Garden
AN: Don't own Digimon. Don't own anything of any real value either, so don't sue.
It had been three days, and Ken's mom was getting worried. Ever since he had reappeared, all he'd done had been lie on his bed staring at the ceiling. Oh, he went to school, he did whatever he was told, but he did only what he was told. He'd eat, but only if reminded to and then only what was put before him. He would answer questions, but he would never say anything else. He just spent all his time thinking about something. Something he would never say anything about.
she called through the door.
Ken, sweetie, what's wrong?
Nothing, Mom. Nothing you can do anything about, anyway.
Ken, something is wrong. What? Ken deliberately ignored the question. And his mom knew that there was something terribly wrong.
I am a failure. I can't do anything without ruining, withering it. Wormmon, I'm sorry. I didn't deserve you. I deserved Kimeramon. A disloyal destroyer. The description fit both of us. But you were different, Wormmon, you cared. You deserved better than me. I should have been the one to die, and you the one to live. I'm sorry. But that's not enough. He heard someone enter the apatment, but he didn't much care.
His mom did, however. She greeted the visitor, a girl about Ken's age with short brown hair.
Hi. What do you want, sweetie?
Mrs. Ichijouji, my name's Kari Kamiya. I'm a friend of Ken's from school. I noticed he wasn't feeling well in school, so I decided to come and see if I could cheer him up. Mrs. Ichijouji found the simple kindness of this touching, so she replied courteously.
Ken's room is the second on the left. I'm glad you came.
The quiet knock on Ken's door broke the cycle of destructive thoughts he'd been in. What is it, Mom?
Ken, this is Kari. Can I come in?
She entered the room. It is you. Hi. How are you. That the last was a statement and not a question showed how emotionally exhausted he was.
Not fine. I'm never fine when I know someone is in as terrible pain as you are.
So you think you can help? Just wave a magic wand and poof! Wormmon's back? It's not that simple, Kari. You taught me that yourself.
I know. Don't think I haven't lost friends.
Ken was bewildered. How could she be so calm knowing the pain he felt firsthand?
It wasn't as serious in my case. Wizardmon wasn't my Digipartner, and I hadn't known him for that long. But he died to save me. He jumped in front of Myotismon's attack, and therefore saved Gatomon and I. But I know some of what you're feeling, Ken. I won't try to console you with trite sayings. But I do ask that you tell me some of what's been on your mind.
It's all my fault that Wormmon died. I should have known—
Something that would save him? I felt the same way. But you didn't, did you? Ken, hindsight gets you nowhere.
Ken, you've been sick of soul. I bring you a get-well gift. And with these words she gave Ken a potted flower. He burst into tears. Did I hurt you? What's wrong?
Wormmon and I used to talk about the Digiworld as a garden we were growing. I was making it a garden of weeds.
Then grow one of flowers to honor his memory.
They went to Sora's flower shop to get some flowers for the garden. Most of the flowers they bought were already in bloom, to honor those Digimon who had already died for them but had been resurrected at Primary Village. But two of the memory flowers were not already blooming. One was a non-flowering plant, to honor Wizardmon's ghost. One was but a seed at that point. It was Wormmon's flower.
Kari went over to Ken's house every day after school to help Ken with the garden. Ken had almost no experience gardening and nurturing, just with destroying what others had nurtured. The kindness within that his crest had focused on had never had a chance to come out. Kari, however, had kindness to spare. She taught Ken about kindness, and for this he would be eternally greatful.
One day in school, TK asked Kari if she could head over to an ice cream place with him after school. But Kari replied,
I have to go to Ken's. TK was incredibly hurt by that comment, as he thought that Kari loved him, not some genius jerk who nearly destroyed the Digiworld. He told her so, in slightly more scathing language.
TK, I don't love Ken. But he's hurt inside. You know that I was called to be a healer of hurts, with this crest of Light. I have to help Ken heal himself. I can't let the light of any crest die. He's nearly healed now. Maybe I can leave him soon. Later that day, she wondered if she had told TK the absolute truth with that comment. She knew Ken was an incredibly good friend, as TK would have known if he'd taken the time to befriend Ken as well. But was it more?
Ken asked himself that same question as he waited at home for Kari to come. He decided that, on his side at least, it was more. But he also had little hope about his chances. He knew that many people loved Kari for her kind ways, and he didn't think much of himself compared to them. Gone was the arrogance that had characterized him while still Digimon Emperor. He didn't think himself a genius anymore. A true genius could have found some way to save Wormmon. All he was was a person who had done terrible evil. Even though he had repented, could someone tainted that way ever hope to attract a thouroughly good person like Kari?
Kari looked at Ken later that day when they were both busy weeding. She looked at him and saw not the evil taint, but the good within. She saw that he had given up hope of that good ever coming out. But she also saw that it was beginning to. As he carefully pulled weeds from the area around the still tiny seedling of Wormmon's flower, she saw that this garden had done the trick. Ken refused to admit it, but his kindness shone through then. He had finally turned from dark to light. But he still needed her. And she knew at that moment that she could never leave him. He was still fragile from Wormmon's death, and he needed her presence next to him to show himself that he wasn't so bad after all. If she left now, it would completely crush him. She had to be there for him. But she didn't think it so bad. For she knew that, on her side at least, friendship had blossomed into love.
When they both realized this, their crests glowed, Wormmon's flower bloomed, and a Digi-egg hatched in Primary Village.
AN: Better or worse than the original?