Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Drifting Pieces ❯ Other Half of Me ( Chapter 11 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Author’s Note:This fic was originally partially posted at the end of 2010. Since then, I have rewritten every single chapter and done a serious edit as well as finished the story. If you have not visited since October of 2010, I recommend that you start over. It’s worth it (05/2012).

A review is like the first thaw of spring: Refreshingly warm and full of life. Enjoy and please review!


Chapter 11: Other Half of Me

Kaiser watched from the corner of his eye as the others slowly explored his bedchamber. It occurred to him that they probably hadn’t even considered the fact that he had a bedroom in the base. They probably thought he slept on the thrown. Typical.

The room was surprisingly empty for its size. A single large bed, a desk and a book shelf were the only furniture occupying the room. The door to his closet was partway jammed open and the private bathroom appeared to be in shambles. He frowned and made a mental note to get the base upright as soon as the power was restored.

Ken kept quiet, not bothering to look through anything. Apparently he didn’t like to think about those good old days of living here.

Daisuke moved to study the book case, frowning at the over complex titles filled with the promises of math and computer programming. Takeru was looking through the closet curiously, digging through old odds and ends that were long forgotten. Kaiser wondered if any of his spare jumpsuits and capes were still hanging in there; not that he wanted to don that get up again, but he was still curious.

Daisuke had sent an email to everyone a few minutes earlier to let them know that they had arrived and were ready for them. As much as Kaiser hated the idea of them all poking around at his base or commenting on the final battle, he did like the idea of them really getting a good view of what he had built.

He still felt a sense of pride in his masterpiece, even after all that had happened in the end. He had designed it and built it with his own hands… Mostly. Wormmon had been his only companion in the beginning, but as the plans changed it was the enslaved digimon that had finished his fortress and polished off the final touches.

But still, he had been the one to write the initial programs, go over the blueprints with painstaking detail, and make sure it all came together.

A pale hand reached out beside him and pulled open a desk drawer, interrupting Kaiser from his thoughts of the past. He raised an eyebrow as Ken started to go through the drawer.

He had expected Ken to avoid wanting to touch anything in the base, being overly sensitive to the old unpleasant memories that were lurking around every corner.

Ken looked over at him stubbornly, eliciting a chuckle from the Kaiser, who stepped to the side to make room for him.

“I… We left everything here after the last battle. I doubt many scavengers got this deep into the base, but most of the basic supplies have probably been looted by now. Keep your eyes out for a small data pad. If we’re to make this place at least halfway livable over the next few days, I’ll need it to check all the systems and start some basic repairs. It contains the blueprints, codes, and a full list of the systems that run this place. I could do it without the pad, but it was very tedious and would take far too much time.” Ken’s voice was authoritative and apologetic all at once.

Kaiser couldn’t help but enjoy the idea of working on the base again. He ached to get his hands back on the designs so he could start improving and fixing everything all over again. The best times of his life had been spent in those long hours late at night as he went over the plans and codes watching it all come together.

He found himself smiling at the memories and feeling excited at the prospect of all the work that lay ahead of him. This sort of work he enjoyed above all else and he looked forward to the pleasure of letting his mind really reach out and connect to something physical.

The smile disappeared as he caught Takeru watching him from across the room.

Daisuke was busy examining one of Ken’s old handwritten notebooks full of the details about the base and digital world as he had discovered it. Kaiser highly doubted that Daisuke understood a single word that was etched across the pages in such precise and neat lines.

He was about to snap at Daisuke and tell him to stop touching such delicate and important things when Ken suddenly jerked his hand back and something metallic clattered to the desk.

Both boys stared down at the offending object with drastically different expressions. Kaiser breathed out slowly and moved to brush a finger delicately over the cold metal.

His glasses. Not the original, of course; those had disappeared along with everything else out in the desert. These were a spare, but they were just as beautiful as the original.

“You don’t need those anymore.” Ken snapped sharply as Kaiser picked them up, checking the lenses for scratches.

“They were a bit much, weren’t they?” He smiled nostalgically. “Then again, my vision was too perfect for real glasses; but just wearing those wire frames would have been too obvious, don’t you think Kenny boy?” He slipped them on and moved his hands up to his hair, easily reforming the silky strands back into their much more familiar and comfortable chaotic spikes.

Kaiser smiled and tilted his head back slightly. “What do you think? Do we look like him yet? I think I’m taller, personally. He had a better smile, though… Right to the end.”

Ken’s hand shot out and ripped the glasses off of Kaiser’s face, tossing them across the room to clatter against the wall, cracking the lenses from the force of the blow.

“That’s not funny.” Ken hissed angrily. His eyes were narrowing dangerously and Kaiser relished in that look.

“I’m not the one that decided it would be a good idea to steal my dead brother’s life.” Kaiser hissed right back at him, matching him tone for tone and look for look. Surprisingly, Ken didn’t back down.

“Neither of us are Osamu. He’s dead. He’s not coming back.” There was the faintest hint of something growing behind those dark eyes and Kaiser suddenly had the urge to grab whatever it was and pull it out into the light for all to see.

“But it’s oh-so-fun to pretend, isn’t it? Did taking his identity ease the guilt? When you first looked in the mirror, did you see him smiling back at you approvingly? Did you pretend you were him as you beat down your first victims? You still see that so clearly, don’t you? Standing over us as he took out his anger on us. You can pretend all you want but it doesn’t erase the fact that you let him die!”

Suddenly Daisuke was between them practically flailing his arms as he yelled loudly, “Hey! I have an idea! Let’s go see the kitchen! I want to drop off all this extra food before it gets eaten or something!”

Kaiser glared over the shorter boy to Ken, who looked ready to snap. Kaiser felt the desire to test his theory on who was the stronger one double.

Takeru joined Daisuke and said in a much firmer voice, “I think that’s a wonderful idea. Ken? Can you lead the way?”

Ken’s jaw was set but he nodded and turned to the door. His fist slammed into the panel, causing it to spark as the door slid open. Kaiser smiled at the dented metal as Ken left the room coolly.

Daisuke and Wormmon hurried after the pissed boy, most likely to try and calm him down and remind him that he was in fact the child of kindness and he didn’t need to go punching innocent walls in his rage.

Takeru went to the door and mumbled something to his own digimon partner. Patamon reluctantly hopped off his partner’s head and followed Veemon out down the hall.

Kaiser raised an eyebrow as Takeru reached up and shut the door behind them, effectively locking the two in the room alone.

They stood in silence for a moment, Takeru appearing to be debating something in his head.

Kaiser moved to retrieve the fallen glasses and gingerly set them back on the desk. There was something about the cracked lenses that made his gut wrench unpleasantly.

At last, Takeru spoke up. “That was a dirty move, Kaiser. You don’t really believe any of that, do you?”

Kaiser looked up at the other boy, suddenly feeling cornered. “What do you care what I believe?”

Takeru looked at him fully. “He’s losing it. Since the split first happened. I can see it happening more and more. The longer he stays near you, the more he loses control. You’re trying to drive him insane.”

Kaiser forced a smile. “And your point is?”

“You’re losing it too, Kaiser. It’s not as obvious, but I can see it coming. You’re both slipping and it’s only a matter of time before you both fall. What happens then?”

Kaiser struggled not to back up as Takeru moved closer. “I don’t think that’s any of your business, Takaishi.”

“What are you afraid of?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Kaiser met those overly bright and hopeful eyes fully.

“You’re afraid of me. I couldn’t understand it at first. Of all of us, you only seemed to avoid me. I thought maybe it was because I hit you back then… But Daisuke did far more damage than I ever did. Then I thought maybe it was because I stood up to you. That I tried to reason with your insanity when no one else was willing… But that wasn’t it either, was it?”

Kaiser’s eyes narrowed as Takeru walked past him and over to the closet, moving to dig through it with purpose.

“It used to really keep me up at night. Wondering what it was that I saw… If I had even seen anything or if I was just imagining it. Maybe there was something wrong with me… That I scared the great Digimon Kaiser.” Takeru bent to pick something up. “But then I realized what it was. You weren’t scared of me.” He stood back up and turned around, holding up a well worn whip. “You were scared of yourself.”  

Kaiser’s eyes widened. He didn’t feel the elation or comfort that he had expected towards finding his old weapon of choice. Instead, he was willed with horror. There was a clamor as he stumbled back until he was pressed against the wall, his breathing picking up heavily.

Takeru hardly looked surprised. “You were afraid of what you could do. You’d never attacked a human before. It’s easy to pretend the digimon aren’t real. They don’t bleed like we do… But you made me bleed. One drop and suddenly it was too real for you.”

Kaiser found himself trembling as he struggled desperately to regain his composure. “Shut up.” He gasped out, sounding far too desperate for his taste.

Takeru walked up to him and looked him right in the eye. “You’re scared of me because I’ve seen what you can do. I’ve seen the worst of you, and I wasn’t afraid. I pitied you.”

Kaiser flinched back under that open honest gaze. He could smell the well oiled leather of the whip and hear the creak of the coils as Takeru twisted them in his hand slowly.

“What you saw in yourself that day terrified you. Even now, you’re afraid that you’ll do it again. That you’ll hurt someone else. That you’ll lash out in anger and make someone else bleed. I remind you of your own darkness that Ken so desperately pushes away.”

Kaiser closed his eyes, trying not to feel his fingers twitch as Takeru let the whip drop to the floor.

A hand lightly touched his shoulder. “Ken… You don’t have to be afraid anymore. That isn’t you. It was never you.”

Kaiser’s eyes snapped open, staring down at the hand on his shoulder. His voice was ragged and strained as he growled out angrily. “I told you… Not to touch me…”

He lunged, but this time Takeru was prepared as he ducked the first fist and stepped back, bracing himself as Kaiser tackled him hard. The second fist connected with an already sore cheek.

Takeru rolled hard and landed a blow that split Kaiser’s lower lip sharply. The tall blond managed to hold the dominant position for a moment longer before Kaiser suddenly decided he wasn’t playing around anymore.

There was a sharp well placed elbow to the side and then a knee came up and connected with the blond boy’s solar plexus. Takeru gasped hard as his diaphragm spasmed, all the air getting knocked from him as he fell to the side.

Kaiser dove and wrapped his fingers around the warm comforting leather of the whip.

CRACK!

The whip sang out, snapping just inches from Takeru’s face.

Kaiser got to his feet, watching as the other boy struggled into a crouching position, still clutching at his sides.

“Isn’t this familiar?” Kaiser breathed out and licked his bloodied lip tenderly. “Maybe this time we’ll see how it plays out, hm?” The whip snapped through the air, cracking just to Takeru’s side.

The bearer of hope looked up at him firmly, not a trace of fear on his face. Kaiser sneered in response. He hated that look. That calm open and trusting face and those soul piercing eyes… He longed to put some fear into this naïve child.

“Is this why you came here without the others? Why you keep trying to corner me? Because you were just dying to know why I feared you?” He slowly circled the other boy, looking him over.

A giggle escaped his throat and Kaiser shuddered, clenching his fingers on the tight familiar leather.

“You were right about one thing. You were the first. I was frightened by what I had done… What I could do. What I would do again.” He let the whip run over his free hand, slowly coiling it through his fingers. The feel of it was intoxicating.

“But you were wrong about why… I wasn’t afraid because you had seen ‘the worst’ of me. Oh no no no… You haven’t seen the worst. You are not that privileged. You are not Daisuke.”

The stunned expression that passed over Takeru’s face was beautiful. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed. I know why you really came here. Why you keep seeking me out despite all the warnings to back off. To stay away… I know why you keep getting in the way and coming after me. Why she told you to stay away from me.”

Takeru suddenly looked worried.

“Yes… I know about that.” Kaiser purred softly. “And I know why you didn’t listen. You were never interested in Ken like you were in Kaiser. You’re drawn to me. You and that foolish girl. Though, she was the only one smart enough to stay away apparently.”

He laughed again as he imagined just what Hikari would have to say about this little turn of events. Probably something sickeningly pathetic and hopeful.

“Dose it eat you up inside to see Daisuke being the real savior? It was always Daisuke. You aren’t even second fiddle. He’s the only one that could find his way through the darkness alone. The only one that could even get my attention. He understands the darkness and he isn’t afraid of it like you are.”

He could feel something inside of him snapping and his careful control was starting to slip away. Kaiser giggled again as he suddenly realized that he didn’t care. It was all starting to come together for him and it was beautiful.

“You are nothing, child of hope. Kindness has no hope.” He leaned down and looked Takeru in the eyes fully. The blond met his gaze, but this time at long last, he could see fear starting to creep in.

“Do you want to know why we were afraid?” Oh yes, there was most certainly fear edging its way in. He hoped Takeru was starting to realize the mistake he’d made. Daisuke would never have been this foolish.

“I wasn’t afraid of you, pathetic little insect. I didn’t care about what I’d done. You could have been bleeding to death and it would have been all the same to me… No, I was afraid because I liked it.” He wiped the blood from his lip and looked at the bright red standing out against his pale skin. “I still do…” The whip snapped and this time it connected, cutting into Takeru’s sleeve and digging into his skin.

Takeru flinched hard but kept his gaze firmly on Kaiser. “You’re losing it, Ken.”

A laugh, more than a giggle this time. “Ken’s already lost it. I’m just here to make sure he never finds it again.”

He tossed the whip to the side and slowly moved to the door. “You should follow light’s example and stay the hell away from me or I’ll drag you down with me.”

Kaiser walked out the door, leaving Takeru staring after him with wide eyes. At last, fear had arrived. He wondered if it would stay this time.

He made it halfway down the hall before he stopped. Slowly he reached into his pocket and fished out his brother’s glasses from earlier. He must have fallen on them in the scuffle as they were now cracked in several places. Cracked like the original pair that now rested on a rotting corpse buried deep in the ground.

“Osamu…” A chocking sound forced its way out of his tight throat, almost sounding like a sob. Slowly, he braced himself against the wall and struggled to contain himself. Distantly, he wondered if Ken had a pair of glasses in his own pocket. Would they be cracked too?

The sound came again, gasping now as control slipped away and disappeared from sight.

The back of his neck was burning and the world was starting to spin. Dropping the glasses, he sank to the floor gasping desperately as an echo from the past slipped into his mind. ‘You can’t escape the darkness.’

Kaiser laughed. I don’t think I want to escape anymore.

He looked down at his hands as they started to fade to gray and flicker. He wondered if Ken was feeling what he felt. Would he drag Ken down with him? It would be so much easier if Ken would just understand like he did… If he would just accept it and give in…

He could hear the waves crashing around him now and the understanding that he was going to drown hit him. He would drown and it would feel wonderful. This is what Osamu felt just before he broke…

“KEN!”

His eyes snapped open and he was suddenly sinking into something warm and familiar.

Kaiser breathed out slowly; leaning forward to soak up the last warmth that was left in the world. His arms wrapped around strong shoulders and he felt strong hands pressing against his back. “Daisuke… It’s always you…”

A cold cheek nuzzled against a warm one as he shivered and whispered deliriously. “Maybe… I can take you with me…”

The world faded to black.


--


It was turning out to be one of those days; though on further reflection, it was safe to say that it was beyond one of those days. In fact, Daisuke would go so far as to say that this day was making one of those days look like a pleasant vacation.

He miserably followed Ken down the hall, shuffling around the rubble and navigating the slanting halls as all three digimon scampered after him on his heels.

I shouldn’t have kissed him. The thought ran through his head for the millionth time in the past hour or two and he felt another wave of guilt and regret rush over him. Yet, there was not as much regret there as he thought he should have had. This thought only increased his guilt and made him even more miserable.

When he’d told Ken… Confessed to the stolen kiss, Ken had reacted with hurt. Rightfully so, by Daisuke’s judgment. Sure, Ken had said it was alright and told Daisuke that he had nothing to be sorry for, but Ken was probably blaming himself for the loss of control. Further still, Ken was probably wondering if perhaps Daisuke didn’t want Kaiser more than him. If the Kaiser really could give more than Ken could, wouldn’t that be more desirable?

This was where the guilt crept up the most. Daisuke had enjoyed it, encouraged it even; and those few moments alone with Kaiser when he had seen under the protective layers had been utterly sacred to him. But how was Daisuke supposed to explain that in those moments it hadn’t been the Kaiser that he had loved? How did he convince someone so deep in his own guilt that Ken and the Kaiser were the same boy in his eyes?

Things had seemed to get better for a brief moment after the initial panic of having both of them writhing in agony out in the sand. Perhaps in those early moments, things had felt clearer to Ken now that he was alone in his head.

They had held hands. Daisuke never wanted to let go of that soft but strong hand, and there had been a sort of peace between the two as Ken allowed Daisuke to lead him… But then Takeru…

Daisuke frowned as he stepped over a large piece of crumbled wall. What the hell was Takeru doing? Provoking Kaiser like that. What is he trying to accomplish?  

Takeru obviously hadn’t read more than just a few pages into the Book of Ken Ichijouji. He had missed all of the warning signs Kaiser had given him that clearly stated ‘do not press this button’ and ‘you are now in dangerous water and you’ve just lost your life raft’.

There was one thing to want to rile up the Kaiser and argue with him while trying to make him see your side, but even Daisuke knew his limits. You had to push and give at the same time. If you just pushed, Kaiser would knock you down and then kick you.

Things only got worse from there as apparently Ken felt it was his turn to try his chances with the Kaiser, and for a brief heart stopping moment, Daisuke thought there was a chance Ken could have won.

Daisuke had managed to delay that little explosion, but it had been a close one. It had become clear that Kaiser was biding his time and eventually, Ken was going to learn the truth about Osamu and maybe more… And from the way that Ken was acting, now was clearly not the time to let that slip so carelessly.

The dented door panel in the bedroom and corresponding bruise on Ken’s hand was proof enough of that.

Ken needed time to cool off. To have someone he trusted and cared for deliver that bit of knowledge delicately. But how did someone go about delicately telling someone that everything they knew about their brother was a lie?

Daisuke looked up at the angry boy just ahead of him skirting easily around the rubble and making his way down the hall. Daisuke only managed to keep up by plowing right through everything with his usual grace.

Finally, Ken stopped and sighed. “There, the kitchen.” He pointed to a large and totally trashed kitchen. “Looks like the scavengers cleaned this place out ages ago. I hope they at least got some good food out of this… Better than the usual stuff they’d find out here, anyway.”

Daisuke smiled slightly as Ken’s anger slowly dissipated. Of course Ken had known that Daisuke hadn’t really wanted to see the kitchen, but Ken had needed a goal to distract himself with. “It’s alright. We have our own supplies for a while and the others will have their own no doubt. We can always go back for more later; and I bet we’ll even have this place cleaned up in no time.”

Ken looked like fixing the place up was the last thing he wanted to do. “Wonderful.”

Daisuke chewed his lower lip as he tried to think of something he could say or do that would cheer Ken up.

“Hey, it’s not that bad. This place really isn’t that terrible when it’s not being used for evil.” Patamon trotted past them and moved to dig through the open pantry.

Daisuke blinked then suddenly looked around. “Where’s Takeru?” Panic started to build. “…And Kaiser?”

“Oh, they stayed behind.” The little digimon was looking at the left over canned goods strewn about and starting to organize them. “I think Takeru wanted to talk to Kaiser about something.”

“Oh.” Wait, that’s bad. “What?!”

Daisuke spun around frantically. Oh crap oh crap oh crap. He made a mental note to have a nice long talk with Takeru once he was done beating him over the head.

Ken hesitated and placed a hand on Daisuke’s shoulder. “Daisuke, wait.”

Daisuke was now running in place, looking up at Ken urgently. “We have to go back! Takeru is an idiot!” Daisuke flailed slightly, feeling an intense urgency building up inside him.

All of that urgency was lost on Ken, who remained calm and focused on Daisuke. “I wanted to talk to you… About earlier. I don’t want him around for this…”

Daisuke stared, and then nearly fell over as he planted his feet firmly on the ground.

“I trust you and…” A soft gentle pink spread out from his cheeks to his nose in the most beautiful blush Daisuke had ever seen. He made a vow to try to get Ken to blush like that more often.

Ken looked down for a moment as if building up his courage. At last he looked up at Daisuke fully. “What he feels for you… What he wants from you… It’s twisted and mixed up, but it’s not wrong. I don’t think he really understands what he’s feeling or where it’s coming from. He just acts on it without thinking.”

Daisuke smiled as his brain finally caught up to what Ken was saying. “I understand. And Ken?”

Ken looked up at him shyly. It was the kind of look that made Daisuke feel invincible. “Yeah?”

“I can wait for you. What I feel is for both of you. What he feels… I think I understand him. And I understand you. I can’t promise that it won’t happen again. He’s a part of you, after all… And he’s very, uh… He usually gets what he wants and it’s hard to argue with that. But I love that part of you as much as I love this part of you. I can’t promise that when it happens again I won’t respond, but I can promise that I won’t let it go too far. I know my limits and I’m starting to understand his as well as yours… I don’t want it till I can have all of it. I want the passion with the love at the same time.” He wished he was a genius. Just trying to understand what he felt was hard enough without having to explain it coherently.

Luckily, Ken was a genius. He seemed to think it over for a moment then nodded. “I understand. I can’t promise I won’t feel jealous if it happens again, but I understand…”

Just like that, the day didn’t seem that bad anymore.

Ken looked about to say something that was slowly putting another wonderful blush on his face when he was interrupted by urgent beeping.

Daisuke reluctantly pulled out his D3 and flipped it open. “The others just got here. Looks like Hikari, Iori, Miyako, Taichi, Yamato and Koushiro all came together. Took them long enough, huh?”

Ken nodded slightly, but the smile had disappeared from his face. It occurred to Daisuke that it must be hard on him to have all of his friends present to see his darkest problems running around.

“Tell them to head for the hole on the East side of the base. Wormmon?” Ken sighed softly.

The little digimon scuttled up quickly, prepared to take orders.

“Would you please go down and show our friends to the guest rooms? The ones down the hall from my own should be alright. They didn’t look damaged.”

Wormmon looked thrilled to be given such an important mission.

“Daisuke! Daisuke! Can I go too?” Veemon perked up, eager to have something to do after such a long period of being patient.

Daisuke smiled and nodded at his partner, proud that he had managed to demonstrate far more patience than Daisuke could have in the same situation.

The two digimon were off in a flash, scurrying down the hall happily.

Patamon was still rummaging through the kitchen, now busy with pushing all the garbage to one side. Ken and Daisuke watched for a moment, baffled as he worked.

“Patamon… What the heck are you doing?” Daisuke finally asked after watching the little digimon boom bubble a broken table out of the way.

“I’m fixing up this place!” He beamed up at them brightly. “I got an idea when you were talking about the scavengers. We’re out in the middle of the desert and there’s not a lot out there, but there are a surprising amount of digimon. This place has a lot of supplies like food, water, medical supplies, and shelter from the sand storms. We could make this place something more than it was, if we tried. Something more useful than just an eyesore on the land.”

Daisuke and Ken exchanged a look. “You mean… Build a shelter? Huh… Ken? Could that work?”

Ken blinked slowly, looking amazed. “It needs a lot of work… But I think we could do it. I’d need to get rid of the weapons and prisons… But we could make this place something to be proud of instead of…” He looked down, not wanting to finish.

Daisuke smiled brightly. “I think the others would love that idea. They could help! We just need to clean it up and brighten it up a bunch and stuff… Hey, let’s go get Takeru and …uh… Kaiser… And go tell the others!” He wasn’t sure if Kaiser would appreciate the idea as much as they did, but it wasn’t like he had any say in the matter as far as Daisuke was concerned.

Ken nodded and slowly slipped his hand into Daisuke’s then moved to guide him back down the hall.

Daisuke squeezed the hand gently and relished in the feeling. All the Kaiser kisses in the world couldn’t compare to that one simple gesture.

They were halfway back to the room when Ken suddenly stopped and paled.

“Ken?” Daisuke looked back at him with concern.

Ken didn’t respond. He seemed frozen in place, staring at something too far off for Daisuke to see.

“Hey, Ken?”

Ken slowly blinked then whispered, “Daisuke… I think something bad is about to happen.”

“What do you mean?” He felt his blood run cold and the good feeling from before was quickly slipping away.

Ken didn’t answer, seeming rooted to the spot as all the color drained away from the already pale boy.

Daisuke looked at Ken with wide eyes as his sense of urgency returned full force. He knew he shouldn’t have left Kaiser alone with Takeru! Stupid! Stupid!

Ken’s face was now ghost white, his eyes blank as he gazed off at something only he could see. He’s slipping away.

Daisuke felt a surge of adrenalin rush through his system as Ken flickered slightly, phasing to gray and back. Without thinking, he snatched Ken’s hand tightly and pulled, running down the hall as best as he could while dragging Ken behind him.

“Ken! You stay with me!” He barked out, terrified that he was about to lose one or both of them.

He was in a blind panic as he turned a corner and attempted to navigate around the broken furniture, slabs of crumbled wall and broken glass littering his path like an insane obstacle course.

As he neared Ken’s old room, he caught sight of a spike-haired figure sitting against the far wall. Kaiser was breathing hard and laughing like he’d just been let in on some deep dark private joke.

Kaiser was already phasing worse than Ken was, fading into the grays of the dark hall easily. His face was broken with a twisted and painful grin that brought back that hushed whisper of Bang. Crunch.

Ken stopped just behind Daisuke, watching the Kaiser oddly. His face smoothed over and still, completely void of emotion.

Daisuke kneeled down in front of the Kaiser and gently shook him. “Kaiser? Kaiser!”

He cupped Kaiser’s cheek and leaned in closer, tilting his head up to look into those distant and lost eyes.

“Ken!”

Kaiser blinked and slowly seemed to come back to the solid world around them, though his sanity still appeared to be missing.

He looked at Daisuke and smiled distantly, slowly sinking into him and pressing in closer. Daisuke was reminded of that sacred moment in the bedroom that now seemed like a lifetime ago.

Thin arms wrapped around him slowly, Kaiser once more seeking him out as if he was the last bit of comfort in the world.

A raspy whisper brushed against his ear, “Daisuke… It’s always you…”

Daisuke wrapped his arms around him and pulled him closer, desperate to keep him here. A cool smooth cheek was pressed against his and he slid a hand up to run through those deceptively soft spikes.

“Maybe… I can take you with me…” Kaiser still sounded so far away.

The Kaiser giggled, softer this time, almost sounding like a sob. Then there was dead weight in his arms as Kaiser blacked out.

Behind him, there was a thump as Ken crumpled to the ground in a heap.

Daisuke frantically looked from one to the other, just to be certain that they were indeed both still there.

A sigh of relief left him as he confirmed that yes, they were still there with him. He could be glad about that at least, but he would have been happier if they were both still conscious.

Daisuke looked up as a figure stepped out of the bedroom and stood helplessly at the end of the hall.

“Takeru.” Daisuke leveled a demanding look at the boy. “What did you do?”

Takeru looked odd, pale and wide eyed. Like he’d seen into the abyss and it had laughed at him. Daisuke realized that the abyss was now most likely curled up in his arms and clinging to his shirt.

Takeru shrank back under that accusing glare, looking lost as he gazed down at the two forms curled on the floor. Daisuke couldn’t help but notice the torn and bloodied shirt sleeve. “I… I didn’t know… I’m so sorry. Daisuke… I…”

Daisuke sighed and shook his head. Now was not the time for this. What ever had happened in that room would have to be explained later.

There was a commotion as the others decided to pick that exact moment to arrive, crowding around in the hallway and gawking at what must have been a fairly confusing and alarming scene.

Hikari looked down at the two unconscious figures then up at Takeru, a deep look of disappointment in her eyes. Takeru looked away, refusing to meet her gaze.

Daisuke smiled pitifully and waved hello. “Hey guys… Uh… A little help?”



 
 
 
 
--------
Disclaimer: According to Wikipedia: Akiyoshi Hongo was the creator of the Digimon concept. Bandai, Saban Entertainment and various other entities that are not me own Digimon. I am in no way making money off of this and am strictly using the characters and world for my own fan based fiction.
Converting /tmp/phpnQq4he to /dev/stdout