Video Boy Dai
by RikugouNotes: The original idea was never mine to start with. A friend of mine asked me to write it and so I ran off with the plot. This is my *first* Digimon fic. I have no idea whether or not the characters are portrayed correctly. I would be grateful for any criticisms. On another note, thank you very much for beta-ing Kit! You're a lifesaver!
This is a Kensuke fic, with mentionings of Taito and Takari. It's not exactly a fusion with Video Girl Ai, but there are certain parts that will probably end up being similar to the original series.
Chapter 1
There are those who shine and those who do not. The brightness of the ones who shine can never be harnessed or ignored by those around them and so therefore, they attracted ones envious of the light they possessed. Even the energy they exuded while doing the most mundane of chores were often coveted by ones who did not have it.
This is the story of one who tried to contain that light and use it for his own profit.
***
The music was rocking the house, literally. The deep bass of the guitar rumbled through the bones of every screaming fan, making them shout enthusiastically for more. For one Ichijouji Ken, however, it merely gave him a headache. He had no idea what had been put into his drink when he concorded to going to one of Yamato's concerts, but he was sure it must have made him lose his mind. So it was Christmas and his friends wanted to make sure he would not have to celebrate the holiday by himself, but wasn't this going a bit * too* far? Sure, his parents *were* on vacation in the Onsens of Shikinejima Island, but that was no reason to bring him to a place where he could barely hear himself think!
Sighing deeply, Ken looked up onto the stage. Although the music was too loud for his tastes, even *he* had to admit that the band was doing exceptionally well tonight. He mentally smirked. 'Maybe it's the certain someone on the sidelines Yamato keeps peering at every so often.'
The guitar players gave one last strum to their instruments before the entire audience exploded into a raucous applause. Wincing at the even louder noice, he slowly made his way throught the shrieking crowd to the gate leading to the dressing room. The security guard recognized his face and gave him a knowing smile as he handed him a bottle of aspirin.
Giving the guard a grateful expression, he walked inside and knocked on the door emblazoned with a large gold star. It opened just enough for a pair of brown eyes to peer cautiously outside. It was opened wider when they recognized him.
"Took you long enough. I'm surprised you lasted outside through the entire concert."
"So am I, Taichi. So am I," Ken stated with a wry grin. "So why all the caution in opening the door?"
Taichi shuddered dramatically and sprawled across one of the beanbags strewn around the room. "Don't remind me. Some obsessed fan somehow managed to sneak in through the ventilation system just five minutes ago. I managed to get Kizoku to bring her back out."
Ken covered his mouth and silently laughed, going into full blown chuckles when Taichi gave him a baleful glare. "Let's see how well *you* can deal with fanatics," he harrumphed.
At that moment, Yamato came through the door, talking with the rest of his bandmates about their performance. Before he was two feet inside the room, a flying tackle from Taichi nearly sent him to the floor. "Yama!"
"Tai!" The blonde chuckled. "Was I great or was I *great*?"
"Better not answer him Tai, his ego might crush all of us," one of the other band members remarked.
"Shut up, Takashi," Yamato glared at the bass player.
Takashi merely smirked as he and the other members walked past them.
"At the risk of your 'ego crushing all of us', I have to say that you guys were great today," Ken intoned.
"Thanks. At least *someone* here appreciates my efforts."
"So who am I? Chopped liver?" Taichi interred, an eyebrow going up in irritation at being ignored. Unwinding his limbs from his taller companion, he gave Yamato a dark look.
"Of course not!" The blonde looked around the room for some help in pacifying the other, but found all occupants in the room conveniently staring off into every direction but theirs. "Some friends you are," he muttered under his breath.
Takashi just shot him a grin.
Shaking his head in mirth, Ken said, "Since the concert is over, I think I'll go home now."
"Oh, no you don't. You're not getting out of this one Ichijouji," Taichi said, turning to the indigo haired boy.
Yamato merely smirked when he gave him a look that clearly said, 'Help!'. "You agreed to go, so therefore, you're going to go. Besides, Koushiro, Jyou, and Iori will be there. The four of you can talk about the meaning of life while the rest of us enjoy ourselves with the music and dance."
Ken sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "I would rather stay home. I *do* have a project that's due after Christmas vacation and--"
"Which I'm sure you'll get a perfectly high grade on when you start to do it *tomorrow*. Come on, Ken," Taichi said, his voice bordering on petulant. "It's Christmas. And it's been forever since you just hung out with the rest of us."
"Fine, fine. I'll go," he reluctantly agreed.
"All right!" Taichi cheered.
***
"Yukia-sama," the man said fearfully. He bowed deeply before his master, shaking slightly in terror. The room was dark and void of any and all light except for a pair of flickering torches on opposite ends of the wall. The burning flames caused the shadows to leap and dance as if they were alive.
"What brings you here, servant?"
"There are m-more and more V-Video Boys being taken from their tapes. W-We are starting to run out of them," he stuttered.
"Are you telling me that you could *not* retrieve Tai and have him retired?" Owikawa growled.
"Y-Yes sir. H-He m-managed to elude my agents and I've found from a few sources that h-he has joined the Digital Destined."
"Incompetent fool! How can a Video Boy escape your best officers?!" he shouted.
"I-I'm v-very sorry sir," he stammered. "W-We sh-shall try harder, sir."
Owikawa turned to the cowering man. "No. *They* shall try harder. *You*, however, are no longer of use to me."
He raised his hand and made a sweeping motion.
The shadows in the dark room started to move in an obviously unnatural manner as the man cringed before his master. "Your lordship, I w-won't fail you again! Please m-merciful Master! I can g-get Tai, omnipotent One! I just n-need one more chance! I'm begging you!"
"*Enough*!" Owikawa roared. "I have long since lost my patience with you and grow weary of your presence."
"M-Master--!"
"Quiet worm! Shadow Ninjas, throw him into the Dark Ocean!"
Vaguely humanoid figures appeared from the shadows garbed in dark apparel. They grabbed the blubbering man with no amount of trouble and began dragging him away.
"Not the Dark Ocean! NO! Please spare me Master! *MASTER*!"
The man's screams for forgiveness echoed within the room. Then, there was a loud splash and a sudden stop to the man's shouts for mercy from his lord.
The maker of the Video Boys merely stood by the window, glancing stoically at the ever diminishing bubbles on the surface of the Dark Ocean.
***
"I had to reconfigure the calibrations on my lap top about five times before I was able to get it running at optimum efficiency after that thunderstorm the previous night," sighed Koushiro.
"It certainly proves that nature is more powerful than technology, Koushiro."
"If nature is truly this omnipotent entity, why is it that humans can harness its power?"
The voices of the arguing duo faded into the background as Ken absently stared off into space. He hated gatherings like these and although he had not been spending much time with his friends, he had no wish to be spending it in a party. Politely excusing himself from the debating pair, he headed for the food table. Snagging a slice of Christmas cake and a drink, he headed for the balcony. There was a bite in the air, so all of the party's occupants deigned to stay inside where they were nice and warm. It suited him just fine.
Laying his plate on the wide ledge of the banister, he picked off a strawberry and popped it into his mouth. Chewing absentmindedly, he looked up at the vast night sky.
'Is Osamu up there looking down at me from the stars?' he wondered idly. 'Probably not. He has other things to do than to look after a younger brother.'
A soft gasp in the still air made him turn around. Amethyst eyes widened almost comically wide when he saw a rather familiar head of brown pinning another familiar head of blonde to the wall.
"What the--?"
The couple jumped away from each other and blushed red enough to be seen in the dim light. "Uh, Ken. Funny meeting you here, on this...um...balcony."
An elegant eyebrow went up to his hairline, "It's a party, so generally people would go onto a balcony for privacy if there's one available.."
"Uh, right," the blonde singer mumbled.
"Guess the party was too much for the both of you," Ken said with a small grin.
"Please," Taichi said, rolling his eyes. "Mimi kept pushing us under sprigs of mistletoe the entire time. I don't like performing with an audience," he paused for a moment and leered, "unless it's you of course."
"I don't think Yamato would appreciate that very much," he remarked drily.
"Enough about the both of us. What are you doing out here anyway?" Yamato asked.
"I was bored," Ken replied with nonchalance. "It's not as if I know a lot of people here."
"Ever hear of mingling?" Yamato questioned with a huff.
"Don't answer him. He's just a bit grumpy at being interrupted," Taichi said, waving away Ken's statement.
"I told you I shouldn't have come here. Talking to Koushiro is fine, but I'm just not in the mood," he sighed.
"Ken, when *are* you in the mood?" the blonde said, throwing his hands into the air.
"Sorry," he mumbled, turning away from the couple.
"It's not your fault, Ichijouji."
The indigo haired teen stiffened. "What's not my fault?" he asked in a slightly tremulous voice.
"He didn't die because you wished for it, Ken. It was an accident! What do I need to do in order to get that through that thick skull of yours?"
The teen whirled around to face them, eyes wild. "What do *you* know? You weren't the one to wish your older brother's death, now were you? Did *you* ever wish that Hikari would die, Taichi?"
Brown eyes looked at him, stunned at the question. Ken took his silence as a no. Turning to the singer, he asked, "And *you*, Yamato?"
"Almost everyone who has had a sibling in the history of mankind *has * at one time in their lives wished their sister or brother to die because they annoy you or won't give you any privacy," the lead singer said with a gentleness that even surprised his lover.
"Yeah, sure," he spat. "But when you wished they died, it didn't actually happen now did it?"
"It was a pure coincidence that it happened after you wished it! He may have been a genius, but having IQ points higher than kids your own age doesn't make you survive any better than anyone else when a car hits you head on at 95 kph," Yamato growled.
Ken winced as if struck but his rebuttal was just as vituperative, "Sorry if I don't see the coincidence. A idle whim of mine came true and no matter how much I tried to take it back, it was too late. If it wasn't for me, Osamu would still be alive and celebrating the holidays."
"You were *eight*, Ken! Children are *supposed* to have idle whims!"
The high school student looked at him, unable to respond, before walking back to the edge of the balcony.
Running his fingers through his blonde hair, Yamato sighed in irritation. A beeping noise from a weirdly shaped beeper made him frown in confusion. He detached it from his waist and pressed a button that made it stop. The furrow between his brows deepened when he saw the message. Blue eyes went from Ken's eyes, to the beeper, to Taichi and back again.
I found another, Yamato mouthed to his boyfriend.
Ichijouji Ken?! But he's too young! Taichi mouthed back.
Obviously not since the DigiVice says he's ready to take one on, he said silently.
Dropping his head, he reached into his back pocket and extracted a card. Taichi took out a beeper similar to Yamato's except in color, and slid the plastic along the slit on the side. A confirmation message appeared on the screen. Giving the card to his lover, he softly nudged him towards the silent figure leaning over the terrace.
Yamato went over to Ken's side, and let his arms rest on top of the railing. "You really are still hurting after all these years, aren't you?"
His tone made it clear that it was not a question but the amethyst eyed teen answered nonetheless. "It never went away. I doubt anything can make me forget it for even five seconds of my life," he replied quietly.
A card shoved in front of his face made him jerk away from the edge in surprise. "Take it," the blonde said in a tone that brooked no arguments.
Taking the card between two fingers, he cautiously ran his fingers over the two words emblazoned boldly in red across the card. "Gokuraku? Why are you giving me a video rental card?"
"I want you to go there and walk over to the Video Boys section," Yamato said bluntly.
"Video Boys?"
"It's not what it sounds like, Ken," Taichi interposed. "You're not renting a porno video."
"As I said before, I want you to go to the Video Boys section and rent the first one that catches your eye when you pass through the aisle. The first one. *Not* the second or third. The *first* one and rent it. Do *not* look at any other tape," the singer said.
"And *why* should I do this for you?"
"I'm telling you to do this for yourself. It'll change your life, most likely for the better," he retorted. "Just try it Ken. If it doesn't work out, I'll give you the permission to skin me alive."
"Fine," Ken sighed. "I'll go." He turned back towards the french doors and strode through them.
"You're going *now*? But the party's still on!" the rock star said in surprise.
"I have nothing better to do anyway at this party," the child genius said without turning around. "What better time than now?" He gave them a small wave of goodbye and disappeared into the crowd like magic.
"Good luck, Ken. I hope your Video Boy thing works out," the blonde said softly.
"It better work out. I like your skin just where it is, thank you very much," the brunette added petulantly.
"Heh, I know," the musician commented in a smug tone.
***
Ken looked down at the card and then back up to the large sign proclaiming the store as Gokuraku. He saw the ice cream shop he frequented during the warmer months right next door and found it peculiar that he never noticed it until now. He walked by it every single day while walking to and from school. Shrugging off the strange feeling he got thinking about the impossibility of the video rental place, he crossed the street. Pushing the glass door open, he walked in, the bell tinkling merrily. He glared at the source of the irritating sound and wished he had some C-4 to blow it up.
Peering cautiously inside, he was slightly surprised there were absolutely no customers besides him. Then again, it was rather late and it *was* Christmas eve. Most people would be at home eating dinner with family or at a party. Well, he wasn't most people. Scanning the aisles, he walked straight to the Video Boy section like Yamato had instructed him to.
Amethyst eyes blinked in astonishment when he saw how small and secluded the section was. It was in the farthest corner of the store and also rather dimly lit. He wrinkled his nose in disgust at the layer of dust on most of the videos. Only one of the tapes were clean. Taking it off the shelf, he scanned the front cover of the box.
A red-headed boy smirked up at him from the video, his chin propped up by a slender fingered hand. Lively chocolate brown eyes sparkled up at him in mischief. A pair of goggles were perched proudly atop spiky hair. He wore a jacket with a flame-like design in red, yellow and blue with a white fur-lined collar. The boy wore a pair of yellow gloves, a pair of khaki shorts and a white shirt. All in all, a rather colorful outfit compared to the shades of grey he usually wore, be it a festival of some sort or a solemn funeral.
A voice from the counter startled him. "Are you going to stare at that all day, young man?" the man at the register said in amusement.
"Um, no," Ken uncharacteristically stuttered, a bit peeved to be caught examining as mundane an item as a video. He reached for his wallet and carefully pulled out the membership card as he walked to the front of the store. Handing the tape and card over to the grey-haired balding man, he patiently waited for the man to run the card through the computer.
"Good choice, good choice. You're having social problems, I'm supposing. This just came in a little over a month ago," the man absently said as he scanned the card.
"I beg your pardon?" the teenager blinked. Where did the man get such a notion? Oh, it was true, but he had never beein inside this store nor had he ever seen the guy before. How did he know?
"Here you go," the man smiled conspiratorily as he handed him the video in a bag with the store's logo on it.
He gave him a half-hearted thanks and bid the owner of the store a quick goodbye before hightailing it out of the rental place. That was *really* creepy.
***
On the way home, he bumped into a classmate. Inoue Miyako. A computer nerd and a rather intelligent girl who had one vice: she fell in love with every cute guy she saw. Currently, she was after him.
"Ken-kun! What a coincidence! I thought you were still at that party with Ishida-san and Yagami-san," she said amiably.
"I was, but I left early because of a headache," he said. A headache that started to form when I bumped into you, he silently thought. Miyako wasn't a bad girl by any name, but the way she came onto him just rubbed his nerves raw.
"My house is a only a block away. I can give you some medicine for it. My parents had me run out for some drinks. You're welcome to come and eat at our table. They would love to meet you!" she beamed.
"Another time perhaps. I'm not that far from the station. Besides, I wouldn't like to impose," he said.
"You really wouldn't! It's Christmas! A time to celebrate. My father can drive you home if it gets too late," she chirped.
"I really should be going home. I have a project I really have to start on--wouldn't want to get a low grade on it. See you in school after vacation," he said as he started to run towards the station.
"But--."
"Bye!" he shouted over his shoulder. He heard her say, "Drat, he got away again," just as he turned the corner. He sighed in relief and slowed down once he reached the train station. "That was a close one," he mumbled to himself as he was buying a ticket.
He slipped through the doors just as they were closing and collapsed gratefully onto a seat. There were few people in the car which suited him just fine. Ken drifted off lazily to the slight rocking motion of the train, tired due to the emotional wounds he received from bringing up his brother's death.
When the stop for Tamachi finally came, he slowly stood up, feeling about fifty years older and started for home.
***
"Computer indicates that the new video rental card given to Ichijouji Ken is in perfect working order. Download of stats on the Video Boy complete."
"Good, that's very good. If we succeed, what number would this one be?"
"I believe this Video Boy would be the 77th one."
"Lucky sevens. Bring up the data on the Video Boy."
"Video Boy Dai. Age 17. Real name is Motomiya Daisuke."
"Motomiya, Motomiya. Would that be the boy who was reported missing over 5 years ago?"
"Yes, that would be the one."
"Prized video boy as well, is he..."
"I'm afraid so. Success rate of retrieval does not look up."
"Aa, but I believe it to be the opposite. Ichijouji Ken is the youngest agent to date in digidestined history. It would make sense that this Motomiya character would require a special operative. I have a feeling that they just might be the pair to *really* cripple Yukia Owikawa."
"I hope you're right."
"These feelings are *never* wrong."
"Smug aren't you."
"Of course!"
***
"Home *sweet* home," he muttered sarcastically under his breath once he stepped through the door. The apartment was empty as usual. His parents were, more often than not, off on vacations using the money he gained during his 'child prodigy' days to finance their trips.
He absently threw the tape onto his bed in the bedroom and walked over to the refridgerator in the kitchen intent on making a sandwich. Ken did not eat much at the party. Finding some mochi as well, he brought both to the bed and flung himself onto the mattress. Crumbs on the bed be damned. He couldn't care less at the moment.
An object dug insistently into his side. He ignored it in deference to his food, but it eventually started to irritate him. Putting his sandwich down in disgust, he pulled out the thing he was practically lying on. It was the tape he rented from Gokuraku. The video had slipped his mind. He finished off his food before bringing the plates to the sink and washing them. After wiping his hands on the dish rag, Ken walked back into his room.
The tape looked innocently at him. Sure, Taichi had said it wasn't porn but he wasn't sure if he could trust the brunette any farther than he could throw the guy out the window. He looked down at the boy on the cover, staring into a pair of chocolate brown eyes that seemed to implore him to play the cassette. Sighing in surrender, he opened the case and put the tape into the VCR. No use in prolonging the inevitable.
Grabbing the remote, he turned the TV on and pressed play. The words Video Boy Dai flashed across the screen before the same reddish brown haired boy on the cover of the tape came on.
"Thank you. Thank you for choosing my video. My name is Daisuke by the way and what's yours?" the actor asked, smiling winsomely at him.
A concerned look suddenly appeared on the video boy's face. "Why do you look so sad?" Realization along with a mixture of surprise flashed through his eyes. "Oh I see...unresolved guilt, is it? Don't let it get you down though, okay? Going through life on a constant guilt trip isn't healthy. I doubt anyone would like to see you in such a state."
With downcast eyes, he asked, "I know I'm not much but how would you feel about letting me be the one to cheer you up?" Daisuke looked up hopefully at him.
A moment passed before sadness flitted along his features. "*I* see..it's that bad, huh," the red headed boy whispered almost to himself, letting his hair overshadow his eyes. "Poor guy. There's no way just a video is going to help you," he said softly, shaking his head ruefully. The video rolled on with no talk from the spikey haired boy, then abruptly, he exploded with a, "That's it! I'll stay stay with you for as long as it takes."
The screen of the television flared up in luminescent brilliance, lighting up the entire room.
Startled, Ken shouted, "What...*what the hell*?!"
***
Outside, a strange light filtered out from behind closed windows, brightening the dark night sky for a long moment. At such a late hour of the night, everyone was asleep, except for two people, curled up together on a couch coincidentally facing the same direction as Ken's house.
The blonde smiled, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards. His companion muttered a grumpy, "If whatever you say resembles an 'I told you so', I'm going to hit you."
"Didn't I tell you he was going to do it?"
A plump feather pillow smacked him in the face. Feathers erupted from the split seam, flying everywhere. Laughter filled the air as the blonde tried to avenge his injured pride.
***
Meanwhile, back at the Ichijouji residence, Ken was staring fixedly on the brightly glowing television and crazy VCR. Vague shapes resembling the palm of a hand pressed against the glass of the TV as if trying to get out, but the violet haired student merely disregarded it to his imagination. Surely, that could not possibly happen!
To his immense surprise and a small mixture of horror, fingers materialized on his side of the screen, reaching outwards as if searching for something. 'Or someone,' he thought fearfully.
Slowly but surely, the top of a spikey head also came through and after it, the whole body which was flung across the room onto his bed. Ken stared at his TV with a pair of wide amethyst eyes and slowly turned to look at the mysterious and impossible figure.
"Some boy just came out of my screen!"
-To be continued-
Comments? Criticisms?
--Rikugou