"It's not fair."

She said for the third time in the last few days. I held her close consoling her for what had happened a mere four weeks ago. We stood together on the balcony of my apartment, which looked over the crumbling city, which once had been a glorious sight called Odaiba.

"I miss him so much Tk, and I can't believe he's gone." She burst into tears again, and as always I held her.

"It's going to be okay Kari. Besides, do you think Tai would want us to wail and cry while there is so much more we can do? Let's mourn for only a little while so do not worry about him. I'll always be here to protect and take care of you."

We stood there for a time watching the city go from a glorious nightlight to a black pit of darkness. I sighed and saw that Kari was asleep on her feet, so gently picking her up I took her inside and laid her down on the couch placing her favorite blanket on her and a small pillow under her head. I carefully kissed her forehead before retiring to a chair facing the mantelpiece and tried to make myself comfortable.

But all I could think of was the past.

"Tai! Sora! Run!" Joe screamed. They were standing in front of Dark Imperialdramon who roared viciously and sent bolts of energy randomly over the city. In a flash a beam flew to the married couple, and every regarded Joe as he ran towards them, running to rescue them, but he tripped. Sora screamed and ran towards him, wanting to help him up and Tai wit her but suddenly there was a burst of light and their bodies fell into a heap, and everyone knew they were dead. Joe cried out getting up running towards the giant dark beast and looked opposite to what he was as a child, until an identical blast sent him flying back and he was dead before he hit the ground. Kari screamed loudly and standing there was I standing there next to her unable to take everything in till later. I couldn't take it.

I woke up, the memory gone from my mind's eye. In an attempt to pull myself back into reality fully I gazed at the pictures on top of the mantelpiece. There was one of Davis, Kari and myself at graduation. Davis, I heard was living in the digital world helping refugee digimon.

Another of Ken and Yolei, the married couple. Ken left with her to France because the death of Sora really got to her because Yolei and Sora were really close. The third of Izzy and Mimi at their wedding, which we all had a great time, but now they were living in America, in Washington D.C.

The fourth picture was of Oniisan and me at the graduation, where he had pulled me into a noogie and everyone laughed. He lives somewhere in South America, with the Spanish
American digidestined. I didn't know what he was doing but I knew he was safe and sound.

The second to last picture was of Cody, the youngest of us all. After the first battle he moved south to Australia where he is a very good lawyer I hear. The last picture is of Ryo and his girlfriend Mara. They live only a few hours away in Hong Kong. Ryo's my cousin; he's a digidestined not to mention his girlfriend. It's funny really, they remind me of Kari and myself when we were their age: quiet and shy. Not so anymore but still.

I looked at the mantelpiece again seeing something I have missed, a bronze soccer ball. Tai's soccer ball and sitting next to it was a white technical digivice. Taichi Kamiya, the leader of the digidestined's digivice. I can still remember the funeral.

"We celebrate the passing of three great men and women. People who protected life and peace all their life and my brother was one of those people. He didn't care for himself, and he led us to victory numerous times. My sister-in-law who was like a mother to me, the first time and took care of me when I needed love was his wife and finally, a man who though he was sometimes scared of everything yet he was always there for me, for all of us when we needed him."

My love spoke to the small crowd who knew Tai, Sora, and Joe the best. I remember Tai being like a big brother, Sora like a big sister and Joe like a teacher. Watching the caskets being lowered into the ground, the group threw many small tokens: a pair of circular goggles, a rose, rings of gold and silver, and finally a guitar with them. I bowed my head...

"Tk!" Kari shouted shaking me. I woke up with a shock. Had I fallen asleep? I did not even know.

"We have to get to the shelter before it's too late. He ordered another attack again. Ryo and Mara are there to stop him but their digimon can only go to the champion level. Our enemy is a Mega!!!" She cried and my ears stung.

"Okay Kari. Patamon! Gatomon!" I yelled and out of the darkness rose a white furred feline creature with gloves on her front paws and a small golden tail ring which floated around it and next to her hovering above the ground and landing neatly on my hatless head was a small pig looking winged animal who was one of the most noble creatures of his kind.

Stuffing food in my face, I looked up at Patamon whose eyes showed hunger and I gave him some of my own meal. Kari did the same with Gatomon, and she looked up smiling at me. We retreated for the car, and rode silently to the shelter, driving maybe to our deaths. As I drove, I could feel her warm hand lying on my cold arm and it calmed me. Soon we reached a large building in ruin, I cried out with a silent scream as I did. The four of us got out of the car and I heard Kari giving a distinct order.


"Digivolve you two!" pointing at our best friends. They nodded and stood next to each other about a foot apart. They were ready and we took out our own digivice, D-3's, and pointing them towards our digital partners and a flash of light appeared from the digital devices and surrounded them in all the glory.

"Patamon...digivolve...to...Angemon!"

The pint sized digimon vanished replaced by a muscular man, yet no man at all, with six blazing wings standing six feet tall and held a power rod in his right hand. His other hand made a fist which glew with the energy of light.

"Gatomon...digivolve...to...Angewomon!"

And at once the cat-looking creature was gone. In her place a marvelous beauty, an angel, who bestowed eight heavenly wings and royal purple billowing scarves that made her blonde hair and iron mask make her have the visage of a goddess.

We watched them appear in their more powerful forms and finally saw from the wreckage two large digimon duking it out with each other. One was the familiar wizard digimon known as Petalmon who was Ryo's digimon partner. He wore dark green leaves and a headdress of ivy around his forehead. His gloved hands smashed into Knightmon's chest, which is a medieval Ultimate digimon who bore the crest of Hope on his chest. The four of us heard the familiar attack of the wizard digimon.

"Petal Tornado!"

A flash of light and a whirlwind of sharp flower petals flew at the knight's chest hitting the digimon but did noting but stun him for a few moments. We nodded to the angels who flew in to help their losing friend.

"Hand of Destiny!"

"Celestial Arrow!"

In a spiral, the attacks almost melded together and striked the evil in one fall swoop, there was a flash of light and the digimon unable to block the strength of the attacks began to dissolve being sent back to the digital world...to Primary Village.

We sighed seeing no other enemies and made our way to a blonde-haired dyed black sullen faced boy and a perky cheerleader with long reddish brown hair. They smiled at us and the boy jumped into my arms crying.

"We tried to save them. We did. Gotsumon digivolved to Monochromon but that wasn't enough and then Kunemon digivolved...." Ryo said his head lying against my shoulder as I rubbed his back to soothe him.

We then noticed a golem of a digimon, as tall as my knee from the ground with a sad face and a yellow insectoid digimon with blue lightning bolts where its' eyes would have been. They each went to their partners and Fungimon spoke in a shrill voice.

"Oh that digital tyrant! He makes me so mad!! I wish we could stop him forever! I want to fight him face to face!"

This made Ryo smile and he spoke softly to his companion.

"Hey buddy, don't worry. We'll get our chance. Mara, could you come here?" and the red haired girl nodded walking over.

I had not known Mara that long, only for a few months. She had lived in California growing up next to Ryo before my uncle and aunts' death. They had started going out around twelve or thirteen. I really don't remember because it's not that important. What is important is that when she came to Japan for the first time she had a surprise for Ryo: a Gotsumon. Kunemon and he got together great and bonded like brothers watching each other's backs every moment. Suddenly I felt a small wind and looked up to see Patamon sitting tired and weary on my head.

"How you holding up dude?" I asked.

"Oh. I'm doing all right. Luckily we didn't have to fight a lot. That one attack took a lot out of me. Can we go home yet?"

He said in a voice that reminded me of myself when I was eight. I took him in my arms and let him sleep. Ryo walked towards me, Gotsumon walking behind him carrying Kunemon, slowly and wearily but made sure that he wouldn't fall. Ryo was holding Mara's hand and she began to speak to me.

"Can we stay with you? We came through a digi-port but it collapsed when we came out of it so I don't know how we're getting home."

Kari nodded and made her way towards the car and Mara left Ryo's hand dangling in the air. All the digimon except Patamon (I was still holding him) trailing behind them and as soon as they were out of hearing distance I spoke with Ryo.

"Are you okay Ryo? You seem and look wasted and restless. I see you're taking care of Kunemon well and that you guys really love each other too. I can also see that you haven't dyed your hair back to its' original color!"

I said this with a smirk and he returned it with a weak smile. He was close to Matt, and wished that my older brother hadn't gone gallivanting to a country so far away from his own. Ryo spoke then telling me what was really on his mind.


"I don't know. Is that a good answer Takeru because I really can't think of anything else to say? I'm mad, tired, frustrated, hopeless, and most of all I am terribly sick of this stupid war. It's like that idiot knows we're beat and he just likes to watch us suffer! This war has been going on for almost two years! Why can't we stop him!? What's wrong with us? Is it our digimon? Why hasn't he just fired one big blast and killed us all?"

A firing of tears flew from his gray-blue eyes and I grabbed him moving him close to me letting his wailing go unheard. Mara got out of the car and ran to Ryo taking his hand again and embraced him, letting him go, I gazed watching her leading him to the car. I saw Ryo lean against the padded seat falling asleep at once; Mara's head leaned on his muscular shoulder. I sighed getting back into the car and drove towards home through the town I once called my home, passing the blown up TV station and heading towards the apartment where Kari and I spent our lives together.

From the rearview mirror I could see that Ryo still slept on and Mara saw my staring as Kari nudged me to pay attention to the road.

"It's been a lot for him. Taking care of the digimon and of me. Having to go to the shelters on a regular basis and tell them that we have a chance of winning and not fall into despair when he already is going towards it. He's been acting tough but I can see through all that. I am so worried for him." She said to us.

I knew exactly how Ryo felt. At one time or another, I had this foreboding feeling of despair, which made me feel like no one ever won or lost. The light and the darkness were always equal but somehow darkness was always getting bigger and larger making it seem light was going out. IT always was that we never gained any ground and everything was just a stalemate.

Kari had fallen asleep in the passenger's seat breathing softly, I could feel her warm breath, which smelled of cinnamon and garlic.( We had had some last night) I didn't even notice the house until Kari had woken up and told me that I had passed the large gray building. Getting out of the car the digimon went before us so no one would see but really no one really cared. Gotsumon and Petalmon went in first with Ryo and Mara trailing behind, Gatomon and Patamon following.

"We have to tell the group of the attack. I know it doesn't seem much but he only sent an ultimate level digimon to destroy one building and he didn't send any back up for him to fight against us when the digimon was destroyed. I have an idea. Kari and I will travel to South America to find Matt; we'll need him to win the war. Ryo, please go to America and retrieve Izzy and Mimi. Maras, if you could, go to France and get Ken and Yolei. I'll email Cody about everything. I would want him to come but he says he has some big important court case or so I hear."

The three nodded and I watched Kari, Mara, and Ryo collapse almost at the same time on the couch. I wondered what it would have been like to have a normal childhood but then
I would have never met Kari or anyone else. I would just be a lonely young boy with no friends if I hadn't gone to the digital world and I would of never met Patamon.

Sitting down next to Kari, she placed her head on my shoulder while my right arm wrapped around her waist. She sighed wearily and began speaking to me but at that moment I couldn't hear her. All I remembered was our first date.

"Hello." The small brown haired girl spoke to me.

"Hiya. How are you Kari? Want to go play tag with me?" I asked hoping she wouldn't reject me.

She nodded anxiously as the group watched us run into the woody park, seeing them smirk for some reason I saw Tai give my Oniisan money grumbling as he did this but smiled when saw a glimpse of laughing cheerful Kari. We ran hand in hand laughing as we went along rolling down the hill still giggling.

We noticed we were alone and that no one was watching us. At that moment I saw Kari facing me with her eyes closed and her lips pursed. We then heard footsteps and on the top was the gang. My brother forced Tai to turn around and nodded for the others to follow in rank. I closed my eyes at that moment and felt something on my lips, and opening my eyes I saw Kari's lips hanging off of mine and I kissed her back.

A few moments later there was a clap on my back and I looked up to see my Oniisan smiling at me, Kari's Oniisan too.

"Ah!"

I woke p to Mara's scream and I shouted myself. The whole building was shaking furiously. It couldn't be an earthquake. I don't even remember the last time Japan ever had one. Taking Kari's hand with the digimon behind us, we ran towards the door and out of the building. Kari asked me a rushed question as we went towards the car.

"What's happening Tk?"

I didn't know. Was it he, the enemy that we had been fighting the last year against? The one who used to be our friend? I didn't know but what I did know is that we had to get out of there.

"I don't know Kari but we have to leave the country right away. We need to get to the airport as soon as possible. The others have to get to their destinations and I have enough to get us there and back here. Anyway we have to hurry it up."

Suddenly three digimon who I had seen years before in the digital world and in our world came before us separating us from the car. The digimon are as follows: Lady Devimon, Phantomon, and Apemon.

"Fight us and win, we'll let you go. If not we'll destroy you and the rest of your pathetic kind." Lady Devimon mocked.

"Not if we can stop you first!"

Gatomon cried at her, for she and the witch had been enemies ever since the first time on Spiral Mountain where they went against each other. Gatomon walked awy from us and I knew she was ready to digivolve.

"Gatomon...digivolve...to.... Angewomon!"

In a flash of light, the angelic goddess re-formed looking more refreshed yet dangerous than ever before. Her eight wings had a luminescent glow of a grayish light and in her hands she held a bow and a quiver of arrows made from the purest light.

The entire group, even the other two opposing digimon regarded the battle with intense amazement, each side cringing when their team member was hit. It was a pretty boring fight, for having seen it before a few months ago. I wondered finally what our other opponents were thinking as I heard a grunting cry.

"Metallic Fur!"

Small dart like bolts flew towards Mara and myself. She hid her face in my shoulder and I held her for dear life, but nothing happened. Looking up we saw Monochromon standing in front of us protecting us from the lethal attack. Monochromon roared viciously and then uttered his attack.

"Volcanic Strike!"

Our vision turned red as bolts of fire erupted from the dinosaur digimon's mouth sending the yellow furred monkey at least twenty feet back, and I watched him collide with the ghost digimon. Everyone except myself cheered.

"Just because you defeated a champion doesn't make you the winner yet! Phantomon!"

The witch yelled.

Angewomon and herself at a stalemate, and gave each other the most devious looks. Meanwhile Phantomon regaining his composure flew towards Monochromon and lunged uttering an attack.

"Shadow Scythe!"


Sending the scythe across Monochromon's waist, he fell on his side in a few moments and I couldn't keep the tears in for long but those tears were made especially for Mara for I had lost Patamon at a younger age.

"Monochromon...no..."

I heard her mutter softly and in a flash of light her digivice went wild. I could see it blinking non-stop and then the digimon was bathed in light. We could hear his weak voice grow strong with power.

"Monochromon...digivolve...to...Triceramon!"

Instead of the usual bulky hard-shelled digimon, this was one I remember seeing in a history book. A triceratops, who was standing on two legs pounding his chest, the familiar two large horns with a red spiral down them, and he was more stocky and muscled than before. He stepped in front of us and gave the evil ghost an ultimatum.

"Attack me again Phantomon and I will have no choice but destroy you. You are done for! Angemon!"

He asked this to the angel digimon. I hadn't even noticed that Patamon had digivolved to his champion level at all. It was amazing to see him healthier than before and stronger. His hands were glowing with ancient raw power.

"I'm ready Triceramon! Hand of Destiny!"

The attack flew towards the ghost digimon to stun him but it was reflected off into another building and I heard him laugh a terrible dark drawling voice.

"Ha! Do you thin that pitiful attack can stop me? An ultimate..."

"Tri-Horn Attack!"

Triceramon had tackled the specter with full force, energy surrounding his horns. In a gasp Phantomon spoke and then dissolved into thin air. I couldn't believe it. I never knew that Monochromon could digivolve to a higher level.

Meanwhile Kari was having her own battle.

"You can do it Angewomon! Knock that witch's clock off!"

Instead of just attacking each other with their special skills, the female digimon were having a bitch fight slapping each other's faces with pure force making their cheeks very bruised and red.

"It's time to finish this blondie! Evil Wing!"

Angewomon dropped a few feet, and flew upwards-gaining speed and tackled the dark digimon. She let go and then sent her arms out forming a pink cross. She yelled out her most fatal attack and the vixen and we heard her roar in a sharp voice:

"Heaven's Charm!"

The cross released itself onto the witch burning her alive and the ape went wild seeing her dissolve into nothing and we all noticed she said something as she did this. Angewomon flew down and the four noble and valiant digimon cornered the ape.

"Do you want to end up like your friends? Either tell us why you're here or prepare to return to the digital world as an egg!"

Petalmon said angrily at the Apemon. He had his armed flexed, small winds forming around his hands.

"I do not know much. I really don't know anything but what I do is this. You were betrayed by one of your own kind. He has betrayed you to my master! My Master!"

And then something horrifying happened. The ape began to dissolve and he cried lifting his arm up to the sky as in asking for forgiveness but it was too late and instead of him, was a pile of ashes.

"How horrible!"

Kari cried and she placed her head on my shoulder still gazing at the ashes. She shuddered and the four digimon: two ultimates and two champions became one champion and three rookies who all wore a fatiguing look.

I sighed, thankful we that the car hadn't been destroyed, that we had a way to get to the airport. Bur something popped into my head as I got into the drivers' seat. Something I thought was crazy and insane but Kari asked the question first.

"How did he find us?"

"I don't know Kari, but at least we know someone has betrayed us. A guy. I wonder who it is. Could it be a human or a digidestined?"

I spoke with her quietly; the others had gotten into the car and immediately started to sleep at once with their digimon. I marveled still at the digivolution of Monochromon and I told Kari about it.

"It amazed me that he was able to go to the next level. She must really have a strong connection with digimon Kari. I mean it took us longer and she has only had Gotsumon for a few months. I am so thankful we won."

"So I am I. And I know what you mean but it was awful that we had to destroy them.

"Better them than us."

We all finally reached the airport and were escorted out of the car. Going with Ryo to the proper airports to buy the tickets. I thank Jesus that our enemy hadn't destroyed the airplanes or airports even. I had two tickets, one for me and for Kari. Mara had her tickets and Ryo his. We all gave each other a big group hug and the digimon hugged each other saying their own good-byes.

"Bye Ryo. Fungimon. Good luck in America and find Izzy and Mimi, not matter what. We need to gather the digidestined."

I said this hugging him and he kissed me on the cheek in a brotherly fashion. Mara was doing the same with Kari and I could hear her give a replica of the speech that I had just given Ryo. She nodded going with Gotsumon onto the plane that would take her to France, to Yolei and Ken. We accompanied Ryo to his plane and then Kari touched my shoulder. I realized I'd email Cody on the plane because it had email ability.

"Are you ready to find Matt?"

"Yeah, of course Kari. I'm ready to find him and take him home with us."