Digimon belongs to Toei! It's not mine!

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Shi-chan: Ack! I've been so lazy lately, I never bothered to fish my book out of my locker when school closed and I didn't feel like rewriting this chapter. ^^;;
Seki: That, and the rash of one-shots...
Shi-chan: Hai, that too...
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Sadness-Colored Sandglass
Part 13
~By Shimegami-chan
Music: "Hook," by the Blues Travelers.

Warnings: Shounen-ai; it's Kensuke, Kekaizer, Daikaizer, Taito, Takari, yeah, I love having a kazillion pairings in my fics...

Shameless Plugs!

Chapter 6 of 'In Your Shoes,' was posted today--June 26.
Fly With Me, Fairy, a one-shot, also posted today.





The Kaizer was puzzled.

So very puzzled.

"What do you mean, 'I submit!?'" he cried in disbeleif. "Don't you have any backbone left?"

Ken shrugged. "I thought you said you wanted me to break."

The Kaizer-turned-Ken wasn't sure whether to be confused, angry, or elated. "But, Ken-chan..."

"I don't want you to hurt my friends," the original Ken said simply. "So I'm not going to fight you."

His evil double looked miserable. "I see..." He perked up a little. "Well, then, maybe we should have some real fun, now that you're willing..."

Ken stared at the silken-sheeted bed in the corner of the room, trying to suppress a wave of fear and disgust.

"Ken-chan? Ken-chan?" the Kaizer waved a hand in front of his new toy's face, quirking an eyebrow.

"Yes, Master?"

The Kaizer gave Ken a hard look. "You're still not over Dai-chan."

"No, Master." Ken replied meekly.

His double sighed. "Perhaps you proving your devotion to me will have to wait. I don't want you crying out his name when we're together."

"I...all right. Thank you. I'll get over him." Breathing deeply in releif, Ken tried to block all thoughts of Daisuke from his mind. All I should be thinking about is escape. At least he seems to have abandoned Dai, now that he thinks he's got me...

"I'm not all cruelty, Ken-chan," the doppelganger said softly. "I have a heart too."

Ken's stomach clenched, not wanting to pity the creature carbon copy of himself, but unable to stop.

"All I want is you," the Kaizer, mumbled, as if to himself. "Only you..."


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


The five children and six digimon arrived in the digital world in a heap, in a large field.

Daisuke groaned. "Did anybody get the number of that truck?"


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


A beeping noise registered in the fortress' tracking instruments, sending both Kens back to reality. "What's that?"

"They're in the digital world," the Kaizer hissed. "Looking for me, I'll bet." He snatched up his D-3 and typed a command into the computer. "This wasn't supposed to happen, it's too early. I can't trust you."

"Me?" All thoughts of possible escape fizzled before Ken's eyes.

"That blasted worm," the Kaizer growled. "He must have told Dai-chan or Miyako-chan. Ken-chan, you stay here. I'll go take care of them."

"What?" Ken gasped. "You can't! Don't hurt them!"

"I knew you were still loyal," the blue-haired genius said longingly. "I really hoped it wouldn't come to this. I thought I could convince you of your own free will."

"Come to what?" Ken froze, staring coldly at the other boy.

The two locked eyes, indigo boring into indigo, the Kaizer's lips silently muttering to himself. Ken stared into the orbs, unble to look away, a sense of deja vu settling over him. Those...eyes...

The Kaizer graped his shoulders, his violet eyes piercing. "Remember, Ken-chan. You're the Kaizer. You are evil itself."

No...don't...

Ken felt so sleepy, enough to lie right there on the floor and doze. "I...am evil...itself..."

Evil.

"Exactly."

"Of course." Ken sighed dreamily, unable to tear his gaze away from his double's.

"Good, my Ken-chan. It's so much easier when you're willing." He gave Ken a quick kiss and disappeared in a flurry of grey.

"Come back soon, love." Still staring at the empty air, Ken went to his former prison and took out his glasses, cape and whip.


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


"Everybody okay?" Takeru brushed his golden hair out of his eyes and helped Hikari to her feet.

"Yeah." Daisuke stood, Wormmon and V-mon poking him expectantly. He took out his D-3. "According to my digivice, Ken's over...that way." He pointed towards some mountains. "He's not far, but the signal's not moving." A cluster of six dots represented their group, and a lone purple one flashed about a kilometre away, representing Ken. Daisuke slipped his D-3 back into his pocket and started walking. "Let's go!"


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


Ichijouji Ken, clad in his caped ensemble, watched the five children trudge through a desert, heading for the blip on their trackers that represented the Child of Kindness.

Kindness. Ken sneered. What a weakness! He hoped his lover wouldn't be occupied with them for long.

A twinge echoed in the back of his mind. Something was wrong; something he was forgetting. But what? Ken.

That felt strange. What's happened to me? Why do I feel as though half my life has been torn from me? "Hypnotism," he said aloud. "Ken's eyes...he hypnotized me!? Impossible! Why would he do that?"

His name tastes sour on my lips.

Ken turned to his gaze to the monitors, spotting the familiar shape of his lover lying on his back in the sand, eyes closed. "Ken!" he cried. But before he could move a muscle, five other humans appeared on the screen. One of them, the Child of Courage and Friendship, dropped to his knees beside the sprawled Ken and hugged and kissed him earnestly.

Jealousy burned like fire in the indigo-haired boy's throat. "How DARE he kiss that, that..." Tears sprung to Ken's eyes. "How dare you."

Knocking the chair back, he stormed to the control panel, steaming with rage. "I'll kill him, here and now."

In the back of Ken's mind, a tiny voice echoed, "Who?"


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


When Daisuke spotted Ken lying in the sand, the first instinct he had was to gather the smaller boy into his arms and never let go. "Ken!"

"Dai-chan!" Ken eyes fluttered open and he reached up to kiss Daisuke hungrily, causing Iori to blush and look away. "You came!"

"Of course! What happened? Why did you leave Minomon?" Wormmon had already affixed himself to Ken's leg.

"I...couldn't sleep, so I came to the digital world." Ken's voice faltered. "Attacked...wild digimon. And I couldn't find a gate."

Suddenly, a Monochromon appeared out of nowhere, bearing down on the group. "Shit," Ken cursed. Ken-chan. I should have known.

"Get back!" Miyako cried, turning to Hawkmon. "Let's do it!"

"What the hell?!" Daisuke gasped and pointed at the digimon's leg. "Look at that, guys!"

"No way!" Hikari cried. "That's a dark ring!"








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Shi-chan: Not as good as I'd hoped. If anyone's horribly confused, just tell me, and I'll rewrite this chapter so it makes more sense. *cringe.*
Seki: *giggles* There's a little detail in this chapter that's crucial for the end of the story, so small you may not have noticed it. Anyone have any guesses?