Title: Trust

Author: Klyukaizer

Main Character: Ken Ichijouji

Genre(s): Angst/Drama

Summary: I suck at summaries but here goes... The DDs sensed something strange about the Digimon Emperor… That's when they learned something shocking about Ken and they asked for the older DDs' help. Will they help Ken? Or will they still treat him with hate and disdain?

Chapter 1- Something's wrong!

The tap of the keyboard can be heard as it echoed through the base of the Digimon Emperor. Our view focused behind his throne when suddenly he dropped on his knees and held his head in pain in the middle of his work. "Master!" Wormmon crawled beside him. "What's wrong?"

"My head..." The Digimon Emperor mumbled. "I'll get someone!" Wormmon started crawling away when the emperor suddenly took out his whip and whacked it on Wormmon, which sent him flying to a nearby wall.

"I don't need anyone's help!" he snarled. "Or yours!" and got up with the help of his chair.

"M-Master!" "SILENCE!" and he walked away with a brush of his cape.

"Give it up, Ken! There's no chance for you to win against us!" Davis smirked confidently. "Hn! Like if I believe that crap!" Ken replied with a grin. "Airdramon! Finish them off!" he pointed. 3 Airdramons went after the DDs as they made a run for it.

"Any more ideas?" Cody asked while running with Digmon. "Let Aquilamon do the job!" Yolei held out her digivice. "Hawkmon!" she called.

"Hawkmon digivolves... to Aquilamon!"

It was like a battlefield out there! Angemon, Angewomon, Ex-veemon and Aquilamon were too weak for Ken's "pets".

Suddenly, he felt a searing pain inside his head again as he grasped his head and fell on his knees. "Master! What's happening to you?" Wormmon comforted again.

"I... don't need... your... help, worm!" he struggled. "M-Master!" Wormmon gasped.

"Look!" Kari pointed to Ken. "What's happening to him?" T.K. asked. "This is our chance, guys!" Davis said. "Right!" they said in unison.

"Attack!" Davis screamed when suddenly, Ken's fleet of Digimon started walking away from them. Davis sweat dropped as he approached his other fellow DDs. "What was that all about?" he asked confusedly.

"We are as confused as you are, Davis!" Yolei scratched her head.

Cody looked up in the sky as the birds flew by. T.K. noticed something wring with him so he approached him and sat on the grass beside him. "Is the Digimon Emperor falling apart?" Cody suddenly asked. "Eh?" T.K. almost jumped. "Did he finally realize what he did was wrong? He couldn't have just retreated like that!" Cody continued.

"I don't think so, Cody!" T.K. said as he rested chin on his hand. "T.K.'s right! Something is wrong with Ken, not the Digimon Emperor!" Kari agreed as she joined them.

"What do you guys think shall we do?" T.K. asked. "I say we attack his base and held him hostage!" Yolei said from afar, over-hearing their discussion. "The Digimon Emperor can't be caught that easily!" Davis for once made an intelligent remark. "Well, what do you think shall we do, smarty-pants?" Yolei mocked.

"I say..." Davis paused and everyone looked at him. "...We attack his base and have him hostage." Everybody face faulted. "Baka!" Yolei mumbled.

"What's wrong with him? I didn't know the Digimon Emperor has any sign of weaknesses!" Cody sighed nervously. "I think we should definitely investigate this matter or it'll become worst!" he predicted.

"You're right, Cody! We must find out! Something... is definitely wrong here!"

"You can't go to school, honey! We want you to stay at home!" his mother cared. "I'm not a kid, mom!" Ken argued. "Please! You must stay!" his mom insisted.

"No!" Ken growled and was going to leave their apartment when someone grabbed his back collar and pulled him back. "You're NOT going out!" It was his father. He pulled Ken forcibly which sent Ken falling to the ground slamming his head on the floor.

Ken screamed as the pain inside his head returned again. "Ken!" Both his parents kneeled beside him. "I'm sorry, son! I- I didn't mean to!" His father blurted.

Ken's eyes suddenly turned white and his mouth parted the next thing he knew he fell into a seizure.

"What do you think you have done? Haven't you heard what the doctor said?" Ken's mom scolded at Ken's father on the hospital lobby. "I didn't do it on purpose and besides, at least I prevented him from being hurt furthermore!" his father argued.

"Prevented? Have you lost your mind? You just led him into BEING HURT!" his mother screamed.

"Stop blaming it all on me!"

"Of course I'll blame it all one you!"

"Please... the both of you, stop!" The both of them looked at a doctor standing right beside Ken's hospital room. "Dr. Frank, how is he? Will Ken be okay?" her mom started asking.

Dr. Frank dropped his head and faced away. "It's positive... he has the disease!"

2 weeks... the Digital World has been peaceful. There were no signs for the Digimon Emperor and the DDs were getting suspicious; even the older DDs.

"Don't tell me he disappeared again!" Tai sighed out loud. "Well, It's good he is... I mean, he caused enough calamities in the digital world and it's good that it all stopped but... I'm not so sure if I'll be happy about his disappearance!"

"Tai's right..." Sora nodded. "I'm sure he didn't run away! It would be all over the news by now if he did!" Izzy concluded.

"Well... Yolei and I went to their apartment last night and no one seems to be home!" T.K. announced. "That's odd... Where do you think the Ichijouji family are?" Izzy wondered.

"A vacation is certainly NOT a good excuse!" Matt crossed his arms. Suddenly, Kari's cell phone began to ring. "Hello?" she answered. "Yeah... Sure! Okay! Tai and I will be there in 5 minutes!" she hanged up. "Mom wants us to pick her up in the hospital, she was visiting a friend and has been there since this morning! She doesn't want to come home alone!" she explained as she grabbed her backpack.

"Well... see you guys later! We'll talk about this some other time!" Tai waved as the 2 siblings left Izzy's room.

"8th floor!!!" Tai exclaimed. "Yeah..." Kari answered as she stared at the screen of her cell phone. "Aw, man! Can't we just take the elevator?" he complained as he grabbed the rails. "No, we have to walk! You won't know when some emergency will strike!" Kari giggled as he looked at his tired brother. "Kari!!!"

"No..." Kari snapped. "Sisters..." he muttered. It took them only a short time to reach the 8th floor but Tai's legs were already trembling. "Next time... I'm... not hesitating... in taking... the elevator!" he panted.

Suddenly, both of their eyes caught something that got their attention. A raven-haired boy was rushed to the emergency room in haste. "Sou na!" Kari gasped. "Masaka..." Tai exclaimed. "That's..."

"...Ken!"

~TBC~