"Beware the Eastern Sun"
Epilogue
The seven of them—all save Matt—waited
outside the castle in the bright morning light. The grasses were growing again, and nature was frolicking all
about. Over the drawbridge walked Matt,
with Gabumon trailing behind. Everyone
looked up as he came. Mimi ran up to
him. "Matt!" she called.
He stopped and looked up into Mimi's
eyes. Mimi stopped for a moment and
looked at his side. "I know," he
said. "You're wondering about my
arm." He rubbed his arm, true flesh and
blood, which still felt a little cold. There was a bandage wrapped thickly around his shoulder. "Someone...owed me a favor...so...well, you
can figure it out."
He continued to walk towards the
group, looking at the grass. Mimi took
his hand in her hand and squeezed it tightly. Matt looked up at her again, with weary eyes, and finally smiled. The tension of the moment was released, as
Matt came to stand before the group. He
bit his lip. "Look, guys, uh...I really
don't know how to say this." He stared
at the ground for a moment.
Sora smiled cheerfully at him. "Don't worry Matt, it's all over. It wasn't completely your fault, and the
important thing is that now we're all together and all friends."
"The scars of this world may be deep,
but with the combined power of the digidestined, the digimon, and the bonds of
great friends, we can heal this land back to its original state," Leomon
said. He smiled. "It's good to see you back to your normal
self."
Matt approached Leomon and put a hand
on his shoulder. "You know I'm looking
to you to clean things up for me, for us." He looked at the others, then back at Leomon. "You'll take good care of them all?"
"You have my word," Leomon said. He reached out his hand to shake, but then
Matt suddenly lunged forward in a rough embrace. Leomon wore a look of surprise, but continued the gesture
wholeheartedly.
Finally, Matt looked to T.K. "And T.K. What can I say?"
"Don't say a thing," T.K. said. "You'll always be my older brother. That's what you've shown me throughout
this."
Tai patted Matt on the back. "Things are cool now. We've got a whole world out there for
us. C'mon, I'll race you to the lake!" He ran off into the woods laughing, with
Agumon struggling to keep up. The
others followed shortly, and soon only Matt was left standing there. Mimi paused, looking back at him. Smiling, Matt walked up to her, took her
hand, and the two walked at a leisurely pace towards the crystal clear waters
of the lake.
"Come, Galean," an
angelic voice called from the doorway.
"I will be but a moment, my dear,"
Galean called back, his deep voice resonating.
"You have been staying up too late,"
she accused.
"I am almost finished," he explained,
almost plaintively.
"Don't you think you've fooled around
with those children enough?"
Galean, placed his hands on his knees
and, leaning back in his chair, gave an exasperated sigh. "I suppose," he said, resignedly. He rose from his oaken chair. "Ah, my sweet Meriella," he said, kissing
his wife affectionately on the cheeks.
"Come, come back to bed," she coaxed.
"You go. I will be there in a moment."
Meriella lingered for a moment at the
doorway before parting.
Galean looked back into the swirling
mists of the bubbling pot, smiling and shaking his head. There they were, the Eight, back together
once again. He raised his hands and
made a few gestures in the air. "Winds
of time and seeds of change, return these folk to whence they came." Immediately, the flame heating the pot
extinguished and its contents began to simmer. The vapor swirled uncertainly before fading away.
He chuckled to himself. "They are stronger than we thought. Perhaps there is hope after all."
Still smiling, he exited the room and
carried his weary body back to his celestial bedchamber, where his wife was
waiting.
Tai woke up on a grassy meadow in a
sunny afternoon. He could not help but
smile as the birds flitted and the clouds drifted by. He took his time to enjoy the peace, but finally rose to a
sitting position and looked around him. There were Kari, Matt, T.K., Mimi, Sora, Izzy, and Joe, scattered about,
resting in the shade, or leaning against a tree, or bathing in the sun. The fresh scents of nature were alive in the
air. Tai took a deep breath and sat for
a moment in silent thought.
Soon, the others began to wake
up. Matt, leaning against a tree,
stretched and yawned. Mimi, with her
head in Matt's lap, breathed a sigh before her eyes fluttered open. Matt idly stroked her hair without even
knowing it, and Mimi, snuggling closer, just looked up at him and smiled.
Joe woke up lying face flat in the
lower branches of a tree and looked dazed as he tried to reorient himself. Izzy's eyes opened as he found himself lying
on a warm patch of sunlight, his arms stretched behind his head to form a
makeshift pillow. T.K. and Kari awoke
in the shade of tree, leaning against each other's shoulders for support. T.K. clutched Patomon to his chest and Kari
snuggled Salamon as the two opened their bleary eyes to the world and yawned.
Next to Tai, with her arms around him,
was Sora. As he sat, silently watching
nature, she had posted herself at his side. She took his hand into hers and leaned against his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her and the two
sat for a moment enjoying the wondrous miracles of life.
Tai yawned. "You know, Sora," he said in pensive thought, "I just had this funny
dream…"
"Shhhh," Sora said softly as she put a finger on his lips. "Save it." She kissed him gently and Tai forgot all of his worries.
It was not long before T.K. got up and
ran, laughing, to chase the butterflies in the meadow. Izzy walked out into the bright afternoon
and observed the world around him, big and small. Kari was dragging a reluctant Joe into the field to join T.K.'s
festivities. The two pairs, one in the
sun and one in the shade, lingered before they, too, rose and joined the group,
hand in hand. They took their time,
letting their silence and the laughter of joy communicate all of their
emotions. It was a bold, new summer day
and there was time for everything.