Answers to your reviews:
Guest 1: Hikari still has hope Taichi's coming for her.
Guest 2: It's been a few months between chapter 1 and chapter 2.
Finalcool720: As you will read shortly, Hikari's going to be fighting her new urges.
This is a side-story to The Dead Princess, so please give that a read.
The Fall of Light
Chapter III
Shadowfall
Hikari studied her reflection in her mirror; surprised that she still had a reflection. She thought that beings like Myotismon and…that vampires did not cast reflections. Her face was the same, her hair was the same; everything about her body was the same except for…
It had been days since it happened, days since her weakness forced her to give into Myotismon. The first day afterwards, she refused to look into her mirror, even though her tongue acted with a mind of its own, constantly moving towards…
The second day she forced herself to the mirror, forced herself to see what had happened, what she had become. Yet her mind refused to open her mouth, refused her eyes to see…
The third day she had done it; the third day her mouth opened and she saw…
Since that day, she forced herself to stare into the mirror, see what she had become. She took a breath, stared at her reflection, and forced open her mouth. There was no denying it, no hiding it, her fangs marked her as one, marked her as vampire.
Vampire, vampire, vampire! The word tumbled through her mind and she slammed down the mirror, glass cracking from the impact.
Her partner yawned from the bed. "Hikari?"
"It's okay," she smiled, "I just dropped my mirror."
Tail- no, Plotmon, jumped off the bed and trotted over. She had devolved the day it happened, the day Hikari turned. She knew it was because she gave in and her crest was failing. The bright pink of the pendant had dulled, but the star symbol still shone bright.
The small digimon rubbed her head against Hikari's leg.
"How can you even stand to be by me?" Hikari asked, turning away.
Plotmon leapt into her lap. "You're my partner, no matter what. Myotismon forced you, he manipulated you into doing it."
"Yeah," Hikari frowned, "But just for now anyway."
Plotmon's ears perked. "What?"
"When Taichi comes to rescue me, I'll be back to normal."
Plotmon frowned. "Hikari, I…I don't…"
Hikari smiled, tips of her fangs peeking over her lips. "Taichi told me all about the other Chosen. He said that Koushiro's really smart and that Jyou's almost like a doctor. They'll be able to make me better once Taichi comes to rescue us."
Plotmon continued to stare, but then a smile came to her face as well. "Okay, Hikari, if you believe so much, and then I do too."
The door opened and Floramon entered once again. "Good morning Lady Hikari, Lady Plotmon. How are you this morning?"
"Hungry," the girl giggled as she joined the servant at the closet.
"Lord Myotismon has once again requested your presence at breakfast." She smiled, "See, I told you that if you behaved things would be easier for you."
After dressing in another black princess gown with ruffles and lace, she and Plotmon followed Floramon through the castle halls. The vampire lord was in the dining hall. The table was once again filled with more food that Hikari had ever seen at a single meal. Myotismon was not at his usual seat, but was instead at the window. "Lord Myotismon."
He turned and grinned, his fangs reflecting the candle light. Floramon bowed and exited as he approached. "Good morning, my dear. It has been a few days since you were turned, how are you feeling? How has our need for blood been for you?"
The kitchen had sent her a goblet of blood the first day. She had wanted to refuse it, wanted to deny it, but the sight of it caused something to stir within her. She drank it dry in one gulp; and then preceded to throw it back up again. She had wanted to refuse the second goblet, but once again, that strange feeling came over her. She wanted to drink it…she HAD to drink it. She put the glass to her lips, but gently poured the red liquid so it flowed past her tongue and down her throat. Her stomach still rebelled, but she managed to keep it from returning through her mouth. By the third day, the sharp metallic taste had dulled to a bland neutral.
"Well?" he asked.
Should she tell him? What would her brother do? Would he keep fighting him, or would he use Myotismon to learn all he could about his new condition? "Um, I'm okay."
He smiled. "I'm glad to hear it."
She swallowed. If she needed to know more about what she had become, now was as good a time as any. "C-can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"Can we turn into bats?"
He shook his head. "No, my dear. Not everything that happens in myths in your world are true in this one. But enough of that, it is time to eat."
Hikari approached the table, but Myotismon placed a cold hand onto her shoulder. "Not yet." He snapped his fingers and Phantomon hovered over with two Bakemon trailing behind. They were holding a Gazimon between them. The vampire lord grabbed the rabbit Digimon in one hand. "This is for you."
He tossed the Digimon onto the floor in front of Hikari's feet. "W-what?" she asked, eyes wide, "What do you mean it's mine?"
"Your necessary ingestion of blood today, my dear. Kill it and drink it dry."
Plotmon's voice quivered. "Hikari…"
The girl stared at the Gazimon moaning on the floor. His eyes were barely opened, and his face was swollen. He looked like he had been beaten, maybe tortured. Myotismon wanted her to…! She could not do it, she would not do it.
Yet as stared at him, something stirred within her. She imagined the Gazimon in her mouth, fangs buried deep in his neck. Her hands reached down, fangs pushing past her lips…
"Hikari!" Plotmon cried.
The girl gasped and pulled back. "I…I won't do it!" she snapped.
"Not even to save yourself?"
"No!" she snapped, eyes burning at him.
Myotismon snarled. "Your bloodlust will overtake you soon, but very well." He snatched up the Gazimon and snapped its neck with ease. He jabbed his fangs into the digimon's neck. Hikari turned away from the sickening slurp, eyes squeezed shut.
She found a goblet of fresh blood on the table. Her stomach gurgled, but she willed her arms to remain at her side. Why had she not realized before? Even if she did not kill, she would still need blood. Where had this been coming from? She wanted to smack the goblet from the table, but as her eyes stared at the red liquid, her hands took on a life of their own. They grabbed the cup and brought it to her lips.
Until Taichi came for her, until Taichi saved her, made everything okay again, she would need to do what she could to survive. If she was stronger, she could end her life, end her suffering, but she was not.
She drank dry the goblet.
Once breakfast was done, Myotismon summoned her to his bedchamber. She should have known, should have realized the act was not going to stop, that he was not going to stop. She needed her brother. Where was Taichi? Why wouldn't he come?
Once the unholy act was finished, she made a motion to return to her room, as she always did, but Myotismon, surprisingly, broke that routine today.
"I need to present you to my kingdom, allow my subjects to see you."
Kingdom? Subjects? Her fingers twisted in the lace of her dress, but at the same time, a strange, almost excited feeling filled her stomach.
She was brought outside onto a balcony decorated with dark blue banners. The morning sun was barely visible behind the thick fog. Crammed into the courtyard below were hundreds, maybe a thousand, of what Plotmon had called 'Nightmare Soldiers," digimon that all looked like monsters.
"Hear me, my subjects," Myotismon cried, "This is my princess! My Undead Princess." He shook his head, "No, that doesn't have the right sound to it…" He grinned, "My Dead Princess!"
The digimon erupted into cheers. "Princess?" Hikari asked, "Not a queen?"
The back of his hand slapped across her face once more. "Do not speak out of turn again!"
She rested her palm on her cheek. He had struck her so many times, the pain had dulled to a low ache.
And she had long run out of tears.
Why had she asked that question at all? It was like a rush, like she was opening presents on her birthday. All those people bowing before her, doing what she commanded…
She shook those thoughts from her head. She was not a queen, not a princess. She was just a normal girl…well normal aside from Plotmon, and once Taichi found her, she would go home.
Myotismon summoned Floramon to his throne room that afternoon. "My Lord," she bowed.
"How has my Princess been these past few days?"
"I believe she is still homesick," the plant digimon answered, "She still hopes that the other Chosen will rescue her."
His fingers curled into a fist. "I see. I thought I had shattered that false hope."
"My lord," she said quickly, "T-there might be another way."
"Oh? Speak quickly before I snap your neck for interrupting me!"
"She might be lonely."
He raised an eyebrow. "Lonely?"
The words burst from her mouth. "She is trapped in her room all day with only her partner as company. If there was another human for her to talk with…"
The vampire lord turned to Phantomon. "Is there another Gate to the human world?"
"The only one we knew of was in your former castle, my lord."
"And that has been destroyed," he frowned. He turned to Floramon, "But your idea has merit." He rose to his feet, "One of those troublesome Chosen then."
He marched to the door. "I shall be gone for some time." He hesitated by the door, "Allow my Princess some freedom of the castle."
Hikari was surprised when Floramon came to her that morning and told her she was too be given supervised escorts around the castle, which meant she did not have to eat her meals in her room any longer.
"It's a change of pace at least," the human told her partner as they were escorted to the dining hall.
"Yeah," Plotmon said, "But we still have to eat in front of him."
Hikari thought about Myotismon and found that he was no longer the massive, intimidating shape in her mind. When they arrived in the dining hall, they were surprised to see that they were alone. "Where's Myotismon?" Hikari asked.
"The Masters is away on campaign," the Bakemon replied, "The Dark Masters have sent scouts to monitor our boundaries."
Hikari frowned. Plotmon stared. "Hikari, you almost look disappointed that he's not here."
She shook her head. "I-I just wanted to ask him more about being a vampire. If Taichi was a vampire, he'd want to know all about it."
Plotmon turned away. "What is it?" she asked.
"Maybe you're putting too much faith in your brother."
Hikari gasped. "What are you saying? That he's not coming?"
"No, Hikari, I'm not saying that, but…"
"You really don't believe we're gonna be rescued, do you?"
"I'm not the one that let myself be turned into a vampire!"
Hikari stared, eyes wide and she looked away.
The partners did not speak to one another during breakfast. Plotmon returned to their room afterwards, while Hikari commanded the Bakemon escorts to allow her to walk around the castle. She did not return to their rooms until late that night.
They had not seen Myotismon for almost two months when Floramon came to Hikari's room shortly before bedtime. "Lady Hikari!" she gasped, "You must come quick!"
Both Hikari and Plotmon raced after her to the infirmary. Myotismon was there, standing in front of one of the stone 'rooms,' curtain in front of the door.
"Good evening, my dear," he smiled, "I hope you were well in my absence."
Plotmon glared. "We'd do better if you never came back."
The vampire ignored her and focused on Hikari. "Well, the reason I have called you here so late…" He grinned once again, "I've brought back a friend for you."
Hikari's eyes grew. "A friend?"
He nodded and slid open the curtain. Lying on the rotted mattress was a familiar red-haired girl in torn yellow tank top and jeans, with a small, plant-like digimon at her side. "S-sora!"
Hikari looked to Myotismon and back at the girl. Yes, this was Sora Takenouchi, her brother's best friend, or, if her brother's story to Hikari before she was abducted was true, more than friends. Cuts and bruises littered her body, her eyes were open, but a glazed look covered them. "What did you do to her?" Hikari demanded.
"She refused to come with me," he chuckled, "So I had no choice but to use force." His smile grew, "I should inform you that your brother was not with the others."
Hikari shook her head. "No, I don't believe that!"
Myotismon chuckled. "The only thing you need to concern yourself with now, my dear, is whether she lives or dies."
Her heart dropped to her stomach. "D-dies?"
"Hikari," Plotmon said, "Her partner has regressed to her first baby stage, Nyokimon. That must mean she's very weak."
Hikari swallowed. "How can I save her?"
Myotismon answered in a whisper. "Make her like us."
The girl gasped, "W-what?"
"I will not do it," he said, "But if you wish her to live, to survive, you must do it. Turn her like I turned you. Refuse, and she dies."
She knelt beside her. "Sora," she whispered, "Can you hear me?"
A slight moan escaped from her lips, but eyes remained in that strange, half-open look. She was barely alive as it was. It was Hikari's choice; she could save Sora or let her die. Life or death was in her hands.
"Sora," she said, "I-I don't want you to die." With held breath, she sunk her fangs into Sora's neck. She was only going to infect her with the 'vampire' virus, but then the warm liquid passed over her tongue. It was sweet and hearty at the same time; the most beautifully delicious thing she had ever tasted. She drank and drank; she needed more, she wanted more!
"Hikari!" Plotmon cried.
The girl snapped back, yanking her fangs from Sora's neck with a popping sound. She dried her face with a handkerchief given to her by a Bakemon. She felt a cold hand on her shoulder. "Now my dear," Myotismon said, "You know what to do."
She took the knife from his other hand, took another breath and slit her palm. She bit back her tears and placed her bleeding hand over Sora's mouth. "Sora," she said again, "Please drink. I…I want you to live, and Taichi does too."
She held that same breath for what seemed like ages until Sora's throat moved and a swallowing sound echoed up Hikari's arm. She pulled back and watched as Sora's body convulsed and twisted. Her hands clawed at empty air as two of her teeth extended into sharp points. Her hands fell, and her breathing turned slow and deep, but steady.
Myotismon's hands were on Hikari's shoulders again. "Well done, my Dead Princess."
Hikari stared out her window once again. "You must hate me."
Plotmon shook her head, and to prove her point, jumped into her lap. "Why would I hate you?"
"Because of what I just did."
Her partner sighed, "Hikari, I…I'm not gonna lie, you've been acting weird since you became a vampire, but what were you going to do? Could you have really let your friend die like that?"
She stared back out the window. "But I felt so…so good when I did it. Like I just won a prize or it was my birthday or something like that. I knew that I could have saved her or let her die, and I loved feeling that way." She shook her head, "I don't want to feel like that again."
The door opened and Floramon stepped inside. "Lady Hikari, there is somewhere here who would like to see you."
She stepped aside so a red-haired eleven year old girl could enter. "Sora!"
"Hikari," she grinned, "I'm so glad you're safe."
They embraced each other, and Hikari wished time would stand still. "Lord Myotismon wished to see her first," Floramon explained to Hikari, "But I'll tell him I forgot. He will be here shortly, so say what you need to say now."
"Thank you," Hikari grinned, "Thank you for everything."
The plant bowed and closed the door behind her. The young girl knelt down and rubbed the top of Pyokomon's head. "I guess you're feeling better too."
"I feel stronger," she answered, "But weird at the same time."
"You're going to have to get used to that," Plotmon answered, "I've been feeling the same way since Hikari…"
Sora frowned and grabbed her fangs with her thumbs and forefingers. "I guess these are real then."
Hikari nodded sadly, revealing her own set. "Yes a-and I'm the one that gave them to you."
Sora swallowed. "Yeah, I kinda remember your voice…"
The young girl dropped to her knees, hands gripping Sora's own. "I'm sorry," she said, "I…I shouldn't have done it, but I just didn't want you to…"
The older girl helped her back to her feet. "Hikari, it's okay." She smiled, "At least this way I can keep my eye on you."
The younger girl's grin faded. "But when Myotismon brought you here, he said that Taichi was gone…"
Sora nodded. "He left because he wanted to get stronger. Once we got back to the Digital World, we were attacked right away by the Dark Masters. They are all Final Level digimon, and the highest our partners can go is one level below that. So Taichi left to find more power."
"So you don't know where he is?"
"Well, yes and no. He did come back to help us defeat Metalseadramon, but then we went up against Pinocchimon. One of his servants, named Juriemon, tried to turn Yamato and Taichi against each other. Then Taichi left again."
Hikari frowned even more and turned away. Sora took hold of Hikari's hands. "No one seems to know where Myotismon's area is. Your brother is doing everything he can to find you."
She giggled. "Find us."
Sora gave a weak smile. "Yeah…"
Hikari picked up on the tone in her voice. "Sora, did you and Taichi have a fight or something?"
Before she could answer, the door swung open and Myotismon entered. Pyokomon leapt in front of Sora, but Plotmon remained at Hikari's side.
His eyes focused on Sora. "So, you've recovered well, I see."
The redhead shifted on her feet, but she did not respond. Myotismon smirked. "Well, even though my princess gave you your life back, you are not a guest here. You will either starve to death, or will work for your keep, if you wish to obtain the sustenance we vampires need to survive."
Hikari gasped, but Sora held her ground. "Like what?" she asked, eyes narrowed.
Myotismon motioned to Floramon. "You will be part of the household staff, as a personal maid to Lady Hikari."
"Maid?" she gasped, "You mean walk around in one of those stupid uniforms and clean?"
Myotismon roared with laughter. "You certainly have spirit, Child of Love, but it is up to you."
Hikari tried to think of something to say, but Sora turned to her and then back. "All right," she sighed, "I guess I have no choice."
Floramon smiled and motioned with her hand. "Wait!" Hikari cried.
The Floramon responded. "Once she had been settled in, you shall see her again." Sora gave her a hopeful smile before she and Pyokomon exited.
To be continued…