Hi everyone. I didn't realise it had been five months since I last updated this... time does fly by. I'm trying to balance this, Baby Makes Five and Digimon 2.5 as best as I can.

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, faved etc!

Hotspot the 626th: haha yeah he's got a lot of work to do to clean that kitchen
BlazingCourage: Thanks :) Sorry it takes me so long to update sometimes XD Better late than never!
Sweet Cari: Aw thanks :) Yeah I don't think I've seen any stories regarding his career. I enjoyed writing about it.
DinoGuy2000: Thanks :)
ShipperOfAHundred: Thank you. Don't worry Ken and Yolei will get their own chapter soon :)
Greymon Leader Batx flashpoint: Yeah, although she will probably make Davis clear it all up XD
j8919: Thank you. Yeah this one will definitely be kept going! :)

Life's Little Adventures

5. Expectations

Friday 27th July, 2012

"The Teenage Wolves were a surprise when they first arrived here five years ago. Despite the positivity from critics early on I don't think anyone expected them to do as well as they had. Since entering the charts at number twelve with their first single 'Shadows' they've had three top 20 albums, two successful tours and a growing fan base."

"They were definitely something fresh when they first arrived. But now the band has split and the lead singer Matt Ishida is beginning his solo career. We can't say we didn't see it coming though. There had been rumours of tension between the band members for quite some time so I wasn't all that surprised when the news broke, but I do think Matt will struggle on his own. He won't experience the same success as his band did. He still does have a large fan base but with some of the singers that are currently storming the charts I don't think that will be enough. If his solo career stalls before it's begun he may regret not calling it a day when the band split-"

Matt switched the television off deciding he had heard enough, leaving the hotel room in silence. He had been watching an American music debate programme, which had been covering the latest news in the music industry.

There had been a lot of talk lately in the press when he had announced his upcoming solo album last month. There had been rumours in the papers and magazines before that, going as far back as the year before that he was planning a solo career. The Teenage Wolves had split up back in April after a fairly successful five year career in America.

Matt had sort of been expecting it. Since the New Year, and what had just been stated on the television, there had been some tension amongst the band for various reasons. Manzo had expressed his desire to return to Japan; stating he missed his home country. Kenji had grown a little tired of making music and was interested in a different career path, whilst Tatsuya had not taken the rumours of Matt's supposed solo career well and quit the band; ultimately leading to the band's decision to split.

It had been a rough few weeks after the split. Matt had taken it especially hard as he had formed the band back in high school and they had almost reached their ten year anniversary. But he also felt extremely proud of what they had accomplished. Starting off as a school band and ending with a career in America was not something every budding musician could achieve. They'd had an amazing five years in the States, and Matt knew all good things must come to an end... Also they couldn't quite carry the band name The Teenage Wolves much longer as they entered their early twenties…

Matt picked up his bottle of water and took a quick swig. His cell phone rang again. He didn't even bother looking at the caller ID as he knew it would be his manager who had been calling him most of the afternoon. He rose from his seat on the sofa and wandered across his large New York hotel room to gaze out at the view from the window.

A month after the band broke up whilst in Los Angeles, Matt had moved to New York to settle there for a while, and to also record his new album. New York was one of his favourite cities, so he had been looking forward to just relaxing for a while in between working at his own pace. During the years with the Teenage Wolves it had almost been nonstop with recording albums and touring, so he was looking forward to a good rest.

He had sacrificed quite a lot for his music career in America. His brother's graduation and Tai and Sora's wedding were to name a few things he had missed. But he wasn't ready to go home just yet. Truth be told he had been thinking about a possible solo career for a while, but he had never told or hinted about it to anyone so he couldn't quite understand where the rumours had surfaced from.

He enjoyed writing music, and he still had a lot more ideas that he felt he could not simply waste after the band split; which was one of the reasons he decided to launch a solo career. It was also quite daunting. He had always been with his band mates, so to begin a career on his own was a little scary.

His debut single 'Lone Wolf' had aired for the first time last month, and had gone down extremely well with his fans, and most of the music critics. It had been released last week and sales had been good. Now he was waiting to see where his single had come in on the Billboard Top 100 chart. It was a nerve-racking wait, even though he wasn't expecting a high entry due to the low expectations some had placed on him after the Teenage Wolves break up. He would just be happy if his single made it onto the actual chart.

The sound of the hotel door opening broke him from his thoughts. He turned his attention away from the window and turned around to see his younger brother, who was on a two week vacation visit, enter the room, closing the door behind him and carrying a large brown paper grocery bag under his left arm.

Matt still couldn't quite believe how much his brother had grown since he saw him last. When he had left Japan TK had only been fifteen. Now he was twenty years old and was just about as tall as he was. It was a strange feeling upon thinking when he had left his brother had been a teenager, and now he was an adult.

"I've got it," TK announced as he walked over to his brother.

"The magazine?"

"No, the salsa for the potato chips," TK replied. He then laughed when he saw the frowned expression on his older sibling's face. "Of course I've got the magazine. Relax I was only trying to ease the tension in the room." He said as he placed the bag on the coffee table. "I've not even been in New York for one whole day yet and you've already got me doing your grocery shopping."

Matt smiled as he walked back over; his eyes fixed on the magazine poking out from the bag. "It's only a few things. I thought we could just chill out for the evening and watch a couple of movies or something whilst you recover from your jetlag… Have you checked it?"

TK shook his head as he pulled out the Billboard magazine and offered it to him. "This is your moment Matt. It's only right you should be the first one to see it."

Matt took the magazine from his brother and held it in his hand, staring down at the front cover for a few moments. Inside was the newly updated Top 100 chart. His single, if it made the top 100, would be in there; but at what number remained unknown to him, which was probably the reason why his manager had been trying to contact him all afternoon. "I'll look at it in a minute," he finally said dropping the magazine onto the coffee table. He then collapsed back onto the sofa. "My manager's been trying to call me. He probably knows what position I came in at… but I'd rather see it myself first rather than be told over the phone. I'm not expecting Lone Wolf to be high in the charts, but if it doesn't at least make it into the top 100 then it just confirms my worst fear that this was a bad idea, and won't hold much hope for my upcoming album next month."

"Hey, it'll be fine." TK tried to reassure him as he sat down in the chair opposite. "You've gained a pretty good sized fan base over here so surely someone must have bought it."

"Ha-ha funny…" Matt laughed sarcastically. "So how's everything back home? How's Dad? And Mom?"

"Everyone's fine. Dad's working as hard as ever, although he said he was hoping to fly over here soon to see you as you've decided to stay a little longer. He said if the solo career doesn't work out he can get you a job at the TV Station." TK said with a wink. "Mom's been promoted to chief editor. She's been in the position for a few weeks now and she loves it. Oh, and I almost forgot-" he briefly paused as he bent down and quickly unzipped his suitcase, pulling out a small wrapped box. "Kari's made you some cookies to say good luck with your new song."

Matt smiled as he accepted the box off his brother. "Remind me later to tell her thank you." He said as he unwrapped it. He opened the lid, and the box was full of star shaped cookies; each piped with the words 'Good Luck' in blue icing. He picked one up and took a bite out of it. "Hey, these are pretty tasty." He said, offering one to the bearer of Hope.

TK helped himself to a cookie. "They were playing your song on the radio in the grocery store. It sounds great."

"Thanks. The fans and most of the critics seem to think so too… although there are still some who think I won't do so well on my own. They don't expect me to have the same level of success as the Teenage Wolves did and think I should have called it quits when the band broke up."

"Well whatever happens; everyone back home is proud of you. I know you and Mom haven't had the closet of relationships but she is especially proud of what you've achieved."

"Thanks TK…" Matt smiled. He took another bite out of his cookie, chewing it slowly. "So… have you decided yet?"

TK paused as he took another cookie from the box. He had been wondering how long it would take for his brother to bring it up. "Uh well…"

"You've had a few weeks to think about it. This will be a great opportunity for your writing career bro." Matt said.

Two weeks ago Matt had called TK saying he had a part time job opportunity for him. An acquaintance at one of the tabloids based in New York had told Matt a colleague was going on maternity leave for a year and that there was a position open for a reporter. It wasn't a permanent job, but Matt had thought it would be a brilliant break for TK for his future writing profession to gain some experience.

"There's a lot more to think about besides my future career." TK replied. "I've never moved away from home… and I never pictured myself moving half way around the world when I do. I don't know if I'm ready for a big change like that."

"You wouldn't be completely alone here if you did. Like I said when I spoke to you last; I'm settling down here in New York for a while. After travelling around America performing I got a little tired of constantly living in hotels, and it's been a little hard on Gabumon. I've got quite a bit of money saved from the bands profits, and I've been looking at a few apartments already. If you do decide to take this job you can move in with me. Gabumon and I could definitely do with the company. You don't want to miss out on an opportunity like this bro. Just think of the experience you would get working as a reporter in New York City."

"Well… I'm not entirely sure if I want to go down that route of being a reporter. I want to be a writer of some sort… I'm just not sure what kind of writer yet."

"All the more reason to take the job, it's only a year. It'll give you some insight as to what it's like. Just think of it as a very long extended vacation."

TK remained silent, staring down at the floor. "There are other people I need to consider other than myself…" he admitted quietly.

"Huh? I'm sure Mom and Dad would be fine with you moving here as you're staying with me… Haven't you talked about it with her?" Matt then noticed his little brother looking down and fidgeting a little with the half eaten cookie still in his hand. "Oh… I get it now…"

"Huh? What?"

"You're worried about how it will affect your relationship with Kari."

TK blushed a little. "What do you mean by 'relationship'?"

"Well, by the way you're blushing there; you tell me."

TK turned even redder. "There's nothing going on between me and Kari. We're just good friends Matt."

"Then what's stopping you from making this decision?"

"I… I don't know. It's just a big decision okay? I know it's just a year, but a year is still a long time. A lot can happen in a year."

"Or can't happen,"

"Huh?"

"Are you worried you'll miss your chance with Kari or something if you're away from home for that long?"

"Matt, I've already told you. Kari and I are just good friends."

"Ah c'mon TK, I'm not dumb. I know you've liked Kari for a while now and I half expected you to have made a move by now. What are you afraid of? Is it Tai?" he said, teasing a little at the end.

TK laughed somewhat. "Well… a little," he humoured his brother. "Look, I do like Kari. We're very close and we have been since we first went to the Digital World. Alright, I admit I am worried if I'm gone for a year our friendship will drift apart a little."

"I understand what you mean. I've missed a lot whilst I've been away and it has been a little tough at times as I've missed you guys... " Matt admitted. He then sat back, leaning against the cushions of the sofa. "Look, I'm not going to force you to take the job. I wouldn't expect you to do something you weren't comfortable with, especially something as big as this. I'm just trying to make you see the positives you could gain from it."

"I know… I haven't mentioned it to Mom yet as I know she'll jump at the news and urge me to take it. I think she's expecting me to choose the same career path she has since I told her I wanted to go into the writing profession. She's already hinted at trying to get me a job at the company she's at. I'm just unsure whether being a reporter is the right job for me."

"Well, whatever you decide on; I'll support you."

"Thanks. I'll give it a lot consideration I promise." TK said. He then glanced at the Billboard magazine that still remained unopened, and he sensed an opportunity to sway the topic of conversation back in his brother's favour. "So, are you gonna open that? Or is it going to lay dormant on the coffee table all day?"

Matt's eyes fell upon the magazine. He had almost forgotten about it, even as it was blatantly still lying on the table between them. He picked it up, again looking at the front cover. He scoffed a laugh under his breath as he looked down at the bottom right corner. There was a photo of him with his guitar with the sub headline; 'The Lone Wolf; Top or Flop?'

It felt all the more daunting; seeing the only two outcomes the music industry were expecting of him. They were also so contrasting of each other. It was made to sound as if it was make or break for him. If his song flopped; he would be deemed a failure… but as to how high they considered the 'top' to be was a mystery to him. He knew he would never get number one. Perhaps the headline was just one of those over exaggerated advertising gimmicks they used to attract people's attention… or maybe it was a clue as to what awaited him once he opened the magazine…

It certainly didn't help settle his anxiety.

His cell phone rang again, and he knew if he didn't look sooner rather than later the persistent ringing from his manager would only start to get on his nerves.

"Well," he said with a slight chuckle, glancing up at his brother. "Here goes," He slowly opened the magazine, knowing exactly what page to turn to and allowing it to flop open resting in his lap.

What awaited him on that page would determine which direction his career, and life, would now go…

Hope I wasn't too cruel there ending it like that XD I thought it would be a good way to end it on suspense.

As I'm from the UK I'm not all that familiar with the Billboard Top 100. I did some research as best as I could so I apologise if there are any mistakes I've made when referring to it.