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Shi-chan: Chapter 3! Yay!
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In Your Shoes
Part 2
~By Shimegami-chan
Music: "Be All Right," (Takeru) What exactly is this recent obsession with the Takaishi-Ishida family?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Another Digimon serial. Body-snatching, and weird stuff...and KENYAKO! HAHAHAHAHA! *coughs*
Warnings: Nada. Kenyako, and a panicked Wormmon.
Important Note!
Yes, it's going in _all_ my fics for the next few days...
Fanfiction.net has suddenly started sorting fics by their release date instead of their update date, meaning that unless you're on Author Alert you may miss new chapters of stories unless you change the page sorting. It's becoming a rather large pain for me, as I read in a ton of categories and have barely enough time to check them as it is. I'm posting a convienient link to my own two in-progress serials in case anyone was wondering if they'd been updated. They have. If you're looking for 'Sadness-Colored Sandglass,' Chapter 11 just went up. Just click the link to go there. Thanks minna-san! On with the fic!
We took a roundabout way
Face to face
I feel like we've finally met each other
Your form
Reflected my heart
Ken sighed heavily, half-wishing Miyako had come back to keep him company, half-wishing she'd just leave him alone. He didn't want to admit that he missed Wormmon, but being left alone all day did depress him somewhat.
The lost Digimon Kaiser passed the time by hunting around Maiyako's room for any information, learning to walk using his ten short legs, and forcing himself to move around. It had taken a while for Ken to finally realize why his body ached all over: it was covered with fresh bruises and unhealed whip marks and cuts, inflicted by Ken himself. The worm's body was versatile and yet fragile at the same time, but Wormmon never cried out when the Kaiser struck him. Ken had never known that his kicks had injured the little digimon so badly, and his trip through the gate and consequent fall to the floor had both hurt his head and aggravated the near-healed abrasions. When he found Wormmon again, Ken had decided, he wouldn't beat the little creature anymore. His physical abuse would have to come out on something else; having the insect unable to walk simply wouldn't do. He didn't plan to apologize either, but he felt sure the loyal worm would notice the action almost immediately. The decision made satisfaction rush through Ken, an emotion that he pushed away. He was only doing this so Wormmon wouldn't get too bad--his servant had to be able to walk, didn't he?
Nodding in agreement with himself, Ken continued to sort through Miyako's compuetr files, his pincers clicking defiantly against the keys.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Wormmon carefully combed his indigo hair back, letting a lock sweep across his face the way Ken's used to do. He wasn't sure whether he should disguise himself or not; he had to go out and look for his partner but he had no idea where to start. "Ken-chan..."
A clicking noise echoed from the hallway, drawing Wormmon's attention. He froze.
"Why are all the lights on?" a female voice wondered, coming a little closer. Wormmon dropped the comb and backed up against the wall. Who was out there?
The half-open bathroom door creaked, and a brown-haired, middle-aged woman appeared. She gasped when she caught sight of Wormmon, not daring to step closer. "...Ken?..."
Suddenly remembering who he was supposed to be, Wormmon squeaked, "Y-yes?"
The woman burst into tears and ran into the room, throwing her arms around him. "Ken! Oh, Ken! You've finally come home!" She was sobbing loudly, and Wormmon rubbed her back in an attempt to comfort her. "Shh...it's okay...I'm here..."
"Oh, Ken-chan," she breathed, the familiarity of the title making Wormmon's heart twinge. "Please don't go again...please..."
//Ken-chan's okaasan,// Wormmon thought dully. //But I thought he ran away because his parents were...no. She's kind, just like Ken-chan used to be. She missed him too.// He carefully offered her a smile and grasped her waist in a reassuring hug. "I won't."
Ichijouji-san's fingers tightened their grip, pulling him close. "My baby's come home...oh, thank Kami..."
//How could you hurt her like this?// Wormmon thought crossly, but retracted the snap a second later. //It's not your faut. I'll find you, Ken-chan...and then everybody can be happy again.//
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Miyako had arrived a little while later with three bowls of ice cream and Poromon in tow. "Hey, little guy. How was your day?"
"Fine, thank you, Miyako-san." Ken replied plesantly, trying to force enthusiasm into his voice. "How was yours?"
"Good, good!" Miayko assured him, handing him one of the plastic bowls. It was vanilla with strawberry topping, Ken's favorite when he was younger.
Ken's heart did a flip-flop as he accepted the treat and a spoon to eat it with. "Thank you." //I shouldn't get to attached. But nobody's treated me this way in so long...//
He took a spoonful carefully, glad that the ice cream was fairly stiff. He had to angle both his head and the spoon to get a mouthful into his horizontally-opening mandibles.
"You like it?" Miyako asked kindly. She looked at Poromon, who had already half-devoured a strawberry milkshake.
"Yes, thanks." Ken's eyes contracted in a mouthless smile that he had seen Wormmon make many times.
Miyako smiled back and held a spoonful of her chocolate ice cream out to him. "Want to try some?"
Ken blinked in surprise. "Sure. Thank you." He was glad that he hadn't forgotten how to be polite since he'd left home. He didn't prefer chocolate, but it was good. Wormmon liked chocolate, if Ken remembered correctly. //I kind of miss the little insect,// Ken admitted to himself. //If he is in my body...well, he'd better not let anything happen to it.//
"Wormmon? You okay?" Miyako asked gently.
"Yeah," Ken replied. "I'm fine."
"Thinking about Ken?"
"Yes."
Miyako looked sympathetic. "I understand. I haven't told the others that you're here, and I don't plan to. But if Ken isn't stirring up any trouble in the digital world--and providing we can actually get to the digital world, because as of now we can't--I'll help you as much as I can."
//Fool.// Ken thought with an inward smile, but immediately regretted the path his thoughts had taken. "Th-thank you," he stammered aloud.
The Digimon Kaiser felt guilty.
And he didn't know why.
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Shi-chan: *giggles* I guess everyone's figured out the main coupling in this story by now...comments? Questions? Please review, I live off them!