Standard Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon. Nope. NOW GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!
Author's Notes: (blinks) My goodness; everyone was too mortified over Davis' right arm to pay much attention to the prank. o.o;
To the reviews!
miss.free.style: Considering what Davis has been through (Darkheart was more than enough on his own!), don't you think he should be allowed to wax seriousness every once in a while?
Dark Qiviut: Yay! I made you use an emoticon!
american idiot 101: A coincidence.
Anthony1: Can you say 'cybernetic' appendage? ;P
Yamimaru: And I don't particularly care for Ninjamon's Japanese name. So there.
Chibi-Kari: Davis fangirl ahoy. o.o
Bluesv20: Genjamon and Taijamon are my own characters.
Chigy: Yes, losing an arm does hurt.
blazing fury: Curve balls are good. o.o
Cloud-821: Shocked, I presume?
Ninetalesuk: I am NOT sick. The doctor said I'm healthy. o.o
Saiyoto: (eats the Butterfinger candy bar) ;P
duskmon87: Answers shall be provided after the end of Housemates.
Crimson G: The former, yes. I'll try and see if I can get the latter without getting a PSP.
SamuraiSirius: Rabid 'otaku' are always fun to write about. :P
Yami Vizzini: Actually, Battle of the Shinobi will be a two-shot fic.
Ficmaster: About Darkheart? Never. ;)
Sora Potter: Another Daisuke fangirl. o.o
legends sword: Huzzah for sentence fragments.
JyouraKoumi: Your command of the English language makes all English-users feel disgusted simply because you use it. Go back to school. o.-
Silver Warrior: …
Dot Cubed: Be honest; would you expect a tremendous explosion to result just because you ripped a piece of paper that said something bad? That'd be like me creating a black hole if a shredded a book about physics.
Digi fan: Indeed.
SjKid: No seppuku!
SSJ4Takeru: The Naruto dub is indeed excellent. Check out my Naruto story if you have the time. As for your story…I'd love to read it, but I'd have to go through the original first, and I don't have time for such a massive undertaking. Maybe someday…
Puragatory: Come to think of it, no. She didn't. Oh well.
NOTE: Due to the juvenile nature of some of the pranks, the few scenes of nudity in this story, and the particularly graphic scene from last chapter (though it doesn't compare to what Darkheart did to Davis IMO), this story has been bumped to T.
Begin!
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Chapter 26: The Trouble with Fangirls
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/Yolei's Room, Inoue Apartment, Odaiba, 8:51 AM/
It was a scene straight from Hell itself.
Fire all around. Smoke clogging the air. The smell of burning fabric. The touch of ravenous flames.
Davis could barely process any of that.
His right arm…was gone. Completely incinerated by the fiery blast that had consumed Yolei's room. The wound was cauterized; no blood leaked from the blackened stump that was once his arm.
"…ah……hah…"
Pained breaths slowly came from Davis' mouth. The shock was beginning to wear off; the tremendous agony of his lost arm and burning body was beginning to make itself known.
"…ah…hah…ah….AH…AH…"
"Davish?"
Davis Inoue blinked as he turned to Veemon, who stood calmly like a mighty mountain amidst the flames…but there were no flames.
…wha? The Child of Miracles blinked as he looked around. The entire room was as pristine as could be. The windows were whole. The computer still sat quietly on the desk. Poromon continued to sleep soundly on the (non-burning) bed. Out of sudden realization, he looked down…and saw his right arm.
It was still attached to him. He feebly felt it, making sure it was real; it was.
His arm was still there.
Everything was normal.
Davis Inoue merely slumped to the ground (much to Veemon's confusion), his forehead lined with cold sweat. But…it felt so real…that couldn't have been fake. It was too real!
Yet it had been fake. It had been a very convincing illusion…although Davis had no idea how he had experienced it. Then it clicked; the box. That box! Davis immediately looked ahead at the opened box.
Inside was a note. Veemon muttered, "Ooh…what's it say?"
Davis grabbed the note and quickly read it.
xxxx
Yolei Inoue has been kidnapped. Find her if you can.
xxxx
Davis paled. "Yolei…kidnapped?"
"WHAT?" yelped Poromon as he suddenly awoke, looking around in a daze. He impulsively digivolved to Hawkmon out of an innate desire to protect her. "What what what? How? Who did it?"
Davis quickly shushed the excited Rookie. "Quiet…we don't want the others to know." The Digidestined boy gritted his teeth as he kicked the box under the bed. First I hallucinate that my arm becomes toast…and now I find out Yolei's been kidnapped! What's going on here? "Okay…Hawkmon, you go out the window and start looking around. I don't want the others to panic, so I'll just tell them Yolei went to the Digital World. We'll join you as soon as possible."
Hawkmon nodded. "Right-o, chap." The Rookie pried open the window with his feathery hands and took flight into the early morning air. Satisfied, Davis Inoue turned towards his partner and said, "Ready?"
"You betcha!" cheered Veemon enthusiastically. Even though he didn't quite grasp exactly what was going on, he would follow his partner everywhere. "Let's go Davish!"
Davis nodded as he walked out of the room, a determined stride exhibited by his powerful legs. As he went to obtain his D-3 and D-Terminal, a sense of foreboding came to mind. Something weird was behind this 'kidnapping'…his gut was having all sorts of strange feelings. This whole thing stinks. I've gotta find out what's happened to Yolei…I mean, who would want to kidnap her?
xxxx
/Auditorium, Tamachi School, Tamachi, 8:55 AM/
…mmm…
Stirring.
What the…?
Why did she feel so woozy? She must've had one doozy of a slumber.
…why can't I move?
Yolei finally opened her eyes.
To her utter astonishment, she was facing almost two hundred girls wearing Tamachi school uniforms. Eh? She looked around; she was in an auditorium. Wha? She suddenly realized her hands were suspended…and she looked up to see them bound by a rope tied to a rafter far above. WHAT!
She suddenly blinked at the sight of a girl with spiky black hair glaring at her from about five feet away. She impulsively gulped; the look in her eyes screamed 'murder'.
…what have I gotten into?
Tatsuki Tamashiro's brown eyes glared straight into Yolei's orange irises. The Child of Caring could easily see the animosity present in the fierce-looking girl's eyes. What did I do to tick HER off, thought the Digidestined with a bit of indignation.
"Attention fellow Rocketeers!" roared Tatsuki to the crowd. It has taken awhile for this 'girl' to awaken…but now we can begin the interrogation!"
"WOOOOOOOOOO!"
Yolei sweatdropped at the cheering. Who ARE these people? They had called themselves 'Rocketeers'…
Tatsuki turned to face Yolei with an angry glare. "Now…you will explain to us why you had the GALL to go out and kiss OUR Rocket IN BROAD DAYLIGHT!"
"YEAH!" roared the other girls.
It was at this moment that Yolei felt like dying. …oh no…fangirls…
Many things in the world have their own clique of devoted fans; and these weren't like normal fans either. They were the hardest of the hardcore, willing to trade furniture items or family heirlooms for simple trinkets that had belonged to their idol of choice (say, some hair from William Shatner) or a super-rare card from the game they played (say, 'Exodia the Forbidden One' from Yu-Gi-Oh!). These people were often characterized by many as the most irrational and delusional of all fans. So much so, that these 'people worshipers' had gotten their own notorious title: the fanboy.
Or, in Yolei's case, the fangirl.
And that was why she was so downtrodden and ticked off at the same time. She had been kidnapped from her own room – in the dead of night – by a group of people who didn't even know her. They bore an intense hatred – so intense it surpassed the fiery white-hot intensity of a thousand suns – for her…just because she had kissed their idol of choice: Ken Ichijouji.
"ANSWER!" roared a blonde-haired transfer student with an angry snarl.
Yolei Inoue indignantly muttered, "No."
Tatsuki got right in her face. "YOU WILL ANSWER."
"BITE ME!" roared Yolei as she kicked Tatsuki between the legs.
The other girls gasped.
Tatsuki Tamashiro merely winced as a smirk came to her face.
Yolei suddenly felt like an idiot. Oh…I forgot that that doesn't work on girls like it does on guys…shoot.
Tatsuki turned to the girls and roared, "Get me some more rope!"
Ten girls quickly obtained rope from a storage closet and bound Yolei's legs as well. Now she couldn't move any of her limbs. The head of the Rocketeers smirked mischievously. "A cheap shot…but it was a hard one. But then again, I AM the school's Judo champion; it takes more than a kick to keel me over."
Great. I also have a Chizuru clone to deal with. Except this one has a mean streak. Joy. Yolei's situation was looking worse every second.
"Now you will TELL US!" roared a buxom orange-haired girl from the audience. "Tell us why you kissed our Kenny!"
Yolei growled, "I don't know why I did it!"
A longhaired Chinese transfer student giggled. "As if! Denial is ALWAYS the first recourse for someone in the hot seat."
Yolei snorted. "Whatever!"
"But it doesn't erase the fact that you plucked our Kenny's innocence!" retorted a red-haired girl who stood tall at 7 feet. "It was one of our long-term goals of the Rocketeers…to have one of our own claim the first kiss! But you took it from us, you little SLUT!" The other Rocketeers cheered at this outburst.
Bad move.
"Slut? SLUT?" Yolei immediately started thrashing around, trying to free herself from her bonds (to no avail). The legendary ire of the female Inoue had risen once more, with snappy jaws to accompany it. "YOU'RE ALL A BUNCH OF LUNATICS! YOU KIDNAPPED ME AND TIED ME UP JUST BECAUSE I KISSED KEN?"
"Not just any kiss; the FIRST kiss," commented a blue-haired girl with a bowl cut.
Yolei, in her blind rage, impulsively roared, "IT WAS NOT HIS FIRST KISS!"
Bad move. The Female Rocketeers were effectively silenced, their jeering ceasing immediately. Yolei Inoue immediately chastised herself. Oh boy. Good one you idiot.
Tatsuki's eyes narrowed as her gaze burrowed straight into Yolei's suddenly defensive stare. "And how would you know this? Are you saying you've kissed him before?"
Yolei, being in the bewildered and confused state she was currently in (and you can't really fault her for being such; she's just been insulted, she's bound up tight, she's at the mercy of rabid fangirls, and she's gone without breakfast. Of course she'd be off-guard mentally), nodded yes.
Tatsuki Tamashiro blanched. The other Rocketeers gasped out of shock. It was at this moment that a girl with purple hair (seriously; where do these anime people inherit their wacky hair color? Are they the spawn of a human mother and a box of crayons? Never mind, moving on!) piped up, "Wait…remember when Ken disappeared for a long time? No one knew where he went…then he suddenly returned…"
The conclusions were immediate. All of them turned an accusing glare to Yolei as a girl way in the back shouted, "She must have abducted Ken and seduced him!"
Yolei felt like curling up and dying. And they're whacked-out conspiracy theorists to boot. WHY ME? Much to her dismay, this 'theory' was rapidly gaining steam amongst the Rocketeers. Confused whispers rose to suspicious mutterings, then to paranoid ramblings, then to outright-angry roaring. It was official: they now believed that she was the one who had abducted Ken.
Suddenly, Tatsuki roared, "ALL OF YOU: QUIET!"
The Rocketeers immediately silenced. Yolei sweatdropped. My. She acts like a drill sergeant.
The Judo-user turned to face Yolei Inoue, a downright LIVID look in her brown irises. "We don't want to kill you…but we won't hesitate to hit you with dodge balls to make you talk. Tell us what you did with Ken during his disappearance…and you'd best be sure that a first kiss wasn't the ONLY thing you took from him."
Yolei Inoue got the threat. She wouldn't be beaten to death…just beaten very closely to death. Great. What am I going to do? It was quite a quandary; tell the truth and possibly save herself…or keep the secrets of the Digital World a secret. What do I do, what do I do…
Then, she suddenly remembered. Wait. People know about the Digital World now. She mentally smacked herself. Okay…but no sense in telling them everything about the Digidestined…or the villains…ESPECIALLY not the Emperor. They'd probably tear me apart for 'lying' about their bastion of perfection. Although Yolei was never really fond of the concept of 'fanboyism'…she utterly hated it now.
She made her mind up. She'd tell them the truth…but not all of it.
"Okay, since I'm pretty sure all of you know about the Digital World, I'll cut to the chase…"
xxxx
/Rooftop, Fuji Television Station, Odaiba, 9:11 AM/
Being a Digidestined's partner was a perilous thing.
There was not only the constant danger that came with battling the evil threats of the Digiworld, but there were also the normal things. Merely being a Digidestined's partner meant living up to a certain standard of morality and character that was expected of the legendary Children of Destiny. As a result, the Digimon had to be careful in battle…and early on, during the battles with the Emperor, it was especially difficult.
The task had been to target only the Dark Rings (and later on, the Dark Spirals)…without killing the Digimon. When one had great power as the Digidestined did, it was hard not to go all out…to utterly crush your opponent, just because you could. It was a feeling Hawkmon was familiar with; even against BelialMyotismon, he had felt a certain sense of reprehension over killing a Digimon (well, in that case he had only contributed his energy to the final blow…and though he didn't even consider it at the time, he had dwelled on it sometime afterwards. Hindsight was always 20/20.) It was probably because Yolei was a bit averse to such a thing.
That was the other problem with being a Digidestined's partner: the sharing of feelings.
It was a relationship that normal human/Digmon partnerships – such as Daichi and Impmon – did not possess. It was a two-way street; even now, Hawkmon could feel faint twinges of annoyance and desperation flickering at the edge of his thoughts. It was telling him of what Yolei was experiencing at the moment. I wonder what her kidnappers are doing to her…
Such a relationship, although useful in carving a friendship between partners, was also deadly. If elation went both ways, so could depression. If happiness went both ways (it probably explained why Davis was so optimistic; Veemon's happy-go-lucky attitude was no doubt a factor), so could sadness. If love could go both ways, so could hate (it was a wonder Wormmon had been able to retain his kindness and his devotion for Ken despite all the negativity during his days as the Digimon Emperor). And according to Shaun, the relationship would eventually become so deep that the two would depend on each other for survival; Digimon died, but the souls remained, and they were reborn. But if the Digidestined died…then so did the Digimon. Forever.
Perhaps that was why the Rookie was so adamant about finding Yolei; he didn't want such a thing to happen to them. Not after all the Digidestined had been through in only a few short months.
I wish I had Shaun's Holy Armor of Wisdom; then I'd be able to find Yolei with just a thought, mused Hawkmon as he peered over Tokyo Bay from the rooftop of Fuji Television Station. So far, he had combed about six square miles in the air…but Odaiba was a big place. Very big. "…Yolei."
"Hee hee…looking for someone?"
The Rookie whirled around to see a Digimon with a small, round body that resembled a sphere with tiny limbs. Something about the red headdress and the glint in his eyes was familiar though… "Who are you?"
The Digimon smirked. "Surely you'd remember an old foe 'Hawkmon'…or should I say, the predecessor to Shurimon!"
It clicked. Hawkmon frowned as he said, "You…I fought you and Musyamon along with Ken's partner under File Island. Ninjamon."
The Champion snickered. "That would be correct! But since then, Musyamon had a bit of a falling out, so I obtained new allies. But enough about me…let's talk about you."
"How about no?" retorted Hawkmon as he prepared to use a Feather Strike; such a move wouldn't work against a Champion…but he was willing to fight anyway. His light-blue eyes narrowed as he demanded, "What brings you out here?"
"To settle the score from File Island…and in order to do so, I made some arrangements."
Hawkmon paled. "Yolei…YOU kidnapped her."
A malicious smirk came to the Champion-level Digimon. "Intuitive. I like that in my opponents."
"Why did you kidnap her? What have you done with her?" demanded Hawkmon as he prepared to attack.
"Relax; I'm not here to fight." Ninjamon calmly raised his hands, although the smirk never left his face. "I'm merely here to tell you where your partner is…all I did was deliver her to the ones who requested the kidnapping."
Hawkmon said nothing, although his hands never left the razor-sharp feather atop his forehead.
Ninjamon continued. "Your partner is in an auditorium at a school in a city area called 'Tamachi'…and that's all."
Ken's school, thought Hawkmon as his glare remained fixated on the Champion. Finally, after several moments of silence, the Rookie asked, "Why are you doing this?"
Ninjamon said nothing for several seconds.
Finally…
"Because our last fight was not a true battle."
Hawkmon blinked. "Hm?"
"We fought under File Island…but the circumstances prevented either of us from bringing out either of our full potential. I was a slave to that power-mad fool UmbraDevimon…so I could not fight freely. Although I may have questionable 'ethics', I still have a code of honor when it comes to the field of battle." Ninjamon calmly took out a small kunai knife – a blade roughly the size of a dagger, but with a loophole that allowed it to be spun around on one finger – and sliced into his cheek. A miniscule trickle of blood came from the tiny cut. "There." He brushed his right hand over the wound. "We'll shake on our very blood that we shall fight…and don't even bother telling anyone else about myself, or the battle…otherwise, I won't hesitate to kill your precious 'partner'."
Hawkmon was in quite a predicament, mentally speaking. Why was Ninjamon doing this? Just so he could fight him? Why go to such elaborate lengths? Why…
But this was his only chance of finding Yolei. Very well. The Rookie grabbed his razor-sharp feather and pricked his finger with its tip; blood trickled onto his right palm. Tentatively, the Rookie shook the Champion's hand.
Ninjamon smirked. "It is done. An oath forged in blood…that we shall fight when I next come to you." With that said, the ninjutsu-user quickly flipped away, disappearing beyond the edge of the TV station.
Hawkmon was alone.
The avian Digimon frowned; he would have time to ponder this predicament later. Now he needed to get to Tamachi…but the thing was, he had no idea where the school in Tamachi was.
But he knew someone who DID know.
Ken Ichijouji.
But how am I going to find HIM, thought Hawkmon in a tizzy. Finding a school would be hard enough; finding a singular person would be next to impossible…
But the person in question was Ken 'The Rocket' Ichijouji…
A sudden idea came to Hawkmon. It was crazy…but it might just work.
He quickly flew downward from the station and paused outside a window of an office worker. A brown-haired woman wearing red-rimmed glasses was busy filing the station's expense reports on a computer. On her desk were several photos; one of which was a print-off of an online photo from a newspaper. It sported Ken's image (as it turned out, she had once been a reporter, and she had often reported on Ken Ichijouji. But Hawkmon didn't know that).
Knock-knock.
The woman blinked as she looked at the window, slightly bewildered at the large bird using a yellow beak to tap at the window. Somewhat absent-mindedly, she opened the window. "Yes?"
Hawkmon asked, "You wouldn't happen to know how to get to Ken Ichijouji's house from here, would you?"
The woman blinked; it was a strange request…but after reporting on the Rocket several times a few years ago, she knew how to get to his apartment by heart. "Um…okay." She calmly reached into her desk drawer and pulled out a map detailing how to get to the Ichijouji Apartment from the TV Station. "Just follow the directions…"
Hawkmon said, "Many thanks madam," before clutching it in his beak and flying away. Well that was easy. Now with this, I can follow the roads to Ken's house from the air!
The woman blinked as she closed her office window. Well that was unusual. Now, normally, she would've been a bit suspicious about a Digimon suddenly asking how to get to the home of a famous store. But that had only been up till about two weeks ago.
"Here ya go Ms. Takahashi!"
The woman turned her dark eyes to a small, 5-foot tall Digimon that seemed like a bizarre mixture of gremlin and dog; with bumpy blue skin, paw-like feet, a small, simian head, and a hunched appearance, the Digimon was not very intimidating. Were it not for the angular orange armor that he wore, he would seem twice as small; the armor on his back was large, as it held a supply of methane for him to breathe; he couldn't handle the hydrogen/oxygen/nitrogen mix that most humans and Digimon inhaled. Then again, neither could the other members of his kind. The orange armor, also, indicated his level: Rookie.
He was a Gruntmon; one of many of the Forbidden City Digimon to seek a new life in the Real World. This particular one was an assistant to Ms. Takahashi.
Ms. Takahashi smiled as she took the cup of coffee, mind briefly wondering to her own digivice; it was currently kept inside her desk. "Thank you Favap."
Luckily for Hawkmon, after meeting Favap, Ms. Takahashi had come to the conclusion that Digimon weren't so bad.
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/Auditorium, Tamachi School, Tamachi, 9:20 PM/
The entire tale had been cut to a short eight minutes, due to Yolei's editing job. She had told them about how she and Ken had met in the Digital World a couple of months ago with their own Digimon (although the Rocketeers had known about Wormmon ever since Ken had revealed him, the revelation about his trip to the Digital World had floored them). She had tried to fib her way through some spots – not mentioning Darkheart or other villains was making it really hard for her to tell the story – but she had eventually gotten off by saying that Ken had basically run away to escape the pressures of the Real World (which, in some ways, was true).
Yolei had spoken of how she had continuously gone to the Digital World to help keep Ken informed about the goings on in the Real World. Naturally, in order to appease their theory that she and Ken were an 'item', she had to speak of their growing attraction for each other (even though in reality, that had actually been true). Finally, she had spoken of how a powerful Digimon had attacked the two of them, sealing them inside a cave (in real life, that had been the battle with one of the Imps in Darkheart's Labyrinth). In the relative peace inside the cave, they decided 'to heck with it' and shared one kiss, thinking that they might as well have one should they kick the bucket (that little detail had sent the Rocketeers into a screaming fit, although a few had complimented her on her slick moves with Ken, much to her confusion). Fortunately, their Digimon had saved them from the enemy. To finish it all off, she said that – some time after escaping the cave – that she convinced Ken to return to the Real World, as he couldn't escape his present forever.
That's where the tale had ended.
Now, Yolei wasn't much of a storyteller. However, thanks to her memories, she had managed to spin a somewhat believable yarn. Now let's hope that they bite the bait…
Finally Tatsuki growled, "I hope you're telling the truth."
Yolei snorted. "Now why should I lie?"
"To save your skin!" roared an orange-haired girl further back in the audience.
Yolei retorted, "And if I lied, you'd beat me up anyway! So what's the point?"
A blue-haired girl leaned in towards the orange-haired girl. "She has a point."
Suddenly, a fairly fat girl with short black hair asked, "So…did you two ever hold hands?"
Yolei blinked at the sudden question. "Um, well-"
"What does Ken taste like?" asked a girl with long blonde hair and eyes of blue. "You kissed him, didn't you?"
Yolei blushed due to the odd question. "Uh-"
"Did you ever go out on a date?" asked a shorthaired girl with green eyes.
Yolei paled at all of the questions coming at her.
"Did you two go to an amusement park?"
"Did he give you any tongue when you kissed?"
"Does he like dinner, then a movie, or is it the other way around?"
"Did he save you from a man-eating Digimon?"
Suddenly, a muscular girl – easily 6 feet – with brown hair tied in pigtails dramatically roared, "DID YOU MAKE SWEET LOVE UNDER THE SHADE OF A CHERRY BLOSSOM TREE?"
"EEEEK!" shrieked the Rocketeers. "DON'T EVEN JOKE LIKE THAT!"
If Yolei could've facefaulted, she would have. WHY ME? WHY DO MY KIDNAPPERS HAVE TO BE FROM THE PEANUT GALLERY?
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/Atop Rainbow Bridge, Tokyo Bay, Tokyo, 9:25 PM/
Ever since Digimon's existence had become known and (somewhat) publicly accepted, Ken had found a new spot for him to do nothing more than think: anywhere.
Thanks to the flight of his partner's Champion form, one of his favorite spots now was on the white towers of the suspension bridge joining Odaiba with the rest of Tokyo: Rainbow Bridge.
Ken Ichijouji and Stingmon calmly stared southward from the towers; on this clear day, they could see all the way to Mt. Fuji. It was a stunning sight; especially this early in the morning, where the rays of the morning sun shined upon its snowcapped peak.
Such a grand view, thought Ken.
"Something on your mind?" asked Stingmon.
The Child of Kindness shrugged. "Nothing much, to be honest…although, I have to say that I am thinking about Yolei."
"You talking about the soccer game?" asked Stingmon out of curiosity.
"Not just that…us in general." It was sort of odd; given how casual Ken was being, one would assume he was talking about the weather. Then again, it was easier to talk with his partner than anyone else; social inhibitions need not apply. "Sure, I have had girlfriends before…but it was for publicity and photo ops. Back in the days before I met the other Digidestined." He decided not to mention the Emperor; he could do without mentioning that particular on his life. "But Yolei…she's making me feel feelings that the others couldn't even reach."
The insectoid Champion frowned as his wings twitched. "Hmm…are you going to be dating or anything?"
Ken Ichijouji chuckled at his partner's naïve question. "We're both a little too young to pursue each other in that fashion…although I can't deny that we ARE close." An ironic chuckle escaped his lips. "It's come a long way since our first meeting."
"Indeed," remarked Stingmon as he remembered Ken and Yolei's first meeting. Ken had been the Digimon Emperor, and Yolei had been trapped with the others. In a fit of rage, Yolei had roared 'bite me'. So he had. Literally.
He had bitten her on the ear.
And now look at them. "I guess hardship can forge some very unlikely relationships."
"True. After all, I was there with you both during Puppetmon's Obstacle Course under File Island. I was also there with you when we were fighting that Imp inside Darkheart's Labyrinth…come to think of it, wasn't that an odd time and place to have a first kiss?"
Ken Ichijouji chuckled again. "It was a spur of the moment thing Stingmon."
"Ken…!"
Ken and Stingmon both blinked as they saw a feathery Digimon approaching them from the air. It was Hawkmon.
"Hawkmon!" shouted both of them as the Rookie plopped atop the tower. The dark-haired boy asked, "Are you all right? What's going on?"
"I'm quite fine," replied Hawkmon; he was SO glad to have good eyes; he might not have been able to see the two otherwise whilst on his way to Tamachi. "As for what's going on…Yolei has been kidnapped, and I know where she is."
Ken Ichijouji blinked as the words hit him quickly and without warning. Kidnapped? What? Before Ken could say anything, his partner rumbled, "Tell us where she is."
"The Tamachi school auditorium," replied the avian Digimon. Stingmon quickly scooped up both Ken and Hawkmon before saying, "Hold on tight!" Wings buzzed as the Champion went flying.
Ken – his calm demeanor disappearing for the moment – worriedly asked, "Do you know who might've kidnapped her?"
Hawkmon shook his head. Even though he knew Ninjamon was behind this. "No…" Something suddenly occurred to him. "Wait…Davis is looking as well. Send a message to his D-Terminal and he'll come to us."
"Good idea," answered Ken as he pulled out his D-Terminal – he made it a habit to always keep it with him – and began typing in a message. As he did so, one thought went through his head.
Yolei…I hope you're safe.
xxxx
Dear Davis,
I found Yolei. Come to my school's auditorium.
Regards, Ken
xxxx
/Auditorium, Tamachi School, Tamachi, 9:31 AM/
"Do you know what kind of lipstick Ken prefers on a woman?"
That was the straw that broke the camel's back (although one has to wonder how a straw can break a back to begin with). The Child of Caring roared, "I DON'T KNOW! I DON'T WEAR LIPSTICK! ALL OF YOUR QUESTIONS HAVE BEEN IDIOTIC! MY BRAIN IS NUMB FROM ALL OF THESE STUPID QUESTIONS! NOW LET ME DOOOOOOOOOWN!"
"No," replied Tatsuki.
"WHY NOT?"
"Because you still kissed Ken!" roared someone way back in the back.
Tatsuki Tamashiro nodded. "Right! And you still need to be punished!" She pointed at five of the girls in the very front, each one of them holding a tub full of soccer balls. "Your punishment for defiling Ken: TORTURE BY SOCCER BALL!"
"WOOOOOOOOO!" cheered the Rocketeers.
Yolei Inoue snarled. "You guys are all NIMRODS!" She was getting downright livid. "All of this all because I kissed ONE guy? You're obsessed! You're mentally unsound! WHY DO IT AT ALL?"
The Female Rocketeers went silent. Tatsuki calmly put all five tubs atop the main auditorium podium and walked towards Yolei, grabbing her glasses. "Think about it: Ken Ichijouji is a genius. He's a practical titan of athleticism. He's a celebrity…he's brought fame to our little district of Tamachi…he's modest, handsome, and kind." A smirk came to her face as she held an arm, motioning to all of the other Rocketeers. "And for someone so great, we all dedicated ourselves to him! After all…a boy so great as Ken would be an incredible husband." Tatsuki looked at Yolei. "Don't YOU agree?"
Yolei Inoue frowned for two reasons. One: her sight was now considerably hindered without her glasses. Two: that girl had a point. Ken WAS the most perfect specimen of manliness she had encountered to date. He was someone ANY woman would be happy with.
"That's why I formed the Female Rocketeers," continued the black-haired girl as she grabbed a soccer ball. "We all dedicated ourselves that, one day, one of us would become Ken's woman. Such a goal has brought us all together…some as friends, some as allies…and that is one of the reasons why we Rocketeers REFUSE to let Ken's girl be some CHARLATAN!" She threw the ball at Yolei.
SMACK!
"ONE!" cheered the Rocketeers as the ball bounced off of Yolei's face. The Child of Caring winced; at least the head honcho had been thoughtful enough to remove her glasses. Although that didn't erase the fact she had just gotten hit in the face with a soccer ball. Again. What is it with me and soccer balls…?
Tatsuki grabbed another one and threw.
SMACK! On the chest.
"TWO!"
SMACK! On the right thigh.
"THREE!"
SMACK! On the face again.
"FOUR!"
SMACK! Stomach.
"FIVE!"
SMACK! Face.
"SIX!"
Tatsuki growled as she threw another ball. "You get the picture now?"
SMACK!
"SEVEN!"
Yolei winced as the ball split her lip, causing a minor trickle of blood. It wasn't fair; all she had done was kiss him…why did they want her to suffer so much for only that?
SMACK!
"EIGHT!"
"Ken is not yours to have…ONLY ONE OF US CAN BE WITH HIM!"
SMACK!
"NINE!"
DOOM…
The sound of doors suddenly being opened, creating an onrush of wind…it was a sound that, all too often, sounded like a death knell.
That was the sound of Ken opening the doors. Everyone turned to face him. A blue-haired girl shrieked, "IT'S KEN!"
The reaction of the Rocketeers was expected. Everyone – including Tatsuki – paled at the sight of their idol. Standing beside him were two Digimon: Wormmon and Hawkmon.
The avian Rookie yelled, "YOLEI!" He quickly flapped his wings, flying over to the battered Digidestined child; although she had only been hit nine times, those impacts had left rather large bruises. He snapped at the ropes with his beak, severing them. Yolei groaned as she fell to her knees, wincing. "Ow…those soccer balls hurt…"
Suddenly, Tatsuki dropped Yolei's glasses as she roared, "KEEEEN!"
"KEEEEEN!" shrieked the other Rocketeers as they all charged, their faces contorted into joyous smiles of pure ecstasy. The Rocket was here!
Ken Ichijouji was not so happy. "Wormmon. Digivolve."
Wormmon digivolve to……Stingmon!
All of the girls skidded to a halt as the massive Champion stood over them, growling at them angrily. The suddenly meek females – having been so aggressive mere moments ago – parted away as Ken walked forward, with Stingmon right behind him. He paid no mind to the excited mutterings he got from the crowd that slowly gathered behind him. As he neared the large podium, Tatsuki came forward. "Your loyal fans welcome you Ken Ichijou-"
SLAM!
All of the Rocketeers gasped. Yolei Inoue blinked.
Ken had just slammed his fist into Tatsuki's stomach, knocking the wind out of her. As the girl fell to her knees, the Child of Kindness angrily (oxymoron!) growled, "What gave you the right to do this?" He ascended onto the stage, grabbing Yolei's glasses as his voice increased in its anger. "Merely because she happened to kiss me, you let your jealousy take over. You let your pride take control…and you ended up going this far?"
Ken turned to face the Rocketeers, who suddenly looked very afraid and meek. No one paid attention to the person who suddenly entered through the already-open doors. The Child of Kindness growled, "So what if she likes me? You think you can treat her with all the callousness of a taskmaster directing a slave? Bending someone else's will to fit YOUR needs?"
An orange-haired girl stuttered, "B-but K-Ken-"
"NO MORE WORDS!" roared the Rocket, silencing the Female Rocketeers. Yolei blinked out of astonishment. Ken…
"I despise people like that…" Ken should know; he was one of them once, as the Digimon Emperor. "I didn't mind fans like you…but if you're going to let your emotions get the better of you…and harm innocents just because they don't belong to your little 'clique…" His eyes flared with rage, frightening the Rocketeers close enough to see them. "…THEN YOU MIGHT AS WELL DISBAND, BECAUSE I WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU!"
"Whoa whoa whoa! Time out buddy!"
Ken Ichijouji, Yolei Inoue, Stingmon, Hawkmon, and the Rocketeers all blinked as they turned to face the figure standing in front of the auditorium's double doors: Davis Inoue. XVmon was currently outside, trying to fit his large body into the much smaller doorway. Davis yelled out, "I got your message…but I come here to see you putting down your own fans? For shame Ken!"
Yolei immediately roared, "DIDN'T YOU SEE WHAT THEY WERE DOING TO ME?"
"I know," replied Davis nonchalantly as he approached the elevated section where Ken and Yolei stood. "And I agree; they need to be taught a lesson. But you're going about it the wrong way!" He stopped in front of the stage, standing between his fellow Digidestined and the Rocketeers. "Look…you guys like Ken because he's an awesome guy who can kick butt, right?"
Tatsuki Tamashiro numbly nodded, still somewhat numbed from Ken's diatribe. "Um…yes…"
"And apparently, it's clear these two have a thing going on, right?" As the Child of Miracles spoke, he pointed at Yolei and Ken, who both suddenly blushed at being mentioned – more or less – as an 'item'. "And you guys wanted to be in Yolei's place, right?"
The Rocketeers nodded in unison.
Davis smiled as he said, "Well…here's the thing. You all profess to being his fans…and not the regular kind, but the 'undying devotion' kind?" The kind I wish I had?
The Rocketeers nodded in unison once more.
"Well then if that's the case…then you should have no problem if these guys hook up!"
"WHAT!" impulsively shouted a few dozen Rocketeers. A girl with dirty blonde hair near the right side of the room yelled, "But…we wanted to be with Ken! How can we do that if someone else is with her?"
Davis Inoue grinned as he took in the entire group with a single gaze. Finally, with a confident, clear voice, he loudly said, "You guys say you love him, eh? Well, in a case like this…show him a different kind of love. A different kind of fandom! Show him that you can let the Rocket steer his own ship!"
Tatsuki Tamashiro warily asked, "What do you mean boy?"
"I mean that you should be happy for whatever decisions Ken decides to make!" answered the Digidestined leader with a loud voice, making sure everyone heard him. "I mean, think about it…being fans of someone means you support them through thick and thin. Being in love with someone means supporting their choices, even if you don't like them…so if Ken decides to become part of a one-two combo with Yolei…then LET him! If it makes him happy, it should make you happy!"
At the sound of these words, Ken felt strangely uplifted. Davis… The Child of Kindness smiled inwardly. Hmm. Only you could change the mood like this.
Yolei was feeling similar sentiments. Since when did Davis become such a neat guy…? Well…he actually has been pretty neat. We've both just been too pigheaded to admit it. The Child of Caring sighed; she truly wished that she were a bit more compatible with the Child of Miracles…after all, think of how well their sibling bond and friendship would be then?
The Rocketeers themselves were even feeling uplifted. After all, the boy had a point; if Ken Ichijouji was happy…then who were they to complain?
"Besides," continued Davis with a sly grin. "For all we know, Ken might end up dumping Yolei."
Yolei's face immediately darkened. …and then he goes and shoots his own foot. "Grrr…"
"And if that's the case…" Davis smiled as he winked at all of the Rocketeers. "…then Ken will be a single! And you guys can vie for his heart all you want…but only then! Sound like a plan?"
"YEAAAH!" cheered the Rocketeers, feeling much more joyous now that they still had hope. Tatsuki yelled, "Hear that Rocketeers? Hope's not lost…but even if we can't be with him forever, we'll still be happy for him? Right?"
Davis smiled at the sound of the cheering fangirls. Heh…I've done good. Why can't I have fans like this?
Suddenly, a black-haired girl with thin glasses piped up. "Wait! I remember you now!"
Everyone blinked, Davis included. Huh? A smirk suddenly came to his face. Ah…must be a secret admirer…well, praise me all you want!
"You were the guy from the Overlords/Titans game who got hit in the nuts!"
Cue facefault. Davis Inoue grumbled irritably. Gee…and to think I had almost forgotten that.
This sudden revelation caused a flurry of discussion amongst the Rocketeers.
"Anyone remember that game?"
"Yeah; Titans one 13 to 4."
"With the Rocket getting over half of the team's total."
"That boy deflected the ball with his crotch? Ouch."
"Yeah…Ken had kicked it…"
"And that was right after Ken was tripped!"
All of a sudden, all of the Female Rocketeers turned as one, glaring angrily at Davis. "YOU WERE THE ONE WHO TRIPPED KEN!" With a ferocious roar, they leapt.
"WAH!" yelped Davis as he was smothered by the mother of all dog-piles (or should I say 'cat-piles'?). The Child of Miracles managed to get out a muffled shout before being buried under an avalanche of estrogen-packing fangirls of rage. "XVmon! HEEEEEEELP!"
XVmon grunted as he tried to squirm through the doorway. "I'll get there when I get there!"
Meanwhile, Ken, Yolei, Hawkmon, and Wormmon (who had just dedigivolved again) sweatdropped at the sight. The little insectoid Rookie politely asked, "Maybe we should sneak out the back door."
"I concur," simultaneously said his three compadres. The four quietly slinked towards the back of the stage…only to pause.
Tatsuki Tamashiro was blocking their way.
Before any words could be said, the black-haired girl bowed. "Forgive me for acting so harshly."
Ken smiled. "Apology accepted." Yolei shrugged. "Eh, same here."
The leader of the Rocketeers turned to face Davis as he struggled to break himself free from her fellows. "Who is that boy? He's quite an interesting guy."
Yolei glanced at the Child of Miracles – as he screamed that his face was being ripped off – before smiling warmly. "He's Davis Inoue…someone I'm proud to call my brother."
Tatsuki said nothing as she let the four pass, her eyes affixed to the boy who had somehow gotten the entire mess to end on a high note. Davis Inoue…you're one heck of a miracle-worker. The girl immediately went over to the large pile of humans with the intent of letting the poor guy free.
xxxx
/Yolei's Room, Inoue Apartment, Odaiba, 10:03 AM/
Yolei and Hawkmon calmly slid into the room via an open window. Ken stood outside, perched upon Stingmon's shoulder. "I'm very sorry about all the trouble."
"Oh, it's okay, I'm just grateful you guys were able to show up to bail me out." Although I still have no idea how those freakish girls managed to pull off kidnapping me. She ruffled a few wrinkles out of her purple pajamas before saying, "Um…I don't suppose you could keep this whole thing a secret?"
The Child of Kindness smiled. "Of course. I wouldn't want this to be known either." As he turned away from the window to fly away on Stingmon…
"Ken?"
Ken turned around to be greeted by a hug around the neck. "Thanks."
Ken Ichijouji blinked as the familiar feelings rose to the surface. He could only return the embrace as he said, "You're welcome." After five seconds, they broke the embrace and Stingmon took to the sky, leaving Yolei and Hawkmon in their home.
As the Child of Caring looked up at the ascending duo, Hawkmon was in deep thought. Now…there's the matter with Ninjamon…
xxxx
/Inoue Convenience Store, Odaiba, 10:10 AM/
"Good morning!" chirped Yolei as she walked down the stairs, wearing more proper clothing for the cold weather (ie: Jeans, sweater, and a beanie).
Mantarou looked up from behind the counter, saying, "Yo. How was your trip to the Digital World?"
It took her a few moments to realize that it was an excuse Davis had told their family to explain her absence…so she innocently said, "Just fine."
Thump.
The two looked out the glass windows to see a pair of blue legs land outside on the pavement. Then a light as the shape shrunk. When the light faded, it revealed Veemon…and standing beside him was Davis.
As they entered the store, Yolei winced. Owch.
Davis' face was covered with bruises and scratch marks…and there were even some teeth marks (yes, TEETH MARKS) on his arms and legs. The grumpy-looking boy marched up to Yolei and grumbled, "You officially owe me."
Then he fell to the floor unconscious.
Mantarou blinked out of confusion. "What happened to him?"
Yolei answered the best way she knew how.
"Fangirls."
xxxx
TO BE CONCLUDED…
NEXT TIME…
Chapter 27: Truce
-OR-
Bonding: Yolei
xxxx
Author's Notes: (smiles) Be honest; how many of you guessed the missing arm was possibly an illusion? The only ones who even mentioned the possibility of an illusion were SjKid and blazing fury. So yay, I fooled some people. :D
Anyhow, sorry for the late update; I kind of bogged down about two-thirds of the way three, and then finished the rest in one night. Meh.
Hope I captured the essence of otaku and fanboyism with the Rocketeers. Oh, and Housemates ends in November.
See you soon, and please review!