Artistic Differences
By theladyknight
Disclaimer: Digimon is not mine!
A/N: Ugh…more computer problems and lack of time! But here's chapter 14. Thanks to everyone who reviews and read, review, and enjoy this chapter!
Cloud-821: Thanks! I updated this as soon as I could.
Placid Snowflake: I hope you got your food…I just ate. My church had this big Turkey Supper thing, and I'm so full! Yeah, I hate Marcus too. I don't think your method of killing him off is too harsh—maybe that's the way he'll die -evil laugh-
Mimay: Thanks! Can't say I like Marcus much either. Does anyone like him?
Forest-Maiden: School does ruin everything. Don't worry, I'm not quitting on this story anytime soon. I've just been so busy…my school's play is this week, and everything is in chaos!
Mini Moose: Beating the tar out of Marcus…I'll loan him to you; but I'll need him back for the rest of the story so don't hurt him too incredibly bad…
Curtis Zidane Ziraa: I wonder how it's going to turn out too. I e-mailed you once bout some info on Japan…did you get it?
Raine189: Marcus will get his butt kicked by either Matt or Sora…I'm not too sure who.
Indigowolf: I agree!
Thetwentyone: Thanks!
Windedlove: Thanks! Speaking of updating…are you going to soon?
Kay: I'm glad you caught that little detail…read to see…
Sorato4eva: update faster…I'm working as fast as I can! Jun is in here and so is her reaction to Matt
Yume-dream: Marcus definitely fits the description of stupid guy…
Cute Lil Sora: Thanks!
Crazyamzy: There's more in store for Marcus…
Scorpion05: Carrying Mimi's bags does sound like punishment…King Matt, that's got a ring, doesn't it?
Blondie121147: Ripping Marcus's head off could be a possibility for the future…
Violet eyes rika: Chemistry as a freshman? Chemistry's not offered at my school till junior year. I'm taking it right now, and I can't say I like it at all…but I guess it beats Biology last year where my teacher spent ¾ the year talking about water…
Armitage: How bout we beat him with a collection of shoes…
Chapter 14: The Ball
Sora pulled back the curtain separating herself from Mimi, Kari, her mother, and Nancy Ishida. Instantly, their mouths dropped.
"Sora, you look so beautiful!" Mimi said.
"Everyone's going to love you!" Kari exclaimed.
Nancy smiled. "You look lovely."
Queen Toshiko put an arm around her daughter. "Sora, I'm sure that tonight you'll find the man you will marry and love all your life." Especially because Haruhiko told me Matt has asked for your hand. I wish I could tell the others.
She tried to keep a knowing grin from stretching across her face, but it was to no avail. "What?" Nancy whispered.
"I'm just so happy." The Queen answered. I can't tell you why though! Haruhiko swore me to secrecy because he doesn't want the courtiers rioting or something.
"Do you think something will happen between she and Matt finally?" Nancy whispered.
"I hope so." She bit her lip.
Nancy noticed her odd behavior and made a note to ask her about it when they were in private. She clapped her hands. "Well, ladies, I say it is time for us to head out. The ball welcoming will be starting any minute now."
"You remember the right time to come out?" a very concerned Mimi asked.
Sora rolled her eyes. "Of course! I descend gracefully down the staircase when father announces, "I King Haruhiko, ruler of the Takenouchi kingdom, proudly present my daughter, Princess Sora." She quoted sarcastically as the group walked out her room.
The women all wished her good luck and promised to talk to her later in the evening. Sora watched as they walked down the grand staircase and stopped next to the king.
She stood patiently, all alone at the top of the staircase. While her father began his speech, she was lost in her thoughts. I just have to make it through tonight; then I don't have to worry about any of these men. I'll have Matt and, somehow, I'll manage to convince father to let us be together. Sora heard her cue and took a deep breath. "Here goes…"
"What's up with that Marcus guy?" Tai asked. He, Matt, and T.K. were standing in the crowd, awaiting the king's speech, and Sora's introduction.
Marcus was standing quite a ways from them, but the guys could all see him. He was shifting uncomfortably and kept pulling at the top of his shirt. From their view, it looked like the shirt was cutting off his circulation.
Matt let out a laugh. "What is it?" His younger brother asked.
"The clothes are too small on him. He saw me going to grab them and decided he wanted them. I had a feeling they wouldn't fit him because he's much huskier than me."
Tai and T.K. both laughed. "He had it coming."
"I agree," Tai responded. "Speaking of these dress clothes, don't you just wish we wouldn't have to wear these tight pants? Wouldn't it be great if we could wear normal pants that someone made dressy?"
"Like what?" Matt asked.
"I don't know. Like two uniform colors. We would have a jacket and pants. How about black and white?"
T.K. snickered. "Black and white? You want us to look like…penguins?"
"I…" Tai was cut off.
"King Haruhiko's going to give his address right now." The group grew silent, and the rest of the room gradually became quiet as King Haruhiko held up a hand.
"Welcome one and all to the kingdom of Takenouchi. I hope you all are having a pleasant time. But I will cut right to the chase after I made a brief thank you. The royal family and I extend the deepest gratitude to the Ishida family for spending a tremendous deal of time and effort on restoring our castle and making it fit for us to host everyone."
Tai began applauding and soon the other guests followed suit.
"Now—now is the time the majority of you have come here for. My daughter and heir to the throne of my kingdom is looking for a husband. You have been invited here to meet her and get to know her. So with that said, I King Haruhiko, ruler of the Takenouchi kingdom, proudly present my daughter, Princess Sora."
Matt watched the stairs as Sora slowly made her way down. Their eyes locked immediately, and his mouth fell open. She was wearing a long green gown and Matt had never seen her look more beautiful.
All around him the young men greeted her with the same expression. They, like Marcus, had heard all sorts of rumors about her beauty, but seeing her up close magnified the stories.
The princess walked over to her father and stood next to him. "Matt, you might want to shut your mouth so you don't get any drool on the floor." T.K. snickered.
The older blond glared at him but did obey. "I believe we can now get this ball underway. If you would?" he motioned to the musicians and with the wave of a baton, a minuet began playing. The King bowed to the crowd and immediately one of the courtiers asked Sora to dance.
Though Matt saw Sora's forced look of graciousness, he couldn't help but feel jealous. He knew Sora cared about him, maybe even loved him, but couldn't help seethe with rage as the men around him gazed at Sora.
"Come on buddy," Tai said, seeing the way Matt was glaring, "let's go get you acquainted with some friends of ours. I have a feeling you'll have to wait awhile before you get to dance with Sora."
"But…" Matt protested.
"Kari and Mimi are motioning for us to join them." T.K. pointed and grabbed his older brother's arm to pull him.
Matt rolled his eyes but followed the two. "Hey guys! Matt, T.K., here are some people I'd like you to meet. This is Yolei Inoue and Ken Ichijouji. They're fathers are some of the King's advisors in Roselle. Yolei's father manages the local inn and deals with a lot of the hospitality issues. Ken's father is the village's chief of security and guard and he helps with security issues here."
"It's nice to meet you." T.K. said, smiling at both.
"Yes." Matt answered. "Glad to meet you."
"So are you two princes or something?" Yolei asked bluntly. Kari hid back a snicker. Her lavender-haired friend tended to speak her mind and get right to the point.
"No, we're the artists who redecorated the castle."
"That's neat." Ken answered. "Hey Joe! Hello Izzy!"
"Hello everyone. It's good to see you all again." Izzy answered.
Tai looked at the two people they had brought with them quizzically. "Who are your friends?"
Matt and T.K. glanced at the two new faces. One was a boy, and the other was a girl. "This is Davis Motomiya and his older sister, Jun. Their parents are the Dutch and Duchess of Leigh, a kingdom very far to the east." Joe explained.
"Hello, I'm Tai Kamiya. This is my younger sister, Kari. Our father is one of King Takenouchi's advisors."
"It's nice to meet you. I'm Mimi Tachikawa. My father is the King's financial advisor."
Yolei and Ken both introduced themselves and then Matt spoke up. "I'm Matt Ishida and this is my brother T.K. We're…"
"Are you guys the ones who fixed up the castle?" Davis asked.
"Yep." T.K. responded. Suddenly Jun pushed her brother out of the way and stood in front of T.K.
"Hi, I'm Jun! I like long walks at sunset, romantic picnics…"
"He's taken." Kari said folding her arms.
The older girl backed off and turned to Tai. "As I was saying…"
"He's taken too." Mimi answered, pulling Tai to her.
Jun faced Matt now. "Well?"
"He's taken!" Tai, Mimi, Kari, T.K., Joe, and Izzy all exclaimed.
Jun's eyes widened. Darn, some girl must be very lucky. "Well it was nice to meet all of you. If you would excuse me, I'm going to go mingle." She waved and headed off to a group of boys.
"She's boy-crazy." Davis explained. "Don't worry, she's pretty harmless. If she finds out someone is taken, she won't go after them. When she's not chasing after a guy, she's a pretty decent sister."
"It should be interesting getting to know her, huh Matt?" T.K. asked but saw his older brother was not paying attention.
His gaze was locked on Sora and her current dance partner: Marcus. "I'll see you guy's later."
Matt briskly walked off towards the princess, and Yolei coughed. "Was that what you meant when you said he was taken…"
Come on. Only a little longer, and you don't have to dance with him again. Sora winced as Marcus stepped on her already sore feet. He wasn't the first to do it, but she was annoyed by him as it was.
Marcus spent the whole time they were dancing sending hints he liked her in her direction. Sora said nothing in response, hoping he would leave her alone. If only someone would cut in and ask me to dance.
And then her savior came.
Marcus felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Matt. The brunette glared at his rival. "What do you want? Can't you see we're busy?"
"Princess," Matt replied, ignoring Marcus, "would you allow me the honor of dancing with you?"
Sora tried her hardest to keep from letting a huge grin show. "Of course Matt. I would love to! Marcus, you don't mind, right?"
He glared at the two but forced a happy look. "Of course not. I'll just go mingle."
The brunette walked off and Sora locked one hand in Matt's while wrapping her other arm around his neck. "Have you ever been the answer to a prayer?"
Matt chuckled. "No, but you definitely have. If I hadn't met you…" Sora flushed through his sweet talk. "I can't even begin to describe how beautiful you are."
She smiled. "I missed you so much today, Matt. I've wanted to breakaway and be with you, but there was never a chance."
"I hope there will be." The artist answered. "Listen, Sora. I have something for you." Matt reached into his pocket but felt nothing. I'm so stupid!
"What is it?"
"I left it up in my room. When this dance ends, I'll go get it."
"It sounds important." The curious princess said.
The blond grinned and had to fight the urge to kiss her. "Life altering."
She smiled back at him and they danced in a comfortable silence. All around them, people had stopped to watch the two who seemed to be so relaxed with each other and looked like they were floating when they danced.
The minuet ended and the guests clapped. Matt bowed before Sora and kissed her hand while she curtsied. "I will now be taking my leave to get the surprise I have for you. Adieu, sweet princess."
"Goodbye, my artist." She answered. As soon as Matt headed for the staircase, a line of boys ran up to be the next to dance with the princess.
The dancing continued, and Sora kept looking up at the staircase, anticipating Matt's return. The sound of shattering glass broke her out of her trance, though.
At once the music stopped playing. Sora looked toward the sound and nearly screamed. Standing there was a group of nearly twenty men, armed, and bearing the crest of Lockton.
"King Takenouchi, meet your doom!" The apparent leader shouted as he gave the signal to attack. The Takenouchi armed guards were ready and the fighting began.
"Women and children upstairs!" the Queen shouted. She grabbed Sora and nearly drug her up the stairs. "That means you too! I know you want to stay and help Sora, but I need to set an example for the other women that they must get to safety. And to make sure you stay in the room and don't try to go downstairs—it's for your good…" the Queen pushed Sora into her room and locked the door before ushering the others in rooms.
Sora thought quickly and threw off her gown, with some difficulty, putting on the clothes she had borrowed from Matt a few weeks ago. The princess tied a bandana around her head to cover her hair and threw open the balcony doors, grabbing the rope ladder…
Matt had found the ring and gotten downstairs just as the Lockton men appeared. As the fighting began, Tai ran to the weapons room and grabbed swords for himself, Matt, and T.K. Others soon went in the room and joined the fighting.
The artist had killed one man who had snuck up behind the king when he spotted two disturbing sights. Number one, Marcus was fighting for the Takenouchis and number two, a new person, clad in regular work clothes and a bandana over their head, had joined the fighting.
Matt did a double take when the new fighter had come by him, and he recognized him. Well actually her. "Sor…"
"Don't say anything, Matt. I'm not going to sit back and watch."
They fought together taking out a handful of enemies. There was only one left now. He was at the king's feet and shaking. Lord Ichijouji was about to swing his sword down on the man when the man screamed. "No! Please, spare me!"
"Why should I?" the King demanded.
"I…can tell you…we have a spy in your castle."
The King paused and motioned for Lord Ichijouji to keep his sword fixed on the man. "What do you mean a spy?"
The man was silent deciding he had said too much. "Answer the King!"
He shook his head. "I won't say anymore!"
Marcus stepped forward. "Your highness, he's given us enough information. I know who the spy is."
"It's you, isn't it?" Lord Kamiya asked.
"No!" Marcus pleaded. "I'm not the spy! I left my father's kingdom for that very reason! He has been plotting against your kingdom for a long time now and has planted a spy here. This was one of the reasons I wanted to come here. I wanted to figure out who the spy was. And now I know….it's him…" he trailed off, pointing at Matt.
"I'm no spy!" Matt yelled. "Your story doesn't add up, Marcus."
"My father had talked of sending in a few people to pose as innocent people. I'm assuming he sent the Ishida family to do his bidding. What I've figured is that he sent them to learn the plans and to take out Princess Sora. Over the past week I've watched Matt use every trick to make the Princess fall for him, and I'm assuming next he's going to kidnap her! Matt and the Ishidas must be stopped!"
Malcolm Ishida stepped forward. "King Haruhiko, you cannot believe him. We're innocent!"
"Yes, Marcus, I'm having a hard time believing your story." The king answered to the shock of everyone there. "I trust Matt and the others with my life. You have no tangible evidence."
"But I do…" he answered mysteriously. He walked over to the prisoner and pulled something out of his pocket.
T.K. gasped and nudged his brother. "It's your harmonica."
"Just earlier, I saw Matt go up the stairs on his own. I saw him meeting this man and handing him his harmonica as a sign. From what I picked up, the harmonica stood for an attack from the west. My father sent many groups of soldiers but only had one set attack."
"Do you have an alibi for why you went up there?" Lord Tachikawa asked.
"I left something in my room." Matt responded.
"What was it?"
"I…I can't tell." Matt answered, knowing fully well he couldn't reveal the real reason he went up there but at the same time realizing he was trapped. "Look, I didn't do it! Marcus is trying to frame me."
Lord Ichijouji moved in towards Matt. "Look, kid, you have no alibi. The clues point to you. King Haruhiko, I'm placing Matt and his family under house arrest until we can have a full investigation."
"But…" the King began.
The man shook his head. "I can overthrow what you say in a situation like this. If I feel you and your family are at danger, I have the right to arrest a person or group of people. Matt, please come quietly."
"No!" the blond shouted. "I'm innocent. I won't go with you!"
"Matt…" the man began again as guards closed in around the blond.
Matt made a break for it, dashing around the guards and out the broken window. "After him! This proves he's guilty!" Lord Ichijouji shouted.
Sora looked up at her father, unable to believe what had just happened. Her father was also in a state of shock. Matt had been framed, and her father was powerless to stop it. Lord Ichijouji had now bound T.K. and Malcolm together and was sending someone upstairs for Nancy.
Sora took this opportunity to sneak out the door and sprinted to her window, sobbing all the way. Her tears continued to grow as she climbed up the ladder and into her room. Sora shut the balcony doors and fell onto her bed.
Father, how could you let this happen! You and a good deal of others know Matt is innocent. You know how much I love Matt! You know…
She heard the creak of her balcony doors and turned towards them. Sora then realized she was not alone…
A/N: Please review and let me know your thoughts. I'm off to watch Lord of the Rings and do my homework.