Through Their Eyes: Stalemate by Child of the Faeries
Part 7: The calm before the storm.... The three kings are reunited and friendships are forged forever......
Yamato opened his eyes and blinked. All around him were tubes and wires of different colors. He shuddered and sat up.
A kindly woman walked over to him and asked if he felt well enough to go back upstairs to join his friends. He nodded curtly and she started to remove the tubing that surrounded him.
"Where...... where is the girl? The one that arrived the same night that I did? Is she okay?" he asked groggily, rubbing his head. The nurse shook her head.
"She's placed over yonder," she said pointing with her finger. "Nasty shot she took. A couple of centimeters lower and she would be dead right now." She smiled cheerfully and walked away. "You're perfectly fine now, your Majesty." Yamato stood up.
His side was killing him. He pulled his shirt aside to see the bandage that covered his ribs. Groaning, he walked over to where Jun's bed was.
He gazed at her sleeping form with pity and wrath. Her face looked haunted underneath her halo of coppery hair.
He was filled with remorse. It was his fault that she was lying there, almost dead.
"I'm sorry," he mouthed, and he walked slowly away.
"Shin...... I have to return," Jyou said softly, and Shin's face couldn't hide his surprise.
"What are you talking about, Jyou? Leave the past to itself. It's time to move on." He looked down at the chess board again, trying to decide the best move.
"I can't do that. If I don't stand and fight... if I cower here...... I could lose my best friends in the world. I can't take that risk." Shin moved his knight and then looked at his brother again.
"Sounds serious."
"It is serious. I know Taichi will attack soon, and I have to help Yamato and Ken... They can't beat them alone..... Together we are strong......"
"Then go." Shin smiled."I would go with.... but I feel that this is a battle in which I would be in the way. I will be with you in spirit, as always." Shin grinned and gave Jyou a big hug. "When you return, I will still be here."
"I'll return soon."
"I never thought I'd see the day that I would be made the new leader of the rebellion," Iori said with a small smile on his face. "I'm such an odd choice."
Hikari smiled and they continued to walk up the hill. "You know, I've thought about this long and hard, and I've decided that we're all going to die. Every single one of us." He gave her a fatalistic smile, and she stopped in her tracks.
"Whatever are you talking about, Iori? Of course we won't die. We're fought harder things than three kings."
"We never beat Ken, did we? He beat himself." Iori paused, and looked into Hikari's eyes. "We've never beaten anyone human before."
"Oh, stop thinking so pessimistically," she begged. "We already lost some good friends. Our deaths won't help them now."
Iori smiled and whispered softly," At least we'll all die together."
Ken beamed brightly as Yamato seated himself at the dinner table. "It's good to see that you are okay."
"I'm perfectly fine. It was just a scratch." Yamato looked around the table and met Daisuke's eyes, which were troubled.
"We're just glad you are okay," Mimi said happily.
"Yes indeed," Ken declared, and everyone laughed.
"It is nice to know that you all care about me so much." He turned to face his redhead friend. "Koushiro.... I never got the chance to thank you properly. If it hadn't been for you, old friend, I wouldn't be here right now."
"Like I said before, you really shouldn't be thanking me. I was coming here to kill you."
"But you didn't. And that's all that matters." Yamato sighed and turned towards Mimi. "I need to apologize to you, also. I know," he blushed," that I haven't treated you very kindly in the last few weeks."
"It's okay. I understand how you felt that I was betraying Takeru and everything...... but you know that I would never do that, right?"
"Of course. We both knew how special Takeru was."
"So special......." she breathed, and Koushiro felt his heart breaking apart. Standing up, he tried hard not to cry as he walked across the room. It was so unfair......
He had just reached the door when it flung open, and in the doorway stood Jyou. He gazed at all of his friends with steely grey eyes and smiled.
The three kings were united again.
Taichi turned on the lights to his cheap hotel room and sat down on the bed. His friends... Sora, Hikari, Miyako... even stubborn Iori..... Their lives were lost forever.
Why wasn't he sad? Had he grown as cold and hard-hearted as the Three Kings themselves?
Sora. His one true love. She would always stand at his side.
Hikari, his own sister, who knew him better than anyone else in this entire earth.
Gone. All because of this stupid war. The death of friends.
Mindless killing. And yet, Taichi couldn't stop it. He had been the one to set the machine in motion, kindling the fires of hatred. Fires of courage.
Cursed Courage.
"Today we leave," Iori announced the next morning. "The King's Palace is a day's travel from here. This way we will arrive with plenty of time to spare. I don't want Taichi to think that we abandoned him."
As the others packed their bags, Iori walked over to Sora and tapped her on the shoulder. "Sora..... you can't come with us."
"Are you going to kill me?" she asked quickly, surprising the others. "Are you going to kill the traitor that I am?"
Iori didn't smile, but his eyes were warm. "No. Leave us and we will not harm you. Sora, you are our friend, no matter what you did to us."
"How did you know?" Sora asked as she stood up, amazed that she was still alive. "How did you know that I was the betrayer?"
Iori's friendliness faded. "I could see it in your eyes."
"You are a good man, Iori. Better than most," Sora said, bowing low before him. "Any other person would have killed their friend in."
"Friends must learn to trust one another, even in treachery. What good will come out of my mercy? I do not know. But it is of a greater good that I do this. You will not have to face the horrifying slaughter that is to come."
"Thank you," Sora said, and she disappeared out the door. If she stayed any longer she would have been killed.
Hikari turned to Iori, a dazed look in her eyes. Miyako looked angry and confused, but all this Iori ignored. He watched Sora's retreating figure and wished that it could have been him that was fleeing.
"Koushiro..... please don't hate me," Mimi whispered from the doorway of Ken's room.
"Why would I hate you, Mimi?" Koushiro asked, standing up.
"Because........ because letting go is hard sometimes. I mean, you love someone with your entire soul and then they are ripped away from you... "
"I know you loved Takeru. You love him still. I can see that in your eyes whenever we're together. You wish..... that is was him you were seeing, instead of me."
"Koushiro.... you know that isn't true. I never have had a dearer and truer friend than you."
"Friend." His laughter was hard, like shards of glass. "Friend indeed. If only I meant something more to you."
"Koushiro..... it isn't meant to be."
"How to you know? What right do you have to decide Fate?"
"I just have this premonition...It just.....I....." Koushiro stormed past her, his eyes ringed with fury.
"What are you doing, Yamato?" Ken asked, walking onto the balcony where Yamato was smoking a cigarette, staring upwards. "You didn't come to dinner."
"I was just talking to my brother and wishing on the stars," he replied, a hint of laughter in his voice. "Foolishness, I know. You don't have to tell me."
"No," Ken murmured quietly," it's not that foolish. I talk to my brother all of the time." He paused, moving to stand right next to Yamato. "And as for wishing on stars, I wish that none of our friends get hurt in the upcoming battle."
"The rebels have left their base," Jyou said suddenly, appearing from the shadows. "They will reach us by tomorrow evening."
"So soon?" Yamato asked, cursing. "There is not much time to prepare."
"Prepare? For what?" Ken scoffed. "Once they get here, we have each other in stalemate. You can't hurt one side without hurting the other. They will not have the guts to fight."
"You speak so confidently," Yamato murmured. "You do not know the Taichi that I know. He will stop at nothing."
"At least.... we still have one night together," Jyou said, leaning against the railing. "One last chance to say our regrets, mistakes and hopes."
"Regrets? I have too many regrets. I feel.... at times...... like my entire life is a regret." Yamato sighed and lit another cigarette.
"You really shouldn't smoke those things. They're bad for your health," Jyou advised, and Ken grinned.
"Only Dr. Jyou would say something like that on what may be his last night to life."
"Don't think so negatively. Like you said, we've got each other in stalemate. Never side can win now."
"Sometimes I wish that go back in time... and change it. Or some spiritual intervention would stop us from this madness."
"Well, it's too late from that now," Ken said, looking away from his friends. "All we have now is the future."
Yamato walked into the infirmary slowly. What would he say? Cautiously he approached Jun's bed and sat beside it. The machines beeped and whirled, and Jun opened her eyes slowly.
"What do you want?" she asked, all of her words slurring together.
"I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I know... that it's partially my fault that you ended up here. Well, mostly my fault." He smiled and she looked at him warily.
"I'm sorry," she said finally. "I shouldn't have done that. I wouldn't blame you if you pulled a gun out and blasted my brains to pieces right now."
"I couldn't do that. I care too much about you and Daisuke. It wouldn't be fair. Plus, I'd kind of miss having you around." She smiled. but her eyes soon grew sober again.
"That night, when I had Ken's knife and you smiled at Death.....Did you really want to die?" Jun's eyes were filled with wonder.
Yamato hung his head in shame. "Yes, I did. Takeru's death... almost pushed me over the edge. I didn't care about my father's death... I fully take the blame for that one. But Takeru..... My mother's little angel, Takeru.... he didn't deserve the death he received. Mimi didn't deserve to lose her fiancé like that. I didn't deserve to lose my brother...All of these things compiled on me, driving me crazy. And then you appeared..... offering me a way out."
"I hated you...." she murmured softly.
"You saved me. In a weird, round-about way, you pulled me out of the depths of my despair and made me a better person." Yamato stood up, embarrassed that he had opened a little bit of his heart to Jun.
"You're an angel," he whispered as he kissed her forehead and walked away.
As Yamato walked out of the infirmary, he walked into Daisuke. "My friend, you need to get your sister and yourself out of here. The battle is going to be tonight, and I don't want either of you to be here. You might get hurt."
"I've been in tougher battles than this! And Jun won't be able to leave for a few more days."
"Listen to me, kid. I told you to get out of here. Ken has already removed all of the guards. We have no protection, no way to stop the rebels once they are inside."
"But I thought.....Ken said it would be a draw and everyone would stop fighting."
"Name me one time that Taichi stopped fighting for something he believed in and I'll let you stay." Daisuke hung his head low.
"I see your point."
"Don't take this personally, Daisuke. It's just..... You're the only brother I have left now, you know? I don't want to see you get hurt."
He called me his brother. Words could not express what Daisuke felt like as he embraced Yamato for what could be the final time they ever saw each other.
"This is the King's Palace?" Miyako said, disdain in her voice. "I thought it would be bigger or something."
"What interests me is the lack of guards," Iori said, scanning the length of the palace. "These three kings are just begging to be killed."
"I don't know..... It looks like a trap to me." The three friends looked at each other and Miyako laughed.
"Dream on, Hikari. They won't even know what hit them."
"This just...... feels wrong. Something inside me says that this battle will not have a happy ending."
"You're just nervous," Iori said, resting a hand upon her shoulder. "Don't worry. What I said earlier, about all of us dying? I was just kidding."
"No.......... this is all wrong." Hikari shook her head, trying to figure out what her subconscious was trying to tell her. Ghosts and shadows of previous conversations filled her head. Taichi and Yamato fighting. Iori and Jyou saving them when all hope seemed lost. Ken losing Wormmon.
"What is going on?" she mumbled, trying to free herself from the vortex that was arching around in her mind. Takeru saving her from Piedmon. Mimi making the graves for their lost friends.
All of these memories attacked her, blinding her reality. Daisuke playing soccer while the others cheered him on. Miyako receiving the Digi-Egg of Sincerity. Koushiro typing on his laptop, saving them once again.
Such good friends...... No one should lose friends like them, Hikari thought weakly as the cyclone exploded and she slipped into darkness.
The dinner table was strangely silent with the absence of Daisuke and all of the servants. The three kings chewed their food methodically, trying to calm their nerves.
"What is going on?" Mimi asked, exasperated.
"Nothing."
"What do you mean, nothi-" Koushiro touched her hand and shook his head. Mimi fell silent.
"I'll keep guard until 1:00," Ken whispered to Yamato as they left the table. "Will you take over after that?"
"You can count on me."
Darkness fell, and Taichi approached the palace slowly. There was no sign of any guards yet... not sign of life at all.
Cautiously he started to climb the wall, holding on to the tiny niches the rocks formed. Higher and higher he rose.....
Finally he reached a plateau. Breathing heavily, he looked down to the barren earth below. So cold and grey....
"This is the moment I have been waiting for!" he said fervently, getting his gun ready. "Tonight the three kings fall and I shall have to revenge." He leaned against the glass window of the Queen's Room and smiled.
"For Takeru!" he murmured as he smashed the window as quietly as possible. Ducking inside, he entered the room, only to notice a girl in the bed. Cursing, he tried to slip out of the room silently, but the girl awoke with a start.
"Taichi?" Mimi cried as Taichi disappeared into the hallway.
On the other end of the palace, Ken stopped in his tracks. He had heard something, he was sure. Grinning, he headed in the direction that the sound had come from, welcoming to battle. Nearby a clock struck 11: 00.
This is the end.
No amount of wishful thinking can make us stop now.
No one's safe until the winner cries checkmate.
He crept down the hallway, oblivious to the dark shadow that followed him, as silent as a ghost and deadly as a cobra.
It's all in Fate's hands now.
Ken continued down the hall, anticipating the battle that they were all destined to fight .
The battle that no one could win.
Part 7: The calm before the storm.... The three kings are reunited and friendships are forged forever......
Yamato opened his eyes and blinked. All around him were tubes and wires of different colors. He shuddered and sat up.
A kindly woman walked over to him and asked if he felt well enough to go back upstairs to join his friends. He nodded curtly and she started to remove the tubing that surrounded him.
"Where...... where is the girl? The one that arrived the same night that I did? Is she okay?" he asked groggily, rubbing his head. The nurse shook her head.
"She's placed over yonder," she said pointing with her finger. "Nasty shot she took. A couple of centimeters lower and she would be dead right now." She smiled cheerfully and walked away. "You're perfectly fine now, your Majesty." Yamato stood up.
His side was killing him. He pulled his shirt aside to see the bandage that covered his ribs. Groaning, he walked over to where Jun's bed was.
He gazed at her sleeping form with pity and wrath. Her face looked haunted underneath her halo of coppery hair.
He was filled with remorse. It was his fault that she was lying there, almost dead.
"I'm sorry," he mouthed, and he walked slowly away.
"Shin...... I have to return," Jyou said softly, and Shin's face couldn't hide his surprise.
"What are you talking about, Jyou? Leave the past to itself. It's time to move on." He looked down at the chess board again, trying to decide the best move.
"I can't do that. If I don't stand and fight... if I cower here...... I could lose my best friends in the world. I can't take that risk." Shin moved his knight and then looked at his brother again.
"Sounds serious."
"It is serious. I know Taichi will attack soon, and I have to help Yamato and Ken... They can't beat them alone..... Together we are strong......"
"Then go." Shin smiled."I would go with.... but I feel that this is a battle in which I would be in the way. I will be with you in spirit, as always." Shin grinned and gave Jyou a big hug. "When you return, I will still be here."
"I'll return soon."
"I never thought I'd see the day that I would be made the new leader of the rebellion," Iori said with a small smile on his face. "I'm such an odd choice."
Hikari smiled and they continued to walk up the hill. "You know, I've thought about this long and hard, and I've decided that we're all going to die. Every single one of us." He gave her a fatalistic smile, and she stopped in her tracks.
"Whatever are you talking about, Iori? Of course we won't die. We're fought harder things than three kings."
"We never beat Ken, did we? He beat himself." Iori paused, and looked into Hikari's eyes. "We've never beaten anyone human before."
"Oh, stop thinking so pessimistically," she begged. "We already lost some good friends. Our deaths won't help them now."
Iori smiled and whispered softly," At least we'll all die together."
Ken beamed brightly as Yamato seated himself at the dinner table. "It's good to see that you are okay."
"I'm perfectly fine. It was just a scratch." Yamato looked around the table and met Daisuke's eyes, which were troubled.
"We're just glad you are okay," Mimi said happily.
"Yes indeed," Ken declared, and everyone laughed.
"It is nice to know that you all care about me so much." He turned to face his redhead friend. "Koushiro.... I never got the chance to thank you properly. If it hadn't been for you, old friend, I wouldn't be here right now."
"Like I said before, you really shouldn't be thanking me. I was coming here to kill you."
"But you didn't. And that's all that matters." Yamato sighed and turned towards Mimi. "I need to apologize to you, also. I know," he blushed," that I haven't treated you very kindly in the last few weeks."
"It's okay. I understand how you felt that I was betraying Takeru and everything...... but you know that I would never do that, right?"
"Of course. We both knew how special Takeru was."
"So special......." she breathed, and Koushiro felt his heart breaking apart. Standing up, he tried hard not to cry as he walked across the room. It was so unfair......
He had just reached the door when it flung open, and in the doorway stood Jyou. He gazed at all of his friends with steely grey eyes and smiled.
The three kings were united again.
Taichi turned on the lights to his cheap hotel room and sat down on the bed. His friends... Sora, Hikari, Miyako... even stubborn Iori..... Their lives were lost forever.
Why wasn't he sad? Had he grown as cold and hard-hearted as the Three Kings themselves?
Sora. His one true love. She would always stand at his side.
Hikari, his own sister, who knew him better than anyone else in this entire earth.
Gone. All because of this stupid war. The death of friends.
Mindless killing. And yet, Taichi couldn't stop it. He had been the one to set the machine in motion, kindling the fires of hatred. Fires of courage.
Cursed Courage.
"Today we leave," Iori announced the next morning. "The King's Palace is a day's travel from here. This way we will arrive with plenty of time to spare. I don't want Taichi to think that we abandoned him."
As the others packed their bags, Iori walked over to Sora and tapped her on the shoulder. "Sora..... you can't come with us."
"Are you going to kill me?" she asked quickly, surprising the others. "Are you going to kill the traitor that I am?"
Iori didn't smile, but his eyes were warm. "No. Leave us and we will not harm you. Sora, you are our friend, no matter what you did to us."
"How did you know?" Sora asked as she stood up, amazed that she was still alive. "How did you know that I was the betrayer?"
Iori's friendliness faded. "I could see it in your eyes."
"You are a good man, Iori. Better than most," Sora said, bowing low before him. "Any other person would have killed their friend in."
"Friends must learn to trust one another, even in treachery. What good will come out of my mercy? I do not know. But it is of a greater good that I do this. You will not have to face the horrifying slaughter that is to come."
"Thank you," Sora said, and she disappeared out the door. If she stayed any longer she would have been killed.
Hikari turned to Iori, a dazed look in her eyes. Miyako looked angry and confused, but all this Iori ignored. He watched Sora's retreating figure and wished that it could have been him that was fleeing.
"Koushiro..... please don't hate me," Mimi whispered from the doorway of Ken's room.
"Why would I hate you, Mimi?" Koushiro asked, standing up.
"Because........ because letting go is hard sometimes. I mean, you love someone with your entire soul and then they are ripped away from you... "
"I know you loved Takeru. You love him still. I can see that in your eyes whenever we're together. You wish..... that is was him you were seeing, instead of me."
"Koushiro.... you know that isn't true. I never have had a dearer and truer friend than you."
"Friend." His laughter was hard, like shards of glass. "Friend indeed. If only I meant something more to you."
"Koushiro..... it isn't meant to be."
"How to you know? What right do you have to decide Fate?"
"I just have this premonition...It just.....I....." Koushiro stormed past her, his eyes ringed with fury.
"What are you doing, Yamato?" Ken asked, walking onto the balcony where Yamato was smoking a cigarette, staring upwards. "You didn't come to dinner."
"I was just talking to my brother and wishing on the stars," he replied, a hint of laughter in his voice. "Foolishness, I know. You don't have to tell me."
"No," Ken murmured quietly," it's not that foolish. I talk to my brother all of the time." He paused, moving to stand right next to Yamato. "And as for wishing on stars, I wish that none of our friends get hurt in the upcoming battle."
"The rebels have left their base," Jyou said suddenly, appearing from the shadows. "They will reach us by tomorrow evening."
"So soon?" Yamato asked, cursing. "There is not much time to prepare."
"Prepare? For what?" Ken scoffed. "Once they get here, we have each other in stalemate. You can't hurt one side without hurting the other. They will not have the guts to fight."
"You speak so confidently," Yamato murmured. "You do not know the Taichi that I know. He will stop at nothing."
"At least.... we still have one night together," Jyou said, leaning against the railing. "One last chance to say our regrets, mistakes and hopes."
"Regrets? I have too many regrets. I feel.... at times...... like my entire life is a regret." Yamato sighed and lit another cigarette.
"You really shouldn't smoke those things. They're bad for your health," Jyou advised, and Ken grinned.
"Only Dr. Jyou would say something like that on what may be his last night to life."
"Don't think so negatively. Like you said, we've got each other in stalemate. Never side can win now."
"Sometimes I wish that go back in time... and change it. Or some spiritual intervention would stop us from this madness."
"Well, it's too late from that now," Ken said, looking away from his friends. "All we have now is the future."
Yamato walked into the infirmary slowly. What would he say? Cautiously he approached Jun's bed and sat beside it. The machines beeped and whirled, and Jun opened her eyes slowly.
"What do you want?" she asked, all of her words slurring together.
"I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I know... that it's partially my fault that you ended up here. Well, mostly my fault." He smiled and she looked at him warily.
"I'm sorry," she said finally. "I shouldn't have done that. I wouldn't blame you if you pulled a gun out and blasted my brains to pieces right now."
"I couldn't do that. I care too much about you and Daisuke. It wouldn't be fair. Plus, I'd kind of miss having you around." She smiled. but her eyes soon grew sober again.
"That night, when I had Ken's knife and you smiled at Death.....Did you really want to die?" Jun's eyes were filled with wonder.
Yamato hung his head in shame. "Yes, I did. Takeru's death... almost pushed me over the edge. I didn't care about my father's death... I fully take the blame for that one. But Takeru..... My mother's little angel, Takeru.... he didn't deserve the death he received. Mimi didn't deserve to lose her fiancé like that. I didn't deserve to lose my brother...All of these things compiled on me, driving me crazy. And then you appeared..... offering me a way out."
"I hated you...." she murmured softly.
"You saved me. In a weird, round-about way, you pulled me out of the depths of my despair and made me a better person." Yamato stood up, embarrassed that he had opened a little bit of his heart to Jun.
"You're an angel," he whispered as he kissed her forehead and walked away.
As Yamato walked out of the infirmary, he walked into Daisuke. "My friend, you need to get your sister and yourself out of here. The battle is going to be tonight, and I don't want either of you to be here. You might get hurt."
"I've been in tougher battles than this! And Jun won't be able to leave for a few more days."
"Listen to me, kid. I told you to get out of here. Ken has already removed all of the guards. We have no protection, no way to stop the rebels once they are inside."
"But I thought.....Ken said it would be a draw and everyone would stop fighting."
"Name me one time that Taichi stopped fighting for something he believed in and I'll let you stay." Daisuke hung his head low.
"I see your point."
"Don't take this personally, Daisuke. It's just..... You're the only brother I have left now, you know? I don't want to see you get hurt."
He called me his brother. Words could not express what Daisuke felt like as he embraced Yamato for what could be the final time they ever saw each other.
"This is the King's Palace?" Miyako said, disdain in her voice. "I thought it would be bigger or something."
"What interests me is the lack of guards," Iori said, scanning the length of the palace. "These three kings are just begging to be killed."
"I don't know..... It looks like a trap to me." The three friends looked at each other and Miyako laughed.
"Dream on, Hikari. They won't even know what hit them."
"This just...... feels wrong. Something inside me says that this battle will not have a happy ending."
"You're just nervous," Iori said, resting a hand upon her shoulder. "Don't worry. What I said earlier, about all of us dying? I was just kidding."
"No.......... this is all wrong." Hikari shook her head, trying to figure out what her subconscious was trying to tell her. Ghosts and shadows of previous conversations filled her head. Taichi and Yamato fighting. Iori and Jyou saving them when all hope seemed lost. Ken losing Wormmon.
"What is going on?" she mumbled, trying to free herself from the vortex that was arching around in her mind. Takeru saving her from Piedmon. Mimi making the graves for their lost friends.
All of these memories attacked her, blinding her reality. Daisuke playing soccer while the others cheered him on. Miyako receiving the Digi-Egg of Sincerity. Koushiro typing on his laptop, saving them once again.
Such good friends...... No one should lose friends like them, Hikari thought weakly as the cyclone exploded and she slipped into darkness.
The dinner table was strangely silent with the absence of Daisuke and all of the servants. The three kings chewed their food methodically, trying to calm their nerves.
"What is going on?" Mimi asked, exasperated.
"Nothing."
"What do you mean, nothi-" Koushiro touched her hand and shook his head. Mimi fell silent.
"I'll keep guard until 1:00," Ken whispered to Yamato as they left the table. "Will you take over after that?"
"You can count on me."
Darkness fell, and Taichi approached the palace slowly. There was no sign of any guards yet... not sign of life at all.
Cautiously he started to climb the wall, holding on to the tiny niches the rocks formed. Higher and higher he rose.....
Finally he reached a plateau. Breathing heavily, he looked down to the barren earth below. So cold and grey....
"This is the moment I have been waiting for!" he said fervently, getting his gun ready. "Tonight the three kings fall and I shall have to revenge." He leaned against the glass window of the Queen's Room and smiled.
"For Takeru!" he murmured as he smashed the window as quietly as possible. Ducking inside, he entered the room, only to notice a girl in the bed. Cursing, he tried to slip out of the room silently, but the girl awoke with a start.
"Taichi?" Mimi cried as Taichi disappeared into the hallway.
On the other end of the palace, Ken stopped in his tracks. He had heard something, he was sure. Grinning, he headed in the direction that the sound had come from, welcoming to battle. Nearby a clock struck 11: 00.
This is the end.
No amount of wishful thinking can make us stop now.
No one's safe until the winner cries checkmate.
He crept down the hallway, oblivious to the dark shadow that followed him, as silent as a ghost and deadly as a cobra.
It's all in Fate's hands now.
Ken continued down the hall, anticipating the battle that they were all destined to fight .
The battle that no one could win.