I could here the rain start to fall harder than before outside the cell, although, I couldn't bring myself to lift my head up to look at it. I simply stayed still, crying, my face buried in my knees. I was trapped again. I swore to myself I'd never let this happen to me, not again, but sadly, it looks as though it has.

"Oh God! I can't believe this is happening to me! Not again! Why can't he just leave me alone?" I thought to myself as I tried hard to block out everything—Ken, my current situation—everything and everyone. I tried to escape inside my head, where I usually hid when something went wrong. It didn't work. I couldn't escape it, escape him; I just couldn't! I feared that I never would. Everything I once knew was starting to unravel on me again, and I mean fast! I just didn't know what to do! I—

"Crystal? …Crystal, are you alright, Sweetie? It's Wormmon. Crystal?" I heard that caring, all-too familiar voice interrupt my thoughts. I lifted my head up in surprise, and, for the first time since Ken got me back, delight. The green figure in front of me was quite blurry due to the tears still falling from my eyes, but I knew undoubtedly that it was my friend, Wormmon.

"Wormmon…?"

"Crystal!"

"Wormmon!" Wormmon effortlessly slipped right through the bars of the cell and was right in front of me now. I let my knees fall and then got onto my knees and opened up my arms wide. He jumped into them and we hugged each other as if we'd not seen one another in years. "Oh my God, I've missed you so much, Wormmon!"

We broke away from the hug and he smiled up at me with those huge blue eyes of his. "I've missed you, too. I was worried that I'd never see you again."

"Yeah, same here."

"Are you alright? Ken hasn't hurt you, has he?" The concern was evident in Wormmon's voice as he asked me this.

I didn't wanna upset him with what happened when Ken told me to call him "Master", so I lied. "No, thankfully, he hasn't. How about you? Are you alright? Has he harmed you since I left?" I was really afraid at what his answer might be, but I asked anyway. I simply had to know this.

I saw a look incredibly similar to the look I get when I lie as he paused for a second, and then replied, "No."

I couldn't help but laugh as I thought of this. "It seems as though we're both bad liars, doesn't it?" He smiled at me and then joined in with my laughter. After a few seconds, I stopped laughing and just listened to him laugh. "Oh, how I've missed our little conversations that always seem to end with us laughing like this…" I hugged him again.

"Aww…It's a Kodak moment. I should get my camera."

My smile faded as I quickly looked up over Wormmon's head at the familiar voice mocking me from the other side of the steel bars. Ken was standing there, watching us, a mocking smirk on his face.

Wormmon started to tremble in my arms, and I was beginning to get nervous as well. I followed him like a hawk, my eyes fixed on him, as he moved to the door of the cell, opened it, and stepped in. He walked calmly up to us, until he was towering over Wormmon and I.

All of a sudden, his smile faded. He looked angry again. "Wormmon, I thought I told you to get one of my slaves ready for battle, since it seems as though those little digi-twirps aren't willing to give her up without a fight." He nodded in my direction, continuing to glare at Wormmon menacingly.

Wormmon was shaking badly by now. "I-I already did that, K-Ken," he stammered. My eyes widened at hearing this. I knew what was coming next.

Ken suddenly picked Wormmon up by his neck, slammed him against the wall, and yelled, "How many damn times have I told you to never call me Ken!" Wormmon whimpered softly, quivering terribly.

I jumped up suddenly, grabbing Ken's other arm to stop him from harming Wormmon further. "Ken, please stop! Don't hurt him! Please!" I pleaded with him. Ken simply threw me off of him, shoving me to the ground. I cried out in surprise as my knees smacked against the cold, hard stone floor.

Ken then threw Wormmon out the door of the cell, shouting, "Now, get out of here!" Wormmon got up, too terrified by shock to move at first. But he suddenly ran as fast as his little legs could go as Ken added, "I said, 'Now'!" I watched as Wormmon left, relieved a bit that he was away from Ken's wrath, at least for now, anyway.

Ken suddenly whirled back around on me, glowering down at me as though I were a bug to be squashed. Before I could react, Ken pulled me to my feet by my hair and pinned me up against the wall fiercely, letting go of my hair then, only to wrap that hand around my throat as I dangled there, gasping for air, my feet not even touching the ground.

"What have I told you about calling me that!" he hissed at me through clenched teeth, shooting daggers at me with his eyes. I felt the tears start to well up and sting my eyes as I started to tremble uncontrollably, the fear unmistakable in my expression.

I tried to answer, but only managed a small stutter, which was cut off by Ken shaking me slightly all of a sudden as he growled, "Don't ever call me Ken! Remember, it's 'Master' to you now, little girl." He then threw me to the ground roughly. I cried out as I hit the ground.

As he began to step towards me again, I crawled backwards until I found myself in the corner of the cell and couldn't go any further, trembling and crying, my voice a soft whimper as I brought my knees up to my chest again. "I've waited so long for this opportunity. I've waited so long to be able to beat you all I want. And now, I finally get my chance."

He continued to glare at me forebodingly as he reached inside the folds of his cape. I gasped in terror at this gesture and tried to hug myself even tighter to the wall. I knew exactly what the gesture meant. I remembered it perfectly well from the last time.

"Oh God, no! Not again, please!" was all I had the time to yell out before I had to twist my body around again to protect my exposed limbs as Ken raised his whip in the air and sent it rushing down upon me…

………………………………………………………………………………………………

A/N: Well, there's chapter 20.

Digimon Emperor: You just had to stop it at the cliffhanger, didn't you.

Uhhhh…Yup! Serves you right, youevil littlebastard!

Digimon Emperor: Why younasty little— (Gets knocked unconscious before he can finish the sentence)

(Looks at who hit him) Hey, midnight breezy!

midnight breezy: Hi! Oh, and here's your book back. (Hands Diva'sDream "War and Peace")

Thanks!

midnight breezy: No problem. Ken's gonna kill me when he wakes up, but it was still fun as hell to do!

I bet!

Digimon Emperor: (Asleep) Mommy, I want my blankey!

00 …Uhhhh…Ok…Weirdo!

midnight breezy-…Yeah…

Well anyways, chapter 21 is coming up soon! Sorry about the cliffhanger—couldn't help it! Lol!

midnight breezy: Buh-bye people!

Bye!