Jade, Ice, and Talon

AN: Zomg, major rift, sorry my loyal fans. My boss discovered my laptop liaisons on the night shift and asked me to stop. It wasn\'t against the rules, it\'s because our office isn\'t alarmed, and he didn\'t wanna be liable for the cost. Lol. Go figure; can\'t have something expensive in the security office, lol...

LP: Drop it, please.





Chapter Twenty - "Thank You For The Venom"





I feel...very different than I had been feeling 2 weeks ago...I\'ve changed, Wormmon. Both for the better, and for the worse, depending on your perspective. I\'ve become less balanced than I have been. I am much less evil than I used to be, and yet, much more dark. Has my careful balance become unglued because of a female? I have completely dropped my plans for the digital world as of yet, and focused solely on her. A master can have many servants, but a servant can only serve one master. Have I lost the war on mastering the digital world? Have I become a slave to love, or have I let myself fade into the light? Or is it both? For once, I can honestly without shame say that I don\'t know. If in the end I gain a wife and a life that I never believed I could gain, would it truly matter if the Digimon Emperor faded into the dust? Would I be a success, or a failure? Will the darkness simply fade away, or will it fight to survive? Will I be able to be who I want to be, or will I end up killing her? She loves me, deeply...Even though the darkness within me tried to kill her. Perhaps she knew that wasn\'t more or less my true nature. Of course, one must embrace their demons to get places faster than the angelic way; just at a great cost. Perhaps she knows my demons have taken me over...



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"...I need to think." she spoke, stepping back far enough to scoop Pijumon up within her arms - whom instantly fell asleep. "I need to see my mother, I need to see the others."

"...You\'re going to talk to Davis, aren\'t you." Ken spoke in a dismal tone, staring far out the window before him. The minute she said \'think\', he knew what was going to happen.

"I can\'t just show up in the digital world after a few weeks with a ring on my hand and go \'Oh by the way, I got married to the Digimon Emperor that you all swore to fight against, so it\'s over babe.\'"

"I can\'t stop you. I can\'t force your hand anymore. If you need to clear your head, mother, and ex-lover, then go and do so."

"Ken, it\'s going to drive you insane, isn\'t it?" she thought aloud, placing her hand on his shoulder as she stood behind him. He said nothing in reply; his silence said enough. Jade sighed as she turned away. She was sure what she was going to say; it was more a matter of ensuring Davis\' sanity, or what could be left of it. She frankly had stopped caring about his sanity; but she had a duty, one that she hadn\'t tied up when her digital adventure began. "I will be back, Ken. I promise. You\'ll have your answer soon. I just need to make sure I\'m not taking any lives by doing it."

"Does that mean you\'re saying yes?"

"It means, I can\'t be reckless, and it means I can\'t just elope. It means, I need to think about it. But it doesn\'t mean this is over; I\'m coming home again." Jade stepped slowly from the room, shaking her head softly. She wasn\'t sure about anything; no matter which way she turned tore out a heart. As she lifted her digivice to the portal, a soft touch at her feet caught her attention. "Leafmon?"

"Ask them about Dark Spores...." he whispered, as she faded through the portal.



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Jade\'s mind whirred as she stepped along the icy streets of Churchill; she wanted to seek out about Leafmon\'s whisper, but she needed to tell her mother. She needed maternal sense. She knew damn well that it was a risky move at her age; but, her mother had a way of making sense of everything. But the only way to do that was to tell her everything. The woman could be trusted about as quickly as one would trust a dog to guard a home; but if it leaked out, then...Jade didn\'t even want to think about it if the papers heard about the digital world game. Everyone on earth would want to play, and it\'d loose it\'s appeal. She just couldn\'t risk it. She shoved the train of thought out and away as she pushed the door open to the large metal building before her, tucking Pijumon carefully into her purse, and weaved her way through the hallways expertly. She knew this building like the back of her hand. Jade knew her mother would be here; it was after all morning on a weekday.

"Jade? Back again? Is this going to be a daily occurrence?" her mother greeted happily, as Jade let herself into her mother\'s office.

"Mom, do you have an hour?" she replied, thought written over her face like chocolate pudding on a baby.

"Of course honey; for you I have ten...What\'s wrong?"

"Well, it\'s a very long story. The short version, is, well, he\'s a half psychopath and then there\'s this wonderful half...." Jade trailed off, staring pointlessly at the desk.

"Sounds like your father..." her mother joked, but put on a serious face. "It sounds like you\'re not too sure about him anymore."

"No - I\'m sure about HIM - I\'m not sure about the psychopath - and I\'m not sure about my own demons."

"Jade, we all have dark sides - that doesn\'t mean they\'re DEMONS. Besides; you have time, right? Feel him out. Do you love him?"

"Well, yeah - I wouldn\'t be considering this if I wasn\'t."

"Hmm. Well, you can always try other guys, it\'s not like you\'re 49 and with no kids."

"...I don\'t have time, not really..."

"Honey there\'s always time; it\'s not like you\'re getting married." Jade glanced up awkwardly, but said nothing. Jade\'s mother\'s frown dropped into a breathless gasp. "You\'re getting married."

"Well, not yet - I asked for time. I don\'t know, mom. What if he turns out dangerous?"

"Do you think he\'s capable of hurting you?"

"HE isn\'t - his other side is."

"Hmm. Are you sure you want to be getting into a marriage with a male who is capable of hurting you?"

"But, that\'s just it - HE isn\'t. It\'s like, he\'s two different people."

"Split personality disorder?"

"Kind of, just the same brain. It\'s hard to explain; it\'s like he\'s got a computer virus, but instead of eating data, it\'s eating personality." Jade\'s eyes widened slightly. "That\'s it - THAT\'S what this is! Mom I love you, I\'ve gotta go!" she exclaimed, and dashed from the office.



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Izzy had finally sat down after a long hour of rewiring a computer for a friend, when his door was slammed open. He jumped nearly a mile in the air, and glared angrily at Jade, who dashed over. However, within a few seconds, he blinked with the realization of who exactly was standing in front of him.

"Jade! You\'re free!"

"I don\'t have time to explain right now, but I will later. I was always free. But, tell me everything you know about dark spores and it\'s relation to computer virii; I have a theory." she barked, little Pijumon nestled comfortably unconscious in her arms.

"Dark spores? Those ARE viruses, in a sense. They infect the digimon with dark energy. Almost all the other oppressors in the digital world used some form of manipulation of them. The Emperor uses dark spires, spirals, and circles, and-"

"Wait. Can they infect PEOPLE?"

"...I don\'t know. I suppose in theory; I believe we are converted into data when we transfer into the digital world. Why, did the Emperor do something to you?"

"Izzy, you dork, think about it. Why would I be infected? Who would be a better target for infection?"

"I see what you mean - you\'re thinking the Kaiser is a virus?" Jade whapped her palm on her forehead.

"NO. I\'m saying he is INFECTED."

"...That would take quite a large number of spores....."

"But it\'s possible?"

"I don\'t see why not."

"How do I kill them?" Izzy frowned. For once, he didn\'t know. "By theory, if dark and holy are counterparts and destroy eachother....then I guess, a holy attack would do it...but, you can\'t just leash out holy attacks from a digimon on a HUMAN..." Jade frowned. She could damn near kill him if she didn\'t do it right.

"I can\'t just send Angewomon after him, can I?"

"Jade, even if your theory proved true about him, he is still a monster. The spores can\'t change an inner spirit; they just enhance the darkest parts." Jade snarled at him, her eyes flashing a dangerous demonic tone.

"You don\'t know SHIT, Izzy. You don\'t know ANYTHING about him. You haven\'t spent one iota of a moment with him, have you?"

"Well, no, but-"

"EXACTLY. Ex fucking zactly. That man is a suffering tormented ANGEL. He is not the monster you people think he is, and I honestly think you\'re all WAY over-reacting over this stupid FUCKING video game, virtual reality or OTHERWISE. YOU guys are the monsters, you glory hounds and your stupid ideas of what is \'right\'." Do you have any clue what happens to a digimon that you slay in the name of GLORY? That data turns to STONE, and they NEVER COME BACK. Sure he\'s slain his fair share; but at least he has a goal besides \'let\'s stop the emperor because we don\'t like how he\'s doing it;\' shit. Did you know that if it wasn\'t for Hitler, a large chunk of the world would not be blond? It\'s directly because of him that a good piece of the world is blond haired blue eyed. I\'m not condoning his sins, but SHIT. You people don\'t GET IT, do you? He isn\'t trying to be a tyrant; he\'s trying to win this damn game, and you guys are driving him to doing these lengths YOURSELVES. YOU are turning it into a war. You, ALL of you and your damn crests, I don\'t care what you think. We will DESTROY you." By now, Jade\'s form had been completely engulfed in a raging black aura, and Izzy had backed himself against the wall. Her voice had become tainted with a dark snarl, which mingled with her own angry tone.

"Jade; do you hear yourself? You\'re consumed. You\'re infected."

"Know what Izzy? Fuck you. Fuck ALL of you. None of you can tell the difference between will, anger, and suffering. You blame everything so simply on whatever looks like it fits, but you all fail to see the honest truth about this whole thing. He\'s being manipulated by something much bugger here, and you are destroying HIM for it. I was going to invite you guys to the wedding, but you\'re far to reckless and dangerous to even allow you to show up. Maybe it\'s YOU whom is \'Consumed\'." Jade flicked out her D2, and vanished into the portal within Izzy\'s bedroom. In her emotional state, she knew it wasn\'t wise, but time was of the essence, and she had to see Davis. Izzy couldn\'t help but to think if she were possibly, minusculey right.



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(AN: Background music for this scene: Backstreet Boys - I Still... Shut up, yea I still listen to BSB. YOU ALL DO, YOU JUST DON\'T ADMIT IT!)



Once again appearing into the real world, Jade gave a faint sigh. Davis\' door was directly in front of her, and she couldn\'t bring herself to knock, or open the door. A part of her wanted this whole game to end, for everything to melt away, and she could just pretend none of it ever happened. She could go in, and fall into Davis\' arms, and - No. She couldn\'t; not even if Ken never existed. She wasn\'t honest with Davis to begin with, and she never really wanted him like she led him to believe. He\'d been a pawn for her insatiable curiosity, and he needed to be free - to heal. Besides; she was in love now, and ready to marry Ken. She knew she wanted to - and he could provide for her more than Davis could. It was all so easy - why then were her heartstrings aching? Last minute jitters, or was it more? Jade turned away - she couldn\'t do this - not now. Maybe she could ask Ken for a few weeks more time? She shook her head. This HAD to be done now. She turned back again to knock, but to her shock, there stood a very confused looking Davis, clad in cotton plaid pajamas.

"...Are you another figment...of my imagination?" his broken voice rasped out, his eyes glassy, and clouded with brokenness. Jade gave a shaky sigh, and smiled faintly as her eyes teared up.

"No, Davis, I\'m not. I\'m really here." He blinked faintly, tilting his head as if questioning her answer. After a moment, he fell forward, and threw his arms around her, clinging to her as if she were the rope as he hung off a cliff.

"I....I never thought I was going to see you again..."

"I\'m alive and well, Davis. But um, don\'t get to excited. I don\'t..." Jade trailed off. Could she really destroy him like that? Take away his happiness? Now she held the means to destroy the heart of one of two males whom both were hopelessly in love with her. She hadn\'t realized until now, though, that she loved both the same.

"I don\'t care if I never see the sun again, I don\'t care if we all die tonight, I don\'t even care if the digital world gets overthrown...I have you back. You\'re safe. How did you get away from that monster?" Jade closed her eyes, trying to fight away the sadness inside her heart. She pulled herself from his arms, and stepped several feet across his living room.

"Davis, look. He didn\'t kidnap me, I traded myself for your freedom. All of you. He never hurt me, he never forced himself on me, he treated me like I was a goddess. Davis, he even offered to let me go, he severed my servant-hood because he cares. Look, Davis, it\'s over. I\'m marrying him." she rushed, her head bowed, as if she couldn\'t bear witness to her own words. Davis stood there, a damn-near-dead look of horror on his face. His heart snapped in twain, and he fell forth onto his knees.

"No.." he muttered, falling onto his palms, grasping at the carpet. "He always swore to destroy me...so he takes the core thread of my heart..." Jade bit her lip as a small tear stain appeared on her chest. He was broken; shattered. She\'d torn him to bits. She knelt down, and pulled him into her arms.

"I love you." she whispered, running a hand over the back of his head. "But, I love him more."

"Well well, I never thought you\'d do it. I was sure I wouldn\'t see you back home again." spoke out a familliar voice, stepping through the shadows of the doorway.

"Ichijouji?..." muttered a weak-voiced Davis, glancing up. But, it wasn\'t the soccer genius standing before him - it was the Emperor. He\'d never before made the vocal connection; but now, it made sense.

"Indeed. I\'m not here to fight you; I\'m here to claim my wife."

Davis arose, gaining a deep fire in his eye.

"Now hold on here. You can\'t just waltz into my home like you own it, and you can\'t order Jade around like you\'re Arab. You can\'t just claim a female. They\'re equal partners, not just something to screw and keep happy. She isn\'t your sheep, Ken. She\'s a living, breathing, human. And as far as I know, she hasn\'t even given you an answer, let alone PLANNED it. How about you screw off and let us talk before you charge in here like a bull in a China shop? You can\'t make the choice for her; she\'s gotta do it herself, and if you don\'t, she will resent you the rest of her life. Now what kind of marriage is THAT? Women are godesses, damnit. Not pets. Now get out of here." Davis gave Ken a great shove, before he could say anything else. He slammed the door shut, and locked it, leaving the Emperor sitting out on his ass. Jade stared at him in disbelief; THAT was not going to go over well, once the door was opened.



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AN: Its a-gonna get betterrrrrrrrrrr.... ^.~



AN: PLEASE no flames about the Arab thing, I\'m not being racist, that\'s a FACT about that culture. Also, the Hitler comment is also fact. Again, not condoning it.