Series Title: Division of Destiny||Story Title: Reign of the Undead King
Characters: Piemon, Vamdemon, Chosen Children, others||Pairings: Ken x Daisuke/Daisuke x Ken, Mimi x Sora/Sora x Mimi
Chapters: 40-40||Words: 2,659||Total: 106,055
Genre: Romance, Drama||Rated: PG-13
Challenge: Random AU!Competition: AU #3, divergent!AU
Summary: Vamdemon and Piemon rule supreme. Only now, ten years after their victory, are things about to change. For good or for ill.

In the Digital World, Piemon, Takeru, Yamato, Koushirou, their respective partners, MugenDramon, MetalSeaDramon, BlackRosemon, and a selection of every Dark Master's finest warriors stood arranged in a half-circle around the gateway. It would open soon; Vamdemon had sent word that those who thought they could defeat him had managed to cross through it. And since the gate only opened on Piemon's territory, his allies awaited the new arrivals.

Yamato tested the edge of his blade. Piemon had already given orders that the new arrivals were to be captured, not killed. He had not yet made up his mind on what he wanted to do with them, and Vamdemon only wanted one of them returned. Something about a new bodyguard for his blood-pet. Yamato couldn't dredge up the interest to care.

What his mind focused on was still the encounter with Oikawa. He couldn't imagine why Ishida Hiroaki and Takaishi Natsuko would try to find them. Shouldn't they have been given up for dead?

It had been a long time since he'd thought anything of them. He'd done his best to put them out of his mind altogether, especially as he healed from his injuries. The Ishida Yamato that they knew was no more, after all. So why should they care about someone who didn't really exist?

Light and energy began to build up suddenly around the portal, and all of those watching took a careful ready stance. Though this was the definition of 'overkill', the new arrivals would likely not politely wait to be captured, not if they arrived with any kind of awareness. The first trip was always the hardest, Yamato knew, which meant they might not.

The light grew to blinding proportions, causing most of them there to cover their eyes to some extent. MugenDramon and most of his machines didn't need to bother. Yamato wished he were that lucky.

There was a shout somewhere, a voice that none of them recognized, and then the light faded as quickly as it had arrived.

Lowering one hand, Yamato stared forward, expecting to see a motley collection of humans and Digimon on the arrival platform. The tale Vamdemon told of the battle had given him the impression that even if this weren't their first trip, the humans would've been in no condition to hit the ground running.

And yet that appeared to be exactly what they'd done, because there wasn't any sign of them there at all. Not so much as a strand of hair or a wisp of clothing.

Piemon's hands gripped his Trump Swords harder as his scarlet eyes flared with fury. A single word escaped him, one that infuriated Yamato and Takeru as much as it did the ruling lord of the Digital World.

"Gennai."

Ken knew he hadn't abandoned Daisuke. He knew it in his deepest heart. Yet his deepest heart wasn't the part of him that wanted to twist back through the gateway and find a way into Vamdemon's castle and get him back.

I will do it. Just not now, he promised himself as he began to breathe more easily. For now he had to... well, standing up would probably be a good idea. If he could figure out where his legs were. He believed they were still attached to his torso, but other than that, he couldn't get himself together enough to figure out how to get his feet on the ground.

Perhaps opening his eyes would be a good start. He slowly managed to do so, dragging his lids open and blinking repeatedly until he convinced himself that what he saw was actually there, instead of being a hallucination. What convinced him was that he didn't remember this enough to dream up what it looked like.

Sunlight. Sunlight, warm and golden, a single slender beam resting on his hand. He reached over with the opposite, gasping a little when he could feel the warmth there too.

His head snapped up and what he saw over his head brought tears to his eyes.

A blue sky. There were even a few puffy clouds weaving here and there. Something flew in the distance, but he couldn't see it well enough to know what it was.

He swallowed. Blue sky. Sunshine. And now that he looked beyond where he sprawled, green grass and tall trees. It was the trees that completely convinced him that he really was awake. They were like nothing he'd ever seen in his life. He'd never studied trees extensively, but he remembered what they were like, and these were nothing like those.

"You might all want to wake up. We need to get moving before any of Piemon's servants find you."

The voice wasn't one he recognized, but he found himself on his feet a heartbeat later, hand going for the knife at his waist. He felt more than a little stupid a few seconds later when he also found himself staring at an old man, white hair tied into a topknot, hands clasped behind his back.

"Who are you?" Ken trusted no one at that moment, save for his brother and the rest of the resistance. And he had no idea of who this strange man was.

The man didn't look even remotely bothered by Ken's hostility, though. "Is that how they say hello on Earth, now? I didn't think I was that out of date, Ichiijouji Ken."

Ken's eyes widened, but he didn't relax his stance one bit. "How do you know my name?"

The answer didn't come from the stranger, but from a little off to Ken's left. "I would say because I told it to him. Isn't that right, Gennai?"

Ken glanced over at Osamu, then back to the stranger. "You're Gennai?"

"That I am." The old man nodded, first to Ken, then to Osamu. "It's quite pleasant to meet you face to face, Osamu. I worried when I heard no one had heard of you all since your meeting with Wizarmon."

Osamu blinked, then looked down. "Wizarmon?" His partner remained next to him, only now stirring.

"Ah, I see you've formed a bond. Good." Gennai nodded in approval. "Then humans and Digimon still can work together. I worried about that."

Ken drew in a long breath. "Do you think we could actually get some answers or is that too much to ask for?"

"I can give you answers. What you need to do is find the right questions."

Before Ken could say anything, Osamu shook his head, a tired smile on the edges of his lips. "Yes. He's like that all the time." He bent back down to carefully scoop Wizarmon up. "Where exactly are we?"

It was a good question, and while 'a clearing in the Digital World' would've been a technically accurate answer, it didn't convey nearly all the information that Ken wanted. One by one everyone else began to get up, slowly taking in everything around them. LadyDevimon's gaze fell on Gennai and she tensed at once.

Gennai, on the other hand, merely nodded toward her. "I see matters have changed quite a bit since the last time that I saw you. Of course, the last time I saw you, you were only an egg."

LadyDevimon tensed even further, her claws moving as if to prepare an attack. "Who are you and why are we here? We were going to land in Piemon's castle."

"Yes, I know. But I didn't think it would be very wise for the Chosen Children of Light and Kindness to arrive there, much less all the rest of you."

Quick glances sped among all of the resistance fighters. Only Wizarmon and LadyDevimon didn't seem bothered by what he said, but both directed their looks toward Hikari, who only looked confused.

"What are you talking about, sir?" she asked, her voice quiet and worried. She remained close by LadyDevimon, shading her eyes with one hand, and Ken remembered only then that she'd spent her last decade of life in an even worse prison than the one Vamdemon had made of Earth. To see other people probably terrified her on some levels.

Gennai responded just as quietly as she spoke. "You are the Chosen of Light, my dear. And you - " he now looked toward Ken, "you are the Chosen of Kindness."

"Explanations." Jun bit the word off, weary and drained of all of her energy after everything. She was likely as worried as he was over Daisuke, Ken thought. "Not now. Can we go somewhere else?"

"Of course. I only brought you here because Piemon will be able to trace how I twisted the portal and I didn't want him to find my new base. I've brought some friends who will be of help getting you all there. Most of you don't look in any condition to go on your own."

Ken would've objected, if his legs hadn't wobbled underneath him to the point he was surprised he didn't pitch forward onto his face. They would probably need help of some kind.

At Gennai's gesture, several four-legged forms came out of the surrounding wilderness. At first Ken thought they were horses, until he got a better look, and his breath caught in his throat.

"Are those... unicorns?" Miyako asked, voicing what he didn't.

"We are Unimon." The horned creature in the lead spoke, looking her in the eyes. "We will assist you in going to Gennai's base."

No one had the time or the energy to argue. Mounting the Unimon wasn't all that hard; they knelt down to make it easier, and rose up quickly once their riders were on. Even Hikari and LadyDevimon took up a position on one; LadyDevimon was far too tired to try flying with Hikari in her arms. Nor did Wizarmon feel up to doing any flying right now. Ken could tell Osamu wasn't bothered by this at all. He hovered over the magician Digimon like the proverbial mother hen.

"Everyone ready?" Gennai asked, climbing into his own conveyance, something that he called a Mechanorimon. Ken could see Miyako all but slavering over it, itching for a chance to take it apart and see what made it work. Working electronics were hard to come by on Earth and they needed to keep what they could in repair. That meant no taking things apart without putting them back together.

"As ready as we'll get," Osamu said, hands wrapped carefully in his Unimon's mane.

The Unimon herd galloped forward, going along a brief trail that led to a wider meadow. Almost as one, the herd leaped into the air, flying as easily as they ran. Ken held back a cry of confused joy, never having imagined being this high in the air. Old stories of planes and kites flickered through his mind, but those were nothing compared to the reality he lived now.

Sunlight wrapped warmly around them all, the wind tousling their hair, the scent of flowers and grass and trees rising all around them. A tiny part of Ken wept even harder than usual at this.

This world is supposed to be under an evil Digimon's rule, too. But he didn't wreck it. He didn't take the stars and the sun from the Digimon here. Why did Vamdemon?

It couldn't even be just because of being a vampire. Surely the night would've been enough. But Vamdemon clouded the skies and ruled them constantly, giving them not even a moment of rest.

All anew, Ken pledged that he would find a way to destroy the vampire and set his world free once more. Whatever the cost, he would pay it.

For now, he clung to Unimon's mane, and rode in the sunlight, and wanted answers to his questions.

"Wake up." The voice cracked through Daisuke's mind and his eyes flew open. He wasn't sure if it was because of the order itself or because of the noise the voice made, but either way, he was awake now. He blinked, looking around, and groaned.

Not here. Not again. He thought he'd never see this place again. But here he rested on the small couch that served him as a bed in Vamdemon's castle.

And there he stood, the vampire himself, in the doorway, staring down at Daisuke with frigid blue eyes. Almost without thinking, Daisuke's hand flew up to his neck, and he found himself more than a little surprised to feel only bare skin there.

"Looking for this?" Vamdemon held up the slender ring of leather. Daisuke started to lever himself to his feet.

"I thought you'd want to get it on me right away." There wasn't much room in here to do anything, and he knew that Vamdemon knew it. Getting out wasn't an option. Not from here, not with Vamdemon right there.

Great. He could only hope Ken and the others had made it through the gate without him.

"I wanted you to be awake for it. Since you missed other interesting events." Vamdemon smiled, in that way that showed his fangs and his amusement at the same time. Daisuke tried to move around, just to get a little blood flowing in the way that he wanted, instead of waiting around for Vamdemon to bite him. He realized as he did so that he once more wore the silk and velvet outfit that had been his before as Vamdemon's blood-pet. It had to be a different one since he'd grown since then, but in style and materials it was the same.

All things considered, he was just as glad that he hadn't been awake for that.

Then what else Vamdemon said clicked into his mind and he glared at his captor. "What events? Where are my friends?" Ken!

The vampire lord smiled again, and there was nothing at all kind about that. He savored Daisuke's anger and fear as if they were a fine wine. "I fear they didn't make it to the gate. The pack and I have fed quite well." His gaze landed on Daisuke's neck. "Not that I don't have some space left for a few drops from you as well. It's been so long. I want to know how your adult blood tastes."

"You are a grade-A, certified bastard!" Daisuke snapped, surging forward. He didn't care that Vamdemon could break his spine with one finger. He wasn't going to sit there and let this go. His fists pounded uselessly against Vamdemon's chest and stomach, tears of fury and grief sparking in his eyes. He didn't want to let them fall, not unless it were into a pile of Vamdemon's ashes. But he couldn't make that happen. He didn't have a stake or his crossbow or anything. All he had were his fists, and when Vamdemon tired of letting him pound on him, the vampire wrapped gloved hands around Daisuke's wrists and pushed him back to the couch.

"And you are in need of a nap. You're quite the cranky child today, I see. I'll sample you later," Vamdemon said. Daisuke glared more harshly at him, wishing there were some way he could do something. All the fury and fire and stubbornness in the world could do nothing when he had nothing at all to fight with.

Vamdemon released Daisuke's wrists, then took hold of the teen's chin with one hand, tilting his head back. Daisuke tensed, his struggles automatic and useless. He knew what came next. Vamdemon had said he would sample 'later'. This was something else.

With his free hand, Vamdemon retrieved the collar and quickly snapped it into place around Daisuke's neck. He breathed a word or two over it, and Daisuke heard the click he knew far too well. Ken and Osamu had freed him from it once before, using methods he didn't know, but they weren't there now. They might never be there again.

"Sleep," Vamdemon ordered, and all the strength faded from Daisuke as his eyes closed, and the shadows enfolded him.

THE END

Notes: The end of this story, not the end of this world. I have more in mind, but it will take me a while to get to it, since I want to organize everything much better than I did here, and maybe pre-write all of it first. But it will happen. I'm also still planning for that Mimi x Sora side story. All in due time!

But this is the end of Story #1 of the series I'm calling Division of Destiny. At least until I come up with a better name for it.