Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or anything to do with it. I am just, quite simply, utterly and completely obsessed.

More More Happy Christmas

Chapter 7: Goodbye

"You know what?"

"What?"

"The sunset's really pretty around here."

"Yeah…It really is…"

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Tokyo, Japan - Odaiba District

December 24th, 1996 - 11:53 PM

Six small Digimon stood at the very center of the newly-created, almost barren clearing. The shining lights of their markings and symbols had faded already, but the gently glow from above remained even as the remains of Triceramon's data disappeared into thin air.

"…It's over now, isn't it?" Kaminarimon asked softly.

"Yeah." Flamon sighed, his blue eyes almost looking sad. "It's…over."

"I remember now." Fushamon's voice nearly blew away in the wind. "That voice…"

Their soft conversation was shattered suddenly by the sound of a dozen feet approaching very quickly. As a group, they turned, and smiles blossomed all around as they saw the kids scrambling up to them, their faces and eyes wide with excitement and joy.

"You did it!" Izumi shrieked happily, leaping into Fushamon's outstretched arms. "You got him!"

"You guys really showed him who's boss!" Junpei punched the air excitedly.

Kaminarimon chuckled and buzzed around him. "We couldn't have done it without you guys."

"Yeah." Flamon nodded, having knelt down to Takuya's level to put his arms around the boy. "You're what saved us."

"No way!" Takuya shook his head furiously. "Without you guys, we'd be toast!"

"Kemmeimon!" Tomoki squealed. He wiggled out of Takuya's arms and onto the snow-covered ground, toddling over to the bear-like Digimon. Kemmeimon cuddled his friend happily, nuzzling with his muzzle.

Yiniyamon ruffled Kouichi's hair, glancing over at Kouji momentarily. "Are you two okay?"

"Okay? Are you kidding?" Kouji smiled broadly, grinning up at Yanagamon. "You guys were awesome!"

"He didn't ask about us." Yanagamon pointed out. "He asked about you."

Kouichi nestled a bit further into Yiniyamon's arms. "We're okay. No boo-boos or nothing."

The black cat-like creature let a soft smile cross his face. "That's good."

"Little ones."

At once, the Digimon stopped. Ears perked and stances straightened as they looked up into the pale blue-pink light, their frosted breath catching in their throats.

Izumi held onto Fushamon's legs, blinking up into the lightly-glowing sky. "Wh-Who's that?"

"I remember." The flying female Digimon whispered, her soft speech slow and dry. "I remember now. Lord…Lord Lucemon…"

The light sparkled softly like new daylight, twinkling like stars in an inky night sky. The gentle colors danced around them, radiating and endless sense of eternal calm.

"My little ones…" The Voice whispered again, almost like a song. "You have done well. So very well. I do hope you realize now why you were sent to this world."

"Lord Lucemon…" Flamon faltered a moment, then fell silent. He, like the other Digimon, knew that no words were needed now. They simply nodded.

"Good." The voice echoed softly. "Then it is time for you to return home…and leave this world."

"No!"

Takuya's shout was echoed by his fellow humans as they scrambled to grab ahold of their friends. The brown-haired boy's goggled glistened softly in the strange light as he looked up at Flamon, big, thick tears brimming his eyes. "You can't go! You just got here!"

"I don't want you to go!" Izumi sniffed. Fushamon knelt down to put her wing-arms around the little girl lovingly.

"Children…"

"I-I…" Kouichi sobbed softly as he held onto the cat-like Digimon's pants leg. "I'm not scared of the dark anymore, Yiniyamon! You can't just…"

"You can't just leave!" Kouji insisted, pulling on Yanagamon's leg with a thin layer of moisture building up. "You said you'd be here!"

"Children…"

"Kemmeimon no-go!" Tomoko shrieked, holding onto his friend's bear-like neck. No one could say how he could have understood what was happening, but he held on just as tightly as they others.

"I won't let you go!" Junpei exclaimed, grabbing onto Kaminarimon's hand. "I won't!"

"Children!"

The voice was no louder than before, nor was it any harsher, but it commanded respect in such a way that the humans were suddenly silent. At least, they didn't say anything, though a few snivels and sniffs did remain as they looked up.

"Children of the Human World." Said the Voice, soothingly and gently. "I thank you for everything you have done for us. However, you must understand…your friends do not belong in this world. The time has come for them to come home."

"It's not fair!" Izumi sobbed.

"She's right!" Takuya snapped.

Flamon turned pleading eyes to his friend. "Takuya…"

"She it!" Takuya looked up at him with teary eyes. "You just got here! It's not fair that you gotta go!"

"Fear not." Soothed the voice. "I assure you, this will not be the end."

Once again, everything stopped. Even the snow seamed somehow more silent as it fell in time to the Voice's gentle beat.

"You little ones were drawn to these children for a reason. No matter how far the distance between you may be, you must know that your friendship…your bond between this world and our own…will remain."

There was no response. They understood, of course…the words were more than that, more of a feeling that conveyed it better than any words in any language ever could, especially to so young an audience…but what could anyone say to such a thing? It was mind-boggling and yet, at the same time, it held a sense of hope.

"Now…" Sighed the voice as an unseasonably warm wind began to blow. "It is time to say goodbye."

Izumi sobbed lightly as she held onto Fushamon, the purple Digimon's arms folded around her tightly. "I-I'm gonna miss you, F-Fushamon."

"Me too." The Digimon held tighter, a slight tear rolling down her feathered cheek. "Me too."

Tomoki cooed in a worried manner as he blinked up at the mini-polar bear. "Kemmei go bai-bai?"

"Yeah…'Fraid so." Kemmeimon nuzzled the little boy with his muzzle and received a warm hug.

"You're not scared anymore?" Yiniyamon asked Kouichi gently.

He shook his head. "Nuh-uh." He sniffed. "I…I'm gonna be okay now."

Yiniyamon smiled. "I'm glad."

Yanagamon looked down at Kouji. "You too?"

"I'm not scared of nothin'." The younger twin said firmly, but wrapped his arms around his Digimon friend.

Junpei had a slight frown on his face as he looked up at Kaminarimon. The blue Digimon buzzed over to him. "You gonna be okay, buddy?"

The oldest child kicked a bit at the slowly-gathering snow, then sighed. "Yeah…I guess so."

"Hey, what's with the tough guy act?" Kaminarimon buzzed, landing and blinking up at him from his all-eights position. "You gonna miss me that much?"

"Well, whattya want me to do?" Junpei exclaimed. "Do you want me to cry? It that it?"

"Of course not!" Kaminarimon grinned up at him. "I wouldn't wanna remember you like that. I want you to smile. You look better that way."

Junpei stared at him, then let a shaky smile creep over his face. "The-There. Y-You happy now?"

Kaminaimon's eyes closed happily with a smile. "Always."

Flamon looked down as Takuya sniffed lightly, covering his eyes with his arm. The Digimon lowered himself down, but the boy turned away. "Takuya…"

"What?" The boy snapped, but his voice was more teary than mean. "What d'ya want?"

Flamon's elf-like ears twitched slightly and he reached out to touch his friend's shoulder. "Don't be sad."

"I'm not!" Takuya pulled away. "If you wanna go, then go! I-I don't care. Just…go!"

Flamon blinked at his friend, then sighed slightly. "You know…about Shinya…"

"What about him?"

"He's not that different from Tomoki-chan, you know."

Takuya spun around, his eyes falling on the toddler who was still cuddling Kemmeimon. Flamon smiled at him, closing his eyes with a cute, happy smile. "You took real good care of him tonight, Takuya. I bet you could do it with your brother, too…If you tried."

"Flamon…" Takuya's bottom lip trembled a bit as he turned back to his flaming Digimon friend. "You…You're gonna come back, right? You gotta come back! You just gotta!"

"I dunno about that…" Flamon said, putting his arms around his friend. "But I know I'll see you again, Takuya!"

The goggle-wearing boy sniffed with a smile. "Promise?"

"Promise!"

The shimmering light seamed almost to smile.

The wind around them, smelling fresh and clean as a warm summer's day, suddenly picked up. The Digimon, straightening on instinct, suddenly found themselves light as bubbles.

Fushamon floating up first, pulling Izumi close one last time, followed by a buzzing, waving Kaminarimon. Yiniyamon and Yanagamon were lifted at precisely the same time, smiling down at the twins as the boys' hands found each other comfortingly. Kemmeimon tipped Tomoki into Takuya's hold as he and Flamon left the ground, drifting up with the others, their bodies fading and shimmering as they did.

"Children of the Human World." The Voice called soothingly. "With all my heart, I thank you for what you have done for us. It has, indeed, been more than you can ever imagine."

Tomoki squirmed in Takuya's arms, stretching his tiny hand to open and close towards the sky. "Bai-bai Kemmeimon!"

The twins waved together with opposite hands, smiling up at Yiniyamon and Yanagamon silently. Izumi choked in one last stuttering sob and bit her lip to bid farewell, Junpei trying his very hardest to keep a broad smile on his face as he waved eagerly.

Flamon's green eyes turned to each of them with a soft gaze, contemplating everything that had happened. "…Lord Lucemon." He whispered after a moment. "I think I…understand."

"Flamon!" Takuya shouted up, unable to wave with his arms full of two-year-old. His brown eyes still glistened with tears, but his face was set with a strange kind of eager determination. "You better keep your promise!"

"Oh yeah." Flamon grinned broadly. "I definitely understand…"

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

The Digital World - Continent of Light

Human World Time: December 17th, 1996

"But Lord Lucemon…!"

"Flamon." The remarkably young-looking Angel Digimon sighed from his throne, raised high above the floor of the castle's great hall. "I am only asking you to try to understand…"

"Well, I don't understand!" The Rookie-level Warrior of Flame shouted, stomping his bare foot.

Fushamon whimpered softly. "Flamon…calm down…"

"How can I calm down?" Flamon snapped, looking back up at Lucemon with tears brimming in his eyes. "After all this time…everything you've done for us, for the Digital World…how can you ask us to turn again you, Lord Lucemon?"

"I don't get it, either." Yanagamon's voice was much calmer than Flamon's as he stepped forward. "Lord Lucemon, we could never fight against you. You're the one who raised us, trained us. You knew what we were when you first came to us, and you taught us to accept that."

"You're like our father." Yiniyamon added in a soft whisper, stepping up next to his partner. The Warriors of Light and Darkness were best friends and had been since their meeting, by now they were nearly inseparable. "And you've always done what was best for the Digital World, Lord Lucemon."

"We could never turn against you!" Kaminarimon buzzed, hovering in the air on his blurred wings before landing again.

A soft smile unfolded over Lucemon's sweet, child-like face. "Thank you, Little Ones. For your love, and your trust." He whispered, a kind yet strong tone that echoed through the entire hall. "However…I fear that the time may soon come when you can no longer trust me to do what is best for the Digital World."

The mumbling and protests echoed from the ten gather Rookies once again. "Never!" Exclaimed the Spirit of Earth. "Never that happen!"

"How can you say such things, Lord Lucemon?" Kemmeimon demanded in a low growl.

"I have seen it." Lucemon proclaimed with a sad tone. "Just as I saw each of you, my Little Ones, from the moment your destinies became clear. In the same way I watched the Elements that make up out world choose each of you as their prophesied Warriors, so too have I seen another prophecy come to fruit…That of my own corruption and betrayal to our cause."

The Warrior of Water drew in a sharp breath. "It can't be…It just can't!"

Lucemon stood from his throne and stepped off the platform, floating slowly down through the air. "You all know of the powers that lie within each of you." He spoke softly, never taking his blue eyes from them. "The Spirits of our world's founding elements have chosen you as their Warriors…the Legendary Warriors who are meant to protect and guide this world for the good of all its inhabitants. But I fear you may not yet quite understand what is asked of you."

"What do you mean?" Fushamon asked, her face pulled slightly in confusion. "We protect the Digital World by stopping the fights between Human and Beast types… as you taught us."

Lucemon smiled at her, patting her feathered head warmly. "Indeed. And you have all done a splendid job of that." He said softly. "However, you cannot depend on what I have asked of you, you must learn to decide the right and the wrong for yourselves."

"That we do already, yeah?" The Spirit of Wood asked.

"Not quite." Lucemon sighed, closing his eyes as he paused in front of them all. "As I said before, you do not yet know what is asked of you. Our world is not the only one at risk here."

"Wait!" Kaminarimon exclaimed in the tone of one who has just put two and two together. "There's another world? Like, besides ours?"

Lucemon smiled cryptically. "Indeed."

Kemmeimon growled just a bit. "Why should we worry about them? We've got our own world to take care of."

"You shall soon see." Lucemon turned to the Ice-Warrior calmly, but addressed the entire group. "That is…if you will agree to see it for yourselves."

There was a stunned silence, then Flamon stuttered, "W-Wait, Lord Lucemon, you mean…leave the Digital World?"

"Only for a visit." Lucemon's blue eyes glistened in a rather strange manner. "The creatures of that world are quite different from we Digimon, not nearly as vivid…nor as physically strong. However, their spirits are just as powerful as your own, and they are equally as versatile. They have much that they will be able to teach you…if you wish."

The ten Rookie glanced at each other hesitantly, a few mumbled worried being expressed in soft tones. Lucemon smiled at them warmly. "I will not force you to go, if you truly wish not to." He laughed softly. "The purpose of this excursion is to better yourselves. I am only asking this as a…personal favor."

What followed was yet another moment of hesitant silence as the Warriors contemplated their own thoughts. The Yiniyamon stepped forward with all the silence and grace of the shadows he mastered.

"If Lord Lucemon would wish it…" He whispered, looking up at the Angel Digimon with humble eyes and a modest expression. "I'll go."

Lucemon smiled at him and patted his head. Yanagamon darted forward, next to the cat. "Me too!" He insisted, to no one's surprise. It was well known that he was very protective of Yiniyamon, and would follow his friend anywhere.

Fushamon rustled her feathers in anticipation. "Well then…I'll go too!"

"And me!" Kaminarimon chimed, shooting his favorite flying companion a big grin.

Lucemon nodded to each of them, turning slightly. "And you, Flamon?"

The Flame-Warrior frowned at the floor, then sighed. "If…If you think it's best, Lord Lucemon, I'll do it."

"As will I." Kemmeimon growled softly, padding up next to him. "Anything my Lord wishes of me shall be done."

A light smile crossed Lucemon's face. "And the rest of you?"

The Warrior of Steel, who until this point had opted to remain silent, planted his feet. "With the greatest respect, My Lord, I choose to abstain." He reported royally. "My loyalty is to you and to this world alone. It is inconceivable to think of being turned against you, My Lord."

"I ain't goin' either." Piped the Water Warrior. "I'm stayin' with you, Lord Lucemon, no matter what!"

The Warriors of Wood and Earth chimed in their own agreements.

"Very well, then." Lucemon sighed. "I suspected that it would turn out as such. You four shall remain here in the Digital World and watch over it until your companions have returned. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" The four chorused.

"As for the rest of you…" Lucemon turned the softest of loving gazes to the other six as he lead them from the Great Hall and into the castle itself. "There are a few… perperations…that must be made before your journey may be completed safely…"

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Tokyo, Japan - Odaiba District

December 24th, 1996 - 11:59 PM

The six children watched in a saddened sort of awe as their friends faded slowly into the light, now to the point of transparent colors in the midst of the glow.

"Farewell, children." Whispered the voice, one last time. "Until next we meet…farewell."

The light grew brighter, shrinking into one huge, white-hot bubble high above the park. Quite suddenly, it burst, blinding them all for a moment and showering them with airy white sparks. When it cleared, they looked again and saw nothing but cloudy, gray sky.

"…Bai-bai." Tomoki mumbled, and the others echoed him silently from within.

A loud, metallic-sounding bell tone suddenly startled them, prompting a group jump. "What's that?"

Another tone followed, and another and another. "It's the clock." Kouji sighed, pointing at the glowing green numbers in the distance. "Just…the clock."

The mechanical chimes echoed through the artifical island, all twelve of them. The children just stood there, listening silently as the snow slowly began to gatehr and pile around them.

As the last chime faded, Takuya found it fit to speak. "Merry Christmas, everybody."

The others echoed him, this time vocally.

"Tomoki!" A new voice suddenly rang out, frantic and hurried. "Tomoki-chan, where are you?"

The toddler squirmed, blinking towards the voice. "Mama!"

"Easy there." Takuya shifted his grip to keep ahold of the two year old. He glanced at the others, his eyes landing on the twins, and sighed. "I better get this guy home."

"Good luck with that." Kouji smirked.

"Kouji…" Kouichi tugged on his twin's arm. "We gotta go, too! Mama'll be worried about us."

Izumi stretched sleepily, rubbing her eye. "Daddy must be lookin' for me, too."

"You want me to walk you home?" Junpei offered gallantly, and was rewarded with a small smile and a shake of the pretty blonde head.

One by one, the group said its goodbyes and split off. No names were asked for, no addresses were given, and no contact was bothered to be kept. The y didn't need it. All that bound them was one cold Christmas Eve spent together in a lonely, man-made park…

And a game that was just wait to begin.

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

"Do you ever wonder why the Spirits chose us?"

More More Happy Christmas - END