FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The rain thudded lightly against Rikimaru's bedroom window while he was happily asleep curled up under his covers.

The time was Tuesday morning, 6:29 to exact. His high-tech slow-waker alarm clock was nearing its final stages. It had started to play soft nature sounds, activated a soft but slowly growing light, and started to release a pleasant vanilla aroma in the air. The only light in the room was from the red digits from his clock and its lights on the side.

One minute later, the clock transformed from an easy gentle machine to a harsh buzzer as the alarm activated.

Immediately it was silenced by a black clawed hand of a startled sleeper.

Rikimaru sat up in his king-sized bed and pulled a switch on his ceiling fan, turning the light on.

He waited as the harsh light adjusted the slit-like pupils of his amber eyes.

"Morning already..." he said to himself with a small grin. It disappeared when one of his ears flicked and he turned toward the window. He got out of bed and approached his window, opening the curtain. "Just as I thought," he said with a frown. "It's raining. This is going to be fun..."

He did a couple of stretches to pop a few bones and went to the bathroom. He relieved himself in the toilet and set to work on his morning routine. He brushed his teeth, which was difficult because of the toothbrush made for humans. After that he took out an aerosol can of deodorant and applied a three-second spray onto his white chest.

When that was done, he took out a hairbrush, grabbed his large fluffy tail and smoothed it out. When one hears of bedhead, he imagines spiky, messy hair. Rikimaru has a case of "bedtail." The thing messes up every night, and it gets quite annoying.

Being a Vexan, it can be challenging to groom one's self, but it has to be done, especially to look nice to a particular girl.

River was her name, and she was stunning. They have been friends for four years, since seventh grade.

They were seniors in high school now but their relationship hasn't escalated much. Wanting to court her and possibly become her mate one day, Rikimaru knew that he would have to do something before it was too late.

Blinking at his image in the mirror, he checked his teeth. Good. He checked his eyes. Good. Nose. Good. Ears. Good.

When he was done, he walked back to his room. He approached his closet and pondered over what kind of shirt to wear today. All of them were dull-colored and loose-fitting. Just the way he liked it.

He decided on a dark green long-sleeved turtle-neck shirt, since it has been getting colder recently. When he pulled the shirt over his head, he put his arms through it and slid it down over the rest of this torso. He adjusted it to his likeness and picked up his cargo pants from the red-carpeted floor.

Judging by their smell, the pants were nearing their expiration date: tomorrow. Then he would have to change them out so they could get washed. Pity, these were his favorite pair.

Oh well, at least he can put these on now, he'd worry about it later. He slipped them on, carefully threading his tail through the hole in his pants. He didn't bother with socks of shoes since they weren't built to accommodate his feet.

When he was finally done dressing he left his room and entered his kitchen.

The kitchen was stocked with mostly the basic but critical devices such as a stove/oven, microwave, refrigerator, and counters. Off to the side was a small round dining table with two chairs pushed into it for himself and possible company.

Yawning, Rikimaru opened up his pantry, which was mostly completely empty save for a few odd cans here and there and a box of shredded wheat, his personal favorite. He tried the frosted kind, but he didn't care too much for it.

Lifting the box from its shelf, his heart sank when if felt incredibly light to him. He popped it open, and his fears were confirmed: it was empty.

"Fuck!" Rikimaru shouted as he threw the box across the floor. It slammed into the side of the counter and rested on the floor where it struck.

At the same time his stomach growled impatiently, demanding its breakfast. Rikimaru crossed his arms and looked around his kitchen. "Guess I'm starving today," he said with a slight smirk, knowing that his payday doesn't come until Friday. He would have to stretch his one dollar he currently had all week. He knew he was poor, and it was slightly foolish to buy that alarm clock, but it had worked wonders. He didn't buy his bed, it was his when he was living at his parents' house and they let him take it with him when he moved out.

At least he has a job, mostly thanks to the "equal opportunity employer" law that allows all sexes, races, and ages into employment. His job was at a local restaurant, a four-star one at that, to use his excellent nose in the kitchen for determining what kinds of spices a dish needed. The job reminded him of that movie called "Ratatouille," which he loathed. He didn't know why, but he hated to compare himself to that damn rat. Such lowly creatures they are.

Looking at the clock on his microwave, he decided he might as well head to school early. No sense staying here and bitching about the lack of breakfast.

He walked to his front door, grabbed the backpack he usually kept there, and exited the house.

Thankfully, the rain let up slightly since he had first seen it this morning. Rikimaru walked to school mostly because he doesn't have a car, but it is only three-fourths of a mile away anyway. He enjoyed the walking.

As he walked down a couple of streets he came across that same gas station he passed every morning. He rarely went in there, but he did not know that it housed day-old sausage biscuits: for only one dollar.

It was at that particular time his stomach decided to growl. Realizing this, Rikimaru whimpered. He really didn't want to use his last dollar so soon.

Without thinking about it, he dashed inside. Once in, there was no going back. All of the hot food items' scents hit him at once. It was incredible. The wrapped biscuit sandwiches under heat lamps, sizzling hot dogs on heat rollers, taquitoes, all of it. He walked over to the dollar sandwich shelf and his heart fluttered: only one left! He snatched it up, paid for it, and left.

He was on the dirt path that led to his school as he unwrapped his prize. The smell was wonderful in itself. The warm buttery biscuit mixed in with that moist sausage made his mouth drool and his stomach flop over. He was bringing it up to his mouth to take a bite when it was abruptly snatched from his paws.

He looked up and saw two boys with a blond mop for hair and short-cut brown hair with a braced smile.

"Thanks for the biscuit, bro!" the blond said and took a rather large bite out of it.

He chewed, gave a disgusted face, and then spat it out. "Ugh! This shit's nasty!"

"Let me try it," the other boy said. He took a bit of it and spat it out as well. He threw it on the ground and stamped it in with his foot.

Rikimaru watched in silence as the cheap biscuit crumbled easily on the ground. Soon it was no more. He was now pissed. That was his last dollar.

"You... owe me a dollar," he muttered.

"Fuck you!" the blond shouted as he punched him hard in the stomach, effectively bringing him down rather quickly.

"Let's see if he has anything good on him," he heard the blond say.

"Good idea." On the ground, Rikimaru felt his backpack relinquished from him. He heard them open the zippers and rummage around inside.

"Papers, shit. Several pens, shit. Cheap calculator, shit. Some-"

"Just empty it upside down, dumbass."

"Good point." Rikimaru cringed when he heard the noise of his backpack being emptied.

"Dude, it's all shit!"

"Let's just go, then."

"Fine."

A few minutes after they left, Rikimaru set to gather up his stuff. He saved his textbook first, because it was so expensive, and gathered up the rest of his wet dirt-encrusted papers.

Standing up, slinging his bag on his shoulder, he looked mournfully at his biscuit and continued down the path.

Finally, the building of his school emerged from the slight fog that the rain provided. He entered the building and made his way to the cafeteria.

It was still early in the morning, so hardly any people were there. He settled with sitting at a vacant table and watched the students scurry across campus like mice to get out of the rain.

Suddenly he heard a slapping noise on the table he was on and a rather large aluminum foil-wrapped object slid into view.

He didn't touch it, because he knew it was someone's bad aim that brought it before him. He looked around for its owner and was amazed to see River walking to his table with a grin on her face, holding a similar object.

"You look unhappy," the Vexan said with a laugh. "I thought I'd try to cheer you up."

"You mean this is for me?"

She looked around the empty cafeteria. "Uh... yeah. It's yours."

"But why?"

She sat down next to him, picked up the object on the table and held it in front of his face. "I've told you, my foxy friend. It's to cheer you up."

In Rikimaru's opinion, River was foxy as well, even more so than he was. She likes to call him that since they both share the same race. It was a joke in-between them.

"No, don't waste your money on me. I already ate." His stomach must have heard that because it made a rather angry screeching noise.

River raised an eyebrow. "Sure you did."

Rikimaru looked down and cursed at his stomach for making such a loud racket.

In one quick motion, River shot out a paw and turned Rikimaru's head toward her.

"Listen. Either you eat that, or I will hold you down and shove it down your throat. Got it?" She let go, placed the object on the table, leaned back, and crossed her arms. Her tail was moving up and down impatiently.

Rikimaru swallowed nervously and took ahold of the object. It was warm and squishy. Carefully he unwrapped it.

It appeared to be a croissant sandwich. Warm ham and gooey melted cheddar cheese were in between the two halves of the croissant. It smelled heavenly.

"Well? Are you going to eat, or are you going to stare at it?" River said.

Rikimaru hesitated for a minute, then took a bite. It was unlike anything he ever tasted before. The ham, cheese, and croissant joined together to make the perfect blend of flavor. As he was chewing, his face nearly melted. River giggled at his facial expressions.

"How was it?" she asked as Rikimaru swallowed the last bite.

"River, I can't thank you enough. I-"

She suddenly smiled. "Good. Now let's discuss payment."

"WHAT!?"

"Shhhhhh... It's simple. We go out for dinner tonight."

"But I haven't the-"

"I'm buying. I won't ever buy you a sandwich and expect you to buy me dinner. That's just stupid. Also I'm driving. I'll pick you up."

Rikimaru let out a sigh of relief. "What time then?"

"How about seven O' clock?"

"Sounds good."

"Good. I'll see you tonight." Then to his amazement, she actually walked over to him, bent down, and gave him a hug. The feeling sent electrical sparks shivering down his spine. With that, she left the cafeteria.

Rikimaru waited until the last few white hairs of her tail were gone before he slammed his head on the table. He couldn't believe it. He had actually gotten a date with the girl he loved.

He continued to sit there for a little while as the sun continued to rise. Soon the bell rang. School was starting at last.

Morosely, he rose from his seat and headed to his first class: English. It wasn't a difficult class, they were studying poetry. It was a boring subject in Rikimaru's opinion, but it will be over soon.

And he was right. Before Rikimaru fell asleep, the class was over. History, Algebra, Biology, a lunch time when Rikimaru, of course, didn't eat anything, Historic Literature, and finally Consumer Sciences followed suit. At 2:35, at last, school was over for the day.

Sighing with relieve, he began the nearly one-mile walk back home. It was still raining, but not as badly as it was this morning. He enjoyed seeing his own breath in the form of steam in the chilled air.

When he got home, he shut the door and dropped his backpack off to the side of the door. He went to his room and looked at his clock: 3:06. He had about four hours to get ready for tonight. Plenty of time.

He looked around his room and frowned. He had no homework; he did not want to get ready too early, so there was nothing to do. Sure he owned a Sega Genesis and a TV, but he has only one game he has beaten hundreds of times, and he gets no TV service or even uses a "bunny ear" antenna.

He wandered through his house with his arms crossed. After the fifth time he looked back to his room. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 it is.

He turned the TV and Sega on, went to the ingame options screen and changed the player to Tails. He liked playing as Tails not because they were both essentially foxes, but he personally finds him cool. He can freaking fly. He hasn't found out how to do it in the game but he vowed he will figure it out someday.

All the while he was playing, he kept thinking about tonight. Tonight would be the first date, and he didn't lift a finger about it. To him, he found it slightly suspicious, but he passed it over.

After he destroyed the final boss, again, and watched the ending, again, he checked the time: 6:17.

He decided not to watch the credits and switched the game off. First thing to get ready was to bathe.

He stripped down to his boxer shorts, grabbed a clean pair from a drawer, and entered the bathroom. Once inside, he shut the door and let his boxers fall to the floor. He stepped out of them and placed his clean ones on top of the toilet. He ran his shower water and waited for it to warm up. Once it was of reasonable temperature he stepped in, closed the shower curtain, and pulled the knob over the faucet.

Though he had taken the precautions to warm up the water, the initial blast still hit him with icy-cold water. Yelping a little in shock, he reminded himself to turn the shower faucet facing down to let the cold water out before turning it back up.

Since it was too late to do that now, he went ahead and wet his entire body. He applied shampoo to his paws and worked it over, being careful to cover every inch. When that was down, he rinsed and picked up his special bottle of conditioner.

This bottle held a conditioner that works wonders for his external appearance. When applied, it brings out his fur color. It makes it look brighter and more vibrant. However, he doesn't use this every day. The conditioner was ludicrously expensive and he only uses it for special occasions, such as tonight.

After he finished bathing, he turned off the faucet and stood there, letting the water drip off this wet body and into the tub. He stood there for a minute and then opened the curtain. He reached over to the towel rack and found that it was bare.

"Goddammit," he hissed under his breath. He remembered that yesterday was when he washed the towels and left them in the laundry room to do later. He had forgotten to restock the towels in the bathroom.

He shook himself off the best he could and left the bath tub. He left the bathroom, crossed the entire house to the laundry room, scooped up a towel from the dryer, slung it over his shoulder and made his way back to the bathroom. Even when completely stark naked, Rikimaru did not mind or really care to be like that for a short while. Sure he was civilized and normally wore clothes, but he was part animal, and he enjoyed the freedom every now and then...

Unless your girlfriend is standing in front of the front door.

To his complete and utter embarrassment, she managed to get a good look at his exposed penis before his reflexes kicked in and he covered himself with his towel in due haste. She blushed and turned away, giggling.

"River!" he cried. "What are you doing here so early?"

"I couldn't wait to see you," she replied with a grin that Rikimaru did not like at all. Her eyes burned with a mischievousness that unnerved him slightly.

"Why didn't you knock first?"

"I did. Ten times. You didn't answer , so I let myself in to see if anything was wrong. You should see the look on your face. I was standing right here when you walked right past me to your laundry room, completely oblivious of me! Believe me, I saw everything!" her smile widened.

Rikimaru flattened his ears and felt himself go red. He took a step back and said, "You should have honked the horn or something."

"And piss off the neighbors? No thanks. Besides, I got to see a good show up close!"

Rikimaru arched an eyebrow.

"Don't worry about it. Go dry off and get dressed and get ready to go. Though you may like being naked here, it is unacceptable in public."

Rikimaru narrowed his eyes in anger. Her teasing was getting a little under his skin.

"I'll be waiting in here for you in the meantime, okay?"

"Fine... be right out," he muttered.

When he entered his room and shut the door, he let his towel drop off of him and he slumped on the bed, feeling incredibly stupid about what just happened. So much for making a good first impression on her on their first date night.

He sighed and stood back up. Any longer and he won't make an impression at all. He gathered a clean pair of boxer shorts from a drawer, slipped on a clean pair of light brown-colored cargo pants, and donned a thick red turtle-neck sweater. It gets quite cold outside at night time, even to him with his coat of fur.

Without worrying about shoes or socks (he did not own a pair), Rikimaru left the bedroom and found River in the kitchen holding the empty box of shredded wheat.

"Why is there a random box of shredded wheat on the floor?" she asked in confusion.

"Oh, I was trying to get some this morning, but I was out. I threw away the box in frustration. Sorry. Guess I forgot to throw it in the trash." He scratched the back of his head nervously, trying not to give the impression that he was poor. Last thing he needed was sympathy from his girlfriend about that. If she sacrificed some of her funds to him out of pity, then he would never forgive himself.

The empty box was laid to rest in the trash can and the two exited the house, Rikimaru remembering to lock the door behind them. River unlocked the car, a green Chevrolet Malibu, and slid into the driver seat. Rikimaru climbed into the passenger side and buckled his seatbelt.

After pulling out of the driveway and driving off, Rikimaru's insides did a little twist. He could not believe what was happening. It appeared that he was nearing his goal of making her his mate. He just needed to play it safe and not to do anything stupid.

Without warning, River took one of her hands, reached over, and placed it directly on his crotch. And Rikimaru was here thinking he should not do anything stupid.

Realizing what she had done, she snapped her head in the direction of her hand and jerked it away, turning bright red.

Rikimaru gave a grin to himself that she could not see because her eyes were on the road. They were now even on the terms of embarrassment.

"C-could you get the box of tissues in the car door pocket, please?" she asked, voice quavering.

Without a word, Rikimaru handed over the box and set it in the console in between the seats.

All he received was a "thank you" and the tissues were not used for the rest of the car trip. This made him slightly suspicious but it was dismissed quickly. She was probably too embarrassed to use them anyway.

When he realized where they were going, Rikimaru's stomach plummeted. They were pulling into the parking lot of Mustavo's: where he works.

"This is where we're going?" he asked meekly.

"Oh, yes! I've heard so much about this place! Why do you ask? Is there something wrong with it?"

"No, it's fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, let's go inside."

The two of them parked, climbed out of the car and stepped inside. Even though he was off-duty, Rikimaru fought the urge to head into the back kitchen. Routines are heard to break. He also found himself nervous. He dreaded seeing anyone he knew because if he did something stupid or displeased his coworkers, then it might affect his job. Fortunately, he does have a good relationship with his boss, and he knew he would not fire him over a trivial matter that might happen tonight.

As he scanned the restaurant, he could pick out more and more of his coworkers, and that made him more and more nervous. If they were the assholes he knew them to be, then they would without a doubt give him hell the next time he showed up to work. It would not be anger, but he could almost hear the future teasing already.

While Rikimaru was storming around in his head, River was already up at the spot where people get seated.

"Two, please," she said at the main standing at the front. The man had a neatly groomed mustache, greased combed-back hair, and a faint smell of trash that Rikimaru knew the average person would not be able to detect.

The man raised an eyebrow at the two humanoid fox-people. He was thinking to himself that these two were just dressed in costume, even his coworker. Also he wondered how the boss lets him get away with it. Surely he didn't pick favorites? This Rikimaru guy needs to get a real life. Just because he has a keen sense of smell doesn't mean he should parade about in a costume. Oh well, he has to do his job and not stand here criticizing the customers.

The man collected two menus from a shelf and began to walk. "Right this way," he said in a snooty voice.

Even though Mustavo's is a high-quality restaurant, it certainly was not formal. Think Olive garden or Red Lobster. Those two are not exactly formal, but they are considered to be "high end" restaurants.

In fact, thinking about lobster made Rikimaru's stomach growl and his mouth water. Mustavo's was an Italian restaurant, but sometimes seafood gets included on some dishes, and all of the smells of the dishes of the customers at once was torture enough.

This is, in his opinion, the worst part of his job. Every day he works he amazes himself by not ending up eating the stock.

The two Vexans were seated at a booth where one side of the table was the booth, and the other side was a chair.

"Enjoy... your dinner," the main said while dropping off the menus and taking his leave. To Rikimaru, he seemed awfully anxious to leave. He gulped and sank into his seat.

River, however, tore into her menu the instant she got her greasy paws on it (figuratively speaking, of course. Her paws looked quite clean), and scanned through its contents.

Since he worked here, Rikimaru knew the menu by heart. He hadn't, however, memorized the prices since they were unimportant to his duties. He had to be careful with that. He didn't want to end up with the most expensive item on the menu!

"hello, my name is Kevin, and I'll be your server for the evening. Can I start you off with anything to drink?"

Rikimaru was so deep in thought, he forgot there was supposed to be a waiter. When he looked up, he sank into his seat even more. It was his boss.

"Oh yes! I'll have the peach-mango smoothie, please!" River chirped. "Rikimaru, what do you want?" When he looked up, he could spot a smile on Kevin's face that made him shrink even more. "Water, " he mumbled.

River blinked. "That's all you want?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

River shrugged as Kevin wrote the order on his pad and left wits a, "I'll have your drinks in a few moments, okay?"

The two Vexans were silent for a moment until River spoke up, "How come you're so retreated all of a sudden? You look as though you're about to fall through your chair!"

"Just nervous," he replied. "Never actually dined at a restaurant before."

"Uh huh. So, what do you do with all your free time? You must have a lot, like I do since we're both moved out."

"I have a job."

"Oh really? What do you do?"

"I examine dishes at a restaurant to see which spices they need."

"Oh! Like in that movie? I didn't know such a job existed!"

"Don't start. I despise that movie."

"Why? It's so cute!"

"I don't want to compare myself to that damn rat. They're such lowly creatures."

She gave a fake pout. "Believe what you want, I suppose. So, which restaurant do you work at?"

"I do not wish to answer that. I'm sorry."

"Why not?"

Rikimaru remained silent, trying to think of an answer.

After a while, River shrugged again and appeared to have dropped it.

Trying to drop the subject, Rikimaru picked up his menu and pretended to examine it. There were several dishes on the menu he wanted to try ever since he started working with them. In particular, he was eying the create-your-own pasta dish with bits of steak, lobster, and crab, all on a bed of spaghetti covered in creamy white alfredo sauce. The very thought made his mouth water. There was one problem, though: it cost eighteen bucks. He tried a different approach.

"Hey, River," Rikimaru said.

"Yeah?"

"What are you getting?"

"Hmmmm. Tricky. I'm either going for the create-your-own pasta dish with three items, or a large ultra-supreme pizza. I am so ravenous tonight! What are you getting?"

Relaxing a bit after realizing that she was either getting what he was getting, or getting a twenty-one-dollar pizza, Rikimaru said, "I'm gonna get the create-your-own with steak, lobster, and crab."

"I was going for that too! Maybe we should split our orders half and half!"

"Sounds like a good idea to me."

Several minutes later, Kevin returned with River's smoothie and Rikimaru's water.

"Are you guys ready to order?" Kevin asked, opening his check pad.

River nodded and she and Rikimaru ordered what they wanted and told him to split the orders.

After Kevin left after scribbling the order on his pad and bid farewell, River leaned in and spoke, "I couldn't help but look at the dessert menu. It had this thing called the Angry Hot Fudge Chocolate Volcano. It has three scoops of chocolate ice cream, a pound of chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, and half a pound of hot fudge on it. Think we should share one?

Rikimaru winced at the image of that formed in his head. He had seen quite a few of those made, and the smell of them alone made him dizzy. "I would steer clear of that," he said.

River frowned. "Why?"

"Do you know what chocolate does to ordinary dogs? That thing would probably kill us dead upon the first bite!"

"Rikimaru, we are not ordinary dogs. We're Vexans. Trust me, I've had plenty of chocolate in my youth. The worst I've gotten was a stomach ache from eating too much one time. Believe me, it's harmless."

"Alright. I trust you."

"Good. Feeling adventurous?"

Rikimaru sighed with worry. "Like a pirate."

"You don't sound too enthusiastic."

"That's because I'm not."

"Oh, cheer up. It'll be fun."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

River rolled her eyes and looked around the restaurant. "Say, Rikimaru, I wonder why all of those waiters are looking at our table?"

"What?" Rikimaru's head snapped around. Sure enough, most of the waiters on the floor were looking in their direction, pointing and smiling at him in their assholish manner.

"I wish they would stop doing that. It's making me nervous," River continued.

"Yo! Foxboy!" one of them called out. "You out on a date? Getting' it on tonight?" he said, doing mock pelvic thrusts with a big grin on his face.

Rikimaru slammed his head on the table. "Kill me now," he mumbled through the wood.

"Who do they think they are to make fun of us!?" River exclaimed in outrage. "What gives them the right to do that?" "Being my coworkers," Rikimaru said.

River stopped. "What?"

At that moment, Kevin arrived with their orders. The scent of the hot steaming plates of food almost made Rikimaru cover the table with drool. He was about to feast for the first time in he could not remember how long ago.

As soon as he delivered their orders, River barked, "Look, pal! I want to see the manager!"

Kevin paused for a moment due to her sudden hostility then relaxed in a warm smile. "I am the manager," he said. "Is something the matter?"

River blinked. "Oh. Well, see those two guys over there?" she asked, pointing them out. They appeared to be laughing among themselves.

"Those two?" Kevin replied, shifting his gaze to the laughing waiters. "What have they done this time?"

"They humiliated us in front of the restaurant! Asked if we were 'getting it on' tonight!" she said, making quotes with her fingers.

"Don't mind those two assholes," he said, shaking his head with a hand to his face. "If it weren't for their team-bolstering spirit, I'd fire them in a heartbeat. Their favorite target is to pick on is young Rikimaru over there. Don't worry, I'll tear their heads off for ya," he said, winking at Rikimaru. "You two enjoy your evening. I'll give those boneheads a good talking to." With that, he left with a rather angry stride to his walk.

"What's going on?" River asked. "Have you been here before?"

Rikimaru lifted his head. "Yes. Lots of times."

"Wow, you must eat out a lot then!"

"No, I work here."

With a pause, River gave a small squeal. "Why didn't you tell me before? Now I feel bad about talking to your boss like that! I hope I don't get you fired!"

"Don't worry. Kevin likes me. It would take some pretty serious business for him to fire me."

"Rikimaru, can I see you in my office, please?" came a voice from behind him. Looking up slowly, he saw that it was Kevin. His stomach dropped into a pit while River gave a look of horror and put her paws to her face. Shaking, Rikimaru rose to his feet and followed Kevin toward the back. On the way he could see River mouthe the word "sorry."

They crossed the restaurant, went down a couple of hallways and entered Kevin's office.

"Have a seat," Kevin said once they were inside and shut the door. Kevin strode over to a window overlooking the restaurant and peered through the closed blinds.

Rikimaru's heart was racing. He had only been in here once before and that was for the interview. To get called back here again means that he had done something serious.

But what did he do? He was simply minding his own business. It was the fault of those two waiters: Hunter and Seth. He did not do anything wrong. Nervously, he gripped the arms of the chair he was seated in.

"Anything you wish to let me know before I tell you?" Kevin asked, still staring out the window.

"No," Rikimaru said. This was it. The moment he dreaded. He just wanted those two awful words to come out and be done with it. He clenched his teeth and waited for the death blow.

"No? Okay then. You're fired."

Lump welling in his throat, Rikimaru stood to leave. He had one paw on the doorknob when Kevin turned around. "Did I tell you to leave?" he asked. "Sit back down."

Trembling, Rikimaru did what he was told. Kevin walked to his desk and did the same.

"Do you know why I fired you?"

Rikimaru shook his head.

"It's because I don't want you to be a Spicer anymore."

"That's kind of obvious," Rikimaru retorted.

"It's because I want you to be a chef."

Rikimaru looked as though he had been slapped in the face. "What? Me?"

"Yes, you."

"But why?"

"Oh, there's a couple of reasons. First, I feel that you can do so much more than just spicing dishes. Second, chefs rank higher than waiters."

"Huh?"

"Yes. You have the authority to order waiters around. I'm thinking of a select couple you'd have fun with."

Rikimaru gave a half-smile." So why did you fire and rehire me instead of telling me I was promoted?"

"Did I say you were rehired?"

Rikimaru froze in shock.

"Rikimaru, there's a reason you are the best person to pick on," Kevin said with a laugh. "Because it is so fun."

Rikimaru frowned. "So I am rehired?"

"Yes, of course."

The Vexan heaved a sigh of relief, glad this conversation didn't turn out bad for him after all.

"Say, Rikimaru, before you go, is there anything I can to do ease the embarrassment those two idiots caused you?"

Rikimaru smiled. "Yeah, I can think of one thing."

Kevin frowned. "You're supposed to say 'No, everything is fine.'"

"Well, you did offer."

"What'll it be then?"

"So... How did I go?" River asked as Rikimaru seated himself at the table.

"Oh, it was nothing. He wanted to talk to me about those two waiters from earlier. Everything's good now." No sooner did he finish that last sentence he dove into his pasta dish, greedily and ravenously devouring its contents.

"You didn't lose your job or anything?"

Rikimaru shook his head, for talking with your mouth full is incredibly rude.

Soon, dinner was finished and Kevin came back to collect the dishes. After that he came back with the check pad.

"Can I finish you two with a dessert?" he asked.

"Yes. We'll have the Angry Hot Fudge Chocolate Volcano," River said.

"Feeling adventurous, aren't we?"

"Like a pirate!"

Rikimaru gave a little frown, knowing his line was used.

"One Angry Hot Fudge Chocolate Volcano coming right up," Kevin said, jotting the order down and leaving.

"Ooh, I'm so anxious! I can't wait to try it!" River exclaimed, getting a hungry look in her eyes.

"Rikimaru cocked his head. "You think you can stomach that after what you had for dinner?"

"Don't underestimate my stomach. It's bottomless," she replied with a grin.

Rikimaru clutched his own stomach. Thinking of taking a bite of that horrid creation made it churn angrily, reporting that the tank was full.

At last the moment came. He could smell the evil-looking dessert before it arrived.

The thing was massive, exactly like it was described and pictured, exactly the way he remembered it.

Almost immediately, River took up a fork and took out a chunk of the cake. "Let's take a bite at the same time!" she offered.

Rikimaru took up his fork and did the same. The moist cake and its toppings oozed off the fork and onto the dessert dish. Well, if he was going to die, at least he would die together with his girlfriend.

"Ready? One, two, three, go!" She shoved the fork in her mouth and Rikimaru did the same. Once inside, though, the bite's richness almost made him gag. Slowly, he chewed the bite and swallowed, smacking his mouth with relief.

"How was it?" River asked.

"It was power. Rich. Assaulting," Rikimaru said, not knowing how else to describe it.

Together, they finished off the dessert. River ate most of it, of course, but Rikimaru ate more bites than he thought he could. River leaned back in her seat, satisfied.

"That was good," she commented. How she could remain unaffected was Rikimaru's guess. His mouth was screaming for water and Kevin didn't supply it fast enough. Even leaving two pitchers wasn't enough.

Finally Kevin came back to take the plate away (fighting River away because she was trying to lick the plate clean), refill the pitcher, and to leave the check along with a few mint candies.

River picked up and examined the check while Rikimaru popped a mint into his mouth in hopes of ridding it of that overpowering chocolate taste. River, however, frowned at the check.

"What is it?" Rikimaru asked.

"That's odd. We weren't charged for the Angry Hot Fudge Chocolate Volcano," she replied.

"Maybe it was a mistake?"

"I dunno. I'll ask." She hailed Kevin, who was at another table, and showed it to him.

"I'm sorry, but the Hot Fudge Volcano isn't on here," River exclaimed.

"What Volcano?" Kevin replied and left before River could say anything else. She sat there with a confused look on her face.

Rikimaru smiled. "He didn't charge us for it because of the embarrassment his employees caused us tonight." "Really? Well that was awfully nice." Rikimaru nodded.

The two of them paid at the register up front and left the restaurant.

"Oooohhh, I'm stuffed!" River exclaimed, patting her belly as they pulled out of the parking place.

"I'm surprised. You tore away at that Volcano like it was nothing," Rikimaru said.

River giggled. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay, I guess. A small cramp, but other than that I'm fine." The taste of chocolate was still in his mouth and it was beginning to anger him.

"Mm. Me too. I think I did eat a little much."

The image of her ravenously tearing away at her plate filled Rikimaru's head, and he smiled and looked out the window. A shame it was that the night was about to end.

Finally, the dreaded moment came. The car pulled into Rikimaru's driveway, put in park, and was turned off. The both of them climbed out and River walked him to his door step. Rikimaru unlocked the front door.

"River, I-I had a great time tonight ," he said with one hand on the doorknob.

"I did too. I just wish it could have lasted longer," River said.

"Me too. Did you maybe... Uhhh..."

River smiled. "What is it?"

"Did you maybe want to do it again sometime?"

"I'd love to. What time are you free? My schedule is open."

"I don't have work Friday. How about we have it here?"

"Here, huh? Sounds great. I'll see you then."

"Well, uh... Good night. See you at school tomorrow."

"See you."

Before Rikimaru opened his front door, he couldn't help but stop and just stare into her smiling eyes. Surprisingly, she was doing the same. Even more surprising was the fact that her eyes were getting closer. He went in as well and the two embraced in a long kiss. It felt like an electric shock was going through his body, like the hug from the cafeteria, but this was several times stronger.

When they got done, they pulled away. River's smile widened as she gave a small wave and turned around to leave. After she left his porch, Rikimaru opened the front door and went inside and shut and locked it behind him.

With a sigh, he proceeded to his room to get ready for bed.

Before he did so, however, there was a knock at his door. Curious, Rikimaru opened it and found River there with a frown on her face.

"Is there anything wrong?" Rikimaru asked.

"Stupid car won't start," she replied.

"Did you find the problem?"

"I think the battery's dead."

"That's too bad. I'd give you a jump, but I don't have a car myself."

"Can... I crash here tonight? It's late and it's a little too far to walk home."

"You wanna stay here?" Rikimaru asked in shock at the sudden request.

"Please?"

"I suppose. Er, where will you sleep? I have a couch over here," He pointed to the living room.

"With you?"

Her smile was a smile Rikimaru did not like at all. "W-w-with me?"

"Sure! I get lonely at night!"

"But you live by yourself!"

"Details, details..."

"I guess it won't hurt... I hope."

"Don't worry, it won't. I promise."

"Okay, my room's your room."

She let out a cute little squeal. "Thank you!"

"Don't... Mention it." He wondered what he was getting into. He led her into his bedroom and made a sweeping gesture. "Here it is," he said. "Don't mind the mess. I don't usually get company."

"No problem!" she said, smiling a bit at the clothes on the floor. "That's a nice alarm clock."

"Yeah. It gets me up in the morning. I am an extremely heavy sleeper."

"Is it one of those phase ones? It sure looks like one!"

"Yeah, it is." "How neat! I've always wanted to see what these things did!"

"Well, you're in luck."

She gave a huge yawn and cracked a couple of bones in her neck. "I'm ready for bed. Are you? All that food's making me sleepy!"

"Yeah, I was about to get ready before you came back."

"I see. Do you mind if I get ready in the bathroom?"

"Not at all. Go ahead. First door on the left."

"Thanks!"

She left the room. Rikimaru usually slept in just his boxers, but since he had company, he would have to put on a light shirt and pajama bottoms. He did just that and sat on the bed, thinking about this amazing night he was having. He thought he could sense a trap, but how dangerous could she be?

When she came back in, Rikimaru looked at her in shock. She wasn't wearing pants, just a shirt and panties.

She saw his look and said, "Sorry. Just a habit of mine. I normally sleep like this. I'll go back and dress."

That's fine, really. I don't care, really."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

She smiled. She knew he was blushing. "Perv," she mumble under her breath.

"Hm?"

"Nothing."

She went over and climbed in the bed on the other side while Rikimaru turned off the ceiling fan light. He climbed in bed as well. The two of them were facing opposite sides.

"Good night, River. Sleep well."

"You too," came a weak voice. "Good night."

About twenty minutes, Rikimaru felt something soft and bushy moving up near his backside. He realized that it was her tail, and it was intertwining with his own. Soon after, he could hear her snoring lightly.

Rikimaru smiled and fell asleep himself. Today will be a day he will never forget.