Love Evolved

By Lord Tarsisk

Soyez influencé—Be influenced!

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Italic Text indicates someone's thoughts.

"Someone's speech…" As if you couldn't tell that one. Honestly, some people are just plain stupid.

--- Indicates a transition between different times, scenes, and/or points of view.

~~~ Indicates a transition between memories or visions (but same real scene and time and same POV.)

This is a rather short chapter, compared to the previous. I want you all to know that the next two will also be long ones, and it might be a while in the making. Also, notice this is now rated "R." I got a review that said it was too gory, so I changed it.

From "X":

Dang! I hate Takari stories! I may not read the rest, this is too gory.

Well, good thing this isn't a Takari, ne?

Again: As always: Be Influenced, and review. This is my hardest worked fic yet. I think I deserve a little feedback.

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I Dream In Blue

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Taichi helped Hikari home, and she leaned into his strong body and rested. She didn't even remember making it into her apartment building, but before she knew it she was leaving the elevator and walking down the hallway.

Hikari could only imagine the thoughts running through her parents' heads as they opened the door to see their two children bruised and bleeding and crying.

"No, dad, some man did not attack us; we could've dealt with that…" Taichi joked lightheartedly, but he was sad and couldn't hide it.

Hikari had planned on being brave, and silent, and stoic—but soon she couldn't stop herself from pleading with her mom—

"I'm fine, mom. I'm fine, mom. There's no need to worry, we're both fine!"

—Even though her mother wasn't actually panicking; she was very quiet and listened to their story. Their father seemed enraged at the infanticide, though he probably understood very little of what a Primary Village was. He got the picture of what it had become, however, when they reminded him of when Vamdemon had appeared here.

Soon Hikari lay in her bed, and while she had showered and the smells of smoke and death were long gone the memories were still there, fresh and vibrant. She closed her eyes, but there were fires, blood, and a chunk of face flying towards her—she started, and opened her eyes again.

Her parents had been horrified, and when Taichi said that they were planning a counterattack they had readily agreed. They had then given both their children sleep aids and promised whatever help they could offer. Hikari knew they cared, though she was a little surprised at their conviction. She considered her parents to be the least knowledgeable people on the planet when it came to Digimon.

She was also surprised that, although they knew that Sora would be there, they wanted Taichi to go. She imagined that their incident, as Taichi referred to it, was fresh in their minds as well. He had lost their trust, but was slowly working it back.

Hikari rolled over, tugging at the covers, tears in her eyes. Taichi wasn't making sleep any easier: ignoring the snoring, Taichi seemed to have been hit hard by the scenes of desolation. She imagined they reminded him of when Vamdemon had terrorized and razed the city, and when Vamdemon had nearly killed her. Hikari, on the other hand, likened them to when they'd fought with the Numemon to stop MugenDramon.

Muffled noises from the lower bunk, and with the choppy breath she imagined Taichi was having a tough time being the brave, fearless leader he always presented. She knew that the dead babies had had an effect on him as well, one that Hikari couldn't possibly understand, though the screams and cries for help were hurting her as well—so many that they had been unable to save. The silenced cries were the hardest.

Soon Hikari was imagining more deaths that she'd known, and since she'd made them up they were now her fault. She killed dozens in her mind, maybe even hundreds. She lost track. Soon the cries were and screams and dying moans were molding into one long cry, soundless but painful just the same. Her brother became quiet, and as she rolled over to face the door she imagined seeing a horned figure standing there, but sleep overcame her and she knew no more.

---

It was a foggy night, and Hikari looked up to the sky, missing the stars—not that she'd seen many stars in downtown Tokyo, but all the same…

There was a scream, and suddenly her focus was brought upon the dying face of a familiar person… only she couldn't really see his face, because his cloak came right up to his eyes.

"Wizarmon!" she cried, and her own Digimon ran in front to separate the victim from their oppressor, Vamdemon. Vamdemon laughed at the pitiful defense, while Tailmon sobbed, as Wizarmon had blocked his deadly attack from reaching the cat or the Chosen, ultimately paying the ultimate price.

They watched him turn into a ghost like so many before him, but not before Tailmon evolved with the light from her Partner and shot Vamdemon through the heart.

"Celestial Arrow!"

Hikari could still hear the words. Her first kill, technically, though vicariously at best, and Vamdemon had failed to die like they'd wanted. Like he should've. He'd only returned in a stronger form, requiring her to assist in her second kill in as many days.

"Terra Force!"

~~~

Taichi was arguing with his parents again. Something about how he was too young to act so old, or something like that… She gathered that they had stumbled upon Taichi's relationship with his girlfriend. Well, she agreed, he is only 13, and that's too young to have a girlfriend.

"Who is she?" Hikari asked, and her parents jumped.

"Hikari!" her mother said sternly, whipping around to find their daughter eavesdropping. "This is a private conversation!"

"Suman," Hikari apologized.

"Leave."

Hikari did as she was told. She didn't want to get into trouble with her family, as she was on a very tight leash as it was. Hikari gathered that her mother didn't like the people she was hanging out with. Not that they're bad people, she'd argued, just different, not so stuck up, not like her family. Her entire family (save Taichi) had been created from a cast-iron mold wrought with tradition.

At least Taichi was fighting the good fight.

She, on the other hand, stayed submissive—at least when it came to family spats. She buried herself in her room, and longed to leave the apartment and see her friends. See Takeru.

See Tailmon.

~~~

Hikari rolled through the grass, down the long, sloping hill. Above there was nothing but blue sky, and the grass was the greenest she'd ever seen. A slight breeze blew at her cotton shirt, but mostly just the still air whipping past as she rolled.

Her pursuer rolled after her, his blue tail making things awkward. He hit a bump and soared through the air, then landed with a sharp thump, in front of Hikari, and she collided with him, and they laughed, though the blue lizard was stifling groans.

"I'm glad you decided to take me here, Hikari-chan."

"Me too, Vee-chan." She buried him in a great big hug, and gave him a peck on the forehead. Hikari stood up and held his hand as they walked on, exhausted and relaxed like never before.

"You know, Takeru never brought me here."

Veemon rolled his eyes, and gave a weak smile. "I know. You've told me," he added with a chuckle.

"Have I? Oops." And she chuckled as well.

Veemon sighed. "You mish Takeru-kun, don't you?"

"Of course not," Hikari said quickly. "I'm glad him and I are no longer going out."

"I didn't mean that. And it'sh okay if you do. I mish Tailmon-chan, you know, and I've mished her shince the day I shtarted falling in love with you. Thish doeshn't mean I love you any lesh, just that I mish her.

"But if you keep bringing him up, then you prolly have to shettle shomething with him. I bet you do care about him, even if he did shomething to you."

"I know, and I guess I do miss him."

Veemon agreed, and kept walking, oblivious of any particular direction or destination.

~~~

Veemon always seemed to be crying these days, crying for her, because he couldn't have her. Crying because she wouldn't let herself love him. And because he was crying, she was crying. Crying because she wouldn't let herself love him.

And of course, Daisuke had distanced himself from her, trying to get her to talk to Veemon. And the others, conscious of his plight, were giving her subtle—or none-too-subtle—hints.

But, crying or not, Veemon certainly was persistent, she mused silently, as she opened his card. Hand made, because he cared enough. She smiled, and wondered why it had been set in stone that it couldn't work.

~~~

Takeru was an angry drunk.

Miyako had secured some alcohol from her parent's store, and after marking the levels in each of the bottles she had brought a couple liters of sake and beer and stuff with names Hikari couldn't even pronounce. And she had invited all the newer Chosen.

Hikari had come with Takeru, and was hoping that maybe a little fun would keep his mind off of the basketball tryouts that hadn't proceeded so well for him. Miyako had finally convinced Ken and Iori to come, though his grandfather had sent enough prune juice to keep him away from the sake.

Daisuke, keen on flirting with a drunken Hikari, had arrived first. Their Digimon weren't coming.

~~~

Hikari came home, and was immediately suspicious. Something was up; the air seemed different, and though she couldn't place it, something told her that she should leave.

Dismissing it to her nerves, she casually laid her backpack on the couch and turned on the TV. Something rattled from her brother's room—"My room as well," she muttered—but she ignored it. Things had been rattling from her room after school for a while now.

She vegged out, ignoring her homework, but the sounds were slightly louder now, and the rattling was accompanied by a soft creak or thump now and then. Curious, she stood and walked to her bedroom door, and placed her ear to the door.

It wasn't much of a difference—still just some rattles and thumps. Her bed was creaking. She frowned, and pressed her ear closer.

"Oooh," she heard someone moan, and it wasn't Taichi. Someone else was in there. Her eyes went wide, and she jumped back from the door. Hikari grabbed her bag, and as calmly as she could she left the apartment.

~~~

Hikari was soaring through the air, a feeling that, despite the numerous times felt, it never ceased to fill her with a sense of something surreal. The pink puffy clouds beneath them; larger, pinker clouds above; and a beautiful sunset that seemed to wrap all around them, from left to right, north to south. She sat on his large muscular muscles, with her arms stretched out wide, in total and unquestionable trust, as if she was the one doing the flying.

She leaned forward and looked him in the eyes. He looked up and smiled, and said, "Hold on!"

"No, no, don't—Whoa AHH!"

Exveemon dipped forward, and spun on his axis, so that he did a corkscrew. Hikari screamed, and clutched the side of his head as hard as she could. Panting, as the world righted itself, she collapsed onto his back, and smacked his head.

"I told you not to do that!"

Exveemon chuckled, but flew straight and fast. The wind whipped past, and soon the breeze on her face was relaxing, and she found her eyelids fluttering. Exveemon looked back over his shoulder and decided that the flight was over for the day.

~~~

The alcohol was taking effect. Hikari watched Ken and Miyako talking in the corner, their speeches slurred, their discussion lacking any particular theme. They laughed suddenly, and Hikari couldn't remember Ken ever being drunk before. He certainly was now.

Iori calmly sat in the corner, observing it all, and during her few moments of sane thinking she wondered why he'd even come. Then she wondered why she cared: being drunk was way more fun that not. She watched Daisuke out of the corner of her eyes.

Daisuke stood up, and she pretended not to notice him. He walked over, and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Daisuke…" she moaned, in a rich, creamy voice. He sighed, and rubbed her shoulder, then the back of her neck.

She looked over her shoulder, and with slightly blurred vision she gazed into Daisuke's eyes, as red as she hoped hers were. She took another sip of her sake, and kissed him on the cheek.

All the while she kept an eye on Takeru, and wondered if he was going to make any drunken moves that night. She certainly hoped he would, because the waiting was driving her crazy.

~~~

Hikari stood at the top of the ridge, overlooking a deep ravine filled with lush valleys and flowing rivers. But she wasn't looking down; instead, the watched with interest at the drama unfolding above.

The clouds were strange here. They didn't always follow the wind; they went where they chose. Sentient clouds, she knew, although she didn't know how she knew.

Some were peaceful, thin white clouds, bent on little more than a vacation. Others, dangerous tall thunderheads with no less than conquest on their minds. Lightning arced from one of the thunderheads to another, a brilliant flash of blue marking the texture of both. The second retaliated, and the two fought like little children.

Hikari stood, and she and Veemon observed it all with interest, because they were little more than unseen creatures that existed on a plane the cloud minds couldn't possibly understand.

She clasped his hand, and they continued their journey, across lands of wonder and through the uncharted planes of love.

~~~

The phone rang, and Taichi, shaking with anticipation, had the receiver in his hand before the second ring. His heart sank visibly as he listened to whatever the other person had to say, and he avoided Hikari's gaze with some difficulty.

He hung up, and left, and Hikari sat on the couch, her homework forgotten, as she considered what to do. Soon she fought a moral battle, and she could later imagine two miniature Hikari's on her shoulders, good and evil in a never ending, always-balanced battle of checks and counter checks.

But her curiosity won out and she picked up the receiver. She dialed the operator and asked for the last call's number. She frowned: the number belonged to the Takenouchis. It was Sora's. She suspected that Taichi was heading there, and from the look he'd had on his face she knew it was something important.

For a moment, she considered heading there herself to see what was wrong, but Taichi seemed under enough pressure these days and she didn't want to add to his worries.

And it was likely something she wouldn't understand, anyways.

~~~

Veemon was always smiling these days, and sometimes Hikari cold do nothing but smile in turn. She loved him! The thought was so absolute; she refused to believe that there had been a time when she couldn't bear to look upon his face and smile.

And because he was smiling, she was smiling. There was nothing else to do.

~~~

"Vee-chan, we need to talk."

Veemon turned to face her, and his smile faded. Even he knew what that phrase meant. "Um… okay?"

They sat.

"It's hard to sat this, Vee-chan."

He nodded. "Just shay whatever you need to."

"Well, I've been thinking about our relationship. I know what you feel about me, and I know you wouldn't lie to me."

"Of coursh not."

"So I need to know if you want to move forward."

"You used those shame words with Takeru. What did you mean?"

She frowned. "I mean, we've hugged and kissed, and held hands… but it's not… enough…" She started to blush.

Veemon's eyes went wide. "Ohhh. I… see. You want to… Oh." He blushed in turn. "Right now?!!" he suddenly asked, and Hikari shook her head.

"No, just… are you ready?"

Veemon paused. He cast about for something to stare at, take his attention from her almost certainly pleading face.

"I guess. I mean, I don't know. Sex would be such a big leap, you know?"

"I know."

"But Takeru never made that leap, and look at what happened to him."

He thought for a second, a great look of concentration on his face. Finally he made his decision.

"Whenever, Hikari-chan. I will be ready for your love." His blush turned a deeper shade of scarlet, prominent on his blue face.

~~~

Daisuke dry humped Hikari's knee, and she moaned as the alcohol played with her body, her reactions. She looked at Daisuke in a daze, but he was concentrating on the peeks of her panties under her skirt.

Takeru sat in the corner, and Hikari looked at him. There's another knee, you knowwww… Hikari wasn't sure if she spoke that or merely thought it. Either way, Takeru remained oblivious.

Daisuke ground his hips into hers, his leg between hers. Sweat poured from every pore on his forehead, and he smiled a great, big smile for Hikari. The sake was making him horny; the sake was also making her horny. She gave Daisuke an inviting look.

Takeru growled in the corner and stood. He walked up behind Daisuke, and before either of them could react he punched Daisuke in the shoulder. Daisuke pitched forward, and moaned in pain.

Takeru shrugged and sulked away, and Hikari extricated herself from Daisuke's leg lock. She needed to know what was wrong with Takeru—at least, she thought she had to. Everything was rather blurry.

~~~

Hikari came home from school, and was immediately suspicious. She could hear Taichi crying in another room, and she bit her knuckle to keep from crying herself. Another cry, Sora's now, and Hikari had to flee.

They said they had thought things through, but not thinking had been the cause of their problem and now, it seemed, they had made the wrong choice again.

There would be no baby. No midnight wake-up calls, no feedings or changing diapers. No school clothes to buy, no kids to raise. There would be no voices from a crib. But there would be voices, Hikari knew, as she ran with her newly acquired D3 toward Miyako's; the voices would likely haunt Taichi for a long time.

---

Hikari awoke suddenly, and probed for her alarm clock… it was too early, and too dark. The light was on in the main room, however, so she could see a little. She became aware of a painful problem and ran to the bathroom and threw up.

Her stomach voided, she wiped her face clean and gurgled a bit of mouthwash. The taste ceded, and she cautiously sat down on the cold laminate floor. There were voices now; voices of fresh Digimon, crying out for help. Taichi had undoubtedly heard them, or was maybe hearing them right now.

Familiar voices, as well; Tailmon crying out her name as Hikari fell to the ground; Tailmon's voice as she explained what had happened.

And another voice, much closer now, and on closer inspection she realized that she should have jumped and screamed, but she didn't.

"That's disgusting. I'm so sorry."

Hikari nodded.

"You know, I'm sorry you had to see that. They should never have gotten into that village, it was so well protected, even if we didn't know it."

Hikari looked away, and Veemon walked around to face her.

"I'm sorry for loving you. I am!"

Hikari ignored him, but he gently held her face and looked her in the eyes. "I'm sorry for hurting you, for making you feel weak. I'm sorry for disrupting your life, for ruining your day, so late though it is." She felt a tiny prick from his claws, but nothing painful.

Hikari started weeping; his touch, though gentle and soft, was causing closed scars to reopen, and his claws dug into her face, though he made sure they didn't touch.

"I'm sorry for dying. I'm sorry for living. I'm sorry that no matter how hard I try, I make you cry."

His voice cut her open, and she started crying. His face was black now, but it must've been the lights from above the vanity.

"You shouldn't be crying. You always cry now. Oh Kami, I'm sorry for that too. Crying is my punishment, according to the powers that be." He wiped a tear, and his finger burned a scar across her lower eyelid. She felt like screaming, but feared waking up the rest of her family.

She bit her lip, and drew blood.

"I'm sorry for being the one you truly love, you know. I am! And I'm sorry you can't accept it. You LOVE me!"

Hikari shook her head; she didn't love him. She loved Takeru, with all her heart. She knew this now, and would never forget it. She made a plan to see him first thing in the morning—if Veemon would relinquish his deadly grip.

She tried to shake her head, but Veemon didn't let go, and acid tears freely burned their way down her face.

"You LOVE me! I can feel it. You've been dreaming about me, like I have for you. You'll wake up and hug a pillow for support; it's going to be your substitute Veemon from now on until you admit it.

"Chibimon can make you smile. Veemon can make you laugh. Exveemon can make you scream for joy, take you soaring and diving and running and leaping through the air! Imagine, Hikari! Imagine!

"… But you've already imagined it, haven't you?"

Hikari nodded, afraid of not obeying her master.

"All you need to do is believe, Hikari-chan. Just believe, and you'll be free. You'll always be happy, and I would kill to keep you that way. I already have, you know; I killed those Raptordramon for you. Not just for some babies, but because they hurt you. I had no choice."

Hikari screamed. "Let go!"

"I can't, Hikari. Love won't let me."

"You're hurting me! I'm scared," she said quietly.

"I know. I'm terrified. But all you have to do is accept. You don't even have to pretend, the love is there! I've seen it."

Yeah, she could accept. The pain would go, and she would recognize Veemon-chan as her one true love. The hurt would go away, replaced by joy. Tears of sorrow would turn golden in their light. Yeah, she could accept.

Hikari nodded, and suddenly, Veemon let her go. She collapsed on the floor, and Veemon slowly stroked her back until she was fast asleep again, placing gentle kisses on her forehead from time to time. He whispered into her ear; she couldn't' tell what he was trying to say. Soon she knew no more.

~~~

Takeru pinned her into the corner, and forced his lips to hers. All night she had wanted this, for Takeru to finally admit his feelings.

"I love you, Hikari-chan. I always have. Ever since Piemon."

She responded by rubbing his chest through the hindering fabric of the white shirt he'd brought to Daisuke's party. The music faded, and then something was deadly wrong.

"I love you Hikari. I know I do."

"But…" she faltered, and pulled back. He looked at her with longing, but there were two faces, and suddenly the memory was wrong. "But I don't love you."

"Then who do you love?"

"Then who do you love?"

Twin voices, one question. Two choices, one answer.

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Well, what is the answer? Who does Hikari love? Takeru knows it's him. So does Veemon. Which should she choose?

No, I'm not asking for a vote, though I love opinions. Review if you have one, review if you don't.

© 2003 Lord Tarsisk (Not the characters, or anything else Toei owns, just everything else! Don't steal my ideas, or the insects will get you!)