Digimon 1. Chapter 1

my first story on fanfiction so be nice! i really don't care about flames, though, cause flames won't make me sad! hahaha

funny, i got the idea for this story while watching The Little Mermaid. But it is NOT like the movie!

enjoy! i'll only update another chapter if i get al least 5 reviews, so you had better review!

Prologue

She glanced around the silent table, noting how everyone was tense. Grumbling, she turned to her plate when her father's eyes came into contact with hers. It wasn't that big of a deal, yet everyone acted as though it was. All she had done was raised her head above the surface of the water to watch the humans as they loaded their boats with fish and lobsters and such. It wasn't a harm to the underwater world. No one had seen her.

At least, she hoped no one saw her.

The dinner ended quickly, and once it was over, Mimi got up and swam quickly out of the room. She just couldn't stand to be around the rest of the court at that time. The tension was so thick that she could cut it with a knife.

She found her father's advisor in the garden. The garden was just a field of coral and fish swimming about. There was nothing really great about it. But Jyou seemed to think it was the perfect place for sea creatures.

"It was really stupid of you to do such a thing." Jyou said when she swam next to him.

"But I couldn't help it, Jyou. The humans are just so mysterious to me. I want to figure out how they live." Mimi replied as she petted a nearby clown fish.

The king's advisor eyed the princess with worry and concern. Mimi could tell what he was going to say before he could even say it. She swam away but not before telling him with crossed fingers behind her back, "Don't worry, Jyou. I won't go to the surface anymore if you worry that much."

Jyou watched her swim away and muttered with a chuckle, "Why do I not believe that?"

> > >

"It's not like I _intended_ to fall asleep during the meeting." Yagami Taichi yawned as he walked down the corridor of the palace with his younger sister, Hikari.

"No one cares whether or not if you intended to fall asleep. The fact is that you _did_. And that's why Mother and Father are mad at you. If you are to be king, then you can't be falling asleep during important meetings with other countries." Hikari hissed. She tried to make him see hers and their parents' point of view but everyone knew how stubborn Taichi was.

"Thanks, Hikari, but I get enough of that from our parents." Taichi laughed and made his way toward the doors at the end of the corridor.

"Where are you going?" Hikari asked.

Taichi flashed her a grin and said as he opened a door. "The beach. I need to be alone for a while."

As the door closed, Hikari pursed her lips together in a pout and stomped her foot on the ground. "What has gotten into him these past few days?"

She looked around the lonely corridor and shivered. When had it gotten so cold? Hikari lifted her skirts and walked to the servants' quarters. She was sure that that was where she'd find her friend, Miyako.

> > >

Mimi made sure to hide behind the big rock several meters away from the docks as she spied on the humans. That way no one would see her, on land and in the sea. And her father wouldn't get mad when he heard that she was watching the humans again, because she was hiding. But she was going to make sure he didn't find out. If he did, that'd mean she'd have several guards watching over her.

"I think it's safe to say I won't be seen." She giggled as she watched the boats come in from a hard days' work. A pang of sadness flooded over her when she saw that days' catch. Many of the fish that had been caught were probably fish she had played with once or twice. But the sadness ebbed away and the usual eagerness she had when she saw the humans washed over her.

From a cliff high above the rock that Mimi hid behind sat Taichi, also watching the docks as the sailors unloaded the fish they had caught. Once they had unloaded everything, Taichi turned his attention to the rock and smiled. She was there, just like the day before.

He had found first seen the girl several days before, and she caught his attention easily. Ever since that day, he wondered about why a girl would be swimming out in the sea at dusk. Nobody swam at dusk, because it would be getting dark near that time and they didn't want to get lost. But this strange girl did.

Taichi was too high up to see what she really looked like, but all he knew was that she had a head full of light brown hair that fell past her shoulders. He wondered every night about what she looked like, but everything he pictured seemed wrong. He returned to the cliff every day at dusk, in hopes of seeing her face. But she never looked up at the cliff and she always stayed near the big rock. And once it got dark outside, Taichi could no longer see her.

After staring at the girl for a couple of minutes, Taichi looked at the sky and saw that night was settling in. If he didn't want to get into anymore trouble with his parents, then he had better go back inside the palace. He got up, brushed off his leggings and made his way back to the palace.

Out of the corner of her eye, Mimi saw something move. She looked up and saw for the first time a cliff behind the rock. She mentally chided herself for being so stupid. Who's to say that there wasn't anyone on there? Someone could have seen her if they sat on that cliff.

She was about to dunk back into the sea when she saw someone walking away from the cliff. Staring at the retreating figure, her body stiffened with worry. Suppose that person saw her? Mimi shook her head and looked once more at the person. One strange thing about the person was its hair. It was a dark chocolate brown that seemed even bigger than the head it sat on!

"How strange." Mimi whispered as she dunked back into the sea and swam back to the underwater castle she lived in.

> > >

"Where were you? Your father's been worried sick!" Jyou immediately grabbed her arm when Mimi got back to the castle and started to pull her in the direction of the throne room. "You had best tell me, or else I will start think you were above the surface once again."

When Mimi did not answer, Jyou stopped and hissed, "You _were_ above the surface!"

Mimi covered his mouth and looked worriedly in his eyes. "Not so loud, Jyou. Someone might hear and tell my father." She looked at him with begging eyes. "_You_ won't tell my father, will you, Jyou?"

Jyou sighed. "You're unbelievable, Mimi. How do you expect me to keep something like this from His Majesty? If he finds out that I knew this and I didn't tell him, he'll kill me!"

"Oh, Jyou! Father wouldn't kill you. You're too important to the court to die." Mimi waved a hand at him. Then she put on a serious face as they both started to swim back to the throne room. "What does my father want to see me for?"

"He says he's found a potential suitor for you." Jyou answered cautiously. Talking about things like marriage with Mimi was a dangerous matter. No one knew when she would explode and curse them all. To say the least, Mimi _hated_ it when her father picked for her a potential husband and did not even consult with her about it.

"Oh, is that it?" she muttered and swam faster. Jyou stared after her in shock. To see Mimi not even mutter a single insult about a new suitor was something. Usually the girl would curse the suitor before she even met him. Something was wrong, Jyou knew that, but he had no way of knowing what it was.

Mimi entered the throne room with practiced grace and swam right up to the king that sat on his throne.

"Mimi, wherever have you been?" her father asked.

Mimi turned scarlet and answered, "I've been swimming outside the castle, Father."

The king did not question any further, nor did Mimi want him to. He turned to a young merman next to him and announced, "Mimi, this is Prince Michael of Rapid Falls."

The princess took one look at her new suitor. He had beautiful blonde hair that floated peacefully in the water. He had startling blue eyes that looked her over with ease. A lime green tail took place of what humans would call 'legs'. Mimi smiled instantly at the handsome prince but her smile fell somewhat when she glanced at his torso. He had no muscles whatsoever and she noticed how lanky his body was.

Turning her head away in silent disgust, Mimi looked at her father. The king's eyes held a personal liking. She guessed instantly that her father was thinking of what it would be like to combine their land and Prince Michael's land of Rapid Falls. Rapid Falls was a small country under the sea, but it was wealthy. That was enough to satisfy her father.

"I welcome you, Prince Michael, to our humble land of Tachikawa Lagoon. I hope that you find our land to your liking during your stay." She greeted with a small smile and held out her hand. Whenever a promising visitor from another land visited the castle, Mimi was instructed to behave like a proper princess.

The prince took her hand and kissed it softly, causing her almost to gag. "I myself hope I will enjoy this land. And it would mean a lot to me if we could become friends."

_In your dreams_, Mimi wanted to say, but one look at her father made her act properly. "I would like it if we were to become friends, too, Prince Michael."

Her father laughed as though the marriage arrangements had already been worked out. Mimi gave him a small glare and turned to him. "Father, may I ask to be excused?"

The king gave her a curious look, raising an eyebrow. Then, looking at Michael, and then at his daughter, he said, "Of course, my dear. But I would like you to escort Prince Michael on a tour of the castle tomorrow."

Mimi left the throne room and ran right into Jyou. She glared at his smiling face and hissed, "I for one think Prince Michael is a skinny flake that should have been eaten by a shark the second he arrived here."

Jyou chuckled and thought, _She's acting more like herself now. That's good_.

> > >

Izumi Koushiro paced around the Great Hall for what seemed like the hundredth time to him. He was waiting for the young prince to get back from the walk he had taken earlier that day. Koushiro took one look out of a window, saw the dark night sky, and sighed in frustration. He walked out the doors of the Great Hall and headed for the village down the street.

Koushiro found a young boy with several loaves of bread in his arms walking out from the baker's house. He ran up to the brown-haired boy and asked, "Iori, have you seen Taichi around here lately?"

Iori nodded his hand and tried to point with his finger but couldn't because of the bread. He sighed and answered, "I saw Taichi walk into Daisuke's house but then he left that and headed towards the docks for a while. He hasn't come back yet."

After saying his thanks to Iori, Koushiro headed towards the docks. He knew why Taichi was there. Sora Takenouchi lived near the docks, because her father had been a sailor before his ship sunk nearly three years before. There was a rumor going around that Taichi was going to choose Sora as his bride. But both Taichi and Sora dismissed the thought before people could talk about it anymore.

King Yagami's advisor ran up to a little cottage that housed Sora and her mother. He knocked quickly and Taichi opened the door. When the prince saw one of his many best friends gasping for air in front of him, he grinned. "What are you doing here, Koushiro? We were just sitting down for supper."

Koushiro slapped the prince's shoulder and said, "You need to get back to the palace immediately."

Takenouchi Sora appeared behind Taichi and gasped when she saw Koushiro. "Koushiro, why don't you come in?"

The king's advisor shook his head and grabbed Taichi's arm. "Taichi and I need to leave right _now_."

"So soon? Taichi just got here." Sora said sadly.

Taichi grinned and stated, "Right. I just got here, Koushiro. Can't you let me visit for a little while?"

"Not at all, Taichi." Koushiro snapped. He pulled Taichi away from the cottage and explained, "Your father is busy getting everything for the lord's arrival and you need to be there with him."

"A lord? Which one?" Sora asked eagerly. Taichi nodded to Koushiro, since he wanted to know which lord was visiting, too. King Yagami had not told his son which one it was.

Koushiro sighed. "For your information, Lord Ishida is the one that is visiting. Now, Taichi, let's go!"

After saying their farewells to Sora, the two ran to the palace at a fast pace. Sora watched them leave before closing the door and sitting down to her supper. She sighed silently as she poked at her food. If Lord Ishida was visiting, then that would mean Yamato and Takeru would be coming, too.

> > >

Yamato almost laughed when he saw his younger brother, Takeru, asleep in his wagon. He prodded Takeru with his foot and said, "Takeru, we're here. Wake up."

The younger of the two did not wake up but snored peacefully. Yamato sighed and whispered in Takeru's ear, "Takeru, Hikari is waiting for you outside. She wants you to sweep her off her feet and kiss her."

_That_ woke Takeru up. He opened his eyes instantly and sat up almost as quick. When he saw Yamato trying to hold back his laughter, he kicked his brother and walked out of the wagon.

Takeru was at once greeted with embraces and kisses from the King and Queen of the kingdom. Taichi shook his hand and Koushiro nodded to him. Finally, it was Hikari's turn to greet him. He stood for a second before her but she lashed out quickly and drew him into a warm embrace. Takeru could feel the color in his ears rising as he hugged her back, but he let go of her once he heard Yamato and Taichi snickering.

"Taichi, how are you?" Yamato greeted as he pulled Taichi into a headlock. Taichi gasped his reply, which only made Yamato's hold on his head tighter.

Yamato outstretched his free hand to Hikari and took her hand, kissing it lightly. "Hikari, it has been so long since I've seen you. How grown-up you look!"

Hikari placed her hands on her hips and stated, "I looked like this the last time you visited."

"Right." Yamato said as Taichi got out of the headlock and then punched his arm.

"Those two." Takeru muttered as he and Hikari watched their brothers as they tried to kick each other. He smiled at Hikari, who smiled and blushed in return.

Silence followed until Hikari turned to him and joked, "Wait until Daisuke finds out you're here."

> > >

When Mimi entered her room that night, she let out a string of curses and threw a shell across the room. She had just got done talking to her father. King Tachikawa had explained that she had to spend the whole next day touring Prince Michael around the kingdom. If she toured him the whole day that would mean that she wouldn't get a chance to go above the surface before dusk.

She swam over to a trunk in a corner of the room and opened it carefully. Mimi had gotten the trunk from a ship that sunk several years before. Then, after she got done collecting things from other wrecked ships, she stashed them all in the trunk. Cautiously, she lifted a heavy dress from the trunk and laid it on the floor. She had several dresses like it, because the ship she had collected it from had held three woman passengers that wore elegant dresses. Next she lifted out a small wooden box filled with expensive jewelry. She had gotten the box along with the dresses. She lifted shoes and other dresses and black and white pictures of humans until she found a secret compartment that held her most precious piece of jewelry.

Mimi's mother had been a sea witch, but she had never told anyone other than Mimi. She gave a small amulet to Mimi just before she passed away and told her it held the most magical gift in all of Tachikawa Lagoon. All Mimi had to do was wear it at the right time and her greatest wish would come true.

The princess held the amulet above her head and hesitated. Then, sighing in disappointment, she placed it back carefully into the secret compartment of the trunk. It was not yet time to wear it, her mind told her.

"I hope the time to wear it will come soon. That way I can get away from here." Mimi mumbled as she lifted her dresses and shoes and jewelry back into the trunk gently.

She swam onto the balcony that was outside her room. She stopped to look at the surface for a while and saw the moon, so far away that it only seemed like a white dot. _One day I'll go to the surface at night and see the moon when it's closer to me_, she decided.

"If I were human, I could see the moon every night and I wouldn't have to worry about arranged marriages." Mimi sighed, making her way back into the castle.

> > >

High above the sea, in his room in the palace, Taichi was talking with Yamato. He told him about the girl that he had seen several days ago and how she was always there when he visited the cliff.

Yamato laughed it all away by coming up with a stupid theory. "Maybe you saw a mermaid, Taichi!"

Taichi ignored his comment about mermaids with a wave of his hand. Everyone knew that mermaids were some imaginary creatures made up to please small children. The only people who believed in mermaids older than five were the sailors.

The other boy left, telling Taichi, "Careful, Taichi, the mermaids might kidnap you!"

"Mermaids! Only Yamato would say something that stupid." Taichi mumbled as he walked over to a window. He stared up at the moon, then turned away and settled in his bed to go to sleep.

That night, Taichi dreamed about a brown-haired girl with beautiful honey-colored eyes and a long, emerald fish tail.

sooooo? how was it? leave a review or else i'll throw marshmellows at the computer screen! right, Henry?

henry: yippee...

yeah whatever, he's a little moody...anyway, i must go! marshmellows...mmmm


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: do not own digimon sobs and breaks computer (what? i have to take out my sadness on _something_)

chapter 1! you had better be grateful glares and review for me. i've already got four reviews, so i guess i'll let you read this one a little earlier than planned (i was going to post this tomorrow)

i hope everyone enjoys this chapter as much as they did the prologue

Chapter 1

Mimi couldn't take it anymore! It had been a week since she had been to the surface. Ever since Prince Michael showed up, there had been no spare time to see the sailors at the docks. The first two days she had been spending her time escorting him on tours of the kingdom. The next two her father had ordered her to help with the preparations for a welcoming ball for him. And in the last three days, Prince Michael never left her side. It was as though she was wearing a leash and he was holding it.

"I can't stand it, Jyou. I need to get back to the surface. I need to be there right _now_." Mimi told the king's advisor one day as they swam towards the garden.

"But Prince Michael is such a nice young man, and he's stopping you from heading out into danger. In my opinion, that's a good thing for the rest of us underwater dwellers." Jyou answered with a snicker.

Mimi would have continued but at that moment Prince Michael spotted them and swam over to them. He greeted both of them, but his eyes never left Mimi. As always, Mimi behaved her best when she was around him, but she kept what she really wanted to say in her head.

"His Majesty has some important news he wants to say to everyone." Michael said eagerly as he pulled the two towards the throne room.

"What's so important that he has to tell us right now." Mimi mumbled to Jyou, who just smiled.

The king's advisor knew the news wasn't to be any good. He had been present the night before when King Tachikawa decided it. But Jyou hadn't told Mimi. It was going to be a good thing for her, even if she wouldn't like it. She'd grow to like it. Besides, she was turning sixteen anyway, and it had to happen soon.

The two followed Michael into the throne room. Mimi stopped when they reached it, but stared around curiously when she saw no one in it. Michael grabbed her hand and led her towards a balcony. When the princess saw which balcony it was, she nearly fainted. The balcony was only used for public announcements and her father seldom used it. The news must be _very_ important. Michael pushed her onto the balcony and followed, while Jyou stood farther away.

Once out on the balcony, Mimi was terrified to see all the mermen and mermaids that inhabited Tachikawa Lagoon stood below the balcony, waiting anxiously to hear the news.

King Tachikawa waved his arms for silence and brought Mimi forward. He yelled out to the public, "Citizens of Tachikawa Lagoon, my daughter, Mimi Tachikawa, has chosen a husband!"

He ushered Michael forward and Mimi's jaw almost dropped n horror. The people cheered with enthusiasm and she put on a small smile for them. But on the inside, she felt like running away. Her father had arranged the marriage without any say from her! And worse yet, he had only made the arrangement for his gain! He just wanted the land of Rapid Falls, but Mimi wanted nothing to do with it. He had fooled his own daughter into staying by the Prince so it would seem they were to be married.

The cheers from the onlookers were getting too much for her, and when Michael grabbed her hand and waved to the people, she shook her head and ran.

> > >

Taichi was disappointed as he came to the cliff for the seventh time in a row and had not seen the girl. It was as though she disappeared from the face of the earth.

He walked to the docks with a gloomy air about him. He was going to say a quick 'hello' to Sora and then head back to the palace. Ever since Yamato and Takeru arrived, he had been going back home earlier, just to spend time with them.

Sora wasn't home, but her mother told Taichi he could find her in the village. He said goodbye and headed to the village. There, he found Sora talking with Hikari and Miyako, the servant girl at the palace who was good friends with Hikari. Not wanting to bother their conversation, he walked over to the baker's store and house, where he found Iori. The boy was too busy with helping customers and baking bread to chat, but he said a quick 'hello' before turning back to the oven.

"Who else can I talk to?" Taichi wondered as he counted his friends mentally. Miyako, Hikari, Sora, Iori, Yamato, Takeru, Koushiro…There were just two more friends he hadn't visited yet.

He strode towards the black smith's forge, where he found Ichijoji Ken. He sat on a stool and asked, "Ken, do you know where Daisuke is today?"

The blue-haired boy looked up when he heard Taichi's voice. He smiled at the mention of Daisuke and answered, "First, he was ogling your sister when she entered the village. Then he went out back to the privy. He's been in there for a couple of minutes now."

As though on cue, Daisuke entered the forge with a wide grin. He greeted Taichi with a clap on the shoulder. The three sat there for a couple of minutes and talked.

"There you are, Taichi!" Takeru entered the forge after a hesitation and smiled at the three. Daisuke automatically grimaced when he saw Takeru and Ken gave him a friendly greeting. "Yamato is looking for you."

Taichi said goodbye to Ken and Daisuke. When he exited the forge, he could hear Daisuke throwing an insult at Takeru. He chuckled at the thought of his weird friends and headed towards the palace.

> > >

Sora Takenouchi watched Taichi stride back towards the palace sadly as she bought fresh apples for the pie she promised she would bake for her mother. She wished she could ask to go back to the palace with him. She desperately wanted to see Yamato again, but her pride stopped her. She didn't know how Taichi might act if he heard she wanted to see Yamato badly.

Takeru had stopped by and said hello when he stopped to talk with Hikari minutes before. Sora had told him to tell Yamato to come and greet all of his friends in the village. Takeru had laughed and said he would.

But Sora wasn't so sure that Yamato would come. It had been a week since he had come to the kingdom, but there was no sign of him in the village.

She was about to turn to walk home because she had finished all of her shopping when a voice called out to her. She whipped around in time to see Yamato himself racing down the street right for her. Sora would have run to him, but her arms were full of food for that week. And she didn't want to make a scene. At least, not in front of all the other villagers.

"Sora!" Yamato said when he caught up to her. He pulled her into an embrace and held on tight. "When Takeru said you wanted to see me, I immediately ran here."

Sora looked up at him and figured that any second now he would let go of her. But when he didn't, she greeted, "Yamato, it's been a long time. You've gotten taller."

"Yes," he replied, lowering his voice. "It has been a long time. Too long if you ask me."

She nodded and laid her forehead on his. She smiled and he asked after a comforting silence, "Aren't you going to invite me home for supper?"

The girl laughed and pulled him by the hand to her cottage. He helped her by holding all of her purchases. Yamato questioned her about what she had done after he had left from his last visit. She told him that nothing had happened to her that much and asked him how he had been while he was away. They shared their stories and by the time they were done catching up, they had made it to her house.

"What about Taichi? I thought you were to have supper with his family tonight." Sora said, opening the door to the small cottage.

"Taichi and the others will understand. Besides," he closed the door and embraced her again. "I'd rather be with you."

> > >

Yamato wasn't in the palace when Taichi returned. He asked a passing servant and she said she had seen Yamato leave several minutes before

"Figures. He wants to see me and then leaves." Taichi mumbled as he sat at the table for supper. Supper that night was boring for Taichi. He had no one to talk to. Hikari and Takeru were in a heated conversation and wouldn't let him join. Taichi had no intention of talking with his parents. If he talked with them, they'd surely start to ask if he had chosen a girl to wed yet. Talking about his marriage with his parents was an uncomfortable matter for him. They'd start to pressure him and he'd get upset and then do something stupid, like flinging something across the room and end up hitting Lord Ishida in the head.

He'd done it before. He could do it again.

His thoughts wandered to and fro and he didn't even notice what he was eating, because he was so lost in his thoughts. Taichi didn't even hear his mother when she asked him something. The queen had to yell at him, but he still wouldn't snap out of his thoughts. Finally, Hikari slapped him with a spoon and he sat up straight as though he had been caught doing something wrong.

"Taichi, I asked you if you had any plans as future king?" his mother said with a sigh. "Lord Ishida would like to know."

The prince grinned sheepishly, and replied as he turned to Lord Ishida, "I don't have any plans yet, but I'll tell you once I think of something."

"What sort of an answer is that, Taichi?" King Yagami asked with a laugh. "You are to be king soon. Surely you have some sort of plan made up already."

Taichi shook his head. "I'm not going to be king in a long time, father. And, no, I don't have _any_ plans. Maybe in another couple of years, when I _do_ become king."

The three adults at the table looked worried as Taichi excused himself and left the room.

> > >

When Mimi had run away from the commotion outside the throne room, she swam right towards her room, locking the door behind her. She threw her arms on her bed and cried herself to sleep. Hours later, she awoke with a start, forgetting how she had got to her room. Then, she remembered the declaration of her marriage and she started to cry again.

She saw her trunk in the corner and swam over to it. After she got it open, she pulled out her favorite dress. It was a beautiful light green gown with sleeves that reached to her elbows. At the end of the sleeves were long trails of white lace that floated in the water current. The skirt of the dress was heavy with petticoats but it was still beautiful, nonetheless.

When Mimi was younger, she used to put the dresses on all the time and pretend she was human. She hadn't pretended to be human in years and she got the sudden urge to do so now. After pulling on clean white robe over her to serve her as an undergarment, she put on the dress and admired herself in a thing that the humans called a mirror (she had also gotten the mirror from a sunken ship). When she was younger, the dress hardly fitted her, but since she was almost sixteen, it fit her perfectly and she looked very much human, except for the tail peeking out from the bottom of the skirts.

Next, she took out the small wooden box and put on pearl earrings and a small pearl ring on her ring finger. Finding that the pearl didn't match the green of the dress, she put on emerald earrings and an emerald ring. After putting on the jewelry, she smiled at herself in the mirror. If only the other citizens could see her, all dressed up like a human!

But her neck looked so bare! She fished around in the jewelry box but found no emerald necklaces. Pouting, she looked around in the trunk for a necklace but found none.

A knock on the door made her stop her searching. She closed the trunk, unlocked the door, and peeked out the door. If it were Michael or her father, she'd shut it immediately. She was grateful when she saw Jyou's dark blue hair. She let him in and closed the door, locking it quickly. When she looked back at Jyou, she found him gaping at her. Mimi looked down and noticed that she still wore the dress.

Flushing, she hurried to try and take it off, but then had second thoughts and left it on.

"What are you doing in here?" Jyou asked, looking at the trunk with the other dresses hanging from it.

Mimi smiled sheepishly and answered, "Just fooling around, I guess."

Then a thought struck her. The amulet! It would be a beautiful necklace. And its emerald color would go perfect with the dress and her other jewelry. She hurried over to the trunk, opened it again and got the amulet from the secret compartment it was held in.

But before she put it on, she remembered that it held magic and something would happen if she put it on. Mimi turned to Jyou and asked with pleading in her voice, "Jyou, would you do something for me?"

"What is it this time?" Jyou said, eyeing her with caution.

"Don't tell anyone about what I'm going to do." She answered.

Jyou groaned. "If it has anything to do with humans, then I can't promise that."

"Maybe it does have something to do with humans, but you have to swear to me you won't tell a soul." Mimi held out her hand. Jyou hesitated but then shook it. Then, the princess nodded to the trunk filled with her human things. "And you have to help me get this out of here."

Jyou sighed in worry. What if the king found out he was helping his daughter escape? Then Jyou would surely be killed.

Nevertheless, he helped her carry the trunk out of the palace by exiting the balcony in the princess's room. They swam to the surface, Mimi swimming slower than usual because of the extra weight the dresses caused. But they made it to the surface and when they did, Mimi and Jyou hauled the trunk over to the sand on the beach and there they sat, worried about what would happen next.

"Jyou, you've been a good friend to me. I only hope I might be able to see you again." Mimi said, hugging her father's advisor.

Jyou patted her head. "You will be back, trust me. Once you see how horrible human life is, you'll be back."

He waved goodbye to her and she watched him go sadly. Suddenly, her eyes drooped with sleep and she laid down on the sand of the beach. But before she fell asleep completely, she remembered to put the amulet on. Then, as she drifted into slumber, she had a feeling that when she woke up, something magical would have already taken place.

yep, that's the end of that...but don't expect to get chapter 2 early...i'm still working on that one. i'll probably finish it once i get home. yes, i am not on my home computer right now, but at my work computer! yes, i work! everyone might call me lazy but i work!

but i hate my work...having to watch some whiney six-year-old all day...sigh, and i thought summer vacation was going to be fun...school's starting though, so i won't be able to update that much (not that i'd update anyway cause, like i said, i'm _lazy_)


	3. Chapter 3

well, you reviewers are the best! so when i got home last night, i got right to work on chapter 2. so here you go! (just remember to review me when you're done!)

and to all you people who thought taichi was going to find Mimi onh the beach, you're wrong. You'll see.

Disclaimer: do not own...whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa throws chair at computer

enjoy!

Chapter 2

Sora woke the next day with a great feeling in her heart. Yamato had finally come to see her. After supper had ended the night before, he had even stayed a while longer to help clean up and then talk afterwards. She felt so lucky to have a guy like him as her friend.

"Not that you want him to be _just_ your friend, Sora." She told herself as she walked into the village. "Oh, no, being _just_ friends isn't enough for you."

The shops weren't open yet at that time in morning, so Sora thought she could take a detour by walking to the village through the beach. She took off her shoes and let her skirts drag in the soft white sand. It was so peaceful in the early morning, and she couldn't help but sigh.

She walked along the beach for about half an hour before deciding to go to the village. But as she placed her first shoe on her right foot, she noticed two dark figures near the water. Sora walked over and was surprised to see a young woman asleep in the sand, her arm lying on top of a wooden trunk almost protectively. When the peasant girl saw the girl's fancy dress and jewelry, she gasped and immediately sat the girl upright, trying to wake her up.

The peasant girl cupped the sea water in her hands and threw it at the girl's porcelain face. After several tries, the girl finally woke up, sputtering the salt water from her mouth. When she saw Sora, her eyes grew wide and it looked like she was going to run.

"I'm so glad you're all right. When I saw you lying here, I thought you might be dead." Sora sighed and the girl stared curiously at her. "How'd you get here, anyway?"

The girl just stared at Sora, then opened her mouth as though to talk, then thought better of it. Finally, she rubbed water from her eyes and whispered, "Who are you?"

Sora was startled when she heard the girl's voice, but then laughed at her own forgetfulness. "I guess I should have introduced myself before I began questioning you. I'm Takenouchi Sora. I live in this village, near the docks. And who, may I ask, are you?"

The peasant girl smiled warmly, which must have brought out a smile on the other girl's face as she answered, "I am Tachikawa Mimi of Tachikawa Lagoon."

"Tachikawa Lagoon? I've never heard of that." Sora sat in the sand, puzzled.

"It's far away from here, so I guess you must not have heard of it." the girl answered.

"But if it's far away from here, then how did you get here?" Sora questioned.

Mimi hesitated and then replied, "I was running away from the castle. I paid for passage on a ship, but it was hit by a storm a couple of days ago. I swam here with all the strength I had and when I saw the beach, I immediately fell asleep on it because I was so exhausted."

"Did you say castle?" Sora asked with interest. She could have guessed from the girl's clothing that she was some sort of royalty, but a peasant could never be too sure of things concerning royalty.

Mimi hesitated again, as though she was uncomfortable with sharing such information with a complete stranger. "Yes, a castle. It was where I lived before I ran away."

"Were you royalty?"

"Yes, I was. I am the princess of Tachikawa Lagoon. But I really don't want you to think I'm anything special. I'd rather people treat me like everyone else." Mimi said with pleading in her voice.

"Of course." Sora said, standing up. She outstretched her hand to help Mimi up. The princess took her hand and stood up, but started to wobble violently. Mimi tried to steady herself, but it seemed to Sora as if the girl had never walked before in her life. Sora tried to help Mimi stand up with ease, but that only worsened Mimi's attempts and the princess ended up tripping over the wooden trunk.

Sora helped her up and then made her sit on the trunk. She said matter-of-factly to the princess, "I'll go get someone to help carry your trunk, since I'm too weak to carry such a thing and you can barely stand, let alone carry a trunk."

"Give up yet, Yagami?" Yamato asked, lashing out with his sword quickly.

"Not at all, Ishida." Taichi dodged, and thrust his own sword forward. "What took you so long in getting here last night?"

Yamato smiled as he blocked Taichi's sword with his. "I was just greeting some friends near the docks."

"You mean Sora?" Taichi questioned further with a frown. He let down his guard and that was when Yamato finally beat him.

"Who else? I caught her as she was about to leave for the docks and I decided to help her with her purchases. She thanked me by inviting me to supper. You're not jealous, are you?" Yamato grinned as the two young men sat down in the courtyard of the Yagami Palace.

Taichi snorted, "Me? Jealous? You must be thinking of someone else. Maybe Daisuke."

"Right." The two laughed and Yamato announced he was going into the village that morning to talk with Iori. Taichi told Yamato that he also had plans and the prince left to do them.

Yamato met Koushiro along the way. He asked the king's advisor if he would like to go for a walk with him. Koushiro agreed, saying he was getting bored since there was nothing to do in the palace at that time. But before they even left the palace grounds, a voice called out to them, and they turned to see Sora running in a hurry up to them.

When she reached them, Sora panted and both looked at each other. They both figured she must have ran a long way. She smiled and greeted them both and asked, "Are you two busy right now? I need to do someone a favor and I need to strong men like you to help."

"You don't need to flatter us, Sora. You could have just asked and we'd help." Koushiro said with a small smile. Yamato nodded in agreement, but then glared when Koushiro added, "All that flattery will enlarge Yamato's head."

"Good. Now come with me." Sora said, and pulled them towards the beach.

Mimi could hardly believe what she saw after Sora left. She sat on the trunk and lifted her skirts to see two perfect white legs. The princess would have fainted if she weren't so puzzled. How did a human walk, anyway? Every time she got up, she wobbled and fell to the sand.

"Now that I'm human, I can start my life over again and I can be happier." She muttered. She pondered over that statement over for a few seconds and added, "Though I will miss my real home."

But then she remembered Michael sending cold shudders down her spine as he held her hand and her father's thrilled expression when he thought of gaining new land. Lastly, she remembered Jyou's smug smile form the night before when he'd told her she'd be back.

Mimi sat up suddenly and yelled out to the sea, "I won't be back, just you wait. I'll never go back and nothing you can do or say can make me!"

After several more attempts to walk, she sat beside the trunk and patted the sand with her feet. Then, noticing how her feet were sand covered and bare, she opened the trunk and grabbed out a pair of emerald-colored slippers and jammed them onto her feet. At first it felt weird when she stood up and tried to walk with them on, but then she noticed she had put them on the wrong feet. After switching the shoes, she walked again and was surprised to learn that she wasn't wobbling as much and she hadn't fallen yet.

"I think…" she pondered as she walked a couple of feet from the trunk and then back. "…that I'm getting the hang of this walking thing."

Once she got down walking, she sat on the trunk again and wondered what was taking that so long. Ten minutes later, as she was kicking her feet in the sand, she saw three people running down the beach toward her. _Finally_, she though and stood up. Sora ran up to her and grabbed her hands. Mimi observed the other two who ran behind Sora.

They were both boys near her own age, she figured. One had red hair and was a head shorter than the other three. That boy wore an orange tunic with brown breeches and he looked over Mimi with coal black eyes. The other boy looked over Mimi with bright blue eyes. He had a head full of blonde hair and he wore a white cotton tunic and brown breeches. A sword hung by his side and her body grew tense. Sometimes she heard stories from mermen that humans killed with the sharp pointy things.

"Oh, Mimi, this is Izumi Koushiro. Koushiro is King Yagami's advisor." Sora said, pulling her towards the red head. Mimi tried a thing that the humans called a curtsy, but her knees started to wobble and she stopped, afraid she would fall again.

Sora turned to the other boy and announced with a fond smile, "And this is Ishida Yamato. Yamato's father, Lord Ishida, is here visiting the Yagami Palace."

Then, the orange haired girl turned Mimi to face both boys and she told them, "This is Tachikawa Mimi. Mimi is a princess of a far away land called Tachikawa Lagoon and she ran away from home. A couple of days ago, the ship she was sailing on got caught in a storm and she had to swim all the way here with her trunk."

Both of the boys bowed to Mimi and she gave them a small, but friendly smile. Sora turned to Mimi and explained, "Koushiro and Yamato are going to carry your trunk to the palace."

"Palace?" Mimi asked.

Sora nodded. "Since you're royalty, I thought you might want to stay among other royalty." She turned to the other two. "Do you guys think Taichi's parents will let her stay there?"

"Ask Koushiro. He spends more time with the king than I do." Yamato said as he grabbed a handle on the side of the trunk.

Koushiro picked up the other side and answered, "I'm sure King Yagami will let her stay. If she needs a place to stay that badly, then of course."

Sora led them through the village, pointing out everything to Mimi along the way. Mimi nodded enthusiastically with each syllable that dropped from Sora's mouth. She wanted to learn everything about the humans, starting with how they lived.

The four left the village and climbed up a steep road towards a palace that rested on the hillside. Mimi couldn't see the whole palace but she could see the tips of towers over the trees. She wondered how big the palace would be. The Tachikawa castle wasn't that big, but it served the court well.

After another five minutes, they reached the gate surrounding the palace. Yamato and Koushiro managed to get the guards to open the gates, and the four walked in. Mimi gasped and held Sora's arm in excitement.

The palace was beautiful! It was even bigger than the home Mimi had left behind. And much more organized. A walkway led to the front doors and gardeners had taken a great deal of time to arrange flowers and bushes along the path. The front doors themselves were made out of expensive timber and shone in the morning sun with pride.

Sora didn't have to open the doors because when they were only several feet away from the doors, it opened and revealed two teens. One was a pretty girl with short brown hair and a flowing purple gown. The other was a boy with the same blue eyes and blonde hair as Yamato. The two were in conversation when they stepped out of the palace, but then they noticed the other four and stopped.

"Sora, what are you doing here?" the girl asked, staring at Sora with a puzzled look.

The boy looked past Sora and saw Yamato and Koushiro holding the trunk. Then, he turned back to Sora and noticed Mimi. He pointed to her and asked, "Who is this?"

Sora pushed a reluctant Mimi forward and explained, "This is Princess Tachikawa Mimi."

Sora then continued to tell the two newcomers about Mimi's coming to the kingdom and about where she came from. When Sora was done with explaining, the girl stepped forward and performed a perfect curtsy.

The girl held out her hand to Mimi and greeted, "It's nice to meet you, Mimi. I am Princess Yagami Hikari. I welcome you to our palace."

Mimi shook her hand and attempted once again at a curtsy. She did it a little better that time, but it was hard. She thought that it was easier to do in under the water when she was pretending to be human.

The boy stepped forward and held out his hand after a bow. "And I am Ishida Takeru, youngest son of Lord Ishida."

Mimi curtsied again and shook his hand, smiling with pure excitement.

Takeru looked over to Yamato and said, "Yamato, Taichi told me that if I saw you that I should tell you that he wants to have another sword fight after midday."

"He'll just lose again, but I'll face him again anyway." Yamato sighed teasingly.

"Don't let Taichi hear that." Hikari giggled and she and Takeru walked towards the steep road.

Once the two were gone, Sora led Mimi into the palace. They walked down a corridor with beautiful glass windows that let the early morning sun shine through and light everything.

"Just where are we going?" Mimi asked, tugging on Koushiro's sleeve.

The red headed youth chuckled at her anxiety. "First, we are to see King Yagami so we can ask if you can stay here until you decide to go back to wherever you came from."

Mimi gave him a smile as she whispered, "I'm never going back to where I came from."

Miyako sighed as she walked around the village, trying to find something to do. Hikari had wanted her to fetch some fresh bread from Iori. But the palace chef already had enough bread. Which was why Miyako had taken Hikari's order to really mean 'I want to spend time with Takeru without you there'.

And that left Miyako with nothing to do but wander aimlessly around the village until Hikari came for her.

She found a wooden box outside the baker's store and she sat on it, waiting for Iori to get done with making the bread Hikari asked for.

_She could have just asked me to go away while she walked with Takeru_, Miyako thought angrily when she saw the two walking into the bookkeeper's shop. Then, an idea forming in her head, she suddenly jumped up. Slowly, she made her way across the Square toward the bookkeeper's shop and ducked inside quickly when she got to the open door.

The bookkeeper's shop was filled with shelves and shelves of books, which gave a person a great hiding place. Miyako found the bookkeeper's shop the greatest place in which to find gossip in. The bookkeeper's wife knew _everything_ about _everyone_; she was the perfect person to go to when someone wanted to know what was bugging their friends or what was happening with people. Another great thing about the shop was that one could easily hide behind a bookshelf and eavesdrop on every customer, including Princess Yagami Hikari and His Highness, Takaishi Takeru.

Hikari's and Takeru's conversation was well…boring. At least to Miyako. There was nothing worth while in it. No 'You're the only person for me' or 'I couldn't live if you weren't here' lovey dovey sayings. The fact that they were only talking about politics and how stupid their brothers were brought tears of boredom to Miyako's eyes.

They left shortly after Miyako had started to eavesdrop, and Miyako was about to leave when a book caught her eye on the shelf in front of her. She took the book off the shelf, reading over the cover. The servant girl smiled to herself, remembering the book from her childhood. It was a book she read often, about a servant girl and a noble knight. The two fell in love after the knight saved the servant girl from pirates attacking the island they lived on. But nobody thought the knight would fall in love with a mere servant girl and they banished her from the country. But the knight followed her, but couldn't find her anywhere. Finally, after four years, the knight and the servant girl were reunited and they married happily ever after.

Most of the villagers Miyako talked to said the book was a total waste of time and was some silly fantasy that only little girls would find true. But Miyako believed that she was going to become that servant girl one day, minus the banishing of the country and waiting four years for her knight to find her.

_Well, what else do I have to do? It's not like I have to be anywhere while the bread is baking_, she told herself as she sat down on the ground and leaned on the bookshelf. Miyako opened the cover but then started to get second thoughts. _I shouldn't read this. It always makes me cry. Besides, Hikari might be looking for me right now_.

Then, getting over her worries, she opened the book and began to read.

Ichijoji Ken, the bookkeeper's son, was helping his friend Daisuke clean the blacksmith's forge when the baker's young son, Hida Iori, stopped by. The two older boys said hello to the younger boy when he stepped into the forge.

As always, Iori got straight to the point and asked, "Has either of you seen Miyako?"

The two shook their heads and Ken could have sworn he flushed at the mention of the servant girl's name.

"If either of you two do see her, tell her that the princess's bread is done." The young dark-haired boy left the forge and Daisuke grinned at his friend.

"Why are you blushing, Ken?" the blacksmith's son asked.

Ken turned away from Daisuke and said in a whisper, "No reason."

The two became silent and then Daisuke started to tease Ken. The bookkeeper's son became agitated, though he didn't yell at his friend, and left the forge. He went to the baker's and found Iori. Then, after much disagreeing, Iori gave him the princess's bread.

Sighing, he strode over to his father's book shop and looked through the shop until he came to the aisle he was looking for. There sat Miyako, hugging her knees, book propped up in her lap, her eyes filled with tears. Once again Ken sighed, but this time it wasn't in agitation, it was in relief that he had found her.

Sitting down next to Miyako, he stated, "I thought you weren't going to read that book again."

She looked up, startled and gave a nervous giggle. "True, I did say last time I wouldn't read it. But I just can't give this book up. It's one of my favorites."

Ken chuckled as she hugged the book to her chest and wiped her eyes. "If you like it that much, then you can keep it."

Miyako stared at him with a stunned expression. When he returned her gaze with a calm demeanor, she looked away, a light pink rising to her cheeks. He sat up, and held up a hand to help her up also.

"You can keep that book-free of charge-if you promise not to cry the next time you read it." Ken stated, giving her a shy smile.

The servant girl laughed and replied, "If you say so. And when I read it, I'll think of you, Ken."

Miyako surprised the boy by giving him a quick peck on the cheek and she hurried out of the shop. Then, recovering from his daze, he remembered the morsel of food in his hand and ran outside after her.

He handed her the bread and explained, "Iori said this was the princess's bread."

She took the bread and smiled, turning her head away so he couldn't see her blush. "Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Right." He also turned his head away to blush and the two said goodbye.

When Ken returned to the blacksmith's forge, he ignored Daisuke when he asked why he was as red as a turnip.

now that you're done reading this...REVIEW! yes, i know i am just a _teeny_ bit greedy, but that's my nature...hopefully i will finish chapter 3 by this afternoon...that is, if you _review..._like i said..._greedy_!


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Digimon, Fantasy, Romance