The Dark Bandit

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.