"Final Confrontation"

Summary: Vamdemon is out for another victim. This time, Ken Ichijoji will have to face his alter ego, the Digimon Kaiser, for one final confrontation. The winner of the battle receives a wondrous reward: control of Ken! Inspired by "Confrontation" from the Jekyll and Hyde Soundtrack

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon, nor do I own Jekyll and Hyde. The second half of this gives credit to Lightning13. God, he's wonderful at horror!

The humid night made the air feel thick. The clouds parted, revealing a thin, waning crescent moon. The streetlights were on, but barely any light made it to the sidewalks as the fog descended on Odaiba. Ken Ichijoji tried to sleep, but he was constantly tossing and turning. Some restless being was keeping him from reaching the nirvana of sleep; this had been happening for several nights now. He glanced over at Wormmon, who was sound asleep. Ken stared up at the ceiling again and closed his eyes.

A creature loomed outside his window, staring in at him. A wicked grin crossed its face; as it was ready to go inside, it stopped and watched the boy. Ken got out of bed and headed toward the window. Not wanting to be caught, the creature jumped up and landed on the rooftop of the apartment building.

Ken opened the door to his balcony and stepped out. Even though it was humid outside, any heat felt good. The air conditioner was on, and the cold air it pumped out chilled Ken. It was nice to warm up in the summer heat, even if it was a bit muggy and uncomfortable. He looked up, hoping to see the moon, yet the fog had clouded over the sky. Sighing, Ken sank back into his room, closing the heavy sliding door behind him.

The creature jumped back down onto the balcony and watched Ken crawl back into bed. Ken turned to face the wall, shrouding himself in covers. Quietly, the figure slid the door open and closed it; surprisingly, it didn't make a noise. This would provide excellent cover for its future intentions.

Wormmon, who had previously been in a deep sleep, started grumbling and groaning as the creature got near him. Ken heard this and rolled over. He and the creature locked eyes for a few minutes. Then the creature held his hands out, both palms facing Ken. The only words spoken were by the creature. "Return to us, Kaiser. Nightmare!" The blast hit Ken square in the chest. Wormmon went over to Ken, nudging him, but it was no use; Ken was put to sleep. Wormmon stared back at the creature, ready to attack, but was knocked out by a few whips to the head.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Ken gazed at his surroundings. He was under the impression that the dark abyss was similar to the Dark Ocean, yet one thing struck him as odd: there was nothing. No dark ocean, no grey sand below his feet, and certainly no life. Just a chasm of oblivion, and nothing more.

All of a sudden, a dark laugh rang out. It struck a chord deep in Ken's mind, frightening him a bit. The memories he wished to suppress had now come back to haunt him. The creature that had attacked him came out of the pool of darkness below. Only one word was on Ken's lips as he gazed at the malicious creature. He had heard stories from Gatomon about his cruelty, and how merciless he was toward her. He had first-hand experience of his manipulation and deceit. And now, as he spoke, he wished that his thoughts to kill him would become reality.

"Vamdemon…" Ken whispered, his voice full of hate.

"Clever boy," he spoke. "Now tell me, genius child, why did I send you here?"

"What do you mean?" Ken was impatient, awaiting the answer.

"Simple. I could have easily killed you in your room. After all, you were not armed, and I have a whip on me. Instead, I send you into a nightmare. You seem to know all the answers, so why?"

Ken thought about this for a moment. He was a bit perplexed, why did he? He tried to think of what possible motive there could be, and at last, he found it: torture.

He sighed and said, "You're going to try to torture me, aren't you?"

Vamdemon clapped slowly. "Bravo. They don't call you a boy genius for nothing."

"Being a genius has nothing to do with it. The others aren't victims, so they don't understand you."

Vamdemon's eyes narrowed more, as if Ken's insolent words had enraged him. "If you truly understood me, you'd know my plan forward and back. Tell me, what form of torture shall I inflict upon you?"

Ken's thoughts ran wild. There were many forms: physical, mental, psychological… the list could go on, but he would rather not think about that. The one thing that came to him was having everyone turn on him. His self-esteem would plummet to an extreme low, into a pit that he could never get out of. He would feel like he would just die of loneliness, or fade away. It's not like anyone would care should it happen.

Vamdemon chuckled devilishly, "You're an amusing subject, you know."

Ken took a fighting stance and glared abominably at him. "What are you laughing about?"

"Your thoughts, dear boy."

"What about them?"

"I just find your thoughts very droll, that's all."

Ken was infuriated at this point. "So, if I'm wrong, what are you going to do?"

Vamdemon leaned in closer so that their faces were almost a foot apart. Ken became frozen in his place out of fear. He wanted to run or even back up, but his feet would not budge. Vamdemon smiled malevolently, and chose his words carefully. "Don't fret, boy. I have something more… devious in mind."

He raised his hand to Ken's forehead and, with two fingers, smacked him head on. Because of a vampire's increased strength, Ken flew back a foot and a half, landing on his back. Quickly, he rose to his feet, even though he was in pain. And there, standing in front of him was the feared one. The spiked dark hair resembled a black fire, and the small cape around him almost disappeared into the darkness. He had no eyes, but merely a purple glare off of the yellow-framed goggles.

"I believe you are familiar with the Kaiser, correct?" Vamdemon commented. Ken opened his mouth to say something, but Vamdemon cut him off. "Good. Now that you two are acquainted, it's time for you two to battle."

"Battle?" Ken inquired.

Vamdemon snapped his fingers and the three of them shot up in the air. Ken thought they were going so fast that should they come back down, all three would die. Indeed, they started to fall, but only for a short time. Ken landed on his side, his head almost hitting the concrete from the whiplash. Luckily, he had his arm under him to cushion his head. He looked around, getting on his feet shakily. He stared at the ground and cried out. One more step, and he would have gone over the edge. They were on the roof of a large building.

This isn't just any building, Ken thought. This is the T.V. station! And we're on top of it!

"Yes, you two will battle each other." Vamdemon explained. "There are no rules. All you have to do is throw them off of the roof into the traffic below."

Ken glared defiantly at Vamdemon and said, "What if I refuse to partake in your little game?"

"Well then you forfeit and the Kaiser wins. The winner gets control of your body for eternity."

Ken, who was walking towards the far end (where the globe is), stopped dead in his tracks. If Vamdemon were indeed telling the truth, then his Kaiser self would wreak havoc on the Digital World and his world once more. Vowing never to let that happen, he sighed and turned around, feeling defeated already.

Vamdemon jumped up on top of the globe, an overseer to the battle. "Fight!"

The Kaiser sprang towards Ken, aiming for a right hook. Ken, who had practice dodging blows and kicks on his soccer team, ducked. He punched the Kaiser in the shin, backing him up only a bit. Ken stood up and, feeling confident, tried to give him a right hook himself, but the Kaiser had other plans. He leaned back, Matrix style, and grabbed Ken's arm, flipping him onto his back.

Ken groaned, for the pain was immense. He gritted his teeth as he tried to make it back on his feet, but the Kaiser gave Ken an uppercut, knocking him back once more. This time, Ken landed so that the wind was knocked out of him. As he struggled to breathe, the Kaiser pulled out his whip and lashed at Ken's chest. It didn't help matters, but the first sound Ken uttered was a moan of torment.

Ken staggered to his feet, and the Kaiser whipped at him again. So this is what it feels like to be at the receiving end, he thought bleakly. Again, he cried out in pain. The Kaiser picked Ken up by the collar of his shirt and hung him over the edge. A desperate Ken held onto the Kaiser's arm, wishing that he could fight back now.

"I am the victor," the Kaiser said blatantly. "And now, I will have control of you."

Ken was in shock; this couldn't be happening. He squirmed, "Never! I'll never let you have control of me. I'll find a way to get rid of you for good!"

The Kaiser laughed evilly. "You can't destroy me, Ken! As long as you are alive, I will be as well!"

Ken smiled; he had come to a breakthrough. "Wait!" he yelled. "You can't kill me, otherwise you'll kill yourself!"

Again, the Kaiser laughed. "Impossible. You see, it was you who created me. Therefore, I can live without you, just like a child can live without its parents."

Ken became irate and demanded, "Damn you! Why are you always tormenting me?"

"I am you, and you are me."

Ken's eyes widened. "No! I'm nothing like you—"

"Yet you still are me. I will always be with you, controlling you, manipulating you, twisting your thoughts and darkening your dreams into nightmares. And now, I can do this forever!"

"Go to Hell, Kaiser!"

"Gladly, but I'll see you there." With that last statement, he dropped Ken, laughing sadistically as Ken's body hit the asphalt below with a sickening thud.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Vamdemon stood beside the Kaiser and put a hand on his shoulder. "Well, that's one down and eleven more to go. Are you up to such a daunting challenge?"

The Kaiser flashed Vamdemon a smile and replied, "As long as you make good on your deal, and give me control of the Digital World."

Vamdemon smiled wryly and responded, "Of course. I never go back on promises." He had his fingers crossed behind his back. After all, it was not in Vamdemon to share his throne with anyone.

Fin