Introduction
When Odaiba gets a new transfer student, the Digidestineds' lives are turned upside down. Ken is spending a term at their school…and he's far from happy about it.
Pushing everyone, including Davis, away from him, Ken treats everyone as insects, and does his best to aggravate people. But when a new friendship is forged after an unforgettable event, a young emperor finds himself choosing between his destiny…and his humanity.
Only when someone reaches out, will the damned be saved…
Chapter Eleven; Of Pain And Hitchhikers
"I'm not taking no for an answer, Davis. You've been moping for two days straight now – you need something to take your mind off your missing friend." Mrs. Motomiya said firmly.
"Ok, ok! Yeesh, keep your hair on! I'll go on that stupid trip to Kyoto for the weekend!" Davis growled, stomping off to his room to start packing. His mother beamed after him.
"Wonderful, dear. I'll just phone Darryl and let him know that you'll be going with him after all."
Davis threw a toothbrush into his rucksack, grumbling under his breath. Maybe he had been upset over Ken running away, but that didn't give his mother the right to pack him off on a road trip to Kyoto.
>Ah well. At least I'm going with Darryl. He's pretty cool.> Davis acknowledged. Darryl was his second cousin, and the only one in the family who'd actually been somewhere that wasn't in Japan. Darryl loved travelling, and had been all over the world – and when he couldn't get away, he spent his weekends taking road trips round Japan.
There was also the added bonus that Darryl loved football just as much as he did – in fact, Darryl was practically an older version of Davis.
>Maybe this is what I need to get my mind off Ken for a while…>
"You ready, sport?" Darryl asked, opening the passenger door of his Landrover. Davis nodded, dumping his luggage in the boot and hopping in. Darryl always treated him like an adult – whilst other family member shoved him in the back seats, Darryl always allowed him to ride up front with him.
"Then I guess we're all set. I just need to go grab some gas at the petrol station outside town though, ok?" Darryl grinned. Davis frowned.
"Why do you have to go all the way out there?" He asked in confusion.
"Fuel's cheaper at that station. Plus there's a pretty girl I'm trying to score a date with for next weekend." Darryl laughed. Rolling his eyes, Davis fastened his seatbelt, and waved goodbye to Jun and his parents.
This was going to turn out alright – he could feel it.
"Ok, I've scored with Candice, now all that's left is the fuel. Tell you what – I'll fill her up, whilst you go and grab us some snacks for the road. What do you say? I'll pay." Darryl offered.
Smiling gratefully, Davis took the money that was offered, and hopped out of the vehicle, heading over to the station shop. After a short argument with an old lady about cutting in front (although Davis was sure she hadn't been there before), Davis had bought several packets of crisps and half the store's supply of chocolate bars.
Practically skipping back to the vehicle, Davis handed the bag to Darryl, who was waiting to stash it in the glove compartment.
"Just to warn you, we're gonna have a guest until we reach Kyoto." Darryl said, closing up the compartment. Davis raised an eyebrow.
"Who?"
"He's in the back there." Darryl pointed at the back seat, and Davis peeked in through the window. Sure enough, there was a figure sitting in the back seat, slumped against the opposite window.
"He came over and asked if I'd mind giving him a lift. I asked where he was going, and he told me that he didn't care, as long as it was out of this town. So I said I'd take him to Kyoto." Darryl explained.
"Did you get a name?" Davis asked.
"No, most runaways don't give out their names easily, in case they're found." Darryl answered. Davis' mouth went dry.
"He's…he's a runaway?" He croaked.
Darryl nodded.
"I think so. But from the dirt on his clothes, I'd say he's only been on the streets a couple of days – a newbie. He must just wanna get out of this city and make a fresh…oh man. I'm sorry, Davis. I forgot all about your friend." Darryl gasped.
Davis shrugged, and got control of himself.
"It doesn't matter. You can't exactly chuck him out now anyway. You promised him."
Opening the door and jumping in, Davis waited for Darryl to get in and start the engine. Twisting slightly in his seat, he looked over his shoulder to take a closer look at their passenger.
The hitchhiker was still leaning against the window, chest rising and falling softly. Squinting, Davis realised that he was asleep. >Must have been tired.> Davis thought. Mind you, if he'd been the one sleeping on the streets, he'd have been tired too.
The runaway shifted in his sleep, murmuring something unintelligible under his breath. Davis half expected him to wake up, but after there was no further movement, continued his inspection. The boy was dressed in quite dark clothing – plain grey trousers and a black hooded jacket that was clearly far too big for him. Billowing out around him, it hid his build from prying eyes.
>Maybe that was intentional.> Davis mused to himself. After all, the stranger had left the hood up, allowing it to completely conceal his face and hair from view. Davis guessed that it was a precaution against being seen and having his location reported to his family and friends.
"Ready to go, sport?" Darryl asked, sliding into his seat and fastening his seatbelt. Turning round to face the front again, Davis nodded, focusing in on the road ahead of them.
"You bet."
They were half way to Kyoto when the hitchhiker finally woke up. He had started to call out in his sleep, and the other two boys had been debating on whether to wake him up or not, when the passenger flew upright with a panicked gasp.
"Whoa, easy back there. You're safe, okay? I'm taking you to Kyoto like you asked me to." Darryl soothed, glancing in the mirror to see whether the kid was alright.
The runaway nodded silently, settling back into his seat and turning his head slightly so that he could look out the window. Davis, who'd twisted to check up on him, caught a glimpse of longish purple hair as it escaped the confines of the hood. Almost absentmindedly, a delicate hand came up and pushed it back inside.
"So what are you gonna do when you get to Kyoto?" Davis asked, trying to strike up a conversation. The other boy's head whipped round at the sound of his voice, and Davis had the feeling that he was being stared at.
"Well? Are you going to answer, or am I talking to myself here?" He prompted. The other boy seemed to relax again, and mumbled something about finding work somewhere. From the look Darryl shot him, Davis had a bad feeling about the kind of job the other boy would be forced to take – after all, most employers didn't hire the homeless.
Giving up, Davis faced the front again, and began browsing through the radio stations. If their 'guest' didn't feel like talking, than he wasn't going to push it.
Finally settling on a channel, Davis settled back and listened as the presenter began to read the news. Although he wasn't exactly the brightest penny in the moneybox, that didn't mean that he didn't listen to the news every once in a while.
The search continues for Ken Ichijoji, runaway boy genius of Tamachi. Nearly three days have passed since his disappearance, and with no clues to his current whereabouts, the chances of finding him are rapidly slimming. Now over for a live interview with the Ichijoji family, conducted earlier today…
"Would you mind turning that off, please?" The hitchhiker asked in a strained voice. Davis shrugged, carrying out the request.
"Don't you like listening to the news?" He queried.
"Not to reports like those. If Ken wanted to be found, he'd have gone home by now. I don't think that it's right for him to be hounded this way." Came the sure reply. Davis frowned.
"Just because you've decided to give up on everyone that cares for you, doesn't mean that Ken will. Maybe he just needs to realise that people miss him." He shot back, gripping the sides of his seat tightly.
"He doesn't have anyone who misses him, other than his parents." Davis found himself growling at the next comment, and he twisted abruptly to face the person who was slandering his friend.
"I miss him! He was my friend – my best friend! And he still is!" He snarled. The other boy fell silent.
"Your…your best friend? You still think of him as your best friend?" He whispered. Davis nodded fiercely, glaring at Darryl's passenger.
"Of course I do. You don't give up on your friends, no matter how hard the journey." The hitchhiker became quiet again, making no further comment. Satisfied that he'd put the boy his place, Davis shot a smug glance at Darryl, choosing to ignore the disapproving one he got in return.
A few hours later, they stopped at a service station on the outskirts of Kyoto. Davis had wanted to just end their trip and get to their hotel, but Darryl pointed out how low the fuel gage was, saying that if they didn't refuel before then, they wouldn't be going anywhere.
As they pulled up outside the petrol station area, their passenger spoke up for the first time since the disagreement with Davis.
"Thanks for the ride. I won't impose on you any further – I can walk from here."
Darryl frowned.
"But it's still a couple of miles walk!" He argued. The other figure shrugged.
"I'm reasonably fit. I'll be fine. Thanks again for your kindness."
Feeling guilty, Davis held an arm out, stopping the boy from leaving.
"You know, you don't have to leave because of that argument we had. We'd be more than happy to take you the rest of the way, right Darryl?"
"Yup."
The runaway simply shook his head, lifting his small bag onto his shoulder.
"You've done enough. But thanks for the offer." Davis sighed.
"Well if you're sure…you take care of yourself, alright? Don't let anyone push you around."
"Thanks…but it doesn't really matter what happens to me. As long as I'm here, I can't hurt the ones I care about." The boy replied. As he turned to go, Davis suddenly grabbed his arm, wanting to know what the hell the other kid was on about.
"Wait! What do you mean by that? Don't tell me that's why you ran away? Because you were afraid of hurting someone?" Davis exclaimed. The runaway yanked his arm out of Davis' grasp, growling.
"Leave me alone! I know what I'm do…whoa!"
Losing his balance, the boy fell with a cry, landing on the floor in a heap. His hood slipped down, revealing his face at last.
"Ken!" Davis gasped in astonishment. Ken leapt to his feet and took off running, not giving Davis the chance to grab him again.
"Ken, wait!" Davis called, giving chase. The genius ignored him, vanishing rapidly into the crowd of people waiting to pay for petrol.
"Ken!"
Determined not to give up, Davis carried on, pushing his way through the throng. Finally reaching the other side, he looked around desperately, trying to see where Ken had gone.
"Ken, please!"
Getting no reply, Davis sunk onto a nearby bench, not able to believe it. >I found him…I was riding in the same vehicle as him, for God's sake! I found him…and I let him slip through my fingers again…> Heaving a huge sigh, Davis got to his feet, running a hand through his hair.
>Maybe it's not too late to contact someone and let them know that Ken's somewhere around Kyoto.> With this plan in mind, Davis began to head outside to where he'd seen a phone box, meaning to ring Ken's parents.
As he passed the alley that backed onto the takeaway restaurant, Davis slowly became aware of quiet sobbing. Pausing, he silently made his way to the alley entrance, peeking round the corner.
Further down, hidden partially by the shadows, was Ken. Sitting down with his back against the wall, Ken had one hand over his mouth to muffle the sound of his sobs. Davis felt his heart tear as he watched the pearls of liquid sliding down the other boy's face.
"Ken?" He whispered softly, emerging into view and walking slowly towards the distraught boy. The genius' head whipped up, and he stared at Davis like a rabbit caught in the headlights of a car.
"D…Davis? I…I…leave me alone! Go on to Kyoto!"
Shaking his head, Davis crouched down next to his friend, and put an arm round Ken's shoulders.
"You really think I'm going to let my best friend just disappear out of my life forever like that? I was worried, Ken…remember what I said back in the Landrover?"
Ken smiled bitterly.
"Yeah. Just my luck to hitch a lift with one of the people I was trying to leave behind, huh?"
"Yeah, it was lucky. Because otherwise, you'd have just been gone, and I'd have never found you. Come home, Ken. Your parents miss you. I miss you. Kari and the others miss you." Davis pleaded.
Ken shook his head determinedly, staring at his feet.
"No! I can't go back! I've done so many terrible things, Davis! You saw what I'm capable of! I was going to kill you and the rest of your group!" He cried. Davis looked him straight in the eye.
"But you didn't. Ken, no matter what you've convinced yourself, it's dead wrong. You're a good person, I know it. You just got a little lost along the way." Ken gazed at him, unable to comprehend what Davis was saying.
"How can you say that?" He whispered. Davis leaned closer.
"Because it's the truth. You turned yourself away from darkness because you realised the consequences of your actions. That makes you good. I forgive you, Ken."
With a loud sob, Ken started to cry again, leaning into Davis. The burgundy haired boy pulled him close, and murmured soothing words, waiting for his friend to cry himself out. When Ken fell silent again, he asked his question again, desperately hoping for a different answer this time.
"Come back with us, Ken?" He pleaded. The other boy stiffened in his arms, and Davis feared the worst. Then, Ken said in a small voice.
"Take me home, Davis. I can't do this anymore."
Well, he didn't commit suicide, guys...but I hope that this was good enough anyway! I'd already explored suicidal Ken in my other fic, Cries Of The Helpless, so I wanted to try something new.
In answer to Adam, I made no mention of the Dark Seed because no one knew about it at this point in the series. And since its power over Ken was broken when he realised how much Wormmon had cared for him, I figured that if he had real friends, that would have broken the power of the Dark Spore too.
Only the epilogue left! Go read, people!