Joshua and Naomi's Okinawan Adventures 02

Disclaimer: I do not own Lilo & Stitch. I only own the storyline, Joshua Sinclair, Mandy Mackenzie, and Experiment 631.

Note: Takes place between chapters one and two of "Lilo & Stitch's Ohana Onipa'a Adventures Episode One".

Chapter Two: Family Reunion & Meeting New Friends

Joshua's father, Henry Sinclair, sat in the Okinawa airport waiting area. Like Joshua, Henry had blue eyes. Henry's blond hair was darker then Joshua's and was cut short in a high and tight which was standard regulation for US military personnel. He was wearing blue jeans, brown shoes, and a red t-shirt. Henry's t-shirt had the word "Marines" written in yellow with the full Marine Corps logo just below. Henry looked at his watch and then up at the wall display showing all the flight times. He felt relieved when he learned that he was able to bring his son and his niece over from States due several factors. One was the fact he learned that the Okinawan high school was doing a foreign exchange student program which his niece Mandy was able to take part in. Another was the fact Mandy had lots of experience in watching younger family members including Joshua. One contributing factor to Joshua being able to move to Okinawa was the fact that his longtime penpal and friend Lilo Pelekai had gotten him in touch with Yuna Kamihara and her father who both stated that they would be happy to help out in caring for Joshua.

Nearby, Yuna and Sparky stood together at the concession stand, thinking about what kind of drink to buy. Yuna looked quite different now from when Stitch lived with her. Her outfit was virtually similar though her hair was now combed straight back. Yuna looked at the yellow-furred electric-type alien experiment and smiled. She remembered the mixed emotions she went through a few weeks ago when Stitch had returned to Hawaii with Lilo. She was happy that Stitch was finally back with his first human companion after being apart for several years. However after Stitch left, she had started feeling lonely again since it now felt like a part of her was missing. Then about a week later when she went to get her hair done, she struck up conversation with Sparky like she normally did when she got her hair done.

However their conversation continued longer then before. Sparky understood how sad Yuna was and was happy to continue talking with Yuna for the entire day since it was not really that busy that day anyways. Sparky had tried out several different kinds of styles on Yuna, the last one being her current style. Even after Sparky was done for the day, the two decided to go get a bite to eat and talk about whatever. Eventually, Sparky officially took Stitch's place in Yuna's life. Only two weeks after Stitch had gone back to Hawaii, Yuna was finally happy again thanks to Sparky filling in the void that Stitch left.

Just then, a female voice announced over the speaker that a flight had arrived from the States. Henry checked his watch and stood up, knowing that his son and niece's flight had just arrived. Yuna and Sparky stood next to Henry, both of them looking forward to meeting a couple new friends. After about a minute or two, several people started walking from airport terminal. Henry looked at each of the people as they passed by. After a few moments, Henry spotted two familiar people: One was a twelve year old blond boy with blue eyes and the other was a young teenage girl with curly brown hair and blue eyes. Joshua was wearing blue jeans, reddish t-shirt with a green dragon logo on it, and black/white converse All Star shoes. Mandy was wearing blue jeans, tennis shoes, and a green tank top.

Joshua looked around and spotted his father. "Dad!" exclaimed Joshua excitingly as he ran forward and hugged his father tightly.

Henry returned the hug as Mandy walked up to the two with a smile on her face. Yuna walked up to Mandy and offered her hand as she said, "Hi, I'm Yuna."

Mandy shook Yuna's hand as she said, "Oh hi. I'm Mandy. You know my uncle?"

Yuna smiled as she replied, "Yes I do. A mutual friend of ours got the two of us in touch with each other."

Henry turned to Mandy as he said, "And how is my favorite niece doing?"

Mandy hugged Henry as she replied, "Wonderful, Uncle Henry."

Joshua looked at his cousin and father with a smile on his face, happy that not only was he reunited with his father, Mandy was going to be staying over as well.

Yuna walked up to the blond boy and shook his hand as she said, "So, you are this Joshua that your father talked so much about."

Joshua nodded as he replied, "That would be me." Joshua then noticed Sparky standing next to Yuna. "Oh cool! You got a pet dragon."

Sparky jumped up excitingly and flew several circles around Joshua before stopping in front of him and shaking his hand. "Hi. Meega Sparky."

Joshua blinked a couple times in confusion and asked, "Wow... your dragon can talk?"

Yuna laughed as she replied, "Of course Sparky can talk."

Joshua nodded as he looked at Sparky. "Nice." Joshua then turned to Yuna as he asked, "So, what so long have you lived in Okinawa for?"

Yuna grinned as she replied, "Oh, I lived here all my life... well actually I spent most my life living on the island of Izayoi with Grandma since my father is always away working on some scientific project. However a couple years back, I ended up moving here to stay with my mean cousin since Grandma was no longer able to take care of me and Stitch."

Joshua lifted an eyebrow as he asked, "Stitch? That sounds like a strange name. Is he another dragon like Sparky?"

Yuna laughed as she replied, "Well... they are very similar in some ways, but different in other ways."

Joshua nodded as he turned to his father. "Hey dad, how come you never told me that there were real live dragons in Okinawa whenever we talked on the phone?"

Henry thought for a moment, then looked at Yuna who was currently giggling a bit. "Well there is a reason for that. However we can talk about it when we all get to the house... that is assuming Yuna is still able to stay the night."

Yuna nodded as she said, "Of course. My cousin may be mean but even she has her moments sometimes."

"Then it's settled. Yuna and Sparky are having a sleepover," said Henry as he turned to Joshua and Mandy. "So, how did you two enjoy your trip?"

Joshua nodded as he said, "Very good actually. I always love going on an airplane and I think this was the longest plane trip I ever took. I was a bit surprised at first when we stopped in Alaska. I... well..."

Mandy giggled as she said, "Oh, when Joshie boy heard that we had landed in Alaska, he started to think that Okinawa was an island off the coast of Alaska."

Yuna and Sparky both covered their mouths and started giggling, as did Mandy. Joshua slapped his hand on his forehead and moaned. Henry shook his head as he said, "Now Joshua, I thought you told me you got an A in geography."

Joshua moaned as he replied, "So I made a mistake. Big deal. I bet even you got places mixed up in your day."

Henry chuckled at bit before turning to Mandy. "So I take it the trip was fun for you too?"

Mandy grinned as she rubbed Joshua's head, causing him to moan a bit. "I sure did, Uncle Henry."

Joshua brushed Mandy's hand away as he asked, "So dad, are there any good places for us to visit here?"

Henry nodded as he said, "Sure, I know of a place. However right now, we should head home to rest since you both are obviously very tired from your trip and are likely experiencing jet lag."

Joshua and Mandy looked at each other, then back at Henry and nodded in agreement.

Henry smiled as he added, "However I don't think there is any harm in going to a nice local restaurant first."

Joshua and Mandy both gasped and looked at each other excitingly. Yuna looked at Sparky and winked, then turned to Henry, Joshua, and Mandy as she said, "And I know the perfect place the five of us can go."

Joshua, Mandy, and Henry all looked at each other for several moments and then nodded before turning back to Yuna and Sparky.

Henry placed his left hand on Joshua's shoulder and his right hand on Mandy's shoulder as he said, "That sounds like a very good idea. Lead the way Yuna."

With that, Yuna, Sparky, Joshua, Mandy, and Henry all left the airport waiting area and eventually arrived outside near the parking lot. Henry then led the four toward his rental car which was a dark blue Honda.

As the group reached the car, Mandy quickly rose her hand and started to announce, "I got sh..."

Mandy was suddenly cut off as Joshua announced, "Shotgun!"

Mandy moaned and put her hand down. "Oh drat."

After getting Joshua and Mandy's luggage into the trunk, the five then got into the car with Joshua sitting in the front seat.

Henry started up the car, then glanced back at Yuna and asked, "How do I get to this nice restaurant you mentioned?"

...

About twenty minutes later, Henry pulled up in front of a nice looking cafe. After finding a nice parking spot, Henry, Joshua, Mandy, Yuna, and Sparky all stepped out of the car.

Joshua looked around in fascination as he said, "Wow, this place is awesome! Even better then in those pictures you sent me last month, dad."

Mandy was just as astonished by the beautiful Okinawan scenery. "You ain't lying Joshie boy. I never seen such beauty before in my entire life."

Yuna and Sparky both looked at each other and shook their heads. Yuna then turned to Mandy and Joshua as she said, "If you think this place is nice, wait until you see my home island of Izayoi."

Joshua lifted an eyebrow as he replied, "Izayoi? Hmm, I never heard of that island."

Yuna nodded as she said, "Well, it is a very nice and peaceful place. Great effort has been made to maintain its natural beauty in order to protect the Spiritual Stone and the many Yokai that live there. In fact, Izayoi was one of the few islands in the Ryukyu Island chain left untouched by the Second World War."

"Yokai? Who are they?" asked Mandy in a curious tone.

"Oh, the Yokai are the spiritual creatures who live in Izayoi. There are many different kinds."

"Have you ever seen them?" asked Joshua.

"Of course I have. In fact, there is one Yokai who has been a close friend of mine for many years. His name is Kijimunaa. You'd really like him."

Upon arriving in the cafe, they were greeted by a nice waitress who showed them to their table by the window where they could enjoy the nice view. Eventually, they ordered their meals which consisted of various local cuisines. The group continued their conversation from earlier as they enjoyed their meals.

After taking a couple bites, Joshua looked at Sparky and thought about how cool looking he was. He turned to Yuna as he asked, "So, where did you find your dragon?"

Yuna grinned as she looked at Sparky, then back at Joshua as she replied, "Well, it happened several years back. Sparky was sent by some really bad people to steal Stitch's good deed counter. Of course Sparky was under the influence of a mind control device at the time, so he had no control over what he was doing. Anyways, even though the bad guys didn't get the good deed counter, it was briefly removed from his wrist which caused all of his good deeds to automatically reset."

Joshua looked at Yuna with amazement. "Wow, so how did Sparky end up staying with you?"

Yuna thought for a moment, then answered Joshua's question. "Well, at first he simply lived elsewhere in Izayoi and got a job at the hair salon. Oh did I tell you that Sparky is an excellent hair stylist?" Mandy and Joshua both shook their heads before Yuna continued, "Anyways, after Stitch went back to his old home, I was feeling very empty. However Sparky filled in that emptiness and we ended up becoming best of friends."

Joshua nodded as he looked at Sparky for a moment with a smile before turning to Yuna. "Well, I have led a pretty interesting life myself. Sadly I have not befriended any dragons or any other strange creatures, however I did have a few friends in both my neighborhood and at school. There was one friend who lived in my neighborhood who was especially fun to hang with. His name was Ralph. Ralph and I, and sometimes a few others, would always pretend that we were in the Marines which was somewhat common considering we lived on a Marine base. We would always dress up in military camouflage, then go into the hills and bushes where we would pretend that we were shooting North Koreans. Though a couple times, I stayed out too late and mom ended up putting me on restriction for a week on more then one occasion."

Yuna smiled as she said, "I remember how Stitch and I would get in trouble with my mean cousin Tigerlily just for staying out a little late."

Mandy looked at Yuna as she asked, "Wow, your cousin seems very strict."

Yuna moaned as she said, "That's not the half of it. She is very mean and she always makes fun of my friend Stitch. Also she always sides with Penny, a very mean girl from school."

Mandy's jaw dropped in total shock from what she just heard. "Are you serious? What a bi..."

"Ahem! Mandy?" said Henry in a stern tone of disapproval.

Mandy glanced at her uncle and made a small nervous laugh, clearly getting the message. She then turned back to Yuna as she continued, "What a meanie! How could she do that? I would never do something like that to Joshua or any of his friends."

Joshua nodded as he said, "Yeah, my cousin has always been nice to me. Sometimes we have our moments, but things always turn out okay in the end. Anyways, my friend Ralph ended up moving several months back since his dad got stationed in North Carolina. After that, things got a bit boring for a while, but I still had a few friends. Not as many as the most popular kids in school, but still some are better then none."

Joshua took a sip of his drink before he continued, "Anyway, about a couple months back, dad told me that he was going to be sent to Okinawa for one full year so I was going to have to live with my aunt and uncle. Before he left, we did go to Disneyland which was really cool. Then, after he left, I felt very empty. I mean, I did have some fun living in Colfax with my aunt and uncle, as well as my cousins... especially Mandy. But still was a bit lonely until my dad broke the good news that both me and Mandy were going to be able to move to Okinawa to live with him."

Yuna smiled as she said, "Yeah, I know how it is to be separated from my father. If it weren't for Stitch coming around when he did, I am not sure I would have waited as long as I did. Then one day, my father was able to start spending more time with me then before." Yuna then turned to Mandy as she said, "So why don't you tell us more about yourself Mandy?"

Mandy thought for a moment, then said, "Well me and my family lived in Colfax, California for many years. We live in a very nice place on the outskirts. I have a few friends there myself... though no dragons and no running around the woods playing Marine." Yuna and Joshua both giggled a bit as Mandy continued, "However we would go out to movies and have slumber parties. I also just finished my freshman year of high school which I will say right now was the worst time in my life. All the older students were always mean to me and my friends. I mean, they put us through a humiliating initiation ritual I will not get into."

Henry chuckled a bit as he said, "I can imagine. My first year of high school was pretty bad too."

Mandy huffed as she said, "Yeah, but it gets worse then that. During my first months there, the school board ends up establishing new rules targeting only Freshmen. For starters, Freshmen are prohibited from having their own sports teams or joining school clubs. Then, at the last minute, they pass a new rule prohibiting Freshmen from attending the Homecoming Dance. Me and my friends were utterly crushed that day since we were practically at the door when a teacher told us that we couldn't go in."

Henry shook his head as he said, "That was terrible. How can they make rules like that?"

Mandy shrugged her shoulders as she said, "They're jerks, that's why. Anyways, even mom and dad were very outraged by that rule. To make up for me and my friends missing Homecoming, they allowed my friends to stay over with me for a slumber party over the entire weekend."

Henry smiled as he said, "Well that is good to hear. I hope someone is able to get the school staff to get rid of those outrageous rules."

Mandy nodded as she said, "Anyways, me and my friends would always meet up after school whenever we didn't have homework or studying to do, normally on the weekends. Then a couple months back, Joshua actually ended up moving the Colfax to stay with mom and dad while Uncle Henry was stationed in Okinawa. Then things became a lot more fun. The best part was when Joshua and I fixed up the old tree house. The same one we would always go play in whenever Joshua came over to visit during the summer."

Joshua smiled at the memory as he said, "I always loved going up in that tree house. That was one of the biggest things I would look forward to whenever mom and dad would drive all the way to Colfax from Camp Pendleton."

Henry chuckled as he said, "And that was no short trip. I remember how Joshua would always be like, 'are we there yet?' over and over again. The only way to get him to stop was to buy him a portable game system."

Joshua grinned as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his portable handheld game. "And I still got it. I am getting better at this game, however I am having a bit of a hard time reaching the fifth level."

Mandy patted Joshua on his shoulder as she said, "Don't worry, Joshie boy. You'll find a way to beat it."

Yuna smiled at Joshua as she said, "My friend Tarō has a handheld game of his own." Yuna thought for a moment, then turned to Henry as she asked, "So how about you? How is life in the Marines?"

Henry took a sip of his drink and then turned to face the others as he said, "Well, life in the Corps is not uneventful, I'll say that. After boot camp, I was stationed in Camp Pendleton in southern California. During my time in the Corps, I was deployed overseas quite a few times. Three tours each in Iraq and Afghanistan, plus one tour in Syria and two tours in Persia, formerly known as Iran. Then recently, I was told I would have to be stationed in Okinawa for a year. Since Joshua had no family in Camp Pendleton, he ended up moving to Colfax to stay with my sister and her husband. Once I got to Okinawa, I would devote my off duty time in looking for some way Joshua would be able to move here. Then about a month ago, I finally found a way to not only bring Joshua here, but Mandy as well thanks to a foreign exchange student program the high school in Okinawa was doing."

Mandy grinned as she said, "I was so excited when you said that. I always wanted to be able to visit Okinawa."

Joshua nodded as he added, "Yeah, I was so sad thinking we would be apart for a whole year. Now that I get to spend a whole year in another country with my dad, I am much happier now."

Henry chuckled as he said, "Well actually, I will be stationed in Okinawa for three years now since my tour here is no longer unaccompanied."

Joshua looked at his father with a surprised look on his face as he said, "Wow, three years? Even better!" Joshua took a bite of his meal and turned to Yuna and asked, "So, what kind of stuff do you do around here?"

Yuna smirked as she said, "Well, first of all I go to school like all other kids my age. Also, I teach karate at my dojo."

Joshua nodded with an impressed expression as he replied, "Very nice."

Yuna nodded as she looked at both Joshua and Mandy. "Speaking of which, maybe you two can consider signing up so I can teach you both karate."

Mandy and Joshua both looked at each other for about a moment, then looked at Henry with eager looks on their faces. Henry smiled at his son and niece as he nodded with approval.

Yuna placed her hands together as she said, "Excellent. Your first class will be tomorrow afternoon at four."

...

About half an hour later, Henry, Joshua, Mandy, Yuna, and Sparky had finished their meals and had departed from the cafe. After showing Joshua and Mandy around town for a bit, the group eventually arrived at the house that Henry had been assigned to after getting approval from his unit commander to bring Joshua and Mandy over from California. By then Joshua was asleep. Henry tried to carry him at first but found him to be heavier then he used to be so he just woke him up. Henry helped Joshua and Mandy get their luggage into the house and then into their rooms.

Joshua wasted no time in climbing into his bed and falling asleep very quickly. Knowing Joshua had the right idea, Henry decided that everyone could use a good night's sleep right about now. So Henry and Mandy both went to their rooms and fell asleep in no time. Yuna and Sparky both stayed in the same guest room. They too wasted no time in falling asleep.

End of chapter - More to come soon!