Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ For They Shall Be Filled ❯ To a Higher Education ( Chapter 17 )

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For They Shall Be Filled

The future is only a reaction to the past.

By: Vain 5/31/2001-1/26/2002

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I do not own Digimon, Ichijouji Ken, the Digidestined, or the Digital World, nor am I making any money off of this. Kazunori, Sanghee, the Golden Triangle, the Revelationas Arch, all its OC's and original concepts all belong to me.

Please DO NOT use or "borrow" them without my written permission.

Special Thanks goes to Herongale and the Guardian for betaing and thank you's are extended to everyone who reviewed on FF.net, especially Athena, ShinniJekka, KA, Pan-chan, Crew of the Clow, Mink, and Soulfull Ishida.

Because of the FF.net situation, this story will be posted here gradually. The entire fic and its sequel can be found here: http://www.fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=91738

Thank you and please read and review.

~ Vain

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~ "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places,

seekingrest, and finds none. Then he says,

'I will return to my house from which I came.' "

-Matthew 12: 44 and 45

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Chapter Seventeen

To a Higher Education

Cody Hida brought his Kendo stick down onto the open air with a discipline uncommon for a child his age. Upomon watched his partner with concern. Cody executed another move, grunting with restrained strength. He was control. He was focus. He was centered.

"Cody?"

He was control. He was focus. He was centered.

"Cody?"

He was control. He was focus. He was centered.

"Cody?!"

"Huh?" the boy pulled off his helmet and blinked owlishly at his friend in the early morning light. "What's up, Upomon?"

"What's wrong?"

Cody put down his Kendo stick and began to remove his practice garb. "Nothing. Why do you ask?"

"You've been unhappy ever since yesterday and I was wondering what's wrong. Is it about what Gennai said about the Dark One?"

" . . . No."

"Is it about Ken?"

". . ."

The little in-training correctly assumed that his partner's silence was an answer. He waved his large ears and bounced up and down. "Why don't you like him? Davis, TK, and Kari don't seem to have such a big problem with him and even Yolei's working to give him the benefit of the doubt. You heard what Gennai said: we need him."

Cody sighed and closed his green eyes. "I know, but there's just so much that we don't know about him. You saw the way he reacted to Gennai. He's got history in the Digital World-and frankly, I'm not so sure he's not just manipulating us. He has his own agenda, he even said so."

Upamon frowned. He could understand what Cody was saying and he didn't really know how to help. He suddenly smiled as a new thought occurred to him. "Why don-"

"Cody," his mother called. "Breakfast!" The small boy turned and looked at his partner with his serious and steady gaze. "I'll bring you something to eat after breakfast. Do you think that I should talk to TK and Yolei on the way to school?"

Upamon grinned. His human was so smart.

**************

Ken liked scalding hot showers. There were few things that the boy found more relaxing than turning up the hot water and standing in the steam until it was all gone. So, when he woke up extra early that morning feeling groggy and rather disgusting, Wormmon timidly suggested that he indulge himself in this particular past time. The boy readily agreed and that was how the two of them ended up in the Ichijouji bathroom inhaling the steam while Ken leaned his forehead against the wall and let the water untangled his knotted muscles. Wormmon sat on the toilet lid and listened to Ken's even breathing.

"So how bad is it?" Ken asked over the water.

"Is what?"

"My face." After feeling the tight ache along his jaw, Ken had been loathe to look in a mirror.

"Um . . . part of it's kinda purple. It matches your hair," Wormmon offered.

The boy in the shower chuckled dryly. "Thanks. At least I'm now color coordinated."

The little rookie laid his head down miserably. "Sorry, Ken. I was only trying to help."

"That's alright. It was a bad joke."

The smell of juniper filled the steam as Ken began to shampoo his hair. "I had a dream last night, Wormmon."

The small green head arose, blue eyes sharpening with acute interest. "Really? Is that why you're in a good mood today?"

"I don't know. I feel like-I don't know. I was on this beach trying to build a sand castle. But I wasn't me, I was a little kid again. I kept trying to build this sand castle, but the waves were knocking it down. Then I saw Sam. He told me that I still hadn't gotten the balance right and that I was only making things harder by doing it all myself."

"Then what happened?" Wormmon asked curiously.

"Then I saw Davis. He had this bucket with the Crest of Courage on it and a shovel with the Crest of Friendship. He sat down in the water next to me and began to help me. Then I woke up."

"That's it?"

"That's it," replied Ken. He leaned back under the stream of water to rinse out his hair. "I guess it's kind of stupid, but that's the first dream that I've really remembered in . . . years. I feel like I'm getting close to something. Kari said that the dreams were warnings, but I think that they may be the key to everything."

Wormmon was silent as he absorbed that bit of information. "Do you think that this could be what we've been looking for?"

"I hope so, my friend. Maybe we're finally moving in the right direction. . . What do you think, Wormmon? Should I really give those Digidestined a chance?"

"They could help you find your memories again."

"Hmm . . .perhaps. Either way, it's better than sitting on my hands. Besides, I think that Gennai and I will need to have a long talk before this is all over."

Ken sighed and finished rubbing conditioner into his scalp. But first, he thought, I need to talk to someone else.

Oddly enough, he didn't regret what he had said to his father last night, but he definitely regretted being such a . . . an ass about it. He and his parents would definitely have to sit and discuss some things. They had all agreed to try and work things out, but never moved beyond the words. Maybe this incident would force them to really talk about things for the first time in . . . well, ever.

Hmph,or maybe you just need someone to whack some sense into you once a month to stop him from coming back to the surface. He grimaced slightly at that thought. He knew that it was stupid of him to attempt to dissociate himself from his former life by looking upon it as a separate entity, but he couldn't help himself. It made things easier. But it's stupid and probably self-destructive, his conscience chided him. You are the Emperor and the Emperor is you, Kenny-boy.

He also found it slightly alarming that his conscience sounded suspiciously like Osamu.

"Ken?" Wormmon's voice broke into his reverie.

"Hmm?" Quick fingers smoothed the conditioner out of his hair.

"You should hurry up if you want to talk to your father."

He turned off the water and stepped out into the cool air, reaching for the towel that Wormmon held ready for him. "Thanks," he said absently.

Ken wrapped himself up in the towel and gently lifted up his partner.

"What are you going to do now?" the creature asked, stifling a yawn.

"First, I'm going to get dressed."

"Then?"

"Then . . . into the mouth of the beast."

"Hey, Ken?"

"Hmm?"

"Can we have breakfast first?"

**************

Cody watched his mother retrieve the rice cakes as he listened with half an ear to her conversation with his grandfather.

Maybe Upamon is right, the boy thought as he played with his chopsticks. Maybe I am being too hard on him. But he tortured hundreds of innocent digimon! Gomamon, Agumon, Biyomon, Gatsumon, Bakemon, Dark Tyranomon . . . how many more have suffered that we don't even know about? How can he ever justify his actions? How can he ever redeem himself?

Cody sighed. Maybe I really am being too judgmental . . . but I just can't trust him.

**************

After sneaking Wormmon some food from the kitchen, Ken waited patiently for his mother to wake up and leave her bedroom. She was usually the first one awake and the boy had been depending on his family's absolute predictability this morning. Ken didn't know when his father went to bed, but now as he stood in the doorway of his parent's bedroom and watched the older man sleep, he tried to think back to the last time they had spent any real time together. There were soccer games to win, interviews to respond to, cameras to smile for, and fans to sign balls for . . . And then his father had his job.

Ken sighed, a subtle exhalation of air. This was an absolute mess-granted, most everything was a mess these days, but this certainly ranked up there on Ken's list of "The Top Ten Things That I Have Screwed Up."

That thought caused his conscience to perk up. Wallowing in self-pity again, Kenny-boy?

You shut up, he snarled back internally. I am not in the mood to deal with you right now.

Well you were.

Shut. Up.

A groan sounded from the bed and Ken stiffened in the doorway. After a brief moment of hesitation, he entered the room and sat down on a chair next to the bed. He silently thanked his lucky stars that he had had the foresight to brush his hair over the damaged portion of his face. His father rolled over to face him and his eyes fluttered open.

Ken tensed as recognition slid through his father's sleep fogged brain. His words came out like a sigh. "Good morning."

Tsu sat up in bed and regarded his child awkwardly. "Morning."

"How did you sle-"

Ken cut off sharply as his father extended his hand and gently cupped his chin in his hand. He tilted the boy's head back slightly and examined his face in the morning light. A large purple welt crossed the pale right cheek, terminating at the mouth. His lower lip was split on the right side.

Tsu dropped his hand and closed his eyes in pain. "Ken, I-I am so sorry. Please-"

"Father . . . don't. I'm fine; besides, I was way out of line last night. I had no right to say what I said."

"Ken . . . I . . . I've failed you haven't I?"

"What?" Indigo hair slid away from Ken's face as his head snapped up in surprise. "No. This is my fault, not yours."

"I expected too much-and I expected all the wrong things. You . . . Your brother . . . I love you both so much, Ken, don't ever think that I don't. I just . . . I only want what's best for you. But I don't know how to change all this . . . I can't change what's been done and I don't know how to change myself anymore. You're all we have left, Ken . . . and I'm so sorry . . ."

With this apology, all Ken's words flew right out of his head and he stared at his father for a moment without comprehension. He swallowed hard around the lump in his throat. "Then we'll learn together."

Tsuyoshi looked confused.

"I'm trying to figure some things out, Father. My disappearance . . . well, let's just say it was a real learning experience. It gave me quite a bit to think about. I think I've been lost for a very long time now. I need to take some time-I don't know-get my head together. I think I have quite a bit to learn."

Abruptly Tsu stood and wrapped his arms around his fragile-looking son, gathering the boy in a strong embrace. "We both have a lot to learn, son."

Ken stiffened in surprise and then relaxed. He wrapped his slender arms around his father and rested his head on the older man's broad shoulder. Maybe, just maybe, there's something to be said for this whole cooperative learning process after all . . .

**************

Cody's small legs worked rapidly to keep up with the longer appendages of TK and Yolei. Naturally, they had slowed their pace to help the smallest of the Digidestined keep up, but Cody still had to work extra hard.

"I'm not really sure," Yolei responded when he asked her why she trusted Ken. "I don't really trust him, but I'm not quite ready to throw him out on his ear either. I guess I'm just trying to do what Mimi would do-but don't think that I'm ready to just up and forgive him."

Cody frowned at the ground. "What about you, TK?"

"Hmm?" The taller boy blinked rapidly. "What? I'm sorry; I was thinking about something."

Patamon wiggled restlessly in TK's book bag. His voice was muffled as he chided his partner gently. "Cody wants to know why you trust Ken all of a sudden."

The Child of Hope looked down at the Child of Knowledge and Reliability with a small crease of displeasure wrinkling his forehead. "Is that what you think?" he asked, looking slightly distressed.

"I didn't mean to offend you-"

"No," the other shook his head. "I'm not offended. I'm just-well, what do you think of Ken, Cody?"

Emerald eyes blinked owlishly. "Me? I don't really know him." Cody's eyes squinted slightly as he considered his response. "I think that he did something wrong and he should be punished."

"How?"

Cody frowned at the question and Yolei's eyebrows shot up in confusion.

"I don't know," the small Digidestined said.

"Exactly."

"Okay, TK," declared Yolei, throwing her hands up in the air. "You have officially lost me."

"Listen guys," Takeru explained patiently as he checked the traffic. "Even if he should be punished, how could we do it? It's like Davis said at the picnic: we can't exactly give him to the police." He stepped out into the street, still looking for traffic. "What would we say? He's an evil megalomaniac with a penchant for sadism and control?" He shook his head. "I think he's changed and that's the honest truth, but I also think that he could change back."

"Then why trust him?" protested Cody, still confused.

"Because he needs help."

"Well, you're right on that point," agreed Yolei. "Ken needs help. Specialists. And lots and lots of medication."

TK sighed and closed his eyes. "That's not what I meant, Yolei." He bit his lip thoughtfully. "Cody, when we were in the Digimon Emperor's base and I got into that fight with him, I asked him if he always resorted to violence when he ran out of things to say. He gave me the weirdest look, kind of like a little kid who had gotten lost and wasn't really sure how. He looked at me and said, 'I guess so.' I never really thought about it until yesterday, but I get the feeling that Ken's just . . . I don't know-lost, I guess. And no, Yolei, I don't mean crazy, I mean like his soul is lost. And I want to help him find it." The Child of Hope shook his head again. "Maybe you think I'm crazy, but I think he'd make a great ally-probably even a better friend. And I definitely don't want to face him as an enemy again."

Cody's mouth twisted slightly and his brow contracted. "But he doesn't deserve our friendship."

"Then neither do Matt or Gatomon."

Two sets of eyes widened. "What?!"

"But you two never consider that, do you?" The corners of TK's mouth tightened in irritation. "You trust them both with your lives. People CHANGE, guys. That's kind of our line of work."

Cody looked agitated. "But that's different!" he cried while shaking his head in conviction.

"Really? How so?"

Yolei appeared equally upset. "Cody's right! They've proven themselves-"

"And how can Ken prove himself if we don't give him the chance?"

"…"

"…"

They completed the walk to school in silence.

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