A/N:
O_o Well . . . . .
Cody is such a sweet-tempered, benign boy that sometimes I find it annoying. ^_^ *Coughs* Not really, of course. He has such a powerful heart for everybody, even for the dark Digimon. I noticed that he did show compassion for Black Wargreymon! Doesn't anybody see that, dammit?! ^_~
But sometimes, he is just too serious. No wonder, he will be an attorney in the future. Kind obvious to me. *Shrugs* There aren't very many scenes that he did laugh. IS THERE ONE SCENE THAT HE DID EVEN GIGGLE? Err, I don't know. . I know he became serious when his dad died, and I had sympathy for him. *Blinks* but I just can't remember a time when he did act like *child*. A freaking normal child!
. . .
Well, that episode when he got his Digiegg of Reliability would count, but still . . .
Well, I can't complain with Iori Lovers, ne? He's not my favorite, but he's a cute boy.
But Armadillomon! He's outrageously hilarious! ^_^
Anyway, the disclaimer thingy . . . *stands up with flags and begins to signal with them*
I. Do. Not. Own. Digimon. Digital. Monsters. Please. Go. Away. Before. I. Murder. Saban. For. Making. Me. Saying. This. There. Must. Be. Money. For. It. ^_^
Keys to Their Hearts:
Part Three: Wise Pebble and Kind Blood
By Debbie (Dai-chan)
Cody's Part
Iori winced at the sudden flash above and watched the lightning bolts leaping amongst the dark clouds. It was kind of beautiful watching it, bolts dancing midst each other, illuminating the clouds and his face with a dazzling violet-silver glow. But, occasionally, there was a sudden electric discharge with a boom that shook the very air. Sometimes that kind of thunder nearly deafened him, making him tense. He didn't like these kinds of suddenness; he preferred to have things going in slow standards so he could experience every detail. He didn't like to be unprepared.
"Aaa!" Iori leaped at the abrupt bolt that struck a few feet away and starred at the small scorched area. What kind of test was that?
"You don't need to be so afraid of lightning."
Iori turned his head and saw Koushiro standing beside, his raven-black eyes gazing at the lightning-streaked clouds. His clothing was different from what he usually wore. He was clad in a dark violet open vest over his bare chest with pale grey lines, sleeveless and short to his waist, and violet pantaloons, loose and grey-lined. Also, he had a wide breechcloth belted at his waist, pitch-black with pale lavender occult symbols and lines all over, along with short black boots. Dark grey sleeves, tied by thin red leather cords around his fingers, encircled his lower arms, loose enough not to rasp on his skin.
His fiery-red hair seemed to be the bright color against the dark uniform. But what made it even remarkable was that there was a thin vivid violet streak running from his forehead toward the back of his head, so strikingly.
He was still watching the storm, admiration on his face. "The thunderstorm can be beautiful if you look at the beauty behind the danger."
Perplexed, Iori eyed Koushiro, then to the storm. "The lightning frightens me a bit."
The older boy chuckled quietly. "Why? The storm told me it doesn't mean to scare you with the lightning. It won't hurt you."
He blinked. "I don't understand."
Koushiro turned his gaze downward to him. "I can speak with lightning. I'm one with electricity. I'm your Protector, and because of that, the storm won't hurt you."
Iori grew curious. "You are my Protector? Why?"
He turned to him and bowed with a hand over his bare chest. "Let me introduce myself. I'm known as Spark, the digitalized spirit of Koushiro. I'm a part of his spirit that he left here." Then the Koushiro double eyed back. "To answer your question, because you have the Digieggs of Knowledge and Reliability. Dew and I are chosen to protect you, guide you when you need help."
Iori was quick to understand. "Oh . . . Is this Dew Joe's digitalized spirit?"
Spark smiled. "You are intelligent, but . . . are you wise?"
"What do you mean?"
"I want to say that I'm sincerely proud of you handling situations such those with Arukenimon and Myalomyotismon."
The boy slightly blushed. "I had some help."
"Modest, too," Spark cast him a fond gaze. "Iori, the reason you are here is to be tested for your knowledge and reliability."
Iori silently nodded, then startled at the unforeseen flash of a stray bolt that seemed so glaringly bright compared to the others. He inched closer to Spark, his emerald eyes on the storm.
Spark returned his gaze skyward. His voice was concerned. "Why are you frightened of the lightning?"
"They are so . . . sudden. I wasn't ready."
The redhead was silent for a moment, and then nodded. He placed a finger to his lips, closing his eyes. To Iori's wonder, the bolts obeyed his mental command and were visibly gone from the clouds, except for a lone bolt that streaked across, though this time dim and hushed. Smiling to the younger boy's amazement, Spark continued, "You prefer to go slow?"
Realizing that he was stating about his answer, Iori nodded awestruck. "Um, yeah, I don't like to hurry myself so I won't miss any information."
"You prefer to think in slow standards, not being simple-witted, but you don't rush yourself to misunderstand anything, right?"
"Right."
Spark was glancing at him with calm, hooded eyes that made him feel meek. The way he looked at him made Iori think that he was going to find out what was his test.
"Then," Spark truly spoke, "What would you do if you are in a situation when you have to think fast, and each second is precious, like in when your friends' lives are in utter danger, and they trust you to make the right choices in mere seconds?"
Iori bit his lower lip, couldn't say anything. There were such situations like that, and often he hesitated, afraid to make a wrong decision that might hazard his friends. He didn't know why, but perhaps it was because of his strong compassion. He didn't ever want to hurt dark Digimon.
Spark knelt down and rested a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Iori, in those situations, you can't only rely on your knowledge to make the right choice. Koushiro had to learn the hard way to understand this. I had to help him to see it. And I'm here to help you. Remember, sometimes, you have to trust your raw instincts rather than knowledge to go through the worst. You are very wise, and I hope you would understand that."
"I never see myself wise," the boy said.
"Oh, yes, you are. For a boy your age, you are special in wisdom. Don't you know that the older kids are relying on your wisdom?"
Iori shook his head. "No, I didn't know that. I thought they see me as a boy with a big brain."
Spark laughed heartily. "That's what Koushiro's friends used to see him as." He stood and again gazed skyward, as if he just can't resist a desire to watch the lightning bolts.
Iori also watched the storm for a moment, and then questioned in a shy voice, "They really trust me, Spark?"
"Tell me one situation when you were expected to make the right decision."
Iori mused for a while, remembering the memories. "Black Wargreymon. When he tried to destroy the sixth Destiny Stone." His voice grew sympathetic for the chaotic Control Spire Digimon. "I can't bear the thought of him having an evil heart. Like TK said, if he does have a heart, it was already turned black. But I hoped that if I show his true heart, he could understand and change his dark ways. He would learn the right way."
Spark gazed down, smiling. "What was the right way?"
"I think the right way is helping and protecting the Digiworld and the Digimon, not destroying everything just to prove his strength."
"It was wise of you."
"Yeah, but still, it was foolish of me to stand in his way." He visibly shuddered at the moment when he stood before the dark warrior Digimon with those dangerous, almost frenzied yellow eyes.
Spark cocked his head knowingly. "I don't think it was foolish. Remember, he hesitated in harming you because he remembered about having a heart."
Iori kept quiet. He still felt that he didn't make any progress. Black Wargreymon destroyed the stone, but Azulongmon, one of the Holy Beasts, was able to restore all the Destiny Stones. Black Wargreymon sacrificed his broken body to seal one of the gates to the Digital World as thanks to his new friends. Black Wargreymon did have a heart. Maybe he did made progress . . .
"You pass the test of Knowledge, Teacher," Spark's words were making him look up in puzzlement.
"Teacher?" he questioned, but the older boy only smiled and stepped past him in silence. Iori watched until Spark seemed to disappear into the storm's shadows, then he noticed that the clouds were solidifying into a low ceiling. His surroundings shifted into something vaguely familiar. He glanced around the rusted metal walls, ceiling, and moist floor. There was the faint odor of oil in the damp air.
Then it was the sound of water leaking through the metal sheets that jogged his memory. Iori's breaths quickened as he watched water trickles leaking down the walls, flowing and enlarging, until they were rivulets spraying inward. He shakily backed until he bumped against a wet wall, and his hands could feel the coldness as they frantically touched the glass window that was the only barrier between the oil stand and the vast ocean.
"Spark!" he cried, staring in the limitless blue. "Please, don't leave me here!"
As tears formed in his large eyes, he heard feet wandering through water, but didn't turn back. Arms in sleeves of black came around him, lightly hugging him. He could see the reflected face of Jyou above his face, looking protective.
"I don't want to be here, Dew," the boy whimpered.
"It's all right, Iori," Dew spoke gently. "You are safe with me. You are being tested, that's all. You don't need to be so frightened of the ocean."
Iori shook his head, blinking back tears. "It's not the ocean."
"What's it, Iori?"
"It's not the fear of the ocean, but the reminder. It's the guilt of lying."
Dew withdrew his arms from him, and Iori turned to him, eyes lowered. He could see the Dew was clad in a simple clothing of a pitch-black, long-sleeved tunic that reached down to his hips, lined in pale pearl-silver, and wide pale-grey pants, slightly damp from kneeling in the shallow waters. Also, like Spark, there was a lock of pale blue, as pale as ice, streaking from the left side of his forehead, mingling among his long blue-black hair.
Dew watched him with dusky eyes. "Jyou already explained about it. It's okay to lie to save your friends, to risk everything to save their lives."
Iori wiped back tears. "I know, but I still have the guilt for lying. I promised myself that I would never lie, but I broke it. My friends may be alive because of me, but they knew about my broken promise and wouldn't trust me that easy."
As he spoke, Dew listened calmly, his dusky eyes balanced, his right hands stroking the thin surface of the water. Iori saw that the water seemed to move on its own, entwining around the long fingers, lovingly and devoted.
Dew smiled at his wide-eyed astonishment. "No one can be incapable of lying. But you would be wise enough to know when it's okay to lie and when it's not. Do you understand this?"
The boy looked up. "I think so."
"Your friends still trust you even if you lied. They trust you because you lied to save their lives. That's the kind of reliability Jyou was talking about." Dew took his hand, and both stood, forgetting about the rising water level about their ankles. "Proving that you can be trusted in the darkest moments is reliability."
Iori shyly smiled. "Thank you, Dew. That made me feels better. I'm sorry I doubted myself."
Dew shook his head to his words. "If you want the others to trust you, then be trustworthy. There's no other way. Have your heart at ease, Teacher. We will be here for you the whole time."
Iori heard light splashing, and then he saw Spark waddling through the water, a grin on his freckled face. He just appeared out of nowhere, went to stand beside Dew. He spoke, "And don't forget about using your wisdom, Teacher. We all trust you."
"Why do you call me Teacher?"
"Your title. It's the name that we know you by. The Teacher of Wisdom," Dew replied, smiling.
"Treat it with honor and wisdom, you understand?" Spark reminded him.
Iori nodded, agreeing. The older boys, his Protectors, grinned as the surroundings faded into dimness, and then he turned to the lightening glow of a door opening near him. Finally, he passed the tests. Iori felt his spirit lightening, knowing that he did prove his knowledge and reliability, and in return, he learned about them, helping him to become wiser.
Iori, the Teacher of Wisdom, walked for the door, a childlike grin on his round face.
***
Author's Note:
Do you think it's obvious? Yes, Ken is my favorite 02 Character, although he isn't even a speck of dust to Izzy. ^_^ Sorry, but I do like Ken because of his kindness. At first, I totally HATE him when he was the Digital Emperor. He was a pain in the butt, so egotistical and arrogant. Then when he returned to his former personality, I have to admit, 'That's a nice way to boost up the ratings for the show, hehe.'
Have you noticed that he always look sad? I want to grab on the TV and holler in his face, "Hey, cheer up! You have got new friends, and Wormon had returned to you! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!" But, anyway . . .
He's cute. Enough said. I don't have to explain why I like him because they're the same with the other Ken Lovers. He's dark, he's gentle, and he's damnably hot. In their opinions, actually. ^_^
Please go ahead and read. Don't EVER make me say the disclaimer, k? I won't like you if you make me. *Pouts*
Ken's Part
He found himself standing on a barren field with scattered grey-tan stones in the middle of nowhere. The surroundings were ancient to him. He presumed that some eons ago, there used to be large building, perhaps a temple of a kind, standing in the middle of a fruitful meadow. There was nothing else except rocks and browned grass. But something must have happened here that caused the building to collapse upon itself, maybe by an earthquake or erosion.
The rocks were scattered all over the area, allowing only a few patches of grass to grow from between. The only remains of that ancient building was a wide floor of patterned stones, arise a couple of feet above with short broken steps on one side.
Ken stepped over stones, listening to the crunches under his feet. It was certainly erosion; the rocks wore down so easily. But what kind of building was it, he wondered as he arrived to the steps. The steps were nearly gone; gently, he climbed over upon the floor without touching the steps.
He looked around his surroundings. There was no wind or even any living thing around. The place felt dead. Yet, he felt something awed, like he was becoming humbled by the hidden aura of the fallen building.
"One time you asked yourself after what you have done to the Digiworld . . ."
Ken recognized the voice and turned to notice Kimika balancing herself on a broken column several feet away, her arms crossed, her rich brown eyes soft. To Ken, she was clad into a kind of uniform suited for a female fighter.
She wore lightweight dark grey pants gathered tight around his ankles and hips, but let her move freely. A slightly paler grey midriff shirt, sleeveless and loose, covered her upper body. Her dark red gloves were light, except for the padding on the knuckles, which was obviously used for fighting with her fists. Pads covered her elbows and knees. The entire clothing was lined with thick red fringes at the edges.
Ken was amazed as he saw a thin tress of metallic gold streaking from her right temple, bright against her long jet-black hair.
Kimika was continuing her words, "Why did it reward you with the Crest of Kindness?"
Ken looked from her appearance to her words. "I asked the same question. I found no answer."
"The Digital World already gave the answer."
He was puzzled. "I don't understand, Kim."
The black-haired girl smiled softly. "I'm not Kimika, but only a part of her spirit she left here. My name is Moon, your Protector." She stepped down from the column and walked to him, her black moccasin-covered feet silent. She then pointed toward his heart. "The answer you seek is in there."
Ken blinked in perplexity, and his hand went to his chest. He could feel thickness in a chest pocket, and, remembering, he took out his treated possession – the Crest of Kindness. He frowned. "The crest is the answer?" He gazed back. "But I don't understand. I've done horrible things to the Digimon and the Digiworld. Why do I deserve this?"
Moon hooded her eyes. "Look at the crest and think why."
Ken did what he was told, staring at the pale lavender crest in his hands. A smooth orb was partly covered by rolling waves, reminding him of the setting sun above the billowing ocean. But he couldn't see the reason why did he have the Crest of Kindness. All he saw was guilt. Sighing, he shook his head.
Moon silently reached and picked the crest. She took time studying the crest, the closed his fist around it. There was a flash of sympathy in her eyes, but then she averted away, strolling around on the floor. "Ken, because I'm your Protector, I'm chosen to test your virtue – kindness."
He glanced to her fist where it held his crest and frowned up to her. "Why do you bother? I'm worthless."
The girl paused in her tracks, turned to face him. Her voice grew sharper, if not louder. "Is that your virtue? Worthlessness?"
"I deserve to be humiliated. I learned my mistakes, and I will correct them." He sharply spun on his heel and headed for the edge of the floor.
"That's all?"
Ken slowed, hearing the concerned question in her voice. " . . . Yes."
"Not forgiveness?"
The word always sent bitter needles of shame in his body, and Ken faced her, his voice thick with emotions. "How could I ever ask for forgiveness, Moon? I scarred the Digimon with suffering and horror. I disgraced the honor of the Digidestined. Forgiveness is least of all worries." He turned away, hugging himself, bowing his head.
Moon sighed, moving closer. "Don't you know that we could forgive you?"
"I know . . ." He couldn't say anything more.
Moon stood before him, her fist that held the crest in between of them. Her voice was without pity, full of disapproval. "So you grasp on your mistakes because it's the only way you can live by."
" . . . "
"You're afraid to change."
"I'm not!" Ken protested, his indigo eyes boring in her brown eyes. "I'm cleansing my mistakes! That's all!"
Her face lightly frowned, her arms crossed. "Then what?"
"What? I don't understand."
"After you correct your mistake, what will you do next? Stay home?"
Ken frowned back, and then lowered his eyes. "That's the general idea. I don't want to do any harm further."
"What about helping?"
He glared back. "I've done enough." He sharply went for the steps. The stones completely crumbled under his feet, but he didn't stop, too upset. After a few seconds departing, his ears picked up faint sounds of a distant ocean. Ken literally froze in his place, eyes wide.
He recognized the sounds. Whenever he heard that, it sent waves of horrible, stinging pain that would knock him out of consciousness, but mercilessly forced him to suffer every second. He would scream pleadingly, wished with all his sanity to stop the pain.
But he didn't suffer the pain. He heard only the waves of the ocean, yet it was nowhere in sight. Then, before his startled eyes, the surroundings of browned grass and decayed rocks vanished into a strangely familiar area of a grey-sanded beach, gloomy skies, and blackest waters he'd ever seen. Unpleasant memories pooped in his head as he scanned around tensely.
"What am I doing here?" he whispered through clenched teeth.
"I don't really think you've done enough, Kenny boy."
It was his voice, no mistake about it. Ken turned to see an exact double of him standing nearby, his thin lips permanently sneering, and his indigo eyes merciless behind the wide shades. Ken stared at the Emperor with his upset face and clenched fists.
"There's still a lot of Digimon that you didn't enslave, and more places to control," the Emperor was saying, his voice lustful with greed. "So what if you did awful things? You ruled over everything. You struck pure despair and terror in the Digimon's hearts! They cowered at the sound of your name. Don't tell me you forget the delicious grasp of power."
"I'm no longer the Emperor," Ken's voice was stern. "You're not real."
"I'm as real as you are."
"I won't hear this!" Ken then turned toward Moon, who was unmoving from her place. He was hurt; he had found a devoted friend in Kimika as much as he found in Daisuke, and he felt betrayed of this. "Moon, why are you doing this? Why are you reminding me of my mistakes?"
Moon slowly shook her head, her voice seeming betrayed, also. "It's not my doing. It's yours. I cannot stop it. Only you can. Besides," she narrowed her eyes, "I thought you choose to remember your mistakes."
"I only want to cleanse them and forget them."
She only watched back with pity on her face.
This took Ken unaware. Why did she look at him like that? He didn't want any pity or forgiveness. He had become so ashamed of his mistakes that he couldn't build up the courage to ask the Digidestined forgiveness. Even though he finally admitted that there was no reason for him to have self-reproaching because the mistakes were in the past, still he was so discouraging to ask for any forgiveness in fear of betraying it in return.
Yet, as he gazed at Moon, he wondered if this scenery, this gloominess was his doing just because he couldn't ask for forgiveness.
"Forget about forgiveness," the Emperor somehow answered his question. "You were a powerful Emperor, controlling with terror in your fist. It was a poignant awe and desire of tyranny. Don't you want that feeling again?"
Ken glared back to his dark brother. "No! All I felt is disgrace and shame!"
The Emperor disdainfully snorted. "You knew you were superior to everything. You are the Master."
From the corners of his eyes, Ken saw Moon taking on an expression of insulted disagreement on her face, but she didn't say anything, instead glared warningly at the Emperor.
He spoke forcedly at the Emperor, "No, I don't want to be the Master."
"You are! Terror and Cruelty. Your true virtues."
"No! Those are not mine!" Ken felt his own body shivering as he stepped back. "I thought I'm freed from you. You're not real."
The Emperor widened his sneer, his voice was soft and mockingly. "Kenny boy, you cannot get rid of me. I am you! As long as you exist, I exist."
Ken couldn't bear the increasing noises of the waves and ridicule of his own voice. His arms tight around himself, he dropped to his knees, almost sobbing. "Is there anything to stop you from haunting me?"
Then he heard soft footsteps coming closer, and black moccasins-shoed feet appeared in his vision. An opened hand appeared, welcoming and comforting. "Come, Friend," Moon's sympathetic voice spoke, "and I will help you fight yourself."
Ken hesitated; looking up, and saw the cheerful smile on her face, not a pitiful or impassive look at all. His hand entwined into hers, and she aided him standing up. He asked puzzlingly, "Why are you being so kind to me when I tainted the Digiworld with my haughty pride?"
"That's because Kimika forgave you," was her answer.
Then he saw a few thin beams of lavender glow peeking from Moon's closed fist – where it held his crest. The rays shone brighter until they illuminated their faces and surroundings. Ken heard the Emperor growling in his throat, stepping back.
Moon raised his fist in front of her and Ken. Her voice was commanding, "Go away, Emperor. You will not haunt him any longer."
The Emperor snorted scornfully and glowered over to Ken. "Don't forget, Kenny Boy. I'm always here." Then he vanished into thin air.
"What happened?"
"You finally understood."
"Understood what?"
She turned to him, saying, "You asked why the Digital World gave you the Crest of Kindness." Gentle, she took his hand, placed the lavender crest on the palm, closed the hand, and then moved it to front of his heart. Moon then smiled. "The answer is in there."
As she removed her hand, Ken took another look at the crest. He began to think seriously. "Moon, the answer is not just the crest. It's forgiveness, isn't it?"
Moon nodded.
"The Digiworld gave me the crest because it forgave me." He quietly sighed, closing his eyes. "And I thought the Digiworld hated me for what I've done."
She was penitent, but serious as she spoke, "Instead of asking for forgiveness, you searched for more ways to shame yourself. You shouldn't have done it. When you shame yourself, you shame the Digidestined, too."
"I'm sorry, Moon."
Moon grinned and went to embrace him, he feeling strong intimacy and kindness form her. He thankfully hugged back. Not often had he been hugged from someone than his parents, and now he felt that he did mean the most to his friends.
The embrace ended, Ken lowered his eyes to the crest, and another curious thought appeared in his mind. "But there's one thing I don't understand, Moon. How did the Digiworld find out about my virtue? How did it see through my dark side?"
Moon seemed to expect the question. "Who sacrificed his life for you?"
He never forgot who did that for him. "Wormon did."
Moon nodded. "He sacrificed for you because he knew you were kind and gentle inside."
"And because of that, the Digiworld saw my heart and gave me the Crest of Kindness as forgiveness."
"You finally understood."
Ken smiled, his eyes beginning to mist. "Thanks, Wormon."
To his surprise, Moon placed a soft kiss on his forehead. "You pass the test of Empathy and proved your kindness, Friend. There will be other tests waiting on the road for you, but as I promised, I will be here for you, my Friend of Kindness."
She and the surroundings slowly vanished into thin air, and then Ken noticed an arched door opening in front of him – the same door he had entered. Thanks to his test, he believed in himself and ready to help defend the two worlds as he and the others were chosen to. He will never, ever betray the honor and trust of his friends, Wormon, and most of all, himself.
Firmly holding the precious Crest of Kindness in his fist, Ken went for the door.
To be continued in the last part.
