Aw crap, another one? I can barely keep the Crys/Emerald and Rina/Davis stories going, now this? Still, might help with getting a feel for romance-stories...
This is basically my attempt at delving into the characters of Angewomon and LadyDevimon. In Digimon Adventure, we saw the two having a catfight, and I suddenly wondered, what if there was more to it? What if the two had some history together, before/after the events of the series?
Yes, of course it's AU!
In an arid wasteland, deep within the Digital World of a world where the Digidestined co-existed with the Digimon Tamers and the Legendary Warriors, two women stood, facing each-other, several meters between them, one of them with a confident smirk gracing her lips, and the other with a calm, level, indecipherable expression. Both stood calm and immobile, yet prepared for combat to the death at a moment's notice.
The smirking woman had billowing white hair and wore an ebony-black figure-hugging suit that accentuated every curve of her supple, belt-covered waist, slender-yet-toned thighs, and full chest. On her right breast were a white skull marking. The parts of her suit near her neck and left shoulder moved on their own, twisting the soft fabric into a small one-armed devil. Her face was covered in a mask made of the fabric, exposing only her malicious crimson eyes, and the chalk-like skin of her mouth. On her right thigh was another pair of crimson eyes and a mouth, though this face was not as easily mistaken for human as her natural face was. Wrapped around her right arm and right ankle were a steel chain, which extended to the devil floating beside her. On her back was a pair of ash-gray, leather-like wings, containing several small holes.
The woman facing her supposed that she was beautiful in a way, but the demonic power tainting her marred her beauty far too much to anyone to ever want her.
If the smirking woman could be said to represent the demonic, the unexpressive woman could be said to represent the divine.
The inscrutable woman wore a soft white suit, contrasting with the other woman's attire. The fabric covered her left, covering only minute portions of her lower body, while leaving everything above her modest chest exposed, save the breasts themselves which were covered in golden wing-like shells. Her soft-golden hair billowed behind her, her eyes and the surrounding skin covered in a metallic helmet, leaving her mouth, ears, and the back of her head uncovered. On her right were a pair of black leather belts. In her right hand, she held a bow made of white-golden light. On her back were several pairs of large, snow-white wings. Around her neck and falling down her body were a purple sash, engraved with DigiCode markings, which the smirking figured translated into something trivial, emotional and pompous.
The smirking woman mused that she might make for an considerably-more-than-decent roll in the hay, as humans would put it.
"So, we meet again," LadyDevimon smirked, while her shoulder demon skittered around, eager to fight.
"Indeed," Angewomon coolly replied.
"How long has it been, two years?" LadyDevimon cordially inquired.
"Just so, fallen one," Angewomon flatly replied. "How many Digimon did you slaughter?"
"About a few hundred," LadyDevimon casually replied, not particularly concerned with a minor detail like that.. Angewomon gave her a disturbed look as best she could.
"You disgust me," She whispered, shocked to the smirking LadyDevimon. "This is... This is unforgivable!"
"Oh? Shall I take it that you mean to end my life?" LadyDevimon asked, her tone suddenly indecipherable. Angewomon cursed inwardly as the demoness slowly strided towards her. Their long history together before being recruited by the Three Great Angels and Seven Great Demon Lords meant that the angel couldn't do so easily, while the other no longer held any such restraints.
"Do you mean to plunge your Heaven's Charm into my heart?" She asked, gently guiding the angel's hand into the valley between her breasts, placing it on her left breast. LadyDevimon mused that there was something exquisite and amusing about watching the soft-red angel give a weak nod in response.
"Or do you mean to bury your Heaven's Charm into the depths of my stomach?" She smirked widely, guiding Angewomon's hand to what she uncomfortably noted to be the spot below her belt.
"I-I have to," Angewomon stuttered nervously, backing away from the still-smirking demoness. "It is my duty to wipe the Digital World clean of Digimon like you!"
LadyDevimon gave her a mocking look. "Then why haven't you done so already? I have already exposed myself to you, after all. It is only for you to take the shot."
Angewomon eyed the demoness warily. Why would she leave herself so undefended? Did she not realize that the angel intended to kill her? Suddenly, her expression seemed to soften, her blood-red eyes gaining a mildly wistful glint, surprising Angewomon greatly.
"Does it have to be like this?" The angel softly asked. The demoness gave an quizzical look in response, though Angewomon suspected that she understood her meaning perfectly. Regardless, she decided to take the bait, and clarify. "How long has it been since those days? When we played together in flowery meadows and breezy lakesides as a pair of innocent Salamon? When we sparred as a Gatomon and a BlackGatomon, on craggy cliffs and in arid wastelands like this one?"
"Too long," The demoness softly replied, her mind drifting back to that day when the Three Great Angels came for the angel before her, and that same day when Lilithmon took her into the Dark Area. "That's just the way things are..."
"They don't have to be!" Angewomon exclaimed. "Please! Join me! We can fight for justice together once more!"
Surprisingly, LadyDevimon actually seemed to consider it.
It wasn't as though the prospect of fighting alongside the angel was unwelcome to her; quite the opposite, actually. "I'm sorry, but no. Perhaps... You could come with me?" She suggested tentatively.
Angewomon shook her head. "I could never do that. I could never compromise my beliefs for the sake of the one I love. The one who used to love me in return."
The demoness gave an apologetic look. "What do you mean, 'used to love you'?"
"Don't," She bit back, skeptically, trying not to be fooled by this insolent creature's use of her former lover's voice. "Don't pretend that you're BlackGatomon. Don't pretend that you're capable of feeling love, and not just lust."
LadyDevimon's smirk faded instantly, replaced with an appraising look, as though she was trying to figure out how much the angel might be worth, or how well she might taste if the demoness were to devour her. "If I'm truly not your lover, then why haven't you slain me yet?"
Angewomon hesitated, taken aback by the question. What she was asking was true. There was nothing left of the quiet and reserved BlackGatomon, who spoke so formally, within the demoness. So why couldn't she just bring herself to delete this one, as she had deleted countless other LadyDevimon? It was her sworn duty, after all...
"I do not know," She softly admitted, and turned to leave. "I will leave your deletion to someone else... I cannot do it myself..." She whispered, as she flew off,
"WAIT!" She froze when she heard the mildly-frantic voice cry out to her. Slowly, she returned to the ground. What the demoness wanted, she didn't know. "You said that you wanted things to be as they once were, correct?" LadyDevimon asked. Angewomon tentatively nodded, unsure of what she was getting at, preparing for a sneak attack. "Then, allow me to propose a suggestion, regarding that; on a campaign three years ago to a distant world, I heard a tale of two young humans on an eighty-day bet."
"Eighty-day bet?" Angewomon repeated dubiously. She was aware of what a bet was, but how was the eighty days relevant?
"Indeed," LadyDevimon responded dryly. "They set out on a journey to pursue their respective goals. The girl of the pair pursued martial strength, while the boy of the pair pursued fame and accomplishment. Whoever achieved their goal within those eighty days would win the bet, and the loser would be more supportive of the winner's goal. Ultimately, it resulted in a draw between the two."
Angewomon supposed that the tale was fascinating, even if there were some parts that were unclear, such as how there were any ends to those pursuits, though she didn't understand how exactly it related to their situation. Any questions she might have could well wait for their next encounter.
"That's what I'm suggesting now; a similar eighty-day bet." LadyDevimon said. "We'll spend the next eighty days in a nearby mansion, away from the pointless feud of the Three Great Angels and the Seven Great Demon Lords, and there, I'll prove to you, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that I'm still the same BlackGatomon who fell in love with you. If I do, you will join me in the Dark Area. If I do not, I will join you. Do you accept my challenge?"
Angewomon froze, her eyes wide with shock, staring in speechless incredulity at what the other was suggesting. She couldn't seriously expect that the angel would simply abandon her responsibilities for over two months?! It was absurd! Even before that, to spend that much time in the company of that lustful, greedy, prideful demon... Even this short time spent with her was galling to the angel.
LadyDevimon eyed her curiously, wondering what her answer would be.
"I... I cannot," Angewomon reluctantly replied, after heavy consideration. "I cannot forsake my responsibilities-"
"Nor would you," LadyDevimon cut in. "After all, the missions and assignments you angel Digimon are given can last up to months, even years. And should they inquire about your absence, you could simply tell them that you've spent eighty days with the intent of redeeming a soul, while being pursued by a LadyDevimon; wouldn't be wrong."
Angewomon paused to consider her logic. Certainly, the phrasing of that explanation made it entirely truthful, but could she truly bring herself to tell a half-truth to Lady Ophanimon? Then, she realized what the demoness was trying to do; lure her away from the side of goodness, light and justice, with her shrewd words and empty promises.
"I know what you're trying to do," She angrily told LadyDevimon, who blinked in confusion, not understanding what she was referring to. "You're trying to manipulate me into becoming like you."
To her surprise, LadyDevimon smiled in amusement, shaking her head. So that's what she thought was going on, the white-haired demon mused. "Then by all means, feel free to 'manipulate' me right back; accept my challenge; make me like you!"
"Give me one good reason why I should," Angewomon shot back.
"I'll do better, and give you several," LadyDevimon gave an unnerving smirk. "1; were you to accept my challenge, it would guarantee our mutual survivals for longer than we otherwise would in this futile feud, and I do believe you to have a vested interest in that. 2; Ophanimon is the embodiment of divine love; surely she would at the least... acknowledge, perhaps, my desire to prove my love for you? 3; while I am there with you, I am not elsewhere to cause destruction and suffering. 4; ... Because for all my faults, all the horrors I've uncaringly caused, and all the lives I've snuffed out, I genuinely do love you, and want to be with you..." She softly finished.
"Damn her!", Angewomon thought. She always knew which buttons to press. She had always known which buttons to press. "I accept your challenge."
"As you wish," LadyDevimon's smirk returned as she extended her clawed hand outwards, shooting a blast of what Angewomon almost believed to be Fractal Code, yet that was impossible as LadyDevimon couldn't possibly provide enough to generate an entire mansion.
"H-h-how?!" Angewomon exclaimed in shock, surveying the newly minted building. It was two stories tall, largely colored black and navy-blue, with a wide assortment of windows. The outside of the mansion was a front porch, stretching all the way from the front door before them to the other side of the building. The extended roof bringing shade to the front porch was supported by several thin wooden bars. Above the entrance, on the first floor, were glass doors leading to a small balcony.
"Come along now," She gestured mockingly to the disbelieving angel, who silently shrugged off her surprise, and followed the demoness through the front doors.
To her surprise, Angewomon paused. "What's wrong?" LadyDevimon asked, concerned.
"If I am to do anything other than leave immediately..." Angewomon began nervously. "Give me your word, swear by anything that means something to you that you will not harm anyone for the duration of this 'bet'."
LadyDevimon gave her a soft look. "I swear by the Demon Lords that I will not harm another Digimon while this wager is on-going."
"Furthermore," Angewomon paused, trembling in anxiety. "... I want your word that any sexual intercourse you may or may not desire between us will be entirely consensual."
LadyDevimon gave the angel a disbelieving, disturbed look. "I am not some filthy rapist," She angrily spat. "Do you actually believe I would do such a thing? Does our time together mean that little to you?"
"Of course not," She whispered. "I just... I just don't know you anymore."
"Angewomon, I... I am still BlackGatomon, and I still love you." LadyDevimon responded. "What more do you need to know?"
The angel didn't have an answer, so she followed the demon into the mansion.
...
...
...
A few hours later, Angewomon had familiarized herself entirely with the layout of the mansion, not that there was particularly much to see, she mused, her hands softly placed on the railings of the balcony, absently looking over the desert, her mind deep in thought.
The layout of the ground floor was surprisingly simple; the entrance room with the spiraling staircase built into the back wall, leading to the first and second floors, and a pair of strange rooms, one on the right side of the entrance, containing with book-shelves, leading to the front porch, and one on the left side, entirely empty, and seeming isolated from the rest of the house. She thought of them as 'strange' because they were entirely rectangular; two-and-a-half meters from floor to ceiling, and two-and-a-half meters between the walls as well. Even more oddly, apart from the few rooms she had seen, the floor seemed entirely solid material.
The first floor was more interesting, as while the ground floor rooms had been located in the front part of the mansion, the bedrooms were in the back parts of the mansion, located atop the portions that seemed to be entirely solid.
Her musings on interior designs were interrupted by LadyDevimon joining her.
"Saial, I don't really understand what the problem here is," She softly said, hanging her head. Angewomon tensed slightly, feeling a twinge of what she decided to be nostalgia at the mention of her personal name. "Back when we were a Gatomon and a BlackGatomon, you never expressed any reservations about being romantically involved with me."
"It is quite simple, Raya," She said coolly, looking down at the curious demon. "There is good. There is evil. The two cannot co-exist." She explained patiently, as though lecturing a child.
"Good and evil? Do you really believe that?" LadyDevimon laughed. Angewomon glared in annoyance at the demoness; those were the teachings of Lady Ophanimon, Lord Seraphimon and Master Cherubimon themselves, and she dared to question them? It was already taking every bit of willpower the angel had, not to follow orders and wipe this evil from the Digital World. "It really would be more accurate to say that we work the sides of light and darkness."
"There is no difference," Angewomon dismissed. "Darkness and evil are the same, just as light and good are the same."
"Oh, I wouldn't say that," LadyDevimon smirked. Angewomon was slowly starting to abhor her perpetual smirk; did the demoness not have any other expressions but a smug smirk? "Darkness can be soothing, just as light can be blinding. Care to remember the myth of the Legendary Warrior of Darkness? That Digimon decidedly wasn't evil. And Lucemon uses the same powers of light that your masters do."
"Is that truly your best arguments?" Angewomon shot back, shaking her head in mild amusement. LadyDevimon knew that persuading the other to her point of view wouldn't be an instantaneous process, so for the moment, she would settle for amusing the angel. "A loose bit of mythology, and invoking the name of your master to support moral relativism?"
"Call it whatever you wish," LadyDevimon shrugged with a smirk. "The facts remain as I have stated them; light is not necessarily aligned with good, just as darkness is not necessarily aligned with evil. For instance, with the right incentive, I might well be persuaded to align myself with your notions of goodness and justice." She winked at the angel.
Angewomon wasn't the least bit fooled by her false philosophy, nor did she miss the incredibly unsubtle hint the demoness gave her.
Judging by her lewd smirk, she hadn't particularly intended to make it subtle either.
"Of course you might," She drawled. "And what, pray tell, might that 'incentive' be? That I give myself to you, mind, body and soul, to do with as you wish?"
"Very tempting offer," The other chuckled, before her grin faded, and her tone became laced with... hurt? It seemed impossible to the angel. "But no. For starters, would you please stop treating me as though my only concerns in the world are slaughter, and obeying the arbitrary dictates of my own pride, lust, wrath, envy, gluttony, sloth and greed?"
Saial blinked at her sudden change of tone. "I would if you would act otherwise," She spoke icily. "Earlier, you freely admitted to have slaughtered dozens of innocent Digimon. Indeed, you stood there amid the destruction and even revelled in it!"
"Yes, because those are the orders that the Demon Lords give me, just as the Great Angels give you missions and assignments to carry out," LadyDevimon responded softly, not appeasing the angel in the slightest. "You take orders from your masters, and I take orders from mine. We're not really that different when you think about it."
"We are," She bit back, indignantly, offended at the implication of sharing any commonalities with LadyDevimon. "You are a creature of evil, and I a servant of the divine."
"True," Raya conceded, wandering back inside. The shoulder demon eyed it's master displeased, as she reached her hand to the back of her head, pulling her hood off, fully revealing that compassionate gaze that the angel had missed dearly.
Saial watched with abject shock and vested interest as the demoness continued to disrobe, exposing her full breasts and soft-blue nipples, perking visibly in the cold evening air of the desert. Had LadyDevimon forgotten she was there? Or was she simply showing off?"
"What are you doing?!" The angel asked, perplexed.
"I'm going to bed," The now-fully nude demoness answered simply, chaining up her garments so that the demon didn't cause trouble, placing them at her bedside, before crawling under the silky sheets. "Join me if you wish."
Angewomon didn't see fit to dignify her comment with a response, so she simply disrobed as Raya had, and crawled into another bed.
She did not get any sleep that night, an abundance of unanswered questions and concerns about the situations and LadyDevimon's soft snoring keeping Saial awake.
Eighty days... This is gonna be a loooong story...
A few notes about the story so far.
1: LadyDevimon's power to make a mansion out of thin air may seem like an AssPull-power, but it isn't; in Adventure, Devimon created a mansion of his own, which he had seemingly absolute control over. Assuming that LadyDevimon, whose power is similar in nature, only stronger, can do the same isn't a stretch.
2: The house that LadyDevimon created is outwardly based off the 1890 Edwards Mansion in Redlands, California.
3: Their use of personal/nick names (LadyDevimon: Raya/Angewomon: Saial) is a concept predating Adventure that didn't make it into the animes; at least, that's how it is if memory serves; it's used in some mangas, and by Rina Shinomiya. If the thought vexes you, feel free to discontinue reading.
It's not going to be a conclusive thing; at any time, they could be referred to by LadyDevimon/Angewomon, Raya/Saial or by a descriptive term interchangeably.
4: The two stripping casually; while arguing that it's demeaning to women would admittedly be a valid complaint to make, please consider that a nudity-taboo is largely a human invention, created because of societal convention to think that way.
With the absence of that, would non-human life-forms like Digimon share that taboo?