Disclaimer: I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.
Fandom: Digimon Adventure 02
Title: Price of a Cure: Chapter 1: Poison
Pair: Ken x Daisuke/Daisuke x Ken
Word Count: chapter: 1,805||story: 1,805
Genre: Romance, Drama||Rated: PG-13
Challenge: Written for Diversity Writing, section H, #22, fic that is T rated; Written for the One Pairing Boot Camp, prompt #30, rose
Notes: This takes place sometime after they have all their Digimentals.
Summary: When the only way to save Daisuke's life is to give him to the Kaiser, the Chosen have no choice. He'll keep him until he gets bored with him, so the Kaiser says. But how long will that be, and what will happen before then?

The Digimon Kaiser stood before his enemies, cooler than the proverbial cucumber, head canted a small fraction to the side, the tiniest corner of his mouth twitched upward. He said nothing. He didn't need to. He simply waited.

Their attention remained divided between him – as well it should be – and the wounded form of their leader, curled up to the side and trembling from head to foot. The Kaiser did not look at Motomiya. Not yet. That would come later.

"Are you going to help or not?" The blond snapped, fists clenching. The Kaiser thought he detected a small hint of shaking as well. How fascinating.

"Let me see if I understand your situation." The Kaiser spoke with great attention to each word. He wanted to make certain they understood that whatever he did, it was out of the kindness of his heart.

Or something like that. He wasn't kind and he didn't think he had a heart.

"You came here to destroy more of my spires and free more of my slaves. While you were doing so, you trespassed on the territory of a Death Rosemon: who is not one of my servants, but is a very powerful Ultimate Digimon."

The Kaiser tried hard not to look as if he were salivating at the thought of having such a creature completely under his control. He continued, with effort. "Death Rosemon used her Thorn Whip attack to slice down your so-called leader, administering a type of poison into his system that none of you have any idea of how to cure."

"That's not true!" The taller girl interrupted. "We do know how to cure it! We just can't because -"

The Kaiser finished for her as she broke off into faint trembles. "Because it can only be cured by the juice of a very specific flower that only grows in one of the territories that I control. And that is far too deep into my empire for you to sneak in and steal it without me knowing about it and stopping you." His lips twitched now. "And if you don't cure him soon, he could die. Or perhaps worse."

He liked the way they looked at that. Already terrified, ready to do anything to save Motomiya's life, and yet they could somehow look even more fearful.

"So you want me to either let you into my territory, destroying all of my Rings and Spirals and Spires that you can, I'm certain, and find that particular flower and administer that juice to him, or to bring it myself. And all for… what was that now?"

The blond stepped another step closer. "What do you want for it anyway?"

"Do you really have time to bargain?" The Kaiser countered. "You'll give me whatever I want and be thankful that I don't demand more. And what I want is him." He pointed directly toward Motomiya. "I'll cure him and I'll keep him until I'm tired of him and send him back to you, if he's in any shape to return by then."

"How are we going to know you'll actually do it and not just throw him in a cell and let him die?" The short child demanded, his fingers flexing around a slender stick. The Kaiser had seen him doing that before and recognized the reflexes of someone training in kendo. He would have to look into that more, when he had more time.

"I'll allow him to send you a message once he's recovered," the Kaiser granted. He would monitor that message, of course, not wanting any of his secrets to be sent out. "I don't want to keep him forever. Just until he's earned his life from me."

That would probably take a while, of course. He suspected it would be weeks. Perhaps months. Perhaps longer. How much value could one place on the life of someone so insignificant anyway? What the Kaiser wanted Motomiya to really make up for was how annoying and inconvenient he could be. They didn't need to know that, though.

He let one eyebrow creep up just a trifle more. "Now, do we have a bargain? Or perhaps you'd like more time to think it over?" He cast a glance toward the trembling Motomiya. "But does he have that much time?"

The blond tensed more, glancing at the others. None of them wanted to meet his eyes. "I don't think we have a choice."

"I would say that there's nothing to think about at all." The Kaiser gestured for one of his attendant slaves to scoop Motomiya up. "You don't have a choice at all."

He started to turn away, then looked back toward the small bundle of blue hovering near where Motomiya had been. "You're his partner. I suppose if I don't let you come along, he'll be even louder than usual once he recovers." A flick of his hand toward Wormmon conveyed his desires on that matter and he started back toward his AirDramon.

It wouldn't take long to get Motomiya back on his feet. After all, he already had the remedy waiting in his fortress.

Daisuke groaned, reaching up to rub his forehead and the side of his face. His head spun as he did and he kept his eyes closed, not wanting to see if the world was throwing itself around outside of his head the way it was inside.

"Man, what happened?" he muttered. He expected either no answer at all or something from his partner.

"You were attacked by Death Rosemon, because like a complete idiot, you trespassed in her territory."

Daisuke forgot all about the way the world spun, his eyes flying open to stare at the Digimon Kaiser, who stood in the doorway across from him. "What are you doing here?" Something more important struck him. "Where's here? Where am I?"

"In my fortress." The Kaiser bared his teeth in a ferocious smirk. "Which is now going to be your home until I'm tired of you. Courtesy of your dear friends."

Daisuke shook his head and winced a heartbeat later at the way everything swayed even more; that was not a good idea. "What are you talking about?" He kind of remembered seeing Death Rosemon standing there, spiked whip at the ready, all pale gray shadows and fury. Then he didn't remember anything after that except blinding pain and waking up here.

"I thought what I said was clear enough but if you need a recap, then watch." The Kaiser made no actual moves, but a screen descended in front of Daisuke, static clearing up into a view that he sort of recognized. The other Chosen were there, and he saw himself collapsed, V-mon next to him, and the Kaiser descending on one of his AirDramon.

What unrolled before him sent bad shocks all down his spine and fury twisting in his stomach. The way the Kaiser wanted to put the blame all on them, just for having tried to stop him, and then using that to… and until he was bored with him?

Daisuke tried to get to his feet. He didn't quite make it, slumping back down, breath stuttering in his lungs.

"Idiot. I gave you the antidote, but it takes time to completely work through you. You'll need at least a day or two to be able to stand on your own two feet without falling over. Longer than that until you can run around like you usually do." The Kaiser delivered that news with a clinical precision that would put a doctor to shame. "Assuming that I let you do that, of course."

"Who said you were going to let me do anything?" Daisuke retorted, hands clutching at the sheets beneath him. Whatever they were made of was slick and cool and he found that he liked the material.

"Two points: one, the fact that I saved your life and therefore until I choose otherwise, you belong to me. Second, you're not in any condition to do otherwise. You can try but if you want to end up overtasking yourself and dying, then it certainly won't be my fault."

Daisuke threw him the best look of absolute anger that he could dredge up. He dropped his head back onto the fluffy pillows beneath him and stared at the ceiling. I hate this. It was all the Kaiser's fault, somehow.

"Where's V-mon?" He'd seen his partner coming with him. If the Kaiser did something to him involving Rings or Spirals, then… well, he'd take the chance on risking his own life to save his partner.

"Having dinner with Wormmon, if you must know. He'll be in with you later. But now it's time for you to have dinner with me."

Daisuke pulled up another look of anger that didn't really affect the Kaiser anymore than the first one had. The self-proclaimed Digital monarch moved farther into the room. Along with him there came a wheeled cart, being pulled by a Gizamon wearing an Evil Ring. There were several covered plates and bowls on the cart and the scent of whatever food was hidden there teased at Daisuke's nostrils.

He noticed only when the Kaiser sat down in a plush chair that the bed itself was big enough for two. He pushed every single thought about that out of his mind a few seconds later. There were thoughts he wanted to think and thoughts he didn't. This one definitely was the latter.

The Gizamon pulled off the covers on the dishes, revealing a variety of soups and a few sandwiches, along with a tasty beef dish of some kind. Daisuke wasn't familiar enough with beef meals to recognize one right offhand.

At the Kaiser's wave, the Gizamon poured a bowl of hot steaming soup and handed it to his master. The Kaiser turned to Daisuke, spoon in hand, and opened his mouth.

"I swear, if you say a single word about opening up for the train or anything at all, I'm going to find a way to punch you," Daisuke snapped. He'd never liked it when Jun tried that on him on those occasions when he got sick.

The Kaiser smiled a thin little smile. "Perish the thought. But do open up your mouth. You're not strong enough to feed yourself yet, so someone has to do it for you." His smile thinned a touch more. "Do recall that I am doing this out of the goodness of my heart for you."

"What heart?" Daisuke grumped before he opened his mouth to accept the spoon. The Kaiser shrugged, tipping the liquid down Daisuke's throat, and went for another spoonful.

"Does it matter?"

Daisuke did not like admitting the Kaiser had a point. Instead, he concentrated on having his dinner, and hoping that his enemy got bored with him very fast.

To Be Continued