Digimon World Tour Chapter 46: Wedding Bell Blues (Part 1), a digimon fanfic

Digimon World Tour

Recap

[Marcus] Gatomon had this strange dream about Max's new partner, Wizardmon. I think she'd been watching one too many of his movies. We had to work on Greg's birthday on this fashion-based soap opera. Greg was late because he was spending too much time wandering around CBS Television City. He had a pretty good birthday though, with lunch and a spin of the Big Wheel. Too bad he came down with food poisoning, though. Yolei flew in to give Max his Digivice, and to stay for a few days. She was gonna use Greg's guitar, and that really pissed him off! He told her and T.K. off. And of course, the next day, everybody except him got captured. He and Flamedramon took out a whole swarm of Digimon, and then they got to face Megidramon! Heh, the rest of us were in a theater forced to listen to stories of Max's glory days. UlforceVeedramon and Greg talked about friendship and crap, Greg unlocked his Digimon's Burst Mode, Megidramon got trashed, and everybody was happy. Well, except T.K. and Rika. They're plotting to stop this wedding. Good luck!

Chapter 46: Wedding Bell Blues (Part 1)

["My Opinionation" (from Blossom)

Written by Mike Post and Stephen Geyer

Performed by CeeLo Green]

This opening sequence heavily borrows from the opening sequence to the classic 1990s sitcom Blossom. "Rika" is spelled out on the screen in cursive, then disappears. Then, Rika appears in a loose, black outfit, dancing around. On the screen, we see the words "Starring Melissa Fahn".

Don't know about the future, that's anybody's guess.
Ain't no good reason for getting all depressed.

In the place of Blossom's brother Joey is Rika's soon-to-be stepbrother, T.K. Rika appears in a different outfit, as does T.K. The two get down and boogie. "Doug Erholtz" appears on the screen.

Fire up your pad and pencil, I'll give you a piece of my mind.

Matt appears in his high school uniform, while Rika twirls around him in a white ballerina tutu. Matt eventually holds up her hand so she can spin. "Michael Reisz" comes up on the screen.

In my opinionation, the sun is gonna surely shine.

Taking the place of Six is Renamon. Rika is once again in a different outfit. The two engage in an upbeat, modern dance, ending up back to back. The titles "Mari Devon" and "Quinton Flynn" come up on the screen.

Stop all your fussin',
Slap on a smile
Come out and walk in the sun for a while.

Hiroaki plays a baby grand piano while Rika, now in a black tuxedo leotard, dances on top of it. "Colleen Villard" and "David Greenlee as Hiroaki Ishida" flash on the screen.

Don't fight the feeling, you know you want to have a good time.

Rika is once again in a different outfit as she does a back flip. The title "Developed by Chiaki J. Konaka" appears on the screen.

And in my opinionation, the sun is gonna surely, shine.

When we see Rika again, she's wearing her normal clothes. She walks off the set.

Marcus

While we were, ahem, making love, we started talking about the wedding. "So she's actually gonna do it, huh?" I asked. "Yeah. It sucks." "Yeah, I know. I wouldn't want either one of my parents remarrying. So, what's this Operation: I Object you keep talking about?" "You know how the minister usually says something like, uh, 'If anybody has any reason why these two shouldn't be married' and all that, 'speak now or forever hold your peace'?" "Yeah?" "T.K. and I are gonna object." "Uh huh..." We kept going. "Oooh, easy. Easy there, lover boy. Marcus, I need you to do me a favor." "Anything for you, babe." "Go by the pharmacy and pick up my ring. I need it for the wedding." "Your ring?" "Yeah, the one I put in my uh... you know. So I don't get knocked up. If I'm gonna be the maid of honor, I don't want anything on my dress." "Ugh. Why me?" "Because you're my boyfriend, and you'd do anything for me." "Oh... all right. I'll get it." "Thanks. You rock."

Greg

Yolei and Hawkmon were still with us. "So, how is the third album coming along?" he asked at breakfast the next morning. "We're working on it," I said. "We may not even start until after this tour," Matt added.

We let our guests examine the track list after breakfast. I'd even downloaded the original versions of the songs we'd cover and put them in a Flash drive so they could listen to them. After an hour or so, Yolei offered her opinion. "Geez, after the first three tracks, everything else is just bad. 'Life in Detail' is great, but other than that, ugh!" We couldn't help but agree with her. "So, why don't you guys write some more music?"

Right away, we all decided amongst ourselves who was going to write more music.

Marcus

Rika didn't just want her prescription filled. She wanted Kari's and Anya's at the same time. Their gynecologist (you know, the doctor that deals with all the lady parts) in France faxed in their prescriptions, signed and everything. I couldn't drive, so I had to get Greg to take me to a Walgreens.

"Aww man, I gotta fill three prescriptions for something I don't even use. This is gonna be so awkward," I griped. Greg parked the car. "Well, you did say you'd do anything for Rika, didn't you?" he asked. "Yeah, but…." "Oh, so now you're saying you'd do anything for love but you won't do that." "Well, I'm not doing this. You go in there." "Oh no, you're not escaping this, Marcus Damon. We're going in together." He had to twist my arm to do it, but he did it. I decided that creating a scene wouldn't be good.

We walked in wearing our sunglasses, and I tried to play it cool. I walked up to the pharmacy counter and slammed the sheets of paper on the counter. The pharmacist looked up. "Can I help you?" he asked, hesitating. I made my demands known. "Now look here, buddy, we don't have too much time. I need these prescriptions filled for my girlfriend and her two friends. Chop chop." "Do you have insurance cards?" I whipped out the three from my pocket and slammed them on the table. "There you go, mofo." "Marcus!" Greg hissed. "What?" "That's not how you talk to the nice pharmacist. Now please apologize to the man for implying he has an incestuous relationship with his mother." "Huh?" "You know what you called him!"

I took off my sunglasses and turned to the pharmacist. "Sorry, bro. It's just that I really don't want to be here." "The old test of love, huh? No sweat," the pharmacist said. While he filled it, I searched the feminine care aisle. There were so many ways to absorb blood. It was just dope. Finally, I stumbled on something that might save me a lot of torture for at least a year, maybe even 10. I shared what I found with Greg, and we celebrated right there in the store! We bought two for each of the three girls, then went to pick up the prescriptions.

"Excuse me, but new regulations under the Affordable Care Act require an adult signature for these," the pharmacist droned. Greg signed everything, we paid for everything, and we left. I'm not gonna go into too much detail, but when the girls found out about our discovery, they were happy. Yolei wanted one of her own, so Greg drove her back over there to get one.

We talked about two things at dinner. First was the wedding. Matt spoke first. "You know, guys, I've been thinking a lot about this. It won't be that bad at all. Rika's going to make a great Ishida." I cheered at that. "Yeah! That's my girl!" Rika didn't buy it. Max went on about the weddings he'd been to and all that. I didn't bother trying to remember it all.

The second thing was all this new music we'd have to write. Matt was the first to volunteer, since he was the leader of the band. "Eh, why not? I'll give it a shot, too. After all, how hard can it be to write one lousy song?" I asked.

"In that case, I'll write one, too!" Veemon chimed in. "But Veemon, you don't know the first thing about writing a song," Greg argued. "No problem. You can help me with it, right?" "I guess so, but still, it'll be strange for a Digimon to write a Top 40 song." "Gaomon's the engineer." "Good point."

Veemon

What did I get myself into? Greg gave me a crash course on songwriting. I had to make sure I was writing in a key any of the band could hit, and if it wasn't, I had to transpose it in a lower one. That meant I was writing sheet music for three different versions of the same song, and I hadn't even written down the lyrics!

There had to be an easier way to do this. "Ah! Maybe I should just focus on the lyrics and let Matt or somebody else write the music," I said. Greg cleared up the sheets of paper I'd left in a mess on the desk. "Sounds like a great idea to me." So, we worked late into the night.

["25 or 6 to 4"

Written by James Pankow and Robert Lamm

Performed by Marcus Damon (Quinton Flynn), Yamato "Matt" Ishida (Michael Reisz), and Veemon (Derek Stephen Prince)]

The night before the gang leaves for Pasadena, three members of the band are staying up late into the night trying to write new material for the fourth album. The instrumentation and most of the arrangement is based on the 1986 version, but is extended to fit all three verses.

As we start, Greg is asleep, but Veemon is writing by flashlight. Now, Veemon isn't at the genius level Gaomon and Tentomon are at, but he's pretty intelligent as far as Digimon go. He writes something, looks at it, and then violently erases it. He momentarily dozes off, but wakes up.

Veemon:

Waiting for the break of day
Searching for something to say
Flashing lights against the sky
Giving up, I close my eyes

He sits cross-legged on the floor, then looks up at Greg's alarm clock. It either says "3:34 AM" or "3:35 AM", but he's too tired to notice. Greg rolls over in bed, scratching himself under the covers.

Veemon:

Sitting cross-legged on the floor
Twenty five or six to four

In Matt's room, he's working on some new material himself. He plays his acoustic guitar to look for just the right notation, but finds nothing. He has a water basin filled with cold water beside him.

Matt:

Staring blindly into space
Getting up to splash my face
Wanting just to stay awake (Veemon: (VO) Wanting just to stay awake)

Wondering how much I can take (ooh yeah)

The screen splits as the human and the Digimon wonder the same thing.

Veemon/Matt:

Should I try to do some more?

Twenty five or six to four

During the instrumental break, we shift the action to Japan where Rumiko Nonaka and Hiroaki Ishida, the happy couple-to-be, are signing their marriage licenses and are finishing all the paperwork before they hop on the plane to California.

Marcus, in the meantime, is attempting to write verse. Any time he has something, he reads it, crumples the paper up, throws it in the garbage can, and starts again. By now, he's gone through six notebooks and the garbage can is full. This frustrates the you-know-what out of him as we gaze into his frustrated yet exhausted eyes. The room starts to spin as Marcus pours himself a cup of extra-strength coffee and downs it.

Marcus:

Feeling like I ought to sleep
Spinning room is sinking deep
Searching for something to say (Matt: (VO) Searching for something to say)
Waiting for the break of day

In a three-way split screen, we see all three working hard on their music, and see plenty of evidence that a songwriter's task is difficult. Almost as difficult as writing this fanfic.

Marcus/Veemon/Matt:

Twenty five or six to four

Exhaustion starts to set in as the three take measures to keep themselves awake.

Greg

The wedding was supposed to be on a Sunday, so we left for Pasadena on a Friday. It wasn't that far of a drive from Beverly Hills to Pasadena, but we let Matt sleep while Anya and I drove.

The Langham Huntington was better than a lot of places we'd been at. Of course, by now we'd stayed at so many of these luxury hotels that we were starting to become indifferent about the whole thing.

By the time we arrived, I heard a loud noise above me. I looked out the window, and there was Imperialdramon touching down in the parking lot. I got out and slammed the car door as most of the original DigiDestined, their Digimon, and most of our parents were beamed down from the pouch with their luggage. "Davis, you idiot! Do you realize you could've been seen!?" I roared at him.

My Veemon cleared his throat through my Digivice. I unclipped it and held it up to me. "What?" "Greg… we did the same thing just a few days ago, remember?" "Oh… heh heh heh….." I turned back to Davis. "I'm sorry, Davis," I sincerely apologized. "It's all right, man. Happens to me all the time," Davis answered.

Tai and Kari looked genuinely happy to see each other. "Tai!" "Kari!" The two ran to each other and hugged it out.

I met up with Mom and Dad, who was grumbling about the flight. "Some flight. We flew halfway around the world with at least 20 other people and their Digimon in a dragon's pouch. Sure, we saved thousands of yen. Sure, we made it in less than a minute. But I didn't even get a lousy package of peanuts. Next time, I want to fly first class." Good old Dad, always complaining about something.

We checked in at the hotel and, to our surprise, Rika's mom was paying the bill and not the label. After getting everything in order in our rooms, the vacation began. Nearly anyone who was remotely related to the Ishidas or Nonakas, through blood, marriage, or friendship, was there. That meant the original eight DigiDestined, plus Davis, Cody, Ken, and us.

Matt

Kari, Greg, Max, and I met up with Commander Sampson for some afternoon tea. "First off, I'd like to officially welcome you to DATS, Mr. Caulfield," the commander said as he shook hands with Max. "Well, thank you very much, sir. I really don't know what to say," Max replied. The commander poured himself a cup of tea. "Don't say anything, then," Kudamon answered.

"So, Commander, it looks like everybody's here. But what about home? What if the Bagra Army attacks Japan?" I asked. Commander Sampson took a sip. "It's quite simple, Yamato. Your group and the original twelve aren't the only ones with Digimon. A select group of people are staying behind with Dr. Damon to defend Japan if necessary." "Such as?" Max asked. The commander pulled up a list on his phone. "Well, there's Kristina Damon, Garrison Logan, Michael Kudo, Tagiru Akashi, Nene Amano, Christopher Aonuma, Angela Hinomoto, Jeremy Tsurgi... oh, and I have some good news. Those four Hunters you faced earlier in Europe have defected to our side."

"Hold it, hold it... you've got my little brother in there?" Greg urgently asked. The commander took another sip of his tea. "Yes, and he's doing remarkably well. I've seen numerous parallels between him and Koushiro. He's bright, talented, and brilliant. Never stops learning, that boy. Oh, and Kristina? She takes after her brother, but is much nicer. Perfect combination of sugar and spice." "Gee, such glowing reports. Why?" "Mostly because they don't cause unnecessary property damage or endanger human lives." "They're that good!?" the four of us asked at the same time.

T.K.

While Matt and some of the others were talking to Commander Sampson, Rika and I got called in by Dad and Rumiko to their room. They were both very excited and very happy. They looked just like a couple. "T.K, Rika, I'd like both of you to see this," Dad said as he handed me a folder. We opened it up and went through the papers. They were from our government and had both their names on them. Rika gasped. "You- you, you're kidding, r-right? Th-this is a joke, right?" she stammered. Dad held Rumiko tight. "Nope. As of yesterday, we're legally married."

"Legally..." I started in horror. "...married?" Rika finished. Dad continued, "That's right. We also completed the adoption papers. Rika, you're now officially an Ishida. Welcome to the family." We just sort of stood there for a few minutes, letting it all sink in. I slowly nodded my head. "That's... nice," I slowly said. Rika nodded with me. "Excuse us for a minute," she added. We both left the room as quickly as we could.

Anyone who was in the hall could hear our mutual reaction. "DAMN IT!" "Operation: I Object is dead in the water," Rika lamented. I nodded. "Uh huh." At that point, I left my apparent stepsister to think on her own. There was nothing I could do now. All my hopes, all my dreams, dead. Even that stupid illusion MaloMyotismon tempted me with wasn't worth it anymore. All I could do now was go into my room and cry.

Patamon noticed. "Not again..." he softly moaned from inside his Digivice. I let him come out, then held him in my arms.

Rika

How could she? How could she!? I stormed through the hotel. My own mother, the one who had made such a success for herself and us on her own, decided to marry that... that gold digger! And he's not even that attractive! It's like she went into a freakin' host club and picked up the first loser that came along! Yeah, I said it. Hiroaki Ishida is a loser who thinks my mom is a "honey woman"!

Matt called the group in for reception practice. T.K. didn't even show up. "OK, guys, I think Marcus, Veemon, and I figured out two new songs. We'll give one to Yolei to test out and then we'll keep the other," Matt decided. "Yeah yeah, sure," I grumbled. "Rika?" "Yeah, Matt?" "What's your problem?" "Ohhhh, where do I start? Your dad and my mom are legally married!" Everyone paused for a minute. "Well, I guess that's that," Matt said. "You mean, you can do that?" Marcus asked cluelessly. "...Yeah. You know what? Forget it. Why bother?" I asked as I walked to my keyboard. Just then, PurityxSpirited walked in. Lily was bouncing around as usual. "Oh no..." I groaned.

"Hi, Rika! Hi, Matt! Hi, everybody! Wait, where's T.K.?" Lily asked. "If I know him, he's probably locked himself in his bathroom," Matt answered. "But why?" "The same reason Rika's cranky. Her mom married T.K.'s and my dad, and my little brother isn't happy about it at all." "Awww, but why are you guys unhappy? Weddings are supposed to be happy."

"You naïve little brat. When you finally grow up, you'll realize that marriage isn't all it's cracked up to be," I snarled. That only made her cry, and Naomi rushed over to comfort her. "Now how can you hurt Lily's feelings like that, Rika? That wasn't very nice!" "Whatever," I grumbled.

"So, what brings you to this wedding party?" Greg asked while tuning his guitar. Charrise adjusted the drums. "Ah, the usual thing. We were in the neighborhood and we'd thought we'd check in on you guys." "Aww, that's sweet of you." "No problem, sweetie." Anya cleared her throat.

That night, my mom threw a bachelorette party, and we were the entertainment. T.K. and I didn't even bother to show up.

["Shake It Off"

Written by Marcus Damon, "David Umansky"/Veemon, and Yamato "Matt" Ishida (Taylor Swift, Max Martin, and Karl J. Schuster)

Performed by PurityxSpirited featuring Kari Kamiya and Anya Rădulescu

Lead Vocals: Yolei Inoue (Tifanie Christun)]

At the bachelorette party, the band appears. Kari and Anya appear and set up their positions as backup singers, while PurityxSpirited play the main instruments. The band starts playing while Yolei takes the handheld mic off the stand and starts dancing around with it. We get various shots of the party attendants, doing activities such as trading intimate secrets, getting drunk, and enjoying male strippers. Lily bounces around behind her mic. (For anyone curious, Veemon wrote the verses, Marcus wrote the rap bridge and chorus, and Matt wrote the music.)

Yolei:

I stay out too late, got nothing in my brain
That's what people say, mmm mmm, that's what people say, mmm mmm
I go on too many dates (she giggles), but I can't make 'em stay
At least that's what people say, mmm mmm, that's what people say, mmm mmm

But I keep cruising, can't stop, won't stop moving
It's like I got this music in my body and it's gonna be alright

Yolei/Band (Kari on lead backup):

'Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate
Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off
Heartbreakers gonna break, break, break, break, break
And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake
Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off

Yolei:

I'll never miss a beat, I'm lightning on my feet
And that's what they don't see, mmm mmm, that's what they don't see, mmm mmm
I'm dancing on my own (Kari: dancing on my own), I'll make the moves up as I go (Kari: moves up as I go)
And that's what they don't know, mmm mmm, that's what they don't know, mmm mmm

But I keep cruising, can't stop, won't stop grooving
It's like I got this music in my body and it's gonna be alright

Like a scene out of Magic Mike, a topless Maxwell leads a group of dashing, young, male strippers into the ballroom. Mixed in with the professionals are Davis, Matt, Marcus, and Joe, who are all topless. They "shake it off" to the ladies' delight in a routine choreographed by Alison Faulk. The rule seems to be that if you're a male, you better not be wearing a shirt. Cages are set up for Davis' Veemon, Gabumon, Agumon, and Gomamon to dance in.

Yolei:

Shake it off, I shake it off
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off

Yolei points out to the audience and says, "Hey, hey, hey! Just think, while you've been getting down and out about the liars and dirty, dirty cheats of the world, you could have been getting down, to This. Sick. Beat!" During the line about "the fella over there", she points and gives a "come hither" gesture to Joe, who gives everyone a "Who, me?" expression. All the while, Yolei is bouncing around shaking everything.

Yolei/Kari:

(rapped)

My ex-man brought his new girlfriend
She's like "O-M-G", but I'm just gonna shake it
And to the fella over there with the hella good hair
Won't you come on over, baby, we can shake, shake, shake

Yolei:

Yeah, ohhhhhh

The male strippers continue their routine, taking it to the most logical conclusion.

Yolei/Band:

'Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate (Yolei: Haters gonna hate)
Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off
Heartbreakers gonna break, break, break, break, break
And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake (Yolei: They fake, and fake, and fake)
Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off

By this point, Nancy (the former Mrs. Ishida) walks in. She freaks out at the fact that her son is in nothing but his Calvin Klein designer briefs and proceeds to non-verbally read the Riot Act by way of purse to the head.

Yolei/Band:

Shake it off, I shake it off
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off
Shake it off, I shake it off
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off (Yolei: You've got to)
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off

As the song ends, the audience screams, throwing large bills at our male strippers. Joe gets the most, stuffing it all into the waistband of his boxer shorts.

Matt

As the party continued, I quickly got dressed then went into the hall with Mom. "Uh... I can explain," I said. "Oh of course, you can explain. You've become nothing but a cheap pretty boy. I raised you better, Yamato Ishida! The next thing you'll do is drop the act, and then you'll drop everything else!" She hit me again with the purse. "Ow! OK, Mom, I'm sorry!"

Joe walked by, whistling "Shake it Off" while counting his money. Mom turned to him. "And you ought to be ashamed of yourself, Joe!" I quickly berated him. "Are you kidding? I just made a thousand bucks and got numbers off two hot girls! I should've gone into this business a long time ago. By the way, that's a catchy song you've got there, Matt," he said. He kept whistling, counting, and walking.

"Anyway, did you get the news as well?" I asked Mom. "Yes, and I'm all right with it." "Huh? You are?" "Yes, I am. Rumiko is a good woman, and if she makes your father happy, that's all that matters to me. As much as I love your father, his happiness is what's important now. Besides, you and Rika get along together so well." I zipped up my jeans. "I know that. I'm OK with it, too, but I'm just worried about T.K. I'm sure he's already heartbroken by now." "Yes. He never gave up hope that we'd be reunited, and now all his hopes and dreams are smashed to little pieces."

T.K.

I ordered room service and stayed in my room for the rest of the day. I couldn't believe this was happening.

["Turn Back the Clock"

Written by Clark Datchler

Performed by Takeru "T.K." Ishida (Michael Cunio) and Rika Nonaka (Melissa Fahn)]

It's nearly midnight and T.K. has worry-based insomnia. It seems Hiroaki brought a family album of the Ishida clan to keep Rumiko current. T.K.'s borrowed it and is looking it over with Patamon.

T.K.:

Another day is ended, and I still can't sleep
Remembering my yesterdays, I begin to weep
If I could have it over, live my life again
I wouldn't change a single day

I wish that I could turn back the clock
Bring the wheels of time to a stop
Back to the days when life was so much better
Oh no

The scene shifts to Rika, who is laying on her bed with the lamp on. She holds up a picture of her when she was five years old, shortly before her parents divorced. As the memories come flooding back to her, tears run freely down her face.

Rika:
Lying here in silence
Picture in my hand
Of a girl I still resemble, but I no longer understand
And as the tears run freely, oh
How I realize they were the best years of my life

I wish that I could turn back the clock
Bring the wheels of time to a stop
Back to the days when life was so much better

The scene shifts back to T.K. He looks out the window at the moonlit sky.

T.K.:

You might say it's just a case of giving up
No
But without these memories, where is the love?
Where is the love?

Rika, still with her hair down, paces the floor and thinks long and hard about what is supposed to happen the next day. T.K. is doing the same thing. Both seem to be very unhappy. "You know something, Renamon?" Rika asks. Renamon looks up from her book, still wearing reading glasses.

Rika:
If I could have it over
Live my life again
I wouldn't change a single day

The screen splits to accommodate T.K. for this duet. After this, the two make efforts to fall asleep.

T.K./Rika:

I wish that I could turn back the clock
Bring the wheels of time to a stop
Back to the days when life was so much better

T.K.:
Why can't I turn back the clock?
Bring the wheels of time to a stop

While Rika is singing, T.K. quickly fills a glass with water and downs two sleeping pills.

Rika:
Back to the days
Oh no no
I remember when
Life was so good

T.K. puts the glass away, puts the album away, and then picks up Patamon to carry him to his bed. Rika goes back to her bed and settles down. They both turn off their lights and settle in.

T.K.:
I'd go back I'd I could
Oh oh I wouldn't change a single day (Rika: (VO) wouldn't change a single day)
Don't let the memories slip away

Rika:
I wouldn't change a single day
Don't let the memories slip away

As the song fades, T.K. yawns, adjusts his blanket, and falls asleep. Rika soon follows.

Greg

The next morning, the guys and the girls split up for some rest and relaxation. Since most of the DigiDestined were here and the Digimon were all over the news already, Commander Sampson finally agreed to let everyone take their Digimon out of their Digivices.

I found myself hanging out with Joe. We had a lot in common because we were both the oldest in our groups and therefore, both felt the responsibility of being team dad. We hung out by the pool. Joe caught some rays while I floated around in an inflatable chair with my sunglasses and a cool drink by my side. Veemon and Gomamon swam around.

"So, Joe. I heard you were the real life of the party last night," I said. "Yep. Made a thousand bucks. Ha ha, who knew I'd be such a good stripper?" "Yeah, that's what Matt told me. I really didn't think you were the type." "Maybe you're right. So, how are you doing with the team, Greg?" "Just fine, I guess. I hadn't seen T.K. since yesterday. I'm a little worried." "I wouldn't worry too much. He knows how to take care of himself."

"Yeah. You know, at first I didn't like you. Matt told me all these stories about you. How you're allergic to everything, how you're a neurotic. But as we moved on tour, I realized that you and I aren't that different at all. We're both the oldest, we're both the voice of reason, and we both feel responsible for everyone. You're actually cool." "You must've heard some old war stories. I've grown and mellowed out a lot since I was a kid. Do you want to know how I unlocked Burst Mode?" I raised my sunglasses in surprise. "You unlocked Gomamon's Burst Mode? How?"

Joe started his story. "It was two weeks ago, and I was just about to take the Duke entrance exam. You know, Duke University? They've got a great medical school. I was nervous as ever, so my mind wasn't completely there… and I started falling into my old habits during a Digimon battle in Shinjuku. Kristy was having a rough-time with this Mega-level that just came from out of the blue, and Gary couldn't reach her in time. Those two are like T.K. and Kari. Anyway, I started hyperventilating, and Vikemon pulled me to the side. We started talking about how I had a lot on my mind, and that I shouldn't let fear control my life. I realized he was right." "And?" "I unlocked Burst Mode, Vikemon's weapons and armor became gold, and he called down a thundersnow." "Wow!" "Yeah. I was blown away myself."

Marcus

We spent most of the day relaxing, which was really nice because we'd done a lot. The girls went to the spa, and we guys hit the pool.

That night, we had the rehearsal dinner, which included a special performance from us. T.K. finally came out of his room. He looked absolutely pissed. "Hey, T.K. Long time no see," I said, slapping him on the back. He didn't respond. After dinner, we went up on stage.

["Torn"

Written by Scott Cutler, Anne Preven, and Phil Thornalley

Performed by The Teenage Wolves

Lead Singer: Rika Nonaka (Melissa Fahn)]

Rika has on her broken heart top, signifying her mood. She approaches the mic. "This is a little number I'd like to dedicate to the new father figure in my life," she snarls. Marcus taps out the beat as the song starts up. Please note that this performance is actually based on the original version of the song by the Los Angeles band Ednaswap, not the Natalie Imbruglia version. The sound is much darker than Imbruglia's version, but has an almost identical structure. It is characterized by haunting and somewhat harsh electric guitars, a longer bridge that does not include a breakdown and a very long outro that fades out before it is finished. (This version cuts it short for the sake of brevity.)

Rika:

I thought I saw a man brought to life
He was warm, he came around like he was dignified
He showed me what it was to cry

She looks squarely at Hiroaki with absolute disgust.

Rika:
Well, you couldn't be that man I adored
You don't seem to know or seem to care what your heart is for
And I don't know him anymore

There's nothing where he used to lie
My conversation has run dry
That's what's going on
Nothing's fine, I'm torn

I'm all out of faith
This is how I feel
I'm cold and I am shamed
Lying naked on the floor

Illusion never changed
Into something real
I'm wide awake and I can see
The perfect sky is torn
You're a little late, I'm already torn

Hiroaki looks very shocked at this anger from his soon-to-be stepdaughter. Rumiko, not so much.

Rika:
So I guess the fortune teller's right
I should have seen just what was there
And not some holy light
But you crawled beneath my veins and now

I don't care, I have no luck
I don't miss it all that much
There's just so many things
That I can't touch, I'm torn

I'm all out of faith
This is how I feel
I'm cold and I am shamed
Lying naked on the floor

Illusion never changed
Into something real
I'm wide awake and I can see
The perfect sky is torn
You're a little late, I'm already torn

Some of Rumiko's modeling friends are outraged at this musical show of contempt, while others are enjoying this. T.K. shows daggers in his eyes pointed directly at Hiroaki.

Rika:
That's what's going on
Nothing's right, I'm torn

I'm all out of faith
This is how I feel
I'm cold and I am shamed
Lying naked on the floor

Illusion never changed
Into something real
I'm wide awake and I can see
The perfect sky is torn

I'm all out of faith
This is how I feel
I'm cold and I'm ashamed
Bound and broken on the floor
You're a little late, I'm already torn!

They play a shortened instrumental ending. The guests are silent, but Rika knows what's going on. She walks away without any concern once the song ends.

At the Bagra Army's base, Lord Bagra looks on the scene. "Well well, it looks like they're going to have a wedding. How quaint. It's only too bad we'll have to crash it!" AxeKnightmon already has a plan. "And I know just the way to do it, too! I will lead an army of our finest warriors into battle and we'll destroy everything and everyone in sight!" However, Tactimon suddenly appears. "You may not be aware of this, AxeKnightmon, but most of the stronger DigiDestined are in California. Tokyo has been left practically defenseless. I think it would be far sounder if we concentrated on that instead of this fortress."

AxeKnightmon thinks it over. "Hmmm… You may have a point. Tactimon, you take Blastmon with you to Tokyo and do what you must. Laylamon and I will lead my army to victory in California." "Your army?" Lord Bagra asks. His associate snickers. "Yes, my dear brother. It's becoming obvious to everyone that you are failing miserably. This will be your army, but in name only." Dragomon appears from the dark. "Yes, Bagramon. My patience has worn out. But rather than punish you, I am giving you a promotion. You are now Supreme Senior Advisor." Lord Bagra looks delighted, yet slightly confused. "You are no longer involved in any tactics whatsoever. From now on, we make all the decisions. You can just look out the window and wait to die!" Dragomon lets out a sinister laugh, then leaves.

AxeKnightmon turns away, his cape waving behind him. "Come, Laylamon! We assemble our armies and attack at the stroke of midnight Pacific Standard Time!" Laylamon joins him. "Oh, how delicious," she swoons.

Tactimon shakes his head, then bows toward his lord. "My Lord." "Yes?" "May I speak freely?" "Yes." "I have my…apprehensions about AxeKnightmon. It's always been my experience that it is necessary to get behind someone in order to stab them in the back." "No, Tactimon. Perhaps Dragomon is right. But worry not. I plan on showing him whose army this really is."

Greg

After the rehearsal dinner performance, we walked out into the hall. "Guys, I've got something to say," T.K. said. We all listened. "After a lot of thought….. I've decided to leave the band." "Huh?" "What?" "Are you kiddin' me!?" Marcus yelled. T.K. adamantly shook his head. "No, I'm not kidding. I need to take some time away from you guys. I've got a lot I need to think about. The one dream I've had my entire life will never come true. It's actually happening."

"But you said-," Kari started. "I know what I said, Kari. That's why I want you to come back with me to Japan." "But not in the middle of the tour!" "Yes, in the middle of the tour!" The two stared each other down. Something about T.K.'s eyes were off. "….Fine. I knew you wouldn't understand. I guess you can stay."

Marcus took him to church as he slammed him against the wall and held him there. "Oh no you don't!" "Marcus, get your hands off me right now!" T.K. ordered. "You can just forget about that, Bucket Head, because I got a few words for you! Your dad got married, Rika's your new sister, and you think your life is falling apart? You're wrong!" "Marcus, I'm warning you…" "I'm not finished, so shut your trap! I'm not gonna let you walk away with your tail between your legs. You can't just run away from us, because I won't let you. You hear me!?"

The two got into a brawl, and Marcus drew first blood. I tried to break it up, but both of them landed a blow to my jaw. I went out like a light.

Kari

T.K. saw what he'd done and panicked. Then, he ran away. "T.K.! Come back!" I called, but it was too late. He was gone.

(To Be Continued…..)

Author's Notes:

I was originally planning on having Joe sing "Drive" by Incubus, but I may very well save that for next chapter.

The next chapter is going to be amazing, folks. It's going to be one of those "Very Special Episodes", much like this one was. That's why I included the "Blossom" intro.