| Birthday Surprises |
| Author's Note: You asked for it, and here it is, the sequel to: Rivals for Love. The kids are back from the Digiworld and are all a couple of years older. Joe - 18 Tai, Matt, Sora, Mimi - 17 Izzy - 16 T.K., Kari - 13 ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Matt was standing under the balcony, weaving crepe paper through the railings with a pleasant smile on his face. "Catch!" someone yelled out suddenly. Matt looked up just in time to catch the roll of white crepe paper before it hit him, causing him to let go of the roll he had been using. "Hey!" Matt glared up at Tai after he watched the roll he had been using bounce on the floor below. Tai ignored the glare as he grinned down at him. "Don't forget, you are supposed to be using thre colors, Matt, not two." "I remembered," Matt called as he leaned over to retrieve the fallen paper. Thankfully, it hadn't ripped. "Do you think she'll be surprised?" "Definitely," said Tai with a knowing grin. Matt silently hoped that Tai was right. Sora was important to him. Ever since he and Tai had protected her from Sprimon in the Digiworld, he'd made sure to show her how much he loved her. "Matt, honey!" called Mrs. Ishida, who'd recently gotten back together with her husband. "Your father and I are going out now. We'll be back soon!" "Okay, Mom!" called Matt before the front door was heard shutting. "It's pretty fantasic that your parents got back together, Matt," commented Izzy from the other side of the room. Matt looked over at Izzy, who was sitting on the sofa blowing up balloons, and then at T.K., who was sitting on the floor next to him with an agreeing grin on his face. "Yeah! Ever since we got back, Mom and Dad have been together!" he chirped as he looked at the red balloon in his hands. Joe came into the room several minutes later with a tray of sandwiches and soda. "Mimi called a few minutes ago. She and Sora are at the mall now," he reported, setting the tray down. The four others came to the tray and took a sandwich. "At least Mimi is having fun with her job," said Tai with a smile between bites. "I know," agreed Matt with a nod. "I had no idea decorating could be so hard." As one they all looked out at the half-completed room. Tai had almost finished lacing the ceiling with the crepe paper and Matt was almost done with the stairway to the balcony above. T.K. had almost tied all the balloons in multicolored groups of three and Izzy had a small matter of blowing up one more dozen of balloons. "At least it's almost done," said T.K. cheerfully. While the four boys were talking and eating, Joe picked up several bundles of balloons and began to tie them to the railing. "This is going to look really nice," he commented to himself with a satisfied nod. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ "Oh, Sora!" exclaimed Mimi excitedly as she pointed at a store window. "We need to go in there!" Sora smiled patiently at her friend. "Haven't we been in enough clothing stores today?" Mimi looked at her friend in surprise. "Sora..." "Never mind," laughed Sora, shaking her head. "Let's go in." Mimi giggled and dragged Sora into the store before disappearing into the jungle of clothing racks. Sora walked over to a group of chairs and sat down with a tired sigh. Three hours of straight shopping, and Mimi was still at it. "I wish Matt were here," she murmured, closing her eyes wistfully. "Excuse me," said a sales clerk, coming over to her with a soft smile. "Do you know anything about computers?" Sora blinked in momentary surprise and then nodded. "I know a little." The woman looked relieved as Sora stood to her feet and followed the woman to the cashier's desk. "You see, my screen is acting really funny and I can't fix it," she explained as Sora looked at the computer screen. Sora stepped over to it in surprise, watching as numbers ran over it in a rapid fashion. Suddenly, a hand shot out from the screen and caught hold of her shirtfront. The sales clerk and Sora screamed as she felt herself yanked forward and into the screen. A moment later, everything went dark. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Izzy flung open his laptop and began to type furiously on it while his friends watched him in worry. "From what I can tell,Sora was taken to the Digiworld," said Izzy, his eyes filled with concern. "Can we go after her?" asked Tai, leaning over Izzy's shoulder to look at his screen. "Possibly," said Izzy, his brow wrinkled in concentration. Suddenly, the screen blinked and an image of Gennai appeared. "Hello, children," he greeted as if he saw them all the time. "Gennai! Do you know where Sora might be?" asked Matt quickly, leaning over Izzy's shoulder. "I'm afraid so. I believe Sora has been taken to Chaosimon's kingdom below the Digiworld," said Gennai, losiung all signs of cheer. Tai and Matt looked at each other in worry. The last time they'd heard about Chaosimon, Sora had been attacked by Sprimon. They hadn't thought about the Digimon since then, though now they wished they had. "Do you know of a way for us to come back to the Digiworld to save her?" asked Izzy. "Yes, I do," affirmed Gennai. "But only one of you will be able to come here." "Why?" asked Mimi in surprise. "The gateway can only take one more person coming through it from the outside," said Gennai with a frown. "It would be dangerous for more than one of you to return right now." "I'll go," Matt put in before any one could say a word. "Are you sure, Matt?" asked Tai in concern, studying Matt carefully. "I'm sure. I promised Sora I would protect her," said Matt, not disguising the guilt in his eyes. Tai looked ready to object, but Matt looked at him pleadingly and Tai sighed in surrender. "Any objections?" he asked his friends, almost hoping that one of them would object. No one said a word and Tai nodded resolutely. "It's decided then. What do we do to send Matt over?" "Have Matt place a hand on the screen," instructed Gennai. "And I'll handle the rest." Matt smiled at his friends. "Make sure the party is ready. I should have Sora back in no time!" T.K. hugged his brother. "I'll tell Mom and Dad you'll be home soon." Matt walked over to the screen and without hesitation placed his hand on the screen. "Be careful, Matt," said Mimi sincerely. "Yeah," seconded Joe. "Don't get hurt." "We're all rooting for you," said Tai, patting Matt on the back before stepping back. "Okay, Izzy, when I tell you, I want you to press the enter key," said Gennai as his image disappeared and was replaced by an image of the Digiworld. "Understood." "Ready, Matt?" asked Gennai's voice. "Ready," said Matt, his mind on Sora's safety. "Okay, Izzy, hit enter NOW!" Everyone's eyes widened as the screen burst into light over Matt before blinding them. Tai was the first to open his eyes and lower his hand and all he looked at the image of Matt on the screen before it blinked off. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Matt's eyes were full of excitement as he sped over the ground of the Digiworld, seeing the landmarks that he had known so well when he'd last been in the Digital World. His eyes caught sight of a dark mist coming towards him and he felt his stomach drop. The sphere that was carrying him started to veer off towards the left, but the mist followed and soon intersected. The sphere surrounding Matt vanished and he found himself suspended within darkness. "So, you are the Guardian," hissed a voice behind him. Matt turned his head to see nothing and looked around himself. "Who's there?" "I am Chaosimon," hissed the voice as a shadowy figure appeared just beyond him. Matt's eyes flashed in anger as he attempted to move forward, only to find himself unable to move. "What have you done with Sora?" he demanded fiercely. "Sora..." murmured Chaosimon and then chuckled. "Oh, yes. The Keeper is in my dungeon, where she can do no harm." "Why did you take her?" asked Matt, angry that he couldn't go after the offending Digimon. "The same reason I have taken you," said Chaosimon with a laugh that chilled Matt's blood. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Sora awoke slowly and placed a hand on her forehead. "Boy, my head hurts," she grumbled, sitting up. "Good morning!" chirped a voice off in the darkness. "I am glad you are awake." Sora's heart jumped into high gear and she looked around frantically. "You're in Chaosimon's dungeons," informed the voice mater-of-factly. "He put you in here a few hours ago. He must be afraid of the prophecy if he brought you here." "Who are you?" asked Sora in confusion, unable to see the person speaking in the dim light of the room she was in. A small form, about the size of a fist, flew over to Sora's side and smiled kindly. "I am Fairimon." "You're pretty small," observed Sora in surprise. Fairimon scratched her head with a frown. "I was once bigger than you. Chaosimon did something to me that made me smaller and minimized my powers." "I'm sorry," said Sora sympathetically before her eyebrows rose questioningly. "You said something about a prophecy?" "You've never heard of the Prophecy of the Guardian and Keeper?" said Fairimon in shock. "No, not ever," said Sora, shaking her head. Fairimon circled in the air a moment, her eyes closed in thought before she looked at Sora again with a grim face. "We originally came from the Digiworld, btu traveled down below it many thousands of years ago to create the Digi-Sprite Kingdom, or what we call the Spri-Kingdom, for our particular brand of Digimon. We were very prosperous and made many mystical devices for the upper-world Digimon. However, Chaosimon appeared and conquered us. He enslaved the Sprimon, Pixiemon, Elvenmon, Fairimon, Nymphmon, and other enchanted Digimon down here and imprisoned anyone that stood in his way." "Are you one of the ones..." "Yes, I once cared for the flora of the Spri-Kingdom, and when Chaosimon appeared, I opposed him. We battled and I lost and was shruken down to my current status." Fairimon sighed sadly and Sora gently took the small Digimon in her hands. Fairimon looked at her with a sad smile. "I'm sorry. I have not completely explained to you the prophecy." She made herself comfortable in Sora's hands and looked up at Sora with firm resolve. "When the first minor kingdom of the Elvenmon fell, a very powerful Wizardmon was brought before Chaosimon to be deleted for opposing him. Before he died, Wizardmon prophesied that Chaosimon's rule would end when the Guardian and the Keeper would come. The Guardian would carry a mighty sword and the Keeper would carry a bow and three swift arrows of power. Two shadows would follow them into the Spri-Kingdom and together would defeat Chaosimon." "So, how do I fit into this?" asked Sora, although she had a feeling of what her answer would be. "One way for us to know who the Keeper and Guardian were was by the fact that they held the powers of Love and Friendship. Even we knew of the Digi-Destined down here," said Fairimon smiling. "And you are the Keeper!" ___________________________________________________________________________________________ "Gennai, is there any word from Matt?" asked Tai, facing the old man on the laptop screen. "I'm afraid not, Tai," said Gennai apologetically. "Matt was intercepted halfway here and I fear that he was captured by Chaosimon." "Oh, no!" gasped Mimi, her eyes wide with fear. "Don't worry too much," said Gennai quickly. "I've sent Garurumon and Birdramon down to the Spri-Kingdom. They should be able to find Matt and Sora and bring them back safely." "Gennai, do you have any idea of why he took Sora in the first place?" asked Izzy, who'd been trying to find a logical answer to the question. "As a matter of fact, I have," said Gennai with a laugh. "I'm glad you reminded me!" Joe sighed and pushed his glasses up on his nose. "Some things never change," he murmured. Kari giggled beside him, only to be quieted by her brother's firm look. "Apparently, Sora is part of a prophecy to destroy Chaosimon," said Gennai, unaware of the teens behind Tai and Izzy. "And apparently, so is Matt." "So he kidnapped Sora to bring Matt into the Digiworld and capture him too!" growled Tai, slamming a fist down on the computer table. Mimi laid a hand on his shoulder and he sighed. "Have faith in them. I'm sure that they will be able to get out of this mess," assured Gennai. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Fairimon giggled at Sora's joke and then tensed. "What is it?" asked Sora, looking around. "Chaosimon is coming. I have to go back into my cell, but I'll be back," said Fairimon quickly as she shot up into the air and then flew off into the left section of the room. Sora looked at the door and then shielded her eyes as the door was flung open, blinding her momentarily from the light outside. Someone was thrown in, followed by Chaosimon appearing in the doorway with an evil smile on his ugly, one-eyed, blue face. "With you both in here, I can begin to take over the Digiworld," he laughed, his red eye gleaming at Sora and then at the person who was against the wall and standing up slowly. "You won win, Chaosimon," promised a voice that could only be Matt's. "Sora and I have friends like us that can defeat you." "Not likely. If they're like you, they'll be caught easily as well," replied Chaosimon with a sneer. The door slammed shut and Sora quickly moved to Matt in the darkness and embraced him. "Who..." "Matt, it's me!" said Sora, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "Sora!" gasped Matt, his arms wrapping around her supportively. "Are you all right?" "I'm okay," said Sora, smiling up at him as a tear rolled down her cheek. Matt gently kissed her forehead. "I'm glad." "So am I!" chirped Fairimon, flying over to comfort them. "Who's she?" asked Matt, looking from Fairimon to Sora in surprise. "That's Fairimon. She was thrown into the dungeons for going against Chaosimon," introduced Sora, holding out a hand for the small Digimon to land on. "It's good to see the Keeper and Guardian together," said Fairimon with an odd glint in her eyes. "Now we need the weapons and the Shadows." "Shadows?" echoed Matt, looking at Sora and inwardly questioning the sanity of the tiny Digimon. "The Shadow of the Guardian with the power of ice and the Shadow of the Keeper with the power of fire," said Fairimon impatiently, fluttering up into the air and beginning to glow. "Fairimon, why are you glowing?" asked Sora in alarm. "I am also a part of the prophecy," said Fairimon, lightly moving away from the pair a small distance. "I told you you would have weapons, but that would be after a Fairimon unlocked them from within." "What?" asked Matt and began to squint as Fairimon glowed brighter. "I am sorry, Keeper, but this is good-bye. I am happy to have known you," said Fairimon before she threw out her hands and shot out two beams of light. "Breath of Light!" Matt and Sora screamed out as they were struck by the beams and then everything went dark. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ "Any more news, Gennai?" asked T.K., taking his watch at the computer as the others worked on preparing the party for Sora in an effort to keep busy. "Garurumon and Birdramon have found the castle where Matt and Sora are being held and should be breaking them out of their prison shortly," said Gennai with a smile. "All right!" cheered T.K. with a grin. "Do you think they'll be back soon?" asked Kari in concern. "If Garurumon and Birdramon are successful, they should be," affirmed Gennai with a nod. T.K. smiled and Kari took his hand with an excited smile. "My bro can do anything," T.K. whispered into Kari's ear with a smile. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ When they could see again, Sora felt tears come to her eyes again at the sight of a yellow Dig-egg on the floor. Matt patted her shoulder supportively before realizing that something cold and metallic was slung over Sora's shoulder. "Hey, Sora, what's on your back?" he asked in surprise, his hand brushing over the smooth metal that hung there. Sora looked at him inquisitively and placed a searching hand behind her shoulder, only to gasp in surprise. "The bow and arrows!" she exclaimed as she pulled them off her back and stared at hem in surprise. She looked at Matt and pointed at his waist. "And you have the sword!" Matt looked at the scabbard at his side in confusion. "Mind explaining this to me? Because I'm not understanding what has just happened here." "Well, Fairimon said that we are part of this prophecy..." Sora picked up the Digi-egg and explained to Matt everything that she knew about their new titles and the purpose for their being there, according to Fairimon's story. "I guess we're going to be late," murmured Matt with a thoughtful frown. "For what?" asked Sora innocently. Matt smirked. "I'll tell you when we get back home." Sora was about to say something more when the wall to their left was blown inwards. Sora screamed and Matt shielded her with his body as chunks of debris fell over them. "Are you two all right?" asked a gruff voice. "Garurumon?" asked Matt in surprise. Garurumon broke into a wolfish grin. "That's my name. Birdramon is keeping Chaosimon busy right now so I can get you out." ___________________________________________________________________________________________ "Izzy," greeted Gennai for the fourth time in twenty hours. "I've found the prophecy." Izzy grinned and looked back towards the others, who were all napping in the various parts of the Ishida's front room. "Hey, everyone! Gennai has the prophecy now!" he exclaimed. Instantly, parents and teens were awake and crowded around Izzy and his laptop as Gennai cleared his throat. "The prophecy was given by one of the oldest Wizardmon that was alive in the Spri-Kingdom a very long time ago when Chaosimon invaded their kingdom," informed Gennai, reading a sheet of paper. "The prophecy goes as follows: |
| "The fall of the Chaosimon will come when the Guardian comes for the Keeper. A Digimon of the flowers will provide a mighty sword to be given to the Guardian and a bow with three swift arrows for the Keeper. Shadows will come behind the Guardian and Keeper with the powers of Ice and Fire. The sky will fall like rain and Dark Chaosimon will arise. Power from the sky will strike and the Dark One's rule will end." |
| "That doesn't sound very good," worried Mrs. Ishida. Mr. Ishida hugged her assuringly. "Don't worry. Our son can do this." "There's one thing more," said Gennai with a smile. "I've managed to patch into Matt and Sora's digivices and should be able to send you a video feed of what they're seeing." "Prodigious!" exclaimed Izzy. "Hook us up!" urged Tai, leaning forward, only to receive glares from those also trying to see the screen. "Just a moment," said Gennai a few moments before the screen changed to Garurumon jumping out of a shattered window with Sora and Matt on his back. Mrs. Ishida fainted. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Garurumon landed quickly and Matt and Sora looked upwards to see an aerial battle occuring between Birdramon and Chaosimon. "Birdramon!" shouted Sora as her Digimon was hit hard and began to fall towards the ground swiftly. Birdramon began to glow and Sora watched with relief as Birdramon pulled up and digivolved into Garudamon. Instantly, Chaosimon's attention went to Matt and Sora on Garurumon's back. "Black Lightning!" he shouted, throwing a ball of black energy at the group. Garurumon began to glow and Matt and Sora jumped off just as he warp-digivolved into Metal Garurumon. The blast smashed into Metal Garurumon and exploded with a bright light. "Metal Garurumon!" shouted Matt in fear as Metal Garurumon was swallowed up in smoke. "You'll pay for that!" exclaimed Garudamon, flying up into the air. "Wing Blade!" The fire blast flew from Garudamon and sailed into Chaosimon before he could react and he crashed down into the ground with a cry of rage and pain. Meanwhile, the smoke cleared and Metal Garurumon appeared, a bit beat up, but alive. He took a moment to grin at the two children and then ran towards the fallen Chaosimon. "Metal Wolf Claw!" Matt grinned and watched as Chaosimon began to crystallize over in ice and Sora cheerfully wrapped her arms around him as Chaosimon was completely covered in ice. "Wing Blade!" shouted Garudamon again, and delivered a fiery ending to Chaosimon, who exploded into many crystalline shards. The two Digimon returned to Gabumon and Biyomon and ran over to Matt and Sora anxiously. "Are you two all right?" asked Gabumon, looking them over for any possible injuries. "We're fine, thanks to you guys," said Sora as she hugged Biyomon tightly with a joyful smile. "Just doing our job!" chirped Biyomon with a modest smile at her friend. "How did you find us?" inquired Matt after sharing a smile with Gabumon. "Gennai sent us," informed Gabumon. "Everyone is really worried..." ___________________________________________________________________________________________ "They won!" cheered Joe as he caught hold of Mimi's hands and began to swirl her around the room. Everyone laughed and cheered in relief until Kari grew pale and pointed to the screen. "It's not over!" she yelled over the noise. Everyone instantly grew quiet and Izzy's eyes grew grave as he remembered what the prophecy had stated. "The sky will fall like rain and Dark Chaosimon will arise..." ___________________________________________________________________________________________ The ground began to tremble and Sora looked up at Matt in fear. "What's going on!" she shouted. "I don't know!" shouted Matt in answer and they shouted out in surprise as a large rock smashed into the ground near them. "The sky is falling!" shouted Gabumon in shock as chunks of rock began to fall all around them. "No!" shouted Matt, shaking his head and pointing upwards. "It's the world above. We're under the Digiworld. The Spri-Kingdom was built beneath it!" "That's right!" howled a voice. "And I will destroy it!" Sora gasped in fright and Matt watched in horror as a dark arose from the ground where Chaosimon had disappeared and solidified into a larger, more evil-looking Digimon. "I am Dark Chaosimon now and you wil find that I will not be so easily destroyed!" he excliamed with a maniacal laugh. "Lightning Crush!" "Sora!" "Matt!" shouted the two Digimon, pushing their friends out of the way. Sora screamed in utter horror and Matt cried out in equal shock as Gabumon and Biyomon were struck and changed into Digi-eggs right before their eyes. "Bi!" cried out Sora, gathering the egg into her arms next to the one of Fairimon. Matt stared in utter shock at Gabumon's egg before he slowly picked it up and laid it in Sora's lap with Biyomon and Fairimon's eggs. Matt's eyes blazed in pain and fury and he looked up at Dark Choasimon, who'd begun to laugh. "Matt?" whimpered Sora, loo0king at him. "Take the eggs and run, Sora," commanded Matt as he turned towards Dark Chaosimon and removed his sword from its scabbard. Sora stared at him in disbelief and got to her feet, her eyes still wet from tears. "You coward!" Matt screamed upwards at Dark Chaosimon. "You didn't even have the courage to take on someone your own size!" "Oh, my bad," said Dark Chaosimon sarcastically, placing a hand against the side of his face. "I honestly should remember to pick on slightly bigger creatures." Poor Gabumon. You were my best friend and you sacrificed everything to save me, Matt thought bitterly. And if I don't fight now, it will have been for nothing and Sora could be killed. He paused in his thoughts a moment as a horrifying thought hit him. What if Dark Chaosimon did manage to gain control of the Digiworld? Then the others would come and could be killed! Matt shut out those thoughts and focused on Dark Chaosimon before him and what he'd done to Gabumon and would probably do to Sora if he failed. Matt didn't notice as a single tear dropped from his face onto his blade before he started running towards Dark Chaosimon with a scream of rage. "What's this? The Guardian is going to hurt me with a toothpick? How pathetic!" laughed Dark Chaosimon as Matt charged forward, not noticing that the sword Matt was holding was glowing. He swiped down at Matt with a clawed hand, but missed him. Dark Chaosimon chuckled in twisted amusement and then found himself screaming in surprise as the sword thrust into his leg and cut cleanly through it. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Everyone stared at the laptop in shock as Dark Chaosimon shuddered and fell forward, missing a leg. "Awe, gross," whined Mimi, paling considerably. "I can't believe he did that." "Neither can I," said Tai in shock. They watched as a vey angry Dark Chaosimon pulled himself to his feet and made a grab for Matt. "Look out!" shouted Joe, fogetting a moment that Matt wouldn't hear him. Matt raised his sword and ti gave off a bright light that caused Dark Chaosimon to move away from him, as if repelled by a wall. Matt used it as an advantage and ran forward and cutting off his other leg. Mr. Ishidda was silently glad that his wife was unconscious while Joe and some of the other parents began to hold a hand over their mouths. "Hey, what's Sora doing?" asked Kari, her attention drawn to Sora, who's stood to her feet and placed an arrow in her bow. They watched in amazement as the tip began to glow and energy swirled around it. "Sora's never shot an arrow before," said Mrs. Takenouchi, watching her daughter despairingly. "What is she trying to do? Why didn't she run when she was able to?" ___________________________________________________________________________________________ What am I trying to do? wondering Sora, aiming at Dark Chaosimon. I can't possibly stop him! But I can't just leave Matt! She glanced down a split second at the three Digi-eggs and then back to where Matt was ducking Dark Chaosimon's sweeping hands. Biyomon was changed into a Digi-egg to protect me! And Fairimon used up all her power so I could have a weapon. And if I don't do this, Dark Chaosimon might get Matt! were her thoughts as she drew the bowstring back. Sora wished she was home again and safe within Matt's arms, but that wasn't possible anymore until Dark Chaosimon was destroyed! Sora's eyes became set and she aimed for Dark Chaosimon's one eye on its head. Matt suddenly tripped as a stone crashed just inches away from him and lost his sword. "Now!" shouted Sora as she released her arrow. It flew swift and true, glowing wiht an odd light and struck its target. Dark Chaosimon screamed in pain and clutched at its eye as Matt regained his sword and ran over to Sora. "I told you to run!" he exclaimed, his eyes filled with a mixture of fear and anger. "I couldn't just leave you to die!" returned Sora passionately. "You both will die," screamed Dark Chaosimon, "if it's the last thing I do!" Sora clutched Matt in fear as Dark Chaosimon pulled out the arrow and began to claw towards them blindly. Abruptly, he stopped and smiled evilly. "Now you will die!" he shouted, beginning to glow. "Web of Destruction!" A dark cloud began to sweep towards Sora and Matt from Dark Chaosimon's now gaping mouth. "I'm sorry," shouted Sora, tears falling from her eyes. "This is my fault." "It's not your fault, Sora," answered Matt, holding her tightly. "And I will always love you!" Matt and Sora pulled together tightly and watched the cloud approaching, destroying all in its path. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ "I wish we could help them!" exclaimed Tai in agitation, watching as his friends' doom was coming inevitable at them. "This can't be happening!" whimpered Mimi, clutching Joe's arm tightly. I should have been there, thought Joe bitterly. So much for being reliable. "My son!" exclaimed Mr. Ishida, his eyes widened in terror. "Sora," cried Mrs. Takenouchi, tears coming to her eyes as she watched the cloud of death approaching her daughter. My brother's going to die! thought T.K. as Kari clung to him with wide, pain-stricken eyes. There must be something! thought Izzy desperately. Suddenly, the digivices began to vibrate and lights shot from each of them and into the computer screen. "What's going on?" exclaimed Mr. Ishida. "A good thing!" shouted Tai with a joyous grin. I just hope Matt and Sora know what to do, thought Izzy as everyone began to look hopeful again. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Matt and Sora pulled apart in surprise as light shot down around them and began to run into their weapons. Instinctively, they raised them and looked towards the storm. "Do you think it's possible?" shouted Sora hopefully. Matt grinned in answer and pointed his sword at the incoming wave. "There's only one way to find out." He closed his eyes and light from his digivice joined his sword. Almost instantly, the light from the sword shot forward and into the cloud. Sora clsoed her eyes a moment after Matt and her digivice shot light up into her arrow. Sora aimed he second arrow at the clouds and released it, energy swirling, and watched as her arrow, combined wiht Matt's beam, traveled into the dark cloud and disappeared. "It didn't work!" cried Sora in despair. Suddenly, a large crack was heard and light began to explode from within the dark cloud. Matt and Sora shielded their eyes and were engulfed in the light. When it subsided, they stared at the large crater before them with sunlight from above shining down and bathing the crater in light. "We won," whispered Sora in awe. "We won!" shouted Matt exuberantly. He caught hold of Sora and hugged her in relief, and Sora leaned up and kissed him. "I knew you could do it," said a gentle voice. The two broke apart in surprise and looked over to see a graceful female in a long gown and gentle wings standing between Gabumon and Biyomon. "You're all okay!" shouted Sora joyfully. The now larger Fairimon smiled. "Of course, Keeper. You and the Guardian destroyed Chaosimon and his powers were revoked. I am now back to my original appearance." ___________________________________________________________________________________________ A few hours later, Matt and Sora stood with Gabumon, Biyomon, Fairimon, and Gennai at Gennai's house. "Now, I have something for you before you go," said Gennai with a grin as he pulled out an envelope, which he handed to Matt and a package that he gave to Sora. "What is it?" asked Sora as she began to untie the ribbon, but was stopped by Gennai's hand. "Don't open them here. They're for when you get home," said Gennai with a chuckle. Matt grinned and then shook Gennai's hand in good-bye. "Thank you for your help, Fairimon," said Sora, going over to the fairy Digimon and giving her a quick hug. "No, thank you, Sora and Matt, for freeing my people. With Chaosimon gone, our home can become the beautiful place it once was. We will remember you both always," said Fairimon with a smile. "We'll have to come back one day and see it," said Matt, coming up behind Sora and wrapping an arm around her. "Good-bye, Sora," chirped Biyomon, looking up at Sora with bright eyes. Sora kneeled down and hugged the pink Digimon tightly. "Good-bye, Bi. I'm glad I got to see you again." "I'm glad I got to see you, too," said Biyomon. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ "Okay, Gennai is about to send them through!" exclaimed Izzy. "Get ready!" The lights went out with exception of Izzy's computer screen and everyone held their breaths. Soon, two balls of light shot out of the computer and reformed into two figures. "What happened to the light?" asked Sora's voice in confusion. "SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Sora's eyes widened as the lights were thrown on and she was faced with her friends and their parents' smiling faces. Matt grinned at her and kissed the stunned girl's forehead. "Remember when I said it looked like we were going to be late?" he whispered into her ear. Sora smiled up at him, her crimson eyes sparkling with knowing excitement as everyone crowded around them excitedly. A few hours later, Matt and Sora stood out on the balcony, holding the two gifts from Gennai. "Why don't you read the letter out loud?" asked Sora, her arm hooking through Matt's as he pulled it out of its envelope. Matt nodded in agreement and unfolded the letter, only to have an image shoot up a few inches above it and a three-inch holographic image appear. Hello, you two. To get straight down to the point, I would like to ask your permission to perform the ceremonies when you tie the knot. Don't be embarrassed! I know you'll want to wait a few years before getting married, so I thought I'd slip my card to you early. If you accept, I would also like to offer you a chance to come live here in the Digital World as my successors. I am getting old, and someone needs to come and watch the place for me when I die. Inside the box I gave to Sora is a way to return to the Digiworld. Simply place it against a computer screen while both of you are together and you can return here. Now have fun and give me a call when you're both ready! Sora quickly untied the string on the box and opened the lid. Both chuckled and looked inside the box to see two rings with engraved names. "Do you think we could?" she asked softly. Matt stepped up to her and placed a hand on her cheek with a gentle smile. "Do you?" he whispered and then leaned forward gently and kissed her. Matt pulled out Sora's ring and placed it on her finger. "For the keeper of my heart." Sora, likewise, pulled out Matt's ring and placed it on his finger. "And for the guardian of mine." THE END |