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For They Shall Be Filled

By: Vain  5/31/2001-1/26/2002

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Vain: And here it be.  The moment you've all been waiting for.  *starts playing "Y'All Ready For This?" and dances around, displaying her total lack of rhythm*

Ken: This chapter . . . This is just so touching.  *sobs and hugs Osamu*  I love you, 'Niichan!!  

Osamu:  *also sobs and hugs Ken*  I love you, too, Kenny-boy!!

Wormmon:  *bursts into tears*  Oh, Vain-chan!!!  Kaiser!!!  I love you guys!

Vain:  *sweatdrops and turns up music to block them all out*  This is so embarrassing.  Quit it you three!!

Kaiser:  *twitches and starts fingering his whip as Wormmon clings to him and continues professing his undying affection*

Vain:  Um . . . I don't own anything you recognize.  Please review, ok?

Kaiser: *twitches again*  Someone get this . . . thing off me.  Now.

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~The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,

and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.

-Matthew 4: 16

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Part Thirty-Three

A Miracle of Light and Hope

"Am I real, Oniisan?"

"Yes, Ken."

"Really and truly?"

"Yes, Ken."

"Oniisan?"

A sigh.  "What?"

"How do you know?"

" . . . Because I love you and I couldn't very well love you if you weren't real, could I?"

"I love you too, Oniisan."

"I know."

"I love you best."

A smile then.  "I know.  But how do you know if I'm real, Kenny-boy?"

"Because you're perfect."

"What?!"

"You're perf-"

"Hush.  You don't know what you're talking about."

"But-"

"There is perfection in balance and only in balance, ototochan-remember that.  I'm not perfect."

"But-"

"Ken-chan?"

"Yeah?"

"If I ever go away, if I'm not here, you'll always try to be good for me, won't you?  You'll be perfect if I can't be, won't you?"

"I don't think I understand, Oniisan."

"Just promise me."

"I promise.

**************

"You'll be perfect if I can't be, won't you?"

"There is perfection in balance and in balance alone, ototochan-remember that."

"There is perfection in balance."

"Perfection in balance."

"Perfection."

I am not weak.  I am not afraid.  I am Ken Ichijouji.  I am perfection.  I will be perfection! 

"I believe in you, Ken."

I will be perfection.

"No more."

**************

At first, the Light seemed to come from everywhere at once, but it was obvious that Ken was the source.  Then it slowly spread to the huddled group of Children on the beach, and then it further became localized to the outstretched palm of the Child sitting in the center.  His words fell softer than a feather straight into the inferno of the battle.  And then everything finally seemed to stop.

The dark wall of water bearing down on them seemed to pull back away from that terrible Light in the boy's palm and Kari's eyes widened with an odd blend of horror and realization.  "And then a terrible light will shine in a Darkened land, and upheld by the Eight, a Ninth shall rise, born for the Light, felled to the Dark, and risen again.  And then a Miracle shall strike the Darkened Land-the Binding Land-like the outstretched hands of the Gods, and the long forgotten power of the Sacred Triangle will once again summon the Dragon of the World-a lightform born of all Powers and Spheres and the strength of the bones of the earth itself.  And then there shall be a peace upon the land, cold and empty as the Guardian who brought Darkness to the worlds, benighted and torn as the Child who shall bring Light.  And this peace will not be a peace, but a silence, for this is only the beginning, another beginning in the cycle of death."

TK's jaw dropped.  This just wasn't possible . . .

The Light flickered.

"No!!"  Kari leaned forward and gripped TK wrist.  "We have to have faith in him!  We have to believe that he can do this or else he won't believe in himself!!  The only way that he can open the Crest of Miracles is if he draws on all of our Traits within himself!  He won't do that if he doubts himself!"

TK stared at her.

"Kari's right!" Cody yelled over the rushing water.  "We have to Faith!"  His digivice instantly began to glow a pale blue color at his side and the child jerked back, startled.

Chibimon's eyes opened.  "What . . .?"  The little blue digimon perked up and he turned to Davis.  "Davis?  I feel stronger."

Minomon and Upamon both opened their eyes and looked around in confusion before they each threw themselves at their respective partners. 

"Ken-chan!!"

Poromon flapped frantically to get Yolei's attention.

Salamon stood up and blinked curiously.  "I can feel my strength returning."  Kari stared at her partner in confusion.

Upamon bounced up and down in the sand.  "It's your light, Cody!"

The smallest of the Digidestined pulled out his digivice and frowned.

Davis' head snapped up and he stared at Cody for a moment.  "That's it!!"  He pulled his own digivice out and held it up to the sky.  "We have to have the Courage to stand up for our Friends no matter what!"  His digivice began to glow and a dark blue and an orange-red beam of light shot into the sky.

The Light in Ken's palm pulsed.

Yolei smiled, understanding blossoming on her face.  "We have to Love one another and keep our hearts Pure."  Her digivice flared and two beams of light, one red, one green, shot out to merge with Davis'.

Cody held up his digivice.  "We have to have Faith in and Knowledge of ourselves and each other."

A light blue beam and a purple beam joined the growing rainbow in the sky.

"We have to be willing to bring Light to the dark places."  Kari's digivice added a stream of pink to the sky.

TK closed his eyes and raised his digivice.  "We have to carry Hope in our hearts."

Golden light flew upward, creating a fantastic kaleidoscope of power beneath the dark clouds.

Ken didn't move and Minomon pushed one of his little flippers against his human.  "Ken . . ."

The former despot's voice was barely a whisper as he stared beyond his glowing palm at the sky.  "We must be Kind.  We must be merciful.  To ourselves as well as everyone else.  We must balance the Light and the Darkness." 

Soft pink light rose into the sky and there came a sound like thunder, like the fabric of the world was being torn asunder, and a bright pure white light poured downward and hit the light in Ken's outstretched palm like a spear.  The Child of Kindness and Miracles tossed his head back and for a moment looked like he was going to scream, but instead he only let out three words that sounded like a sigh before he fell backwards into Takeru's arms again.  "Golden Armor energize."

"Pabumon digivolve to . . . Patamon!!  Patamon Golden Armor digivolve to . . . Rhinomon!!"

"Poromon digivolve to . . . Hawkmon!!  Hawkmon Golden Armor digivolve . . . Peacockmon!!"

"Salamon digivolve to . . . Gatomon!!  Gatomon Golden Armor Digivolve to . . . Maildramon!!"

 "Upamon digivolve to . . . Armadillomon!!  Armadillomon Golden Armor digivolve to . . . Elephamon!!"

"Demiveemon digivolve to . . . Veemon!!  Veemon digivolve to . . .Magnamon!!"

"Minomon digivolve to . . . Wormmon!!  Wormmon Golden Armor to . . . Kongoumon!!"

A rainbow shimmered in the sky, banishing the dull gray light and replacing it with something else-something pure-the essence of the powers of the Digital World.

Yolei stared at her Golden Armor digimon, a tall bird-like creature that seemed carved from blue crystal.  He stood upright on two legs and his enormous blue wings were fully extended in front of Yolei and seemed to glitter with a thousand prisms.  The girl's eyes widened behind her glasses and she barely resisted leaping into the air.  "Alright!!!!"

Kari and Takeru helped pull Ken up to his feet.  Rhinomon, a big truck of a digimon covered in shining gold armor with a long, wicked looking horn, tossed his head aggressively and growled while Maildramon opened her golden wings slightly, her metal plated body shining silver in the dead light as she stamped her four feet, making the ground shake.  Blue hair peeked out of the bottom of her majestic, finely wrought helmet.

TK frowned as the other boy swayed on his feet.  "Are you okay?"

Ken cast him an odd look from beneath his long strands of indigo hair.  "Oh, I'm just dandy.  Never been better."

Cody eyed the angry, hissing wall of water in front of them.  "Good, because I think Dagomon is getting upset."

Magnamon lifted up off the ground, shining like a flame and settled back in preparation for the coming battle.  Elephamon reared up and let loose a loud trumpet of challenge, his white underbelly a sharp contrast to the heavy blue armor that covered the majority of his body and supported the red-bladed fans that faced the sky on either side of his back.  Small red tusks protruded out from either side of his trunk.  The elephant-like vaccine's blue-booted feet landed with a boom and his voice was an angry rumble.  "Good!  Bring it on!"

Cody blinked at his partner.

The wave collapsed and Dagomon surged forward, the water churning violently in his wake.  "Do you think that a nightlight can frighten me?!  I am not the monster under your bed!  I AM A GOD!!!!"

Kari narrowed her eyes.  "Oh, shut up already!!  I have had it with you!"  She carefully shifted Ken over to TK before stepping in front the others and pointing her finger accusingly at the squid-like creature advancing on them.  "You're no better than Myotismon and Apocalamon!  You say that the Holy Beasts are corrupt, but it's really you!  They may not have it all together, or know everything, but at least they're trying to do what's best for everyone.  You don't care about anything but yourself!  I can't stand people like you!  You say that you want to help others, but all you want to do is take care of yourself.  You move through your whole life using other people up and then discarding them when you're done and then when you reach the end and you realize how empty, and boring, and wasted your life was, you blame everyone else!  Well, I'm tired of it!  This stops now!!"

Dagomon reared back and a long tentacle came down towards the girl.

"Kari!!"

"Get down!!"

Magnamon sprang forward and snatched her up as the long, slimy appendage slammed into the sand.  He dropped down to the ground with a grunt, cradling the Child of Light to his chest, and turned to glare at the monster at the edge of the water.

Kongoumon stepped forward.  The huge beetle-like creature raised his six arms, each clutching a spiky-ended Vajrah, and the dull light shone off his golden shell as he cast a frown at his partner.  "Ken . . .?"

The Ninth Child looked at Davis questioningly and the goggle boy grinned.  "Take him out!"

"Thousand waves!!!!"

The Chosen Digimon surged forward, Magnomon, Peacockmon, and Kongoumon taking to the air, wings appearing when the beetle-like digimon's shell slid apart like a ladybug's.  Maildramon was far too heavy to fly, but as her armored body went forward, the earth shook.  Rhinomon was right by her side, his body shining beautifully in the rainbow light of the Crests.  Elephamon positioned himself in front of the Children, stamped his feet, dug in his heels, and leaned back so that his trunk touched the ground and his fans were turned towards the oncoming wave.  The red fan blades began to whir.  "Nitro Turbine Wave!!"

Yolei grabbed Cody and held him close and the Children all huddled together against the force of the Elephamon's attack.  The air directly in front of the Armor Digimon trembled and seemed to solidify and strain towards Dagomon's attack, then it pushed until there came a deafening "POP" and a burst of bluish white sped towards the black wall of water, instantly dissipating it on contact.

The digimon in the air wasted no time.  The instant the wave fell back into the water, Magnamon darted forward as Peacockmon halted in mid-air. 

"Extreme Jihad!!"

The fast paced series of lightening-laced punches and kicks seemed to startle the Mega and he twisted to knock Magnamon out of the sky, but a hundred painful explosions of bright light flashed in front of his eyes, blinding him.  The former human flailed his tentacles wildly as Peacockmon drew himself up again and let lose another attack. 

"Sterlizia!!"

Kongoumon went after the tentacles, his diamond-hard shell and massive strength easy protection against the beating he was receiving.  "Vajra!!"  The tentacles slowed their motion as the Armored Data type moved his many arms in a strange swaying motion and he seemed to shimmer and glow faintly.

On the ground, Maildramon and Rhinomon's deadly stampede made contact with the writhing digimon who had done so much damage.  Hissing white light encased Maildramon's body as she darted forward with unbelievable speed; her head was down so that the wicked looking horn on her helmet led the attack and her voice rang out loudly over the fray.  "Lightening Spear!!"

The tip of Rhinomon's horn glowed white as he charged forward, head down, and sand churning up behind him.  "Split Blade!!"

The two digimon, so often partners in battle, impacted at the same moment, and for the first time in memory, Dagomon screamed in pain.  White light flared from the impact point and the harsh scent of carbon and something unknown filled the air.  Steam rose up from the shallow water.

Elephamon charged forward then, positive that the Children were not in immediate danger, and the humans' tight cluster instantly broke up as Davis dashed forward for a better look.  Yolei trailed after him, watching their digimon all worked together to bring down their foe.

Elephamon's tusks began to glow red and then fired like twin missiles, impacting just below his eyes with bright explosions.  "Tusk Missle!!"  Two more tusks instantly slid down to replace the lost ones. 

Cody stared at his partner in amazement as the immense creature joined the battle and then a wide smile spread across his face.  "Yeah!"

"Magna Kick!"

Dagomon roared a second time as he floundered to keep his balance.

Davis leapt into the air.  "Alright!!  You're doing it!!"

The rainbow sky pulsed then and the lights of Courage and Friendship suddenly lashed out and wrapped around the raging Mega in the water like a lasso.

The Guardian become digimon screamed in pain and tried to pull away from the ropes of light.  "What is this?!"

A pair of violet eyes narrowed and Ken then smirked knowingly as he figured out what had happened.  "It's us.  We can draw down those lights again and use them against him."

Yolei stuck out her tongue.  "That's what you get for messing with the Digidestined, buster!" 

The lights of Purity and Love lashed out, causing the Dagomon to scream again.  Then two more lights struck Kazunori as Cody called on the power of his own Traits.

Kari, TK, and Ken all looked up at the three remaining colors in the sky and the blond frowned as a strange feeling overtook him. He felt . . . light-warm all over-almost like he was floating.  Like something was calling out to him.  "What is that?"

"I've felt this before . . . In that prison, I think . . ." Kari turned to Ken.  "Do you feel it?"

The boy genius nodded.  "It's power."

Kari reached out instinctively and gripped Takeru and Ken's hands in her own.  "It's our power.  This is what the prophecy was about-the Sacred Triangle."

Takeru reached out and squeezed Ken's free hand in his and all three of their digivices shone like small suns.  The sky turned white.

The digimon continued their frenzied battle but their partners all looked up.  Davis turned to find Kari, TK , and Ken still standing close together and frowned worriedly when he saw the sand around them begin to swirl upwards in the windless air.  He started to run up the beach towards them.  "Whu-?"

Cody grabbed him before he could run between Ken, Kari, and TK.  "No!"  Davis turned around to demand that the boy let him go help the others, but stopped when his eyes locked on a solemn pair of emerald ones.  "Let them be, Davis.  They need to do this."

Davis looked away from Cody, pain written on his features as he stared at his three friends.  Kari, Takeru, and Ken were standing in a small circle holding hands with their heads bowed low.  And they were all glowing.  Ken was bright white, Kari was soft pink, and TK was a strong gold color.

Yolei came to stand next to Davis and Cody.  "What is it?  What should we do?"

Davis shrugged helplessly.

Dagomon lashed out suddenly, knocking Magnamon and Peacockmon out of the sky.  The two slammed into the water and were airborne again an instant later.

"Magna Punch!!"

"Rainbow Shower!!"

Ken, TK, and Kari all looked up at Davis and he jerked backwards and probably would have fallen if it hadn't been for Cody and Yolei.  Their eyes were glowing, white, gold, and pink.

Something that looked like liquid lightening shot through the clouds.

Three voices blossomed in his head and they all sounded like one.  Hurry.  Attack him now . . .

Davis whirled around, cupped his hands to his mouth, and screamed at the top of his lungs.  "Give it everything that you've got!"

The digimon turned and looked at him in confusion.

"NOW!!"

"Extreme Jihad!!"

"Rainbow Shower!!"

"Gun Attack!!"

"Iron Press!!"

"Atomic Burst!!"

"Nitro turbine Wave!!"

The attacks all impacted at once and the ground shivered with the sheer power unleashed.  Davis gaped as bright white light descended on Kazunori in the form of a screaming dragon and the Ultimate shrieked as he seemed to cringe inward.  The Light ripped away at the black flesh of the Dagomon, ruthlessly and painfully stripping it away from the human being that had sought refuge in it.  It was a cross between tearing and melting and the creature shuddered violently, it's face transfixed in pain, before it vanished in a wash of brilliant light. 

The digimon all reeled backwards as they were caught in the aftershock of the impact and the children on the beach were knocked off their feet.  Water shot a hundred feet in the air and a hiss was heard over the roaring-steam from the heat and force of the blast-and everything seemed to turn hazy and blur together.

And then everything was still and the light faded in the sky, returning the world to its gray mediocrity.

Yolei coughed and sat up.  She blinked owlishly before removing her glasses to clean them off.  A thick layer of muddy sand encrusted the lenses.   "Is it over?"

Nobody responded and the others began to stir.  "Peacockmon?"

A heavy black rain began to fall.

Davis groaned as he pulled himself to his feet.  "Magnamon!!"

"Davis!!"

Six small forms were bouncing up the beach from the waterline.

"Chibimon?"

A giggling blue ball of fuzz leapt into the air and pounced on the goggle boy.  "Did we do good, Davis?  Did we?  We tried real, real hard!  Did you see me hit him?  I hit him real good!"

Davis laughed and tossed the baby digimon gently into the air.  "You were great, little guy!"

Upomon flapped his ears while Cody hugged him and Poromon was chattering non-stop in Yolei's arms.  She smiled at him.  "I was so proud of you!"

Davis bounced Chibimon again gently.  "You were the coolest one out there!  You should have seen yourself!"

"Don't break your arm patting yourself on the back there, Digidestined."

Leafmon's tail waggled happily and he did he patented "hold me" bounce.  "Ken!  Ken!  Ken!"

The Child of Kindness and Miracles staggered into view, Kari and TK at his side.  The three were holding one another up and they all looked pale and drained. 

The indigo-haired youth pulled away and gently gathered his partner into his arms.  "I've never been more proud of you, Leafmon."

The baby plant-type smiled a Leafmon smile and snuggled down into the boy's arms.

TK lifted Pabumon up and hugged him.  The jellyfish type giggled.  "Pabu!!  Pabu, pabu!"

"I missed you, too, little guy."

Kari knelt down in front of a small yellow-ish orange ball of fluff with the ears and the purple tipped tail of a cat.  The girl smiled and looked down into the large brown eyes of her partner's in-training form.  "I don't believe we've met." 

The little data type blinked and smiled.  "I'm Nyaromon.  I'm the in-training form of Gatomon." 

Kari lifted her up and hugged her tight.  "Thank you for protecting us."

The little creature smiled and wiggled her ears happily.  "Anytime."

"We killed him."

Everyone looked away from his or her partner and looked at Cody.  The little boy still holding Upamon in his arms and was bent over a large dark mass.  The others came over hesitantly, afraid of what they knew they would find.  It was the stiffened, abused body of a man, tall, in his early to mid twenties.  His dark hair was plastered to his forehead and a dark frown distorted his Asian features. An unnatural blue shade tinged his flesh-he wasn't breathing.

Yolei drew a sharp breath as she recognized the face.  "It's him . . . It's Kazunori."  She pulled back and stared at the others in horror.  "We . . . killed him.  We killed a human be-"

"No."  Ken's voice rose over the quiet slosh of the waves and cut through the stillness like a blade.  "Whatever he was, he wasn't human.  He stopped being human a long time ago."

Kari nodded sadly and gently placed a delicate hand on the dead man's forehead.  "Ken's right.  Maybe now his soul has finally found the peace that escaped him in three worlds."  She raised her tired red-brown eyes and looked at Davis.  "I want to go home now."

Ken sighed and pulled himself wearily feet.  He swayed dangerously for an instant before a small, but surprising strong hand reach up to steady him.  He looked down into Cody's eyes for a moment before his gaze flickered to the rest of the Digidestined.  "Let go.  I'll open the gate."

The others stood, but Cody looked back at the body, hesitating a moment.  "But we can't just leave him here!  I mean, sure he was evil and cruel, but he can't just-"

Ken squeezed his shoulder with his free hand.  "Let the dead bury their own, Cody, " he advised quietly.  The former Emperor looked straight ahead and the expression in his eyes was closed and distant.  "The sand will blow away and the tide will rise.  There's no good ground here.  There's nothing more we can do now.  Let's just go home."

The boy cast another look back.  "But this doesn't feel right . . . we won.  Shouldn't it feel better?  It shouldn't feel this hollow.  Shouldn't it feel different?"

Ken shrugged as they reached the others.  "Not that I've ever noticed."  He held up his night black digivice.  "Digiport open."

A hole formed in space and the air rippled, then warped, and then tore.

Davis cast a look back at him.  "You're gonna have to teach me how to do that."

A delicate eyebrow lifted,  "You mean you can't?" but the Child of Courage and Friendship was already gone.

Kari and Yolei were next, the wine-haired girl propping her friend up.

Cody left Ken to support TK.  He turned back to Ken anxiously.  "You'll hurry, right?"

"I'm right behind you."

TK looked back and offered him a shaky smile before the two boys stepped through, leaving Ken alone on the beach.  The indigo haired youth sighed and stared at the portal.  Then he turned around and stared back at the body.

"Stupid," he muttered.  "This was all so fabulously stupid.  And what did either of us get out of it?  Absolutely nothing."

He glared at the corpse.  "She was wrong, you know," he growled at the body.  "We are not alike."

It did not reply.

After a moment more he stepped through the Digiport, and in the one instant when he was falling between the universe and a moment, he thought that he heard a painfully familiar voice singing a lullaby to him as he went, soothing his frazzled soul. 

"And there's no need for turning back, / For all roads lead to where I stand. / And I believe I'll walk them all, / No matter what I may have planned."

. . .Oniisan . . .?

I'm proud of you, Kenny-boy.

He brushed the thought aside.

The portal slammed shut behind him with angry hiss and a wind blew across the dead, blasted beach.  For an instant the breeze blew over the corpse of Kazunori Saito and then the man's body suddenly turned to dust and collapsed in on itself.  The wind blew the dust away.  A tidal wave surged up then, covering the whole of the beach, and when it receded there was no trace left of what had transpired there.

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