Brothers Until The End

The Darkness of Memories

It was cold, he knew that. He could remember purple hair and terracotta brown eyes, traits to someone long gone. Someone he missed, but knew he held no regrets with the life he had with that person. Then he remembered black hair like he once had and dark onyx eyes, traits belonging to someone that had left the world far too early than they should have. His brother, he remembered. His older brother that always protected him, who lost trust in him. Who died right in front of his face. A brother he missed. A brother he wanted to have a relationship with once more, to reconnect with him. He wanted a do-over with his brother. He wanted to rekindled that brotherly bond with him. So as his final breath left him, he made another wish, hoping for it to come true, like the vile wish he made the day his brother had die. After all, the world oddly somehow seemed to make his wishes come true. Maybe Ken and Sam Ichijouji can be brothers once more.

Kouichi Kimura grew up as a poor child that never asked for anything, except for his mother to someday be able to not have to worry about him, or having to pay rent. No, he didn't ask for much and instead did his best so as to not worry his mother. Kouichi had always been mature for his age, a lot of kids picked on him for that, he just ignored them though. After all he had used to be Ken Ichijouji, stuff like this didn't bother him because he remembered living a fully life. He remembered being an adult and having a wife. He remembered his last wish before dying. To once again start over as brothers with his  deceased brother, Sam. So he was disappointed when remembered all of this because of one fact. He had no brother. It was just him, his mom, and his grandmother that was in the hospital, sick. It didn't make sense to Kouichi because he felt like he should have had a brother. A brother that carried Sam's soul within himself. Or else what was the point in going through life again? Especially when his only regret was the state of his relationship with Sam when he died. The wish had made during that time will always be there, part of the darkness within him. Part of the darkness of what he has previously committed in a world of wonderful creatures. How he hurt the people, who had somehow became his friends, one of whom later became his wife even. What he had done to Wormon, his best friend in that previous life. It was all a part of him, he accepted that. He had accepted the darkness, yet that still did not change the kindness in him, in fact that's what propelled his kindness.

Kouichi didn't understand what must have happened, why he didn't have a brother until his grandmother was dying. All too familiar to how Yolei, his wife in his previous life, had died. He sat there on her bed as she reached out to him and spoke to him in an oh so serious voice. "Kouichi, I have to tell you something."

"What is it grandma? I'm here." He held her hands and stared into her eyes.

"You have a brother, Kouichi. His name is Kouji." She coughed.

"I-I have a brother?" Just like that all of his questions were answered. And at her dying breath, she muttered one name. "Minamoto."

So Kouichi got to work. He searched all the birth records from when he was born for twins and the name, Minamoto. That's when he found out that Kouji Minamoto and him, Kouichi Kimura, were separated at birth. Kouichi kept searching for the Minamoto family and discovered their address. So with the urge to once again to reunite with his brother, he went to go find them. To find Kouji. To find Sam.

When he found them, he wasn't happy. His dad was happily remarried, Kouji seemed to be well taken care of and fussed over. They even had a dog. Kouichi felt that familiar rage in the pit of his stomach, but quelled it down. Sure Kouji  had a better life then the one he had with his mom, but he shouldn't be angry about this. He decided to try again some other time.

He saw him by chance when he was at the Shibuya train station, heading to the library to check out a book. He saw his brother in the next train car over and decided to follow him in a spur of the moment decision. He had to get to Kouji. That was the urge that filled him. So he followed him, but before he knew it he was blocked by another boy, one who reminded him of a friend from his previous life. But, he couldn't dwell on that. The elevator was heading to basement level three. If he ran, maybe he could catch him. However, as he did, he slipped down the stairs and felt that cold feeling once more envelope him.

When Kouichi came to, he could hear a voice, compelling him into the wrong side of the darkness he had once crossed into. As much as he tried to fight it, everything overwhelmed him and he became Duskmon.

Duskmon couldn't remember anything, but he was allowed to do as he pleased. Then he battled Lobomon and saw Kouji's face. He didn't remember much of what happened after, but Duskmon was bothered by the boy. He just couldn't bare to bring him harm as soon as he saw that face. Then Cherubimon, the same one who compelled him to the corrupted side of darkness, had let him remember, except, he could not remember Ken's memories. So the rage took over.

Duskmon, now able to also become Velgemon, his beast spirit. He and Kouji battled it out, more than once until more of his memories were awakened. He remembered being Ken. He rejected the corrupted spirits of the Warrior of Darkness from himself, Kouji taking them within his Detector. Now Kouichi is going with him and it's awkward, now that Kouji knows and Kouichi is now processing the fact that he had somehow allowed himself to get corrupted once more. He sat in a train car, far away from the others, to recollect himself, after all he had to retell everything he could remember from the moment his grandmother told him, before she died.

When they stopped for rest, everyone else left. That left him alone with his thoughts. He had to wonder why they didn't hate him. Soon enough they were one their way again and then Patamon was right in front of him. He couldn't help but gasp, and his memories trailed off in memory of a blond haired digidestined, whose partner was a Patamon. The one who literally went to knock some sense into him. If it weren't for that, he wouldn't have started to doubt what he was doing, then there was Davis who truly opened his eyes.

"Did you know Light and Dark are brothers?"

"Huh?"

"Well it's true Kouichi! You can't have one without the other. Darkness isn't a bad thing unless you choose to make it that way." Patamon is really smart in a way. Then again, Patamon used to be Seraphimon, one of the three celestials. The others being Ophanimon and Cherubimon. Kouichi then remembered, Gatomon could digivolve into Angewomon, then Angewomon into Ophanimon. Then Lopmon's mega form was Cherubimon, it's baby stage being Kokomon. Kokomon had been one of the Digimon partners to Willis, a digidestiend who lived in America in his past life, and Gatomon had been a partner to one of his own digidestined friends in his own past life.

Then Patamon sensed Cherubimon, who stood on their path, knocking Angler, the trailmon, over along with the train cars. Kouichi couldn't do anything as the others fought him off. Then his brother protected him and was the only one left standing. He decided to stand up  to him. He knew his heart was filled with darkness. Instead now, he won't hide. That's when his own Detector appeared before him and the spirits of Darkness took on their true form. He could feel the true power of the spirits.

"Execute, spirit evolution!"

Taking on the form of Loweemon, and JagerLoweemon, taking down Cherubimon's projection. The others' determination to go with him. This team reminded him of some of his closest friends from his previous life. Maybe things won't be so bad. He had his brother and maybe some new friends. Things are changing. But, before he go can worrying about anything else, saving the digital world again in his new life isn't really that bad.