Holding the Future
By Digigirl
Part 4


Sora stared.
Tai smiled.
And Sora promptly began to sob. She ran forward and threw her arms past the wires and tubes,
past the emotional barriers-and wrapped them around his shoulders. Tai was pinned, and tried
to struggle away.
"Sora…you…you're sitting on my…my hand…ouch…"
She quickly stood up.
"Okay. I'm sorry. But I'm way too happy that you are better to care!"
Tai laughed a little, then his face grew sombre.
Kari moved forward.
"Oh Tai, I'm glad you are all better. I was so afraid that I'd lose you…my only big brother…"
Tai grinned.
"I…l-love…you…"
"I love you too, Tai."
"But….but…K-Kari…"
"Yeah?"
"I…I'm not…better."
"Yeah you are! Look at you! You can talk! And you can move!"
Tai's face tightened.
"I…I can't…move. I'm…"
Joe raised a hand to stop him. He was holding a few papers. Medical papers.
"Tai…do you want me to tell them?"
Tai nodded, lowering his head.
The others turned towards Joe, wondering what was happening.
"You guys…Tai is, well, he's paralyzed. From the waist down."
Joe let in a shuttering breath, and continued.
"It means he'll never be able to walk again."
Mimi put a hand over her mouth.
"No."
Tai nodded again, clenching his fists. Everyone knew Tai. How he was athletic. How he played
soccer, and other sports. How he loved to run around. And now, he couldn't. Ever again.
"Can we…talk…talk about…about this l-later?" Tai said slowly.
Sora swallowed and nodded, grasping Tai's hand.
Meanwhile, Izzy was giving everyone swift, calculating looks. Suddenly, he let out a shout.
"That's IT!"
"What's it?" Matt asked.
"I think I have an idea…but…okay. One small thing. Does everyone have their digivices?"
A chorus of 'yes' came from around the room, except-
"Um, no."
Izzy glanced up.
"Where is yours, Tai?"
"In…shorts."
Sora darted forward and grabbed Tai's neatly folded pair of beige shorts.
"Gee, you really like this style, don't you Tai?"
He nodded.
Sora pulled a white digivice from a pocket.
"Okay. Now we have all the digivices."
Izzy signaled for everyone to place them on Tai's bedside table.
There they lay, all eight of them, glinting in the sunlight streaming in from the window.
Izzy quickly opened his laptop and began rapidly typing things.
"YES! I did it!"
"What? What did you do?!" Takeru asked urgently.
"I managed to get a link to Gennai! Maybe he can contact us now!"
Mimi leaned over towards Izzy, smiling sweetly.
"Mmm, and why didn't you do this before, Koushiro?"
"Ehhhh, I found no r-reason to, M-Mimi…"
He turned red again.
At that moment, the room was filled with a brilliant light, emanating from the bedside table,
where the digivices were.
There was a crackling sound, and then-
"Digi…trouble…need…help….quickly….come…you…digivices…come…"
And that was it.
The voice was hauntingly familiar.
"Gennai." Joe murmured.
Tai struggled to say something.
"We…use our…vices…we can trans…transport our-ourselves…"
"I get it!" Kari said slowly, "We have to go back to the Digiworld! We have to save it once
again! It'll be just like the old days!"
"Yeah, except this time we're 12 years older…" Joe grumbled.
"So! Everyone grab your digivice!" Mimi exclaimed, reaching for hers.
Tai picked his up and rubbed his thumb over the slightly rusted device.
"O-okay. I…am ready…but someone…bring my…clothes…"
The eight adults all held their digivices outward, and closed their eyes, concentrating. A
light appeared from each one, and within a second, all of them had disappeared.

Tai groaned and raised his head.
"Get OFF me!" He hollered angrily at the pile of people on top of him.
There was a grunt, and then-
"Woaw! We're HERE! The Digiworld! We're back!"
Slowly, seven people pulled themselves off Tai.
"Thank you…" He moaned, rubbing his back.
"Tai! You can walk!"
Tai froze.
And so he could.
"I don't understand…" He murmured, looking around. It was the Digiworld, alright. The sky had
that familiar old splatter paint look to it, and the trees were strange as ever.
Tai grinned.
"I can walk, and I'm home. Could it get any better?"
He looked at Sora, then answered his own question.
"Yeah, I guess it can."
Sora laughed, and drew up to his side, resting her head on his shoulder.
Kari raised an eyebrow.
"Sora, aren't you married?"
Sora sucked in a breath.
"Sort of…"
"How can you be 'sort of' married?" Joe probed.
"We're getting a divorce. Me and the guy I married, that is." She answered firmly, as if daring
them to ask anymore.
Tai, on the other hand, was too lost in thought about the Digiworld.
"You guys? I say we rest here tonight, then tomorrow we go find Gennai. We'll split into teams.
Two can go get firewood, four can go find food and water…and Sora and me will go find stuff to
make a shelter. Okay, let's get started."
Matt raised an eyebrow.
"Tai, we are adults. As in, we can think for ourselves. We are not little kids anymore."
"Yeah, but if we want to survive, then we have to act as a team. And survival means doing the
most petty seeming tasks, if we want to live."
"Can't argue with that." Matt replied, walking away with Joe to get wood.
Tai looked at Sora.
"I wonder what we have to do for Gennai. And I wonder where our Digimon are."
"Oh, I bet he's taking care of them for us. I want to see Biyomon again. She probably won't
even recognize me!"
Tai laughed, and sat down on the grass.
Sora sat across from him.
"Well, we should probably start getting materials to make a lean-to with or something…"
Tai shrugged. We could always sleep under the stars tonight.
"Hey! That's a good idea! It's been awhile since I've done that!"
"Um, Sora?"
"Hmm?"
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Shoot."
"Were you serious when you said you loved me?"
"Oh Tai. Of course I love you. I've loved you since we were in the Digiworld for the first
time. I've always loved you."
Tai leaned forward and stroked her cheek, and their lips locked.
'I love you too…'