Rose Petals

By Ruki Minamoto

Disclaimer: Digimon belongs to Akiyoshi Hongo. Not me.

Author's note: I'm getting lazy, so I'll use the dubbed names in this chappie & the sequel. Sorry… My policy. I won't post the sequel till I get at least three reviews…

Chapter 5: All's Well That Ends Well

"Everybody ready?" Izzy asked. Upon seeing five nodding heads, they all rose their Digivices to the sky and left the Ishida's living room. Shortly after TK and Matt were out of hospital, their parents remarried. Matt realised that JJ had always been right.

Everything happened for a reason. TK and Matt's illnesses had been to get their parents back together.

"Remember - take it easy Mimi, Matt, TK." Joe reminded. Seemed like something that his father or brother told him to tell them. The three didn't need reminding. They heard it enough from their parents.

Sora looked around her and realised that they were in a totally different place. It was a nice warm place where birds could be heard overhead. At least it wasn't the Digital North Pole.

"GUYS!" Seven digimon came racing up. Six found the people they were looking for, but one didn't. Agumon stood there dismayed at not seeing Tai.

"Where's Tai?"

Matt decided to explain.

"TK wasn't the only one who got sick. So did I. Tai donated a kidney for me, but he died after the operation. If it weren't for him, I'd be dead right now."

"TK!" Patamon cried. TK hugged Patamon so tight… "How are you?"

"I'm fine now…Thanks to Mimi. She donated me a kidney. But unlike Tai, she didn't die."

"How did you know we'd be here?" Joe asked Gomamon. "It's been over a year."

"We waited. We knew you'd come back, so we waited." Gomamon answered. "You promised to come back."

"But Tai didn't." Agumon whispered. Patamon flew onto TK's head and the little boy walked over to Agumon.

"I know that you want Tai - but I'll be your partner where I can. He helped Matt so this is the least I can do." Agumon smiled and nodded.

"Yeah…I'd like that a lot."

"If you knew what has happened over the last year, you would never believe it." Izzy laughed. "Transplant hell, very odd coincidences, genetic problems, scissor wielding maniacs…"

"We get the point." Tentomon laughed in response.

"You know…I missed all the fun and games a year ago." TK commented. "Let's play!"

"YEAH!"

"Submarine spotted!" TK cried from where he was sitting on Matt's shoulders. The boy waded through the water to where Sora was swimming through the water to get away from them. "Drop the bomb!"

Patamon jumped from TK's head and onto Sora's back. The girl broke the surface and began laughing.

"OK…You got me!" she cried. The 12-year-old splashed Matt and TK as revenge.

"Meanie!" TK yelled. "What did I do to you?"

"Dropped the flying peanut of justice!"

"Huh?" The two brothers were confused until they realised that Sora meant Patamon.

It was nice to be able to act like a kid again. That privilege had been stolen from TK when he received that shocking diagnosis. Being with Patamon again made the pain of losing Yuya seem so far away and TK knew that that was the way Matt felt about JJ. TK remembered hearing about Yuya having the same disease as he did, but never getting a chance to even see him before Sora told him that Yuya had passed away. This seemed like worlds away from where he had started from, but he realised that this actually wasn't all that different to what he started with. In the beginning he was a kid playing with his friends and now he was back in the same place. Just more mature…more understanding.

But he was still the same TK.

Matt shook as much water as he could from his hair. Unlike TK, Matt had changed.

Before JJ had arrived at Odaiba Junior High, Matt had been cold and harsh, but JJ brought out a nice, loving Matt. When he had heard of JJ's murder, his heart had forgotten everything JJ had taught him. But Sora had stopped him from losing all that. Getting so sick had made Matt see that everything that he had been bothered by in the past no longer was important. He had even managed a girlfriend even though a year ago he never would have considered it. He and Sora were going so steady…One argument had forced Sora to move in with the Ishida's. Sora and her mother had exploded and Sora had moved out. It happened at least once a month, but it usually never lasted long.

Donating that kidney for TK had changed Mimi's mind forever. She suddenly had a desire to help everyone she could. Suddenly, she wanted to help those who weren't as fortunate. TK's illness had brought out the real Mimi.

Sora now knew just how much life had to be appreciated. Her love with Matt had taught her so much about love and dedication. Her life had been changed forever by TK and Matt's illness. She may have lost her very best friend, but she had gained so much more.

Joe had patched up any rifts in his relationship with his father. Being together so much and being united in their fear for TK and Matt had given them a new beginning. They had been given a chance to make their lives more worth while.

Izzy no longer worried about his parents not loving him. He remembered when he had told them that he was testing to see if he could donate a kidney to Matt or TK. He remembered how they had put everything on the line to be tested themselves. That dedication to him and his friends demolished any doubts in Izzy's mind.

But when all was said and done, there was one thing that they knew. It was that there were three people up in heaven watching over them. There was Yuya, innocent and gentle. There was JJ, so faithful and religious. And there was Tai, brave and strong - forever watching to see how his friend's lives turned out.

And nearby the water where the six children played, a rose's petals danced in the wind as the rose shed it's clothes in the warm summer heat.

THE END