Summary: The door to Dukemon was closed…but Takato has many open windows to choose from.

Open Windows

First Window: Glory to the Demon Monster

"D-damn it." Takato grunted at the pain. He had his arms extended, as if he were pushing against something. It must have been really heavy to hurt him like that.

But that was impossible; there was nothing there. The boy was pushing against empty air.

Wasn't he?

It seemed so, but things were not always what they seemed. Ahead of him, further down the street, two monsters clashed.

One was an impossibly huge Boar. He had three red horns and two monstrously huge tusks that were each capped with gold. His body was almost completely covered in shaggy brown fur.

The other was an enormous reptilian cyborg. He stood many stories tall, his upper body and jaw covered in machinery. If one looked at both him and the boy, they'd notice something strange.

They were in the exact same positions.

"MegaloGrowmon…!" The boy forced out. "Please…not another step back…!"

The red beast roared his agreement and together they strained against the beast.

But it was like pushing against a mountain. No matter how hard they tried, the result was the same.

The boy and the beast screamed with exertion and pain as they were pushed back. The boar buckled and twisted and pushed against them and they lost their grip on its tusks for just a moment.

But it was enough.

"Treasure Wheel!" The beast cried, opening his mouth.

Takato would have cursed if he had effort to spare.

He didn't.

He and his partner were well acquainted with this attack.

The Pig Deva would fire a ball of energy from his mouth, but it was more complicated than that.

Blue balls bind, red balls cause damage, and yellow balls can transport. The Pig also uses Green balls on himself; they seemed to heal him.

Takato wasn't sure which was more dangerous, but they all required focus.

No…that wasn't true. He knew which were the most dangerous.

Blue and Yellow.

When the Red balls hit, it hurts so bad. It feels like being burnt alive; he can feel his flesh burning, his blood boiling, his muscles twisting in pain…! It hurts so much that he wants to fall to his knees and thank God when it's over.

But that didn't matter.

Green could heal Vikaralamon's wounds. It couldn't be expressed in words…it felt like…to see all their hard work fade away like smoke before their very eyes!

But that didn't matter.

If they were knocked down, they'd just get back up. If their work disappeared, they'd just carve it into their enemy anew.

But Blue and Yellow…!

It was the same every time.

Blue would bind them, leave them open, trap them in one place. It was like their bodies turned to lead.

And Vikaralamon would just walk away. Like they didn't matter. Like they were nothing.

But that didn't matter.

Their pride was meaningless. It had been crushed to pieces long ago. What mattered was the city.

And the people in it.

Takato didn't look to the side of the road, where evidence of the Deva's destruction stood like a monument.

He didn't want to see the blood anymore.

He'd seen so much blood today; they were evacuating the city, but it was hard to do, especially with this damn Pig tearing up buildings and roads and everything else.

But they could struggle out of the Blue Wheels. It hurt, and it hurt more every time they did it, but they could. It felt like they were straining themselves until they broke, but…

But that didn't matter.

But those Yellow Wheel! They couldn't fight them. They'd swallow MegaloGrowmon up in a flash of light and put him on the other side of the city. He had his speed cards with him today, fortunately, so his partner always returned as quickly as possible, but…

It still took time.

And while he was gone, Takato was here. And he could do nothing but watch as the Deva tore up his city.

And he'd watched. He'd seen people die in pain, in fear, standing courageously, begging for their lives, crying, expressionless; he'd seen it all.

And then MegaloGrowmon would return. And a few people, just a few, would have time to run, shielded by the body of that beast.

He would never forget this day. Every death was like a brand; it'd stay with him forever, an eternal testament to his failure.

But that didn't matter.

Because…he'd managed to save a few lives today.

He could live with the shame.

But that didn't mean he'd let those two colors hit him again!

"Double Edge!" MegaloGrowmon cried, trying to interrupt the attack.

It didn't work. The Pig took the attack to his body instead, grunting, and then fired of his attack.

Takato felt fear grip his heart until he saw the color.

Red, he noted.

He didn't even have time to feel relief before it hit him.

Oh God, it hurt even more then the first time.

It was like someone had replaced his blood with boiling oil…!

It was like someone was carving him open…!

It was like something was eating him alive…!

When it faded, he'd fallen to his knees. Tears were running down his face, though he didn't remember crying.

It hurt so much. He wasn't sure he could go on.

He wanted to sleep so badly…

If he did, could anyone blame him? He'd been hurt so many times, he'd seen so many die, if he fell now, could anyone blame him?

Maybe they could…

But his friends wouldn't.

If he fell now, his friends wouldn't hate him.

His friends would never blame him for any of this.

But even if that's the case…

Because they would never blame him…

That's exactly why he doesn't want to give up.

They rise to their feet. It is an effort to do so, and he finds himself panting afterwards, but he stands.

Yes, without a doubt…

He wasn't strong enough. Maybe if the others were here…

But alone, he could not defeat Vikaralamon.

"B-b-but it do-do-doesn't matter." He forced himself to say. "S-stuff like that doesn't matter at all! MegaloGrowmon!"

His partner planted his feet and finished his Tamers sentence.

"No matter what, we will protect this city!"

XxXXxX

"Shit!" Ruki screamed as she felt something.

She'd seen Takato respond when Guilmon got hurt, but…it'd never happened to her before!

"Kuh!" Jenrya stumbled back for the same reason.

That damn Monkey had Culumon!

And he was kicking their asses!

Galgomon fired his bullets and Kyuubimon launched fireball after fireball, but Makuramon either dodged or flat-out ignored them.

But then, maybe that was their fault. They'd be lying if they said they were focused on this battle.

They could see him.

Takato was fighting.

Makuramon had managed to lead them away from Shinjuku. Ruki had been the only one that could keep up with him and only by riding Kyuubimon and slashing a speed card.

But Jenrya had followed. He'd seen something that Ruki was ashamed of.

They were getting crushed.

The honest truth was that they were doing way worse against Makuramon then Takato was doing against that damn Pig.

At least they were an hour ago. Now…

Takato had been stuck fighting that thing for so long all alone. He'd managed to get to Perfect, but it was obvious that Deva was much stronger then this Monkey.

But he kept getting up. Again and again.

Ruki winced when MegaloGrowmon and Takato both screamed.

'Damn it, Takato. Why won't you run, or stay down, or something! If you keep at it like this…you're going to die!'

But she knew why.

He wouldn't run for the same reason she wouldn't.

But he was all alone. She at least had Jenrya for back up!

Of course, she knew she was the reason Takato didn't have back up. She'd seen Culumon get captured and she'd needed to do something. They'd all agreed about that; they wouldn't let one of their friends get taken away.

But that didn't make it any easier to watch Takato's life drain away on a TV screen while she was miles away.

'Don't worry about me; save Culumon! I'll protect our city!'

She cursed again as she remembered those words. He was keeping his word, but right now, she wasn't sure it was the city that needed protecting.

She needed to get to Perfect, somehow. Takato had done it after saying those words.

A thought struck her.

It couldn't be that simple, could it?

At this point, it didn't matter how unlikely it was. If it could save Takato, she'd at least try.

She drew a card with closed eyes.

"I want to protect my friend." She said to…herself? Or the card?

Either way, it didn't matter.

When she opened her eyes, the card was blue.

"Jen!" She shouted.

This needed to end.

First the monkey and then the pig.

But they were both dead.

XxXXxX

"Almost…there…gak-" Takato tried to finish but nearly toppled over.

Strangely, it wasn't exhaustion this time. He was now quite familiar with what falling down in exhaustion felt like and this wasn't it.

But-

"Ku…gah…ka…D-damn. What is…happening to us?" He murmured.

He was losing his equilibrium for some reason. It felt like the solidity of the world around his was fading away.

No…

It felt like he was the one that was fading away.

Those lights…!

"MegaloGrowmon, get out of the light!" He shouted.

"I…can't!" His partner replied.

He didn't understand. Lights had descended from the sky and fell upon his partner and then…!

He tried to remain standing but it was like trying to fight gravity.

He started to fall-

And was surprised when someone caught him.

"Jenrya's dad?" He asked. "What are you doing here?"

The older man helped him stand. He was grateful, but…he was doing all this so people could have a chance to run. People heading towards the giant pig was sort of against the point.

"I could ask you the same question." He replied.

"I'm protecting my city." Takato told him. He already knew about Digimon, so it wasn't a problem.

"Yeah, I heard. A lot of people are going on about the Beast of Shinjuku coming to their rescue." Janyuu said. "But at this point, I think you need rescuing."

He was probably right. He felt like he'd gone twenty rounds with a Boar.

Mainly because he had. Well, twenty-three rounds, now, but…

He shook his head.

"I need to hold on a little bit longer. Just until Jenrya and Ruki get back." He said.

Janyu was silent for a moment.

"I'm sorry." He said.

Takato looked at him in confusion, which he quickly regretted doing when that strange feeling hit him again.

"F-for what?"

"They're using Shaggai." Janyuu said.

He might as well have been speaking another language for all Takato understood him.

"What? Who are they? And what's Shaggai?"

"Hypnos." He said. "They're using Shaggai. It's a…program designed to exterminate Digital Life."

Takato was silent for a minute.

But then he chuckled.

"So that's it. Is this what it's like to be deleted?" He wondered.

Janyuu's grip on him tightened.

"I told them not to do this. I told them that it would affect your Digimon, too, but…not even I thought it would hurt you children as well!"

'Hurt us, too?' Takato wondered.

He'd been focused on his partner but…

That damn Pig was suffering the same fate.

He looked onward silently for a minute before replying.

"…It doesn't matter. All we wanted to do was protect the city. We were aware we might die trying to do that. If this thing…Shaggai…can do what we couldn't, then…that's fine." Takato said, closing his eyes as he smiled gently. "Yeah, that's fine."

He opened his eyes again.

"Lee-san, could you help me? I want to go see my partner."

Janyuu's grip had continued to tighten at his words and he seemed to be gritting his teeth.

But he didn't say anything. He just helped the child to his friend's side.

The stopped at the edge of the pillar of light. At least, Janyuu did. Takato stumbled out from under his hands and walked into the light.

"Ta…kato…" MegaloGrowmon said, extending one hand.

Takato took it, even though his entire hand couldn't even wrap around the tip of one of his partners fingers.

"I'm here." He said.

He had to close his eyes at a sudden light. When he opened them again, he saw what his hand had already told him.

His partner had devolved.

"I'm tired." Guilmon groaned.

Takato gently set his partner on the ground before lying down himself.

He never released his best friend's hand.

"Me, too, boy. It's okay, now. Let's just rest."

"…Okay."

The pair slowly closed their eyes.

They didn't open them when they heard Janyuu gasp.

If they had, they would have seen Makuramon throw his Treasure Orb into the warp hole of Shaggai.

They would have seen it change color.

They would have seen the pillars of light vanish, releasing Vikaralamon.

But they didn't.

Instead, Takato merely tightened his grip on his friend's hand in his sleep.

And a pillar of darkness rose from the Earth, as if in rebuke for the light that had fallen from the heavens earlier. It swallowed the Tamer and his Digimon, shrouding them from view.

In was only Janyuu, who stood at the edge of the darkness, that heard what happened next.

MATRIX EVOLUTION

XxXXxX

Ruki and Jenrya arrived the scene minutes later, thanks to some speed cards.

And as they did, they had to stop and look around in horrified awe.

The entire street was trashed. The buildings on both sides of it were completely destroyed. Not broken or damaged, but annihilated. Where they had once stood, the only remains left had the consistency of sand.

But it was the center of the street that drew the eye.

There was a crater some hundred meters in width. And it was deep, too. As they drew to the edge of it and looked down within, they both realized that it was as deep as it was wide.

Jenrya looked around quickly.

"Takato…where's Takato!" He asked, suddenly panicked.

"Over here." A voice interrupted his thoughts.

Jenrya turned towards the noise, mouth opened to ask questions and demand answers.

But it shut with a click as soon as he saw the owner of the voice.

"…Dad?" He asked confusedly.

Lee Janyuu didn't seem to match the area at all. While the street looked like it had just been bombs nonstop for days and the two Tamers looked beaten, Jenrya's father could have just walked out of as office building.

Except for one thing.

In his arms was something that could have been a teddy bear if not for the horns on its head. It also had strange teeth-like ridges on its head that partially circled it like a crown and some red marks that looked like something had scratched it.

But even with all that, it was adorable.

But that was not what drew the Tamers eyes. Instead, they focused on the chains that were wrapped around its body. They glowed with a misty aura, and was affixed to…

An egg shaped clock.

Ruki and Jenrya met each other's eyes, before returning to stare incredulously at the creature.

"Dad, what am I looking at?" Jenrya asked, momentarily putting aside his worry for his friend, though it was difficult.

They'd seen Takato and MegaloGrowmon get hit by the same light that had tried to get their partners as well. It seemed to hurt Megalogrowmon, which was why Jenrya was thankful Taomon had been there to shield Rapidmon. They'd seen someone, who they hadn't been able to identify at the time but who Jenrya now guessed was his dad, help Takato to his partner's side right before he devolved.

And then the lights had faded.

But that was the last thing they'd seen before the screens suddenly went stopped working.

But even if the screens hadn't worked, they'd still seen it. That pillar of darkness that reached into the sky…

They rushed over as soon as the lights were gone. The Monkey Deva had escaped and they'd both been kicking themselves for their failure, but…

What had happened here?

"I think…" Janyuu began. "I'm not completely sure, but I think…this is your friend Takato."

Ruki and Jenrya stared at him like he was insane.

XxXXxX

Ruki wondered how the hell she'd gotten dragged into this as she walked home.

She was carrying the creature that was quite possibly her fellow Tamer like it was a stuffed animal.

Her mother was going to get really weird if she saw her with this, but she supposed she'd deal with it. She'd already seen her with Culumon, after all…

Still…

She sighed. Why did she have to do this?

She'd asked Jenrya why he couldn't do it, but he'd quickly stammered out an excuse about his little sister and fates worth then death. Terriermon had immediately backed his Tamer upon.

She'd suggested Juri, but Jenrya had mentioned she'd be having enough trouble as it was. Apparently her wish had come true and she'd managed to partner up with Leomon, if only after Leomon had nearly died against Makuramon. On the down side, as partners go, Leomon was the hardest to hide. The fact that Juri lived with both of her parents and had a little brother only made the problem worse; Jenrya had a larger family, but he could just pass his partner off as a stuffed animal and be done with it, especially since most of his siblings were older than him and usually away from the house.

Ruki had to chuckle at the image of Juri trying to pass Leomon off as a stuffed animal.

She'd tried grasping at straws after that, mentioning Hirokazu and Kenta and then Takato's parents.

Jenrya had just looked at her.

"Yes, Ruki, let's talk to his parents. 'Hello, Matsuda-san. I'm sorry, but…I have bad news. Your son…is a stuffed animal. Here you go.'" He said. "We'll have to think of something to tell them if we can't turn Takato back quickly. We might have to tell them that, but we at least need some way to prove it. And, like Hirokazu and Kenta, they don't have partners, meaning that if something went horribly wrong, any help would be far away."

Ruki had reluctantly agreed after that.

It's not like it was forever. Hopefully, it wouldn't even be for long.

They'd agreed. They needed to go to the Digital World and find Culumon. The problem was…

They had no idea how to get to the Digital World.

Jenrya said he would work on it with his father, leaving Ruki to babysit. At least Katou had promised to help…

Well, actually Ruki had asked her to, in an attempt to snap her out of the guilt she was feeling for losing Culumon.

Ruki sighed, coming to a stop in front of her house. The lights were on, so her family was in.

"Renamon, take Takato to my room, please." She asked the darkness.

"As you wish, Ruki." He partner's voice replied, seemingly coming from nowhere.

Ruki didn't so much as see her leave as she suddenly felt like she was alone. The fact that the creature she'd been carrying in her arms was now gone probably had something to do with it.

She closed her eyes and silently prepared herself for what was to come. No doubt her mother would be worried since she hadn't seen her when everything in the city was going to hell.

But even so, though she wouldn't admit it…

That was fine, too. For just a few days, it was fine.

Because soon she'd have to leave for another world.

And she couldn't say what she would find there.

XxXXxX

"So, what do we do?" Ruki asked impatiently the next day.

All the Tamers, plus Hirokazu and Kenta, had gathered by Guilmon's shed. She wasn't completely sure how it had happened, but it had become the unofficial meeting spot of the Tamers.

They were, supposedly, here to talk about getting to the Digital World. Having said that, if she hadn't know that it was Jenrya who'd called the meeting, she would have thought it was just a cover story to allow Takato's friend to see what he'd become. As it was, only she and Jenrya were really talking about the issue; Juri, Hirokazu, and Kenta were huddled around the new Takato who was breathing peacefully.

"H-he's so cute!" Juri squeaked.

Hirokazu just shook his head forlornly.

"Poor Takato. He saved the city and his only reward is being turned into a stuffed animal."

"I think you're looking at this the wrong way, Hirokazu." Terriermon chimed in. "Look at the way Juri's mooning over him."

Hirokazu's expression brightened even as Juri pulled away and blushed.

"Oh, good point!"

"I bet if we weren't hiding him, he'd be swimming in women." Kenta said thoughtfully.

"Being held in feminine arms-" Terriermon said suggestively.

"Clutched to chests-" Kenta added, getting into it.

"Hey, do you think Ruki's effected?" Hirokazu interrupted.

The others apparently hadn't thought about that, and the three of them looked towards Ruki as one. Even Juri was looking at her shyly.

Ruki firmly quashed the urge for violence and took control of the situation.

"Okay, you know what? Enough about Takato?" She said, marching over and taking him from Juri's arms. "We need to focus on how to get to the Digital World. I'm putting him in the shed; let him sleep."

She walked up the stairs and placed him inside it, making sure he was away from the hole Guilmon had dug, and turned around.

"Renamon, keep an eye on him."

"Yes, Ruki."

Ruki began to stalk down the stairs, opening her mouth to say something else, only to be interrupted as Renamon grabbed her and bounded down the stairs.

"What…?" Ruki began to ask, only for a thunderous explosion to cut her off.

Someone, Juri, screamed, but Leomon was nearby, so she wasn't worried about her or the duo, but-

"Terriermon, shinka!"

Jenrya would be okay, too, then, but that still left-

"Takato!" Ruki said, squirming in her partner's arms. Renamon only tightened her hold as some sort of shockwave hit her.

There was screaming and yelling, but Ruki couldn't see where it was coming from or from who. She could see what had caused the explosion, either, at least not until Renamon let her go. Then she saw the source-

Ruki froze.

The entire top of the hill had been blown off.

She glanced around, confirming that the others were safe, before running up the stairs. She had to slow down half way to the remains of the shed, as the stairs quickly became cracked and broken, but she slowly made her way there.

"Takato! Damn it, where are you!" She said, scanning the area. She heard the others coming up behind her, but paid them no mind. She couldn't see very well through the lingering dust and smoke, but was that…?

She had to move slowly since she was basically walking blind, but she reached what she saw as quickly as she could.

"There you are! I can't believe you're causing trouble when you're not even conscious!" She said, but her tone gave away her relief.

She picked him up and was about to turn away when a stray breeze moved the dust and smoke ever so slightly, letting her glance something that stopped her.

"G-guys…Guys! Get over here! You have to see this!" She suddenly shouted before coughing as she inhaled some dust.

A Digital Gate – no, more like a tear in reality, hovered in the air.

She squeezed Takato a little tighter as her coughing died down.

"Well…" She whispered. "That solves one problem."

XxXXxX

It figures this would happen, Ruki thought as she stared at Beelzebumon.

They'd made it to the Digital World and it had just been one thing after another. The Deva's had attacked, Ryou had come and gone, the group had been separated by pillars of Pink Light, and she'd had to carry Takato the entire time.

And finally, Impmon shows up.

And he's been taking steroids or something, because he was a monster now, she thought as Beelzebumon hit Kyuubimon in the stomach. Ruki kneeled over in response, feeling the pain as well. She accidentally squeezed Takato in the process, electing a squeak.

She grits her teeth and forced her arms to relax, not wanting to hurt her friend.

Even so, now would be a really good time for him to wake up, damn it!

Kyuubimon was a bad choice to fight Beelzebumon, but they hadn't really had a choice; the guy had come out of nowhere to rage on them and she hadn't had a chance to do any card slashing between the constant blows.

He'd literally fell out of the sky. Ruki was ninety-nine point nine percent sure that was a sign that someone hated her.

Still, she had no choice but to endure it. That was the plan; Ruki and Renamon would get the shit beaten out of them in order to cover Jenrya while he evolved Terriermon to Ultimate.

Beelzebumon kicked Kyuubimon across the face and Ruki was forced to wonder how long it took to slash a fucking card as lights sprang up in her vision.

"Rapidmon!"

Finally, she thought.

Beelzebumon glanced their way and noticed Rapidmon. He silently picked up Kyuubimon, who was struggling to stand, and tossed her away. Ruki flinched as Kyuubimon hit the ground, but it was better then still being in Beelzebumon's melee range.

"Hmph." The confident Demon Lord uttered dismissively. "This is going to be way too easy."

"Don't underestimate me!" Rapidmon said, vanishing in an instant. "Rapid Fire!"

The voice came from above her, but Ruki had to shut her eyes when the missiles exploded, so she didn't know where.

"That didn't even tickle." Beelzebumon said as the smoke began to clear. He hadn't even dodged; he'd taken the missiles full force and brushed them off. "Disappear, insect."

He fired his gun only twice and though Ruki couldn't see the bullets, she realized they must have traveled fast indeed since Rapidmon couldn't dodge either shot.

As Jenya's partner fell screaming from the sky, Ruki cursed. Of all the times to be separated from the others.

Takato shifted in her arms and Ruki suddenly stiffened.

"Jenrya!" She shouted. "It's Takato!"

"Damn it! Of all times!" Jenrya replied. "Rapidmon, are you okay?"

Rapidmon forced himself to his feet, fearful understanding giving him speed.

"I'm okay enough not to want to stay here!" He said, grabbing Jenrya before blurring to Ruki's side.

The female Tamer set Takato down as quickly as possible and let Rapidmon take her away. Hands free, she quickly grabbed a Digivice and a random card.

It instantly glowed blue.

"Card Slash!"

"Kyuubimon, shinka!"

Beelzebumon had quickly realized something was up, though their actions didn't make sense. Even so, the introduction of the familiar Taomon was enough to put him on guard even if he wasn't super worried about it and he quickly lifted his gun at her-

To find that she'd disappeared.

His third eye had tracked Rapidmon's movements, though, and his other gun was already pointed at him-

And then Takato yawned.

Taomon's hum coincided perfectly with Beelzebumon's expression of surprised. Sadly, he didn't have a magical shield to defend himself.

Even more sadly, he didn't really need one.

The Demon Lord picked himself up off the ground with a groan. That had actually hurt.

But he was an Ultimate and he wouldn't go down that easily.

Even so, he frowned as he noticed something. The air around that stuffed animal was…cracking?

Yes, cracking was the best word for it, for a moment later it shattered like a wall of glass.

And through the jagged-edged portal, Beelzebumon could see…a desert?

Yes, the desert and several figures.

"Well…" He said at last. "This is convenient. Now I don't have to hunt you all down."

He lifted his gun again, this time at Juri, Hirokazu, and Kenta.

XxXXxX

The others interfered, but at the end of the day there are things that simply won't change. And one of them is 'No ordinary Perfect could fight an Ultimate.' Rapidmon's speed and Taomon's barriers served them as well as they could have hoped to, prolonging the fight further then it should have lasted. But…

Taomon crashed back to the ground, reverting back into Renamon. Rapidmon had fallen first, likely a consequence of the wounds he'd received earlier.

"Renamon!" Ruki shouted, clinching her Digivice in a viselike grasp. Though she'd recovered Takato, she'd quickly passed him off to Juri; it went without saying that, as one of the two Tamers with a Perfect level Digimon, she would be of better use on the battlefield. "Run!"

She knew her words were futile, though; Renamon was in no shape to run and they all knew it.

Beelzebumon knew it, too.

"This arrogant fox…" He began, looking down at his fallen opponent in displeasure. "Making me look like an idiot; do you think I'll just forgive you!"

He'd won fairly easily, but he'd taken a number of minor wounds. Most of them did little more than sting distractingly, but…

"I-Impmon…" Renamon forced out.

"Shut up!" Beelzebumon suddenly shouted. If there was one thing he absolutely didn't want to hear, it was that name.

He kicked her, then; hard in the side. She didn't even have the strength to cry out.

"What can I do?" Ruki thought frantically, flipping through her cards quickly. She was quite aware of the fact that she didn't have any cards that would let a half-dead Child beat an Ultimate, but she searched through them anyway. "What card should I use? What should I do, Renamon!"

Beelzebumon didn't draw any pleasure from kicking an enemy too weak to even fight back and decided to put an end to this.

"I…I'll kill you right here, Renamon!" He said, flexing his claws.

And at the last moment, Renamon mustered what little strength she had left and spoke.

"Open…your eyes…"

"Shut up, shut up! Shut up and die, Renamon!"

Beelzebumon's clawed hand fell like an executioner's blade.

And stopped mere inches away from its target.

Beelzebumon looked at the owner of the hand that stopped him, shocked and annoyed at being thwarted.

Leomon.

Ruki opened and closed her mouth, unsure of what to say. She was grateful that he'd saved her partner, but…

An uninjured Adult maybe stronger then a beaten Child, but against an Ultimate, the deference remains something that can't be seen with the naked eye, is how she felt.

"I don't know you…" Leomon said. "But all you seem to do is follow orders. You're only making a fool of yourself…Beelzebumon!"

Beelzebumon was like a brick wall against which his words fell lifelessly against, to the point that you couldn't even tell if he'd heard him at all.

"Who the hell are you?" He demanded.

Leomon replied with his fists, taking him across the face with a right punch and then a left.

If words didn't work, then this was the only way…!

"Strength has nothing to do with evolution. That is something I have learnt." Leomon said. The others were watching him silently and he knew what they were thinking. That he must have lost his mind; that he had no idea what he was doing.

But he knew. He knew he was probably going to die now.

But sometimes, there are things one just has to do, regardless of the cost, and protecting ones allies was one of them.

The only thing he would regret was the pain he was going to cause his friends…

To Juri…

He looked at her for what could be the last time, trying to communicate without words that he was sorry. Trying to tell her what he was about to do; what he had to do.

"L-Leomon." She whispered, as if in pain.

Perhaps she understood.

"I will not allow you to kill these children." He swore.

Beelzebumon, basically unharmed by his attacks, was nonetheless enraged.

"Shut up!" He shouted, blurring in motion.

And in an instant, Leomon had a hole in his chest. Beelzebumon had impaled him upon his arm.

For a moment, he wasn't sure what happened. But realization was communicated to him in the form of pain and he screamed as he fell.

Renamon forced herself to get up, but Beelzebumon kicked her back down without even a glance.

"Renamon!" Ruki shouted.

"Why…don't you understand…?" Leomon asked weakly as he began to fade. "Why do you refuse to listen…?"

Juri had watched it happened from start to finish but couldn't believe it. She shook her head as if by doing so she could shake away Reality like a bad dream. She tried to force out words; her partner's name! But…all that came out were ragged, breathless noises. She squeezed Takato in her arms, holding him tight even as he began to shift uncomfortably.

"H-he…he killed Leomon…" Hirokazu said, disbelief coloring his tone.

"R-run away…! We have to run away!" Kenta said, closing his eyes in an attempt to ward away the truth.

"Leomon…" Jenrya said, holding his younger sister tightly and covering her eyes. "Damn it…!"

And Leomon…

Said his last words, wonderingly.

"This…might be my fate…" He said, acceptingly. "I am sorry…Juri."

She'd tried to hold back her tears, but as the last of her partner's body faded into data and the light of her Digivice faded, she failed in her struggle and her tears began to fall.

"N-no!" She screamed. "Leomon! Please!"

And as her tears fell upon the unconscious Takato…

An alarm clock began to ring.

XxXXxX

"Ah…" The sleeping boy murmured.

An eye slowly opened.

Where was he? He didn't remember. It was dark, though…was it nighttime? Ah, of course it was; he was asleep, after all. He wouldn't sleep during the day. If he did…he'd be scolded.

By who?

The boy tried to remember but it was hard. He was so tired…who would be upset if he slept during the day?

Ara, that's right…his mother would get upset because…yeah, because he'd be late for school.

But it didn't matter, since it was still dark out. School shouldn't have started yet, so he shouldn't be late. Besides, he wouldn't over sleep. That what he set his alarm for.

Alarm?

The eye that was slowly closing opened again.

His alarm clock was ringing. That meant it was time to get up.

"Guilmon?" He mumbled. "Where are you?"

Damn it…he couldn't see because it was so dark.

"Mmph." He heard his partner reply. He was still asleep?

"Ah…I'm sorry…did I wake you, boy?" He asked tiredly.

"Ugh…what's that noise, Takato?" His partner asked.

"It's just the alarm, Guilmon; gimme a second." Takato replied, reaching over the where the clock by his bed was kept.

He didn't feel anything there. Not the alarm, not the table, nothing.

"Wha…?" He asked, blinking his eyes.

He looked around him again. It was indeed dark, but…this wasn't the darkness of night, was it?

No; or at least, it wasn't the night he'd see from his bedroom. No matter how dark it got, he should have been able to see his alarm clock's screen. And…why was it so quiet? He could hear his alarm, but…where was all the other noise? He lived right in front of a busy street; if it was time for him to get up, he should be able to hear other sounds.

In fact, shouldn't his parents be up? Shouldn't they be in the bakery? Shouldn't his mother be calling him to tell him to turn off his alarm?

And…was that the sound his Alarm clock made? It was an alarm, but was it his?

Wait, wait, wait.

"Guilmon? What are you doing in my room? Wait…this isn't my room! Guilmon, where are we?" The boy asked, suddenly panicking.

No…It wasn't just that they weren't in his room…they weren't in a room at all! They were floating in the Darkness as if they were flying. But…!

Wait, they?

"Guilmon? Where are you, boy?"

Despite the darkness, it wasn't that he couldn't see; though it didn't make sense, he could see himself just fine! But he couldn't see anything else! Where was Guilmon?

"Takato? Takato! I can't see you! Where are you?"

"Use your nose, boy!"

If there was something he could rely on no matter what, it was Guilmon's nose!

"I smell…Juri. And Ruki and Kenta and Hirokazu. And, um, Jen. And…Terriermon? And Renamon! And, uh, Impmon and Leomon – wait! Where is Leomon going? Leomon's going away!"

"We'll find Leomon later; I promise. But what about me, Guilmon?"

"…Takato…I don't smell you at all."

"…What? Guilmon, I'm right here! Follow the sound of my voice!"

"I-I-I can't! I can't move! Takato!"

"Guilmon!" Takato tried to follow his voice instead, but it seemed to be coming from all around him. "Damn it! Jenrya! Ruki! Juri! Anybody! You're there, right! Help me! Please, help me! Leomon, come back; I need your help!"

And suddenly, a dam broke and voices flooded in.

"Renamon!" Ruki's voice.

"Ruki? Is that you? What's happening? What happened to Renamon?" He asked.

"Why…don't you understand…? Why do you refuse to listen…?" Leomon…

"What? Who? Who refuses to listen? Leomon!"

"H-he…he killed Leomon…" Hirokazu…

"…What?" Takato asked, stunned. "He…what? He killed…Leomon? Who!"

"R-run away…! We have to run away!" Kenta…

"Run away from what? Kenta, where are you! I come right away, just tell me where you are!"

"Leomon…Damn it…!" Jenrya…

"Jen! Please, help me! I-I'll save Leomon, I promise, just tell me where you are!"

"This…might be my fate…I am sorry…Juri." Leomon…but…his voice was so weak…

"N-no. Leomon, hold on! I-I'll do something, just hold on for a little while longer!"

"N-no! Leomon! Please!"

That voice…that voice filled with so much pain…that was…

"Juri!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, but it was like his words couldn't reach them.

"Takato!" Guilmon shouted back. "What's going on? What's happening to Leomon? Where is everybody? I – agh!"

Takato didn't have to ask what cut him off; he heard it to.

"Ah! Stop, stop, stop; damn it, stop it right now!" Takato screamed.

It was getting louder and louder. The ringing of his alarm…it hurt! It was so loud it hurt! It felt like his ears were bleeding!

Their friends screamed in pain and fear and they screamed with them. He covered his ears but it did no good; the sound only got louder and louder.

And finally…

When he thought he could take no more…

He screamed again.

"I'M UP!"

XxXXxX

The creature that was Takato opened his eyes at last, the insistent ringing and the screams of his friends finally awakening him from his slumber. As they opened, they glowed a hellish red, revealing their owners displeasure to the world.

He didn't like what he saw.

Some strange Digimon was loading a cloud of data. He didn't recognize the Digimon consciously, but his instincts told him it was 'Beelzebumon.'

He would have questioned that knowledge but the rest of the situation distracted him.

By Beelzebumon's feet lay a prone Digimon. It took him a moment to recognize Renamon she was so badly beaten. Terriermon was on the ground some distance away; he didn't seem to be as badly beaten as Ruki's partner but he was by no means in good shape. His friends were scared, he could see; they were shying away from Beelzebumon.

He focused on him, then, certain of everything important.

The man was the enemy.

That was all he needed to know.

The chains the bound him and held the clock fast suddenly snapped. Juri was forced to drop him and stumble back as his small body began to grow immensely. He round face quickly narrowed out into an animalistic muzzle as he grew, his ears narrowing to points, his horns thickening into powerful curves of bone. He grew six enormous wings, each bat-like and bound at the joint by a length of chain. And finally, his round body changed; the soft expanse of his stuffed animal-like body gave way to powerful, furred muscle. His stomach changed, revealing chiseled abs and a chest with a red, bat-like tattoo. He grew two huge arms that were each connected to his shoulders by strong, clawed hands and around each bicep curled a golden ring. Each forearm was wrapped tightly by lengths of chain and the back of each hand was covered by a golden glove. He had a thumb of pure flesh on each hand, but all of his other fingers had been sheathed in claws of glowing energy. His tiny, childish legs grew as well; around his right thigh curled another length of chain while a pair of leather belts curled around the other. The soles of his clawed feet were wrapped in bandages.

Belphemon Rage Mode took his first breath.

"Who the hell are you?" Beelzebumon demanded, frowning at this new arrival.

Belphemon had nothing to say to someone he was going to eat and simply attacked. Some instinct told him not to roar, no matter how much he wished too. He felt that if he did, his…friends? His friends would suffer for it.

But he had more than one way to crush a bug.

"Lampranthus!"

Dark flames bellowed forth from the chains about his body, rivers of fire for his enemy.

He didn't really understand what was going on, but his instincts guided him. And they told him one thing for sure; when his clock started ringing, it meant someone had to die.

The flames washed forward, reducing the ground into particles of data. Beelzebumon was surprised by the sudden appearance of a new enemy, but he knew that there were times to shelve questions and 'when an enormous Digimon is trying to kill you' was one of them.

He leapt into the air in an attempt to avoid the flames.

Belphemon huffed out a breath, muzzle stretching into a toothy smile.

That was fine with him; he'd just flood the area with flames. He can burn to ashes when he gets down.

"Lampranthus!"

This time, the amount of flames called forth was far greater; the previous attack was like a candle flame compared to this inferno. They washed over the earth like a tsunami; everything to the horizon was covered in the evil fires.

Everything except the small, yellow fox-like humanoid and the ground around her; a five meter by five meter area was clear of the flames. Even the heat from them was held back by his will.

But that left a weak point in the attack and Belphemon knew it. If Beelzebumon could adjust his trajectory in mid-air and head towards the spot left open, he'd be able to avoid the attack.

More importantly, the Renamon would be in danger.

But there were ways of dealing with things like that, he knew.

He narrowed his eyes and watched for Beelzebumon's reaction.

Sure enough, he noticed the opening. He twisted his body like an acrobat and even seemed to lose his momentum in midair; some application of power, perhaps.

Regardless of the reason, he was heading towards Renamon, now. Belphemon quickly estimated his remaining hang time.

Given the power of the original jump, the original direction of movement, the time required for Belphemon to attack, the time required for that attack to take effect, and Beelzebumon's own actions in midair, the remaining time was approximately…

Three seconds?

No problem.

LEVEL: 666. SYSTEM: BELPHEGOR. CODE: SLOTH.

Two concentric Indigo circles drew themselves into existence at his feet. In the space between them, Belphemon's thoughts repeated themselves twice. At the bottom of the inner circle, two symbols appeared; the symbol representing Sloth and the symbol representing Mars. At the bottom of the circle, the words 'CAUTION! PURGATORY LEVEL 4' was written.

Belphemon's animalistic smile widened.

"Sloth!" He cried.

A wave of light expanded outward from the symbol, growing to tinge the whole area Indigo. And in that colored world…

Everything stopped. The flames had stopped amidst their own flickering and Beelzebumon hung in the air. Around him, the other Digimon and their human partners had stopped mid-motion.

Time itself had stopped moving.

Except for Belphemon.

The Demon Lord of Sloth gave another chuffing laugh.

And then he leapt into the air.

He was level with Beelzebumon in moments and he took a 'second' to enjoy the Demon Lord of Gluttony's expression. It was nearly blank, showing no signs of fear or nervousness. His focus of concentrated completely on Renamon and the safety around her.

He had no idea what was about to happen to him.

It was with no small amount of glee that Belphemon swung a single, massive hand at his opponent.

Beelzebumon moved only a few meters before stopping in midair. As with all things he did while time was stopped, immediate reactions were limited. Attacks he fired stopped some distance away from him; enemies he threw away stopped after a short distance.

But that was only while time was stopped.

Suddenly, the Indigo tainted world faded away. The fires started flickering again and the Tamers and Digimon began to scream and move again, neither of which he paid any heed.

He had eyes only for one thing.

A moment after time started, Beelzebumon's three eyes widened. Was it shock or pain that lingered in them?

A second later, he plowed into the ground with enough force to make the ground shake. As he ended up being bathed in the flames Belphemon created, he did the only thing he could do.

He screamed.

And the agony in that voice was like music to Rage Mode's ears.

Belphemon hit the ground a moment later, though with much less force. He landed beside Renamon's 'safe zone', though he himself stood within the fires. They licked at his feet and his dangling arms, but they did no harm to their master.

Belphemon's red eyes fell to look at the fallen Renamon. She was badly injured, as he'd suspected; covered in scratches and cuts and bruises and…

Bullet wounds?

His eyes softened for a minute as he extended a hand towards her. His energy claws bit deeply into the dirt beside her left side and his thumb crushed the ground by her right. He picked her up then; her and the ground she'd been laying upon.

Something changed, then. Was it quieter?

Yes…

The screaming had stopped.

His eyes rolled in their sockets as he looked for his target, but he didn't move anything else.

Beelzebumon was in the air again and this time he was holding…

Guns?

Well, that made sense. He had a gun, Renamon had bullet wounds, he was the only bad guy around; Belphemon could do the math.

"Not so fast, asshole." Beelzebumon hissed. "Double Impact!"

Belphemon's ears twitched.

"Sloth."

The word froze again, Beelzebumon's bullets not even half way to their target. The ground beneath and around them was being disturbed, as if it was being blown away.

Magic Bullets, something told Belphemon. Beelzebumon used magic bullets.

It didn't matter.

Belphemon turned away from his opponent entirely, lumbering towards the Tamers. The frozen Renamon was still in his hands.

He strolled out of the stilled flames as if he was talking a walk through the park. He quickly swept his eyes over the faces of the Humans he knew as the Tamers. They stopped on one face in particular.

Ruki…

A voice somewhere in the back of his head, in a place where kindness and reason were locked away, told him her name.

And he remembered.

An attack by Renamon. A girl in a dress. An evolution to Perfect…

He knelt down before her as time resumed. He gentle set Renamon down before her.

Behind his, a pair of bullets rushed passed like dual trains, creating a tunnel through the flames.

Before him, a small girl looked up at him with scared, nervous, and yet, hopeful eyes.

"Takato?" She asked.

He looked down upon her.

He barely remembered her, this girl that was speaking to him.

She was so small now…

That name she had spoken. Takato.

That was…

His name?

He closed his eyes.

Yes. His name was Takato. Just like her name was-

"Ruki." He said.

His voice was different now. Because he was…bigger? Yes, he hadn't always been this large. And his fangs got in the way when he spoke, because-

He didn't normally have fangs? Was that right?

He was confusing himself.

He was almost grateful when he was interrupted by Beelzebumon.

"Sloth." He said, in response to seemingly nothing.

But it wasn't nothing; he could tell that much without even looking.

Something was attacking him.

He glanced over his shoulder.

"…Hmph."

He turned around.

Time started again.

All seven of the bullets Beelzebumon had fired seemed to suddenly change direction, hitting the ground away from the Tamers harmlessly.

Beelzebumon was looking at him with a mix of anger, annoyance, and…contemplation?

Yes. Belphemon could tell with a familiarity he didn't understand that Beelzebumon was putting something together in that head of his.

"I see, so that's how it is." The Demon Lord of Gluttony said. "If it isn't my old friend."

Belphemon wondered if he was referring to Takato or…whoever else he had been. He couldn't remember exactly, but…

He felt he'd been someone else, before.

But both halves of him knew this Digimon, he felt.

Belphemon yawned, showing off huge teeth, before working his jaw a few times.

"Beelzebumon." He spoke. He felt like he wasn't used to talking, like he'd fallen out of the habit or something.

He looked up at the sky for a minute, trying to put words together; to come up with something to say.

His eyes fell back on his opponent.

"Die now, please." He said. "Sloth."

Beelzebumon seemed to have learned something. Or maybe he was just lucky.

But as he leapt into the air, he also attacked.

And he was smart enough not to aim it at Belphemon.

"Juouken!" He said just before the Indigo World stole movement from him.

The lion head-shaped energy wave travelled through the air.

At seeing Leomon's attack, Juri probably would have frozen even if Sloth hadn't robbed her of movement.

Which was bad, seeing as the attack was aimed at her.

Belphemon growled, abandoning his plan of pounding Beelzebumon out of existence.

For the moment.

He put himself between Juri and the attack, looking at his opponent.

As fate would have it, something had changed, at least in his eyes. He felt as though nobody else could see it, but as he used Leomon's attack, something appeared over Beelzebumon's stomach.

Two circles, much like his own, but there were differences.

LEVEL: 666. SYSTEM: BEELZEBUB. CODE: GLUTTONY.

CAUTION! PURGATORY LEVEL 6

And his symbols…Venus and Hagith, he recognized…somehow.

And then time resumed and it was gone.

"Gift of Darkness!" Belphemon cried, slashing with his hellfire clad claws.

The lion's head way blown away in an instant, the attack continuing on towards its target like it wasn't even there.

Beelzebumon laughed in…triumph, countering the attack with one of his own.

"Darkness Claw!"

The attacks cancelled each other out.

So then…

Why was Beelzebumon looking so smug?

The Lord of Gluttony's smile widened as he raised both of his guns.

One was aimed at Juri's head.

The other was aimed at Ruki's.

Belphemon didn't even have time to widen his eyes in realization before he pulled the triggers.

"Sloth!" He said as quickly as he could.

Luckily, the Indigo light washed over the world before either of the two girls could be hit. Belphemon was well aware of his good fortune; if they were hit, they'd die for sure.

Hell, even if they weren't hit, they'd probably die. The shockwaves those bullets generated were nothing to laugh at.

Juri was right behind him, so he protected her first. He snatched her up as quickly as he could without injuring the frozen girl and began to run.

Straight for Ruki, of course.

His Sloth had a limited duration, though he could chain them fairly easily.

However, there were problems with chaining them.

First of all, no matter how easy it was to do, he could not activate a Time Stop within a Time Stop; he had to wait until the first one ended to even try.

Second of all, activating them required him to say the word 'Sloth'…which generally wasn't an issue, but when dealing with an extremely fast moving attack, object, or opponent, the split second needed to do it was more than long enough for a great deal to happen.

Belphemon shook away a mental image of a Knight in Blue. It seemed…familiar, but he had bigger things to worry about.

If he ran for the bullet, then by the time he reached it the Time Stop could have ended. If so, by the time he could react and restart it, it could have already hit Ruki. At the very least, it would be in a different location.

So instead he ran for Ruki. He could move in a straight line between Juri's former location and Ruki's current location, while he'd have to run in a longer, diagonal, line to reach the bullet, anyway.

If he could get to Ruki before the Time Stop ended, though…

But it wasn't meant to be. He could see the Violet tinge fading at the edges of the world.

His time was up.

The irony hurt almost as much as the sight did.

"No." Belphemon growled. "No, no, no, no, NO!"

He cried out in anger and denial, almost roaring but stopping short.

And fate complied, almost as if out of fear of that voice.

Before, whenever the duration of Sloth ran out, the color would fade and things would immediately return to normal.

But this time, it happened a bit differently.

More gradually.

It was only an extra second. The bullet began to move forward, but oh, so slowly, as if passing through something much thinker then air. Everything around he began to move as well, but even more slowly. Even the girl in his hand was beginning to move.

They were slow, but…they got faster extremely quickly.

It was only an extra second.

But it was enough.

He interposed his free hand just in time for it to take the bullet meant for the girl.

As expected, it drilled most of the way through his hand. He wanted to cry out in pain. He wanted to roar his fury and anger towards Beelzebumon.

But he didn't.

Instead, he clinched his teeth, swallowed his cry, and narrowed his eyes.

"Sloth."

In a flash, the Tamers and their partners had been gathered up and deposited in one place. On one hand, they'd now be easier to target. But they'd be easier to protect as well, and that was all he cared about.

He narrowed his eyes even further, until they were nothing but slits; a silent challenge towards Beelzebumon.

The Demon Lord of Gluttony laughed and lifted his guns.

He fired three times before Belphemon finished speaking.

"Sloth."

An enormous fist slammed into Beelzebumon's chest, flinging him away. Then, with deliberate slowness, Belphemon opened the fingers of his good hand.

One by one, three bullets dropped to the ground.

Beelzebumon's smirk twisted into a scowl, then. He glared at Belphemon from within the corridor carved by his magic bullets, walls of flames on either side.

Belphemon silently willed the parted flames back together and the leapt to his command with a sound like a tortured scream.

No, wait; that was just Beelzebumon.

"Juouken!"

Belphemon heard the attack and braced himself for it, fully intending to blast right through it.

But it wasn't aimed at him.

Beelzebumon's –no, Leomon's – attack hit the ground, blowing away the flames once more.

"Double Impact!" The burnt Demon Lord roared from the ground. He was on his knees, his clothing blackened and burnt by the evil flames.

But even so, he lifted one hand to attack, firing four shots.

"Sloth." Belphemon uttered, now bored.

This fight was over.

In his opinion, it had been over the moment he'd woken up, but…

Beelzebumon had never been one to accept his place, had he?

But it didn't matter. At this point, with those wounds, it would take divine intervention to save him.

Well…he supposed even scum can be impressive at times.

Time halted and then resumed.

The bullets all shifted their course unnaturally, twisting at angles away from Belphemon, who now stood close to Beelzebumon. The larger Digimon poked one finger at Impmon's Ultimate form and stared his fellow Demon Lord down.

Beelzebumon's three eyes widened, then. He knew what was coming.

Belphemon smiled, his beastly visage turning it more into a baring of teeth than anything else. Fitting, for there was nothing but teeth in that smile.

"Gift of Darkness." He said.

Hellfire coated his claws, then; covering them, lengthening them.

And the finger poking at Beelzebumon's chest was not excluded.

At that moment, a single claw of hellfire ran him through.

Beelzebumon stared down in shock at the impaling digit, as if, for a moment, he didn't feel it.

And then that moment ended and he started screaming.

Beelzebumon clutched blindly at Belphemon's finger as he threw his head back in a maddened cry. He took a step back and then another, removing himself from it even as the hellfire burnt his hands.

And through it all, Belphemon stared down at him with eyes that somehow managed to be both malevolent and disinterested.

"That's it for you, old friend." He purred.

Beelzebumon let go of his opponents hand to clutch at his wound. He focused his disbelieving eyes on Belphemon and mustered up a pitiful glare.

"I lost?" He asked, a maniac gleam in his eyes. "You think I could lose to the likes of you?"

With his free hand, he swung his gun towards Belphemon. At this range, there was no way the Demon Lord of Sloth could stop time before he was hit.

Belphemon didn't even bother. He caught the arm and snapped it like a twig.

Beelzebumon started to scream again but ruthlessly suppressed it, gritting his teeth.

Amusment appeared in Belphemon's eyes, then. The larger Digimon began to work individual fingers around his opponents arm, tightening and relaxing individual fingers with malicious glee, breaking his fellow Demon Lords arm in many places.

Beelzebumon couldn't suppress his screams after that and they rang out over the battlefield.

His opponent enjoyed every second of it.

Beelzebumon lifted his head after he was finished in one last display of defiance.

"You've won." He admitted, through grit teeth. "Now hurry up and load me."

On the other side of the battle-scarred area, across the evil flames and broken ground, a girl shook her head.

"Stop…" She murmured.

The amusement faded from Belphemon's eyes.

"I can't forgive you, you who killed Leomon. You…I can't ever forgive you!" Belphemon snarled, his eyes widening in his greatest display of emotion since his awakening. Every emotion that had lurked in his eyes during the battle fled, chased out by blood and rage and a madness that was without end.

Without a doubt, he too was a Demon Lord.

There was only one answer he could give to a defeated opponent.

It came, as swift and sure as an executioner's ax.

"I'll send you straight to hell…Beelzebumon!"

He lifted his burning claws and swung them back down.

"Stop!" Juri shouted, screaming at the top of her lungs.

The claws sank into the earth in front of Beelzebumon.

Both Demon Lords turned to gaze at the girl who had interrupted the natural way of things.

"Please…stop this already, Takato-kun…" Juri pleaded.

Belphemon stared at her silently for a moment longer before removing his claws from the dirt and standing tall.

Yes, he was a Demon Lord…

But he was also Matsuda Takato.

"I don't…I don't want anyone else to disappear." She continued, tears filling her eyes.

At that moment, within the darkness and silence that was Belphemon, two beings truly awoke.

"Juri." Guilmon said through their mouth.

"Kato-san…" Takato said within his black sphere.

The fire faded from their claws along with the haze of rage that had stripped them of reason.

They nodded at Juri.

"Why is it…" Beelzebumon asked at their feet, but his question was not directed at them. "Why are you covering for me?"

Slowly, hand still over his wound, he stood, turning to face Juri fully even though it put his back to Belphemon.

The tears began to fall, then.

"Even…even if we kill you…it wouldn't bring Leomon back to life. I…I don't want there to be anymore sadness or pain…so please…Please stop fighting now!"

Her legs gave out beneath her and she fell to her knees.

Belphemon glowed with indigo light, bright enough to blind and when it faded away, Takato and Guilmon crouched by her side on the other side of the battlefield while Beelzebumon stood staring blankly on.

The Demon Lord of Gluttony closed his eyes, turned, and walked away.

He was…

Completely defeated.

The End

XxXXxX OMAKE XxXXxX

Beelzebumon Blast Mode's eyelids twitched as he began to wake before suddenly snapping open as he recalled the last thing he remembered before losing consciousness.

"Juri!" He said, struggling against his bonds.

The young girl didn't respond, even when Culumon began shaking her.

"Beelzebumon woke up!" He said excitedly.

Beelzebumon looked at the scene before him. In a clear sphere that hung within D-Reaper, three figures lay. However, only one of them showed any signs of responding.

Culumon, the one who had led him here…He was grateful to the small Digimon, but his attempts to wake Juri seemed futile.

Juri…He didn't know if she was conscious or not, but one way or another, she showed no signs of responding.

Which left…

Belphemon. Takato and Guilmon's merged form.

After Dobermon sacrificed his life to allow the Tamers to merge in the Real World, Takato and Guilmon had promptly done so. Rather than the Sleep Mode they had become last time, they had fused to form the more powerful Rage Mode. The mighty Demon Lord of Sloth had roared his revival to the heavens and that roar had deleted every agent of the D-Reaper that heard it. Then the fell-beast had gone on a rampage, tearing through the city and slaying everything it associated with D-Reaper. In less than an hour, the bane of the Digital World had been put completely on the defensive and had slowly but surely been pushed back.

And then, when things had seemed to be at their brightest, the inevitable happened.

Belphemon had fallen asleep.

What followed had been a desperate battle as the heavily injured D-Reaper sent wave after wave of its agents in an attempt to achieve victory before the Tamers recovered.

It had failed, but only just.

Even so, the tide was in their favor. They'd kept the ground Takato had won, pushing back their enemy as far as they could. And when Culumon had guided him towards Juri, it had seemed victory was at hand. He'd taken Belphemon with him and entered the creature's central core.

And then, he'd been captured and left unconscious.

He struggled against his bounds, but they held him fast.

But, even so, he wasn't completely out of options.

There was a reason he'd taken his fellow Demon Lord, after all.

Belphemon could always be counted upon to fall asleep. For that reason, he hadn't been surprised when he'd lost momentum in the fight against D-Reaper; with his memories of a past that both was and was not his own, it had seemed almost inevitable.

But, at the same time, Belphemon could be trusted to do one more thing.

Belphemon could always be trusted to wake back up.

"Takato!" Beelzebumon shouted. "Culumon, wake him up! Takato!"

"Guilmon!" Culumon said, rushing to the merged Digimon's side. "Takato!"

Belphemon made a sound that Beelzebumon interpreted as 'Go away or I'll kill you.'

"Takato! Juri's in danger Takato! But she'd right there! She's right there within your grasp! You can save her! Just wake up! Belphemon, for once in your life, wake up on time!"

For a moment, it seemed useless, but then, Belphemon began to stir.

"That's it! Wake up – guh!" Beelzebumon was cut off as the binds that held him, parts of the D-Reaper, tightened and pulled at him. They began to drag him out and, though he fought, it was futile to resist. He saw more tendrils reach for Belphemon and pick him up, though they were much gentler with him.

As if they were afraid of waking him up.

"Belphemon!" Beelzebumon tried one last time, but though he began to toss and turn fitfully, Beelzebumon knew he wouldn't wake in time. "Damn it! Juri!"

XxXXxX

The pair was thrown from the sphere together.

"Damn it! You gotta be kidding me!" Beelzebumon snarled as he fell. "I've gotta rescue that girl! What are you doing, Belphemon! Sleeping on the job at a time like this! Wake up, you piece of shit!"

He spread his wings and caught himself, but Belphemon continued to fall. He was about to fly down to catch him, but he halted at the last second.

That sound…

That sound he knew so well.

The ringing of a clock.

Beelzebumon started laughing.

"Finally decided to get up, huh! You bastard…it certainly took you long enough!"

An enormous burst of light died the skyline indigo before it was chased away by a roar that shook the earth. D-Reaper shook with the force of the sound, or maybe with fear, and the surface of the Gatekeeper began to crack.

Beelzebumon began to descend, landing on his ally's head.

"As usual, you sleep too much Belphemon. We could have ended this if you'd woken up earlier, you know! I hope you don't think this is the type of thing you can make up for with just an apology!"

Belphemon growled in response.

"Hmph. As long as you understand." Beelzebumon said, before becoming serious as he faced the Gatekeeper. "Juri's in there. I don't know where the others are, now; we've been held captive for…I don't know how long. But for all I know, we're the only ones she has to rely on now."

Belphemon growled again, but this time it sounded almost…comforting.

Beelzebumon bared his teeth.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. It don't matter if there's only the two of us…we're all she needs!"

A green aura flared up around Beelzebumon while an Indigo one did the same to Belphemon. Beelzebumon's black wings were burnt away by that flare of color as their owner threw his head back in an agonized cry as the two colors began to mix. Belphemon answered his ally's cry with one of his own, his full of dark joy and excitement. And then, as Beelzebumon's wings before them, their bodies melted away in a wash of color.

"Beelzebumon…"

"Belphemon…"

"Jogress shinka!"

And in their place, a new Digimon stood upon the earth.

"Ogudomon!"

And the earth trembled, for it was upon it.

XxXXxX