Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine

by YukiraKing

Moments after the finale of 'Digimon Adventure 07: Virus' the core group of characters are faced with internal struggles of coping with the horrors they have finally escaped from. For some, the nightmare continues, and for others it is impossible to forget, but they will have to work together to move forward and face their newest and final foe.

36. Bittersweet

Y/N: So...I wrote some chapters, and some were more fun to write than others. Kiyoko, Mimi and Koushiro probably were the most difficult, because they were more emotionally based. The Mimi section in chapter 36 was written later than the rest, so it might seem a bit odd, but it felt important. Also I just want to say that when the court comes up, I apologize for not knowing exactly what to do or say because it was just hard to do...

U/N: So it's getting really hard to write author's notes each time, so I'm just going to write all I have to say right here, and if you have something to say specifically about the chapters, send us a message :P

Okay, so this is the final arc before a rather big event. I know that this final little chapter block is largely about Gennai and Sigma, so each character is dealing with these two characters, and it's fun to see how they deal with two people who should not technically be around. We have some meetings, a lot of relationship drama, some court drama and intense scenes, a wedding or two and some real Kari action! It was really fun to write toward this particular conclusion because it was such a bitter sort of feeling all around with the haunting and the drama, but I hope you like it all :D

Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine

By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing

Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.

Part 2: Conclusion

Chapter 36: Bittersweet

Mimi Tachikawa:

"I really appreciate this Yoshie," I said with a sigh, watching as Yoshie pulled another casserole out of the oven. I was putting the finishing touches on a separate dish that would take its place. She put the steaming hot ceramic pot on the table next to me on a hot plate, and put mine in the oven. She sat down next to me and squeezed my shoulder when she was finished.

"There's far too much for you on your own," she said simply. "I can't let you drown under the pressure. You need support right now."

"I'm glad you're here to keep me level headed," I said, wincing. Koushiro had given in under the pressure. He'd found an unhealthy way to cope, and it occurred to me then that I had never told his mother—and if Koushiro hadn't told me then he wouldn't have told her. How could he? He was still under the impression that he needed to be perfect for his parents because they chose to adopt him. "Yoshie...Koushiro did something—"

"I know," she said softly. "Tentomon told me. I haven't been able to talk with him yet. I don't know what to say. I don't know what to do."

"I don't know where I went wrong," I admitted. "I should have seen the signs. They were all there. But I didn't even register them. And he never asked me for help. I don't know what to think about that. Why didn't he need me? Why couldn't he trust me? He went to Sora and Biyomon. He told them, and when I tried to confront him about it, he ran away."

"It's not your fault," Yoshie assured me. "Now, I'm going to call Yuuko over, and she can watch the oven. Let's get these dishes over to the infirmary. I'm sure they're all hungry."

"Maybe," I said, nodding. I tried for a smile, and failed. I was just miserable. The world was changing all around me—again—and I didn't know what else to do. I could make food, and try to comfort my friends. I could be there for them, just like I hoped they'd be there for me, if the situations were reversed. We had to get everyone into tip top shape because there was a wedding coming up.

Not everyone would be able to make it to the festivities though.

Gennai was gone. Again. I missed him like crazy. I was trying to keep a level head about it. But I couldn't. I was seeing him as a hero once again. I was glorifying the good and forgetting the bad. I knew I was, but I couldn't help it. I missed him. I missed his steady sureness. He always seemed to know what to do. I could use a little of that.

Yes, Sigma was gone—mind, body and heart this time—and Gaia was locked away. But Maugrim was somewhere, probably waiting to kill us all, or maybe he was off licking his wounds. I didn't know. I couldn't know. My mind was too busy trying to take Koushiro's addiction into account. He was being watched by all of our friends, and he was willing to be near them. That was more than could be said about me. He didn't want me to even look at him. He would get red in the face and run away. He was embarrassed about his weakness, and he obviously couldn't see that I was on his side.

No, I didn't support his decision to rely on narcotics, but didn't mean I wasn't going to stick by him through whatever was coming his way. We might've lost a few enemies and managed to get a heck of a lot closer to eternal peace, but my heart was still tumultuous. I hurt every second, not just because of Koushiro's problems. It was losing Gennai, and waiting for Tapirmon to awaken. Daisuke and Hideto needed constant supervision while Jou ruled out concussions. Sigma was fought less than twenty-four hours before, and there was a lot of rebuilding that needed to be done too.

"Let's go," Yoshie said, picking up the large casserole. I pushed the wheeled cart with vegetable side dishes, soup and a big salmon out of the mostly stable kitchen and towards the residential district that stood between us and the hospital.

The destruction held my attention and made it difficult for me to find words. I was so afraid. It didn't make any sense to be feeling fear now. The fight was over, but even looking at the crumbling walls made my heart pound. I had been so close to losing my friends. I was so close to losing Palmon. I made Lotusmon promise to not fight. That promise could have cost Jou and Emiko and Momoe and everyone their lives. I felt like such an idiot.

But I couldn't help it.

I didn't like fighting. Palmon didn't like fighting. Jou and Gomamon didn't like fighting. I wanted them all to be safe. I wanted everyone to be safe. Fighting wasn't safe. But apparently not fighting was even more dangerous. Standing by and watching as Sigma terrorized the Temple and my friends was not an option I was able to live with. And I'd had to watch so many friends get hurt before that realization really struck home.

I had to watch Palmon get hurt.

Forcing such thoughts and memories out of my mind, I pushed open the front doors, and shoved my cart full of food into the hospital lobby. Yoshie was right at my heels, and Hikari raced over to us, quick to take the casserole from Yoshie's hands. She needed to feel useful. My guess was that Takeru was still sleeping after the transfusion that he'd needed. He had lost a lot of blood, and needed a ton of stitches. I felt bad for the guy, but he had enough pain medication to take the worst of the pain away. Hikari didn't have that. She was worrying like crazy.

It didn't help that Gatomon and Patamon were asleep in the room with Takeru, still thoroughly exhausted from their efforts. Most of our partners were in the hospital, resting and regaining their strength. Palmon was sharing a room with Veemon and Gabumon. Agumon was with them at all times, ready to get anything they needed. Yamato was splitting his time between Takeru and Gabumon. Daisuke was unable to tend to his partner, because he was in a separate room, sharing with Labramon and Betamon.

Koushiro and Tentomon were in a room somewhere. And I wanted to find him. I really, really wanted to find him. But I didn't. I couldn't hunt him down. But Yoshie and I did wander off towards Sora, while everyone else attacked the food trolley. Hikari was making plates up to deliver to all of Jou's patients, while Momoe dished food up for Emiko and our resident doctor.

"Sora," Yoshie called gently. Sora looked up, startled, and then she seemed awkward. She tried for a smile, and managed one, however strained it ended up being. Yoshie wrapped my friend in a tight embrace and just held her for a few seconds. "I am so glad that everything got sorted out, Dear. Your mother was keeping me updated on the case. I didn't want to crowd you, so I gave you some distance, but I was so worried about you."

"Thanks," Sora said. "I didn't even realize I could get that scared. But it's in the past. Arnold can't hurt me anymore. Sigma can't hurt anyone. Gaia's gone. Things are really looking up for us."

"Hopefully Koushiro will be able to handle the lighter work load with a little more grace," Yoshie said. She looked like she was carrying a heavy heart. I knew, because it was the same look that I saw in the mirror every day.

"He will," Sora said firmly. There was fire in her eyes, and I sighed to myself, knowing that even if Koushiro was avoiding me, and wouldn't let me help, that at least Sora and Tentomon would be able to get through to him.

I still wished it could be me though.

While Sora and Yoshie spoke, I wandered towards the stairs, heading up to the rooms, so that I could try and seek Koushiro out. Maybe he wouldn't run while we were in a hospital. It was a long shot, but he'd just lost Gennai again too. And we both were very affected by it.

I found him and Tentomon talking in the hallway. I panicked and pressed myself against the wall, just around the corner from them. I hadn't thought I would actually find him. I was still so upset with him, but I didn't want to just yell. I didn't know what to say.

But it sounded like Tentomon did.

"Taichi's getting married," Tentomon said. "He's going to expect you to be there and be on your best behaviour."

"You say that, but you're wrong," Koushiro said with a sigh. "Everyone's better off without me. I don't know what wisdom is, I'm a huge disappointment. Someone else should have gotten my Crest. Gennai chose wrong."

"You obviously weren't listening to the same goodbye speech that I was," Tentomon said tiredly. "Gennai is proud of you. He really is. He chose right. I could not imagine a better partner. I would never have gotten along with anyone better than you. I was meant for you. We complete each other. You can't possibly think any differently."

"I like to think we're a good pair," Koushiro admitted.

"I know that you are unsure of where you stand now," Tentomon said. "But I am always with you. I'm also watching you. I won't let you fall down that path again. You're not even recovered yet. I was oblivious for far too long."

"Don't blame yourself for my oversight," Koushiro instructed. "I really was sure that I had it under control. I'm still sure I can manage it on my own."

"No," Tentomon said simply.

"I don't need help," Koushiro insisted.

"I will invite Terriermon to stay with us," Tentomon threatened. "He's good at sniffing out your dirty little secret these days."

"I'm fine," Koushiro said firmly.

"Then why can't you look Mimi in the eye?" Tentomon wondered. My heart jumped at the sound of my name and I held my fists close to my chest as I listened to them speak. Koushiro blushed and looked at the ground. I was very curious to hear the answer.

"I disappointed her too," Koushiro said. "She's mad at me. If I talk to her, she'll break up with me. I've never felt the way I feel when I'm around her. I'm scared of losing that. I didn't realize how much I needed it, how much I needed her, until now. There's a legitimate chance I could lose her. If I don't talk to her, if I don't confront her, then she can't break up with me."

"That's unhealthy and impossible," I said, forgetting that I was meant to be in hiding. I was still really irritated with him—both for the habit he developed and for not coming to me when he needed support—but he needed me. He hadn't actually said it directly to me, but it was something. He wasn't replacing me with drugs, which was definitely nice to hear.

He looked at me startled, and searched for an exit. Tentomon wouldn't let him run away though, and I was very thankful for that.

"We live together," I pointed out. "And I can break up with you without actually having to talk with you. It's not the nicest way to go about it, but I could leave a voicemail, email or text telling you exactly where we stand. I might actually do that, because you seem to think that I am the one at risk of leaving."

"I'm not going anywhere," he said, sounding confused.

"Are you sure? Because I can't necessarily be sure of that," I told him. "You won't meet my eye, you ran into the wilderness and resurrected Gennai instead of talking to me. You're still trying to bargain with everyone in order to get what your body now thinks that it wants, but you don't really need that. Your mother is waiting for you downstairs. She's worried about you. I'm worried about you."

"I know," he admitted quietly. "But you're still mad at me."

"Damn right I'm still mad at you," I snapped. "But that doesn't mean I don't still want forever with you. I meant what I said. When I think about the future, you're always there. Don't run away from me." I felt my heart physically hurting inside my chest at the thought of him misunderstanding me any further. He was so smart, so why did he have to be so stupid? I loved him and missing him was just hurting my chances of helping in the fight for peace.

"I'll probably still do that...for a while," Koushiro cautioned.

"I know," I said with a sigh. "But I won't. I'll be mad, and angry, and emotional. But I will love you anyway. I don't care if you believe it. It's true. Now go downstairs and let your mother feed you. I'm going to find Palmon, and hopefully she'll have something good to tell me."

"She and Rei are talking about the wedding actually," Tentomon said. "We just came from there. Palmon's looking much better. Everyone is really."

"Except Takeru," Koushiro felt the need to point out.

"Tapirmon woke up?" I asked, feeling my heart lighten up. Koushiro nodded jerkily, before walking off down the hallway. I glared at him, not really feeling the anger—just feeling compelled to express my irritation at his constant need to run away.

"He's with Alias III now," Tentomon said. "But he might be up for visitors later."

Tentomon flew off after Koushiro and I penciled a visit to Tapirmon and Hideto into my mental schedule. I was just glad that things were looking up. Our friends were fine, and were recovering. Takeru was still not doing so great, but otherwise everyone was awake and alert—and Takeru would be joining the rest of us with a few more days of rest.

It really felt like the world was finally going our way.

Taichi Yagami:

Gennai was gone. It was hard to imagine that we'd lost him a second time. He'd barely been back long enough for me to really believe he'd been back at all. It was difficult, to know that I wasn't filling his shoes the way he'd wanted me to, but at the same time, he wanted me to make the decisions. It was too hard to understand what it was that he wanted exactly.

But I guessed it didn't matter anymore. Not really. He wasn't here anymore to tell me what I was doing wrong. He wasn't here to tell Koushiro what an idiot he was. He wasn't here to put us all down and make us feel bad.

Somehow, despite his less than favourable behaviour, I still missed him more this time than I had the last. It wasn't fair to have been teased with his return only to lose him in the blink of an eye. I didn't regret his loss as much as I would've thought though. His death signified Sigma's final defeat. Sigma couldn't come after Miyako anymore. He couldn't try to steal Mai away from Miyako and Ken, or Emiko from Jou and Momoe. He couldn't haunt Alias III and make them question everything they'd ever gone though. I knew that Mari in particular was shaken by the experience.

I still didn't know who destroyed the heart though.

No one was talking about it. It was a mystery, and while I'd like to know the answer, it didn't really matter in the end. Sigma had been made mortal, and he was gone now for a final time, just as Gennai was. If Gennai had to go, I was glad he took our enemy with him. It made it all seem like it was worth it, even though it still wasn't fair.

That had all been days ago though. We'd had time since then to really let it all sink in. Koushiro had come back to work, and was doing a lot better, now that he knew Gennai wouldn't have approved of his chosen actions. He wasn't better exactly, but he was getting there. He was improving with leaps and bounds. It was good to know that he would be okay, even without Gennai around.

Miyako was walking with a particularly happy bounce to her step. She was free, her baby was happy and healthy, and Gaia was nowhere to be seen. She was practically on cloud nine.

All of us were really.

Sora was free, no longer trapped within the confines of her home. The trial was over, and the charges had been dropped. Mari was now guardian—'temporarily' but I was sure it would work out in the end—of her little sister, who was just as free as Sora now. Iori had secretly gotten married, and no one noticed until Sora shouted it out, and was now going to be a father. Yamato had finally found something he wanted to do for himself, which would hopefully bring him closer to Sora in the long run. I hoped it would anyway. He also found himself a house, as did Iori and Natsuni, and Ken and Miyako. Daisuke and Kurayami were well on their way to getting a place of their own, now that the noodle cart's business was picking up again, and Kurayami had found a job at the Inoue convenience store. She hoped to find something she enjoyed more, but that job had served Iori well before he became a fully functioning lawyer, and it would do her good as well. (I knew that Mrs Inoue wasn't particularly pleased, but as it was Mr Inoue's store before he was married, he did get the final say, and he didn't have anything against the Digidestined in the way his wife did.) She didn't work long hours or anything yet, since she had a child at home, but it was something.

Hikari was still hovering. She hadn't made a decision career wise, and didn't know what she wanted to do. Her passion was in teaching, but her first experience had not been particularly great. I knew that when Iori and Natsuni moved into their home, she didn't want to go with them. She didn't want to intrude as they embarked on their journey as a family. She also didn't really have anywhere she wanted to go yet either. I was a little worried, but I knew she'd figure it out sooner or later. She was a go-getter when the mood struck her—and she didn't want to move back home either, so that was a great motivation on its own. I had every faith in her that she could figure it out. I was proud of her, and the woman she'd become. Yes, she'd made some particularly bad decisions over the past few months. She'd created the Reaper and had let Gaia loose on our world—and given Gaia her light in the process—but she'd also sealed both enemies away. She was growing, and she was amazing.

She smiled over at me, and I raised my glass in her direction. She smiled and laughed, and I took it all in. I didn't want to forget a single moment of this evening. It was one to remember. I'd just gotten married. I hadn't expected to hurry the wedding along, and more than once I was asked if we were racing down the aisle before a certain bun was baked, but that wasn't it. There was no baby on the way. I wasn't sure we'd ever get to that point. But I loved Rei, and she accepted my spontaneous proposal for some reason, and I wasn't foolish enough to question her.

I'd thought for sure she'd throw the ring back in my face when I got down on one knee and asked for her hand. I'd just told her about mine and Mari's kiss, and it was ridiculous to ever expect her to accept me when I'd betrayed her in such a way. But she wanted to be with me, in the Digital World, for the rest of her life, and I wanted the exact same thing.

Yes, we were rushing the wedding, but we wanted everyone to be able to celebrate it with us. The worlds seemed to be at peace—but I knew they really weren't. Rida wasn't done with his quest to eradicate all life in the Digital World, and I knew that there would be sacrifices that needed to be made before the peace that had eluded us for so long was finally found. I wanted to celebrate before any of those sacrifices needed to be made. This could very well be the last time that all of us were ever together like this. It was a very likely chance. We'd lost Lalamon before—and Sora too—and we'd nearly lost Kiyoko, Rei and Willis. There was too much danger at every turn. We'd lost Gennai twice, and the war would never end while Rida was in charge. He'd promised me that much. He would leave his mark in the history books, regardless of any stain his reputation might acquire in the process.

I took a sip of Champaign—which Rei insisted upon having—and shook my head. This was a night of celebration! I didn't have time to worry about the future. I was a married man now, joining Ken, Jou, Daisuke and Iori in the ranks of Digidestined husbands. It was strange to think how many of us were married. It was even stranger to know I was now one of them. I wondered briefly who would be next, and then shook the thought from my mind.

It was my wedding now. I didn't need to look towards the future. I didn't need to start planning the weddings of my friends. I wasn't going to have any part in it, anyway, so there was no point in mentally figuring out the logistics.

"Can you believe we were at Jun's wedding just about two weeks ago?" Rei asked, kissing my cheek as our guests started tapping their glasses with their silverware. I didn't understand that particular tradition, but Rei had kissed me a lot tonight because of it, so I didn't mind it too much.

"I can't," Yamato said, rolling his eyes. He was sitting with us, recounting his plans for the future of his music career, and discussing the pros and cons of taking a year break as he tried to expand his mind, and focus on himself for once. He really wasn't sure if the band would make it, but he was hoping for some really great publicity from whatever plans he was making—all very top secret, he wouldn't tell me no matter how many times I asked—so they might last during his year hiatus. I wasn't really following along, since I didn't know what he was talking about.

"It was a whirlwind affair, okay," I said, sighing.

"Yeah it was," he said with a snort. "Are you sure there's not a baby on the way? You wouldn't be the only ones."

"There's no baby," Neo said, surprising me. He'd wandered off to find a glass of wine, since Champaign wasn't his preferred alcoholic beverage. "There had better not be."

"There's not," I cried. It was honestly annoying that my own friends were assuming things. I knew Yamato was just teasing, but the way Miyako kept eyeing Rei's stomach, and the way Mom was glancing her way, was freaking me out. I wasn't ready to be a father. I was ready to be a husband. I wanted to spend forever with Rei, and I was going to. We'd made our vows and everything.

"How's being best man?" Yamato asked Neo bitterly. I knew he was upset that he wasn't asked to be my best man, but I decided not to have one. Rei chose Neo to stand up with her—and to give her away, since she decided not to invite her mother—and I chose Hikari, to keep it a family thing. It wasn't personal. We simply chose not to have a huge bridal party. There wasn't enough time to get so many dresses and suits anyway. This way, Neo's tie had to match whatever dress Rei and Hikari picked out, and that was it. Nothing else was needed. It was simple. It was cheap. It was fast.

And things needed to be fast. We hadn't had a lot of time for the planning. Two weeks to the day after I asked her we walked down the aisle.

Was Jun upset that we'd decided to get married so soon after she did? Yes. She was, actually. She was also upset that her wedding hadn't been the perfect event she'd been hoping for, because Maugrim interrupted the reception, and we'd all had to go to fight him—even if he had disappeared before we arrived. She was upset because Sora was at my wedding, and hadn't been able to get to hers. She was upset about a lot of things, but she was still here supporting our union, and that was all that mattered.

She did seem to enjoy pointing out that her wedding was far grander in scale. It was the truth, so we weren't bothered by it. We were in Mimi's newly renovated restaurant. It was set to open for the public within the month, and we'd commandeered it for our small wedding. There were plenty of seats for the Digidestined and our digimon. My parents were there, and we'd invited Jun and Shuu—because they had invited us to theirs and we didn't want to shun them—and when I'd run into Izumi, literally, I'd invited her too, since we'd known her for ages. I never asked her what she was doing with that suitcase, but I wasn't bothered by it. A lot of people had suitcases in the Temple these days. Maugrim was still a threat, even if Gaia and Sigma no longer were. It was safer there.

Not a lot of other parents were there. We didn't know them well enough to invite them, but Rei was still close with Yamato's father, having went on her first trip to the Digital World with him and Toshiko Takenouchi. Toshiko was invited too, as was her husband, since he worked for me. I invited the Izumi's as well, and the council. And that was it.

We'd probably offended someone—Rei's mother most likely—but we didn't have a lot of space or time. We wanted an intimate gathering with only our closest of friends. We'd chosen Earth because we'd be spending our lives in the Digital World, and we wanted to celebrate our union in the world where we were born. We didn't have a first dance because of the location, but that was alright. Rei was fine remembering our real first dance, back at her birthday celebration—infamous for the sheer number of break-ups that occurred—three years ago.

"Taichi, dance with me!" Hikari said, coming over and freeing me from what could potentially develop into an argument. Yamato was still waiting for Neo to answer, and was growing impatient, when he realized Neo didn't have much inclination to actually say anything to him. He was too busy talking with his sister to care about that ex-neighbour of his.

I let Hikari drag me out onto the dance floor, blowing a kiss in Rei's direction as dramatically as I could. She caught it and made a big show of placing it over her heart before sending a kiss back my way. It was ridiculous and pointless. I loved it.

"You're crazy, Taichi," Hikari said, as I swung her around as though she was still a little girl. She didn't seem to mind being treated like my baby sister, which was nice. She would always be my baby sister, no matter how old she got. I'd always remember her as that little girl that was so intuitive, and determined to make others happy, even at the risk of her own health. She was delicate and strong at the same time somehow and it was amazing and scary to see the beautiful young woman she'd become when I wasn't looking.

"I must be," I murmured, pulling her close and running my fingers through her hair, just to irritate her. She laughed, and shoved my hands away, catching one hand in both of hers and spinning me under her arm. I had to duck in order to make it under the bridge she'd created, but that just made the whole situation funnier in her opinion. She laughed loudly and jumped onto my back, messing up my hair in retaliation. I laughed, and tried to get her off, but I wasn't trying too hard. She was having a blast, and it was my wedding. She should have fun.

Like I'd said, this could very well be the last celebration we all had as a complete set, I didn't want her to spend the night having only a mediocre level of fun. I wanted to see her smiling as much as I could. Gaia had taken her smile away for a long time, and the Land of Dreams had leeched away her happiness before that—and the virus and EVOLVE before that. I wanted to always remember her smiling brightly and having the time of her life.

I wanted that for everyone.

Hikari started cooing, and I dropped her off my back. She was watching as Emiko dragged Yamato away from my bride and her brother, out onto the dance floor. Jou was laughing at Yamato's face when Emiko very seriously held her hands out for a tango. Yamato had to get down on his knees in order to participate, since she refused to be lifted into the air. Hikari and I watched them for awhile, before she decided we needed to do the twist, and see who could get lowest without falling down. When it was determined that I was the best, I glanced over to Rei, while laughing at Hikari. She was sprawled out on the ground, and was laughing louder than I'd heard in a long time.

Rei wasn't laughing though. She was crying, and Neo was holding her close, not looking very pleased, but trying to be supportive. I felt bad. I knew what they were probably talking about. Not much else would make Rei cry at a time like this. Pal and Pul were over with her in a minute though, doing a little jig in front of her, until she dried her eyes. She wasn't happy yet, with the subject, but she was okay again. She smiled when she caught me watching her anyway. The smile melted when she looked to Neo, and I had to look away. I'd had enough of watching my bride cry on our wedding day.

I wasn't sure I could hold it together myself if I kept looking at her.

We'd have a lot to talk about later, but for now, I wanted to enjoy this moment. Yamato pried himself away from Emiko by pointing her in Iori's direction. Iori wasn't as willing as Yamato, and ended up lifting Emiko off the ground—but she didn't protest. It was getting late, and she was getting tired. Iori swayed while she clung to him, and her eyes grew droopy. Yamato, in the meantime, walked towards the podium, where the microphone was waiting for speeches that I didn't intend to give. I gave enough speeches as part of my job, and everyone knew that we were happy they were here. There was nothing else to say.

"Taichi," Yamato said into the microphone. "I wrote a little something for you and Rei. I figured I'd be the best man when I wrote it, but obviously that didn't happen."

"Sorry," Hikari called out to him.

"Yeah, well sister trumps best friend, I guess," Yamato said, but he smiled this time, so I knew he was getting over it a little bit at least. It was hard to stay mad when Hikari was involved. "Anyway, I figured I ought to sing it here, at your wedding, since I wrote it for the occasion."

Yamato was a little awkward as he tuned his guitar, and looked out over the rather small—compared to Jun's anyway—crowd. These were all his closest friends and family members. It was a little different performing in front of them then it was in front of a giant, screaming crowd. It was more personal, leaving him rather vulnerable. But once the guitar was ready, and the chords started filling the air, he got lost in the music and sang a song that was catchy and soft, and somehow managed to capture mine and Rei's story without being too obvious about it. I wondered if he'd put the song on an upcoming album, but didn't want to ask.

I listened as he told the story of two friends that were focussed on their family, and were too oblivious to realize they were meant to be together. He sang of the beginning of our relationship, and the torturous feelings that came with the virus—which played a rather large part in all of his new songs, even though he was never blunt about it—and how ultimately we came together in the end. He sang about the happily-ever-after that we wanted, but weren't sure we were going to get. The song told a story, and the chorus changed each time just as we changed during each step of our journey until this night. It was one of the best songs I'd ever heard.

There was a lot of bias towards that opinion, seeing as it was about me, and managed to capture both of our personalities so perfectly.

The chords faded out, having ended on a rather happy note. Applause filled the space the notes left behind, and Rei was clapping her hands, crying all the while. Hideto was clapping begrudgingly, noting that it was still a love song, but it wasn't about Sora, so he figured it was alright. Coming from him, that was pretty high praise.

"That's all I've got. You're going to have to live a little more if you want another verse," Yamato said, with an awkward laugh. He moved away from the podium, and I walked over to him, holding my hand out. He looked at it, raising an eyebrow, but he took it. The moment he did, I pulled him closer and hugged him tightly. He really was my best friend, even if I didn't act like it all the time. He'd pulled away from me—from everyone—lately, and I was hoping this was him saying that he wasn't going to keep that distance between him and his friends. I hoped that he was over that. I didn't want to see him get lost in loneliness. He was the Digidestined of friendship. He was meant to be surrounded by friends, not isolation. I needed to know that he wasn't going to fall back into his old habits.

"Thanks, man," I said. "It was pretty great."

"You would think that," he said, rolling his eyes. "It was about you."

"And I'm pretty great," I agreed with a laugh. "Gennai said so. That means it must be true."

"Keep dreaming," Yamato snorted.

I laughed, and looked back towards the dance floor. Ken and Miyako were dancing to the playlist Yamato had turned back on when he was done his song. They were lost in each others' eyes as if they were remembering their wedding. Sora's parents were on the floor as well, twirling around each other as though they were professionals—which made sense, because I'd never seen Sora's mom do anything less than perfectly. Daisuke was dancing with Takeru, both playing up their dance moves to ridiculous proportions, trying to make Neo laugh. Rei was laughing joyously at their antics, but Neo was the one they really wanted to get a chuckle out of. Agumon was even dancing out there, despite his two left feet. Palmon, who was clumsy herself, was having a ball as they swayed back and forth, acting like they were professionals when they were barely dancing.

Iori was now sitting at a table with Kurayami, Biyomon and Momoe, with a sleeping Emiko on his lap. I could see him in that moment with a child of his own. It was the first time I'd ever been able to picture it. It was still strange though. He was one of the youngest—with only Kurayami, Kiyoko and Ryou being younger. Kurayami was already a mother, which was mind boggling on its own, but to have Iori join her in parenthood was practically insane.

I wasn't in any rush to join them though. Rei and I were just fine on our own. We didn't need to hurry into anything. I wasn't saying it was bad that Natsuni and Iori were already expecting a child. It just wasn't something that Rei and I were planning for is all.

"Hey there," Sora said, tapping me on the shoulder from behind. "Dance with me?" I agreed. It wasn't weird at all that I'd invited my ex-girlfriend to my wedding. I'd asked Rei and she told me so. I wasn't sure what she wanted me to do in that regard, since she was friends with Katsue—who I went on one date with, and was now here with her girlfriend—and Sora—who I'd dated for a lot longer than just one date—and Mari—who I'd only kissed the once. I didn't want her to be uncomfortable, but she laughed in my face when I said that. She said something about me being absolutely ridiculous and of course we were going to invite our friends, no matter what my history with them was.

Rei was amazing like that. And I loved that she knew how much I loved her and that I wouldn't stray from her. Mari had been a mistake brought on by the understanding—however incorrect it had proven to be—that Rei was dead. The thought alone still made me shudder. I didn't like the idea of a world without Rei in it. I'd lived in that world once, and I didn't want to go back.

Thankfully, Rei felt the exact same way, and wouldn't be leaving my side any time soon.

"You're married Taichi," Sora said with a laugh. "I didn't think I'd ever be saying that. You're too rash."

"Well," I said wryly, "My engagement lasted only two weeks. I'd say I'm plenty rash."

"True," she said smiling. "I never thought you'd be next, you know? I really didn't. I figured Hikari would beat you to the punch. I figured I would, and you know how far off I am from that."

"You just have to meet the right guy," I said, knowing full well that she already had in my opinion—and really everyone else's, when I thought about it. Even her eyes went to Yamato when I said it, but she shrugged her shoulders, determined to not focus on herself for the night. "You'll figure it out Sora. I know you will. You just have to go for it."

"I'll get hurt," she said, shaking her head.

"It's worth the risk," I told her. "Promise me that you'll find your happily-ever-after. Promise me."

"I'll find it," Sora swore, rolling her eyes at how insistent my voice was. She didn't understand the urgency. But I did. And her promise meant something to me. It was so important. "I don't know when. It could be fifty years from now for all I know. But I'll find it. Don't worry about me."

"I always worry about you," I told her. "I worry about everyone. I just want everyone to be happy. Why is it that something so simple is so hard to accomplish?"

"I don't know," Sora said. "What's with the philosophical side of you? It's new."

"Just worrying about the future," I said honestly. "It's all I can think of most days."

"You've got to live in the present," she said firmly. "You'll miss everything if you're always looking forward."

"I don't have much present left," I whispered. She quirked her head, having missed what I said, but I just shrugged my shoulders at her. I wasn't ready to share any more. I twirled her under my arm and sent her flying towards Willis, who was dancing wildly with Terriermon and Lopmon. They quickly made room for Sora to join them, and she stuck her tongue out at me, for leaving her to their strange dance. I laughed, and made my way to my parents.

They were sitting alone, since everyone else was dancing. Mom looked one second away from tears, which was enough to get me feeling emotional too. I sat down, watching Rei as she danced in her chair next to Lalamon and Tapirmon, who were too shy to dance in the open dance floor. I saw Aneko watching them, and she took a step closer every so often. She'd be dancing with them soon, I could tell.

"Taichi," Dad said. I looked to him. He wasn't always a guy I wanted to emulate. He'd had a bit of a drinking problem when I was a kid—and it hadn't really gone away, exactly. He was just managing it better these days. He had a partner in Kamemon, but he never really did any bonding with the little guy. He wasn't very invested in the digital aspects of his family's lives. He'd been hard on me, and he left me to watch Hikari a lot when I was a kid. I wasn't old enough to take care of a regular kid, let alone one that was dying. He made me feel like crap a lot too, when I was little, because I'd made Hikari collapse that one time while playing soccer. The memory of it still haunted me to this day, I hadn't needed him to throw it back in my face any time I made a mistake—no matter how small.

But for all the bad stuff, he was still a good guy. He loved me, and he raised me to the best of his ability. He taught me how to be brave—because he always had to test Mom's cooking first. He taught me how to ride a bicycle, and how to tie my shoes. He taught me how to kick a soccer ball too. He'd helped shape my childhood, so that I could be what the Digital World needed me to be.

"Dad," I said, thickly. I was really getting too deep with my thoughts, and I tried to pull back the happiest one: I was married! It did very little to clear out the heavy emotions though.

"I'm proud of you, son," he said, "Even if I still can't figure out why you got married so fast."

"Oh, they're young and in love," Mom teased. "They don't need any other reason. Don't forget, we were the same way. Now, if he really wanted to be like us, he'd be announcing a baby within the first few years."

"No babies," I said quickly. She burst into laughter, and with that laughter several memories of my childhood flooded into my mind. She patched me up every time I fell down and hurt myself during soccer practice. She played board games and helped me with jigsaw puzzles. She made the weirdest food and laughed whenever I made funny faces. She'd been just as hard on me as Dad had, but it hadn't mattered as much. She was so bright, and ready to have fun, even though she'd been under a hell of a lot of stress with Hikari being sick all the time. She sometimes forgot that I was just a kid, because she'd made me babysit Hikari too, but for the most part the only responsibility she'd given me was Hikari. I was allowed to be a kid, so long as I always watched out for my little sister.

It wasn't so bad. I was gonna look out for her anyway—especially after she collapsed in the park.

"I'm joking," Mom said. "I'm too young to be a grandmother."

"I'm not," Dad said, with a rather sly smile. There was an age difference between them. It had always struck me as weird when I was a kid. They were several years apart—seven to be precise. Now that I was older, it didn't seem so drastic, but when I was a kid, it was scary. It was the difference between a first and seventh grader. It seemed impossible to me.

"You're not too young to be a grandmother?" I asked faking confusion.

"You know what I mean," he said with a groan. I laughed, and Mom joined in.

"No babies," I said again. "It wouldn't be practical."

"You could always move out of the Digital World," Dad suggested. I winced.

"Not going to happen Dad," I told him. "We're happy where we are. It might get pretty lonely, but we're not changing our minds. We've made our decision and we're sticking to it."

"That doesn't sound ominous," Mom said sarcastically.

"Yeah," I said with as much humour as I could muster—which wasn't very much.

"You won't forget us while you're off in that world of yours," Dad wondered. I shook my head vehemently. There was no way in hell that I was going to be able to forget my parents. They put me on this Earth and steered me towards the path I needed to be on, the path that brought me to Rei, and to Agumon and to all of my friends. I had been the ambassador of the Digital World, because of that very same path. And yes, that path had led me away from them, but I would never be anywhere without them—I carried them with me in everything that I did.

"I'll never forget you," I promised. "Excuse me, I need a little air."

"Go ahead," Dad said. "The party isn't going anywhere."

"Right," I agreed, and then I fled as fast as I could. I breathed in the night air, trying to ignore the impurities. The Digital World's air was far superior. It was fresher, and there wasn't any pollution to speak of. But the cool air was helping. I was supposed to be happy. I was having the time of my life. I was married now, and I loved that. I was happy about that. I was.

It was just that my marriage wasn't the only thing on my mind.

"Taichi?" Hikari called, following me outside. I swallowed, trying to centre myself. "Taichi, what's gotten into you? You're missing out on all the fun." I didn't say anything, trying to get my emotions under control. She must've seen something on my face, because hers instantly filled with fear. "Taichi, tell me what's wrong? Did you do something?" I shook my head. "But you're going to," she assumed. I nodded. "Tell me what it is?"

"I'm locking the worlds," I whispered. She gasped, but she let me finish. She wasn't going to pass judgement, even though she had every right to. I'd just told her I was going to lock Gatomon up and keep them separated forever. She had every right to be mad at me. "Gennai was right. It's the only way to keep Rida from trying again. It's the only way to keep Maugrim from getting to the keys and freeing Gaia. It's the only way to keep the peace, Hikari."

"I know," she said sadly. "I realized that awhile ago. I was just hoping I was wrong. I don't want to say goodbye to Gatomon, Taichi. I don't know what I'll do without her."

It killed me to hear her talking that way.

"HIkari," I said. "It's not just Gatomon."

"What?" she asked, sounding frightened by the possibilities that had opened before her. She understood what I was saying, but she was stubbornly refusing to accept it.

"Didn't you wonder why the engagement was so short?" I asked. "We wanted to share our wedding with all of our friends. We didn't have time to wait."

"No," Hikari said. "Taichi, no."

"They need me, Hikari," I said. "They're all depending on me. I can't let them down."

"I need you," she insisted. Her eyes filled with tears and she grabbed hold of my shirt, so that she could look me straight in the eye. "Don't leave me."

"I have to Hikari," I told her. "My life isn't on Earth anymore. This isn't my world. I belong in the Digital World."

"Then so do I," she cried. "Take me with you, Taichi."

"I can't do that to you," I told her, ruffling her hair, just as I had earlier. It wasn't as funny now. It just sort of made me want to cry. "Your life is here. Your dream is here."

"I can be a teacher in the Digital World too," she protested. "There are a lot of eager young minds, ready to learn."

"Takeru is here," I reminded her.

"Then he can come too. Everyone can come. We have to stay together," she cried.

"Think about it, Hikari. Everyone else needs to be here," I said. "Everyone's dreams are here."

"What about Jou, and Koushiro, and Neo, and Kiyoko?" she argued. "They work in the Digital World too."

"Hikari," I said firmly. "They'll be fine. They can all make it in this world. I can't. I don't know anything about Earth anymore. I live and breathe the Digital World. I'm not going to survive anywhere else. You know that."

"How am I supposed to survive without you?" she asked, her voice breaking.

"You'll have Mom and Dad, and Takeru, and Sora and all of the others," I said, finally giving in to the emotions, and letting the tears come. "Don't worry about me. I'll have Rei and Agumon. I have to do this though. I have to save them all. I can't leave the gates open. I can't wait much longer."

"I don't want to lose you," she cried.

"I don't want to lose you either," I promised. "But it came down to what Neo said. I can't be selfish. I can't put my wants above the entire population. They need this. Their survival depends on it. I can't let them die just because I want to be able to see my little sister."

"Don't say goodbye to me, Taichi," she cried. "Don't."

"I'm going to have to," I told her. "I can't leave without saying goodbye."

"Don't go," she whispered. Her cries were swallowed up by the cool winds, and she fell against my chest. I held her close, closing my eyes and feeling my own tears fall down my face and drip down my neck. How was I supposed to say goodbye to her when it was my job to watch over her? It felt like an impossible task.

But I'd have to figure it out. I didn't have long left to be in this world.

Willis Kennedy:

"Yeah?" Michael said bitterly, "Well, Taichi's a jerk. Jerk-chi. That's what we'll call him. He's the new Jerk-nai."

"Taichi is a chewy disgusting stick of meat?" Terriermon asked with wide eyes. "He's jerky?"

"No!" Michael groaned, shoving Terriermon away, looking rather annoyed and then suddenly his face change to a much more apologetic look and he pulled Terriermon into a hug. A tight one judging by the way Terriermon's face began to bulge out. "I'm going to miss you, Terriermon."

"Get off you oaf!" Terriermon wheezed as he struggled to free himself from Michael's grasp. When he finally did, he leapt toward the table and skidded to a stop before turning back to Michael. "You know I'm going to miss you too, right?" Michael nodded, "Okay, so let's stop talking about how we're going to miss each other and do something fun!" Michael seemed to decide he had a point and had come up with an idea.

It was as he ran off that I really began to wonder how he might react in the end.

We were sitting together. All of us—our family anyway—and waiting for the inevitable to happen. Taichi had requested we all wait around in the Temple as we had before, for convenience sake. It wouldn't do to have someone 'run off like Palmon'—whatever that meant—before we had to say goodbye. Michael had requested we avoid the others for a while and we had returned to our hotel room that we had been living in to be safer from Gaia or Sigma, but now that the two were gone, it seemed pointless. Taichi had understood that, and I had gone off to visit my mother with Terriermon and Lopmon.

"We have to go," Terriermon told her sadly, and simply looked confused as she took a pan of brownies out of the oven. "We are being taken back to the Digital World to keep things safe."

"Another adventure?" Mom asked, looking rather worried in my direction.

"No, not Willis," Lopmon said, shaking her head. "To keep humans safe, and to keep digimon safe, we're sacrificing our own needs. Terriermon and I will never come out of the Digital World again, and we're here to say goodbye to you. We love you."

Mom dropped the pan of brownies onto the top of the oven with sadness and she moved forward to hug them both, "I love you too!"

It was sad, really. It had been a long night, and Mom wouldn't take her eyes off of Terriermon and Lopmon long enough to look at me. I was trying to explain to her that I would be going too, because I wasn't about to wait around my whole life without my partners. I had experienced life without them and man did it suck. I understood why the others might stay behind, and grasp the importance of the separation—and while I understood it on a scientific level, I didn't understand spiritually. I was attached to Terriermon and Lopmon. I didn't know how, or why or if I ever would know, but what I could understand was that breaking that connection—even for the safety of the worlds—was not something I was willing to do, but since Taichi got to make the final decisions, it was only fair that I got to make one of my own.

I was going with them.

"It's just so sad," Michael groaned as he brought a bottle over to the round table where we all sat, "Betamon, Terriermon and Lopmon are all leaving—Willis is travelling the world or whatever, and I have a new job!"

"How is a new job a bad thing, you freak?" Jenna asked, rolling her eyes.

"Because I'll never be at home to see the only family I have left which I guess is just you." He made a fake vomiting sound and Jenna punched his arm and laughed at his shriek of pain. The laughter was what I wanted to keep with me the most. If I could choose a single memory to take with me, it would be the way they all sounded in their best moments and their laughter was always perfection.

Monodramon was carrying around a video camera—and had been for a week. The moment he heard Taichi's plan to take our partners away, Monodramon wanted to ensure that Terriermon, Lopmon and Betamon all remembered what we sounded like. I wondered if any of them knew of my plan to go with them.

Monodramon turned the camera to Jenna who stuck her tongue out playfully and leaned into Chi who sat next to her. He threw his arm around her and kissed her head, and then poked her side resulting in a fit of giggles from her. She laughed again and once more I tried to memorize the sound.

Chi and Jenna had been discussing all week their plans and only the previous night had they come to any sort of real conclusion. At first, Chi tried to use Veronica as an excuse to stay on Earth, claiming that he needed to protect Jenna from her insanity, but Tatum had slashed away at his reasoning by simply reading the newspaper—as if anyone ever did that anymore. "Veronica Truman, daughter of Bravery Award bearing Officer Spencer Truman has been formally arrested for aiding a criminal in framing a young woman from Japan for the murder of a fellow officer. As of now there seems to be no trial in the works, as her father claims she needs to be punished for her actions." Tatum had said, and even if it was good to hear, Chi didn't seem to think so.

Jenna had told Chi that the obvious reason he had to go was because his siblings. He didn't think that was a suitable argument because, and I quote, "Everyone has to leave the nest some time, Jenna. Besides, Meiyomon is here too, he's going to need some company." Jenna had responded by simply saying "No."

But in the end, Chi had won her over by expressing his undying love for her and even buying her a strange skeletal statue from that stand that always disappeared whenever we tried to shop there. I didn't know how he had found it again, but it was enough to prove to her that they were serious and that he wanted to stay with her.

Jenna and Kudamon had spent the whole morning with Chi's family, and had only come back to visit us now, as the sun was setting.

Michael hadn't quite accepted that this was to be his last night with Betamon and while Tatum had been trying to ease him closer to the idea, he was still very against it. Even with Tatum's gentle reminders, Michael's stubbornness would not falter. I could see it was upsetting Betamon that Michael wouldn't say goodbye, but Michael just couldn't see that himself.

"Okay," Michael decided, setting the empty bottle on the table, "I'll spin and whoever it lands on—"

"We're playing spin the bottle?" Jenna asked, horrified, then she looked to Chi and said, "Is there any magic in you that can make it only land on you when I spin?" Chi shook his head but Michael was already objecting.

"No no no!" He cried out, "Whoever it lands on has to do whatever I tell them to."

"This sounds horrible," I said, stifling laughter, but Terriermon and Lopmon were objecting loudly.

"Why don't we just play truth or dare?" Lopmon asked, "That's basically what you want!"

"And why do you get to be the bottle spinner?" Terriermon snapped, "I could do way better than you!"

"Fine," Michael relented, sliding the bottle across the table to Terriermon who proudly climbed up onto the table itself so he could reach more easily. He spun the bottle and watched as it pointed to each of us in turn.

Finally it rested on Michael who looked worried. Terriermon however seemed rather pleased with the outcome and he pointed dramatically in Michael's direction. "Go tell Betamon you love him and that you'll miss him and that you're sad he has to go."

Michael's face drained of colour and he stared in Terriermon's direction for a while before deciding he was done with the game. He stood abruptly and pushed his chair back before heading for the door. Tatum was quick to rush after him but I stopped her, grabbing her hand. "Let me," I suggested. She nodded and I was off, rushing after Michael.

He hadn't gone far, just far enough to be out of earshot as he cried.

My heart sank in the most painful of ways at the sound of it. I spotted Sora and Biyomon nearby, looking worried but I waved them off and Sora wished me luck. The sound was easy to follow in the literal sense, but the closer I got to him the more I wanted to simply back away. I found him sitting in a corner behind a stand that sold raw fish on a stick—thankfully the owner hadn't returned from the Coliseum yet and there were no fish inside.

Michael looked up when I came near and shook his head, not bothering to wipe his tears. Millions of people had seen him cry before, he wasn't ashamed. And yet that didn't stop it from being hard to see for me. I had only ever heard him cry a couple of times in real life. When the fake Betamon had died and he had thought it was the real Betamon. When Betamon was rescued from his torture prison and Michael was ashamed of himself. And at the finale of Glee. Just the three times. This was supposed to be the time in which he admitted he was sad to Betamon who he would never see again.

He would never see me either though. He didn't know that yet. I didn't want my last memory of Michael to be his tears.

"I just don't want him to go," Michael cried, slamming his head back against the stone wall behind him. He groaned loudly and then simply closed his eyes. "I've been trying to think of ways he can stay," Michael sniffled loudly but didn't care at all. "The Digimental of Strength, right? It's somewhere here. He could stay with me, right? He doesn't have to be in the Digital World."

"There isn't proof that there even is a Digimental of Strength, Michael." I told him sadly and he didn't really seem to like the words I had formed, "We've never found it."

"Well I was wondering if I could pass the crest on to someone else," Michael offered, shrugging his shoulders, "I don't need it if I can't have Betamon anyway. And if I had to pick—"

"You'd pick Betamon," I told him sadly. "But we don't get to pick. We didn't choose the crests. They picked us. Well, Gennai did, but it sounds more dramatic my way." Michael snorted. "The crest chooses the human, Mr Washington." Michael actually laughed now but wasn't very happy with himself because of it.

"Willis?" He said after a moment of silence. "Uhm... when I was younger, and my mom died, I felt really alone." My heart somehow sank more at the sound of that. Michael had never opened up about feeling sad before. He had always vowed to smile through anything and let whatever was meant to happen play out, but of course he had thoughts and feelings about them. I just never thought I'd hear them. "See, I didn't have any friends. My nanny didn't speak English, and Jenna barely did either. She was so little." His mother had died when he was ten, so Jenna would have been maybe four years old at the time. "Dad was always gone. Everyone thought that was so cool because he was famous. So I was the popular kid, right? Everyone thought I would be busy—or maybe they were too scared to talk to me—or maybe they didn't think I was as good as my dad, or thought I was arrogant—but whatever the reason, they never talked to me. I never had a friend until Mimi. She helped me with Betamon, and with you and all the others. She introduced me to Tatum, and then she left my life as quickly as she'd entered it. She changed it for good of course, and I didn't really feel alone, even though everyone hated me."

"I never hated you," I objected.

"But everyone else did," he said, wiping at his nose with his sleeve. "I wanted to be their friend. When Betamon was running away from me I went through a pretty rough time. I thought I wasn't worthy of even that. Of having friends. As it turned out, Betamon had been ripped away and tortured, so I was right. I wasn't worthy of friends. I couldn't take care of the one friend I had. But Hikari left when you broke up. The fairies haven't talked to me since I started asking about my mom. Even Gennai's gone again. I don't want to lose Betamon too. Not with you leaving to go to Brazil or wherever you're going."

"It was Africa, Michael." He shook it off as if it didn't matter, which was probably for the better because he would have caught my past tense otherwise.

"I guess you could say I have a victim complex," he said, sighing. "I have abandonment issues and I can't stop myself from taking it as a personal attack whenever someone leaves. I just want him to stay."

I tried to stop the rising guilt in my chest at the sound of it all, but couldn't. Michael was going to lose it if I told him I was leaving with the digimon.

"Make him stay," Michael pleaded, finally deciding to wipe the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand, "Please make him stay."

"Michael," I told him softly, "I don't think there is a way." Michael looked angrily to the ground but said nothing. "As far as I'm aware, this realm is one for balance. Gennai made the Digital World in the place where peace was meant to be kept. That means the crests belong here. Betamon has a duty to the universe to keep everything stable and safe. If the worlds close off—"

"Leave them open?" Michael tried.

"You know as well as I do how selfish that could be," I told him, feeling like a hypocrite more and more with each passing second. "Betamon has a job."

"And I'm proud of that," Michael and I both turned to see Betamon who had found us both and was making his way past me to get to his disheartened partner. "Michael, you're the friendliest person ever. You never have to worry about people leaving by choice because no one will. I thought you knew that." Michael said nothing, but with Betamon around I decided it was time to give them their moment. Betamon nodded to me and I tried to smile, but couldn't.

Then I was on my way back to the others. On my way up the stairs to our room I stopped, hearing someone sobbing loudly. When I turned to see I found Spring, clinging to Bitoru who was looking rather embarrassed with all of his attention.

"Spring, he may not come!" Winter barked, "You know this as well as I do."

"He is cursed," Summer said, much more gently, brushing Spring's hair back. She took her face in her hands and she looked her right in the eye. "He has been cursed to remain out of Sidhendor. I know what it is like to be cast aside from the one you care for."

"Hardly," Winter rolled her eyes, "You can see Yume whenever you are asleep." Summer shot a glare Winter's direction but as the hardiest of the three, she didn't seem to care at all.

"Spring," Bitoru said, pushing Summer aside. "I believe in the force of destiny. We will meet again, I promise." Spring simply responded by sobbing some more, and I winced, deciding to look away. I was glad he believed in my crest, but I didn't know how to help. I couldn't use it and bend the universe to my will, but if I could, right now would be the perfect time. I didn't want anyone else to be sad.

I could see Kurayami crying, hugging Norn who was going to be locked away forever too, but she at least could promise to always look out for Kurayami who didn't seem to think that was enough. Yamato and Takeru were sitting up on a nearby rooftop, holding their partners with them, trying to cheer them up. Sora was still with Biyomon, and near her were Hideto and Kiyoko, both of whom were trying to convince their partners it was the right idea. Taichi had taken all the partners aside and explained the situation to them—as Lopmon had told me—and most of them understood and agreed with him. They had been the ones to deliver the news in the first place, but some of them—Warg and Melga included—didn't like the idea too much.

Koushiro and Tentomon were playing a game of chess on the laptop that was sitting on the paved floor in front of them, and nearby Mimi and Palmon were both openly weeping in one another's arms. Miyako and Ken were the most secluded of anyone that I could see, keeping their whole family together for one last meal. Michael had given them his picnic basket because he claimed he wasn't giving Betamon up, so he wouldn't need to have a picnic to commemorate their billionth—and final—picnic together. Poromon was fluttering around Mai adorably, pecking softly at her forehead like little kisses, while Hawkmon and Ken shared a leftover piece of cake from Taichi's wedding. Miyako and Wormmon were sorting through a box of films, deciding who got which. Miyako was trying to give Wormmon all of them, but he wanted to make sure that Mai had something to watch later on, when she could actually pay attention to anything for more than two seconds.

Iori, Armadillomon, Goblimon and Natsuni had now been joined by Hikari and Gatomon, and they were all sitting in a circle near the center of the square where they shared their last moments as a 'family' and it reminded me of the final meal Hikari had had with us before she'd moved out.

"My home is in Japan," She had said, "I love it there, and Willis loves it here. Neither of us should have to leave our respected homes for the other, and neither of us are asking each other to. This is goodbye, and I love you all. I do, I'll be back to visit, but America isn't for me."

"But it is for me," I added stupidly.

Funny how things could change so easily.

Daisuke had Labramon and was over at his noodle cart, officially welcoming him to the business, and handing him a chef's hat. He wouldn't be able to do much cooking—at least not while in his child stage, but I was sure they would figure everything out in the end. Veemon found it hilarious that Labramon was going to be working with him, but was very serious about remaining in charge. Monmon rushed past them all, grabbing a bowl of noodles from the stand and leaping off, bounding toward Emiko who giggled as she was reunited with her partner. She happily took the noodles, but Monmon took them from her and she was angry for a moment before finding that Monmon had taken them for Gomamon.

"I'm good, thanks," Gomamon said, but upon Emiko's insistence, he began to eat them. Jou and Momoe were sitting nearby with Bearmon, watching them play, and Jou looked like he had been punched repeatedly in the stomach. They had been moving their things all week, trying to find room for what was in their Digital World house in their larger house in Meguro in Japan. He was giving up a lot for this decision, but even he seemed to know the meaning behind it was just.

When I found Aneko playing with Porcupamon I realized that Mari was nowhere to be seen. She would not have left Aneko here alone though so I knew she would be close by. I pulled out my digivice to check for her signal and found that there were several signals beeping outside the square. One was Michael, I knew. There were four signals in the council room where Haruhiko, Toshiko, Masami and Yoshie had all wandered off to say their farewells to Digitamamon, Andromon and Centarumon, all of whom had chosen to remain in the Digital World. Toshiko was able to keep her Mushroomon who had no desires to leave her. I had seen Isao wander off with his Unimon to say goodbye, and Jun and Shuu had finally stopped trying to convince Meramon to stay behind. He simply found life more comfortable and free in the Digital World, and of course they understood. Otamamon couldn't seem to find it in himself to see Meramon's point of view though and he was horrified that he would be losing a friend. Fumiko Hida—formerly Ishida—was forced to say goodbye to another one of her family members. Kotemon had chosen to stay behind to work with his fellow Knights, and although she was sad, she had Meiyomon to help her through it.

Kotemon wasn't the only one of the Knights who had chosen to stay with Centarumon and Andromon though, because Wizardmon and Dorumon were both saying their final goodbye's to their partners. Yuuko was particularly distraught as Taichi would be leaving her as well, but Kamemon and Susumu were trying to put her back together. Hiroaki had found a nice place near his ex wife, Natsuko and together—but separately—they were telling their partners they would miss them. Lunamon was sad to have to pick between the Olympos XII and Natsuko, but her decision was made easier when Coronamon had made the choice to stay in his home world. Kae was sobbing silently, unwilling to say goodbye to another 'child' as she had come to refer to him as and Kazuya was trying to help her, but was finding it difficult to keep himself from falling apart as well.

I knew that Pumpkinmon and Gotsumon had both thought about staying behind, but Mantarou and Chiziru were apparently too exciting to let go. It had been an awkward exchange though because Sora had walked in and tried to escape unnoticed—obviously not succeeding. Mantarou looked particularly sad, and it helped his partner make up his mind. Even Masa's Kunemon was going to make the move to Earth to keep in the family.

And of course, the absolute queen of drama herself, Mrs Tachikawa was shrieking with pain at the loss of her own partner, Minervamon. Even with all the tears and screaming, she still looked poised and picture perfect, like she expected paparazzi or something to come along to photograph her.

But none of those were Mari, and while I knew Neo and Taichi had to be somewhere in the Temple as well, I had managed to narrow my search down to four blinking dots. One was near the Knights, and I simply guessed it to be Neo, while two others were outside the Temple walls coming closer and they were likely Taichi and Rei coming from their house. That left the final dot, in the destroyed courtyard, to be Mari.

I was wary about interrupting her time with Lalamon, but it needed to be done—if only for a moment. I needed it if she didn't.

I stopped on my way to the courtyard, looking down a street to see many of the digmion from Witchenly. Some, such as Arukenimon and Mummymon, had already chosen to move away, finding refuge in the forest somewhere, but Tactimon and Zanbamon as well as their most loyal followers had chosen to wait for the town they had been promised. I wasn't sure how we would build that without Kiyoko, but we could find a way, surely. Phelesmon waved to me and I waved back, but I needed to get to Mari first. He seemed to understand anyway.

With the force of the digimon of the Temple—mostly the Witchenly crew— cleaning up wasn't too difficult, so Sigma's wreckage had already been cleared away, ready for the inevitable construction crew to come and actually fix it up. Inside, as I had expected, was Mari, sitting on a cracked bench in the center of the room with Lalamon sitting in her lap. Mari had been crying, that much I could tell, but it looked like she had found enough energy to stop anyway. For now.

Lalamon had noticed me first, and waved. They had been simply sitting in silence. Mari looked up, her bushy hair falling over her shoulders and she wiped at her face, making sure I would see no tears. "Hello Willis!" Lalamon sang as I came closer and Mari's mouth twitched downward momentarily. "Have you come to say goodbye to me?"

I shook my head and she seemed confused, but I took my place next to Mari. "I'm here to talk to Mari."

"Of course you are," Lalamon said suggestively before hopping off of Mari's lap. "I'll go dance around this tree and hum to myself, pretending I can't hear you."

"Sounds like a plan," I told her with a forced smile. She could tell it was forced. Of course she could. She was Lalamon. I rubbed the back of my head, thankful that Mari was staring to her feet as she rocked them back and forth aimlessly. "Hey," I said with a thick voice, "I just wanted to tell you that I'm really proud of the way you've grown."

"Oh yeah?" Mari asked, hardly paying attention.

"Yeah," I said with more vigor, trying to capture her attention, "Is it weird that my first impression of you was that you were pure?"

"I don't think so," Lalamon admitted when Mari did not respond. "I think she's plenty pure."

"So much for not listening," I said.

"I said I 'pretend' which means I'm allowed to listen," Lalamon objected and I shrugged, deciding that at least if she replied, the conversation wouldn't feel so one sided.

"You're in a place now where you don't care what anyone else says," I told her softly, reaching out to take her hand. She let me and looked up for just a moment before letting her eyes fall back to her feet. "No one can stop you now. You're on a one way trip to the top of the world, and I don't want you to let anything step in your way." Mari said nothing. "Mari, I am in love with you."

That caught her attention. She turned sharply, staring to me with a mixture of shock and relief and she nodded her head. "I love you too."

"Yeah," I said, unsure how to respond. It sure felt weird. I hadn't told anyone this yet. I had made up my mind without any debate, but that didn't mean it was as easy to share that decision as it was to make it. "I told Michael I was going to move from New York."

"I heard," Mari nodded her head, "Where are you going?"

"I thought about just traveling, you know?" I asked, "Seeing the world and opening my mind even more. If Witchenly could change my perspective so easily, surely other places could do the same." Mari nodded, seeming to see my point. "But I can't do that now."

"Why not?" Lalamon asked.

"Because I'm going somewhere else, and I don't think you're going to like it," I said as bluntly as I could while still being gentle.

Mari shook her head sharply, already knowing the truth, "Don't—"

"I'm going to live here with Terriermon and Lopmon."

It was then that both of our phones beeped. Mari swallowed thickly, staring at me for a moment before finally releasing my hand and turning to her phone. She pulled it out and read her message. She showed me my phone so I didn't have to look at mine. It was a simple message from Taichi.

"It's time."

Next on Digimon Adventure 08: Time for the last chapter of the arc and the story? Woah!? No, I'm kidding it obviously isn't.