A/N: I'm working on Spring Ranting, don't worry! But here's another chapter of Voguish Fib to keep you busy (hopefully) and I'll get Spring Ranting up as soon as possible! I'm sorry, I'm a slow writer, I swear it's not on purpose!
I love dedications! So I dedicated this one to my favorite flower: the Sunflower! Lol…
Well here are some replies and shout-outs! Yep.
Strawberry'd: You'll find out what happened to Taichi soon enough…hehe…
Shiva-dragon and Light's Blue Blossom: Yes, Taichi is reckless and stupid (lol).
DarkMetalAngel of Destruction: Thanks for your concern about my computer. I hope it'll get fixed soon because as of right now, I can't send email on the damn thing! Grr… Welps, thanks for reviewing!
Inconnu: Lol. You know there is one thing that doesn't make sense about that da Vinci thing…even if the fish can fly, how can it breathe outside of water? Hmm…
CuteLoveKawaiiCourage: Aww, thank you so much! I'm glad that you like my stories…I feel so honored!
Thank you Story Weaver1, white artemis, avalon12, angelskie, Kamal, and everyone who reviewed! I love you all! (Sorry…I got a little mushy there…)
Voguish Fib
chapter twenty – Garden of Secrets and Sunflowers
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"Hitomi-chan, you're the only woman I'll ever love..." Ryuki whispered in his wife's ear as they danced in the large empty ballroom, her arms around his slender neck, and his arms around her small waist. The marble floors glistened from the light of the moon and the stars right outside of the tall windows, cascading over the couple.
"And you're the only man I will ever love!" Hitomi professed. Ryuki smiled lovingly at her, holding her tightly in his arms as he quickened their dancing speed. Hitomi laughed. "Ryuki! You're dancing too fast!"
"If you fall, I'll catch you, you beautiful nymph!" All the while Hitomi laughed, clutching him as they spun around the room. From what everyone around the kingdom knew, Ryuki and Hitomi Takenouchi would be together until the end of the world. Ryuki's and Hitomi's parents had been so happy when they found that Ryuki had proposed to her. Both were royalty, both young, beautiful, and completely, genuinely in love with each other. There couldn't have been a better pair.
Meanwhile, a pair of ruby eyes glistened along with the moon, her small hands reaching out for her loving parents who danced, oblivious to their surroundings, except of course to her. They were aware that their baby daughter was watching them, laughing with them, and listening to the song they loved so much that they played it over and over again until everyone around them got sick of the tune...
"Mama...Papa..." Sora whispered in her sleep. Then, almost instantaneously, she awoke, breathing heavily as she looked at her surroundings.
She was still at the Yagami palace, and the time was 3am. Sora sighed. What was...that dream...? she thought, wiping the sweat from her forehead. My parents... Sora paused for a second and let the thought sink in. My parents?
She still couldn't believe that she could recall such a moment that happened so long ago.
So all of it is true…all these memories…the things that Tai told me…my real parents are dead… she realized, mournfully as she lay in bed, unable to sleep off the rest of the night.
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Sora, Yamato, Koushiro and the others couldn't remember how long they had been in the castle anymore.
It was really weighing down on Sora. One week seemed like a year, two weeks seemed like a century and all Sora wanted by the end of the day was re-hydration and maybe peace. She still had to figure out what was going to happen when she faced her "parents" at Furugawa, how they were going to save Taichi (if they could ever find him), how they would save the children, defeat the enemy and its minions, and how she was going to deal with the perplexity of her relationship with Taichi.
"WATER!" she cried out, her hand reaching for the flask of water sitting by a window sill.
To her surprise, the flask vanished and quickly reappeared in her grasp. She was astonished at first, but recalled Yamato telling her about being able to transport objects by using her mind. The instant her surprise wore off, she practically drowned herself in the water, turning the flask completely over, toward her mouth.
Gennai and Yamato glanced at each other with amused, but exhausted expressions on their faces.
"It was only a simulation," Yamato commented.
Sora shot him an icy look. He smiled nervously and moved slowly behind Gennai.
"I understand that it was only a simulation, Yamato, but Gennai-sensei's simulation demons aren't attacking you as much as they're attacking me!" Sora snapped. Yamato held up his hands in surrender and continued to hide behind Gennai. Sora's face became serious. "It's not only that though…I mean, I can feel my powers…I'm just afraid I might become out of control and potentially hurt someone if I go...all out," she explained carefully, wiping her mouth with her sleeve to remove the wetness of the water. She pulled her hair back in a ponytail.
"You're doing a great job Sora…I was just trying to lighten the mood?" Yamato offered, more than stated.
"It's very difficult to keep powers in check, but Takenouchi-san is doing it marvelously," Gennai complimented her with a soft smile. "Two weeks and you already know most of the things many of my students learn in three months with studying and preparation of course. You even know most of the spells and chants used to initiate and activate an ofuda."
Sora returned the smile, feeling a little more confident. "Thank you."
"She was a better student than you were," Gennai stated, giving Yamato a mocking smirk. "Follow me."
Yamato opened his mouth to speak and caught Sora chuckling as she went ahead of him.
"That's not funny Gennai-sensei!"
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Where…the hell am I? Taichi wondered, pushing his body off the ground weakly. His arms shook beneath his weight and faltered. Taichi moaned in pain once his body fell.
He felt like a ton of bricks just collapsed on top of his body along with needles getting rammed into his skull. He simply lay on the ground and shut his eyes for a moment to rest them.
Suddenly, he felt warm hands touch his forehead and neck. His eyelids slowly rose to allow his chocolate irises to peak through. He strained his eyes to see the figure touching him and he noticed something so familiar about the figure…something that almost seemed to create a nostalgic feeling in his gut.
"Onii-chan…" came the soft call of a young girl's voice.
"Hikari?"
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"Where are you taking us Gennai-sensei?" Sora asked, catching up to him. Yamato followed behind.
"I'm taking you to the place where you, Yamato, Takato, and maybe on occasion, The Wise One, and Tachikawa-san shall train for the probability of a new war."
Sora gulped. "War?"
Gennai nodded. "Yes. Sometimes they are between the nymphs and the numinous beings, arguably called 'civil wars', but other times, nymphs and numinous beings are forced to become allies to destroy the evil that lurks in the forest of Akaguchi. Especially since the incident nine years ago."
"The incident nine years ago was the worst event that could ever happen in our portion of the universe Sora," Yamato continued. "It wasn't exactly like a war even…it was more like a mass kidnapping. With some…um…unfortunate deaths." Yamato looked down uncomfortably.
Sora put a hand on his shoulder. "You all right?" she asked worriedly. Yamato nodded.
"Yeah…I'm fine…it's just hard to think of the way coincidences work," Yamato laughed bitterly. "It's just sad that I still don't know the whole story."
"Did you know what happened Gennai-sensei?"
The two teens watched as their teacher's eyes clouded with mystery. "It was a difficult time that no one wishes to recall," he told them.
"But Gennai-sensei, that incident has something to do with our families!" Yamato insisted. Gennai seemed eager to evade the question that he nearly yanked the lock off of the large gate that faced the three. He quickly turned to Sora and Yamato.
"It will take a long time to explain," Gennai snapped as he stuffed the lock in one of the pockets in his robe. "But right now, we have much more important things at hand." He turned toward the gate and pulled one side open. Sora and Yamato could only stare at what lay behind the gates.
"Wow…" Sora gasped. Yamato gaped at the scenery.
"In all my years visiting this castle…" Yamato drifted off as he took the first step into the garden. He seemed to completely forget his anxious desire to find out what happened nine years ago...
The scenery was intense. It was like a labyrinth of sunflower-like trees in the seemingly endless garden. Some of the yellow petals from the enormous flowers would occasionally float to the floor, causing the two to watch in awe. Small lamps lighted the way into a path entering the forest. It was so…indescribably beautiful. Sora followed behind Yamato.
"What is this?" she asked.
"It's the Garden of Sunflowers. It is one of the safest, well hidden gardens known to all beings. Some believe it to be a mythical place, but it is alive and well behind the walls of the Yagami castle. It is well guarded by a powerful, invisible force field that surrounds the endless garden."
Fairies… Sora thought as she looked up to find two winged beings with iridescent auras floating above them, pointing and looking at them curiously.
"Why'd you bring us here?" Yamato asked, finally taking his eyes off of the sunflower trees.
"He clarified that already Yamato."
"Well I forgot Sora."
"You're going to train here for your war against Omnimon."
Omnimon…he's the one haunting me…he's the one who pretended to be Tai…and he's the one who pretended to be my father… Sora realized.
"I'll be ready for him," Sora assured them…well; mostly she just wanted to assure herself.
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That evening, after much training at their new training grounds, Yamato and Mimi finally introduced Sora to the Yagamis. Sora had been so caught up in the internal and external conflict that had been going on that she forgot she had never met Taichi's parents. (Or has she? Dum, dum, DUM!)
She kind of imagined it differently though…
"Princess Sora Takenouchi. You know, Taichi's talked a lot about you," Empress Yagami said with a smile. She was a beautiful woman in her early forties with dark, mesmerizing chestnut eyes, and ebony tresses that hung in a loose bun on her head. Mr. Yagami, on the other hand, looked almost like Taichi, except older, of course. He had a nervous look on his face, almost as if he was anxious about meeting her.
Sora smiled nervously. He talks about me with his parents? How do they know me? When…how…whaaa?
"I'm so glad to finally get to meet you," Sora said, unsure of what else she could say.
"My husband would like to apologize for—something before we continue," Empress Yagami said, nudging her husband lightly, giving him a scolding look. Emperor Yagami looked up at Sora.
"I'm sorry for telling my son to kidnap you. We really should have just asked you." Empress Yagami nudged him, as if to tell him to continue. "All right, all right! And I apologize for all the discomfort that has befallen you during your momentary stays at the Yagami castle."
"If I had known about this plan, I would have never let Tai go out there to kidnap you! Even after the past we've had—"
"Past?" Sora suddenly asked, without wondering if it was rude or not to interrupt. It was just so—odd…and surprising that she would have the possibility of a past with Taichi's family.
"Yes. Did your aunt not tell you?"
Sora's heart began to race. "My aunt? Tell me…what?"
"Well—that little…I should have known that she wouldn't!" Empress Yagami exclaimed glancing over at her husband as if it was the most unbelievable thing in the world.
"You mean…Ayumi Takenouchi…" Sora still couldn't believe her ears, "is not my mother?"
"No, no, dear! Hitomi Takenouchi is your mother. She died along with your father nine years ago."
Everything was suddenly becoming horribly clear, yet too much for her to swallow all in a single night. What was going on?
"Please tell me what happened that day. I—I just don't remember—" Sora began.
"That's because…you hit your head. I still remember…" Emperor Yagami said. "When Omnimon attacked, your parents with other leaders from Furugawa were forming a treaty with the political leaders of the Yagami Territories, that is, us, Prince Yamato's parents, Princess Mimi's parents as well as other, on that day. There was a large explosion that…" the emperor hesitated with the next statement. "…killed your parents instantly and threw you across the room, slamming your head straight into the wall, causing this short term amnesia...well since it's been nine years and you still don't recall the incident, I guess it's long term."
"No…someone told me that my father died two days before I…before I was born," she told them, recalling the nightmarish dream she had fallen into when Omnimon took the shape of someone who might have resembled her father.
"You've got it all wrong," Empress Yagami interjected. "Your father didn't die two days before you were born—whoever told you this has his facts all muddled! Your father died with your mother when you were seven years old."
"And…you knew each other?" Sora asked. She suddenly felt her chest become heavy and a lump was developing in her throat. She couldn't believe that her real parents had died. Died! And she could barely remember anything that happened.
"Yes, we knew each other very well. We knew that they always wanted to join them when they were doing business because they didn't want any secrets in their family." Sora smiled softly at this. The emperor continued. "We became friends and decided that war between our nations was not the way to live, so we decided to form a treaty so that our people could see there was nothing to fight about. Unfortunately, after what happened, your people believed that we had worked with Omnimon to kill off your leaders," Emperor Yagami continued.
"I can't…believe that…how about Yamato's family? And Mimi's? Was Tai there?" Sora asked, curious, and completely heartbroken. Once she went home to Furugawa, she and her adoptive parents were going to have a very, very long talk…
"Prince Yamato's parents were separated but they decided to come together to discuss the treaty. Unfortunately, Yamato's mother died from fatal burns and internal bleeding after the explosion. Mimi's parents survived, fortunately enough, they were out of the explosion's way. Tai—Tai…was…"
Empress stopped talking, knowing she couldn't go on to tell the tale of what had really occurred that afternoon. Emperor Yagami continued the story, gently rubbing his wife's back as she softly reassured her husband that she was all right.
"Taichi was watching Hikari in a field nearby the castle. We finally allowed Hikari to play outside after Taichi reassured us that he would watch her carefully, but of course, we also had a trusted guard, Mamoru with them, just to have some parental guidance and for safety reasons. That night, Taichi walked into the castle without a little sister holding his hand."
Sora felt her eyes water. We've all suffered from Omnimon…Poor, poor Taichi…I never knew…
The emperor sighed. "After that…all hell broke loose. It built up so much that three years, we were forced to declare a 'civil war' with your people. I'm sorry Princess Sora," he whispered.
Sora shook her head. "It's not your fault…it's Omnimon's. Don't worry about anything Emperor, Empress. I'm going to find your son and daughter. Princess Hikari's alive. I've seen her," Sora said to them. Their eyes lit up at this. Sora stood up politely from her position. She had to leave. She couldn't cry in front of the two. "I promise. No matter what happens."
After saying their goodnights, and a few bows, Sora left the mourning couple and hurried off to her room, hoping that none of her newfound friends would run into her and ask her why she was crying.
That night, Sora's tears fell from her eyes like never before. Never in her life had she cried so much, but the tears wouldn't stop. She cried for Yamato, Mimi, Emperor and Empress Yagami, for Hikari, Takeru, Taichi…and especially for the parents whom she loved so much it hurt, yet couldn't remember a thing about.
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"I really wish we could get rid of that nymph now," Omnimon said with a sigh. "She has been getting stronger over the past few weeks and I am sick and tired of seeing her face."
Myotismon meditation was intense, due to the fact that he had to transfer his spirit from place to place until he found Omnimon. His spirit walked up to his master and smiled with a dangerous look in his eyes. Ever since he sold his soul to Omnimon for power nine years ago, everything had been going the way he planned. All he had to do was follow Omnimon, and he got exactly what he wanted.
"I can do it, if you'd like," Myotismon offered.
"We don't have the power to defeat her just yet Myotismon. I still need to fully gain power again after what that stupid redhead's parents did before they were killed by that blast."
Unbeknownst to the numinous and nymph folk, Sora's parents had driven out Omnimon's energy when their souls left their bodies and entered Omnimon's using a powerful spell, saving most of the people in the Yagami Territories along with their precious daughter just as he kidnapped the children with his ghostly minions, hoping that one day their daughter would realize her power and get the children back.
It had worked…for a while. But Omnimon was also intelligent and knew that the power lay in their only daughter, the key.
"And what do we do about her little boyfriend?"
"Oh…he will be our bait. The stubborn idiot just had to walk into such a convenient trap…now his little princess will come and save him. Then boom!" Omnimon replied with a spine shattering chuckle.
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A/N: It's building, it's building! I hope I'm getting all my facts right. Damn…I had to go through all my chapters to make sure everything fit…it's so hard! I had to make a "facts list" even for the little stuff, since I am so prone to forget! For example, I almost made Mimi's hair "chestnut" instead of the original "pink" that I had written down in an earlier chapter…silly me… Anyways, thanks for reading and hopefully reviewing everyone!
Ofuda – courtesy of the makers of Inuyasha who provided the character of Miroku, I learned that ofuda was some sort of seal or charm to destroy, trap, get rid of, or bind demons, and is commonly used by the perverted monk (we still love him anyways).