6. In Health and Distortion
As it turns out, rebooting is almost too easy. Homeostasis just needs to be afraid, if this mysterious emailer is anything to go by. Not afraid for itself, apparently it was incapable of selfless thought. He has no idea if that is true or not, as Hime-chan had always been the possessed one, the one with the open, bright heart. She was the one they had always wanted and it showed and stung. At any rate, Homeostasis only feared for the universe it was sworn to maintain.
Not fearing for yourself is very unhealthy. Daigo knows this better than most.
Still, the hard part is being willing to keep upsetting Meicoomon. He himself doesn't have to do much, as Ichijouji Ken (if that's him) certainly is doing it plenty with threats and whispers and other things.
"Mei!"
Her scream sounds like Bakumon, like a horror movie echo. Bakumon only watches, unimpressed.
"What's she so sad about?" he asks him after he gets them away. "Her Mei's still alive."
Daigo shakes his head. "But she could not be, at any given time."
Bakumon continues to frown. "But she's not now."
"She could be." Daigo replies, deciding to end this discussion before it gets any worse.
Meicoomon continues to scream, even as Bakumon continues to think. You would think one would block out the other. Apparently not.
"Well, isn't this a fine dilemma you've put us into."
The mysterious man is in his office, his office where no one should be able to get into without a specific, personal pass code.
"Are you Ken?" he asks, wanting to feel wary and only feeling tired.
The man shrugs. "I would be. You know, if you hadn't left him to die. Funny things happen to Dark Seeds when their hosts are at risk. Even dormant, they have an urge to… continue." He smiles. "So, for the moment, I suppose I am Ichijouji Ken."
Daigo learns from his past and avoids asking more stupid questions. "Is there really anything I can offer you?" Formal, business, adult tone against a childish dream. Suits them all, really.
Ken regards him through the glare of his modified sunglasses. He won't even remove them in the dark. "You didn't help us before. Why now? What do you get out of it?"
Well, the boy had to have gotten some intelligence before the Dark Seed. Daigo pretends the young man isn't trying to cut him to the bone. "Something I shouldn't have lost to begin with. Someone I miss."
Ken's eyes flickered, head tilting. "Is that so? Is everyone else worth that?"
Of course not. Never. Daigo doesn't say that because he knows deep down that to him, she is. Her and her impish smile and clever ideas. "She is now," he says instead, and it hurts his throat.
Ken only hums. Daigo looks back to his computer. "What do you get out of being here?"
Ken, just like the Akiyama Ryo of the old tales, laughs. "Who knows?"