Chapter VII: "The Cursed Bayonet"
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~ Omniscient POV ~
Matt took his time to walk as he followed far behind Tai and Mimi. He had not been able to keep up with them and he was not sure why he didn't want to. Both Tai and Mimi had been very absorbed in their own conversation, which Matt was not part of. Matt shivered as he remembered his latest dream. It felt the same as this. Why why did he keep on dreaming about her? Why is she doing this? Now he walked slowly with Gabumon just beside him as they followed the trail that leads to the guardian's palace. He quickly looked up as he heard Tai and Mimi laughing from a distance. They had both stopped and Matt was finally able to catch up with them.
"I knew you liked pink! Your clothes kinda gave it away!" Tai laughed as Mimi giggled her face burning red.
"But pink doesn't have to mean girly" she whispered.
Tai smiled warmly over to the brunette as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Mimi. My sister loves that color too."
She looked up, her eyes suddenly shining. "Your sister?"
He nodded. "Yes. Back home of course" he turned away as if suddenly remembering her. Tai didn't really had much time to think about those he'd left back home. Especially his own little sister. Knowing her, she must be worried sick. He almost jumped up in surprised as he felt a hand on his own shoulder. He turned to look and saw Mimi. She gave a shy smile at him, a warm smile that was perfect.
"Don't worry about her," Mimi assured him. "I'm sure that wherever she is, she's happy. Kari's a wonderful girl."
At the mention of Kari's name, it was Matt that had first reacted. "How'd you know Kari's name?!" he asked her in shocked.
Tai gave Matt an annoyed look. "Hey that's my line you!" he teased.
But Matt was not looking at him, but his gaze was on Mimi's. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out of her mouth. Mimi shook her head nervously. Even she wasn't sure how she'd known that name. She took a step back but she still struggled to remember everything.
"Mimi, are you okay?" it was Palmon that asked her.
"Mimi?" Tai looked at her worried. He took a step toward her but she took a step away. "Hey it's alright. I won't bite. Come here."
"Y-You're" her voice trailed off as her eyes trained on Yamato's and then back at Taichi's. "not angry?"
Tai smiled. "No silly. Of course not. It's probably just a good guess." He glanced at Yamato. "Right Matt?"
Matt said nothing for the longest time. But Tai didn't wait for his answer as he took Mimi's hand into his. "Why would I be mad at you, Princess? I knew you were special from the very beginning. No other girl would've guessed my sister's name on a first try."
Mimi smiled back at Tai. She knew that he was only saying that to make her feel better. And it was working like a charm. She couldn't find any words to respond to what he'd said, but instead she giggled and put both her hands on her cheeks. "I Why why am I blushing?" she asked, embarrassed. Mimi turned away and shook her head. "I'm blushing. Why?"
Tai crossed his arms over his chest. "That I don't know. You're the only one that can answer that."
Agumon stepped forward. "Hey isn't that what people usually do when they like someone?"
"Huh?" Mimi asked, her face flaming even more.
Tai scowled at Agumon. "Agumon!" he yelled.
"Whoops. Sorry." Agumon stepped away and stood beside Palmon.
Matt cleared his throat and both Tai and Mimi turned to him. "Are you guys done yet? The guardian's palace is just ahead. We should get going."
"Matt's right!" Mimi agreed. "Let's go."
As he had predicted Tai and Mimi continued on and once again, he was left to follow them. Matt wondered why seeing Tai and Mimi bothered him so much. Why did he care? Why does he have to feel this way?
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She opened her dark brown eyes as the gate opened. Mistress Blossoms floated above her bed, holding her staff and spreading out her enormous feathered wings. She wore a serious expression on her face as they appeared before her. Tai and Mimi came in first along with Agumon and Palmon. Behind them was the new chosen one, Matt and his digimon, Gabumon.
"Finally I've been waiting for you Princess Sincerity" she greeted them mysteriously as they approached her, but her brown eyes were directly on Mimi's eyes.
Mimi didn't even look at her. She didn't say a word as Mistress Blossoms flew over to her direction.
"You haven't changed, Mimi," Blossoms told her. "You're still that same Mimi." Suddenly, unexpectedly, Mistress Blossoms slowly landed to stand on the ground. Her eyes were directly on Mimi's direction as she curtsied. "It's good to see that you're all right."
"Just tell us what the hell you want from her, Miss Guardian of Sincerity" Matt demanded rudely.
But the guardian didn't seem to mind what he'd just said as her gaze fell on Tai Kamiya. She smiled and walked up to the brown-haired guy. "Tai, you hold the crest of courage. The most powerful crest." She bowed to him. "It's an honor to meet you again, Courage."
Again?! Tai thought. But then he smiled warmly over to the black-haired guardian. "Thanks for saving my life too, Mistress Blossoms."
The guardian turned away and walked toward her throne. "I need you Tai and Matt to go to a flower field." She explained. "I know not its whereabouts but I have heard that it exists only to those who hold the power of sincerity. The crest of sincerity would have been the right key for it, but as you can see there is no bearer for this crest anymore. That bearer had once been a beautiful, strong, and powerful young lady. Unfortunately, because of a certain tragedy, she is no longer with us" she didn't look at them as she continued to speak. "that's why we called you here, Matt, to the Digital World. Because you are the bearer of the crest of friendship. I once heard that you can't have sincerity without friendship. I didn't understand what it meant. And perhaps I still don't. But this is the only explanation I can think of."
"So do you want me to use my crest to find this place?" Matt asked her as he clutched onto his crest.
"Yes." She nodded. "I don't know if it will work, but I'm sure it will. You're the one that will open the way to the summit."
Tai took a step forward. "What exactly is in the flower field?" he knew that he didn't want to know the answer to that.
Mistress Blossoms now faced them and gave him a serious look. "A cursed bayonet, a symbol for war. It's a dangerous weapon used by evil guardians of the Digiworld. It must be destroyed." Shaking her head, she continued, "The only problem is only a holy sword can destroy it."
"A cursed weapon? In the middle of a flower field?" Mimi shook her head. She didn't want anything to do with this anymore. So she wanted to start a war. Was that it? Was that why the guardian had requested her present here?
"How can we destroy it when we don't even have a sword?" Tai asked.
"And how do you know that I'm the key to open this flower field, huh?" Matt added.
Mistress Blossoms walked toward Tai. "I told you. That flower field is not an actual place. Perhaps" she stared beyond Tai's chocolate brown eyes, deep and deeper into those darkening pupils. "perhaps you've all been there. In your sleep."
"What?" Matt asked, frowning. "What do you mean in our sleep?"
Mistress Blossoms raised an eyebrow. "So you have been there?"
"So it exists only in our dreams then?" Tai asked, thinking as he tapped his foot lightly on the ground.
"You can't actually be 'there' without using Matt's crest properly," the guardian added. "You may have been there, but you weren't physically there. Being there mentally will not destroy the cursed bayonet."
"So tell us exactly how we do that then!" Tai told her.
Mistress Blossoms only smiled and began to slowly float above him. "I'm sorry. It's time for me to go. Please release Princess Sincerity from danger. Release that cursed weapon as soon as you can!"
Mimi stepped forward. "B-But I'm right here! I'm not in danger!" she called.
But she was too late as the guardian just smiled. Petals surrounded her. Red light covered her. In an instant, she was back to her bed of roses again, sleeping soundly as a doll. Mimi ran up to her and shook her head.
"I-I still don't understand this, Mistress Blossoms! I-I don't get it!" Mimi cried. "Why must you do this to them? Why use Tai and Matt as tools to save me?! Am I really worth their time? Mistress Blossoms!" she shook the lifeless doll in her hands. "Tell me! Please! I don't want to get them involved! I don't want anyone doing this for me! I don't want to put any more people's lives in danger! Please!"
"Mimi" it was Tai. He approached her and took the crying Mimi in his arms. He gently stroked her hair. " It'll be okay. I'm we're here to protect you."
"T-Thank you, Tai" she sniffled.
Tai held Mimi. A familiar feeling came over him. Just holding her like this reminded him of someone. He did not know who. Tai tightened his grip on Mimi. "Mimi"
"Please hold me a little longer, Tai" she whispered.
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"Are you still thinking about what she said?" Tai asked Mimi as he looked at her.
Smiling, Mimi let go of his hold. "I feel better. Thank you for holding me." She blushed again. "It was nice of you."
Tai didn't know what to say as he scratched his head. He was saved as Matt approached them. Matt quickly turned to the girl. "Mimi? You're okay?"
"Yes. Thanks" she replied. "I need to be alone. Will you two excuse me?"
They both nodded. Mimi quickly made her way out of the palace. She knew her way around here as she used to come here a lot. Even though it was a long time ago, she could still remember where everything was. Except all she'd remembered were bad memories. She could not even recall any good memories whatsoever. The only good memories that she knew of were that of Tai's and Matt's. She was glad to have them as her bodyguards.
But it wasn't fair. They didn't have to get involved in this dirty mission that the Guardian had told them of. They were actually going for it. If only that damn bearer of the crest of sincerity had not died, then Matt wouldn't have to take on this dangerous mission. But then part of her was actually glad that she was dead for it brought her to Matt.
Mimi finally found herself in front of a water fountain. She stared at the glowing waters and thought for a while.
I can't do anything. There must be something that I can do to help them
They're the Digidestined. I'm just a forgotten data. I'm not that important. I'm sure I'm very useless to them.
She looked up at the statue of the Guardian of Sincerity. Mimi knelt down before the statue and clasped her hands together for a prayer.
Dear Guardian of Sincerity,
I know I will not be here for much longer. But I beg of you, please, Mistress of Sincerity! Please! Let me be alive to see Tai and Matt successfully destroy the cursed bayonet! Let me be here to congratulate them. Let me be alive to see their happy faces, see their satisfied eyes once they beat that evil weapon.
I pray that it's not too late to destroy it. I'm just glad that I'm still alive to see Tai and Matt today. And for that, I thank you! Thank you so much for bringing them to my life.
Even though I still don't remember my past clearly, I now understand what Palmon told me. What you did was for the sake of me and my friends. Whoever they were. Whoever I was.
Mistress Blossoms, thank you. I pray that you watch over not only for the sincere ones, but for the courageous and the friendly 'handsome rascal's' as well.
Amen.
Mimi finished her prayer and stood up to stare once more at the statue. She felt her eyes watering as she stared at the beautifully carved statue. I didn't want this to happen, but I must accept this. I shall die happyHer tears streamed down her cheeks, but her eyes remained glued on the statue. She felt nauseated now. And she could tell that her hands looked fuzzy. Looking down, she bit her lower lip at the sight of it. Her hands vanished in a flash. Then in a second, they were back again.
Tears streamed down her cheeks at a faster rate. Seeing her body like this made her tears seemed more aggressive as they just continued to flow and flow. I've lived so long my time is now? She choked back tears until she couldn't see anymore. Her tears flooded her sight.
She cried.
She wasn't even able to witness the statue's reaction as a drop of tear fell down from its hard eye.
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"There's gotta be a way to figure out how to make these crests work!" Tai told Matt as he stared at his own crest of courage.
Matt turned away from the doll and looked at Tai. "I really have no idea."
"Hey" Gabumon approached the two.
"Yeah? What?" Tai asked.
"Why don't you just save this for tonight?" the digimon suggested.
"What do you mean, Gabumon? We really have to get to that flower field right away! Or else Mimi--"
"He's right, Tai." Matt agreed as he cut him off. "Remember what Mistress Blossoms told us. The flower field is not an actual place. It exists in our dreams. Yet not. It's not a physical place but it's a different dimension. A different world. Getting there is my business."
Palmon suddenly came rushing in the palace. "Hey! Have you guys seen Mimi?!"
Matt jumped up at the mention of Mimi's name. "No, we haven't, Palmon. She said she wanted to be alone."
"She hasn't been here for a while. I wonder where she went?" Tai said looking at Matt carefully.
Matt nodded. "You're right. Let's split up and find Mimi."
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~ Mimi ~
I'm scared I'm so scared.
I'm alone again?
Mimi looks up at the ominous sky as clouds hovered around in a fast rate. She feels the cold wind as it touched her sensitive skin. She looks around the area. Flowers surrounded her. Nothing but flowers. The flower field.
Could this be the place Mistress Blossoms was talking about? But what am I doing here?
Why am I here?
Am I really here?
Is this a dream?
She makes her way down the field, but she sees nothing. It is windy. It is very chilly.
She doesn't know how long she's been walking until she reached a lake. Mimi smiles and admires the beauty of this heavenly body of water. She runs up near the lake and is suddenly stopped at the sight of a red light that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. She stares at the flashing red light as it surrounds her, enveloping her in an embrace.
A single pink rose comes out from her pocket and soon divides into millions of pink roses. Mimi opens her mouth to scream but the rose petals quickly covers her mouth in order to stop her from screaming. The red light and the rose petals carry her out toward the lake. She floats on top of the lake now not touching it.
What am I supposed to do? Am I dead?
So this is what hell is like?
I'm dead?
Matt
Tai
Please help!
Help me.
Help me please!
Mimi suddenly sees her golden necklace as it floats in front of her face. That necklace memories suddenly fill her heart as she clutches on her precious treasure. Whoever gave her the necklace must have really loved her. She is sure of that. I know I know because Tai Tai, thank you for this necklace.
But please help me!
Tai
Matt
don't leave me please!
As if suddenly out of breath, she closes her eyes and falls into a deep sleep within her sleep.
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to be continued....
read Chapter 8.
~~Kristine