AN: This is Chapter 3 of the story. I know it probably raises more questions than it answers but it will all make sense soon. I apologize for taking so long to post it, it's a long story. The Writer.

Disclaimer: The following story contains characters that don't belong to me. I don't own Digimon. I don't want to. I only own the original characters and plot .Don't sue. Thank you.

Chronicles of a Forsaken One

Session 3 -A Choice-

August 31, 2004

He looked up. A sign of a man awaiting something.

He could see the rain coming. It wasn't here yet. It would be here soon. He was not waiting for rain. No.

The concept of the weather, and how it would affect him was of no importance to him. He sighed, and made his way through the crowds, something about crowds made him feel so insignificant. So alone. He wasn't sad though. Not in the least bit. He liked the crowds. He loved them. The crowds provided a certain sense of anonymity. Often, he would describe the crowds as "the blur."

When you first see "the blur" from a distance, you can see all the colors, pick out the different types of people. As time goes on, "the blur" begins to take effect. You no longer see the beautiful shades, the tones, but rather a hazy collection of the different people who inhabit a city. All out to move about and accomplish something with their lives. If you could call that living.

He knew how to move about "the blur". He knew how to disappear. He often thought about these people. As he walked through airports. Bus stations. Subways. Shopping centers.

All the lovely people. His moves were controlled. Lucid. Almost a reflex. He allowed himself to daydream about all the things he could do. He was in a subway now. He thought about all the people there. To his left, three ladies stood in place. No younger than himself.Dressed in all manner of fashionable clothing. He didn't bother with the rest. Would anyone care if they went missing? Would anyone care if he missing? How could they?

Most people took their lives for granted. He never really understood why. Life was something to be cherished, and yet, they simply moved along with waves. All he had done for them. It was his job to make sure they had the right to take their lives for granted. A job he was beginning to resent.

To his right, there was another girl. She was alone. Fairly young. Just like him.From her attire, she was just leaving work.Going home.Wherever that may be.He could smell her from where he stood. It wasn't a matter of perfume, or odor. It was the scent of distress. He immediately looked to her surroundings. There was a man standing behind her. His expression was blank. Hers was not. No one seemed to notice though. He had studied this culture extensively, he had read about this type of assault, on subway cars. Now he was witnessing one. He stared at this man. Tall, with glasses.Expensive suit. His little briefcase by his side. He was a nobody.

The man in black, his Aviator shades in the folds of his coat, his K-bar to the left, his P99 to the right. This man had no appreciation for life. He had no meaning. He simply existed. Meaningless existence should not be.

He thought it over.

'Can I kill this man?'

There was no moral question to answer.

Nothing holding him back.

He smiled.

He took out his cell phone. An ordinary little thing. He flipped it open with his right, while he held onto the subway with his left. He snapped the photo. He needed to be able to recognize him. He couldn't do it there.

He closed his phone. Placed back in its place, a pocket from his coat.Took a look at his Bvlgari.

Plenty of time.

'The next stop is coming. He'll get off at this stop.'

The subway began to slow down. As if obeying his commands, he began to move towards the exit. Leaving the young girl there. The man in black followed. It was a tight squeeze as many of the subway's passengers were getting off at this exit.It was a popular exit. The man in black, however, was not aware of that. As the passengers got off and others got on the subway, he took out his Aviators. Put them on. Caught a glimpse of the girl.

'These kind of things happen all the time'

He wasn't out to get justice. All he wanted was the kill. He saw his mark. The man in the business suit was in a hurry.

'Bathroom. You'll want to use the bathroom'

The man in the business suit stopped, briefly, then made his way towards the bathroom. The man in black followed. "Mr. Business Suit" went into one of the stalls. The man in black went towards a urinal. Did his business. Joined "Mr.Business Suit" at the mirrors, where they would wash their hands.

"Long day, huh?" the man in black asked.

"Yup, just like every other day" he replied.

They were alone now. That was good.

"I feel ya, bud, so what kind of work do you do?"

"I work with computers"

"Oh, I see"

"You?"

"I'm a janitor, although I like to call myself a cleaner"

"Cleaner, huh?"

"Yeah"

The man in black stared at him as he dried his hands.

"Have a good one" he said, smiling.

"I already did" he replied, also smiling.

He turned his back on him. He took out his P99. Gave him a vicious blow to the head. His body dropped down. Hard. He grabbed his collar with his left. Dragged him across the floor into the stalls. Set him by the toilet. He regained consciousness staring down the barrel of a suppressed Walther P99. The man in black slowly got up. Removed his Aviators with his free hand.

"Please-"

puff-puff

Silenced by two carefully placed shots to his head. The body slumped to the floor of the stall, staining the white tile red.

He collected the empty shells. Placed his P99 back in its place. Put his Aviators back on. It had all taken place in the span of a few minutes. He exited the bathroom. No one had seen him. Walked towards the exit of the subway station. He wouldn't get a chance to hear the screams. It didn't matter. He began to hear soft noises. They came from his Bvlgari. It only meant he had somewhere else to be. He smiled. He was glad to see he was still on schedule. He exited the station. It was dark already. The night was young. His job tonight was just about to start.

The room was a mess. Everything was in shambles. No amount of therapy or drugs could stop the voices now. He had failed to report that to his doctor the last time he was there. It didn't matter much to him, though. He'd never go back again. He wasn't the type to give up. He wasn't the type to see a lost cause. A battle that was already over. His urges were too strong. He could no longer control them. The voices no longer went away. He sat on the floor, his back to the wall. His head slumped. He wasn't awake, but he wasn't sleeping. He was somewhere in between. Just staring at the mirror in his room. The rain was pouring hard now. Through random flashes of thunder he could see it, reflecting off his mirror. He saw the mirror. Through those flashes, he'd see himself. Occasionally. The trials would start in a few days, but he didn't care. He wasn't going. Through those flashes, he saw his medication.

Scattered all over the floor, along with the rest of his things.

Most people who wanted to die, it was simple for them. Not for him. He could take 4, 5 times the required dosage. It wouldn't even make him drowsy. He turned his head to the right. Saw at arms reach exactly what he'd been looking for. A kitchen knife. He wasn't allowed to use knives anymore. Some people had the wild notion he was a danger to himself and others. He reached for it. Grabbed it. Felt the edge. It was razor sharp. He placed the knife on his wrists. Cutting one's wrists was clichéd. He exhaled, and began to cut his skin. The voices banished. They were replaced by a single, whispering voice.

'What are you doing, Tai?'

He stopped. Put the knife down. Shot a look at the door.

He was hearing things. Of course he was hearing things. In all his time, the voices had never spoken to him. Just at him. He waited a while. Grabbed the knife again. Again the voice.

'Did you not hear me, Tai? What are you doing?'

This time, it was crystal clear. The voice was soft. Calm. Cold. Collected. Totally in control. It was creepy.

"Who's out there?" he whispered to one in particular. The rain continued. He got no response.

'I know you can hear me. Stop ignoring me'

"I can hear you" Tai said, then added, "Why are you talking to me?"

'I've been searching for you. Do you wish to know why?'

"Yes"

'You've seen it. In your dreams. Your nightmares. That is the truth. You want to understand what you see and why, but you can't.'

"What is the truth?"

'You...are going to die. That much is certain. I suspect that you're Ok with that. Perhaps you even made your peace with God. Asked him to look into your affairs once in a while. That's nice.'

"I don't want to die"

'What do you want?'

"Peace"

'Peace? You don't get peace. Your friends get peace. They get love. They get to live great lives. They get to enjoy life. That life is not for you. You get pain, misery and despair. Which you'll come to find aren't so bad'

"Why is this happening to me? Why am I here? Why me?"

'Call it Fate. Destiny. The truth is, it doesn't really matter. You're here because you're here. Why you? Why not you? Would you really wish your fate upon your friends?

Taichi said nothing. Tears ran down his face. He made no effort to clean them. Just sat there.

'Taichi, have you ever been powerless? I know you have. You were powerless on that day. A lot of things about you changed on that day. You lost everything that mattered to you. You've nothing to lose now, Mr. Kamiya. Most people consider this a weakness. A failure. Not me. You've nothing to lose, Mr. Kamiya, but everything to gain. You can have the world'

"I don't want the world. All I want is...freedom. I want freedom...from everything...everyone"

"Good. That I can give you. I can also give you something else you desire'

"What's that?"

'Purpose' the voice said, continued, 'you want purpose. You've seen yourself in your dreams. What you don't understand, what you fail to grasp is that your dreams...they're our reality. A reality that will soon manifest itself upon the rest of the world. Your perception of the world has drastically changed. You know there can be no peace. You've seen the war that is coming, the question is, do you want to watch on by, let others take your glory, or...do you want to show the world who you really are?

Taichi was silent. He took in all the voice had revealed onto him.

'War is coming'

'Yes'

'Am I really destined for war?'

'I told you. It's not a question of destiny. Destiny does not control your life any more than it controls my life. We always have a choice, Mr. Kamiya. Think about your choices. Your life. You're nothing. You and I both know that. You have no prospects for the future. This life is over. It's time to die.

'Shut up. You're not trying to help me. The only one who can help me is me'

'Can you really help yourself here?'

'No'

'Taichi...you want to be free. I can give you the freedom you seek. I can free you from your thoughts, which betray you, I can free you from your family, which doesn't understand you. Your friends, who are powerless to help you. I can even free you from fear itself, the uncertainty of death is nothing but a human emotion. A process has begun inside you, a process that will rid you of these weakness human beings seem to suffer from'

"Stop it" he said out loud. He knew that wouldn't help, but he needed to feel some form of control over his latest tormentor.

"You're not real. You are a manifestation of fear. You're not real"

'Reality and perception are intertwined concepts, if you can distort one, you can indirectly influence the other. I may not truly be inside your head, but I might as well be. I know you can directly influence your reality. It is something we can all do. Along with freedom...purpose, I also offer you the truth. The truth is more valuable than any single human life, any single power in this world. I have told you all I can. The decision is yours. Once you've rid yourself of who you are, you will not be able to change. That is the price of your freedom. You will choose wisely. I know you will'

The silence left him in shock. The voice had stopped talking. The sense of dread, of despair he felt as it spoke was gone now. He took in all the voice had told him. There was no destiny. No grand plan for him. For anyone, for that matter. He had his entire life in front of him. A life that would soon end unless he did something. He had invested too much in his life. He could not easily forget all the reasons all the reasons why he wanted to continue living. Yet the more he thought about this, the more he came to realize: it was right.

For all he'd seen in his life, he knew the future wasn't written in stone. Nothing was certain. This was a lesson he'd learn the hard way. Nothing was certain. Not his life, nor anyone's life. For all he'd said, for all he had done, only now did he came to realize that his life was over. Not because he'd chose to end it, but because there was nothing left here for him. He now had a choice.He still sat there. Through the entire thing, he hadn't moved. He wasn't uncomfortable.

"We always have a choice" he said out loud, not to anyone in particular, but more to himself.

The depth of the silence that embedded his room, his life, seemed to be enough of an answer to him.

"I accept" he said, when he found himself alone, with no other presence in the room, no essence of anything, of anyone, he said,

"Are you still here?"

'Where else would I be?'

"Did you hear what I said?"

'Yes'

"So, what happens now?"

'Life happens'

"Life happens?"

'The end of the former, the start of the latter'

He dismissed his cryptic statement.

"What should I do now?"

'Now...you die. Get up, Tai. Leave your room. Walk towards the table in your kitchen. The mail is placed there. A package is addressed for you. Your sister "conveniently" forgot to inform you of it. Open the package'

The voice ceased to speak. It would give him more instructions as he did what it asked. Apparently, it had the ability to be aware of his actions. This didn't scare in the least bit. Fear had become increasingly difficult to manifest in the last couple of months. He didn't bother pretending anymore. He had no reason to. Not anymore.

He got up from his position. He made his way around the room. He could hear the torrent pouring down on the city. The rains had come. Despite the darkness that blanketed his room, he knew where everything laid. His eyes had become accustomed to the dark. To the night.

He put his shoes on. An old dusty pair of Converse All Stars. Original. He figured he was going somewhere he'd need them. He made a move towards his closet. Smiled, and headed towards the door instead. What was the point of a jacket if he couldn't feel anything? He undid the locks on his door. Opened it carefully. Slowly. He walked slowly. Making sure his weight didn't make his shoes squeak. He had learned in the last few months how acute Kari's ears really were. He didn't bother to close the door. Not just yet. He walked over to the table. Sure enough, amongst the junk mail, the bills, there was a small package there. Addressed to him. Just like the voice said. He'd find out later how it had done that. He now had to figure out how to open it. He thought about going towards the kitchen. Sneaking a knife away from the counter. No. Bad plan. He wasn't as familiar with the kitchen as he was with his room. With this room. He felt around his pajama pockets. Felt the knife. He hadn't even realized he'd stash it there. He'd done that involuntary. He seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. He took it out. Opened the box. Carefully. He didn't know what was in it, and he didn't want Kari waking up on him either. He stared into the box. It had cushy insides. The kind you used to protect something extremely important. He figured the odd looking hypodermic needle was of importance. He'd seen them before. In movies, documentaries, never in real life.

"Hey" he whispered. A whisper so soft, the rain outside seemed thunderous by comparison.

'You know what happens now, Tai. There is no turning back. Do what you must and walk away. We will meet soon enough'

The voice grew silent once more.

'No turning back' he grabbed the hypodermic needles by it's handles. Injected the substance in to his veins through his arm.

'Nothing to turn back to'

He made his way towards his room. Went towards his bedside table. It was a mess. He grabbed his old, busted digivice. He'd broken a few months back. He took out a picture from a frame he had on his table as well. Walked out the room. Closed the door. Locked it from the outside. Went towards the apartment door. Opened the door, but made sure it would lock again as he closed it. He was outside now. He hadn't been outside in a long time. That wasn't important. He had an urge to be somewhere. This much he knew. He started walking again. He made it outside the apartment complex. It was still raining. Hard. He didn't care. It didn't affect him. The night was an odd blur. His eyes re-focused to accommodate the night. His neighborhood was abnormally dark. He had never noticed that before.

As he continued walking, he realized he'd forgotten to take his medication. Yet he was fine. No pain. No voices. None of his old grievances came up. He stopped.

'It's got to be that drug. Whatever it was, I feel fine'

He continued to walk. He knew the streets. He knew the businesses. Some were open. Most were closed. The rain, combined with the glow of the lights, the occasional flash of lightning, the thunder made the night seemed hazy. It was beautiful to him. He hadn't seen something like this in a long time. He stopped at a light. The streets were deserted. He felt around his pockets. Felt the hypodermic needle in there. He threw it. Heard it shatter into a thousand pieces somewhere. He crossed the light and thought he saw a flash. Looked towards the direction the flash had come from. There was noting there. No one there either. Nowhere to hide. He passed a mailbox.

'Stop'

Taichi did as he was told.

'The items you secured from your room'

"What about them?" Taichi said out loud, but grew embarrassed. Despite the fact that no one was around, he still looked as if he were talking to himself. He had forgotten the voice could not only hear him speak, but read his thoughts as well.

'Dump the items you took from your room into the mailbox'

'No'

'You will acquire them later'

Reluctantly, he did as the voice told him. He had no reason to distrust the voice.

'What is your name?'

'Is that of any relevance?'

'What is a name?' Taichi pondered, hoping to convince the voice. A few moments later the voice answered,

'My name is...Bruce. Get going. You haven't much time'

Confident at the fact he had won an exchange, he started walking again.

As the building began to clear up, he realized where he was. He knew where he was going. Rainbow Bridge. The bridge was beautiful at night. Tonight wasn't a difference. No matter what was about to happen. He wasn't afraid. He wasn't anything. Neither sad, nor anxious, nor conflicted. Nothing. It had to be the drug. He started walking on the bridge. He figured he was going to the middle. He looked for traffic. It was late. With rain. There was nearly no traffic going by. A car went by, every now and then. They couldn't see him. He stopped. He climbed the wires. Made his way towards the edge. Stood there looking down. The water beneath the bridge looked cold. Not that he'd get a chance to feel it. He looked to his left. At another ridge, stood another living soul. He hadn't noticed him.

"Hey" Taichi shouted at him.

The guy looked back at him. It was a man. He was a couple of years older than Tai. He was dressed in a suit. Taichi had once read that Japan had one of the world's highest suicide rates among people his age. Two jumpers on the same bridge. Same time. That had to mean something.

"Things are that bad, huh?" Taichi said, hoping to get something out of the guy.

"Yeah" he said, "I lost my job, lost my girl, and my father says I've dishonored the family. My friends want nothing to do with me. I just...don't know what to do anymore"

Taichi nodded. He understood where he was coming from. At least partially.

"That sounds rough, at least you've still got your health"

"What do you mean?" he asked, a face of confusion.

"I've got JCS" said Tai, nonchalantly

"Oh" he replied, then said in the same tone, "That sucks"

"I'm not too worried" Taichi said, "I mean, I know why I'm up here, the question is, do you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, all your problems...don't really seem like problems...you know?"

He shook his head. He didn't understand.

"Your job...you get a new job. That's it. Your girl...you'll learn to live without her. If you need one, then get another one. Plenty of girls in Japan, bro. Your friends...you'll make new friends, forget about them"

"What about my father?"

Taichi smiled.

"You're on your own on that one, can't expect me to give you all the answers"'

The man smiled back. Taichi walked on the ledge to stand side by side of him. He turned to face him. The man was deep in thought. He looked at Tai. An odd expression on his face.

"So what happens now?" he asked Tai

Taichi smiled.

"Life happens"

"Life-" the man began to speak, but Taichi interrupted him with a swift and hard push that sent him back onto the bridge's sidewalk.

The man, still in shocked, stared at Tai, as he stood on the rail.

Taichi said, with a smile on his face,

"Good luck"

He jumped off the ledge into the harbor. He could feel the wind in his face. In his hair. It made him smile. That was the last thing he felt. No angels. No devils. No bright lights. No heavenly voices. Just...nothing.

He opened his lighter. Lit the cigarette. Sat down on the bench. Took a drag. His companion, his partner, held the umbrella closed to her. She wasn't as fond of the rain as he was. He stared at her, for just a second. She'd been doing this a long time now. He had found her. Brought her in. Eventually, she was assigned to him.

"What is it?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're staring"

"I'm sorry"

He sat down next to her. Grabbed the binoculars from her chair. Took a look through them. Their vantage point was perfect. Their view of the bridge was unhampered. They both sat there underneath the rain. In their black suits, white shirts, government-style shades. He took another drag. The cigarette was almost gone. She grabbed for her binoculars. High quality, with enhanced optics for night viewing. A must for stakeouts.

He put down his binoculars. Took a final drag. Crumbled the lit cigarette in his hands. It should burned him. It didn't.

"There he goes" she said.

He made a quick grab at his binoculars. Through them you could see a dark figure fall from the bridge. Hit the water. That was it. Death wasn't what it used to be. Not for them. He put down his binoculars. She followed the suit. They didn't move. She sat there with her umbrella. He sat right beside her.

"He's dead" she said, nonchalantly

"Yeah" he replied, same tone as hers.

"Make the call" he said to her. Took out another cigarette. Lit it up. Took a drag. All in one smooth motion.

"Yes, hello, I'm a...motorist driving down Rainbow bridge, I just saw a man, or a woman, jump off the bridge. I had to get out of my car, I just couldn't believe it" she said, a panicky tone on her voice.

"Yes" she continued, "I saw the splash the body made as it hit the water. Can you please send the coast guard or the police or something down here, oh my god, I just couldn't believe it. No, I'm not driving. I'm calm. Yes, thank you. My name, I'd like to remain anonymous. Yes...Yes. I'll try to have a good night. Yes, thank you, good night"

"It's done" she said, her cool, smooth tone back in her voice.

"Yeah" he replied.

"So...what do we do now?"

"What we always do" he replied "We wait"

"Sounds good" she said, "I'm kind of hungry"

He turned to look at her. Her shades were dangling on her upper jacket pocket. He could see into her heterochromatic eyes. One blue, One brown. Just like him.

"You want to eat something?"

"Yeah, what do you want?"

"I was actually in the mood for pancakes"

"That sounds good, I'm in"

She smiled.

"Ok, but...your treat"

"My treat?"

"I paid last time" she protested

"My treat then" he said, smiling.

"Did you speak to Beck?" he said

"No, I haven't made the call yet"

"You gotta call her. Confirm. We need that evidence"

"She'll have it. Relax"

"Can't relax" he said fast "If I don't come down you guys, they come down on me. Then nobody's happy"

"Are you happy?" she asked, a smile on her face

"We're working" he replied

"So what does that mean?"

"Nobody's happy"

"That sucks" she said. Made a face. He laughed. He knew she was joking around. She loved this job. Just like him.

"I know how to make it better though" he said, smiling

"Oh" she said, a look of mock surprise on her face. "You do?"

"Yeah, let's go get those pancakes. My treat"

"Doesn't make it better, but I'll take it"

He smiled.

They got up. Took their binoculars. Headed down the stairs towards their car. Pancakes would make him feel better. They always did. Now they played the waiting game. Wait. Wait, and wait some more. In a couple of days, they'd go back to work. In a couple days, they'd be back in New York.

AN: So that's it. Chapter 3. Chapter 4 will take a few weeks to finish. 3 weeks at most. I do apologize to my readers. I know I seem to take too long on the chapters, but you know what they say, good things come to those who wait. Please review the chapter. I don't know whether anyone's reading this or not. It doesn't matter but it would be nice to get a review. If you spot any errors, let me know. I'm real fastidious about that. I'll make the changes, repost the story and thank the reader who spotted them. Good bye for now. The Writer.