Masquerade

The inevitable disclaimer: yes, I bet y'all know that I don't own

Digimon (too bad) or its characters and that it belongs to Toel Animation,

the Fox's Network, and the Saban Company (pick any one of the three). The

plot is mine, please don't take it. Email me if you want to use it on your

own site.

The plot: Okay the characters are about a little older than the series.

Joe is in the 11th grade; Matt, Sora and Tai are in the 10th grade; Mimi and

Izzy are in the 9th; and Kari and T.K. are in the 7th grade.

I know you want to get on to the story but first I'd like to thank

Mimi4matt for being a wonderful web-mistress, site builder, but most of my

friend online. Also Roaramon for posting this on his new and revamped site!

Okay, on to the story (Yay!). Hope you enjoy it!

-Part 1-

/*-9:30 AM at Highton View

Terrence High/*-

Slam! I shut my locker. It was only after second period. Sighing, I

walked to my next class, gym. Today we were going outside to play tennis.

"Hey Matt! Here!" A junior that I knew handed me a flyer. Across the top

was scrawled "MASQUERADE" in big blue letters. Under that it said, "Highton

View Terrace High presents its first annual Masquerade! Friday June 16th,

2000 at the Hashi-Tora Club. It starts at 7:00 PM, so get there early!" That

was one week from today. I tried to read more but walking down the hall,

someone bumped into me. Looking up, I found Mimi staring at me.

"What's that?" she asked. I handed her the piece of paper. Mimi read it

and asked me if I was going.

"I might go. But then again I might not. Don't you have to have a mask

and dress up?" I asked.

"Yeah Matt, but that's the fun of it."

"Well, we have to go. The bell's gonna ring, and I know you don't want

to be late."

"No, that's okay. My next class is Home EC. The teacher doesn't care if

I'm late. She loves all the little projects I make. Bye!"

"Bye, Mimi." I walked to gym. As soon as I walked into the locker room,

the bell rang. Tai was at his gym locker, already changed out.

"Hurry up, Matt. And by the way, have you seen this?" He handed me the

Masquerade paper. "Sora wants me and you and Mimi to go."

"What? Sora wants us to go like as friends? I don't know. I told Mimi

that I wasn't going."

"Okay, well, we need to go outside now for tennis. Be my partner?" Tai

asked. I nodded my head. Then, I put the paper in my backpack and forgot all

about it.

/*-3:00 that afternoon/*-

Brrrrrrrrrriinnng!!!!!! The phone in my room rang. I ran upstairs to

pick it up. The caller id said Kamiya. Tai!

"Hello?" I picked up the phone.

"Hi, Matt?" Tai answered. "Do you want to go to the movies tonight? With

Sora and me?"

"I don't want to intrude on you and Sora."

"Why don't you go with someone else?"

"Like who? I can't get a date today."

"Oh, Sora will have someone for you." Tai laughed.

"What does that mean? Who?" I asked a million questions. "Tai, tell me

who it is, or I'll have to hurt you."

"I'm not afraid of you. Well, you'll have to see. Ha ha, you'll have to

come to the movies. See you at the Najeba Uschi Mall at six. We'll pick a

movie from there. See you there."

"Okay, whatever Tai. Bye." I hung up the phone and sighed. Great, I

thought, Tai and Sora have some girl that has a crush on me and will be

hanging all over me. I hate girls like that. They only like me for my looks.

It's not fair, everyone thinks I'm this hunk/jock that can only play sports.

I can think, too. How much fun. I have to go anyway. Tai will be mad at me.

I can't get my best friend mad.

I watched some TV to avoid my homework, or at least do some homework

while watching it. Opening my binder, I came across a picture that I had

sketched and colored in school that day. It was a picture of a blue and

purple wolf with giant pinkish claws and huge teeth. I tried to remember

where I saw this wolf, so I sat there racking my brain. Oh well. Ugh, I have

math and science. Oh, I'll do it later. I flipped through the channels until

I came to Sailor Moon. I stopped and watched it until T.K. arrived home.

"I'm home!" shouted T.K.

"Do you want a snack?"

"No, that's okay. I'm gonna eat this cookie!" He showed me a cookie as

round as his face and with pink and yellow frosting it said " Takeru-chan".

"Kari made that, didn't she?" I asked as T.K.'s face turned red.

"Umm, can Kari come over tonight? You know, we have to

do.umm...well.homework! Yeah, homework."

"Well, you have to ask Dad. Anyway, I'm going to the movies tonight. I

have to get ready." I told him. I went and spent an hour in the bathroom

taking a shower, gelling my hair, and picking out my clothes. I stopped by

T.K.'s room and looked at some drawings that caught my eye on his walls. One

was of a tan small piggish creature with ears like bat wings. Another was of

an angel with a visor over his head, a staff in his fist and six wings. They

seemed familiar, like from a dream. I couldn't figure out.

/*-5:00 that evening/*-

I glanced at my watch. It was 5 o 'clock, time to dress. I picked out a

white undershirt and a blue shirt from GAP, and then a pair of blue jeans. I

rode the tube (subway) to Najeba Uschi Mall and waited for Tai, Sora, and

the "blind date". Finally, Tai arrived. But he was by himself.

"Hey Tai, where is Sora? I thought she'd be with you." I teased Tai.

"Oh, she's with M." Tai gasped. "She's with.umm.the.mystery guest! Yeah,

that's it. The mystery guest!" Tai shouted. I gave him a questioning look.

Now I knew he knew that I knew that he knew who the "mystery guest" was.

"Hey, what movie are we gonna watch? How 'bout a scary movie? That be cool."

"Tai, did anyone tell you that you talk a lot? Did you know that?"

"Sorry." By this time, Sora and the other person had arrived. The other

person had on a pink skirt. I looked at her face and recognized it.

"Mimi!" I shouted. I was surprised; I wouldn't have expected her. "Wow,

um, Sora, is this the other person?" She nodded and smiled. "Hi Mimi."

"Hey, haven't seen you in a while. So should we pick a movie? How about

we skip the movie and grab something to eat. Oh, I know a great noodle

takeout place. Come on guys, it'll be fun!" So with that Mimi led us to this

restaurant over on the next street. We sat down and were served promptly.

During dinner, we talked about our plans for the week. Sora and Mimi started

a conversation about what they were going to wear to a party or something. I

wasn't listening.

"So Matt, are you going?" Mimi asked.

"Um, sorry Mimi, I wasn't listening. Going where?"

"To the masquerade, dummy!" Sora told me.

"Oh, yeah sure I'll go." I replied.

"Ok, since I'm going with Tai, why don't you and Mimi go with us! We can

make it a double date!" As soon as she said that, I felt this strong desire

that we've been together before and that it was right that I should go with

Mimi and Tai and Sora. I felt a deep love for these three friends sitting

around the table.

"Sure, I'll go with you Mimi." I said. "And Tai and Sora."

"Great then Matt, get a costume like a mask and outfit to match!" Mimi

shouted. And with that, we laughed and ate the rest of our noodles.

-Part 2-

/*-9:00 the next morning

(Saturday)/*-

"So Tai, what are your plans for finding a costume? Which store are we

going to?" I asked Tai.

"Stop being so inquisitive. It's too early in the morning. Do you have

coffee? I'll take a double mocha on the rocks." Tai slumped over in his seat

on the subway. I shook him and he straightened up. T.K. and Kari were in the

seats across from us, asleep.

"We're not at the mall yet. Anyway, so what are you going to do for a

costume?"

"I don't know," he answered me. "I was thinking somewhere along the

lines of this." He took a few pieces of folded, worn paper full of lint out

of his pocket. Tai carefully unfolded them and showed me his drawings. They

were of an orange dinosaur with white claws, looking much like a T-Rex.

Another drawing was of a bigger dino with a mask on its face and purple

stripes.

"Wow, Tai. Those are good. So you're gonna be a dinosaur? Ha, you have been

watching way too much Jurassic Park." I laughed.

"So, I think these are better than your idea. So what are you going as.a

spider?"

"No Tai, actually I was thinking of a wolf." I answered him.

"Really, how simple. Now everything makes sense. I always knew you

watched Saturday cartoons. Did you get that off of Monster Rancher?" he shot

back at me for the dinosaur joke.

"Whatever, Tai. You were the one mumbling about a double mocha.".

"This stop is Nagano-sakue. Please exit," boomed a voice from the subway

intercom.

"Okay, Matt this is our stop. We're going to meet the girls at the

Nagano mall, right? Kari wake up!"

"Yeah come on T.K.!" We exited the train and rode the escalator to the

outside. Ah! Fresh air. My little group walked the block to the Nagano mall.

Upon entering, T.K. complained that he was hungry, even though I reminded

him that we just had a breakfast of eggs and bacon. He replied that he knew

it was lunchtime because his tummy was talking to him. Sighing, I grabbed

his hand and Tai and Kari followed. The elevator ride to the food court was

silent, expect for the growling of T.K.'s stomach. As soon as the door

opened, a loud scream could be heard. It was a girl screaming, then another

girl's scream.

"That sounds like Sora!" Tai shouted.

"And the other person must be Mimi!" I added. All four of us started

running towards the screams. "Alright Digimon! Let's battle!" What? What was

I saying? What are Digimon? I thought. Finally, we saw Mimi and Sora and

then were sure screaming. At their food. Oops, I feel like a dork. After

they calmed down, I asked them what was the matter.

"Yuck, gross! There was a caterpillar in my garden salad." Mimi told me.

"It was on her fork. And then she flicked it at me!" Sora told Tai.

"Sorry! It was an accident." Mimi told everyone.

"Are you done with your salad? Because I can eat it for you." Tai asked

innocently.

"T.K.!" I said. "I'll order you something. It's okay Mimi, you can eat

your salad." So, after ordering some lunch for everyone and Mimi taking her

salad and a "piece of her mind" back to the food counter, we sat down and

discussed our costumes.

"I'm going to be an angel!" Kari told us. "A pink and white one! See, I

even have a picture!" Kari brought out her drawing of a beautiful angel with

eight wings, white gloves, a visor, and looking much like T.K.'s drawing of

an angel, except hers was a female. Everyone else had drawings, too. Sora's

was of a red and gold eagle with a magnificent wingspan and glittering

green-gold eyes. A pink and green fairy with a pink flower on its head and

vines for hair was in Mimi's sketch.

"Wow, how did you guys draw this?" I asked.

"Well, I got it from a dream." Sora answered.

"Mine was from a vision," said Mimi.

"I just pictured this angel and it come out on paper," Kari told me. I

didn't have a chance to think about the animals in the others' pictures

because after our discussion everyone was finished with their lunch and Tai

suggested we buy our supplies/ costumes/ masks and go home.

While we were walking to the store that sold Halloween costumes, I had a

chance to think about the pictures. I remember them from a dream, or maybe

it was an experience? I thought about Sora's picture, then Tai's, after that

Mimi and Kari's, and finally T.K.'s and mine. While I was thinking about the

purple blue wolf in my drawing, a hot feeling rushed through my head. My

hands flew to my temples. I received a headache and a fever from the image

of the wolf.

"Matt? Matt? Are you okay? I think you better sit down." Sora asked. Her

voice sounded like it was coming from underwater. She tried to guide me to

the bench against a wall. I touched the bench with my hand. But it was too

late. I collapsed in a heap on the floor. Then.darkness.

From the darkness came a light. It took shape as a landscape. This

landscape turned out to be a field with green grass. Next to me was a blue

furred animal that looked like a St. Bernard with a horn on its head. It was

talking to me but I couldn't hear it. Then, a shadow fell over me. This

shadow attacked me but the dog animal next to me changed into the purple

blue wolf I knew so well. It attacked the darkness with an open mouth and it

used its claws, too. Finally the shadow dispersed and the wolf shrank in

size and changed back into the dog-like creature. Then it spoke to me.

"Matt." it said. "Matt." Then it changed into a female voice. "Please

Matt. Wake up." It was a voice pleading with me. I opened my eyes at was

staring straight into Mimi's sad puppy dog chestnut eyes. She was rubbing my

forehead with a damp paper towel and holding my hand. I looked over and Sora

was on her cell phone calling someone. Mimi looked like she was about to

burst into tears. Tai was talking to the mall police.

"Yeah, he was walking and then fell over and blacked out. That girl over

there has been mopping his head with a wet cloth and we've been trying to

wake him up."

"Matt!" T.K. said. "Yay! You didn't get dead!"

"Matt! Thank you officer for your help." Tai said.

"You sure gave us a scare!" Sora told me. I sat up but still had a

headache.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Mimi asked, giving me a puzzled look.

"Um, yeah Mimi, I'm.uh.fine." She gave me another look, but I shook my

head. I'd tell her later, in private. "Let's go to the store."

"Are you sure? You blacked out. We could always come back another time."

"Yes Mimi, I'm okay." I told her. "And thanks for your help."

"Oh, they're having a private moment. Should we leave them alone?" Tai

said. Mimi blushed and I turned red, too.

"No way Tai. I'm gonna get you. It's not like you and Sora don't have

your little 'moments'." I laughed. "You tell me everything."

"Grrrrr, shut up, Matt." Tai growled. I stood up, and ever though I felt

a little lightheaded, we continued to the Halloween craft shop.

The bell tingled as we entered the store. It smelled like musty boxes.

Everyone started heading off in different directions. T.K. and Kari went in

one direction and Sora and Mimi in another. So Tai and I headed to the men's

section. I found a blue suit that didn't cost too much. Tai was having

trouble finding an orange suit so he had to ask the lady at the counter for

one. They didn't have an orange suit anyway (just like I told him) so he

bought some orange fabric.

We all met at the register with our different costume items. I naturally

paid for T.K.'s and mine. He had a pair of wings, a visor, white feathers, a

staff (I don't know what for) and blue cloth, among other items. Everyone

made their purchases with their money except Mimi, who had someone's credit

card, and then we left the mall together.

Mimi announced that everyone could come over to her house to make the

costumes. I pulled out my cell phone and called my dad to tell him that we'd

be at Mimi's house and I gave him her number. Sora did the same with her mom

and Tai with his parents. We took the subway to Mimi's house. Mimi and Sora

were chatting about their new ideas for their costumes. I could see Sora

pulling out red sequins and red and gold feathers.

-Part 3-

/*-2:00 that

afternoon/*-

When the subway stopped, we all piled out. Mimi's house turned out to be

about half a mile from the station. My feet were becoming sore as the

walking grew on. Finally, Mimi's driveway came into sight. The gateway to

her house was framed with lilac trees. Mimi punched in the access code and

the gateway swung open. Her house was about half of a quarter of a mile

away. My bags became heavier as I saw a bend in the driveway.

Turing the bend, Mimi's house came into view. I gasped, because "house"

wasn't the word. She lived in a frickin' mansion. Tai actually dropped his

bag and tripped. It was gleaming white and seemed to be made of marble. It

made me think "Taj Mahal" (but not in the style, just the texture of the

outside). In the front were doors as big as a drawbridge and two towers on

the side with a huge one in the middle. Huge windows were everyone and the

theme of this mansion seemed to be "medieval". Put a moat around it and it

would fit perfectly in the 1300's.

"What's the matter Tai? You don't like it? Matt?" Mimi asked of us,

because at that moment, our jaws were hanging to the ground.

"Oh, you guys, haven't you seen her house before?" Sora said. We

gathered up all the stuff we dropped and continued the journey to her house.

Mimi opened her massive doors to reveal a beautiful white marble entryway.

At the back of the entryway was a huge marble staircase with gold trim (the

only way to describe it). Mimi led us to her family den that was furbished

with hunter green and gold.

"Are your parents home, Mimi?" Kari asked.

"Yeah Kari they are. My mother is probably gardening and my dad taking

care of the lawn." Mimi answered. "Does anyone want some food?"

"Sure Mimi! Do you have pizza?" T.K. said.

"Probably. I'll check in the kitchen. Come with me Sora." So Sora and

Mimi went off to the kitchen. T.K. and Kari spread their stuff out on the

den floor over in a corner.

"So Matt. How does it feel to be in your girlfriend's house?"

"Shut up, Tai." I mimicked him. "She's not my girlfriend. Although she

is kind of pretty." Oh wait? What I'm I saying? Mimi? Well, she is. Oh no! I

think I have a crush on Mimi! "So how's Sora and your relationship?"

"Oh, it's good. I really like her a lot." Tai answered me.

"It's so weird how all of us are together. I mean, like you and Sora,

T.K. and Kari, and well Mimi and I. It like we've been together before."

"Yeah, I kinda feel that way too. He-ey, you said 'Mimi and I'. So you

are going out with Mimi!"

"Well, I didn't mean it tha-" By that time Sora and Mimi had arrived

back and the conversation ended. They had pizza and sodas and breadsticks

for lunch.

"I thought we'd all eat in here. Dig in!" Mimi announced. So we opened

the pizza boxes and "dug in". We all got full from the pizza. I helped clean

up and then we started to make our costumes. Mimi suddenly told us that she

had some costume things in her room and if anyone would go with her. I don't

know why I volunteered. So, we took two flights of stairs to Mimi's room.

"How much farther?" I asked.

"Oh just down this hallway." she said. Mimi flung open her door. Wow, I'

ve never seen so much pink. Her drapes were light pink in contrast to her

carpet, which was dark pink. Every shade of pink imaginable was somewhere in

her room. She sat down at her royal pink vanity and gathered up supplies,

which she handed to me. Pink glitter, blue glitter, gold glitter, red

glitter, and every other color need for the costumes were handed to me.

"Do you need pink nails?" Mimi said.

"I don't think so. I ain't wearing pink nails." Mimi looked hurt.

"I'm sorry Mimi, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." We sat down on

her baby pink bed sheet.

"Okay, never mind it. So, you never told me about what happened in the

mall."

"Well, since we're alone, I'll tell you." So I recounted my dream to

her.

"Wow, I had something like that, expect I had a green plant and then a

cactus protecting me." I looked into her big brown eyes. "I think there is a

connect-" at that moment she leaned closer to my face. Our lips were about

to touch when I heard giggling. I whipped around and stood up. Then I opened

the door to find four snoops spying on us. They all fell to the ground,

laughing. Mimi shook her head, and then we gathered up all our supplies. She

then led me to a different staircase to avoid the others. We walked in

silence. I was thinking about how I almost kissed her. Man, I must like her.

I know I know, this is a bad place to leave off, but up next is the costume

making and Masquerade scene.