"Two Faces, One Mask"
4. 'Intervention'
"How does it feel to be
Different from me?
Are we the same?
How does it feel?
I am young and I am free
But I get tired and I get weak.
I get lost and I can't sleep."
'How does it feel' Avril Lavigne
"Daemon!" Mae hissed, "What the hell are you doing here and what is it that you want?"
"Now, now Mae," he said in a cocky tone, "is that anyway to speak to an old friend and companion?"
Her eyes narrowed together till they were slits, "Talk, or I'll kill you right here."
He chuckled at her.
"What's so funny?"
"Your threat. You can't harm me and you know it."
Her features went slack and slowly molded into realization; "It was you! You're the one who told the Dark Masters to strip my powers and spilt our souls!"
"Well, yes, I did tell them to strip your powers but the only way they could do it, was to split your soul and Ken over there was an added bonus."
"What did you promise them?" she hissed, "Why did you do this?"
"I didn't promise them anything. They saw my plan and took advantage of the fact that they would have two more willing servants for the darkness, while I get to carry out my plans for revenge on Ichijouji here," He glanced at the indigo haired young man and then back to Mae, "Without having to worry about you killing me in the process."
"What do you want with me?" Ken asked as calmly as he could.
Daemon's red glowing eyes rested once more on the man. They were filled with detest for him, "What do I want with you?" he repeated quietly, "What do I want with you? I want you to suffer as I have! You locked me away in that hell dimension, The Dark Ocean! Now I'm going to banish you there and see how you like it! Feeling like each day your strength and life slips from you just a little at a time and there's nothing you can do to stop it, until you think you're going to go insane from the world itself. But you don't, because that would be better and so much more kind!" In a flash, he grabbed Ken's arm and yanked him close to the Dark Lord Digimon; "I've waited a long time for this Ken." He hissed.
Ken struggled to get free. Wormmon threw a sticky net at Daemon and Veemon proceeded with a head-butt, but they were useless against him and his grip on Ken became even firmer.
"Let him go!" Davis yelled.
"Don't do this!" Screamed Yolei.
"Daemon!" Mae pleaded, "Leave him be!"
"I think that's a good idea." A cruel male voice rang out.
"I agree." A silky female timber followed.
Everyone turned to see the Digimon Emperor and the Sorceress standing side by side upon a Devidramon, grinning insanely.
"What is this?" Daemon growled, "We had an agreement that we would stay out of each others way and plans."
The couple looked at each other and turning back to Daemon, shrugged, "We lied."
"We have plans for our counterparts." The Emperor stated.
"We're sorry about this Daemon but we've decided that you may not punish Ken or Mae for that matter until we are done with them." The Sorceress said sweetly.
"But you don't need them!"
The group turned to each other, looking almost shocked that they were pretty much forgotten in all this, as if they were unimportant.
"We may not need them Daemon, but we are a little bored. I mean, look around you. This world is almost ours and well, what then? Some torture and suffering for Ken and Mae sounded so good when we were flying over head and spotted you guys having your discussion."
"He's mine!" Daemon yanked at Ken's arm again and he yelled out in pain.
"Daemon, didn't anyone teach you to share?" The Emperor laughed.
"Besides, you stand in my way Daemon and I'll kill you." The Sorceress said very seriously. Her face, just a moment ago very girlish and happy, now dark and determined, "You should have remembered that I got all Mae's powers. If you wish to die, tell us again that we cannot have him." She raised her eyebrow challenging him.
He said nothing and flung Ken at their feet. The child prodigy gritted his teeth and looked up at them with detest as the Emperor ordered the Devidramon to pick him up as well as Mae.
Ken yelled out again as did Mae and both struggled to get free, though it was futile.
Davis, Yolei, Wormmon and the other's all screamed out to them but it was too late for any of them to do anything. They watched as their friends were taken away to a white castle close to the beach and forest.
"This is your fault you bastard!" Davis spat at Daemon.
"This is not how things were supposed to turn out!" the Dark Lord Digimon ground out.
"Gee, you know I don't think I really want to hear your problems right now." Yolei folded her arms and turned away from everyone, biting back the tears that so desperately wanted to let loose.
Kari put a hand on her best friend's shoulder, and Yolei fell to her knees, "This isn't fair." She whispered.
"I know it's not." Kari soothed.
"I have a proposition for you-"
Davis cut Daemon off, "I'm sorry are you still here?"
"Hear me out."
"No I don't think we will!" Cody snapped.
"You heard them Daemon," Gennai began, "leave or we will force you to go."
He snorted at them, "With what army?" his composure became very serious, "Listen to me. You have no power, you cannot digivolve…"
TK was about to mention the Armor Digivolving when Daemon interrupted him, "And forget about 'Digi-armor Energizing' because you know as well as I do that they are far more powerful than you. We both want to take them down, so why not work together?"
"ARE YOU INSANE?" Davis barked, "Team up with you? Man! All those years in the Dark Ocean must have dissolved your brain!"
"I'm not saying we work towards the same goal-"
"You better not!"
"Davis, let him speak and see what he wants." Kari soothed, then turned with a cold look to Daemon, "And then we'll see if we'll kill him."
Daemon regained his composure, "I'm just saying we work together to bring down the Emperor and the Sorceress."
"Why?" Wormmon asked. For a small creature he was extremely brave 'standing' up to Daemon like that. At his feet, staring up at him with hatred in his eyes. Veemon went and stood next to him to back him up.
"You save the Digital world that way and I get Ken-"
"Never!" Davis, Yolei and Wormmon yelled.
"Fine, we'll work to stop them and see what happens from there."
The group looked at each other and huddled closely. "We aren't actually considering this are we?" TK asked.
"What choice do we have?" Gennai started, "We have to save Ken and Mae from the castle and get Ken and the Emperor back together before they die, we are on a time limit and having him on our side could prove useful. We'll keep a close eye on him and the moment we have Ken and Mae, the deal is off."
"Yolei, Davis, Wormmon?" TK asked, "How do you feel about this?"
Yolei was chewing her cheek, "Like Gennai said we don't have much choice, the sooner we get Ken back the better."
Davis nodded wordlessly in agreement. The group turned to Wormmon, who looked up at them and said, "Let's just hurry okay?"
"Fine, it's agreed." Gennai moved over to Daemon, "Shake on it."
And the Guardian and Dark Lord Digimon shook hands temporarily changing enemies to allies.
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"Let me go you son of a-" the Emperor covered Ken's mouth with his gloved hand and shoved him into a damp, cold cell.
"Ken! That's your mother as well remember. You kiss her with that mouth?"
"Let me go you bit-"
The Sorceress proceeded to lock Mae in the cell opposite to Ken's. "Watch your mouth Mae, you learn those words on the streets of New York?"
Grinning darkly at each other the two evil counterparts glanced once more at their other halves and left the dungeon. "We'll be back later, don't despair." The Emperor promised.
He and the Sorceress began to walk up the gray stone steps of the castle.
Once sure they had departed, Mae sat close to the bars, so she could be close to Ken. Though that was not close at all, because of the wide corridor between them.
Ken looked up at the cell. It was exactly the same as the cells in his Base. He sighed heavily, taking in the stale, icy air around him. He just registered the smell and thought that it was familiar. It even smelt like the cells in his Base.
He purposely avoided looking at Mae. He was shaking and he was sure it had nothing to do with how sick he was feeling. As far as he was concerned she was responsible for this. If he had stood by what he had said two years ago, that he would never come back to the Digital world, he would not be here, or in this situation.
Feeling incredibly bitter, he pushed himself towards the end of the cell and leaned against the cold wall. Then he drew up his knees and put his head on them. He felt tired and weak. He kept thinking to himself that this was all surreal and that it was a nightmare, which he would soon wake from. But another part of him knew better.
Mae never took her eyes off him. She was feeling incredibly guilty because she knew exactly what Ken was thinking…this was her fault. She was about to say something when he finally looked up. He stared at her for a while, making her feel even more uncomfortable.
"You're clothes are the same." He stated dully.
She frowned and digested what he had said for a few seconds before she dropped her head and noticed that he was right. She was still wearing a black top and blue jeans and not her usual Digital world, Crest Guardian dress, which was emerald and medieval.
"I guess it's because my powers were stripped." She looked back up at him and caught her breath, "Ken! Are you all right? You look so pale!"
He lifted a shaky hand up to his forehead and touched it lightly, "No, I feel really sick…and weak."
"Lie down for a moment Ken, it's probably a dizzy spell, brought on by…"
"Me dying?" He finished.
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The Emperor sat quietly on his throne, in front of a wall of monitors. Many of them showed areas that were destroyed. Others showed rooms within the castle, but the one he was most interested in at this very moment in time, was the monitor with Ken on it. He stared hard at his alter ego and narrowed his eyes at Ken's face. He noticed that Ken looked even more pale than usual and that a small sweat had formed on his brow. He must be running a fever, but why? He had done nothing to him yet and the air down in the cell wasn't that bad.
He felt a presence to his right and glanced in that direction. It was the Sorceress. For the first time, he didn't look her up and down and take in her long slender legs showing through the slits in her black dress. Nor her long red auburn hair and pouty red lips. He looked straight back at Ken with a look of detest.
"So what is your first game with him?" she asked him as she sat down next to him.
"Game?" he growled, "God! You still treat me like a child! That good-for-nothing down there is going to pay for locking ME away! Daemon thinks he's suffered? He has no idea what it's like to be trapped inside someone and denied existence!" his features softened and he stroked her cheek, "But you do…that's why you are going to help me."
"You know I'd do anything for you."
"I think I'll take a trip to Mama and Papa's house…" he began but stopped dead. His world suddenly began to blur around him and spots were winking in front of his eyes. He had the strangest sensation that he was slipping out of his chair but then something stopped him.
"Ken!" the Sorceress caught him mid sentence and mid way to stop him from hitting the floor. "Are you okay?" she asked, concern all over her lovely face.
He regained his poise and sat down on his throne again with her aid, "Yeah, I think so. It was just a dizzy spell."
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(A/N)
Ah, another really short chapter. What was I thinking when I wrote these all those years ago? I'm sorry guys, I would add more, but it would spoil the other chapters and the sequence in which I've written them. I think it also seems really, really short to me is because I've been writing "Cruel Kindness" recently and those chapters are long. Anyway, things will get intense very soon, don't worry.
Some one gave me a good crit saying I made the Digidestined talk too formally. I have often wondered that, but I can't see it. Do you mean I should have them say things like, "it's" instead of "It is". Or "wanna" instead of "want to"? Is that what you meant, or did you mean their whole speech pattern was too formal?
Thanks for the reviews guys!
Oh and Osamu is sitting here asking me when he's going to make an appearance and I'll give you the answer I gave him: Soon!