Otoko No Chigiri
Pledge III: Loyalty (Shiota Hirokazu)
We're...sort of popular at school these days. We're the Digimon Tamers, after all. Granted, we...haven't seen our partners for years, now but everyone wants to talk about our Digimon when they find out who we are.
Kenta's been talking to some other guys at the lunch table about our Digimon. They're not all that knowledgeable on the subject, of course. One thought it was "just another gay monster game like Pokemon." ...Kenta...didn't really like that description. Neither did I...He's kinda...really "guyish," you know? This guy dropped the G-adjective a couple times before that, too... ...Kenta was a little annoyed, so was I. Especially when he used it on Digimon...
...Digimon is awesome! Pokemon's not bad, I've played it and I kinda liked the card game, but...Pokemon ain't real. Digimon is. I love that fact!
"So, um, Takato drew Guilmon and, well, he actually created his partner...That was just...Awesome!" Kenta says. "Takato even put on a pair of goggles like Taichi and Daisuke...He's an official Goggle Boy, our...fearless, goggled leader!" Takato...yeah, I'd say if one of us was "in-charge" at first it'd have been Takato. Before Dukemon, he was a good leader in a pinch. And Jen's there to back him up and give him advice, too. Jen and Takato make an amazing team...
...And, I admit, Takato's probably the bravest out of all of us. I wouldn't have been able to do a lot of what he did. Takato is our leader 'cause he's awesome.
"...Goggle...boy...?" This guy, um, Shinji, I think, asks. He gives Kenta a weird look. He's the one who called Digimon 'a gay monster game.' "That's...like weird, I mean...Goggle boy? That's what you called...your leader? Goggle boy?" He's...kinda bugging me. Especially these looks he gives Kenta. Or both of us, these kinda 'are you gay or something?' looks now and then...He gives them to Kenta the most, which is really starting to piss me off. His friends are keeping quiet, at least...They look like they wanna hear the story, this guy...I think he's having trouble believing that we actually did all this! I can't blame him for being skeptical, I'm telling him I lived through a season of Digimon, pretty much.
It started with Kenta showing me a manga he was reading...A "really gay" manga according to Shinji, he was at the next table and heard us talking about. According to him, the main character was "sorta gay" 'cause he's "surrounded by women and doesn't do anything about it. You know they all want him, too! He's a total manhood failure, you know? It's crap!" ...Dude, it's not a harem manga, it's...about a guy searching for the right girl and living by his moral code ("I want to be a true man" is his catchphrase). He's a romantic modern day samurai kinda, except without the sword. 'Cause of his code, he can't "do anything" with all of them because he doesn't want to hurt the ones who do like him or hurt the one(s, long story) being forced to marry him against ttheir will (arranged marriages, I joked with Kenta that I almost had one of those with "Keiko," sort of...Not really arranged but...You know), one of which he does actually love but she loves someone else and...
...Look, it's really...plot and dialogue heavy with no action (not even fanservice-y with the girls, it's really serious). It's one of the last thing's I'd usually read but...It's really awesome, actually. Kenta says he's been reading it because of how much the main character reminds him of...Well, me! I-I liked that, a lot. It's mostly because of his "code of being a man." Otoko Shibuki!
Anyway, we talked to him and his friends a bit, I mentioned Takato and Guilmon and...We started to explain the whole "adventure" we had.
"...Something wrong?" Kenta asks, looking up at Shinji.
"I mean, what's with the goggles, too? The fruity title's one thing but..." ...Dude, you are not calling Takato 'fruity' are you? 'Cause if you are...
"W-Well, on the shows and in the games, the hero always has a pair of goggles on his head," Kenta says. "So, um, Takato went with the look. He was sort of our unofficial leader at first. But it soon became offical, especially after he became Dukemon and all."
"Became?" Shinji asks. "He became a...Digi-thing?" I think a lot of why we're still talking to this ass is because of how skeptical he is that all of this was real...Even with D-Reaper's news reports and all, a lot of people think we're either insane or have 'really active imaginations' (mostly when we were younger for that one) when we tell them about our adventures.
"It's...complicated," I say. Matrix Evolution...I still don't quite understand...how they join like that but...Damn, that was awesome. I wish I could've joined with Guardromon...And become BlackWarHirokazumon for real! ...Of course, Kenta's partner was already Mega...No naked merging with his partner for Kenta...
...Too ba-..I-.I mean... He could have...been involved with some sort of mode change... Matrix Evolution! MarineAngemon Kitagawa Mode! Attack!
"Uh-huh..." Shinji looks to his friends. "Well, the Dinosaur-thing you showed me was pretty cool...I mean, Kaiju monsters are freakin' awesome!" Yeah, Guilmon's even more awesome, though. "What's Takato like?"
"Takato's...beyond brave!" Kenta says. "And super nice. He'll do anything for anyone! He's strong willed, and...Pretty straightforward, he's not afraid to be kind of emotional at times and-"
"Emotional?"
"-He's not afraid of showing his emotions," Kenta says. "He's not embarrassed to cry or-"
Shinji lets out a scoff. Dude, do not! "Cry? What? What the hell kind of lead-"
"Dude, Takato is simply awesome," I say, trying to hint at how annoyed I am with my tone. "Yeah, he's a little emotional and cries sometimes, but he also helped stop that thing that attacked Shinjuku, he was the giant knight of holy destruction, remember?"
"Th-That was...That guy? D-Dude...!" Shinji's eyes go wide, his jaw drops. Yeah, I knew that'd shut him up. "Wait, who was that...um...Priestess thing?"
"Ruki Makino," Kenta says. "She's-"
"She hot?" ...What?
"E-Excuse me?" Kenta asks.
"I mean, you said you traveled with two girls, right?" Three, if you count Jen's sister...And I think Kenta's gonna leave her outta the story if this guy is actually asking this! "...They hot? Were they...y'know, Takado's girls or anything?" TA-KA-TO! A-And...'Takato's girls?' Okay, one...Ruki'd sooner castrate Takato than kiss him if he even thought of trying anything...But she's like that with every guy, pretty much (if anything, she'd be nice enough to let Takato keep "one"). Two...Takato's...not like that with girls. He respects Ruki and Juri, he's not the kind of guy who'd ask 'is she hot?' Takato's...y'know...Not an ass.
Seriously, this guy...He's Anti-Otoko Shibuki. I mean, before we talked about Digimon, this guy told us how the star of that manga would act if he were a "real man." ...I-I got annoyed. A real man doesn't act like this jerk, he has morals he believes in, he has duties he fulfills without question...And he's nothing like this guy!
"...N-No...Takato...isn't... No..." Kenta shakes his head, lowering it with a frown. Yeah, Kenta, this jerk's pissing me off, too. "When we went to the Digital World, Ruki had Renamon as her partner and... ...Juri had...Leomon... He..um...His data was loaded by...Beelzebumon..." He lowers his head, lifting his glasses and trying to subtly wipe his eyes. ...Yeah, I...I still tear up...thinking about that, Kenta.
"L-Loaded? Um, so...Wait, Digimon are...really made of data and all that?"
"Yeah, the Digital World is made up of computer data and stuff. Digimon are living creatures made up of that data. When we went, we were turned into data, too," I explained...I-I still...can't really wrap my mind around that...I mean...I was a computer program at one point!
"Who was your...um...Partner? Dude..." Shinji rolls his eyes.
"What?" Kenta asks.
"'Partner' sounds...kinda gay," Shinji shrugs. ...Excuse me? "I-I mean, just...that's what they like to call their...um...y'know. And, well...Why not your 'Monster' or something? You guys were, um, Trainers, right?"
"Tamers," I correct. Wh-Why are we still talking to this guy?.And Kenta's...I can tell he's annoyed but he's doing his best not to show it. I think he's being polite and trying to find a convinient way out of this conversation... ...How 'bout 'go away, jerkass?' That'd work for me, Kenta.
"Right, so...Why not call them 'Monsters' instead of 'Partners?' Tamer and Monster makes more sense than Tamer and 'Partner.' You know?" ...Idiot.
"...Guardromon was my partner," I say. I reach into my pocket and pull out my lucky Guardromon card. "That's him. He evolves into Andromon, a cyborg Digimon."
"...Cool, robot! I like your design!" Shinji says with a smile. "Kinda steam-punkish!" ...My...design? What?
He must...think that because Takato created Guilmon, we must have done the same... N-No, dude, Takato's just...the luckiest guy in the histroy of Digimon Taming! Seriously!
Before I can correct him, he speaks up, turning to Kenta. "What about you? What...Monster did you have?" ...Dude, they're our PARTNERS! There is nothing gay about a Tamer and his Partner's bond! ...I mean, for one, the Partner isn't even human so...Ugh! Damn it! S-Seriously, this guy is pissing me off...
...And it has nothing to do with me... ...being 95% straight. I just don't like his tone... I-I'm...getting used to that "issue," actually...I-I just...don't like to be reminded about it...And I sure as hell don't want anyone to suspect me...
...But I could be straight as a freakin' arrow and this guy'd probably go nuts if he ever heard about our kiss... ...Hell, I almost want to bring that up just to see if it'll scare this asshole off! ...I wouldn't in a million years, but... ...It'd get rid of him, that's for sure.
Kenta smiles, reaching for his card pack. "MarineAngemon!" ...Kenta's really proud of his partner. Sure, MarineAngemon couldn't talk but...He was Mega level. Kenta had, among us, a digimon that was always at its mega level... H-He was so lucky and...He loved being a Tamer and having MarineAngemon for a partner. Sure, MarineAngemon was bright pink and...looked like something Shiuchon would want for a partner (she even "borrowed" him once to play dress-up with Terriermon and Lopmon...Kenta says MarineAngemon actually enjoyed it!) but... ...He worked with Kenta somehow, the two were...Perfect together as Tamer and Partner. I don't know how exactly, but... ...Kenta was really proud of MarineAngemon as his partner. End. Of. Story.
...And...I can safely say I'm glad he was so happy to have MarineAngemon as a partner. Kenta was on top of the world because of it, like me and Guardromon.
...Shit, I just realized, this is also the partner Ruki calls "Kenta's Digital Teacup Poodle." And Kenta's...gonna show this guy...MarineAngemon.
Ruki can get away with that stuff. She's Ruki, she's our friend and just joking around. Kenta, somehow, doesn't mind a lot of her jokes, even the "Digital Teacup Poodle" crack.
This guy... ...Don't. You. Dare!
I keep an eye on Shinji as Kenta pulls out his card, his lucky MarineAngemon card...Holographic and everything. "This is him." He passes Shinji the card. It's a really rare card, too...I spent weeks looking for it and spent...The Gods only know how much money on card packs...But... ...It was a rare, limited edition card that I really wanted Kenta to have. ...He...teared up when I gave it to him, actually...
...I kinda did, too. We all do when it's our partners...We miss them.
Shinji looks at the card, his eyes go wide. "D-Dude...S-Seriously? Wh-What the hell? You designed this thing?" You idiot! TAKATO was the one who created his partner, we didn't! "That...um...Takeru kid's dinosaur was really badass and his steam-punk robot is awesome but this is...the gayest thing I've ever seen...!" He laughs. "A-Are you some kind of fag or-" YOU SON OF A BITCH!
I strand straight up, screaming. I clench my fist and hit Shinji square in the jaw...He falls back onto the ground, dropping Kenta's card on the table. I reach for the card, making sure it's not damaged before passing it to Kenta.
"...Hirokazu..." Kenta whispers, getting up. "H-Holy shit..."
I stand up and look over the table...Shinji's bleeding from his mouth, he's on his side groaning...And then he spits out a tooth. His two friends are by his side, giving me these terrified looks...
"...Listen up," I say, looking down at Shinji with my fists clenched at my side. "...No-one insults Kenta. Ever. If you call Kenta that word again, I'll knock out the rest of them. You do not say that about my friend or his partner. Kenta's amazing, MarineAngemon is amazing. Kenta is one of the nicest, smartest and most awesome people I know...And I would still say that even without the Digital World and MarineAngemon. You, however, are an asshole who doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut. You have no right to judge Kenta or MarineAngemon like that, all right? MarineAngemon was the strongest of our partners at all times, looks can be deceiving...Not like a dumb bastard like you would ever know. We were lucky to have MarineAngemon's support, he saved our asses a couple times. Without him, we'd have been in trouble...So much for the 'gayest thing you've ever seen,' MarineAngemon's one of the most amazing things I've ever seen! Now get the hell out of my sight. And if you even think to insult Kenta like that again, like I said, you won't be eating solid food ever again. Got it?"
Shinji had started crying a little in the middle of my speech. Yeah, crying...The asshole who made fun of Takato is crying. Takato doesn't cry when he gets hit, pal, Takato hits back twice as hard.
Shinji picks up his tooth and leaves. I watch him walk out of the cafeteria with his friends helping him keep his balance...He's actually sorta dazed, I think.
...That son of a bitch actually called Kenta that word. ...I am...So! Pissed! Off!
I sit down next to Kenta, exhaling sharply. Kenta's staring at me with his eyes wide. "...Sorry he...called you that." I say, quietly and as calmly as I can. Actually, I feel a lot less pissed from looking at Kenta...I guess he calms me down...For certain reasons I'm getting more okay with.
"...Hirokazu...I-I... ...I can't believe you...hit him like that..."
"...He called you a word I find...really offensive." I reply. "I objected to that." ...Just...please don't ask why I find that word so offensive all of a sudden.
A-And, while it may not have been...my favorite topic before (and even now for different reasons), I'd never abandon a friend over it and I sure as hell would never use that word! EVER!
"...But...Wh-What if you get a Sunday detention or something?" What? Like it'd be my first, Kenta?
"I'll tell them why I did it and...If they still give me detention, I'll have detention. No-one insults you like that, Kenta."
"...Thank you, Hirokazu-kun..." Kenta looks like he's holding back some tears. "I-I...I'm amazed we put up with that guy for that long..."
"...Me, too...He was an idiot. Anti-Otoko Shibuki."
"Agreed..." Kenta nods, letting out a sigh. "...Um...One question..."
"What?"
"...A-About what he said..." He swallows. "...Which was...the bigger insult? ...The word or the...implication?"
"Huh?" ...What's Kenta...talking about?
"N-Nothing...Never mind. It's...that word. ...Thank you again for...standing up for me." Kenta says. "I-If...If you get detention...I'll go with you, too. So you won't...be alone. Okay?"
...Kenta...Why would you ask that? C-Crap, does he...suspect me? I-I mean...That word has never pissed me off like that before...We've both heard it, too...But...
...No, Kenta knows it's...because he said it to him. I-I always defend Kenta...He doesn't suspect me...I-I can...answer honestly...
"...The word," I reply. "And...thanks, Kenta but...you don't have to...I've had a million detentions before, I'll have a ten million more after this," I shrug. I defend Kenta a lot when it comes to jerks. Some were worse than that guy...Some were more 'physical' with Kenta...
...Those were the ones I didn't hold back on.
...I...I really, really like Kenta...And, looking back, I've... "really, really" liked him since...Not too long after the Digital World... ...He's...Kenta. I-I... ...don't want to use the L-word...But...
...I don't want to be with a guy. I'm bi, I can...be with a woman. I love women but...
...If Kenta were the same... ...I-I'd...choose him over... ...Just show me any woman on Earth and I'll tell you why Kenta's better. Any woman.
But, before I...had feelings for him...I-I was always super close to him, like with the whole "friends before birth" thing, if someone gave Kenta a hard time I made them stop. Always.
...So, using that word on Kenta... ...I chose to tell him to shut up in the "manliest" way possible by his standards...
...And, the implication is...only insulting depending on the tone but... ...I-I don't...want Kenta to suspect... ...Otoko Shibuki and all...A-Actually, Otoko Shibuki doesn't... ...bring up that subject.
...Still...
"...Just the word?" ...Kenta?
I nod. "Yeah...I don't like that word."
Kenta nods. I hope that...didn't imply anything...about myself.
...No, I'm...safe.
We eat our lunches until the bell rings then go to our separate classes...
...I'm sorry he called you that word, Kenta. I...was just as insulted...'Cause...
...I'm...
...Bi.
...And that is still really hard to say to myself...
Ori's Notes:
I should point out, since I tend to do this in my notes: I never mean the G-adjective as a bad thing. When I say Kenta's the gayest character in Tamers...I really do mean it as a good thing, an aspect of his character I really like. Really! And when I say episode 26 of Digimon Tamers is the gayest episode of Digimon ever... ...Well, it's a Hirokazu and Kenta-themed episode in which they kiss and... ...Just watch it. Gay is...an understatement. It's...Hirokenta. The whole episode is Hirokenta.
Just clearing that up so I can keep all my teeth next time I go on my "MarineAngemon is gay incarnate" rant. ...Which it is, I mean, just LOOK AT THAT THING! Of course, if I were a Tamer and my partner was MarineAngemon, I would not complain! I even have a MarineAngemon in Digimon World: Dusk...I named him Kenta. And he's stronger than my freakin' BelialVamdemon, so, yeah...MarineAngemon is awesome!
Anyway, this chapter was written because in Eien Ni, Hirokazu mentions knocking out the teeth of someone who called Kenta a "certain word," so I thought I'd include the incident. The "manly jerk" thing...you'll see where I'm goin' with that.
As usual, I hope you're enjoying the fic!
Taiki's Notes:
And for those who are wondering why Ori uses the "G-adjective" and "three-letter-F-Bomb" so freely in his fics\notes: Um, there is a "reason" he says he can't write straight fics, let's say. With that, he feels comfortable using "those terms" about himself and his fics.
Of course, if you haven't figured that out by now, um, this must be the first fic by Ori you've ever read. In that case, I truly hope you've enjoyed what you've read so far and, please, check my profile for about a million more slash fics by Ori if you enjoyed this one. I recommend the Jenkatos. Jenkato is always good in my opinion! Be sure to review, we appreciate reviews! Thank you!
I have to say, I was very proud of Hirokazu for defending Kenta like that! And I liked how Kenta tried to gauge Hirokazu's feelings on "that subject" with his question, even if it was a bit risky for him (I thought it was, at least).
-Taiki Matsuki