Sorry this wasn't posted with my usual speediness, but someone got me into an RP chat on deviantART......and that was addicting. (Plus I had writer's block anyway)
As usual, I don't own anything (Disney still hasn't returned any of my calls....) but the plot, and Windy, a human to be referenced later in the chapter. Yeah......this is also kinda more of a Yu-Gi-Oh! crossover than the first story, but Noah's not a main character. Beelzemon and Kuzuhamon are what this story's all about. (funny I mention that considering the latter half of the chapter......)

Chapter Eleven: Strategic Machinations

Upon the couple's arrival in the dining room, they were met with a surprise - a visitor. And not just any visitor, no......it was one of the Royal Knights themselves.

No one was concerned though, as it was just Alphamon. (He already knew about the happy couple, anyway)

"Mistress Nefertimon, Lady Ophanimon," Alphamon said, bowing to the sisters. "Noah, Labramon, Kuzuhamon," he nodded to the digital human, dog, and fox woman. "and Beelzemon," he said to the Demon Lord. "I'd heard you were staying here. Noah told me last night during training."

Beelzemon just looked at the physically thirteen-year-old.

"Well, he was gonna send one of the Knights here anyway, so I figured I'd tell him so……ya know…your cover isn't blown," Noah said.

"That makes sense," the Demon Lord conceded. "Sorry, Noah."

"It's okay, people and Digimon get mad at me all the time," Noah said. "My step-brother Seto still doesn't like me too much."

"Why's that, Noah?" Labramon asked.

"Well, you know…the old 'trap-him-and-his-friends-in-a-virtual-world-so-I-can-take-over-his-mind-and-the-company-my-father-should-have-given-to-me-because-I'm-his-biological-son-but-didn't-because-I-was-a-digitized-mind' scheme," the green-haired 'pre-teen' said nonchalantly.

Kuzuhamon coughed uncomfortably. "Yeah…"

"And you let this kid move to the Digital World?" Beelzemon asked Nefertimon.

"He was making amends for his crimes," Nefertimon said. "I was given a second chance, so why not him?"

"Good point. So Alphamon, what brings you here?" Beelzemon asked.

"Merely checking in on Lady Ophanimon and her domain," the Knight told the Demon Lord. He, like the Great Angels and Nefertimon, had all long since waved off Beelzemon's informal modes of address. "It is something that's done every once in a while. Why are you here? Noah didn't go into much detail, for obvious reasons."

"There's a Digimon called Murmuxmon who's trying to take my place as Lord of Gluttony," Beelzemon said. "His flunky, Phelesmon, tried to poison me with this attack called 'Black Statue' before he destroyed his own Fractal Code. I managed to get out of there and come here before the poison killed me. I think the other Demon Lords think I'm dead."

"You never told me all this," Kuzuha said. "It was really that serious?"

"I didn't want you to get scared," Beelzemon told her. "Besides, thanks to that antidote you gave me, when I finally came to, it was no problem anymore."

Kuzuhamon still didn't look convinced, but remained silent.

"At any rate, this is a bad thing. If Murmuxmon replaces you…" Alphamon said.

"He can't. Not unless he has definitive proof. The one good thing Lucemon did – oh, sorry, Noah…" he said, looking at the creator of said fallen angel.

"It's all right. I know full well the crimes my former friend has committed," Noah said with a sigh. "I'm still upset that he felt he had to go that far, but that was his decision, and he has to live with it."

"All right, then," Beelzemon said before continuing. "But yeah, Murmuxmon can't take my place unless he has solid proof that I'm dead. And Daemon, being the sniveling little lapdog of Lucemon's that he is, won't deviate from that."

"Well, that's a plus," Labramon said.

"I know," Beelzemon said. "But I don't think I should stay for too much longer. I can't risk losing my position. Sorry, Kuzuhamon."

"It's all right. It's not your fault," she said.

"At any rate," Ophanimon said. "You can't go anywhere until we're certain you're fully recovered. Because if you go back, I'm certain that you'll wind up fighting Murmuxmon. And in your weakened state, you'd lose."

"I wouldn't lose," Beelzemon said. "I'm the strongest."

"Even if you are," Nefertimon said. Which we all know you're not, she added mentally. "You have to know when to rest."

"And you know from experience?" the Demon Lord asked the sphinx.

"Salamon's Tamer has often trained herself to exhaustion," Nefertimon said.

Beelzemon thought for a moment about Salamon, Shadowstar, and their heavily scarred human partner, Windy. The teen had been as serious as Renamon in battle, but unlike the yellow fox-face, Windy had known how to lighten up and take a joke. She, Salamon, and Shadowstar all acted more like family than a human and her two partners. For a long while, the battle-worn human had been the only one of her species he respected. Even in his quest for power, his 'glory days', when the demon had approached the strange human, she had merely smiled at his statement, then asked if he'd want to spar with Shadowstar - the toughest Eevee he'd ever met (never mind that Shadowstar was the only Eevee he'd ever met) "Yeah, okay, I see your point. Fine, I'll stay. But I'm gonna have to leave soon."

"I know," Kuzuhamon said. "Your mission to take down the Demon Lords from within is more important than anything."

The words tore through the Lord of Gluttony just as his fist once tore through Leomon. It isn't more important than anything, Kuzuha......You are...Beelzemon thought grimly. He knew he couldn't say it, though. Too many Digimon - and Noah - would think he was putting his personal life over something that could save the Digital World. Would save the Digital World. Even though Kuzuhamon meant the world to him, her being the driving force for his continued service to the Great Angels, he knew that she'd rebuke him for not doing what was more important for their world. I'll make it up to her. Someday, he promised.

The problem with that was he didn't know when 'someday' would be.

"I should be going now," Alphamon said, getting up. "I have much work to do today."

"I'll see you later, Lord Alphamon," Noah said as the Royal Knight left.

Everyone in the castle began their work, and Beelzemon sat down and watched Kuzuha sort and file books. There really wasn't much else he could do.

Elsewhere in the Digital World, Neodevimon was busy trying to find some evidence that Beelzemon was dead. Truthfully, the devil Digimon personally didn't care one way or another if Beelzemon was out of the picture. To be honest though, if Beelzemon had followed suit of the other Demon Lords, Neodevimon would have been servant to the late Lord of Gluttony. But all of that wasn't really the issue at the moment.

I need proof that Lord Beelzemon is dead so Murmuxmon may take his place. And since I cannot find any such information……Neodevimon thought. The devil Digimon flew over to a nearby boulder and shattered it. Hmm………this seems well enough to use, he thought, using his Guilty Claw to cut into the stone, creating a near-perfect replica of Beelzemon's mask. The new devil Digimon looked with what could have been a smirk (his face was hidden by a mask, after all) upon his artistry. Now all I need is a piece of red fabric to act as a bandana…that'll be a touch trickier to obtain, but I must pull it off. Though...I wonder…Neodevimon walked slowly into a village and took survey, looking for anything that could be substitute for the red fabric. After about half an hour of looking around the tiny village, Neodevimon eventually found the replica in the form of a cloth napkin in a small restaurant, easily swiped when the Mikemon running the place had her back turned to deal with a customer.

Neodevimon crept back out into the morning with his prizes, ignoring the shouting of the Gatomon look-a-like coming from the diner. He stopped long enough to wrinkle up the napkin and smudge dirt in it so it looked like it had been obtained after a long struggle before winging his way back to the Dark Area.

This should suffice in securing Murmuxmon's control of Lord Beelzemon's throne, Neodevimon thought as he flew throught the skies, mind so focused on his goal, that he didn't even take notice of a few Snimon gang members who had decided he was easy prey.

But even two weeks later, their fellow thugs still couldn't figure out why the five other Snimon had gone missing.

When Neodevimon returned to his contractor, he presented his 'findings' to Murmuxmon.

"Thank you, Neodevimon," Murmuxmon said. "I will take these findings to Lord Daemon and finally secure my place as Demon Lord of Gluttony," he said, walking to Daemon's chambers with a smug grin on his face. Once there, he showed the items to the Demon Lord of Wrath.

"Interesting. And you say now that this proves Beelzemon's death?"

"Yes, Lord Daemon," Murmuxmon said, bowing. "The bandana is proof itself, but the mask clearly seals it. Why would he go without his mask?"

"Hmm....you have a point...." Daemon said. "All right then, after reviewing these items, I can only conclude that Beelzemon is truly no more."

Yes.........."Thank you, Lord Daemon."

"Tomorrow night Daemon, your coronation as the new Lord of Gluttony will occur. Is this acceptable?"

"Yes, Lord Daemon," Murmuxmon said before he left the room. Hmph, I guess Phelesmon's last act did you in. Your confidence has been your undoing, Beelzemon, he thought as he walked down the corridors. He had finally triumphed.

As Murmuxmon walked down the hallway, a small clearing of a throat drew his attention to the side.

"So Beelzemon's gone?" Lillithmon said from her doorway, quite poorly dressed. It seemed as though she'd only put on the near-invisible black robe as an afterthought. In her room were a Devimon and a Myotismon, as well as her three servants, Witchmon, Persiamon, and Ladydevimon. All of them weren't exactly dressed for polite company either - unless that company were the Demon Lord of Lust.

"Yes he is, Lady Lillithmon," Murmuxmon said, thoroughly appreciating the sight.

"Hm. A pity. So………………" Lillithmon began. "Care to join us in a……pre-victory celebration?"

"I believe I'll take you up on that offer," Murmuxmon said, going into the room where the other Digimon awaited. No one came out for a long time.


Yeah. Lillithmon, ladies and gentlemen. That's how she acts.
Okay......so I know this is a few chapters late in coming.......but I have a companion piece to chapter nine called 'The War' in the Digimon/Yu-Gi-Oh! crossover section. Basically - Noah vs. Behemoth, and how Noah got torn up. In addition to reviewing this, please....I'd also like it if those of you who haven't heard of that fic went and took a look at that piece as well.