Big In Japan

Part 1

Turning Japanese

By Nick Maro

The private jet bounced as it hit an air pocket, causing the private plane to shudder slightly. Inside the cabin, the Misfits were fastening their seatbelts as they hit another bout of turbulence. David and Eric checked with the cockpit crew how long until they landed in Hawaii for refueling. The jet jolted hard causing David to slip and land on Jetta's lap. Eric lost his balance and landed on his side. He groaned in slight pain and sat in the empty seat next to Pizzazz.

"It looks like we chose the perfect day to fly to Japan, right in the middle of a damned thunderstorm." Pizzazz helped Eric with his seat belt. "Your arm okay? Nothing broken or fractured? As your employer I have to make sure all of my employees are happy and healthy." She gave him a tiny smirk.

Eric rotated his arm at each joint and returned the smirk. "Everything is working order here. Except for a few old nagging injuries, I'm fine." He sat up straighter and undid the top button on his shirt. "The pilot said we'll be landing once he gets clearance from the tower. He said that we'll wait on the ground until the storm passes."

Jetta pushed David off her lap and slapped his bottom. "Go sit on yer bloody girlfriend's lap, Yank."

"I'm thinking we should get a hotel room for the night and wait out the storm there. Also, it will give our pilots a chance to rest." David sat next to his girlfriend Roxy, who immediately hugged his arm as he sat next to her. "The copilot said that the storm system is nearing its end and should be clear by morning." He wrapped his arm around the white haired bassist.

"When we start our flight to Japan, I'm choking down as many sleeping pills as I can." Roxy gripped David's arm tighter as the plane hit a smaller pocket of air. "Fuck this flying shit. You need me, I'll be knocked the fuck out."

Stormer looked over at Roxy and let out a small giggle. "I don't know about you, but I'm loving this! It's like a flying roller coaster." She went back to watching the storm clouds that were below them. Arcs of lightning flashed before her eyes. "I've always loved storms. It's so cool to see the action from above."

Glaring at her friend Roxy put on her headphones and closed her eyes. She began to drift to sleep, when David gave a light nudge. Turning off her music player, she put it in her backpack as the plane made its sharp descent to the landing strip. Roxy bit her lower lip hard and kept her eyes closed. She let out a little yelp of surprise as the plane jumped as it hit the ground. David kissed the top of her head and smiled. She looked up at him, returned the grin and relaxed as the plane slowed to a stop.

Standing slowly Pizzazz grabbed her carry on bag. She thanked Eric as he helped her down the stairs into the pouring rain. Holding the bag over her head, Pizzazz ran the short distance to the terminal entryway. She watched her friends each make the frantic run to the building. Eric began searching his phone for a hotel for the night, while David arranged for transport. An airport staff member came running up handing each person a towel.

Eric put his phone away after calling a hotel and booking the rooms for the night. "I was only able to get one room for the night. Obviously the Misfits will get the beds while, me and David sleep on the floor. It's only for a few hours, so I don't mind camping there."

"No problems with that for me either." David finished toweling off his hair and ran his fingers through it. "Since it's still early, I suggest we get some dry clothes and find a place to eat." Eric and the Misfits each agreed quickly at the suggestion of food.

"I don't care how amusing the song could be we're not doing a song called The Misfits in Hawaii, Mary," Pizzazz laughed as she boarded the jet and sat next to Eric. She fastened her seat belt and glanced out the window. The sky was already a crystal blue in the early morning sun. She made a mental note to have Eric book a concert in Hawaii on their next tour.

David sat next to the window and immediately closed the shade for Roxy. Sitting across from her best friend, Jetta smiled at Roxy. Stormer slid the shade shut on her window to block the sunlight. Once everyone was fastened in, the pilot looked back at his passengers and smiled kindly. "Take two, everyone. Just got the go ahead from the tower and we have clear skies all the way to Osaka. Might be a few minor bumps, but you can't control those." He turned back around, did a final check on the controls and began rolling down the tarmac. Pulling back on the flight stick, the jet began its quick ascent into the sky. Roxy was asleep before the plane even began rolling.

The plane made a sharp turn as it began its approach to the runway. The gentle bumps as the landing gear hit the asphalt woke Roxy, who stretched and yawned. She leaned over her boyfriend and slid the window shade up and smiled to herself. "Well, it looks like we got here in one piece. Taking twice the recommended dose of sleeping pills is the only way to fly!" She sat back and stretched again while tousling her own hair.

Looking at her best friend in mild shock, Jetta leaned close to the white haired woman. "Be careful with those things, yeah? I don't want you not wakin' up again." She gave Roxy a long concerned look, who just nodded and then looked away. Jetta gathered her things and followed Eric off the plane. She took a deep breath as she got to the bottom of the stairs and let it out slowly. "It feels so good to breathe real air and not that bloody recycled crap."

David helped the pilot and Eric get their luggage out of the cargo hold of the plane. "The flight really wasn't that long. The time zone difference is what's going to really mess with you. We're sixteen hours ahead of Los Angeles. So yeah, we're in tomorrow." David smirked as he handed his sister her suitcase.

"I am so not looking forward to this case of jetlag." Pizzazz rolled her to the terminal. She hid her yawn as she approached the customs desk and presented her passport when asked. She waited as each of the Misfits went through customs without any incident. Eric and David joined the four young women quickly. "Where are Hiroshi and Mariko meeting us, David?"

Stopping David before he could answer Stormer jerked her thumb at the restroom. "I think we all should freshen up before we meet any parents. I don't know about the rest of you, but I feel kinda scummy." The other musicians looked at each other and quickly nodded. Stormer flashed her best smile at David and Eric. "Watch our things, please?" The two men just nodded and found a place to sit as they waited.

Eric cleared his throat and smirked mostly to himself. "We've just been turned into those guys who wait for their girlfriends at the mall. But in our case it's waiting for your girlfriend and the band I manage."

"It comes with the territory, Eric," David chuckled softly. "At least we get to make the first person to come out wait for us to wash up a bit." He pulled out a travel size toothbrush and tube of toothpaste out of his carry on bag. He stood up when Jetta came out of the washroom and went into the men's room. He exited the room a few minutes later to find Roxy standing before him looking nervous. He gave her a quick peck on the lips and a quizzical look. "What's wrong?"

Roxy pulled him to the side and lowered her voice so no one could hear her. "I'm just really nervous. I've never actually met the parents of any of my past boyfriends. I'm just worried that they're going to hate me." She shook her hands in front of herself and bounced in place a little. "I'm being stupid aren't I?"

Pulling her into a tight hug David rubbed his girlfriend's back softly and whispered in her ear. "They're going to love you, because I love you. And you'll be just fine. Also," he turned her around to have her face a Japanese couple in their late-forties smiling kindly at her, "they've been standing behind us the whole time." He laughed as he watched Roxy's face turn a deep crimson. "Roxy Pelligrini meet Hiroshi and Mariko Ikari."

Freezing in place Roxy just stared as her jaw began opening and closing. Her mind worked to find the words to greet the couple. "Uh, hi?" was all she could manage.

Punching David in the upper arm Roxy just glared at her boyfriend. "You know that was a total dick move to pull, right?" She punched him in the arm again when he started chuckling. "You think this is a game? I told you I was nervous to meet them!"

David rubbed his arm and pulled his sleeve up to look where she punched him. There was a bruise beginning to form. "I told you I was sorry. I really didn't think they'd meet us by the terminal. They were just excited to meet everyone." He put his arm around her shoulders. "Especially you they wanted to meet. They could see how happy you make me when I talked about you."

Letting out an angry sigh Roxy looked up at him and pulled herself closer to his side. She walked with him back to the house and then stopped. "Well, I guess it was pretty funny. Could have been so much worse." Roxy pulled David into a tight hug and rested her head on his shoulder, looking inside the house. "They could have walked in on us having se-," she froze in the middle of the word and put on a big smile as Mariko opened the door, "And there she is! We were just coming inside to find you and Hiroshi."

"I'm really sorry about embarrassing you at the airport." Mariko took Roxy's hands in hers and gave a kind smile. "Hiroshi got so impatient and he was halfway to the terminal before I could stop him. He's really proud of David."

"[Mom, knock it off,]" David said in Japanese while looking away.

Mariko reached out and pinched David's cheek. "Look at him, Roxy! He's turning bright red! It's so damn adorable!" She let out a light giggle as he swatted her hands away. "Now it's even, David. Come inside and say good night to your friends and sister. The trip took a lot out of them." She moved out of the way and went to pinch his cheek again.

Smiling until her face hurt Roxy went inside the house and kicked her shoes off. "I think I'm going to head to bed myself. Good night, Mariko." She hugged David's adoptive mother tight, then hugged and kissed David. "I'll see you in the morning. I can't wait to see where you grew up." She kissed him again. "Love you." Roxy smiled as she made her way to the second floor bedroom she was staying with Jetta.

"[Already at the, I love you stage, huh?]"

Just rolling his eyes David poured himself a glass of water and sat at the kitchen table. "[Yeah, I guess we are.]"

Mariko hugged David from behind and kissed the top of his head. "[I'm going to bed. I'm happy you found someone. Roxy seems like a great girl. I'm really looking forward to getting know Phyllis. Your sister is so much like you.]"

David just nodded and sat in the kitchen alone after Mariko left the room. He sat in the silence thinking about his family and friends. The excitement for the upcoming concert rushing through his mind was keeping him awake. He stood and poured himself more water and leaned against the counter top when Pizzazz walked in while yawning. She gave him a tired wave. "Couldn't sleep?"

Getting her own glass of water Pizzazz leaned against the counter next to her twin. "Jet lag doesn't affect me that much. Besides I slept on the plane." She looked up at him and studied face for a moment. "What's wrong? You look like you're concerned about something?"

"What? Nothing. I was just thinking and reflecting. I never thought that I'd meet my twin sister and that she'd be in the house I grew up in. It's so surreal and wonderful at once."

"Yeah, it is great."

They stood in silence until David motioned for his sister to follow him. He led her up the stairs to a closed door. He opened the door and turned the light on. "This is the room I grew up in." It was an average sized bedroom. Band and martial art posters shared the walls with a few awards scattered through the room. A few trophies were mixed in with some action figures on his dressers. A television was in the corner across from his bed. A video game unit was under it on the TV stand.

Pizzazz picked up a framed photo of David his band Pulsar. It looked as if it was taken at a school gymnasium. Each band member wore proud smiles while Kyoko held up ribbon for first place. She set it down carefully and picked up another. This one was of David with Mariko and Hiroshi. It was of David's graduation from high school. She saw the pride that the Ikari's had for her brother. She put the picture frame back down and walked around the room while studying everything.

"I-I kinda wish I had been here for all of this," Pizzazz said softly. "I mean, it's just now dawning on me that you did live a separate life from mine. Your childhood was so different than mine." She sat on his bed and smirked to herself. "Mine was mostly spent getting into trouble with school, granted it was sticking up for Jerrica and the others."

"Oh I had my share of doing that in school too." David sat next to his twin and gave his own smirk. "Do you honestly think I'd have pictures of that?" Pizzazz looked at him and let out a slow giggle. They stayed up late while talking about the trouble they got in and out of school.

Fighting the urge to yawn Pizzazz followed her brother as he showed the Misfits around his old neighborhood in Osaka. They came to a main intersection and David stopped for a moment. He gestured down one street. "If we head down this way, we'll enter the Namba district locally known as the South." He pointed in the opposite direction. "And this way is naturally the North, formally known as Umeda district. There's a big underground mall center in Umeda that we can check out later. But Namba is more or less the entertainment district." He checked his watch and squinted a little as he looked down the street. David put his hand up to block the sun and then smiled. "Both districts get busy at night, so now is a good time to go without dealing with massive crowds."

Roxy took David's hand as they walked down the street. Jetta and Stormer walked together as Jetta took pictures with her phone's camera. Eric nudged Pizzazz when he caught up to her. He handed her an energy drink, she nodded her thanks as she opened the can. "I knew I should have brought my camera. I had a feeling we were going to do some sightseeing."

"You could always pick one up when we get to where ever your brother is taking us." Eric pulled his sunglasses out of his jacket pocket and slid them on. "You can afford it, you know."

"I guess," Pizzazz said with a light shrug. "I've wanted a new one for a few years anyway. The one at home is just a simple point and shoot. Kimber took a photography class in her junior year and I fell in love with the DSLR she was using." Pizzazz cursed silently to herself. "Which reminds me, Kimber's birthday is on Saturday." She quickly caught up with her twin and Roxy. They chatted as they walked to the district center. Eric stayed a few steps behind her and talked with the other two members of the Misfits.

"We're taking a taxi back to your house, David. That walk was a lot further than I had expected." Stormer shot David a glare as she wiped her forehead. She pressed the cool bottle of water to her head and sighed in relief.

David gave her a sideways smile. "Yeah, sorry about that I'm just used to making that walk here. I used to do it all the time as a teen. Hitomi and I would meet up with Kenshiro and Eiji to hit up the karaoke places. Believe it or not Kyoko wasn't the original singer for Pulsar." He popped a French fry into his mouth and grinned. David glanced out of the window of the restaurant they were sitting in he tapped the window and pointed. "Check it out it's the billboard for the Pulsar concert!"

Each of the Misfits rushed out of the restaurant, they looked up and let out a small cheer when they saw the Misfits logo appear. Eric walked up behind the four women and smiled to himself. "Well, looks like you have made it in Japan."

Pizzazz turned around and hugged Eric tight, then did the same with her brother. She watched the other Misfits faces for a few moments and finally let out a long sigh. It felt as if the weight of worry lifted from her shoulders. She had worried that David's now former label wouldn't promote the Misfits for the tour. Slipping her sunglasses back on Pizzazz searched her pocket for her phone. She wanted a photo of the billboard. Cursing under her breath she remembered she had left it at the Ikari household.

"What's wrong, Phyllis?"

"I left my phone back at the house. Must have left it on the charger."

Stormer tossed Pizzazz her phone. "See, I knew you'd forget your phone, so I grabbed it for you. I was waiting to see how long it would take you to look for it." She reached into her back pocket and pulled out a set of headphones. "I also knew you'd forget these, too."

"Thanks, Mary." Pizzazz slipped her phone in her pocket after taking a quick picture of the sign. She then put the headphones in the opposite pocket. When she looked up she noticed her brother and Roxy talking to a Japanese woman. She nudged Jetta lightly. "What's going on?"

"Hm? Oh, David and Roxy are gettin' interviewed by a college radio station. Seems they recognized David on the street and wanted to get a quick word with him about the upcoming concert." Jetta gave a little shrug. "Free publicity, right?"

Pizzazz nodded her agreement and edged her way closer to her brother. He turned and waved her closer with a smile while still speaking in Japanese. "[And here is my twin my sister Pizzazz. She's the lead singer of The Misfits one of our opening bands this weekend.]" He switched to English while the young woman translated for the audience. "Say something for the listeners, Pizzazz."

"I just wanted to say that the Misfits and I are really looking forward to performing this weekend. I know this concert is special for my brother and I fully intend on making it one to remember." She smiled as David acted as translator. Pizzazz stood next to Roxy as David finished the interview. Checking the time on her phone she began pacing back and forth a little. It was almost time for the plane that Jerrica and the rest of the Hologram were set to arrive.

The fatigue of the long flight was instantly forgotten when Jerrica spotted Pizzazz and the rest of the Misfits waiting for them in the airport terminal. The other Holograms put on an exhausted smile as they saw the awaiting women. Jerrica ran up and hugged her best friend. "You didn't have to meet us here, y'know. And you didn't have to send your private jet for us! We could have flown commercial." She flashed a tired smile and hid her yawn.

Pizzazz let out an amused laugh. "Oh knock it off, Jerrica. You know you loved the flight. It was quiet, no screaming brats and no annoying passengers," she glanced over Jerrica's shoulder at Rio, "except for him." Pizzazz giggled softly when Rio realized she was about talking him. "I made arrangements to have your instruments and equipment to be sent to the arena. Your luggage is being sent to the hotel. There are two limos waiting for you outside." She put her hand on the blonde woman's shoulder. "Don't worry, I have everything handled."

"Well, look at you. Big Sister Phyllis must be taking notes from her new manager. Or should I say new boyfriend, huh?" Aja quickly dodged the backhand from Jerrica.

Stormer pushed her way past her friends and tackled her best friend. She gave Kimber a tight hug that made the young redhead emit a sharp squeaking sound. Stormer just giggled and kissed Kimber on the cheek. "Happy birthday! Hope you got sleep on the plane."

Wiggling out of Stormer's arms Kimber gave her a playful glare. "Someone has had her sugar fix. And thank you, Mary." Kimber turned and stuck her tongue out at Shana. "Told you it was my birthday. International date line! Woo!" She threw her arms in the air to mark her victory.

Rolling her eyes Shana picked up her luggage and started following the group of musicians before her. "You know what that means, right?"

"What?"

"Less time to celebrate your eighteenth birthday, we're quite a bit ahead of Los Angeles time." Shana smirked as she picked up her walking speed. "International date line. Woo."

"Goddammit," Kimber mumbled as she realized that Shana was right.

Despite the feeling of jetlag kicking in Kimber let the music flow through her as she danced. Stormer and Pizzazz took the young woman out for her eighteenth birthday to a local club. None of the women understood the lyrics to the songs they were dancing to but they were having a good time. Signaling to her best friend that she was taking a break Kimber found an empty booth and sat down. She wiped the sweat from her brow and leaned back. Pizzazz let out an exhausted breath and rested her head on Kimber's shoulder.

Pizzazz reached into her pocket and pulled out a slightly bent card. "Happy birthday, you little shit. Sorry it's bent a bit. I didn't expect that you'd start dancing right away. Had to keep up, y'know?"

"You could have waited until we left," Kimber said while opening the card. She smirked at the front of the card that was written in Japanese. Covering her mouth she giggled at Pizzazz's personal joke under the Japanese gag. She then read the short letter Pizzazz wrote opposite. Kimber wrapped her arms around her adoptive sister's neck. She whispered softly trying to hold back her tears, "Thank you. I love you too, Phyllis. You've always been there."

"Hey, you're my sister. Jerrica and I did the best we could without Dad. I see some of my influence in you and some of Jer's. But now you get to become your own woman. Learn from the mistakes we both made." Pizzazz leaned back and gave a little smirk. "And your real gift is actually back in Los Angeles. I didn't forget about that."

Stormer sat in the booth on the other side of Kimber. She wore a wide smile as beads of sweat clung to her forehead. Looking at the two women Stormer made an annoyed face. "Oh, you two are having a sister moment, huh?" She giggled when Pizzazz shot her an annoyed glare of her own. Stormer got a waitresses attention and ordered four drinks. She leaned back in the booth and relaxed, listening to the music. The waitress set the drinks down Stormer slid a glass to Pizzazz and two to Kimber. She held hers up and waited for the two other women to do the same. "I just wanted to say happy birthday to my best friend and the woman I love as a sister. And to Phyllis Gabor the madwoman who keeps the Misfits sane. Thank you for always being there. I love you both."

The three women clicked their glasses together and Kimber took a sip of the hard liquor. She coughed hard and tears began to form in the corners of her eyes. She looked at Stormer, who just tipped the glass back and smiled. "Birthday girl gets two shots, so drink up."

Kimber exhaled and tipped the shot glass and drank the shot quickly. It burned going down her throat. She let out a deep breath and did the same with the second shot. She pounded her palm on the tabletop as it went down her throat. She noticed it burned much less this time around. "Oh, holy shit. That was strong!" Kimber looked up and could feel the alcohol coursing through her veins. It warmed her face and earlobes. She looked up when she heard Stormer and Pizzazz laughing at her. "I fucking hate you both." She then joined in the laughter.

The crowd erupted into cheers and applause as Jem and the Holograms took to the stage. Jem tapped her foot and started the silent countdown with her hand. The stage lights went up and Jem began singing right away. The Holograms joined in perfect precision with their lead singer. The energy and enthusiasm from the audience motivated Jem and the Holograms to play and sing even harder.

Jem looked off stage for a second and smiled wide at her boyfriend Rio and at Pizzazz. They each returned their smile of encouragement. Jem finished the song, taking a deep breath she thanked the arena for coming to the show while Aja began the next song.

Taking a final bow, Jem and the rest of the Holograms left the stage. The applause continued until the stage lights went dark. After finishing her bottle of water Jem wiped the sweat from her brow and smiled until her cheeks hurt. "I just realized that this was my real concert and I'm kinda freaking out a bit." She let Rio put his arm around her waist as he led her to the dressing room. The rest of the Holograms greeted them in the room.

Waiting behind the dark curtain, Pizzazz glanced at both Roxy and Stormer in the dim light. She turned her head and nodded to Jetta, who began a rhythmic pounding on her drums. Pizzazz began clapping as the curtain started to rise. She smirked as Roxy and Stormer started to tease the song. Pizzazz led the audience in the clapping she then began playing her own guitar. The Misfits played their own version of the song Victim of Circumstance.

The Misfits surprised the audience with playing their new album, Universal Appeal, in its entirety. Pizzazz finished the last song and grabbed the microphone as she screamed the final note. Waiting for the echo to finish, she cleared her throat. "Thank you all for coming out! And now for the band you've waiting for, hell, it's the band I've been waiting for also Pulsar!"

On cue, David and his band came rushing out on stage. He gave his twin sister a hug and told Roxy to stay behind. He whispered something in her ear causing her to laugh and nod. David turned gave Pulsar a nod. He began playing the song Paradise by the Dashboard Light. Roxy sang the duet with her boyfriend happily.

From the top tier of the stadium, Daisuke watched David perform on the stage below. Soon he'd have his revenge.

TO BE CONTINUED IN "TOKYO NIGHTS" PART 2 OF BIG IN JAPAN