In the days that followed the final battle, peace and tranquility slowly returned to Witchelny as the magical imbalance was finally restored to normal, the world slowly healed from the damage caused by the ages of the Dark Tribe's war.
With the Dark Lady defeated and her inner circle vanquished for good, the Dark Tribe allowed Kokumajutsumon to assume the mantle of leadership of their reforming tribe.
And with GulusGammamon serving as his champion, the small dark mystic Digimon had vowed to restore the Dark Tribe to its original purpose and to its glory.
Though there were some who remained skeptical of the new leader of the Dark Tribe and his champion, worried that Kokumajutsumon and GulusGammamon may be worse than the Dark Lady herself, those doubts were put to rest as ShadowEclipsemon took the mantle of chief mystic of the Dark Tribe, this leaving the others with confidence that the dark mystic warrior Digimon would keep an eye on Kokumajutsumon as the former enemies of Witchelny returned to their old ways.
Despite the joy and festivities to the war's end, not everyone celebrated the alliance's victory, with many having fallen during the final battle, including Ajatarmon, who managed to take down a few of the Dark Digimon before he met his end.
In memory of his closest friend and ally, Sifakamon vowed to do all he could to help Witchelny heal, and from his tone, even the heroes and heroines knew he was serious.
Likewise, Odinmon and his inner circle had their hands full as they dealt with the traitors of their tribe, who now had no Master to follow, and would have to work hard to regain the trust of their kin.
Finally, away from the festivities and celebrations, the heroes, heroines and Arcanadramon stood before a makeshift memorial they had erected to honor the fallen Davis and Kari, both of whom, despite the terror and mayhem they had caused, were both victims of tragedy and Mortismon's manipulations in the eyes of the group, with Davis having an arm around Kari as the two prayed that their counterparts were finally at peace together.
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"One… two… three… say cheese!" A Hagurumon called happily from behind a clockwork camera belonging to the Metal Tribe as the machine Digimon took several photos of the sight before him.
Ahead of the Hagurumon, the humans, Digimon and Appmon stood alongside Arcanadramon, the tribal leaders, champions, Tactimon and chief mystics for a large group photo, to forever capture their bonds.
Even Sifakamon, MysticLillymon, GrandPiximon, Kokumajutsumon, GulusGammamon and ShadowEclipsemon stood for the photo, showing the further bonds toward those who saved Witchleny.
Holding his gear-like arm out, the Hagurumon then passed out copies of the photo not only to each of the tribal leaders, but to each of the heroes and heroines as well, a memento of their time in Witchelny.
After pouring through the Dark Lady's personal notes, and studying the incantations carefully, Arcanadramon found the spell the fallen Kari had used to summon the heroes and heroines to Witchelny, and thus, how to send them home, something that made the group smile.
After their adventure, the heroes and heroines were quite eager to return home to their families, friends and loved ones.
"Thank you all, brave heroes." Infernomon stated as he said his goodbyes to the group, his tone furthering with gratitude. "Despite the dark intentions that brought you here, you became the light that finally expelled the darkness consuming our world."
"We shall never forget you, or the sacrifices you made to help us all." Celestimon then said with a familiar kindness, her words causing the heroes and heroines to bow with respect, before turning and leaving the tribal leaders and their allies as they walked toward the one they would all miss the most.
As Davis and the others approached Arcanadramon, the arch mystic Digimon held a small smile on his face, confessing to his friends. "It feels like a lifetime ago that I met you all in that clearing, and all this time, it never occurred to me that I would have to say goodbye."
Smiling sadly themselves at his remark, the heroes and heroines all joined in a group hug around Arcanadramon, even Rika, Renamon and Mervamon expressed their emotions, joining in as they too thought about their adventure with Novicmon and his new form.
Sliding out of the embrace and looking upon Arcanadramon, of respect and friendship, Kari found herself asking. "What will you do now?"
"With the school reopening on Mt. Brocken, I have been offered a teaching role to take Eclipsemon's place." The arch mystic Digimon informed in reply, before adding with a somewhat seriousness in his tone. "Likewise, I will be working with the tribal leaders to form a new order, one made from members of each of the tribes, to not only watch over Mortismon's seal, but to guard this world from any other threats. No longer will one tribe bare such burdens alone."
"And he'll have me around to help keep things together." Nyarukimon declared with a smile as she leaped onto Arcanadramon's shoulder and proudly smiled upon the group, this left the arch mystic Digimon to blush lightly at her declaration and her enthusiasm, a sight that caused the girls to giggle a little.
"Take care of yourself." Davis said with a smile as he gave a supportive thumbs up to Arcanadramon, who held his smile and just nodded back in reply.
"You all as well. I will never forget you, my friends." The arch mystic Digimon said in response, watching as the heroes and heroines then turned to say their goodbyes to one another.
As the group began to say their farewells to one another, Davis, Kari and their partners approached Haru, the other Appli Drivers and their partners first, smiling as Kari looked at Eri and Astora, asking with some curiosity. "You two going to alright?"
"Yep, everything's going to be so Groovy!" Eri called happily as she mimicked Astora's catchphrase, his girlfriend's actions causing the Apptuber to smile as he then added to Eri's remark. "And if people have something to say about it, we'll big bang punch their lights out!"
In response, Dokamon and Musimon let out cheers alongside their partners' statements, causing the Digidestined and their Digimon to smile, before Davis looked over to Haru with a grin.
"If we ever do run into each other again, I better hear that you asked Ai out." The maroon haired Digidestined said with a sly grin, watching as Haru's face gained a bright blush as he added. "You fought monsters and stood against death itself, you more than have the courage to ask her out."
"Don't worry, I'll make sure he goes through with it." Gatchmon said in reply for Haru, who looked down at his partner with some shock and nervousness.
"Still…" The Search Appmon then started to say as tears formed in his eyes, this causing Gatchmon to hug Davis' leg and to burst into tears. "I'm going to miss your cooking…!"
This statement also caused Dokamon and Musimon to cry out as well, each not sure how they'll survive without the maroon haired Digidestined cooking for them, the sight causing the others to laugh lightly, before Davis, Kari, Veemon and Gatomon moved over to Mikey, Shoutmon, Taigru, Gumdramon, Nene and Mervamon as to say their farewells.
Looking amongst the Digimon Hunters, Davis and Kari smiled to see the affection between Nene and Tagiru, to see the idol's arm around her boyfriend's.
"I am glad we had the chance to fight alongside each other again." Mikey said as he took Davis' hand and shook it, the maroon haired Digidestined nodding in reply and returning the gesture, hoping that something like Quartzmon would not be needed for the groups to meet once again.
Looking at Tagiru and seeing the content smile on his face as Nene held him close, Davis then said to the Superstar. "And I don't want to hear you doubt yourself ever again, you are a hero, just like all of us."
"I know that now, and thank you." Tagiru replied with a smile, before shaking hands with Davis, showing their friendship and close bond.
From her position, Nene expressed her emotion and gave Kari a warm hug, an action mimicked by Shoutmon, Gumdramon and Mervamon with Veemon and Gatomon.
Moving on, Davis, Kari and their partners approached the DATS members.
Approaching Marcus, Yoshi, Agumon and Lalamon, the brunette took Davis' hand in a strong handshake and told him with a confident smile. "You take care of yourself."
"You as well, Marcus." Davis replied as he shook his hand in reply, with Kari hugging Yoshi goodbye and Agumon and Lalamon saying their goodbyes as well.
Moving over to Takuya and Zoe, the Warrior of Wind rushed up and quickly pulled Kari into a deep and emotional hug, the blonde fighting back her tears at saying goodbye.
Davis and Takuya, meanwhile, always felt it painful to say farewell to those they had come to know so well, where the boys shook hands and silently said their goodbyes.
Lastly, Davis, Kari, Veemon and Gatomon moved over to the Tamers, to express their emotions in their departures.
Shaking hands with Takato, who looked upon Davis with a respectful smile, the leader of the Digimon Tamers no longer seeing Davis as a mere role model but as a close friend, while Kari hugged Rika and Jeri, the actions shared amongst their partners, where Veemon and Gatomon said their goodbyes to Guilmon and to Renamon.
"You guys take care of yourselves." Kari said to Jeri, who nodded her head after breaking the hug and adding with her a continued confident smile. "You as well, Kari."
Looking to Renamon, Davis gave the foxy Digimon a respectful bow, one Renamon returned, before the maroon haired Digidestined looked to Rika and was about to say his own goodbyes to her.
But before he could say a single word, however, the redhead quickly closed the distance and grabbed the collar of Davis' shirt as she said with a smile. "One more for the road."
The Tamer then pressed her lips against Davis' in a small, but passionate kiss, the sight causing everyone else, save for Kari, to look on in shock.
Meanwhile, the Digidestined of Light just smiled in response, knowing that after this, she would have Davis all to herself.
Once she broke the kiss and separated from his lips, Rika gave Davis one last smile, giggling lightly to his shocked expression, before returning over to Takato, Jeri and their Digimon partners.
"Not a word from any of you." Rika then said with a glare to Takato and Guilmon, who each gulped nervously and nodded their heads in reply, knowing that they would be in trouble if they talked about this to the others, while Renamon nodded her head in understanding, the vixen respecting and not wishing to upset her partner.
Looking at Jeri, however, Rika sweatdropped to see the mischievous smile on her face, the redhead mentally cursing herself as she knew she could not intimidate the brunette like she could the boys.
Shaking himself from his stupor, Davis felt Kari's hand take his as the pair and their Digimon moved over to Tai, Sora, Agumon and Biyomon, the groups all prepared to leave as they gave Arcanadramon one final look.
"Farewell, brave heroes and heroines of Witchelny." The arch mystic Digimon said to his friends, before closing his eyes and concentrating as he slammed his staff into the ground, this causing pillars of light to surround each of the heroes and heroines and to send each back to their respective worlds.
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When the light finally faded and died down, Davis, Kari, Tai, Sora and their partners found themselves back in the Kamiya's living room, where a bright light caught their attention as they looked down to see their D-Bracers turning into light, before moving into their hands and reforming back into their Digivices and their D-3.
Likewise, Davis and Kari felt something in their back pockets, the duo reaching within and pulling out their D-terminals, which had reappeared on their persons once more.
Looking at the clocks on his phone, the TV clock and his Digivice, Tai let out a small laugh as he remembered the first time he went to the Digital World and told those around him. "We've only been gone for two hours."
"At least we have proof this wasn't all a dream." Davis remarked as he held up his photo of the team and the Witchelny Digimon, something they could show the others to explain what had happened to them.
"Not just the photos either." Kari then added with a smile, before turning to Davis as the maroon haired Digidestined saw the same pink diamond necklace he had made for his girlfriend back at the Earth Tribe's capital still set around her neck.
At that moment and as if on cue, Tai's cell phone began to ring, causing the Digidestined of Courage to take it out of his pocket, where he saw that the Digidestined of Knowledge, Izzy Izumi, was calling him.
Answering the call, Tai greeted his friend, but found a frantic call on Izzy's end.
"Tai! Where have you been, I have been trying to reach you, Davis, Sora and Kari for half an hour!" The red haired Digidestined yelled impatiently, where he continued in his rant as he started to say. "There is something going on in the Digital World, and…!"
"Let me guess, a giant vortex with a dark energy pouring out of it?" Tai then cut in with an amused grin, hearing Izzy stop and fall silent on the other end, while Sora, Davis, Kari and their Digimon did their best not to laugh, knowing exactly what the Digidestined of Knowledge was referring to.
"Yes, and…" The redhead started to continue, only for Tai to cut him off once again.
"But it stopped and the vortex closed, right?" The brunette then asked, silencing Izzy once again as those around Tai tried not to laugh at the smug look on his face.
"Y… yes. Wait, how did…?" Izzy started to question.
"Izzy, remember when we first came home from the Digital World?" Tai then asked, smirking as there was silence on the other end of the call for a few moments.
"You mean the time difference?" The Digidestined of Knowledge questioned in reply, causing Tai to smirk on his end of the phone call.
"Right." Tai said in reply, before adding as he told Izzy. "On that note, the eight of us are exhausted. Please contact the others and set up a meeting for tomorrow. We'll explain everything then and there."
"Um… alright…" The Digidestined of Knowledge said in a somewhat confused voice, before Tai smiled and hung up the phone as he looked back to those present.
"I know after everything you guys might want to go home." The Digidestined of Courage guessed as he looked to Sora, Davis, Biyomon and Veemon, before adding with a smile. "But I believe Kari and I offered for you guys to stay and watch a movie."
Looking amongst themselves, Davis, Sora, Veemon and Biyomon nodded in reply as the maroon haired Digidestined smiled and said in reply. "Yeah, that sounds good."
Smiling, the group moved to sit on the couch, with Kari in Davis' arms, Sora in Tai's, Gatomon in Veemon's embrace and Biyomon in Agumon's as the group relaxed and watched TV, happy to finally be home once again.
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The next day, and after a good night's sleep back in their own beds, the Digidestined all met at Izzy's office, with TK doing a video call in from France.
Curious, themselves, the Digidestined and their partners all wondered what was going on.
Upon showing the others the photo, and as expected, upon seeing Takato and the others, the rest of the Digidestined regained their memories of the battle with Quartzmon, before Davis, Kari, Tai, Sora and their partners explained their adventure, shocking the other Digidestined that the group ended up in the world that Wizardmon came from, before the group paused as Mimi, Yolei and Palmon squealed joyfully upon hearing that the couples got together, followed promptly by the guys congratulating Davis, Tai and their partners.
The excitement then turned into shock and horror as the four Digidestined and their partners told the others about the other Kari and Davis, what fate had befallen them and the dark paths they took, leaving the Digidestined shocked to learn that a version of Kari was responsible for all the troubles they heard the group speak of.
Later that night, and after celebrating all they had accomplished within Witchleny, Tai took Sora out for an official date, while aVeemon, Gatomon, Agumon and Biyomon returned to their Digital World for their own time alone.
Alone in the Kamiya's apartment and enjoying their time together, Davis and Kari lay in the brunette's bed, kissing each other and holding one another close, feeling at peace and looking forward to a lifetime of love together.
Within the Tamer's world, after showing the photo and restoring the others' memories of Quartzmon, Takato, Jeri, Rika, Guilmon and Renamon retold their adventure to their friends, with Henry and the others shocked by everything that they heard, that the five met up with Davis and the others once again, of the Dark Kari and her war on Witchelny, and even that Jeri was able to use Digi-magic, which left the brunette smiling proudly.
Likewise, Kazu and Kenta both felt bummed out that they were left out of the action, before Suzie asked with curiosity, after hearing some of the talk about the couples, if Rika had found a boyfriend, this causing the redhead to glare at Takato and Guilmon, who kept their mouths shut, before Rika then paled to see the smirk on Jeri's face.
In the World of the Legendary Warriors, Takuya and Zoe told their tale to the others, who were in awe to hear about Witchelny and the tribes that shared the same elements as they did, before the duo had to stop as JP let out a cry of disbelief once Takuya and Zoe told the others that they were together, a sight that caused the others to laugh lightly, before the Warrior of Thunder sighed and congratulated the couple, where he was then intrigued to hear about the warriors of the Thunder Tribe.
Within DATS HQ, Marcus, Yoshi, Agumon and Lalamon, after showing the photo to the others, also told the others about their journey in Witchelny, with Keenan, Miki, Megumi and their partners enthralled by the tale, while Thomas, Gaomon and Sampson were intrigued by the idea of the Digi-armour Agumon and Lalamon turned into.
But also expressing their warmth, the group were also supportive to see the close bonds now evident between Marcus and Yoshi.
On the Digimon Hunters' Earth, Nene was giving another sold out concert, singing and performing for another packed stadium, the idol happy to be back with her family, her friends and to be doing what she loved.
As the music stopped and the spotlights fell upon the idol, Nene pulled Tagiru up from the front row and gave her boyfriend a kiss on the cheek, setting off the crowd to see the Superstar with the most popular girl in the world.
A few rows from the stage, Mikey smiled and silently applauded the sight, before looking over and to his side, to see his girlfriend, Angie Hinomoto, looking astonished by the sight, which was mimicked amongst Jeremy and Yuu's expressions a few seats down.
Puzzled herself, Yuu's girlfriend, Airu Suzaki, remained in confusion, shock and bewilderment that someone as popular as Nene would pick Tagiru as her boyfriend.
However, feeling Yuu's arm then slide around her, the blond decided it best not to question love, but to embrace it.
Back in their Digital World, meanwhile, Shoutmon sat contently on his throne as his beloved queen, Lunamon rested by his side.
While Gumdramon regaled their adventure amongst their friends, the Digimon King having found out that the others who disappeared from the Fusion Loaders when they were brought to Witchelny were placed in a suspended animation, and returned when he, Gumdramon, Mervamon and their partners returned as well.
Finally, within their meeting room back within Ai's bookshop, Haru, Eri, Astora and the Appmon told their tale to Rei, Hajime, Yuijin, their partners and Ai, showing them the photo with them, the other heroes and heroines and the Digimon of Witchelny, leaving their friends surprised upon hearing what the six went through.
The group was then shocked further when Eri leaned in and gave Astora a kiss on the cheek, before their surprise furthered when Haru got up and approached Ai.
Blushing deeply, the blonde could see a more confident and warm smile upon Haru's face, the green haired Appli Driver then took her hand and then asked her out on a date, which left Ai blushing deeper.
As the heroes and heroines went on with their everyday lives, they would never forget their adventure together, nor the bonds they made along the way.
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With a pained groan, Kari slowly opened her eyes as the sun beat down upon her, the brunette trying to clear her head as strange flashes came before her eyes.
Like almost a dream, she had faint flashes of herself in a role as a sort of dark queen, leading armies and causing pain and terror, all because…
"Kari, are you alright?!" The voice of the man of her dreams then filled Kari's ears.
Stirring and fully opening her eyes as the last of the dream faded, the brunette then remembered what had happened, that they were fighting Abaddonmon and had defeated the Dark Digimon, before it had unleashed a blast of energy at her and Davis, this leaving Kari to believe that she had been knocked out.
Looking up, Kari saw Davis' face looking down at her with care and concern, the brunette felt tears forming in her eyes.
Unsure why, Kari had felt as though she had lost Davis forever, but found herself beyond happy to see that the man she loved was alright.
Likewise, Davis felt a sense of relief to see Kari open her eyes and look upon him, the maroon haired Digidestined also unsure why he had an overwhelming feeling that he had lost her and couldn't save her.
Acting on the feeling building up inside of her, Kari quickly wrapped her arms around Davis' neck and pulled him into a heartfelt kiss, which surprised the Digidestined of Miracles for a while, before he closed his eyes and returned the love, kissing the love of his life back.
Breaking the kiss after a few moments, Kari smiled as tears continued to come down her face as she spoke from her heart and said. "Davis… I don't know why I am like this, but I need to tell you… I love you, I love you with all my heart."
Shocked to hear the girl of his dreams tell him that she loved him, Davis soon smiled back, telling Kari with a heartfelt tone. "And I love you, Kari Kamiya, always and forever."
Her smile growing, like a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders, Kari once again kissed Davis, the pair enjoying their moment of love together.
"Davis/Kari!" The voices of Veemon and Gatomon then cried out, the voices of their Digimon partners causing the lovers to break their kiss as they looked to see their Digimon and friends rushing towards them, the last of the vortexes in the skies closing and sealing forever.
And from one such vortex, Helios, the AI of Witchelny, watched the former Dark Lady and her lover with a sense of peace.
After their defeat at the hands of the heroes and heroines, Helios collected the Data particles of the Dark Lady and her beloved, where the AI returned them to their world, just moments after the fallen Kari had fallen into the void and restored the pair to what they were before Abaddonmon's attack, erasing their memories of their fifteen hundred years of torment and grief.
Though both had caused great damage to Witchelny, in the end, they were puppets for Mortismon's dark intent, and deserved a second chance, one Helios knew they would take.
Looking upon the void, the AI could sense other evils, other darkness out there beyond that of Mortismon and Abaddonmon, many that could threaten Witchelny in the future, leaving Helios to believe that his world could no longer stay hidden and isolated as it once was.
But should evil ever threaten his world again, the AI of Witchelny knew where to find their heroes and call upon their aid.
The End.
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Author's Note: And that is that, thanks to all who read, favorited and followed this story, my longest work to date. With this story done, I will be taking a hiatus from writing for a while as I come up with new ideas and help my co-writer with his works. Thank you all once again for keeping up with this story.