Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Koushirou's Search! ❯ A Dull Night of Karaoke… ( Chapter 4 )

Hi again everyone. If you're still reading, pat yourselves on the back. This chapter will bring in another character, which we all know and love, maybe, and introduce two original characters. There's no need to worry about them, as neither will play much of a role in this story. I just wanted more people for the group to karaoke with. I will apologize in advance, though. I felt that this part was a bit on the dull side since it pretty much consists of background information on the characters and a lot of discussion. I call it a filler chapter just to have an excuse to have Taichi and the others in it since this story focuses around Koushirou and Mimi so much. Oh, one other thing. I did hint at a pairing for this chapter, so have fun with that. Not sure why I hinted, just felt like the natural thing to do.

 

I know this chapter may seem long, but it's shorter than it looks. I have a huge author's note at the end of this which is why it may seem lengthy. Oh yes, adding on, the original title of this chapter was “A Depressing Night of Karaoke”, but as you can see, I changed that.

 

Now, as always, I do not own anything dealing with the Digimon series or franchise. Bandai and Toei have that honor, and as a reminder, here are the ages of the characters once again:

 

Jou: 16-17 (Year 10-11; First/second year of High School)

Taichi/Sora/Yamato: 15-16 (Year 09-10; Last year of Junior High School/First year high school)

Koushirou/Mimi: 14-15 (Year 08-09; Second/Last year of Junior High School)

Miyako: 13-14 (Year 07-08; First/second year of Junior High School)

Takeru/Hikari/Daisuke/Ken: 12 (Year 06; Final year of Elementary/First year of Junior High School)

Iori: 10-11 (Year 04-05)

 

Chapter 04: A Dull Night of Karaoke…

 

Palette Town was one of the busiest places in Odaiba as far as entertainment went. It was probably best known for the Daikanransha, its giant ferris wheel, which allows its riders to get a grand view of the entire city of in-land Tokyo, which included Tokyo Tower in Shiba Park and even farther than that, like the skyscrapers of the skyscraper district of Shinjuku. The ride was at least fifteen minutes long, and the best time to ride was definitely towards the end of the day when the sun was setting. One of the main reasons that both Mimi and Miyako enjoyed Palette Town was for Zepp Tokyo, which was one of many music halls located in Japan, where many music groups and artists performed. Miyako was really into pop music, as was Mimi.

 

The ride on the train to Palette Town didn't take too long. As they entered the area, Mimi leading the way to the karaoke place she'd had in mind, they saw a certain tall, blue-haired boy wearing glasses in the front of it. Along with him were two other people. “Hey guys,” he waved to his friends, “I thought you weren't going to show up,” he laughed. It was none other than the 16-year-old, slightly clumsy, math and science whiz, Kido Jou. He had agreed to hang out with them for the karaoke session and had promised to just meet them there, as he had someplace else to go prior.

 

Jou introduced the group to his two friends from school he'd brought along, who of which he asked Mimi first if it was okay to. She informed him that the owner didn't mind, and that everything will still be unlimited and free for her group and the other select few being allowed to stay the night. Jou was still considered nerdy in some senses, but he was a bit more outgoing and social compared to when he was younger. As a matter of fact, Jou was never all that shy, just had a lot of doubt when it came to his abilities. One thing that had changed, only slightly, over the years, was his tendency to study the majority of the time, which meant sitting in the house more.

 

Koushirou, compared to Jou, was an entirely different story. It seemed that the older he got the more antisocial he became. He would still hang out with his friends, but he still came across as quiet, private, and extremely mysterious whenever it came to himself at times and seemed the most social when heading the Computer Club. Even though Taichi and Sora knew Koushirou best, there were still things about him that they just didn't know, as he never volunteered much about himself unless directly asked something.

 

Beside Jou was a girl with long, auburn hair. “This is my friend Malissa Smith. She moved here from America last summer, and was transferred into my school in September for the fall semester.”

 

“I'm very pleased to meet you all,” the girl responded shyly.

 

The 16-year-old girl was wearing a thin jacket, a white, short-sleeved blouse, a dark-blue navy skirt, white ankle socks, and black dress shoes. Her outfit looked as if it could've passed for a typical high school uniform, minus her casual jacket, but this was just the way she liked dressing. She had her hair hanging straight down, but it wasn't plain and straight. It had a bit of body to it. The girl also was wearing perfume, which Mimi, Miyako, and Sora noticed. The perfume definitely had a sea theme to it, as the girl loved things associated with water.

 

Jou met had met Malissa during their summer break. She had moved there with her family back in mid-June of the previous year, and was enrolled in the same private academy that Jou attended. How she managed to get into a prestigious school was beyond everyone. The entrance exam for the school was very difficult and challenging, but she had to take a transfer exam as well. She is in a different class than Jou, but he sees her during their lunch hour. He saw her studying at the Tokyo Metropolitan Library one day, and saw the book she was attempting to study, and recognized it right off. He offered to help her study so that she could pass the entrance exams. After that, the two became instant friends.

 

Malissa, as a friendly gesture, was also tutoring Jou in English, just as he would sometimes inform her of certain things in Japanese. The girl was very advanced, as she'd studied Japanese for years, but there were still some things she just didn't know or understand right off, such as proverbial sayings and different slang terms used by the youth of the country.

 

“The guy beside Malissa-san,” he pointed to the handsome boy beside her, whose looks could rival Yamato's, “is Tezuka Eijiro.”

 

“Hello, Tezuka-san,” the others greeted.

 

“Meh, call me Eijiro.”

 

Jou's blunt 17-year-old buddy was wearing a pair of plain, light blue jeans, a pair of plain white sneakers, and a dark blood-red T-shirt. His dark hair was pretty long, and he had it tied back into a ponytail. He was tall and slim, but not too slim. He was the perfect size, to some. All of the girls at the academy thought he was incredibly handsome, so getting a date for any type of social or event was never a problem for him.

 

Aside from Yamato, Eijiro was probably one of the most popular guys Jou had ever actually associated with. Despite all of that, though, he was pretty smart, and scored one of the highest entrance exam scores in the history of their school. High school entrance exams have always been a huge challenge, and for private schools and private academies, it was even more challenging. His score was almost perfect. Even Jou didn't get a score close to Eijiro's, and Jou had studied like mad to get into the school. During that time, Jou was like a literal hermit, as he was determined to get into the school.

 

Jou met Eijiro through his homeroom. The two just happened to end up in the same class and just started up a conversation. Both were very interested in science. With the rebellious way Eijiro came across and the way he carried himself, one would've never guessed that the boy was a bit of a genius. Most adults, who saw him, always assumed he was a delinquent.

 

“Let me introduce you two to everyone else. The boy with the big hair is Yagami Taichi. He's a third year at Odaiba Junior High. He's the star player of the school's soccer club and one of the best players of the co-ed tennis club, how he can manage both clubs is beyond me, though.”

 

“I'm a genius,” he grinned. “Practice pays off.”

 

Sora shook her head at the boy. He rarely ever showed up for tennis practice whenever both clubs met on the same day and his game was average at best, although, she did have to admit that whenever partnered with him, they worked very well together and seemed to always be in-sync.

 

“The boy beside him is---”

 

“Don't tell me,” Eijiro interrupted exasperatingly, “that's Ishida of the Teenage Wolves. My sisters have posters and stickers and whatever else that's out for the group all over their rooms. They also drive me crazy with the music, not that the group is bad or anything, I just don't feel like hearing it all of the time…no offense.”

 

“None taken.” Yamato didn't care if the boy liked his band's music or not. He just liked the fact he was able to creatively express himself. “A younger friend of mine has an older sister who drives him mad with our music too, since she's such a fan of the group.”

 

“Yeah, continuing on, the lavender-haired girl wearing the glasses is Inoue Miyako. Miyako-kun is a first year at Odaiba Junior High, and she's second in command of their computer club. She's probably also one of the smartest students of her year.”

 

“Arigabingo, senpai!” Miyako smiled proudly while giving him the “v” for victory sign.

 

“The girl with the long, wavy, light brown hair is Tachikawa Mimi. She's a second year at Odaiba Junior High, and knowing her, she's probably the star everything,” he said with a laugh. “She's in her school's volleyball club, and is a very skilled singer, that's for sure, and as I told you, this karaoke trip was definitely her idea.”

 

“Thanks, Jou-senpai.”

 

“Hmm,” Eijiro gave the girl a sly smile, which all the girls of his school loved, “Tachikawa-san, how about you and I go out sometime? Jou's been holding out on me here, keeping all the cute girls to himself,” he finished, looking from Mimi to Miyako to Sora, but his main focus was on the karaoke princess.

 

“Erm,” the girl started with a sweat drop, “I'm flattered that you would ask me, but I don't think I'm ready for that type of thing right now. Oh…you can call me Mimi if you'd like.”

 

“Ahh, Mimi-chan has such a nice ring to it.” He stood in front of her, and gave her one of his signature smiles. “Are you sure? I am one of the coolest guys at my school, and a pretty, charming girl, such as yourself, would look great being with someone like me, and---”

 

“Calm down, Eijiro,” sighed Jou. “Don't you have a girlfriend already?”

 

“Not right now, but Mimi-chan would make a nice one.”

 

`I wouldn't let that happen. Mimi-kun doesn't deserve that kind of suffering.' Jou shook his head, slightly embarrassed of his friend. “Eijiro….come on…”

 

“What? Can't blame a guy for trying.” He then whispered to Jou, “With that hot body of hers, she's definitely ready for high school.”

 

Jou then did something that was almost atypical for a person like him. He punched Eijiro in the top of the head while rolling his eyes. Everyone else was too stunned to say anything. None of them had ever seen Jou resort to violence, not even jokingly, unless shaking Gomamon while hysterical counted. “Cool it!” he hissed.

 

Mimi didn't know how to react to the boy's advances. Compared to the boys of her school, Eijiro seemed a bit more charismatic…or had the potential to be.

 

“Continuing on,” he pointed to a girl slightly shorter than Mimi, “the girl beside Mimi-kun is Takenouchi Sora. She's in her third year at Odaiba Junior High. She is one of the best female players of the co-ed tennis club. She's also an ex-soccer player and played great during her Odaiba Elementary days when in the soccer club along with Taichi.”

 

“P-pleased to meet you, Eijiro-san.”

 

“Jou was right about our being great in soccer as kids.” Taichi put an arm around Sora. “We were the best and worked well together as a team, right Sora?”

 

She nodded, her cheeks turning a faint shade of red. “We-we sure were and still are with tennis.”

 

“And last, but not least, is Izumi Koushirou. He's a second year at Odaiba Junior High. He's also head of the school's computer club.”

 

“H-hello. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” he answered routinely.

 

“Damn is he formal,” muttered Eijiro. “So, Mimi-chan, is the redhead your boyfriend?”

 

`Boyfriend? Mimi-sama and Izumi-senpai?'

 

“Whoa,” Taichi partially laughed.

 

“Eh?! K-Koushirou, my boyfriend?”

 

“Well, he's in your year, isn't he?”

 

“W-well, yes, he is, but he's just a friend.”

 

“Yeah, just a friend,” Koushirou echoed dully. After saying that, he got a strange, unsettling feeling. Saying that they were just friends seemed to really bother him, but he just didn't understand why something like that would.

 

“I just figured that a nice girl like you had to have had a boyfriend to reject me so openly,” he flirted.

 

“No, we're nothing m-more than friends,” Mimi made clear.

 

“Well, now that that's out of the way, how about that date…”

 

“I should've left you at home,” Jou muttered. Malissa just laughed uneasily. The others felt the same as Jou, minus Mimi who was a little fond of the attention the older boy was giving her. It didn't last too long, though, as Mimi was anxious to get started.

 

The group entered the place, walking up to the front desk. “Hello there,” Mimi greeted. “We have a reservation for the grand reopening.”

 

“Oh, Mimi-chan!” the older woman behind the counter exclaimed. “So you managed to come after all!”

 

“Yes, sure did, Sakamoto-san. I wouldn't have missed this for the world.”

 

“We have the perfect room for you and your group.” The chubby woman escorted Mimi and the others to her reserved room and let them in. The woman told Mimi that she and her friends could order anything they wanted food wise free of charge. Overall, it was a really good deal. Everyone thanked the woman, who left, making themselves comfortable on the wrap around couches surrounding the table and stage area.

 

After looking over the menu, Mimi called up their orders on the phone in the large room. Their drinks were brought in almost instantly. As for foods, they had decided on different dishes. For instance, Yamato had a taste for *takoyaki. Miyako mainly wanted all of the cake and custard she could eat. Sora, Jou, Mimi, and Malissa, wanted one of those large platters that had a little bit of everything that could feed 3-5 people. Taichi, Koushirou, and Eijiro wanted pizza, and ordered two of them. All three boys had big appetites. Regardless of what was ordered, though, all of it was going to get shared in some way.

 

“Hey,” Taichi cried, “I didn't see any pretty young girls on the way here!”

 

“They're probably in one of the other rooms with handsome young guys,” Sora teased.

 

“Not funny!” Taichi pouted with streaked tears.

 

She and Miyako laughed at Taichi, giving one another a high five.

 

“Jou-san, you have a lot of friends,” Malissa noted in English. “It's surprising that you all are still friends considering how you all go to different schools and are in different years. Back home, most friendships are lost because of that. You all must have a very special bond in some way.”

 

“Yeah, we are all pretty close and these guys are pretty much my best friends outside of school. Years ago, all of us, minus Miyako-kun, were grouped together at the campgrounds of Mikami Keikoku for our summer vacation. That's how we all became such good friends. It was one unforgettable summer. It's funny how I was in charge of them since I was the oldest.”

 

“Wow, Jou-san was in charge? You probably did a very good job.”

 

“I wouldn't say that…”

 

“So tell me, how long have you all been friends?”

 

Due to the fact that all Malissa had said was in English, a habit she had at times when speaking with Jou, and when she was nervous, which was usually due to the fact of now being around new people, Jou was about to pretty much explain all that Malissa had said, but Mimi beat him to it.

 

“We have been friends for a long time,” the girl responded in English.

 

“Wait, what did she say? I know she said something about friends,” Taichi said.

 

“She asked how long we've all been friends and was surprised over how Jou-senpai has kept his friendship with us.”

 

“I do apologize,” the girl bashfully told the bunch, going back to Japanese. “I guess I'm a little nervous and I sometimes become tongue-tied when trying to speak it. I understand it well enough, as Jou-san mentioned, but I'm still not as comfortable with speaking sometimes in front of new people.”

 

“It's fine,” Yamato complimented. “I understood it fine, as I'm sure everyone else did.” They all nodded in agreement, even the mute Koushirou.

 

“W-wow. Thank you very much.”

 

“Malissa, you're always like that. You just need to calm down and relax,” Eijiro told the girl as a couple of servers came in, setting up all that had been ordered. “Now, how did you all meet?” Eijiro asked while going towards the pizza. The others were also going towards their respective orders.

 

“I know all of them through Izumi-senpai,” explained Miyako, who was sipping on fruit juice.

 

“Like Jou said earlier, *we were all grouped together for our summer break almost five years ago,” Taichi continued on. He started to eat the sweets that had been laid out for them.

 

Yamato ate some of his takoyaki. He really did enjoy the quick-fix treat. “Some of us knew each other before that time, though, except with my younger brother. They didn't know him, and he didn't know them.”

 

“Just as Yamato said, some of us were friends before our summer camp trip. Taichi and I were friends way before then.”

 

“Yeah, Sora and I have known each other since first grade, and back then, we both lived in the Nerima ward in Hikarigaoka (Heighton View Terrace). We went to *Daisan Elementary School. We both had the same first grade class and we lived in the same building. Our folks then moved to Odaiba and we just happened to end up together again and remained good friends.”

 

“We were also pretty good, I guess you could say, acquaintances with Koushirou-kun since he was in the Soccer Club with both Taichi and me when at Odaiba Elementary. *He played goalie. He didn't really talk much back then,” Sora smiled at him, “but the more he spent time with us, he started to open up a bit, and he really proved that he was capable of talking our summer together. He had lots to say.”

 

“We just knew of the others because we went to school together,” Taichi added, his mouth full of pizza. “You know how it is. We would see them around school and stuff like that, but didn't really know any of them by name.”

 

Miyako, who was on her third slice of cake, spoke up next. “I only knew of Izumi-senpai because he ran the computer club at Odaiba Elementary. We became instant friends, and met the rest here through him and the younger sister of Taichi-san and the younger brother of Yamato-san.”

 

“Hm,” Mimi began, “I knew of Taichi-san, Jou-senpai, Sora-san, and Yamato-san, but I'd never spoken with either of them. I just knew that Sora-san and Taichi-san were star athletes of our school, especially Sora-san, *since she was the first girl to join the soccer club. It was an all-boy club.

 

“The girls of my class were usually always talking about the older, `handsome Ishida-senpai', but that was about all I knew about him. I still had never actually met him. I didn't know of Jou-senpai at all until that summer. He was so tense and scared. I'll admit that I had doubts about him when I found out that he was going to be our cabin leader. I do remember him walking around school, though, with his nose always buried in a book.

 

“I met Miyako-chan through the younger siblings of Taichi-san and Yamato-san: Hikari-chan and Takeru-kun. *As for Koushirou, I've always had classes with him, but I'd never spoken to him before our summer trip. I only knew of him. When we were all grouped together, he was the only one I semi-knew.” She looked across the table, the redhead eating some cake quietly. “Koushirou, did you ever go to the *Wakaba Kindergarten when it was being run by Suteki-obaachan? I don't remember seeing you.”

 

Sora laughed. “Grandmother Suteki? Very casual.”

 

“Yeah, I guess she was casual. We all called her obaachan and I know some called her Suteki-baachan. She liked for us to. She was a very old lady. So, Koushirou, did you go there?”

 

“Oh, I'm sorry, Mimi-san. What did you say again?”

 

Mimi mentally rolled her eyes. When it came to food, and computers, seems he could tune the whole world out. “I asked if you'd ever attended the Wakaba Kindergarten when Suteki-obaachan was in charge. I remember some more teachers too, a younger one and she was her real granddaughter. I can't remember her name though. Obaachan was a bit plump, had graying hair, a little short, now that I think about it…”

 

Koushirou nodded, as it all came back to him. That part of his life was content…a part of his life where he was genuinely happy with himself. He smiled. “Yes, I used to go there before my family moved to Odaiba, and I remember Suteki-baachan! She used to always give us nice treats and thought of new games for us to play when we were good. I used to like how she read us stories before nap time.”

 

“Oh my gosh!” Mimi clapped. “I remember her doing that! She used to act like the characters in the stories! I could never actually go straight to sleep for nap time because I'd want to hear more of her stories!”

 

“Thinking about it now, I wonder if I did meet you back then. There was a girl who would always play with dolls during our recess time. During art, she seemed to use pink for everything she painted and seemed to always wear shoes that were pink or either kept pink bows in her hair. That girl would seem to befriend everyone and would try to play with everyone. She even had your hair color.”

 

“I wonder if it was me. I did like pink a lot when I was younger.”

 

“So Mimi-san and Koushirou-san lived in Hikarigaoka too?” asked Malissa, trying some takoyaki from the platter.

 

“We all did at some point,” Jou explained.

 

“Yeah, we all even lived in the same building, yet we didn't know each other,” Yamato said. “Of course the exception is Taichi and Sora, and we now know that Koushirou may have indirectly known Mimi prior to Odaiba Elementary.”

 

“To make things even more ironic, when they did move from there, they all ended up in Odaiba!” Miyako told the two. “They all moved after all that weird stuff that happened there back in 1995. A lot of people moved after that incident.”

 

“Koushirou and I would've still been in Kindergarten when our families moved.”

 

“I was a year 2 student at Daigo Elementary School when my parents, brothers, and I made the move. The move wasn't too hard on me, but it was a bit tougher on my brothers since they were in higher years. Shuu-niisan had just started his first year at Hikarigaoka Junior High and Shin-niisan had just started his first year at *Hikarigaoka High School.”

 

“Wow, Jou-san, you all have such history together!” Malissa exclaimed in English.

 

Eijiro was equally impressed. “It's amazing that you all are still friends after all these years.”

 

“Actually, we all became really close after our adventures in the---” Taichi stopped, as he noticed the looks he was receiving from the others, minus Koushirou, who seemed to be drowned in his own thoughts, which meant to not blab about the Digital World, as not everyone knew about it. “---in the…camp that year. We learned how to get along with each other and all that other good stuff.” The boy stood. “Forget all this talking! We should be singing! I know we can stay as long as we want, but come on guys! It's time to start karaokeing. Wait, is that even a word?”

 

Jou laughed. “Not that I know of!”

 

“Save the best singers for last!”

 

Yamato gave the younger girl a smug smile. “Don't hate me because I have such a wonderful, deep, sexy voice.”

 

“Who says I was talking about you?” Miyako playfully taunted.

 

Everyone pretty much laughed, minus Koushirou who gave off a small, forced chuckle. It was like he was only half listening. Mimi, at that time, glanced over at the redhead to notice the distant look on his face. She decided to just ignore it. She was there to have fun and to make sure everyone else did, not worry about Koushirou.

 

“Yo, Jou, why don't we sing a song together?” Eijiro asked his friend.

 

“Senpai, you like to sing?” asked Miyako in surprise, who had started eating on a parfait treat.

 

“Well, um, y-y-eah. I really like karaoke and singing.”

 

“Yeah, Jou, Malissa, and I karaoke a lot.”

 

“It took a lot of getting used to, as karaoke isn't very common where I'm from.”

 

“Taichi,” Sora whispered to the boy beside her, “isn't Jou-senpai a bad singer just like you are?”

 

“Well yeah, but…HEY!!”

 

Sora giggled.

 

“Hey, Malissa, I know, how about you and Jou sing together,” Eijiro pointed to the two. “You guys sound really nice together when we come for karaoke.”

 

The girl was a bit shy to sing in front of all of Jou's friends, but they urged her to. “Okay, I'll do it!” Malissa got up on the stage, the lights shining down on her, and looked through the book for songs in the list. It had a nice variety of music. Some songs were from across the sea, some were older, and some were new releases. She decided to try her luck with a Japanese song. She was glad when coming across something she knew. She noted the number, punched it into the karaoke machine and the lyric screen lit up.

 

“Oh, I remember this song!” Miyako bopped her head to the music. “It's *always by Mai-K (Kuraki Mai)!”

 

“Wow, that song is from a couple of years ago,” Mimi noted thoughtfully.

 

“There seems to be a good variety,” Sora stated simply, while looking through the book of songs available.

 

Malissa sang the song gracefully, and didn't mess up a single note or lyric as she watched the words flash on the screen. After she was done, everyone cheered. She blushed and bowed.

 

“That was great, Malissa!” Taichi complimented. “You look like you were having a lot of fun.” Taichi raised his glass of soda. “A toast to Malissa! Kanpai!”

 

“Kanpai!!” everyone saluted.

 

“She has a really good voice,” Yamato said.

 

“Was there any doubt?” Eijiro gobbled down another slice of pizza. “The girl has a great voice.”

 

“E-Ejiro-san…” The girl's face went an even deeper shade of crimson.

 

“Koushirou, didn't you think she sang well?” Mimi asked the redhead.

 

The boy came back to slight reality and nodded, as if he were supposed to. He did do the toast Taichi had initiated, but he was still only half listening.

 

“I don't think I could top that,” Sora commented.

 

“Get up there and sing!” Taichi ordered playfully. “You know you like singing.”

 

“Oh shut up,” she joked back. She stepped on the stage. “Hmm, what song should I sing…”

 

“Hey, you should sing that old song you're always listening to,” Taichi suggested. “That song *Shiny Days.”

 

“Oh, that's a good idea! What made you think of that?”

 

“I'm not sure,” he shrugged. “It just suits you, I guess. Anything that's slow by Mizutani Yuuko seems to remind me of you.”

 

Sora nodded, her face slightly pink as she looked for the song. Luckily, she found it. She didn't need the lyrics screen, and sang it perfectly. Taichi could only stare at Sora admiringly throughout her entire performance. She looked like a true idol to him, especially with the way the stage light shined down on her. After it ended, everyone rooted for the girl.

 

“Just like with Malissa-san, you didn't mess up one single note,” Yamato commented like an expert.

 

“Thanks. So, Taichi, how was that?”

 

“Well, um…it could've been better,” he grinned. Sora hit him playfully and retook her seat.

 

*Everyone else sang songs as well, whether it was as a group or as a solo performance. Yamato sang the song Walk on the Edge, which was well known because of his band; Miyako sang the song Crash de Bingo which was by Natsuki Rio; Mimi sang an older song by the name of Himawari, which was by AiM; Taichi sang to a song by the name of Atarashii Taiyou. Mimi, Sora, Miyako, and Malissa sang to a song by Morning Musume called Tomodachi ga ki ni Itte Iru Otoko kara no Dengon. The boys, with a reluctant Koushirou who partially refused, and just watched, all sang Pikanchi Double by the boy-band Arashi.

 

The girls laughed at how silly the boys looked trying to do the dance steps like the boys in Arashi would do. Jou seemed the most enthusiastic about it, though. Even Koushirou cracked a small smile at the sight of his older friend dancing around. *They had no idea that Jou was so into singing and performing in such a way.

 

“What should we sing next?” Sora was pumped up. “Has everyone sung yet?”

 

“Hey, Mimi and I never got the chance to sing our duet together.”

 

“That's right, Yamato-san and I were supposed to sing,” Mimi said. “We didn't think of a song, though. Oh, I know! How about Taichi-san and Jou-senpai sing too! We could all sing the song I wish…”

 

Taichi and Jou thought back to when they'd tried singing that song before years ago, and how terrible they sounded.

 

“We could use some girls to help with harmonizing that,” Yamato earnestly pointed out.

 

“Okay, how about this then! Let's have Jou-senpai, Taichi-san, and Malissa-san with us too!”

 

Malissa thought for a moment, when it came to her. “Oh yes, I know that song. I like it.”

 

“That's good for a solo.”

 

“Yamato's right,” Eijiro said while pouring Mimi some more to drink.

 

“Thank you, Eijiro-san. Anyway, how about we sing *Keep On? I know that's in the list.”

 

“That'd be perfect!” Sora cheered.

 

“Yeah, I really want to do another group song with Sora-san, Miyako-chan, and Malissa-san! We girls rule!”

 

“Wait, Izumi-senpai hasn't been up on stage yet.”

 

“Come on, sing a song,” Eijiro urged. “You have to have something in mind.”

 

“Um, well…no, not really,” he admitted bashfully. He did want to join in, but he just wasn't up to singing at all. There was nothing that could get his mind off of his current, what he considered, predicament.

 

Miyako pouted, her arms crossed. “Come on, Izumi-senpai!! Sing a song. Why don't you sing something about computers! Or better yet, how about singing that song *Version Up? I know you like that song. Whenever you make a play list, you always include it! The song *Open Mind too! I'm pretty sure I saw those songs in the book!”

 

“I'd rather not…”

 

Mimi looked Koushirou in the eyes. “Please?”

 

He turned his head away quickly to avert her gaze. “Erm….um…th-that's okay.”

 

“You're no fun today!”

 

“I'm really sorry about that.” He stood. “I think I'll head on home now. I did want to get up early. Mimi-san, I thank you for inviting me along. I apologize for any problems I may have caused you and the others.”

 

“Th-that's okay…” Mimi managed to get out.

 

After a few “goodbyes” the boy took off.

 

“Izumi-senpai sure was acting strange. He didn't talk much, but he sure did eat the majority of the food.”

 

“Miyako-chan is right, he was acting stranger than usual,” Yamato nodded slowly in agreement.

 

“Is your friend always like that?”

 

“Well, Eijiro-san, he isn't usually. I mean, yes, he's a little quiet, but he's not all that shy. He's done karaoke before and he's always seemed to enjoy himself with us and has sung along with all of us.”

 

“He's the only person I know who has no interests outside of that computer of his. He doesn't even notice girls!”

 

“Taichi! Not all people are as loud and as obvious as you are. Besides, if he did have an interest in a certain girl, he probably wouldn't be so obvious about it. This is Koushirou-kun we're talking about here. He's very discreet about his feelings, seemingly.”

 

“As usual, Sora, you make a good point,” admitted the defeated soccer star.

 

Mimi frowned slightly. `Koushirou, what's wrong with you? Why won't you open up to us even though you've known us for so long?'

 

Author's Notes

 

Note 01: Takoyaki is small dumpling filled with octopus, onion, and some other things, to my knowledge, and can either be fried or baked. You then top it off with a sauce and katsuobushi, which are those little fishy flake things that move when heat is added to it. One thing I do know, though, is that one has to be skilled to prepare takoyahki in one of those takoyaki pans. It can burn pretty easily.

***

Note 02: As a reminder, this story is taking place in March 2004, so it would almost be five years since the children had their first adventure together in the Digital World. The children's first adventure was August 1, 1999.

***

Note 03: For the record, there are no such places as Hikarigaoka Elementary School (to my knowledge), Odaiba Elementary School and Odaiba Junior High School. Seems that most fictional series may use real places or have the characters going to real places, but not when it comes to schools, and yes, Sora and Taichi did have the same class when living in Hikarigaoka (Class 1-2), and yes, the two did attend Daisan Elementary School. Yamato mentioned that he went to Daiyon Elementary School. The only character whose school wasn't mentioned was Koushirou's because he didn't live in Hikarigaoka long compared to the other characters, and when asked why, he couldn't give a straight answer, but for the sake of this fic, we're going to change that. lol Makes me wonder where his family lived before the apartment in Hikarigaoka.

***

Note 04: Yes people, Koushirou was in the soccer club with both Taichi and Sora. Those two were acquaintances with him prior to their Digital World adventure. I know it's surprising that he played soccer, given how his character was portrayed (even though, in the episode where the kids first returned home in Adventure, he did have a bat, ball, and mitt in his closet and he owned a bike, which means that he does, at least, play like a normal child would). Anyway, his reason for being in the soccer club probably had a lot to do with the fact that it was required that he get into a club activity, and went with soccer, I suppose.

***

Note 05: I'm not sure if I mentioned this earlier, but “preschools” in Japan are pretty much referred to as Kindergartens. Elementary school starts at 1st grade. Also, in episode 32 of Digimon Adventure, Mimi mentioned going to Wakaba Kindergarten/Preschool before her family moved to Odaiba. Koushirou mentioned that he was in Kindergarten too in episode 29, after Mimi mentioned it, but didn't say which one he went to, so yeah, for the sake of this fic, I'm tossing him in there too. lol I also hate the fact that it wasn't mentioned when he gave his school annual (or whatever you'd call it) to Jou to call all the students.

***

Note 06: Something else that's true. Sora was definitely your typical tomboy. The soccer-club was all-boy, but Sora was the only girl in it. I just pretty much added more to it, like her being the first girl to play in it.

***

Note 07: This is also true. Mimi knew of Koushirou and Koushirou knew of Mimi before their adventure, as they were in the same class. In the novel, it mentioned how they had never talked. Also, in the novel, when Mimi's friends first noticed Koushirou, they were laughing at him because he was bringing along his laptop to the campgrounds, but Mimi didn't laugh at all and didn't really get what was so funny. That says a lot about her character. Adding on, when she first saw a nervous Jou, she did have doubts about whether or not he'd actually could be a good leader (for the novel).

***

Note 08: Hikarigaoka High School is a real school in the Nerima area, everyone, so nope, this one isn't made up.

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Note 09: The songs originally mentioned for this chapter were out at the time this story was originally written. For instance, always by Kuraki Mai came out in 2001. As it was mentioned earlier, this fic was written between August 2001 and July 2002 and this fic takes place in early March 2004. This is a lovely 2001 chapter. lol That's why I added in how there was a large variety of music so I wouldn't have to change up the music stuff too much. Besides, at the time, I was a semi-big fan of Kuraki Mai, and the first song I'd ever heard by her was always.

***

Note 10: Okay, time to give information on the songs used for this chapter.

 

Shiny Days: This is Sora's Digimon Adventure 02 image theme, which is very ballad-ish. Kind of a mild tempo and is a really good listen. It is performed by Mizutani Yuuko, who is Sora's seiyuu (voice actor), as well as Mrs. Yagami.

 

Walk on the Edge: This is Yamato's Digimon Adventure image theme, and is harmonica heavy, you could say. It is performed by Kazaama Yuuto, who is Yamato's seiyuu. He also performed this song in the show with his band in 02.

 

Crash de Bingo: This is Miyako's image theme, which is pretty catchy, in my opinion. It is performed by Natsuki Rio, who is Miyako's seiyuu.

 

Himawari: This song is the b-side track to the My Tomorrow single. My Tomorrow is the first Digimon Tamers ending. It is performed by AiM, who is Mimi's seiyuu, only when singing as Mimi (or any other character she may voice) she is always credited as Maeda Ai.

 

Atarashii Taiyou: This is Taichi's Digimon Adventure 02 image theme. It's a very optimistic, positive song. This song is performed by Fujita Toshiko, Taichi's seiyuu.

 

Tomodachi ga ki ni Itte Iru Otoko kara no Dengon: This song replaced Koi wo Shichaimashita which is by the group Tanpopo, which came out early 2001. At the time that this fic takes place the band would've still been in its indefinite hiatus (2003). The group didn't make a come back until 2009. Tanpopo is sort of a branch of the group, Morning Musume. It seemed to have former MM members in it.

 

Pinkanchi Double: This song replaced Yuuwaku, which was by the J-rock group Glay. The Pikanchi Double single came out February of 2004, so this should work okay time wise. As for Yuuwaku, that came out sometime in early 2001.

 

I wish…: This is the first Digimon Adventure ending theme song. For the actual sequence, it shows all of the kids (minus Hikari and Tailmon) and their Digimon up to their adult (champion) levels. At that particular time, she was still going under the name, “Maeda Ai”. This is also the original song Mimi had to sing to awaken Tonosama Gekomon (Shogun Gekomon) in the episode, Princess Karaoke. I had Taichi and Jou thinking back to this since they did try singing it in the episode, and boy did they sound horrible. For Taichi, sounded like someone choking a cat. Jou sounded like he was in pain. With all the microphone feedback for Gomamon and Agumon…well, never mind. They sounded terrible too. lol

 

Keep On: This song is performed by Maeda Ai (she was still going by this when releasing that single). This is the second Digimon Adventure ending, and it includes both Hikari and Tailmon (Angewomon) in the sequence.

 

Version Up: This is Koushirou's Digimon Adventure image theme. The song seems to reflect on Koushirou wanting to open up more. In other words, he wanted to “upgrade” himself. Koushirou's seiyuu is Tenjin Umi. Ironically, this song is what really made me like his character. The lyrics drew me to his character, I guess, because of his wanting to better himself.

 

Open Mind: This is Koushirou's Digimon Adventure 02 image theme, also performed by Tenjin Umi. I like this song too. This song, to me anyway, is like a sequel to Version Up. The lyrics seem to pick up where Version Up left off. He's more open now, not completely, he has people around him to help him become stronger, and how he'll be able to open his heart up fully someday due to his facing the things he wants to know, etc. Yeah, I'm really showing my favoritism here, right? lol

***

Note 11: The Digimon Adventure dramas Jou ga Kashu Debut!? (Part 1) and Jou ga Kashu Debut!? (Part 2), which is found on the Digimon Adventure Character Song & Mini Drama 1 CD, showed that Jou had a bit of an interest in music and singing in general. After a battle, everyone, minus Taichi and Sora, who were both absent for this drama, seemingly as I don't recall hearing them, complimented Jou on a job well done in the battle. Koushirou, though, gave kind of a blunt, remark.

 

A woman then showed up and asked Jou if he wanted to become an “idol” and to sing, as that's what the fans would like. Jou was very excited over the idea of it and he and Gomamon tried to think of a theme he could sing. The next track on the CD is the song he chose to sing, Chigau Boku ga Iru, which is his Digimon Adventure image theme performed by his seiyuu, Kikuchi Masami.

 

After the song, it goes to the next track, Jou ga Kashu Debut!? (Part 2). Jou was confident and ready to become a popular “idol”. The woman disappointed, Jou, though, by informing him that the request for him wasn't for him. Instead, the request was for something involving Koushirou and Mimi, along with Hikari. Jou was very disappointed over that. At the end, Koushirou, Mimi, and Hikari say something along the lines of listen to the next CD or something like that.

 

Ironically, the fans wanted a drama dealing with those three, and that's exactly what the fans got. The next drama CD to come out was the Digimon Adventure Character Song & Mini Drama 2. You could say it involved a love triangle. It dealt with Koushirou writing a love-letter, but was caught by Taichi and then the others showed up and they were all trying to figure out who the letter was for, much to Koushirou's apprehension. They tied the poor boy up and gagged him when he ordered Tentomon to evolve and tried to get away on Kabuterimon (Mimi told Palmon to pull Kabuterimon back to the ground with her vines) to get out of telling who it was for. The main person everyone figured it was for was Mimi. Mimi didn't mind the idea of it since, to her anyway, she felt she was very likeable. Hikari disagreed with the letter being for her. To make a long story short, Mimi and Hikari got into a fight, their Digimon battling one another and we never find out who the letter is for, because when Koushirou tells Tentomon, his computer beeps, so all we hear is the “san” part of it, which is ambiguous since Koushirou uses the “san” honorific with all of the girls (Sora, Mimi, Hikari).