Title: Two Sides of a Coin
Series: Frontier/Secret
Rating: PG
Constructive Criticism: Yes! Please!
Summary: Lucemon is offered help from an individual who wants to entertain herself.
Lucemon leaned against the chair, watching the person closely. "So, you want to help me in my cause."
"Why, yes. I noticed that you seemed to be having a little difficulty achieving your goal and I thought I might help."
A contented smile graced his lips. He leaned forward. "Really? So, you truely believe in my ideals for eternal paradise? That everyone and everything should come under a single command? That anything even remotely unique should be weeded out?"
"Why, of course not."
Lucemon frowned. He threw a piercing stare. "Explain."
"It's not anything more than a personal thing for me. See, with me, goals are only temporary things. The path forward is usually full of many unpredictable obstacles, that make or break the person holding the goal. They test you're strength and resolve and whether you can pass them or not will determine the fate of your goal. Bypassing these obstacles is most awarding when you succeed at what you desired."
There was a clink and the sound of lips sipping a glass of wine. Then the person continued. "However...everything afterwards is often very boring. Once you achieve your goal, you don't have much to do, except make sure the peaceful monotony stays in place. That's something I don't like. It's like what Orochimaru said: an immobile windmill may be pretty, but it's quite dull and useless if it doesn't move...or do something more unpredictable like explode. Anyway, it's the obstacles and progress that interest me. I like a good or bad challenge to entertain me every step of the way. I like the beginning and middle of goals, but I do get quite put down when the ending comes and everything then becomes boring. I'd like the fun to transcend for all eternity."
There was a silence in which the speaker took another sip of wine and Lucemon watched the person appraisingly.
"And with a goal like you have, I'm afraid you would be quite foolish to trust me."
Lucemon raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"Your goal has an especially boring ending. Everything that happens will follow a strict conduct of monotony. Anything remotely interesting will be removed. Eternal paradise? That's more like eternal boredom to me."
"Then why help me?" the tone was careful, light, as though its owner was holding back the disapproval of someone disagreeing with him with thoroughly practiced courtesy.
"Why, the road toward your goal seems quite fun! I always gravitate towards the people who have the most entertaining goal paths. It's always interesting to see what happens when it catches at a particular snag or when the schemer gets frustrated. Or...when you play with their trust of you." a mysterious smile was sent to the angel.
Lucemon seemed to be doing some very careful thinking as he appraised her. "What are your terms?" he said finally.
She leaned forward. "Give me the most interesting jobs. Entertain me. Make sure the job leads to something exciting if it doesn't entertain me. Do that and you wouldn't have to be so cautious around me. However, be on your guard. I might one day get bored even if you provide me that and I would turn traitor at a moment's notice. I don't care for goal paths that turn dull.
"And I know what you are going to say." a gloved hand was held up. "You're going to threaten me with some horrible fate that would make me an obedient lapdog. Sad to say, but I don't care much about staying alive, either. I will take any action in order to stay alive, since it would be a challenge – especially with you, of course - but if I die, it's no biggie." a shrug and smile. "Whether Heaven, Hell or any other type of afterlife awaits me, I'll continue what I'm doing. If I'm in Heaven, I'll tempt some pour soul or angel to do a dark deed. If it's Hell, than I might consider joining Makoto Shishio's plot to overthrow the Devil. If it's anything else, well, we'll see. Unpredictability is part of the fun after all."
She finished the red wine and lowered the glass, wiping a trickle of it from her identically colored lips.
"So, do I get the job?" she asked lightly.
Silence followed. Lucemon was clearly considering her offer very carefully. Minutes passed.
He leaned to the side. "You are a very unpredictable creature, you know that." he concluded. "I don't like unpredictable things like that. I'll have to watch you closely. However," a small smile appeared, "you would prove to be an invaluable asset on the road to my goal. You are very intelligent and clever. I deduce those are your qualities if you lived this long. You would be a very good scout or spy to use for background projects. Don't worry." he assured her when he saw the look on her face. "These will be entertaining jobs. Because we'll be working in an entertaining world. Or worlds, since the Human Worlds and Digital Worlds are often connected. The troubles spouting their will entertain you enough there. You've got the job. Forgive me, but I didn't catch your name."
"It's Nanami. You'll just have to figure out what's my other name yourself. Mysterious are fun, correct?" she smiled as she sat with her hands in her lap. "And there's no need for introductions for you. You reputation quite proceeds you, Lucemon."
"Indeed." Lucemon chuckled and stood up. "That's the imprint I've made in that other world as well. So, would you like to start now."
"Oh yes." Nanami stood and paced forward. "The less dawdling the better. Tell me more about this- these little worlds."
"Oh, it's a most vulnerable world with many interesting things." chuckled Lucemon. "The Digital World we're going to is where chaos reigns supreme, where survival of the fittest is law. Anything that is weak is destroyed and would never be seen again and many are just wandering and fighting for the title of strongest. These aimless souls would be quite easy to persuade to my cause. They are still licking their wounds from the near catastrophe of having their entire world deleted and would probably be looking for a leader to rally with, one who will make their lives better. I will be the leader they were looking for. And there's quite an amount of interesting people in the Human World too. Specifically those select ones who have tamed their Digimon and have just saved the worlds from destruction. They still have many flaws which could be played with."
"Sounds fun." Nanami smiled as she followed Lucemon. Things will be definitely entertaining. She couldn't wait!
The End