Reviews:
Music Chick: Yes it did. Will it work out?
Ackbarfan5556: XD Didn't cross my mind I am ashamed to admit.
IanAlphaAxel: Thank you :) Hope you continue to review.
GuardianAngel1234567: What does that mean?
Greymon Leader Batx flashpoint: Thank you, Greymon. Really appreciate the kind words. I honestly don't know if I would have been able to do it, to be honest with you. That's what makes Ken a great redeemed character.
Special shoutouts for Warframe144 and Stormysky68 for the favorites and to Warframe144 for the follow. Thank you, guys, and welcome aboard.
In a world that has gone mad over the last couple of days, there are some things that do not change. The good point about the world practically burning at this point is that I get more time to sit in my house and write. That is how I am protecting myself from coronavirus, though if you are healthy, you have nothing to worry about.
Thank you all for helping me cross 7k views! You guys are amazing!
Last time, Ken, with help from Gennai, was able to convince Hackmon and Homeostasis to let him be a Destined Jedi. Then came the hard part: convincing everyone else to let him join the group. Let's get back to the action right where we left off.
Enjoy.
"I would like to join your group. To become the Destined Jedi I was meant to be."
The warehouse went as quiet and still as a tomb. It was so quiet that the wind blowing against the sheet metal and plaster exterior of the building outside could be heard. Birds sang their songs in the steaming September afternoon, blissfully unaware of the drama going on inside of the warehouse.
The Destined Jedi stood with their mouths agape, unable to process what Ken had just requested. Matt's mouth fell so far that he almost looked like Ogremon for a second. Yolei kept her eyes glanced down at her mouth to make sure a fly didn't buzz into it. The others were not as slack jawed, but could not contain their surprise.
Ken sensed the uneasiness in the room. All of a sudden, he felt ashamed and started kicking himself mentally for what he did. 'I blew it!' he thought to himself. 'I knew this wasn't such a good idea. They'll never accept me.' Nevertheless, he stood still and waited patiently for their response.
Matt was the first to snap out of his shellshock.
"No!" he snapped. "No way! Forget about it. How do we know you're not just trying to get our guard down and kill us in the middle of the night?!"
"Matt!" Tai barked.
Ken stood his ground, despite his rising fear. "I'm not the Digimon Emperor anymore," he said firmly. "I hate what I did when I was. I just want the chance to make things right." He pointed to the scar on his face. "I've suffered enough for my crimes. I know this is asking a lot from you all, considering I tried to kill you a couple times –"
"A couple of times?" Yolei chuckled sarcastically. "Try every time!"
"You injured Davis' leg, you kidnapped Yolei and Kari," Cody hissed. "You practically killed Sora. Worst of all, you insulted my father! What makes you think we'll welcome you with open arms? All is forgiven and forgotten? Try no! We will never forget what you did, you murderer!"
Everyone froze in dead silence once again. Ken's face froze in permanent shock. It may have been going too far, but it needed to be said. The raven-haired boy stared in disbelief at the youngest Destined Jedi.
Ken moved his mouth to speak, but words were not coming out. It was like his brain had permanently shut down. Finally, some words finally came out.
"Wh-Wh-What are you talking?" he gasped hoarsely.
Cody's glare never lightened. "We know the truth about what really happened to your brother," he growled. "You couldn't stand the fact he was better than you, so you murdered him in order to be the one and only boy genius of Tamachi!"
Ken felt his whole body tremble, but he still kept a brave face. The memories of that day swirled back within him. The guilt, the fear, the helpless feeling that threatened to drown him. He let out a strangled breath and looked down at his feet. Whatever courage he worked up in coming here was long gone.
"I didn't mean to kill him," he sniffled, trying desperately to keep his tears back. "My powers were still raw; I was not in control of them. I have to live with that mistake every day, I realize that. Let me help right that wrong by helping you all."
"I'm sorry, but no." Cody said, turning his nose up at Ken.
Yolei put her hands on her hips and glared right back, making her decision known. Matt folded his arms across his chest.
Ken looked away from the three Jedi's hostile glares and turned to TK and Kari, looking for a glimpse of reason in their eyes. Instead, he found the same suspicion and distrust he saw with the others. Davis also eyed him carefully like he was silently asking a king cobra not to bite him.
"You have to admit that you did some awful things to us, Ken," Kari said. "We aren't just going to say we forgive you because all of a sudden you're not our enemy anymore. I'm sorry, but I don't think it's a good idea."
"She's right," TK nodded. "It's not that simple. Sorry, Ken, but as the leader of the younger Jedi, I cannot in good conscience risk everyone's safety. My answer is no."
"Eh, I don't know," Davis shrugged. "I'm not so sure about it."
Ken looked to Joe, who shook his head. Mimi and Sora gave him conflicted looks, but ultimately followed everyone else and said 'no.' Desperate, he turned to Tai and Izzy with tears in his eyes. This was his last chance. They both seemed reasonable, so he hoped they would take some pity on him.
Izzy bit his lip and stayed stone-faced for what was thirty seconds but felt like thirty minutes for Ken. Tai wore the same expression. He couldn't decipher what the two of them were thinking, but knew enough to probably make an educated guess. Without waiting for their responses, he looked down at the ground.
"I'm sorry I wasted your time," he mumbled, swallowing the knot in his throat as he shed a tear. "I thought maybe you all could help me discover what it means to be a true Destined Jedi." Ken scoffed. "Heh! I guess I was naïve to think that would happen. Forget I came here today. I won't bother you again."
He left quietly as tears fell down his face. The Jedi felt the sadness radiating off him, but did not say a word back. When the door to the warehouse closed behind Ken, most of them sighed with relief.
"Well, that was pleasant. Nice of him to stop by, don't you think?" TK joked.
"Ken, one of us?" Cody said with disgust. "Impossible! When he was the Digimon Emperor, he was ruthless and tried to kill us."
"I'll never forgive him for what he did to Sora," Matt agreed. A chill went down his body remembering how close to death she was. "He never even said he was sorry for what he did."
Tai watched the door in silence. Ken hadn't even waited to see what he was going to say, which meant he knew the answer already. Ken kidnapped his sister, tortured him on more than one occasion, and almost killed him the first time they met. Despite all the anger he felt for those events, Tai felt conflicted about what to do next. He still saw the boy's sad face in his mind's eye.
"Tai?" Izzy said, shaking him out of his thoughts. "You okay?"
Tai shook his head to get the cobwebs out. "Huh? Oh. Yeah. Let's go to the Digital World. Reconstruction should be done today, so we can't be late for that."
He walked into the computer room, and everyone else followed. Izzy stayed put.
'What is going through that mind of yours, Tai Kamiya?' he wondered before falling in line with everyone else.
Ken stood silently in the aisle of the train car as the Keihin-Tohoku Line rumbled beneath his feet to its next destination. It was rush hour, and already dozens of people were crowded into the train car on their way home. Luckily, the train coming into Shimbashi was not crowded yet, so he found space to be by himself for at least the next stop. Now, he was being crushed like a pack of sardines.
None of the commuters noticed him. They were too wrapped up in their own business to spare him at least a passing glance. To them, he was just another nameless face that they saw on the train and would probably never see again after today. He wished he could be that way in Tamachi: Just a nameless passenger passing through the station every day. Instead, he was Ken Ichijouji, boy genius.
The monitor just above the doors to his right said that the next stop was Tamachi. He kept a grip on the overhead handles as he moved down the aisle to make his escape a little easier.
"Excuse me," he muttered to everyone he passed.
"The next stop is…Tamachi," said the computerized female voice. "Transfer here for the Yamanote Line." It then said the same thing in English.
The train started to slow down as it entered the station. For Ken, it may as well be the beginning of the end of whatever freedom he had left to be himself. He was back in the suffocating world that demanded nothing but perfection from him.
The doors opened. Ken slumped over and walked off the train and into the busy station. He blended into the crowds of commuters going in, out, and around the station until he reached the turnstiles. With a swipe of his IC card, he passed through and exited the station.
As he wandered mindlessly towards home, Ken wondered if his chance to set things right with everyone was ever going to happen. Right now, nobody trusted him. The Jedi pretty much confirmed things when they firmly rejected his petition to join. If he couldn't get things done with them, then maybe it was just better to go it all alone. At least no one could hurt him that way.
'Tomorrow, I'm going to do this myself,' Ken thought as he entered his apartment building.
Tai sat anxiously in the waiting area of the department store in Shibuya. He looked down at his watch and huffed impatiently. He went into the changing room and knocked on one of the stalls.
"Sora, are you done yet?" he asked.
"Just a second, Tai," the Jedi of Love replied angrily. "I just need to try this on real quick."
"Well, hurry up! You've been in here for twenty minutes."
"Patience! I'll be right out."
Sora groaned and got back to business. She stood in the changing stall with only a shirt and panties on. So far, she found two shirts she really liked and a cute pair of shorts. There were three skirts she couldn't decide between so she was trying them all on to see which one looked better.
She picked one up, a bright green with dark green stripes across the front, and put it on. Sora looked from the front, twirled to the left side, and then the right. After a second, she shook her head. It wasn't her style. She took it off and tried on the next one; this skirt was purple with a fade to black when it went around. The skirt fit alright, and seemed to look good on her, so it was a leading candidate. The one complaint she could make about it was that it looked a little too Goth for her taste.
"Come on, Sora! Let's go! We need to get to the place before they run out!" Tai's voice came again.
"One minute!" Sora shouted back, taking off the skirt. "They won't run out of dangos by the time I get out. I promise."
The last skirt to be tried on was a plain sky blue one. When Sora first saw it, she instantly fell in love with it. Since her name meant 'sky' in Japanese, it was a perfect representation of that. She carefully put it on and was instantly star-struck by how she looked in it. It complimented her zebra shirt perfectly, and made her hair stand out. This was the one.
Sora smiled with a satisfied sigh and changed back into the denim short shorts she wore into the store. Taking her selected merchandise with her, she stepped out of the stall. Tai was there to greet her with an annoyed glare.
"About time you decided to come out," he hissed.
"I found this cute skirt," she replied, ignoring his annoyance. "Doesn't it look nice?"
Tai eyed the sky blue skirt she held up. A blush swept across his cheek, imagining how cute she'd look in it. He brushed one side of his hair away nervously.
"It's not bad," he muttered.
Sora's excited face fell. "Just 'not bad'?" she repeated. "Man, Tai, you're the worst boyfriend when it comes to compliments."
"Hey!" he cried.
Sora snickered. "I'm teasing you," she patted his cheek with her hand. "Have a sense of humor."
Tai rolled his eyes with a groan and followed her to the checkout. After paying for her new clothes, the two of them walked back out into the busy Shibuya streets. It was Friday night, so the alleys and streets were filled with people. Tai happened to hear about this new dango stand that served all kinds of the delicious treats. Sora liked dangos, so she was all for it.
The two wanted to get as far away from Odaiba as they could for a date tonight after helping clean up in the Digital World. None of their friends knew they were dating yet, and they wanted to keep it that way for now. Izzy was the only one that knew their secret, and he promised to stay quiet about it until they were ready to tell everyone.
Being officially boyfriend and girlfriend was still something Tai had a hard time wrapping his head around. Sora was now this best friend he shared more than just common interests in; they shared a lot more than that. At the same time, it didn't feel any different than just being friends. It felt…nice, he thought with a blush.
After walking through the alleyways and narrow streets, they finally found the dango stand near Hachiko Crossing. There was a line of people going almost halfway down the block. Tai and Sora quickly joined before it got longer. It took them almost ten minutes, but now they were the second people in line.
"Hey, Sora, I've been thinking," Tai said, "About Ken."
"What about him?" Sora asked curiously. "If you're trying to change my mind, it won't work, Tai. I don't think it's wise to consider letting him into the group. He hasn't given us a reason to trust him. Now that the Digital World is close to being rebuilt, we don't need him."
The Jedi of Courage nodded. "I know, but there's a part of me that –"
"Next!" the salesperson said.
The two stepped forward.
"Hi, one order of chadango, please," Sora smiled.
"And one hanami dango, please," Tai followed.
"Okay, one chadango and one hanami dango. That'll be ¥320."
Tai pulled out his wallet and paid for them both. He and Sora moved to the side so that the next people in line could order. The Jedi of Courage picked up where he left off in the conversation.
"I know, but there's a part of me that thinks he may be sincere in his desire to join us. I saw the look on his face when we all said no. Izzy and I didn't say anything, but he already knew we would say no," Tai closed his eyes and took a breath. "The devastation and pure sadness are something I'll never forget."
Sora nodded as one of the stand attendants handed them their dango skewers. With a gracious nod of thanks, they walked over to the sit down area near the Hachiko statue to eat. All three of Sora's dangos were completely green, while Tai's had one pink, one white, and one green. Sora bit into the top dango and moaned with delight as the sweet taste of matcha mochi filled her mouth.
"Mmmm. These are so good. I could eat these all day."
"I agree," Tai nodded as he bit into the pink dango at the top of his skewer.
The two spent a few minutes focused only on eating the sweet treats on a stick. Once they were done, they walked to a nearby convenience store to throw them away.
"You have a good heart, Tai," Sora said as they walked back to Shibuya station. "But I don't think even you can reach Ken. He's given us more reasons for why we should not trust him than reasons why we should. I just don't want us to be wasting our time and putting energy into something that is a dead-end street."
Tai nodded. "I know how you feel," he replied. "And I completely understand. I hated him for basically killing you too, but I wouldn't have asked us to spare his life if I didn't think he would change. Something about his broken spirit resonated with me."
Arms wrapped around his left arm as Sora rubbed her cheek along the material of his shirt sleeve. A blush spread across his face.
"That's what I like about you."
Tai looked around. A few people looked at them with disapproval for the public display of affection.
"Come on, Sora. People are starting to stare," he said, eyeing the stares uncomfortably.
"Let them stare," she replied.
Tai shrugged and decided he could live with the stares for now. His mind returned to Ken. What Sora had just said a few moments ago suddenly clicked with him. Maybe he couldn't get through to Ken, but perhaps there was someone who could.
"Forget about it."
Tai sighed, not surprised to get this reaction. "But, Matt –"
"No. I won't do it," Matt shot back angrily. "What makes you think I can get through to that little turd? Clean up in the Digital World is done, Tai. We don't need him."
"Maybe we don't him, but he needs us," Tai said calmly. He'd dealt with Matt's temper enough to know to stay calm and level-headed. He knew Matt was just being irrational right now. "Look, it's not like I've forgiven him for what he's done. What he did to Sora I could never forgive, but I think we were a little too harsh to him the other day."
Matt exhaled sharply through his nose and checked on the pan at the stove. The hamburger steaks sizzled as they cooked; medium well just like he and his father liked it. He used the tongs to turn them over and cook the other side. His dad would be home soon because Rumiko was coming over for dinner that night.
"I get what you're saying, Tai," he said softly. "But we don't need him. For a long time now, it's been the eleven of us. I'd much rather have an eleven than a twelve in blackjack."
Tai sipped on his glass of water before replying, "Matt, this isn't blackjack. Twelve is better than eleven when in battle. All I'm asking is for you to talk to him. That's it. If you have all of these concerns, address them with him. Maybe you guys can work things out. If he's not worth your time, then just say so and leave it at that. At least make an effort to try." He chuckled and added, "He reminds me a lot of you, you know."
Matt whipped around, stunned by the statement.
"What are you talking about? I'm nothing like him!" he protested.
Tai smirked. "Oh, contraire. I seem to remember plenty of times where you let your emotions get in the way." The Jedi of Courage put his glass down on the table. "It's not just the physical scars that make you both similar, Matt. He has plenty of the same emotional baggage that you carried at that age."
"I did not murder my own brother!"
"No, but you did try to kill Joe, and then you tried to kill me," Tai shot back with a smirk. "You thought it was better being by yourself than with us so you ran away for a while. You thought TK was better off without you, and all of us too. But you came back at the right time to help us destroy Piedmon."
"TK did that," Matt chuckled, "not us. You and I were key chains the whole time. I had a pang of conscience when Gennai and Gabumon visited me in the cave."
"Right," Tai let out a chuckle of his own. "Ken is in that same position you were in. He's lost right now. I could see it in his eyes when he came to us the other day. He just needs a little direction, and someone who will help show him the way. I think you're the right person for the job, Matt, because you understand what it was like to be in that spot. I'm not saying you have to be his friend, but just meet with him, okay? If it doesn't go well, it doesn't go well; just don't have your mind made up before you go. Please?"
Matt minced up some onions and spread them across the pan to add more flavor. He silently went about his cooking as he thought things over. In the grand scheme of things, how could one little meeting hurt? Tai had never steered them wrong before. And if things didn't go well, at least he could say he made an effort.
"Matt, did you hear me?"
"Yeah, I heard you," he replied. "I'll do it."
A small smile rose up Tai's face. "Thanks, Matt. I knew I could count on you."
"No use bawling all over me for it," Matt shrugged. "I trust your judgment. Come on, let's go get something to eat."
Tai smirked teasingly. "You mean you weren't making me dinner?"
"This is for Dad," the blonde shot back with a teasing smirk of his own. "Rumiko's coming over for dinner tonight; I wanted to have the hamburger steaks done before he came home. Let's go out."
"Read my mind."
Matt waited outside the gates of the soccer field in Tamachi, keeping his eyes on the raven-haired boy that made a well-timed pass to a teammate for a goal. The high-powered excellence that he saw against Odaiba FC in the scrimmage back in May was no longer there. Ken was merely just an average soccer player now.
His palms were sleek with sweat. This was probably the most nerve-wracking thing he had ever done, though it would likely be replaced when he decided to ask Sora out in the future. That would then be the most nerve-wracking thing. It was all just a matter of timing. Right now, he was not sure how his presence would be received. Would Ken try to run away and avoid him? Would he refuse to talk to him? Matt shook his head out. He would not take 'no' for an answer.
"TAMACHI!"
The Jedi of Friendship looked up. He must have spaced out for far longer than he expected. The team was already heading back through to their locker room. He sat on a nearby bench and waited for Ken to come out.
Several boys passed him, but none of them were Ken. They didn't notice him as they walked on by.
"What happened with Ken?" One of them asked. "It's like he's a completely different person."
"Who knows," another replied. "He can't cut it anymore. That's the problem. Maybe those aliens that kidnapped him sucked out his soccer abilities."
"Shut up, Yashiro. We need him."
Matt frowned as they walked away from earshot. That's all he was to them, just the guy who their success hinged on? It didn't sound like they saw him as much of a friend, if at all. His memories from elementary school were sort of like that as well. Hardly anyone talked to him or gave a thought about him. They only saw the moody, quiet blonde kid with divorced parents. His stomach lurched uncomfortably. He wanted to get rid of those memories.
Ten minutes later, the boy Matt had been waiting for finally emerged from the gates. Ken looked up and down the street before heading the opposite way from Matt's position.
"Ken!" Matt called.
The younger boy turned around at the call of his name. His face paled at the sight of the blonde Jedi. His hand tightened its grip on his sports bag. What did Matt want? Did he come to try and get in his face again, tell him to stay away from the Digital World and that he'll never be a Destined Jedi? Ken did not wish to find out, so he walked down the street at a faster pace.
"Wait, hold on a minute!" Matt ran to catch up with him. "I'm not here to bust your chops. I just wanna talk."
Ken halted his leave and allowed the blonde Jedi to catch up with him. The sincerity was dripping off of him, but with a touch of reluctance, Ken noted as Matt finally stood in front of him.
After taking a few deep breaths, Matt said, "No wonder you're a beast on the soccer field. You're fast."
"Um…thanks, I guess?" Ken shrugged, unsure what to make of the statement. "What are you doing here? Come to remind me how much of a bad boy I've been and you will not allow me in the group?"
"Not this time. I want to talk frankly. Man to man." Matt paused to take a deep breath and then resumed. "I've never liked you, that's no secret. I think you're a pathetic, sad excuse for a boy that only does things to get attention because Mommy and Daddy treated you like you didn't exist when your brother was alive."
Ken scoffed bitterly. "Gee, thanks. What else? Keep it coming."
"No, that's pretty much it," Matt said with a shrug. "A pathetic little squirt who didn't feel adequate."
The two stood in silence for the next minute, neither one knowing what else to say to the other. The world fell still, as if holding its breath for what would happen next. After four months of bad blood, there should have been more to hash out but neither of them wanted to talk much.
Finally, Matt broke the silence with a "Anyway, there's a reason why I am here today. I wanted to give you this."
He handed Ken a folded piece of paper. The former Digimon Emperor looked at it suspiciously.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Open it."
Ken unfolded the paper and looked down at what was written inside. It looked like an address to somewhere. He didn't understand.
"Be there at 7 a.m. tomorrow," Matt said. "We're going to have a little meeting to see whether or not you are worthy of my time."
Ken's eyes widened when it hit him what the blonde meant. Excitement rose up within him as a smile spread across his face.
"Thank you," he said.
"You won't be thanking me tomorrow," Matt smirked. "It's just to see if there is anything redeeming about you."
Without another word, he left. Ken looked down at the paper in his hands in awe. This was his chance to finally do something that helped others for a change.
"I'm telling you, Matt is completely out of his mind!"
Tai sighed and rubbed his hand over his eyes. "Look, TK, I know you're not happy about this, but –"
"He tried to kill us, Tai!" the younger blonde protested. "How can you be so quick to forgive him, especially after what he did to Sora?"
"I haven't forgiven him for that," Tai seethed in the boy's face. "I will never forgive him for that. That doesn't mean we can't at least talk to him. Maybe there is something we could use him for."
TK scoffed. "Like what? There's nothing left to do in the Digital World. Our business there is over. Therefore, we don't need him."
Tai took a deep breath to calm his anger. TK had really grown into the leadership position, as much as he didn't want to believe it. That also came with the downside: He was more opinionated now and willing to challenge Tai's decisions.
"Be mindful of your place, TK," he said. "You may be the leader of the younger kids, but I'm still the one in charge of the entire group. I'm the general, you're still the sergeant. Is that clear?"
TK stared back with cold, icy blue eyes. Davis and Kari watched from the side, worried that the blonde would do something irrational. He was not one to back down, even to Tai, but he knew this was a battle not to be fought. With a nod, he replied, "Crystal clear."
"Good," Tai nodded back. "Control yourself in the future."
"Understood."
The two other Jedi in the room relaxed. Crisis averted. That still didn't mean they were worried about TK's behavior ever since Ken was defeated. He'd been more prone to these kinds of confrontations than usual.
"I just don't get it. Why would we need Ken to help us?" Kari asked.
"This isn't about him helping us, Kari," Tai put a hand on her shoulder. "This is about us helping him."
His younger sister cocked an eyebrow. "Huh? I don't understand."
"Yeah, have you lost your mind, Tai?" Davis echoed.
"Not quite, Davis," his master snapped. "But I am going to if you don't sit down and hear me out."
Davis' face froze. "Point taken," he muttered before sitting down on the floor attentively.
"I know this is probably not what you guys wanted to hear, but sometimes we have to make tough decisions as Destined Jedi," Tai started to explain. "When we defeated Ken, and I saw how broken and helpless he was, it awoke something in me. Despite everything he had done to us, there was something underneath he was trying to hide. Then, when he came to us the other day, while you all gave him the cold shoulder, I looked into his eyes."
He looked around to see how the younger three Jedi were receiving his talk. They leaned forward and listened closely. Even TK was being quiet and receiving the words actively.
"What did you see?" Kari asked.
Tai took a slow breath, the memory of that day came back vividly. The look of sadness and rejection on Ken's face as he walked away was heartbreaking to see. Tai knew in that moment that Ken just wanted somebody to believe in him.
"I saw someone who was lost and needed someone to help guide him," he said. He looked directly at TK when he said the next part. "Kinda like how Matt was when we returned to the Digital World to defeat the Dark Masters. Remember, TK?"
The blonde nodded. "Yeah."
"Ken was silently begging for an opportunity to turn himself around. You can fake a lot of things, but you cannot fake the kind of hopelessness that Ken had in his eyes." Tai scraped his top teeth over his bottom lip as he thought of his next words. "That's why I asked Matt to have a meeting with him. At least just to see whether he was truly worth our time. I don't know what will happen, but if it does go well then I want you guys to back me up on this. Can you do that for me?"
The three younger Jedi looked down at their hands, showing various stages of conflict. TK was still not really sure what to think anymore. As the second leader though, it was his responsibility to keep everyone safe so he was still not comfortable with the idea.
Kari was a little harder to decipher. She bit her lip and thought about it for quite a few moments. Her brother had never steered her wrong before, but this time she was not sure about his idea. Ken could be using Tai's kind heart against him and trying to get him to give Ken another chance. When he had their trust, he'd kill them all. She blinked. That sounded like a really wacky theory, now that she thought about it more clearly. Then she thought of the time Ken kidnapped her. He tortured her with his words, trying to get her to surrender to him. She also noticed the lustful intent he had the whole time as well, which unsettled her even more.
"Alright. I'll back you on this one, Tai," she finally said. "But I sure hope you know what can you're opening with this."
"She's right," TK agreed. "I may not like it, but I can't go against you, Tai. I still don't think we should trust Ken so fast."
Davis didn't say a word. The burgundy-haired boy didn't know what to do. He looked down at his leg, the same one that Ken had plunged his saber into just a few months before. He had finally recovered from that attack, but he still felt the saber's burn on his flesh. The first time they met, he was held prisoner and tortured with Force lightning. By all accounts, he should have been a definite 'no', but if what Tai said was right, then who was he to argue? Tai was the best master he ever could have asked for, and had never steered him wrong.
There was also the time Ken captured Yolei in the middle of the night. While, from what the girl had said, he treated her well, it did not excuse the fact he kidnapped her and frightened her family half to death. Davis grabbed his head, taking fistfuls of hair in his hands. This was so hard!
"Davis," Kari raised her eyebrows suggestively and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Come on."
The boy's face exploded red with blush. "Um…I don't…" he stuttered, not prepared for this.
"Please?" Kari fluttered her eyebrows. "For me?"
TK's hand clenched into a fist. It shook as anger coursed through his body. He tried to keep his face calm, but his eyes narrowed in a death glare at the boy. So that's what was going on lately, eh? He was worried to see what it was like when he wasn't around.
Davis laughed. "Alright, alright, alright. I agree with you, Tai. Whatever happens, we'll at least give Ken a chance."
Tai chuckled. "Just can't say no when the ladies are involved, eh Davis?"
"Only Kari, I guess," Davis replied with a nervous chuckle of his own.
The bushy haired teen looked across at the younger blonde, who still glared knives into Davis. He cocked an eyebrow.
"Everything alright, TK?"
TK loosened up. His face fell back to its natural happy-go-lucky grin and his fist relaxed. Mr. Hyde had gone away, and now the normal TK returned.
"Yeah, everything's fine," he said with a grin. "We'll see how things go with Matt tomorrow."
"Yup. Meet at the rendezvous point early tomorrow morning."
The sun still hung low in the sky as Ken arrived at the warehouse at 7 a.m. like Matt told him. He still walked around in a daze from waking up at 5:30 in order to catch the early train from Tamachi. Since it was still relatively early, rush hour was not in full effect yet.
When he opened the door and entered, the building was completely quiet. Outside, the early birds sang their songs and the low foghorns from incoming ships announced their arrival to the docks. The lights were turned off, making it difficult to see. To his left, Ken saw some rays of sunshine enter the warehouse, giving him at least some assistance.
"Matt?" he said. "Are you here? It's Ken."
He received no response. For a moment, Ken worried he had shown up at the wrong address. He took one look at the paper he kept in his pocket. It was the right address. Then Ken looked at his watch. 7:02. Where was Matt?
"'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe," a voice laughed in the darkness. "All mimsy were the borogoves, and the mome raths outgrabe."
Ken felt chills run down his spine. It was chilling just listening to it now that he was on the receiving end this time.
"Come on, Matt," he called in a small voice. "That's not funny."
"Not so funny when you're on the other side, now is it?" the blonde Jedi said as he emerged from the shadows behind Ken.
He threw something in Ken's direction. The boy caught it in his hand. He was holding a bamboo sword in his hand. Ken did not know much about kendo, but he remembered that the sword was called a shinai.
"You ready?" Matt asked, raising his own sword.
Ken gulped nervously. "For what?"
"Our meeting," the blonde Jedi replied. "The only real way to see if you're worthy is how you respond with an opponent, so we are sparring."
Ken was still confused. This did not make any sense. How was sparring going to help him prove his worth?
He would get his answer as Matt turned on the lights in the room to their right. A large tatami mat was placed in the middle of the smooth granite floor. Matt walked in and stood on one side of the mat, while Ken reluctantly went to the other side.
"Matt, can we talk about this real quick?" he requested.
"What's there to talk about?" the Jedi of Friendship replied. "Do you want to be one of us, or not?"
Ken nodded. "Yes."
His opponent pointed the sword at him. "Then fight me, and prove that you can still do it."
Matt bowed to him as a sign of respect before the fight. Ken followed after accepting that there was no getting out of this. His hands gripped the bamboo sword tightly and pointed it back towards Matt.
"AAAAAHHHHHH!" The blonde roared as he charged.
Ken was so shocked by Matt's movements that he almost didn't raise his sword in time to block the attack. The blonde then came back with two strong attacks, but Ken blocked them as well. His feet finally responded to the command to move, blocking Matt's every attack.
"Come on! Is that the best you've got?!" the blonde taunted him as he pressed their swords together. "I know you can do better than that. Let the hate flow through you. I want to see the Emperor."
Ken stiffened. Bring out the Emperor? That was something he did not wish to experience ever again. Why was Matt asking him to do that? When he was the Emperor, he was cold and cruel.
"UGGGHHH!" Ken recoiled back as he was punched in the stomach. Matt pressed the attack to keep Ken off balance and slammed two strikes down on his sword before smacking him with the back of his hand. Ken hit the ground on his stomach.
Matt grabbed him by his hair and pulled his head up.
"This is the best you've got? You're pathetic!" he hissed as Ken grimaced in pain. "No wonder your parents don't love you. Your brother would have done better, and yet you killed him, Ken. Why?"
The raven-haired boy hissed in pain, but managed to get some words out. "Shut up! It was an accident!" he shouted.
"No it wasn't! You murdered him!"
"LIAR!"
Ken kicked Matt off. His breath came out raggedly as rage filled him. His eyes were fixed right on the blonde teenager in front of him. Matt smiled. This was exactly what he wanted to see. He held his shinai with its tip pointed upwards.
Ken made the first move this time and attacked with such ferocity that Matt was put back on his heels for the first time. He blocked and counterattacked in the way his Djem So style taught, but Ken was extremely powerful. He and Tai used to spar all the time at Gennai's house, but this was on a completely different level.
"My brother's death was an accident!" Ken shouted as he struck from all angles. Matt rose his sword to block every single attack until they finally locked together. "I couldn't control my powers when it happened. My anger drove the lightning out of me."
Matt wrestled their arms to the side, but Ken timed it perfectly with a backhand across the face. The attack stunned Matt briefly, but it allowed Ken to take control of the match. The raven-haired boy put all of his strength into the next attack as he slammed his sword on top of Matt's. The power was incredible. Matt lost his balance and fell to the ground. Ken dove right in and pointed the sword at his throat.
Ken panted heavily as the anger that took control of him dissipated. He and Matt locked eyes. The blonde was also panting from exhaustion as he lay on the tatami mat.
"So," Ken wheezed. "How –Gasp–Did–Gasp–I–Gasp–Do?"
A smile played on the blonde's lips. This went exactly the way he imagined it would go.
"I think that we may have use for you yet," he said. "Your power is still incredible. You might be even better than Tai, if I may say so."
Ken pointed his sword away from Matt and threw it on the mat. He stuck his hand out and the blonde took it, pulling him up from the ground.
"Thanks," Ken nodded. "I know I cannot make up for what I have done before, but I want a chance to do something good for a change. Whatever else you need me to do, I'll do it. I'll do anything to be a true Destined Jedi."
Matt's smile grew wider.
"That's the kind of attitude I like to hear," he replied. "It's not going to be easy, Ken. One question still needs to be answered. How would we be able to trust you going forward? Why should we trust you?"
Ken looked down at the ground and thought about it. Why should the Jedi trust him, especially after all the horrible things he had done to them? Then it hit him. He answered with a low tone.
"I have nothing left," he mumbled. "I'm not Ken Ichijouji, boy genius; I'm not the Digimon Emperor anymore either. I'm just Ken. The real Ken is struggling to reinvent himself after everything he's done. No one has given me a chance: Not my parents; not my classmates; not my teachers; nobody."
Ken sniffled as tears started to wash down his face. "I just want someone I can talk to about my problems. Someone that can look past the mask I wear and see that I'm hurting inside. If you guys want me to get lost, just tell me to get lost now. I'll go away."
Whatever anger Matt felt towards Ken before now was completely washed out of him. The boy really was just like him when he was that age: Full of anger, frustration, and like the world was better off without him. Gennai's death, his responsibility as a Destined Jedi, having to protect TK, and still reeling from his parents' divorce was a lethal cocktail that almost caused him to kill Tai and Joe. He finally understood now.
He wrapped Ken in a comforting hug.
"You don't have to do this alone," he whispered as Ken continued to cry. "None of us do. You and I are alike in many ways, Ken. I used to have so much anger inside of me that it nearly destroyed me." He gestured to the scar over his eye. "Instead, it got me this. Just like it did you."
Ken pushed back from Matt's embrace and traced the scar over the entire right side of his face. Instantly, he felt a bond between the two of them. They were almost one in the same.
"But why would you want to take a chance on me?" he asked. "I have done nothing but awful things."
"That is true," Matt nodded. "But now is your chance to redeem yourself, like you just talked about."
"Because we will take you on now, Ken."
The two boys turned around and saw Tai, Kari, Davis, and TK all come out from the computer room. They had been watching from a crack in the door the whole time. Ken blushed bashfully, not aware that they had been there.
"H-Hi," he said shyly.
Tai stepped forward and patted Matt on the shoulder.
"Nice work, Matt," he said with a smile before turning his attention to Ken. "Ken, we would like to have you join us. Before we do, though, we want to allow you the chance to show us why we can fully trust you."
Ken cocked an eyebrow in curiosity. "What do you mean by that, Tai?" he asked.
"We'll give you a trial period for now," the Jedi of Courage replied.
"How long?"
"A month."
Ken's eyes went wide. "A month?"
"You want me to make it a week?" Tai shot back.
"No, no," Ken bowed his head. "A month is fine."
Tai smiled and put a hand on Ken's shoulder. "Hey, we'll do everything we can to help you succeed. That is why I am assigning you to Matt. He will be your master through that trial period." He stuck a hand out. "Welcome aboard, Ken."
The black-haired boy looked at the hand in shock. Was this really happening? His hand shook as he reached up to take Tai's hand and shook it. The three younger Jedi clapped in celebration.
"Thank you," he said, tears brimming around his eyes again. "This means more to me than you know."
"Not to worry, Ken," Tai smiled and patted his shoulder again. "I think that this will work out fine."
The Jedi were all so busy congratulating him that they failed to notice the man looking in just outside one of the open doors. He jotted down some notes before pulling out a cellphone. A smile played on his lips.
And just like that, Ken has begun his trial period to prove himself worthy of being a full member of the group. How will the other Jedi take the news? What's next? Find out next time on Attack of the Emperor.
The more I wrote this chapter, the more sorry I feel for Ken. Everybody hates him, and there's nothing he can do about it. He just wants one person to believe in him and see who he really is. Davis looks like he may be willing to come around too. We will see ;-)
Eleven days to Kizuna, guys! Hopefully all this craziness will go away by then and we can all enjoy the movie. I'm so excited. I am also excited about releasing my version of Kizuna in the future for you guys too.
As always, leave a review and subscribe. Stay alert, but don't give in to fear. Be sensible and protect yourself.
Have a safe and blessed week, and I will see you all next weekend.
