Disclaimer: There are two kinds of people. Those who have disclaimers, and those who don't. I have one, thus, I am…uh…the first type of person. Yeah. The kind who says these characters are not hers. Except for a few. But if you know anything about Digimon, you can figure out which ones.

Chapter 6

Sprawled on the couch with a melted box of ice cream on the floor next to her was a sleeping Kyoko. The television was on, and she was quite possibly drooling. Then, the doorbell rang. At first she didn't wake. It took a lot to wake a sleeping vampire, even if said vampire was snoring and was wearing pink pajamas with white hearts all over them.

Then, after a few minutes of waiting, Mikado rang the doorbell again. He heard the TV. He knew she was home. The din of whatever she had been watching had died down, so she heard it that time. In fact, she heard it so well that she jumped up, screaming "Women and children first! All hands on…what the?"

Still half-asleep, she fumbled blindly for the remote. She groaned and shut it off, then trudged toward the door. The sunlight blinded her when she opened it. Then, when her vision cleared, she wished it hadn't.

"What?" she spat.

Daisuke stepped back half an inch. "Er…hey, Kyoko!" He could've sworn that, at that point, she growled. He wouldn't have put it past her.

"Daisuke was kind enough to show me where you lived."

"And why the hell would he go and do a thing like that?" Kyoko said, grinning. Her fangs were gleaming in the sunlight. How could Daisuke not have noticed them before?

"We need to talk, and you know it," Mikado said sternly.

"So we do, perhaps. But who's 'we?'"

"You and me. And Daisuke, if you wish."

"S'ok." Daisuke took a couple of steps back. "I just came to show…I mean, Mikado wanted to…"

"Stay out here, then," said Kyoko.

"Um…yeah…I'll just…" Mikado stepped in and the door closed behind him. "Wait out here, then…" finished Daisuke with a sigh.

Mikado took a look around the house. There was hardly anything in it, or so it seemed. After all, Kyoko had done little to furnish it. The living room consisted of an old, tattered couch and a television set. There was no kitchen table, only a stool pushed against the kitchen counter. The refrigerator was tiny. There were hardly any decorations on the wall, but for the few that were, he recognized them.

"I know that painting…" He pointed vaguely to a painting of Greek goddesses. There was a huge gash down the middle of it.

"Found it in the rubble," said Kyoko.

"What rubble?"

"The rubble of your castle."

Mikado's eyes grew wide with wonder. "My…my castle?"

"That's right. You knew it was destroyed, didn't you?"

"I…well, yes, of course I did, but…what's left of it?"

"Hardly anything." She shrugged. "Anyway, that's not what you came for, is it?"

"No. You owe me an explanation."

"I owe you nothing. If you're too dense to figure it out on your own…"

"Well, see, that's the thing. I've been trying to figure it out, but I can't."

Kyoko sighed. She propped herself onto the back of the couch. "Do you love me?" she asked him. Her face had fallen to a solemn look.

Mikado looked at her. "Of course I do."

"How much?"

He looked surprised by the question. "With all my heart. You're the most important thing…"

"How much is that?" she asked him. Now it looked as though tears were about to fall from her eyes. "Enough to treat me special, like you treated no one else?"

"Of course. You are…you've always been…everything."

"Everything…" she repeated quietly. Then, to his surprise, she laughed. "I'm everything. Everything you wanted, everything you saw, everything you touched." Her eyes tore into him like fire.

"What…what are you…" Then he realized what she was trying to say. "No…I wouldn't…I would never…"

"You didn't. But you were always thinking about it. I could tell, even if I never realized it until a few months ago."

"You're wrong," he said softly.

Kyoko ignored him. "I always told myself, 'He's my daddy. He loves me more than anybody. That's why he pays extra attention to me. We're a family.' But then I saw pictures in books. Pictures of what a real family looked like. Pictures of the way a father and daughter acted. I let it go, because I knew that we weren't completely normal. Then, we went to the Real World, and I saw families. Real families. And I saw couples. Always in the park, looking at each other. And there was something funny about that, because that's the way you were always looking at me."

Mikado backed away. "No. That's insane. I love you."

"You weren't human, so I'm sure I can cut you some slack. I'm just grateful even you probably didn't realize it, or something bad might've happened…"

"How could you think something like that?"

"Because it's true. Because I know what I saw. Even now, your eyes are drilling into me like a knife. You're thinking it now, way in the back of your head."

"No," he whispered. "No, God, no."

"Yes. You know it, don't you? I was your perfect little girl, down to the last hair, and you just couldn't get me out of your head. You wanted me, but you couldn't say anything. At least you had some self control, hmm?"

"Self control…" he repeated softly.

"What I still don't understand," Kyoko continued, "is what about me you were so attracted to." She smiled at him with an evil glint in her eyes.

He looked away. "I don't know."

"Don't you? When I was a baby you certainly couldn't have found something appealing of me, or could you?"

"God…"

"You dressed me up like a little schoolgirl. You brushed my hair until it was perfectly straight. You told me it was because I needed to look more human, and indeed, I did fit in among them, but were your methods secretly more sinister than that?"

"Never. No, never."

"So, that's not your fetish?

"Shut up!" Mikado yelled. "Stop playing games with my head! You're sick, Kyoko, can't you see that? Your mind…it's…it's my fault you're like this, but that doesn't mean you should give into these illusions!"

"Illusions?" She laughed. "I'm not the only one who's sick, Daddy."

"What have I done to you?" he muttered.

"Much, much more than you would like to believe."

"You need to stop this. I never would do that to you."

"And so you didn't, but it was very obvious that you were certainly thinking it."

"I can't…I can't hear this anymore." Mikado started to head towards the door.

Kyoko beat him to it. She grasped the handle and looked up at him. The door remained closed. "Consider it. Dive back into your past. Think. Remember."

"You're coming to school tomorrow?"

"If I feel like it."

He lowered his face to meet hers. "Keep in mind that if you don't I may have to contact your parents."

She glared at him. "Whatever." She pulled the door open with a mighty tug. "See you around."

Daisuke was standing on the porch, waiting for them. "Um…hey again," he managed to say.

"Hey," Kyoko said quickly.

Just as Daisuke was about to speak again, Kyoko had slammed the door. The last thing he saw of her was an emotionless face. He stood on the porch for a moment, stunned. Mikado was staring at the ground. His brow was creased.

V-mon looked from Daisuke to Mikado, and back to Daisuke again. "Hey," he said, tugging on his pant leg. "We should go, shouldn't we?"

Daisuke came out of his trance. "Yeah. Um, Mr. Kashimi? You coming?"

"Yes, yes, of course."

They began walking down the street. Daisuke couldn't believe that the girl he had just seen was Kyoko. The girl who had opened the door was a spiteful, emotional wreck. The girl he went to school with was happy and cheerful. How could they be the same person?

Mikado considered every word that Kyoko had said to him. How could it have been true? He loved her, but not enough to even consider doing that. What drove her to think such things?

Vandemon's daughter… Daisuke thought to himself. From what I've seen, Vandemon was a heartless demon, so why now, when I look at him, do I see such sadness? He loves her, he really does. But did she love him in return?

*\/*

Kyoko stood in her living room, staring out the window. She couldn't remember whether or not she had been relieved when she woke up and realized that Vandemon was gone. She couldn't remember her emotion when she found out he was alive. She had slapped him, to be sure, but that didn't mean she hated him.

Why didn't he remember? Maybe she was wrong. Maybe he never felt that way about her. But when she considered that option, why did she get such a horrible feeling in her stomach?

She fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.

*\/*

"You have failed me, Icedevimon."

"I apologize, master. But please, give me one more chance to redeem myself."

"Are you certain that you targeted the correct child?"

"I am positive."

"Then why did she give such a reaction?"

"My guess is that she did not wish for the other Digidestined to know of her true identity. But if I managed to corner her by herself, then she will cave. I know it."

Icedvimon's cocked his head thoughtfully. "Perhaps," he said. "Very well, then. I will grant you one more chance. However, we can't afford more mistakes. Both the Digidestined and Shikumon are now aware that we are invading. You will not go alone."

"Of course, master."

The master waved his hand. "Ogremon, come forth!"

Icedevimon shot his head up. "Sir, Ogremon is not entirely capable of…"

"That is for me to decide," his master said sharply.

Ogremon stepped out of the shadows. "Greetings, oh great one," he said. Icedevimon rolled his eyes.

"Accompany Icedevimon on his quest to locate Shikumon. You did tell me once that you and her were acquaintances years ago, correct?"

"I wouldn't say 'acquaintances' so much as 'extremely bitter enemies.'"

"But you had contact with her?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"That said, you shall accompany Icedevimon in his quest to capture her. You are the only one of my servants who has ever had previous contact with Shikumon. I expect you will be most helpful in this mission."

"Oh, yeah! Real helpful! That's me!"

Icedevimon groaned. "Come on, then. Let's get this over with."