Like Frodomon's attack, Skaramon had metal feathers, but these were even more lethal than the others. Burning red-hot and edged with sharp prongs, it looked as if they would kill instantly.

  "Joe, NO!" Sora yelled again. Then, before anyone could make a move to stop her, she threw herself between Joe and the metal feathers.

  Tai watched as if in a dream. The sharp blades sunk into Sora's arms, stomach and legs, staining her clothes with blood. She screamed and fell heavily onto the floor, sprawling across Joe's feet. The last few feathers lodged into the wall behind her. Sora shuddered and groaned, whispered a name under her breath, and then went still.

  "SORA!" Kari was devestated. She beat Tai with her fists, sobbing hysterically. "Tai, DO something! Save HER!"

   "I - I -" Tai had never felt so sick before in his life. A cold, heavy feeling of horror settled on his chest like a deadweight. He gagged, unable to speak through his cloud of grief. Sora . . . gone? It was imposible . . . she couldn't be . . . Tai fell to his knees, shaking all over.

   Tears were streaming down Matt's cheeks, but he managed to face Rosemon bravely. "You've killed our best friend!" he shouted, his voice trembling with rage. "Killed an innocent girl, and for what?! Just so you won't have to stand the shame of humans saving your world? Damn all of you! You won't get away with this!"

  Mimi began shrieking through her tears. "Matt, LOOK OUT!"

  Freedmon was holding out his paw. In the center, a ball of white cloud-like substance was forming. "SMOTHERING CLOUD!" The ball shot from his paw and headed straight for Matt, who stared at it dazedly, unable to move.

  "I won't let a second person die!" Mimi screeched, and threw herself on top of him, knocking him to the floor. The cloud flew past them and hit the wall, were it dissolved harmlessly.

  Freedmon growled. "How dare you defy us!"

  "CRIMSON DELUGE!" Unonnomon cried, and a flood of red water rushed towards the group. It was impossible to dodge or escape - all seven of them were trapped. They stared upwards, their hearts full of a sickening hopelessness, while the red water reflected in their eyes with an eerie effect - coming closer and closer - soon they would be drowning -

  Kari shut her eyes in terror. "I DON'T WANT TO DIE!!'

  There was a huge crash and a blinding light. They turned away in shock, shielding their eyes with their arms. T.K., kneeling by his older brother, felt a deep sorrow. So this was what it was like to be dead. He would have prefered to stay alive a little longer - tell Kari about his feelings - make up with Matt -

  "What's wrong with you all?" came a familiar voice. "Don't just sit there with your eyes shut! Assist us!"

  Matt's eyes shot open, barely believing his good luck. "Izzy!! You're here!!"
 
  T.K. jumped up. "Angemon! You came to save us!" He grabbed Kari's hand. "And Angewomon, too!"

  "We wouldn't leave you to fight alone," Birdramon cawed. Izzy, sitting on her foot, smiled down at them.

  Mimi squealed. "Oh, you're all here again! Greymon and Togemon and Ikkakumon and Garurumon and Kabuterimon! You've come to save us!" Then her eyes fell on Tai and Sora, and her smile faded. Her lower lip began trembling. "Well - you've come to save the rest of us, anyhow."

  Birdramon and Izzy followed her eyes. Birdramon gave a loud cry of horror. "Sora! No! Is she . . . ?"

   Mimi began sobbing again. Matt put his arms around her shoulder to comfort her, trying bravely to hold back his own tears.

   Izzy shook his head in disbelief. "I don't believe it! Sora - gone?! I can't - I can't accept it! It just isn't logical!" He clamped his hands over his eyes, as if trying to block out reality. "She can't be dead!"

  Greymon stood by Tai, not knowing what to say. "Tai . . ." he began  awkwardly.

  "Leave me alone, it's all my fault!" Tai yelled at him. "I don't care if I die or not. Sora . . . " He whimpered and hid his face in his hands. His shoulders began to heave with sobs.

   They stood in a somber circle, staring at Sora's still body. None of them could believe what had happened. Their minds were numb and their hearts were full of grief. There had never been a sadder moment in the history of the Digiworld.

  Joe stirred softly and then sat up, blinking groggily. "Wha -? Ikkakumon! You're here! Why is everyone so sad -?" Then he saw Sora and his eyes widened. "Oh no . . ."

  "She died saving you," T.K. said tearfully. "She threw herself in front of you to save you from Skaramon's attack."

  Joe began trembling. "Oh no . . . oh no . . ." He pulled off his glasses and began crying softly. "Sora . . . oh no . . ."

  All of a sudden Birdramon gave a shriek of rage and whirled around, swinging Izzy wildly against her leg. "I've HAD ENOUGH of this!" she screamed at Rosemon. "How DARE you take the life of my best friend?! How DARE YOU?!" She raised her wings. "Well, if that's the way you want to play, FINE! I'll fight fire with fire!"
 
  Rosemon licked her lips nervously. Suddenly her seven Rookie digimon didn't look so powerful compared to eight Champions. "Now listen . . . " she began, her voice high and anxious.

  "NEVER!" Greymon roared. "Digimon, ATTACK!"

   The others were only too happy to comply.

  ""NEEDLE SPRAY!" called Togemon.

  "HOWLING BLASTER!" called Garurumon.

   "HARPOON TORPEDO!" called Ikkakumon.

   "ELECTRO SHOCKER!" called Kabuterimon.

   "NOVA BLAST!" called Greymon.

  "METEOR WING!" called Birdramon.

  "HAND OF DESTINY!" called Angemon.

  "CELESTIAL ARROWS!" called Angewomon.

  It was over in a flash. One by one, the seven smaller Digimon were struck down and disappeared - Rosemon was the last to go, still shuddering under the force of Angewomon's attack. She gave them all one last, spiteful look as her body disintegrated into digital code.
 
   "It's - not - over - yet!" she gasped.

   Then she was gone.

   There was complete silence. No one laughed or cheered, no one congratulated the Digimon. There was no triumphant music. The Digimon (now Rookies again) and their human friends sat in a small circle around Sora's body, not speaking or looking at each other for a long, long time.

  At last Mimi sighed. "I guess-" she said in a trembling voice- "that we should carry her back to camp. I'll go crazy if I stay in this castle much longer."

   "All right," Matt agreed. He began to lift Sora into his arms, but Tai stopped him sharply.

   "NO! Keep away. I'LL carry her." He lifted her limp body against his chest, surprised at how light she was. Her helmet was pushed down low on her forehead, and her pink waistpouch was halfway opened from the force of her fall. Tai saw a small piece of paper poking up through the top. He pulled it out discreetly, deciding to read it later, when the pain wasn't so horrible.

 
BACK AT CAMP, SEVERAL HOURS LATER:

 Izzy sat and stared glumly at his computer screen. The code seemed empty and useless. He remembered when Mimi accused him of liking his computer more than human contact - but he must have changed since then. If he didn't care about his human friends, he wouldn't be sitting with tears in his eyes, trying to block the memory of Sora lying sprawled on the floor with blood around her -

 Mimi, on the other side of the campfire, stared down at her hands. She had been a brat the whole time, and she knew it. It had never really bothered her before, but now - now that Sora was gone - she was forced to do some deep thinking. Couldn't she have been kinder to Sora? Couldn't she have been a better friend? Sora was so selfless and generous - maybe Mimi should have acted more like her. Would the rest of them be this devestated if SHE died? Mimi groaned and leaned her forehead in her hands -

  Kari sat and stroked Gatomon's head, not really paying any attention to the little Digimon. Sora had treated her like a younger sister. She had understood so much, been so sweet and intelligent, and given Kari so much advice. Why did SHE have to die, the kindest member of the team?! And Kari wasn't blind. She knew how her older brother felt about Sora - it was too painful to think about -

  T.K. stirred a stick in the ashes, still crying softly to himself. He had seen TV before, where people died - action movies where they were blown to pieces, and silly soap operas that his mom cried about for hours. On TV, death didn't seem so important. It was just as artifical as a hamburger commercial. But how could he stand this hollow ache that REAL death caused . . . .? Sora was gone and she'd never come back -
 
  Joe stood against a tree, avoiding everyone else's eyes. The guilt was too great to bear. It was his fault, no matter what Tai insisted. If he hadn't been looking for berries, then he wouldn't have found the castle, he wouldn't have met Jennifer, he wouldn't have met Rosemon, and the fight would never have taken place. Besides, Sora died to save him. Somehow, having his life saved didn't give Joe the warm cozy feeling he had always imagined -

  Matt didn't know what to do. He hated showing emotion. There was so much built up inside of him - rage and sorrow at the same time, making him want to start yelling and at the same time cower down like a little boy and cry. Sora had always been such a nice kid. Even though she acted annoyingly bright sometimes, Matt had always envied her happiness. Why did she die?! Why did she do it?! Why, why, why - ?

  Tai knelt by Sora. In his hands he held the piece of paper. It was a diary she had been keeping secretly, so secretly that no one else had noticed. He read the page through a mist of tears, feeling a grief much worse than any of the others:

  "Today Tai was very nice to me. Usually he ignores me when I try to show my feelings, but today I guess he was just in a good mood. Maybe he was too tired to try and escape. He actually said that he was enjoying being in the Digiworld, and then he actually said - get this! - that he liked talking with me. I was so happy I couldn't answer. And he looked so cute, with his goggles and his spiky hair. Gosh, I'm getting to sound like a stupid schoolgirl. I'd better stop writing before I admit too much about my feelings for Tai. But I will say this - I've liked Tai since we were on the same soccer team, back in our own world. I know he probably doesn't like me back. I'm not really good enough for him - but maybe-"

  Tai crumpled the page into a ball, trembling with grief. ~Not good enough for me?!~ he thought. ~Sora, not good enough for me?! I'm not good enough for HER! She was the best member of the team - the only one who was really sensitive, the only one who really cared - oh, Sora! Why?! WHY?!?~

   "SORA!!" he called outloud, his voice aching with pain and rage. "COME BACK, SORA!! COME BACK!!"

   Everyone looked around, startled. Tai was crying uncontrollably again, kneeling by Sora. Matt took a step forward. "Whoa, buddy, settle down! I know you're upset but she won't come back - just chill, OK?!"
 
  "Matt!" Mimi snapped. "How can you be so heartless?! Tai just lost his best friend! Have a little sympathy! No one will ever forget her, and Tai should be allowed to grieve!"

  "I wasn't stopping him!" Matt answered angrily. "I was just telling him the truth! We should all admit it before we go crazy - Sora is gone! She'll never be with us again, and nothing we can do will change that! Nothing!"

  "Stop IT!" Kari cried, covering her ears. "I can't hear you!"

  "Look what you're doing, Matt!" Mimi said accusingly. "Just shut your mouth! We don't need to hear it!"

   "I don't believe in hiding the truth!" Matt yelled. "If we try to delay the pain it will only hurt WORSE! Now face up to the facts, Mimi!"

   "BE QUIET!" Mimi and Kari yelled in unison.

   They stood, glaring at each other, tears glimmering in their eyes, their hands doubled in fists. Tai paid no attention. He was numb with grief.

  "Hey you guys?" a groggy voice asked. "What's wrong? You're not fighting again, are you?"

  "Shut up, Sora!" Matt said angrily. "Don't break into this argument! It's none of your business-" Then he stopped. His eyes widened in shock and disbelief. "SORA?!??!"

  Biyomon gave a huge squawk of joy and surprise. "SORA!! YOU'RE ALIVE!!"

  Everyone jumped to their feet, barely able to believe their eyes. Sora was sitting up, rubbing her forehead sleepily and blinking at them all. Although her skin was somewhat clammy, she looked back to normal. She managed a shaky smile. "What's up? And - wait a moment - what am I doing here? Where's Rosemon?" As a flood of memories came back over her, she rose to her feet in alarm.

  Matt hurried to steady her. "Settle down, you were badly injured!" He gave her a watery grin. There were tears of happiness in his eyes. "We - we - wow, Sora, we thought you were dead!"

  "Dead?!" Sora repeated. "Me?!" She looked around at their pale faces and tearstained cheeks, and her eyes softened. "Oh, you guys. I'm so touched. You mean - you mean you really cared?"
 
   "Of course we did!" Mimi rushed to wrap her in a bone-crunching hug. "Oh, Sora! I'd give up my whole wardrobe for this moment! I never realized how much you meant to me until I lost you!" She began crying again, but this time it was from joy.

  "Someone else missed you even more," Izzy hinted tactfully as Mimi stepped back and wiped her eyes on her sleeve.

  They all looked at Tai, and then at Sora. Once glance was enough to tell them that maybe they should all leave the campsite for a few hours and give them time to be alone together . . .

   "C'mon," Matt said, smiling. "Let's go somewhere else, you guys. I could certainly use some berries . . . " He herded Kari and T.K. away from where Sora and Tai were sitting, followed by Izzy, Mimi, Joe and all their Digimon.

  "Oh, no, not berries!" Gomamon said in dismay. "I'm not going in that direction again, thanks ever so much!"

  "All right, fruit then," Matt said, "and we'll stick close to the trail. No going into fairy tale castles . . . especially if there are pretty girls with spectacles and brown pigtails inside them." He winked at Joe.

  Joe blushed. "Well, let's look out for purple-haired popstars in tiger-print shorts too, then!"

   "Let's not fight," Mimi pleaded. "Anyhow I think Derik was definitely the best-looking illusion - and he certainly had the best taste -"

  Their good-natured jests faded into silence. Sora and Tai looked at each other, a little awkward. Their happiness, however, shone out through their eyes.

  "I - I read your diary page -" Tai admitted sheepishly. "I don't think you're too good for me, Sora. It's the other way around. I-" He paused, his words catching in his throat. "I'm just so glad you're alive!"

  "Oh, Tai!" said Sora. "I am, too . . . " She took his hand in hers.

  As the sun began to set over the sloping mountains, Tai and Sora sat together, finally telling each other what had been in their hearts for so long . . . .
 
                                                                           THE END

 
 Author's Note: Reader, I hope you enjoyed this short little story. I put a lot of effort into it - not the best tale, perhaps, but I tried to capture each character's unique personality as genuinely as I could. Anyhow, if you happened to like it, maybe you could mention that in the guestbook when you make an entry . . . ? Just so I'll know! Thanx, Digifans!!