Title: In the name of Love

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or any of its characters
A/N: To avoid confusion, I have named the lands of our respective princes after their last names. For Example: Yamato is the prince of the land Ishida.

And also, the ages of the characters will be explained here:

Taichi: 21
Yamato: 21
Ken: 22 ( i have changed this to avoid confusion, thanks very much for bearing with me)
Sora: 22 ( " )
Daisuke: 19
Hikari: 17
Takeru: 17

My apologies for any confusion this may cause.

Chapter 1
Vengeance is in my heart

-------- The elixir is hidden in the poison. –Rumi --------

For many months the people of the Yagami clan had known no peace. To many, the castle walls had become a prison, yet it was the only thing that stood between them and certain death.

The villages had been burned down, the crops taken, and the royal seal of King Ishida hung above the scattered bodies littering the streets. The castle was under siege and the people knew in their hearts that time was running out.

Hope had disappeared after their first month of imprisonment and as their food supplies diminished as did their will to fight. Disease ran rampant throughout the castle and the bodies grew as did panic settle like a fog over the victims of this cruel, cruel war.

But despite all odds, hope still resided in one insignificant young person partaking in the battlements. The prince of the Yagami clan had taken his fall due to an arrow wound and despite warnings to do so otherwise, Taichi Yagami stood once again, this time in the red room, where they had placed all those who had no chance of survival. And he did all he could for his soldiers during their last hours.

Dismissing the healer who had insisted on treating his shoulder wound, Prince Taichi approached a young man struggling for breath in the corner of the room.

The boy gasped as the prince drew near, attempting to sit up to great him.

"Lie down", Taichi commanded in a soft voice, proceeding to kneel next to the boy's bed. "What shall I call you?"

"..I…-Izumi my liege" the boy began to cough, hacking coughs that rocked his small frame. The prince cradled his head and gazed gently at the boy with a sad smile on his face.

"You were very brave Izumi, very brave, I -" The heir of Yagami's voice cracked. He did not know the boy, had not seen him in battle, yet here he was telling him how much his life and his death would mean to his father's never ending power game.

There had just been too many. Too many young men who had to grow too fast, too soon, or not at all. And he cursed the name Ishida in his heart with a hate he didn't know he possessed.

Prince Taichi looked once again at the young man lying on his death bed.

"Izumi, tell me about you family, your mother"

A smile graced the pain-ridden face of the young soldier "My mother , she- she was a wonderful w-woman. She pa- she passed a-away last spring." A look of longing crossed his tired young face. "My liege… I'll see her soon won't I?"

Taichi closed his eyes as tears threatened to spill upon his blood-specked cheeks.

"Yes... yes, Izumi, she's waiting for you"

"Good,… do not give up hope my prince…. I wish-"

But what this unfortunate youth wished for Taichi never found out, for he began to cough violently as at last, his defeated spirit abandoned his broken body, hopefully Taichi prayed, for a better place, free of blood shed, war, and hate; all of which is now abundant in what used to be the beautiful play land of Prince Taichi and his younger sister, princess Hikari.

Taichi stood up, his own woes needed to be discarded. Now was not the time for tears when his people needed him the most.

"Tai…?" Taichi spun around and immediately latched onto the body behind him. Daisuke took on look at the young man on the bed behind them and sighed. Not another one. They no longer had names. They were now just casualties, unfortunate yet necessary.

As much as he hated this war, Daisuke knew that it was times like this, hope needed to remain strong, especially in the heir of Yagami, the one that kept them all together.

"Taichi, he died in honour" Daisuke tried, although the words sounded dull, even to his own ears.

"Honour? There is no honour in this butchery Daisuke" Taichi lamented "You of all people should know that."

He knelt down beside the still boy "Dai….he was so young …he probably didn't even know how to wield a sword"

Daisuke averted his eyes. "Taichi, please, this is the way it must be - there are…..sacrifices" He trailed off.

"……Sacrifices…… the lives of my men Dai" Taichi stood next to his adopted brother "For what? Gold? Land? Power? All the gold in the world cannot bring that boy back to his family Dai, and nor could anything restore our country as it once was.

I wish - I'd do anything Dai, anything for my people"

Daisuke shook his head sadly. "I know"

Their mother's sudden illness had taken its toll on the young heir and Daisuke could see from the lines under Taichi's eyes and the weary way he carried himself that the prince hadn't been looking after his health.

But this was war, and how could one bring themselves to eat, nor sleep while there were men out their dieing, fighting for a cause that was unknown to him, to Taichi, to everyone - but still their fought. And Daisuke wondered. For what?

l-l

--OO-o-OO--

l-l

Suddenly the castle began to shake. A young nurse burst into the room.

"Prince Taichi! Prince Taichi!" the girl was near hysterics

Taichi knelt next to her. "Calm yourself. Tell me, what is the cause of this disturbance?"

The girl shuddered " My prince! It's terrible! They've begun launching catapults of fire at the castle walls!"

Taichi froze, this couldn't be happening. "The archers?" He was almost afraid to ask.

The girl bowed her head " All killed sire"

Taichi stood up. "Signal for evacuation"

"But my prince! The king commanded –"

"I don't care what my father says. This has gone on far enough. And as the commander of this army I order you to evacuate. Do you all want to die?" Taichi was infuriated, partially at his father but more so at himself. Why hadn't he done this sooner? It would've saved a lot of lives.

The girl nodded timidly. She watched through frightened orbs as his prince took her shoulders, " Now, listen closely" he began " There is a tunnel through the dungeons that leads to the forest. Inside the second cell from the west. Take with you all who can walk. But be very discreet and do not stop for anyone who cannot carry themselves. Wait at the forest. If neither I nor my father arrives by nightfall, travel north to the northern tribes, the people there will aid you."

"Do you understand?" The girl nodded her head frantically.

Taichi gave her a small push "Now go. Make haste"

Daisuke turned to Taichi "What of you?"

Taichi began to walk hurriedly towards the doorway. "I must find Hikari, I told her to stay in her chambers until I come for her…..go with the people Daisuke"

Daisuke frowned but followed his brother "My fate is with you"

Taichi did not say anything but turned and gave Daisuke the briefest of smiles, and during that split-second, Daisuke's heart filled with hope.

l-l

--OO-o-OO--

l-l

The two stepped through the doorway only to find the castle in complete panic. The fire had already consumed the east wing and its flames danced along the walls like shadows, taunting the two young men as they stood in horror.

Taichi looked about in shock before sprinting through the wreckage towards the east wing which was engulfed in flame. "Hikari!"

"Taichi. No!" Daisuke began but he knew it was to no avail. Hopelessly he followed his prince towards what he was certain to be a fruitless search for the young princess.

"Hikari! Hikari! Where are you?" Taichi shouted frantically as he tried to navigate his way through the smoke.

He coughed violently as his head began to swim. Hikari has to be ok. She just has to be.

Taichi felt his way awkwardly along the walls. He ran his hand along the door until he found the knob. Throwing his weight against the door, the heavy object groaned before giving way and collapsing completely.

Taichi rushed into his little sister's chambers "Hikari! Hikari!"

He crossed the room which began to fill rapidly with smoke now that the door had been removed.

"By the gods, Hikari! Where are you?"

"Taichi! Look out!"

Daisuke tackled the prince to the floor as a chandelier crashed down on the spot Prince Taichi had been merely seconds before.

Taichi grasped Daisuke frantically. "Dai, she's gone, she's gone. Where could she be?"

Now Daisuke loved the princess Hikari like a little sister, but he knew that they had no more time to waste, and right now, the heir to the throne of Yagami's life was most important. Even through, Daisuke thought cynically, he no longer had a throne to occupy.

Daisuke did his best to calm the frantic prince. "Hikari is fine Taichi, I'm sure of it. She is probably outside fretting over your well being right now"

Chocolate brown eyes met Daisuke' identical pair and he could feel the trust their held. Daisuke wished desperately that there was a hole somewhere he could just crawl into and die.

"Really?"

Daisuke made himself nod and stood up, looking away. "Come on Tai, we have to get out of there. The castle isn't going to remain standing for much longer"

The two rushed out of the room just as the roof, being supported by poles that no longer existed, collapsed onto the floor.

Looking over his shoulder at Hikari's demolished chambers, Taichi prayed for the safety of his baby sister.

l-l

--OO-o-OO--

l-l

Reaching the provisional refugee camp in the forest, the two royals were greeted by pandemonium. Grabbing a random servant as he rushed by, Daisuke questioned him as to the camp's obvious distress.

The servant trembled under the prince's commanding stare "My prince!...it's the queen…. She…. She's –"

Taichi's eyes widened, "Mother!"

"Taichi wait!" Rushing after his brother, Daisuke followed him to his father's tent, almost falling over as Taichi halted abruptly in front of the open tent flap.

Daisuke followed Taichi's eyes to the tent where servants were lowering the Queen of Yagami into her coffin.

"Tai?" Daisuke turned to Taichi. The boy didn't respond, he only stared desperately at his mother's pale face. Nobody had dared to close her open eyes and Taichi stared at those onyx pearls that had once held happiness, love and always, always, hope.

Now, they gazed aimlessly at the roof of the tent.

"Mum?" Taichi breathed. He felt a hand grasp his shoulder, looking behind him; he saw the face of the king gazing stoically down at him.

"She's gone, and we know who to blame"

"But, father, the illness, she –"

"The illness wouldn't have killed her, she died at the hands of the Ishidas."

He paused, gazing into Taichi's frightened orbs before saying the three words that stopped Taichi's heart.

"as did Hikari"

Taichi stood in shock "No… no, not Hikari. She wouldn't, she never- "

The king looked away, he dismissed the servants before turning to his son and heir.

"Taichi you know that this means."

"….father, I – "

"You must avenge their honour Taichi"

He bent down so that they were at eye level.

"Their deaths were not in vain Taichi, if you will make one last stand. My son, do this for your people, for your mother, for Hikari"

Taichi broke free of his father's grasp but the tent was small and there was no where to run to. He looked to his mother's pale face; 'Is this want mother would've wanted? If only she knew of our family's ill fate, her kind heart would ache, ache.'

Taichi's heart began to fill with a bitterness to the world about him.

"What do I have to do?"

With his back facing him, Taichi did not see his father's smile, which if he had, would've found it strange that the old and wise king Yagami could muster the heart to smile at a dire time like this.

But as it happened. Prince Taichi did not turn around; instead he waited, for his father's instructions which inevitably would settle the ancient grudge between the Yagamis of the north and the Ishidas in the south.

"Kill them" Taichi felt something cold being pressed into the palm of his hand. His mother's ring.

"Take this with you to remind you of your quest, and who you fight for"

King Yagami looked down at his son "Kill them all…. For it is your destiny….my heir…. my son"

Before he turned and walked from the tent leaving Taichi to his thoughts and a growing prejudice towards an ancient family whom he had never meet yet who had torn his life into pieces.

"I will avenge you Hikari,…. mother" He gave her corpse one last bow before, he too, turned, and exited the tent.

----- To be continued ----

A/N. Thank you for reading this through. If you have any suggestions (plot ideas etc), or constructive-criticism, please comment. Thank you very much.

And yes, I promise to introduce Yamato next chapter, I only did this chapter to explain the back story to boys' (eventual) story.

As for updates, I will try to get one up per week. Key word : Try ...very, very, hard. I swear.

P.S. please please review if you like this story so far. Thanks.