A/N: I can't believe that there are still people who want me to continue this story. I just hope I'm not beating a dead horse. (I'm not, am I?) But anyway, this is the third part of what is now a trilogy. The first part was "Heart of an Emperor", the second "Shape of My Heart." Probably should read those first, but its not absolutely necessary. Thank you Sephiroth no Miko for the title! ^_^ Oh yes! Forget all the episodes when Ken gets his crest and hears weird voices and stuff. They never happened, kay?
Disclaimer: Didn't own 'em then, still don't own 'em now.
For the Sake of Love Part One: Cherished
"OW!" Yolei yelled as she landed in the computer room. Kari had fallen over her, followed by T.K. and Davis. "Why can't we find a way back to the real world that doesn't involve pain?" she complained as they picked themselves up.
"Aw, it isn't that bad!" said Davis.
"Easy for you to say, you were on the top!"
Cody spoke up. "She does have a point there, Davis."
Yolei eyed him suspiciously. "How'd you manage to land without crashing into anybody?"
He grinned. "Practice."
"No way!" she cried. "You've found a way to land right and you haven't told us, is that it?"
"No, I…" Cody began, when he realized Yolei was kidding. The teasing kept on until they were nearly out of the building.
"By the way, we got an E-mail from a person named Gennai," Cody said. "Izzy told me that Gennai gave them information from time to time when they were in the Digital world. He gave us this weird little poem:
The five Chosen have toiled long and well
The true test is still yet to come.
Love will bring Kindness out of the Dark,
But the Darkness will not give him up so easily –
Light must help Kindness see the truth,
And the cycle of Darkness will at long last end."
Kari and T.K. groaned. "Not another prophecy," said T.K.
"Why didn't you tell us earlier?" Kari asked.
"I only got the E-mail yesterday," said Cody. Then he smiled one of his rare half-smiles. "Plus, I forgot until now."
"What's the deal with this prophecy thing?" Davis asked.
"Last time we were in the Digital world, Gennai gave us prophecies about what was going to happen to us in the future," Kari explained. "They were supposed to help us or at least give us a warning, but instead they were just annoying."
"Why was that?" Cody asked.
T.K. answered. "Because they never say anything straight out, Gennai never explained, and half the time he didn't tell us until it was almost too late!" he laughed.
"What do you think it means?" asked Davis.
Yolei felt exasperation flooding through her. She didn't care what the prophecy meant; she had somewhere to be! Her mind flicked frantically through ways out of the situation.
"Oh, I nearly forgot!" she exclaimed. "I have to see if Mr. Fugiyama is still here!" Without waiting for an answer she continued, "Don't wait for me, guys, I need to talk to him about the computer club!" She whisked off down the hall. As soon as she was out of sight, she ran to a window. Her friends were looking after her confusedly. She bit her lip as Cody turned back. But he changed his mind and she breathed a sigh of relief as her friends left the school for good. Yolei ran to the computer room, and the next moment she was sucked into the Digital world.
Yolei glanced around to get her bearings, removing her helmet as she did so. She was getting a little sick of wearing it all the time, but it was what the Digital world gave her, so what could she do?
Two strong arms wrapped around her from behind. "Don't move," a low, threatening voice growled in her ear.
She grinned. "I wasn't planning on it," she replied. "Hi, Ken." She turned around to see Ken Ichijouji, minus sunglasses and cape. She took a moment to just enjoy looking at him. Gosh, he's gorgeous, she thought to herself. Without the glasses she could see his dazzling violet eyes sparkling with a warmth that only she ever saw. She loved knowing she was the only one to have the good fortune of seeing Ken like this.
Ken pulled her up into a kiss. "I missed you," he whispered.
"Missed me? You see me every day!" she laughed, only half-joking.
"I know, but…"
She did know, all too well. Most days Ken saw her, it was only on opposite sides of a battlefield. She could only pull the "I–must–go–see–a–teacher" trick so many times before her friends would get suspicious. As a result, her visits with Ken were far less frequent than they both wanted them to be.
All the more reason to enjoy this while it lasts,
she thought. The afternoon melted away as she and Ken walked hand-in-hand through the Digital world, stopping often to view a giant waterfall or the top of a cliff, or simply sitting and talking. They talked about everything under the sun, from world peace to school dress codes to whether a Whopper or a Big Mac tasted better. Their laughter echoed off the trees, and for a few short hours there was no battle, no Digimon Emperor, and no Chosen Child. It was just two teenagers in love having fun. Like anyone else in the world.Yolei nestled in Ken's arms as he leaned against a tree, It was getting late and both of them knew she needed to be getting back, but neither of them wanted to be the first to say so. She sighed.
Ken heard her sigh and held her a bit tighter. She smiled at him and he felt his mind turn to mush. Amazing, he thought. Simply amazing. That anyone could have such control over him was a constant source of amazement. And he didn't resent that control, not one tiny bit. If only they didn't have to hide this way. If only there was some way she could visit him more often…
Ken suddenly sat straight up. "Ken?" Yolei questioned.
His eyes were wide as he worked through the thought he just had. "Of course!"
"Of course what?" Yolei said, irritated now.
"Yolei – you have a computer in your room, correct?"
She rolled her eyes. "Ken, think about it."
"All right, I know the answer to that one." He thought a moment. "Why didn't I think of it before?"
"Ken, think of what before?" Yolei demanded.
Ken stood up and whistled. The next second Airdramon landed next to him. He pulled Yolei up, and the next minute they were landing at his base. He went straight into the control room and started typing. "There!" he exclaimed.
"What is it?" Yolei asked. Ken felt a smug look come over his face.
"I've opened a Digiport to your computer." He smiled at the stunned expression on her face. "Now you can see me anytime."
Yolei stood openmouthed. "Ken…" she began. He grinned with a little of his old arrogance.
"Brilliant, isn't it?"
She closed her mouth abruptly. "Why didn't you think of this before?!?" she yelled, glaring at him. He took a step back.
"I didn't think of it until now," he replied, wary of the look on her face. She stood for a moment, thinking. Then…
Ken had only enough time to make a startled noise as the purple-haired girl threw herself at him, and as their lips met he didn't need to think of anything at all.
* * *
A lone figure stood on a …what was it standing on? There was nothing around but mist and darkness, but the darkness seemed almost tangible – and it glowed, if it was possible for darkness to ever glow.
The dark shape smiled, an expression that had the power to send grown men running in terror. His quarry had no idea how close he was to going under. Evil danced in the darkness' eyes, as he watched his prey bask in the feelings he was receiving – and giving.
It won't be long now,
the form thought.All right! The rest is coming! And be happy for them now, because things are about to turn very ugly…please review!
