so-called needs of man. Death.

Breathing hard, Kurama whirled around, back pressed against the iron gate, hands covering his face and the horror displayed on it. How can they do this so carelessly, he thought. There was no way he could aide in this destruction. Koenma or no Koenma, he would not work here. He could not live with himself if he was responsible for so much death.

What, then, was he going to do?

Scene 4: Secluded Part of Town

Leaping silently to the ground from the last tree in the row along the long driveway, Hiei stood up straight and took in his surroundings. The yard was perfectly manicured, with trees and bushes forming disturbingly perfect shapes, such as baskets, rabbits, and things that Hiei could not nor had any interest in trying to identify. Several ponds littered the grounds. None were big enough to make any sense, seeming to hold small fish, though there was no sign of anyone attempting to catch them.

The perfect scene surrounded both sides of him, the drive at his back. As he turned his head to the front, he found his eyes widening despite his best apathetic efforts. In front of him stood a large house, almost the size of a small castle. It stood five stories high, at least it seemed so from what Kurama had told him of human architecture. Besides the front and central section, which alone looked impressively large, there were two wings off to each side, and possible more around the back. There were more windows than the fire demon care to count, each one detailed and old looking. He guessed the building must have been around for a long time.

Shrugging off anything bit his contempt for humanity in general, he stalked to the front door and knocked. After several moments, a young girl opened the door. Not so young, perhaps, probably a few years older than Kurama's human self, but not an adult yet. She looked at him curiously for a moment, and he had to force himself not to sneer at her.

"Can I help you?" she asked with a sugary sweet overtone to her voice, but holding contempt and annoyance underneath. She smiled a thin, fake smile at Hiei, tapping her foot impatiently as she awaited his almost immediate reply.

Keeping his face impassive, Hiei responded, "Hn, I'm supposed to be here." Choking down a growl at the words, he finished, "For a job." He stuck his hands in his pockets, every aspect of his body language screaming that he didn't want to be within ten miles of where he stood.

The girl took on a knowing expression, which the small demon loathed, and gestures for him to come inside. Stepping aside to allow his passage, she closed the door behind him. The room just inside the doorway was more impressive than the outside of the building had even suggested. The ceiling was high, vaulted, he believed the word was that humans used. To either side of the door stood graciously spacious rooms, each leading further into the manor. Straight ahead, though down a bit of an entry hall, was a sweeping staircase leading to a balcony on the second floor. How one would access the third, fourth, and fifth floors he couldn't immediately tell. The girl led him up the staircase and down the central hall on the second floor. There were so many rooms Hiei didn't even bother to try to count them all. Most of the doors were open, TVs on inside the rooms, many docile-appearing people laying in bed or sitting in plush chairs.

"Where are we going?" Hiei asked flatly, looking from side to side into each room they passed. It appeared that this would be the most boring job imaginable, with everyone in the building so relaxed and sedated.

Not stopping or even pausing her calm stride, the girl curtly replied, "To the office, naturally." With a slight glance back in his direction, she added, "You must be dealt with accordingly."

Hiei scowled as she turned back to face the long, empty hall. He did not like being referred to as a thing to be "dealt with." Perhaps he should show her exactly how much she could "deal" with him…

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted, however, as the girl led him to a room on the side of the hall, situated before a turn in the building to accommodate the next wing. Inside, he was greeted with another calm interior, though without the sense of sedated medication. There was a row of windows along the far wall that faced the long driveway leading away from hell. Another door led towards the way they had come; he suspected it to be a more important office. Chairs were set in front of a desk that stood beside the door leading away, and several more chairs as well as a couch stood along the other walls, littered between various filing cabinets.

Looking up from the desk, a middle-aged austere looking woman peered at Hiei over a pair of plain bifocals. She set aside the paperwork she had been studying, and folded her slender fingers, resting them on the desktop. "What do you bring me, Charice? A new employee?" she asked, her tone straight but nearly playful, and her gaze drifting to Hiei.

"Once again, you're right, Mrs. Helda. He's here for the orderly position that Jon's left open." Charice said no more after receiving a withering glare from Mrs. Helda. Whatever had happened with Jon, it apparently was not meant to be discussed. Charice stepped back as Mrs. Helda focused her attentions on Hiei once again.

"What is your name, son?" she asked, talking down to him as if to a child. Her amused expression told that the inflection was quite intentional.

Barely controlling his boiling temper at the insult, Hiei spoke his name evenly. Mrs. Helda nodded, writing it down on some piece of paperwork or another, then stood, leading him into the next room. Charice followed, seeming both excited and malevolent. Something didn't smell right about this place.

Scene 5: Outside Town

"Hey, you there! You Minamino?"

Kurama had just decided to give up and get away from the horrible place of murder when the yell stopped him short of escape. With an inward cringe, he stopped his retreat and turned around to face the foreman who had caught him. Managing to plaster on a rather convincing fake smile, he responded, "Yes, I'm Shuichi Minamino." He paused, the added with effort, "I'm here for the job opening."

The man nodded and immediately opened the gate to allow Kurama inside. "Perfect," he said. "We've been waiting for you all morning." As he led the boy along the grounds, he explained, in gruesome detail, the type of work they would be doing that day and further on during the week. Kurama started to feel sick to his stomach with all of the destruction the man described. He couldn't believe Koenma had relegated him to this.

The foreman introduced himself as Jim, and said Kurama was welcome to call him by his first name, since everyone else did. His arrival merited a tortuous tour around the entire site. From one dastardly machine to the next, the fox had to bite his tongue to keep silent. But he who is silent is understood to consent, and the day went on without a flinch. He soon discovered the piece of information Koenma had left out of his tirade. His position was out in the fieldwork; he would be among those personally destroying life. Kurama desperately wanted to run, but the human personality that he had built up would not allow him to leave the job so soon, and he had no idea what Spirit World would resort to next, were he to escape.

So he donned the coveralls. He wore the tool belt, the boots, the helmet and safety glasses. He marched outside with the others starting their shifts. He marched out to participate in the crime he'd been assigned to commit.

A/N: Yeah… I know, "that's it?!" But like I said, I was told to make them shorter, and my hand isn't healed, and still freaking hurts, so that's about all I feel like typing out right now. Like it or leave it, send me a review? Thanks.

-Draith