Hmm...will I mention our names ever? Who knows! Although, mine is on my bio page.
If you are puzzled and/or shocked by my title for this chapter, then you are probably not alone! This is actually a long-running inside joke between the two of us, so no harm done. In fact, she practically dared me to name it the way I did!
Disclaimer: On the twelfth day of Christmas, Toei gave to me: Twelve chosen-a-fighting, eleven marching fishes, ten spirits evolving, nine Digimentals, eight crests-a-glowing, seven Dark Rings-a-controlling, six D-Scanners-a-flashing, five digi-gnoooooomes! Four Dark Masters, three Digimon Tamers, two angel digimon, but no ownership of Digimon! Argh!
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It was the following day, and Ominous was browsing through some brochures and tourist guides as he was sprawled on the couch in his part of the suite. A small pile of more brochures was by his feet. There was a knock on the door dividing the two rooms.
"You can come in; it's open." Ominous called out.
The door opened and a somewhat tired, but dressed Cracker stepped into her friend's quarters. Ominous glanced quickly over his shoulder to see Cracker's state. He assumed she had not fully gotten over the jetlag. She had a frown on her face, and her eyes were squinting.
"Why is the sun up this early in the morning?" She asked in an annoyed groan. Ominous shook his head in disbelief.
"It's the afternoon, bud, didn't you reset your watch?" Ominous responded. Cracker mumbled something unintelligible. "Did you remember to take your pills?" He said casually.
Ominous was of course referring to the prescribed Vitamin B pills that his friend took to get energy to her brain, thus making her more attentive. Cracker was surprised that he would mention them. If the old idiom of looks that kill was true, the galaxy would have imploded by then, judging by the harsh stare she was giving.
"What's it to you?!" She shot back.
"I'll take that as a 'no'." Ominous muttered calmly as he went back to looking at the guides. "She needs a stronger dosage" He said under his breath.
"What was that?" She inquired in an overly-annoyed voice. She picked up a vase from the coffee table.
"Nothing..." Ominous quickly replied.
He was beginning to get frightened of his friend's uninhibited state. Tonight, he would sleep with one eye open. Cracker slowly lowered the vase back onto the table, but she kept her eyes narrowed on the young man.
"Did that kid, Takeru call yet?" Cracker asked more calmly.
"No, not as yet." Ominous responded with a light sigh. "They don't have holidays around this time in Japan. Christmas will still be a school day."
"Oh, right." Cracker apparently recalled.
"You knew about that?" Ominous questioned with one raised eyebrow.
"...Of course I did." She answered hesitantly. Her friend gave her a dubious look. "Don't look at me like that!" She exclaimed.
She quickly took some of the extra brochures and went back to her room in a disgruntled rush, slamming the door behind her. Ominous went back to reading the guides, and then briefly looked up after a couple of minutes to analyze what just transpired.
"She seemed rather agitated...even for her demented standards." He quietly murmured to himself. He rubbed his chin as he pondered. "It would probably seem logical to attribute her erratic behaviour to the woman's monthly, biological cycle, but I'd be wise not to discuss that with her...if I want to make it back home intact...and breathing."
He stared at the door to her room and shuddered at the thought of what unspeakable horrors Cracker could possibly be able to do to him. He was rethinking the idea of sleeping tonight, period. Keeping one eye open suddenly did not seem sufficient enough to keep him safe.
'Why are all the small ones insane?' Ominous thought. He turned on the television to calm his mind.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The pair had received a call from Takeru the next hour, and got instructions on how to get to his apartment complex. Once again, Ominous took the role of 'navigator', meaning Cracker was behind the wheel. The two found time to converse between directions given, as they were speeding recklessly towards their destination.
"Hmm, I wonder if the middle finger means the same thing here as it does back home." Ominous wondered as he saw his friend use the crude gesture for the second time.
"Well, even if it doesn't, there is still one thing I can think of that is recognized by all cultures." Said Cracker, colliding her enraged fist with the centre of the steering wheel. The car's horn blared at the poor driver in front of them who was driving too slow for Cracker's psychotic standards.
"This is an endless war for you, isn't it?" Ominous stated cynically.
"It's not my fault they can't drive!" Cracker shot back. Her patience was wearing thin.
"I find it highly interesting that you say that about virtually everyone." He said. "A bit ironic, too."
"Don't act like you don't drive like me, too." She jeered. Her eyes became determined, as she planned to overtake yet another vehicle on a road with no passing lanes.
"I may go as fast as you, but I do not go around gesturing to everyone that I come across on the road." He corrected. "For our sake let us hope that this vehicle is up to safety standards."
"Did Takeru tell you who he was bringing with him?" Cracker unexpectedly asked.
"He said that he was going to be with his friends: Hikari, Daisuke, and Taichi." Ominous answered. He sighed at Cracker's off topic nature. "He also says that Taichi is Hikari's brother, too."
"Oh, so we get to meet the girl that he loves." Cracker quickly uttered as she barely escaped flattening a pedestrian while inadvertently running a red light.
"You do know a red light means 'stop' in this country, too, right?" Ominous inquired nonchalantly as he gazed back at the intersection.
"You do know an uppercut to the jaw is painful, right?" Cracker threatened in the same manner. The young man became deathly silent.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
When the pair finally got to their destination, they noticed a small group of four kids waiting in front of the apartment complex's parking lot. It was Takeru and his three friends. One was a girl with short, russet hair. She had an air of innocence and warmth about her. The duo immediately labelled her as Hikari. One of the boys was bigger than the rest and had long and wild brown hair that matched Hikari's hue. The other boy was also a brunette, but his hair must much shorter and spiky, and a pair of goggles adorned on his forehead. Cracker parked in front of them in the visitor's parking spot, and the two stepped out to greet the kids.
Takeru's friends were a little startled by how tall Ominous was. It wasn't often that they met up with someone of that height. However, it was Cracker that sparked more of an interest...particularly for Taichi and Daisuke. They stared at her hopelessly with stars in their eyes as they envisioned her in a backdrop of roses and heavenly music. Ominous caught this and sweatdropped. He then fought the urge to laugh out loud as he thought about what those two would get themselves into if they tried anything.
Takeru smiled and waved to them while the other three bowed slightly. Ominous and Cracker followed suit and slightly bowed back.
"I'm glad you two could make it!" Takeru exclaimed cheerfully. He formally introduced his companions. "These are my friends: Hikari, her brother Taichi, and Daisuke." The three said their hellos casually.
"Allow us to introduce ourselves." Ominous started. "My name is-" A car horn blared in the street as it spun out of control, ran onto the curb, and crashed into a glass building. "-but you can call me Ominous."
The six of them turned to view the accident for a brief moment. Cracker and Ominous' mouths were agape. Something unusual, yet strangely coincidental was slowly becoming apparent. Nevertheless, they turned back to the introduction.
"My name is-" Cracker began.
As this was happening, Ominous' attention was oddly drawn to a gas station across the street. There he saw someone handling a hose while about to light a cigarette. His eyes widened in horror.
'Oh, that cannot end well...' He thought as he hastily put his hand over Cracker's mouth with lightning speed, denying her a chance to say her real name. "Her name is Cracker...leave it at that." He looked back at the figure across the street. The individual had wisely pocketed the cigarette. "I'd rather not tempt fate." Ominous lightly muttered. The group looked at him strangely.
"Okay..." Cracker finally said, unsure of what just happened. "So...any ideas on what to do today?"
"We're going to show you around Odaiba, if that's alright with you guys." Takeru responded.
"That's fine with us." Stated Ominous. "We have lots of time on our hands."
"Very good." Takeru beamed. "Our 'guided tour' will probably take several hours. Taichi and Daisuke planned it out, and they did a good job of it."
"Which is surprising, considering that neither of them are good at planning things on their own, let alone as a pair." Hikari joked.
She took a small step back and looked at her brother and Daisuke in anticipation of some sort of reprimand for her personal shot at them, but it never came. Both Daisuke and Taichi maintained their fixed gaze on Cracker. Hikari walked up to them and waved her hand in front of the two. No response. Cracker finally caught on herself, and chuckled nervously as she backed away a few steps.
"Are we ready to go?" Cracker quickly inquired. Takeru nodded.
"Shoot!" Kari said suddenly, a hint of frustration illustrated on her face. Everyone - minus Taichi and Daisuke - turned to face her. "I just remembered that Mom asked me to go to the mall today to purchase Dad's gift for her. I can't go."
"Are you sure?" Takeru asked with a mock pout. Kari jokingly slapped his shoulder and nodded.
"I'm sorry, Takeru, but I have to get this done." Kari replied in a disappointed tone.
Cracker and Ominous were disheartened to hear this. After their discussion with Takeru the day before, they really wanted to see them together. They had to think of something quickly. Out of nowhere, an idea came to both of them. The pair looked at each other simultaneously and gave the other a sly smile. They were both thinking the same thing.
"Well it would be a shame if Hikari had to go alone to the mall, Takeru, so maybe you should go with her." Cracker stated. Ominous silently smirked.
"Well it would be nice to have some company." Hikari noted.
Takeru was trying his hardest not to blush. He could tell that Cracker and Ominous were both inwardly snickering at this. However, they did provide him with an opening to spend some time alone with her. He just had one more concern.
"Well what about showing you around our city?" Takeru questioned.
"That shouldn't be a problem." Answered Ominous. "You said it yourself, Taichi and Daisuke planned this day out. They can show us around, if that's alright with them." They turned to face the pair, who were still awestruck by Cracker. "Is that fine by you guys?"
They nodded blankly. Cracker placed her hand on her face in disbelief and gently shook her head. She wondered what her friend had talked them into. Both Taichi and Daisuke raced to wait by the car.
"Alright, so I guess me and Hikari will see you all later." Takeru concluded.
"Watch out for those two." Hikari warned in a whisper. "Together they cause more trouble than they're worth."
"If anything, they should watch out for her!" Ominous chuckled as he pointed towards Cracker, who was slowly walking back to the vehicle. He couldn't see her face, but he knew that there was no way a pleased expression was present. "We'll see you two later, then."
Hikari and Takeru said their goodbyes and headed off together towards the shopping centre. Ominous made his way to the car to see Taichi and Daisuke arguing about something.
"...No, Daisuke, she's sitting in the back with me!" Taichi exclaimed.
"There's no way she'd sit with you, Tai!" Daisuke retorted. "She'd rather sit with me!"
Ominous sweatdropped as the bickering continued. He could not believe that they would be fighting about this so openly in front of her. Ominous then looked at Cracker. She had a frustrated and impatient expression on her face, and a vein was becoming visible on her forehead. As the arguing pair continued their verbal war, her expression was becoming more infuriated. Ominous quickly got into the car behind the wheel, fearful of what his friend would do.
'Those two have a lot to learn about women.' Ominous thought to himself as he started the engine.
"She's not even your age, Dai!" Taichi yelled. "Why would she-"
"Enough!!!" Cracker wrathfully interrupted. "The two of you will be sitting in the back with each other - end of story!"
The two boys were taken aback by this admonishing. They both saw the blazing hot fire contained within her eyes, and knew that she was dead serious. They quickly piled into the back seat and fastened their seatbelts. Cracker got into the car and buckled up as well.
Even though Cracker had been so cross at the two brunettes, they were still viewing her as some sort of deity. They continued to stare at her with twinkling eyes. They dared not make her upset again, so they toned down their 'worship'...though not by much.
"So, where are we off to first?" Ominous asked the two.
They briefly snapped out of their trance to explain that they were going to take them to a seafood restaurant by the pier, which was halfway across town. Ominous carefully memorized the directions given to him. As he was about to change gears, Cracker put a hand on his shoulder to get his attention.
"Drive as fast as possible." Cracker whispered to him. "Maybe we can scare some sense in them. If not, then at least I won't have to bear this for long."
"You know I always do." Ominous smirked as he winked back. 'Heaven save those boys from her impending wrath...and their probable doom.' He mutely prayed as he reversed the car, changed gears, and floored the accelerator.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The four of them got to the harbour's parking area in a record amount of time. After they found a spot and parked the car, Cracker and Ominous stepped out of the car in a very casual manner. Taichi and Daisuke shakily unbuckled their seatbelts, grasped the handles of their respective doors and slowly opened them. Their hair was standing on end even more so than before.
"Is this how you drive all the time?!" Taichi yelped as he staggered back and forth for a bit.
"Yup!" Admitted Ominous cheerfully. Cracker sniggered as the two boys facefaulted.
"I wouldn't even call that driving." Daisuke added, trying to maintain his footing. "It was more like flying. Everything passed by so quickly."
"Well once you two finish pulling yourselves together, let's get to this restaurant." Said Cracker. "I'm getting hungry."
"Me, too." Ominous commented when his stomach gently gurgled. "I have a craving for crab cakes."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile, at the mall, Hikari and Takeru were taking a small break from shopping and were currently sitting at a table in the food court. Takeru seemed somewhat distant to Hikari, and she was growing a bit concerned.
"Takeru, is something wrong?" She asked worriedly. "You look like something's troubling you."
"Nothing's wrong." Takeru replied, snapping out of his daze.
"Are you sure?" Hikari inquired. "You know you can always tell me what's on your mind."
"Thanks, Hikari." Takeru smiled. "I know I can confide in you." Hikari smiled back.
'Perhaps this is a good time, but it's too risky.' She thought. 'I don't want to lose it all.'
"You know, I don't say this often, but I really am lucky to have such a good friend." He stated.
"Oh really?" Kari joked. "Care to tell me who this person is?"
"Wouldn't you like to know!" Takeru chuckled as he winked at her. She lightly kicked him under the table in a joking gesture.
"Actually, what I would like to know is how Ominous and Cracker are fairing with Taichi and Daisuke." Hikari mentioned. "I feel so sorry for those two; they're going to get a bad impression of Japan!"
"I just hope they don't cause any mental scarring for those visitors!" Takeru added.
They both laughed out loud, getting odd glances by passers-by, but they did not care. Today they were just Takeru and Hikari: best friends. If anything, the pair new that they would always have each other in friendship, despite their fears, despite their hidden feelings - despite anything. Friendship would always remain strong within the two.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"...cause I'm hopelessly devoted to you!!!" Taichi and Daisuke crooned in their less than ideal singing voices, pointing to their crush.
The four of them had driven to a karaoke bar after their meal at the pier, and some sightseeing. At the moment, both Daisuke and Taichi were attempting to serenade the unimpressed and mortified Cracker, who was sitting at the table with her face covered. Ominous was also at the table, trying not to fall off his chair from the amount of laughing that he was doing.
Cracker's fury was subtly building and rising as the singing continued. She was greatly tempted to order a full bottle of sake to relieve her stress, but she now had a malicious plan, which would only be thwarted if she drank.
"You're taking this rather well." Ominous noted, wiping the tears away from his eyes as he finally calmed down.
"There's a time and a place for everything, my friend." She uttered enigmatically. Ominous looked at her curiously. 'My vengeance will come soon.' She thought. A wicked smile began forming on Cracker's face.
"Uh-oh..." Ominous quietly stated. He had an inkling as to what his devious friend was planning. 'I can only hope she doesn't cause any mental scarring for those two.'
Taichi and Daisuke finally made it back to the table, smiling from their performance. They asked if Cracker liked their little show, but the girl said nothing. She just smiled. The brunettes took it as a good sign, but Ominous knew better.
"Wow, it's getting late." Taichi noted as he checked his watch. "We better get going."
Cracker's grin grew wider as she swiped the keys from Ominous' hands. The four of them headed out of the bar and to the vehicle.
"I'll be driving us back." Stated Cracker icily. She got in the car and turned on the engine.
"I was afraid of this." Ominous muttered with growing concern. He turned to the two boys. "Brace yourselves."
"What's the problem?" Daisuke asked. "After being in the car with you behind the wheel for today, I think that me and Taichi can handle anyone's driving."
"Oh she's far worse than me." Ominous stated in a tone worthy of his name. "I'd suggest buckling up rather tightly."
Taichi and Daisuke gave each other a shocked and terrified look as they slowly got in the car.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
At the mall, Takeru and Hikari were getting ready to leave. Suddenly, Takeru coldly shivered.
"Why did you just shudder like that?" Hikari questioned.
"I...don't know..." Takeru replied in a puzzled tone.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The Suzuki raced down the road with little abandon. The tires screeched hotly on the asphalt as the smell of burnt rubber filled the air. Cracker had a maniacal look plastered all over her face, and Ominous was just shaking his head slightly. He felt sorry for the two in the back. Taichi and Daisuke were holding tightly onto anything they could grab.
"You forgot to take your pills when you packed to come here, didn't you?" Ominous calmly asked. Cracker just laughed out loud in a sinister fashion as she cut off yet another driver.
"What's wrong with her?!?!" Daisuke screamed out in terror. "She's going to get us all killed!!!"
"It must be her time of the month!!" Taichi added in. His life was flashing before his eyes.
This exclamation only made Cracker drive faster. She ran another red light once more while extending her middle finger at an adjacent vehicle. This time, her breaking of the law was more intentional.
"Where are the police!!!" Daisuke yelped. "Someone save us from this crazy bitch!!!"
Cracker developed a creepy sneer on her lips as she pushed the car even faster. As she turned the corner, she nearly turned an old man with a cane into a street pancake. Nothing was going to get in her way.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Back at the apartment complex, Takeru and Hikari were waiting for the group to come back. They were startled when they heard screams and the sounds of a revved engine coming from around the corner. Suddenly, the Aerio bolted into the parking lot and came to a screeching halt several feet in front of them. Hikari and Takeru sweatdropped.
Cracker and Ominous got out of the car in a unruffled fashion, and opened the back doors. Taichi and Daisuke slid out of the car and they both fell to the ground shuddering. Takeru and Hikari looked at the scene wide-eyed and quickly walked up to the four.
"What happened to them?!" Takeru and Hikari shouted in unison.
"She did." Ominous simply replied, pointing to a smug Cracker. The young lady had her arms crossed and looked down at the two cowering boys with a satisfied smirk.
"Will they be alright?" Questioned Hikari as she gently prodded her brother.
"I'm sure it's nothing that a few years of heavy psychiatric help won't fix." Ominous answered coolly. "When they come to, tell them thanks for showing us around. Me and Cracker have to go."
Takeru nodded slowly and waved goodbye to the older pair as they headed out. He and Hikari helped to pick up the two hapless boys.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
When Cracker and Ominous finally got back to their room, the two were fairly exhausted from their long day. Ominous plopped down on the couch and turned on the television while Cracker got something to eat from the small fridge.
"Well I hope you're happy with what you did to those two." Ominous said, disappointed. "They may never fully recover."
"Actually I am pretty happy with how that went." Cracker corrected him in a complacent tone. "It serves them right for trying all that crap."
"You know, you've been acting rather irritable today." Ominous stated. "Any reasons in particular?" Cracker quickly looked back at him.
"Of course I have a reason!" She retorted, squeezing the bag of macadamia nuts in her hand. "I'm not going to be able to see Smallville today! Do you know how pissed off that makes me?!"
She went back to looking through the fridge. Ominous began flicking through the channels, and noticed that some of them were in English.
"I think this hotel gets satellite." He mentioned. "That's so cool!"
He kept on turning the channels until he came across a familiar program. There on the screen was a teenage Clark Kent using his powers to get out of some sort of trouble. Cracker slowly turned around. She would recognize that voice anywhere. She squealed in delight to see that she could watch her beloved Smallville.
"Get out of my way!!" Cracker screamed, startling her friend.
With great speed, she made a short sprint to the couch and tackled Ominous out of the way. She quickly grabbed the remote from his hands, and got into a comfortable position on the couch.
"Hey!" He yelled. "What's your problem?! This is my partition of the room, and-"
"SHUT UP, OR GET OUT!!" She roared with passion. Ominous took the hint and went silent. "No one, not even God himself, will interrupt me when I'm watching this!"
At that moment, the phone rang next to the couch. Cracker was enraged by this interruption and answered the phone with a furious greeting.
"Hello there." The deep voice on the other end said. "This is God-"
"No time for you, old man!!!" Cracker hastily interrupted as she slammed the receiver back on the hook with unholy force.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The prize coordinator, Godfrey Smith, was puzzled as he stared at his receiver. He was calling to personally congratulate Ominous and Cracker for winning the trip to Japan. He slowly hung up the phone.
"What the hell was that?"
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To be continued...
-Yes, the holidays are over. Yes, I do take long to update. I wish I could work faster, but given my hectic schedule, things get put on hold. I apologize for any inconveniences.
-This story seems to be very conversational, don't you think? Well, at least this chapter was longer.
-Wow...there was swearing within the story! Now that's something you don't see from me! Let me check outside to see if there's a blue moon, solar eclipse, or some other rare, celestial phenomenon taking place.
-As you can tell, my associate, Cracker, is quite the character to say the least! I would tell you all to 'be careful', but that would be a huge understatement! If you think I embellished her tendencies and character, then I am sad to say that you are wrong! (I can almost see her review now as I write this!)
-Making Tai and Dai have a crush on Cracker was an idea of mine since I began this story, but she thought I was only joking. Wasn't that deliciously evil, or what!
-You might question the fact that me and Cracker are friends. I would answer: "Yup, we're good friends!". Heh, what can I say? We're both a bit...out there!
-The next chapter should be the last, and will have more takari. Until next time...
As always, review and share your thoughts.