Ken Ichijouji, you'd better have come down with plague Koushirou thought
to himself as he looked over and saw Iori's face But if it doesn't kill
you, I will. He ran a hand through his hair and stifled a sigh. The Digi-
Destined, minus Tai and Kari, were about to leave for the digital world for
their little vacation. Kari had phoned a few minutes prior and told
Koushirou and the others that they'd be a little late since Tai hadn't
packed his bag the night before.
Iori was sitting on the edge of Koushirou's bed, lazily tracing a finger along the embroidery. He looks so sad, Koushirou told himself. Why did Ken have to chose this week to get sick? Iori looked over at him at that moment and Koushirou gave him the best smile he could. Iori smiled back, seemingly just as forced. The doorbell rang and Koushirou's heart fell to the floor as Iori got a look of hope in his eyes, wishing Ken were to walk through the door, but knowing better.
Koushirou watched Iori's face fall when he heard Tai's voice coming from the living room, along with Kari's and his mum's. He reached over and put a kind hand on Iori's shoulder and gave him a little squeeze. Iori put his hand on Koushirou's own and squeezed back.
"Well, we're here, no thanks to my procrastinating big brother," Kari said as they stepped into Koushirou's room.
"Hey, we're only about ten minutes late."
"Yeah, but we're still late," Kari said and rolled her eyes. They had apparently been arguing the whole way over here and showed little intention to stop anytime soon.
"I don't want to step in between fireworks, but since you two have shown up, can we go on and go now? We've got digital sun waiting for us," Takeru said, shouldering his bag.
"Yeah, let's go," Koushirou said, tilting his head just a bit, thinking he heard something from the other room. Probably just Mum moving something around. "Alright then, who wants to do the honors?" He said, gesturing to the computer screen.
"I'll do it," a voice said as it approached the doorway. Iori about jumped out of his skin. He turned to look and saw Ken standing with Wormmon on his shoulder.
"Ken-chan! You're here!" Iori hopped up and ran over to him and looked him in the eyes. "I've missed you," he said and Ken almost lost his composure right there. He took a breath.
"I missed you as well."
"Uh-hmm.Can we get to the digital world now, please?" Yamato said. Ken nodded, recollecting his thoughts and pulled his D3 out.
"Digi-Port open!" From out of nowhere, that silly but catchy song started playing (okay, not really, but it could have), and they soon found themselves in the digital world. After they dusted themselves off, they started on their short trek to the shores of the digital ocean.
"Iori, can I talk to you while we walk?" Ken asked after taking a series of deep breaths. He went ahead and blurted it out before his mind could possibly stop him.
"Sure Ken, I'd like that. I've hardly talked to you all week."
"That's part of what I want to talk about. Do you mind if we walk a little behind the others?" Iori answered that he didn't and they fell back about ten paces. Koushirou noticed this from the corner of his eye and looked up to wherever Azulongmon was and made a quick wish.
"Iori, I'm so sorry I haven't talked to you this week."
"Well Ken, you can't really help it if you get sick and sleep all the time, right?"
"Um, I really wasn't sick, Iori. Well, maybe a little, but not like you might think." Iori looked at him completely puzzled. Ken continued. "What I'm about to tell you might make you not want to ever speak to me again, but I have to tell you because it is killing me inside."
"Okay, Ken, but I don't think that there is anything you could tell me that would make me want to never talk to you again, but go on."
"Iori, like I said, I wasn't really sick, at least not from any virus or bacteria. I told you I was and I had Wormmon tell you I was so that I could not do what I'm about to do right now."
"Ken, what are you talking about?" Iori asked.
"Iori, I think I've fallen for you. There, I said it." Ken looked into Iori's eyes,
expecting to see hate or some similar emotion, but he saw none of that. He saw only kindness so he continued. "Over the past months I have found myself thinking about you more and more. The time we spend together was like ambrosia and I couldn't get enough of it. Recently, I started thinking that the feelings of friendship had progressed to something more."
Iori put a hand on Ken's arm in a show of understanding. Ken's eyes were getting very watery as he continued. "I couldn't see how I could feel that way about my best friend, my male best friend, by the way, and it scared me. I tried to rationalize it, but I couldn't. everything I've ever learned has told me that those feelings are completely wrong and immoral. It was really starting to make me physically ill, that's the truth of that part, and I couldn't bear to talk to you, afraid that I would do something stupid and tell you exactly what I'm telling you right now."
"Ken, it's not stupid," Iori said as he wiped away a few of Ken's tears.
"Yes it is, Iori. It gets stupider. I came up with the great idea that if I were to talk to you less that these feelings might subside and then I could be your friend again, instead of some weirdo freak. So I cut you off," Ken broke down and quietly sobbed for a minute while they walked. He finally got it together when Iori put his little hand around Ken's own.
"I hated myself for doing it, Iori, I really did. Every time you would call and I found out it was you I would cry. Last night when you called and Wormmon picked the phone up I almost took it from him but I didn't. After he hung up he said a few things to me that made me realize how stupid I was being. He told you that you had feelings too and that hit me like a ton of bricks. I'm so sorry I put all this on you, Iori. I didn't mean to hurt you and I don't want to lose you as a friend after I tell you this."
"Ken, where is my hand right now?" Iori asked him, grinning sheepishly.
"It's around my hand."
"Right. Do you think you've lost me as a friend, Ken? Seriously?"
"No, I guess not," Ken answered after a moment's consideration.
"Exactly. Now, remember how you just said that Wormmon told you that I had feelings too?"
"Of course. You're a human being, not some inanimate object," Ken said, missing the point Iori was trying to make.
"No Ken, Wormmon was right. I do have feelings for you, more than just as a friend would. I loved all the time we spent together as well. When I'd see you at my kendo tournaments I became happier than I could ever attempt to describe. When we parted those nights, any night, really, I missed you like a part of me left with you. I talked to Koushirou about it earlier in the week for quite a while, Ken. He told me that what I was feeling was very likely love, and I believe him."
"Oh, that might explain the glare of death I got from him when I walked in," Ken said and looked at the ground. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Iori, I promise. I don't know if I can say that enough."
"I forgive you Ken, I do. Koushirou told me that love is one of the most misunderstood things in the world. You never fall in love with who you think you should or when you think you will. We're perfect examples of that, aren't we?"
"Yes, I guess we are, Iori."
"Good," Iori said through a smile, "now why don't we catch up with the others and the Digimon? What do you say? If we take too long, they'll eat all the food before we get there."
Ken looked ahead and saw that the others had gotten far ahead of them and already set up their little camp on the beach and were passing out sandwiches and sodas. "Yeah, why don't we do that?" Ken said as a smile passed his lips for the first time in over a week.
Ahh.sweetness. Don't worry, there is one more chapter where the two of them bond further. I'd write it now, but I have to head on out and do stuff (rats). It should appear in the next two days, so you won't have to wait all that long.
energy
Iori was sitting on the edge of Koushirou's bed, lazily tracing a finger along the embroidery. He looks so sad, Koushirou told himself. Why did Ken have to chose this week to get sick? Iori looked over at him at that moment and Koushirou gave him the best smile he could. Iori smiled back, seemingly just as forced. The doorbell rang and Koushirou's heart fell to the floor as Iori got a look of hope in his eyes, wishing Ken were to walk through the door, but knowing better.
Koushirou watched Iori's face fall when he heard Tai's voice coming from the living room, along with Kari's and his mum's. He reached over and put a kind hand on Iori's shoulder and gave him a little squeeze. Iori put his hand on Koushirou's own and squeezed back.
"Well, we're here, no thanks to my procrastinating big brother," Kari said as they stepped into Koushirou's room.
"Hey, we're only about ten minutes late."
"Yeah, but we're still late," Kari said and rolled her eyes. They had apparently been arguing the whole way over here and showed little intention to stop anytime soon.
"I don't want to step in between fireworks, but since you two have shown up, can we go on and go now? We've got digital sun waiting for us," Takeru said, shouldering his bag.
"Yeah, let's go," Koushirou said, tilting his head just a bit, thinking he heard something from the other room. Probably just Mum moving something around. "Alright then, who wants to do the honors?" He said, gesturing to the computer screen.
"I'll do it," a voice said as it approached the doorway. Iori about jumped out of his skin. He turned to look and saw Ken standing with Wormmon on his shoulder.
"Ken-chan! You're here!" Iori hopped up and ran over to him and looked him in the eyes. "I've missed you," he said and Ken almost lost his composure right there. He took a breath.
"I missed you as well."
"Uh-hmm.Can we get to the digital world now, please?" Yamato said. Ken nodded, recollecting his thoughts and pulled his D3 out.
"Digi-Port open!" From out of nowhere, that silly but catchy song started playing (okay, not really, but it could have), and they soon found themselves in the digital world. After they dusted themselves off, they started on their short trek to the shores of the digital ocean.
"Iori, can I talk to you while we walk?" Ken asked after taking a series of deep breaths. He went ahead and blurted it out before his mind could possibly stop him.
"Sure Ken, I'd like that. I've hardly talked to you all week."
"That's part of what I want to talk about. Do you mind if we walk a little behind the others?" Iori answered that he didn't and they fell back about ten paces. Koushirou noticed this from the corner of his eye and looked up to wherever Azulongmon was and made a quick wish.
"Iori, I'm so sorry I haven't talked to you this week."
"Well Ken, you can't really help it if you get sick and sleep all the time, right?"
"Um, I really wasn't sick, Iori. Well, maybe a little, but not like you might think." Iori looked at him completely puzzled. Ken continued. "What I'm about to tell you might make you not want to ever speak to me again, but I have to tell you because it is killing me inside."
"Okay, Ken, but I don't think that there is anything you could tell me that would make me want to never talk to you again, but go on."
"Iori, like I said, I wasn't really sick, at least not from any virus or bacteria. I told you I was and I had Wormmon tell you I was so that I could not do what I'm about to do right now."
"Ken, what are you talking about?" Iori asked.
"Iori, I think I've fallen for you. There, I said it." Ken looked into Iori's eyes,
expecting to see hate or some similar emotion, but he saw none of that. He saw only kindness so he continued. "Over the past months I have found myself thinking about you more and more. The time we spend together was like ambrosia and I couldn't get enough of it. Recently, I started thinking that the feelings of friendship had progressed to something more."
Iori put a hand on Ken's arm in a show of understanding. Ken's eyes were getting very watery as he continued. "I couldn't see how I could feel that way about my best friend, my male best friend, by the way, and it scared me. I tried to rationalize it, but I couldn't. everything I've ever learned has told me that those feelings are completely wrong and immoral. It was really starting to make me physically ill, that's the truth of that part, and I couldn't bear to talk to you, afraid that I would do something stupid and tell you exactly what I'm telling you right now."
"Ken, it's not stupid," Iori said as he wiped away a few of Ken's tears.
"Yes it is, Iori. It gets stupider. I came up with the great idea that if I were to talk to you less that these feelings might subside and then I could be your friend again, instead of some weirdo freak. So I cut you off," Ken broke down and quietly sobbed for a minute while they walked. He finally got it together when Iori put his little hand around Ken's own.
"I hated myself for doing it, Iori, I really did. Every time you would call and I found out it was you I would cry. Last night when you called and Wormmon picked the phone up I almost took it from him but I didn't. After he hung up he said a few things to me that made me realize how stupid I was being. He told you that you had feelings too and that hit me like a ton of bricks. I'm so sorry I put all this on you, Iori. I didn't mean to hurt you and I don't want to lose you as a friend after I tell you this."
"Ken, where is my hand right now?" Iori asked him, grinning sheepishly.
"It's around my hand."
"Right. Do you think you've lost me as a friend, Ken? Seriously?"
"No, I guess not," Ken answered after a moment's consideration.
"Exactly. Now, remember how you just said that Wormmon told you that I had feelings too?"
"Of course. You're a human being, not some inanimate object," Ken said, missing the point Iori was trying to make.
"No Ken, Wormmon was right. I do have feelings for you, more than just as a friend would. I loved all the time we spent together as well. When I'd see you at my kendo tournaments I became happier than I could ever attempt to describe. When we parted those nights, any night, really, I missed you like a part of me left with you. I talked to Koushirou about it earlier in the week for quite a while, Ken. He told me that what I was feeling was very likely love, and I believe him."
"Oh, that might explain the glare of death I got from him when I walked in," Ken said and looked at the ground. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Iori, I promise. I don't know if I can say that enough."
"I forgive you Ken, I do. Koushirou told me that love is one of the most misunderstood things in the world. You never fall in love with who you think you should or when you think you will. We're perfect examples of that, aren't we?"
"Yes, I guess we are, Iori."
"Good," Iori said through a smile, "now why don't we catch up with the others and the Digimon? What do you say? If we take too long, they'll eat all the food before we get there."
Ken looked ahead and saw that the others had gotten far ahead of them and already set up their little camp on the beach and were passing out sandwiches and sodas. "Yeah, why don't we do that?" Ken said as a smile passed his lips for the first time in over a week.
Ahh.sweetness. Don't worry, there is one more chapter where the two of them bond further. I'd write it now, but I have to head on out and do stuff (rats). It should appear in the next two days, so you won't have to wait all that long.
energy