Artistic Differences
By theladyknight
Disclaimer: Digimon is not mine!
A/N -ducks from flying objects, specifically forks…- Yeah, I know it's been a while since I updated…I have no school today cause of the snowstorm we're currently in and decided to type this up. So while I wait for more snow so I can go snowmobiling, my dad finally got ours up and running, enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review!
B.R. Wells: First off, thanks for all the reviews! It must have taken you a long time to read this. Lockton will meet a rather unfortunate fate later, Matt renamed the process of courting by a cooler name, and I'm very happy you like the story!
Lindariel12: Glad you like it!
Mrs. Ishida-to-you: I think there's a we-hate-Marcus club out there. Lol! Don't worry, he'll get it in the end, I promise. I do tend to put a lotta cliffhangers in here, don't I? Thanks for all the reviews!
Neko: First they have to clear Matt's name.
Cute-Cleo: I hope everything turns out well too…
Kuroi Black Nightingale: 2 hours to read…wow…thanks for reading it and I'm glad you like it!
Mini Moose: It's always good to hope for things. Glad you have Marcus doing something productive.
Placid Snowflake: It was kinda sad, now that I think about it…
Jodi Crystal: Thanks!
Cloud-821: Wouldn't we all love to do that to Marcus?
Sorato4eva: Well, I updated—finally…
Yume-dream: They'll see each other very, very, very soon, I promise!
Kat: The diversion is in the next chapter but it will be good!
Indigowolf: Man-eating anteaters that could work! Lol!
Inconnu: Unfortunately they didn't have vacuum cleaners back in those days…lol!
Kkornelia: Yeah, that would hurt…
Armitage: Smelly gym socks work too…or we could toss him in a room with a bunch of smelly gym socks!
SoratoFan: Sorry, it's Michi…
Crazyamzy: Let's just say, Matt's not going to have an easy time this chapter.
Blondie121147: It is getting more dramatic! Lol!
Scorpion05: I wouldn't want to hide under her bed if it was as dusty and had as much stuff thrown under it as my bed does…hehehe…
Ballet Kitty: Marcus is now loaned out to you too…please torture him as much as you want but he still has to be alive…
Chapter 16: Escape by Night
Matt walked the path he and Sora had journeyed the night of his birthday party. Marcus, I don't know how you managed to pull this off but I will have my revenge.
He walked through the dense forest, crescent moon illuminating it and giving the place and eerie feel. The sooner I get out of here, the better.
The blond approached the river and paused to get a drink. He recalled the events of the night in his head. It had started off so well too…
-Flashback-
"So guys, how do I look?" Tai spun around in front of Matt and T.K.
The two burst out into laughter. "You look fine. It's just ridiculous seeing you walk around and spin, showing us your clothes when we can obviously see them." Matt stated.
Tai folded his arms. "You're just jealous! You know, one day that could be an actual job, walking around and…modeling clothes." He smiled triumphantly. "You'd be a model!"
T.K. rolled his eyes. "Keep dreaming, Tai." Like that would ever happen. "I'm just surprised Matt's not the one obsessing over his appearance." The older blond glared at his brother.
"That's right. Are you finally going to tell Sora you love her tonight?"
T.K. smirked. "And give her your ring?"
"And then ask her to marry you?"
"And actually get married?"
"And have a bunch of little kids?" Tai exclaimed. "Even though your kids will loose to my and Mimi's kids in croquet."
The brothers stared at the brunette. "Why must you go back to the croquet thing? I creamed you. And besides, that was a long time ago." Matt mused.
"Well, like I said, Meems and I will have a son named Paul…"
Matt scrunched up his brow and looked at T.K. in complete confusion. The younger blond had covered up his ears. "Don't sing it for us, Tai! He made up a song awhile back. Kari and Mimi told me about it. Let's just say he's not the best singer."
"When did he make that up?"
T.K. thought for a moment. "Back when we were playing matchmaker…" Uh oh, I wasn't supposed to say that…
"T.K., you spoiled it! They weren't supposed to know!" Tai yelled. "And everyone thinks I'm the one with the big mouth."
Matt bit his lip and slowly started chuckling. "I'm not going to answer that comment, bushy. But did you guys really think Sora and I didn't know? We caught onto your plan the day you started it." Both Tai and T.K.'s eyes widened. "And besides, please don't try to set us up. We can handle it on our own."
"Does that mean?" the younger Ishida's face broke into a large smile.
Matt grinned at him. "C'mon, the ball's about ready to start…"
-End Flashback-
Matt had continued on his way and was closely approaching the road to Roselle. He looked around, seeing a light in the distance. Oh no…the guests. I've got to figure out how to avoid those people. What do I do: run or wait?
The blond looked around hastily. The group was getting closer, and it seemed they'd be here shortly. His gaze landed on the forest behind him. I could try and run through there. But after taking one more glance in that direction, he gulped. The area was cloaked in darkness, and he could hardly make out where the trees were. Scratch that plan.
In the distance behind the group of people, the artist saw more people coming. Taking a deep breath, he darted forward, deciding to take a big, big risk.
Matt started off in a brisk walk before looking over his shoulder. He began to sweat as the group got closer. The blond moved into a light jog. I can't let them catch me!
The dirt road broke into a curve and Matt knew it was his only chance. He'd have to run hard and fast. As he reached the turn, he broke out into a run but stopped before he got too far.
Crap? How did I miss them?
The large group turned around, and Lord Ichijouji faced his men. "Look who we have here..."
-Sora's Room-
The princess let out a sigh as she sat down on the window ledge, clutching the rope ladder in her arms. Please be careful Matt. Something tells me you're going to find yourself in some trouble, though.
Her door opened and she saw Tai, Kari, and Mimi enter. "Don't do it Sora! Don't jump!" the lone male yelled, running over and pushing the girl away from the window, nearly falling out himself.
"You thought I was going to kill myself?" she looked from face to face. "Don't be stupid!" Sora pulled Tai up before he could fall out the window. "What are you guys doing here anyway?"
"Your parents sent us in to make sure you wouldn't do anything stupid like hurt yourself," Mimi picked up the rope ladder, "or leave to find Matt."
The redhead rolled her eyes. And I thought they trusted me. "I swear, guys, I was not going to jump or go off in search of Matt. I'm being honest."
"Then why are you holding a rope ladder and standing by the window?" Kari asked.
"I was…it…because…" Sora groaned. "It's a long story." As much as I want to tell them Matt's safe, two of the three here have huge mouths. I can't let them know, or it'll put Matt and Joe in danger.
"Just admit it, Sora!" Mimi exclaimed. "We aren't going to tell your parents or yell at you anymore than we already are."
Tai nodded his head. "Admittance is the first step."
She rolled her eyes. "All right, I was going after him." She lied.
"Sora, you would've been in so much trouble!" Kari cried.
"If you were my daughter, I would lock you up in…"
Mimi laughed. "No you wouldn't, Tai. You'd climb out the window too and look for Matt."
"I probably would." He answered with a cheesy grin.
Kari wrapped her arms around herself. "Can we head back in your room and talk, Sora? I'm freezing!"
The princess had grown accustomed to the cool chill but could tell the others were all cold. "Of course. I want to hear what your theories are about the attacks."
The group walked in and sat down on Sora's large bed. "Okay, go ahead and tell us what you think. Kari, go first."
The younger girl nodded. "Well, I'm going to say it's Marcus. He doesn't appear as genuine as he comes off. There's something about the way he acts that just makes it seem like he would do that." She paused. "Besides, from what T.K. has told me, the guy has it out for the Ishidas, particularly Matt."
"Marcus is my second choice." Mimi replied.
Sora turned to face her friend. "Then who do you think it is?"
"Lord Ichijouji jumped into the whole arresting the Ishidas. He stubbornly refused to listen to the king's pleas and wouldn't even take a chance to listen to your dad, Sora. I mean shouldn't you be innocent until proven guilty?"
Kari nodded. "It should, but it isn't. The law basically says you're guilty until proven innocent. And it's up to us to prove the Ishidas are innocent. What do you think, Tai?"
He smirked. "As interesting as your two answers are, you guys have strayed from the most obvious…"
"Who would that be?" the girls chorused.
"That Jun girl." The brunette replied. "She's the perfect choice. She was awfully disappointed when we told her Matt was taken and probably decided she still wanted him. I bet Jun heard a rumor about one of the painter's being good-looking and decided she wanted to marry him. Before hand, she probably had an alliance with Lockton and knew she could use Marcus as a pawn to frame Matt. Now, because he ran, she can go corner him in the forest and get him to be all hers!"
Kari looked at Mimi. Mimi looked at Sora. Sora looked at Kari. "Hahahahahahaha!" the girls couldn't stop their laughter.
"Tai, be serious." Mimi exclaimed. "She was over Matt when we said he was taken, and she realized who he wanted."
Kari nodded and giggled again. "Think about it, Tai, really think about it."
He gave the girls a grin after pondering for a few minutes. "I guess you could be right, but I'm not going to rule her out as a suspect."
Sora rolled her yes. She had met Jun a few times before and knew the girl was boy crazy. However, the princess also knew Jun would back away if the guy was taken. "Wait a minute, you told her Matt was taken?"
The group couldn't control their guilty looks. "Come on Sora, you know it's true!"
The redhead stared at her friends before giving them a secretive smile, as if she knew more than them, which, of course, she did. "Well, I think it's Marcus. He's always hated Matt and from some of things Matt has told me Marcus has said to him since he showed up here…I don't even want to think about it sometimes. Marcus may not have been the one to do it, Lord Ichijouji is a choice I never thought about, but believe me, Marcus will receive some sort of punishment in the end. I sent Cody into Matt's room to get his traveling bag so Lord Ichijouji couldn't use it as a trap. While Cody was in there, a man came in and set down Matt's harmonica and said framing him was too easy. Matt's innocent, obviously, but it's up to us to prove who did it."
"Yep, we are going to prove the whole Ishida family is innocent." Mimi replied.
Tai sighed. "Too bad we can't have a trial."
"Yeah," his sister added, "that would really help. We just don't have any evidence."
Time to work on a plan. "I think first we need to make a visit to the Ishidas tomorrow. There's something I need to get to them and maybe they can help us convict Marcus or whoever did this. Mother and father have already said we can go talk to them but I'll need you guys to provide a distraction so I can give this thing to them. I've got an idea but I'll need your help…"
-The road-
"You could have come easily like your family, Ishida, but you had to make things difficult." Lord Ichijouji stepped forward.
Matt didn't even hesitate before dashing into the forest. He leapt over a fallen tree branch, just barely seeing it in time. His ears picked up the sound of the castle guards. How the hell am I going to get out of this?
The blond continued running, having absolutely no sense of where he was going. Leaves crackled underneath his feet, and he prayed the guards wouldn't hear or would assume it was one of their comrades.
He looked around and found himself next to a large tree. Hearing no one around him, the artist finally was able to catch his breath. This is getting ridiculous! I need to find someway to get to Joe's and fast! His head fell as he heard footsteps nearing.
It was a game of cat and mouse. Predator and prey. Hunter and hunted. And Matt was the weak one with the major disadvantage: he didn't know the area very well, and he had no idea how to get out of this mess.
He darted around the tree and found himself back at the main road. There was Lord Ichijouji up ahead patrolling the road, no doubt with men further up on patrol. Behind, the large group of guests was finally approaching. That's it!
The blond set his bag down and began digging around. If only there was something to hide my hair…dad's hat? How'd this get in here? Oh well, I'm not complaining. Matt placed the large fancy "rich man's hat", as his father called it, on his head, making sure all his hair was concealed. Placing his dagger in the bag, Matt shut it and joined the back of the group.
Casually he moved into the middle, as though he was going to partake in the conversation the men in the middle were having. "That Ishida kid…you think he got far?"
"Probably not. Unless of course he met up with his Lockton buddies." The man standing next to Matt faced him. "What say you?"
"With the king's guards out, I doubt it." The blond lowered his voice, doing his best to disguise it. "He'll get what he deserves in the end though."
"Hear, hear!" the men around him echoed. That was close!
"Halt!" the artist groaned. Lord Ichijouji. "By command of his royal highness, I have been authorized to stop you and make sure Matt Ishida is not with you."
My butt he has King Haruhiko's permission. Sora's dad would freak if he knew what this loser was doing.
"Lord Ichijouji," the man next to him spoke up, "with all due respect, we are all one hundred percent loyal to the king and would never hide a dangerous boy like Ishida. Every one of us here is loyal and believes he'll face his punishment in the end."
Lord Ichijouji gasped upon recognizing the man. "Dutch Motomiya…I'm…it's been a long, stressful night."
"I understand completely. Can we be on our way for it is getting late?" He motioned to show the people around him were tired, lingering in the front where the woman and children stood. Glancing ahead of him, Matt noticed both Jun and Davis standing beside Joe. I got in the right group.
"Of course. Goodnight to you, Dutch Motomiya."
"You too, and good luck."
The group continued walking and after going through two more guards, approached Roselle. A couple of people left the group including Joe. Matt turned and departed.
"Where are you from, son?" Dutch Motomiya asked.
A sign caught Matt's eye. "Carroll." He replied, motioning to a village opposite the way the group was going.
The man nodded. "Have a safe journey and beware the guards. If they bother you, tell them Dutch Motomiya gives you his safe passage."
"That you, sir." The blond grinned and bowed. The rest of the group left, and Matt pretended to head in the direction of the village he'd named. When they were out of sight, he ducked behind a large house. After checking again to make sure there was no one around, he backtracked, and hurried to Joe's door.
He only had to knock twice before the doctor came to the door. Matt took off his hat and waited patiently. The doctor gasped when he saw the blond hair. "Matt."
The artist gave an awkward grin as he held his hat in one hand and pulled the letter out with his other hand. "Here, before you react, this is from Sora."
Joe took the letter and knew it was true from the seal. He opened it and quickly read the message. Crumpling the paper into a ball, he held the door open to Matt. "Welcome to your new home…"
A/N: Please review! I'm so happy; I figured out how this is going to end! I've got the rest of the story planned out. I was beginning to get worried I wouldn't come up with an idea. There'll be 25 chapters total so there's plenty more to come. Expect "The Game of Life" to be updated this weekend cause more snow—like 10 more inches over today and tomorrow—is in store. Hope you liked the chapter!