Stingmon hated seeing him in pain. It was quite obvious with the way he was gently cradling his arm as he attempted to clean the bloody gash on his arm while Ken leaned against him for support. Ken flinched slightly as the cool water stun the tender, and maybe slightly infected, flesh. Ken bit his lip as he tried to suppress a sob as Stingmon attempted to remove the remaining glass shards that were still embedded in his arm. His arm hurt just as badly as his ribs. His ankle hurt as well. It was probably sprained and his head hurt quite a bit too. Maybe from when his head collided with the glass table when he tried to protect his already fractured ribs.

Ken tore his teary eyes away from his arm to stare at the beautiful oasis that Stingmon brought him to, which was supposed to have healing properties. Where are we anyway? He wasn't sure if this was Server or Fire Island. Ken would never be fully conscious when Wormmon dragged him through the gate that he purposely kept open, bringing him to this healing oasis. Ken never questioned when his partner, like Tailmon, would be in his Adult form upon entering the Digital World.

Ken hated this. He hated the sinking feeling every time he saw his father. He hated the weakness that always accompanied him when he was injured. He especially hated the fact that he could never remember entering the Digital World until he was awakened by the stinging of the water touching the newest injury on his abused body.

Ken let out a weak groan as he rested his head against his partner. He hated feeling so weak. How did things go so wrong? Ken childishly thought as he found himself wishing his mother never left. Why? Ken must have thought that word a thousand times already. He was sure the others were starting to suspect something was terribly wrong, especially with the way he'd been unknowingly withdrawing from them. Both the Elder and Younger Chosen would always email him, trying to get him to confide in them, reminding him that they were there for him. Ken knew this. He knew that Daisuke, Takeru, and Iori had told the others the night after their sleepover. Ken hadn't been able to get comfortable due to the pain that wracked his body. His father had been firm in his reminder that he was a worthless piece of trash, just like his mother. Despite wanting to, Ken could never bring himself to email back, to tell the others the things his father were saying and doing to him. He was too ashamed to admit them.

It was frightening how everything went downhill once his mother left them. Ever since Osamu died, his parents always fought. Sometimes they would yell at each other. Other times they would not speak to each other for a few days before arguing again. But as the years went on, his parents' relationship had not improved. His parents had never been physical in their fights until four years ago.

His father had always been a drinker. How much he drank, resulted in how bad his temper would be. And he had been drinking more and more over the years. Ken had never seen his parents get physical with each other, but he would hear the things they would throw at each other and the words that would spill out of their mouths. By his mother's request, Ken had always found himself going to the Digital World or staying at one of the others' houses after school. His mother had only been trying to protect him. But then why did she leave one day without taking him with her? She must have had enough of the abuse and of her husband's drinking habits and violent temper, for when he returned home one morning, she was gone.

Ken tried to understand why she left. It was to get away from his father. But why did she leave him too? Did she really think he would be better off with his father? Ken wasn't sure, all he knew was that his father's temper had not improved within the past four months. On the contrary, it had gotten worse.

During the first three weeks, his father would stay at one of the bars all night, leaving Ken to fend for himself, coming home sometimes in the morning. That didn't bother him too much though. He was never close to his father, to begin with. Besides, the Motomiyas loved having him over. However, that was before his father turned his anger and frustrations on him.

It had all started when he was cleaning one of the vases his mother left behind. Ken hadn't been aware that his father had been watching him, hating him for sharing several of his mother's traits. The smell of his father's alcohol-laced breath was the only warning he had before the first punch went flying. The attack had been so unexpected that Ken had not been able to defend himself before he was rendered unconscious.

It had been Wormmon that found him when he returned from the Digital World. Unlike the other Digimon, Wormmon had been around for several centuries. Before becoming a Chosen Digimon, Wormmon had ruled alongside his older brother in the WWW Continent. Ken had never met him but heard that the 'mon was dying to meet him. But with the way his father kept attacking him, forcing Wormmon to drag him to the Digital World to get patched up, Ken felt that day would never come.

"Sorry." Ken had unknowingly made a weak whine as Stingmon shifted his body so that he could start cleaning the gash on his head. "I know it hurts, Ken-chan, just try to bear with me, okay?" Ken knew something was wrong when Stingmon sounded so far away, despite being mere inches away from him. "Ken-chan?"

Ken tried to respond, but he felt detached. He was floating, drifting away from the pain, from reality. "Ken! Ken!" He was completely unaware of the panic that filled his partner's being. "No! Stay with me, Ken!"

Despite how weak and tired he felt, Ken, found himself slowly opening his eyes as Stingmon's alarmed voice cut through the darkness that tried to engulf him. "Ken-chan,…please…don't leave me…"

Leave? Ken's thoughts felt sluggish as he tried to focus on his partner. The black dots that were creeping the corners of his vision and how Stingmon just got more blurrier as the darkness began to spread, should have told Ken that something was wrong. But Ken was too tired to notice. He just wanted to sleep.

"No! Don't fall asleep Ken!" Sleep sounded wonderful. Despite their own accord and to Stingmon's absolute horror, Ken's eyelids slowly began to close. "No! Ken! Ken!"

"STINGMON!"

"Phelesmon-oniisan…!" was the last thing he heard before he gave into the safety of the endless darkness