Disclaimer: I own nothing. I never get to own anything. It kinda sucks.
Author's notes: I know, I know, I'm late. I'm sorry! I got busy (and lazy.) I really meant to get this done earlier and I'll try to get the next chapter out sooner, though I make no promises. (Hey, at least it's not taking me six months to update or anything, right? It's progress!)
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"W-w-what's going on?" Daisuke stuttered. "I'm--I'm see-through! I'm not supposed to be see-through! Hey, what're you doing?" This last was directed towards Chibimon, who had climbed down from his head and was holding on tightly to one of his arms.
"Look Daisuke! I can wave my tail through your hands!" Chibimon said proudly, demonstrating said skill.
"Hey. stop that!" Daisuke yelped. "That's--okay, that's not good, right? Chibimon, I can't--I can't actually fade away or anything, can I?"
Chibimon blinked at him cluelessly.
"I don't know."
"Well, that's a lot of help," Daisuke muttered. "Okay, do you at least know how I can, you know, not fade away?"
"I didn't know humans were see-through," Chibimon mused. "Can I be see-through, too, Daisuke? I wanna be see-through!"
"No you don't!" Daisuke could feel himself beginning to panic. "This is bad. Bad, bad, bad. Very bad. Chibimon, stop doing that with your tail! I'm about to disappear, and you're--"
"But Daisuke, it's fun!" Chibimon chirped happily. Suddenly, Daisuke heard the sound of footsteps approaching.
It's--it's one of those blob-things, Daisuke thought. Or--or I dunno, something creepy! What if it's coming to make me a pig or something, like my parents? Or--or--
Daisuke didn't wait to think up anything else. He began to run again, not having any idea where he was going. Chibimon, who had been holding tightly onto his wrist, suddenly fell straight through Daisuke's arm as it began to fade away, and the little creature fell to the ground with a squeak. Daisuke heard Chibimon call after him, but he kept running, too panicked to stop.
I just wanna go home! he thought wildly as he glanced back to see if he was being followed. A shadow rose up ahead of him, and Daisuke cried out as he ran straight into it. He fell back onto the ground as the thing he had hit also fell backwards with a grunt.
"Calm down." The person Daisuke had run into sat up, revealing the boy who had helped him at the bridge.
"Y-you!" Daisuke swallowed hard. "Who the heck are you? Why'd you help me before? Where'd you--"
"I said, calm down." The dark-haired boy looked around cautiously, then turned back to Daisuke. "Did anyone see you?"
"J-just Chibimon," Daisuke said. "B-but I'm--I'm disappearing or something, a-and my parents--and my sister--and--and--"
"All right, all right." The boy made soothing motions with his hands before reaching into his robes and pulling out a small circular piece of food. "Here, eat this. It'll keep you from disappearing."
"How do I know it won't turn me into a pig?" Daisuke demanded.
"Because I told you it won't," the other boy said. "Here, just eat it. If you don't, you'll fade away. Is that better than turning into a pig?"
Daisuke stared at him for a long moment before finally reaching for the food. It passed right through his hands.
"How can I eat it if I can't--" Daisuke started to ask before the other boy cut him off.
"Open your mouth." Daisuke did as he was told, and the other boy put the food in Daisuke's open mouth. Daisuke carefully chewed it, watching his hands for any sign of turning into a pig. The food didn't seem to have any real taste, but somehow he felt better for eating it. Glancing down at his hands, he saw that they had become solid again. Daisuke breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thanks," he said gratefully. "So, who are you?"
"My name is Ken." The other boy had already gotten to his feet and was looking around again.
"I'm--"
"Daisuke, I know." Ken looked back at Daisuke, and he suddenly seemed rather shy and hesitant. "I--I've known for...for a while. I knew you the moment I saw you."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Daisuke asked a moment before Ken dived forward, pressing him up against him. "Hey!"
"Shh," Ken hissed, glancing behind himself. Daisuke peered around Ken's body and just caught sight of a small creature flying clumsily through the air in circles, as if looking for something. "Demidevimon. He's looking for you. And keep your voice down!"
"For me?" Daisuke whispered. "Why? I just got here."
"They can smell humans," Ken murmured. "I'm not the only one who knew you when I saw you."
"What's it want me for?" Daisuke asked. "I didn't--"
"Humans aren't supposed to be here," Ken replied. His face was still turned away, watching Demidevimon circling through the air.
"But aren't you human?" Daisuke said. Ken turned to look at him, an unreadable expression on his face.
"Don't worry about that right now." He glanced back towards Demidevimon then, apparently deciding that the creature was far enough away, stood once more. He offered a hand to Daisuke. "Come on. It's not safe to stay here."
"Right..." Hesitantly, Daisuke stood. His legs were shaking, and he nearly collapsed. Ken swooped over and caught him. Daisuke glanced up and realized that their faces were awfully close together.
"Um...this is kinda awkward, huh?"
Ken ignored him. He reached down and touched a hand to Daisuke's leg, whispering something Daisuke couldn't quite hear. Nonetheless, he suddenly felt much stronger and his legs stopped shaking.
"What'd you do?" Daisuke wondered aloud.
"Come on," Ken said, ignoring the question. "Follow me, and try to be quiet, okay?"
"Wait a minute!" Daisuke grabbed Ken's shoulder as the other boy prepared to run off. "Where are we going? And Jun! What if that Demi-whatsis thing finds her?"
"Who?"
"Jun! My sister." Daisuke glanced nervously back the way he had come. "She didn't eat any of the food either. I--I tried calling for her after I ran into you on the bridge but I couldn't find her. She might be in trouble or something!"
"Calm down." Ken took hold of Daisuke's hand. "I'll send my servant Wormmon to look for her, if it'll make you feel better. But right now, we have to go. I--I don't want anything to happen to you, Daisuke. So we've really got to leave now. It isn't safe to be out here in the open."
Daisuke hesitated, then looked for a moment into Ken's violet eyes. He felt something inside him begin to relax, and he managed a nod.
"All right. I'll follow you."
"Good." Ken nodded and then set off at a dead run, dragging Daisuke along behind him.
"H-hey, slow down!" Daisuke squawked as Ken darted through an alleyway. "We're not in that much danger, are we? Can we--"
"I said, keep your voice down!" Ken hissed as he pulled Daisuke around a corner.
Daisuke swallowed a reply and concentrated on running. Ken suddenly turned sharply and led him into a large building. Once they were inside, Daisuke wrenched his hand away from Ken and fell back against the wall.
"We can't stop here," Ken told him irritably. Daisuke was panting hard, but the dark-haired boy showed no visible signs of fatigue.
"J-just let me catch my breath." Daisuke shook his head. "Why're you so nervous anyway? That Demi-thingy can't see us inside a building, can it?"
"No, but there are other things that can," Ken said darkly. He paused, then offered Daisuke a hand again. "We shouldn't linger here. It's--"
"Yeah, yeah, not safe." Daisuke sighed and managed a smile. "All right, I guess I'm ready."
"We'll go slow, if you can't handle all the running," Ken said. "At least until we get back outside."
Daisuke nodded and they began to walk through the building. Daisuke took a moment to look around, trying to figure out what sort of place this was. There were various barrels, sacks and crates scattered all about the room.
"What kind of--"
"Food storage room," Ken replied without looking back. He led Daisuke through another doorway into yet another room, where Daisuke skidded to a halt, clapping a hand over his nose and mouth. They had obviously entered one of the rooms where the meat was stored. Sausages and plucked chickens hung side by side with recently dead chickens and pigs that still the looked the way they had when alive. Dead fish were piled up in barrels, and one particularly large fish and what appeared to be a squid lay on the floor, which was covered with meat drippings.
"This is so gross," Daisuke muttered from behind his hand.
"It's not that bad." Ken began to drag Daisuke forward again. "Be careful. You don't want to slip."
"I'm never gonna eat anything again," Daisuke whimpered. "And it stinks! How can you stand it?"
"We're almost out of this room," Ken encouraged him. "The door's right over there. Anyway..." His eyes darkened. "You'll have to deal with worse before this is over, Daisuke."
"What do you mean?" Daisuke asked. Ken just shook his head.
"Never mind. Let's just leave this place, shall we?"
Ken led Daisuke into the next room. Lining the sides of the room were pens, and inside these pens were hundreds of squeaking pigs. Daisuke suddenly looked nervous.
"Ken...n-none of these are my parents, right?"
"You can't tell?" Ken's face was turned away, and his tone was unreadable.
"No. Should I be able to?" Daisuke leaned over one pen curiously. Two of the pigs inside squealed at him and he fell back onto the floor, startled.
"Your parents won't be here," Ken said, helping him up. "Not yet, anyway." This last was said under his breath, and Daisuke didn't hear it.
"So...are all of these pigs people? Or were they?" A horrifying thought occurred to Daisuke. "If they are people...they're not gonna get eaten, are they?"
"Most of them are just pigs," Ken said. "As for the others...well, I told you this was a dangerous place. Once the change starts, they forget everything. To them, it's as if they always were pigs. And if humans eat the food and get transformed and there's no one like you to save them...well, there's really no way to save them. After a while, it's as if they always were pigs."
"But--but they get killed?" Daisuke still looked troubled. There was something in his face that made Ken suspicious.
"No," he said with finality.
"No what?"
"No, you can't set them free. They'll just get caught again." Ken noticed Daisuke's crestfallen look and put a hand on his shoulder. "They're just animals now, Daisuke. There's no way to save them; you'll have enough trouble saving yourself. And in the end, being killed isn't going to change their fates very much. Either way, they'll never be human again."
"Then...what about my parents?" Daisuke's eyes were wide. "Will they...?"
"That's going to depend on you, which is why we can't linger here," Ken said.
"Oh..." Daisuke sighed, then straightened his shoulders. "All right, then, I'm ready to run again. Take me wherever it is we're going." He held out a hand and Ken's face broke into a slight smile.
"Are you sure you can run this time?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. Let's get out of here."
"As you wish." Ken grabbed Daisuke's hand and together they ran out of the storehouse and into the night.
They finally paused behind a fence within sight of the bridge. No longer empty, it was covered with strange-looking beings, who nodded at each other and at the two human-like frogs greeting them as they passed.
"We're going in there?" Daisuke whispered, indicating the large building on the opposite side of the bridge.
"Yes. You can find work there, and then you'll be safe, at least for a time." Ken seemed nervous, and it didn't do much for Daisuke's confidence.
"Work?" he repeated. When Ken didn't reply, Daisuke poked him in the shoulder. "Hey...how're we gonna get across? Won't those...things see me?"
"Those 'things' are gods," Ken said softly. "And spirits, too. Be careful what you say to them, about them. As for the bridge..." He grew silent again, his eyes narrowing in thought. A long silence fell between the two of them. Ken appeared lost in his thoughts, and his expression was so intense that Daisuke hesitated to interrupt his musings.
"Ken?" he finally asked when the silence had gone on too long. Ken started, then glanced over at him.
"How long can you hold your breath?" he questioned.
"Um...I dunno. Pretty long, I guess."
"Good. When we get to the bridge, I need you to hold your breath until we're across. They won't see you then." Ken stood and offered Daisuke a hand up. "Come on. And try not to draw attention to yourself."
"R-right." Daisuke followed Ken to the bridge, staying as close to him as possible.
"Now, hold your breath," Ken murmured to Daisuke as they stepped onto the bridge. Daisuke complied. The two frogs sitting by the side of the bridge nodded at Ken but paid no attention to Daisuke.
"We're almost there," Ken said encouragingly, keeping his voice low. "Just hold your breath a little longer and--"
"Daisuke!" A tiny blue blur suddenly dashed across the bridge, launching itself into Daisuke's chest.
"Chibimon!" Daisuke gasped out as he caught the little creature in his arms. There was the sound of shocked exclamations from the creatures beside him as Daisuke suddenly realized his mistake and clapped a hand over his mouth.
"Dammit!" Ken grabbed Daisuke's hand again and suddenly they were flying low along the ground. Daisuke suddenly had his hands full trying to keep from dropping Chibimon while simultaneously trying to figure out how ken was managing to fly. He heard an angry voice shouting about humans and then Ken flew around a corner into a hole in the nearest fence. He skidded to a halt amidst a small grove of trees. From inside the building came the sounds of running feet and angry voices.
"Chibimon!" Daisuke immediately turned to the little creature squirming in his grasp. "Look what you made me do!"
"What'd I do?" Chibimon blinked innocently at him and Daisuke sighed.
"Never mind." He let go of Chibimon and the little creature immediately clambered back onto his head, settling itself between his goggles. Daisuke glanced up at Ken, who was looking around anxiously. "Ken, I'm really sorry about--"
"No time for that," Ken cut him off abruptly. "They'll be looking for you now." He paused thoughtfully, then crouched down beside Daisuke. "Listen. I'll go distract everyone while you--"
"No way!" Daisuke said quickly. "I'm not gonna let you get in trouble because I--"
"I won't get in trouble." Ken's eyes were suddenly flat and emotionless. "No one will question what I say. It will give you a chance to go somewhere safe."
"Somewhere safe? Around here?" Daisuke closed his eyes. "I think I'm ready to go home now, okay?"
"You will go home," Ken told him. "Just not yet. Now, you have to listen closely to me. After I'm gone, sneak out through the back gate. Go down the stairs and you'll end up in the boiler room. You'll need to talk to the old man down there, Gennai. Ask him for work. No matter what he says, make sure you get work. No one can harm you then, and you'll be safe until the time comes to save yourself and your family."
"They can't harm me if I work? Why not?" Daisuke asked.
"It's one of the laws around here," Ken said. "If you don't have work then you may be turned into an animal, like your parents."
"Will that happen to my sister, if-if anyone finds her?" Daisuke wondered.
"I can't say." Ken glanced back the way they had come. "I told you, I have my servant looking for her. I'll seek you out once she's found, likely before then. Now, do you remember what I said to do?"
"Stairs. Boiler room. Um...old guy?"
"Gennai," Chibimon supplied helpfully, and Daisuke nodded.
"Right, what he said." Daisuke nodded proudly and Ken shook his head, smiling ruefully.
"All right, then. I have to go." Ken stood and turned as if to go, then paused and glanced back. All of a sudden he seemed unsure, almost...ashamed. "Daisuke....you--you might see me again, before I come looking for you. At that time...I may not look like myself, or--or go by a different name. I may treat you differently than I do now. I'll be like a different person to you. But....but I am your friend. No matter how I might act towards you...I'm your friend. I'm going to help you, I promise. I just..." He shook his head. "I have to go. Good luck!"
With that, Ken turned and ran off. Daisuke watched him disappear inside the building, then turned to Chibimon.
"Are you coming with me?"
"Mm-hmm." Chibimon nodded. "I like you." He paused. "Where are we going?"
"Boiler room, remember?" Daisuke said. "What was the name of that guy I have to find?"
"Gennai," Chibimon said.
"Okay then. Let's go! And be quiet." Daisuke glanced around furtively, making sure that they weren't being watched, and then he carefully sneaked out the back gate.
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Okay, that's it for now. Next chapter will show up eventually. (Ah...eventually. I love a nebulous deadline.)