Okay, I got this up at last. i wanted to update before the week got hectic because I'm going to Warped Tour on Wednesday and Thursday's my birthday (15, whoot!)

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The digidestined set up in the park later that evening, in their usual spot. There weren't any decorations, besides the extremely colorful table cloth, most of the color from several unidentifiable stains, that they were using to cover the picnic tables they'd pushed together to make room for everyone. Something Joe had dragged out of his closet only because it was big enough. They had music, drinks, mainly punch, chips and soda, and pizza, lots of pizza. Really it was more of an excuse to get out of the house and sit outside all night eating pizza and partying than celebrating the defeat of a powerful enemy, but the kids and digimon were enjoying themselves anyway.

Then they brought out the karaoke.

Eyes traveled to four members of the team that had been heard singing before, but thankfully Tai remembered how well he sang and decided to spare everyone from that experience, and Joe had no plans to in the first place. Agumon and Gomamon were, unfortunately, another story. The other digital participants in the singing game were Biyomon, Palmon, Tentomon, Veemon, Hawkmon and Armadillomon, while the humans were Matt, Sora, Kari, Davis, Yolei, and Ken (who was dragged in unwillingly by Yolei). Some of the non-participants just watched in amusement as some people embarrassed themselves in front of everyone. The rest, who had some common sense and knew better than to be around certain people when they sing, quickly located themselves to the other side of the park and out of earshot the minute Yolei took the machine out.

Wizardmon was one of the one's with enough common sense to leave before things got started. He was sitting comfortably in a tree watching the chess match going on below him between Izzy and Ken, after he had escaped from Yolei when it was her turn to sing.

"There you are," someone said to him, nearly causing the wizard to loose his balance and fall to the ground. He looked up to find Gatomon staring down at him from a nearby tree limb with those bright blue eyes of hers.

"Was I supposed to be somewhere else?" he calmly asked her with a hidden grin.

"Very funny," she told him, jumping down to an unoccupied part of the branch. "How come you don't want to watch the others sing. Some of their performances are pretty amusing."

"How are you wounds?" he asked, completely ignoring the question she asked him.

"Better. Kari gave me some healing salve which took care of the minor ones, but none of them hurt anymore. Now stop changing the subject to me, I hate it when you do that."

Wizardmon chuckled, but answered her. "I considered staying, but I'm not so sure if my ears could handle it."

Gatomon giggled. "You're probably right, but their not all as bad as a few people that I won't mention for their sakes."

"Guys," Izzy suddenly interrupted. "As interesting as your conversation may be, it is making it a little difficult to focus on the game. Might I suggest that you please relocate."

"Sorry," they said simultaneously and lowered themselves to ground level, Wizardmon flying and Gatomon hopping down a ladder of branches.

"Thank you," he replied, moving his bishop without even looking at them. The two digimon shrugged to each other and walked off in some random direction.

"You know, the last time we walked through here together, the circumstances were a lot different," Wizardmon commented to his female companion once the two of them were far enough away that their talking wouldn't disturb the two boy geniuses.

She glanced at him curiously before slowly nodding her head. "You're right. I can't believe it's already been over five years." Gatomon paused and turned back so she was staring him in the face. "I really missed you."

"And I missed being with you as well, but all that's over now."

"Yeah," she said quietly, stopping to lean back into a tree.

Wizardmon stopped also and turned to her. "What's wrong?"

"I just remembered something, Tapirmon. We finally get you back only to loose another friend, even though we only knew him for a little while." She sighed, redirecting her gaze to the ground as she slowly slid to a sitting position.

"Unfortunately, that kind of thing always happens when you're dealing with Myotismon, or anything or one else that's pure evil." She sighed again. Wizardmon sat down beside her and lifted her chin up so she was looking straight at him. "Don't worry, he'll return a lot sooner than I did."

"Really?" She blushed, realizing the position they were in and pulled away slightly. "How do you know?"

He put his hand back at his side and shrugged. "Magic." Gatomon rolled her eyes then cast them to the sky. The stars were out, shining as brightly as they could, no cloud to obstruct their beauty. The moon was a delicate crescent, glowing with an iridescent white light. In the background, they could faintly hear music being played by their friends back at the party, but there, they were alone, surrounded by only the night's beauty. It was perfect, like a fairy tale. Wizardmon looked at her, then let his own eyes follow her gaze.

"One thing's for sure, you definitely haven't changed one bit in five years," she told him.

"No, but you have. A lot."

"I guess, but there isn't a day where I don't wish that I would've never needed to change. That I had never become the digimon I used to be."

He gently laid his hand on top of her paw, letting her know it was okay. "Sometimes we need our past to happen exactly the way it did, no matter how bad it may have been."

"Is this another of your fate theories?"

"Doesn't matter, just hear me out. Life follows a tricky path, but in the end, things always turn out the way their suppose to, even if it takes a while. Like the saying goes: Better late than never."

She laughed under her breath, remembering when he gave her that speech before. "Tell me something I haven't already heard," Gatomon said, mostly to herself. He focused back on her and answered that question.

"Would I love you suffice?"

Gatomon froze. Did I just hear those words right or am I dreaming? she thought. Then she felt a hand tilt her head back and something press against her lips. It took her a second to realize Wizardmon was kissing her. No, it's not a dream, it s a dream come true, she happily thought as she returned it, feeling as if she was on cloud nine.

They parted and Gatomon quietly said. "I love you too." She looked up into his emerald eyes, tenderly brushing away one of his golden brown locks as she said it. He drew her closer into a warm embrace as they sat there under the stars.

"I waited far too long to tell you those words," he whispered in her ear, an almost regretful tone in his voice. Gatomon hugged him tighter in a reassuring way. "I thought I'd never get the chance to." She gave the wizard a small peck on the cheek.

"Better late than never."