Archive of Our Own

Akiyama Ryo stood beside his Digimon partner, Spiritmon. The gate to the Digital World had been reopened, thanks to his master. He looked down at Spiritmon and gave a cold smile.

"Everything is working according to the plan," he said softly. "My parents think that I'm camping by myself, so they won't worry about me for at least a few weeks. By tomorrow, Ken will be back in the Digital World, and it will be up to us to prepare him.'

For a moment, his eyes lost their cold look, and they became slightly misty. They looked like they belonged to someone else. It only lasted for a moment, though.

Ichijouji Ken peered into the drawer where his brother, Osamu, kept the Digivice. His parents were gone for the weekend, and Osamu wouldn't be home for several hours. Osamu had told one of the neighbors to keep an eye on Ken, but he knew that she wasn't.

He wanted to revisit the Digital World, and he knew that this was his chance.

Ryo tried not to let it show that he was startled when he heard a familiar voice coming from behind him.

"I see that you are following my orders. That is very good. The child will be here within one hour, so you should prepare for him. You know where the boy's Digimon and crest are, so you will make sure he gets both of them first thing. Then you can start preparing him."

Ryo turned around. There was no one there.

Ken slowly reached into the drawer where the Digivice was laying. He knew that Osamu would be mad if he caught him with it, but he had to try. He just wanted to see the Digital World once again. He carefully picked it up and held it out to the computer screen. A familiar bright light filled the room. Ken laughed with delight as he felt himself being transported to the Digital World.

Ryo felt Ken's presence the moment he picked up the Digivice. He knew that it was almost time. He gave a sad smile. This is the only way, he thought as he saw the figure of a young boy suddenly appear.

Ken landed on the ground with a hard jolt. He carefully sat up, hoping that he hadn't broken anything from the landing. He slowly looked around. He recognized where he was from his last visit to the Digital World. He was in the forest where Ryo and he had usually made camp. He was startled by a very familiar voice.

"Well, well, what do we have here. It looks like little Ichijouji Ken has decided to rejoin us," Ryo called out jokingly. "Long time, no see!"

Ken's face burst into a large smile. This was what he had missed. It wasn't the Digital World itself; it was the company he had kept while there. "Ryo!" he yelled out as he rushed over to hug his friend.

Ryo swallowed hard. Why did Ken have to make this so hard for him? It was already difficult enough for him to follow this plan, why did this little boy have to make it so much harder? He tried to wipe the worried expression off his face and tried to give a reassuring grin.

"Guess what, Ken? Remember when I told you that all Digidestined have their own Digimon partner? It's time for you to meet yours. It's also time for you to get your crest. Come on, follow me," Ryo said, as cheerfully as he could. He grabbed Ken by the arm and pretty much dragged him towards a clearing in the forest not too far away.

Ken could barely breath as Ryo dragged him forwards, his mind swirling with the news that Ryo had just given him. He was going to meet his own Digimon and get his own crest? What kind of Digimon would his be? Which crest would he be the holder of?

Ryo pulled Ken into the clearing, where Spiritmon was waiting for them. Ken gave a grin as he waved to another old friend, Ryo's Digimon. Ryo shook his head. "Wormmon. come on out. We finally found Ken!" he called out. "Come on out, don't be shy. He's your human partner!"

Ken stared in wonder as a Digimon crawled out from behind a pile of rocks. It looked like a giant, green caterpillar to him. He stared at Ken for a moment, and then he rushed towards him. The Digimon, Wormmon, jumped up into Ken's arms and said the same thing over and over. "You're finally here! You're finally here! You're finally here!"

Ryo gave an amused chuckle at the expression on Ken's face. He really hated to break up this moment, but his master would be mad if he didn't move on with the plan. "Come on you two," he called out. "We have to go get Ken's crest. He's only going to be here for a few more hours. Time in the Real World and Digital World is the same now."

Ken looked downcast when Ryo reminded him that he couldn't stay very long. He had better make the best of it. He looked down at the Digimon that was in his arms, looking up at him with adoration. He grinned and replied, "Come on then, let's go find that crest."

Ryo and Spiritmon walked ahead of Ken and Wormmon. Ryo could tell that Ken was telling his Digimon about what they had done the year before. He gave a small smile as a though crossed his mind. My master said that only Ken couldn't be allowed to remember anything about his time in the Digital World, but he didn't say anything about Wormmon. Ryo knew that letting the Digimon know about him could be a risk, but he couldn't just erase all traces of his and Ken's adventures.

Ken happily told Wormmon about him, and he just sat there in Ken's arms and listened. By the time that they had reached the ruins where Ryo said the crest was, Wormmon knew almost everything about his new partner.

Both Digivices started to go wild as soon as they entered the site of the ruins. Ryo grinned; this meant that Ken's crest was nearby. So far, so good. He mustered up a smile and called out to Ken: "Hold out your Digivice. It should react to your crest and show you where it is."

Ken carefully held out his Digivice. It started to hum, and a bright stream of light poured out of it, pointing towards a large stone in the middle of the ruins. He slowly walked towards the stone, still carrying Wormmon in his arms. He put the Digimon down, however, when he was within a yard of the stone. He timidly held out his arm towards the stone, and a crest shot out and dropped into his hand. He looked at it in shock.

Ryo smiled, and let out the breath he had been holding. "That's the Crest of Kindness," he said to Ken, with what sounded like, pride in his voice. "Congrats, you're a true Digidestined now."

He looked over at Spiritmon and took a deep breath. He knew what was going to happen to during the next couple of days, and he wished that there was something he could do. He knew, however, that there wasn't. He forced a smile on his face as he continued talking. "It's getting late, Ken. You better get home. Promise that you'll come back in two weeks, though. You have to promise that no matter what, you'll be back in two weeks."

Ken stared at him with a confused expression on his face. "Sure, I'll be back in two weeks. What could possibly happen that would make me not want to come back?" He shook his head in wonder and picked up Wormmon.

"I'll see you again in two weeks, " he whispered.

"Bye, everyone!" Ken called out as he held out he was pulled back into the real world.

Ryo looked at his friend for one last time as he faded away. He turned to the two Digimon and tried to smile. "Come on, you two. Let's go set up a camp. I'm not going back to the real world, so I'm going to need a place to stay.

As they walked, he tried to focus in on Spiritmon's thoughts. **Do you think either of them suspects anything?**

Spiritmon shook his head.

**Good, it's better that way. Do you think that Ken will come back in two weeks?**

This time Spiritmon nodded.

**I hope so. If he doesn't, then we're both going to be in hot water.**

Ken felt another jolt as he landed on the floor in front of Osamu's computer. I've got to do something about these landings, he thought with a laugh. Suddenly he noticed the figure standing in the doorway of the room. "Osamu!"

Ichijouji Osamu looked at his brother angrily. He had been trying for so long to keep Ken away from the Digital World. He had told Ken not to touch the Digivice, so that he couldn't accidentally be pulled into the Digital World. He had been trying to protect Ken, trying to protect him from the future that had been prophesied, and this was how he was repaid. Ken had used the Digivice, even though he had been told not to touch it, to go to the Digital World. And he knew that this wasn't the first time.

Osamu took a deep breath, trying to calm his temper. It didn't work. He rushed over to Ken, yanked the Digivice from his hand, and slapped him as hard as he could across the face. "What were you thinking! Do you know who would have been blamed if you had been hurt? It would have been me! I was trying to protect you, and how do you repay me? You disobey one of the few rules that I set down for you!"

Ken stared up at his brother in horror. He slowly put his hand up to his stinging cheek, as the tears started pouring down his face. "I hate you! I wish that you would just disappear!" he yelled as loudly he could before dashing out of the room.

After Ken ran from the room, Osamu collapsed into a chair. Why had he slapped his brother? He knew that Ken didn't know why he had reacted like he did. He only wanted to keep him safe. "I know that you don't mean that, Kenny-boy," he whispered softly. "You just don't understand why I was so mad. I love you, little brother, that's why I was so mad."

The next morning the two of them were supposed to meet their parents at the bus station. As they walked out the door of the apartment building, Osamu tried to grab Ken's hand. Ken just pulled away, though. "I still hate you," he said angrily. Osamu just shook his head and kept walking.

Neither of them noticed the young boy standing nearby, talking to the driver of a large, clunky car. The boy pointed to them, and then pulled out a wad of money and shoved it into the driver's hand. Then he turned and walked away, trying to ease his conscience.

After a few minutes, they reached the crosswalk. The bus station was right across the street. The bus wouldn't be there for about half an hour, though. Osamu sighed and then tried again to make up with his brother. "Come on Ken, why don't we wait on this side of the street for awhile? We can watch for the bus, and go across when it gets here."

Ken actually thought that was a pretty good idea. He couldn't let Osamu think that, though. He shook his head no and pointed to the crowded bus station, on the other side of the street. "Let's wait over there."

Osamu sighed, and grabbed Ken's hand. They had enough time to cross the street before the light changed, if Ken would just hurry up. They were halfway across the street when Ken pulled away. He hurried to the other side, wanting to show Osamu that he still hadn't forgiven him. When he got to the other side he turned around. Osamu was almost across, and he didn't look very happy. Ken gulped when he saw the expression on Osamu's face. He looked very mad.

Osamu never noticed the car barreling towards him. He had his eyes set on his brother, who was only a few feet away from him. All he knew was that he felt something hit him. Hard. He felt himself fly through the air and land on the ground. Suddenly, everything started to go black. As the world started to fade before him, he noticed a familiar face standing in the crowd.

"Ken," he whispered. "Don't trust Ryo. Please little brother, don't trust Ryo. I love you, Ken. I love you. Never forget that."

Then the blackness completely overcame him.

One person heard those words. A young boy, about Osamu's age, with short brown hair and an angelic face. Ryo stood there, watching the scene with a pained expression on his face. "It is done," he whispered.

Ken stared in shock at his older brother. Something was wrong, he could tell. Why wasn't his brother moving? Ken suddenly became aware of all the people crowding around. Tears were running from his eyes as he rushed forward, crying out his brother's name. "Osamu! Osamu! Onii-san, don't leave me! Please, onii-san, don't leave me!"

Ken didn't notice all of the people staring at him, or the police officer who pulled him, sobbing, off Osamu's lifeless body. He didn't notice his parents, who stepped off of their bus to be greeted with the site of their oldest son, dead. He didn't notice the young, brown-haired boy standing nearby. He didn't notice anything.

Ryo stared at the scene in front of him in sorrow. He wanted to go up and hold Ken close to him and to tell him that everything would be alright. He wanted to tell him what his brother's last words had been. He wanted to show him that he, Ryo, was there. But he couldn't. He had to follow the plan, so Ryo just stood there, without emotion. He slowly turned away, and walked back towards a nearby alley. He was supposed to leave the rest of the money for the driver of the car there. A few tears rolled down his face as he turned away from the scene before him.

The next two days passed in a flash. Everything was a blur to Ken. There were flowers, people crying, nervous glances... nothing more. He barely even noticed Osamu's funeral. All he saw was his brother, laying so still in a coffin.

That was wrong. Osamu was never still.

He knew that people stared at him. All the faces blurred together, though. The only face he remembered was that of a tall, pale man. He just stood out in his mind, for some reason.

His parents barely even knew that he was alive. After the funeral, they would be gone all day, leaving him with friends and neighbors, while they would go somewhere private and grieve. Ken knew that no one cared about him, but at the time, he really didn't care.

A week after the accident, he remembered his promise to Ryo. "He knew that Osamu would die. He knew," Ken muttered softly to himself. "That was why he wanted to make sure that I would come, no matter what." He sat in thought for a few moments, wondering if he should go. He was about to decide not to when he remembered Wormmon. He wanted to see Wormmon, to talk to him about this. He would go.

When another week had passed, Ken was able to convince his parents that they didn't have to leave him with a neighbor. Actually, it wasn't very hard. He didn't even think that they noticed his question. As soon as they had left, Ken went carefully pulled out the Digivice. Osamu's Digivice, not mine, he thought to himself. He slowly held out his hand towards the computer. Tears started streaming down his face as he was pulled into the Digital World.

Ryo looked up expectantly when he felt Ken pick up the Digivice. He wasn't very surprised to see the tears pouring down Ken's face either. Wormmon, on the other hand, was very surprised. He rushed towards Ken and jumped into his arms. "What's wrong Ken? Why are you sad?"

Ken looked at Ryo with confusion and pain in his eyes. He didn't answer Wormmon, but asked Ryo a question. "You knew, didn't you? You knew that Osamu would die? Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you warn me? Why?"

Ryo took a shaky breath before answering. "Yeah, I knew that your brother would be killed. I can't answer anything else though. I'm sorry Kenny-boy. I truly am sorry."

Ken walked up to him, with the tears still streaming down his face. He carefully set Wormmon down. "You can't answer any more of my questions? Are you sure about that? And don't call me Kenny-boy. Only Osamu can call me Kenny-boy. Only Osamu." He pulled back his fist, and then, shaking, he plowed it straight into Ryo's face.

Ryo barely even flinched when the young boy's fist collided with his face, even though it hurt like hell. Ken had the right to be mad at him, and the kid didn't even know half of the things that he had done. He gave a forced smile. "I still can't answer any of your questions, Ken. I'm sorry, but I just can't. I'm so sorry."

Ken stared straight into the eye of the boy who he had once called a friend. He was hiding something, but what was it? He slowly turned his gaze away, tears still streaming down his face. "I know," he whispered angrily, "but I still don't understand."

Ryo gave another forced smile. Why did he care about this kid? That wasn't part of the plan. He wasn't supposed to care. He turned his gaze away from the young boy. "There was a reason why I told you to come back today. Follow me." He turned and walked into the forest, followed by Spiritmon.

I hope that he follows me, he thought to himself. If he doesn't, things will just get worse. I think that he will, though. It will make things so much easier.

Ken stared at the departing figure. He knew that he had to follow Ryo. He took a deep breath and tried to stop crying. He walked over to Wormmon and picked him up gently. "Come on, Wormmon. I guess we have to follow him."

Wormmon looked up at his human companion in wonder. "What you were saying earlier," he asked in his quiet way, "were you talking about your brother, Osamu? You said something about Ryo knowing that he would-- that he would die." Ken smiled down weakly at his Digimon partner, trying not to start crying again. "Yeah, that's right. He was ki-- was kill-- was hit by a car. Ryo knew about it. He knew." He didn't say anything more, and Wormmon didn't push him.

The four of them, two humans and two Digimon, walked silently through the forest for hours. They were all silent for different reasons, though. Ryo was silent because he was thinking about the future and what was going to happen. Ken was silent because he was thinking about the past and what he wanted to have told Osamu. The Digimon were silent because their human companions were.

The silence was broken when Ryo spoke. "Spiritmon, Wormmon, and I are going to camp here tonight. Ken, you need to go home so your parents won't worry. Tomorrow, I'll show you what we have to do."

Ken didn't say anything to the other boy, but he did nod his head curtly. He sighed and looked around to see where they were. His mouth almost dropped open in surprise. They were in the same spot where he and Ryo had camped the first night he had came to the Digital World. They were almost back to that seemingly never-ending desert.

"Ken, you had better get home," Ryo said with a wry grin. "You wouldn't want your parents to worry about you. Just be back tomorrow."

Ken smiled coldly at Ryo. He was about to tell him that he wouldn't be back, ever, when he looked over at Wormmon. He gave a sigh. "I'll be back tomorrow, but not for your sake. I'm coming back for Wormmon's sake. And you don't have to worry about my parents, they won't even notice if I'm there or not."

He slowly pulled the Digivice out of his back pocket. He gave another cold look at Ryo. "I trusted you. Did you know that? I considered you to be another onii-san. I would have done almost anything for you. You've lost my trust, though, and you might never get it back." Ken glared at him as he was pulled back into the real world. "How could you betray me like this?"

Ryo stared at where the young boy had stood. A few tears trickled down his face. Why did what Ken thought of him matter so much? Why did it upset him? What was it about that little boy? Why was it becoming so hard to follow the plan?

Invisible to the young boy and the two Digimon, a dark force watched them. It gave an irritated groan. "This human boy, Ryo, is not as strong as I had thought. He is starting to care for the child, Ken. If he starts to hesitate about following the plan, I guess that I will have to persuade him. Maybe if I show him the girl."

The creature gave an evil laugh as it turned away from Ryo.

Ken landed on the ground in front of the computer with a thump. "This landing seems to get worse and worse," he muttered with a slight grin. The grin faded as he thought about what had happened the last couple of days. That's strange, he thought suddenly. I don't feel as bad about Osamu anymore. Why is that though? Was it because I saw Ryo? He shrugged as he pulled himself off the floor and headed out to the kitchen.

His parents were sitting at the table, motionless. They didn't even seem to notice when he walked in the room. He sighed before turning around to head to bed. He had known that they would be like this. "I'm still here, you know," he called behind him, his voice cracking. "Osamu might be gone, but I'm still here."

They just sat there, not even noticing that their youngest, and now only, son was even in the room.

Ryo stood at the edge of the campsite. He took a deep breath as he thought about what the day would bring. His master's plan was working perfectly, so why did he feel so horrible about it? Was it because of Ken?

Ken lay on his bed staring silently up at the ceiling. He should hate Ryo for what he had done. But he didn't. He didn't know why, though. Was it because he still cared deeply for the older boy? Or maybe it was the pain he had saw in Ryo's eyes the day before. It had to be something. But what?

Ryo looked down at his watch. Ken should be here any time now. Then it would be time to fight. His master wanted them to destroy Milleniumon, for more than one reason. The first one was that they had to destroy him, to make sure that the plan continued. The reason that Ryo was supposed to tell Ken and Wormmon was that it was because Milleniumon was pure evil. Which was, when he thought about it, true.

He was pretty sure that there was another, though. His master hadn't said anything about it, but Ryo was pretty sure that Milleniumon's powers might pose a threat towards his master. His thoughts were broken when he felt Ken's presence entering the Digital World. He forced a weak smile onto his face, and walked towards the middle of the camp to welcome Ken.

Ken landed on the ground with a hard thump. "It would be a miracle if I could actually land on my feet," he muttered softly. He looked up with a wry grin on his face. It faded away as he saw Ryo, though.

Ryo took a shaky breath. It was time to set the plan into action. "Come with me Ken, it's time that I told you what we're here for."

Ken looked at Ryo with distrust in his eyes. He looked towards the two Digimon, who were both still asleep. "Wormmon, come here," he called out, waking the Digimon from his slumber. Wormmon practically flew towards Ken, though.

When Wormmon was in his arms, Ken turned towards Ryo. "If you want me to help you do anything, you're going to tell me what is going on. Right now." He stared right into Ryo's eyes.

Ryo nodded weakly. "Whatever you say, Ken. It's up to you." He turned towards Spiritmon, who was hovering in the air nearby. "Come on Spiritmon, let's tell them what we're up against. And what's at stake."

He turned to Ken. "You might have to stay here for several days. Will your parents worry too much?" Ken gave a slight snort at that. When he saw Ryo's dumbfounded expression, he explained himself.

"My parents haven't even noticed that I'm alive since Osamu died. They just sit around the house doing nothing. Or they go out until late at night. If I were to disappear for two weeks, they probably wouldn't even notice that I was gone."

Ryo gave an almost invisible nod. "Yeah, that's how my parents were like when Sakura disappeared," he whispered so quietly that Ken wasn't even sure he had heard correctly.

"Sakura?" he asked Ryo.

Ryo paled when Ken asked him that. Had he said that out loud? Lord, what was happening to him? He never even thought about her anymore. Never. "Nothing," he muttered to Ken.

Ken decided that he wouldn't press it when he saw Ryo's face. He had never seen Ryo look like that before. He looked like he was about to cry. He looked like the reflection Ken had seen in the mirror every day since Osamu had died.

"You were saying that I might have to stay here for several days," he gently reminded Ryo. "Why?"

Ryo shook his head and took a deep breath. "There is an evil virus-type Digimon called Milleniumon running loose in the Digital World. It is our job to defeat it, no matter what. We'll have to work together, Ken. For the sake of the entire Digital World."

Ken nodded his head slowly, to show Ryo that he had understood. "I understand, Ryo. Let's go defeat Milleniumon."

Ryo smiled and pointed towards the west. "We have to go to the desert where I first met you. You and Wormmon just follow me and Spiritmon, okay? And don't worry, everything will turn out fine in the end." He crossed his fingers as he said the last part.

After they had walked away, a dark shadow appeared where the two children and their Digimon had been standing. "The boy, Ryo, is weakening. He still feels sorrow for the loss of the girl, Sakura. This could present a problem in the future. Yes, this could present a large problem."

The four of them stood at the edge of the desert, staring at the Digimon in front of them. Milleniumon, the creature that they were supposed to destroy.

Ryo stood straight and tall, his eyes showing that he was lost in thought. His Digimon, Spiritmon, hovered a few feet above him. Ken stood beside him, staring away from the boy that he still hadn't forgiven. Wormmon, his Digimon, was being help in his arms.

Ryo slowly turned to Ken. "It's time. We have to destroy him. No matter what. And you won't be able to help very much."

Ken looked up at Ryo in shock when he said that. "What do you mean, I won't be able to help very much? Wormmon is just as strong as Spiritmon."

Ryo gave a hollow laugh. "I don't think so. Wormmon has never Digivolved before. He won't be able to go beyond Champion, even with your crest. Spiritmon can Digivolve all the way up to Mega if she has to. And Milleniumon is a Mega."

Ken looked up at Ryo again. "We're going to fight too. You can't stop us. That's why we're here. To help you fight."

Ryo gave an exasperated grin. "Fine, you can fight. But, when Wormmon gets hurt, back off and let us handle it. Okay?"

Ken looked down at Wormmon, who nodded up at him. He turned to Ryo. "Okay," he whispered softly. "It's a deal."

Ryo gave a weak smile. "Come on you guys, let's show Milleniumon who's the boss around here."

He and Ken pulled out their Digivices and slowly held them out. A beam of light shot out of both of them.

Wormmon Digivolves to... Stingmon.
Spiritmon Digivolves to... Spritemon.

Ryo gave a grin when he saw the Champion form of Spiritmon. Spritemon looked a lot like a giant red caterpillar with multi-colored butterfly wings. He hadn't seen that since... he quickly brushed the thought away. "Come on Spritemon, let's see your Ultimate level."

Spritemon digivolves to... Nymphmon.

Ken and Stingmon stared in shock at Nymphmon. She looked a lot like an angel, with the wings of a butterfly. She was beautiful. Ryo gave a weak smile at their faces. "If she has to Digivolve to Mega, then you'll have a sight to see."

Ryo and Ken stood side by side as they watched their two Digimon attack the Mega Digimon, Milleniumon. They actually seemed to be doing quite well. Suddenly Milleniumon shot out a bright light. The two boys instinctively covered their eyes. When they uncovered them, the tables had turned.

Stingmon was laying on the ground. He suddenly glowed brightly as he Devolved into Wormmon. Nymphmon scooped him up and glided back over towards them. "That didn't seem to work very well," she commented dryly as she Devolved back into Spiritmon.

"I know," Ryo replied quietly. "That's part of the plan, remember? It's time for you to Digivolve into your Mega form. Are you ready?"

Ken, holding Wormmon in his arms, stared in shock as both Ryo and Spiritmon began to glow.

Spiritmon Warp-Digivolves to... Faeriemon.

Faeriemon looked almost exactly like a human girl, except that she still had the wings of a butterfly. She had long, silky blonde hair, and bright blue eyes. Her lips were redder than red, and her teeth were as white as the snow. She was beautiful.

"Why couldn't you still be here, Sakura," Ryo whispered softly.

Ken stared at him in wonder. Who was Sakura? Was she the human who's form Faeriemon had taken?

"Go destroy him, Faeriemon," Ryo called out suddenly. "Destroy him."

He clutched Ken by the arm as she turned and flew back towards the battle. Ken flinched at his touch, but he didn't pull away.

Faeriemon flew straight at Milleniumon. "Spirit Wave!"

A sudden bright flash made the two boys shut their eyes. They uncovered them tentatively. Ken slowly sat Wormmon back onto the ground as he stared in shock at Milleniumon. He was fading away. As he disappeared, several black pods of some sort flew straight at the two boys. Ryo stared in shock at them. Were those the dark spores? Suddenly he realized that they weren't heading for Ken, like his master had said they would. They were heading towards him.

"Look out!" Ken cried out suddenly. Ryo felt the young boy push him out of the way of the dark spores. Then he heard Ken scream.

He looked at the little boy in shock. He only caught a glimpse of the dark spore, burrowing deeper and deeper into Ken's neck. It was done. "What have I done?" he whispered softly, as he cradled the small boy in his arms.

Wormmon stared at his human partner in shock. What was happening to him? Why was he in such pain. "Ken?" he asked softly.

Ryo looked over at the worried Digimon just as Faeriemon flew over. She Devolved back into Spiritmon, and glided over to Ryo's shoulder. **It is done.**

Ryo carefully picked up Ken. "He needs to go back to the Real World, but we can't risk taking him back yet. Not until he heals some. Let's get him back to camp."

Ken woke up feeling confused. Thoughts and images flashed through his mind. Memories. Suddenly he remembered everything. Osamu, Ryo, Milleniumon... what had happened? He moaned in pain as he moved his neck. "Is anyone there?"

Three familiar faces suddenly appeared around him. Ryo, Spiritmon, and Wormmon all looked down at him with relief etched on their faces. "Are you okay, Ken?" Ryo asked in a worried voice.

"Yeah," Ken replied weakly. "How long have I been out? A few hours?" Ryo's face suddenly turned pale. "Not exactly," he replied. "You've been out almost two weeks."

"Two weeks!" Ken tried to bolt straight up. He was stopped by a terrible pain in his neck. "I have to get home. My parents have to have at least noticed that I was gone."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of everything," Ryo replied softly. "You do need to get home, though. We'll leave you and Wormmon alone for a few minutes."

As Ryo and Spiritmon walked away, Ken turned towards Wormmon with tears streaming down his face. "I might never see you again. I don't want to say goodbye."

The small Digimon replied gently. "Then don't say goodbye. Just say that we'll meet again."

"I love you, Wormmon," Ken whispered softly.

"And I love you too, Ken," the Digimon whispered back. "Until we meet again."

Ryo carefully tuned his thoughts to Spiritmon's. **You're going to have to erase Ken's memories of us. As soon as he and Wormmon say their goodbyes, do it. He should faint from the strain.** A few tears rolled down Ryo's face. **I won't be back for at least a few months. Maybe longer. Just wait where I told you to, okay?**

Spiritmon shot him a quick look. Ryo gave a weak smile. **No, leave Wormmon's memories intact. He-- he never said anything about erasing his memories too.**

When Wormmon and Ken were done telling each other goodbye, Ryo gave a quick nod to Spiritmon. Ken suddenly slumped forward in a faint. "I better get him home," Ryo said sadly. "Bye, you two."

He picked up his backpack and placed it on his shoulders. Then he gently picked up Ken, and pulled out his own Digivice. He gave another smile as he faded away.

Ryo landed softly, on his feet, in an abandoned alley near his and Ken's homes. He gently laid Ken down as he picked up the laptop he had left there, and placed it into his backpack. Then he picked Ken back up, and carried him towards his home.

He knocked on the door to the Ichijouji residence as best as he could with Ken in his arms. It was opened by Mr. Ichijouji, who almost fainted when he saw the young child in Ryo's arms. "Oh my god, Ken!"

He carefully took the boy from Ryo's arms. At the sound of that, Mrs. Ichijouji rushed to the door. "My baby," she cried out. Ryo shuffled uncomfortably as the two of them fussed over Ken.

"Oh, please come in," Mrs. Ichijouji suddenly cried out, remembering the boy who had brought Ken back to them.

"No thank you, ma'am. I have to be getting home now. I've been camping for several weeks, and I was supposed to have been home at least two days ago. I didn't think that I should risk moving him, though."

Mr. Ichijouji grasped his hand. "Of course, we understand. Please, tell us where you found him, though. He's been missing for weeks. We were so worried."

"Of course, sir," Ryo replied. "I was camping in the forest to the north of Tokyo. I found him by the side of the road, just lying there, a couple of days ago. It looked almost like he had been pushed out of a car. I don't know exactly what happened. I would have tried to find out who he was, but I was in the middle of nowhere, so I couldn't just leave him there. And like I said, I was afraid to move him. He woke up earlier today, for a few minutes, and he told me where he lived. I got him here as quickly as I could."

The Ichijouji's were both staring at him. Ryo felt a little nervous. Had they not believed him?

"Thank you so much," Mrs. Ichijouji suddenly said. "Yes, thank you," piped in her husband.

"You're more than welcome," Ryo replied. "I must be going now, though. I have to get home, and you probably need to get a doctor to check him out. Well, goodbye."

"Wait a second," Mr. Ichijouji suddenly called out to the retreating figure. "What's your name, son?"

Ryo didn't even turn around.

"Come on, honey," Mrs. Ichijouji whispered to her husband. "Let's get Ken to bed. Then we can call the doctor to check him out."

Ken woke up feeling lost and confused. Memories flashed by in his head. He saw Osamu lying on the ground, not moving. He saw a somehow familiar brown-haired boy, he saw several strange creatures. A giant green caterpillar, a huge butterfly... Osamu was dead. He knew that. He could tell that it was true. But who was that boy, and what were those strange creatures?

"Ken?" He jerked his head towards the door of his room. His parents were standing there, smiling at him. "You're awake! Do you remember what happened?"

Ken slowly shook his head. "I remember Osamu. And a brown-haired boy. And pain." He thought that he had better not mention the strange creatures. "That's it. Just bits and pieces."

His mother nodded gently. "That's okay, the doctor said that you might suffer some memory loss. He said that it would only be temporary."

Another young boy stared at them from a nearby window. He gave a weak smile when he saw that Ken was awake. That was good. Yes, that was very good.

Later that night, while Ken was asleep, a pale figure slowly appeared in his room. The ghostly form of Ichijouji Osamu stared down at his sleeping little brother. He had tried to keep him safe, but he had failed. He should have known that it would be Ryo who would do this. He should have known. He slowly placed a piece of paper on Ken's desk. "I'm sorry, Ken. I'm sorry that I failed."

Ken woke up with a start. He could have sworn that he had heard Osamu talking. A few tears slid down his face when as a sudden realization struck him. Osamu was never coming back. Never. As the tears started streaming down his face, he noticed a small sheet of paper laying on his desk. He could have sworn it hadn't been there before. He slowly dried his eyes as he started reading the poem that was written on the paper.

"You are always watching me," he whispered.