Series: Division of Destiny||Story: Reign of the Undead King||Chapter: The Decisions
Characters: Piemon, Vamdemon, Chosen Children, others||Pairings: Ken x Daisuke/Daisuke x Ken, Mimi x Sora/Sora x Mimi
Chapters: 16-40||Words: 2,747||Total: 42,794
Genre: Romance, Drama||Rated: PG-13
Summary: Vamdemon and Piemon rule supreme. Only now, ten years after their victory, are things about to change. For good or for ill.
Jou read over the medical records for those kept in the pens; by Vamdemon-sama's command they were to be the healthiest of the available lot, and it was part of his job to make certain this was so. He didn't especially enjoy it, but he'd been given his orders years ago and he wasn't going to question them. Health didn't mean as much to him as it had when he'd actually had to worry about his own, but having this as one of his major assignments meant that he could pick and choose for his own meals. Being on a permanent liquid diet didn't mean he didn't still watch what he drank.
"Jou."
He leaped to his feet at the quiet voice, bowing his head toward his master. "Vamdemon-sama! I've almost finished this week's report." He knew very well that Vamdemon only read the reports when he marked that something special needed to be noted. He was habitually brought the finest of the stock no matter what. Such were the perks of being the master.
"I wasn't here to ask about that." Vamdemon's lips twitched the slightest bit and Jou found himself grateful that vampires could not blush. "Do you remember Daisuke?"
Jou frowned; that hadn't been so long ago, but he'd had to deal with quite a few humans since then and it took a moment to bring up the correct face in his mind. "The one that you kept as your blood slave?"
"Yes." Vamdemon gazed out the window of Jou's office, a distant look in his eyes. "I have reason to believe that he's the one we're looking for. The hunter."
Jou frowned even more. He'd tended to the human during his time as Vamdemon's slave, and remembered him as a healthy young man with a delicious tang of anger to his blood. He'd been allowed to sample Daisuke once, to make certain that there wasn't anything in his system that would harm Vamdemon, and the taste wasn't like anything he'd tried before or since. "The one that Taichi and Wizarmon have been searching for?"
"Yes. I want him back."
That didn't surprise Jou. Vamdemon had always favored Daisuke, letting him roam around with little more than a collar and bite marks to identify who he belonged to, and taking him personally for strolls around the city. He'd been slightly more surprised when Vamdemon had called the search for the runaway off all those years ago.
But, if that was what Vamdemon wanted, then that was what Vamdemon would have. He considered thoughtfully. "I think I still have a vial or two of his blood. We might be able to track him down with that." He didn't fully understand, even after nearly ten years as a vampire, how the power of certain Digimon could create effects that others might call magic, but if Vamdemon had someone who could do that, then he would provide the tools for it.
"I think I might go after him myself. I wanted you for something else."
Jou tilted his head to the side curiously. "Yes, master?" If he wasn't needed for help in tracking, he didn't know what the master could want from him.
"I want you to get in touch with Koushirou. Create something that will make Daisuke more obedient once I have my hands on him again." Vamdemon smiled, a look that would've scared almost anyone else who saw it. "I have plans for how to keep him tame, but I need something that will corral him quickly."
"Yes, Vamdemon-sama." Jou hadn't spoken to Koushirou in some weeks, and it was always strange to speak to those who lived in the Digital World. He knew that he hadn't aged since the day Vamdemon changed him, and to see Koushirou as a young adult confused him now and then. It wouldn't interfere with his orders, though. Nothing interfered with those.
"I don't want him mindless. I want him obedient, whether he chooses to be or not." Something dark and twisted sparked in Vamdemon's eyes. "I want him fully aware of what is happening to him and unable to stop it. I want him to know that everything he says and does is because I wish him to say and do it."
Jou took mental notes. Clearly, Vamdemon wasn't in the best of moods with this situation. "We'll make certain this happens, Vamdemon-sama." He didn't know offhand if he and Koushirou could do it, but that didn't mean they wouldn't. It would hardly be the first time they'd found ways to accomplish the impossible.
Vamdemon nodded. "I expect to see results in less than a week. The sooner I take my property back, the better."
Koushirou hummed to himself as he read over the message from Jou. He much preferred that to seeing the vampire in person; seeing his former friends still stuck as children struck a very wrong chord with him. He wouldn't say anything about it, though. He didn't want to offend Vamdemon. Or more precisely, he didn't want to offend Piemon by insulting Vamdemon's pack.
For now, he considered what his options were for this new project. He no longer had to search for Pinnochimon, which gave him much more free time, as did Yamato taking up the search for Gennai. And this new project was definitely something different.
He'd never bothered to research mind or body control. There hadn't been a need. People obeyed Piemon because the alternative was to die, usually by his hand or that of the other Dark Masters. Or someone considered his hand. There were two certain blonds who came to mind for that. But now the idea sat before him and he had to think about it enough to figure out a way to make it work. In less than a week.
He did like a challenge. And the thought of being able to override a human's control of their own body…he didn't like it; he wasn't going to lie, even to himself, about it. He pitied whoever it was that Vamdemon targeted for this. But the challenge shimmered and glowed in his mind, and he wanted to know if it could be done.
Perhaps he could start with something like Devimon's Black Gears? It might be worth considering.
It's not exactly what Vamdemon-sama wanted, but perhaps if I examine one, I can figure out what to do next.
The issue with that was that no one had seen a Devimon in years, much less one of the Black Gears. Koushirou stared at the screen before him, before he started running searches. Perhaps someone had information on the Gears, even if one wasn't available for actual hands-on research.
Perhaps I should ask Piemon-sama about searching for a Devimon. Or attempting to create one. For all of his efforts after the last several years, he still didn't understand everything there was to understand about Digimon evolution. If he had a dozen lifetimes he didn't think he'd understand everything about it.
What he did know amounted to the fact that evolution depended a great deal on the Digimon in question and sometimes on whether or not they were partnered to a human or not. Partnered Digimon whose partners died reverted to the egg stage, and so far as all reports from Earth could tell, showed little to no signs of further life.
Rumor had it that a Patamon could theoretically evolve to either Angemon or Devimon, depending on what happened to it. Koushirou didn't even consider bringing this up to Takeru. He was quite content with Patamon's current Adult evolution. Some things were best not tampered with by anyone.
Research would have to give him the answers that he needed. He couldn't see any other course, unless a Devimon were suddenly to appear out of nowhere.
Perhaps that's something I should have Takeru look out for.
On the other hand, Takeru and the very thought of a Devimon didn't bear thinking of. After ten years and everything else that changed in their lives, some things did not change.
Koushirou plunged into his research, making a note to himself to ask Tentomon to check to see if there were any PicoDevimon or Candmon that were on the verge of evolution. Those could provide a Devimon, according to all of his notes. Until then, he would work with what he had.
Vamdemon searched through his personal chambers. He knew it was in here somewhere; once he'd retrieved it, he'd put it away here and hadn't touched it since. The problem was that in the intervening time, the scent attached had faded, making it much more difficult for him to find it.
I wonder if I'll have to resize it. He expected Daisuke to have grown some, and the thought of what the boy could look like now intrigued him. He'd already made his mind up on exactly what he would do to him, in due course. First would be finding out where Daisuke had been these last few years and what had become of those two humans he'd escaped with. Once he knew all of that, he could determine what measures to take against them.
Then Daisuke would re-learn his place, and when the time was right, he would beg for his master to change him.
He would take his time on doing so, of course. For that matter, he wanted to have just the perfect first meal awaiting Daisuke when the change happened. That was just one of the many bits of information that his pet would give him.
One gloved hand encountered something in the far back of the closet, something round and slim and with the faint hints of leather oil and human. There weren't many vampires who would have even noticed the human scent, but Daisuke had worn this collar for years, and his scent soaked deeply into it. Vamdemon brought it to his nose and breathed in deeply. Yes. Exactly as he remembered it. Fainter, of course, but there all the same.
I will find you. This will guide me to you. Jou's idea hadn't been completely bad, but this would do so much better for a way to track than the blood would. Vamdemon caressed the collar briefly before he tucked it away. Now, to speak to Taichi. Wherever he happened to be.
Wizarmon had likely already told Vamdemon-sama what their encounter with Pinnochimon, so Taichi wasn't in a huge rush to get back home and repeat something the master had already heard. So he took his time, flittering around the city, not bothering to land anywhere. Part of him kept alert for the possible presence of that hunter and part of him simply searched for a good meal.
The longer he stayed out, though, the more his thoughts began to drift back to what happened with Pinnochimon. He didn't like the former Dark Master partially because Pinnochimon wasn't all that likable to begin with, but the fact he was made out of wood didn't make it any better. No vampire actually liked wood.
Wonder if I could set him on fire and let it stay this time. He'd enjoyed the sight of Pinnochimon smoking and steaming. He kind of wished Wizarmon hadn't put the flames out.
His eyes narrowed at a sudden flash of memory. When they'd seen who it was that was there, Wizarmon had looked…regretful? Shocked? Taichi wasn't certain of what it was, but it was something he didn't like all that much. Yes, Pinnochimon was on their side, and burning him alive would've probably annoyed people it was best not to annoy, even if they could argue that he'd given them no sign of who he was and they had only been defending themselves.
But for Wizarmon to look as if he were upset by this, instead of worried… that wasn't right.
He could have been angry. But he wasn't. That reaction, little more than a flicker, tugged harder and harder at Taichi's thoughts. Something so small shouldn't bother him as much as it did, but he wanted to know more about it and why it happened in the first place.
If Wizarmon were as soft and weak as that slight bit of reaction indicated, then perhaps Taichi could take him out. The vampire smiled at the thought. Wizarmon wasn't a threat in any way, but if he considered burning someone alive to be a bad thing, then he wasn't fit to serve Vamdemon-sama.
It wouldn't be the first time Taichi had disposed of someone who wasn't strong enough. He'd kept his eye on PicoDevimon for over three years before the little twerp had the audacity to evolve into something useful.
So far Wizarmon hadn't shown any inclination to do something like that, and if that weakness could be exploited, then Taichi couldn't see any reason why not to do it. He could, in fact, see several reasons to do it. They needed no weaklings in positions of power, and Taichi considered Wizarmon's growing mastery of magic to be a position of power.
"Taichi."
Vamdemon didn't surprise Taichi; he'd sensed his master's arrival moments earlier. But he did bow his head quickly. "What can I do for you, master?"
"The search for the hunter is changing. I have a suspicion on who it is." Vamdemon hovered before him. Taichi perked up at the words; if there were something that could be done differently about this search, he was all for it. Anything that wasn't another boring turn around the city where he couldn't bite something. "Do you remember Daisuke?"
Taichi tilted his head, thinking. It took another moment or two for the name to click and he nodded, eyes narrowing, all thoughts of Wizarmon set aside for the moment. "You think it's him?"
"It could be. I'm going to search for him myself."
That sent a shot of pure joy through Taichi. He'd never owned a blood pet himself, though he'd kind of wanted to have Hikari as one before they found out about the unfortunate effect her blood had on vampires. He could see why the master would want his old favorite restored to him. Perhaps there would even be punishments that he could take part in.
"Is there anything that you'd like me to do to help, master?"
"Keep out of this area until I've brought him in." Vamdemon instructed. "Confine your hunting to the pens until further notice as well."
Taichi didn't actually pout. But the thought did cross his mind, if only for a few moments.
"As you wish, master."
Vamdemon nodded before heading off. Taichi considered calling him back, remembering then his suspicions about Wizarmon.
No, he decided suddenly. I want to see how this plays out for myself. Vamdemon had his games with Daisuke to play, whenever the blood pet was caught once again. Taichi didn't doubt that Vamdemon would find him, either. But this game with Wizarmon was all for Taichi to work with.
It would take some effort to find an excuse to watch Wizarmon with the initial search being called off, but Taichi had faith in his abilities. After all, Pinnochimon was still out there, and someone should probably keep an eye on him. Even if the master hadn't ordered it, Taichi could do it on his own, and why not have someone who had already shown he could at least annoy the ex-Dark Master with him?
Taichi threw himself into the air and sailed back toward the castle, forging various plans on how to express this to Wizarmon and trying to decide if he wanted to use any of them. If Wizarmon even had an idea of what he suspected, then he wouldn't give anything away while he knew Taichi watched him. It might be better to not even let the other suspect.
The more he considered it, the more he liked that plan best of all. Besides, what is he really doing when he visits Lady Devimon? Or with those materials he orders? Wizarmon's ways had never been under suspicion before, and Taichi knew full well that this could be nothing more than the product of his own mind, a wild suspicion that he held close for the chance to shred someone of proven and deep loyalty.
He didn't care. If he were wrong, then he'd only proven that Wizarmon's loyalty was true. If he were right…
If he were right, then he would thoroughly enjoy shredding the mage Digimon to pieces.
To Be Continued