Whew! I'm finally finished! Once again, some of you might find parts of this a little corny, but I don't think it's too awful bad. I'll have to dedicate this one to all my loyal readers… All four of you.

Disclaimer: I still don't own Digimon.

Warning. This fic contains scenes of mind numbing sap and romance that may cause some of you to lose their lunch. Reading immediately after a large meal is not recommended.

To Hell With Destiny!

Chosen or Digidestined?

"TAI!" everyone screamed in unison, Kari and Sora distinctively being the loudest. "Oh, God no!" Yolie added afterward.

Time slowed to a snails jog as the horrified Digidestined watched the fire and smoke slowly clear. What they saw once it did was the last thing they would've expected. Not only was Tai was laying face down in the ground, remarkably still in one piece "Is that all you got?…" Tai grunted, as he tried to push himself up to his feet.

If Satamon's jaw could drop, it would've been thirteen feet underneath the ground by then. "Impossible! Your little friends should be shaking pieces of you out of their hair by now!"

Tai made it up to his hands and knees, and smiled wickedly at Satamon. "Well, I guess I can take a hit better then some Digimon and mountains I know."


"Oh my gosh, he's alive!" Kari cheered happily.

"How in the world did he?…" Izzy pondered. "There's no physically logical way he could've survived that!"

"I don't think logic was involved here Izzy," Mimi told him.

In the meantime, Davis was busy thinking over what Tai had said in his speech just moments ago. Those ideas stuck in his head, Davis just couldn't bring himself to stand back there anymore. "That's it! If I'm going to go out, I'm going out with him!"

"Davis, where are you going?!" Ken called after him.

Davis raced over to Tai who was still slumped down on his hands and knees. Davis grabbed hold of his arm, and at least held his upper body up off the ground. "Are you alright Tai?! Man, how the heck were you able to take a blast like that?!"

Tai giggled out loud, confident he actually had an answer to one of these types of questions for a change. "Don't worry about it Davis, there will be plenty of time to explain later. You need to get out of here fast, it's too dangerous out here! Don't worry about me I'm fine!"

"It's just as dangerous out here for you as it is for me," Davis smirked. "I'm tired of running away too, and I'm not about to leave you out here by yourself! It's just like you to take all the glory for yourself anyway. Your not doing this alone, we're all going through this together like we should be!"

"He's right Tai," Another voice said, as a slender pair of arms slid around Tai's other arm. Tai stared up at Sora's lovely face transfixed, as he was unwittingly helped up to his feet. "Shame on you leaving us out in the cold like that! We're not about to let you sacrifice yourself for us, me in particular. Still, I would like to know why there's still part of you left for me to hold onto right now."

Tai smiled at Sora, and then back at Davis. "It's simple really… I finally understood what the real meaning of courage was. Just like the prophecy said. I guess that's the hidden power in myself I needed to find. Courage isn't all about diving into hell head first, and spitting in death's face. That's what I use to think. That I was brave because of my willingness to blow through any situation like the world was standing still, no matter how dire, but I've matured a lot and learned a few things over the years. The main thing I've learned is there's a big difference between courage and fearlessness. Courage isn't something that's always with us, but something that grows inside of us when we need it most. It's the willingness to protect and defend the people we care about, and others who can't protect themselves even when the situation is looking it's darkest. It's also the ability to admit your mistakes, and admitting there's actually things out there that scare you too. Letting you guys down has always been my biggest fear. I let you down once before Sora, and I've promised myself since that day I'd never let you or anyone else down ever again!"

"You never let me down Tai," Sora remarked on the reference to the time when Datamon kidnapped her in the Digital World. That old memory must still be burning a hole in his heart even to this day, Sora thought. "You came back for me just like I knew you would. You've always been there when I needed you. The only way you've ever let me down was not telling me how you felt about me sooner."

Tai's face exploded red, rather shocked she said that so bluntly. "Umm… It was? I'm sorry…"

"Hey Sora… What is the meaning of love to you?" Davis asked suddenly.

Sora and Tai both looked confused. "What? That's kind of a strange question to ask me at a time like this isn't it?"

"But it's important," Davis insisted. "Like the prophecy said, the true meaning of courage and love must be realized. Since you do bear the symbol of Love, I'm guessing that has to come from you."

"He's got a point Sora," Tai agreed, as he looked towards her.

"But there is no meaning guys…"


Davis frowned. "Don't talk like that, there has to be! This is really important, so look in your heart and try to find the answer."

"You don't understand Davis," Sora giggled. "I do know the answer, and it's been clear to me for a while now. Look around you Davis, you can find love everywhere. Look at what our Digimon have been doing by fighting Satamon in our name. Look at what we've been doing by coming to the Digital World and trying to save this world and ours. Look at what Tai just did to protect us. Look at what we did by running out here to see if he was all right. Heck, look at how everyone forgave you rather quickly after you explained your situation to us. Look at the way we've all hung together over the years, and the bond we have with our Digimon. Look at TK and Kari, it's pretty obvious between them. Look at their relationships with their brothers, or your relationship with Ken. If you absolutely have to, then just look at Tai and I… There are many different types of love, and they've blanketed and protected us since the day we all came together. There's really no reason for it, we just do and it's there. Love is meaningless. That's the beautiful thing about it, it doesn't need one."

"Dude…" Davis awed.

"Thanks, but it wasn't that good Davis," Sora chuckled at the expression on his face.

"No, it was really good, but that's not what I…"

"Umm… Look at Tai and I?" Tai gulped nervously. "What exactly did you mean by?…"

"Shut up Tai."

"Uh guys," Davis continued. "Do you two not notice…"

"What's the matter Davis?" Sora asked.

"Umm… You're glowing too now…"

Tai took a good look at Sora, and sure enough her body was radiating with a bright red glow. Sora couldn't see it for herself, but from the way the two boys looked at her she guessed it must've been true. "Hey… I guess we almost match then."

"What do you mean?" Tai asked, clearly confused.

"You must not be able to see it either, but you were spewing orange just a few seconds ago," Davis informed Tai. "I guess this means your answers were right."

"I think we all have something we're supposed to learn from today," a forth voice jumped in the conversation. Matt placed a hand on one of Tai and Sora's shoulder, sporting a wide grin on his face. "Something about ourselves anyway. I think it's pretty obvious now that are crests have a lot more meaning to them then we ever thought they did, from the standpoint of the person using it I mean. I think the two of you along with TK and Kari have proven that. The reasons some of us were given ours are plain to see, like Izzy and Joe, but then there's your people like Sora and me for at least a time who can't really find a logical reason for the crest we were chosen to represent. I my never be completely sure why I was given the crest of Friendship, but that's no reason for me not to live up to it. I'm sure I'll find myself someday, but until then this is the best place I can think of to look. Right here with you guys… My friends."

"Thanks Matt," Tai said, as he and Sora smiled warmly at him. "I appreciate all the pleasantries, but we're lucky Satamon's held back from attacking as long as he has! I don't know if he's worn out, still in shock, or what but you guys best get out of harm's way quick!"

"Not with out you I won't!" Sora replied sternly. "Win, lose, or draw we're in this together! I'm not leaving your side again you got me?!"

"Me either," Matt agreed. "Lord knows I've walked out on you guys enough times as it is… Never again. I'm not running away anymore, not from Satamon, or what I know I'm supposed to be."

"I'm staying right here too!" Davis announced. "Just like you said, if I'm going to get beat I'd rather do it standing up then laying down! Besides, you shouldn't have to face this alone! We're a team remember?!"

Tai was about to argue when he noticed a quick change fall over his two friends. There was a strange light glowing around Matt's body that matched the green school uniform he was wearing, and Davis's determination had erupted into a blazing blue circling his frame. He looked at Sora who was still glowing red, and took all these things into consideration. "We're all a team… Every one of us is needed…"

"Every one of us is needed. Even…" Ken repeated but paused as he stepped next to Davis's side. Davis veered his head towards him expecting Ken to make some kind of crack about himself, but received something quite different. "A spiky-haired goggled-headed dork like you."

"Hey!" Davis smiled. "At least you're talking to me. Does this mean you trust me again?"

"You I don't know, but I do trust this team…" With a thoughtful look etched into his face Ken looked at Yolie at his side, and then back at Davis. "And for the first time I think I'm really beginning to trust myself… Don't worry, I'm not holding any grudges Davis. If I did I'd only be taking a step backwards, back into the path I've been trying to stray away from. I've worked too hard and have come to far to let myself stray back to it again."

"And we're proud of you for it," Yolie complemented. "Remember that you don't have to walk that path alone anymore. Davis, the others, and myself are here and willing to walk along side of you. Don't think you have to run away and hide in some dark corner when things start to trouble you alright?"

"I'll try Yolie… It'll be a while before I can bring myself to trust anybody else fully, but I'll try at least…"

Davis's jaw lowered again while watching the brief exchange of words between friends. Now Ken was highlighted in a rather defined black light, and Yolie a polar opposite glowing an indistinctive white. Unaware similar phenomena had inflicted him, Davis was growing quite curious to just what in the Digital World was going on.

"Simple things like Reliability, Sincerity, Knowledge, and Kindness must also be depended on to keep the foundation together," Izzy quoted. "Hmm… I certainly don't appreciate the simple remark, but the reference does suggest that we're all required to make things work. That's rather heart warming."

"You see, I guess we do belong Cody," Joe smiled down at his much shorter friend. "We were all chosen for this for a reason I'd assume."

"And though our roles are smaller in some ways, that doesn't make them any less important," Cody added.

"Besides, we just can't stand back here and hide, while the others are standing up to that thing!"

"I think your catching on little guy."

"Then what are we still doing waiting around here for?" Mimi asked what was left of the group. "Let's get over there with the others where we belong."

The group of four merged with the other's already out on the battlefield, so to speak, they themselves discovering their own power coursing through them. Izzy's in the form of a peach like color, Mimi a dark purple, Joe a grayish tint, and Cody a faded brown. Kari and TK, the two remaining Digidestined, stared in awe of the their glowing group of friends before softly smiling for each other.

"What are we still waiting for?"

"I was only waiting for you." TK smiled, and extended his hand. Kari accepted it and they walked towards the others hand in hand, gold and pink shining brighter then ever.

"How… Sickening," Satamon complained, quickly losing interest in the mini soap opera being performed in front of him. "You counter me with a pathetic light show, and some repulsive sentimental garbage? No matter! At least you've all crowed up in a nice little ball for me, so now I can finish you off all at once… Demon Rocket!"

"Brace yourselves guys!" Tai ordered, with only about three seconds before the missiles impact. Twelve determined faces bore down, and the rocket exploded into an apparent force field of light. When the smoke cleared, twelve Digidestined kids were left staring back at Satamon, slightly rattled maybe but other then that not a scratch nor a flinch.

"What the?!… This is impossible!" Satamon raised his cannon, and fired several more times in rapid succession. Every shot blew up just inches from it's intended targets. Several of the children stumbled backwards from the vibration of the detonations, but most didn't even move an inch.

"How in the world are they standing up to his attacks?!" War Greymon wondered, as he watched the scene in awe. A simple grin, and a slight giggle was the only response Auroramon would give. "What are you not telling me Auroramon? My blood's surging through my veins right now! I feel one hundred times stronger then I ever have before! I'm like a new Digimon!"

"From the looks of things your not the only one." Auroramon pointed, and all around them the other Digimon were beginning to come to, all feeling revitalized and ready for action. "I think it's high time we put this demon to bed."

The children held firm, as several more bombs rained down on them from the sky. Satamon had taken to the air trying desperately to break the invisible barrier the Digidestined had shielded themselves with. "How is this possible?! Have I grown so weak I can't even kill mere children?!… Wait a second… Your not ordinary children are you?! That could only mean…"

"It means your days of terrorizing worlds is over Satamon," Auroramon stated, as he and the other Digimon surrounded the incarnation of evil itself.

"Alright the cavalry is here!" Davis cheered, at the sight of their Digital Partners.

Satamon floated there, completely perplexed by the situation at hand. He barely noticed the posse merging in on him. He barely noticed them begin their attacks even after they began crashing into his body. Sensing defeat at hand, it just didn't seem to matter to him anymore. Instead of making one last stand, all he cared about was using his final moments to figure out how and why this was all happening. "That has to be the answer, but how exactly?… The pieces just don't fit together… There has to be something I'm missing… AHH!…"

Satamon howled in pain as one last Wing Blade struck him in the back. His train of thought was completely derailed along with the rest of his body.

"It's over Satamon." Auroramon charged up his most powerful attack. "And this time for good. War Greymon! It's time to finish this demon once and for all!"

"I'm right on it!" War Greymon wound up, and raised his arms over his head. "Terra Force!"

"Devine Purification!"

Sandwiched between two bone crushing blasts, Satamon's body bent in ways he never thought possible. His massive frame in turn went limp, and the world spun around him in slow motion, that was when he could sense it when he wasn't blacking out. Satamon's eyes caught one more glimpse of the children known as Kari and TK before beginning his decent from the air. The once mighty but now broken master of mayhem spoke to himself softly as he slowly fell to the ground. "Of course!… That's it! Oh, my old enemy you are good. To think I laughed when you tried to convince me that hope and light were the source of your true power… You claimed they were the most important because they originated from your very soul itself… The one thing you said I never had…You may be long gone, but your spirit still lives inside those two children… That's the power I've been sensing from the girl all this time, and the boy recently. The other brats must have part of you in them too… It all makes sense now…"

With a chuckle of satisfaction, and pure utter irony Satamon crumpled to the ground below. One last promise left Satamon's lips before his body completely evaporated into dust. "Two can play at this game Guardian. My body may no longer exist after this day, but just like you my essence will live on. In every child who has the slightest drop of fear, hate, jealously, or greed. Evil will live on, and I promise you haven't heard the last of me yet! Enjoy your victory now Digidestined and Digimon… You will not live in peace forever!"

The Digidestined and Digimon alike stared intently at where Satamon landed, even after his body completely dissolved if only to make absolutely sure it was really over. When reality finally set in, an explosion of cheers and celebration broke into what was dead silence just moments before. The darkness shrouding the Digital World quickly lifted, letting the sunshine through, the color reinventing the Digital World all over again. Davis and Tai embraced each other jubilantly, not even really realizing they were doing so.

"They did it! I mean we did it! Oh whatever!" Davis babbled, as they bobbed up and down.

Tai messed with Davis's hair with his hand in response. "I swear, we're the luckiest bastards alive!"

A smile crossed Auroramon's lips at the celebration taking place all around him. All of the sudden, all of his energy seemingly left him as his body doubled over.

"Auroramon, are you okay?" War Greymon asked worriedly.

"Yes, but I'm afraid I don't have the strength to hold this form for much longer… It was a pleasure fighting alongside you at least once my friends…"

Less then a second later Auroramon's body caved in, de-digivolving the Digimon back to their rookie roots. Patamon and Salmon collapsed to the moist earth below, exhausted from the unfathomable amounts they'd been forced to burn. TK and Kari scrambled over to their fallen friends, taking their partners into their arms.

"Salmon! Please speak to me, say anything! Crack a joke, yawn, cough up a fur ball! Please be okay…"

"Open your eyes Patamon! Flap your ears, just please do something to let me know your okay!"

Neither of their pleas were answered, both Digimon remaining lifeless in their partners arms. A concerned crowd of their Digidestiend friends gathered around, Joe stepping up towards the forefront. "Lay them down on the ground very carefully guys. Let me take a quick look at them."

TK and Kari did as Joe instructed, and Joe knelt down beside the fallen warriors and checked them over thoroughly. Joe groaned slightly after feeling around Salmon's neck, which didn't help to ease Kari's nerves at that tense moment. Finally finished, Joe stood upright and spoke without pointing out any one person directly. "Well, the good news is they're still alive, and they're still breathing. However, it's very shallow right now, and their heart rates are frighteningly low. I'm not going to sugar code it guys, it's not looking good…"

"But I don't understand!" TK shouted, refusing to accept that as an answer. "How the hell did they get in this condition anyway?! They were fine just a few minutes ago!"

The answer would come from a most unexpected source. The startled group of children's eyes fell toward the image of Wizardmon, as he approached his old friend and her comrade. "I'm afraid this was just one of the risks involved in finally ridding the world of the evil known as Satamon. I have a strong feeling they'll recover fully however. I can't make any guarantees, but both their wills are very strong."

"Wizardmon?" Davis called out dumbly.

"But what happened to them Wizardmon?" Kari whimpered, crashing down to her knees besides Salmon's limp body. "Auroramon seemed fine a minute ago, and then all of the sudden…"

"That's something I can answer for you my dear," Wizardmon replied. "Auroramon was an incredibly powerful Digimon as you all observed. In fact, Auroramon's power equals more than two ordinary Mega's combined, and as you can imagine it takes an extraordinary amount of energy to hold that kind of form. That's a lot to handle even for two Digimon combined. It's extremely difficult to sustain that type of form for a long period of time, and it's life threatening for the Digimon involved every time they take that form. That's why it took such a dire situation as for the one with Satamon, to take the risk of calling upon that kind of power. Unfortunately, there was no other alternative here. Hopefully, it will never be necessary again."

"Wait a second… You've known about this the entire time?!" TK scowled. "And you just let them go through with it! You could've at least warned us or something!"

"Like I said there was no other choice. Besides… I wasn't exactly sure what was going to happen until I saw it for myself, and then I understood. They did as well, and knew the risk they were taking before the digivolution… You two know full well they would gladly give their lives for you, and in one case have for you before TK, and they were more then willing to take the risk this time. You guys wouldn't have had a choice in the matter anyway."

TK and Kari glared at each other sadly. They each scooped up their Digimon in their arms, and cuddled them against their chests. "That still doesn't mean we have to like it!" TK grumbled.

Wizardmon sighed. "One problem with the type of digivolving they went through burns such a great deal of energy that their rookie levels kind of become default. Their in-training forms don't exist anymore, at least not in the current life cycle they're in. It would really benefit them if they could, because it would spare them a lot of energy they are forced to use up in this advanced form… Anyway, I think it's about time you guys finally learned what's been going on around here lately. To tell you the truth, I'm curious to a lot of things myself, so I'll turn the floor over to my two associates…"

"Associates?"

Tai's question was answered when a large portal of light ripped through the air. The crinkled but familiar face of Genai appeared from it, followed by the lengthy body of Alzulamon. The sight was awe inspiring to the Digidestined children who were only laying eyes on the guarding Digimon for the second time, some of them for the very first.

"Pleasure to see you kids again, but I'm sure it's even better for you guys to lay your eyes on my handsome face again," Genai greeted. "I'm assuming you kids are looking for an explanation or two…"

********

All the Digidestined gathered around in a circle around Genai and Azluamon, their Digimon in tow after they all had converted back to their rookie forms. Patamon and Salmon rested comfortably in their partner's arms, improving ever so slightly even after only a several minute lapse in time.

"Okay Genai. I think it's time you explained what's going on here," Tai demanded respectfully, as he approached the elder. "Something happened to us back there, and we want to know what."

"I'm sure you all have a million questions, but I'm going to keep it simple and give you the entire story from the beginning. Now please be warned that anyone caught falling asleep will be getting something cold and wet down their pants, so pay attention. All joking aside, listen carefully because your lives are about to change forever. I'm going to say this next part as straightforward as I can. You've probably already guessed something along the lines of this, but… You are not ordinary Digidestined! Well, technically you are in the normal sense of the word, but you all hold a special distinction that sets you apart from the other children. Not only are you Digidestined, but you also belong to an elite group known as the Chosen. By the way, in which the entire brass of that group just happens to be standing right in front of me."

"The Chosen?" Tai recognized the word as one he'd heard not to long before. "Wizardmon mentioned something to us about that before, and also said something about some kind of test…"

"Who exactly are these Chosen Genai, and what is the difference between them and other Digidestined?" Sora asked.

"I was just getting there Sora," Genai declared. "Let me ask you kids a question that might help you answer your own. Is there anything in particular that you guys have noticed about yourselves that sets you apart for the others? Take your time, and think about it. The answer is fairly obvious once you do."

The group fell silent as everyone concentrated diligently on finding an answer to Genai's question, but all they came up with were vague and circumstantial explanations. Mimi was the first to voice an opinion. "Well… We always seem to be stuck in the middle of the toughest and most dangerous battles…"

"And there was that little light show we all put on a few minutes ago," Joe said, stating the obvious.

"Yes, these are both true, but do you children know the reasons behind all that?" Genai asked passionately, trying his best to urge the children on. "Look into your hearts Digidestined. You might find the answer staring back at you."

Izzy had been thinking long and hard about it, like he tended to do with most everything, when the answer grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and rubbed his face in it. Actually, the answer accidentally came to him when he just happened to peer down the neck of his shirt, and discovered the literal meaning behind Genai's hint. "Our crests…"

"What about our crests?" Matt asked in regards to Izzy's sudden but vague outburst.

"That's the answer, our crests! Think about it guys. In all our travels around the world, and all the other Digidestined we met, did any of them ever mention something about having a crest or tag of some sort?" An immediate round of no's and shaking heads followed. Izzy then turned his attention to Genai and asked him point blank. "So, is that the answer Genai? Our crests are the one thing we have that the other Digidestined lack."

"Bingo," Genai smiled. "But do you know why you were chosen to wear them? Are you aware of the origin of these crests? You should, you've all read the legendary story behind them just recently, and Tai even said the words himself in the heat of battle."

"I think I know what you're getting at…" Tai said, but sounded unsure of himself. "But that still doesn't make any sense to me. I thought you told us once that the real power behind the crests came from inside us, and not the actual crests themselves?"

"Exactly," Genai's smile broadened. "The crests themselves are completely powerless, but are merely used to physically represent a part of you that stands out more then anything else. However, the story behind the origin of those little babies is a dosey. Some of the following is going to be recapping things you already know, so bear with me. After the Guardian defeated Satamon, he knew he wasn't going to be long for this world. Excuse me ladies for choosing to refer to him as a he instead of a she, but I feel obligated to chose one or the other because I find it disrespectful to refer to him as 'it'. Anyhow, before his death he wanted to make sure he left behind the means for the people of Earth and the Digital World to protect themselves if a menace such as Satamon ever reared their ugly head again. He knew it to be inevitable, he just wasn't sure when the time would come."

Appreciating the fact that everyone was giving him their full attention, Genai cleared his throat and continued. "The Guardian split his power into nine separate entities that he believed made a righteous human being. I'm sure your thinking about them right this moment, it's probably become so obvious by now. They were courage, faith in friendship, love, reliability, kindness, sincerity, willingness to gain knowledge, commitment to following the ways of light, and the ability never to lose hope. Of course these things have no physical form, so the Guardian encased all the essences of his power in the forms of spheres and entrusted them to the protection of four of his closest friends. While most might consider him crazy for it, the Guardian was such a being that he actually believed these seemingly simple things were the source behind his true power. Maybe they were because it would've been easy for someone as powerful as the Guardian to unleash terror upon the world much like Satamon had, but he chose to protect it and use his powers for the way of light. The spheres laid dormant for hundreds of years just waiting for the day their powers would need to be called upon again."

"And that would've been when Devimon first appeared right?" Izzy questioned.

"Well sort of, but not exactly… Like Satamon mentioned, most of the evil Digimon you've faced off against such as Myotismon and Apoclomon were given birth by seeds of darkness planted by Satamon during his assault on the Digital World all those years ago. That's why they were never reborn after they were killed like most Digimon do, because they were created from Satamon's evil not digital nature. They all began to grow and mature at the same time, Devimon was merely the first to stick his ugly head into the picture. Though this process began millions of years ago by Digital World standards, back on your world there's only been twenty-one rotations of the Earth around the sun."

"Can't you just say twenty-one years?" Davis complained.

"Yes, but that would be boring." Genai coughed into his hand once again, and cleared his throat. "Now where was I? Sensing over at least a dozen new evil and powerful presences, this triggered the four guardians of the spheres to delude some of the spheres power and sent invisible balls of energy on a very special mission. That mission was to travel into the Earth World and locate humans who were strong willed and pure hearted enough to protect the Digital World and the Earth World from the new menaces threatening to destroy them both. There was an immediate problem however. The precious few things the Guardian always considered represented true power had become very difficult to find in the chaotic world that was twenty first century Earth. The Guardian knew all along it would be nearly impossible to find one person alone with abundant amounts of all those things. A few people with smaller amounts of everything were commonplace, but none with enough to draw upon all the incredible power the Guardian was planning to pass down. Since Jesus Christ himself wasn't available, he chose to instead split them apart hoping it would be possible to find at least one person with a strong enough amount of one of those characteristics to draw upon his power."

"And then they found us after we went into the Digital World?" Tai interpreted.

"No, that's where your wrong Taichi," Genai smirked. "Most of you were chosen before you were even born. When the search began we focused on peering into the souls of children still in the womb to find strong enough traces of each trait. If they instilled their powers into a newborn it would be much easier for their power to grow and mature inside of them, rather then from someone who'd already been exposed to the harsh realities of the world. Like I said before, it was by no means an easy task, and it took four years to find even one suitable host. A few months later Mrs. Kiddo gave birth to good old reliable Joe here. That's not the end of the story either. At the exact same time baby Joe was whaling at the top of his lungs as he was introduced into the world, a Digiegg was formatted in the Digital World. Of course what hatched from that egg was the infant version of a sarcastic sea mammal we affectionately call Gomamon."

"Really?" Gomamon awed, and looked up at Joe. "That almost makes us like twins… Sort of."

"Yeah, only my twin just happens to be a few hundred years older then me!" Joe joked.

"Are you calling me old?"

"To get on with the story," Genai interrupted. "As time went by nine hosts were eventually chosen. It's no surprise Hope and Light were among the last because those two choices had to be particularly picky. Kindness was chosen rather late as well, but was held up even longer because Ken spent so many years trapped under the veil of darkness. However, as each of the Chosen were born, another Digimon was born in the Digital World. That's the reason each of your Digimon was chosen as any one of your partners. The bond between the humans and the Digimon would become extremely important for obvious reasons."

"But if that's true, then explain one other thing to me Genai," Matt demanded. "If we are the Chosen as you claim, then why was it necessary for us to see that fight between Parrotmon and Greymon all those years ago to become Digidestined? If we happened to be out of town or something on that day we never would've seen the battle thus ruining any chance of your so-called Chosen to become Digidestined. We were all selected by accident, so how can you say…"

Genai laughed hard, and shook his head. "Oh Matt, you just don't get it do you? You really think it was an accident you became a Digidestined? Come on, we set it up better then that!"

Matt raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?!"

"It was no accident that the eight of the original Digidestined witnessed that battle. The Digimon Guardians and myself included made sure to wait for a particular time when we were sure all of you were gathered in close proximity to each other before we sent Koromon and Parrotmon through that dimensional gate. We had to make sure that you guys did become Digidestiend. Believe me when I say this Matt, you were no accident! You were chosen for a reason just as everyone else here today was."

"What?… Really?…" Matt's eyes went wide. That's something he had hoped to hear for the longest, but now that he was he just couldn't bring himself to believe his ears. "I'm sorry but this is kind of hard to swallow…"

"I understand it'll take some time to sink in," Genai acknowledged. "However, don't dwell on it to much at the moment because that's not the whole of the story quite yet. You kids live in a society today that's full of drugs, violence, sex, greed, and self-gratification. You all have your faults as well, particularly Davis, yet you've managed to look past most of these things to live normal and decent lives. You children are definitely a rarity in the society you live in."

Most either nodded their heads in understanding, or stayed silent while Davis seethed. "What do you mean by particularly Davis?!"

"Relax, I'm only funning with you Davis," Genai laughed. "For the most part anyway. Relax, you let things get to you to easily. That's one of the things I'm talking about. There's also the fact that your hot tempered, jealous, a general refusal to admit reality at times, and there was that website you keep visiting on the Internet."

"Alright I get the point!" Davis boiled, but then his expression dropped in surprise. "Wait a second… How did you know about that?!"

"I've got a question Genai," Kari jumped in, not caring to hear what exactly Davis had been into. "Why did you say they had to be picky when they chose TK and I?… For Hope and Light that is."

"Ah, I almost forgot about that. Thanks for the reminder. You see, each crest the twelve of you represent came from different parts of the Guardian's being. As the prophecy stated, two of those characteristics were derived from the soul, two guardians of those entities, four essences that come from the heart and mind, and one special characteristic that kept everything together and is strong enough to overcome any obstacle under normal circumstances. Hope and Light are very different from the other crests because they're things you can't really express openly like you can with Courage or Reliability per say, but they are extremely important to have with you because what would we have left if we were without them? We'd be living in a world of darkness with a bunch of hopeless beings lying around waiting to die, much like you've seen in the Dark Ocean. Not only that, but Hope and Light actually derive from the very soul itself. The spheres of Hope and Light actually contained the very power from the Guardians own soul. In other words, you two have traces of the Guardian's own soul as part of your own."

TK and Kari's bodies went numb. Kari squeezed TK's hand, as he managed to mumble out a few words. "His soul?… Then if Patamon and Gatomon were born at the same time we were… Is that why Satamon and Auroramon acted like they knew each other?… Because Auroramon was…"

"The spitting image of the Guardian, only maybe half as powerful," Genai answered before TK could finish the question. "Though the Guardian and Auroramon were two different beings, she was designed in the old legends image. I'll refer to Auroramon as she to be fair to the ladies. I'm not sure how Auroramon contracted memories from the Guardians past however… I guess it must have something to do with the bond you kids share with your Digimon, and the direct links you guys have to Hope and Light. That's also why Patamon and Gatomon digivolved into the forms of Angels. Because Auroramon himself very much resembled an angel. Auroramon was merely the powers of Hope and Light combined, however she was maybe half as powerful because she lacked the other seven strains that also made up the Guardians power. That's why she needed to call on all the other Digimon to assist her, and together they were able to defeat the most powerful monster ever to invade the Digital World. Having traces of the Guardians soul inside the two of you may also explain the strong bond you two obviously share with each other even at such a tender age. I believe some of those factors living in your soul is drawing you two to each other, and succeeding in strengthening any natural attraction you two already had for each other."

"Oh, isn't that sweet!" Yolie teased. "You two are like real life soul mates!" TK and Kari blushed feverishly and lowered their heads like they thought they could hide from the prying eyes and smiles from the rest of the group.

"I guess you can kind of say that in this situation," Genai chuckled, and then looked at Tai. "That brings me to you and Matt. I'm aware it's only natural for most humans to be overprotective of their siblings, but from the jokes I've heard you two are worse then most. Have you guys ever wondered why that is?"

"No, I don't have to," Tai said flatly. "I love my sister, and that's the only reason I need."

"Dido," Matt replied. "I mean for TK anyway. He's my baby brother, and I'd do anything to make sure he was safe."

"Exactly. You see, as the prophecy hinted at, Friendship and Courage were delegated to be the guardians of Hope and Light. Though it wasn't planned to be set up that way, things couldn't have worked out better then to have two overbearing big brothers filling the roles as the protectors of Hope and Light. After all it's a duty you two have taken all to seriously without even knowing you were doing it, and one I know you'd plan on continuing despite the circumstances but it's going to be very important down the road regardless. There's no better remedy to keep hope alive and keep people looking towards the light then good friends, and the courage to stand up and fight for what you believe in. Love is also important, but it serves a much widespread effect. Love is the glue that helps hold everything together. I think Sora gave a marvelous explanation to that effect, and even showed it a little bit too. After all, she was the one who helped keep you all together when things looked as if they were going to fall apart." Genai smiled at Sora who blushed, and tried to hide herself in a similar way to what TK and Kari had tried earlier.

"Hey relax." Tai wrapped his arm around her back along her shoulder blades in a comforting manner. "No need to be embarrassed. You should be proud of yourself, I know I am. Despite the fact that your own scars and wounds were still in the process of healing, you still had enough love left over in your heart to help the rest of us face our own problems with your sweet and gentle ways."


Several of the other kids laughed, Ken finding it particularly funny. "I hate to break this to you Tai, but she wasn't exactly sweet and gentle with us! It was more like angry and volatile, and though she meant well she came across like you better get your act together now or I'm going to snap your head off!"

Sora's face flushed a little deeper, while Tai laughed hard. "I'm sorry, but I wasn't exactly feeling sweet and gentle at the time. It wasn't my usual method, but nothing else seemed to be getting through to you guys and it worked didn't it?"

"Tough love, right Sora?" Tai joked with a squeeze of her sidearm.

"I suppose so. Oh, and Tai… About those old wounds and scares you mentioned. Well, I want to have a little talk with you about that later okay… I think I need to set a few things straight with you…"

Though Sora's voice wasn't stern, her choice of words didn't exactly fill Tai with confidence . A small chunk of tension lodged in his throat as he spoke. "Umm… Okay."

While Sora and Tai had their little heart-to-heart, Genai's eyes shifted towards Davis and two of the other Digidestined children. Namely Yolie and Cody, all three staring at the ground either examining their chose of foot ware more closely, or lost somewhere in their own thoughts. Genai knew exactly what the trio was thinking, and knew the question Davis was going to ask him before the words even left his lips.

"Genai… It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out that this entire Chosen story is regarding Tai, and the other seven original Digidestined team… Even Ken in a different way. Save your jokes that I know your all snickering about in your heads right now, because I'm serious! I just want to know where do we fit in all of this…"

"He's got a point," Yolie added solemnly. "The three of us obviously weren't in the original plan were we? We have two digimentals after all…"

Cody piped in with the rest of their unanswered question. "So how did we end up here?… Is there some special reason for it like the others, or did we just happen to limp along into the party uninvited…"

Genai's expression remained stern, though he kept his voice as light hearted as he could manage. He'd have to choose his words carefully if he was going to quell the obvious feelings of being out of place the three were feeling at that moment. "You guys are misinterpreting the situation completely. Yes, it is true that the three of you weren't included in the original blueprints. There was only supposed to be nine total. On the other hand, Ken wasn't supposed to go postal and take over the Digital World either! When Ken set up the control spires during his stint as the Digimon Emperor, it threw the entire process out of whack. All of the sudden the Digimon couldn't digivolve, and the Digidestined had yet to fully understand their true origins. If you guys had been aware of all this at that time, your Digimon could've easily counteracted the forces preventing them from digivolving. However any of this obviously hadn't happened by that time, and the powers that be knew something had to be done… I believe Alzulamon gave you a brief but vague overview into this during the time Black War Greymon was grinding the destiny stones into rubble looking for him. With the Chosen Digidestined disabled for the time being, it was clear something had to be done or the Digital World would be doomed. Alzulamon, myself, and the other guardians discovered that we could divert some of the power from the spheres and grant them to some others if the right hosts could be found… However that was the problem…."

"The spheres have always been directly connected with the Chosen they represent, so by diverting power from the spheres we were actually draining strength from the rest of you in lesser amounts. If we drained too much then the spheres would've become dormant and useless, thus ruining the delicate process the Guardian gave his last ounce of life to set in motion. Instead we chose to divert smaller amounts from a couple of the spheres, and set it up so several new chosen would possess two digimentals instead of two. This was done in the form of the digieggs you found that allowed your digimon to armor digivolve. When the three of you released the power of the digieggs it didn't merely energize you Digimon, but also instilled Chosen powers within you. The same thing happened with TK and Kari, only it further added to what they already possessed. The difficult part was finding three new Chosen children, worthy of wearing that title. Fortunately, I don't think we could've wound up with three better choices. Especially considering you guys unlocked your hidden powers as well, when the three of you haven't even had half the time the others had for their power to grow inside of them. Yes it is true there was a good chance you three may never had been Chosen at all if the cards of fate hadn't unfolded like they did, but the point is that they did. You may have been drafted late, but don't think that makes you any less important to the team. Without the three of you, the Digital World would've been flattened long ago. Do you three understand?"

Davis, Yolie, and Cody each exchanged glances towards each other. Finally, at the very least a slight smirk crossed all their faces. "I guess that does make me feel a little better," Yolie admitted. "Either way this is an awful lot to take in… I'm going to need some time before I'm sure what to think."

Cody nodded his head in agreement. "I'm not sure if I like the thought of being chosen in the middle of everything. I still can't help but feel like we're the B team… It almost sounds like we were claimed off of waivers to replace someone put on the injured reserve. However, it does boost my confidence to know we were chosen to help when things looked their darkest... Still, I'm afraid there's always going to be a lingering pain in my chest knowing how easily I might not have been a part of this…"

"Hey, it doesn't bother me none! Things happen for a reason! We were brought here for a reason, and I'm proud of that fact and I'm not going to waste my time wondering why or what could've been." Davis sweat dropped, and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll admit I don't fully understand Genai's story, but it sounded good."

"Well there's definitely some mixed reviews here, but there is one thing I think I should correct you on," Genai stated, as he began to pace around a bit. "You guys are talking like that's all there is to the story, and your ready to call it a night. I hate to break this to you, but I'm not close to finished yet."

Mimi's face fell. "How could there possibly be more?"

"Oh, you can be sure there's more Mimi." Tai removed his arm from around Sora, not the choice neither he nor she would've preferred mind you, and approached Genai. "There's something I'd like to know Genai. Why did you keep this from us for so long, and spring it on us so suddenly like this? We've had more then our share of tough battles, and during a lot of them there were those of us who almost lost our lives in the process. From the sound of things we could've handle those situations a lot easier if we'd known about the secrets hiding inside of us... Not only were you playing with our lives by keeping this from us, but you were risking the very fate of both our worlds in the process! I hate to question you Genai, but I don't see how you could possibly explain or justify that to us!"

"Question me all you'd like Tai, and you all have every right to be angry at us for it," Genai responded completely understanding of Tai's expected outburst. "We did take a calculated risk keeping it a secret for so long. We were hoping you guys would be strong enough to handle things without realizing your secret origins, and for the most part you did a fine job of that. However, Satamon was a much different monster. If you guys are upset now, then brace yourselves because you're really not going to like this. Alzulamon and I directly and knowledgeably helped in releasing Satamon from his Dark Ocean prison…"

A mixture of hushed silence, and ramblings of disbelief fell over the audience. Tai in particular was understandably upset. "You did what?! You had to of realized what that monster was capable of doing! What the hell were you thinking?! All this is becoming too much… Just what the hell have you been up to Genai?! This just doesn't sound like you!"

If the Chosen could've only seen behind Genai's tightly shut eyelids, they would've witnessed first hand the tremendous amount of guilt brimming out of them. "Please allow me a minute to explain Tai… Then maybe you'll understand why we had to do this… Allow me to start from the beginning. It all began a few weeks ago when Alzulamon and I received a gift, more like a warning from the future, in the form of a time mirror. The mirror showed us where the flow of time stood exactly forty years into the future, from that point and time anyway."

By this time everyone had gathered around close to Genai, anxious to hear this explanation/story. "What we saw was very disturbing. Some of you had fallen on hard times along the way, and by this time almost all of you were long dead and the Chosen powers inside of you gone with you. The most crippling blow came when the Child of Light died under very mysterious circumstances a few years before. As we understand it was supposedly a suicide, though no one was really sure… With Kari's death, the Sphere of Light died right along with her. The Sphere of Light was the gate holding Satamon in his dimensional prison, and with it gone he was free to roam the Digital World as he pleased. With none of the Chosen children left to stand in his way, Satamon eventually covered both worlds in his dark mist effectively destroying them both. Needless to say, we knew something had to be done to prevent this. We decided the best method would be to lure him out into the open in this time, and call upon the powers of the Chosen to defeat him once and for all."

"So that's when you decided to release Satamon… To bring out our Chosen powers?" Tai assumed.

"No, not at all Taichi. You see, after some intense investigative research we discovered exactly what went wrong in the future. Even if you guys never had the slightest clue to your Chosen origins, things shouldn't have turned out the way they were set to. After your deaths the spheres still should've been strong enough to live on, and keep Satamon at bay in the Dark Ocean. Though we may never be sure what, something went horribly wrong along the way. A lot of you went astray even after your lives looked so promising a good ways into them. It was most likely a combination of many factors. There may even have been some outside interference involved. The powers inside of you didn't die at the same time as you all did, but sometime before hand. This effectively rendered the spheres ineffective, and prompted Satamon's escape. We also realized that it didn't matter how long or effectively we imprisoned him, eventually he was going to get out. Obviously, the only course of action was to try to get to Satamon earlier while there was still Chosen left alive to defeat him. The problem with this was Alzulamon nor anybody else had the power to break the seal imprisoning Satamon. As I mentioned before, the Sphere of Light severed as the key to his prison, and the only way to break the seal was to destroy the Sphere itself. The only way to accomplish this was through the Chosen Child of Light which you all know of course is Kari. Remember that Kari is directly connected to the Light Sphere, so much in fact that they might as well be one in the same. As long as Kari was her joyful and loving self, Light would shine over the Digital World like it always had. However, if anything happened to bend Kari's emotional or mental stability, and caused her light to dim even the slightest bit cracks would begin to appear in the seal…"

"When my light faded…" Kari cried, completely mortified by this revelation. She squeezed TK's hand tightly, as a few fresh tears ran down her cheeks. "When I let jealously and anger take me over…This was all my fault. I let that evil out into the world… Oh…"

TK cuddled Kari closely, allowing Kari to cry onto his shoulder. Their Digimon still lie comfortably in their laps. "This isn't your fault Kari! You have the right to get upset sometimes just like anyone else, besides you had no idea what would happen. If it's anyone's fault it's mine. You wouldn't have been reduced to that state if I had just trusted and believed in you like I should have…"

"This isn't anybody's fault!" Genai said sharply, wanting to put a quick end to that kind of talk. " Not yours TK, not yours Kari! If you want to blame anyone blame me, but I'll get back to that topic a little later. We knew if Satamon was to escape, you children or your digimon wouldn't be able to stand up to him in the current state you were in. The only way you'd be able to defeat him would be to call upon the ancient Chosen powers the Guardian passed down to you. Not even powers really. It's more like an identity, but once again I'll get back to that later. I need to stick with the subject at hand. Anyway, we chose this point in time because it would be much easier for you to bring them to life at younger age, as opposed to when you got older. However, you couldn't just snap your fingers and suddenly be able to glow in the dark, you had to first be tested to prove you were truly worthy of marshalling those kind of powers. During this test you'd have to prove you truly understood the meaning of the crest you represented, understood your importance to this cause, the ability to overcome emotional and mental obstacles, trusted and believed in the people around you, your digimon, and most importantly yourselves. In other words it wasn't the battle with Satamon that tested you, but the emotional and spiritual battles on the road to the fight with Satamon that brought the old powers out of you. To test you guys in this way we needed an envoy to do the dirty work for us. We took a lot of things into consideration while making our choice, and eventually we decided on Davis as you already know."

All eyes fell on Davis. He wasn't comfortable with the sudden attention, but he was glad someone with some creditability was backing up his story. Tai eyed Davis for another moment or two, before turning back to Genai. "So he was telling the truth… Not that I didn't believe him but… Genai, why did you pick him for this job instead of me anyway? I'm the leader of the Digidestined, or Chosen, or whatever the heck you want to call us! I'm older and a little more mature, so why put him through this?"

"We considered you heavily too Tai, but one important factor determined our decision. Despite some good facts Davis gave you earlier, you were already facing several tough tests to prove your own worth as it was. Davis's mission also severed as his own test to unlock his Chosen abilities. Along the way he proved he most certainly was a leader, and truly worthy to bear the symbols of both Friendship and Courage. I can understand you're all still angry with him, but I still don't believe you completely understand his situation. I watched him every step of the way, and Davis went through absolute hell performing a most unenviable task. Believe me when I say, none of you would've wanted to be in his shoes. I hope you can all grow to understand the sacrifices he made."

Genai cleared his throat one more time before continuing. "Boy, I knew this speech was going to be long, but this is getting ridiculous! I should've brought along a Yoo-hoo or something. Anyway, the first stage of Davis's task was to beat up on your doubts and fears, and effectively turn you on the rest of your friends. As you all know he succeeded at this rather effectively, though he's not proud of it. He victimized Cody, Joe, Mimi, Izzy, Ken, and to a lesser extent, Tai all in this manner. He didn't have to bother with Matt and Sora since their own current situations were posing as big enough tests for them as it was, but the point is you all past them. Finally, that brings me to TK and Kari…"

"Hey wait a second, what about me?!" Yolie screeched. "Was I the odd woman out or something, or was it just not worth your time messing with my mind or something?!"

"Oh no, nothing like that!" Genai laughed. "You were left out at Davis's request. Helping Ken was enough of a test for you, and besides that Davis was kind of afraid you'd strangle him with his own tongue if he tried anything with you.."

Davis's face bugged out in horror. "What, wha, what?! I did not! I mean I wasn't… You didn't have to tell her that part Genai!"

It took Yolie a moment or two to react when she finally burst out into laughter. "Oh, so that's it huh? I guess I can understand that Davis!"

"Okay, now that that's settled can you please get back to us!" TK frowned with impatience. "I'm hoping there's a damn good reason behind the crap you put us through! I just can't find any logical reason behind what you had Davis do to us!"

"Oh come on TK, you can't expect me to accept that you honestly believe that? The logic behind it should be as plain to you as Kari's lips, since you spent so much time inspecting them a little while back." Genai grinned, as TK and Kari's cheeks burned. "As I said before the Sphere of Light is the key, and Kari is directly linked to it. The Sphere of Light is also helped powered and protected by the other eight spheres, and in turn helps the other eight shine and prosper. It all makes sense when you think about it really. What is light without things like, friendship, without love, without kindness… Without hope? You don't have light at all, you have darkness. Everything feeds off each other, and works together. In the literal sense Kari's relationships with the rest of you, and your relationships with the rest of the Digidestined are key to keeping everything running smoothly. When you're at odds with each other things become unbalanced. As far as Light goes, the most important links for her are Courage and of course Hope…This makes sense since both Hope and Light originate from the soul, and in reality go hand in hand with each other. As Alzulamon had told you before, the Light inside of all of us is hope. The one last refuge we have to run to when the world goes black. So you see, one can't really exist without the other. When it comes right down to it that makes the relationship between TK and Kari vital to the flow of this entire Chosen process."

"But that doesn't make any sense!" Kari laughed nervously, not understanding what Genai was getting at. "TK and I have been best friends since we were eight, our relationship had always been good."

"Yes, and if things had remained that way the future probably would've worked out just fine," Genai began to explain. "The thing is, something happened along the way. You two wound up drifting apart, and in turn lost a part of yourselves along the way."

"I still don't see why you had to test us the way you did," TK reiterated.

"Me either," Kari agreed.

Tai rolled his eyes in frustration. "You guys are something else! Maybe you missed it because you were too busy sucking face back there to realize what was going on! Allow me to lay it out on the table for you. You guys have been best friends since you were eight, and somewhere along the way those feelings grew into something else. Whether you were just afraid, clueless, or whatever other reasons you guys have had, you two have been in complete denial about it to just about everyone except yourselves thus creating razor thin lines of emotional stress and anxiety ready to snap at any second. Davis took advantage of this by attacking those hidden emotions and brought them out into the open through jealously, anger, and regret. Despite hating each other for the better part of the week you still managed to overcome that little obstacle, thus passing your test by proving your bond was strong enough to stay intact even after thinking the worst of each other for a short time. This eventually resulted in the two of you finally admitting your real feelings towards each other, a little make out session in the woods back there, and calling out the reincarnation of a legendary Digimon that helped us knock Satamon's butt back to wherever the heck he came from! Do you guys get it now?"

The two wide-eyed teens stared back at their leader utterly speechless. Eventually only one word was able to escape their lips. "Kay…"

"You told him all that didn't you?" Matt asked of Sora. Sora shook her head, just as confused and shocked as anyone by Tai's little tirade. "Wonderful. Now I'm scared too!"

"I don't think I could've explained it better myself Tai," Genai complemented him. "TK and Kari were, how should I put this, obviously attached to each other from a very tender age. They grew so close over the years, we took for granite the possibility of that bond ever bending or even breaking. We decided to put that bond to the test, and they passed with flying colors. It didn't necessarily have to be romantic or anything, things would've worked out fine if they had stayed friends but that would've been boring. We simply had to bring out what everyone knew was already there, and deep down I'm sure now they'll admit it's what they really wanted. They just needed a good kick in the bum to let it all out."

"And you guys did it all yourselves too," Davis added. "All I did was lie out of my ass a couple of times. Everything that happened after that was all you."

"Whoa, deep…" TK groaned in a trance like state. He looked over at Kari who hypnotized him in a completely different way. "All that trouble just to get me and you… I guess I should've just said something sooner huh?"

"Yes you should have!" Kari lectured sternly, as she yanked his arm via his hand. "I forgive you though… Everything's going to work out fine now, so let's not worry about how we got here okay?"

"I assume the light of hope is referring to Auroramon then," Matt figured, as he scratched his head. "There's still one thing that's bothering me though. It makes sense that Courage and Friendship would be the guiding force in keeping the light alive, but I don't understand the part about them posing the key to doom. How could Tai and I possibly be a threat to our own siblings?"

"That's because you're interpreting that passage of the prophecy incorrectly," Izzy answered for Genai. "If you study that line closely you'll notice that Friendship and Courage are being spoken in the same breath. In others words, it's not a reference to you and Tai. That passage is talking about Davis." Davis's eyes widened as Izzy pointed in his direction. "It makes sense once you think about it. Davis's actions originally ignited the brief falling out between TK and Kari, and that in turn eventually brought them together."

"Hey, I didn't even think about that…" Davis admitted. "You see I know what I'm doing, even when I don't know I'm doing it."

"This is all very enlightening, but you still haven't answered my question," Tai reminded Genai. "Why didn't you tell us sooner?! Why did you keep this a secret for so long?"

"Because…" Genai sighed hard. "Because we were hoping we'd never have too… My biggest hope was that you all could live normal lives without ever having to call out the Chosen powers inside you… There are tremendous responsibilities that come along with being a Chosen Tai… With consequences that you won't even begin to fathom until years from now. You kids never asked for this, so I didn't want to force it upon you if I didn't have to. Somehow, I have the feeling you guys would've accepted it regardless, knowing you were the only living beings capable of taking up the cause."

"Your damn right about that!" Tai exclaimed, he and the rest of the Chosen crew growing more interested by the second. "Now what do you mean exactly by consequences and responsibilities? Don't hold back on us now. We have no choice but to run with this, so we might as well know all the details."

"Alright… Here's the deal guys. The second every one of you unlocked you're Chosen powers, a slow process of changes are now currently taking place inside your bodies. Kari and TK have actually been experiencing this in a much slower process over the past five years, that will pick up to normal pace now. You kids are actually being rebooted as we speak, kind of like the way you'd upgrade the software on your computer. Though you'll always be distinctively human, your beings will take on certain digital properties mostly designed to help you sustain yourselves over long periods of time in the Digital World. This process will take about four to five years depending on each individual, and once it's completed that's it. Your body structures will not change one bit further… This includes completely freezing the human aging process. For example, if the process completes itself when you're nineteen then that's the way your form is going to stay until the day you die."

"Dude… That is kind of strange," Davis stammered. "But that doesn't sound all that bad. Who wants to become an old geezer anyway… No offense Genai…"

"For your information Davis, I am not old! I'm merely well-experienced." Genai coughed, and proceeded with more important matters. "Now as I was saying, if it were merely as simple as you stated then there wouldn't be a problem now would there? The thing is, that's not where it ends. There's enormous responsibility involved with being one of the Chosen. You may have extinguished the ultimate evil, but evil is an ongoing road that will never end. You may never face any as powerful as Satamon again, but you may meet new enemies down that road that will make up for that in ways such as with tenacity. As the Chosen you all have a part of the old Guardian shinning inside of you right now. You are his Chosen children selected to protect both this world and your own from those wishing to harm them, and you will be called upon to defend them again."

"That's just fine with us Genai!" Tai chuckled confidently. "You know we wouldn't have it any other way. We'll protect these worlds whenever we're called upon to do so, and we're proud to do it!"

"Tai please allow me to finish!" Genai requested forcefully. "I only hope that you kids can understand the urgency behind all this. Now that you've been revealed as the Chosen, that's it. There can be no others unless it's passed down from generation to generation. If your lives end somewhere down the road, then now your powers do die with you for good. This leaves the Digital World and Earth unprotected from any evil forces that may materialize, and of course the Guardian had to arrange something to prevent this…"

"But that's impossible!" Tai cried. "Everyone dies Genai, it's just a sad fact of human life. There's nothing we can do to avoid that unless we were immortal or something…" Tai stopped laughing, noticing the deadly serious look Genai was giving him. "You can't mean that…"

"No, your not immortal Tai," Genai finally answered. "You'll die eventually, just not near as soon as you thought you would. I'm going to lay things straight out for you, so please don't interrupt me until I'm finished. After today you'll leave this place, and return to your normal lives. As normal as they can possibly be after all this anyway. You'll live the rest of your lives just like you normally would have, only now when your fifty you'll have to come up with a good way to explain why you don't look a day over twenty. This will last about forty-five years or so, and then you'll be called back to the Digital World. Here is where you'll stay and fulfill your duty as the Chosen of the Guardian and protect civilization from any other evil force that might dare to follow Satamon. There's only one major change the slight reformatting of your human makeup that will be distinguishably noticeable. This is that your life spans will alter to what they would've been if you'd been born in the Digital World. In other words, when you die you'll simply be reformatted and start all over. It was a tough decision but the Guardian was forced to make it to insure the Chosen lived on to protect these worlds. Unlike the Digimon, you all will die eventually but not until the threat of darkness is quelled to a point where you can rest in peace. The only other escape would be to relinquish your powers to your offspring, but remember the enormous load you'd be placing on them if you went through with that. If you do, then you'd return to the normal human aging process until your natural life ends. Along the way you will have to watch the people you care for most in the world pass away while you live on, and once you return here you may never be able to go back to Earth. Do you children understand what I'm saying?"

A blanket of hushed silence and blank expressions suggested to Genai that the answer was yes. Izzy seemed particularly perplexed. "Digital properties?… Extended life spans?… Reformatted?! None of this can really be true can it Genai?!"

"I know this is going to take some time to sink in. Keep solace in each other Digidestined. Your all each other's going to have to lean on once we reach this road. As I said before, you may not even realize how trying this responsibility is for many years to come. I want to make sure you guys know neither Alzulamon nor myself ever wanted to burden you with this, but keeping it from you turned out to be a vital mistake on our part. Hopefully now we've corrected it. We didn't have the option to give you guys a choice in the matter, because if you knew about your situation before hand it might've ruined the entire process. We're sorry we were forced to make such a life-altering decision for you, but the world was at stake… I only hope that you kids can grow to understand and forgive us for that…"

"Life altering?" Matt huffed half winded. "I don't think that's quite a strong enough word for it!"

"That was two words Matt," Izzy corrected him.

"You know what I mean!

Alzulamon had remained silent throughout the entirety of the conversation. He didn't feel it was his place to speak. Plus, he was increasingly distracted by the second knowing full well what he'd be losing that day… With Genai's briefing finished, and the Chosen children lost for words Alzulamon finally decided it was time he made his reason for being there known. "I'd just like to thank you children. I'll admit I had my doubts about you at first, but now I'm positive the Guardian was correct in choosing the twelve of you. Then again, the old fool usually did know what he was doing even when I thought he was crazy…"

Davis raised an eyebrow. "Wait a second! You actually knew the Guardian?! Exactly how old are you?!"

"Hey, don't get touchy now! Indeed I knew the Guardian well. Heck, he was one of my best friends. That's why he appointed me to protect the spheres of Hope and Light… I have to admit my job was pretty boring for the first few million years or so, even while I was kind of locked in limbo for a while there, that was until the two of you came along." Alzulamon looked down directly at TK and Kari. "Thank you for making my life interesting again. Thank you all. It's been a joy watching all of you develop and grow into the people I always knew you were supposed to become…"

"What's the matter Alzulamon?" Kari asked worriedly. "Your almost talking like your trying to say goodbye or something…"

"In a way I'm afraid I am," Alzulamon sighed sadly. "At least saying goodbye to a part of me that's been the very key to my existence since as long as I can remember. I'd like to say it'd be like losing an arm, but considering I never had any to begin with I'm not sure what type of analogy to use…"

"What are you losing?" TK asked curiously.

Alzulamon churned his head around slowly, and peered up towards the sky. A single tear leaked from his eye as he thought about what he'd be giving up in mere seconds. "Many years ago the other Guardians and I made a pact. The spheres were so important to the stability and virtue of the Digital Word that we had to arrange something to make sure none of us might stray away from or noble ways, and try to harm them. We swore that if we ever did anything to purposely harm or assist in the damage or destruction of the spheres we were assigned to protect, we would automatically be stripped of our title as a Guardian and yield all our power… I assisted Genai in his plan, and I sat back and watched what I was supposed to protect crumble into dust and did nothing to stop it. By doing nothing I violated our pact, and I must take responsibility for my actions!"

Forty-four eyes, twenty-four human and twenty digimon, all widened in unison. "Alzulamon no!" TK cried as Kari clutched on to him tight and sobbed slightly.

"It warms my heart to sense your concern children, but I must accept my fate. I thank you two, for making my decision worth while."

Genai looked Alzulamon's way. "It's a shame there isn't any other way… There is some good news though. Why don't you tell them my friend?"

"Ah, I was just about to get to that," Alzulamon said in a slightly more cheerful tone. "Before the slated time passes before my powers are taken from me, I have the option of passing them on to someone else of my choosing. A successor to the throne if you will, provided I could find someone worthy of the job. I think I might have…"

Alzulamon looked straight ahead at the short stumpy figure hiding in the shadows near TK and Kari. Wizardmon looked to his left side, then his right side, and then behind him. Realizing he was the only mon in his immediate area, Wizardmon was forced to point in his own direction. "Me?…"

"Yes, you Wizardmon. You've already proven yourself more than noble enough for the job. Your close relationship with Gatomon only strengthens your case, since you'd obviously be willing to protect her partner and her closest friends as well. Personally, I can't think of a better choice. That is if you're willing to accept the responsibility Wizardmon…"

"I'd… I'd be honored, but do you really believe I'm worthy of such an important role?"

"I've already answered that Wizardmon. Now step forward towards me."

Wizardmon complied nervously, unsure of what exactly to expect. Half expecting some long drawn out procedure, his discomfort ripped at his insides as Alzulamon glared at him focusing on his image. A few seconds past before Alzulamon shut his eyes slowly, and Wizardmon suddenly felt a tidal wave of intense energy invade his body. After the initial flood cleared out, Wizardmon was surprised to find he felt little difference if any. "Was that it? I don't really feel any different…"

"You won't for a while yet. It's going to take some time before you learn to adjust, but you'll eventually grow to understand all the changes your going to experience. If you can meet with me privately a little later on, I'll explain all the details to you. Just remember one thing though. If you ever abuse or neglect the new powers your going to receive, you'll be stripped of them without question. Do you understand and accept this?"

"Yes I do. On both counts."

"Excellent." Alzulamon glanced at the children. "Remember to watch over all of them. Particularly Hope and Light, for they'll be the focus of your duties. You'll probably be able to play a more active role in their lives then I could ever have managed. Most importantly take care of yourself. This isn't going to be an easy task, but I have a feeling you can handle it."

"Everyone's going to have some adjusting to do," Genai winded down. "You kids need to be returning to your world shortly, but before you do I suggest taking some time to reflect on everything you've learned on this day. If you have any questions feel free to ask me, and I'll do my best to answer them for you. I guess now I'll leave you guys to that… Good look Digidestined… Chosen."

********

"I just don't understand any of this Joe! None of it seems logical!" Izzy complained, as he mashed the keys down on his laptop. "I can't find any reasonable explanation to explain what we're supposedly going through right now, or any evidence to back it up for that matter! I don't mean to question Genai, but I need hard facts! I just don't see any of this happening!"

"Maybe there is no logical explanation Izzy," Joe offered. "I have a hard time believing it myself, but I guess we're the kind of people who need to see things first hand before we can accept them as the truth. That doesn't mean it's not going to happen though. We'll probably just have to wait until it happens before we accept it…"

"What makes you so sure I'm going to accept it?"

"Oh come on Izzy!" Joe laughed. "For someone who's spent half of their life sitting in front of a computer, your going to tell me you don't get a kick out of the thought of becoming party digital? I figured you'd be like a kid loose in a candy store with something like this. Can you really look me in the eye, and tell me at least a small part of you isn't excited about this?"

Joe was right, Izzy couldn't look him in the eye. He turned his head away, and a wide smile crossed his lips. "Alright I'll admit it… This situation does fascinate me to a certain degree. Trying to discover exactly what process our bodies are going through now is going to present some interesting challenges for me, like I haven't faced in ages. Yes I am looking forward to the opportunity to explore the Digital World in more detail, but I never wished for it to be such an extended venture…"

"Me neither," Joe grunted, as he pushed up his glasses. "My life was hectic enough as it was… I really don't care for the thought of leaving Earth… And what if we ever wanted to get married and have a family? What kind of burden would we be subjecting our kids to, and after a while we'd have to watch our spouses… While we…"

Izzy could read between the lines. He thought it over for a moment, and for once answered with his heart rather then his head. "Well… Look at it this way Joe. Let's hope we're lucky enough to find someone worth taking that kind of risk for."

This revelation hit Joe so hard, it literally nearly knocked him over. He looked down at Izzy, and smiled at this. "You know Izzy… Your right. Besides… We still have an entire lifetime before we have to worry about any of this. Let's enjoy it while we can, and tackle those obstacles when we get there."

----------

Matt picked himself out a comfortable tree, that just happened to have a good view of the valley below him, and rested his back against it. He sat there quietly thinking for the longest time, when for no real apparent reason started laughing hysterically. So hard in fact, he slid off the tree/backstop and rolled around on the ground, and caught the attention of someone nearby.

"Matt what are you doing?"

Matt hoisted his head up and blushed, finding Mimi standing over him glaring at him like he had just gone nuts. "Uh… Nothing."

Matt began giggling again, making Mimi's eyebrow twitch. "What's so funny? Or do you have a bug loose in your pants?"

"No, nothing's funny." Matt wiped a tear from his eye. "It's just for the first time in a long time I'm really happy I guess… It's nice to have this feeling again."

"You haven't been happy in a long time?" With her curiosity peeked, Mimi sat down next to Matt who had sprawled out on his stomach against the warm grass, his head tilted up towards the horizon. "I wasn't aware of that… Then again, I wasn't around much to see much of anything. Why were you unhappy?"

"Well… I felt out of place… Like nothing I did in my life, or my life itself didn't matter. I could never shake the feelings of uselessness and being alone…"

"But you weren't alone Matt. You had Sora."

Matt's smile faded at her name. "There was a time when I took comfort in that, but after a while I felt alone even when I was with her. That's when I knew the relationship just wasn't going to work out. Besides, she deserves all the happiness in the world, and I just wasn't the one who could give it to her. I could never settle for being someone's second choice anyway, you know."

"I guess your right," Mimi replied somewhat distantly.

Matt's head turned towards Mimi, a look of concern etched on his face. "You okay Mimi? You look kind of… I'm not sure how to say it… Dwelling on something I guess?"

"No, not really… I guess I'm still in shock," Mimi laughed weakly.

Matt wanted to slap himself. "Of course! I'm sorry that was a stupid question… I guess it is a lot to take in."

"You sure seem to be taking it well," Mimi scoffed. "Rolling in the dirt, and laughing like a hyena. You really enjoy the idea of all this don't you?"

"No, not all of it," Matt answered honestly. "I'm uncomfortable with the same points that everybody else is, but besides them, yeah I'm enjoying it! I finally got what I've always been wanting Mimi… A little meaning and direction in my life. Now I know we didn't become Digidestined by accident, and in fact there's a much deeper meaning to it. There was a reason I was selected to be one of the Chosen… Even if it was only to look out for TK, that's just fine with me. That's more then a worthy enough cause for me. On top of that, we just saved the world again in case you didn't notice! Sora finally seems to have a little bit of that old spark glowing back into her eyes… Tai seems as happy as he's been in a long time. TK finally seems to be happy again… I don't see any reason why I shouldn't be! I can't help but feel good…"

Mimi stared at Matt for a moment, seizing a sense of relief from Matt's words and his expression. There was definitely a glint of self-understanding in his eyes that Mimi longed to claim for her own. "I think I see what your saying… For the longest time I just haven't felt like I fit in. Especially with me living so far away, and my personality being so different from the rest of you. I guess now I do feel much better about my place with the team after today…"

Matt didn't seem so sure. "Do you know? You know Mimi there's still one person I care about a lot who doesn't seem happy, if you catch my drift. Are you sure there isn't something deeper that might be bothering you?"

"No, it's just like what's already been said… It's probably going to take a while for everything to sink in, like Genai said. I just can't feel good like you do right now. Since I'm going to be around a lot more often as of now, I'm going to have to see how the others react to me before I'm completely comfortable with myself again… How do you feel about me moving back to Odabia?"

"I love it! In fact, I hope to see a lot more of you. Take from that what you will."

Mimi's cheeks tinted pink. "Come on Matt, it's not like you to be that sweet. I think this feeling of self-worth you've found is going to your head! Not that I mind seeing that handsome smile on you lips again. Take from that what you will."

Mimi and Matt started to giggle, when Matt noticed two figures walking on the valley floor below. "Hey? Is that Tai and Genai?"

"I must know Taichi. One last time, are you confident that you're sure of what you're going to be facing?" Genai asked him one last time. "If you have any fears or doubts please vent them right now, and ask me any questions you might deem necessary. I know this is a tremendous load for someone so young to be saddled with. I must be positive that you understand how serious your destinies really are. This goes far beyond the lives you've lived as Digidestined so far."

"And for the last time Genai, I'm just fine with it," Tai answered confidently. "I'll admit that if this happened a couple years ago I probably wouldn't have been to thrilled with the idea, but from where I stand now I wouldn't have it any other way. I take a lot of pride in being a Digidestined, and in protecting the people I love. I learned a few things over the several years of being a bystander Genai. One of the things I learned is that I hated it. You can't imagine how frustrating it is to have to watch from the sidelines knowing there's nothing you can do to help. I despised watching Kari run off into the Digital World, and not being able to follow her in and protect her. I don't ever want to be in that position again, so this path I've been set on is just fine with me! Sure I'd rather live in peace, but if there's trouble out there I want to be involved in helping to stop it. I'll take pride in being a Chosen just like I did in being a Digidestined! I was selected by the Guardian for a reason, and I plan to respect that and live this new life to the fullest."

"I'm happy to hear you say that Tai. You definitely deserve your role as leader of the Chosen, however your job is going to become a lot more difficult over time. It may not bother you now, but you'll be surprised how much your mood can change when you're looking at things a few hundred years for now. Your biggest responsibility will always be one that's completely natural to you, and that's protecting your sister. Remember, the crest of Light keeps the Digital World vital and powers all the other crests or spheres, whatever you'd like to call them. She is the child and the keeper of that Light in the entire literal sense of the word. When evil does resurface itself, which is inevitable, since you children have been revealed as the Chosen she will be a direct target! You know the old saying, cut off the head of the snake… They'll be gunning for you as well, so keep your head up. Your lives may be destined to be turned more upside down then you ever could've imagined. Also remember that the Chosen team is a well-oiled machine. If one part turns up missing, then it is incapable of working as efficiently as it can when all the parts are running together. If enough pieces break, then the machine becomes a useless piece of junk. That's what happened in the future before we decided to test your character and bring out your powers such as we did. In other words, do your best to make sure none of your friends stray off the path of light and truth. If they allow darkness and hatred to take over their souls, lets just say they may not be lucky enough to overcome it like Ken was. It may completely ruin everything you went through so much to gain. This is also part of your job as leader. Make sure you tell this to the Chosen of Love as well. She's vital to the stability and keeping this foundation in tact."

"I will Genai. I'll do my best to get ready for everything I might face. Personally, I think we're going to make it through this alright."

"It won't be easy, but I have high hopes for all of you. Now I'll leave you to your other business…" Genai patted Tai on the back, and inched his eye to the corner where he caught a glimpse of red quickly disappear behind the cover of a large tree. "Anyway, I think someone's been waiting for their turn to speak with you… It's all right Sora! I'm finished with him, he's all yours now!"

Sora's body cringed with embarrassment. She shook it off quickly and found the courage to reveal herself, despite blushing like a sun burnt lobster. Tai couldn't help but giggle as she stumbled her way towards him. Usually she was the one causing him to react that way whenever he was around her. "Sorry… I um… I wasn't trying to spy or anything, but I wanted to talk to you and I wasn't aware you were already talking with Genai…"

"It's okay Sora," Tai smiled warmly. "I was looking for you anyway, when Genai ran me down. Besides, it wasn't like it was a private conversation or anything. It involves the entire team after all."

"Yeah I heard, but that's not what I'm worried about right now." Sora smiled slightly, and inched a little closer to Tai. She was feeling a lot braver now that Genai had gone well off on his way. "I have to set something straight with you, like I mentioned before. Right now is as good a time as any."

Tai's face gushed red. "Oh yeah, that…What did you want to talk about?…"

Sora glared at Tai sternly, making him all that much more nervous. Though he had no idea what to expect, he wasn't at all expecting her to look so angry with him over anything. "First of all, about those old wounds and scars you brought up. I'll have you know that I got over Matt a long time ago. Sure he broke my heart, but I'm a big girl! I don't appreciate you insinuating I've been sitting around crying my eyes out over it ever since! There were a few nights like that, but I got on with my life and moved on soon enough!"

"I'm sorry Sora… I wasn't trying to…"

Tai feel silent, as Sora pushed her face up right underneath his chin. However the angry expression she'd been giving him gave way to the familiar smile Tai had fallen in love with so many times over. "But I love you for caring enough to stay beside me, and try to help me through it even though I didn't need it as much as you thought I did. Don't get me wrong, I did need you there with me only it wasn't for that reason."

"Then what were you so upset over?…" Tai asked. "Something was obviously getting to you during that time… If it wasn't because of Matt, then what caused you to act that way?…"

Sora wanted to look him in the eye, but just couldn't bring herself to do it. She lowered her head slightly with a slight blush crossing her cheeks as she answered him. "You."

"Me?!…" Tai stammered dumbly. "But why?! Did I do something to upset you? If I did I'm sorry… I didn't mean to."

"You've got the wrong idea entirely Tai," Sora giggled. "No you didn't upset me, but you did do something to me. You didn't mean to do it but you did anyway, and it's something you started doing to me a long time ago."

"What did I do?" Tai asked almost in trance. Sora's face was so close to his that her breath was blowing up against his face, and he nearly got drunk off of it.

"Read between the lines Taichi. You know what I'm getting at, so don't play… Though you do look cute when you play dumb. If you really need an explanation then I'll be happy to give you one. There's something else you did to me Tai… You scared me. I had deep feelings for you when we were younger, at least they were deep for that age anyway. At thirteen years old you're still a little young to understand and appreciate what those kind of emotions really are. After Matt and I parted ways, you were right there to catch me and help piece back together my broken heart. You were so sweet and gentle with me, all those feelings came rushing back to me. Only now they were growing much stronger, and I was finally mature enough to understand what they really were. However, these feelings hit so fast after Matt that it scared me. It scared me to think I could develop feelings for someone so fast, and I was afraid to say anything because I was afraid of getting my heart broken again so soon. Plus I wasn't sure if you were just trying to be there as a friend, or if it was because you felt something more for me. That's what was driving me crazy…"

"I was only trying to be a friend…" Tai replied slowly. "I didn't want to make it seem like I wanted something more out of you, or hurt you any worse then I thought you were… I did hope that one day we'd end up as something more, but that wasn't what I was trying to get out of it. I would've been there for you regardless…"

"Well, don't you worry about that anymore." Sora crept up even closer to him, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Poor Tai seemed about ready to pass out on the spot. "Because I'm not afraid anymore. I could sense how you felt about me during that last confrontation with Satamon. Maybe it was part of that Chosen magic that came out of me, but I should've seen it the entire time. I could sense this incredibly strong energy coming from TK and Kari whenever they were close to each other right afterward. I could feel the same thing coming from you towards me even right now. I know how I feel so… You don't have a thing to worry yourself about now Tai. I feel the exact same way…"

Tai was so blown away by this that he stumbled backward, and tripped over a tree root that was protruding from the ground. Sora grabbed him by the hands in a feeble attempt to prevent him from falling, but this was an obvious blunder on her part. Tai's weight was too much for her to handle, and Tai fell on his back regardless of her efforts, bringing Sora along with him. In a crazy twist of fate, she just happened to land at perfect eye level with him causing Tai to blush a little harder then he probably normally would have. Her bangs had slid down off the top of her head covering most of her normally exposed forehead, and for whatever reason this made her all that much more attractive in Tai's eyes. Sora giggled softly after their little pitfall, but made no motion whatsoever to get off of him.

"Umm… You can let me up whenever," Tai mumbled, though he didn't really wish for her to comply.

Sora smiled sweetly. "Maybe I don't want to. Are you going to have a problem with that?"

"No, not in particular…"

"Good."

Sora held his shoulders down, and slowly touched her lips on his. Tai wrapped the one arm he could move across the small of her back as he returned the gentle display of affection. They allowed the kiss to linger off their lips as long as it would last, the entire time feeling a surge rush through their bodies like they'd never felt before in their lives. They didn't need to say the words, the simple touch was telling each other everything they wanted to hear. There would be plenty of time to say it later, right now this was more then enough for them.

----------

"Awe… That's so cute!" Kari cooed adoringly, while TK simply smiled at their Digimon. Patamon and Salmon had improved over the past hour or so. They still hadn't opened their eyes yet, but at the very least they were breathing normally now. They were cuddled up close to each other, smiling like they knew right where they were at.

"They sure do seem to be enjoying each other's company alright, even if they are unconscious. Let's leave them to their selves for a while." TK stood up from his knees, and glanced at Kari lovingly as she did the exact same. "You know with what we just admitted back there… There's no going back from here you know."

"I don't want to go back." Kari fell forward into TK's arms, symbolizing her desired location, and rubbed her head against TK's chest. "I'm just fine right where I am… This is where I've wanted to be for a long time…"

"Guess I was afraid over nothing huh?" TK pulled her off his body, and cupped her chin in his hand. "So, what do you think about all this?…I always knew you were special."

Kari blushed, and giggled happily prompting TK to put his hand down. "Hey, your special too. The Chosen of Hope after all… The light inside my heart… Do they always have to be so literal with these things?"

"Oh yeah, that Chosen thing. That's all nice too, but I wasn't really talking about that. You were always special to me Kari… You always would've been to me, Digidestined, Chosen, or not a one."

Kari's cheeks gushed even brighter. She buried her face into TK's chest like she was trying to hide it from him. "TK!… If you make me blush anymore I think I'm going to start bleeding internally. I'm not sure how I feel about most of this new destiny we're facing here, but I know there's one thing I enjoy. How our powers came from the Guardian's soul… Like Yolie said, it's almost like we're actual living soul mates or something… Like we were meant to be together… I can't help but like that… Don't you?"

TK frowned unexpectedly. "Ah, to hell with destiny! That doesn't mean a load of crap to me!"

Kari's head snapped up violently, a saddened and surprised look filling her eyes. "What?! But why would you say something like that?!"

TK smiled, and rubbed along Kari's face for reassurance. "Because I don't care about any of that Kari. Sure all this Chosen stuff sounds nice in certain aspects, but I don't love you because some ancient prophecy or plan that was set forward so many years ago says I have too! I don't care what happened in the past! I'm here with you because I love you now, and I would have regardless if any of this never happened. I love you because you're you, and no other reason. I'd like to think you feel the same way about me…"

Kari's chocolate brown eyes moistened ever so slightly, as a shy smirk spread across her face. "You know I do… Still, you could at least let me have my romantic moment can't you?"

"By all means take it, that's just how I feel," TK giggled happily. "And don't you worry about that. There's plenty more to come from here on out.

TK pulled her close and kissed her ever so tenderly on her lips. Kari returned it all too willingly, with the setting sun slowly disappearing behind them. With no interruptions to speak of, this kiss would last well into the night. Once again their bodies glowed in the now familiar shades of gold and pink, shinning their brightest at their hearts as if symbolizing two hearts tying into one from now, as all signs were pointing, to the rest of their lives.

----------

Davis watched the sunset from a grassy hillside, and from time to time peered down at the very long display of affection two of his friends were sharing just below him. Davis had to smile at least slightly, admitting to himself how right TK and Kari did look together. "You guys out to thank me you know, you'd never be together like this if it wasn't for me."

Veemon was sitting next to Davis, relieved to finally hear some words exit his friends mouth. "Are you sure your okay Davis? Your smiling now, but you didn't seem all that happy just a few seconds ago."

"No, I'm okay I was just thinking…" Davis sighed, and gave up on his self-delusions. He decided there was no point in lying to Veemon, and he really did need someone to vent to. "Who am I kidding? I'm not okay. I've been thinking about what I've done and tried to put everyone through. I know better then anyone that I had no other choice in the matter, and everything did work out in the end… I should be happy, but I still feel miserable because of what I did. Am I going to feel this way for the rest of my life? I just can't feel proud of myself… What did I accomplish besides turning my friends lives upside for a few days? What if I'd failed? Things would've been worse then they already were! What if the others never forgive me, or look at me the same way again?… I'm scared over what's going to happen Veemon… Will they ever understand?"

"We already do," a gentle voice said, as a hand grasped his shoulder. Davis looked over it to find Ken looking down at him with Yolie and Cody standing to his left. "We've all had to make decisions we'd rather not have made over the years, and yours was harder then most. Actually, we should probably thank you… For taking that responsibility upon yourself, and not saddling it with one of us. Truthfully, you are the only one of us who probably could've handled the job."

"Thanks Ken," Davis smiled, as Ken sat down next to him. "If it's all the same to you though I wish it never happened. I'm never going to forget what happened to me over the past few weeks… Getting over this hump isn't going to be easy, and I'm really going to need you guys to help me through it…"

"Of course we're going to see you through it!" Yolie snapped. "You may be an obnoxious self serving jerk sometimes, but we're still your friends."

"I think we understand all the pain you went through during this little fiasco a little better then we did at first," Cody added. "I know I was so shocked and upset I really wasn't in the mood to forgive you or understand at the time. But I do now…"

"Thanks everybody… I really needed that. This is going to be a long hard road, and we're all going to need each other. So… What do you guys think about this whole Chosen thing?"

Yolie answered first. "I'm not sure yet… I don't think the idea has really sunk in completely yet. I think I may have to wait and see what happens before I know for sure."

"I'm still not crazy about the idea of being the 'B' team," Cody grumbled, as soon as Yolie was finished. "But it does feel good to be part of something so important, and scary and confusing at the same time."

"I for one am going to take it in stride," Ken announced. "I'm not crazy about not having a choice in this matter at all, but when it comes right down to it I guess I'd rather be right in the thick of things instead of off in a corner somewhere."

"My thoughts exactly!" Davis's eyes drifted down to the romantic interlude below him, alerting the other three Digidestined to what he'd been watching.

"Man, they're still going at it!" Yolie marveled. "I mean, not that we were spying on them before we started looking for you or anything…"

"Yep," Davis responded indifferently. "Personally, I think after they got started they got stuck somewhere, and now they can't pry themselves loose."

Ken seemed surprised regarding Davis's demeanor over the situation. "You mean you don't have a problem with that… I mean them together?"

"No, why would I?"

"Well, I know how you feel about Kari, and the entire basis of your feud with TK was based off the fact that Kari liked him more then you. I just figured you'd be a little more hurt or upset over it…"

"No, I over that Ken," Davis began. "I saw this coming, and I was ready for it. I've been waiting for it to happen for over a year now, at least go official anyway, and now that it's finally happened I can finally quit kidding myself. I never had a chance with her anyway. Love is all about fate and timing, and TK got to her long before I ever met her. Besides, my feelings were never much more then a simple crush anyhow, and when I compare what I felt to what I sense from them when they're together it pales in comparison. Let's just say they shine like a super nova while I kind of blink on and off like some cheap Christmas lights. I guess it doesn't matter as long as they're happy. I'll find someone of my own one of these days. Hey, it's more Kari's loss then mine anyway."

"Ha! Yeah sure, whatever you say!" Yolie scoffed.

"At least you seem to be getting back to your old egotistical self," Ken giggled.

d

A moment or two passed, without much else being said. After a while, Cody broke the silence with a deep drowsy yawn. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm wore out. Genai said we'd have to spend one more night here, and then he would send us back home first thing in the morning."

With darkness looming overhead, and fatigue plaguing his own body as well, Davis was quick to agree. "Your right… I'm so tired I think I could sleep for a solid week!" Davis smiled dreamily at the thought of sleep. He hoped this would be the first good night's sleep he had since his dreams started all those weeks ago. No evil digimon trying to take over the world, no mind bending prophesies or puzzles, but just a pillow and a few sheep. Finally, a peaceful night of rest seemed within reach and not just a distant dream.

********

The sun rose over the Digital World dawning the first day of a new Era. The era of Wizardmon as the new guardian of Hope and Light, and the first full day of the long process of the Digidestined's transformation into the true Chosen. Everyone was up and about gathered around Alzulamon as he gave his emotional farewell. Even Patamon and Salmon had awakened after a good night's rest, and though they struggled they somehow held their bodies upright standing next to Wizardmon.

"Well children," Alzulamon began. "This is my first full day at being a regular Digimon, and to tell you the truth I don't feel much different. I'd just like to say it's been nice getting to know you children. You'll all hold a special place in my heart, particularly you TK and Kari. Best of luck to you Wizardmon. I know you'll do a splendid job in my place."

"I'll do my best sir," Wizardmon confirmed.

"What are you planning to do now Alzulamon?" Kari asked.

"Well… What everyone does once they can't work anymore… Go into retirement I guess. I think I'm going to take a nice long vacation for starters… I've always wanted to tour the Earth… Maybe I'll even take a swim in the Pacific, and buzz a few ships along the way."

"Your not really serious about that are you?!" Tai asked in horror.

"No, of course I'm only joking!"

"I think I may take a little vacation of my own," Genai announced. "I've been meaning to take a trip to the islands. I like the things I've heard about those places."

"You going to lay on the beach, and soak up some sun?" Mimi presumed.

"Heck no! I'm going to check out hot babes in g-strings and thongs! Maybe I should split myself up to make myself young again, and see if I can get some lovely young ladies to lather me up a bit…"

This drew a collective laugh from the entire group. "Well, if we hear anything in the news about sailors seeing sea-serpents, and a perverted old man chasing around women in Bermuda we'll know who's responsible!" Yolie cracked.

Everyone waved good-bye as Alzulamon departed through the air, and Genai by land. As they disappeared out of sight, Davis casually walked in front of the group with his hands behind his head, whistling one of his favorite tunes to himself. "Well, I guess that's it guys. All that's left now is to head home…"

"Not so fast Davis," Tai stopped him. "We did forgive you for doing what you had to do, but we weren't kidding when we said we were going to get even. Did you think we forgot?"

Davis gulped. "I was hoping you'd forget… What exactly did you have in mind?…"

"You'll see soon enough. Come on guys," Tai called. Izzy, Kari, Joe, Mimi, and Cody all appeared behind Tai holding several buckets Genai had lent them that morning, each containing various substances Davis couldn't seem from his angle.. "I think a good old fashioned tar and feathering would be fair don't you?"

"Tar and feathering!" Davis freaked. "Don't you guys think that's a little…!"

"Excuse me Tai," Wizardmon coughed, as he stepped beside Davis. "I'm just as responsible for Davis's actions as he was. If you're content on punishing him, then I guess I'll have to stand beside him and you'll have to do the same to me."

"We already got that covered!" Agumon cheered, as he and several Digimon hoisted up buckets of their own. "If you're so insistent on it, then we're more then happy to oblige you!"

Wizardmon's eyes widened, immediately regretting his decision. "You too Salmon?!"

"Hey what can I say? Peer pressure!"

"Davis is right about one thing though, that isn't enough." Tai scratched under his chin inquisitively thinking of something else to add.

"Will pinecone's stick to tar?" TK asked, as he held the bucket out for everyone to see.

"There's only one way to find out!" Ken enthused.

Wizardmon's face fell behind the cover of his robe. "Pinecones?!"

"Where did you find all that stuff so fast anyway?!" Davis bellowed.

"I guess we should at least give you guys a sporting chance…" Tai grinned almost evilly. "We'll give you two about a ten second head start, and then we're coming after you. Alright ready, set…"

Davis and Wizardmon gave each other a look, and before Tai said go they were both off to the races leaving a cloud of dust in their pursuers faces. "1... 2.. 4, 7, 9, 10 let's go!" Tai signaled, and the posse charged out after their quarry.

Somewhere within the jumbled mess of pursing Digidestined and Digimon, Sora looked over at Tai with a rather sly grin on her face.. "We're not really going to do anything to him are we? Isn't this kind of mean? I can't believe they didn't notice there wasn't actually anything in the buckets, except for TK's"

"I don't know… We'll see what mood hits us when we catch him," Tai chuckled. "Just watching him sweat may be enough for me!"

"Slow down Wizardmon!" Davis panted, finding it hard to keep up with his fleeing counterpart. He couldn't believe someone with such short legs could run so fast. "I can't keep up! What happened to standing by my side?!"

"I said I'd stand by your side, I didn't say anything about running along side you! If your to slow, and get caught that's your problem!"

"Gee thanks! Can't you use your new powers or whatever, and get us the heck out of here?!"

"I don't have any yet, and I couldn't do anything like that because that's against the rules! Now just shut up, and keep running!"

Veemon watched from an undisclosed area as Davis and Wizardmon zoomed past him, with the rest of the crew in close pursuit. With a wide smirk, Veemon turns away from the crowd. "Well that's all for now… Don't worry about them, they'll be okay… I hope."

End.

Whew! I have to say I'm relieved this is finally finished. I have so many other ideas I want to work on, and they all seem so much more interesting to me then this one. Right now, I decided to use a few lines to let my faithful four readers know what to expect from me the coming weeks.

The main project I'm working on now is called Tried and True, which like most of my work is different from anything else I've ever done, but this one in particular. I'm going to take my favorite characters and write them like I'd might picture them being if they were real people, and living in the rough world we live in. Parts of it are loosely based off a really bad situation I've actually experienced. I'm really excited about this one, it's shaping up to be the best work I've ever done. Not that that would be hard mind you…

Second, I promised myself I would never write any sequels to anything I do unless I can come up with a truly good idea that's at least just as good as the first. I tend to go all out in my stories, and leave little room to continue. Life is too short and unpredictable to leave things hanging in the air, so I try not to leave anything incomplete. I am however, looking into making a sequel to my original story Like Brother, Like sister. Don't expect it anytime soon however. It's still in the development stages, and pretty low on my ladder right now. I'll probably start on it in the beginning of next year.

Last, but by no means least is something I've been working on and looking forward to start for months now. Two of the first stories I read when I came to FF.net was Time Lady's "A Digi-Tale" and Caspian's "Yes, My Princess", (Still my two fav's) and I've been dying to put out my own Med-evil fic ever since. I've been taking my sweet time with it, and I want to make sure it's not the same old thing. It finally looks like I'm going to have some time to get to work on it, now that this is out of the way. Thanks for reading guys! Hope I didn't disappoint you too awful bad.