The Dark Riders
By: Elemental Dreamer
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In case you didn't notice, Digimon doesn't belong to me. If it did, you would see some very drastic changes, not the least of which being the ending to the 02 season. I was very disappointed. Anyway, I hope you like it. This was my very first fic and I wasn't going to post it, but then I read some stuff that's a trillion times worse, so I figured, what the hell? If anyone likes it, they're welcome to post it on their site.
As you will be able to tell presently, it is a definite AU. I have to write AU, since I can never come up with lines for their digimon. Oh, and it might have some Taito later on, but I'm not sure. I tend to let stories write themselves. Enjoy!
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Part I - First Signs
The Dark One surveyed the battlefield with mild disinterest.
"If they can't fight any better than this, I'm afraid I'll die of boredom." She said, voicing her thoughts out loud.
All in all, it had been a rather boring fight, though the victory at the Temple was important. This was an important step to gain power over to the most important obstacle in her path: The Kingdom of Eisodos. It had been prophesied that she would meet her match there and they would put a final end to her invasion. She doubted that a single warrior could succeed at what many an army had failed to do, but she had wanted to be careful. Because of this, she had conquered all the surrounding countries and all the allies of the small mountain kingdom, setting competent men in charge of the areas who were fiercely loyal to her and whose loyalty was assured. There was no way she would lose this war. Her people depended on it to give them more land for their rising population. Many children would die if she did not succeed. This stiffened her resolve to take the lands and force their peoples make room for hers.
"Thinking about the effects of your battle strategy?" A voice interrupted her thoughts. She turned to see Yamato, her second in command and only friend.
"I live to serve my people. I was just remembering the prophecy." She turned back to stare across the battlefield.
"I live to serve you, Dark One." He said, recalling the proper reply. "If I can help, let me know how I might do so."
"I would that I could place this strange feeling. I worry that the prophet might not have been incorrect, but that my ultimate defeat will not come to pass on the field of battle." She looked up to the heavens and sighed. "No matter how many battles I win, many are forced to die. I wish there were an easier way. I mean, I am fighting to avoid deaths, aren't I? So why are so many dying?"
He put his hand on her shoulder. "If it were any other than you, I would doubt their belief in our cause. No, I think that's just the way of things. There are many that escaped with their lives, and many more that will do so, now that there is new land to move into. Is it not excusable to kill a few to save so many?"
"I guess you're right. Sometimes, though, I wonder if this is really the only way."
"Maybe not, but it is the only way we know."
"You're right. I shouldn't worry so much about it. Thank you."
"You are my commander and friend. I do what I can."
-----*****-----
"You are late for practice, Motomiya!" The middle-aged woman scowled down at him.
The red-brown haired boy looked at the ground sheepishly.
"I promise it won't happen again." He said, trying his best to sound persuasive.
"That's the seventh time this year! You need to be taught a lesson. Today you will not be permitted to practice."
Daisuke looked up at her, crestfallen. Then he nodded and moved away to stand on the sidelines and watch the other boys line up for sword practice. Not that it mattered, since his best friend Takeru would show him the moves afterwards, but that wasn't it. He loved holding a sword and did so at any opportunity. It just felt…right. The instructor knew this very well and had picked the perfect punishment for him. He watched miserably as the other boys listened attentively, some pausing to sneer at him. He wasn't particularly popular, though he wasn't particularly unpopular, either. He'd never been anything special, not even to his overly busy parents. They were servants to the prince and princess, which kept them rather busy. Takeru was his only friend, but he still had to watch as Princess Hikari and he got closer every day. Daisuke had had a really big crush on her, but he didn't judge his chances to be very good, though he always tried to show off when she was around. Takeru had it easy with most girls, anyway. With his blond hair and courtly manner he had them all but falling over him, but he never loved any of them and made sure they understood it, even if they didn't like it. With Hikari and him it had been love at first sight, for both of them. Daisuke had gotten over it, but the whole thing still made him a little jealous. Now not so much because of Hikari, but because he really wanted to find that special someone, too. No one seemed to care about him except his few friends: Iori, the apprentice scribe and fighter, Takeru, minor noble, Ken, also a minor noble, Hikari, the princess, and Miyako, an apprentice engineer and inventor. The only reason he knew so many important people was because of his parents. When he was littler, his mother had taken him with her when she went to tidy up to keep him out of trouble. He wished he could add Taichi, the prince and heir to the throne, to his list of friends, since he looked up to him a lot, but he was very busy learning how to be a king and had no time to make friends with anyone. He was a really nice guy and a good leader, but he had a lot to do and no time for any of the friends he had had before he came of the age when he had to start helping run the kingdom.
"Hey, Daisuke! Dreaming again?" Takeru snapped him out of his thoughts. "The instructor finally agreed to let you go somewhere else and not just sit here all day. Wanna come? Miyako made a new invention." Takeru smiled at him.
Daisuke's face spread into a broad grin. "Just as long as it doesn't blow up in my face like the last one did!"
They both laughed at that and moved off to find the girls. After a while they did find them with something that looked like a little black box.
"Just wait until you see this!" Miyako exclaimed breathlessly.
"Um…in case it blows up, could you tell us ahead of time what it's supposed to do?" Hikari asked pleasantly. Ken didn't say anything, but watched it carefully, like it was a dueling partner circling him. Apparently he was still wary from that one time when Miyako had needed an assistant and recruited him for the job. It was the part he was holding that exploded and nearly taken off a couple of fingers in the process. Since then he was very wary around Miyako's inventions.
"Alright! It'll show us anything important going on within a long ways in each direction!" She explained. "Any questions?"
"Yeah." Her instructor said, looking around the corner from his workshop in the adjoining room. "If it's likely to blow up, will you warn me?"
"Ah, Koushiro! Oh, well, okay. All right! Here we go!"
She switched a button on the box and something started to smell funny. Miyako didn't notice, because a moment after, something appeared on the wall of the chamber, out of the light inside the box. It showed a battle, though only Takeru recognized it as such. Suddenly Koushiro came around the corner saying, "It smells like…" Then he stopped short. "MIYAKO! Turn that thing off before it blows up! If this is really happening, the king ought to know!"
Miyako was shocked into actually flipping the switch before she turned to stare at her instructor. Koushiro looked like he'd seen a ghost.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"The Dark One wasn't supposed to attack us! We were…we were supposed to have a treaty!" He exclaimed.
At this almost everyone present stopped and turned to look at him in shock. That is, all except Daisuke, who turned and looked at him in confusion. His parents never had time to talk to him about anything, let alone to tell him the gruesome tales of the last time the Dark Riders had attacked, which they had heard from their grandparents, who had heard it from who knows where.
"Uh…I guess I'm the only one not informed." He said sheepishly.
At this Koushiro got angry. "There is no excuse for your parents missing that in your upbringing! The Dark Riders are a group of people that attacked us several generations ago. They are a race of fierce warriors. Their leader, the Dark One, gets the position through prowess in combat and is the worst of them all. Sometimes a woman gets the position, though it is usually a man. When they are on an invasion, nothing can stop them, but once they settle down to live in peace they are very good people."
"Wow! I never knew we were going to be attacked! I better practice…" Daisuke said, not wanting to show how uncomfortable this made him feel.
"Daisuke, this is serious!" Takeru chided him. "Besides, your training is about over. Within the week you should be assigned a position. That means that you could be in the thick of the fighting, if this is true!"
"Of course it's true! My inventions don't always work, but they never lie!" Miyako declared.
"I know." Koushiro answered, appeasing her before she started ranting.
"Really? I get to fight?" Daisuke decided to keep it up.
"Not 'get to', probably will." Ken stated. "I think I know where you're going to be assigned, considering. There you might or might not have to fight a lot, depending."
This time Daisuke was really confused. "Considering what? How do you know? I thought nobody knew!"
Hikari giggled. "We're only guessing, but the choice is obvious. But we wouldn't want to spoil the surprise for you…"
"That's not fair!" Daisuke declared, then they all burst out laughing.
"I'll bring this to the king's ear." Koushiro said, then added thoughtfully, "Perhaps he knows, but then he will also know of this most useful device of Miyako's invention. Perhaps it may help us, if you can keep it from blowing up. You did write down the building instructions this time, didn't you?"
Miyako looked shocked. "I…think I have them somewhere…ah, here!" She energetically pulled them out from under her invention, nearly knocking it over. Ken's eyes widened in fear and he caught it just before it hit the floor. He held it at arm's length until it was out of harm's way before cautiously setting it down again. Needless to say, Miyako didn't notice at all.
"I drew them up this time!" Miyako declared, breathlessly.
"And if it had blown up again, you wouldn't have had them, since they'd also have been blown to smithereens. I'll see if I can build a model that doesn't smell like something's burning and you will watch me. All else clear. This might take a while."
"Okay." They all set out their different ways.
No sooner were they out the door, than Takeru and Ken nodded to each other, grabbed Daisuke and led him out to the now-empty practice grounds where they proceeded to teach him a lot more than he would have learned during lessons. Takeru was his partner and Ken stood off to one side to point out their tactical mistakes. This worked until Ken got tired of watching them and started teaching them some of the newer techniques he had come up with. Neither of them could hold a candle to Ken when it came to strategies and neither could comprehend what he was trying to explain to them. They got back to the grunt practice that they did understand when Ken had to run off to his classes.
-----*****-----
Taichi sat in his father's council, looking suitably interested, although he was about to fall asleep. Nothing interesting ever happened in these things, but he was expected to listen, because he would be the new king someday. It wasn't that he wanted to look foreward only to these dreadfully dull meetings for the rest of his life. He wanted adventure, battle, and romance. And what did life give him? These. Boring. Meetings. He felt like sticking his head in a barrel of sand and never drawing it out again. Now if he'd been born in another country, maybe it would be different. Maybe if he just ran away…
Suddenly one of the guards came and whispered something to the king, his father. The latter nodded curtly and a red-haired man entered with what looked like a black box.
"Inventor Izumi, you wished to show us something?" His father asked, obviously slightly bemused. It struck Taichi that his father might be as bored as he was. Taichi was amazed. Koushiro? He hadn't seen him in ages! He'd had too much to do…
"Yes, your Majesty. My apprentice invented a device to show one what is happening far away in three-dimensional proportions." The man bowed.
Koushiro had an apprentice? Oh, yeah. Miyako Inoue, Hikari's best friend. It was amazing how much older they all were getting.
"Is this the same apprentice who blew up your workshop a couple of months ago?" The king asked, voice thick with suppressed mirth.
"Yes, your Majesty, that was a…misfortunate accident. This will not blow up, as we built another together from her sketches." The man answered, obviously nervous.
What made Koushiro nervous? He'd been up here before showing off inventions, so what was it this time?
"Well, show it to us. I am certain it must be important if you draw it to my attention." His father smiled.
"Uh…yes, your Majesty!" Koushiro flipped the switch and a three-dimensional display came up. It hung in the air with blue-outlines figures. They were…fighting.
His father's face turned serious. "This is grave news. We had received intelligence that the Dark Riders were on the move again, but we had not thought they would attack us…Are you sure this works properly?"
Koushiro leaned over and turned a knob. At once the king saw himself and the entire room, complete with Koushiro bending over to adjust something. Then Koushiro turned the box so that it faced the window and turned the dial slightly. The king saw two boys practicing swordplay.
"Why, that looks like the Motomiya boy and Lord Takeshi!" Someone exclaimed.
Koushiro turned to the king once more. "If you were to look out the window, you would see that it's true. Motomiya was late and missed out on sword practice today, so Lord Takeshi offered to help him catch up."
The king grew very serious. "Taichi, go and see if this is true."
Taichi rose and walked over to the window, sneaking a reassuring smile at Koushiro, who seemed to be having a hard time of it. As he looked out he saw precisely what he had hoped he would see. Two boys on the practice-field, but too far away to see just who it was. He turned, trying to wipe the grin off his face. "There are two boys practicing, Father. It is too far away to see who it is, but it might easily be them."
"Good, then you may seat yourself. Inventor Izumi, these are indeed grave tidings. It would have taken a week for messengers to reach us, were any to escape. During the last invasion, that was the problem. We could never get information back and forth quickly enough. For that reason, we almost lost the war. Perhaps this invention will help us," his father then added with a grin, "provided it doesn't blow up."
Koushiro looked shocked. "I would never bring anything to your Majesty's presence that was likely to blow up!"
"That's good to know, Inventor Izumi. You may leave now."
Koushiro bowed and left the room, taking the black box with him. He left behind a very unnerved council room, except, of course, for Taichi, who was simply wondering if his prayers in boredom had been answered.
"Talk about being careful what you wish for…" He muttered to himself as he sat down again.
-----*****-----
The Dark One awoke at dawn with a strange feeling. She quickly dressed and made her morning preparations before consulted the fist-sized crystal ball that she used when on the road. At first it grew cloudy, then shapes began to form. There was a man with a box. The box portrayed scenes from the battle the previous day. She wanted to get closer, but there were sounds of someone entering the tent. It had to be Yamato; else her guards would have stopped them.
"Yamato, wait a moment." But her concentration was broken. As she tried to return to the scene, the only thing she could see was one face out of the many present. That was strange. She decided to try something.
"Yamato, come. I wish you to try to see."
The figure came closer and knelt beside her. It was Yamato. He looked intently at the crystal ball for a moment, then said,
"I think I do see something, though it's cloudy. All I see is a face, though. It's getting clearer…"
She smiled wryly. "I thought as much. That face appeared the instant you entered this tent. The young man was present in the council chamber but the meaning is unclear. Whatever it is, it concerns me only as your friend. If you discover the meaning, you may let me know or not. It is your choice."
He looked slightly relieved, though he still stared intently at the face. "I am lucky to have a friend like you, commander."
"And I'm lucky to have any friends at all. What did you come to speak to me about?"
"Oh, the usual. You are in charge of a great army and your underlings cannot take care of everything."
"Alright. I will come and see what it is in a bit. I have to take care of my crystal ball and get ready to move. Whatever it is, you can forestall it that long or take care of it yourself. Someday you might lead and I would want you to have the experience already to do a competent job."
"Yes, commander. I will be by the supply tents."
"Very good, Yamato. I will meet you there."
As soon as Yamato left, she turned to put away the crystal ball, only to find it filled with another face. Younger and more boyish with short-cropped red-brown hair and a huge grin…
-----*****-----
Daisuke couldn't keep himself from grinning, from the moment he awoke. Given the circumstances, the positions would be chosen today. He was so excited, he couldn't keep from grinning. The other boys were awakening with nervous looks on their faces, but he couldn't wait! He would finally find out what Princess Hikari meant by it being certain. He was sure he would understand once he got the position. Everyone seemed to know. His bunkie had told him the night before that he was lucky that he at least had a pretty good idea where he would end up and that he made friends easily. Daisuke didn't know what he was talking about, but he let it pass. Daisuke was too excited to ponder things he didn't understand and likely never would!
All the way through the morning ritual, he kept his impish grin and all the way into breakfast, where he left it off for a while, since it hindered eating. Then they all went out to the practice field. There, the commanders of the various groups would call them up… Wow! What was Taichi doing there? Oh, yeah. As was the tradition, he was the captain of his personal bodyguard. But…none of the other male members of the royal family was there…was that supposed to mean something? Nah…
The names were called out in alphabetical order. He kept getting more and more impatient. When would they finally get to him! His bunkie stood next to him, getting more and more nervous.
"Minazuki!" It was called from somewhere. It was the captain of the guard. Daisuke shook his hand and pushed him off to join his new group.
"Motomiya!" Wait…wasn't that Prince TAICHI! Daisuke felt like screaming out to the world, "I'm going to serve under my absolute role model! Oh! My! GOD!" But he didn't. He walked over in a disciplined manner and stood where he was supposed to, although he couldn't wipe a huge grin off his face.
-----*****-----
Yamato couldn't shake the strange feeling that overcame him suddenly. "Oh, shut up." He muttered hoping it would help. "It might be the first time I ever looked in a crystal ball, but why should that make it stick in my mind? Why can't I shake this feeling? Hell, why did she make me look in the first place?" He didn't mean it, really. It was a rare occasion that he had been able to glimpse her treasured crystal ball, let alone gaze into it. She was the only friend he had, even though she wasn't supposed to have any friends. She was supposed to be above everyone else, and friendship was only allowed amongst equals. To her, he was an equal: The man who came the closest to defeating her in battle during the games after the death of the last Dark One. She knew he would not have been permitted to take on the name, as it was an open secret that he was half-Eisodos. To most, this made him less than equal. To her, he was the man who almost beat her. Thus, he was an equal. She told him once that he had a brother amongst the enemy and that he would know him by the hair. They both had their hair from their father, the only parent Yamato had ever known. The scandal was that he had wed a lady of Eisodos, while on a scouting mission. When he was called back, he was forced to leave her, taking his elder son with him and leaving her with the baby. Yamato didn't remember this and nobody would talk to him about it, let alone tell him what had happened to make him considered beneath almost everybody. But she had told him. At the time they had not been friends, but since she believed fiercely in the natural equality of all humans, she had told him. This had only added to his respect of her. He knew her like none other. She could be absolutely ruthless in pursuit of her enemies, but if anyone who was not involved in the conflict so much as scraped his knee, she would bandage it up for him. Many thought that he had a secret crush on her, but that was not true. There was no need for any such thing. He was her best friend and she was his best friend. There was no need for anything more than that. He was beginning to doubt he even liked girls…
"Second in Command, Ishida!" The guard stood to attention.
He had arrived at the supply tent.
"The Dark One will be along in a moment. In the meantime, you have the go-ahead to start distributing." He ordered.
"As the Dark One commands." The guard retreated. Everyone knew what would happen if anyone dared not listen to Yamato, whether the orders were hers or his. Anyone who disobeyed was put to death. That, he had to admit, was a lot cleaner than the way she used to get rid of his tormentors, before she was officially his friend, at least between the two of them. They would usually be found in dark alleys or something with their throats cut. Thus, he developed a reputation for being tough, something that was admired amongst the Dark Riders, but he knew that it was not his work. It was quite by chance he had found out it was hers. He had been tormented again by one boy and later had tailed him after dark, inspired by his newly growing reputation. So as not to be noticed by anybody, he had used the rooftops. From thence he had seen her lie in wait, draw him in with a vice and slit his throat, so no sound could escape his lips, but also from behind so the blood would spurt away from her and not get her clothes dirty. When she had dropped his body carelessly to the ground, she had looked up and seen him. The look of pure hatred on her face turned to pity in a moment, and then she was gone. No one else had ever discovered the real culprit.
Ah, there she came. She looked troubled. Whatever could it be? It took a great deal to get through to her like that, partially because she had such an amazing capacity to simply forget on cue. But then, he was troubled as well. Though try as he might to cover his mind with memories, there was always that face there. It was beginning to annoy him to the point where he thought he might kill that person on sight for occupying his thoughts in such a manner.
She walked up to him and her face turned serious. "Are there any unexpected problems that I need to see to? Otherwise…"
A messenger rushed up. "Dark One, your advisors are gathered at the appointed place and merely await your whim."
The ghost of a smile crossed her face. She gave Yamato a look as if to say 'You can't win 'em all.' and left for the council tent.
-----*****-----
After a hard day at his new duty, Daisuke still didn't look the worse for wear. Nothing could tire him after he had been chosen for the elite bodyguard of his absolute role model! He went looking for Takeru, Ken and the rest of his friends, but they were nowhere to be found! Soon it grew dark and he found himself in the royal wing, as he had been looking for Hikari. It was then he had the feeling he was being watched and he whirled around to see a serving girl of striking 'hit between the eyes' type beauty. She had long black hair, braided to that it formed a crown around her head, keeping most of it out of her way. She smiled at him as she passed, but there was something odd about her. Daisuke didn't know what it was, but she didn't feel like she belonged. Shrugging the feeling off, he went and knocked on Hikari's door. Her voice called him to come in and he saw that they were all prepared to have a surprise party for him, when they heard a scream from a few doors down.
Hikari stiffened markedly and she whispered, "Father…" Then she was out of there in a flash, all of them right behind her. As they ran to his door, Taichi was also just arriving. He knocked on the door, but it wouldn't open. It was locked on the inside. Then without a word, he started to try to knock the door down. Within a moment, Daisuke was joining him, trying to get the stout oak door to budge. Then there were grown guards there, taking over for them. When finally they got the door down they all ran into the room after the guards, looking for the cause of the noise.
When they saw what was there, Hikari nearly fainted. Iori looked grim, and indeed it was nothing to sniff at. The king was sitting at his desk in a pool of his own blood. Someone had slit his throat quite cleanly from ear to ear; though where they were now was a completely different question.
The first question on all their minds was how. How did the assassin get past the guards at the landing? How did they get in here and lock the door in such a short time?
Prince Taichi stood in plain shock, which turned slowly into anger as the immensity of what had just happened finally struck him. His eyes ablaze, he yelled, "I'LL KILL THE BASTARD WHO DID THIS!"
Princess Hikari stared at the body. She went over to touch what had once been her father, to see if he might not yet be alive. At first touch she knew he was not and, bursting into tears, she threw her arms around Takeru and cried into his shoulder.
Iori shook his head and asked the one question no one had thought of. "Daisuke, you were in the hallway last. Did you notice anything?"
Daisuke looked at the smaller boy in shock.
"We know it can't have been you, anyway. You were with us when it happened. I only want to know if you noticed anything."
Daisuke racked his brain. "Uh…yeah! There was a serving girl…black hair braided around her head like a crown. Yeah…she smiled at me. It was just before I stumbled in on your surprise party…"
The guards from the stairs looked confused. One of them said, "I swear that no such serving maid passed us! There are very few in the capital who have black hair, and they are all men, indeed nobles."
Iori looked up with sudden sparked interest. "But black hair is all but uncommon amongst the Dark Riders. My grandfather says they have a tendency towards blond or black hair-colors, while we in Eisodos tend more towards browns or reds…"
"But what about Takeru?" Miyako asked, confused. "He has blond hair…"
That suddenly struck Iori as well. "That is an interesting observation, Miyako. Takeru, didn't your mother say that your father left when you were a baby?"
"Yeah, and he took…my brother…Iori! Do you think…" Takeru's voice was desperate now.
"It certainly is interesting, isn't it? Well, enough of that. So it would seem that the assassin was a Dark Rider, thus explaining the strange hairstyle. If I had long hair and wore a helmet all day, I would use it as extra padding, too."
Somehow this didn't make sense to Daisuke. Of course he'd heard the story of Takeru's father who had come out of nowhere and sired two sons only to be called back to wherever he came from, leaving one of his two sons behind, but he had never thought of it that way. It just didn't make sense for Takeru's father to be a Dark Rider. Takeru was such a nice person and they were supposed to be cruel, battlecrazed maniacs, right? Well, if so, then Takeru took after his mother's side, to be sure. But for him to have a brother…who was probably even now riding towards them to be first in the assault against their kingdom, perhaps even causing the death of his own brother without knowing it… That thought was not particularly appealing, so Daisuke let it hang.
"It's not like it matters who your parents were, anyway." Daisuke assured his best friend, who was still holding a sobbing Hikari. But he couldn't help but add, "But I might keep a look-out on the field of battle, in case you see someone who might be your brother. If you take him prisoner or something, then you could get to know each other, at least." He flashed Takeru as reassuring a grin as he could manage, given the situation.
Takeru smiled weakly in thanks.
But one question remained on their minds: Why would the Dark Riders want to assassinate the king? His son would succeed him…
"The Temple." Iori breathed. "They've taken the Temple."
-----*****-----
The Dark One smiled to herself as she put the clothing away in her tent, changing back into something suiting. Now that that was finished she could…
"Excuse me." Yamato interrupted, coming in just at this moment. "I almost thought I felt something. It was funny, like this morning."
She couldn't help but smile. "It was magic. I just got back from a little…excursion. I didn't know you would be able to sense it so quickly. I had thought it might take you a bit longer to learn."
"So, where were you?"
"I killed the man who was responsible for the death of my grandmother. I've been waiting for a chance to do that."
"You WHAT?!"
Her smile widened. She liked catching him off-guard.
"Must I repeat myself? I…"
"No, I got you the first time. But, wasn't that the king?"
Her smile turned slightly sardonic. "I believe you might say that."
Blinking a couple of times, he sat down.
"I'd like to be forewarned about these things. I've got a brother there at the castle…"
"You've never met him and yet you'd protect him with your very life; how comical. Oh, by the way. I found the owner of the face you saw this morning." 'As well as the one I saw, though he's not at all bad looking…' She added mentally.
"Really? I mean, great. Is that supposed to interest me…"
"Well, I know you well enough to know that it does, so you don't need to hide from me. You forget I can read minds, when I'm within ten meters of the person I want to do so with. You just can't get him out of your head, can you?" She asked, mischievously watching a blush spread across his face. "See? I know how to get you. Anyway," she said casually, turning to her small mirror to supervise taking her hair down. "I'm not sure if you'll like the answer. You see, it's Taichi Yagami: prince of Eisodos. Oh, and your brother…" She watched him jump at this one. "…He seems to have something going with his sister. Isn't that precious?"
He turned a deep crimson that she had only been able to tease out of him once or twice.
"You know that our people do not care of what gender one's mate is, as long as they have proven their worth on the battlefield, especially in the case of bringing a member of another people into our race."
The blush faded, as he listened carefully.
"But I am not sure if your precarious position would withstand the strain from such a union. It's difficult enough for them to know that your mother was a weak Eisodos woman, not proven at all in any fighting. As you see, your position is not as simple as, say, mine would be, were I to choose a mate from another people. Any challengers of the marriage would have to be defeated by him alone, as he would be the one whose capability would stand to question. If he were to win all the battles against the challengers, we would be free to marry. Thus is the custom of our people. But you are considered to be less than one of us, though better than one of them, to most of our people. You would have to leave. You understand that, don't you?"
He nodded. "Why do you always have to be so damned right?" He asked, not really meaning it.
"I don't know. Maybe one could put that down to my mysterious father. He showed up from nowhere, defeated the entire clan and abducted my mother. She was found again, but she remembered nothing. The only reason they took me was because of the immense power of my father. He would have stood the trial without a single problem and was incredibly strong. Thus, it was not frowned upon like the union with your unproven mother."
"Is that part of the reason why you designated yourself to protect me?"
"In part. And also because you're a good person and a good friend. I never had any friends before I met you, either. People were afraid I would be as strong and wild as my father seemed to be and so they avoided me. No one was really surprised when I won the games and became the next Dark One, even at such a young age. It was almost like they expected me to."
Yamato looked surprised. "I never knew that. I thought you merely pitied me."
Her face turned impassive, to hide the emotions she felt bubbling up. "I have never killed a man out of pity, nor will I ever. Now I would like to sleep, unless there are pressing matters." She flashed him a smile and turned back to her hair.
Yamato smiled and nodded, adding as he left, "There is nothing so pressing as the problem you created for them."
-----*****-----
Kari was desperately trying to keep herself from crying, though Takeru was comforting her, while Taichi was shouting out to the world all the things he would do to a Dark Rider if he saw one. Iori was just sitting there, objectively watching him rant. Ken had already left. He handled these things much better by himself. The whole thing kind of freaked Daisuke. It felt so unreal…and yet that's just what it was…real. And Taichi couldn't get to the Temple to be crowned the next king. Miyako had disappeared some time earlier, shutting herself into the workshop, where she was probably crying her eyes out, maybe comforted by her instructor Koushiro, who was almost like a father to her, despite the fact that he wasn't really that much older than her. Her family had too many children to get too involved with any of them.
Daisuke found himself wishing he had someone like that. He had all kinds of friends, but his parents were too busy and his sister had been married off to Ken's older brother, who had been visiting from the family estate out in one of the farthest provinces that bordered on Dark Rider country. He remembered how happy his parents had been that she'd landed such a good match, even though it was an open secret that interbreeding between the two races at the borders was a common practice. They didn't even care that she wasn't happy with him and would have seriously preferred marry the one she loved: Jyou's older brother Shin.
It wasn't like Daisuke knew Shin very well, but he did know Jyou. They'd gotten to know each other through their older siblings and played together until Jyou became so consumed with becoming a physician that he didn't have time for friends. At that point Daisuke had drawn back on his other friends to the point where he hardly even thought about him except in connection with his sister.
And he rarely thought about her, unless it was to remember how terrible his parents were.
"Daisuke?" That was Iori.
"What?" Daisuke replied moodily. He didn't feel like talking.
"Is the weight of what happened finally beginning to sink in, or did you have another reason to suddenly get so uptight?" Iori always knew when something was bugging people.
"I don't think it will really sink in until I wake up tomorrow morning. My train of thought led me to remember how much I hate my parents." Daisuke replied, trying to be civil. After all, it wasn't Iori's fault that his parents didn't care.
"Ah, I see. Let me guess…you wish you had someone to confide in like Miyako has in Koushiro, but you don't even have an older sibling, since Jun was married off, and you hate your parents for not letting her marry who she wanted, right?"
Daisuke stared at Iori, disarmed. "What - but - but I…"
Iori waved it off. "I know you pretty well, by now. And it's not like I don't know how much that whole thing bugged you. You only carried on about it for a month. I agree: It was not a very nice thing to do, but you must understand your parents' situation. Their eldest child will be properly taken care of financially, which is more than a union with Shin could have assured them. Don't forget he wanted to go out and administer medical care to savages, just because they need it! Not that I agree with them, of course, but then I'm not a parent."
"They still could have at least asked her first!" Daisuke retorted.
"I'm not them, but I think they knew she would object and didn't tell her on purpose." Iori replied levelly. "I think they were smart enough to know that. As I said, I don't agree with what they did, but I understand that their motives were perfectly good."
Daisuke fell into a chair and shut up. He didn't really want to be reminded, but he knew Iori was right. Iori was always right, and it was pretty damned annoying!
Just then there was a knock on the door. Taichi motioned for somebody to open it, so Iori did.
It was the high councilor. Now what would he want?
"Prince Taichi, I think that you should take back the Temple as soon as possible that you may be crowned king! Otherwise you will not have the authority to run this war!"
Taichi's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I'll kill the bastards who murdered my Dad! We go as soon as possible!"
At this, the man smiled and nodded, before carefully shutting the door.
As soon as he had left, Iori inserted what Daisuke considered the first sensible comment that Taichi heard ever since it happened a few hours ago.
"Taichi, you should save your wrath for the particular woman who committed this crime. You must remember, Takeru's brother is a Dark Rider."
Taichi's eyes blazed. "His brother didn't commit this crime, it was a woman. But it was a Dark Rider woman. If I can recognize his brother on the battlefield, it might go better for him. I will destroy the Dark Riders! They killed my father and I will kill them!"
Takeru swallowed. He had never met his brother, but he still felt a need to help him as much as he could.
He coughed. When everyone turned to him, he spoke, voice trembling slightly. "Wouldn't it be better to capture one of them for information? Like…maybe someone who knows something…second in command or such…maybe? And…please be careful…my brother…I don't remember him, but Mom said…he looks a lot like me…he would be called…Yamato Ishida. Could you…?"
Taichi calmed down a little. "I'll try, but only on one condition: If the prisoner is a woman, she dies."
Takeru nodded, hopefully.
-----*****-----
Daisuke lay in bed and just couldn't sleep. He knew he had to be rested, since Taichi would be going to war as soon as possible and he, as a member of the personal bodyguard, would go with. He was excited, but something kept nagging at him. He got the strange feeling that a very big and unexpected change was imminent in his life, but he didn't know what it was.
Sighing, he decided to take a short walk. He carefully got up so as not to disturb anybody, changed into his normal clothes and left the chamber. Suddenly he heard voices. He wasn't supposed to be up, so he hid. It turned out it was Takeru and Hikari's voices.
"…So I'm going to see if I can find him."
"But that could be dangerous! We need you here! I need you here." Hikari protested.
Daisuke was intrigued and peeped around the corner.
Takeru was facing Hikari, but he could only see Hikari's expression. Takeru had his back to him.
"I know, Hikari, but I need you to be safe. If I can find the old sage Gennai, perhaps he can help my brother! I…need to give it a try, at least. You saw the look on Taichi's face!" Takeru explained.
"Yes, but I…I'm afraid. With Daisuke fighting alongside Taichi and Miyako all but blaming herself for what happened…Iori is always busy and other than them, all I have is you! I…I love you!"
"I know, Hikari, but I must do this. You do understand?" Takeru floundered.
Hikari sighed. "Yes, I do understand."
"Thank you, love." Takeru bent foreward and kissed her on the lips. "You make this much easier by that. I love you, too, and I will come back as soon as I can. I will not be gone long."
Hikari flung her arms around him. "Come back soon, Take-chan."
"I will, my Lady."
And with that he left. Daisuke watched Hikari stand there for a bit still and then go running in the other direction. He felt just about to cry himself.
"I can't believe it! It's like a dumb romance novel! I wish I could find love…" He whispered.
Then he heard a sound. Turning, he saw Iori and Miyako right behind him, each in their own way looking rather moved: Miyako was crying, Iori looked more grave than usual. Daisuke wondered how long they had been there, but he didn't dare ask right in the open like this. He looked lost for a bit, then Miyako seemed to get an idea. She led them to the workshop, where she had made her invention. There they sat down to talk.
"I never knew they were a pair! I just…" Miyako looked on the verge of tears again.
Iori lightened up a little bit. "I knew there had to be something going on. You did, too, didn't you, Daisuke?" He looked at Daisuke calmly.
"Uh…yeah. You see, I used to have a crush on Hikari. I figured out then that they liked each other…" Then Daisuke remembered something. "Uh…you guys, where's Ken? Why didn't Hikari mention him at all? It is kind of funny…"
"Not really. Ken used to like her, too, and that kind of interrupted their friendship, just like it would have yours if you had let her know, Daisuke." Iori explained.
"Why can't Ken like me?" Miyako bawled. "I've always liked him…"
"Uhhh…I don't know!" Daisuke tried. "Maybe…he will in time or something…"
"I hope so!" Miyako abruptly stopped crying. "So, Daisuke, did you get where he's going?"
"Uh…yeah! He's looking for Gennai." Daisuke recovered. You had to be used to these mood-swings with Miyako. She was full of them.
"Well, then so are we. We're not going to let him down! Even if I can't have true love, Hikari by hell is going to!" Miyako took in her 'save-the-world' stance.
"Um, sorry to disappoint you guys, but I really can't. I have to go to war with Taichi…" Daisuke said.
"Besides." Iori reasoned. "If we're gone, too, what about Hikari?"
Miyako stopped. "Oh, yeah. I didn't think of her."
"I'm sure Takeru can take care of himself. He is a Lord and therefore has a lot more freedom of movement. We're servants and bodyguard, respectively. No. Chance." Iori explained, then started. "But Ken could go…"
Daisuke walked over to the window and looked out. "Um, guys. Nobody's going to go. Look."
They both came over to join him in watching a dark figure on a horse galloping into the distance. "I think that's probably Lord Takeru."
Miyako slumped. "Oh, well. Anyway, we at least know where he's headed."
Iori looked grave. "I hope he can make it to be there when Taichi gets that prisoner he urged him to take. Otherwise Taichi might forget his promise."
"Don't worry, he will be." Another voice answered.
All three turned to see a red-haired young woman standing in the doorway. They blinked.
"You might not know me. I'm Sora Takenouchi. I was Taichi's best friend for a long time, before he got too busy with his work as the heir. Hikari has had another vision and told me where to find you. She says it's very important that you come and hear about it."
They looked at each other and nodded. Then they turned to the strange woman and Iori answered. "Lead on, Takenouchi."
She waved it off. "Ah, just call me Sora. Come on, I know a short-cut."
Before they knew it they were in a secret passage that led directly to the closet down the hall from Hikari's room. Then, all of a sudden, Sora disappeared. Not wanting to make any more noise than they had to, the three of them made their way to Hikari's room, where they found her sitting at the desk in her night-clothes and viciously scribbling at something.
"Um, Hikari?" Iori spoke up. She turned and her face grew blank. "Iori? Daisuke? Miyako? What are you doing here?"
"Um…you didn't send someone down to get us? A certain Sora Takenouchi?" Daisuke asked, confused.
Hikari dropped the pen and stared at them in shocked silence. "You didn't say what I thought you did, did you?"
Iori nodded. "Sora came to tell us you had another vision and wanted us to know about it."
Hikari gasped. "But…but Sora's been dead for seven years!"
Miyako gasped. "She…what? But…"
Hikari continued. "Actually though, I did have a vision. Taichi will take a prisoner and it will be Takeru's brother, second in command of the Dark Riders…"
"Wait up!" Iori said, surprised. "Did you say second in command? How did Takeru know?"
They stared at him.
"You may not have been listening, but Takeru firmly suggested that Taichi take the second in command captive, if he could figure out who it was. He was not to try to take the leader, just the second in command. Strange, isn't it?"
Hikari stared. "He gets these feelings the way I get visions. He is not always quite aware of them, but I have noticed. Doubtless it was one of those."
Daisuke finally woke up. "Wait a second, since when do you get visions anyway?"
Hikari looked down at the floor. "Only Taichi and Sora ever knew about them. I don't think even Takeru knows…"
Miyako looked mischievous. "If it was me, I'd have told my lover already…"
Hikari blushed a bright red. "How…I mean…nobody knew…"
The two of them, Miyako and Daisuke sported impish grins. Iori just smiled mysteriously. "Ah, but we knew!" Then they giggled and went back to their usual expressions.
Hikari shook her head. "You guys!"
Outside the window, Sora smiled faintly. She would always keep her promise to Taichi and protect his sister. Even if he never loved her the way she did him. Even if he found 'the one' and became perfectly happy. She would always love him and would always keep her promise.
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Okay!!! That was part I. I have to admit, I stopped writing here and picked up again years later. If you want to continue reading, you'll just have to understand any slight shift in style. ^-^
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