• Mother was right - He could take your words, twist them, play with your mind and leave you confused and molded towards his own opinions. I should regret talking to him, for now I am confused. I want to go take out this leader, whoever keeps sending assassins after my precious mother, but I can't leave her unattended. I sure as Hell can't take her to the HEART of it. Putting her in that danger is going back on what I believe in.

    Kearia leaned back against the tree that was close to the guarding walls of the Polarstar residency. She would usually find herself here, but with winter approaching soon, she would have to actually stay inside the house at night. She was already preparing to guard the premises, with tinkering around on her parent's computer systems. It would be the second time she would see snow, the first being she was far too young to understand it all. It seems the age repression was starting to slow down... and this made her feel a bit more at ease. She was scared she'd grow out of the adolescence and into an adult. She knew if she ever left the Digital World, she'd be back to her younger self, as well as her sister. She toyed with that idea... wondering if Flame knew their dark secret. She could imagine telling him and making her sister's life Hell... teach her to try to kill mother...

    Her eyes closed, as she thought back on the conversation that ensued with her Father after the tournament...

    "You are the one that claims that I am not doing my job. So why haven't you done it already? You do know how to track and gather information right? If you believe you can do a better job then I, then by all means do it." Her father cooed practically at her, only flaring her.

    "I'll do it!" Only after she spoke the words, she had to give her excuse. "But I can't leave her side... because she'll end up hurt."

    "So you have a true dilemma... Stay and protect against attackers or leave and risk attack... I would offer to aid in your crusade, but it is evident that you know more then me in these matters..." He was leaning in his chair, looking as if he was enjoying this.

    Kearia started to tremble, from anger, from being made a fool, from everything being built up to this point. She would then raise her hand, ready to backhand her Father good, if only the haunting words of her mother didn't stop her.

    "Your father... I know you may not like him, but don't you ever dare to hurt him. I'll kill you, even if you are my own child." Mother's words rang out in Kearia's mind and she had to stop... lowering her hand, in which her father would say "Well?"

    "What shall you do?"

    "Protect my mother and fight off anyone who tries to hurt her."

    "So you are going going to fight and fight and fight.... Kill and kill and kill... Is that it?" His eyebrows perked up and Kearia knew she was stuck. She didn't like killing and he was going to state that fact next, she could feel it. "I thought you didn't like killing?"

    She knew it. They would continue their argument, but then he started in with those excuses... He said he had been doing this for a reason and what reason was that?

    "No... For you to be ready once you have a family of your own... You bear the name of one of the most honored and also, most hated families in this and many worlds... You must be able to stand ready to defend them... At all costs..." He stood up and looked down upon her. "You see... The entire time I *Was not doing my job*, I was out, trying to make sure we would actually have somewhere to call home and be able to wake up the next day..." He continued, and Kearia looked at him fondly.

    Was he trying to deceive her? No... her father wouldn't swoop to lies, would he? "You are still alive... You and your mother. That says a great deal about your skill and how much you have developed...I would never of left if I didn't know that at least one of my children would take up the fight while I was gone..." She growled and spat out another excuse.

    "I'm only doing this because Serafina ran off!" She was becoming more like her opinion of her Father, spitting out excuses..

    "And you did just as I expected you do to... Your sister's move was an unexpected one, yes, but you stayed calm and took up the duty that you knew must be done. Why you are not prideful about this I will never know. You did what had to be done."

    Was he proud of her? She couldn't tell from his tone of voice, all she could tell was she was confused and didn't know what to think anymore. "Why do you care?" She spat out.

    "Because that is my duty to care..." It was then at those words, Kearia snapped back to herself. He only cared because of duty? She was glad to have been dismissed, only after telling her dad that she was sure mother would enjoy him to lay beside her. She left, the fleeting image of her parents looking "normal" for once frozen in her mind

    Opening her eyes, she looked down into the darker corners of the residency. She saw a figure slinking about... Stray Digimon? Likely, but not possible. Another assassin? Three in one day was also likely, but not possible. She un-sheathed her blade and jumped down the tree.

    No one intruded on this resident without facing her. This figure would be no exception. Such was her new way of life - it wasn't duty, as her Father called it. It was because she loved her mother and would protect her.

    Not just because duty calls.