I'm What?
By theladyknight
Disclaimer: Digimon and the characters I used for Halloween costumes are not mine!
A/N: Happy Halloween! I tried my hardest to get this chapter out in time, but everything got in the way. Our football team's going to the playoffs—first time since 1998—, my family was home, and I had to take my niece trick-or-treating. Oh well, thanks to everyone who reviews, and I hope you enjoy!
Thetwentyone: Thanks!
Yink and Pellow: Thanks! I didn't choose your costume ideas but I liked them!
Blondie121147: Fake fingernails…ugh…hope your homecoming was good -looks at review and realizes it was almost a month ago- we won ours and went on a five game winning streak to the end of the season! Glad you like the grandparents!
Kat: My grandparents are the exact same. They make Yamato's seem normal…lol!
Sapphire Dragons: Lol! Thanks!
My Name is R.C.¿Qué tal, chica? Lol! Your right; I'm in my third year of Spanish in school. Thanks for such an awesome review! Let's see…yeah, I'm assuming all hell's going to break loose when her friends find out. But I don't know when or how it's going to happen yet. I found the books at my library so I don't know what to tell you…go to the library! Lol! A drag queen? That's so freaking awesome! I should have Taichi do that in some other story -coughTheGameofLifecough- Guess you'll have to see what I have in store for the costumes! Thanks for the review; it made my day!
Violet eyes rika: I used something like your idea…
Mini Moose: Sora doesn't go as a vampire, but someone else does…
Angry Piggy: Good costume suggestions…hope you liked what I ended up choosing!
Placid Snowflake: Glad you like everything! Hopefully you like the costumes I came up with…Yamato's is by far my favorite…lol!
Crazyamzy: Thanks! Hope you had fun in St. Louis and weren't antagonizing any Cardinal fans while you're there...you wouldn't do that, right? lol!
Kay: Thanks!
JyoumiBloodGang: Thanks…I think…
Mizuki wa Kataomoi: I did use something from the Wizard of Oz, but not for Sora…
Chapter 11: Of Pre-party Preparations and Halloween
Saturday November 2
My Room
Well, the Halloween party is over and it was lots of fun. This obviously means I convinced Grams to let me go. It happened in the weirdest way. I mentioned it to her Thursday night at the end of my lesson but I don't think she heard me. She was going on about some opera we should attend in order to increase my cultural knowledge.
I never got a direct answer from her so I didn't get a costume. I decided if she would let me go, I could just pull something together. Something's better than nothing right? That's not the way Grams sees it though…and that's where the story of how I managed to get to the party begins, Friday during my lesson…
I walked into the hotel slowly, going over the speech I had prepared to give Grams about why I should be able to leave early.
Antonio met me at the front door and could tell my head was elsewhere. "You didn't call me Yo today, señorita. ¿Cómo estás hoy? (How are you today?)
"Bien, pero nerviosísima." (Good, but very nervous.)
"Why?" he asked. All this switching between English and Spanish is really starting to make my head spin. Oh well, I guess I'm going to have to get used to it for the future.
"I need to get Grams to let my leave early so I can go to a Halloween Party. Guess I'm going to have to practice my negotiating skills."
"¿Una fiestapara el día de los muertos?" (A Halloween/day of the dead party?)
We reached the top floor and head toward Grams's suite. "Yep, it's at my friends' house."
"Is that chico rubio we saw you with before going to be there?" (blond boy)
"Yes." I answered cautiously. "Why do you want to know?"
"Oh, for no reason." He answered, trying to sound innocent.
"Yeah, I'm sure." I responded as we knocked and entered the room. Great, even Antonio's teasing me about Yamato. And worse off, there's nothing he knows about to tease me about.
"Hello Sora."
"Buenas tarde, Grams." I answered, curtsying.
She nodded her head, and I stood. Antonio too bowed but to both of us before leaving the room.
"Now, for the first part of today's lesson…"
I raised a hand signaling I wanted to talk instead of interrupting her. If I stand any chance of convincing her then I need to be on my best behavior.
"Yes." She responded. "What do you need?"
I gulped. Here I go. "Grams, you know it was just Halloween and all? My friend Hikari and her brother are throwing a party tonight, and I was invited. But in order to get there on time, I'm going to need to leave early from lessons to find a costume to wear and get ready."
Grams pursed her lips but bore a thoughtful look on her face. "So, are there going to be a lot of people at this party?"
"I would assume so. The Yagamis have a lot of friends."
"So…it would be like a social gathering…there would be all sorts of people there. And all these people would get to see you…"
"Grams?" I asked but she completely ignored me, lost in her own fanciful musings.
"You'll get to show off all your new perfected mannerisms, poise, and abilities…you'll get to practice being a princess," she snapped her finger. "That's it! Sora, you don't have a costume yet, do you?"
I shook my head and raised an eyebrow. Is she getting at what I think she's getting at? "No, does this mean you're going to let me go?"
"¡Fantástico! I can make some calls and get the things we don't have already. Oh, and you'll get a chance to wear the family jewels and a tiara—I'm sure I can find one of the least expensive ones…"
"Grams…you want me to go as a princess?" I asked. "I was just going to go as a witch or something though. Something I could just throw together."
"Throw something together for a party? Pish posh! Sora, you don't just throw something together when you go to a social function! No, I'm going to give you the best costume out of anyone there."
"You will?" I asked.
"Of course!" she replied enthusiastically. "Sora, I know you and I don't always see eye to eye but I want you to go and have fun. Besides, it'll give you a chance to extend what you've learned into the real world. You need to look as spectacular as your manners are."
Wow did Grams just say something nice?
Wasting no time now that she had set her mind to it, Grams picked up her phone and dialed a few phone numbers, speaking to each person in rapid Spanish.
"¡Antonio, viene aquí muy rápidamente!" (Antonio, come here very quickly!) Grams called, hanging up her phone.
"¿Qué usted necesita?" (What do you need?) The man asked, as he came back into the room.
"Vaa estas tiendasy compra las cosas en mi lista." (Go to these stores and buy the things on my list.)
"Sí," he answered, bowing and walking out of the room.
I watched with my mouth dropped open as Grams began walking around the room. "Okay, Sora, try this on." She said, getting right down to business. Grams walked over to the closet and pulled out a long silver gown.
I gave her a blank look, and she put her hands on her hips. "Sora, we don't have all day! If you want to get to this party on time you're going to have to put the gown on."
"But…" I began lamely, "it's probably not my size."
"Nonsense! I took your measurements awhile back in order to get your gown for the 500th birthday party ready. So far, I have gotten back one design, and this is it. While it is beautiful, it is not fit for such a ceremony."
Grams stared me down, and I finally relented. "I guess it can't hurt." I walked into the bathroom and shut the door. Here goes…
Five minutes later I emerged, feeling extremely stupid. "Can you zip it up?"
"Of course," Grams replied. She zipped up the back of the dress and turned me around to face her. "Sora you look breathtaking! I knew that you would have no problem pulling off a gown!"
Grams directed me to the large mirror and I looked at my reflection. Wow, is that me? The silver dress did indeed fit perfectly. It was strapless, flowed out at the bottom, and fit nicely around each part of my body. Luckily, I had a bag of extra clothes, shoes, and undergarments stashed at her place in case I ever needed them…and this was one of the times I had needed them.
"I'm glad you like it too." She answered, giving me a half smile. "Now it's time to do your hair and makeup. I'll let you put on your own makeup. You do remember what I taught you, right?"
"Uh huh," I replied. Oddly, I had remembered that lesson. Granted I had absolutely no idea what the name of each object was. But I did remember how to apply the right amount of each and what shades to wear with what colors.
Another twenty minutes, and Grams had finally okayed my makeup job. At first I had had too little, then too much, and at long last the perfect amount. But there was no time for relaxation; it was time to fix my hair.
Antonio had arrived back while I was putting on makeup. He bore all sorts of hair and nail products and handed them to Grams, apparently very happy to be back and away from the beauty parlors he must have been at. After giving me a quick lecture on each product, Grams began to fix my hair.
I had decided, with some help from Grams, I should have cornrows in my hair, and the rest of the hair spiral curled. I had a hard time believing Grams actually knew how to do this considering she always had someone else to do it for her. But I guess the results speak for themselves. Surprisingly, Grams knew very well what she was doing, and my hair looked pretty good.
Next Grams walked over to a drawer and pulled out a necklace with a HUGE diamond pendant dangling from it. "How much did that thing cost you?"
"$3000." She replied with a wave of her hand. "It's the cheapest of all the ones I brought with me. But it looks fantastic on you." She clasped the chain around my neck and headed back to the drawer to grab some hoop earrings. Pierced ears were a new thing for me; she had made me get them pierced when we went to the beauty parlor, but the earrings did go well with the outfit so I wasn't complaining too much.
And finally, after giving me a simple pair of flip flops to wear, she pulled out a tiara.
Even though I knew there'd be one, I was not expecting it to look so…magnificent. It's hard to find the right words to describe this. After seeing all those fake plastic ones, I never expected this one to be so different.
It was a light silver and had sapphires and diamonds adorning it. The way it appears is just so hard to describe…wow is about the only word that fits.
"You're actually going to let me wear it?"
Grams gave me a funny look, "Why wouldn't I? You're a princess and everyone knows princesses have tiaras. Besides, you'd look like a prom queen without it. You need something to distinguish yourself."
"But what if something happens to it?"
"The royal jewelers should have no problem fixing it. And besides, that tiara itself has gone through thick and thin."
I raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"
For the first time I thought I saw a guilty look cross myher face. But it vanished as soon as it had appeared. "I thought you needed to be at this party on time?"
I looked at my watch and gasped. The party started at 7:00. It was 6:45. Normally I would never ever stay at Grams's place that long, but I informed Mom earlier I'd be doing my best to convince her, but Mom might never see me alive again. I guess I was wrong.
"Antonio, can you drive me there?"
"Of course, Princesa." He answered. "We will take our leave."
Grams smiled. "Now Sora, I expect you to be on your best behavior, representing Prince Phillipe's Isle the best you possibly can."
"Okay…" I answered slowly. Grams's mood can change so fast.
"Have fun but remain distinguished. We've gone over that plenty of times in our lessons. Oh, and don't forget this!" she pulled something out of one of the bags Antonio had. It was a plastic scepter.
I snickered. "The rest of my costume looks believable, Grams, but this kind of screws me over."
"Language, young lady, language." She warned. "Pish posh! It's fine. You wouldn't want to drag an actual scepter around all evening. No, believe me, it would get very heavy."
"Yes, Grams." I answered, giving her a curtsy. Wow, curtsying is much easier when you're wearing a gown than I thought it would be. I decided not to answer her last comment with a sarcastic remark. Grams had been really nice and helpful to me tonight. That was by the far the best time we've had together since she got here. There was like no arguing!
Antonio and I climbed into the limo and sped off toward the Yagamis, once I gave him the directions. We arrived shortly and Antonio stopped the car. "Here you go, Princesa Sora Isabel Anamaría Takenouchi Olivarez."
"Gracias, Yo, but tonight I think I'll just go by Princess Sora."
"That sounds like a plan. Have fun, kid." He smiled and held out his hand so I could get out.
I gave him a nod of the head and started walking up the steps to the Yagamis apartment. Antonio got back in the limo and pulled away.
I was very glad Grams gave me plain flip flops to wear because it would have killed walking up all the stairs to the Yagamis in high heals. I made it up to their door and could hear the music playing inside. Here goes…
Hikari and Takeru answered the door, dressed as the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz (not mine!) and a vampire. "Sora!" the younger girl squealed. "Oh my God! I can't believe you're wearing a dress and came as a princess!" she looked my outfit over. "If I would have known you could pull it off this well, I would have made you dress up like one a long time ago."
I blushed. "I don't look that great."
"I'd say that's an understatement. Wait till Yamato sees you."
"Why…" I answered slowly.
"No reason." He answered mysteriously. "We're going to go mingle. Talk to you later, Sora."
"Bye guys. And I like the costumes!" I exclaimed as they headed the other way.
Looking around the crowded room for someone I knew, I spotted Mimi dressed as a ballerina, dancing with Koushiro, an evil genius. Mimi's mouth fell to the ground when she saw me, and she mouthed the words, "You had better tell me all about it later." I grinned at her and continued looking around.
There was Miyako dressed as Catwoman dancing with Batman, who I presumed was her boyfriend Ken. Christine came as a cheerleader and was standing by the stereo talking with Jyou Kido, wearing a football uniform, and Daisuke Motomiya wearing an…ostrich costume? Kudos to the kid for being unique. I'd definitely vote for him if we had to choose the best costume of the night.
Moving on, I began walking over to the food table, sure I could find the host of the party there. I started to giggle as Elvis Presley entered my line of vision. I knew very well who it was by the dark brown hair, and he turned around to face me.
Taichi was eating a chip with salsa on it when he recognized me. Sadly, his white jumpsuit was no longer white in the front. "Sora!" he exclaimed, completely missing the fact he now was wearing the salsa from his chip in the middle of his costume. "Wow! I would have never imagined you in a dress! Damn girl…you clean up well!" he whistled his approval.
I laughed. "I'd say the same to you, Yagami, except that you kinda spilt some food on yourself."
Taichi looked down and flushed. "Oh boy. I'm going to try and clean this up. I'll talk to you later. But you'll save me a dance, right?"
"Sure thing, Elvis." I responded.
As I watched Taichi's retreating back head towards his kitchen, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around and saw Yamato's gorgeous smile. "You look incredible."
My cheeks heated up, and I looked down to avoid his face. "Thanks…I…" I paused and looked him over. I couldn't help it; I squealed. "Oh my God! You came as Legolas! You even got a pair of…"
"…tight little pants." He responded, and we both laughed. "But I seriously mean it. You look incredibly beautiful, Sora."
I turned away from him, feeling my cheeks grow warmer. "You definitely don't look bad yourself, Yamato." I answered.
"Do you want to dance?" he asked, bowing lightly and kissing my hand.
"I think I can handle that." Came my response. He led me into the middle of the room where most of the dancing was going on and well…we danced. I'd go into more detail but what's there to say. We danced for what seemed to be an eternity. With each song, we'd give each other a look and keep on dancing. We were both perfectly content with each other, and I could feel many eyes on me, especially from the senior girls.
"They're jealous of you." Taichi told me as we danced. Yamato had needed to use the bathroom, and Tai had insisted if he didn't dance with me then, he'd probably not get to. "Yamato's been hogging you all night. He doesn't want to dance with anyone but you."
"Why?" I asked. "There are so many girls here he could."
"But he likes you more than the rest of them. A lot more than the rest." Taichi said winking.
Does this mean?
"What are you trying to get at?"
Taichi had been waiting for me to ask that. "I don't know…a little birdie told me that…"
"Taichi!" Hikari shouted. "Mom's on the phone and wants to talk to you."
Taichi rolled his eyes. "I'll tell you later, Sora." He answered, running to get the phone from his sister.
On that note, Mimi, Hikari, Miyako, and Christine pulled me into the hallway. "Okay, we want to hear all about your costume! You look like an actual princess! How did you pull it off?" Miyako asked.
"Yeah, Sora. You look so pretty." Christine added.
Mimi smirked. "And Yamato definitely liked it. You two have been together all night."
"We were dancing, Meems, nothing more." I responded, even though I knew it was a lie. From what Taichi told me, it sounds like Yamato likes me more than a friend. I cannot believe it. I really need to find him and get to the bottom of it.
"My Grams has some connections." I responded to the first two questions. "Listen, I've got to go find Taichi. He was telling me a story and I want to hear the end of it. But I promise I'll tell you more about it on Monday at school."
Hikari blinked. "You actually want to hear the end of one of Taichi's stories? Why?"
"I'll tell you later; if what he tells me is good or not."
"Okay." They answered. We walked in and saw Taichi standing on a chair. "Hey everyone! Party's over! Mom and Dad are going to be back soon, and the neighbors have been complaining about the music."
The group groaned but, nonetheless, began to leave. "Do you want me to walk you home?" Yamato asked, joining up with me again.
I faced him. "Yeah, that'd be great."
He grinned. "We can head out then. Takeru's going to stick around and help Tai and Kari clean up. We'll see you guys later." He called to the Yagamis, Jyou, and a few others.
Mimi let out a squeal as she saw me walk out with Yamato, and I saw Christine nudge Miyako. Great, I should have known that would happen.
"That was fun." I said, making small talk with the blond.
"Yeah it was. Did you have a good time?"
"Of course."
"Good." He replied. There was an awkward silence. "Your costume just looks so real. How'd you get all that stuff?"
"My Grams had a lot of it." I replied. "She helped me out with it."
"That's cool." He answered as we reached my apartment. "So Sora?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you doing anything tomorrow?"
He's asking me out! "No." I answered, trying to control my voice.
"Do you…want to have a guitar lesson then? And afterwards we can just hang out or go get something to eat."
"Yeah." I managed. "That sounds good."
"Great. I'll be over here at 3:00?" He responded, walking me to my door.
"Sure." I answered.
"Well, goodnight Cinderella."
"Cinderella?" I folded my arms. "Are you implying something about me?"
"That you're gorgeous?" he grinned.
I rolled my eyes. "Goodnight Prince Charming."
He bowed once, kissed my hand, and with a wink, walked off.
I walked into the room and saw my mom and Mr. Reynolds both sitting on the couch, watching some movie. "Sora? Is that you? In a dress?" Mom asked, dumbfounded.
I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Mom. It's me. I'll explain it to you tomorrow."
Kicking off my shoes, I walked upstairs without saying anything. I was almost floating on air. Mom called after me but I ignored her. I have a date tomorrow with Yamato; well, it's not exactly a date, but he was definitely just flirting with me. Maybe that's what Taichi was talking about. All I know is that I'm going to find Taichi and figure it out. Maybe there is a future between the blond and me…we'll just have to wait and see…
A/N: Thoughts? Suggestions? Hopefully Sora doesn't sound too clueless or anything; she just wants to know for sure if Yama likes her or not. Please review! And Happy Halloween!