Standard Disclaimer: REFER TO CHAPTER ONE!
Author's Notes: Just to let you all know…this story wouldn't be a story without some character development… ;)
Begin!
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Chapter 2: The First Night
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/Inoue Convenience Store, Odaiba, 3:35 PM/
No way…no WAY… Davis couldn't believe his ill fortune. He had let Jun handle all of the 'new home hunting'…because he trusted her judgment to do the right thing.
Bad move.
Now, in all honesty, Jun had done well; they were in a home, and Davis knew that Yolei's family were nice people…but that was the thing. He now had to live…with Yolei Inoue. Wonderful Jun…just wonderful. Dealing with Yolei when she becomes 'She-Hulk' is bad enough…now I have to live with her? It's not fair!
Yolei was thinking along those same lines…except she was a tad more vocal. "HOLD THE PHONE! WHAT DID YOU SAY?"
Mantarou sarcastically said, "Uh, gee, let me think…oh! I know." He then got right in his little sister's face. "MOM AND DAD ADOPTED THEM."
"And if we hadn't already sent the papers in, we would show them to prove it!" said Sasuke with a smile.
Yolei couldn't believe what she was hearing. Davis…her friend, albeit a cocky, impulsive, and macho one…was going to become…her BROTHER? "No way…this is so wrong on SO many levels!"
No kidding, thought Davis bitterly. He had had a hard enough time dealing with Yolei before…what about NOW? He then glared at Jun. "So sis…what possessed you to choose the Inoues?"
Momoe smiled as she placed an arm around Jun. "I think I'm partly to blame."
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/Flashback/
/Five Days Ago/
Momoe hummed along to a song playing in her head – studying a biology textbook to prepare for the return to school – when the phone in her room suddenly rang. "Got it!" She quickly picked up the cordless phone and said, "Hello, Inoue Residence, may I ask who's calling?"
"Hi Mome's…it's Jun."
"Ah! If it ain't Miss Month!" said Momoe with a smile as she sat up on her bed. Jun and Momoe, being the friends they were, had come up with friendly nicknames; Jun's nickname was 'Miss Month', and Momoe's was 'Mome's'. "What can I do for you?"
"…well…"
Momoe suddenly frowned. Jun sounded…sad. "What's wrong? You sound upset."
"Well…you know today's Friday, right?"
"Yeah."
"Well…the time to pay the apartment's rent comes on Monday…and with our parents having died…"
Momoe suddenly gasped. "Oh, I see…no money to pay for it."
"And without any relatives to go to, Davis and I will be in a rut! We'll be forced to live on the streets! That's not a life I want…it's not a life I want Davis to have! Oh man…what am I going to do…?"
Momoe frowned as her eyes hardened; she and Jun had been best friends since the Motomiyas had moved to Odaiba. Jun had helped Momoe (one incident involved Jun doing BOTH hers and Momoe's homework for a week while Momoe had had the chicken pox), and Momoe had helped Jun (for instance, getting a signed autograph from Matt Ishida because Momoe wasn't a rabid fangirl like Jun). And right now, Jun was at the end of the line…
"…I think I have an idea." Momoe didn't know if it would work…but they were best friends. She had to help her out. That was what friends did. "Come over to my house right now. We'll both talk with my mom and dad."
It Jun a few moments to grasp Momoe's idea. "Oh Momoe…no. I can't…your family lives in a cramped household already…"
"So?" replied Momoe with a happy voice. "We have four rooms. Yolei has hers, I room with Chizuru, Mantarou has his own, and mom and dad have theirs. We can make it work by getting a bunk bed in my room so you can sleep in there, and Davis can bunk with Mantarou! Trust me…we'll make it work! I'll convince mom and dad. Trust me."
"Momoe…" On the other end of the line, Jun could be heard sniffling. "Okay. I'll be right over."
/End Flashback/
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"And thankfully enough, I convinced mom and dad to let you guys stay!" exclaimed Momoe as she embraced her friend.
"Of course, we had a few conditions," interrupted Subaru, a small smile on her face. "For one, Jun has to work. We don't need an 18-year old freeloader. Secondly, she wouldn't have to mind rooming with both Momoe and Chizuru. Thirdly, Davis wouldn't mind rooming with Mantarou. Aside from that, you're all set."
"But-but-but-but…but what about money? We're already paying for an apartment, a convenience store, and SIX PEOPLE, plus one Digimon! Do we even have enough to pay for two more people and ANOTHER Digimon?" protested Yolei.
Sasuke merely smiled. "Yep!"
Yolei went silent. "…what?"
"You see dear, there's this little savings account that we've had going for the past several years," explained Subaru. "We put 5-percent of our annual earnings in their at the end of every year…and the grand total of money in there is 26,450 dollars so far. So if we run into a bit of problem – which I doubt – we'll be just peachy for at least a few months."
Yolei sweatdropped. "Uh…really? How come I didn't know?"
"They're our parents. They don't have to tell you anything," sarcastically replied Chizuru. Yolei shot an annoyed look at her older sister.
"Now that that's out of the way…say hello to Jun Inoue and Davis Inoue!" exclaimed Mantarou.
Davis Inoue…that sounds terrible. Davis' face scrunched together as he muttered, "Man…I have to be Yolei's BROTHER? Gah…"
Tsk tsk tsk. Should've kept his mouth shut. Yolei's ears pricked as she picked up Davis' voice. "Hey…what's THAT supposed to mean?"
Davis grumbled as he glared at Yolei. "Come on, let's face it: you're the human version of Mount Vesuvius!"
"SAY WHAT! ARE YOU INSINUATING I BLOW MY TOP?" roared Yolei.
Davis smugly replied, "I just call it as I see it!"
Yolei gritted her teeth before firing a shot of her own. "Well at least I'M not some arrogant, brash, cocky, macho man!"
"Says who?" angrily retorted Davis.
"Says ME!"
"Oh yeah?"
"YEAH!"
"RRRR!" growled both of them as they glared into each other's eyes, lightning crackling between them.
Sasuke just smiled happily. "Perfect! They're acting like siblings already!"
Subaru, Mantarou, Chizuru, Momoe, and Jun all sweatdropped.
Cody, meanwhile, was just staring on in the background. Finally, he sighed.
"Hey Cody!" chirped Upamon as he poked his head out of the Child of Humility's backpack. "What's up? Why have we stopped?"
Cody just sighed. "Just watching the never-ending conflict that is Yolei versus Davis." He then turned his head toward Subaru. "Mrs. Inoue? I'd like to put a gallon of 2-percent milk on the Hida tab, if you don't mind."
Subaru Inoue nodded with a smile. "Of course! Remember our policy: money by tomorrow!" You see, the convenience store – seeing as it was based on the bottom of an apartment complex – had a special deal for people living in the apartments above it. If the consumer so desired, he or she could take something for free while putting the price on a tab. That consumer would then have one day to pay the Inoues back…because otherwise, the Inoues would tag on a 5-percent interest rate that would increase by one-percent daily. Still, most people paid them back on time (those who didn't had paid up anyway), and the Hidas were no exception.
Cody bowed out of gratitude after grabbing the milk jug. "Thank you. I'll return with the money as soon as I get this to my mother." With that said, Cody exited the convenience store to use the main apartment entrance…well, not before he turned around to face Jun. "Should I go ahead and bring your stuff down from my apartment?"
Jun shook her head; when the Motomiya apartment had been repossessed, the furniture and appliances had been taken;
At that moment, Poromon poked his head out of Yolei's backpack. "Agh…what's with all of the noise? I'm trying to sleep in here!"
Demiveemon then poked his head out of Davis' backpack; unlike Poromon, he was green in the face. "…gym…socks…smell…icky…" However, the moment he looked around, his demeanor changed. "Ooh! Snacks!"
Momoe inwardly cringed; by helping Jun, she had brought Davis along…so was that a good thing?
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/Kamiya Apartment, Odaiba, 7:05 PM/
Gatomon and Koromon both sweatdropped.
"Tai! Give me the remote!"
"No way! Inuyasha's on!"
"I'm missing out on the news!"
"The NEWS? Since when do you prefer news over your stupid soaps?"
"Since Digimon were made known to the Real World!" Kari was serious about that; ever since the end of the Odaiba War – as members of the media called the War for the Real World between UmbraDevimon's Army, the Demon Corps, the Gravemon, and the humans themselves – she had been trying to keep an eye on news involving Digimon/Human relations. "And my soaps are NOT stupid!"
"Come on! The news is on all day! Inuyasha isn't!"
"Am I going to have to yank your hair?"
"The remote's mine!"
As the two Kamiya children struggled for the remote, Koromon asked, "What are the odds?"
"Kari will win," nonchalantly answered Gatomon.
RING-RING.
"Got it!" yelled Gatomon as she scampered towards the phone in the kitchen…
"Rowr…"
…only to find Miko – the Kamiyas' cat – standing between her and the phone. Gatomon frowned as the cat growled at her. "'Rowr' you tub of lard."
Miko hissed before scampering away from Gatomon.
"Man…what's that cat's deal?" wondered Gatomon. Truthfully, it had been a miracle Miko had survived all of the destruction that had gripped Odaiba. When the Kamiyas had returned home after that horrible mess, they had found Miko, waiting there for them. It had been flabbergasting. Even so, they had been overjoyed…well, except for Gatomon. Miko didn't seem to like her that much.
Oh well. Not my fault. Gatomon calmly picked up the phone with paw, pressed the button, and said, "This is the Kamiya residence, may I ask who's calling?"
"This is Yolei…put Kari on the phone Gatomon."
"Roger that Yolei." Gatomon peeked into the living room – to see Tai pinning Kari's arms with his legs – and yelled, "Kari! Yolei wants to talk to you!"
"Tai, you heard Gatomon! Let me go!"
"Hah! I win!"
Kari grimaced as she walked into the kitchen and grabbed the phone from Gatomon's open paws. "Hello? Yolei?"
"Hi Kari…""What's wrong?" asked Kari, her voice suddenly full of concern. "You sound ill. You sick or something?"
"No…remember how Davis was saying Jun had found a new house?""Yeah."
"Well…" A sigh. "It turns out that house was mine…"
It took Kari a few moments to connect the dots. "Wow! That's great! So Davis and Jun are living at your house now? That's just awe…some…" Kari suddenly went silent as she connected the rest of the dots. "Oh. I get it now."
"Yeah. How the heck am I supposed to adapt to DAVIS living in my house? HOW?"
Kari frowned. Yolei and Davis both had an infamous history of getting into verbal scuffles. "That's a toughie…I don't know what to say about that. But shouldn't you be happy for Jun and Davis anyway? At least they're not mooching off of Cody anymore."
"Yeah…but why'd it have to be MY house? I mean, dinner was a disaster!""Really? What happened?"
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/Flashback/
/20 Minutes Ago/
"FOOD FIGHT!" yelled Demiveemon and Poromon.
"Uh oh!" yelped Jun as rice, Kobe beef, and ramen noodles went flying.
"DIVE! DIVE!" yelled Subaru as the Inoues – including the two noobs of the family – all dove under the table.
Davis winced as he heard beef go 'splat' on the floor around him. "Oh man…this is a disaster!"
"Heh, this is nothing! You should've seen what happened when our kids weren't even teenagers!" joked Sasuke.
"Uh, pardon me for interrupting…" Chizuru then pointed to Yolei, whose face was going blue. "I think Yolei's choking."
"WHAT?" yelped Davis and Jun.
Instead of acting shocked, as the two 'Ex-Motomiyas' expected, Momoe sighed. "Well, it's the monthly tradition of 'someone choking." Indeed; once a month, a member of the family ALWAYS choked on a food of some sort. Yolei was just continuing the tradition. "Mantarou! Heimlich!"
"Roger that!" responded Mantarou as he crawled over towards Yolei, ignoring the pain that shot up his right thigh; during the Odaiba War, a Bakemon soldier for the Demon Corps had slashed open his right thigh, creating a very painful wound. It had yet to heal, as one could guess from the hidden bandages under his pants' leg.
As Mantarou administered the Heimlich Maneuver to Yolei, Davis couldn't help but facefault. What has Jun gotten us into…?
/End Flashback/
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"I NEARLY CHOKED ON A FLYING RICEBALL! A RICEBALL!"Kari, on the other hand, couldn't help but giggle slightly.
"I'm glad you find this so funny," sarcastically replied Yolei.
"Sorry. It's just that it sounds…well, humorous."
"Gah…why's all this happening?""That's karma for you," cracked Kari. "Listen, I've got to go now. I hope things go well for you."
"Gee. Thanks a lot." Yolei then hung up.
Kari frowned as she put the phone back on its receiver. Man, she sure sounds upset…but then again, considering how often she fights with Davis. Shrugging, Kari immediately returned to the living room…and latched onto Tai's hair. "GIMME THE REMOTE!"
"AGH! HAIR! HURTING! PAIN!"
Koromon sweatdropped. "Ouch."
"Doubt me now?" cracked Gatomon.
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/Momoe and Chizuru's Room, Inoue Apartment, Odaiba, 9:45 PM/
Jun looked around silently at Momoe and Chizuru's room. The room was evenly divided into two halves; Momoe's being the left side, and Chizuru's being the right. The wall – which happened to be covered by blue wallpaper on both sides of the room – around Momoe's side of the room was lined with old pictures and paintings of hers; Chizuru's wall was lined with posters of the latest bands and teen sensations (Matt Ishida and the Teenage Wolves being among them). Their beds were simple fare – mattresses, white sheets, some personal blankets, and pillows sitting on a wooden frame – and there was only one window in the room. There was a small closet on the far end of the room, and two dressers made of unpolished oak sat side-by-side to the side of the closet. Affixed to the white ceiling was a fan with two light bulbs situated into its center.
The furnishings were simple; nothing extravagant. Around Jun's legs sat four bags filled with clothes and her personal possessions, a tightly wrapped bundle of blankets and pillows, and some pictures in a large plastic bag; she had gotten them down from Cody's apartment about thirty minutes ago.
Jun sighed as she glanced at Chizuru, who was stepping into the closet to change into her pajamas. "You know, I wouldn't have minded sleeping on the couch, or even the floor."
"Come on, it's not like this hasn't been done before." As Chizuru stepped out, wearing light blue pajamas, she continued, "Besides, remember the last time you came here for a sleepover? Momoe and Mantarou had to arm wrestle for the sofa. Mantarou ended up losing and had to sleep there…just like this time, except he gets the chair this time." It was true; all conflicts were resolved by games of some sort in the Inoue household. When it came to decide who slept on the couch when someone came over, it was always pitted between Momoe and Mantarou, as they were the oldest siblings. Usually, it was done with an arm wrestling match or a two-out-of-three bout of Ro-Sham-Bo (rock, paper, scissors, for the uninitiated). This time around, Momoe had won. She got the couch. Mantarou got the chair.
Jun sighed as she pulled out her pink pajamas from one of her bags and entered the closet to change. "…I just hope we don't end up as a burden…"
"You worry too much," replied Chizuru as she got into her bed. "It'll all work out."
Jun sighed inside the closet; as she unbuttoned her school uniform and got her pajamas on, she thought, It's not me I'm worried about…it's Davis.
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/Mantarou's Room, Inoue Apartment, Odaiba, 9:50 PM/
Davis sighed as he set his bags – which held his clothes, toys, blankets, and pillows – down on the floor. Mantarou's room had one small window on the far side of the room. There was no closet; just a wooden dresser painted black for all of Mantarou's clothes. An old Sony TV sat on a brown TV stand against the wall. On the opposite wall sat Mantarou's small bed. There was now wallpaper; just walls with white paint. A glass dome covered the three lights on the ceiling, which gave the room a dull glow. The tan carpet felt good to Davis' bare feet.
The Child of Miracles sighed as he got out of his day clothes and got into his pajamas, which consisted of comfortable gray shorts and a white T-shirt. The Crest of Miracles that was embedded in his sternum gave off a soft golden glow. He took off his goggles and placed them on the post of the bed frame. "Man…what a day…"
"What's wrong Davish?" asked Demiveemon; he sat on top of the TV set. "You look beat."
"I am…and the thing that's wrong is this place." Davis sighed as he flipped off the light, coating the room in darkness. His Crest was like a nightlight in the darkness. "Specifically, Yolei. Man, that girl just sets me off…"
Demiveemon frowned. "Davish…but aren't you happy that we have a house to live in now?"
"Yeah…I don't know. Maybe I'm just feeling a bit shocked that my name's 'Davis Inoue'." Davis cringed as he thought about the name. He pulled up the covers and got under them as he said, "G'night Demiveemon. Hope you get some sleep."
"Night Davish." Demiveemon hopped off the TV and jumped onto the bed, curling up into the blankets.
All was silent.
Then, a silent sob escaped Davis' throat. Tears went down his cheeks and fell onto the sheets, invisible in the darkness. …I miss our old life…
At night – when Davis was alone – he could cry. That was the only time his pride as a Digidestined would let him cry.
He missed his parents. Even though his parents worked most of the time – thus preventing a large relationship with them – they WERE his parents. They had provided for him. They had cared for him. In the times they had all been together – Hiroto, Anzu, Jun, and Davis himself – Davis had cherished it all. Those had been his favorite family memories…memories he would never let go.
But now, there would be no new memories…because the Motomiyas themselves were only memories.
His parents were dead…and Jun and Davis were the last of the Motomiya family tree.
And legally, they were now part of the Inoue family.
Davis tried his hardest to not wake Demiveemon up with his sobs. His old family was no more…now he would have to adapt. In a way, that hurt most of all: the fact that he could no longer return to his old way of life.
Man…this sucks…Davis continued to cry silently into the dark of night. It wouldn't be until midnight when the Child of Miracles finally let slumber claim him.
His first night as an Inoue had passed.
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To be continued…
Next time…
Chapter 3: Adaptation
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Author's Notes: Hmm. I should add 'Drama' as the secondary genre.
Anyhow, is this still good?
See you soon, and please review!