Hello! Part Three is here. It should be all wrapped up by Part 5 or 6. I
guess this one is a little longer than the others, but it's more
important too. This is fun writing it! Thanx again!





 "Who's Joe?" Matt asked in a dazed voice. Sora gave him a glare. He was
staring open-mouthed at Rosemon, not even noticing that he was spilling
his pink-colored milk into his lap.

  "Joe, your friend," Rosemon explained sweetly, flashing a smile that
made Tai choke on his milk. "He came to my castle earlier today. He's a
very charming young man, don't you think?"

  "Sure he's charming," Matt agreed dreamily. "And so are you."

   Rosemon didn't seem to hear. "Do you want to see Joe now?"

  "Who's Joe?" This time Tai was asking the question.

   Sora had had enough. She slammed down her cup. "All right! Pull
yourselves together, you two! This is getting downright ridiculous! Joe
is our friend, remember!? And we've come all this way to find him! Now
let's bring him home before dinner gets cold!"

  Tai and Matt turned blank stares towards her. "Dinner?"

  Sora screamed in frustration. Gabumon and Biyomon exchanged worried
glances. "I think," Gabumon said slowly, "that we had better leave soon.
Rosemon, do you mind taking us to Joe? Sora is right. We have a dinner
cooking at our camp and we wouldn't want to miss it. Besides, Joe has
been gone too long."

  "Of course," Rosemon agreed helpfully. She got to her feet, trailing
roses on the couch behind her. "I'll call him right away." While Tai and
Matt watched adoringly, she picked a bell off a nearby table and shook
it twice. The loud ringing almost broke Sora's ears, but Tai and Matt
just smiled foolishly.

  "He'll come in a moment," Rosemon assured them.

  "No rush," Matt said dreamily.

  Rosemon peered at him closely, seeming to notice something for the
first time. "Oh, dear!" she said, sounding distressed. "I hadn't noticed
that before! You like me, don't you? And you too!" She gazed at Tai.

  They both nodded fervently. "Oh, I do like you!" "I like you even
more!" "No, I do!" "Shut up, you know I like her MUCH more!" They began
scuffling furiously.

  Sora sat and seethed, too angry to even cry. Boys!! Why did she waste
her time over them?! If they were stupid enough to fall for the first
pair of long eyelashes that came their way . . .

   Rosemon sighed. "This happens quite a bit. Here - let me help you."
She waved her hand over the couch where Tai and Matt were fighting.
Instantly they stopped, stared at each other in confusion, looked very
sheepish, and then moved to opposite sides of the couch.

  "There!" Rosemon smiled. "You've gotten over your little crush now!"

  "What crush?" Matt asked suspiciously, back to his usual cool self.
"What is she talking about, Sora?"

  "Yeah, what crush?" Tai echoed. "I didn't do anything stupid, did I?"

   Sora glared. "You were total idiots! I'll never forget it! But - but
-" To her embarassment, tears came into her eyes. She hadn't realized
how glad she was to have them back to normal. "Oh never mind," she said
quickly, turning away to hide her eyes.

  Before they could say anything in reply, Joe came into the room,
grinning and looking a little dazed behind his glasses. Sora jumped up
right away, glad to hide her tears. "Joe!" She hugged him. "We were
looking for you EVERYWHERE! Why did you leave? We were worried sick!"

  "Well, that was nice," Joe said, "but you didn't need to worry. I've
had a wonderful time at Rosemon's castle. In fact I think I just might
stay here." He grinned even wider.

  Tai's mouth dropped open. "What?! You can't do that! We're a team! We
have to stick together! I always thought you were the responsible one,
Joe!"

   "I AM being responsible," Joe said loftily. "This is the best
decision I've ever made. You guys can get on without me and Gomamon. We
were never very useful anyway. And we're very happy here. Right,
Gomamon?"

  The little multi-colored Digimon sighed, looking upset. "I guess . . .
if you say so, Joe . . ."

  "What's wrong?" Biyomon asked in concern.

  Joe answered before Gomamon could even open his mouth. "Nothing!
Things have never been better! The truth is - you see - I'm in love!" He
blurted it out quickly, looking pleased but sheepish. "I have a
girlfriend now, and I'm not leaving her!"

  Sora groaned. Not again!! "Is it Rosemon?"

  "No way!" Joe said. "She's much prettier than Rosemon. She's the
loveliest girl in the whole Digital world. And she's smart too. She
knows all the things I do about being a doctor, and she's sensitive and
mature and reasonable, and she EVEN understands my jokes! It's funny -
she looks just the way I always pictured my dreamdate looking. She's -
well - she's just perfect. Just what I always wanted." He stared off
into the distance, smiling dreamily.

  "And where is she?" Matt asked sarcastically. "Will she lower herself
enough to meet common people like us?"

  "Don't be silly, Matt, Jennifer isn't a snob." Joe turned to the door.
"Jennifer! Come and see my friends before they leave!"

  After a tense moment, the door swung open. A girl came out, short and
slender, wearing small spectacles and two brown pigtails. She was very
pretty, and she was carrying a pile of books. "Hello," she said warmly,
looking around. "I'm Jennifer, Joe's new girlfriend."

  Matt groaned in disgust. "Well, I'm sorry, but Joe has to leave. We
aren't here on vacation and Joe has a job to do. You can write postcards
if you have to communicate." He turned to go.

  "Don't be heartless, Matt! You're not the only one that girls like!"
Joe said hotly. "You think you're such a ladies' man, but I can have
girlfriends, too! And I'm not leaving Jennifer just to be chased by
monsters and work in restaurants with cheating bosses!"

   "Hey! Who helped you with that restaurant mess, huh? Sora and me!
Your team is always there for you!" Matt snapped. "And you can't bail
out in the middle of the mission!"

  Joe scowled. "I'm not going with you and that's final!"

  "Please!" Jennifer said. "Don't fight on my account! This is silly!
Why can't we all just relax and enjoy ourselves? Rosemon's castle is a
place for romance and happiness, after all. You've been fighting much
too hard. A week away from the rest of the Digiworld won't hurt you!"

  "Yeah, it will just destroy the whole-" Tai stopped midsentence and
stared, mouth open, just like he had stared at Rosemon. "The whole - the
whole-" He swallowed and stammered, apparently dazed.

  Full of dread, Sora looked in the direction he was gazing.

  A beautiful girl was standing there, dressed in a maid's outfit. Her
hair was blonde, her eyes were blue, and she was giving Tai a huge
smile. "Hello there! Are you Joe's friend? I'm Marcy, the maid at this
castle."

  "I'm Tai, the leader of Joe's group," Tai said boastfully. He didn't
sound at all like himself anymore. "I win all the fights and solve all
the puzzles. I'm the all-around hero of the group!" He flexed his
muscles.

  Marcy sighed admiringly. "How wonderful! I've always been attracted to
the leader types." She came a little closer, wafting a scent of flowery
perfume behind her. "Will you be staying long?"

  "No!" chorused Matt, Sora, Gabumon, Biyomon and Gomamon. "Yes!" said
Joe and Tai quickly, at the same time.

  Jennifer and Marcy smiled as if they had all said yes. "Great! We'll
have your suites ready in no time. This will be so fun! We haven't had
company for years." Marcy scampered off, with Tai's eyes following her
as far as he could.

  Sora stared at her shoes, unable to keep from crying any longer. Hot
tears trickled down her cheeks. How could Tai be so disloyal?!  She had
never told him how she felt - she was much too shy - but he had always
treated her as if he knew anyhow, and Sora was sure that someday they'd
admit their love for each other. But obviously she had been mistaken.
Tai didn't care about such a plain-looking girl. He only liked tall
ladies with pink hair, or short girls with flowery perfume. First
Rosemon, now Marcy!

  Sora's heart was breaking, but Tai didn't even notice. Only Matt and
the three Digimon were aware of her sorrow, and they felt too awkward to
comfort her. Everyone stood in silence until Marcy came back, carrying a
platter of delicious-smelling food.

  "Why don't you go back to camp and get your other friends?" Jennifer
suggested with a friendly grin. "We'd love to to meet them ALL! I'm sure
there's enough room. You shouldn't have to sleep outdoors and eat fish
when you could be staying at a castle."

  "Good point!" said Joe, looking at her adoringly. "You're so smart and
considerate. Gomamon, why don't you scamper back to camp and get the
rest? They'll be grateful for a change of scenery, especially Mimi!"

  Gomamon frowned. "I doubt it." But he obediently left the room, and
several minutes later they heard him rustling through the leaves outside
the window. Biyomon let a loud sigh escape her beak and immediately
looked guilty.

   "Let's eat now," Marcy said tactfully. "I'm sure you're all starved."

  They sat down around the coffee table to have dinner. Even Matt perked
up at the sight of the fancy gourmet food, which was far more appetizing
than the fish and berries they had been eating lately. But not even the
wonderful smell of roast beef could make Sora feel cheerful. She only
picked at her food, eating less than Biyomon. It ruined her appetite to
be sitting across from Tai and Marcy, and to watch them chat and joke
together like old friends. Or like boyfriend and girlfriend - Sora
groaned and pushed her plate away.

  "What's wrong?" asked a voice behind her. "Is the food overcooked? Is
there not enough salt? Or maybe too much garlic?"

  Turning, Sora saw the most handsome boy she'd ever seen in her life -
more handsome than Matt, more handsome than even Tai. His black hair and
soulful grey eyes looked just the way she always imagined a hero should
look. She felt herself blushing as he looked at her. "Oh, no! The food
is - er - fine. I mean, it's more than fine, it's great! Did you cook
it?" Somehow, Tai and Marcy didn't seem as important anymore.

   "No, I'm the gardener, not the cook," the handsome boy said. "My name
is Kamui. Are you staying with us long? Because I have some very
beautiful flowers I could show you. . ."

  Sora flushed with pleasure, ignoring Biyomon's look of horror.
"Really? Oh, we'll be staying for a very long time. You can show me all
the flowers you want." She grinned at him, and he grinned back. Matt
gave a snort of disbelief, but she didn't care. Only Kamui mattered now.
She could stay with him forever . . .

  Matt looked around the table, full of disgust. What was happening to
his team mates?! Maybe Izzy WAS right. Falling in love made people act
absolutely crazy. He couldn't wait to leave Rosemon's castle. Maybe then
they would be back to normal - Tai would forget Marcy, Joe would forget
Jennifer, and Sora would forget Kamui.

  "Are you enjoying yourself?" Matt turned around, startled at the
unfamiliar voice.

   It was another beautiful girl, but this one was different from Marcy
or Jennifer. She was just the sort of girl Matt loved. She looked like a
rock star, with spiky purple hair and glittery shoes, and the most
fashionable clothes he'd ever seen. She looked cool, composed, and very
self-assured - just the sort of girl Matt had always liked.

  "Who are you?" he asked before he could stop himself.

  "I'm Nene," she said, holding out a hand that sparkled with
exotic-looking rings. "I live at Rosemon's castle. I really hope you'll
be staying. It's been a long time since I've had an interesting person
to talk to." She winked. "I'm sure you've had plenty of adventures."

  Matt shook her hand and lingered a while before he let go. "Oh, we're
staying for a long time. We won't be leaving for weeks - maybe even
months." He laughed, and Nene laughed too. "I'd be happy to tell you all
my adventures. Even though Tai pretends to be the leader, I'm actually
much stronger than him."

   "I believe that," Nene said admiringly. "And smarter, too, I'd bet."

   "Definitely," Matt agreed. He began telling her about the time he
helped fight off a vicious Digimon - with just a LITTLE bit of help from
his Digimon and his other friends, of course - and how everyone
applauded his courage. Nene listened with adoring eyes.

  The four Digidestined sat and talked with their newly-found friends,
ignoring everything around them except one another. Biyomon and Gabumon,
bored and lonely, slept in their chairs, while the food grew cold on
their plates. The humans all looked perfectly and completely content.
Rosemon, watching from the shadows, gave a small smile. In the dim
light, she almost appeared to have sharply-pointed teeth underneath her
pretty lips . . .

  "Stay as long as you want," she whispered to herself. "I'm in no hurry
for you to leave. In fact, stay forever." And then she laughed softly
into her hand. Only Gabumon's sharp ears picked up the noise. He stirred
restlessly in his sleep, but didn't wake up. After all, it was just a
part of his nightmare - wasn't it? No one in this beautiful castle would
have a nasty laugh like that - would they? They were much too nice.

  MUCH too nice.

                                       TO BE CONTINUED!