#dwde

Daisuke had to look twice. 

A messy, wild sweep of imperial blue, no, it was more violet than that, topping a bespectacled preteen with a mischievous smile and keen, intelligent eyes, caught his gaze and horror rushed through his body.

The Digimon Emperor, younger, less malicious, but nevertheless bearing the same face and features, peered out at him from the photograph.

Ken came up behind him, curiously peeking over his shoulder to see what had stopped him in his tracks. He barely noticed, and didn’t turn to look at the other, to enraptured by the countenance of his worst enemy framed on his boyfriend’s table.

“Oh,” Ken whispered, sounding closed off and a little sad, with something else buried underneath the soft mutter. He moved around Daisuke’s frozen form and picked up the out-of-place object. Revulsion rose in his throat as he saw the gentle way Ken held it, as if the picture was something precious, as if it belonged. “My late brother, Osamu.”

Looking again, Daisuke could see an incredible resemblance between Ken’s delicate features and those of the boy in the photo; they had the same face shape and eyes, though Ken’s brother had hair that was a bit lighter, less saturated.

Daisuke swallowed his confusion and forced himself to focus. The boy in the photo, with a coincidental likeness to the Emperor, was Ken’s dead brother. Okay. 

“How old was he?” He blurted out, unable to think of anything more tactful.

Ken gave him a considering, unreadable look, expression blank, for a moment, before smiling quietly, sorrowful. “About the same as we are now, actually.” 

“What was he like?”

They all froze, before slowly turning to the door. There stood a familiar face from TV and magazines, a boy with dark, bobbed hair and brilliant eyes, peering at them from the doorway of the computer room. He was still in his own school uniform and carrying a briefcase like bag, as private and high school students were mandated to use. 

“Ke-Ken!” The second-generation leader stuttered, maneuvering around the others to stand between his visitor and the glowing screen, “Hey! What are you doing here?”

The genius looked around curiously, before looking a little abashed. He tucked his hair behind his ear. “I have an event around here a little later, so I thought I might come visit beforehand.”

Daisuke brightened immediately, a wide grin spreading across his face. “To see me?” 

Apparently eased by Daisuke’s positive reaction, Ken smiled, a mischievous light in his thistle eyes. “No, I just have to inspect every computer in the immediate vicinity, Daisuke. It’s a terrible compulsion.”

The leader laughed, and looked eager to follow the teasing up, but Miyako interrupted, bursting forward with cheeks flushed. 

“You can inspect all our computers, any time!” 

“Really? It’s always such a pleasure to be welcomed. I am Ichijouji Ken.”

“Oh, I know!” “I mean, uh, nice to meet you. I’m Inoue Miyako. The president of the computer club.”

“Ah, Inoue-san. Daisuke mentioned you.” 

“Really?” 

“Then you must be Hida-kun, right? And Takaishi-san and Yagami-san?” 

“You got it. Nice to meet you. Daisuke talks about you a lot too.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

“Oh, what’s this?”

“Uhh, nothing! Just a silly game! Nothing you’d like, it has terrible graphics and is always out of batteries, haha…”

Ken looked a little melancholic, smiling ruefully. “It looks a bit like something I once saw my brother with. His was smaller, though, and looked more like a square.”

“Really?”

“Yes, though I have no idea what it was. He didn’t like to play games. He always saw them as a bit of a waste of time.”

“I didn’t know you had a brother.”

“He passed away a few years ago, sadly.”

“Oh…”

“Well, I didn’t come here today to interrupt your club activities. What were you all doing before I got here? Maybe I could lend a hand? I only have ten more minutes or so, unfortunately.”

“Oh my gosh, I have a program I could use a hand with!”

But while they were all distracted, their visitor moved behind them, approaching the computer they had been gathered about before he announced his arrival. A flash drive was quietly inserted in, and before the two minutes had passed, already pulled back out and returned to the pocket from whence it came. Silently as a shadow, the genius slid back into their midst, an innocent smile painted on.