Hey, everybuddy! I'm back with the next chapter of "Duchess"! BEAST! (BTW, "beast" is a good thing!)

I don't really have much to say today, so ENJOY!

Dedicated to imacowgirl for bugging me to update. Thanks, mi amiga!

Disclaimer is the same.

000

"You have got to be kidding me," Tai said in disbelief, staring at the long line of hopeful Princess Soras.

"Nope," Matt replied, looking over the group. "There are fifty seven girls ranging from twelve to thirty years old. We'd better get started."

Tai nodded mutely and soon he and his companion had begun the audition.

None of the women were any good.

To prove my point: about halfway through they reached a sickly looking woman who emerged in a heavy fur coat. "Grandmamma. It's me," she dropped the coat and took a drag of her cigarette. "Sora."

Matt dropped his head on the desk and Tai sighed an, "oh, brother." This was gonna be a long audition.

000

"One ticket to Paris, please," Sora said to the man in the window.

"Exit visa," he replied, holding out his hand.

"Exit visa? What do I need that for?" she asked, a classic confused expression on her face.

"No exit visa, NO TICKET!" the man shouted and slammed the window in her face.

Sora jumped back, slightly scared. "What a rude man."

"Hey, you."

Sora spun around, looking for the source of the noise.

There was an old babushka with a scarf hiding much of her forehead. "You are looking for train ticket?"

"Yes."

"Go to the Alexander Palace and look for Taichi. He can help you."

"The Alexander Palace?"

"Yes, look for Taichi and Yamato. They can help you," the old woman said. She added in an undertone, "But you didn't hear it from me."

Sora nodded, dumbfounded, as the babushka bought her ticket to Venice and left.

"Alexander Palace…"

000

Pooka followed his human to the doors of the palace.

Sora paused and called out, "Hello?"

Her voice echoed throughout the courtyard.

000

Tai suddenly sat up, bottle of beer in hand. "What was that?"

Matt turned around and asked, "What was what?"

Tai slouched back again. "Forget it."

000

Pooka looked back at Sora and ran through the wooden boards into the building.

"Ack! Pooka!" Sora grabbed the wood and looked through a gap. "Oh, you stupid dog!" She pulled on the board, hoping it would create a gap big enough for her to climb through. She ended up pulling a huge chunk of wood off, though, knocking her backwards.

000

"Did you here that?" Tai asked.

"Tai! STOP! You're being weird again," Matt said, plopping down next to Tai on the sofa.

Tai slumped back into his seat once more and chugged some more alcohol.

000

Sora pulled herself up and looked into the dark hallway. She heard Pooka's bark emitting from the darkness and groaned. "Ho, boy…"

She made her way in, stopping every so often to marvel at the fine upholstery and paintings.

She finally made her way into the banquet room and saw plates set up for a feast. Pooka was sitting at the foot of one of the tables.

Sora sighed. "Pooka, you silly doggie, come here…"

She approached the table to pick up the puppy, but stopped suddenly when she saw the painting on a vase.

"Dancing bears, painted wings

Things I almost remember…

And a song someone sings

Once upon a December…"

She picked up the dog and walked into the ballroom, letting him go at the top of the stairs.

"Someone holds me safe and warm

Horses prance through a silver storm

Figures dancing gracefully

Across my memory…"

It must have been her imagination, but she could have sworn the elegant paintings came to life, their occupants dancing inside the frames. She walked down the stairs like an elegant lady and began dancing.

"Far away

Long ago

Growing dim as an ember…"

She pretended to meet the man of her dreams and danced with him.

"Things my heart

Yearns to know…"

The man slowly bowed and backed away as Sora disappeared into the real world once again.

"Once upon a December.

And a song

Someone sings

Once upon a December."

She collapsed onto the ground and stared into space, trying desperately to recall her life, any balls she might have attended.

"HEY! YOU! Who are you?!"

Sora looked up and saw a man with a massive bush of brown hair and brown eyes lean over the railing. A blonde man followed behind him. In her fear she jumped up and began scrambling towards the door at the other end.

The brunette saw this and ran towards her, though she tried to escape him. He caught her by the ankle and she fell over, him on top of her. He looked down at her pretty face, which currently was in a state of cocky anger.

He blushed lightly and pulled himself up, then helped up the auburn haired beauty. "Um, uh…"

"Are you Taichi?" she demanded.

"Um, yeah, I am. This is Yamato," Tai said, gesturing to the blonde.

"Matt, to the ladies," he said, giving a nod of the head.

"Right. Um, someone in town told me that I should come here for travel papers?" she asked as the threesome made their way up the stairs near a portrait of the Romanov family.

"Travel papers?" Matt asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yes, I need to go to Paris. Someone told me to come here, although I can't tell you who…"

Tai was now circling her, eyeing her up and down.

She followed his gaze and turned around with him. "What? What, were you a vulture in another life?"

He blushed and chuckled lightly. "No, its nothing like that. Its just, well, you look a lot like the Grand Duchess…" He gestured to the image of Sora in the picture.

She laughed. "Sure, sure, I'm the Grand Duchess."

Matt was busy playing with Pooka and only heard this last sentence. "You're the Grand Duchess?!" He kept bowing, saying words like, "Oh, my God, I'm so sorry, I had no idea…"

Sora laughed. "I'm not the Duchess." Her face took on a sad look. "I don't know who I am. I can only remember from when I was eight years old."

Tai got a sly look on his handsome features. "Well, that's how old she was when she disappeared."

Matt caught his drift and said, "Tai, I think you're right. Look at this…" He started walking circles around her, too. "She's the same physical build-"

"Alexandra's chin," Tai put in.

"Nickolas' eyes," Matt added.

Tai lifted one of her hands. "Her Grandmother's hands."

Sora pulled her hand back. "What is wrong with you two?! Do you honestly think that I could be the Grand Duchess?"

"Well, you don't know what happened to you," Tai said, cocking his head and throwing up his hands.

"Nobody knows what happened to her," Matt added.

Pooka barked and jumped at his mistress' feet.

Sora thought about this for a moment. "Well, I don't know who I am. Who's to say I'm not a princess or duchess or whatever? Surely, the person you're going to see about it-"

"The Dowager Empress Hikari," Matt said.

"Yeah, and if I'm not, the Empress will know right away and it'll all be an honest mistake." Sora turned to face the two. "Okay, boys, hook me up. We're going to Paris!"

They laughed and made their way across the ballroom.

Meanwhile, up in the rafters, a small, black, bat-like creature sat with a dark object. It was Rasputin's Demidevimon. "The princess Sora? Impossible! That's crazy. All the Romanovs are dead!"

As Demidevimon spoke, a green creature in the likeness of an evil fairy climbed out of the Dark piece.

Demidevimon turned to the gremlin and said, "They must be- GNYAA!"

The Dark object hadn't come to life since the Romanov palace was ambushed. A Romanov was still alive.

000

There! I'm done with the chapter. (Special for you, imacowgirl!) I hope you enjoyed it, even though I tweaked it from the movie version. I like mine better. (smiles smugly)

I'll try to update soon!

BANDGEEK