Words: 10,601/12,691||Chapters: 10/12

"I will never do what you want! Never again!" Yamato shouted at the top of his lungs, gratified to see Piemon taking a step back. "I'll find a way to get Takeru back and Patamon back and there's nothing you can do to change that! I'm a Chosen, whether or not I'm your spawn, and you can't change that, either!"

Piemon's scarlet gaze didn't move from him. Yamato could see the rage slowly rising and refused to back down. He meant every word that he said. As much as the very idea sickened him, Piemon and Takeru being connected like Piemon claimed they were meant that Takeru was safe. Piemon wouldn't hurt him.

And Takeru being safe meant that Piemon didn't have any more hold over Yamato.

But before Yamato took a handful of breaths more, Piemon moved forward, once more pinning him against the wall, but with a mad smirk wreathing across his features.

"I wanted you to be my son, my heir, my Anbumon because you are aware of the power my blood bestows upon you. I wanted you to pledge yourself to me because you accept the wisdom of being my son. But if you refuse to accept that, I will have to persuade you." His smirk widened as Yamato's feet kicked helplessly. "And you'll find I am very persuasive when I wish to be."

He raised Yamato up and slammed him against the stone wall, gesturing for the gathered Digimon to disperse.

"I will deal with my disobedient son," he told them. "Go ensure that the Chosen don't interfere."

Yamato tried to struggle to his feet. He'd barely gotten them under him, not even able to actually stand up, before Piemon hit him again, this time sending him flying all the way across the room.

"You won't do as you're told. Very disobedient of you," Piemon said, floating towards him. Yamato groaned, trying to get his head put together enough to do more than lay there. "I should warn you: I won't kill your brother. But there are far more things I can do than kill him. Things you would call worse than death." His smile didn't improve with age or practice. "He's almost of age to be useful and I must say, I find him attractive, for a human. I've always had a taste for blonds." Again he smiled, and Yamato just barely had time to think that was the worst one yet before he found himself hurled across the room yet again. "As Vamdemon could tell you – and likely will."

Yamato groaned, managing to push himself to his feet this time before Piemon drew closer again. He no longer knew where his swords were and he wouldn't have known how to use them even if he had. He breathed a little harder as what Piemon said sank into him.

"I didn't want to know that." He rested one hand against the wall and tried to avoid looking at Takeru. He couldn't be distracted. Piemon's attention needed to be on him and nothing else, no one else.

"Oh, but I think you did. I might have restrained myself if you'd done as I told you." Piemon hovered right next to him, staring and smiling as if Yamato were an especially tempting morsel he planned on savoring. "I don't plan on keeping him asleep forever. Only as long as it suits my purposes." His hand flew out again and Yamato knew he was taking his time, dragging this out, letting it go as long as possible just to hurt him even more…

Yamato's hands flew up, just a fraction faster than Piemon's. They closed over Piemon's hands, and every sensation of rage, every scrap of anger, every tiny little bit of hate that he'd ever experienced in his entire life, but most especially since Piemon began to fill his mind with dreams and lured him here…

It all focused into his grip and there was fire and it was red as heart's blood and it was blue as noon's skin and it was black as a starless night and Piemon jerked back, an actual expression of surprise flickering across his face.

"So that is one of your attacks," Piemon mused, staring at Yamato's hands. Yamato stared himself; was this what it was like when a Digimon wielded fire?

He thought he kind of liked it. Especially if it kept Piemon at bay.

He clenched his fists and tongues of flame wrapped around them as he concentrated on how furious he was, on how he wanted Piemon gone and gone forever, never to bother any of them again.

Fire blazed outward once again. This time, unfortunately, Piemon moved to the side, unnatural grace and wicked smiles flowing into one another.

"All the power you have I gave to you with my blood," Piemon said. "You are strong – you'll get stronger, with training."

That definitely went on the list of things that Yamato didn't want to hear. But Piemon wasn't done yet.

"And I think it's time that we stopped such foolish games and you learned that you belong to me."

Yamato shook his head. Conjuring these flames took more out of him than he would have imagined, and it didn't help that most of his body ached in a thousand ways after all of Piemon's casual knocking around. But he wasn't going to back down on that.

"I'm not yours. Neither is Takeru. None of us are."

"I think you'll find I can change that." Piemon moved. Yamato barely had time to realize that he was moving before he found himself face down on the floor. "And I will."

Yamato expected any number of things. He expected pain. He got it. He expected anger. That boiled up in a heartbeat. He expected so much and he had more than he'd ever wanted of all of it, and then there was so much more.

Piemon's fingertips brushed up against the small of his back. "And now, my son, It's time for you to wake up."

And Yamato's world became nothing but screaming and shadows.

To Be Continued

Notes: Seriously, Yamato is powerful, but Piemon knows how to use his power. That makes a huge difference.