CHAPTER 18 "Identities and secrets are unveiled."



Four minutes before midnight, I let loose of their hands to check their vital signs. When I found none, I told them, "Don't worry, the healing will take two more minutes." Through psychic connection with Annye, I send my thoughts to Annye as I closed my eyes, "Hey, Annye. Tell Ken and T.K. to get back into their bodies now! By the way, and thanks for the stone. Happy birthday and my gift to you, their safety. Bye for now. Talk to you later."

"Okay, Ken, T.K., you better get going before your wounds are healed without you," Annye said informed.

"Bye then, Annye. Bye, Sam," T.K. said as he floated towards his body.

"Farewell, T.K.," Annye and Sam said together.

"Bye, Annye. Bye, Sam," Ken said as he floated towards his body.

"Bye-bye, Ken," Annye replied.

"Farewell, and good luck, Ken," Sam said to his little brother as Ken and T.K. entered their bodies.

"Let's go, Uraina, and celebrate your birthday," Sam said as he grabbed her hand. She blushed.

"Huh? Okay," Annye answered with a smile. "I guess everything's fine now. Bye, guys."

"Huh?" Ken and T.K. asked and laughed in unison as Sam and Annye left the hospital.

"Cody! Go and find the doctor!" Davis ordered as Ken and T.K. tried to get out of their beds.

"Right!" Cody said and dashed out of the room.

"No, don't try to move yet," Ken's parents and Matt said to their impatient patients, and they chatted with each other while I tried to exit the room to check on Aurora.

"Where're you going?" Tentomon asked me before I could reach the door, and directed everyone's attention to me.

"Thanks for saving my son," Mrs. Ichijouji said gratefully.

"Thanks for everything," Mr. Ichijouji added.

"Thank you, Ange," Matt said as he brought out his hand, ready for a hand shake.

I hugged him instead with tears. As I let go of him, I replied, "Goodbye, Matt. Bye, guys."

"Thanks for healing Ken," Wormmon said with appreciation.

"And for healing T.K. too," Patamon added while my migraine worsened as I continued walking towards the door one hand touching my forehead.

"We owe you a lot. If you need anything, just ask," Yolei shouted.

"Don't go!" Davis shouted.

"Are you all right, Miss?" the doctor asked as he saw me weak.

"I'm okay. You better check on the other two back there," I suggested and the doctor hurried to work. "Bye, Cody," I said as he entered and I passed him by. I fainted again. Luckily, Mariana's dad caught me.

"Hey, Sweetie," he greeted his daughter as she rushed towards him.

"Hi, Daddy," Mariana greeted her father. "What are you doing here?"

"I got a call from the hospital about Ange and Aurora. I tried calling the house but no one answered the phone, but I got a message from someone named Agumon on the answering machine that you'll be here. So I rushed here with Ange's car and here I am."

"Agumon? What do you have to say about yourself, playing with Ange's answering machine without permission?" Tai asked in an angry tone as the doctor exited the room after stating that Ken and T.K. were miraculously okay.

"I have to say that I'm the best," Agumon answered, acting conceited as he folded his arms and shut his eyes.

"And I agree totally," Tai replied as he tickled Agumon and both laughed.

Mr. Chaikary gently placed me onto a chair inside the room and asked his daughter, "Sweetie, why didn't you tell me that she was this ill? I know about some herbs that could have helped her."

"I'm sorry, Daddy, but it was a secret. I'm not permitted to tell anyone that we're both Digidestines and that these kids as well are. But now that everyone here knows, tell me, Daddy, about the herbs that could have helped her."

"Well, Sweetie, you're in luck 'cause I was Digidestine too. I had a Gabumon who taught me about many herbs. All the herbs interested me, but the one that most interested me was the herb that's able to fully bring back a person's strength."

"What does it look like, Mr. Chaikary?" Kari interrupted.

"And where can we find it?" Gatomon asked.

"Well, from Gabumon's story, he said that it looks like an ordinary white rose," he answered.

"Okay, that's easy enough, we'll just get her some white roses now," Davis replied.

"It's not that easy. It's a rare white rose that can only be found in rare places in the Digital World."

"Well that's simple enough, Mr. Chaikary, we'll go and look for it in the Digital World. Ah! No! I didn't bring my laptop with me!"

"Actually, Izzy, none of us brought a laptop," Yolei expressed.

"Then, we'll just have to use one of the hospital's computers," Tai suggested.

"But we can't," Cody said. "I don't think there'll be any laptops for us to use."

"Magical laptop in my bedroom, quickly be transported safely into this room!" Mariana chanted in her head and raised her hand. Instantly, her laptop appeared, floating just above her palm until she grabbed it. She unfolded it, and found one new message. She opened it. "It's Gennai," she said as she listened to the animated message with an image of Gennai.

"Hey, Mariana. I've got good news for Ange. I realized that the flower she was seeking is here with me all along. I've been planting and taking care of them. And, I've got lots of them, so she's welcomed to come and take one anytime. Oh, got to go, talk later. Bye, Mariana. Send my good news to Ange, and tell her that I'll be waiting for her to come and pick up the rose," the figure of Gennai spoke as the others listened.

"I guess, she's been looking for the flower all along," Mr. Chaikary thought quietly.

"Now that we've found the flower, who's going to get it?" Veemon asked.

"We'll go, Veemon!" Davis replied and Veemon agreed. "Digi-port open!" Davis shouted as he placed his D-3 near Mariana's laptop screen while Mariana turned the screen to face Davis and Veemon.

"I'm coming too, I'm not going to let Davis mess things up for all of us," Cody said, "Ready to go, Armadillomon?" His Digimon answered yes, and they left as well.

"Hey, Mariana. Isn't the kid with the goggles Davis?" her precious dad asked.

"Well, actually, yes," Mariana confessed uneasily. "I guess, I'll just have to erase everyone's memory afterwards," she said to herself quietly while they asked her father how he knew about Davis. They conversed until Davis and Cody returned with a white rose and their Digimon.

"Well, everyone's back," Mariana gladly interrupted.

"Yep! Everyone's back, including you, Maria," Davis pointed out.

"What! You've mistaken, I'm not Maria," Mariana rejected. "My name's Kamari Chaikary."

"That's not what we heard," Veemon said.

"All of you heard? Including Davis?" Mariana asked desperately and got yes. "How did they hear me from the Digital World? I changed the computer's settings to silent mode, so no one from inside my laptop can hear us."

"Sorry, Mariana. I forgot to tell you that I changed it so it'll be more convenient when chatting online with the other Digidestines," Wishmon confessed.

"It's okay, Wishmon, don't feel too guilty," Mariana explained, "Besides, they could always forget."

"Welcome back, Maria," Davis said in a good mood that he was ready to shake hands with her and be friends again.

"Yeah, that's great," she answered as she shook his hands. "Now, let's focus on getting Ange's strength back. Daddy, exactly how we're supposed to use the rose to help her?"

"Well theoretically speaking, since she's eighteen, she'll need to devour eighteen petals at once," he answered.

"How are we going to get her to swallow all eighteen petals at once when she's still unconscious?" T.K. asked.

"I'll gladly swallow all of them if they taste like pizza," Armadillomon replied with a hungry stomach growling.

"Actually, Armadillomon, I don't think it'll even taste like pizza. But if you insist, you could, when you get yourself another flower. This one is for Ange," Mariana eyed him.

"No need, I just lost my appetite," he answered as his stomach stopped growling.

"Don't worry, I'll get you some snacks when we get home. Okay, Armadillomon?" Cody assured him quietly.

Mariana used her powers to levitate the rose. Then, she skillfully plucked eighteen petals magically. Moving her hands accordingly, she formed the petals into a small ball. Concentrating with her eyes closed, she focused on sending the flowery ball into my body. She sent it directly to my heart.





Author's Notes: Don't own Digimon....One more chapter to go, before I start part 2, which hopefully is more exciting.