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Shi-chan: As promised, here's the next chapter! ^_^
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Sadness-Colored Sandglass
Part 16
~By Shimegami-chan
Music: "Sore ga Kizuna no Tsuyosa," from Violinist of Hameln
Warnings: Kensuke! Yay! And just a touch of profane language in this chapter. ^^;;
"You...I..." Ken blinked incredoulously at Daisuke, the words not quite sinking in. "You're chosen."
"So are you," Daisuke replied, his hands unsteady. "Well, you were..."
"Impossible." The words came out in a gasp of relief and he put his hand to his right hip, encountering nothing. "It doesn't matter!" the wild-eyed boy shouted at last. "You're going to die for this! I need him, and you're trying to take him away, you sick, twisted bastard!"
Daisuke's eyes narrowed. "Who the hell are you talking about?"
"Ken!" the fallen emperor screamed, his voice raw with fury and pain. "Ken..."
Chibimon and Wormmon huddled together on the ground, watching in horror as the Kaizer shrieked, tears coursing freely down his face. The pocket of Daisuke's bomber jacket again began to glow, the D-3 inside throwing off an eerie violet light, reacting to the Kaizer's anguish.
The Kaizer dropped to his knees, gloved fingers tearing at his hair. "Ken...Ken...you can't...yamero, yamero, he's mine! He's mine! He's me! You can't...I am the Digimon K-K-Kai..." he trailed off, blinking away tears of frustration before staggering to his feet and fixing his gaze on Daisuke. "I...I..." He gasped, his mouth dropping open in shock once again. "Your sadness will be the color of the sandglass..."
"What?" Daisuke's voice trembled as he locked eyes with the frenzied dictator.
"Sadness...that's it!" He jumped at Daisuke and landed full on the boy's torso, pinning his arms down with gloved hands. "That was the key! He said I had to trust...trust you, because you share the eyes of truth. You were the one with his voice!"
Daisuke struggled, but even the slight weight was placed too heavily on his stomach. "Whose voice? What are you talking about?"
"My brother," the Kaizer said seriously. He placed his knee on Daisuke's elbow to hold the mahogany-haired boy down and removed the sunglasses with his free hand, flinging them several feet away. "My brother told me in a dream to trust the one who wore his face. And he looked just like you. I was forced to forget you, Motomiya Daisuke; you who claim to love me and who dared to kiss my Ken! Why should I trust you? Why are you here? Who am I?"
Daisuke stared into the Kaizer's clear violet eyes. "Ichijouji Ken. The twelfth Chosen Child, Kindness."
The deep purple orbs went blank for a moment and then returned to clarity, staring at Daisuke's determined face. He then leaned in and kissed Daisuke fully on the lips, releasing the hold on his arms, the kiss desperate and forceful all at once. Daisuke responded in kind, deepening the kiss. his eyes instinctively closing. Wormmon and Chibimon stared on in shock, the latter having been poised to attack Ken and save his partner.
After a long moment Ken pulled away, his breathing ragged. "D-Dai-chan..."
"Ken!" Daisuke cried joyfully, pulling Ken close for a relieved hug. "Are you okay?"
"Y-yeah..." Ken stammered, shaking his head to clear it. "I think so. Just a little confused." He moved to Daisuke's side and the bearer of Courage wrapped him in another hug. "Where's...where's the Kaizer?"
"Gone, Ken. You won."
"No!" Ken shot to his feet, reaching for the D-3 that wasn't there. "No, you don't understand! He was the one that did that to me! I remember looking into his eyes and then when I woke up, I was looking at you! He's got to be here...he, he's got my D-3!"
"Wait! Ken, is this yours? It seemed to react to you." Daisuke fished the lavender-and-white D-3 out of his pocket and handed it to Ken.
"Yes! Yes, this is mine, I think. But he...the Kaizer...he's got the Dark D-3, my old one! I dropped it in the Digital World and then found this one while I was looking for it. I don't know where it came from...I thought that maybe the Black D-3 turned into this, because it has my Crest." Ken held it out so Daisuke could see the pink rose on the screen.
"That's...wait, the Kaizer did have a Black D-3 when he tried to make Wormmon evolve! You mean that wasn't you?!"
"What? He tried to make you evolve?" Ken's stare turned to his partner.
"It didn't work," Wormmon assured him. "I guess because I'm not his partner anymore. But, Ken-chan, maybe the Digital World gave you the nice D-3 because you're not controlled anymore." Wormmon suggested happily, nuzzling against Ken's ankle. Ken knelt and gathered the insect into his arms.
"And then, it gave the bad one to the Kaizer!" Chibimon added in excitement.
"You might be right, but that doesn't explain how the Kaizer is still existing." Daisuke replied. "Where is the Kaizer?"
Ken selected 'detect' on his Digivice, but he only picked up six signals. "I'm not getting him. Of course, the Black D-3's signal can be muted. We'll have to look for him on foot."
"We should find the others first," Daisuke suggested.
"Right. What say we test this thing out?" Ken grinned and held out his Digivice.
"Wormmon! Shinka....! Stingmon!""
"I'm with you, Ichijouji!" Daisuke grinned at Chibimon. "You think you can go to XV-Mon one more time?"
"Are you kidding? Chibimon shinka, V-mon! V-mon shinkaaaa...XV-Mon! XV-Mon!"
"Stingmon!"
"Jogress shinka...Paildramon! Chou-shinka! Imperialdramon!"
Daisuke grinned. "You ready?"
Ken clasped his Jogress partner's hand. "Let's go!"
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Shi-chan: Yay! One more chapter to go!
Seki: Thank God!
Duo: Write more about me!
Conan: Or me!
Shi-chan: Conan? Since when are you a muse?
Conan: Tsk! When you started writing in my category, that's when!
Seki, Duo and Ken: ...doesn't she have enough muses already!?
Shi-chan: Not like any of you ever actually help me!
