The New Neighbors are Japanese

"Sasuke, come down, you'll be late for school!"

"Don't want to go to school!" the boy stood morosely on the tree branch and looked at the two men below.

"Sasuke, do what Yukimura says!" Saizo looked really annoyed. The darn kid was causing a scene—and it was making a fool out of Yukimura-sama.

"Shuddup, Saizo."

Yukimura sighed, but he was wearing a grin on his face. "You want me to send you back to Japan...and hire a babysitter?"

"Wha-at?! No way!" Sasuke hurriedly jumped down.

"Aww, come here, Sasuke-chan, I was only kidding about the sitter." Yukimura laughed. "Come on, I can't put on your backpack if your arms are folded..."

"The bus is coming," Saizo called, using all six senses to locate it.

"Duh." Sasuke grumbled.

"You're so cute when you're angry." Yukimura said, as they waited by a group of girls. The girls giggled and pointed. Sasuke made a face at them and they giggled louder.

"Hontou...ne?" Yukimura had to grab Sasuke's arm to keep him from running off. "Oi! Doko ni iku no yo? (Hey, where're you going?) You've got a lot of pretty girls staring at you!" He was speaking in Japanese, but of course everyone knew what was going on.

"That's the whole damn point!" Sasuke cried tugging uselessly had his arm. Yukimura had a grip like a steel vise.

The bus pulled up and Yukimura pushed Sasuke onto it. "Sasuke, always be the first one on the bus."

"WHY?"

"So you can say hello to the nice driver!"

The bus driver was not at all nice. In fact she was so old and wrinkled, the skin sagged over her eyes and seemed to block her vision. She smiled evilly at the boy and showed a row of jagged brown teeth that made even Saizo shift uneasily. Sasuke could have sworn that she whispered his name.

"What a stupid reason." Sasuke said, and dove for a seat, but Yukimura was still hanging on to him, giving the impression he was a grumpy toddler. Everyone laughed.

"I'll handle this." Yukimura said, and turned to the driver. "Hi what's your name? You're looking great today!"

The old lady seemed very taken with Yukimura's long hair and his fair complexion, not to mention the gorgeous smile."I'm Mrs. Gladys." She whispered. "But call me Mary," She added in a voice that was as gravelly as the pebbles on the road.

"This here is Sasuke, he would absolutely love to have tea with you sometime..."

"Oh, I'm sure he would."

Sasuke spun around in horror and let out a Japanese word nobody knew—"Nani?! Everyone laughed again.

"He'll teach you how to write kanji too."

"Does he like animals?" the old lady asked. "Cause I have twenty or thirty cats...I forget how many I have."

"He adores them." Yukimura beamed and let Sasuke go. He fell into a seat and crouched low. The old hag laughed and sounded like she had a mouse lodged in her throat.

"Don't worry about him, he's very shy."

"I'm good with shy kids. Don't worry, he'll be in good hands."

"Have fun, Sasuke-kun." Yukimura stepped off the bus and all the kids cheered. But it was a strange sort of cheer... 'Sounds of liberation' Sasuke thought, as they clambered on.

As soon as Yukimura and Saizo disappeared into the park, the old lady swiveled her head around and squawked: "OKAY, WHO'S READY FOR A BEATING?!" she wasn't kidding around; in her hand was a pole with...bloodstains on it?

Nobody said anything.

"THEN SIT YOUR BUTTS DOWN, AND SHUDDUP!" she spotted Sasuke and came slowly over with the pole on her shoulder. "Well, well, well," she murmured. "A new student. I know your kind. I can smell it "—she inhaled deeply through hair clogged nostrils—"Don't give me any trouble, boy. Or I'll cut open your head and use your brains to feed my..."

"MRS. GLADYS, GET MOVING OR I'LL FIRE YOU!!" screamed the radio. The old lady jumped back to her seat and continued onward.

Being so used to death threats, Sasuke wasn't the least bit frightened. What got him was that there was an unusual stench hovering in the air, and there was not a glimmer of hope anywhere.

What kind of school is he headed to, anyway?