Artistic Differences
By theladyknight
Disclaimer: Digimon—not mine!
Indigowolf: Yeah, kicking soccer balls at him would work really well. I have decent aim, I guess, and I learned the other day at practice that I really do have a hard kick. He'd be in quite some pain!
Mrs. Ishida-to-you: I did almost all this writing in American History class. I had to cram the chapter we are studying now before the Advanced Placement test, but now that the test is over, there's no point for me to relearn the stuff. So I sit the back and do homework or work on this!
Sora's-evil-twin: Concussion? Ouch! I bruised my ankle last week in soccer, but I've never had a concussion.
Crazyamzy: I don't quite think Joe knew what they were up to…
Scorpion05: That'll be revealed soon enough; but Matt will be there…
Kuroi Black Nigtingale: They're only going to be a few more inventions, and they'll be things that are necessary for their plan to work. Pancakes do sound really good right now…
Cherryblossom Sky: I never thought about Tai's army doing the digging!
And thanks to: KAT, Jyotsna Gutta, jul, Kay, sorato-takari, KoumiLoccness, Ballet Kitty, Cloud-821, and RW Grimm.
Chapter 20: Phase 1, Befriending the Enemy
"All right, troops. This sounds like a surefire plan. There's no way we can't catch…uh, the…uh, um…the person who framed Matt! and save the Ishidas."
Kari felt her head drop to the table when her brother began his ridiculous pep talk. He really needs to learn when to speak and when to keep his mouth shut.
"Tai, darling, you don't even know the plan." Mimi mused, drawing him away from the high and mighty commander rank he pictured himself in, falling back down to the plain, boring ground.
"Sora, would you please explain?"
The princess nodded, more sure and optimistic of her plan than before. "We could stage a trial during a play, telling Marcus we need him. We'll proclaim it to be some fake, historical trial, getting my parents and some our close friends involved. Father can verify that the trial's "real" by using some fancy Latin name, appearing as if it was taken right out of our history books."
Mimi gave a puzzled look. "But how do we get Marcus and any of the other suspects involved? And how do we prove who the guilty party is?"
"I've been thinking a lot about everything. Everyone will be informed we are reenacting a lost bit of our kingdom's history. And in all actuality, it is lost, as no one knows that Matt and his family were framed."
"Maybe someday it'll be written down!" Hikari exclaimed. "That would be neat; our story would be written down for everyone to see."
Tai snorted. "And you think my ideas are dumb."
His younger sister chose to ignore the comment, turning her attention back to Sora and the matter at hand. "Just ignore us. Please continue talking."
Wanting to keep going so she wouldn't forget any key ideas, Sora cleared her throat, resuming her speech. "We'll tell those who we suspect that we need that we need them to play a character, one of the suspects in the trial. We'll tell them that they're under oath and must tell the truth, and the questions are all something they'll be able to answer, based on their knowledge of the kingdom, area, and all that when actually…"
"…it's their knowledge about what really happened." Mimi interrupted. "Sorry, but that's just brilliant!"
Sora beamed at her friend. "As they are sworn to tell the complete truth under the king's watch, we should be able to weasel it out of them."
"That's a great idea. No one would ever think to do that. The Ishidas will be free." Hikari happily answered.
Tai smiled at Sora. "I doubt even Izzy could come up with something that clever."
"Izzy…to pull this off," Sora began to speak, suddenly remembering something important, "we're going to need his help. We'll also need Joe, Ken, Yolei, and the others to aid us in someway."
"Maybe you should make a list so we don't forget anything." Mimi suggested.
Sora nodded, reaching for her special writing paper, changing her mind midway through. "This stationary needs to be saved to communicate with Joe and Izzy. I have a feeling their help will make this plan work."
Her three friends all remained confused, none of them quite understanding the significance of the stationary. Their eyes were glued to the frantic princess as she darted around the room in search of something to write on and with.
"Sora, I think you need to take a deep, calming breath." Tai cautioned. "We need you to get this plan going more than anyone. And Matt will kill us if you're not alive when he finally is cleared."
The redhead stopped, heeding Tai's advice but also finding a stack of parchment and a quill. "You're right; thanks Tai. I just keep getting more ideas for this, and I'm afraid I'm going to lose them if I don't write them down."
"Write them down now." Kari gave the imperative, chuckling lightly. "Explain everything to us later."
With a smile, Sora sat down, beginning to make notes all over the paper. Mimi's eyes turned into saucers as the page filled up. Sora's hands painted the words across the page, decorating every bit of it with her meticulous script. Finally, not even ten minutes after her eyes had been transported to the parchment, the red-haired girl was finished.
"It'll be easier to explain things as we go along. I have specific tasks for everyone that need to be completed…"
Kari and Mimi approached Sora's door early the next morning. The older girl delicately placed a hand on the mahogany door to knock, but it opened before she could start.
"Are we ready?" Kari wondered, not seeing the princess anywhere. "Sora?"
"Yeah," The girl joined them in the hallway, dressed in something neither had been expecting. She was wearing one of her finer gowns,—one left over from her eighteenth birthday, if Mimi recalled correctly—something she hardly ever wore. A deep shade of emerald green, it fit perfectly with Sora's figure and personality. "It's time for phase one to commence."
The three girls gracefully descended down the Grand Staircase amid the stares and gossip of all the surrounding servants, each pausing their work to admire the princess. "What's going on?"
"I've never seen the princess that dressed up before when there was no ball or event to attend to."
A little boy, son of the head maid, shook his mother's apron. "Did somebody die? Why is the pwincess so dwessed up?"
"Nobody died, my darling. I don't think anyone knows why Princess Sora is so dressed up."
"She looks weally weally pwetty, Mommy."
The mother ruffled her son's hair. "I think so too."
Sora resisted the urge to stop and talk to the young boy. She was well aware of all the comments floating around her. Quite honestly, she'd expected some reaction to her change of appearance.
She just hadn't expected anything this grand.
Mimi and Kari followed close behind the ruby-haired beauty, in a state of confusion rivaling those servants around the castle.
"She never filled us in on this detail." Mimi whined out the corner of her mouth.
Kari shrugged halfheartedly. "Sora's always done things like this without telling anyone. After all, she did say she'd inform us as the plan developed."
The trio of young women stopped at the bottom of steps, waiting for two of the servants to open the dining room doors. "Good morning, Princess." The two men bowed respectively.
"Good morning." She greeted, smiling at the two and offering a perfected curtsy.
At once, all eyes in the room turned to meet her.
Lord Tachikawa nearly dropped his crystalline glass, completely full of water, to the ground. Tai's father was chewing a piece of sausage, pausing in the middle when he saw Sora. The reaction was the same from their wives and all the other council members. No one could remember seeing Sora this way without force or bargains being put in place.
Likewise, the King and Queen were both shocked. Since Sora had woken, they had heard rumors buzzing around the castle as to their daughter's abnormal behavior. Now it was their turn to see it for themselves. Never had they seen their daughter, heir to the throne of the kingdom, so refined, so dignified, and so powerful.
King Haruhiko stroked his chin pensively. I am getting older and grayer. It will soon be Sora's duty to take over the kingdom. And from her behavior right now, it appears the kingdom will be placed in the best of hands.
"Good morning, Father, Mother." Sora kissed them each on the cheek, continuing on to her seat as if this was a normal day occurrence.
A befuddled look graced Tai's features, but he caught the subtle wink Sora offered him. I've got a strong feeling that this has something to do with my part of the plan.
The girl daintily placed her napkin across her lap, then reaching across her plate, spooned some eggs onto it. Everyone had stopped staring, for the most part, choosing to sporadically glance in her direction instead. Well, all except one person.
I'm going to be so happy when this part of the plan is over. But then again, I guess I'll have to do this anytime I have to charm my way out of something with foreign dignitaries. Sora gave Marcus a radiant smile before shifting her attention back to her plate. Great, well, now at least he thinks I'm charmed by him. Only a few more weeks, Sora, and then you will never have to see him again.
Today's the day I make my move. Marcus sipped his orange juice, prepared to rip through the uneasy blanket of silence that had cloaked the whole room.
But Sora beat him to it.
"Father, may Mimi, Kari, and I request an audience with you immediately after breakfast."
"Of course, dear." He answered, giving her a smile, pushing his plate away to symbolize he was ready whenever they were.
The girl smiled back at him before giving her two friends each a sly grin that no one else caught…
"So Sora, to what do I owe the pleasure of this audience? What is the nature of the subject you would like to address?"
They had gathered in the throne room. Sora and the others were standing—rather reverently curtsying—while the king was seated in the jeweled ancestral throne.
She stood, ending the curtsy. "We would like to discuss the Independence Day Celebration."
"Have you decided on your presentation?"
"Yes we have."
"Excellent! May I inquire as to what you have planned?"
The princess's manners took over, waiting for her father to finish before answering. "Actually, before we address that, I have a request of you, an announcement I wish for you to make."
"What would that be?" Her father would not refuse something simple like that. Knowing his daughter, it was something logical, smart, and dignified.
"My betrothal. I would like you to introduce my future husband to the entire kingdom…"
The smell of fresh lilacs and roses scented the air. Flowers danced in the sunlight, basking in the beautiful day around them. A lone male sauntered haughtily down the stone path in the garden.
He paused at the pond, ripping off a beautiful lily and throwing it into the serene, clear water. Worthless. Just like the people here.
Shuffling of footsteps across the grass refocused his attention. "Uh, hey Marcus. What's up?"
The brunette's eyes looked up, examining the new arrival closely. "Tai," he sarcastically mumbled, "to what do I do this honor?"
"I had to get away from all those women. They were driving me mad."
He snorted. "That's an understatement."
"So what brings you out here, Marcus?"
"Take a break, get some air…think about things."
"Like Sora?"
It was a blunt statement, one that Marcus was a little surprised Tai came right out and said. Then again he never struck me as an intelligent one. It's probably a test of some sort. The boy from Lockton knew the others didn't trust him a bit.
They favored Ishida, the sad attempt for a human he had come to hate from the moment his eyes set sight on him. From the day he arrived, bloody and battered, Marcus knew he wouldn't be accepted, befriended, or anything along those lines because the people here seemed to worship Matt.
But he wasn't here to make friends. He wasn't here to have fun. He wasn't here to start anew. He was here for a conquest. And no one's going to stop me from getting what I want.
"What are you getting at?"
"I don't blame you for thinking about her. If she wasn't my best friend and if I didn't have Mimi, then I'd definitely ask the king for her hand."
Marcus abruptly turned to face him. "Why are you telling me that?" The others didn't go out of their way to become his friend either. "Aren't you and the others convinced the princess is going to marry Ma-tt?"
Tai gave a hearty laugh. "They may be, but I, quite honestly, am glad he's gone."
"Oh really?" He asked, his eyebrow rising quizzically. What's he trying to pull?
"I'm being completely honest. Ishida always acted like he was so great and the best. He thought everyone liked him, but I saw through his act. He sucked up to Sora and the other women, but I could tell he was a fake."
"What makes you think that?" Maybe he really is sincere. This guy is too dumb; he could never put on a believable act like this.
"I saw some of the things he did behind everyone's backs. He was such a jerk to everyone when Sora's back was turned, even the king and queen. Matt did whatever he could at anyone else's expense to make her think he was such a great guy. While everyone else went along with his act, not thinking enough of it, I only pretended, waiting for the opportune moment to let Sora know Matt was up to no good."
Finally, someone who understands where I'm coming from. "Ishida did that when he was in my father's land too. But instead of sucking up to any girl, he chose to butter up my father."
Tai sat down by the pond, motioning for Marcus to join him. "I heard blondie's side of the story, and the pity party he threw for it. Why don't you tell me the true story."
The visitor leaned his back against a nearby tree. "The Ishidas came to work on a mural for our castle. It was a hideous thing; Takenouchi is lucky all they did here was paint the walls. Father thought it was dreadful and had Ishida work with our knights to become a man instead of being the weak girl he is."
"That definitely sounds like a good description of him."
"He was the same age as me. I was at the age that young men of noble uprising join the brotherhood of knights. I was supposed to train with my father; he was one of the greatest knights when he was a young prince. But Father spent all his time training blondie, just to make a point. During that time, I had to work with this inferior whiny brat named Willis. He struck me when we were training one day, hitting me with a sword on my left leg, piercing the skin." The boy rolled up his trouser leg, showing Tai a large scar. "I still have problems walking on it."
"I never would have guessed." Tai answered. "Well, apparently Matt is out of the picture, so I say you should go for it."
Marcus smiled. "I think I will." He offered his hand to Tai. "I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one who realizes the Ishidas aren't as innocent as they seem. This could be the start of a very beneficial friendship, Tai."
The brunette shook the outstretched hand. "I agree." A very beneficial friendship…
"Sora, I'm not sure I understand you right. You want me to announce that you will be married and introduce Matt?"
The girl was calm, watching her dumbfounded father attempt to organize his thoughts. "That is correct."
"But how can I introduce Matt?"
She smiled. "Matt will be there."
King Haruhiko had absolutely no idea where she was coming from, and it appeared neither did the two others with them. "Sora, I don't understand."
It was time for her master plan to be unveiled. It had started as a little seed, planted in her mind, fed and watered by her imagination and love for Matt, finally ready to bloom and free the Ishidas.
"Father, I know how we can save the Ishidas. I came up with a way to show they're innocent."
"How are…"
Mimi, in all her excitement, interrupted the king. "We're going to have a trial. We're going to prove they were set up and prove who did it."
Where do they come up with these things? The king studied the optimistic youths in front of him, fearing that any sort of reality check would send a rainstorm on their happiness. "But I don't see how that's possible."
Sora would not let him dampen or drench their plan. "We can make it work with help from some key people, but it's going to take all two weeks."
Briefly, the beautiful princess began outlining her plans, sticking to the general information she'd provided the others and not yet choosing to disclose specifics. Her father had slowly been wearing down on his pessimistic position.
"That actually could be workable, but you were right when you said it would take a lot. What do you have in mind?" How could I doubt her? She's going to be a great queen someday.
Nodding to Sora, Kari took over. "Well, we want to get the Ishidas involved. Any play needs scenery, and if they can be excused to work on it, we can get them into the mix of things and let them know the plan."
King Takenouchi smiled at the brunette. "I am fairly certain I could get Lord Ichijouji to acquiesce to the request."
"And we want to get those who we suspect as suspects in on it, playing actual suspects in the trial." Mimi explained.
"That could be workable too. We'll just need to sort out some minor details. Do…" he paused, "do I get a role in this trial?"
Sora laughed, a brilliant smile illuminating on her face. "You get to be the judge, the one who declares the guilty culprit."
"In that case, I'd better be paying careful attention."
"That's for sure." Mimi proclaimed.
"Ladies that was a very clever idea. I know we can pull it off."
The redhead energetically nodded her head. "I agree. And then once we show that the Ishidas are free, you can introduce Matt as my future husband and king of the land."
Three pairs of eyes shifted to her, studying the girl inquisitively as she brought up the hazy topic once more. "Sora, I think you're forgetting the fact that Matt is on the run. No one knows his location." Kari rationalized.
She gave them a knowing smile in return. "He'll be there. I promise you that."
"How do you…"
Sora held up a hand. "Trust me. Matt will be here."
Why do I get the feeling she knows more about this than she's letting off? Her father stared her down, but she would not cave in. Finally: "If you're sure…"
"…positive…"
"…I say it's time to get this plan underway!"
Sora grinned again. It already is underway, but it's glad to know you approve, Father. Phase one is well in the works. Now it's time to get the others involved…
A/N: Please review! Game of Life will hopefully be out by this weekend!