DISCLAIMER: Heh… I don't own it…

Part Four: Tryst

Ken stared apprehensively at the door to the apartment complex in front of him; he was beginning to regret his decision to leave Minomon behind. He was still unsure why he had chosen to come alone, but something told him that he would have a better chance at success if he left his partner Digimon behind. Also, there was a sense of foreboding hanging over him, and he couldn't help but think that it had something to do with his partner. The last thing he wanted was for Minomon to be hurt because of him yet again.

A sigh escaped his lips as he entered and began ascending the stairs. Izzy had been able to discover Noriko's address quite easily, and he had been the only one who wasn't reluctant to reveal it to him. A few of the others still remained distrustful of him, and Iori had had no reservations about voicing his misgivings. Ken knew he should have expected it, but the suspicion still struck him like an arrow in his heart. After the near-disastrous battle with Oikawa and MaloMyotismon, Ken had dared to hope that they would begin to trust him.

Ken hesitated several moments before knocking on the door to Noriko's apartment. An older woman answered –Noriko's mother. Ken blinked, startled, then told her that he was a classmate of Noriko's and asked if he could speak with her. Smiling cheerfully, the woman moved aside to let him enter and led him to Noriko's room.

She knocked twice. "Noriko, sweetheart, you have a friend here to see you." Still smiling, the woman gestured for him to enter and disappeared down the hallway.

Uncertainty rose up in him; why hadn't he brought Minomon? The small Digimon could have given him at least some measure of reassurance, where as now he was fumbling for courage alone. Minomon…

"Come in, Ichijouji Ken."

The door swung open slowly, and Noriko smiled. "Well? Don't be shy," she said, sauntering over to her bed. "I've been waiting for you."

Ken entered, closing the door behind him. He stared at Noriko, but the young woman didn't seem to mind. It had been almost a year since he'd seen her; after the defeat of MaloMyotismon, she and her Digimon had disappeared. She was no longer the uncertain girl he remembered crying in Sora's arms. Confidence radiated from her very being, and with maturity had come a certain ruthlessness, a hunger that burned in her eyes. Ken could almost see the Dark Spore glowing in her neck.

"Doushite?" he whispered.

^~^~^~^~^

Noriko arched one delicate eyebrow, smirking slightly. "Nani?"

"Doushite?" Ken repeated. "Why are you doing this? How can you allow the Dark Spore to control you after-"

"Control me?" she scoffed. "Who said it was controlling me? It's merely my source of information." When Ken only looked at her blankly, she allowed herself a small smile and rose to walk over to him. Leaning forward until her hair brushed his shoulder, she tapped the back of her neck. "You let yours whither away because you were afraid to embrace the power it offered. I nurtured mine so that he might have a place to reside when his body was destroyed."

She was rewarded by a widening of Ken's cobalt eyes. "He?"

Lowering her eyelashes, she brushed her lips against his ear. "Myotismon. Who else?" She chuckled at the other's startled gasp. "Why do you think mine was the only one to bloom? You honestly didn't believe that charade I put on for you, did you? A kindergarten teacher." She laughed lightly. "You had so much within your grasp, Ken, and you let it slip away."

"Because it wasn't right!" Ken said, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Myotismon is evil, Noriko. He'll use you like he used Oikawa and me and then toss you aside. I was lucky; I lived. You might not. Onegai, Noriko, listen to me!"

Noriko shivered at the feeling of his hands, watching the emotions glitter in his eyes like jewels. Her hands slid around his neck, and she ran her fingertips lightly over the Dark Spore implanted there. She could feel the entity residing within her reaching out, caressing the Spore to life. Ken's shudder brought a smile to her face, and the mix of fear and hunger in his gaze only increased her delight. She met no resistance as she leaned up to press her lips to his.

"Come with me, Ken," she murmured against his lips. "Play the part of the Emperor again, and I'll be your Empress. Think of the power we could share. Leave this world behind."

Her words finally wrenched Ken out of his reverie, and he shoved her away. "Iie," he cried, his voice hoarse. "I won't betray Wormmon again."

Brushing an imaginary speck of dust off her skirt, Noriko glanced at him slyly through the corner of her eye. So easy to manipulate… You were so great once, Ken. "Oh, but you already have," she murmured.

A/N: Ooh, now it's starting to get interesting. Please R&R! Give me some incentive to write the next chapter! Come on, people! I'm not updating until I get at least five reviews!