Hello!! I am proud to come with the third chappie of this fic! I'm so happy you like it!! ::beams proudly:: Actually, Inu-Yasha's persona is based on the manga, yes, but twisted with a little bit of my friend Alex. She's… very much how I type Inu-Yasha. And for those who asked, no, I didn't change Inu-Yasha's name. Shirosenshi is his last name. Everyone who is a superior to him or doesn't know him like a friend calls him by his last name. So, his full name is Shirosenshi, Inu-Yasha. See?
Well, I have just gotten back from a band function and we (the pit) were REALLY complemented by our head band director. ::beams some more:: So, naturally, I'M HYPER!!!!
WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!! ::twirls in chair
::stops::
I'm okay now.
Disclaimer: I own Yoshi, Mr. Officer, Old Teacher, the local hippie, the 37 year-old ballerina, and Domoru. You shall see later on, and no, I'm not smoking anything.
Into the Fray
Chapter Three
Work
To anyone who cares, my life has never been… easy. My father died days after I was born and my mother a few years afterward in a car accident. I was five when she died, and, with no one else to go to, I was shipped to America where my half-brother Sessho-Maru and my stepmother live.
Ah, the proverbial evil stepmother. That reminds me of Cinderella, where the two stepsisters and the mom make Cinderella their personal slave… Well, that's not far from my experience with my own relatives.
Mamahaha-baba hated me. She hated me with a passion. In fact, she hated me so much, in order to punish me, she would drive out into the alleys of Chicago (where we lived) and then drop me off in a place that I didn't know. I always got to find my way back, via hobos, angry dogs and high drug dealers.
To torture me, she would invent plans in order to try and break my spirit so I wouldn't disobey her. She would lock me up in dark, narrow closets for extended periods of time, (which, thanks to that, I am now claustrophobic) or tie me to a chair, turn off the lights and make me watch horror movies like It or The Omen or other scary crap like that. (It may not sound like much, but when you're five years old watching these things, they're pretty damn scary.) Then she would love to play little mind games with me.
However, my half-brother was… indifferent. He didn't seem to hate me… But of course, if I went on plain expressions, he didn't think anything of me. He never helped Mamahaha-baba in trying to break my spirit, but he never helped me either. He just stared at both of us and then went back to his enigmatic room, in which I have never set foot in to this day.
When I was thirteen, I was kicked out of Mamahaha-baba's house and forced to live on my own. (Which is why I live in my own apartment at my age.) For two years I worked up enough money to get back to Japan and try to earn a living here. All I can say is there aren't enough high-paying jobs to feed my swelling stomach and pay my bills.
Which was why I was standing behind a stained, white counter watching people mosey around the store looking for whatever video they wanted to rent. I rapped my fingers against the hollow plastic/wooden counter in boredom. With band practice not until 7:00 pm, I had some time to get some hours in. I sighed and looked at my watch, which read 5:45. I had some time to go…
Then, a stout man with short, curly brown hair came up to me and asked, "Do you have anything with explosions?" I cocked my eyebrow and then pointed a finger over to the "Action" section, where there were many explosions to be had. He followed my finger and then shook his head. "No, no. I want something with things that blow up!! And guns!! Lots of guns!! And… and blood!"
I gave him a stale look and pointed my finger more deliberately towards the "Action" section, hoping that he would understand. He followed my finger again and, to the dismay of my diminishing patience, shook his head again. "No! I want explosions, guns, blood and people dying! Where would I find all of those??"
I took a deep breath and began to massage my temples; while closing my eyes in the process. Do not dismember the customers. Do not dismember the customers. Do not dismember the customers…It was then that he decided that I probably didn't know, and said, "Hey, boy, you do work here, right?"
My answer was my eyes opening and glaring at him.
He didn't seem to notice. "So do you know where all of the good stuff is? The explosions, the blood, the-"
"Of course I do!" I responded loudly and with a smile on that would unnerve any passer-byer with any more sense than this man. I then pointed to the "Children's" section, and added, "Right over there, sir. That's where all of the 'good stuff' is."
Suddenly, he "understood" and then began to nod and wink at me. "Oh, I 'understand'," he said, giving me a thumbs-up. I "gleefully" returned the gestures, and when he dissapeared into the Barney isle, my smile faded and was replaced by a deep scowl. Gods, I hated my job…
The bell by the door began to ding, signaling that someone was coming in. It was a middle-aged woman with two small children, one holding to one of her hands. She didn't look very friendly, and I got the impression that she was a prissy woman.
She came up to the counter, took a look at me, and then said with an air of distaste, "How old are you…?" I cocked my eyebrow, folded my arms and responded, "Forty-two. May I help you?"
She curled her upper lip for a second and then said, "Do you have 'The Happy Little Elves Go to Camp'?" My inclined eyebrow remained up and I responded, "Well, I don't know. Why don't you take your happy little self and look in the Children's section?"
Her mouth opened and she scoffed, as if my suggestion was beneath her. "YOU are supposed to serve the customer, Boy. YOU look."
Now at this point, both of my eyebrows are up. Who did she think she was, the Queen of some unknown country? Then, my inner self smiled and gave me an idea. I turned back to the lady, and then began to bow.
"I am so sorry!" I wailed loud enough for the whole store to hear, "You are right, my liege! I am only meant to serve! Allow me to find your holy treasure!" I then jumped up on the counter, stood up, and began to speak to the rest of the store.
"ATTENTION PEASANTS!!" I roared, bringing anything and everything in the store to a direct halt. "THE QUEEN DEMANDS FOR THE MOVIE 'THE HAPPY LITTLE ELVES GO TO CAMP'!! FIND THIS FOR HER MAJESTY!! YOU THERE!!" I pointed to a middle-aged man in a blue shirt. "SERVE HER MAJESTY LIKE THE LOWLY DOG YOU ARE!! FETCH HER THE MOVIE!!"
Surprisingly enough, he ran like the wind to the Children's section and searched for the movie. After a few moments, he ran up to the counter, (which I was still standing upon) empty-handed and out of breath. He bowed to the woman and looked up to her. "I'm sorry, your majesty, there is no 'The Happy Little Elves Go to Camp' to be had." He bowed again and went back to what he was doing in the 'New Releases' section. I made a mental note to give him some money later.
I then hopped off of the counter and went down on the floor, bowing to her. "I am so sorry I was not able to find your desired treasure!!" I wailed again, probably making the woman even more uncomfortable and cranky. "Forgive this lowly, undeserving servant!!" She then scoffed and led her children out of the store briskly, having enough from me. And to make sure she didn't come back, I followed her to the sliding doors, still bowing and begging for forgiveness.
After she was gone, I immediately get up from the penitent position and went back to behind my counter. I took a look around the store and when I saw that no one was making their way up to me, I reached down into my backpack and got out a manga book titled Fruits Basket, a guilty love of mine. I was just at the part in volume four when Ayame showed up when I heard footsteps in front of me. I cursed my luck and quickly hid the book, lest anyone see me with it.
I looked up and saw a football player named Koga coming towards me with an annoying smirk etched on his nauseating face. I sneered right back at him and then demanded, "The hell do you want, Jackass?" He feigned hurt and then came a little closer to my counter.
"Should you be treating a customer like that, Inu-koro? Especially with your manager so close… I wouldn't want to get you fired… That would be a shame…" he said with that same damn smirk. I glared and then took a glance to my right, where my manager was standing with a wary expression. I inwardly flinched and then forced a smile on my face, even though I wanted to stab the bastard in front of me.
"May I help you?" I asked in a strained, cheerful voice. With my manager watching me and keeping in mind that if I got into another fight at work I'd be sacked, I forced myself to think that this wasn't the same bastard who bent my snare, put multiple dents in my car, and threw all of my textbooks in the pool. He smiled victoriously, a malicious glimmer in his eyes. He leaned closer, making me flinch.
"Good Doggy, you're learning your place. Now, I want you to swear that you'll keep away from the Higurashi girl. Got it?" With that he pulled away and stared to see what kind of reaction I would have.
Needless to say, I was surprised and angry. Not like I cared about him getting the Higurashi girl, I could care less, but he had ordered me to stay away from someone. No one orders me around like that except if they're paying me. I glared at him, then muttered, "You're crazy. I'll go near anyone I want to, so why don't you go and shove your orders up your ass or to someone that'll listen?" I then ignored him and went to the other side of the counter, but alas, he followed.
"Hey bitch, listen to me! Stay away from the girl!!" He then jumped the counter and landed right in front of me, trying to intimidate me. (Which of course didn't work.) My fist balled and then gritted out my next sentence.
"Get out from behind here, Koga. You're not allowed here." His eyes looked from my face to my balled fists, in which the knuckles were turning white. His blue eyes smiled and then turned back to me with full intention of making me lose my already frayed temper.
"So, Tick-Face, how's life at home? Has your mom cooked anything good lately?"
My voice was soft and controlled, a scary thing for me. "Get out."
"Oh that's right!" he exclaimed, "She died, didn't she? Oh, then should I be asking has your step-mom locked you in any narrow closets lately? Seen any scary movies? Stabbed any people? In particular-"
That was it. I could stand his voice no longer. My fisted hand flew on his own, straight into Koga's smirking mouth. I felt something break loose, but I didn't care. My fists moved with my thinking, into Koga's face, stomach and once, his neck. After the blow to the neck, Koga went down on the counter and rolled to the other side. He got on his feet, his face a pummeled, bleeding mess. But a smiling pummeled, bleeding mess.
"Come on, Inu-koro. Bring it on." He then signaled me coming to him with a movement of his finger, to which I obliged. I hopped over the now bloody counter and ran towards my adversary, fists out. For the next few minutes, we were nothing but a bunch of bloody blurs beating the crap out of each other. I myself don't really remember, because I think Koga punched me in the temple once.
After a few minutes of the brawling, I was pulled back roughly by the neck of my shirt. Unable to cope with the momentum of the pull, I landed on my arse and looked up to find my pissed-off manager. Koga had also been victim to a pratfall, to which the remaining half of my brain found amusing.
"Get out of here, hooligan!!" my manager cried, pointed to the door. When Koga ran off, I looked around and then realized that there were a lot of people surrounding me. I gulped involuntarily, and then began to struggle to my feet. I could already feel that my lip was cut and bleeding, as well as the side of my face, thanks to Koga's ring. My manager then looked at me with a mixture of pity, anger and disappointment. He then helped me up and led me to his office.
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"Shirosenshi-kun, what number is this?" my manager asked.
I removed the rag from my mouth slowly, trying to decipher what he was asking me. I looked up at him, confused. "What do you mean, sir?"
He sighed heavily. "What number is this fight?"
A big mental "Oh" sounded in my racked brain and I looked down, unable to say the number whilst looking at my employer. "Five, sir."
I heard him lean back in his chair and begin to rustle some papers. "Inu-Yasha, you know what this means."
I nodded, unable to do much else. "Yes, sir."
He got up out of his comfy, leather chair and began to walk around the office. "I have told you time and time again that if you kept up that behavior, then I would have to let you go."
"Yes, sir."
"And, time and time again, you have disobeyed me."
"Yes, sir."
He sighed and stopped pacing for a moment. "I'm sorry Inu-Yasha, but I am going to have to let you go. I can't have fights every other month in my store -that's bad for business. And if this business loses profits, then we all do, correct?"
"Yes, sir."
He sighed again and then placed a callused hand on my wounded shoulder. "I took you in all those years ago because of your age and your… financial situation. But ever since then, my business has been suffering because you can't seem to keep a cool head. I wish I didn't have to, but, Inu-Yasha, I'm going to have to let you go."
Those infamous three words sounded in my brain for a little bit, but my mind shut it out momentarily. I looked up at the clock and realized that it was half and hour until 7:00. I sighed and then stood up, and walked calmly out of the office, then out of the store after grabbing my bags.
As I was putting my things into my car, the first volume of Fruits Basket fell out of a hole in my bag. I picked it up and was about to place it back into my backpack when I noticed Tohru's smiling face on the cover. I then sighed and put it into my bag, trying to fight off the plan that my inner self was giving me.
I climbed into my car and sat for a moment before finally deciding where I was heading. I turned the jeep on and made my way to the local resale shop, hoping that they had a durable tent there that could be my home for a while…
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Mamahaha-baba- rude way to say "stepmother".
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YAY!!! I got it done!!! I'm so happy!! WHEEEEEEEEE!!! Wow, Inu lost his job!! Stupid Koga!! ::ish angry::
See you later!!
Ja.