Chapter 7

Sapphire Temple

Renamon and the others took Shogungekomon's directions and headed North of Shogun Beach to the Sapphire Temple. They entered a lush forest, full of trees and wild Digimon. The Digimon consider these forest Digimon wild because they go by no rules, just themselves and what they want to do. Renamon and the others kept a good eye open for the wild Digimon, for stories have been told that people go into forests with wild Digimon and never come out again. But Renamon kept an eye out for them, not for her life, but because they might have seen DarkGatomon.

"and that's how the story goes," said Agumon finishing a story about wild Digimon killing and eating their own kind.

Gabumon shook with fear. He laughed nervously, "N-nice story Agumon. Heh, heh" Then Gabumon gulped, trying to swallow his fear.

"The story sounds fake to me," said Renamon, still looking around.

"Then why are you lookin' around for?" asked Agumon. "Look nervous to me."

"For your information," explained Renamon, "I'm looking out for them so that maybe we can get some direction where DarkGatomon is headed. So I'm not looking for them, I'm looking for them."

"Whatever," said Agumon, "just you wait and see!"

Renamon hushed him. "You fool! If they are as ruthless as you say they are, they'll hear you." She frowned at him and Gabumon, who still had his legs shaking and looking around frantically. "Have you guys ever been quiet, or at least talk in quiet voices?" she asked, "When you guys get lost and you try to find one another, what do you look for first? Voices! That's what! So shut-up, and be quiet!"

Then, after Renamon's rampage, there was a noise in the bushes. Gabumon looked at the bush immediately and then started to run. Renamon quickly grabbed his fur. Agumon got posed for battle, his hands held up high. Renamon just looked at the bush. After a few shakes a Tapirmon popped out.

"DON'T EAT US, MAN!!!!" squealed Gabumon.

Renamon rolled her eyes, looked at the Tapirmon and asked, "Have you seen a black Gatomon running by?"

The Tapirmon bowed his head in reply and said, "Yes, yes. I have seen a black Gatomon running by."

"Where did it go?" said Renamon, still holding Gabumon.

"She seemed to be headed in such a hurry up the path to the Sapphire Temple," said Tapirmon, hand on chin, "I know this because I stopped her and asked where she was going. She told me to back off and said some profane language and said things of the Sapphire Temple. Yes, yes, the Sapphire Temple."

"Thanks for the life story," said Agumon. "Come on guys let's get!"

"Hold on!" halted Tapirmon.

Renamon, Gabumon, and Agumon stopped and looked back at Tapirmon.

"Um, yes?" said Gabumon.

"Do you kind people know where I can find a job?" asked Tapirmon. "I really could use some money."

Renamon scouted through her bag and said, "We don't know any jobs available, but if you need money," she pulled out some Digi-dollars, "we will be kind enough to give you some."

"Thank you," said Tapirmon, "you are too kind."

"Renamon!" whined Agumon. "That's our money!"

Renamon darted a look at Agumon. "We have enough for ourselves," said Renamon, giving the money to Tapirmon. "Besides, he gave us valuable information."

Agumon folded his arms and huffed off, Gabumon following close behind.

"I'll thank you some how," said Tapirmon.

"Sure, you're welcome," said Renamon bowing. "And please excuse my friend, he means not what he says."

Tapirmon said thanks to Renamon again and floated off. Renamon ran to catch up with Agumon and Gabumon.

They kept walking up a steep hill and Gabumon was getting tired. He sat next to a big pine tree and rested. Renamon stopped to join Gabumon, even though she wasn't tired, and Agumon joined them afterwards.

A soft, cold breeze blew as if they were next to a mountain of some sort. Agumon rubbed his arms, he didn't like the cold.

"Burr," shivered Agumon, "is it getting cold?"

"It should be," said Renamon, "we are next to Mount Sapphire."

"Mount Sapphire!" said Agumon, worried.

"Yes," said Renamon, "the Temple is inside the mountain."

Agumon grunted in disgust. "Oh great!" he said, waving his hands around. "Just peachy!"

After about ten minutes, Gabumon got up and said, "I'm done resting. Let's keep going guys!"

Renamon nodded in reply. Agumon was reluctant, but followed.

What seemed like miles was only a couple feet while going up the steep Mountain. Agumon crossed his arms and kept complaining about the cold. Gabumon kept quiet, just like Renamon said; in fact, the only thing he asked or said is, "Are you guys okay?", "How much longer?", and "Sure is cold isn't it?" Renamon was looking forward to going into a temple again

But then she remembered about the Gold Temple, how she horribly defended it. How could she be so careless? She should have seen that transport charm. Then she remembered Agumon's comments:

"If it had better defense, this whole thing wouldn't have happened."

Forget about it, Renamon,' she thought, you'll protect the Sapphire Temple from the Digi-Destined, even better than the Gold Temple.'

Gabumon looked at Renamon and could see that she was upset. Her eyes kept looking at the ground as if to see hope on the ground or something.

"Are you okay Renamon," said Gabumon, staring at his beloved crush.

Renamon said nothing and kept looking at the ground. What could she say? Gabumon, I don't feel okay? What kind of advise would he give? Renamon found no reason to answer.

Since Renamon was sad, Gabumon felt the same. He felt sad that he couldn't help her, and he knew that. Advice wasn't enough to heal this wound, the wound of sorrow. He walked slower to catch up with Renamon. He wanted to pat her on the back, but she was too tall, so he patted her hand and blushed from touching her.

I know you are sad Renamon,' thought Gabumon, as if he psychic or something, just remember, I'm at your side.'

"Is anyone else freezing their tail off," whinnied Agumon.

The trees where now turning a nice green-blue and snow was starting to fall. Agumon grunted in disgust of the snow falling.

"Ya' know, you guys are lucky," complained Agumon. "You guys got big fluffy furs to keep you warm, and what do I have? A thin layer of skin! Look at me! You can see the veins in my hands it's so thin!"

He looked at Renamon and Gabumon, walking next to each other.

"Fine," bellowed Agumon, "ignore me while I freeze to death why don't ya'!"

It seemed an endless path they took up to Sapphire Mountain. The light snow on the ground turned thick, and it was getting hard to find the path. The white ground reflected the light and it hit Renamon's eyes. It was hard to see ahead. They walked more and more and found themselves in front of the side of the mountain.

"G-Gr-Great," shivered Agumon, "de-de-dead end. Damn it's cold!"

"Yeah," said Gabumon, curiously, "why is there a dead end? Did we go the wrong way?"

Renamon looked around at the wall. She then stopped at some writing on the wall. There were four symbols, each aligned in a shape of a +'.

"Hmm, what's this," said Agumon.

"It's a puzzle," said Renamon. "Each symbol represents a certain magic power. The top one represents Din, the power of fire, the left is Sqa, the power of water, the right is Psy, the power of spirituality, and the bottom is Dar, the power of darkness. All of them are used to protect the temples. It should go like this, though."

She switched Din with Dar and the symbols glowed bright. Suddenly, a crack split through the middle of the mountain. Rocks got separated and they floated in mid-air. The rocks formed a big gateway to two big redwood doors.

Standing in front of the doors was a little Digimon waking up from the sound of the noise. Renamon and the others walked up to the doors and stared at the little Digimon.

"H-Hey, ah, stop!" said the little Digimon. "State your business or I, Calumon, will stop you!"

Calumon held a staff at Agumon, who was shaking uncontrollably.

"Oh boy, you don't look so good," said Calumon, lowering his staff. "But, uh, no matter! Explain, why you're here!"

Renamon stepped forward.

"I, uh, I am Renamon, guardian of the Gold Temple and these are my protectors, Gabumon and Agumon. We came here to warn you that danger might come to the Sapphire Temple."

Calumon's face looked as if he were confused.

"Renamon?" he said in a questionable tone. "From the Gold Temple? That's silly, she went to the Gods."

"Wrong," said Renamon. "The Digi-Destined, Yoshiro, used a teleport charm and took me into the future."

Calumon kept laughing at the sound of this story. Renamon got angry at Calumon. If there was just some way to show that it was real. Then it popped in her mind

"Then here," said Renamon pulling out the Rojo Sword.

Calumon stopped laughing and looked at the shimmering, red sword. It's eyes widened and his ears retracted back as if he'd seen a ghost.

"Wowie!" said Calumon, touching the sword. "It's the Rojo Sword!"

He looked at Renamon and smiled.

"Well that's proof to me," he said, blushing happily. "Come on in! I'll take you to the One."

"Th-" said Agumon, but he couldn't finish what he wanted to say from the cold, so Gabumon finished for him.

"Who's the One'."

"The big guy," said Calumon. "He's silly!"

"Uh, yeah" muttered Gabumon.

Calumon stepped up to the doors and yelled out some weird words and the gates shook open. A burst of cold air hit their faces as they stepped inside. Gabumon suddenly felt a rush of energy.

"Wow!" said Gabumon. "What a rush! Do you feel that Agumon? Agumon!!"

Agumon lied there on the ground.

"Renamon!" yelled Gabumon. "Agumon's gone into shock!"

Calumon laughed. "We get that all the time!"

"I see nothing funny about this," said Gabumon, getting annoyed with Calumon.

"I think he has a warmer blanket in his backpack," said Renamon digging though his backpack.

She pulled out a shinny, red blanket and wrapped it around Agumon. She then took him and bundled him in her arms to warm him faster. Calumon gestured to a flight of stairs. Gabumon looked around the temple and was breath taken, so much that he had to write about it in his journal:

We finally stepped into the Sapphire Temple, and it is breathtaking! The walls cover a dark blue glass. I think it's Sapphire but I'm no expert on jewelry! The stair railings are made of gold and the doors are made of emerald. I get a weird feeling in this place, a happy feeling.

"Are you coming, Gabumon?" said Renamon.

Gabumon looked up and dropped his pencil in nervousness. Renamon chuckled and picked it up for him. Gabumon felt his face burn up.

"Here's your pencil, Gabumon. Now let's go."

Renamon twirled around and walked up the stairs again.

Gabumon followed holding the pencil in his hand and thinking, I'll never lose you.'

Agumon was walking on his own, but still wore the blanket.

"It's too cold here man!" complained Agumon once more.

"Yea, yea!" cheered Calumon. "Were at the top, were at the tooooop!"

"Let the Gods help us all," muttered Gabumon, shaking his head.

Calumon looked at Gabumon and got close to him. Gabumon lifted his head back to give himself more space.

"Yes?" said Gabumon, feeling that his personal space was being invaded.

"Do you have a headache? Huh?" said Calumon, looking curious about Gabumon's shaking.

He wanted to say, "Your so damn annoying!" but he didn't.

Instead he just said, "The air. Thin," and smiled.

Renamon knew what was going on and just laughed, muffled.

"Okay," said Calumon, as he walked to the door and opened it to reveal another room.

The room was full of incense, and smelled as if a Frankincense bomb went off. Gabumon coughed, Agumon sneezed and Renamon stood there smelling the air. In the center of the room sat a empty chair.

"Huh?" said Calumon looking around. "Where is the One?"

Renamon and the others looked at each other worried that maybe they were to late. Gabumon started smelling more intensely. He smelled Frankincense, of course, but he also smelled something else. It was familiar, but he couldn't quite get a hold on it.

"I smell something," said Renamon, "and it's not supposed to be here"

"You don't thinkaaachoo!" sneezed Agumon.

Renamon ran across the room were another door stood. Renamon tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge, not to mention, there was something blocking it!

"A guarding spell," said Renamon, "this shouldn't be too hard."

She pulled out some kind of vials and threw them on the door. Soon a big red splotch appeared, almost the same color when metal is heated. Then Renamon jumped up and used "Diamond Storm!!" on the door. A huge screeching sound hit the room, then a sound like thunder and the spell was gone. Renamon rushed through the door, smashing it a little, and it opened.

The next room was covered in a red holy light. Pictures hung all around the room, pictures of the gods and the guardians of the Pixels.

"Well, well, Renamon. We meet again."

Renamon looked over and did a silent gasp. It was Yoshiro.

"And so soon too," he said, smirking with his cruel smile. "You have friends? How nice. They can join you as well."

"He-Hey man," yelled Agumon, raising a fist, "are you insultin' me?"

Yoshiro chuckled.

"Hey, you're Yoshiro!" said Gabumon. "You're the bastard that started this shit we're going through!"

"Whatever," shrugged Yoshiro.

"Excuse me!" said Calumon. "You're not supposed to be here! Leave or I, Calumon, will-"

Yoshiro lifted his hand and Calumon disappeared.

"Were did he go, Yoshiro?" asked Renamon, already knowing the answer.

"He was deleted, you fool. What else would I do?" he answered.

Renamon looked around. No one else was there besides her, Yoshiro, Gabumon and Agumon. Where was the One?

"Where is he?" asked Renamon, tensing.

"Who? The One?" said Yoshiro in a sarcastic tone. "He was in my way."

Renamon knew what that meant, the One was gone too.

Gabumon seemed to know what that meant too, for he stepped up and yelled at Yoshiro, ""You crap head! How dare you! You can't just kill Digimon left and right. They're living things too, you know!"

Yoshiro laughed.

"You Digimon have no idea of what you guys really are."

"Okay then," said Agumon, "tell us!"

"You wouldn't understand," said Yoshiro, "and you'll never truly understand anyhow even if I told you."

"Yes, Yoshiro, tell us," said Renamon, now curious of what he had to say.

"You're not real," he said. "None of you are! You're all just data!"

Renamon was shocked, Gabumon was confused and Agumon had no emotion.

"Yes," continued Yoshiro, "just wasted data from a video game called Digimon. But unfortunately it was taken away from the game programmers and was sent to the government. They thought to make AI's and create a whole army of these Digimon. So, the government did, but instead of getting just straight Digimon, they accidentally made another world. That's how you were made. You weren't born, you were made!"

The room sat silent. Renamon and the other's faces were blank. Gabumon didn't want to believe it, and he didn't, but something told him, what if? It was the same with Agumon, but he really believed it. Renamon just stared at Yoshiro.

That creep should die!' thought Renamon, tightening her fist.

She looked behind Yoshiro and saw something blue glowing. It was flat square, revolving on one of it's corners. It was the Pixel of Water. All of a sudden, it started singing! Singing a soothing song and it grew white.

Yoshiro stared at it.

"Why is it singing?" said Yoshiro, confused. "Did someone summon it?"

Sparks flew out of it and went to Gabumon. The sparks danced around him, then they clamped on him. Gabumon felt power surging through him.

"Gabumon!" yelled Agumon and Renamon in unison as they watched their friend get covered in the light.

Then the light disappeared and Gabumon stood there. He looked around with a confused face on.

"Huh? What happened?" said Gabumon, looking at Renamon.

"I don't know," said Renamon, surprised to see Gabumon okay and looking as if nothing happened.

Yoshiro stood still, looking like he was trying to figure this all out. Then he relaxed himself, and laughed.

"I'll just take this then," he said moving his hand towards the Pixel of Water.

"I don't think so," said Renamon as she jumped up. "Diamond Storm!"

Thousand of iced leaves shot at Yoshiro. Yoshiro put up his hand and the iced leaves melted and all that was left was a pile of wet leaves.

"Your powers are weak," said Yoshiro. "If you remember, it has been three years since we last met. I'm much stronger. Your Rookie forms can't harm me. A Champion maybe, but not a Rookie."

Renamon felt defeated, and Gabumon could see it in her eyes. Her eyes looked kind of sad and were more glossy looking than usual, as if to cry. Gabumon got enraged by this and felt like he wanted to get rid of the Digi-Destined, no matter what.

Then, a blue bubble surrounded Gabumon.

What's happening?' thought Gabumon.

His whole body felt like jelly. After a couple of seconds, Gabumon could feel his limbs and his head on his shoulders. Then the bubble popped and he fell on the ground on, surprisingly, all fours.

"Huh?" said Gabumon with a deep, scratching voice. "HUH?"

Renamon and Agumon looked at Gabumon. He looked like a big white-blue wolf.

"He Digivolved?!" said Yoshiro in a shock.

"Don't say Renamon's weak," said Gabumon, "or you'll regret it!"

Yoshiro quickly grabbed the Pixel of Water and put it in a bag. The red glow of the room went dark and all you could see was Renamon and the others, including Yoshiro.

"I'm going," said Yoshiro, "but I'm going to leave a present for all of you."

He raised his hand.

He chanted, "Spirits of Earth, hear my call. Destroy the ones who are here. I call upon Black Body!"

Nothing happened, at first anyway. Then the ground shook and a red light appeared on the ground and a black figure-less body stood up. A weird grumbling sound came out of it.

"Good-bye Renamon and her future friends," said Yoshiro as he disappeared into the darkness.

Renamon looked at the being. Black Body? Earth? All of this was foreign to her, but the first thing she had to do was to protect the Sapphire Temple.

Black Body rumbled and shook the Temple again. Agumon just stared at the odd blob.

"What is it?" said Agumon in fear.

One of Black Body's arms shot out at Renamon.

BAM!!

Renamon got hit! When she hit the wall she screamed with pain, which she rarely did. Gabumon sprinted over to see if she was okay.

"Are you alright Renamon," said Gabumon with his new deep voice.

Renamon slowly got up.

"I'm okay" she said, clenching her back.

"Well come on, let's get rid of it!" said Agumon.

He took a deep breath and summoned "Pepper Breath!" and a fire ball went and hit Black Body. The dislodged figure twitched and groaned. Black Body punched Agumon and Agumon fell to the ground. Now Gabumon was mad. This thing hurt both of his friends. He couldn't let this kind of hurt happen to anyone else.

He jumped on Black Body's leg and bit it. When Gabumon bit Black Body it felt like biting the wind, but it seemed to effect him a lot. He groaned louder than ever. Black Body hit Gabumon on the back.

Renamon got back into the fight and used "Diamond Storm!!". Thousands of shards hit Black Body. Black Body went for another punch to Renamon, but Renamon was too fast for it and she flashed behind it and used "Diamond Storm!!" again. Black Body seemed to get weaker.

Agumon got back up and used "Pepper Breath!" again and it did the same result like last time. Black Body groaned and got confused. It was getting attacked to many times!

"Use the Rojo Sword, Renamon!" yelled Agumon.

Renamon nodded and took the brilliant sword out of it's sheath. She jumped and stabbed Black Body on the head. Black Body started to move retarded like. It grabbed its head and shook it. Soon it stood there and it melted down from were it came from.

Renamon sighed and felt good to save the Sapphire Temple. Agumon fell over from exhaustion and just laid there. Gabumon turned back to normal and hugged Renamon in happiness.

"We did it, we did it!" cheered Gabumon, even though he felt tired.

"And so we did," said Renamon, feeling tired as well.

They laid there, resting in the Pixel room. Renamon was happy. She finally protected a temple!

But something about this room still felt like there was some sort of darkness looming in the room. All of a sudden it got really cold, colder than it ever was. Agumon wrapped himself in his blanket. It was so cold that he could see his breath.

"Did it just get colder, or is it just me?" asked Agumon.

"No," said Renamon, "it's not just you."

"Yeah," said Gabumon, "I feel it too."

All of a sudden a figure appeared. He was tall and dark. His shiny black hair didn't help his image. He wore what looked like a vampire cloak. It was Lord Myoto.

Agumon stuttered, "It's-it's-it'shim!!!"

"Lord Myoto!" finished Gabumon.

"I congratulate you," said Lord Myoto. "You have defeated one of Yoshiro's summons. Although I don't think you'll interfere with us any longer."

"What do you mean?" said Renamon.

Lord Myoto smirked and yelled, "Good-bye you foolish Digimon!! KAHAHAHAHA!!"

SLASH!! GASH!!

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Author's Notes

Alright, Chapter 7 is finished. This was a good one. I got the idea of Black Body from a Native American story I read in English class. Oh yeah, school started for me! I like my classes so far. Although I don't think you guys want to hear about my life. The next chapter is still brewing in my head so just wait a bit O.K. Cool. Well, until next chapter, see ya'.

-- Carlas Lua

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