Artistic Differences
By theladyknight
Disclaimer: Digimon—not mine!
Cloaked Fox: Thanks for catching the error about the crest. And regarding your other concerns, 1) Tai is only going to be Sora's best friend not a love interest. 2) Some other characters both from the anime and original characters will be introduced later and may play the role as suitors Sora has yet to meet that aren't like the others she already has. 3) Sora's room needs to be painted and Matt's specialty is painting. She is also going to have some say in what her room looks like, that's why they'll be spending time together. 4) Yes I know that fact about medieval princesses, and Sora's normal character will be brought into play more along with her daily routines, including weapon and educational training.
Trio Wing: Thanks for the reviews! This chapter should be more interesting!
Chapter 3: Discussions, Fights, and Challenges
The next morning, Sora woke to a knock on her door. She yawned putting on her dressing robe and opened the door.
"Good morning, dear." Her mother, Toshiko, said entering the room along with a few servants.
Sora yawned once again but gave her mother a smile as one of the servants pulled back the blinds letting light fill the room. "Good morning, mother."
"Sora, I have a few matters to discuss with you," she sat down on Sora's bed and motioned for her daughter to do the same. "The Ishidas are going to begin work on the castle this morning and you will be meeting with Matt after breakfast to discuss what you would like done with your room." Sora wondered if this discussion would result in another argument. "You will then be attending your usual education lessons with Master Gennai and…"
Sora interrupted her mother. "Will Tai, Mimi, and Kari be joining us?" she asked hopefully.
Her mother nodded in response, and Sora nearly jumped off the bed in excitement. "Dear me, I forgot what I was going to say next." She looked pensively at her daughter. "Oh well. But you'd best be getting ready, Sora, you have a very busy day ahead."
Queen Toshiko and the servants left, allowing Sora to change. She found a pair of peasant clothes as her friends referred to them and put them on. These clothes were what the villagers in their town always wore and quite frankly Sora was more comfortable in them than a dress. Her mother really would have preferred for the princess to wear dresses, but they met in the middle. Sora with the help of her father and friends had managed to convince her mother that these clothes would benefit Sora in all the work she did, from her school and weaponry training to just having fun with her friends in the outdoors.
Sora made her way to the dining room greeted by Malcolm Ishida, Lord Kamiya, and Lord Tachikawa. After giving each one smiles, Sora sat down in her chair and began to eat the breakfast set out for her. Lord Kamiya was a very important minister in her father's cabinet and one of her father's most trusted advisors. He was the father of her best friend Tai and her other close friend Kari. The Kamiyas were almost like Sora's second family, and she got along with each and every one of them very well.
Lord Tachikawa was her other best friend, Mimi's, father. He was also high up in the royal cabinet, serving the role as royal treasurer. Sora and Mimi's relationship hadn't exactly been pretty upon their first meeting. Mimi was the kind of girl who loved wearing dressing and hated get muddy or being outside. She was the complete opposite of the princess yet Sora believed that was why they were such good friends.
Sora finished her breakfast and waited patiently before asking her father if she could be excused. "Of course dear," the king answered right away.
"Matt is waiting in the main hallway to hear your ideas for your room." Malcolm said, smiling at the princess.
"Thank you." She replied kindly before curtsying and walking out. She approached the hallway, slowly thinking to herself the whole time. I really want to become friends with Matt. He just seems so distant; like he wants to be that way. I hope I can help him. Sora saw the blond haired boy standing with his back towards her. "Matt," she began slowly.
He turned around to face her, and Sora once again caught sight of his eyes. There's something about them that just lures me in… She hadn't realized she was staring at them but suddenly snapped out of it when Matt cleared his throat.
"Princess." He responded. They both began walking in the direction of Sora's room, not aware of T.K. following them. "What would you like your room to look like?"
Sora stopped and looked at the walls. "I really don't know. Redoing my room had never been a thought. Quite honestly, I didn't find out about the castle getting fixed until last night right before you came."
Matt stopped as well and turned around facing her. "Look, do you have any ideas or not."
"Well," Sora began, remembering something she had seen in a princess's room in the next kingdom, "it would be kind of cool if there was a mural of some sort in there. Right now my walls are just white and pretty plain. I'd like them to be vivid and full of color." Matt looked at her as though he'd never seen anyone like her before. "What?" she asked puzzled.
"Nothing." He responded, shaking his head.
"But I'd really like to hear any suggestion that you have." Sora added. "You must have lots of ideas."
"My job is to paint your room the way you want it, not the way I would like to see it." Matt replied.
"But…" Sora began again. "Please, you must have some suggestions. From what your family said last night, you are a really talented artist. I would like it if you'd give me some sort of idea on what would look good." Sora pleaded.
Matt looked at the girl. She's being sincere. This girl is so much different than any of the royals I've ever encountered. But it's probably just an act. I can't let myself get close to anyone, especially this girl. "It is not my place to do so, princess," he responded.
"Please." Sora answered. "Just give it a thought."
She never gives up. There's something that is just…drawing me to her. I don't know what it is. Princess Sora is being so nice and kind. It's almost though she wants to be friends. Friends, what a foreign word that is. Matt looked at Sora's ruby eyes. They seemed to say so much about her. He finally caved in. "Alright, tell you what princess; I'll mix up some sort of base coat for your wall and put that on there today. But if you want a mural I'm going to need to know what exactly you want on it."
Sora smiled. "Well, this may sound stupid, but when I was little and afraid of the wars that were going on all around here, I used to dream about someone being there to protect me. One night she appeared in my dream, a large bird calling herself Garudamon. She was a mighty, powerful creature and I always felt safe every night." Sora felt herself blushing. "It's stupid…"
Sora could have sworn she saw the blond shake his head. She looked at him questioningly, and he turned to leave. "I've got an idea I could use on your room, but are you sure you want the way your room will look to depend on me, princess?"
Sora stared at him. She just didn't understand this boy. "Listen, Matt there are two things I want you to know. Number one, please call me Sora. I really don't like being referred to as princess. And number two, I trust your decisions. If you want to paint it and design it based on an idea you get that's fine by me. I don't care how my room turns out as long as I know you put a dream to the test. How boring would our world be if no one went out on a ledge and put their ideas out there?"
"As you say," he answered.
"Matt," she responded as the artist began walking to the entrance of her room. "Thank you."
"For what?" the blond answered quite puzzled.
"For caring about what I think and listening to what I have to say. I think there is more to you than the boy I got into an argument last night." Matt looked at her, knowing his face was burning up. He turned and walked into her room, shutting the door behind him.
Well, that went better than our conversation last night. "Sora!" a voice exclaimed. Sora looked at the speaker and smiled warmly.
"Hi T.K." she answered. "What brings you here?" she asked while beginning to walk toward the schoolrooms.
"Not much. Mom and dad told me to walk around the castle and try and get an idea about what we can do with the place."
"Any inspirations yet?" she asked. It's so easy to talk to this boy. I wonder why it's just the opposite with his brother.
T.K. sighed. "Nope. I've only been looking around for a while, but I really can't say there's anything that has come to mind."
"That stinks." I wonder if he'll be mad if I ask about Matt. "T.K., can I ask you a question?"
"Of course, Sora." He answered cheerfully.
Sora thought to herself about how to word the question the right way. "Does Matt always act so cold and isolated?" T.K. looked away. "T.K., would you please tell me truthfully. There's something about your brother I just don't seem to understand. But yet I want to understand him and become friends."
T.K. saw a bench and motioned for Sora to sit down. "Our family hasn't always been greeted and treated so well by the other royal families and their kingdoms. You see, we live up in the northern part of this kingdom, but we travel to all the surrounding lands at the requests of their monarchy." He paused for a breath. "While the folks in your land are peace loving and down to earth people, in many of the other kingdoms the story is much different."
Sora looked at the younger boy and could feel his pain and suffering. The boy continued. "I guess the thing that's responsible for turning my brother into a distant loner happened a few years ago in the kingdom of Lockton. Before that, Matt was one of the friendliest, nicest guys you would ever meet. But since that day and the days after it, Matt has found more comfort in solitude than in the presence of others."
"What happened?" Sora asked, genuinely concerned.
"Well, we were asked by the King of Lockton to design this big painting and some statues for his wife's birthday party. Matt worked for three days straight hardly ever pausing for a break after hearing the king's idea for the painting. It was a long hard work for my brother but as with all his other masterpieces, this painting was phenomenal. Unfortunately, the king didn't see it that way. The painting was of a war scene, and Matt captured ever angle of it. That wasn't what the king was looking for, though. The kingdom of Lockton is almost obsessed with killing and dominance. They thrive on warfare and love the genocide of innocent civilians. The painting was not bloody and gory enough for his liking. Matt showed how war can harm and destroy families; something the king could care less about.My brotherrefused to make a new one, and the king made him watch others suffer at his kingdom's hands to make up for the painting. He believed he was giving Matt a backbone. My brother saw some horrors no one should ever see. From that day forth, he was always colder and chose to be separated from others."
Sora put her hand over her mouth. "How awful. Poor Matt."
"But that's just the thing." T.K. said. "Matt didn't want any of us to know of the things he was forced to see, so he started bottling things up inside him. Though he continued to paint one brilliant painting after another, other kingdoms with kings as ruthless as Lockton's have destroyed Matt's works nearly the minute he finishes them. His paintings carry an innocence and beauty these kings don't understand anymore. Matt has still managed to keep a heart underneath it all, but it's becoming colder each day. My mother and father have tried to snap him out of it but nothing works. Since his mind has been poisoned by such evil words and images, I'm afraid Matt will become like those who destroyed him."
"T.K. I'm sorry. And I want to help you out in anyway I can." She felt her heart go out to the younger boy.
"Thanks, Sora." He stood up. "Aren't you supposed to be somewhere right now?"
Sora shot up. "I'm supposed to be working on schoolwork. Thanks for reminding me, T.K." she stood up and began bolting toward the room. "Hey, T.K. Come with me. You might get some inspirations from sitting in class."
"Okay," he answered. "If you're sure it'll be alright."
"Of course," Sora replied. She led him down the hall to the schoolroom, opening the door. "Sorry I'm late, Master Gennai. This is T.K. Ishida, he's one of the artist who will be working on the castle. I was wondering if he could sit in during one of our lessons for a while."
Master Gennai, a kind knowledgeable man nodded. "He is welcome, but shouldn't he be working on the castle."
"You see, sir," T.K. said jumping to his own defense, "I am trying to come up with some ideas of how my family can redecorate the castle and make it the best possible. By listening to you, I thought I might be able to get some ideas."
"Well, if that's the case, you are welcome here anytime T.K." He motioned for the two to take a seat. The others around the class all looked at T.K. and then smiled.
"This is Mimi," Sora said pointing to the pink-haired girl. "That's Tai and his little sister Kari." She finished pointing both of them out.
"It's a pleasure to meet you." T.K. answered with a smile on his face as well.
For the next three hours, Sora and company listened to Master Gennai drone on about mathematics, astronomy, geography, and history. By the time lessons were over for the day, they were all glad to have some free time. Sora told the others, while they were on their way to see the progress Matt had made, all about the Ishidas and her concerns over Matt. T.K. had excused himself earlier yet Sora was still careful when talking about them.
"If you ask me," Tai began, "this Matt kid has a serious attitude problem."
"No, that's not it." Sora answered. She had not disclosed anything from her earlier discussion with T.K., feeling it was too private for anyone else to know. "I really think there's something more to him than meets the eye."
Mimi gave Sora a smile and put her arm around her. "Your instincts have never led us wrong before. Let's try and befriend this guy. Maybe that's all that he needs."
"What I think he needs is a swift kick up the a…"
"Tai!" his sister exclaimed. "You don't even know him!How can you say that!"
Tai pouted the rest of the way to Sora's room. They had a two hour break for lunch and relaxation now before they went to practice their weapon skills. Sora knocked on the door and heard Nancy give her the okay to come in. One by one the friends entered the room, greeted by a beautiful sight.
Matt had started working on the walls, painting a beautiful shade of blue as the base color. His hands and arms were covered with paint, and he was concentrating really hard on his work. "Matt." His mother began, causing her son to look down. "We have visitors."
Matt glanced at each face carefully before his eyes finally rested on Sora. "This is great so far!"Theprincessexclaimed. "Mrs. Ishida, Matt, I'd like to introduce you to my friends. This is Mimi Tachikawa and Tai and Kari Kamiya."
"It's nice to meet you." Nancy responded. Matt just went back to painting.
His mother noticed this and got an idea. "Matt, you've been working awfully hard. How about you take a break? You can go hang out with these kids. Is that okay?" she asked Sora.
"I guess." Matt grumbled something else but nonetheless stopped painting and joined the others. They walked out the door and headed outside, Tai and Sora in a conversation about who was the best croquet player. It seems a little odd, but croquet was a very popular sport in the kingdom and because it was so inexpensive, nearly everyone played it.
Mimi wondering a little about the mysterious blond, decided to ask him a question. "So Matt, how do you like the castle?"
"It's okay." He answered in a monotone.
"What's your favorite part?" He shrugged his shoulders.
"Where are you from?" Mimi asked taking a different approach.
"This kingdom." Matt answered and fell back so he wouldn't have to listen to any more of the girl's questions.
Tai noticed this and stopped. "Do you have a problem?"
"What!" Matt answered.
"Yeah, you heard me blondie. I asked if you have a problem though I already know the answer to that. You DO!"
Matt smirked at Tai. "And may I ask, bushy, what that problem is?"
That provoked Tai causing him to lunge at Matt who was waiting with fists raised. Mimi and Kari grabbed Tai, pulling him back while Sora wrapped her arms around Matt's stomach, dragging him away from Tai. "Stop fighting." She exclaimed, looking into his deep blue eyes. Their faces were getting dangerously close. Why am I getting this tingly feeling every time I look at his eyes?
How does she manage to do this to me? Why can she calm me down and leave me tongue-tied when nobody else can!
The three girls had successfully separated the two boys and kept them apart. "What's the matter with you two?" Kari exclaimed. "You just met and, you don't know a thing about each other and suddenly you're fighting!"
"He's a little vain, self-centered brat who thinks he's too good to answer someone's questions or be nice to anyone!" Tai spat.
"Well bushy over here seems to think he can go around punching people he doesn't know because he thinks they have a problem!" roared Matt, and Sora felt her hands slipping from around his well-built figure. She wrapped them around him tighter, trying to conceal her blush at the same time.
"There's only one way to settle this fair and square with no fighting involved, blondie." Tai muttered venomously.
"What'd that be, bushy?" Matt taunted.
"It's the way we solve things around here when one hardheaded person seems to think he's a step above the rest." Sora, Mimi, and Kari rolled their eyes. They knew what was coming.
"I…challenge you to a game of…croquet."
A/N: So how was it? Please review and tell me what you think! Also whom should I pair Mimi up with? Tai, Izzy, Joe, or an OC? Hope to hear from u and I'll update soon!
Theladyknight