"Revenge is Bittersweet," Chapter Four
by DragonShadow83 and VTBOTS
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The next morning, Parappa and PJ meet up at the ice cream parlor again, perhaps to continue their studio search. But Parappa--a cheerful, rejuvenated Parappa--has other things in his mind. PJ can see it in his eyes, and he smirks a bit and asks him, "What's up? You're lookin' mighty happy about something."
"I am. My stalking problem has finally been cured."
"That's cool," says PJ proudly as he loudly slurps on his chocolate dessert. "How?"
"Well, I got Lammy really mad the other day so I tried to stop following her. But when I bumped into her again I found her with Joe Chin. She said that he's her boyfriend, and Joe, being the jerk he is, said all kinds of bad things to me..." Parappa's ears droop as he recalls that moment.
"Yeah...," PJ slurps, "go on."
"Well, I went home that night and Lammy came by. She apologized to me about the stuff Joe said and wanted to be my friend again."
"And, of course, you gladly accepted."
"Of course! What's more, her and Joe Chin broke up. So now I may have a chance at her again, without following her everywhere she goes. I feel so happy."
"Sheesh," smirks PJ, shaking his head, "what is it with you and girls?"
Parappa simply smirks, and the duo munch on their ice cream in silence for minutes, though PJ seems to have things running through his mind as well. After some hard thinking, PJ finally takes a breath and speaks up, "Parappa... I think this band thing is too much hassle."
"What do you mean?" asks Parappa, curiously.
"Don't you remember all that walking we did the other day? We were doing that for half the day! And all thinking made my head hurt. And all this just to form a 'band,' to do something we've already done and been really good at two or three times now?"
Parappa rubs under his chin in consideration.
"C'mon, buddy," PJ continues, "we don't need to be a band to be good or popular. Heck, hardly anyone even knew about you when you first performed with MC King Kong Mushi, and they loved you. As for me, well, I hope I don't have that many girls dive on me again like last time..." Then, grimacing, he whines, "They nearly broke my shades! Never break my shades!" Returning to his normal tone, he says, "But anyway, you see what I'm saying, pal?"
Parappa nods, "Yeah, I do. You're absolutely right, PJ. Let's quit this band thing; I really don't know why I got the idea."
"Lammy gave it to you, remember?" smirks PJ. "You probably just went along with it in hopes of impressing her and the other girls or something."
"Probably," says Parappa, laughing a bit. Then, after a couple minutes of silence, his expression turns serious. "Hey, PJ, do you sometimes get the feeling you're being watched?"
"Only in the shower..."
Parappa blinks, "Huh?"
"Oh... nothin'," shrugs PJ. "What are you talking about?"
"Well, it's just that last night I could have sworn somebody was watching Lammy and me. Of course, it could be just me..."
Now it's PJ Berri's turn to blink, "That is pretty weird... You need more sleep."
"Yeah, maybe," nods Parappa, rubbing the side of his head. "Maybe I better go home and take a short nap."
"Sure, I'll finish your ice cream for you," smiles PJ, staring into Parappa's neglected dessert with wide, desiring eyes.
"Go 'head," shrugs the dog as he heads out the parlor.
"Sweet!" PJ devours the ice cream, almost completely unaware that his friend isn't even there anymore.
* * * * *
'Yeah, a nap,' Parappa says to himself. 'This week has been quite stressful. Maybe when I wake up I can take Lammy out for ice cream. She sure loves the stuff. Yeah, I think that'll be good.' Parappa's tired mood shifts back into cheerful optimism as he thinks about his plan, and can't wait to take that nap and wake up again.
Unfortunately, all plans are cancelled when a shaded figure suddenly swings down from a street light, grabs the top of his jaw, and hauls him up from the ground. A bewildered Parappa tries to scream for help but to no avail, but it only comes out in muffles. He tries to struggle free but the stranger simply grips unto him harder and tells him to shut up. It jumps from light pole to light pole with incredible agility, clear onto the rooftop of a building.
When the figure finally drops the puppy hard on the rooftop floor, Parappa, finally breaking free, gets a good look at his capturer: A girl that looks like Lammy... but looks as if she's been drenched in bleach or something.
"Where does Lammy live!?" the girl demands, granting Parappa full confidence that this is truly not the Lammy he knows.
"Who the heck are you, and why should I tell you!?" says Parappa in an equally demanding tone.
"I'm Rammy, and you should tell me because I want to know."
"Why should I tell a total stranger where Lammy lives? What do you want from her, anyway?"
Rammy shrugs, "I just want to give her a message."
Parappa cocks an eyebrow, scratching his nose. "A message, huh?" he says in disbelief. "Why don't you tell me what this message is, and I'll tell her."
"That's too complicated," sighs Rammy.
"Well, to be honest, I don't quite trust you just yet. How would I know you're not really planning to hurt her?"
"I promise I won't use your information to hurt her," the dark girl says in an unconvincing tone.
Parappa shakes his head again. He still doesn't trust her, considering she's a total stranger and everything. He quickly forms a plan to tell her a 'little white lie'; she won't know. "Uh, I don't quite remember," Parappa says, pretending to think really hard, "but, uh, if I know my usual luck well, I usually bump into her whenever I walk around..."
Rammy frowns and knocks on his forehead, "Don't lie."
Parappa grumbles, shakes his head, and sighs. "I... can't tell. I just can't." He crosses his arms bravely. But any sign of bravery disappears immediately when Rammy grabs and holds him over the edge of the building.
"Now?"
Parappa gulps, sweating profusely. "Now, uh, you wouldn't want murder to bite you in the behind, now would you?"
"Tell me," Rammy growls seriously.
Rammy holds him further from the edge and lowers him, forcing him to look adown. Panicking, he gulps quite loudly and sweats more than ever. After an unsettling silence, he reluctantly and shakily points over to MilkCan's studio in the distance. A now satisfied Rammy moves away from the edge of the rooptop, though still holding her grip on the dog.
"Good," says Rammy, "now I know where to send the ransom note."
Hearing that, Parappa begins to panic. "Ransom...? Oh, no, you don't want to kidnap little ol' me! I'm a dog! I might... mark territory or something!" he says lamely.
Rammy's face twists into a menacing frown, and growls, "Mark me and you won't be marking anything ever again!"
Parappa gulps loudly and hunches his legs together defensively over her threat, shaking his head quickly. Somehow, seeing this mutt so scared and whimpering pathetically draws a smirk from Rammy, and she couldn't help but laugh in her mind. But she re-focuses on her objective, grips unto him tightly again, and leaps over buildings until she reaches one across from the studio. She snatches Parappa's shoe puts a piece of paper in it, hurtling in at the studio's window...
* * * * *
"Darn it, I almost had it that time!" complains a frustrated Lammy, after playing a riff at the wrong moment.
"You were just rushing, Lammy," says Katy Kat as she restacks her song lyrics. "But don't worry... just a bit more practice, and--"
The cat's sentence is halted when an ear-piercing sound of glass-shattering echoes throughout the studio, alerting the band.
"What the...!?" Lammy and Katy say simultaneously.
"Look!" Ma-san shouts, pointing to an object on the floor. The girl band runs to it and discovers it to be a familiar shoe with a piece of paper in it.
Lammy picks it up and reads: " 'Come to the island of Teriyaki Yoko tomorrow or the dog bites the big bone, signed, someone who hates you'... Oh no, MilkCan has a critic!" eeps the lamb, backing off to a chair, shaking and drumming her fingers on her face. "Oh no, oh no, oh no, I knew I messed up, I just knew it, and now somebody hates MilkCan, oh I'm such a goof, such a--"
"No, Lammy, it's not your fault," Katy interrupts, hating to see her friend put herself down (especially when she does that almost all the time). Looking at the note again she continues, "This note is rather strange, though-- What does it mean by 'or the dog bites the big bone'?"
"Hm, it'll have to be some dog we know," muses Ma-san. "Hmmmm. We don't care for Joe Chin, so it might be... Parappa!"
"I don't get it, why would someone threaten Parappa?" wonders Lammy out loud, calming down a bit.
"Probably to give us a reason to chase them," says Katy.
"Why would they want that?"
"Who knows," shrugs Ma-san. "This person hates one or all of us for some reason. I say we get PJ Berri and try to think of a way to get to this island."
Lammy scratches behind her head, "Eh, forget PJ, he couldn't help a dog sniff his butt." Ma-san simply smirks.
"Well, anyway," says Katy, "how do we get to this Teriyaki Yoko island? Does anybody know how?"
"A plane?" suggests Lammy.
Katy sweatdrops, feeling slightly foolish for not thinking of that. "... that makes sense. Okay. I say we forget rehearsal today and book us a flight now. Who knows how long it would take to get there."
"Yeah, good idea," nods the redheaded lamb.
So MilkCan agree on their plan and dash the looooong way to the airport.
* * * * *
When the girls finally arrive, they collapse at the front lobby, inhaling and exhaling heavily.
"Too... far..." coughs Lammy.
"Oh, my kitties are killin' me," groans Katy Kat, sitting down on a chair and taking her shoes off to rub her sore feet.
"At least you two are wearing shoes!" whines Ma-san, falling out on a nearby chair as well, trying to shake off the pain of her big, aching feet.
Crawling up to the counter, Lammy shyly asks, "Th-Three tickets to... uh... T-Teriyaki Yoko's island, p-please."
"There is no such place," drones the clerk.
"Well, we don't know the name of it!"
"No one around here has heard of Teriyaki Yoko?" asks Katy, her tail whooshing in an agitated way. "She lives in an island of some sort."
"Well, which islands? The world is full of islands."
"Well, we're in a crazy enough world already," says Ma-san, "so there'll probably be a big sign that says 'Teriyaki Yoko's Island' or something. ...right?"
When the clerk asks what Ma-san said, Katy translates for her. "I'm sorry, but there's no such place," the clerk then says almost emotionlessly.
"I see," Katy says in a low voice, "thank you." The clerk nods as MilkCan goes back to their seats in the lobby.
"Well, that was interesting," grumbles Katy. "Now what? How does this crook expect us to find him/her and Parappa if no one knows where this island is?"
Lammy smirks a little, "Mabye THAT'S the joke..."
"...wha?" blinks Ma-san.
"Leave a notice we can't possibly get to so this person can get his laughs at our inability to do it."
"...heh, genius," says Katy, rubbing under her chin. "Crooked... but genius."
The smallest MilkCan girl sighs deeply, "Great, he's laughing at us. So now what do we do? Our concert's tomorrow, and that's most likely the deadline to find Parappa's kidnapper. So we have until then to rescue him."
"We find a way to do it..." says Lammy, leaning back on the chair. "Someone in this town HAS to know the name of the island she's on, or where it's at... Someone in show business.... Hmmmm."
* * * * *
A little bit later, in a private room at the television studio...
"Chop-Chop Master Onion, what have I told you about looking that way toward me during the show?" asks his female assistant (Parappa the Rapper 2, second stage), looking at him with disinterest. "I know we're supposed to help adult couples love one another, but... those eyes you give me seem more than just pretending."
"Ah, but my sweet," says Chop-Chop in a deep, 'manly' voice, "they are not pretending, you have seen through me like a bird sees through a cloud."
"Whatever," the girl (let's call her Amy) rolls her eyes, and is relieved when repeated knocks on the door interrupts this creep from saying... or doing any more. She goes to open the door and finds three girls panting heavily, about ready to collapse.
"Should've... taken... a taxi....." coughs Katy.
"What are you kids doing here?" asks Amy.
"Um, hi," replies Katy after catching her breath. "We're here to talk to Chop-Chop Master Onion about something."
Very happy to hear that, Amy suddenly pushes them in. "Be my guest!" she says to the confused trio.
Chop-Chop scribbles the name 'Cop-Hoq-adre-neon' on a piece of paper and hands it to them, "There, my autograph."
Katy Kat blinks and takes it slowly. "Uh, thanks... But that's not what we're here for."
"Oh? Well, my assistant is currently taken."
"The heck you talkin' about?" blinks Ma-san, scratching behind her head confusedly. "We just want to ask you something important. A friend's life is in danger."
Chop-Chop, too, scratches behind his head, since he doesn't understand her language. When Katy Kat translates for him, though, he says, with interest, "Oh?"
Katy explains the situation to him, up to where they decided to ask Chop-Chop Master Onion, the only other big person in show business other than MC King Kong Mushi, for the location of Teriyaki Yoko, knowing his great wisdom in many things... or so most people think.
"Ah, Teriyaki Yoko..." he sighs sadly.
"You know her!?" all three girls said simultaneously with interest.
Chop-Chop nods slowly. "Once, we were in love. We were the happiest couple you could ever imagine; nothing could ever break us apart... We were... truly soulmates. Then one day, a man with a pumpkin for a head discovered her and told her of a faraway place that is in desperate need of musical talent, and offered to be her agent. She came to me a while later and said one of the most dreaded things a woman could say to a man: 'Sorry, Chop-Chop... but my career comes first.' (sigh) She was never interested in ME after that..."
Katy Kat, Lammy, and even Ma-san are deeply moved by his sad story, and they can't help but shed a tear. (Well, Ma-san forced one back.) Katy's ears droop sympathetically as she calmly consoles the heartbroken teacher, "How awful, Mr. Onion. I'm sorry."
Chop-Chop waves his hand to say 'Oh, it's all right' as he sighs and blows his nose on a handkerchief. "Anyway... what did you need to know? he asks.
"Well, we need to know what's the name of Teriyaki Yoko's island and where it is at, so we can book us a flight there."
"It has no name, but if I must... I can take you there."
"You can? Great!" exclaims Ma-san. Chop-Chop may not know what she said, but her expression is enough to tell him what.
"I don't know about this..." says Lammy nervously.
"It'll be fine, all we need is a bonfire with a bag of marshmallows."
"... a fire with a bag of marshmallows?" wonders Katy, out loud. Unseen by her and her friends, Amy has that 'uh-oh' look...
"Yes, only with the sacred marshmallow-burning can we get to the island in time to save your friend."
"He's lost it," she says aside to the others.
"We really don't have a choice, Lam," replies Katy.
"Splendid," says Chop-Chop, clapping his hands once, "now you four come with me to the camping grounds."
"Four?" Amy sweatdrops, "Uh, that's not including me, is it?"
"Of course it is."
"Great..." she mumbles sarcastically as she reluctantly follows him, along with the other girls.
* * * * *
The five make it to the camp grounds under the setting sun, and after setting up a bonfire, they sit around it. Lammy still seems skeptical to go along with this as she twidles her fingers, becoming interested in her shoes again.
"Now," says the onion master, "who has the marshmallows?"
"Right here, chopnerd," replies Amy as she produces a bag of marshmallows that conveniently came out of nowhere.
"Now, all of you remove your clothes."
Lammy immediately shoots a very strange look at him. "....... Huh?" Her friends respond basically the same way.
"If you want to save your friend, you must do as I say."
Katy grumbles to Lammy's side, "Must we?"
"No..." responds Lammy, very shyly and nervously, "but should we?" They look to Amy for help, but she is merely filing her nails. It's almost as if she has experienced this many times before.
"Uh... excuse me, Mr. Onion, sir," Katy says in a worried state, "but we really don't want to, uh, expose ourselves... Isn't there another way?"
"Clothes are not allowed on the island."
"You're still wearing yours," Lammy points out.
"... GIRLS' clothes are not allowed," Chop-Chop then says with slight hesitation.
Katy says to Lammy's side again, "This must be some type of trick. How is it that girls' clothes are not allowed but guys' are? Teriyaki Yoko sounds like a woman, so you'd think it'd be the other way around if she's that type of woman...."
"What are we supposed to do though, Katy?" says Lammy, although she's sharing the same reluctant feelings as her. "We can't FORCE him to take us, and we need his help."
After pondering this for a minute or two, Katy sighs a long sigh and reluctantly agrees to do what Chop-Chop instructs. Ma-san pairs her drumsticks together, swings it like a baseball bat, then says with a deep frown, "But if you try anything even a little naughty, I'll karate chop-chop your behind, got that!?"
"I do not intend to," replies Chop-Chop, eyes closed.
Ma-san simply snorts as she, Katy, and Lammy very reluctantly (and Lammy VERY shyly) strip themselves of their clothing. The assistant woman does the same, in a 'Here we go again' manner.
Immediately covering herself in extreme modesty, Lammy timidly asks the romantic karate master, "W-What are w-w-we supposed to do n-n-now?"
"Now... we roast marshmallows," says he as he sits in front of the fire and holds the stick of marshmallows over it. The assistant hands an equal amount of the soft, chewy thing to each MilkCan member, and they do as Chop-Chop instructs.
"Okay... then what?" asks Katy as she covers herself with one paw and holds the marshmallow stick with the other.
"We eat the marshmallows."
"Do they give us the ability to fly or something?" asks Lammy curiously.
"They taste delicious," responds Chop-Chop with a smile. Ma-san sweatdrops.
"Well, I guess they do taste really good..." Katy admits as she chews on her marshmallow, "but if they don't make us fly, how do we get into the island?"
"Island?" he asks.
"Teriyaki Yoko's island, so we can save our friend."
"Oh yes, that's right," he nods at the reminder. He for some reason gets up and walks around the bonfire to them. "To get to her island... you must clear your mind!"
Then suddenly, as quick as PJ Berri would swallow a piece of chocolate cake, he kicks the three of them in the head, knocking them out instantly. "See you there..." He then looks to Amy, who's staring at him in disbelief. He smiles and says, "Then again, maybe not."
* * * * *
"Ohhhhhhhhh, my head...." groans Katy Kat as she and her girl friends finally regains consciousness.
"Ugh... remind me to eat a lot of onions when I get home..." frowns Lammy, rubbing her sore head slowly.
"You an' me both, sista," smirks Ma-san, shaking the aftereffects of Chop-Chop's kick out of her head.
Lammy looks around groggily for a minute, then asks, "Where are we?"
"Um, aren't we still at the campgrounds?" Katy asks, her vision not quite cleared yet. "... and where's that other girl..."
"This place looks different." Lammy looks around some more, and suddenly familiarization hits her as she discovers that they're in a dark jungle-looking place, with a large, fancy building in the distance. "Hey... I know this place."
"You've been here before?" asks Katy as her vision finally returns to normal. "Is this the island?"
"Yeah," nods Lammy, who looks down at herself and, blushing furiously, almost immediately covers herself. "Darn it, I wish we had clothes on..."
Katy sighs as she, too, covers her no-no places, though not quite as frantic as Lammy. "Maybe some clothes would be conveniently lying around?" she suggests, trying to keep up her optimism though it's mighty hard to at the moment.
"Hopefully," says Ma-san, whirling her drumsticks skillfully. 'Glad I held on tight with my babies,' she thinks with a slight smile.
"See any?" the unclothed lamb asks, looking around.
Katy shakes her head, "No. Guess we gotta look around and ask for some, and then find Parappa. We still have tomorrow, don't we?"
"Yeah, we have a little time left over."
So the poor girls make their way out of the foresty part of the jungle and in front of the building Lammy saw earlier, to see if it's a clothing shop or if anyone would be there willing to give away some clothes. When Lammy gets a good look at the building, however, she suddenly puts her arms out and stops them. "Hey wait! That's her place."
Katy shakes her head, "That singer lady Teriyaki Yoko? Great. So where can we go where there won't be... so many people?"
"Um... I don't know," mutters Lammy, "this island is only fifty feet around."
"... Well, there's a bright side to this," says Ma-san, smiling and giggling a bit. "If they do see us, at least we now might get more male fans. Hee hee hee!"
"Well, Katy might..." When Katy goes "Huh?", Lammy replies, "We all know everyone likes you more."
"Oh come on," says Katy with a wave of her paw, "people love you and Ma-san, too."
"Of course they would," smirks Ma-san, before striking a pose. "What guy could possibly resist this sexy bod, anyway?"
Katy snickers, "Gee, Ma-san, first you were modest back at the campgrounds, but now you seem willing to show your stuff."
"Hey!" pouts Ma-san, "I meant guys my age. Chop-Chop is way older than I am!"
After minutes of silent contemplating, Katy simply shrugs, smirks and covers herself discreetly, saying, "Oh heck, let's just swallow our pride and go inside..."
"If you say so," says Lammy in a low, reluctant voice, covering herself discreetly.
"Let's get this over with," mumbles Ma-san as she and the girls step inside the large theater of Teriyaki Yoko's, with one main objective in their minds: To save their friend Parappa....
* * * * *
TO BE CONTINUED...