Notes: This part is more PG-13ish than the others because of some violence and blood, and one offensive word

Notes: This part is more PG-13ish than the others because of some violence and blood, and one offensive word. ^_^;

Disclaimer: I still don't know Digimon, its characters, or Tamachi. I own a mother who told me, "You could rewrite the ending of that show if you don't like it so much," after I complained about episode 50, though. ^^;;

Bewitching the Dragon
Part One -- Chapter Three
By: Hanae Michiko
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Violet… The piercing gaze of stunningly beautiful violet eyes seared into him, almost as if they wished to burn him to the core. Daisuke stared, lost in the depths of the seemingly human eyes, and forgot for a moment that he was face to face with a dragon. This realization stunned him out of his desire to gaze into the eyes forever and enjoy the giddy yet comfortably warm feeling that came over him when he did so.

"Oh…oh no…" Daisuke muttered, taking a step backwards. He eyed the magnificent creature before him in awe. Daisuke estimated that it stood nearly ten feet tall, and the volume of it could hold about a hundred times the volume he himself took up. It was covered with shimmering, almost iridescent navy blue scales, and had a slight mane to match. Its angry face held within them the most lovely eyes Daisuke had ever set sight upon, and as their gazes met, the redhead again felt his stomach do flip-flops and his heart do a weird fluttering thing in his chest. The loud roar of the monster before him brought him out of his daydream.

"Right… I have to…um, I have to slay you, so…"

Daisuke reached behind him to grab the sword from his sheath, a task that proved to be more difficult than it should have been because of his shaking, sweaty hands. He brought the sword before him and turned his eyes back to the large blue dragon that seemed to be waiting patiently. He found the creature eyeing him --hungrily? …appreciatively?-- and it made him nervous and embarrassed and want to show off his awesome skill as a knight all at the same time. Something about the dragon made him feel like a giggling schoolgirl and a shivering coward all at once.

The russet-haired boy took a deep breath, grit his teeth, and took a fighting stance, ready to strike when the dragon tried to attack. The dragon stepped forward slowly, completely unwavering. Daisuke stood firm and tightened his grip on the hilt of the sword. When the creature was close enough, Daisuke dove forward to strike, but the dragon stepped easily out of the way. The redheaded knight jumped backwards, calculating his next move, when the dragon attacked, swiping his claw at Daisuke. The boy blocked the attack with his sword and pushed the talon-like claw away from him, jumping backwards again. He charged forward, sword pointed straight ahead like a lance during a jousting match, and struck the dragon in the shoulder of its right front leg. The creature howled, and Daisuke immediately regretted hurting it. He took a few cautious steps backwards, eyeing the wound he had created and the blood as it dripped down the dragon's leg. He closed his eyes tightly. This was what he was sent here to do, and he had to do it, no matter what. Guilt temporarily aside, Daisuke got ready to strike the dragon again, but the dragon was quicker and used Daisuke's previous hesitation as an advantage. It swiped a massive claw and caught the redhead across the chest. Daisuke hissed, the wound only stinging for the moment. Then, as blood began rushing to the wound, Daisuke could feel his pulse throbbing in the open gash. He looked down at his chest and immediately felt a searing hot flash of pain, and he screamed. Clutching his chest with one hand and raising his sword with the other, Daisuke glared at the dragon, and his glare immediately softened. The dragon looked almost…apologetic.

'I knew this wasn't going to be a good idea from the start,' Daisuke thought, 'But I didn't think that what was going to make this harder for me was the fact that it seems neither of us really wants to hurt the other…'

Daisuke sighed, and when he saw that the dragon's expression of sorrow had quickly changed back into one of hatred and anger, he pushed the thought of a truce aside. The dragon charged at him, and he stood his ground, waiting for the slash of its claw. But instead of tearing a wound with its nails, the dragon decided on a different approach and went for Daisuke's head with its mouth. Daisuke meeped and dodged the dragon's chops, narrowly escaping a beheading. The redhead turned to slash at the dragon with his blade, but the dragon blocked the attack with one claw while slashing at Daisuke with the other. When the creature's nails dug into his shoulder, the young knight wished he'd had a shield.

"Yaaaaaaaa!" Daisuke cried, falling to his knees. He felt as if there were a thousand burning hot needles digging their way through the skin and tissue and muscle surrounding his shoulder to scrape at the bone. The dragon showed no mercy and continued to tighten its grip. It was when a tear of pain trickled down his cheek that Daisuke felt the dragon release its hold on his shoulder.

Daisuke slung the hand that had been holding his chest onto his shoulder --to stop the bleeding or hope to numb the pain, he didn't know-- and staggered to his feet, breathing heavily and trying his hardest not to weep. Taking a few deep breaths to collect himself, Daisuke lifted his sword again and held it out in front of him until the violently shaking blade became still.

That was it…that was all he could take.

The redhead grit his teeth and bent his knees slightly.

"BASTARD!!" the young knight screamed, charging forwards.

His smooth onslaught became hindered once the sword came into contact with the dragon's lower belly, but Daisuke refused to stop. He pushed the blade further into the dragon's body, completely numb to the howls and wails of pain it emitted. The dragon, unwilling to submit to the pain, turned its whole body around an invisible central pivot and smacked Daisuke with its tail, wrenching the sword from Daisuke's grasp in the process. The creature tore Daisuke's sword from its belly and watched Daisuke fly backwards and land hard on his back.

Daisuke opened his eyes and waited for the splotches of white to stop dancing in front of his vision. Once they were gone, the redhead had a clear view of the piercing violet eyes above him. He was vaguely aware of the huge claw pressed onto his chest to keep him on the ground, aggravating the gashes already there, and of the sharp, glistening teeth sparkling mere inches from his face, but his world seemed to be engulfed in purple-blue. Staring into the dragon's eyes, Daisuke couldn't believe they belonged to a merciless, bloodthirsty creature like the dragon seemed to want everyone to believe it was. They were simply too beautiful, and looked as if they belonged to…

The dragon was closer to Daisuke's face, and the redhead could smell the creature's blood-soaked breath, but only dimly, as he was still captured within its lavender-blue depths...

That looked as if they belonged to a…

A light bulb went off in Daisuke's head, and he suddenly realized the situation he was in, with the dragon's face only centimeters from his head and ready for a meal. He didn't panic, though. There didn't seem to be a need to. He wasn't scared of the dragon anymore… It's eyes…eyes that looked as if they belonged to a…

To a…

"You're human, aren't you?"

Startled, the large blue creature jumped off Daisuke's body and staggered backwards. It stared at Daisuke in awe and disbelief as he sat up, supporting himself on his elbows. The boy had discovered his true nature? How was that…possible?

Then, as if the fight and all the dragon's injuries suddenly caught up to it, the creature swaggered and finally collapsed, exhausted and in pain.

Daisuke frowned at the dragon. Now that he knew it wasn't merely the merciless, bloodthirsty creature everyone had made it out to be, he couldn't slay it. And he couldn't leave it lying there on the ground, either. Something had to be done.

"I'll take care of you…" Daisuke muttered, crawling on his hands and knees towards the dragon. He knew walking would cause too much pain.

The mahogany haired knight eyed the wounds he had created and bit his lip.

"I'm sorry…" he apologized, removing the sheath that was slung across his back and then his shirt. He tore the shirt into strips and wrapped the strips tightly around the bleeding gashes his own blade had made.

"My sister always said that if you kiss a boo-boo, it'll feel better," Daisuke said as he leaned forward and gently touched his lips to the bound injuries. "I hope it works for you and you don't hurt too much when you wake up."

Daisuke brought his hand up to the dragon's mane and ran his fingers through it, wrinkling his nose at the blood he realized his hand was streaking through the silky strands.

"I will take care of you…and I'll help you… I'll figure out a way to bring you back to normal, I promise."

Daisuke's pledge was the last thing out of his mouth before he, too, collapsed from exhaustion and his injuries. He nestled against the dragon's heaving side as he was swept away into a gentler world of oblivion.

* * * * *

Takeru frowned as he looked out at the night sky. The evening was unusually quiet. No screaming villagers, no more townspeople seeking refuge at the castle, no dragon… Maybe help had arrived and the dragon was rid of already. At any rate, Takeru wasn't going to send the people lodging in the castle home, not until he was sure the dragon had been taken care of and everyone had a safe place to go home to.

The blonde sighed and turned his concern elsewhere, deciding that he was in no position to question the quiet of the night and that it was best to be thankful for it.

Takeru hadn't received a reply back from his Iori in several days. He forced himself to think the delay was caused only by the lack of people traveling into Tamachi, as the mail carriers had certainly refused to and his love had to use tourists to deliver the messages, but the blonde-haired servant couldn't help but worry. What if the person Iori had sent his letter with had gotten attacked? Or had refused to deliver the message? What if the dragon had in fact left Tamachi and attacked Iori's inn? Or what if Iori decided to deliver the letter himself and had gotten attacked or mauled?

"No…" Takeru told himself. "No, there just aren't many people coming into Tamachi, that's all."

Pushing all of his concerns and worries away, the boy decided going to sleep would be best. In the morning he could investigate the dragon's fate and figure out what to do about Iori, if he had to do anything. In the morning…

* * * * *

Daisuke awoke, groggy and disoriented and with a throbbing headache. He sat up, ignoring the pain it caused his shoulder and back to do so. Looking behind him, the redhead noticed the dragon awake and watching him.

"Decided not to eat me, huh?" Daisuke asked. He swore the dragon had blushed as it turned away.

"I'm glad, because I wouldn't be of much help to you eaten, would I be?"

The dragon turned back to Daisuke, and the boy read the question in its eyes.

"Right. I want to help you. You obviously don't seem too happy about the state you're in and, well…" Daisuke looked down, feeling his own face getting warm. "I want to help you return to normal."

The dragon slowly got to its feet and made as if to walk away before Daisuke wrapped his arms around one of the creature's legs.

"Where are you going? I want to help!"

The dragon shook its head as if to say, "There's nothing you can do."

"Let me try at least! Please!"

Daisuke was barely aware of how desperate he sounded.

"Please! Give it a chance… I'll find out how to change this! Just…let me try. Let me help you."

Resignedly, reluctantly, the dragon sat again. Daisuke hopped excitedly to his feet, hissing at the pain for only a moment before whooping with joy.

"Great! Okay, first things first…you have to have a name, right?"

The dragon nodded.

"Well, what is it?"

The dragon blinked at Daisuke for a few moments before looking around itself. It looked at the tip of its tail and brightened, bringing the tail around to its front and writing out a series of characters in the dirt. Daisuke read over them and smiled.

"Hello, Ken! My name's Motomiya Daisuke."

The redhead grasped Ken's tail and shook it in a mock handshake. He giggled at the appalled look Ken gave him and dropped the dragon's tail to the ground. Daisuke immediately turned serious and crouched onto the ground so he was eyelevel with Ken.

"I want to find someone who can explain to me what happened to you. Is there anyone who knows what happened?"

Ken looked off to the distance, thinking back to his last day as a human, wondering if anyone knew what had happened. He turned his violet gaze back to Daisuke and nodded. The redhead brightened significantly.

"Is this person back at your home?"

Ken nodded again, growing frustrated with the fact that he couldn't communicate with the boy in front of him beyond gestures.

Daisuke bit his lip. He wanted to go back to Ken's home and ask this person what had happened so that he might be able to do something about it, but he didn't know if taking Ken back into the city was such a good idea. However, maybe since he would be with Ken, if people saw them, they wouldn't worry so much. Then again, they might turn against Daisuke if they thought he was allied with a still-terroristic Ken. He furrowed his eyebrows in thought and looked into Ken's eyes.

"Do you think you could take me there?"

Ken recoiled immediately upon Daisuke's request, and Daisuke frowned sadly.

"It's the only way, I think. We have to see this person you say knows what happened so we can fix this."

Ken nodded hesitantly. Daisuke could tell the dragon didn't like the idea, and Daisuke wasn't too sure he liked it, either. But how would he be able to help Ken if he didn't know what had happened? Reluctantly, the two of them got to their feet and headed into the city of Tamachi.

~End Chapter Three~