Ken couldn't help but walk with a bit of a spring in his step. After all the misery he had been put through for the past few months, something good had finally happened to him. For once, the crushing weight of his own inferiority wasn't bringing him or his friends down. He was actually being useful.

Thanks to Osamu's help, his D-Terminal was finally done. Everyone had been just as impressed as Osamu, praising him for his efforts. No doubt they would praise him again once Keiko's friend was finished producing the rest of them. While Ken had planned on making the duplicates by hand, Keiko had been quick to point out it would be much faster - and far more efficient - for her to use her connections to duplicate his prototype instead. While her brother might not have owned a business, she knew someone that did, and they were more than happy to help.

It was funny how it worked out. In a way, his lie had become the truth after all.

That would have been enough to keep Ken smiling through his entire exile from the Digital World in spite of everything, but Osamu surprised him once again. When his brother voiced the desire to meet his friends, his mood diminished and made him wary, but Osamu conceded to listen to his friends first before saying anything, which included Wormmon.

When Ken accidentally let it slip that he couldn't see Ryo - and was forced to explain the circumstances - Osamu reacted with a single question that left him floored.

"Why don't you just meet up someplace without electronics?"

Ken felt like slapping himself for overlooking such an obvious solution. However, such a feeling was fleeting and soon forgotten after he contacted his friends and arranged to meet them in the park. Walking side-by-side with his brother along the busy sidewalks to meet up with his friends, whenever anxiety fluttered in his heart, he stole a quick glance at Osamu to see once again that his brother was surprisingly calm, almost relaxed.

Maybe it was just Ken's imagination - or wishful thinking - but during the days they spent together working on the D-Terminal, he noticed Osamu's mood slowly but steadily improve. The tension between them faded in the house and even their parents had lessened their interference after enough assurances from Osamu that they were working on an important project, and Ken wasn't bothering his brother again.

"You look happy," Osamu commented, snapping Ken's focus back on him. Although he wasn't looking forward to letting the bug monster that had manipulated his innocent little brother spend more time with Ken, thoughts of the Digital World kept nagging at him. He rationalized that going out to see them would be fine so long as nothing bad happened to his little brother and there was no chance Ken could be snatched away to the Digital World again. Going to a place without electronic devices seemed to assure that wouldn't happen.

Ken couldn't help but give his brother a dazzling smile. "I am happy~!"

A twist in Osamu's insides like guilt made it a little hard to smile back. "Seeing that mon… Wormmon means that much to you, huh?"

"Yeah," Ken said, pointedly ignoring the fact that Osamu had tripped over his words. It didn't matter what he had been about to say, only what he did say. It was a vast improvement. "But more than that, we'll all be together~!"

Osamu nodded slightly and paused at the crosswalk when he saw the lights change, instinctively extending his arm to the side to make sure Ken stopped at the curb as well. "As long as someone doesn't drop a computer in front of us to snatch you away again, I'll be okay…" He paused, frowning. "I'll try to be okay with this. I'm trying. For your sake."

Ken gave a nod, still smiling. "I know you can do it, Osamu!"

Osamu's smile came more easily this time as he met his brother's bright blue eyes and saw the joy that sparkled there. He wanted to say something confident and reassuring, but nothing sprung to mind that wasn't a lie.

As the light changed and they continued on their way and more time ticked by, Osamu found himself far too anxious to handle the silence that settled between them, no matter how pleasantly charged it was. He tried to hide the fluttering in his stomach behind a wry grin as he cocked his head slightly. "Too bad we can't do this at that arcade your friend's family owns. I'm pretty curious about the 'custom machines' mentioned on their website."

"I know," Ken said, his smile faltering slightly. "Plus you could try their pizza. It's amazing."

Osamu noticed the flickering in his brother's smile and inwardly cursed. He had promised himself not to be so harsh on Ken. Trying again, he forced out a chuckle. "Sounds better than the pizza they gave me at that one awards dinner." He let out a theatrical gag. "It was like cardboard smothered in ketchup and fake cheese."

Ken blinked before he let out a laugh and smiled brightly. "Yeah, this stuff is way better! It's just so good, and you can order whatever you want for toppings!"

When Osamu heard Ken laugh he felt triumphant and flashed his little brother a grin. "Okay then, I'll give it a try. How about we go there next Sunday? Just the two of us."

"That'd be great!" Ken said, excitedly. "We could play the games and get a pizza, and have fun together!"

Osamu felt his heart lighten even as his smile faded ever so slightly. "Just make sure not to mention it to Mom or Dad. They'd go ballistic if they found out we were sneaking off to an arcade."

"Right!" Ken agreed, with a sharp nod.

Once again, silence settled between the brothers as they wove their way through the crowd. Osamu grabbed Ken's arm and pulled his little brother back as a man ran past, obviously too much in a hurry to care about mowing down any children in his way. He glared at the back of the man who came so close to running right into Ken before he resumed walking, muttering insults under his breath.

Ken watched the man run off before glancing up on his brother. The action caused his eyes to pass over a window, where he saw a poster featuring a palm tree on an island with bright colorful words encouraging anyone who'd listen the joys of spending their summer vacation somewhere other than Tokyo. The sight immediately caused a thought to pop in to his head, causing the Chosen of Kindness' eyes to light up. "Hey! You know… Keiko's family doesn't just own an arcade... they have their own private condo at the beach, too! We could go to the beach this summer - all of us, together!" The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. "They don't have electronics at the beach, after all!"

Osamu froze mid-step, jarring Ken to a stop as well due to his hold on his little brother. It took him a moment to fight the tension in his muscles and resume walking, though he avoided looking at Ken's questioning gaze. "Okay. Sure. Sounds good."

Ken furrowed his brow, his smile once again faltering. Even in his happiness, it was impossible to ignore Osamu's strange reaction. "Osamu?"

"Let's just wait until summer break," Osamu said quickly, though he failed to hide how unsettled he felt. "We can figure out some excuse by then."

Ken stared at Osamu before he tilted his head. "Did… did you not want to?" It seemed so odd, as he specifically remembered how upset Osamu had been the previous year, when he had to spend the time studying rather than go to the beach with the rest of the family. It started to dawn on the Chosen of Kindness that perhaps he was pushing his luck with his brother, and such a revelation brought a sense of panic to the young boy. "I-it's fine if you don't! It was just a thought!"

Osamu stopped again, grimacing. "No, it's not…" He faltered for a moment before letting out a frustrated huff of air and turning to the horizon. "It's not that I don't want to go. I just…" He exhaled roughly. "I just hate how noisy the beach is."

"It's a private beach, though," Ken said. "It'd be just us!"

"That's not…," Osamu trailed off before shaking his head. "No, that's good. That's fine." He continued walking, trying to seem casual in his stride. "A private beach sounds a lot better than a crowded one. Let's do that this summer."

Ken followed after Osamu even as he waffled as to whether he wanted to press further or not. Ultimately, he decided not to or risk ruining Osamu's mood any more than it already was. His brother was never one to sugarcoat his words, after all. If he had an issue, he would've said it. "...Okaaaay."

Osamu could tell by Ken's tone that his little brother didn't believe him. He tried not to scowl at that, but it made the smile he tried to wear instead look crooked and strange. "Anyway, we can think about that stuff after we talk to Akiyama and Makura."

"Ryuzaki," Ken said unthinkingly. Self-conscious flooded to his cheeks when he realized he had just corrected his genius of a brother and he rushed to explain. "Keiko's family name is Ryuzaki now. Her brother officially adopted her a couple weeks ago, and she changed her name."

"Right," Osamu muttered dismissively before speaking normally again. "Well, as I was about to say-"

The screech of rubber against concrete ended the conversation. Ken looked in the direction of the sound, his expression blank. He had no time to process what he was seeing - a car suddenly jumping the curb at high speeds as a panicked male driver struggled to regain control. All he could register was the front end of the car grill before it was too late.

The sound of skidding tires followed by a large commotion was loud enough that it was even able to reach the ears of Ryo, Keiko, Wormmon, and Nyamon as they stood at the heart of a large park, anxiously waiting for Osamu and Ken to appear. They turned, along with nearly every other person meandering about the area, towards the loud chaos.

"Something happened," Nyamon said as she flicked her ears.

"It sounds like an accident," Ryo said apprehensively, his stomach clenching for a reason he couldn't identify. "And it sounds really bad."

Wormmon began to shiver in Ryo's arms, his eyes going wide as his pupils dilated. "Ken… Ken-chan?" As he spoke the words, a sharp pain surged from his heart through the rest of his body. "K-Ken-chan!"

Without warning, Wormmon shoved Ryo's arms off of him as he took a flying leap, not even caring as he hit the ground roughly. "Ken-chan!" his voice came out like a shriek as he scrambled across the pavement.

Nyamon froze and stared at Wormmon as his words slowly registered. Her ears canted all the way back as her irises became pinpricks before she bolted, passing the insect Digimon as she raced on all fours towards the scene of the commotion.

"What?" Ryo blurted out, a chill running through his body as he immediately feared the worst. "Ken?!" When he saw Keiko run off without him, he quickly raced after, praying that what his gut told him was wrong.

It wasn't.

The front of the car bellowed smoke, warped with the windshield cracked. A crowd of gawkers stood around. In the center of it all, two children dressed in blood.

The brothers were together, Osamu curled around Ken and still holding him tight. It was immediately apparent to all who saw him that the elder brother had used his body to shield the younger.

Wormmon reached the scene first, scampering between the legs of the crowd that gathered around to watch and panic. He ignored how the only humans helping were trying to get the driver out of the car. He had no thought for why anyone kept their distance from the children lying sprawled on the sidewalk. He only focused on Ken. However, no matter how many times he called Ken's name, his partner would only respond with wordless moans of pain.

Nyamon forced the gawkers apart, uncaring of how her rough shoving got unwanted attention or sent some people falling over. When she saw the two boys on the concrete she froze, unable to do little more than stare.

"Ken-chan!" Keiko shrieked when she reached the scene of the accident, collapsing to her knees beside the fallen boys. "Oh no, no, no, no…" She fumbled to pull her Digivice from her pocket with shaking hands. "Mama… We need to get him to Mama o-or Higashi! Digital Gate O-"

"Wait!" Ryo shouted as he seized Keiko by the wrist, cutting her off. "We can't take Ken to the Digital World, remember? Zeed will kill him!"

"D…on't… 'ake Ken a-away…"

The weak and hazy voice of Osamu startled both Ryo and Keiko to focus their attention to him. Through blood-streaked glasses, he still managed a hazy glare before his gaze fell to Ken. He could barely see more than blurs of color and too much red, but through the pain he could still feel the warmth of his little brother's body that he refused to let go. "Are… are you… okay… K-Ken?"

Although Ken managed to open his eyes halfway, all the could muster was a thin whine of pain.

Keiko trembled, her hand still caught in Ryo's grasp. "We have to help of them! We have to do something!"

Ryo turned to the spectators standing by, half focused on the fallen children and half on the Digimon. "Someone call an ambulance! Hurry! We need an…"

That was when Ryo heard the sirens. He should have felt relieved, but it was far too soon for that.

When the paramedics rushed to the scene, Ryo pried Wormmon away from Ken even as the Digimon wailed and struggled against him, going as far as to bite his arm. It took Nyamon slapping Wormmon's cheek to snap the insect Digimon out of his hysteria.

"You're not helping Ken-chan," Nyamon snapped, hating herself for the necessary harshness. "Calm - down!"

Wormmon flinched before he stared at Nyamon with wide tear-filled eyes before he began to sob helplessly, reaching up to cover his face with his feelers. Nyamon's expression softened as her ears drooped, her own eyes moist with tears.

Ryo felt his insides clench, even as he struggled to keep his composure as the paramedics took Ken and Osamu away. He felt so helpless and disoriented. All this time, they had been acting like the human world was safe - that Ken wouldn't be in any danger. Yet, after spending so much time in the Digital World and dealing with its issues, they had lost perspective on their world's own set of threats. All he could do was helplessly watch as the paramedics loaded Osamu and Ken in to separate ambulances before taking off at high speeds, rushing against time to save their lives.

"Higashi," Keiko said sharply, drawing everyone's attention back to her. She turned to stare at them with wild eyes as she clutched her digivice. "We've got to bring Higashi here! He can heal Ken; he can channel Mama's power into Ken!"

Ryo's eyes widened with realization, as his early pounding heart leapt at the suggestion. "We… we've got to hurry!"

"Then stop talking about it!" Nyamon said, her voice rough with emotion. "We need to go!"

The two human children nodded at each other before they rushed to the nearest electronic device - in this case, a nearby traffic light. Keiko raised her digivice at the traffic light, paying no attention to the crowd come to gawk at the carnage - which included the police and fire department.

"Digital Gate open!" Keiko shouted.

With a flash of light, the children and two Digimon disappeared, leaving behind the gawkers with the wreckage of the car, its disoriented driver, and the massive puddle of blood that stained the streets.

The light on the roof of the ambulance flickered, apparently having a short that caused it to go out whenever the vehicle hit anything - be it a pothole, a bump, or even an uneven patch of asphalt. Unfortunately, Osamu could feel each little jolt as they sent waves of pain crashing through his broken body.

It made him want to scream at someone to fix the damn light or shut it off - he didn't care which. Unfortunately, words required far more than his body was willing to give, as he was struggling to keep hold of what little life he had left. Besides, if he could manage the energy to speak, he would rather ask about Ken instead of wasting his time complaining about the substandard service he was being provided by the people trying to save his life.

"Stay with us, just stay with us!" one of the paramedics said as he hovered over Osamu, holding the oxygen mask to Osamu's face. "You're going to be fine, so just hold on!"

Lying, idiot bastards. Who the hell did they think they were talking to? He was a goddamn genius, he knew his body better than anyone. He didn't need their pity or their platitudes.

Osamu knew that this was the end.

"We need another blood pack! Get an IV in him!"

They were wasting their time, and his; he could feel it. Even knowing that, he couldn't help but feel an enormous amount of outrage at what was happening around him, to him. A terrible darkness welled up within him at the futility of it all, even as he could feel his life literally dripping out of his body, like the blood that seeped out of him unabated. This was how he was going to die, surrounded by idiots. He wouldn't even know that Ken was alive, that his efforts to save the only person in the world worth living for had even succeeded.

The very idea was insulting, infuriating.

However, even his anger wasn't enough to sustain him for long. That last spark of resistance flickered away as blackness crept in along the edges of his vision. The last thing Osamu heard was the sound of computer keys typing, a sound he was far too familiar with, before darkness finally overtook him completely.

The rhythmic sound of beeping was the first thing Ken heard as the haze of pain fogging his mind relented - slight as it was. The beeping pulsated through his head, seemingly matching his own heart beat for beat. As the sound gained strength, so too did his awareness.

Ken struggled to open his eyes, but something sealed his eyelids shut, forcing him to struggle to peel them painfully open, though one remained in the dark. Stinging light flooded his vision before a faint shape took form before him, a shadow at first, one of an angel with majestic wings and loving arms extended towards him. It took him a moment to realize he recognized the figure before him wasn't a ferryman welcoming him to the afterlife.

It was Higashi.

Relief flooded Higashi's face, which had been twisted with exhaustion and fear only moments ago. He leaned over Ken, the boy tiny in large hospital bed, attached to numerous machines - including a heart monitor, which proved to be the sound of the repetitive beeping. The angel Digimon kept his hands on Ken's broken body, his blood-covered fingers still glowing gentle white.

"It'll be alright," Higashi said softly, his voice hitching despite his attempts to keep it even. "You'll be alright. I promise."

Ken furrowed his brow, noticing bandages over one eye, before his gaze drifted from Higashi to the rest of the room, recognizing it as an intensive care hospital room. He saw Ryo and Keiko as they rushed over to his bedside, with Ryo holding Wormmon while Nyamon stayed by the doorway with FlaWizarmon and Witchmon. The trio of Digimon formed a barrier, keeping a gaggle of doctors, nurses, and hospital staff at bay.

"No offense to ya'll, given it's yer job and everythin'," FlaWizarmon said with a smile that carried no friendliness as he aimed one of his matches at the humans. "But ol' Higashi is in a better position to save Ken-chan's life… so why dontcha stay out of the damn way already."

Witchmon gave a cheerful wave to the medical staff with a wide smile that showed off all her razor-sharp teeth. "Please pardon our intrusion~!"

"Ken-chan!" Wormmon cried, reaching out for Ken's hand, taking hold tight between his digits. "Ken-chan, you're awake!"

"Ken!" Ryo said, trying not to raise his voice despite the way his pulse pounded with worry. "Can you hear me?"

Keiko nearly touched Ken's arm, but stopped herself as she saw the bruising there on his pale flesh, not yet healed. "Ken-chan. Don't worry, we're here."

Ken did his best to look at his friends through his pain-hazed eyes before he offered them a weak smile. However, even through the fog, there was a burning question that he had to ask. "O… sam… u?"

Higashi paused at that before he shook his head. "Osamu isn't here. He was taken to a different hospital."

Ken furrowed his brow and immediately all thoughts of his own well-being were dashed by this new, terrible information and the urgency it summoned within him. "O-Osamu… help… Osamu…!"

"Zennyu is looking for Osamu back in the Digital World," Keiko said, trying her best to sound soothing. "Once he finds him, Higashi will go help him too, so don't exert yourself."

"We'll… we'll find him," Ryo said, but he couldn't hide his worry. Although Ken was his highest priority right now, he still couldn't stop thinking about Osamu's injuries. "We'll find Osamu, Ken. Just focus on resting now."

Ken wasn't entirely satisfied with the answer but managed a small nod. It was so hard to think as his pain throbbed throughout his entire body, and even speaking the simple words he had took far too much energy. As it was, he found staying awake to be a monumental task, and not even adrenaline or whatever medicine was flowing through his veins from the IV attached to his arm wasn't enough to keep his consciousness from drifting away again. Though he struggled against it, his vision grew fuzzy, his friends fading little more than blurred images.

Within moments, everything went dark once more.

It was impossible to tell how much time had passed before Ken began to rouse again. When he did finally open his eyes again, the emergency room surroundings had been replaced with that of a regular hospital observation room. The plain white walls and light pastel-colored furniture did very little to make the medical equipment less intimidating, but it still tried.

Ken frowned before he reached up to rub at his crust-covered eyes, flinching after touching the bandages on half of his face, before noting a strange plastic clasp wrapped around his pointer finger, with a long cord that attached to one of the machines. He blinked at it, giving his pointer finger a widdle for a moment, before he finally took a good look about his room.

It was then that Ken noticed a piece of paper folded up on the food tray attached to his bed. The Chosen of Kindness blinked before he reached over to take the paper, flipping it open.

Ken,

All of us went looking for Osamu. Rest up and try not to worry. Be back soon.

Ryo

Ken felt a wave of relief at Ryo's note, a smile spreading across his weary face. However, he didn't have long to truly focus on that feeling when the door suddenly opened, causing the him to look up just in time to see his mother walk in.

"Oh!" Yui gasped. "You're finally awake." Though she smiled, her furrowed brow and worried eyes diminished the happiness from her expression as she drew closer to the bed. "How're you feeling, Ken?"

Ken gave his mother what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "I'm… I'm okay, Mom."

Yui sighed before placing her hand atop Ken's. "Good, good. The doctors say you won't be in here for very long at all. You got off lucky because…"

Choking on her words, Yui went silent, her eyes straying beyond Ken to the blue sky outside the window. It was a bright, beautiful sunny day. It was far too cheerful.

Ken blinked at Yui's reaction before he thought back to the emergency room and immediately understood. He remembered seeing Higashi and how he had been trying to heal him, just like he had when Piemon had attacked him. Ken imagined his mother wasn't happy that a Digimon had been involved. "Mom…"

"Anyway!" Yui suddenly said, looking back at Ken. "They'll be keeping you for a little longer, but you'll be coming home in a few days. Isn't that great?"

Ken gave a nod at that before he paused, a thought occurred to him. "What about Osamu? When will he be released?"

Yui froze. It took her a long moment to move again, but the smile she put on was brittle, threatening to crack the rigid muscles in her face. "He's… he's fine." She hesitated again before she shook her head. "Osamu is in another room. He'll be fine. Just focus on getting better."

Ken hesitated. Her odd expression was confusing, especially as he couldn't figure out the meaning behind it. Still, rather than worry about it, he opted to focus more on the good news. He gave his mother a weak smile as he allowed himself to focus on the relief he felt. "Good, I'm glad…"

"I have to go," Yui said as she turned away, stepping quickly towards the door. "You get some sleep, Ken, and do what the doctors tell you."

Ken blinked at how abruptly his mother was leaving after just coming to visit him. He furrowed his brow before he gave a small nod. "O-okay…"

Yui managed to make it all the way to the end of the hall before she slumped against the wall and broke down crying. Clasping her hands over her face, she let out a shudder as she slowly sank to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.

The sight of his apartment brought Ken immense relief. He couldn't contain his excitement at getting back home, to sleep in his own room and resume his life. While his body was still a bit bruised, he was more than ready for his life to get back to normal. But more than anything, he wanted to see Osamu. It had been days since he last saw his brother, not since the terrible accident. Though his parents had assured him that his brother was alright, he wouldn't be able to relax until he had rested his eyes on Osamu himself.

His parents' enthusiasm was far more subdued than his, their behavior somber as they escorted their child home. Ken couldn't blame them for not sharing his excitement, as they had been through quite a bit too. Fortunately, it was over now, he was home, and everything would be alright just as soon as Osamu talked them out of whatever funk they were in.

As soon as his father opened the door, Ken hurried into the apartment. He didn't even so much as glance back as he eagerly rushed to their room - his and Osamu's room. "Osamu? Osamu, I'm home! I'm…"

The words died on Ken's lips as something caught his attention - something that was different in the living room. There was some sort of set up that hadn't been there before, and immediately caught his eye as he rushed past. When he slowed down and backed up to get a better look he froze, unable to comprehend what he was seeing - a small shrine on the wall with a picture of Osamu wreathed in black, with flowers and a little offering in front of it.

Ken moved closer as though in a trance and came to a halt in front of the arrangement, his mouth hanging agape. He took in everything, the sight of his older brother's smiling face beneath a ribbon of black, the smell of incense still wafting in the air. He knew full well what such a shrine was for. He had seen Osamu's picture framed all over the house. However, these two things did not go together. They simply couldn't.

The Chosen of Kindness remained still in front of the shrine, his mind struggling with the dissonance of the two disparate things combined before them until it slowly coelesed into one terrible implication. In that moment he was running to the bedroom and threw open the door, not bothering to knock. He didn't care if Osamu got angry at him for interrupting. He wanted, needed to hear his brother's voice, to explain what this… this farce in their living room was.

There was no Osamu inside the bedroom. It looked halfway dismantled, as though they were , clothes, books, and even bedding filled cardboard boxes lined up against the wall along with the stripped mattress and pieces of the lower bunk - Osamu's bed. Their computer - Osamu's computer - was completely disassembled and rested in one of the boxes on the floor beside the desk with cables hanging out in a haphazard fashion, as though whoever packed it away had lost heart halfway through.

Ken's belongings had been left entirely untouched.

As Ken stared at the boxes and the bed missing its other half, his stomach churned with acid, threatening to rid him of the hospital food he had before being discharged. His hands quaked at his sides, slightly at first, but only increasing the longer he looked at the half-gutted room.

Slowly, very slowly, the Chosen of Kindness walked out of the room and made his way back to the living room, where his parents stood with huddled whispers around that lie of a shrine. The adults instantly went silent and turned towards him the second they spotted him, both wearing pained, but knowing expressions.

Ken stared at his parents, his pale skin prickling with nerves that. Everything felt wrong, completely wrong, as every inch of his being rejected what he was seeing. There had to be an explanation, a logical explanation. One that didn't involve the terrible, horrible, unthinkable reason why his brother's picture was in a shrine like that. "...Mom, Dad. Where's Osamu?"

The distressed looks on his parents' faces as they met each other's eyes in silence only made Ken's fears grow the longer it took for them to respond to him.

"Where's… Osamu?" Ken repeated, his voice cracking slightly as tinges of hysteria bled through his desperate attempts to remain composed. "Where is he?"

Tears welled up in Yui's eyes, and she turned her trembling back to Ken as she choked back a sob.

Haruto sighed, shoulders slumping, before he straightened up and regarded his youngest… formerly youngest son. "Osamu isn't coming back, Ken."

Ken felt his stomach clench as his blood turned to ice. "What… what do you mean? Why?"

Haruto went rigid, his body so tense it quaked faintly. "Osamu… is dead."

Yui let out another, louder sob at the words, burying her face in her hands.

Ken gave a start. The whole world seemed to stand still as he stared at his parents. Every inch of his being rejected what he was hearing, to the point that he felt violently ill. It was wrong - wrong, wrong, wrong. Everything they were saying was wrong.

They were lying.

"You're lying." Ken said, his voice faint. It was the only thing he could think of when the words left his father's mouth. "You said Osamu was fine."

"We wanted to wait until you were doing a little better," Yui said through tears. "We… we couldn't…"

Haruto wiped away the streaks of moisture on his cheeks, trying to remain stoic. He then headed over to something resting on the couch, some clothes in dry-cleaning wrap. As the boy's father lifted them upward, Ken could see the clothes for what they were - black suits.

The type of clothes worn at a funeral.

"Come on, let's get ready to see him off." Haruto said.

The sight of the suit and the words his father spoke seemed to set something off inside of Ken, something painful that twisted inside his heart and spread through the rest of his body.

"You said Osamu was fine." Ken repeated, his voice louder this time. An edge had entered his voice, high pitched and sharp like a knife. "You said he was fine."

"Ken, please don't do this," Yui moaned. "This is hard enough on us as it is."

"Just… just get dressed in your suit," Haruto said as he pointed to the wretched black thing hanging in his hand.

"You - said - he - was - fine!" Ken screamed, clenching his fists. "You lied! You lied!"

"Stop it, Ken!" Yui practically shrieked. "Don't you think this is hard on us too? Do you think we want this to be true!? If you weren't playing in traffic that day, none of this would've ever happened!"

"Liar!" Ken screamed, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Liar liar liar liar liar!"

A sharp slap of his father's hand across his cheek rocked Ken to his very core. "Stop it! That's enough! I won't have you talking to us this way, not when today is the last day we'll ever see your brother." Haruto shoved the suit roughly into his son's hands. "Get dressed right now, and I don't want to hear another word out of you. And no more tears either. You're a boy, aren't you?"

Ken went completely silent, but the tears continued to flow down his cheeks, stinging the red mark that hard formed where his father had struck him.

The sun slowly set over the horizon, ending one of the worst days of a child's life by casting its beautiful orange and red light across the city. The light spilled in along the floor through the sliding glass doors of the balcony, creeping across the carpet until it reached Ken. He sat on the floor to their bedroom - his bedroom - while facing the balcony in the empty space where Osamu's bed had been, still wearing his suit. He said nothing, perfectly silent as he sat staring outwards in to the city beyond.

The Chosen of Kindness didn't even look up when the computer monitor, the only piece of electronic equipment not yet unplugged from the wall flashed seconds before Ryo, Keiko, Nyamon, and Wormmon gated in o the room.

"Ken-chan!" Wormmon shouted as he dashed across the floor to hug Ken from behind, mindful of being gentle. "I'm so sorry I had to leave you alone for so long, but when your parents came to see you at the hospital they got scared and… and I didn't want to make things harder on you."

Ryo stumbled a bit to catch himself before he gave a small shake. He glanced around the room, momentarily taken aback by its current state, before his eyes finally settled on the Chosen of Kindness. "Ken!"

Ken didn't respond, still staring outward in to the city.

A cold feeling of dread crept up Keiko's spine. "Ken-chan?"

Once again, Ken didn't respond. He remained perfectly still, sitting on the floor in his once neatly pressed black suit, not caring that it was becoming wrinkled. He didn't even notice Wormmon crawling into his lap with worry shining in the little Digimon's eyes.

Nyamon frowned as she looked at Ken, tilting her head, before she turned her quizzical gaze to Keiko.

"Hey, um," Ryo faltered, reaching up to rub the back of his head. Something felt wrong, but he couldn't quite identify what, at least not yet. "How're you doing? I know you just got home and everything, and I'm sure it's good to be back so..." He trailed off when Ken continued to give him the silent treatment, which only served to make the nagging feeling prickling in his gut intensify. "A-anyway, we're still trying to find out what hospital Osamu's staying at. It'd be a whole lot easier if your parents would just tell us but, well… they're still not really speaking to us at all and Narakumon's having a lot of trouble finding him, but as soon as we do-"

"Osamu is dead," Ken said, finally. His voice was like the tolling of a bell that echoed through the room.

Ryo froze at that, his eyes going wide. Wormmon gasped, holding his digits over his mouth.

"What!?" Keiko blurted out. Beside her, Nyamon's ears canted back while Narakumon gaped at the boy openly.

"That's… that's not possible!" Narakumon protested with a shake of his head, not that Ken could see or hear him in this ghostly state. "I… I would have sensed that! I would... have..." He trailed off as his eyes widened, reaching up to grip the front of his armor around his throat. As he spoke, his confidence began to slip away, as did the color to his already-pale face. "S-surely…?"

"Osamu is dead," Ken said again, his voice surprisingly even. "And it's all my fault."

"That's not true, Ken-chan!" Wormmon shouted, hopping upright as best he could in a desperate effort to meet Ken's gaze, only to fail as his partner's eyes never strayed from the red-stained horizon.

"You're not responsible for what happened," Keiko said in ernest as she stepped closer to Ken. "The only one to blame is that driver!"

"That's right," Ryo said, stumbling over his words as he still reeled from the shock. "It's not. And Osamu can't be… can't…" His voice weakened and faded out with a thin squeak. Although his past interactions with Osamu had never been pleasant, he couldn't accept the idea that the older brother of his best friend, his classmate, his unwanted rival was… gone. Forever.

"It's my fault," Ken repeated. "That's what everyone at the funeral said. It was my fault - he died to protect me."

"Ken-chan…," Wormmon whimpered, tears shining in his eyes. He buried his face into Ken's chest and pressed close in a desperate attempt to comfort his partner when words failed him. "It's not. It's not, it's not, it's not!"

For a moment, Keiko could only stare at Ken, speechless, as a rush of rage urged her to hunt down these people and tear them to pieces. Fortunately, her concern for her friend won in the end, and she pulled Ken into a tight embrace. "It's not your fault, Ken-chan. Those bastards can go to hell for even thinking that crap! It's that damn driver's fault!"

"That's right," Ryo said again as he joined the hug. Emotions tore through him, so polarizing and confusing that it left him somewhere close to numb, going through the motions he knew were the right thing to do, but unable to properly think them though. "It's not your fault. You didn't want this to happen."

Ken felt a shiver run up his spine as Ryo's words reminded him of what he had said so long ago, during one of their fights. Right after Osamu had attacked Wormmon, he had told Osamu to disappear - that he hated him and wanted Osamu to disappear.

In the end, that was precisely what Osamu had done.

"I-it's all my fault!" Ken wailed, his numbness breaking as his voice cracked and hitched. Dull eyes that had long since emptied their tears somehow found enough left to swell up again, one soaking the bandage while the other left a streak of moisture down his cheek. He reached up to cover his face, his body shuddering as sobs bubbled up anew. "I killed him!"

"That's not true, Ken-chan," Wormmon said, his voice muffled against Ken's chest as he shook his head. "You did nothing wrong. You would never, ever, ever be responsible for what happened to you and Osamu."

Keiko tightened her hold on the sobbing boy and pulled him closer, allowing him to sob his heart out against her chest. She then pulled Ryo and Wormmon closer as well, holding them both tightly and ensuring Ken was embraced on all sides. Even Nyamon joined in to the hug, coming up behind Ryo and wrapping her arms around the boys' back, her own eyes moist as her ears drooped.

Such support was all they could offer the Chosen of Kindness as he wailed and unleashed a grief that would not abate, intensified by the pain in his body and his heart. The group were all too keenly aware of how much Ken had been through; it never seemed to stop, as the world crushed down on him unrelentingly. In this inconsolable put of despair that had swallowed Ken whole, none of their words, their assurances meant anything, as it all ultimately came to nothing. He was still alive, still a burden in his mind, responsible for the suffering of everyone around him.

Ken wished from the bottom of his heart that he had disappeared, instead of Osamu.