Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Remembering To Burn ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Remembering to Burn

Part Two

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Ken glanced over at Daisuke. They were in a tunnel that was gradually getting lower and narrower so he was not surprised to see that the digidestined leader was starting to look a bit twitchy to say the least. He leant towards the other boy. "I know that this is hard for you but please try and keep calm." He whispered urgently. "If you panic you may well get all three of us killed."

"That's easy for you to say, Ken." Daisuke hissed back.

"Don't call me Ken!" Ken snapped. He noticed that not only had Daisuke used his name but also he had deliberately omitted a suffix when they weren't friends. "And show some respect."

"Why? You never give me any and I'm certainly not calling you Kaiser-sama, Ichijouji-kun."

Ken gave Daisuke a startled look. Was the boy actually bartering over what to call him? Right now Ken would try anything to stop his enemy panicking. "Okay then. I guess that we can be informal in these circumstances. It is rather unusual after all. You can call me Kaiser-san."

"Not a chance, Ichijouji-san" It sounded like Daisuke was trying not to laugh but if he was his expression held no hint of it.

"Whatever." Ken shook his head in disbelief at the conversation. "You're totally unbelievable, Motomiya-kun, do you know that?" He smirked at the startled expression on Daisuke's face. "Don't get used to it. It's just the strange circumstances." Well at least it had distracted Daisuke from his problem with the cave for a little while.

Unfortunately it was only for a while because not far ahead of them the tunnel became so small they would have to crawl to get through it. Looking over at him he was not surprised to see that Daisuke starting to hyperventilate.

"I can't go in there … I can't!" Daisuke whimpered as they watched the digimon attach Hikari's stretcher to some sort of pulley system and haul it into the tiny gap. "I just can't!" his voice began to rise towards hysteria. "I won't!" The digimon didn't answer. They just surrounded him and began to push him towards the gap. Several of them prodded him with spears. At this point Daisuke collapsed to the floor with his arms over his head. "You don't understand I can't, I just can't!"

"I would advise you to persuade your friend to accompany us unless you want him to die here." Necramon advised Ken in his dead voice.

"He's not my friend!" Ken snapped. He did, however, kneel down by Daisuke and peel his arms down so he could see his face. "I know it's hard but if you don't crawl through that gap they are going to kill you and somehow I don't think they'll do it quickly."

"I don't care. I'll die if I go in there as well! Torture is a better way to die."

Ken sighed. "I can see that reason isn't going to work." He gave Daisuke a hard slap. The other boy's head jerked up and his eyes cleared momentarily. Good. "You won't die, Motomiya-kun, you'll probably feel like you're dying but believe me you won't. You're much stronger than that." He said sharply then inspiration struck and he added in a gentler tone. "You have to think about Hikari. Would you really want to leave her alone in these circumstances? A prisoner of a bunch of hostile digimon and only me for company?"

"Hi-Hikari?" Daisuke stammered. "O-okay. I'll try to do this for Kari-chan. She needs me."

Ken sighed in relief. "I've got an idea. I'll go first. You can close your eyes and hold on to my ankles. I'll guide you through and you can pretend to yourself that you're somewhere else. Somewhere not enclosed." He got down and prepared to crawl into the tiny tunnel. A moment later he felt Daisuke's hands close on his ankles and he started moving forward.

The journey through the tunnel was unpleasant enough for Ken, and he wasn't claustrophobic. He couldn't even begin to imagine what it was like for Daisuke. After they'd been crawling for a few minutes with no sign of the tunnel getting any larger he twisted slightly and whispered to the other boys. "Are you doing okay?"

"N-not r-really." Came the tremulous reply. "I d-don't suppose that you'd keep on talking to me would you? I'm really not having much luck keeping my mind off where I am."

"It might be better if you talk. That way you have to think about what you are saying. Oh wait…"

"Don't start." Daisuke growled. Ken grinned to himself as irritation replaced fear in the boy's voice momentarily.

"Okay, I won't." He paused as he considered what to talk about to keep Daisuke's attention away from the enclosed space they were in.. "Do you really think that Hikari's perfect?"

There was a thoughtful silence. "Almost. She's beautiful, sweet and intelligent. She's a very good friend but she does have one major character flaw and she thinks that I don't know it."

"What's that?"

"Well she seems to enjoy playing with guys hearts. She flirts with every guy who's about our age. I think that she's more serious about T.K. but for all I know that's an act as well. She certainly doesn't mind teasing me. I don't think she knows how much it hurts me. I certainly hope she doesn't."

"If you know that then why do you moon around her and get all jealous when she flirts?"

"Because my heart won't accept what my head knows." Daisuke sighed pensively. "I know she's just a friend but my hormones don't."

"Ouch!" Ken winced. It was probably a good time to change the subject. "So are you close to your sister?"

"Jun? Yeah." Daisuke laughed affectionately. "She's flighty, boy obsessed, can be rather loud and she calls me brat a lot. I tend to tell people that I hate her. But you really wouldn't want to get on her bad side."

"Why not?" Ken asked.

"Well, for example, when I was little I was being bullied at school. My parents didn't care and the teachers didn't listen when I complained but Jun did. The bullies were her age -- I mean the age that she was then -- but she faced them down all on her own and scared them so badly that they left me alone. That wasn't the only time something like that has happened either. I swear that when she thinks I'm in danger she magically transforms into a hell spitting vengeance demon."

"In that case I should probably be very glad that she isn't able to get into the digital world then." Ken said in a mock serious tone. "I severely doubt that my digivice can prevent that sort of transformation."

This time the silence from behind him was stunned. " Ichijouji-san, did you just make a joke? You did didn't you! Are you sure that you are feeling okay?"

"I'm fine." Ken glanced up and saw the roof had begun to rise away from them. He stood up cautiously. "Okay. We can stand now."

"Thank goodness for that."

-----

Most of the rest of the Chosen Children, old and new, were crowded in to Koushiro's room and to be honest they were wondering if they shouldn't have met at the computer lab. Mimi was still in America of course and Sora was at a Tennis tournament. Still the room was very crowded.

It had been about two hours since the new digidestined had returned from the Digital World down two members and Takeru had just finished describing what had happened. All eyes were now fixed on Wormmon who had eventually come round but still looked exhausted, well all eyes except for Koushiro's. The first child of Knowledge was instead attempting to analyse what had happened on his laptop. The caterpillar digimon gazed back at the Chosen worriedly. "Oh…"

"We know that you're worried about Ken." Iori told him in a gentle tone. "You're a good partner in very trying circumstances. But if you have any idea at all about what has happened to him and the others you have to tell us."

"Yeah, tell us, what's he up to this time?" Taichi snapped and Wormmon cowered away from him. Obviously expecting to be hit. "Oh stop that! I am not going to hurt you just for having the misfortune to be his digimon. I leave hurting digimon to that maniac."

"Taichi, this is neither the time nor the place." Yamato put a hand on his friend's arm. "Try and calm down."

"Ken's not a maniac!" Wormmon protested simultaneously, momentarily defiant, then as he saw the disbelief in everyone's eyes he seemed to wilt. "Well he isn't. He just hasn't been himself since he came back this time."

"That doesn't answer my question." Taichi said in a calmer tone.

"I know. I'm sorry. He doesn't really tell me his plans but I'm certain that he didn't do this. This was someone else."

"I think that he's right." Koushiro waved Ken's D3 at them. "I doubt that he would have left this behind if he had a choice and the source of the dark energy that grabbed them came from under the Digital World somewhere. I mean it's underground but the best I can do is narrow it down to a largish area. However almost all of that area is outside Ken's control. You were right on the fringes of it today."

"But if it's someone else then why didn't they take all of us?" Miyako asked. "I got the definite feeling that they chose who they took." She tapped her fingers irritably on Koushiro's desk. "There's something that we're missing. Something important."

Koushiro nodded. "I get that feeling too." They thought a moment. Finally Yamato spoke up.

"Wait a minute." He looked at Wormmon. "You said that Ken hasn't been himself since he came back this time? Does that mean he'd been to the Digital World *before* he became the Kaiser?"

"Yes. But he's forgotten it all. I warned him not to listen to it especially after that thing hit him but then he forgot and now this."

"You told him not to listen to whom exactly?"

"The Dark. It talks to him in his head. He used to ignore it but he was so sick after that thing hit him in the last fight and after that something changed about him. I made him promise not listen to it but after he forgot it must have overwhelmed him somehow."

"And what has he forgotten?"

"Everything. He doesn't remember the battle with Milleniummon or Ryo or any of it." A pause. "He wasn't supposed to remember most of it of course but he was supposed to remember some of it. Enough to know to resist the voice. Enough to know better than do what he's doing. If he remembered then this wouldn't be happening. I'm sure it wouldn't."

There was a low whistle from Gatomon and they turned to look at her. "Are you saying that the Digimon Kaiser was one of digidestined who fought against Milleniummon? I heard about that. There were three of them and one of them died." She still looked worried sick about Hikari but there was a second expression on her face now -- amazement.

"And from what I've been told the other two were traumatised by it." Patamon agreed. "That's why the powers that be decided to wipe their memories." He thought for a moment. "Ryo was the one that died. I saw his grave one. If Ken was one of the other two then who was the third?"

"You mean you can't guess?" Wormmon asked. They looked at him blankly. He exchanged a glance with Demi-veemon before they answered simultaneously. "Daisuke Motomiya."

-----

They had been walking for hours and in spite of their physical fitness both Ken and Daisuke were exhausted. Daisuke had even stumbled occasionally. So they were relieved when they reached a cavern with a spring in it and Necromon finally called a halt. The two boys sank to the floor and Hikari's stretcher was unceremoniously dumped next to them. Ken glanced over and saw the girl was awake if a little groggy.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" He asked softly.

"Dreadful. My arm hurts, my head is killing me and I can't seem to stay awake."

"I'm not surprised." He was uncertain whether he should be glad that she hadn't asked why he cared or be worried in case it was a symptom of amnesia. He was considering how to check this but she obviously guessed what he was thinking.

"There's nothing wrong with my memory but this is hardly a good time to argue. It looks to me like all three of us are in the same boat right now so I'm not going to rock it just because you've decided to behave like a human being for once." She looked like she might be going to say something more but just then one of the digimon placed a tray on a nearby rock. There were three bowls of a thin broth, flat biscuits and small cups of water on it.

"Motomiya-kun, there's food." Ken nudged Daisuke because he had dozed off. Then he picked up one of the bowls and knelt down next to Hikari. "Here, I'll feed you." He said gently. "But I'm afraid that it doesn't look or smell at all appetising, Kamiya-san."

"I'm not very hungry anyway." She smiled somewhat wanly at him. "I don't want to throw up again."

"I know." He murmured sympathetically. "But it's not very likely that you will and your body needs whatever nourishment it can get in order to heal."

"He's right but having said that I don't blame you for not wanting to eat this slop." Daisuke said from behind him.

"Is it foul?" Ken asked.

"No, just totally flavourless. If I wasn't so hungry I wouldn't eat it."

Ken sighed to himself. "In spite of that ringing endorsement you do need to eat, Kamiya-san." He broke the biscuit up into the broth and lifted the spoon to her lips with one hand as he helped her into a semi-sitting position with the other.

"I'll try." She said before taking the first mouthful.

"Good girl." He smiled at her.

"He wasn't kidding about it being bland." She noted. "But in the circumstances that's probably no bad thing."

"Shh." Ken told her. "We don't know how long we've got before they make us move so you'd better eat up."

She frowned. "Perhaps you should eat first then."

He shook his head. "No, you need food more than I do. I can survive missing a meal if I have to." He carried on feeding her and then picked up the cup of water. As he did Daisuke pushed something into his hand.

"I just found some painkillers in my pocket."

"Good idea." He pushed two of the capsules out of the pack and gave them to Hikari. Once she'd taken them and drunk her water he turned back to his meal. He'd just taken his first mouthful of broth when Necromon gave the order to move. "I knew it!" He rolled his eyes, downed the water quickly and pocketed the biscuit to eat later but he had to leave the broth. He glanced over at Hikari as the two digimon lifted the stretcher. She was starting to doze off again but suddenly she frowned at him.

"What happened to your hair? Did the Digital World run out of Hair Gel?"

"What?" He blinked in confusion. "What about my hair?"

"I think she's referring to the fact that you hair looks more like it does in the real world than it normally does here." Daisuke said. "You don't look like you put your hand in an electric socket right now."

"It does?" Ken ran a hand through it. It was indeed its old flat and silky self instead of feeling like Osamu's. "That's odd. I don't use hair gel to put it up it just does that here. Normally anyway."

Kari looked at him thoughtfully. "Now that is interesting." She said before passing out again.

-----

Chiharu looked up from the monitor and watched in amusement as Ali paced back and forth muttering angrily.

"Whatever is wrong?"

The other girl fixed her with an icy stare. "Why are we feeding them?" She snarled.

Chiharu rolled her eyes. "Well they won't suffer much if they keep fainting from hunger will they?" She shook her head. "Sometimes, Ali-chan, you let your urges get the better of you."

"I guess." Ali sat down with a thump and folded her arms. "It's just…"

"I know. I do know… It seems like a waste of our resources doesn't it?" Chiharu looked back at the monitor which was focused on the stretcher bound Hikari. "Very soon Child of Light we shall meet at last. I'm looking forward to it." The monitor pulled back and showed the rest of the group. She frowned as Daisuke stumbled slightly in spite of the rest stop.

"It looks like we'd better let them sleep at some point as well." Ali noted as she watched over Chiharu's shoulder. "Exhaustion can be a killer and that's supposed to be our job."

"They can sleep once we have them in a cell." Chiharu told her. "They'll escape if we give them chance."

"I still say that it would be safer to just have them killed and not bother with all this nonsense."

"Denbe-kun!" Chiharu growled at the boy as he entered. "Don't say that."

"Why not. It's true." He folded his arms. "This isn't a game, Chiharu-chan."

"I do know that. I leave that particular delusion to the Child of Kindness. That doesn't mean we can't have fun."

"And I need to feed my inner self before I forget it." Ali added. "And we all know what can happen when one of us does that."

Denbe regarded the girl thoughtfully for a moment. "I suppose that's true. I just don't like live enemies, even ones who are in my power. Too many things can go wrong."

"You worry too much, Denbe-kun." Chiharu told him. "Just relax and think about the Kamiya girl's death."

"I'd rather think about afterwards." He laughed unpleasantly.

"Whatever." She smiled softly.

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