Title - When Digital Worlds Collide
Subtitle - Part One: Through the Looking Glass
Author - Raptor Darkshadow
Rating – R
Summary - The Digiports have always worked before. But what would happen if they weren't operating properly one day? What if they malfunctioned and instead of connecting the Digital World to the real World, it created a loop with a parallel dimension where everyone has a counterpart? And what if this parallel dimension is evil, and everyone in it is a twisted image of the people we know in this world? And what if the Digidestined accidentally went there.....
Comments - I feel kind of sorry for Armadillomon and Miyako...but that's me
Couples - In this part, implied Takari and one-sided Daiken (this will change! Trust me!)(And he's got it bad, real bad!!!). However, in later parts, this is going to get confusing as it becomes couple intensive...hold on to your hats...
Disclaimer: You know the drill. I do not own Digimon...Digimon belong to a lot of rich people that I envy. I am making no money off this fic, and frankly I have no money so it would be pretty pointless to sue me. This is an original fic by me, if you would like to use it or post it somewhere else, please let me know first.... That's about all I can think of now...
A/N - Daisuke has a flashback, separated from the rest of the fic by "***" markings.
Warning - All flames will be used to make smores!
1.1.1 --When Digital Worlds Collide--
-Through the Looking Glass-
Daisuke stood and stretched, placing his hands on the small of his back as he stood. He had been stooped over for too long, and he smiled as he felt the tension release. He looked at the wall that he had just rebuilt with Veemon's help, and ran his fingers through his spiky auburn hair.
He smiled down at Veemon and patted the blue dragon on the head as he looked up at him with a grin, "We do good work, don't we buddy?" Veemon nodded, "Right!"
Daisuke turned back to the wall and sighed, returning his hands to his lower back, "Well, I guess that we should start working on the second wall."
Veemon nodded to himself, "Doesn't make much of a hut with only one wall, does it?"
Daisuke walked over to the next section and sat in front of the pile of rubble. Veemon joined him, and together they started to repair the wall using what they could salvage from the piles around them, what they could find in the forest around them, and what they had brought with them to this part of the Digital World.
Daisuke, Veemon, and the rest of the Digidestined and their Digimon were in the process of helping the Digimon that had been effected by the rule of the Digimon Emperor and the battles they had fought with him, as well as the damage that had been done by the evil Digimon that had followed when the Emperor had been defeated and Ken had joined the Digidestined. They had spent weeks traveling from one part of the Digital World to the next, and their journey had brought them to this small village of Koromon that had been all but wiped off the face of the Digital World during a battle.
Daisuke looked over his shoulder as he worked, placing one stone atop another and securing them in place with a cement-like substance that Iori had mixed up with the help of Armadillomon, who had dug up all the ingredients. He could see most of the other Digidestined from where he sat, either working like he was rebuilding a hut, or doing some other service for the thankful Koromon. The pink In-Training Digimon were everywhere, helping where they could, trying to stay out of the way, and watching as their village came back together around them.
Daisuke could watch as Armadillomon stuck his head out of the hole he had dug in the soft earth, smudges of brown and black dirt on his smiling face and ears as he threw more ingredients that he had found in his subterranean search into the large pot that Iori was stirring with a smile. Iori poured another bucket of water into the pot and looked at Armadillomon, and tried to stifle a laugh at the dirt on his face. Armadillomon crawled out of his hole and looked at the small boy quizzically, then looked into a puddle next to him at his motion. Armadillomon looked at himself in the puddle for a second, then started laughing with Iori, using the back of one paw to wipe at the dirt and only making the smudges worse. Iori collapsed amid a group of Koromon, holding his gut and kicking his feet in the air. Daisuke smiled at him, chuckling as Armadillomon washed his face in the puddle and helped his partner to his feet, only to return to his hole and get dirty again.
Daisuke let his eyes wander some more, coming to rest this time on Takeru, Hikari, Patamon and Gatomon. He smiled to himself as they put together a hut identical to the one that he was working on, one never getting in the way of the other, smiling at each other as if they knew something that the other didn't, or perhaps they knew something that they weren't telling the rest of the group. Patamon and Gatomon were no better, sometimes laughing at something the other said, helping their fellow Digimon move something, helping their partners. Daisuke sighed as he watched Takeru and Hikari start working on rebuilding the roof with materials their Digimon brought out of the forest. They were the perfect couple.
There were times when it was enough to make you sick!
Because of where he was sitting, he couldn't see Miyako or Hawkmon, but he could hear them. They were trying to find the center support beam of a hut on the far side of the village, and he could hear them arguing about which beam lying on the ground was the one they were looking for.
If he turned around enough so that he could look directly behind him, he could see Ken and Wormmon. They were putting up a wooden pavilion- like building that the Koromon would eat under if they wanted to be outside. They had just finished putting all the vertical supports in and were starting to put the roof beams up. Ken paused to push a stray strand of blue-black hair behind his ear with one hand and straightened up, looking over to see what was going on with Iori and Armadillomon-the younger boy laughed so seldom it was something to see, something to notice.
Daisuke caught himself staring, and turned away from Ken quickly. Veemon placed a stone in the cement and held it for a second to make sure it would stick before reaching for the next. Daisuke turned enough to look at Ken out of the corner of his eye, and felt a blush color his face as Ken smiled one of his rare smiles at Iori and Armadillomon. Daisuke sighed, thinking how much he wanted Ken to smile at him like that. He swallowed and turned away quickly when Ken bent at the waist to pick up another roof beam, feeling his blush deepen. He placed a rock in the cement and held it, hoping that he would cool off a little before anyone noticed.
Veemon blinked at him, wondering for a second, "Daisuke?"
Daisuke turned to him, "Yeah, Veemon?"
Veemon blinked again, "You're all red. Do you want to move into the shade?"
Daisuke shook his head, "No, I want to keep working! I'm fine!"
Veemon looked at him for a second, then shrugged to himself and carried the bucket over to the pot to get more cement. Daisuke sighed. Veemon had noticed, but he had been right next to him, and he hadn't known what it had meant. In his book, that was a good thing.
As he placed a rock on top of another, he hoped that no one else noticed his blush.
---------
Wormmon hummed to himself as Ken lifted the beam into place and accepted the hammer and nails from his partner. It made him feel geed to be doing some good after all that he and Ken had done before Ken had joined the Digidestined. Destroying Control Spires and fighting evil Digimon was one thing, but in his experience it was far more rewarding to help build something. Especially when he had had a hand-claw-in it's destruction.
Ken finished nailing the beam into place and wiped his forehead with one sleeve and smiled down at Wormmon, "What do you think?"
Wormmon nodded and made an affirmative noise, smiling to himself- although for the life of him Ken couldn't figure out how someone who didn't have lips and with a vertical mouth was able to smile. Ken placed his hands on his hips and stepped back to look at his handy work. He had never been all that good at intense physical activity, but for some strange reason he was enjoying this. He was thinking how good it felt to be able to do some good, to atone for what he had done and put in motion. Had he known what Wormmon was thinking, he would have been surprised at the similarity.
----------
Veemon placed the bucket of cement next to Daisuke and looked over his shoulder at Ken and Wormmon. He sighed as he watched them move away to get a drink of water before they started working again. The blue dragon sat next to his partner with a sigh, "It's Ken, isn't it?"
Daisuke's head snapped to look at Veemon, mouth open, "W-w-what?" Veemon looked at the ground, "It's Ken, isn't it? The one you're thinking about."
Daisuke swallowed and looked at the wall in front of him, "Um…yeah."
Veemon looked up, "Has it always been him?"
Daisuke wondered what his partner was talking about, then realized. It had happened enough that he supposed he should be surprised that it took this long for Veemon to say anything. All he could do was blush and look down at his hands. And remember the first time it had happened…
***
Daisuke stretched with a smile as he woke up, coming out of a truly fantastic dream, although he could already only remember it in the most general way, details slipping away as consciousness slipped in. After a moment, the smile slipped from his face as he raised himself to his elbows, his brow furrowing in confusion. He lifted the covers and looked underneath, still not believing what he was seeing.
Frowning, he hesitantly reached down to the source of his confusion. His fingers came away tacky. It wasn't hard to guess what had happened during his wonderful dream. He sighed as he sat up in bed. Suddenly, the bright happy face of Demiveemon was next to him, "Mornin' Daishuke!" he noticed that his partner didn't seem happy, "Wha's wrong?"
Daisuke's face got so hot in the next two seconds that he thought he was going to burst into flame. As it was, for better or for worse, he just looked away, finding himself more than a little embarrassed about this turn of events, and even more so that he had to share it with Demiveemon.
Demiveemon looked at Daisuke's fingers and the substance on them, then blinked up at Daisuke's red face, "Did you do that? I thought you were asleep."
Daisuke hadn't thought that his face could get any redder. But then again, you never know what you can do until you have to. "I…um…Well, you see…um…" this was harder than he thought it would be, "I was thinking of someone," The truth, plain, simple, easier, the truth was good.
"Thinking of someone?" Demiveemon asked, small brow knotted in thought.
Daisuke nodded, "Sometimes when people think of someone in their sleep…they, um…you know…" The blue ball of digital fuzz thought for a second, then smiled-which seemed much more natural then his pensive attitude of a few seconds earlier, "Who were you thinking of?"
Perhaps the truth might not be so good here… He would share just about anything with his Digimon, and considered him his closest friend, but there are some things that are just not comfortable to talk about to anyone. Especially when you're a guy telling another guy that you're in love with a guy. It's just one of those things that feels impossible to do until you do it.
It felt impossible to tell him.
So he didn't.
Daisuke swallowed, "Just…someone."
"Someone who? Was it me?" he didn't seem all that disturbed that it could have been him, but then again he didn't even know if Digimon thought about themselves or others in that way. Did he even know what it meant? Did Digimon even think about sex? He didn't know if he wanted to find out the answer to that.
Daisuke shook his head, "No, it wasn't you…it was just," he shrugged trying to show that it wasn't all that important, "Someone."
Without giving Demiveemon a chance to respond, Daisuke got up and wrapped a towel around his waist, then took the messy sheets off his bed and rolled them up with his boxers to wash at the first possible opportunity. But until then, he wanted a shower.
As he stood in the shower, feeling the hot water running off his well- muscled body, he rested his head against the white tile wall.
Ken…
***
"It's Ken, isn't it?" Veemon repeated quietly.
Daisuke remained silent for a second, grappling with the enormity of what he was being asked. He wanted to tell Veemon, confirm what he seemed to know, but it was so hard!
It felt impossible to tell him.
But he did anyway.
"Yes," Daisuke swallowed, "It's Ken, it's always been Ken."
Veemon looked like he wanted to say something, but after a second he just sighed and picked up the next rock he was going to put on the wall.
Daisuke sighed and placed a hand on Veemon's shoulder, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. It's just…" he shrugged, "I dunno." He had a sudden thought, "Does anyone else know?"
Veemon shook his head, "No, I don't think so."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
The blue Digimon shrugged, "I didn't want to embarrass you. And I didn't think that you wanted to tell me."
Daisuke winced. Said like that it made it sound like he had lied to Veemon, like he didn't trust him as much as a Digidestined should trust his Digimon. He just hadn't wanted to say anything because he didn't know how Veemon would react. He had thought that Veemon might have a problem with it and hate him. And there were two people that Daisuke couldn't bear hating him-Veemon and Ken.
He wanted to tell Veemon how he felt, but he didn't know if he could. It hadn't been easy to tell him that he was in love with Ken… telling him that he still trusted him right now sounded cheap and insincere.
"I'm sorry Veemon."
After a few seconds, they started working again. Finishing the wall in silence.
-----------
At sunset, the Digidestined and their Digimon quit working and headed back to the Digiport that they had used to get there. All the Koromon in the village came to see them off, laughing and cheering as they bounced after them.
"We'll be back tomorrow to finish!" Takeru promised, waving to the surrounding throng.
The pink In-Training Digimon called out their farewells as the Digidestined waved. Miyako turned to the screen on the ground, holding her D-3 out at arm's length.
"Digiport open!"
In a flash of light, the Koromon were alone around the screen as the Digidestined and their Digimon traveled between worlds.
Passing between the Digital World and the Real World was like flying through a sea of colors. The entire visual spectrum seemed to dance with itself, reds and greens, oranges and purples, yellows and blues, indigo, ultramarine, coral, violet, pink, and colors that sometimes defied naming.
It was soothing, relaxing, comforting.
But just as they were about to reach the other side, they seemed to stop in the middle of the sea of color.
Then something went wrong.
Everything changed.
The colors around them changed, seeming to darken or get dirty. Within seconds they were surrounded by shades of ocher, umber, and gray, spinning around and around in a dizzying whirlpool that grabbed them and funneled them where it willed.
There was a flash of light, and they found themselves on the other side.
Ken placed his hand to the side of his head, waiting for the vertigo to pass. He didn't know what happened when they were in the Digiport, and at the moment, he couldn't care less. All he wanted was for the world to stop spinning. When he thought that he could open his eyes, he did and took stock of his surroundings.
The rest of the Digidestined and their Digimon, including Wormmon were with him, all of them looking like they were feeling dizzy and nauseas as well.
Ken blinked for a second. Wormmon was with him? Why hadn't he regressed to Minomon when he came through the `Port? A quick glance told him that Veemon, Hawkmon and Armadillomon were there too. If they hadn't regressed to their In-Training forms, it could only mean one thing. They were still in the Digital World.
He raised his head off the ground. What he saw made him stop and stare. He sat up slowly, blinking rapidly, hoping what he was seeing would go away. But it stubbornly refused to disappear.
Iori knelt next to his Digimon. Armadillomon had clenched his eyes shut, moaning occasionally. The small boy rubbed the Digimon's armored back, uncertainty in his every motion-what was he supposed to do? How could he help? Armadillomon opened one eye, and tried to smile up at him, to show him that the concern and the effort were appreciated. With a grunt, Armadillomon got to his paws on shaky knees that felt like rubber, breathing deeply. Every muscle in his body tightened and his breathing stopped with a hitch in his throat. Iori bent closer, to ask what was wrong. Losing his battle with himself, Armadillomon lowered his head and threw up the meal the Koromon had given them for repairing their village. A second later, he threw up again, and again, and again, until he didn't feel like he had anything left in him.
Iori wrapped his arms as far as they would go around his Digimon, "Feel better?"
Armadillomon nodded, trembling all over as the nausea passed and the world stopped spinning.
Miyako covered her mouth with her gloved hands, tasting bile but refusing to throw up. She hated to throw up, and would rather taste this than do it. But in the end, she had no say in the matter. Hawkmon placed a wing on her shoulder.
Takeru and Hikari took deep breaths to settle their stomachs, holding it down until the spell passed. The rest of the Digimon seemed fine, if a little dizzy.
Daisuke grabbed Ken's shoulder, "Are you all right?"
Ken shook his head, eyes still staring straight ahead.
"What's wrong?" Daisuke asked, not seeing any blood or any apparent wound, "Do you have to throw up?"
Again, Ken shook his head. Daisuke was about to question further when he noticed Ken's fixated gaze and turned to look. What he saw made his mouth dry up and his eyes widen.
Before him lay the ruins of the Koromon village. Not as they had left it, not as they had found it, but worse. There was practically nothing recognizable left. It was as if it had been destroyed, then destroyed again, then ground into the earth for good measure. Small fires that looked like they had been burning for days were everywhere, thick oily smoke climbing into the sky in ragged clouds. The sky was dark, with night and clouds, roiling black and gray masses that rolled on as far as the eye could see, flashes of lightning illuminating it from within.
Daisuke closed his eyes, blocking out the sight before him, "Oh my God…"
Subtitle - Part One: Through the Looking Glass
Author - Raptor Darkshadow
Rating – R
Summary - The Digiports have always worked before. But what would happen if they weren't operating properly one day? What if they malfunctioned and instead of connecting the Digital World to the real World, it created a loop with a parallel dimension where everyone has a counterpart? And what if this parallel dimension is evil, and everyone in it is a twisted image of the people we know in this world? And what if the Digidestined accidentally went there.....
Comments - I feel kind of sorry for Armadillomon and Miyako...but that's me
Couples - In this part, implied Takari and one-sided Daiken (this will change! Trust me!)(And he's got it bad, real bad!!!). However, in later parts, this is going to get confusing as it becomes couple intensive...hold on to your hats...
Disclaimer: You know the drill. I do not own Digimon...Digimon belong to a lot of rich people that I envy. I am making no money off this fic, and frankly I have no money so it would be pretty pointless to sue me. This is an original fic by me, if you would like to use it or post it somewhere else, please let me know first.... That's about all I can think of now...
A/N - Daisuke has a flashback, separated from the rest of the fic by "***" markings.
Warning - All flames will be used to make smores!
1.1.1 --When Digital Worlds Collide--
-Through the Looking Glass-
Daisuke stood and stretched, placing his hands on the small of his back as he stood. He had been stooped over for too long, and he smiled as he felt the tension release. He looked at the wall that he had just rebuilt with Veemon's help, and ran his fingers through his spiky auburn hair.
He smiled down at Veemon and patted the blue dragon on the head as he looked up at him with a grin, "We do good work, don't we buddy?" Veemon nodded, "Right!"
Daisuke turned back to the wall and sighed, returning his hands to his lower back, "Well, I guess that we should start working on the second wall."
Veemon nodded to himself, "Doesn't make much of a hut with only one wall, does it?"
Daisuke walked over to the next section and sat in front of the pile of rubble. Veemon joined him, and together they started to repair the wall using what they could salvage from the piles around them, what they could find in the forest around them, and what they had brought with them to this part of the Digital World.
Daisuke, Veemon, and the rest of the Digidestined and their Digimon were in the process of helping the Digimon that had been effected by the rule of the Digimon Emperor and the battles they had fought with him, as well as the damage that had been done by the evil Digimon that had followed when the Emperor had been defeated and Ken had joined the Digidestined. They had spent weeks traveling from one part of the Digital World to the next, and their journey had brought them to this small village of Koromon that had been all but wiped off the face of the Digital World during a battle.
Daisuke looked over his shoulder as he worked, placing one stone atop another and securing them in place with a cement-like substance that Iori had mixed up with the help of Armadillomon, who had dug up all the ingredients. He could see most of the other Digidestined from where he sat, either working like he was rebuilding a hut, or doing some other service for the thankful Koromon. The pink In-Training Digimon were everywhere, helping where they could, trying to stay out of the way, and watching as their village came back together around them.
Daisuke could watch as Armadillomon stuck his head out of the hole he had dug in the soft earth, smudges of brown and black dirt on his smiling face and ears as he threw more ingredients that he had found in his subterranean search into the large pot that Iori was stirring with a smile. Iori poured another bucket of water into the pot and looked at Armadillomon, and tried to stifle a laugh at the dirt on his face. Armadillomon crawled out of his hole and looked at the small boy quizzically, then looked into a puddle next to him at his motion. Armadillomon looked at himself in the puddle for a second, then started laughing with Iori, using the back of one paw to wipe at the dirt and only making the smudges worse. Iori collapsed amid a group of Koromon, holding his gut and kicking his feet in the air. Daisuke smiled at him, chuckling as Armadillomon washed his face in the puddle and helped his partner to his feet, only to return to his hole and get dirty again.
Daisuke let his eyes wander some more, coming to rest this time on Takeru, Hikari, Patamon and Gatomon. He smiled to himself as they put together a hut identical to the one that he was working on, one never getting in the way of the other, smiling at each other as if they knew something that the other didn't, or perhaps they knew something that they weren't telling the rest of the group. Patamon and Gatomon were no better, sometimes laughing at something the other said, helping their fellow Digimon move something, helping their partners. Daisuke sighed as he watched Takeru and Hikari start working on rebuilding the roof with materials their Digimon brought out of the forest. They were the perfect couple.
There were times when it was enough to make you sick!
Because of where he was sitting, he couldn't see Miyako or Hawkmon, but he could hear them. They were trying to find the center support beam of a hut on the far side of the village, and he could hear them arguing about which beam lying on the ground was the one they were looking for.
If he turned around enough so that he could look directly behind him, he could see Ken and Wormmon. They were putting up a wooden pavilion- like building that the Koromon would eat under if they wanted to be outside. They had just finished putting all the vertical supports in and were starting to put the roof beams up. Ken paused to push a stray strand of blue-black hair behind his ear with one hand and straightened up, looking over to see what was going on with Iori and Armadillomon-the younger boy laughed so seldom it was something to see, something to notice.
Daisuke caught himself staring, and turned away from Ken quickly. Veemon placed a stone in the cement and held it for a second to make sure it would stick before reaching for the next. Daisuke turned enough to look at Ken out of the corner of his eye, and felt a blush color his face as Ken smiled one of his rare smiles at Iori and Armadillomon. Daisuke sighed, thinking how much he wanted Ken to smile at him like that. He swallowed and turned away quickly when Ken bent at the waist to pick up another roof beam, feeling his blush deepen. He placed a rock in the cement and held it, hoping that he would cool off a little before anyone noticed.
Veemon blinked at him, wondering for a second, "Daisuke?"
Daisuke turned to him, "Yeah, Veemon?"
Veemon blinked again, "You're all red. Do you want to move into the shade?"
Daisuke shook his head, "No, I want to keep working! I'm fine!"
Veemon looked at him for a second, then shrugged to himself and carried the bucket over to the pot to get more cement. Daisuke sighed. Veemon had noticed, but he had been right next to him, and he hadn't known what it had meant. In his book, that was a good thing.
As he placed a rock on top of another, he hoped that no one else noticed his blush.
---------
Wormmon hummed to himself as Ken lifted the beam into place and accepted the hammer and nails from his partner. It made him feel geed to be doing some good after all that he and Ken had done before Ken had joined the Digidestined. Destroying Control Spires and fighting evil Digimon was one thing, but in his experience it was far more rewarding to help build something. Especially when he had had a hand-claw-in it's destruction.
Ken finished nailing the beam into place and wiped his forehead with one sleeve and smiled down at Wormmon, "What do you think?"
Wormmon nodded and made an affirmative noise, smiling to himself- although for the life of him Ken couldn't figure out how someone who didn't have lips and with a vertical mouth was able to smile. Ken placed his hands on his hips and stepped back to look at his handy work. He had never been all that good at intense physical activity, but for some strange reason he was enjoying this. He was thinking how good it felt to be able to do some good, to atone for what he had done and put in motion. Had he known what Wormmon was thinking, he would have been surprised at the similarity.
----------
Veemon placed the bucket of cement next to Daisuke and looked over his shoulder at Ken and Wormmon. He sighed as he watched them move away to get a drink of water before they started working again. The blue dragon sat next to his partner with a sigh, "It's Ken, isn't it?"
Daisuke's head snapped to look at Veemon, mouth open, "W-w-what?" Veemon looked at the ground, "It's Ken, isn't it? The one you're thinking about."
Daisuke swallowed and looked at the wall in front of him, "Um…yeah."
Veemon looked up, "Has it always been him?"
Daisuke wondered what his partner was talking about, then realized. It had happened enough that he supposed he should be surprised that it took this long for Veemon to say anything. All he could do was blush and look down at his hands. And remember the first time it had happened…
***
Daisuke stretched with a smile as he woke up, coming out of a truly fantastic dream, although he could already only remember it in the most general way, details slipping away as consciousness slipped in. After a moment, the smile slipped from his face as he raised himself to his elbows, his brow furrowing in confusion. He lifted the covers and looked underneath, still not believing what he was seeing.
Frowning, he hesitantly reached down to the source of his confusion. His fingers came away tacky. It wasn't hard to guess what had happened during his wonderful dream. He sighed as he sat up in bed. Suddenly, the bright happy face of Demiveemon was next to him, "Mornin' Daishuke!" he noticed that his partner didn't seem happy, "Wha's wrong?"
Daisuke's face got so hot in the next two seconds that he thought he was going to burst into flame. As it was, for better or for worse, he just looked away, finding himself more than a little embarrassed about this turn of events, and even more so that he had to share it with Demiveemon.
Demiveemon looked at Daisuke's fingers and the substance on them, then blinked up at Daisuke's red face, "Did you do that? I thought you were asleep."
Daisuke hadn't thought that his face could get any redder. But then again, you never know what you can do until you have to. "I…um…Well, you see…um…" this was harder than he thought it would be, "I was thinking of someone," The truth, plain, simple, easier, the truth was good.
"Thinking of someone?" Demiveemon asked, small brow knotted in thought.
Daisuke nodded, "Sometimes when people think of someone in their sleep…they, um…you know…" The blue ball of digital fuzz thought for a second, then smiled-which seemed much more natural then his pensive attitude of a few seconds earlier, "Who were you thinking of?"
Perhaps the truth might not be so good here… He would share just about anything with his Digimon, and considered him his closest friend, but there are some things that are just not comfortable to talk about to anyone. Especially when you're a guy telling another guy that you're in love with a guy. It's just one of those things that feels impossible to do until you do it.
It felt impossible to tell him.
So he didn't.
Daisuke swallowed, "Just…someone."
"Someone who? Was it me?" he didn't seem all that disturbed that it could have been him, but then again he didn't even know if Digimon thought about themselves or others in that way. Did he even know what it meant? Did Digimon even think about sex? He didn't know if he wanted to find out the answer to that.
Daisuke shook his head, "No, it wasn't you…it was just," he shrugged trying to show that it wasn't all that important, "Someone."
Without giving Demiveemon a chance to respond, Daisuke got up and wrapped a towel around his waist, then took the messy sheets off his bed and rolled them up with his boxers to wash at the first possible opportunity. But until then, he wanted a shower.
As he stood in the shower, feeling the hot water running off his well- muscled body, he rested his head against the white tile wall.
Ken…
***
"It's Ken, isn't it?" Veemon repeated quietly.
Daisuke remained silent for a second, grappling with the enormity of what he was being asked. He wanted to tell Veemon, confirm what he seemed to know, but it was so hard!
It felt impossible to tell him.
But he did anyway.
"Yes," Daisuke swallowed, "It's Ken, it's always been Ken."
Veemon looked like he wanted to say something, but after a second he just sighed and picked up the next rock he was going to put on the wall.
Daisuke sighed and placed a hand on Veemon's shoulder, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. It's just…" he shrugged, "I dunno." He had a sudden thought, "Does anyone else know?"
Veemon shook his head, "No, I don't think so."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
The blue Digimon shrugged, "I didn't want to embarrass you. And I didn't think that you wanted to tell me."
Daisuke winced. Said like that it made it sound like he had lied to Veemon, like he didn't trust him as much as a Digidestined should trust his Digimon. He just hadn't wanted to say anything because he didn't know how Veemon would react. He had thought that Veemon might have a problem with it and hate him. And there were two people that Daisuke couldn't bear hating him-Veemon and Ken.
He wanted to tell Veemon how he felt, but he didn't know if he could. It hadn't been easy to tell him that he was in love with Ken… telling him that he still trusted him right now sounded cheap and insincere.
"I'm sorry Veemon."
After a few seconds, they started working again. Finishing the wall in silence.
-----------
At sunset, the Digidestined and their Digimon quit working and headed back to the Digiport that they had used to get there. All the Koromon in the village came to see them off, laughing and cheering as they bounced after them.
"We'll be back tomorrow to finish!" Takeru promised, waving to the surrounding throng.
The pink In-Training Digimon called out their farewells as the Digidestined waved. Miyako turned to the screen on the ground, holding her D-3 out at arm's length.
"Digiport open!"
In a flash of light, the Koromon were alone around the screen as the Digidestined and their Digimon traveled between worlds.
Passing between the Digital World and the Real World was like flying through a sea of colors. The entire visual spectrum seemed to dance with itself, reds and greens, oranges and purples, yellows and blues, indigo, ultramarine, coral, violet, pink, and colors that sometimes defied naming.
It was soothing, relaxing, comforting.
But just as they were about to reach the other side, they seemed to stop in the middle of the sea of color.
Then something went wrong.
Everything changed.
The colors around them changed, seeming to darken or get dirty. Within seconds they were surrounded by shades of ocher, umber, and gray, spinning around and around in a dizzying whirlpool that grabbed them and funneled them where it willed.
There was a flash of light, and they found themselves on the other side.
Ken placed his hand to the side of his head, waiting for the vertigo to pass. He didn't know what happened when they were in the Digiport, and at the moment, he couldn't care less. All he wanted was for the world to stop spinning. When he thought that he could open his eyes, he did and took stock of his surroundings.
The rest of the Digidestined and their Digimon, including Wormmon were with him, all of them looking like they were feeling dizzy and nauseas as well.
Ken blinked for a second. Wormmon was with him? Why hadn't he regressed to Minomon when he came through the `Port? A quick glance told him that Veemon, Hawkmon and Armadillomon were there too. If they hadn't regressed to their In-Training forms, it could only mean one thing. They were still in the Digital World.
He raised his head off the ground. What he saw made him stop and stare. He sat up slowly, blinking rapidly, hoping what he was seeing would go away. But it stubbornly refused to disappear.
Iori knelt next to his Digimon. Armadillomon had clenched his eyes shut, moaning occasionally. The small boy rubbed the Digimon's armored back, uncertainty in his every motion-what was he supposed to do? How could he help? Armadillomon opened one eye, and tried to smile up at him, to show him that the concern and the effort were appreciated. With a grunt, Armadillomon got to his paws on shaky knees that felt like rubber, breathing deeply. Every muscle in his body tightened and his breathing stopped with a hitch in his throat. Iori bent closer, to ask what was wrong. Losing his battle with himself, Armadillomon lowered his head and threw up the meal the Koromon had given them for repairing their village. A second later, he threw up again, and again, and again, until he didn't feel like he had anything left in him.
Iori wrapped his arms as far as they would go around his Digimon, "Feel better?"
Armadillomon nodded, trembling all over as the nausea passed and the world stopped spinning.
Miyako covered her mouth with her gloved hands, tasting bile but refusing to throw up. She hated to throw up, and would rather taste this than do it. But in the end, she had no say in the matter. Hawkmon placed a wing on her shoulder.
Takeru and Hikari took deep breaths to settle their stomachs, holding it down until the spell passed. The rest of the Digimon seemed fine, if a little dizzy.
Daisuke grabbed Ken's shoulder, "Are you all right?"
Ken shook his head, eyes still staring straight ahead.
"What's wrong?" Daisuke asked, not seeing any blood or any apparent wound, "Do you have to throw up?"
Again, Ken shook his head. Daisuke was about to question further when he noticed Ken's fixated gaze and turned to look. What he saw made his mouth dry up and his eyes widen.
Before him lay the ruins of the Koromon village. Not as they had left it, not as they had found it, but worse. There was practically nothing recognizable left. It was as if it had been destroyed, then destroyed again, then ground into the earth for good measure. Small fires that looked like they had been burning for days were everywhere, thick oily smoke climbing into the sky in ragged clouds. The sky was dark, with night and clouds, roiling black and gray masses that rolled on as far as the eye could see, flashes of lightning illuminating it from within.
Daisuke closed his eyes, blocking out the sight before him, "Oh my God…"