"Crash and burn"

By: Squall

"How do I get myself into these messes!?"

Jennifer asked herself as she ran as swiftly through the forest as she could. Foximon was right at her heels, the sun setting slowly in crimson sky as she tried to keep up. Behind them, a Godzila-ish cry which should be familiar to all those who've witnessed the first episode of Digimon could be heard. Then, Kuwagamon, the evil red beetle himself, swooped down from the sky, decapitating the tress in his path as he did, all in an effort to give Jennifer a nasty cru cut. Both Foximon and she quickly dropped to the dirt in order to dodge the hit. As Kuwagamon came about to try again, Jennifer and Foximon speedily rose to their feet and resumed running. Seeing a sheer cliff face just beyond the tree line, Jennifer turned and ran for it as fast as she could, hoping that there would be a cave or crevasse in the mountainside that she could hide in. but low, there was not…

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"Jennifer!!"

The rest of the Digi-gang had split up and was now searching high and low for our missing red head, but their search yielded little results. Never the less, none of them were too concerned… all but one, that is. Sora was the first to notice. Looking in the direction of her good friend, Tai, she noticed that he seemed most distressed. She decided to go over and console him.

"What's wrong Tai?" she asked.

"It's my fault, Sora." The boy replied.

"What is, Tai?" said the girl.

"Jennifer's missing because of me." He answered. "I was the one who asked her to go out and find some water, but now she's been gone for way too long, and it's all because I was the one who asked her to go."

"Don't worry, Tai. I'm sure she's fine." Sora comforted. "And besides, you couldn't have known that something, if anything, would have happened to her."

"You don't understand Sora!" Tai almost shouted as tears began to well up in his eyes. "I'm the leader, I'm supposed to look out for everyone. If I get into trouble, then no big deal 'cause it was on me, but if one of my orders gets one of you in trouble, then I'm to blame."

"Cool it Tai." Sora laid a hand on his shoulder. "We'll find her, don't you worry."

"Your right, Sora." Tai said as his eyes cleared. "C'mon, sitting around and moping isn't getting us anywhere, lets hurry up and find her."

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"Oh man! We're cornered!"

Jennifer was stuck between the proverbial "rock and a hard place" as she stood in front of the cliff face with Kuwagamon only about seven feet in front of her. Things did not look good, so Jennifer did what she always did when the chips were down… she turned to Foximon.

"Foximon! You'd better Digivolve!" she shouted.

Both Foximon and Jennifer's Digivice began to flash as the small Fox made her attempted.

"Foximon, Digivolve To……… Hey! I'm still me!!"

"No! Not now!"

Foximon's ability to Digivolve was never very reliable. On occasion it was found that she just couldn't Digivolve, thus leaving her defenseless. And of all the bad times for this to occur this had to be the worst. In mere moments it would all be over as Kuwagamon bent forward and drew open his jaws, closing the gap between himself and Jennifer as he prepared to deliver the deathblow. Seeing no possible means of escape, both Jennifer and Foximon shut their eyes tightly and waited for the inevitable. Foximon, knowing there was nothing else she could do, laid down on the ground and coward as Jennifer let a single tear roll down her face.

"Look out!!!"

Jennifer threw open her eyes and cocked her head in the direction of the shout in time to see the figure of a younger boy flying toward her. He wrapped his arms around her midsection as he collided, knocking both Jennifer and himself to the ground just as Kuwagamon's jaws closed around the space the girl had once occupied. Foximon warily opened her eyes, but was overjoyed as she recognized the boy in question, as did Jennifer.

"Thanks, Squall." Said Jennifer to the younger boy.

"No prob., Jenn." Squall replied, forgetting the deadly red beetle for a moment. Recalling him quickly, Squall snapped his head in the direction of the tree line and shouted, "Matt! Now!!"

"Slamming attack!!!"

Suddenly, Garurumon, with the aforementioned blonde teen riding on his back as well as a familiar black and white rabbit/opossum-like Digimon, emerged from the forest, and with one swift blow, slammed head first into Kuwagamon's back, sending the crimson insect flying into the cliff face. Kuwagamon reeled there for a moment, but soon began to peel himself off the mountainside.

"Diamon! You'd better attack, too!" Matt shouted to the tiny champion.

Without another word, Diamon complied, spring boarding off of Garurumon's back and leaping into the air as the deadly scarab stood up and turned to face his attackers. As Diamon hovered in the air, he powered up his most powerful attack. Then with a shout of, "Dia-Rush!!!" he launched himself down at the evil bug, landing feet-first on his head with such force as to force him into the dirt.

Leaping off quickly, Diamon laid a hand along side his short snout and yelled, "Garurumon! Finish 'em off!!"

"Howling Blaster!!!"

Garurumon opened his mouth and let the stream of blue energy fly. After only a few moments of being bathed in this deadly stream, Kuwagamon was no more.

Matt leaped off of Garurumon and ran to Jennifer's side as his wolf friend devolved back into Gabumon.

"Jenn, are you okay?" said Matt as he took the girl's hand.

"I'm fine, thanks to you and Squall." She replied. "Thank you, both of you."

"Ah shucks, twern't nothin'." Said Squall with a goofy grin as he rested a hand behind his head.

"Gabumon, Diamon, thank you both. Me and Jenn would've been goners if it weren't for you two." Said Foximon.

"Don't mention it." Diamon answered.

"Anytime, little friend." said Gabumon, smiling brightly.

Foximon turned to their human partner and smiled politely as she called, "Squall, Matt, thank you too."

Squall simply nodded appreciatively, but Matt however shot Foximon a stern gaze.

"Foximon! What were you doing!?" Matt shouted, accusingly. "Jennifer was in real danger and you didn't lift a finger. She could've been hurt… or worse, and you just coward there like a little fresh/baby!!"

Foximon did not know how to respond. Matt's word had cut her to the quick. For a moment, she just stood there, the glaze of tears beginning to form in her eyes. Then, she burst out into full sobbing and ran into the forest.

"Oh, good going Matt." Gabumon said sarcastically while rolling his eyes. "Now look what you've done. You hurt her feelings."

"Matt! Why did you yell at her like that??" Jennifer scolded him.

"Sorry Jenn. I was upset and worried about you… and I guess I just took it out on Foximon." The blonde teen replied, sorrowfully.

"That's all well and good but it doesn't justify what you did." Said Squall, reprimanding the older boy. "It's like I always say, 'it's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.' But that's beside the point, we have more pressing matters."

"Right." Jennifer agreed. "Someone should go talk to Foximon and see if she's okay."

"I'll do it!" Diamon volunteered quickly (perhaps a bit too quickly). And before another word could be spoken, he scampered off into the forest.

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Foximon ran through the forest as swiftly as her legs would take her, sobbing hysterically all the way. Little did she know that Diamon was stealthily in hot pursuit. As she continued her mad dash, exhaustion began to take her over. She finally stopped to catch her breath; all the while she was still sobbing her eyes out. Diamon was ready to go up and console her, but something stopped him. As he stared at her in her sorrow, the thought that perhaps she may want to be alone crossed his mind. He decided it best to take refuge behind a nearby tree so she would not notice him as he considered it. As he stared at the fox whom he secretly held in his heart, sitting there in sorrow, pangs of emotion began to well up in him as he desperately searched for any words of comfort to say to her. He closed his eyes and listened to nature for inspiration. The wind seemed to carry a melody. Then, a song entered his heart.

When you feel all alone,

And the world has turned it's back on you,

Give me a moment please, to tame your wild wild heart!

I know you feel like the walls are closing in on you.

It's hard to find relief, and people can be so cold!

When darkness is upon your door, and you feel like you cant take anymore…

Suddenly, Foximon was off again, and Diamon renewed his stealthy chase. As he ran, he thought about how much he wished Foximon would feel the same way about him that he felt about her, or at least trust him enough to want to confided in him. That was part of the reason he hesitated. He was afraid Foximon would not want to talk to him… would not like him. Suddenly, the song in his heart began to play again. He tried to forget it and concentrate on keeping up with Foximon without being noticed, but it continued to play.

Let me be the one to call.

If you jump, I'll break your fall.

Lift you up, and fly away with you into the night!!

If you need to fall apart

I can mend your broken heart.

If you need to crash, then crash and burn,

You're not alone!!!

Memories and emotions filled Foximon all at once. A flood of all the times she was unable to help hit her. She slowed, then stopped as her sorrow and loneliness took her over. She buried her face in her fore paws and continued her marathon sob. Diamon creped up slowly. He was still unsure of himself and weather or not Foximon wanted the company. But as he came closer, he stepped on a stray twig. He involuntarily flinched as he heard the snap. Also having heard the snap, Foximon whirled around to see who it was, her eyes still wet from her tears. But when only more forest met her eyes, she buried them back into her paws. Had she elevated her gaze slightly, she would have been met with the sight of a certain rabbit/opossum Digimon hanging from a low bough by his tail. As Diamon watched her cry from his perch, another pang of sorrow for her filled his being as the song in his heart resumed its play.

When you feel all alone,

And a loyal friend is hard to find,

You're caught in a one-way street

With the monster in your head!

When hopes and dreams are far away, and

You feel like you can't face the day…

In her depression, Foximon somberly trudged off out of the forest in the direction of a nearby cliff-basin. Diamon carefully slid down the tree and followed her.

Let me be the one to call.

If you jump, I'll break your fall.

Lift you up, and fly away with you into the night!!

If you need to fall apart

I can mend your broken heart.

If you need to crash, then crash and burn,

You're not alone!!!

When Diamon emerged from the forest, he found Foximon sitting on the edge of the cliff staring up at the night sky. The stars were shining brightly in the velvet sky, and the moon bathed the valley below in a blue-ish green glow. Diamon noted that although her sobbing had clamed down, two thin rivers of tears continued to trickle down her face.

"Why?" she asked herself. "Why can't I Digivolve properly? I wish… I wish it could be just me and Jenn, happy and together forever. Why can't it be like that?"

Diamon felt the emotions in him begin to swell as the song in his heart screamed to escape. And so, in a voice that was uncharacteristically beautiful for him, he answered her… revealing him self as she whirled around to see the speaker.

Because there has always been heartache and pain

But when it's over you'll breathe again

You'll breathe again

Foximon didn't know what to say. The melody was so beautiful, and the song so touching, it seemed to quell the pain in her heart. She dried her eyes as Diamon ran over and took her paws in his. He stared deeply into her chocolate colored eyes, and continued the song.

When you feel all alone,

And a loyal friend is hard to find,

Give me a moment please, to tame your wild wild heart…!

Suddenly, both Digimon flashed brightly. And when the brilliant light subsided, Glorymon and FallenAngemon stood where Foximon and Diamon once were. Glorymon was so overjoyed that she had Digivolved, she pulled FallenAngemon into a tight embraces and buried her face into his chest. FallenAngemon felt her let out a slight shiver, most likely from the chill of the night; and so he decided to wrap his eight, black, angelic wings around her to keep her warm. Finally, in a voice that was little more than a whisper, but still just as beautiful, he sung…

Let me be the one to call.

If you jump, I'll break your fall.

Lift you up, and fly away with you into the night!!

If you need to fall apart

I can mend your broken heart.

If you need to crash, then crash and burn,

You're not alone!!!

Let me be the one to call.

If you jump, I'll break your fall.

Lift you up, and fly away with you into the night!!

If you need to fall apart

I can mend your broken heart.

If you need to crash, then crash and burn,

You're not alone!!!

The end

The moral: no one is truly alone, as long as there is someone who cares for them.

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor do I claim to own, "Digimon: Digital Monsters" or any characters and story lines there of. Nor do I own the song "Crash and burn" or the characters of Jennifer and Foximon. All of them belong to their respective trademark holders. The only things I own are the characters of Squall and Diamon.