From The Depths
Disclaimer - I dun be ownin' that there Digimon.
A/N – Sort of a collection of stream of thoughts, but with some kind of plot in it. After the crest of kindness is found, but before any jogress shinkas. And I hate the fact they're all like 11, so Davis and Ken are 13 and 14 respectively. Oh, it's angsty, by the way. What else did you expect from me?! Read angst. It feeds the soul.
He still haunts me. He hunts me. I can't escape. He's always there, watching, waiting for me to trip and show my weakness. But I won't let him see. Not him, not anyone. I'm hiding. Hiding from myself.
A sharp noise makes me look up. A digimon, standing in front me. She holds out her hand. I don't know what to do. I take it. She leads me someplace far from where I was. I feel so tired and fall onto the floor, exhausted. She talks to me, soothing words, telling me that everything is alright. I let myself open up to her embrace.
Foolish child. Can't you see she's manipulating you?
She might be.
She's using you. I can see it.
Perhaps. What does she want?
Not you, that's for sure. Me, maybe.
You are dead. She can't want you.
I'm not dead. Just waiting.
You always say that.
I always mean it.
She takes me further into her maze. An empty room. I sit. I feel so relaxed. She whispers again. It's clear now. I was wrong. I always am. Perhaps he will leave me alone now.
You can't get rid of me.
I know.
I'll follow you until you die.
I know.
That may be sooner than you think.
...I know.
// A month later…//
Okay. I give up. I have no idea what's wrong with Ken. He flinches every time anyone goes near him and practically jumps a mile if we touch him. He keeps looking around worriedly, as if he thinks someone's following him, and he stays hunched and low.
I'm going to talk to him now. I'm on the way. Take the stairs two at a time. Ring on the bell.
"Hello Mrs. Ichijouji," Bow slightly. "Is Ken in?"
She's gone to get him. Here he is.
"Ken, can I talk to you?"
He wrings his hands and glances around again.
"S-sure Daisuke."
That's another thing. He keeps talking in this stuttery voice. Hmm, I guess I'm being a *little* hard on him. He did only just find out that he'd been torturing and killing innocent creatures for fun.
"Uh, I thought we could go somewhere more private?"
"H-here is fi-fine, Daisuke…"
I grab his hand. Loudly, "We're just going out Mrs. Ichijouji! Be back in about an hour!"
Good, it's ok. Ken looks horrified. "We-we can't! He-" I stop and stare at him. He looks at the floor. Then he kind of stumbles forward (almost as if he's being pushed?) and murmurs "N-nothing…"
*
He drags me (literally) to the park.
Are we there yet, are we there yet, are we-
Shut up!
He stands in front of Daisuke, who walks straight through him, but I just bump into him.
"Come on, Ken!"
God, stand up for yourself, wimp!
I'm not a wimp.
You just keep telling yourself that, Ken-chan.
He pats my head annoyingly and I try and bat him away, but he just floats in front and sticks his tongue out at me.
Can't catch me!
Go away, we're here now, just leave me-
He stops dead, and I manage to dodge round him, still following Daisuke.
She's coming Ken. She's hungry.
I'll never go back to her.
You can't stop her Ken! You can't!
He's shouting now, ignoring the people walking through him.
She'll come for you! And then you'll be sorry! I'm a good boy, I am, very…very good…
And he disappears.
*
I sit him down under the nearest tree and look at him sternly. It's strange; something seems to have lifted from his eyes…But anyway. Back to business.
"Right Ken, I'll get to the point, lately you've been…Well, weird."
"I'm sorry. I'll try harder next time."
He's all...floaty. I don't like it.
"You can't just say that! I want an explanation. Why Ken? What's wrong?" I put my hands firmly on his shoulders. "I care about you Ken."
He leans his head on one of my hands and giggles. Yes, giggles. I stare at him in disbelief as he slowly pulls off one of my gloves and places my hand on his cheek. "Your hands are soft Daisuke…"
I pull away as if he was red hot. "What the hell are you doing Ken?!" It's like his brain flew out the window!
"'M just being friendly." He looks, dare I say it, cute, with his hair in front of his puppy dog eyes.
"Oh." I can't really think of anything to say, because I don't know if I mind or not.
Then, with no warning at all, he shoots up, dead straight, and whispers "He's coming."
That heavy, misty look comes back into his eyes, and I rush over to him, shaking him roughly. "Ken! Ken, what's wrong?"
*
Ooh, did I interrupt something?
I clench my fist.
Why can't you just fuck the hell off sometimes?
Touchy.
You never leave me alone!
He suddenly flew towards me, taking Daisuke's place with his hands on my shoulders.
I CAN'T Ken, you seem to forget that fact sometimes. Dear god, how I wish I could just go, with your incessant whining, 'Why does everyone hate me?' Oh, why doesn't Daisuke love me?' It isn't MY fault Ken, is it? It's your fucking fault for doing the things you did! THAT'S why you're stuck with me Ken, because of YOU!
I slump down.
H-how…? How did you know?
I can hear your thoughts Ken, I live in your head.
"Ken?"
Go away…
I'm not saying anything!
Huh?
"Ken? God Ken, are you okay? Talk to me?"
"D-Daisuke?"
"Ken, I thought I'd strangled you or something!"
He hugs me tightly. It takes me a while to gather my senses, and then I put my arms around him and cry softly into his shoulder.
"Don't do that!"
He laughs. I think he's crying too, but I'm not sure.
She wants to talk to you.
He looks at me sternly over Daisuke's shoulder.
I'm not going.
She'll come to you…If you don't go to her.
She won't find me.
She will if I tell her.
*
Ken suddenly shoots back away from me. His eyes are different again. Now there's fear in them.
"Ken, what-?"
"You've got to go!"
"What?"
"You've got to leave! Go Daisuke, run!"
"What is it?!" I say, grabbing him roughly. He pulls back again, sharply, slapping my hand.
"GO!" He shouts, then stumbles back, screaming and clutching his head. A few people stare at us. His screams pierce the air.
*
It hurts so bad! He's bringing someone, the link isn't big enough! Oh god, stop, leave me alone! I fall to the grass in pain. Daisuke's shouting at me, but I can't hear him. All I can hear are the screams, all I can feel is the pain.
…It's going now…He's either given up or made it through. I think he's coming. He is. He's coming…
"Hello, Ken-chan."
No…No it can't be…It's-
"K-Kara?"
She grins, letting go of the Kaiser's hand. "Ken-chan! I'm so glad you haven't forgotten me!" She jumps into my arms, and I melt. I stand up, smiling softly at her.
"How could I forget you, you little cutie?" I said, ruffling her hair. The evil…it's darker, I think. She jumps down and I get a proper look at her. There are two massive dents in her leg, chunks of soft wood ripped right out. She must have had one of her turns and gone crazy with the axe again. She notices me staring. "Your leg…" I whisper.
She glances up at me sadly. "I did wrong." She said, her voice full of sorrow. "Tekki punishes me when I do bad."
Tekki. I haven't heard that in a while, and it sends shivers down my spine. It's her name for the evil half of her. Tekki hardly ever comes out when I'm around.
"What did you do?" I ask quietly.
"Bad." She says again. "I picked one of Mamma's roses. Tekki pulled my hair and said I shouldn't. But it was so pretty! So I picked it right up and put it in some water. But Mamma saw and knocked it over. She shouted at us. Tekki took me outside with the tree axe and she…she…"
"Shh, it's ok." I bend down and pick her up. She feels lighter.
I hear a cough from behind me. I'd forgotten about Daisuke! I stand up with Kara in my arms and look at him. "Daisuke, I-"
"You fucking well had better be able to explain. This," He waves his arm vaguely, "Thing appears out of no where and you treat her like a sister! What's going on?"
"S-she's just a friend." I look at the floor.
"A wooden friend?"
"Yes."
"A wooden friend than can talk?"
"Y-yes."
Kara looks up at me, confused. "Ken-chan? Who is that?"
Daisuke steps over and takes her out of my arms. She stands on the ground, trembling. A tear falls down her face.
Oh, Ken, look what you did.
I know he's joking. But I feel guilty.
I-I didn't mean to…
Kara's crying silently now. Daisuke just stares at her. "How…can she-?" He says uncertainly.
"She's like a real girl. Just made out of wood."
*
Now I'm freaked out. It's like he's seen this girl loads of times before. "Ken." I take a step forward, almost threateningly, although I don't mean it to be. The girl thing obviously thinks so anyway. She jumps in front of him and sticks her arms out protectively.
When she talks again, her voice is freaky, deeper. Not like it was.
"Keep away from him you bastard." She growls at me. Five long claws shoot out of each of her hands. "If you hurt him…I'll kill you."
Ken reaches out and touches her gently. Her expression softens, and she rugs him round the waist.
"I'm so sorry, Ken-chan, I didn't mean to! I thought he was going to hurt you."
*
She…She's hardly ever been like that. Only once before when…
You don't like thinking about that, do you?
...
"I-It's ok, Kara, he's my f-friend."
Goodness me, was that a stutter I heard?
I just slipped on the word.
I don't think so.
He breathes deeply in my ear.
I think you love him, don't you?
I-I wouldn't tell you!
Admit it for fuck's sake! You love him!
I love him, there you satisfied?
…For now.
Kara grins at me, then at Daisuke. "Oh good!" She cries. She grabs Daisuke's hand, her attitude towards him totally different and shakes it. "My name's Kara. This," She jerked her head to the side. "This is Tekki, my sister."
"Where?"
"Here, silly!" She giggles, and points to her left side. Daisuke's eyes widen slightly. Kara laughed, and ran back to me. "Where are we going, Ken-chan?"
"Er, how about climbing the big tree on the other side of the park?"
"Yeah!" She looks so happy. I'm sure she'd jump off a bridge if I told her to. "Can we all go, all five of us?"
I don't properly realize what she's said. "Sure we can."
"Excuse me?" Daisuke looks at me oddly. "Five?"
Kara runs of to him, and I freeze in horror. "Of course! Me and Tekki, and you and Ken-chan and-" I try to stop her but it's too late. "And Kaiser-san."