Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Shinwa ❯ 1 ( Chapter 1 )

Notes: This is completely AU- as in no Digimon actually show up… well, they might, but not in Digimon form if you get my meaning. Doesn't mean I own them no matter what form they may take. A lot of this one deals with random mythology that I've studied for years. Need an avenue to get it out some way I suppose. So, without (much) further adieu…

Disclaimers/Warnings: I've written all yaoi in the past so you can only imagine… I don't own the characters from Digimon, and I sure as hell don't own the pantheons referred to in the story… Keep in mind this is a work of fiction, so some folklore may be changed a little to better suit my purposes but I'll try to stick to the guidelines as strictly as possible.

There are actually 3 different versions of this story. The first was an original fic- my characters, the second had Ken as the first character and Daisuke as the savior who drags him into a world of magic. This is the third version with Ken and Daisuke's roles reversed from version 2. It seemed appropriate.

P.S. Shinwa is Japanese for myth…

Shinwa

A young man sat in a bar at quarter past noon. This was not normal behavior for him, but he had had a rough day. New things kept popping up in his life that he was not sure he could handle with ease. Things he had come to expect from his surroundings had suddenly vanished or changed in such a way that he was at a loss to explain how they had once been. It made him uncomfortable to witness such rapid fluctuation in his world. Life was meant to be stable. Life was meant to be manageable. What he had discovered was that "life" did not always comply with his wants.

Running elegant fingers through his dark hair he sighed and eyed his fourth bottle of Asahi beer. Draining the brown glass bottle he motioned to the bartender for another round and continued his brooding. In the light of the bar his brown hair had the slightest hint of burgundy, a natural element that accented his bronze skin. The skin itself was nearly molten, seemingly glowing with fires just beneath the surface. He was average height, though hunched on the barstool it was difficult to tell. At only twenty-four years of age, Motomiya Daisuke was starting to think that becoming an alcoholic was a good idea. Not a normal thought for the man previously known to the world as a prized soccer player. But, fame had it's downside- that much he was quite certain of.

His morning had started out fairly normal; the mundane routine he had grown so accustomed to a calming way to move through the days. He woke up, showered, dressed for work, ate a small breakfast, and tried to go to the bank. Key word being tried. The bank where he held his accounts required severe security measures in order to protect its monetary treasures as well as its employees. After passing through the first guarded door, Dai had proceeded to try and go up to the not so polite teller at the counter who informed him there was no account affiliated with that bank bearing the name Daisuke Motomiya as the holder. After four or five attempts he found that his account number was not going through. Puzzled, he had spoken to the rather unfriendly girl at the reception desk. Explaining that he had several accounts with the bank, and had in fact had them for several years, he found that there was no record of his savings. There was no record of his being associated with the bank in any way at all. At this he had insisted to speak to a manager to straighten the whole fiasco out. Instead security was called and he was removed from the premises with a threat of police action should he try to get into the building ever again.

Frustrated and genuinely astonished he had trudged along for a few blocks before finding a quaint little pub that seemed like the place to be after the unfortunate event. Five beers later he sat at the same stool wondering how he was going to pay for his binge, and how he could have simply been erased from the bank's records. It made no sense. Daisuke had held accounts there since before he graduated from college, from the time he had gained his fame as a soccer god. Though he had blown off the sport and decided to pursue a different dream, he was still recognized fairly often. It had been an aspiration of his to open a restaurant. After graduating with a business degree he had set about to do just that. After only a few short months he was doing so well that he was considering opening a sister restaurant on the other side of Tokyo. Clientele of all types graced the nicely decorated tables. He knew quite a few high-powered executives that earned millions of yen nearly every minute and were reputed to have infinite yakuza connections. The thought of the Japanese mob gave him cause to shudder. Had he hurt one of them in any way? No, Daisuke was as harmless as one person could be. Granted, he knew how defend himself and kept in good shape- but he never used his skills to harm another living human being. The idea was ludicrous. There was also the point that this was not trademark yakuza style. Sure, if need be they could humiliate him to no end, but tradition was that he would more than likely be found dead in his apartment from apparent self-inflicted injuries. Or he would simply physically disappear. Erasing him from computer records was supposed to come after his death…

His cinnamon eyes widened at the thought. What if he was supposed to be dead already? What if someone somewhere had screwed up along the line and forgot to eliminate him before deleting any traces of his existence? Frowning, Daisuke thought over the possibility. Not very likely. He knew powerful people with many connections, but he had never done anything to offend them. He had gone out of his way not to. It would make no sense for him to be a yakuza target for financial or personal reasons.

Sipping his now sixth beer he was so lost in thought that he had not heard the figure behind him sneaking up and remained unaware until he felt a press of cold metal at his throat.

"Give me all your money, right now, or I slit from ear to ear right here," the voice was hoarse and extremely close to his ear.

"Do you realize that what you just said rhymes?" Having been mugged a few times in the past, Dai knew well enough not to panic, it would do him no good to get frightened. Reaching up he called his attackers bluff and pushed the hand at his throat away until it was resting on the bar. Breathing in a rush of calming air he spun and lashed out with his left hand, waiting for it to meet with a solid mass. When he swiped through empty air he leaped from his stool and looked around. The moment he did it, Daisuke wished he had just stayed home that day. Behind him loomed an iridescent figure that he could never be sure was a man. The lights flickered and flashed revealing rough skin that smoldered, nearly burning where it was, and severely pointed teeth. The wicked looking knife in his assailant's hand melted back into the arm it was attached to seconds before a low growl crept from the thing's throat. Somehow a spark of pure fire blossomed in the pupils of it's eyes igniting a fear in Dai that ran so deep he was rooted to the spot he stood in. Heart hammering in his ears he watched helplessly as the thing attacking him stepped forward revealing that it was in no way similar to what Daisuke's brain recognized as a man.

The thing was huge- standing tall at well over six feet, perhaps even seven. Not only were its eyes composed of flame but lines of fire seemed to blaze beneath it's skin. The hair on its body was black and possibly singed- Daisuke decided he did not want to look that closely. But the power in it's eyes held him still, making him wish he could escape somehow but knowing he lacked the strength to do so. The thing opened its mouth baring the pointed teeth once again and growled in its hoarse way, "Oh you've made this only too easy Motomiya."

How did this creature know his name?! This was not possible. Trying to move his arms or legs in some semblance of running he remained paralyzed, cringing when the massive jaws unhinged to show that if need be the fire-thing could most likely swallow him whole. A flicker of movement from the corner of his eye was the only warning before another man leapt into the fight. He was quick and sure of himself, yelling at the creature in a language that sounded unearthly. The stranger pulled a sword and stepped about quickly, slicing the fire-man-thing in two in seconds. When the last of the smoke faded Daisuke felt his muscles relax from paralysis. His savior was studying him in such a way that he felt a blush creeping up from his neck into his cheeks.

"Arigato," he said quietly. "Do you know what that thing was? Or, by chance, how it knew my name?"

The man stood, stepping back from his inspection of Daisuke and frowned. His face was grim as it was, a frown only worsened the darkness. Regardless of the frown marring his pale face the man was what Daisuke could only define as beautiful, and thankfully he most definitely appeared human. "You mean you don't know?" The words were harsh, scornful.

A pang of shame made Dai drop his head, cinnamon eyes roaming the cracked floor tiles. "No, that's why I asked."

Heaving a great sigh the stranger shook his head. "Shit, you're going to be one hell of a lot of trouble aren't you? Don't even know what the fuck you've gotten yourself into I'd bet." Casting a quick glance around the bar he found the patrons were mainly too drunk to be concerned with them, the bartender was a different story. Grabbing Daisuke's arm he finally gripped the startled man's chin forcing eye contact.

He felt his breath leave him as his gaze met one that was a vibrant indigo tone. No, it was velvet twilight. Or maybe it was sparkling amethyst- any way it came there was heat, from either anger or adrenaline. "Huh?"

"Is there a back way out of this shithole, or are we going to have to make it past trigger happy Jack over there," the man motioned to the bartender with a quick snapping head movement.

Daisuke shook his own head, running a shaking hand through his spiky hair. It was not as though he had never seen people who unnerved him before, but this was ridiculous "I don't know. I've never been here before. I mean I don't even drink usually-"

"Great. Just fucking great," the stranger muttered. He felt the frown sent his way from the darker man in front of him but he merely ignored it. Running a hand through his chin length inky hair he spotted a bathroom and formulated a fast plan. "Men's room probably has a window," he muttered, more or less, to himself. "Come on."

Dai simply stumbled along beside his hero, mind too slow from alcohol consumption to be of any use at the moment. "What are you doing?" He had heard vague references to this kind of thing happening before… "Whoa, you've got the wrong idea here. Leggo," he tried to pry the strong hand off his arm. "I'm not into that kind of shit and if you want a reward you're just gonna have to take cash. I don't give head for life saving stunts."

The stranger felt his indigo eyes widen as he pushed open the door to the men's room. Turning to his captive he gave him a half disgusted, half shocked look. "What the fuck kind of people do you spend time with that you think I want you to suck my dick for what I just did?" Without waiting for an answer he turned to survey the dank space satisfied with the assessment that they could escape from the window on the far wall.

"Well, don't you?" Flustered and confused, Daisuke let himself be pulled across the small room to the only way out.

"Don't I what? Want you to go down on me?" The man snorted. "Thanks, but I'll pass. Men aren't my thing." His words felt clinical, detached.

Starting to get angry he snapped, "Oh and I suppose if I was a woman you would have shoved me on my knees and told me to start sucking, right?"

Steeping up to the tiny window the stranger began to smash the glass, then paused a moment to look into two heated cinnamon eyes. "Look, no offense man, but you are kinda girlish- you couldn't even defend yourself back there. Plus no one has skin that glows like that without makeup. And women aren't my thing either." Taking out another pane he added, "And before you ask about animals or small children let's just make things clear," he stood up and grabbed Daisuke's arm again. "Sex on a whole isn't my thing." And he threw Dai out the window and sent him sprawling into the alleyway outside. Following his captive quite gracefully he hauled the stricken, and very irritated man to his feet keeping his eyes open to any danger lurking in the immediate area. Content with the knowledge that they had escaped without detection he pulled Daisuke along and out into the street.

"Where are you taking me?" Dai's mind was starting to clear and he was trying more than ever to break free of the hand wrapped around his upper arm. "Can you loosen up a little at least? I'd like to be able to use this arm again after today." He felt his words flare with annoyance. And why not? He had no idea who this man- his supposed savior- was, and he had made no mention of where they were headed.

"Why? You afraid you won't be able to jerk off if I don't let go?" The stranger's words cut along his skin.

Before he realized what he was doing he kicked at the man's right shin making him pause. "Stop being such a jackass will you? I'm sorry I assumed all that about you but what am I supposed to think? Can't you at least tell me your name?"

Collecting his wits he glared into the bronzed man's face feeling part of himself crack somewhere deep inside. "My name's Ken," he offered finally.

"Daisuke," he replied and tried to shake hands but found they were on the move again. If he had not been listening for a response he would have missed it.

"Trust me, I know who you are."

***

The small shop they finally stumbled into was an entirely new experience for Daisuke who was used to glamour, fashion, and above all else, an attentive waitstaff. From the outside it looked as common as any other boutique on the block, but inside was a whole different story. Shelves upon shelves of books graced the walls and there were a few stacks here and there amidst the great room. On other counters or tables placed for viewing pleasure was an assortment of crystals, candles, and trinkets. Also readily visible were several small shrines. Some to gods he recognized some to others he had never seen before. A dancing figure with black skin and four arms, another with the head of an elephant, a pale woman with a flaming sword, a blind man with two great black birds perched on his shoulders, a half man half fish, a woman with three faces that went from young to old, the list went on…

The personnel behind the main desk consisted of a slender female figure with light auburn hair and shining chestnut eyes. She moved easily about the shop as if very familiar with its contents. Her helpers were four other men. The first pair consisted of another redhead, only this one had fire bright hair, and a taller man with hair similar to Ken's- black with hidden navy streaks. Huddled together at an empty table they appeared to be reviewing the account records with grim determination. As Dai watched the redhead looked up and caught him staring. Avoiding the onyx eyes that seemed to hold endless depths of wisdom, Daisuke let his own eyes drop to search the floor. A sound from another corner of the room caught him. The other pair of men was fighting.

One was tall and blond, the other shorter and a brunette. The blond looked to be immaculately groomed, sapphire eyes sparking with a need to prove his point. His sparring partner had a haphazard appearance, but his earthen eyes also held a fierce need to prove himself. They yelled at one another calling each other every vulgar word Daisuke had ever heard in his life.

"For fuck's sake, Tai," the blond yelled, "could you just do things my way for once in your goddammed life?"

"Your way," the brunette shot back, "hasn't helped us worth a shit as you may have noticed. And where the fuck do you get off saying I never listen to you?!" Flailing his arms in conjunction with his words the brunette, obviously Tai, almost hit the other man.

"That wasn't what I said you fucking asshole! Don't twist my words like that!" For his own defense the blond might have looked thinner but Daisuke was willing to bet that he had won a few of their previous fights.

At this point the auburn haired girl at the main desk spoke up. "Taichi, Yamato will you stop it?! You're driving me crazy!" She never raised her voice in any threatening manner, but it seemed her words were enough to make the two back down.

"Sorry Sora," the arguing men chorused. Turning back to their project they caught sight of Ken and Daisuke standing just inside the doorway.

"Ken-kun," Taichi cried. "You're back! What are we picking up strays now?" The brunette eyed Daisuke making him shift uncomfortably. So many new people in the space of a few hours left him uneasy.

"Indeed, Ken," the blond, Yamato, cut in. "What have we here, eh? A gorgeous soccer star? How do you manage to pick these people up?" Shaking his lustrious blond locks he turned back to Tai to resume their shelving and inventory.

For his part, Ken cast a quick glare at Daisuke, which was returned, and frowned before he spoke up. "No, I'm not picking them up as you so eloquently put it. He was in trouble and I helped out."

The girl at the desk perked up at this. "Well then, that's different. Come in you two, I'll get you some tea and some food if I can find any." As she stepped through a doorway behind her into an unknown area she missed the snickers from almost all the men in the room. Daisuke remained silent.

"She'll be lucky if there's anything left back there at all," the redhead with the obsidian eyes chuckled. "Tai ate everything he could get his hands on this morning."

The tall man beside the redhead snickered. "Does that include Yamato?"

"I resent that!" Taichi gave an indignant cry. "I like to think I have some taste you know."

"Nani?!" Yamato whirled on the smaller man. "Why you little son of bitch…" He then proceeded to chase the brunette around a few of the stacks before catching him and pinning him to a row of shelves.

"Oh come on Yama, you know you love it when I tease," the tone was sultry, seductive. Dai knew what was coming even before it happened.

"You know I do," the blond murmured seconds before locking the other man in a deep kiss. Only to be interrupted when Sora resurfaced.

"Not in front of…" She cast a vague gesture to Ken who stood scowling at the couple. "You two need to pay more attention to the rules."

Instead of breaking up the kiss the two men moved blindly through the store finally managing to reach another door on a far wall and stumbled through it. Daisuke heard a few faint moans moments later. Well, he would be lying if he said this was not an interesting situation. However…

"Excuse me miss, I didn't introduce myself," he stepped forward to the auburn haired woman. "Motomiya Daisuke, pleasure to meet you." Offering a hand he was puzzled when she politely declined a handshake.

"Touch sensitive," she explained. "Don't want to be picking up any memories you don't want me to see or anything. I found some tea but it seems I'm out of food. I hope that's okay?"

"Oh, sure. I mean, yeah, of course," he felt his words trail off. Touch sensitive? What the hell did that mean? Picking up thoughts?

Behind Daisuke, Ken rolled his indigo eyes. "I found him in a bar, drinking a few beers at noon. Some nasty Jinn started to pick a fight so I stepped in." He told the tale with a bland tone as though it was an everyday occurrence for him. Dusting some invisible particles from his shoulders, Ken gave a nod to the remaining pair of men in the room and stepped into the back where Sora had previously disappeared.

Watching his savior depart Daisuke frowned. "Is he always such a ray of sunshine?"

Barely keeping in a laugh Sora moved forward in a conversational way. "He has his moods," she offered. "Though you have to admit saving you was a nice thing to do. Which, I'm sure you already know. It can be a messy experience for someone who isn't trained to fight with a Jinn."

He shook his head trying to believe he was still in reality. "Jinn?"

Ken reappeared holding a cup of tea. Frowning at Daisuke he decided to clarify. "Yeah, Jinn. You know, like genies? Bottles and wishes and the whole bit? Not so much with the being friendly to people either sometimes. Most of the time they're pretty agreeable. You must have pissed someone off somewhere along the line, Motomiya. That thing was targeting you."

At this revelation Sora spun to face Ken and the other men at the table were instantly on guard. "The Jinn was after Daisuke? Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. This complicates things," she continued to speak in low tones to herself, apparently working through some sort of mental process.

The redhead stood up from his seat and walked the few short steps it took to join the conversation. "How do you know it was after him?"

"The thing knew my name," Daisuke replied for Ken. "He had a knife too, said he was going to slit my throat. Then I turned on him thinking I could defend myself and his eyes… they caught me somehow."

The redhead nodded. "Hypnotic powers. I'm Koushiro by the way. Pleasure," he shook Daisuke's hand.

The bell on the door sounded as a young woman stepped in. Her short brown hair was pulled back by twin barrettes, cherry eyes surveying the scene. Those eyes glittered with gentle light- but was that a flash of darkness Daisuke saw? No matter, it seemed she was a familiar customer. Still, Dai felt something strange about her. Something was not quite right with her face…

As the others got up to greet her she smiled and said her hello's turning her eyes away from the watchful man. His eyebrows furrowed as he studied her closely. Grace and ease flowed off her as she worked her way through the stacks, coming closer and then passing by Daisuke altogether. The movements were natural enough, and she did seem to know everyone present. But there was just something… dark in her that the young man could not place. Her flickering eyes seemed to follow him. True, she had turned away but it still felt like she was watching him. In a quick glimpse of overhead light he figured out what was bothering him.

"Sora, could you help me with something a minute?" Keeping his tone light he made things appear to be normal. When the auburn haired woman stepped close he hissed in her ear. "Tell me that's not your friend."

"Don't be silly Daisuke-san. That's Hikari, I've known her for years-"

"She has no face," he supplied. "There's just this blank void. It took me a minute to see it, but there's nothing there at all. Something is really wrong here," he whispered. As the two continued speaking neither noticed that "Hikari" was watching them expression going cold.

"Hey, 'Kari," the redheaded man questioned, "everything okay?"

Dropping her mask she turned that terrifying void to the others in the room. "It will be," a voice sounded, "as soon as I kill Motomiya." Her nails were impossibly long the next moment, and sharp.

As the faceless thing dove for Daisuke a hand clamped onto her shoulder freezing her to the spot as a blade pushed out of her chest. When the flashing glint of steel curved upwards there was another graceful movement and the head was bouncing to the floor.

"Ken!" Sora gaped at him. He merely stood in a fighting stance cautiously peering around for any more threats.

He shrugged. "She was going to kill him. That's the second demon in an hour to try. Think something's up now?" The tone in his voice implied that the others regarded him as a child and Daisuke could see why- Ken was on the verge of a temper tantrum. "We need to figure this shit out," the man with the sword said flatly. Sheathing his weapon he stepped up to the door Taichi and Yamato had disappeared through. "I'm going for a shower." Scowl firmly in place he slammed the door behind him.

"Would someone please tell me what is going on here?" Daisuke was more confused than he had ever been in his life. "First there's this fire-man-thing, a Jinn or whatever the hell you called it. Now there's this faceless, pointy nailed woman-thing. They both knew my name and they both wanted to kill me. What the fuck is going on?!"

"Oh that's easy," the taller dark haired man replied. "Someone's hiring high level executioners to assassinate you." He said it as though it were all so simple. "And the faceless woman was a mujina, one of the bakemono."

Earthen eyes bulged at this news. "You can't seriously expect me to believe that a goblin was after me! Those kind of creatures only exist in folk tales. My grandparents used stories about the bakemono to make sure I behaved when I spent time with them. And now you're telling me one of them came after me? That's ridiculous!"

"No more so than a Jinn trying to kill you in a bar," Koushiro pointed out. "Lucky thing Ken was there for you. It's a relief to know that pulling him out of Training School was worth it."

So many new developments had Dai's brain struggling to catch up with the world around him as it plummeted through change. "Training…?"

Sora placed a hand near, but not quite on Daisuke's shoulder. "Come on," she said quietly, "we'll go into the back, get you some food, and have some more tea and we'll explain everything to you."

Glancing at his balled up fists Daisuke was about to tell her that he had no interest in tea, but he felt his nerves telling him otherwise- calm would be good. He wanted to say it was all some kind of mistake and that they had the wrong guy, but he knew it was a lie. And despite any other grievances he had at the moment, Daisuke wanted to keep on living. He followed the others through the door behind the main desk.

***

The door lead to a townhouse that occupied the remainder of the building. Four floors of living space stretched above their heads as Sora, Daisuke, Koushiro and the fourth man who thus far had no name sat down to figure out Dai's situation.

"I'm sorry I didn't catch your name before," Daisuke held out a hand to the dark haired man.

"It's Jyou," he offered and shook the offered hand. Apparently no one else had any qualms about touching him, just Sora. "Sora's the only touch sensitive among us."

Large cinnamon eyes snapped up to look into Jyou's face. "How did you…?"

"You shook my hand and then looked directly at Sora. Given your overall lack of knowledge I assumed you were probably wondering why we could touch you when she refused. It looks like I assumed right," he gave a small grin and took a seat beside Koushiro.

The redhead beamed at the taller man. Speaking up he amended Jyou's statement. "Any contact with human skin triggers a reaction in her that pulls any memories, or emotions even, to the surface of your mind and thusly projecting them into Sora's. It's an amiable ability to have."

Jyou smiled at the smaller man. "Telekinesis isn't too bad either."

This revelation startled Daisuke. Did they all have some kind of ability? "So, Koushiro, you're telekinetic, Sora's touch sensitive, Jyou do you have any special talents?" Before the dark haired man could speak there was a brief flash in his mind and he spoke again. "You're pyrokinetic."

"How did you know?" The other three people in the room gaped at Daisuke as if he had grown a second and then a third head. Sora blinked rapidly, trying to process what this might mean. Koushiro was already formulating possibilities in his mind as to how Dai had been brought to them. Jyou was merely startled. "I didn't even open my mouth and you just knew…"

He shrugged. "There was this quick flash of an image in my mind of fire and you, so I put two and two together. It happens sometimes. I'll get this weird image in my mind and then I'll see it somewhere right after or someone will say something about it. I've written it off in the past because they mainly happened around my friends or co-workers, and I figured I know them well enough that I would be able to guess some things about them." Seeing three matching smiles around him, Daisuke wanted to shrink back in on himself. Their looks gave him chills.

"You're a clairvoyant," Sora whispered. "That would make some sense then. You probably woke up with a bad feeling about today? And then in the bar you might have gotten some creepy vibes." Lost in thought she let her sentence trail off as she tried to pinpoint what could have caused the attacks against Daisuke.

"Yeah, this morning was a little rough. I went to the bank and they had no records of me anywhere. My ID was invalid and I couldn't get access to my accounts. The receptionist had me bodily removed by security with a threat never to set foot in there again." Sighing he sat back in his chair growing more comfortable as the creepy looks faded away from the stranger's faces. "I really am very lucky that Ken was there too."

Koushiro reflected on Daisuke's words a moment before questioning him. "How did you know Ken's name?"

"He told me." That was an odd thing to ask. How else would he have known?

Sora's eyebrows shot up in response as she was pulled back into the conversation. "He told you his name?"

"Yeah, when I asked he told me. Plus you all called him by name when he and I got here. He said he knew who I was too…"

Jyou chuckled. "Well, you have been in the news before. Soccer is one of Taichi's favorite sports so he's forced us all to watch a match or two. I'm sure he roped Ken into his warped little obsession at some point. He must have seen you in one of the matches or read an interview. I still can't believe he told you his name though."

"He's not usually that open?" It was a guess, but from the way they were talking it sounded accurate.

"That's an understatement," Koushiro replied. "The fact that Ken helped you is a marvel all on its own. But he normally walks away afterward. He doesn't go out of his way to keep protecting those he rescues from danger." Standing, the redhead decided to go to the store to pick up some food. Leaving the shop would help clear his mind a little. When he departed, Jyou left the conversation as well as though it were an expected action.

Tilting his head to one side Dai could not help from asking, "Do you guys always come in pairs?"

Sora was pulled once again from her deep thinking. "What? Oh, that. Well, Taichi and Yamato have been together for years, much like Jyou and Koushiro. They also have complimentary abilities. Enough about them though." She scooted forward on her chair moving into touching range. "Why do you think someone might be after you, Daisuke-san?"

"Just Daisuke or Dai is fine," he said automatically then paused to think. He frowned. Having already questioned this he still had no answers. "I don't know," he answered quickly. "But I'm still curious about a few things. What was the training you were referring to earlier?"

"Abilities like ours are skills that need to be finely tuned, or they could spiral out of control. There's a school that all of us have gone to that helped us learn to cope with what we can do and use it when we need to. It was kinda fun to be like X-men and stuff, but it's hard not to see yourself as a freak sometimes. The others are lucky, at least they have abilities that can be turned off." There was a slight cast of bitterness in her tone. As if on cue she explained further. "They can contain the energy they use for telekinesis or pyrokinesis. Touch sensitivity is always active. The energy cannot be contained."

The idea had not occurred to Daisuke until she spoke. He felt a stab of sympathy for the woman who was so willingly offering him help. To be unable to touch another person had to be very tiring, and very lonely.

"It is lonely," came a smooth voice from behind him. He recognized it as Yamato's. "And before you ask your question can I please ask you to stop broadcasting?"

So many terms that he had no knowledge of. It was beginning to frustrate him on whole new levels. "What exactly am I broadcasting?"

"Your thoughts. You're thinking way too loud," Yamato huffed. The words were meant to be harsh, but lacked any scathing ability due to the constant sparkle in his eyes and the flush spread across his high cheekbones.

Well then I'll try to tone it down for you, Daisuke thought at the blond. A reaction that seemed natural to him.

"You sure learn quick," was the only sign of gratitude he received. Yamato moved to take the seat that had been vacated by Jyou and stared at the newcomer.

"So you're what? A telepath?"

The blond man nodded. "Yup, got it in one. For someone who claims to know nothing about this you're picking up on things awfully fast." Pausing a moment he added, "Taichi's an empath. He feels what other people around him feel- especially when they're broadcasting." His hard tone took a few minutes to sink in with Daisuke.

So he had been feeling confused and frustrated? So what? "Oh…" It finally dawned on him just why the blond was being so curt with him. Feeling a blush staining his cheeks he had the grace to lower his eyes to the floor. "Sorry about that. I'll try to remember not to emote or think too loud when you guys are… um, well, you know." Talking about sexual activity with complete strangers made him extremely uncomfortable.

However, his embarrassment was rewarded with a grin from the blond. "No problem. As long as we're on the same page. And since we are on the sexual train of conversation, do you mind if I ask a question?"

Daisuke had a flicker of an image in his mind. "No, I don't know what is going on. And I don't understand why you and Taichi had to be so discreet in front of Ken. Care to explain that one too?" Raising fiery cinnamon eyes, sheer frankness radiating from him, Daisuke was surprised to see how startled Yamato was at his answer.

"I didn't even ask the question yet," he gasped. Sapphire eyes flicking towards the very quiet Sora, he took a moment to pick up what he had missed. His eyes only widened further. "You're a clairvoyant? Damn…"

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Without being able to stop it he could feel the frustration building in his chest again. Try as he might he could not keep it all locked up. When he felt the first twinges of his irritation creeping out he tried to follow it with soothing energy.

Heavy footsteps echoed across the room as Taichi stomped over and threw himself in his lover's lap. The expression of anger on his face began to ease as Dai tried to calm his emotions. "Wow, you're pretty good at this Motomiya. Got any skills?"

"He's a clairvoyant," Sora spoke up. "Maybe that's what attracted Ken to him. I really don't know. Usually we attract those with matching skills, but Ken is… well, he's Ken. Honestly, I'm as puzzled as you guys are on this one." It was so strange that Ken, the man they regarded as a warrior and cold blooded to the end, had revealed so much to someone he had never met previously. They had trouble getting Ken to talk to them. The amount he had explained in the front room was more than he had spoken to any of them in days.

Images bounced behind Daisuke's eyelids while the redheaded woman mulled over the situation. "He's really that closed off from all of you?"

Three sets of eyes twinkled with weariness and guarded affection. "You have no idea," Yamato said quietly. "Or maybe you do." Tilting his head the blond tried to reach out into the fresh mind- only to feel a wall slam everything shut. A touch of cold steel against his power and he retreated. "Won't let me pry, eh? Want to get in his pants already I take it?"

Dai felt a furious blush spread across his entire face betraying the lie he had wanted to pull off.

Taichi laughed a little. "You see, Ken's something of a eunuch or maybe he's just asexual all together. We're really not sure. All we can tell is that he's strong as shit and has no qualms about fighting anything or anyone that pisses him off." Taking on a conversational tone he tried to reach out in the same way his love had, also greeted with a harsh touch of steel. "You're almost as good as he is at shutting us out. But I bet if Sora were to grab your hand, those walls of yours might crack. As you may have noticed, Ken-kun isn't exactly the touchy feely type. Sora got a hold of him once and apparently that was enough for him." While he spoke the brunette kept trying to pry into Daisuke's emotions. The attack was subtle, as he looked for any possible breaches in the tight barrier the pale man had set around himself. Finding no signs of entry, Taichi gave up for the moment. It was very impressive given how little experience Dai obviously had with such matters.

"I don't know about the touchy feely part of things, he didn't seem to have any difficulty grabbing me and dragging me along for the ride. But, do yourselves a favor and stop trying to get in," the newcomer's voice was as cold as his barricade. "If I want to share then I will, but until then stay the fuck out." He knew it was bad manners to say as much but some things had to be kept sacred. Daisuke valued his privacy, since the media had deemed him one of the most eligible bachelors in Tokyo and force-fed him fame whenever possible. It had been a disaster when the media dragged him 'out of the closet' before he had a chance to tell his family. "I don't like people prying into my life. If you have questions about my background try reading Vogue or something."

"Touchy, touchy," Yamato smirked. "I think Tai-koi here struck a nerve mentioning the questionable nature of Ken's sexuality." He kept smiling and trying to pry despite the harsh warning he had received. Everyone had leaks in their security- even Ken. However, the telepath was having a difficult time pulling anything from the dark haired man seated across from him. The only thing he had to marvel at was the absolutely solid construction of his barriers.

"I told you to stop," Daisuke warned. "Don't make me tell you again. I really don't like people snooping into my private life. And as for Ken, don't think I didn't notice how you two ogle him. He's fucking gorgeous, of course I was looking, and of course I'm attracted to him. There are a lot of questions I have about the eunuch thing you referred to but for now I'm curious about the training." Taking a deep breath he frowned when he felt penetrating psychic fingers prod at his shields. Closing his eyes, Daisuke pictured a perfect wall around himself, surrounded with electricity. Lashing out with the charge he was rewarded with a gasp from the blond and brunette.

"Shit! You fucking zapped me!" Taichi gaped in complete stupefication. "You put up high level security and threw us both out."

"How the fuck did you do that?" Sapphire eyes bulging out of Yamato's head, he too stared in utter fascination. A plan formed quickly in his mind and he spoke it as he thought not wanting to give Dai a chance to prepare himself. "Grab him Sora. I want to see what he's made of."

Daisuke had a moment to be shocked before he felt a warm hand close around his wrist. Instinctively he threw up his shields. Only this time he made them stronger- filling his mind with thoughts of brick walls and steel vaults surrounded by layers of static charge. It cost him little effort to do this, as this was the one thing he had experience with when it came to the psychic realm. His natural instinct was to protect his privacy no matter what the cost. The barriers were part of him, making them that much harder to break through. The hand on his wrist pulled away after a few moments. He stood up, ready to leave. "Stop playing games. I need your help, but I'm not going to put my soul on the line for it. If that's the price then I'll seek help elsewhere."

"No, don't," Sora protested. "I will answer any questions you have but you're going to have to trade with us in return." Something flashed behind her chestnut eyes giving him reason to pause before he walked out.

"Trade? How?"

"Teach the others and myself how to do what you just did. I couldn't get anything off you. This is the first time in as long as I can remember that someone was able to block me. You don't know how much it would mean to me if you would teach us. I would be able to touch people again." Her eyes were shining with unshed tears. Hope beaming from every pore, Sora gave him a weak smile. "Please, Daisuke… Dai."

Nodding, more or less to himself, he agreed and sat down again. "So, tell me about the training."

"And about Ken," Yamato added, grinning. At the glare he received he began to laugh. "You don't need psychic abilities to see that one, Motomiya."

"Yama, I think you and Tai have work you need to finish," Sora cut in. Daisuke had shut them out but the blond was right- when Dai felt strongly about something they did not need any special powers to know it. And at that moment Daisuke was very pissed off. As the two men departed she turned to the enigma at hand. "Which do you want to know about first?"

Luckily, he was able to stop himself before he requested information about his savior. True enough, the dark haired, pale warrior was a beautiful package, and Daisuke wanted to know what was inside but there were other matters to be concerned with first. "How many of you are there?"

"Taichi and Yamato both have younger siblings with powers. Takeru, Yama's brother, is one of the best clarivoyants I've ever met. Well, he was anyway, until you showed up. Part of what made TK so unique was his ability to influence people- not in a criminal way of course. The boy couldn't hurt a fly. Hikari, that's Taichi's sister, is a full on psychic. You name it, she can do it. All except for touch sensitivity. Lucky me, I'm the only one of those around." Bitterness coated her words making them ugly. Deep inside Daisuke could feel that she was proud of her gift, but at the same time she had not fully embraced it.

"So that's it then? That's a pretty small group. From the way all of you were talking I thought there might be an army of you." The joking tone suffered a quick death when Dai realized he was the only one laughing.

"There are a lot of us. But, our small group grew up together. We're so familiar with each other's activity that we formed a bonded unit. We're almost complete. As you remarked we tend to come in sets of two. There are also two of us who have no psychic skill per se, but are remarkable magicians. Of course," she smiled, "they would kill me if they caught me using that term. Miyako and Iori are our resident pagans. What they do isn't quite Wicca and it isn't really anything else either. They can both draw from any kind of magic, which can be very helpful. Particularly in a case like yours."

"Where's your other half? Don't you have one?" The loneliness was back in Sora's eyes again. Chestnut wept into bleeding chocolate.

"Mimi. She left. It happened a long time ago," the reply was soft, wounded. "She had some things to sort out, and I know she'll be back one day. In the meantime it's hard going through this without her." In a gesture of nervousness she ran a hand through her auburn hair. Trying to clear her mind of thoughts of her absent girlfriend Sora picked up where she had left off. "Ken was the only one of us without a partner. Which is why I think something in you must have called out to him."

"First he saved my life, then he was open with me," Daisuke concluded. This was getting stranger by the minute. Though he was gay, and certainly had no problems with the idea of dating Ken, what they were discussing sounded more like a union for life. "Don't get me wrong, he's hot and gorgeous and all, but I think you're reading way too far into this."

There was a secretive smile on the sensitive's face. "You haven't really seen him yet," she replied. "Wait until you do before you make that kind of judgement. He's skilled at glamour- hiding his true appearance. Unless you saw him with his shields down you haven't seen the whole package."

"Have you, um, ever seen it?" He had missed something, eh? Well, then maybe he would have to rethink his decision. However, a lifetime with the dark haired man was still something he was wary of- no matter how pretty he turned out to be.

"Once, and that was only a flicker. Of all of us I've gotten the closest. Yamato mentioned how I touched Ken once. I picked up on a few things before he wriggled free. There's a lot of pain there, Dai. A lot of it. You're going to have to be strong to handle Ken. There's much more to him than meets the eye."

The cautionary words hit something deep in the tense man. His cocoa eyes widened a touch. "Perhaps you should fill me in on a few things about his past?" If Sora had trouble reading Ken, Daisuke knew he would find it damn near impossible.

"He was raised by demons. Made to be the ultimate weapon for the gang that harbored him, his powers flourished under their care." A frown marred her face. "If you could really call it care. Taichi did sum things up best saying he's strong and will fight anything. Ken was made to fight anything. And he was stripped of his sexuality also. Not physically, but enough so that I wonder if he's a eunuch by choice or not. Somewhere in him there's a very lonely young man but he would never admit to that. The only reason he isn't in Training School with the others is because he's been raised practically from birth to use his abilities. Even now we don't know what he's fully capable of. It's good to know he's on our side though."

"You say that like you have to fight with demons and things often." What in the world had he gotten himself into?

There was a derisive snort, "Often enough, Daisuke. Often enough."

***

Upstairs, Ken was toweling dry from his shower. He had no doubt in his mind that the others were talking about him with… Daisuke. Swallowing the thickness gathering in his throat he had to shake his head. The young man strode to his sparsely furnished room. The only adornments on the walls were tasteful displays of weaponry. And Ken had a very complete collection. Walking past the small mirror that stood on his bureau he frowned. The reflection bouncing back into his eyes was the true one. An image he had been taught to hate. Face twisted with disgust, Ken smoothed out the opalescent sheen that graced his skin. Subduing the natural aura of power that emanated from him, he let the regular façade settle in. Though he still despised looking at his reflection in any form he could not help a small smile. The others would probably freak out if they knew just how good he was. How many skills he was hiding.

Pulling the towel that hung on his hips loose he rummaged through his clothing. Plain browns and touches of gray or black made dressing easy. With the mundane task of dressing coming on instinct his mind was free to wander. He felt his thoughts stretch into the house. Somewhere in his mind, Ken noticed that he could feel Daisuke, pulling him with magnetic attraction. It pained him to admit that he felt something stir in him whenever he looked at the tanned, flame haired man. But, he was just so… Those spicy eyes- that brimmed with cinnamon fire when he felt threatened, the subtle glow of bronze that painted every inch of his skin. Despite his human body, Daisuke had something in him that called to Ken, made his breath halt and his heart slam. He had read plenty of books about this, but he had never experienced it before. Unfamiliar feelings brewed in Ken's chest as he thought about the man sitting downstairs, talking with Sora. He could feel him no matter where he went.

Being raised by demons had left Ken with a considerable blood lust. However, the desire had been conveniently squelched when he happened to meet the gentle auburn haired shopkeeper and her bubbly girlfriend. From the beginning of his memories he had been taught to loathe the human body and to use it only as a tool or as cannon fodder. Slowly, but surely, his newfound friends were breaking him of his habits, teaching him that his human appearance was something to be proud of. Well, that and the fact that he harbored a serious case of rage and hatred when it came to demons preferring to kill them as opposed to humans. Having suffered two decades of straight torture made it difficult for him to find peace with those creatures that claimed any line of demonic blood. Ken wanted every last one of them to pay. Especially now that he had met someone who seemed to be igniting emotions in the heart he never knew he possessed. The heart he thought he had carved out years ago after so many beatings driving the point home that he was to be a soulless thing- he was not human, he never would be. This newfound sense gave him enough of a scare to wonder if he was capable of loving someone.

Against all odds, Daisuke had won over part of Ken. The effect was subtle, but the warrior noted the feeling with bitter resignation. Dammit, he was good at what he did. He did not need some random person to enter his life and completely turn things upside down- making him question everything he had been trained to do. It was a compromising situation. Torn between an unexplainable desire for Daisuke and the need to discover who he was left his head reeling. And Ken had a feeling that it was only the beginning.

***

Downstairs Daisuke sighed and did his best to not think about the enigmatic, muscular, freaking gorgeous… dammit. His efforts were seriously failing. It was eerie. Wherever he was in the house, Dai could feel him. Whatever magnetic force existed between them called to him, telling him that he was not complete sitting in the chair next to the bookcase in Sora's study. If there were someone else in the chair with him he would feel so much better. Shaking his head he tried to clear the unwanted thoughts away. Where was this coming from? He had only met Ken hours ago. Sure, he had experienced strong bouts of lust when viewing members if the male population before but never like this. It was unsettling.

Shifting in his seat, lost in questions and thoughts, Daisuke did not hear the group of people approaching him, and remained unaware until he heard a feminine voice yell, "Get him!"

Panicking instantly, Dai was on his feet facing off to four attackers- two men, two women. One of the women looked oddly familiar though he knew he had never met these people before. Without thinking about it he fell into a fighting stance and threw up his psychic barriers. Walls of sheer mental steel and electricity surrounded his psyche as he mentally assessed his attack. Deciding in a split second he aimed a high kick at his closest opponent- a blond man, who upon closer inspection looked like Yamato in a vague way. This realization, however, failed to click in Daisuke's brain.

The blond ducked and frowned. Turning his head to one side he said to the familiar woman, "I can't get anything off him." Of course, turning had been his mistake. No sooner had the blond finished his sentence than Dai's right foot connected with his chin just hard enough to send him sprawling with little hope of getting up before Dai fled the room.

"You don't have to do this," the familiar woman spoke, voice tranquil enough to drag the frightened man's attention to her. "We don't want to hurt you, but you are trespassing." Behind her, Daisuke caught a quick flash of a dagger and heard the other woman in the group mumble her way through an archaic form of Chinese. Rushing backwards a few steps he grabbed the other man, a short brunette. Blond and brunette- where had he seen that combination before?

"Stop it," he hissed. "No magic, no psychic tricks, just let me pass and I'll return your friend to you unharmed." How he hated making threats, specifically ones he knew he would never follow through on. Swallowing back his conscience. "Put your little dagger away, sweetie," he called to the other woman. In response she shook a head full of maroon hair. "Look," he continued, "I've had a shit day and I really don't need any more assassins coming after me right now. I'm scared, I'm fucking exhausted, and I'm confused- all of which make me incredibly pissed off, so don't fuck with me." Deciding to use an old trick he had exploited when he was a child, Daisuke pitched his voice in a cold tone and thought of how icy it must sound. When he felt a chill wind pass through the room he gave an equally frigid smile making the temperature plummet further.

"Who the hell are you?" The short brunette sputtered out his question as he struggled to break free of the death grip on his neck. "One of you do something!" His words cut off at his captor's slight jerking motion.

"Shut up." Daisuke eyed the room and his remaining opponents. This was going to be easy. And as he thought through it, he could escape and no one would get hurt. While he chose his escape route the blond on the floor tried to sit up, then stand. Dai chuckled when he swayed on his feet and staggered back down. "I didn't kick you that hard…" Words falling away he cursed silently as a flurry of images hit him. Lost in the power of his vision he never heard Ken enter the room.

"Daisuke! What the fuck are you doing?! Let Iori go!" Rushing forward the warrior pulled the brunette free and caught the other man whose eyes had rolled back, lost to the world.

The two women gaped at Ken. "How do you know him?" "What has come over you?!" Joined by the blond on the floor they chorused together, "Ken, why are you helping him?"

Indigo eyes gave them each a shocking glare. "Get out," was his only reply. When they failed to comply he yelled watching with a satisfied smirk as they pulled the blond to his feet and bolted from the room. Turning his attention back to the man in his arms he frowned. "Fucking psychic attacks," he muttered. He gently sat Daisuke in a chair. Checking his vital signs he found the man to be stable, he would be back in reality momentarily. "You'll be okay," he whispered. Tentatively he reached out a hand to smooth out the dark hair. The deep wine color touched with glints of copper was hypnotic and velvety and Ken wanted to run his hands through it, lose himself. As the fiery eyes began to blink, the other man's vision steadying, he pulled back, mentally smacking himself. No, things were not supposed to go this way! He had no need for a human companion. None…

"What the fuck hit me?" Daisuke touched one throbbing temple. A migraine of epic proportions was closing in on him fast. Before speaking again he instinctively checked his shields making sure he was safe. Still not looking at the person sitting so close to him he groaned as pain consumed his mind leaving room for little else. "What was that?"

"Psychic attack. They hit you all together with thoughts, memories, abilities, and whatever else they could grasp," Ken responded mechanically. Under his intense scrutiny he saw the dim recognition as Dai realized who he was. Cold indigo eyes roamed the planes of the downcast face he noticed the flush on the tanned cheeks.

"That's twice now, Ken," Daisuke's voice was soft. "Looks like I owe you." Looking up he lost all forms of coherent thought when he noticed how close they actually were. Ken's sculpted face was only centimeters from his own, close enough to feel breath against his skin. Trying not to swoon, Dai leaned forward slightly as if to kiss the other man. Stopping when their noses touched he whispered, "Thank you." Giving a small smile he stayed as he was waiting for a reaction- surely Ken would push him away or hit him. Much to his surprise the other man remained in place.

Ken shook his head slowly. "It's what I do," he responded and stood. Pointing at Daisuke, his face betrayed nothing- blank to any and all emotion. "I have to go talk to the others and tell them who you are so they won't try to kill you again. I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere." He turned and stalked out of the room. Picking through the house he easily located the group of four Dai had encountered.

Miyako, Hikari, Iori, and Takeru sat in the kitchen pouting. When the warrior entered the mood darkened. "What the hell were you doing?" Folding his arms across his chest, Ken fingered the handle of one of his knives, a nervous habit.

"I think the better question, Ken-chan, is what the hell were you doing?" The maroon haired woman met his gaze with inborn defiance. "He's a foreign face sitting in the backroom, power floats around him like mist, and you knew his name." Her amber eyes narrowed behind her glasses. "What is going on?"

Nervous habits aside, Ken drew his knife and crossed the space between them in seconds bending at the waist to press the blade to the woman's throat. The others watched with dim horror. They knew he was fast, but no one mentioned just how fast. "First," the dark haired man hissed, "don't you ever call me 'Ken-chan' again. You have no right to. Second, don't you ever fucking question me again."

"Or what?" Her whisper was pure venom. "You'll slit my throat?"

Barely shaking his head, he let his eyes fill with a natural spike of power that hid just below the surface. "No, Miyako. I'll skin you a little at a time and feed it to Hikari right before I-"

"Okay! That's enough! Ken, stop it," Hikari broke in. "Stop being such a prick and explain what's going on. Don't threaten my friends." Glancing at Miyako she noted the woman had turned an interesting shade of green. Fright filled the amber eyes. She knew he had probably finished his sentence, letting it whisper through Miyako's mind. Of all the others, Hikari was the only one who had made the closest guesses as to what the pale man standing before them was capable of. "Who was that guy?"

Playing with his knife, as though bored with the conversation, he replied in a singsong voice, "His name's Daisuke. Assassins are after him. I saved him from a jinn and a mujina today. Who knows how many others are waiting to beat the shit out of him? He's hiding out here while Sora and the others figure out what to do with him."

"And until then you're acting as his bodyguard?" The blond raised an eyebrow at this. Takeru had never seen the cold-hearted warrior so vehement about someone's welfare. "Seems to me like you're having a great time protecting that… body." The suggestive leer in his words hung in the air. A well-thrown knife embedded itself in the wall next to Takeru's right ear. Gulping his sarcasm away he tried to regain his cool. "Sorry…"

"Just leave him alone. Don't talk to him, don't fight him, don't even look at him. He's only here to hide and the less we all know about him the better off we'll be." As he spun on his heel he heard another voice call him back.

"Did you see what he did, Ken?" Iori was curious to see how much their guardian knew. "He made it go cold in there by speaking with ice in his voice. Simply by speaking! I've only seen high levels do that before- and very few at that." He noted the blank look on the marble face.

"He did that, eh? Looks like Sora got more than she bargained for." Leaving their company he went back to the study finding Daisuke had curled into a tight ball. The muscular man sat with his arms wrapped around his head, face pressed into his knees, eyes shut so tightly it looked painful. Feeling the coolness of the air, Ken drew his sword, his eyes flashing, searching for the threat. "Daisuke?"

"Ken? Is that you? Ken? Make them go away! Please make them stop!" An edge of hysteria sharpened the words.

"Them?" This was getting weirder by the minute.

"Can't you see them? Flying around the room, yelling at me, trying to claw at me, screaming, crying… Oh god, just make them stop! It hurts, Ken. Make them stop!" He began to rock back and forth where he sat tears leaking out of his eyes. If Ken could have seen what Daisuke was seeing, he would know there were hundreds of spirits in the room- all of them focused on Dai. They yelled and cried, screaming at him how weak he was, how pathetic, he was dependant on people he did not even know for help… He started to pull at his hair, wishing he could rip it out by the roots, bleed all over the floor.

When he tried to touch Daisuke something hit Ken- hard enough to make him sway. Sword forgotten on the floor he tried calling power to himself. The room remained dead to him. Sparing a glance at the man in the chair he called out to him. "Daisuke, I have to get one of the others. I can't help you. Stay here."

"Like I'm going anywhere!" Even through his torment he was still able to joke. That was both good and bad. It meant the torture had only started.

Running full speed from the room, past the four confused faces in the kitchen, up the stairs… He found Sora reading in one of the rooms. "Help! You've got to help Daisuke," he was unaware of the genuine plea in his voice. Without waiting for her to get over her gaping he grabbed her hand and took off back down the stairs again. Reaching the room once more the duo found the doors had been slammed shut. Distant cries came from inside.

"Somebody! Help me! They won't stop!" Madness breached the inner sanctum of Dai's melodic voice, tipping the sound off scale. The words cracked with desperation.

In a desperate attempt, the pale warrior tried the doors. Locked. Shaking and rattling the wood seemed ineffective. Lips set in a tight line he stared up at the doors trying to will them open. Without calling his natural power there was no chance of him getting inside. But, Daisuke…

Pressing his forehead against the cool wood, one palm beside his face flush against the door Ken whispered, "I'll get you out, Daisuke. I promise." Knowing he did not want to finish the sentence aloud with the others present he sent a whisper of thought beyond the doors hoping that it would reach the ears it was meant for. As he pulled back he looked at Sora, who had now been joined by the illustrious four from the kitchen. Miyako was spearing him with dark looks.

"What do you think it is, Ken?" Sora's voice was calm, a sign she was debating reaching into the room with tapering psychic fingers.

"Don't, Sora," Takeru said. "If we don't know what's inside I don't think you really want to touch it. But we need to find out what it is so we can fight it at least."

"Ken said we're protecting Daisuke, so we need to work quick before we lose him," Hikari spoke quietly, as if giving voice to thoughts she believed had remained in her head. "Ken," she said hesitantly, "can you break down the doors?"

He nodded, slowly. "I can. It's not a good idea, but I can do it." Oh this was not going well at all. Only hours after he had sworn he would keep Daisuke safe, he was about to lose him to some strange, invisible attackers. Wait a minute…

Taking off for the store in the outer rooms, Ken let his eyes scan the bookshelves. There had to be something there that would help him! "Too many books," he murmured. Deciding on a few that had the most appealing cover art, he ran back to the others. Surprised looks greeted him all around. "What?"

"How many cases did you check?" Sora swallowed, trying to keep the shock she felt from thickening in her throat.

"I don't know. Thirty, maybe forty at the most. Why?"

Iori managed to regain his calm first. "You were gone for less than a minute and you're saying you covered half the store? Once we help Daisuke you may want to explain to us where this newfound speed of yours is coming from."

Ken scowled. No, there would be no discussions. He would simply have to monitor his actions better. In the past he had been able to accomplish things quickly without any misgivings. It seemed as though Daisuke was affecting everyone. "Whatever," he muttered. Clearing his throat he turned to Sora once more. "I think it's only illusion. The whole thing- from the shit Daisuke's seeing to the doors being closed. If Miyako or Iori do a spell we should be able to break it."

"A spell could take hours or even days to complete. Daisuke could go insane in the meantime. Listen to him in there," Miyako gestured to the barricaded room. Sobs and whimpers issued forth. It was all Ken could do to keep from blowing away the facade, but that would most likely kill the others…

"Daisuke," he whispered. He was right in saying the doors were illusion. After taking a step back he had been able to see it. However, he was still unable to walk through the entrance and fend off whatever spirits were attacking Dai. It was making Ken more than a little frustrated. A gasp behind him made him turn.

Takeru stood with his mouth open, aqua eyes blinking in rapid fire. "His shields," he struggled to speak. "His shields are down, and he's broadcasting."

"It's a common thing that happens under psychic attack, TK," Hikari said slowly. "You know that."

"But the four of us couldn't break him before. And I wasn't even trying to reach him."

"You mean you-" The brunette's words were cut off as her eyes rolled painfully in her head. "Damn, he's loud," she hissed. "Miya, can't you do a spell to close him off or something?"

"I can try," the pagan replied. In truth the best she could do was try. Unsure of what they were confronting left her with the choice of only a basic protection spell that worked to fend off all generic types of energy. Emotional energy was as generic as it got. She was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. Turning, Miyako's gaze met with two flickering amethyst eyes.

"I can do it," the warrior said quietly. "I can block him, but that means one of you will have to go in there, unless…"

"Unless what, Ken? What more is there to this?" Miyako pulled away from the firm grip, amber eyes widening.

"If you all left I know I could get him out myself." It had taken him a while to pick up on it, but now that he had noticed, Ken knew there was only one choice left. This magic was familiar to him, something he had been born with.

"No," Sora shot back firmly. "We told you we would help protect him, and we'll all follow through on that. You can't always be the number one hero, Ken."

Sighing, he closed his eyes reaching beyond the illusion to comfort Daisuke. Come hell or high water, one of them would be in there soon. "I'm not trying to pull some sort of Lone Wolf act. It's just… I know I'm the only one who can do this." Opening his eyes again he had to blink against the lingering trace of pain left from the images of Daisuke being tortured. "None of you have dealt with this kind of thing before. You wouldn't understand what you're up against"

Hikari, having managed to push Dai's blaring emotions to a corner of her brain, assessed the situation. "Part of your past?" When he nodded she bit her lip. It was a gamble to leave him on his own, no matter how many abilities he could have. Whether he knew this power or not made little difference, they had promised to help. But the shine in the normally cold eyes was enough to make her rethink. "Are you sure we can't help you?"

"You stand a greater chance of getting hurt if you stay here. When this is done, I'll take Daisuke and he and I will go hide somewhere. Once I've tracked down who's after him I'll contact you and we can proceed from there," words dropping away, he felt something tugging in his chest as a particularly loud shriek came from the room beyond.

"Wait, you're leaving?!" Miyako, having no psychic connection, was outraged. "What do you mean you'll contact us and we can't handle this? It's what we're training for!"

"You've never been trained for this, believe me." His words were soft; an undercurrent of pain was seeping into his voice. The magic was wearing away his barriers as well. "Look, we're losing time and I can't stay here much longer if you all decide you have to be here. Just go, let me handle this and I'll contact you soon." Facing the others, Ken knew his words were sinking in from the looks on their faces. "Please." Nothing hurt more than begging, especially since he had sworn to himself after breaking free of the demons holding him that he would never beg for anything again. Ever.

Sora nodded quickly and ushered the rest of the group out. Looking back for a brief moment she wished him good luck. "I hope you know what you're doing, Ken-kun. Remember that you're always welcome here, and Dai is too. Don't be gone for too long." As he waved and nodded she had a moment to gasp when his eyes began to bleed from flat indigo to burning violet. She knew that face. She might have only glimpsed it before, but she knew what he was going to do.

Turning away from Sora's retreating figure Ken could feel his barriers dropping. She had seen it again. Despite the years of practice he had at hiding, she had seen him. Things were not looking up. As his barriers fell, the glow of his eyes multiplied, coupled by the luminous opal shine of his skin. The hair that was normally a deep black or even navy leaked away to a rich, starry twilight color that no bottle of dye could duplicate. As the features he normally dulled lost their lackluster appearance, Ken could feel his face changing slightly. Small shifts of his eyes as they grew larger, as his cheekbones rose higher, and his lips blossomed with a fullness most had never seen. Standing before the transparent blockade, he was a resplendent, shining… thing. Shoulders hunched he tried so hard not to weep he thought perhaps the world was going to explode around him.

"You can come out now," he whispered.

***

to be continued

I know, I know- so cruel to leave it hanging. but part 2 is coming soon, I promise. got writer's block for a while, but it seems to have disappeared for the time being… hopefully the next part will be up soon… hopefully. feel free to review.