Chapter Twelve: Somnambulating, yes? Perhaps?
"KOUSHIRO! I LOVE YOU!" squealed Mimi.
We passionately kissed as Michael began to protest: "WHAT THE HELL, KOUSHIRO! AFTER ALL I'VE DONE FOR YOU! I FAKED BEING YOUR LOVER FOR GOD'S SAKE AND THIS HOW YOU REPAY ME?" For a dramatic effect, he tore his shirt open and revealed his nonexistent abs. Like Tarzan, he yelled loudly over the blaring love song and ran around like a childish ten year old.
Mimi said with teary eyes: "MICHAEL, KOUSHIRO AND I LOVE EACH OTHER! AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!" Suddenly she whipped out the huge tuna fish from her purse smacked across the face, adding: "AND THAT'S FOR BEING FRESH WITH ME!"
Wailing and in tears, Michael ran onto the stage like a whiny baby. The Teenage Wolves' drummer flung one of his sticks at the American that made his head even BIGGER.
Taichi and Jyou were laughing on the floor.
Sora just took out her video camera to film the whole thing…
…as Mr. and Mrs. Tachikawa were literally cheering for me…
"GIMME A 'K'!"
"K!"
"GIMME AN 'O'!"
"O!"
"GIMME A 'U'!"
"U!"
"Koushiro," said Mipmon on top of Mimi's head. Did he fly here again? How come I didn't know my kid could fly? "Koushiro," he repeated, "you're dreaming."
"If you mean this is a dream come true, then yes, Mipmon, I must be dreaming." I kissed Mimi again as we were dancing toward the horizon.
Mipmon however, thought it would be a good idea to bite me on the arm.
"OW!"
So I was dreaming.
I should've known that was too good to be true. (I won't admit that my interpretation of Washington was a little inaccurate…) Mimi never stored a tuna fish in her purse; Jyou had never laughed that hard; and Mimi's parents wouldn't turn into cheerleaders. …At least, I'm sure they couldn't.
Sitting up, I find Mipmon resting on my bent knees. In his mouth is the lighted Digi-vice alerting me that something's wrong. I take the Digi-vice away from him while keeping his balance, so he wouldn't fall off my legs.
"Okay…I'm awake." I look at my Digi-vice that continues to beep annoyingly. "What's the problem?"
'DRACMON AT SHINJUKU! HURRY NOW!!' It was sent from Catharine.
Inwardly groaning, I jumped out of bed and pulled on some jeans in the pitch black darkness. And since it was dark, I found myself struggling on the ground trying to pull on pants that were two sizes too small.
I might've ripped the jeans before they actually fit me.
"Mipmon! Mipmon, where are you?" I whispered loudly in the dark.
There was a shiny green aura on the floor near the doorway. Mipmon was in the process of Digi-volving… Not in the house!
"Mipmon!" I hissed. Leaping over my bed, I tucked Mipmon under my arm and left my apartment with my kid who looked as though he consumed toxic waste. "I told you to Digi-volve outside the house!"
Mipmon morphed into Kimimon before my very eyes.
I'm so proud of him!
But why, oh why, does he have to resemble a stupid Golduck?
"Koushiro," said Kimimon in a deep voice. "Come on." He hauled me over his shoulder and jumped off the fifth floor ledge, disregarding my terrified scream and my fear of heights. Only in my dreams could Kimimon fly…
We were off to Shinjuku district in the dead of night. It was probably a solo mission for me and Kimimon because I was quite sure everyone else was completely out of it—asleep or too lazy. Catharine hated the risk and any sort of danger. She would be snug in bed for sure. I was supposed to be getting sleep after what happened the previous night…
--XoX—
Now here's what really happened.
She kissed me on the cheek and embraced me tightly. "Thank you so much, Koushiro!" she whispered in my ear.
That wasn't so hard! Why in the world was I worrying about it?
"All of this"—she gestured toward the stage and her family and friends present—"is amazing! I'm so happy that you thought of all of this!" Awkwardly, Mimi looked down in embarrassment and murmured, "I'm also really sorry about…"
"…about what?" I said. "You're my girlfriend—I mean friend! Best friend…who's…a girl…" Rubbing the back of my head, I avoided eye contact for a while just making myself look dumber in front of her. Smooth, Koushiro, just smooth.
Mimi laughed blissfully just as the song finally ended. Neither of us moved as everyone ran to the Teenage Wolves for congratulations on their awesome concert. I just stared at her, and she just stared back.
But Catharine and Michael interrupted the moment…
"Hey you two!" said Catharine emphasizing the last two words. "Was that the best concert or what? Yamato's manager is signing me up with the band! Can you believe that? So I'll be sticking around for a while!" She gave me a wink and brushed arms with Michael who looked maniacally happy…
…though his smile fell when he saw how close Mimi and I were.
Before he opened his mouth, Catharine hurried him along toward the food and party. "We'll catch you two later!"
I turned to Mimi who was giving me an odd look. "Wanna eat?"
She nodded and led me to the food table backstage as everyone was already laughing about and having fun.
We ate with our closely knit group of friends—Taichi, Sora, Yamato, and Jyou—as well as other peers like Yamato's bandmates and the could-be couple of Michael and Catharine. Everyone was so happy, blissful you could say. It was a good night, the kind that one wishes would never end. I noticed the love triangle forming with Taichi, Sora, and Yamato although Sora was still slightly oblivious to it. Taichi and Yamato were being good competitors about it. Both of them cared about Sora immensely, but if she chose one over the other, the other would (albeit sadly) step aside for his best friend. Jyou gave me a short nod of approval when he knew that no one was looking. He understood that I was trying now; that I wasn't moping around anymore; and that I wanted to express what I felt about Mimi. I knew that we would have to discuss Catharine's appearance soon. As observant as Jyou was, he figured out why she was really here.
As for Catharine and Michael?
I noticed Mimi was bashful around Catharine, but other than that, Mimi didn't really care about the proximity between Catharine and Michael; how the two blondes laughed without a care in the world; and how they looked synchronized. In other words, they looked like the perfect pair.
We gathered around Mimi as she opened her presents. Oh so brilliant Yamato and his bandmates gave her their album that was coming out in a month. Taichi, more imaginative, gave Mimi a wallet in a small box wrapped in bigger boxes. He claimed that they have any bags.
And when it came down to me, I said aloud, "I already gave Mimi her gifts."
Michael raised a brow. "You mean you aren't going to give her anything now?"
He gave her a wholly expensive diamond necklace on a sterling silver chain. Mimi could be a little materialistic when it came to fashion, but she was slightly pickier about jewelry. Diamonds were great, she once said, but they were common in a way. They weren't unique.
"Mimi, my other gift for you is in your pocket," I said smoothly. I gave her an amiable smile and urged her to get it. My mom had a Chinese friend who liked to make custom made necklaces.
This one was for Mimi.
She couldn't hide her surprise. She looked happier about my gift than Michael's though I couldn't help but feel sorry for how he looked slightly dejected…
Oh well.
"Thank you, Koushiro," said Mimi looking up.
Inevitably, I blushed…
Afterward, Michael received a text message on his iPhone from Willis saying that we were supposed to meet him tonight.
"Tonight, Michael?" I asked him incredulously. "Not tonight…it's Mimi's birthday. It can wait tomorrow."
Michael, looking a bit peaked, nodded his head and texted Willis back that we would have a meeting tomorrow morning. Willis reluctantly agreed and stated with a final note that the meeting was mandatory.
With that settled, Michael invited Catharine to come to the meeting. I didn't push the subject like Michael did.
He was quite insistent, and Catharine was quite embarrassed in explaining that she didn't feel like risking her life for any dangers. She timidly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, making the scene appear like Michael was asking her out.
"He just wants you to think about it," I told her. It was pathetic how it looked like he was begging her. Was the guy dense?
And then the two left. Michael dropped her off at Yamato's house even though Yamato and his friends were still in the high of the concert.
Mimi and her parents invited me to go to their house for a couple of minutes. They wanted to thank me yet again for the wonderful time. I knew it was really because her parents wanted me to continue to woo their daughter, etc…
I downloaded all of the party pictures into her computer. Quickly we made a slideshow out of it and were trying out some of her presents.
It was like there was nothing wrong.
Sitting cross-legged on the carpet, Mimi asked, "Koushiro, could you bring Mipmon over here tomorrow? I haven't been with him in such a long time… I was hoping—"
"—that you could have him for a while?"
Her nervous smile decreased by at least twenty percent. Did I say the wrong words?
"Uh…y—yeah, sure…" Mimi said as she sat up straighter and tucked a strand of hair behind the ear. She looked pretty even without the hideous earrings Michael gave her. "Koushiro, I'm sorry for not being there for you and Mipmon, and I'm glad that you love Mipmon as much as I do."
It occurred to me that Mimi wouldn't want to know the truth about Mipmon. She was completely against Digimon after the incident with the ExTyrannomon. No wonder I didn't want her getting involved with the secrecy of the League.
"He hasn't forgotten you… Mimi, he's really smart! I'm so proud!"
It was about an hour later that I had to leave…
--XoX—
"There," said Kimimon pointing to the three-way intersection. The Digi-vice identified the Dracmon as mischief makers belonging to the category of "Undead Digimon". These were bloodsuckers looking like video game creatures in the way of the player—eats health points with their claws and mouths large enough to take up half their face. Graffiti was embedded into their skin. Happily, they multiplied out of thin air, cut down the traffic lights, and were damaging all vehicular transportation. Terrorizing was both voluntary and involuntary.
This was not going to be fun.
"Koushiro," said Kimimon in a steely voice. "I…can't do this alone." He set me down atop one of the tall buildings that stood at the corner of mayhem's intersection. We looked over the edge of the building and down at the chaos.
I nodded in response watching more people flee from their cars and fan out from the traffic lights. If anything, the incident could never be covered up by "sudden contagious madness" or "sleep deprivation".
Kimimon raised his head abruptly. I could tell that he was sensing another presence, one different from the Dracmon. According to the Digi-vice, it was a Quagamon—an over-sized rabbit that was grey and baby blue. It was as tall as trees and calmly, but swiftly swatted the Dracmon advancing toward it.
It was the Digi-volved form of a Jommimon.
"WILLIS!" I screamed at the little boy on top of the Quagamon's head. He looked determined. If this was a dream, I'd find it funny: a boy in his pajamas using the ears of a serious Easter bunny as reins.
"Kimimon! Get me down there!" I jumped onto Kimimon's back as we descended many meters to the ground.
One of the Dracmon jumped at us in mid-air, knocking Kimimon out of pattern. I jumped off Kimimon's back and into Quagamon's arms. Willis looked down on me cradled in his Digimon's arms.
"Koushiro, we're here to help!" exclaimed Willis cheerfully.
"Are you"—a loud crash echoed from a car toppling upside-down onto the heap of broken traffic lights—"kidding me?" And yes, I did use profane language, but no one heard me.
"No…" answered Willis not understanding the rhetorical question.
"You're just a kid!"
"Many people could say the same about you, you know… I'm an asset. But if it helps, Michael's on his way."
I wasn't comforted.
More Dracmon were coming our way, and so Quagamon put me and Willis out of the line of fire.
I knew that these Digimon were more dangerous—worse than the ExTyrannomon…
Hydramon appeared and began to fight the other Digimon getting away from the line of fire, but the Dracmon multiplied and multiplied.
"Virus Digimon," Willis said. "I was studying them a week ago…"
"Anti-body," I requested.
Willis's glance skimmed over the broken landscape when he stated: "I'm Michael won't mind us using his iPhone to get rid of them."
As if on cue, Michael jogged toward us in flip-flops. Why do people across the Pacific Ocean wear flip-flops? "Hey guys," said Michael, not needing to catch his breath. "Sorry it took us a while."
"No problem," I said with a smile (a very WIDE smile at that). "Did you get my text message?"
"Test message?" asked Michael confused. He took out his precious device and pressed the screen several times. "I didn't receive any—hey! Koushiro, give it here!"
"Tardiness comes at a price." Hastily I used the phone for internet; accessed my own programs; and reconfigured the iPhone.
Willis, standing on his tip-toes to see, examined my actions. "Shut it down. Then, we'll—"
"GIVE IT BACK!" shrieked Michael in distress.
Willis and I gave him a look, and he withered away in response.
"Give it here," said Willis.
I handed the mini prodigy the iPhone, letting him enter the data for the anti-body. The trick to defeating a virus Digimon, Willis concluded, was to cause a de-Digivolution using anti-bodies, codes used as a defense against the virus. These anti-bodies were the reverse names of the Digimon's actual data code.
Typing in the last of the code, Willis looked at Michael and said, "Sorry, Michael, you can get a new one," chucking it high into the air as burst into blue light.
The light shone through the whole intersection. Anyone and anything, humans and Digimon alike, shielded their eyes from the blinding blue light. What remained were little Tsunomon, baby Digimon with horns protruding from the forehead.
Victorious at the break of dawn (though Washington was ready to mourn at the loss of his iPhone).
Scanning the streets of broken down cars, we found no more Dracmon—only Tsunomon. But we were wrong.
Hydramon reported that there was another Digimon lurking the streets of Tokyo now. One Dracmon had some sort of mutant data. Instead of de-Digi-volving, he Digi-volved into a Champion level Digimon. We would have to worry about that later. The police would be arriving soon.
--XoX—
Back at the warehouse, we fell onto the sofas and were out for two hours straight until Michael's Digi-vice went off and Jyou arrived, screaming for joy that we were all alive after what happened last night (or early morning).
Michael's agent was worried sick about him, but really worried that he fled the country afraid of the "little demons causing trouble" in Shinjuku. He explained that he was fine and was sorry that he lost his phone to the bay and that he could not go to the set that afternoon.
With the help of coffee and food, the blondes and I were awake. Willis answered all of Jyou's questions after which we began the previously planned meeting.
"I've invited all of my Digi-Destined friends to come over." Willis folded his hands neatly on the table. "We need to meet."
"Why?" asked Michael. He scratched his head in confusion. "What's happening?"
Jyou answered, "We have to help the Digimon escaping the Digital World; expand their world so they have a place to live; and make sure that order is maintained in ours."
"Well…yes…" said Willis. "Where there is advanced technology, there are more Digimon sightings. We need an organized network."
"I agree," I said.
Willis looked at me and said, "We also need Mimi."
I swallowed, trying to digest his statement.
"Doesn't she know about Digimon?"
"No…"
"Why not? You said that she found Mipmon."
"Yes, but she thinks it's a sex ed project."
"What sex ed?"
"Sex education," said Michael.
"What is sex?"
I cut in, "Michael, close your mouth." Rubbing my temples, I stated, "Mimi doesn't need to be involved. Catharine could probably help out."
"Who's Catharine?" asked Willis. He looked like a little boy having trouble with a jigsaw puzzle when the pieces don't fit.
"She's from France. Michael and I invited her."
"Okay…"
"Koushiro, are you about this?" Jyou asked me. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Gennai specifically asked for Mimi."
"It's fine."
"Okey-dokey then," agreed Willis. "By the way, Koushiro, I think it would be great if you were the president of the League… You're really dedicated to all of this."
If dedication was the desire to top Washington in hard work, then yes, I was dedicated indeed.
"I don't think that's a good idea…"
"Just think about it." Willis clapped his hands and added, "Now, we'll need to keep the Digimon here because the police will be on the look-out for Digimon."
"But I—"
"What?" asked Washington annoyed.
"—have to work with Mimi on the sex ed project," I finished curtly.
"What the heck is sex?!" piped up Willis.
--XoX—
A/N: Hope you enjoyed Chapter 12. I really do like the story, and I just LOVE reviews! Thank you to all of you who added Oh, How Cute as a favorite story!
Question: Sorato or Taiora?
