Chapter 7: A new threat
"H ey, Kay?" "Yeah?" I paused before answering, staring up at the shadows on the canopy. "Well. I've been thinking about something." Kyra paused. "Did you hurt yourself?" I smiled in spite of myself. "You're one to talk." "Sorry. Couldn't resist." "Yeah right. Anyway, I've been kinda thinking about something. About how we've been traveling from world to world." "Yeah?" "Have you ever noticed how and when it happens?" "No, not really." "I mean, think about it. In the Digital world, it happened after we went to sleep, and we ended up waking in my room, but still in our animated forms. Then, it happened again after we fell asleep, this time appearing in Mr. Carr's class. And both times we left our world through a door." "So. what you're saying is, we pretty much switch worlds at the end of each day." "Yeah." "And we sort of transition to the next world through our own." "Right." "I guess you're right. I never thought about it before, but you're right. But then again, I guess that means that after we fall asleep here, we'll wake up back in our world, huh?" "I think so. That's how it's worked before." "Yeah, I guess," Kyra whispered, drifting into thoughtful silence. I, too, was somewhat lost in thought, thinking about all that we had learned today. Everything about Deesum and Rastal. Sirius. All that Gatomon had said. I guess it all had a pretty big impact on me. But, I have to admit, I think I took it all pretty well. Thanks to Gatomon's rousing 'pep- talk', both me and Lacey. excuse me, Kyra (to get used to ourselves, we started calling each other by our new names), accepted our role pretty easily. Maybe too easily, I suppose. But, in time, I'll get used to the idea. After our talk, we had gone to join Goku and the others. heh, well, me and Gatomon did. Kyra kind of sauntered off back in the direction Trunks was. Thinking this, I smirked, and asked dryly, "Oh, and by the way, where exactly were you after we had our talk? I was looking for you." My grin grew as I listened to the silence that followed, Kyra's face no doubt turning bright red. "N-nowhere." "Oh really? I had asked Goku, and he simply laughed, saying you had probably gone off with Trunks somewhere." "W- what would make him t-think that?" she stammered. "Oh, stop playing around, I know all about you two. How Trunks fell in love with you during his future, and did it all over again when he came back here to fight the androids. Goku and Gohan told me everything." Again, another satisfactory silence. "S-so?" "So. what were you two really doing?" I coaxed. "Just talking, that's all," she said hurriedly. "He just asked me a lot of questions about you, and everybody, like Goku, and Gohan, and his dad. grr," she likes Vegeta just about as much as she likes Jason, in case you couldn't tell, "oh, um, and Goten, and his younger self, and. well, everybody." "Really? That was all you did?" I asked suspiciously. This time, Kyra didn't even pause before saying quickly, "Good night, Prance. See you in the morning. uh, in our world, I guess." I smiled wryly. "Good night, Kay."
Darkness. Again. Just like before. I stood in the same, pitch-blackness as before, staring down at my reflection. It was distorted for some reason, as if ripples were running along its surface. I looked at my face, studying my blank, emotionless expression. Like I were not really there. Like I was a robot, or a zombie, or something. It is. your destiny. This darkness? This distortion? Yes. No, it can't be. But it is. No it's not. Not anymore. Yes it is. No! I'm going to fight it, now. I'm not going to let this become my destiny! You cannot fight it. You cannot fight fate. Yes I can! I'm going to win. We're going to win. Me and Kyra. You cannot win alone. But I'm not alone! I have Kyra with me, and Gatomon! You are alone. All by yourself, disconnected from everyone. No I'm not! You are alone. No! Alone.
"No!" I screamed, sitting up. Instantly, I regretted it as sunlight poured into my face. I shut my eyes, collapsing back down. "Stupid dream," I muttered. "You awake?" I opened my eyes and turned my head. I saw a large, dark green couch with black and wine colored pillows scattered over and around it. A brown and white blanket lay strewn across it, as if someone previously laying under it had moved. Looking down at myself, I saw I was also lying on a smaller couch with a thin, black blanket covering me. Sighing, I allowed my head to sink back into the velvet purple pillow. So I was right, afterall. This was the downstairs den of Kyra's. well, Lacey's, house. "Kay?" I called out softly. Simultaneously, Kyra's red head and blue- green eyes stuck out from around the wall beside me, smiling. "Oh, so you are awake." "What are you doing?" I muttered, stretching lazily. "Finding something to eat. Check it out," she added excitedly; disappearing again, "Mom bought those little Swiss chocolate rolls. I just love these!" "Pig," I murmured, swinging my legs around the side of the couch and pushing myself up. Walking into the kitchen, I noticed the time of 6:45 that the digital clock read from the cable box beneath her huge screen TV and moaned, settling myself into one of the black leather chairs situated at the bar. "How in the world you wake up so early, I will never know," I muttered, yawning. Kyra shrugged. "Me neither. I guess I'm just a morning person." "Yeah, whatever. So, where is everybody?" I asked. "Dunno. I checked my cell phone upstairs and it said it was Saturday, so I guess they went out garage-sale shopping." "This early?" "According to my mom, this is the best time to go." "Whatever," I groaned, still not fully awake. "Do you have anything that'll wake me up?" "I'll get you some water." "Thanks," was all I said as I laid my head down on the cold granite counter. "Where's Gatomon?" "Upstairs with Kira," she replied. Kira is the family's dog, an adorable, idiotic, cute, annoying, lovable little black-and-white rat terrier with a bladder control problem and the idea that everyone in the world should love and worship her. "Kira, even though she's been scratched and beat up by her, can't stop trying to sniff and inspect her." I chuckled. "Hah, dumb mutt. Sounds like her." "Yeah, really," Kyra agreed as she pushed a tall glass of ice water at me. Grabbing it, I gulped it down slowly to avoid brain freeze. "Oh, and guess what?" Kyra exclaimed. "What?" "You know how Gatomon said we should try to develop our powers and all that?" "Yeah." "Well," she began, leaning her elbows against the counter, "I tried to open my wings again this morning, before you woke up." "And?" I asked, gaining interest. "Well, I wasn't able to push them out all the way, but I did get a few feathers out of one." "A few feathers?" "Hey, every big accomplishment needs to have a start somewhere, doesn't it?" she replied, grinning. "Yeah, I guess so," I muttered, drinking the last of my water. "Kyra! Prance!" My cup dropped to the floor as the two of us rushed back into the den and to the entrance, turning right up the stairs and entering the first set of double doors. Inside, Gatomon on the huge king-sized waterbed, staring at the TV screen, not even paying attention to the small dog at least half her size barking at and pawing her tail. "What is it?" I asked. "Look," was all she said, raising her paw to point at the screen. Exchanging confused looks with each other, we walked inside and sat on either side of the digimon, Kyra grabbing Kira away from Gatomon's tail and forcing her to lie down on her lap. Explosions dominated the screen. Animated ones, that is. People and animals were dying left and right. The ground was littered with bodies drenched in blood. Scenes flashed back and forth between pale faces, burning buildings and more destruction. I gasped. Kyra covered her mouth with her hand, her fingers trembling. "T-that's one of the cities from Goku's world," she whispered hoarsely. "It must be-" "Rastal and Deesum, no doubt," I choked, "if not Sirius, too. What is all this?" Gatomon shook her head. "I don't know. I was just in here with the dog when next thing I knew, the television automatically turned on and I saw this." "We have to do something," Kyra said softly, "but what? We don't have near the power necessary to even pull a hair off their tails, much less do any damage." "Then why don't we go and find ourselves some of that power?" I suggested determinedly, feeling the blood within me boil. Kyra looked at me, studying me for a moment before smiling and nodding. "Yeah. Let's go." Before even I knew what I was doing, I found myself racing downstairs with Kyra right behind me. As she passed by, Gatomon hopped onto her shoulder while Kira began barking excitedly all the way down the stairs. Stupid mutt. Leaping down the last few stairs, I spun to my right and ran forward, reaching out my hand to grab the front door handle. "Prance, wait!" I slid to a stop just as I was about to turn the handle and spun around angrily. "What!? Why'd you make me stop? I was on a role!" A sweatdrop rolled down Kyra's face as she replied softly, "Don't you think it might be a good idea to look before you leap? Remember what happened last time?" A brief recollection of my small body falling thousands and thousands of feet in the air sent ripples along my fur as I gulped and smiled nervously, rubbing the back of my head. "O-oh, yeah. I guess that would be a good idea, huh?" "Not that I wanted to interrupt your superhero style dash for the front door or anything, but if I were you, I wouldn't depend too heavily on my wings opening a second time if you know what I mean." Nodding in agreement, I twirled back around and focused my attention on the doorknob, turning it slowly and gently pulling the door back. With eager and at the same time cautious curiosity, Kyra, Gatomon and myself stuck our heads around the sides of the door. Phew. It was just a street. No miles of concentrated air molecules to fall through or anything. Just a simple, animated street with rows of neat, little houses on either side. Just to make sure, however, I stuck my tail outside and carefully pressed against the ground. After assuring myself it was stable, I opened the door fully and stepped outside, Kyra, with Gatomon on her shoulder, following behind. "Bark bark!" Kyra twisted around and rolled her eyes, planting her hands firmly on her hips. "Kira, no! You're not going anywhere!" she yelled in a loud, authoritative tone. The dog took the hint. She instantly lowered her ears and slowly rolled to her back, exposing her belly in a canine signal of submission. Not showing any sympathy for her, however, Kyra leaned forward and pulled the door shut, the outlines of its form simultaneously melting into the background until it was gone. "How you can stand such a creature living in your house is beyond me," Gatomon muttered. "I second that!" I exclaimed. With a helpless shrug from Kyra, the three of us began walking down the street, Kyra and I trying to recognize any distinctive landmarks that might give us a clue as to where we were. Which, of course, meant we had to walk for quite a while. Geez, do we ever do anything but walk? "Ahhhh!!!" I was instantly jerked out of my thoughts as my head popped up, ears alert, looking around for the source of the scream. "Prance, did you hear that?" Kyra asked, urgently. I rolled my eyes. "Is it really that necessary to say 'duh'?" "It came from over there!" Gatomon said, ignoring us as she leapt off Kyra's shoulder and jumped over a wall. Exchanging glances, we rushed after her, easily flying over the wall. Landing on the other side, I pressed my ruffled skirt down and continued running. "Grr, someone wanna remind me why I absolutely had to draw Prance in a skirt!" Kyra turned over her shoulder and grinned. "Because, you look just so fashionable in it! And besides. it matches your shoes." "Shut up, Kay," I spat. "Just shut up and run!" "Look! Up there!" Gatomon shouted from ahead of us. Looking up, we saw the cause for alarm. Ahead of us, across the street, sat what looked like a small park with swings, sand boxes, and a large, very familiar-looking slide that resembled a penguin with a crown. Next to the slide was what looked like a large, dark golden bubble made of electricity. Inside the bubble sat two children, a boy and a girl of about ten or eleven years, each clinging onto each other. "No way!" I whispered, amazed. Glancing at Kyra, I could tell by the gaping mouth and wide eyes she was thinking the same thing. "Well, don't just stand there!" Gatomon scolded. "Do something!" "Like what?" I asked. Gatomon turned and pointed at Kyra. "You, hold your hands out on the surface of the barrier." "Me!? Why me!?" "You can absorb the power through your hands, baby," Gatomon muttered. "Why can't she do it?" Kyra whined, sticking a finger out in my direction. I smirked. "You baby, I'm gonna help you!" Kyra looked at me, hesitating before grinning sheepishly. "Oh. I knew that." "Baby," I murmured, walking forward towards where the two children were. Kyra followed behind, her head hanging low. "I'm not a baby." "Yeah, right," I replied, "let's just do this." With a nod, Kyra placed her hands on top of the electric barrier at the same time I did. At first, it hurt. It really hurt. It felt like fire racing through my veins instead of blood, searing my skin. I could feel it slowly seeping through my fingers, then more quickly, surging up my arms and dispersing through the rest of my body, all the way down to my toes and the end of my tail. But I stuck through it, knowing that the fate of the two children depended on my and Kyra's efforts. Besides, compared to some of the stuff my brothers made me go through, this was almost nothing. As I glanced at Kyra, I noticed she was experiencing the same pain I was. However, after another moment, I noticed her gritted teeth and squeezed shut eyes were subsiding. The pain seemed to be wearing off. It did for me, too. What used to be searing pain turned into more of the feeling you get in your toes when your foot falls asleep- just a minor, almost tickling type of sensation. Sure enough, the electric dome was fading, too. What was once a bright, dark golden color was now hardly even visible, barely flickering with life.
"Keep it up, we almost have it," Kyra exclaimed excitedly. "I can see that, Kay. I have eyes, too." Kyra glared at me. "What is this, 'pick-on-Kay Day'?" "Would both of you shut up?" Gatomon commanded. "The barrier's gone." Temporarily ignoring our mock feud, we held out hands to the stunned children and helped them to their feet. The girl dusted her black and white school uniform off with one hand, brushing the dust off her auburn brown hair. It was cut short, just above her shoulders and hung at either side of her head in two, cute little pigtails, save several strands beside her face, which hung low by her chin. Her emerald green eyes opened tentatively, looking around nervously as she clutched a long, pink wand with what looked like a bird's head on one end of it. Her companion's brown eyes opened and instantly turned towards her, concerned. His think, shaggy dark brown hair hung low in his face, which displayed an upset expression. He wore a black and white school uniform similar to the girl's with the same black jacket and white collar, except for the fact that he wore a pair of black pants instead of the white skirt the girl wore. At his side resting on the ground was a heavy, metal sword with a golden hilt. Kyra was the first to speak up. "Sakura, Li, are you guys okay?" The girl rubbed a sore spot on her arm as she smiled. "Yeah, we're fine." "Took you two long enough to get here," the boy muttered, picking up his sword and inspecting it for any damage. Kyra laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head as a sweatdrop rolled down the side of her head. "Sorry 'bout that, Li. We got here as fast as we could." "It's okay," Sakura assured her, "we're just glad you got here." "Who is that?" Li asked, pointing his sword at Gatomon. I paused. "Uh, well. we'll have to explain that later. but, for right now, what happened, anyway? What was that?" "We don't know," Sakura admitted. "I was at home with Tori and Kero when I sensed a huge power, and rushed here as fast as I could." "I showed up a few minutes later," Li spoke up, "and the next thing we knew, that huge electric field appeared out of nowhere and we couldn't move. Sakura couldn't use the cards and I couldn't use my incantations." "We were stuck until you and Prance showed up," Sakura added, smiling. I smiled. "Well, we're just glad we could help." Briefly, I glanced at Kyra. That's weird, they know me, here, too. They aren't supposed to, are they? No, they're not. Nodding, I turned to Sakura. "Did you see who threw that electric barrier thing?" Sakura looked down at the ground. "No." An affirming shake of his head assured me that Li didn't see anyone, either. Sighing, I folded my arms and looked around. "Well, I wonder who-" "I think I saw who did it." Everyone turned to the familiar voice as a small, golden teddy bear like creature flew towards us, staring at me with his beady black eyes. I looked at Keroberos questioningly. "You do?" Kero nodded. "Yeah. She," he muttered, jerking his thumb at Sakura, "just left the house without warning, and I had a bit of a hard time trying to follow her. By the time I did, I saw her and the brat kid underneath that barrier and somebody else walking away from it." "If you saw us in trouble, why didn't you help out?" Li demanded. Kero glared at him. "I was going to when I saw Kyra and Prance run forward to help. So, with them on the case, I figured I'd be more useful trying to track down the other guy." "Did you end up finding him?" Kyra asked, intrigued. Kero shook his head. "No, not really. Not enough to get a good look at him, anyway. But I did notice he had blonde hair and what looked like a gold tail coming out from beneath his shirt." I bit my lip, glancing at Kyra who looked at me at the exact same time. Rastal, we thought together. "So does this mean someone's after us?" Sakura asked timidly. "Don't worry," Kyra said gently. "I'm sure we'll be able to take care of it." "I hope so." Li glanced at Sakura, looking like he was struggling between wanting to comfort her or keeping his distance. I smiled. This was the Cardcaptors I knew. While Kyra and Kero spoke, Gatomon quietly slipped onto my shoulder and whispered, "That guy that he spoke of- was he the one from the other world?" I nodded. "Yeah, one of them." "So that means they can travel between worlds, too?" "Looks like it," I replied. "Why do you ask? Isn't it kind of obvious?" "Well, yeah." I glanced at her, suddenly aware of a confused expression planted on her feline face. "What is it?" "There's something I'll have to talk to you and Kyra about later, but not now," she whispered, "not in front of them." "Okay, if you say so," I muttered. "So, Prance, you never did tell us who your friend was," Li remarked, glancing at the two of us. Unknown to him, a sweatdrop rolled down the back of our heads. "Let's just say she's a friend of mine," I muttered. Li narrowed his eyes, smirking. "Yeah, I can see the resemblance." "What!?" Gatomon yelled frantically, "You think I look like that idiotic, freakish-looking, insult-to-all-cats weakling?" "What did you call me!?" I screamed back, fuming. "Hey, come on, guys," Lacey said, smiling nervously, "this really isn't the time for-" "SHUT UP!" we both exclaimed at the same time. Kyra instantly shrank behind Li, muttering a soft, "Oh, never mind, don't mind me." Sakura leaned forward towards Kyra, covering her mouth with her hand and whispering, "Do they always argue like this?" Unknown to me and Gatomon, Kyra timidly turned and nodded, a grim expression on her face. "Wow, they fight more than Kero and Meilin," Sakura replied thoughtfully. As Kero glared briefly at Sakura, both Kyra and Li remained silent, sweatdrops rolling down their heads. No one had any response to that. Meanwhile. "Why you dirty little scamp!" "Hah! Like I would actually care about your petty insults!" Gatomon spat. "You're not even worth my time." "Oh, I swear," I hissed, eyes glowing with rage, "just wait until I get my powers down. I'll burn you so bad, you'll look like kitty litter!" "Yeah, like that'll ever happen." "Why you little-" "Come on, you guys," Sakura broke in cheerfully, "you really shouldn't be fighting." See, had this been Kyra, again, we would have simply told her to shut up. Again. But since this was Sakura, someone we didn't know as well and who didn't know us, we both felt obliged to obey. Despite this, however, we both spun around, arms crossed, and loudly "Hmph!"-ed, holding our chins high. I noticed out of the corner of my eyes Kyra sink her head into her hand. "Well, now that we have that taken care of," Kero replied, glancing back and forth between me and Gatomon warily, ". uh, temporarily, what are we going to do about our new problem?" "I don't know about you," Li replied, throwing a brief glance at Sakura, "but I'm beat. I say we go back home for now and meet later tonight to discuss things." "Sounds good to me," Sakura replied happily. "I'm tired, too." I was about to agree when a sudden thought crossed my mind. "Yeah, but not too late, though." Everyone, save Gatomon, of course, looked at me, all confused except for Kyra. "Why?" Kero asked curiously. "Kyra, the rat," I added, glaring venomously at the digimon, "and I have. well, let's just call it a prior engagement later tonight." "Well, okay," Sakura said brightly. "Doesn't sound like a problem to me." Kyra nodded. Good thinking. I grinned smugly, privately wishing Gatomon had heard the compliment. Recognizing the look, Kyra suddenly had a worried look cross her face and leaned over to Sakura, starting to whisper something in her ear when she looked at me. Or, more precisely, my ears. Quickly, she straightened and merely looked at the girl, probably telepathically communicating with her for several seconds later, Sakura smiled and nodded, walking towards Gatomon as Kyra walked towards Li and me. "What did you tell her?" I asked suspiciously. Kyra grinned. "Oh, I just asked her if Gatomon could hang out with her and Kero. Thought it might be smarter than having her come back with you." I grimaced. "True." Nodding, Kyra turned to Li. "Well, ready to go?" Li shrugged, walking past her towards one of the streets. Walking behind him, I leaned over and whispered, "Is he your brother?" She leaned over and whispered back, "Well, he's supposed to be. So far, I think it's all alright, but you never know, huh?" Nodding, I straightened and continued walking, pushing my fluffed out skirt down occasionally. Whether it was because of all that electrical energy I had absorbed or what, it suddenly felt like creeping up every so often and bugged the heck out of me. I glanced at Kyra's comfortable jean shorts and sighed. Lucky. "Uh, you having problems?" Kyra asked pointedly, unable to hide the sly sparkle in her eyes. I narrowed my eyes. "No, I happen to be perfectly fine, thank you!" I snapped. "Sure?" "Hunky Dory!" Kyra nodded, obviously not believing me for five minutes later, after noticing I was still having trouble with the skirt, she leaned over again and whispered, "You know, I probably have clothes you can borrow back at Li's apartment, if you-" "Thank God!" I whispered harshly, pushing my skirt down yet again. "I was seriously getting ready to rip this thing off, myself!" Kyra giggled and nodded. "Sure thing. It looks like we're almost there, anyway," she added, pointing to the tall apartment building not far away that Li was heading towards. Sighing my relief, I all but ripped my skirt to my knees as I pressed on. Several minutes later, Kyra and I found ourselves stepping out of the elevator onto the third floor, and walking down the hallway to the door Li had left open. Stepping inside after Kyra, I closed the door and turned to study the small apartment. For a place supposedly kept by a kid and Kyra, it was surprisingly decent, no piles of clothes on the floor or dishes piling up on the sink like I would have expected (she isn't exactly the tidiest person I know, in case you couldn't tell.). Instead, it was all quite neat. In front of me sat a long couch with small pillows scattered across it, facing the television set. Behind the "living room" was an even smaller kitchenette about the size of a large closet with a refridgerator, stove and sink crammed into one space while a three-seated table sat next to it against the wall. Between the kitchenette and the living room was a narrow hallway, most likely leading to the bedrooms. Noticing Li's sword leaned against the wall nest to the TV, I leaned over towards Kyra and smirked. "Wow, I'm impressed. Considering the fact that you live here, I'm quite shocked to be able to even see the floor." "Shut up," she hissed, elbowing me none too lightly. Of course, expecting such a reaction, I was easily able to step out of the way, leaving time for her to snort softly and begin walking towards the hallway, saying along the way, "Come on, if you want to change out of those clothes." Following quickly behind, she led me to the first room on the left- a spacious, neat little bedroom with a large bed beneath the windowsill, pillows and stuffed animals strewn across the top. A dresser next to the door, a desk beside the bed and a bookshelf next to that totaled all the furniture in the room. Again, to my surprise, it was all completely clean! I was about to mention this to Kyra when I noted the 'don't-you-even-dare- think-about-it' look she gave me and instantly clamped my mouth tighter. After that, I couldn't tell whether she had merely shrugged or attempted to hide a smile of satisfaction as she turned and jerked her thumb towards the adjoined closet doors on the opposite side of her bed as the desk. "The clothes in there are yours for the taking. Take whatever you'd like- I'm gonna go take a shower and get these clothes washed." "Don't you want to change your clothes?" I asked. Kyra turned back to me and grinned. "What, and mess up my traditional attire? Tu rigoles, pour sur!" she added, laughing at her own imperfect French. I rolled my eyes. "Whatever." As Kyra disappeared out the door and down the hallway, I paused before entering the closet, taking the time to examine the pictures set up on her desk. They littered the desk surface, some set in frames, others tacked on the wall. Most were of her and Li, some now, and some a lot older due to Kyra's younger appearance. One even included Li and four other girls- Li's four other sisters. By now, I had pretty much made the assumption that he was her brother, and the pictures were the evidence to support my guess. Other pictures included Sakura and Kero, most likely taken by the illustrious Madison, the photography fanatic best friend of Sakura's. More than a few photos of herself included two other guys, both her age- Tori, the dark haired, protective older brother of Sakura, and Julian, his gluttonous yet sweet and kind hearted friend. Knowing Kyra, it was hard to tell whether or not she considered either as a boyfriend, or both of them as good friends. Like previously mentioned, her mind is something I won't even attempt to deal with. As my eyes scanned over each of the pictures, they stopped on one framed in a deep, red oak with flowers engraved on it. Curious, I reached forward and picked the picture up, looking at it closely. In the photo were two people, arms linked across their shoulders, smiling gaily. One, of course, was Kyra, and the other, to my ultimate surprise, was me! Me, though, without my ears and tail. And, instead of my normal uniform, I wore one identical to the one she wore in the picture- a long, light blue jacket over a white shirt and dark blue tie, with a long, also dark blue skirt hanging past my knees- the uniform of the Readington High School Tori and Julian attended. So I'm a part in all this, too? I wondered, gently replacing the frame back on the desk. With thoughts milling through my head, I absently walked to the closet and slid open the doors. Many clothes were hung neatly (again- big surprise!) on hangers, from multicolored shirts to ironed shorts, jeans, and skirts. I grinned. Hey, this might be fun, I thought as I sorted through the clothes, wondering what look I should give the new Prance.
About an hour later, I stepped out of the bathroom, my hair still wet, and walked quietly down the hallway towards Kyra's room. Pushing the door open, I smiled, waving my hand emphatically. "Well, whadya think?" Kyra looked up, her face brightening. "Well, well, looks like Miss Prance is in style!" I grinned confidently, agreeing with her. And why wouldn't I, I'd like to know? I thought I looked way cool. Walking to the wall beside her bed, I gazed at myself at the full length mirror, marveling at my change. Instead of my puffy-sleeved school shirt, I now wore a dark green, loose fitting shirt reaching just below my waist with sleeves barely skimming my elbows. My pants (thank God, I finally have pants!) reminded me of military-type cargo pants, kind of khaki in color and somewhat baggy, tucked into my tall, brown shoes, which were, by the way, much more comfortable for running and jumping and all that stuff that my other ones. My hair, still glistening with moisture from the shower, no longer hung loosely around me, but was instead tied back into a long braid that ended at about just past my waist. Oh, yeah, I thought smugly, I be cool! "Ladies and gentlemen," Kyra began, holding an imaginary microphone to her lips, "and here is the highlight of tonight's show- the lovely Miss Prance, sporting the ever stylish hip-hugging cargo pants and sleek tee, the newest fashion statement of the century!" "Very funny," I scoffed, flicking my tail at her. Kyra leaned back to avoid the hit, grinning childishly. "Aw, come on, like you never dreamed of being a fashion model." I raised an eyebrow mockingly. "Who said I ever had to dream it?" At this comment, both of us reeled over laughing, me clutching my stomach while Kyra rolled onto her back, laughing so hard she nearly fell off the bed! Our joy was short lived, however, as we suddenly heard the loud, steady ring of the phone in the living room. Before we could even open the door, Li was there with the phone at his ear, saying gruffly, "Yeah?" Hiding behind the door, Kyra and I snickered as we noticed his cheeks flush and his tone lighten as he said quickly, "Oh, Sakura. I, uh. huh? She wants to talk to them?. What, here?. well, alright, I'll go get them." Exchanging questioning glances, Kyra and I walked outside and down the hallway to the living room. Li looked up at us, pointing at the receiver and mouthing that it was for us. Glancing back at me, Kyra shrugged as she stepped forward to claim the phone while I plopped myself down on the couch, flicking my ears back and forth to hear the conversation. "Sakura?" "It's not Sakura, it's me," replied a gruff voice. I rolled my eyes. Kyra saw the move and merely smiled. "Oh, sorry Gatomon. What did you need?" "Didn't Prance tell you I needed to talk to you guys?" "No, she didn't happen to mention any of that to me," Kyra replied, throwing a frown in my direction. I shrugged, unconcerned. "Figures," Gatomon muttered. "Anyway, meet me at the park. There's something I need to tell you." "When?" "Now!" "Oh, okay, okay!" Kyra said quickly, but to no avail, for the line was already dead. Placing the receiver back on the hook, Kyra stared sternly at me, grinning. "Geez, what's her problem?" "I think the correct question is what's not her problem," I replied dryly. Kyra nodded, smirking. "If there is anything." "Doubt it," I muttered. "So, shall we go then?" Kyra asked, folded her arms. Shrugging, I grudgingly pushed myself off the couch and arched my back, enjoying the pleasurable stretch. "Well, I guess so. Doesn't look like much else is gonna happen until we all meet up, again, tonight, so we might as well." "Sounds good to me," Kyra quipped, turning to Li. "So, I guess we'll see ya later. We're going to go meet Gatomon to go talk with her about. uh, something or other." Li shrugged. "Kay, then. Don't be out too long." Kyra grinned, wrapping an arm around her "brother's" neck and lovingly pulling him close, giggling. "Sure thing, mother." "Cut it out," he muttered, turning slightly red despite his small smile. Laughing, Kyra released him and strolled to the front door, turning back to him briefly. "Well, see ya!"
"H ey, Kay?" "Yeah?" I paused before answering, staring up at the shadows on the canopy. "Well. I've been thinking about something." Kyra paused. "Did you hurt yourself?" I smiled in spite of myself. "You're one to talk." "Sorry. Couldn't resist." "Yeah right. Anyway, I've been kinda thinking about something. About how we've been traveling from world to world." "Yeah?" "Have you ever noticed how and when it happens?" "No, not really." "I mean, think about it. In the Digital world, it happened after we went to sleep, and we ended up waking in my room, but still in our animated forms. Then, it happened again after we fell asleep, this time appearing in Mr. Carr's class. And both times we left our world through a door." "So. what you're saying is, we pretty much switch worlds at the end of each day." "Yeah." "And we sort of transition to the next world through our own." "Right." "I guess you're right. I never thought about it before, but you're right. But then again, I guess that means that after we fall asleep here, we'll wake up back in our world, huh?" "I think so. That's how it's worked before." "Yeah, I guess," Kyra whispered, drifting into thoughtful silence. I, too, was somewhat lost in thought, thinking about all that we had learned today. Everything about Deesum and Rastal. Sirius. All that Gatomon had said. I guess it all had a pretty big impact on me. But, I have to admit, I think I took it all pretty well. Thanks to Gatomon's rousing 'pep- talk', both me and Lacey. excuse me, Kyra (to get used to ourselves, we started calling each other by our new names), accepted our role pretty easily. Maybe too easily, I suppose. But, in time, I'll get used to the idea. After our talk, we had gone to join Goku and the others. heh, well, me and Gatomon did. Kyra kind of sauntered off back in the direction Trunks was. Thinking this, I smirked, and asked dryly, "Oh, and by the way, where exactly were you after we had our talk? I was looking for you." My grin grew as I listened to the silence that followed, Kyra's face no doubt turning bright red. "N-nowhere." "Oh really? I had asked Goku, and he simply laughed, saying you had probably gone off with Trunks somewhere." "W- what would make him t-think that?" she stammered. "Oh, stop playing around, I know all about you two. How Trunks fell in love with you during his future, and did it all over again when he came back here to fight the androids. Goku and Gohan told me everything." Again, another satisfactory silence. "S-so?" "So. what were you two really doing?" I coaxed. "Just talking, that's all," she said hurriedly. "He just asked me a lot of questions about you, and everybody, like Goku, and Gohan, and his dad. grr," she likes Vegeta just about as much as she likes Jason, in case you couldn't tell, "oh, um, and Goten, and his younger self, and. well, everybody." "Really? That was all you did?" I asked suspiciously. This time, Kyra didn't even pause before saying quickly, "Good night, Prance. See you in the morning. uh, in our world, I guess." I smiled wryly. "Good night, Kay."
Darkness. Again. Just like before. I stood in the same, pitch-blackness as before, staring down at my reflection. It was distorted for some reason, as if ripples were running along its surface. I looked at my face, studying my blank, emotionless expression. Like I were not really there. Like I was a robot, or a zombie, or something. It is. your destiny. This darkness? This distortion? Yes. No, it can't be. But it is. No it's not. Not anymore. Yes it is. No! I'm going to fight it, now. I'm not going to let this become my destiny! You cannot fight it. You cannot fight fate. Yes I can! I'm going to win. We're going to win. Me and Kyra. You cannot win alone. But I'm not alone! I have Kyra with me, and Gatomon! You are alone. All by yourself, disconnected from everyone. No I'm not! You are alone. No! Alone.
"No!" I screamed, sitting up. Instantly, I regretted it as sunlight poured into my face. I shut my eyes, collapsing back down. "Stupid dream," I muttered. "You awake?" I opened my eyes and turned my head. I saw a large, dark green couch with black and wine colored pillows scattered over and around it. A brown and white blanket lay strewn across it, as if someone previously laying under it had moved. Looking down at myself, I saw I was also lying on a smaller couch with a thin, black blanket covering me. Sighing, I allowed my head to sink back into the velvet purple pillow. So I was right, afterall. This was the downstairs den of Kyra's. well, Lacey's, house. "Kay?" I called out softly. Simultaneously, Kyra's red head and blue- green eyes stuck out from around the wall beside me, smiling. "Oh, so you are awake." "What are you doing?" I muttered, stretching lazily. "Finding something to eat. Check it out," she added excitedly; disappearing again, "Mom bought those little Swiss chocolate rolls. I just love these!" "Pig," I murmured, swinging my legs around the side of the couch and pushing myself up. Walking into the kitchen, I noticed the time of 6:45 that the digital clock read from the cable box beneath her huge screen TV and moaned, settling myself into one of the black leather chairs situated at the bar. "How in the world you wake up so early, I will never know," I muttered, yawning. Kyra shrugged. "Me neither. I guess I'm just a morning person." "Yeah, whatever. So, where is everybody?" I asked. "Dunno. I checked my cell phone upstairs and it said it was Saturday, so I guess they went out garage-sale shopping." "This early?" "According to my mom, this is the best time to go." "Whatever," I groaned, still not fully awake. "Do you have anything that'll wake me up?" "I'll get you some water." "Thanks," was all I said as I laid my head down on the cold granite counter. "Where's Gatomon?" "Upstairs with Kira," she replied. Kira is the family's dog, an adorable, idiotic, cute, annoying, lovable little black-and-white rat terrier with a bladder control problem and the idea that everyone in the world should love and worship her. "Kira, even though she's been scratched and beat up by her, can't stop trying to sniff and inspect her." I chuckled. "Hah, dumb mutt. Sounds like her." "Yeah, really," Kyra agreed as she pushed a tall glass of ice water at me. Grabbing it, I gulped it down slowly to avoid brain freeze. "Oh, and guess what?" Kyra exclaimed. "What?" "You know how Gatomon said we should try to develop our powers and all that?" "Yeah." "Well," she began, leaning her elbows against the counter, "I tried to open my wings again this morning, before you woke up." "And?" I asked, gaining interest. "Well, I wasn't able to push them out all the way, but I did get a few feathers out of one." "A few feathers?" "Hey, every big accomplishment needs to have a start somewhere, doesn't it?" she replied, grinning. "Yeah, I guess so," I muttered, drinking the last of my water. "Kyra! Prance!" My cup dropped to the floor as the two of us rushed back into the den and to the entrance, turning right up the stairs and entering the first set of double doors. Inside, Gatomon on the huge king-sized waterbed, staring at the TV screen, not even paying attention to the small dog at least half her size barking at and pawing her tail. "What is it?" I asked. "Look," was all she said, raising her paw to point at the screen. Exchanging confused looks with each other, we walked inside and sat on either side of the digimon, Kyra grabbing Kira away from Gatomon's tail and forcing her to lie down on her lap. Explosions dominated the screen. Animated ones, that is. People and animals were dying left and right. The ground was littered with bodies drenched in blood. Scenes flashed back and forth between pale faces, burning buildings and more destruction. I gasped. Kyra covered her mouth with her hand, her fingers trembling. "T-that's one of the cities from Goku's world," she whispered hoarsely. "It must be-" "Rastal and Deesum, no doubt," I choked, "if not Sirius, too. What is all this?" Gatomon shook her head. "I don't know. I was just in here with the dog when next thing I knew, the television automatically turned on and I saw this." "We have to do something," Kyra said softly, "but what? We don't have near the power necessary to even pull a hair off their tails, much less do any damage." "Then why don't we go and find ourselves some of that power?" I suggested determinedly, feeling the blood within me boil. Kyra looked at me, studying me for a moment before smiling and nodding. "Yeah. Let's go." Before even I knew what I was doing, I found myself racing downstairs with Kyra right behind me. As she passed by, Gatomon hopped onto her shoulder while Kira began barking excitedly all the way down the stairs. Stupid mutt. Leaping down the last few stairs, I spun to my right and ran forward, reaching out my hand to grab the front door handle. "Prance, wait!" I slid to a stop just as I was about to turn the handle and spun around angrily. "What!? Why'd you make me stop? I was on a role!" A sweatdrop rolled down Kyra's face as she replied softly, "Don't you think it might be a good idea to look before you leap? Remember what happened last time?" A brief recollection of my small body falling thousands and thousands of feet in the air sent ripples along my fur as I gulped and smiled nervously, rubbing the back of my head. "O-oh, yeah. I guess that would be a good idea, huh?" "Not that I wanted to interrupt your superhero style dash for the front door or anything, but if I were you, I wouldn't depend too heavily on my wings opening a second time if you know what I mean." Nodding in agreement, I twirled back around and focused my attention on the doorknob, turning it slowly and gently pulling the door back. With eager and at the same time cautious curiosity, Kyra, Gatomon and myself stuck our heads around the sides of the door. Phew. It was just a street. No miles of concentrated air molecules to fall through or anything. Just a simple, animated street with rows of neat, little houses on either side. Just to make sure, however, I stuck my tail outside and carefully pressed against the ground. After assuring myself it was stable, I opened the door fully and stepped outside, Kyra, with Gatomon on her shoulder, following behind. "Bark bark!" Kyra twisted around and rolled her eyes, planting her hands firmly on her hips. "Kira, no! You're not going anywhere!" she yelled in a loud, authoritative tone. The dog took the hint. She instantly lowered her ears and slowly rolled to her back, exposing her belly in a canine signal of submission. Not showing any sympathy for her, however, Kyra leaned forward and pulled the door shut, the outlines of its form simultaneously melting into the background until it was gone. "How you can stand such a creature living in your house is beyond me," Gatomon muttered. "I second that!" I exclaimed. With a helpless shrug from Kyra, the three of us began walking down the street, Kyra and I trying to recognize any distinctive landmarks that might give us a clue as to where we were. Which, of course, meant we had to walk for quite a while. Geez, do we ever do anything but walk? "Ahhhh!!!" I was instantly jerked out of my thoughts as my head popped up, ears alert, looking around for the source of the scream. "Prance, did you hear that?" Kyra asked, urgently. I rolled my eyes. "Is it really that necessary to say 'duh'?" "It came from over there!" Gatomon said, ignoring us as she leapt off Kyra's shoulder and jumped over a wall. Exchanging glances, we rushed after her, easily flying over the wall. Landing on the other side, I pressed my ruffled skirt down and continued running. "Grr, someone wanna remind me why I absolutely had to draw Prance in a skirt!" Kyra turned over her shoulder and grinned. "Because, you look just so fashionable in it! And besides. it matches your shoes." "Shut up, Kay," I spat. "Just shut up and run!" "Look! Up there!" Gatomon shouted from ahead of us. Looking up, we saw the cause for alarm. Ahead of us, across the street, sat what looked like a small park with swings, sand boxes, and a large, very familiar-looking slide that resembled a penguin with a crown. Next to the slide was what looked like a large, dark golden bubble made of electricity. Inside the bubble sat two children, a boy and a girl of about ten or eleven years, each clinging onto each other. "No way!" I whispered, amazed. Glancing at Kyra, I could tell by the gaping mouth and wide eyes she was thinking the same thing. "Well, don't just stand there!" Gatomon scolded. "Do something!" "Like what?" I asked. Gatomon turned and pointed at Kyra. "You, hold your hands out on the surface of the barrier." "Me!? Why me!?" "You can absorb the power through your hands, baby," Gatomon muttered. "Why can't she do it?" Kyra whined, sticking a finger out in my direction. I smirked. "You baby, I'm gonna help you!" Kyra looked at me, hesitating before grinning sheepishly. "Oh. I knew that." "Baby," I murmured, walking forward towards where the two children were. Kyra followed behind, her head hanging low. "I'm not a baby." "Yeah, right," I replied, "let's just do this." With a nod, Kyra placed her hands on top of the electric barrier at the same time I did. At first, it hurt. It really hurt. It felt like fire racing through my veins instead of blood, searing my skin. I could feel it slowly seeping through my fingers, then more quickly, surging up my arms and dispersing through the rest of my body, all the way down to my toes and the end of my tail. But I stuck through it, knowing that the fate of the two children depended on my and Kyra's efforts. Besides, compared to some of the stuff my brothers made me go through, this was almost nothing. As I glanced at Kyra, I noticed she was experiencing the same pain I was. However, after another moment, I noticed her gritted teeth and squeezed shut eyes were subsiding. The pain seemed to be wearing off. It did for me, too. What used to be searing pain turned into more of the feeling you get in your toes when your foot falls asleep- just a minor, almost tickling type of sensation. Sure enough, the electric dome was fading, too. What was once a bright, dark golden color was now hardly even visible, barely flickering with life.
"Keep it up, we almost have it," Kyra exclaimed excitedly. "I can see that, Kay. I have eyes, too." Kyra glared at me. "What is this, 'pick-on-Kay Day'?" "Would both of you shut up?" Gatomon commanded. "The barrier's gone." Temporarily ignoring our mock feud, we held out hands to the stunned children and helped them to their feet. The girl dusted her black and white school uniform off with one hand, brushing the dust off her auburn brown hair. It was cut short, just above her shoulders and hung at either side of her head in two, cute little pigtails, save several strands beside her face, which hung low by her chin. Her emerald green eyes opened tentatively, looking around nervously as she clutched a long, pink wand with what looked like a bird's head on one end of it. Her companion's brown eyes opened and instantly turned towards her, concerned. His think, shaggy dark brown hair hung low in his face, which displayed an upset expression. He wore a black and white school uniform similar to the girl's with the same black jacket and white collar, except for the fact that he wore a pair of black pants instead of the white skirt the girl wore. At his side resting on the ground was a heavy, metal sword with a golden hilt. Kyra was the first to speak up. "Sakura, Li, are you guys okay?" The girl rubbed a sore spot on her arm as she smiled. "Yeah, we're fine." "Took you two long enough to get here," the boy muttered, picking up his sword and inspecting it for any damage. Kyra laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head as a sweatdrop rolled down the side of her head. "Sorry 'bout that, Li. We got here as fast as we could." "It's okay," Sakura assured her, "we're just glad you got here." "Who is that?" Li asked, pointing his sword at Gatomon. I paused. "Uh, well. we'll have to explain that later. but, for right now, what happened, anyway? What was that?" "We don't know," Sakura admitted. "I was at home with Tori and Kero when I sensed a huge power, and rushed here as fast as I could." "I showed up a few minutes later," Li spoke up, "and the next thing we knew, that huge electric field appeared out of nowhere and we couldn't move. Sakura couldn't use the cards and I couldn't use my incantations." "We were stuck until you and Prance showed up," Sakura added, smiling. I smiled. "Well, we're just glad we could help." Briefly, I glanced at Kyra. That's weird, they know me, here, too. They aren't supposed to, are they? No, they're not. Nodding, I turned to Sakura. "Did you see who threw that electric barrier thing?" Sakura looked down at the ground. "No." An affirming shake of his head assured me that Li didn't see anyone, either. Sighing, I folded my arms and looked around. "Well, I wonder who-" "I think I saw who did it." Everyone turned to the familiar voice as a small, golden teddy bear like creature flew towards us, staring at me with his beady black eyes. I looked at Keroberos questioningly. "You do?" Kero nodded. "Yeah. She," he muttered, jerking his thumb at Sakura, "just left the house without warning, and I had a bit of a hard time trying to follow her. By the time I did, I saw her and the brat kid underneath that barrier and somebody else walking away from it." "If you saw us in trouble, why didn't you help out?" Li demanded. Kero glared at him. "I was going to when I saw Kyra and Prance run forward to help. So, with them on the case, I figured I'd be more useful trying to track down the other guy." "Did you end up finding him?" Kyra asked, intrigued. Kero shook his head. "No, not really. Not enough to get a good look at him, anyway. But I did notice he had blonde hair and what looked like a gold tail coming out from beneath his shirt." I bit my lip, glancing at Kyra who looked at me at the exact same time. Rastal, we thought together. "So does this mean someone's after us?" Sakura asked timidly. "Don't worry," Kyra said gently. "I'm sure we'll be able to take care of it." "I hope so." Li glanced at Sakura, looking like he was struggling between wanting to comfort her or keeping his distance. I smiled. This was the Cardcaptors I knew. While Kyra and Kero spoke, Gatomon quietly slipped onto my shoulder and whispered, "That guy that he spoke of- was he the one from the other world?" I nodded. "Yeah, one of them." "So that means they can travel between worlds, too?" "Looks like it," I replied. "Why do you ask? Isn't it kind of obvious?" "Well, yeah." I glanced at her, suddenly aware of a confused expression planted on her feline face. "What is it?" "There's something I'll have to talk to you and Kyra about later, but not now," she whispered, "not in front of them." "Okay, if you say so," I muttered. "So, Prance, you never did tell us who your friend was," Li remarked, glancing at the two of us. Unknown to him, a sweatdrop rolled down the back of our heads. "Let's just say she's a friend of mine," I muttered. Li narrowed his eyes, smirking. "Yeah, I can see the resemblance." "What!?" Gatomon yelled frantically, "You think I look like that idiotic, freakish-looking, insult-to-all-cats weakling?" "What did you call me!?" I screamed back, fuming. "Hey, come on, guys," Lacey said, smiling nervously, "this really isn't the time for-" "SHUT UP!" we both exclaimed at the same time. Kyra instantly shrank behind Li, muttering a soft, "Oh, never mind, don't mind me." Sakura leaned forward towards Kyra, covering her mouth with her hand and whispering, "Do they always argue like this?" Unknown to me and Gatomon, Kyra timidly turned and nodded, a grim expression on her face. "Wow, they fight more than Kero and Meilin," Sakura replied thoughtfully. As Kero glared briefly at Sakura, both Kyra and Li remained silent, sweatdrops rolling down their heads. No one had any response to that. Meanwhile. "Why you dirty little scamp!" "Hah! Like I would actually care about your petty insults!" Gatomon spat. "You're not even worth my time." "Oh, I swear," I hissed, eyes glowing with rage, "just wait until I get my powers down. I'll burn you so bad, you'll look like kitty litter!" "Yeah, like that'll ever happen." "Why you little-" "Come on, you guys," Sakura broke in cheerfully, "you really shouldn't be fighting." See, had this been Kyra, again, we would have simply told her to shut up. Again. But since this was Sakura, someone we didn't know as well and who didn't know us, we both felt obliged to obey. Despite this, however, we both spun around, arms crossed, and loudly "Hmph!"-ed, holding our chins high. I noticed out of the corner of my eyes Kyra sink her head into her hand. "Well, now that we have that taken care of," Kero replied, glancing back and forth between me and Gatomon warily, ". uh, temporarily, what are we going to do about our new problem?" "I don't know about you," Li replied, throwing a brief glance at Sakura, "but I'm beat. I say we go back home for now and meet later tonight to discuss things." "Sounds good to me," Sakura replied happily. "I'm tired, too." I was about to agree when a sudden thought crossed my mind. "Yeah, but not too late, though." Everyone, save Gatomon, of course, looked at me, all confused except for Kyra. "Why?" Kero asked curiously. "Kyra, the rat," I added, glaring venomously at the digimon, "and I have. well, let's just call it a prior engagement later tonight." "Well, okay," Sakura said brightly. "Doesn't sound like a problem to me." Kyra nodded. Good thinking. I grinned smugly, privately wishing Gatomon had heard the compliment. Recognizing the look, Kyra suddenly had a worried look cross her face and leaned over to Sakura, starting to whisper something in her ear when she looked at me. Or, more precisely, my ears. Quickly, she straightened and merely looked at the girl, probably telepathically communicating with her for several seconds later, Sakura smiled and nodded, walking towards Gatomon as Kyra walked towards Li and me. "What did you tell her?" I asked suspiciously. Kyra grinned. "Oh, I just asked her if Gatomon could hang out with her and Kero. Thought it might be smarter than having her come back with you." I grimaced. "True." Nodding, Kyra turned to Li. "Well, ready to go?" Li shrugged, walking past her towards one of the streets. Walking behind him, I leaned over and whispered, "Is he your brother?" She leaned over and whispered back, "Well, he's supposed to be. So far, I think it's all alright, but you never know, huh?" Nodding, I straightened and continued walking, pushing my fluffed out skirt down occasionally. Whether it was because of all that electrical energy I had absorbed or what, it suddenly felt like creeping up every so often and bugged the heck out of me. I glanced at Kyra's comfortable jean shorts and sighed. Lucky. "Uh, you having problems?" Kyra asked pointedly, unable to hide the sly sparkle in her eyes. I narrowed my eyes. "No, I happen to be perfectly fine, thank you!" I snapped. "Sure?" "Hunky Dory!" Kyra nodded, obviously not believing me for five minutes later, after noticing I was still having trouble with the skirt, she leaned over again and whispered, "You know, I probably have clothes you can borrow back at Li's apartment, if you-" "Thank God!" I whispered harshly, pushing my skirt down yet again. "I was seriously getting ready to rip this thing off, myself!" Kyra giggled and nodded. "Sure thing. It looks like we're almost there, anyway," she added, pointing to the tall apartment building not far away that Li was heading towards. Sighing my relief, I all but ripped my skirt to my knees as I pressed on. Several minutes later, Kyra and I found ourselves stepping out of the elevator onto the third floor, and walking down the hallway to the door Li had left open. Stepping inside after Kyra, I closed the door and turned to study the small apartment. For a place supposedly kept by a kid and Kyra, it was surprisingly decent, no piles of clothes on the floor or dishes piling up on the sink like I would have expected (she isn't exactly the tidiest person I know, in case you couldn't tell.). Instead, it was all quite neat. In front of me sat a long couch with small pillows scattered across it, facing the television set. Behind the "living room" was an even smaller kitchenette about the size of a large closet with a refridgerator, stove and sink crammed into one space while a three-seated table sat next to it against the wall. Between the kitchenette and the living room was a narrow hallway, most likely leading to the bedrooms. Noticing Li's sword leaned against the wall nest to the TV, I leaned over towards Kyra and smirked. "Wow, I'm impressed. Considering the fact that you live here, I'm quite shocked to be able to even see the floor." "Shut up," she hissed, elbowing me none too lightly. Of course, expecting such a reaction, I was easily able to step out of the way, leaving time for her to snort softly and begin walking towards the hallway, saying along the way, "Come on, if you want to change out of those clothes." Following quickly behind, she led me to the first room on the left- a spacious, neat little bedroom with a large bed beneath the windowsill, pillows and stuffed animals strewn across the top. A dresser next to the door, a desk beside the bed and a bookshelf next to that totaled all the furniture in the room. Again, to my surprise, it was all completely clean! I was about to mention this to Kyra when I noted the 'don't-you-even-dare- think-about-it' look she gave me and instantly clamped my mouth tighter. After that, I couldn't tell whether she had merely shrugged or attempted to hide a smile of satisfaction as she turned and jerked her thumb towards the adjoined closet doors on the opposite side of her bed as the desk. "The clothes in there are yours for the taking. Take whatever you'd like- I'm gonna go take a shower and get these clothes washed." "Don't you want to change your clothes?" I asked. Kyra turned back to me and grinned. "What, and mess up my traditional attire? Tu rigoles, pour sur!" she added, laughing at her own imperfect French. I rolled my eyes. "Whatever." As Kyra disappeared out the door and down the hallway, I paused before entering the closet, taking the time to examine the pictures set up on her desk. They littered the desk surface, some set in frames, others tacked on the wall. Most were of her and Li, some now, and some a lot older due to Kyra's younger appearance. One even included Li and four other girls- Li's four other sisters. By now, I had pretty much made the assumption that he was her brother, and the pictures were the evidence to support my guess. Other pictures included Sakura and Kero, most likely taken by the illustrious Madison, the photography fanatic best friend of Sakura's. More than a few photos of herself included two other guys, both her age- Tori, the dark haired, protective older brother of Sakura, and Julian, his gluttonous yet sweet and kind hearted friend. Knowing Kyra, it was hard to tell whether or not she considered either as a boyfriend, or both of them as good friends. Like previously mentioned, her mind is something I won't even attempt to deal with. As my eyes scanned over each of the pictures, they stopped on one framed in a deep, red oak with flowers engraved on it. Curious, I reached forward and picked the picture up, looking at it closely. In the photo were two people, arms linked across their shoulders, smiling gaily. One, of course, was Kyra, and the other, to my ultimate surprise, was me! Me, though, without my ears and tail. And, instead of my normal uniform, I wore one identical to the one she wore in the picture- a long, light blue jacket over a white shirt and dark blue tie, with a long, also dark blue skirt hanging past my knees- the uniform of the Readington High School Tori and Julian attended. So I'm a part in all this, too? I wondered, gently replacing the frame back on the desk. With thoughts milling through my head, I absently walked to the closet and slid open the doors. Many clothes were hung neatly (again- big surprise!) on hangers, from multicolored shirts to ironed shorts, jeans, and skirts. I grinned. Hey, this might be fun, I thought as I sorted through the clothes, wondering what look I should give the new Prance.
About an hour later, I stepped out of the bathroom, my hair still wet, and walked quietly down the hallway towards Kyra's room. Pushing the door open, I smiled, waving my hand emphatically. "Well, whadya think?" Kyra looked up, her face brightening. "Well, well, looks like Miss Prance is in style!" I grinned confidently, agreeing with her. And why wouldn't I, I'd like to know? I thought I looked way cool. Walking to the wall beside her bed, I gazed at myself at the full length mirror, marveling at my change. Instead of my puffy-sleeved school shirt, I now wore a dark green, loose fitting shirt reaching just below my waist with sleeves barely skimming my elbows. My pants (thank God, I finally have pants!) reminded me of military-type cargo pants, kind of khaki in color and somewhat baggy, tucked into my tall, brown shoes, which were, by the way, much more comfortable for running and jumping and all that stuff that my other ones. My hair, still glistening with moisture from the shower, no longer hung loosely around me, but was instead tied back into a long braid that ended at about just past my waist. Oh, yeah, I thought smugly, I be cool! "Ladies and gentlemen," Kyra began, holding an imaginary microphone to her lips, "and here is the highlight of tonight's show- the lovely Miss Prance, sporting the ever stylish hip-hugging cargo pants and sleek tee, the newest fashion statement of the century!" "Very funny," I scoffed, flicking my tail at her. Kyra leaned back to avoid the hit, grinning childishly. "Aw, come on, like you never dreamed of being a fashion model." I raised an eyebrow mockingly. "Who said I ever had to dream it?" At this comment, both of us reeled over laughing, me clutching my stomach while Kyra rolled onto her back, laughing so hard she nearly fell off the bed! Our joy was short lived, however, as we suddenly heard the loud, steady ring of the phone in the living room. Before we could even open the door, Li was there with the phone at his ear, saying gruffly, "Yeah?" Hiding behind the door, Kyra and I snickered as we noticed his cheeks flush and his tone lighten as he said quickly, "Oh, Sakura. I, uh. huh? She wants to talk to them?. What, here?. well, alright, I'll go get them." Exchanging questioning glances, Kyra and I walked outside and down the hallway to the living room. Li looked up at us, pointing at the receiver and mouthing that it was for us. Glancing back at me, Kyra shrugged as she stepped forward to claim the phone while I plopped myself down on the couch, flicking my ears back and forth to hear the conversation. "Sakura?" "It's not Sakura, it's me," replied a gruff voice. I rolled my eyes. Kyra saw the move and merely smiled. "Oh, sorry Gatomon. What did you need?" "Didn't Prance tell you I needed to talk to you guys?" "No, she didn't happen to mention any of that to me," Kyra replied, throwing a frown in my direction. I shrugged, unconcerned. "Figures," Gatomon muttered. "Anyway, meet me at the park. There's something I need to tell you." "When?" "Now!" "Oh, okay, okay!" Kyra said quickly, but to no avail, for the line was already dead. Placing the receiver back on the hook, Kyra stared sternly at me, grinning. "Geez, what's her problem?" "I think the correct question is what's not her problem," I replied dryly. Kyra nodded, smirking. "If there is anything." "Doubt it," I muttered. "So, shall we go then?" Kyra asked, folded her arms. Shrugging, I grudgingly pushed myself off the couch and arched my back, enjoying the pleasurable stretch. "Well, I guess so. Doesn't look like much else is gonna happen until we all meet up, again, tonight, so we might as well." "Sounds good to me," Kyra quipped, turning to Li. "So, I guess we'll see ya later. We're going to go meet Gatomon to go talk with her about. uh, something or other." Li shrugged. "Kay, then. Don't be out too long." Kyra grinned, wrapping an arm around her "brother's" neck and lovingly pulling him close, giggling. "Sure thing, mother." "Cut it out," he muttered, turning slightly red despite his small smile. Laughing, Kyra released him and strolled to the front door, turning back to him briefly. "Well, see ya!"