Ken walked slowly through the halls, clutching a brown paper bag to his chest. Inside was his Magic Club uniform and wand, and he was making certain that no one saw it. He hadn�t told anyone about his new activity, not even his parents. He simply said that he was �in a club,� and became deliberately vague when they asked him for details. As for Daisuke and the others, Ken told them nothing at all.
He had another club meeting this afternoon. Normally meetings were only twice a week, but Takakura had upped the number to three so that Ken could get in some more practice.
In truth, Ken wasn�t doing too badly in the Magic Users� Club. When he had the confidence, he could produce some nice magic. Unfortunately, they were still working on the confidence issue, as well as the issue of control. The flower incident had taken all three of them ten minutes to rectify, and during his next lesson Ken had accidentally lit a tree on fire when he had been supposed to turn an ice cube into a match. Still, Takakura assured Ken that he would get the hang of it eventually.
�Eventually...� Ken sighed. He hoped that eventually would be sooner rather than later. Takakura had also hinted something about flying on broomsticks, and Ken really wanted to fly. He had a mental vision of himself flying along through the air in the Digital World, with Stingmon on one side of him and Daisuke and XV-Mon on the other.
Wait a minute....where did Daisuke come from? Since when is he in my fantasies? Ken shrugged. Oh well. I like him there, so there he�ll stay.
�Hey Ken!� Speak of the Devil. Ken turned to see Daisuke come running up behind him. Almost unconsciously he clutched the paper bag tighter to his chest.
Don�t let him ask about it...please don�t let him ask about it... Ken thought desperately.
�What�s in the bag?� Naturally, that question was the first thing out of Daisuke�s mouth.
�Um....nothing important.� Ken looked away, blushing slightly. Why am I blushing? It�s just Daisuke....I�m just embarrassed, that�s all. He turned his body slightly, as if he could hide the bag from Daisuke�s line of sight and make the boy forget about it.
�You�ve been acting really weird lately,� Daisuke said thoughtfully. �Is there something going on, Ken?�
�N-no, nothing.� Ken shifted uncomfortably. He didn�t like lying to Daisuke, but he wasn�t confident enough to tell him the truth.
�It doesn�t sound like nothing. Are you mad at me or something?� Daisuke regarded Ken curiously.
�No!� Ken hastened to assure him. �I-I could never be mad at you, Daisuke... you�re my best friend.� The nervousness returned and he turned his gaze to the floor, his cheeks glowing crimson. �I�m just--that is, I--I--I gotta go.� He turned and fled, leaving Daisuke to stare helplessly after him.
You idiot! Ken mentally berated himself. That�s twice you�ve blown him off now. Daisuke�s going to hate me soon, I just know it...and the way I keep acting around him, I wouldn�t blame him. Ken sniffled and fought back tears. He couldn�t start crying in the middle of the hallway or he�d never hear the end of it. Please don�t hate me, Daisuke.... I�m afraid that you�ll be ashamed of me if I tell you the truth, but I can�t bring myself to lie to you. He sighed. Why am I so messed up?
�Are you okay?� Ken started and turned to see Aburatsubo staring down at him.
�Y-yes, Aburatsubo-sempai.� Ken managed a half-bow. �I�m just not feeling too well right now.�
�Are you sure? You looked like you were about to cry,� the senior observed.
�I�m sure.� Ken looked down. �It�s--it�s just my friend, Daisuke....it�s nothing.�
Aburatsubo gave him a strange smile and nodded.
�All right, I understand. I�ll see you later, Ichijouji.� With a nod of his head, Aburatsubo walked off in the opposite direction. Ken stared after him, feeling as if he had just missed something important.
The rest of the day, Ken tried to think up a good excuse to give Daisuke. He couldn�t keep avoiding his friend this way. Every time he did, it felt like a stab to his heart.
�I�m sorry I had to be your friend, Daisuke,� Ken said to no one as he headed off to his club meeting. �You deserve something more than a person like me. I�ve been so unkind to you these past few days, I don�t know why you still put up with me.�
�Neither do I.� Ken whirled to see Miyama walking up to him. She gave him a patronizing smile as he glanced down at the paper bag in his arms. �Ooh, is wittle Ken-chan going to do some magic-wagic today?�
�Don�t call me that,� Ken growled. How dare she! Only my parents and Wormmon are allowed to call me Ken-chan.
�Did I upset you?� Miyama laughed, making her chest bounce. �You little creep. It�s because of you that my club lost half its space.�
�You made the deal,� Ken reminded her.
�You joined that club just to spite me,� Miyama replied. �So it�s all your fault. I�ll get my revenge for it, though. There�s a Manga Club meeting today, you know. Maybe I�ll bring Motomiya and Takaishi outside to see you playing magician. How does that sound?�
�You wouldn�t!� Ken�s eyes widened. Miyama smiled wickedly.
�Just keep in mind that I can.� With that, she sashayed past him and continued down the hall. Ken stared after her and entertained thoughts of turning her into a toad.
He was seriously considering asking Takakura about the toad spell when he headed outside in his uniform to meet with the other two members. However, Takakura didn�t give him the chance to ask.
�There you are Ichijouji! What took so long?� Takakura waved him over. Aburatsubo took hold of the senior�s other hand and kissed it tenderly. Takakura paled and ran forward to meet Ken. Aburatsubo shrugged and followed behind at a much more leisurely pace.
�Gomen, Takakura-sempai,� Ken replied. �I ran into Miyama in the hallway.� He scowled as he spoke her name.
�Don�t let Miyama get to you,� Takakura said airily. �Come on, we�ve got some magic to do!�
�What�s today�s lesson?� Ken asked eagerly. �I--I don�t suppose you�ll be teaching me some curses at some point in time?�
�Ichijouji!� Takakura snapped angrily. �I know what you�re thinking, and I want you to stop it. Magic is not to be used for tricks or revenge. Understand?�
�But I--�
�Not for tricks or revenge. Do you understand?� Ken sighed.
�Yes, Takakura-sempai.�
�Good. Now, follow me. Today I�m going to teach you how to make it rain.�
�How to make it rain?� Ken repeated incredulously.
�That�s right. Don�t worry, it�s easier than it sounds.� Takakura pulled out a card with the drawing of a raindrop on it. �Just watch.� He raised his wand. �Oberatsu Nacte Metrane Suborisho!�
For a moment nothing happened. Then there was a crack of thunder and rain began to pour down.
�You see? Easy.� Takakura laughed.
�Ano, Takakura-sempai....are you going to make the rain stop, or did you bring us umbrellas?� Ken questioned, trying to keep himself dry using the wide brim of his hat.
�I�ll keep you dry, Takeo,� Aburatsubo added.
�That won�t be necessary, I can stop the rain!� Laughing nervously, Takakura waved his wand and the rain stopped. He turned to Ken. �Now you try.�
�I don�t think my magic will work today,� Ken warned him.
�Not with that attitude it won�t!� Takakura stated. �Remember, faith in your abilities is the key to your magic. I know that you can do this.�
�I can try, at any rate,� Ken replied. He took a card from Takakura and pointed his wand at the sky. �Oberatsu Nacte Metrane Suborisho!�
Remember, Ichijouji, just have confidence, Ken mentally reminded himself. Don�t let that toad-woman get to you. She wouldn�t dare bring Daisuke out here. If she does, I really will turn her into a toad, revenge or no revenge!
Ken�s wand shone, and light shot up into the air. Everyone waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, Ken sighed.
�I guess I failed,� he said sadly. �I tried to have confidence, but--�
�RIBBIT!� Something small, brown and warty landed on his hat. Ken reached up, grabbed it, and stared at it.
�A toad?� Another toad fell from the sky and landed on Takakura. Then another toad fell. And another.
�My my,� Aburatsubo observed. �It�s a rain of toads.�
�How did I manage that?� Ken wondered aloud.
�You weren�t concentrating on the task at hand,� Takakura said professionally. �If you don�t think about what you want the spell to do, it won�t work right. You must have been thinking about toads, so the spell warped itself to fit what you were thinking.�
�How do I fix it?� Ken asked, trying to shield his head from the sudden downpour of amphibians.
�Don�t worry, I�ll take care of this.� Takakura waved his wand. It continued to rain.
�It didn�t work,� Ken said dryly.
�The spell you used is too strong for me to dispel alone,� Takakura decided. �Aburatsubo! Ichijouji! I need you two to help me.�
�Anything you say,� Aburatsubo said, raising his wand. Ken raised his as well, feeling much less confident. Takakura chanted a spell, and his wand glowed, as did Aburatsubo�s. After a moment, Ken�s wand emitted a weak glow. The energy molded together and shot up into the sky.
�There, that should fix it.� Takakura crossed his arms in satisfaction.
It rained harder.
�Still raining toads,� Ken informed him.
�I think we may need some more help,� Takakura observed, looking up at the sky. A toad landed on his glasses.
�No kidding.� Ken shook his head, launching another toad off the brim of his hat. �Where do we get it?�
�Um...I�ll get back to you.� Takakura whirled, sweatdropping slightly. �I think we should go outside before it starts....raining toads harder.�
�Don�t worry, Takeo, I�ll keep them off you.� Aburatsubo removed one toad from Takakura�s shoulder. The president of the Magic Club leaped back and made a mad dash for the door.
�He�s no fun today,� Aburatsubo said mournfully, following Takakura inside. Ken paused, looking up at the sky and feeling miserable.
Good one, Ichijouji. The spell worked, but not the way it was supposed to. I never would have messed up like this back when I was a genius. When I was worth something.
Head bowed, Ken trudged back inside the school.
As usually happens, just when it seemed that things couldn�t get worse, they did. When Ken rounded the corner to return to the club room, he caught sight of almost the entire Manga Club, leaning against the windows, looking out at Ken�s rain of toads. Daisuke and Takeru were among them.
Look at the toads...that�s it, Daisuke, Takeru-san....just keep looking at the toads and ignore me... Ken mentally commanded as he slowly made his way towards the club room, pulling his hat down a bit lower in a futile attempt to hide his face. He briefly considered retreat, but that wasn�t an option. His clothes were in the club room, and he couldn�t walk home dressed in his club uniform.
Just a few more feet.... Ken thought, his breathing coming a little faster. Just a few more feet...
�And what have we here?� Miyama�s voice echoed down the hall.
Shimatta! Ken glanced up at her through the brim of his hat. She had placed herself squarely between him and the club room. He could see Daisuke and Takeru turning along with the rest of the club to see what their president was up to.
�Still playing dress up?� laughed Miyama. She glanced back to make sure that Daisuke and Takeru were watching, then grabbed hold of Ken�s hat and pulled it off, exposing his face. �Well, Ichijouji?�
�Ken?� Daisuke peered around Miyama to stare curiously at his friend. Ken�s gaze dropped to the floor and stayed there.
�Why are you dressed like that?� Takeru asked. Ken flinched, waiting for his two friends to burst out laughing.
�Little Ichijouji-chan is the newest member of the Magic Users Club,� Miyama said snidely. The Manga Club burst out laughing, and Ken flushed with embarrassment. He risked a look up and saw, to his immense surprise, that Daisuke and Takeru were not laughing. They were still giving him that same curious look.
�So that�s where you keep going,� Daisuke said. �Why didn�t you say so?�
�Well, who would admit to being in such a pathetic little club?� Miyama tossed her head back.
�Not so little anymore,� Ken said in a dark voice. He gave her a smile that reminded Daisuke and Takeru strongly of the Digimon Kaiser. �You owe us half your space, remember?�
�What? Miyama-san, is that true?� The Manga Club members gathered around their president.
�Well, I--that is, I--� Miyama stuttered. Ken smiled smugly and crossed his arms.
That should teach her, he thought, feeling much better. Why was I so worried? Daisuke and Takeru don�t seem to think that I�m stupid. I should have had faith in them...
�Hmmph!� Miyama flounced. Suddenly, her hand flashed out and she pulled Ken�s wand out of his hand. �And what is this supposed to be, little boy? Your club may have some of our space, but at least we maintain a sense of dignity by not playing with toys.�
�Give it back!� Ken grabbed for the wand, but Miyama pulled it out of his reach. The dark-haired boy ended up with a faceful of breast. He jumped back, his face red.
�Aren�t you going to give it back?� Daisuke leapt to his friend�s defense.
�Excuse me?� Miyama arched an eyebrow at him.
�It belongs to Ken,� Daisuke said. �Give it back to him.�
�Daisuke�s got a point,� Takeru put in. �You have no right to take his things.�
�I can do whatever I want,� Miyama told them. �Watch your tongues or I�ll kick you out of the Manga Club.� Before she could say anything more, there was a tug on one end of the wand. She glanced down to see Ken, his hands wrapped tightly around one end of his wand.
�Let go,� Ken ordered.
�Make me.� Miyama tightened her grip on her end of the wand. She turned to Daisuke and Takeru. �If you want to stay in the Manga Club, you�ll help me keep this away from him.�
Daisuke and Takeru exchanged glances, then looked from Miyama�s smug face to Ken�s stricken one. Daisuke shook his head.
�If I�m helping anyone, I�m helping Ken,� he stated.
�Then you�re out of my club!� Miyama growled.
�Well....well, I quit, so there!� Daisuke stuck his tongue out at her and hurried to Ken�s side, grabbing hold of the wand and trying to help pull it away from Miyama.
�For the second time in one day, I agree with Daisuke,� Takeru said. �You�re out of line, Miyama. I quit too.� He joined Daisuke and Ken.
How dare she! Ken thought angrily. That was completely unfair! Now Daisuke and Takeru have been kicked out of the Manga Club, and it�s all my fault. She made them choose between her and me and--and-- He shook his head. I hate her! I absolutely hate her!
He didn�t even notice that his wand had started to glow until Daisuke gasped.
�Ken, what�s going on?� Takeru asked.
�I--I--� Ken didn�t have an answer. His heart was beating wildly in his chest as he felt the power begin to grow. The wand glowed brighter.
What am I doing? The magic...
There was a flash of light, and suddenly Miyama was launched across the room, losing her hold on Ken�s wand as the power hit her. The Manga Club surrounded her in worry. Daisuke and Takeru stared at Ken, who was looking at his wand in wide-eyed shock.
�Hey, what�s with all the noise?� Takakura poked his head out of the club room. He took in the scene in front of him and hurried over to Ken. �Ichijouji! What did I say about using magic for revenge?�
�I--I wasn�t trying to--� Ken shook his head.
�What did you do?� Aburatsubo asked, leaning on the doorframe of the club room. He glanced at Ken�s wand, then at Takakura. �Takeo...he doesn�t have a card with him.�
Before Takakura could take a look at Ken�s wand, Miyama groggily came to.
�W-what hap--urk!� Her hand flew to her mouth as something warty and familiar bounced out onto the floor. Everyone stared.
It was a toad.
�That couldn�t have come from my--urk!� Another toad hopped out of her mouth. Miyama�s mouth quivered, and she started wailing. �What�s wrong with--urk!--me? Am I--urk!--sick?�
Takakura looked over at Ken and shook his head.
�What is it with you and toads, anyway?� he questioned.
�I--I--� Ken stuttered. He was speechless. Miyama was struggling to her feet, whimpering and scattering toads all over the place.
�This is--urk!--horrible--urk!� Two more toads bounded out of her mouth.
�Hey, Ken, you all right?� Daisuke noticed that Ken was shaking slightly.
�I--I--� Ken couldn�t take it anymore. He burst out laughing.
�Stop--urk!--laughing!� Miyama ordered, stamping a foot. Ken laughed harder. After a moment, Daisuke, Takeru, Aburatsubo, and Takakura started to laugh too.
Miyama gave them an indignant look, then turned and stomped down the hall.
�I�ll just get to the--urk!--nurse�s office,� she said. �She�ll--urk!--fix me.�
�Wow, Ken, that was great!� Daisuke put his hands on Ken�s shoulders, still trembling with laughter. �How did you do that?�
�Magic,� Ken laughed.
�I didn�t think you could perform that level of magic without cards,� Takakura murmured thoughtfully. He scrutinized Ken for a moment. �How did you do it?�
�I don�t know,� Ken said. �I was just so mad at her. I was trying to get my wand back, and then she kicked Daisuke and Takeru-san out of the Manga Club and...I�m not quite sure how I did that.�
�I wanna learn how to do stuff like that!� Daisuke said. He turned to Takakura. �Hey, can I join your club too?�
�Me, too,� added Takeru.
�They can help us stop the rain of toads,� Aburatsubo said.
�Perfect!� Takakura nodded, ducking back inside the club room. �Let me get you two uniforms and wands.�
�Did you make the rain, too?� Takeru asked Ken curiously. �Takakura-san mentioned something about you and toads.�
�Oh yeah...that.� Ken shifted nervously. �That was my fault, too. I was trying to make it rain.� He sighed. �It didn�t quite work the way it was supposed to. My magic either doesn�t work right or doesn�t work at all.�
�Don�t be so negative, Ken!� Daisuke put a hand on his shoulder. �Look at what you just did to Miyama! That spell worked. I mean, you weren�t trying to do it or anything, but still, the spell worked. And she deserved it anyway.�
�Mmm.� Ken made a small, noncommittal noise. Daisuke was right, his magic had worked....but only on accident, and only because he was so mad that he forgot his self-doubt for a moment.
�Here we are!� Takakura poked his head out of the club room and dumped uniforms into the arms of Daisuke and Takeru. �Put those on and we�ll go outside to stop the rain.�
About ten minutes later, the five stood in a circle in the center of the school courtyard, wands raised. Takeru and Daisuke were both nervous about casting their first spell, but Takakura had assured them that they would be fine. Ken was worse, though. He didn�t think that he would be much help in fixing the mess that he had made.
�Wands up,� Takakura ordered, and the group complied. �Just remember, everyone, believe in the magic. We have to make this work.�
�Or we�ll be needing toad-proof umbrellas,� Daisuke snickered. Both he and Takeru were wearing uniforms similar to Ken�s, except that Daisuke�s had blue and Takeru�s had green where Ken�s was purple. Daisuke had wrapped his goggles around his hat, not willing to part with them.
�Here we go,� Takakura stated. �Essea Miteg uyro muert!� His wand glowed, as did Aburatsubo�s. There was a pause, then Daisuke�s wand started to glow, followed closely by Takeru�s. Ken�s remained dark.
I can�t do it, he thought miserably. I can�t do this, I can�t, I�m just not good enough....
�You can do it, Ken.� The indigo-haired boy opened his eyes to see Daisuke smiling at him encouragingly. �I know you can.�
�Daisuke....� I have to do this. I have to try. He closed his eyes again and tightened his grip. His wand glowed purple.
Light shot up into the sky and the rain stopped, but Ken�s wand continued to glow. The air whipped up around him, tousling his hair.
�Ichijouji, what are you doing?!� Takakura had to shout to be heard above the wind.
�Ken!� Daisuke cried out, but Ken heard neither him nor Takakura. His eyes remained shut, his hands maintained their firm grip on the wand.
Ken didn�t know what was going on. Something was wrong, he could feel it, but he couldn�t bring up the strength to open his eyes and see. His mind hovered in a strange state between peace and agitation, and he could feel something stirring....inside of him, something familiar was stirring...
�Open the gate. Set me free,� whispered a voice in his ear. It was dark and seductive, and Ken froze as he felt its hot breath wash over him like a tide. He was drowning, drowning....
�KEN!� Daisuke grabbed Ken�s shoulders and gave him a hard shake. That seemed to snap him out of it. Ken gasped, suddenly feeling strangled, and dropped his wand. The glow faded, and the presence he had felt retreated.
Everyone stared at the fallen wand and at the pale boy who stood shaking before them.
�What just happened?� Takeru wondered. Ken gave a shuddering breath and shook his head.
�I don�t know....� he whispered. �I just don�t know.�
Somewhere, a dark being closed his eyes in displeasure.
�You�ve escaped me this time,� he whispered. �But it is only a matter of time before you are mine. You�ve unlocked the door, little boy....now I need only wait until you open it.�
Chuckling to himself, the dark figure settled down in the waters of his home to wait.