AN: The classic Cinderella tale… with Digimon characters. Though it's very cliché and probably been done over one too many times, the idea of writing a version of the Cinderella story still appealed to me. A beautiful servant girl making a daring move to attend a forbidden ball, fall in love with the handsome prince, and then disappear- taking his heart with her… how could I resist? (laughs insanely)

It's not by-the-book Cinderella of course. I've changed some things around to make it different enough. I really hope everyone enjoys it.

As for the title… it just popped into my head, haha.

Disclaimer: Digimon is not mine.

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Chapter 1 – Something More

A cool morning breeze swept in from the open window, enveloping the sleeping figure. The girl stirred, brilliant auburn hair catching soft rays from the rising sun.

The door slowly opened and in crept an aging woman, "Sora…" she called to the sleeping girl. Receiving no reply, the woman walked over to the small bed and shook the girl, happily lost in a dream. "Sora."

Sora let out a moan and shifted her position.

The woman smiled softly, worn wrinkles appearing around her hazel eyes. God knew that the girl needed the sleep; she deserved it. Sora had been overworked the previous day, doing everything from cooking, cleaning and scrubbing to hurrying to complete her stepsister's dress, and then forced to rearrange some furniture in the spoiled girl's room.

At last, the sleeping figure came to. "Marianne?"

"Sora dear, it's time to get up."

"What hour is it?" she asked, stretching her arms and yawning.

The woman smiled, "Don't worry about that dear, Janine, Samuel, and I have done everything, but I need your help in the kitchen now."

Sora smiled dreamily, "Thank you so much, the three of you really shouldn't have—"

"Nonsense, that witch has been overworking you, I can't think of anyone else who deserves a break more than you."

"Marianne, you spoil me."

"Well, it's a good thing then. Someone here needs to spoil you," The older woman mumbled as she opened the drawer and retrieved Sora's clothing. "Come now dear, breakfast awaits."

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"Sora, my eggs are too salty! What did you do, drop in a pound of salt?! Butterfingers, take it back and do it right." A shrill voice screeched.

The auburn haired girl remained quiet and nodded politely, taking the plate and returning into the large kitchen. Marianne gave her a look, "Really dear, you're too kind, always doing what that spoiled girl says without so much as an objection." She paused to pick up the fork and give the eggs a taste, "These eggs are perfect! I don't see what she's making such a fuss over."

Sora smiled, "It's okay Marianne, I don't mind. I know the eggs are fine, which is why we can eat them instead of throwing them out. You know Janine and Sam haven't been getting enough food."

"You need it, skin and bones you are."

"No, I don't." Sora busied herself with taking out two fresh large eggs from the basket.

"Sora! Hurry up!" The shrill voice echoed through the glossy halls.

"Yes Miyako!" she called back.

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"Prince Yamato, your breakfast is ready."

The blonde smiled halfheartedly, giving a great yawn. He was sitting up on his king size bed, amongst the rich silky goodness of his sheets and pillows. The servant left as soon as the breakfast had been served to the prince in bed. Yamato sighed. It was like that every morning; he'd wake up to breakfast in bed, get cleaned, get dressed, and then another boring aspect of his life. People envied him and he knew it, but he couldn't see why. Everyday was routine and set; he walked nothing but a straight path, not even a rock in the road to trip over.

Where was the excitement in life? Once when he was little, he had wandered away in the markets, only to be pulled aside by a pretty middle aged woman. She smiled at him kindly and whispered to him that one day, he would meet someone who would change his life. Being a young boy, he had been completely disgusted at the thought of falling in love as the woman had suggested.

Yamato laughed, he never believed in such things. Besides, it was a good many years later and he was now twenty-three, much older than an unmarried prince should be. There was no lover to be seen. Surprisingly, his parents had never pushed him to wed, never even so much as tried to intervene with his nonexistent love life, probably because they knew he was too stubborn to be dealt with.

Prince Yamato didn't want a set life. He wanted to make his own decisions, to have freedom. There was something more out there that was waiting for him, calling for him. There just had to be.

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Sora sat comfortably on a stool, scrubbing the heavy dresses diligently. Her hands were numb from the freezing water and her knuckles were burning red, yet she did not cease her actions. It was a daily routine, she'd wake up, start soaking the clothes that needed to be washed, go help Marianne in the kitchen with breakfast, wash clothes, scrub floors, clean windows…

Squeezing out the water from one of her stepmother's dresses, Sora admired the clothing. Miyako and her mother really did have lovely dresses, but that was to be expected of one of the richest families. The following day was her stepsister's birthday, one of the reasons why everything in the house had to be cleaned—the queen was coming. The mansion was close to the palace, after all, Sora's father had been a good friend of the king and queen, so naturally, her stepmother would do all she could to strengthen ties with the royal family. Sora, Janine, Samuel, and Marianne all knew that they had secretly hoped that by inviting the queen, she would bring her son as well.

Prince Yamato. Sora reached up and placed a loose lock of auburn hair behind her ear as she let her thoughts wander. She had met him once when they were young, very young. In fact, she couldn't remember anything about the boy, except that they had played in the garden together. Rumors about the prince spread like wildfire among the denizens. Prince Yamato was said to be an amazingly handsome young man with deep sapphire eyes that could see into one's soul, and golden hair that put even the most golden of daffodils to shame—of course it was all rubbish and Sora didn't believe a word of it… but it made her wonder.

Her knuckles grazed against the side of the rough wooden bucket, causing them to bleed almost instantly. The slight pain shocked Sora back into reality and she continued to scrub rhythmically, ignoring the stinging sensation.

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"Little miss, what are you doing out here."

The garden of the mansion was truly something to be admired. Everything blossomed in neat rows and the vibrant colors could take anyone's breath away. If there was one thing that Sora was grateful for when her stepmother and stepsister came to live with her and her father, it was that they never touched the gardens. They grew an abundance of flowers, ranging from common to exotic and foreign.

Sora loved the garden, it reminded her of her mother. She smiled dreamily, reliving the moments when she would play in the flowers as her mother tended to them. Sora would make little flower halos and put them on her mother, telling the woman that she was the most beautiful lady in all the lands. But that was a long time ago, and those happy thoughts had long since faded away.

"Little miss?"

Sora smiled with her eyes still closed as she slept in the flowerbed. "I finished my chores early so I thought I could help you."

A deep laugh came from the man standing before her, "Sleeping in the flowerbed and crushing the flowers is what you call helping?"

"Absolutely Sam."

"I must thank you then."

"No need." Sora giggled lightly and stood up, careful not to ruin any of the flowers. Surprisingly, the flowers hadn't been crushed, perhaps because it was mostly grass. Samuel frowned, it might have been because she was too light to do much damage.

"So, which patch are we tending to today?" Sora asked sweetly, smiling up at Samuel.

"The roses."

A short while later, the two were covered in dirt, and working meticulously by the flowers. When Sora paused Samuel glanced over at the girl. "Something wrong miss?"

She smiled warmly, "Mother loved the roses."

Samuel grinned and ran a hand through his graying hair. "Yes, I remember. She did a wonderful job with them too."

The girl frowned, "Miyako wants some in her room today." Sora never complained about the labor that her stepfamily put her through, but she never liked putting flowers in Miyako's room. To her, the flowers were sacred and pure, reminding her of her mother—her stepsister did not deserve to gaze upon such beauty.

"They'll probably wilt by the morning." Samuel said.

Sora laughed, "They really do! Last week, I put a vase of chrysanthemums in her room and the next day she had me throw them out since they had all wilted."

The gardener laughed, "I knew it."

It was because of Miyako that Sora worked in the gardens everyday. Though Sora was ordered around like a servant, she did possess some things that servants did not. Her room was larger than the others' and she had more changes of clothing. She always kept a vase of flowers in her room, not only to remind her of her mother, but also to add some life. Miyako had stormed into Sora's room one day and noticed the perfectly blooming flowers. Not only had she been completely furious with the way Sora's flowers stayed perfectly beautiful, Miyako had also gone to her mother, telling the woman of Sora's skill with flowers.

It wasn't meant as a compliment, for she had also suggested that they could put Sora to some work in the gardens as well. It was meant to make the girl do more labor, but Miyako never knew how much she enjoyed it.

People would compliment on the gardens and jokingly tell Sora's stepfamily that they could prosper selling the flowers. The redhead had always considered it to be one of the greatest compliments.

"Little miss?"

Samuel's voice called Sora back to reality and she blinked. "Sorry?"

He laughed, "You are such a dreamer." The gardener stretched his arms and sighed, "Little miss, you were not meant for this. There is so much waiting for you."

Sora stared at Samuel, unsure of how to interpret his words. "Sam?"

"If your mother was still with us… things would be much different."

She gave a smile, genuine and warm. "But she is with us, Sam. She is."

"You're right miss, don't let this old fool's words bother you."

"You're no old fool!" The girl giggled lightly and began clipping the smallest of the roses for Miyako's room. Her mood noticeably darkened. "If anyone was a fool, it would be my father."

"Little miss—"

"Sora!"

The two turned to see a brunette run towards them. "Janine?" Sora called back.

Janine came to a stop before them, bending over to catch her breath. She straightened up and looked at Sora with wide emerald eyes. "It's Miyako. She's going furious with the fact that her dress is still unfinished."

The auburn haired girl stood up, wiping her hands on her dress and holding a small bunch of roses. "Don't worry, tell her I'll be there in a moment."

"She also wants the entire house to be filled with flowers when the Queen and the Prince come tomorrow."

Samuel frowned. "But that would mean destroying a third of the garden, and not to mention an incredible amount of work for Sora and me."

The girl only smiled, "Don't worry Sam, leave it to me. I don't want you working with your health… and Janine, I'll go see Miyako right now."

The brunette sighed, "You take up too much burden, Sora."

"No I don't… I'm just earning my keep." She said, reciting the popular line her stepmother used often. With that, she gave a last smile and ran into the house.

Samuel and Janine watched as the girl made it into the mansion.

"You know Sam, Sora wasn't meant for this. There's something so much more waiting for her…"

The gardener sighed sadly, "I know Janine, and it pains me that she might never find it."

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AN: Remember when I said I wanted to update two chapters for every new fic? Right. I lied.

So… I know it's not much of a first chapter but just hang in there, good? Don't worry, the two will meet up in the next chapter!

Originally, I had another story in mind… but I was just suddenly motivated to write the Cinderella story, heh. I also had a one shot in mind, but then I decided to work on that while I worked on this, seeing as now it's no longer a one shot, but probably around three chapters long. Oh yes, I am fickle. (laughs insanely)

Thanks for taking the time to read, now take the time to review! Please?