Chapter 3
It was approaching noon on Summer Solstice in the Digital World. All the Digidestines had gathered. Wills and notes had been scribbled hastily, people told, mourning done. T.K. had spent last night wrapped in his parents's and his brother's arms. His parents had begged and pleaded, yelled and screamed, and, finally, accepted. T.K. had said his good-byes to them and had written notes to his friends. Now he faced perhaps the hardest good-bye of all.
"You'll be fine." He mumbled into Matt's shoulder, desperately struggling not to cry. "You've got plenty of things to keep you busy."
Silence except for hiccupping and a moan denoting fresh tears. Matt had lost the fight with the waterworks a while ago and was crying openly in T.K.'s arms.
"It's okay. It's okay." He murmured, running his hands through the fine blond hair.
"It's time." Izzy said, holding tightly to Cody's hand.
Tai wrapped his arms around his little sister. "I'm sorry, Kari." he whispered.
"For what, Tai." She pulled back to look into his eyes.
"For not being able to protect you-" His eyes filled with tears.
"Tai, you are the best big brother a girl could have. You protected me all the time when I needed it. You took care of me. I know that if you could have done anything you would have. I know that you love me and that's enough. Thank you." She stood on her tip-toe to kiss him on the forehead. He turned away before she could see him crying.
Davis stood alone off to the side, demiveemon in his arms. He had left notes for his family and friends (except for Willis, who would find out through Izzy). A shadow fell over his arm.
"Davis." He turned to see Tai, and tried to smile.
"Hello, Tai. Perfect weather for soccer, isn't it?"
Tai tried to smile but it turned into a grimace. "Beautiful."
There was silence except for the other children's mutterings. "Davis, I just wanted to say that Matt and I are proud of you."
Davis had not been expecting this. "For what?"
"You're a good leader. You've taken care of the team better that I or Matt could have. You've held true to your crests. For that. It's not over yet, though. You've got to lead them through this last mission, Dai. I know you can do this. You're a goggle boy."
Daisuke's heart warmed at the familiar use of his nick-name. He shook hands with Tai, eyes shining at his hero.
"Thank you, Tai. That means a lot to me."
Tai hugged him gently. He pulled back, sliding his hands over the sides of the growing boy's face and looking into eyes that almost mirrored his own.
"Are you okay?"
Davis laughed bitterly, an unatural sound. "Of course I'm not. I know I look unusually calm about this, but the truth is that it just hasn't sunk in yet. I've never been close to someone who has died." He shrugged. "It just hasn't registered yet. It's probably for the better. Goodbye, Tai. Thanks for everything." He started to walk away, but turned back. "I don't regret a single thing, Tai. Not a single thing. It was all worth it." And Davis walked away, sun shining off of his goggles.
They all stood in the centre, quiet and pale-faced, except for T.K.
"Matt," Tai said gently, trying to peel his friend off of Takeru. The experience had already been bad enough for him, but when the truth hit him, Matt just snapped and made it all the more harder.
"Please, Tai, take him." TK whispered, biting back tears as Matt clung to him.
Tai encircled Matt and pried him off. TK stepped back into the circle of other digidestines.
"TK!" Matt sobbed, collapsing into Tai.
Izzy's watch beeped, announcing the wind that swept in around the younger digidestines.
It spun faster and faster becoming translucent till the older kids could barely see their friends and their digimon. The wind formed a perfect sphere and cleared for a moment to reveal the children and digimon glowing inside. Their bodies dissolved, replaced by a brilliant plasmid light that fused with each other. The others gasped as the sphere expanded and became a lighted nova. It falshed and subsided, leaving in it's wake six lone figures, strange yet familiar.
"TK!" Matt cried again. One of the figures looked up, a beautiful creature with long blond hair and brilliant blue eyes.
"Matt." he croaked confusedly, then threw his head back and roared in pain. Matt gasped, paniced. The figure collapsed to the ground as something seemed to be forcing its way out of his back. With vicious force and a horrific scream two magnificent blood-stained wings were born from his shoulder blades.
"Holy Buddha. He's an angel!" Izzy whispered in awe, but Matt only saw the blood and pain, none of the rebirth.
"TK!" He cried as the older digidestines were pulled out of the digital world.
It was approaching noon on Summer Solstice in the Digital World. All the Digidestines had gathered. Wills and notes had been scribbled hastily, people told, mourning done. T.K. had spent last night wrapped in his parents's and his brother's arms. His parents had begged and pleaded, yelled and screamed, and, finally, accepted. T.K. had said his good-byes to them and had written notes to his friends. Now he faced perhaps the hardest good-bye of all.
"You'll be fine." He mumbled into Matt's shoulder, desperately struggling not to cry. "You've got plenty of things to keep you busy."
Silence except for hiccupping and a moan denoting fresh tears. Matt had lost the fight with the waterworks a while ago and was crying openly in T.K.'s arms.
"It's okay. It's okay." He murmured, running his hands through the fine blond hair.
"It's time." Izzy said, holding tightly to Cody's hand.
Tai wrapped his arms around his little sister. "I'm sorry, Kari." he whispered.
"For what, Tai." She pulled back to look into his eyes.
"For not being able to protect you-" His eyes filled with tears.
"Tai, you are the best big brother a girl could have. You protected me all the time when I needed it. You took care of me. I know that if you could have done anything you would have. I know that you love me and that's enough. Thank you." She stood on her tip-toe to kiss him on the forehead. He turned away before she could see him crying.
Davis stood alone off to the side, demiveemon in his arms. He had left notes for his family and friends (except for Willis, who would find out through Izzy). A shadow fell over his arm.
"Davis." He turned to see Tai, and tried to smile.
"Hello, Tai. Perfect weather for soccer, isn't it?"
Tai tried to smile but it turned into a grimace. "Beautiful."
There was silence except for the other children's mutterings. "Davis, I just wanted to say that Matt and I are proud of you."
Davis had not been expecting this. "For what?"
"You're a good leader. You've taken care of the team better that I or Matt could have. You've held true to your crests. For that. It's not over yet, though. You've got to lead them through this last mission, Dai. I know you can do this. You're a goggle boy."
Daisuke's heart warmed at the familiar use of his nick-name. He shook hands with Tai, eyes shining at his hero.
"Thank you, Tai. That means a lot to me."
Tai hugged him gently. He pulled back, sliding his hands over the sides of the growing boy's face and looking into eyes that almost mirrored his own.
"Are you okay?"
Davis laughed bitterly, an unatural sound. "Of course I'm not. I know I look unusually calm about this, but the truth is that it just hasn't sunk in yet. I've never been close to someone who has died." He shrugged. "It just hasn't registered yet. It's probably for the better. Goodbye, Tai. Thanks for everything." He started to walk away, but turned back. "I don't regret a single thing, Tai. Not a single thing. It was all worth it." And Davis walked away, sun shining off of his goggles.
They all stood in the centre, quiet and pale-faced, except for T.K.
"Matt," Tai said gently, trying to peel his friend off of Takeru. The experience had already been bad enough for him, but when the truth hit him, Matt just snapped and made it all the more harder.
"Please, Tai, take him." TK whispered, biting back tears as Matt clung to him.
Tai encircled Matt and pried him off. TK stepped back into the circle of other digidestines.
"TK!" Matt sobbed, collapsing into Tai.
Izzy's watch beeped, announcing the wind that swept in around the younger digidestines.
It spun faster and faster becoming translucent till the older kids could barely see their friends and their digimon. The wind formed a perfect sphere and cleared for a moment to reveal the children and digimon glowing inside. Their bodies dissolved, replaced by a brilliant plasmid light that fused with each other. The others gasped as the sphere expanded and became a lighted nova. It falshed and subsided, leaving in it's wake six lone figures, strange yet familiar.
"TK!" Matt cried again. One of the figures looked up, a beautiful creature with long blond hair and brilliant blue eyes.
"Matt." he croaked confusedly, then threw his head back and roared in pain. Matt gasped, paniced. The figure collapsed to the ground as something seemed to be forcing its way out of his back. With vicious force and a horrific scream two magnificent blood-stained wings were born from his shoulder blades.
"Holy Buddha. He's an angel!" Izzy whispered in awe, but Matt only saw the blood and pain, none of the rebirth.
"TK!" He cried as the older digidestines were pulled out of the digital world.