A/N: God, this is so old... Basically, I always thought the show went downhill after Ken became "good" and decided to rewrite the second half to my liking. So... yeah. Had I been in charge of 02, this is probably how it would have gone.

Disclaimer: "Fanfiction" is implication enough that I don't own it, I believe...

~Chapter 1

They couldn't hear him. They could just barely see him in the distance, stumbling around in the sand with slumped shoulders and a downcast face. They thought they knew what he was thinking, what he felt, what was right... but in reality, they didn't have a clue. About anything.

He had played the part well. He had convinced them all he was devastated over Wormmon's "death," but in truth... no, he was much more concerned with regaining control of the Digital World. For awhile he'd had it all. He had ruled the world, and then those... those children, those insects... they had somehow taken it from him. But how?

That really was the question. Ken halted, sending sand flying in waves over the tops of his shoes, but he didn't care. He was already covered in the stuff. The wind blew it everywhere, making it stick to his hair and clothing. "No matter."

There was no sense in worrying over how it had been done, there were so many factors to consider. Was it the usage of the digimentals? Or was Chimeramon simply not strong enough? Or...

...had it really been Wormmon?

This possibility brought about a new flood of questions, and Ken just wanted to stop thinking about it. He was always thinking about something. For once, all he wanted to do was stop, relax a little and maybe come up with a new plan after he was done resting. Sometimes he just wanted to stop doing everything he was supposed to do and scream, or break something, or just do something so he wasn't "perfect" anymore...

But now wasn't the time for that.

His knees now dug into the sand as his feet had done a few moments before, his clawed fingers making a strange and desperate pattern as he gripped the small specks of rock. Doing it was useless; it all left him anyway... just like the Kaiser had left him, and everything else...

Ken looked up with a start. He was beginning to sound melodramatic, and that was the last thing he wanted. That was something those asinine Chosen Children would do; not him. He would deal with his problems like a sensible person would, instead of just sitting around and whining about it.

He stood again, his head hidden by a veil of indigo hair as he continued to stare at the ground. A bitter smirk began to twist his face cruelly as the setting sun warmed his back, and his breath came in slow, deep gasps as he tried to become calm. He desperately wanted to laugh as he fought the urge to cry.

In the end, he allowed a noise to leave his lips. To him the sound conveyed hilarity, insane-sounding giggles which carried all the way to the Chosen Children. But to them, the only sound that could be heard across the far stretches of sand was a tortured-sounding sob...

~*~ Thanks for reading! Please, tell me what you think because I'm kind of nervous about this. I've got some more chapters planned, but I won't post them if everyone thinks this sucks. Also, if I should continue, what couples do you want? I've got a few in mind but I'd like to hear what you guys think first. I had originally planned to write this without any couples, but I get the feeling no one's going to want to read this if I don't put any in, so I'm letting you all decide! Oh, and constructive criticism is always welcome ^_^ In fact, I'd really appreciate it!