The truly heartless




At first, all the digi-destined thought Ken was evil. Acted as though he had no hope
of ever being a hero, of ever protecting the digital world. But who was really the
heartless one? Or the heartless ones? After they finally started to trust him, is it
possible that a friendship could be destroyed by one fight?




____________

Ken stared into the starry night sky. His eyes wandered over the blinking lights as
they cast a glow upon the city where he dwelled outside the digital world. His eyes
held a cold stare toward the stars themselves.

"What is my destiny?" wondered Ken aloud as he turned toward his room, leaving
the stars to wonder that question alone.

_____________

"Is everybody ready to go in?" asked Davis as the digi-destined stood in front of the
computer as always. The others nodded in agreement.

"Then I guess we can go as soon as Ken arrives," he remarked.

"Davis, give it a rest! Ken is a slacker, and if he hasn't gotten here by now, we should
just leave without him!" explained Kari.

Davis looked at TK and Cody. Both of them held the same look that Kari had on.
Davis sighed. "Okay, we'll just wait a little longer then..."

The sound of hurried footsteps down the corridor made Davis look up. Ken rushed in
through the door.

"Ken! You made it! Awesome!" shouted Davis.

"Great," muttered the rest of the crew.

"Then let's get going!" commanded Yolei as the digi-destined held their digivices to
the computer screen and warped through to the digital world.

___________________

It seemed as though the heroes had arrived in the neck of time. A powerful and
mysterious digimon was wrecking havoc in the city where they had set down.

Yolei screamed in fright. Ken looked on at the battle, his eyes filled with the eerie
reflection of the fire. Vmon looked over at him with a worried expression. He tugged
on Davis' coat tail. Davis bent down to Vmon. "What is it?"

"Ken doesn't look too good. Maybe he's sick or something."

"It doesn't matter now. We have to save this city. Come on, guys!! Let's take this
monster down!" yelled Davis. He held up his digivice, turning Vmon into Xvmon.

The other heroes evolved their digimon too. Davis and Ken moved in for the first
strike. "Xvmon, who is this guy?"

The evil digimon had an almost maniacal expression on its face. The white lens of its
mask, combined with the black coating, made it look eerily like death. Its muscular
form was covered by long, sharp black shoulder blades and a breastplate of silver and
gold. It wore black steel boots and carried a long silver staff.

Xvmon began to identify the digimon. "It looks like Oriomon to me. He is a digimon
who remains very secluded most of the time. I'm amazed to find one in the open like
this."

Ken looked at Oriomon. "Digimon, attack," he commanded. Tenjomon struck at the
evil beast.

Oriomon looked up at the approaching onslaught and smiled. "It's a battle you fools
want? Very well, if you truly wish to meet your welcomed end so soon." The dark
digimon raised its staff. "Malice Spiral!!" it shouted, sending a beam of black light
into the oncoming Ken and Tenjomon.

Tenjomon grunted and fell backwards. He tossed Ken to the ground before he was
rammed into a building by Oriomon. Ken screamed as he watched Oriomon batter
Tenjomon.

Xvmon shoved Oriomon to the ground. He helped Tenjomon to his feet as Oriomon
rose up in fury. Tenjomon stared silently at the evil Oriomon. "Xvmon, I think it
would be the wiser choice if we attacked together." Xvmon shook his head in
agreement. The two digimon charged with determined looks in their eyes.

Oriomon welcomed their move with a blast of energy, slamming Xvmon backwards.

"Xvmon!" shouted Davis.

Oriomon moved toward Tenjomon with an incredible speed unlike anything before.
His fist connected with Tenjomon's chest, sending the good digimon staggering back.
It looked at Oriomon as he shoved his staff up against Tenjomon's stomach. "Malice
Spiral!!" he yelled as the beam went directly from the staff into Tenjomon's body.
Tenjomon shook wildly, screaming in anguish.

"GOD NO!! TENJOMON!!" screamed Ken as he turned with burning, tear-filled eyes to the
other digi-destined. "Don't just stand there! Help him!! Help him!!"

TK snapped out of his daze. "Right! Patomon! Digivolve!" Soon Angemon,
Angewoman, and Digmon were moving in to take down Oriomon.

Yolei muttered. "Hawkmon, do something!"

The bird digimon sniffled. "I'm too hungry to digivolve."

"That's always your damn excuse."

Oriomon was slapping the helpless Tenjomon around when the three digimon struck.
Caught off guard, the angel digimon rammed their guard-sticks into the beast's face.
He screamed and fell backwards, dropping the injured Tenjomon. Angemon
transformed into MagnaAngemon and threw a devastating punch at Oriomon.
Oriomon grabbed MagnaAngemon's arm and twisted it, causing the digimon to let
out a fierce and horribly tainted scream of bloody murder.

Oriomon darted off into the air, followed closely by Angewoman and Digmon.
Oriomon spun his staff around, pushing it into Digmon's aptitude. "Malice Spiral!!"

The battered Digmon fell to the earth, unmoving.

Angewoman struck with her own staff, attacking Oriomon in a wave of confused
frenzy. He blocked her struggling moves with his staff, laughing evilly as he did so.

Enraged, with a maddening growth that released the full extent of her unrequited
fury, Angewoman strung her bow and fired three golden arrows through Oriomon's
chest. He yelled and landed on a rooftop, struggling to stay up, the arrows wedged
tightly in his chest, so that he dare not remove them. Angemon hovered over the
blank character.

"Now, you butchering son of a bitch, I put you to rest," proclaimed the angel as she
raised her staff up in the effort to use her most powerful attack.

Oriomon forced a grin as he hurled his staff at Angewoman. Without any time to
react, the staff flew straight through her, leaving only a burning hole where her bust
had once been. She spit blood and fell through the air, crashing into the building
several times before landing on the ground hundreds of feet from where she had
previously floated.

Oriomon pulled himself to his feet. Ken watched in awe as Oriomon slowly descended
down the tall building to the earth. Davis helped Xvmon to his feet as he watched in
horror. The other digi-destined were horribly amazed that their digimon had been so
easily destroyed. Cody and Yolei were stunned. Kari felt weak and fainted in TK's
arms.

"Now, the digi-destined die," smirked Oriomon as he lurched step by step toward the
children.

Ken, who's digimon had been beaten beyond consciousness, ran forward, throwing
stones and other various materials at the digimon as it neared the digi-destined.
Oriomon smiled wide as he looked at the last defense of the digi-destined.

"How pitiful," he said as he raised a wall of fire up around the city.

Angemon staggered over to the digi-destined. TK looked at his half-dead partner and
lowered his head. "We have to retreat."

Angemon picked up TK and Kari. Hawkmon, who had successfully digivolved, but
stood no real chance, carried Yolei and Cody on its back. They darted into the air,
upset about their loss.

Oriomon looked at the remaining digi-destined. Davis and a weak Xvmon loomed in
the background. A large, unmoving bug lay in the rubble. A small boy with blue hair
stood at Oriomon's feet.

Oriomon looked at the boy. "Who are you?"

"I am Ken."

"Why aren't you leaving?"

"Because I can't let you live."

"Is that so?"

"You are a threat. I am protector of this domain. It is my responsibility to do
everything in my power to stop you from damaging this world."

"But your friends have all left. Who will stand by you now?"

Davis and Xvmon stepped forward. "We will."

Ken looked at Davis. Davis forced out a smile. "I'm here, buddy. I'll keep fighting."

"The others have abandoned us."

"It doesn't matter. We have to win."

Xvmon stepped forward. Oriomon took a step toward the weakened digital monster.
"If you are the only challenge I must face before victory, I doubt you digi-destined
have completed your duties," Oriomon acknowledged.

Xvmon didn't budge. "I will slaughter you."

Xvmon charged. Oriomon ran at Xvmon. The two put all there strength into one
slash.

Both stopped. Xvmon and Oriomon stood still for a moment.

Blood burst forth from Xvmon's chest. He moaned and dropped to the ground.
Oriomon laughed as Davis ran to Xvmon's side. Ken stared at the dead monster in
pain. Then he turned toward Oriomon. He walked forward. Oriomon gazed at the
boy, the last warrior.

"Stop me," declared the evil digimon.

"I'll do better than that," replied Ken.

An angry cry escaped Ken. "Tenjomon, strike!"

Oriomon snapped his eyes wide open as he felt a cold steel claw bleed into his left
shoulder. Oriomon howled and fell forward, Tenjomon standing above him. Oriomon
struggled to get up. Tenjomon pushed his foot down on the three glowing arrows in
his chest. Oriomon screamed, his blue blood spilling from his mouth to the floor.
Tenjomon extended his claws to their longest position. Then, with no remorse, he
brought them down into Oriomon's throat. He twisted. Oriomon's skull popped off
his body. Tenjomon brought his foot down. Crunch. Ken looked on with a silent
gaze.