I don't own a single, gods-cursed thing, so don't bother suing me. All I own are Kuzuha's past and personality, and the idea for this tale. Yes, there'll be a bit of x-over with Yu-Gi-Oh! (Noah, because he and Labramon live in the same castle as Kuzuha-chan) This story takes place about four months (Y'know what, I'm gonna sychronize the frikin' time, because keeping the DigiWorld/Earth time ratio will just get too annoying later. No specific dates will be given - unless I have a reason) after Glutton for Punishment and a few weeks after What Times Demand. I have no idea how long I'm gonna make this, because it's also gonna be one of the first stories I post that'll be in development while I post, so don't expect daily updates like my other works. Sorry if that disappoints you, but my mind's whining at me to get this out there already, so I'll shut up and let the mayhem begin.
Poor Beelzemon and Kuzuhamon, I've got so many plans...and it's proof that love stories don't end with 'Happily ever after'. If that isn't one of the corniest...shutting up now.

Trials and Tribulations

Chapter One: Can't Catch a Break

It wasn't easy. But then again, love never was. Love is especially hard when one in the relationship was a demon Digimon and the other a holy Digimon.

It's especially so when said demon Digimon is one of the Seven Demon Lords.

It's even harder when the holy Digimon works for the Great Angels.

It's nearly impossible when the Demon Lord is a double agent who says he's a Demon Lord, but also works for the Great Angels, and thus has to constantly keep an eye out behind him.

But they'd been making it work. Beelzemon, Demon Lord of Gluttony and Kuzuhamon, servant to Lady Ophanimon of the human type Digimon had been making their relationship work for the past few months. While they couldn't be together every day, that didn't matter. The important thing was that their relationship was working and they hadn't been caught by the other Demon Lords. Or the other Royal Knights. Surprisingly, no one had bothered to tell the warriors (Alphamon excluded) about the couple.

Not that the two haven't had a few close calls……

Somewhere in the Digital World

Beelzemon and Kuzuhamon were sitting alone together at the summit of a warm, flat-topped mountain at night, enjoying the scenery.

"So…any of those annoying Royal Knights suspect anything yet?" Beelzemon asked. The only ones he didn't mind were Alphamon, since the leader of the bunch was taking the whole relationship between demon and fox priestess in stride, and Gallantmon. Truth be told, the Demon Lord had been surprised when he'd heard that Takato and Guilmon had been recruited as part-time members of the Royal Knights. Especially since the goggle head and the pineapple head were the last two Beelzemon would have considered 'royal'.

Fortunately for the Demon Lord, Kuzuhamon hadn't met them yet.

"No. Craniummon thinks he's close to finding something out, though. Fortunately, I've been able to give him enough vague answers he's gonna leave me alone for awhile."

"That's good. I don't think any of the other Demon Lords suspect much, but I can't really be sure."

Kuzuha smiled. Her Demon Lord was always pretty cautious when it came to her safety, and she loved him for it. The fox woman rested her head on the demon's shoulder and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Then that means we can keep seeing each other."

"Which is funny, considering you tried to attack me when we first met," Beelzemon said with a grin.

"Will you stop bringing that up? I already said I was sorry!"

"Well, it's true. Not like it hurt me, though – I'm way too powerful and tough for it to have done anything."

"It didn't hurt that you were a Mega while I was a Champion," Kuzuhamon reminded him.

"Hey, you didn't even hurt me when you Digivolved to this form – which I must say is an improvement over Youkomon. Then, of course, I won you over with my charm and good looks. That, and I saved your life. Those three things sent you straight into my arms," he said confidently.

"What can I say? You're like mold – you grew on me very slowly," Kuzuha said, grinning mischievously.

"Yeah, I guess I – hey! Wait a minute!" he said, realizing he'd been insulted. Kuzuha laughed and jumped up away from him, and began running away. "Get back here!"

"Sorry Beelzemon, but you're gonna hafta catch me first!" she said, darting out of his grasp to jump over Behemoth and run towards the other end of the mountain.

It almost worked. Key word: almost.

Kuzuhamon's plan was foiled by Beelzemon's having gone into his Blast Mode and flying over to tackle and pin his girlfriend to the ground, trapping one of her arms with one hand, her other arm with his tail, and using his other hand as a support for her head so it didn't hit the rock.

"You jerk! You cheated!" Kuzuhamon accused. "I can't fly like that!"

"You know you love me," Beelzemon said, all three of his emerald eyes glittering as they gazed at Kuzuha's mask covered face. The Demon Lord couldn't see her eyes in her true form, but remembered from her human one that they were amethyst violet. "And I told you that my tail had its uses."

"Showoff," Kuzuha said.

"Well, what can I say? It's in my nature," Beelzemon told Kuzuhamon before kissing her.

Things were going along just as Beelzemon hoped, until a huge explosion rocked through the forest below the mountain.

"What was that?" Kuzuha said, pulling away from the kiss.

"I have no idea, Kuzuha. It's probably some dimwit Drimogemon. Let's ignore it."

"Let me up, you big oaf," she said. Beelzemon reluctantly got up and Kuzuha ran over to where she heard the sound come from. Looking over the edge of the mountain, she saw the beginnings of a forest fire and some bad Digimon headed deeper into the brush.

"Skullsatamon!" Kuzuhamon said. "Three of them. Beelzemon, we have to go stop them!"

"All right, all right. Man, before ya know it I'm gonna wind up turning into Seraphimon," he said, summoning Berenjena to his right arm.

"That'll be a shame," Kuzuha said, grabbing her staff. "Half the fun of dating you is that you're a Demon Lord."

"I always knew you were the kinda girl attracted to danger," he smirked.

"I am a 'chaos form' of one of the Tamers' Digimon," Kuzuha said before beginning to run down the path down the mountain.

Beelzemon smiled then turned to Behemoth, who was parked on the mountaintop. "I'll come back in a bit. Stay here, stay parked, and no possessing anybody. Got it?"

The sentient motorcycle didn't do anything at all, but if one looked closely at its lights, one could swear that it looked a bit sullen, like a child who was told they couldn't go outside. But it would listen to its master.

Beelzemon looked down the mountain trail. "Man, those pathetic Digimon are gonna pay for this. I never catch a break," he said in a surly voice.

The Demon Lord flew down the mountain and over to where Kuzuha was running. While the female Digimon could fly using mystic powers, she didn't know how to use them very well yet.

"Get on. It'll be faster if I fly us down."

"Okay," she said, jumping onto his back. Beelzemon turned his head to smile at his passenger then flew down to the forest.

In case anyone's curious, the Skullsatamon are the same ones from season four (Frontier) - but I'll give them nicknames next chapter so you can tell them apart.

Also................................*evil laugh* Beelzemon's night didn't go as he'd originally planned. And I don't intend it to. (this story's stayin' at T, so no graphic anything for our favorite Demon Lord of Gluttony! [Plus, I suck at writing those scenes anyway]) However, I do hope to include a few more sweet (and/or embarrassing to the point of death) scenes between them.