Okay this is to go along with the tradition of Christmas and all, and I hope that you guys like this. It's definitely a Sorato/Yamora fic. Please read and review, and for those of you that are waiting for some of my other fics to be completed, do not worry. I have a little time now so I am going to work on them as soon as I can. Here goes ....
Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon, or the story of "It's a Wonderful Life". This disclaimer applies to my whole story.
True Worth
The supreme angel of heaven watched in silence as the motions of the day took place. He shook his head and sighed as he watched the man in the dark run towards what he thought to be the easy ending to the predicament that he faced.
Shaking his head he sighed and thought about the quote that that one writer had written so long ago, "What fools these mortals be." That young writer could not have gotten anything more right than that. Humans had it all wrong sometimes. They thought that what they were doing was going to save everyone, but instead it would be even worse for those involved.
"I guess that we shall have to send someone down there." He ordered for one of the in-training guardians to be brought before him. This angel wanted to receive his wings desperately, and this would be his way to do it.
The angel was brought before him and nervously flitted about the room. "Am I to receive my wings now?"
The supreme angel smiled, "You must first prove yourself to us. There is someone in need of your help down below. What is your name?"
"Isaac, sir."
"A good name, your parents choose well when you were born."
"Yes sir, I like to think so."
"How long have you been an Angel in training?"
"About two hundred years."
"I think it's about time that you earned those wings, how about you?"
"Yes sir, I think so."
"Well then son ... Let me tell you about the man that your going to help so that in turn he can help you get your wings."
The scene starts to clear and we see a young boy about the age of six. He is holding an older man's hand, who we assume to be his father. The boy is crying.
"That is Yamato 'Matt' Ishida, the person that you are going to help out. Watch closely as you see what happens at this point of his life."
***********************************************************************
"Mommy, I don't want to leave Daddy. Why is Matt going away too?" The little blonde boy, with the huge blue eyes stared up at his mother and it nearly broke her heart. 'I can't do this to him ... To Matt.' But she had to. She looked at her husband and he merely nodded.
"This has to be done. It's the only way."
The father didn't want to do this, but he and his wife were not in love anymore. It was the only way.
It was Yamato, his oldest son, that finally calmed the crying four year old down. He had taken his little brother by the shoulders and looked at him. "TK, you have to calm down. We will see each other again. We are brothers after all."
Yamato handed TK his baseball glove and smiled at him. "Keep this, and it will always remind you of me. Always keep Hope TK, and everything will be okay."
TK smiled at Yamato and jumped up and hugged him. "Okay Yamato, I'll always keep hope. I know that everything will come out okay in the end."
With that, the two brothers were separated. Yamato to go with his father, to live. TK to go with his mother. And little Tk always held onto that hope that he and his brother would get to see each other again.
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"That was nice of Matt to do that for his little brother. He gave him hope for the future."
"Yes, Isaac, and that hope would prove important in the future. More important than they could ever know."
"How so?"
"Well, later on in their lives, Matt and his brother got sucked into a place called the Digiworld with some other children. The separation from his family had caused Matt to not be as open as other children. Each of the children had something called a digimon partner that they helped digivolve. They also each had a crest that they shared. Matt's crest was the crest of Friendship, one he thought he didn't deserve. Tk ended up getting the crest of hope. So you see, Matt already had an influence on others at an early stage of his life. Now let me show you some things that he struggled with there."
***********************************************************************
Matt and a dog-like thing are resting on the shore beside the lake.
"You ever felt like a fifth wheel, Gabumon? That's what I feel like. All this time, I thought I had like, a purpose, you know? To look out for my little brother." Matt is saying to the dog-like creature. "I thought TK wouldn't be able to survive without me watching over him. But suddenly, it's like he's growing up. He doesn't need me anymore. And it's not just him. It's everybody, man. I mean, when I think of Tai and Mimi and Sora and the others, this place has changed them for the better. They're stronger now. It's almost like they've digivolved or something. "
The one called Gabumon answered, "Mmm hmmm."
"But, you see, the problem is, I haven't. I'm still stuck in the same place. I haven't changed a bit."
"You may not see it, Matt, but you've changed a lot."
"Oh, please, Gabumon. Give me a break. I'm the same jerk I always was."
"Hey, come on."
"It'll never happen. Not this way. I finally got it figured out. If I'm ever gonna change, I have to do it on my own. On my own. The others can't help me."
***********************************
"A digimon named Cherrymon talked Matt into believing something completely different. Something that affected his friendship with the others, and something that changed Matt forever."
***********************************
A giant tree is standing there talking to Matt, "Young man, didn't anyone ever tell you you should listen to your elders? Or was it redwoods you should listen to? I can never quite get those two straight. But anyway, I digress. So, you're still stuck in the same place. Still the same old jerk you always were."
Matt gasps.
"Surprised, huh? Ah, I know all about it. Must be tough being in such a rut. "
Matt frowns and says, "You've been spying on me, huh?"
The tree laughs. "Listen to me kid. I don't need to spy because there's nothing that happens in this forest that I don't know about."
"Huh. Alright then, if you're so smart. What am I supposed to do? Tell me that."
"Ahh, simple as that, eh? Kids, you want all the answers just handed to you on a mahogany platter. But you never wanna do the hard work of looking deep within yourself where all the answers truly lie."
Gabumon pulls at Matt, "Let's go. Don't you listen to that talking firewood, Matt. Come on!"
"That's right, go on. But you'll never learn how to change. You'll always be what you are, right now. "
"I wanna change."
"Yes, of course, but are you really ready? After all, change isn't always a pleasant thing. You might find out a few things that you wish you hadn't."
"I'm ready. More than ready. Enough talking big guy! If you've got some answers, let's see 'em!"
"Alright, kid, I'll help you out. First off, you're gonna have to defeat your rival."
Matt looked at the tree questioningly, "My rival?"
"There, in that lake, you will see the face of the one who is preventing you from becoming as strong as you could be."
Matt walks to the edge of the water that the tree had pointed to.
Gabumon tried to stop Matt, "Where are you going?"
" I know it sounds pretty bogus, but might as well look."
"Listen, Matt. You don't really believe him, do you?" Gabumon runs up to Matt at the edge of the lake. He gasps when the image of Tai appears on the surface.
Matt turns back to the tree, "Tai? Come on! What kind of trick is this?"
" Behold, the face of your rival."
"So you're saying, I have to fight Tai, is that it?" Matt turns to the talking tree and laughs. "Nice try, foliage face, you had me going there. But you'll have to do better than that."
Cherrymon laughs as well.
"I had nothing to do with it. The Lake of Truth reflects only what is in a person's heart, hence the name."
"You've gotta be kidding."
"Sorry kid, it's never wrong."
"That right? Well, I've got news for you. It's off this time, way off."
"Well, you can argue with me all you want, but you're really only arguing with yourself. It's about time you faced the truth. The one you call Tai is your leader. Everything he says, you do. Everywhere he goes, you follow. And yet, in your heart you resent it because you know you're just as qualified to be the boss as he is."
Matt remembers times he argued and fought with Tai.
"Do not be ashamed of your resentment. Do not hide it, embrace it. For in your anger lies your strength. Only when you recognize that will you at last be free to grow, to change. So face your rival! And prove you are his equal, or better, by defeating him!"
Gabumon stands in front of Matt and says, "Don't listen! He's just trying to cause trouble! He's playing games with your mind. It's all part of some kind of trap. Tai is your friend, Matt!"
"Huh? He's my friend, yeah! He may not always act like it, but.... He's right! Tai is my friend. You don't fight your friends!"
"Friend? Ha! Now that's a good one. You don't even believe that such a thing really exists! Not in your heart of hearts, anyway. Ha ha ha! Hit the nail on the head, didn't I?"
Gabumon says, "What's he mean?"
Matt is silent.
Cherrymon smiles, "Friendship, loyalty, comrades. Fine sounding words. But that's all they are. Words, delusions. And you're wise enough to see that now. You know that ultimately, the only person you can depend on is yourself. Isn't that right, Matt?"
Matt struggles with it all, "What a choice. What do I do? Oh, what do I do?" Matt drops to his knees beside a concerned Gabumon. He holds his crest in his hand, struggling not to cry. "Oh, that's a laugh. Wouldn't you know that my crest had to be the crest of friendship."
Gabumon quietly said, "Matt, there's one thing he's right about. Whatever you're going to do, do it!"
Matt looks up at his digimon. "But do what?"
"You've got to hear what your own conscious is telling you, and not listen to anybody else. Not Tai, or Cherrymon or me. You've got to have faith in yourself, Matt."
"What if I make the wrong decision?"
"I know that whatever it is, it'll be the right one. Because I have faith in you! And whichever path you take, I'll be there with you."
"You mean that?"
Gabumon nods and smiles. "You do have a friend. Never forget that! I'll always be there, Matt, no matter what."
"Gabumon...." tears form in Matt's eyes, and his crest glows brightly. A powerful white light shines down on Gabumon.
"Gabumon warp digivolve to... MetalGarurumon!" MetalGarurumon gallops away through the forest, Matt on his back.
Back at the lake, Cherrymon laughs heartily. "Yeah, I think that went rather well. Still, I'm surprised by the strength of the bond between them. It took every trick I had to undermine it. If Puppetmon isn't careful, this game could still be lost."
***************************************
"Wow, that guy is evil. What did Matt do? Did he go after his friend, or did he realize what that guy was saying was wrong?"
"I'll show you."
******************************************
"Matt!" A tall, blue headed boy with glasses yells.
A girl with a blue helmet looks up with hope in her eyes, as well as something else, "Matt, you're back!"
A boy about the same height as Matt with brown hair says, "Better late than never! Where ya been, buddy?" The boy runs up to Matt.
MetalGarurumon's eyes glow ice blue, and he shoots a beam of energy at a yellow dinosaurs feet. The yellow thing yells and jumps back. The boy with brown hair, who is Tai, gasps and turns back to Matt.
"What's he doing?!"
The yellow thing yells, "Hey, what is this?"
MetalGarurumon says, "What do you think? It's a challenge. You might want to digivolve, and fast!"
"What have you been eating out there in the forest? You want to fight me?"
In reply, MetalGarurumon shoots a pair of missiles at Agumon, barely missing him.
The girl in the blue helmet runs up to Matt, "This is insane! Matt, what's going on? Is this some kind of joke?"
"Matt, I don't know what he's doing, but call him off, now!" Tai tells his friend.
"No, Tai. I won't."
***********************************************************************
"The two boys did fight for awhile, but then some things changed and Matt decided to leave them all."
"Why cant we see that?"
"Because there just isnt enough time."
"So he just left them all there?"
"Well, for a time he did."
"Did he return to help them? Where were they? And who was that girl? Was she with that other guy?"
"Matt realized his mistake and went back. Let me take you to another part of that world and his life."
**********************************************************
We see Tk with his digimon and he smiles, "Hey, that sounds like Matt!"
"It sure does!" Matt appears and kneels down and the brothers hug.
"Oh, Matt, where have you been? I was so worried about you!"
"Sorry, TK I needed time to get my head straight, but I won't leave you again. I promise you."
"Gee, Matt, you look different. Did you cut your hair or something?"
"No, I just haven't been using as much gel. Where is everybody?"
TK points down at a hole. "Some black thing pulled Sora down into that hole!"
"Huh?"
The blue haired boy runs up to the hole and looks down into it. "What? Is she alright?"
"Hey, Matt. Does this remind you of anything?"
"Yeah. It looks just like that cave we were trapped in before. The same black thing must have gotten Sora! Whatever you do, don't be afraid, okay guys? I've realized that it's your fear that feeds the darkness."
"That's easy for you to say."
They run forward, and see Biyomon trying to rouse Sora, who is huddled with her head on her knees, much like Matt had been not long ago.
"Sora! What's the matter with you? Get up!" Matt tugs on her arms, but she doesn't budge. "She's stuck."
The blue haired boy says, "Let me help."
"On three. One, two, three!" The two boys pull with all their might, but it's as if Sora is a statue.
Sora was mumbling to herself, "I have to find Mimi, and Joe and Matt. I have to help Tai or the world will be destroyed! There's no place like home. There's no place like home."
A pink bird says, "She won't talk to me anymore. All she does is keep mumbling the same thing over and over again!"
"Sora, Matt and I are right here. Look at me, focus!"
Sora looks up, "Joe, you're really here. I can't believe it. And Matt's with you, too."
"Just relax. Everything's gonna be okay now."
"I'm afraid not. I haven't be trying hard enough. I have to get to Tai right away and help him fight, because if I don't, the world will be completely destroyed."
"Sora, come on! You can't be responsible for saving the world!"
"Joe is right," Matt said, "You have to realize how strong your negative feelings are. They produce a powerful destructive energy. Sora, it's the darkness in your heart that has created the cave in the first place! Don't you get it?"
"Really, Matt? Is that true? Is that why you told TK not to be scared?"
Matt looked at Sora with pleading in his eyes, "Sora, listen to me. There's only one way to make this cave disappear. You've got to reach deep into your heart and erase all the negative feelings."
Inside Sora's mind, she is curled up in the middle of an expanse of darkness, alone. "I don't know if I can. What should I do?"
"You'll have to find the answer to that question on your own." Matt appears in the darkness, surrounded in a circle of light, reaching out to her. "Sora, this isn't the kind of thing you do just because you have to. If you're going to do it, then it has to be because you want to."
"You mean that I don't have to do it if I don't want to?"
"Right. It'll only work if you want to do it."
"I'm confused. How will I know what the right thing to do is?"
Joe answered, "When this whole thing started, do you think we had any idea what the right thing to do was? Of course not. But that didn't stop us, did it? Maybe we're here for a reason. Maybe we're the only ones who can do it!"
Inside Sora's mind, Matt and Joe come towards her in circles of light. "We're the only ones who can make a difference."
"It's working, Matt. I think we're finally getting through to her!"
"We're the only ones. That's why we're here!" Matt and Joe pull Sora into the light, and she awakens from her daze. "I get it now! You were right, Matt. How did you know?"
"I kinda went through the same thing myself."
"Welcome back!" Tk says as he hugs Sora.
Sora nods, smiling, and Biyomon rushes up to her. "Sora!"
"Biyomon!"
"I'm so happy that you're the old Sora and not the new Sora!" The cave disappears, and the group find themselves in a clearing in a forest. They gasp.
Joe yelled, "The cave's gone."
"When the darkness from Sora's heart disappeared, so did the cave." Matt said
"I feel so relieved." Sora exclaimed
"Boy, wait till Tai hears about this!" Tk said, not noticing that Matt winced at his comment for more than one reason.
"Let's find him." Joe said
Matt smiled, "Tai's waiting for us right now. Let's go!"
******************************
"So he saved Sora, and himself. He went back to help Tai out afterall?"
"Well Tai was fighting an evil master by the name of Piedmon. He wasn't doing so well. He felt like he had to help everyone and he felt like he had failed Matt. He needed Matt."
**************************************
We hear Matt yelling, "Tai! Where are you?"
Tai opens his eyes when he faintly hears the voice. Over a distant rise, he can see Garurumon galloping toward him. Birdramon skims through the sky as well.
"Matt!"
"Hold on, buddy. We're coming!"
Sora yells, "Tai, it's us! We're almost there!"
A large figure by the name of Piedmon is standing near Tai. He is the one responsible for Tai's condition. "Once upon a time, they were digidestined. Now they're just sitting ducks waiting for me to take target practice."
Matt runs up to his friend and holds him up in his arms. "Tai!"
"Matt. You made it. I can't believe you're here."
"Yeah, I made it, Tai. Hang in there, buddy."
"I never doubted you for a second, Matt. I know it didn't always seem that way...."
Tears form in Matt's eyes. "Thank you, Tai. For believing in me. I'm just sorry I was so late. Tai, you have to know how much our friendship has always meant to me. And I swear nothing will ever come between us again!"
Matt's crest glows brightly. Garurumon walks up to WarGreymon and touches him with his snout. In a flash of light, WarGreymon is fully healed and as strong as ever. Piedmon looks vaguely annoyed.
Garurumon yells, "Matt, your crest of friendship gave me strength and brought WarGreymon back to normal."
**************************************
"So Matt saved everyone and they defeated that evil man, right?"
"Well, they had some problems. Piedmon changed them into keychains, and they all ran. Sora was one of the last one captured, trying to save Tk and Kari. But she managed to get Matt's keychain away from Piedmon. She gave it to Tk, and he had it."
***********************************************
TK takes the keychain Sora had tossed to him - it was Matt - and holds it in his hand.
"Matt! What would he say?"
We hear Matt's voice, "TK, don't ever give up!"
"Matt?"
"You can do it, T.K. I have faith in you! But it won't help if you don't have faith in yourself. No matter what happens, you have to fight to the very end! "
"I promise you, Matt, I'll never give up the fight! If I don't do it, then this world and our world will be destroyed. I have to do it for Matt, for Angemon, for everybody!"
T.K.'s crest glows, and Angemon struggles to his feet.
"T.K.! Angemon digivolve to.... MagnaAngemon." MagnaAngemon flies into the air and catches Kari and T.K. easily.
"Angemon, I knew you could digivolve!" MagnaAngemon deposits the children safely on the ground.
"I am MagnaAngemon. I have eight shining wings and a beam shield. I wield the mighty sword Excaliber, and my devastating attack is the Gate Of Destiny."
"Chew on this!" Piedmon throws a handkerchief at MagnaAngemon, who slices it in half with his sword.
" I'm not hungry." Another swipe takes the keychains off of Piedmon's belt. "I guess my sword trumps yours." Piedmon falls, screaming, down to the ground below. The keychains are lined up in front of MagnaAngemon. "Now, to bring our friends back to normal. Magna Antidote." Rainbow light shines from his wings and engulfs the keychains. All the kids and their digimon appear again, full-size.
Tai says, "Wow, what a weird dream. I had an incredible urge to carry some keys... Kari!"
Matt yells, "T.K.!" The two older brothers hug their younger siblings, happy to see them safe. "You did a great job, T.K."
Tk says, "If it wasn't for your advice, I don't think I would have been able to do it!"
Matt says, "Huh?"
**************************
"So those words of so long ago helped convince Tk to have Hope and it saved them all?"
"Exactly."
"Well what happened with the girl? What happened after that?"
"Well, they banded together and defeated more dark masters, and then they got to go home to their world."
"Is that the end of the story?"
"No, not quite."
"Well then what happened?"
"A new evil digimon came and attacked the Internet. Yamato and his friend Tai had to make their digimon one so that they could defeat them. This new evil was threatening the world with missiles. He had the capacity to bomb everyone. So they had no choice but to fight him."
"So his friendship once again helped them defeat someone?"
"Yes"
*****************************************************
Wargreymon and Metalgarurumon have stopped moving. They're lying totally still. The Diaboromon have stopped firing as well.
We see Tai at a computer screen, "Wargreymon…" Tai hears Kari's whistle in his head, from long ago. He leans closer to the screen. "Wargreymon…I've got to help…there must be a way…somehow…"
Tai's Mom looks in on them. "More juice, Izzy? I just squeezed some onions!"
"No thanks. I'm rerouting incoming data from the remote server into local memory."
"Oops. I'll just leave you two alone…Wait a minute, where did Tai go?"
He's disappeared. No one is sure how, but Tai's bond with Wargreymon was so strong, Tai himself became digital. Tai is floating down to Wargreymon. Matt's there too.
"Wargreymon…I'm here."
"Metalgarurumon…wake up, don't quit now! Why won't he answer me, Tai?"
"Keep trying, Matt…." Then he thinks of something. "Listen, I don't have a whistle to wake you, but I want you to know, you're not alone, OK? And the mail keeps coming - it won't stop! Kids from all over the world are writing to you. They need your help. You're the only one who can do it. Feel their hope! Feel their strength!"
Wargreymon coughs and shudders. "I…feel them…" The e-mail messages pop up all around Diaboromon's arena, covering the walls. Wargreymon's body condenses into light, and shoots into his helmet. So does Metalgarurumon. Parts of their armor reconfigure themselves. Energy from all the e-mails pour into them.
In a small shop we see Tk. A man walks up to him, "Huh? Where'd your brother go?"
Tk is watching a computer screen, "They combined?"
We see Izzy again, "Part Wargreymon…"
Tk says, "Part Metalgarurumon!"
Izzy again, "They digivolved together to become…"
"Omnimon!" A knight-like digimon, Omnimon wears the helmets of Metalgarurumon and Wargreymon on his hands. The Diaboromon recommence firing. "Transcendence Sword!" He produces a shining sword, redirecting all the energy pulses. Many Diaboromon get destroyed. "Supreme Cannon!" He blasts an entire area of Diaboromon, wiping them out. He fires, again and again, until only one remains.
Izzy yells, "Tai, there's the original! Hurry, we're running out of time!"
"Omnimon, quick! Attack! Where is he?" Diaboromon is very fast. He jumps around the arena. "One minute to go!"
We see Joe, older, taking a test, "One minute to go!"
Then we see Tai's mom, baking, "One minute to go!"
In the background, a fighter jet tries to intercept the nuke heading towards Tai's apartment. "Squad Leader to Command, we were unable to destroy the target! The missile will impact, I repeat, the missile will impact!"
We see Tai and Matt again on Omnimon. Tai yells out, "He keeps moving! Every time we get him in our sights, he jumps somewhere else! He's too fast for us!"
Izzy looks at the screen, "We have the power to destroy him now, but we don't have the time! Willis was right - we have to find some way to slow down Diaboromon!"
TK is still in the shop, "Thirty seconds to go!"
Back to Izzy, "The e-mails! If I forward him all the e-mails, it'll slow him down just like it did us! Keep sending them, kids! You've…got…mail!"
Diaboromon slows down very much. Omnimon flies towards him, sword extended. "Ten seconds to go! Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one!"
Omnimon's sword connects with Diaboromon's head, slicing it in two and destroying the clock that he was holding. Diaboromon melts away. "Connection…terminated…"
******************************************
"Wow, what a rush. Matt sure is important to the world. These were just kids, weren't they?"
"Yes, but very capable ones."
"I can see that. They'd have to have nerves of steel for the things they've been through so far."
"It's not the end."
"It's not? Man, no wonder the poor guy has problems."
"Four years passed, and they all grew older. Tai was still obsessed with soccer. And Sora was still waiting for him to call. Izzy's idea of a fun night was upgrading his computer, and Matt was trying to make it as a rock star! His stage name was "The digi-destined formerly known as Matt". Even though the older kids didn't have as much time for the digiworld, there were new digi-destined kids to pick up the slack. But mind you, they were still there to help the team out. They fought and fought and fought. They restored peace to the world, and helped save the Digital World as well."
"So, where are we with Matt now. What after all of that could even possibly rival something enough to get him in so much trouble that he needs me?"
"Well that was just his childhood, Isaac. His high school and college years are something completely different."
"I was afraid of that ......."
A/N - Well that is all for now. I hope that you liked it. If you did, then I promise to come out with the next chapter soon. This wont be a very long story, mind you, but probably another chapter or two. I promise that there will be more Sorato in the end, but I hope you liked it for now. I tried to add a little Sorato to it already. I know you know where I am going with this, so enjoy the ride. Oh, and in case I forget to tell you. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!
With love,
Sora
Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon, or the story of "It's a Wonderful Life". This disclaimer applies to my whole story.
True Worth
The supreme angel of heaven watched in silence as the motions of the day took place. He shook his head and sighed as he watched the man in the dark run towards what he thought to be the easy ending to the predicament that he faced.
Shaking his head he sighed and thought about the quote that that one writer had written so long ago, "What fools these mortals be." That young writer could not have gotten anything more right than that. Humans had it all wrong sometimes. They thought that what they were doing was going to save everyone, but instead it would be even worse for those involved.
"I guess that we shall have to send someone down there." He ordered for one of the in-training guardians to be brought before him. This angel wanted to receive his wings desperately, and this would be his way to do it.
The angel was brought before him and nervously flitted about the room. "Am I to receive my wings now?"
The supreme angel smiled, "You must first prove yourself to us. There is someone in need of your help down below. What is your name?"
"Isaac, sir."
"A good name, your parents choose well when you were born."
"Yes sir, I like to think so."
"How long have you been an Angel in training?"
"About two hundred years."
"I think it's about time that you earned those wings, how about you?"
"Yes sir, I think so."
"Well then son ... Let me tell you about the man that your going to help so that in turn he can help you get your wings."
The scene starts to clear and we see a young boy about the age of six. He is holding an older man's hand, who we assume to be his father. The boy is crying.
"That is Yamato 'Matt' Ishida, the person that you are going to help out. Watch closely as you see what happens at this point of his life."
***********************************************************************
"Mommy, I don't want to leave Daddy. Why is Matt going away too?" The little blonde boy, with the huge blue eyes stared up at his mother and it nearly broke her heart. 'I can't do this to him ... To Matt.' But she had to. She looked at her husband and he merely nodded.
"This has to be done. It's the only way."
The father didn't want to do this, but he and his wife were not in love anymore. It was the only way.
It was Yamato, his oldest son, that finally calmed the crying four year old down. He had taken his little brother by the shoulders and looked at him. "TK, you have to calm down. We will see each other again. We are brothers after all."
Yamato handed TK his baseball glove and smiled at him. "Keep this, and it will always remind you of me. Always keep Hope TK, and everything will be okay."
TK smiled at Yamato and jumped up and hugged him. "Okay Yamato, I'll always keep hope. I know that everything will come out okay in the end."
With that, the two brothers were separated. Yamato to go with his father, to live. TK to go with his mother. And little Tk always held onto that hope that he and his brother would get to see each other again.
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"That was nice of Matt to do that for his little brother. He gave him hope for the future."
"Yes, Isaac, and that hope would prove important in the future. More important than they could ever know."
"How so?"
"Well, later on in their lives, Matt and his brother got sucked into a place called the Digiworld with some other children. The separation from his family had caused Matt to not be as open as other children. Each of the children had something called a digimon partner that they helped digivolve. They also each had a crest that they shared. Matt's crest was the crest of Friendship, one he thought he didn't deserve. Tk ended up getting the crest of hope. So you see, Matt already had an influence on others at an early stage of his life. Now let me show you some things that he struggled with there."
***********************************************************************
Matt and a dog-like thing are resting on the shore beside the lake.
"You ever felt like a fifth wheel, Gabumon? That's what I feel like. All this time, I thought I had like, a purpose, you know? To look out for my little brother." Matt is saying to the dog-like creature. "I thought TK wouldn't be able to survive without me watching over him. But suddenly, it's like he's growing up. He doesn't need me anymore. And it's not just him. It's everybody, man. I mean, when I think of Tai and Mimi and Sora and the others, this place has changed them for the better. They're stronger now. It's almost like they've digivolved or something. "
The one called Gabumon answered, "Mmm hmmm."
"But, you see, the problem is, I haven't. I'm still stuck in the same place. I haven't changed a bit."
"You may not see it, Matt, but you've changed a lot."
"Oh, please, Gabumon. Give me a break. I'm the same jerk I always was."
"Hey, come on."
"It'll never happen. Not this way. I finally got it figured out. If I'm ever gonna change, I have to do it on my own. On my own. The others can't help me."
***********************************
"A digimon named Cherrymon talked Matt into believing something completely different. Something that affected his friendship with the others, and something that changed Matt forever."
***********************************
A giant tree is standing there talking to Matt, "Young man, didn't anyone ever tell you you should listen to your elders? Or was it redwoods you should listen to? I can never quite get those two straight. But anyway, I digress. So, you're still stuck in the same place. Still the same old jerk you always were."
Matt gasps.
"Surprised, huh? Ah, I know all about it. Must be tough being in such a rut. "
Matt frowns and says, "You've been spying on me, huh?"
The tree laughs. "Listen to me kid. I don't need to spy because there's nothing that happens in this forest that I don't know about."
"Huh. Alright then, if you're so smart. What am I supposed to do? Tell me that."
"Ahh, simple as that, eh? Kids, you want all the answers just handed to you on a mahogany platter. But you never wanna do the hard work of looking deep within yourself where all the answers truly lie."
Gabumon pulls at Matt, "Let's go. Don't you listen to that talking firewood, Matt. Come on!"
"That's right, go on. But you'll never learn how to change. You'll always be what you are, right now. "
"I wanna change."
"Yes, of course, but are you really ready? After all, change isn't always a pleasant thing. You might find out a few things that you wish you hadn't."
"I'm ready. More than ready. Enough talking big guy! If you've got some answers, let's see 'em!"
"Alright, kid, I'll help you out. First off, you're gonna have to defeat your rival."
Matt looked at the tree questioningly, "My rival?"
"There, in that lake, you will see the face of the one who is preventing you from becoming as strong as you could be."
Matt walks to the edge of the water that the tree had pointed to.
Gabumon tried to stop Matt, "Where are you going?"
" I know it sounds pretty bogus, but might as well look."
"Listen, Matt. You don't really believe him, do you?" Gabumon runs up to Matt at the edge of the lake. He gasps when the image of Tai appears on the surface.
Matt turns back to the tree, "Tai? Come on! What kind of trick is this?"
" Behold, the face of your rival."
"So you're saying, I have to fight Tai, is that it?" Matt turns to the talking tree and laughs. "Nice try, foliage face, you had me going there. But you'll have to do better than that."
Cherrymon laughs as well.
"I had nothing to do with it. The Lake of Truth reflects only what is in a person's heart, hence the name."
"You've gotta be kidding."
"Sorry kid, it's never wrong."
"That right? Well, I've got news for you. It's off this time, way off."
"Well, you can argue with me all you want, but you're really only arguing with yourself. It's about time you faced the truth. The one you call Tai is your leader. Everything he says, you do. Everywhere he goes, you follow. And yet, in your heart you resent it because you know you're just as qualified to be the boss as he is."
Matt remembers times he argued and fought with Tai.
"Do not be ashamed of your resentment. Do not hide it, embrace it. For in your anger lies your strength. Only when you recognize that will you at last be free to grow, to change. So face your rival! And prove you are his equal, or better, by defeating him!"
Gabumon stands in front of Matt and says, "Don't listen! He's just trying to cause trouble! He's playing games with your mind. It's all part of some kind of trap. Tai is your friend, Matt!"
"Huh? He's my friend, yeah! He may not always act like it, but.... He's right! Tai is my friend. You don't fight your friends!"
"Friend? Ha! Now that's a good one. You don't even believe that such a thing really exists! Not in your heart of hearts, anyway. Ha ha ha! Hit the nail on the head, didn't I?"
Gabumon says, "What's he mean?"
Matt is silent.
Cherrymon smiles, "Friendship, loyalty, comrades. Fine sounding words. But that's all they are. Words, delusions. And you're wise enough to see that now. You know that ultimately, the only person you can depend on is yourself. Isn't that right, Matt?"
Matt struggles with it all, "What a choice. What do I do? Oh, what do I do?" Matt drops to his knees beside a concerned Gabumon. He holds his crest in his hand, struggling not to cry. "Oh, that's a laugh. Wouldn't you know that my crest had to be the crest of friendship."
Gabumon quietly said, "Matt, there's one thing he's right about. Whatever you're going to do, do it!"
Matt looks up at his digimon. "But do what?"
"You've got to hear what your own conscious is telling you, and not listen to anybody else. Not Tai, or Cherrymon or me. You've got to have faith in yourself, Matt."
"What if I make the wrong decision?"
"I know that whatever it is, it'll be the right one. Because I have faith in you! And whichever path you take, I'll be there with you."
"You mean that?"
Gabumon nods and smiles. "You do have a friend. Never forget that! I'll always be there, Matt, no matter what."
"Gabumon...." tears form in Matt's eyes, and his crest glows brightly. A powerful white light shines down on Gabumon.
"Gabumon warp digivolve to... MetalGarurumon!" MetalGarurumon gallops away through the forest, Matt on his back.
Back at the lake, Cherrymon laughs heartily. "Yeah, I think that went rather well. Still, I'm surprised by the strength of the bond between them. It took every trick I had to undermine it. If Puppetmon isn't careful, this game could still be lost."
***************************************
"Wow, that guy is evil. What did Matt do? Did he go after his friend, or did he realize what that guy was saying was wrong?"
"I'll show you."
******************************************
"Matt!" A tall, blue headed boy with glasses yells.
A girl with a blue helmet looks up with hope in her eyes, as well as something else, "Matt, you're back!"
A boy about the same height as Matt with brown hair says, "Better late than never! Where ya been, buddy?" The boy runs up to Matt.
MetalGarurumon's eyes glow ice blue, and he shoots a beam of energy at a yellow dinosaurs feet. The yellow thing yells and jumps back. The boy with brown hair, who is Tai, gasps and turns back to Matt.
"What's he doing?!"
The yellow thing yells, "Hey, what is this?"
MetalGarurumon says, "What do you think? It's a challenge. You might want to digivolve, and fast!"
"What have you been eating out there in the forest? You want to fight me?"
In reply, MetalGarurumon shoots a pair of missiles at Agumon, barely missing him.
The girl in the blue helmet runs up to Matt, "This is insane! Matt, what's going on? Is this some kind of joke?"
"Matt, I don't know what he's doing, but call him off, now!" Tai tells his friend.
"No, Tai. I won't."
***********************************************************************
"The two boys did fight for awhile, but then some things changed and Matt decided to leave them all."
"Why cant we see that?"
"Because there just isnt enough time."
"So he just left them all there?"
"Well, for a time he did."
"Did he return to help them? Where were they? And who was that girl? Was she with that other guy?"
"Matt realized his mistake and went back. Let me take you to another part of that world and his life."
**********************************************************
We see Tk with his digimon and he smiles, "Hey, that sounds like Matt!"
"It sure does!" Matt appears and kneels down and the brothers hug.
"Oh, Matt, where have you been? I was so worried about you!"
"Sorry, TK I needed time to get my head straight, but I won't leave you again. I promise you."
"Gee, Matt, you look different. Did you cut your hair or something?"
"No, I just haven't been using as much gel. Where is everybody?"
TK points down at a hole. "Some black thing pulled Sora down into that hole!"
"Huh?"
The blue haired boy runs up to the hole and looks down into it. "What? Is she alright?"
"Hey, Matt. Does this remind you of anything?"
"Yeah. It looks just like that cave we were trapped in before. The same black thing must have gotten Sora! Whatever you do, don't be afraid, okay guys? I've realized that it's your fear that feeds the darkness."
"That's easy for you to say."
They run forward, and see Biyomon trying to rouse Sora, who is huddled with her head on her knees, much like Matt had been not long ago.
"Sora! What's the matter with you? Get up!" Matt tugs on her arms, but she doesn't budge. "She's stuck."
The blue haired boy says, "Let me help."
"On three. One, two, three!" The two boys pull with all their might, but it's as if Sora is a statue.
Sora was mumbling to herself, "I have to find Mimi, and Joe and Matt. I have to help Tai or the world will be destroyed! There's no place like home. There's no place like home."
A pink bird says, "She won't talk to me anymore. All she does is keep mumbling the same thing over and over again!"
"Sora, Matt and I are right here. Look at me, focus!"
Sora looks up, "Joe, you're really here. I can't believe it. And Matt's with you, too."
"Just relax. Everything's gonna be okay now."
"I'm afraid not. I haven't be trying hard enough. I have to get to Tai right away and help him fight, because if I don't, the world will be completely destroyed."
"Sora, come on! You can't be responsible for saving the world!"
"Joe is right," Matt said, "You have to realize how strong your negative feelings are. They produce a powerful destructive energy. Sora, it's the darkness in your heart that has created the cave in the first place! Don't you get it?"
"Really, Matt? Is that true? Is that why you told TK not to be scared?"
Matt looked at Sora with pleading in his eyes, "Sora, listen to me. There's only one way to make this cave disappear. You've got to reach deep into your heart and erase all the negative feelings."
Inside Sora's mind, she is curled up in the middle of an expanse of darkness, alone. "I don't know if I can. What should I do?"
"You'll have to find the answer to that question on your own." Matt appears in the darkness, surrounded in a circle of light, reaching out to her. "Sora, this isn't the kind of thing you do just because you have to. If you're going to do it, then it has to be because you want to."
"You mean that I don't have to do it if I don't want to?"
"Right. It'll only work if you want to do it."
"I'm confused. How will I know what the right thing to do is?"
Joe answered, "When this whole thing started, do you think we had any idea what the right thing to do was? Of course not. But that didn't stop us, did it? Maybe we're here for a reason. Maybe we're the only ones who can do it!"
Inside Sora's mind, Matt and Joe come towards her in circles of light. "We're the only ones who can make a difference."
"It's working, Matt. I think we're finally getting through to her!"
"We're the only ones. That's why we're here!" Matt and Joe pull Sora into the light, and she awakens from her daze. "I get it now! You were right, Matt. How did you know?"
"I kinda went through the same thing myself."
"Welcome back!" Tk says as he hugs Sora.
Sora nods, smiling, and Biyomon rushes up to her. "Sora!"
"Biyomon!"
"I'm so happy that you're the old Sora and not the new Sora!" The cave disappears, and the group find themselves in a clearing in a forest. They gasp.
Joe yelled, "The cave's gone."
"When the darkness from Sora's heart disappeared, so did the cave." Matt said
"I feel so relieved." Sora exclaimed
"Boy, wait till Tai hears about this!" Tk said, not noticing that Matt winced at his comment for more than one reason.
"Let's find him." Joe said
Matt smiled, "Tai's waiting for us right now. Let's go!"
******************************
"So he saved Sora, and himself. He went back to help Tai out afterall?"
"Well Tai was fighting an evil master by the name of Piedmon. He wasn't doing so well. He felt like he had to help everyone and he felt like he had failed Matt. He needed Matt."
**************************************
We hear Matt yelling, "Tai! Where are you?"
Tai opens his eyes when he faintly hears the voice. Over a distant rise, he can see Garurumon galloping toward him. Birdramon skims through the sky as well.
"Matt!"
"Hold on, buddy. We're coming!"
Sora yells, "Tai, it's us! We're almost there!"
A large figure by the name of Piedmon is standing near Tai. He is the one responsible for Tai's condition. "Once upon a time, they were digidestined. Now they're just sitting ducks waiting for me to take target practice."
Matt runs up to his friend and holds him up in his arms. "Tai!"
"Matt. You made it. I can't believe you're here."
"Yeah, I made it, Tai. Hang in there, buddy."
"I never doubted you for a second, Matt. I know it didn't always seem that way...."
Tears form in Matt's eyes. "Thank you, Tai. For believing in me. I'm just sorry I was so late. Tai, you have to know how much our friendship has always meant to me. And I swear nothing will ever come between us again!"
Matt's crest glows brightly. Garurumon walks up to WarGreymon and touches him with his snout. In a flash of light, WarGreymon is fully healed and as strong as ever. Piedmon looks vaguely annoyed.
Garurumon yells, "Matt, your crest of friendship gave me strength and brought WarGreymon back to normal."
**************************************
"So Matt saved everyone and they defeated that evil man, right?"
"Well, they had some problems. Piedmon changed them into keychains, and they all ran. Sora was one of the last one captured, trying to save Tk and Kari. But she managed to get Matt's keychain away from Piedmon. She gave it to Tk, and he had it."
***********************************************
TK takes the keychain Sora had tossed to him - it was Matt - and holds it in his hand.
"Matt! What would he say?"
We hear Matt's voice, "TK, don't ever give up!"
"Matt?"
"You can do it, T.K. I have faith in you! But it won't help if you don't have faith in yourself. No matter what happens, you have to fight to the very end! "
"I promise you, Matt, I'll never give up the fight! If I don't do it, then this world and our world will be destroyed. I have to do it for Matt, for Angemon, for everybody!"
T.K.'s crest glows, and Angemon struggles to his feet.
"T.K.! Angemon digivolve to.... MagnaAngemon." MagnaAngemon flies into the air and catches Kari and T.K. easily.
"Angemon, I knew you could digivolve!" MagnaAngemon deposits the children safely on the ground.
"I am MagnaAngemon. I have eight shining wings and a beam shield. I wield the mighty sword Excaliber, and my devastating attack is the Gate Of Destiny."
"Chew on this!" Piedmon throws a handkerchief at MagnaAngemon, who slices it in half with his sword.
" I'm not hungry." Another swipe takes the keychains off of Piedmon's belt. "I guess my sword trumps yours." Piedmon falls, screaming, down to the ground below. The keychains are lined up in front of MagnaAngemon. "Now, to bring our friends back to normal. Magna Antidote." Rainbow light shines from his wings and engulfs the keychains. All the kids and their digimon appear again, full-size.
Tai says, "Wow, what a weird dream. I had an incredible urge to carry some keys... Kari!"
Matt yells, "T.K.!" The two older brothers hug their younger siblings, happy to see them safe. "You did a great job, T.K."
Tk says, "If it wasn't for your advice, I don't think I would have been able to do it!"
Matt says, "Huh?"
**************************
"So those words of so long ago helped convince Tk to have Hope and it saved them all?"
"Exactly."
"Well what happened with the girl? What happened after that?"
"Well, they banded together and defeated more dark masters, and then they got to go home to their world."
"Is that the end of the story?"
"No, not quite."
"Well then what happened?"
"A new evil digimon came and attacked the Internet. Yamato and his friend Tai had to make their digimon one so that they could defeat them. This new evil was threatening the world with missiles. He had the capacity to bomb everyone. So they had no choice but to fight him."
"So his friendship once again helped them defeat someone?"
"Yes"
*****************************************************
Wargreymon and Metalgarurumon have stopped moving. They're lying totally still. The Diaboromon have stopped firing as well.
We see Tai at a computer screen, "Wargreymon…" Tai hears Kari's whistle in his head, from long ago. He leans closer to the screen. "Wargreymon…I've got to help…there must be a way…somehow…"
Tai's Mom looks in on them. "More juice, Izzy? I just squeezed some onions!"
"No thanks. I'm rerouting incoming data from the remote server into local memory."
"Oops. I'll just leave you two alone…Wait a minute, where did Tai go?"
He's disappeared. No one is sure how, but Tai's bond with Wargreymon was so strong, Tai himself became digital. Tai is floating down to Wargreymon. Matt's there too.
"Wargreymon…I'm here."
"Metalgarurumon…wake up, don't quit now! Why won't he answer me, Tai?"
"Keep trying, Matt…." Then he thinks of something. "Listen, I don't have a whistle to wake you, but I want you to know, you're not alone, OK? And the mail keeps coming - it won't stop! Kids from all over the world are writing to you. They need your help. You're the only one who can do it. Feel their hope! Feel their strength!"
Wargreymon coughs and shudders. "I…feel them…" The e-mail messages pop up all around Diaboromon's arena, covering the walls. Wargreymon's body condenses into light, and shoots into his helmet. So does Metalgarurumon. Parts of their armor reconfigure themselves. Energy from all the e-mails pour into them.
In a small shop we see Tk. A man walks up to him, "Huh? Where'd your brother go?"
Tk is watching a computer screen, "They combined?"
We see Izzy again, "Part Wargreymon…"
Tk says, "Part Metalgarurumon!"
Izzy again, "They digivolved together to become…"
"Omnimon!" A knight-like digimon, Omnimon wears the helmets of Metalgarurumon and Wargreymon on his hands. The Diaboromon recommence firing. "Transcendence Sword!" He produces a shining sword, redirecting all the energy pulses. Many Diaboromon get destroyed. "Supreme Cannon!" He blasts an entire area of Diaboromon, wiping them out. He fires, again and again, until only one remains.
Izzy yells, "Tai, there's the original! Hurry, we're running out of time!"
"Omnimon, quick! Attack! Where is he?" Diaboromon is very fast. He jumps around the arena. "One minute to go!"
We see Joe, older, taking a test, "One minute to go!"
Then we see Tai's mom, baking, "One minute to go!"
In the background, a fighter jet tries to intercept the nuke heading towards Tai's apartment. "Squad Leader to Command, we were unable to destroy the target! The missile will impact, I repeat, the missile will impact!"
We see Tai and Matt again on Omnimon. Tai yells out, "He keeps moving! Every time we get him in our sights, he jumps somewhere else! He's too fast for us!"
Izzy looks at the screen, "We have the power to destroy him now, but we don't have the time! Willis was right - we have to find some way to slow down Diaboromon!"
TK is still in the shop, "Thirty seconds to go!"
Back to Izzy, "The e-mails! If I forward him all the e-mails, it'll slow him down just like it did us! Keep sending them, kids! You've…got…mail!"
Diaboromon slows down very much. Omnimon flies towards him, sword extended. "Ten seconds to go! Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one!"
Omnimon's sword connects with Diaboromon's head, slicing it in two and destroying the clock that he was holding. Diaboromon melts away. "Connection…terminated…"
******************************************
"Wow, what a rush. Matt sure is important to the world. These were just kids, weren't they?"
"Yes, but very capable ones."
"I can see that. They'd have to have nerves of steel for the things they've been through so far."
"It's not the end."
"It's not? Man, no wonder the poor guy has problems."
"Four years passed, and they all grew older. Tai was still obsessed with soccer. And Sora was still waiting for him to call. Izzy's idea of a fun night was upgrading his computer, and Matt was trying to make it as a rock star! His stage name was "The digi-destined formerly known as Matt". Even though the older kids didn't have as much time for the digiworld, there were new digi-destined kids to pick up the slack. But mind you, they were still there to help the team out. They fought and fought and fought. They restored peace to the world, and helped save the Digital World as well."
"So, where are we with Matt now. What after all of that could even possibly rival something enough to get him in so much trouble that he needs me?"
"Well that was just his childhood, Isaac. His high school and college years are something completely different."
"I was afraid of that ......."
A/N - Well that is all for now. I hope that you liked it. If you did, then I promise to come out with the next chapter soon. This wont be a very long story, mind you, but probably another chapter or two. I promise that there will be more Sorato in the end, but I hope you liked it for now. I tried to add a little Sorato to it already. I know you know where I am going with this, so enjoy the ride. Oh, and in case I forget to tell you. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!
With love,
Sora