This story takes place a few months after the defeat of MaloMyotismon all other events that occur are fictional

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Digimon series or any of its characters, this is purely fan fiction.

Fighting the Future, Cherishing the Past

~Chapter One~

Memory Lane

Taichi Yagami rubbed his temples vigorously. Quadratic functions had a way of making the seventeen year-old weary and tired. He had attended plenty of tutoring sessions at the Odaiba Gakuen library, but he could never seem to grasp any of the concepts. Koushiro would know how to handle these and he was a year younger than Tai! He grunted in frustration and loosened his collar. He kicked up his soccer ball and collapsed onto his bed, holding it tightly against his chest.

"Tai! Oyako Donburi for dinner tonight okay?" His mother called from the kitchen. Tai gagged but replied cheerily.

"Thanks Mom!" He rolled onto his front side and closed his eyes. His mother should never be allowed to serve chicken and eggs at the same time, it had to be a rule.

Flipping through the real estate pages of the Japan Times, Tai searched for a cheap apartment, anything to get him away and to gain him freedom from this home of half-eaten meals, childlike conversations, and parents that were iniquitous. He thought of Agumon at that moment. If he were here he'd have no reason to move away. Hell, he'd even stay if Gatomon were around, anything to remind him of the days of grandeur.

Gennai had summoned all the Digimon back to the Digital World. It was something to do with 'sealing the stamp on the letter' or whatever the old man meant by that. Of course Tai kept forgetting he had grown younger by a good fifty years, but the hundred-year old persona that he met on File Island still remained.

Hikari had been miserable since Gatoman's departure, and had kept to her room and only emerged on the rare trips to the bathroom and to grab a plate of Mom's God-awful cooking. Tai had tried his best to cheer his little sister up, but to no avail. He pulled himself up off his bed and crept down the hallway to her room. He knocked gently on the door and let himself in.

"Kari?" No answer. The room was an artificial night, and Tai couldn't even see his own hand in front of his face if he tried.

"Here Tai." The fourteen year-old's face was illuminated by the distinct light of her D-terminal. She was perched on her bed under the blankets, writing emails back and forth arbitrarily.

"Just thought I'd check on you."

"I'm not a child anymore Tai, I can look out for my well-being without you around." She snapped back in her serene manner. Tai tried not to show that he was taken aback. He slid the door closed and leaned on the doorframe.

"Davis supports my idea." She held up the email she had just received.

"Figures Davis would say that." Tai smirked. His face turned serious, "Kari, you need to stop. Gatomon will be back, Agumon too. Some things take time." Tai was partially reassuring himself in this statement.

"You need to get back to your life." He added.

"How about you? You were whining just yesterday to Sora that you wished the days from four years ago never ended! Everyone can hear you when you talk on the phone." Kari replied, a hint of aggravation in her voice. She did have a point and Tai had no defense. He ran his hand through his bushy brown hair and left the girl to her thoughts.

After a brief dinner, which Kari was not in attendance for, Tai grabbed some chips from the cupboard to fill himself up after throwing half of his meal away. He grabbed his phone from his coat pocket and shut himself in his room, dribbling his soccer ball lightly as he texted Matt.

"Mind if I come over?" He typed.

"No prob, see u in 5." Tai grinned, Matt was a fan of the abbreviated texting speech. He pulled on some everyday clothes and threw on his jacket, shouting over his shoulder where he was off to. He slammed the door before his father could protest however.

Susumu, Tai's father, was an assistant to some huge executive at the company he worked for. He insisted that Tai come to work for him some day, but the job didn't appeal to him. Tai dreamt of being an athlete! Being stuck in a cramped office with frigid air conditioning really turned Tai off and frankly, who wouldn't be?

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The crisp breeze blew the crackling autumn leaves up at Tai's feet as he walked across the plaza connecting Matt's building with his. The air felt nice when it hit his face and it really got rid of the sick feeling the teenager had as he tried to devour his Donburi in front of his Mom without making it look like he was choking the food down.

It was a typical night after five, and kids were beginning to head home to their respective apartments, some of the older ones kept at their activities and of course the usual college students were out and about socializing. Tai knew that they wouldn't be heading inside any time soon. He pulled open the lobby door and got Matt to buzz him through.

Coming out of the elevator, he saw Yamato standing at the end of the outdoor hallway, barefoot and munching on leftover Gomaae. It was probably the healthiest Tai had ever seen Matt eat before. He clapped Matt on the shoulder as the blond boy welcomed him in.

Right away Tai smelled the overwhelming scent of ash. Matt's father smoked a lot, and he had a habit of doing it inside as well. Shirts and various other articles of clothes were strewn about the apartment and dishes crowded the scuffed wooden table. If Tai's Mom lived here…she'd have her way with this apartment that was for sure. An open bottle of vodka was on the table, Tai frowned and picked it up.

"What're you doing with this garbage?" Tai went to the sink as Matt's face turned pale. Tai dumped the beverage all down the sink as Matt slid his hand across his face.

"Dammit Tai, that was a ¥3,600 bottle." Matt groaned.

"Just tell him I drank it or something." Tai muttered, "I need to talk to you about… important stuff."

"Shoot."

"TK probably told you about the Digimon being sent back right?"

"Wouldn't shut up about it." Matt replied, Tai rolled his eyes. He was probably buzzed a little. This wouldn't do, he needed somebody who would listen! Izzy was an awesome listener, but any feedback from that kid would mean having to sit through a 25 minute lecture on something totally unrelated.

"Well, Kari's not so good. I'm worried about her. She just stays in her room and does nothing. She hasn't even been at school for the past few days. She's lonely without Gatomon." Tai paused, how was he going to phrase this without sounding selfish?

"I miss the old days." He said. Matt's expression turned to one of slight normality.

"Yeah…we all do." He replied solemnly as thoughts of Gabumon entered his mind. "But we can't get them back. What's your point?"

"We should go back. See if…"

"No Tai."

"What?"

"We're not needed. You of all people should remember how it happened. And it most likely won't happen again." Matt crossed his arms and took another bite of the staling food he had been eating before. "It was fun while it lasted, and it taught us a lot. But the Digital World works in mysterious ways, it makes the choices. Not you."

Tai grimaced. The words stung more than he thought they would. He was the leader, and he was used to it. A lot of beings seemed to enjoy telling Tai how to spend his life, his father, the Digital World. He knew that his destiny wasn't up to him to decide, but he knew that he had control over what happened along the way.

"Yeah. See you later I guess." Tai got up and walked to the door.

"Tai." Matt stopped him, "You can relive those days… if you help Kari. The rest as well! TK tells me a lot of the Digidestined are all miserable, Davis gets into more fights at school, Yolei's been snappier. Cody…well you talk to Kari about everything." Matt paused. "Go home." Matt retreated into his room, leaving Tai standing in the kitchenette.

"What do you mean?" Tai asked to Matt's closed door. From inside he heard the angry sounds of Matt getting up again and coming to the door.

"I'm saying this." Matt stuck his head out the door, "Saving the world isn't the only way to have glory. I know that's what you want." His sharp blue eyes looked Tai over almost angrily. Tai understood from Matt's firm gaze and managed to grin weakly.

"You're beginning to sound just like Gennai." Tai shoved his hands into his coat pockets. "See ya." He muttered and Matt replied likewise.

His work was clear, even though it was far from the ideal objective he had in mind. Family and friends came before glory and adventure, and if he succeeded, it would just be one more story to tell and in the end, he'd find personal fame.

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It was well past midnight when Tai returned. The apartment was silent, save for his father's snoring from another room. The bushy haired teen grabbed a chocolate bar from the cabinet and headed back into his own room. Matt's words were nagging at him, making him realize how selfish he'd been and how much he was whining about his own needs, rather then helping the friends he loved so much. He got up out of his chair and knocked on his little sister's door.

"Kari?"

FIN

This is my first fanfic so I'm open to tips and constructive criticism, but I'm not open to aggressive people. *eyes*.

I'm very aware that my dialogue is a little…weird and the ending maybe clichéd. :/

Happy criticizing!