Disclaimer: Digimon, its plots, characters and concepts are not mine. They're belonged to such people as Toei Animation, Bandai and Saban. All are being borrowed and will hopefully be brought back as they were. No profit is being made, so please don't sue. Any quotes from the Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux aren't mine either. The Ghost Roads idea was borrowed from the Buffy Trilogy, The Gatekeeper I think. It's not mine either. Any original characters and this fic are mine.
Daisuke had been expecting the ghost to say many things. Telling him he was Ken's dead brother was not one of them. At first he didn't believe it, but then he realised that was very stupid. It was obvious this was real -- hell, he was half-dead along with it anyway -- and the ghost -- sorry, Osamu -- didn't have much of a reason to lie about who he was. Actually when he looked at him now, it was blatantly obvious he was Ken's brother. He looked remarkably like Ken when he was the Kaiser, and it made Daisuke wonder if Ken had modelled his Kaiser appearance subconsciously after his dead brother. It might explain a few things... once Daisuke could remember them. He supposed if he died, he would have plenty of time to think about things. The thought made him grimace.
"So... you're Ken's brother," he said slowly, giving the ghost a measured look. "I didn't know Ken ever had a brother." It was true, he never had known there had been an older Ichijouji boy, much less that he had died. Those things didn't exactly happen often.
Osamu shrugged. "You would have been about seven or eight when I died, the same age as Ken. You probably wouldn't have been very interested in the news and things."
Daisuke flushed but nodded. It was the truth -- he hadn't been that interested in the news and such at that age. This Osamu person was good at interpreting people. "What were you like?" he asked, more out of curiosity than anything else. "Who were you?" Couldn't hurt to ask anyway.
Osamu's face turned bitter and Daisuke began to mentally kick himself. What had he said wrong this time? "I was the boy genius of the Ichijouji family back then. I was big news then as much as Ken is now." The ghost of the former boy genius paused for a moment. "Although... admittedly I didn't become a supreme dictator of a Digital World. Ken has finally done something I never did." He chuckled slightly and it sounded more like a laugh than a chuckle because of the echo.
"Wow," Daisuke said softly, staring at him. "I wasn't expecting you to say that." Was this the reason Ken had turned out like this, the carbon copy of his older brother in nearly everything? Was this the reason for becoming a boy genius and a star soccer player? He wish he knew. Why was figuring out people always so hard?
"I should hope not," Osamu replied drily, giving him a thin smile. "I can't say I'm happy at how Ken turned out. I remember telling him to be careful about having power like he has now. Obviously I didn't teach him well enough." The ghost's face turned sad at this.
Daisuke frowned. It didn't seem fair to be going on about Ken like this. He probably hadn't been able to deal with Osamu's death very well, especially if he had been as young as this ghost had said he was. Daisuke knew he wouldn't have been able to cope very well if it had happened to him. He would have been extremely sad and very confused. "Maybe you shouldn't be so hard on him," he said carefully. "He probably had a really hard time dealing with your death. I know if it had been me, I would have had a hard time dealing."
Osamu considered this. "That makes sense," he said at last. "I suppose I have been too hard on my brother." He smiled at Daisuke. "Thank you."
Daisuke shrugged. "No problem," he said. "Just one thing... how do I get out of here? You said I wasn't dead yet, then that means there's still part of me that shouldn't be here. That has to help me, right?" He didn't want to put the hope in his voice, didn't want to believe in something that mightn't happen. Hope was Takeru's thing, not his.
Osamu looked at him very, very seriously. "Yes, what I said was true. You are not completely dead yet. But there is too much of you already dead Daisuke. There isn't enough of you still alive to being you out of this place. I'm sorry, but without help, you will be here completely once you are truly dead." He winced inwardly as Daisuke's face fell and shock entered his system. He had so wanted to tell Daisuke something that would keep the hope alive, but he couldn't. Unless Daisuke found help, he was going to be here for a very long time. Besides, what were the chances of someone -- anyone -- discovering he was here? Hardly anyone knew about, never mind believed in, this place.
It would, literally, take a miracle.
Ken was not in a good mood as he strode through the Digital World, Takeru fighting to keep up with him. Seeing as Ken was a judo champion and one hell of a soccer player, the boy had a stamina and strength, that Takeru, even with the amount of basketball he had played, couldn't compete with. So he just contended with fighting to keep up with him and fighting for breath along the way.
The air pulsed with an energy that made Ken irritable, even though Takeru couldn't feel it in any way. But he had promptly been told by Ken that he hadn't a drop of magical blood in him, which hadn't made the blonde happy, despite himself. The magic was another thing that Ken and Daisuke had in common, and despite everything Daisuke had done to him, he was still jealous. Daisuke had chosen Ken. It was that simple, but he still couldn't accept it. Damn.
But it was true the Kaiser was annoyed. He practically stomped, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. The expression on his face made Takeru glad it wasn't him Ken was mad at. Although he dearly would have loved to have already known who he was mad it. It wasn't Daisuke, that much he knew. And he knew he'd soon find out who it was that Ken was furious at. Part of him was sure he really wanted to know at all.
Under different circumstances, he would have asked questions, but he got the impression Ken didn't want to be interrupted from his mental tirade that he was no doubt having. His expressions gave it all away. Takeru could be perceptive when he put his mind to it. And he really didn't want Ken mad at him right now, so he kept his mouth shut as they hurried across the Digital World.
As they came closer, the magic energy was so strong that even he vaguely felt it, as a rippling sensation across his skin that made him want to scratch his arms. "I feel it," he said quietly, looking up at the dark sky. Even that seemed like a threat with this amount of power in the air. "Am I supposed to be able to feel it?"
"No," Ken replied, his voice just as quiet. His shades were off at that moment, so when he turned to look at him, Takeru could see his blue eyes, as deep as sapphires. They were turbelent with emotion, and some of it surprised Takeru. There was the usual coldness and arrogance that didn't surprise him, but dimly, he also saw vulnerabilty and fear. Ken was scared. Now that surprised the Keeper of Hope. It was only now he was beginning to see what attracted Daisuke to Ken. Ken was just like them in some ways, and he was human. That was what they had all forgotten. For all of his brilliance, Ken was still just a kid, no matter how advanced his mind was. He could feel emotions just as much as they could, and things scared him as much as they scared them. He just hid his fear better than they could, but Takeru could dimly see it now. He was seriously afraid for Daisuke. Well, that was something they both had in common this time.
"It seems the vampire might have merged his power with Daisuke's. They're both extremely powerful and the merging would have put the energy levels up astronomically high." Ken looked very worried by now. "If it gets any higher, it'll upset the balance. We can't let that happen." The fact he had just mentioned a vampire seemed to be of no surprise to him. Unfortunately, it was to Takeru.
"Vampire?!" he yelped, staring at Ken. "Have you lost it?!" Vampires?! Vampires weren't real, they were only myth!
"Yes, a vampire," Ken answered shortly. "I'd had my suspicions for a while. Haven't you noticed the brooch Daisuke's been wearing lately?" Takeru nodded. It had been impossible not to see the brooch, as it clashed with everything else Daisuke wore, both in the real world and in the Digital World. It was old and had a vaguely gothic feeling about it.
"Well, I've been feeling power pouring from it since the moment I first clapped eyes on it," Ken continued. "Evil power." It was ironic that Ken of all people could be talking about evil. "Then, when Daisuke was there chewing us both out for doing nothing--" It was only Takeru who blushed at the memory. "-- I probed it and came with the image of someone with dark hair and green eyes. He wasn't alive. He reeked vampire." Ken grimaced. "I'd heard rumous that there was a vampire here, someone who had been banished here by ancient druids centuries ago. They said he would live again when he found someone with a power that could sustain him again."
Takeru immediately picked up where this was going. "And you think Daisuke has this power for him?" He was beginning to see his friend in an entirely new light.
Ken nodded. "Daisuke is astonisingly powerful. When his power is properly trained, he could even be more powerful than me." This was an intensely difficult thing for Ken to say, but it was the truth. However, a dark look passed over the boy's face. "If Daisuke isn't killed first."
This sent alarm bells off in Takeru's mind. "Are you saying this vampire is going to kill Daisuke?" Ken nodded. "Then what are we waiting for?" He brushed passed Ken at a run. The boy genius blinked and then continued after him, impressed by the blonde's concern for Daisuke, despite himself and the low view he held of Takeru.
It was only a few seconds later that they finally found Daisuke. They both reacted in different ways. Takeru was the first to spot Daisuke's motionless body on the ground and gave a anguished cry, running forward. He hit the ground beside the unconscious boy and immediately checked for a pulse. It was still there, but the beat was alarmingly faint. But he was still alive and that was what mattered. His fingers brushed over the vampire bite on his neck and Takeru felt his eyes narrow and his teeth clench. Whoever this person was, he was going to pay for what he had done to Daisuke. Then his eyes drifted to the cross Daisuke still held tightly in his hands.
Ken, on the other hand, hadn't time to see Daisuke because he was immediately struck down by an agonising pain in his stomach. He fell to his knees, clutching his stomach and hissing in pain, as his eyes squeezed shut. When he finally managed to open them again, there was someone approaching him. Knowing the steps were too calm to be Takeru's, he tensed, but wrenched his gaze upwards. What he saw made him fight not to gasp.
The man he had seen through Daisuke's brooch was coming towards him. Only it was not the same man he had seen, because he was now terribly disfigured. His face was an ugly mass of tender scars, that could only have been from an injury given to him by Daisuke. They curled and dripped around his face, making his beauty worthless now. They sickened Ken. This could have given him the false impression that the vampire was weak, but Ken knew better. His eyes were still strong, the impossibly green eyes that proved he wasn't human. They burned and they burned with anger and hatred. For him, for Daisuke, for everyone. He was passed playing games.
"Kaiser," the vampire hissed, and Ken knew that the vampire's voice had once been a wonderful melody, before his hatred had taken control and twisted everything around. Now it was a rasping hiss, a reptilian sound that made him shudder.
"Vampire," he replied, coming to his feet and fighting not to bend over in pain. It was the vampire's work, he realised and quickly put shields around himself. He knew this had not gone passed the vampire, because he gave him an ugly grin. But he could probably could still read his thoughts. He had Daisuke's power in him, and that was not good for anyone involved.
"Impressive," he hissed, "but you are not strong enough for me. Not like he was," he added, waving a hand absently in the general direction where Daisuke lay and where Takeru was beside him. It made Ken wonder why he hadn't gone after the blonde first. He had no magical protection and would have been an easy target. But he hadn't gone after him, instead choosing to face him.
"I do not want more blood," the vampire said, looking at him in contempt. Ken did not like that look coming to him instead of from him. Guess some habits just died hard. "Daisuke was a fine volunteer for that, as well as for his power. But I need more power. And you will have to do."
Ken instinctively stepped back. "Daisuke is not fully dead," he told him, stalling for time and not exactly sure why. "I can still sense him. You have not fully drained him of his blood or power." And why the heck not for that matter?
The vampire shrugged, an action that was not made for vampires, particularly vampires with long black cloaks. "A long death is far more entertaining than a quick one." The explanation was perfectly clear and Ken didn't like it.
Ken stepped back aagin. "Allow me to disagree and allow me to refuse your request. I don't give myself to vampires." And never damn will!
The vampire tossed him an amused glance. "It was not a request."
Then he lunged at him.