The Dark Bandit
Part Eight
Taichi grit his teeth as he felt the whip slash across his back
once more. He refused to cry out, but it was difficult. He shut his eyes and
grimaced in pain as the lashes came harder and more frequently.
Hikari was chained to the opposite wall. Tears ran down her face
as she watched her brother's severe beating. "Hang in there, Taichi,"
she whispered softly, though she knew he wouldn't be able to hear her.
***
"I suppose things are at a standstill now," Ken noted.
He had, at Daisuke's insistence, taken over the job of cleaning the wounds on
his back. Yamato had not protested.
"Seems that way," Daisuke replied. He and Ken were
sitting far enough away from the others that he felt safe to whisper something
to his friend that he wouldn't have mentioned in front of the others. "I
was really afraid the King figured it out today," he confessed in a low
voice.
Ken nodded his agreement, placing the wet cloth on a particularly
nasty wound. "I was too," he confessed. "If you think about it,
all the times he showed up, I wasn't there."
Daisuke chuckled slightly. "True," he agreed.
"I guess that the King has the next move," Miyako
commented as she walked toward the boys.
"Certainly looks that way," Ken agreed. He frowned as he
placed the wet cloth on a nasty wound. He applied pressure, and the blood began
to soak into the cloth. He held it there for a few moments, and then removed
the blood-soaked fabric, reaching for a new one.
Miyako was peering over his shoulder as he worked. "You do
that very well," she noted.
He shrugged. "Lord Jyou and Koushiro were my tutors for a
brief period when I was young," he replied with a dismissive shrug.
"I remember a bit of what I was taught."
Miyako nodded and sat on the window seat directly behind his
chair. For a few moments, she silently watched his work. "I'm
worried," she confessed suddenly.
"Oh?" he asked, not really looking up from his work.
"This Dark Bandit guy - he hasn't shown up in a few days. I
wonder if he's alright?"
"Probably," he replied calmly. "He most likely
understands that it's a risk for him to show himself right now."
"I suppose. I think there's another reason behind it,
though."
He paused in his work, intrigued enough by her comment to respond.
"Oh?"
She shrugged casually. "I've been thinking that perhaps he's
someone I know."
"Why do you think that?"
Another shrug. "Well, he did help to save my life a few
times. Most random strangers wouldn't do that. Would they?"
He looked back to his work but did not continue. "Depends on
the stranger," he replied cryptically.
There was silence for a few moments. He returned to his work,
picking up another clean cloth and dipping it in the water.
"Do you have any theories?" she wondered.
He held the cloth securely on the wound directly below the neck. "Not
a clue," he replied casually. "Do you?"
"A few," she replied. There was another pause. "I
think Daisuke has fallen asleep sitting up."
"Daisuke?" Ken asked. He turned himself, looking around.
The boy had indeed closed his eyes and was now snoring softly, leaning his head
against the window seat next to him. "It appears so," he reported.
"In a few moments he's going to be snoring."
"He snores?"
"Loudly."
"Must be hard to live with."
"Very. But I've gotten used to it," he answered with a
shrug. "Tell me about these theories."
Miyako blinked. "Theories? Oh, about the bandit. Right."
"Right. So?"
She shrugged with forced casualness, though he wasn't looking her
way. "Well, I was going over who it could be and who it could not. You
see, at first I thought it might be Daisuke, but it isn't."
"It isn't?"
She shook her head. "No. He was there a few times when he
showed up. That same thing rules out Taichi, Hikari, Yamato, Takeru, Sora, and
myself."
He nodded. "Yes," he agreed.
"The only people that weren't there when he appeared are Jun,
the King and Queen, Lord Jyou, Lord and Lady Motomiya, and Koushiro. And
you," she added.
He nodded again after a moment's thought, appearing to ignore his
own inclusion. "So you think it's one of them?"
"Well, it couldn't be the King. It's obvious he hates him.
Why would he be someone he hates? Why would he send Leomon to fight himself? I
doubt it's the Queen for a similar reason." "Reasonable."
"I really doubt it's Jun," she continued. "I've
only known her for a short while, but she doesn't seem to be very
adventurous."
"I can agree with that," he replied.
"Lady Motomiya seems quite like her daughter," she
explained. "Besides her illness. And Lord Motomiya appears too old and
preoccupied with his wife at the moment to be a bandit."
"Indeed."
"I doubt Jyou and Koushiro for the same reason as Jun."
"Agreed. Doctors and wizards aren't exactly
action-oriented." There was a short pause. Then they were interrupted
again by Daisuke snoring softly.
"That's not too loud."
"Yet," he replied. "Just wait."
She nodded, uncertain of what to say.
"So you think it's me?" he wondered, turning away from
Daisuke, who was by now entirely cleansed of his wounds.
Again, she nodded nervously.
He appeared thoughtful. "What do you plan to do with this theory?"
he wondered.
Miyako blinked. "I actually wasn't sure," she confessed.
"I was planning to confront you."
He nodded, frowning thoughtfully again. "Ah. Consider me
confronted. Now what?" He stood up, lifting the bucket of bloody cloths
with him.
"Well, now is a good time to ask you if my theory is
correct," she responded. He nodded again and walked away from her. She
watched as he handed the bloody bucket to Sora, who was talking with Yamato and
Takeru. She thanked him, and immediately returned them to the attached washroom,
where she had gotten them, before returning to her conversation.
Ken returned to the window seat and began to lift Daisuke.
"Help?" he asked.
Confused, Miyako stood and helped him lift the boy onto the couch.
There, they laid him, face down so as not to cause him further discomfort, and
pulled a blanket over him. She followed the dark-haired boy back to the window
seat. He turned the chair so it was facing the window, and gestured for her to
sit. She did so, and then he sat on the window seat, glancing out for a few
moments in silence.
Miyako was about to repeat the question when he suddenly spoke.
His voice sounded distant, as though he was thinking of other things when he
spoke.
"You understand that such information as his identity is very
dangerous," he stated. It wasn't really a question.
"Of course I do," she replied. She glanced towards the
snoring boy. "I can see what happened to Daisuke because of it."
He nodded, still staring out the window with a thoughtful
expression. "Have you discussed your theory with anyone else?" he
questioned.
She shook her head. "No. Only you."
He turned back to her then, a surprised expression on his face.
"Why not?" he wondered.
Now Miyako looked out the window in thought. After a few moments,
she replied. "I understood from the first time I saw him that he was on my
side," she explained. "I would not risk the life of an ally."
She turned back to him with a serious expression on her face.
He nodded in understanding, a slight smile appearing on his face.
"You're a good ally, then," he complimented.
She smiled in return. "Are you confirming my suspicions,
then?" she wondered, tired of beating around the bush.
"I might," he replied. He was silent a moment. He
glanced toward the sleeping boy. "I ask one request in return."
"What is that?"
"Say nothing to Daisuke. He'll figure it out eventually, but
keep quiet for now."
"Why?"
He looked into her eyes for a moment, and a mischievous look
appeared in his own. "Just because I'd like to confuse him for a
bit," he explained.
She laughed softly and nodded. "Agreed. Does this mean I have
your confirmation?"
He nodded. "As long as I have your help tonight."
"Tonight? What are you going to do tonight?"
He frowned, glancing about the room and lowering his voice.
"Several things, actually. I don't like that our digimon are separated.
That doesn't mean anything good. I need to find them all. Second, I need to
return to my room. If it hasn't been searched already. If it has, I haven't
much time left alive."
She blinked. "Your disguise is hidden in your room?" He
shrugged, glancing out the window.
"Very well. You've got my help. But how are you going to get
out of here?"
Ken shrugged again. "The window, of course," he replied,
pointing towards the window they were sitting near.
She nodded. "What do I need to do?"
"Cover for me if I'm discovered," he replied simply.
***
When the harsh lashings had finally been completed, Taichi felt
himself thrown harshly to the ground. A few moments later he heard a similar
thump and then a loud bang as the door was shut. Hikari was by his side only
seconds later.
"Taichi? Are you alright? Please tell me you're
alright." Her voice betrayed the tears she'd been crying.
Sitting up as much as he could bear, he coughed and spit blood on
to the ground from where he had been punched in the jaw. He was surprised only
a few teeth had been loosened. His sister winced as she saw the blood and
rushed for the water bucket in the corner. Carefully, she dipped her hand in
the cool liquid and held it to his face. "Drink," she told him, and
he did so eagerly. She refilled her hand a few times, and when he could drink
no more, she used the water to wash some of the blood and dirt from his face.
He groaned again and sat up the rest of the way. "Thank
you," he whispered. She reached out
and pushed the hair from his face. She peered into his determined
but tired and pain filled eyes.
"That was really bad," she told him sympathetically, and
he nodded in agreement.
"I wonder," he began hoarsely, and paused to clear his
dry throat. When he spoke again, it was only slightly clearer. "I wonder
what he did with the digimon."
Hikari frowned. She herself had been worried about Tailmon almost
as much as she'd been concerned for Taichi. "I have no idea," she
replied. She held out her hand again. "More water?"
He drank eagerly. "Agumon," he said in a voice that was
a bit clearer. "I hope he's alright."
Hikari placed a hand on his shoulder. "Taichi, I'm sure
Agumon can handle himself," she assured him, hiding her own fears.
***
Ken noted the soft snores from much of the group. Cautiously, he
sat up and moved from his sleeping place. He placed his pillow and another
spare one under his blanket so it would appear as though he was sleeping if any
of the guards should peek in.
He crept quietly to the window that he had been sitting near with
Miyako only hours earlier.
It was locked, of course, since they were supposed to be confined,
but he had no doubt of his
ability to pick the lock. After all, his specialty was springing
people out of jails,
dungeons, and prisons. If only he had something to pick it with.
As softly as possible, he crept to the nearest sleeping female.
Miyako had two pins in her
hair - he could see them, glinting in the moonlight. Somehow, he
managed to remove one of
them without her noticing. She didn't even stir in her sleep.
Relieved, Ken let out a silent sigh of relief and sneaked back to
the window. He fiddled with
the lock for a few moments, having never used a hair pin for this
purpose or any other before, and then it opened with a soft clicking noise.
He froze, hoping that no one had heard the noise. Thankfully, none
of the sleepers stirred except Daisuke, who chose that moment to snore loudly.
He slipped out the window, sticking the pin in his pocket for future reference
and shutting it behind him.
Outside the window was a small and not very sturdy veranda. It was
a significant height from the ground. Below, he could see two guards standing
watch. The roof was only a story above him.
Gripping his fingers in the side of the castle, Ken scaled the
wall with the ease of practice. The flat stone roof in this wing was empty, and
he ran quickly and stealthily along it until he had reached the roof above
where he knew his and Daisuke's rooms were. He lowered himself down into the
tree beside his window and peered into his room.
Ken's room was rather disorganized. With a frown of anxiousness
and fear, he slipped in through the window.
His bed had been torn apart, and the drawers of his temporary
dresser opened and flung about. The entire contents of his traveling trunk at
the foot of his bed had been removed and tossed around the room.
Ken lit the candle kept by his bed and peered about the room in
the dim light. Under his bed was the small flat box he was so worried about. He
had decided to hide it in a different spot each night, being quite unsatisfied
with simply one. The last had been in the corner under his bed. Wisely, he had
hid it in a spot near the wall, where the candle's light from either side did
not touch it.
With relief, he removed the quite familiar outfit from the box and
slipped into it, putting his clothes in the box. He took the hat and placed it
on his head, and then triumphantly tied
the mask around his face. However, he was weaponless. After a bit
more searching, he was still unable to locate his sword.
Disappointed, he put his old clothes in the box and departed
through his window, dousing the candle as he went. He peered into Daisuke's
room. It had been dismantled as much as his own, which did not surprise him.
However, they had left the ceremonial sword that the boy kept on hand for
special occasions. Brandishing that weapon, he slipped out the window again.
His spare clothes were easily hid in a tree near the room where
the others were located. Judging from the sky, the Dark Bandit estimated he had
a few hours left to search for the digimon. He also would have liked to check
up on the royal children, but he knew it would be next to impossible to find or
release them.
Swiftly, he moved along the roof, pausing at every window to peer
inside. Most of them were dark, due to the late hour, but he checked them all,
finding most of them empty or occupied with sleeping servants.
One room had a light in it, however, and he peered into that one
with curiosity. He was surprised to find it was Daisuke's parents' room. Lord
Motomiya was sitting beside his wife, wiping her head with a cool cloth. Jun
stood in the doorway, watching the scene and wiping the tears from her eyes.
He considered his surrogate sister's dilemma. She was most likely
greatly worried about her brother and her mother. He wondered how much she and
her father had been told about Daisuke's imprisonment.
Suddenly, he had a new mission. He slipped back to the roof and
made his way to the suite Jun had shared with Sora and Miyako. He entered her
room and managed to locate a small notebook on her dresser. He recalled her
passion for journal writing.
Quickly, he scribbled a short note on the top page of the book and
left it open on her bed.
He debated signing it for a few moments, but decided against it.
It might confuse her or scare her in some way. He assumed that she would know
who it was. Suddenly, he heard a noise in the hallway, and slipped out the
window as she returned.
***
Alraumon observed her partner as they returned to her chambers,
carrying a single candle. "There are so many things to worry about,"
she noted with some concern.
"There are," Jun agreed, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"First Mother, and then Daisuke. Now Mother is worse, and I'm not sure
what has happened to Daisuke. Or Ken," she added. "I hope they're
alright." She made her way to her closet and located her nightgown.
Alraumon had climbed on to the bed and noticed the notebook lying
there. She began to read aloud. "Jun," she began. "I
assure you that your brother is safe for the moment, though I cannot assure you
of how long this will last. If you wish to send him a message, leave it on the
balcony and it shall be delivered."
Jun stepped away from the closet, nightgown now over her head.
"Where did you get this?" she demanded of her digimon.
The plant type shrugged. "It was written in the
journal," she explained, holding it up.
"Who's it from?" she wondered. A shrug was her only
answer.
"Are you going to write to Daisuke?"
"Are you kidding? Of course I am. I'll have it finished in a
half-hour. I just wonder who the delivery boy is."
***
The aforementioned delivery person was making his way to another
room. This one was dark, but a single candle could be seen if one looked at it
from the right angle. The room was located in the top of one of the castle's
numerous towers. It was surrounded by guards, making it quite suspicious
looking.
At first, this confused the Dark Bandit. Surely the King would not
be awake late plotting his next move in a tall tower room. And he would not
have left his children imprisoned in a tower. He would have most likely put
them in the dungeon, same as Daisuke.
Because of its location, the tower room was difficult to get to.
He could not simply stroll over and scale the side of the building. As it was
also taller than the rest of the castle, he could not simply walk along the
roof and slide down the side, either.
In the end, the Dark Bandit was forced to climb from the roof up
to the side of the tower. This was easier said than done, but he managed to
succeed.
When he reached the window with the candle light, he discovered
that it was, to no surprise, barred. Peering with the aid of the single candle,
he was attempted to discern just what occupied the room.
At first it appeared to merely be a group of small, dark, shadows
clustered together. When he squinted, however, he was able to make out exactly
what they were.
***
Daisuke felt the sunlight hit his face early that morning, though
he hadn't recalled falling asleep the night before. As he sat up, he noted that
he was the privileged one to get the couch.
The others were scattered about the floor, most of them still
asleep.
Miyako and Takeru were beginning to awaken at the same time.
Daisuke noted that Ken, Yamato, and Sora were still in dreamland. He yawned
slightly and swung his legs over the side of the couch, sitting up. Accepting
the unspoken invite, Miyako and Takeru joined him after a moment.
"I wonder if we'll eat today," Takeru wondered. They had
not been given food the evening before, despite his and Yamato's protests to
the guards outside the locked door.
In a flash of déjà vu, Daisuke frowned. "I wonder what
happened to our digimon," he wondered.
Miyako yawned, unconcerned for the moment about food.
"They're probably somewhere like us," she commented.
The redhead frowned even deeper, shaking his head. "That's
just not right. Digimon shouldn't be separated from their partners."
"Normally, they aren't," Takeru reminded them. "But
this is not a normal situation."
"Does the King hope to weaken us by separating us?"
Daisuke demanded. He stood up and paced back and forth, managing to avoid the
others still asleep.
"Probably," the girl replied, yawning once more. She
blinked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, and peered past Daisuke. "Hey -
what's that on the balcony?"
Daisuke paused in his pacing to turn to where she was pointing. A
small wooden box sat on the veranda just outside the window, gathering dewdrops
in the early morning.
"Good question," Takeru agreed. He followed her to the
window. All three of them pressed their faces to the glass and peered at the
box. "It wasn't there last night, was it?"
"I didn't see it," Miyako noted, and Daisuke agreed.
"Well, let's bring it in," he decided.
"Daisuke, how?" Takeru wondered. He pointed to the lock
on the window. "We can't open it."
"Sure we can," the other boy replied. He looked to
Miyako. "Haven't you got a hair pin?"
Miyako reached into her hair and felt around for a moment.
"Somewhere," she mumbled. After a
while, she located one and handed it to him. "Funny. I
thought I had two in here," she commented with a slight frown of
confusion.
Daisuke lifted the pin and stuck it in the lock. For a few moments
he fiddled with the thin metal accessory.
"Daisuke," Takeru began, ready to suggest that they
simply break one of the panes of glass.
Suddenly, there was a soft click, and the window opened. He and
Miyako stared in surprise.
"How did you do that?" she wondered as he returned the
hair pin.
"Luck, I guess," he replied with a shrug. He slowly
opened the window and crawled out into the air. For a moment, he paused, having
not breathed fresh air in a few days. Then he recalled his mission and crawled
on to the veranda. A few moments later he had retrieved the box and returned to
the others.
"What's in it?" Miyako demanded as he shut and therefore
locked the window.
"I don't know, I haven't opened it yet," he replied,
sitting down on the window seat and removing the top.
Inside were a few folded pieces of paper and some small jars.
Daisuke recognized them as
healing salve, and smiled to himself. Not only was it healing
salve, it was his healing salve, from his box of medical
supplies. The papers were more ambiguous.
They were grouped into two piles. One had curved, flowery writing
on it and had his name written on the outside. The other was not addressed.
Miyako lifted the blank one and began to skim the words.
Takeru examined the healing salve, wondering where the mysterious
box had come from. Daisuke read the papers addressed to him. Immediately it
became obvious they were from his sister.
"Daisuke, I have received word that you are alright. It will
please Mother and Father greatly to hear of this," he read softly. "A
letter informing me of your safety was written in my journal last night. I am
uncertain if I will see you again, but I am certain that your disappearance has
something to do with the current situation with the King's children. We were
told that you had been imprisoned for defying the King. That most certainly
sounds like you."
Miyako and Takeru could not resist laughing in response to that
statement. Daisuke frowned at them momentarily before continuing.
"I don't know what you have been told about Mother, but she
is progressing badly," he continued slowly. "She developed a fever
recently, and has been floating in and out of awareness daily. Father hopes to
beseech the King on her behalf that she might see you before she must pass on.
She continues bravely, Daisuke, but I know she has little time remaining. I'm
certain you are aware as well."
Daisuke paused and collected himself before he continued reading.
Takeru placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder, and Miyako hugged him
slightly.
"I hope this letter finds you in decent conditions. I would
hate to see you in too much pain. I hope that this situation passes soon enough
and you are freed again soon. Until then, I will assure our parents of your
safety and continue hoping. Your sister, Jun."
Daisuke refolded the letter with a frown. The fact that a letter
had been delivered to his sister both disturbed and pleased him in many ways.
He had no doubt as to who had written the letter - or who had delivered this
one. His eyes fell on a sleeping figure.
Miyako interrupted before his thoughts could go any further.
"This letter is important as well," she told them. "I think we
should wake the others and read it to them."
Daisuke and Takeru shrugged in agreement.
***
Sora slept fitfully that night. Her dreams were filled with
violent images. Blood spraying,
flashes of red light. She winced in expectant pain.
"Sora," she heard Miyako's voice call from somewhere in
the darkness. She tried to run, to get to her, but found herself lost in the
inky blackness. "Sora."
The face of the King flashed before her, insanity twinkling in his
eyes. He had once been so kind. What had happened since she had last seen him?
"Sora, wake up," the girl called again.
There was a screaming noise from somewhere, and she turned to see
what it was. She was unable, though. With great fear, she sat in the darkness
and huddled her legs to her chest.
"Sora?"
There was a shaking noise. Then the hideous sound of a whip
cracking, and that screaming again.
With a shock, she sat up to find herself asleep in the parlor they
had been confined to. She
grasped her chest, feeling as though her beating heart would leap
from her body.
"Sora?" Miyako's voice asked again, this time filled
with worry and concern. "Are you alright?"
She blinked a few times to assure herself that this was, indeed,
reality. "I think so," she replied. "Just a scary dream."
"You too?" she heard a voice question, and turned to see
Yamato a few feet away. He was sitting up in bed. Though he asked it in a
solemn, dry, emotionless voice, she could see that his eyes were wide and wild
and she guessed that he'd had a similar dream.
"Yeah," she replied. "It was weird. There was
screaming, and some sort of pain and the King's face. His eyes looked
insane."
Yamato's face grew pale, and Takeru gripped his brother strongly,
holding him up lest he faint. "The same dream," he whispered. "I
had the same dream." He stood up, brushing his brother away. "What
does it mean?"
Sora's eyes were filled with fear. "I don't doubt what it means,"
she replied sensibly. "Our
digimon are in serious danger."
Miyako blinked in surprise and glanced at the letter in her hand.
She held it up. "We received a message from our ally," she reported.
Yamato frowned and sat on the couch. "What does it say?" he demanded.
"Hey, wait, we've got to wake Ken," Takeru reminded them. Daisuke
sat near his friend, who was just now sitting up, yawning.
"Did you dream it too?" Sora wondered.
The dark haired boy blinked in confusion. "I dreamt, but as far as
I know it was my own dream," he replied shortly.
"Read the letter, Miyako," Yamato prompted.
Miyako nodded. "Allies," she read. "Apologies for the lack of help
in your situation. I have been delayed by other matters. I have information
that may be of use to you. It involves the location of your digimon. They are
currently unharmed, but in a tower room in the east wing of the castle. Upon
recent inspection, I found them all to be malnourished but safe. I don't doubt
that the situation may change if the King is provoked in any way."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief at hearing of the digimon's
safety.
Miyako peered up from the letter. "That's all it says," she
finished.
"That's awfully short," Takeru commented. "I thought perhaps he'd
give us some information on Taichi and Hikari." He frowned thoughtfully.
"It's probably very difficult to get into the dungeon, even late
at night," Yamato reminded his brother. "And it would be very risky for him to
go down there only for a short visit."
Daisuke nodded his agreement at that statement, having had an
extended visit in said dungeon himself. "If they're being held where I was,
it's at least two or three floors under the castle," he reported.
"So the digimon are safe, for now. What do we do in the meantime?"
Sora wondered.
"It's still the King's move," Yamato decided. He folded his arms
against his chest and frowned in thought. "Our side had a move, but it wasn't
really much."
"As long as we're trapped here, we can't really do anything,"
Takeru agreed, gesturing to the room around him.
"I really don't think the King is merely going to keep us here
indefinitely," Sora stated sensibly. "Surely he has other plans."
"Right now Miyako and Daisuke are the most at risk," Ken said with
a half-yawn that came from getting only a few hours of sleep.
"We are?" Daisuke and Miyako repeated blankly, and he nodded.
"Miyako has been at risk the entire time," he reminded them both.
"That hasn't changed. The King wanted you for some purpose. We still haven't
figured out what that is. I'm sure we will eventually."
Miyako shuddered slightly, and Sora reached out to comfort her
friend with a smile. "We'll try to keep you safe as best we can," she told the
girl, though they both knew that if the King was after her for any reason they
would be quite powerless.
"And Daisuke is the only one who knows the identity of our ally,"
Yamato reminded the confused boy. He gestured towards the sheet of paper Miyako
still held. "As long as the King feels he is an enemy, and, the way it looks
now, he will be for quite some time, Daisuke is at risk."
Daisuke nodded his own agreement. "If Hikari hadn't stepped in for
me, I would be in that dungeon right at this moment," he recalled. A single
tear formed in his left eye, and he looked at the ground, hoping to conceal it
from the others.
There was a moment of silence. "The King will make a move soon,"
Takeru sighed. "He's not going to sit quietly now that he has what he wants."
***
The day passed slowly. Around noon, the group was fed bowls of the
gruel Daisuke recalled from the prison. As before, it was tasteless but not
excessively vile. There were complaints about the consistency of the goop, and
jokes about it, but spirits were low.
Shortly after the meal had been finished, the door opened again
and a figure entered, flanked by two guards.
At first, no one was certain who – or what - it was. It was
dressed in raggedy clothes that were covered with filth, and its head was bent
in exhaustion. The guards roughly tossed it into the room, and Daisuke, being
the closest to the door, was surprised to find a human being suddenly occupying
his lap.
"Hikari!" he gasped, once he had recognized the girl. She managed
to pull herself off of him sheepishly, taking a seat instead beside him.
"Sorry, Daisuke," she apologized in a soft voice.
He shook his head. "Are you alright?" he demanded, pushing his
half-empty goop-bowl aside and leaning towards her.
She nodded, and he could now see the tear streaks in the dirt
beside her face. A few swipes of dried blood were on her face, especially
around her eyes, but Daisuke could not see any wounds. "I wasn't hurt,
Daisuke," she explained.
"But –," he protested, and faltered momentarily. "There's –
there's blood. And – you look – well," he stumbled over his words for a moment.
"I think he means you look horrible, Princess," Ken commented
wryly from his seat somewhere behind the boy.
Hikari glanced down at herself and nodded. "It's dirty in the
dungeon," she answered, by way of explanation. "But I wasn't hurt. The blood is
from my brother."
There was a gasp from the rest of the group. "He had Taichi hurt?"
Yamato gasped.
The Princess nodded. "Whipped," she answered, looking away.
"Severely."
"His own son," Yamato repeated in a whisper.
"Who knew he could sink that low," Sora agreed with a shake of the
head. She stood up from her seat and slipped into the small washroom off to the
side. It was a tiny, closet-sized room, but it was kept supplied with water.
Another locked door led out of it, and servants would occasionally enter and
leave, replenishing the water supply.
When she returned to the main room, she found the others were
briefing Hikari on the situation, showing her the letter they had received and
explaining about the dreams Sora and Yamato had both experienced the night before.
Hikari was not surprised to hear of that, at least. Her brother,
she reported, had experienced a similar nightmare the previous evening. "He
woke up shouting in the middle of the night," she explained. "At first I
thought he was just scared, and he told me that, but then he confessed that he
had actually dreamt that Agumon was hurt."
Sora nodded. "I don't doubt they are in serious danger," she
repeated. She held out a clean cloth and some water and wiped the blood and
dirt from her face. Daisuke offered her the rest of his gruel, which she gladly
accepted, having not been fed either.
"I wonder why you were returned here," Takeru wondered
thoughtfully as he slurped his own food.
"Perhaps to attempt to teach his son a stronger lesson," Yamato
mused. "If Taichi is alone, it's more difficult for him to resist the torture.
Especially if he is uncertain of his sister's safety."
"It's also possible he's rescinding on our deal," the Princess
theorized. She turned to Daisuke. "If I was released, you may be in danger once
more."
The redhead sitting beside her frowned shyly and peered at the
ground. "I'd rather be whipped a hundred times than have you imprisoned for me,
Hikari," he said in a quiet voice.
Hikari smiled softly. "That is sweet of you to say, Daisuke, but
it isn't necessary for you to risk yourself for me."
Daisuke smiled shyly back at her, turning slightly red.
Yamato pretended to ignore the blushing faces and awkward scene in
front of him. "It would be so much better if we knew what he wanted," he
grumbled, and several of the others agreed.
There were a few moments of silence before the door opened again
and the guards reentered.
***
Taichi groaned half in pain and half in delight as he devoured the
gruel that had been placed before him. Hikari's disappearance this morning
worried him, but served to strengthen his resolve. He was more determined than
ever that his father was wrong in his beliefs and he was being punished
wrongly.
He emptied the bowl entirely and tossed it aside. It was edible.
He wasn't used to food like that, being raised as a Prince, after all, but he
supposed he could survive on it if necessary. At the moment, it certainly
seemed necessary. He hardly had the motivation for a hunger strike.
From the hall there was suddenly a loud clanking. 'Hikari?'
he thought. He stood up and stumbled weakly to the door. Through the tiny
barred window he was able to make out two guards leading a third figure as it
stumbled down the corridor. He peered closely through the bars, and was able to
discern that it was definitely not his sister.
"Daisuke," he noted. "What happened? Why is he here again?"
***
The recent exchange of hostages left everyone confused and tense.
Ken and Yamato paced
alternately across the room. Takeru sat on the window seat,
watching with some amusement as they avoided walking into each other by only
narrow spaces. Hikari was managing to nap on the couch, having been kept awake
the previous night worrying about Taichi. Miyako was lost in thought in one of
the chairs, and Sora in another.
"It just doesn't seem to make any sense," Yamato grumbled for the
thousandth time as he passed his brother.
"It doesn't," Takeru agreed. "Why would the King treat his own son
so harshly?"
Yamato paused momentarily to shrug in response. "I think that he
had high expectations for Taichi to succeed him," he replied as he resumed his
walk. "Maybe he thinks that if he beats his opinions into him, he'll be more
obedient."
"That's not going to work," the younger brother commented.
"No. I know Taichi. Being beaten and tortured will only make him
resent and dislike his father even more."
"I don't understand this," Sora spoke up. "When we were children,
the King seemed to be so nice. Now, it's almost as though he were a different
person."
Now it was Ken's turn to pause pacing. "When I spoke with him
after Taichi and Hikari were
led away, he seemed to be a different person," he recalled with
his own thoughtful frown. "He seemed to be genuinely concerned for my father.
One would think that he would hide such information from me at a time like
that, but he didn't."
Sora was about to respond to that when she heard a soft scraping
noise. "What on earth?" she wondered, standing up and following the noise.
"Sora?" Miyako questioned.
"I hear something," she reported. She paused and cocked her head
to one side. "Listen. Hear that?"
Miyako shook her head blankly.
"I hear it," Takeru replied. "It's coming from over there." He
pointed towards the attached washroom.
Sora opened the door to the washroom. The sound was louder now and
she could hear it coming from the other side of the opposite entrance.
Curiously, she placed an ear to the door, and then stepped back. "Hello?" she
asked cautiously.
The scratching noise stopped momentarily. A voice answered from the
other side. "Hello? Who's there?"
"Sora. Sora Takenouchi," she replied. "Who are you?"
"Izumi. Koushiro," the voice answered. "I come seeking
information."
"Koushiro, what are you doing here?" Yamato demanded from behind
her.
"Just what I said," the wizard replied. "Seeking information.
Please stand back."
"Stand back?" Miyako repeated. "Why?"
"When it comes to a wizard, don't ask questions like that," Ken
advised. Everyone obediently stepped back a few steps. A moment later there was
a puff of smoke and the door swung open with a creak. Miyako blinked in
surprise.
She had only seen Koushiro a few times before, and this was the
first time up close. He was a short man with wild red hair that nearly rivaled
Daisuke's. He was dressed in a simple brown robe and carried a leather pouch
which he tied around his waist. He smiled pleasantly as he entered.
"Greetings," he announced cheerfully. "I come seeking and bringing
information."
***
Daisuke sighed slightly as he was returned to the cell he had left
only a day before. Once again he was chained, arms to the wall, standing
uncomfortably. "Great," he grumbled. "This time there's no one to talk to." Not
surprisingly, he found himself missing V-mon quite a bit.
From behind him he could hear a pounding noise. "What is that?" he
wondered. Annoyed, he kicked his foot into the wall, the only solid thing he
could reach. He succeeded in only mildly injuring his foot as it banged into
the stone wall.
"Ouch!" he shouted louder than he had originally intended. He swore
under his breath and favored his opposite foot.
***
Taichi heard the loud shout, though not the colorful word that
followed. He smiled slightly. "That's Daisuke," he whispered to himself. "Act
before you think."
He realized that he was going to have to find some way of
communication that was more effective than simple banging. He took the rock
that he had found and searched the wall for a weak spot. He found one in the
middle of the wall close to the ground. It was a long crack that was nearly a
foot long.
***
Daisuke frowned as the banging continued. His head began to ache.
He repressed the impulse to bang his bare foot against the wall again, deciding
instead to swear under his breath once more.
It was going to be a long day, a long night, and a long prison
stay, he decided. Especially if that noise continued.
****
Okay, raise your hand if you saw that coming. If you didn't, yea!
I'm trying to be creative and different. ::shrug::
I wasn't certain at first if I wanted Miyako to discover the Dark
Bandit's identity. But, as I was writing it, it became obvious that she could
figure it out. She's the only one to notice that both Ken and he have a Wormmon
for a partner, and she notices that he's the only one to not be there when the
Bandit shows up. Since I think Miyako's pretty smart, she figured it out.
Apologies for any gross OOC-ness in that scene.
In the next part, we finally see Mimi, Koushiro explains a few
things (about time!), and some other stuff happens. This is ALMOST over. Of
course, there may be a sequel, depending on how I work the ending. Enjoy! ^_^
