Fic: Captive (6/?)
Author: amarielah
Title: Captive
Fandoms: Digimon
Rating: PG-13 for this chapter.
Pairings: Ken/Miyako
Wordcount: 4,047
Warnings: Kissing, mild sexual undertones.
Summary: Aged-up semi-AU. In which Miyako gets captured, the Kaiser is repressed in all the wrong ways, and things become more complicated than either of them want.
Shortly after Miyako left, the Kaiser made his way back to the control room, and was almost disappointed to find that Miyako had evidently left without a fuss. He dismissed the Gotsumon tersely--he disliked having his slaves in his presence unless there was a specific purpose for it--and settled into his throne. The rage that had been simmering inside of him began to settle somewhat, replaced by an emotion that he refused to give a name.
After a few minutes of simply trying to get his nerves to settle--which proved to ultimately be a fruitless exercise--he opened a comm channel to the deck where the Airdramon were held.
He knew exactly what he needed in order to take his mind off of this ridiculous situation.
____
"I'm an idiot," said Miyako as she gazed dejectedly at her reflection in the mirror. "I need to learn how to keep my mouth shut." This wasn't the first time that she'd thought this--or, as the case may be, berated herself for it aloud. It had always been a deep-seated insecurity of hers, that she was too loud and obnoxious, and that she could never seem to achieve the demure, polite demeanor that she so admired in other girls. Now, of course, it was putting Hawkmon in danger.
She imagined that was the Kaiser's "type", assuming that he had one: quiet, unassuming and selfless. Yet, out of all the girls he could have chosen to obsess over, he'd picked her; and now that he'd acknowledged his attraction, Miyako was having trouble wrapping her head around it. Surely it should have been Hikari in her place. Everybody seemed to like Hikari.
But it's not Hikari-chan--it's me. I would never wish something like this on her, anyway.
She shook her head and glared at herself, returning mentally to the most important matter at hand. "I shouldn't have said that." Privately, she could admit that--had the Kaiser taken her up on her offer--she probably would have chickened out in the end. Unless he had explicitly said that refusing would cause him to kill one of her friends...
I know that you resent this entire situation. But...I'm not going to hurt you.
That was clearly a lie, because hurting Hawkmon was the same thing as hurting her. How was he unable to see that?
She picked up her D-terminal and typed, I'm sorry that I said those things. I was being an idiot. So please don't hurt Hawkmon--I'll even beg if that's what I have to do.
She sent it quickly and returned to scrutinizing herself in the mirror.
I'm an idiot, she thought, before finally turning towards her bed. It was true that she'd never be able to forgive the Kaiser if he hurt Hawkmon, but the truth of the matter was far worse than just that.
If Hawkmon died, she'd never be able to forgive herself.
____
The Elecmon fought with unrestrained ferocity, and the Kaiser allowed himself to get lost in the mindless violence, a smirk playing upon his lips. The Chosen Children had managed to raid one of his arenas early on, but he'd built more than one of them. And, no matter how many of his slaves they freed, he always managed to capture more than enough to compensate for the losses. It was true that he'd had less time to indulge in this particular pastime since they'd arrived, but it was still something he did on occasion.
When he'd first learned of the Roman Empire as a child, he'd balked at the idea of the Coliseum. If anything, its existence--during any time in history--had served as yet another affirmation of how most humans were worthy of nothing but disdain. But those fighting in the Coliseum had been human beings--with wills of their own, and the capacity to experience pain. This, however, was different: Digimon were nothing but elements of a game. A very impressive, very life-like game, but a game none-the-less. He found it amusing that all he had to do was rewrite their base programming in order to have them bend to his every whim, and the arena made that amusement all the more acute.
For all that the digimon had very convincing simulations of human emotions, it was so incredibly simple to reveal their true nature as mindless data. And it thrilled him to do so, to put them in their place.
Once those pests are gone, I will truly be the only one to exist in this world.
Somehow, that thought was not nearly as satisfying as it normally was. He felt his chest grow tight, and he closed his eyes unconsciously. The fight faded into the background as a scene--oddly vivid --was conjured unwittingly into his mind's eye.
She walks in front of him, obscuring his view of the arena floor. There's a smile on her face, warm and affectionate, as if she wants to be there--as if she's happy to be near him. "Why are you looking at them, dummy?" She leans forward to take off his dark glasses, tosses them aside, and cups his face with her hands. "I want you to look at me instead."
And then she kisses him, softly and sweetly--a kiss that has the same warmth as her smile.
The Kaiser opened his eyes again, his chest even tighter than when he had closed them. Some time must have passed, because the two Elecmon had collapsed in exhaustion.
The Kaiser didn't even bother to use his communicator, simply shouting, "Somebody come clean up this mess!" On cue, several of his slaves came out and dragged the Elecmon to the holding area that encircled the arena.
His eyes narrowed in annoyance; this had not turned out to be the distraction he had hoped.
_____
Today's a Sunday, Miyako thought, barely seconds after waking up. There wasn't as much excitement in that thought as there may have been the previous year, because Sundays now meant work. Normally, fighting in the Digital World. Recently, it meant studying. Miyako knew that studying was something she had to do, but it wasn't exactly on her list of pastimes. But at least it was a decent distraction.
With that in mind, she rolled out of bed and went to check her D-terminal, looking at her inbox with risen anxiety. There were two new messages, and she opened one of them.
Hey Miyako. Wanna to go out to a movie with me or something? Iori said he was worried about you, so I figured a break from studying would do you some good. There's a new one that's just come out of America, and all the guys at school say it's really good. It has giant robots and stuff.
Anyway, mail me if you wanna go.
- Daisuke
Miyako smiled, wishing that she could say yes. She and Daisuke didn't always see eye-to-eye, and maybe that was the reason why he was so much fun to spend time with. And he did have a talent for making you feel better, no matter how bleak the situation was.
But it just wasn't possible.
Sorry, Daisuke, but I can't. Thanks for thinking of me, though.
- Miyako
The next message wiped the smile off her face.
Be at these coordinates at 11:00 AM.
- Digimon Kaiser
That was all. There was no indication that he had even gotten her message from the night before.
Is Hawkmon alright?
- Miyako
The reply came almost immediately.
The digimon is fine. Don't ask about him again.
- Digimon Kaiser
Miyako made a disdainful sound at the commanding tone of the message, but didn't write anything more back. It was pointless to try and get him to sympathize with her need to study, and any other reason would be equally ignored.
She looked at the clock on the wall, and discovered with mild horror that it was already 10 in the morning. The last things she needed was to be late, so she scarfed down a breakfast of nothing but toast and headed off to have a bath. She was stopped, however, by her mother.
"You seem to be in a rush," she said, eyebrows raised in suspicion.
Miyako nodded and smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. I have a study meeting at Chiyo-chan's this morning, and I accidentally slept in." Takahashi Chiyo was one of Miyako's classmates. They weren't exactly friends, but they had visited each other's apartments once or twice, so her mother knew who she was.
"Really," said her mother, clearly not convinced. "You're not planning on doing something frivolous?"
Miyako shook her head resolutely. "It's a study session."
Her mother smiled, taking Miyako by the hand. "You must think I haven't noticed how hard you've been trying since our talk, Miyako-chan. I'm really glad to see that you're applying yourself, and it's alright if you take a break every once in a while."
"But--"
"I believe you, Miyako-chan. I'm just saying that maybe you should take some time off after you're done with Chiyo-chan." Her mother let go of her hand. "Your brother and his fiancé are coming over for dinner tonight, and he said last night on the phone that he really wants to see you. So try to get home by 7, alright?"
Miyako's expression became apprehensive. "Is it just going to be them?" The last time the entire family had gotten together, along with their respective boyfriends and fiancés, had been the night when this whole mess had started. They had all gone out to eat at a restaurant, and everybody but Miyako--parents included--had drunk a fair amount of alcohol. There had ended being an argument between her sisters' boyfriends, and the night had just gone downhill from there.
That had been what had driven her to go by herself to the Digital World, and she was not keen to have a repeat of the experience. She loved her family--she really did--but they could sometimes be a little overwhelming.
Her mother sighed in understanding. "Yes, just those two. I don't think Ichiro-kun and Kaito-kun have reconciled yet."
Miyako smiled and said, "I'll definitely be there."
_____
She arrived in the Digital World in a considerably better mood, feeling like at least one burden had been lifted from her shoulders. Surveying the area, she didn't see the Kaiser anywhere.
"Ichijouji-kun?" she asked, feeling at once silly and apprehensive. Then, louder, "Ichijouji-kun!"
"This way!" came the reply, though it sounded like he was quite a far way off. She turned to the direction of the voice and found herself looking at a thicket of what appeared to be tropical plants: bushes with enormous, meaty leaves, as well as ferns so large that they wouldn't have been out of place in a documentary about dinosaurs. Mustering her courage, she walked up and pushed her way through the obstructive flora, only to find that the "thicket" was really more of a barrier. She was on the other side within a minute.
The other side, it turned out, was a beach. And not just any beach: a long winding snake of sand that seemed to extend infinitely into the distance, sandwiched between the blue of the ocean and the green of the thicket. She had never imagined that such a place could exist, even in the Digital World.
Once the awe had subsided somewhat, she caught sight of a beach umbrella several hundred meters away. It seemed so out of place, and yet there it was. Dumbfounded, she walked towards it. And, lo and behold, the Kaiser was there.
Except...it wasn't really the Kaiser. Not in the strictest sense.
"Is this some kind of joke?" asked Miyako, with the utmost sincerity.
The Kaiser--no, Ichijouji Ken--gave her a half smile. "Does it look like a joke?"
Gone was the jumpsuit, glasses, cape, gloves, and, perhaps most drastically, the hair, which now lay flat against his head, sleek and dark. He was dressed in a plain grey t-shirt and what appeared to be a pair of swimming trunks. She had never really realized just how much impact somebody's hair and clothing could have on their appearance. Like this, he looked like somebody you could trust--the type of boy you wanted to take home to meet your parents. And...he was handsome. Very, very handsome.
Miyako's heart began to pound, and didn't stop even after she reminded herself firmly that this was the Digimon Kaiser--the person who'd been gleefully toying with her for over a week.
"You're staring," he said flatly.
She averted her eyes, her cheeks flaring with warmth. "S-sorry. It's just...weird, seeing you like that."
"Are you just going to stand there, then?"
Miyako still didn't look at him, her embarrassment rising. "You should have told me to bring a bathing suit," she said, purposefully avoiding the question. At least then she would have had an excuse to go and swim...or something.
"I...made one for you, actually. But you don't have to wear it if you don't want to."
This prompted Miyako to look at him again, but now he wasn't looking at her. instead, he was looking very hard at his feet, blushing.
He's so...cute, she thought, utterly horrified.
It took a moment for her to regain enough willpower to say, "No, I'll wear it," all the while wondering if it was a terrible idea. But the tension was high enough as it was, and she figured that--if he had gone to the trouble to make it for her--he probably wanted her wear it, even if he was being more polite about it than usual. Of course, given the events of the night before...
No way, she told herself. He threw you out because you even suggested something like that. This is probably just another one of his games.
He reached into a bag next to him and pulled out a neatly-folded one-piece bathing suit, handing it to her. "I won't be able to see you if you change behind the plants," he said.
"Thanks." She pressed it to her chest and walked quickly towards the not-quite-thicket, and felt herself relax once she was out of his line of sight. "Just what is he playing at?" she asked herself, unfurling the bathing suit to take a good look at it.
It was plain: no frills or adornments, a single shade of navy blue. Miyako actually preferred this style over bikinis, but she doubted that the Kaiser knew a detail like that; knowing him, he'd probably just found it too embarrassing to make her something more revealing.
Changing didn't take too long, and she was soon walking back with her clothes folded into a pile. Ken must have heard her approach, because he turned around to look at her.
The expression on his face was so intent that Miyako felt her heart-rate increasing again.
"It fits," he said, when she put her clothes down on the blanket that served as a barrier against the sand.
"Yeah," she replied, suddenly aware of just how much of her skin was showing, and rested her hands in her lap.
They sat there together in silence for several minutes, the atmosphere becoming more awkward with every second that went by. And, once she couldn't take it anymore, she announced, "I'm gonna go swimming."
Ken nodded stiffly, but didn't say anything.
The sand felt good between her naked toes, and the water felt even better--cold, but not so cold that it was uncomfortable. Medium-sized waves were crashing not too far from the shore, and the tide swelled in and out over her feet. She couldn't really go swimming, because that would mean taking off her glasses. And really, she was far more interested in seeing everything. It was true that this wasn't exactly happening under the best of circumstances, but she was going to appreciate it as best she could; it had been so long since the last time she'd gone to the beach.
She waded in deeper until the water was up to her knees, still a good distance away from where the waves were crashing, and felt something digging into the bottom of her foot. Reaching down to pick it up, she discovered that it was a shell. It reminded her of the shells she'd found on the beach as a child--the common kind that belonged to seaside mollusks like mussels and clams.
"Good thing I didn't step too heavily," she muttered. "This thing could have split my foot right open."
She turned it over in her hand, admiring the way the sunlight reflected off the smooth pearlescent surface on the inside half of it.
"It looks like you've found something interesting," said a voice from behind her, and Miyako stiffened slightly in surprise.
"N-not really," she said, not turning around. "It's just a shell."
She heard him moving through the water, then felt him stop just behind her. "You examining it quite thoroughly, though. So you must find it interesting."
She still didn't turn around. "Well...isn't it a little strange that there's a shell in the Digital World? I mean, something must've lived in it at some point--that's why shells are made--but I don't think I've ever seen any actual animals here."
"You're over-thinking it," he said.
For some reason that comment annoyed her. "Well maybe I like over-thinking it," she snapped. And then, realizing what she had done, quickly added, "Um...that came out wrong. Sorry."
There I go again, running my mouth off like an idiot, she thought, and a spike of fear shot through her.
"Please turn around," he said. And even though he didn't sound angry, Miyako wasn't sure if that could be trusted. Especially after the events of the previous night.
Still, she turned around.
He sighed. "Please look at me."
It was harder this time, but she managed to oblige.
"Why are you acting like this?" he asked, and his expression showed genuine confusion.
"Like what?"
He grabbed a hold of one her wrists, and although it his grip was gentle, Miyako felt another spark of fear. He was getting angry--she just knew it.
"You're shaking," he said accusatorily.
"I can't help that," she replied angrily. Then, more quietly, almost miserably, "I mean...I don't why that's happening."
He was outright frowning now. "Stop it," he commanded, all politeness gone.
She took a deep, shaky breath. "I can't stop it until you tell me what I'm doing wrong."
He let go of her wrist, the frown deepening into a scowl. Somehow, the expression was far more intimidating when worn upon his naked face. "It doesn't matter where we are, does it? You're still always thinking about that thing."
Miyako bit her bottom lip, uncertain if saying anything more would be a good idea. She still didn't understand what he was saying, and the anger returned to mingle with the fear. This time, however, she was determined not to let her temper get the better of her.
If anything, her lack of reaction just seemed to make him angrier. His nostrils flared, and for a moment Miyako was sure that has was going to grab her again. He didn't, though, and turned around instead, wading out of the water and back onto the shore. Soon, he was sitting under the umbrella again, now too far away for her to make out his expression.
She really wanted to leave, but she'd left her D-3 in the same pile as her clothing. If she wanted to get it, she'd have to go over to where Ken was sitting. Steeling herself, she dropped the shell back into the water and walked to the umbrella, trying her best to be as nonchalant about it as possible. She bent down to look for her D-3--she could leave her other clothes behind, since her real clothes would come back the second she was back in the Real World--but found that it was missing.
With a sinking feeling, she looked over at Ken. And, true to her suspicions, he was holding it up to her, a dark smile on his face. "I don't suppose you were looking for this?" he said. His smile morphed into a glare. "I don't recall giving you permission to leave."
It took a considerable portion of her will power to keep her vocal volume from escalating. "Um, right," she said, bowing her head in acknowledgement. "Is it alright for me to go? I still have a lot of studying to do."
He made a sound of amusement, and the smile returned. "I'm sure you're not in that much of a rush, so you should probably sit down for the moment." His tone made it clear that "probably" meant "definitely".
So, she sat down.
For a moment, the silence returned, even more awkward than before. But then she felt his hand upon hers, and he said, "I wasn't lying when I said that I wasn't going to hurt you."
Miyako pursed her lips together and moved her hand away, only to have him grab it and move in closer to her. He put his other hand on her shoulder and, very gently, pushed her onto her back. Propping himself with a bent elbow, he leaned forward so that his face was just inches from hers.
Her heart felt like it was going to rip a hole through her ribcage.
"Miyako-san," he whispered, his warm breath ghosting against her cheek, and her eyes widened further at the use of her name. She felt weak and helpless. But, much to her confusion, she almost wanted him to...to...
He kissed her, then, ever so softly, teasing her lips apart so that he could slip his tongue inside her mouth. Her eyes fluttered closed, and the tension that had been building up inside of her suddenly didn't feel so unpleasant. Without really thinking about it, she snaked her arms around his back, feeling warm skin beneath her fingertips.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she realized that he was shirtless. But for some reason it didn't bother her. In fact, it felt good to touch him. It felt right.
She moaned a little and moved her hands up his back and into his hair, deepening the kiss even further. Her skin felt like it was on fire--like it was alight was electricity--and she wanted him to touch her more. There was another noise, this time from him, and it sent a thrill through her, straight to that delightful knot in her belly.
She wanted him.
It was over too soon, she thought, and, for once, it was him who broke away first.
"Who am I?" he asked breathily, and Miyako opened her eyes reluctantly.
"Uh..." she began, trying to regain her wits. "...huh?"
She was vaguely aware that the atmosphere had changed again. "Who am I?" he asked again, this time more forcefully.
Not really understanding the question, she said, "You're...you?" Why was he asking philosophical questions at a time like this?
He pushed himself up abruptly. "Right. Of course." He sounded upset.
Suddenly, Miyako remembered where she was, and who she was with. Pushing herself upright as well, she covered her mouth in horror.
Oh God...I just...with him. I let him.
She felt like a dirty, selfish traitor.
I liked it.
"Give me my D-3," she said, more than a little desperately. "I really need to go."
Ken smiled a very cruel smile. "But if you go now, Miyako-san, I may decide to hurt your Digimon." He chuckled derisively. "Maybe you should grovel some more."
"Don't--" she swallowed down the lump that was forming in her throat. "Don't you ever call me that again."
He smirked. "You need to be more clear. What don't you want me to call you, Miyako-san?"
She grit her teeth, then said, "Please just give it to me."
Another silence, and his expression turned into a glower. Then, after doing this for a while, he handed her the D-3, saying, "You're going to regret this."
And, when she took it from him, she said, "I already do." With that, she stood up and walked back to the Digital Gate.
Title: Captive
Fandoms: Digimon
Rating: PG-13 for this chapter.
Pairings: Ken/Miyako
Wordcount: 4,047
Warnings: Kissing, mild sexual undertones.
Summary: Aged-up semi-AU. In which Miyako gets captured, the Kaiser is repressed in all the wrong ways, and things become more complicated than either of them want.
Shortly after Miyako left, the Kaiser made his way back to the control room, and was almost disappointed to find that Miyako had evidently left without a fuss. He dismissed the Gotsumon tersely--he disliked having his slaves in his presence unless there was a specific purpose for it--and settled into his throne. The rage that had been simmering inside of him began to settle somewhat, replaced by an emotion that he refused to give a name.
After a few minutes of simply trying to get his nerves to settle--which proved to ultimately be a fruitless exercise--he opened a comm channel to the deck where the Airdramon were held.
He knew exactly what he needed in order to take his mind off of this ridiculous situation.
____
"I'm an idiot," said Miyako as she gazed dejectedly at her reflection in the mirror. "I need to learn how to keep my mouth shut." This wasn't the first time that she'd thought this--or, as the case may be, berated herself for it aloud. It had always been a deep-seated insecurity of hers, that she was too loud and obnoxious, and that she could never seem to achieve the demure, polite demeanor that she so admired in other girls. Now, of course, it was putting Hawkmon in danger.
She imagined that was the Kaiser's "type", assuming that he had one: quiet, unassuming and selfless. Yet, out of all the girls he could have chosen to obsess over, he'd picked her; and now that he'd acknowledged his attraction, Miyako was having trouble wrapping her head around it. Surely it should have been Hikari in her place. Everybody seemed to like Hikari.
But it's not Hikari-chan--it's me. I would never wish something like this on her, anyway.
She shook her head and glared at herself, returning mentally to the most important matter at hand. "I shouldn't have said that." Privately, she could admit that--had the Kaiser taken her up on her offer--she probably would have chickened out in the end. Unless he had explicitly said that refusing would cause him to kill one of her friends...
I know that you resent this entire situation. But...I'm not going to hurt you.
That was clearly a lie, because hurting Hawkmon was the same thing as hurting her. How was he unable to see that?
She picked up her D-terminal and typed, I'm sorry that I said those things. I was being an idiot. So please don't hurt Hawkmon--I'll even beg if that's what I have to do.
She sent it quickly and returned to scrutinizing herself in the mirror.
I'm an idiot, she thought, before finally turning towards her bed. It was true that she'd never be able to forgive the Kaiser if he hurt Hawkmon, but the truth of the matter was far worse than just that.
If Hawkmon died, she'd never be able to forgive herself.
____
The Elecmon fought with unrestrained ferocity, and the Kaiser allowed himself to get lost in the mindless violence, a smirk playing upon his lips. The Chosen Children had managed to raid one of his arenas early on, but he'd built more than one of them. And, no matter how many of his slaves they freed, he always managed to capture more than enough to compensate for the losses. It was true that he'd had less time to indulge in this particular pastime since they'd arrived, but it was still something he did on occasion.
When he'd first learned of the Roman Empire as a child, he'd balked at the idea of the Coliseum. If anything, its existence--during any time in history--had served as yet another affirmation of how most humans were worthy of nothing but disdain. But those fighting in the Coliseum had been human beings--with wills of their own, and the capacity to experience pain. This, however, was different: Digimon were nothing but elements of a game. A very impressive, very life-like game, but a game none-the-less. He found it amusing that all he had to do was rewrite their base programming in order to have them bend to his every whim, and the arena made that amusement all the more acute.
For all that the digimon had very convincing simulations of human emotions, it was so incredibly simple to reveal their true nature as mindless data. And it thrilled him to do so, to put them in their place.
Once those pests are gone, I will truly be the only one to exist in this world.
Somehow, that thought was not nearly as satisfying as it normally was. He felt his chest grow tight, and he closed his eyes unconsciously. The fight faded into the background as a scene--oddly vivid --was conjured unwittingly into his mind's eye.
She walks in front of him, obscuring his view of the arena floor. There's a smile on her face, warm and affectionate, as if she wants to be there--as if she's happy to be near him. "Why are you looking at them, dummy?" She leans forward to take off his dark glasses, tosses them aside, and cups his face with her hands. "I want you to look at me instead."
And then she kisses him, softly and sweetly--a kiss that has the same warmth as her smile.
The Kaiser opened his eyes again, his chest even tighter than when he had closed them. Some time must have passed, because the two Elecmon had collapsed in exhaustion.
The Kaiser didn't even bother to use his communicator, simply shouting, "Somebody come clean up this mess!" On cue, several of his slaves came out and dragged the Elecmon to the holding area that encircled the arena.
His eyes narrowed in annoyance; this had not turned out to be the distraction he had hoped.
_____
Today's a Sunday, Miyako thought, barely seconds after waking up. There wasn't as much excitement in that thought as there may have been the previous year, because Sundays now meant work. Normally, fighting in the Digital World. Recently, it meant studying. Miyako knew that studying was something she had to do, but it wasn't exactly on her list of pastimes. But at least it was a decent distraction.
With that in mind, she rolled out of bed and went to check her D-terminal, looking at her inbox with risen anxiety. There were two new messages, and she opened one of them.
Hey Miyako. Wanna to go out to a movie with me or something? Iori said he was worried about you, so I figured a break from studying would do you some good. There's a new one that's just come out of America, and all the guys at school say it's really good. It has giant robots and stuff.
Anyway, mail me if you wanna go.
- Daisuke
Miyako smiled, wishing that she could say yes. She and Daisuke didn't always see eye-to-eye, and maybe that was the reason why he was so much fun to spend time with. And he did have a talent for making you feel better, no matter how bleak the situation was.
But it just wasn't possible.
Sorry, Daisuke, but I can't. Thanks for thinking of me, though.
- Miyako
The next message wiped the smile off her face.
Be at these coordinates at 11:00 AM.
- Digimon Kaiser
That was all. There was no indication that he had even gotten her message from the night before.
Is Hawkmon alright?
- Miyako
The reply came almost immediately.
The digimon is fine. Don't ask about him again.
- Digimon Kaiser
Miyako made a disdainful sound at the commanding tone of the message, but didn't write anything more back. It was pointless to try and get him to sympathize with her need to study, and any other reason would be equally ignored.
She looked at the clock on the wall, and discovered with mild horror that it was already 10 in the morning. The last things she needed was to be late, so she scarfed down a breakfast of nothing but toast and headed off to have a bath. She was stopped, however, by her mother.
"You seem to be in a rush," she said, eyebrows raised in suspicion.
Miyako nodded and smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. I have a study meeting at Chiyo-chan's this morning, and I accidentally slept in." Takahashi Chiyo was one of Miyako's classmates. They weren't exactly friends, but they had visited each other's apartments once or twice, so her mother knew who she was.
"Really," said her mother, clearly not convinced. "You're not planning on doing something frivolous?"
Miyako shook her head resolutely. "It's a study session."
Her mother smiled, taking Miyako by the hand. "You must think I haven't noticed how hard you've been trying since our talk, Miyako-chan. I'm really glad to see that you're applying yourself, and it's alright if you take a break every once in a while."
"But--"
"I believe you, Miyako-chan. I'm just saying that maybe you should take some time off after you're done with Chiyo-chan." Her mother let go of her hand. "Your brother and his fiancé are coming over for dinner tonight, and he said last night on the phone that he really wants to see you. So try to get home by 7, alright?"
Miyako's expression became apprehensive. "Is it just going to be them?" The last time the entire family had gotten together, along with their respective boyfriends and fiancés, had been the night when this whole mess had started. They had all gone out to eat at a restaurant, and everybody but Miyako--parents included--had drunk a fair amount of alcohol. There had ended being an argument between her sisters' boyfriends, and the night had just gone downhill from there.
That had been what had driven her to go by herself to the Digital World, and she was not keen to have a repeat of the experience. She loved her family--she really did--but they could sometimes be a little overwhelming.
Her mother sighed in understanding. "Yes, just those two. I don't think Ichiro-kun and Kaito-kun have reconciled yet."
Miyako smiled and said, "I'll definitely be there."
_____
She arrived in the Digital World in a considerably better mood, feeling like at least one burden had been lifted from her shoulders. Surveying the area, she didn't see the Kaiser anywhere.
"Ichijouji-kun?" she asked, feeling at once silly and apprehensive. Then, louder, "Ichijouji-kun!"
"This way!" came the reply, though it sounded like he was quite a far way off. She turned to the direction of the voice and found herself looking at a thicket of what appeared to be tropical plants: bushes with enormous, meaty leaves, as well as ferns so large that they wouldn't have been out of place in a documentary about dinosaurs. Mustering her courage, she walked up and pushed her way through the obstructive flora, only to find that the "thicket" was really more of a barrier. She was on the other side within a minute.
The other side, it turned out, was a beach. And not just any beach: a long winding snake of sand that seemed to extend infinitely into the distance, sandwiched between the blue of the ocean and the green of the thicket. She had never imagined that such a place could exist, even in the Digital World.
Once the awe had subsided somewhat, she caught sight of a beach umbrella several hundred meters away. It seemed so out of place, and yet there it was. Dumbfounded, she walked towards it. And, lo and behold, the Kaiser was there.
Except...it wasn't really the Kaiser. Not in the strictest sense.
"Is this some kind of joke?" asked Miyako, with the utmost sincerity.
The Kaiser--no, Ichijouji Ken--gave her a half smile. "Does it look like a joke?"
Gone was the jumpsuit, glasses, cape, gloves, and, perhaps most drastically, the hair, which now lay flat against his head, sleek and dark. He was dressed in a plain grey t-shirt and what appeared to be a pair of swimming trunks. She had never really realized just how much impact somebody's hair and clothing could have on their appearance. Like this, he looked like somebody you could trust--the type of boy you wanted to take home to meet your parents. And...he was handsome. Very, very handsome.
Miyako's heart began to pound, and didn't stop even after she reminded herself firmly that this was the Digimon Kaiser--the person who'd been gleefully toying with her for over a week.
"You're staring," he said flatly.
She averted her eyes, her cheeks flaring with warmth. "S-sorry. It's just...weird, seeing you like that."
"Are you just going to stand there, then?"
Miyako still didn't look at him, her embarrassment rising. "You should have told me to bring a bathing suit," she said, purposefully avoiding the question. At least then she would have had an excuse to go and swim...or something.
"I...made one for you, actually. But you don't have to wear it if you don't want to."
This prompted Miyako to look at him again, but now he wasn't looking at her. instead, he was looking very hard at his feet, blushing.
He's so...cute, she thought, utterly horrified.
It took a moment for her to regain enough willpower to say, "No, I'll wear it," all the while wondering if it was a terrible idea. But the tension was high enough as it was, and she figured that--if he had gone to the trouble to make it for her--he probably wanted her wear it, even if he was being more polite about it than usual. Of course, given the events of the night before...
No way, she told herself. He threw you out because you even suggested something like that. This is probably just another one of his games.
He reached into a bag next to him and pulled out a neatly-folded one-piece bathing suit, handing it to her. "I won't be able to see you if you change behind the plants," he said.
"Thanks." She pressed it to her chest and walked quickly towards the not-quite-thicket, and felt herself relax once she was out of his line of sight. "Just what is he playing at?" she asked herself, unfurling the bathing suit to take a good look at it.
It was plain: no frills or adornments, a single shade of navy blue. Miyako actually preferred this style over bikinis, but she doubted that the Kaiser knew a detail like that; knowing him, he'd probably just found it too embarrassing to make her something more revealing.
Changing didn't take too long, and she was soon walking back with her clothes folded into a pile. Ken must have heard her approach, because he turned around to look at her.
The expression on his face was so intent that Miyako felt her heart-rate increasing again.
"It fits," he said, when she put her clothes down on the blanket that served as a barrier against the sand.
"Yeah," she replied, suddenly aware of just how much of her skin was showing, and rested her hands in her lap.
They sat there together in silence for several minutes, the atmosphere becoming more awkward with every second that went by. And, once she couldn't take it anymore, she announced, "I'm gonna go swimming."
Ken nodded stiffly, but didn't say anything.
The sand felt good between her naked toes, and the water felt even better--cold, but not so cold that it was uncomfortable. Medium-sized waves were crashing not too far from the shore, and the tide swelled in and out over her feet. She couldn't really go swimming, because that would mean taking off her glasses. And really, she was far more interested in seeing everything. It was true that this wasn't exactly happening under the best of circumstances, but she was going to appreciate it as best she could; it had been so long since the last time she'd gone to the beach.
She waded in deeper until the water was up to her knees, still a good distance away from where the waves were crashing, and felt something digging into the bottom of her foot. Reaching down to pick it up, she discovered that it was a shell. It reminded her of the shells she'd found on the beach as a child--the common kind that belonged to seaside mollusks like mussels and clams.
"Good thing I didn't step too heavily," she muttered. "This thing could have split my foot right open."
She turned it over in her hand, admiring the way the sunlight reflected off the smooth pearlescent surface on the inside half of it.
"It looks like you've found something interesting," said a voice from behind her, and Miyako stiffened slightly in surprise.
"N-not really," she said, not turning around. "It's just a shell."
She heard him moving through the water, then felt him stop just behind her. "You examining it quite thoroughly, though. So you must find it interesting."
She still didn't turn around. "Well...isn't it a little strange that there's a shell in the Digital World? I mean, something must've lived in it at some point--that's why shells are made--but I don't think I've ever seen any actual animals here."
"You're over-thinking it," he said.
For some reason that comment annoyed her. "Well maybe I like over-thinking it," she snapped. And then, realizing what she had done, quickly added, "Um...that came out wrong. Sorry."
There I go again, running my mouth off like an idiot, she thought, and a spike of fear shot through her.
"Please turn around," he said. And even though he didn't sound angry, Miyako wasn't sure if that could be trusted. Especially after the events of the previous night.
Still, she turned around.
He sighed. "Please look at me."
It was harder this time, but she managed to oblige.
"Why are you acting like this?" he asked, and his expression showed genuine confusion.
"Like what?"
He grabbed a hold of one her wrists, and although it his grip was gentle, Miyako felt another spark of fear. He was getting angry--she just knew it.
"You're shaking," he said accusatorily.
"I can't help that," she replied angrily. Then, more quietly, almost miserably, "I mean...I don't why that's happening."
He was outright frowning now. "Stop it," he commanded, all politeness gone.
She took a deep, shaky breath. "I can't stop it until you tell me what I'm doing wrong."
He let go of her wrist, the frown deepening into a scowl. Somehow, the expression was far more intimidating when worn upon his naked face. "It doesn't matter where we are, does it? You're still always thinking about that thing."
Miyako bit her bottom lip, uncertain if saying anything more would be a good idea. She still didn't understand what he was saying, and the anger returned to mingle with the fear. This time, however, she was determined not to let her temper get the better of her.
If anything, her lack of reaction just seemed to make him angrier. His nostrils flared, and for a moment Miyako was sure that has was going to grab her again. He didn't, though, and turned around instead, wading out of the water and back onto the shore. Soon, he was sitting under the umbrella again, now too far away for her to make out his expression.
She really wanted to leave, but she'd left her D-3 in the same pile as her clothing. If she wanted to get it, she'd have to go over to where Ken was sitting. Steeling herself, she dropped the shell back into the water and walked to the umbrella, trying her best to be as nonchalant about it as possible. She bent down to look for her D-3--she could leave her other clothes behind, since her real clothes would come back the second she was back in the Real World--but found that it was missing.
With a sinking feeling, she looked over at Ken. And, true to her suspicions, he was holding it up to her, a dark smile on his face. "I don't suppose you were looking for this?" he said. His smile morphed into a glare. "I don't recall giving you permission to leave."
It took a considerable portion of her will power to keep her vocal volume from escalating. "Um, right," she said, bowing her head in acknowledgement. "Is it alright for me to go? I still have a lot of studying to do."
He made a sound of amusement, and the smile returned. "I'm sure you're not in that much of a rush, so you should probably sit down for the moment." His tone made it clear that "probably" meant "definitely".
So, she sat down.
For a moment, the silence returned, even more awkward than before. But then she felt his hand upon hers, and he said, "I wasn't lying when I said that I wasn't going to hurt you."
Miyako pursed her lips together and moved her hand away, only to have him grab it and move in closer to her. He put his other hand on her shoulder and, very gently, pushed her onto her back. Propping himself with a bent elbow, he leaned forward so that his face was just inches from hers.
Her heart felt like it was going to rip a hole through her ribcage.
"Miyako-san," he whispered, his warm breath ghosting against her cheek, and her eyes widened further at the use of her name. She felt weak and helpless. But, much to her confusion, she almost wanted him to...to...
He kissed her, then, ever so softly, teasing her lips apart so that he could slip his tongue inside her mouth. Her eyes fluttered closed, and the tension that had been building up inside of her suddenly didn't feel so unpleasant. Without really thinking about it, she snaked her arms around his back, feeling warm skin beneath her fingertips.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she realized that he was shirtless. But for some reason it didn't bother her. In fact, it felt good to touch him. It felt right.
She moaned a little and moved her hands up his back and into his hair, deepening the kiss even further. Her skin felt like it was on fire--like it was alight was electricity--and she wanted him to touch her more. There was another noise, this time from him, and it sent a thrill through her, straight to that delightful knot in her belly.
She wanted him.
It was over too soon, she thought, and, for once, it was him who broke away first.
"Who am I?" he asked breathily, and Miyako opened her eyes reluctantly.
"Uh..." she began, trying to regain her wits. "...huh?"
She was vaguely aware that the atmosphere had changed again. "Who am I?" he asked again, this time more forcefully.
Not really understanding the question, she said, "You're...you?" Why was he asking philosophical questions at a time like this?
He pushed himself up abruptly. "Right. Of course." He sounded upset.
Suddenly, Miyako remembered where she was, and who she was with. Pushing herself upright as well, she covered her mouth in horror.
Oh God...I just...with him. I let him.
She felt like a dirty, selfish traitor.
I liked it.
"Give me my D-3," she said, more than a little desperately. "I really need to go."
Ken smiled a very cruel smile. "But if you go now, Miyako-san, I may decide to hurt your Digimon." He chuckled derisively. "Maybe you should grovel some more."
"Don't--" she swallowed down the lump that was forming in her throat. "Don't you ever call me that again."
He smirked. "You need to be more clear. What don't you want me to call you, Miyako-san?"
She grit her teeth, then said, "Please just give it to me."
Another silence, and his expression turned into a glower. Then, after doing this for a while, he handed her the D-3, saying, "You're going to regret this."
And, when she took it from him, she said, "I already do." With that, she stood up and walked back to the Digital Gate.