Reviews:
Since we had two chapter last week, I'll just respond to you guys all at once.
Ackbarfan5556: Thanks for all your help on that. We'll see where it goes next.
Music Chick: Or maybe someone we've already met :) Glad to know you enjoyed them and lived up to your expectations.
Super Saiyan 3 Odd: Glad to know you liked it. Always does, doesn't it?
GuardianAngel1234567: We'll see what happens. I absolutely think it should be a "YES" XD
Lord Jaric: Thank you for reviewing. You'll just have to keep reading to find out ;-)
Greymon Leader Batx flashpoint: Thanks for all your thoughts, and I am glad you enjoyed these two chapters. You are absolutely right about the morality of the chapter. Would I have spared Ken's life? After all he'd done to me and my friends, probably not, but that is just me. Whoever Jun is paired with may surprise you ;-) That's a story for a completely different day though.
Guest: Glad you think so.
Yagami Kuzuki: I understand your position, but at the end of the day, I've gotta do what I've gotta do. I've had a plan for a year and I'm sticking to it because I know in my heart it works. Thanks for taking the time to review and good luck to you too.
Special shout out to wendygon95 for the favorite and follow.
Hey, guys. Wow! I applaud you all for the amazing response to the last two chapters. That was a totally fun arc to write and I enjoyed every bit of it. Now we move into the second arc of the story. Unlike the series, I can promise you guys that this will not be a complete convoluted mess with different things happening all at the same time. This is going to be more straightforward. Hopefully you guys like it as much, but right now we see how Ken became the Digimon Emperor. Enjoy!
"How is he, Doctor?" Mrs. Ichijouji demanded as soon as the doctor came out of Ken's room. She was desperate for any news on her son's condition, hoping he was just tired and needed rest.
The doctor sighed deeply. A middle-aged man in his forties with thinning black hair that was grey in some areas from stress and long days. He replied, "I'm sorry, ma'am, but your son's in a coma."
Both parents gasped in horror. A coma? They both knew how serious those were. Most people who went into comas rarely came out of them. Those that did were never quite the same again afterward. The thought that their son would be denied a chance at life was overwhelming to them.
"He's been through a lot," the doctor continued. "Borderline malnutrition, dehydration. If I had to make a guess, he hasn't slept in eleven days. It was only a matter of time before his body finally gave out. What happened to make him this way?"
"I don't know," Mrs. Ichijouji sniffled. Her husband hugged her before any sobs could break through.
Mr. Ichijouji decided to be the one to speak for them and said, "What about the…" he choked on his words because it was still unbelievable to him. "What about the slash on his face?"
"We managed to close it up and reduce the swelling before it could get infected," the doctor replied, "but it will leave a permanent scar. Ken also had some bumps and bruises, but those will heal with time. All we can do is hope for the best right now. I'm so sorry."
He walked away, leaving Mr. and Mrs. Ichijouji to look at their son's resting form through the window. At first glance, it looked like he was only sleeping if it wasn't for all the equipment by his bed. The slash on his face was laced with stitches woven carefully over the sensitive skin of his cheeks. Life support machines beeped monotonously with each beat of his heart. The monitor also showed the beats per minute and his blood pressure. An IV bag hung beside the bed with the needle stuck into the pit of Ken's elbow, and an oxygen tube wrapped around his face and up his nose.
They both felt sick to their stomachs. This was just like when Sam had died only two years ago. Even though he died instantly from the fall, they still had him taken to the hospital. It did them no good, and they were forced to accept the reality that their child was dead. They had lost Sam, and now were afraid they would lose Ken too. If that happened, neither one of them knew what they would do.
Mrs. Ichijouji pressed her hand lightly against the glass. Her eyes never left her son. "Ken," she whispered. "Dad and I are here for you. We won't leave until you wake up. We love you so much."
Ken woke up with the strange sensation of floating, like he was whisked away on a cloud high into the sky. Was this the death that he so desperately craved? Was he finally at peace? If so, he was relieved. His face didn't hurt anymore. There was no more suffering. No more Jedi. No more societal pressure. Nothing else mattered anymore. Just a peaceful existence until the end of time.
He slowly opened his eyes with a flicker. A light shined brightly on his face. He squinted ever so slightly to keep the light from blinding him. Once his eyes adjusted, he opened them fully. The light started to fade away. This was strange, he thought. Wasn't heaven always a shining light? Where were the angels? He looked around. Ken was now standing on a balcony overlooking a busy street below. The buildings to the east were familiar, but his memories were a little dodgy at the moment. It had been so long since he had been in the human world that he had forgotten what some things looked like.
"Here we are, Ken. All set."
He turned around. His jaw dropped at what he was seeing. Younger versions of Ken and his older brother Sam stood behind the iron bars on their balcony. The younger Ken looked to be around four years old, while Sam was seven.
"Thanks, Sam," said young Ken as he took a cup from his brother. A straw hung from the rim of the cup. The small boy raised the straw to his lips and blew through it. From the end of the straw, bubbles started to appear. When Ken blew hard enough, the bubbles flew off in rapid succession. The two boys watched with awed smiles as the clear, circular blobs of water and soap retained their shape while flying off across the street.
"Wow, those are huge!" Sam exclaimed.
Ken stuck the cup out for his brother. "Go on. You try."
Sam waved it off with one motion of his hand. "Nah, I'm not too good at it," he said. "I blow too hard and mine pop quickly. You, on the other hand, Ken, are gentle. That's why your bubbles are better than mine. The way you blow determines how big they are and how long they last."
The older Ken could not help but smile at the scene. Now his memories started to come back. He and Sam were really close when they were kids. They'd always do things together, but blowing bubbles was one of their favorite pastimes. However, things changed when they got older.
"How does it feel to be the mother of a genius?"
"Can you get me an autograph, please?"
"He'll be the one to bring world peace."
"He's going to change the world."
Ken pressed his hands against his ears to block out the various comments that filled the void. Those were all the things the neighbors had to say about Sam. It was so nauseating that they were this invested in a boy that was barely in elementary school. But the worst part was how his mother reacted to all the praise. She let it all go straight to her head.
The scene changed to the living room, where Ken saw his mother talking with Sam while small Ken stood back completely ignored.
"Sam, can you believe it? The neighbors came to me today and said what a wonderful boy you are," Mrs. Ichijouji gushed excitedly.
"Mama," young Ken said, trying to get her attention but she ignored him and continued on her praise parade.
"They're calling you the one that will bring prosperity to our world. It's amazing!" Mrs. Ichijouji continued before turning to her youngest son. "Oh, Ken. I'm sorry. Did you say something?"
Young Ken looked down sadly. "Never mind, Mama. It's not important," he mumbled and went back to drawing his picture.
Older Ken felt sorry for the young fellow. It was hard being overshadowed when he was just as capable of being great as his older brother was. His parents so invested themselves into Sam that Ken felt like he never existed to them. He was the metaphorical red-haired stepchild that was ignored in every single way. There were days that Ken wished Sam was not his brother. He would do something amazing in his own right, like get an 'A' on his test or win an award at school, but his parents only gave a "Good job, Ken," whereas they slobbered over every little thing that Sam did. If only there was something he could do that Sam couldn't!
Then one day, fate seemed to smile upon him. The next scene showed Sam and Ken, now a few years older, in Sam's bedroom. Ken was on the floor drawing something while his brother sat at the computer. Suddenly, the computer flashed brightly. Both boys shielded their eyes with their arms. A small bit of yellow emerged from the screen and landed on the floor between them. The light from the computer went away and the boys uncovered their eyes. They looked down and were surprised at what they saw.
"What is that?" Ken asked.
"I'm not sure, Kenny boy," Sam replied as he eyed the metallic thing on the ground. It was at least nine to ten inches in length and looked like a sword without the blade. There were some buttons along the body, and a hook on the pommel. "Maybe the computer blew a fuse or something. Let's take a look."
Sam reached for it trepidly in case it was hot. He dabbed a finger on it, and was graced by the touch of cold metal. Sam closed his hand around it and brought it up to eye level to inspect the thing. He twisted his wrist in every way possible to get a glance at every feature, his eyes wide with fascination. His fingers touched one of the buttons and something shot out with a loud pshew! The two boys screamed in fright and Sam jumped back in shock. A blue laser blade jutted out of the end and hummed vibrantly, filling the room with the sound.
Ken's eyes went wide. "Wow!" he gasped with a smile. "A lightsaber!"
Sam couldn't believe what he was seeing. This had to be a dream. Things like this did not exist in real life. Yet, here it was right in front of him. His eyes were not playing a trick on him. Quickly, he pressed the button he had just pressed and the blade retreated back into the body.
"Listen to me, Ken," he said. "This thing is really dangerous. Don't touch it. I don't want you accidentally slicing your finger or hand off. I'm just going to keep it in my drawer until we can figure out why it's here."
The older Ichijouji opened the top drawer and put the lightsaber in it before shutting the drawer. Ken looked dejectedly at it, upset that he didn't get a turn to handle it.
"Promise me you won't touch it without me around, Ken," Sam ordered in a serious voice.
Ken nodded his head reluctantly. "I won't," he mumbled.
"Good. Now go off and do something else. I have to study for a little while. I'll play with you later."
Ken nodded and left the room.
A day later, Ken opened the door to Sam's room just a bit and looked around. The older Ichijouji was nowhere to be found. Ken knew he was out somewhere doing a media thing, so he had plenty of time to do what he wanted. His eyes were fixed right on the top desk drawer, where the lightsaber was kept. The saber was all he had thought about ever since it came to them. Now that Sam was gone, this was his chance to get some time with it. He entered the room with slow footsteps towards the desk drawer.
The lightsaber graced his vision as he opened the drawer. Ken stared at it with mesmerized eyes. The longer he stared, the more he felt like the saber was calling him.
'Ken. Ken. Ken.'
The boy reached out. His fingers inched towards it until finally wrapping themselves around the body. Once it did, Ken felt something strange happen. A jolt shot through him, like he had been injected with adrenaline, and a strange light appeared on his left wrist. The light was pink and glowed for a second before fading. A tattoo rested where the light once was. Ken gasped in fascination. The tattoo was in the shape of a rosebud. He touched it with his other hand, tracing along the design.
"Cool!" he breathed.
Suddenly, the light returned. The computer reacted with it as the screen glowed brightly like the day before. Ken didn't know what to do. This was strange. Suddenly, he was sucked into the computer.
The next thing Ken knew, he was sitting on the ground and sweating his butt off. He looked around, finding himself in the middle of a dense jungle. It didn't look like any jungle in Africa or southeast Asia, but somewhere that was completely different. The boy got up and admired the scene before him. This was cool! A place that only he knew about and Sam didn't.
"Hello, Ken," a deep voice said.
The small boy seized up. "Who said that?" he replied timidly. "Where are you?"
"Look behind you."
Ken turned around. A creature about the size of a dog with a red cape around its body stood two feet away from him. A horn jutted out from its muzzle. On top of the red cape were goggle lenses in two small slits. Its yellow eyes inspected him curiously.
'Strange,' Ken thought. 'I could have sworn that I –'
"I'm right here," the creature said in that deep voice. "We have been expecting you, Ken."
Ken stared with a blank look. His face paled, and he screamed. The thing was talking!
"Wh-Wh-Wh-What are you? Where am I?" the boy tripped over his feet and fell to his bottom once again, staring wide-eyed at the talking animal. "How do you know my name? How can you talk?"
"You can call me…Hackmon," it said. Ken supposed that was its name. "And if you are done asking questions, I will gladly provide you the answers."
Ken nodded hesitantly. He had never heard of an animal called a Hackmon before. Was this some undiscovered new species that scientists didn't know about? He knew there were still many places that had never been explored before throughout the world, but this was just crazy.
"I am what you would call a Digimon," Hackmon explained. "All the creatures that inhabit the Digital World, where you are now, are called Digimon. I, however, am a different kind of Digimon. I am a messenger from Homeostasis sent to find the ninth Destined Jedi in our struggle against the darkness. That Jedi is you, Ken."
Ken's mind went blank, staring wide-eyed at the creature's speech. His ears heard what was being said, but not comprehending any of it. Digimon? Digital World? Homeostasis? Destined Jedi? What were all these things?
"What do you mean you've been waiting for me?" he asked in a small voice.
Hackmon glanced at the tattoo on the boy's wrist. "When Homeostasis ordered that the Destined Jedi be brought back, we were anticipating there would be nine of you," it said. "The first seven appeared, but have returned to the real world in search of the eighth Destined Jedi. The darkness is destroying our world. Are you willing to fight for us, Ken Ichijouji?"
Ken didn't know what to say. He had to get back to Sam's room before his brother got back or else Sam would see that he touched the lightsaber. He couldn't fight for something he didn't understand.
"I…uh…I don't…" he said.
Hackmon could sense the boy's hesitation. It was a perceptive creature in the way of telling how someone was feeling at a particular moment. The creature stopped. There was something troubling about Ken the further it dug into the boy's soul. The Digimon reached out with the Force to get a clearer picture of what this feeling was. A chill went down Hackmon's spine. There was no doubt about it now.
"No need to answer," Hackmon said. "For I cannot allow you to serve us."
"Huh?" Ken asked with shock. "Why not?"
"I can see right through you," Hackmon replied, its eyes never leaving the boy's. "I sense much fear in you. Your power is too strong to be controlled."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Everything! Fear is the path to the dark side of the Force. You're jealous of your brother, and you struggle with your anger of being seen as lesser than him in the eyes of everyone around you. To be a Jedi, you must not let your emotions hold you back. I do not see anything worthy of my attention. I cannot take the risk of you betraying the other Jedi."
"W-Wait! I can prove I'm trustworthy!" Ken begged, hoping the creature would reconsider its decision. "I promise! I'll let go of everything I feel! Just give me a chance!"
Hackmon held up a clawed foreleg. "I'm sorry, but my decision is final. You will be sent back home with no memory of meeting me. Farewell, Ken Ichijouji."
Ken felt himself be swallowed up by a portal. He clutched the grass tightly to avoid being sucked in, but it was useless. "WAIT!" he cried as the pull proved to be too strong for him.
"Ken, are you in here?" Sam called as he opened the door to his room. The room got darker with a red sunset coming through the sliding glass doors leading to the balcony. "You better not be touching the lightsaber. I told you not to."
Suddenly, the computer screen flashed on and a body emerged from it. After the light disappeared, Sam saw that it was his younger brother. His anger rose when he saw the lightsaber in the boy's hand.
"KEN!" he shouted.
Ken turned around at the sound of his brother's voice. His face paled. "Uh oh," he breathed. Busted.
Sam's face was beet red as he fiercely said, "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
"I didn't break it," Ken chuckled and showed Sam the saber to show he hadn't done anything to it. The blade was still in one piece.
SMACK!
The saber went to the floor. Ken clutched his wrist, tears starting to prick his eyes. A small red mark from where Sam's hand had struck him stained the skin of his wrist. The boy had never seen his brother so angry before. The red light from outside hit Sam just right that it made him look evil.
"I told you not to touch it at all!" Sam barked. "What are you, stupid? Do you have rocks in your head or something, you little idiot? I gave you one order, and you disobeyed me! Now I can't trust you anymore."
The tears now fell from Ken's face as he shook in terror. "I said I was sorry," he said weakly, but Sam was not having it.
"What if something happened to you and I wasn't around?" he added. He was done yelling and was now snarling at his younger brother. "Mom and Dad would be looking to blame someone, and it would be me. Not you. Now, get out of my sight. I don't want to see you again for a while. I have to study."
Ken sniffled, but nodded and got up to leave the room. He cried silently all the way down the hall to his bedroom. There was no use going to his parents about this. They would not be any help at all. In their eyes, Sam was a perfect little angel that could do absolutely nothing wrong. That day, something changed in Ken. He stopped being the quiet, timid, kind boy that he had always been and turned into somewhat of a hothead. The only way to stand up to Sam was for Ken to show he was not afraid of him.
But soon, that attitude would lead to something he did not intend to happen a few weeks later.
"Just get out of here, Ken!" Sam scolded, trying to focus on his work. "I'm busy right now."
"You never used to be this way, Sam," young Ken shot back, his anger towards his older brother rising by the second. "Even when you were busy, you always found time to be with me."
"Yeah, well, times change, Kenny boy," Sam rolled his eyes. "I know this may not be important to you, but it is to me."
He slammed his hand down onto the desktop with a resounding boom and got up to look down on Ken with an enraged look. If Ken weren't so angry, he would have cowered at the sight of it.
"Look, I don't know what has gotten into you, but you have to understand how important this is to me."
"Oh, so your precious reputation matters more than me," Ken jabbed with a roll of his eyes.
"Don't you dare roll your eyes at me, Ken!"
"What are you gonna do about it, Four Eyes? You're not my dad!" Ken exploded, feeling something rising within him. He couldn't explain it but it felt like it was ready to burst free from him. "You know what, Sam, sometimes I wish you weren't my brother anymore! At least it means I would get some attention around here."
"Fine, you little shit!" Sam shouted at the top of his lungs. Their parents weren't home, so he didn't need to worry about them charging in. All his frustration went into his arm as he prepared to slap Ken. "If you don't want to be my brother, then be my guest. I'll get everything to myself and my life will be –"
"SHUT UP!" Ken screamed and released all of the energy that was built up through his fingertips. The sounds of an electrical surge could be heard mixed with Sam's screams of pain. All of Ken's anger, hatred, and frustration towards Sam was released in that burst of Force lightning.
Sam stumbled back as the lightning surged through his body, causing him unbearable pain, until he tumbled over the balcony. His screams continued until they abruptly stopped.
Ken breathed heavily as he halted the Force lightning. Ridding himself of all the energy that had been built up left him exhausted. It hit him what he had just done.
"Oh no. SAM!"
He ran towards the balcony and jumped up to look over it. What he saw was something that would haunt him for the rest of his life: His older brother laying on the ground in a heap, not moving. His eyes stared lifelessly up at the balcony in permanent shock, his glasses shattered from the impact. A small trail of blood fell from the corner of his mouth to pool on the ground.
A crowd had started to gather around, many gasping in horror at what they had seen. Soon, it started circulating through the crowd that it was indeed the boy genius, Sam Ichijouji. He was dead.
"What have I done?" Ken whimpered, tears cascading down his cheeks as he stumbled back into the room. Once his back hit the wall, his entire body went numb, shaking uncontrollably. His mind was going at a million miles an hour as Ken hyperventilated. He had just killed his older brother.
"I'm sorry, Sam. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me." Ken sobbed.
The funeral was a few days later. Ken had not told his parents that he was responsible for what had happened. He had just said that Sam fell after trying to change a light bulb, but that did not stop the guilt that gnawed at his heart. He felt more alone than ever once Sam was laid to rest.
His parents were inconsolable. They spent most of their days crying and going through the motions like zombies. Rather than invest more attention into Ken, like he thought would happen, they just ignored him even more. Almost like he didn't even exist to them. Like he was the one that had died instead of Sam. Little did they suspect, Ken's frustration and anger were slowly building into a raging inferno.
For Ken, that was when everything started to go down hill. Rather than feeling guilty like he should have been, he felt mixed emotions. He killed Sam; he was no longer in his way, but something was still missing in his life. Ken didn't know what it was until a few months later when he met…him.
"Yukio, I'm so glad you could join us for dinner this evening," Mr. Ichijouji said as he walked into the apartment after work one day several months later.
Ken looked up from his homework to see a much taller man walk in behind his father. The man's skin was a pale grey, almost the color of a dreary day, and short black hair as dark as the night itself. He had a gaunt appearance: His face was all skin and bones like a zombie's, and sunken eyes that were slanted like a snake's.
"Oh, it's my pleasure," said the man. His voice was so soft and quiet that it sounded like he was hissing when he spoke. "I heard that you were all still grieving over the loss of your son, so I thought my presence would bring some comfort to you and your family."
Ken felt a chill go down his spine at how soft and mysterious the man's voice was. It was what he imagined the Naruto character Orochimaru sounding like. Every time Orochimaru would appear in the manga, Ken imagined a menacing hissing voice when he read the character's dialogue.
"Ken, this is Mr. Oikawa," said Mr. Ichijouji. "Can you say hello?"
Ken's voice could barely be heard as he spoke. "H-Hi, Mr. Oikawa."
"Hello there, Ken," the man smiled at him, kneeling down to his level. His voice was soothing rather than menacing, but Ken was still unsure about the man. "It's very nice to meet you. I can't imagine how hard things have been for you over the last few months. How are you holding up?"
"Okay," Ken whispered as he looked down at his shoes. "It's been hard since Sam died."
"He's not usually this shy," said Mr. Ichijouji in surprise. "Come on in to the kitchen. Dinner will be ready soon."
"That would be much appreciated," Oikawa nodded. Under his lip, he ran his tongue along the front teeth as an unnoticeable smirk grew.
The family and their guest gathered around the table for a dinner of hotpot with some pickled vegetables. Everyone was quiet as they ate their dinner until Oikawa spoke up.
"Would you like to hear a story, Ken?" he asked. "I've traveled all over the world in the last two years, and have come across some very interesting tales over my travels."
Something in the way he spoke made Ken want to hear more. He couldn't explain it, but it was like something told him he needed to hear this story.
"Sure," he nodded.
"There is a place that is parallel to our world full of wonderful, amazing creatures called Digimon," Oikawa began, making sure he had Ken's full attention. "That world is called the Digital World. It's a place full of wonder, excitement, and adventure."
Ken felt himself be drawn in by the story as Oikawa continued the story. By the time the man was done and left after dinner, Ken was already wanting to hear more. Over the next two months, the mysterious man came over for dinner two times a week and had wonderful stories to tell Ken every single time. It felt like he was targeting the boy specifically with these stories.
One night, Oikawa pulled Ken aside into the living room.
"I can't help but notice you've taken a liking to my stories, Ken," the man said with a sly grin.
"Oh, very much, Mr. Oikawa," Ken replied earnestly. "It's so cool hearing all about the Digital World. I wish I could go there."
Oikawa's grin widened. "What if I told you there was a way you could visit?"
Ken's eyes grew wide with excitement. "Really? How?"
"That mark on your wrist," Oikawa's eyes glanced at the rosebud tattoo on the boy's wrist. "That is how you will get to the Digital World. However, you must learn to become stronger before you can go. It has descended into chaos over the last year because of a group of children called the Destined Jedi. They were brought to bring peace, but they did the exact opposite. There is only one that can bring peace, and that is you, Ken."
"Me?" Ken asked. "Why me?"
"You have been wronged your entire life by everyone, have you not? That gives you the understanding to be fair in your judgment. The Digital World needs a ruler like you, someone who will be fair and just and bring order to a world that has lost its mind." Oikawa stuck his hand out to the boy with a kind smile. "Let me show you the way, Ken. I will teach you how to use your powers to their greatest potential. Together, we will make a secure and just Digital World. Side by side, we will rule it together."
Ken stared at the man's hand, torn about what to do. Oikawa sensed the boy's hesitation, so he decided to help him out a little.
"Your only alternative is to be the new 'perfect child' your parents want, forced to be someone you're not. Living your life as a puppet pulled by your parents' strings. What a sad way to live. Sam is now free to do whatever he wants, but you won't if you decide to stay an ordinary boy. Come with me, and you will be free to be whatever you want."
That clinched things. Ken looked up at the man with new conviction. He shook his hand without a second thought. The more Ken reflected on it, the more he realized that it was indeed a deal with the devil. Oikawa became like a father to him, teaching him everything about the Force and how to use his anger to his advantage. Over a year passed before Oikawa felt that Ken was ready to go to the Digital World.
"The time has come, Ken," Oikawa said with a wicked grin. "Go now and bring peace to the Digital World. Use everything I have taught you."
Ken bowed. "Yes, my master."
Mr. and Mrs. Ichijouji sat beside their son's bedside, hoping and praying that he would wake up sometime soon. It had been two days since they admitted him to the hospital, and Ken showed no signs of coming out of his coma. The slash on his face looked noticeably better, but was still in the process of healing with the stitches.
Mrs. Ichijouji stroked her son's hand as he slept.
"Honey, I've been thinking," she said to her husband. The man perked up to listen. "Did we give Ken enough love?"
Mr. Ichijouji raised an eyebrow in surprise. "What do you mean? Of course we did," he replied. "Why do you ask?"
"When Sam was alive, we put so much attention on him that we may have neglected Ken too much," his wife continued. "Ken must have felt ignored so he buried himself right into his studies after Sam died. It almost felt like our Sam had come back to us. I guess I loved the attention so much that I didn't think about the effect it would have on Ken."
Mr. Ichijouji nodded, for he had been thinking the same things.
"You're right," he said. "We never stopped to think about what Ken wanted. Maybe he wanted to do something else, like focus on soccer or reading. I know he always liked reading, but I never stopped to appreciate it."
Mrs. Ichijouji looked at her husband sadly. It was time to confront the reality that they did not want to face.
"I hate to say it, but we failed as parents," she sniffled. Her eyes rested back on her son's peaceful face, which masked his condition. "Ken, please wake up. We promise we'll be better parents. You just have to give us the chance."
Darkness surrounded Ken from all sides. He wondered where he was transported now. He couldn't handle all the bad memories that he had just re-experienced. He had tried so hard to bury them away and never think about them again, but the mind sometimes lets things loose in times of vulnerability. His death-like coma had weakened his resolve enough to let that which he tried desperately to forget through.
'Just let me die now, God,' he pleaded, falling to his knees. 'The world would be better off without me living. Sam is dead because of what I've done. I'll do whatever I can to make up for it in my next life if you end my life now.'
If he died, no one would know his dark secrets. They would only see his death as a tragedy. Just like Sam. He was gifted with all the blessings someone could have bestowed upon them, but was cut down before the world could harvest the fruit of his gifts. No one would know the sad tale of the Digimon Emperor.
From the spaces between his fingers, Ken saw fog floating on the floor. He looked up and was surprised at the transformation the void went through. He was now in the middle of a dark chamber. In front of him, Ken saw his reflection in a large mirror. He reached up and touched the slash on his face, grimacing as the pain shot through him. The reflection followed his every move. So, what he had been through was not a dream. It was very real.
Ken walked forward until his face was merely inches from the mirror. His reflection stared back at him as Ken analyzed every detail of his face. With the new mark, he looked nothing like the Ken Ichijouji he had always known. Instead, Ken saw a sad, pathetic shell of a human being. After everything he had done, there was no going back to the happy little boy he was before that stupid lightsaber came into his life.
"Misery, misery, misery," a cold, mocking voice cackled. "That's what you've chosen, Kenny."
Ken whipped around, looking in every direction for the source of the voice. He took a shaky breath. Maybe he was just hearing things. When he turned back around to face the mirror, Ken screamed in fright and fell to the ground.
"Why so shocked, Kenny?" The Digimon Emperor sneered at him from the other side of the reflection. "You know I've always been here. I was here from the very second you were born. I am the creation of your bitterness and resentment from being treated like you were dead by your parents, but now that good-for-nothing insect Sam is dead. I gave you the power to kill him."
Ken breathed in frightened ragged breaths as he sat frozen in place on the ground.
"You killed Sam," he gasped.
"WE killed Sam, you fool," the Emperor barked. "Everything you did, we did together. We will always be connected to each other, Kenny. You can never escape me."
Ken grasped the sides of his head and buried his face down between his knees to look away from the mirror. He wanted to escape this nightmare and get another chance to set things right.
"Go away!" he whimpered quietly. "Get out of my head! You're nothing but a figment of my imagination."
His reflection cackled loudly at him, filling the room with the horrific sound. "I'm not going anywhere, Kenny. I am a part of you."
"If I die, you'll die too!"
"You die in me, I'll be you! Can't you see it, Kenny? You ARE me! I am the real you, and you are the imposter."
"SHUT UP!" Ken could not take this any longer. He slowly stood up and faced the mirror. The Emperor sneered back at him gleefully. "You can take all your evil deeds and rot in Hell, Emperor! I'm taking back control of my mind. You have been poisoning it for too long."
The boy was shocked to see a rock magically appear in his hand. He studied it for a second. An idea came to his mind. He looked from the mirror to the rock and then back to the mirror.
The Emperor flinched with a twitch of his eye.
"What are you doing?" he said, trying to keep the fear from his voice.
Ken smirked and wound his arm back like a pitcher preparing to throw a fastball. "HAUNT ME NO LONGER!" he yelled as he threw the rock with all his strength.
"Stop! NO!"
The glass shattered instantly. The mirror lay in complete ruins with shards of glass scattered all over the floor. The remains of it vanished completely, like it was never really there to begin with. Ken stared at where the mirror once was in shock. He had really done it. Slowly, a smile played on his lips before exploding up his face. He was finally free from the Emperor's curse. Free to be whoever he wanted. Now it was time for him to escape the prison of his mind.
Everything looked a little fuzzy. Funny white shapes contrasted against a bright light shining right in his face. His vision cleared up with a couple blinks of his eyes. His left eye was more blurry than the other, which was not unusual after sleeping for a long period of time. How long had he been out? A few hours? It was hard to tell. His body felt so weak and frail.
Ken suddenly heard beeping sounds to his left, along with the feeling that something was up his nose and covering his mouth. His right elbow tingled. His head fell slightly over to that side to see what was causing the tingling. No one could tell he moved. An IV needle was sticking out of his arm, and the thing around his mouth was an oxygen mask. The right side of his face throbbed with a dull pain.
His eyes opened a little wider this time.
His parents were surprised to hear movement and thought it was one of them initially. There was no one outside the door either. Then they looked over at Ken. His eyes were open!
His mother burst into tears. "Good morning, Ken," she sobbed happily.
"Doctor!" her husband cried, running out of the room. The two men returned a moment later.
"Ken, can you hear me?" the doctor asked.
Ken nodded his head. The man removed the oxygen mask from his face, allowing Ken to breath in the air normally.
"Wh-Where am I?" he said, his voice sounding like a frog was lodged in his throat. He coughed. "Water, please."
Mrs. Ichijouji nodded and poured him a glass of water from the pitcher nearby. Ken gladly accepted the drink and gulped it down to refresh his throat. It had been a month since he drank anything other than coffee, so the feel of the water running down his throat was refreshing.
"Where am I?' he asked again.
"You've been in the hospital for two days now, Ken," the doctor replied. "You were on the verge of death when your parents brought you here, but your vitals read okay now. Do you feel any dizziness, nausea, weakness?"
Ken shook his head. "No, I feel fine," he said.
A nod. "You're lucky to be alive, Ken. Your body was in such bad shape from malnutrition and not sleeping for eleven days that we worried you wouldn't make it through the first night."
"What's next for him, Doctor?" Mr. Ichijouji asked. "Is he okay to go home soon?"
"We're still going to keep him overnight for a routine evaluation. Depending on the results, you all should be good to go home in a few days."
"Thank you, Doctor," Mrs. Ichijouji nodded as the man left the room. "Ken, Dad and I have something we want to tell you." She wiped away her tears before continuing. "We're sorry that we didn't give you enough attention when Sam was alive. We know now how wrong it was for us to ignore you. I'm sure that's what made you want to run away from us. And now look at you: That slash on your face will leave a scar, and you haven't slept for eleven days."
"Sam's gone," his father added sadly. "But we compensated for his loss by trying to turn you into his clone. We kept focusing on the son we lost instead of the son we had."
"Just be you, Ken," Mrs. Ichijouji sobbed. "Just be the sweet, kind boy we know you are. Please, give us another chance!"
Ken felt something he had not felt in a long time. Over the past two years, he was numb and unable to feel anything. He wiped at something on his face. A tear drop. He stared at his wet finger like someone seeing snow for the first time. An explosion of emotions erupted from him. Pent-up, uncontrolled sobs filled the entire room. The guilt he had ignored for so long was finally coming out into the open.
"It was a month," he whimpered. "I hadn't actually slept for a month. Mom, Dad, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."
He repeated that phrase over and over again as his sobbing became more unintelligible. His parents sat closely beside him to try and understand what he was saying.
"Sorry for what, Ken? You don't have to apologize to us for running away," his mother assured, rubbing his cheek softly.
"It's not about that," Ken replied. The weight that had hung heavily on his heart had to finally be let go after all these years. Whether this changed their perception of him did not matter. Ken just needed to finally tell someone. "It's about Sam. I was the one that killed him. I'm the reason he's dead."
Both parents felt like they had been punched in the gut. They stared at their son with mouths agape.
"I didn't mean to!" Ken wept. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!"
His sobs completely took him over as he buried his face in his hands. Ken's parents stared at their son dumbfounded. They could not believe what they had just heard. Ken killed his own brother? He was the reason for all their suffering since Sam died? As a parent, they did not want to believe that was true. It couldn't be true! But the proof was staring them in the face from how agonized Ken's sobs were. They were the cries of someone that was holding a dark secret for too long.
What should they do, they wondered. Should they report Ken to the police after his open confession? At the end of the day, it was his actions that allowed him to murder his brother and he had to be held responsible for them. But on the other side of things, Ken was fiercely apologetic for what he had done. All the horrible things he had just gone through seemed to make him believe he had served his punishment. They had lost one child already, and did not feel like they were ready to lose the other one. Not like this.
Mrs. Ichijouji pulled her son into her chest and let him cry into her shirt. Tears poured down her face as she stroked his hair tenderly. Her husband joined in and the entire family cried together.
This was a second chance for them to be a family, and they were going to enjoy it the best they could.
How will Ken make things right? Find out next time on Attack of the Emperor.
I know what you guys are thinking, and the answer is no. Ken's parents have not completely forgiven him for what he just confessed to doing. Trust me, they are horrified that he did that but chose trying to comfort him over their own feelings. Going forward, it's going to be a work-in-progress between Ken and his parents.
The chapter got its name from a line in the Metallica song "One", which serves as part of the inspiration for this chapter, along with "Confrontation" from the Jekyll and Hyde musical.
Hope you guys liked the chapter and make sure to review and subscribe like always.
I'll see you guys next week.
