[fic]Mizu-Kagami 1/9

[caffeine_buzz]

Title: Mizu-Kagami 1/9
Fandom: Digimon 02
Rating: K
Pairings/Warnings: Kensuke
Summary: After Ken is dragged into the world of the dark ocean, he meets a strange being named Kagami who steals his name and form...leaving Ken trapped in the dark world.
Notes: This started in one place and ended in another, better one. So good for that.

Ken sat at his desk, resting his head on his arms as he watched the screen flash in front of him. He was bored. Incredibly, totally, undeniably bored.

“Ken-chan? Are you feeling okay?” Minomon floated over next to him, poking him a little in the shoulder.

“Hai, I’m fine.” Ken turned his head to the side and reached out one hand, taking his partner into his arms and cuddling him a little. “There’s just nothing to do, that’s all. I e-mailed Daisuke a while ago to see if he wanted to do anything, but he hasn’t replied.” Ken sighed without even realizing it.

“You e-mailed him all by yourself?” Minomon sounded as if he couldn’t have been happier if Ken had suddenly decided to drop any and all guilt he felt for the rest of his life.

“It took me twenty minutes to get up the courage to, but yes,” Ken acquiesced. “After all, I’m his friend.” Ken blushed. “And I thought he would be just as happy as you are that I actually took the initiative for once and asked him over instead of the other way around.” He turned back to the blank computer screen for a moment, then reached out again and retrieved his D-Terminal. He stared at it for a few seconds, then shook his head. “I wonder where he is. I hope he comes back soon.” He didn’t notice the wistful tone of his own voice. Minomon, however, did, and gave him a strangely happy look.

“I’m sure he’ll reply as soon as he sees you e-mailed him, Ken-chan,” the little Digimon stated.

“Well, I’m sick of sitting here. Why don’t we go for a walk in the Digital World? I’ll e-mail Daisuke and he can meet us there whenever he gets the chance.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Minomon said encouragingly. Ken typed out a quick message on his D-Terminal, then pulled out his black D-3.

“You ready?” He smiled at his little partner. “Digiport, open!”

The two were transported to a sunny hilltop in the Digital World. Ken closed his eyes for a moment and let the cool wind blow by him.

“It’s a nice day,” he commented to Wormmon, who nodded. Ken opened his eyes and smiled down at his partner. “So, where do you want to go?”

“I think there’s a village of Yukimibotamon down that way,” Wormmon suggested, pointing south with one short leg. “We could go play with them. They always enjoy company.”

“Even mine?” Ken said hesitantly. He still wasn’t sure if all the Digimon had forgiven him yet for the things he had once done.

“Don’t worry, Ken-chan,” Wormmon assured him, rubbing up against Ken’s leg. “I’m sure no one even remembers that anymore. We’ll have fun, you’ll see. Come on.” The Digimon started walking, and Ken had no choice but to follow him.

“I--” Ken started to say something, then stopped, coming to an abrupt halt as his voice was choked off by a gasp.

“Ken-chan?” Wormmon hurried to his partner’s side. “What is it?”

“Don’t you feel it?” Ken asked in a trembling whisper. “It’s cold...”

“Cold?” A pensive look crossed Wormmon’s face. “But it’s spring out.”

“No....the wind....it’s--it’s so cold,” Ken began to shiver. “I’m so cold, Wormmon...”

“But the wind’s stopped.” Wormmon worriedly clambered halfway up Ken’s leg. “What’s happening, Ken-chan? You’re scaring me.”

“S-so cold,” Ken murmured through chattering teeth. He suddenly froze, his face pale as death. “No...waves....Wormmon, I hear waves...”

“We’re not near the ocean,” Wormmon said in confusion, then paused as the sickening realization set in. “It’s not--”

“The dark ocean,” Ken stated in a trembling whisper. “I can hear it; it’s coming... Wormmon--Wormmon, don’t let it take me again!”

“I won’t!” Wormmon’s face became determined. “Don’t worry, Ken-chan! I’ll protect you!”

Ken’s only reply was a strangled cry of fear. Wormmon clung helplessly to his partner as Ken flickered in and out of reality.

“Ken-chan!” Wormmon tightened his grip, but it didn’t seem to be helping.

“Not again,” Ken muttered feverishly, like a mantra. “Not again, not again, please, not again...”

Those were his last words before he disappeared completely, leaving Wormmon lying alone in the grass.

“Ken-chan!”

~~~

It was cold. That was the first thing Ken realized as he struggled back into consciousness. The second thing he realized was that he was lying on his side on wet sand, and that water was lapping at his heels.

“Ugh...” Ken slowly worked himself into a sitting position, one hand going to his head. “Wormmon?”

There was no reply. Ken’s eyes struggled open as he took in his surroundings. He was lying on a dark shore, overlooking the ocean.

“No!” Ken scrambled backwards, eyes widening in fear as he recalled what had just happened. Somehow, he had been pulled into the world of darkness.

“How--how did I get here?” he panted fearfully. There was no answer. Ken glanced around, realizing for the first time that he was alone. Totally and utterly alone.

“H-hello?” he ventured, stumbling to his feet. “Anyone? Wormmon?” There was no reply. Ken shivered as a cool wind blew by. His searching violet eyes scanned the water for any sign of life, hostile or otherwise, but found none. The wind blew by again, and this time Ken could hear a smooth, poisonous voice singing softly in his ears.

“White and black are simply myth
The world is all in grays
Look not for the certain path
This one widens all the ways

Close your eyes and do not cry
Your time is standing still
There’s little enough that you can do
Save give your heart and surrender your will

I’ll give you kisses, love, and more
I’ll give you the sweet scent of death
Let the darkness surround and caress you
And freeze your lovely breath

Let me take you, let me tear you
Through me alone can you find your way
Let me wrap my arms around you
And fill your soul with your own decay.”

Ken stood still and straight, as if frozen solid. All the color had drained from his face.

I know that voice.... he thought wildly. That rhyme...the first time I was here, that’s the song I heard....it’s what called me into the water...

“I have to get out of here!” Shaking off his paralysis, Ken turned and fled, determined to get as far away from the terrible sound as possible. He didn’t know where he was headed, only that he had to get away. He ran through a small copse of trees, then stumbled on a fallen log, crashing to the ground. The wind washed over him like the waves of an ocean.

“Please...” Ken raised his head slightly, tears forming in his eyes. “Please....just leave me alone.”

“Who are you?” Ken pushed himself onto his knees as the strange voice reached him. It was unlike any he had ever heard before, and he was at a loss to describe it. It was neither male nor female, neither young nor old, with no discernible tone. It was not happy, nor was it sad, nor indifferent, nor angry, not even curious, despite the question it had asked. Despite himself, Ken found his eyes once more searching the landscape for any sign of life.

I should be running, he thought frantically, his heart pounding in his chest. Even his labored breathing sounded like the beat of drums in his ears. It’s not safe here. Demon’s still around here somewhere, and who knows what else. I should be looking for a way out, not following strange voices to what could possibly be an enemy.

Despite these thoughts, however, Ken found himself following the sound of the voice to a small clearing. In the center of the clearing was a shining lake. The boy collapsed onto the ground at the edge, staring into the mirror-like surface. His own reflection blinked wearily up at him, reflected as smoothly as if the surface were glass instead of water.

“Who are you? Do you have a name?” The voice spoke up again and Ken started in surprise. It had come from the lake!

“Y-yes,” Ken replied hesitantly. “Yes I do. But do you mind if I ask yours first? Who are you? Where are you?”

“Who am I?” the voice repeated. “I’m nobody. I have long forgotten who I was. Some have called me Kagami.”

“Mirror,” Ken breathed.

“Is that what it means? I wondered. I don’t recall who first gave me that name. I suppose it was someone who felt sorry for me, because I did not have one.”

“But everything has a name,” Ken replied, though part of his brain remarked that this was not necessarily true.

“But I am nothing, and so I did not have one,” Kagami replied.

“You’re....nothing?” Ken chuckled, well aware of how strained his voice sounded. “That’s impossible, though. I can’t be talking to nothing. Unless I’ve finally gone insane and am imagining you.”

“I am here, yet nevertheless, I am nothing and no one. I have no memories, no true name, not even corporeal form. How can one call oneself a living being when one has no recollection of ever having been a living being?”

“You don’t have a body? Then how can you talk?” Ken questioned.

“My essence is trapped in this lake. I do not recall how I came to be here. For me, there are only two times: the time that I was not, and the time that I was. I have no way of keeping track of the days, so I do not know how long I have been here. I have been here since the time that I was, that is all that I can say. I woke and I was. Before then, all is nothingness.”

“I--I don’t understand.” Ken moved a little closer, resting on his knees with his hands helping to prop him up as he stared deeper into the sparkling lake. “I don’t suppose you know the way out of here?”

“I do not even know how to get out of this lake. Just as I know only two times, I know only two places: the Lake and the Outside. Anything that is not the Lake is the Outside. Is the Outside very large?”

“I’m not sure. It seems to be.” Ken shrugged. “I don’t live here. All I want to do is go home.” Ken shivered again, remembering the horrible song and the crashing of the waves.

“Home? What is ‘Home’?”

“Home is where I live,” Ken said. “Don’t you even know what home is?”

“Then the Lake is my....home?”

“I suppose,” Ken replied.

“I see. Tell me more about your home. Does it have a name? Do you?”

“My name is Ken,” the boy said. “Ken Ichijouji. My home is called Tamachi. It’s in Japan. I don’t expect you to have heard of it. Most of the Digimon haven’t.”

“Digimon? What are Digimon? Are you a Digimon?”

“No. I’m a human. Digimon are....well, Digimon. Digital monsters. There are all different ones, so I can’t really describe them. My partner Digimon’s named Wormmon. He’s kind of a small, green caterpillar. But I guess you don’t know what a caterpillar is either, huh?”

“No. You use another word which intrigues me, however. Partner. What is a partner?”

“Partner?” Ken cocked his head to one side. “A partner is....well, it’s someone you work with. Wormmon is my partner because we work together to fight. He’s also my best friend.”

“Friend? What is friend?”

“A friend is....is someone you care about. Someone you feel deeply for.”

“Do you have many friends?”

“Well....I guess.” Ken said thoughtfully. “Wormmon’s my friend, and Daisuke, too, of course. And Takeru, Miyako, Hikari, and I think Iori. The rest of the older Chosen Children seem to be nice too, though I don’t know if they count themselves as my friends. I think of them as friends, but....I don’t know.”

“I see. I do not have any of these...friends.”

“That’s too bad.” Ken smiled slightly, feeling a slight bond between himself and Kagami. “I didn’t have any friends either, once. First I thought that I was too good for them, then I thought that no one would want to be my friend. But now I’m really happy that they’ve chosen to accept me as one of them. I don’t know where I’d be without Daisuke and the others.”

“I wish that I had some of these friends who you speak of. It is very lonely here in this lake, with no one around but myself.”

“I’m sorry,” Ken said sincerely. “If--if you’d like, I’ll be your friend. I know what it’s like to be completely alone. It was the worst feeling I’ve ever had.”

“I....thank you. I ask you another question. Do you have memories? Many precious memories?”

“I--I suppose,” Ken said, a little unsure.

“That is all I needed to know. Please, look into the lake.”

“Why?” Ken questioned hesitantly, peering down into the water with a curious look on his face.

His reflection looked up at him and smirked.

“What the--?” Ken stumbled back in shock a moment too late. Two glistening watery hands reached up out of the lake and grabbed him by the shoulders, holding him firmly in place. “L--let me go, you--”

His voice was choked off by a gasp as a figure of water emerged from the lake. Slowly, it formed itself into the shape of a human. Its features hardened, and Ken suddenly found himself staring straight into his own eyes.

“Do not fear,” Kagami said, moving one hand up to brush Ken’s bangs out of his eyes. “Your talk of memories and friends has made me curious. I wish to become you. I shall at last have a name and memories of my own.”

“But--but it’s my name!” Ken said, trying to break Kagami’s grip. “And my memories!”

I knew that this was an evil place, he thought desperately. I should never have stopped running, never! I just want to go home...

“Please, do not struggle. It will only make things harder.” Kagami pressed the palm of one hand against Ken’s cheek.

Ken screamed as pain exploded through his head. His mind seemed to be rebelling against itself, tearing him apart from the inside...

Kagami moaned in pleasure as he felt his mind filling with Ken’s memories. After a few moments, he let go of Ken and the boy dropped to the ground, curling up in a fetal ball and trembling.

“Just one more thing I need.” Kagami reached down and removed Ken’s black D-3, attaching it to his own belt. He pressed his hand against Ken’s flushed face, smiling slightly. “I thank you for these memories, child without a name.”

Kagami took Ken by the hand and slowly lowered him into the lake. Ken slid inside without even marring the smooth surface.

The false Ken gave another small smile and walked off. Meanwhile, the real Ken remained unconscious in his watery prison, a living reflection trapped inside a water mirror.