Never Forgotten

Chapter 1: The Meeting

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon, Toei Animation, Fox Kids, and Saban or Bandai owns them. I use their characters in my stories for readers' enjoyment.

This story is a Renamon/Flamedramon pairing. The events take place before Renamon decides to go to Earth to be Ruki's digimon and after the events of the D-Reaper in the later chapters.

And this is my first Digimon fanfic, so don't flame me if I make any mistakes. Reviews will be much appreciated.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A single Flamedramon awoke, yawning widely, revealing shining, white fangs. He stretched luxuriously before hopping off the ground and onto his feet, a smile on his face. Today was the day; the day he was going to confess his love to the digimon he had a crush on, Gatomon. Rubbing his armor to keep it shiny and smooth, he stepped out of his cave and into the bright sunlight. The digital world was in peaceful times, and the digimon were happy, the digital world split into many various territories claimed by the various digimon. This particular Flamedramon and his friends had claimed one sector of the mountainous area as their own territory, living in it rather happily.

"Hey Flamedramon! Nice weather, isn't it?" A passing Gabumon asked, a smile on its face. Flamedramon nodded, and bounded off the edge of the mountain cliff he was living on and to the ground below. There was a tiny clearing where the various digimon living in the territory often sat together to talk and discuss various matters. Surrounding it for miles and miles beyond was a huge forest, and that was Flamedramon's destination. Gatomon's home was in the forest, and it seemed like the perfect spot to admit his love.

~~~~~

Humming to himself, Flamedramon stopped for a moment below a large tree to pick some flowers, something he had learned from the other digimon that females liked. He chose the brightest ones, and was just about to pick them when he heard Gatomon's voice come from right behind the tree. Flamedramon froze, and listened carefully, wondering what Gatomon was going to say.

"Oh, Patamon…" Gatomon breathed, hugging the digimon standing in front her lovingly. "It's taken a long time, but I've always loved you…"

"Gatomon…" Patamon returned warmly. "I love you too." The two hugged each other and kissed passionately, filling the already shocked Flamedramon with intense jealousy. He watched as Patamon and Gatomon kissed, and felt his heart break. One was his best friend, and the other was the digimon he loved. Flamedramon felt betrayed. They broke their kiss and stepped back, still eyeing each other lovingly.

"What about Flamedramon? He likes you too, doesn't he?" Patamon ventured, a slightly concerned look on his face. Flamedramon smiled sadly. Patamon was still his best friend after all. "He'll be heart-broken…"

"Flamedramon? That egotistic guy?" Gatomon sniffed. "All he does is try to prove his skill to everyone who's unfortunate enough to be near him. I never really liked him since we first met, and I doubt I'm ever going to change my opinion." She said, much to Patamon's shock. Flamedramon did use to be somewhat of a show off, but he had changed a lot over the years! He was humble and kind now…

"He isn't like that…" Patamon muttered.

"Yes, he is! I wish he'd stop trying to show off!" Gatomon insisted. That was too much for Flamedramon to bear. His heart had already been ruthlessly shattered into pieces; his tears were flowing down his usually vibrant blue face. Turning around with a low cry of anguish, Flamedramon quickly ran away, away from Gatomon and Patamon. So that was how she felt. All this time, he had never expected that the digimon he loved would actually think of him that way. He slumped down against a stump some distance away, sobbing freely.

"I've been a fool. A disillusioned fool. She had never loved me at all…" Flamedramon whispered to himself brokenly, burying his face in his hands. "Why?" Was all he could say before he started crying again. He continued to remain that way for while, quietly crying to himself, crying until his eyes were bloodshot. And then there came a voice from behind him, and Flamedramon jumped.

"Flamedramon, are you okay?" Came the voice of an Agumon, who walked up to his friend. "You don't look so good." Flamedramon hurriedly wiped his hand across his face, and forced his tears to stop. He gave a single cough to clear his throat and stood up tall, thankful that his height could hide his face from the much smaller Agumon.

"I'm fine." He said in false cheerfulness. "What's up?" Agumon eyed him suspiciously for a moment before continuing on.

"We're under attack from a wild digimon. Get over there and help, the others are having a hard time!" Agumon informed Flamedramon, and turned around to head back to the clearing. "Come on!" Flamedramon nodded and bounded after his friend. When this was over, he was going to consult the others. Surely they had some advice…

~~~~~

"Yeah, we won!" Agumon cheered, pulling Gabumon into a victory hug, laughing. The others just stood around, laughing and smiling, giving each other friendly pats on their backs. They were all talking spiritedly. All except for Flamedramon, who was standing behind Stingmon, trying to talk to his next best friend.

"Stingmon…" He called softly, tapping the digimon on his shoulder.

"Not now, Flamedramon!" Stingmon replied, turning his attention back to the other digimon, talking happily. He didn't notice the look of anguish on Flamedramon's face. Flamedramon took a step backwards, his masked face twisted in pain as he felt his heart break a little more. Now his friends had chosen to ignore him as well. It seemed that everyone hated him, didn't want him around.

And if that was what they wanted, Flamedramon would gladly give it to them. Whipping around, Flamedramon fled into the trees, a single tear falling to the ground, marking where he once stood…

~~~~~

Flamedramon didn't know how long he had been running. It had definitely been a long time, and he briefly wondered why he wasn't collapsing from exhaustion yet. Flamedramon didn't really care. He liked it this way, to be able to keep running without ever stopping. Right now, he felt useless and insignificant as he ran madly, knocking aside the trees and plants that stood in his path. Nothing seemed to matter anymore. It wasn't long before his armor and body was badly scratched and bleeding, but Flamedramon couldn't feel the pain. All the pain was focused in his heart, nowhere else. He supposed he had been running for days now, he wasn't sure. He didn't want to think what the others' reactions were when they discovered they were missing. They were probably happy, happy that he was gone at last, gone from their lives. Flamedramon bit his lower lip, and added more speed into his dash.

Nobody cared. Not Gatomon, not his friends, not anyone. Flamedramon didn't want to be around them anymore. It seemed that all they could do whenever he thought of them was to break his already shattered heart further. The tears had already stopped, and all Flamedramon could think of was to run, nothing more. Run, run away from the life he once knew. And then, he stumbled over a tree root. Normally, Flamedramon would have recovered his balance easily, but this time he went sprawling to the ground, and he did not bother to get up. The tears were coming forth once again, and they began to stream down his dirtied face as he knelt there in the mud.

"What did I do wrong? Why does everyone ignore me? Why?" He sobbed, pounding the ground with his fist. The sky above him was darkening, casting an ominous shadow all around. Flamedramon didn't notice, didn't even notice it when the rain started to pour down upon him, washing away all the mud. Flamedramon just continued to kneel on the ground, his face shadowed, tears glistening on his face, his fists clenched tightly at his side. The rain poured relentlessly, the water running off his once proud and shining armor that bore the Crest of Courage.

"Courage?" Flamedramon asked himself softly, looking at his hands. "I am no Bearer of Courage…" He shook his head, his long blue ears drooping sadly as the tears continued. The battle at what he once considered home a few days ago was a perfect example. What Fire of Courage? Indeed, he had fought with the same strength and valor as always, but something was missing. Gone was his spirit, his bravery, leaving behind merely an empty shell of sadness and despair. The body was there, the fire was gone. As he continued to just kneel there in the mud, allowing the rain to wash over him, Flamedramon suddenly spoke the words he had never dreamed of saying.

"I'm never going back…" He whispered, staring at the ground, his fist clenched tightly around a handful of mud. "Never… They all hate me, I… don't want to feel that pain anymore…" His fists loosened, and went to his heart. There was an aching pain there, the pain of loss, the pain of rejection, the pain of betrayal. And then someone patted him, none too lightly, on his back, startling him.

"Who are you?" Came a feminine voice from behind him. Flamedramon turned around only to see a tall, elegant golden fox standing on her hind legs, with purple armguards engraved with the image of Taoism on them. Her eyes were a striking ice blue, and Flamedramon started. He had seen this Renamon somewhere before… Renamon didn't look very pleased, however.

"I asked you a question. Answer me!" She demanded. Her voice… the same voice.

"R-Renamon… Is that really you…?" He stuttered, his voice raspy. How long had it been since he had spoken louder than a whisper? Renamon gasped as she got a closer look at the figure kneeling on the ground in front of her.

"Flamedramon?" She asked softly, taking a step forward to have a good look at Flamedramon. "It's been a long time…" She got a good view of her old friend and was taken aback. Flamedramon had once been so proud of his armor, making sure that it never got damaged or dirtied, and here it was, covered in scratches and mud. "What happened to you?" Flamedramon got to his feet slowly, wincing softly as he felt the blood rush back into his powerful limbs.

"Renamon, it's good to see you again," He smiled weakly. "I d-don't really want to talk about what happened. I'm not welcome anywhere anyway. I'll leave you alone…" He said bitterly, turning around and walking away. He blinked rapidly, trying to stop the flow of his tears, but to no avail. Here was yet another one of his friends, one he hadn't seen in a long time. Yet, strangely, he didn't want to see her. It hurt too much. The term 'friends' hurt him. Solitude seemed like the ideal thing for him. Everyone hated him anyway. Flamedramon walked slowly with a slight limp, his foot hurt from tripping over the root. Even though the rain had washed away the blood and mud, the bruises and cuts were still evident on his body.

He's been through a lot, both physically and mentally, Renamon realized as she watched the blue figure stumble along unsteadily, his head bowed. His tail and ears were drooped, his hands hung limply by his side. I wonder what has happened to him? Renamon wondered, having never seen her friend in such a sad state before. It surprised her… and scared her. What did he mean he wasn't welcome anywhere? Renamon was confused, knowing that her friend had been traumatized by something. She had to help him, and she watched him carefully, following him slowly. Then Flamedramon stumbled again, and started to fall forward. He made no move to catch himself, seemingly welcoming the ground. Renamon dashed forward and grabbed Flamedramon by his arm, pulling him to his feet. Flamedramon made no move, except to sigh dispiritedly. He then pulled himself free, stumbled backwards and eyed Renamon strangely.

"What did you do that for?" He asked, his eyes narrowed. "You don't have to help me. Nobody has to. I don't belong anywhere." He said, his voice filled with intense anger and bitterness. Flamedramon was suddenly aware that he was extremely tired, weak and hungry. His legs were unsteady, and were barely able to support him. But still he stood, eyeing Renamon. She had changed quite a bit… she was projecting an aura of strength now… quite unlike him.

"What happened to you?" Renamon repeated her question, taking a step towards her once cheerful and vibrant friend. Flamedramon didn't answer at first, but tears welled up in his eyes. The haunted and pained look in his eyes was all Renamon really needed to understand how he felt.

"My friends… at least, they were once my friends… They don't care about me anymore, they ignore me, treat me as nothing, and even talk about me behind my back…" Flamedramon shut his eyes, squeezing the tears out. His legs gave way, and Flamedramon found himself sitting in the mud again. He struggled to his feet and wobbled on unsteadily before Renamon could really do anything to help.

"Where are you going?" Renamon called, taking a step forward, worried about her friend.

"Somewhere. Anywhere. As long as it's not home." He said harshly. "Somewhere where at least, I can rid myself of this pain…" He started on his way again, trudging through the mud and rain despite his incredible weariness. He didn't want to see anyone. Then he felt Renamon grab his arm. He stiffened in shock.

"You can stay here. You're not in any shape to travel…" Renamon said softly. Flamedramon shook his head.

"You don't have to…" He muttered. Renamon smiled.

"It's okay. Hey, that's what friends are for, right?" Her words had a startling impact on Flamedramon. He started sobbing again, his entire body shaking.

"That's what I thought before… And I was wrong…" It pained Renamon to see Flamedramon acting like that.

"I'm here. I'll be here to help you. You don't have to worry…" She said comfortingly, patting Flamedramon on his shoulder.

"Really?" Renamon saw Flamedramon's eyes shine with seemed like hope and happiness. It gave him a completely different look, changing him from a stranger back into the warm-hearted, happy person she knew. She nodded in response to Flamedramon. He gave a happy cry and hugged her, his eyes filled with eternal gratitude. Renamon was slightly taken aback with his actions. All she had done was offer him a place to rest, and a helping hand to get him through whatever was plaguing him… He sobbed into her shoulder, wracking sobs tearing through his tall body. Renamon patted him awkwardly, trying to sooth him. Finally, Flamedramon calmed down considerably.

"Thank you, Renamon…" Flamedramon managed to muster, his voice heavy with weariness. He could barely pull him away from Renamon. His legs were numb, as was the rest of his body. He struggled to stay conscious, but failed. He started to collapse to the ground from exhaustion, but Renamon managed to catch him.

"Rest, Flamedramon, you've been through a lot." She smiled as Flamedramon fell unconscious, his eyes shutting in peace. She looked around, blinking away the rain that fell into her eyes. Her fur was soaking wet.

"Thank god my cave is nearby, and that this is my territory." She muttered to herself as she lifted Flamedramon off the ground in her two paws. Then, bounding with incredible dexterity, Renamon leapt through the mud, and onto a cliff, where there was a large and warm cave. A fire was cackling inside, Renamon having lighted it just a short while ago, when she thought she saw some movement outside her cave and decided to investigate. Who would have thought she would meet her childhood friend again?

Stepping into the dry cave, Renamon carefully set Flamedramon down by the fire, brushing the water off his face as he lay there silently. His body was rather badly scarred, but Renamon guessed grimly, not as scarred as his soul. She gently peeled off the armor that he wore on his body and laid them down by his side to dry, and she got a view of Flamedramon without his armor for the first time. She immediately flushed and turned away. He certainly looked thinner, more graceful and gentler. There was something about him that made her blood stir. Then she heard a soft moan, and she turned around only to see Flamedramon turn his head about, seemingly in agony. His claws started to dig into the ground as he let out another moan. Renamon sighed and padded over to him, careful to avert her gaze as she settled down on the ground next to the dragon digimon, patting him absent-mindedly. Eventually his moans subsided, his movements ceased as he fell back into a deep sleep, emitting soft snores that made Renamon smile.

The night passed slowly as the rain continued to pour relentlessly, the fire burning strong from within the cave, Renamon lightly sleeping, still sitting up, next to the comatose Flamedramon…

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

That's it for the first chapter. For the next chapter, all the information of their past will be revealed!

Also, credit goes to Comrade Terror for his original story idea. He gave the idea to me, and I used it with a few changes here and there. Thanks Comrade Terror!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*