Yugana Kashi

By Sakura Takanouchi

Disclaimer: Even if I told you I didn't own YYH, you probably wouldn't believe me. Problem solved. Next lawsuit!

Chapter Four: Some Experiences are Made to Last Forever

"Please make sure that your tray table is stowed and your seatbelt is fastened as flight 235 with non-stop service to Tokyo comes to a close. We thank you for flying with us, and have a nice day," the cheerful flight attendant said as the plane touched the runway.

"Uhhhhgh," Kateri groaned. "I've got an enormous headache. I wonder where—oh, we've arrived!" Kateri's headache vanished as she twisted about excitedly in her chair. The plane slowly moved towards the gate and stopped. Kateri removed her seatbelt and jumped up excitedly. "I can't believe it, I'm finally here!"

As she entered the terminal, her excitement built up even more. People were going here and there, chatting to each other and smiling. Everyone seemed content with his or her life. There was also a lot of shops that seemed to draw her in. To her surprise, one store was the English equivalent of a newspaper and candy store, and they even sold some manga!

After a quick trip to the bathroom, Kateri sat on one of the chairs positioned randomly thorough the airport, and went through her backpack. For once, she was glad she was born in Japan. No one paid her any notice. She blended in because she looked like everyone else.

After several minutes of rummaging, she found what she was looking for; the phone book Toshi had given her. She leafed through it until she found one name that she recognized, and lived in Tokyo. She went to the nearest phone (that wasn't in use) and dialed the number for her grandparent's house. She heard ringing, and then someone picked up the phone. A woman's voice was heard.

"Moshi Moshi Atashi wa Kizuchi Miwa. Onamae wa?" the voice said.

"Uh…Moshi Moshi… atashi wa.. Miwa Kateri," Kateri stumbled through the introduction.

"Kateri? Mago? Ogenki desu ka?" Her grandmother's voice seemed happy that she was calling.

"Uh…hai. Eigo ga wakarimasu ka?" Kateri asked, hoping she could stop making a mockery of the Japanese language.

"Hai. How are you, child?" Kizuchi asked.

"I'm going great, grandmother, but I have a favor. I'm calling to you from an airport in Tokyo," Kateri explained.

"You're visiting us? That's wonderful! Do you want me to come and get you?" KIzuchi seemed to know exactly what Kateri wanted.

"Hai! Domo Arigatou!" Kateri said happily, for she had finally found a phrase that she could say without bumbling.

"Do itashimashite," Kizuchi answered. "I'll be at the airport in about fifteen minutes. Sayonara."

"Sayonara, oba-san," Kateri said, and then hung up. She went back to her seat, and got out her handy book of Everyday Japanese. (It's what I'm using right now to make Kateri's experience seem more… realistic)

Fifteen minutes later, Kateri had mastered some simple sentences, and Ayao was due any minute. She heard a voice from behind her.

"Kateri-chan?" the voice said. Kateri turned around. The face was almost exactly as she remembered, just with more wrinkles. "Oba-san!" Kateri said, and ran up to her grandmother to give her a hug.

"Let's go to my house now," KIzuchi said. "Oh my… is that all you brought? We'll have to go shopping later to get you some new clothes. How long will you be staying?"

"I'll tell you all of the details when we get home," Kateri said as they left the airport.

The taxi ride home was pleasant and enjoyable, and Kateri hardly had time for talk, but listened attentively as she stared at the window. She loved everything she saw, and was so exited to be in a new place, especially one where everything was so fresh and exciting.

"Shujin!" Kizuchi called as they entered her house. "Kanai?" A voice was heard. An old man appeared from the neighboring room.

"Ojisan?" Kateri asked excitedly, completely forgetting about etiquette and being introduced. "Atashi wa Miwa Kateri, omagosan."

"She's visiting with us from America," KIzuchi filled in.

"That's wonderful!" Her grandfather said. "Let me fix up a cup of tea, and then you can tell me all about life in England. How has it been over there?"

Kateri sank into one of the couches in the living room they were all now walking into. Kizuchi sat down in another chair.

Her grandfather came in holding a tray with three cups of green tea on it. "Tell us all about it," he said.

A/N

I know quite well that I have never been to Japan, so I have no idea what it looks like or how one should properly go about visiting it. So Kateri is visiting 'Magical Tokyo', a figment of my imagination that I'm pretending is actually Tokyo. So… yeah. If any of you readers are actually from Japan, it would be a big help to give some help about the citizen's everyday lives (school, shopping, etc).

I've got a question!!! Here it is:

Just one question though, what exactly does Kateri's mom have against her? I know that in some homes, parents just naturally act like that to one of their children for some reason, but I wanted to know if Kateri's mom thought that she had some specific reason to treat her daughter so horribly.

(It has been edited so only the question part is shown. The full review is shown where the rest of the reviews are)

Actually, I was going to answer your question in a future chapter of this fic, where she tells her relatives all about her life in England. It kinda goes back into the Miwa family's past. I'll explain it all in future chapters.
Her mother is also against her being an otaku and she thinks that it will limit Kateri's ability and she'll turn into some sort of bum when she gets older.

Her mother also blames Kateri for them leaving Tokyo, and how they left will be explained in the next chapter.

For all you otakus who do not own a copy of Everyday Japanese, I will include a list of the Japanese words/phrases used in this chapter. They are as follows:

Moshi Moshi: Hello (when speaking in phone conversation only)

Atashi wa insert name here: (feminine) My name is insert name here

Ogenki desu ka: How are you?

Mago: Grandchild

Hai: Yes

Eigo ga wakarimasu ka: Do you speak English?

Domo Arigatou: Thank you very much.

Do itashimashite: It was nothing.

Sayonara: Good bye.

Oba: Grandmother

-san: A term of respect, attached like a suffix to the end of a name.

Onamae wa: What is your name?

Ojisan: Grandfather

Omagosan: Your grandchild.

Shujin: My husband.

Kanai: My wife.

I just think up the names, and I'm not sure if they really mean anything. Although I'm pretty sure Kizuchi means mallet.

Well, this author's note is getting pretty long, so I'll end it soon. Just one more note. I wrote this chapter fairly quickly (yay!) and I'll try to get out the next ones just as fast, but with school fast approaching (And a million extra-curricular activities) I may not guarantee quick updates. Maybe once a week overall of my works.

You just keep reviewing and I'll keep writing and everything will turn out peachy.

Sakura Takanouchi