(A/N:) This is a story I've been trying to get started for a while in my mind, now I've finally written & posted it (I'm so proud of myself) ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own digimon, I don't own digimon, I don't own digimon, I don't own digimon, I don't own digimon, I don't own digimon, I like to play monopoly with my pet lizard on the weekends – oh wait I mean – I don't own digimon…

Warning: Yaoi, boy & boy relationships, && some not so good language

Now on with the story!

_Empire_

Part I: Held Prisoner

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(Takeru's POV)

If any person in my school right now had asked what the point of my existence was at this moment I would honestly have to say that my life was pointless and incorrigible. It seems like ever since my brother had become famous I had become "Yamato's little brother" – not Takeru Takaishi – my name was forever and irrevocably "Yamato's little brother". Nothing could change anyone's view of me – I was pretty much insignificant – well that was the case until Hikari Yagami claimed me as her boyfriend… I was boosted in my popularity ten-fold; Hikari – also called Kari – had now blessed me with not only her presence but with her offering of a relationship. I wanted to gag. I didn't like Kari not one bit, but I tolerated her only because her older brother and my older brother were extremely great friends.

I could ask anyone in the cafeteria right now to lend me money to buy lunch and they'd do it without question. I could ask someone to give me their homework for a class I didn't give a care enough about and it'd happen without protest. I could tell anyone within my school to jump off a cliff and it'd be done and seen as the highest of honors. This was all because of my popularity. I was popular. Kari and Yamato had paved the way for me. I was seen as an Emperor commanding a kingdom and Kari being my empress. In everyone's eyes I was commander and Taichi was their punisher… Taichi was like Kari's bodyguard/enforcer/attacker/hitman/protector.

Needless to say I was not too fond of her older brother. Kari controlled a whole empire and I was a slave to her more or less – I was tethered to her for my the rest of my high school years and probably more after that – of course everyone said we looked amazingly perfect together. She didn't know though that I already had my eyes on someone else – her best friend… I of course was at a loss because Miyako would never dare go near me or even spare me a look if I broke up with Kari and Kari's everything-in-one older brother would kill me no less.

So this was my life, being controlled just like everyone else in the school, what Kari had was much better then a club, was much stronger then an army, she had absolute control – absolute rule – and absolute power. She… ruled an Empire and she was the Empress.

There was much too much to think about while I waited at a vacant table in the cafeteria, most everyone's eyes trained on me, I was waiting for someone important to come during the period and I was avoiding Kari's friends as they continually beckoned me to their table. There were two lunch periods; it was split in two so that the cafeteria wasn't completely packed with almost a thousand students – and this was the one day of the week I didn't have the same lunch period as Kari and it was also the only day of the week that I could make the exchange. The exchange that would change the school – revolutionize the way everyone looked at the "popular group" anymore. I was trying to dismantle the empire – and I was going to need a lot of help.

This exchange was once in a lifetime and it was guaranteed untraceable by anyone – especially Kari – she couldn't know or I'd be killed by her army of students and brother… it was about five more minutes until my savior came and made the exchange with me – it was crucial I try and attract as little attention to me as possible – though that was impossible with me being Kari's boyfriend. Everyone would look at me until they're eyes grew tired from the constant stare. Kari's friends that shared this lunch table with me had never ceased calling my name over waving at me from a faraway table – I didn't move, I tried to act as if I couldn't hear them over the collected noise from the other students in the cafeteria.

Soon as finally everyone had moved on and settled for just an occasional look in my direction at my empty table where I sat – my savior showed his face.

"I was wondering when you'd show up," I said giving a small smile to the dark figure standing in front of me. He was wearing a hat that covered his hair completely, pants that overlapped onto his shoes, and a long-sleeved turtleneck shirt that showed no skin, whilst shadows played across his face leaving him completely incognito while coming to make the revolutionary exchange – the first step in the process to dismantle the kingdom assimilated.

"I don't do this often Takaishi, I'd prefer we make this as quick and as painless as possible, I'm putting myself at risk by even talking to you, you know. Now do you have your part of the trade?" The figure whispered quietly in a voice almost inaudible over the background noise of the cafeteria. I slowly opened my coat I was wearing to reveal my item of exchange and the figure nodded happily. The person settled themselves on the table and began to open the backpack that had been resting somewhere behind the persons back completely hidden to me before. I waited for my item to be revealed and my savior grinned evilly as the zipper was leisurely pulled open on the discreet backpack…

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(Iori's POV)

"But dad! This can't be happening! I don't want to go to Miyako's school!" I protested fervently as my dad stared back at me from my seat in the kitchen table. I winced as I shifted in my seat and felt a sharp pain aching at my side.

"Iori, you can't continue going to a school where hooligans go around knocking around younger students for the hell of it! I will not tolerate it and since the school has yet to locate your attackers we're sending you to a different school while the situation is sorted out – I will not have my son be marred by such imbeciles who think it's 'cool' to take advantage of younger students!" My father said in a voice that made his decision seem final.

At my school some of the seniors had followed me home one day and while I was halfway there they caught up with me and pulled me into a nearby alley and beat me up until I had broken most of my bones, I had just gotten through my recovery and the school still couldn't find out who had attacked me and neither could I… I barely remembered anything after they grabbed me. I skipped a grade and was now in high school because of my intellect. I was a year younger then everyone at my school and the other students at my school never forgot to remind me of my lesser age… my dad had finally had it with their antics…

"But dad! It won't be anywhere different in any other school we go to – it was because of my age that they teased me and pummeled me not because they were just rowdy kids! There won't be any difference in cousin Miyako's school – people are the same everywhere you go – they just have different names…" I said suddenly feeling a sudden burst of melancholy burst through my body – no one could ever treat me different I was just a child to them… I wasn't anything to be taken seriously…

"Just please Iori I don't want to see you hurt anymore, your mother is already having a fit just at the thought of anyone calling you a name, she was horrified and outraged when we found out you'd been attacked after school and were in the hospital – she almost sued the school! Even though you weren't even on school grounds! You have to just try this, please Iori don't make this more difficult then it has to be…" My dad looked at me with pleading eyes as if my approval mattered – my approval mattered to no one, my opinion was just insignificant, my thoughts mattered to no one… I didn't understand how he cared what I thought – I was small and unimportant – what was the point of my existence?

"Okay, dad. I'll try it, but you'll see – it's always the same… always…" My dad smiled and I almost felt like I had done something good – that what I did had mattered but I shook my head quickly to disperse the thought – that was stupid I was unimportant and always will be…

"Okay you start this Monday. The principle is very excited to welcome you to the school – he is very impressed by your marks from your last couple years, he's already asked if you wanted to take any advanced courses!" My dad was instantly excited at the thought of me taking on more of an academic challenge – I was already a grade ahead, cool it dad…

"Dad, don't you think I could just be… average?" I asked weakly. My dad's expression changed in an instant and I knew not to push the idea further – I seemed to be already upsetting him just at the prospect of not being in advanced classes – if I even began to touch the ideas I had of going back a grade to be with people my age my dad would flip out immensely. My dad was obviously a stickler for knowledge. He always pushed me to have only a life that pertained to school – I had no social life – no friends – no acquaintances – I wasn't even allowed to use any form of communication device in fears it would distract me from my studies…

"Iori please let's just work on your getting to school let's not go through what we happened when you were offered to skip ahead – I've never heard you whine so much in my life and I truly don't wish to hear that again. So since today is Thursday you have the rest of today, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to get yourself familiarized with your schedule, class topics – which I was able to get from Miyako, and school books and supplies required for each class. Go on now, go get prepared!" My dad shooed me from the table and upstairs to my room to go and get "prepared", oh joy…

I wished I had someone to vent to about this, just one person who wouldn't mind just talking with me once and while about my problems, someone I could depend on, someone who could possibly even care about me – which I knew was practically impossible, someone I could call a friend. I just wished I could but I was always just "the short freshman" or "shrimp kid". I wasn't that short, but I'm definitely by no means am tall at all… I guess I would just have to deal with my problems on my own and try to live up to my academic requirements. There was only four more years of this – then I was free, free from control – I would go through my last years of mandatory schooling – then I could do what I wanted… oh wait no I couldn't… there was this magic thing called 'college' – the jail after the jail I'm going through now… I was a prisoner, a contained being, a slave for the next sum odd years of my life without any of my consent, I had no choice in the matter.

I stared at the piles of books in my room getting ready to start studying which would probably be expected of me by my father and mother, and I also gave a long look at my schedule memorizing it instantly with my photographic memory which I was unfortunately cursed with – though some people told me it was a blessing and was to be valued as a useful skill – that made me want to laugh. "Useful" that was definitely not a word that should be associated with the other words "photographic" and "memory", they just didn't go together – they were like cat's and dog's, owl's and mice, fish and sharks, lion's and gazelle's – you'd never put those pairs of animals in a room…

I gave a small sigh as I began to read through the first chapter of my biology textbook – I would have a test soon according to Miyako's reports of the class's stats currently. I was also going to have a test in algebra apparently, I intended to study that next…

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(Yamato's POV)

School could be considered a place for friends, could be considered a place for education enhancement, could be considered a place to devote six hours of your life to five days a week every week of every year until you were eighteen – mandatorily at least. I was sitting in my Chemistry class – I had just finished my lunch period noticing with fascination that my brother had been sitting alone, completely alone at an empty table. This was a first for him – he'd always had friends to sit with him and anyone would gladly leave their own friends at their own table to keep him company if ever asked, but he made no such command he sat there alone until one person came quickly and left just as fast seeming to be completely covered in clothing and indecipherable from my seat at the far end of the cafeteria opposite my brother.

"So class that is why the eight noble gasses don't – under normal circumstances – bond with any other atom naturally. Their valence shells are full making the element there by stable…" Could this be anymore boring? I was scribbling small doodles of guitars in my notebook where I was supposed to be taking notes about what Mr. Loden – my chemistry teacher – was saying. Taichi was sitting next to me doing the same thing except I noticed his doodles were of soccer ball's, which made sense because Taichi was captain of the soccer team which gave him such a wonderful body… I turned my head sharply up at Mr. Loden trying to focus on what he was saying hoping it would chase away the thoughts racing through my head of Taichi – things like this can't happen in the middle of chemistry – what if someone noticed me acting weirdly as I reacted to my thoughts, I couldn't let off any I attraction I might've had to anyone because of how fast a rumor could destroy me in a day. My reputation couldn't take a blow like that – I'd be a laughing stock if anyone knew I had a slight attraction to my best male friend…

I knew I had band practice today after school with my famous band: "The Teenage Wolves". Everyone loved our music and before it we got signed by a record company and instant stardom followed, we had actual music albums that people actually bought! It was insane at how much joy that brought me that someone liked my music that I wrote – all my music conveyed my views in life and everything that was important to me was all summed up in my lyrics. Usually I wrote my lyrics in class when I was bored but today I was tired, I just wanted to get home as soon as possible because of my exhaustion from last night, which had been one of the best nights of my life – one of Mimi's classic parties were last night and a lot happened…

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(Flashback)

I was alone in the backyard of Mimi's house hanging out with one of my band mates who I trusted with my life. He was the only one I could trust with my problems – I had been telling him about my recent odd attractions to Taichi and like the great friend he is he accepted the fact I could be gay and didn't care a bit he actually practically implored me to try and have a relationship with someone since it had been so long since my last one… I shrugged and considered it, maybe after high school was over I could see if Taichi felt that way at all – only after high school though so I wouldn't ruin anyone's reputations if we were found out, not that I was even convinced Taichi was gay at all even in the least.

"Hey it's Yamato Ishida!" Someone called from in front of Mimi's house. My friend and I jumped from our seats on the bench alarmed by the yell. Soon enough photographers came to the backyard flashing cameras constantly and the whole bit. Soon reporters followed – probably from have being called by the photographers. Many of them shot out questions while my band mate, Bunmei, and I tried to escape the now forming crowd of reporters and photographers.

"How do you feel about the rival beginning band 'Last Winter'? They're said to be the next big fad in all of Japan." One reporter asked.

"How do you think your band is faring with the toll on the hand of one of your band mates? Do you think his hand will recover in time for your tour?" Rihito, the drummer of our band and fellow band mate, had broke two of his fingers when he slammed a door accidently closed on them. His cast was supposed to come off soon and his hand was supposed to be completely fine but of course they were going to blow it all out of proportion when he can play still – even with a cast on.

"Are you excited that you qualify for the Winter Elephant Music Awards?" That question had caught my attention. I didn't know we had qualified yet; they hadn't alerted us of their final decision. The Winter Elephant Music Awards, or the WEMA, was one of the most prestigious music ranking ceremonies in all of Japan and if your band won a Winter Elephant it almost guaranteed complete success as a band and high sales for your albums. I was instantly intrigued and excited, I noticed Bunmei had the same thoughts in his head as me – we qualified!

"We qualified for the WEMA?" I asked quickly at the reporter who had spoken up. I waited patiently to for him to answer.

"Yes the Winter Elephant Music Award panel agreed that you were one of the top 38 bands that qualify to win one of their awards it was announced just this morning to select news services – they are probably going to notify you soon about it. Are you excited? Do you expect you'll win one of the legendary Winter Elephant awards?" The reporter asked but by then I had already dragged Bunmei back into Mimi's house ignoring all the reporters and photographers shaking with anticipation and excitement. Our band qualified for the Winter Elephant Music Awards! I couldn't believe it! I had to find Rihito and Nagaharu – my other band mate, and tell them of our bands qualification.

(End Flashback)

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"Yamato? Yamato. YAMATO!" The yell woke me out of my reminiscing and I noticed Taichi was looking at me confused and impatient. The rest of the classroom was empty and I had noticed the bell had rung – the next period was going to start soon.

"Sorry Taichi, let's go." I said gathering my books and hurrying out of the classroom in a haste to get to my next class – ugh I had history my worst subject…

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(Hikari's POV)

People are dumb. No people are extremely dense. At least everyone at my school is… I said blatantly loudly in the middle of my English class that my pencil had broken but everyone just looked at me confusedly. I held out my pencil in front of me trying to make it obvious that someone needed to give me a sharpened pencil – like right now. I growled frustrated and turned to the person who sat to my left.

"Can I borrow a pencil?" I asked frustrated. The person a tall lanky brunette with light features contrasting with his hair flinched at my voice being directed at him. He quickly searched his body for a spare pencil and soon produced one for me seeming extremely nervous from my request. He gave me a small nervous smile, as he held out a pencil in his shaky hand. I grabbed it from him smiling and nodding in thanks and began to return to my schoolwork. I swear I didn't think people could be more stupid sometimes. The kid I had smiled at almost fainted – I swear I was halfway to groaning. It wasn't that I was annoyed that just about all the male population in the school lusted after me – it was that they made it so obvious that small gestures seemed to turn into invitations for friendship which I was not handing out anytime soon – I had already helped out Yamato's little brother – he wasn't too popular until I came along and asked him to be my boyfriend which he of course accepted because no one in their right mind would reject me.

I thought Takeru was the cutest boy I'd ever seen, his skin was flawless, his hair seemed to have such a natural, lovable shape – that is when he wasn't covering it with that ridiculous hat he loves so much, he had great taste in clothes, and his eyes were strikingly gorgeous – I just had to have him and in the process I did someone a favor, I did my good deed for the day back then, now if only opportunities' like that could come everyday – then I'd always do good deeds, that is if they worked for me in return. The thought of an unrequited deed was enough to make me shudder with appall. My English teacher was talking about some novel I wasn't familiarized with and I just planned to get the notes for this class from someone later, the only reason I needed a pencil was to finish writing a note I had been writing when my pencil broke.

The winter dance had been coming up and soon all my plans would fall into place, I was planning to set Miyako up with a very hot guy I'd met the other day in biology – Miyako would like him so much. The note I was writing to her was almost finished:

Miyako,

After school come to my house, we need to plan the winter dance! I'm thinking of having the Teenage Wolves play, what do you think? Oh yeah we need to go shopping for the dance and we need to get that new perfume that just came out, I hear it attracts boys literally! Something to do with pheromones or something – whatever those are! Write back

-Kari

Soon I passed the note over to Miyako with a quick flick of my wrist and waited for her to write back. Soon the another note flew threw the air and landed on my desk:

Kari,

I'll be at your house right after school – I'll walk home with you actually. My parents are inviting family over today and you know how much I hate my family… especially that dorky one cousin I was telling you about that's coming here – I really don't want to be there when he's there… And yeah we'll definitely go shopping, I was thinking about going to this place right along the main road – I hear they have a whole winter line of clothes that are totally unlike any other lines this year, some French girl designed them or something. And that perfume sounds awesome; I so need a boyfriend so I'd put that to good use!

-Miyako

I smiled at Miyako's note and began to write my own when I had heard the bell ring signaling the end of class. Right now Yamato was ending his Chemistry class, I needed to catch him before he left for home and I had only a few more periods to see him before he left for band practice. I went straight to Miyako after grabbing my books and walked straight out of the classroom with her people making way for my best friend and me spreading and making a clear path for me to walk through – it was good to be queen of the school…

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(Ken's POV)

I couldn't exactly tell what was going on at the moment… I knew we were playing some sort of sport but I didn't quite know which one. It was odd and it only made me more unhappy that I had to actually put effort into doing something while I was having such a bad day already: Daisuke, my best friend, was seeming different this week and he wouldn't say anything to me about it, I had got a grade just above failing on an algebra test – it would bring down my high average so much, and I had gym today which only added to the pain because I usually always got hurt at gym and usually ended up at the nurse's office.

Everyone began running around the field throwing a small ball around – it wasn't soccer, nor baseball, nor basketball or football, I couldn't tell what it was! It wasn't any sport I recognized as everyone ran around in an odd fashion and thrown around a ball back and forth in over and under hand throws and in cycles I hadn't recognized either, it all seemed so coordinated but so unfamiliar. It seemed like everyone would run it a certain point in the field then run back to the middle line of the field then dart to their left or right along the middle line and stop about three quarters of the way to the end where they would either intercept the ball or if they had it throw it to someone on their team on their side of the field and they would try and they would try and throw it from where they were across to either the left or right diagonal sides into what seemed like a goal. It kept my interest oddly enough it seemed like a large math equation and I found myself idly standing there calculating the games outcome. I don't know how I had almost failed that algebra test, I was just so good at math… I must check it over to make sure it was marked correctly – I of course can't have something as trivial as one test do so much damage to my average in math, I was a genius and I wanted to keep that title!

"Ichijouji get your ass in the game!" Someone called from my side of the field. I saw the ball fly across the air and quickly ran across to the middle and then down the middle line towards the three quarters point and caught the ball. I threw the ball then to a person on my team, who I believed was named Riku, who was a perfectly striaght in the direction of a clear-unprotected diagonal goal of my opponents. He caught the ball and flung it feircly at the goal and my team errupted in cheers. I couldn't believe it, I played sports and I liked it – of course I didn't know which one but I liked it! That's all that counts in the end really. This sport was so much like an equation I felt could be solved in steps perfectly. It was like I was in a classroom rather then in a field and I felt the same sense of satisfaction that I did when I passed the ball to Riku as I would normally feel when I solved a problem first in class. I couldn't wait till next gym period!

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(Daisuke's POV)

I wish I had Gym with Ken today, but unfortunately my best friend was out their playing zeroball without me. Zeroball was a sport made up by our school long ago and now became an accepted sport, I always used to love to be a firstliner – which was the person who ran across the middle lines and caught the ball when it was being sent to the three quarters mark, I found zeroball amazingly fun, I envy the creators of that fabulous game…

So here I sat in history gazing out the window eager for the dull period to end. Our class was studying the Roman Empire and the teacher was talking about the project due soon at the end of the trimester, I tried to tune it out but I knew I had to try and pay some attention because the project would count for almost a half of my grade. I could see the field they were playing zeroball on from my seat by the window in my history classroom. I thought ahead to the field trip our biology class was having – it was to some museum where they turned animals inside out it was supposed to help us understand dissecting better. By 'inside out' I mean all the organs and muscles on the outside and all the skin flipped around the top and bottom to show the whole inside of the creature. I sighed as I saw a small cloud drift over the sky darkening the field Ken was playing zeroball on by blocking out the sun…

"Daisuke Motomiya! Do you think your answers to your project are outside that window?" My teacher asked angrily. I hated when teachers annoyingly stop what they're doing just to bother you when you don't want to listen…

"No, Mr. Hale, I'm sorry." I attempted weakly to apologize not really up to putting any effort in my apology because of the dread of another day of school ahead of me tomorrow. I never put any effort into anything when it was the middle of the week – I didn't want to make it drag on longer then it needed to be so I just drifted through my classes and the halls trying to survive the glorified prison I resided in… I felt like I should be wearing shackles half the time I'm here so I could look the part of a convict as well as I play one inside this hell hole… I'm always apparently doing something wrong… especially at home where I have to be very careful not to upset anyone… always it would end up in a lot of pain for me most likely…

"Okay Daisuke, just pay attention, you're having a test tomorrow on all this." The teacher said then walked over to the chalkboard to finish writing some notes down on it. I groaned out loud at hearing that… a test? That would just put a damper on my whole evening… why do they have to torture us so much? Do they want to kill me? I didn't know shit about Rome…

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(A/N:) A lots going down in my story! Hopefully you like it so far. Review please! Even if it's constructive criticism, I'm always up for improving my writing, review even if it's as simple as "good" or "bad", I just want to know how my stories going, so…. Review please!!!