My Father's Partner
"That is no excuse! Did we not have the right to know that you guys were related and related to the original Chosen no less?!" Junpei complained for the umpteenth time, his eyes narrowed at both Kouji and Takuya as they all took a seat at the incredibly large, incredibly beautiful table. The table was quite elaborate with its Victorian style design. In fact, the castle seemed to be a mixture of different eras all merged into one. It reminded him of that odd entry in one of his father's old dairies he had read a long time ago.
Kouji had felt a hint of uneasiness as he took a seat next to Izumi, with Neamon and Armadimon taking the seats to his right. Upon entering the castle, Kouji had seen several photographs. Many of the photographs displayed Phelesmon (either alone or with his brother) with other Digimon. Kouji had only briefly looked at them, but judging by the names under the photographs and the general appearance of the different Digimon, they were noblemen and noblewomen, lords and ladies, and even kings and queens.
Some of the other photographs he and the others had come across were photographs of different landscapes; they too had a short description and title under each one. Kouji hadn't recognized any of them, but there were a few that popped out to him. File Island. The Village of Beginnings. Server Continent. WWW Continent. He heard those names before, but he couldn't point his finger where. They had never gone to those places and as far as he could tell those places don't even exist, at least not anymore.
His suspicions had been confirmed when Tailmon pointed out that the reboot had deleted many of the old islands, reforming them into new ones, with ninety percent of the Digimon population reverting back to their Child or Baby forms, as a result of this reboot, or back into a Digitama. The lands were more separated now and the only way to reach these lands were by a Trailmon or by traveling over the vast ocean.
Reboot... This was not the first time he heard that word. The Digimon at the marketplace mentioned it several times, Bokomon even mentioned it while he was catching up with his friends. And then it was mentioned again. But what exactly was this reboot? Was it like rebooting a computer or something? Kouji found himself doubting that. The Digital World can't be rebooted like that. It's a living planet, just like ours. Maybe the reboot is an acronym for something, but what? And what does this have to do with Papa and his friends? How were they involved in this? Kouji sighed, deciding to let it go. All this questioning wasn't getting him anywhere. He'll just have to ask Bokomon later. He seemed to know what this reboot was about, like he had lived through it. Was that even possible?
"Junpei-kun, give it rest. We didn't exactly ask them if they were related. And Kouji-kun's right. It's not our business," Izumi said as she gazed at the food on the table. Junpei frowned from his spot next to the female warrior. Apparently, they were having a three-course meal and the cooks (Digitamamon, the couple, Mother and Father Burgamon, as they insisted to be called, and Vegimon) had already been placing the appetizers on the table when they arrived. There were several different types of gyoza, spicy edamame, chicken & scallion skewers, fried chicken, tuna poke, and shumai. Kouji was slightly surprised to see some of the dishes his father always made at home. There were his personal favorites: tsukune, spring rolls, renkon chips. And his father's personal favorites: chawanmushi with shrimp, sake-steamed clams, and miso glazed eggplant.
"How is it not our business? Their uncles," he said pointing to Takuya (who was sitting next to V-mon), "his father," he then pointed to Kouji, who scowled at him, "their partners," Junpei yelled as he pointed at the Digimon that were munching away on some food, watching the argument with a mixture of annoyance and longing, "are related to the original Chosen! Ophanimon said there were others before us! They could have helped us! They clearly know more about the Digital World then we do! They could have helped us!"
"That isn't very likely," Bokomon said as he plucked a gyoza from one of the many plates scattered across the table. Bokomon was in between Junpei and Tomiki.
"Why's that?" Tomoki asked, who had been rather quiet throughout Junpei's annoying rant. "We were brought here. Why not them?"
"He has a point," Neamon said as he stuffed a spicy edamame into his mouth, which he soon regretted afterward.
"Yes, well, as far as we know, Ophanimon was only able to contact human children to bring to the Digital World. And if any adults had taken a Trailmon to come to the Digital World, we would have heard something by now." Assuming that Ophanimon actually attempted to contact them, to begin with.
The Digimon looked at each other, each one suddenly having looks of longing and disappointment, the same one his father's partner had not long ago. It suddenly dawned on him just how close they must have been to their partner and just how much they must be missing them. Any type of news about their partner must be a blessing and if, by some divine miracle, their partners managed to find their way back to the Digital World, given the dozen or so children that must have been called just like him and the others, would have been a dream come true.
Kouji looked up from his plate that he had been picking at to gaze at the group of Digimon. But Kouji found himself, once again, gazing at one in particular: his father's partner. Stingmon sat at the head of the table. V-mon (who had devolved when they arrived at the castle) and Meicoomon sat to his left and right, respectively, beginning the long row of Humans and Digimon. From across from him were Meicoomon, Patamon, Tailmon, Hawkmon, Tentomon, Palmon, Piyomon, Gomamon, Gabumon, and Agumon. To Kouji left were Armadimon and Bokomon and to his right were Izumi, Junpei, Neamon, Tomiki, Takuya, and V-mon.
Kouji's shifted his gaze from the Digimon to his cousin. Takuya caught his gaze with a small smile. He had come to the same conclusion about these Digimon as he had, at least to some extent.
"You make it seem like Ophanimon never contacted them." Izumi gazed at Bokomon with a frown.
"It is very likely she was unable to," Bokomon said with a frown of his own. "Ophanimon has not been seen in decades. And from what Socerimon told us, it is likely she had been captured by Cherubimon. Her powers are probably limited, at best," he said in between bites.
"So, contacting us through our cells was the best she could do."
"Precisely."
Izumi frowned. "But wouldn't that mean they would have gotten a call too? They wouldn't just abandon these guys if they knew the Digital World was in danger."
"You're right about that," V-mon spoke up, a small smile on his face. "Daisuke and the others would have done everything they could to enter the Digital World if they knew it was in danger. They would never abandon us like that."
"And even if they aren't able to enter the Digital World through the TVs sets, I'm sure Koushiro-han would have found a way. He always does," Tentomon said, sure of himself. But it was obvious he was sad that the computer genius hadn't been able too, just like V-mon, Phelesmon, and Stingmon. All the Digimon were sad really and he was sure his father and the other adults were feeling the same way. No that wasn't right. From personal experience alone, Kouji knew this sadness must run deep. It was on the same level of sadness and pain that his father felt towards the death of his oldest son, Kouichi, and the betrayal of his ex. Kouji knew that look very well, especially when it came to his father. It was a look he had come to loathe.
"TVs sets?" Tomoki mumbled in confusion for a moment before his eyes went wide. "You mean like the Forest of Televisions?" Kouji frowned slightly at the memory. He had seen his father in one of those viewing portals. His father was in the kitchen with his fiancee, Motomiya Julieanne, Daisuke and Jun's half-sister. They were talking and laughing as they continued to prepare the food for the party, while his uncle, Daisuke, sneaked in presents that were for his father. With the wedding two months away, his father had forgotten all about his birthday. Though, Daisuke and Takumi wanted to keep it that way as they planned this joint birthday party. As far as his father knew, they were celebrating Shinya's birthday. Although, that was what they wanted him to think. They were all in on it. A double birthday party.
However, his father hadn't seemed that concerned that he had been gone for weeks. Could that have something to do with the time difference between the two worlds? It did make sense. His father would be near hysterical when he realized that he hadn't returned home with Takuya as he promised. And then there would be the phone calls. After five missed calls and before his father began thinking the worse his uncles, Daisuke and Takumi, would force him out of the house to hunt them down. Kouji was not entirely thrilled about that.
"Not really," Tailmon said as she popped some fish into her mouth. "There used to be TV sets all over the Digital World. We used them to come and go between the worlds as we pleased. It helped when things got really dangerous."
"Like the weird weather that occurred when Balck War Greymon destroyed the Holy Stones," Hawkmon added.
"This sounds too much like Takaishi-san's books," Kouji mumbled to himself. However, everyone heard him. Several pairs of eyes gazed at him, making him uncomfortable.
"What?" Kouji had noticed the way Patamon's eyes began tearing up as well as the looks his friends and cousin were sending his way.
"Wait, you're talking about Takeru as in Takaishi Takeru? The famous author?" Izumi asked, her eyes wide. Jumpei looked just as shocked as he pulled out a book from the pocket of his jumper. Kouji and Takuya nodded, confused.
"Takeru's an author?" Patamon asked with a teary smile. "He always said he wanted to be an author. What does he write about?"
"You guys," Takuya answered for him with a huge grin. "The book series is called Digimon Adventure." The Digimon all perked up, pausing in their quest to eat every food placed in front of them to gaze at Takuya. Kouji popped some food into his mouth to hide the curious hmm that would ultimately draw the attention back to him.
Sitting here with his father's partner and the rest of the Chosen made him wonder something about his father. Back at home, his father always made a lot of food. Don't get him wrong, Kouji loved his father's cooking more than Daisuke's (though, he could be just biased), but he and Ken weren't exactly the biggest eaters, that honor falls to Daisuke, Taichi, and even Miyako. For years Kouji had wondered about this. His father never seemed to notice this little issue, it was a habit he had developed as a child, but now, after so long, Kouji knew why. It was because of the Digimon.
"The main characters are called DigiDestined and the majority of the names and places in the books were changed, slightly. But I'm positive he was writing his and the others' adventures. They even talk about you guys a lot when they get together during the bi-yearly reunions." Patamon and the other Digimon all smiled, glad to know that their partners managed to stick together, despite growing distant before in the past.
"It was all real? Everything..." They all turned towards Junpei who was holding a book in his hands, a mixture of emotions on his face. The book was yellow and had a symbol on the cover: a single ray of light beaming down from a small sun. The title and symbol were faded from use, but he could tell it was one of Takeru's books from his book series. The Digimon nodded slowly, but they were unsure how to respond to Junpei's question.
"I never thought it was real," Junpei whispered in a mixture between awe and horror. "You died..." Patamon nodded slowly. "And you guys..." Junpei stopped speaking as he gazed at V-mon, Armadimon, Hawkmon, and Stingmon. The four Digimon didn't respond, however. Why? He couldn't be sure. Kouji hadn't read any of Takaishi's newer books in the series. He had stopped after Mummymon and Archnemon kidnap the former Digimon Emperor. There was just something about that event that felt unsettling and familiar.
"It hurt Takeru gravely when I died. I returned, but I know he never got over it. I had hoped he would find the strength to move on from this and live a happy life after we were separated again." Patamon then looked at Takuya and Kouji, torn. "He is okay, right?"
Takuya smiled. "Yeah, he is. He married Hikari-san and they have three kids together."
"I'm not that surprised. They had always been close as kids. Is Hikari a teacher?" Tailmon asked. Takuya's grin grew wide. The gossiper was more than happy to answer the Digimon's eager questions about their partners' adult lives. I guess it was bound to happen eventually, he thought silently. The Digimon hadn't seen their partners in quite some time. It was understandable that they wanted to know about their partners' adult lives now, having last seen them when they were kids. But how long had it truly been for them? Years? Decades? Centuries? Kouji glanced at his cousin, who seemed rather excited. Kouji had to admit, he was curious who was partnered to who. But he had a feeling he already knew.
"Yup," Takuya said. "She a great teacher." Tailmon smiled. "Yagami Taichi-kun and Meiko-san got married." Both Agumon and Meicoomon perked up at this.
"What is Taichi doing now?" Agumon asked.
"Mei's married?" Meicoomon said with a smile. "Does she have any kids? She said she always wanted one!" Well, he guessed they were finding out who was partnered to whom. However, as he gazed around the table, his memory of what he had read from Takeru's books came flowing back.
"Taichi-san is a United Nations diplomat," he told Agumon, who smiled broadly before turning to his friend, a smug look on his face. "Told you! I win!"
Kouji silently eyes to the two Digimon. There are only three blond's in Papa's group of friends…and only one is the oldest and best friends with Yagami-san.
Gabumon sighed in disappointment, just as the cooks came in to clear their plates and replace them with the main course. "Well, damn. I guess I owe you lunch tomorrow."
"You guys betted on each other?" Junpei asked, baffled.
"Why not?" The two said with a shrug.
"How long has this bet been going on?" He asked.
"Umm, after we got separated. I think," Agumon said, unsure. Gabumon shrugged as well. Izumi laughed, along with Tomoki, while Junpei continued to gaze at the Digimon in shock. Kouji could only shake his head in disbelief. Honestly, it was no surprise that those two were Yagami and Ishida's partners.
"And Meiko-san is a graphic designer. They have a son together," Takuya said, answering Meicoomon's question. "Izumi Koushiro-san is a researcher. I believe, he set up this research team with Takenouchi Haruhiko-san, Kido Shuu-san, and Inoue Miyako-san. Anyway, he married Mimi-san and they have two kids together." Palmon and Piyomon gazed at each other.
"I wasn't expecting that," Piyomon said.
"Neither was I," Palmon said. "What does Mimi do?"
"She's a famous chef." Palmon smiled.
"Mimi did always make the best food," Palmon said at the same time Izumi squealed: "I love Izumi-san's cooking show!"
"What about Sora?"
"And Miyako-san?"
"And Iori, da'gya?"
Takuya chuckled as each Digimon began inquiring about their partner. "Give me a minute. I'm getting to them." Takuya took a sip of his glass of water before continuing. Each Digimon and Human were hanging onto every word. All except Kouji. Kouji soon found himself retreating into his thoughts as Takuya began talking about Yamato and his wife, Sora. He never did interact with the other adults much. He knew they were his father's friends. Though, his father was the closest to Hikari, Daisuke, Takeru, Miyako, and Iori.
Kouji briefly shifted his gaze to Hawkmon, who was frowning. Looks like Takuya was telling him about Miyako's divorce with her previous husband. Kouji picked on his garlic fried rice as his thoughts traveled to his father once again. His father had never really liked the man Inoue had married five years ago. Kouji didn't remember the guy much, but he had not been very nice. Miyako never did seem happy with him. She didn't smile, became distant from her friends whenever the man was around. The man, according to his uncles and his father, had been stealing from her, cheating on her, and mentally abusing her to get what he wanted. Everyone was just glad that her current boyfriend was very nice and adored her, spoiling her sometimes.
Kouji slowly chewed on some fried shrimp. Now if only Montgomery-san had the nerve to propose.
"Wallace?" Hawkmon asked. "You mean Montgomery Wallace-san?" Kouji blinked, returning his focus to the conversation in front of him. The Digimon knew Montgomery? How was that even... Kouji groaned over his food. Don't tell me he's a Chosen too.
"Yeah." Takuya blinked. "You know him?"
"He's Lopmon and Terriermon's partner."
Takuya glanced at Kouji, who refused to look back at him. Was everyone his father knew a former Chosen or was it just a select few? Kouji groaned. He wished he hadn't met these Digimon. His head was pounding with questions, questions that only one Digimon had the answers too. But was he ready? He wasn't sure if he wanted to ask him or to find out what other mysteries his father hidden in plain sight and he had just been too naive to not notice. But there was something else too. He feared for when Takuya finally told everyone about his mother and how she broke his father's heart and ruined their family.
Before Kouji knew it, Takuya had finished talking about Miyako, Iori, and Daisuke.
"Iori-san actually works with Ken-ojisan and Otousan on their criminal cases. It amazing how well they work together."
"He doing okay then," Stingmon spoke up for the first time since Takuya began talking about the others. "I'm glad." Kouji gave him a sideways glance. Stingmon seemed lost in his thoughts, but he seemed so happy to know that the others were doing so well and that his partner was doing fine. "I was worried about him after he and the others had gotten hurt by Alphamon before the reboot. After everything that's happened, he deserves to be happy." If Stingmon could, he would have assumed the other would be smiling. But Kouji could only find himself frowning the tiniest of bit more. His father had been harmed by this Alphamon? Why? "I'm guessing Ken-chan and Kimura-san got married then?"
Takuya's smile fell just as Kouji's face darkened, his previous questions shoved to the corner of his mind. Kouji's body tensed up a bit at the mention of his mother, the one thing he had been dreading. Why did he think Stingmon would not notice the resemblance? "Well...not exactly..."
"What you mean?" Stingmon asked. "From what Ken-chan told me, they had been really close. And she seemed to care deeply for him when I met her briefly." They had, Kouji thought, knowing that was the truth. But she had broken Papa's heart.
There was a sudden gasp. Kouji froze. Had he said that out loud? Kouji finally, fully, looked at his father's partner and felt a tinge of guilt. Stingmon seemed pained, hurt that his partner had been hurt by someone close to him. That he had been hurt again and he had not been there to protect him. Stingmon stood up then with the chair following behind him with a sudden slam!
"V-mon would you mind showing them to their rooms after dinner?" V-mon had placed down the fifth teriyaki burger he had been devouring, gazing at the other in concern.
"Um, sure. But where are you going?"
"I just remembered that I have something to do." Stingmon's voice was tight. The Digimon wanted to leave, wanted to escape the truth he had just been told. He did not want to believe. He wanted to deny the truth as much as possible. He couldn't exactly do that while in the same room as his partner's son.
"But, Stingmon..."
"I will see everyone in the morning." Stingmon didn't give his friend a chance to complain or question his sudden departure. Kouji watched as Stingmon left, his food half finished, the chair laying forgotten on the floor. Kouji frowned, guilty, as he stared at his own food. He suddenly didn't feel hungry anymore, unlike his friends who had been digging into the food up until Stingmon's quick retreat.
"What just happened?" Tomoki asked, concern written all over his features as his gaze shifted between him and Takuya, wondering how an interesting, positive conversation about their predecessors had gotten so tense and dark the next.
Kouji didn't say anything. He couldn't. How can you tell someone how the one person he cared for the most had been hurt so much that he was still hurting today and refused to let go? He closed his eyes, taking deep breaths, ignoring the concerned and worried looks of the Digimon, his cousin, and his friends.
"Yes, what did happen?" V-mon asked, not about Stingmon's reaction, but about the underlying cause. There was an overprotectiveness in his voice. He had been just as close to his father as Stingmon was. He could tell from the snip-bits of the conversation he overheard between Stingmon and XV-mon. The two were very close and cared about each others' partners like they were their own. It was similar to his father and Daisuke, actually. Weird.
Takuya signed. "Kimura-san," Takuya said, void of his previous excitement when he was gossiping about the adults to their partners, "she left Ojisan the day he was going to propose." The Digimon looked shocked and horrified. "From what I was told from my parents, Ojisan was coming back from Kouji's checkup. He had caught some kind of cold or something when he was younger, leaving Kouichi (Kouji's twin brother) with Kimura."
"Wait? Ken has another son?" V-mon asked. The Digimon didn't know. How could they? They hadn't seen their partners in centuries. But Kouji could not listen anymore. Thinking about his older brother seemed to hurt like a physical wound. But thinking about the nights his father would try to comfort him when he cried for his mother, for his brother that was gone, even though all his father wanted to do was cry and mourn himself, struck him to the very core. His father was in pain and still was (has been for years) and there was nothing he could do about it. And that hurt more than his own childish anger, hatred, pain and other negative feelings he currently felt. His father was pushing his own sadness, his own anger, guilt, and pain aside for him.
Kouji knew how lucky he was to have a father like that. Yet, at the same time, it pained him so much. His father had not been shown the same unconditional love, kindness, and support in his youth by his biological parents. He had to suffer and almost die to get the family and love that he truly needed, while he had it since the day he was born. Kouji knew his father was trying his best. Being a single parent had not been easy and he and Julieanne had only been officially together for three years. Despite that, Daisuke's half-sister, Julieanne, made his father truly happy and she, at times, made the sadness and pain almost non-existent. But it was not enough. The pain and sadness would always come back.
Kouji could see it in his father's smile, in his loving words and embrace, Ken was still hurting from the pain of his first born and by the betrayal of his first love. None of them would be able to properly grieve without a body to bury. The small shrine in the house was the best they could do. It helped ease the pain, but it did nothing to convince his father that it was not his fault. He blamed himself for that woman leaving him and for Kouichi's untimely death. This was why he didn't let go. He feared if he did he would be betraying Kouichi's memory.
Kouji just stared blankly at his food, feeling everyone's eyes on him. He closed his eyes as he envisioned his father, sitting right next to him, as he and Julieanne discussed the final preparations for the wedding. It was really mundane things they talk about: how the weather was going to be on that day? Did they order enough food? Was the location really okay for the wedding? Did they forget to invite anyone? And so on. Envisioning that small conversion, one he had heard every day for the past week made Kouji notice something.
He just wants everyone to be happy. That thought lingered in his mind for a moment. For as long as he'd known his father and based on the old diaries he had read in the past, his father had always put others before himself, even at the cost of pushing his own needs and feelings away. His father was kind like that.
Kouji blinked, realizing what he had to do. All his father desired was for his son, his family, and his friends to be happy and healthy. This didn't exactly help him and Takuya in their quest to find that special birthday gift that would finally put Ken at total ease, to convince him that it was okay to let go. Kouichi would not want him to keep blaming himself for his death. But his brother was dead and could not tell their father that. It was up to Kouji to do that. Kouji hadn't been sure how he would accomplish that, which was why he asked his cousin for help. But maybe he wasn't asking the right person. He needed someone who knew his father more than he knew himself. And who else knew his father the best than his own partner?
Kouji ignored the looks he got as he got up. "Thank you for the meal, but please excuse me." Kouji left in a similar matter as Stingmon, with more questions than answers, but with a new goal in mind. Kouji had walked aimlessly for a while, unsure where the other could have gone. As he turned the corner, Kouji heard: "Come on! We are going to miss all the good food!" before running into two rabbit-like Digimon: one brown with three horns and one white with one horn on his head.
"I'm so sorry!" The brown Digimon apologized for the other Digimon that had run straight into him, knocking the two of them over. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Thank you," Kouji said politely as he helped the other Digimon to his feet.
"You?"
"I'm fine," the white rabbit Digimon said, slightly dazed. After the Digimon stook himself from his momentary daze, he looked at him with a blink. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to be one of those new Chosen we were hearing about?"
Before Kouji could respond, the brown Digimon hit the other with his ear. "Don't be so rude, Terriermon."
"Sorry." Terriermon rubbed his head with a grimace. The other sighed.
"I apologize for my twin. I'm Lopmon and this is Terriermon. What's your name?"
Kouji blinked. He figured they were siblings, judging by the way they acted. They reminded him of uncle and aunt, Daisuke and Jun. But he hadn't expected to meet Montgomery's partners so soon.
"Minamoto Kouji."
"Nice to meet yea," Terriermon said cheerfully, maybe a little too cheerfully. "Sorry to meet and run, but we really got to get going! Bye!" Terriermon scampered off in the direction Kouji came from, leaving his twin brother behind, who was looking exasperated.
"I apologize again for his behavior."
"It's fine. One of my uncles is the same way." Kouji smiled as he thought about all the times his father sighed every time Daisuke did something remotely stupid or dangerous.
"Still," Lopmon said, a small frown on his face as he watched his brother disappear around the corner. After a few moments of silence, the Digimon shook himself free of whatever thoughts he was having about his twin brother to give him a small smile. "Anyway, is there something I can help you will. It looks like you were searching for something."
"Was it that obvious?"
Lopmon struggled with his ears. "Not really, but I'm just more perceptive than Terriermon. Have to anyway. He's not one to think first when facing an opponent."
"I wish you luck," he said with a smile. "You're going to need it."
Kouji, not for the first time, began to wonder what it would have been like if Kouichi had still been alive. Would their relationship be similar to Terriermon and Lopmon's, Stingmon and Phelesmon's, or Daisuke and Jun's?
He guessed he would never get to know.
Lopmon smiled as well. "Don't I know it. You would think he would have more common sense." Lopmon giggled softly and Kouji couldn't help but laugh along with him. It was a good feeling, light and much better than the uncertainty that had been following him for the past couple of days ever since he came to this place.
"Lopmon, have you seen Stingmon pass by here," Kouji asked, remembering Lopmon had asked him what he was looking for.
"He was in his study within the library when we left," Lopmon said, using one of his ears to point down the hall. "Just take this hall all the way down and take the stairs to go up. The library is the fifth door to your right. Stingmon's study is at the back of the library, near the history section. You can't miss it. It has the Crest of Kindness on it."
Kouji bowed. "Thank you very much," Kouji thanked the other Digimon before making his way towards the library, where he hoped Stingmon had the answers he sought.
Stingmon had known for some time that something was wrong with his partner. He and Ken shared a strong bond, and like the others, he was able to feel his partner's emotions, like he was here next to him. Even with the gates closed and with them being worlds apart, Stingmon had been able to feel Ken's emotions. Ken was hurting. Something had been hurting him for some time now. Now he knew why.
Kimura.
Stingmon wasn't sure what Kimura did to his partner, but it was strong enough to cause Ken great pain, a pain that still lingered today. This type of pain was different from when his mother abandoned him. It was different from when Osamu was stuck by that car. It was stronger than those two combined.
With a sigh, the Insectoid returned his gaze to the photo album he had been looking through. The book was an old black leather book with the engraving of the Crest of Kindness on the cover. Stingmon had made this shortly after the gates closed, in order to fix what Oikawa's energy could not. Stingmon stopped at one of the pages that held several pictures during the time after they defeated Vamdemon. Gennai had taken so many pictures that day. Stingmon's eye lingered to one particular photograph. In this picture, his partner was smiling into the camera with Daisuke next to him. The two boys were holding him and Chibimon in their arms.
Ken had been so happy on that day. Why couldn't you stay that way? Why was there always something or someone out there to make you so very sad? Stingmon sighed as he gazed at his desk. On his desk, where several framed photographs of his friends and small knick-knacks. Stingmon's gaze lingered on the other pictures for a moment before landing on one that he had kept until the day he and Ken would be reunited again.
The photograph was of him and Phelesmon. It had been a gift that Daisuke had given Ken before he had been taken away by those horrible people. Ken had it on him when he and the others were sucked into the Digital World but had lost it after the battle with Alphamon, along with his D-3 and D-Terminal. They had found it later on, but because Himekawa had used it to open a gate to the Digital World, its circuitry had been fried beyond repair. That was why Ken got the D-Scanner as a replacement.
Stingmon had still wished that day had never happened. Ken had almost died that day. He had suffered again. And he still was. Ken's son didn't seem to like his mother, Kimura, very much, if the hash tone and hard eyes were anything to go by. He hadn't stayed to listen to Takuya's explanation of what had happened, but he knew it was bad. Whatever Kimura did to break Ken's heart, almost shattered him. Stingmon remembered that day like it had just happened yesterday. He had felt the raw emotions to the point that he had been close to tears himself and almost collapsed. And the worst part of all, he couldn't do anything to help his partner when he needed him the most. Ken had felt so alone, so guilty, so heartbroken.
He had sent his energy to his partner through their bond, hoping it would help Ken remember he wasn't alone, that he still cared for him. It didn't work right away and it had taken a good month before he felt the worst of it ease up a bit.
It was still there though. The pain. The loneliness. The guilt.
Why Ken was still feeling these emotions was maddening, but he had an idea why. Ken had loved Kimura. Her leaving him broke him in a way. Stingmon gazed outside the window, wondering if he should visit the Forest of Televisions again. He'd gone there from time to time to check up on his partner. Half of the time Ken would be at work, with Daisuke, or with his brother. He hadn't been there in a couple of years now. But he remembered witnessing Ken with a baby once. That must have been Kouji. Funny how he hadn't recognized the boy when he saw him. Though, in his defense, it had been a very long time. How long? He couldn't remember. A decade at most.
"Excuse me?" Stingmon blinked, startled out of his thoughts as he turned towards the open door of his study. On the other side of the door was Ken's son. The boy looked just like his father and mother. He had Ken's eyes and skin tone and the way he walked and talk reminded him of his partner. The shape of the boy's eyes and mouth resembled Ken, but his nose was that of Kimura. Kouji's hair was similar to Ken's but the color was obviously Kimura. Stingmon wished he could stop thinking about her.
"Kouji-san, what are you doing here?"
Stingmon was not a fool. He saw the way the boy had been hesitant to gaze at him directly. He had been in shock to learn that Ken had been a Chosen Child. For a moment, Stingmon had thought his partner had managed to hide a huge part of himself from his son. But then he remembered that Ken would never do that. Ken would never lie, not even to his own son. The Digital World had hurt Ken, just as much as it had saved him. Ken missed him terribly. Their bond told him so. And besides, Ken had a lot of pictures of him and the others throughout his home that he was sure would be hard to hide.
"I am sorry if I offended you. I have not meant too," the boy said.
So much like Ken-chan, Stingmon thought, not at all surprised. "It is alright, Kouji-san, I was just surprised that's all." Kouji frowned as he continued to stand outside the study. Definitely like Ken-chan. "Don't be a stranger. Come and sit with me. You seem to have something on your mind."
Kouji obeyed and silently took a seat next to him on the blueberry couch. The boy was silently studying the room and the pictures he had displayed on his lap. Kouji seemed intrigued by the photographs. "I've seen those before."
Stingmon nodded, handing the boy the photo album so he could get a better look at them. The first picture Kouji gazed at was the picture taken after they defeated Vamdemon. "This was taken after we defeated Belial Vamdemon. He was a piece of work that's for sure," he said.
"Vamdemon?" Kouji asked, puzzled for a moment before gazing at him questioningly. "You mean the same Vamdemon Takeru-san mentioned in his books? The same one your friends were talking about earlier at the marketplace?"
"The same one." Stingmon was not all that surprised that Takeru mentioned them, their enemies, and all their adventures in his books. He wondered how he would react about his father being the Kaiser. "Vamdemon was truly a fiendish monster." Stingmon hated thinking about all the pain he had caused. "Vamdemon had been a threat way before Taichi and the others first encountered him." Kouji chocked a brow in response. "There were conflicting political views between him and the Holy Beasts. It had become obvious the Holy Beasts had not cared about us. They were Gods. They did not have to listen to us for we were beneath them, despite being Chosen Digimon themselves."
Kouji's mouth dropped. "Chosen Digimon?"
"Yes, at one point they had been. But, unlike the rest of us, they did not attempt to stay in contact with the rest of the Digimon they ruled over and they didn't even try to stay in contact with their partners. Once they became gods, their partners and everyone else were nothing to them. Unneeded. This line of thinking was what allowed many Digimon to turn dark, to try to remove the Holy Beasts from power."
"Vamdemon…he was one of them, wasn't he?"
"Yes, Vamdemon had always been obsessed with power. But it had gotten worse over the years." Stingmon gazed at the boy that reminded him so much of his partner. "The Holy Beasts could have put a stop to Vamdemon, to Devimon, to the Dark Masters, long before they devised their plans for control and conquest. But they didn't. Instead, they summoned children to fight their battles."
Kouji wore a tight frown on his young features, one Ken always wore when he was deeply troubled about something. "The camp…" Kouji's gazed at the picture intently, pulling what he knew of the other Chosen's adventures from Takeru's book to light.
"Yes, they were the ones who created the portal that originally summoned Taichi, Sora, Yamato, Mimi, Jo, Koushiro, and Takeru to our world."
"More like kidnapped them," Ken's son said dryly, unimpressed with the Holy Beasts' behavior. Stingmon marveled at how similar Kouji was to his father.
"Yes, I guess you are right about that."
"Clearly," he quipped. If Ken had known what the Holy Beasts' plans had been since he had been hit by the Dark Seed, he more or less would have been as annoyed and irritated as Kouji was right now.
Stingmon shook this head before continuing. "This was not the first time they attempted to summon humans to our world. I'm not sure why they thought sending Agumon and Parrotmon to Hikarigaoka and Tamachi was a good idea, considering Ken-chan and the others were so young at the time, but that was what they did. " Stingmon hated the Digimon that had almost managed to take his partner away from him. Stingmon did not regret killing the other Digimon when Homeostasis forced the two to return to the Digital World. Greymon may have reverted back into a DigiTama the moment he returned home, but it was him who delivered the final blow to that lonesome Digimon. No one touched his partner and lives. I was probably a good thing Ken had been too sickly at the time to even remember what happened.
"Tamachi? Isn't that where Papa used to live as a child?" Stingmon nodded as he flipped a few pages before landing on one of the many pictures Ken's mother had taken before Osamu's death. The picture they were currently looking at was of Ken when he was about two or three. He was sitting on Osamu's lap as the older boy fabricated a story, instead of reading the words on the picture book. "Is that Papa's brother…Osamu?" Stingmon had seen the sadness in the other's eyes as well as recognition.
"Yes, Ken loved his brother. It affected him greatly when he died." Kouji nodded in response, a sad, wistful smile on his face. Stingmon knew exactly how he felt. Ken was still haunted by his death, even if he no longer blamed himself. He knew Ken stills visited his brother's grave on the anniversary and if he couldn't he would go to the small shrine he had built within this home. Stingmon remembered being in the small room the Ichijoujis had made into a small shrine for their dead son. He had always been so sad every time he went in there. But as he got older, he used the shrine as a way to sort through his conflicting thoughts. It was a way to help him cope with pain in his life. Stingmon had witnessed this a few times through the small viewing portals in the Forest of Televisions. "His death, along with the Dark Seed and Vamdemon's influence was what drove him to become the Digimon Kaiser."
Stingmon watched the boy intently as he just gazed at the picture of his father. The boy didn't look shocked or surprised, just sad, very, very sad. "When I was younger, I used to sneak into the attic and look through Papa's old diaries when he was fast asleep. He wrote a lot of personal things in his diaries. More than half were about his fears towards his father, the pain and sadness he felt towards his mother, and how his life just seemed to be falling apart," he paused, "but what really struck me the most was this single recollection of a dream he had."
Kouji took a small breath before continuing. "The dream would often always begin with his brother leaving the room and then he would find himself in a desert with another boy called Ryo. It would then shift to him fighting a monster called Millenniumon. He would then start talking about a Dark Seed, followed by the Kaiser, and Ojisan's death. I didn't understand a lot of what he wrote at the time, still don't. Most of it was just too heartbreaking to read, but up until now, I honestly didn't remember how much of it was true…" He was quiet again as he tried to piece together his words. "He suffered a lot, didn't he?"
"Yes," Stingmon said sadly. "Ever since he was born it was foretold that he would be targeted by both sides. The Holy Beasts wanted to use him for their own agenda, especially after he got hit by the Dark Seed, and Vamdemon and many other Evil Digimon wanted to use him against the Holy Beasts and Homeostasis." Stingmon shook his head. "It's sad really. He didn't deserve all this pain. He deserves to be happy after everything he's been through."
Kouji nodded slowly as he turned the page, landing on a page that occurred during his and Ken's first adventure in the Digital World. Ken was smiling into the camera, laughing a little as Ryo attempted to take a selfie of them as he, Ken, Ryo, and V-mon stood in front of a pretty waterfall that no longer existed now. Kouji flipped the page, seeing his father a little older this time. He was roughly fourteen years old. This was taken shortly after the reboot when Ken and the others were able to sorta walk around again. The barrier that surrounded the castle had been a blessing. It had protected them all from the reboot and any lingering Digimon under Gennai's control. At the time, the other Chosen were rumored to be fighting a monster on the other side of the Digital World.
Kouji had frowned at the picture. Ken and the others were still bandaged up from the attack dealt by Alphamon. The pain had been obvious. "He's hurt." He didn't form it as a question, but Stingmon nodded anyway, knowing what the boy was wondering.
"This was taken after the reboot. Ken and the others had been sucked into the Digital World by Yggdrasill, leaving them in the middle of the desert. Me, V-mon, Hawkmon, and Armadimon had been running away from an infected Tyranomon and Dark Tyranomon." He grimaced at the memory. "One minute we were running away from them and the next we were falling through a distortion that appeared right underneath us and landing right in front of our partners." Stingmon's voice sounded far away as he spoke, only slightly aware that Kouji was staring at him sadly, curiously, as he remembered that painful day.
"We had been so happy to see them. The gates were never meant to be closed permanently. The two worlds are deeply connected to each other, but something happened." He shook his head. "Something prevented the Digital World from recovering as it should have, resulting in the gates staying close for three years." Kouji only had a puzzled look on his face. Stingmon shook his head, looking very sad. "No matter how hard I fought, no matter what level I was, I wasn't able to protect him. I wasn't strong enough." Stingmon gazed at the small picture frame on his desk. "If my brother had not come when he did, Ken, Daisuke, Miyako, and Iori would have died that day." They had been no match against a Royal Knight.
When he returned his gaze to the boy, Stingmon noticed Kouji was completely horrified. "D-died? W-who? W-why?"
"I don't know," Stingmon said and he really didn't. Alphamon was a Royal Knight, yes. But he wasn't one to follow Yggdrasill's orders faithfully. If he felt the other was unjust, he would make his opinions known and even fight the other Royal Knights if he had to. So his unexpected attack had completely blindsided them. "Alphamon is a very powerful Digimon, but he isn't known to follow Yggdrasill's orders. At the time, Yggdrasill had wanted to destroy the Human World." Stingmon shook his head, confused. "Why Alphamon helped him in his genocide plot still baffles me, even till this day."
Kouji didn't say anything. The poor boy just looked sad and even more confused then he'd been before. Stupid him. The boy clearly didn't know certain things about his father or his past. Stingmon took a deep cleansing breath before giving the boy his full attention. "But enough about me, you had your own questions, correct?"
Kouji nodded. "Yeah," he said, only to sigh a moment later. "When I learned Papa was a Chosen, I truly thought he managed to hide a big part of himself from me. We tell each other everything and I mean everything. We don't hide anything from each other."
Stingmon's spirit lifted at that. He and Ken had a similar relationship. After the Kaiser incident, he and Ken had learned they should not hide their fears and pains from each other. It was the reason why he and Ken were so close. "You two must be really close," he said. He was so happy that Ken had such a good relationship with his son.
"Yeah, we are," he said, "but this Digital World thing and Papa being a Chosen is just so confusing." Kouji looked at him. "It must be obvious that I hadn't read many of Takeru-san books, like Takuya. If I had, I would have known a bit about what happened after Papa was kidnapped by those Digimon." He paused. "I...wasn't sure how I felt about this. The thought that Papa may have broken his promise…it…hurt."
"Kouji." Stingmon hated the uncertainty in his voice. He didn't want to believe that Ken didn't tell his son about his past. That was impossible. Stingmon had seen photographs of him and the other Digimon on several tables throughout Ken's home when he and the others visited the Forest of Television from time to time. That would be hard to hide. And Takuya even mentioned that the others talked about them during their reunions and then there were Takeru's books. Hiding his past from his son was certainly impossible and even if he had, Stingmon knew Ken would not do something like that. Kouji was all Ken had now to keep him from being dragged back into the depth of darkness that still wanted to claim him.
Kouji looked at him with troubled eyes, eyes he was so used to seeing. "I have known Ken since the day he was born. I know practically everything about him. His wants. His fears. His desires. And even what he loves the most. Trust me, after everything Ken has been through, the one thing he would not do is lie to you. You are his world, Kouji. It would completely shatter him if he felt he lost you."
Kouji visibly relaxed a bit, feeling comforted with his words. "You know, you sound just like Papa."
Stingmon chucked. "Do I?" He and Ken weren't exactly the same, but they weren't that different either. He guessed it was to be expected. "I guess I haven't really noticed."
"Are all Human-Digimon partnerships like this?"
"No," he said. "You see Human-Digimon partnerships are very unique. There are partnerships in where the two are complete opposites from each other and there are those who are very similar to each other. Me and Ken are not exactly the same. We have certain aspects to our personalities that contradict with each other, but it is those difference that balances us in a sense."
"This is starting to sound like this soulmates nonsense Miyako-san always talks about."
"I guess," Stingmon said with a shrug before returning to what he had been trying to convey to Ken's son before he got sidetracked. "Like I was saying, Ken would not lie to you willingly. But please understand that there are just some things that are just too painful for him to talk about. I doubt Takeru mentioned everything that happened in the past, especially if it was made into a book for children, but just enough to convey what happened."
Kouji let out a breath he had been holding. "Stingmon, thank you," he said.
He blinked. "For what?"
"For helping me. You are right. Papa would never lie to me. But being here…hearing the things he had been through…knowing that the things they were talking about were true…" He paused, fuddling with his worlds.
"Papa's tries so hard to make sure I have a good life and that I'm happy. But, despite having the support of his friends and family, a great job, me, and his new fiancee, he's still hurting." Of course, Stingmon already knew this. Despite the distance, he knew that Ken was sad, that he was still hurting. It just pained him having it confirmed, though. "I don't want to see him hurting anymore. I can handle him being sad about his brother, every time his death anniversary comes around. But he can't seem to let go of Kimura's betrayal and Oniisan's death." Kouji gave him a very sad smile. "Papa doesn't know that I've seen him in the shrine, talking to his brother's picture. He blames himself for Oniisan's death. He believes that if he let Kouichi go, he would be betraying him or something." He sighed. "I just wish there was something I can do to help him. I hate seeing him so sad."
Stingmon hummed softly, unsure how to respond. Ken had never handled death well. Him still mourning Osamu's death was proof of that. And he didn't want to even think about Kimura and her betrayal. He wasn't sure how he felt about her. "The best you can do is be there for him," he told the young boy. "Let him know how you feel and that you are there for him. That is the best you can do right now. The pain for a loved one is not something that will go away right away, it might not go away at all, but knowing you are there for him and allowing him to just talk can ease the pain at least."
Stingmon watched as the boy remained quiet. He continued to flip through the pages, lost in this thoughts. The Insectoid Digimon allowed the boy the time to think. He certainly had a lot to think about. As the boy flipped through the pages, he heard a soft knock on the door.
"Am I interrupting something?" Stingmon looked up to see his brother.
"No, no, come in." Despite Phelesmon's calm demeanor, Stingmon could see the worried lines just above his eyes and the grim expression he wore as he took a seat on the mid-century modern blueberry armchair that rested across from them, on the opposite side of the room. He did not seem all too happy at the moment, despite the calm front he was putting on. V-mon or one of the others must have told him about Ken-chan.
Despite not being bonded to Ken for very long, he was just as protective of his partner as he was. They both cared for Ken deeply and would do anything for him. It was what Chosen Digimon do. The bond was for life and one day Ken would return to the Digital World in spirit form. It was a time they both wished for deeply, yet hoped it would not happen for a very long time.
They could feel the love and happiness filling Ken's being. Ken was happy, truly happy. He had found someone to love and hopefully one that loved him back. But the sadness and grief were still there. Death and betrayal still entrapped Ken's gentle soul. They hated that sadness and grief, but after the Digital World was rebooted, creating a portal was difficult. It took several decades on their side to gather the necessary energy in order to open a gate big enough to pass a small gift through it every year on Ken's birthday. It was the same with the others as well.
Stingmon gazed at his brother who was studying Kouji silently. The boy looked up, sensing the other's presence, and gazed back with his own silent stare. As the two gazed at each other, intently, Stingmon couldn't help but sigh. His brother had never been easy to read. He was the guarded type and knew how to hide what he was feeling, even to him. And right now he was going just that. Stingmon had no clue what was swirling in his brother's mind. He hoped it was something positive, though. He didn't want to make Kouji more uncomfortable than he already was.
After five minutes of silence, Phelesmon rested his hands on his lap as he leaned over a bit in his seat. "Tell me, Minamoto-san, how is our partner doing these days? I could sense he's very happy and deeply in love." The Fallen Angel smiled at the boy, who seemed slightly surprised. "What didn't anyone mention that Ken has two partners, not just one?"
Kouji frowned, his eyes narrowing a bit. "No, as far as I know, Papa never even mentioned either of you."
"Not surprising," Phelesmon said. "I didn't become Ken's partner until shortly before the reboot engulfed the Digital World. And Stingmon, well, he didn't always stay in his Adult form back then. He was always in one of his lower forms."
Kouji was silent, his eyes shifting to the picture of his injured father sometime after the reboot. Miyako, who had been the least injured, had taken the picture. None of them had known what was happening, nor if the other Chosen were coming to help them. Either way, the four of them had merely spent their days of recovery smiling and staying positive. Ken, Daisuke, and Iori had all been smiling in the picture. Next to that one was of all four of them and all the partnered Digimon. Phelesmon had looked rather misplaced within the group of Baby Digimon and Humans, but he'd enjoyed it nonetheless.
"Other forms?" Kouji asked, his eyes still focused on the pictures. There was something in the picture that caught his attention.
"Yes," he said. "I'm sure you are aware that we, Digimon, have many different forms." Kouji nodded. "Stingmon is currently in his Adult form, but back then, whenever he was in the Human World or with Ken and the others, he was usually in his Child form, Wormmon, or Baby form, Leafmon."
Kouji suddenly gasped, his eyes staring straight at Stingmon. There were surprise and understanding in his eyes. "Wormmon," he repeated. "Papa always mentioned that name. He mentions it a lot during the bi-yearly gathering, when he's in his office, or when he's troubled about something."
"Me and Ken had always been rather close when we first met," Stingmon said fondly, "but after he had gotten hit by the Dark Seed, it had driven us apart in a way. We became even closer after the Kaiser incident, venting to each other, even if it was for the smallest of things. I guess I became a coping mechanism for him, even when I'm not around to talk to him directly."
Kouji nodded, his lips twitching slightly into a smile before silence engulfed the room again. Kouji flipped through some more pages as Phelesmon asked Kouji some basic questions about himself. Kouji answer honestly, truthfully, and it was not long before the two got into a full on conversation. As the two talked, changing from one subject to another, Stingmon found himself drifting away from the conversation as his mind returned to his partner.
Singmon missed his partner dearly. Ken had been through so much, more than one should. He wished he could remove Ken's pain. Though, he knew that was impossible. The majority of Ken's pain and suffering were engraved into his soul, scarring him for life. But as Kouji talked about his father and his wife to be, Stingmon knew Ken would be alright. He was finally happy and that was all he ever wanted from his partner. His happiness.
Ken-chan, I am so glad you are doing okay. Stingmon picked up the photo album that Kouji abandoned on the couch as his brother began the tale of how he met Ken. The two immediately bonded over their dislike over Ken's dreadful father. Stingmon had been silently looking through his photo album when his world seemed to crash right on top of him as new information came into light.
"So that's what happened." Stingmon looked up. Both Kouji and Phelesmon's expressions were grim.
Kouji gave a curt nod, which only caused Phelesmon to curse under his breath. But for him...Stingmon wasn't sure how to explain it. The chill that he felt in that moment was beyond something he had ever felt before. It was colder than the snow here in the Digital World, colder than icebergs and colder than Ice Devimon's lethal touch. Stingmon knew he had felt this life-wrecking chill before. It was a type of chill that had the ability to destroy cities, level lands and mountains, to dry up oceans and rivers, and to bring the most purest and innocent of Digimon to the most tainted rage and despair imaginable.
Stingmon knew this feeling. He remembered it well. It was the same chill he had felt as he watched Ken's father attacked his son on that horrible day, almost killing him in the process. He hadn't felt this way in a very long time. But knowing that Ken's father had murdered his wife and had been planning on killing his son on that day…
Stingmon stood up so fast that both Kouji and Phelesmon looked up at him in both surprise and concern. He silently walked over to his desk and plucked the small blue present, wrapped in a golden ribbon, before making his way over to the open door. He had to see Ken. He had to make sure he was alright. He would not believe it until he saw it for himself.
"Stingmon, what wrong?" Phelesmon knew what was wrong. His brother knew him far too well.
Stingmon glanced over his shoulder to gaze at them. "I going to see Ken." I have too. Phelesmon nodded at his brother and stood up. But before he could say anything, Kouji spoke up, confused.
"But aren't the gates closed."
"They are," Phelesmon said. "There are really only two gates now." Kouji lifted a brow in question.
"Two? But I thought the Trailmon were the only ones with the ability to take us back home." He wasn't exactly wrong, but with how unstable the Digital World was now, getting back home through a Trailmon would be near impossible at this point.
"Yes, you are right. The Trailmon are currently the only ones with the ability to travel between the two worlds, other than the Royal Knights, but they had disbanded long ago." He grimaced slightly. "But with how unstable the Digital World is now, no thanks to Cherubimon and his warriors and the effects of the reboot, the gates are very unstable, if they are active at all." Phelesmon shook his head sadly. "And even if they manage to find an active gate, it is unclear if you would return to the same terminal you entered from…or even the same world."
Kouji froze instantly. Shock clearly on his face as understanding took over. "Are you saying that…the Trailmon could potentially take us to a different world altogether, like in another dimension?"
"There are many dimensions, Kouji," Stingmon said, "and with those other dimensions are other Digital Worlds and Earths."
Kouji was quiet for a moment as he processed that information. He took it a lot better than they thought he would. Ken's son merely gave them a small nodded and in a calm voice he asked: "Who else can open the gates?"
"Ken-chan can," Stingmon said. This caused Kouji to blink in surprise.
"He can?"
The two Digimon nodded. "Ken's digivice, along with the other Chosen that are in possession of a D-3, allows Ken to open a portal between our worlds. Although, without a TV set of sorts on our side, it would be difficult to open one. Ken-kun is the only one to open a stable portal without the use of a computer or TV set, but it takes a lot of energy to do so."
"Ken-chan had been on the verge of passing out the last time he opened a portal," Stingmon said, his gaze on the small blue present with its pink rose design.
Kouji let out a long deep sigh. "How do you plan to see him then? He back at home with the others." There was uncertainty in his voice, doubt even. Stingmon gazed at him and frowned. This conversation only seemed to create more questions than answers for the young boy, questions that only Ken had the answers too. They could easily tell Kouji everything they knew, but it wouldn't be the same. Stingmon knew this was why Kouji had reframed from asking the deep, critical questions about his father that he desperately wanted to know about. There were some things only Ken could answer. But he did not want to make Kouji feel he could not trust his own father. That was the last thing he needed. But what Kouji said next completely baffled him, yet made a deep, agonizing longing. "You're not planning on bringing him here, are you?"
Uneasiness flashed in the boy's eyes. Despite the obvious questions, the boy wanted to ask his father after learning his father's status as a Chosen, Kouji was uneasy about bringing his father to a world where he had previously been harmed. Earth was probably no better, with the reminder that his father could be up for parole in the coming years due to good behavior. Though that was very unlikely, as Kouji said, Iori was making sure the man stayed where he belonged. At the time, Ken's mother's body had not been found, they could not prove if she was alive or not or if Mr. Ichijouji had anything to do with it, but with the discovery of a dead woman's body found buried in the basement of the dreadful man's former vacation home two months ago, they now had evidence to charge the man with murder in addition to the attempted murder and child abuse he was currently serving.
Stingmon shook his head. He missed his partner dearly and he longed to see him again, but he would never put his life in danger like that. He would not open an unstable portal that could potentially kill his partner. That was out of the question, something all the Chosen vowed to never do. "I would not harm Ken like that. We do have the necessary energy to open a portal, but it would be too unstable. I would not risk Ken's life like that. I do not want to drag him into another war, even if he'll be mad at me for not doing so." Kouji nodded, slightly relieved. Although the smile the graced the boy's lips only caused him to miss Ken even more.
"He'll probably be furious with the both of us when this whole mess is over." Stingmon grimace. He was so not looking forward to Ken's lecture of displeasure when he finally found out about this.
"True," Stingmon said with a sigh before straightened. "We're going to the Forest of Televisions. Care to join us?"