Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or any of the main characters in this fic except for Rime and Phloem. I also came up with the idea of 'weremon.' Most Digimon that appear in this fic I looked up at Sora's Digimon Palace Digidex.
Chapter 10: Disguises
Two weeks of rest let everyone regain their strength and their will to continue. Alan continued to monitor the news, but the ruse of Phloem and Rime's death seemed to be holding up under inspections by the army.
They were eating dinner when Brian brought the subject of the future up. "We need to do something," he said as he toyed with his fork. "I have this strong feeling that we need to get back to the capital as quickly as we can. Do we have the resources that we need to get in?"
"No," said Vahn, "and we never will until we beat the Havens. The capital is heavily guarded, and it has always been that way, and it will always be that way because it is the headquarters of the imperial guards."
"Are the Havens ever going to leave the castle?" Alan asked. "If they did, we might have a chance."
"This week, they will be visiting the city of Haven, according to the spies there. We should be able to easily infiltrate in the dead of night. We seem to have the specialists we need here with us."
Kurai knew that the comment was directed at her. She shrugged. "Yeah, I can get you in. I've done some work in that town, so I know how to get us to where we need to be. It'll be a cinch to teleport us through there, and I know of a good inn we can stay at inside the city."
"What's its name?" asked Vahn.
"The Turtle Tree Inn, which is a horrible name, but it has a good atmosphere. The only problem is that my face is known in Haven, and people will probably recognize Rime, too. They might know Phloem and Pixie, but they probably won't. You and I will have to wear disguises. I'll good at disguises," she admitted, though only she understood exactly why Rime almost choked on his water when she said that. Tsukaimon and Sorcerymon just traded knowing glances.
"And, pray tell, what will my disguise be, exactly?" asked Rime. "And what will yours be?"
"I have a few things in mind for you. I'll just be going as a girl."
Sakura blinked. "You're going to cross-dress?"
She contemplated her choices of what to say to them. I could not tell them, and just say that me looking exactly like a girl is just from experience. Or I could enlighten them with the truth, and then I'd get to remember how hilarious the surprised looks on their faces are. She opted for the second choice and put a hand on her hat. "Actually, I'll just go as myself," she said as she took off her hat. "They don't know the real me." Waist-length black hair fell neatly from under it. She shook it, enjoying the feel of it being loose.
Their looks of shocked surprise were better than she had hoped.
***The next day…***
"I can't believe this!" Rime said as he ran his hand through his much shorter hair. "You said that you weren't going to cut all of it off!"
"I didn't," Kurai said smugly. "You have about the normal amount now."
The prince sighed and put on a pair of sunglasses that Kurai had given him to go with his new outfit. "I hate having short hair. When my hair is short, it looks spiked, like I'm some type of teen-aged delinquent."
"Shut up, Rime. Plenty of normal people have spiked hair, so you'll fit right in." The thief looked the prince over. "Now no one will recognize you."
It was true. He hardly looked like the same person, especially because of his new hairdo. He was wearing black denim pants and a blue shirt that Kurai had gotten from the weremon. Overall, he looked much less arrogant, though he didn't look any kinder.
As for Kurai, she had kept her hair down and changed into blue jeans and a black shirt. She also had loosened the bandages she had used to bound her chest, so her figure did look more feminine. People would not be able to identify her if they were looking for a guy.
Eyes were raised at the thief and prince's new look, but no one commented. They were focused on the future as they wondered what might happen to them.
A few minutes later, they were gathered at the end of the bridge over the River. It had again moved while they were on it, but this time it moved them back towards Haven. Vahn, having left the weremon in the hands of an advisor, was also with them. Sorcerymon had gone back into his Tapirmon form because it was an uncommon Champion form, and Tatsu and Sakura's horses had been left behind in the care of the weremon.
"Everyone, you have to be touching me or touching someone who's touching me," Kurai ordered, "or else you'll be left behind." They shuffled around for a few seconds until they were lined up together. "All right, then. Humans ready? Digimon ready?"
"Duh," said Tsukaimon.
She glared slightly at her Digimon. "I'll take that as a 'yes.' Let's go!" With a quick, focused burst of power, the humans, Digimon, and weremon vanished.
And they landed in a heap. "Ouch!" There was a scramble to get out of the pile.
"Tsukaimon! Your paw's shoved in my ear!" "That's not my paw! That's Patamon's!" "Gross! My poor paw!" "Someone's elbow is sticking in the back of my neck!" "Who stepped on me?" "I'm gonna have a black eye after this one…" "Ouch! I hope my leg's still attached." "Just shut up!" "At least my glasses aren't broken…" "How did we get in this stupid mess?"
Tatsu was the first to step out of the pile, and he took the time to observe his surroundings. They were in the back of a long, dead-end alleyway with a door on the right. On the door was a picture of a turtle.
Eventually everyone was able to untangle themselves from the pile. As they dusted themselves off, the turtle door opened a crack. A bright blue eye peeked out from the space near the handle, and then the door flew open. A pink-haired bundle of energy tackled Kurai.
"You're back!" the girl shouted. "You're back, you're back, you're back! Come on in! We're empty today!" The girl held firmly onto Kurai's hand and pulled her into the building.
"I know I'm back," Kurai sighed as she motioned for everyone else to follow her. "You don't have to shout it." Bemusedly, the others went in after her and shut the door behind them.
They found themselves in the common room of a fairly well kept inn. Many plants scattered around the room gave it an outdoors feeling, and tantalizing smells wafted from the kitchen behind the counter that also served as a bar. The wooden tables throughout the room were clean and dust free, as was the rest of the inn.
A second pink-haired, blue-eyed girl peeked from around a corner. When she saw Kurai, she repeated the first one's action of tackling her. "Oh, Kurai! You're back! Mom, Dad! She's back!" she shouted as she held onto Kurai's leg. A Floramon peeked shyly from around the corner.
The first twin noticed the others for the first time. "And she brought friends!"
"Lots of friends!" added the second.
A man and a woman walked in from the kitchen, followed by a Gotsumon and a Candlemon. The man was tall and thin with brown hair and eyes. The woman had blonde hair and green eyes. "Oh, Kurai! We didn't expect to see you around for a while," she said. "Who're your friends?"
"It's kinda a long story," Kurai said sheepishly. "But we need a place to stay for a day or two. It shouldn't be any longer."
"Kurai," the man said sternly, "this isn't any of your usual business, right?"
"Absolutely not!" she said cheerfully. "It's much more dangerous."
"That's cool," sighed one of the twins. "It's an adventure, right? That's how you met so many guys, right?"
"Pretty much. But this isn't one of my regular adventures. For one, I'm not planning on stealing anything."
An understanding look came into the man's eyes. "The Havens?"
"Yeah."
"We need to discuss this, then," the woman said. "Follow me." She showed them to a small bedroom near the kitchen, and then she showed them a well-concealed set of stone stairs. They walked down a few flights into a basement, and her Candlemon provided the light and lit small torches along the way.
The basement had a stone floor, but in some places a carpet was thrown down and seats were scattered about. There were doors that led to more rooms in the back, and a fireplace warmed it.
"No wonder you liked this in, Kurai!" said Tsukaimon with awe in his voice as he alighted on her shoulder. "It's perfect for a base!"
"You've found your Digimon," the woman commented. "That's good. You can use this, since it sounds like you're planning to fight the Havens. Do you really think that you can succeed?"
"Yes," was her reply. "We can tell you all about it, Mrs. Greenhill."
Their name is Greenhill? thought Phloem as Kurai began to explain. I wonder if I'm related to them. It'd be wonderful to meet my parents again.
"So, that's why we need to stay here," finished Kurai. "We just need to rest until we break into the castle."
Mrs. Greenhill let out a sigh. "Feel free to stay here. We haven't had any news lately; this inn's almost empty because the Havens have been limiting communication and travel in and out of the city for months. I was wondering what the uproar was about. When did this all start?"
"It was my fault," Rime said sheepishly. "I had Phloem imprisoned, and it all snowballed from there."
A sad expression crossed her face. "Phloem? I had a son named that, but I was told that he was killed ten years ago for not having a Digimon."
It was Phloem's Tapirmon who spoke up. "You're Phloem's mother?!"
"Do you mean to say that he's alive?!"
********
Elsewhere…
Inside the dimly lighted room, two shadowy figures looked over 3D hologram of the Angel's Domain. The city of Haven was highlighted
"They have appeared in the city, my lord. At that troublesome Turtle Tree Inn, I believe," a clear, musical voice came from the taller and slimmer of the figures.
The heavyset figure stirred. "Shall we let them come, my lady?" he replied harsher voice.
"Yes," said the first voice. "It should prove to be…amusing."
The man pressed a panel on the edge of the map. "Yes, your lordship?" asked a timid voice over the connection.
"Summon the Eight. Have them meet in the coliseum."
"T-the Eight, your lordship? Y-yes, sir, of course." The voice faded.
The taller of the figures smirked. "Yes, this will be most entertaining."
~Akugi: Who's Line is it Anyway? style~
Rime: *at desk, holding up sign: 'Chibigreen doesn't own 'Who's Line is it Anyway?'* You're not welcome to our show. I'm Rime, and I'll be hosting today. And here's today's contestants!
Sakura: *narrating* From the time of the original Digidestined, this Digimon has a long history behind him. It's Tapirmon!
Tapirmon: *appears floating over stool*
Brain: *also narrating* And our next contestant has definitely had a strange life! Meet the thieving transvestite, Kurai Happatai!
Kurai: Think of a politer name next time!
Sakura: We will! *grins* Our third victim…ah, participator…is known for his silence and wrapping his eyes in bandages! It's the cutest Digidestined, Tatsu!
Tatsu: Sakura… *apparently rolls his eyes, but it can't be seen through the bandages*
Brian: And the final contestant is a princess who hates to be one! It's… Pixie Sugar!
Pixie: It's Sugienna, not Sugar!
Rime: Whatever. Let's start the show. Today, we'll be playing a game called 'Change.' It will be between all four contestants. The scene they will be playing out is the 'Phloem's mom discovered' scene, with Tapirmon playing himself, Pixie playing me, and Kurai playing Phloem's mother. Whenever Tatsu says, "Change," then the last person that said something has to change what he said. Ready… Go!
Pixie: It was my fault. I did something stupid and decided to have Phloem locked up for my own amusement, but my plan didn't go the way I'd cruelly hoped.
Rime: That's not what I said…
Kurai: *overly dramatic* Phloem? I had a son named that. *wipes away a nonexistent tear* He was killed ten years ago for not having a Digimon. Oh, I'm so sad!
Tapirmon: *sweatdrops* You're Phloem's mother?!
Tatsu: Change.
Tapirmon: You're Phloem's teddy bear?!
Tatsu: Change.
Tapirmon: You're a mouse?!
Tatsu: Change.
Tapirmon: You're a piece of rotting cheese?!
Tatsu: Change.
Tapirmon: You're a psychotic talking rabbit?!
Rime: *hits the buzzer* Good job. Everyone doesn't get any points because this isn't real! BWAHAHAHA! Thank you for watching… er, reading.
Chibigreen's Ending Notes: Oh, well, I no longer have the e-mail address I use on my bio page. Someone used tried to break into my account, and I only found out because I got a few e-mails with my password in them that said my password had been requested using my e-mail address. So, now I have a new e-mail address, but you can still contact me at furret05@yahoo.com.
I also decided to let my muses reply to/eat the reviews for me. This should be interesting… Phloem, you're a muse again. You go first.
Chibi Phloem: That's fine with me. AlenAlectai sent in the first one. Chibigreen thanks you for the nice compliment. *eats review* It tastes like… vanilla pudding.
Chibi Rime: *grabs review* Let's see… The first one I'll reply to is from Tatsu no Houou… Look, I know that you want more attention on your characters, but the truth is, Chibigreen should focus on me.
Chibigreen: Rime!
Chibi Rime: That's my opinion, anyway. But she'll be putting more detail into your characters, no matter what I think. *eats the review* Grilled chicken.
Chibi Phloem: This one is from ChibiSora. She was polite enough to throw the review at the other muses, and it hit Rime in the head. Chibigreen's glad that you liked Relaina's evil grin. *eats review thoughtfully* And the flavor is…hmm…mixed berry?
Chibi Rime: Whatever. I get the next one. *grabs review* It's from PrincessKitty-Chan. How come all of the fanfiction fans suffer from Internet deprivation? Chibigreen's glad that you're finally coming to terms with the fact that Kurai is going to fall for me, whether you like it or not. And this review tastes like chocolate… Considering who wrote it, that isn't a surprise. Did you spill chocolate syrup on the review?
Chibi Phloem: And I get the last one! Yay! It's from Takeru and Hikari! I'm glad that you liked the romance, considering that I was one of the characters in the Vahn/Phloem part. ^__^ It tastes like… Cotton candy.
Chibigreen: Why cotton candy?
Chibi Phloem: It's fluffy, like the stuff that should happen between Vahn and me.
Chibigreen: ^__^;; I get the hint…
Chibi Phloem: We hope to see you back the next chapter! In the next chapter, the action REALLY begins! (And I don't get a big part. _)
Feed my muses! REVIEW!