Thud, crash, bang.
Fish Eye groaned and pulled the covers over his head. He wasn't ready to get up yet, but apparently his brothers had other ideas.
"That's mine, give it here!"
"Ha! Come and get it!"
Thump, bump, crack.
What's the use? Fish Eye wondered and shoved his blankets down. Glancing at the clock, he decided it was time he was up, anyway.
He smiled to himself as he surveyed his newly-decorated room. They had been in the new house for almost a week, and he had settled in quite nicely, both in his surroundings and with his new friends. Kurama and Yui were always sweet to him, and he enjoyed their company, but he had to admit it was Michiru with whom he had bonded. She loved the water as much as he did not surprising, considering her admission that she was Sailor Neptune. She also appreciated the arts, being a well-known violinist and artist. In fact, she had done Fish Eye the honour of painting a seascape mural on one wall of his new room. He never got tired of looking at it. He could almost smell the salt air.
Hawk Eye stuck his head in the room. "Fish Eye, are you coming out today or what?"
The half-fish threw a pillow at him. "Let me get dressed, will you?"
Hawk Eye, too, was faring well with the move. He and Haruka had become fast friends literally. He loved going out in her car or on her motorcycle, and was working harder at pestering their parents for wheels of his own. She'd taken him to the racetrack with her a few times already, and although glad for his brother's newfound kinship with Haruka, Fish Eye hoped he wouldn't take up racing. It looked too dangerous to him.
Back out in the hallway, he heard Tiger Eye and Hawk Eye start up their argument again and frowned. He wished Tiger Eye had been as fortunate as he and Hawk Eye, but so far, he hadn't found anyone to pal around with. The Kaious and Tenous were all as nice to Tiger Eye as to any of them, but there weren't any kindred spirits amongst them for him. Fish Eye hoped things would get better for his feline sibling once they started school that was where Tiger Eye had always gained a following before, anyway. Unfortunately for him, extra-credit classes had just ended and vacation begun. It would be a while before he could conquer the new school.
The phone rang elsewhere in the house, and Fish Eye hoped it was Michiru they had made plans to go shopping that day. He decided to use the quick way of getting changed that only he and his two brothers were capable of. Snapping his fingers, a blue curtain fell down to shield him briefly, then it rolled up and vanished, leaving Fish Eye wearing an oversized off-the-shoulder shirt, belted at the waist, with black tights. He fairly danced down the stairs and ran up to his father, waiting for him to hand over the phone receiver.
"All right," Sanosuke was saying to whomever was on the opposite end. "Yes, that's fine."
Darn, Fish Eye thought. It wasn't Michiru after all. He turned away, thinking about breakfast.
"Don't worry, Mitsukake, everything will be fine."
Mitsukake? Fish Eye stopped and looked back at his father curiously. Mitsukake was his father's brother.
"Oh sure, we're all settled in here now, and it's fine with Nuriko." Sanosuke noticed Fish Eye. "Listen, we'll talk again tonight, okay? ... Bye for now." He hung up the phone.
"What was that about, Papa?" Fish Eye inquired.
Sanosuke deliberately pushed the neckline of Fish Eye's shirt up onto his shoulders. "I'll tell you at breakfast, come on."
Fish Eye watched him walk toward the kitchen, then pushed his shirt back off his shoulders once more before following.

"Okay, Papa, _now_ will you please tell us what's going on?"
"Is something going on?" Tiger Eye asked, looking up from his plate of waffles.
"Uncle Mitsukake called before, and it sounded like something was up," Fish Eye said, studying his father intently.
Sanosuke exchanged a look with Nuriko, then took a deep breath. "Well, as a matter of fact, I _do_ have some news."
"Is anything wrong?" Hawk Eye asked.
"No, it's actually very good news." Sanosuke cleared his throat. "Your cousins are coming to visit."
"AUUUUGGHHHH!" wailed the three boys.
"Now, just a minute," Nuriko began warningly.
"Mama! They're brats and you know it!" Tiger Eye protested.
"Every time they visit they get us in trouble!" Hawk Eye exclaimed.
"They're the spawn of Satan!" Fish Eye declared.
"Fish Eye!" Sanosuke boomed. "That's my brother you're talking about!"
"They can't possibly be your blood relations, Papa," Fish Eye assured him. "They must have been left on the doorstep and Uncle Mitsukake just didn't want to tell you."
"Then how do you explain their similarities to _you_?" Nuriko pointed out. "They don't call themselves the Amazoness Quartet for nothing."
"No, they do it because they couldn't come up with an imaginative name on their own," Hawk Eye muttered.
"Nevertheless," Nuriko said, "they _are_ coming, and you're to be nice to them."
"Great." Fish Eye slumped in his chair. "We just got accepted in this neighborhood and now they'll be after us with pitchforks."
"One more comment like that, young man, and you won't be going shopping today," Sanosuke warned him.
Fish Eye pressed his lips together. He wanted to ask how long they would be afflicted by their cousins' presence, but was afraid of what his response would be to the answer.
So Tiger Eye asked. "How long are they staying?"
"Too long," Hawk Eye replied.
"Hawk Eye!" Nuriko cautioned.
"They'll be here for a while," Sanosuke said vaguely. "Their parents are taking a trip."
Fish Eye pressed his hand to his mouth it was the only way he could keep himself quiet. Tiger Eye had no such restraints.
"Probably taking the trip to get away from their daughters," he remarked.
"Okay, _that's_ enough!" Sanosuke said firmly. "The girls will be here in a couple of days. Your mother and I expect you three to do your part in cleaning up the house for their arrival."
"How dirty can it be?" Fish Eye couldn't help saying. "We haven't even lived here a week."
Sanosuke gave him a direct, warning look. "_Nevertheless_, there are preparations to be made."
"Yeah, Tigger, Fishie, and I need to reserve ourselves adjoining rooms in the local looney bin."
"Hawk Eye!" Nuriko admonished.
"I declare breakfast officially over," Sanosuke said.
The phone rang and Fish Eye sprang to his feet. "Now _that's_ Michiru!"
"Don't stay away all day, Fish Eye," Nuriko told him. "I'll need your help here."
Fish Eye sighed. "Yes, Mama." He darted into the living room and grabbed the phone. "Hello?"
"Fish Eye?" Michiru's musical voice came over the line. "Is something wrong? You sound stressed."
"You don't know the half of it, Michiru. Are we still going shopping? I warn you, if you say no, I'm going to break the sound barrier with my soul-shattered scream."
Michiru giggled. "I love your dramatics, Fishie. Don't worry, we're still going. Meet you in five minutes?"
Fish Eye breathed a sigh of relief. "That's fine. And I'll tell you everything on the way to the mall."

Haruka stood up and wiped her hands on a rag. "That's really tough, Hawk Eye. What are you going to do?"
He shrugged miserably. "Not much I _can_ do. They're coming whether we like it or not, and incidentally, we don't like it."
The short-haired blonde pushed her cap back and grinned. "May I make a suggestion?"
Hawk Eye looked at her pleadingly. "Any help would be appreciated."
"If you can't beat 'em, avoid 'em," she said. "Stay out of the house as much as possible."
He shook his head. "My folks will catch on to that in nothing flat."
"Not if you cover it up with good intentions."
"And how can I do that?"
"Easy," Haruka said. "Get a part-time job."
"A ...." Hawk Eye paused, thinking.
Haruka leaned against the car. "Your parents can't object to _that_ it's a responsible thing to do. You'll get out of the house _and_ get some extra money." She smiled. "I got this job for many reasons. One is that I love working with cars, and I can't afford to buy a lot of them to play around with. This way, I get to work on all kinds. Another reason is for the money." She winked. "When you have a girlfriend like Michiru, you want to be able to escort her in ways to which she's become accustomed, you know?"
"Any other reasons?" Hawk Eye asked.
"Sure!" Haruka laughed. "To get out of the house! I love my sister, but sometimes Yui and I need breathing space from each other."
"But what kind of job could I get?" Hawk Eye asked. "I don't have any experience."
"You mind getting your hands dirty?"
"No, why?"
"I could get you a job here," Haruka offered. "You're right, you don't have the experience to work on cars, but you can pump gas. You'll get good tips, too. And when you're not busy, I can show you the mechanic's end of things so that eventually you _can_ work on cars."
Hawk Eye looked thoughtful. "It sounds great to me, but I don't know. Tiger Eye and Fish Eye might think I'm abandoning them to the Quartet."
"Well, think about it, anyway. There's no rush." Haruka stretched. "Back to work for me! Here, take a look at this and I'll tell you what's wrong with it."
Hawk Eye leaned over the car with her and prepared to be educated.

"Hey, Fishie, you look _great_!" Michiru said, admiring the white mini-dress Fish Eye was trying on. He studied himself in the mirror.
"It would look good with black tights, don't you think?" Fish Eye turned left and right. The sleeveless dress was form-fitting and as short as he could get away with. He glanced at the price tag and winced. "I can't afford this on my own. I'd have to use my father's credit card number."
"Would he object?" Michiru asked.
"Over a dress I don't need? And a mini-dress at that? He'd freak!"
"But would you get to keep the dress?"
"Possibly," Fish Eye said thoughtfully. "If I play it right. I might have to pay it off with installments from my allowance until I'm twenty-one, though."
"Or you'll be grounded," Michiru suggested.
Fish Eye turned to her with a horrified look. "Oh no, don't say _that_! To be grounded with those little hellions coming would be a fate worse than death!"
"What _are_ you going to do?" Michiru followed Fish Eye to the changing rooms and stood outside them as he went in. "Not about the dress, but about your cousins."
"Choking them is against the law," Fish Eye said dryly. "Other than running away from home, what else can I do?"
"Well, Michiru said, "when I want to get away from Kurama, I usually take my sketchpad out for the day and work."
"I don't believe it."
"No, it's true, I just draw scenery and--"
"I don't mean that, I mean that you actually want to get away from Kurama! He's such a sweetie."
Michiru laughed. "Not all the time! Especially not when he's in Youko form."
Fish Eye came out of the changing room with the dress over his arm. "I'll go pay for this and meet you outside."
Michiru's eyes twinkled. "Going to risk your father's wrath?"
"I'm hoping he'll feel guilty enough about his nieces' coming to let me have it," Fish Eye called over his shoulder.
"You'd better hope so." Michiru giggled. "Or he'll _really_ let you have it!"
A few minutes later, Fish Eye emerged from the store and the two of them decided to go for lunch. They went to the food court and got in line.
"So what was your point before, Michi?" Fish Eye asked. "About how you go out and paint or draw when you want to get away from your house? I already have ballet for a hobby."
"Well, painting isn't a hobby for me, it's a job," Michiru said. "I sell my pieces and get paid, plus I have time away from my family when I need it."
"You think I should get a job?" Fish Eye said in surprise.
"Why not?" Michiru smiled as they stepped up to the counter. "It's a legitimate excuse to escape your cousins, and you'll have money enough to buy your own clothes."
"Papa would like _that_," Fish Eye admitted thoughtfully. "But what kind of job could _I_ get?"
The cashier in front of them looked at Fish Eye. "You know, our other store is hiring now. I can give you an application. You can fill it out and take it there later."
"Fast food?" Fish Eye said skeptically.
"It's not so bad once you get the hang of it," the cashier said, winking at him. "A pretty girl like you would probably do well as a hostess."
Fish Eye didn't bother correcting the boy's mistake. "Okay," he said grudgingly, "I guess it can't hurt to take an application."
"Don't sound so down, Fishie," Michiru said. "If you get the job, you'll have it made."
Fish Eye sighed as the application was placed in his hands. "Now I _know_ I'm desperate."

Tiger Eye stuffed his hands in his pockets and tired not to let depression completely take him over as he walked past windows of a strip mall. Fish Eye and Hawk Eye were off with their friends, no doubt crying on their shoulders about the Amazoness' imminent arrival.
He shuddered as he recalled their last visit a few months earlier. They'd poked into he and his brothers' private belongings, went through their clothes, broken things, lied and stole. The crowning moment for him was when he'd been in tiger form and two of them had tried to ride on him while one of them pulled his tail and the fourth cracked a whip over him. Then _he_ got in trouble for giving the tail-puller a warning scratch. It wasn't fair.
He paused at the window of a pet store and smiled at the kittens that pressed their tiny paws against the glass. Cute little things, he thought. One of them chased a stuffed mouse to the other side of the cage, drawing Tiger Eye's attention to a sign in the window that now blocked the kitten from view.
'Help Wanted'? Tiger Eye blinked. An idea slowly wormed its way into his mind. A job ... why not? What a perfect way to get out of the house on a regular basis! Of course, it would require doing actual _work_, but there were definitely advantages. And a pet shop, well, he could certainly relate to animals he was a tiger, after all. He went in before he could change his mind.
A young woman looked up from behind the counter. "May I help you?"
Tiger Eye couldn't believe his luck. He turned on his best ladykiller smile. "I wanted to ask about the job," he said. "Is it part time?"
"Yes, you'd have to available day or evening." She looked him up and down. "How old are you?"
Tiger Eye's confidence faltered a little. "Sixteen," he admitted. "But I'm very responsible."
"You'd be available all summer?"
"Yes," Tiger Eye said. It wasn't as if he had any kind of social life there yet to occupy his time.
"Well, if you just came in off the street, you probably don't have a resume on you." The woman looked thoughtfully at him. "I have some time right now. Why don't you pull up that stool over there and we can talk."
Tiger Eye smiled.

"Papa, _please_!"
"Please, nothing! Get over here, Fish Eye!"
"You think I'm crazy?!" Fish Eye darted around to the other side of the dining room table, his eyes fixed on the long-handled wooden spoon in Sanosuke's grip. His father began striding around the table, but Fish Eye quickly moved away, keeping enough table between them so that even Sanosuke's long reach couldn't touch him. Hawk Eye and Tiger Eye, seated at the table, watched with preoccupied amusement, while Nuriko walked between the kitchen and dining room, carrying in plates and bowls.
"Fish Eye, I could use your help," he said.
"I'm a little busy, Mama!" Fish Eye yelped, sprinting around the table once more as Sanosuke made a grab for him.
"Sagara Fish Eye, you aren't going to get away with this!" his father told him. "What made you think you could charge an expensive, revealing dress on my credit card?! And you've pulled down that shirt you're wearing and left your shoulders bare again!"
"Oh, Papa, don't be such a prude!" Fish Eye said. "I'm a boy, after all! I've got nothing on my upper body to hide!"
"That's irrelevant! You do that to look sexy and it's my job as your father to save you from yourself before you get into trouble you can't handle!" He lunged for Fish Eye again, but the half-fish grabbed the passing Nuriko and spun him around so he was between them. The buttered carrots in the bowl Nuriko was carrying flew out to splatter across Sanosuke's shirt.
"Fish Eye!" Nuriko exclaimed.
"Oops," Fish Eye said weakly.
Nuriko put the bowl down and turned toward Fish Eye, taking him by the shoulders. He then turned back around, positioning Fish Eye in front of Sanosuke, who steered his son firmly out of the dining room.
"No, this isn't fair!" Fish Eye could be heard protesting. "Papa, don't! Ow! WAHHH!"
"Pass the butter," Hawk Eye said to Tiger Eye.

"You guys are beasts!" Fish Eye accused later. "Sitting by and letting me get spanked like that! Couldn't you have said something in my defense?!"
"Not if we wanted to _continue_ sitting." Tiger Eye grinned. "Come on, Fishie, you had that one coming."
Fish Eye pouted and massaged his bottom. "It _still_ hurt."
Hawk Eye and Tiger Eye exchanged an amused glance. It was almost bedtime, and the three of them were gathered in Fish Eye's room to talk since he'd been banished there for the evening.
"So next time don't go using Papa's credit card without permission," Hawk Eye said. "Especially not on an outfit he'd never let you wear, anyway."
"I already heard the lecture, thank you," Fish Eye said grumpily.
Tiger Eye, who had been scanning the objects on Fish Eye's desk, picked up a piece of paper. "Hey, what's this?"
Hawk Eye glanced at it. "An application?"
Fish Eye snatched it away. "It's nothing!"
"But it's half filled-in already," Tiger Eye said, puzzled. "I didn't know you were job-hunting."
"I'm still thinking about it," Fish Eye admitted. He gazed down at the application. "I guess I thought it would be a good way to avoid the girls when they come. Would you guys mind?"
"Not me," Hawk Eye said with a sheepish grin. "To be honest, Haruka's looking into getting me a job at the garage."
"I guess we all had the same idea." Tiger Eye chuckled. "I had an interview at a pet store today."
"I'm not sure how Mama and Papa will feel about this," Fish Eye said. "Won't they suspect with all of us becoming so ambitious at once?"
"Probably," Hawk Eye replied. "But I think they'll be relieved, too. Mama would have lost his mind with all seven of us kids cooped up here together for the entire summer."
"When should we tell them?" Tiger Eye asked. "_After_ we get the jobs?"
"Definitely," Fish Eye answered. "It would be harder for them to say no after the fact."
"Besides, it would be a commitment then, and they wouldn't want us to be irresponsible." Hawk Eye sat up. "So it's agreed," he said, looking at his brothers, "none of us says a word until after we get jobs." He put his hand flat on the bedspread. Fish Eye placed his atop it, and Tiger Eye covered it with his own.

End of chapter 2

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