Artistic Differences
By theladyknight
Disclaimer: Digimon—not mine!
A/N: The long awaited croquet match with Sorato hints and comic relief by a guy named Tai. Thanks for the suggestions and reviews; I've decided this'll be a Michi as well as Sorato and Takari! Please read, review, and enjoy!
Chapter 4: Croquet
"We're going to play what?" Matt asked unbelievably.
"Croquet. Does that not register in your little blonde head?"
Matt folded his arms and gave Tai a smirk. "Of course, bushy. But pray tell how exactly will a game of croquet solve our little issue?"
Sora, Mimi, and Kari all stood with their hands on their heads, all shaking their heads as well. "Does your brother realize how stupid he sounds?" Sora asked.
Kari shook her head. "Most likely not."
Mimi giggled. "But you've gotta admit, he does look kinda cute when he's trying to act like he actually knows what he's talking about." Sora and Kari rolled their eyes.
"Guess she thinks he's cute all the time then." Sora muttered to Kari.
"Hey guys, what's up?" T.K. asked, coming out the gate and into the backyard.
"Hi T.K.!" Kari exclaimed enthusiastically. Sora looked between the two. They would be so cute together! Oh my God, I'm starting to sound like Mimi!
Tai, meanwhile, had launched into a long nonsensical explanation. "You see, blondie, for ages we have used this method of solving problems. It dates back to the time of my great-great-great uncle's sister's cousin's grandmother's parakeet's era…" Tai continued droning on as he began pacing back and forth, off in his own little world.
Everyone else sat down. Mimi's eyes were beginning to shut as she leaned up against a tree, slowly falling asleep. T.K. and Kari were locked in a conversation. Sora watched her best friend make an even bigger fool out of himself than he usually did. Suddenly she felt some warm air tingling her ear. "Is bushy serious?"
Sora blushed at Matt's close proximity and turned to face him. "Sadly, yes. For some odd reason our ancestors were quite strange. Croquet is the way we solve things around here."
"Why not just give us swords and let us duke it out? I could promise you, at the least, that loser wouldn't be called bushy anymore." Sora laughed, and Matt looked at her quizzically.
"Swords sound like a good idea right now. But then again, I'll take just about anything that could get Tai to shut up."
"Agreed." Matt answered.
Tai still was talking, though he assumed the others were listening. "…Croquet not only proves how tough and smart you are but also how manly…"
"You are friends with him, why?"
Sora sighed and hugged her feet to her. "Some days I really wonder about that." Sora and Matt were both quiet. One minute he's lashing out at me, and the next minute we're having a perfectly civil conversation. I didn't realize he could be so funny and charming. "Matt, I don't get you."
"What are you talking about, princess?"
"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Sora? You're as stubborn as Cody! Yesterday we couldn't stand each other, but now we're getting along just fine. T.K. told me what has gone on in your past, Matt. And let me be the first to tell you, all of us want to be your friends. No matter how bad your memories of other kingdoms are, we all want to help change that, even bushy!" she said, referring to Tai as she talked. Matt stared at the girl, wondering why her words were starting to have an effect on him. "Listen, Matt, if you just give us a chance, it's all we're asking. We're pretty decent people, though every now and then we have our own minor problems."
Matt was silent for a minute, studying Sora. I don't know what to do. Every other time I've made friends with people, they've ended up stabbing me in the back and showing their true colors. But something about Sora makes me think this could be different. She and her friends seem so true, almost too good to be true. But then again they do come from a kingdom that plays croquet to settle their differences. All the others battle it out to the death. Maybe, they are genuine. I guess I could give it a try, but I'll keep my guard up. Matt stood up. "I'll consider being friends…"
"Where are you going?" Sora asked, very happy about his response.
He grinned a genuine smile at her, and Sora felt her cheeks turn red. "I'm gonna show the windbag a little thing or two about the game of croquet. T.K. and I played it all the time when we were little kids. He's shouldn't be too hard to beat."
Sora grinned back, thinking about all the times she'd played croquet with Tai. Let's just say, he usually got a bit too energetic, for lack of better word. Matt began to walk over to the brunette. "Matt, wait." Sora called.
"What is it, pr…Sora."
Her face lit up in yet another smile. "Good luck." Matt flashed her a smile. I get chills every time he does that. Hold it together, he's just a guy…
"Hey, bushy." Matt began, trying to shake off the feeling Sora had just given him as well.
"Don't interrupt me!" Tai exclaimed. "Where was I? Oh yes. Some of the greatest kings and knights have…"
"Look, bushy, are we gonna play or just flap our gums all day?"
Tai glared at him. "Let's go."
Noticing the two boys had finally decided to play, the girls and T.K., after waking Mimi up, all stood up and watched them set up their course. Kari pulled out a bag. "Anybody want to place some gold on this match?" she held the bag out to everyone. "I'll put four coins on my brother."
Mimi found her gold. "Four on Tai as well."
Kari looked at T.K. "Want to put any money in?"
"Um, two gold pieces on Matt." He said a little hesitantly. Unlike the others, he really didn't receive much pocket money or gold.
Sora grabbed her own coins. "Ten on Matt." The others all dropped their jaws.
"Matt?" Mimi asked. "Are you sure Sora?"
"Of course!" she answered, grinning mysteriously and putting an arm around the younger blond. "T.K. and I are gonna take all the gold."
Kari smiled back at the two. "We'll just have to see about that."
Matt and Tai were both choosing their mallets and croquet balls. "Because we all know I'm going to beat you, I'll just let you go first." Tai bragged.
"All in good time, bushy." Matt responded, slowly examining each mallet. He finally chose one, and he and Tai made their way to the place they would start.
"C'mon Tai!" Mimi and Kari yelled. Tai winked at them and threw his mallet in the air, holding out his hand in an attempt to catch it and impress them all. But the plan didn't work as well as he thought. Instead of landing in the palm of his hand, the mallet hit him on the head.
"Ouch!" he exclaimed, rubbing his head.
Sora rolled her eyes and laughed with the rest of them. "Go Matt!" she and T.K. exclaimed in unison.
"Why are you cheering for him, Sora?"
Sora put her hands on her hips. "Because you're being a stubborn idiot, Tai!"
Tai muttered something under his breath that no one heard before turning to Matt. "Go ahead, blondie."
Matt smirked and hit the ball through the first ring. Tai watched and gulped. This could be a little harder than I thought. The two battled it out,ifonewould call it that,and it was obvious Matt had the clear advantage.
There were a total of seven rings the boys had to go through in order to win. Matt was at number five when Tai was just getting to number three. The spectators all realized Matt had played before and was much better than the bushy haired teen. To anyone who didn't know Tai, they would assume it was his first time playing.
Tai played croquet a little too much like golf. When it was his turn, Tai hit the ball with a little too much energy and force, causing the ball to roll way past the ring and into the pond the king and queen had recently put in.
Tai made his way over to the pond to retrieve the ball but stopped just as he was ready to climb in. "Um, Sora, you never told me there were FISH in here!" he stuttered nervously.
Sora sighed. She had forgotten about Tai's fish phobia. "Come on, Tai. They are little harmless fish. They aren't going to hurt you!"
"How can you be so sure?" he asked looking petrified.
"What's wrong with your brother?" T.K. asked, turning to Kari.
She smiled. "I forgot you and Matt don't know the story. It happened four years ago when Tai was fifteen. He, Sora, Mimi, our friend Izzy, and I all went swimming at the river. We were in the water and like usual, Tai and Mimi were flirting." Both Mimi and Tai gave the younger girl evil glares, but couldn't hide their red faces. "Tai grabbed Mimi's leg and made a comment about how slimy and gross it was. Mimi protested, and Tai pulled it above the water to prove his point."
"Okay, okay, can we get back to the game?" Tai asked, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.
"I think we've got time for a quick story break." Matt injected.
Kari grinned. "Unfortunately for Tai, it wasn't Mimi's leg. It was actually a very large fish! The fish started struggling and hit Tai in the face a couple of times in an attempt to get free. Then, if that wasn't worse enough, when Tai opened his mouth to yell for help, the fish slipped into it! By the time we go the fish out and back into the water, Tai was terrified of fish and still is to this day."
First Matt, followed shortly by T.K., began laughing. Sora, Mimi, and Kari soon joined in until the only one who wasn't laughing their head off was Tai. "It's not that funny!" he fumed.
Sora caught her composure, walked over to the pond, and pulled out Tai's croquet ball. "Would you two just finish the game?"
Matt and Tai glanced at each other and two strokes later, Matt was the winner. T.K. and Sora, both cheering, grabbed the bag from Kari and split their winnings, ten pieces of gold for each. The four spectators walked over to the two, Matt grinning confidently while Tai's head hung.
"I think you owe Matt something, Tai." Sora said.
"What would that be?" Tai asked glumly.
"An apology." Mimi added. Tai just stared at her. "Come on, Tai. Don't be so hardheaded. Matt won fair and square. It's time for you to say you're sorry."
Tai extended a hand. "Look, Matt," he made a point of saying. "The two of us got of on the wrong foot and well, I'm sorry. I hope we can put our differences aside."
Matt shook Tai's hand. "We'll see." He answered.
"Yamato, Takeru, come here. Your father and I need to talk to you." Nancy shouted from the upstairs window.
"See you later." Kari said waving to T.K.
"Yep!" he answered grinning. "Bye guys!"
Sora watched the two blondes leave and her eyes locked with Matt's. She looked into the blue orbs and for the first time, saw something more than loneliness and hurt. Matt gave her a smile; one that looked like he was holding a gigantic secret but wouldn't tell anyone what it was. Finally looking away, Matt and T.K. made their way back into the castle. Mimi noticed the exchange between Sora and Matt and nudged Kari. They nodded in agreement but decided to wait till later to bring it up with Sora.
Matt and T.K. walked into the castle with T.K. jingling his newfound money in his hand. "Where'd you get all that, T.K.?"
"There was a little bet on your guys match."
"You bet on a croquet game? Push me over with a feather!"
T.K. looked at his brother. "I'm eight pieces of gold richer thanks to your little victory back there."
"How much did the others bet, T.K. cause you definitely didn't have that much to start with before."
"Mimi and Kari bet four gold pieces each on Tai, I bet two on you," he received a glare, "Come on Matt. If I had more money I would've bet that much on you!"
"What about Sora?" the older blond asked nonchalantly.
"Ten pieces of gold. All on you, bro." T.K. said grinning knowingly.
That surprised Matt. "Is that why she was cheering for me?"
"Partly." T.K. responded mysteriously. But that was all the younger blond would spill. Matt questioned him again but his little brother refused to disclose anymore.
The two boys walked the rest of the way in silence to meet their parents. Matt was heavily in thought the whole way and the whole time their parents talked about design ideas. She bet ten pieces of gold on me? Why not Tai? Was it just to prove a point or maybe she really did mean what she said about friendship and being friends. That girl never stops surprising me. She's definitely pretty amazing. Getting to know her more and being her friend just might not be a bad idea at all…
A/N: So that was the croquet match…definitely not with a dull moment! Please review and tell me your thoughts!
Theladyknight