FOREINGER by: OtakuSailorV
Chapter 3: Youkai At The Mall
'I'm home'. That's all Hikari could think about as she was standing in the old building that contained the well which had transported her to a distant time. I'm home, & they are here with me. She beamed down at the little girl who was holding her hand with an excited grip. "Is this the place that Hikari-sama lives?" Rin was gazing around at the ancient walls, smiling the whole time. "No Rin, this is the building that I was in when I fell through the well." She made a move toward the door, suddenly a thought struck her. How would they react to the things that lay outside of the building? She had better forewarn them. " Before we go out the door, I had better warn you. Things are a lot different here. There are things outside that may scare you so um.well everything is remotely harmless, so just stick with me & don't go wandering around. We can go shopping later." Hikari was content with the looks on their faces. Jaken looked a little frightened, normal, thought Hikari to herself. Rin was looking so eager she was about to bust, better hold onto her, don't want her walkin' off. Sesshoumaru looked cool & collected, as always, she wouldn't have to worry about him walkin' away. Hikari walked over to the door & put her hand in the groove. "My house isn't too far from here. We'll be able to walk to it." With a great deal of gusto she slid the door open. Rin was right by her side, Jaken stood to one side, while Sesshoumaru stood behind them all looking over Hikari's head. He had not noticed it before but she was about as tall as he. He was not used to women being close to his height. Hopefully she would grow no more. It would not bode well for the great demon of the western lands to be travelling with a human female that was as tall/taller than him & a good fighter. He heard Rin & Jaken gasp in amazement at the sight ahead. He himself was also a little shocked though he would never show it. Giant metal beasts rumbled down black streams that looked solid. Buildings that were taller than trees loomed over them. Hard rock floors were set along in a kind of path. People were everywhere. They were inside of the metal beasts. They were in the menacing buildings. They were even walking on the rock path & solid black streams. And none of them seemed to be bothered by it at all. Hikari walked out of the building with Rin not far behind. She motioned quietly to the two youkai to follow her. They walked behind her Sesshoumaru looking around taking in all the new sights & sounds & smells with interest. Jaken looking around for a forest or other youkai. Rin was looking everywhich way, skipping & humming to herself happily. People stared at the group of strange wanderers that were walking along idly to Hikari's home.
It did not take long for them to reach the building that Hikari claimed was hers. Just as she had told Rin in the story it was big & white.but what were those funny things that looked like water was over them? Could that be the strange mineral called glass? She had mentioned that to Rin when Rin wanted to know how her people received light in a large building that had its paths sealed. Sesshoumaru pondered this lightly as Hikari pulled a small metal object from her bag. She stuck it into a round metal thing that jutted out from the door. She held the metal cylinder & turned the key. A small 'click' issued from the metal cylinder. Hikari stood for a moment, then giving the round cylinder a turn she push hard against the door. Cold air zoomed out of the open causeway as the travelers walked into the house. Rin stood in the doorway, too overcome by happiness to move. Finally after what seemed like eternity to her she squealed & ran after Hikari. Sesshoumaru walked warily into the strange cool building. There was a definite smell of something familiar in the air of this house, Sesshoumaru could not quite put his claw on it though. This smell.it was.ugh! He couldn't remember! Jaken stumbled into the house with a loud 'thunk'. 'Why does Sesshoumaru-sama want to come here'? He thought to himself. There is nothing of importance here. The clattering of Hikari's keys interrupted Jaken's train of thought. She took a look around the house & moaned lightly: "At least he didn't destroy the house while I was gone." They all watched as she crossed the room & stood in the middle of the one next to it. "Hikaru! Come here boy!" She yelled when she stopped walking. They all stood in silence for a minute, then a barely audible scratching sound issued through the house. Suddenly a white fuzzball zoomed through the room & almost toppled Hikari over. The enormous white dog was barking happily & trying to lick his master to death as she struggled to push him down. "Down, Hikaru, down." She said pushing him away. The dog did as he was told, sitting at his master's side & looking at the new comers with great interest. Ah yes, dog, how could he forget dog? Sesshoumaru thought to himself. He knew that scent too well to have forgotten it so easily. Maybe it was the air in the future.hmmm. "Make yourselves at home." Hikari was saying. "We can go & check out the shops in a minute. I just wanted to check on Hikaru & check my messages." The toad youkai stumbled over to her. "What is this messages you speak of girl? I see no one to take your messages but this mutt." If Jaken thought he would get a look of defeat from the girl, he was horribly mistaken. She only giggled & walked over to a large white box. She picked it up & beckoned to Jaken to come over. Rin & Sesshoumaru watched as the small demon walked warily closer to the girl who was smiling at him. As he neared she bent down on one knee, holding out the box. The strange white object had several colored lights glowing on it. One was blinking red. The girl pressed a button as the small demon looked at the box. A voice protruded from the box "To hear messages press 1." "Gah!" Jaken jumped backward, bumping into Sesshoumaru's legs as he did so. Sesshoumaru was a little shocked by the talking box too. Rin walked over to the box. "Press 1 Hikari-sama." She said encouragingly. Hikari put the recorder back on the table next to the phone & pressed one. Several messages from her friends & family were all that had been collected so far. Rin was at her side the whole time asking: "Who's that? What is a movie? How do you use that thing Hikari-sama?" finally when she finished writing down who she would call later she turned to the two youkai who were investigating their surroundings. "Alright we had better get you guys ready." Sesshoumaru turned toward her & gave her a questioning glance. "What do you mean get us ready?!" Jaken was waving his staff around, trying to get her attention. "Well you can't go dressed like that!" Hikari said. She beckoned to Rin to stand in the middle of the floor. "Alright Rin, all you need is a pair of socks & shoes." Rin gave her a confused look. "Hold on I'll be right back." Hikari disappeared behind a door. She was back moments later carrying a pair of socks & some cute pink shoes. "My little sister is about your age so these should fit." Hikari helped Rin slip them on. Rin walked around in the shoes & declared triumphantly that they fit. "Where are your family Hikari?" Sesshoumaru's cool voice shocked. "Oh, I forgot! They take a trip every year back to the country that we used to live in. I didn't feel like going this year, so I stayed here to watch the house." Sesshoumaru looked down at her for a moment then asked: "I do not require any of your strange garbs." Jaken nodded his approval of his master's choice. "No, no you don't." Sesshoumaru's head whipped back to look at her. Her hand was on her chin, she was looking him up & down. "You'll have to leave your swords here though." Jaken was enraged. "WHAT?! You dare to give orders to Lord Sesshoumaru?!" Hikari gave him an evil glare. "This is the present! You can't go walking around with swords! It's dangerous! You could get picked up by the cops, & that is the last thing we want!" Jaken looked like he might pass out at any moment. That was a good bit of yelling that she had done. "Is it really so dangerous that I need to remove my swords?" Sesshoumaru was looking at her with that unchanging blank expression. "Hai, if the cops caught you with them, well they would want to know where your from." "And this is a bad thing? Why would you not tell them the truth?" Hikari gave him a sad look. Oh no, was the girl going to cry? What was there to cry about? "Well if we did tell them the truth then they would think we were crazy & want to take us to a mental home. Oh, uh, that's a place that they put crazy people. So you see we would need to leave your weapons here. Jakens staff too." The girl was looking at the floor now. I'd better do as she says I don't want her to cry. Sesshoumaru pulled the two swords from his belt. With a swift movement he had them in front of her. With a small smile she took them carefully from him. "Thank you Sesshoumaru-sama." She whispered. He watched as she put the swords carefully down on the small coffee table. Jaken looked up at his lord who motioned that he do the same. Jaken sighed then handed the old staff to the girl who took it & put it down in the same manner. Rin was being licked to death by Hikaru & was unaware that they were about to leave. If only Jaken would put some shoes on. "No, I will not wear those horrible things!" Jaken was proclaiming. A simple glance at his lord told him that he had no choice. "Fine, I will wear the things." Jaken said hanging his head in defeat. Hikari made a mental note right then that she would do something special for Jaken. "Alright I think we can go now. Is everyone ready?" Rin stood up from petting the dog & cried "Hai!" at the top of her voice. "Oh wait! I almost forgot!" Hikari dug under a mound of mail & finally pulling her hand out pocketed a small wallet. "We'll need to go to the ATM machine first though." Hikari moved over toward the door & was about to open it when Sesshoumaru asked coolly: "How are we going to get around?" Hikari beamed at him: "I got us covered." Then she thrust the door open. "Follow me she said & marched out the door. The door locked behind them with a satisfying 'click'. They all stood as a large door was being pulled up to reveal one of they huge metallic monsters that they had seen earlier.
"Well, climb in." Hikari said motioning to the creature. None of them moved. What did this girl mean 'climb in'? Hikari noticed that she would have to demonstrate. "Here, like this." She said & opened the driver's side. Carefully she sat down & buckled up. "It's OK, it won't eat you. It's not alive." She reassured them from her open window. Sesshoumaru drew up his courage & walked toward the beast. When he got to the passenger's side he stopped staring at the door. "Open." He commanded. The car sat there, it didn't even budge. "You dare defy Sesshoumaru?" He asked & raised his hand to strike. Suddenly Hikari was between him & the car. She was laughing hard as she opened the door for him. "You. open it. like this." She said through gasps for air as she hugged her sides. He sat down inside as Rin & Jaken walked over nervously. Hikari helped them into their seats, buckling them in. With another giggle she returned to her seat. She looked over at Sesshoumaru who was giving her a confused look. "Oh, Sesshoumaru-sama, you have to buckle up too." She said as she leaned over & grabbed for his seat belt. She snapped the two parts together quietly, then with a smile started the engine. The passengers all jumped, to Hikari's great delight. She reassured them again that the car was not alive & that it wouldn't move if she didn't turn it on like that. She pulled carefully out of the driveway & was heading down the street when Rin looked out the window. She tried desperately to get her arm out but the path was blocked by an invisible forcefeild. A rather solid one at that. "Hikari-sama.I think we is trapped in here." Rin was sounding like she was going to panic. "It's OK Rin, that's just the glass that is around the windows. We're not trapped." As she was speaking she pulled over to the nearest bank. She went over to a machine that the youkai & little girl had never seen before. She pulled out a small plastic card & pushed it into the machine. "Woman, why are all these 'cars' lined up on the side of this building?" Jaken demanded in a haughty tone. Hikari turned to him after punching in some numbers & receiving some strange colored papers from the machine. "This is a bank. People put money in here & then take it out later." Jaken snorted indignantly. Humans did the strangest things he thought quietly. The next couple of minutes the group continued to ask Hikari questions about what life was like in the future. Sesshoumaru even ask several questions, which Hikari thought that he wouldn't.
Finally they reached their destination. A large building loomed ahead. "This is a mall." Hikari explained. "We can shop here for all kinds of stuff. Clothes, toys, shoes, books, anything." She told them of the different things that could be found as she parked. Rin had a bit of a hard time getting unhooked, but not as hard as Jaken who almost choked himself with the seat belt. Sesshoumaru had learned from watching Hikari how to undo his. Rin looked as if she were about to explode with excitement. They all began to walk toward the doors of the building. It was hot outside, & Hikari assured them that there was air conditioning inside the building. (Of course she had to explain that too.) Sesshoumaru looked around himself slowly as if examining the interior of each car. The great doors of the mall loomed over them as the walked in. Sure enough a great gust of cold air hit them as Hikari opened the doors.
The mall was packed with people. Sesshoumaru, Jaken, & Rin had never seen so many humans gathered together in one place before. Several had stopped to look at them as they had walked in. Now Sesshoumaru understood why Hikari was so intent on leaving his swords & Jaken's staff behind. Rin was holding tight to his robes. He noticed that she had a huge smile on her face. It was rare to catch her without one. Hikari led the way to a store that was full of human pups that were Rin's age & older. Some even looked as if they were younger than Rin! Hikari explained that this shop was a toy store, & toy stores sold items for young children. Jaken wasn't so intent on going in, but Rin was able to pull him in with little effort. Hikari pointed out various isles to the child. "Here in this isle are action figures. In this isle are board games, & puzzles. This isle contains something I think you'll be a bit more interested in, dolls." Rin looked down the narrow way that was a permanent color of pink. She beamed & ran down the isle. Sesshoumaru & Jaken were looking at something that Hikari called video games. She had mentioned that she owned several consoles, & had pointed out the racks that held games that were compatible with her consoles. The game that she had been showing Sesshoumaru was called 'Dynasty Warriors 4', "I think you might enjoy this one." She had said putting it in his hands. The game she had showed Jaken was called 'Frogger'. To her great shock Jaken was actually interested. She had thought he would either say that he had no use for this filthy human device, or that he would take it offensively. In the pink isle, Rin was holding a soft doll. Examining it over & over. "Do you like it?" Hikari asked from behind her. "Hai, Hikari-sama. It is beautiful." Rin breathed. Hikari smiled. "Would you like that doll Rin-chan?" Rin looked at her in disbelief. "Hai, Hikari-sama!" "Well then come along, we have to pay for it. Sesshoumaru & Jaken are getting something too." Rin walked happily beside Hikari all the way out of the store.
When they reached the outside of the store Hikari turned to them all & smiled. "Now, where would you like to go? A clothing store? An electronics store? A book store? Do tell for I do not know what you wish to see." Sesshoumaru was quite impressed with the way she was speaking. More formal than how she usually talked, always using her common 'slang' that she was used to referring to with her friends. Sesshoumaru took this time to glance around the building. A few people were staring at them. Hikari seemed to notice the same thing, but either did not care or was meaning for this all to cause a disturbance. His eyes fell on a long black haired girl who, with a posse of other foolish female mortals, seemed to be staring at him with great interest. Hikari noticed his gaze & followed it to the girls. "Oh no." She gasped as she picked up Rin & Jaken in her arms in one swoop, & was also able to grab a hold of Sesshoumaru's hand.
Sesshoumaru looked down at the girl who was dragging him at top speed through a building full of humans. Rin was enjoying the ride as she hugged her new doll close. Jaken on the other hand was protesting quite loudly, despite the shushing that Hikari was shooting his way. She finally stopped at a large black couch & ducked behind it, pulling her friends behind her. She waited out of breath behind the couch. Sesshoumaru could tell that the girl needed to rest before he could interrogate her about her odd behavior. He shushed Jaken who was about to say something. Rin was sitting by him with a worried look on her face. He watched the girl as she peeked from behind the couch cautiously. Not but two seconds later the black haired girl & her entourage speeded by. They stopped not to far from where they were hiding. He could she Hikari stiffen her muscles, her breath was shallow, her eyes were wide. "They can't have gone far." The girl with black hair declared. Another girl with shorter black hair spoke. "I don't know Megumi. Hikari is pretty fast. She could be out the doors & driving home by now." Megumi froze. She obviously hadn't thought of that. She looked pale faced toward the doors. They were swinging idly, as if someone had just left through them. "Quickly, we must get to her house immediately!" Megumi was heading toward the doors, the other girls not far behind. Hikari relaxed, smiling at the girl's back. They were going to her house, they weren't going to find them in the mall. She & her friends could continue shopping. She would take care of Megumi when she got home.
"Why were you so afraid of that girl?" Sesshoumaru inquired her behind the couch. Hikari was so happy she was gone that she hadn't told them why she had fled. "That girl is bad news Sesshoumaru-sama. She's a total sleaze & wouldn't have left you alone." Sesshoumaru suddenly remembered how the girl had ogled at him. Was this girl trying to protect him? Why? Surely she could handle this girl if she was an opponent, & if she couldn't, he would take care of her. "What does it matter? She is going to your home. She could cause more trouble there." 'True, true, but the stupid bitch is scared to death of my dog. She wouldn't dare try to get in. She'll just wait outside for me. Then when I arrive she will challenge me for you." Sesshoumaru was astounded. Challenge Hikari.for him? Surely he had heard wrong. This girl acted like it was natural. Was this how girls in this time won the heart of a male.in a competition? "Why would she challenge you for me?" He asked her. Their eyes met. "She obviously thought that we were a couple, decided that she didn't want me to have you, then was deciding how to get you to go out with her instead. She does that with every cute boy that she sees with another girl. She's like ballistic er somethin'. She can't stand the thought of any guy going out with a different girl than her. Anyway now that she knows that I'm aware of what she's after, she'll want to fight me. Unfortunately for her, she's never fought me before. Otherwise she wouldn't come near me." Hikari stood, looking around to make sure that the coast was clear. Why was Sesshoumaru giving her that look? She had not claimed to have saved his life. She was just trying to avoid an incident in the middle of a mall. "Can I speak to you alone for a minute Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken was looking at her suspiciously. She motioned that he & Rin should sit on the couch. Then she moved across the isle toward a pillar with Sesshoumaru not far behind. When he was standing across from her she looked at him in the eyes so he would know she wasn't lying. "Listen when I get home I want you to take Rin into the house. I'll let you in. This girl.she's.a real pain.I think it might get kinda violent for her. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable right then. I was anxious to get outta there. She was going to come down & start a face off in the middle of the mall. I thought that would make you uncomfortable, so I.didn't think.& grabbed your hand. Oh, & for mentioning that Megumi thought we were a couple. She probably really did though. Sorry." Her voice dropped with her eyes. She was suddenly really interested in the tile floor. "It's alright, I wasn't offended. I just wanted to know why that girl was so frightening to you." Hikari smiled, he wasn't offended? Good, she had not meant to. "Lets go, we can hit the rest of the stores get a cookie, or ice cream, rent a movie, & head back to my place." She was so excited now. They were going to be free of Megumi for a while at least.
Jaken refused to buy any clothes, except for the bathing suit that Hikari had forced him to try on. Then she found a cute one for Rin who was having one of the best times of her life. Sesshoumaru wouldn't allow any of them to view him after he tried on his. Hikari was hoping that it actually fit & that it wasn't too small for him. He handed it to her. "It fits." Was all he said as he walked toward the exit of the men's department. She was stunned that he would even agree to wear it in public. She wanted Rin to see the ocean, or at least a pool. That was all Hikari said that they would need for now. Sesshoumaru glanced around the rest of the store, nope no youkai anywhere. How had this girl come to be so strong? He pushed that thought from his mind. The girl was here to show them a good time in the future, & then it would be back to the Sengoku Jidai, through the well.
Well that's it for chapter three. I've been planning to make this just one of many parts to this story. Oh, that reminds me. Yes you will see/hear about the rest of the IY gang later. No, not in the next 2-3 chapters, but yes later. Believe me I couldn't make my first ever fanfic without Inuyasha or Miroku in it! Just ain't possible! Megumi is one of the characters that I had the most fun creating. I hope you like her too! I based her on the attitudes the girl's in my 8th grade class have. I guess that's why I laughed when I first pieced her together. The way I thought of her she reminded me of several of them & had to laugh because it was so much like them. ^_^
Here's a little clue in for ya! I really appreciate people R & R-ing but please be nice about it. Even if you don't like it please be nice in your reviews, I hate you people that are being so blunt! Thank you to all the nice people though, the ones who didn't make fun of me & laugh. Then again, maybe the people who were writing about how much they hate my work are just drunk or unhappy about something & taking out their anger on me? No, I don't think so either. Anyway, please be nicer, I don't like reading nasty things when I don't know what your name is so I can't throttle you for being rude. With that said. Thanks for understanding! -OtakuSailorV ;)
Chapter 3: Youkai At The Mall
'I'm home'. That's all Hikari could think about as she was standing in the old building that contained the well which had transported her to a distant time. I'm home, & they are here with me. She beamed down at the little girl who was holding her hand with an excited grip. "Is this the place that Hikari-sama lives?" Rin was gazing around at the ancient walls, smiling the whole time. "No Rin, this is the building that I was in when I fell through the well." She made a move toward the door, suddenly a thought struck her. How would they react to the things that lay outside of the building? She had better forewarn them. " Before we go out the door, I had better warn you. Things are a lot different here. There are things outside that may scare you so um.well everything is remotely harmless, so just stick with me & don't go wandering around. We can go shopping later." Hikari was content with the looks on their faces. Jaken looked a little frightened, normal, thought Hikari to herself. Rin was looking so eager she was about to bust, better hold onto her, don't want her walkin' off. Sesshoumaru looked cool & collected, as always, she wouldn't have to worry about him walkin' away. Hikari walked over to the door & put her hand in the groove. "My house isn't too far from here. We'll be able to walk to it." With a great deal of gusto she slid the door open. Rin was right by her side, Jaken stood to one side, while Sesshoumaru stood behind them all looking over Hikari's head. He had not noticed it before but she was about as tall as he. He was not used to women being close to his height. Hopefully she would grow no more. It would not bode well for the great demon of the western lands to be travelling with a human female that was as tall/taller than him & a good fighter. He heard Rin & Jaken gasp in amazement at the sight ahead. He himself was also a little shocked though he would never show it. Giant metal beasts rumbled down black streams that looked solid. Buildings that were taller than trees loomed over them. Hard rock floors were set along in a kind of path. People were everywhere. They were inside of the metal beasts. They were in the menacing buildings. They were even walking on the rock path & solid black streams. And none of them seemed to be bothered by it at all. Hikari walked out of the building with Rin not far behind. She motioned quietly to the two youkai to follow her. They walked behind her Sesshoumaru looking around taking in all the new sights & sounds & smells with interest. Jaken looking around for a forest or other youkai. Rin was looking everywhich way, skipping & humming to herself happily. People stared at the group of strange wanderers that were walking along idly to Hikari's home.
It did not take long for them to reach the building that Hikari claimed was hers. Just as she had told Rin in the story it was big & white.but what were those funny things that looked like water was over them? Could that be the strange mineral called glass? She had mentioned that to Rin when Rin wanted to know how her people received light in a large building that had its paths sealed. Sesshoumaru pondered this lightly as Hikari pulled a small metal object from her bag. She stuck it into a round metal thing that jutted out from the door. She held the metal cylinder & turned the key. A small 'click' issued from the metal cylinder. Hikari stood for a moment, then giving the round cylinder a turn she push hard against the door. Cold air zoomed out of the open causeway as the travelers walked into the house. Rin stood in the doorway, too overcome by happiness to move. Finally after what seemed like eternity to her she squealed & ran after Hikari. Sesshoumaru walked warily into the strange cool building. There was a definite smell of something familiar in the air of this house, Sesshoumaru could not quite put his claw on it though. This smell.it was.ugh! He couldn't remember! Jaken stumbled into the house with a loud 'thunk'. 'Why does Sesshoumaru-sama want to come here'? He thought to himself. There is nothing of importance here. The clattering of Hikari's keys interrupted Jaken's train of thought. She took a look around the house & moaned lightly: "At least he didn't destroy the house while I was gone." They all watched as she crossed the room & stood in the middle of the one next to it. "Hikaru! Come here boy!" She yelled when she stopped walking. They all stood in silence for a minute, then a barely audible scratching sound issued through the house. Suddenly a white fuzzball zoomed through the room & almost toppled Hikari over. The enormous white dog was barking happily & trying to lick his master to death as she struggled to push him down. "Down, Hikaru, down." She said pushing him away. The dog did as he was told, sitting at his master's side & looking at the new comers with great interest. Ah yes, dog, how could he forget dog? Sesshoumaru thought to himself. He knew that scent too well to have forgotten it so easily. Maybe it was the air in the future.hmmm. "Make yourselves at home." Hikari was saying. "We can go & check out the shops in a minute. I just wanted to check on Hikaru & check my messages." The toad youkai stumbled over to her. "What is this messages you speak of girl? I see no one to take your messages but this mutt." If Jaken thought he would get a look of defeat from the girl, he was horribly mistaken. She only giggled & walked over to a large white box. She picked it up & beckoned to Jaken to come over. Rin & Sesshoumaru watched as the small demon walked warily closer to the girl who was smiling at him. As he neared she bent down on one knee, holding out the box. The strange white object had several colored lights glowing on it. One was blinking red. The girl pressed a button as the small demon looked at the box. A voice protruded from the box "To hear messages press 1." "Gah!" Jaken jumped backward, bumping into Sesshoumaru's legs as he did so. Sesshoumaru was a little shocked by the talking box too. Rin walked over to the box. "Press 1 Hikari-sama." She said encouragingly. Hikari put the recorder back on the table next to the phone & pressed one. Several messages from her friends & family were all that had been collected so far. Rin was at her side the whole time asking: "Who's that? What is a movie? How do you use that thing Hikari-sama?" finally when she finished writing down who she would call later she turned to the two youkai who were investigating their surroundings. "Alright we had better get you guys ready." Sesshoumaru turned toward her & gave her a questioning glance. "What do you mean get us ready?!" Jaken was waving his staff around, trying to get her attention. "Well you can't go dressed like that!" Hikari said. She beckoned to Rin to stand in the middle of the floor. "Alright Rin, all you need is a pair of socks & shoes." Rin gave her a confused look. "Hold on I'll be right back." Hikari disappeared behind a door. She was back moments later carrying a pair of socks & some cute pink shoes. "My little sister is about your age so these should fit." Hikari helped Rin slip them on. Rin walked around in the shoes & declared triumphantly that they fit. "Where are your family Hikari?" Sesshoumaru's cool voice shocked. "Oh, I forgot! They take a trip every year back to the country that we used to live in. I didn't feel like going this year, so I stayed here to watch the house." Sesshoumaru looked down at her for a moment then asked: "I do not require any of your strange garbs." Jaken nodded his approval of his master's choice. "No, no you don't." Sesshoumaru's head whipped back to look at her. Her hand was on her chin, she was looking him up & down. "You'll have to leave your swords here though." Jaken was enraged. "WHAT?! You dare to give orders to Lord Sesshoumaru?!" Hikari gave him an evil glare. "This is the present! You can't go walking around with swords! It's dangerous! You could get picked up by the cops, & that is the last thing we want!" Jaken looked like he might pass out at any moment. That was a good bit of yelling that she had done. "Is it really so dangerous that I need to remove my swords?" Sesshoumaru was looking at her with that unchanging blank expression. "Hai, if the cops caught you with them, well they would want to know where your from." "And this is a bad thing? Why would you not tell them the truth?" Hikari gave him a sad look. Oh no, was the girl going to cry? What was there to cry about? "Well if we did tell them the truth then they would think we were crazy & want to take us to a mental home. Oh, uh, that's a place that they put crazy people. So you see we would need to leave your weapons here. Jakens staff too." The girl was looking at the floor now. I'd better do as she says I don't want her to cry. Sesshoumaru pulled the two swords from his belt. With a swift movement he had them in front of her. With a small smile she took them carefully from him. "Thank you Sesshoumaru-sama." She whispered. He watched as she put the swords carefully down on the small coffee table. Jaken looked up at his lord who motioned that he do the same. Jaken sighed then handed the old staff to the girl who took it & put it down in the same manner. Rin was being licked to death by Hikaru & was unaware that they were about to leave. If only Jaken would put some shoes on. "No, I will not wear those horrible things!" Jaken was proclaiming. A simple glance at his lord told him that he had no choice. "Fine, I will wear the things." Jaken said hanging his head in defeat. Hikari made a mental note right then that she would do something special for Jaken. "Alright I think we can go now. Is everyone ready?" Rin stood up from petting the dog & cried "Hai!" at the top of her voice. "Oh wait! I almost forgot!" Hikari dug under a mound of mail & finally pulling her hand out pocketed a small wallet. "We'll need to go to the ATM machine first though." Hikari moved over toward the door & was about to open it when Sesshoumaru asked coolly: "How are we going to get around?" Hikari beamed at him: "I got us covered." Then she thrust the door open. "Follow me she said & marched out the door. The door locked behind them with a satisfying 'click'. They all stood as a large door was being pulled up to reveal one of they huge metallic monsters that they had seen earlier.
"Well, climb in." Hikari said motioning to the creature. None of them moved. What did this girl mean 'climb in'? Hikari noticed that she would have to demonstrate. "Here, like this." She said & opened the driver's side. Carefully she sat down & buckled up. "It's OK, it won't eat you. It's not alive." She reassured them from her open window. Sesshoumaru drew up his courage & walked toward the beast. When he got to the passenger's side he stopped staring at the door. "Open." He commanded. The car sat there, it didn't even budge. "You dare defy Sesshoumaru?" He asked & raised his hand to strike. Suddenly Hikari was between him & the car. She was laughing hard as she opened the door for him. "You. open it. like this." She said through gasps for air as she hugged her sides. He sat down inside as Rin & Jaken walked over nervously. Hikari helped them into their seats, buckling them in. With another giggle she returned to her seat. She looked over at Sesshoumaru who was giving her a confused look. "Oh, Sesshoumaru-sama, you have to buckle up too." She said as she leaned over & grabbed for his seat belt. She snapped the two parts together quietly, then with a smile started the engine. The passengers all jumped, to Hikari's great delight. She reassured them again that the car was not alive & that it wouldn't move if she didn't turn it on like that. She pulled carefully out of the driveway & was heading down the street when Rin looked out the window. She tried desperately to get her arm out but the path was blocked by an invisible forcefeild. A rather solid one at that. "Hikari-sama.I think we is trapped in here." Rin was sounding like she was going to panic. "It's OK Rin, that's just the glass that is around the windows. We're not trapped." As she was speaking she pulled over to the nearest bank. She went over to a machine that the youkai & little girl had never seen before. She pulled out a small plastic card & pushed it into the machine. "Woman, why are all these 'cars' lined up on the side of this building?" Jaken demanded in a haughty tone. Hikari turned to him after punching in some numbers & receiving some strange colored papers from the machine. "This is a bank. People put money in here & then take it out later." Jaken snorted indignantly. Humans did the strangest things he thought quietly. The next couple of minutes the group continued to ask Hikari questions about what life was like in the future. Sesshoumaru even ask several questions, which Hikari thought that he wouldn't.
Finally they reached their destination. A large building loomed ahead. "This is a mall." Hikari explained. "We can shop here for all kinds of stuff. Clothes, toys, shoes, books, anything." She told them of the different things that could be found as she parked. Rin had a bit of a hard time getting unhooked, but not as hard as Jaken who almost choked himself with the seat belt. Sesshoumaru had learned from watching Hikari how to undo his. Rin looked as if she were about to explode with excitement. They all began to walk toward the doors of the building. It was hot outside, & Hikari assured them that there was air conditioning inside the building. (Of course she had to explain that too.) Sesshoumaru looked around himself slowly as if examining the interior of each car. The great doors of the mall loomed over them as the walked in. Sure enough a great gust of cold air hit them as Hikari opened the doors.
The mall was packed with people. Sesshoumaru, Jaken, & Rin had never seen so many humans gathered together in one place before. Several had stopped to look at them as they had walked in. Now Sesshoumaru understood why Hikari was so intent on leaving his swords & Jaken's staff behind. Rin was holding tight to his robes. He noticed that she had a huge smile on her face. It was rare to catch her without one. Hikari led the way to a store that was full of human pups that were Rin's age & older. Some even looked as if they were younger than Rin! Hikari explained that this shop was a toy store, & toy stores sold items for young children. Jaken wasn't so intent on going in, but Rin was able to pull him in with little effort. Hikari pointed out various isles to the child. "Here in this isle are action figures. In this isle are board games, & puzzles. This isle contains something I think you'll be a bit more interested in, dolls." Rin looked down the narrow way that was a permanent color of pink. She beamed & ran down the isle. Sesshoumaru & Jaken were looking at something that Hikari called video games. She had mentioned that she owned several consoles, & had pointed out the racks that held games that were compatible with her consoles. The game that she had been showing Sesshoumaru was called 'Dynasty Warriors 4', "I think you might enjoy this one." She had said putting it in his hands. The game she had showed Jaken was called 'Frogger'. To her great shock Jaken was actually interested. She had thought he would either say that he had no use for this filthy human device, or that he would take it offensively. In the pink isle, Rin was holding a soft doll. Examining it over & over. "Do you like it?" Hikari asked from behind her. "Hai, Hikari-sama. It is beautiful." Rin breathed. Hikari smiled. "Would you like that doll Rin-chan?" Rin looked at her in disbelief. "Hai, Hikari-sama!" "Well then come along, we have to pay for it. Sesshoumaru & Jaken are getting something too." Rin walked happily beside Hikari all the way out of the store.
When they reached the outside of the store Hikari turned to them all & smiled. "Now, where would you like to go? A clothing store? An electronics store? A book store? Do tell for I do not know what you wish to see." Sesshoumaru was quite impressed with the way she was speaking. More formal than how she usually talked, always using her common 'slang' that she was used to referring to with her friends. Sesshoumaru took this time to glance around the building. A few people were staring at them. Hikari seemed to notice the same thing, but either did not care or was meaning for this all to cause a disturbance. His eyes fell on a long black haired girl who, with a posse of other foolish female mortals, seemed to be staring at him with great interest. Hikari noticed his gaze & followed it to the girls. "Oh no." She gasped as she picked up Rin & Jaken in her arms in one swoop, & was also able to grab a hold of Sesshoumaru's hand.
Sesshoumaru looked down at the girl who was dragging him at top speed through a building full of humans. Rin was enjoying the ride as she hugged her new doll close. Jaken on the other hand was protesting quite loudly, despite the shushing that Hikari was shooting his way. She finally stopped at a large black couch & ducked behind it, pulling her friends behind her. She waited out of breath behind the couch. Sesshoumaru could tell that the girl needed to rest before he could interrogate her about her odd behavior. He shushed Jaken who was about to say something. Rin was sitting by him with a worried look on her face. He watched the girl as she peeked from behind the couch cautiously. Not but two seconds later the black haired girl & her entourage speeded by. They stopped not to far from where they were hiding. He could she Hikari stiffen her muscles, her breath was shallow, her eyes were wide. "They can't have gone far." The girl with black hair declared. Another girl with shorter black hair spoke. "I don't know Megumi. Hikari is pretty fast. She could be out the doors & driving home by now." Megumi froze. She obviously hadn't thought of that. She looked pale faced toward the doors. They were swinging idly, as if someone had just left through them. "Quickly, we must get to her house immediately!" Megumi was heading toward the doors, the other girls not far behind. Hikari relaxed, smiling at the girl's back. They were going to her house, they weren't going to find them in the mall. She & her friends could continue shopping. She would take care of Megumi when she got home.
"Why were you so afraid of that girl?" Sesshoumaru inquired her behind the couch. Hikari was so happy she was gone that she hadn't told them why she had fled. "That girl is bad news Sesshoumaru-sama. She's a total sleaze & wouldn't have left you alone." Sesshoumaru suddenly remembered how the girl had ogled at him. Was this girl trying to protect him? Why? Surely she could handle this girl if she was an opponent, & if she couldn't, he would take care of her. "What does it matter? She is going to your home. She could cause more trouble there." 'True, true, but the stupid bitch is scared to death of my dog. She wouldn't dare try to get in. She'll just wait outside for me. Then when I arrive she will challenge me for you." Sesshoumaru was astounded. Challenge Hikari.for him? Surely he had heard wrong. This girl acted like it was natural. Was this how girls in this time won the heart of a male.in a competition? "Why would she challenge you for me?" He asked her. Their eyes met. "She obviously thought that we were a couple, decided that she didn't want me to have you, then was deciding how to get you to go out with her instead. She does that with every cute boy that she sees with another girl. She's like ballistic er somethin'. She can't stand the thought of any guy going out with a different girl than her. Anyway now that she knows that I'm aware of what she's after, she'll want to fight me. Unfortunately for her, she's never fought me before. Otherwise she wouldn't come near me." Hikari stood, looking around to make sure that the coast was clear. Why was Sesshoumaru giving her that look? She had not claimed to have saved his life. She was just trying to avoid an incident in the middle of a mall. "Can I speak to you alone for a minute Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken was looking at her suspiciously. She motioned that he & Rin should sit on the couch. Then she moved across the isle toward a pillar with Sesshoumaru not far behind. When he was standing across from her she looked at him in the eyes so he would know she wasn't lying. "Listen when I get home I want you to take Rin into the house. I'll let you in. This girl.she's.a real pain.I think it might get kinda violent for her. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable right then. I was anxious to get outta there. She was going to come down & start a face off in the middle of the mall. I thought that would make you uncomfortable, so I.didn't think.& grabbed your hand. Oh, & for mentioning that Megumi thought we were a couple. She probably really did though. Sorry." Her voice dropped with her eyes. She was suddenly really interested in the tile floor. "It's alright, I wasn't offended. I just wanted to know why that girl was so frightening to you." Hikari smiled, he wasn't offended? Good, she had not meant to. "Lets go, we can hit the rest of the stores get a cookie, or ice cream, rent a movie, & head back to my place." She was so excited now. They were going to be free of Megumi for a while at least.
Jaken refused to buy any clothes, except for the bathing suit that Hikari had forced him to try on. Then she found a cute one for Rin who was having one of the best times of her life. Sesshoumaru wouldn't allow any of them to view him after he tried on his. Hikari was hoping that it actually fit & that it wasn't too small for him. He handed it to her. "It fits." Was all he said as he walked toward the exit of the men's department. She was stunned that he would even agree to wear it in public. She wanted Rin to see the ocean, or at least a pool. That was all Hikari said that they would need for now. Sesshoumaru glanced around the rest of the store, nope no youkai anywhere. How had this girl come to be so strong? He pushed that thought from his mind. The girl was here to show them a good time in the future, & then it would be back to the Sengoku Jidai, through the well.
Well that's it for chapter three. I've been planning to make this just one of many parts to this story. Oh, that reminds me. Yes you will see/hear about the rest of the IY gang later. No, not in the next 2-3 chapters, but yes later. Believe me I couldn't make my first ever fanfic without Inuyasha or Miroku in it! Just ain't possible! Megumi is one of the characters that I had the most fun creating. I hope you like her too! I based her on the attitudes the girl's in my 8th grade class have. I guess that's why I laughed when I first pieced her together. The way I thought of her she reminded me of several of them & had to laugh because it was so much like them. ^_^
Here's a little clue in for ya! I really appreciate people R & R-ing but please be nice about it. Even if you don't like it please be nice in your reviews, I hate you people that are being so blunt! Thank you to all the nice people though, the ones who didn't make fun of me & laugh. Then again, maybe the people who were writing about how much they hate my work are just drunk or unhappy about something & taking out their anger on me? No, I don't think so either. Anyway, please be nicer, I don't like reading nasty things when I don't know what your name is so I can't throttle you for being rude. With that said. Thanks for understanding! -OtakuSailorV ;)