This is my first digimon story. So if there are mistakes in it, forgive me. Also this is an au story, Ken is 15, not 11. All the other digidestined are still the same age as in the show. This will become a lemon (between Ken and Ariel), so consider yourself warned. Also there will be death (not Ken or Ariel), I just couldn't write some pwp story between them, so the storyline is complex. Again this story is dedicated to my friends from the www.htloz.com message board, you guys know who you are^_^. And again special thanks to Emily-chan, who has listened to me babble over the story ideas and everything. Anyway, arigato for those of you who read this story! Enjoy!
O, and to the person who reviewed the first chapter and said I should change Ariel's name, I'm sorry but I like it the way it is now. So do most of my friends. It stays that way. If you really want it changed that bad, imagine her name spelled the way you want it ^_~.
I don't own Digimon, or Ken (well, only in my dreams^_~). Ariel's the only one I can claim so far until I get further along in the story. So please don't sue! If you do, you will face my Wormmon! I know, you're so scared…I'll stop bothering you and let you get on to the story (if you haven't already).
The Digimon Princess: Chapter 2
Ariel awoke slowly, enjoying the feel of not being cold anymore. But then maybe she just dreamed everything had happened. Except that the feel of the sheets under and around her was wrong. Hers at home were cotton, not silk.
She sat up with a start, the cloth on her forehead falling into her lap. She wished she hadn't. Her head felt like someone was pounding in it, and black spots appeared before her eyes. Ariel laid down, then sat back up slowly. Tenderly feeling her head, she touched her forehead and the pain slashed across it. She dropped her hands and gripped the silk covers until the pain quit. As she sat there, the memories of what happened came flooding back. Finding that strange object, going through the computer screen to the icy world, falling and hitting the rock. She must have blackened out after the fall. And then the vague feeling of being tenderly cared for…She shrugged slightly, she'd think about it more when her head didn't hurt so much.
Ariel glanced around the room, immediately noticing she was definitely not in her own bedroom. In fact, the bedroom she was in now she had never been in before anywhere. She fought the urge to panic and dive under the cover. Instead, she pushed them back and got up.
She looked down when she felt cloth rustle around her feet and legs. She had forgotten about her new wardrobe. Which was hopelessly wrinkled from sleeping in it. Smoothing it out as best she could, she walked over to the door and pushed the button next to it. The door slid open and she stepped out into a long hallway.
Ariel looked both ways, then saw along the dark wall a door at the end of the right hall. Again letting her curiosity get the best of her, she walked toward it cautiously, conscious of the sound her soft boots made on the hard floor. Finally reaching the door, she screwed up her courage and pushed the button on the side before stepping in. And gasped.
It was what she least expected. The room was dark; the big screens at the other end of the room gave off the only light. She looked at them closer, and saw various scenes. Some showed landscapes, the others what looked like animals, but none she had ever seen before.
Then a cold voice came from behind a chair she hadn't noticed, making her jump. "I see you are awake," said the voice.
"Do I know you?" Ariel asked hesitantly.
"You could say that, Ariel."
She stared in shock at the back of the chair, amazed that he knew her name, and that she could know someone as cold as he sounded. "Who are you?" she asked, trying to keep the fear she was feeling out of her voice, and failing.
The tone of his voice when he next spoke showed he knew, and found it amusing. "Why should I tell you, little one?"
At that, Ariel felt her anger rise. "It's called courtesy to give your name. And you seem to scared to show your yourself. Are you afraid of me?" she fired at him. She could tell she had gotten to him.
"Oh really? Well, since you are in my realm, I don't need to tell you, or show you. But-" with that, a figure rose from the chair and turned to face her. But because it was so dark, she couldn't make out his features. She did, however, see that he was tall, taller than she was. It looked like he had spiked up hair, either black or blue in color. At first she thought he had wings, but on closer inspection she saw it was part of his attire. Under it he wore a tight-fitting bodysuit.
But still she couldn't see his face. And that bothered her for some reason. Determined not to let him see that though, she pretended indifference. "Impressive," Ariel said, her tone making it clear she didn't find it so.
Ken smirked, knowing she was trying to mask her fear of him. "You're afraid of me, aren't you? I must say, I'm flattered."
Ariel stiffened, about to deny the truth, when she became dizzy. She began to fall, unable to stay upright. But before she hit the ground, strong arms caught her. Puzzled, she stared up into his eyes behind the goggles. Their amethyst depths seemed strangely familiar. The last thing Ariel did before the darkness claimed her was to reach up and touch the face that hovered about hers. "Ken," she whispered. Her eyes closed and she went limp in his arms.
Ken was observing the screen showing his new Dark Tower that his slaves had just finished building. On another screen, he noticed that a few of his slaves were lagging behind in the building of another Dark Tower. He was considering taking his whip and go have a talk with them when Wormmon scampered up to him.
"Should I go check on the girl?" he asked in the voice that always seemed to grate on Ken's nerves.
Ken absently reached down to slap Wormmon, who dodged it quickly. But Ken's heart wasn't into it, his thoughts elsewhere. Mainly centered on the golden-haired angel. Thoughts he shouldn't be thinking. "Damn her," he hissed to himself.
"Ken?" Wormmon asked in concern.
"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Master?" Ken yelled at Wormmon.
"Sorry, Master," Wormmon whimpered in reply.
Ken sighed. He needed something to vent his anger on, and Wormmon happened to be the one closest to him. It wasn't his digimon's fault he was so stressed. And he knew he had hurt Wormmon, and before too. But he would never apologize to him. Or anyone else. "No, don't," Ken answered Wormmon's first question.
Wormmon bowed as best he could, "As you wish, Master." He scampered off to do whatever he did on his free time.
Ken sighed again, his thoughts returning to Ariel now that Wormmon was gone. Suddenly the object of his thoughts walked in. He heard her gasp in surprise, and he smiled evilly. This could be fun. "I see you are awake," he said in a cold voice without turning to look at her. He could sense her shock and almost laughed.
Ariel's hesitantly asked in her soft voice, "Do I know you?"
Ken smiled at the irony, "You could say that, Ariel." He added her name to confuse her more. And he knew he had succeeded.
Her next question held more than a trace of fear, "Who are you?"
Now he truly was amused at the situation, "Why should I tell you, little one?"
"It's called courtesy to give your name, and you seem to afraid to show yourself," she said angrily.
Now he didn't find that at all funny. So she wanted to see him, did she? Well, her wish is about to come true, he thought. "Oh really? Well, since you are in my realm, I don't need to tell you, or show you. But-", Ken stood up and turned to face her, drawing up to his full height. He was tempted to laugh again at the expression on her face, a war between being impressed and fearful. As she studied him, he in turn studied her.
It seemed the first thing he always noticed about Ariel was her hair. He loved the golden color, the feel of it, and the way it always managed to fall in her face no matter what she did with it. He loved her lithe body and soft curves, revealed more by her new outfit then it ever was before in her school uniform. She had that just out of bed look, which in her case was true, from her wrinkled clothes to her slightly tangled hair. But he hated girls that always had to have perfect hair, and that freaked out if their lipstick smeared a little. Ken knew she wasn't one of them, he had seen her playing sports with guys before. Which was one of the reasons he like her so much…Wait, what was he thinking? He didn't like her. He didn't like anyone but himself. Period. But even as he silently told himself that, another part of his mind argued back. Then why do you think of her constantly? it whispered. He was able to ignore the question when Ariel next spoke.
"Impressive," she said, her soft voice carrying in the dark room.
He could tell she was being sarcastic, and he knew why. "You're afraid of me, aren't you?" he asked, "I must say, I'm flattered," he smirked.
Ken watched her stiffen in denial, then a strange look crossed her face. As he watched, she began to fall. Automatically he leapt forward, all the time spent in soccer practice kicking in. He caught her and slowly lowered her to the ground, keeping her secured in his arms. He looked down, and saw her staring at his face. Her green eyes meet his and he saw a flicker of recognition in their warm depths.
He continued to stare down at her as she reached up slowly and touched his face with a slender hand, "Ken." she whispered softly. His eyes widened in surprise, but before he could say anything, Ariel went limp in his arms. He gazed down at her in shock, registering her peaceful face and golden hair that made him think of angels.
Suddenly Ken snapped out of it. He realized she was barely breathing, her breaths getting shallower by the minute. And for the first time in a long time, he felt frightened for someone other then himself. He knew he had to get her back to the Real World, to a hospital and a doctor. Tightening his hold on her, he swiftly got up and began to walk toward the screen he used to travel between the DigiWorld and the Real World. As he was walking, he yelled for his digimon. "Wormmon, come here!"
Wormmon hurried as fast as he could to where Ken was. "What is it, Master?"
"I'm taking Ariel to a hospital. Look after everything while I'm gone," Ken ordered tautly.
"Yes, Master," Wormmon said obediently.
But Ken hardly heard. He was to busy fumbling for his Black Digivice. Finally finding it, he quickly turned it on and was sucked back to the Real World with Ariel.
Arigato for reading it tomodachis!