A/N: Mild language in this chapter
Chapter 12
Some things just never seem to go as planned, like how just another average day turned into a daring escape from rabid fangirls. It all started when Davis and Ken headed over to Odaiba Elementary to use the shower rooms, accompanied by Taichi and the others, excluding Patamon and Tailmon (who had run off to wherever and would return to their partners in the evening). Miyako walked at the back of the group, constantly staring at Ken with dreamy eyes and admiring the magazine her idol had signed.
"You were an amazing player, Ichijouji. Those moves were sweet, I should really try them out sometime. Congratulations by the way," Taichi commended Ken for his overwhelming victory.
"Yeah, that was a really good game. Is soccer the only thing you play though? If it were possible, I'd like to have a basketball match with you someday," Takeru asked eagerly.
Ken smiled and shook his head. He answered, "I mostly specialise in soccer. I haven't picked up many other sports. I'm badminton, ping pong and swimming, but I have not tried basketball yet." Takeru raised his shoulders disappointedly. It was Iori's turn to ask a question.
"Ichijouji-san, do you know any other martial arts? I know you're active at Judo."
"Ah, that I am. I do know some Kendo, but I'm not too good at it yet. Never actually studied the techniques in detail." Iori perked up at the response, feeling excitement bubble in his stomach after hearing that Ken knew something of his own forte.
"Kendo? I learn kendo too. My grandfather owns a dojo. Maybe you'd want to stop by someday? It'd be an honour to practise the art with you, Ichijouji-san," he asked eagerly. It was a perfect chance to promote his sensei's dojo, and it would be even greater to be able to learn together with a person like Ken.
Ken smiled and replied, "I'm sure too, Hida-san."
Giggling came from behind the group. Miyako gave Ken a lovey-dovey expression. "Ken-kun, you really are the best," she drawled. Ken forced a polite grin and quickly turned his attention towards Davis.
"So how are you holding up? It's been a while since we last met," he mentioned casually.
"No way, you have met Daisuke-kun before?" Takeru exclaimed in disbelief. Hikari shared his sentiments.
"Yeah, Daisuke-kun didn't tell us about this," she said, looking at Davis with a half-disappointed and half-surprised expression. Davis scratched his head and apologized, "It slipped my mind. We met a long time ago and I didn't really think it'd be the same person. Sorry I didn't tell you guys." He glared pointedly at Ken.
Way to set me up, douchebag, Davis fumed. Ken's smirk said it all.
Miyako butted in after the only important information registered in her mind. "WHAT? Daisuke-kun knew Ken-kun and didn't tell us? That's so selfish of you! You probably wanted Ken-kun all to yourself so that you can make your yaoi fantasies come true! This is unjust!" she yelled, squeezing Poromon and the magazine in her chest tightly. She then realised that everybody was staring at her. Taichi, Takeru and Hikari were in shock. Iori blinked, not knowing what yaoi was. A vein bulged on Davis' forehead and Ken looked rather disturbed by the idea.
"I… just said that out loud, didn't I?" Miyako whimpered, her face as red as a tomato. She had blurted out something embarrassing about her idol in front of her idol. She wanted to dig a hole and bury herself.
Taichi decided to spare the girl further humiliation and changed the topic. However, the Digimon chose the worst possible timing to make it worse. He was about to open his mouth when a raspy voice came from the beige 'toy' Iori held.
"Iori, what is yaoi dagyaa?"
Taichi blanched. Takeru's jaw dropped. Hikari held her hands over her mouth in horror. Miyako wasn't really paying attention but the mention of yaoi made her curl into a ball on the ground and her face turned into a deep shade of maroon. Ken stopped and turned around, asking, "Did that thing just talk?"
Iori panicked and hid Upamon behind his back, hastily pulling a smile to cover his shock. "N-no, I think you misheard someone else say it. It certainly didn't talk. Not at all!" he stammered, trying to cover up for his partner's blunder.
Ken frowned. "I'm pretty sure that voice belonged to not one of us."
Takeru raised a hand and said, "Sorry that was me. I spoke slightly differently." He cleared his throat and did an impression of Upamon. "Ahem, what is yaoi? Iori, what is that?" after a brief pause he added, "dagyaa?" It was a close impression and he hoped that Ichijouji would buy it.
To Takeru's chagrin, the boy in question shook his head. "Nice try but no. May I take a look at the thing you're holding?" Ken held out his hand. Iori gripped his Digimon tightly, a silent gesture for Upamon to remain still and silent, then he handed the creature stiffly over to Ken.
Ken inspected the Digimon from all angles. The Chosen Children held their breaths as he looked Upamon over. He stared Upamon in the eyes, tempting him to blink but thankfully the Digimon didn't budge. Quick as lightning, Ken snapped his finger in front of Upamon's face. He didn't manage to elicit a response at all. "Hmm," was all he said before handing it back to Iori. He seemed rather dissatisfied, but he didn't question it further.
The group had entered the main entrance and was walking towards the shower rooms. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, glad that Ken had dropped the subject… Until he turned his attention towards Chibimon.
"You guys really seem to like having big soft toys with you. Is it a trend or something nowadays?" Ken asked as he poked Chibimon on the cheek. Unseen by the rest, he gave the Digimon a wink.
"Er… yeah. I think it is," Davis replied. Ken looked up at him and he caught the flicker of playfulness in the genius' eyes.
Son of a… He's just messing with them. Ken already knows about Digimon and he's just toying with us. What's he up to?
"Hmm, if they're all toys then I suppose this guy won't react to food then? It's such a shame, because I brought some snacks with me." Ken took out a chocolate coated wafer bar and peeled the wrapper off halfway, waving it in front of Chibimon.
Davis faltered. Chocolate was Chibimon's favourite. There was no way he could resist the temptation.
To the little guy's credit, he actually managed to stay motionless as the snack was waved continuously in front of him. The smell of cocoa wafted into Chibimon's nostrils every time it passed over his nose and the temptation to snag the bar grew stronger. What is he doing? Why is he torturing me with this… lovely… No, resist! But I can't… hold it in… much longer… A stream of drool begin to leak out of his mouth and onto Davis' arm. The slimy saliva was disgusting to the boy's skin and he shuddered.
Everyone else groaned. The cover that they had tried to maintain for so long had been blown, thanks to Chibimon's failed self-control. Ken grinned and handed the wafer to Chibimon, who grabbed it and started nibbling away at the snack bar.
"Honestly, I'm surprised that you guys managed to keep up the cover for so long. These guys are Digimon right? I knew it the first moment I saw them up close," Ken said, satisfied that he had managed to catch them off guard. He glanced at Davis, the latter giving him a bored look that said you had your fun.
Taichi recovered and noted Ken's revelation about his knowledge of Digimon. "You know about Digimon?" he asked.
"Of course I do. I don't think anyone really forgot about the Rainbow Bridge – um, Hikarigaoka- incident. The sky was torn apart and there were monsters and stuff."
"I thought many people had forgotten about it? That was three years ago, no one ever spoke of it. It seems like most people don't really remember," Miyako exclaimed. She had regained her composure and was looking rather serious.
Ken licked his lips. "I wouldn't say that they forgot, but I think life just went on and the events were pushed out of their minds. It wasn't a pleasant incident so I doubt people wanted to remember it in the first place. Time passed and the public let sleeping dogs lie."
Iori voiced his question, "So you knew that we had Digimon with us?"
Ken shrugged. "Kind of. I could have been wrong and they were just really cute soft toys. It was kind of lucky that your Digimon spoke up. It gave me the chance to prove my suspicions."
"Now that Ken-kun knows about Digimon, here! Poromon, meet Ichijouji Ken-kun. Ken-kun, this is Poromon, my Digimon Partner!" Miyako held her feathery friend out for Ken to greet.
"This is my partner, Upamon. Nice to meet you," Iori courteously offered, bowing his head lightly. Upamon echoed his partner's words enthusiastically, adding his usual 'dagyaa' at the end of the sentence.
"This is Chibimon," Davis said simply. Ken knew about V-mon and Davis wasn't going to play his game. Ken nodded and looked at the three Digimon respectively before turning to Takeru, Hikari and Taichi.
"Do you have Digimon partners too?" he asked, although he already knew the answer. It was important to keep up appearances.
"Yeah, we do but they're probably hiding somewhere. They don't like to be seen around much," Hikari explained.
"My partner is Agumon, but he's not around. Maybe you'll see him someday." Taichi wasn't eager to give out classified Chosen Children information to a civilian.
Oh, I'll be seeing a lot more of him that you can imagine, Yagami. You have no idea, Ken thought. Out loud he said, "Fair enough. Now if you excuse me, Davis and I will have a quick shower to get the stink off us. My own smell is getting to me."
"Ah, alright. We'll wait for you two in the cafeteria then," Takeru noted.
Davis was standing close to Miyako at the time. He may have imagined it, but he heard a soft murmur of 'I'd love to smell you all day'. He rolled his eyes.
Fangirls were the worst. Davis should know because Jun was one. All the screaming, asking for autographs, discussing feats, and talks about getting married, he could do without. He didn't think he would ever be chased by fangirls, especially crazy fanatical ones that trampled anyone who was so unlucky to cross paths in their stampede. But there he was, running for his life with Ken. Technically it was Ken only that they were after, but Davis still ran with him anyway.
It was a nightmare that the two of them had run into after their clean up session. Still rubbing their wet hair with towels, they had walked right into a trap. The cafeteria was taken over by a dozen or more fangirls, all holding homemade signs and magazines with his face on it. The Chosen Children were rounded up at a corner, unable to move.
"Ichijouji Ken-kun!" the mob screamed, after one of them spotted the raven haired boy. Instantly, the attention of the girls homed in on their target. Like a swarm of bees, they surged towards him.
"Daisuke-kun! Ichijouji-kun! Save yourselves!" Hikari yelled.
"Run," Ken said. Davis didn't need to be told twice. The two boys scrambled for their lives, followed by a rabid group of fangirls. They ran into a corner and hurried up the stairs to the first floor. Miyako hurried along, yelling, "Oi you nutters, don't you dare hurt my Ichijouji-kun!"
"The girls in your school are crazier than mine," the Digimon Kaiser's alter ego remarked. "At least back there the most they do is stalk."
"Now is not the time to be saying something like this," he shot back, looking for a place to hide. "In here!"
They dodged into an empty classroom, closing the door and trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. Outside, the girls paused to figure out where they had gone to. The boys curled up even more, hoping the darkness would conceal them should someone enter the room.
To their relief, a loud female voice screeched, "He must have gone upstairs, let's go search! We will not stop until we get his signature and a kiss on the cheek!" then followed by a cheer. They then thundered off, footsteps echoing in the empty corridor.
Davis and Ken remained crouched in the shadows, holding their breaths in anticipation. After a moment of silence, they sighed in relief, thinking that they were finally safe. They stood up, prepared to leave. Unexpectedly, the door to the room slid open, revealing a madly grinning fangirl. "Everyone, he's here!" she called, and the sound of footsteps grew louder. Ken was trapped at last!
There seemed to be no way out of this mess until Ken gripped Davis' shoulder and said, "Follow my lead." He jerked his head in the direction of the window where a tree grew outside. Before Davis could respond, he put a foot on the window sill and launched himself off the first floor. The mahogany haired boy watched as the girls screamed in shock and terror, at Ken who sailed across the air and grabbed hold one of the thick branches. He then dropped off onto the ground, bending his knees to absorb the impact. The group of girls who squeezed against him, trying to get a clear look at Ken. Their terror had subsided and changed into amazement.
"That's Ichijouji-kun for you, he's so good!"
"He's like a gymnast. Did you see the way he jumped out?"
"Awesome!"
Brushing the dirt off his pants, Ken looked back up at Davis, daring him to follow suit. Davis shook his head, pointing towards the gate with his eyes. Thankfully, Ken got the message and he ran for the exit.
The chatter and praise abruptly turned into moans of despair and disappointment when they saw him heading out.
The goggle boy managed to extract himself from the crowd and sneak out. A hand touched his and he looked back to see who it was. It was Hidari Rinko, a shy girl from his own class. "Daisuke-kun…" she said his name softly. Her jet black hair was tied in a ponytail, and her eyes were a warm shade of brown. "Are you…"
Frantic that he might not be able to catch up to his friend, he hurriedly apologized to the girl. "Sorry, Rinko-san, I really have to go. Ask me again someday!" He said, leaving the girl behind and rushing for the stairs. He skipped a few steps, careful not to trip. He later bumped into his gang of friends but he snatched Chibimon from Hikari with a "Sorry, I'll catch up with you guys later", leaving them to wonder what had gotten into the boy. Taichi reached out for his retreating figure, calling, "Oi Daisuke, where are you going?" He got no response.
"Geez, Daisuke-kun is always running away randomly. What's gotten into him?" Takeru commented, scratching his blond head.
Hikari stared at Davis' retreating figure. "Sometimes I wonder that too," she said softly, looking stricken and confused.
Daisuke-kun… Just what happened to you?
Davis raced to the gates and found Ken leaning against the wall. Finally, some peace and quiet for their private discussion at last. The two made their way to the playground in the park, which was deserted at that time of the day. The afternoon was sunny but not blazing hot, and a cool wind blew dried leaves across the grassy field, creating a soft rustle. Davis took a seat on the empty swings, watching as Ken got a couple of sodas from the vending machine nearby and Chibimon playing on the slide. The young prodigy walked back towards him and tossed the can at Davis, who caught it with two hands. The aluminium cylinder felt cold and wet in his hands.
"So what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?" Ken asked, taking a seat on the adjacent swing. All the excitement had really worn them out. Even Davis had forgotten about the confrontation he had planned.
"Well… It's nothing really," Davis began, then mentally kicked himself. What do you mean nothing? It's everything for goodness sake, he yelled at himself internally. "I just wanted to talk about our past. I know there's something off, and you apparently knew that earlier than I did."
Ken scrutinised his face for a while before he popped his can and drank from it. The sweet, fizzy drink flowed down his throat, then he burped softly into a clenched fist. "You got that right. How much exactly, do you remember?" he asked.
"Just some images and feelings. I remember you, Tai, TK, Kari… and some place called the Academia. Tell me, is all of that real?" Davis replied.
Ken nodded slowly. "You and I were friends since we were young," he said, then he added, "Well, younger. Tai is your brother, I don't know who TK and Kari, and we used to study in the Academia. Or at least you did, I went to Tamachi all the same."
Davis gave him a nod of his own. He was now sure that Tai was his brother, but Taichi wasn't, was he? Tai was a Kamiya, Davis was a Kamiya; Taichi was a Yagami, and that made a difference. But Hikari was Taichi's sister and not a Motomiya, and now he was a Motomiya, but how did that relate to Jun... It made so little sense that his head hurt just thinking about it. Ken seemed to notice his mental turmoil because he said, "You're thinking about the differences right? Don't worry, for a moment I thought Sam was dead too."
The boy with spiky hair frowned, cocking his head in confusion. "Who's dead?"
Ken started, then realised that Davis didn't know that much yet. He answered, "Oh, don't worry about it. My brother is Sam and he's alive and kicking back home, although his counterpart Osamu is dead in this reality." The young prodigy felt a pang of sadness and guilt for the native Ichijouji Ken, who'd probably have to come to the realisation at some point that his real brother had truly passed on. He hoped that Sam would be able to comfort his doppelganger.
Davis watched as his companion's face fell slightly, but he didn't push the subject. So he asked, "Are we really in another world?"
"Yep."
"So all these are just broken memories and I'm not going crazy, am I?"
Ken's smile returned. "Those are memories alright, though I'm not sure about the going crazy bit. You have always been kind of a psycho at times," he said and laughed heartily when Davis gave him a narrowed glare. "Kidding, so what else do you want to know? You've already confirmed that we are indeed non-native inhabitants of this timeline, world, universe or whatever."
Davis opened his mouth to speak again. "How much do you remember?" he asked. Ken just shrugged and too another sip from his soda can.
"Everything, I guess. It has all come back to me."
Davis eyes lit up, and he stood up from the swing to face Ken fully. "Tell me how," he demanded. He didn't say much, but Ken understood that he was referring to how he had unlocked his forgotten past. Chibimon upon noticing his partner's agitated movement, bounced over and stood by Davis' leg, placing a stubby hand on his calf.
Ken pursed his lips, not liking the direction the conversation had gone. He knew the question was inevitable, but he still had held hope that Davis wouldn't ask him. A presence tingled in his mind and he saw from the corner of his eyes, a figure in an Armani suit walking towards the swing. Davis didn't seem to notice, but Ken knew it was Nauticus. The overdressed, masked man folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the painted metal frame of the swing, dual coloured eyes staring at Ken expectantly.
The boy shook his head. "It's a long story, and all you need to know is that you don't need your memories back just yet. It is crucial that they remain dormant until all of this is over."
"What do you mean, I don't need my memories back yet?" Davis practically yelled. "I have the right to get my past back, so tell me how!"
"I can't," Ken protested heatedly.
"Why not?!"
"Because I don't know how!" Ken stood up and screamed at Davis. "I somehow just got my memories back and all I know is that I shouldn't have, and it is important for you to not remember everything until this whole thing is solved, because doing so will only doom us all!"
"What are you talking about?" Davis demanded again, clenching his unopened can tightly. The answers that Ken had given only brought up more questions. Why can't he tell me? Why shouldn't I remember? What did he mean by dooming us all? Even Chibimon became wary of the tension between the two boys for he leapt onto Davis' shoulder and perched on it, eyeing Ken carefully should he act rashly.
Ken pinched the bridge of his nose, then he responded in a calmer tone, "I know you have many questions, but many of them cannot be answered right now mainly because even I am not sure of the situation." The last part was a lie. He had a clear idea what was going on, but he couldn't let Davis know that just yet. He pleaded, "Just trust me to do what's best, alright?" Nauticus snorted and walked off, and the presence vanished from Ken's head.
Davis felt rather miffed by the answer he had gotten. Ken had just requested that he blindly follow his lead, with just his word that he knew what he was doing. Did he trust the prodigy enough to do so?
Probably not, but it's the only option for now, he thought. Reluctantly, he warned, "I'll trust you for now, but don't you dare try any tricks, Ichijouji."
Ken nodded grimly. "I won't," he promised. Not when the fate of the world rests on my –no, our- shoulders.
Relaxing slightly, Davis lifted a hand to pet Chibimon, then he opened the can and took a measured gulp before passing it to his partner.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you… Digimon don't do well with fizz, or at least Wormmon doesn't," Ken said.
Chibimon downed half the can in one go and belched, causing Ken to scrunch up his face in disgust. "I'm not Wormmon. I have been drinking these things for a long time," he chirped. Ken shrugged at the response, thinking that he'd have to find out what else that Wormmon was couldn't handle.
The mention of the bug Digimon reminded Davis of another topic he had been wanting to discuss. "Why did you become the Digimon Kaiser?" he asked.
Ken sighed. "Again, Kamiya… You really have a knack for asking questions that you're not ready to receive the answer to. Would it help if I just said it was just for fun?" Seeing the unamused looks on both Davis and his partner's faces, his lip curled. "I'll take it as a no then."
"Ken…" Davis said in a threatening voice. This confrontation was definitely not unravelling the way he had imagined it had.
The Digimon Kaiser's alter ego chuckled lowly. Following a moment of thoughtful silence, he proposed, "Let's just say that it wasn't an accident that we arrived to this place. We both have jobs to do –uh-uh, don't interrupt—and each has their own importance, towards a shared goal. That's all I'll say." It was a win-win answer, sort of. Ken didn't give anything away, Davis got another piece information, and hopefully he had picked up the subtle hint that he wasn't the true enemy.
Davis indeed seemed to understand, for he eyed Ken suspiciously. "Shared goal?" He asked, trying to prod more out of the boy. Ken obviously knew more than he let on, but it was overwhelmingly frustrating that he wasn't revealing anything more.
"That's all you'll get from me. You'll have to thread carefully with your next questions, if you still have any, or you'll end up with the same kind of answers. I have already said more than I should," Ken replied firmly. Davis shook his head, showing that he had run out of inquiries. The tension vanished from the raven-haired boy's posture. He finished the last of his drink and squashed the can under his foot. Then he kicked the flattened disc, making it ricochet off the bark of a tree and into the trash can next to it.
Chibimon stared in awe. "Daisuke, can you do that?" he asked. His partner grumbled, telling him to shut up. Ken smiled at them, then he picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder.
"Well then, Motomiya Daisuke… No, Davis Kamiya. The next time we meet, it'll be as opponents in the Digital World. I will have you know that for the sake of dignity, I will not be pulling any punches so you and your team had better step up your game," he announced.
Davis felt unsatisfied with what little information he had managed to wring from his supposed friend. To top it off, he felt despair that he was going to have to face Ken in battle soon. It put him at a disadvantage because the Digimon Kaiser was now officially one step ahead with his exclusive knowledge. "Does it have to be this way? Are we destined to fight each other?"
Ken nodded sadly. "Unfortunately, yes. But the fight isn't meaningless, Davis. Just keep that in mind." With that ambiguous statement, he turned and started to walk off before he heard his name being called.
"Hey, Ichijouji!" he spun around and a familiar looking purple bottle came sailing into his hands. He looked at it and back at Davis. "Next time, don't forget to bring all your stuff with you," he shot at Ken.
The prodigy smiled and raised a hand in farewell. He proceeded ahead, but he doubled back and called out, "Oh, and Davis? Lighten up a bit. The overly serious personality doesn't suit you too well." Then he left the adolescent and his Digimon standing alone in the park.
Exhaling, Davis zipped his bag shut and slung it over his shoulders like Ken did, plopped Chibimon on his head and walked home. "Neh, Daisuke… What was that all about?" the blue dragon asked Davis on the way, his big ruby red eyes gazing down at him, imploring him to answer. For a second Davis almost told him everything, but then he shook his head and said, "Not today, Chibimon. This is something I'll tell you about… when the time is right."
Or when I am ready.
A/N: I had writer's block for this chapter for some reason. Personally I'm still worried that the pacing in this chapter is a little rushed, but this is the best I can produce. Hopefully the next chapter will be better.
I initially had more to add after this but I felt that pacing would be an issue so I moved it to the next chapter. I hope I wrote the whacky, rabid fangirls scene well enough. It works so hilariously in anime and J-drama. Also I'm sure many of you were expecting this confrontation to come at some point, seeing how I kept teasing it in previous chapters too. Truth be told, it turned out very much different from what I imagined it in the first place. The original version didn't have the fangirls and the dialogue took place in a café.
I also realised that I had subconsciously modelled Ken and Davis after Philip and Shotaro from Kamen Rider W, though their personalities will slowly begin to show as the story progresses. They are my favourite dynamic duo from Tokutatsu shows. In fact, if you're looking for characters to base off for Digimon in your stories, I really suggest you try and watch the Heisei era Kamen Riders (except Hibiki because that sucks) as their casts are vibrant, diverse and lovable, not to mention true-to-Japanese as well. I think it's important because even if you're writing fanfiction for anime, it'd be a good idea to make it have as much Japanese style and feel to it as possible. It's a little different if you watch the dubs, because it's mostly Americanised or localised. I grew up with Japanese shows in their original form, so I will try to replicate their dialogues, mannerisms and all.
Speaking of styles, I found a relatively comfortable one that is greatly immersive. The thing I hate the most about many characters in a chapter is that it is infuriatingly hard to focus on the POV of one. I know Davis is my main, and even with the chapters not featuring him, I still tend to use the Third Person POV to write them, and the result is not entirely satisfying at times. It's still best to focus on that few character POV's throughout the story but I don't think it's that much possible in mine. I'll continue to experiment with the writing styles until I'm comfortable with one.
Oh and if you're interested in Zootopia, I have a running story for that as well. Be sure to check it out. Hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading ;)
