Chapter 15: Fangs for That

Living in the city was as thrilling as it was stressful. Many worked long hours just to make a living and most started early, holding down a parttime job while attending school. Considering the workload for both, some chose to drop out of school in order to make money, feeling that was more important than their studies.

Even then, life was stressful, and everyone seemed to take that stress out on Inojin, a teen working as a waiter at a high-end restaurant. It featured a classy atmosphere so diners were more inclined to take their dates and splurge for several courses under the shining chandeliers and families rewarded their loved ones for good grades or promotions. While it appeared like a fancy dining experience, it was hardly exclusive and most customers showed up in casual clothes to eat or stowed their suitcases under their chairs.

All the prep work that went into dressing the tables in pristine white cloths and polishing the glassware at the bar took so much effort that Inojin was sweating before they even opened for the afternoon. They even closed their doors between the hours of three and five just to get things ready for the dinner rush. That involved different menus, lighting more lamps and heavier white tablecloths in addition to everything having to be wiped down, polished and mopped as they did before and after every shift. There was so much to remember, it took Inojin over a week to get it right.

One time he had stacked up all the menus into a pile and placed them under the podium by the front door without realizing he had mixed the dinner and lunch menus together and got an earful from his coworkers and manager. It caused confusion with the customers and the kitchen when orders from the lunch menu came pouring in along with the dinner items. Waiters had to apologize to the customer and ask them to place a different order and some argued that they didn't want to change it, saying that if they could make it for lunch, they could make it for dinner. He knew he had caused chaos but, in his defense, both the menus looked exactly alike. They were both dark-brown leatherbound folders that opened up with the name of the restaurant on the front cover. The only way to know which was which was to read the items featured inside and eye the prices.

"Can't you get anything right?" a coworker once asked him after he made the mistake again a month later. "Do you like making extra work for us? The customer complained so much we had to comp their meal."

Inojin knew they didn't like being yelled at by the customers or by the kitchen staff, but what did yelling at him solve? They just had to take their anger out on someone, he supposed, and he was the prime target.

The boys were meaner than the girls who rarely scolded him. He also noticed that when they made a mistake, they weren't dealt with so harshly. Sometimes Inojin thought it would be easier if he were a girl but, considering how the girls treated him, he may as well have been one. He was allowed to get close to them because he wasn't considered a threat. One girl even told him that he was like a little brother which was why he could stand watch at the door when they were changing.

This arrangement may have been part of the reason the rest of the boys were so mean to him. Some of the girls were cute and he suspected the guys had crushes on them, so when he was able to be so familiar with them, it stung. For one thing, he didn't have to call them 'senpai' and the others did. He would get a painful reminder in his rib that he should address them as such when the boys were around.

He was meek which was probably another reason the girls didn't consider him a threat and the boys would often take advantage of it, knowing he wouldn't cause a fuss if they elbowed him in the ribs or ganged up on him in the breakroom. That didn't mean he didn't try to rat them out for their mistreatment. The problem was that his manager didn't care.

The restaurant manager was a lazy young man who went by the name Shikamaru. He never came onto the floor to assist, even when they were busy. He issued commands from his office and rarely ever left. Inojin had given him the benefit of the doubt early on, figuring that, as manager, Shikamaru was really busy with other things and couldn't be brothered. Taking inventory, ordering supplies, working on the schedule, interviews, advertisements and reporting to the owner of the restaurant. It was a lot of work. However, whenever Inojin happened by his office, he would catch Shikamaru asleep at his desk or playing videogames. It occurred to him that the rumors were right and he was just lazy.

The only advice he had ever given Inojin about the bullying was, "Just ignore it." He had been doing that for over a year and it hadn't gotten any better. In fact, on occasion, it would escalate because they knew they could get away with it. If Inojin handled it himself, he would get fired or worse. He couldn't quit because he needed the job and, believe it or not, it was the only job he could get that wasn't commission. He wasn't a salesman so commission work wasn't for him and most of the places hiring were just that. So, he ignored them.

After a particularly hard day, Inojin sat on his favorite bench overlooking the cityscape from a footbridge and wondered if this was how his life was going to be from this point on. He dreaded the thought of tomorrow, thinking back to earlier that day.

A girl had asked Inojin to zip up her dress after she was finished with work and a waiter misread the situation. Thinking he was getting a jump on him with the girl he liked, the waiter ambushed him with another and pushed him against the wall, threatening him and demanding to know what he thought was going on with the two of them. No matter how much Inojin insisted it wasn't like that, the waiter and his friend didn't listen and told him to watch his back.

"After the mistakes you made, I can mess up the menus again and say you did it and get everyone against you. Maybe I'll take the tickets for your tables so the cook never gets them and the customer gets mad at you when their food doesn't show up."

"That's not fair to the customer," Inojin protested.

"Who cares? They'll be mad at you. That's only if you keep getting sweet on my girl. Make sure we don't have a problem."

That waiter could claim that waitress because no one else was interested in her. As for the others, the rule among the boys was that everyone was equal. If they all liked the same girl, no one would make a move and admirer her from afar, enjoying her kindness in equal measures. If a waiter tried to get ahead of the rest, the others would pull him back into line. That was what they were doing with Inojin even though nothing like that was actually happening.

"There's no convincing them anyway," Inojin muttered to himself. "Why waste my breath?"

Should he be mean to the girls so they would stop treating him like a puppy and the boys would leave him alone? No, that wouldn't work. Then he would have both genders mad at him. The boys would probably get pissed off that he was mistreating the girls, so there really was no winning.

Inojin sighed with his arms in his lap, briefly wondering if he should throw himself over the railing so he wouldn't have to go to work and deal with them. He wanted to live, just a life better than this one.

"Hey."

Inojin looked to his right and saw a man with silver hair sitting on the opposite end of the bench with a scarf wrapped around the bottom part of his face so only his eyes were visible. Inojin had never seen this man before and yet he felt he knew him.

"Hey?" Inojin said hesitantly. "Do I know you?"

"You will in a minute." The man extended his hand for Inojin to shake. "Kakashi. And you are?"

"Uh, Inojin." He shook the man's hand. "Kakashi, huh?"

"Yup." Kakashi reclined on the bench, resting his elbows on the backrest. "Nice night, huh?"

Inojin looked out at the dark buildings illuminated by sparce lights. "You should see it in the winter with all the colorful lights twinkling. It's magical."

"I'll bet." Kakashi looked at him. "I take it this is your favorite viewing spot."

"Something like that." Inojin kept his eyes on the buildings stretching out like a blocky ocean. "I come here to think and get away."

"Away from what?"

Inojin shrugged. "Stuff. People at work, mostly."

"Ah," said Kakashi. "Less than ideal working conditions, huh? Let me guess. No one respects you. Got a guy in charge who couldn't care less and people who never listen to you, even if you were trying to tell them a train was coming so they wouldn't go splat."

"Not just that," Inojin started venting. "I only exist on girls' radar as a little brother. I got no chance, even if I did like one of them. I don't even exist as a guy in their books. Not that the guys understand that. It's not my fault they like me and they don't like me in that way, but like that matters to the guys who do like them like that. I'm not even doing anything and they're jumping down my throat like it's on purpose. I don't know what I have to do. They'll beat the crap out of me and the manager will tell me to mop up the blood when they're done."

"I hear ya," said Kakashi.

"I just… I just wish I had a better life."

"Life is what you make it, kid. You can choose to make it better."

"How?" asked Inojin, skeptical. "No one listens to a word I say and I'm tired of being treated like someone's punching bag. I got no skills, no talent to help me make things better for myself or others. Those guys are stressed out and they're taking it out on me. But what am I saying? I got no authority to make people do what I want and I'm not strong enough to hold my own in a fight. I just let people walk all over me. I wish I could be different."

"I sensed that," said Kakashi. "You know, if you want a different life, all you have to do is ask."

"Why?" Inojin asked, trying to hide to scoff in his voice. "You a genie or something?"

"Not quite. I don't live in a lamp but I can grant your wish."

"Really?" Inojin didn't believe him.

Kakashi turned to him, suddenly very serious. "I just gotta know if you're willing and if you're sure you want this. There are no take-backs. Once you're changed, that's it. No going back."

Inojin faced Kakashi as well, fed up with what he was now. "I don't want to be me as I am now. I want to be different but still me. Only better. I just wish I had the power to do that."

Kakashi tucked his fingers over his scarf and pulled it down, exposing his mouth. "Consider your wish granted. This may sting a little."

Two fangs extended from Kakashi's upper jaw and moved towards Inojin's neck.

"Holy crap," Inojin repeated to himself over and over. "Ho…ly crap."

"You've been saying that for a solid hour now. I think you're good," Kakashi told him.

Inojin looked for the reflection that should have been in the mirror but wasn't and started his mantra all over again.

Kakashi stayed to make sure Inojin understood what he was and coach him through the transition. For the most part, his life was going to be more or less the same. The only difference was that he had no reflection, couldn't go into sunlight and had to drink blood to live. Other than that, his life was unchanged. Other than being a vampire, of course.

"Garlic is bad, right?"

Kakashi chuckled. "That's a misconception. I don't know who made that up, but it's fine. The fact is, you can have any food you want but blood is the only thing that will nourish you. Go too long without it and you'll die. Sun, too. Brief exposure will burn you but stand in it for longer than a few minutes and you're dead. Just be sure to cover up. That's why we sleep during the day. It's easier."

"So I can have all the foods I like but there's no benefits from them?"

"They just taste good. You won't starve either. You can go years without human food and it does nothing to you. Blood, not so much."

"How often do I need that?"

"Just eat when you're hungry," Kakashi advised him. "Not everyone eats the same. I can get by for a week without blood before I start feeling it. You're young and just turned. You should probably feed relatively soon. Don't sweat it."

"Don't sweat it?" Inojin repeated. "How am I supposed to get blood? I'm pretty sure people will fight me off the second they see my fangs coming at their neck. They'll rat me out to who-knows-who and I'll end up in a cage or will a stake through my chest."

"Relax," Kakashi assured him, seeming to enjoy teaching his baby bird how to fly. "Remember that eye trick I told you about? Use that and they won't remember. Just be confident. It won't work if you don't think it will."

"Isn't that how hypnosis is supposed to work for the victim? They have to believe it works, not the hypnotist?"

"Kinda both ways, but vampires are a different case. It's mind over matter. You can convince people to do just about anything if you're confident enough. It's all about charisma."

"Which you have in spades. Look at me and look at you." Inojin pointed at his hoodie which he wore over his waiter's uniform which, as formfitting as it was, made him look like a wimpy butler in his opinion. He had no muscles which his uniform highlighted very well and even the girls said he looked like a stick with an apron. The baggy hoodie only made him look smaller, like a child still growing into his clothes.

Kakashi was a handsome man with striking silver hair, tall frame and a tracksuit which accentuated his muscles perfectly. There was no question why anyone would find him attractive. What made him even more appealing was the fact that he didn't flaunt it. He wore what was comfortable and owned it. He kept half his face covered which gave him an air of mystery which he seemed indifferent to. Everything about him screamed charisma and the man himself seemed to have an attitude which said, "Oh, is that right? My, I'm flattered but I don't know," making him even more attractive.

Between the two of them, there was no contest over which the public would listen to. Kakashi could be teaching a math lesson and women would swoon.

"People didn't listen to me then, why would they listen to me now?"

"Because you have the power to make them listen. You're a vampire."

"But people never listen to me. They'd listen to someone like you and who could blame them?" Inojin gestured to Kakashi's entire body. "I mean, look at you. I'm getting weak-kneed from you telling me to be confident. I make people a brick wall and you make them a puddle."

Kakashi chuckled. "It's all about confidence. Listen to me. You're a vampire now. You can do anything you want as long as you think you can. The only restraints you have are the ones you put on yourself."

"So just like before, I get in my own way…" Inojin wasn't sure how he felt about this.

"I'm telling you, you'll be fine. Just practice." Kakashi looked at the time. "I better get going and so should you. Get some sleep before your next shift and I'll meet up with you later. We'll talk then. See ya."

Inojin still had a million questions but he decided it was best to go home and hide from the sun before it rose. He wanted to ask Kakashi how he could be confident but he doubted he would get an answer. Kakashi was very encouraging but Inojin was still unsure of himself.

Could he really be a vampire?

It was his first day and it felt like the menus all over again.

When it was time for his shift, Inojin bundled himself up and braved the sunny afternoon, taking a slightly different route to work. He made sure to take streets that went behind buildings and took the tram to avoid being out in the sun as much as possible. When he arrived at work, he stashed his things in the backroom in his locker and went to begin the dinner prep.

Taunting from his coworkers came standard with the afternoon routine. One of the boys deliberately swept the debris into his section and told him that he missed a spot. Inojin knew this was to keep him busy so the girls wouldn't bother him. Thankfully once customers arrived, the waiters tended to leave him alone to do their job. The restaurant's reputation came before their petty squabbles, which reflected in their paychecks.

The dining area had two sections, an upstairs and the main floor. All the tables were generously spaced apart, making the room feel bigger; as did the polished floors so reflective Inojin could see himself. At least, he used to. The floor was so slick and smooth that women with no-traction shoes could easily slip on it, even when it wasn't wet. The girls often commented that the amber-colored ground could double as a dance floor.

"Inojin," called one of the male waiters. "That tablecloth's askew. Fix it."

Inojin adjusted the tablecloth without a second thought. Everything had to be perfect, as was their standard.

His stomach growled noisily, capturing a waitress's attention. "Inojin, didn't you eat before coming to work?"

He had. He didn't know why he was so hungry. "I guess I'm just working up an appetite," he told her with a sheepish grin.

"Well, make sure the customers don't hear it. They'll think we don't allow people to take breaks."

"Yeah…" Inojin went back to adjusting the tablecloth, though he was sure it was straight now.

"Chocho," said a waitress. "You got an extra hair tie? I lost mine somewhere and can't find it."

The plump waitress took one from off her wrist and handed it to the other girl. All the girls had to have their long hair pinned back for health code reasons. Those with short hair could get by, like the one who often said he was like a brother to her. She and Chocho were good friends and hung out after work. They both saw him as a little brother. Inojin wasn't attracted to either of them so he didn't care that much but at least one of the waiters liked Chocho's short-haired friend so it became a problem.

"Quit spacing out and get to work," said one of those very waiters and pointed at the table. "This tablecloth needs to be changed. We're opening in a few minutes."

"Sorry." Inojin changed the tablecloth to the heavier dinner one and set the table so it looked identical to the others.

The manager came down the stairs from the second level which was unusual for him because his office was on the first floor. "Alright, people, gather 'round."

The waiters and waitresses assembled at the bottom of the stairs behind the bar. The server flipped up the thin table on the side of the bar to come stand with the rest of the staff.

"I took stock last night and we're out of the clams. If someone orders that, tell them it's not available. If they ask you to check and make sure, consider this your check. One of the chefs was supposed to keep an eye on the amount and looks like he wasn't doing his job so now it's all our problem. I'll order more but they won't be in tonight or tomorrow so make a note of it. Don't go knocking on my office to come get me if a customer complains. Do it by the book and leave me the hell alone. I got a ton of crap to sort through and don't need to deal with anything else."

"Yessir," everyone said at once.

"Good," said Shikamaru. "Also, to move the kale, we're doing a special on mixed greens. Push that. I don't need it taking up space and turning more green than it is."

"Wouldn't it be brown if it were wilting?" Inojin commented.

"Which one of you said that?"

Everyone pointed at Inojin, including the girls. Inojin shrank where he stood. He hoped his manager and boss wouldn't think he was being cheeky. That was not his intent.

"It's a figure of speech, wise guy," Shikamaru told him. "That kale sits there any longer it's going to go bad and we can't serve that to people. I'm not about to waste food which will cost us money. Sell the damn stuff before it turns and we have to throw it away. That clear enough to you, kid?"

Inojin nodded without a word.

"I asked if that was clear enough to you,"

"Yes, sir," Inojin said timidly and kept his head down.

"Smartass comments don't pad your paycheck." Shikamaru looked around the dining room. "Wise guy, did you fill the sugar cups on all the tables before you set them?"

"Yes, sir, I did."

Shikamaru put his hands on his hips. "Well, do them again," he said snottily.

Inojin turned to fill the order.

"Not this second, you moron," Shikamaru called over their heads to get his attention. "I'm still speaking. Will you use that head of yours?"

Inojin stepped back into line with the others.

"Honestly," said Shikamaru. "You'd think an empty head like yours would retain some kind of information. Guess it all slips out your ears."

Inojin wanted to point out how he knew what color greens turned when they went bad but he knew enough to keep his mouth shut and not start a fight with the man who signed his paycheck.

"No clams, push the kale. Dismissed," Shikamaru told them and walked away.

Everyone dispersed and Inojin wondered why he couldn't just do his job when they were wrapping up anyway. It seemed Shikamaru had to have the last word. Maybe he got off on the power.

Inojin made sure all the sugar cups were filled on every table so the customers had something to put in their tea and coffee. He knew it was a waste of time but it seemed Shikamaru wanted to punish him for his remark. He knew he should have kept his thoughts to himself but every now and then they slipped out before he could stop himself.

A waitress with glasses and short dark hair took charge from that point on, acting on the manager's behalf. She was their head waitress and led very calmly and skillfully so everyone listened to her when she gave them a task. As usual, she assigned everyone their tables. It took Inojin a long time to figure out that none of the tables actually had numbers and were given based on their positions on the floor. Higher numbers were on the second floor.

"Iwabe, you're on section one, tables one through four. Chocho, you're section two, five through eight. Inojin, you got tables seventeen through twenty."

That meant he would be running up and down the stairs to carry dishes from the first-floor kitchen in the back to the tables on the second floor. He hated getting higher numbers. He also knew that this was no coincidence. After all, the manager was in charge of the schedule which included table rotations. Lately he had been getting high numbers consecutively.

Dinner began and customers slowly trickled in. As the sky grew dark outside the tinted windows, more and more people started to come in with empty stomachs. Inojin ran up and down the stairs to take orders and deliver them to the kitchen and bring the dishes to the tables. He almost knocked a serving tray from one of the girls on the stairs who told him to watch where he was going. As could be expected, he had customers who insisted he check to make sure they were really out of clams because they were set on having them for their meal. He pretended to go into the kitchen to ask, getting another table's order instead, then returned and told them that he had checked and were out of clams.

After they left, a new customer took their place at the freshly cleaned table. "Welcome to… Kakashi?"

"Funny," said the silver-haired vampire. "This place shares my name."

Inojin ignored the joke. "What are you doing here?"

"I told you that vampires could eat whatever they wanted and I was in the mood for some pasta."

"As long as it's not clams."

Kakashi pushed the menu away from him on the table, sliding smoothly across the ironed tablecloth. "Looks like you could use a meal, too, if you know what I mean."

Inojin had been feeling a bit dizzy since he arrived but told himself it was the usual stress from having to exert himself and rush around repeatedly. He was still telling himself that.

"I'm fine. What do you want to order?"

"Baby's gotta have his first meal soon, kid." Kakashi spoke to him like a parent telling their child to bring a sweater because they were going to be cold.

"I'm fine," Inojin insisted through his teeth. "I'll come check on you later since you haven't decided."

Inojin turned quickly, slamming his forehead into a serving tray and knocking a table's order all over the waiter carrying it. Inojin inhaled sharply and didn't release it, his eyes wide when he saw the stains on the waiter's vest and apron.

The blond waiter clenched his fists and inhaled, ready to let him have it, when his eyes darted to the customers watching them from their seats. The waiter stepped close to Inojin and hissed menacingly, "I ought to make you wear this," before bending down to clean up the mess and smiling apologetically to the customers. "Let me get you another order of that. Sorry for the additional wait."

"You always this clumsy or is the hunger getting to you?" Kakashi asked casually at Inojin's back.

Inojin rushed off to avoid both of them. Poor planning seeing as how the waiter had to go to the kitchen to put in the table's order again and ran into Inojin.

"Would you look at what you did to my uniform," he scolded angrily. "I can't go out like this."

"I was an accident. I didn't mean to."

"Why didn't you watch where you were going? Didn't you see me?"

"I'm sorry." Inojin bowed his head in apology. "So sorry."

"You think that will fix my uniform?"

"There's probably a spare one in the back…"

"I'd switch vests with you if you weren't so puny and disgusting. The very thought of wearing your outfit makes me sick." The waiter turned to the kitchen staff. "Choji. I need a sponge or something to get this stain out."

"What are you asking me for? I'm busy cooking your table's order. Again."

"Well, whose fault is that?" The waiter glared hatefully at Inojin.

He hardly noticed the look in his eyes, focused instead on the waiter's neck. To clean the splatter off his face and neck, the waiter had pulled his collar down to mop his skin with a wet cloth.

The veins in his neck were augmented the more he tilted his head. That soft peach flesh stretched out from jaw to shoulder may as well have been a drumstick. Inojin salivated, ready to sink his teeth into that warm pulsing neck.

"What the hell are you staring at?" the waiter asked him, angered and applied at the same time.

Inojin pressed his lips tightly together and left the kitchen.

He could ignore it before but now it was too difficult to deny what he wanted most of all. Normal food did not satisfy, no matter how much he ate. He needed blood. The more he thought about it, the more it appealed to him. What revolted him before was now making him lick his lips in hunger.

He went back up the stairs to check on a different table. "How is everything?" he asked, as was customary in the dining experience.

"Very nice," said the couple enjoying their meals. The woman had a lowcut blouse which exposed her neck in a most enticing way. No necklace or earrings to get in the way and she kept her hair braided and off to the side, bare neck teasing him.

He had inadvertently moved closer with his mouth open, ready to feed, stopping himself when the man shot him a look. "I- I'll be back to check on you later," he said and hurried away.

Kakashi didn't so much as blink when Inojin slammed both hands on top of the table to lower himself into Kakashi's face.

"How do I do this? What do I have to do again?"

Smiling under his scarf, Kakashi explained it to him again. "Pick a target, bite and drink. The holes in their neck should disappear in a day or so."

"But how do I keep them from freaking out? How do I keep them from putting up a fight?"

"I already told you that. Use your eyes to charm them. Once they're in a trancelike state, they're puddy in your hands. They'll do just about anything you ask. Even forget what happened to them."

"But what if I…?"

"They won't remember," Kakashi said. "Trust me. I've done this, like, a million times."

"But how do I do the… thing?"

"I explained that as well."

"But I can't be confident," Inojin said, hoping there was another way. "I don't know how."

"Know what you want and do it without fear. Trust yourself."

"But I don't…"

"Do you trust me?" Kakashi asked him.

"Yeah."

"Then trust me when I say you got this. You can do it."

Inojin placed his head on the table. "I'm gonna starve, aren't I? I'm no good at this."

"You haven't even tried yet."

"But I know I'm not confident. I'm not good at it and I wouldn't know where to begin. Or how to fake it."

Kakashi turned in his seat at face him. "Hey," he said to the back of Inojin's head which was still resting on the table. "You dress yourself every morning, right? And you open the door to go outside, don't you? Have that kind of confidence. It doesn't have to be hard. I'm not telling you to move a mountain."

"Moving one might be easier than this."

"Trust me. Find someone who's alone, charm them and bite. Stop when you're full. You don't need that much."

Inojin lifted his head. "That easy, huh?" He still wasn't convinced.

"You know what you want and you'll get it. That's all charm is. You got this."

"Can't you just do it for me? Charm someone and let me feed off them."

Kakashi shook his head. "I charm them, they're mine. You can do this."

Seeing that he was getting nowhere, Inojin gave up. Maybe it really was as easy as Kakashi made it out to be. "Fine, I'll give it a try."

"And when you come back, can you get me the tomato pasta? Looks good. I think that waiter even made it a fashion statement. Of course, you helped with that."

"It was an accident and I already apologized."

Kakashi's grin was hidden under his scarf. "Still looked good on him, am I right?"

Thinking about what Kakashi had said, Inojin decided that the waiter would be the easiest target since he was changing his uniform in the backroom. Completely alone and with everyone else busy, it seemed like the best way to do things.

How to charm someone still eluded him. Kakashi said to be confident but was that really all there was to it? Was it really all in how one presented themselves? All he had to do was tell someone to do something and they would do it? Would that even work on someone who hated his guts?

His confidence wasn't strong going in and he doubted it would get any stronger. He also doubted it could get any lower, so that was a plus.

Scrubbing his stained vest, the waiter gave up and just changed his apron since there were plenty of spares. He saw Inojin out of the corner of his eye and addressed him before Inojin could get any closer. "No uniforms, just aprons. It's your fault, loser. Don't you ever pay attention?"

Inojin gulped. He just had to be confident. How could he do that? The waiter seemed pretty confident. Maybe if he acted more like him, he could get him to obey.

He stood tall and told his coworker, "I need you to do something for me."

The waiter looked at him, instantly aggravated by the mere notion. "And what makes you think I will?"

Inojin could feel his knees shaking. He was nervous. He didn't think this would work, unconsciously making sure it didn't. He doubted himself which ensured his attempt would fail.

Nevertheless, he tried to power through and exceed expectations. As long as he acted like his coworker, whom he believed was incredibly confident, this would work.

"St- stand where you are and don't move." His voice cracked a little, showing his nervousness. He hoped the waiter wouldn't notice.

The waiter wrinkled his nose at him. "Why? What's with you?"

Thinking commanding hand gestures would make this more effective, Inojin held out his hand as if telling a dog to stay. "Be still. Do as I say."

That only enraged the waiter. "You're not my boss. Don't go telling me what to do."

Maybe it was the tone of voice that was the problem. Inojin tried shouting, thinking it made him sound more commanding. "Obey me. Do as I say. Stay right where you are."

The waiter stomped over to stand toe-to-toe with Inojin, glaring down at him with a snarl.

"Please?" Inojin squeaked.

The waiter jammed the cloth he had been using to clean his vest into Inojin's mouth, making him gag.

Before he could walk away, Inojin tried again in desperation. Spitting out the cloth, Inojin grabbed the waiter by his shoulders and held him in place. He made sure to give the waiter a good hard look in the eyes and ordered him to obey.

"Have you lost your mind?" he asked, trying to push him away.

"Look me in the eye and listen to me," Inojin ordered him.

He saw the waiter's blue eyes looking into his pale ones but wasn't getting the reaction he wanted. The waiter just looked angry.

"Hold still and don't fight me," Inojin told him, looking directly into his eyes. "Do as I say."

"Get off me."

"Do as I- Ow!" Inojin recoiled when the waiter stomped on his foot and grabbed the front of his shirt. He pulled Inojin's vest over his head, trapping his arms, and used Inojin's tie to keep them trapped before shoving him into the wall.

"Next time, it'll be your legs I tie in a knot," the waiter said, leaving the room.

Utterly defeated, Inojin untangled himself and returned to work. He knew he couldn't do it.

After taking care of the other table's check, Inojin brought Kakashi's order to his table. "Your tomato pasta."

Kakashi didn't even look at the plate placed in front of him. "You look even worse than when you left."

Since Inojin couldn't see himself in the mirror, he had to take Kakashi's word for it. Considering what he had been through, he believed him. "I told you it wouldn't work."

"Fought back?"

"I looked him in the eye. I ordered him. I was confident. I even acted like him to be more confident and it failed."

Kakashi sighed and shook his head. "Being confident and being a jerk are two separate things."

"Well, sometimes it's hard to tell the difference."

"A lot of people can't and confuse the two. They think that being demanding is being confident. They think having an attitude and not listening to people is the same as being confident. But it isn't. Believing you can do something is having confidence, but some take it a step too far and become reckless and stupid. There's a fine line."

"Well, I've never been very good about finding it," Inojin told him. "I'm going to starve to death and I've only been a vampire for a day."

"You see how I'm speaking with you right now? How you're speaking to me?"

"Yeah?"

"That's all you have to do. This right here is confidence."

"No, it isn't."

"Ok, fine," said Kakashi, sitting back in his chair. "Just pretend the person in front of you is a figment of your imagination. A projection of the real thing you'd like to tell off and confess to. They're there but only as you choose to see them."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Inojin. "Speak to them the way I would if I were ranting to myself? Things I wish I could say to them but can't?"

"Precisely," Kakashi told him. "Haven't you ever done that? Pretend they're in the room with you and unleash all the stuff you would like to say to them but know you can't because it wouldn't end well for you? Because you'd get fired or your ass kicked if you did? Tons of people rant to an imaginary version of that person to vent. There's only so much a person can take before they explode. Letting off a little steam here and there prevents you from exploding. Just look at it that way."

Truthfully, Inojin had fantasized about telling off his coworkers and boss, saying and doing the things he never had the courage to do because he knew it would backfire. His coworkers would retaliate or tell the boss and it would go downhill from there. Other things weren't so much courageous as they were foolish. Punching his boss in the face would not only get him fired but land him a hefty assault charge, too. At least he had the forethought to understand that which was why he knew it wouldn't be a good idea.

Kakashi looked over his shoulder at the stairs and leaned closer to Inojin. "That boss you told me about should be alone in his office. Prime target. Feed on him."

Inojin's heart skipped a beat and his spine turned to ice. "What? No. No way."

"From the things you told me, the guy's probably asleep in his office. It's a lot easier to charm someone when they just woke up because they're not fully alert yet and are easy to put under. Look him in the eye, tell him what you want him to do and he'll do it. He'll probably think he's dreaming if you catch him just as his eyes open."

Inojin looked at the top of the stairs and back to Kakashi. "I don't know…"

"Once you've done it successfully, it'll be easy to do it again. Every person from that point on will be a breeze." Kakashi wrapped the pasta around his fork, turning to his meal. "I better eat this before it gets cold. And take your time with my check. I might be a while."

Kakashi was telling Inojin that he should do it now while he didn't have as many customers to wait on.

Inojin walked slowly down the stairs and past the kitchen to the door down the hall far away from the noise of a busy restaurant. The wooden door had a plaque that read 'authorized personnel only' in bold letters. Inojin thought it should have just said 'manager' since he was often the only one allowed to be in there.

He stood in front of the door for over a minute, trying to work up the courage to do this. If he messed this up, he ran the risk of being written up or fired. He honestly wasn't sure which was worse.

Inojin grabbed the handle and slowly turned it. It was unlocked. He pushed it open slightly to see what his manager was doing. If he was actually doing work, he would have to come up with some excuse for why he was there and didn't bother to knock.

Sure enough, Shikamaru was asleep at his desk, using a stack of papers as a pillow.

Inojin crept inside and closed the door, being sure to lock it so no one could disturb them. He tiptoed over to the desk and stood beside Shikamaru, wondering how best to do this. He would wake up as soon as he felt someone bite him so Inojin had to charm him first. He tried to think of the best way to do this without startling him.

Inojin reached out to tap Shikamaru on the shoulder. Before he even touched him, Shikamaru snorted awake and sat up in his chair. "What the hell? I thought I told you I was busy."

Inojin jumped back, keeping his hands at his sides. "Um. Yeah. You did. Sorry. Yeah. Um…"

Shikamaru looked at him grouchily. "Well, spit it out. I don't have all day."

Inojin fumbled for an answer. "Um… Well… I was wondering… I mean, I… I had a question. That is to say…"

"For crying out loud. We're out of the clams. I told everyone that so you didn't have to come here and ask. Bothering me with… And I'm not going out there to tell the customer what you should have the balls to say yourself. Grow a pair."

Inojin shook his head. "That's not why I'm…"

Shikamaru's glower didn't improve, showing just how tedious this conversation was to him by the look in his eyes alone. The frown only helped to illustrate it further.

"Don't tell me you're here to tattle on your coworkers again. For God's sake, ignore them. I don't care how bad they hurt your feelings. You are not a child who needs a hug. You're never going to survive adulthood if you keep coming to me to solve all your problems, and believe me, you got a lot of them."

Inojin was remembering why he hated his manager so much. He was always talking down to him. Putting him down. It wasn't that he was preparing Inojin for adulthood. It was that he didn't care and didn't want to do his job. That was why it escalated. His coworkers knew they could get away with it so they didn't stop. There was no authority and no leadership. Shikamaru didn't take charge. He ordered other people to do the work so he wouldn't have to and avoided everyone by hiding in his office.

It was always someone else's problem. It wasn't that the bullies needed to be lectured, it was that Inojin needed a spine. It wasn't that tattling was wrong, it was that Shikamaru didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to do his job and it made Inojin's blood boil.

The things he wanted to say to his boss. All the times he was told to ignore it and let people do what they wanted to do to him. That he didn't matter. That everyone else was more important than him. If Shikamaru had just listened to him and done his job, things wouldn't have gotten to this point.

"They do what they do because they know you won't stop them," Inojin told Shikamaru, finding his voice. "You tell me to be a doormat because you don't want to handle the issues. Sarada's out there doing your job so you don't have to. She might be head waitress but you're the manager. You can't put everything on her."

Shikamaru's chair swiveled around but he didn't get out of his seat, preferring to lecture Inojin from a sitting position. "You got some gall speaking to me that way. Since when do you talk back to the one who gives the orders?"

"Since I'll be the one giving them from now on." Inojin kept his eyes on Shikamaru's. "You'll listen to me and do as I say."

A flicker a resistance appeared in Shikamaru's eyes as his face started to change. At first, it appeared shocked, then confused. As it started to change to one of docile acceptance, Shikamaru did a doubletake and tried to speak, but he seemed to be losing the will to finish his thought while he formed the words. "Y- you really think I- I'm going to let…"

"Be quiet and listen to what I tell you."

Inojin did not raise his voice and he did not demand. He spoke as his coworkers did to each other when getting ready for the shift or closing up for the night. A tone of comradery. The boys did as they were told by the girls because they didn't command them and because they wanted to please them. They wanted to help and that tone of voice seemed to resonate in Shikamaru in a similar way.

He, too, wanted to please.

Shikamaru visibly relaxed in his chair and sat silently with a vapid expression on his face. Whatever Inojin had to say, he was all ears. He just wanted to know what he could do for him. Whatever Inojin wanted. He trusted him thoroughly and completely.

Shikamaru waited for him to speak but Inojin was so beside himself with shock that he couldn't speak. Had this actually worked? Shikamaru seemed to be hanging on his every word, even when he wasn't saying anything.

Hearing his stomach growl, Inojin knew what he needed to do.

He stepped closer to Shikamaru and spoke to him clearly and calmly. "I am going to bite your neck and that makes you feel happy. Immensely happy. You will not feel any pain at all, just pure contentment. You will not remember that I bit you but you will remember the joy it gave you."

A serene look came over Shikamaru's face, his head dipping slightly to the side to give Inojin better access. A smile started to spread across his face in anticipation for what was to come. He was looking forward to this.

Inojin broke eye contact to focus on Shikamaru's neck which caused no change in Shikamaru whatsoever. It seemed once he had given the command, eye contact was no longer needed.

There was his neck, so fleshy and delectable. It was like biting into a chocolate shell to get at the cream inside. The best part was always inside. Swallowing his pooling saliva, Inojin bit down on Shikamaru's neck, unable to contain himself any longer. He was hungry and wanted to eat. Shikamaru's neck oozed with flavor.

His blood tasted so good. It was delicious.

Inojin and Shikamaru let out a moan of ecstasy at the same time.

Pure elation overtook Shikamaru and his smile stretched as far as it would go and refused to leave. Never had he felt such joy before. He thought he was going to burst there was so much of it. He loved having Inojin bite him. "Oh, wow," he breathed as his eyes started to roll. Nothing else in this world mattered than what was going on right now. Worries, thoughts, cares all melted away leaving only the two of them in this blissful moment.

Once he had his fill, Inojin parted from Shikamaru who fell back in his chair completely spent. Even as he sat slumped with his arms hanging over the arms of the desk chair, the smile never left Shikamaru's face. He blinked slowly, staring at nothing, dazed but content.

Inojin pulled Shikamaru's collar up to hide the holes in his neck and backed away to observe his work. "You ok, Shikamaru, sir?"

"Soooo ok," Shikamaru said languorously. "So very beyond ok."

"Ok," Inojin said, hoping this was normal. "Well, I better get back to work."

Shikamaru chuckled deliriously and lifted his arm to wave which fell back down, too heavy for him to hold up. "Ok, buh-bye."

Inojin closed the office door with a raised eyebrow. He hoped his manager was alright.

He returned to collect Kakashi's plate and earn a proud smile from Kakashi and a pat on the back. "You did it. My little boy's all grown-up."

"Yeah…" Inojin leaned down to whisper, "Do they always act like that after? It's a little weird."

"Some tend to act drunk or loopy. When they don't fall asleep on you. He behaving anything like that?"

"Drunk, yeah."

"That goes away pretty quick. Give it time. He'll probably just want to sleep for a while." Kakashi arched his back as he stretched. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll hang around for a bit to make sure. Bring on the dessert menu."