Chapter Text
It really wasn't that hard to persuade Osamu into letting him go to Koushiro's home as one might think. Osamu was well aware that he was Koushiro's and Yamato's best friend. Ken had gone to their houses plenty of times over the past seven and a half years. It was a good reprieve from the loneliness and heartache his parents gave him at home. Osamu was aware of this and decided it was for the best, considering they would have left him at home, alone, while their parents took Osamu to his interview for some kind of achievement or another. Ken lost track a long time ago.
"Call me when you get to Izumi-san's house, Ken-chan," Osamu said in his usual stern voice that held its concern for his safety, but there was a great deal of warmth that Osamu only directed towards him. "I want to talk to Izumi-sama when you get there."
"Of course, Oniichan," Ken said cheerfully. He's so overprotective. Ken tapped his white cane on the ground as he thought about his new comeback. "Now don't go and snap at the lady while I'm gone. We all know how grumpy you get when I'm not there."
The sputtering from his brother came right on time. "I am not grumpy!"
"No, you're not," Ken acknowledged, but his smile did not go away. "You're just incredibly defensive and snappy when it comes to those things."
"I AM NOT!" Ken laughed as he quickly turned around and walked away from his brother before he could hit him playfully on the head for the comment. Osamu would never go after him or scold him for acting so childishly like their parents tended to do. Ken vaguely wondered what type of revenge his brother would do in retaliation. Ken should probably worry about embarrassing his brother in public, but Osamu just made it too easy sometimes. Besides, he wouldn't be doing his job right if he didn't get his brother all wild up from time to time.
Ken smiled proudly as he heard his brother's teammates laughing. Along with them, he heard a familiar laugh that belonged to his long-time friend and ex-rival, followed by his loud and heavy footsteps that were coming from his right.
"Nice one, Ken-kun!" Ken stopped with his smile widening on his face when Taichi's stopped next to him. He noticed that Taichi was panting slightly from all the running he'd been doing.
"Thanks, Taichi-san," Ken said lightly. "Nice job against Oniichan. He didn't sound that happy with the way you kept taking the ball from him."
"Thanks," Taichi said before groaning at how he addressed him. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me so formally? We've known each other for years now. I'm telling you one these days I'm going to beat that into your head! I don't care what you parents or your brother say!"
Another round of laughter escaped Ken's lips. Ken had been taught by his parents that he had to address everyone formally. They were just as insistent on that as they were on the glasses around people thing. Ken honestly forgot that Taichi hated the -san added to his name. It made it sound like they were strangers or something apparently.
"Sorry, Taichi-kun. Force of habit."
"One that I would gladly break," Taichi mumbled under his breath as they walked up a flight of stairs, which Taichi guided him through. Ken really hated stairs. One of the downsides of being blind was that stairs held too many vibrations. Ken found it very difficult for him to maneuver stairs when a lot of people were going up and down on them. It made it hard for him to pinpoint where a person was on it. Ken had been criticized and insulted (much to Osamu's irritation) too many times by an ignorant person when he accidentally bumped into them when someone either cut in front of him or stopped for whatever reason.
And the loud noises didn't help either. The downside of his enhanced hearing was that it made his hearing very sensitive. Ken found the loud noises overwhelming for him to the point that it gave him a major headache and sometimes would cause his ears to ring. He was lucky he hadn't gotten deaf by now, especially with the way Yamato's bandmates play. Ken still felt guilty that he had passed out that one time. He hated making Yamato worry about him.
"So, how is Hikari-chan doing? I haven't seen her in over a month now." Unlike Yamato (who he had known for eight years) or Koushiro (who he had known for five), Ken had actually attended the same school as Taichi when they used to live in Hikarigaoka. True, they had become rivals when they both played football after school. But they had become good friends as well. Ken had actually gone to Taichi's quite often back then. And then there was that strange bombing in '95.
Ken had vague memories of that day. Ken remembered having a pretty bad fever that night, so his memories were a bit fuzzy. Ken swore he had seen monsters outside their apartment, but his brother (and parents) said it was just the fever talking. They had tried to convince him it was a terrorist attack, but Ken seriously doubted that. Ken had asked Taichi and Hikari about what happened when he was slightly better and they said they saw monsters too. It couldn't be a coincidence that a year after that incident they were summoned by the Great Dragons to save their world from destruction. And then Taichi and his group were summoned three years after him to save it again. But that still didn't explain what happened to Osamu's partner or that weird lockdown three years ago in Odaiba. He wondered if it was Digimon related.
"Pretty good, considering what's been going on lately," Taichi replied. "Hikari just finished this photo album of the two of us when we were younger. I really wish you could see it. It has a lot of good memories."
Ken nodded at the sad tone in Taichi's voice. He and Taichi had a lot of good memories together, even before he lost his sight. Ken's personal favorite was Taichi's birthday party. The Yagamis had a football themed party and had invited many of their football teammates. They had a nice friendly game and even Hikari participated. Although, she was only four at the time, but they had lots of fun in the end.
"Who's your partner?" Ken asked his long time friend as Taichi made them stop walking for some reason.
"My partner is Agumon," Taichi said fondly. "Hikari's Tailmon. What about you?"
"Wormmon," Ken told him with a smile. Ken remembered encountering an Agumon and a Tailmon when he first went to the Digital World. They were probably the only ones who didn't attack the moment his group got there. Though, that could be because they were the servants of Goddramon. "You know it's kind of funny that you are a Chosen."
"Why's that?" Taichi asked as they reached the top of the stairs. Why did they have to be so high up?
"Think about Taichi. When I was summoned to the Digital World, none of my teammates knew each other. We managed, but…well…I'm assuming you have an idea of what happened to us." Taichi's hand tighten a bit around his arm in response.
"You all paid a great sacrifice to save the Digital World," Taichi replied tensely.
Ken nodded. "Yeah we did." Ken paused for a moment as Taichi had them pause again when some kids tried to push past them. Taichi held his arm in a firm grip to make sure he didn't fall. "A year before I was summoned to the Digital World, there was supposedly a terrorist attack in Hikarigaoka. I know I had a pretty bad fever, but I'm positive that it wasn't a terrorist attack. I'm assuming when you guys said monster it was really a Digimon."
"Yeah, a DigiTama came out of Otousan's computer and hatched into a Botamon. He evolved very quick and turned into a huge Agumon. He later turned into a Greymon and fought with Parrotmon. They pretty much destroyed the buildings before disappearing."
Ken hummed in response before returning to his point. "Now after that incident, you, Yamato, Koushiro, your siblings, and your other friends are summoned to the Digital World three years after my group. And then three years after that your sister, Yamato's brother, and three others were summoned once again. Don't you find it odd that three of my closest friends (along with their siblings and friends) were chosen to save the Digital World after my group?"
Taichi stopped for a moment to process the information. Ken knew Taichi was very smart. Maybe a bit rash and overprotective sometimes, but smart nonetheless. With all the evidence laid out for him, Ken knew Taichi would pick it up fairly quickly. "You know, now that you mention it, that does seem odd. What of the chances of that happening?"
"About a 45/55 probability, but I highly doubt this was a coincidence, especially when the Digital World is involved."
"True," Taichi said with a small chuckle as they continued walking. "You know, sometimes I forget that you're just as smart as Koushiro-kun, maybe even smarter."
Ken moved his white cane on the concrete platform in front of him as they walked. Thankfully there was nothing in front of him. "I don't know about that, Taichi-kun. I'm nowhere near Koushiro-kun's level of intelligence. Oniichan might be a better choice to compare to Koushiro-kun."
"That's not true, Ken-kun! You are just as much as a prodigy as your brother," Taichi said sharply. Ken could hear the tension and denial in his voice. "You are the smartest person I know. Hell, if it wasn't for the fact that you've become blind, you would be the captain of the Tamachi Football team, not your brother."
"That doesn't prove anything, Taichi-kun."
"Yes, it does!" he countered harshly. "You don't give yourself enough credit! You have always been better in things than me. Sports, academics, computers, everything! You've always come up with the better strategies. Don't you remember? You have always been able to find every flaw in mine and made them better."
Ken shrugged. "Any good strategist would know that," Ken replied flatly. He was already tired of having this conversation.
"Not at the speed and precision that you can do it. You are a prodigy, Ken-kun. And don't deny it either. I've seen you sing with Yamato-kun before. You only have to listen to a song or melody before singing it perfectly. Not just anyone can do that."
Ken frowned. Taichi did have a point. But his parents were never satisfied. He could never do anything right. They always kept saying that he was nothing like Osamu, that we would never be as smart as him if he had to keep depending on others to help him. But how do they expect him to get around without his sight? Osamu had always been there for him, helping him with his disability. Ken had managed to get around with just a little help, but that didn't seem to matter. As long as he was around, Osamu would always put him first and work second. That was something his parents surely disapproved of.
"I guess you're right," Ken admitted softly. "But that doesn't seem to matter to Mama and Papa. Everything I do seems to be a disappointment to them."
Taichi let out a heavy exhale, clearly suggesting that he was upset and annoyed at the same time. Ken was well aware of how Taichi didn't like his parents too much. Unlike Yamato who would just scoff at the comments and would do everything he could to distract him. Taichi, on the other hand, had expressed severely how he felt about his parent's treatment of him quite vocally. Some of the most common comments Ken had heard from his friend were: How can they be so neglectful?…They can do that! Parents aren't supposed to favor one child over the other!…How can they be so heartless?…How can they expect that from you when you are blind?
Taichi had never been a fan of them, that was obvious. Although, Ken wondered if he would have to change the subject before Taichi got any ideas. He serious didn't want a repeat of last time. Taichi was just as protective of him as he was with Hikari. He wasn't sure who was worse in the protective department: his own brother, Taichi, or Yamato.
"Yeah, well, that's their problem," Taichi replied stiffly. "If they are going to neglect you like that, then who needs them? Besides," Taichi's serious and tense voice turned relaxed and playful. "Why need them when you have me and Hikari? Hikari and Okaasan adore you anyway."
Ken laughed at that. "Of course they do. Hikari is my little partner in crime and your mother just loves the recipes I give her to try out."
"Those are probably the only times they are actually good and edible." Ken smiled as he heard the soft female voice.
"Hikari-chan, how's my partner in crime doing?"
"Great, Ken-oniichan!" Hikari said as she hugged him. Ken handed his cane to Taichi so he could return the hug. "I just created this book for you! Did Oniichan tell you?"
"Yes, he did," Ken said as he raised his brow to the tip of his bangs. "But I won't be able to see it."
Hikari pulled away slightly from the hug. Her hands were still resting on his hip, while his rested on her arm. Ken could tell from her body language that she was confused. "Yes, you can." Ken could practically hear her brows raising in confusion. "It's all in tactile and braille."
"Really?" he asked at the same time Taichi asked: "Wait! It's in braille? When did you learn to do that?"
"Oniichan," Hikari hissed at her brother. Ken felt her body stiffen slightly in her agitation, a clear sign that she was mad. "I told you that Sensei was teaching us different methods of visual arts and one of them happened to be tactile. We had to do a project on a visual art and I told her about Ken-oniichan. She showed me how to use this printer so I could print normal pictures and texts into tactile pictures and braille text that Ken-oniichan could read. Weren't you listening to me when I told you?"
Taichi laughed nervously at his younger sister. "Oops," was all he could say. Wrong move Taichi. You never change. Ken decided in that moment to save his forgetful best friend, no need to have him killed for something as trivial as this. Ken gingerly placed his hand on the younger girl's shoulder, while he used the other to lift his glasses away from his eyes and rested it on top of his head.
Ken knew Hikari well enough to know that the girl preferred to stare into his eyes while they talked. She had always said that his eyes were the prettiest shade of violet that she had ever seen. But Ken knew there was another reason why she liked to stare into his eyes so much. Between him, Hikari, and Takeru they were able to tell when something was bothering the other or when they were being honest or not.
Hikari had always been intuitive and insightful, even as a small child. Hikari always had this rare gift to know when something was wrong, even when they weren't together. She just knew, especially when she looked into someone's eyes. The same would go for himself and Takeru. Takeru would get similar feelings as Hikari when something was not right with the other, but it wasn't as deep or noticeable with him.
Much like Hikari, Ken always knew when something was wrong. There were many times where he ended up calling Taichi when he felt something was off about Hikari. Ken remember two years ago when he had a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach. He remembered feeling empty and cold before passing out in the middle of class. That had not been fun. Ken knew instantly that something happened to Hikari, hence why he called Taichi the moment he woke up. Taichi never told him what happened, but it really didn't matter. He had been preoccupied with his frantic brother. Ken (much like Hikari and Takeru) was also able to sense when a person was being sincere or flat out lying. Ken might not be able to see the signs from facial expressions or gestures (like Hikari and Takeru could) but Ken could hear through the toner and vibrations of someone's voice. He had lots of practice over the years to tell if a person was flat out lying to him or not.
Ken couldn't explain why, but he knew that he had a special connection to Hikari and Takeru. He never really put much thought into it back then. They always theorized that it was because they all were the youngest in their respective families with overprotective older brothers. Now, however, Ken wondered if it could be because of the Digital World. He wondered what connected them, now that he knew that they were Chosen too.
"That's very sweet of you, Hikari-chan." Ken smiled gently at the girl, knowing that it would distract the girl from wanting to kill her brother. "Tell you what; why don't you show me the book when we get to Koushiro-kun's house, okay?"
It was one of those moments in where Ken wished he never lost his sight. He would have given anything to be able to see Hikari's bright smile again. "Okay, Ken-oniichan! You're going to love it. It took me several months to gather all the pictures and convert them into tactile and braille."
"She worked really hard on it, too. She even took a whole bunch of pictures of us and our Digimon when we learned that you were one of the original Chosen." Ken smile faltered a bit as he turned to face in the direction of Takeru's voice. Ken had heard from Yamato that Takeru had returned to Odaiba two years ago with his mother. At first, Takeru used to call three times a day since that weird weather storm and lockdown in Odaiba five years ago. However, those phone calls had decreased over the years to the point that Takeru only called him once a month. Ken had been having those strong urges that something was wrong with Takeru. But he could never seem to find him when he called or visited Yamato.
Ken had found it rather upsetting that Takeru never found the time to see him over the past two years since his return. And the decrease in phone calls led him to believe that Takeru was avoiding him or something. It hurt to even think that. Had he done something to upset the younger boy? Ken wasn't sure. The last time he saw Takeru was when he was eight. And that was only because he was spending his last days with Yamato and Taichi before they went to that summer camp. Ken couldn't remember if he had done something wrong. In fact, Takeru had been so excited to see his other brother figure.
"You know, Takeru-kun," Ken said in a voice that showed his disappointment and mild frustration towards the younger boy. "Calling me once a month is one thing, but not even bothering to visit me or being around when I visit your brother or flat out avoiding me is uncalled for when I have done nothing to you. I'm starting to think you don't want to see me anymore."
Ken heard snickering from several unknown voices from somewhere in front of him. Ken ignored it, however. He was more concerned with the startled gasp coming from Takeru. "It's not like that at all Ken-niisan! Honestly! You got it all wrong!"
Ken had years of practice when it came to reading different vibrations. Finding Takeru's exact location wasn't really that hard. But Ken found it very difficult to contain the years of pain and fear he had been feeling for the last five years. Ken didn't stop the glare that he knew would unravel the most powerful of Digimon. Those who knew Ken personally knew when Ken narrowed his clouded violet eyes at someone, it was never a good thing. Ken might be kind, patient, gentle, and honest, but Ken did have a temper. Ken's temper was rarely shown due to his high level of patience. However, Ken could be downright scary and dangerous when he lost all patience. His temper could be so dangerous that it would make the most powerful Virus Digimon cringe in fear.
"Is that so?" So the fact that Ken couldn't prevent the coldness from lacing his word just showed how furious he really was. "Why don't you enlightening me Takaishi?" Ken ignored Hikari as he felt her shift nervously at his tone. Ken knew Hikari hated when he was mad. Ken knew Hikari hated when his normally warm and gentle voice turned cold and as hard as steel. Ken did not care at that moment, however. He was hurt, upset, and mad at Takeru.
"…I…uh…"
"Better yet, why don't you explain to me why during the past five years you have gone from calling me three times a day to now only once a month?" Ken interrupted calmly, but he did nothing to contain his fury. "Oh, and why not explain to me where you've been within these last two years? You are not home when I call. You do not show up when Yamato-kun tells you that I am coming to visit. I have seen Hikari-chan plenty of times within these two years when I visited Taichi-kun and she has to tell me that you either forgot I was coming over or couldn't make it for whatever reason."
Ken paused as he took a moment to hold himself back. He was trying very hard not to scream or yell at the younger. He knew it would be bad if he allowed his emotions to completely lose control. He wouldn't be able to hold back his powers from lashing out. "You better have a very good explanation for this," Ken bit out, his teeth snapping as he did so.
Silence.
No one said anything for a long time. Hikari held on to his arm as (he assumed) she stared at Takeru expectantly, while trying to comfort him as best as she could. Hikari was always good at reading him.
Ken listened to the nervous breathings of his friends. Taichi was shifting on his feet anxiously, clearly trying to figure out what Takeru was thinking to get Ken this mad. Koushiro was clearing his throat as the tense atmosphere threatened to suffocate them. Yamato — well — he had no idea what Yamato was doing. Yamato knew Ken would get mad when he reunited with Takeru. Yamato had been trying to get Takeru to see him, but it never happened. Taichi (and maybe the other unknown voices that he heard earlier) were probably the only ones who were clueless and shocked about Ken's sudden anger.
"I did warn you, Takeru, that he would be mad." Yamato's voice was cold and emotionless, laced with a bit of disappointment, as he spoke. "Don't you have anything to say to Ken-kun? An apology maybe?" Ken mentally smiled at his friend. He knew Yamato would be on his side.
Takeru still didn't say anything. Ken heard the scuffling of his shoes and his hard breathing. Ken vaguely wondered if Takeru was going to cry. "I never meant for it to look like that…I didn't…" Takeru's voice was barely above a whisper. It was actually so soft and raw that no normal human would have heard him. However, Ken was not normal. Due to his sensitive hearing, he was able to hear Takeru quite clearly. Despite the anger and hurt, he was feeling, he felt his soul ache for the younger. He sounded so small and helpless and the uncomfortable feeling in his chest that told him that something was bothering Takeru was not helping him one bit.
Ken found himself frowning in concern towards the younger. Ken wanted to run to the boy and hug him until he was his happy Takeru again that he remembered. However, Ken was still slightly bitter about how Takeru had treated him for the past five years. If he did do something wrong to the younger to make him avoid him, then he had to know. He might not get this chance again.
"Ken-niisan…" Takeru's voice was hearable this time, but it was shaking as he continued. "You have to understand that when I was with Kaasan…we were constantly on the move. Kaasan kinda felt that I was bothering you from my constant calling so she had me lessen it to once a week after the first and a half year. When I moved to Odaiba…I was so excited to see you, Aniki, and Hikari again. But then…"
"Let me guess…" Ken was still angry, but it had toned down a bit. "The Digital World?"
"Yes," Takeru confirmed hesitantly. "It had been really tense the first couple of months. He was able to bloke normal evolution and was attacking and enslaving Digimon at first for his own twisted schemes. Things…happened…" Ken raised a brow at that but didn't comment. "He was attacking more, harming more Digimon. It resulted in us being in the Digital World longer. By the time I got back home, you were either at cram school or with those female friends of yours."
Ken furrowed his brows at that. He usually had cram school three days a week right after school and sometimes didn't get out until six or seven. If he wasn't at cram school, he was at the Tamachi Jazz Cafe with his friends. Of course, Fumiko, Kaiyo, Mië took it upon themselves to help him spend as little time at home as possible when they're not at cram school or in the music room. They remind him all the time how they hated the way he was being treated at home.
Ken really appreciated his friends' help and was glad that Fumiko and Kaiyo found the cafe four years ago. Ken had very sensitive hearing, so they really couldn't go to the usual hangouts that normal teenagers would go to. Ken often felt bad when his female friends didn't go to those parties or concerts when they were invited. Well, they could have gone, but they refused because Ken wouldn't be able to handle the loud noises. Ken was glad to have such loyal friends.
The cafe, however, was the only place that was easy on Ken's hearing. The cafe had a very relaxing environment to it. The girls often said that it was the perfect hangout because of how peaceful it was. Kaiyo had mentioned that the cafe had a nice modern feel to it with all the stylish furniture and tables and the setup was said to be nice and dim too. Fumiko and Mië agreed with her and said it was also better than going to the library to do homework. Ken never commented on that since he couldn't judge it for himself, but he did agree with the homework part.
"That's kinda late," he mumbled with a frown. Well, that did explain why he couldn't reach Takeru at times. But that didn't explain why Takeru was avoiding him. "And that explains you avoiding me how?"
"Well…it was to…protect…you…"
"Protect me?" Ken repeated slowly. He was trying very hard to follow along. But that proved to be difficult when he didn't have all the fact straight. He was the only one ignorant of the full magnitude of what was going on in the Digital World and all he was getting was bits and pieces. So it was hard trying to understand why Takeru thought he was in danger and why he thought avoiding him was the best way to protect him for whatever reason. Ken found himself more confused than he was before. "Mind expanding on that? You're not making any sense."
"Well, to make the story short, we found out where the Executor lives in the Human World."
"Okkkaay…" Ken still wasn't sure why that automatically placed him in danger. "And that put's me in danger how?"
Takeru swallowed. "He lives in Tamachi."
Ken stiffened at that little piece of information. Now things were starting to make sense. If the enemy lived in the same area as him, then, of course, this would make Takeru worried. Takeru would have feared of this Executor — and to an extension, Vamdemon — going after him and possibly using an innocent (in this case him) as a hostage or something along those lines. Ken didn't think he would be considered an innocent per se, but considering the fact that he had no idea what was going on before today…well, would have put him in the clueless department. So he guessed him being the unsuspecting innocent would have counted if he was attacked suddenly in Tamachi.
However, Ken had a feeling that Takeru and the others were still nervous about bringing him in. Sure, he was the strongest of his team, but there was the issue with his lack sight. Something drastic must have happened if they were taking the risk to ask him for help, especially since he hadn't been to that world in years and would identify his status as a Chosen to the enemy, most likely putting him in harm's way. Osamu would definitely not like that.
"You were afraid he would go after me and use me as a hostage of some sorts." Ken's voice no longer held its angry tone. It was soft and gentle again.
"Yes...Ken-niisan…" Takeru said around a soft sob. His voice cracking with despair as he continued. It was heartbreaking to hear. "I'm so sorry, Ken-niisan. I never meant to hurt you. Please, forgive me."
Ken sighed in exasperation, his earlier anger now depleted. Ken now knew why Takeru had been avoiding him. If the enemy found out that they were close to him then the Executor could have gone after him before Takeru or any of his friends knew what was going on. It would have been bad if that happened. Ken closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to keep a tight seal on his emotions.
Okay, don't get him wrong, he understood that Takeru didn't want him to be put in such a dangerous position, considering he's blind and not likely to protect himself without his brother and Digimon. But, sheesh, he was not some damsel in distress! Or was the phrase dudemar in distress? Ken couldn't quite remember the correct saying, but he tried to stay clear of that line of thinking. He did not need any of his females friends knowing that he actually listened to Kaiyo when she talked about several stories that involved those attractive males that possess very little personality what so ever and just happened to be the love interest of a female protagonist.
He really needed to stopping think about that now. He had more pressing matters to worry about. Like Takeru being a baka for one thing and for thinking he couldn't take care of himself. And then there was Wormmon and how he was going to yell at him for not telling him anything. Yeah, things couldn't possibly get any worse.
With another sigh, Ken looked in the direction of the younger. Ken gave one of his genuine smiles that his three females friends always swoon at, saying that it was one of the brightest things they ever seen and would always make their heart melt. "Get over here, you baka, and give me a hug." Ken heard a surprised sob, followed by the scuffing of shoes before he felt Hikari move away to allow Takeru to embrace him. Ken was slightly surprised at how tall Takeru was now. Unlike when he was eight, Takeru was now able to reach his shoulders, which was surprising on its own, considering he was the same height as Yamato. Ken could feel that Takeru was lean and had some muscles from whatever sport he was playing. He sure has grown.
"I'm sorry," Takeru mumbled into his shirt. "I just wanted to keep you safe. I didn't want him to hurt you."
Ken gently rubbed the square of Takeru's back. "It's alright, Takeru-kun. I understand and appreciate you trying to protect me. However, that might be unnecessary."
"Why's that?" Takeru asked as he pulled back a bit, sounding slightly baffled and curious.
Ken might have been able to hold back a laugh, but that did nothing to the eye roll that followed the question as he thought about his three female friends. "Because I have three very protective female friends who makes sure I spend as little time at home as possible. We are contently together, so there's zero chance of a kidnapping…and if I did, by some chance, get taken, the guy wouldn't get far." Ken heard some snickering from Taichi and Koushiro. "Fumiko-chan, Kaiyo-chan, and Mië-chan would, by no doubt, hunt the guy down to the bottom of the Earth before he could even leave the district."
An eruption of laughter was heard from both his friends and the unknown voices in the group. The only one who probably wasn't laughing was Yamato. Oh, Yamato had been the subject of several interrogations and yelling matches between all three girls. Yamato somehow always managed to upset at least one of his female friends from either a simple comment or disagreement.
"They sound scarier then Oneechan!" came a somewhat familiar voice. Ken tilted his head at the voice. This voice was a lot deeper than the one he was familiar with. This voice was also male and not female and had a tinge of cockiness in it. He wondered if this was the brother of his female pen pal, Motomiya Jun. Of course, he couldn't be sure since he and Jun hadn't met in person yet. They had exchanged numerous emails and phone calls over the past six and a half months. They had actually planned on meeting at the football game. He wondered where Jun was.
"Now that you put it that way," Takeru said cutting through his thoughts. "I kinda feel stupid for avoiding you like that."
Ken chuckled softly. "It's fine, Takeru-kun. Now…" Ken pulled away a bit, making sure Takeru was still within arms reach, though, as he smiled at him. "Let me get a good look at you."
"Okay," Takeru said as he stood still, while Ken placed his fingers on the bottom his chin. Ken felt along Takeru's jawline and slowly made his way to the curve of his lips and cheekbones. Ken noticed little things that were different as he felt Takeru's nose, ears, and eyes. One thing that he noticed was that Takeru had something rough on his forehead, hidden under his hair. Ken felt the line that seemed somewhat jagged. It felt like cut, an old one. Another thing he noticed was that Takeru's face wasn't pudgy as he remembered. Takeru's face had even out quite nicely.
"My, you sure have grown. You're not that little kid from five years ago that I remember," Ken said as he removed his hands from Takeru's face and reached out his hand in Taichi general location so he could get his cane back. Once the familiar wood was in his grasp, Ken tapped his cane twice for no real reason. It was merely a force of habit. "Are you going to introduce me to the three other voices I've been hearing?" Ken asked after Takeru thanked him.
"Oh, yeah," he said, pausing for a moment (Ken assumed Takeru was turning to face the owners of the other three voices) before calling out, "Miyako-chan, Iori-kun, Daisuke-kun, come and introduce yourselves to Ken-niisan?"
There was the sound of shoes against concrete moving closer to them. When the sounds stopped Ken heard a young male voice speak up. "Hello, Ichijouji-san. I'm Hida Iori. I'm the Chosen of Knowledge and Sincerity and my partner is Armadimon. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"I'm Inoue Miyako," said a female voice. "I'm the Chosen of Purity and Love and my partner is Hawkmon. I just have to say that you have very pretty eyes and far more cuter in person then Hikari-chan's and Takeru-kun's description!"
Ken was slightly taken aback by her sudden bluntness and the awe in her tone. In all honestly, if it hadn't been for the fact that he had three female friends, Ken probably would have been quickly flustered at the comment. Ken, thankfully, didn't take that long to recover. He simply gave the younger girl a soft smile in response. Ken had plenty of practice with those type of girls. He did have three female friends after all. However, Ken didn't really get to thank her properly since the familiar male decided to speak up then.
"Inoue-chan now is not the time to be flirting!"
"Can it Motomiya!" Ken's brow rose up in alarm. Well, it seemed that this team wasn't that much of a team. He wondered how they even managed to survive this long against the enemy.
"Daisuke-kun, Miyako-chan, this is no time to be fighting!" Hikari yelled as the two Chosen started to snap at each other. "Especially not in front of Ken-oniichan!" The two Chosen fell silent from what he assumed was Hikari glaring at them, followed by very low murmurs of apologizes. But it was obvious that the two didn't mean it.
Taichi sighed in frustration before addressing him. "Sorry, Ken-kun. They've been snapping at each other for several months now. It got worse after the ambush two weeks ago." Ken blinked. Wasn't he at Koushiro's two weeks ago?
"It's fine, Taichi-kun. I'm assuming this is your kohai that I've heard so much about?"
"You told Ichijouji-san about me, Taichi-sempai?"
"Of course," Taichi said in a tone that showed a great deal of fondness and pride for the boy. "Daisuke, I've told you that me and Ken go way back. Before Ken lost his sight, we played football together. He was actually better at it than me, to be honest."
"What?" Daisuke yelled in surprise. Ken could tell that Daisuke idolized Taichi. By how much, he couldn't be sure. "There's no one better at football than you!"
"That's not true," Taichi told his kohai. Ken could just imagine him smiling smugly at the confused Chosen. It was actually kinda funny to think about. "I have never been able to beat Ken in anything. In fact, who you think taught me all those moves?" Daisuke sputtered incoherent sounds. He was clearly in shock. "Ken might not be able to play football anymore, but he is an excellent singer and strategist. Ken is actually able to pinpoint someone's exact location on the field. If he wanted to, he could play on a one on one game and win."
"That's amazing," Iori and Miyako commented in awe. Ken groaned. Why did Taichi always have to brag about him like that?
"Yagami," Ken said with an exasperated sigh. "I hate it when you do that."
Taichi chucked. "You can't blame me for wanting to brag about my genius best friend and rival, now can you?"
Ken tried to glare at his, oh so confident, best friend. Yamato was right; Taichi was such a prideful bastard at times without any common sense. Ken opened his mouth to retort his friend's smug question, but he was interrupted by a female voice, running towards them. "I'm so sorry I'm late!"
"What's Motomiya-san doing here?" Ken really wanted to roll his eyes. Yamato should really learn to let things go. Jun didn't like him like that anymore and had given up trying to get him to notice her.
"Oneechan! What are you doing here?"
Ken's lips curved upward into a smile. He tilted his head slightly as he listened to Jun when she stopped near the group. "Motomiya-chan, I was starting to think you wouldn't make it."
"My apologize, Ichijouji-kun. I got held up at one of the stores nearby. I didn't think it would take me so long."
"It's fine, Motomiya-chan. I'm just glad you made it."
"You two know each other," Yamato and Daisuke asked in bewilderment.
"Yes," Ken replied, only to smile when Jun said it the exact same time. "We're pen pals."