Disclaimer: If you didn't read it in the last three chapters, you aren't going to read it now. If you did read it, then I don't need to put one in this chapter, do i?
Author's Notes: Hmm...not much to say about this chapter. I had a little trouble with this one too, but I got it done. Review and such.
----
The next afternoon, Daisuke stood nervously in front of the door to Ken's apartment. Chibimon sat beside him, looking curiously at his partner.
"What's wrong?" the Digimon asked.
"I was just thinking." Daisuke shifted uncomfortably. "What if that's not Ken in there? And--and if it isn't, then where's the real Ken? What if he's--if he's---you know.... gone? For good?" He stared fixedly at the door. "What if I never see him again?"
"You won't know unless you knock on the door, will you?" Chibimon questioned. "Don't worry. I'll ask Minomon if Ken's been acting strange. He'll know for sure if Ken's not himself."
"Yeah...." Daisuke sighed. "Well, here goes." He knocked on the door. After a few tense moments of waiting, Kagami appeared.
"Daisuke? What are you doing here?"
"I--uh, I just wanted to make sure you were all right," Daisuke lied. "We sent you an e-mail to meet us in the Digital World and you never showed up."
"E-mail? I did not receive any e-mail," Kagami said curiously.
That's because we didn't send you one, Daisuke thought anxiously.
"Oh? That's weird. You gonna invite me in or do I have to stand here all day?"
"I am not sure if you should come in," Kagami replied warily. "My parents are both currently at work."
"Then I'll keep you company until they get home!" Daisuke slipped inside before Kagami could think to close the door. "Hey, Chibimon, why don't you go find Minomon and play with him while Ken and I talk?"
"Right!" Chibimon dashed off towards Ken's bedroom.
"So, what do you want to do?" Daisuke wandered around the living room, hands behind his head as he explored it, as if it was his first time in the apartment. "Lesee... we could play video games. Nah, forgot, you don't have any of that kinda stuff. You should ask your parents to get a Playstation or something. Hmm...nothing good on TV."
"Um...we could play some of the, uh, games on the computer?" Kagami ventured uncertainly.
"No!" Daisuke said quickly. Chibimon's in the bedroom with Minomon; we'll never learn anything if Ken's in there with him! "How about, uh, we get a snack? Yeah, a snack! Come on! To the refrigerator!" Grabbing Kagami by the arm, Daisuke dragged him into the kitchen, chatting randomly about whatever came to his mind.
Meanwhile, Chibimon peeked into Ken's dimly lit room. Seeing no movement whatsoever, he ventured a hesitant,
"Minomon?"
There was a scuffling noise, and then Minomon peered out from under the bed.
"Chibimon? Is Daisuke here too?"
"He sent me in to talk to you," Chibimon said. "He wanted to know if Ken's been acting weird lately."
Minomon looked suddenly very nervous.
"He hasn't been acting right," the little Digimon confirmed. "He's been so.... distant. Ken-chan usually talks to me about everything, but he's barely said anything to me these past few days. Whenever I ask him if something's wrong, he tells me to be quiet and not to think about it."
"Did he act that way when he was the Kaiser?" Chibimon wondered.
"No, it's not like that," Minomon assured him. "Ken-chan isn't being cruel to me. He's just....not talking. He acts nice enough, but he doesn't act like my Ken-chan. And then there's..." Minomon's voice trailed off.
"What?" Chibimon nearly bounced up and down in impatience. "What is it? Did he do something or say something? What?"
"You remember when the Tyrannomon stampeded?" Minomon said in a hushed voice. "When you were knocked out, the Tyrannomon were running towards Ken-chan and me. But when they saw him, something happened. They turned and ran, looking absolutely terrified. Like something about Ken-chan scared them. The same thing happened when he ran to save Daisuke. The Tyrannomon saw him and swerved to avoid him. And when I tried to tell you and Daisuke about it, he cut me off. He didn't want me to tell you."
"Did they think he was still the Kaiser?" Chibimon questioned. A strange sense of foreboding was starting to come over him.
"That's what I thought, at first," Minomon admitted. "But now I don't think so. If they thought he was the Kaiser, they wouldn't be scared. They'd be angry. And we were alone, unarmed. If the Tyrannomon really thought that Ken-chan was still the Kaiser, they wouldn't have run. They would have attacked. It doesn't make any sense that they would be terrified of him if he wasn't even dressed as the Kaiser, without any Digimon around as a bodyguard except me. There was something else about Ken-chan that they didn't like."
Chibimon nodded slowly, feeling confused. Something was obviously wrong, then, but he had no idea what.
"I think we need to talk to Daisuke and everybody else," Chibimon decided. "Because we obviously have no clue what's going on."
"That's assuming they know more than we do," Minomon pointed out. "But I guess you're right. It may be the only way to get Ken-chan back. I'm sure of one thing, though. Something happened to him when he got sucked into the dark world. It didn't make him the Kaiser again, but--but it didn't leave him the same either."
"You'd better come with us," Chibimon added. "We can't let Ken know that we're on to him, and I think everyone needs to hear what you have to say."
"All right." Minomon nodded glumly. "I just want my Ken-chan back."
"I know." Chibimon patted him comfortingly.
While the two Digimon talked, Daisuke was attempting to keep Kagami interested in him. He was babbling and he knew it, but he couldn't think of any other way to keep him from going to find the Digimon.
"So then Hikari and Miyako took my soccer ball," he said as he sifted through Ken's refrigerator. "And they tried to hit me over the head with it! Can you believe those girls, Ken?"
"Is there something wrong?" Kagami asked idly.
"Wrong? What do you mean?" Daisuke laughed nervously.
"You are acting....upset," Kagami said slowly. "I can hear your breath speed up. Your pulse has quickened. What causes this reaction?"
"Nothing!" Daisuke said quickly. "It's nothing at all, Ken, nothing to be worried about."
"If it is nothing, then why do you act in this manner?" Kagami pressed in close, his face inches away from Daisuke's. He brought up a hand to brush Daisuke's cheek and the other boy stumbled backwards, nearly falling into the refrigerator.
"Did I scare you?" Kagami questioned.
"N-no," Daisuke stuttered. "It's just....your hands are cold."
"Is that a problem?"
"No, I just--I mean--" Daisuke swallowed. "Nothing."
"What is wrong with your face?" Kagami arched an eyebrow curiously.
"Huh?" Daisuke cocked his head. "Is there something on my face?"
"It has changed color again." Kagami eyed him with interest. "Why does your face always seem to turn red when I come near? Do I upset you, perhaps?"
"I'm not upset," Daisuke said quickly. "I'm--uh, I'm--"
Kagami moved close again and Daisuke scrambled to his feet, ducking out of the refrigerator.
"Ken, what is wrong with you?" Daisuke choked out. "You don't act like this, I know you don't--"
"Do you wish me to act different?" Kagami pressed. He moved closer, his mouth almost touching Daisuke's. "You never answered me when I asked you before, in the Digital World. Do I do something to you that makes you angry?"
"I--I---" Daisuke retreated again, suddenly feeling very confused. Is he...is he going to...?
~~~~
Floating helplessly in the water, Ken was suddenly aware that something was wrong. He didn't know what it was, only that it bothered him. Goosebumps rose along his bare arms, and his breath quickened. Something was happening, something that he didn't want to happen.
Why am I feeling this way? he shuddered. What's wrong with me? I can't remember anything and I'm trapped and I'm nothing--
No! I'm not nothing!
If you are here, you are nothing, the snake reminded him softly. Have you forgotten that, as well?
"But I'm not!" Ken whispered, his voice ragged. "I-I have a memory. I remember Daisuke."
And who is that? the snake hissed.
"He's--he's--" Ken broke off. He didn't know. He only had that name, the name he recalled even when he had forgotten his own.
Enough of this useless struggling. The snake curled up around him again. Why do you continue to resist? Your hero shall not come to save you. Your memories shall not return, if you ever had any to begin with. I tire of this futile struggle of yours. It was amusing at first, but I am beginning to get impatient. Surrender yourself to me and I will give you peace. Struggle and I can only bring you more pain.
"I won't, I won't, I won't!" Ken was aware of how small his voice sounded, even in the vast silence. The snake hissed in annoyance and squeezed a little tighter, forcing Ken to bite his lip to keep from crying out. He was alone and miserable, and no one was coming to rescue him.
Nobody coming to rescue me. The thought chilled him more than the waters and the snake. Nobody. Nobody knows I exist. Do I exist? Or....or am I...?
At last you understand. The snake coiled around his legs and began to pull him down towards the dark center of the lake. Ken stared into the deep ocean abyss and was filled with a wild, animal sort of terror.
"No!" He fought uselessly, thrashing about like a fish caught in the tentacles of an octopus. "No! Let me go! I don't--I don't want to--"
The snake ignored him, pulling him even deeper into the water.
"No! Daisuke!!"
~~~~
"Daisuke!!"
The shout exploded in Daisuke's mind, so sudden and unexpected that he fell to the ground. Kagami immediately rushed to his side, leaning over him.
"Are you all right? You fell," Kagami said.
"I-I thought I heard--" Daisuke swallowed. "Did you say my name? I could've sworn I heard you screaming my name."
"I said nothing." Kagami's face went completely blank and emotionless as he spoke. Daisuke felt a strange shiver rising along his back as he stared at the other boy.
"But I was certain that I heard--" Kagami cut him off quickly.
"Perhaps you should leave if you are not feeling well. I would not like you to get sick because of me."
"Uh....ano..." Daisuke hedged, trying to think of a good excuse to stay.
"Would you like me to go retrieve Chibimon?" Kagami suggested.
"Oh, no, I'll do it." Daisuke scrambled to his feet and headed into the bedroom, leaving Kagami staring after him in confusion.
"Hey, Chibimon, you in here?" Daisuke poked his head into Ken's bedroom. He squinted in the dimness of the room. "Geez, how can Ken see anything in this room? Does he have something against 100-watt light bulbs?"
"Daisuke?" Chibimon clambered out from under the desk, followed hesitantly by Minomon.
"We gotta go," Daisuke told him.
"I'm coming too," Minomon said. "There's some things I need to tell everybody."
"Erm...okay. Get in here." Daisuke pulled off his backpack and opened it. Minomon jumped in. "Be real quiet until we get outside. I don't want Ken knowing I took you."
Kagami was waiting when Daisuke came out the room with Chibimon perched on his head. Daisuke was trying his best to seem nonchalant, but his backpack felt three times heavier than it should've been.
"I, uh, I guess I'll be going now," Daisuke said, heading for the door. "See you tomorrow?"
"Of course, Daisuke." Kagami opened the door for him. "I hope to see you as soon as possible."
"That's....good." Daisuke exited the apartment and hurried down the hall. "See you later!"
Once he had turned the corner and heard Kagami shut the door, Daisuke opened up his backpack to let Minomon out.
"It smells funny in there!" the green Digimon protested as he floated out.
"Sorry." Daisuke shrugged. "Those are my soccer clothes in there; Mom hasn't gotten around to washing them for a few days. So what was so important that Chibimon couldn't tell us?"
"It was the Tyrannomon--" Minomon was cut off by a beeping noise from Daisuke's D-Terminal. He dug through the backpack and pulled the device out.
"Hey, I got an e-mail from Tentomon!" Daisuke exclaimed. "He says that Gennai wants to talk to us.....and it says not to tell Ken about it."
The three exchanged glances.
"I think we'd better find a computer," Daisuke stated. "You two get back in my backpack; we'll move quicker that way."
"If Gennai can help us fix whatever's wrong with Ken-chan, I'll willingly endure your dirty laundry," Minomon replied as he headed back in the backpack, and Chibimon followed him.
"All right. Let's get going." Daisuke glanced back quickly at the closed door of Ken's apartment, then started walking towards the elevator.
Don't worry, Ken, he thought fiercely. Whatever's wrong with you, I'm going to figure out how to fix it.
No matter what.
~~~~
The depths of the lake were colder than the Digimon Kaiser's heart. Ken felt completely numb all over and was finding it hard to move his limbs. The chill bit fiercely at his exposed skin and there was far too much skin exposed for Ken's taste. He didn't know where the snake had gone, only that its presence had retreated for some reason.
The barrier had changed. Now he was repulsed if he ever got too high out of the cold and the darkness. He had swum to the highest point possible, so close to the barrier that he could reach out and touch it. It was marginally warmer there, but only just so. He was surprised that there weren't icicles forming in his hair.
Ken flexed his fingers, trying to keep the circulation flowing. He had to keep his legs moving constantly, otherwise they grew too cold and hard to move and he sank. He held the remains of his shirt close to him, grasping for the smallest warmth he could gather.
Daisuke wasn't coming for him. He had resigned himself to that fact. If Daisuke was coming for him, surely he would have arrived before now, before the dark and the cold swallowed him. Unless he had made Daisuke up, of course. There was always that possibility, though Ken stubbornly refused to believe it. No, his unknown savior existed and simply didn't care enough to save him.
Because I'm nothing, Ken thought tiredly, broken at last. Nothing important. Nothing worth saving.
And even as he thought that, it seemed that the barrier sank deeper, forcing him ever closer to the lake bottom.
----
Eep, I'm just being worse and worse to poor Ken-chan. But it's only because I love him.
*^_^* In the next part, I will be using Gennai like the walking excuse for exposition he
is, because there's really no other way to explain everything I've set up without having
someone do it for me.
