Zento
By Kawaii Kitty
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. Those people who do would not spend their time reading MY crappy fanfiction, especially if they needed ideas. We clear on this? Good.
Chapter Two
Himeji
A young boy with a head of bushy light brown hair stole away into the back of a shop in the busy marketplace of the city of Himeji. A soft cooing noise, like that of a pigeon, followed him, with heavy footsteps following the cooing. The brunette gasped softly and turned around to come face-to-face with a large red lizard slightly smaller than he at full height. He smiled at the lizard and chuckled as he pat his large, flat snout.
"Guil..." he sighed softly. "I told you, you can't follow me back here."
The lizard leaned into the young boy and nuzzled his stomach with his snout, speaking in a slightly stuffy, and high-pitched voice. "But I want to stay with Takato. I don't like to be alone..."
The one addressed as "Takato" rolled his large brown eyes and fixed his day kimono, retying the belt across his waist. He stood up and looked at the creature, who was giving him a pitiful stare with his gargantuan golden eyes, and tapped him softly between the eyes. Takato chuckled, placing a hand behind him as he entered the back of the bread shop, looking around cautiously.
He inhaled deeply the scent of the fresh bread the owners of the shop were preparing in another room as his hand strayed to several tasty-looking nikuman and placed them in the pockets of his kimono. He had begun to stuff other varieties of bread items into his kimono, just as he had done several days a week. Taking bread from this shop had become an ugly habit of his, because, after all, he still had that lizard outside waiting for him to bring food for him. He stuffed a roll into his mouth and, as quietly as his sandals would allow, made his way back toward the door.
"Matsuda Takato!" a shrill, adult female voice cried from behind him, causing him to stiffen.
He swallowed the little bit of bread that nestled in his mouth and turned around to face the bread tyrant. "Oh! Mother! Good morning!" he said cheerfully, as if nothing had ever occurred in this room. She strode over to him and took the roll from his mouth.
"Takato, look. You don't need to steal from our own shop. We'll make you whatever you want, you just need to let us know in advance." She said sternly, practically glaring needles into her son's eyes, at least, he thought so.
Takato nodded. "I know, mother. It's just that... I'm hungry now, and a couple of friends of mine don't have any money of their own." He looked to the floor and scuffed his foot against the ground as he spoke, knowing that his mother would soon give in. Just for a bit of show, he sniffled a little bit.
Takato grinned to himself as he heard his mother sigh. "Alright, Takato. You need to have your friends pay for their own bread at one point or another. We're not a charity."
Takato looked up and smiled with a nod. "Yes, mother, I know. I'll be sure to tell them that once they get out of training today." He did an about-face and brushed past the sheet in the doorway.
As he reached the outside world again, Guil greeted him with a friendly nuzzle in the stomach, obviously searching for the sweet pork buns he had stuffed in his kimono. Takato laughed happily and took one out, placing it on his snout. The nikuman teetered and fell off Guil's snout, being caught just moments before hitting the dirt by his large claws. The nikuman was quickly devoured, followed by a few other treats that Takato had managed to sneak out. Takato crouched down and quietly munched on his own Nikuman, watching Guil eat.
Guil lifted his head inquisitively, sniffing the air softly. Takato tilted his head and looked at him. "What's wrong, boy?" he asked his friend.
Guil's large pupils changed to thin slits, thinner than a cat's in the brightest sun. He gave a deep growl as he stamped off from the direction the two had come from, crouching down low as he rounded the corner of the shop.
Takato ran behind him, and then stopped beside the creature, looking down at him in slight annoyance. "Guil! What is the matter with you!?" the lizard would not speak to him, but instead kept his eyes focused on a moving figure in the crowd who was looking around his surroundings. Takato followed Guil's line of eyesight and too found the figure with a peculiar animal on his head.
"Hmm... he looks lost" Takato whispered to Guil, "Maybe we should try to help him- Guil?" Takato had looked down at where his partner was supposed to be, but found him running toward the boy with the dog/rabbit on his head. "Guil! Stop!!!"
Lee sighed as he walked through the town, looking for back streets into which the palace of the city might be easily accessed. He hadn't really liked the unwanted attention that Terrier was bringing him as he walked along, listening to complex words he hardly understood, along with the clip-clop of the sandals of the pedestrians.
A loud growl followed by a yell drew his attention to his left just in time to get a glimpse of a monster just barely shorter than he as he plowed into him. As Lee fell, he heard screams of women and gasps of men as they backed away from the squabble in the middle of the circle they had made.
The next few seconds were a blur of red, black, orange, green, and cream just in his face. The thing that had plowed into him took Terrier by the ear and shook him violently like a starving dog. Terrier yelled, screamed, scratched, and kicked, and finally made it out of Guil's jaws with a hot blast of energy from his mouth.
Lee licked his lips nervously and stood, swallowing hard and unsheathed his sword, his silver eyes fixed on Guil. Because his attention was focused on Terrier, Guil hadn't noticed Lee raising the shiny blade above his head. Lee closed his eyes tightly and tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword.
"NO! STOP! WAIT!!!" Cried a youthful voice as a boy about Lee's age broke through the crowd, drawing the attention of everyone around the circle and within it, Guil included. Takato stood, catching his breath and looking at Lee and Guil in terror. "Please... Don't hurt... Guil..."
Lee looked to the now calmer Guil as he walked to Takato and sniffed him. He sheathed his sword and picked up Terrier, holding him tightly and looking at Takato with an indignant glare. "Is this thing yours?" He said, nodding at Guil, who had found his way into a pocket with bread.
Takato nodded shyly and pet Guil softly. "Y-yes... he is... he's my monster... and I'm sorry for what he did to you, but... I've just had him for about a month... and... well... I haven't really learned all there is to know about him yet..."
Lee looked down at Terrier with kind, sympathetic eyes. "Are you going to be alright?"
The little monster smiled and held up his injured ear, which was bleeding slowly. "As long as I get this taken care of, I'll be just fine." He giggled and went to work on cleaning the wound manually.
Lee sighed and looked at Takato sympathetically. "Sorry I tried to kill it."
Takato chuckled. "It's alright. I mean, you really had no idea what Guil here was trying to do. For all you know, he could have tried to rip out your insides! Gut you like an eel!"
Lee chuckled nervously. "Yeah, precisely." He smiled at Takato and bowed. "My name is Lee Jianliang. I've come over from Hong Kong."
Takato looked genuinely impressed. "Hong Kong, huh? You've come quite a long way then. My name is Matsuda Takato. It's an honor to meet a foreigner." He said with a deep bow.
"Pleased to meet you." Lee's face turned grave as he remembered the items in his sack. "I have a favor to ask of you as a native of this city."
Takato looked at him curiously and nodded. "What is it that you need? I'll help with anything."
Lee gave a little smile. "Alright then. Thank you, Takato. I need to go to the palace, and I am not exactly sure on how to reach it."
Takato stiffened. "The... Palace? I suppose I could take you there, but that's probably all that I will be able to do. Getting in is a whole different story."
Lee sighed softly. "I have to talk to the ruler here. I'm here on a pilgrimage, and I need to discuss the details with them."
Takato nodded and put his hand on Guil's head, leading him in the direction of the palace. "I see. Well, follow me and I'll take you there."
Lee smiled. "Thank you very much, Takato." Lee held Terrier close to him and walked beside Takato, who had a hungry Guil searching through his pockets. He looked to the sky, smiling and thinking to himself. `Maybe this pilgrimage won't be so boring after all.'
A/N: Part Two! Part Two! I know what you're thinking. "Hey! They don't live in Himeji! They live in West Shinjuku district in Tokyo!" Well, I know that. But Himeji is one of the most southern cities on Honshu and Tokyo is like, right in the middle of the frikkin island. Deal with it. If you're confused on Lee's little pilgrimage, I'm going to explain it in the next chapter, so just wait a while, okay? Okay. I hope you found this chapter to be more exciting than the last. I know I did.
Please Review!!!! I need reviews!!!!!!!
By Kawaii Kitty
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. Those people who do would not spend their time reading MY crappy fanfiction, especially if they needed ideas. We clear on this? Good.
Chapter Two
Himeji
A young boy with a head of bushy light brown hair stole away into the back of a shop in the busy marketplace of the city of Himeji. A soft cooing noise, like that of a pigeon, followed him, with heavy footsteps following the cooing. The brunette gasped softly and turned around to come face-to-face with a large red lizard slightly smaller than he at full height. He smiled at the lizard and chuckled as he pat his large, flat snout.
"Guil..." he sighed softly. "I told you, you can't follow me back here."
The lizard leaned into the young boy and nuzzled his stomach with his snout, speaking in a slightly stuffy, and high-pitched voice. "But I want to stay with Takato. I don't like to be alone..."
The one addressed as "Takato" rolled his large brown eyes and fixed his day kimono, retying the belt across his waist. He stood up and looked at the creature, who was giving him a pitiful stare with his gargantuan golden eyes, and tapped him softly between the eyes. Takato chuckled, placing a hand behind him as he entered the back of the bread shop, looking around cautiously.
He inhaled deeply the scent of the fresh bread the owners of the shop were preparing in another room as his hand strayed to several tasty-looking nikuman and placed them in the pockets of his kimono. He had begun to stuff other varieties of bread items into his kimono, just as he had done several days a week. Taking bread from this shop had become an ugly habit of his, because, after all, he still had that lizard outside waiting for him to bring food for him. He stuffed a roll into his mouth and, as quietly as his sandals would allow, made his way back toward the door.
"Matsuda Takato!" a shrill, adult female voice cried from behind him, causing him to stiffen.
He swallowed the little bit of bread that nestled in his mouth and turned around to face the bread tyrant. "Oh! Mother! Good morning!" he said cheerfully, as if nothing had ever occurred in this room. She strode over to him and took the roll from his mouth.
"Takato, look. You don't need to steal from our own shop. We'll make you whatever you want, you just need to let us know in advance." She said sternly, practically glaring needles into her son's eyes, at least, he thought so.
Takato nodded. "I know, mother. It's just that... I'm hungry now, and a couple of friends of mine don't have any money of their own." He looked to the floor and scuffed his foot against the ground as he spoke, knowing that his mother would soon give in. Just for a bit of show, he sniffled a little bit.
Takato grinned to himself as he heard his mother sigh. "Alright, Takato. You need to have your friends pay for their own bread at one point or another. We're not a charity."
Takato looked up and smiled with a nod. "Yes, mother, I know. I'll be sure to tell them that once they get out of training today." He did an about-face and brushed past the sheet in the doorway.
As he reached the outside world again, Guil greeted him with a friendly nuzzle in the stomach, obviously searching for the sweet pork buns he had stuffed in his kimono. Takato laughed happily and took one out, placing it on his snout. The nikuman teetered and fell off Guil's snout, being caught just moments before hitting the dirt by his large claws. The nikuman was quickly devoured, followed by a few other treats that Takato had managed to sneak out. Takato crouched down and quietly munched on his own Nikuman, watching Guil eat.
Guil lifted his head inquisitively, sniffing the air softly. Takato tilted his head and looked at him. "What's wrong, boy?" he asked his friend.
Guil's large pupils changed to thin slits, thinner than a cat's in the brightest sun. He gave a deep growl as he stamped off from the direction the two had come from, crouching down low as he rounded the corner of the shop.
Takato ran behind him, and then stopped beside the creature, looking down at him in slight annoyance. "Guil! What is the matter with you!?" the lizard would not speak to him, but instead kept his eyes focused on a moving figure in the crowd who was looking around his surroundings. Takato followed Guil's line of eyesight and too found the figure with a peculiar animal on his head.
"Hmm... he looks lost" Takato whispered to Guil, "Maybe we should try to help him- Guil?" Takato had looked down at where his partner was supposed to be, but found him running toward the boy with the dog/rabbit on his head. "Guil! Stop!!!"
Lee sighed as he walked through the town, looking for back streets into which the palace of the city might be easily accessed. He hadn't really liked the unwanted attention that Terrier was bringing him as he walked along, listening to complex words he hardly understood, along with the clip-clop of the sandals of the pedestrians.
A loud growl followed by a yell drew his attention to his left just in time to get a glimpse of a monster just barely shorter than he as he plowed into him. As Lee fell, he heard screams of women and gasps of men as they backed away from the squabble in the middle of the circle they had made.
The next few seconds were a blur of red, black, orange, green, and cream just in his face. The thing that had plowed into him took Terrier by the ear and shook him violently like a starving dog. Terrier yelled, screamed, scratched, and kicked, and finally made it out of Guil's jaws with a hot blast of energy from his mouth.
Lee licked his lips nervously and stood, swallowing hard and unsheathed his sword, his silver eyes fixed on Guil. Because his attention was focused on Terrier, Guil hadn't noticed Lee raising the shiny blade above his head. Lee closed his eyes tightly and tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword.
"NO! STOP! WAIT!!!" Cried a youthful voice as a boy about Lee's age broke through the crowd, drawing the attention of everyone around the circle and within it, Guil included. Takato stood, catching his breath and looking at Lee and Guil in terror. "Please... Don't hurt... Guil..."
Lee looked to the now calmer Guil as he walked to Takato and sniffed him. He sheathed his sword and picked up Terrier, holding him tightly and looking at Takato with an indignant glare. "Is this thing yours?" He said, nodding at Guil, who had found his way into a pocket with bread.
Takato nodded shyly and pet Guil softly. "Y-yes... he is... he's my monster... and I'm sorry for what he did to you, but... I've just had him for about a month... and... well... I haven't really learned all there is to know about him yet..."
Lee looked down at Terrier with kind, sympathetic eyes. "Are you going to be alright?"
The little monster smiled and held up his injured ear, which was bleeding slowly. "As long as I get this taken care of, I'll be just fine." He giggled and went to work on cleaning the wound manually.
Lee sighed and looked at Takato sympathetically. "Sorry I tried to kill it."
Takato chuckled. "It's alright. I mean, you really had no idea what Guil here was trying to do. For all you know, he could have tried to rip out your insides! Gut you like an eel!"
Lee chuckled nervously. "Yeah, precisely." He smiled at Takato and bowed. "My name is Lee Jianliang. I've come over from Hong Kong."
Takato looked genuinely impressed. "Hong Kong, huh? You've come quite a long way then. My name is Matsuda Takato. It's an honor to meet a foreigner." He said with a deep bow.
"Pleased to meet you." Lee's face turned grave as he remembered the items in his sack. "I have a favor to ask of you as a native of this city."
Takato looked at him curiously and nodded. "What is it that you need? I'll help with anything."
Lee gave a little smile. "Alright then. Thank you, Takato. I need to go to the palace, and I am not exactly sure on how to reach it."
Takato stiffened. "The... Palace? I suppose I could take you there, but that's probably all that I will be able to do. Getting in is a whole different story."
Lee sighed softly. "I have to talk to the ruler here. I'm here on a pilgrimage, and I need to discuss the details with them."
Takato nodded and put his hand on Guil's head, leading him in the direction of the palace. "I see. Well, follow me and I'll take you there."
Lee smiled. "Thank you very much, Takato." Lee held Terrier close to him and walked beside Takato, who had a hungry Guil searching through his pockets. He looked to the sky, smiling and thinking to himself. `Maybe this pilgrimage won't be so boring after all.'
A/N: Part Two! Part Two! I know what you're thinking. "Hey! They don't live in Himeji! They live in West Shinjuku district in Tokyo!" Well, I know that. But Himeji is one of the most southern cities on Honshu and Tokyo is like, right in the middle of the frikkin island. Deal with it. If you're confused on Lee's little pilgrimage, I'm going to explain it in the next chapter, so just wait a while, okay? Okay. I hope you found this chapter to be more exciting than the last. I know I did.
Please Review!!!! I need reviews!!!!!!!