Frontier 02: Christmas Special NUMBUH 3!

madjack89: Merry Christmas, everybody!

Dai: And happy holidays to all the other religions and stuff! We don't judge here at Frontier 02, even if you're a Jashinist, which is completely hokey!

Hotaru: *sigh* One of these days I'm gonna get my ass kicked trying to protect you from getting your ass kicked…

Dai: I speak my mind!

Hotaru: Yes…I know.

Kouji: Wow…what a creative title this year's special has.

madjack89: Shut up, grinchy. Okay, for those that never see the updates on my fanfic profile, I asked you guys mid-Novemberish if any of you had ideas for what I should base this year's special on. I got many great suggestions, but finally I decided to stick with... *drum roll*

Everyone: Just tell us already!

madjack89: Okay, okay…Edward Scissorhands!

Everyone: …What?

Shino: How is that Christmas related?

madjack89: Hey, the end of the movie took place during Christmas, so shut up!

Shino: *shrugs* It's your story.

madjack89: That's right! And besides, it'll be more loosely based on the movie than the previous two specials. So, I guess you guys are wondering who's playing the title role, huh?

Takuya and Kira: Duskmon.

Kouji: Definitely Duskmon.

Kouichi: *nods*

Nina: Dusky!

madjack89: You guys are correct!

Duskmon: What? Why me?

JP: You're one of the closest characters to having "scissor hands" in the entire Digimon franchise.

Duskmon: *sigh* Point taken. Fine, I guess I'll help you do this stupid Christmas special.

madjack89: Aw, don't be angry, Dusky. Just think; I'm focusing this special on you because you're so popular and awesome!

Duskmon: Lord knows why I'm popular…

Kira: Probably because you're a badass.

Takuya: *nods* Definitely.

Duskmon: Yeah, but what about all that I did to Kouichi. Shouldn't his fangirls be mad at me or something?

madjack89: Nah, I think it's all good as long as Chief doesn't die.

Duskmon: *glances at Kouichi*

Zoe: Don't even think about it.

Nina: You don't scare us, Blondie! Right, Dusky?

Duskmon: -_-

madjack89: *sigh* Alright, let's start the fanfic!

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OCs! This is a product of fiction, hence the "fiction" in "fanfiction!" Did I forget this in the past two specials? Oh well, it's not like fanfiction's gonna put copyright claims on me like they do on youtube. (Burn!)

—

It was the evening of the 23rd of December. "The eve of Christmas Eve!" as Takuya and Kira had joyously proclaimed earlier. Kouichi sometimes wondered where they got all their energy around this time of year. He was honestly feeling a little drained, though that could be due to his brother's increasingly depressed aura as Christmas drew nearer. Oh well. Kouji had his reasons not to like this time of year, and Kouichi wasn't going to question it. He'd just wait out the storm, like he always did.

Things weren't so bad, after all. Tomorrow should prove to be a fun, normal day with his friends. No random Christmas Carol parodies, no plays to perform, no surprise visits from any Digimon…

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Kouichi glanced at the clock in his room. 9:46. Who would be visiting the apartment at this hour?

"Could you please answer the door, dear?" his mother called from her room, apparently too busy to stop whatever she was doing.

"Sure," Kouichi replied, slowly rising from his chair and exiting his room. For some reason, the closer he got to the door, the more anxious he felt, as if there were something dangerous on the other side…

Kouichi finally reached the door and grabbed the handle. However, before he twisted the knob, he decided to look through the peephole, just to decide if he really SHOULD open the door. Putting his eye right up to the small transparent hole, he saw…another eye staring back at him. This wasn't a normal eye, though. After all, not a lot of people he knew had red eyes. Not human people, anyway…

Kouichi turned the knob and pulled the door open, quickly going through a list of Digimon in his head, trying to remember which of them had red eyes. Only one name came to mind.

"…Duskmon."

—

"Hey Chief! What did you mean last night when you called and said we've got a 'situation'?" Takuya asked rather loudly, waving to Kouichi as he approached his friends. After he'd momentarily dealt with the "situation" last night, Kouichi had immediately called the rest of the gang and told them to meet in the alley near his house the next day. Now they were there, and they wanted some answers.

"What was so important that you couldn't just tell us last night?" JP added his own statement to Takuya's query, folding his arms over his chest.

Kouichi glanced around at his group of friends, then bit his lip, apparently not knowing where to begin. "Kouichi, what's wrong?" Zoe asked, stepping forward with a concerned look on her face. "You seem a little agitated."

"Oh, do I?" Kouichi replied rather sarcastically. Zoe seemed a bit surprised by his bitter response, and he sighed. "I'm sorry. It's just…I received a visitor last night, and…"

"And now he doesn't know what to do with me." Everyone reflexively stiffened upon hearing Duskmon's voice coming from within the alley. A second later, the Digimon himself peeked his head around the corner, apparently wanting to keep hidden.

Kouichi sighed again, seeming frustrated. "I told you to come out only when I gave you the okay. I was trying to ease them into it."

"I doubt that any amount of easing on your part would have prepared them for me," Duskmon responded coolly, still remaining mostly hidden. "At least I'm staying out of sight, as you requested."

"You're only doing it because you don't want to be seen by any other humans," Kouichi muttered, clearly not buying Duskmon's civil act.

Neither were the others. "What the hell is he doing here?" Kouji growled, glaring with unconcealed hatred at the dark Digimon.

"'He' has a name," Duskmon retorted, sounding annoyed.

Ignoring Duskmon, Kouichi replied to his brother, "He gave me some story about not wanting to spend the holidays with Ilsemon again and that coming here for a few days to get away from her was his only option."

"And you believed him?" Kira asked incredulously.

"Of course not," Kouichi said, eyes narrowing. "But my D-Tector had been in my room at the time and if I'd tried to go get it, he would have barged into my apartment and gone for my mom."

"You know me well," Duskmon muttered.

"Unfortunately," Kouichi mumbled, glancing at Duskmon before continuing. "I had no choice but to believe him, especially since he hadn't tried to stab me yet. He said he would beg for our protection if I wanted him to, which made me wonder if he really was telling the truth about escaping from Ilsemon. So I told him to wait here until tomorrow when we could all decide what to do with him. That's why he's still alive, anyway."

"Maybe we should break that trend," Kouji said, grabbing his D-Tector and… (Whoa, hold the phone, Kouji!) "What is it?" (I can't allow you to kill Duskmon. That would ruin F2R's plot!) "Technically, this is in a separate dimension from F2R, so I can kill him here without him actually dying." (Do you want me to confiscate that D-Tector?) "No." (Then just do as I say and don't kill him!) "Fine, whatever!"

"Uh…okay then," Takuya muttered, continuing with the actual plot. "Well, if we can't kill him, we might as well let him hide out here. It's Christmas, after all, and I'm in too good a mood to be angry at him."

"Ditto!" Kira agreed, slapping a high five with Takuya.

"I'm with Takuya," Tommy said, while Shino nodded once in agreement.

JP shrugged. "It's just for a couple days."

"Fine," Zoe said curtly, crossing her arms over her chest. "But if he tries anything, especially anything involving that stupid little girl…"

"Actually, Nina's not here at the moment," Duskmon stated, gesturing toward his head. "Madjack gave her the gift of being corporeal for a few days for Christmas, and then she sent her to someone as a gag gift."

"Who'd she send her to?" Shino asked curiously.

—

meanwhile…

"This is so great!" Nina squealed happily, holding an orange cat tightly in her grip. Turning to Shigure Sohma, the owner of the house she'd been sent to, she said, "So if I keep hugging him like this, he'll stay a kitty?"

"Yes," Shigure managed to reply between his chuckles, thinking that his idea to let Nina in on the details of the Sohma curse and to inform her of what animal Kyo turned into had been brilliant.

Yuki, another of the house's residents, found it easier than Shigure to contain his glee, but couldn't quite help having a big smile on his face in response to Kyo's predicament.

Tohru, the only one who actually cared that Kyo wasn't enjoying Nina's hug, kept mumbling things like, "Um, maybe you should put him down now…" or "Kyo doesn't seem to like this, I think…"

Nina ignored Tohru's protests and squeezed Kyo the cat even tighter, giggling with joy. "This is the best, most kitty-filled Christmas ever!"

Kyo, who had abandoned all hope at this point, merely stared flatly at the wall and muttered, "I hate this freakin' holiday."

—

back with the gang…

"Well I don't care whether Nina's with him or not," Kouji grumbled, glaring murderously at Duskmon. "He's still a cold-hearted killer, and I refuse to help him."

"I'm right here," Duskmon muttered, still annoyed by the fact that he was being addressed as "him" in his own presence.

"And didn't you say that he wants our protection?" Hotaru asked, again ignoring Duskmon as he turned to Kouichi. "Doesn't that mean that Ilsemon will be trying to get him back?"

"Ilsemon won't be a problem," Duskmon said, sounding sure. "Renamon volunteered to keep her occupied while I was gone so that she wouldn't notice my absence."

"Sacrifice your friends for your own good, huh?" JP muttered.

Suddenly, Duskmon's gaze became fierce. Gripping the edge of the wall with his "hand" to keep from lunging forward, he replied, "I didn't abandon her. I actually refused to go along with this plan, but Renamon pushed me into the human world portal she'd found, bringing me to this insane place you call a home."

"You're calling our world insane?" Kira said skeptically. "Better take a look at your own world there, Dusky."

"Oh, as if this place is any better," Duskmon grumbled irritably.

"We have ice cream!" Dai pointed out, defending "Team Earth."

"And what makes you think we don't in the Digital World?" Duskmon retorted.

"There's ice cream in the Digital World? Yay!" Dai exclaimed giddily.

"Okay, can we stop this pointless argument already?" Kouichi suddenly said, cutting off Duskmon's next statement. "If we're going to keep you here for Christmas, we need to find a place to hide you. You can't stay in this alley for two days without someone noticing, and there's no way I'm letting you stay in my apartment."

"Very well," Duskmon replied, turning his gaze on the rest of the gang. "So, where will I be staying?"

The others all glanced at each other, everyone feeling reluctant to keep this borderline psychotic murderer anywhere near where they slept, even if he was acting fairly calm and composed. Finally, Kira stated, "Well, I don't think I could keep Dusky near my place, either. Besides, he destroyed my property the last time he was there."

"Sorry about that," Duskmon muttered a half-hearted apology.

"If he comes home with me, I'll kill him," Kouji said simply, shrugging.

"I may do worse than kill him," Zoe added, glare fixed on Duskmon.

"So that leaves me, Tommy, JP, Shino, and Dai and Hotaru," Takuya said, ticking the names off on his fingers. (Of course, Dai and Hotaru counted as one since they lived together.) "So…you guys up for rock-paper-scissors?"

After a quick round of rock-paper-scissors, it was decided that Shino would be hiding Duskmon in his backyard. "Oh, c'mon!" Shino cried exasperatedly. "I already had to hide Digimon at my house last year! Why should I have to do it again?"

"Because you're obviously good at it," JP replied, smirking.

Shino glared back at him. "If Duskmon murders me in my sleep, your asses are getting haunted."

With this cheerful thought in mind, the others prepared to embark with Duskmon in tow. Before they did, though, Tommy pointed out a crucial flaw in their plan. "Um, how are we going to get Duskmon to Shino's house without anybody seeing him?"

—

"Merry Christmas, ladies!" Surprised by the sudden cheery greeting, the two young girls turned toward the sound of the voice they'd heard. Briefly, they wondered if perhaps there was a man in a Santa outfit walking around today…

Well, the person behind them was wearing a Santa hat. But he wasn't a person. He looked like a giant blue and yellow humanoid beetle, with an aggressive-looking horn protruding from his forehead. In short, he was a monster.

Beetlemon, oblivious to the girls' panic, said in a merry voice, "Hey there, girls! Listen, me and my little monster buddies all got together to talk, and we thought it would be awesome for our image if we went around spreading season's greetings! So, did I get it right, or are you guys actually Jewish, 'cause I can spin a mean dreidel…"

Beetlemon was suddenly cut off as both the girls started beating him unmercifully with their purses, screaming and yelling for help as they did so. "Ow!" he yelled, holding up his arms to try to defend himself from the blows. "Geez, what the hell do you have in those purses?"

While Beetlemon was getting mauled, the rest of the gang managed to sneak Duskmon across the street without being seen. They'd been using this same method for the past half hour, sending someone out in their Digimon form as a distraction for anyone who happened to be walking around. As Takuya had put it, "Everyone already knows we exist, so it's not like it'll hurt anything. Heck, maybe we'll get a better reputation for being so nice!"

This hadn't been the case so far, as all the people they'd come across had either run away screaming or had started attacking, like the two girls were now doing to Beetlemon. One woman had gone so far as to use pepper spray on Hotaru, and apparently that stuff affects glass faces, too. They'd thought the addition of the Santa hat would help, but apparently it didn't.

"Okay, my house is right around the corner," Shino whispered to Duskmon, who nodded.

"Remind me again why we're going to all this trouble to help one of our sworn enemies," JP mumbled irritably, quickly joining the others in an alley after escaping the two crazy girls.

"Because everyone deserves a little Christmas cheer!" was Dai's slightly naïve response.

The others gave Dai flat looks. "Honestly, how do you put up with him?" Duskmon asked.

—

After successfully sneaking Duskmon around the corner, the gang barely managed to fit him through Shino's front door, since most entrances in the human world weren't exactly accommodating for Digimon. However, he eventually got inside and now sat huddled up in the middle of the Kosuke's living room while the others searched Shino's house for some sort of sheet or tarp that they could cover Duskmon with in the backyard. To keep Duskmon entertained, they'd switched on the T.V. for him, and he was staring blankly at some news program when…

"I'm back from Emiri's house!" Duskmon jumped slightly at the sound of Nanami's voice. It appeared that she'd just returned from a friend's house, since her proclamation was followed by the sound of the door shutting. None of the others answered her, and Duskmon remembered that they'd moved their search to the backyard, leaving him in the house alone. With this little girl.

Duskmon had been vaguely aware that Shino had a younger sister. Shino had even mentioned that she knew about Digimon, so the fact that Duskmon would be staying here wouldn't need to be kept hidden from her. Still, Duskmon hadn't expected to meet this child so soon. Perhaps he could hide, and she wouldn't notice him…

"Daddy, are you in here…?" Nanami suddenly stepped into the living room, halting Duskmon's train of thought. For a moment, the two just stared at each other, Nanami with wide eyes, Duskmon with an impassive (as much as he could manage) gaze.

Finally, he decided that he had better be the one to break the ice. "Um, hello."

Nanami's response was an ear-splitting scream. "Shino!"

"Nanami!" Shino was there in an instant, quickly followed by the rest of the gang. After checking to make sure his sister was unharmed, Shino turned his attention to Duskmon. "What the hell did you do to her?" he asked threateningly, expression fierce.

"I said hello," Duskmon replied calmly, keeping his indifferent mask in place. Of course she'd reacted like that…

"Oh yeah, I'm sure that's all you did," Shino retorted sarcastically. "Let me get one thing straight, Duskmon. While you're here, stay away from my family, especially my little sister. If you don't, then I don't care how tough you are. I'll kill you."

Duskmon highly doubted that, especially since HE had been the one to finish off Arbormon the first time around, but he didn't voice this thought. Instead he remained silent, staring Shino down with emotionless eyes.

"So…we found a tarp in Shino's yard," JP stated, breaking the tense silence. Duskmon took that as his cue to leave and stood up as best he could in his cramped surroundings. He then moved toward the back door, following most of the gang. Shino and Tommy remained to comfort Nanami.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Shino asked, looking his sister up and down. "He didn't do anything to you?"

Nanami shook her head. "No. I just didn't expect a Digimon to be sitting in our living room and it freaked me out. Sorry."

"There's nothing to apologize for," Shino said reassuringly. "In fact, I'm glad you screamed. I wouldn't have wanted you in the house alone with him."

"But you're helping him, so isn't he a nice Digimon or something?" Nanami asked, cocking her head in confusion.

"Duskmon isn't exactly a nice Digimon, but he asked for a place to stay," Tommy explained, skimming over the fact that Duskmon was one of their worst enemies. "He'll only be here until after Christmas, so he probably won't cause any trouble…"

"But that doesn't mean you shouldn't be careful around him," Shino interrupted Tommy, expression hard. "While he's here, you shouldn't get near him, Nanami. He's unpredictable, and if you get too close to him…"

"He has swords for hands," Tommy said simply, swinging his arm through the air in a stabbing motion. "They pop out of his arms and go SLASH, and then stuff gets cut."

"Well, yeah, in laymen's terms," Shino muttered, rolling his eyes. "Just be careful."

"Wow," Nanami said in awe, holding her hands in front of her face. "Sword hands…"

—

After throwing a tarp over Duskmon, the others decided to go ahead with their original plans for the day, i.e. running around town and doing absolutely nothing. Neither of the twins thought it was a good idea to leave Duskmon alone, but Dai pointed out that Duskmon hadn't yet gone on a killing spree without being ordered to, so he probably wouldn't cause trouble on his own. With this flimsy theory in place, the gang left the house with Nanami while Duskmon remained in the Kosuke's backyard, hiding under his tarp.

For awhile Duskmon laid still and quiet, letting his thoughts drift. That girl Nanami briefly flashed through his mind, but there wasn't much to think about concerning their first meeting. She'd seen him; she'd screamed. It wasn't like he hadn't expected it. She was afraid of him, just like everyone else. Typical.

The one Duskmon was really concerned about was Renamon. Was she okay? Had Ilsemon realized that she'd helped him escape? Was Renamon being…?

Duskmon flinched, remembering something one of the Legendary Warrior kids had said. Sacrifice your friends for your own good, huh?

"Damn it," he cursed under his breath, knowing that JP had been right. He was sacrificing Renamon for his own good. She was his friend, his only friend, and he'd left her behind. He still barely understood the whole "friendship" concept, but what kind of friend would abandon another friend? Not a good one, he'd wager.

These thoughts only served to fuel his steadily growing headache. Slowly lifting the tarp off his face, Duskmon stared up at the sky for a minute or so, trying not to think about anything. When he saw a cloud that looked so much like Renamon it was scary, he decided to sit up, making sure to keep watch for any humans who may have been passing by. The streets were empty, so Duskmon sat cross-legged in the middle of Shino's yard, tying the tarp around his neck like a cape. He'd be able to pull it over himself faster that way, he figured. Besides, didn't superheroes wear capes…?

Duskmon smirked at that thought. Did he fancy himself a superhero because he'd gone half a day without feeling the urge to kill any of the Warrior brats? No, that wasn't because of any chivalry he possessed. He just didn't want the guilt that now seemed to go hand-in-hand with murder. It was more self-preservation than anything else. That was what kept him here now, away from Ilsemon, condemning Renamon…

Angered, one of Duskmon's swords emerged from his forearm and he made a wide, arcing slash through thin air, releasing some of his pent-up rage. However, Duskmon did end up cutting something with this random attack. He turned slowly to his right to see that he'd accidentally hacked a branch off of one of the bushes in the Kosuke's backyard, making it look uneven and misshapen.

This unintentional destruction of property wouldn't normally have bothered Duskmon, but he still remembered that murderous look Shino had given him before he'd left. He would be looking for any excuse to fight, and Duskmon didn't really want to kill the same Digimon twice. So, letting his other sword slide out, he decided he'd try to fix the bush a little, just so no one would notice.

He hacked off a branch from the left side of the bush, managing to even it out a bit. No one would notice what he'd done unless they looked closely. Still, the bush could use a slight trim here and there…

—

About two hours later, Duskmon finally finished his work, feeling satisfied. He'd originally meant to stop after trimming down the first bush he'd ruined, but he'd noticed that the other bushes could use some trimming as well, so he'd gone to work. At first he'd done it out of boredom, but he soon found some enjoyment in his task. It was a good way to kill time, and of course Shino couldn't object to some trimmed bushes.

Besides that, Duskmon was surprised to find that, for once, his swords weren't being used to kill; they were being used for something constructive. He knew why he'd originally been created; to serve as Cherubimon's mercenary, his ace in the hole. He hadn't needed actual "hands" to kill things, so the middle man had been cut out, and he was left with literal "sword hands." The ultimate assassin.

Still…it was a bit of an inconvenience. For one, he couldn't easily pick things up with the claw-like things at the ends of his forearms that served as hands, especially not small things. He also had to be careful when he DID need to use his swords for something other than killing. He still remembered what had happened when he hadn't paid attention to what he was doing. Ilsemon had asked him to find something for her, some item or relic or whatever. She'd sent another Digimon with him to actually carry the item, and he'd been in charge of getting inside, since the entrance to the cave that the item was in was surrounded by foliage. He'd been able to hack through it easily enough, but the Digimon behind him had been stupid enough, or naïve enough, to say, "Good job," when he'd finished.

That statement had startled Duskmon and he'd turned sharply toward the other Digimon, momentarily forgetting that his swords were still drawn. The Digimon had been standing too close, and his swords had…

Duskmon flinched at the memory. This incident hadn't bothered him before, but now with this conscience thing looming over his head…but the newly trimmed bushes sitting in front of him proved that he could be useful without assassinating anything, right? He wasn't just a monster…right?

"Outta my way!" Duskmon had to quickly dodge to the left as a smaller Digimon, a Pumpkinmon by the looks of it, suddenly came racing through Shino's backyard, hopping onto one of the bushes in order to leap over the yard's fence.

"Oh no you don't! Crystal Freeze!" Just as suddenly Kumamon hopped into Shino's yard, aiming his icy attack at the bush Pumpkinmon sat upon. The Pumpkinmon leaped out of the way in time, but the bush was now surrounded by a big block of ice. "Oops," Kumamon mumbled sheepishly as Arbormon, Kazemon, Grumblemon, and Mercurymon caught up to him. "I think I iced your bush, Shino. Sorry."

"It's fine," Arbormon replied. Noticing Duskmon, though, his gaze became suspicious. "And why are you out from under your tarp?"

"Some Legendary Warriors you guys are!" Having momentarily forgotten about the Pumpkinmon, his haughty proclamation startled the others slightly, which only succeeded in making him laugh. "Ha, you're a bunch of idiots, aren't you? All ten of you chase after me, a Rookie Digimon, and you can't even catch me! Ha ha!"

You're the idiot, Duskmon thought, watching the other Digimons' eyes begin to narrow. Now you've pissed them off.

Before the five Warriors behind Duskmon could retort, the other five Warriors snuck up behind the Pumpkinmon and Beetlemon grabbed him, wrapping him tightly in his arms. "Hey, let go of me!" Pumpkinmon shouted in protest, squirming in Beetlemon's grip.

"What was that about us 'idiots' not being able to catch you?" Beetlemon asked cockily.

"Isn't this the wrong season for a jack-o-lantern to be running around, anyway?" Ranamon wondered, staring curiously at the pumpkin Digimon.

"If the Nightmare Before Christmas can cover two holiday seasons, then so can I!" Pumpkinmon retorted defiantly.

Ranamon shrugged. "True enough. Hey look, it's Dusky! Whoa, why's he wearing a cape?"

"Never mind me," Duskmon said quickly, wanting to change the subject out of embarrassment. "What exactly is going on here?"

"Well, we caught this little guy causing mischief downtown, so we thought we'd better put a stop to his antics," Agunimon replied, gesturing to the Pumpkinmon. "He wasn't really doing any harm, though. He was just being a nuisance."

"Your mom's a nuisance," Pumpkinmon mumbled sullenly.

"If you don't intend to kill him, why did you bother exposing your Digimon forms again today?" Duskmon asked, feeling slightly curious now.

"Partially because Digimon speed usually beats human speed, and partially because it would look weird for a group of kids to be chasing after a pumpkin monster," Ranamon explained. "Gotta keep the secret identities in place."

"I suppose," Duskmon muttered. An uncomfortable silence followed.

Finally Agunimon said, "So me, JP, and Kira will go take this little guy back to the Digital World. If we end up taking awhile, tell our parents…uh, just use your imaginations. Okay, bye!"

With that, the three Digimon departed, taking Pumpkinmon with them. Another uncomfortable silence threatened to engulf the group, so Kumamon quickly said, "Okay Nanami, I think it's safe to come down now!"

"Really?" Duskmon was actually startled to see Nanami's head pop up from behind Arbormon's right shoulder. Had she been clinging to her brother's back this entire time without Duskmon noticing? He really was losing his touch.

Once Nanami was safely on the ground, Arbormon de-Evolved, followed by the rest of the group. Soon Duskmon was no longer surrounded by a crowd of Digimon, but by a crowd of humans. Those devices truly are amazing, Duskmon thought briefly, glancing at the children's D-Tectors.

"So getting back to my original question," Shino said, gaze suspicious again. "What were you doing out in the open like that, Duskmon? What if someone had seen you?"

"I just wanted to look around. I was bored," Duskmon replied simply. No need to mention the bushes…

"Okay, but why are you wearing a cape?" Kouichi asked, eyebrow raised skeptically. "I wouldn't really peg you as a…cape wearer."

Duskmon shrugged in response. "I thought it would make it easier to hide myself again if any humans passed by."

"I think it looks kinda good on you!" Dai stated, smiling cheerily at Duskmon.

Everyone else, including Duskmon, sweat-dropped. "Dai, you really have to start treating bad guys like they ARE bad guys," Hotaru muttered, sighing heavily.

"Well, he hasn't done anything bad since he got here, so I don't see why we shouldn't treat him hospitably," Dai retorted.

"Perhaps because he's Duskmon," Kouji muttered irritably.

"Hey, someone trimmed our bushes!" Nanami suddenly stated, pointing out the bushes that weren't still encased in ice. He hadn't meant to, but Duskmon flinched when Nanami said this, causing everyone to turn from staring at the bushes to staring at him.

"Did…did you do this, Duskmon?" Zoe asked, surprised that Duskmon would do something so…nice.

Duskmon didn't respond, self consciously shuffling his feet. Wait, wasn't this something Kouichi normally did when he was embarrassed? Was he actually picking up some of Kouichi's mannerisms? Ugh, how annoying.

"They look pretty." It took Duskmon a moment to realize that Nanami had been talking to him when she'd said this. He lifted his head to stare at her with slightly wide eyes. Had she just…complimented him? Nanami noticed his gaze and smiled, causing Duskmon even more confusion. She'd smiled at him? Had anyone ever done that before? Well, Renamon had…

"I guess they do look pretty nice," Tommy stated, turning his head left to observe the bushes from another angle. "I didn't know you could do stuff like this, Duskmon."

"See, Duskmon did something nice for Shino and his family," Dai said, grinning triumphantly. "Therefore, I have a right to be nice to him while he's here!"

"Yeah right," Kouji grumbled to himself, still in his grouchy holiday mood. "Those bushes would look better if they still had some leaves or flowers on them."

"Kouji, would it kill you to actually enjoy yourself on Christmas?" Zoe said, frowning at Kouji.

"It might," Kouji replied.

While the others futilely tried to cheer Kouji up, Duskmon felt his own mood plummet. The compliments he'd gotten had made him feel good. Not just that, he'd been…proud of himself. But Kouji's criticism…for whatever reason, it had affected him much more than the compliments had. The bushes would look better with leaves or flowers…they're too skeletal now…dead…

Duskmon used his arm to pull the tarp off his neck. It easily slipped off; he couldn't tie it around his neck, of course, so he'd just taken two ends of the tarp and gotten them caught up in his armor. His skeletal, dead-looking armor…

Nanami watched Duskmon walk silently to the corner of the yard and sit, draping the tarp over himself. However, she noticed the melancholic look in his eyes before they were hidden from sight. No one else was paying attention to him. No one else cared that he seemed so sad. But she did care. "Duskmon…"

—

Later, after the other three Digidestined had safely escorted Pumpkinmon to the elevator in Shibuya station (and caused a bit of an uproar in the process), the gang had gotten together, partaken in their tradition of strolling through the park on Christmas Eve, and then went their separate ways. Shino had left Nanami at home after she'd insisted that the walk through the park be a "Legendary Warriors only" thing. He'd been reluctant at first, especially since Duskmon would be sitting right in the backyard. The dark Digimon seemed to be behaving himself, but still…

Thankfully, Shino came home to find both his parents (yes, they still exist) and Nanami completely unharmed. His sister, however, was acting a bit peculiar. As Shino was preparing for bed, he noticed that Nanami's bedroom door was closed. She didn't normally close her door so, feeling curious, he knocked on the door and said, "Nanami, can I come in for a sec?"

Shino heard some shuffling, then his sister's voice replied, "Okay, come in!"

He opened the door and found Nanami sitting at her desk with a big, almost guilty smile on her face. He also noticed a piece of paper on her desk with some half-finished scribbles on it…

Nanami followed Shino's gaze and quickly turned the paper over, concealing the drawing before he could get a good look. "What is it, Shino?" she asked, smiling innocently.

"Cut the act, Nanami," Shino said flatly. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, you're always so suspicious, Nii-chan!" Nanami scoffed, chuckling nervously. "I'm just doodling a little something for, uh…for Santa!"

"Can I see it?" Shino asked curiously.

"No!" Nanami's reply was a bit too stern, so she quickly added, "It's not done yet, so…"

Shino took the hint. "Okay, I get it, I'll leave. Good night, Nanami."

"Merry almost Christmas," Nanami called out softly as Shino closed her door, glad that her brother didn't know she'd given up her belief in Santa a few years ago.

While Nanami finished her secret project, Shino decided that he should check on his unwelcome Digital houseguest, just to make sure he wasn't causing any trouble. However, his parents were sitting in the living room and would ask why he was walking out in the yard so late at night. He contented himself with taking a quick glance out the window to see that there was still a large, tarp-covered mass in the corner of his yard, obediently remaining still and quiet.

At least he has enough sense not to be seen, Shino thought, remembering his guests from last year. Still, I think I'd take Witchmon's and Dragramon's antics over Duskmon any day.

—

About two hours later, once everyone else had gone to sleep, Nanami tip-toed down the hall and into the kitchen. There she found the plate of chocolate chip cookies left for "Santa" on the counter. Luckily, there were still a couple left for her to grab. These weren't intended to be a midnight snack, however. Nanami had something else in mind for these treats, along with her completed picture.

After Shino and his friends had left earlier, Nanami had tried several times to get Duskmon to talk to her, but he had remained broody and silent. So, in order to make him at least a little happier, Nanami had decided to get him a Christmas present, perhaps his first ever Christmas present. She didn't really know what he liked, but she figured that she could put her drawing skills to good use and everyone loved cookies.

Wrapping the cookies in a holiday napkin, Nanami took her small bundle outside. She'd expected to find Duskmon in the same position he'd been in before, so she was surprised to see that he wasn't still in a corner of the yard.

Instead, he was standing near the bushes, just as he had been earlier. His back was to the door, though Nanami had expected him to notice her anyway, assuming that those extra eyeballs weren't just accessories. But he seemed so caught up in his task that he didn't acknowledge her presence. His task, however, was more surprising than all this.

The bush which had been iced earlier by Tommy had remained encased in its prison from sheer laziness on everyone's part. As Dai had cheerfully pointed out, "It'll melt eventually!" So it had been left as it was, and Shino and Nanami had been able to distract their parents from glancing out the window and noticing the bush-sicle. It appeared that Duskmon didn't share the belief that it should be left alone.

He was carving the ice. Nanami couldn't see around the Digimon's body, but she could tell that was what he was doing. After all, he'd trimmed the bushes earlier. It wouldn't be a stretch to imagine him carving the ice around one of the bushes, especially not to Nanami. She could just sense his hidden artistic soul…

Plus, he was surrounded by a light dusting of snow, or at least small ice chips. It wasn't a white Christmas in this part of Japan this year, so there was no doubt that the origin of this snow wasn't natural.

Nanami crept quietly across the yard until she stood about a foot behind Duskmon. From this angle, she managed to get a small peek at his ice carving, and it looked just like…a flower. "How pretty!"

Duskmon jumped, startled by Nanami's sudden comment. He turned sharply, wondering how someone had been able to sneak up on him without…

"Ah!" Nanami had raised her hand when she'd noticed Duskmon flinch, meaning this to be a sort of peace gesture. But when he'd turned so abruptly, he'd still had his swords drawn, and she hadn't pulled her hand back in time. She abruptly dropped her bundle and clutched her bleeding palm in her other hand, instinctively wanting to cover the wound with something.

Duskmon watched, wide-eyed with terror, as blood began to seep through Nanami's fingers. He instantly retracted his blades, not wanting to cause any more injuries. Then he stepped forward, slowly holding out his arm. "Here, let me—"

"Get away from her!" Duskmon hopped back as Shino suddenly rushed out of the house, putting himself between the dark swordsman and his sister. He held his D-Tector at the ready, glaring murderously at Duskmon.

As for Duskmon, he was a bit stung by Shino's anger, especially since Nanami's injury had been unintentional, but he thought it was best to remain silent. Let these kids hate him all they wanted.

Nanami had recovered somewhat from her shock and was now staring at her brother curiously. "Nii-chan, how did you know I was out here?"

"I didn't know," Shino replied curtly, glare still fixed on his enemy. "I couldn't sleep, so I decided to check on Duskmon. Then I saw you back here bleeding, and this bastard was reaching out to grab you."

Should you really be using the word 'bastard' around your younger sister? Duskmon thought skeptically, though he didn't voice this opinion. Better to just keep quiet. Though it might be a problem if the child got so worked up that he actually Spirit Evolved and attacked…

"Shino, he wasn't trying to grab me," Nanami said reassuringly. "It was all an accident. I surprised him and he…"

"He's dangerous, Nanami," Shino said, interrupting her. "I don't care whether this was an accident or if he hurt you on purpose. All I know is that he hurt you."

"Show some compassion!" Nanami shouted heatedly, dangerously close to waking up half the neighborhood. Lowering her voice, she continued, "I know that you and your friends, even Tom-Tom, seem to have some vendetta against Duskmon. But he hasn't done anything! Why should you punish him, on Christmas especially, for whatever he may have done in the past—"

"Wait a second," Shino suddenly interrupted Nanami, gaze now fixed on the bundle at his feet, the one Nanami had dropped. The cookies had been ruined, strewn about after flying out of the napkin on their impact with the ground. The drawing, however, captured Shino's interest more. He slowly reached out and picked up the piece of paper, staring at whatever was written on the other side.

Even Duskmon was curious about whatever was on this paper, especially since Shino's eyes were narrowing to slits as he stared at it. Finally, Shino asked flatly, "Nanami, what is this?"

"It's a present." Nanami hesitated, but added a moment later, "For Duskmon."

Duskmon's eyes widened considerably when she said that. Nanami had gotten a present…for him?

Shino was both surprised and furious. However, he remained calm as he turned to his sister and, placing a hand on her shoulder, said in an even voice, "Nanami, I understand why you did this. You think that we've been treating Duskmon unfairly. But you don't know what he's done to us."

Duskmon's shock turned to fear in an instant. Would Shino really tell his sister everything…? No, of course he wouldn't. He'd keep her sheltered. She'd never get the chance to hate him like the others did.

However, in the next second, Shino continued. "The Digimon standing over there," here Shino turned toward Duskmon, expression hard, "that abomination…he nearly forced Kouichi to…"

He panicked. That was the only way Duskmon could describe what happened next. Without thinking, he'd thrust his arm toward Shino. He'd only wanted to stop him from telling his sister the truth, but in his alarmed state of mind, Duskmon's sword had slipped out of his forearm and...

No one moved, no one spoke, no one even dared to breathe for at least five seconds. Then Shino coughed violently, and fresh blood splattered onto Duskmon's already blood red sword. His D-Tector slowly slipped from his grasp and landed with a soft THUD on the grass as he stared with wide, glassy eyes at the sword stuck in his chest.

"Nii…chan?" Nanami muttered, trembling with shock.

Duskmon was too horrified to even feel shocked. He could only watch as Shino's head, along with the rest of his body, went limp, and he…

—

Shino: O.O

Duskmon: O.O

Everyone else: O.O

madjack89: If I were directly parodying Edward Scissorhands, that could have happened! However, it did not.

Everyone: -_-

madjack89: Now let's find out what really happened, shall we?

—

"The Digimon standing over there…that abomination…he nearly forced Kouichi to…"

"Shino, stop!" Nanami suddenly shouted, once again speaking much louder than she should have been.

Both Duskmon and Shino were startled by her shout and stared at Nanami as she continued in a lower voice, "Shino, you're right. I don't know what Duskmon did to you and your friends. But honestly, I don't think it matters. He's not doing anything now, is he? No, he's not. As far as I can see, you're all wrongly condemning Duskmon because you don't like him, which isn't right.

"And where this is concerned," Nanami said, holding up her injured hand, "it was an accident. It's not a very deep cut, and it's already stopped bleeding. I know you mean well, Nii-chan, but couldn't you see that you were making Duskmon upset when you were talking about him a second ago?"

"Upset…?" Shino muttered, glancing with confusion at the dark Digimon. Duskmon managed to maintain his indifferent mask, but what Nanami had said was troubling. He really had to work on not being so easy to read.

Putting these thoughts aside for the moment, Duskmon tensed, ready to defend himself if he had to. He'd expected Shino to ignore his sister and charge, so it was a surprise when instead, he sighed. "Okay, Nanami," Shino muttered, pocketing his D-Tector. "You win. Give Duskmon his damn present. But then you're coming back inside, we'll treat your cut, and then you're going to bed, got it?"

Nanami nodded as Shino handed her drawing back to her, his shoulders slumped in defeat. "Thanks, Shino!" she said, walking forward until she stood right in front of Duskmon, holding up her drawing. "For you, Duskmon."

Duskmon stared down at the drawing, then at his forearms, then back at the drawing. "I can't…" he muttered, feeling sheepish.

Nanami quickly realized what the problem was. So, smiling, she held up the paper for Duskmon to see. "Sorry about the cookies, but I drew this for you. I hope you like it!"

Duskmon squinted at Nanami's drawing, wondering what it could possibly be. It looked like a black, multi-eyed blob with red antennae sticking out of its sides. Wait, multiple eyes and red things sticking out of its sides…

"Is that…me?" Duskmon asked slowly.

Nanami nodded. "I wasn't sure if you had cameras in the Digital World, so I drew you a portrait of yourself. It's probably one of my best works of art to date!"

Duskmon glanced quickly at Shino, giving him an "is she serious?" look. Shino returned his gaze with a look that said "just let her believe what she wants."

"Read the message!" Nanami's excited command brought Duskmon's attention back to his present. He looked closer and realized that there was indeed a message scribbled at the top of the paper, but…

"Um, I can't read Japanese," Duskmon mumbled.

"Really?" Nanami said. "Hm, I guess you have a different written language in the Digital World. Oh well, I'll just read it for you!"

Smiling wide, Nanami spoke her message aloud. "It says 'Merry Christmas!'"

—

One day later, on the 26th of December, the gang escorted Duskmon to Shibuya station, this time traveling late at night to encounter fewer people. Actually getting him through the station was a bit trickier, but they eventually got to the infamous elevator…of destiny! (Everyone: *sigh*)

Just fitting Duskmon into the confines of this elevator would be hard, so they said their farewells in front of the doors. "Bye Duskmon!" Takuya stated cheerfully. "It was…uh…fun?"

"You weren't as assholish as usual, so good job, Dusky!" Kira said, giving Duskmon a thumbs-up.

"Have a happy New Year!" Dai added, grinning broadly.

"Um, yes," Duskmon muttered in response to all these good-byes. Then, feeling he should say something positive as well, he said, "I hope you don't die in F2R."

"Yeah, I bet," Zoe muttered sarcastically.

Kouichi nodded stiffly, then said, "Well, I guess you should be getting back. Nina will probably be meeting you in the Digital World."

"I suppose," Duskmon responded just as the elevator doors opened. After fitting himself inside the small elevator of destiny! (^.^), the doors closed and Duskmon was on his way back home.

The others were momentarily silent. Then JP said, "Y'know Kira, you're right. Duskmon wasn't as bad as he usually is during this special."

"Ah, so now we're completely breaking through the fourth wall," Kouji muttered.

"Oh, screw the fourth wall," Kira stated. "We're too good for that thing. Anyway, JP is quite right to agree with me. Dusky was actually pretty chill when he was hangin' at Shino's. There was just the little incident with Nanami's hand…"

"An accident," Shino said quickly, still remembering what his sister had said that night. He'd been making Duskmon upset…? And the Digimon hadn't caused any trouble…what was going on with Duskmon?

"Right, right, 'accident,'" Kira muttered, making air quotes. "She didn't get too hurt, so I guess it's all good."

"And no other Digimon came looking for him," Hotaru added, referring to Ilsemon.

"Speaking of that, I wonder how Ilsemon reacted to Duskmon's escape," Tommy pondered thoughtfully.

—

Meanwhile…

"Okay, I believe that Duskmon should be returning soon," Renamon whispered, standing just outside the RMS with another Digimon. "You should be able to find Madjack in that forest standing just on the horizon. She'll send you back to your own season. Here is your payment, and thank you for your help."

Baalmon snatched the money from Renamon's paw and stuffed it inside his cloak. "I'm not sure how you put up with that maniac," he muttered, sighing. "I honestly think I'd take Lilithmon over Ilsemon, and that's saying something because Lilithmon is a bitch."

"I'm sorry," Renamon apologized once again. "I thought that you might be able to distract Ilsemon from Duskmon's absence, especially since Madjack keeps referring to you as 'the Duskmon of Xros Wars.'"

"It's not your fault," Baalmon replied, holding up a hand. "I've already killed all my friends, gotten poisoned, and 'died.' Might as well add torture to the list."

"Sorry," Renamon muttered again, feeling guilty.

"It's fine, I'll live," Baalmon said, turning toward the forest. "Now I'd better get the hell out of here before Ilsemon wants to play 'pin the flaming tail on Baalmon' again. Say hi to that Duskmon guy for me." With that, the awesome Digimon (^.^) was gone.

—

madjack89: And there you have it! Not as light-hearted as the other two specials, but it was centered on Duskmon, so that's just a given. What did the rest of you think?

Kira: *shrugs* Not bad, I guess.

Zoe: Though Duskmon's presence made Kouji more irritable than usual.

Takuya: Whatever. Kouji's never happy.

Kouji: *smacks Takuya* That made me pretty happy.

Takuya: *glares at Kouji*

Dai: A Digimon from Xros Wars finally got a cameo in one of Madjack's stories!

madjack89: I know! Baalmon FTW!

Baalmon: *rolls eyes*

Duskmon: I got a break from my various headaches, so I suppose it wasn't that bad.

Nina: Does that mean…you think I'm…a headache? *sniffles*

Duskmon: *sigh* Of course not, Nina.

Nina: Yay!

Duskmon: *sigh*

madjack89: And so ends the third Frontier 02 Christmas special. Merry Christmas and happy New Year, everyone! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go play my new PS2 game; Devil May Cry!

Kouji: Why do I get the feeling that she's gonna end up parodying this video game using us?

Kouichi: There are twins.

Kouji: Ah.

Dai: Bye bye, everyone!