Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ The Other Side of the Mirror ❯ Descent to Memory's pain ( Chapter 7 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

By: Sugah

<center>~The Other Side of the Mirror~

~Ch. 7~</center>

"Who was on the phone?"

Tai glanced over to the sprawled form of his blond lover, not bothering to hide the shadowed worry that came so easily to his face. "Kari called me." He looked down again at his phone, still cradled in his hand, and wordlessly shook his head a few times.

"Well?"

"Daisuke's called an emergency meeting."

Yamato twisted around to stare incredulously over the back of the couch, visibly surprised. "Huh-what? Did something happen?"

Tai shrugged helplessly. "Like I would know! Kari said something about him getting separated from them the last time, but he's safe now, and he's called some sort of meeting." He slung the phone back into the hook. ~God, I hate days like this…~

"Sounds serious, Tai." The blond watched the former Child of Courage slid over the back of the couch. "Wha-Hey! Watch it!"

"Mrmph…" Tai raised his head from the muffling softness of Yamato's belly. "We gotta get Koushiro, by the way. Dai specifically requested him."

"Now I'm worried," Yamato rolled his eyes, and bucked his middle. "Get off, already…"

"Spoilsport," Tai muttered. He pushed himself back to his feet, seriously wishing he had gotten a decent amount of sleep the night before, and went to the phone to call the redheaded Child of Knowledge.

It was still afternoon, bright with sun and blue skies and wispy white clouds, as Daisuke forced his aching legs down sidewalk. The school seemed so far away, and his legs so tired, but he couldn't think of anything else to do.

~What just happened?~

~I…almost kissed him…~

Skidding into a left turn, he grabbed the post of a sign to keep his balance, and nearly fell. ~Idiot! He's-~

~He's innocent and all you want to do is-~

"Daisukeno baka!" he hissed out from between clenched teeth, between breaths. For a second, waiting at a signal light, he bent over to hide his flushed cheeks and grimace. ~It would be like…like getting him drunk…~

It would have been so easy, he thought, his brooding glare focused at the still-red light. Too easy to just kiss him, and take what his body wanted, and just let Ken suffer the consequences. The boy wouldn't have argued, not judging from the look in those violet eyes, the way he had leaned to his touch.

Daisuke, still leaning on a signpost, kicked at a pebble and sighed. ~Gotta be more careful.~

~Anyway, the others will know what to do. They'll know how to help…~

~All I can do is just get in the way…~

He glanced up to the opposite side of the street, his gaze far away, and barely noticed when the light turned green. He merely followed the slow flow of the crowd until he reached the other side, then took off down the block. The school was a few streets over, to the right, and Daisuke was too close to stop now.

His breathing and heartbeat were the only things he was focusing on, using the natural rhythm to run in step, to pace himself. The wind was cool against him, pushing back with playful tendrils, and oddly enough, the feel of it reminded him of cool violet and a shy smile.

~Stop! He's just a friend!~ he snapped at himself, his face scowling briefly, and faltered in stride.

He pushed back the stubborn voice and locked it away. He was firmly convinced that until Ken was back to normal, anything but friendship would be somehow wrong. He didn't know why, he just knew it had to be this way for a while.

Daisuke was never one to ignore his impulses.

~Something I gotta find out…Something I gotta know,~ he told himself, feeling stupid for being vague and unclear on just what he was waiting for, and hung a right at the next corner with the convenient hooked-signpost method. He ran on, his breathing tasting with sick metallic bursts, and the blood ringing in his ears.

He took a moment, after the initial and finalizing click of the door shutting behind the redhead, to reorder his thoughts in some semblance of normalcy, if it was possible. His head was thumping faintly with a now-familiar ache, pulsing in time to the heartbeat still pounding in his chest.

He could still feel the faint pressure of Daisuke's lips as they had ghosted over his, and set off the same heartbeat that he couldn't seem to control.

~Stupid,~ a small voice murmured. ~He will use you to hurt Daisuke…you know he will…he'll know…~

A chill swept through me, and he scrubbed hands against his loose garments, grimacing slightly at the feel of the dirt between the cloth and his skin. ~I must be really dirty,~ he thought, and pushed the unnerving thoughts of his alter self away from his wounded mind, focusing on the newest problem.

The imminent arrival of the other Digidestined, and possibly the former, surfaced in his thoughts. For a second he thought of how he would look to them, ragged and dirty, bruised and unmistakably the Kaizer. Enemy.

He would go and take a bath, then. He was sure Daisuke wouldn't mind, and then he'd be able to see how much damage he had, and at least get clean.

A mixed wash of fear and a deep-seated desire stormed through him, suddenly, and he swallowed convulsively. He wanted to be clean. Wanted to be free of everything…of the Kaizer. ~Of myself…~

He was damaged.

Mind, body, and soul, he was damaged.

Violet eyes fell to his hands again, slender and white in the gloomy entranceway, and marked a yellowed bruised that nearly circled his wrist completely.

//hands slammed against the wall-he's coming closer-~Stop! Get away!~-//

//a wrist cruelly pinned against the wall-a mocking laugh-wet warm breathing against my neck-and it's dark, so dark, and the body pushes us against the wall-//

Shuddering, unable to free his mind completely from the dark memories ~No…not this…I can't bear it…~ he dropped his hands and made his way to the small bathroom, trying not to stumble. He knew he must have looked funny, leaning and swaying like some homeless drunkard, but he couldn't seem to get these thoughts out of his head-

//Once again, cruel leather-clad hands yanked me upright, this time by the wrists. I would've screamed, if I had the voice, but I couldn't. So the pain, jagged and unending, swept through me while I nearly fell again as the wall slammed against me-//

//Or was it that I was slammed against the wall? I couldn't tell-my mind didn't seem to work in the manner of coherence. I knew only the pain, the other, and the voice.//

//In the darkened room, the lean familiar body pressed itself against mine, while a knee was jerked into my belly for a second time. "Stay up this time," I heard dimly, over the reaction of convulsive gagging.//

//Tugging at my imprisoned wrist did nothing-somehow it was fastened to the wall, most likely by a magnetic strip-and the panic rose-//

//"Stop," the voice, my voice, commanded, and instinctively I complied as the second hand wrapped itself about my throat and squeezed. I must have been struggled-a rapid series of slaps stung my cheeks, then-//

//I could feel the heaving of his chest against mine as he recovered his breath-his heart was beating just as quickly as my own, but for a different, sinister, reason. I was confused by the closeness of him, and more than a little afraid. There was something that flickered through my mind at his proximity-something that made me feel sick and lightheaded.//

//The hand was shifting slowly against my skin, caressing with a deceptive gentleness-I was beginning to panic-something wasn't right-but he spoke, then, hissing out words. "Pathetic decrepit creature…I will destroy you, flawed version of my perfection, and you will die…"-shrill giggles ensued for the next few seconds, while I suddenly realized that the hand was pressing to hard-I couldn't breath-//

Reflexively, as a ward against the agony the thoughts inspired, he drew a sharp gasp of air, almost sobbing as he fell against the wall inside the small bathroom and clutched his head in his hands. ~Leave me alone, I don't want to remember this…~

//A warm breath of air blasted against my cheek, whooshing over my ear. My hands scrabbled at the silken steel around my throat-The mild implications of the breathing near my face fled my mind-I needed to breath…//

//Bright spots were drifting through the black field of my vision-confusing since there was almost little light outside of the opening to my unattainable freedom, the door-//

//Words came through the haze of suffocation-"How shall I humiliate you, little maggot?"-and I felt a stab of thick horror in the middle of my stomach, turning it cold, even through my struggles.//

//~Bastard,~ I think dimly, unable to do more than simple thoughts.//

//My wrist was seized, suddenly-lifted-and the pressure around my throat vanished-//

//gasping-and forcing the lungs to forget the pain in my throat and near suffocation and just breath-I lowered my head to inhale rapidly, unable to focus on the actions the Kaizer was taking with my wrist-a moment later it was pinned up next to the left-//

//Cold leather brushed my skin through the tears in my once-proud uniform, brushing forming bruises and sliding along the cuts-he strummed my pain like a harp until I twisted away from his touch, still gasping for breath while I realized I was now doubly-bound by my wrists.//

//The stomach so close to mine fluttered with his rapid breathing-hands grasped at my hips-oh, if I could scream-//

~No! I won't remember this! I can't!~

But the memories came, and Ken began to weep silently, alone and shivering despite the warmth of his clothing.

//A leather-clad knee nudged my cramping legs apart, and a hip, part of a thick belt, and a warm lump of arousal-oh god-thrust in against my groin-I fought down a spasm of bile-//

//A forearm wedged up under my chin, forcing my head up-tears marked my face-my eyes were wild in the darkness while the dim replication, the mirror's image, stared at me. "If you don't stop"-lips, suddenly dry against my own-"I'll find that useless worm you call a digimon partner-"//

//A warm tongue licked slowly at my swollen bloody lips, almost obscenely tender, before he continued. "I'll pluck out those ugly eyes and fill him with a slow-dissolving acid, and make you watch him die. I've always wondered if a 'partner' would die if the digimon perished…"//

//I couldn't move-couldn't speak-nothing came as I turned my head away and slumped in my bonds. ~Wormmon,~ I thought, while a pair of watery blue eyes floated up from my shifty conscious.//

//A flash of white teeth in a wicked grin, then, while I wasn't looking--//

//-the arm shifted suddenly-fingers caught my chin-and the Kaizer meshed his mouth with mine, pleased by the momentary gag as he thrust his tongue deep into my mouth-//

//The hips and thick bulge of erection grinding away while my mouth was invaded ruthlessly-hands were digging painfully into my flesh-and I curled my fingers around the metal gauntlets on my wrists, and drove my mind far from this invasion of self, by self…//

Ken bit against the bruised wrist, fighting to use the pain against himself, and felt himself slip to the floor, dizzy and welcoming the darkness, as he tasted blood and tears against his tongue.

~Isn't that-~ Takeru turned to look over his shoulder at the running figure, surprised and mildly impressed.

"Hey, guys, look! It's Daisuke!" came Miya's cry next. She too had turned to point down the street.

'He's going to the school," Iori pointed out, "and we're over here."

"Yeah, you're right!" Miyako grinned brightly at him, and raised her cupped hands to her mouth. "Hey DAISUKE!" She nearly screamed, and began waving. "Over here!!"

The boy skidded to a stop, whirling around with a surprised look on his face to see the team of Digidestined across the street, waving at him from beyond the stream of cars. ~They came to meet me,~ he thought in a faint sort of relief. "Hey!" he hollered back. "I'll be right there!"

"This the place?"

"Yeah, and this had better be good," Yamato slammed the driver's door of his van home, and scowled. "I really really hope Jun wasn't lying when she said she was visiting a friend and couldn't…" he paused to shudder. " 'see' me this weekend."

Tai shot him a 'be patient' look over Koushiro's shoulder. "Come on, Yamato. It's got to be important, if Daisuke thinks Izzy here can save us all," he joked, and grinned at them both when they gave him sullen stares in response.

"I'd be done with my theories on the evolution of the genome structures by now," the Child of Knowledge mumbled.

"Yeah, yeah," Tai rolled his eyes, and clapped him on the shoulder. "Let's go see Dai and save the world already. I'm hungry!"

"So what's going on? What happened in the Digital world?" Miyako paused for breath, doing an uncanny imitation of Daisuke as he was bent over panting for his own, and opened her mouth to ask a third question.

"Hold on…give me…a sec…" Daisuke raised a hand. "It's important…but you can't…be…" He paused to straighten, and gave them an unusually serious stare.

"Are you okay?" Kari asked softly.

A small genuine smile was directed her way. "Hai…I'm fine. I can explain everything better, when we get back to my place, but…"

Takeru cocked his head at the second flash of hesitation. Was that worry in his eyes?

"Daisuke…what's up? What are you hiding?"

"I know this sounds insane, but you can't go into the Digital world alone or even with each other, now. It's too dangerous!" A pause to look at each of them carefully, and Daisuke sighed. He tried to pick his words carefully. "The Kaizer's done something…to himself."

"Uh…Daisuke? You sure you're okay?"

"I said it's crazy, didn't I? Daisuke ran a hand though his hair. "Like I said…he…The Kaizer in the digital world has officially gone homicidal. Stark raving nuts, even. He had a Tyranomon or something throw trees off that waterfall we were at before-"

"What? You mean he wasn't nuts before?" Miyako snorted. "Come on, Daisuke, tell us something we don't know."

The boy crossed his arms in front of his chest and lowered his gaze. "Okay, then. The Kaizer went nuts about 4 or 5 days ago, separated himself into a good and evil twin thing, and now I've got the good one at my place and we have to stop the bad one-"

"Hold on! What did you say?" Takeru shook his head until his hat shifted forward, and repeated. "What?"

"There's two Kaizers, only, the other is good, and one's bad, and…"

"You're joking about having him over, right?!"

Daisuke shook his head, and the flash of worry, this time mixed with anger, passed through his eyes. "Trust me on this, okay? It's not a trick!"

The others were staring at him with open amazement on their faces. He could tell that he wasn't getting through to them, groaning inside as he thought frantically of a way to make them believe.

"Why don't you believe me!? I'm not lying!"

"Daisuke, calm down," Hikari smoothed a finger over her mouth in thought. Her ruby eyes were shadowed with a growing concern as she paused to gather everyone's attention. "So you're saying that the Kaizer has done some weird experiment-"

"-And split himself into two people, good versus evil-" Miyako butted in, belligerently leaning forward and peering at Daisuke with a sharp gaze.

"-And now he's here, and the other Kaizer is going to destroy everything?" Iori made a wry face, as if hearing a joke for too many times, and shuffled his feet. "Daisuke, have you seen the "other" Kaizer?"

"Well, no…but-"

"So you really have the Kaizer in your house?" Miyako pushed back her glasses, her eyes wide behind the lenses, and blinked. "Are you nuts?" she screeched.

"Dammit, I trust him! I don't think that the Kaizer, even if it was a trick, would go through the beating I saw on him!" Daisuke yelled. "He had bruises, I think he was ringed, goddammit…Darkringed! Besides…Wormmon trusts him, and so does Chibimon." He forced his fists to relax, still feeling the faint push of the breeze against his skin, and tried to send his mind into the same calm.

"Look, Daisuke, I don't know what we're supposed to believe, but-"

"Just come with me already! I'll prove it, okay? And if I'm wrong, I'm off the team!"

A moment of silence flickered between the five young humans, and Daisuke stood in the middle. A faint sheen of sweat gleamed on his skin, lured by the running from earlier. His teeth were gritted, almost bared in a feral grin as he waited out the silence.

Takeru felt a soft sort of pride steal over him at the sense of Daisuke growing the spine of leadership, as well as pulling rank. "All right."

Miyako sniffed, mildly taken aback at the sudden outburst, and once again pushed her glassed up on the bridge of her nose. She shot a glance at Takeru. "I'm in, then. I've always wanted to know who the Kaizer was anyway."

An ironic smile ghosted over the suddenly-weary face of the Child of Courage and Friendship. "And the rest of you?" his gaze followed his voice and sought out the remaining two.

Hikari nodded once, as if to say that she had never considered not going, and smiled at him. Iori merely scowled, an unusually fierce expression on his young face, then shrugged. "I'm coming. I'd like to see this Kaizer Daisuke claims is good."

Daisuke narrowed his eyes. "You wouldn't dare-"

"Let's just go, okay?" the blond Child of Hope pinched his nose to stop the building headache that the day was beginning to induce, and sighed. "We gotta go meet Tai and Yamato at your place, and I don't want to keep them waiting."

"Meet them…there?" Daisuke jerked his gaze to the blond standing near, confused. "I thought they were coming here?"

"They went to pick up Koushiro, like you asked? We would've been waiting for them to get here, like, forever," Miyako informed. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Daisuke? What's wrong?" Her mouth a small 'o' of surprise, Hikari watched the blood drain from the face of the boy, and felt a chill at the sudden ferocity spark into life in the chocolate eyes.

"Shimatta!" Without a backwards glance, Daisuke turned on his heel and began that oddly

impressive sprint towards the distant rise of the apartment buildings. "They don't know!"

"Daisuke! Wait!" Takeru cursed under his breath as the redhead rounded a corner and disappeared from sight. "Dammit, come on! Wait for us!"

For a moment his mind refused to make the connection, a simple tie that Daisuke had let them know.

The Kaizer was hidden in Daisuke's place, apparently.

And Tai and Yama were headed for that same destination.

~Shimatta…~ his mental voice whispered weakly. ~They'll kill him!~