The Dark Bandit
Part Seven
"Maybe they're in here,"
Yamato suggested. Still holding his left arm with his good hand, he pushed open
the door to the kitchen. His brother followed him, carrying a candle, a worried
expression on his face.
They located Ken and Miyako, both
asleep and leaning against the wall. Yamato chuckled to himself. "Do you
think you can carry her?" he asked.
Takeru sighed in relief.
"Yeah, but not the candle at the same time."
"I'll get the candle,"
Yamato replied, reaching out with his injured arm to take the candlestick.
Takeru shook Ken lightly.
Blinking, confused, the boy awoke.
"Hey, wake up," Takeru greeted. "All's clear."
"All's clear?" Ken
repeated, still not fully awake.
"We managed to drive him
off," Yamato replied somewhat proudly. "'Course he nearly took of my
arm in the process." He removed his good hand from his arm to reveal a
nasty slice across his upper
arm. Ken winced slightly at the
sight, remembering his own previous injury. "We've been looking for you
two for the past hour."
Takeru grinned. "Now you know
how the Dark Bandit feels," he joked to his brother. He bent towards
Miyako. "Help me with her?"
Ken nodded, still dazed. He grabbed
Miyako's shoulders while Takeru took her feet. Together, they carried the
sleeping girl back to her room.
Once safe, Ken learned what had
actually occurred. After he and Miyako had run off, Yamato had attempted to
fight the intruder alone, but was quickly proven to be out-skilled. At that
point, he had been injured. Takeru and Sora, having grabbed makeshift weapons
of their own, had begun pounding on the intruder as much as they could. The
digimon, including Hawkmon and Wormmon, had joined in as well, and eventually,
greatly outnumbered, he had been forced to retreat. Jun had returned to her
room when they had awakened her after the fight, as she was quite shaken up.
"My question is, where was our
ally during all this?" Yamato wondered. Takeru shrugged.
"He probably has a life
outside of being the Dark Bandit," he reminded his brother. "Maybe he
had something tonight he couldn't get out of."
Sora shrugged. "Maybe. Or
maybe he knew we could handle it."
Ken yawned deeply. He had been
ready to sleep a while ago and was tired after his short nap. "I'm
exhausted," he commented, hoping to change the subject away from the Dark
Bandit.
"So am I," Yamato agreed.
Sora retrieved some rags and soaked
them in water. "Let me clean you up," she offered the injured boy.
The others watched as she carefully washed the blood off and then wrapped his
arm in bandages. Ken recalled his own swordfight with the hooded bandit and
touched his own shoulder in remembrance. The wound was nearly healed now, but
he still kept the bandage on it. He had changed it himself that morning, since
Daisuke hadn't been there.
"Maybe we should wear padding
on your shoulder or something when fighting that guy," Takeru suggested.
"The Dark Bandit was injured in the same place."
"He's a good fighter,"
Yamato grumbled defensively. "I thought I was good, but he's better."
"And you've had a lot of
practice," Gabumon recalled as he watched the proceedings.
"I guess this man has had
more," Piyomon stated.
"That's obvious from just
watching him," Sora agreed. "He looks stronger than both of you two
put together."
Yamato winced as she tied the bandages
tightly. "He is. One swing from that guy and I felt like he was going to
knock the sword out of my hand." He touched his shoulder gently. "I
suppose I'll have to visit Jyou in the morning, right?"
His brother nodded.
"Definitely. But first, let's get some sleep. It's late." He yawned,
and Patamon, resting on his head, mimicked his actions.
"We can't leave Miyako
alone," Sora protested. The girl in question was still passed out on one
of the parlor sofas.
Yamato frowned. "We
can't," he agreed. He glanced towards Ken for his opinion, but the other
boy had drifted off to sleep again, sitting in a nearby padded chair. Wormmon
was dozing in his arms.
Takeru laughed softly when he
noticed. "I think Ken has the right idea," he decided.
His brother nodded in agreement.
"We'll camp out here. If something happens, we'll be sure to hear
it."
Sora agreed. "I'll get some
extra blankets," she offered, heading to her bedroom.
Yamato glanced towards Ken. He was
sitting up, his head leaned back in the chair. He didn't look uncomfortable,
but it was certainly not the best sleeping position.
"Shall we move him?"
Gabumon questioned quietly, following his partner's line of sight.
"Sure. You get his head. I'll
grab his feet," he told Takeru. With his good arm, Yamato assisted his
brother as best he was able. They moved the sleeping Ken off the chair and laid
him on the ground. He barely noticed the move, rolling over slightly and
continuing his slumber as though nothing had occurred.
A few moments later Sora returned.
She placed one blanket over the sleeping boy and his digimon and Piyomon
positioned a pillow under his head. He stirred slightly, but didn't awaken.
The others observed the sleeping
boy for a bit. "He looks so exhausted," Patamon noted.
Takeru nodded with a frown.
"As though he hasn't slept in weeks," he agreed. "I wonder what
keeps him up nights."
"He's probably worried about
Daisuke," Sora theorized.
"Or he could be having bad
dreams," Piyomon noted. "Jun did tell us his home life wasn't that
good."
Yamato shook his head in agreement.
"No, it isn't," he stated bluntly. His eyes grew unfocused as he
thought back. "I remember his parents before his brother died. They were
sweet, full of life.
His mother seemed so caring. They
paid a lot of attention to Osamu. Not so much to Ken."
Takeru looked concerned. "That
doesn't seem fair."
"It wasn't," Yamato
replied. "Ken was never mistreated, but he wasn't noticed quite as much.
Osamu was a brilliant boy, and they were very proud."
"When he died, their world
sort of fell apart around them," Gabumon remembered.
"I think I saw the Ichijouji
parents after Osamu's funeral," Sora recalled. "I was young then, and
Ken was younger. They all looked so miserable."
Piyomon agreed. "It was at
least a year later, and they were still very upset."
Yamato nodded. "They've never
really gotten over Osamu," he remembered. "I think that time you were
talking about is probably around the time when Ken first met Daisuke. The
Motomiya family
moved into an area near them, but
they first met here at the palace. I guess the only time Ken really felt happy
was when he was with Daisuke, so he began to spend more time with them."
"Now, as far as I can see,
they consider him almost part of the family," Gabumon supplied.
Takeru looked disturbed.
"That's horrible," he commented.
"It is," Patamon agreed.
"We should try to help, too."
"We are," Gabumon
reminded him. "We're being his friends."
***
Daisuke awoke to light streaming in
from one of the windows. After Ken had left the day before, he had been left alone
and not chained again. Now, he awoke
from his sleep on the cold, dirty floor with a stiff ache in his joints and
pain still stinging his bruised back. He touched his nose to find it was still
sore. He was quite glad it had not been broken.
He groaned a groan which turned
into a yawn as he sat up and rubbed his eyes with his palms. V-mon was
awakening beside him.
"Morning," he told his
partner. V-mon looked rather unhappy. He wasn't a morning digimon, and waking
up in a dank, dirty, cold cell didn't help his mood.
"I wonder if we'll be fed
today," the blue digimon grumbled as he dusted himself off.
Daisuke sighed and leaned carefully
against the wall. "I doubt it," he replied pessimistically. He peered
at the thin window high above him. "I wish I knew what was happening
outside."
"I wish we were outside,"
V-mon stated. He stared at the ground and began to trace his foot in the dust.
An idea entered his mind, and a few seconds later a doodle of a frowning face
appeared below him.
Daisuke observed his partner's
drawing with a confused expression. "Can't you draw anything
happier?" he wondered.
"I'm not very happy," was
his curt reply. He sat down hard next to the boy. "Daisuke, I'll stick
with you through thick and thin, but this is really, really thin."
With a sigh, the boy agreed.
"It is bad," he returned. "But at least we're together,
right?"
V-mon frowned slightly, but it
turned upward into a smile. "That's right," he replied. "We
are." He nestled beside Daisuke. "This would be a lot worse if you
weren't here."
His partner smiled and hugged him
happily. "That's for sure," he agreed, reaching past V-mon and
tracing a smile on the face in the dust.
***
Ken was a little alarmed to awaken
the next morning camped out in the girls' parlor. He took a few moments to
remember why he was there, and vaguely remembered falling asleep in the chair
the night before. He sat up, yawning, and noted that Takeru, Yamato, and Sora
were still asleep. Miyako was sitting on the couch, lost in thought. He yawned
as loudly as possible, and she turned to him, alerted.
"Good morning," she
whispered, speaking quietly because of the others still asleep. She smiled
slightly, and he smiled back.
"I guess I was more tired than
I thought last night," he commented. "I guess we both were."
"What happened?" she
wondered.
"He was injured in the
fight," he reported, gesturing towards Yamato and then at his own
shoulder. "The others apparently jumped in to help and forced the intruder
to retreat. Then they went looking for us. We fell asleep in the kitchen."
His face has a slightly reddish tint to it suddenly, but it faded quickly.
Miyako blushed slightly and turned
away from him. "Everyone's sleeping here?" It wasn't really a
question.
"I helped carry you back here
and then fell asleep myself," he replied. "I guess they decided to
sleep here, too."
She nodded in understanding and
managed to meet his eyes. "Are you hungry?"
"I am," he replied with
an almost imperceptible smile. "Would you like to eat?"
She nodded and glanced at her
wrinkled, slept-in clothes. "I'll need to change," she excused
herself. "Should I meet you back here in fifteen minutes?"
Ken blinked in surprise and then
noted his own clothes. After having slept in them, neither looked very
presentable. "Right," he replied. "I'll go change, too."
Wormmon looked to Ken. "And
me?" he questioned.
His partner shook his head.
"Stay with Miyako," he told his partner. "I won't be long."
***
Daisuke wondered if it would be a
routine now to be awakened, beaten, and left to rot. At about mid-day, he was
returned from another whipping session with the same guard as the previous day.
Instead of being placed in the same cell, however, he was moved to a smaller
one. His hands were chained to the wall in a similar fashion as before, but now
he was forced to stand instead of sit.
In addition to the pain in his
head, face, and the excruciating agony he now felt in his back, his legs began
to ache not long after being shackled. He was also very hungry, having consumed
only water the day before.
An hour or so after he had been
returned, the guard opened the door. He carried a bowl of some mushy material
that Daisuke assumed was supposed to be food. He left it on the floor beside
the door and left. V-mon took the bowl and brought it to his friend. With his partner
holding the bowl above his head, Daisuke was able to bend over enough to bury
his face in the bowl and eat.
It was plain and bland, but not
overly disgusting. Daisuke decided it was edible, and quickly gobbled up half
the bowl. He would have liked to eat the rest, but he knew if he ate too much
he would be sick, and his digimon needed to eat as well.
"The rest is for you,
V-mon," Daisuke told him, standing up again. He licked the remainder of
the gruel from his lips and relaxed against the wall. "It's not too
bad."
V-mon devoured the food almost
before Daisuke was finished speaking. "It's alright," he agreed,
making a face.
***
Ken and Miyako entered the kitchen
to find that the Princess Hikari was there as well. "Oh, good morning,
Ken, Miyako."
"Good morning," both
greeted.
"Getting breakfast?"
Miyako wondered.
Hikari nodded. "Bringing some
to my brother," she explained. "Father won't let him have too much
food, but he's got to eat something." She sighed and shook her head.
"How's he holding up?"
"As well as can be expected.
He's bored, and he's spending a lot of time thinking. So far he hasn't come to
any conclusions," she reported.
Ken frowned slightly. "He'll
want to know about last night," he informed her. "Yamato was injured,
but they managed to force a retreat. He's seeing the doctor now." Quickly,
he and Miyako
summarized the incident.
Hikari frowned in thought as well.
She took the prepared plate from a servant who handed it to her. "I'm
going to bring this to my brother. Then I'll return for breakfast. Can you have
everyone meet me in the East Porch?"
Both nodded.
"Good. I want to know the
details before I tell my brother anything," she explained.
***
Daisuke was not surprised to see
the King enter his cell on the second day of his imprisonment. He braced
himself for another round of bruising, taking a deep breath.
"Are you going to talk to
me?" the King demanded.
Daisuke didn't respond. The King
snorted. "Very well. If you won't be of use to me, perhaps you'll be of
use to my son."
Daisuke was confused, but said
nothing. His captor nodded to the guard outside the cell, who immediately
entered and stood behind King, who nodded again.
The guard pulled back his massive
fist and struck Daisuke in the stomach before he had even noticed the action.
Daisuke bent over in pain and clenched his eyes shut. Before he was able to
recover from the punch, another slammed into his stomach. And another. And
another.
Daisuke groaned aloud, unable to
remain silent any longer. The King noted this and held up a hand, halting the
guard's assault. He grasped the boy by his hair and yanked his head up. For a
moment, he scrutinized the boy's face. Then, apparently deciding that it was
not bruised enough, he punched him a few times.
"He'll do," the King
stated after Daisuke was bloodied sufficiently. "Bring him in an
hour."
The guard nodded and they both left
the room, leaving Daisuke in agonizing pain.
***
Hikari nodded as she put her spoon
down. "It's good that you were able to drive him away," she told the
others seated at the table on the porch. The others included Yamato, Takeru,
Ken, Miyako, and Sora.
There was a quick rap on the door
and Iori entered. "The King requests your presence in the throne
room," he announced.
"Mine?" Hikari
questioned.
"Everyone," the boy replied.
He turned away, and then paused and turned back to them. "I would suggest
you hurry. He's not happy."
Silently, the group stopped their
mostly-finished meal and followed the young advisor to the throne room.
The King smiled when they entered.
"So glad you could come," he stated. "I have a few things I need
to show you all." He gestured to a place to the left of the long red
carpet. Jyou, Koushiro, and Iori were already standing there as well.
There were no digimon in the throne
room at all, everyone having been asked to leave them outside. This was a most
confusing occurrence, as most digimon rarely left their partner's side.
Obediently, the group assembled
itself in the indicated location, all mumbling quietly amongst themselves.
The King smiled a too-large smile
and sat down again. "Guards," he barked. "Bring in my son."
The two guards standing at the
doors opened them together. Two more guards entered, Taichi walking between
them. He looked as defiant as before, but confused as well.
"It has only been two
days, Father," he reminded the King when they reached the end of the
carpet. "I understood you wished to wait three before you saw me
again."
"I am aware Taichi. This is
for your benefit."
"My benefit?"
His father nodded in response.
"I hope you learn something, son."
He nodded to the guards at the
entrance again and they again heaved the heavy doors open. Another, huge, guard
entered the throne room. He gripped a chain in his massive fist. At the end of
the chain was Daisuke.
The Prince's eyes grew wide. Hikari
gasped. Miyako went weak in the knees with alarm. Takeru and Sora both felt as
if they would be quite sick right then and there. Ken and Yamato both widened
their eyes in shock and then narrowed them in anger.
"Father, what?" Hikari
spoke up. The King raised a hand.
"Let me do the talking,
Hikari," he warned. The look on his face quelled any further protests from
his daughter.
Daisuke most certainly looked
horrible enough to warrant a bit of vomiting. His face was nearly covered with
blood and dirt. His clothes were ripped, mangled, and soiled so they were
barely recognizable. His once fine clothes were now in shreds. He stumbled
along, barefoot, behind the guard, hunched over in considerable pain. His arms
were chained behind him with heavy irons, and another manacle was around his
neck, to which the chain the guard pulled him on was attached. As he was led
past the others, they could see the multiple bruises on his back from the
whippings he had received.
Taichi was shocked. Daisuke had
only been imprisoned for two days, and he looked this bad already?
"Father," he protested,
stepping forwards. The guards beside him blocked his way. "What is
this?"
"A lesson, my son," the
King replied calmly.
At long last, the prisoner reached
the end of the carpet. The guard leading him pushed him to his knees before the
King.
There was silence in the room. The
King smiled, pleased. No one dared to speak. Then the King spoke again.
"Show my son the details of
this boy's sentence," he commanded.
Daisuke was pulled, rapidly, to his
feet once more, and the guard led him to stand before Taichi. Nervous, afraid,
sick, and in much pain, he couldn't meet his friend's eyes.
The guards moved aside for Taichi,
who stepped forward and stared in horror at his friend. At this close view, he
could see that Daisuke had been punched in the face quite a few times. The
guard leading him turned him around, permitting the Prince to view the
horrifying bruising on his back.
"How could you?" Taichi
demanded. The guards beside him firmly grabbed his arms again, preventing any
further movements.
The King merely smiled and nodded
another command to the guard, who then dragged Daisuke to the opposite side of
the carpet. "Observe him carefully, my children," the King ordered.
Hikari gasped and turned away
briefly when she saw the numerous injuries on his body. "Daisuke - I'm so
sorry," she whispered softly. He heard her words and managed to lift his
aching head and
make eye contact with her for a
brief moment before he was yanked away again.
"What's the meaning of
this?" Taichi demanded. He struggled against his guards, but it was
futile. "He's not the enemy, Father. Neither are Hikari and I. Why do you
make us suffer?"
"I do not tolerate
disobedience," the King replied. He rose from his throne and walked to his
prisoner. He stood in front of Daisuke.
The mere presence of the King was
enough to cause fear in Daisuke by this point, but he lifted his head and
stared defiantly. The King merely laughed in response.
"I'll ask you once more,
traitor," he commanded in his booming voice. "Who is the Dark
Bandit?"
Daisuke didn't respond.
"Who is he?" the King
repeated. "Is he, perchance, in this room?" He turned away from his
captive for a moment and gestured towards the group near Hikari. Daisuke looked
up, fear in his eyes.
'He's only bluffing,' he tried to assure himself.
The King turned back to Daisuke,
who quickly replaced the fear with a strong defiance. "Who is he?" he
demanded again.
Daisuke looked away. "I won't
tell you," he replied. His voice was hoarse but strong.
The King frowned. "That is
quite foolish of you," he warned him. He turned towards the Prince.
"Am I right, son?"
Taichi frowned. "Daisuke
hasn't done a thing. Let him go."
"Are you defying me, my
son?"
Taichi struggled only harder
against the guards that restrained him. "Daisuke is innocent. He hasn't
done a thing. You should be going after the one that's threatening Miyako's
life," he shouted in further defiance.
The King laughed. He looked to
Daisuke. "Innocent?" he wondered. "Is that so?"
"He hasn't done anything,
Father," Hikari agreed with her brother. "He's only protecting a
friend. That isn't wrong. You're punishing the wrong person."
"He has defied me, Hikari.
That is enough for punishment. He lied to you, do you forget that?"
Daisuke winced at that
recollection. Defying the King he could handle, but lying to Hikari was not one
of his prouder crimes.
"He is a friend to someone who
helped to save my life," she reminded him. "And Taichi's. The Dark
Bandit isn't bad."
"That's true," Daisuke
spoke his agreement. "His only intent is to help the innocent."
"Innocent?" the King
snorted. "He has only helped those who are guilty."
"They were innocent,"
Daisuke insisted. "They were punished wrongly. Just as your son is wrongly
punished now."
The King's response was to slap the
boy across the face so hard he fell to his knees again. Daisuke was glad it wasn't another of his
vicious punches.
Hikari gasped and turned away.
Takeru, standing nearest to her, placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's
alright," he whispered to her. "Daisuke can handle himself."
Ken winced as his friend was
struck. "Daisuke, don't do this to yourself," he whispered softly.
"Let me help you."
Miyako stood next to him. She
peered at him with a curious glance, but then turned back to Daisuke.
Yamato merely clenched his fist and
his teeth in anger at the scene.
Taichi began to struggle even
harder, equally impassioned. The guards pushed him to the ground, forcing him
to go down on his knees as well.
Hikari advanced away from the
others. "Father, please, don't hurt him anymore." The King merely
stared in surprise as she walked to Daisuke and knelt beside him.
"Daisuke. Stand your ground," she whispered.
The entire room became silent once
more as they watched the scene.
"Hikari. I'm sorry," he
whispered. "I should have told you."
She shook her head and wiped some
of the blood from where it dripped into his eye - the result of a nasty bruise
above his eyebrows. It stained her hand, but she didn't notice. "You were
protecting your friend. I would do the same for you. Don't give in.
Please."
He nodded weakly. "Thank
you," he whispered.
The King regained control over
himself. "Hikari," he warned.
The Princess stood up.
"Father, I don't care what you think. This boy is an innocent. If you wish
to keep hurting him, you will have to deal with Taichi and I."
"Me, too!" Takeru agreed.
He stepped away from the crowd and stood next to his friend. His knees were
shaking so badly he could hardly stand, but he put an arm on Hikari's shoulder
and one on Daisuke's. "Daisuke is not a criminal, sire. He doesn't deserve
this."
Yamato stood beside his brother.
"Daisuke has a good heart," he agreed. "Hurting him like this is
wrong."
"Very wrong," Sora
agreed. She stepped next to Yamato and looked closely at Daisuke. "If he
has received this many injuries in two days for a crime this small, I fear for
those who were forced
to steal."
Miyako grabbed Ken's hand in her
own, much to his shock, and followed her friends. "We're all in this
together," she agreed.
Daisuke felt his friend's hand on
his opposite shoulder. Ken merely smiled at him kindly, and then narrowed his
eyes in anger at the King. The change in emotions was instantaneous and almost
eerie.
Taichi smiled slightly from his
position on the floor, still being forced to kneel down despite his efforts to
stand. "You see, Father? You're wrong. The consent is that you are
mistaken. Daisuke has done nothing to deserve this harsh treatment."
The King laughed. "So,"
he declared, stepping back and resting on his throne once more. "You think
you've got me then, son?"
Taichi looked away. "I once
respected you, Father," he stated in a more subdued voice. "I liked
your unwavering devotion to justice and right over wrong. But I was mistaken. I
think your ideas of what is wrong are flawed. I'm sure others agree with
me."
The King merely chuckled again.
"And what is it you plan to do? Remove me from the throne?"
Taichi turned back to his father
with a more determined expression. "I do indeed," he replied. "I
see now it is your own foolish inflexibility that makes it impossible to
convince you of your errors."
The King sighed dramatically.
"It's a disgrace, Taichi," he stated bluntly. "You would have
made a very good successor."
Taichi tried again to get up, but he
was still restrained. His eyes were locked in silent determination. He did not
reply.
The King snorted. "Don't you
see?" he laughed triumphantly. "It doesn't matter if you disagree
with me. I make the laws. I rule the kingdom, since I am the King. You are all nothing
compared to me."
Ken spoke then, surprising even
Daisuke. "That's not true," he stated.
The King gasped. Everyone was too
stunned to speak.
"The people with the true
power are not those who rule, like yourself," he explained with an
unshakably calm voice. "You are outnumbered, your majesty. If the people
are unhappy with your
rule, they are perfectly capable
and justified in removing you from power."
The King laughed. "So, I'm
outnumbered, am I? Well, let me even the odds." He nodded to the guards at
the entrance once more, and they once more opened the heavy door.
A collective gasp came from the
group in the throne room as a dark figure dressed in a cloak and a dark hood
entered. "I knew it," Ken gasped. "He works for you. But who is
he?"
The hooded bandit walked to the
front of the room with a determined pace. He paused in front of the King and
waited. Then, in a gruff, deep voice, he spoke. "Shall I answer his
question?"
Taichi gasped. "I know
you!" he realized.
The figure removed his hood to
reveal the King's Leomon. There was another collective gasp from all but Taichi
and the King.
"I should have known,"
Yamato hissed. "He fought stronger than any human I've ever seen."
The King nodded proudly. "You
are intelligent, Ishida," he commented sardonically. He smiled arrogantly
and turned to Leomon. "Take my son and this - prisoner - to the
dungeon."
"No!" Hikari gasped. She
stepped between Daisuke and Leomon. "Please, Father. Take me
instead."
"Hikari. You are still young.
You were obedient before. I would have been willing to forgive you for your
actions. Why do you challenge me now?"
"I'm not young anymore,
Father. I turned sixteen yesterday. I'm no longer a child, and I can think for
myself. I don't want you to forgive me. I want you to change your mind. Take
me. Leave Daisuke. He's hurt badly."
The King sighed deeply. "Very
well. As you wish."
Daisuke objected. "No. Hikari
-," he pleaded, eyes wide.
Hikari shook her head firmly,
silencing him. "I'll be fine, Daisuke," she assured him.
Leomon led both the royal offspring
out of the room.
"As for the rest of you,"
the King decided. "You shall remain out of the dungeon, but not free. I'm
afraid I cannot overlook this rebelliousness. You will all be confined to a
room until further notice. I wish to hear no more defiance."
No one responded. They knew better
than to further anger the King at that moment. "Ichijouji," he added
unexpectedly. "I wish to speak with you."
Ken looked alarmed momentarily. He
nodded. "As you wish," he replied quietly.
Daisuke shot his friend a fleeting
look, but no one spoke. The guard who had brought Daisuke to the throne room
removed his chains. Then they were all led out of the room, Takeru and Miyako
helping to support him.
As soon as they were gone, the King
sighed and relaxed into his throne. He waved a hand, dismissing Iori, Koushiro,
and Jyou, who had merely watched the entire proceedings with silent shock.
"That was more stressful then I had originally thought," he commented
casually.
Ken didn't reply. He wasn't sure if
he was supposed to. "Sire?"
"Ah, yes. That's right. I
needed to give you some information."
Ken felt a pain in the pit of his
stomach. He feared the worse. "Oh?" he questioned, trying to hide his
fear and nervousness.
The King grew a bit more serious and
sad for the moment. "I received some news a short while ago from your
mother."
"My mother?" Ken was
taken aback.
"It appears that your father
is very ill." He frowned. "I'm sorry to hear of this."
Ken merely stared in complete
shock. "My father?" he repeated.
The King nodded. "He came down
with a bad illness last week. It appears it has only worsened."
He nodded. "I see."
"Your mother asked that this
letter be given to you." The King held out an envelope that he produced
from somewhere inside his robes. Ken took it cautiously.
"Thank you, sire," he
replied. The King nodded and gestured to one of the guards by the door. They
stepped forward.
"You're a strange one,
Ichijouji," he commented as Ken turned to leave. "Not at all like
your brother."
Ken paused. "No sir. I'm
not."
***
Miyako carefully wiped the cloth
over Daisuke's face, hoping to remove some of the blood. Ugly purple-colored
bruises covered his face and much of his body. "What on earth did they hit
you
with, a building?"
"No," Daisuke replied between
swipes of the fabric. "Just fists."
Sora took the blood-covered rag
from Miyako and handed her a clean one. "I didn't know you had that much
blood in your body," she commented.
"You know, we still don't know
one thing," Takeru remembered. He sat behind his brother, who was
carefully dabbing another wet handkerchief over Daisuke's back.
"What's that?" Sora
wondered.
"We still don't know why he's
after Miyako," the boy answered.
"We can guess," Yamato
replied. Daisuke winced as he dabbed a particularly nasty looking gash.
"Well, if the King is after
her, it's probably because her parents angered him," the injured boy
stated bluntly.
Miyako frowned in thought. "I
don't know," he replied. "I don't remember my parents angering him. It
could have happened before I was born. But then, why kidnap me? I had nothing
to do with it."
"Your parents have lived in that
secluded country manor since before you were born," Sora recalled. "It
could be that they decided to live there to avoid the King." Miyako nodded.
"That could be," she agreed.
"And he's after you because
you are the most vulnerable," Daisuke continued. "At least I think.
He could have other reasons."
Miyako frowned. "I feel very
unsafe now," she admitted.
Yamato shook his head.
"Actually, Miyako, I think you're very safe now. The King has dropped all the
pretenses of worrying about your safety and confined you to a room. As far as
I'm concerned, that's the same as kidnapping." He sighed in frustration.
"Daisuke, I'm never going to finish if you don't hold still."
"I can't hold still because it
hurts," his patient protested. "And every time you touch it, it hurts
more!"
Yamato groaned. "I can't help
that, Daisuke. The wounds have to be cleaned."
The door to the parlor opened then
and Ken stepped in. He held a white envelope in his hands and had a stunned
look on his face.
"Are you alright?" Miyako
asked.
Ken held up the white envelope
without a word. He sank into the nearest chair.
"What is it?" Takeru
wondered.
He didn't respond.
Daisuke pulled away from Yamato and
Miyako and approached his friend. "Ken? What happened?" Fear gripped
his stomach sharply.
Ken handed the envelope to the
other boy, who took it tentatively.
"It's an envelope,"
Daisuke stated the obvious. "You want me to open it?"
He nodded.
The others were intrigued and
concerned. They gathered around Ken and Daisuke. Daisuke sat on the floor
beside his friend's chair and opened the envelope. Silently he read over the
words, his eyes growing wide. "Ken - it's from your mother."
The boy nodded. "I know,"
he whispered hoarsely. He cleared his throat. "My father is sick."
Daisuke nodded as he read the
words. "She says he's gotten worse over the past few days." He checked
the date at the top. "It's a few days old."
Ken nodded once more.
No one spoke the obvious
implication. If he had only gotten worse over a few days, he could be deceased
by the time the letter had been delivered.
Daisuke stood up and, on impulse,
hugged his friend. Ken looked startled, and then snapped out of his confused
state. When he was released, he looked a bit less lost.
"Thanks," he replied
sheepishly.
Daisuke only nodded. "It's
really not going well, is it?" he commented.
Ken shook his head. "No. It's going very badly." He
sighed and put his head in his hands. "Very badly."
***
Sorry if this part is immensely sappy. I needed something dramatic
so that everyone would be banded together and so we would finally see
who the real bad guy was in this. If anyone guessed who the hooded guy was
before this, I applaud you.
Never fear, Mimi, Jyou, Iori, and Koushiro get larger parts soon!
^_^ Enjoy and thanks for all the reviews, they're really appreciated.
Oh, and in case anyone was confused, I own only the plot. No point
in suing me, you'll only get my stuffed cow, and that's after a lot of struggles.
