InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Shi-Bun-No-Ichi Yasha ❯ We're Coming to America ( Chapter 9 )

Shi-Bun-No-Ichi Yasha

Part 9

"I'm still sleepy!" Shippo yawned as he uncurled himself from the fluffy ball he had been.

"Come on, fox!" Inu Yasha groggily lifted Shippo up by the tail and set him on his furry little feet. "Kagome says we need to get our… uh… passport things today."

"Can't I just sleep a little more?" the fox kid rubbed his eyes.

"No!" snapped Inu Yasha impatiently.

A delicious smell wafted from the kitchen, and soon, two demons, a priest, and an exterminator were sitting anxiously at the table. Mrs. Higurashi was serving up the most delicious breakfast any of them had ever seen, let alone tasted!

"MMmm!" Shippo grinned as he stuffed his little face. "This is great! What is it?"

"They're called pancakes." Mrs. Higurashi laughed. "I'm glad you like them. I guess they don't have the recipe where you come from."

"That's 'cause pancakes are American, Okaa-san." Kagome entered the merry breakfast scene. "Back in those days, foreign stuff was banned."

"Very good, Kagome!" said Grandpa as he set his rice bowl down. "No foreign influences were permitted until the Meiji Restoration."

"The Meiji clan reclaims the throne?" Miroku looked up from his food.

"Guys," Kagome laughed. "Don't get Grandpa started. He could talk about this stuff for hours on end!"

There was a knock at the door. Souta, who had just come downstairs, answered it. After a while, he came into the kitchen with a letter in his hand.

"Who was at the door, Souta?" Mrs. Higurashi asked.

"Some girl," Souta shrugged. "She handed this to me and told me to give it to Kagome… You know, I could swear I've seen her somewhere before, but I can't tell where. She looked kinda like Kagome."

Everyone turned toward Inu Yasha and Kagome, who were stuffing their faces with more shoyu rice. Only the monk, the exterminator, and the fox demon knew who had paid them a visit, and they were staring at that person's parents. The dog demon was holding the rice bowl close to his face to keep an uncomfortable blush from showing.

"Aren't you gonna open it, nee-chan?" Souta handed his sister the letter. Kagome reluctantly took the paper and opened it up. The stationary had a chibi Inu Yasha next to the words 'From the Yasha household' at the very top.The message read:

Dear Okaa-san,

Everything is all set for everyone's trip to America. I snuck into your room a little while ago and left the tickets on the desk. All you need is the passports and you're all set. I would've given them to you personally, but I didn't want to risk hanging around too long and being seen by Higurashi-obaa or Souta-oji. I have a bad feeling about the museum the shard is in. Please hurry once you get there! I'll be waiting!

Chikara

"What's it say, nee-chan?" asked Souta anxiously.

"Uh, nothing." Kagome folded the paper and tucked it into her pocket. "Just a bunch of homework assignments from school."

Shippo flopped over on his back and burped, clearly indicating that he was full. Everyone else finished up their breakfast and prepared to go.

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"I thought I didn't have to dress in those clothes until we got to America!" Inu Yasha grumbled when Kagome told him to go change.

"We're going to have our passport pictures taken, so we kinda need to look like we're from this time period."

Inu Yasha stepped out of the bathroom, and all Kagome could do was stare and smile. The cap fit him perfectly; Kagome had been worried that the holes she had made for his ears wouldn't be in the right places, but they were. The brightly-colored Dragon Ball Z shirt reflected his tough, defiant attitude just as well as his yukata, if not more. Inu Yasha tried crouching down, having difficulty doing so because of the jeans. Kagome looked him over approvingly.

"You look great!" she cried.

"If you call having this tough jean-leather hakama great," he scowled. "I wonder what other tortuous clothing this world has to offer!"

"The shirt looks good on you too." she smiled.

"Yeah," Inu Yasha tugged gently at the shirt to admire its design. "I have to admit this isn't TOO bad. I actually kinda like it!"

"This coming from the dog demon that wanted nothing to do with modern day clothes?" Kagome snickered. "Who would've thought?!"

"Oh shut up!" he snapped as he turned around. "I'd still prefer my yukata anyday!"

"Eh?" Kagome took a closer look at him. "Inu Yasha, where are your sneakers?"

"Sneakers?" he blinked, puzzled. "Oh! You mean those weird shoes. I don't need them, you know that!"

"Inu Yasha!" she scolded gently. "You have to put the shoes on. A lot of places won't let you in without shoes."

"Feh! If anyone gives me a hard time, I'll-" he stopped himself when he noticed Kagome giving him the 'Osuwari' glare.

"Ok! Ok!" he relented, returning to the bathroom. "I'll wear the damn snookers or whatever they're called!"

A short time later, Sango emerged from Kagome's room in her new attire. She twirled around, admiring how the modern day clothes looked on her. Miroku and Shippo changed in Kagome's room, but after Kagome found Miroku peeping through her underwear draw, she promptly threw him out.

Everyone met up downstairs. Shippo laughed at Inu Yasha's shirt and was quickly pounded for it. Miroku nearly drooled at the sight of Sango in her new clothes. She responded by smacking him with Hiraikotsu. Kagome could only smile.

"Are we all set to go?" she asked.

"As ready as we'll ever be, I guess!" Miroku laughed.

"Then let's get going." said Kagome as she headed out the door. "We'll have to catch a bus to get downtown."

"Eh?" Inu Yasha blinked. "What's a bus? And how do you catch one?"

Kagome just face-faulted.

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Fortunatel y for Kagome, Inu Yasha was the only one who had given the photographers a hard time. The others, Shippo included, had all remained surprisingly calm when the flash went off to take their pictures. Inu Yasha, on the other hand, didn't take thinks so lightly. Even though she had explained cameras to her friends as best she could, Inu Yasha continued to insist that the camera was stealing his soul. After scaring the crap out of the photographers and a few Osuwari's later, the dog demon finally relented and grudgingly allowed his picture to be taken.

"I told you that there was nothing to worry about!" Kagome scolded him.

"Anything that can paint my image that quickly HAS to be evil!" Inu Yasha retorted.

"It wasn't so bad, Inu Yasha." Said Miroku. "I admit, I was a bit nervous at first, but once I saw that Kagome and Sango were ok, I had nothing to fear."

"Feh!" spat Inu Yasha. "Laugh now, houshi, but when you start losing your soul, don't come begging to me to go save it!"

"Heh! Even I'm not afraid of getting my picture taken!" Shippo teased.

"Oh!" Kagome stopped suddenly.

"What!? What is it?" Inu Yasha demanded.

Kagome suddenly burst into laughter before she picked up Shippo.

"What's so funny, Kagome?" the fox boy asked.

"Shippo," she giggled. "You were using an illusion to look human, right?"

"Well, yeah." Shippo blinked. "You told me to so that I would look human. Why?"

"I just remembered something Grandpa taught me!" she grinned. "Fox illusions don't show up in mirrors or pictures!"

"Huh?" Shippo thought about that for a moment before it hit him. "Oh yeah! That's right! But wait a minute, that happens in pictures too?"

"Now that you mention it," Sango scratched her chin. "Kagome's right. If a fox in disguise reflects in water, the illusion can't be seen. But would that work for a modern day picture?"

"Well," said Kagome as she set Shippo back on the ground. "A picture is a little bit like a reflection, so I guess it could work the same way. When we take pictures in America, we'll see how they come out."

"OH, NO!" Inu Yasha stopped immediately. "I am NOT taking any more pictures! I'd like to keep my soul, if you don't mind!"

"How many times do I have to tell you!?" Kagome scolded. "Cameras do not steal souls!"

"To the day I die, I will never, EVER have my picture taken again!" Inu Yasha crossed his arms tightly.

"They're just a way of preserving memories forever." Kagome tried reasoning once more. "Trust me, if your soul were being stolen, I wouldn't have let them take any pictures of us."

"Feh! See if I believe that!"

"OSUWARI!"

*CRASH!*

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The day finally arrived to head for America. Kagome and her family helped Inu Yasha and the others pack up and prepare for the trip. Needless to say, the feudal-age visitors were dumbfounded by all the luggage they'd have to be taking with them. Kagome grabbed the tickets and soon the group was out the door and on its way to the airport.

Getting through security was long and extensive. The airport personnel eyed Inu Yasha suspiciously, never having seen such unusual and silvery hair before. Shippo had been instructed to carry a lot of magic leaves with him since he would have to be turning himself into a human very often.

Miroku and Sango weren't without troubles of their own either. The monk was uneasy about stepping through the metal detectors because they wouldn't let him pass without taking off the metal rosary binding his cursed hand. Thankfully, Kagome had brought along some of her grandfather's anti-evil tags, which he used to contain the Air Rip temporarily as he passed through the metal detectors. Sango didn't fare much better, as the security personnel insisted that she hand over her giant boomerang. Luckily, Kagome saved the day by explaining that it was a harmless costume prop for an anime convention in the States.

"What's an anime convention?" Sango asked Kagome after they had left the intrusive personnel behind.

"It's a gathering where people go to celebrate and enjoy anime." Kagome tried explaining.

"What's anime?" Shippo popped into the conversation.

"Uh…well…" Kagome thought for a moment. "Uh… you remember how the TV back home had moving pictures on it?"

"Yeah," Sango and Shippo nodded.

"Well, the moving pictures with bright colors and weird-looking people and animals are called anime."

"Oh yeah! I remember those!" Shippo smiled. "There was a funny one on your TV about a boy that turned into a girl with cold water! So that's anime!"

"So these anime conventions are to celebrate the anime moving pictures?" Sango continued.

"Yeah," Kagome nodded. "But you don't just go there to watch anime. Merchants and storekeepers also go there to buy and sell statues and still pictures of anime characters. Some people that go even dress up like their favorite characters!"

"Wow!" cried Shippo. "Cool!"

"Feh!" Inu Yasha interrupted. "What a bunch of bakas! A boy turning into a girl with cold water? Ha! Whoever came up with that story oughtta create something worthwhile, like a story about demons!"

"Actually," Kagome thought for a moment. "I think the creator, Rumiko Takahashi, did do a story about demons, but I can't seem to remember the name of it…"

"Flight 17…" a voice announced over the intercom. "Flight 17 is now boarding."

"Where's that voice coming from?!" Inu Yasha cracked his knuckles and exposed his claws, ready for an attack.

"W-was that a-a ghost?" Shippo clung to Kagome tighter than a fungus to a tree. Nothing Kagome could do physically could pry the fox off of her.

"No! No, that's just the intercom!" she tried reassuring them. "Someone is using a machine to make his voice very loud so that everyone can hear what he has to say. There's no ghost here!"

"A-are you sure?" Sango still looked around nervously.

"I'm positive." Kagome gestured for them to calm down. "And by the way, Flight 17 is the plane we're taking, so let's get going!"

They boarded the plane without much of a fuss and settled in for the long ride. Until Kagome strapped him in, Shippo simply could not keep his paws to himself.

"Kagome, what are all those buttons for?" the fox demon pointed.

"They're for turning small lights on and off" Kagome explained. "And there's one that will call for the lady if we need anything."

"Uh… Kagome…" said Miroku as he stared out the window. "This 'air-plane' is quite big and looks extremely heavy. How is this thing capable of flying?"

"You'll see once it takes off." Kagome smiled.

Soon, the captain's voice came over the intercom and announced that they were ready for take off. Kagome couldn't help but laugh as her friends were amazed and startled by the loud roar of the engine. The plane started to move forward, and the two demons clung to the armrests for dear life. Frightened as he was, Miroku watched out the window to see just how this enormous metal bird took flight. He shut the shade quickly as he saw the ground fall away beneath them. Shippo and Inu Yasha were so terrified that their claws were literally unpryable from the armrests. Sango struggled not to panic in light of the situation. Kagome could only giggle.

Eventually, the group became accustomed to the atmosphere and settled down. Shippo was out like a light in no time. The flight attendants found the little boy adorable and gave him a blanket. A little later, they came around with refreshments, and the group helped themselves to the offered snacks.

"This is amazing, Kagome!" said Sango. "To be able to travel like this is beyond anything the Emperor could've ever done!"

"I guess it is kinda cool." said Kagome. "Even I'm impressed, and I've lived with this sort of thing all of my life!"

"Hey, Kagome." Inu Yasha said, snacking on some peanuts. "Do they serve any soup?"

"That's for later." Kagome replied. "It'll come with supper."

The dog demon only nodded his acknowledgement, then turned to look around and sweatdropped. Miroku was flirting with a young flight attendant, and just as he was about to give her his special greeting, Sango punched the perverted houshi in the back of the head.

Shippo woke up in time for supper. His keen little nose had picked up the smell of food and immediately made his stomach growl. Inu Yasha could smell the food too, and it was making him equally hungry as well. Soon, the food was brought to them and when they were through, there was hardly a crumb left.

A while later, Kagome noticed that Inu Yasha was squirming uncomfortably in his seat.

"What's wrong, Inu Yasha?" she asked.

"I have to pee." he replied quietly.

"That's no problem." Kagome glanced toward the back of the plane, then pointed. "There's a bathroom back there. You can go use it."

"Kagome," Sango whispered to her friend. "I have to go as well."

"Sure thing." Said Kagome. "The ladies' room is back there too. Just look for the door with the lady drawn on it." Sango got up and headed to where Kagome had instructed. As she approached, she heard shouting.

"What are you doing in the girl's room, you pervert!" yelled a lady to a startled Inu Yasha.

"What does it look like?" Inu Yasha pulled up his pants quickly.

"GET OUT OF THE GIRL'S ROOM!" yelled Sango and the lady together.

Back in her seat, Kagome heard the entire scenario and sweatdropped. This was going to be a VERY long trip…

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