Episode 9: The Tamers' Secret

Ichijouji Residence, Tamachi, Japan

Osamu couldn't wait until tomorrow. Ken was having her soccer game against that annoying Chosen. Oh, the irony. If only he was there to defeat them permanently.

Osamu stabbed his fish with his fork. The woman was talking about the interview again. Oh, how he hated her. He hated them so much. It was a shame he couldn't feed her to one of his pets.

"You know, Ken-chan's game is tomorrow?" he reminded them, interrupting her with nonchalance.

"Really?" the woman said with a surprised expression. "It's tomorrow?"

Osamu forced a nod. It wasn't a surprise that they forgot. They never remembered any of Ken's activities or achievements. Why start now?

"We should go cheer her on," Osamu told them. Oh, he knew their answer. He had told them about Ken's game last week.

"We both work and you have an interview," the man said as he popped a fish into his mouth.

"He's right," the woman nodded. "Maybe next time." Osamu frowned. There wasn't going to be a next time. Ungrateful insects.

Akiyama Residence, Tamachi, Japan

A smile crept onto her face as she read Daisuke's message. He sure was excited for their match tomorrow. She laughed softly as Daisuke went on to talk about his coach and how excited he was for after the game, so he could have Ken on their team. The couch sounded funny.

Ken continued to read and stopped. She couldn't have read that right. Why was Daisuke asking about her brother going to the game? She frowned slightly as she replied that she wasn't sure.

Of course. Osamu had an admirer. Why wouldn't Daisuke's sister not pester him about it? With an amused smile, Ken continued her conversation. Tomorrow was going to be so much fun.

The Next Day…

Odaiba Soccer Field, Odaiba, Japan

Daisuke couldn't express how excited he was. Who would have thought that he and Ken would finally play against each other? It was a dream come true! Although, he was a bit nervous about actually catching up to the girl prodigy. She had years of experience on her side and there was also the fact that she was mute. Her team must work like a system to make up for that.

Daisuke looked up to see his fellow Chosen Children watching him warm up. He smiled slightly as they yelled, "Good Luck". Now if only Ken's team would get here faster.

"Here they come!" Daisuke looked up to see a green and white bus. He watched the bus intently as the Tamachi team exited the bus. A smile crossed his face when he sees a familiar navy blue haired girl in a green and white soccer uniform, followed closely by a boy with spiky hair and dressed in a blue shirt with the Dragon Quest logo on it and jeans.

Daisuke waved at Ken when Ken's team reached the field. She smiled back at him before turning to follow her team for their warm-ups. Daisuke looked up again when he saw Taichi right behind him.

"Good luck and be careful. Ichijouji-san is very skilled and one of the best soccer players out there. Don't underestimate her because you two are friends." Daisuke nodded and followed Taichi's gaze to the other bleachers. A sadness crossed his features when they saw Akiyama taking a seat with a smile on his face. When Taichi and Akiyama's gazes met, however, Akiyama's gaze flashed with anger before he looked away to stare at Ken getting ready.

"What did you do to make Akiyama-san hate you so much?" Daisuke asked when Taichi's face fell.

"Something I wish I was never a part of," was all he said before patting his shoulders and walking back to the others.

A flash goes off as Ryo took another picture of Ken stealing the ball from the Odaiba soccer team. Oh, this was too good to pass up. He was so glad his mother got him this high definition camera with the instructions to take lots of pictures of the soccer game. Ryo burst into a fit of laughter as Ken smiled sweetly at Motomiya before stealing the ball from right under his nose.

"GO KEN-CHAN! SHOW NO MERCY!"

Ryo snapped a few more pictures of this best friend. Oh, the look on her face was radiant. Motomiya was getting creamed! Ryo cheered as Ken scored again and again. Motomiya was getting creamed and the look on his face was priceless.

The sound of a whistle went off after Ken scored her twentieth goal. Ryo took a quick snap of Motomiya's expression. It was the look of total disbelief. There was no way they could win.

"Is this seat taken?" Ryo blinked at the voice. He forced a pleasant smile on his features and turned to his best friend.

"Be my guess, Osamu-kun. But you missed Ken creaming the Chosen." Osamu smirked and shrugged his shoulders as he took a seat next to Ryo. Ryo noticed that Osamu was wearing a simple purple shirt, jeans and a hat to hide his hair. Osamu's eyes were still dull though, which meant he was still under the Dark Seed's control.

"It took some time to ditch the woman and to avoid the press," he answered smoothly as he glared at the Chosen.

"I'm surprised that you are here at all. Thought you'd be at an interview or in the Digital World."

"I canceled," Osamu replied, shifting his gaze to his sister. "I put Devimon in charge at the moment. What's the score?"

Ryo sighed. He should have known that Osamu wouldn't pause his reign for at least one day. "20 to 0."

Osamu smirked in satisfaction. "I hope you took a picture of their expressions," Osamu mused, giving Ryo a sideways glance.

"All thirty-five of them," Ryo said proudly, completely ignoring the Chosen who were talking on the field.

"I expect copies of all of them," Osamu retorted with a smile as the two captains got to the center and shook hands.

Ryo raised an eyebrow at the remark. Osamu was being a bit civil today, which was something considering all the trouble he had been causing in the Digital World lately. Although, they were in the Human World at the moment and Osamu did have a reputation to uphold. "Of course, but we will not join you."

Osamu removed his attention from Ken stealing the ball from the Chosen back to Ryo. "I know you won't. Not without Ken-chan at least."

Ryo narrowed his eyes slightly at the comment but didn't say anything. He didn't know what his best friend meant, but it didn't sound good. Ryo jumped to his feet, camera in hand when Ken and her team opened the right side while having the defenders raise the line about ten meters. "Good, girl, Ken-chan. Show them who's the boss!" Ryo yelled as ten more flashes go off.

Osamu smiled in satisfaction as his sister crushed his enemies. If only she was on his side, then they would be unstoppable. Osamu watched Ryo as he took more pictures of the Chosen welling in defeat.

"Tamachi Youth F.C., 23-0," went the announcer as the crowd cheered on both sides. Osamu glanced at the Chosen. He scoffed at them when they started cheering Motomiya on. Do they really think that baka can beat my sister? Insects.

"Wow, Ichijouji-san is amazing!" Miyako squealed as she pinched Poromon's face in her excitement. "I've never realized she was this good!"

"Ouch," Taichi winced as Ken scored again. "I was right. Ichijouji-san is not at an elementary school level. Her skill set is more aligned to an all-star for the youth league!"

"You're right, Oniichan," Hikari observed in awe. "Ichijouji-san's moves are so different from the others. She's so advanced!"

"At least we know how she's been able to avoid the Kaiser for this long," Iori commented.

Takeru nodded in agreement. "It's amazing, isn't it? Not only is she able to led her team without words, but she's able to see the whole field of play."

"How can you tell?" Hikari asked removing her eyes from the female soccer player.

"It's the same with basketball. She knows where her opponents and teammates are at all times, that's why she scores so easily," Takeru explained, just as Ken scored another goal. "She's truly a general, through and through."

"Well, she is a Tamer after all. It's not that surprising that she'll command them like she does the Digimon," Patamon squeaked softly. All the other Digimon nodded and hummed their agreements.

"Formation D everyone!" Katsu yelled to the others after Ken gave the quick sign to him. Ken started the formation with Katsu and Masu taking the position on her right and left. The others took their positions behind her, making sure the rest of Daisuke's team didn't get near her.

Ken ran down the field with Daisuke hot on her heel. Daisuke and her might be friends, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to make him pay for challenging her at soccer no less. Beating him in soccer was so much fun, especially since she was not getting chased by her brother or by a controlled Digimon. For the moment, she didn't care that there was a war in the Digital World. All she cared about at the moment was being herself and having fun.

Ken briefly looked behind her to see Daisuke running towards her right to try and tackle her. Ken knew she couldn't dodge it. Daisuke was too close. Ken did the only option she had. She passed it to Katsu, who made the shot instead. Unfortunately, the bottom of Daisuke's soccer shoe cut her ankle, tripping her in the process.

"KEN!"

Osamu and Ryo jumped to their feet in shock. No one has ever broken Ken's D Formation before. Ryo couldn't believe it. He contemplated on deleting that picture or not. Then again, he really didn't like that look on Osamu's face. Osamu was angry and shock all at the same time. He had a very bad feeling that Motomiya's tackle was going to cost him.

"Are you sure you're okay, Ken-chan?" Daisuke asked as a brunette with blue eyes, Katsu he believed his name was, inspected and treated the cut. "I didn't mean to cut your ankle," Daisuke continued sheepishly. "I was just trying to stop you from scoring, again."

Ken simply waved his concerns off with a warm smile. She turned to Katsu when he finished cleaning out the cut and applying a pink and polka dot band-aid. "That should do it, girl!" Kitsu said cheerfully. He threw his arm around her shoulder, pulling Ken into a sideways hug. "Gonna miss you, girl. Practice is not going to be the same without ya!"

Ken laughed softly as she signed to the perky boy. "Yes, yes, I know! There's always texting and emails, but I don't get to see you at lunch anymore. Who's going to talk to me about the latest fashions and cosmetics?" Daisuke raised an eyebrow as Ken commented to the girlish-boy. Who would have thought that kid was gay? "You're right as always!" Daisuke was totally lost. He should really learn sign language. "Long distance text messaging is so much fun! And it's not like I can't visit!"

Daisuke cleared his throat, cutting into the one-way conversation. "Sorry for interrupting, but…" Daisuke's voice trailed off, not sure what to say now that he had their attention.

The two gave each other looks before Kitsu spoke up. "Take care of her. She's the best we have." Daisuke nodded seriously.

"Don't worry, Ken-chan is in good hands."

Kitsu nodded as some of the boys behind them began whispering words about Ken leaving the team that made Daisuke frown. He looked at Ken questioningly.

"Some of the guys are snobs," Kitsu whispered. "They don't like that their captain is a girl." He shook his head sadly. "They say some mean thing behind Ken-chan's back."

Kitsu glanced at the bleachers to look at Akiyama and another boy making their way down. "Well, at least the few that haven't been taught a lesson by Ken-chan's bodyguard and gorgeous brother."

Daisuke only had a moment to process what Kitsu said before he yelled, "Hey gorgeous'! Haven't seen you in awhile! How'd you like the game?"

Ryo rushed down the stairs with Osamu in tow. As much as he didn't like the Chosen, he couldn't let Osamu kill the kid for doing a simple move. In fact, it was pretty impressive. He might be the first to tackle Ken in that formation.

"Oh, look. It's the fag," Osamu mumbled darkly. Ryo shot him a look to be quiet. Ryo hated the new feelings he's been getting over the years and being homophobic was one of them. He was never like this before.

"Hey, Kitsu-kun! Nice game!" Kitsu brightened.

"Thanks! All thanks to Ken-chan's leadership!"

"True," Ryo agreed. "Great job, Ken-chan! Creamed them as always," Ryo chuckled as he ruffled Ken's hair.

Ken attempted to slap him away. "Ryo not the hair. Do you have no shame?" Ryo shrugged in response, earning him a pout.

"Nicely done, baby sis," Daisuke blinked at the other boy. His eyes widening as he saw the resemblance. The navy blue hair, the dark violet eyes, the skin tone, the tone of the voice. He was the boy from the news he and the others saw the other day – Ichijouji Osamu.

Ken blinked in surprise. Before smiling brightly, but there was something in her eyes that Daisuke couldn't tell. Ken signed to her brother. What she said was unknown to him.

Daisuke watched the exchange between the siblings. The conversation might have been pleasant, but there was something up. He was getting a feeling that their smiles were forced. He knew he wasn't paranoid if the cold looks the elder Ichijouji was shooting at him indicated anything.

"Ichijouji Ken-san?" Daisuke was surprised to see his coach walking up to them. "I'm Coach Shinozuka. May I have a few words with you?" Ken nodded and dragged Kitsu and Akiyama with her to talk to the coach. Daisuke watched them in curiosity as Ken was introduced to his teammates.

"I must say, your play was quite impressive," Daisuke blinked at the comment. Ken's brother didn't just comment about his play, did he?

"T-thank you, Ichijouji-sama."

"I've never seen anyone break Ken-chan's formation before. I'm surprised."

"Really? I...uh...thank you, Ichijouji-sama."

"The names Motomiya Daisuke-kun, right?" Daisuke couldn't help but grin brightly. Ichijouji Osamu-sama knows my name! Did Akiyama-san or Ken-chan tell him about me? "It was very nice meeting you." Ken's brother smiled at him and Daisuke could see why the fangirls would go crazy about him. "Maybe we'll meet again someday."

Death Valley, Server Continent, Digital World

"Devimon! Status report!"

"The Dark Tower is built and fully operational, Master," Devimon told him as he got off the Airdramon.

"Good, very good. Everything's going according to plan."

"How was the game?" Devimon asked his master.

"My Kaiserin won 35 to 0." The Kaiser smirked in reply. "However, that Chosen had the nerve to tackle her. She has a scar now!"

Devimon blinked. "But doesn't she always get some type of cut when playing soccer."

The Kaiser scowled at him. "The Chosen attacked her," he hissed, "I will make him pay!"

Devimon nodded stiffly. It was best not to argue when he got like this. "Of course."

The Next Day...

Odaiba Elementary, Odaiba, Japan

Ken followed Hikari to the Girl's Locker Room. She quite enjoyed going to Odaiba Elementary. She had a lot of advanced classes as well as some special classes for her being a genius.

Ken changed into her regular clothes and was startled when Hikari began talking so suddenly. "So the Kaiser is being controlled by whatever hit him?" Hikari asked as she began putting on her shirt.

Ken nodded, wondering what Hikari wanted to know about this. "Can you tell me what you know about this Dark Seed and how it corrupted his crest?

Ken pulled out her D-Terminal after she finished putting on her purple T-shirt and jeans. She opened up a blank email message and typed out: I'll send you what I know later.

Hikari nodded. "Thank you, Ken-san. I am sorry about what happened to your teammate."

Ken gave Hikari a smile in response as she typed up another message. Did you tell the others?

"Yes, I told them. They were a bit shock. Oniichan wasn't that surprised though, considering all the heated glares Akiyama-san been giving us."

Ken blushed slightly at that and typed out an apology for his behavior. She was so going to talk to him later about this.

"It's fine. I guess we deserve it, even if I'm not sure what we did to anger Akiyama. Oniichan wouldn't say." She shrugged, while Ken frowned in response. Ryo would have a fit if he heard this. She was not going to start that inferno.

They soon left the Girl's Locker Room and walked down the halls that would take them to the computer room. They walked in silence as Ken glanced at the various posters and flyers that were on the walls. There was a dance coming up. Hmm, that brought some ideas.

"Do you want to come over?" Hikari's question startled her from her thoughts. Ken looked at her questioningly. Hikari flushed slightly as she tried to explain her sudden bluntness. "I mean it's a long way back to Tamachi from Odaiba. I just figured that maybe you might want to stay with one of us while you're coming to school with us. My parents have a guest bedroom and don't mind if you want to that is."

Ken stopped her as they reached the computer room. Daisuke and Miyako could be heard from inside. Ken really hadn't expected to be asked to stay over. It was really thoughtful of her. She was sure Martha wouldn't mind. She had been worried about her taking the train back when she wasn't going to the Digital World. Ken turned to Hikari with a grateful smile on her face and nodded. Hikari brightened with a smile on her face.

"Great, I'll just text my parents and Oniichan," Hikari said as she took out her cell phone from her bag and started texting. When she was done, they went inside. Ken raised an eyebrow in question as Daisuke and Miyako began arguing about the game.

"Hey, Hikari-chan, Ichijouji-san!" Takeru greeted them when they walked in.

"Hey!" Hikari greeted back as Ken waved.

"KEN-CHAN!" Minomon yelled in excitement as he flew into Ken's arms from his spot on the table. "I missed you! How was class?"

"Good," she signed to him. "Yagami-san invited us to stay at her place."

"Really?" Minomon asked. "That's great! But what about Ryo?"

"I'll tell him when we see him."

"What's wrong Iori-kun?" Hikari asked Iori as he looked at the map of the Digital World. On the screen, there was a single black square surrounded by white ones.

"It's a Dark Tower."

Ken simply watched them as they talked about the Dark Tower. She and Ryo saw it the night before. Before they parted ways at the train station this morning, he said he was going to the Digital World to check it out after class. It helped that he got out before her. Though, why Osamu created a Dark Tower in the middle of nowhere was beyond her. Something just didn't feel right with her.

She took out her D-Terminal and sent an email to Ryo. Her brows furrowed in confusion. Why was Ryo not emailing back? He shouldn't be that busy. Besides, he always replied to her messages, no matter the time. Why wasn't he now?

"Maybe he's at the Training Grounds?" Minomon spoke up.

Ken nodded. It was a good reason. Ryo has a bad habit of getting too involved in training the Digimon sometimes. Maybe they should stop by the training grounds first before going to Death Valley, just to make sure. Besides, she could gather Renamon and a few others to help.

Ken looked up when Hikari called her attention. "Ken-san is something wrong?" Ken noticed the others were looking at her too. With a small frown, she walked to the computer. Iori moved out of the way when she pointed to the keyboard. Ken began typing the coordinates for the training grounds. A screen popped up a few seconds later with an image of several Digimon in the background.

"Ichijouji-sama?" Daisuke asked as he tapped her shoulder. Ken glanced at him, knowing that they were wondering what she was doing. She looked at Chibimon and began signing to him.

"Ken wants us to go to the Training Grounds first. She wants to get Renamon and a few others to help us before we head to the Dark Tower." Chibimon frowned at what she signed to him. "She also wants to see if Ryo is there. He's not answering any of her emails."

The Chosen all looked alarmed by this information. They had all come to learn that there wasn't a minute when Ken and Akiyama aren't together or talking. If Ken was worried then something was up.

Tamers United Forces, Server Continent, Digital World

It was amazing! Never in his life had he ever seen anything like this before. The Tamers' Training Ground consisted of dummies, obstacles courses, targets, some type of sparring ring, and other stuff used for training Digimon. Takeru was impressed. Many of the Digimon they saw were Child level and they were fighting against each other in sparring matches.

Takeru followed close behind as Ken walked into a cottage. Takeru whistled as he took in the western style spacious living space. There was a living room, kitchen, dining room, game room, an office and study, library, and several bedrooms. The cottage seemed to be big enough to hold twelve people.

"RYO!" V-mon and Wormmon yelled.

Ken frowned when they got no response. Ken walked further into the cottage that was most likely Akiyama's room. The room with slightly messy with a few shirts on the computer chair and papers all over the computer desk.

Takeru watched in confusion as Ken picked up one of the papers and then turned ashy. That was not a good sign. "Is there a problem?" he asked.

She turned to them. The look on her face was a variety of degrees of worry and shock. Ken didn't elaborate, however. Ken simply rushed out of the room and out of the cottage with them trailing right behind her.

"What on earth is going on?!" Daisuke yelled as they ran out of the cottage and followed Ken into another. This time they went into a much bigger building. The building was twice as big and was made of metal. The inside, however, was nothing compared to the outside. The building was like one of those war room that he'd seen on TV with several Adult and Perfect Digimon arguing around a large table.

"Tamer, thank goodness you're here!" Renamon yelled as she spotted them. Ken signed rapidly to her. "Yes, I know. Ryo and his team have been ambushed by your–the Kaiser. He's missing and we can't get a hold of him."

They all took a sudden intake of breath. "Akiyama-san has been captured by the Kaiser?!"

Ken couldn't believe Ryo would be so stupid to go at it alone. He should have called her. Or at least bring more powerful Digimon with him. She bit her bottom lip as Renamon told her more about what happened and what Digimon were ready to go with her. She nodded and agreed that Harpymon, Piddomon, Buraimon, and Phelesmon were good to go with her.

She sighed worriedly as she ordered Wormmon to evolve. After the light show, Stingmon stood proud and strong and ready to fight. The other Chosen followed suit, evolving their own partners and following her and her team to rescue Ryo.

Death Valley, Server Continent, Digital World

"There really isn't anything in this area," Hikari said as they landed in the sandy dunes of the valley. Daisuke took a quick survey of the area. The place looked creepy if he was being honest with himself.

He glanced at the Dark Tower in the distance. "There it is!" Hopefully, Akiyama would be there and so would the Kaiser. He felt his blood boil at the very thought of him. The expression on Ken's face was something he didn't like. Daisuke had suggested that this might be a trap to get to Ken. Ken knew this and didn't care. All she cared about was getting Akiyama back.

Daisuke looked up to Ken, who was still sitting on Stingmon's shoulder. A worried frown was plastered on her features as she stared into the distance. He wondered what the female Tamer was thinking about.

"We have to be careful," Takeru advised. "This could very well be a trap. The Kaiser could be hiding here somewhere, along with any traps and controlled Digimon."

Harpymon huffed at his remark. "Please, don't act like we haven't done this before," she said dryly. "We've been in far worse situations than this."

Takeru flushed in embarrassment at her bluntness but didn't comment as the three Digimon started flying up in the direction of the Dark Tower. Takeru grumbled under his breath as they began walking. Daisuke simply ignored him though. The Digimon was right. The Tamers have been through a far worse war and were clearly more experienced. Telling them to be careful must be a joke to them.

As they were walking, they were watching their surroundings. The place looked quiet. Too quiet. I have a bad feeling about this, Daisuke thought, just as Miyako screamed as she got sucked into the sand. Daisuke and the others looked surprised at her sudden disappearance. But the situation just got worse when Takeru, Hikari, and Iori disappeared right along with her.

"Hikari-chan! Takeru-kun! Iori-kun!" Daisuke got to his knees with V-mon and started digging into the sand. How is this possible? How can they be gone? What on earth is going on?

"What's the holdup?" Daisuke heard the Samurai Digimon ask.

"The others were taken by the sand! We have to help them!"

"I'm afraid that's not possible, Chosen," a familiar voice said, followed by a laugh. Daisuke stopped digging in the sand and looked up to see Devimon hovering above a dune, but no Kaiser in sight.

"What have you done to them, Digimon Kaiser?"

The Digimon Kaiser laughed at him, which really irritated him. "They're with me, Chosen," he sneered. "Ah, my Kaiserin. I have our friend as well. We've been expecting you," he said in a much kinder tone. This guy was a creep on so many levels.

Ken had a very bad feeling when they got to the valley. She knew Ryo was here somewhere and so was her brother. But she couldn't shake the feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach. And then the others disappeared under the sand. This looks very familiar, Ken thought to herself. Why was she getting the feeling that Osamu was reenacting the same trap that Millenniumon did to them all those years ago?

Ken looked up when she heard her brother's voice. She narrowed her eyes when he mentioned Ryo. What was Osamu planning? Why was he lying to them, saying that he had the Chosen? Ken tried to warn Daisuke that he was lying, that is was a trap. Unfortunately, he ran off, not seeing her trying to get his attention. She grunted in exasperation. Boys.

When they caught up to Daisuke, Ken didn't bat an eye when she saw the Chosen tied up on a ledge or when Deltamon appeared. She rolled her eyes at that. They were clearly Bakemon in disguise. Ken didn't pay any attention to the fake Chosen or her brother's taunts to Daisuke. She was more concerned about her Ryo. On the other side of the valley, Ryo, Strikedramon, Akatorimon, and Cannonbeemon were locked up in cages. All the Digimon were knocked out, while Ryo was tied up and gagged.

Ken didn't pay any heed to the fake Chosen or her brother as she ordered the Digimon to help Ryo. They all nodded, knowing that this was all a trap. They weren't sure why Osamu was taunting the leader of the Chosen Children, but it sounded personal with the way he bowed down just because Osamu said so.

Ken jumped off Stingmon when they reached the cages. Ken opened the cages with ease and frantically untied her Ryo.

Daisuke swallowed his pride when he bowed down to the Kaiser. He had to save the others. He had to do it! He didn't understand why V-mon was hesitant to step on his head. Didn't he see that the others were in danger?

The Digimon Kaiser laughed at his predicament and taunted him more. But what he said next made him confused. "It's amazing how Ken-chan's opponent was reduced to a weak, pathetic Chosen, defeated by the Digimon Kaiser. It is truly sad that you will never get to face against her in soccer ever again!"

"What?"

"Daisuke-kun!" Daisuke lifted his head up in time to see his friends running behind him. But weren't they tied up? "It's a trick! All of it was a trick!"

He was such a fool. But wait, where was Ken?

"Dammit, Osamu!" Daisuke looked up just in time to see an enraged Akiyama Ryo charging at the Kaiser. Osamu? "Are you really that angry that Motomiya-san tackled your sister at the game?!"

Daisuke's eyes widened. He was sure the others' were just as shocked as he was, if the collected gasps were any indication. Daisuke couldn't believe what came out of Akiyama's mouth, though. They all watched in stun silence as Akiyama and the Kaiser fell over the cliff.

Memories swirled around in his head, replaying over and over again.

"Ken-san said that she loves him," Hikari revealed during their meeting.

"Loves him?" he asked confused. "How can she love the Digimon Kaiser?"

He didn't move when Ken made shocked whimpering sounds.

"He was different back then. Ken-san told me that this object of Darkness hit him."

Or when she ran to the edge with her partner tailing behind her.

"It corrupted his crest."

He couldn't believe any of this.

" He's being controlled."

The Digimon Kaiser was one of the Tamers.

"Why?" he whispered as Stingmon held Ken back, preventing her from getting closer to the edge.

The Digimon Kaiser was Ichijouji Osamu. Ken's older brother.

The rocks dug into his skin as they tumbled down the edge of the cliff. Actually, it was more like a small mountain than a cliff. They probably would have died if that was the case and it would not have been pleasant.

Ryo glared angrily at his best friend. "Do you really think this is funny, Osamu?" He asked heatedly. "What was that? I thought you hated them!"

"So do you, Ryo!" the Kaiser snapped back good-naturedly. "You hate them just as much as I do! You and I both know what they did at the D-1 Tournament! They knew what was going on and did nothing! They allowed Ken to get severely hurt!"

"Motomiya-san is not Yagami-san! He has nothing to do with this!"

"Oh," the Kaiser quipped when they crashed to the bottom. "Motomiya-san is just as guilty from where I'm standing."

"We're not really standing," Ryo said cheekily. This earned him a grunt from his best friend and ended up being pushed off him. Osamu took that moment to stand up, removing his glasses as he did so, while Ryo slowly got to his feet.

"I don't appreciate the humor," he said dryly with a glare.

Ryo shrugged. "And I don't appreciate being tied up," Ryo remarked with a glare of his own.

"You were the one who fell through the sand," he reminded.

"So did the Chosen," Ryo retorted. "But we're getting off track."

Osamu raised an eyebrow at him. "And what would that be?"

Smug bastard. "Why are you so intent on humiliating Motomiya-san?"

Osamu gritted his teeth, his lips curling up in a sneer. "He hurt Ken-chan. Any injury comes to her will face my wrath."

Ryo blinked. This sounded like something the normal Osamu would say. Osamu had always been a bit protective of his sister. In fact, he often threatened others when harm came to her. Was this their Osamu or was this the twisted one?

"Hell's Claw!"

"Tempest Wing!"

"Shooting Star!"

"Fire Rocket!"

"Ghost Chop!"

"Get back here you damn angel! Cyber Nail!"

"Look at them go!" Hikari spoke up as Cyberdramon chased after Devimon. She knew the Devimon gave Takeru bad memories, but at least he wasn't paying him any mind at the moment. Hikari watched the two Digimon, while the others wrapped up the Bakemon and Deltamon.

Hikari felt sad for Ken though. The Kaiser was Ken's brother? Well, it did make sense now. Ken's loved the Kaiser. It wasn't romantically like she'd first thought. This love was because they were family, siblings.

Hikari's heart ached for the other girl. Ken had been fighting her own brother this whole time. Who knew what pain that might have caused? She sighed and glanced at the female Tamer. Ken was still at the edge, trying to get out of Stingmon's hold. Ken was making distressed noises. It was faint, but she could still hear it. Ken was worried about both her brother and Akiyama. Poor, Ken-san.

"I can't believe it," Daisuke repeated when everything settled down. "Ichijouji-san has been going after his sister this whole time?"

"Poor, Ken-san," Miyako murmured as they watched Ken continuing to struggle in her partner's grasp.

"Let's see if we can calm her down," Takeru suggested as he walked towards the Insectoid Digimon.

"Ken, please calm down!" Stingmon pleaded. "I know you're worried, but I can't have you jumping over the cliff too! It's too dangerous!"

Ken didn't seem to listen to his words and continued to struggle. Her eyes were filled with tears that were freely falling down her face. The scene was heartbreaking. Ken really does love them both.

"Ken-san," Hikari spoke soothingly, trying to calm the distressed girl. "I'm sure they're fine. You know nothing can keep Akiyama-san down for very long." Ken, thankfully, stopped struggling in Stingmon's arms, much to his relief.

"Assuming the baka hadn't gotten himself hurt from that fall," Miyako commented.

Hikari spun to her with a disapproving stare as they all yelled her name. But what really made Miyako shut her mouth was the heated glare Ken shot back at her. Ken's eyes showed her concern for her teammates and clearly loved them. How much was still questionable.

Stingmon released his hold on his partner while she was busy glaring at Miyako. "I wouldn't call Ryo a baka if I were you," he advised before flying down the cliff to catch up with Ryo and the Kaiser.

Hikari blinked and wondered what he meant by that. Hikari noticed that Ken hadn't moved to follow her partner. Although, that could be because she was glaring heatedly at Miyako for insulting Akiyama. A smile crossed her features. They must really be close.

Ryo flinched when Ken threw herself at him. He hadn't meant to make her cry or worry her to death. Although, he did deserve the punch that he got when she was done fretting over him. He sighed again as Ken inspected his battle bruises and ignored the Chosen as they asked questions about Osamu.

Oh, he hated them so much. Who did they think they are demanding answers from him anyway? He glared at them and huffed.

"I don't need to tell you anything," he told them darkly. "This is our problem and I refuse to help you after what you Chosen did to us!" Ryo snapped at them, completely ignoring the confused looks on the three newer Chosen's faces. Yagami and Takaishi looked uneasy though. They knew what he was talking about.

"We haven't done anything to you," Hida protected. "Honest."

"You're talking about Taichi-sempai, aren't you?" Motomiya asked. Hida and Inoue blinked in confusion, while Yagami and Takaishi flushed a bit.

Ryo narrowed his eyes at them. "You should ask them then," he told them, ending the tense conversation when Ken was done.

Ryo looked at her when she tapped his shoulder. Ken had a frown on her features "Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?"

"I'm fine Ken-chan, Osamu didn't do any damage. Though, I can't say the same about the rocks. Kaasan is going to kill me!"

Ken smiled slightly before signing again. Ryo frowned at that. He didn't like that Ken was staying with Yagami today. He didn't like that Ken was interacting with them period. But he had no choice in that matter now did he? He sighed and nodded that he understood.

"Yeah, sure. I'll tell Kaasan that. But let me know when you get to her house. Kay?"

Ken brightened and thanked him. He smiled in return. Ken was a big girl and he trusted her with all his heart. Ken was smart and would do what she thought was right. Now if only they could get to Osamu before the Chosen did.

To Be Continued...