me: HEY EVERYBODY!!! I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW!!! I'M SUCH A HORRIBLE PERSON!!! But I have a legitimate excuse!!!

I went on a quest to find the lost underground colony of the marshmallow peeps.

SERIOUSLY!! Well...okay, not really. HAha, yeeeea... I deserve to be set on fire for keeping you guys waiting so long... and live of course, haha. Believe it or not the culprit for me not updating was NOT writer's block!!

Davis: gasp!!

me: I KNOW!! It was school, obviously, but also the exact opposite of writer's block!! I've had so many awesome ideas for this story that I've had trouble picking what to put in the story!! Crazy right!

haha, anwayz this chapter will introduce the more important allies and enemies for this whole story and it's the chapter that really gets things interesting! YaY INTERESTSING STUFF!!! haha.

MY AWESOME REVIEWERS!!! YOU GUYS RULE!!!!

nomigid - Sorry for killing you!! heehee, I'm SOOOO glad you like it!! YOU ROCK!!

bw1080 - Thanx for the muse!! Haha! I think she was REALLy helpful And dude, no worries, I won't EVER abandon my stories! Even if it takes FOREVER to update!! Promise!! haha, THANX SOOO MUCH FOR THE REVIEW!

FlarieHanami

PhantomJ

Cray With Happiness

JJ Chow - YAY!! Taichi's NOT dead!! haha. THANX SOOO MUCH FOR THE REVIEW!!! YOU ROCK!!! WHOOHOO!!!

Bla8

lil-lilac86

MooneyBurlesqueZiggyHepburn

Litanya

Cursive Obsession

AngelSachiya

l'ange-de-fue

TerrorizingTaiora11

M M Forever

(If I forgot to reply to any of you, HAHA SUX FOR YOU!! haha, no I'm just kidding! If I forgot to reply to you I apologize!)

Obviously I don't own Digimon, otherwise the last several episodes wouldn't exist . I do, however, own this plot. IT'S MINE!! MUWAHAHAHAHAHAA

Well, I've kept you guys waiting long enough! ENJOY GUYS!!! BUT BE PREPARED!!! This is the longest chapter for this story so far!! ...I think...haha, it sure seems like it, and I had some issues with the formating as well, so the spacing might be a little out of wack ...BUT ANYWAYZ!! READ!!!

'Blah' Normal stuff

'Blah' Dream sequences/ Flashbacks

TTTTTTTTTTTT

last time Bon jour! Catherine here! Well I can't express how furious I am at ze moment. I swear that Ken bastard vill pay! ARGH!! He ruined my favorite dress! ...But of course I am worried about ze others too! The battles were intense and many of us were severely injured, but none of us can compare to Taichi. He had ze brilliant idea to cut a rope that vas keeping the chandelier to ze ceiling and almost got himself killed! Oooh, I hope he iz okay...

TTTTTTTTTTTT

The wind was blowing ominously on the chilly, early autumn evening. Citizens were beginning to light fires in their hearths as families were once again reunited from another long day at the market or their respectable occupations. But despite the happiness that seemed to radiate from the warmth of these homes, Ichijouji was in a state of unrest.

Since the attack on Ichijouji castle life had been hard for the majority of the city; several new laws had been passed since the Prince of Thieves crashed the Prince's ball that many found outrageous. For instance, citizen's rights were all but abolished; trials were now a luxury that many couldn't afford, and with the large amounts of money being offered for any information on the Prince's whereabouts many had been unjustly accused of being in liege with the demon.

Another luxury many took for granted that was now stripped from them was privacy; citizens were now subjected to random searches by Ichijouji officials and soldiers at any given moment of the day, letters in and out of the city were being read for any code words that could point soldiers in the direction of the Prince's hiding place, and no one was allowed to leave the city by carriage or wagon unless they agreed to a thorough search of all their belongings and cargo.

Needless to say, the citizens' anger was simmering like the lava in a volcano preparing to erupt, and now the talk of rebellion had resurfaced. Many small groups of brave (and foolish) young men and women were forming under the very eyes of the tyrants and were discussing plots of revolt that would, most certainly, lead to their demise.

Everywhere the air was thick with the tension for the events that were to unfold over the next few days. The church bells were beginning to sound more and more like death tolls as the days continued passing at a leisurely pace that was driving everyone mad.

One such citizen, young but with much experience, was walking down the cobblestone streets that evening. To any passerby he would seem like the normal picture of a prosperous youth taking an evening stroll around the main streets, but to the eyes of anyone with a sharp mind it was apparent that he was up to something; His calculating eyes would scan the street and the shops and houses around it with terrifying precision that would've had any mortal shivering under such a cold gaze. All his senses were alert and listening intently to everything around him, ranging from the soft crunch of damp leaves beneath his feet to the whispers of small groups huddled on street corners. Everything and anything could be important, this was his motto, and he stuck by it with fierce pride.

This intelligent young man was one of the main conspirators against the Ichijoujis, in liege with the most notorious rebellion group in the entire city, the Thieves. Now, the question you must all be asking yourselves is 'Could this young man be one of the members of the central core of the infamous Thieves?' The answer is no. In fact, he was offered a position but politely refused it for the safety of his parents and other family members still living within the hellish city. He, instead, chose a profession that allowed him to help these good people, but also make an honest living…. or at least as honest as a spy's life could be. Yes, this clever young man was a spy for rebel forces, but not just any spy, he was the spymaster, and, not to brag or anything, but he was quite good at his job.

At an early age he found himself intrigued by the many different languages of the world, and soon became fluent in almost all of them. He could read lips from across a room as though said person were standing in front of him and discussing with him, in a very detailed description, whatever it was they were talking about. He was also very gifted with the different types of body language, and could easily tell when someone was lying to him thanks to the useful skill. He was a master at codes and signals and excelled in acting and disguising himself. But above all, this young man held the two most important qualities any spy needed: stealth and a sagacious curiosity.

He glanced around casually to assure himself that he wasn't being followed, then turned down an alley and vanished into the darkness.

He was not a fighter. If anyone got a good look at him they would all agree to this statement; he had no excess muscle other than the muscle mass required to survive, his hands were still somewhat soft from not being forced to work too much with weaponry or tools, and his clothes proved that his job paid nicely without too much work involved. Sure, he knew he could handle a knife or a small blade of some sort if the situation demanded it, but for the most part he relied on his mind to help him out of situations as desperate as that. So as he began treading through the dangerous, vermin filled alleys of the Second District he was sure to be extremely cautious.

The suspicious eyes of the poor and unfortunate followed him, watching every move he made with savage interest, the way a pack of predators might study their prey before jumping on the defenseless creature and tearing it limb from limb.

The young man shuddered at the vivid image that was produced in his mind and he hastened his steps. 'Damnit! I probably should've changed before coming anywhere near this place,' he realized as he noted the way these broken souls stared at his expensive looking clothes. A few of the larger men and women looked tempted to jump him, eyeing him hungrily as though they could already taste the food selling his clothing would bring them.

He felt extremely uncomfortable, so uncomfortable in fact he didn't notice one of them stand up in front of him to block his path until he felt his chest bounce off the fleshy surface of the man's belly.

"Gimme your shoes kid."

The young man stared at this unexpected adversary, surveying him; A large -- no, make that VERY large man who was beginning to lose his hair, making him around 45 years of age… he was just recently stripped of everything, Henry realized, judging by the size of his stomach and the good health that still radiated from his cheeks, and simply by listening to his brief command the young man guessed he had little to no education. Perfect. The big and dumb types were always fun to make fools of.

"Hey kid! Whatcha lookin' at! Gimme your shoes!"

"No." The young man replied smoothly, trying to walk around the oaf, but the behemoth threw his arm out and knocked him on his backside.

"What you say punk!" The large man grabbed him by his shirt collar, "What you say!"

The so-called "punk" rolled his eyes, "Listen, I'd love to stay and have an insipid chat with you, but I'm late for an important meeting and would appreciate being replaced on the floor."

The man that will henceforth be dubbed as Large Man blinked at the use of profound words before snarling, "You insulting me ya little rat!" He shook him in his fat, meaty fist, "I'll teach ya to make a fun of me!"

"HEY!"

Large Man dropped his huge clenched fist and looked around in confusion before spotting the intruder; dressed in a dark blue cloak with the hood shielding his eyes was, what Large Man could only guess, another punk kid that was looking to get his ass kicked. "Yous wantin' a beating too?"

"Let him go." The cloaked figure commanded, beginning to advance towards the scene.

Large Man chuckled, "And what'll ya do if I don't? Huh? You gonna kill me?" His laugh echoed around the alley, however he was too absorbed in his own hysterics to notice the other occupants of the alley slowly evacuate the area. They weren't dumb, they knew he was one of them…. the demons, and they didn't plan on getting in the way when the cloaked figure destroyed the moronic man.

Large Man was still chuckling when he glanced around and noticed his audience had disappeared. Unnerved, he turned his attention back on the cloaked figure who continued to steadily advance towards him, this caused Large Man to instinctively take a step back.

"Actually," the cloaked figure smirked, his voice as smooth as black velvet. He moved one arm beneath the cover of his cloak towards his belt, "I might." In one swift motion he extracted his sword from its sheath, his eyes glinting in the darkness with an iciness that persuaded Large Man to drop his victim and scurry back into the maze of alleys, screaming.

Satisfied with the outcome of what just occurred, the cloaked figure replaced his sword before walking the short distance between himself and the fallen spymaster. "You alright Henry?" He asked, offering a hand to the disgruntled teen.

Henry rolled his eyes, "Wonderful." He accepted the cloak figure's hand and jumped to his feet, "Thank you Yamato." Yamato shrugged in reply to Henry's gratitude before the duo continued towards the Thieves' temporary hideout. There was a long moment of awkward silence before Henry finally gathered the nerve to ask the question burning in his mind, "How is he?"

Yamato knew precisely which "he" Henry was referring to, since "he" had been the main topic of nearly every conversation held over the past week. He ran a hand through his blonde hair, "Not good, according to Jyou anyway. His bones are repositioned correctly so hopefully they'll heal faster, but…." He sighed, shaking his head slightly, "The idiot's exhausted, it's obvious, but he hasn't had any decent rest since he woke up."

Henry arched an eyebrow at this, "Last I heard rest was all he was getting."

Yamato shook his head, "His injuries are serious, regardless of what he says…. I think the pain is so uncomforting he hasn't been able to sleep."

Henry nodded, "That's understandable; a broken arm, three broken ribs, and those lacerations all over him would cause anyone to lose sleep." Yamato nodded slowly, his eyes attaining a far-off look. "You're really worried about him, aren't you." Henry said. This was not a question, just Henry stating a fact.

Yamato smiled slightly, "Of course, Tai's like my brother. Besides, I'd hate to see what would happen to Ichijouji without him. Don't ever repeat this Henry," he glanced around cautiously, as though he were afraid of being overheard, "I think we, as the Thieves, give the citizens hope, but without Tai...I don't think we would have any hope to continue with this. We've all gotten a taste of what life would be like without him recently and I've got one word to describe it; bleak."

Henry laughed, "I don't doubt it."

The duo's voices instantly became hushed as they neared their destination; a beautiful white marble church that took up a great majority of the street they were currently treading.

"And Mimi's friend?"

Yamato smirked as he gave his friend a sidelong glance, "I won't even go to the trouble of asking how you know about her." He noted the mischievous glint in Henry's eyes as they began to climb up the numerous stairs leading up to the large double doors. "She's fine, still unconscious though. Mimi has been extremely worried about her, but Jyou assures her it's nothing too serious."

"She's been comatose for almost a week and he still believes that?" His voice betrayed his skepticism.

Yamato narrowed his eyes at this statement but didn't turn to address his companion, "Jyou knows what he's talking about."

Henry didn't reply.

"Matt!"

Yamato's head snapped towards the door at the sound of the urgent whisper, a young woman about his age, give or take a few years, was standing in the doorway of the church, motioning urgently for them to get inside.

Yamato felt uneasy at the alarmed tone used in her normally cheerful voice. He glanced at Henry before the duo jogged up the remainder of the flight of stairs and into the safety of the Coventry.

"What's the matter Mai?"

Mai quickly grasped the handle of the large sliding lock and growled as she tried to slide it into place, "The monastery a few blocks away just sent a carrier pigeon," she paused to change her position, her back now leaning against the handle of the lock as she dug her heels into the floor, "And there are," pausing once again to catch her breath she switched back to trying her previous position, "soldiers in the – AH!"

Yamato shook his head, "Mai, I think you spend more time on the floor than you do on your feet."

Mai glared at the blonde from her position on the floor, the lock firmly in place, "It's not my fault this was the only place Koushiro could find for me to stay! I'm not exactly nun material."

"Well that goes without saying," Henry winked before offering his hand to the pouting young woman.

Mai swatted his hand away and rose gracefully to her feet. "Anyway," Mai said as she smoothed the wrinkles from her simple nun attire; a white dress with a dark blue robe billowing over it, a wooden cross hung around her neck. "The carrier pigeon was sent to me by a friend of mine, and he says there are soldiers in the area. He said not to worry though; they didn't search the monastery, so it's unlikely they'll search our Coventry. But now to the important stuff! Did anything interesting happen in the square today? Any new gossip or rumors about you guys?"

The two males rolled their eyes, but it was Henry that decided to speak, "Honestly Mai, unless you want the night watch to discover your whereabouts you should start acting more wholesome."

Mai glared at the blue haired youth, her cheeks flushed with anger and clashing profoundly with her long indigo hair, "Henry, if this were not a place of God, your ears would be ringing with the profanity I would love to say to you." With that said, she straightened, placed her chin in the air, and left the two gentlemen with a regal elegance that would've had any Queen impressed.

Henry beamed when she was far enough away, "Isn't she beautiful when she's angry."

Yamato rolled his eyes before following her down the corridor, muttering incoherent insults to himself as Henry proceeded with his idle wanderings. Henry was as dramatic as any actor and always needed to make a big entrance when meeting with the rest of the group.

"Why do I lower myself to such a level? I mean people suggest different career choices to me every day! But do I listen? Oh no, because who in their right mind would want the simple life of an musician or politician when I could steal stuff!"

"Yamato quit talking to yourself; you're making me fell like the sane one here."

"And we all know for a fact nothing could be further from the truth!" This comment was followed by frivolous laughter that was quickly followed by a round of "Ow, ow, ow, ow, OUCH!!"

"Stop whining Taichi, re-bandaging your arm shouldn't hurt as much as you're dramatizing it to be." Jyou scolded beside his friend's bed.

Taichi rolled his eyes, "Jyou, have you ever broken an arm?"

Jyou paused his torture session to look over the rim of his glasses at his unwilling patient. "No ….why?"

"Would you like to experience the feeling?"

"No." he said simply before going back to his work.

Mimi giggled from her position directly beside Taichi on the mattress, "Care to join us Matty?"

"OW!! Damnit Jyou! I KNOW you did that on purpose." Taichi snapped as he yanked his arm out of Jyou's grasp, holding it protectively against his chest.

Jyou chuckled, "Tai would you try acting your age for once?"

"I am acting my age, you just happen to be old mentally."

Jyou rolled his eyes, "I'm mature, and that's the difference between us."

"And that, my friend, is why you are so dull."

Yamato, along with the rest of the room, laughed at this statement. This argument was one that had been going on for years and each time it was brought up Jyou would persist that Taichi needed to grow up and be a little more mature, while Taichi, in return, would insist that Jyou loosen up and stop acting so uptight. So far this debate has had no victor.

"Having fun without me, are you? I'm crushed!"

Everyone turned to the door as Mai entered, a large smile on her face.

"Good evening Mai." Mimi greeted as their friend took a seat on the foot of the bed.

Mai blinked, a confused expression on her face. "Good evening? Since when have you been so proper Meems? Geez, we'll have to fix that, won't we Tai." Mai giggled as Mimi pouted.

"Being proper isn't a bad thing." Yamato intervened, "I think it gives you an air of sophistication." He winked in his girlfriend's direction.

Mimi smirked and gave him a peck on the cheek, "Thank you Yama, I figured you'd see the simple elegance of a sentence spoken without cursing." Yamato grinned as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

Taichi, Jyou, and Mai coughed at that precise moment, a cough that sounded suspiciously like 'kiss ass'.

The young couple glared at the other three before Yamato grabbed Taichi's injured arm and twisted it just enough to usher a yelp from his mouth.

"Ow!"

"Oh Quit being such a girl." Mimi teased.

Upon seeing the pouting expression on their friend's face, Mimi promptly burst into giggles. Yamato and Mai soon followed, and a small smile even tugged the corners of the otherwise serious Jyou's mouth. Taichi soon couldn't resist the contagious laughter of his friends and began to laugh along with them, but Taichi's laughter stopped as placed a hand on his abdomen and winced. The moment his actions were noticed the room grew deathly quiet again. He smiled at the worried looks his friends were giving him, "I'm fine."

Jyou shook his head. Behind that smile it was obvious he was suffering from his injuries, he was just too stubborn to admit it. But anyone who just looked at him could see that; he had bandages covering almost every visible area of skin thanks to Ken's horrible treatment and Taichi's stunt with the chandelier.

Jyou shook his head. If these kinds of injuries had happened to any other person he would have been sure there was no possible way they would be able to even last the night. If this were any other person he would have given up hope on their recovery. If this were any other person he would've advised everyone to pick out a lovely spot for the grave.

But this was his friend Taichi.

Jyou rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. He had met Hikari, Yamato, Taichi, Takeru, and Mimi when he was still a novice in the medical business. They had just escaped capture from a large number of guards and a couple of them were hurt.

You can take a wild guess as to who.

Yamato's leg had been broken and he was leaning on Takeru and Hikari for support, while Taichi had a nasty gaping wound in his side where a sword had cut through him while he was helping Yamato off the ground. These injuries were pretty minor judging by all the cases Jyou had seen before, but there were complications that made them deadly.

Mimi had told him they received those wounds two days prior to their meeting. None of them knew how to treat Yamato's leg, and Taichi had developed a fever after the cut got infected since they were living on the streets. Thanks to their lack of malnutrition they were both in very serious condition by the time Mimi, Hikari and Takeru finally convinced them to go see a doctor.

Jyou had been the only one there at the time, since it was his family that owned a quaint little house that supplied the second district with medical attention. After he checked them out, he fixed Yamato's leg and did whatever he could to bring Taichi's fever down...but nothing was working. Finally he told Taichi flat out that he was probably going to die, but Taichi said something that he didn't expect:

"Sorry Jyou, but I have to disagree with you."

Jyou was stunned, to say the least. He'd heard about denial in patients, but Taichi looked so calm, as if he knew he wasn't going to die yet.

"I've gone through too much to die due to a simple fever. If I was supposed to die at a young age then I would've been dead years ago."

And to Jyou's astonishment his fever started going down on its own over the next couple of days!!

Jyou shook his head, he still had no logical explanation to use for that incident. And over the years more and more of these miraculous occasions occurred with the five of them. It was mind boggling! When all signs point to a death amongst the thieves, somehow they heal! But Jyou had long ago given up logic when dealing with his friends, there was something almost mystical about them and he really didn't want to learn what that something was. Some things were better left unknown so that their magic continued to work.

"KNOCK, KNOCK!!"

Mai turned her head towards the door before jumping off the mattress. She straightened her dress before addressing her friends, "I'll be right back."

The four thieves watched her leave.

"Who would be visiting the Coventry this late?" Taichi asked suspiciously.

"It's always open." Jyou stated as he once again began to rebandage Taichi's arm, "I'm sure people come all the time."

"Yea, quit being so suspicious," Mimi laughed as she ruffled his hair, something she knew the brunette hated.

"Hey!" he exclaimed as he shook his head. "Why are you guys always picking on me?"

There was a long moment of silence before all three of them responded in unison, "Because it's fun." This retort caused the small group to launch into fits of laughter.

However, the laughter stopped abruptly when the doors flew open and a very exhausted looking Henry stumbled into the room, "Sorry to barge in without any formal announcement or dramatic effects, but there are soldiers at the gate!"

The occupants of the room glanced at one another before turning to Taichi for instruction.

Taichi didn't hesitate with dishing out orders, "Mimi, I asked Mai to place some spare uniforms in the chest over there in case something like this were to happen, Yamato hide under the bed and don't move, Henry and Jyou get in the other beds and act sick. If we don't fool these idiots we're all in for it."

TTTTTTTTTTTTT

"DAMN. THEM. ALL!!!"

A servant widened his eyes as he dropped to the ground, narrowly missing a golden goblet that bounced off the wall where his head had been moments before.

"Are you alright?"

The servant boy, a kid around the age of eleven, nodded numbly as the young woman with soft eyes and brown shoulder-length hair gently helped him to his feet and placed herself slightly in front of him.

Jeri smiled reassuringly at the boy and the other slaves and servants within the King's chambers. She was among the unlucky few that were in the King's presence at the moment. He had been taking his meals in his room, refusing to leave until the entire castle was combed for more enemies. The King had definitely become slightly paranoid since the attack at the ball; not only did he refuse to leave his room, but he had hired extra slaves to test his food for any poisons. All servants and slaves were interrogated through the most brutal of methods to ensure that they weren't responsible for allowing the thieves within the castle. More guards were hired after the particularly cruel series of executions following the attack where the King punished all those he felt responsible for the escape of the Prince of Thieves. And, to make matters worse for the citizens of Ichijouji, new laws and taxes were put in place.

The reward for the Thieves capture was tripled, and the amount of money was beginning to tempt those that were having financial difficulties, even if the thieves had helped them previously. But with this incredible amount of money being waved before the eyes of the desperate citizens, false accusations were beginning to tear the city apart as innocents were taken to the castle to await their judgment.

Jeri shook her head; it was incredible how pitiful people could be.

"You there! Bring me another drink!" the King raged as he pointed to another random slave, this time a girl younger than the boy that was currently hiding behind Jeri's skirts. The girl, shocked that she was being address, scrambled to her feet before racing out of the room to fetch what the King required.

"I SWEAR ON MY FATHER'S GRAVE THOSE STREET RATS—" a fit of coughing interrupted what was sure to be a beautiful speech.

The other occupants of the room shuddered as they tried to make themselves as invisible as possible in the luxurious room.

Jeri had only been in the King's chambers a few times prior to her present visit, she was normally in the kitchens preparing food for the royal family or lurking in dark corners trying to overhear interesting bits of information to pass on to Takato, but every time she entered it she was overwhelmed by the elegance and size. Her house, a small residence in the second district, was smaller than the sitting room alone and much less lavishly decored. These grand chambers were truly fit for a King with five rooms all to himself; a sitting room, bedroom, dining room, bathroom, and throne room, all with their extravagant furnishes of velvet, gold, silver, leather, and silks.

The sitting room, the room she was currently standing in, had a giant, glorious obsidian fireplace with silver trimmings that was located on the far end of the room; two red velvet chairs were placed before the black masterpiece. There was a throne with its own dais seated to the immediate left of the door, behind it the Ichijouji banner hung in all its evil glory. Throughout the rest of the massive room were chairs, tables, couches, vases, and other pieces of artwork and furniture scattered randomly to show off the wealth this family had attained through harsh taxes, stealing, and bribery.

It sickened Jeri to know that such greed existed.

!!BANG!!

Jeri jumped at the sudden sound, nearly dropping the golden tray on which she carried the King's silver dishes and leftovers from his dinner. She turned her head around slowly, trying to conceal the interest sparkling in her eyes, but when she saw who the intruder was her eyes widened significantly.

Standing in the doorway, shirtless but covered in bandages and red-faced, was the Prince.

"Ken! My boy what are you doing up! You should be in the hospital wing!"

Ken didn't reply but stormed into the room, his dark eyes glittering with murderous intent. "Where. Is. He?"

The King gave his only son and heir a confused look. "He?"

"The Prince of Thieves you lumbering oaf!! Where is that god damned bastard! WHERE. IS.

HE?"

The King blinked rapidly, "Ken, we—"

"DON'T TELL ME YOU LET HIM GET AWAY!!"

The King's dark eyes became steely. "Now listen here boy, I am your father and I refuse to be talked to in such a manner by my son!! I am not some commoner that can be ordered around! I am your father and I am your King and I will be treated as such!"

Ken glared at his father. "I can't believe you let him get away! AND AFTER WHAT HE DID TO ME!"

"SHUT UP BOY! I sent every guard after them but they escaped!!" the King's explanation was soon interrupted by another coughing fit.

Now... why doesn't that surprise me...Ken though viciously. "Fine. Since you are incapable of finding him and his gang of rats I will go searching for him!" Ken spun on his heels and marched out of the room, fury practically radiating off of his skin.

"Ken! KEN!! STOP! AS YOUR FATHER I COMMAND YOU!!" the King began coughing again, his face slowly turning an unhealthy shade of purple.

"WHAT IS IT!" Ken demanded.

"I forbid you (cough) from (cough) leaving, you (cough) ungrateful brat!"

Ken turned to him, a challenging glint in his eyes, "Oh? And what will you do if I disregard your restriction?"

"YOU NEED TO LEARN YOUR PLACE YOU FOOLISH BOY!!" he bellowed before another round of coughing overtook him. "I am (cough) still the King (cough) therefore (cough cough) I have reign (cough) over you!" Still coughing he signaled to his bodyguards to apprehend his son. "Take him back to the hospital wing (cough cough cough) and don't let him leave!"

Ken scowled as the bodyguards ushered him out of the room and towards the hospital wing.

Jeri watched him go nervously, she glanced at all the other servants searching for signs that she wasn't the only one that had had heard Ken's exiting statement. The servants and slaves were glancing at the doors, fear evident on their faces, and Jeri was comforted slightly in knowing that she wasn't just hearing things... but only slightly. She swallowed hard; this needed to be passed to Takato immediately.

TTTTTTTTTTTTT

"This is a waste of time. How are we supposed to find him?"

"Quiet! Speaking in such a manner is treasonous. Do you wish to get us all hanged?!?"

The Ichijouji soldier turned to his superior and raised an eyebrow. "Do you think we have any hope of finding him or any of the other traitors?"

The higher-ranking Ichijouji soldier chanced a sidelong glance at the less experienced soldier. "Being in a less experienced group, our chances aren't as great as those of the Black Squadron, who deal with this sort of thing on a daily basis, but the King's orders were for all able bodies to be on the lookout for the Prince of Thieves, so it's not our place to express our opinions."

"But does the King honestly believe any of these civilians are idiotic enough to be housing someone as infamous as the Prince of Thieves?"

"You'd be surprised. The Black Squadron has located the vast majority of escaped convicts, runaway slaves, and wanted men in civilian homes. It's ridiculous. Citizens complain about not having enough food to feed their families, and yet they'll welcome in a wanted man and feed him from their own rationed stores."

"But those are people that have been taken away from their homes. Runaways, convicts, and wanted men all have families and people who are willing to risk their lives to protect them, but the Prince of Thieves is dangerous. He's killed thousands! Who would be willing to protect someone so villainous?

The group of soldiers stopped outside a large building with warm, luminous lights radiating in the windows, welcoming the soldiers from the dark streets of the Second District. The captain of the troops turned to the questioning youth and replied in a very dignified manner, "That's what we're trying to find out." Nodding to his troop in a silent command to keep a lookout, he and two other soldiers broke away from the lines and marched up to the door, as they had for the past five hours.

The captain walked up the beautiful steps leading to a large granite door with a simple wooden crucifix in the center. He balled up his fist and rammed it against the door several times before stepping away from it to give the door room to swing open.

After a few moments the door opened slowly and a young woman with long indigo colored hair and dark eyes revealed herself. "Good evening officers." She wore a long white dress with a dark blue robe covering her shoulders, a cross hanging from her neck.

"Good evening Sister." The captain replied, inclining his head in a sign of respect.

"How can I help you on this beautiful evening?"

"Sister, I'm sure you've heard of the dramatic escape of the Prince of Thieves."

"Yes I have." She replied, her soft, elegant voice showing no shock or concern in the matter.

"Well, as decreed by King Ichijouji, I'm afraid I have been ordered to search the premises."

The young woman nodded. "Of course officers." She slowly moved the door towards the wall and stepped aside to allow them entrance.

The captain nodded. "Thank you Sister." He turned around and motioned for his squadron to step into the church and begin their search. The soldiers complied and soon the clanging sound of metallic footsteps echoed around the walls of the abbey.

The soldiers were split into small groups ranging from two to four men. The groups with four men were sent to search the courtyards, kitchens, and worshiping areas, the groups of threes began to investigate hallways and storage areas, and the groups of twos were sent to comb through the infirmary and bedrooms. The captain himself stayed to interrogate the nun that had allowed them entrance.

"So, Sister, have you seen anything...strange as of late?"

"Strange, officer?" Mai asked, deciding to play dumb.

"Yes...strange as in...cloaked figures running around, suspicious characters asking to stay the night...anything out of the ordinary."

Mai chuckled, "Officer, I don't think you fully understand our mission here in this Coventry. We do not turn away anyone from the street because we are all God's children. And as for cloaks," she stopped to laugh again, "forgive me officer, but the weather is beginning to get colder and many in the Second District can't afford the finer coats and shawls worn by the higher classes. Cloaks are the only pieces of warm clothing most people here can afford, so, naturally I see people running around wearing cloaks all day."

The captain's good mood slowly diminished, "I see."

"I apologize for not being able to assist you any further officer." Mai bowed her head slightly, but was inwardly congratulating herself. She had been taking acting lessons with that arrogant pig Henry, just in case a situation like this occurred. She required a lot of work, but judging by the non-skeptical looks the captain was giving her she realized she must've sounded at least somewhat convincing.

She bit her lip to keep from smiling. Her part in this charade was almost complete, now all she needed was wait for the soldiers to finish their rounds and usher them out quietly. Maybe this whole rebellion thing wasn't nearly as difficult as she'd originally suspected.

"Let's look in here." A soldier suggested to his partner as they approached the infirmary. The man twisted the doorknob and opened the room.

Now it just so happens that these particular soldiers weren't present for the unveiling of the Prince of Thieves' true identity. They knew not what their prey looked like, nor had they any idea of what any of the other thieves looked like. Under any other circumstance, soldiers outside of the Black Squadron that had no knowledge of what their prey looked like would not be searching for wanted criminals so late into the evening. But the King hadn't been in his right state of mind the last several days after the attack upon his ball, and when he sent out the order he didn't take into consideration that two untrained soldiers might end up waltzing into the very room where this esteemed criminal was currently hiding.

"Oh! Good evening officers." A young woman rose from her seat beside an occupied bed and curtsied to the high-ranking men. She, like all the other women in the abbey, wore a long white dress and a blue robe but she also wore a white shawl draped over her hair to conceal it from prying eyes.

"Good evening Sister. Might we have a look around? We have orders to search every room."

The young woman replied, "You may, but may I ask a favor of you? We have several patients staying with us this evening; all three of them have terrible cases of the Mumps and desperately require their rest. So could I ask you to please be quiet and allow them to continue sleeping?"

The soldiers exchanged glances. "I don't see why that would be a problem. We'll be as quiet as these suits allow us to be."

The young woman smiled gratefully and curtsied to them once more. "I thank you." With that she returned to her seat besides one of the patients and placed a hand on his cheek. Her eyes widened when she felt the drastic temperature change on his forehead, "Tai you're burning up!" she whispered furiously as her arm darted towards a small bowl filled with water on the nightstand. Extracting a soaked cloth from a water basin she carefully preceded in smearing the cool water across the burning forehead of the occupant of the bed.

She narrowed her eyes as she listened to the soldiers scurrying behind her; moving furniture, looking through drawers, and creating a mess in general. Honestly, if nuns weren't given the benefit of the doubt then she had no idea what the world was coming to. Her attention was suddenly drawn to her patient as he gripped the mattress, his face contorted in pain. She gently placed her hand on his cheek, "It's alright Taichi." She glanced behind her before double-checking to make sure his bandaged arm was covered completely by his sheets. If the soldiers saw the bandaging they might question her, and she couldn't afford that.

"Well, I told the captain there wouldn't be anything here. Why the hell would a bunch of nuns hide the Prince of Thieves? Let's go, he's obviously not here. Good evening to you Sister."

"Good evening gentlemen," she said smiling. When she heard the door close she ripped off her shawl, allowing her honey colored hair to tumble over her shoulders. "They're gone."

Henry immediately sprung from the bed, "I'll make sure Mai is alright."

As he made a dash for the door Yamato quickly intercepted him, "No you won't. Soldiers might still be lurking around, and the last thing we need if for you to be identified and questioned. Mai will come when she's made sure they're gone."

Henry rolled his eyes and waved a hand dismissively, "Fine." He then walked over to where the rest of the group was gathered and bowed towards the leader of the Thieves. "Your Highness, I must commend you on your performance at the castle. Absolutely inspiring, and I'm not the only one who thinks so; the whole city's still abuzz from the rumors leaking from the castle."

Taichi grinned weakly and turned to Yamato, "See! I knew that stunt would work towards our advant—OUCH!" His attention was fixated on Jyou in an instant, who, against Taichi's wishes, was once again attempting to bandage his broken arm, "Do you enjoy tormenting me?"

"Do you want an honest answer?"

Taichi opened his mouth to respond but thought better of it, "No, not really."

Jyou smirked, "Thought so."

Mimi sighed as she claimed the chair besides Yamato and rested her head on his shoulder, "I miss our home."

Yamato took her hand in his and squeezed it comfortingly, "So do I."

"At least the two of you can leave." Taichi muttered angrily. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate everything Mai was doing for them, the exact opposite really; if she hadn't allowed them a place to stay in such a desperate situation his chances of survival were slim to none, according to Jyou anyway. She basically saved his life. But he wasn't one that enjoyed being kept inside for more than a few days, and this place was beginning to grow tiring despite the beauty and tranquility it brought to his normally chaotic lifestyle.

"—do you promise Tai?"

Taichi blinked, "What?"

Jyou sighed, "Do you promise to get some sleep tonight?"

Taichi nodded, rolling his eyes, "Yes mom."

The occupants of the room chuckled at this response before Yamato called attention to the time, "Well come on you three, let's let Taichi have his beauty sleep, we all know how much he needs it." Yamato smirked, receiving a pillow to the face in reply. Yamato laughed and threw it back at his friend before he joined Henry, Mimi, and Jyou outside of the infirmary. Yamato's smile vanished, however, the moment he saw the grave expression on the doctor's face.

"How is he in reality Jyou? Behind the mask." Mimi asked nervously.

Jyou made sure the door to the infirmary was closed. "Not good, not good at all." He shook his head as he rubbed his temples.

"But, what does that mean? How bad is "not good"?" Henry questioned.

Jyou sighed, "His fever hasn't broken, and that's what's worrying me the most. A fever is the body's way of fighting off viruses and bacteria from infections and for it not to be receding even after all the days he's had to recover..."

"What do you think it means?" Henry asked.

Jyou sighed, "Either the infections were worse than I thought or... his energy level isn't rising." Seeing their confused expressions Jyou realized he would have to go into detail. "During his stay in Ichijouji castle he lost most of his energy due to the lack of food provided for him, plus he was also being mistreated during all this time so whatever energy he had remaining was trying to repair his injuries. When he showed up at the ball he shouldn't have even been able to stand, let alone fend of Ken the way he did. If I didn't know Tai as well as I do, I would've told you at the castle that he was going to die that night."

TTTT

Koushiro and Jyou were still crowded around Daisuke's comatose body, flipping frantically through the pages of Koushiro's log book for any indication that Daisuke would react negatively to any of the medicines Jyou had brought with him.

"Damnit!" Koushiro exclaimed as he slammed his book shut. "Nothing!" He tossed his book to the side and placed his head in his hands, gripping his hair with every intention to rip it out.

Jyou stared at his friend, realizing just how distressed the redhead was when he caught sight of the mud being absorbed into the important documents in his logbook. Jyou rose to his feet and picked up the small, but vital, journal from the damp grass, brushing away the dirt sticking to the black velvet cover. "Izzy," he knelt in front of his friend, "if Daisuke's heart rate begins to decrease then we'll have reason to worry, but until there is some drastic change in his condition there is nothing we can do. We can't leave the others just yet."

Koushiro sighed, lifting his head, "I know Jyou, I'm furious with myself for not carrying something as important as medical records with me at all times." He shook his rich red locks as if to clear his head of the tantalizing emotions plaguing his thoughts. "We need to get out of here. There's something…not right about this place."

Jyou nodded in agreement before turning his attention back to the castle where warm and cheerful lights beckoned them inside, like Venus flytraps coaxing their prey into their mouths before snapping shut and sucking the life from the unfortunate insects.

It was terrifying.

The waiting. Not knowing what was occurring not even a mile away from your current position. Not knowing the well being of the people you've come to call your family.

"Koushiro?"

The two intelligent thieves looked away from the castle and turned their brooding minds away from the people screaming as they raced away from the palace towards their carriages.

"Yes Zoe?"

She smiled kindly at the twosome, trying to offer some form of comfort to the stressing elite members. Calmly, she placed a clipboard in Koushiro's lap. "I finished interviewing the other refugees, and I recorded some places that came to mind where they could stay until they find jobs."

Koushiro and Jyou's eyes widened. "You did?"

"Well, Koji and Kouichi were really the brains behind it, Takuya helped too. We just…." She glanced at the castle before averting her eyes to the floor. "Wanted to help."

"Thank you." Koushiro smiled. "And thank the others for us, too."

Zoe nodded before retreating back to the small group huddled together beside the carriages.

"Wow."

Jyou looked away from the youngest members to see a genuine smile on his friend's previously distraught face. "What?"

Koushiro grinned as he passed the clipboard to the spectacled young adult. "They did an impressive job."

Jyou's eyebrows shot up. It was extremely rare for Koushiro to give any form of compliment to the younger thieves, aloud at least. But as Jyou, too, began inspecting everything written upon the pieces of parchment he found himself nodding with satisfaction as well. He felt the corners of his mouth twitch upward with each piece of data recorded…until reaching one name.

"J.P?" He turned to Koushiro with a questioning expression.

Koushiro sighed. "Don't tell me it's the same J.P I didn't finish interviewing earlier." He ripped the clipboard from Jyou's grasp and, after scanning it for a couple of seconds, hit the surface against his forehead. "Great. He has no skills, no family, and no home. What the hell are we supposed to do with him?!?"

Jyou quickly disguised a laugh by making it sound like a cough. "You're trying to tell me this kid sums up to nothing?" Jyou shook his head, "I can't believe that. Everyone has some sort of talent."

"Not this one." Koushiro groaned. Jyou gave him the same quizzical expression and Koushiro lowered the clipboard across his knees. "The kid does magic tricks."

"Magic tricks?"

"Yes."

Jyou instantly brightened. "He could work at the orphanage! I'm sure the younger children would love an entertainer!"

Koushiro looked ready to retort, but J.P himself confirmed what Koushiro was about to say.

"Look pal, I don't know what your problem is but –"

"My problem right now, is you! We're trying to discuss something important and I think we would all appreciate it if you could leave for a moment so we can get this done."

"Whatever you have to say in your little "meeting" you can say in front of me."

Takuya sighed. "Umm…under any other circumstances I wouldn't argue with you, but this is a matter of urgency and we can't have you –"

"Urgency? You guys are just kids! What kind of urgent things could you guys possibly need to accomplish? If anything you should be thanking me for stepping in and lending you some of my superior intelligence."

This statement obviously annoyed the younger squads and it wasn't long until the more violent members of the thieves stood up to protest.

Jyou nodded when he watched Rika, Ryo, and all the other younger members gang up on the refugee. "He's a bit overbearing isn't he?"

"A bit?"

Jyou chuckled. "One of us should probably go break up their debate." He started to rise to his feet, but Koushiro raised a hand to stop him.

"Those members are under Takuya's command while Taichi, Daisuke, and Takato aren't here. Let's see what he can do."

Jyou gave him a look before smiling; "You know you're leaving him in a snake pit?"

Koushiro shrugged, "He needs the experience."

"And the revenge isn't bad either, right Izzy?"

Koushiro smirked in reply.

Together the eldest members of the assembled group watched the scene unfold. Takuya surprised both of them by standing up to Rika, who was normally a very intimidating opponent in a shouting match…or anything else for that matter. Jyou inwardly clapped when the situation was brought under control by some quick thinking from the youngest of Taichi's predecessors.

"Do you think he knows what he's doing when he picks them?"

"Who? Takuya?"

Jyou rolled his eyes, "No. Taichi."

Koushiro turned his attention back to Takuya and smirked. "I don't think we'll ever really know. I swear Hikari and Taichi have a sixth sense or something, it's unnerving at times."

"Yea, tell me about—Whoa! Hey Izzy, what's happening over there?!?"

Koushiro stared at his companion for a moment before following his line of sight. When his eyes fell upon the sight before him he bit his lip nervously. The lights in the castle had gone out.

"Whatever it is, it can't be anything good." Koushiro murmured. He quickly rose to his feet and rushed over towards the younger members. The situation demanded a leader, and at the moment Koushiro was the next in line. He quickly ran all the positions needing to be filled for this unexpected twist, and then calculated which thief would be best suited for each assignment.

"Guys!" A hush instantly fell over the group. "Kouichi get all the refugees into a single carriage now! Rika, I want you to ride inside with them in case their hands start itching for any of the gold we've stolen. Iori, I need you and Takuya to get Daisuke into the other carriage while Ryo retrieves Takato from his spying post."

"Zoe and Koji stay here in case we need extra hands. The rest of you get out of here now!" Jyou finished.

They all nodded. None of them knew what had alerted their mentors' to act so rashly, but they were trained to act now and ask questions later.

Koushiro and Jyou instinctively grasped their weapons and made a mad dash towards the castle entrance once all the carriages, save for two, were tiny dots on the horizon.

"I hope everyone's okay." Jyou thought aloud.

"Me too," Koushiro panted as he struggled to keep up with the older thief. "Damnit! I'm not built to be the athletic type!"

Jyou rolled his eyes. "Neither am I! That's why we're usually the brains of the operations."

Koushiro laughed before his eyes suddenly grew wide. Grasping Jyou's elbow and digging his heels into the ground, he managed to skid them to a halt. "We can't go that way."

Jyou nodded; upon their suddenly stop he caught sight of the huge crowd of people standing in front of the entrance, screaming orders at one another as they tried to break the door down. "It's locked from the inside." In a matter of seconds the duo proceeded towards a window, only to find them locked as well.

"You've got to be kidding me! We never discussed locking the doors! How are we supposed to get in?!"

Jyou bit his lower lip. "We're not, but the other Ichijouji soldiers can't get in either."

Koushiro saw the brilliance of the plan instantly. "Do you think it was Mimi?"

Jyou grinned, "I'm assuming she had help."

Koushiro nodded. "Alright, but we still have to get in to help –"

"CRASH!!!"

The duo was thrown off their feet by the sudden appearance of three chair legs sticking through the remaining fragments of one of the windows. They turned to look at each other with looks of shock and disbelief as they scrambled to their feet.

"Taichi I swear I'll kill you myself if you pass out on me now!"

"Yamato!"

The blonde looked up from the ground, his eyes worried but steeled. "Thank God you guys are here! Give us a hand! Taichi you bastard you can sleep when we get home!! Stay the hell awake!!"

"Matt, take Taichi and get out of here, the rest of us will follow!" A demanding feminine voice shouted from within the building. The next moment Yamato jumped out of the first story window with a barely conscious Taichi leaning against him. Jyou rushed over to the two as Hikari jumped out of the window, closely followed by Michael who was carrying an unconscious woman in his arms.

"Jyou is he okay?!!?" Hikari screeched as she knelt down besides the doctor that was closely examining her brother.

Jyou didn't respond. He couldn't. He instead turned to Yamato who was also looking at him expectantly. "We have to get him home. Now." He finally turned to the younger Kamiya, "Get to the carriage and tell Koji and Zoe to get over here."

Hikari nodded, ripped a slit through her dress, and took off with a speed that surprised all the thieves present.

Taichi watched her go with barely any sense of understanding, "Jyou..." he looked at the doctor and gave the smallest hint of a smile, "don't let anyone worry too much about me. I'll be fine..."

Mimi crouched beside him, "Is that a promise?"

Taichi, too exhausted to speak, nodded slowly before passing out.

TTTT

Mimi shook her head, "It's not fair. Tai's too wonderful to go through this kind of torment on a regular basis."

There was a long moment of silence during which all four of them found themselves agreeing with Mimi's statement. Finally the unbearable quiet was interrupted by some bittersweet news delivered from Jyou.

"Well... at least he won't suffer for a while..."

"What?" Yamato asked.

Jyou removed his glasses and wiped the lenses with the hem of his shirt, "His body is far too exhausted for him to experience any form of physical strain. So I'm forbidding him, as his doctor and friend, from all missions, tests, and raids for at least two months."

"TWO MONTHS!!" the trio shouted in unison.

"You can't be serious!"

"He won't believe that!"

"You're out of your mind if you think he'll tolerate that!"

"What's he supposed to do for two months!?"

"You're insane!"

"... Who's going to tell him?"

The outbursts stopped when Yamato asked this question.

Jyou looked at them, "I need to check on my other patients, you three figure it out." He smiled as he walked down the corridor, the trio's argument reaching his ears.

"I've got my own bad news to tell him!"

"Well so do I!"

"Oh hell no, you two are not pressuring me into telling him."

TTTTTTTTTTTTTT

The room of the Prince was never one that a servant wanted to visit. The room, despite a warm fire always burning in the fireplace, was always cold and dark. He owned no candles to light the darkness during the evenings and kept his curtains drawn over his windows during the days.

This impenetrable darkness seemed to weigh a thousand pounds as the density forced down all hope and happiness from the innocent servants' minds and hearts.

They hated it.

How could anyone actually live in a place like that? It was no wonder the prince was always angry.

So when the Prince ordered them to leave, not a single one of them hesitated.

"Leave me."

The servants residing in Ken's chambers were only too happy to comply as they all dropped whatever they were doing and raced out of the room.

Ken listened to them stampede out of his room and smirked as he collapsed into one of the chairs before his fireplace, swinging his legs over the other arm in the same fashion his enemy had done about a week ago in front of all his guests.

The Prince of Thieves. Damn him and all his meddling. Ken thought venomously. I knew after he and his friends escaped years ago they would become a thorn in my side. He glared into the flames with such intensity that his eyes mirrored the blazing glow that flickered and crackled as the fire consumed the wood.

Taichi was a problem. A very big problem. He and his misfits were beginning to fill the minds of the citizens with dangerous thoughts, thoughts that would pose a great nuisance in the near future. He needed to crush these thoughts quickly otherwise he would be facing a revolt, and although his solders were trained and fearless, the civilians outnumbered them 5 to 1.

He needed to make a move, a sharp but effective move that would cause the citizens to rethink their betrayal…. but what? Executions would only rally their anger further, and more laws would cause problems as well…

Realizing that his above average intellect wouldn't completely solve his problem, he summoned two of the few people he trusted, the Commander of the Black Squadron, Vamde Myotis, and the General of his own personal army, Pierro Pied.

"You requested our presence my liege." Myotis stated, bowing to the dark prince.

"Yes." Ken stated, still gazing into the fireplace. "Have you noticed the sudden change in the peasants?"

"My lord speaks of the quiet whispers of revolution?" Pied smirked.

"Precisely." Ken replied. "Do the two of you, from a military leader's point of view, believe they could stand a chance against our armies?"

It was the General who answered this question first, "In my own viewpoints sire, we have the battle expertise and the knowledge of warfare on our sides, but the civilians not only have the numbers but they also have a number of expert blacksmiths that could supply weapons for thousands, as well as a more dependent food source. In all honesty my Lord, I doubt we would be able to survive for very long against their forces."

Ken nodded slowly, "So says you Myotis?"

Myotis nodded gravely, "I'm afraid so my Lord. They would also have the advantage of having the Prince of Thieves on their side, and, aside from you my Lord, not many would be able to stand up to his swordsmanship. We have also gained the knowledge that the Thieves have created a network of spies… I'm afraid to say, but our forces wouldn't stand much of a chance."

Ken nodded, finally turning to them, "What would the two of you propose we do about this uncomfortable situation?"

"Prove to the civilians that rebellion is futile. If they don't realize just how much of an advantage they have over us then we might still have control." Pied responded.

Ken smirked, "A wonderful idea General, but it's only a matter of time before they notice their important positions. We need something that will scare them or discourage them from attempting to fight."

"What if we dispose of the rebellion's leaders?"

Ken's dark eyes swerved to look at Myotis, a faint glimmer of interest shinning through the coldness, "Continue Myotis."

Myotis grinned maliciously, "The majority of the civilians, as I'm sure you've noticed my Lord, look towards the Thieves as beacons of hope. It is through their actions that the peasants gain the courage to change the way things are. If the cause of this courage were to fall it would quench the thirst for rebellion."

"Dispose of the Thieves… kill the hope." Ken mused, turning back to look at the flames. "Perhaps…. if we were to instead of kill the Thieves turn them dastardly in the kingdom's eyes maybe the rebellion would turn on those that have started it."

Pied grinned sadistically, "If we were to stage some attacks on the city and then frame the Thieves their popularity would drop tremendously."

"And with the Thieves portrayed as the enemy the civilians will shrink away from them and side with us in order to destroy the Thieves."

Ken chuckled evilly, "We'll be hitting two birds with one stone gentlemen. Destroying our most hated enemy, and winning back the trust and support of Ichijouji. Now…. we will need to put this plot into action immediately."

"Shall I inform the King?" Myotis asked.

Ken's eyes turned dark, "My father has become incompetent in his abilities to fend off adversaries like the Thieves. I'm afraid his ability, or lack thereof, to lead is what has gotten us into this mess in the first place. My father is the only flaw in my plan, and must be dealt with as all obstacles must be dealt with." Ken rose from his seat and walked over to his fireplace, taking the iron poker in his hand. He pushed the wood around for a moment before plowing the tip into one of the logs, causing sparks to fly into the air.

TTTTTTTTTTTT

Jeri clung to her red shawl as she walked steadily through the crowded market streets of Ichijouji. She was silently commending herself on acting so calm despite her mind screaming at her to race to Takato and inform him of everything she had seen the previous evening.

Remembering her lessons with Yamato and Taichi to remain inconspicuous, she paused at a vendor that was selling apples and purchased a few. Thanking the elderly woman, she continued on her route towards the ruins of the Third and Fourth Districts, pausing here and there so as not to cause the soldiers patrolling the streets to become suspicious of her.

She was still in a state of shock due to the argument that she had witnessed between the King and Prince, but it was the final statement made by the Prince that left her trembling. She wondered how Takato would handle this piece of information.

"Excuse me! Miss!"

Jeri's thoughts were put on pause when she glanced over her shoulder and saw a younger boy running towards her with something in his hand. Curious, she stopped walking in order for the boy to catch up with her, "Yes?"

"Y -- You forgot your bag," he panted, showing her the small knitted purse she always carried around with her.

Her eyes widened, "Oh! Thank you so much." She knelt in front of him and took the treasured item from him with a large smile, "And who do I have the honor of thanking?"

"My name's Tommy," he grinned.

She smiled, "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Tommy, and to thank you for returning my bag," she placed her hand in one of her pockets and fished around until she retrieved a gold coin, "here. Treat yourself to some sweets on me."

His eyes lit up at the sum of money in his hand, "Thanks! Wait 'til I show my brother!"

She glanced over his shoulder and saw a teenager about her age leaning against a wall, an impatient and... suspicious look on his face. Jeri gulped, Tommy's brother was a member of Ichijouji's army.

"Hey Yutaka! Come here! This lady's really nice!"

Yutaka, with a roll of his eyes, walked over to his brother to see the object that had him so excited. "What is it Tommy? I'm not supposed to leave my post."

"Look!" Tommy grinned, waving the coin in front of his brother's eyes.

Yutaka's eyes widened slightly, "Wow," he turned to Jeri, "where does a girl from the Second District get this kind of money?"

Jeri narrowed her eyes, "I earned it. I work at the palace."

"You don't say. A palace job ...those are pretty tough to get... except for those forced to work there."

"You mean slaves?" Jeri felt her blood begin to boil, "Listen you, I don't care if you're an Ichijouji soldier or not, I have an honest job and I receive an honest paycheck. If you want proof I happen to have my papers with me." Furiously she began digging through her purse to uncover the important documents that included her occupation, name, address, and other important pieces of information.

Urgh! What is this place coming to!?! I have done nothing wrong and yet this high-and-mighty soldier decides to completely ruin my day by accusing me of stealing or some other -- Wait a minute... Where are my papers?!? Her eyes widened as she looked through all her belongings again. Nothing. "Oh no, I must've left them at home." Rolling her eyes she shut her bag and replaced it over her shoulder. "Well, I don't need to prove anything to you. I've done nothing wrong, so if you'll excuse me officer I have some shopping to do."

Tommy watched his new friend storm off with a sad look in his eye. "Yutaka... was she mad because I gave you those papers?"

Yutaka glanced at his little brother, "Yes. But she doesn't know you took them."

"Stealing from her doesn't feel right. She was so nice to me."

"Yes... she was nice." Yutaka noted as he extracted Jeri's documents from the inside of his armor. "Jeri Katou. Ahhh, so this was the girl Takato was talking about."

"Takato? Oh! Takuya's friend?"

"Yes. Well, the Prince will be interested in this bit of information. Apparently he has a spy working for the Prince of Thieves within his own castle."

"She's a friend of Taichi's?"

"Yes Tommy."

Tommy's eyes lit up, "That's great! I bet she's loads of fun!"

Yutaka smirked, "It is great Tommy. It's definitely great." His eyes were alight with amusement as he restored the important documents back into his breastplate. "Come on Tommy, we better get you back to Mrs. Mokobon before she starts to worry about you."

Tommy smiled, "Alright." And the two siblings left the busy street.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Sora's head was thundering in her skull. No, biggest understatement of the century; Sora's head felt like it was lying on a blacksmith's anvil and was being hit repeatedly with a heavy metal hammer.

She groaned as she shifted on her bed and pulled the sheets over her head.

What a crazy dream…she thought. Everything that happened felt so real. I swear I can almost hear the sounds of swords still ringing in my ears.

Her eyes still closed against the brilliant morning, she raised her arms over her head and yawned. Birds were chirping outside her window and the sweet smells of a cornucopia of flowers drifted lazily into the room on a warm breeze.

A smile tweaked the corners of her mouth at the peaceful atmosphere she was being awoken to, it was a nice change from the usual bustle of activity the palace was usually full of. Everyone must still be exhausted from the party.

She slowly opened her crimson eyes, taking in her surroundings with idle fascination, but the more she glanced around the less she recognized. The bed, she noticed, was not the extravagant four poster bed covered in a variety of silken sheets she was accustomed to, it was a simple twin sized bed dressed in clean, plain white cotton sheets that had the aroma of freshness wavering around her nostrils.

Startled by the sudden realization that she wasn't in her room, her head whipped around to absorb all of the other changes around her; there was a small table beside her bed with a vase of beautifully assorted roses rested on the polished surface, complimenting the simple oaken furniture. Above her the ceiling arched at least two stories upward, and large French windows ushered the dazzling sunlight into the simple but incredibly large room. On her left and right two dark blue cloths hanging beside her like curtains obscured her further exploration.

Fear quickly swelled within her breast. Where the hell am I?!?! She tore her sheets off her body only to realize that her clothes had been changed too! She blinked in surprise at the long white nightshirt she was wearing instead of her blue party dress. This shirt was definitely not hers; it was at least three sizes too big as the sleeves fell far past her hands, and the hem of it came past her knees. She had never experienced such a strange combination of fear and relief at the same time, and in a moment of brief insanity she wondered how her mother would react if she could see her daughter wearing the clothes of commoners.

"I'm telling you Mimi! This is the most ridiculous scheme you've thought up to date! And that's saying something considering all of the crazy things you've forced me through."

Mimi?

"It is not! It's the best thing I could come up with on such short notice! And you know as well as I that Taichi can't afford any more stress in his current condition!"

Incident?...Taichi?

"But keeping her a secret is not the answer! If anything he'll be even more infuriated than he normally would be!"

"I understand what you're saying Jyou, I honestly do, but let's wait a few days to inform him of our…. guest. You said so yourself, his condition is still pretty serious and being "imprisoned" here as he calls it has made him irritable enough as it is."

Jyou chuckled, "Can you blame him?"

Mimi snorted, "After having his arm bones and three ribs repositioned, getting enough stitches to sew a shirt, and having all of us fussing over him every day, no I can't. I'd be driven mad by now."

"Plus it's been almost a week since he's seen the others and he's probably going out of his mind with worry," Jyou added.

Mimi laughed, "No need to remind me of that, he uses every possible moment to whine about how much he wants to get out of this place. And I'm the one that has to remind him that he's in no condition to do anything nor is it wise for him to be out in public at the present time. There are guards searching for him everywhere."

"I know. I got stopped on my way here by a group of Ichijouji soldiers claiming that I was treating the wounds of escaped convicts and runaways. I escaped barely by the skin of my teeth. I'm worried about the next actions they plan to take to catch us."

"Well the public searches were an obvious factor, but the King has also raised the taxes. I expect we'll be forced to endure more public executions by the end of the week if something isn't done."

"I agree," Jyou said, "but at the moment we'll have to lay low for a while. We can't afford Taichi finding out about any of this….at least not until he's recovered."

"Or Sora for that matter." Mimi added. "She'll feel obligated to do something as well."

"Yes….I suppose keeping them here is the wisest decision. Mai can keep a close eye on them while they're here."

"Oh! That reminds me!"

Sora quickly pulled the covers back over her legs and collapsed against the pillow as the sound of footsteps grew louder.

Mimi quietly peered around the curtain to see her best friend still fast asleep. Smiling, she walked over to the side of the bed and placed another vase filled with carnations beside the roses.

"Who are those from?" Jyou asked, coming to stand beside her.

"Hikari and Takeru." Mimi replied pleasantly. "They've come to visit almost as often as I have, and although they haven't technically gotten to meet Sora yet they wanted to send her some of these beautiful flowers. I told them Sora would appreciate it immensely." Mimi smiled as she placed a hand on Sora's forehead. "I think her fever's finally subsided."

At her best friend's touch, Sora decided that now would be the perfect time to end her charade. She slowly opened her eyes, feigning a semi conscious state, "Mimi?"

Mimi almost fell off the side of the bed at the sound of the soft voice. "SORA!!"

Sora smiled weakly before Mimi threw herself at the auburn haired young woman and hugged her tightly. "Oh my goodness Sora!! You're finally awake!! I can't tell you how worried I've been the last couple of days! My God! After the ball I was so scared that you were dead! How could you scare me like that!?! I told you that you should leave, but did you listen!?! Oooh no! So instead you give me a heart attack! I could hit you right now if I wasn't so relieved to see that you're alright!!"

Sora didn't know how to respond to Mimi's senseless rambling. One part of her wanted to hug her back and assure her that she was fine and that they could go back home and everything would be normal again. But her other side was quickly reminded of the battle and became furious with Mimi for hiding so many secrets from her and was tempted to start screaming at her. Just when she thought she was going to be torn in half by her internal argument, however, the final occupant of the room politely cleared his throat and saved Sora from having to answer to Mimi's ranting.

"Uhhh…Mimi?"

Mimi looked to the doctor as though seeing him for the first time. "Yes?"

Jyou smiled patiently at the younger woman. "Didn't you want me to examine her when she woke up?"

"Oh!" Mimi quickly scrambled off the bed to stand at the end of it, while Jyou calmly replaced Mimi at Sora's side.

"Hello Sora, my name is Jyou Kido, and I'm a doctor and a very good friend of Mimi's."

Sora smiled sweetly at him as she quickly studied him with her keen eyes. Jyou had navy colored hair that reached his shoulders, and dark intelligent eyes that were magnified by wire-rimmed glasses. He seemed very kind, but he carried with him an air of maturity and respect that Sora couldn't fathom. Coming to the conclusion that he wasn't a threat during the present situation, she took his outstretched hand and shook it. "A pleasure to meet you Doctor."

He held up a hand. "Please, call me Jyou. I've never been comfortable with formalities."

Sora smiled, "Alright Jyou." She watched curiously as Jyou reached into his coat pocket and extracted a pen.

"Sora, I want you to follow this pen with your eyes." He instructed as he began to slowly wave it in front of her face, changing directions at random intervals. Sora didn't really understand why this test was so important, but Jyou seemed pleased by her reactions and with a smile he returned the pen to his pocket. "Good. There doesn't appear to be any brain damage."

Mimi gasped, "Are you sure doctor?! I could tell you some interesting stories that would have you reclaiming that factor in an--" Mimi was silenced by Sora's pillow slamming into her face.

Jyou chuckled. "And I see her aim hasn't been affected."

"Of course it would be difficult to miss Mimi's mouth," Sora replied innocently. Jyou chuckled at this statement while Mimi glared at her friend before joining in as well. "So…..do I have you to thank for caring for me?"

Jyou looked startled. "Thank?"

"Well, if you've been taking care of me then I want to thank you."

Jyou looked remarkably pleased when she said this. "Well I did all the scientific work to get you better, but it wasn't me alone. Mimi, Mai, and a few of the others have been taking very good care of you as well……with Mimi's persistent nagging and all who wouldn't rush to your aid." He added the last part under his breath and Sora giggled.

He slowly rose to his feet after running a few more minor tests and announced happily. "I believe you're going to be just fine Sora. I'd advise you to stay in bed for a couple more days as a precaution, but you're very healthy and should be able to explore to your heart's content soon. I'd love to stay, but I have other patients to check on."

Sora waved cheerfully, "Thank you Jyou."

He beamed, "You're quite welcome."

"Oh! And Jyou –"

"I know Mimi, I know. I won't breathe a word to Taichi."

Mimi smiled as she, too, waved to him as he slowly closed the door behind him.

When the doctor had left the room Mimi pounced on her best friend's bed and gave her another bone crushing hug, "Sora I'm so sorry for everything! This whole thing was my fault! Please forgive me!"

Sora blinked in surprise before hesitantly returning the hug. What was she supposed to say? "Yes of course I forgive you for keeping the majority of your life a secret!" or "Yes of course I forgive you for not telling me you were one of the Thieves, who I was raised to believe were evil!" No, no, no, none of those would work... She sighed as the only response that came to mind, and left her mouth, was, "Why did you lie to me?"

Mimi raised her head so fast that Sora winced at the thought of how much that must've hurt her upper vertebrae. She slowly removed her arms from around her friend's torso and rested them in her lap, "I didn't want to Sora…. but…. I didn't realize how horrible the noble class believed us to be ….I was scared." She averted her eyes away from Sora's and stared at the floor, "I would constantly hear about the things we'd done but they would twist our intentions from noble to dastardly. I wanted to tell you, but I was so afraid that someone would overhear… Could you imagine what would've happened? I would've been interrogated and locked away in Ichijouji castle…. Or even killed! And then what would've become of my friends? Taichi is the most wanted person alive, and the rest of us have hefty rewards being offered for our captures as well." She raised her head again, "I also didn't want you involved in the complicated part of my life…. That parts I would prefer to forget…."

Sora felt her throat constrict as guilt began to drape over her shoulders like a dark and uncomfortable cape. "Mimi…. I'll forgive you… but in return for my forgiveness… I want to know everything. Everything you've kept from me for the last few years. I think I've deemed myself trustworthy enough."

Mimi's eyes filled with tears, "You have Sora! It's me that's been untrustworthy!" She quickly wiped her lower eyelids before giving her best attempt at a normal smile, as though they were preparing to discuss something casual like how horrible the food at Ichijouji was, or how attractive the new Takenouchi knights were. "Well…. where should I begin?"

Sora smiled, "How about at the beginning. What were your parents like? Did you have any siblings?"

Mimi smiled, "My parents were good people… my mother was a seamstress, and my father was a senator in the government. We lived in a little fishing village many days from here, just the three of us, so no I didn't have any siblings." She sighed suddenly, "They're dead though…. when my parents learned of Takenouchi's surrender they organized a resistance group, but Ichijouji killed them all and burned our village to the ground."

Sora's eyes widened, "The King killed them all!?!"

Mimi nodded slowly, "Then took the remaining people, mostly the kids of the village like myself, and brought us here to Ichijouji to work at the palace. We were slaves; nothing more than property being traded in for money. For a long time I was unhappy and scared all the time…" her forlorn look suddenly grew a brighter, happier, "but then I met Taichi and Hikari."

TTTTTTTTTTTT

Henry clasped his hands behind his back and sighed dramatically, I don't see how people can actually do this for a living.

He was currently standing in one of the Ichijouji watch towers that surrounded the castle, the only one that had been abandoned due to...hm hm...ghosts.

Henry smiled at the fond memory. Taichi had ordered him to find some sort of place where he could safely spy on the enemy, he didn't say where, and Henry already had the perfect place in mind; Stretching about four floors into the sky, there were eight towers stationed around Ichijouji castle at odd intervals where a small team of archers and watchmen took shifts in order to keep an eye out for escaping slaves or criminals, riots, and other disturbances. Their positions were perfect to watch the city... but they were also perfect for spies, like Henry, to keep an eye on the soldiers, nobility, and even the Prince and King. So, naturally, Henry wanted one of these large-scale advantages on their side.

With the location chosen, Henry only had to figure out a way to make the soldiers reluctant to take their shifts there and an idea didn't take long to hatch into his devious mind.

Accompanied by Takato, Ryo, and Rika, he had climbed into the cone-like roof while his partners in crime hid in nearby rooms with open windows and all four of them made loud, agonizing moans and groans. With the occasional "magical movement of objects", and a tap on the shoulder or a shove of the leg with seemingly no one around, it didn't take long for the Ichijouji men to be shaken so badly that they refused to set foot in the watch tower on account of evil spirits haunting the place.

Henry chuckled. They were evil all right, but the farthest thing from spirits.

And as an added bonus, Ken knew nothing about this abandoned post on account of the soldiers not wanting to be dubbed "cowardice", so it gave Henry all the leisure time he needed to do what he did best.

He leaned over the side of the guard tower and watched all the people scurry around like roaches. That's all this city could be compared to; a roach's nest. Nothing but greedy merchants and nobles sucking the life from anything and everything they could get their dirty hands on. He grimaced at the vivid image that was produced in his mind, and it was with this comparison that he realized just how bored he was at that moment.

Eager for a distraction, he began glancing around, listening to every conversation that was loud enough for him to overhear.

"Oh my GOODNESS!! Did you hear about that guy that was just knighted! Talk about handsome!!!"

Henry resisted the temptation the hit his head against the wooden fence surrounding the edge of the tower. Ooookay, gossiping noble women wasn't exactly what I had in mind... Next.

"That damn Prince of Thieves. I'm still stepping on glass in the ballroom!"

"You think you've got it bad? At least you don't have to be in the presence of the pissed off King. He almost decapitated me last night with his wine glass!"

Henry rolled his eyes. His wine glass? Oh yea, that's something people should be bragging about. If that's the highlight of someone's week they should keep that pitying factor to themselves. Next.

"Give me a break! I cleaned the kitchens last week!"

"Oh come on! Can't you cover for me tonight! Pleeease!!"

Ken sighed dramatically once again and slumped over the fence. Is this the fate of talented spies like myself? Listening to palace gossip and average conversations? If so, then I might have to finally take up Taichi's offer and officially join the -- Henry's keen ears suddenly picked up the familiar sounds of people scaling the ladder to his present location. Eyes widening somewhat at the sudden appearance of enemies, he lept into the inside of the roof, gripping the self-made foot and hand holes he had dug out for just such an occasion. He inwardly growled at the predicament he found himself in; his arms were stretched above him as he gripped the hand holes on either side of his head, his heels were plowed into foot holes at odd angles since the roof was rounded. Needless to say he was extremely uncomfortable and swore to make whoever was dumb enough to disturb him pay dearly for placing him in such an embarrassing situation.

"I don't understand why you have to discuss this here Myotis."

Henry's breath caught in his throat. He quickly took back that last statement and replaced it with a silent "Thank you God!" He didn't have to look down to figure out who the two new occupants of the tower were; there was no other voice comparable to General Pied's silky, chilling voice.

"Other than the Prince's room this is the only place people choose to avoid. They treat this place as though it's contaminated with the plague."

Pied scoffed. "That still doesn't explain why you dragged me up here."

Myotis glared at his unwilling companion before taking a seat against one of the support beams that connected the roof to the rest of the tower, "Isn't it obvious Pied? Or are you so dense that you can't figure out what needs to be discussed without the rest of the castle's knowledge?"

Pied crossed his arms over his chest and glared daggers at his hated rival, "Obviously it is about the subject brought up by the Prince, but my question remains why you wish to discuss it without his majesty's presence...unless you are planning something devious Commander."

Myotis chuckled, "You give your half-witted ideas far too much credit General." Pied's eyes darkened at this jest, but before he could retaliate Myotis continued, "You see, General, like it or not we are now accomplices in the Prince's game against the Prince of Thieves, and I fear that if we do not come up with a fool proof plan that will hand over Ichijouji's most famous little runaway to the Prince we will be the ones to suffer the consequences."

"I have been contemplating the same idea myself," Pied admitted. "We must learn everything we can about this nuisance and devise a plan that will deliver him and his comrades to their doom. Any ideas?"

Myotis scanned their surroundings with his ice blue eyes, "Perhaps we could kidnap one of the ones we already know the identities of to gain knowledge of their location and take them by surprise."

Pied smirked, "Brilliant Myotis, Bravo! The only tiny flaw in your plan is that those very few whose identities are known to the kingdom happen to be those most fiercely loyal to the Prince of Thieves. We could torture them, mutilate them, hell, we could threaten them with death and I assure you they will remain as tight lipped as ever."

Myotis narrowed his eyes sufficiently; "Well what would you propose we do to coax them out of hiding? In order for his majesty's plan to work the Thieves must appear in the correct location, otherwise --"

"Ssh!" Pied ordered, his index finger drawn to his lips. He glanced around suspiciously, "The walls have ears General, I suggest we discuss this further in a safer location."

Myotis glanced around as well, scanning each window before landing on the one where he was just able to catch the fleeting image of someone ducking around the edge of the window. "Hmmm...Perhaps that would be best."

No damnit! Henry cursed. He knew a valuable piece of information when he heard it, and judging by these two powerful figures' caution this was something big... huge even.

"I will, however, leave you with this thought Myotis. Perhaps even your miniscule brain can comprehend the influence this action might have on the people." Myotis narrowed his eyes but didn't interrupt. "Center your focus on the Takenouchi girl. I've heard the people are quite fond of her, and with her in the possession of the Thieves..." he paused to chuckle, "I'm sure the civilians' favor in the runaway will plummet."

Henry's eyes widened. So that's their plan...they want the city to go up against Taichi, and, in consequence, the rebellion. Clever...

Pied smirked as he bowed mockingly in the direction of the General. "It was a pleasure wasting my time with you General. I'm afraid I will probably have to see you again tonight, so without further adue' I shall take my leave." With that said he spun around and climbed down the ladder.

Myotis remained where he was, much to Henry's dismay. When the Commander was out of sight Myotis smirked as he withdrew an old, faded scroll. He carefully unfolded it, revealing a letter written in elegant, however rushed looking, letters. He read over the text for the millionth time since receiving it and a cruel smile formed on his lips.

Henry scowled; he was far too high above Myotis to be able to read the words that were causing him so much happiness. He leaned his face as far down as possible in his current position and was able to catch the first few words;

"Myotis,

I have agreed to your terms. You have my services as long as" --

Henry felt his foot slip and a small cloud of dust and tile particles rained down from the roof, colliding with the floor with the quiet sound of soft footsteps. Myotis, startled by the sudden sound, immediately rolled up the parchment and stuck it back into his vest, then glanced at the ground and narrowed his eyes with suspicion. He walked towards the small pile of debris and picked up some of the dust between his fingers. After studying the sand-like particles, he flicked the gray substance off the leather of his gloves and turned his attention towards the roof...but there was nothing there.

Scowling, he rose to his feet and left the watchtower, completely unaware of the young man standing on top of the roof watching him, the way a predator might watch his prey... with hunger. At that moment Henry vowed to learn what was written on the parchment, because whatever it was, according to his gut feeling, was destined to cost the lives of his friends and he wouldn't allow that.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Mimi grinned broadly, "Taichi, as I've told you many times before, is my best friend, and Hikari is like my little sister. The three of us were inseparable upon meeting."

"How did you meet them in the first place?" Sora questioned.

"Let's see... well, they had been at the castle about a month prior to my arrival, but in that short amount of time they learned so much about their surroundings. I, of course, was lost and confused for my first few weeks as a slave, but I was also taunted and abused by other slaves and the soldiers. I was a scapegoat; the person always blamed when things went wrong due solely to the fact that my parents were traitors. But, ironically, if it weren't for those bastards I wouldn't have become acquainted with Taichi.

"The slaves were all squeezed into a single, tiny room without beds or proper clothes. We were, however, presented with a dusty mat and rags, and I had just settled mine into a secluded corner and started to fall asleep when a soldier suddenly burst into the room.

"He was screaming about how one of us filthy slaves stole food out of the Ichijouji's kitchens, and, of course, I was blamed by everyone in the room, everyone, that is, except Taichi and Hikari, and was ordered to receive twenty lashes. I was so terrified that I started to cry, and that's when Taichi stepped in, he told the guard that he had stolen the food and took the punishment for me." Mimi smiled and wiped her eyes, "It was the first and last time I had ever seen his back without those horrible scars..." It took Mimi several moments to regain her composure before continuing, "Taichi was well-liked amongst the other slaves, he gave them hope that things would get better, and when he took the punishment for me and we all had to watch him go through that...and then when it was finished and he asked me if I was alright...well, we became best friends after that.

"We were always getting into trouble, the three of us. We had so much fun together, and, if I recall correctly, that was around the time we met Yamato and Takeru."

"So you knew Taichi first?"

Mimi nodded, "Yep, I've known him almost a year longer than Yamato, but as soon as he saved Taichi and Hikari he was easy to welcome into our group of troublemakers.

"Hikari had developed a cough one evening, but a cough could turn into something serious in the living conditions we were forced to stay in, so Taichi said he was going to steal a blanket and some food to help her get better. Sadly, though, he was caught. The guards cornered him in a hallway while I was in the kitchens, but, because Taichi loves Hikari so much, he wasn't about to give up easily. He lost of course; these guys were three times his size and armed with all sorts of weapons, so Taichi got pretty beat up during his attempted escape. Yamato had been watching everything in secret and when he overheard Taichi mention his little sister Yamato decided to help. He stole the blanket from the guards and allowed Taichi a chance to escape and get another one. Yamato received thirty lashes that night, but he and Takeru, his little brother, gained three new friends as well."

Sora smiled, "So did he ever regret his decision?"

"Never," Mimi stated without hesitation. "None of us have." Suddenly her eyes darkened, "Well, actually...we did...once. Ken and the King realized how close we had become and decided to separate us in order to make sure we couldn't plot anything against them. If we disobeyed them they would threaten to hurt the other four." She sighed, "Hikari, Takeru, and myself weren't treated too horribly, but Yamato and Taichi...," she shook her head.

"It all started on a normal day; Taichi, once again, found himself in gigantic trouble. I swear he's accident prone or something," she laughed half-heartedly. "Anyway, the guards were pretty much fed up with him at this point and decided no slave was worth the trouble he was causing, so they planned to kill him."

Sora's eyes widened at this announcement, "They were going to kill him!?!"

"This was during the King's golden era, before he got sick, and he was as ruthless as ever. He killed and tortured his slaves simply for entertainment, and the three of us were no exception. So the guards took him to see the King to get approval, but...something happened. The King saw something in Taichi and instantly ordered the five of us to be separated."

Sora blinked in confusion, "What did he see?"

Mimi averted her eyes, "I'm sorry Sor, I can't tell you..."

Sora's eyes narrowed and she was about to yell some very nasty insults at her friend when Mimi raised her hand, "It isn't my decision to make. Taichi doesn't want people to know anything about his past. He is the only one authorized to speak about what happened to him in that God damned castle, and I'm not going to betray his trust any more than I would intentionally betray yours."

Sora looked like she wanted to protest, but after taking a deep breath she grudgingly accepted the fact that Mimi wasn't going to budge in this decision. "Fine. So what happened next?"

"A lot, but, again, most of it is what happened to Taichi. My part during this part of our lives was pretty simple; I was a maid for the upper areas of the castle. I got to see Hikari occasionally, but that was about the most excitement I had until we escaped."

"You escaped!" Sora exclaimed.

Mimi beamed, "The only group to ever do so. From there we pretty much jumped from home to home until creating our home base. I stayed there for several years before moving to Takenouchi and meeting you."

Sora nodded slowly, drinking in Mimi's story with relative ease. She had expected something like this, it wasn't normal for a poor peasant girl from Ichijouji to know etiquette the way Mimi did. Her second guess would've been that she was a long lost princess from some vanquished land, so Mimi's explanation was much easier to swallow. It also explained her deep resentment towards Ken, hell, who wouldn't be pissed after what he did to her and her friends?

"So... are we...friends again?" Mimi asked tentively, tugging on the sleeve of her shirt out of nervousness.

Sora stared at her best friend. Mimi had basically redeemed herself by telling her everything ...but did that make up for lying to her in the first place? Was this fight really worth losing their friendship over? The answer came to her slowly but surely, and a smile became apparent on her delicate lips, "Meems, we never stopped being friends."

Mimi smiled widely and her eyes began to well up with tears again. Sora rolled her eyes, "Oh God Meems, does everything make you cry?"

Mimi's voice began shaking from her silent sobs during mid-giggle, and she hugged the auburn haired teenager again this time with Sora returning the hug eagerly.

"Ummm... sorry to interrupt this little love fest."

The two young women turned towards the door and both smiled, "Hey Yamato."

"Good to see you awake Sora." Yamato said smiling. He briskly strode across the room before draping an arm around his girlfriend, "Would you mind if I stole her for a while?"

Mimi gave him a confused look, "Why?"

"We've got a problem," Yamato whispered.

Mimi nodded and carefully rose off of Sora's bed, "I'm sorry Sora, but this sounds important. I'll be back in a little bit, but if you need anything you're welcome to walk around."

"Alright." Sora said calmly.

Mimi and Yamato turned around and walked out of the room, leaving Sora alone once more.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Darkness. Loneliness. Two of the horrible emotions he was so accustomed to these days.

Fear causing his eyes to clench shut as his arms were tied above him and his shirt was torn off.

Hopelessness enveloped him as quick, sharp pains crashed against his back, tearing his skin apart and allowing blood to ooze from the wounds.

Two deafening cackles of pure evil invaded his senses and, through blurred vision he looked up at the silhouetted figures standing above him. One was shorter, a little taller than his height, and his laugh was a slightly higher octave.

The higher of the voices began speaking, but he didn't listen, he never listened. That's why he was here wasn't it? It was his fault...everything was his fault...

"Hm, hm. So what, pray tell, is finally causing you to break?"

He looked at the larger of the two. Despite him being so much smaller than the man who was addressing him, with his eyes so furious and his face covered with dirt and blood, he was definitely a demon in the older man's sight.

He chuckled again. "I suppose you're not quite broken yet, but give or take a year or two," he grabbed the beaten child by his chin before lifting his face to meet his eyes. "I'd say that fire in your eyes will be dead." He slammed the boy into the wall, the back of his head ricocheting off the stones. His smile turned menacing as he watched pain flash across his face, the only thing that would've made that moment sweeter would've been to hear some sort of reaction the orphan's tight-lipped mouth.

The man turned to the smaller figure before exchanging a few unimportant words. The smaller figure nodded eagerly before walking over to his almost broken toy. For a moment both their eyes met in a quick exchange of sadness, before the son of the man raised his blade and struck the defenseless younger boy in the chest directly below his collar bone.

He didn't scream, he didn't cry out, he wouldn't give either of them the horrible satisfaction. Slowly the blade was dragged through his flesh...slowly forming letters.

The boy stared at him, eyes wide and pleading.

But he didn't stop, he blocked out the looks the younger boy was giving him.

"S"

That was the first letter to be scarred on him.

He tried to free himself, struggling against the man's hold, but the man ceased his violent twisting and turning by placing a large, heavy hand against his rib cage. "You brought this on yourself kid, at least try to take it like a man and not like the street scum you were born to be."

"L"

The next letter.

The boy tried once more to reach out to other boy, whose hands were shaking as he continued to dig the knife deeper into his skin. "Please Ken!"

The other boy paused, unaccustomed to hearing anything from his subject's mouth during torture sessions. He looked up, meeting the hurt and saddened eyes of the one whom he was betraying. He steeled his eyes before digging the knife up to the hilt into his flesh, causing a satisfactory gasp to escape the boy's lips. "That's Master to you street rat!"

Taichi's eyes flew open at the recollection of the horrible memory. His hand instinctively flew toward his collar bone, praying against reality that the marks weren't there...that the dream had been just that; a dream. No such luck however, Taichi realized as he traced the letters with his index finger. He shut his eyes tightly and allowed his head to fall back into the pillow, the words of the memory still echoing around in his head.

...His fault...

Break..

...Your eyes will be dead... Street Scum...

Please Ken...

...That's Master...Street Rat...

Taichi's eyes flew open once again as he tried to fight against the tantalizing voices, but still they penetrated his mind's defenses. He didn't understand! Why were these memories coming back!?! He hadn't thought about them in years, so what had suddenly triggered them? He shut his eyes again to try and recall what had happened before his injuries, but, to his fury, he came up empty handed once again.

I bet it makes you wish you were never born...

Taichi blinked at the foreign voice that entered his head.

Think of all the lives spent so that your sorry excuse for a soul could live on

"Damnit!" he whispered angrily as he pulled the pillow from beneath his head and slammed it over his head. Why couldn't he remember any of this! Why did these statements sound so familiar but he couldn't pinpoint when he'd heard them!

One word: Amnesia

Jyou had informed him of this minor case when Taichi had awoken without remembering how he attained all his injuries. He knew where he was and who he and the other occupants of the room were, so Jyou assured him it wasn't a serious condition, but he could only remember bits and pieces before his awakening; He remembered all the events leading up to the attack on Ken during his return trip, he could vaguely recall his stay in the Ichijouji dungeons, and a few scenes of his time spent at the ball could be identified...but after that...

He shook his head angrily. He was staring at a painting that was blurred and faded and he was trying to figure out what was happening with the few pieces that weren't contaminated. He was trying to figure out a puzzle when he only had a handful of pieces, he had a chest without a key, a door without a handle, a story without the middle section. The more he tried to focus on these missing pieces the more frustrated and angry he became; he was looking directly at the lost pieces of his mind, but he wasn't seeing them and it was driving him mad.

He pushed the limits of his mental capacity and realized that the last thing he remembered involved a girl he met at the ball. She was from Takenouchi, that much he was certain of, and she had a very high status...like the princess or something. He had spent a great deal of time with her and, contrary to most of his undercover missions where other nobles were involved, he had enjoyed himself whilst in her company. Completely unlike the mendacious females he was usually introduced to at these extravagant parties, the girl -- Sora, he believed her name to be -- was...different. Fun maybe? Exciting?

Well, regardless to what he thought about her, she was involved in the last memories he had, so, consequently, he had been thinking about her a lot as he tried to breach the protective walls his subconscious had set up to block him from whatever happened afterward. Unfortunately these walls had a few cracks in them and these damn voices would pester him during the most unexpected times.

Taichi sighed as he threw his pillow off his face with his good arm and sent it sailing across the room. He hated this place.

He was very grateful to Mai and the other members of the Coventry for allowing him to stay...but he could only take so much of this place before getting restless. He had never been one to stay in the same place longer than necessary. He craved adventure. He needed it the same way people required air. But with these godforsaken wounds Jyou told him he was forbidden to leave his bed.

Taichi smirked as he reached under his bed and pulled a shirt from the spotless floor beneath his mattress.

But what kind of thief would he be if he actually followed rules?

After carefully placing his shirt over his head and placing his broken arm into a makeshift sling he created he quietly placed his feet on the floor, only to draw them back just as quickly. The floor was freezing!

He groaned, but his need to leave the infirmary was greater than his reluctance to replace his feet on the icy wood flooring. Bracing himself he jumped off the bed and silently left the infirmary.

The corridors were dark -- no, correction, the corridors were pitch black. He was sure even if he lit a candle the comforting flame wouldn't be able to pierce the blackness. But despite the fear-inspiring scene Taichi's steps didn't falter. His destination was in mind, and he knew this place better than most of the nuns did.

After taking several turns and walking down numerous hallways Taichi finally came to a large door with brass handles. He rested his hand on the wood for a moment before shoving it open, instantly being greeted by a rush of icy air.

It was a large courtyard tucked within the other large buildings of the Coventry, but this courtyard held a more significant meaning to our young hero.

It was a full moon that night, giving the courtyard an ethereal glow that would've given anyone new to the scene goosebumps. A lone tree was standing near the center; its dead leaves were blowing in the cold breeze. Dotted here and there were stone benches, a few of them broken. But the most eye catching piece in the courtyard was a large rounded piece of marble that was situated on a little island in the center of a pond, located beside the tree.

Taichi walked down the small number of steps before his feet touched the damp grass, a small smile on his face. He crossed the browning grasses without much thought, his eyes set on the marble stone several yards away. The autumn air was so cold his breath clouded before him, lingering around his face for a moment before vanishing into the wind. He hated this time of year; too early for it to start snowing, but past summer. Autumn was the time that everything died, he was much more comfortable during spring and summer. But, as Taichi was all too accustomed with, death was inevitable...whether it was through natural causes...or murder.

He had crossed the stepping stones leading to the stone. White and black Koi fish swam around him and he glanced at them, gracing them with a small smile, before kneeling before the stone.

Polished to a glossy radiance, it reflected the glow of the moon just enough for the words carved into the marble to be readable.

Memorial of the Unshackled

Here we rest our loved ones passed

Those tainted by the evil cast,

We pray their sufferings come to rest

Amongst the angels, golden and blessed.

Although they've left their final fight

May they come back to keep us in their sight.

On gold and silver wings they fly,

their joyous laughter echoing through the sky.

We know their demise was brought by He,

But at least we mortals now know they're free.

R.I.P. Victims of the Dark Reign

Taichi stared at the words for a long time.

He didn't need to read the beautifully written letters any more than a composer would have to look over his most famous piece; the words were permanently burned into his mind.

He took a deep breath of the evening air before placing his hand on the grave. Almost instantly a smile was brought to his face. He almost felt connected to them somehow...he could almost hear his father's laugh, almost see his mother's eyes, eyes that were so much like his own. He almost laughed aloud when he heard -- almost heard -- his old mentor lecturing him about never giving up, especially if it involved something as important as the last piece of chocolate cake at a buffet.

He leaned his forehead against the cool marble, contrasting sharply with his fever.

So many people...so many people he knew and loved had this memorial as a final resting place.

Think of all the lives spent so that your sorry excuse for a soul could live on

Taichi clenched his eyes shut, "It's not true is it?"

I bet it makes you wish you were never born...

"Is it really my fault that so many people died?"

The sound of the wind howled around him, blowing his hair around wildly.

He received no reply...not that he expected one.

"I'm supposed to be a hero, right?" he laughed dryly, "Have all heroes killed as many as I have? Have all heroes crossed over to darkness at one point or another?" He paused for a long time, "Or am I not a hero at all..." He opened his eyes again and stared at his bandaged hands, "Am I the demon everyone says I am? Some sort of hellish creature trying to make up for all the horrible things I've done..."

The wind suddenly died to a soft breeze, brushing past his face with the tenderness of soft hands.

He clenched his hands and laughed in that same half-humored manner again, "An angel?" He looked at the grave again, "There's no place where you are for people like me."

The wind picked up again.

"Killing innocent people isn't forgivable." he yelled over the wind, and slowly the roaring calmed again. "Everything has a purpose...you told me this a long time ago...and for a long time my purpose involved ending the lives of others." He smiled grimly, "but I'm changing that fate. I vow to stop Ken and make your sacrifices worth while...or die trying." He smirked as he rose to his feet, ignoring the pain that stabbed through his chest from his ribs, "So you think a devil can grow wings?" He turned to stare at the moon, the wind began to pick up again, "Well, if that's possible, I'm crazy enough to try it."

Two leaves settled on the top of the tombstone, one gold, one red, before the winter air swept them up and carried them off into the night.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

"Is it REALLY possible to be bored after being abducted against your will by the most notorious gang in Ichijouji?!" Sora hissed angrily as she ended up in yet another unfamiliar corridor. She sighed with a heavy dose of exasperation. She had been wandering around the Coventry since dawn trying to find a kitchen where she could get something to eat. Unfortunately this was about three hours ago.

She walked down the corridor at a leisurely pace, eyes scanning each door she passed. Any one of those doors could hold what she was looking for, she realized, so, with the final thought of "What have I got to lose" crossing her mind, she chose the next door on her right and turned the doorknob.

She peered in and saw a small dark room filled with candles and essence. Sighing, she closed the door and went to the next one.

She continued this way for about twelve more doors before getting frustrated. Okay, I'll try one more door. she told herself. She glanced at all her choices, pointing at each one while saying a little rhyme in her head. She moved towards one on her left a few doors down, she stretched her hand out to take the doorknob in her hand, but something stopped her.

CRASH!!

Sora spun around to face the door opposite of her. "What the --" She glanced around before advancing towards the direction the crash came from. She leaned towards the room, pressing her ear against the door.

"Oh crap! Hikari's going to kill me!"

Sora blinked in confusion, but didn't have long to contemplate what it was she was hearing because the next moment she felt her support leaving her and she came rushing to meet the floor. She braced herself for the impact...but it never came. She opened her eyes and turned her gaze upward only to experience a strong case of deja vu as she laid eyes on the person that broke her fall.

"Whoa! Are you okay?"

Sora jumped up and brushed herself off. "I'm fine, thanks."

"Good." he beamed. Sora noticed how bright his smile was and once again was reminded of someone she met at the ball. "Sorry about that, by the way, I didn't know you were leaning against the door... wait why were you leaning against the door anyway?"

Sora blushed from embarrassment, "I heard something, but I didn't want to just barge in. Sorry about that -- ummm..."

"Daisuke."

Sora found herself staring at him with wide eyes. Okay, THIS was WAY too much of a coincidence. "Wait, your name is Daisuke?!?"

Daisuke's smile faltered a bit, "Umm...last time I checked."

"Were you at the Ichijouji's ball?"

Daisuke smiled again, "Yep."

This can't -- He can't be -- deep breaths Sora. She shook her head slightly and examined her new acquaintance a little closer. There's no way he could be THAT Daisuke. He's too young, and although they look alike there are still too many differences for them to be the same person.

"Ummm...are you okay?"

Sora snapped out of her thoughts and flashed her own smile in his direction, "I'm sorry, I met someone at the ball named Daisuke and for a second I thought you were him."

Daisuke grinned, "Nah, it couldn't have been me! There's no way he could be as devilishly handsome as I --"

"DAISUKE!!"

In the time it took for Sora to turn towards the owner of the new voice, Daisuke was hiding safely behind her, muttering curses under his breath. Sora glanced from the cowering younger boy to the fuming girl standing in front of her. The girl was very pretty with short, light brown hair and lovely brown eyes. Her attire, Sora commended, did NOT include a skirt or dress of any kind.

Daisuke nervously fidgeted behind Sora before coming to the conclusion that feigning innocence would be the best option to get himself out of this mess. "Umm...Hi Hikari!" he greeted, still using Sora as a human shield.

Hikari stormed over to the two, placing her hands firmly on her hips as her light brown eyes danced with fury. "Don't act innocent Davis. Consider yourself lucky you're not lying unconscious right now!"

Daisuke ducked lower behind Sora, hiding his face from view of the angry brunette. Okay, so that didn't work...maybe I should just stay quiet...YEA! That's it! Maybe she'll forget about me thanks to Sora!

Hikari gave the top of his head one more furious glare before noticing Sora's presence. "Oh! Forgive me for that outburst, you're Mimi's friend right? Sora?"

Sora wasn't sure how to respond to this young woman's question, mainly due to the fact that Mimi hadn't spared any information in her detailed stories about her, so she simply smiled uncertainly.

Hikari's smile seemed to light up the entire room. "Wow. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to finally meet you. I feel like I already know you thanks to Mimi's letters." Hikari continued conversing with her pleasantly, keeping an eye locked on Daisuke. "I hear you're very talented with swords Sora."

"I love swords." Sora said smiling, pleased that they were discussing a topic Sora was so familiar with.

Hikari's smile transformed into a smirk at Sora's confession. "Well, you'll fit in famously around here then. We're all a little weapon crazed...something that troubles me at times." Sora couldn't help but smile at the sound of HIkari's laugh at the end of her sentence. "DAISUKE DON'T MOVE!"

Sora glanced behind her to see Daisuke in a position ready to sprint down the hallway. Now that Sora had seen a small portion of Hikari's personality she realized Daisuke must've done something pretty bad to make the younger girl so angry.

Hikari smiled apologetically in Sora's direction, "I'm sorry Sora, but would you mind if I spoke to Daisuke in private for a moment?"

"Not at all." Sora said calmly.

Hikari smiled, "Thank you. If you want, you can go in there," she motioned to the door Sora was standing in front of. "I've got a bunch of my paintings in there."

Sora was intrigued by this, "You paint?"

Hikari beamed, "Yep."

Sora smiled as she turned around and walked into the room, but when she did she felt her breath constrict in her throat. The room was stunning! The room itself was quite plain, no furniture or spectacular windows...but the paintings! They were gorgeous!

There was one of Ichijouji market street on a busy weekday morning that was so perfectly drawn it felt as if Sora could walk through the portrait and end up on the destination drawn. There was another of a brilliant sunrise occurring on a grassy hill covered in yellow flowers, but the majority of the paintings were those of people.

The first one that caught her eye had a group of seven kids displayed, laughing and smiling with one another. As she inspected it closer she recognized several of the figures; Mimi, Jyou, Yamato, and who she presumed to be Hikari. They looked younger, and Sora realized this must have been painted before Mimi left for Takenouchi. She studied the other unfamiliar faces; there was a younger girl with short brown hair and sparkling brown eyes next to Mimi, and, upon further inspection, Sora realized it was the artist Hikari, standing next to Jyou was a boy with striking red hair and intelligent dark eyes, there was another younger boy on the other side of Hikari with blonde hair and a shy smile on his face, and finally there was a boy that Yamato had wrapped an arm around his shoulders, he had spiky brown hair and eyes that practically radiated the happiness he must've felt.

She glanced around and realized this particular boy was in many of the portraits, including one where he and Hikari were wrapped in a hug, smiling in her direction. As she stared into the still face she couldn't help but feel a wave of recognition wash over her...she knew him...

"I like that one too."

Sora jumped, spinning around in the air only to come face to face with Hikari. "You startled me."

Hikari grinned, "I noticed." Her eyes went back to the portrait and suddenly there was worry evident within her eyes. "That's my brother. He was injured during the raid...injured severely."

Sora looked at her, then back at the portrait, "I'm sorry."

Hikari's mood did a complete 180 and she was smiling brightly once again, "He'll be fine. He always is, after all." She began walking towards a pile of broken glass on the floor, her brows narrowing, "This was a vase I made...how did it --"

"Hey Hikari! Don't you think Sora would like something to eat!?!" Daisuke suddenly ran inside and jumped in front of the brunette girl to block her view of the broken vase.

Hikari turned her eyes away from the broken vase and looked to Sora with a shocked expression, "Sora have you eaten anything recently?"

Sora blinked as though the idea of food hadn't even occurred to her. "No, I haven't."

"You must be starving!" Hikari exclaimed. "Come with us, we'll take you to the kitchens."

Sora grinned, "Thank you! I've been trying to find the kitchens for hours!"

"Well it's a good thing we showed up then!" Daisuke announced as he practically ran out of the room, grasping Hikari's wrist and dragging her with him. Sora giggled as she rushed to catch up.

"Hey Daisuke do you know why my vase is broken?"

"Nope! No idea! Hehe, now who's hungry!! I know I am!!"

Sora and Hikari glanced at each other with raised eyebrows, then proceeded to laugh at the flustered, nervous boy.

"I'll get him back later," Hikari whispered to her.

Sora laughed in reply, she had a feeling she was going to get along with these two.

After a few minutes of joking and laughing with the duo -- Sora was shocked at how easily she got along with them -- they came to a large wooden door.

"Sora, this courtyard leads to all the major parts of the Coventry. If you learn the different passageways from this place, you'll never get lost again." Hikari smiled, "Well...unless you're like Davis over here."

Daisuke narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, "I have a bad sense of direction!"

Hikari giggled, "Is that really the best defensive argument Davis?"

Daisuke rolled his eyes as he threw open the door and walked into the courtyard.

Sora smiled, "Do you always pick on him?"

"Yep," she grinned, "I guess you could call it a hobby of mine."

The girls entered the courtyard laughing but as they continued walking through the enclosure, Sora's laughter came to an abrupt halt as she took in her surroundings. A carpet of browning grasses covered in a blanket of multi-colored leaves was what her eyes began drinking. Takenouchi's leaves didn't turn such vibrant shades of golds, reds, and oranges. They would turn brown, shrivel up, then die, so for her eyes this was a glorious sight indeed, and she was slowly becoming drunk on the spicy sent in the air.

A tree, nearly bare of all its leaves, was located in the center with a small pond and a marble stone beside it. She was so absorbed in the beautiful surroundings that she didn't notice Hikari had stopped in front of her.

She crashed into her new friend's back, creating a domino effect where Hikari toppled into Daisuke and the duo crashed into the ground. Sora, whose klutzy nature was once again showing due strongly to the fact that she was still wearing those horrible heels of her's, fell to the side instead. She sighed when she felt something cushion her fall.

"OUCH!"

Or maybe someone.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

me: YAY!!! Another chappie done!!! HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED IT!!! Heehee! ANOTHER CLIFFY!! MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! No worries everyone! I'll have some Taiora soon !! YaY TAIORANESS!!! haha. Well, I promise to have the next update posted as soon as possible!! Hopefully before Christmas!

Well, REVIEW PLZ!!! Or I'll sick Myotismon on ya!! MUWAHAHAHAHA!!! haha, LATERZ DUDES!!!!

CS

IF YOU WANNA KNOW!!

1.Vamde Myotis is a name I made up from Myotismon's Japanese and English names put together

2. Pierro Pied is also a name I made up. Pierro is taken directly from Pierrot (which is what he is) and Pied is just Piedmon without the mon

3. Yutaka is Tommy's infamous older brother from Digimon Frontier, the Japanese version doesn't give him a name, but in the English version they gave him the name Yutaka, which is an acronym for Takuya

4. I created Mrs. Mokobon's (you'll see her in later chapters) name by rearranging the letters in Bokomon (season 04)