Chapter 2: Broken Spirit

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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.

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Renamon woke up and immediately regained her senses within three seconds: a result of her training. She had to be prepared for any form of surprise attack another digimon might unleash on her. She took a look around the cave. The fire had long died out, leaving only a charred patch on the rocky ground. The weather outside the cave was sunny, the sky was clear and blue, and the trees stretched for miles beyond. Renamon stared outside for a few moments, thinking of what had happened just yesterday, when she met Flamedramon, an old friend she never thought she'd ever see again.

It had been a few years since they had parted ways due to their different views on life. Flamedramon strongly felt that life was given so that they could experience the wonders and funs of the world. Renamon, on the other hand, lived only for the purpose of facing a new challenge everyday; defeating every new opponent she came across. They had dueled quite a few times, all of which were started by Renamon's persuading. Most times Renamon came out the victor, since back then Flamedramon had not Digivolved, and was still a Veemon. The only time Veemon won was when he accidentally head-butted a tree and knocked it over, swiping Renamon into a nearby river by mistake. While Renamon spent all her time training and fighting, Veemon frolicked about and played with other digimon all day, never once getting into a serious battle. Except for one particular battle, which ultimately ended in Veemon evolving in Flamedramon.

Renamon looked over at Flamedramon. He hadn't switched his position all through the entire night, lying flat on his back, his face looking at the cave ceiling. Next to him was his armor, now dry and with patches of hardened mud all over it. Renamon walked over to him, getting a good look at his body. His body was muscle-toned, and Renamon concluded that he had done some training since they parted. Without the gauntlets, Flamedramon's arms hardly looked as dangerous and imposing. There were three long fingers, each tipped with a pearly white sharp claw. His face was almost a mirror of Veemon's, only far more mature looking. Renamon let out a small wince and bit her lip in guilt as her eyes came upon a tiny, almost fully healed scar just under his eye. She had given that to Veemon during one of the duels, when her patience had snapped after countless times of Veemon's taunting.

She could still remember Veemon's reaction after she had swiped her claws across his face. First, he had stared at her in shock, his eyes wide, and then suddenly blood spurted out of the long gash, the pain kicking in. He let a cry of pain as he clutched his face and stumbled backwards, away from Renamon, finally tripping on a rock and landing on the ground. He sat there, trying unsuccessfully to stop the bleeding, and attempting fruitlessly to see through the red mist that pervaded his vision. Renamon, upon realizing what she had done, dashed over, and while apologizing profusely, helped Veemon stop the bleeding temporarily, before applying some medicine and a makeshift bandage. Veemon had told her not to worry about it, but she felt guilty all the same.

His smooth, azure blue scales sparkled in the sunrays that shone into the cave, illuminating his peach-colored belly. That was when Renamon suddenly remembered, and realized, that she was staring at a naked Flamedramon. Flamedramon had always been rather sensitive about his privacy. Her face went red, and she hurriedly turned away. She went over to the cave mouth, and stared outside, spotting a crystal-clear stream nearby. She began to leap towards it, in hopes of catching some fish to fill their stomachs.

~~~~~

It was a full hour later when she came back, her arms laden with two fish and a whole lot of fruits. The first thing she noted was that Flamedramon was awake, but the thing that surprised her was that he was simply sitting at the edge of the precipice outside the cave mouth, his armor not put on. The Flamedramon she knew would have been wandering about restlessly, wearing his full suit of armor. Instead, he was just sitting there, occasionally grabbing some rocks off the ground and tossing them in some random direction. His eyes were probably the most shocking: the once livid and happy crimson eyes were now dark and empty. The shock of being rejected and insulted by the one he loved, and then being ignored by his best friends had been too much for him to handle. Instead of trying to cope with it, he simply withdrew deep into his mind, hiding away from all the mortal pains of his life.

"Flamedramon?" Renamon called, realizing with a start that her voice was raspy. She had been far too taken aback by the sudden change in her friend. She went over, just as Flamedramon's ears perked up a little. He turned his head around to face her. He stared at her blankly for moment, seemingly not recognizing her, and then he suddenly remembered.

"Renamon…" He said, his voice deadpan. His mouth twisted into a tiny, sad smile as he struggled to his feet unsteadily. His muscles ached incredibly from the long distance he had run the day before. He stumbled once, and for a moment Renamon was afraid that he was going to fall off the edge, but he caught himself just in time, and began to limp towards Renamon. It took her a great effort to tear her gaze away from the sight before her. She went into the cave, and called for Flamedramon to follow. She settled down on the ground, started a new fire, and began to cook the fish. Flamedramon slowly came into the dark and cool interior of the cave, and was just about to reach the fire when his legs gave way below him, sending him crashing to the ground. Renamon barely managed to keep him from breaking his nose. After ensuring that Flamedramon wouldn't fall over again and burn himself, she returned to her original place by the fire.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it, Flamedramon?" She asked softly, staring into the fire.

"Yes… It has." Renamon couldn't tell how he was feeling. His voice was completely emotionless. "How has life treated you?"

"It's been the same as always." She responded simply. Flamedramon nodded.

"It was great for me… Everything was perfect… And then it was all destroyed. I was going to confess to Gatomon about my feelings… when… when… I saw her with one of my good friends… Later, everyone just seemed to… ignore me…" Flamedramon couldn't continue, and he turned his face towards the ground, his body trembling. Renamon was too stunned to make a comment. She knew Gatomon herself; she had personally disliked the other Digimon. Veemon had always had a crush on the both of them, but Gatomon appealed to him more because of her outgoing personality. Renamon had refused to admit it before, but she had always known deep down that she had been somewhat jealous that Veemon was going after Gatomon. Veemon, even after Digivolving to Flamedramon, had tried flirting with her openly, although he never really dared to admit his feelings for her. Renamon immediately began to flare up. Gatomon had known all along that Flamedramon liked her. She had the feeling that Gatomon had simply been toying with him.

"I guess… everyone hates me. I'm just a nobody…" Flamedramon muttered. That proved to be the last straw for Renamon. She had never liked weakness, and she especially disliked people who didn't respect themselves. And she had never expected that Flamedramon, of all Digimon, to degrade himself in such a way. It was unthinkable: that he, the Bearer of Courage, would act this way. That, and the fact that she was already feeling unhappy about Gatomon. She slapped Flamedramon across his face sharply. Flamedramon raised a shaking hand to his face, and stared at Renamon, shocked, his eyes wide.

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself." Renamon growled. "Life has its moments, you just have to accept what has happened and move on. What happened to the Flamedramon I knew? The Flamedramon I knew wouldn't get so down. He would be cheerful and jumping around, not sitting around and feeling sorry for himself!" Flamedramon clenched his fists tightly, so tightly that his claws bit into his flesh, drawing blood. The red and sticky liquid dripped onto the ground slowly as he got to his feet, the pain in his legs forgotten.

"You don't know how I feel." He said in a voice trembling with anger.

"No, I don't, but I do know that you don't have any self-respect! It's pitiful." Flamedramon's eyes flashed with intense anger.

"I thought you would understand me in the least, but I guess I was wrong. All these years I've known you, I thought you were a kind Digimon, but now…" His voice was icy cold. He grabbed his armor off the ground and started towards the cave entrance. "Leave me alone." The statement came out as a snarl. He stood, poised at the edge of the precipice, about to jump off, when he turned around and gave Renamon one final, hard glare.

"The Flamedramon you knew is dead." With that, he vanished over the edge into the thick wilderness beyond. Renamon stood there blankly for a moment, at a loss of what to do, her mind still registering what had happened. Then she realized the harshness of her words and let out a small groan, reprimanding herself mentally. She made a solemn vow to keep her temper in check, and to stay cool and focused at all times. Having done that, she quickly set off in pursuit of Flamedramon.

~~~~~

The luxurious, tall trees provided excellent shade from the scorching afternoon sun as Flamedramon wandered through them aimlessly, his armor back on, although they hardly looked impressive beneath the layers of dried mud and scratches. His tail, once active and energetic, hung limply behind him, dragging on the ground as he trudged along.

Finally, Flamedramon came upon a clearing. He walked over to a large rock in the middle of it, and laid down on it, grateful to have an opportunity to warm his body and rest his aching legs. He removed his gauntlets and placed them on the ground next to him casually, not wanting them to get in his way. That done, he stretched, yawned, and lay there on the rock, staring at the sky, watching the clouds slowly hover past. His mind was a complete blank; he couldn't think, and he didn't trust himself to. He simply remained there, on the rock, motionless. His eyes suddenly trailed down to his chest plate, where the symbol of Courage was printed. His thinking became clearer, and he suddenly thought back to the time where he had Digivolved.

~~~~~Flashback~~~~~

Renamon had been training, as always, outside the cave where Veemon, herself and a few other Digimon lived. Veemon, on the other hand, was sleeping soundly inside. Renamon had tried unsuccessfully to awaken him, but not even cold water had worked. Amazed, Renamon left him to sleep and went outside to train.

Finally, after hours of training, Renamon headed back into the cool interior of the cave, sweating profusely. She blinked a few times, trying to adjust her eyes to the darkness, and she barely made out a few small figures in the distance. She watched as they came closer and closer, soon revealing themselves to be Veemon, Koromon, Agumon and Gabumon, all giggling and laughing as they dashed down the path, Veemon in the lead. Renamon barely avoided them as they stampeded past, leaving a trail of dust in their wake. Muttering under her breath, Renamon went to her quiet corner in the cave and sat down to rest, her breathing heavy. The five of them, after having been born from their eggs, had traveled far and wide, until deciding upon the scenic cave as their home. Koromon was the most recent addition to their family; the other four had found him lying outside the cave, half-dead from exhaustion.

Nearby were several neighboring caves, most of its occupants friendly Digimon. However, they had each marked their territorial space, and nobody violated the peace of the others' homes. Conflicts, unless affecting the general public, were left to each separate cave occupants to settle. That was why nobody came to rescue, even after Veemon and the others all let out shrill cries of surprise.

Renamon had at first not heard the screams. The second time it rang out, she had dismissed it as her imagination. But by the third time, Renamon was positive that Veemon and the others were in danger. She had never heard that quivering note of fear in Veemon's tone before. Rushing outside, she followed their messy trail until she was led to a clearing, where she was greeted instantly by a roar, a scream, and a flying Gabumon. Gabumon smacked into her chest, and both fell to the ground. Letting out a groan as she shifted the unconscious Gabumon away, Renamon looked up and saw a Kuwagamon swiping at the other two.

"Two?" Renamon mumbled to herself. She looked carefully. There was no mistake. There were only two digimon left: Veemon and Agumon. Koromon had either been swatted away, like Gabumon… or…

Without giving it further thought, Renamon rushed forward and unleashed a Diamond Storm attack, damaging the Champion Digimon slightly. The damage wasn't great, but it was enough to topple Kuwagamon over, and into the foliage of trees. Agumon slumped to the ground, panting. Veemon, on the other hand, fell to his knees, gripping the grass tightly with his paws. Renamon looked closely and saw that both his and Agumon's eyes were filled with tears. She took a step forward hesitantly.

"Where's… Koromon…?" She asked quietly. Agumon raised his head and stared at her with bloodshot eyes.

"Kuwagamon… he deleted Koromon… and… absorbed his data…" Agumon choked. Koromon had always been a little brother to all the other Digimon. He was the most hyper of the lot, never failing to cheer the others up when they were depressed. Renamon froze as she heard the news. Her mouth opened, trying to say something, but the words never came as Kuwagamon dashed out of nowhere and slammed into her with terrible force. She was flung to one side of the clearing. Without pausing, Kuwagamon raised a claw and smacked Agumon into a tree. Veemon stood up, growling, his eyes dilated. He attempted all available attacks on Kuwagamon, dealing considerable damage, but Kuwagamon was still far stronger. With a swipe, Veemon found himself lying facedown on the grass next to Renamon. He climbed to his feet again, and resumed his relentless attack, much to Renamon's surprise. She had never expected the little guy to have such an incredible willpower. And the way he was attacking… he was either really brave, or really stupid.

Renamon joined the assault, as did Agumon. Gabumon, after recovering, joined shortly after. They appeared to be overpowering Kuwagamon when quite suddenly, a claw swung down from above out of nowhere, striking Veemon square on his head. Veemon let out a raspy cough as he doubled over, only to be given a heavy blow to the stomach, sending him skidding some distance away, trembling from the pain that had spread all over his body. Blood flowed from his mouth at a slow, but steady pace, and his eyes were glazed over. Renamon wouldn't have been surprised if he had broken some bones. With Veemon out of the way, Kuwagamon proceeded to bowl over Renamon and Agumon, and finally cornered Gabumon against a tree, a claw poised over the Rookie's chest.

"Stop!" Renamon and Agumon both tried to go to their friend's rescue, but they were too far away. Only Veemon stood a chance, but he was too weak to move. Veemon managed to struggle to his feet, but he stumbled and was hardly in any condition to battle Kuwagamon. Nevertheless, he kept limping forward as quickly as his battered body allowed. Then, halfway, disaster struck. His body, not able to take the pressure, gave way. Blood spurted out of his mouth and he collapsed onto the grass. Kuwagamon sneered at him, and raised his claw, ready to strike Gabumon and delete him. Even then, Veemon refused to give up. Despite the overwhelming odds, he gathered his courage and energy, and grabbed a rock, throwing it as hard as he could into Kuwagamon's belly. It bounced right off, but it had served its purpose. Kuwagamon was angry and distracted from his main task of deleting Gabumon. He blindly slammed a claw into the ground, narrowly missing Veemon's head. Veemon didn't even flinch. Tears were streaming down his face.

"If only I had the power to protect my friends… then Koromon wouldn't be…" Veemon's eyes flared open.

'If anyone can hear me, give me the power… the courage to protect my friends!' His mind screamed. There was no response. Veemon's heart sank. Then, a dismembered voice rang in his head.

"Courage…" It echoed in his mind. A pillar of light enveloped Veemon, healing all his wounds instantly. He got to his feet, and looked around, trying to see through the thick, pure white light. There was nothing. Nothing but white. Then he was faintly aware of something right above him. Looking up, he saw the Crest of Courage and the Digiegg of Courage, both hovering there. He shielded his eyes as both of them glowed brightly…

The pillar of light vanished. Veemon opened his eyes. The immediate thing he noted was that he was taller, far taller than before. Then he felt cold metal on various parts of his body, and that his body was more lithe and muscular than before. Veemon was at a loss. What Digimon had he become? Then the answer appeared in his mind, as though it had been waiting for the right moment.

Flamedramon, the Fire of Courage.

With a deft kick, Flamedramon leapt high up into the air, higher than he could have ever attained as Veemon. With a roar, he plunged downwards and delivered a devastating kick across Kuwagamon's head, sending the large Digimon crashing to the ground with a horrible screech. Landing on one foot, Flamedramon instinctively kicked off the ground, raising a small cloud of dust, and began pounding on the bug Digimon, focusing all his anger and hatred in his attacks. But, just as he was about to finish Kuwagamon off, something in his mind told him to stop. And he did, stepping back, blinking and shaking his head. Seeing his opportunity, Kuwagamon took off, and escaped, its wounds telling the Digimon that he wouldn't be coming back for a long, long time.

Agumon quickly rushed over to tend to Gabumon, who was miraculously still alive. Plucking a few medicinal leaves from a tree nearby, he rubbed them over Gabumon's wounds. It stung, but Gabumon was glad that he was still alive and well. Renamon, in the meantime, had gone over to check on Flamedramon, who looked very stunned, and very lost. She still couldn't believe that Veemon had managed to Digivolve, but she was glad for him. Unknown to anyone of them, the one responsible for Flamedramon's Digivolution was Azulongmon.

  "Vee… Flamedramon?" Renamon corrected herself halfway. It felt strange that just a short while ago, Veemon barely reached up to her waist. Now he was slightly taller than herself, and certainly far more muscular… Renamon caught herself as her mind wandered off. Mentally scolding herself, she took a closer peek at Flamedramon to see what was going on.

Nothing. Flamedramon's face was a blank, as he stared at his claws, hardly able to believe what he was seeing.

~~~~~

The weeks passed after that fateful incident, and Flamedramon had finally gotten used to his new form. Renamon was rather miffed, however, to discover that his mentality had not changed at all. She had expected him to mature, but it was apparently not the case. And every once in a while, the two would get into light arguments about whose views were correct. Renamon had always been pleased to note that she had never lost a single argument.

But then, when Flamedramon suddenly left one morning, leaving her with a short letter etched into the sand outside the cave, stating that he wanted to explore the world and go after Gatomon, she couldn't help but miss him…

~~~~~End Flashback~~~~~

Flamedramon felt considerably better after he had done some thinking and recollecting, although his heart still ached a little. And when he thought of how he had brushed Renamon aside, he felt rather guilty as well. With a small, exasperated moan, Flamedramon rolled over onto his side, berating himself, and cursing himself for being insensitive. He got up, and started to head back to Renamon's cave so he could apologize, but his legs gave way beneath him, and he collapsed with a small cry of surprise.

Flamedramon cursed vilely, probably for the first time in his life. He reached feebly for his gauntlets, and picked them up, but he didn't put them on. He didn't have time to. His sharp hearing picked up a shrill scream coming from somewhere to his left. He listened even more closely, heard the scream again, and his eyes widened as he identified it as Patamon's. And despite the fact that he bore a disliking towards Patamon for taking Gatomon away, Flamedramon decided that he simply couldn't sit around. With a hoarse cry, Flamedramon pushed all his thoughts aside, and began running in the direction of the scream, the adrenaline rushing through his body enabling him to temporarily forget the pain in his legs.

But… as his figure faded into the distance, his pair of gauntlets lay there, forgotten, against the sun-warmed rock…

~~~~~

Patamon let out a shrill scream of pain as his foe smacked him into a tree. He started to slide to the ground, but his enemy ruthlessly slammed him into the thick trunk again. And again. And again. He was starting to have difficulty just keeping his data together as he was smacked about. After learning of Flamedramon's mysterious disappearance, Patamon had volunteered to go look for him. Gatomon, being stubborn and having a certain disliking for Flamedramon, refused to go.  Stingmon wanted to go along, but he was required to stay behind and protect the weaker Digimon.

Then, just as he stepped into unfamiliar territory, he was ambushed by his foe. He hadn't gotten a good glimpse of his enemy yet, since the first thing his enemy did was to attack him from behind, and from there, continue on with a series of relentless attacks.

Just then, when Patamon was sure he was about to be deleted, a speeding blue blur rammed into his assailant and both of them tumbled away. Summoning the last ounce of his energy, he saw Flamedramon slowly getting to his feet unsteadily. And then, he slumped forward, and knew no more.

Flamedramon was shocked. Not because of Patamon's injuries, but more of because who the assailant was. It was Kuwagamon, the same one he had fought many years ago. Flamedramon could still smell the same scent of death lingering around the Digimon. However, Kuwagamon appeared to be far stronger than before, presumably from absorbing data. It was already getting back on its feet. As Flamedramon hobbled about unsteadily on his shaky feet, trying to charge up an attack, he suddenly realized that the heat in his palm was unbearably hot. He dispersed the attack hurriedly, wondering what was wrong, and realized, his heart nearly stopping, that he had forgotten his gauntlets. Without his gauntlets, most of his primary attacks would be rendered useless.

Then, as Flamedramon heard an enormous roar, he realized that he had made a fatal mistake by standing there. He was a sitting duck. With a swipe that nearly broke Flamedramon's chest, the blue Digimon was flung back several feet. He expected the hard ground to meet him any second… but instead he smacked into something soft, warm and silky. Whatever it was he hit, it fell backwards, Flamedramon following after. Tilting his head slightly, Flamedramon's eyes widened as he saw just what he had landed on.

Right behind him, with Flamedramon lying on her chest, was a blushing Renamon.

"Uh… hi, Renamon. What brings you here?" Flamedramon laughed nervously.

THWACK!

The next thing Flamedramon knew, he was lying facedown in the dirt with a sharp pain at the back of his head.

"Oww." He groaned. Then he heard two dull thuds next to him, and he shifted his head so he could see what it was. To his surprise, his gauntlets lay there, shining brightly in what little sunlight that the canopy of trees allowed in. Someone had definitely polished them. Climbing to his feet, he picked up his gauntlets, gaping slightly, then turned to Renamon.

"Renamon…" He started, then fell into sheepish silence as he noticed Renamon, still blushing furiously, glare at him icily. Sighing, Flamedramon snapped on his gauntlets, then grinned as he tested out an attack and found that it worked perfectly. He was about to suggest doing a combination attack with Renamon, but found to his dismay that Renamon was already leaping about, throwing punches and kicks at Kuwagamon at a rapid pace. Flamedramon blinked.

Whoa… she sure is a lot faster than she used to be.

"Diamond Storm!" Flamedramon was snapped out of his thoughts as he heard Renamon yelling out the name of her attack, then looked up… only to see many silvery projectiles flying around in random directions. Including the one he was in. Flamedramon threw himself to the ground with a yelp just before he was impaled. Renamon didn't seem to notice, and recovered almost instantly, resuming her attack. However, Kuwagamon didn't seem to be too badly damaged. In fact, after receiving a few more blows, he suddenly countered with a swipe of his left claw. Renamon barely managed to block it, noting to herself how strong his attack was, then realized something.

Kuwagamon's right claw…! I don't see…

Renamon let out a cry as the right claw connected heavily with her back. She steadfastly refused to admit it, but the pain shooting through her body was intense. She fell limply to the ground as Kuwagamon released her. Renamon prepared herself as best as she could for the upcoming impact… but it never came. Opening her eyes, she saw that Flamedramon had caught her safely. She was about to comment sharply, then saw the look in his eyes. His eyes were dilated, and displayed anger as she had never seen before. Then she heard him let out a feral growl. Setting her carefully on the ground, Flamedramon tossed fire attack after fire attack at Kuwagamon, not even giving it the chance to counterattack. When he saw Renamon being struck, an uncontrollable rage washed over him, wiping clear all doubts immediately. When he slowed down a little, Kuwagamon was already burnt and smoking from the attacks, and looked very beat up. Flamedramon, his claws still smoking, immediately followed up with a kick from above that sent Kuwagamon crashing into the ground with such startling impact that even Renamon winced.

Flamedramon landed lightly on the ground, then his eyes returned to their normal state, and he stumbled forward, bringing his hand to his head with a soft moan. His entire body ached. Finally, his legs unable to take any more, Flamedramon slumped to the ground, and lost consciousness. Renamon was about to run over and check on him when she heard a rustling sound, and saw, much to her horror, that Kuwagamon was trying to get up.

How can anyone still stand up after taking a beating like that?

Renamon was at a loss of what to do. She could still attack, but she knew that she couldn't overpower Kuwagamon, not in her current state. Not to mention that Flamedramon was in imminent danger. She started off in a mad dash towards Flamedramon, hoping to tackle him out of danger's way, but when she heard a blood-curling roar and earthshaking tremors, she knew that she was too late. She shut her eyes tightly, berating herself for not being able to do anything useful, when she heard a high-pitched yell, a thump, and a crashing sound. Skidding to a halt and staring, Renamon narrowed her eyes slightly in dislike as she recognized the small figure of Gatomon. Gatomon made little work of Kuwagamon since he was already severely weakened and then rushed to Patamon's side, leaving the data dispersed. Renamon helped Flamedramon up, and supported him as she walked over to Gatomon, loading the data along the way. As she approached, Gatomon's sharp hearing turned her attention to them. Turning around, her eyes widened, then narrowed dangerously as she got a glimpse of Flamedramon.

"What happened to him? Got beat up, I suppose, and Patamon probably got injured because he tried to help Flame… what-sis-name." She muttered in disgust. Renamon growled softly, but didn't say anything. She considered it beneath her to bicker with Gatomon. She simply watched in silence as Gatomon scooped Patamon up and carry him away, back towards their community. Before she disappeared into the trees, however, Gatomon turned around and spoke.

"Nice to see you again, Renamon, although I wish we could have met under better circumstances." Renamon didn't reply. "But tell this to Flamedramon: never, ever set foot near our community again. This wouldn't have happened if it weren't for him." With that, Gatomon whirled around and walked away. Renamon was about to say something, her patience lost, when Flamedramon suddenly placed his hand on her shoulder lightly. With a start, Renamon realized that Flamedramon had been awake all this time, and had heard everything Gatomon said. Renamon looked at Flamedramon worriedly, but he shook his head, whispering to her to let things be. But there was a dark, haunted look in his eyes. Grimacing, Renamon looked in the direction Gatomon went, hurled a rock, and allowed herself a thin smile of satisfaction as she heard an "Ow!". And then, turning around, she helped Flamedramon back to her cave.

~~~~~

Flamedramon set himself down on the cool cave floor, letting out a wince as pain shot through his legs when he bent them. Muttering and grumbling to himself, he sat down awkwardly, with both legs stretched out fully in order to minimize the pain. When he was down, he let out a sigh of relief. And behind him stood Renamon, watching in grim amusement. She strolled over and leaned against the wall, folding her arms.

"Are you going to just let her off with saying that?" She asked incredulously after a moment.

"I don't really mind… what she said is quite true, after all." Flamedramon said quietly.

"Yes, but that doesn't mind she can just waltz about and blame you for everything! Patamon didn't hop in to save you, it was the other way around!" Renamon practically shoved her face in front of Flamedramon's, and jabbed him in the ribcage much to his discomfort. He fidgeted.

"I guess so… but Patamon did get injured because he was looking for me." Renamon snorted and restrained herself from giving Flamedramon a good blow to his head.

"That's his problem. He wandered into unknown territory alone. This sort of thing happens all the time." She muttered. She was about to say more when she picked up a strange sound. Turning around, she saw that Flamedramon had fallen fast asleep, snoring lightly, his arms folded across his lap. Renamon sighed, and looked outside the cave. It was nearing evening. Without wasting more time, she bounded out of the cave in search of food.

~~~~~

By the time Renamon had returned, night had already fallen, the stream of stars glittering brightly. She stood at the mouth of the cave for a moment, admiring the stars, and then headed inside, noting to herself that a warm fire was blazing, filling the cave with a welcoming warmth from the chilly air outside. However, Flamedramon was nowhere to be seen. Looking around, puzzled, Renamon strained her ears, trying to listen for any signs of him. Finally, after a few short moments, she heard a sound from behind her, and turning around, she saw Flamedramon curled up in a ball in a dark corner of the cave, snoozing. There was a quiet, subdued expression on his face, quite the opposite of what Renamon saw much earlier that day. Previously there was something… foreboding and dark about his expression… but now… it was simply… mildly sad. He appeared to have come to terms with himself. Smiling to herself, Renamon placed the fruits on the ground gently, and sat down by the fire, staring into it pensively, her mind slowly going through the events of the day. She picked up a berry and held it in her paws for a short moment. Then she popped it into her mouth with a degree of vehemence and swallowed it immediately. As her mind wandered to the thoughts of her being defeated by Kuwagamon, her hands unconsciously clasped together, leaving scratch marks on the dirt. Her claws bit into her palms so tightly that a tiny bit of blood trickled down.

"Why can't I ever seem to get stronger…?" She muttered to herself, not even noticing that Flamedramon had already woken up, and was behind her, listening. When she tightened her grip further, Flamedramon, who had taken his gauntlets off, placed a hand on her shoulder. She jumped, then turned around and looked.

"You're… awake." She muttered. "There's some food over there…" Renamon waved her arm distractedly in the general direction of the fruits. Flamedramon didn't move, although he lifted his hand off her shoulder.

"Something bothering you?" He asked softly.

"No." Renamon snapped, trying to act normal, but failing. Flamedramon simply stared at her, his face expressionless when Renamon turned to face him.

"Yes." She sighed. "I don't understand! I train everyday… but I seem to never get stronger… I hate to say it, but if G…Gatomon hadn't jumped in at the last moment, we would probably both be deleted now." She said Gatomon's name with a great reluctance and a great deal of venom. Flamedramon didn't say anything; he just sat down beside her and listened with the attentiveness of a child listening to his mother read his favorite story. Renamon twitched. There was something about his silence that set her off. Without even realizing what she was doing, she suddenly grabbed Flamedramon by his neck.

"Why do I even tell you this?" She cried in anguish. "You obviously don't care!" Then, as the enormity of what she was doing kicked in, she let out a startled gasp and dropped Flamedramon, who landed on his feet with a slight grimace as newfound pain shot through his body again.

"I-I'm sorry…" Renamon muttered apologetically. "I don't know what came over me."

Flamedramon still didn't say anything, but he reached over to the pile of fruits and pulled out a bunch of purple berries. He offered them to Renamon.

"Your favorite." He said quietly. Renamon was stunned. Not only had he remembered her favorite fruit after so long, he had also matured incredibly fast over such a short period of time. Renamon took the berries graciously, uttering a quick 'thanks'. Flamedramon stood back, rubbing his neck where a reddish mark was starting to form.

"I know how you feel." Renamon could feel the waves of emotion being suppressed in his tone. She looked at him, and saw him standing by the fire, his features contorted, highlighted by the flickering light from the flames. For a short moment, both of them were silent, and then Renamon spoke.

"We should rest. It's late." The moment she said that, a gust of wind blew into the cave, and effectively put out the fire, plunging them into inky black darkness. Renamon uttered a brief curse under her breath.

"Don't worry, I'll relight it." Flamedramon sat, kneeling down and feeling for the spot where the fire was. Upon sensing heat on his right, he lit a flame in his hand and relit the fire. Renamon went over and knelt next to him, helping him stoke the flames until they were burning tall. Flamedramon was so preoccupied that he didn't notice something, until Renamon tapped him on the shoulder.

"Flamedramon, your hand's burning." Flamedramon blinked, his eyes wandering over to the sight of his gauntlets neatly placed in a corner of the cave. Then, his brain registered the pain.

"GYAH!"

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Author's Notes: Yes, I'm well aware that I've been neglecting this story for a very, very long time, and I apologize for it. Shortly after I wrote the first chapter, I suddenly ran out of ideas, and I've been racking my brains since then.

I hope to be able to evolve this story into a saga, but currently I don't have enough ideas yet. The Beta-Readers and me are thinking of some right now, though. Hopefully we'll come up with something soon.

Acknowledgements:

Comrade Terror – For Beta-Reading.

Rayamon – For Beta-Reading.

And no,  I do not have a chapter summary for Chapter 3 available. Sorry again.

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