Okay, I just couldn't resist writing two chapters in a row.
Note: From now on, unless dialogue is in ^this^, regular, good ol' English
is being spoken.
^this^ indicates Japanese. I would write it in the actual language, but not
everyone knows how to read it and I don't want to translate every sentence.
~~~~~~~~~
Culture Shock
By the time September rolled around, the three natives of the Sengoku Jidai were nearly fluent. Mr. Shinoda was a good teacher, but the TV and local teens taught Inuyasha, Miroku, and Shippo all the English they needed to know.
Mr. Shinoda at first objected. "Who taught you how to swear?!" he demanded of Inuyasha.
The hanyou had merely smirked. "Your mom."
Mr. Shinoda threw up his hands. If the boy was going to function in American society, he might as well know American slang.
Then came the job interview process. With his trusty baseball cap on, Inuyasha interviewed for one job and landed it. He got the fun task of working at Chuck E. Cheese. Miroku, on the other hand, had to interview at several locations. He tried McDonalds, Quick Trip, Old Navy, and Jamba Juice. Well, he actually got the job at Old Navy, but was fired his first week for watching the dressing room video footage. He finally wound up in a group of interactive storytellers at the library. Immediately the troupe began planning a Feudal Japan story, so Miroku would fit right in.
Then, when Labor Day rolled around, Shippo got to experience school for the very first time. ~~~~~~~~~
Kagome had the foresight to teach the boys how to read and do math. It was unlikely the second grade would accept anyone who couldn't do at least that. And they were all fast learners.
^What if they make fun of me for being a youkai, Kagome?^ Shippo asked as she packed his lunch. He waggled his tail. ^I haven't seen any other kids who have tails like me!^ She smiled and patted his head.
"Just show them the cool stuff you can do as a result. And remember, English! The other kids don't understand Japanese."
Shippo nodded and bounced out of the house to the bus stop with Seito.
Kagome dried her hands and turned to Ayako. "Well, we have to get to school, too. Shall we?"
Ayako nodded, and the two were off to high school. ~~~~~~~~
At Chuck E. Cheese, Inuyasha didn't know whether he was in heaven or hell. Making (and eating) pizza was fun, but waiting on bratty kids with birthdays was not. Crawling around in the tunnels to play games with the kids was fun, but being the mouse was not.
Even so, Inuyasha loved his new job for one thing: Dance Dance Revolution. He understood the songs (Thank Kami!) and was quite good at it. On breaks, or even when babysitting, he got to play it for free.
The kids loved the new employee. They never discovered his ears, fortunately, but the loved getting piggy back rides, playing "here comes the Youkai!" in the tunnels, burying him in the ball pit, and especially when he was the mouse.
Inuyasha hated that mouse. He wanted to kill the gigantic mechanical one at the front of the dining room and burn the costume. Still, as part of his job, he had to put the damn thing on and entertain the kids. Not only was it hot in there, but the kids always seemed to know when he was wearing it.
He always ran. Now, it took him a while to figure out that running from anything that wants to glomp you is a bad idea. So, the adventure in the mouse costume always ended with Inuyasha being tackled, and the poor mouse getting his head ripped off to reveal Inuyasha's head underneath. Then some kid would end up crying, and he would get a headache.
So, he really couldn't decide if he loved or hated his job. He decided that he was indifferent about it, gave a "Feh," and returned to making pizza. ~~~~~~~~ Okay, I'm starting to doubt my own sanity. I'm sorry if you disagree, but I find the idea of Inuyasha as Chuck E. Cheese absolutely HILARIOUS! When I came up with this and wrote it down, I fell over laughing. C'mon. . . it's making you crack up, too.
Screw you, you unloving cynics.
The adventures in Elementary/High School, a la Americana are next! WOOT!
By the time September rolled around, the three natives of the Sengoku Jidai were nearly fluent. Mr. Shinoda was a good teacher, but the TV and local teens taught Inuyasha, Miroku, and Shippo all the English they needed to know.
Mr. Shinoda at first objected. "Who taught you how to swear?!" he demanded of Inuyasha.
The hanyou had merely smirked. "Your mom."
Mr. Shinoda threw up his hands. If the boy was going to function in American society, he might as well know American slang.
Then came the job interview process. With his trusty baseball cap on, Inuyasha interviewed for one job and landed it. He got the fun task of working at Chuck E. Cheese. Miroku, on the other hand, had to interview at several locations. He tried McDonalds, Quick Trip, Old Navy, and Jamba Juice. Well, he actually got the job at Old Navy, but was fired his first week for watching the dressing room video footage. He finally wound up in a group of interactive storytellers at the library. Immediately the troupe began planning a Feudal Japan story, so Miroku would fit right in.
Then, when Labor Day rolled around, Shippo got to experience school for the very first time. ~~~~~~~~~
Kagome had the foresight to teach the boys how to read and do math. It was unlikely the second grade would accept anyone who couldn't do at least that. And they were all fast learners.
^What if they make fun of me for being a youkai, Kagome?^ Shippo asked as she packed his lunch. He waggled his tail. ^I haven't seen any other kids who have tails like me!^ She smiled and patted his head.
"Just show them the cool stuff you can do as a result. And remember, English! The other kids don't understand Japanese."
Shippo nodded and bounced out of the house to the bus stop with Seito.
Kagome dried her hands and turned to Ayako. "Well, we have to get to school, too. Shall we?"
Ayako nodded, and the two were off to high school. ~~~~~~~~
At Chuck E. Cheese, Inuyasha didn't know whether he was in heaven or hell. Making (and eating) pizza was fun, but waiting on bratty kids with birthdays was not. Crawling around in the tunnels to play games with the kids was fun, but being the mouse was not.
Even so, Inuyasha loved his new job for one thing: Dance Dance Revolution. He understood the songs (Thank Kami!) and was quite good at it. On breaks, or even when babysitting, he got to play it for free.
The kids loved the new employee. They never discovered his ears, fortunately, but the loved getting piggy back rides, playing "here comes the Youkai!" in the tunnels, burying him in the ball pit, and especially when he was the mouse.
Inuyasha hated that mouse. He wanted to kill the gigantic mechanical one at the front of the dining room and burn the costume. Still, as part of his job, he had to put the damn thing on and entertain the kids. Not only was it hot in there, but the kids always seemed to know when he was wearing it.
He always ran. Now, it took him a while to figure out that running from anything that wants to glomp you is a bad idea. So, the adventure in the mouse costume always ended with Inuyasha being tackled, and the poor mouse getting his head ripped off to reveal Inuyasha's head underneath. Then some kid would end up crying, and he would get a headache.
So, he really couldn't decide if he loved or hated his job. He decided that he was indifferent about it, gave a "Feh," and returned to making pizza. ~~~~~~~~ Okay, I'm starting to doubt my own sanity. I'm sorry if you disagree, but I find the idea of Inuyasha as Chuck E. Cheese absolutely HILARIOUS! When I came up with this and wrote it down, I fell over laughing. C'mon. . . it's making you crack up, too.
Screw you, you unloving cynics.
The adventures in Elementary/High School, a la Americana are next! WOOT!