Angemon's back arched as Takeru drove into him again, and he cried out as his seed splattered across his partner's stomach. Every nerve tingled as he collapsed back onto the mattress in exhaustion, feeling the weight of the teenager settle on top of him. Then, as was his new custom, Takeru rolled off to one side, closed his eyes, and fell asleep within minutes.
Angemon sighed heavily, and rose from the bed. Crossing the room, he stared at his reflection in the full-length mirror Takeru kept in the corner of the room. He frowned, the expression contorting his features. Why didn't Takeru love him anymore? Was something wrong? Certainly it couldn't be his body. Angemon was beautiful, and he knew it. He carefully inspected himself in the mirror. A cascade of long, golden blonde hair fell in thick waves to his knees, and six snow white wings arched gracefully above his head and behind his body. His eyes, large and sapphire blue, were framed by long, thick blonde eyelashes that brushed his cheeks when his eyes closed, and delicate golden brows. His facial features were slightly effeminate, with high cheekbones and an elegant, pointed nose and chin. His lips were full, almost too full, and he ran a finger across his lower one, bruised by a fierce, passionless kiss. His body, too, was perfect. Solid muscles, neither too bulky nor too scrawny, worked smoothly with each other, and responded to even the slightest command from his brain with perfection. Even his feet were perfect, from the toes, over the high arches of a dancer, to the perfectly rounded heels.
Returning to the bed, Angemon lay down, staring up at the ceiling. Had it been an option, he probably would have started refusing Takeru's advances months ago. But he truly loved the boy with all of his heart, and he couldn't refuse his young lover anything. Besides, every time, with every touch and every climax, he felt so whole, so complete...
But still, something vital was missing. Their lovemaking had been reduced to the mere status of "sex," and all the passion that had once inflamed it was gone. Ever since Daisuke and Ken had broken off their relationship, Angemon had watched his partner and the former Kaiser grow closer and closer. He suspected that the passion that had once belonged to him now belonged to the blue-haired boy, and the very thought that Takeru would cast aside an angel's love in favor of that of a monster caused the angelic digimon's blood to boil.
Then, Angemon caught himself, and cursed softly. He had just allowed himself to experience the feelings he was so opposed to, the hatred and the anger. Besides, he was a monster himself, wasn't he?
But...
Every time he became angry, every time he felt the grip of hatred against someone or something seize his heart and mind, he felt so free, so powerful. The power erased the pain he felt from Takeru's betrayal, and Angemon felt as if he could take charge of everything, for once in his existence. Finally, he would be the master, the one in control. And then, he forced the anger down, and when he did the pain would return ten-fold, eating at him until tears rolled down his face and his body trembled.
It would be better to think about it in the morning, Angemon decided. He sighed and closed his eyes, falling into an uneasy sleep.
-----
"No... Takeru, please, you can't mean that."
The teenager sighed, crossing his arms over his chest, seemingly oblivious to the pain in the angel's voice.
"I do mean it, Angemon. I don't love you anymore, at least not in the way that I did. I'm sorry, but it's true. I won't abandon you completely or anything, but from now on I'll only call on you when I actually need you to battle. Otherwise, remain out of my way. Do you understand that?"
Angemon bowed his head, and his shoulders trembled. A tear trickled down his face, but was quickly wiped away.
"I understand... Takeru."
The human nodded, and gestured towards the door.
"Then please, leave. I will let you know when I need you."
"Takeru, please le-"
"I said go!"
Angemon flinched involuntarily at the shout, but recovered, bowing to the boy he had considered until now to at least be his friend.
"As you wish, master."
He spat the title out with disgust, then turned and walked as slowly as he could towards the door. His defiance cost him, as he suddenly felt a hand tighten painfully in his long hair, jerking on the long golden strands until the angel cried out. Takeru spun him around, and glared at him.
"You choose to defy me. Very well then. So be it."
The stinging slap caught Angemon by surprise, and he could taste blood in his mouth as his head snapped to the side. Then a hard kick connected with his stomach, and he fell backwards, into the hallway. The last thing he saw before the door slammed shut was a pair of angry blue eyes glaring down at him.
-----
Angemon knew where she would be. Hikari and Taichi were out of town for the week, and Daisuke had graciously offered to watch Tailmon until they returned. Angemon fluttered down to hover outside of Daisuke's window, and he rapped gently on the glass pane. Daisuke saw him and hurried over to open the window. The angel nodded his thanks, wincing as he stood on the carpet. His abdomen hurt; he had in no way been prepared for the impact of Takeru's booted foot, and he was willing to bet just about anything that a spectacular bruise had formed.
"Daisuke, thank you. I-"
He stopped in surprise when he realized that it wasn't Tailmon sitting on Daisuke's bed, as he had expected, but Angewomon. The Ultimate smiled sadly at him, and patted the spot next to her. Angemon looked to Daisuke, and when the human nodded, Angemon sat carefully down next to his friend.
"Angewomon, it's a surprise to see you here."
Angewomon nodded, indicating that she understood.
"It's also a surprise to see you, Angemon. Daisuke and I were just talking about you."
Angemon tensed; he hadn't expected her to be so forward about it. He wondered what they had said, and why exactly he had been the topic of their conversation. He shifted uncomfortably as Daisuke sat down on the other side of him, and he winced as he put too much pressure on his abdomen. Daisuke raised an eyebrow.
"What happened to you, Angemon?"
The angel digimon gave a short, dry laugh, and crossed his arms over his chest in a protective gesture.
"Oh, absolutely nothing, except for Takeru kicking me in the stomach, slapping me in the face, and pulling my hair. Why do you ask?"
Angewomon cursed, and removed the heavy helmet from Angemon's head. Part of a handprint was still visible, and the angel's blue eyes were dull and filled with pain. Carefully, Angewomon unfastened Angemon's belt, and set it aside along with his loincloth. Rolling up the skintight shirt her fighting partner wore, she hissed at the large, colorful bruise that blossomed over Angemon's pale skin. Brushing her fingers over the contusion, Angewomon watched as the cool blue light that extended from them erased the bruise slowly, restoring the flesh and blood vessels back to their previous condition.
Angemon nodded slightly, his eyes downcast.
"Thank you, Angewomon."
"Thanks nothing, Angemon. Why did he do this?"
Daisuke placed a hand on the angel's shoulder and squeezed gently.
"Angemon, please tell us. Whatever it is... We won't hold it against you."
Angemon shook his head, and folded his wings closer to his body.
"It's Takeru. Everything has fallen apart. Until two hours ago, I had shown him nothing but the deepest love and devotion. I don't know why his feelings have changed. All I know is that they seem to involve your former fiancée, Daisuke."
The red-haired human chuckled sadly, fingering a golden ring that was strung around his neck on a chain. Ken, of course; he should have known. Yet still, he knew that it had to be worse for the digimon than it had been for him. His breakup had occurred before Takeru and Ken had gotten together, not because of it.
Angewomon gently embraced the other angel. If Hikari ever left her, she had no clue what she'd do. Kill herself, she suspected, and the thought made her hug Angemon closer.
"Angemon, listen to me. I know that I can't even begin to comprehend what you're going through, but I can try to advise you. Do what you must to explain to Takeru how you feel. Keep your guard up in case he tries something else. But whatever happens, don't let him dominate you this time. Make sure that you come out ahead, and that this ends on your ground and on your terms."
Angemon smiled through the tears that were running down his face, and he kissed both Angewomon and Daisuke lightly on the cheek.
"Thank you. I will try to make the best of this, and I promise that it will... end on my terms."
Crossing to the window, Angemon opened it and launched himself into the sky. His flight back to Takeru's apartment was slow, as he thought about what he would do. Finally, as he landed on the balcony outside the living room, he came to a decision.
He knew exactly what his terms would be.
-----
"Did you break it off with him?"
A sip was taken from a glass of blood-red wine, the delicate crystal tinkling as it was returned to the wooden table.
"Yes, this morning. I feel sort of bad about it, though. I hit him, twice."
Ken gave a small, lizard-like smile, and placed a hand on top of Takeru's.
"Don't worry about it, love. That great weak oaf will come to his senses sooner or later and realize that he never deserved you. Until then, let us drink... to a long and prosperous future together."
Takeru's smiled matched Ken's, as he refilled his glass and raised it to tap lightly against his new lover's.
"That, darling, is something I will drink to, and gladly."
-----
Angemon removed his ear from the wooden paneling on the door. He had heard all he needed to. The door flew into the room in splinters from Angemon's single, well-placed kick, and both Ken and Takeru were on their feet in seconds. Takeru's eyes narrowed dangerously, but before he could speak, Angemon had crossed the room and was glaring down at the teenager with hate-filled eyes. He turned to Ken momentarily, the expression no less venomous.
"Ken, remain where you are. I have something to say to Takeru that I wish you to hear."
Ken shook his head, and moved toward the angel.
"I'd suggest that you move away from my boyfriend, before I'm forced to- UNH!"
Angemon swept his arm almost casually to the side, catching Ken quite firmly in the chest. The human flew into a wall, and he screamed as his ribs shattered from the blow. Blood dribbled from his mouth as he spoke, his voice low and raspy.
"Wormmon, go!"
The small digimon jumped from the bed, but Angemon, senses heightened by rage, was quicker.
"Angemon, shinka Holy Angemon!"
Holy Angemon snarled, and when he cast his mask aside, his eyes were glowing with anger.
"Heaven's Gate Holy Disinfection!"
Wormmon couldn't stop himself, and he screamed as he hurtled through the golden-rimmed, script-incised portal. Ken gave a sharp cry as he watched the only creature present with any hope of stopping the enraged Ultimate disappear in a matter of seconds. He knew that no one ever returned from the Shadowlands after Holy Angemon sent them there. Pulling himself painfully to his feet, he staggered towards Holy Angemon, seizing the bottle of wine by the neck on the way.
"You bastard... How could you?!"
"No, how could you?"
It was over in mere seconds. Ken smashed the bottle against Holy Angemon's armor, but the Ultimate didn't seem to notice. Baring his teeth, he seized Ken's head in both hands and squeezed. The bone gave easily, cracking and breaking, piercing the skin. Blood and shredded bits of brain tissue coated Holy Angemon's hands as he dropped the body, the head so damaged that it was beyond recognition. Takeru gave a mute cry of horror as the blood dripped from Holy Angemon's hands to the floor, to join the fluid steadily leaking from the body of his lover.
Then Holy Angemon shimmered, and again Angemon faced Takeru. His hands were clean; his white clothing still pristine and untarnished. He was helmetless, and he looked for all the world like the innocent angel Takeru knew he wasn't. Smiling, Angemon waved his hand once. His golden staff appeared in his hand, the leather-bound gold looking exceptionally dangerous. Angemon spoke softly as he ran his hands down the length of the staff, watching it reform itself into a golden sword, long and diamond-edged.
"Now it's just you and me, Takeru. What, I wonder, shall happen to you? I gave you nothing but my love and my loyalty, and I asked for nothing from you except the same. Was that so much to ask, I wonder? You were willing to give it to me, once..."
The human cried out, and tried to run for the door. But then Angemon was there, the golden weapon raised above his head. A single angled downstroke was all that it took.
"They told me to end this on my ground and my terms."
Takeru's head bounced once, before landing at Angemon's feet with a wet splat.
"Welcome, Takeru. Welcome to my world."
Angemon's eyes filled with sadness as he ran his hands over the sword again, shortening the length until it was a dagger. Turning the point towards himself, he shook his head.
"You promised that I would have forever with you, Takeru. Even now, after all of this, I still love you enough to want that."
The blade flashed once, then bit into the hollow between Angemon's neck and shoulder. The dagger slashed easily through his flesh, across his chest, through his heart, exiting just below his ribs on the right side of his body. Angemon didn't make a sound as he fell to his knees.
"You promised me forever, Takeru."
Angemon's blue eyes clouded and closed as he fell forward, wings covering him elegantly like a shroud. Yet within a minute they, too, were stained red with blood. A small smile crept over the digimon's face, and his grip on the dagger loosened. His tattered heart stopped beating, and his breathing ceased.
He had fulfilled his promise. He had ended things on his terms.
/You promised me forever. And forever is what I intend to have./