AN: You guys are the BEST. I was a little worried that people were going to send me emails telling me how sick they are of this story hehe… so thanks. Constructive criticism always welcomed!
As for Miyako being the stepsister… I don't know what I was smoking when I came up with that. Honestly though, I never liked the girl. I always wanted to slap her really badly since she had this uncanny ability to get on my nerves… maybe Sora will.
As for Tai and the others, I know I'm terrible but Takeru isn't Yamato's brother… actually I don't know if I'm going to add Takeru in. Tai will show up around two thirds through of this story. I know I know, it's a bit late to be adding in Tai, but I needed him for the role.
Crazyamzy- I'm so sorry that the characters are a bit unlike themselves, but it was only the first chapter and I'm trying to get them more in character, thanks for you comment! Miyako though… will always stay this way, muhahaha. If there's anything else, just let me know ;)
Anything else you guys are curious about?
Disclaimer: Digimon is not mine.
--------------------
Chapter 2 –Dark Ruby"OW!! Are you trying to kill me?!" Shrieked Miyako.
The auburn haired girl at her feet said nothing, but continued to put pins on the bottom of the gown. It angered Miyako every time Sora didn't retaliate, every time she stayed silent. Instead of feeling triumphant, the girl's silence usually resulted in Miyako making a fool of herself.
Miyako clicked her tongue and began playing with her amethyst colored hair. Her hair was her pride and joy, long and exquisite to the touch. She glanced down at the girl by her feet and snickered, "Sora, Sora. You'll never find a suitor. No one would want a cinder girl as dirty as you. Look at your hair, it's a mess, and your dress is soiled. Maybe I'll be nice and let you be my servant girl when I marry."
The girl said nothing, didn't even so much as glance up at Miyako.
"Oh, and you're deaf too now! This just keeps getting better!"
Still nothing. Miyako glared, her eyes flashing dangerously. How could this… this nobody be so unaffected by her words? Sora's dress was dirty and discolored, but everything else was a lie. Miyako had to admit that even with the way she was treated, Sora still kept good hygiene. Her hair was of a brilliant fiery color, alluring and enticing all at once, the smooth silky shine could only be surpassed by the soft downy feel of the auburn strands. What was worse than that, were her eyes.
Sora had the most beautiful eyes of a unique color. They were dark ruby, like hidden jewels that with one look, could have any man entranced. For that very reason Miyako and her mother had forbidden Sora to look into the eyes of their visitors, only justifying it by saying that servants mustn't meet the eyes of the guests.
Miyako was incredibly jealous of Sora, and it quickly turned to hatred and loathing. The spoiled girl was determined to make her life miserable.
But, it wasn't as though Miyako didn't have suitors. The pampered girl had many men begging for her hand in marriage and she took the utmost delight in rejecting them all, one by one. She would only settle for one man, Prince Yamato. Soon, she was lost in her dreams of the blue-eyed prince.
"Miyako?"
Sora's voice startled Miyako but she quickly covered it up with a scowl. "What?"
"Your dress, I need to sew the hem. It would be easier if you took off the gown."
"Oh." Miyako complied and quickly changed into a dark velvet dress. With a look that said 'if you don't have the dress ready by the time I come back, I'll kill you', Miyako left the room and slammed the oak door shut behind her.
Sora was already started on the sewing and had ignored the look Miyako sent her. Miyako never thanked Sora for designing the dress and single handedly making it out of raw fabric, but Sora never cared. She loved sewing and designing dresses, it was a passion of hers. Humming an old tune her mother had taught her, Sora expertly wove the needle through the delicate fabric.
----------
"Yamato, it's the girl's birthday for God's sake!"
"Mother, I refuse to go!"
"Her mother is the widow of a good friend of your father and mine. It would only be polite if you made an appearance as well."
"…Just an appearance?"
Queen Natsuko sighed, seeing there was no way to argue with her son. "Yes Yamato, just an appearance, you can leave right after."
The prince thought over the plan. Really, he wasn't interested in going to some girl's birthday and he couldn't help but get the feeling that she would throw herself on him like so many other girls. But, Yamato knew that his mother was reluctant to go and she just wanted company for the time there.
"All right mother, I'll go."
Her mood brightened considerably. "Excellent! The carriage leaves in a few hours, be ready by then, dear."
----------
The house was bustling. Servants ran this way and that, rushing to perfect the decorations and place flowers in every room. Sora had gone out into the gardens first thing in the morning to cut and trim all of the flowers. Needless to say, the poor girl missed out on breakfast.
"Miyako, you look absolutely stunning," her mother commented as the girl stood in front of the full length mirror vainly. Sora stood in the back of the room, watching as the girl paraded her latest work. She had to admit, the spoiled thing looked rather pretty. The gown was made of a rich dark blue (Miyako had insisted that it match the prince's eyes) and elegant patterns lined the hem.
"I just know the prince will love it," Miyako thought dreamily.
"Of course dear." Lady Inoue said. Turning to Sora she glared, "When the queen arrives I do not want to see you anywhere near us. Remember that, do I make myself clear?"
The auburn haired girl nodded her head with a blank expression. A threat was not needed as Sora remembered what happened the last time she disobeyed her stepmother's wishes—the whip had left scars. Thought it was excruciatingly painful, Sora hadn't let out so much as a whimper. She had not screamed, and she did not cry, she refused to.
There was a knock at the door, prompting Lady Inoue to hiss angrily. "What is it now?!"
"The queen and the prince… they've arrived…" a timid voice answered.
Miyako's eyes widened as she checked her appearance once more in the mirror before quickly running down to greet their guests. Lady Inoue followed, giving Sora one last glare.
Janine stood outside the room and watched as the two made their way down the grand stairs, giving fake pleasantries and smiling so wide it was sickening. She stepped into the room to find Sora gazing out the window.
"The gown is lovely, even on that cow. You've done a great job, Sora."
"Thank you."
Silence followed and Janine walked over to stand beside Sora as she stared out the window. It was a view of the gardens, a hefty portion now bare. "I'll expect you to make me a gown ten times more beautiful than that one when I get married!" Janine joked.
Sora laughed, "I'll make you ten."
"Sora Takenouchi, I'm going to hold you to that." She paused before adding, "I have to go downstairs now, who knows what kind of demands that cow is sending out," with that, Janine left the room.
In all honesty, Sora absolutely loved it when they had guests. Since her stepfamily was always so strict about keeping the girl away from people, it usually meant that she had a free day. She smiled happily at the thought of finishing the book she had started reading and quickly went to her room to retrieve the item.
----------
"Your Majesty, your Royal Highness, thank you for coming." Lady Inoue bowed deeply in front of the royalty.
The queen smiled, "Happy birthday Miyako. How old are you this year?"
"Nineteen your majesty," the girl answered.
Queen Natsuko frowned, "That's odd… I could have sworn Haruhiko's daughter was only a year younger than Yamato. That would make her twenty-one."
Lady Inoue faltered, "Oh! Ye-yes… that would be my husband's first child. Sadly, she passed away before I was able to meet her."
Janine could have gagged right then and there. Sora was very much alive and well, and Miyako did not share the same father. Sadly, it was to be expected. Haruhiko had passed away so long ago that most thought Miyako was his daughter. Samuel and Marianne were possibly the only two who knew who Sora was, until the cook had told Janine a couple of years ago.
"Oh goodness, I'm so sorry." The queen said.
"She will always have a place in our hearts," Miyako said; right next to the fireplace and the laundry.
"I almost forgot, Yamato and I brought a gift."
"You're too kind, majesty."
"No, no, we insist. Yamato," she prompted, watching her son expectantly.
The prince forced a smile but ended up with more of a lopsided grin—a very delicious lopsided grin. "Happy birthday," he said, presenting a small box to Miyako.
Her eyes lit up greedily and she opened the package with haste. She gasped when brown eyes came to rest on the jewel inside. "It's absolutely beautiful! I shall wear it everyday and remember that it was a gift, from you." Taking out the diamond and ruby broach, Miyako handed it to Yamato innocently. "Would you help me put it on?"
The blonde blanched, unsure of what to do. Momentarily, he considered stabbing the girl purposely, but quickly dismissed the thought when he realized she would probably make him kiss the pain away as well. Slowly, Yamato pinned the broach right under Miyako's shoulder, an odd and awkward place but far away from anything he didn't want to touch.
The girl frowned, it wasn't exactly what she had in mind, but it would have to do for now.
---
The meal was fantastic, every bite of the chicken perfectly seasoned.
"Our compliments to the cook." Queen Natsuko said kindly as her fork picked up more bits of food. She turned to her son. "Isn't it delicious?"
Yamato, who had remained silent for the majority of the time, nodded lightly. Though he had been at the mansion before, it was foreign to him. He had visited many, many years ago, and Yamato wondered if the same girl he had played with in the gardens was still at the house.
He couldn't remember her at all, just the fact that he had the enjoyed himself immensely with her—that, and the fact that she had beautiful eyes. The color escaped him, but Yamato remembered they were stunning. They were only children then, and he had been hesitant to play with a girl—God forbid she would force him into something gruesome like playing house. She surprised him by suggesting a different game and the two had spent the rest of the time running around and getting incredibly dirty.
The prince shrugged, he couldn't remember her name or her face, but he was sure she had to be Haruhiko's daughter, the one who had apparently passed away. Yamato groaned inwardly, so much for having a good time there.
"Yamato?"
Yamato snapped out of his thoughts immediately only to realize that the plates had been cleared. He looked at his mother, "Yes mother?"
"Miyako would like you to cut the cake with her." The queen tilted her head in the direction of the lavender haired girl, standing by the cake with an expectant look on her face.
"I don't thi—"
"Oh nonsense, I would be honored if you would cut the cake with me." Miyako smiled slyly, "For my birthday?"
Yamato blanched, something he had been doing a lot since he entered the house. He consented nonetheless and walked over to stand awkwardly behind the girl, his arms surrounding her and coming to a rest on her delicate hands.
Miyako leaned back in the embrace, causing the prince to turn his head away and loosen his hold. He stopped when his eyes met his mother's, warning him to be kind to the girl. Yamato sighed and hurriedly guided Miyako's hands down onto the cake, with the knife in hand. After the first cut, he backed off immediately and gave the girl a small smile. "If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to know where the bathroom is."
The girl beamed, "I can show you where it is. Follow me."
"No. It's all right, I can find it on my own."
Miyako stopped mid-step with a light scowl on her pretty face. She pointed to the door. "Down the hall, take a right, second door to the left," she answered mechanically.
"Thank you."
As Yamato left the dining room, he could hear his mother compliment Miyako on her dress.
----------
Rays of light were reflected off of the glossy leaves in the gardens, and it seemed as if the gardens were glowing. It was a warm day, ideal for Sora to spend her extra time in the gardens. She sat in the shade of a large willow tree, lost in every word of the book she held.
A strange sensation told Sora that she was being watched, when she looked up her eyes met automatically with dark cobalt. The prince was standing a good distance away. He didn't glance away, or even move for that matter, but continued to stare at the girl. Sora looked down at her book, uninterested in anything to do with princes who stalked around and stared at people. Besides, she wasn't supposed to even be looking at him, and Miyako would be furious is she found out.
Sora wasn't afraid of her stepmother or stepsister—in fact, it seemed as if they were more frightened of her. Nevertheless, the auburn headed young woman never argued, simply because she didn't care.
---
Yamato found himself out in the gardens after he supposedly left in search of the bathroom. Though he couldn't remember the girl who he met there, the grand garden remained fresh in his mind. Glancing around, Yamato soon realized that he was not alone; he could make out a girl sitting under a willow tree, completely absorbed in a book.
Subconsciously, he began to stare at the woman, taking in every detail of her frail figure and silky auburn strands. She looked up suddenly, and as her eyes found his and Yamato realized he couldn't look away—but she did.
The prince mentally kicked himself, he must've seemed like a sexually deprived man with nothing better to do than go around and find young women to stare at. He headed towards her, determined to change her mind.
"Hello," Yamato greeted.
She glanced at him, never meeting his eyes and nodded. "Your royal highness should be indoors with miss Miyako."
He faltered, she made no move to stand, and the first words out of her pink lips were practically telling him to go away. So maybe they had started off on the wrong foot… "Yes… I was uh… just looking for the bathroom."
"Our house is big, but nothing compared to the palace. If you can find your way there, surely you can find your way here. I assure you, there is no bathroom in the gardens."
Yamato felt his face heat up due to embarrassment. Oddly, the young woman before him reminded him of the girl from many years ago, they were both incredibly independent and full of an irresistible fierceness. But that was impossible… that little girl had passed away many years ago according to Lady Inoue. He gave a small chuckle, "I've realized. I was just passing by and I couldn't stay away from the garden."
"Your highness likes… flowers?"
The prince smiled, he was making progress. "I appreciate the aesthetics."
Silence.
Apparently he wasn't making progress.
"Could you… show me around?" he asked timidly, unlike his usual demeanor.
Sora almost agreed right then, she loved showing people around the gardens and sharing its beauty… but she really wasn't interested in showing the prince around and listening to him tell her how grand the palace gardens were. "You should really be getting back to the dining room," she said, daring to drop the formalities.
Yamato frowned; he really wasn't making progress. "Could you answer me one question?"
"Yes?"
"Many years ago, when Lord Haruhiko was still alive, and his wife Toshiko as well… there was a girl here in the gardens. It may sound silly but I can't remember anything about her, save for the fact that I hadn't enjoyed myself that much in a long time and she had the most… beautiful eyes. I wonder… is she still here?"
Sora froze and felt a blush creeping up on her cheeks. "She's… no longer with us."
"Oh. Do you know who she might have been? I can't seem to remember her name."
"Her na—I don't know. Do you still want to look around the gardens?" She asked, changing the subject.
"Yes, please."
Sora stood up and dusted herself off, pocketing the small book in her apron. She walked in front of the prince, careful not to meet his eyes and said mechanically, "Follow me."
---
"…and these are the irises," Sora announced, pointing to the delicate blossoms.
"They're my favorite." Yamato commented.
She smiled, those were her favorite as well… but there was no way she was about to tell the prince. Before Sora could think about what she was doing, she asked Yamato something that had been on her mind, "…does it get lonely?"
The prince stared at the woman next to him, confusion and shock written on his features. "Excuse me?"
"Does it get lonely?" she repeated softly.
"…yes."
"I thought so."
"What?"
"You don't have any brothers or sisters and live in a impossibly large palace with hundreds of servants at your fingertips. If you're anything like how I think you are, then you're truly lonely. Servants and money form a high life, but you yearn for nothing more but people to listen to you—to be genuinely interested in what you have to say and not see you as a crown. You, Prince Yamato, are in search for a friend, perhaps even more."
Yamato stared at her with his mouth hanging widely open, dumbfounded by not only the woman's bluntness, but also her accuracy. How could she possibly know so much after such a short time? Slowly, his mouth closed and the corners tugged into a smile. "You know exactly who I am, but now I must know, who are you?"
"I'm a servant in this house, nothing more."
"I highly doubt that. Your demeanor is nothing of a servant's. You're educated, you can read and you've stopped addressing me formally—something a mere servant would never dare to do. You have no fear, but instead, you seem more independent and bold than any woman I have ever encountered. …Just then, you said 'our' house. Now tell me, would a servant call a mansion like this one their own."
"I don't see why not."
"Tell me, who are you?" He paused, putting two and two together, "You're the girl aren't you?"
"Which girl, highness?"
"The girl who was playing here in this very garden many years before."
"That's impossible."
"Why?"
"I've never met Lord Takenouchi."
"…what is your name?"
"I haven't asked you for yours."
"But that's absurd! Everyone knows my name, I just want to learn yours."
"SORA!"
The two turned to look at who had called. Miyako was stalking toward them with a quickening pace, her face completely flushed.
Sora sighed as Miyako got closer, so much for not letting the prince know her name. For once, she was trying to help her stepsister, but instead the girl had ruined it with one word. Sora glanced at the prince, and her eyes met his.
He was smirking smugly; obviously he had caught her name. When Yamato saw her dark ruby eyes, there was no doubt in his mind that she had to be the same girl. Before he could say a word, Miyako had grabbed the girl.
Her palm met Sora's cheek with a resounding smack. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
The auburn headed woman stayed still and clenched her jaw, willing herself not to do anything rash. "I was simply reading a book."
"You harlot! You were simply seducing the prince!"
Sora rolled her eyes discreetly, really, where did this girl get off on those thoughts? "I was not."
"You will have my mother's whip to answer to."
"I don't think that's very reasonable." Yamato cut in.
Apparently Miyako had been so infuriated, she had miraculously forgotten about the prince's presence. She flushed even darker, "This servant has disobeyed orders; she must be punished."
Yamato simply smirked smugly, "I ordered this… servant, if that's what she really is, to show me around the gardens. You have such a magnificent garden, it would be a pity if I didn't get to see it."
"Ye-yes… but your royal highness, I would have been glad to—"
"It was more convenient."
"…"
Yamato stole a glance at Sora as Miyako stared at the ground, surprisingly, the girl looked only mildly interested in what the conversation was about and had her eyes fixated on a distant point in the opposite direction of where he stood. He couldn't help but chuckle, this girl was definitely unlike any other. "Did you come looking for me, miss Miyako?"
"Yes… the queen—"
"We're leaving then, good day Sora and thank you for showing me around." He winked at the girl who smiled in return. It was the first smile he had seen from her that day, and he never forgot it.
--------------------
AN: I hope that was better than the first chapter, hehe. If anyone has any comments about the characters, then please let me know.
I forgot to mention, if you like this story, then consider reading the book Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire, and watching the movie Ever After. Wow, talk about advertisement.
Any ideas are always welcomed!