Series: Sanguine Bindings||Story Title: Ruler of the Shadows
Characters: Ken, Daisuke||Romance: Ken x Daisuke/Daisuke x Ken
Chapter: 17-40||Chapter: 500||Total: 8,500
Genre: Supernatural, Romance||Rated: PG-13
Notes: In the setting of this story, these are the differing points: the Chosen are roughly five years older than in canon, meaning that Ken, Daisuke, Takeru, & Hikari are sixteen, while Miyako is seventeen, and Iori is fourteen. There are some other differences, but those will be revealed during the course of the story. Except for this: this story will involve vampires. It begins in episode 2, once Daisuke's been captured.
Summary: On his second trip to the Digital World, Daisuke is captured by the Kaiser. Time to learn a little about the guy he's just started fighting. Like the fact he has sharp, pointy teeth and a thirst for more than conquest.

Hikari didn't like fighting Digimon, enslaved by Evil Rings or not. She knew they needed to; there wasn't any way aside from fighting to free these Digimon. But she didn't like it at all, and normally she would rather have done anything but that on their trips to the Digital World.

But today she welcomed the chance to lose herself in the sweep and rush of flight, and to concentrate all of her energy on directing Nefertimon to send her attacks this way or that. It meant she didn't have to think about what she'd seen: Kaiser's teeth, Kaiser as a vampire, Daisuke being enslaved by the vampire Kaiser…

Images as sharp and clear as if they'd happened only moments earlier rose up in her mind: a pale gray face, a scarlet red mask, a smug smirk, a determination that could not be dispelled to rule this world and all worlds…

Vamdemon.

Kaiser wasn't Vamdemon. She knew that; Tailmon knew that too. But both of them could not help but be reminded of their old enemy the way things were right now. How could they not? He'd ruled Tailmon's life for so many long years, and he'd nearly destroyed Hikari's life in a handful of days.

She'd told herself in the years since then that it was all over. That vampires were now nothing more than myths and legends, and even if another Vamdemon somehow came into existence, he still wouldn't be the one that they knew. This hypothetical future Vamdemon could even become a friend. Not all Virus-types were bad, after all.

Only now they saw another vampire and this one wasn't the one they knew: this one could very well be worse. He had Vamdemon's desire to rule the world and he might even be able to do it, if he could beat them.

But even worse, he had one of their strongest fighters dancing to his tune. No matter how hard Daisuke fought, Hikari had to wonder how he could get away. She'd heard stories, both when they'd been on their first adventure in the Digital World and more recently, about how strong Vamdemon's powers of mind control were.

Tailmon's eyes glittered with remembered fear in the firelight. "He didn't always have to hurt people to get them to do what he wanted. He would just look at them sometimes, and then they'd do it. It was like they had no control over what they did anymore."

Hikari could never not be grateful that they'd defeated him. Now they would have to do the same to Ichijouji Ken, and hopefully not the same to Daisuke. She wanted him to break free; she knew he'd try his best. But after Tailmon's stories, she couldn't quite bring herself to believe that he would have that much success.

A roar of rage rose up from below her and Nefertimon and they looked down automatically, catching sight of Iori rushing toward Kaiser, a fallen branch gripped hard in his hands.

Uh-oh.

To Be Continued

Notes: Hikari and Tailmon aren't taking this vampire thing very well. Tailmon/Nefertimon's inner dialogue is a condensed version of 'oh no' unto infinity.