Chapter Text
Series Title: Take To The Skies||Title: What Wasn't Meant To Be
Characters: Daisuke, Ken||Pairing: Ken x Daisuke/Daisuke x Ken
Chapters: 1-8||Words: 1,502||Story: 1,502
Genre: Drama, Adventure||Rated: PG
Note: This takes place in the same universe as Gift of Flight and One Small Hint, and explains something about the latter.
Summary: How did one of Daisuke's feathers get out when he's being kept under such close guard by the Digimon Kaiser?
Daisuke kept his wings pulled in close. He didn’t want to get them dirty. Wormmon directed a team of enslaved Digimon to keep the Kaiser’s fortress clean, including the Kaiser’s personal quarters where Daisuke spent whatever time he wasn’t at the Kaiser’s side. But he still didn’t want to let his wings brush against the floor.
Those were the Kaiser’s orders, as well. His pet was to keep himself clean at all times.
Sometimes Kaiser went out of his way not just to pet Daisuke’s head, but to caress his feathers and bury his fingers in their warmth. Daisuke shuddered just thinking about his ma- his captor’s horrific touch.
Kaiser didn’t always hurt him. That made it all the worse, because Daisuke could never be certain of what would happen until Kaiser made contact with him. Touching Daisuke’s wings was almost always a reward, both for Daisuke and Kaiser himself. Touching anywhere else could mean almost anything.
He closed his eyes and leaned back carefully. Kaiser was out of the fortress today, on some kind of errand. Daisuke didn’t know what it was, but the thought of the warm sun on his wings and the air coursing through them made him hurt with need.
I have to get out of here. He wanted that more than he wanted anything at all. He wanted to spread his wings and fly, he wanted to go where he chose, and to never, ever have to ask anyone – the Kaiser – for permission for anything ever again.
He’d lost track of how long he’d been here. He guessed it had been months by now, just by how many times he’d eaten. Those he remembered with stark, searing clarity, since he had to beg every time for food. It came easier now than it did in the beginning, but coming easier didn’t mean he liked it.
They miss me, don’t they? He wanted to believe that. He’d seen them a few times, now and then when Kaiser allowed him to fly in one of the parts of the fortress that had a high enough roof, and once, tempting and terrible all at the same time, he’d actually been outside with Kaiser, and the Chosen passed within sight of him.
But they hadn’t been able to see him; Kaiser kept him under firm control, and he knew what would happen if he made his captor angry. He knew all too well.
Some of his bruises twinged at the thought. He’d almost healed from them all, and Kaiser didn’t hurt him very much anymore anyway. Only when he pushed too hard.
Only when he deserved it.
He shoved that thought away with a nearly audible grunt. He didn’t deserve it, no matter what Kaiser said to him.
I’m not a pet. I’m a Flyer, not something to be kept on a leash!
He’d lost track of many things, including how many times he’d had to tell himself that. He wouldn’t let himself forget that. If he ever did…
If he did, he’d be the pet Kaiser wanted.
Daisuke didn’t do ‘planning’ all that well. He never had; just jumping ahead and hoping for the best usually worked for him. But that wasn’t going to get him out of here.
So what can I do? The tips of his wings twitched as he tried to work this out. He’s not going to unchain me until he gets back.
So… could he figure out a way to get out of there before Kaiser came back?
He prodded at the thought a little more. There weren’t many Digimon who came in here, and mostly that was Wormmon...who lead the cleaning crew when he did.
Daisuke could feel the vague pieces of a thought starting to fit together. The cleaning crew hadn’t been in today. It could be about time for them. They’d probably want to get it done before Kaiser came back.
He fidgeted a little more before he came to a decision. It wasn’t much of a plan, but it would work. It had to work. He had to do something; if he didn’t do anything, he might as well just sit here and start barking or purring whenever Kaiser wanted him to.
His shoulders remained tense and his fingers dug deeper into his hands until he heard noise coming from outside the room. Wormmon’s voice, directing the crew.
He drooped his head farther, staring morosely at the floor, his wings drooping, the saddest expression he could work onto his features. He hated doing this to Wormmon, since the little bug had been more or less friendly to him since his capture. But when it came down to his freedom or Wormmon not being in trouble, he knew what he’d pick if he had the choice.
Or at least what he’d pick when Kaiser wasn’t there making him pick. And maybe Wormmon wouldn’t get into too much trouble.
Daisuke steeled himself inwardly as the cleaners entered the room. Usually one of them unchained him from the pole, but Kaiser was either in the room with them, or somewhere in the fortress itself. Running away wouldn’t do any good when he’d just run right into his captor anyway.
But today, when Kaiser wasn’t there, was a different story. His best chance. Probably his only chance.
As always, they worked without saying a single word, barely even giving him a glance, until the time came when they needed to clean around his area. He stayed where he was, staring downward, a pose he often held, even now when he’d spent so much time here that it was easier to do as he was told than anything else.
Wormmon wiggled into his line of sight. “Daisuke? Would you please get up?”
Daisuke let out a long sigh before he pulled himself to his feet. One of the Digimon – he didn’t recognize which one it was – reached behind him and unfastened the chain that kept Daisuke restrained. It hadn’t always been like that, but the more Daisuke adjusted to his captivity, the more freedom – of sorts – Kaiser gave him.
If he catches me, that’s all gone. Daisuke knew that. So the only answer was not to get caught at all.
He remained with his head down, all attention on the floor, as if he couldn’t possibly wait to get chained back down.
Daisuke did recognize the Digimon that held the other end of the chain now: a Gazimon. Ringed or Spiraled Digimon didn’t use their attacks on him; Kaiser didn’t see a need for it, since he would be the one to track Daisuke down in the event of an escape attempt.
The doors and windows only open for them or him, though. He remembered that from the very first day that Kaiser brought him there. It had been one of the things that kept him from trying this beforehand.
But now he couldn’t take it anymore. Now he had to take the chance and hope for the best.
His eyes flicked up for a moment. Wormmon directed the cleaning. Gazimon held the chain loosely: a bit too loose. Daisuke knew this would be the best, the only chance that he had.
He swung around, wings snapping open as he did, knocking the Gazimon across the room, and pulling the chain out of the slave Digimon’s furry paws. He pulled it in close so no one could grab it from him and pelted for the door.
“Daisuke! Stop that! He’s going to be so mad at you!” Wormmon cried out, wriggling after. Daisuke threw a quick glance over his shoulder.
“I’m sorry, Wormmon.” He didn’t take the time for anything else. He didn’t dare.
Instead, he raced down the hallway, searching for anything that could be a way out. He passed a few doors and windows, some of the doors more like doorways. Those he passed through quickly, if nervously, wondering if Kaiser had done anything so he couldn’t go through them.
The farther away from the Kaiser’s quarters he managed to get, the quicker he ran. The longer he was out like this, the more chances Kaiser would return.
He almost didn’t see it when he passed it. Only the tingle of fresh, clean air told him something was different about that room. Daisuke stopped and hurried back, peering around.
This is...this is where we came in, the first day.
This was the launching bay, where AirDramon and whatever else Kaiser used as his air force took off. He wasn’t sure if there was a way to close it and someone just forgot to or if this was a weakness in the fortress’s defenses. He did know one thing about it:
It was his path to freedom.
Daisuke paid no attention to any other noises. He leaped through the opening, let himself fall until only cool clean air surrounded him and the fortress drew just a bit out of reach…
Then his wings snapped open and for the first time in months, Daisuke flew free.
To Be Continued
Note: Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.