Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN Digimon! But I do own the original characters and Digimon that I created from my own little head. Please do not take them without my permission.

Chapter Three
~ Midnight Call ~

Kari watched her brother carefully as they left the nurse's office. He still looked a bit dazed and confused, but she didn't want to say anything. "Tai, we should head to the auditorium. The awards presentation should be starting soon." She stated, looking over towards her older sibling.

Tai didn't react to what Kari said. He just looked down at his feet as he walked down the empty hallway. His thoughts were wandering as always but on things that had been plaguing him since the day before. His dream was real. The girl was real. 'How did I know that she would show up? I thought only Kari could do that. Maybe it just runs in the family or maybe...oh I don't know. This whole thing is very weird. I should be happy that we won. Don't let this get to me. Just let it move from your thoughts...' He rattled on in his brain.

Without warning, Matt's hand came down onto Tai's shoulder, causing the teen to jump. "Dude, what's up? What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing. Just thinking." Tai replied.

"About what?" Sora questioned.

Tai smiled, "Just random stuff."

*********

The rest of the day went like clockwork. The award presentation went without a mistake and the dance was perfect. Of course, someone spiked the punch and the dancing got out of control, but that's what happens at High School dances. All eight digidestined were having the times of their lives, dancing and such. Matt's band made an appearance during the dance, so that the DJ could take a break. Tai was asked to dance by almost every cheerleader and homecoming queen candidate there was. This took his mind off Ava and the connection between them.

That night, Tai and Kari managed to drag themselves home. They stayed after the dance to help Sora, Joe, and Izzy clean up the gym. After dinner, Tai went into his room and shut the door behide him. He went over to his computer and flopped down into the large chair in front of the glowing screen. As he sat there, he looked up at the screen and saw that he had some new mail. "Huh? I wonder who it's from?" He said aloud.

Looking at the address, he sighed. "Damn, just junk mail." As he threw the old mail out, he heard the door open. "Who's there?" Tai asked, not turning away from the screen.

"Tai? Can I ask you something?" Kari's small voice asked.

Turning around, Tai saw his sibling shutting the door behide her. Smiling, he asked, "What do want to know?"

Kari walked over to his bed and sat down on it. Looking up at him, she questioned softly, "Tai, did you really feel something when you touched Ava? I mean, it wasn't just your hormones?"

Tai turned away towards the screen, a bit angry over the hormone joke. "No Kari. I know when it's my hormones talking. But this was something I've never experienced before. Like, when I touched her, something sparked...like our minds and hearts were one."

Standing, Kari placed her hands on her hips. "Really? Are you sure you weren't just imaging it?" She inquired.

Tai jumped to his feet. "I didn't imagine it, Kari! I know what I felt and I know that Ava and I are connected!" He shouted.

Suddenly, the computer screen began to glow brighter than it ever did. The white light flooded the room and covered both teens. A huge gust of wind spun around the brother and sister. "What's happening?" Kari shouted over the wind.

"Tai..." A voice whispered threw the wind. Turning, Tai looked back at the screen. "Tai, the bearer of the Crest of Courage...leader of the Digidestined...come to me..." The voice echoed.

Walking towards the screen, Tai nodded. "Tai! Don't!" Kari screamed. But her pled did nothing, for Tai walked right to the screen and vanished.

***********

When Tai reappeared, he was on a small bridge looking over a pond. The moon hung over head, shining its beautiful light into the water. The pond was surrounded by willow trees and different types of water flowers. The lush green growth made it hard to see into the surrounding area. Then Tai saw that he wasn't in his normal clothes. He was dressed in a black pair of pants with combat boots. His shirt was black with a small Crest of Courage on the front and on the sleeves. "Okay...Now I'm freaked out." He said.

"Oh, it's you." A female voice stated from the other side of the bridge. Looking over to the other end, Tai saw the girl from earlier that day standing there. She wore knee-high black boots with a short black skirt to match. Her shirt was long sleeved with a crest symbol on the sleeves and front like Tai's. "The computer brought you here too?" She asked, walking over to Tai.

Tai nodded. "Yea. Do you know why we're here?" He asked.

"No clue. You're the guy who saved me this afternoon, aren't you?" She asked, smiling a bit.

"Yea. My name's Taichi Kayima. But call me Tai. I hate my real name." Tai stated in a matter of fact way.

Ava blushed. "That was really brave of you, Tai. To jump out in front of an attack from an Champion Digimon to save a girl you don't even know." She stated, leaning against the railing.

Tai walked over to Ava and leaded against the bar as well. "Actually, I have seen you before." He said softly.

"You too?" She said, sounding shocked. Looking over at Ava, Tai saw her face turn redder than before. "I've seen you before, too."

Tai stood straight up and turned to Ava. "In a dream?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yea. I saw you playing soccer during a game. You had your Digivice on your belt while you played. But suddenly, it began to beep and you said that you had to leave. Then you ran into the school and opened the Digiport and then you went flying into the Digiworld." Standing up next to Tai, she looking him right in the eyes. "When I saw you this afternoon, I didn't want to say anything. I was afraid that you might think I'm some weirdo."

Tai laughed. "Please, I don't think anyone is weird...except for Joe. The guy likes to go to summer school." He said, smiling at her.

"What did you see me doing?" Ava asked.

Tai sat cross-legged on the bridge. "I saw when you got your Digivice. And I saw when you were talking to your friend, Monoko. How she thought that you won passes to a new amusement park." He said, looking up at her.

Ava's eyes widened. "You saw that? Sorry, Monoko can sometimes be clueless." She stated sounding very sorry.

Tai nodded. "Yea, my friend Mimi can be like that, too."

Looking at each other, both Ava and Tai started to laugh. "You're so sweet, Tai." Ava said, a huge smile on her face.

Feeling his face grow warm, Tai smiled as well. Suddenly, the voice that Tai heard come from the computer spoke from nowhere. "Tai and Ava..." It whispered over the water.

"Who are you?" Tai shouted into the over the pond towards the trees. He stood in front of Ava, in case it was a trap. "Why did you bring us here?"

All of a sudden, a light appeared over the water. As the two teens watched, the light formed into a human form. Its long white hair flowed down its back and to the top of the pond. Its gentle features appeared to be of a woman's. Her long white dress fell the same length of her hair as it graced the water's surface lightly.
When it was finally in full human form, her features and gown glowed a radiant white light. "Tai and Ava...I have summoned you here for a special purpose. You have been chosen."

"Chosen for what?" Ava asked, stepping out from behide Tai.

The woman smiled when she saw them standing next to one another. "You two are the ones with the strongest power of the crests. The crests that I helped Genni create." She said softly.

Tai's eyes widened, "You helped create the crests?" He asked.

"Yes, I did." Her voice softer than before.

Ava looked questionably at the woman. "Who...are...you?" The teen asked, her voice very timid sounding.

The woman smiled softly at the two adolescence teens dressed in black. "I am known as Guardianmon. I am the protector of the fragile balance of good and evil in the Digital World. It was I would used your sister, Tai, as the bridge to you when you were here five years ago."

"That was you? Why didn't you just make a body for yourself like now?" Tai asked, remembering how his sister had showed him and the others how Genni had saved their crests and digieggs.

Floating closer to them, Guardianmon stated, "I didn't have enough power back then to create a body that was stable enough to talk to you children back then."

Ava nodded in understanding, "Okay. But what crests? I don't have one." She stated
.
"That is why you are here. You are about to test the power of your crest and your bond with Tai." The lady in white stated. Turning, the woman looked out over the pond. "Tai, please take Ava's hands in your own."

Tai blushed a bit when she said that. Looking over at Ava, he smiled. Seeing Ava's smile meet his own, Tai reached down and took her hold of her soft hands.

"Now, turn to each other and repeat the chant I am about to say: 'Crest of Courage, Crest of Life. Surrender your powers, the force ignite...Release.' Don' t mess up." The woman Digimon said.

Looking at each other, Tai and Ava began the chant. "Crest of Courage, Crest of Life. Surrender your powers, the force ignite...Release!"

Suddenly, a small circle of light appeared in the water. As Tai and Ava watched, the light shot out of the pond's clear water and into the air. Then, in a loud explosion, nine pieces of different colored light floated down to the two Digidestined, one going to Ava and the others going to Tai. As they caught them, the lights turned into the crests of the digidestined. "It's our crests!" Tai shouted happily.

"Your powers are unbelievable." Guardianmon said, facing them once again. Looking at Ava, the woman smiled, "Ava, you are the bearer of the Crest of Life."

"The Crest of Life?" She asked.

The woman nodded. "You and Tai are different than the other Digidestined. Your crests carry more power than the others do and you can link them together to create a powerful and destructive force. Please be careful." She stated.

Both teens nodded. "Very well. I must leave you now and return you to your world. When you return, it will be morning for you, Tai and night for you, Ava. Farewell." And with that, the woman vanished.

Ava and Tai smiled at each other. "I'll see you again when the Digiworld needs us." Ava stated softly.

Tai placed his crest around his neck then moved closer to Ava and hugged her. "Welcome to the group." He stated, smiled.

Suddenly, both of them began to vanish. "Bye, Tai!" Ava called as she vanished.

"Good Bye, Ava!" Tai answered back.

**********

Closing his eyes, Tai became engulfed in a warm white glow. Every part of him seemed to be calm with his surrounding. He felt the seven crests in his fist and his own around his neck. As a breeze rushed past his face, Tai became very confortable with what was happening. Suddenly, Tai hit the floor of his bedroom with a thud. Opening his eyes, Tai felt the sting of the carpet on his cheek. "That...really...hurts." He said into the floor.

"Tai?" He heard Kari's voice say. Looking up, Tai came face to face with his little sister. "What happened? Are you okay?" She asked quickly.

Sitting up, Tai rubbed his face with the fist that had the crests in it. Feeling the cold chains on his face, Tai remembered to tell her. "Kari! I got something for you! Look!" He said, as if he were a little kid again. Looking through his fist, Tai found and withdrew his sister's Crest of Light. "I got this back for you." Tai said, dangling the piece of jewelry in front of his sister.

"My Crest of Light! Tai, how did you find another one? All of our crests were destroyed while fighting Myotismon five years ago." Kari said as she placed it around her neck.

Tai sat up and told his sister everything that happened when he was transported into the computer realm. After hearing the whole story, except for the part about the powers of himself and Ava combining, Kari sat back on the floor. "Whoa. You were right, Tai."

"I told you so. Ava is the ninth digidestined." He said, smiling.

Smiling, Kari looked up at the clock. Suddenly, she shouted, "Tai! Get dressed...We were suppost to meet the others ten minutes ago!"