AN- Uh, yeah. I'm still alive. Surprise!

Okay, I know, I know. BAD AUTHOR! I should have updated a long time ago. I have just had major writer's block with this. I couldn't bring myself to write anything more than the title for a while. Really.

But its okay! Because no longer than a week after you are reading this very sentence, the final chapter will be out. Scouts honor! And really, I used to be a girl scout, so I take these things very seriously.

So I'll stop jibber-jabbering and let you read. Enjoy!

The Final Fix

It was as if Tai had jumped into a dream. The week after the group had finally reassembled was so full of joy and laughter that Tai couldn't bring himself to stop smiling. Things that had recently only been a fantasy were real: his friends all together, eager to do team work, and Sora...

Sora had always been the unreachable goal, but suddenly she was there, holding his hand and smiling at him like never before.

Yes, Tai was in heaven. Well, sort of.

It started with a small nagging feeling, and then progressed to a solid worry as the week went on. Something was wrong with Mimi, who he caught staring at him pensively many times.

"What?" he had asked her one time at lunch, as she had been frowning in his direction for a good twenty minutes.

She looked startled, but shrugged and escaped by joining in a conversation about computers with Miyako and Koushirou. Tai then knew something was wrong because Mimi was talking about computers.

He had not been able to corner her the whole week, and while frustrating him, it couldn't bother him too much. He had his team back, and that was all that mattered.

Tai was still in this mind set when he entered his house after school and his mom greeted him at the door. She walked up to him excitedly, and Tai noticed she was holding a tray with snacks for two people.

"Taichi, a girl is here to visit you. I made some food for both of you. Here, she's in your room," she said, pushing him towards his door after shoving the tray into his hands.

"Is it Sora or Mimi?" Tai asked.

"No," his mom said, looking pensive. She opened his door and addressed the girl sitting at his desk, "What is your name again, dear?"

Tai froze as the girl flicked her light brown hair out of her eyes and adjusted her pink dress. She smiled, a little evilly, and said, "It was Miri, ma'am."

"Miri, hmmm? Parents are getting more progressive with their names these days..." his mom replied.

"It is actually quite the traditional name. It means 'Wished For'," she turned to Tai as she said the next part. "It also means 'Strong Willed'."

"Bye Mom!" Tai said and pushed her out and shut the door before she could question Mirimon anymore. He glared at Mirimon, who just continued to smirk at him.

"What? You shouldn't be surprised to see me. It was part of our arrangement, right? You get your group together again, and I bring you back to reality."

Tai gaped at her. "W-what..." he stuttered.

Tai realized, suddenly, that he HAD fulfilled the requirement for the wish, and that he hadn't even realized it. Finally being together with his friends had been so exciting that he had forgotten his purpose for even uniting them in the first place. But now he had to leave them? Right when things had finally gotten resolved?

Mirimon narrowed her eyes at Taichi, looking more formidable than ever now that she was the same size as him. "You still want to go home, right?"

Did he? Did he want to go back to all of the chaos and issues, when this world had suddenly become much more tailored to his liking? Everything was so much simpler over here...

As if being able to read his thoughts, Mirimon jumped up and pointed a finger in his face. "Listen, mister, I have been listening to your whiny digimon ever since you got yourself mixed up in this fiasco, and despite the fact that I found every minute with him to be a few too many, his bumbling actually had me believing that you were a smart, sensible guy and for once one of my wishes would go like they're supposed to!"

"Hold up! I thought wishes were supposed to end with the wishee being happy. I'm happy here!" Tai exclaimed.

She glowered at him. "But this isn't real, Tai. This isn't what happened. You and your friends did go to the digital world, and there is no other way to do this than to go back to that destiny and deal with it."

"But this is real, real to me! I can't just abandon my friends like this. My friends at home don't need me, but they do here. It really makes sense when you look at it," Tai tried to point out rationally.

"Yes, telling me what makes sense when you want to live in a hallucinogenic dream land inside your head. Look, I think that there is something that resembles a brain inside you, so I am going to use my last ounce of patience with you and give you a day to decide what you want to do. Once you decide, however, there is no going back. If you choose this world, it will become your reality forever. Do you understand me?"

Tai nodded somberly. Mirimon nodded and started to walk out of his room, but stopped to stuff a handful of snacks into her mouth before she did.

"Wry dos dis tast leek cardboard?" She asked around the mouthful of food that she was trying to chew.

"Mom will never be a good cook, not even in the wildest of circumstances, I guess."

Mirimon nodded regally and left, her cheeks puffed out from the dry food in her mouth. Tai would have found it hilarious under different circumstances, but despite her funny appearance, Mirimon's words were always something that seriously needed to be feared.

Tai considered not going to school the next day and staying home to think over his decision, but since he wanted to spend as much time with his friends as he could to help that decision, he ended up going. He tried to act as natural as he could in the morning before classes started, trying to absorb the happy memories, and couldn't help but compare them to the less favorable ones that waited back at home. Try as he might, though, the others kept questioning him, asking him if he was alright. Tired of making up excuses for his quietness, Tai retreated to his first class of the day early.

He had almost made it to his room, only to run blindly around a corner into Mimi, knocking both of their books out of their hands. Tai bent over and scooped both sets of books up, hoping to use them as leverage against her so that she couldn't escape.

"Mimi, you've been avoiding me the past week- No! Don't try and deny it!" he said as she started to open her mouth in protest, "And I really need to talk to you, right now! Don't try to leave."

Mimi nodded and pulled Tai with her into an empty classroom, shutting the door.

"I figured that you would need to talk, soon at least..." Mimi said sadly, sitting on top of a desk.

Tai cocked his head to the side. "What made you think that?"

She simply rolled her eyes at him. "You told me all about your past, Tai. Don't you think I realized that you had fulfilled the wish when Yamato and I joined the group?"

Tai shook his head. "How could I expect you to remember when I couldn't? Mirimon just showed up yesterday and told me I had a day to choose which world I want to live it. I had been so happy, that I had totally forgotten about the other world."

Mimi nodded, but looked pensive. "So she gave you a choice as to which world you wanted to live in?

"Yeah. I think I know which one I am going to choose, too," Tai replied, looking out the window at the sky.

"Well, "duh"! It is a pretty obvious choice, right? There is no way that you would choose to stay in this world."

Tai must have looked guilty, because Mimi stared at him in disbelief. "What? I don't get it..." she said quietly, eyes turning from disbelief into confusion.

"What's not to get? I love it here! Mimi, I haven't been this close with my friends in a long time. Everything here is better, everything is better."

Mimi looked more confused than ever. "Better? Tai, you are telling me there is a world out there where I have had eleven amazing friends for years, where I am always smiling, and am all around happy, and you are also saying that this world is better?"

Tai held out his hands, trying to explain. "Maybe it is better for me than others, but we got over our problems here! You can have your friends here, too, and smile all the time and be happy..."

Mimi shot him the most fiercely angry look he had ever seen on her face. "Tai, you haven't started to scratch the surface of my problems, let alone anyone else's. Even if I could ever learn to smile naturally, not to mention without effort, my past can never be erased. And you want me to deal with my painful memories when you could make them go away?"

Tai sighed, frustration and some other feeling filling him. "If I left this world, you would stop existing! Don't you get it?" he asked, desperation filling his voice.

"Stop existing? I was never supposed to start. This isn't my destiny, Tai, and it isn't yours."

Mimi embraced Tai suddenly, and he held her too. She released him, looking in his eyes, her eyes filled with sadness. "You will choose right, Taichi, not just for yourself but for all of us. Have courage, Tai, because if anything, you are not a coward." She waved slightly before leaving the room for class.

"Actually, Mimi," Tai whispered after her, "I think, if anything, I am."

"Tai, are you sure you are alright?" Sora asked two classes later, watching Tai as he stared off into nothingness. He started, and smiled tightly.

"I'm fine," he said, but sighed. Making sure that the teacher was still preoccupied trying to sort out a small fire started by the chemicals they were using for their chemistry experiments, Sora grabbed Tai's hand.

He smiled naturally this time, tightening his grip on hers. "You make me feel better without even trying, do you know that?"

She blushed slightly. "I'm glad."

He laughed at her, saying "I love you so much..."

It was Sora's turn to smile tightly this time, looking vaguely uncomfortable. Tai was struck, suddenly, for the first time in the weeks that they had officially been together, that Sora had never reciprocated this feeling. Not when he said it in her garden, or the day after, or at lunch times or between classes or when they were alone together, on dates.

"Sora," Tai started, surprised and a little shocked at this revelation. She looked pained and sad, and opened her mouth to say something, but the teacher was at the front of the room again, lecturing about safety.

Tai ripped off a piece of paper and wrote "Sora, do you love me?"

She took the paper from him, cringing. She wrote back hesitantly.

"Ask me anything, but don't ask me that."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"Why you don't want me to ask the question? If you love me?"

"No, I don't know what love is," was her hesitated response.

Tai flashed back to Sora's crying face when she confessed she felt unloved by everyone. Did this mean she in return didn't know how to love others herself?

Tai watched Sora from the corner of his eye. This was the same Sora that he had known in his childhood, but not the Sora, he realized suddenly, that he had fallen in love with. That was the Sora who helped her friends in the Digital World, who had blossomed beautifully with their friendship in return. The one that finally knew what love was when she felt it with her digimon.

Tai didn't write anything back, and the class passed with an odd quietness.

Art class ended Tai's school day, one that had been awkward since him and Sora shared a lot of classes and were currently remaining silent with one another. Tai picked up his bag and was going to leave, when the teacher walked up to him, handing him a picture with an A+ on the front.

"Excellent! I can really tell you drew with your feelings, with your true 'artistic' heart!" she exclaimed.

Tai didn't need to look down to know it was the picture of Agumon, and didn't need anyone else to explain the clenching of his heart.

"I get it already, Mirimon!" he yelled suddenly at the ceiling.

Students looked at him funny, but he stalked out of the room.

"What are we doing here, again?" Tai asked Kari as she lead him to the center of a park.

"Jyou said something about all of us meeting him here," Kari said, shrugging. They entered the shaded area where all of their friends were sitting in a circle on the grass. Tai took a seat between Kari and Yamato, who gave him a friendly smile.

"Okay! They're here now, can we get started?" Miyako complained.

Jyou nodded. "I just wanted to let everyone read my report, and tell you that I got an A+ on it! My professor is talking about publishing with the school's press!"

Everyone made noises of surprise and happiness. Congratulations went out as copies were passed around. Tai skimmed through, smiling as he saw his hard work progress to the group that was gathered around him. He reached the end, where there was a dedication.

To my friends:

Iori, Ken, Miyako, Daisuke, Hikari, Takeru, Koushirou, Yamato, Mimi, and Sora.

A special thanks to Taichi- without you, I would not have had the friends above.

Everyone was smiling at him when he looked up. He looked at everyone's faces carefully before speaking.

"If I had to do it again, do you think I could?" he asked, his heart in his throat.

They exchanged glances.

"Of course!" Kari exclaimed.

"Because you're brave," Iori added.

"Because you're stubborn," Koushirou said.

"More like it's because you are an persistent SOB..." Yamato ended, not in an unfriendly manner. Everyone laughed.

"Because you are the core of our group," Sora said, not meeting his eyes.

"Because you are Tai," Mimi finished, meeting his eyes. "We have no doubts."

Tai smiled, a true grin. Suddenly, things could not have been any more clear for Tai. "Thanks for everything. Really. I'll miss you guys," Everyone looked confused at this, "and, well...goodbye!"

And feeling brave, and being impulsive, he closed his eyes without a second thought to his wish and felt the world slip away around him.

"Agumon! Look, look! He's moving! Taichi, can you hear me?"

Blearily, Tai realized voice were being directed at him and opened his eyes. Mimi and Agumon peered down at him worriedly, and Tai felt himself wakeup fully as a grin spread his across his face.

"I'm back!" he cried, hugging Mimi.

"Back?" She said as he squeezed her.

Tai turned to Agumon, but he was watching something in the air in front of them. Mirimon hovered there, looking at Tai.

"Thanks," he said, as Mimi, Agumon and Palmon stared at him.

Mirimon smiled lightly, and flew off.

"Okay, Tai what is going on? I came to check on you when you didn't meet up with me earlier, and you're here, passed out. What happened?" Mimi asked.

Tai looked into her open face, always quick with a smile, and smiled himself. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

I could help you, if you let me.

"Okay, well..." Tai started his story and filled her in on his plan.

HAHAHA! ALMOST DONE! One little mini chapter to go!

I know this all might have seemed kind of rushed, but really Tai knew that he had to go home all along, and it only took a little pushing to get him there.

I am, again, sorry for all of the waiting, and hope that the chapter didn't disappoint too much.

Love, Love, LOVE all of my reviewers!( even though I don't understand how I got so many of you...But I am thankful none the less!)-

Reluctant Dragon

Thunder Demon- Yay! Thanks so much! Look for it in the next chapter :)

KazamaFangirl

Vigatus

digimon-Taiora

Helena Pi Myths- It was when they were at the hospital and Takeru decided that he wanted to be friends with them, despite what Yamato said. It was him becoming independent from his brother, in a way.

Rayana Wolfer

Andrain John

Forbidden Love08- There isn't really any serious mimato, but I was trying to go for a hint of it.

Musetta's Waltz

Psyclone

Summer's Sakura of Light

Taichis-girl208- That is hilarious! I love fortune cookies...

Eva-AngelElricY

Payne N. Uranus

Lady-Azura

Jinsei

sweetyakane

TwilightHack

star

Zyzychyn

Chocoboba

sheltie

Tenshi no Shinzo