Digimon belongs to Toei! It's not mine!
---------------------------
Shi-chan: Thanks for the reviews, everybody--this story
seems to be going along very well!
---------------------------
Sadness-Colored Sandglass
Part 8
~By Shimegami-chan
Music: "Open Mind," (Koushirou) from Digimon
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'll be going away for Easter vacation, so
I'll be working on this story and 'Switch,' when I get back around the end of
April. Thanks for your patience! This chapter's extra long too!
Warnings: Shounen-ai; it's Kensuke...and Kekaizer...eh heh
heh...
"Are we going to the Digital World, Ken-chan?"
Wormmon asked hopefully.
"Sure. Just let me leave a note for Dai and
Chibimon." Ken pried his Jogress partner's D-Terminal out of the blue
Digimon's clutches and Wormmon typed in a note for the sleeping pair while Ken
locked the door to prevent his parent's walking in on their guests. Wormmon
stuck the small computer back in Chibimon's clutches just as Ken picked him up
and held his D-3 out to the computer. "Let's just hope this works..."
The tiny device flashed and Ken and Wormmon were drawn into
the Digital World, Ken pausing just long enough to grab a last look at Daisuke.
"We'll be back soon..."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"We made it," Ken breathed. "I was
worried..."
Wormmon, now seated at Ken's feet, nodded happily. "I
wonder where that other Digivice came from...ne, Ken-chan?"
"No idea," Ken replied. "Well, now that we're
here, we'll make sure you can still become Stingmon." Once more he held
the D-3 in his left hand and held it out to his partner. "Go for it!"
"Wormmon! Shinka!..." A burst of pink light
emitted from the device and Wormmon gathered energy. But...Ken furrowed his
brow and inspected the D-3, holding it at arm's length. The rose-colored glow
that had once poured from the device was streaked with a purplish tint,
something that worried Ken. It had never done that before.
Suddenly the D-3 erupted in the odd purple glow, throwing
both Ken and Wormmon roughly to the ground. "Itaiii!"
Ken propped himself up on his elbows as the smoke cleared,
still seeing spots dancing in front of his eyes. "What happened?"
Wormmon did not answer--Ken hoped he hadn't been hurt. The
green Digmon was lying on his side a few feet away. "Wormmon? You
okay?" Ken cursed under his breath and staggered to his feet, fumbing
around in the grass for his D-3. Then again, he realized as his hands found the
smooth object, maybe he shouldn't touch it since it had reacted so violently
before.
Too late. Ken gingerly held the Digivice in his left hand
for a moment before even realizing that it wasn't his Digivice at all. This D-3
was a pastel purple and white, stark contrast to his black-and-grey D-3. Ken
blinked. Where had this thing come from?
Remembering his partner, Ken clutched the object tightly and
stumbled to Wormmon's side. He gathered the insect into his arms.
"Wormmon? Wake up! Wormmon!"
The purple D-3 began throwing off pinkish light, and Ken
dropped it right away. It didn't seem as explosive as the other, however. On
closer inspection, Ken noted the symbol of the Crest of Kindness glowing on the
digital screen. "My crest...?"
The glow transferred itelf from the new D-3 into Wormmon,
still limp in Ken's arms. The little insect heaved a contented sigh and
relaxed, eyes still tightly shut. His breathing became deep and even.
//He's sleeping,// Ken realized. //The pink light made him
sleep. What just happened?//
Ken plucked the Digivice from the grass and stared at the
crest on the tiny screen. //What does this mean?//
Something clicked in the back of Ken's head. //What happened
to my dark D-3?//
Lowering his sleeping Digimon to the ground, Ken ran his
fingers through the grass, looking for the missing device. It wasn't in the
scarred patch of grass where he'd dropped it, nor near where Wormmon had
fallen. It wasn't *anywhere* in the clearing. Slowly, Ken raised the purple D-3
and set it--the screen indicated that there were no other Digidestined in the
area. No other Digivices.
Ken didn't want to let himself beleive it. Could *this* be
his D-3? It held the image of his crest, after all, and had appeared before
him. "It's..."
"It shows you've turned into a goody-two-shoes,
Ken-chan." sneered a voice from behind him. "All pureness and light
and Kindness, ne?"
Ken whirled to face the intruder. "W-what?"
"That's right, little one." the voice purred, and
the owner stepped forward out of a shadowy portal. "You're not
dreaming--it seems your heart has turned pure in the time you've been away from
me. It is I who holds the Dark D-3 now."
Ken's mouth dropped open. "Kai-Kaizer?"
The other boy, clad in a purple and black bodysuit and an
insect wing-shaped cloak, sneered at Ken. "Brilliant dedection,
genius."
"That's not possible," Ken asserted, but his fists
still clenched tightly. "You're me. What I used to be. This must be some
kind of a test."
The Kaizer blinked, his dark glasses almost hiding the
movement altogether. "What makes you say that?"
Ken's grip tightened around the lavender-and-white D-3.
"Because I'm not like that. Not anymore. The powers of darkness can't
touch me now."
"Oh, really." The Kaizer strode forward, but Ken
stood his ground. He wasn't afraid of this...whatever-he-was. "Seems
you've gained some courage while you were gone, Ken-chan."
Ken refused to let the Kaizer see his anger.
"Perhaps."
The Kaizer closed the rest of the distance between them,
stopping when his face was mere inches from Ken's. Ken glared stonily; the Kaizer
merely stared at him with curiosity. The tinted glasses barely hid the dark
indigo eyes behind the glassesand Ken found himself staring into those eyes.
The Kaizer leaned a little closer. "What's wrong, Ken-chan? Paralyzed?
Fear?"
Ken couldn't explain it. There was something....something
about those *eyes*...he couldn't tear away his gaze. They were captivating.
Deep.
Dangerous...
Ken couldn't move. Couldn't think. Couldn't breathe. And
suddenly there was no gap between him and his dark-side counterpart anymore,
their lips met, and their was a salty taste in Ken's mouth, as though he had
bitten his lip and blood had been spilled. Hypnosis. He couldn't look away. The
Kaizer leaned into him, kissing him roughly and trailing sharp nails up and
down Ken's back. Time stood still.
The D-3 exploded in Ken's hand.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Ken gasped in shock as the cleansing pink light burst from
the device and threw both boys forcefully into the grass; Ken breathing hard
and clawing at his throat, the Kaizer looking more than slightly disappointed.
The pink glow faded as Ken picked himself up off the ground.
"So...you're better than I thought, Ken-chan. I thought
getting you would be simple for one such as me. I mean, you. I *am* you, you
know."
Ken took a deep breath and folded his arms across his chest.
"What do you want from me?"
"I want *you,* little one." The other boy took a
step foward, but Ken countered by taking a step back. "And you know you
want me too. My power. Your desire. Ken-chan...what's happened to you? You're
not the man you were before."
"No." Ken agreed.
"Fortunately," the Kaizer breathed, "that
makes me want you even more."
"You're sick." Ken argued. "Some stupid
figment of my imagination. You think I'm that dumb? I may not be a genius
anymore, but I know trouble when I see it." He turned his back defiantly
and walked away, intending to check on Wormmon.
"Ah, ah, ah..." The ice in the other's voice
stopped Ken in his tracks. "I'm easily sway, Ken-chan...what do you think
of that Motomiya boy? If you won't be my soul mate, maybe *he* will..."
"Leave Daisuke out of this," Ken growled, stooping
to pick up his Digimon. "You can't touch him here, you're not real, and
I'm not hanging around so you can convince me otherwise. Good-bye, Kaizer. Let
this be the last time we ever meet."
"Oh, Ken-chan..." the Kaizer replied in a
sing-song voice. "Forgetting something?"
Ken turned hesitantly to look at the cloaked figure. The
Kaizer was absently tossing the Dark D-3 into the air and catching it again.
"What's that?"
"Isn't this yours?" he questioned, holding the
Digivice out as an offering. Confused, Ken eyed the Dark D-3 and the amethyst-hued
one in his hand.
"I..." Ken bit his lip. The Kaizer had been lying
incessantly for ten minutes. Did that mean that the Digivice he held was a fake
too?
Cautiously the Kaizer began to approach him again, and Ken
knew there was only one way to find out. Closing his eyes in silent prayer he
opened the Gate and let himself be sucked in.
"Nice try, Ichijouji." When Ken looked up he was
back in his room, sprawled out on the floor. Daisuke stood over him and held
out a hand to assist him.
"What...just happened?" Ken blurted, looking
frantically around for Wormmon. The insect Digimon was curled up near his foor,
the purple D-3 lying nearby. "We made it."
"Not quite, Ken-chan." Daisuke took each of Ken's
hands in his and stared into his eyes. "Why did you run away?"
"What?" Ken asked in confusion. "Run away?
Dai, we left you a note..." Ken looked at the bunk where he'd left the
D-Terminal. The ball of blue that was Chibimon still clutched it tightly,
nestled against a large lump under the covers. There was someone still sleeping
in the bed, Ken realized. "We..." he trailed off, turning his
attention back to Daisuke. "Dai...did you just call me Ken-chan?"
On the bed, the third human occupant of the room turned over
and hid his head under the pillow. What was with all the yelling and flashing
lights? Didn't they know he was trying to sleep?
"So I did," Daisuke murmured, pulling Ken a little
closer. "Why?"
Ken's face hardened; there was something very wrong here. He
stepped forward a bit and caught Daisuke's gaze, staring into his friend's
eyes.
The indigo orbs shone brightly at Ken's unasked question.
Purple.
They were *purple.*
------------------------------
Ken: I...tai...
Kuri: Psycological warfare, it doesn't get any better than
this!
Jei & Zippo: KENKAIZER!?!? THAT IS JUST *WRONG!*