The Missing
Epilogue - Healing
By: eternalsailorsolarwind
Disclaimer: Still not mine. **sigh**
A/N: And so it ends. Time to wrap it up. Expect a little sap mixed in. Back to Ken's POV.
Daisuke hurried up the hill I was sitting on, waving at me. I waved back, smiling. It had been a whole week since I'd seen him last, and I missed him terribly. His "temporary" foster parents were not big on trips to Tamachi by himself. So we were only able to see each other on Sundays, when I could get to Odaiba.
We were luckier than we deserved, though. By all rights, his foster parents could refuse to let him see me. They knew that Daisuke was gay, and that he loved me. But considering what had happened to Dais, they weren't being too bad about it.
Daisuke sat down next to me, opening his backpack and letting Chibimon out. Minomon tackled him, and they rolled around together giggling. Our Digimon were now just as much a couple as we were.
I pulled Daisuke to me, and kissed him soundly. He didn't object at all, slipping his tongue into my mouth. "I missed that," I murmured after the kiss ended.
"Me too," he whispered, taking my hand.
We just stared into each other's eyes for a few moments. "How are you doing?" I asked.
"Better. I didn't have any nightmares last night, for the first time."
It had been four months since his father had raped him. Physically, he was fine. But emotionally was another story. He was plagued with nightmares of the rape. He would wake up with phantom pains afterwards, as if he had been raped all over again during his dream.
It broke my heart, because I couldn't be there for him. His foster parents didn't look kindly on my sleeping over.
"That's great!" I was truly thrilled for him. He was making great progress.
"Annnnd," he paused dramatically, grinning at me.
"What?" I asked him. "Don't keep me in suspense, Dai-chan!"
"It looks like Iori's family will get custody of me and Jun," he replied happily.
I was so thrilled; I nearly tackled him when I hugged him. Most of the parents of the Digidestined, mine included, had applied for custody of him and his sister. They thought that it would be best to keep the Motomiya children "in the family," so to speak. Several families were crossed off early for one reason or another. Mr. Ishida worked too much, as did Ms. Takaishi. Plus they were both divorced. My parents were crossed off first because of my relationship with Daisuke. The Hida's and the Izumi's were the last ones in the running. "Really?"
"Yeah," he agreed happily. "It's close, but it looks like they have the edge."
If the Hida's won custody, then things would go back to some semblance of
normal. And I knew Daisuke craved normal. I just craved seeing Daisuke more often. His foster parents were nice enough, but they just didn't understand.
He leaned closer and kissed me again lovingly. Strangely enough, he didn't hate me for my "near-Kaizer experience", as Daisuke liked to call it. If anything, it had brought us even closer. But he never explained why.
"What's wrong, Ken? You're frowning."
I hesitantly asked him about that day. He listened, his face going serious. "That's simple, Ken-chan. I knew you were doing it for =me=. Not because you wanted to be the Kaizer again, but because you wanted the power and strength to do something to help me."
He said it simply, like I should have realized that already. Maybe I already had, but was afraid he wouldn't understand. He had hated the Kaizer once before, what would have happened if I had reverted all the way? I shuddered and put it out of my mind.
He was leaning against me, the warmth of his body a simple pleasure. My arm was around him, holding him close. Our time together was limited, but we always spent it like this. Sighing, I rested my head on top of his. Once a week just wasn't enough.
"He's dead," Daisuke said neutrally, breaking the silence.
"What?" I said, sitting straight up, looking around wildly. "Who's dead?"
"My father died this morning," he said calmly. I looked at him. His face was straight, betraying no emotion. Even his eyes told me nothing. "Some other prisoners killed him."
"Do you know what happened?" I asked carefully. I'd never seen him like this. He was like a robot of Daisuke.
"No, but I can guess. He was killed in the shower," he snorted in disdain. Even I understood what that meant. In a way, it was ironic.
"How do you feel about it?"
"I don't know, Ken. It's all a jumble," he told me. "I get angry, sad, guilty, and that's just the tip of the iceberg."
My poor Dai-chan. I love him so much. I wish I could help him more, but he says that my loving him is enough.
"But that's actually an improvement," he said, looking at me again. "Before, I couldn't feel =anything= at all when it came to him."
"That means you're starting to heal, Daisuke," I told him, reaching for him. "That's a good thing."
He nodded, letting me pull him even closer. "That's what the therapist said. She says I'm getting better, but I'm not so sure."
"Why do you say that, Daisuke?
"Because when I first found out this morning, about my father being dead, I was =happy=. I was glad he was dead and couldn't hurt me anymore," he said, his voice unsteady.
I rocked him for a moment. "It's normal, Daisuke. It's totally normal. He hurt you and you're glad he's gone. I'm not going to hate you for it. No one will."
He didn't cry. "Thanks, Ken." He sounded relieved.
I needed to do something to break the tension. So I suggested a one on one game of soccer. That could always cheer him up. He chuckled softly.
"I'll run you right into the ground!" he said good-naturedly.
I was relieved that it worked. "You wish!"
We laughed as we got up. I dug out my ball and threw it to him. He caught it, and bounced it from one knee to the other. "I know I will," he said seriously. And then he stuck out his tongue at me.
I laughed again, and turned to head out towards the fields. We'd played there many times before. He grabbed my arm before I'd gone more than a few steps. I turned back to him, my eyes questioning.
"Thanks, Ken. For everything," he looked away for a moment, and then turned back to me. "I love you, Ken."
Then he kissed me, deeply, passionately, and lovingly. It was a kiss I had not had from him for months. I wrapped my arms tightly around him, holding him close. He was healing. Very slowly, but he was getting better every day, and I was going to make sure that he healed scar-free.
The kiss broke slowly, as we stared into each other's eyes. "Ai Shiteru, Dai-chan. Ai shiteru zutto.*"
"I know," he said, his whole body smiling at me. Then he grinned, "I'm gonna win, you know."
The End
* Means "I love you, Dai-chan. I love you forever."
Epilogue - Healing
By: eternalsailorsolarwind
Disclaimer: Still not mine. **sigh**
A/N: And so it ends. Time to wrap it up. Expect a little sap mixed in. Back to Ken's POV.
Daisuke hurried up the hill I was sitting on, waving at me. I waved back, smiling. It had been a whole week since I'd seen him last, and I missed him terribly. His "temporary" foster parents were not big on trips to Tamachi by himself. So we were only able to see each other on Sundays, when I could get to Odaiba.
We were luckier than we deserved, though. By all rights, his foster parents could refuse to let him see me. They knew that Daisuke was gay, and that he loved me. But considering what had happened to Dais, they weren't being too bad about it.
Daisuke sat down next to me, opening his backpack and letting Chibimon out. Minomon tackled him, and they rolled around together giggling. Our Digimon were now just as much a couple as we were.
I pulled Daisuke to me, and kissed him soundly. He didn't object at all, slipping his tongue into my mouth. "I missed that," I murmured after the kiss ended.
"Me too," he whispered, taking my hand.
We just stared into each other's eyes for a few moments. "How are you doing?" I asked.
"Better. I didn't have any nightmares last night, for the first time."
It had been four months since his father had raped him. Physically, he was fine. But emotionally was another story. He was plagued with nightmares of the rape. He would wake up with phantom pains afterwards, as if he had been raped all over again during his dream.
It broke my heart, because I couldn't be there for him. His foster parents didn't look kindly on my sleeping over.
"That's great!" I was truly thrilled for him. He was making great progress.
"Annnnd," he paused dramatically, grinning at me.
"What?" I asked him. "Don't keep me in suspense, Dai-chan!"
"It looks like Iori's family will get custody of me and Jun," he replied happily.
I was so thrilled; I nearly tackled him when I hugged him. Most of the parents of the Digidestined, mine included, had applied for custody of him and his sister. They thought that it would be best to keep the Motomiya children "in the family," so to speak. Several families were crossed off early for one reason or another. Mr. Ishida worked too much, as did Ms. Takaishi. Plus they were both divorced. My parents were crossed off first because of my relationship with Daisuke. The Hida's and the Izumi's were the last ones in the running. "Really?"
"Yeah," he agreed happily. "It's close, but it looks like they have the edge."
If the Hida's won custody, then things would go back to some semblance of
normal. And I knew Daisuke craved normal. I just craved seeing Daisuke more often. His foster parents were nice enough, but they just didn't understand.
He leaned closer and kissed me again lovingly. Strangely enough, he didn't hate me for my "near-Kaizer experience", as Daisuke liked to call it. If anything, it had brought us even closer. But he never explained why.
"What's wrong, Ken? You're frowning."
I hesitantly asked him about that day. He listened, his face going serious. "That's simple, Ken-chan. I knew you were doing it for =me=. Not because you wanted to be the Kaizer again, but because you wanted the power and strength to do something to help me."
He said it simply, like I should have realized that already. Maybe I already had, but was afraid he wouldn't understand. He had hated the Kaizer once before, what would have happened if I had reverted all the way? I shuddered and put it out of my mind.
He was leaning against me, the warmth of his body a simple pleasure. My arm was around him, holding him close. Our time together was limited, but we always spent it like this. Sighing, I rested my head on top of his. Once a week just wasn't enough.
"He's dead," Daisuke said neutrally, breaking the silence.
"What?" I said, sitting straight up, looking around wildly. "Who's dead?"
"My father died this morning," he said calmly. I looked at him. His face was straight, betraying no emotion. Even his eyes told me nothing. "Some other prisoners killed him."
"Do you know what happened?" I asked carefully. I'd never seen him like this. He was like a robot of Daisuke.
"No, but I can guess. He was killed in the shower," he snorted in disdain. Even I understood what that meant. In a way, it was ironic.
"How do you feel about it?"
"I don't know, Ken. It's all a jumble," he told me. "I get angry, sad, guilty, and that's just the tip of the iceberg."
My poor Dai-chan. I love him so much. I wish I could help him more, but he says that my loving him is enough.
"But that's actually an improvement," he said, looking at me again. "Before, I couldn't feel =anything= at all when it came to him."
"That means you're starting to heal, Daisuke," I told him, reaching for him. "That's a good thing."
He nodded, letting me pull him even closer. "That's what the therapist said. She says I'm getting better, but I'm not so sure."
"Why do you say that, Daisuke?
"Because when I first found out this morning, about my father being dead, I was =happy=. I was glad he was dead and couldn't hurt me anymore," he said, his voice unsteady.
I rocked him for a moment. "It's normal, Daisuke. It's totally normal. He hurt you and you're glad he's gone. I'm not going to hate you for it. No one will."
He didn't cry. "Thanks, Ken." He sounded relieved.
I needed to do something to break the tension. So I suggested a one on one game of soccer. That could always cheer him up. He chuckled softly.
"I'll run you right into the ground!" he said good-naturedly.
I was relieved that it worked. "You wish!"
We laughed as we got up. I dug out my ball and threw it to him. He caught it, and bounced it from one knee to the other. "I know I will," he said seriously. And then he stuck out his tongue at me.
I laughed again, and turned to head out towards the fields. We'd played there many times before. He grabbed my arm before I'd gone more than a few steps. I turned back to him, my eyes questioning.
"Thanks, Ken. For everything," he looked away for a moment, and then turned back to me. "I love you, Ken."
Then he kissed me, deeply, passionately, and lovingly. It was a kiss I had not had from him for months. I wrapped my arms tightly around him, holding him close. He was healing. Very slowly, but he was getting better every day, and I was going to make sure that he healed scar-free.
The kiss broke slowly, as we stared into each other's eyes. "Ai Shiteru, Dai-chan. Ai shiteru zutto.*"
"I know," he said, his whole body smiling at me. Then he grinned, "I'm gonna win, you know."
The End
* Means "I love you, Dai-chan. I love you forever."