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Windows of the Future

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Youkomon dove into the Gotsumon village. The children were chasing Bakemon through out the streets.

"Youkomon!" shouted Kevin. He was still mounted on Shima Unimon and waved a hand upwards, "Where's Janet?"

"She's at the Bakemon village!" shouted Youkomon. She glided down next to Shima Unimon, "Something tricked her into going into that stupid chapel, and now it has her..."

"Damn..." Kevin clenched his fists. "I told her to stay away from that..."

"I think it mesmerized her..." said Youkomon. She growled, "And I can't seem to blast a barrier it's erected..."

"I'll go," Jason and Seadramon glided over Kevin.

"No way, not in your condition..." returned Kevin.

"Janet saved me...it's my responsibility to return the favor..." replied Jason argumentatively. "She wouldn't have even gone to that stupid chapel if I hadn't gotten caught...plus...I'm feeling much better..."

"You lie horribly..." He looked at Jason. He shouted up to Jason. "You aren't going!"

"Too, late, I'm already gone!" Shouted Jason in reply and the next thing Kevin knew, Seadramon had turned and was gliding off up the mountain.

"Darn it!" growled Kevin.

"Dark Claw!" midnight blue claws exploded into the ground in front of Kevin cutting him off.

"Don't worry," said Youkomon as she lifted off, "I'll take care of them..."

The fox then raced off after the sea serpent.

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"Soon, child," chuckled a voice. "Soon I will be reunited with the child of reliability and the child of love....and soon I will return to this world in full, and I will have my revenge...yes...my revenge...."

"What revenge..." Janet was struggling to move. It was hopeless as the tendrils of energy snapped at her knees and elbows and snagged her ankles.

"They sealed me..." the face's triangular eyes narrowed, "but now they will free me, and I will crush them...."

"Crush who?" Janet felt horribly confused, she didn't even remember coming to the chapel let alone how she'd gotten into this twisting cylinder of energy with this thing.

"You...and your...reliable friend..." growled the voice. "Ah...here he comes...how gratifying." Janet's digivice flared dangerously at the announcement and shook like something was trying to pull it from her.

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Jason saw the chapel. Seadramon curled into the village and towered over the church. Youkomon landed next to him.

"So, she's in the church?" asked Jason. The fox nodded. Jason hopped down from the giant sea snake and winced as he landed heavily on his feet. He stumbled and landed against Youkomon.

"You are still injured," said Youkomon. "Kevin was right, you are in no..."

"I'm fine, I just have to get my land legs," Jason cut off the fox. He shot the fox a dangerous look. "Now, the question is how the hell do we get her out of the church?"

"The barrier easily absorbed my strongest attack..." said Youkomon. She turned her head to Jason. The digivice on his belt shook heavily a beam of light reluctantly tore from it and hovered towards the church. The burst of energy resisted but it soon was in the church. Youkomon narrowed her eyes and moved to shield Jason, "I really don't like this..."

The church exploded. Splinters of wood rained down on the village. A figure glided forward. It wore grey tattered robes. A red cape swept around it, attached to a red hood that covered its face in shadow. A scythe was against Janet's neck. A ball and chain dangled from the end of the scythe.

"I have been waiting for you..." said the figure. Its cold blue eyes glinted with a warped sense of glee.

"Another Bakemon..." growled Jason.

"No," Seadramon curled around to shield both Youkomon and Jason. "He's a Phantomon...he makes the Bakemon look....friendly..."

"Phantomon?" The figure looked at himself. "I hadn't noticed...I guess your digivices' power gave me a bit of a boost..."

"Let her go!" shouted Jason.

"Jason?" Janet's eyes widened, "You shouldn't be here...you're..."

"I am fine!" retorted Jason. "Now, Phantomon, or what ever the hell you're calling yourself, let her go, or my two friends here will make you wish you'd stayed in your little church of aberrant saints..."

"I don't think so," said Phantomon.

"Seadramon," whispered Jason. "Snap him with your tail..."

The large sea serpent nodded and with the speed of lightning flicked his tail forward. The large scaled appendage snapped the ghost in the face. Phantomon, surprised, released his grip on Janet and drew backwards.

"Janet run!" shouted Youkomon. The fox glided forward and swept between Phantomon and Janet. "You're going to pay, now. Jaenryuu!" Swirling, entwining, streams of fire roared forward and slammed into the ghost.

"With every bit of hot there is some cold!" growled Seadramon, "Ice Blast!" The white fog of ice swirled around the ghost.

"Fools," The ghost dove forward. Its scythe drew up; "Shadow Scythe!" black blades sliced forward and knocked the two champions backwards.

"Jason..." growled Janet angrily. Jason hobbled behind Janet as they hunkered down behind a rock, "what the heck are you doing here? You're in no condition to..."

"Shut it," Jason's hand laid on Janet's lips. "I owed you one, and I wasn't about ready to let Kevin be Mr. Hero again..."

"None the less," growled Janet through Jason's fingers. "You can barely stand straight."

Jason's eyes flicked over to Janet. "Don't worry about that, we have bigger things to fret over..."

"Shadow Scythe!" Seadramon and Youkomon were forced back again.

"That evil ghost version of Little Red Riding Hood, is wiping the floor with our digimon," said Jason. He looked over the rock. Seadramon and Youkomon were swinging around towards them.

"What are we going to do?" asked Janet. She looked at Jason. He was watching intently. "Jason, what are we going to do?"

"I-I don't know..." Jason looked at her. "He's so strong..."

"Father Time!" A fine, golden dust flew over the children and the digimon. Jason dove and covered Janet. The dust settled all over him. He stood up and looked at her. Suddenly, a strike of gold lightning rushed through him. Janet felt the electrical tingling, but the dust on her was nothing compared to that on Jason. The two digimon roared angrily overhead. The boy collapsed as the energy faded.

"Jason!" Janet walked on her knees over to him. His eyes were closed. She shook him violently. "Jason! Wake up!" She laid him back and leaned in. Her mother was an EMT at home and it was one of the things she had taught her at one of those safety classes at school. The normal gentle breeze that accompanied respiration wasn't flowing from Jason's nose. "Oh, God, he's not breathing..." She let out a little hiccup. "What am I going to do...he's not breathing...don't die on me! Don't die on me you idiot!" Her mind raced. She had to rein it in. She took a deep breath. She realized that the only thing to do was some sort of resuscitation. "You can't die on me, you're too close of a friend...I love you too much!" She leaned down and closed off his nose and gently opened his mouth and breathed in. She did this twice and then gently pressed her hands down on his chest and found the proper place to push and carefully pushed on his chest, her palms down. "Come on..." She pushed several times and then returned to his mouth and breathed into him.

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"Shadow Scythe!" Phantomon swung forward again. Youkomon was lucky in being smaller and more agile than Seadramon. She was able to dive out of the way easier than Seadramon.

She glided around and put herself between Phantomon and the children. The ghost turned. It reached into its robes and produced a pouch. It tossed a fine gold dust. Then suddenly a blast of energy ripped through Youkomon's body. She roared against the pain. The energy faded. It was then she heard Janet scream. The fox turned her head painfully, fearing the girl injured, but instead she found her shaking the human boy.

Youkomon watched as Janet laid the boy down and then, she kissed him. No, it wasn't a kiss, she was doing something else. It was like something she'd seen some human form digimon do, a breath of life ritual; Jason must have been hurt badly. Youkomon's eyes narrowed. A flame of anger washed over the fox. She turned her head to Phantomon.

An apparition glowed in front of the fox. It wore priest gowns. They were long yellow robes that had extremely long sleeves. It had a fox like face and wore a strange hat. It raised a clawed hand and held a strange talisman.

"Who are you, another enemy? An ally of Phantomon?" growled Youkomon. The figure only shook its head and looked sadly at Janet.

"Youkomon, who are you talking to?" growled Seadramon.

"That thing, priest or demon, I'm not sure," replied Youkomon.

Seadramon looked around, "What priest thing...?"

"It is time," rang a voice in Youkomon's head, "Strike now, and you will destroy the enemy."

Youkomon blinked. She looked up at Seadramon. "Never mind; we strike now! Jaenryuu!"

Seadramon nodded and opened his mouth. "Ice Blast!"

The figure lifted the talisman up and it glowed with an unearthly light. The light merged with the two attacks and pierced Phantomon. The blast was so intense that it sent the ghost backwards and his scythe flew free from his grasp and clattered the ground.

Phantomon looked down at the damage. "No...no, it can't be like this, I was supposed to get my revenge! No I won't let you win! None escape the vengeance of the Bakemon Leader...." The grey robes started to slide away into streams of dark dust. Phantomon gave a strangled scream and then the scythe exploded into data.

Youkomon looked up at the apparition, but it had descended down over Janet. It laid a talisman on Jason's forehead and then kneeled down and gave some sort of short blessing. Light washed over the boy and Janet and then the apparition turned to smoke and filtered into Janet's digivice.

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Jason coughed when Janet pressed down for the fifth time on the fourth cycle. She looked at him. The boy's eyes flickered open and he looked up cloudily. He breathed in short coughs for a bit and then settled.

"You..." whispered Jason hoarsely. His head shifted, "you saved me..."

"You weren't breathing, I didn't have a choice," said Janet calmly. Her calm exterior barely covered the relief, joy, confusion and terror that twisted her heart. She'd sworn she felt some one else was there with them, but there was definitely not anyone there now.

"I came to save you..." rasped Jason. He looked at her with more focus now, "but you ended up saving me again...I-I can't ever think of repaying you..."

Janet gave a quirky smile that was a mix of fear and joy and an over all euphoria that suddenly pumped through her veins. "Think of this one as being on the house..."

Jason nodded slowly. He closed his eyes, "I will be indebted to you forever..."

"Shh, don't worry about it, now," Janet laid her hand on Jason's forehead. There was a strange red marking on the boy's forehead. She looked back to the two digimon behind her. Renamon and Otamamon were walking slowly up to the two of them.

"Is he ok?" Otamamon spoke first.

"I think so, but he should rest," said Janet quietly. The tadpole nuzzled up against the boy quietly. Janet looked up at her partner; she saw that glint in the fox's eyes. "You felt it too..." said Janet quietly.

The fox turned its head to her. "Phantomon's defeat is due to...it."

"What do you mean?" Janet stood and walked up to the fox. Renamon walked a bit from Jason and Otamamon.

"There was an apparition," whispered Renamon. The fox narrowed its eyes. "It helped us...some how, and then...it administered assistance to you and Jason."

"So I wasn't imagining it ..." Janet looked at the boy. "Did..."

"Seadramon did not detect it, and neither did Phantomon," replied Renamon before Janet could finish the question.

"Oh..." Janet looked at the fox. Something was still playing across the digimon's face. "Is there something else?"

"I seem to know the apparition..." said Renamon. Her ears twisted back. "I think...the apparition has...something to do with me..."

"What?" Janet moved closer.

"I do not know, I just have this feeling," Renamon's ears drooped slightly.

Janet nodded quietly. Renamon's ears perked and she turned her head. The sounds of galloping came from the forest. Soon enough Shima Unimon, with Kevin, was galloping on the scene. Saberdramon glided down from the sky.

"Jason!" Amy leapt down from the bird and ran over to the boy and kneeled. "Are you...?"

"He is fine, now," said Renamon quietly and she half leapt half glided over to the girl and the little blue penguin at her side.

Janet walked over to Kevin and Snow Agumon. The boy looked at Jason. His head lifted and his eyes stared at Janet, "What happened?" The boy's voice was not angry but it had a very disappointed tone to it.

"Phantomon, attacked," said Janet. She looked at Jason, "one of the attacks, caused Jason to stop breathing...I had to resuscitate him..."

Kevin's eyes looked at the boy and then flashed up to Janet, "You shouldn't have left like that..."

"I didn't have a choice..." replied Janet quietly, "It was like I was being pulled in by a magnet..."

"What if you hadn't been able to resuscitate him?" Kevin's voice thrust forward with more conviction.

"I don't know..." Janet looked down. She covered her eyes. Her body gave a little shudder, "I was so afraid...stupid idiot...he should have let me get the dust too...He shouldn't have come at all!"

Kevin looked at her. He was shocked, but was trying to hide it under a calm façade. "He's fine now...that's all that matters."

Janet nodded quietly. Kevin's arm circled around her gently and she leaned in close and cried. All the fear and anger and joy and shame washed from her eyes. It wasn't loud or intrusive but quiet self cleansing. He could have died. She could have killed him, but he lived, because of what she did he was there lying on the ground.

It was neither of their faults. It was this she realized. She would have never been at the chapel if they hadn't gone past it to save Jason from his torture, and Jason would have never been tortured if it hadn't been for Soulmon's capture of him. Soulmon would have never captured him if Boogeymon hadn't have ordered the Bakemon to attack the village. Boogeymon was the core of all of this, just like he was the core to cause of Lucemon's attack on the village. Boogeymon would soon find himself at their mercy if it was the last thing Janet did.

Janet looked up. The anger seemed to wash from her. Kevin looked at her carefully. He then gently led her next to Jason.

"I think we should think about going back to the Gotsumon village," said Kevin. He looked at Jason.

"I don't think he can travel..." whispered Amy. She reached down and touched his forest. "I know he can't walk, and I doubt our digimon can digivolve after today..."

"Then we don't have a choice," said Kevin. He looked up at the falling sun. "We have to make camp here."

The others nodded and made camp slowly. They each took turns looking over Jason as the others gathered supplies.

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An: I guess this chapter is rather self explanatory. Nothing opaque or weird...other than Phantomon...and his appearance is rather not totally confusing. I did go off on a tangent with this little side quest thing but I think this was an interesting experiment and doesn't really detract from the story...other than to maybe possibly weaken the other characters...as I do find things like love, reliability, and sincerity are difficult to capture in short snaps, especially in combat....I hope you liked it....