The
Dark Bandit
Part
Four
Wormmon
rejoiced when he saw the figure return through the large picture window.
"You're back!" he cheered.
His
partner smiled kindly and sat on the bed, removing his mask and hat. "It
was a quiet night," he explained. "Is Daisuke back yet?"
"No,"
Wormmon replied. "He didn't even notice you were gone."
"I
hope his mother isn't too sick," Ken commented as he began to change back
to his original clothes. He had just finished when a light knock came at his
door. He opened it to find Jun standing outside.
"I'm
not quite certain why, but Mother wishes to see you," she informed him.
"I suggest you hurry."
He
nodded. "Should I bring Wormmon?"
"I
don't care. She requested you."
He
shrugged. "Very well." He turned back to his partner. "Will you
be alright for a bit?"
Wormmon
nodded. "I'll be fine," he replied confidently. Ken nodded.
"Good.
Be back in a little while."
He left
his room and headed for Lady Motomiya's chamber.
***
Miyako
rushed into Sora's chamber. "Sora! You'll never guess what just
happened!"
"What?"
Sora wondered, startled so that her heart nearly stopped beating.
"He
visited me! The Dark Bandit!"
"What?"
***
Ken
tapped lightly on the bedroom door. A moment later, he heard Daisuke's voice
call: "Come in." He opened the door and entered.
"You
wanted to see me, Lady?" he questioned.
Lady
Motomiya rested on the bed. She looked a lot better than he had expected.
Slightly pale, but well. "Yes," she replied softly. "Come in,
Ken."
He
entered the room. Daisuke nodded towards his mother and walked past his friend,
exiting. Curiously, Ken stepped closer to the bed and stood at its foot.
"Have
a seat, Ken."
As she
had requested, he sat on the chair next to the bed that Daisuke had vacated.
"Is something wrong?" he wondered.
The
Lady shook her head. "No," she replied. "I just wanted to see
you."
"Why?"
"You
are like one of my children, Ken," she told him. "You know
that."
He
looked at his feet. "I thank you for taking me in, Lady Motomiya," he
replied politely. "I'm sorry if I've been a burden at all."
She
reached a pale hand out to him and took his hand in her own. "You've not
been a burden," she told him. He peered at her face again. "You've
been anything but." She sighed slightly. "I'm so sorry for all that
has happened to you in the past. You will always be welcome with us."
Ken
blinked. "Thank you," he answered. "I'm grateful for your
hospitality. If there's ever anything I can do to repay you, just let me
know."
Lady
Motomiya smiled. "Actually, there is one thing," she replied.
Ken
frowned slightly but nodded. "Anything you wish," he stated, bracing
himself for whatever it might be.
"I
need you to watch after Daisuke."
He
blinked, startled. "That's it?"
"I
know it doesn't seem like much, but I've been worried about him. With all this
Dark Bandit stuff I've been hearing about, I'm worried even more," the
woman confessed. She coughed a few times.
Ken
blinked again and smiled. "Don't worry," he assured his guardian.
"I won't let anything hurt Daisuke."
She smiled
and coughed again. "I fear that I'm very sick," she told him.
"My husband has promised me that you'll always be at home with our family.
If I go, I need you to watch Daisuke for me."
He
frowned. "Lady, you're not dying," he protested. His voice cracked,
and tears were forming in his eyes. He didn't brush them away.
"Ken,
I need to face facts. Be strong, please? I know that my children can't accept
it. But you can, I know you can."
He
nodded weakly. "I'll try," he whispered.
She
coughed again. "Promise me you'll keep my son safe," she told him.
"I
promise." His voice cracked even more. A few tears rolled down his cheeks.
"I'll keep Daisuke safe."
She
nodded. "Thank you."
"Only
Daisuke?" he wondered, sniffling slightly.
She
smiled slightly and coughed once more. "Jun will have her father,"
she explained. "But Daisuke, he'll try to carry the burden himself. Take
care of him for me."
"I'll
do my best, Madam," he replied with a smile.
"Thank
you, Ken. I knew I could count on you." Lady Motomiya coughed again.
"Now, let me rest for a bit. I need to sleep."
"Shall
I come see you again tomorrow?"
She
smiled. "That would be nice, Ken. I would like it very much."
***
Daisuke
was waiting for him in the corridor. His eyes were wet as well. Ken remembered
that he'd promised to be strong. He took a deep breath and dried his own eyes
before he met his friend.
"Are
you alright?" he asked.
Daisuke
nodded, sniffling slightly. "She doesn't say anything, Ken, but I think
she's dying. I think she knows she is."
His
friend sighed and put an arm over his shoulder. "It's alright,
Daisuke," he assured his friend.
Daisuke
let his tears flow. He hugged his friend and cried loudly for a few minutes.
V-mon looked on helplessly at first and then gripped his partner's leg,
sniffling himself.
Ken
gulped a few times and blinked hard so he wouldn't cry. 'I've got to be
strong,' he reminded himself. 'For Daisuke.' Awkwardly, he patted
his friend on the back. "It's alright," he told him again.
After a
few minutes, Daisuke wiped his eyes and pulled away, sniffling.
"Thanks," he whispered hoarsely.
Ken
smiled weakly. "It's nothing, really," he replied. "Come on.
Let's go back to the room."
***
Daisuke
frowned when he heard of that evening's occurrences. "Princess Hikari I understand,
but why on earth did you contact Miyako?"
"She's
the one we're trying to protect," Ken reminded him. "It would help
the process if she wasn't afraid of me. Besides, I thought she might know
something."
"Did
she?"
"No.
Not a thing. The whole evening was very unproductive. The only thing I know is
that Sora and Hikari have promised to protect Miyako and not tell her about it.
So I've got two allies."
"And
me!" Daisuke reminded him, slightly insulted.
"Of
course," Ken replied. "I knew that. I meant besides you."
The
redheaded boy frowned. "I really wish that I could help more," he
grumbled. "I feel so useless."
"Princess
Hikari has the same worries," he assured his friend. "I'm not feeling
very helpful right now either. Perhaps I should take advantage of my allies and
get some rest."
"Probably,"
Daisuke replied. "Hey, let me see your arm. We should probably change the
bandage."
"I'm
actually most worried about tomorrow," Ken confessed. "She'll be even
more of an easy target at the party than she was at the picnic."
Daisuke
frowned as he removed the covering cloth. "You can't not go," he
replied.
Ken
sighed. "I know. I'd be missed too much. I wish I could be in two places
at once."
"You
don't have to be, remember? You've got allies. Besides, everyone is concerned
for Miyako's safety."
"Yeah,
but at a party, there's not much they can do," Ken reminded him.
"Ouch," he winced.
"Sorry,"
Daisuke apologized as he applied the wet cloth to the wound. "It's still
pretty bad, but I think it'll heal well."
"I've
got an idea."
"What?"
"You
have a ceremonial sword, right?"
"Yes
-," Daisuke replied nervously.
"Wear
it tomorrow."
"What?"
"Please?
It'll make you look good, and you'll be able to defend Miyako in an
instant."
Daisuke
sighed. "I'm not that good at sword fighting," he reminded his friend
as he reapplied the healing salve.
"You're
better than I am!" Ken retorted. "Come on, you said you wanted to be
useful!"
He
sighed. "Alright," he agreed. "If you give your word on one
thing."
"What?"
Ken got the feeling he was making way too many promises lately. Sooner or later
he'd run into one he couldn't keep.
"Get
some sleep tonight."
He
sighed in response. "Alright. I'll sleep."
"Good."
Daisuke retied the bandage tightly, making his friend wince in pain again.
"Now sleep. Good night!"
"Nite!"
V-mon called, following him out.
***
"Daisuke
- er - I mean masked guy, uh, why are
we here again?" V-mon whispered.
"We
need to watch Miyako. And the Dark Bandit needs to sleep. So we're taking over
for him," Daisuke explained for the umpteenth time. He was wearing Ken's
spare mask and carrying his own sword, but was dressed in his usual clothes.
"Are
you sure this is a good idea? I mean, you don't even have a name!" the
blue digimon protested.
Daisuke
shrugged. "Look, I'm not going to fight. If I see that evil type guy again
I'll just distract him while you run back and wake up -Ke- er - the Dark
Bandit. He'll get here in time to help out. I hope."
"And
what if he doesn't?" V-mon demanded.
"I
don't know!" Daisuke half-shouted. "Look, it was a flawed plan and
I'm risking my own neck, alright? But it's the best I could do."
V-mon
sighed and shrugged. "As long as you admit it," he replied.
"Anyway,
I don't think that guy will show up. He'll probably be here at the party
tomorrow. There's too many guards around right now," Daisuke assured his
partner, gesturing to the courtyard below him, where a guard was patrolling
that very moment.
"Great.
So I'm out here loosing sleep because of some guy that won't show up. Can't we
just go to bed?"
"I
can't right now," Daisuke replied. "I'm too worried about
Mother."
V-mon
didn't reply right away. "Daisuke," he began cautiously. "If you
get yourself killed it won't help your mother."
The boy
shrugged. "I'm not trying to get myself killed," he replied.
"I'm trying to help out."
"Is
that so?" another voice questioned. Daisuke felt a chill run down his
spine. He didn't like the sound of that voice. Slowly, he turned to see who had
spoken. Before he could turn all the way around, however, something hit him
hard on the back of the head.
V-mon
was off and running before Daisuke hit the roof. Thankfully, in the darkness,
the other guy didn't notice the blue digimon running for safety.
***
Ken sat
up abruptly in bed, a cold sweat running down his forehead. Wormmon was at his
side in an instant. "Ken?"
Breathing
heavy, the boy took a moment to collect himself. "There's trouble,"
he replied before jumping out of bed.
"Trouble?"
"I'm
not sure who, or what, or where, but I know there's a problem," Ken
replied. "Wormmon. We've got to go."
Wormmon
nodded, unwavering.
A few
seconds later, Ken was dressed and ready. He grabbed Wormmon in his arms and
opened the picture window. "Are you sure it's a good idea for me to come?"
the digimon questioned.
"No,"
the Dark Bandit replied. "But I've got to risk it."
"Very
well," Wormmon replied. "Sticky Net!"
Within
seconds, a thin rope formed between the roof and the window. Wormmon gripped
tightly to his partner's back as he began to climb to the roof.
***
V-mon
huddled in the shadows. He didn't know how to get back to the ground without
his partner, and he didn't know how to stop the intruder. He watched him as he
gracefully leapt from the roof to a nearby tree branch.
Satisfied
that all was safe, the blue digimon rushed back to his partner. Daisuke was
motionless and unconscious. A large red bruise was forming on his neck.
"Daisuke!"
a voice shouted, shocked.
V-mon
shook his head frantically at the Dark Bandit. "Don't worry about
us!" he shouted back. "That - guy! He's in the tree!"
Eyes
locked in steely determination, the Dark Bandit picked up Daisuke's sword and
placed it in his belt. Then he removed an arrow from the holder on his back and
his bow from his shoulder. He notched an arrow, and despite his anger and
overwhelming feelings of anger, he notched a perfect shot.
Unfortunately,
his opponent saw the arrow coming and was able to dodge just enough to escape
the shot. The Dark Bandit dropped both his arrows and his bow and turned to his
partner. "Stay here. Watch him," he ordered both digimon, and leapt
down into the tree.
Brandishing
Daisuke's sword, a fight was underway with in minutes. The anger of the Dark
Bandit made his strength increase, but his accuracy declined. Still, with the
rage and fury of one whose friend had fallen, he fought on.
The
opponent was able to block each and everyone of his strikes, but had no chance
to counter attack. Instead, the Dark Bandit pushed on until finally his enemy
was standing at the edge of a branch, teetering above the ground.
Breathing
heavily, he prepared to strike again.
The
opponent merely laughed. "Foolish," he mocked. "Your anger has
gotten in the way of your fight." He bowed mockingly. "Another time,
perhaps."
Enraged,
the Dark Bandit swung his sword again, but the other had dashed away before the
blade reached its target.
Breathing
heavily, the Dark Bandit felt his tiredness. He returned to the roof, hoping
that no one nearby had noticed the fight.
"Are
you alright?" Wormmon asked. He ignored his partner, turning instead to
his best friend.
"Daisuke?"
"What
will we do?" V-mon wondered.
The
Dark Bandit sighed. "There's only one thing to do. I can't take care of
him. It's too bad a bruise. He needs a doctor."
"So
where will you take him?" Wormmon wondered.
"To
the Princess," he replied. "If she's a true ally, she'll help him. Of
course, I'm sure that she will. Daisuke is innocent, in her eyes."
***
Hikari
awakened, startled, to a knock at her window. She peered over to see the Dark
Bandit standing on her balcony.
With a
gasp, she jumped up and opened the window. He didn't enter. Instead he held out
something in his arms. "Please. Help him," he
pleaded,
pain in his eyes.
Hikari
gasped again. "Daisuke," she whispered. She noticed V-mon below.
"What happened?"
V-mon
sniffled. "He was trying to help," he explained. "We didn't mean
to get in the way."
"The
enemy has struck again," the Dark Bandit stated simply.
"Bring
him in here!" Hikari ordered. "I'll call the doctor at once!"
He
hesitated slightly. "Please. Promise me that he won't be harmed. He's
innocent in this. Completely."
Hikari
nodded. "I promise you. He'll be in good hands. Lord Jyou is a great
doctor."
With
reluctance, the bandit stepped into her chambers and laid the unconscious
Daisuke on the bed. "Take care of him, please," he whispered.
"As
an ally," Hikari stated, grasping his hands and looking into his eyes.
"I can assure you that he is in good hands. Don't worry."
He
nodded, and she could see the tears in his eyes. "I have to go," he
excused himself, turning away. "I'll be back later. Take care of him,
please." She nodded. He turned to V-mon. "Don't worry. He's in good
hands."
V-mon
nodded, still sniffling, as he watched the Dark Bandit disappear.
***
Ken sat
on the roof above Miyako's room. Wormmon sat next to him, trying to console him
as he sobbed continuously. He was still dressed in his disguise, although he
had pushed the mask up into his tousled hair.
"It's
alright, Ken," Wormmon assured him. "It wasn't your fault Daisuke got
hurt."
"I
saw his mother today, Wormmon," his partner explained between sobs.
"I promised her I would take care of him if anything happened to her. She's
not even dead yet and already he's hurt. I told her I'd be strong. But I
wasn't. My emotions got in the way tonight, and they could have cost Miyako her
life."
Wormmon
patted his partner and friend. "It wasn't your fault," Wormmon
repeated. "Daisuke chose to come out here on his own and he got hurt
because of that stupid guy. Not because of you."
The boy
sighed. "I know." He peered out towards the horizon. "I guess I
should get some sleep. The sun is coming up."
***
Daisuke's injury causes Ken to rethink his own actions.
But that's not the only thing that will happen as a result of Daisuke's attempt
to help. Look for a lot more complications in the future. The King and the
bandit with the hood come into play shortly. And, yes, you will eventually find
out who he is.
As for anyone who's concerned about Mimi? Don't worry,
she's got a part coming up. A very important part, actually.
Enjoy! And remember, in case you don't know, I don't
own any of this except the plot. ^_^
