Chapter Six: The British Are Coming!
Nakia ignored her long absent father's question. "Mama, do you think Jamie and his sister can stay for dinner?"
Saphira looked at her pup, who was gazing up at her with big amber eyes. Saphira didn't like the sister of her pup's boyfriend, but she couldn't be rude and risk offending him and his family, which she was absolutely sure was a powerful youkai family.
"We'll see," she answered vaguely.
Inumaru mean while was sizing up the male that seemed to have his eyes locked on his sister's backside. "So, how long have you two been seeing each other?"
Jamie looked cheerfully at Inumaru. "Oh, about a year or so."
Inumaru promptly sent Maruchi a "if you knew and didn't tell me...DIE!" look to which Maruchi shook his head in denial.
"So, you're British then?" Sesshoumaru was asking.
"Yes, we actually migrated there during the Feudal Era here," Jamie explained.
"More like fled," Ann snapped. "One of our ancestor's dumb cousins mated a human that ended up giving birth to a hanyou! Our family had to flee because of all the trouble it stirred up!"
Sesshoumaru raised a graceful eyebrow. "Oh? What was your ancestor's name?"
All three of Saphira's children looked extremely agitated at the polite, ice cold tone that Sesshoumaru was using.
"Who remembers!" Jamie answered intervening at the troubled expression on Nakia's face.
"How long do you plan on staying in Tokyo?" Saphira asked, she seemed to be worried about the here and now.
"Well, there is a major dance competition going on for the next couple of weeks," Jamie answered then turned to Nakia. "I was actually hoping that you would be my partner?"
"Really?" Nakia's excitement was obvious.
Inumaru and Maruchi watched the interplay with avid interest. Inumaru was deducing that the only reason Nakia was fond of this male was because of their shared interest in dance.
Maruchi, however, was wondering how much money it would take to bribe the guy to get him to leave his little sister alone.
"So where are you staying?" Sesshoumaru asked.
"Well, because of the competition most of the available hotels are booked up," Jamie said. "Nakia offered us a room at the Shrine."
They all smelled the lie as soon as it left his lips. Nakia looked up at him with general confusion.
"Jamie, I didn't-" Nakia began but Sesshoumaru cut her off smoothly.
"I have a suit at the Hilton downtown," Sesshoumaru said. "You and your sister can stay there while you are in Tokyo."
Saphira, whose blood pressure had sky rocketed between the boy's statement and her mate's, sighed in relief.
"Well," Jamie started to protest.
"Please, I insist," Sesshoumaru smiled. "Consider it a gift."
Having nothing to argue against Jamie nodded.
"So, are we staying for dinner or what?" Ann asked when her pup started fussing.
"Of course, you are welcome to stay," Saphira said. "I believe our hosts are fixing ika over fried rice with soy sauce."
"Ika? What is that? Some kinda fish?" Ann asked with distaste.
Maruchi and Inumaru grinned evilly.
"Yes, its a kind of fish," Maruchi said.
"The kind that has tentacles," Inumaru answered trying to smother his mirth.
"Tentacles?" Ann wondered allowed then as it dawned on her what they talking about her face become contorted with disgust. "Squid?"
The boys, whose laughter could no longer be contain, just nodded as they held their bellies.
Nakia grinned and Jamie looked amused. Saphira prayed that the dinner plans would be enough to send her pup's visitors packing.
"No way am I eating squid!" Ann nearly shrieked. Her pup who had been settling down was startled by this outburst and started crying. "I'm going out to eat, Jamie!"
Jamie rolled his eyes. "I guess we won't be staying for dinner."
"Why can't you stay?" Nakia asked.
"Ann is sorta my chaperon," Jamie explained. "She's the only reason why my parents let me come."
"You still live with your parents?" Maruchi asked in disbelief.
"No, they paid for this trip and one of their stipulations was that I was chaperoned," Jamie explained sheepishly.
"Then why do you need a place to stay if they paid for your trip?" Inumaru asked.
"Didn't you hear him the first time?" Ann demanded. "All the nice places are booked solid!"
"Have you rented a car?" Sesshoumaru asked interrupting the female's rant.
"Yes, it's parked around the side street next to the shrine," Jamie answered.
"You can follow me to the hotel then," Sesshoumaru said as his keys jingled in his pocket.
"Thank god!" Ann declared. "Let's go Jamie!"
Jamie turned to Nakia and grinned. He looked like a boy who had in his possession a precious treasure. "I guess I'll pick you up tomorrow?"
"Yup," Nakia said returning his grin. "Six?"
"Yup."
Jamie then pulled Nakia to his chest, and ignoring the growls of protest from Inumaru, Maruchi and Sesshoumaru, kissed Nakia softly.
Saphira growled too, but hers was lower and the males' covered hers.
"I'll see you tomorrow then," Jamie said softly and walked confidently past Sesshoumaru down the stairs leading away from the shrine.
"And just where are you going tomorrow at six?" Saphira demanded when the youkai were out of hearing range.
"The dance competition, Mom," Nakia answered. "Where did you think we were going?"
Saphira only sighed and made her way to the house.
"Hey, I heard about this thing that they do here in Tokyo," Maruchi grinned. "It's supposed to be the hottest thing to do here."
Inumaru looked at his brother suspiciously. "And just what is it?"
Maruchi merely chuckled. "If you want to know, you'll have to come. You in, Nakia?"
Nakia, who was still staring dreamily after her boy-toy, answered. "Sure, count me in."
"Alright, I guess I'm in too," Inumaru said but was thinking that someone had to keep the twins out of trouble.
"Cool, dress for the club," Maruchi said. "We'll leave when Mom goes to bed."
Inumaru raised his brows at this but said nothing.
It was around three in the morning when the three pups found themselves sliding the door to the house closed. Akio had insisted on joining them.
"Nakia, why did you have to wear that? You know its cold," Maruchi complained knowing she would be begging for his leather jacket in no time.
"Whatever!" She said complete with eye roll. She was wearing a pair of low cut, hip hugging jeans. Her shirt had no back except for the ties holding it together. The front of the shirt was see-through and sequined with beads, only her breasts were protected from view. Her thick, silvery red hair was coiled at the top of her head.
"Where are going anyway?" Akio asked as they climbed into Maruchi's rental car. It was the newest coupe from Mercedes. It was sleek and very fast.
"You'll see," Maruchi grinned and pushed the car into gear.
It didn't take them long to speed through the ghost streets. There was no one about and all the lights blinked red and yellow. They raced into the heart of Tokyo.
"Here we are," Maruchi announced as the approached a parking garage. There were so many cars already lined up outside the garage on the street it was hard for Inumaru's little German car to slide by.
"Look at all the skanks!" Nakia said almost delighted. The women were all dressed much worse than Nakia in short mini skirts and tight white blouses that their breasts threaten to pop out of.
"This is Tokyo Drift isn't it?" Akio asked in awe as they got out of the car.
"Yup."
"What is Tokyo Drift?" Nakia asked.
"Can't you tell?" Akio asked.
"Street racing?" Nakia guessed after seeing all the pimped out cars with tales and slick decals.
"Japanese style, baby!" Maruchi said eying a group of skanks walking by.
"Who are you cutie? A foreigner obviously, where ya from?" Asked one of the identified skanks.
"America," Maruchi answered.
Nakia walked up next to Maruchi though and begin sniffing the air. "Hm, cheap perfume and fake leather, smells like a couple of saseko. I suggest you get lost before I leave tread marks on your pretty faces."
The women backed off, smiling nervously.
"Ah, Nakia! What'd you do that for?" Maruchi complained.
"What are you talking about, Brother? I just saved your honor," Nakia smiled and batted her eyes.
The group made their way to the main drag of the race and looked over the cars in the running.
"Oh, he's cute," Nakia commented seeing one of the obvious drivers. He was standing protectively by his red hot Spyder. He looked American.
"I thought we were seeing someone?" Inumaru asked as is little sister observed the driver's butt.
"That's love, sweet brother, this is lust," Nakia explained.
Inumaru sighed. "You are way too young to be in a serious relationship, besides I don't like the smell of him."
Nakia decidedly ignored her brother's declarations in the interest of frying bigger fish. She approached her countryman and began conversing with him in English. The man seemed very surprised when Nakia began speaking to him in his native tongue. Inumaru quickly learned that the man spoke only broken Japanese and needed a translator to help him enter the race. When Nakia volunteered the man drug her off in the direction of a large crowd.
"Excuse me, excuse me!" Nakia said trying to reach the center of the crowd. "I have a guy that wants to race!"
The crowd parted and allowed Nakia and the American through. In the center the other drivers were deciding on how much it would cost to race.
"Excuse me, gentlemen, but this man would like to race," Nakia announced.
The four men looked at her and then the American.
"Does he speak Japanese?" One of them asked.
"Not very well."
"What's his native tongue?" Was the next question.
"English."
"None of us are fluent enough to converse with him," one of them shrugged.
"I figured as much, that's why I'm here jackass," Nakia said rolling her eyes.
The men looked mildly surprised at her statement.
"Is there a problem with that?" She asked tapping her open toed shoe, it clicked against the pavement.
"No, the entry fee is two grand," one of them said. Nakia translated and the American handed them the cash.
"This is American money," one of them complained.
"So?" Nakia challenged them. "Is that a problem?"
Her tone begged for them to start something.
"What are you, honey, his squeeze?" One of them asked with a dirty smile in her direction.
"No, ass," Nakia answered tersely. "I'm an American."
That surprised them since Nakia had no accent and spoke perfect Japanese.
"It's a gift, what else can I say?" Nakia smiled.
"Alright," one of them said grudgingly and they began to dictate the rules for the race.
Nakia dutifully translated quickly and efficiently.
"Thanks again for helping me out," the cute American said smiling bashfully at her. "Sorry for dragging you away from your boyfriend."
"Oh, that's alright," Nakia said smiling, "besides he wasn't my boyfriend, but my brother."
"That explains the look of death," the man chuckled. "Maybe I'll see you after the race, that is if you're not ashamed to be seen with a loser."
"The only loser is a sore one," Nakia said cheerfully. "If I don't see you, I'm staying with my family at the Higurashi Shrine on the west side of the city."
"I'll make sure to check it out, but if I don't," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card, "be sure to look me up in the States."
Nakia smiled brightly taking the card and waving goodbye as the man made his way back to the starting line.
"Aren't we the social butterfly?" A familiar deep, male voice asked.
Nakia smiled sweetly. "You always ruin my fun, Inu."
"Well, I'm about to ruin it even more. The cops have got wind of the race and they're on their way to bust us up," Inumaru informed her grimly. "We have to find Akio and Maruchi."
"Then all we have to do is find the prettiest girls here," Nakia retorted.
They quickly located the wayward members of their party just as the cars in the race were beginning to fire up. As they pulled away from the crowd with the windows down, they could hear the peeling tires of the race cars. And the distant wail of sirens.
Saphira sat quietly at the table sipping coffee. She was eternally grateful that she had thought to bring her coffee maker. She had remembered, as she was packing for the trip, that her family members in this part of the world drank tea, not coffee. And she knew she couldn't last more than a few hours without her morning cup.
It was still early morning and she knew her three mischievous pups wouldn't be up for many hours. They thought they were so slick sneaking out like they did. Little did they know that their doting uncle often kept the late shift and watched their movements to ensure no danger came to them. Many times she would get up in the morning to call Yasuo, only to get the answer, "Believe me, you don't want to know." That often worried her and she would bug him until she got more details. No such luck on this occasion.
She sighed loudly looking at her cell phone with a glare that would smoldered living organisms.
"Something wrong?" A disheveled Sesshoumaru asked appearing in the doorway.
"Oh nothing," Saphira answered swigging down the rest of her coffee. "Just trying to be a parent."
"Something that I would be delighted to help you with of course," Sesshoumaru said running his fingers through his short hair.
Saphira sighed again. "I...I just don't know, Sesshoumaru."
He sat down across from her and took her hands in his. "Listen to me, Saphira, you need me more now than you did when the children were younger. They need me more now than ever. They need a father figure and you need support. I love you and have never stopped loving you, let me help you now."
Saphira couldn't pull her gaze away from his earnest eyes.
"Besides, we can't let Nakia go on believing that she's going to be the baby forever can we?" Sesshoumaru smiled. "I know you want more children, I've caught looking at the baby clothes in the mall."
Saphira blushed madly. "You spied on me!"
Sesshoumaru chuckled at her accusation. "I will give you anything you want, including more pups."
Saphira smiled happily at the thought of having more pups. She had missed being truly needed by pups. Her love for children was like a thirst that could never be quite quenched and she knew Sesshoumaru knew that.
"Okay," was her whispered replied.
Their romantic moment was rudely interrupted with Nakia flying down the stairs with her hair loose and going everywhere.
"Mama! What time is it?" She asked frantically.
"A quarter to six, why are you up?" Saphira asked frowning.
"The try-outs are this morning, Mama!" Nakia almost whined. Then her cell ringed startling them all.
"Hello?" Nakia answered, she listened for a moment and then her shoulders seemed to sag with relief. "Oh, that's wonderful!...NO! I'm going back to bed!...Huh?...Oh. Okay, I'll see you then. Bye, I love you too."
Nakia shot her mother a thank god that's settled look, and ran back upstairs.
Sesshoumaru looked down at his mate. "What kind of ring tone was that?"
Saphira scrunched up her nose. "The latest hip hop, pop tune I'm sure."
It wasn't until much later that day that all Saphira's pups dragged themselves out of bed and started searching the kitchen for food.
"Inumaru, fix me some ramen," Nakia whined laying her head down on the table.
"Weren't you supposed to go to some dance thing today?" Inumaru asked pulling down two bowls.
Maruchi had already plopped down next to his sister stuffing his face with noodles.
"Yeah, but one of the judges got sick so it was canceled," Nakia explained not even bothering to pick her head up.
"So, is your boy toy coming over?" Maruchi asked with his mouth full.
"Supposedly," she answered. Then there was a knock on the front door. "That's probably him now."
She left the kitchen to answer the door.
"Is it all set up?" Maruchi asked Inumaru.
His brother grinned evilly. "Oh, yes."
"Excellent!" Maruchi said and returned to his noodles.
Nakia, her boyfriend and the sister with baby in tow.
"Are you hungry? Do you want some tea?" Nakia offered looking through the fridge.
"Iced tea or brewed tea?" Ann snipped. "I don't see why Americans like that awful iced tea! Tea was meant to be brewed and taken warm and in tea cups!"
Inumaru and Maruchi watched the unstable youkai's rant about iced tea.
"Actually it's usually just common among American Southerners," Jamie said thoughtfully.
"Hey Jamie, my cousin has this cool new video game console, would you like to see it?" Maruchi asked barely able to suppress his grin.
"Yeah, that would be great!" Jamie readily agreed.
"I want to see it too!" Ann hollered, then turned to Nakia. "Will you hold the baby for me? I've been trying to decide what console to buy for my boys."
Nakia nodded in mute agreement and took the baby and watched as Ann hurried up the stairs with her brothers and Jamie.
The next the thing she knew Maruchi and Inumaru were pounding down the stairs laughing and yelling, "THE BRITISH ARE COMING! THE BRITISH ARE COMING!"
Right on their tail were two very wet and very agitated British citizens.