Artistic Differences
By theladyknight
Disclaimer: Digimon is not mine!
A/N: No school again! Yay! And with no school, comes another chapter! On a more serious note, though, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to a close friend and classmate of mine who two years ago tomorrow was killed in a sledding accident. This is for him…
Kay: Here it is.
Yume-dream: Happy belated birthday! I had something like that kind of hat in mind!
Curtis Zidane Ziraa: Unfortunately, there are plenty more close calls to come.
SDKallio: Sadly, there are still some men who act like that. Don't worry, Marcus will get it. Thanks for the words!
Scorpion05: Mimi and Tai's children..hm…a cross between the two maybe. Yes Tai, invented modeling, and Matt invented something in this chapter…
Mimay: Thanks!
Raine189: Thanks!
Armitage: How bout a bunch of big football players to crush him as well?
Jodi Crystal: Marcus will get it…thanks for all the nice words!
Windedlove: Glad you like it…and I updated before a month was over. That's a plus for me!
Dream-rose/fanfictionist: Don't worry, more suspense is in store, especially for later chapters.
Mrs. Ishida-to-you: The middle of the Midwest. Snow's not that great. Snowmobiling is fun, but shoveling isn't. Thankfully we have a snow blower and my dad bought a tractor to move snow.
SoratoFan: Thanks!
Ballet Kitty: Marcus right now is busy working on my ACT registration forms and all that…
Kuroi Black Nightingale: Too bad Lord Ichijouji's in this chapter again…
Sorato-takari: Glad you like!
Inconnu: I have one page written in "Game of Life." Too bad I have like 3 papers to write this weekend…oh well, I think I'd rather work on the story…
Kat: Joe's one of the main characters this chapter…
CherryblossomSky: A lotta people around here live in the country and have to take gravel roads to get to school. Sucks to be them. I live in the city, so I don't have to worry about it!
Indigowolf: Can't forget the daily Marcus torturing!
Youkaiwriter: I agree…
BrnttsDoItBest: Yes, that would have sucked if Matt was arrested…
Crazyamzy: Yep, no school today either! Something with a teacher in-service or something.
Chapter 17: Distracting the Guards
KNOCK! KNOCK!
Matt groaned as he heard the door creak open. His peaceful, dreamless sleep had been rudely interrupted. Stretching a bit, the blond sat up in the very soft bed. Wait a second; this isn't the bed in the castle. Nor is it my room. Where…oh yeah.
"Glad to see you're awake." Matt turned toward the speaker and smiled at the older boy.
"How are you this morning, Joe?"
The doctor handed him a cup of hot tea. "Well, it's actually the afternoon, but I'm very well. What about you?"
"Given the fact Lord Ichijouji has put a bounty on my head, my family is placed in a jail cell, and Marcus is there with Sora, well…I'm okay."
Joe had to smile despite himself. "I'm impressed you're able to keep your humor through this."
Matt too managed to crack a grin. "When everything else goes wrong, you've got to have something to hold onto. In my case, it's humor. Dry humor, but humor, nonetheless."
Joe opened his mouth to say something but was cutoff.
KNOCK! KNOCK!
Two sets of eyes darted towards the door. "Doctor Kido, please open the door!"
The artist's face paled at the booming voice. "That's Lord Ichijouji…"
"You've got to hide," Joe whispered frantically. "Just a minute! I'm cleaning up some spilled medicine!"
"Hurry it up!" the voice cried back.
The doctor glanced around the room, looking for a place the blond could hide. There's got to be somewhere. "There! Hide there!"
Matt groaned. "What is with you people and hiding me under beds?"
Joe gave him a quizzical look. "Dry humor kicking in again?"
"Something like that. Good luck," Matt called before diving under the bed.
The blue-haired man hastily made the bed and rushed out, grabbing a towel before opening the door. "Sorry for the wait, gentlemen. Apparently one of my medicine vials was knocked over this morning and leaking everywhere."
An icy stare was the man's response. "Doctor Kido, I presume you know about the manhunt for Matt Ishida, and the events that happened last night at the ball?"
"Certainly, I hope you have made progress on his capture."
Lord Ichijouji pushed Joe out of the way, and he and his two guards entered the quaint little house. "No, we have not. He has eluded us. When was the last time you saw him?"
Joe pondered the question. "If I'm not mistaken, the beginning of the ball…I saw him up close then. Otherwise it was after the Lockton forces had been defeated. Why do you ask?"
"We have reason to believe he's staying in this area so he can attack again at the opportune moment. We've been asked to perform a mandatory check on all homes in the area. Once your residence is declared "clean", you will not be bothered again." The security chief stared Joe down. "Do you have any objections to us searching your place?"
"Of…of course not. I'm just going to forewarn you I've been doing some early spring cleaning and certain parts of the house are a bit messy." I really hope they can't tell I'm lying. And I hope I don't have to lie a lot…I get too nervous.
The men brushed off his answer and began looking around the house. "What do we have here?"
"This has got to be one of the most boring things I've ever done in my life." Malcolm Ishida sighed as he stared longingly out the cell windows.
"You're telling me." His wife responded. "At least Lord Ichijouji could have let someone bring us something to do."
The youngest member of the family looked at his feet. He missed his friends and brother. I wish Matt was here. No, I really don't wish he was here. I hope he's safe. The guards are still grumbling and moody so I guess they, thankfully, haven't caught him. What would Matt do if he was here?
The image of the older blond reaching his arm through the bar and punching the guard was the first thing to come to T.K. I don't think I'd have the guts to do that. Suddenly, the blond remembered an event that had happened back when he was around seven and Matt was ten.
-Flashback-
"Are we there yet?"
Malcolm Ishida faced his youngest son. "No."
"Are we there yet?" this time Matt asked.
"No."
"Are we there yet?"
"NO!"
"Are we there yet?"
"NO!"
There was a pause. "Are we there yet?"
"NO!" Their father stopped walking and faced his two sons. "Can't you boys find something else to do? It's quite a long walk to the nearest village."
T.K. sighed and stuck out his bottom lip. "Matt, I'm bored."
"Me too, Teeks," he replied. They walked on toward the newest location where their artistic talents would be put to use.
The older blond suddenly began humming a song. "Whatcha doing?" T.K. wondered. Matt ignored him, and it seemed he was lost in thought. "MATT?"
"Huh? Oh Sorry, T.K. I know how we can entertain ourselves. I just came up with a song."
"Tell me!"
Matt leaned down and sang the song in his brother's ear. T.K. giggled. "That's funny, Matt. Let's sing it…"
Fifteen minutes later, Malcolm turned to Nancy and had to shout to be heard over their kids. "ARE WE THERE YET!"
-End Flashback-
An evil smirk grazed T.K.'s face. Well, I've got nothing to do, and it will pass the time. He quietly began to hum the tune and ran the words through his head before finally starting to lightly sing:
"Ninety-nine bottles of ale on the shelf, ninety-nine bottles of ale! Take one down, pass it around, ninety-eight bottles of ale on the shelf!" he paused for a breath. "Ninety-eight bottles of ale on the shelf…"
Malcolm groaned. I never liked that song. But it does beat sitting here, doing nothing. "Ninety-seven bottles of ale on the shelf, ninety-seven bottles of ale…" He joined in at the start of the next number.
Nancy rolled her eyes. I can't believe he remembered that song. Matt was rather clever in inventing it, though it did get a bit annoying. Ah, what the heck! "Ninety-six bottles of ale on the shelf, ninety-six bottles of ale! Take one down, pass it around, ninety-five bottles of ale on the shelf…"
The guard stood outside with his hands plastered over his ears. "Fifty-four bottles of ale on the shelf!" They've been singing forever! Someone please shut them up! I thought this would be an easy job. Oh well, it's not like things can get any worse.
"Eww! Is that a spider web?"
"This definitely is not one of the cleaner places in the castle."
The Ishidas stopped singing as the voices echoes through the chamber. They turned their attention to the dimly lit spiral staircase.
"Who goes there?" the guard called out.
"Relax, Henry, my father gave us permission to come down here."
"Sora?"
The guard flashed his eyes in the direction of the stunned Ishidas. "Princess Sora,"
Rolling her eyes, the redhead entered the corridor, followed closely by Tai, Kari, and Mimi. "How are you guys?"
The only responses she received were groans and grumbles. "T.K.!"
"Kari!" he got up off the floor and ran to the bars.
"I can't believe you guys are here. It's not fair!"
"You shouldn't be." Sora boldly stated. "And we're going to get you guy's outta here."
Nancy smiled at the girl, who unbeknownst to her, would soon be her eldest son's wife. Speaking of Matt... "Have you heard anything about Matt?" Malcolm asked.
Tai shook his head. "All we know is that he ran. But no one has heard anything. Though no news is good news, right?"
"I suppose so," Nancy sighed. "But I just don't want anything to happen to him."
Sora knew this was their opening. Here it goes. We only have one shot. "Achoo!"
"Princess!" Tai, Kari, and Mimi all exclaimed in unison.
"Achoo!" Sora faked another sneeze. "I'm okay guys. Don't worry about me."
Tai's mouth dropped. "Don't worry about you? Sora, are you crazy?" He moved toward the guard. "I may be no doctor, but I think I know what's going on here."
The guard merely raised an eyebrow. "What would that be?"
"There's something toxic down here! The princess is suffering from…yes, it's a very rare illness. Doctor Kido was just telling me about it and what it's known as." Tai paused dramatically. Think of something; why didn't I stick to the original plan?
This is part of the plan! What's he doing?
"Missinghimitis!"
"Mis…what?"
"Missinghimitis," Kari answered from her position a bit away. "It was only recently discovered in our kingdom."
"How do you spell it? It sounds completely made up." He raised an eyebrow suspiciously.
"M.i.s.s.i.n.h.e.m.i.t.i.s." Mimi fibbed, giving him her best smile. Thankfully Tai didn't try to answer.
The guard's eyes widened a bit. "What are the signs?"
"Oh, it's HORRIBLE!" Tai lied.
Sora grinned. This wasn't part of the plan, but it's definitely working and buying me some time.
She slowly moved towards the bars, and Kari shifted her spot so the guard couldn't see Sora very well.
"T.K." Sora whispered. "Take this."
The blond looked confused, but nonetheless stuck his hand out the bar, grabbing the paper. "What is it?"
"You start sneezing, coughing, and hacking!" Mimi wailed in the background. "It's repelling!"
"And that's not even the worst part!" Tai added.
Sora held back a laugh. "It's from Matt." She murmured in a nearly inaudible voice. "He's safe. That's all you guys need to know."
"But how did you…when did you?"
Sora held the finger wielding the ring against her lips to quiet him. T.K. immediately understood. "Welcome to the family, sis." He smiled at her and motioned for his parent's to join them.
"Read it now," the princess casually glanced over her shoulder, "because I don't know how long they can keep this up."
T.K. unfolded the note.
"What?" the guard cried. "It's contagious?"
"It's very contagious." Mimi's hand went behind her back and gestured for the Ishidas to hurry up whatever they were doing.
Dear Mom, Dad, and T.K.,
I'm sure you guys are wondering what's going on. I know you know I'm innocent, but for fear this letter could be intercepted, I won't explain why I was unable to give an alibi to Lord Ichijouji. But don't worry about me. I'll be fine and find somewhere to go. I want you guys to say strong and don't get down. There are people, I'm sure you know who all I'm referring to, who are working their best to get you out of there. Don't blame the king for it; this is all beyond his control. Believe me, I heard it firsthand. The princess and I are fairly sure we know who is to blame and believe me, he will get what he deserves,
Here's hoping for the best, Matt
"Who does he think it is?" Nancy asked.
"I bet it's Marcus." The lone blond said.
Malcolm nodded. "Yes, I have a strong feeling it's either Marcus or possibly Lord Ichijouji."
"Those are the two we're leaning to as well." Sora answered. "And we're doing our best to figure it out."
Nancy grasped the girl's hand through the thick bars. "Thank you very much, Sora."
"So…so you think we all may have it?" Henry, the guard asked fearfully, causing Sora to glance at the others.
"I think my throat feels a bit scratchy." Mimi whimpered.
Tai wiped off his forehead. "I'm starting to get a big dizzy. And Kari's looking kind of pale."
"I think the act's up." Sora whispered. "We'll visit again soon. I'll tell Matt you guys miss him."
"You'll see him?" Nancy asked incredulously.
Sora glanced from side to side quickly. "Most likely, just don't let anyone know that."
"Of course not. Goodbye." The three Ishidas all echoed.
"…and Sora! What would the King and Queen think if they found out she's come down with missinghimitis?"
The guard's face paled. "So you think we've all caught it?"
The four teens gravely nodded. "Anyone who's been down in the dungeon is at risk," Kari answered, now getting involved.
"Is there something that causes this down here? We should remove it!" the guard exclaimed.
"Oh yes, it's caused by a fungus. It's slowly becoming more widespread in our area. The fungus originates in the western part of the country. It is tiny but can be stopped and destroyed." Kari replied as if she talked about this everyday.
"So…so is it curable, and how do I know for sure if I have it?"
Sora smiled to herself. This is working out awesome! "Yes, a cure has been developed and will cure us. Anyone who had been down in the dungeons in the past few weeks will need to get checked out very soon." She paused and the guard and her three friends all looked at her. Henry was fearful yet the three teens had no idea what she was getting at. "It looks like we need to pay a visit to Doctor Kido…"
Joe rushed into the bedroom Matt was hiding in. "What's what?"
Lord Ichijouji pointed to the bed and held up the two tea cups. "I'm almost positive this isn't your room, Doctor Kido. I'm curious, considering I see no patients here, as to whether or not you lodged a traveler last night."
The doctor gave a nervous laugh. Please let me get through this. I hyperventilate under situations like this. "I told you I was spring cleaning. Last night, seeing as I had quite a few patients the past few days, I decided to wash the sheets. I hung them up outside to dry before the ball last night and took them down this morning. If you don't believe me, you can ask my neighbors. They saw the sheets hanging up." At least part of that is true. Though the sheets did belong in the other room for patients.
"But why are there two tea cups and the bed isn't made?"
"I was cleaning up some odds and ends in here and found this cup lying around. I brought some tea into the lady who was staying here a couple nights ago, but in all the commotion with a couple more people coming in, I didn't get a chance to clean it up."
"And the bed?" Lord Ichijouji wouldn't give up.
Joe gave a tense smile. "I was in the middle of making the bed when I heard a sound in the kitchen. It turns out I have a rather large mouse who decided it wanted to see if I have any food. So I didn't finish making the bed because I heard it knock over something. I had set the cup on bed when I was making it and put the cup I had just finished drinking from next to it. The mouse knocked over the medicine, and I was just cleaning it up when you came. I was going to finish up this room, but I'll do that later."
Lord Ichijouji and the guards glared at Joe. Could this really be true?
"You've got to believe me, Lord Ichijouji. I amone hundredpercent loyal to the king, queen, and princess. I would never do anything against the Takenouchi family. And I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize my work with them."
The older man sighed. "Okay, Joe, I'm sorry to have doubted you. Though your story sounds a bit fanciful, I know you are very loyal to the Crown. We'll just have a look around and be on our way."
The group left the room and within the next ten minutes had met up with Joe in the kitchen. "Things are fine here but…"
"But?"
Lord Ichijouji frowned. "You will receive a citation and fine for not having your room and office clean and orderly."
Joe took the ticket the man wrote up. "I'll get right on that."
"Thank you, Dr. Kido."
Joe waved, and the man walked out the door. He saw them head a few blocks down to another store and finally they ended up a good distance away.
"Thank God," Joe sighed and began shaking. "I hope I never have to do that again!"
"Come on, you did fine," a muffled reply answered.
The doctor headed into the bedroom and laughed as Matt attempted to stand up but his knees buckled, causing him to fall over. "Legs fall asleep?"
"A bit." The artist laughed. "I'm definitely going to congratulate you on your acting."
Joe was still shaking lightly and began to wheeze. "I was panicking the whole time. The pressure almost did me in."
"You okay?" the blond asked, a bit concerned as Joe wheezed harder.
"Yeah," he gasped and slowly stopped hyperventilating. "That kind of thing does it to me. Just promise I won't have to do that ever again."
"Aww, what's the fun in that? Thing's get boring without some suspense."
Joe rolled his eyes. "Remind me why I agreed to let you stay here…"
A/N: Please review! "Game of Life" could be out this weekend; if not, expect it around Wed. or Thur.