DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon (though GKmon Angel Mode is mine!)
"Ahh… Wait a sec, Sam, I thought you were dead!" I cried, squinting through the haze of bubbles. The stinging sand had suddenly disappeared, leaving nothing but the iridescent spheres between my brother and me.
Osamu smiled and twirled the visor in his hand. "I've come back to invite you to stay with me here, where you no longer have to suffer for the errors of your past." He looked up from the purple glasses and met my eyes. "Your punishment is over… I'm your brother; trust me."
I shook my head slightly. "I can't get these visions out of my head," I told him. "If I stay, will you help me?" I dropped to my knees, gazing up at him with a mixture of hope and love. His smile never wavered, but nor did it brighten. I could no longer see his eyes through the reflection on his own glasses. "Where have you been? I've missed you, Sam."
My brother closed the distance between us and held out his hand for me to grasp. I did so readily and allowed him to pull me to my feet. Something inside me recoiled at his touch, but I dismissed it as a lingering memory of his death. True, this was impossible- I had witnessed his demise myself- but who was I to question it? Osamu, my brother, was back, and that was all that mattered.
Coldness pressed against my fingers, and I looked down, startled. Osamu had replaced his hand with the visor. I dropped it instantly, throwing the hated object into the sand, but the damage had been done. Black fabric crawled up my hand, hardening into a gold band at my wrist, then continuing up my arm as I stood frozen until I was fully clothed in the Digimon Kaizer's attire. A harsh wind blew, whipping my hair up to stick out in that oh-so-familiar fashion. Finally, purple saturated my vision as the visor in the sand reappeared on my head.
I looked to my brother in bewilderment. "S-Sam, what's happening?"
"You can be free here," he replied, still smiling. "You can be yourself. Your true self. This world belongs to you, Kaizer." He lowered his head just enough that the reflection disappeared and I could see his eyes glowing red.
"No!" I yelled in denial, stumbling backwards. "This isn't right! I'm not the Digimon Kaizer anymore! Wormmon, where are you?"
My brother shook his head. "He's not here, Kaizer. Don't you remember? You killed him. Your creation killed him. He wouldn't help you now even if he were alive."
"No," I whispered.
-----
He sat up quickly, gasping. A frantic inspection showed that he was still dressed in his nightclothes, his eyes unfettered by the purple visor, and his hair, albeit mussed from sleep, hung straight down about his face. Still, it took several minutes for his heart to stop racing, and it began again when something cold nuzzled his hand.
"Ken? Are you alright?"
Gripping his blanket with trembling hands, Ken searched through the darkness for his friend. "Minomon."
"Yes?" The small Digimon crawled up in his lap, stubby arms clinging to his nightshirt. "What's wrong, Ken?"
Minomon doesn't hate me, he thought vehemently, using the thought to push the dream away. Burying it in the darkest corner of his mind, Ken retreated from it hastily and turned his attention back to his partner. "Minomon-"
But you killed him, a voice whispered. Nothing can change that.
Demo, he gave me a second chance!
There wouldn't have been the need for one had you not murdered him.
Letting out a small cry, Ken flung the blankets away, climbed out of bed and fumbled for his D-3, the worried cries of his partner left unanswered. His mind a whirlpool of thoughts and emotions, he could think of only one haven to run to. The Digital World was the one place in which he could find solitude, though traveling through it unprepared was often dangerous. Caution eluded him, however; all he could think about was getting away from his dream and Minomon.
The familiar sensation of being digitized washed over him, changing his body form living cells to data. The next sensation was one of falling as he passed through the TV and collapsed on the sand of the Digital World.
Tears stung at his eyes as he buried his face in his hands. His supply of tears was exhausted long before his emotions, but he forced those away and wiped at his eyes. Sitting up and looking around for the first time, Ken gasped.
This isn't the Digital World. It's the Dark Ocean!
-----
"Ken? Ken!" I cried, dancing wildly across the keyboard in a desperate attempt to reach Ken through either the TV or his D-3. My efforts failed. I collapsed against the computer screen, very near tears. I'd sense something wrong with Ken through the bond we shared, a darkness hovering over his heart. It seemed familiar, and I thought I knew why. Ken's nightmares were frequent; time hadn't diminished the shame and guilt he carried, though it had helped him to bear it. I'd heard him cry out a single word while he dreamt: Osamu. I don't know what Ken dreamed about that night, but I knew it had something to do with his brother.
He'd come so far since meeting Daisuke and the others, yet I had a feeling that was all going to change. I'd already lost Ken to the darkness once, and something told me I might lose him again. Uncertain of how to proceed, I did the only thing I could think of: I called Daisuke. The process, troublesome even while in my Child stage, was extremely difficult, and I did not have the patience to fumble with the phone that my small arms simply could not grasp. I am, after all, a worm.
I finally dialed the boy's number and heard him grumble under his breath for several seconds before he managed a coherent "moshi moshi."
"Daisuke?"
"Mmm… Minomon?" The boy's torpor disappeared as he said my name. "What are you doing calling me this early? Are you alright?"
I fidgeted, trying to keep the phone from slipping out of my precarious grasp. "Yes. I'm sorry for calling you so early, but…"
"What? Is Ken okay?"
I hesitated, unsure if I was doing the right thing. What if Ken was alright, and I was just being paranoid? He wouldn't appreciate me telling Daisuke about one of his nightmares - he didn't even tell his parents. But, what if something really was wrong with him? I'd never be able to live with myself if anything happened to him because of my indecision.
Daisuke's voice echoed in my ear, impatient. "Minomon?"
"No," I replied. "I think something's wrong with him."
-----
Ken looked around sullenly, knowing he should hate this place but too tired to care. He thought he'd finally put this place behind him after he defeated Daemon. He should have known that his soul was too dark to escape this place forever.
This is where you belong, a voice inside him whispered. This is your kingdom of darkness.
He knew he should resist, but he couldn't muster the strength. He'd never escape; he knew that now. All those years he'd spent fighting it were in vain. It was hopeless…
"What about Wormmon?" he whispered
Wormmon? the voice scoffed. He's not coming. Why would he, after all you've done to him? You broke your promise to him.
Wormmon's words drifted through his mind, replaying the joyful scene when they had been reunited after the fight with Kimeramon. "Never forget who you are… You promise… You took a little detour in getting there, but you kept your promise…"
"Thank you for giving me a second chance."
"No! He gave me another chance!"
You are the child of darkness; he does not love you. No one does. No one can, after all you've done.
"That's not true," he whispered, though in his heart, he knew it was. "W-what about my friends?"
They aren't your friends. You've caused them so much pain, how could they be? They are afraid of you, of the darkness in you. They fear the return of the Kaizer.
He shook his head. "No. That's not-" He couldn't bring himself to say it, to deny that which he knew was true. "Then why did they save me so many times? Why didn't they let Oikawa or MaloMyotismon or Daemon have me?"
Fear, the voice replied. You are a tool, Ken, and in the wrong hands, you could spell their doom.
A tool. Ken didn't try to deny it. He'd never been himself, never been Ken, even after he'd given up his role as Digimon Kaizer. He had never been able to fully step out of his brother's shadow. Yes, he'd outwardly given up trying to emulate Osamu, but somewhere in his heart, he knew he'd lost his own self permanently. What was the use trying to regain what was gone forever?
Ken slumped his shoulders, defeated. "So what do I do now?"
He had the distinct impression of the invisible speaker smiling. Come with me…
-----
"I don't understand," Daisuke said in frustration, spinning around in his chair. "Why didn't the Digiport show the area on the map? Ken had to have gone into the Digital World. The Digiport should remain in the exact same area until someone in the real world changes it, right? So why is the Digiport blank? It doesn't even show the last place accessed before Ken!"
"Are you sure Ken didn't come back sometime during the night?" Taichi asked from his place next to Hikari. Izzy, DemiVeemon, and Gatomon were the other members of the group; none of the other Digidestined had been able to meet at Daisuke's house the next morning.
I nodded glumly, seated next to DemiVeemon on the floor. "Yes. I was up all night, watching the computer. Nothing even blinked."
"This doesn't make sense," Tai said. "What do you think, Izzy?"
"He's not in the Digital World," the other boy replied.
All eyes turned to the redheaded Digidestined hunched over Daisuke's keyboard. "What?" I asked.
"He's not in the Digital World," Izzy repeated, turning to face us. "The Digiport would have registered his passage. If it didn't, then he didn't go to the Digital World. There are an infinite number of alternate dimensions in existence. He could have been transported to any of them."
"But you can't get to any of them from a Digiport, right?" Daisuke asked.
"Technically, no." Izzy shrugged and glanced down at me. "But Ken's Digivice isn't like any of ours. He's been able to access alternate dimensions before."
Kari lifted her head, which had been resting on her hand, and frowned. "Yeah, like the Dark Ocean."
I moaned and closed my eyes, cursing myself for my foolishness. I should have known. I'd recognized the darkness around Ken, but had foolishly attributed it to his memory of Osamu simply because he had dreamed of him. They were similar, for it was Osamu's death that forced Ken into the Dark Ocean the first time. But, there was one crucial difference; the Dark Ocean was infinitely more dangerous. "Oh, Ken," I murmured.
"Oi, don't sweat it," DemiVeemon said cheerfully.
"Yeah!" Daisuke chorused. "We've dealt with the Dark Ocean before. Well, at least Kari and Miyako have. We'll find him."
I shook my head. How could I explain this? "It won't be that simple. Ken's changed, gotten stronger. If the darkness was able to get to him again, it may not be that easy to bring him back."
Izzy nodded solemnly. "I'm afraid Minomon's correct. Remember when Oikawa kidnapped Ken to scan the Dark Spore he'd implanted in Ken's neck? It was never removed, and though Ken was able to overcome its influence, it's had all this time to consolidate its power. Think of how strong it could be now. Ken probably won't be able to resist it."
"But Oikawa is the only one who can control the Dark Spore," Daisuke said. "Well, except maybe MaloMyotismon, but he's been destroyed, too."
"What about Daemon?" Gatomon asked. "He's the one who sent those evil Digimon after Ken. And he's been locked in the Dark Ocean."
-----
He followed the voice to the water's edge and stared out at the ocean. No large waves broke the nearly flat surface; there was no breeze to create them. Gray clouds hung overhead, obscuring the horizon line so that Ken couldn't tell where the ocean stopped and the dismal sky began.
Come, Kaizer. Come down into the ocean and let it wash your memories away. Begin again.
"Why?" he asked. "It's hopeless."
Another voice echoed through his mind. "Nothing is ever hopeless, Ken. You of all people should know that." The memory was gone as soon as it appeared, brushed away by whatever force was drawing him forward. Ken didn't object.
Darkness is all that's left to you, the darker voice said, beckoning. Ken took a step forward and watched as the water lapped at his shoes. That's right. Come down here where you'll never have to worry about the light again.
"Light?"
"…Crest of Light. You have the power to light up the darkness. It doesn't have a chance!"
"W-wait," Ken said. "What about my Crest?"
You no longer need it, the voice replied. It would not serve you now even if you wanted it to. You are the Kaizer, above such trivial things.
"…It belongs to you, Ken. It's the Crest of Kindness… I told you that deep inside you were kind… I'm really glad that I'm your Digimon and we're partners. You're kind and gentle- that's why I like you."
"Wormmon," he whispered, then took another step into the ocean.
-----
The Digiport transported me to the forest area; we had concurred that the best chance of finding a way to the Dark Ocean was here, where Ken and Kari had been pulled into it and even Miyako had been able to see it. I came alone, for I knew that if anyone were able to reach Ken, it would be me and me alone.
I hesitated a moment, uncertain of how to proceed. My confusion was washed away as I felt a muted current of darkness tug at me and heard the faint sound of water. Following the sound, I scuttled over trees and rocks, stopping every few moments to ensure that I hadn't lost the trail. I couldn't sense Ken yet, and that had me worried. We had been able to sense each other halfway across the Digital World. This only led me to believe that I hadn't entered the Dark Ocean.
After several minutes' worth of crawling through the forest, I stopped again, angry and dejected. This was getting me nowhere. The sound of the waves was no louder, the feel of the darkness no stronger.
"Ken, where are you?" I cried, collapsing in a heap of self-pity and despair. I'd failed Ken once again and this time may have lost him to the darkness forever.
"Wormmon."
I looked up, startled - hopeful - but didn't see anything. Squinting, I peered through the thick curtain of trees until I saw the outline of a figure. I scrambled forward, calling Ken's name, and suddenly the trees fell away. I was on the shore of the Dark Ocean. With a start, I realized it had been my sullen thoughts that had opened the gateway to this dark dimension. The irony was not lost on me.
"Ken? Can you hear me?" I cried as I moved forward. "Don't go out there, Ken! Ken! Stop!"
Unheeding, Ken took another step out into the ocean. The water swirled about his knees now, pulling him forward with each small wavelet. I couldn't reach him now if I tried; the water was too deep, and I, being a worm, could not swim. "Ken please, stop! You can't go out there. Come back with me, Ken, please!"
"It's hopeless," Ken murmured. "No one wants me back."
"That's not true!" I shouted, splashing into the water as far as I could go. Chills ran down my back, though the temperature of the water was actually mild. "Everyone wants you back! Your parents, your friends, me!"
He turned around then, looking at me with foggy blue eyes. Despairing, I met the gaze I had loved so much, though it had been transformed into something cold and empty. In it I saw a shadow, a darkness which hung over his soul. He turned away and continued forward.
-----
Wormmon had come for him. He couldn't believe it, and some part of him didn't. The voice told him to ignore the small Digimon; it whispered in his ear, telling him all that the insect sought was power. Without Ken, Wormmon would never be able to Digivolve, being a Chosen Digimon. Part of him believed it.
But part of him didn't.
Come, Kaizer, the voice urged as if sensing his hesitation. Leave the insect and join me in the depths of darkness. Your life is nothing, worthless. Come down and discover your true potential.
Ken followed, not so much for the promise of power as for the knowledge that the darkness would wash away all his problems, all his doubts. All the memories and heartache that plagued him would be washed away with the tide. He could finally escape his petty life and immerse himself in oblivion.
"Ken!"
Come, Kaizer.
A piece of his heart cried out for Wormmon, the part that still cling to hope. Ken pushed it away, finding solace in the deadening of his emotions. It wouldn't be silenced, however, and he turned one last time to appease it. "Don't worry about me," he said. "I'm not worth it."
He stepped forward again, ignoring the Digimon's desperate protests, and watched as the waters rose to his waist. Wormmon's objections were muffled as a deafening roar rose in the air, drowning out all other sound. The misty line of the horizon moved, rising up and becoming clearer as it drew near. A great wall of water hastened toward them, looming above their heads, though it was still far away. Ken watched it approach calmly, unable to summon any fear. This was what he wanted, wasn't it?
Wasn't it?
As the wave approached, Ken saw that the water was dark, too dark even for the sea of the Dark Ocean. Darkness dwelt within the wave and was ready to crash over him, immersing him in its evil. The part of his heart that had yearned for Wormmon now cowered in fear, screaming at him to run.
He took another step forward.
-----
Ken was unable to hear me; the coming darkness had deafened his ears and heart to my pleas. I stood torn, unable to go to him and unable to flee, for I could never leave this place without Ken. Desperation built up in me, threatening to overwhelm me. There was nothing I could do to save him. I screamed his name once more, tears in my eyes. I'd already lost him once to the darkness, and it seemed I was about to lose him again. Maybe forever.
I plunged forward, thrashing in a futile attempt to stay afloat. My body was not built for swimming; indeed, I feared any water over my head. But I couldn't stand still and let Ken be captured by the darkness again.
The waters closed over my head, blocking my view of the overcast sky. Still, I squirmed in the direction I believed Ken to be. Tears blinded my eyes, though the water was so murky I could see very little anyway. I felt my air supply running low, but still I struggled forward, sensing that only a small distance separated us now. It may have been a false hope distorting my judgment, but I didn't question it, for it kept me moving, kept me from surrendering to the darkness pressing about me.
The waters seemed to close around me, squeezing out what little air was left in my lungs; the dark wave was drawing closer. I increased my efforts, though my lungs were burning. I had to reach Ken before the wave broke over us. I didn't know what I would do, but I felt, perhaps vainly, that my very presence would protect him and turn him back to the light.
My head broke the surface for a moment, and I saw that I was nearly close enough that I could reach out and touch Ken's arm. But, more importantly, I could see the approaching wave. A face had appeared in the shadow, a contortion of a face I often saw in my own nightmares.
Anger filled me then, and a fierce protectiveness. Ken had already defeated Daemon once; how dare he return to threaten my partner again?
Another sensation swept over me, filling me with strength. The darkness around me parted as a faint glowed surrounded me, becoming stronger with each heartbeat. A similar glow appeared somewhere before me - Ken's D-3. I was Digivolving, though it had never felt like this before. As the power surged through me, my confidence returned, and I knew that no matter what, Daemon would be defeated. I would never allow him to hurt Ken.
I felt my body changing, slimming, lengthening, legs disappearing and stretching. I flashed through my stages of Digivolution: Stingmon, Dinobeemon, GranKuwagamon. And then, to my surprise, I continued evolving, my powers increasing to a stage beyond Ultimate. I had mode changed to my supreme level: GranKuwagamon Angel Mode.
-----
Ken stared down at the D-3 in his hand, blinking through the near-blinding light. The wave was still approaching, but his attention was turned to the small device and its glowing counterpart. The light had completely surrounded Wormmon now as he Digivolved. Ken watched blankly as the light slowly faded, revealing a humanoid Digimon. Its iridescent wings spread, fluttering erratically before settling into a steady rhythm. The Digimon hovered over him, glistening wings covering him protectively.
A glowing red bow appeared in its hand, an arrow in the other. It cocked arrow, calling out the words, "Stellar Nettle!" and loosed the missile at the oncoming wave.
Ken watched the projectile streak through the air, an iridescent tail forming behind it. The darkness increased its speed as if eager to meet the arrow and devour it. A shriek split the air upon its impact, for it had struck the darkness between the eyes. The shadow writhed wildly before it shrieked again and dissolved.
The spell over Ken was broken, and he collapsed to his knees, all his strength gone. He flailed his arms to pull himself out of the water and felt something grab his wrists. The Digimon gathered him up in its arms, cradling him like a child, and flew toward the shore. He stared up at it in awe until it deposited him gently on the sand, and even then he couldn't' find the words to speak.
"Are you alright, Ken?" The voice was soft and low and unmistakably feminine, though he could discern traces of Wormmon's childlike tone.
Ken nodded dumbfounded, and swept his gaze over the Digimon's effeminate physique: a charcoal colored bodice, low cut and open in the stomach; metallic bands encircling its upper arms and thighs; high gray boots that fit together like armor; hip-length orange hair; a silver visor covering its eyes, though leaving the rest of its face exposed; and six elegant, glistening wings protruding from its back.
On its forehead, above the thin silver visor, was a crimson symbol, the same that adorned his partner's forehead. "W-Wormmon?" he whispered.
The Digimon smiled down at him, a gentle, reassuring smile that made him feel just a little more at ease. "Yes. I used to be Wormmon. I'm GranKuwagamon now, in my Angel mode."
"But, you're a girl," Ken blurted, then blushed awkwardly.
She smiled again, ruefully this time, and turned away from him. "yes. I- I'm sorry, for not telling you earlier, Ken. I suppose I was a little embarrassed."
"Why?" he asked.
The Digimon hesitated. "You knew when you were younger," she said quietly, almost tentatively. "You forgot when - when you became the Digimon Kaizer." Sensing his distress, she tightened her grip on his hand. Her face turned back toward him slowly, almost shyly, then she fluttered down to cup his cheek with her hand and press her lips to his. Ken started, but didn't pull away. He leaned into the kiss, enjoying her warmth and spicy fragrance after the coldness of the sea.
He supposed, deep down, that he had always loved Wormmon as more than a friend. It had taken almost losing her forever to make him realize it.
"Don't ever leave me again," she whispered, breaking away. "I was so afraid that I wouldn't be able to bring you back this time."
Ken nodded. "I won't. I promise." "You broke your promise to him." Shuddering slightly at the memory of Daemon's coercion, Ken gazed up at her solemnly. "I swear it."
She gathered him in her arms once more, and he leaned against her, exhausted. "Let's go home, Ken."