A/N: Thanks Litanya! I found my grammer mistakes! You're right! But the thing is, I'm not up for changing them at the current moment. I don't exactly have time on my hands right now. So I'm sorry if I let my grammer slip a bit!!
Yeah, here's my next chapter 'kay? Hope you have fun with it! Oh man, who saw that FF.Net software glitch? I thought the wonderful comments of my reviewers were deleted!! I'm glad their not...whew...
Anyways, this chapter is VERY angsty! Just a warning!
Warning: Contains Koumi (Izzy/Mimi) and an insignificant amount of unrequited one-sided Mimato. If you don't like it but you like Taiora...then...um...I don't know what to say to you. :/
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Voguish Fib
chapter ten - Crimson Clad in Iron
"Prince Taichi, it seems you have left a friend of yours in the spring," a young man's voice indicated, nodding over at Koushiro who was being supported by two male silhouettes. Their large build indicated that they were armed guards, trained by none other than...
Taichi stood up, seeming almost angry. Despite the young man being in the shadows, Taichi knew exactly who it was.
Why did Father send them? he wondered. "Why are you here Yamato," he asked, his voice low and calm. Sora was still asleep nearby and he didn't want to wake her.
"Look Taichi, don't get all upset! Your father just thought that you got lost since you're arrival has been...delayed somehow...so he asked a couple of guards to come look for you," he said with a nonchalant shrug.
Taichi closed his eyes. "Dammit...I knew he didn't trust me! Yamato, go back and tell him that I know where I'm going and that I'll bring Sora just like he told me! He doesn't have the right to assume that I'm not capable of adhering to the orders he gives me!" Taichi growled, almost forgetting to keep his voice low for the sleeping nymph.
"Taichi, I'm just following orders. I'm sorry buddy," Yamato said softly, patting Taichi lightly on the shoulder before ordering the two men to put Koushiro down and wake up Sora.
Taichi walked over to where Yamato was. "Wait...what are you doing?"
"Unfortunately, the Emperor wants you as soon as possible. Don't worry, the guards are just going to cuff her so she doesn't get away--"
Before Yamato could finish, and before the guards could touch Sora, Taichi leapt in front of them. He shot Yamato a quick glare.
"She's my responsibility. Besides, she's not going to run away...she just told me she'd be coming with me willingly," Taichi informed them, looking the three in the eyes.
The guards momentarily glanced at Yamato, wondering what to do next. Yamato kept his eyes on Taichi who was staring right back at him.
"Taichi...you can't trust those nymphs. They're deceitful and sneaky. If they catch you off guard, there's no way you can keep them in line. Your father was just telling me earlier about what he was going to do with the princess..."
While Yamato continued to talk, Taichi listened intently, his anger growing at each passing second that Yamato's mouth opened and closed and the words came out. It was so sickeningly degrading that his father would just speak of matters like these with anyone! Yeah Yamato was his friend and all, but for his father to speak to him about the intent of Sora's kidnap was simply heart shattering.
"He was planning on using it against that stupid emperor..." Yamato continued.
That caught his attention. His father was going to use Sora's power against someone? Why was this never discussed with him? Why didn't his father tell him about the entire plan? All he was told was that Hikari would be freed if Sora were to be kidnapped. He told him about Sora's power, about Omnimon...a little about nine years ago...but that was it...
"Yamato. When did my father tell you this?" Taichi asked.
"Me!? Ha...he didn't pull me to a room and confide in me if that's what you think. He told us all over dinner two nights ago," Yamato responded, casually. "Kind of cool huh? Your father telling us this stuff as if we were all friends or something."
Too bad he doesn't really understand the seriousness of all this, Taichi thought, bitterly.
"Anyways, I'm sorry Taichi, but we're taking Sora with cuffs. I can't be blamed for not taking the hostage in. Who the hell is this guy anyways?" Yamato asked, nodding over at Koushiro.
"That's the Wise One you idiot," Taichi mumbled, walking over to Koushiro and kneeling over him, slapping his cheek lightly to wake him up.
Koushiro woke with a start, the top half of his body rising quickly at the slap. "Hu--ah!! Oh..."
He looked up and noticed Yamato staring back at him blankly. "The...Wise One? As in Koushiro Izumi?" he asked, scratching the back of his head.
"Yes, exactly," Koushiro said, attempting to stand up but only succeeding in falling back down as his knees gave way. Maybe he was out long before Yamato and his guards found him...
"Tachikawa-san's daughter talks about you a lot," Yamato said softly. His eyes turned a bit cloudy at that moment. Did he know?
It was probably so--Mimi never was really good with secrets. It was probably good that Koushiro had been on that mountain shrine instead of down at the Yagami territories where Mimi's father would most likely be at...
Then it hit Koushiro. Mimi was betrothed to Yamato...
Yamato quickly cut Koushiro's thoughts short. "Go, Jin, take the nymph," Yamato said, turning abruptly and walking straight into the darkness.
Taichi's eyes widened. "No! You damn bastards--Yamato!! I'm taking her back to my father!"
"I'm sorry, but an order is an order. I'm sure you father didn't send us here for the reasons you think he did," Yamato replied, smiling half-heartedly before continuing on.
"Tai, what's going on?" came a soft voice from somewhere behind Taichi. Taichi turned and looked Sora square in the eye. He knew there was no feeling in his eyes because he couldn't feel a thing. He watched as the man named Go (or Jin--Taichi wasn't really sure) dragged Sora up by the arm and clasped a pair of chain iron cuffs around her wrists.
Why aren't I doing anything? he wondered.
"Tai? Tai! Who are these guys, and why are they chain cuffing me?" Sora asked when the two men began dragging her away. "Tai!"
"These men are going to take you to the Yagami Territory," Taichi responded, his voice light and somewhat dejected.
It's your father...if you disobey him on this one, he might disown you completely...dammit...I knew Hikari was always his favorite...he never treated me the same way, he pondered while Sora was being taken away. It was as if everything else was blocked out except for the thoughts of his father and Hikari. His childhood had gone to a complete halt when Hikari was taken away...
Koushiro was still on the ground while he watched Taichi slowly follow after them with his head down. Taichi's eyes fell on him momentarily. Koushiro looked back at him in disbelief, giving him a clear "I can't believe you're not helping her" look.
"Let go of me you bastards! Taichi, is this some kind of sick joke? I told you I was going to go with you willingly! Let go dammit!" Sora shouted as she struggled against the two bulky men. They didn't seem to have trouble holding her down in the beginning, but as Sora's awareness became clearer, their faces showed some sign of strain.
"Princess, I advise you to stay still or Go and Jin will have to make you stay still," Yamato snapped up ahead.
Taichi discreetly winced at this but didn't make a motion to stop it. His eyes averted those around him, especially the ones Koushiro had which were currently burning a hole through his back.
I'll show him...he'll see that I'm his child too and that he can't abandon me the way he did...
As he silently followed behind. Sora's eyes were on him. She couldn't understand why this was happening all of a sudden. Didn't Taichi trust her not to run away? He should've known by now that she wouldn't run away or kill him even if she had a bag load of weapons right next to her while Taichi slept.
And that kiss...didn't it mean something? she thought sadly as she ceased her struggling, letting the men take her. I'm probably just another Fuyuko to him. She was used to it by now anyways...the dragging and the threats...and the selfish intentions for using her...
Koushiro still sat where he was, watching the group retreat into the darkness of the forest. If Taichi was going to act like that, there was no reason for them to be friends. There was no need to go along with a heartless jerk like that Taichi...
But Sora...?
*
~*~
*
Sora didn't know how long she'd been sitting in that dark cell. Taichi had those damn guards lock her up, and for what!?
"I didn't do anything to that liar," Sora muttered, throwing small pebbles at the metal rails. Taichi didn't even come down to explain to her what had gone on back at the forest. He kept telling her they were bringing her to the Yagami territory, but she already knew that! She told him she'd go with him--willingly--and he deliberately continued to stare blankly at her as if he was a dead body.
So much for not letting him butter you up, Sora thought dejectedly. What was going to happen to her now? She still couldn't understand why they'd cuff her and lock her in a dark cell in the back of a carraige when they were going to train her to use her "powers" or whatever it was Taichi said.
She felt bumps every now and then so she figured they were probably still crossing the forest. Amidst the darkness, there was a small crack in the wooden carraige where light was allowed to flood in. Sora tried to take a peek into the hole, but the metal rails of the cell she was in kept her from getting close enough to look through. The only indication she had of anything was that it was now daylight outside.
Suddenly, the carraige came to a halt. Sora's body seemed to freeze, unsure of how to react to the stop. Where they at their destination? Was this the Kingdom of Yagami?
She heard footsteps at the side of the carraige, walking towards her door.
Her heart beat in a cautious rhythm, as if waiting for the right moment to jump and scare her out of her wits.
No...this is it...
*
~*~
*
The ride home was shorter than Taichi expected.
He took a deep breath before he jumped out and slowly looked up at the large building right outside the carraige doors.
That damn castle was the same as he'd left it.
It seemed so long since he'd last been home. It was about a month ago when he left the kingdom and traveled to Furugawa to spy on Princess Sora. He and a small crew--including Yamato--studied her habits and waited for the right moment to strike. They waited until the precise moment to steal her from her home.
This memory made Taichi feel even worse than before the trip. Maybe he shouldn't have consented to kidnapping her. She wasn't a bad girl. Painfully stubborn, but not bad. He'd even gotten close to her over the few days that he'd actually gotten to know her--he got to trust her and she got to trust him enough to want to come with him willingly, despite the apprehensive consequences that might happen.
Then he betrayed her.
It hit him like a rock to the head. Like a really big rock. With sharp corners. I betrayed her! he thought, as if he had just realized it for the first time.
But another part of his conscience, deep in the back of his mind, argued, You did it for family. Remember? I mean, what if she decided to change her mind and run off when you're not looking?
He didn't even have to think about his answer for that. Of course Sora wasn't going to leave! Sure he didn't know her all too well, but she was still one of the few, most honest people he'd ever met in his life. He was positive she wasn't going to leave.
So why put her in a cage like a prisoner? Like an animal?
Any idiot could have seen that there was no use for it.
"Prince Taichi?" a plump little man called softly.
Taichi turned to him. "Yes?"
"Would you like us to take the prisoner into dungeon?"
Taichi's heart suddenly skipped a nervous beat. What would his father do?
To hell what Dad might do! "Take her out of the carraige and bring her to one of the guest rooms in the castle. Call Mimi to give her whatever she wants." he ordered. (Back to the ordering around and the formal language...)
The man shifted uncomfortably. "But Your Highness--"
"Do as I say!" Taichi snapped before the guard could protest. "And take those iron cuffs off. She's not a prisoner."
"Yes sir..." the man nodded before bowing and shuffling away.
As he left, Taichi stared after him, thinking of how he'd explain all of this to Sora--if she'd still speak to him after all this.
*
~*~
*
"Why would he do something like that?"
"Because he's a sadistic bastard who likes emotional torture," Koushiro spat as he dug his chopsticks into the bowl prepared in front of him.
Mimi Tachikawa gave him a half-hearted smile. "Well, just give him time. Taichi's a complicated one. He's not exactly the happiest camper. His childhood wasn't one to envy."
It was kind of a surprise when she saw him at her window, practically knocking it down with his fists. She had asked him how he got here since he was muddy and debris-clad and saw a horse just below her room. Koushiro began by explaining that he had to get here before Taichi and then ended up telling her everything that had happened in the past few days.
Down to Taichi shoving Sora off into a cell inside a carraige.
"I hope he gets whatever bitterness he has in him out because Sora definitely didn't deserve that!"
"I'm sure he's going to figure out on his own that Sora didn't deserve to get locked in," Mimi reassured, getting out of her seat and walking behind Koushiro. She rested her hands on his shoulders and placed a small kiss on his cheek. "From what you told me, it seems as if he likes her."
Koushiro scoffed. "That's the most obvious, even if he still refuses to admit it."
"Koushiro? Why are we talking about them anyways? I haven't seen you in so long and the first thing you talk about is Taichi and Sora's situation," Mimi softly whined.
Koushiro slowly smiled. "I'm sorry...you're right. Taichi's a good guy. He'll figure it out," he replied, pulling Mimi down for a kiss. She giggled in surprise before returning the kiss.
"I missed you," Mimi whispered when they pulled away from each other.
"I miss you t--" before he could finish his sentence, a loud banging was heard at Mimi's door.
"Tachikawa-san! We must speak with you immediately!" the man at the door shouted.
"Koushiro hide!! Under the bed, under the bed!!" Mimi hissed frantically, shoving Koushiro off to hide.
"I'm going, I'm going! No need to push!" Koushiro whispered back, swatting her hands as he got on his knees and crawled under the bed.
Mimi flatted her tousled hair and smoothed her dress. "Come in," she said.
Two men came in holding a girl between them. "Um, it was kind of a strange request, but the prince ordered us to send the prisoner over to you--to--um...give her whatever she wants," one of the men explained to her.
Mimi's eyes traveled over to the redhead whose eyes were locked on hers. She looked upset but at the same time, oppressively sad.
She sighed. That Taichi...
"Leave us," Mimi ordered.
Sora was uncuffed before the guards bowed and left the room. Mimi stared at her. She remembered their first encounter a couple days ago. Sora seemed...different somehow...
"Mimi, right?" Sora asked, looking Mimi square in the eyes, her crimson orbs almost piercing through her hazel ones.
Mimi shifted uncomfortably in her position. Something about the way Sora was staring at her made her want to leave the room and hide behind a curtain, though she didn't know why.
"Y-yes," she stammered, snatching a fistful of her gown as a means of self control. She never really was comfortable around Sora. She seemed like the type of person (nymph?) that could get anything out of anyone whenever she wanted.
As if noticing the discomfort, Sora reassured, "I'm not going to kill you, don't worry. But I would like to kill that prince of yours. I can't believe he'd do this to me!" She was about to continue, but remembered something. "Oh, Koushiro can come out from under your bed now," she said.
Mimi blushed and began examining her feet as if they were the most wonderful things ever created.
Koushiro had heard her voice and crawled out, his face the same shade of red. "We were...um--she was...we...ah..." Koushiro tried to explain.
"Hey, I don't mind. How'd you get here before us?" Sora asked.
"I...um...stole a horse..." Koushiro told her, a bit shamefully.
Sora smiled. "Cool."
Koushiro returned the smile. He was glad Sora was smiling again, even if it was a small one. She was so pretty when she smiled, but then again, she was pretty all the time...inside and out.
If only Taichi would realize that before he loses her.
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A/N: Yeah, I know, not much Taiora in there. Anyways, I think it's going to go beyond 12 or 13 chapters! It has too! With the way I'm going the story's probably going to go up to it's 20's? Hm...hope not! Anyways! I might add a little love triangle here, and a bit more drama... teehee! Hey, did anyone watch the Passion of the Christ? *Sniff* Major! That was the saddest movie in the whole galaxy... !~!
P.S. Thanks to EVERY single one of my reviewers! I love you all!
Yeah, here's my next chapter 'kay? Hope you have fun with it! Oh man, who saw that FF.Net software glitch? I thought the wonderful comments of my reviewers were deleted!! I'm glad their not...whew...
Anyways, this chapter is VERY angsty! Just a warning!
Warning: Contains Koumi (Izzy/Mimi) and an insignificant amount of unrequited one-sided Mimato. If you don't like it but you like Taiora...then...um...I don't know what to say to you. :/
^
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Voguish Fib
chapter ten - Crimson Clad in Iron
"Prince Taichi, it seems you have left a friend of yours in the spring," a young man's voice indicated, nodding over at Koushiro who was being supported by two male silhouettes. Their large build indicated that they were armed guards, trained by none other than...
Taichi stood up, seeming almost angry. Despite the young man being in the shadows, Taichi knew exactly who it was.
Why did Father send them? he wondered. "Why are you here Yamato," he asked, his voice low and calm. Sora was still asleep nearby and he didn't want to wake her.
"Look Taichi, don't get all upset! Your father just thought that you got lost since you're arrival has been...delayed somehow...so he asked a couple of guards to come look for you," he said with a nonchalant shrug.
Taichi closed his eyes. "Dammit...I knew he didn't trust me! Yamato, go back and tell him that I know where I'm going and that I'll bring Sora just like he told me! He doesn't have the right to assume that I'm not capable of adhering to the orders he gives me!" Taichi growled, almost forgetting to keep his voice low for the sleeping nymph.
"Taichi, I'm just following orders. I'm sorry buddy," Yamato said softly, patting Taichi lightly on the shoulder before ordering the two men to put Koushiro down and wake up Sora.
Taichi walked over to where Yamato was. "Wait...what are you doing?"
"Unfortunately, the Emperor wants you as soon as possible. Don't worry, the guards are just going to cuff her so she doesn't get away--"
Before Yamato could finish, and before the guards could touch Sora, Taichi leapt in front of them. He shot Yamato a quick glare.
"She's my responsibility. Besides, she's not going to run away...she just told me she'd be coming with me willingly," Taichi informed them, looking the three in the eyes.
The guards momentarily glanced at Yamato, wondering what to do next. Yamato kept his eyes on Taichi who was staring right back at him.
"Taichi...you can't trust those nymphs. They're deceitful and sneaky. If they catch you off guard, there's no way you can keep them in line. Your father was just telling me earlier about what he was going to do with the princess..."
While Yamato continued to talk, Taichi listened intently, his anger growing at each passing second that Yamato's mouth opened and closed and the words came out. It was so sickeningly degrading that his father would just speak of matters like these with anyone! Yeah Yamato was his friend and all, but for his father to speak to him about the intent of Sora's kidnap was simply heart shattering.
"He was planning on using it against that stupid emperor..." Yamato continued.
That caught his attention. His father was going to use Sora's power against someone? Why was this never discussed with him? Why didn't his father tell him about the entire plan? All he was told was that Hikari would be freed if Sora were to be kidnapped. He told him about Sora's power, about Omnimon...a little about nine years ago...but that was it...
"Yamato. When did my father tell you this?" Taichi asked.
"Me!? Ha...he didn't pull me to a room and confide in me if that's what you think. He told us all over dinner two nights ago," Yamato responded, casually. "Kind of cool huh? Your father telling us this stuff as if we were all friends or something."
Too bad he doesn't really understand the seriousness of all this, Taichi thought, bitterly.
"Anyways, I'm sorry Taichi, but we're taking Sora with cuffs. I can't be blamed for not taking the hostage in. Who the hell is this guy anyways?" Yamato asked, nodding over at Koushiro.
"That's the Wise One you idiot," Taichi mumbled, walking over to Koushiro and kneeling over him, slapping his cheek lightly to wake him up.
Koushiro woke with a start, the top half of his body rising quickly at the slap. "Hu--ah!! Oh..."
He looked up and noticed Yamato staring back at him blankly. "The...Wise One? As in Koushiro Izumi?" he asked, scratching the back of his head.
"Yes, exactly," Koushiro said, attempting to stand up but only succeeding in falling back down as his knees gave way. Maybe he was out long before Yamato and his guards found him...
"Tachikawa-san's daughter talks about you a lot," Yamato said softly. His eyes turned a bit cloudy at that moment. Did he know?
It was probably so--Mimi never was really good with secrets. It was probably good that Koushiro had been on that mountain shrine instead of down at the Yagami territories where Mimi's father would most likely be at...
Then it hit Koushiro. Mimi was betrothed to Yamato...
Yamato quickly cut Koushiro's thoughts short. "Go, Jin, take the nymph," Yamato said, turning abruptly and walking straight into the darkness.
Taichi's eyes widened. "No! You damn bastards--Yamato!! I'm taking her back to my father!"
"I'm sorry, but an order is an order. I'm sure you father didn't send us here for the reasons you think he did," Yamato replied, smiling half-heartedly before continuing on.
"Tai, what's going on?" came a soft voice from somewhere behind Taichi. Taichi turned and looked Sora square in the eye. He knew there was no feeling in his eyes because he couldn't feel a thing. He watched as the man named Go (or Jin--Taichi wasn't really sure) dragged Sora up by the arm and clasped a pair of chain iron cuffs around her wrists.
Why aren't I doing anything? he wondered.
"Tai? Tai! Who are these guys, and why are they chain cuffing me?" Sora asked when the two men began dragging her away. "Tai!"
"These men are going to take you to the Yagami Territory," Taichi responded, his voice light and somewhat dejected.
It's your father...if you disobey him on this one, he might disown you completely...dammit...I knew Hikari was always his favorite...he never treated me the same way, he pondered while Sora was being taken away. It was as if everything else was blocked out except for the thoughts of his father and Hikari. His childhood had gone to a complete halt when Hikari was taken away...
Koushiro was still on the ground while he watched Taichi slowly follow after them with his head down. Taichi's eyes fell on him momentarily. Koushiro looked back at him in disbelief, giving him a clear "I can't believe you're not helping her" look.
"Let go of me you bastards! Taichi, is this some kind of sick joke? I told you I was going to go with you willingly! Let go dammit!" Sora shouted as she struggled against the two bulky men. They didn't seem to have trouble holding her down in the beginning, but as Sora's awareness became clearer, their faces showed some sign of strain.
"Princess, I advise you to stay still or Go and Jin will have to make you stay still," Yamato snapped up ahead.
Taichi discreetly winced at this but didn't make a motion to stop it. His eyes averted those around him, especially the ones Koushiro had which were currently burning a hole through his back.
I'll show him...he'll see that I'm his child too and that he can't abandon me the way he did...
As he silently followed behind. Sora's eyes were on him. She couldn't understand why this was happening all of a sudden. Didn't Taichi trust her not to run away? He should've known by now that she wouldn't run away or kill him even if she had a bag load of weapons right next to her while Taichi slept.
And that kiss...didn't it mean something? she thought sadly as she ceased her struggling, letting the men take her. I'm probably just another Fuyuko to him. She was used to it by now anyways...the dragging and the threats...and the selfish intentions for using her...
Koushiro still sat where he was, watching the group retreat into the darkness of the forest. If Taichi was going to act like that, there was no reason for them to be friends. There was no need to go along with a heartless jerk like that Taichi...
But Sora...?
*
~*~
*
Sora didn't know how long she'd been sitting in that dark cell. Taichi had those damn guards lock her up, and for what!?
"I didn't do anything to that liar," Sora muttered, throwing small pebbles at the metal rails. Taichi didn't even come down to explain to her what had gone on back at the forest. He kept telling her they were bringing her to the Yagami territory, but she already knew that! She told him she'd go with him--willingly--and he deliberately continued to stare blankly at her as if he was a dead body.
So much for not letting him butter you up, Sora thought dejectedly. What was going to happen to her now? She still couldn't understand why they'd cuff her and lock her in a dark cell in the back of a carraige when they were going to train her to use her "powers" or whatever it was Taichi said.
She felt bumps every now and then so she figured they were probably still crossing the forest. Amidst the darkness, there was a small crack in the wooden carraige where light was allowed to flood in. Sora tried to take a peek into the hole, but the metal rails of the cell she was in kept her from getting close enough to look through. The only indication she had of anything was that it was now daylight outside.
Suddenly, the carraige came to a halt. Sora's body seemed to freeze, unsure of how to react to the stop. Where they at their destination? Was this the Kingdom of Yagami?
She heard footsteps at the side of the carraige, walking towards her door.
Her heart beat in a cautious rhythm, as if waiting for the right moment to jump and scare her out of her wits.
No...this is it...
*
~*~
*
The ride home was shorter than Taichi expected.
He took a deep breath before he jumped out and slowly looked up at the large building right outside the carraige doors.
That damn castle was the same as he'd left it.
It seemed so long since he'd last been home. It was about a month ago when he left the kingdom and traveled to Furugawa to spy on Princess Sora. He and a small crew--including Yamato--studied her habits and waited for the right moment to strike. They waited until the precise moment to steal her from her home.
This memory made Taichi feel even worse than before the trip. Maybe he shouldn't have consented to kidnapping her. She wasn't a bad girl. Painfully stubborn, but not bad. He'd even gotten close to her over the few days that he'd actually gotten to know her--he got to trust her and she got to trust him enough to want to come with him willingly, despite the apprehensive consequences that might happen.
Then he betrayed her.
It hit him like a rock to the head. Like a really big rock. With sharp corners. I betrayed her! he thought, as if he had just realized it for the first time.
But another part of his conscience, deep in the back of his mind, argued, You did it for family. Remember? I mean, what if she decided to change her mind and run off when you're not looking?
He didn't even have to think about his answer for that. Of course Sora wasn't going to leave! Sure he didn't know her all too well, but she was still one of the few, most honest people he'd ever met in his life. He was positive she wasn't going to leave.
So why put her in a cage like a prisoner? Like an animal?
Any idiot could have seen that there was no use for it.
"Prince Taichi?" a plump little man called softly.
Taichi turned to him. "Yes?"
"Would you like us to take the prisoner into dungeon?"
Taichi's heart suddenly skipped a nervous beat. What would his father do?
To hell what Dad might do! "Take her out of the carraige and bring her to one of the guest rooms in the castle. Call Mimi to give her whatever she wants." he ordered. (Back to the ordering around and the formal language...)
The man shifted uncomfortably. "But Your Highness--"
"Do as I say!" Taichi snapped before the guard could protest. "And take those iron cuffs off. She's not a prisoner."
"Yes sir..." the man nodded before bowing and shuffling away.
As he left, Taichi stared after him, thinking of how he'd explain all of this to Sora--if she'd still speak to him after all this.
*
~*~
*
"Why would he do something like that?"
"Because he's a sadistic bastard who likes emotional torture," Koushiro spat as he dug his chopsticks into the bowl prepared in front of him.
Mimi Tachikawa gave him a half-hearted smile. "Well, just give him time. Taichi's a complicated one. He's not exactly the happiest camper. His childhood wasn't one to envy."
It was kind of a surprise when she saw him at her window, practically knocking it down with his fists. She had asked him how he got here since he was muddy and debris-clad and saw a horse just below her room. Koushiro began by explaining that he had to get here before Taichi and then ended up telling her everything that had happened in the past few days.
Down to Taichi shoving Sora off into a cell inside a carraige.
"I hope he gets whatever bitterness he has in him out because Sora definitely didn't deserve that!"
"I'm sure he's going to figure out on his own that Sora didn't deserve to get locked in," Mimi reassured, getting out of her seat and walking behind Koushiro. She rested her hands on his shoulders and placed a small kiss on his cheek. "From what you told me, it seems as if he likes her."
Koushiro scoffed. "That's the most obvious, even if he still refuses to admit it."
"Koushiro? Why are we talking about them anyways? I haven't seen you in so long and the first thing you talk about is Taichi and Sora's situation," Mimi softly whined.
Koushiro slowly smiled. "I'm sorry...you're right. Taichi's a good guy. He'll figure it out," he replied, pulling Mimi down for a kiss. She giggled in surprise before returning the kiss.
"I missed you," Mimi whispered when they pulled away from each other.
"I miss you t--" before he could finish his sentence, a loud banging was heard at Mimi's door.
"Tachikawa-san! We must speak with you immediately!" the man at the door shouted.
"Koushiro hide!! Under the bed, under the bed!!" Mimi hissed frantically, shoving Koushiro off to hide.
"I'm going, I'm going! No need to push!" Koushiro whispered back, swatting her hands as he got on his knees and crawled under the bed.
Mimi flatted her tousled hair and smoothed her dress. "Come in," she said.
Two men came in holding a girl between them. "Um, it was kind of a strange request, but the prince ordered us to send the prisoner over to you--to--um...give her whatever she wants," one of the men explained to her.
Mimi's eyes traveled over to the redhead whose eyes were locked on hers. She looked upset but at the same time, oppressively sad.
She sighed. That Taichi...
"Leave us," Mimi ordered.
Sora was uncuffed before the guards bowed and left the room. Mimi stared at her. She remembered their first encounter a couple days ago. Sora seemed...different somehow...
"Mimi, right?" Sora asked, looking Mimi square in the eyes, her crimson orbs almost piercing through her hazel ones.
Mimi shifted uncomfortably in her position. Something about the way Sora was staring at her made her want to leave the room and hide behind a curtain, though she didn't know why.
"Y-yes," she stammered, snatching a fistful of her gown as a means of self control. She never really was comfortable around Sora. She seemed like the type of person (nymph?) that could get anything out of anyone whenever she wanted.
As if noticing the discomfort, Sora reassured, "I'm not going to kill you, don't worry. But I would like to kill that prince of yours. I can't believe he'd do this to me!" She was about to continue, but remembered something. "Oh, Koushiro can come out from under your bed now," she said.
Mimi blushed and began examining her feet as if they were the most wonderful things ever created.
Koushiro had heard her voice and crawled out, his face the same shade of red. "We were...um--she was...we...ah..." Koushiro tried to explain.
"Hey, I don't mind. How'd you get here before us?" Sora asked.
"I...um...stole a horse..." Koushiro told her, a bit shamefully.
Sora smiled. "Cool."
Koushiro returned the smile. He was glad Sora was smiling again, even if it was a small one. She was so pretty when she smiled, but then again, she was pretty all the time...inside and out.
If only Taichi would realize that before he loses her.
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A/N: Yeah, I know, not much Taiora in there. Anyways, I think it's going to go beyond 12 or 13 chapters! It has too! With the way I'm going the story's probably going to go up to it's 20's? Hm...hope not! Anyways! I might add a little love triangle here, and a bit more drama... teehee! Hey, did anyone watch the Passion of the Christ? *Sniff* Major! That was the saddest movie in the whole galaxy... !~!
P.S. Thanks to EVERY single one of my reviewers! I love you all!