Digimon: Conquering Middle Ground
Episode 2
"Firsts"
By: Shmeilia Rockie
*A/N: Here it is, as promised! For anyone who is wondering, Tyler Haston was loosely based off of Taylor Hanson...Well, more like a combo of Taylor and Zac...He's just an echo of my pre-high school days. That's okay, though. He is a fun character, and does add to the plot, so I hope no one cares who he's modled after. *'Boy, am I tired', squints at computer screen* And 'They' stole another of my special power ideas! (They being the WB, I swear!) First Page on Charmed got Mimi's call-it-to-me power, and now Cordelia has my new cleasing-white-light power! Hmph! I shouldn't even try any more! *Throws up hands, starts to walk away in frustration, but then doesn't* Okay, I'm better now. Happy reading! Oh, and much tankies to Falconess (my bestest most best friend in the whole entire world) for the song! I can't write poetry/music to save my life!*
Tyler woke as usual at three in the morning and began his voice warm-up exercises. Matt's beauty sleep was interrupted about when Tyler began singing and gargling at the same time. It went something like, *gurgle, gurgle, gurgle, spit* "All that I can see -"*Gurgle, gurgle* "Is leading her to meeeeeeeeee. BUT I ca-an't-" *more gurgling, Tigermon giggling and gargling at the same time.* "Help being so incredibly ..."
Matt groaned and covered his head with a pillow. It didn't help. They'd practiced that stupid song the day before until it became perminantly burned into his brain. He'd be dancing or playing it in his sleep on his fortith birthday for sure.
Tigermon spit and howled "LOOOOOOOOOOOOOONEEEEEEEY" incredibly off key.
Matt threw open the door connecting his room to the bathroom. "That's IT! Won't you two shut up?"
Tigermon jumped onto Tyler's shoulder as he calmly left the room. "It's about time you got up. We've been awake for hours."
Tyler pulled a comb through is already neat hair in more of a light-hearted mockery than anything else. "Ya have jet lag yet?"
Matt leaned on the doorframe and groaned. "Whoever INVENTED jet lag should be lugged out into the street and had the sense beat into him as a form of public mockery."
Tigermon laughed inappropirately loudly. Purposefully so. "That was so pitiful it was funny!"
Matt gave him the evil eye then retreated to the bathroom for an hour, to fight hard to not fall asleep in his toothpaste.
"Ya know," Tigermon commented, leaning back in the recliner. "This new guy is going to be good for you on so many different levels. He'll help your career-"
"Let's hope."
"-And he's an experienced 'Megadigidestined', but most of all..." The Digimon grew quiet. He shouldn't have started down that road, it was always so painful for Tyler.
Tyler circled around the chair, a bottle of water and a duffle bag in one hand and his Digivice in the other. "Don't leave me hanging like that, man. Whassup?"
"Well, you need...Well, um, friends. Tyler. You don't have any, besides me and your brothers. And they're back home, living a normal life now."
Tyler tried not to wince. He really did. But Tigermon had delt him a heavy blow to the pride. He didn't have any human, non-family friends, did he? His whole life had been about putting on a show. Singing. Acting, but only breifly. Stars didn't have time for friends. Now he suddenly had one...Fate was shoving a friend up his nose, basically. He hadn't asked for one. He didn't want friends, really he didn't.
Or so he liked to tell himself. Under the spotlight happened to be a very lonely place to live.
But that didn't make him want to accept Matt with open arms.
Tyler sighed and flopped down next to his digital partner. "I have you, buddy. Who needs more than a Digimon at his side?"
Tigermon shook his head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. It's just...I worry about you. Stars are people too, and sometimes you forget that. You get wrapped up in everything and it all just passes you by. You need friends to keep you rooted in the real world."
Tyler looked out the window at the sun just peaking over the horizon, really not seeing anything but the faces of his family back home in K.C. His parents, smiling with approval. His brothers, well, being their dorky selves. And his innocent little three-year-old sister, playing dress-up with the cat. He missed them all so much.
Then the clouds lifted from his sky blue eyes and he laced his fingers behind his head. "You know what I need? A girlfriend."
"I'm engaged," Matt boasted, finally emerging from the bathroom, looking perfect as usual. He put on his jacket. "Just proposed before I left."
Tyler realized his mouth was open in shock. "How can you do that?"
"Yeah," Tigermon chimed in. "Don't you realize long-distance relationships don't work?"
He frowned. "No, I don't. And it's not like you would know, now is it, Tigermon? Digimon don't fall in love, do they?"
Tigermon blushed and grew quiet.
Tyler's eyes narrowed to slits. "Hey, that wasn't necessary, man. I think you owe him an appology."
Matt grabed his bag and opened the front door, back in his infamous 'I hate your guts, so leave me alone' mode. "I don't owe that flea-bag anything."
They spoke nothing more to each other as they left. Tigermon watched them out the window and shook his head. Something felt wrong, aside from the obvious conflict. He should have gone with them. He knew he should. "Oh, well. Too late now." His scratchy, high-pitched voice echoed omniously through the empty suite.
* * * *
"Davis! Davis! Oh, where are you? Matt's going to be on TV in an hour, and I just convenced the satelite company to let us watch it for free!"
Davis heard her, but didn't move. He couldn't. He didn't have the energy for it. He exhaled loudly and went on looking at the patterns on the ceiling that looked like Digimon.
June burst into the room and flipped on his light, making him groan. "You're not sleeping in here, are you? It's only six o'clock!"
"The light," he managed to choke out, covering his eyes weakly with one hand. "It hurts my head. Turn it back off!"
But June was in a Matt-daze and didn't stop to consider her little brother's condition. She yanked him out of bed and dragged him into the living room. He flinched at the brightness of the room. Already the headache intensified to an unbarable level, but he didn't say anything. He sighed again and grimaced.
This time June did notice, and landed swiftly back in reality. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Davis. I forgot you're sick. You can go back to bed if you want."
He looked at her with unfocused eyes. "No, that's okay. If you could just turn them off, I think I can stay up long enough."
She nodded and got up to turn off the lights.
* * * *
"The Katie and Jamie L. Show?" Matt raised an eyebrow. "How did those two ever get their own talk show?"
Tyler put his arms across the back of his whole seat in the limo. "All the little preteen girls can't get enough of them." Then he scratched the side of his nose and laughed half-heartedly. "But the show is on while most girls are in school. So they end up taping it. My cousin, who's nine, 's always like 'NOOOOOOOOO! I missed an episode! I'm gonna DIE!' Crazy stuff, I swear. They aren't even really THAT good at acting."
"I know. They're popular in Japan, too. We don't normally get this show, though."
Silence. Both boys thought about 'back home' for a while, but Tyler's thoughts drifted slowly toward the preformance they were about to give. It would be a nightmare, as it always was, but he had a strange feeling it would be highly rewarding.
As soon as they stepped out of the limo, some big guys in dark glasses and impersonal suits grabbed their elbows and roughly pushed them into the lobby. Loads of girls with signs and t-shirts saying 'MARRY ME, TYLER!!!' reached out at them from behind velvet ropes. Matt's head began to spin from the noise.
Noticing the look of total panic on Matt's face, Tyler shouted out to him, "Welcome to the real world of fame, man. It's a scary place, lemme tell ya! They'll rip your clothes off if you're not careful!"
"Thanks," Matt said, getting scary cat eyes. "That makes me feel SO MUCH BETTER!"
A more few seconds of insanity passed before they were shoved unceremoniously into an elevator. Tyler ran a hand through his hair and exhaled loudly, other than that, he showed no sign of being bothered by that crowd. Matt leaned in his direction and whispered, "I've never needed bodygaurds before. It feels weird."
Tyler snorted but didn't respond. The doors opened and again they were shoved along, this time into a dressing room. "Hair and make up," Tyler told him, sitting down in a swival chair.
A woman with shockingly pink hair walked in and immediately started doing Tyler's make up. She didn't even turn to Matt as she informed him, "Cookie'll be in in a minute, hun. Don't look so petrified, she won't hurt ya. Much. Ha!"
'Cookie' charged in and took his face in her hands. "You need some serious sun, boy! You'll be invisible under all those hot lights!" Matt couldn't help stare at her hair, or at least the partial lack of it. There were little swirlly patterns shaved into her short 'do on one side, but the the other side seemed slightly longer and perfectly normal (albeit green, *wink* but that's not unusual at all). She set to work before he could think of any way to respond. "I swear, you are the palest individual I have ever met. Where are you from, Japan? Are you sure you don't live under a rock? 'Cause, man, you are PALE!"
And she went on like that for about thirty minutes.
"But Kalli, I dun't need my hair done! I swear did it this morning!" Matt stole a glance in Tyler's direction as Cookie attempted to tame his truely anime-messy hair. Tyler was trying to wrestle a can of hair spray out of Kalli's hand and not get sprayed in the process. She was winning the battle.
"Aw, stop whinning, you baby!"
Cookie jerked his head violently in the other direction. "Are you listenin' to me, Pale Boy? I am per-scribbing yeh a visit to the tannin' se-lon! Tell 'em I sent ya and you'll get in for free!"
"Sure. Whatever, Cookie."
Then, as they were being shoved into the backstage area of the Katie and Jamie L. set, Matt turned to Tyler and admitted his true feelings. "Maybe show-business isn't for me, after all. You know, I always wanted to become an astronaught. I think I might try my hand at that instead."
"Nonsense! And waste good talent like yours? No, my friend. You were made for this. Maybe one day you can have your own label! At least then-" They were both dropped hard on their butts. Tyler kept talking, in a lower voice now. "You won't be mobbed by preteen chicks who think you are DA BOMB!"
Matt couldn't help but laugh at his unusual new friend, all former conflict forgotten. "You are the strangest person I have ever met, and trust me, I know some real weirdos back home!"
Tyler gave him the thumbs-up. "Thanks, man. That's the best compliment anyone's ever given me! No, seriously, if you think I'm strange, wait'll ya get to know my brothers. THEY are real nut-bags!"
He felt the preshow excitement beginning to creep up on him. "REAL-ly?"
Tyler took a gulp of water from his water bottle and recapped it. "Mm-hm. One time, they-woah, I could tell you-but I'll leave that for after the show."
A crew-person in a headset walked by and told them to be quiet, and that they were on in five minutes.
They stiffled laughs as the person walked away. Tyler held out his hand. "Skills, man. Good skills."
"You too."
A high-pitched voice drifted in from on the set. "-So lets give them a warm welcome, girls!"
Matt ran out into the American spotlight for the first time and took a seat next to Jamie L. Or was it Katie? They looked and sounded exactly alike (from the same obviously not natural blond hair, to the matching peach pompom sandles) so it was hard to tell them apart.
"Hello, Tyler!" The other one squeezed the life out of the poor Kansas City native. "So nice to see you again!"
A strange look crossed his face. He'd been on the show before, and the twins seemed radically different, somehow. But he just couldn't put his finger on it. "Hi, Jaime-Lee. How are you?"
She flipped her trendy blond hair like the air-head she was. "I'm just great, and you?"
But before he could answer, Katie noticed the other blond teen next to her and sqeaked, "Oh, and who's this? Your new band-partner?"
"Yeah, this is Matt Ishida." Matt smiled cooly at the camera, and the entire nation fell in love with him.
"Oh, that's an exotic last name. Are you from Wisconsin?" The audience laughed like that was the funniest thing ever said.
"Actually, I'm from Tokyo." The hearts of some little girls in the front row practically burst at the sound of his sexy voice, and they fainted. They were quietly carried off and Katie and Jamie-Lee didn't notice. They just smiled and acted like that happened all the time. The two boys threw nervous glances at each other.
"I know, silly! I was making a funny!" Katie put her hand on his arm. Her touch sent a strange chill down his spine. It almost felt as if...
"Ohmigosh! I heard your CD, and it was AWESOME! Even though, you know, I can't understand Japanese." Again, the audience doubled over with laugher. Some girls even passed out from lack of oxygen, they laughed so hard. And again they were carried away extremely quickly.
"Hey, would you two sing your first single for all your new fans?"
"Sure, would you prefer we danced or played it?"
"Oh, play it. You can dance later, after the commercial break! Oh, and Matt, maybe you can sing something off your old album? Only, in English?"
Matt picked up a stratigically placed guitar and slung the strap over his shoulder. "Well, it doesn't translate perfectly, but I-"
"But first," Tyler cut him off, sitting at a similarily stratigically placed drum set. "This is our first single, 'The One', off of our soon to be released album 'Out Of The Blue Moon'"
Matt made an annoyed face at being interrupted, but started off anyway, as the lead. And as he sang, he couldn't help but picture his new fiancee, standing on a balcony, hair ruffling softly in the evening breeze.
"Her hair glows-
It's the fire of my heart.
Now I can see-
That we'll never be apart.
My love is burning-
Burning brighter than the sun.
She's a beauty,
She can only be..."
Tyler let loose on the drums a little bit and wailed in his characteristic way, "The O-OONE!" And half the girls in the audience shreiked and fainted. Both Digidestined eyed the stage crew pulling the girls away, but kept playing.
"She's the one for me!
All that I can see -
Is leading her to me.
But I can't helping be
So incredibly ..."
"LONELY!"
"I gotta tell her how -
How she makes my world go!
She's all I ever need -
I want the universe to know!
That she's...
The One!
She's the one for me!
All that I can see -
Is leading her to me.
Now I can't helping be
So incredibly ...
Happy!
He she comes-
She's heading my way!
Better make it good -
It's gotta be today,
Hey, I think you're...
The One!"
Tyler picked up on the last part, and it was clear who the favorite was. (But then again, he'd been doing it a lot longer, too.)
"The only one for me!
The One!
The only one I see!
The One!
The only one I know!
The One!
Gonna let the whole world know!
Cause your the only one for me!
You're the One!
You're the One!
The one and only...
Gotta be...
The...
ONE!"
The two Digidestined stopped playing and looked around, suddenly aware of the lacking audience. Every one of the girls had fainted and had been dragged off of the set.
That familiar chill ran through Matt's soul. "Where is everyone?"
"Uh-oh," Jamie L. said way too cheerily, "I think it's time to go to a commercial break!"
* * * *
Garz and Zarg are dressed in lab coats and safety goggles, and are carrying clipboards.
Zarg: Our cereal is mysteeeriously magically magnetically charged to attract frosting.
There's a small video clip of little green puff-balls attracting frosting like a magnet.
Garz: Strangely enough, this is also true for subject Q.
Tigermon hops onto a chair next to an average dinner table. The words 'Subject Q' flash on the screen. At the other end of the table is a bowl of G & Z's mysterious cereal. Tigermon starts shaking and suddenly flies uncontrolably at the bowl. He lands face-first in the milk, splashing it everywhere. He sits up, looks directly into the camera and yells, "Sweet!" Then he winks and holds a thumbs-up. Milk drips off his fur, and he has some of the cereal stuck to his face.
Zarg: So there you have it!
Garz: Buy our cereal today!
They're on the television June and Davis happened to be watching.
June (scratches head, confused): Is that it?
Davis (smacks forehead): What's the NAME of this cereal, guys? For pity's sake, who in their right minds would let Garz and Zarg have their own commercial?!
A voice from off screen yells, "Hey, who let those two in here? Get 'em!" Then the picture cuts to static, and the words 'Experiencing technical difficulties' scroll across the screen. Davis and June sigh loudly in unison.
* * * *
As soon as the camera cut away for the commercial break, Katie jumped onto the desk, eyes glowing bright red. The voice that spoke was not her own, "I'm so glad I could finally meet you, Protector Friendship. I will take pleasure in delivering you to your end."
"Frap-" was all Matt managed to get out before the seemingly harmless fifteen year-old girl exploded into one of the most ugly demon he had ever seen, and her sister did the same. They circled him like prowling animals. "I knew there was something wrong with you two from the minute I set foot on this set!"
Tyler backed into a wall, shaking uncontrolably. He couldn't decide if he should try to run, or help his friend. Without Tigermon, there wasn't much he could do.
Much to everyone's surprise, most particually Matt's, the demon that was Jamie-Lee began speaking to him in perfect Japanese. "I'm afraid you won't be able to see your little Megadigidestined friends again, Yamato. You'll need to be sent home in a tupperware container when we're through with you."
"Not if I have anything to say about it, demon scum! I WILL liberate those two girls from your grasp, if it's the last thing I do."
The other demon made a screeching noise that could only be interpreted as laugher. "But you don't have that kind of power. Only the Key does, and he is a half a world away. You will die in vain!"
Meanwhile, poor Tyler stood by helplessly at the side of the stage, not understanding a lick of the conversation.
The demons suddenly turned from their taunting of Matt and locked their gazes on him. "Oh, look. It's a Digimon-less Digidestined. How convenient!"
"Shall we roast him alive, or just eat him whole?"
"How 'bout we possess him, and then force him to Dark Digivolve his Digimon-"
"How about no?" Matt froze the ground under the two, and they slipped harmlessly past Tyler. In English, he told them, "Leave my friend alone."
They hopped up with bared teeth, prepaired to pounce on him. But they stopped when they heard a high, scratchy voice commanding them to do so. Tigermon stepped out of the shadows. How did he get there? Nobody knows! And at the moment, nobody cared.
"Tigermon, buddy! Am I so glad to see you!" Tyler grabbed his Digivice and held it high in the air. "Digivolve! Hurry!"
"Tigermon Digivolve to... Sabermon!" *The author takes a deep breath and hope this new Digimon hasn't appeared on Digimon Tamers, of which she only watched one episode.* Sabermon looked just like an electic orange saber-tooth tiger with white stripes. *I'd do more of a description, but it's late and I'm getting tired, sorry*
At the same time, Matt Morph Digivolved into Garurumon. Together the two each took on a demon, but even then, they just weren't good enough. They fought to a stand-still.
"Hey," Matt growled, "Let's change our strategy."
They ganged up on one of the demons, finally managing to knock it unconcious. It slammed into the wall right next to Tyler, already forgotten by the two Digimon. Tyler leaned over it, daring to touch, and even talk to it. He couldn't explain, even later, what stirred him into action, but he could feel power flow through him as he whispered in the demon's ear. "I know there is a girl inside of you somewhere. Come back, Jamie-Lee. This thing has no power over you unless you give it power. Fear gives it power, and you don't need to be afraid any more. I'm here to protect you."
Slowly, the demon form flickered and finally disappeared.
Tyler smiled and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "That's it. I knew your hair was really blue. The day you are a dumb blond is the day I'm a martian."
Her eyes fluttered open, and she gazed up at her liberator. Faint recognition dawned upon her, a smile spread across her face. "Tyler Joshua Haston. I thought I'd never see you again... You saved me. Thank you." She hugged him. "NOW SAVE MY SISTER!"
He nodded dully, and without another word, ran behind the other demon. He decided to go for a little more aggressive approach than what he used on Jamie L. In other words, he jumped on it's back and screamed at the top of his lungs, "Leave this girl alone, you filthy MONSTER! AND YOUR LITTLE MINIONS TOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
The whole studio filled with the blinding light, and for a moment, time slowed down.
Jamie-Lee stood up and brushed her blue hair out of her eyes, noticing how weightless she felt. Her voice echoed with an electronic buzz in the silence. "Oh, Tyler! It's...Absolutely beautiful!"
And just as quickly as the light came, faded. Katie, as well as the entire crew in the backstage area, flopped to the floor. They might have been unconcious, but at least they were unpossessed. Tyler looked around at his handy-work, smiled with satisfaction and promptly fainted from exhastion.
"Woah," Sabermon said as he de-Digivolved. "THAT was amazing."
"I'll say," Matt agreed, also de-Digivolving. "I thought only the Key had that kind of power...But he never seemed to get as drained as Tyler did, 'cause Ken never passed out afterward."
"What exactly did happen?" Jamie L. looked around at all the unconcious people, then her gaze rested on Matt and Tigermon. "Who the heck are you? And what is that on your shoulder?"
Matt realized Tigermon was sitting on him and glared daggers at the creature. "Get off, you flea-bag! You're not even my Digimon!"
She stared at them, confused beyond the ability to form words.
"Sit down," Matt sighed. "This is going to take a while."
She did as he instructed.
"Let me tell you a story about some furry little monsters, much like Tigermon here, and the people who take care of them..."
"Oh, you mean Pokémon? I used to watch it all the time before I got my own show."
Matt slapped his forehead. He should have seen that one coming from a mile a way.
*No announcer-guy today. Call it laziness, but I'm thinking of just eliminating that part all together...And when the plot goes to far on the angst side, I might just hafta get rid of the commercials too. Sorry, Ken's luver! I know you like them!*
Episode 2
"Firsts"
By: Shmeilia Rockie
*A/N: Here it is, as promised! For anyone who is wondering, Tyler Haston was loosely based off of Taylor Hanson...Well, more like a combo of Taylor and Zac...He's just an echo of my pre-high school days. That's okay, though. He is a fun character, and does add to the plot, so I hope no one cares who he's modled after. *'Boy, am I tired', squints at computer screen* And 'They' stole another of my special power ideas! (They being the WB, I swear!) First Page on Charmed got Mimi's call-it-to-me power, and now Cordelia has my new cleasing-white-light power! Hmph! I shouldn't even try any more! *Throws up hands, starts to walk away in frustration, but then doesn't* Okay, I'm better now. Happy reading! Oh, and much tankies to Falconess (my bestest most best friend in the whole entire world) for the song! I can't write poetry/music to save my life!*
Tyler woke as usual at three in the morning and began his voice warm-up exercises. Matt's beauty sleep was interrupted about when Tyler began singing and gargling at the same time. It went something like, *gurgle, gurgle, gurgle, spit* "All that I can see -"*Gurgle, gurgle* "Is leading her to meeeeeeeeee. BUT I ca-an't-" *more gurgling, Tigermon giggling and gargling at the same time.* "Help being so incredibly ..."
Matt groaned and covered his head with a pillow. It didn't help. They'd practiced that stupid song the day before until it became perminantly burned into his brain. He'd be dancing or playing it in his sleep on his fortith birthday for sure.
Tigermon spit and howled "LOOOOOOOOOOOOOONEEEEEEEY" incredibly off key.
Matt threw open the door connecting his room to the bathroom. "That's IT! Won't you two shut up?"
Tigermon jumped onto Tyler's shoulder as he calmly left the room. "It's about time you got up. We've been awake for hours."
Tyler pulled a comb through is already neat hair in more of a light-hearted mockery than anything else. "Ya have jet lag yet?"
Matt leaned on the doorframe and groaned. "Whoever INVENTED jet lag should be lugged out into the street and had the sense beat into him as a form of public mockery."
Tigermon laughed inappropirately loudly. Purposefully so. "That was so pitiful it was funny!"
Matt gave him the evil eye then retreated to the bathroom for an hour, to fight hard to not fall asleep in his toothpaste.
"Ya know," Tigermon commented, leaning back in the recliner. "This new guy is going to be good for you on so many different levels. He'll help your career-"
"Let's hope."
"-And he's an experienced 'Megadigidestined', but most of all..." The Digimon grew quiet. He shouldn't have started down that road, it was always so painful for Tyler.
Tyler circled around the chair, a bottle of water and a duffle bag in one hand and his Digivice in the other. "Don't leave me hanging like that, man. Whassup?"
"Well, you need...Well, um, friends. Tyler. You don't have any, besides me and your brothers. And they're back home, living a normal life now."
Tyler tried not to wince. He really did. But Tigermon had delt him a heavy blow to the pride. He didn't have any human, non-family friends, did he? His whole life had been about putting on a show. Singing. Acting, but only breifly. Stars didn't have time for friends. Now he suddenly had one...Fate was shoving a friend up his nose, basically. He hadn't asked for one. He didn't want friends, really he didn't.
Or so he liked to tell himself. Under the spotlight happened to be a very lonely place to live.
But that didn't make him want to accept Matt with open arms.
Tyler sighed and flopped down next to his digital partner. "I have you, buddy. Who needs more than a Digimon at his side?"
Tigermon shook his head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. It's just...I worry about you. Stars are people too, and sometimes you forget that. You get wrapped up in everything and it all just passes you by. You need friends to keep you rooted in the real world."
Tyler looked out the window at the sun just peaking over the horizon, really not seeing anything but the faces of his family back home in K.C. His parents, smiling with approval. His brothers, well, being their dorky selves. And his innocent little three-year-old sister, playing dress-up with the cat. He missed them all so much.
Then the clouds lifted from his sky blue eyes and he laced his fingers behind his head. "You know what I need? A girlfriend."
"I'm engaged," Matt boasted, finally emerging from the bathroom, looking perfect as usual. He put on his jacket. "Just proposed before I left."
Tyler realized his mouth was open in shock. "How can you do that?"
"Yeah," Tigermon chimed in. "Don't you realize long-distance relationships don't work?"
He frowned. "No, I don't. And it's not like you would know, now is it, Tigermon? Digimon don't fall in love, do they?"
Tigermon blushed and grew quiet.
Tyler's eyes narrowed to slits. "Hey, that wasn't necessary, man. I think you owe him an appology."
Matt grabed his bag and opened the front door, back in his infamous 'I hate your guts, so leave me alone' mode. "I don't owe that flea-bag anything."
They spoke nothing more to each other as they left. Tigermon watched them out the window and shook his head. Something felt wrong, aside from the obvious conflict. He should have gone with them. He knew he should. "Oh, well. Too late now." His scratchy, high-pitched voice echoed omniously through the empty suite.
* * * *
"Davis! Davis! Oh, where are you? Matt's going to be on TV in an hour, and I just convenced the satelite company to let us watch it for free!"
Davis heard her, but didn't move. He couldn't. He didn't have the energy for it. He exhaled loudly and went on looking at the patterns on the ceiling that looked like Digimon.
June burst into the room and flipped on his light, making him groan. "You're not sleeping in here, are you? It's only six o'clock!"
"The light," he managed to choke out, covering his eyes weakly with one hand. "It hurts my head. Turn it back off!"
But June was in a Matt-daze and didn't stop to consider her little brother's condition. She yanked him out of bed and dragged him into the living room. He flinched at the brightness of the room. Already the headache intensified to an unbarable level, but he didn't say anything. He sighed again and grimaced.
This time June did notice, and landed swiftly back in reality. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Davis. I forgot you're sick. You can go back to bed if you want."
He looked at her with unfocused eyes. "No, that's okay. If you could just turn them off, I think I can stay up long enough."
She nodded and got up to turn off the lights.
* * * *
"The Katie and Jamie L. Show?" Matt raised an eyebrow. "How did those two ever get their own talk show?"
Tyler put his arms across the back of his whole seat in the limo. "All the little preteen girls can't get enough of them." Then he scratched the side of his nose and laughed half-heartedly. "But the show is on while most girls are in school. So they end up taping it. My cousin, who's nine, 's always like 'NOOOOOOOOO! I missed an episode! I'm gonna DIE!' Crazy stuff, I swear. They aren't even really THAT good at acting."
"I know. They're popular in Japan, too. We don't normally get this show, though."
Silence. Both boys thought about 'back home' for a while, but Tyler's thoughts drifted slowly toward the preformance they were about to give. It would be a nightmare, as it always was, but he had a strange feeling it would be highly rewarding.
As soon as they stepped out of the limo, some big guys in dark glasses and impersonal suits grabbed their elbows and roughly pushed them into the lobby. Loads of girls with signs and t-shirts saying 'MARRY ME, TYLER!!!' reached out at them from behind velvet ropes. Matt's head began to spin from the noise.
Noticing the look of total panic on Matt's face, Tyler shouted out to him, "Welcome to the real world of fame, man. It's a scary place, lemme tell ya! They'll rip your clothes off if you're not careful!"
"Thanks," Matt said, getting scary cat eyes. "That makes me feel SO MUCH BETTER!"
A more few seconds of insanity passed before they were shoved unceremoniously into an elevator. Tyler ran a hand through his hair and exhaled loudly, other than that, he showed no sign of being bothered by that crowd. Matt leaned in his direction and whispered, "I've never needed bodygaurds before. It feels weird."
Tyler snorted but didn't respond. The doors opened and again they were shoved along, this time into a dressing room. "Hair and make up," Tyler told him, sitting down in a swival chair.
A woman with shockingly pink hair walked in and immediately started doing Tyler's make up. She didn't even turn to Matt as she informed him, "Cookie'll be in in a minute, hun. Don't look so petrified, she won't hurt ya. Much. Ha!"
'Cookie' charged in and took his face in her hands. "You need some serious sun, boy! You'll be invisible under all those hot lights!" Matt couldn't help stare at her hair, or at least the partial lack of it. There were little swirlly patterns shaved into her short 'do on one side, but the the other side seemed slightly longer and perfectly normal (albeit green, *wink* but that's not unusual at all). She set to work before he could think of any way to respond. "I swear, you are the palest individual I have ever met. Where are you from, Japan? Are you sure you don't live under a rock? 'Cause, man, you are PALE!"
And she went on like that for about thirty minutes.
"But Kalli, I dun't need my hair done! I swear did it this morning!" Matt stole a glance in Tyler's direction as Cookie attempted to tame his truely anime-messy hair. Tyler was trying to wrestle a can of hair spray out of Kalli's hand and not get sprayed in the process. She was winning the battle.
"Aw, stop whinning, you baby!"
Cookie jerked his head violently in the other direction. "Are you listenin' to me, Pale Boy? I am per-scribbing yeh a visit to the tannin' se-lon! Tell 'em I sent ya and you'll get in for free!"
"Sure. Whatever, Cookie."
Then, as they were being shoved into the backstage area of the Katie and Jamie L. set, Matt turned to Tyler and admitted his true feelings. "Maybe show-business isn't for me, after all. You know, I always wanted to become an astronaught. I think I might try my hand at that instead."
"Nonsense! And waste good talent like yours? No, my friend. You were made for this. Maybe one day you can have your own label! At least then-" They were both dropped hard on their butts. Tyler kept talking, in a lower voice now. "You won't be mobbed by preteen chicks who think you are DA BOMB!"
Matt couldn't help but laugh at his unusual new friend, all former conflict forgotten. "You are the strangest person I have ever met, and trust me, I know some real weirdos back home!"
Tyler gave him the thumbs-up. "Thanks, man. That's the best compliment anyone's ever given me! No, seriously, if you think I'm strange, wait'll ya get to know my brothers. THEY are real nut-bags!"
He felt the preshow excitement beginning to creep up on him. "REAL-ly?"
Tyler took a gulp of water from his water bottle and recapped it. "Mm-hm. One time, they-woah, I could tell you-but I'll leave that for after the show."
A crew-person in a headset walked by and told them to be quiet, and that they were on in five minutes.
They stiffled laughs as the person walked away. Tyler held out his hand. "Skills, man. Good skills."
"You too."
A high-pitched voice drifted in from on the set. "-So lets give them a warm welcome, girls!"
Matt ran out into the American spotlight for the first time and took a seat next to Jamie L. Or was it Katie? They looked and sounded exactly alike (from the same obviously not natural blond hair, to the matching peach pompom sandles) so it was hard to tell them apart.
"Hello, Tyler!" The other one squeezed the life out of the poor Kansas City native. "So nice to see you again!"
A strange look crossed his face. He'd been on the show before, and the twins seemed radically different, somehow. But he just couldn't put his finger on it. "Hi, Jaime-Lee. How are you?"
She flipped her trendy blond hair like the air-head she was. "I'm just great, and you?"
But before he could answer, Katie noticed the other blond teen next to her and sqeaked, "Oh, and who's this? Your new band-partner?"
"Yeah, this is Matt Ishida." Matt smiled cooly at the camera, and the entire nation fell in love with him.
"Oh, that's an exotic last name. Are you from Wisconsin?" The audience laughed like that was the funniest thing ever said.
"Actually, I'm from Tokyo." The hearts of some little girls in the front row practically burst at the sound of his sexy voice, and they fainted. They were quietly carried off and Katie and Jamie-Lee didn't notice. They just smiled and acted like that happened all the time. The two boys threw nervous glances at each other.
"I know, silly! I was making a funny!" Katie put her hand on his arm. Her touch sent a strange chill down his spine. It almost felt as if...
"Ohmigosh! I heard your CD, and it was AWESOME! Even though, you know, I can't understand Japanese." Again, the audience doubled over with laugher. Some girls even passed out from lack of oxygen, they laughed so hard. And again they were carried away extremely quickly.
"Hey, would you two sing your first single for all your new fans?"
"Sure, would you prefer we danced or played it?"
"Oh, play it. You can dance later, after the commercial break! Oh, and Matt, maybe you can sing something off your old album? Only, in English?"
Matt picked up a stratigically placed guitar and slung the strap over his shoulder. "Well, it doesn't translate perfectly, but I-"
"But first," Tyler cut him off, sitting at a similarily stratigically placed drum set. "This is our first single, 'The One', off of our soon to be released album 'Out Of The Blue Moon'"
Matt made an annoyed face at being interrupted, but started off anyway, as the lead. And as he sang, he couldn't help but picture his new fiancee, standing on a balcony, hair ruffling softly in the evening breeze.
"Her hair glows-
It's the fire of my heart.
Now I can see-
That we'll never be apart.
My love is burning-
Burning brighter than the sun.
She's a beauty,
She can only be..."
Tyler let loose on the drums a little bit and wailed in his characteristic way, "The O-OONE!" And half the girls in the audience shreiked and fainted. Both Digidestined eyed the stage crew pulling the girls away, but kept playing.
"She's the one for me!
All that I can see -
Is leading her to me.
But I can't helping be
So incredibly ..."
"LONELY!"
"I gotta tell her how -
How she makes my world go!
She's all I ever need -
I want the universe to know!
That she's...
The One!
She's the one for me!
All that I can see -
Is leading her to me.
Now I can't helping be
So incredibly ...
Happy!
He she comes-
She's heading my way!
Better make it good -
It's gotta be today,
Hey, I think you're...
The One!"
Tyler picked up on the last part, and it was clear who the favorite was. (But then again, he'd been doing it a lot longer, too.)
"The only one for me!
The One!
The only one I see!
The One!
The only one I know!
The One!
Gonna let the whole world know!
Cause your the only one for me!
You're the One!
You're the One!
The one and only...
Gotta be...
The...
ONE!"
The two Digidestined stopped playing and looked around, suddenly aware of the lacking audience. Every one of the girls had fainted and had been dragged off of the set.
That familiar chill ran through Matt's soul. "Where is everyone?"
"Uh-oh," Jamie L. said way too cheerily, "I think it's time to go to a commercial break!"
* * * *
Garz and Zarg are dressed in lab coats and safety goggles, and are carrying clipboards.
Zarg: Our cereal is mysteeeriously magically magnetically charged to attract frosting.
There's a small video clip of little green puff-balls attracting frosting like a magnet.
Garz: Strangely enough, this is also true for subject Q.
Tigermon hops onto a chair next to an average dinner table. The words 'Subject Q' flash on the screen. At the other end of the table is a bowl of G & Z's mysterious cereal. Tigermon starts shaking and suddenly flies uncontrolably at the bowl. He lands face-first in the milk, splashing it everywhere. He sits up, looks directly into the camera and yells, "Sweet!" Then he winks and holds a thumbs-up. Milk drips off his fur, and he has some of the cereal stuck to his face.
Zarg: So there you have it!
Garz: Buy our cereal today!
They're on the television June and Davis happened to be watching.
June (scratches head, confused): Is that it?
Davis (smacks forehead): What's the NAME of this cereal, guys? For pity's sake, who in their right minds would let Garz and Zarg have their own commercial?!
A voice from off screen yells, "Hey, who let those two in here? Get 'em!" Then the picture cuts to static, and the words 'Experiencing technical difficulties' scroll across the screen. Davis and June sigh loudly in unison.
* * * *
As soon as the camera cut away for the commercial break, Katie jumped onto the desk, eyes glowing bright red. The voice that spoke was not her own, "I'm so glad I could finally meet you, Protector Friendship. I will take pleasure in delivering you to your end."
"Frap-" was all Matt managed to get out before the seemingly harmless fifteen year-old girl exploded into one of the most ugly demon he had ever seen, and her sister did the same. They circled him like prowling animals. "I knew there was something wrong with you two from the minute I set foot on this set!"
Tyler backed into a wall, shaking uncontrolably. He couldn't decide if he should try to run, or help his friend. Without Tigermon, there wasn't much he could do.
Much to everyone's surprise, most particually Matt's, the demon that was Jamie-Lee began speaking to him in perfect Japanese. "I'm afraid you won't be able to see your little Megadigidestined friends again, Yamato. You'll need to be sent home in a tupperware container when we're through with you."
"Not if I have anything to say about it, demon scum! I WILL liberate those two girls from your grasp, if it's the last thing I do."
The other demon made a screeching noise that could only be interpreted as laugher. "But you don't have that kind of power. Only the Key does, and he is a half a world away. You will die in vain!"
Meanwhile, poor Tyler stood by helplessly at the side of the stage, not understanding a lick of the conversation.
The demons suddenly turned from their taunting of Matt and locked their gazes on him. "Oh, look. It's a Digimon-less Digidestined. How convenient!"
"Shall we roast him alive, or just eat him whole?"
"How 'bout we possess him, and then force him to Dark Digivolve his Digimon-"
"How about no?" Matt froze the ground under the two, and they slipped harmlessly past Tyler. In English, he told them, "Leave my friend alone."
They hopped up with bared teeth, prepaired to pounce on him. But they stopped when they heard a high, scratchy voice commanding them to do so. Tigermon stepped out of the shadows. How did he get there? Nobody knows! And at the moment, nobody cared.
"Tigermon, buddy! Am I so glad to see you!" Tyler grabbed his Digivice and held it high in the air. "Digivolve! Hurry!"
"Tigermon Digivolve to... Sabermon!" *The author takes a deep breath and hope this new Digimon hasn't appeared on Digimon Tamers, of which she only watched one episode.* Sabermon looked just like an electic orange saber-tooth tiger with white stripes. *I'd do more of a description, but it's late and I'm getting tired, sorry*
At the same time, Matt Morph Digivolved into Garurumon. Together the two each took on a demon, but even then, they just weren't good enough. They fought to a stand-still.
"Hey," Matt growled, "Let's change our strategy."
They ganged up on one of the demons, finally managing to knock it unconcious. It slammed into the wall right next to Tyler, already forgotten by the two Digimon. Tyler leaned over it, daring to touch, and even talk to it. He couldn't explain, even later, what stirred him into action, but he could feel power flow through him as he whispered in the demon's ear. "I know there is a girl inside of you somewhere. Come back, Jamie-Lee. This thing has no power over you unless you give it power. Fear gives it power, and you don't need to be afraid any more. I'm here to protect you."
Slowly, the demon form flickered and finally disappeared.
Tyler smiled and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "That's it. I knew your hair was really blue. The day you are a dumb blond is the day I'm a martian."
Her eyes fluttered open, and she gazed up at her liberator. Faint recognition dawned upon her, a smile spread across her face. "Tyler Joshua Haston. I thought I'd never see you again... You saved me. Thank you." She hugged him. "NOW SAVE MY SISTER!"
He nodded dully, and without another word, ran behind the other demon. He decided to go for a little more aggressive approach than what he used on Jamie L. In other words, he jumped on it's back and screamed at the top of his lungs, "Leave this girl alone, you filthy MONSTER! AND YOUR LITTLE MINIONS TOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
The whole studio filled with the blinding light, and for a moment, time slowed down.
Jamie-Lee stood up and brushed her blue hair out of her eyes, noticing how weightless she felt. Her voice echoed with an electronic buzz in the silence. "Oh, Tyler! It's...Absolutely beautiful!"
And just as quickly as the light came, faded. Katie, as well as the entire crew in the backstage area, flopped to the floor. They might have been unconcious, but at least they were unpossessed. Tyler looked around at his handy-work, smiled with satisfaction and promptly fainted from exhastion.
"Woah," Sabermon said as he de-Digivolved. "THAT was amazing."
"I'll say," Matt agreed, also de-Digivolving. "I thought only the Key had that kind of power...But he never seemed to get as drained as Tyler did, 'cause Ken never passed out afterward."
"What exactly did happen?" Jamie L. looked around at all the unconcious people, then her gaze rested on Matt and Tigermon. "Who the heck are you? And what is that on your shoulder?"
Matt realized Tigermon was sitting on him and glared daggers at the creature. "Get off, you flea-bag! You're not even my Digimon!"
She stared at them, confused beyond the ability to form words.
"Sit down," Matt sighed. "This is going to take a while."
She did as he instructed.
"Let me tell you a story about some furry little monsters, much like Tigermon here, and the people who take care of them..."
"Oh, you mean Pokémon? I used to watch it all the time before I got my own show."
Matt slapped his forehead. He should have seen that one coming from a mile a way.
*No announcer-guy today. Call it laziness, but I'm thinking of just eliminating that part all together...And when the plot goes to far on the angst side, I might just hafta get rid of the commercials too. Sorry, Ken's luver! I know you like them!*