Hello!

So as The Silent Insomniac has pointed out, I am moving the plot on a bit faster than usual, which may be considered a good thing (if you don't like to wait) or a bad thing (if you like longer stories). I am sorry for those who hate me for cutting it short. But don't worry; I will extend it as best as I could without making it boring, and there is still a good chunk of the story left yet: we haven't seen the other five in action yet have we?

Read on!

Chapter 21: My Story

Veemon looked at the strange world before his eyes, viewing the ExVeemon's memories was a strange experience, he was looking at everything in a third person view, as if browsing through a 3D gallery.

"As you know by now, I was alive during the war. But unlike the others, I am one of the very few who did not die during the battles. Making me… some kind of a veteran I guess."

Veemon watched with interest what life was like before the war broke out, Digimon did not only digivolve using armour eggs, but they also used the seemingly unlimited data to build and mend, both mentally and physically. The clusters of Veemon race style structures were the closest thing to a digimon city Veemon had ever seen.

"As you also know, the armour eggs indeed weren't unlimited. Their creations became rarer and rarer, and as our resources to up hold our states began to run thin, we became greedy. I was just like those other digimons of the time, hot headed and rash, we just thought we would be going on some kind of raid. Get there, get what we want and come back."

And so they did, it began with only a small horde of Veemon race digimons attacking other Veemon race digimons, because they were the groups with by far the most armour eggs. Even that small conflict, however, brought revenge. Revenge of an equally small force that ambushed and attacked the other group, and a swift victory it was. An even bigger counter-attack was the result.

And so, the conflict escalated into all out warfare. No one had anticipated it, no one was prepared, they were fighting an endless war, as any killed digimon was simply reborn, but only to fight and die again. The horrific fact was, after years of fighting, the digimons had long stopped using armour eggs. They were now simply fighting for revenge, because neither side could forgive and forget.

"It was hellish, you know, there was barely any food or water, no equipment or what so ever, nobody cared about you and you cared about nobody, if you starve or get injured they simply kill you so you can be reborn quicker and fight as a soldier again. You don't even have a childhood if you are reborn, you are literally forced to start fighting the very moment you can. This is why those who are reborn are almost always insane, because violence is all they ever knew. I was one of the very few lucky enough to not have been killed."

"After what must have been dozens of years of pointless fighting, I grew so tired. I just didn't want to do it anymore. Have anyone else ever had this feeling? When you have killed again and again and came face to face with death so many times you just want to lie down and let it all end. That's what I felt like; if the war wasn't going to end my life then I would do it myself."

Veemon's vision flashed and he switched views, another strange sensation took over him as Veemon changed to the first person view of the ExVeemon.

He was sitting in the middle of hundreds of others, Digimon of many races were here, although most of them were Veemons.

There was a scream from one side of the tide of people, but he seemed to be the only person who was bothered by it. Veemon felt the ExVeemon quickly rush to the source of the scream, he saw an injured Flamedramon on the floor with several other digimons surrounding him, he had been hit by several attacks, the wounds were severe, but not fatal.

ExVeemon sighed, this was such a common sight now a days. He sat next to the Flamedramon and said softly: "How long have you been here?"

The Flamedramon just stared at him in horror; his mouth twitched but did not reply.

"I guess I can understand your shock, but don't worry, you will recover…"

But that did not calm the Flamedramon at all; instead he shook his head frantically as if trying to get away.

"What's wrong?" ExVeemon did not quite understand what had frightened the Flamedramon so much.

"Get… Get me out of here… Don't you know…? WHAT THEY'LL DO TO ME?!" The injured dragon suddenly jumped up and grabbed ExVeemon's arm. He jumped back at the sudden reaction and studied the Flamedramon carefully.

"What? Oh, don't worry; you are not so injured that they will kill you."

"Get out of the way!"

ExVeemon was shoved aside by another digimon, he turned around and looked. Oh, those robed creeps. Why are they even in the army, it's not like they meaningfully contribute or anything. Why do they even wear those robes anyway? There was just something about these robed digimons that he didn't trust.

The robed digimon stood over the frightened Flamedramon and raised a blade.

"HEY! WAIT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" ExVeemon jumped right up to stop the sword but he was too late. The cold steel sank into the Flamedramon's chest with a sickening crunch, ExVeemon watched in horror as the sword absorbed his data. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING?! HE WAS ALIVE, DAMN IT!" He shouted furiously.

"This way not only will we make use of his data, he will also be reborn quicker, as the blade does not absorb all the data." The robed being replied as if nothing was wrong.

ExVeemon breathed heavily at the disgusting act he just saw, not just killing but absorbing his data as well! He raised a fist and was about to send it into the creatures robed face before several others held him back. "HE WAS ALIVE! HE WOULD HAVE SURVIVED, YOU SICK MONSTER!"

The robed being just walked away, not even taking one look back at the scene of commotion he had just caused.

ExVeemon fell on his knees and panted, what the hell is going on?! They have been fighting for half a century now, and this is all camaraderie is worth? At first they would at least give the injured a chance but now, they are even absorbing their data! I'm getting out of here; I've seen too much, this is just too much! I'm getting out of this herll where your allies wouldn't even think twice before making you die faster!

But really, he knew that he didn't have anywhere else to go. On this war ravaged land, he will just be forcedly recruited if he was seen anywhere. Not only him, countless other Digimon not of the Veemon race were conscripted, for what? Only more bloodshed.

I just have to get away… even for a short while…

And so, in the dead of the night, ExVeemon disappeared like a shadow in the midst of everybody's deep sleep. The patrol guards weren't alerted, and that was good, he will get to stay for as long as possible this way.

Veemon couldn't help but asked, "So what then? I mean, it was not like you planned to go anywhere."

"I wasn't, I just wanted to stop fighting, and I didn't even feel like living anymore. I just wanted to go somewhere and stay there or maybe even die there, not that I cared. But I definitely was not expecting what came next."

So ExVeemon walked from place to place, not even sleeping or eating. Perhaps not fully, but Veemon could sympathize. Becoming suicidal didn't seem too crazy in a world where even grass was rare a sight.

After what seemed like weeks…

ExVeemon just collapsed and stared into the sky as hunger and exhaustion finally took its toll on his body, calmly waiting for whatever death prepared for him.

This doesn't feel too bad…

A part of him enjoyed it; a part of him even wanted a poetic death. He closed his eyes for what he had expected to be the last time…

But much to his surprise, he woke up.

Sugary water was spoon fed into his mouth as he opened his lead-filled eyelids.

"You are awake, I see?"

ExVeemon looked and saw an Angewomon, the sight of seeing an angel digimon nowadays really surprised him. He was lying on a bed of straw, inside a wooden hut dimly lit by digital lanterns.

"So…" his voice was hoarse and his throat felt like sand papers, ExVeemon coughed and choked on some water.

"Easy." Angewomon gave him a towel and wiped the liquid away.

"Why did you bring me in?"

"Well, I can't just leave a fellow comrade to die out there by himself. Say, what happened? You don't look injured." Angewomon looked at him curiously behind her steel helmet.

"Comrade?" He was suddenly alert.

"What do you mean…?" Angewomon was alert too, she quickly realised that she had saved an enemy, and reaction caused her to drop the bowl of water and string her bow, she asked demandingly: "Who are you?"

ExVeemon sighed and relaxed, an action that surprised the Angewomon, "Your enemy, that's what I am… kill me, you'll be doing me a favour."

"Don't think I won't! You can't trick me!" She notched an arrow and aimed it at him; it would have been an easy kill.

ExVeemon just chuckled and closed his eyes, as if waiting for her to release that ready arrow.

The silence filled the room for a whole minute.

Angewomon stared at him curiously, and a bit sympathetically. She slowly lowered her bow, "So, what do you plan to do?"

"You are not going to turn me in?"

"No, I don't see why you should be my enemy."

"I just am your enemy; there is no reason for it anymore." He struggled to get up, but the fatigue was too much for him to even move a limb.

"Don't bother trying; you won't be going anywhere soon." She walked up to him and sat down beside the bed of straw, for she was certain that there was going to be no hostility.

"Then I gladly leave myself at your mercy." He was certain of that too.

"So you trust me, why?"

"Why shouldn't I? I don't even care if I died."

"You are saying, you did this to yourself? How could you be so stupid?!" Angewomon eyed him accusingly.

"I just don't see what is worth living for anymore. You are in the army too; you know what is going on. Nobody is talking about anything other than how to kill. We are only sane because we have not yet been killed, but all those other recruits! They are still children!" He grew more and more frustrated as he spoke, "There is no hope anymore… hope will only bring you disappointment…"

"No! That is not true!" She retorted quickly, her voice so kind and naive, "There is always hope, you mustn't ever give up hope! The war will be finished soon, it will!"

"How do you even know that?"

"I do… I just do!" Angewomon looked at him with her determined eyes behind the steel helmet, "My job is not to kill, my job is to save. And I will do that to anyone, because I don't care about the difference between enemies and allies."

ExVeemon was silent, he pondered in deep thoughts before saying: "… I haven't heard anyone ever say that their job is to save… if anything, all those healer Digimon I know would rather you die quicker than recover, not that they cared about you."

"I know… but heed my word, keep on living, if you haven't been killed yet then that means you are lucky! That means you could see the world without wars again! You must look forward to that!" She went and put some more of those sweet liquid in a bowl before coming back with a spoon.

"… Perhaps…" was the bleak reply.

"Sleep now, you will need it." Angewomon said quietly as she began to softly spoon feed him the liquid from the bowl. The delicately flavoured liquid washed down his throat and cleared away the pain gnawing at his empty stomach, ExVeemon savoured every last drop of it.

A Week Later:

Angewomon was sitting on a chair asleep with a lantern next to her. ExVeemon stared at her for a moment, silently smiling at how cute it was, he had to leave, he knew he had to. Living on an enemy's hospitality was just not right, especially that this enemy is a… female.

There was no point denying it, even though they have only met for a week, he was taking a liking to her… too much of it. He had to leave before it was too late.

Which is why he chose the middle of the night, ExVeemon had hoped to slip out without any confrontation, or else he might not be able to bring himself to step out of this hut which the Angewomon had been carefully treating him in.

ExVeemon left a note, a note commenting on what a kind-hearted and well-intentioned Digimon Angewomon was to take care of him like that. He thanked her for nursing him back to health, for keeping him hidden when others came by, and for being the first Digimon to show him any emotion akin to love. But he had to go, his home was the battlefield, doesn't matter how much he hated that fact, he had go back, back to the living hell, only waiting to one day die.

ExVeemon put the note on the straw bed and strode towards the door…

"You are going already?"

He jumped as he heard her speak, he didn't expect it, but he had to go no matter what, he didn't have a choice.

"They are getting suspicious of you staying in the hut all day and not coming out, they will be searching here soon, I have to go, or both of us will be in trouble." ExVeemon just wanted to run out of the door and not turn back, to just escape and force everything he remembered of this place out of his mind… but he couldn't, he could not bring himself to be so cold.

"I… don't really know why I want you to stay, but I understand what you must do, it's just… I have not been able to talk to anyone for so long. I…" Her voice showed her sadness, she tried to conceal it behind her tough exterior. Perhaps it is due to her loneliness, Angewomon could not stop her emotions from showing.

ExVeemon walked to her and laid a palm on her shoulder, he said softly: "I thank you for being the kindest person I have ever met to me; I thank you for everything you have done for me. I don't want to go… but…" He lowered his head and sighed, "I can… only hope, that we meet again."

"Don't ever lose it, don't ever lose hope! Stay alive, alive and anything would be possible!" Angewomon stood up and looked him in the eye as tears fell from her face, "Everyone I know is dead!" She cried in between the words, "Everyone I knew, they die and they are reborn and they don't even remember anything! Anything!"

ExVeemon held her in his arms tenderly, caressing her hair as she wept sorrowfully. She continued to speak through tear-choked words: "I know we have only met for a week but you are the only friend I have now… I don't want to lose anyone else…"

He listened to her words in silence; there was nothing he could think of nothing to say that will comfort her, so he decided to say nothing, gently embracing the troubled maiden as she let out the accumulated pain kept hidden all these years in those crystal clear tears.

Angewomon lifted her helmet off and looked up at ExVeemon one more time with those tear filled eyes…

He knew he shouldn't have… but it was just too hard to just leave like this…

ExVeemon brought his face closer to hers and let their lips meet…

They locked into each other's embrace, both just wanting to stay there, not caring about whatever was going on outside, but to remain by each other's side and find the only happiness they could in this ravaged world.

"That… wasn't too soon… was it?" ExVeemon asked somewhat sombrely.

"I don't care…" Angewomon turned her head away before she would start crying again, "Just promise me that we will meet again."

"I swear to you… with everything I could…"

"Then go… go, and live with the hope that one day we may yet again see each other…"

ExVeemon nodded deeply, something came from the corner of his eyes and rolled down his cheeks…

Tears? He wiped them away with a finger, tears… I didn't even think I had any…

With one last look at this place, the shabby straw hut that was heaven for as far as he was concerned, ExVeemon wrenched his head around and charged out into the nightscape.

That will be his goal of living, that will be what he will fight and live for from now on: so that they could meet again and maybe, just maybe, meet in a world where there is no war; where there is no violence and endless bloodshed; where fear and paranoia is not a plague in everyone's heart; where life, may once again bloom and prosper; where happiness, may once again be possible...

I am sorry for making this all so romance based, if you don't like all this mushy stuff that is… The ExVeemon's story is not over yet! As I said, there is still quite a bit of story left.

SPOILER: Not really, considering what you already know, you should be able to figure out that this rather sad relationship is going to end in tragedy. L

Another thing is I may or may not have described properly just how horrible it was during the war. But you should have an idea; it is basically a living hell cycle of death. Considering how horrific the whole thing was. Do you really think it is a bad thing that Veemon brought peace by killing everyone?

I don't.

Leave your answers in your reviews please! Because your opinion may vary.

Review please! Thank you! And no flaming!