#mrs. Ichijouji

[digimoninteractions]

[beginningobserver]

“Does Ichijouji-kun know more about the digimon…?”

“Yeah, he was like, some nerd type” V-mon nodded sagely, “Didn’t we tell you he used to be a tyrant who thought the Digital World was a game and the digimon its NPCs? Much of that knowledge he got from… that.”

“Oh…”

“He might be free at this hour,” Daisuke looked at his own phone, “Ken usually passes by here…”

The restaurant’s door opened, and Rui turned his head to look at the person getting in and just standing next to them.

“Huh?”

“... riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight now,” and Daisuke looked at the tall man and the bug digimon on the man’s shoulder.

“Incredible…” Rui blinked, impressed.

“What are you talking about…?” Wormmon tilted his head.

“Good timing, mr. detective-in-training,” Daisuke clasps his hands together, “Always at the same hour on Tuesdays.”

“You pass by quite a lot here…” V-mon commented.

“...” Ken was still unfazed, “the office is nearby, besides if none of us keep a look on Daisuke every Tuesday he might feel lonely.”

“Hey hey, do ya think I’m like, five?!” Daisuke pouted.

Rui did not understand what was happening anymore.

“And Daisuke likes to hear constructive critique on his dishes,” Wormmon added.

“It looks more like you guys only come here to eat for free,” V-mon whispered to himself.

“You need my help, I presume” Ken said with a sassy tone, “What are you up to this time?”

“It’s not me, sorry to disappoint ya” Daisuke replied, then gestured to Rui, “Rui needs your digimon knowledge right now.”

“Oh…”

RE:CONNECT [Yes?] [No?]

※ Chapter 5 is out!! ※

[starspatter]

Tagged by @all-seeing-ifer, thank you~!

Rules - In a new post, show the last line you wrote (or drew) and tag as many people as there are words (or however many as you like.)

This is a super self-indulgent WIP, but been wanting to pay tribute to two of my childhood favs: Ken Ichijouji from Digimon and Silver from Pokémon. Revisiting/catching up on their stories and seeing the parallels between them reminds me I still love both these boys very much. <3

In terms of writing, over the past year been working on and off a fic for Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated focusing on Mayor Jones. Gonna put the bit where I last left off under a cut after the tags, since it sorta spoils a character appearance/interaction I kinda wanted to keep under wraps - but not the most major one at least. ^^; (If you know you know... ;()

Tagging @alphashley14, @astrologista, @cryptoriawebb,

@indygotcha, @ran-orimoto, @sillydeafwitch, @starboysbrainrot,

and whoever else wants to do this!

Jones kept quiet for a moment, opting not to inform the other that his daughter was likely more deeply entrenched in illicit underground affairs than even he was aware of, having surmised she was Velma’s “inside source” Fred had alluded to back when planning the heist to infiltrate Mr. E’s base – and shuddered to think what kind of punishment Pericles might inflict on her if she’d stuck her astute nose where it didn’t belong and meddled with his machinations once again. “…She’s a smart girl.  I’m sure she’s fine.”

[detectiveichijouji]

Intromission - The incident’s aftermath

[AO3 version]

But before we start, let’s go back to the day the Halloween Festival was decided by the Amanogawa High Student Council.

“BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!! I, Shinomiya Rina , member of the Student Council, suggest we hold a Halloween themed festival!”

This short green haired girl wearing a hoodie and slamming her hands on the table is Shinomiya Rina, a sophomore student from the other class next to Dai-Take-Hika’s classroom. She’s also a Chosen Child, but besides that they never had seen her Digimon partner before.

The other members of the Student Council were looking at her, including Lune and Takeru.

“Well, if no one is against the idea…” The president of the Student Council Sayo (a long lavender haired girl with a stoic personality) said, offering anyone a chance to express their opinions.

“Well, I think it’s a good idea,”  the other boy in the group shrugged.

“I have no objections either,” Lune said with a smile.

“Same here,” Takeru added, “We could use some classic decorations like--”

“LET’S A GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”

At the end of the gathering, Lune caught Takeru and smirked at him. He didn’t understand what that meant, so he just…

“Lune-san, do you want to talk about something to me… Could you be more direct?” He smiled, but it was exactly like that fake smile that would’ve made Daisuke super mad.

“Oh,” she turned back to him, “I’d like to say… Your future is doomed. ” and then, she left.

“Huh?” He was caught off guard now. What did she mean by that?

Days after the incident the 02 group witnessed in the Digital World… Takeru was troubled with those memories and things said by Lune herself. By using the fragment, he ended up sick and couldn’t go to school for a few more weeks.

“Yo,” he heard someone’s voice from the entrance of his room. It was Daisuke, “Mrs. Takaishi let me in before she went to work and…” he took a deep sigh, “I came to bring you my notes and the homework from yesterday.”

“Ah, sure…” He wasn’t in the real mood for talking about school right now.

“I’ll leave it on the desk,” and Daisuke walked in, put the notebooks on the desk. When he was about to leave, Takeru got up and held his arm lightly. Daisuke looked at him, “If you… If you’re still bugged about what you have done, don’t worry about it.”

“I… I’m sorry.”

“I said you don’t need to worry…” Daisuke gave him a warm smile, “We know you weren’t in the right place.”

Patamon walked there, still recovering from having his energy drained by the fragment. He climbed to the bed and sat.

“Takeru,” Patamon said, “I think you should tell him what happened.”

“Huh?” Daisuke frowned, “It’s okay if you don’t want to--”

“It’s fine,” Takeru interrupted him, “Just… I need you to tell them this for me.”

“Okay…?” Daisuke blinked, but deep down he was a little curious.

“When I found that hooded digimon before…”

“Huh, who are you?” Takeru blinked.

“Heheh…” the hooded digimon ( eyepatched Impmon ) chuckled, “I’m the answer to your despair, human. You want to catch the one causing you awful nightmares, right? Sooooo… What if we make a deal?”

“I don’t want to make a deal with a stranger digimon…”

“Why not? I have the power you want, I know you want to punish the one who caused that pain on you.”

“I’m sorry, but no. I have more important things to do.”

“Tsk, you’re missing a great opportunity to unleash your rage against that guy!” Then the hooded digimon showed Takeru a very peculiar shard .

“Y-you… Where did you…?!”

“Oho, did I catch your attention now??” the digimon grinned maliciously, “So, you use this thingy on your Patamon partner and BANG! You can get rid of your problems! So whaddya think?!”

“I won’t use that on Patamon, or use it! You’re the one delivering those to the others, like Rika-chan and Taichi-san!” he snapped.

“Oh I’m only helping them achieve their goals, pal. You know it’s the Digimon Kaiser’s fault, so you should get rid of him.”

“G-get rid of Ichijouji-kun?!” Takeru babbled, furiously, “He’s not the same as he was before! And he’s my friend!”

“You know if you’re not going to help me and my pals, then bye-bye!” and Impmon ran away.

“Takeru, we have to catch him!” Patamon stopped in midair next to Takeru.

“A-ah, right! That digimon is the one causing trouble around Tokyo!”

Takeru Amor-evolved Patamon into Pegasusmon and flew after that digimon. He thought That maybe he could put an end to this and get all the remaining 10 pieces, even before Arsenemon!!

But… Takeru and Pegasusmon were caught off-guard by a pair of eyeballs floating in the air. Then both heard…

“EYE OF NIGHTMARE!!”

“Wha-- ACK!!”“UGH!!”

Takeru and Pegasusmon’s eyes turned lifeless, as if they had lost their own minds. Pegasusmon landed on the ground and Impmon gave him the shard. Deep down, the boy and his digimon were fed with an awful strange voice telling them Ken was the culprit for everything:

“Chosen Child, you should destroy that one who once was the Digimon Kaiser. He’s the source of everything bad happening right now!!”

Then, the brainwashed Takeru used the fragment on Pegasusmon to evolve into Manticoremon , and he kept it in his pocket.

Daisuke didn’t need to tell the group because they were eavesdropping from the outside. They didn’t know if it was a good idea to get in. And Daisuke knew things would’ve been extremely awkward between Ken and Takeru right now…

“Well…” Daisuke sighed, “They really played a hella terrible trick on ya,” and then Takeru let go of his arm. Daisuke opened the door and then gestured to the group to walk in.

“!! Y-you guys were here…??” Takeru said awkwardly.

“Sorry, we… Got worried about your health” Ken was also feeling a little awkward.

“It’s… It’s okay, I’m…” then, Takeru bowed his head, “I’m sorry for what I had done.”

“No sweat, dude” Daisuke chuckled nervously, “We’re your friends, don’t forget that.”

“But… Why are they targeting Ichijouji-san?” Iori mused.

“Why would they not target him tho?” V-mon shrugged, “He was the Digital World’s number one human menace.”

“I don’t think it’s just me …” Ken replied, “It’s us. We’re well known through both worlds.”

“Yeah, even Noel heard about the Digimon Kaiser back in France,” Daisuke commented.

“... Noel knows too much about us then…” Tailmon said.

“Is that a bad thing?” V-mon asked, innocently. Just like Daisuke, he didn’t feel like Noel was a bad person.

“Ok, now that everyone is here we should discuss about him” Miyako suggested, “That if Takeru-kun is fine…”

“I’m ok, don’t worry. I… I would like to discuss about Lune-san too.”

They all sat in a circle, on the floor. Before sitting, Hikari closed the room’s door and joined the circle, sitting next to Miyako, who was next to Ken. The order went like Miyako → Ken → Daisuke → Iori → Takeru → Hikari → Miyako. Their digimon was next to their partners.

“What did she do now?” Hikari asked with a serious voice, and Daisuke and Takeru could feel it.

“... Are you aware she’s said to be psychic, like Hikari-chan?” Takeru began, “When we were deciding the details for the Halloween festival, she said something suspicious about our future being doomed.”

“That girl…!!” Hikari snapped, “She’s always messing things up! I think I saw her the day we were at the Kunizaki Toys too.”

“And then later…” Miyako took her phone, and searched something on the web, “... The owner of that small shop ended up closed by the police… They said Mr. Kunizaki confessed some fraud crimes or something…” she showed the headline on this phone to everyone.

“Then… Remember about that scammer from the Love Therapy case?” Daisuke spoke next, “Might not be related to Lune but I do remember Soleil was very satisfied with the big news of Eigen dude getting arrested even after we made him promise to not scam anyone else again.”

“Hmm…” Iori was thoughtful. Then, “Those three people are suspicious…”

“I don’t think Noel is suspicious though,” Daisuke frowned, “He’s a cool guy, quite shy and awkward, but is not some shady person.”

“Are you sure?” Hawkmon asked him.

“I do think Noel-kun isn’t a bad person” Takeru frowned, “But I understand why he would be a suspect…”

“We don’t know enough about him, dagya” Armadimon added, “So that’s why we should frame him as a suspect, right?”

“Exactly, besides…” Wormmon looked at Ken, “Ken-chan found out something strange.”

“What is it?” the others asked.

“It’s just a theory, but before I explain it I’ll need proof for my argument…” Ken said, then he looked at Takeru and Iori, “You might be able to figure this out.”

“But why not the rest of us?” Daisuke blinked.

“I’m not saying you can’t, I believe at least most of this group can spot the elephant in the room.”

“Dude… You’re saying I can’t?” Daisuke squinted his eyes.

“Ken-kun is blunt and honest… Maybe too much… 💧” Miyako sighed.

“W-whatever!” Daisuke pouted, “We have… 1,2,3,4… 5 fragments, and Arsenemon… Uhh 1,2,3,4,5... 6 I guess?” 

“That many?!” Patamon exclaimed, then he coughed.

“You two shouldn’t force yourselves too much!” V-mon babbled, concerned.

“S-sorry…” Takeru and Patamon chuckled nervously.

“We should focus on how we can catch that Impmon and the remaining pieces,” Hawkmon changed the subject.

“They will continue to use the fragments to lure more innocents into their plans…” Hikari said with a concerned look at Takeru and Patamon.

Daisuke looked at her, then to Takeru… “This is not the time to sit and cry.”

“I wonder what kind of digimon used a technique called ‘Eye of Nightmare’ to manipulate Takeru-san” Iori was still musing, “Ichijouji-san, Tailmon, have you heard of it before?”

“Hmm…” the two took a while to think.

“Might be a bad guy!” V-mon nodded sagely, “What good guy would have a technique called like that? They use it to manipulate others, so it’s a bad guy!”

“I guess this is why the victims accepted the shards,” Takeru was still bugged with what happened to him though, “They brainwash the victims and force them take that ‘opportunity’ to achieve goals...”

“Those guys…!!” Daisuke gritted his teeth and clenched his hands, “I will catch them!”

“Calm down,” Miyako called Daisuke out, “Or else you will act recklessly like Takeru-kun did.”

“I… I know that! I’m saying that… I… No, WE will catch them.”

“I wonder how many of them are…” Wormmon commented, “Takeru-san’s report mentioned that Impmon said ‘me and my pals’... So, it might be more than two enemies.”

“Hmm…” they all started to think.

Suddenly, a Calling Card magically appeared in the middle of their circle. Ken took it and read it:

Bonjour mes amis. I’d like to talk with you six: Have you noticed a peculiar pattern in those last cases, from Bakumon to ton ami Takeru? I have something important to tell vous tous.

“... Huh…?” V-mon, Armadimon and Patamon exclaimed “A peculiar pattern…?”

“Give me a second” Ken made a request to them, and started muttering something that sounded like gibberish to those not next to him “Most of those victims reported to have a fragment offered by a stranger wearing a hood, and we can suppose Shinjo Michi might have been offered the shard as some sort of gem…”

“... So all of those cases are related to deepest desires. But I guess Shinjo Michi was the actual target and not Bakumon, so this means they brainwashed her and the other victims without letting them notice it…”

“... And then This means they weren’t the same hooded digimon who targeted Takeru-kun recently. And since that Impmon said ‘pals’ instead of ‘pal’ this implies there’s at least two more digimon working with Impmon…”

“Ken, take it easy…” V-mon asked. Daisuke got up and went outside, to grab a glass of water.

“... So there’s at least three digimon in total who’s holding those pieces and using them against the other digimon and people. But most of those targets were close to a place either of us go on a daily basis, like school, or someone acquainted with one of us…”

Daisuke returned and waited next to Ken in silence.

“... Then, would it be the answer to the connection between those cases? Or would it be about…!!”

“That’s it!!” Ken shouted, and then he got up and gently took the glass from Daisuke’s hand ("Thank you"). He drank it in a shot, handed the glass back to Daisuke and continued, “The targets had different types of desires connected to a deadly sin.”

“What?!!” the rest exclaimed.

“Bakumon’s desire was to be cozy and play with Shinkai Sara some of their favorite games, which means Sloth. Koubara Takuya’s was to show how stronger and powerful he was, Pride. Sally le Fay’s desire was to become rich by turning the baby digimon into plushies, Greed. Rika-chan and Kuramon’s biggest desire was to gather all of the Kuramons in a hivemind, Gluttony.”

“So… what was Takeru-kun’s desire…?” Hikari was a little nervous.

“... Impmon said something about helping me to ‘unleash my rage’...” Takeru remembered.

“Yes,” Ken nodded and continued seriously,  “Takeru-kun’s desire was to make someone pay for triggering his traumatic experience with Devimon all again.”

“So in other words, Wrath” Iori concluded. Ken nodded sagely.

“Yeah, but… for what purpose do they want to trigger those emotions, officer Ichijouji?” Daisuke asked lightheartedly.

“That we have yet to discover…” Ken replied, deadpanned, “But I suppose the next victims will be related to Envy and Lust.”

“We have to stop them and not let them accomplish that,” Takeru glanced at the others.

“Well done, mes amis… ” Arsenemon muttered and nodded his head, with a smile on his face. He wasn’t inside the room, but more on the balcony, listening to their conversation, “But… What’s suspicious about monsieur Soleil and mademoiselle Lune…?” he stroked his chin.

“My, my…” Arsenemon shrugged, “I have to return and catch those pretentious hooded digimon and finish my treasure hunting…” Then, he looked through the window, at the group of teenagers just playing games now, “Be strong, Digisauveurs. ”

He jumped out of the balcony and magically teleported to the ground. He met someone… right there.

“Oh are you done eavesdropping them?” she asked with a smirk, “Did you discover something from the brilliant and handsome detective Ichijouji Ken?”

“ Oui, they seemed to notice the same thing as me, or even more…” he answered calmly, “Now we will have to wait for mademoiselle Espimon to track down that Impmon… And whoever else is involved.”

“Also Soleil is really going to be mad at you” Lunamon scoffed, “He hates to be on stand-by.”

“Well, it’s his problem then” Lune rolled her eyes, “He needs to control his bad temper. Besides, we’re vigilantes, not heroes.”

“Right…~” Lunamon smiled.

Arsenemon then left, he couldn’t walk in public like that -- It would put everyone in danger. So he switched forms after he jumped to the trees nearby, and landed back on the ground.

This form…

[sloanerisette]

To Make It Through Your Worst Days - Camp Digimonth 2023

Here’s my first thing I’m working on for Camp Digimonth! It’s a Yolei-focused oneshot/character study I started last month but ran into some roadblocks with. I wanted to really look into the anxiety that I see her having (given episodes like Run Yolei Run in 02), and see how that affects her so many years later once she’s started to settle down.

I hope you all enjoy this! This is also up on AO3 here

---

Her mom had said that the second pregnancy would be easier than the first. Five months in and Yolei could confirm that was a complete fucking lie. Morning sickness was much worse this time around, but worse than that was the way her brain buzzed at times. For some reason, her anxiety had started to take more of a toll on her than usual.

For just over two months now she had been on a big job, having taken to doing freelance audio production in order to help while Ken was between cases. The clients had been rather demanding, but she liked to believe she had really nailed it. It was a track for an indie film that had been filming in parts of Odaiba, and included both the music that would play during the climax as well as some work on the film’s audio itself to help enhance it so it would really pop. This would be her first time doing something that hadn’t been for a small time musician or some sort of local business’s ad on the radio, and as she was helping her daughter get ready for school that morning, the confidence she had started to wane and fade into anxiousness.

It was eating at her deep in her gut, and once Ken and Haruka left, panic had started to overtake her. In just two hours she would have that meeting, which meant she had two hours in which her brain could convince her of any and everything. It didn’t help that she insisted Hawkmon go off with Ken and Wormmon that day, either.

“Go, go! I’ll be fine, honest!” she had insisted amidst all of her partner’s concerns.

She would be fine physically, sure, since the long bouts of morning sickness had passed a while ago, but that didn’t stop her brain from ringing like mad between her ears.

“It’s just going to be a quick, easy meeting. You’re going to send them the tracks, they’re going to love it, and you’re going to tell everyone the good news at dinner,” she mumbled to herself as she had taken to compulsively cleaning the living room a second time. Sweat matted her bangs to her forehead, and it was only then that she realized she needed to slow down just a little bit.

The lavender-haired woman looked down at her phone on the arm of the couch and took in a quiet breath. Everyone was working right now. There was no one to talk to for a brief moment to try and calm herself down.

Yolei had opted to finish her cleaning by giving the kitchen counter a once over before getting ready, doing her best to shut out the intrusive shower thoughts. Today hadn’t been so bad, as she had been able to push through most of those quiet moments with a lightly citrus scented shampoo that Kari had gotten her a few weeks ago alongside some music playing on her phone. Ken had been incredibly insistent on her taking self-care a little more seriously than usual during her pregnancy to try and make things easier on herself.

Usually she was happy to indulge in some self-care, whether it was delicious food or a little bit of retail therapy (which, granted, had been much less since they started their family), but the little things like this had truly been a boon in helping her out.

Afterwards, she put on her nicest dress and got ready for the video call, relieved she wouldn’t have to make a trek out to the office for it.

With one last brush of her hair, she opened the video call program and turned on her webcam mere moments before a call came through. Once she accepted, there were two men sitting on a couch, each in a business casual combination of blazers, t-shirts, and jeans.

“Mr. Okamoto! Mr. Hanamura! Great to talk to you again!”

“It’s great to talk to you, too, Mrs. Ichijouji. We’re really excited to hear what you have for us,” Okamoto started off with an easy smile as he leaned back.

“Sure thing! Give me just one minute to upload these and…” she started, fingers deftly tapping away at her keyboard, “There!”

“Thanks, we appreciate you being willing to work under that time crunch. Post production is nearly done, so your tracks and a few others are all we’re waiting for,” Hanamura said.

Yolei sucked in a deep breath and put on a wide, confident smile that she certainly hadn’t been feeling at the moment.

“Well I’m really happy with what I came up with, so I think you will be, too,” she told them, all while she kept up her smile.

She had lost plenty of sleep over this project recently. This project was one she had done a lot of work on when she couldn’t get to sleep at night, or during those rare times in the middle of the day that she had an hour or two to sit down and chip away at it. She’d been working on it for nearly half of her pregnancy so far, and it wasn’t easy, especially not with everything else she did to keep the home organized.

It was a big job, and while it wouldn’t necessarily make or break their finances, it would certainly do a lot to help if it all went well, and it would be a great piece to add to her resume for any other gig work she would want to take in the future.

A lump was stuck in her throat, and she kept a hopeful smile plastered on her face as they hit play and the music track came on. It was bombastic, with heavy-hitting bass and powerful synth that she thought would be killer for the movie they were making. Aside from the music echoing from the video call, everything else was achingly, painfully quiet, and the knot in her stomach got tighter and tighter.

She couldn’t take it anymore, she needed a response now.

That hopeful smile went away as she saw their faces go sour, the distaste clear in their expressions, and her heart sank. All of this work, all of the feedback she had gotten from Ken suddenly felt meaningless, and she could feel beads of sweat begin to gather at the crown of her head.

“You know, Mrs. Ichijouji, I don’t… I just don’t think this is very good,” Okamoto said bluntly, and it felt like a knife to the stomach. It hit so quickly and was so severe that she felt dizzy.

“This really isn’t what I envisioned for the scene, in all honesty. I’m not sure I want to listen to the other audio,” Hanamura sighed and shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

“R-Really…?” she asked slowly, “I mean, you mentioned you wanted something big and bombastic, right? I was reading what you sent over and when comparing it to the audio track I just thought—”

“Well, yes, we wanted big and bombastic, but this feels too… too techno. Too dubstep,” Okamoto cut in as he held up a hand to stop her, “It feels too basic and juvenile for what we’re going for.”

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. Her head was swimming in a choppy ocean of self-deprecating thoughts, and it was taking all of her energy to focus.

“In all honesty, while I appreciate your thoughts for what you felt could fit, as the directors of this film, I think we have a better idea of what we know would work,” Hanamura said firmly. She felt sick. Not to mention stupid and… childish. Did they really need to talk down to her like this!?

“I-I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean to insist that I knew better or anything, I just thought it might be good,” she choked, swallowing hard after ad she tried to push down the bile she could feel starting to rise.

“We need you to redo this,” Okamoto said sharply, “We really can��t afford to miss our deadlines and we’re already cutting this close as it is.”

“I can redo this, yeah. I-It’s no problem,” she said, nodding rapidly.

“Good. We can only give you a month, though,” Hanamura said, before he checked his phone, “26 days, actually,” he added with a sigh.

What took her nearly two full months now had to be done in less than one!? This was ridiculous.

She wanted to insist how ridiculous it was— how she needed more time— but she couldn’t afford to. How would she be able to look at Ken and Haruka, Hawkmon and Wormmon, if she had to tell them that she lost this job completely because she argued with her clients? The job that she had been so sure of?

“Yeah, that’s… that’s fine.”

As they relayed new directions painfully slowly and in the most basic and simple of detail— as if she couldn’t understand it otherwise— she nodded numbly, the words going in one ear or another while she typed, relieved that they’d also be sending the updated guidelines and requests via email.

“Please get the new track to us ASAP,” Hanamura said, and Okamoto nodded silently.

“Of course. I’ll… I’ll be on it ASAP,” she said, letting out a huge sigh of relief as soon as she hung up the call. She slumped against the couch, unable to help the tears that started to pour no matter how much she wiped her face with her arm.

“Shit. Shit shit shit,” she cursed under her breath, relieved their daughter wasn’t there to see her mother look so pathetic.

Yolei knew she had to get started, but even just thinking about it felt so overwhelming. Her anxiety was starting to run rampant, and it didn’t help either. It was another reminder of how she messed up something so basic, so simple. Something that should’ve been a gimme.

Worse than that, she felt so stupid for crying like this. She felt so stupid and frustrated that she allowed herself to be talked down to like that when she never put up with it before.

“You shouldn’t have gotten your hopes up, Yolei. This is what happens when you get too confident,” she mumbled to herself, unable to help but cringe as a brief moment of clarity shone through about how this was just a symptom of her anxiety at work. It was something she tried to work on, and when Ken or one of the others had been around, they usually were able to help talk some sense into her.

It was a time like this she really wished she could call up Cody so he could help set her straight. He wouldn’t accept her wallowing like this, but considering everyone else had their jobs and priorities, all she could do was wallow. She looked down at her stomach and gently poked it.

“Your mommy’s a mess,” she laughed weakly, tears continuing to spill down her face.

God, what a mess she was. How did Ken put up with her when she got like this? Would Haruka end up like this one day? Would their next kid be doomed?

She was spiraling again, but this time she couldn’t recognize it and she certainly couldn’t stop herself.

Now Yolei ran through the whole gamut in her head: wondering how Hawkmon could handle her when she was like this, how her friends were willing to deal with her (if they really were able to), and how she was able to even land an opportunity like this in the first place. At this rate, she’d fail at this and wouldn’t be able to get another shot.

Those thoughts had filled her head so fully, and she suddenly felt nausea overtake her. The stress that was racing through her mind left her sick to her stomach, and she rushed to the bathroom as quickly as she could, barely able to make it in time.

Her mouth and throat burned once she was done, and the only things she could do was muster up taking one long swig from her water bottle. Her body was tired and her mind even more so, and as much as it pained her, what with knowing how much she had to do not just with this gig, but also around the house, she needed to slow down and gather herself.

But she’d have to pick up her daughter from her mother-in-law’s place later and with how red and puffy her eyes were from the fact that she was still crying, going there would be an absolute mess.

She shuffled to her and Ken’s room, feeling guilty for the fact that she was going to lie down in bed when everyone else was being responsible adults.

“I really hate you sometimes,” she spoke softly to the mirror, speaking just as much to herself as she was her brain.

She buried herself under the covers, not satisfied until she was completely engulfed. Yolei clenched her eyes shut, unable to stop the torrent of intrusive thoughts from pushing into her head again until it ultimately became so overwhelming that she passed out from exhaustion.

Two hours later she woke up, shooting a hand from under the comforter to grab her phone on the nightstand. Yolei paled as she saw the time and choked out a weak sob.

“You can’t just waste time like this,” she muttered, shaking her head as she pushed her face into the pillow before she let out a weak wail. With a deep breath, she opened one eye to look at her phone, throat tight as she saw a text message from Ken preemptively congratulating her on a job well done.

Yeah, a job well done laying in bed after getting scolded by her not-even-bosses.

But she knew she needed to call him, as much as she hated the idea of pulling him from his work, if only because she knew she wouldn’t be able to get to the subway in this state, let alone go pick up her daughter. She didn’t feel right asking for help, but she had to. With a lot of hesitance, she called him and put it on speaker, already burying her face in her pillow once again as the phone rang.

***

“Dang, Hawkmon, you’re on the case today, too?” Davis Motomiya asked as the group of Ken, Wormmon, and Hawkmon approached his food cart.

“Yolei insisted I go along to assist Ken and Wormmon, though I have a feeling she just wanted some time for herself before her big meeting today,” Hawkmon explained.

“She did seem more anxious than usual,” Wormmon added as he remained perched on Ken’s shoulder.

“Oh yeah, that movie gig, right?” Davis asked.

“Yeah,” Ken nodded, “She was working on it like crazy and it sounds really good.”

“She’s been fretting more than usual about it,” Hawkmon added.

“More than usual?” came the voice of Veemon as he popped up from behind the cart, wiping sweat from his forehead, “I didn’t think that was possible.”

An ugly snort escaped Davis, which caused him to turn bright red as his gaze moved to Ken, who arched an eyebrow at him curiously.

“Sorry, man, Veemon’s timing was just really good,” Davis said sheepishly as he jabbed his thumb in the direction of his partner. Hawkmon folded his arms and let out a huff.

“…We were wondering if we could get lunch?” Ken cut in before looking down, offering Hawkmon a sympathetic smile.

“Oh, Ken, can I get some extra mushrooms today?” Wormmon asked.

“Of course. So, we’ll have—”

Ken was interrupted by his cell phone ringing. He looked over his shoulder to see a small line forming behind him. “Sorry, I’ll be right back,” he apologized with a nod, before stepping out of line. Hawkmon quickly followed suit, standing off to the side of the cart.

Ken took a few steps and pulled his phone from his pocket to see Yolei calling, and he couldn’t help the small smile on his face as he picked up.

“Yolei? How’d the meeting go?”

But instead of any excited rambling, he was immediately hit with the sounds of sobbing and muffled words slurring together. Ken’s chest felt tight, and he instantly went into fight or flight mode.

“Yolei? Yolei, is everything ok? What happened?”

From over at the cart Davis was looking Ken’s way with concern as he was getting an order ready. As soon as the words left his mouth, Hawkmon all but flew to his side, worriedly looking up at him.

“I fucked up Ken I fucking fucked up and this whole job is a mess and and and I can’t believe I did this I’m so sorry.”

Ken’s frown grew deeper.

“Yolei, can you try taking a deep breath?”

“Ken, is everything alright with Yolei?”

On the other end Ken could hear Yolei attempt a deep breath, only for it to turn into another wracked sob.

“Yolei, try to take another deep breath. It’s ok, I’m here.”

It took a few minutes before her intense crying started to settle down.

“Ken? Ken, I'm so sorry.”

“You have no reason to be sorry, Yolei. What’s wrong?”

“The meeting went horribly. I messed everything up and I only barely managed to get a chance to redo it and oh my god I’m so sorry I’m so so sorry Ken.”

Ken wasn’t happy knowing his wife was alone and in so much pain, but at least it wasn’t some sort of immediate health emergency. He just needed to get home as quickly as possible.

“You don’t need to be sorry, I promise,” he assured her.

“I feel so bad I know you’re so busy and this case is important but can you pick Haruka up? I just… I can’t and I’m so—”

“I promise, you don’t need to be sorry. I’ll head over and get her then come right back home for the day.”

“Thank you,” she said weakly, sniffling in between her words, “I don’t deserve you guys.”

“Don’t say that, you do. And we’re lucky to have you in our lives,” he said. He wasn’t sure if she would believe him, but he knew that reminding her would help break through the wall of self-loathing that always rose when this happened.

“O-Ok. Thank you.”

“I love you. We’ll be back soon. Just try and get some rest if you can.”

“Lo-Love you, too…”

With that he hung up and let out a sigh.

“What’s going on, Ken? What’s wrong with Yolei?” Hawkmon asked impatiently.

“Yolei’s having a really bad anxiety attack. Apparently the meeting didn’t go well…” he said.

“I knew I shouldn’t have left,” Hawkmon huffed, “She kept insisting but I knew it wasn’t a good idea…”

“I don’t think she would’ve let you stay, Hawkmon,” Wormmon said.

Ken nodded, “He’s right. You can’t beat yourself up. Yolei is just very…”

“Stubborn?” Hawkmon asked. Ken chuckled gently.

“I was going to say headstrong. But yes,” he said, “We just need to go pick up Haruka and then go home.”

Ken looked back over to Davis’s ramen cart, seeing that the lunch rush had been served during the course of the phone call. He gestured for Hawkmon to follow along before making his way back to his best friend.

“Everything ok, dude? You were on the phone for a while,” Davis said.

“Things… didn’t go well with Yolei’s meeting today. We’re going to pick up Haruka and then head home,” Ken told him.

Veemon frowned, “Oh… I’m sorry, guys.”

“It’s ok, Veemon,” Ken said. Hawkmon nodded.

“Yes. We know you wouldn’t say anything if you knew this was happening already,” the feathered Digimon added.

“Hey, you guys still want lunch? Yolei has never turned down my ramen before, and you could take some to my favorite niece, too,” Davis suggested with a wide smile.

“That’s a great idea, actually. It’ll be a pretty big order, though, you think you’re up for the task?” Ken asked with a slight smirk. Veemon puffed out his chest in response.

“Up to the task? Are you kidding? Do you know who we are!?” Veemon asked.

Davis was equally fired up in an instant, “Yeah! Man, Ken, I thought you believed in us!”

Ken couldn’t help but laugh, glad to see that such a little, teasing comment had gotten his best friend and his partner so amped up.

“Veemon, get your bandana, we’re whipping up the best damn batch of ramen the Ichijouji’s have ever tasted!”

“On it!”

Ken couldn’t stop his leg from bouncing as he sat on a bench a few yards from Davis, listening to him sing while he worked.

“Are you ok, Ken?” Wormmon asked as he hopped down onto the bench, looking up at him.

Ken sighed, “Not particularly, Wormmon,” he told his partner with a weak smile, patting him on the head.

“It isn’t particularly fun knowing Yolei is suffering while we’ve been working, is it?” Hawkmon mused.

Ken’s gaze was fixed to the ground as he wrung his hands together, staying silent. Hawkmon cleared his throat after a moment.

“I still remember the first time I really became privy to this,” the Digimon sighed, “It might be one of the most nerve-wracking experiences I’ve ever had with her.”

Ken remained silent, still, but glanced over to his wife’s partner. Wormmon focused on Hawkmon intently.

“It started a few nights before we…” Hawkmon paused for a beat, which caused Ken to quirk an eyebrow curiously, “…Before we went to locate the Digimon Emperor’s base.”

Ken swallowed hard, and Wormmon couldn’t help but scuttle over to gently pat him on the leg.

“She could barely sleep, and once we were in the Digital World she was forging ahead of everyone to try and find the base so we could put a stop to it once and for all. She was climbing control spires and putting herself in danger constantly because she felt she wasn’t capable or strong enough. She was overly proactive and nearly got hurt because of it. And when I got hurt protecting her, she was inconsolable.”

He knew that his friends went through a lot trying to stop him back then, but he never knew this had happened to Yolei and Hawkmon…

“Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not aiming to make you feel guilty, I was just thinking about how long I’ve known her to be like this. She pushes herself so much that she runs herself ragged. But she also doesn’t want anyone to worry— or for anyone to think she’s incapable. The fact that she told you feels like a big step forward.”

Ken sighed, “It does, but it just means she was probably holding all of this stress back the entire time she’s been working on this. It’s not good for her.”

Ken massaged his temple and clenched his eyes shut.

“Maybe it might be a good idea if Hawkmon and I stay home tomorrow?” Wormmon suggested. Ken opened his eyes slowly and looked at his partner, offering a weary smile.

“That might be a good idea, yeah. We’ll think about it more tonight and see how she’s doing in the morning.”

“Orrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrder up!”

Wormmon let out a yelp of surprise as Davis walked over with a plastic bag in each hand.

“And there’s the food for my favorite family,” he grinned.

“Thank you so much, Davis, I really appreciate it,” Ken said.

“C’mon, Ken, I’d do anything for you, you know that!” he told his DNA Digivolution partner as he handed off the bags, “I packed in another serving so Yolei has two bowls of ramen to chow down on. You know, cause she’s eating for two now,” Davis said, folding his arms, a very satisfied grin on his face.

“And there’s extra mushrooms for me…?” Wormmon asked as he looked up at Davis.

“Of course!” Veemon said as he jumped over from behind the cart, “And extra noodles for you, Hawkmon!”

“Thank you,” Hawkmon said with a bow of his head.

“Thanks again, guys,” Ken added.

“Seriously, no problem, dude. I hope Yolei feels better. And tell Haruka Uncle Davis says hi!”

“Will do. We’ll see you later.”

“Like tomorrow for more ramen?” Veemon asked as Ken started to turn on his heel. Ken couldn’t help but laugh.

“We’ll probably be back tomorrow, yeah.”

***

Ken had held onto the bags the whole way to his parents’ apartment, relieved that it was such a quick trip from where Davis had set up shop for the day.

“Ah, Hawkmon, do you mind?” Ken asked sheepishly as they approached the door.

“Not at all,” Hawkmon said simply, walking over to knock on the door.

He could hear the sounds of his daughter scrambling around, her laughter making it through the door, and it brought a small level of comfort to him. When the door opened, the expression on his mother’s face turned to surprise immediately.

“Ken!”

“Hi, mom.”

She blinked a few times, “What’re you doing here?” she asked. After a moment, she smiled, “Oh, sorry, I was just expecting Yolei. How’re you? Is work going ok today?”

Ken nodded, “It is, yeah. We just stopped by to—”

“Mommy!”

Ken stiffened a bit as he saw his small, four year old daughter run next to his mother, holding a Pururumon in her arms. She adjusted her glasses, the large, circle lenses making her eyes look so big and full of wonder— and they reminded him of his wife in an instant.

“Daddy? Where’s mommy?”

Ken felt himself heat up a bit, and he scratched his cheek as he thought of just what to say.

“She’s at home. She… wasn’t feeling that good, so she asked me to come pick you up,” he told her, offering her a small smile. Haruka frowned.

“Is she ok?” she asked immediately. Ken’s mother’s brow creased with worry.

“Is Yolei doing alright?”

Ken nodded slowly, “Yeah, the pregnancy has just been really rough on her this morning.”

Haruka’s frown deepened, “Are you sure mommy is ok, daddy?”

“She’s just feeling a little under the weather, but she’s fine, sweetheart, don’t worry.”

Thankfully that seemed to assuage her fears rather quickly, and her face lit up again.

“And we brought lunch for you, too,” Wormmon told her, which caused her to jump in place from excitement.

“Yay! Yay!” she cheered happily, stopping only to hug her grandmother’s leg, “Bye grandma!”

“I’ll see you soon, dear,” Ken’s mother said as she knelt down to give her granddaughter a hug, then looked up at Ken, “Let me know if you need anything. I should still have some home remedies from when I was pregnant with you.”

Ken smiled weakly, “I will, thanks mom. Are you ready to go, Haruka?”

“Mhm!” Haruka nodded, before waving goodbye to her grandmother.

As the small group started to head back home, Ken couldn’t help but glance down at his daughter every so often. She reminded him so much of her mother— Haruka was practically the spitting image of Yolei in every way— and that just left him feeling more anxious about her still being by herself. Haruka held her Pururumon close to her, the tiny, pudgy bird cooing and squawking happily.

Nearly a perfect little copy, right down to having the same Digimon partner, and those facts always left Yolei preening with pride over their daughter— even more than she usually did.

“Is everything ok, daddy?” Haruka asked sweetly, head craned up to look at her father. Ken bit the inside of his cheek at her words.

She was just as intuitive and quick-witted as her mother, too. Maybe being reminded of that could help her out a bit…

“Everything’s fine,” he smiled, “I don’t usually get to pick you up, so I’m happy to see you,” he told her, which was the truth.

Thankfully, his answer was enough to cause her face to light up with a smile, which soothed some of the ache in Ken’s chest.

“I’m happy to see you too, daddy! I wish mommy could’ve been here, too,” she pouted, “I knew another baby was a bad idea… it's making mommy not feel well…”

Ken let out a weak chuckle, “Don’t say that, sweetheart. I’m sure as soon as your little brother or sister is here you’ll be happy to have them around,” he told her. Haruka pouted harder— if that was even possible.

“Maybe… but I already have Pururumon!” she said, nuzzling the little baby bird blob.

“Well, I can’t wait for the new baby,” Wormmon piped up, and Hawkmon nodded in agreement.

***

Ever since her call with Ken, Yolei had kept his pillow over her face to cry into— at least once the hyperventilating and intense sobs had stopped. Even still, all she could think about was how she had absolutely fucked up.

Her mind was still swirling with those thoughts of how she had ruined everything, how everyone would be mad at her, and how she had ruined their chances at making sure they could be more financially stable with another kid on the way.

She didn’t hear the door open, but she did hear the commotion of everyone coming in, and at that point she couldn’t help but pull the pillow even closer to her face— if that were somehow possible— as she started to cry again.

“Haruka, my dear, let’s get you ready to eat,” Hawkmon said, his voice muffled by the pillow over Yolei’s ears.

“Can I say hi to mommy before I eat?”

“She might be sleeping. I’ll go check on her first, and after you eat you can see her if she’s up. How’s that sound?” Ken told their daughter, and Yolei could feel a deep pit in her gut start to form.

“Ok. C’mon Hawkmon, c’mon Wormmon! Let’s eat!”

“Please, don’t run so fast! My legs can’t keep up!” Wormmon cried out, barely able to be heard by Yolei, while Haruka’s giggles started to break through the down and dreary atmosphere that lingered like a dark cloud above Yolei.

As the sounds of Ken’s footsteps grew closer and closer, Yolei held the pillow tighter and tighter, not even wanting to be perceived by her husband.

“He deserves better. He deserves someone who can actually do a fucking job right. Someone who doesn’t end up like this…”

Wormmon and Hawkmon, too… Hawkmon, especially. If it weren’t for the fact that Hawkmon and her were destined to be partners for life, he could probably go off to find someone better to be with…

“Yolei?”

Ken’s voice was soft and gentle, almost as if she could break if he spoke too loud. So caring and kind… Her heart clenched and she couldn’t help the wracked sob that tore from her.

She could feel the edge of the bed sink with his weight as he sat down. Was he looking down at her with pity? How many times had he looked at her with pity or shame before? Surely dozens, right?

A shiver, followed by a brief warmth, ran through her body as he gently set a hand on her knee.

“Can I take the pillow off?” he asked her, and she gave an exaggerated shake of her head, the pillow still just about glued to her face, “You can breathe alright, right?” he added, to which she followed up with a nod.

“I know… I know what happened has been weighing on you a lot today, and I know it’s not as easy as me just saying it’s ok to chase it all away… but I promise you, you didn’t mess up anything because of how those guys reacted to your work,” he told her.

She let out a weak sound that caused Ken to grimace. He knew it would take more than just this to help her feel better, but he wasn’t going to give up. He began to gently rub her knee.

“You know, you worked really hard with all of this, and you should be proud of that. I am,” he told her. His gentle touch helped in soothing her, causing her arms to relax a bit. No longer did she have that tight grip on the pillow, but even still, she couldn’t help but continue to cry into it.

Why? Why was he being so nice?

“B-b-but I… you had to stop working… and… and…” she blubbered, letting out another weak, strained cry. Her voice was scratchy from crying so hard over the course of the day.

“It’s ok.”

He couldn’t say those two words enough, wanting to reassure her— now and always— that no matter what, things would be alright. To try and steady her and keep her in a good place as best he could.

“But the money… and… and Haruka… and—”

Ken bit his lip gently, his brow creased with concern.

“I know things are tighter with money than when we first got married, but it’ll be fine. We have savings. And if worst comes to worst, we have friends who can help us out,” he told her.

“That’s just putting more stress on everyone, and then everyone will be mad at us. And it’ll be all my fault.”

The sheer insistence and need to do everything, how much her mind raced, how much she had to prove to be useful to others, to show that she could handle everything thrown her way.

It was easier to see all these little things now that Hawkmon had mentioned it. He knew when she got anxious before, when things really affected her, but now they seemed to be clearer than ever. This had weighed down on her so heavily throughout the day and had left her stressed to no end, and Ken internally cursed the fact that he hadn’t insisted someone stay there with her to try and help ground her before her meeting.

The man swallowed hard and ran a hand through his hair as he looked at his wife.

“Is it ok if I take the pillow now?” he asked slowly. Yolei remained quiet, but then slowly nodded.

“If you’re ok seeing your wife look so pathetic,” she droned quietly. Ken slowly leaned over and pulled the pillow from her, setting it down next to her. Her nose was red from running so much, and her eyes were red, puffy, and tear-stained. She squinted up at him, adjusting her vision to focus without her glasses.

“I wouldn’t say pathetic. I’d say beautiful. In a lot of pain, but beautiful as always,” he told her. Yolei’s brows knitted together as she sniffled.

“I’m not,” she said simply, unable to help but let out another weak sob, her chest heaving as she did so. More tears began to spill from the corners of her eyes.

“You are,” he said, knowing he had to orient the conversation in a different direction, “Do you want to talk more about how you’re feeling?”

She let out a long, low sigh. It was clear from the look on her face that the answer was “no”, but she was silent, and her lip wobbled for a moment before she whispered, “Yes.”

“I’m such a mess,” she huffed out, “I can’t even do a fucking contracting job right.”

Ken couldn’t help but wince at her curse, silently thankful that Hawkmon and Wormmon were able to keep Haruka preoccupied.

“What happened at the meeting?” he asked finally.

“I sent them the song and they hated it. They trashed it immediately and then they kept telling me I didn’t know what I was doing,” she paused, and then sighed, “They’re right.”

“That’s not…” Ken started, but Yolei continued.

“I was working on this for months and I just completely messed it all up. If I can’t even do one project for some stupid indie film, then how am I going to be expected to do actual big work again one day?”

All he wanted to do was argue, but for now, he stayed quiet. Maybe he just needed to let her… speak her mind. Let it all out and get it all off her chest, and then he could try and shoot down each of her arguments against her.

“And what if they hate this next attempt and don’t want to pay me? Then we’re so screwed and I’m never gonna get work again and we’ll be even more screwed. All because of me.”

She trailed off, before letting out a sad laugh, “You, Hawkmon, Wormmon, you guys would all be way better off without me.”

Ken felt his chest clench, “Yolei—”

“And what about Haruka? One day she’ll probably have a massive anxiety attack and it’ll all be my fault. It-it gets inherited, Ken. She’s going to inherit it and it’s going to be my fault.”

“Then we’ll help her get through it. She would never fault you for something neither of you can control.”

Yolei’s gaze fell down, “She’d be right to, probably. So would this one.”

The air was pushed from Ken’s lungs, and as soon as he recovered from the way her words left him reeling, he was quick to speak.

“Neither of our children would ever hold this against you. You have to believe that,” he said, before offering her a small smile, “Do you think Haruka could ever be mad at you? You remember how happy she was when we found out her partner was Pururumon, right?”

A weak, mirthless chuckle bubbled from Yolei, “It was like Christmas for her.”

“Exactly,” Ken smiled, “And… if Haruka ends up having anxiety, then she has you to help her with that.”

“Maybe she would, but-but still�� you, and Hawkmon, and—”

“We wouldn’t be better without you,” Ken said immediately, “I said earlier that we’re lucky to have you, and I mean that. You’ve done a lot to help Wormmon and I, you know that.”

“And Hawkmon… Hawkmon is your partner, Yolei. He could never hate you.”

“But…” she argued weakly.

“Yolei,” Ken started as he took one of her hands in both of his, “All of this is a lot, but… it’s a part of you.”

He cringed at how poorly that came out.

“Sorry, I just mean that… yes, your anxiety has been a lot on you, but for better or worse… it’s just a part of who you are.”

“For worse,” Yolei cut in with a huff.

Ken went quiet again, chewing on the inside of his cheek as he tried to think of something to say that could help. Every direction he went, she cut off his attempts to try and assuage her anxieties. It had clearly been a tough day, and she was still reeling from all of this, even now.

Maybe for now…

“Do you want dinner? We picked up ramen,” he offered. A hint of brightness shone through in Yolei’s eyes at his words.

“Y-Yeah?” she choked out hopefully. Ken nodded.

“Davis even packed a second portion for you, because you’re eating for two, as he said.” Another weak cry left Yolei’s lips, though this time he could tell from the look on her face that she seemed happy.

Something bright to help start to break through all the gray that had fallen over her.

“I guess even he can be smart sometimes,” she said, her words light, teasing, and lacking any of the bite they held back when they were bickering preteens who were almost always at each other’s throats.

“I’ll go get our food ready,” he said, starting to stand up, though she grabbed onto his sleeve.

“Um,” she started abruptly, quiet as she started to think of how to verbalize what she wanted to say, “Can we… eat in here tonight? I’m just not ready to see them yet.”

“Of course. I’ll be right back,” he said, her grip loosening so the soft cotton fell through her fingers.

“Ok…”

A part of her was scared to have him leave. What if after today, even a brief trip to the kitchen proved too much?

No, no no no, she heard him: they were lucky to have her, Haruka loved her, and Hawkmon was her partner for life. He meant that, right?

He was back not even five minutes later, and she let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding as she saw his silhouette in the frame of the door.

“You’re back,” she said quietly.

“What was that?” he asked. Yolei sucked in another breath and cleared her throat.

“I-I’m so hungry,” she stuttered out, “It’s just set in that I didn’t even eat lunch.”

“Well, it’s a good thing we had Davis’s foresight to help out,” Ken joked lightly, and Yolei responded with a playful eye roll.

“Yeah… I guess I’ll text him a thanks tonight,” she said as she started to push herself up. Once she was leaning back against the headboard, Ken handed her the first bowl of ramen. She opened the lid, cracked apart a pair of chopsticks, and began to dig in. Ken sat at the edge of the bed again, following suit as he plucked out a piece of pork and started to eat.

He’d have to text Davis thanks, too.

The two ate in silence, with Yolei ravenously eating and Ken taking his time, just happy to see his wife doing better. Thankfully their Digimon partners had been doing a good job in keeping Haruka preoccupied, asking all about her day with her grandmother.

Partway through her second bowl, Yolei loudly slurped some of the broth before she looked over at Ken, who was still picking at the last few mushrooms and bean sprouts in his mostly empty bowl.

“…I’m sorry,” she sighed.

Ken looked at her and blinked, chopsticks in his mouth as he had just taken another bite of food.

“What for?” he asked after he swallowed.

“For… being so much trouble earlier. And arguing with you now,” she told him, and a gentle frown settled on his face.

“You don’t need to apologize, Yolei. We’re partners, and you would do the same for me.”

Yolei nodded slowly as a few tears began to stain her cheeks again.

“I know, an-and like I said, I’m sorry for arguing with you. I’ve been so stressed out and everything just piled up and I felt so…” she trailed off, then sighed, “…Useless. Like I’m just a burden.”

Yolei’s shoulders slumped and she looked down at the bowl in her lap blankly, eyes focused on the little bit of broth left.

“I know this has been tough on you. But you’re not a burden. I’m always here to remind you that,” he said, leaning forward to wipe the wet from her cheek.

Yolei sniffled, tears welling up in her eyes again as she shivered from his touch.

“I-I just have to ask… you’ll never get sick of me, right?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper. Ken froze for a split second, but then immediately shook his head.

“No. I promise, I never could,” he assured her, his voice just as low and his words meant only for her. Yolei swallowed hard, but relief flowed through her whole body.

“A-And you’re happy with where we are?”

Ken nodded.

“And Haruka is happy? Sh-she loves us? She loves—”

“She does. You should have seen how much she missed you when I went to pick her up,” he said, and Yolei smiled.

“We can go out there if you’re up for it? I’m sure they’d all be happy to tell you,” he added.

“Can I finish my ramen first?” she asked timidly, “It’s just… really good… and I’m so hungry…”

Ken laughed, “Of course.”

It didn’t take too long for Yolei to finish eating, after which she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Ken offered her his hand to help her up, and they took a slow walk out to the small living room of their apartment.

Coloring books and toys were scattered around the coffee table and the rug, and Haruka was busy coloring in a drawing of Wormmon and Hawkmon while Hawkmon watched. Wormmon was carrying Pururumon on his head, who happily babbled as they did laps around the dining room table. As soon as Ken and Yolei came into view, Haruka’s head shot up and she beamed instantly.

“Mommy!” she shouted, dropping her crayon as she ran over to give Yolei a hug. Yolei wrapped her arms around her daughter and closed her eyes, reminding herself about what Ken said.

“How was your day?” she asked. She could feel the worried look that Hawkmon was giving her, and when she peeked one eye open she saw that she was right on the money.

“It was good! Pururumon and I had lots of fun at grandma’s! And look! I drew this picture of Hawkmon and Wormmon!” Haruka said, breaking from her mom’s hug to run and grab the picture, holding it up to her.

“I think she caught my good side really well,” Wormmon said as he turned to look at Yolei and Ken.

“It looks great, sweetie,” Yolei told her with a big smile, “She did, Wormmon,” she added. Wormmon brought two of his claws up to his face as he blushed gently.

“My dear, are you feeling better now?” Hawkmon asked. Yolei grimaced for a moment as she thought about it. Did she feel better? …Not entirely. But she was getting there. Slowly.

“…Mostly, yeah. I think I’ll just need to sleep this off,” she told him.

“Did the picture help?” Haruka asked hopefully.

“It did, yeah.”

Haruka cheered and started jumping in place happily.

“Mommy’s just going to sit down real quick…”

It took a bit to make her way over to the couch, the exhaustion from all that crying and sobbing having drained most of her energy, even after two full bowls of ramen, and the pregnancy definitely wasn’t making it easier. She wasn’t quite at the point of waddling yet, but she’d be getting there soon enough. She sat down next to Hawkmon, who looked over at her, concern still clear on his face.

“You’re sure you’re doing alright? Ken had mentioned what happened earlier and…” Hawkmon trailed off, not wanting to elaborate too much with the little one around.

“I’m doing a lot better than earlier, I promise, just…” she paused, afraid of asking, but she still had to know, “You’re… happy as my partner, right?”

Hawkmon’s eyes went wide, then he gently patted her arm, “There is no one else who I would’ve rather had pulled out the Digi-Egg of Love all those years ago.”

Yolei blinked away the tears that were threatening to spill again, and she leaned over to hug him.

“Thank you,” she whispered, and Hawkmon returned the hug.

“We have been through a lot and we will go through plenty more, I’m sure. If you ever need me to assure you that I am happy to be your partner, do not hesitate to ask.”

She opened up to Ken today, and had opened up to Hawkmon again… It wasn’t easy, but if she could keep going, keep doing this when things got tough and she felt like she was barely treading water, maybe it would help her see the good things more easily.

Even right now, she was still treading water, but seeing how happy her daughter was to see her, the unrelenting kindness her husband offer, and the meaningful words her partner offered her…

They really were just as lucky to have her as she was to have them.

Haruka clambered over to the couch and pulled herself up to sit next to her mother. She looked up at her and began to kick her legs, “Mommy, can we watch something before bedtime?”

“Haruka, I’m not so sure—” Ken started, taking a step forward. Yolei raised her hand and shook her head.

“Just for a little bit. But then you have to go to bed, ok?”

Haruka pouted and nodded, “Ok…” she said, before she leaned into her mother happily. Ken smiled gently and walked over to Wormmon to pick him and Pururumon up, and then moved to the couch, letting Haruka grab her Digimon before he sat on his daughter’s other side.

Just relaxing on the couch with her family, she could already feel herself getting a bit tired, but that wasn’t going to stop her from enjoying this little bit of family time. She yawned and grabbed the remote, then handed it to Haruka after, who quickly flipped through the channels before settling on a rerun of a magical girl anime she was a fan of.

“Ooh, this one’s really good!” she squeaked happily before gently petting Pururumon.

She could still feel that buzzing in her head, the voice in the back of her mind trying to scare her, but Yolei looked at her family and their Digimon partners, and let out a gentle sigh.

She had a good life with a good family, and she was going to do her best to keep reminding herself of that now and each day when things got rough. Maybe it wouldn’t always work that well, but she just had to believe in that.

As hard as it was, she just had to try and believe that she was capable of all the work her brain told her she wasn’t of earlier, and that she had the lifelong love of a family she thought she didn’t deserve. Because right now, as she looked at her daughter giggling, at her attentive partner, and at her happy husband, for the first time today she was slowly starting to feel at peace.

[variouscolors-old]

.:Iori’s memories

Iori knew so little about his own father for a short time that those memories probably were forgotten by the years since he passed away by protecting an important politician figure. Iori saw his dad as a hero, and believed in a strict set of rules – good and evil, right and wrong. His vision was quite black and white when it came to people and the world. He followed rules, but once he met Miyako and the others… He started breaking some of them – at least he had his own morality, if something is not going to hurt anyone… He won’t mind bending the norms at his and his friends’ favor.

But… It was when Ichijouji Ken, a peculiar specimen, joined Iori’s life that he started to have his shortsighted vision challenged. Ichijouji was a bad guy, but now he’s a good guy? And at this same moment in his life, Takeru was also messing with his views of life – Takeru’s a good guy, but he has sort of a bad vibe? None of them, Ken and Takeru, are totally bad or good, and this is when Iori learned the existence of the morally gray camp. Not to mention when he met his father’s best friend, Oikawa Yukio, who was also against him and his views – Does this mean Mr. Hida was a bad person? No. It didn’t. Iori learned a lot through that one whole year, and changed.

Enough to suggest they break into Menoa Bellucci’s office that day, of course.

[bokura-no-digital-world]

Ken Week 2023 - Day 4: Childhood

Days: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Title: The Red Sweaters Characters: Ken Ichijouji and Hikari Yagami Pairing: Ken/Hikari Summary: Ken and Hikari tell each other childhood stories.

Cross-posted on AO3 and FFN

Ken was sitting in the living room going through some boxes with things he bought from his parents’ house and came across an old photo album. “What is it?” Hikari asked when she walked in and sat down next to him. “It’s a photo album I found with pictures of me as a child.” “Really? Can I see them?” “Sure.” He went back to the first page and started going through the pictures again. “Is this you?” “Let me see.” Ken looked at the picture she was pointing. “Yes, that’s me.” “You were a pretty baby.” “Are you saying I’m not anymore?” “You’re saying it, not me.” She smiled, still looking at it. “How old were you here?” “I’m not sure… maybe eight months.” “Has your mother ever told you stories about you as a baby?” “As a matter of fact, she has.” “Tell me one.” “Okay, as long as you tell me one about yours later.” “It’s a deal.” “So what moment do you want to know about me?” “About the day you were born!” Hikari pressed her hands together excitedly. “Has she told you about it?” “Yeah, I think so. But it was a long time ago, I’m not sure I remember it. But I’ll try.” “I’m so excited!”

It was a very hot summer day. The Ichijoujis had taken their son, Osamu, to eat some ice-cream in an ice-cream parlor near their house. Mrs. Ichijouji was eight months pregnant, almost nine, and it was just a matter of time until she got into labor. She was really hoping they had a daughter again, but she was also very happy with another boy. They were relaxing and enjoying their desserts until Mrs. Ichijouji winced in pain. “Honey, what happened?” “I think I’m having contractions.” “You think?!” Mr. Ichijouji dropped his ice-cream while he was rushing to help his wife. “How far are they?” “I don’t know, I’ll let you know when I have the second one. Maybe it’s just a false alarm, you know? My water hasn’t broken yet.” “Still, isn’t it better to take you to the hospital? Just to be sure.” “It’s not really necessary, everything’s fine.” She looked at him and saw his concerned look. “I can feel the baby, but it’s too important for you, we can do it.” “It’s too important for me.” “Then we can do it.” “Thank you.” He helped her stand up and then grabbed Osamu’s hand. “Let’s go, son.” “But you weren’t born then, were you?” “As far as I know, no. I took a few more days for that.” “Tell me about it.” “Well, my mom had to stay a day or two in the hospital because her blood pressure was high. They had discharged her in the morning and she had to come back in the afternoon because her water had broken. And then…”

The baby almost couldn’t wait until Mrs. Ichijouji was taken to the OB section and into a room. As soon as she was placed in the bed, the baby started crowning. Five minutes later, she was already holding him in her arms. “Isn’t he cute?” “He is, and he has blue hair like Osamu.” “It’s true.” Mr. Ichijouji turned to their oldest son and picked him up. “Osamu, meet your younger brother.” “Ken.” “What?” Mrs. Ichijouji asked, puzzled. “Are you choosing his name?” “I think so. Is that what you want, son?” “Ken.” “I guess it is.” She looked back to the little baby again. “Hello Ken. Welcome to our family.” “I like this name, to be honest.” “I like it too. It suits him.” “So your brother named you? That’s so sweet.” “Yeah.” Ken kept looking down at the photo album. “I miss him.” “I know.” Hikari rubbed his back gently. “I can’t imagine how that must feel like.” “The first months were very difficult, but the truth is… it never gets any easier.” “The ones we love never leave us completely.” She said softly. “I’m sure you still cherish the moments you spent with him and that he’s taking care of you from heaven.” “I hope so.” “You know, Taichi choose my name as well.” “Really?” She nodded. “He said my presence lighted up the whole room, so he thought Hikari would be a perfect choice.” “I completely agree with him.” “Of course you would.” She couldn’t help but smile. “So do you have any other childhood moments you’d like to share? If you’re comfortable with it.” “I am.” He nodded and then went through a few more pages. “This is my first bruise.” “Bruise?” She asked surprised. “That thing is huge! It’s so scary! How did it happen?”

It was Christmas day. The streets of Tamachi were fully white due to the snow that fell during the night. The temperatures were cold, but that didn’t seem to bother four-year old Ken that day. He had woken up early, desperate to find out what he had gotten from Santa. “Mommy! Daddy!” He ran into their room and tried to wake them up. “Wake up, it’s Christmas day! We need to open our presents.”

“You woke up your parents because of your presents?” “I was four years old, just so you know.” His tone was light and jokingly. “That’s fair. Go on.” “So they said…”

“Ken, we went to sleep late last night. Can’t you wait a little more for that?” “No, mommy.” He pulled her blanket away and grabbed her hand. “Santa won’t wait much, he was other houses to go to.” “I’m afraid he’s already gone, darling.” “Oh no… so we won’t get any presents this year?” Ken ran to the living room to check. A wide smile appeared on his face when he found quite a few gifts next to or under the tree. He ran to it and knelt down. “Santa left presents for us! I knew he thought we were good children this year! Hey, Osamu, come open your present.” “Taichi was always this excited for Christmas. He’d ask for a soccer ball every year, even though he already had a couple of them.” “Did he get them?” “Sometimes, yes. It was a good thing he had other choices of presents in his list, so our parents could buy something else.” “I feel relieved for them.” “Me too.” She laughed. “And then what happened?”

“Ken, what are you doing?” Osamu walked in, looking very sleepy and rubbing his eyes. “You’re gonna wake the whole neighborhood up if you keep being this loud.” “Come open your presents, Osamu.” “He’s just excited about it.” Mrs. Ichijouji said as she passed by him and went to join her youngest son by the tree. “Look, mommy!” Ken said excitedly as he finished unwrapping his gift and showed her what he had gotten proudly. “Santa got my letter and sent me the soccer game I asked.” “That’s great, sweetheart.” She gave him a warm smile. “But there’s more.” “What?” His face beamed with happiness. “How do you know?” “Santa told me.” “He told you?” The boy was surprised. “That’s so cool! When did you meet him?” “He made me promise to keep it a secret, so I can’t say.” “Ah.” He was disappointed. “I wanted to see him.” “I’m sorry, Ken. He was in a hurry and had to go to other houses. But he asked me to tell you he were a very nice kid this year and…” She tapped a large present next to her. “Also to give you this.” “Wow!” His eyes went wide and his mouth fell open. “Are you serious?” “Absolutely. It’s yours.” “How could Santa fit this in his bag?” “He uses a powder that shrinks them, so they could fit. And when he arrives at a house, he uses another one to make them go back to their normal size.” “That’s so cool!” “Mom, you shouldn’t fool him. Why don’t you just tell him the truth?” “The truth?” “Don’t listen to him, he’s only joking.” Mrs. Ichijouhi said. “Come on, open it.” The boy opened his second gift with quite some enthusiasm and very fast. He came across a white bike. “Mom, it’s a bike! Just like the one I asked Santa.” “Well, he got your letter after all.” “Can I ride it?” “Not today, son. It’s too cold. I’m afraid you’re gonna have to wait until the weather gets better.” “Ah, okay.” He seemed a little disappointed, but it only lasted a few seconds. “Mom, can I write a letter to Santa to thank him for my gifts?” “Of course, sweetie. He’d be happy to receive it.”

“And that’s it.” “That’s a sweet story, Ken.” Hikari said with a smile when he finished it. “I have no doubt you were a good child. A great one, actually.” “Thanks, Hikari. You I have no doubt you were a great child too. I’ve heard some stories about you.” “Really? What did Taichi tell you?” “He didn’t tell me anything.” “He didn’t?” She looked at him surprised. “If it wasn’t him, then it was my… oh, I get it now. No one told you anything. It was a set-up to see if I shared some stories with you.” “What?” He pretended he didn’t know what it was about, but couldn’t hide his laughter. “Don’t play this on me. You know it’s exactly this.” “Okay, fine.” He admitted. “So…?” “So what?” “Do you want to share any stories of your childhood with me?” “As a matter of fact, I do.” She stood up and put two locks of her hair behind her ears. “I’ll be right back.”

Hikari returned about two or three minutes later with a photo album and sat back down where she was previously. She opened it and pointed to a picture where her face was painted in blue. “What happened here?” “It’s one of the many Taichi’s Christmas pranks.” “What?” “You heard that right. Every Christmas he’d pull a trick on me. Most of the times were harmless ones, but sometimes they were… well, this.” “I’m sorry about this.” “It’s okay. It’s funny now that we think about it.” “That’s good. So since you’re comfortable with it now, I’d like to know what happened.” “Of course. Taichi spent the whole Christmas’ week telling me Santa was only giving gifts to people who had their faces painted blue. Otherwise they’d be considered bad children. Needless to say I was beyond scared of that.” “I don’t blame you. That wasn’t a very nice thing to do.” “It really wasn’t.” “And then what happened?” “My mother freaked out when she saw me and lectured him before grounding him. Luckily, the ink came out very easily, for her happiness. And then Taichi never did anything like that again.” “I’m happy for you.” Ken smiled at her. “Thank you.” She returned the smile and then bent over to grab a wrapped box Ken hadn’t noticed she brought with the photo album, handing it to him. “What is it?” “It’s something I bought for you.” Hikari said simply. “This I know. But why? I mean, it’s not my birthday yet and Christmas is a few days away.” “I don’t need a reason to get you a present, do I?” “That’s a very good point. But I didn’t buy you anything.” “Don’t worry about it.” She assured him. “Right now I just want you to open this one.” “Alright.” He said a little suspicious, but quickly changed the focus to the package in his hands. He placed it in front of him and started tearing the paper up. He came across a wooden box and raised his eyebrows. “Come on.” The woman encouraged him to keep going when he hesitated for a moment. “For some reason, I can’t seem to be. It’s like I’m paralyzed or something. I’m feeling nervous and don’t know why.” “It’s just a gift, honey.” “I know, I know.” He took a deep breath and pushed himself to open the box; his heart pounding so hard on his chest he was sure she could hear it clearly. “A sweater?” “It’s not any sweater. Go on, pull it out and unfold it.” Ken felt like his heart would come out his chest when he held the clothing in front of himself. He could barely believe what his eyes were seeing. “Daddy?” He glanced at her and was surprised to find her walking back into the living room. “When did you leave?” “Were you so shocked by the sweater that didn’t pay attention to your surroundings?” Hikari joked lightly and sat down by his side. “I wasn’t expecting this at all.” “I know. I have one too.” “Really?” He looked at her again and saw she was wearing another red sweater, but with the word ‘mommy’. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice it when you walked in.” “Yeah, I’m surprised you missed it. You’re so attentive to these small details.” “What does it mean though?” He asked while he put his on. “Are you pregnant or something?” “No.” She shook her head. “At least I don’t think so. It may sounds mean now, but I was thinking of playing a trick for Taichi.” “Let me see if I get this straight. You want to get him into believing we’re gonna be parents to get back at the prank he did to you?” “I knew you were so smart! No wonder why you’re a detective.” She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “You’re right, it sounds mean.” “Maybe I should just let it go.” “I say we should do it.” “What?” She blinked with surprise. “It’s become personal now.” He winked and smiled at her. “I like that.” A smile appeared on her face too. “By the way, where did you get these sweaters?” “I ordered them from Sora. She thought it was a cute idea.” “Did you tell her your plan?” “No, I said we were giving them as a gift.” “What if we actually follow through with it?” “You mean having a child? This sudden?” “You don’t want it?” “I do, but can we talk it through first?” “Of course.” He reached for her hand and squeezed it lightly.

[glassesandpassion]

It was way too early when Miyako woke up. The alarm rang with an annoying pop song she used to like a few months ago, but now loathed with her whole existence. It was time for classes.

…Screw classes, it was Valentine’s Day. She loved Barcelona, but not to the point she’d prefer to be stuck there in a stuffy class trying to figure out something in a language she wasn’t quite proficient at, then to go after Ken to have a cute Valentine’s Date.

Hopefully, he wasn’t stuck in a stuffy class himself.

- Well, here goes nothing. - she aimed her phone digivice at her laptop screen - DIGITAL GATE, OPEN!!

The next step was easy - she’d just needed to find the exit to the Ichijouji household. If Ken wasn’t there, she could just have a nice and pleasant luncheon with Mrs. and Mr. Ichijouji and good ol’ Wormmon.

Ken please be there Ken please be there Ken please be there - she chanted as she entered his room.

@glassesandpassion The blue haired male had found himself sitting in his living room, not expecting any company, despite the day being Valentine's Day. However, he did have a bit of a willing nature. "I wish Miyako would show up. Today is Valentine's Day. Oh, well. She's in Barcelona, and I'm here in Tokyo. I wonder if she'll use a Digital Gate to make it here in time." With that, he took a seat and looked out at the skyline of Tokyo, sipping his tea.

[gulava]

What you did is something unforgiveable. What’s done cannot be undone. You can’t erase the past. Everything is apart of you: the good and the bad. That’s right. I have to live accepting everything in me.

Digimon Adventure 02 | Episode 23: When the Digivice is Seeped in Darkness

[keiachi-chan]

Okay but imagine little Ken being a dumbass toddler until he got smacked with the dark spore thing

Just

Sam: mom there's something under my bed

Kura:(what a friend named their mom) huh- *looks under the bed*

Ken: *laying there* >:>

Kura: why

Ken: I must protect him from the bed monsters

Sam: he won't go away-

[pollyannawog]

he’s baby

[digimoninteractions]

[beginningobserver]

[RE:CONNECT - blog v.] Link 5- Who's that pink digimon?

[AO3 version]

Rui and Ayame kept on a bare minimum contact via email. As much as she and Hiroomi wanted to meet Rui again, they agreed with Daisuke about not forcing Rui to do it against his own will. They wanted Rui to feel comfortable with that idea, since he was still gathering courage to talk with them in person. He knew they all are old and possibly do not look like the people in that old photo.

First, he learned Hiroomi went on a drastic aesthetic change -- the boy dyed part of his hair blonde and has an earring now. And Second, Ayame is still wearing twin pigtails, but… lower this time. And it seems her hair is not-too-short-but-not-too-long as well.

But what made Rui surprised was seeing a pink rabbit-like digimon in one of Ayame’s photos.

“Daisuke-kun…”

So, his usual decision was to resort to Daisuke’s digi-expertise.

“Do you know what type of digimon this is?”

And he showed the photo of Ayame and the digimon together, from the saved pictures in his phone’s gallery.

“Hmmm…” Daisuke scratched his head, “Ya know, I look like I’d be a digi-expert but I’m not good at identifying digimon… Maybe if we ask Koushiro-san or Ken…”

“Does Ichijouji-kun know more about the digimon…?”

“Yeah, he was like, some nerd type” V-mon nodded sagely, “Didn’t we tell you he used to be a tyrant who thought the Digital World was a game and the digimon its NPCs? Much of that knowledge he got from… that.”

“Oh…”

“He might be free at this hour,” Daisuke looked at his own phone, “Ken usually passes by here…”

The restaurant’s door opened, and Rui turned his head to look at the person getting in and just standing next to them.

“Huh?”

“... riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight now,” and Daisuke looked at the tall man and the bug digimon on the man’s shoulder.

“Incredible…” Rui blinked, impressed.

“What are you talking about…?” Wormmon tilted his head.

“Good timing, mr. detective-in-training,” Daisuke clasps his hands together, “Always at the same hour on Tuesdays.”

“You pass by quite a lot here…” V-mon commented.

“...” Ken was still unfazed, “the office is nearby, besides if none of us keep a look on Daisuke every Tuesday he might feel lonely.”

“Hey hey, do ya think I’m like, five?!” Daisuke pouted.

Rui did not understand what was happening anymore.

“And Daisuke likes to hear constructive critique on his dishes,” Wormmon added.

“It looks more like you guys only come here to eat for free,” V-mon whispered to himself.

“You need my help, I presume” Ken said with a sassy tone, “What are you up to this time?”

“It’s not me, sorry to disappoint ya” Daisuke replied, then gestured to Rui, “Rui needs your digimon knowledge right now.”

“Oh…”

“Is that okay to ask about this, though?” Rui frowned, “I--”

“He needs to know about a digimon in one of his childhood friend’s photos” V-mon said bluntly, making Rui’s heart skip a beat.

“I see…” Ken nodded, then looked at Rui, “Can I see it, please?”

“Y-yeah,” and he showed the photo on his phone to Ken, “It’s this pink digimon here, if that’s a digimon though… It could be a plush doll too, I think…”

“It’s definitely not a plush” Ken answered calmly, “The Chosen Children Network shares information not only about wild digimon on the loose, but also about their own partners in case they need help.”

“Oh… So you guys…”

“We had seen that digimon before, right Ken-chan?” Wormmon commented, “Two years ago, when the Eosmon incident happened.”

“Eosmon incident…” Rui repeated those words vaguely, “Two years ago…”

“Yeah, a digimon was stealin’ Chosen Children’s consciousnesses” Daisuke recapped, “Once everything was solved by Taichi-san and the others, I asked if everyone else was fine via the Network.”

“A digimon…” Rui kept vaguing some words without realizing, “stealing consciousnesses of those people…”

“Have you checked the responses to your post?” Ken asked Daisuke now.

“Uhh… I did but there were like 20,240,229 replies to that thread!”

“That’s impossible because--”

“I don’t remember the exact number, dude! And I couldn’t sit and read them all!!”

“... A digimon was the cause of the mass comatose incidents throughout the world two years ago?”

Daisuke and Ken's argument was interrupted by Rui’s question. They glanced at the boy again, but how would they explain about that? Sure, Rui had been possibly living under denial that the digimon were spreading and possibly had became some sort of ‘digimon hater’ for a while, but would he have a good reaction if they tell him a former Chosen Child named Menoa Bellucci had modified her digimon’s partner data and turned it into Eosmon?

They reached the conclusion they couldn’t give those details yet .

“Yeah, but we solved that and everyone is fine now” both boys and their digimon said quickly, to not let him feel that was also his fault.

“Anyway,” Ken cleared his throat, “I did skimmed into that thread once, there were around 19,900 replies ignoring the same messages send by the same user in response to the others in the comments, and some of them had a photo of them and their digimon in order to make sure everything went well for them.”

“And…?” V-mon said, watching Ken just scrolling thru his own phone now, while he was talking:

“And if you mark to filter the results by the ones sent a picture in the replies, we get a better view of the results so you have to search for the girl in the picture, and then we will find her post sent two weeks after the Eosmon incident--”

“... Her name is Nakajima Ayame,” Rui said, deadpanned.

“Oh that’s right!” Daisuke snapped his fingers, and then took his phone, and did his own research on that post, “Ah I found her! She has a Cutemon partner!”

“-- Eh?” Ken blinked, totally beaten by Daisuke and Rui just finding the answer before him.

“Cutemon is a digimon with healing powers!” V-mon replied with a grin, “Didn’t she ask you if you needed help?”

“Yeah, she--”

“If you could do that then why did you ask for Ken-chan’s help?!” Wormmon hissed, calling their attention.

“Oh… True,” V-mon blinked, “But Ken was… Taking too long to--”

“But he was TRYING!!”

“Sorry sorry” Daisuke chuckled nervously, “But we don’t know anything other than the digimon’s name and that it can heal others.”

“Y-your knowledge is still needed, Ichijouji-kun!” Rui babbled quickly.

“...........................” Ken’s silence was terrifying.

Rui whispered to Daisuke and V-mon, “I think we made him angry--”

“Sigh,” Ken sighed, “I had nothing to do at the office at the moment,” and shrugged, “Cutemon’s ears are not exactly bunny ears but sensory organs which can sense the approach of someone like a digimon or human immediately.”

“So like, ears?” V-mon blinked.

“Those are not exactly like ears though…” Daisuke replied.

“Also Cutemon is a fairy type digimon,” Ken continued, “and a Vaccine type too.”

“Fairy type? Vaccine type?” Rui felt like Ken was speaking another language, “So it’s not a rabbit…?”

“Definitely not,” Ken shook his head, then he put his phone in the pocket again.

“Oh… Interesting…”

“But why do you want to know that?” Wormmon asked, curious.

“... Nakajima-san is… one of my childhood friends.”

“What?!” Ken and Wormmon exclaimed.

“It’s a long story” Daisuke tried to explain, “Seems like Rui’s old friends are trying to contact him since the Eggcounter we all had with Ukkomon.”

“Did you just--”

 “If I were still the same person I was before solving my issue with Ukkomon… I’d have been concerned about her getting hurt…” Rui commented with a sigh, then looked at V-mon and to Wormmon, “But you guys proved me that… They would be okay if something bad happened before.”

“Hmm… Cutemon is not a brawler type,” Ken mused, “It’s a healer, so most of its abilities are only for healing rather than for fighting tough digimon.”

“Still… If she gets hurt, her digimon can treat her wounds, right?”

“Yes, I guess” Daisuke frowned.

“But more importantly,” Ken looked at Rui again, “Why didn’t you ask Nakajima instead?”

“... I don’t want to bug her,” he said, and turned his sight away from Ken.

“Hmm…” the other three, but Daisuke felt a bit of concern right now.

Daisuke clasped his hands again, “Well, Rui is taking baby steps. He’s feeling awkward right now because… He thinks Ukkomon also did the thing with those two.”

“The thing ?” Ken and Wormmon raised an eyebrow and the other blinked (respectively)

“The mind-control technique he had,” Rui explained, “I don’t know if it was the tentacle-thing or…”

“Hmm…”

 “... Do you know anything about Ukkomon, Ichijouji-kun?” Rui asked after a brief awkward silence between him and the others.

"Not that I recall, sorry."

“...” Rui frowned. He had the feeling that he would just have to wait for Ukkomon to hatch in order to ask the right questions.

“Are you on a break from work?” Wormmon asked him, out of curiosity.

“I took a day off,” he explained, “I was… spacing out again so my cousin-- I mean, my boss thought I should just get time to…”

“... Get your mind in order, right?” Ken completed it, making Wormmon, Daisuke and V-mon look at him.

“Yeah, that.”

“Huh, whaddya mean--”

“I had to do that before,” Ken looked at Daisuke, “When we were ‘rebuilding’ the Digital World and Arukenimon appeared. I couldn’t join your group because I felt nervous and ashamed of my actions.”

“Oh, that tracks now!” V-mon nodded.

“What Rui is feeling here is something similar: He knows Ukkomon and he might have caused trouble to Nakajima and Koyama before, so he’s feeling nervous about messing things up again. And this is consuming his mind enough to send him there .”

“There?” Daisuke and V-mon asked in unison.

“The Dark Ocean, I say” Ken answered.

“I don’t feel like I’m getting… teleported to that place though…” Rui sighed, “Just that… I don’t want to make things worse for everyone again.”

“Everyone messes things up, Rui” Daisuke left the kitchen side and sat on the empty seat next to the boy, and put his hand on Rui’s shoulder, “Like, I’ve heard my ol’ man boss scold me for overcooking something, or breaking something. Or V-mon just breaking something.”

“H-hey!”

"Pretty sure Ken's boss called him out for screwing up, right?"

“Yeah, it happens.”

“...” Rui looked at Ken and then back to Daisuke, he smiled and nodded in agreement.

“But you shouldn’t do anything reckless, again” then Daisuke’s tone got serious and it really sounded like he was getting lectured by an adult (well… they all are adults there)

“Oh… You mean…” he gulped, “R-right… I’ll not be climbing towers anymore.”

“I didn’t mean that, but… Yeah, don’t put your life in danger like that too. Literally.”

“I feel like we had a talk like that before…” V-mon tilted his head.

“If we did, it means we’re just reminding Rui and making sure he got our support here!”

“...”

“And no, bud. You’re not givin’ us any trouble.”

“To be fair, all of this team is full of issues” Ken made a snarky remark, looking at Daisuke, “But that’s why we need each other.”

“Are you two flir--”

“NOPE!” Daisuke hissed, “Don't you dare say what Miyako said before! Besides, Ken and Miyako are an item!” he blushed, embarrassed. 

“I think you’re forgetting something,” Wormmon said with a monotone voice, quite upset with something, “Right, Ken-chan?”

“... Ah. Right… I have to go now.”

“But you barely eat--” V-mon said, but Ken and Wormmon (on Ken’s back) just left quickly like if he had left the stove on.

“What’s wrong with them?” Rui asked, confused.

“Who knows,” Daisuke shrugged, “Ken’s like that. Everybody thinks he's a smart, cool guy, but...he's a walking mess and dumbass.”

[earlgreymon]

happy father's day!

[detectiveichijouji]

Case 36 - The Boy Who Once Existed

[AO3 version]

Miyako-san has one of those fake wicked shards. This is no good.

Ken felt like the entire universe had been shattered into tiny pieces: One of his friends was attacked by an unknown digimon and now her life was at risk.

“What should we do?” Hikari asked, while everyone kept in silence.

“I will go,” Ken sighed, but Daisuke knew that targeting Miyako or all of the people was more effective than anyone else in that room.

“Ken, are you su--” Daisuke started, but the other left with Wormmon in a rush.

“Ichijouji-kun we shouldn’t--” Takeru also tried to call Ken, but no success.

“...” Hawkmon glanced at them, “Hikari-san, Tailmon… Please stay here and help me protect her,” he said with a serious tone, “If she turns into an unstable digimon, we will have to stop her from going amok.”

Hikari and Tailmon nodded. Daisuke looked at them, “So, we should go after Ken, right?”

“Are you going to be okay alone?” Takeru asked Hikari, frowning.

“Don’t worry,” Tailmon responded, “We’re the only ones who can protect and stop Miyako. You guys go after Ken and Wormmon, don’t let them do anything reckless.”

“Alright!” V-mon nodded, “You two do your best and don’t hesitate to contact us if you need help!”

The boys left the room, with Hikari and Tailmon checking on mrs. Yagami, to make sure she was fine or if she needed first aid.

“Ken-chan, are you sure we should go there all alone?!” Wormmon said, on Ken’s shoulder. The boy was running upstairs to reach the building’s rooftop. 

“I’m not sure, but I can’t do anything other than face that person right now. He hurt Miyako-san and I will, I will… --”

Suddenly, he was stopped by someone holding his arm. Ken and Wormmon looked back and saw Daisuke and the other two boys plus their digimon.

“Daisuke…?”

“I know you want to do somethin’ right now, but… You have to chill and think calmly. Miyako’s with Hikari-chan, and she will be fine.”

“I have to go, you stay here and--”

“Ichijouji-kun, this is stupid. You have to calm down” Takeru argued back, “This is what the imposter wants you to do.”

“I think we can set a trap for him,” Iori mused, “Ichijouji-san and Daisuke-san go meet him, while Takeru-san and I go from the other side and then ambush him with Dominimon.”

“Yeah! That’s a good idea--” V-mon commented, but!!

“What makes you think something like that would work?!” Ken snapped angrily, “This person… Has been playing with our lives and so many other ones with no mercy! We can’t think like they’re just like the original Digimon Kaiser was!!”

“Then, what’s your plan?” Daisuke stared at him, “Go there and then what? Kill him? Can you really kill a human being, Ken??”

“...”

I was lost. Miyako-san was hurt because of me. And now… I’m refusing the help from the same people who had come to save me from my own madness and loneliness in the past.

“We have time to waste,” Ken said, pouting, “He will attack again if we don’t hurry right now…”

“He can’t attack us if we’re together!” Patamon smiled, from the top of Takeru’s head, “So we will protect you!!”

They kept going upstairs. 

“Are you saying that we should still help them?” Lune was staring at Noel, indignantly. She couldn’t believe the other was telling her and Soleil that, “They snapped at us, and then said we couldn’t work together anymore, and now you’re suggesting to just… Keep helping them?!”

“...” Soleil was also not happy with that idea, but he kept quiet instead of facing the phantom thief.

“I know, they said that but… But you two… We are part of this too” Noel frowned, “Because there’s… Something that led me to you two. Something… That might be the link between us and Motomiya-san’s friends.”

“What?” Lunamon gasped, “Are we connected to them?! But how??”

“That sounds ridiculous--” Lune was ready to lose her good patience until…

“No, let him talk.”

Soleil interrupted her.

“... I’m sorry, but…” Noel sighed, “You two are involved in this because… Of Ichijouji-san’s original group.”

“Huh, ‘original’ group you mean?” Lune raised an eyebrow, “Isn't Motomiya-kun's group the only one that the prince detective was a part of?”

“Non, not in the current reality,” he answered.

“Current reality?” Sunmon asked, in Soleil’s arms. The baby Digimon was finally awake, but he was still recovering his strength.

“Oui. Another reality existed, one where the story went a little different from what was presented now. A story I remember because… I wasn’t affected by Quantumon’s powers.”

“So, you mean… Lune and I were part of Ichijouji’s group before… Or is it something else?”

“...”

As the group of boys and digimon was on the way, something passed quickly through them and hit Iori. The group looked back and then… Armadimon gasped.

“Iori!”

“Kh… I’m… I’m fine…”

“No you’re not,” Armadimon points at the shiny object that was attached to the boy’s hand.

“Another fake shard!?” Patamon, V-mon and Wormmon gasped.

“... I’ll be fine,” Iori sat on the floor, “Takeru-san can deal with me for now… Please keep going without us.”

“But--” V-mon frowned, and then Takeru glanced at Daisuke and him:

“We’re leaving Ichijouji-kun in your hands, Daisuke-kun.”

Daisuke nodded, though he didn’t notice Ken was completely enraged by another of his friends turning into victims of those awful faux shards. He turned back to the boys and said with a serious tone:

���Daisuke, let’s go. If anyone else gets hurt by this insect, I will not hesitate.”

“... Right.”

They left Takeru and Iori behind and ran to the next floor.

“Why don’t we Jogress evolve V-mon and Wormmon into Paildramon and fly straight to the rooftop?”

Daisuke asked, innocently.

“Why were you taking the stairs?”

And he kept asking. But Ken was still angry, desperate and seeking revenge.

“Hey, Ken…”

But Ichijouji Ken was consumed by anger that the next words coming from Daisuke’s mouth…

“If… If the fake Kaiser gets all of us… Will you… kill him?”

… completely caught him off guard.

?!?!??!

“I don’t want you to do something that might make you regret it for the rest of your life, so…”

Stop. Don’t say. It--

“Please, don’t kill him. None of us would want you to do that.”

“What the hell is wrong with you, Daisuke?!” Ken turned back and snapped. Daisuke was definitely frowning, “He got Miyako-san and now Iori-kun! And you want ME to not make that faker pay for it?! Don’t you care about them?! Don’t you feel angry about this?!”

“I do, man. Of course I want to make him pay for every single person and digimon they toyed with! But… I don’t want to be worse than him, or be lumped in with him.”

“...”

“Maybe… He’s been controlled by an evil digimon and might not even be able to stop himself. You used to be like this before, right?”

“...”

“You wouldn’t have tried to kill the others and me if you did know that the Digital World wasn’t a game. I know you’re a good person, you always were.”

“If he’s Ryo-san, you wouldn’t want to do that right?” Wormmon asked Ken, with a frown in his face, “Ryo-san was your only friend until you met Daisuke-san and the others.”

“You don’t need to worry about the others,” V-mon added, calmly “They can take care of themselves. We’re a team right?”

“Yeah!” / “Yes!” Daisuke and Wormmon replied with a nod and a smile.

“... Just evolve to XV-mon and cut it out about this talk of kindness,” Ken turned his face away from Daisuke and V-mon, blushing.

I couldn’t tell Daisuke that he was right. I was too infuriated to say it.Yes, I couldn’t kill a human being.

But I could make them pay for it. Make them beg for pardon, for messing with my friends and me. And for hurting everyone else.

I was blinded by my own anger.

The Faux Kaiser was indeed waiting for Ken at the rooftop from the building where the Yagami family lived. He was patiently waiting for his beloved (?) detective to arrive at the scene. But deep down he hated Ken. He loathed Ichijouji Ken. And he enjoyed every single moment of Ken's descent into despair.

A memory came into the boy’s mind.

“Hey, Ichijouji-kun… Do you think Akiyama-san is right to be fighting those digimon? They said this digimon menace we’re fighting right now to save this world… I  don’t think that digimon is evil.” The young Ken looked at the other boy, “Why do you say that? That digimon is making everyone suffer!! You can’t be serious!” “All the bad digimon we met… Weren’t totally bad, right? Like, the Gazimon who attacked you when you first met Wormmon and Akiyama-san… You said she apologized later. And Digitamamon, Vademon and so many other digimon we fought before… They apologized too. They were just misunderstood.” “But this one is different…!” Ken insisted, pouting, “Ryo-san and Babamon said they’re the source of all the bad things happening here! We have to fight with all of our strength!! We’re heroes!” “Ichijouji-kun… Would you kill someone without letting them have a chance to talk first?” “H-huh?!” Ken gasped, “I… I wouldn’t! But… Ryo-san wouldn’t lie to us. Neither Akari-san, she’s the oldest and was the one who Ryo-san, Osamu and I saw fighting a digimon before. The reason Ryo-san and I are here now… It’s because of her.” “I know that! But, Hino-san never killed a digimon before! She’s different from Akiyama-san! I think… I think Akiyama-san might do something stupid soon.” “W-what do you mean?!” Ken babbled, “You can’t be serious, can you? What kind of stupid thing Ryo-san is supposed to do? I think you need to relax and don’t worry about him. My late brother and I knew him very well, he won’t do anything bad.”  Ken smiled at the other boy, who said: “... You promise to talk with Akiyama-san for me? He’s kinda… intimidating when he’s fighting the digimon. I don’t want him to hurt anyone or get hurt…” “Oh course! You’re my best friend too… Right?”

…

That memory made him relieve a very painful feeling. The reason he was erased from that world’s reality…

He was betrayed by those people and critters.

“I won’t kill him,” Ken said to Daisuke, while Paildramon carried them to the rooftop area. He was definitely saying that in order to make the other assured that he wouldn’t do anything reckless, “We’re going to stop him and find a way to discover why he is so obsessed with me.”

“I know that,” Daisuke nodded, and with a firm tone he continued, “We were worried about you doing something reckless and then regretting it later. But deep down, the cool headed Ichijouji Ken would find another solution to that.”

“...”

“Because you’re not like your old self anymore and the real Ken would prefer to solve it peacefully instead.”

“I’m only able to do those things because of you, though.”

“Makes sense, we’re partners right? No, even more than that, we’re friends. And friends help each other.”

They reached the top of the building, and Paildramon landed on the floor.

“Your evil schemes will end today, you punk!” Daisuke shouted. Paildramon has put the boys on the floor and stood in position for any surprises coming from the faux Kaiser.

“Why did you have to bring this simpleton with you, Ichijouji-kun?” The Kaiser said with a sad and monotone voice. He was completely disappointed that he couldn’t have his particular talk with Ken thanks to Daisuke’s presence.

“W-WHAT DID YOU SAY--”

“Daisuke,” Ken called him out. Daisuke stopped but kept pouting. Then, Ken continued, now looking at the faux Kaiser, “What do you want with me? Why are you doing those things?”

“Because of the Chosen Children, of course. Why would the Chosen Children exist if there’s no digimon crisis? After all… It’s what you wanted before, right?”

“What?” Ken frowned, “You mean… I wanted that? It makes no sense I never--”

“Yes, it was because of you that this all happened. A ten year old boy, coming to cope with the loss of a brother in another world…  You wanted to keep living that life of a hero, to feel better. To feel you existed, right?”

“Ken, he’s trying to mess with your mind!” Daisuke interrupted the other.

“... I’ve been living under my brother’s shadow, Daisuke. But… This makes no sense to me. This person is…”

“You don’t remember because the world suffered a reset, if it makes you feel better.”

“A reset??”

“Oh uh… Ah, that’s what Noel meant before…” Daisuke commented, “That something happened and everyone forgot about this kiddo here.”

“Can you shut up, or will I have to silence you?!” the faux Kaiser clenched his fist. Daisuke’s presence there was insufferable right now.

“Sorry pal, you can’t do anything to me because Paildramon is right her--”

The enemy snapped his fingers and something faster than the naked eye hit Daisuke, who fell on the floor abruptly.

“GAH!”

“Daisuke!” Ken and Paildramon said together.

“Ack… What the…?!” Daisuke got up with some difficulty, “W-what did you do to me??”

“If you don’t stay quiet… I will activate all shards attached to you and your friends. Let me talk with my former friend, you pathetic being.”

“... I’m Sorry Ken, I… I messed things up and now… I… Ugh.”

“Daisuke, what are you talking about?!” Ken panicked, he knew touching Daisuke would be no good, if those shards were activated he would end up absorbed like happened with other victims and their digimon partners, “You’re not… I won’t… I won’t let you--”

“Isn’t it fun, Ichijouji-kun? Have your friends taken away?”

“You maniac, why are you doing that to Ken-chan?!” Paildramon (Stingmon side) shouted, ready to attack at any instant.

“I’m doing to him what he had done to me. You’re the reason I cannot exist anymore, after all.”

“What… What have I done to you, I’m clueless. Enlighten me about this, but spare my friends. They haven’t done anything to you, have they?”

“... You and Akiyama Ryo betrayed me. Hino Akari-san also betrayed me. I said we could get a chance to solve things peacefully, BUT you decided to listen to Akiyama. You said you were living in the shadow of your brother before he died, but you kept listening to Akiyama with no hesitation!”

“... What… What have Ryo-san done to you, if you’re not him?”

“You three tried to destroy my partner… When you learned he was tied to the legendary Millenniummon.”

“Mi… MIllenniummon?!” That name mentioned hit Ken harder, enough to have him relieve what he believed to be the truth until now -- the memories of him shoving Ryo out of the way and the strange spore entering his body… -- Suddenly that name he couldn’t mention before to the others came in his mind, and the information about said digimon became clearer.

The enemy he and Ryo were facing when he was ten years old was called Millenniummon.

“Didn’t you know, Ichijouji-kun? Millenniummon is a Jogress of two digimon: Chimeramon, who you claimed to be your creation in this reality… And my Mugendramon.”

“He was partnered with a Millenniummon component??” Ken was devastated, this person…!?

“Because of those panicked digimon having wrong judgment about my partner… You three betrayed me, and tried to kill my partner just for the fear of me evolving him into one of the components for that Jogress. You all wanted to be the ‘heroes’ of the Digital World, so…”

“... But Millenniummon was a real menac--”

“LIAR! You were supposed to be my friend! You all went to Larc in order to destroy me and my partner! You reseted the world, and they erased me from existence!”

“If you… If you don’t exist anymore…” Daisuke said, with some difficulty though, “Then… How can you be here instead?”

“I’m not a living being anymore, I’m an anomaly. But I came here by a miracle after all. Maybe… A certain naive child managed to… Take my role, and throw tantrums on a wicked object?”

“This all goes back to the stupid Digimental of Desire…” Ken sighed.

“T-Taking… your role…?” Daisuke asked.

“Ah yes, the Digimon Kaiser? I was the original one. You couldn’t get rid of me that easily before, Sadly… When you used that same Digimental you destroyed to evolve your digimon into Quantumon, in a city of Larc… You ended up taking my role as the villain.”

“So… Ken turning the Digimon Kaiser in this new reality…” Paildramon (XV-mon side) said, as they and Daisuke looked at Ken, who was too petrified by those details.

“Isn't it fun, Ichijouji-kun? You wanted so badly to keep being like a hero and in the end you became the new reality’s villain.”

“Y-you’re lying…!!” Daisuke yelled, but then the shard attached to his hand glowed, “Kh…!!”

“Daisuke, stop…!” Ken babbled, “If you keep interfering, he will… He will turn you into an unstable digimon and I… I don’t want to fight you ok??”

“Tsc, your pathetic new friend is so… Obnoxious. Should I activate it now and make him shut up, and then I post a request on the BBS? I said someday I would need your services as a private detective after all.”

“... I know it was you,” Ken said in a disgruntled tone. He glanced at the masked Kaiser, “The only person to have been this close to me from time to time, to know about the BBS and all of those cases with the shards…”

And Ken made his accusation in a firm voice:

“The faux Digimon Kaiser is…!!”

[izzyizumi]

Digimon Adventure + 02 ~ + Alternate Universe Thoughts & Concepts featuring Characters/Duo/Ship/{02} O.T.P: Ken Ichijouji x Daisuke Motomiya [Daisuke “Davis” Motomiya in U.S.] + Semi Canon-compliant Post-02 A.U. {Alternate Universe} + a hypothetical character arc focused on Daisuke’s personal growth & internal conflicts vs + Ken’s own developed growth since the end of 02 & where the two ‘Coincide’, to help each other learn & grow even further "I stopped being the “Kaiser” because I realized that DIGIMON weren't a ‘computer program’ like I thought," Ken said through gritted teeth. "They were 'Real’, and they had 'Feelings’, just like 'Humans’, but I didn't ‘realize’ that at the time."

gifs by @izzyizumi / @koushirouizumi​, {Do Not Re-post} {Do Not remove caption} (Please Ask to Use)

For usage rules plus further commentary, read under the ‘read more’!

...Ken’s eyes narrowed. “Now GET OUT of MY FRIENDS’ BODY!” - from Younger Me!Fic-verse, originally posted pre-2010 (a moment in which Ken faces off against a powerful Digimon) {on Ken’s own without better support available, for the first time} [and when your “{good} friend” is having something ELSE happen...]

“Temporarily” create “The Digimental of Miracles” with the Crest of Kindness Engulfed by Darkness - Qinglongmon; 02 Episode 37

"If your body hurts, you can go to a hospital and get it “fixed”, right? But if your SOUL hurts, [NO DOCTOR] CAN HELP YOU. YOU GOTTA TREAT IT YOURSELF."

- Novala Takemoto / Shimotsuma Monogatari {2004 Film}

“They {DIGIMON} may have started as simple data in a computer, but they’re ALIVE NOW.” - Mr. Haruhiko Takenouchi to Miyako; 02 Episode 33 (J.P.N Version)

Note: In my 02 semi canon compliant A.U.s, I often headcanon Ken as Bi{sexual} and/or Polyamorous, and Daisuke as some form of overall Queer. {Daisuke may also be headcanon’d as Polyamorous by me, depending on the A.U. I’m using for Daisuke.} However, in the fic I mention here, it is currently unfinished, and going through heavy revising. The original story was plotted and half-written long before Tri even debuted, much less “Kizuna” and “The Beginning”. Ken and Miyako are not quite ‘together’ yet, as the 02 Chosen have yet to graduate high school, but will soon, as they are very close to their final year of high school (taking place before the year 2012 in Digimon + 02 series canon). In this A.U., Daisuke and Ken are also not quite “together” yet, and neither has quite admitted any feelings for each other yet, but Ken in particular may still be “feeling” things around this point onwards...

(Currently, it is being heavily revised to see if my headcanons line up with what “The Beginning” eventually throws at me, so I hopefully won’t have to make too many more adjustments to its own timeline or my other headcanons.)

Stay tuned to see if I add more to this storyline in the form of possible future edits or one-shot ideas!

{usage of gifs may be allowed if permission is asked / or if credit is given. However, read my about & FAQ pages first. Please do NOT use / ask if you match anything in my “Do Not Interact” sections.}

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