I don't own Digimon. I think you knew that already, though. :)

Hello there! This is officially my first "adventure" Digimon fanfiction (which means its the first time the story is more then drabbles and fluff), not to mention the fact that it's AU, so this seems...slightly ambitious...

Well, I hope to develop the plot well enough and finish this, but this is kind of an experimental thing. Though the summary states Ken as the main focus for the story, I will be writing in other character's POV's as well.

Well, here goes...

Crestbearers: Heroes of a Dark World
Chapter One: Awakening

He awoke slowly, blinking his eyes open to the grayish gloom around him. He lay very still, feeling as if he had been lying like this for a very long time. After staring blankly at the ceiling for a moment, a thought leapt into his mind.

Where am I?

He sat up slowly and stiffly, finding himself sitting on a sagging cot in a small dark room. There were old boxes against the wall overflowing with various dingy objects. On the wall next to him there was what appeared to be a window, all boarded up.

He closed his eyes and tried to recall any memories, causing a searing pain to jolt through him. He put his hands to his head and opened his lips to quietly utter one word,

"Ken."

That was his name, he was sure. But everything else was a mystery.

Sitting up and allowing the pain to subside, Ken shakily set his feet on the cold floor of the room. He was barefoot, and wore a light gray long-sleeved shirt and slightly short pants of the same color.

Ken stood and walked over to the covered window and pulled at a board. Though he still felt weak, the board was loose and came off easily. He was now able to peer out the second-story window and see outside.

What he saw sent icicles down his back. Though he had no specific memories, he was vaguely aware the world was not supposed to look like this.

Buildings were crumbled, cars were smashed into useless pieces, various appliances and furniture were littered everywhere. The sky was dark and clouded over. There were no other living beings in sight.

Ken's heart pounded, and he suddenly felt very alone.

He turned to the only other thing in the room, the old boxes. At the top of one he found a pair of worn-out blue sneakers, which he pulled on. Old shoes seemed better then no shoes.

He began to dig deeper through the items. Junk, an empty canteen, a porcelain rabbit, junk, a small box with strange symbols on it…

Suddenly a large crash rattled the building. Ken dropped the small box and looked up, alert. The building continued to shake, less violently then before, accompanied by a steady thumping noise. Like something was coming closer.

Ken flew to his feet, his body tensing. The random thoughts rushing through his mind vanished to be replaced by a firm decision: He needed to get out of here.

Not daring to wait another second, Ken flung open the door to the room, which led to a bleak hallway. He stopped short in front of a gaping hole, shivering to think he could've fallen. Navigating around it, he turned and rushed down the left corridor, hoping to get as far away from whatever was shaking the complex.

Unfortunately, he soon came to the end of the hallway. He stood staring at the large window at the dead end. What could he do?

He didn't have much time to decide. Loud thumping and short, gruff breathing caused Ken to whirl around.

He eyes grew wide with terror as the large creature lumbered towards him, maybe twice as big as a washing machine he'd seen outside. He didn't have much time to process what exactly it was, but from what he saw it was covered in matted fur and had fangs and gleaming red eyes.

Barely comprehending what he was doing, Ken turned again and frantically tugged the window open. He grabbed the sill and threw both legs out just as the creature reached where he had been standing.

It stuck its ape-like head out the window and let out a thunderous roar, but Ken had already let go of the sill.

By the time his brain finally caught up to what was going on, he was lying painfully on the ground, heaps of twisted metal and other various objects around him.

He panted heavily as he stared up at the building. Then he closed his eyes to assess the situation.

He had practically jumped out of a second-story window without a second thought. The monster was luckily nowhere in sight, but his ankle was throbbing. And now he was alone in a vast and broken city.

Wincing at the pain, Ken sat up and eyed his right foot. It didn't appear to be bent too strangely. Perhaps it was just sprained.

There was something very wrong about all of this. He knew, deep down, that he shouldn't be alone. There had to be others like him out here.

The most favorable option was to get away from this place. The monster could be trying to find him right now.

Ken gritted his teeth and stood. He surveyed the wreckage grimly, faintly wondering what this place looked like before.

Without looking back, he took his first step into the gloom, beginning a long and arduous trek that would lead to friendship, sorrow, and a greater trial then he could have ever anticipated.

Hikari stood on the roof of the half-crumbled building, gazing out onto the bleak landscape where a few skyscrapers still stood. Another day was ending, and there was still no sign of him. The sixth Chosen one.

She promised herself she wouldn't give up hope. He had to be out there somewhere.

Maybe Miyako will have found him. She should be back soon, Hikari thought.

She knew it was unrealistic for her to wish for so much, but she had to keep faith for the other's sake. For Takeru.

"Hikari, please come back to camp."

Hikari glanced down to see a small figure standing there looking up at her.

"All right, Iori," Hikari sighed, and started to climb down.

"I don't think Gennai was wrong," the boy said to her once she was on the ground. Wisdom far beyond his years glinted in his green eyes.

"I hope your right," Hikari replied, shaking her head. The boy always seemed to know what she was thinking about. "We could sure use a miracle right now."

Thanks for reading, I hope it wasn't a total waste of your time... The next chapter should be a little longer and introduce some other characters a little better.

~P.W.