My feet are killing me, Fish Eye thought, groaning inwardly. I don't usually hurt like this even after hours of ballet practice.
"Hey, Fish Eye, how are you getting home?" Seiya asked.
The Changechild removed his hat and hoped his hair didn't look too disgusting after a day amongst the grease. "The bus, I guess," he replied absently.
"I saw your application, so I know where you live. It's not that far from our house." Seiya grinned. "We'll take you home. The night staff is coming on, so we're all free."
"Oh, I don't know ...." Fish Eye knew he'd have a lot of explaining to do as it was if his father saw him getting out of a vehicle containing three strange boys, he was sushi.
Seiya touched his shoulder and met his eyes. "What's the problem, your parents?" He smiled. "If it makes you feel better, we can drop you a couple doors down from your house."
Fish Eye couldn't help noticing what a deep shade of blue Seiya's eyes were like a clear, starry night. His delayed brain finally registered what his supervisor was saying. "I I guess that would be okay."
"Good." Seiya winked. "After all, you must be pretty worn out. You don't need the bus on top of that."
Fish Eye couldn't argue with him. Besides, his evening promised to be as tumultuous as his day had been due to the Quartet's arrival and his parents' knowledge of his employment.
Yaten and Taiki headed toward them. "Come on, Seiya, what's keeping you?" Yaten said with an annoyed look in Fish Eye's direction.
"Nothing, but we're taking a little detour to bring Fish Eye home," Seiya said.
Tamahome approached, zipping up his jacket. "Fish Eye, do you need a lift? You came by bus this morning, right?"
"I did, but "
"Tough luck, Tama-chan." Yaten smirked. "Seiya already offered."
"Thank you, though," Fish Eye managed to say.
Tamahome smiled. "Hey, that's okay. I just wanted to make sure a pretty boy like you wouldn't be standing out there at the bus stop in the dark."
"My thoughts exactly," Seiya piped up. He grinned at Fish Eye, who coloured, prompting Seiya's grin to widen while Yaten gave a derisive snort. Fish Eye cursed his fair complexion that showed a blush so readily and further cursed his inability to _keep_ from blushing. Seiya was enjoying his embarrassment, the fiend, while Tamahome had tactfully nodded a goodbye and left to go to his car.
"Come ooon, I wanna get outta heeeere ...," Yaten whined.
"Let's go then." Seiya held the door open for Fish Eye, who waved goodbye to Kuwabara before going outside.
The Kou brothers' vehicle turned out to be a comfortable van. Taiki did the driving while Yaten claimed the front seat, leaving Fish Eye alone in the back with Seiya. Taiki asked him questions about where he'd lived before and what his school was like -- he answered politely and honestly. Yaten twisted in his seat to look back at him.
"Who was that hunk who came to talk to you earlier? The one with Haruka?"
"That was my brother, Hawk Eye," he replied. "I have another brother, Tiger Eye. He's working in a pet store in some strip mall near here."
"Pet store?" Taiki said. "Yaten probably knows it, then. He knows all of them."
"Yaten loves animals," Seiya murmured to Fish Eye. "He gets along with them better than he gets along with people."
Fish Eye wasn't so sure about that. _He_ was part animal, and Yaten didn't do a thing for him, other than make him feel like an intruder.
Seiya caught sight of something out the window. "Hey, there's Haruka's car! Floor it, Taiki, let's race to the corner!"
"Forget it," Taiki said calmly. "Even if it weren't illegal to drag race, I wouldn't want to take on a professional racer like her."
"Especially not in a van," Yaten added.
Seiya sighed. "Oh, all right hey, Fish Eye, what are you doing?"
"Hiding!" Fish Eye hissed from his new and uncomfortable position on the floor. "Hawk Eye is probably in that car with Haruka!"
"So what?" Seiya said. "If he can ride with her, why can't you ride with us?"
"It's just ... that is ... I mean ... oh, it's just different!" Fish Eye exclaimed. He peeked out the window. "There's my house a few doors down! Could you stop here?"
"All right." Taiki pulled over and Fish Eye took another look. He saw Hawk Eye waving to Haruka then heading up the driveway. He paused on the doorstep, then finally went inside.
"He didn't look like he wanted to go in," Yaten remarked.
"There's a reason. Thanks for the ride, guys." Fish Eye started to get out, but Seiya put a hand on his arm so that he looked at him.
"It's been a great first day, Fish Eye." He smiled. "See you tomorrow."
Fish Eye didn't point out that it hadn't been a particularly great day for _him_ and he couldn't even be sure he _would_ see them tomorrow. If his parents didn't outright kill him, they just might make him quit. "Bye for now," he managed and quickly got out of the van. He walked past two houses and then turned up his driveway, just in time to see Tiger Eye get off the bus at the opposite corner. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the van turn around and drive the other way.
"Hey, Fishie!" Tiger Eye waved and jogged over to meet him at the front door. "You just getting back, too?"
"Yes." Fish Eye said, then gasped as he caught sight of Tiger Eye's bandaged wrist. "What happened?!"
His blonde brother made a face. "Oh, a stupid rabbit scratched me. It got me on my legs, too." His expression changed and Fish Eye thought he looked vaguely guilty. "Um, Fishie, did Mama come by your store?"
Fish Eye frowned slightly. "Yes, but how did you know?"
Tiger Eye stared at the ground, scuffing his sneaker against the welcome mat. "I ... sort of ... sent him there."
"You _what_? Why?"
"Mostly to get him away from me before he figured things out," Tiger Eye admitted. "Are you mad at me?"
"I _should_ be." Fish Eye pouted. "You sold me out! And Mama had already been to Hawk Eye before me, did you know that?"
"Yes," Tiger Eye said. "So they know about all of us now they must have figured out our motives."
"Well, I've got news for you, Tigger. Mama didn't yell at me when he found me at Captain Chicken/Tacoz because I didn't have time to let him. So the Big Lecture is still to come."
They turned to look at the front door. It loomed like the Gateway to Hell.
"Hawk Eye's already inside," Fish Eye said.
"Is he?" Tiger Eye replied. "He probably figured we were home, too."
"You know," Fish Eye said thoughtfully, "if we were to ... disappear for a while ... maybe they'd yell at him and be too worn out to bother with us when we came back."
"Sounds like a plan, let's get outta here."
The pair spun around to leave. A creak behind them froze them in their tracks.
"Well, you're finally back," came their father's voice. "Please. Come in and stay a while."
It was a command, not a request. Shoulders slumping, Fish Eye and Tiger Eye trudged into the house.
Fish Eye looked up as they entered the living room. Together they shuddered at the sight.
"YAAAAAY! You're here!"
Fish Eye wanted to turn tail and run from the thundering herd of little girls coming straight at him, but with Sanosuke blocking the doorway behind him, it was impossible. He was tackled to the ground, and from Tiger Eye's sudden shout, he was suffering the same fate.
"Thank God," Fish Eye heard Hawk Eye say weakly. "Someone else for them to maul."
"Hawk Eye!" Nuriko admonished, but the Quartet didn't seem to notice. They had all stopped and were looking at Fish Eye and Tiger Eye suspiciously.
"What's that icky smell?" Cere Cere asked, her nose wrinkling.
"It's almost like ... grease," Ves Ves remarked.
The blue-haired girl bent down to sniff at Fish Eye. "Palla Palla thinks it's _him_!"
Fish Eye was mortified. It was bad enough that stray cats could smell the slight fish odour that clung to him even in human form, but now he had to smell like _greasy_ fish! "Get off of me if you think it's so bad!" he snapped, shoving his way up off the ground, dropping Cere Cere and Palla Palla onto Tiger Eye. He ran upstairs, ignoring his father's angry shout. No matter what the consequences, he wasn't showing his face again until after he'd rid himself of all traces of Captain Chicken.
The shower felt great it was a relief to let the hot water relax his tired muscles. When he was done, he wrapped one towel around his long hair and another around his waist, then headed for his room. He wasn't sure if he was better off delaying his reappearance as long as possible or hurrying it along lest his parents grow angrier. In the end, he decided he'd just grab something casual to put on for the time being.
As soon as he entered his room, Fish Eye knew something was wrong. The closet door was open, and he _never_ left it open in case Nuriko complained about the mess it was in. Okay, he told himself, so maybe Mama hung up some laundry and he forgot to close it. Even as he tried to make himself believe it, he knew that wasn't the case. Two of his sweaters had been left in a heap on the bed, a pair of slacks were slung across the headboard, and he nearly tripped over his own mismatched shoes as he rushed to the closet. Inside were several more empty hangers than there had been when he left the house.
"I'm gonna kill 'em," Fish Eye growled.

"It's not Fishie's fault, Papa," Hawk Eye said, shooting the Quartet an accusing look. "You know how sensitive he is about his scent already, and to be told he smells like _grease_ "
"Well, he _did_!" Jun Jun interrupted, her hands on her hips. "It was an honest observation!"
"No one cares about your 'observations'!" Tiger Eye countered.
"You've got the most sensitive nose! Are you saying he _didn't_ smell like grease?" Ves Ves asked.
"We're saying it didn't matter enough to hurt his feelings!"
"Okay, that's enough!" Nuriko told them firmly. "We're not starting off with a lot of shouting and accusations."
"You went through my closet, you nosy little snoops!" Fish Eye shouted accusingly as he stomped into the room.
"They did?" Tiger Eye exclaimed.
"Already?" Hawk Eye added.
"We didn't hurt anything," Cere Cere said calmly, examining her nails. "We were just looking."
"Then where did two of my dresses, one of my sweaters, three skirts, and a pair of designer jeans disappear to?!" Fish Eye demanded.
"How should we know?" Palla Palla giggled. "We just got here!"
Sanosuke grabbed Fish Eye before he could commit murder in the living room.
"I'll bet you went in _our_ rooms, too!" Hawk Eye accused.
"Don't worry, we didn't try on your clothes," Ves Ves said, then reconsidered. "Well, maybe Jun Jun did ...."
"Why, you little bi "
"Hawk Eye!" Sanosuke interrupted sharply. "Fish Eye, you sit down." He pushed him firmly onto the sofa beside Hawk Eye. Tiger Eye went over to join his siblings, while the Quartet formed a not-so-innocent-looking group in front of the fireplace. Sanosuke and Nuriko stood between the two groups like negotiators at a world peace conference.
"All right," Sanosuke began, "first of all, I'm very disappointed in you boys. Your cousins just arrived and you didn't even say hello before you began accusing them of causing trouble."
"Gotta be a new record for sure," Tiger Eye remarked.
"I'm glad you're finding this amusing, young man, because we certainly are not," Nuriko said sternly. "We're not going to let this visit turn into an ongoing war. It ends right now."
The Trio all began talking at once while the Quartet exchanged sly glances. Finally, Sanosuke drew himself up to his impressive full height and glared down at his sons.
"Enough!" he bellowed.
The boys fell into sulky silence. They knew when their father was fed up.
"One thing at a time," he said. "First of all, I want you to apologize to your cousins for your rudeness."
There was no point in arguing the result would be the same.
"Sorry," the boys mumbled.
"That's _not_ what your father means," Nuriko said significantly. "Apologize properly."
Fish Eye opened his mouth to protest, but caught the warning look in his mother's eyes. One wrong move and he might get spanked in front of his cousins and nothing was worth that humiliation. He rose from the couch and got down on his knees, then stretched out in the lowest bow he could manage.
"I humbly apologize for my rudeness," you brats, he added silently.
Their parents looked toward Hawk Eye and Tiger Eye expectantly, and the other boys reluctantly followed Fish Eye's example.
"Well," Ves Ves said thoughtfully, gazing down at their prone cousins, "I guess we can forgive them. What do you think, girls?"
"Yeah, why not?" Jun Jun shrugged.
"After all," Cere Cere said, "we're not petty."
"Palla Palla wants to play video games," their smaller sister piped up.
"Not yet," Nuriko said. "Boys, you can get up."
His sons gratefully stood up, resisting the urge to give the girls a dirty look.
"Now then," Sanosuke said, "it's your turn, girls."
"Huh?" Jun Jun blinked.
"Our turn for what, Uncle Sanosuke?" Cere Cere asked in genuine confusion.
"It's your turn to apologize to the boys for violating their privacy," Nuriko said.
The Trio stared at their parents in wonder, hardly daring to believe it could be true. The girls started up a round of protests.
"We didn't do anything!"
"Why should we apologize?"
"Palla Palla doesn't like this game!"
"This isn't fair!"
"You've admitted to going through the boys' possessions," Nuriko pointed out. "You owe them an apology."
The Quartet conferred quietly, then Ves Ves said, "Okay, we'll apologize, but we're not getting on the floor to do it."
"If you can't apologize properly then you'll have to be punished," Sanosuke told them.
Fish Eye grinned at his brothers, who were already beaming. The Quartet being punished.? A previously unheard-of concept!
The girls were aghast and stared at their aunt and uncle as if they were speaking ancient Martian. "You'd do that?" Jun Jun exclaimed. "On our _first_ day? Seriously?" Nuriko nodded. "Yes, we're quite serious. You girls are going to be here a while, and with seven children in the house we can't allow any favouritism. You have to live by the same rules and consequences as the boys do."
Go, Mama! Fish Eye silently cheered.
The four girls seemed frustrated and at a loss. After another hushed conference, they lowered themselves to the ground.
"We apologize for invading your privacy," Ves Ves said.
"Yeah," Jun Jun agreed.
"I ... I'm sorry," Cere Cere murmured.
"Palla Palla won't do it again."
The boys exchanged mischievous looks. The girls couldn't get up until they were forgiven, and they all wondered exactly how long they could keep them down there.
"Boys ...," Sanosuke said warningly.
Rats, Fish Eye thought. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.
"Okay, we accept," he said.
"Yeah," Hawk Eye agreed, "just stay out of our stuff from now on."
The girls stood up, pouting.
"All right, now maybe you can all start over with a clean slate," Sanosuke said with satisfaction. "If you girls wouldn't mind going upstairs now, we need to speak with the boys alone."
The Quartet filed out of the room, glancing back at the boys with you're-gonna-get-it looks. Nuriko and Sanosuke waited until they were out of earshot, then faced their sons.
"Okay," Sanosuke said, "let's talk about your jobs." The boys looked at each other, avoiding their parents' gaze.
"No volunteers?" Nuriko said dryly. "Fish Eye, how about you? I saw you at work today, and I know you saw me. Why did you suddenly decide to start working in a fast food restaurant?"
Fish Eye squirmed uncomfortably. "Umm ...." Damn, he thought. Why did they have to ask him first? He didn't want to lie, especially when they already knew the truth. But if he admitted everything, that wouldn't go over well, either.
"I guess Fish Eye doesn't know why he got a job," Sanosuke said. "Tiger Eye?"
The blonde Changechild shrugged. "I didn't have anything better to do."
"Well, that's honest," Nuriko remarked. "But is it the whole truth?" He looked at his third son. "Hawk Eye?" Hawk Eye became very interested in a speck of dust on his pants. "Lots of reasons," he said vaguely.
"Tell us," Nuriko pressed.
"Well ... the money ... and ... and cars, I like cars ... and, well, Haruka works there ... it's good experience ... and ...."
"And what, Hawk Eye?" Sanosuke asked.
The half-hawk didn't continue. Sano and Nuriko exchanged knowing looks.
"Maybe we can fill in the blank for you," Nuriko suggested. "You got these jobs in order to avoid your cousins, didn't you?"
The Trio couldn't bring themselves to admit it out loud, but they slowly nodded, still avoiding their parents' eyes.
"We could make you quit, you know that, don't you?"
"Yessir," they murmured in unison.
"But we won't," Sanosuke said, which made the boys look up in surprise.
"You ... won't?" Fish Eye said.
"No," Nuriko confirmed. "But neither will things change here. You'll still have to keep up in your chores and make your curfew. So if you have night shifts, you'd better be sure they know that."
"And you're still going to be polite hosts to your cousins," Sanosuke added. "You _won't_ just run home from work and then run back out the door to be with your friends jobs or no, you'll be spending time with your family, understand?"
The boys weren't sure they liked the sound of that. It seemed as if the only advantage they gained in taking on jobs would be having extra money. But because their parents were waiting, they nodded their understanding.
"Good," Nuriko said. "Then you're dismissed."
The boys got to their feet and went upstairs.
"Is it just me or did we make a big mistake?" Tiger Eye asked his brothers.
"That's just what they _want_ us to think," Hawk Eye said. "It might still prove beneficial."
"That's easy for _you_ to say," Fish Eye griped. "You're not getting burnt with fryer oil, smelling like grease, and working with Yaten."
"Yaten?" Hawk Eye looked at him. "Isn't that Seiya's brother?"
"Yes, how did you know?"
"Haruka told me about them. Taiki's okay, but Yaten's obnoxious, and Seiya's a casanova."
"That's ridiculous," Fish Eye said, trying not to think about Seiya having put an arm around him and the comments he'd made.
"He came on to Michiru, even _knowing_ that she and Haruka were going together," Hawk Eye told him. "He does it all the time. Don't let him fool you, Fishie."
"I'm not!" Fish Eye protested, his face growing hot. "Seiya doesn't mean anything to me _except_ as my supervisor!"
The hall phone rang and Tiger Eye picked it up. "Hello? ... Yes, may I ask who's speaking? ... Okay, sure." He covered the mouthpiece and smirked. "It's for Fish Eye. Someone named Seiya."
Fish Eye's blush deepened and he snatched the receiver, ignoring his brothers. "Hello?"
"Hi there, Fish Eye, it's Seiya! How's it going?"
"Um ... fine. We just saw each other half an hour ago."
"Yeah, I know, but I thought you seemed worried about your folks and you had us drop you down the street and all ... I wanted to make sure everything was okay."
"Everything's fine, thanks." Except our parents are on to us, the girls are already being a pain, and my brothers will tease me mercilessly when this call is over, Fish Eye thought.
"That's good," Seiya said. Fish Eye heard voices in the background followed by a snicker, and Seiya quickly said, "Excuse me a minute." Next came what sounded like running feet and a slamming door. Seiya returned to the phone a moment later. "I'm back! Hey, listen, I was wondering ... do you think we could go out sometime?"
"Go out?" Fish Eye repeated without thinking.
"No way, Fishie!" Hawk Eye exclaimed. "Tell him no! Here, give it to me, _I'll_ tell him no!"
Fish Eye gripped the receiver possessively. "Mind your own business, Hawk Eye! If I want to go out with someone, I will!"
"Fine, but not him!" Hawk Eye said firmly.
Tiger Eye looked uneasy. "He sounds like bad news, Fishie."
The half-fish covered the receiver mouthpiece. "How would _either_ of you know?! _I_ spent time with him today, you didn't! You're just going on second-hand information from someone who got mad because her girlfriend was approached!"
"But they were _going_ together, and Seiya "
"All's fair in love and war, isn't it?" Fish Eye snapped, then turned away from them and spoke into the receiver, "Seiya? I'd love to go out with you. When?"
There was a momentary silence, then Seiya said, "Okay! How about tomorrow night? We'll be working together again tomorrow, we can decide there what we want to do."
"Fine, see you at work." Fish Eye hung up.
Hawk Eye was glaring at him. "I can't believe you did that!"
"Well, I did it. Deal with it." Fish Eye stalked off toward his room.
"Don't be so sure you're going, Fishie!" Tiger Eye called after him. "You still have to clear it with Mama and Papa!"
Fish Eye went into his room and shut the door firmly, then leaned back against it, trying to gather his wits. What just happened here? It struck him that he'd accepted a date with a boy his parents didn't know whom _he_ didn't really know and who had a bad reputation. His acceptance had been an act of rebellion against his brothers, but now he was stuck. Did he _really_ want to go out with Seiya? Could he trust him? If nothing else, he supposed it would be another way to avoid being home with the Quartet, but what if his parents saw it that way, too?
Why is my life always so complicated? Fish Eye wondered and set about cleaning up the mess his cousins had made of his clothes.

End of Chapter 4

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