This takes place a few years after 02 ends. So here�s the list of characters and their ages.
Tai, Matt, Sora, Todd = 23
Izzy, Mimi = 22
Joe = 24
Davis, Ken, T.K., Kari, Willis, Justin, Kris = 20
Yolei = 21
Cody = 17
***********************************************************************************************************************
UNDER THE MISTLETOE
"So we�re all in agreement then," asked Tai.
"On what?" asked Davis.
"Haven�t you been paying attention?" said Justin as he thwacked Davis upside the head.
"Paying attention? All Tai did was walk in, sit down, and say �so we�re all in agreement then,�" said Davis.
The Digi-Destined had gathered together at Tai�s apartment for a meeting that Tai, himself, had called. The meeting had started half an hour ago and Tai was just about ready to wrap things up.
"Let me say it again," said Tai, "And put away your GameBoy first."
"In a sec," said Davis, "I just want to finish this level first."
Annoyed, Justin reached over and flicked the switch off.
"HEY!" said Davis, "I was gonna do that!"
"Next time, Davis, I�m going to throw that thing out the window," threatened Justin, "And if you provoke me even further, you as well."
"Please don�t hurt me," said Davis, cowering in fear.
"Justin still mad about Davis� comments?" asked Kari.
"That was eight years ago," said T.K., "Now he just gets easily annoyed by Davis� stupidity."
"Anyway," said Tai, trying to get back on topic, "We�ve all agreed that we�ll be spending out Christmas holidays in the Digital World."
"I knew that," said Davis. He looked around to see everyone giving him glares. "No I don�t." He slunk back in his seat.
"Anyway, we leave this weekend," said Tai, "Meeting adjourned."
The Digi-Destined rose their feet and they all began to leave. Justin and Todd had gone back to Canada after their ten months of student exchange had been completed eight years ago, but the two of them had returned to Japan to visit the rest of the Digi-Destined team. Justin�s girlfriend, Kris Katsaragi, a beautiful girl with icy blue eyes and blonde hair with whom Justin hooked up back when he was an exchange student, had also moved to Canada to be with Justin, so she had come to visit, as well. At first, Justin and Kris were unaware that BOTH of them were Digi-Destined until their Digimon accidentally discovered one another.
Anyway, the Digi-Destined and the Digimon were all excited about their planned Christmas vacation to the Digital World. But none of them were more excited than Tai.
"Hey Sora, you excited about our trip?" Tai asked.
Sora smiled. "Of course, Tai," she said, "A chance to get away from things for a while."
"Besides, we�ve never celebrated Christmas in the Digital World. We might as well give it a try," said Tai.
"Hey Tai," said Sora, "Look up."
Tai did as told and smiled. Hanging from a lighting fixture right above their heads was a mistletoe, which he had placed when he was decorating his apartment for the holidays.
"Sora, you always were able to point things out that I missed," said the leader of the Digi-Destined as he leaned closer to Sora. His lips met with hers halfway and they kissed each other under the mistletoe for at least one whole minute. They eventually pulled apart slowly, allowing the warmth of their love linger in between them for a while.
"Well, I�ll see you again, Tai," said Sora.
"Sleep well tonight, my love," replied Tai as he got the door for Sora.
"You�re so old-fashioned," said Sora, giggling.
"You can never go wrong with the classics," said Tai. They gave each other a peck on the lips before Sora left with Biyomon. As soon as they were gone, Tai closed the door and sighed. Walking into his room, he sat down on his bed and took out a small box. He lifted the lid, revealing the box to be full of yen. Taking out the money, Tai slowly counted it up.
"Hmm. I�m still short some," Tai said to himself, "I need a bit more." After a quick moment of though, Tai grabbed the cordless phone from the living room and dialed his parents� number. "Hi Dad, it�s Tai. Yeah, things are great. Listen, could I borrow an extra twenty yen?" He listened for a while.
"I need the money, Dad," Tai said, "It�s for the present." He listened a little more intently. Finally, his face lit up. "Really? You will? Thanks, Dad. What? You say I don�t have to pay you back? Dad, you�re the greatest. Thanks." And with that, Tai hung up and placed the phone back next to Tai�s forty-five centimeter tall artificial Christmas tree.
* * *
"So Justin, how are things back home?" asked T.K. He, Kari, Justin, and Kris were sitting in a booth at a local caf� drinking coffee. Their Digimon were seated on their laps eating donuts and cookies.
"Pretty good, actually," said Justin, "We�ve had some unbearably cold weather every now and then, but we let it pass. How have things been here?"
"Pretty peaceful," replied Kari.
"That�s good," said Kris, "SnowAgumon, you�re dropping crumbs everywhere."
"Sorry," said the white reptilian Digimon.
"So, you thought of what you�re getting for each other yet?" Justin asked T.K. and Kari.
"Already bought and hidden," said T.K., "I�ve placed it in the one place where no one is sure to look."
"Let me guess. It�s in the back of your sock and underwear drawer," said Justin.
"How did you know about that?" asked T.K.
"T.K., you hosed my stay when I was on a student exchange program here. Remember?" said Justin.
"Oh yeah, that�s right," said T.K., "It�s just that it�s been so long."
"Eight years, actually," said Voltmon.
"It HAS been a while," said Patamon before taking another bite from his donut.
* * *
"Yolei, you promised me that we�d check out the computer stores," Izzy called out from beneath the pile of clothes that was growing in his arms. Izzy agreed to go shopping with Yolei, but only if they would stop by the computer stores. So far, it seemed as if Yolei hadn�t kept up her half of the bargain.
"Stop complaining, Izzy. You know we�ll get there soon," said Yolei, "I�m sure a smart cute redhead like you can wait." Yolei�s last comment caused her boyfriend�s face to turn a light reddish color.
"Yolei, I�ve been thinking," said Izzy as he tried to calm down his blush, "You know how close Tai and Sora are, right?"
"You know them better than I do," said Yolei.
"True," said Izzy, "They�ve been a couple since they were both only eleven years old."
"Eleven?!" Yolei exclaimed, surprised.
"With no breaks in between," added Izzy, "They�ve been going steady for twelve whole years."
"I�ve heard about couples being devoted to one other, but that is ridiculous," said Yolei, "You and I have only been going out for almost five years."
"Well, you�ve been with a few guys before you met me," Izzy reminded Yolei, "Sora is Tai�s first and vice versa."
"How do you know all this?" asked Yolei.
"I guess you could say I used to play therapist with Tai," said Izzy, "He�d come up to me with problems and I�d help him out."
"Speaking of Tai, isn�t that him right now?" Yolei asked pointing outside the store.
"By George, you�re right," said Izzy.
Indeed it was Tai. He was walking through the mall with his hands in the pockets of his long wool coat and his scarf around his neck. He kept making occasional glances around him as if he thought that someone was following him as he walked on.
"Let�s follow him and see what he�s up to," said Yolei.
"Yolei, wait! I don�t think that�s a good idea," said Izzy.
"Why not?" asked Yolei.
"Normally, Tai would be here at the mall with Sora," Izzy explained, "However, since he�s here on his own, there must be a reason for doing so. Normally, he�d be here alone when he�s doing something he doesn�t want Sora to know about."
"Like what?" asked Yolei.
"Well, number one: Christmas is coming up," said Izzy, "Don�t you think it would be rather obvious that Tai is here to buy Sora a Christmas present?"
"You know, Izzy, you�re right," said Yolei, "Okay then, we�ll just pay for these and then we can go look at clothes for you."
Izzy sighed and mentally cursed himself for agreeing to come on this shopping trip as he followed Yolei to men�s wear.
* * *
Tai continuously looked back and forth, making occasional glances over his shoulder to see if anyone was following him. Sensing that he was safe for the moment, he walked into a jewelry store and approached the counter.
"Hello, Sir. How may I help you?" a clerk asked from behind the counter.
"I�d like to speak with the manager, please," said Tai.
"One moment, Sir," said the clerk. He closed the display case and walked into the back room. A moment later, a dark-haired man in his early thirties looking a bit like the N.M.E. sales guy stepped out and approached Tai.
"Welcome back, Tai," said the manager.
"Hi Victor," said Tai, "Do you still have it?"
"We�ve had it on reserve just for you, Tai," said Victor, "It�s in my office. I�ll go get it."
"That would be appreciated," said Tai, "Thanks."
Victor left Tai for a moment to fetch something from the hidden safe in his office. A moment later, he returned carrying a small velvet box. "Here it is," said Victor.
Tai took the box from Victor and opened it. He smiled briefly before closing it and placing it on the counter. "I�m doing it," he said.
"After a whole year of holding this for you, you�re finally ready?" asked Victor.
"More than," said Tai as he took in a deep breath.
"Will that be cash, credit, or cheque?" asked Victor.
"Credit," said Tai as he took out his wallet. Victor quickly placed the box inside a small plastic bag with a smile. Tai had always been his best customer since they first day he had walked into the store. And now, Tai was making his biggest purchase of his life from Victor.
"That�ll be 850 yen," said Victor.
Tai handed Victor his credit card and waited. As soon as Victor placed the receipt on the counter, Tai picked up the pen and signed his name on the dotted line with a flourish.
"Thank you for shopping with us," said Victor as he handed Tai his credit card, purchase, and copy of the receipt.
"Thanks, Victor," said Tai, "I owe everything to you." Putting his wallet back into his pocket, Tai looped the bag around his hand and left the store.
"Good luck, Tai," Victor thought out loud, "I�m sure she�ll love it."
* * *
"DAMNIT! Why does he get her?! Why HIM?!" shouted Matt as he slammed his fist against the wall, "I�m the one who should�ve gotten the girl! But no, she had to run off with him! Damn it all!"
Mimi just sat there watching Matt. "Not bad, Matt," she said, "You still need to work on it a bit, but I think you�ll get the part."
"Thanks, Mimi," said Matt as he sat back down, "Being an film actor isn�t always easy, but it�s fun."
"I�ll bet," said Mimi.
"Anyway Mimi, I�m glad you came over," said Matt, "Next time, I�ll do it with a larger audience."
"Next time, your audience will be watching you on the big screen," said Mimi.
Matt smiled. "You always did have confidence in me," he said.
* * *
Joe was walking through the supermarket picking out various non-perishable food items they would be taking on their trip to the Digital World.
* * *
Davis and Ken were both sitting at Davis� apartment wrapping presents. At the same time, they were chatting to Willis on MSN via speakerphone and webcam.
"Christmas in the Digital World, huh?" said Willis, "Sounds like fun."
"Believe me, it�ll be a blast," said Ken as he finished filling out another tag and sticking it to another present.
"You coming, Willis?" asked Davis.
"I�d love to, but what about Jeff?" asked Willis. Jeff was Willis� one-year-old son.
"Well, you can�t exactly leave him with his mother," said Ken as he tossed out the used-up roll of wrapping paper and grabbed a fresh roll.
"Hey, I was drunk when it happened!" said Willis, "How in damn hell was I supposed to know?!"
"Anyway, how are you holding up over there?" asked Davis, trying to change the subject.
"Got all of my shopping done," said Willis, "And I�ve also finished my article on this big news story."
"Great," said Davis, "Mind reading it to us?"
"Not at all," said Willis as quickly accessed Microsoft Word and printed off his article so he could read it to the two friends.
* * *
"So Madison, do you have any plans for Christmas?" Cody asked his girlfriend. (A/N: Yes, it�s the Madison from CCS. I just think she & Cody go well, together) It had been years since the fall of MaloMyotismon and Cody had changed quite a lot since then. He had grown to be just two thirds of a head shorter than T.K. and he had changed his hairstyle to something less bowl-like. His voice was still fairly quiet, but nowhere near as quiet as it had been years ago.
"My friends and family were planning to go on a ski trip to the mountains," answered Madison, "So I guess we really won�t get to see each other during the holidays."
"Guess not," said Cody, "Oh, hold on. I almost forgot about something." He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small wrapped box. "Merry Christmas."
"Cody," said Madison. She looked into his gentle green eyes and smiled before opening her gift. As soon as she laid eyes on it, she gasped.
"I know it�s not much," said Cody, "but I was always taught that it�s the thought that counts I hope you like it. I made it myself."
"Cody, it�s wonderful," said Madison. Madison reached into the box and pulled out a small wooden picture frame attached to a string, perfect for hanging on a Christmas tree. Inside the frame was a picture that Cody and Madison had taken on their first date two years ago. The picture showed Cody and Madison sitting on a brick wall slightly slanted to the side with the night sky in the background. In the photo, Madison was leaning against Cody, who, in turn, had his arms wrapped around her.
"That was also the night of our first kiss," said Cody.
"It was," said Madison.
"Um, Madison?" said Cody, "Would you want to relive that moment again? Just for a little while?"
Looking around, Madison remembered that they were in the park. It was then that she noticed the tree that they were standing under. Etched into the bark was a heart and in it were the words "MADISON + CODY 4EVER" carved in bold.
Cody took Madison in his arms and planted a kiss on her lips. It wasn�t until Madison started kissing back that it became a full make-out session.
* * *
Sora sat on her bed wrapping up her last present. She had already wrapped up the gifts for the others, but she wanted to save the most special one for last � her present for Tai. There was no doubting her love for Tai. She thought back to the day Tai had confessed his love to her twelve years ago.
***FLASHBACK***
(A/N: In the flashback, Tai and Sora are dressed in their 01 attire)
Tai sat alone on a rock in the middle of the night in the Digital World. It was his turn for guard duty, but he knew he would be relieved in a few minutes. He held a small flower in his hand that he had picked up a couple of minutes ago. Just then, he was aware of someone behind him. Turing, he saw Sora standing there.
"Couldn�t sleep?" asked the goggle boy. Sora shook her head.
"Mind if I sit with you for a while?" she asked.
"Sure," answered Tai as he scooted over to make room for her.
Sora sat down next to Tai and looked up at the moon with him. Instinctively, Tai reached over with his arm and placed his hand on her shoulder. But rather than drawing back, she leaned closer to Tai.
"Sora?" Tai said softly, "Has there ever been someone you�ve always wanted to be close to?"
"Do you mean as in love?" asked Sora.
"Well, yeah," said Tai, "Because there�s someone who�s always been close to my heart and I just want her to know."
"Who is that?" asked Sora.
Tai looked away from the moon and into Sora�s eyes. "You," he replied, "Sora, when we saw each other for the first time black in kindergarten, I knew that I had feelings for you."
Sora listened to Tai intently. She then noticed him holding the flower up to her.
"Sora," continued Tai, "I love you."
Sora smiled as she looked into Tai�s chocolate-brown eyes. "I love you too, Tai," she replied. Sora took the flower from Tai and gave him a kiss in the cheek.
"Sora, I want us to be together forever," said Tai as he slowly wrapped his arms around Sora.
"And I want the same thing for us, Tai," replied Sora as she welcomed his embrace while she slid her own arms around his body.
Tai and Sora looked into each other�s eyes intently. Slowly, they leaned closer to one another until their lips met in a passionate kiss. Their first passionate kiss.
***END FLASHBACK***
Sora sighed happily as she recalled the memory. She looked over at her dresser, where a framed photo sat. It was taken shortly after Tai and Sora had started going out. It was during a family picnic when the Kamiyas and the Takenouchis both went to Odaiba Park for a picnic lunch. By then, both families knew about Tai and Sora�s relationship. The picture showed Tai with his arm around Sora and Sora laughing merrily as Tai gave his trademark lopsided grin. Sora placed her fingers over Tai�s face and ran then over the glass of the frame, carefully tracing out all the details of Tai�s face. She smiled as her thoughts began to dwell more and more on him. And more on the thought of spending the rest of her life with him.
* * *
Todd finished signing the papers before thanking the mailman and taking his parcels inside his apartment and placing them on the floor. He had been doing all of his Christmas shopping online and had just received his purchases.
"Better get started," he said as he began to sort out the boxes and their contents.
* * *
Days passed. The Digi-Destined eagerly awaited the day Cody would finally be let out of school for the holidays. In the meantime, they were all busy getting ready for their trip. Boxes were being wrapped, food was being bought and/or prepared, credit cards were being swiped, tape was constantly being used up, bows were being tied, cards were being written and signed, and wallets were being emptied. Finally, the day arrived.
* * *
Tai ran one last check on everything before he zipped up his duffel bag and placed it out on the living room sofa.
"Okay, have I got everything?" he asked himself as he walked through his apartment, running one last check to see if anything had been misplaced.
"Dishes?" suggested Agumon.
"Agumon, you know very well that I keep my dishes washed and nicely put away," said Tai.
"Not back then," reminded Agumon.
"I was a kid back then!" said Tai.
"How about Sora�s present?" asked the reptilian Digimon.
"I checked up on that more than anything else," answered Tai.
Ding-dong!
"That would probably be Sora right now," said Tai as he looked through the peephole, "Yep, it�s Sora." He opened the door and let Sora in.
"Morning, Tai," she said as she and Biyomon walked in.
"Morning, Sora. I take it you had a good rest last night?" said Tai as he gave her a small kiss.
"Yeah. It was nice," replied Sora.
"Yeah, we�ll need all our strength for our trip," said Tai. Just then, the door rang again.
"I�ll get it," said Agumon. He walked over to the closet and pulled out a stepstool. He carried to over to the door and placed it right against it. Agumon quickly climbed up and turned the knob. As soon as it was open, he leapt off the stool and opened the door the rest of the way. Standing there were T.K., Kari, Justin, and Kris, as well as their Digimon.
"We hitched a ride from the hotel in T.K.�s car," said Justin as he helped bring their luggage in.
"Hi Sora," said Kari, "I see you got here early."
"Yes, I did," said Sora as Tai placed an arm around her.
"Hey Tai, did you remember to unplug everything?" asked Agumon.
"Crap! I nearly forgot!" said Tai. He turned to the others and explained. "I always unplug everything before I leave on a trip. It helps to prevent fires while I�m gone."
"We�ll help, Tai," said Kari.
And so, Tai, Sora, T.K., Kari, Justin, and Kris went around unplugging lamps, the TV, the VCR, the DVD player, the stereo, they basically unplugged everything except for the fridge, the stove, and the computer. By the time they were finished, the doorbell rang again. This time, it was Matt, who was accompanied by Mimi and Todd. Matt was carrying a large box along with his luggage.
"I hope this trip is worth hauling this artificial Christmas tree with us," said Matt as he set the box and his bags down.
"Well, I�m sure everyone at least brought his or her share of the ornaments," said Todd as he looked at his brother.
"Yeah, I got my share," said Justin. Just then, the doorbell rang yet again. This time, Justin answered the door to find Davis, Ken, Joe, and Cody, along with their Digimon.
"We�re here!" said Davis.
"Hold it! Davis, assume the position," said Tai. Davis sighed as he put down his bags and placed his hands against the wall while he was facing it. Tai gave him a thorough pat down. When he reached his pants, he felt a lump on the side. Reaching into Davis� pocket, he pulled out a small bottle.
"Davis, what did I tell you?" said Tai with astern look on his face.
"No booze. I got it," said Davis.
"The rest of it, as well?" said Tai.
"FINE!" said Davis. He grabbed one of his bags and emptied it�s contents onto the table, covering it completely with beer bottles and cans. Everyone was clearly surprised.
"What�s this?" asked T.K. as he picked up a clear bottle containing some red liquid, "It�s red wine. 1951."
"PLEASE, Tai?" Davis pleaded, "That�s the best wine I�ve got!" Everyone turned to see what Tai�s response would be.
Tai took the bottle and read the label carefully. Finally he spoke, "Alright, we can take the wine along." Davis was overjoyed, but the others were shocked.
"Tai, what about your anti-alcohol rule?" asked Kari.
"It still stands," said Tai.
"But�" began T.K.
"That stuff�s not even alcoholic," said Tai.
Again, everyone just looked at him. Justin quickly grabbed the bottle from an overjoyed Davis and read the label. "Great Caesar�s ghost, he�s right," said the blond Canadian as he set the bottle down on the kitchen counter.
After about an extra half-hour of waiting, everybody else finally arrived. Tai quickly got his gloves, coat, and scarf form the closet before heading over to the computer.
"Okay, everybody ready?" asked Tai, "If we�re all set. Let�s go."
"I�ll get the door," said T.K. as he held his D3 out at the computer monitor, "DIGIPORT OPEN!"
* * *
"This is nice," said Davis as he looked around. The Digi-Destined found themselves near the foot of a large snow-covered hill.
"Anyway, here�s the cabin we booked," said Yolei as the Digi-Destined stood in front of a fairly big log cabin. They had booked a cabin to spend their Christmas vacation in the Digital World. They all thought that it would give them a chance to get away from all the commercialization of Christmas and just enjoy the traditions of the holiday.
"So what are we waiting for?" asked Davis, "Let�s go in."
"We�re waiting for Todd to hotwire the electric generator, you moron," said Justin.
"Oh, right. Now I understand," said Davis.
Todd came back from around the back of the cabin a few minutes later. "It�s done. We can go in now," he said.
"About time," said Matt as the Digi-Destined went inside. The first thing that anyone did upon entering was Matt putting down the Christmas tree.
"I�m going to turn on the heating system," said Justin as he set his bag down on the floor by the door. As the blond-haired boy went off, Tai looked around. The cabin had only looked like a log cabin on the outside. But the inside was almost like any regular North American home. There was a living room was a gas fireplace. Towards the back, Tai could see a kitchen. Right next to it was a rather large dining room. Tai could also see stairs leading up to the second floor.
"I have to admit, this is a nice place," said Izzy as he walked over to the couch in the living room and sat down. "YEOW!"
"What�s wrong, Izzy?" asked Yolei as she ran to help Izzy to his feet.
"That couch is cold!" exclaimed the redhead.
"Of course," said Justin as he returned, "I only just got the furnace started. It�ll take a while, so don�t be in a hurry to take off your jackets and gloves. Oh, and you definitely don�t want to turn on any water just yet."
"Thanks for the warnings," said Ken.
"Don�t worry. It�ll warm up quickly," said Kris.
"In the meantime, I think some of us can warm each other up," said Cody as he indicated towards Tai and Sora. The two of them were huddled together in Tai�s coat, sharing its warmth, as well as that of each other.
"Give it time," said Justin as he placed his arm around Kris.
"How much?" asked Davis.
"For a place like this, I�d say give it about half an hour. Forty-five minutes, tops," replied Justin.
"WHAT?!" screamed Davis.
"Why don�t we just huddle around the fireplace?" suggested Sora.
"Good idea," agreed Tai.
Todd went over to the fireplace to turn on the gas while Agumon took care of lighting it. In no time at all, the Digi-Destined and their Digimon were huddled around the fireplace, enjoying the warmth of the flames and each other. But in time, the temperature in the cabin rose to a bearable level. Finally, the Digi-Destined were able to shed their coats, jackets, gloves, scarves, headbands, and hats and put them away.
"Okay everyone, its time," said Tai, "Will has taken the liberty to see how many rooms there are in this cabin. Willis, how many are there?"
"Eight bedrooms on the second floor," answered Willis, "And none down here."
"Okay, so there�s eight bedrooms," said Tai, "Eight rooms. Sixteen Digi-Destined. Two per room. Four if you include the Digimon with the exception of Willis, which will make five."
"And we�re going to decide on who shares with whom how?" asked Ken.
"We draw straws," said Justin as he held out his hand, which was full of toothpicks, "I�ve colored these toothpicks into eight different colors: red, yellow, blue, orange, green, purple, black, and unpainted. We�ll each draw one. Everyone beds with the person holding a toothpick of the same color."
"Sounds fair," said Davis, "I�ll go first." He reached over and pulled out one of the toothpicks. The tip was colored purple.
"I�ll go next," said T.K. he selected one toothpick and pulled. The tip was green.
"My turn," said Yolei. She reached in and pulled out an orange one. Joe went next and pulled out a yellow toothpick. Following Joe, Tai picked a red-tipped toothpick.
"Looks like I�m up next," said Matt. He fingered the toothpicks for a bit before pulling one out. It was a clean one. No paint on it, whatsoever.
Sora went next and pulled out a toothpick. It was tipped with red paint.
"Looks like we�ve got our first pair," said Justin, "Tai and Sora, you�ll both be sharing one room."
A blush crept up Tai�s face as he looked over at Sora. The same could be said about Sora as she looked at Tai.
"Okay, let�s keep going," said Justin.
Cody went up and pulled out a yellow-tipped toothpick. Kris drew a blue one. Todd drew black. Mimi drew a colorless one. Kari drew a green and Izzy drew an orange. Ken drew black. Willis pulled out a purple one.
"And that leaves me with a blue toothpick," said Justin, "Okay, let�s go up."
The Digi-Destined grabbed their bags and hauled them upstairs with their Digimon riding up on them.
* * *
"This looks pretty nice," said Tai as he and Sora entered the room that they would be sharing. There were two beds and a simple closet.
"It�s just he two of us," said Sora.
"With the exception of them," said Tai, jabbing his thumb towards Agumon and Biyomon, "So, which bed do you want?" Even though Tai and Sora had been going out for twelve years straight, they were both still a little iffy about sharing beds. They both wanted to wait until they were married, lest they got carried away.
"I�ll take the one closer to the window," said Sora. She turned around only to have Tai capture her lips with his. They stayed that way for a few minutes until Tai slowly pulled apart from Sora.
"As much as I enjoy this, we should really be getting downstairs," he said as he placed a small kiss on her forehead.
"Right," said Sora.
The two of them cleaned up a bit before they went downstairs with their Digimon to find everyone else already in the living room. Well, with the exception of one.
"Sorry I�m late!" said Davis as he bounded down the stairs after Tai and Sora.
"We�ll forgive you only because it�s Christmas time," said Justin, "Now shut up and let�s get things set up."
The Digi-Destined got right to work. Tai and Matt took the Christmas tree out from its box and began to assemble it. Meanwhile, T.K. and Kari were putting up everyone�s stockings. Justin and Todd were untangling the lights. Willis, Davis, and Ken had gone out to collect firewood for the fireplace. Yolei and Izzy were busy with the collection of Christmas DVDs everyone had brought. Sora, Mimi, and Kris were removing bags containing the ornaments from their boxes. Joe was taking the garlands out while the flight-capable Digimon hung them up. Most of the Digimon were busy trying to sort out the poinsettias, nativity scene, and cotton for snow.
"Okay, the tree�s up," said Tai.
"Good. Now it�s our turn," said Todd as he and Justin approached the tree with the lights. Justin started it off with the light by placing them near the bottom. Just when he finished with his side, he tossed the string of lights to Todd, who wove it through the boughs of the tree before tossing the end back to Justin. They continued this routine for quite a while. Whenever the two brothers reached the end of a string, one of them would grab another, plug it into the previous string, and resume their work.
After the lights were put up, the others proceeded to put up the rest of the ornaments. After thirty minutes of work putting up all the ornaments, it was time for each of the Digi-Destined to put up their own special ones. The original nine Digi-Destined � Tai, Matt, Sora, Izzy, Mimi, Joe, T.K., Kari, and Todd �all had ornaments shaped like their respective crests. But everyone else has something different. Davis� ornament was a soccer ball with his initials engraved onto the back. Yolei�s was a computer monitor with a picture of herself and Izzy in it. Cody�s was the sun and moon. Ken�s was the Crest of Kindness. Willis� was a white star. Kris� ornament resembled the Crest of Determination. Justin�s ornament was a silver sword with a thunderbolt on the hilt.
After the Digi-Destined had finished putting up their ornaments, it was the Digimon�s turn to do so. Agumon�s ornament was a flame. Gabumon�s was a snowflake. Biyomon�s was a pair of wings. Tentomon�s was a ladybug. Palmon�s was a flower. Gomamon�s was a fish. Patamon�s was a cloud. Gatomon�s was a ball of yarn. Veemon�s was a golden V. Hawkmon�s was a feather. Armadillomon�s was a riceball. Wormmon�s was a silk web. Sparkymon�s was a light bulb. SnowAgumon�s was an icicle. Voltmon�s a lightning bolt. Terriermon and Lopmon each had half of an ornament, which, when put together, resembled a Yin-Yang. Finally the Digi-Destined all plopped down on the couch and floor and looked at their work.
"Do you guys get the felling that we�ve forgotten something?" asked Cody.
"You�re right," said Joe.
"But what?" asked Matt.
They all thought about it for a moment. "THE STAR!" they all shouted at once.
"Don�t worry, we got it," said Justin as he walked over to one of the boxes and pulled out the golden star.
"So who�s going to do it?" asked Matt.
"ME!" said Davis as he shot his hand up into the air.
"I think Cody should do it, because he�s the youngest," said Ken.
"I say one of the Digimon," said Cody.
"I vote Tai," said Izzy, "He is the original leader of the Digi-Destined, after all. I think it would be appropriate for him to put it up."
"Not a bad idea, Izzy," said Kris.
"Yeah, let Tai do it," agreed Todd.
"Well Tai, it�s up to you," said Justin.
"Only of you guys really want me to," said Tai.
"Trust me, we do," said T.K.
"Okay," said Tai as he got up off the couch.
"Here," said Justin as he put the star in Tai�s hands.
Right at that moment, someone knocked on the door. Ken answered it and was surprised to see who it was at the door.
"RYO AKIYAMA!" exclaimed Ken.
"The one and only," said the brown-haired boy as he entered the cabin.
"Guys, this is my old friend and travelling companion, Ryo Akiyama," Ken introduced.
"Hey," Ryo greeted, "Ken invited me out here for the holidays. Hope you guys don�t mind."
"No, not at all," said the Sora.
"Oh by the way, this is my partner, Monodramon," Ryo said as he introduced his partner to everyone else.
"Charmed," said the Digimon.
"I see you guys are almost done with the tree," said Ryo.
"That�s right," said Ken, "Did you bring your ornament?"
"Do all Digimon share the same suffix in their names?" replied Ryo. Everyone just laughed. Ryo�s reply was an obvious answer question. Ryo reached into his bag and produced a small photo frame, which contained an old photograph of himself and Ken back when they traveled the Digital World together. He walked over to the tree and placed it on one of the branches. Monodramon also went up and hung up what appeared to be a key.
"Okay, now let�s put up the star," said Mimi.
Ken and Ryo got the ladder and held it steady as Tai climbed up with the star in hand. As soon as he reached the top, he leaned up and stretched out his hand. With careful precision, he was able to place the star on the topmost branch and climbed down the ladder. Ken and Ryo put the ladder away and went over to the couch.
"We forgot something else," said Davis.
"I�ve got it," said Ryo. He walked over to the tree and plugged it in, lighting up the entire tree with all its brilliant lights.
"Any comments?" Tai asked the others.
"Just one," said Davis, "Where are my sunglasses?"
* * *
The Digi-Destined spent the few days having fun in the Digital World. They went skating on the frozen lake. They skied/snowboarded down the hill. In no time at all, Christmas Eve was upon them.
* * *
The kitchen was abuzz with activity. Matt, Mimi, and Justin were running about preparing food, along with their Digimon, who were helping.
"Voltmon, pass me the peas," said Justin.
"Here you go," said the electric dragon Digimon. He watched as his human partner took the peas and tossed a whole bunch into the wok.
"Now I need some ham and corn," said Justin. Voltmon handed him the ingredients and Justin resumed frying the rice.
Meanwhile, Davis was upstairs putting on his Santa suit. He already had must of it on. All he had left to put on were his beard and hat.
"Playing Santa again, this year?" asked Ken.
"Yep," said Davis, "And tonight at midnight, I�ll come down those stairs with MY bag of presents!"
"Davis! Get your lazy arse down hear and help set the table!" Justin called from downstairs.
"The time will come," said Davis.
Christmas dinner that night was incredible. The turkey was the best dish there was.
"Here you go, Sora," said Tai as he placed another slice of turkey onto Sora�s plate.
"Tai�s you�re the best," said Sora as he placed a small kiss on his cheek.
"Hey Justin, could you pass the gravy over?" asked Todd.
"Avec plaisir," replied Justin as he grabbed the gravy bowl and handed it to his brother.
"Awesome rice!" said Davis, "Who made it?"
"That was me," replied Justin.
"Could someone please pass the salad?" asked T.K.
"Here you go, T.K.," said Joe as he handed T.K. the bowl.
"Thanks," said T.K.
Dinner was quickly eaten and finished. Ken, Todd, and Willis did the dishes while Ryo, Tai, Kris, and Willis cleaned the table and the floor. Davis was upstairs putting on the final touches of his Santa suit. At around nine o�clock, almost everyone was gathered around the fireplace roasting chestnuts.
"Has anyone seen Davis?" asked Willis.
"Las I heard, he was going up to the attic to fetch his stash of presents," said Ken.
"The attic?!" said Ryo, "That�s my room!" H quickly got up and ran up the stair shouting, "Davis, you better not be going through my underwear!"
"So, is everyone ready?" asked Tai.
"We all are," said Matt.
"Let�s watch some movies," suggested Izzy.
"Okay," agreed everyone else.
"What�ve we got?" asked Tai.
"Well, we�ve got Jingle All the Way, To Grandmother�s House We Go, and The Nightmare Before Christmas," said Yolei as she read through the DVDs.
"Nightmare Before Christmas," said Tai.
"Nightmare Before Christmas," said Matt.
"Nightmare Before Christmas," said T.K.
"Nightmare Before Christmas," said Ken.
"Nightmare Before Christmas," said Willis.
"Nightmare Before Christmas!" called Davis from upstairs.
"Nightmare Before Christmas!" shouted Ryo.
"Nightmare Before Christmas," said Todd.
"Nightmare Before Christmas," said Justin.
"Nightmare Before Christmas," said Kris.
"Nightmare Before Christmas," said Sora.
"It�s a unanimous vote," said Izzy as he popped the DVD into his laptop, which he had hooked up to a projector.
The Digi-Destined watched the movie, which was projected onto a bare white wall. They all ate popcorn and drank hot chocolate and tea as the movie rolled.
Afterwards, the Digi-Destined did little as the clock ticked down to midnight.
"Fifteen minutes left to go," said Justin.
A light suddenly burst from the top of the stairs and the Digi-Destined turned to see what was going on.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
"Hey, y�all!" Davis called out. He was dressed in his Santa suit and carrying a big bag on his shoulder. Around his waist, he wore a painted box that was supposed to resemble a sleigh with two Beanie Baby reindeer attached to the front.
"Okay, I don�t know whether to classify that as cheesy or just plain crap," said Justin before returning his gaze to his watch.
Time passed and the Digi-Destined were getting even more eager.
"Ten seconds to go," said Matt and the Digi-Destined prepared for it.
"Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. MERRY CHRISTMAS!" the Digi-Destined leapt up and whooped, cheered, etc. after an entire minute of craziness, they began to exchange gifts.
Ryo got everyone a bag similar to his own, each with its owner�s name sewn onto the strap. Izzy and Yolei gave everybody new D-Terminals. Tai�s was blue and orange. Matt�s was black and green. Sora�s was red. Mimi�s was bright pink with some yellow. Joe�s was grey with a bit of navy-blue. T.K.�s was green and white. Kari�s was light pink and white. Davis� was the same color as Tai�s, but the colors were reversed. Cody�s was purple and yellow. Ken�s was black and grey. Todd�s was brown and blue. Kris� was white and orange. Willis� new D-Terminal was maroon and grey. Justin�s was silver and white. Ryo�s was red and brown to match his turtleneck sweater and pants.
"I got something for all of ya," said Davis. He opened up his sack and handed everyone envelopes.
"Davis, what is this?" asked Yolei as she opened up her envelope and took out what appeared to be a coupon.
"Fifty cents off a Big Mac at McDonald�s?" said Cody.
"It�s the thought that counts," said Davis.
"Yeah. And in this case, the thought says �I�m cheap,�" said Justin, "Here�s my gift to everyone." Justin handed out a whole bunch of wrapped presents to everyone. Kris got a bracelet that Justin had handcrafted by himself. Everyone else got a Gundam model.
"We should�ve known," said Tai as he set aside his new 1/100 Wing Zero Custom model.
"At least I�m not cheap," said Justin.
In time, everyone had finished exchanging their gifts.
"Hey Tai, you still haven�t given Sora her present yet," said Matt.
"Well, now�s the best time to do so," said Tai. He got up and walked over to Sora.
Go for it, Tai, thought Matt.
"Hey, Sora," said Tai as he sat down next to his girlfriend for over twelve years, "It�s time."
Sora smiled. Tai always saved her present for the very last. It was always special in some way, but Sora had no idea just how special Tai�s present this year was.
"So Tai, what are you giving Sora this year?" asked Davis.
"Me," was Tai�s only reply.
"What?" asked Davis. He looked again only to find Tai getting onto his knee before Sora.
Tai reached into his pocket and produced the velvet box he had purchased form Victor back at the jewelry store. He opened it before Sora, revealing a glittering diamond ring.
"Sora Takenouchi, on this Christmas day, I ask you this one question," said Tai, "Will you marry me?"
It took Sora a while to recover. But in the end, she smiled and looked at Tai, lovingly.
"Yes," she replied, "I will."
Tai took the ring from the box and slid it onto Sora�s finger. It fit perfectly. The two of them stood up and shared a kiss. When they pulled back, everyone was cheering and applauding.
"You da man, Tai!" shouted Matt.
"I think it�s rather appropriate," said Izzy, "Tai was the first one to have his partner Digivolve to Champion, then Ultimate, and one of the first to Digivolve to Mega, as well as DNA Digivolve. Now Tai�s the first to get married."
"It�s a classic Kodak moment," said Justin.
Tai and Sora spent a whole minute looking into each other�s eyes. As they did, they thought about the future that they would soon be sharing together.
"I love you, Sora," Tai said to his future wife, "Now nothing can pulls us apart."
"And I love you too, Tai," said Sora.
That Christmas changed the lives of both Tai and Sora. From then on, they would be taking on the world together as one.
THE END
Fanfiction