Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ beside the river bank ❯ Meetings ( Chapter 1 )

Chapter 1

The Meeting

He fell to the ground, one hand to his mouth and the other grasping his side. He coughed violently, and blood spattered to the ground. Daisuke cried Ken's name and pulled at restraints that weren't there, desperate to wrap his arms around Ken and protect him from whatever this bastard was doing. Ken's deep indigo eyes were full of terror, and also something more… an emotion that shaped every line of his face, and every movement of his body. He coughed again. Beads of crimson liquid still clung to his pale lips. He hung his head, letting drenched indigo hair half-cover his face. As Ken sunk lower to the ground, Daisuke let out another cry.

Something was taking form from the blood that Ken had spilled, a form that was pulsing and growing with the beating of his heart… a form which was beginning to look human…

"Uwaaaaa" I let out a huge yawn as I walked up the cars of the train. I know it's rude, but give me a break. I'd been up writing until four in the morning last night, only to wake up3 hours later. Stupid train schedule. I don't have to be into school until10, but since I moved I've had to get up at 7 just to make it on time. And it's always so busy this time in the morning… `Fuck it, I don't care what car I'm on, not today.' I walked up the platform, then onto the car in front of me. And, like usual, there were almost no seats. I walked up the stairs, and started to look around. `Lucky, a 2-seater.' I grabbed it before anyone else had a chance. I was just beginning to close my eyes… a little nap on the way couldn't do any harm…

"Um…exuse me…" I started awake, making eye contact with a boy standing next to me. He had spikey auburn hair, dark bronze skin and big brown eyes. He also had a pair of goggles strapped to his head.

"Um…uh…hey, um, there's no more seats. I don't suppose I could sit next to you…?" he sounded so shy, weird, you wouldn't think it from his appearance. "Oh, uh, yeah, sure." I moved my bags under my seat and moved over. "Hey thanks man!" he promptly shoved his bags under his seat and jumped in beside me. So much for polite-shy act.

"So what stop are ya getting off at?" I hadn't expected conversation to be part of the deal. Oh well, no sleep for me today. "Kirameki station" I mumbled. The kid's eyes lit up, and he sat up in his seat. "Really?? No way!! Same here!!" he grinned and shifted in his seat to face me. "So what's your name?" "Ken" "cool!" he stuck out his hand "I'm Daisuke! Nice to meet you!" I took his hand and he gave it a strong shake. I nodded and smiled a little "nice to meet you too, Daisuke."

`You know, now that I look at him grinning like that, he's actually pretty cute.'

Daisuke's POV

I sat there looking and the indigo haired boy beside me for a minute. Wow! I was so lucky to get a seat next to a guy getting off at the same stop as me. And now that I got him talking, he even seemed pretty friendly! I was about to open my mouth to ask him what kind of music he liked, when he spoke up on his own. "I haven't seen you around before… do you always get off at Kirameki?" I grinned at him. "Nope! I just started at a new school in the area, I think it's called Meji High… I guess I'll be the new kid for awhile." Ken's eyes got a little bigger. "did you say Megi High?" "yep!" he let out that tiny, cute little smile again and looked thoughtful. "I've been going to that school for 3 years…"

`NO WAY!!!" everyone on the train turned and glared at my sudden out burst, but I didn't care. Man, how lucky!! Meeting this super cool guy who goes to my school on my first day!

"So how old are you Ken?" he smiled. "almost 16… let me guess, you too right?"

I grinned and winked at him. "Today's my 16th birthday."

Ken's POV

It was the most eventful train I'd had in long time. We chatted nearly the whole way there. I don't usually warm up to people… as a matter of fact, I usually try to avoid other people as much as possible…

But this Daisuke had a certain charm to him. I don't know what it was, but I had started to become fond of him. What did this loud spikey headed boy have that other people didn't?

Well, whatever the reason, we talked until we had to part ways for separate classes.

I found myself thinking about the strange new goggle boy during class, and looking forward to seeing him at lunch.

As I was walking down the science hall to the cafeteria, I spotted his spikey head bobbing through the crowds. My heart leaped into my throat, and I could feel a smile curling my lips. `why am I so excited? I just met him this morning…' but as the crowd parted a bit, I noticed the two older boys he was talking to. I didn't know their names, but i'd seen them around. There was a rumor going around the school that they were a couple. The shorter one (though still taller then Daisuke) was grinning and talking down at Daisuke, his brown hair peaking over the top of his headband. The taller of the three was smiling down at them both, some of his blonde hair hanging into his eyes. He, I think, I'd heard more of… all the girls talked about him… the story went that even though he was really popular with the girls, he'd never had a girl friend in the time he'd gone to the school. As I saw the 3 happily talking away, my heart sank. He'd already found better, more interesting people to hang out with. I put my eyes to the floor and sped up my walking. "Ken!!!" I squeezed my eyes shut, and continued on my way to the caf, alone, the same way as I'd done everyday for the past 3 years. I chuckled to myself coldly. I was a fool to think that anything would ever change.

Daisuke's POV

I grinned as I saw my blue haired friend walked down the hall. "Ken!!!" both Tai and Yama jumped at my sudden outburst. But the blue haired boy didn't look up, and walked right past me. "Ken?" I wondered if I'd done something wrong. It must have been obvious on my face, because Yamato patted me on the shoulder. "don't worry about him Dai, he's always like that." "yeah" said Taichi, "don't bother with him Daisuke. We all figure he just wants to be left to himself."

I nodded mutely and stared in the direction Ken had gone as Tai and Yama started talking again. `What could have changed since this morning? … did I do something wrong?'

I turned back again just in time to see Ken's gaze lift from me, as he disappeared through the doors of the cafeteria.

Ken's POV

I sat down at my usual table, a window to my left, and one other chair across from me. That chair had stayed empty for the past 3 years, and generally, that's how I liked it. Today however, I longed for the company of one spikey haired boy…

I gazed outside. The sakura tree near the window was blossoming. I would have though it beautiful, if not for my current outlook on life. I rested my head against the window, loosing myself in my thoughts, and caught myself staring at the table where Daisuke and his friends had seated themselves. Daisuke glanced over, and I quickly tore my eyes away.

`no…I'm not… that's not what I… I should be writing. Yeah, that's what I'll do.' I picked up my bags and left the crowded cafeteria, to go and sit under my favourite tree out back.

Daisuke's POV

I watched him pick up his bags and go, wishing desperately I could follow. To make sure he was okay. My eyes followed him to the door, where he glanced back at me, before quickly disappearing into the hall.

Ken's POV

I sat under the shade of the tree, it over hanging branches hiding me from view. I starred in a daze at the blank page of my scrapbook. My pencil hadn't touched it. `god, what's wrong with me today?'

I turned my gaze skyward, into the thick branches of the tree. Two small birds were flitting around together, dancing airborne between branches. My heart sank once again as I thought of Daisuke. Why did I bother getting my hopes up? Why did I automatically think he'd want to hang out with me, just because he talked to me on the train…?

I shut my eyes as memories burned to the surface of my mind. Everyone leaves eventually. Or even if they don't, I'm never really special to them anyway. I shut my eyes tighter as I felt the familiar tingle of tears forming in them. I've never been anything special… to anyone… I gritted my teeth as tears streamed from my eyes, and threw my scrapbook to the ground, and pulled a long forgotten exact-o blade from my bag. Why not. Why the fuck not.

I rolled up my sleeve, revealing lines of scars tracing down my arm. I smirked a little… and felt my eyes slowly going so familiarly cold. I wonder what Daisuke would say if he ever saw these. Steeling myself, I pressed the blade onto the skin of my forearm, and began dragging it along, grinning with the familiar psychotic rush of seeing my blood, bleeding crimson…….

Daisuke's POV

I finally got away from that crowd…I sighed, "geeze, people ask to many questions. I scanned the back area from the doors… he could be anywhere. I was about to start looking over at the fenced side of the field, when I heard a distant crash from the opposite direction. I figured it was as good a place to start as any. I started walking in the direction the sound had come from. After while, I found myself in front of a gigantic tree, it's branches hanging so low that they lay partially on the ground. I was surprised I hadn't noticed such a fantastic hiding place before.

A black note book on the ground caught my eye. The cover read "Ichijoji Ken". It just seemed too easy. I reached up and pulled the branches to either side, revealing a chamber of sorts made by the hanging branches… and Ken, bending over, his indigo hair covering his face… and blood staining his jeans…

Ken's POV

Somewhere in the back of my twisted mind I heard the branches move and part to my right, but it didn't register. I was too infatuated with the many dark slashes decorating my arms, and the crimson liquid sluggishly leaking from them. Besides, whoever it was would leave when they saw me like this anyway… it had happened often enough.

"k…k-Ken…"

Something inside me froze. No. Not him. Please, anyone but him… I slowly looked up into the deep brown eyes of the spikey haired goggle boy from this morning. He looked so torn. His eyes seemed to plead for a different reality to come

tumbling back to him. Something… anything other then this. I knew that feeling… so well..

"go away…." Silent sobs raced through my tattered body. I put my head in my hands. Why will it never end…

(the tone of his voice broke my heart… quiet suffering, helplessness… pain, could not have been more fully expressed in those quiet words…)

"Ken…" Daisuke took a step towards me. His voice sounded on the verge of breaking. "Ken, please…"

no… this caring voice… its not for me!!!

"GO AWAY!!!!!" I screamed through my tears, letting every painful emotion travel out of me into that scream. But if you cup a handful of sand out from beside a stream, it will only fill up with water…and then the sand around it will just fill it in all over again.

Daisuke started visibly, and a layer of hurt overlapped the other emotion in his eyes.

I sobbed into my hands. "your… just like all the others…I thought maybe you were different… but of course your not…why would I even think that, I barley know you…" I let out a sob I had been trying to hold in, and surrounded myself in my own arms.

"Ken…" I heard his voice again, and flinched as a heavy hand came down on my shoulder. I was shaking. He could feel that now, I'm sure. That comforting hand quickly turned into a tight embrace. He rested his other hand on the back of my head. I sobbed mutely into his shoulder. His embrace became stronger… I can't remember how long we sat there like that, under the cover of the thickly branched tree, silent except for the birds above our heads, and alone except for one another.

I didn't notice the time when my sobs ceased, when I lay my face to the side on his chest. Or when my hands came up to wrap around him. I can't remember when I closed my eyes. I can't remember when I forgot the blood on my arms, that was slowly staining Daisuke's white shirt.

And a hand reached out, and cupped another handful of sand from beside the river bank.

Something vaguely amusing came to me then. I smiled a little. Daisuke looked down at me. I wiped the salt from my dried tears away, and half laughed as I smiled up to him. "happy 16th birthday, by the way."

(think about pain... it doesn't ever really go away right? I mean, at least that's how it is for me. someone I care about may come by and take away that pain for awhile... and if the gouge in the 'sand' is deep enough, it might stay that way for a long time. but ultimately, water will fill it, and the sand around it will fill that gouge again )