A Brother’s Worth

By Jacklyn and Jolieth Stone

Chapter one:

            T.K. Takaishi opened his front door wearily, having walked home from school with the heaviest bookbag in existence on his back. He dropped it on his bed as he got in his room, and headed for his computer. No e-mails (although he hadn’t been expecting anything anyway). He heard the kitchen phone ring as he logged off and reached for his math book. He shuddered in disgust; math was never his best subject. Opening the book, he reached for his notebook. He had just started on the first problem when his mother called to him.

            “T.K.! Your brother’s on the phone for you!”

            Closing the book, he scrambled off the bed and dove for the phone on his bedside table.

            “Got it!” he yelled to his mother, then spoke into the receiver, “Matt?”

            “Hey, squirt,” came his brother’s voice from the other end, “I was just wondering if you could do me a little favor.”

            “Name it. Anything to get me out of math homework for the night” at T.K.’s reply, his brother laughed.

            “Well, I don’t know what Mom will say to that, but a few people that help me set up before my concert are home sick with the flu. It seems to be going around. I was wondering if you’d like to help me out, seeing as you’re my brother and you love me so much…’

            “When?”

            “Tonight. Six o’clock”

            “Where?”

            “That new concert hall a few blocks from the high school. I can pick you up if you need me to.”

            “Then I’d love to help. I’ll need a ride, though.”

            “Great. I’ll pick you up at five-thirty. Sound alright?”

            “I’ll be ready.”

            As the conversation came to an end, T.K.’s spirits soared higher. He hadn’t seen Matt in a long time, since his band went on tour in America. They talked over the phone a few times, but it wasn’t the same as having him there.

            Tonight was gonna rock (no pun intended).

            Matt Ishida sighed as he hung up the phone and turned to the rest of the band.

            “Hey, Matt?” said the band’s drummer, Toyohiko.(A/N: To be honest with you, I have no idea who the members of Matt’s band are. If anyone does, e-mail me at the address on my author page. Until then, this is a name I’m sticking with.)

            “Yeah?” he replied as they began walking towards the exit.

            “There’s this guy looking for you,” Toyo said, “He’s waiting outside.”

            “What kind of guy?”

            “Kinda creepy looking. Gave me the chills.”

            They pushed their way out the back door of the concert hall. Sure enough, there was a guy there, leaning against the wall, one hand in his pocket and the other deftly holding a cigarette between his fingers.

            “Hey, Ishida,” he greeted, a half smile on his face. Matt growled slightly as he recognized him.

            “Tierko,” he hissed, “What do you want?”

            Tierko Avandares was the lead singer of another band called Teal Ice (yeah, yeah, real original). Some people called them and the Teenage Wolves rivals. That was wrong. They weren’t rivals. They were just plain enemies. A year ago, they had both entered a Battle of the Bands contest. Matt had won. Tierko was furious. He had confronted Matt that night…

Flashback

            Matt hurriedly got his car keys out from his pocket… he was late… his father was gonna kill him! The celebration with the band had lasted a little longer than he had expected. He was supposed to have been home at two… and it was now three-thirty. Opening his car door, he was about to step inside, when a voice stopped him in his tracks.

            “Hey, Ishida,”

            Matt spun around quickly and came face to face with a Spanish- looking teenager, not much older than himself.

            “Um… do I know you?” Matt asked, perplexed. He closed the car door. -This could take awhile-

            “You should, since I’m the one you made a fool of back there,” growled the teen, his eyes full of hatred. Matt took a step back in shock.

            “Oh, I remember you,” he said as recognition set in, “You were the lead singer for that other band that made it into the finals, right?”

            “Something like that,”

            “Oh…” Matt faltered, “Well, I’m sure you tried your best…”

            “Yeah, whatever… listen, Ishida, I’m gonna get my revenge… you made a fool out of me in front of a few hundred thousand people… you’ll pay for that, I swear… Keep an eye on the ones you care for, Ishida, there’s no telling what may happen…” the guy sauntered off, a malicious grin on his face.

            Of course, Matt didn’t sleep all that well that night…

End Flashback

            A disgusted look filled Matt’s eyes as the memory came to him.

            “I asked you a question, Avandares: What do you want?”

            “Oh… touchy, are we? Well, Ishida, I came to talk to you… privately,” he stared pointedly at the other members of the band, and they left without question when Matt dismissed them.

            “What?” the word was spat heatedly into Avandares’s face.

            “Well, my band’s run into a little trouble…”

            “Not surprisingly. And?”

            “All we need is three grand to pay it back… I can pay it back”

            “No,” Matt hissed the word without hesitation, “You put me through hell for the past year, and now you come here, expecting me to just give you three grand? I don’t think so,” after Matt had finished speaking, Avandares took a long breath as his cheeks turned red.

            “Allow me to remind you, Yamato Ishida, that I have very powerful friends,” he hissed menacingly, “I suggest you give me the money, or you’ll end up losing something much more valuable to you than a few grand.”

            “What the hell’s that supposed to mean?”

            “It means whatever you perceive it to be. I suppose you still refuse?”

            “I’m not ‘lending’ you a dime,”

            “Very well,” he sighed, walking away slowly, “ But don’t say I didn’t warn you…” his words sent chills up Matt’s spine.

            Suddenly, remembering his brother, he turned to go back inside. He had to pick T.K. up. He went inside to tell his band, and as he was, something was nagging at him, something he had to remember… but he couldn’t. He shrugged it off as he got into his car and headed for Heightenview Terrace (that is where Teek lives, right?)

            “So, Avandares, why did you bring us here?”

            Tierko smiled into the faces of the three large men, cracking his knuckles.

            “Well, gentlemen, I seem to be having a little problem with someone…”

            “Who?”

            “Do you know who Yamato Ishida is?” he asked, and the three nodded.

            “Why?” asked the one who was obviously the leader.

            “Well, he’s made me a little… upset”

            “So you want us to pick him off?”

            “No, not exactly. You see, there’s one thing I know of that’ll make him give me what I need.”

            “What is it?”

            “Not what, my good man, but who. You see, I’ve done a little research, and found something that’ll not only make Ishida give me what I want, but beg me for mercy at the same time… that is, if you’re not opposed to kidnappings…”

            “Explain, Avandares”

            He grinned as he laid out his plan detail by detail, and as he finished, the three men grinned.

            “ I like it,” said the leader, “I like it a lot. How much is involved in this again?”

            “Six million”

            “I like those numbers. You’re sure this’ll work?”

            “One hundred percent sure”

            “When’s it going down?”

            “Tonight. Ishida has a concert. The timing will be perfect. He won’t even notice until it’s already done”

            “Good. Then we’re in.”

            “I thought you’d say that…”

            “Hey, Matt?” T.K. called from a few yards away from his brother, where he was moving some heavy crates, “Where d’you want these?” Matt turned around and smiled at the sight before him: T.K. was attempting to move an extremely heavy crate by himself, kneeling on the floor, a frustrated look on his face. Laughing out loud, he moved over to him and took the other side of the crate.

            “Listen, squirt, if you need help, why don’t you just ask?” he said as he and his brother lifted it together, “There’s always enough help around here.”

            “Then why’d you ask me to come?”

            “Is it so bad wanting my little brother at a concert for once? You never come to them anymore…”

            “You stopped inviting me.”

            “Since when do you need an invitation?”

            “Well, when you stopped inviting me, I assumed you didn’t want me around anymore”

            “Then you shouldn’t assume. Assuming doesn’t get you anywhere”

            “So you want me to start coming again?”

            “Sure. Bring friends if you like. I can provide the tickets.”

            “Cool. I’ll start coming. I’ll bring Kari”

            “As in a date? I don’t think she’ll appreciate that much, seeing as the band performing is your brother’s…”

            “No! Not as in a date! I don’t think about her that way! She ‘s just a friend, you know that!”

            “Okay, okay! Don’t bite my head off!” Matt laughed as they set the crate down by some speakers, “But it’s pretty obvious you like her… I mean, you spend so much time with her, and-“

            “And you spend a lot of time with Tai! Does that mean you have a crush on him? Maybe I should inform Sora that my brother has a crush on Tai simply because they spend a lot of time together!”

            “And besides, she has a crush on you, too” Matt ignored him and continued speaking. T.K. began to say something, but stopped halfway.

            “What?”

            “She’s got a crush on you, bro. Heard her say it herself.”

            “Really? From her own lips?”

            “Really. I know what I heard, squirt. So, you gonna ask her out?”

            “No! I still don’t think about her that way!” T.K. began to walk off in search of something else to do, when-

            “Hey, squirt?”

            “Yeah?”

            “If you ever say I have a crush on Tai again, I’ll personally rip your arms off”

            “Ooh… something to look forward to when I tell Sora,”

            “T.K.!”

            The young blonde laughed as his brother chased him, finally getting on his brother’s nerves. He ran, still laughing, Matt not far behind.

            What they didn’t realize was that someone was watching them from the shadows of the abandoned catwalk…

Author’s Note: That ending was crappy. Well, next on A Brother’s Worth: A kidnapping attempt goes wrong, and has Matt worried for his loved ones… but is he protecting the right person?

            Please review, and I hope the next chapter will be up soon (remind me to pester Jolie until she types it.)