"I'm getting tired…"
"Stop complaining, Rach. We're almost there."
The two turtles and their Digimon partners were on the swan boat that Raph had used.
Said turtle proceeded to threaten them if they breathed one word of it to anyone, turtle or Digimon.
"Why can't ya two help?" The grey-banded turtle questioned irritably.
Gomamon and Agumon smiled.
"Because our little feet can't reach the pedals!"
Rach started mumbling incoherently, but Leo caught a few words she shouldn't even know.
"Look! Land!" Agumon called down from the roof of the boat.
"Finally!" Rach muttered.
Once on the shore, they saw a palace way up on a cliff, a long line of stairs leading up to it.
"Why do ya punish me, Lord?"
Leo just rolled his eyes before following the signal from his Digivice up the worn steps with Agumon.
Rach followed, though grumpily, after him, Gomamon on her head.
After plenty of walking, they'd made it to the top, and opened the large front door.
It was chaotic inside, with Digimon running around in a panic.
"It's Gekomon and Otamamon." Agumon stated.
"Um…excuse me?"
A Gekomon stopped as Leo stepped forward.
"I'll help you soon, but we're busy right now! The princess wants lunch!"
This SOMEHOW led to a fight among the Gekomon and Otamamon, but it stopped abruptly when a bell started to ring.
"The princess is coming!"
As the Digimon scurried into place, the two turtles looked up at the grand stairs before them, wanting to see this 'princess'.
When they did, their eyes widened.
"GIO!?!"
The green-banded turtle was wearing an elegant green dress, the top lighter than the bottom.
"Leo? Rach?"
She looked genuinely surprised, dark green eyes seeming to lighten to their normal green.
"It's great to see you guys again!"
She led the two up to her bedroom, which was genuine mixture of different shades of green.
"This is great and all, but we need to go."
Gio gave the blue-banded turtle a confused look.
"Go where?"
"Come on, sis. We can't keep the others waitin'. Get out of that outfit and lets go!"
"I'm not changing!"
"It looks nice and all, but its not very comfortable to walk in." Agumon reasoned.
"I'm not going!!"
Silence…
"Gio, ya'd better be pullin' my leg or I'll rip ya outta yer shell…"
"Gio, why not?" Leo asked, feeling confused.
"I have everything I need right here! Why should I leave?"
"But you're a Digidestined! We need your help!"
'I need you…'
"Well, get someone else to help you save the world!"
Rach glared.
"Stop being ridiculous, sis! Yer comin'!"
"I'm not!"
They glared at each other, electricity seeming to spark.
"I'm not moving from THIS SPOT-!"
Rach plopped down defiantly.
"Until ya agree ta come!"
Leo sighed.
'THIS won't end well…'
"Gio? Is something wrong?"
Leo's head snapped up.
"Palmon?"
They turned to see Palmon peek around the corner.
"Thank God! Palmon, please talk some sense into Gio!" Rach exclaimed.
"You mean princess?" Palmon answered, stepping out to show a matching outfit to her partners.
Anime-fall, and Rach growled.
"I'm done with this! Gio, yer comin'!"
"NO!!!"
Leo watched as they fought, anime sweat drop on his head.
Gio rang a bell, and a horde of Gekomon appeared.
"Take them out of my palace!"
"Gio…they're your friends…" Palmon said softly as the Gekomon lifted up the four travelers, Digimon and turtle alike.
They were thrown out the front door, and Rach growled deeper as she sat up.
"Spoiled little brat with a crown…" She muttered crossly, rubbing her shell as Gomamon lay crossly on her lap.
"What did she do to become a princess in the first place?"
"Do you REALLY want to know?"
The two turtles looked curiously at the small group of Gekomon and Otamamon.
"Yeah."
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"So a Digimon told you Gio could sing and wake up Shogungekomon, and she became spoiled by the attention?"
The Gekomon nodded.
"…That seemed believable…" Leo muttered.
Rach scoffed.
"Only in the Digital World…"
Leo glared lightly.
"So what are we going to do?"
"…Can ya sing? 'Cause I know I can't…"
"No, I can't."
"…Then we're kinda screwed, ain't we?"
"Guys?"
They turned to see Palmon.
"Why'd you leave so soon? It was like you weren't happy to see us!"
"Haven't you noticed Gio's gone a BIT over the deep end?" Agumon stated.
…
"Now that you mention it…"
Anime-fall again…
"Can ya help us?"
"Sure! I like the old Gio better, anyways!"
Leo nodded.
"Okay, so here's what we're going to do…"
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With the karaoke machine and recorder set up, they waited, hidden, on the balcony as Palmon tried to convince Gio to sing.
But Gio had sharp eyes, and noticed the wires leading to their hiding spot. When she saw Rach and Agumon's heads through the window, her eyes hardened, and she screamed into the microphone instead.
Leo's ears were ringing for hours after…
They were thrown into the dungeon, and they tried to reason with her one last time.
"Gio, ya need ta understand! We're trying ta help!"
Gio scoffed.
"So you TRICKED me?"
"What happened to the Crest of Sincerity?"
Light surprise filled her eyes as she looked at Leo.
"Where's the old Gio? The Gio that loves soda and plays around and has FUN? …I miss her…"
Guilt seemed to flash through the normally expressive green eyes.
"…I…Leo…"
"Where's the Gio I could talk to? Where's the Gio…?"
Leo paused, trying to calm his racing heart.
"Where's the Gio I fell in love with?"
Silence fell as surprise lit Gio's face.
'Well, it's about time!' Rach thought.
"I-I…"
There was a conflict in Gio's eyes. A battle between the two people within her at that moment.
But it seemed the old her, the one they loved, still wasn't strong enough…
She turned away, tears building in her eyes as she started walking.
"Gio!"
She stopped as Palmon ran to reach her, clutching the bars.
"Gio, you know I care about you a lot, so it really hurts me to say this…but…"
Palmon seemed near tears herself.
"YOU'RE A SPOILED BRAT!!!"
The words rang in Gio's ears as the tears built up faster.
"Well, it's good to know how you really feel!!!!" She shouted back, running off.
'…How are we going to get Gio back now?'
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The darkness was suffocating, unbearable, and empty.
Gio looked around, and fear gripped her throat when she saw Devimon and Etemon coming towards her.
The Gekomon and Otamamon appeared, though they seemed unhappy.
"Help! You've got to help!"
"Why should we? You never sing for us, even when we do what you say."
They started disappearing into the blackness…
"No!!!"
But they were gone…
"Gio…"
The green-banded turtle turned to see Rach and Leo, their partners and her own beside them.
"Thank goodness you're here!"
"What's wrong? I thought ya loved bein' a princess. More than ya loved yer family and friends."
Rach's tone was bitter and cold, slicing at Gio's heart like a cold scalpel.
"B-But-!"
"Sorry, but we only help the team…"
The two turtles and their partners disappeared, but Palmon was still there.
"Palmon, please!"
"I'm sorry, Gio, but I've got to go…"
Gio felt tears well up in her eyes as Palmon started disappearing, the evil Digimon so close she can feel their shadows on her back…
"PALMON!!!!"
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Gio shot up in bed, and looked around.
Everything seemed to glow, like in a dream, when she noticed a presence beside her.
She turned her head, and her eyes widened.
"El?"
Soft pink eyes calmed her as her youngest sister passed a soothing palm over her forehead.
"Do you understand what that dream was trying to tell you?" Her soft voice asked gently, like a mother soothing a scared child.
Gio nodded.
"Y-Yes…I'm s-sorry…I-I didn't realize…"
"Shhhh…its okay…"
A smile as soft as the moonlight bathing light green skin.
"There, now…I knew you'd find yourself again…"
Gio woke up again, her crest glowing over her heart.
"El?"
She didn't notice the open window beside her bed…
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Everyone was assembled in the room where Shogungekomon was fast asleep, even the 'prisoners'.
Gio walked on stage without the dress, only in what she'd worn for her whole eleven years of life.
"I-I wanted to apologize for what I've done…I know I've been an idiot and a jerk…I just didn't realize until now…"
She looked at the crowd with tear-filled emerald eyes, locking with chocolate ones.
"I'm sorry for all the stupid things I said and all the pain I caused. If you can find it in your hearts to forgive me, and I don't know why you would, I'd like to sing for you…one last time…"
Rach smirked.
"'A course, sis! I forgive ya!"
Palmon smiled.
"We forgive you!"
The Gekomon and Otamamon cheered their forgiveness, but Gio wouldn't move her eyes from the blue-banded turtle.
'I still love you…' he mouthed, smiling.
A smile lit her face as the tears fell, but they were tears of joy.
She took the mike gently, and breathed in calmly before singing, her voice growing stronger:
I want to sing a song
A song to bring Shogungekomon around
When he hears my voice
I hope he likes the sound
He has to listen
Listen to my sincere heart
I've learned that friends are friends even when they're apart
I've asked my friends to forgive me from the bottom of my heart
If it were my choice, his eyes would open wide
And the Gekomon will be cheering
Cheering with pride-
Gio stopped singing when Shogungekomon stood up, wide awake, and Leo snapped out of his captivated trance.
The large frog-like Digimon didn't seem happy, however, and started blasting at them.
Leo and Rach got out, but Gio was far from safe.
As she ran from the stage, heading towards the door or a large hole in the wall that could be used as an exist, a rock from the ceiling raced down to meet her.
"PALMON!!!!!"
"Palmon, Digivolve to…TOGEMON!!"
The large cactus Digimon punched the rock to smithereens.
"Are you okay, Gio?"
"I am now."
Gio grabbed the microphone before turning to the rampaging behemoth.
"HEY!!!!"
THAT caught his attention…
"I wake you from your hundred year nap and THIS is the thanks I get?!"
"It was YOU!?!"
"…Maybe that wasn't the best idea…"
Shogungekomon took a threatening step forward.
"Harpoon Torpedo!"
The explosive landed in front of the large Digimon, and both looked out of the destroyed wall to see Ikkakumon and Greymon.
"A few more explosives would be nice!"
"It's called a 'distraction', sis!"
Rach turned to Leo with a teasing smirk.
"Go on an' save yer little princess, leader boy."
Leo blushed, glaring lightly.
"Fine…but stop making jokes about it!"
His crest began to glow.
"Greymon, Digivolve to…METALGREYMON!!"
Shogungekomon jumped at them.
"Mega Claw!"
It wrapped around the orange Digimon, who was thrown back into the castle as Togemon jumped down with Gio.
"Giga Blaster!"
The castle tower crumbled, and all the Digimon Dedigivolved.
"Leo!"
Leo turned to the green-banded turtle, and was surprised by a kiss.
A REAL kiss.
"I love you."
He smiled back as Rach fake gagged with Gomamon.
"I've always loved you…"
And the three headed to the swan boat, ready to regroup with their friends…