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Blue Sky

"Blue skies, Smiling at me. Nothing but blue sky, Do I see..."

_ _

When BlueRenamon slowly reopened his eyes the very first thing he noticed was just how dark it was. His senses were slowly returning to him, and he let out a quiet groan as he felt the ache in his joints when he tried to move.

Where am I? This certainly wasn't the craggy windswept mountainside he'd been on before.

But then his memories began to rise to the surface of his mind, and he recalled the fight - those last few moments when the mega-level Rachemon had brought the rookie to his knees, battered and bruised, on the ground before him.

"You tried to betray me." Rachemon had said in a dangerously level tone, "For that, I banish you. And I commit you to a fate of your own nightmarish making."

After that the world had gone dark around him. And now here he was, prone on his back, in a place he didn't recognise, with more than his fair share of cuts and bruises. When he tried to sit up a sharp pain shot through his side, making him wince. He deigned to ignore it, focussing his mind and blanking out the pain. His legs didn't quite feel up to walking yet, and he wanted to get his bearings.

Looking around he realised he was in some sort of small room. To his left there was a small window, curtains drawn and blocking out the light, leaving the room in a gloomy darkness that his eyes couldn't yet see through. He also realised that he was laid atop a soft mattress, tucked in and covered by a thin blanket.

"The human world..." BlueRenamon sneered. So, Rachemon really had exiled him.

The sound of the door slowly creaking open made his ears twitch, and he jerked his head towards the sound just a little bit too fast, a wave of nausea washing through him. He didn't allow the sensation to distract him, focussing instead on the noise and letting his eyes adjust to the light that flooded in from the hallways.

A softly singing voice drifted into the room as a silhouetted figure entered, "Never saw the sun shining so bright, never saw things going so right..."

BlueRenamon's eyes went wide. It was a human girl! She looked about a foot shorter than he was, his ears notwithstanding, and seemed to be relatively young. He was a poor judge of human age, but she couldn't have been much older than sixteen. She hadn't even noticed he was watching her, so focussed on the tray she was carrying.

"Human." BlueRenamon hissed, reflexively tensing, sending another sharp pain through his body.

The girl instantly fell silent, stopping where she was and looking up at him, "Oh... You're awake." She smiled.

She moved up next to the bed, placing the tray on a bedside stand and sitting in a chair that looked like it had been placed there just for the purpose.

Brave. He thought, She doesn't know what she's up against.

"Don't be afraid..." she spoke so softly he almost missed it, "I won't hurt you..."

BlueRenamon was so taken aback he let his defences drop. "What?"

Seeing that he seemed to be more at ease, the girl relaxed a little bit too, "I won't hurt you. I just-"

"You couldn't harm me if you wanted to, human child!" he bared his teeth in an angry snarl, crossing his arms.

He expected his outburst to scare her. But she didn't seem affected by it in the slightest, though she did fidget in her seat...

"My name's Judith." She offered him at last, "People call me Jude."

All he did was glare at her. But she didn't let that put her off.

"You're a Renamon, aren't you."

Did this human really expect him to talk to her?

"That's alright, you don't have to tell me. That little device thingy told me." She reached into her pocket for something. BlueRenamon kept a close eye on what she was doing, in case she pulled a weapon out on him. But when her hand did return, she wasn't holding a gun or a knife. No, it was much worse than that. She was holding a small silvery machine with a tiny little screen and oversized buttons.

"A Digivice." He said slowly, watching as she placed it on the side, next to the tray.

"Digivice?" She toyed with the word, like she was trying to figure it out.

"You're a Digimon Tamer."

Jude simply blinked at him. She had no idea what a Digimon Tamer was, but the venom in the blue fox's tone as he said it spoke volumes about how he felt on the issue. Whatever a Tamer was, he didn't approve in the slightest.

"Where is your partner?" he demanded angrily.

She just looked at him in confusion, "My... Partner?"

"You are a Tamer! You have a Digivice." he yelled accusingly at her, "Where is the weak, simpering fool who fights at your side?!"

"No, I found that on the lawn this morning, just before I found you!" she protested, "I brought you inside. You didn't look very well, and-"

BlueRenamon's eyes went wide, his mind suddenly beginning to race. She'd found it that morning, not far from where she'd found him. Rachemon's haunting threat came back to the forefront of his mind.

"I commit you to a fate of your own nightmarish making."

No. Rachemon wouldn't do that, would he? He wasn't that spiteful.

A moment of fear gripped BlueRenamon tightly and choked the breath from him.

"Pick it up." He ordered the human in a near whisper.

"What?" she looked puzzled.

He pointed at the Digivice, grinding his teeth angrily, "Pick. It. Up."

Jude looked at the device, then back to the blue-furred monster. His icy blue eyes were narrowing dangerously and he seemed to be getting more and more agitated. She didn't want to piss him off, so she leaned over and picked up the device gently in one hand, bringing it up so she could re-examine the screen and buttons.

She pressed one experimentally and the little screen sprang into life, projecting a hologram into the air a couple of centimetres above itself.

"Info; Data; Location; Card." She read aloud.

"Data." The Blue fox instructed.

She complied, the image updating with a chirp, "Tamer and Digimon."

The fact the D-Power was responding to the human girl at all meant it was hers, BlueRenamon knew that much. But the part that he wanted to know, the part that left him feeling incredibly anxious, was the Digimon. He felt considerable unease rise like butterflies in the pit of his stomach.

"Digimon."

The girl nodded silently. The data which appeared above the screen was visible even from where he sat.

"BlueRenamon. Rookie. Data type. Nightmare Soldier, Nature Spirit family..."

The girl continued to reel off the data like it was inconsequential. Of course, it meant nothing to her, BlueRenamon realised. She was a young, naïve human. But to him, it was like another punch to the gut from Rachemon. He had a Tamer. He was a partnered Digimon, another stooge for a child's meaningless games, a slave.

A howl of rage erupted from deep inside him, scaring the girl in the process, and she dropped the Digivice on the floor when she flinched.

She looked in alarm at him, afraid and questioning. She could see the hatred in his eyes, the raw seething rage that he was struggling to contain.

"Human." He hissed like it was a curse, then vanished into thin air, leaving the bed empty.

Jude blinked for a moment. This all seemed very surreal.

With a shrug, she bent over and picked up the fallen device, dusting it off and slipping it back into her pocked. She wasn't sure why, but she felt she may need it again at some point - it seemed important.

Sighing, she rose to her feet and collected up the tray before she left the room.

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It was nearly a week before BlueRenamon saw the human girl again. And, when he did, it was only because she'd given him no other choice. He was more than capable of evading any human under normal circumstances, but there was nothing normal about this girl. With the aid of the cursed Digivice she'd be able to find him anywhere, any time she wanted to.

Jude had been keeping a close eye on his movements ever since she'd figured out just how the little digital device worked. BlueRenamon had never ventured more than a mile away from her home, and each night she'd watched the little blue dot on her screen that marked his location as it returned to the confines of a residential electricity sub-station, located on one bank of the river which bisected the town.

It couldn't have been a pleasant place to live. Dark. Dirty. Creepy in the extreme.

It was late when she found him, and very cold out. She clasped the neck of her coat tightly in one hand, trying to keep whatever heat she could inside. The little green door into what was essentially just a squat brick shed was unlocked, and creaked open with a gentle push from her hand. She hesitated only a moment - after taking almost a week to pluck up the courage to find the strange fox she wasn't going to give in at the last hurdle - and stepped inside.

It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the extreme dark. A shiver ran up her spine, the little building colder even than the crisp night air outside. The little device was telling her he was in here, but she couldn't see him at all.

"BlueRenamon?" she whispered into the darkness.

"Why are you here?" the menacing reply made her start with a little yelp. It took her a moment to compose herself and catch her breath.

"Well?" he pressed again.

"I... I thought maybe-"

Only when he stepped out of the shadows, eyes narrow and vicious, did she realise just how well camouflaged he'd been. He could've been there the whole time, and had he not spoken she would never have seen him.

"Save your prattling for some other mon. human" He growled, "Get out."

"But I-" she began, unsure.

"GET OUT!" he roared, closing in on her quicker than her eyes could see.

She stepped back, finding herself pressed back against the door, unintentionally forcing it shut.

BlueRenamon simply glared at the girl for a moment, ready to pick her up and throw her from the building if need be, just to get rid of her. But a strangely enticing smell caught in his nostrils, and it took him a moment to process it. Only then did he notice the human was holding a plastic bag in one hand.

Jude noticed when he gaze moved down to the bag. He cocked his head a little bit, puzzling over it, but not vocalising his apparent question.

Jude lifted it up in front of herself, opening the bag with both hands to reveal the contents to him, "It's a roast chicken. I thought..." she explained, "I thought you may be hungry, out here in the cold... And I-"

BlueRenamon licked his lips, the scent of the roasted bird piquing his appetite. For a moment he considered taking it from her. But then his pride, and his hatred, caught up with him again. A shake of his head and the steel returned to his eyes.

"Get out." He snarled, "Before I throw you out."

Jude nodded quickly, fumbling for the door handle and quickly vanishing from the building. BlueRenamon listened to her retreating footsteps, rapidly paced as if she were running away.

Good. He thought, Peace at last.

Then he noticed the smell of the roast chicken still hanging in the air. He approached the door, opening it tentatively and peering outside. On the concrete path leading to the door was the bag, with the chicken inside it.

Looking around to make sure nobody was looking, BlueRenamon picked up the bag and took it inside. He hadn't eaten in days and he was starving.

The door closed, leaving the night outside.

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That was how thing progressed for the next few months. BlueRenamon hid in the substation most nights, venturing out during the day to explore. What he was hoping to find was a portal which would let him return to the digital world - he had some unfinished business with Rachemon, and he intended to see it through. He even found a couple of sweet spots in the human city, places where the boundary between dimensions was thin enough to push through. But for some reason or other the portals all seemed to be one-way, letting Digimon into the human world, but not letting him go back.

A couple of times when he'd been observing the portals a wild Digimon had emerged, though nothing more challenging than a champion so far. He'd fought them and uploaded their data. But each attempt to broach the portal had failed, the glowing gateway repulsing him each and every time. And whilst the wild ones were proving less than challenging to deal with, they did seem to be slowly getting stronger and stronger.

Recently during his fights he'd noticed that the human girl had been showing up and watching from a distance. She kept out of his way, which suited him fine, but after the fights she'd approach him and try to strike up a conversation. He always rebutted her approaches and vanished. He didn't want anything to do with her.

But still she went on trying.

She still brought him food, too. Though she'd learned to not disturb his rest by trying to enter the substation, and simply left little packages outside the door. He knew she didn't know if he was eating it or not, because he was very careful to make sure nobody was around when he ate - as was his custom - and he didn't want her to know that he relied upon her charity. His pride would never allow it.

About six months after he'd first come to the human world BlueRenamon discovered a new portal, behind a building he'd heard humans referring to as "The Museum". He'd only been in it once, just to scope the place out, and it seemed to be filled with a whole variety of deactivated Locomon. There were dozens of the creatures sleeping in there. He'd wondered whether "museum" was some sort of human word for zoo. And if they'd do this to the grand creatures inside this particular museum he didn't dare to imagine what they'd do to him - kill him and have him stuffed, most likely.

It angered him greatly, the way the humans treated other creatures. But there was nothing he could do for the Locomon in that place.

But the portal, now that was interesting. It sat behind the main hangar of the museum, where the many Locomon lines ran by, in an area that humans didn't seem to pass through often. That seemed to be a common theme with these portals, and he could certainly understand an aversion to humans.

The portal itself was strange. Just the feel of it made the fur on the back of BlueRenamon's neck stand on end. It seemed to be giving off a lot of energy, and he instinctually knew that meant it was a far bigger terminus between the dimensions. Stranger still, it didn't seem to rebuff his advances, and he found he could get close enough to actually touch it. But when he did his arm simply passed through the glowing energy field as if it wasn't even there.

The gateway was completely useless to him.

Still, he kept a close eye on it. Something about it just felt odd, like it was a threat or something.

A couple of weeks after discovering it the first Digimon came through it - an angry, vicious-looking BlackGrowlmon, the Jet Black Demon Dragon. Oh, he knew it well. It was one of Rachemon's stooges. Strong, powerful, but with slow reactions and an even slower wit.

The big black dinosaur simply stood there and looked around, taking the time to sniff the air. BlueRenamon stood perched on the roof corner of the enormous hangar building, standing in plain sight and simply watching. He wanted to be found.

As BlackGrowlmon looked around he caught a scent and looked up straight at the blue digital fox.

"BlueRenamon." It narrowed its eyes in a growl.

BlueRenamon simply stood there, arms folded across his chest, looking wholly unimpressed, "Dino-boy."

With a vicious snarl the champion level dinosaur reared back his head, the first sign that he was going to attack, and spat out a sphere of fiery plasma straight at BlueRenamon. But the fox didn't wait for it to hit him, leaping into the air and diving from the rooftop as the attack sailed by, vanishing from sight harmlessly. The rookie landed gracefully on the ground below, facing his opponent.

"It's nice to see you again," BlueRenamon smirked at BlackGrowlmon sarcastically, "Still sucking up to Rachemon, are we?"

The dinosaur lowered its head, letting out a snort, "And you, how is being a human's pet working out? "

"I am nobody's pet!" he bared his teeth angrily.

"No? That's not what Rachemon said." BlackGrowlmon made a point of sniffing the air deeply, "You reek of feeble human child."

With a loud growl, BlueRenamon's temper erupted into action. In a flash he was upon the black dinosaur, claws extended and aimed right at the monster's head. BlueRenamon was fast, definitely holding the speed advantage over the stronger champion, and it only just gave BlackGrowlmon chance to raise one of his colossal claws in defence.

That was a mistake.

BlueRenamon sprang into the air just before he reached the much larger dinosaur, using the monster's raised arm as a springboard to vault up and over his head with a half twist, quickly reaching out and grabbing one of the monster's ears to pivot around. He came down behind BlackGrowlmon's head, standing in the white fuzz of his hair, digging his claws in to gain purchase on his thick hide.

BlackGrowlmon reared his head back and roared, trying to dislodge the fox. He slashed at BlueRenamon with his long claws, but the agile rookie sprang back over the front of the dinosaur, evading the blow. BlackGrowlmon's angered assault instead raking across his own head. He'd put enough force into it to leave three deep scours on his own scalp.

By the time BlueRenamon's feet hit the ground BlackGrowlmon was already bellowing in rage, eliciting a slight grin from the fox.

"You should be more careful." BlueRenamon mocked him, "You'll hurt yourself."

BlackGrowlmon glared down at him, responding with another ball of fire. But the build-up of his attack was as obvious as ever, and BlueRenamon dodged it by simply stepping to one side. Another blast followed, evaded by stepping the other way, each miss angering the champion dino further still.

When BlackGrowlmon then lunged forwards with both clawed arms outstretched to try and grab the fox, BlueRenamon leapt deftly into the air, the dinosaur overbalancing and falling forwards with an ungainly stumble.

In the air, BlueRenamon took the opportunity to summon his own attack. Arms crossed, blue energy gathered in the air before him, crystallising into dozens of sharp shards of ice before raining down on his opponent like a hail of meteorites.

BlackGrowlmon howled in pain as the attack hit home, but it wasn't enough to kill him. Not that BlueRenamon had expected it to. But every hit weakened the dinosaur, and served to stoke his rage. His fighting was sloppy when he was angry, and that was something the fox could exploit.

Landing lightly a few metres behind BlackGrowlmon, BlueRenamon watched as the lumbering beast picked himself up off the ground and turned slowly to face him. Several deep cuts marred the dinosaur's face, blood trickling down his snout.

"Rodent..." he hissed.

BlueRenamon was about to retort when the dinosaur let out an almighty roar which seemed to make the very ground shake. The fox raised his arms, forced to protect his delicate ears, pressing them flat against the top of his head. His eyes closed and his fangs bared as he winced in pain.

He was so distracted by the pain that he didn't realise BlackGrowlmon had stopped. When he did open his eyes it was just in time to see the dragon's claws slash across, catching him painfully in the midriff, sending him cartwheeling sideways into the corrugated metal wall of the building with a loud clatter. The impact winded him.

BlackGrowlmon turned on him, a twisted grin plastered on his chops, "You're not as good as you think you are." He taunted.

BlueRenamon rasped to catch his breath, climbing unsteadily to his feet, "You're a fool if you think that's beaten me."

BlackGrowlmon spat a smaller ball of flame at the rookie, his usual exaggerated wind-up ignored. BlueRenamon had just enough time to duck, the attack splashing against the painted metal surface, leaving a black charred circle about the size of his head.

The digital fox snarled.

The dinosaur charged.

BlueRenamon held his ground until the very last moment. To BlackGrowlmon it looked like he was bracing himself for an attack, so the dinosaur hunkered down and poured all his strength into his legs, ramping up the speed.

But BlueRenamon didn't attack. With a leap as nimble as he could muster he pushed off, straight up, catching the metal guttering around the roof of the building with one outstretched paw. The metal fastening creaked and groaned in protest as they took the full force of his momentum, but they held, propelling him around in an arc to land on the edge of the roof.

BlackGrowlmon realised his mistake, but it was too late for him to stop. With a sickening crack he barrelled full-blast into the wall of the building. It didn't kill the monstrous beast, but it sure hurt him, and left him stunned. The smug fox looked down at him with a self-satisfied smirk.

"That should knock some sense into you."

BlueRenamon heard a distinctly female giggle to his left. Looking down, there stood the human girl, looking up at him and smiling from behind some shrubbery. She was no more than fifteen metres from the Digimon battle. Was she stupid or something? This was no place for a weak, frail human!

Jude, though, had been there for almost the entire fight. Her D-Power had alerted her the instant BlackGrowlmon had begun to emerge into the human world, and she'd ran as fast as she could to get there.

BlueRenamon and the enormous monster had been too engrossed in their spat to notice her at first, and she'd been fascinated by the entire affair. The fox was as agile and graceful as he always had been in every fight she'd seen. Sometimes, it was almost like he was engaged in some sort of dance, choreographed down to the smallest detail. Even when his opponents landed a blow he seemed to take it in stride and come out ready to counter.

Jude really enjoyed watching.

"Get out of here, you stupid human!" BlueRenamon snarled at her.

Jude could see his displeasure when she didn't immediately comply.

Neither of them noticed BlackGrowlmon shaking off his daze. His vision swam, but quickly came back into focus. That was when he saw the human girl, watching them, and he noticed the small device hanging from her belt.

D-Power... he realised. This was BlueRenamon's tamer. A sitting duck.

He roared so loud that BlueRenamon nearly fell from the top of the building, taken by surprise.

Jude couldn't help but notice too. And, to her horror, the enormous beast was looking directly at her. She froze on the spot, unsure exactly what to do. She couldn't run - her legs turned to concrete beneath her, paralysed with fear - and there was nowhere for her to hide. She'd seen BlackGrowlmon's pyrotechnic display., and there was no way a simple privet bush was going to protect her.

BlueRenamon watched as the Demon Dragon reared back his head - this attack was going to be huge - and spat out a ball of flame straight at the human girl.

"Shit!" he cursed under his breath. He hated her and everything she stood for with a passion. But she was an innocent in this fight. She didn't deserve to die at the hands of BlackGrowlmon - he didn't want that on his conscience.

Quickly stepping back a few paces, he ran, leaping from the roof with all the force he could coil into his leg muscles. A feral roar escaped him as he aimed straight at the girl, arms outstretched forwards. He had one shot at this, and he couldn't afford to miss. His cry had caught her attention, and time itself seemed to slow as she looked from the fireball up at the descending blue fox.

A flash of fear passed through her eyes as she saw him, and she began to react, in that slow, predictable way that humans do. She tried to turn away from him.

No no no no! His mind raged, Stupid girl, I'm trying to save you!

Thankfully she wasn't quite quick enough, one of his outstretched paws hitting her high on the shoulder. He hit her with enough force to send her reeling backwards, tumbling to the ground in an ungainly tangle of limbs.

He managed to tuck himself into a roll as he hit, springing back to his feet and turning to face the battle again.

He saw the human girl picking herself up, mostly unharmed. The fireball had missed.

"You idiot!" he roared, storming angrily up to her, "Get out of here!"

BlackGrowlmon's bestial roar interrupted before the girl could reply. BlueRenamon turned to look at the dinosaur just in time for a smaller ball of flame to crash right into him. It sent him flying, hitting the dirt with an undignified grunt.

Pure rage filled him as he climbed back to his feet, the fur of his chest a little charred and smouldering lightly. He'd allowed himself to become distracted by that damned human child and let his guard down.

His eyes became dangerous slits as he focussed entirely on BlackGrowlmon. The monster fired off another shot of fiery breath, but BlueRenamon simply vanished into thin air before the attack could hit him.

BlackGrowlmon was stunned for a moment. Where had he gone?

The answer came when a furious blue blur reappeared beside him. BlackGrowlmon turned just in time to take a furious series of Power Paw punches directly to the chest and face, sending him reeling. He didn't have time to compose himself before the blue fox was upon him again, leaping into the air and planting a double-footed kick directly on the monster's snout.

BlackGrowlmon's head snapped back, leaving him entirely off balance. It took him a stagger or two to regain his footing. He looked up to see BlueRenamon hovering menacingly in the air above him.

The shards of ice were already falling down on the dinosaur.

He tried to cover his face with his claws. To his surprise the attack seemed strangely low on power, bouncing more or less harmlessly off his hide. When he lowered his claws and looked up towards BlueRenamon he smirked.

"Is that the best you can..."

But his opponent was no longer in the air. He was on the ground, facing him, arms outstretched in another special attack.

When the shards hit BlackGrowlmon he was completely undefended. Launched from ground-level, the attack caught him full-force in his exposed underbelly. And this time, BlueRenamon had put his all into it.

Each razor chunk of ice ripped into BlackGrowlmon's scales, tearing him to shreds. He let out a pained roar. When the attack finally ended he collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

BlueRenamon watched as the black dinosaur's flesh began to pixelate and pulse until he began to break apart into a cloud of data. The digital fox didn't hesitate, stepping forwards and absorbing it. His injuries from the battle, the charred fur of his brisket and chest, instantly healed themselves. He was at full strength when the last of the data finally vanished.

"I'm sorry." The human girl mumbled pitifully from behind him.

BlueRenamon, his back to her, clenched his fists. He didn't turn around. "You're sorry." He repeated through gritted teeth.

"I didn't mean to-"

"You could've been killed, you foolish human child." He spat in insult, rounding on her with anger burning in his cold grey eyes, "You almost got me killed trying to protect you!"

"I didn't know he would-"

"Shut up! I don't want to hear it!" he saw her shrink back from him. He stepped closer to her, though, grasping one of her arms painfully, "This is exactly why Digimon shouldn't have tamers! You hold us back, you make us weak. We have to risk ourselves to keep you out of harm's way!"

For a moment he saw something flash through the girl's eyes. With her free hand she grabbed him by the gauntlets and forcefully removed his hand from her arm.

"I didn't ask you to save me." She glared at him, "I didn't-"

"You'd be dead now if I hadn't, you stupid, ignorant, foolish human!" he raved, "I saved your life!"

"Why?"

The question threw him completely off balance. His mind reeled, but he had no reply for it. Instead, he turned his back on her as he always did.

"Leave me alone." He snarled.

For once, she didn't protest. He heard her turn and run away. He also hear her crying, something she'd never done before.

He looked back over his shoulder, seeing her run off into the distance. He couldn't help but notice the black burn mark on the back of her shoulder.

He hadn't saved her from the hit at all. But she hadn't set him straight on the matter.

He thought for a moment, then vanished into the shadows.

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BlueRenamon didn't see her again after that incident with BlackGrowlmon. She didn't approach the substation, didn't bring any more food, made no attempt to come anywhere near him. He wondered if perhaps he'd done it at last, convinced her to leave him alone for good. But there was one little piece of him, deep down inside, that knew it was wishful thinking. That infernal device, that D-Power, still existed. And as long as it did he was bound to the human girl.

But she didn't summon him. She never had, really. She's always sought him out.

It was strange, in a way. She'd always made the effort, but never once forced him to.

Sitting alone now, in the quiet confines of the cold brick room, with nothing but the hum of electrical transformers for company it was odd that such things should surface in his mind. But he pushed those thoughts away, because they'd always come back to the Digivice. And that would just remind him of his enslavement.

That filled him with rage.

And he was just too hungry to be angry.

That was one of the most irritating drawbacks of the human world. In the digital dimension he could've just convinced himself that he wasn't hungry, and the pangs would've gone away with very little fuss. But here, no such luck. He had to eat, and his growling stomach was regularly reminding him of that fact.

"Bah!" he snorted, leaping to his feet. He couldn't ignore it any longer, he had to go find something. But he didn't know where to find anything in this world. Which meant he'd have to go to the only place he knew for sure he'd find something.

The girl's house.

It wasn't far to travel, even when he was hungry, and he leapt over the hedge into the back garden of her house with ease. A quick scope of the place revealed that he was alone, so he made his way to the house. Looking in the window he could make out the human kitchen, full of unusual appliances, open surfaces and a high counter with chairs.

On the top of that counter was a bowl of fruit, and he felt his stomach flip in anticipation.

Leaving the window he went around the side of the house to the nearest door. Strangely enough it was unlocked, which must mean there was somebody somewhere in the house. He hesitated, thinking; he didn't want to be caught raiding the place for food, but he was absolutely starving, and in the end his stomach overrode the urge to leave. He'd just have to be quiet about it.

Stealth was something he had plenty of practice in, and he made his way silently over to the bowl of fruit - it looked remarkably similar to the fruits common to the digital world, with one or two minor differences here and there. He hoped they were edible.

Picking up what looked to him very much like an apple he raised it to his lips, taking a small bite. The flavour that assaulted his tongue was truly exquisite, but at that point he was so hungry rocks would likely have tasted good. It didn't take him long to polish off the apple - core, seeds and all, and soon he was on to a second. A third. A fourth.

"I didn't know you liked apples." A voice interrupted from behind him.

BlueRenamon was taken so by surprise that he dropped the apple he was currently eating. He turned quickly in brief panic. It was the girl, standing there, watching him eat. Embarrassment washed over him. He'd been careless, letting her sneak up on him like that. Very careless.

He glared at her for a moment, then began to vanish from sight, ready to leave.

"No, wait!" she reached out towards him, "Don't go! Stay, eat... I-I'll leave you be."

She turned to leave.

BlueRenamon drew himself all the way back into view, looking from the half-eaten bowl of fruit to the girl and back. He thought about it for only a moment, then asked her the only thing that came into his mind, "Why?"

The girl stopped in the doorway, but she didn't turn to face him, "Why what?"

BlueRenamon stepped closer to her, "Why this?" he waved his hand towards the bowl, "Why are you being nice to me?"

She was silent for a moment. But she turned slowly to face him. She looked nervous, a clammy sweat on her brow, her face a little flushed. A mixture of emotions flashed through her eyes as she looked at him, "Because... You're alone in this world. Nobody else would help you."

BlueRenamon's eyes narrowed considerably, "I don't need your help. I survived in the digital world by my wits, I can survive here too."

"I..." she took a deep breath, "I didn't mean to- All I want to do is be a good tamer to you."

His temper flared, a paw raised and claws extended, razor sharp teeth bared in a vicious snarl, "I don't need a tamer! I'm not some animal that needs breaking in, domesticating, to be a good little pooch for you, human!"

The girl seemed to shrink back from him in fear. It took all of his effort right then to control himself.

"You hate me, don't you." She whispered, no longer looking him in the eye.

He towered over her, all anger and rage, looking down. The human was so small, so weak and fragile-looking. So vulnerable. But there, hanging from her belt, was the Digivice that gave her all that power over him, "It's that thing I hate!" he pointed down at it, "That stupid machine and all it stands for, what it makes me, what it forces me to be! I'm nothing more than a slave to you!"

The girl looked up at him then, a tear forming in the corner of her eye and running down her cheek. It wasn't fear that he saw in her eyes, though. It was hurt, anguish. BlueRenamon felt all of his rage burn itself out, until the only thing he felt was emptiness. He was hollow. All of a sudden he found that he couldn't look at her.

"I'm..." he turned his back, "I'm sorry."

The silence that fell on the room was deafening. As BlueRenamon stood there, his back to the girl, he couldn't shake off a feeling of guilt for what he'd just said - for what he'd nearly done to her. For nearly harming an innocent in his rage. He was about to teleport away when he heard her whisper something that he couldn't quite make out.

"What did you say?" he turned to face her.

Tears ran freely down her cheeks now. She held out one hand, holding the D-Power up towards him, "I release you. You're free to go."

He looked at the device, then at her, unsure, "But..."

"Just take it and go." She told him, trembling slightly.

He reached out slowly and took it from her, holding it by the strap as if it were something dirty. He looked it over carefully. It was only plastic, a delicate little machine, and it wouldn't take much to destroy it. He could probably crush it in his paw if he tried to.

He simply held it there, looking back at the girl. She seemed to be trembling now, beads of sweat forming on her brow. Something wasn't quite right.

"Are you alright?"

She looked up at him, blinking rapidly and squinting, "I... I..."

Suddenly, she seemed to swoon, grasping the door for support. Her hand slipped, and she pitched forwards. It was only thanks to BlueRenamon's quick reactions that he managed to catch her before she hit the floor. He was careful in lowering her the rest of the way to the floor, supporting her neck as he laid her on her back.

She looked warm, sweaty, and when he put a paw to her forehead she felt unusually hot. She was running a fever.

"Judith?" he whispered to her, but she was only semi-conscious, "Jude?"

She mumbled something completely incoherent.

"Shit!" he swore. Carefully, with both hands, he scooped the human girl into his arms. He was surprised when her arms went around his neck. She must've been awake enough to know something was going on.

"Just hold on." He whispered to her.

"...nothing but blue skies.." she hummed softly to herself as they vanished into thin air.

-o-(())-o--o-(())-o--o-(())-o--o-(())-o--o-(())-o--o-(())-o--o-(())-o--o-(())-o--o-(())-o--o-(())-o--o-(())-o-

When Jude opened her eyes she was lying in a strange bed. A small window to her left let bright sunlight into the room, casting a streaked gleam across the laminated floor, making the white-washed far wall of the room too bright to look at. The gentle, regular beep of a machine beside her bed was the only sound she could hear.

"Where the...?" she looked left and right. The hospital? How did I get here?

She noticed the little bedside table between her and the window. Somebody had placed a vase of fresh flowers on it, and a little note. She reached over, picking it up and reading it. It was from her father, telling her how sorry he was for not being there, and that he'd be back later on. The flowers, some sort of compensation.

She sighed heavily, then leaned over to return the note to where she'd found it.

The clatter of something falling to the floor startled her, drawing her attention. There, on the floor beside her bed, was her D-Power. It must've been on top of her covers. But how had it got there?

She leaned over, picking it up, and placing it in her lap. She didn't let go of the device, caressing it slowly in both hands, trying to remember.

I gave it to BlueRenamon..._she remembered back, _He must've left it in the kitchen after he left...

Absently, she flicked through its functions until she reached the little built-in compass, "I bet he's long gone by now..." she whispered quietly into the silence, closing her eyes to hold back the tears, "Goodbye BlueRenamon."

The little device chirped in her hands, and she looked down at it. There was no arrow on the compass, no direction it could point her in. She struggled to hold back her tears, one escaping and rolling slowly down her cheek. He was gone.

"I am here, Jude."

With a start, she looked up. BlueRenamon stepped slowly out of the shadow in the far corner of the room and into the light where she could see him.

"I... thought you were going to leave..." Jude spoke softly as the blue fox moved over to her. He perched lightly beside her on the bed, "I gave you your freedom."

"Yes..." he whispered, turning his head to look at her, "But for now, my place is here..."

Their eyes met, and she noticed there was something different about him. The anger, the hatred he'd always seemed to regard her with was gone. His cool grey eyes didn't seem quite so cold anymore.

"You brought me here..." she recalled, "You saved me."

He nodded slowly, "The wound on your back, from BlackGrowlmon... It was infected. I brought you to the hospital, made sure you were where the doctors would find you..."

Without warning Jude leaned forwards, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him towards her into a hug. He was startled by the action. But, after a moment, he wrapped his arms around her and returned the embrace.

He could feel her sobbing gently into his brisket, mumbling something he couldn't quite make out. With a little gentle encouragement he persuaded her to pull back. He saw the tears in her eyes, the dampness on her cheeks. But to his surprise she was smiling softly.

She took his hand-paw softly, closing her eyes as she sat back, wiping her tears away with her other sleeve. BlueRenamon heard a soft hum escape her lips.

"That tune you're humming," he asked, "What is it?"

"Hmm?" she opened her eyes with a sniff, "Oh, this? It's called Blue Skies. Irving Berlin"

"You hummed it before, in the kitchen." He looked thoughtfully at her, recalling when she passed out.

"I did?" she seemed a bit embarrassed by the revelation, "Well... It reminds me of you."

He raised an eyebrow, "Of me?"

"Yes, you." She nodded slowly, "Blue Sky."

"Blue sky?" he was puzzled.

She nodded, "That's the name I picked for you. Sky. My blue Sky."

He was silent. In spite of everything; all his complaining; ignoring her; avoiding her for days on end... All his disobedience, and she still wanted to give him a name. And there she sat, looking at him closely, smiling warmly without even a trace of hatred or anger in her pale blue eyes.

"Jude?" he asked at last.

"Yes Sky?"

His eyes cast downwards, "I hope you can forgive me..."

She didn't say another word to him. Instead, she moved up onto her knees and pulled him into another hug.

Sometimes, words are not necessary.

-o-(())-o--o-(())-o--o-(())-o--o-(())-o--o-(())-o--o-(())-o--o-(())-o--o-(())-o--o-(())-o--o-(())-o--o-(())-o-

Jude climbed steadily up the last of the steps, reaching the top of the hill and taking the time to catch her breath. She turned to look back down the hill, shielding her eyes from the sun. Sky was there, not too far behind her, climbing the last few steps.

She smiled at him, "Come on, Sky! You don't want to miss it!"

The blue fox stuck his tongue out at her teasingly, making her roll her eyes. It didn't take him long to catch up. Whilst she'd ran on ahead, racing to the top, he'd taken a more steady approach. She'd worried the whole way that they were going to be late, but he'd kept a close eye on the sun and the time. There were a few minutes left.

When he was within reach she grabbed him by the gauntlet, using his arm to pull him forwards, "Come on!"

"What's the hurry?" he quipped, leaning back and resisting her pull.

"Don't be awkward, I want to see this!"

"Alright, alright." He chuckled, "I'm coming."

He stopped resisting, falling into step beside her, but she didn't release his arm. Instead, her hand sought out his paw, and she led him over to the nearby bench which marked the highest point of the hill.

Sky let go of her hand so she could sit down, and he joined his tamer, taking his place beside her. From here, as if they were on top of the very world, they could see for miles in every directions. The deep, flat vale spread out before them, reaching almost all the way to the distant horizon opposite. The sun, a deep simmering orange, hovered lazily above the distant hills, sinking slowly towards nightfall.

"I've always wanted to see the sunset on the solstice..." Jude's voice seemed to dance on the warm summer breeze, "It's a magnificent view, don't you think?"

Sky looked away from the half-set sun, looking instead to his tamer. The reddening light illuminated her face like the warm embers of a fire, her eyes sparkling as she watched the day pass into twilight.

"Yes." He spoke quietly, "It's beautiful."

And he watched her, watching the setting sun, as the day faded slowly into night.

-o-(())-o--o-(())-o--o-(())-o--o-(())-o--o-(())-o--o-(())-o--o-(())-o--o-(())-o--o-(())-o--o-(())-o--o-(())-o-

Blue skies,

Smiling at me.

Nothing but blue skies,

Do I see.