Disclaimer: I wish I owned Digimon, but I don’t. Yara’s mine, though. DOn’t sue, because I have no money with which to pay.
Rating: Hmm... Not quite G-worthy. I’d say PG, just because of the whole scenario.
Author’s notes: The initial idea for this ficcy was from a Pokemon fic: Tales From Team Rocket: Tale #3 by Blair Rocket, who’s a really good writer. You should read that fic sometime, if you’re a Pokemon person. It’s a nice read. There’s gonna be another, extremely important note at the end of this fic, so be sure to read it!

Choose

He was running as fast as he could, desperately hurrying Gabumon in front of him. Gabumon was carrying TK and Patamon, as the boy and digimon were hurt and had passed out from blood loss.

�Keep going, Gabumon,� Matt muttered to the digimon, who was lsing strength fast. �We only have about a minute left.�

Gabumon put on another short-lived burst of speed. Gasping for breath, he somehow found another reserve of energy when he spied the exit only about a hundred yards away.

Matt stumbled towards the door, feeling a dull, pounding ache in his chest from either a too-large oxygen intake or a lack thereof. �Ten seconds,� he panted. Gabumon was only a few feet from the door. He sped away in terror. He had to get TK out of there before the explosion.

�Gabumon! Matt! Hurr-� The explosion cut off Tai�s frantic shout. Gabumon and his small passenger were thrown forward by the shock waves.

Tumbling after them on the edge of the expanding flames was a tall, gangly form. The body was badly burned, and didn�t appear to be breathing. The right arm was obviously broken from the impossible angle it was splayed at.

The apparantly lifeless body belonged to Matt.

Kari screamed and buried her face in the body of the nearest person, who happened to be Izzy.

�NO!� Sora yelled, and Mimi began to sob, partly in terror and partly because she had the horrific feeling that another of her friends was dead.

The Digidestined first helped Gabumon to his feet and then crowded around TK and Patamon.

�I�ll take care of them.� Mimi tearfully volunteered. She really did not want to know if her suspicions were to be confirmed. She desperately hoped they wouldn�t be.

The others then cautiously approached Matt�s unmoving form. Joe, avoiding setting eyes upon the body, gingerly took Matt�s left wrist in his hand to check for a pulse.

~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~

Megari�s head jerked up at the sound of someone sobbing.

�Yara, what is it?� she gently asked the blonde girl.

�I failed.� she whispered.

Ronalin came over and patted Yara�s back.

�I let him die. How could I have done that?� Yara asked, not speaking to anyone in particular.

"You get to give him the choice, at least. I�m sure he�ll go with the Big Adventure.� Megari said confidently.

�You don�t know him the way I do, Meg. And this is going to go on my record, too.� Yara said unhappily. �Oh, why did Koran have to choose today as his off-day?� she wailed.

�Well, you�d better get ready. He�s almost here!� Ronalin said, alarming the blonde.

~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~

3... 2... 1...
Matt ticked the seconds off in his mind. Somewhere, in a completely calm, rational corner of that mind, he observed that he wasn�t going to make it. The rest of his brain was awash with panic, screaming at him to run, run like hell, TK needed him.

Time slowed as he heard that explosion. Several impossibly long nanoseconds passed as he felt the heat, felt the explosive force sweep him off his feet like a tidal wave and send him flying through the air, the intense pain that ripped through his body. Several more agonizing nanoseconds passed, and then it all went dark.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a warm, off-white plain. There were no walls or ceiling, but the colour surrounded him. Slowly, he looked down to find more of the stuff beneath him. It was solid enough beneath his feet now, but he wasn�t eager to take a step and find out if the solid part would continue.

�Yamato?�

Hearing his name, Matt whirled around. Standing before (previously behind) him was a girl.

No, not a girl-- an angel. She had to be. She looked human in every way... every way but one. She had huge feathery wings somehow affixed to her back.

The girl had shoulder-length blonde hair and deep blue eyes much like his own. She wore a light green T-shirt and a short dark blue denim skirt. Her legs were encased in white boots that went up to her knees.

Yara smiled gently. Matt blinked in confusion. The name Yara had just popped unbidden into his mind.

�Yes, my name is Yara.� She grinned at his bewilderment.

�Who are... Are you an angel?� Matt asked, then could�ve kicked himself for saying something so stupid, something that sounded like Tai would say it.

�Your guardian angel, to be exact,� Yara informed him. �And, for the moment, you are dead.�

�What?!� Matt yelped.

�Yes.� She looked embarrassed and... sad? �I�m sorry. I was looking after TK because his guardian took the day off to see the Boss. I had TK pegged as being in more danger at that moment. I guess I misjudged.�

�But TK is alright, right?� Matt asked, momentarily shocking her.

�Yes... or he will be, once his wounds heal. Patamon, too.� the angel answered. She hadn�t expected that question.

�Good.� Matt said.

�Um, I really don�t think you understand.� Yara said.

�If what you say is true, I�m dead. What else is there to understand?� Matt asked bluntly.

�Well, since this is my fault, you have a choice,� she held up a hand to keep him from interrupting, �between living and dying. Don�t say anthing yet!� she silenced him as he opened his mouth to speak. �You�ll find it won�t be such an easy decision to make.�

Yamato-- Matt, Yara reminded herself, was how the others referred to him-- was immediately cautious. She loved that cautiousness. It was so cute the way his eyes darkened, not revealing any emotion. Of course, she knew what he was really feeling. He had just caught her off-guard with that question about Takeru.

�What do you mean, not an easy decision?� he asked.

�There will be some positive sides to your being dead. You�ll see possible scenarios from either future,both good and bad. Your choice will be based partly on what you will see.�

Matt looked a bit confused. True, the whole deal was a bit over his head. After all, he was only about fourteen, and he was supposed to choose whether he wanted to live or to die?

�So... yeah. Right. I think I understand.� he said. �It�s pretty involved, but I think I know what I have to do. I just have a few questions.�

Yara nodded and molded the off-white into two... armchairs? Or at least he was pretty sure it had to be Yara. She sat, motioning for him to do the same. �Shoot.� she prompted once he was settled in the chair.

�First, what happens if I choose to live and if I choose to die?�

�If you choose to live, you�ll go back down there to where your friends are and when you wake, you won�t remember anything that has transpired here. If you choose death, you can either be reborn or you can go into the angel business for a while. If you do that,� Yara leaned closer conspiratorially, �I reccommend guardianship.�

Matt nodded. �And... would you please explain exactly how my death is your fault?�

�Um. Kind of a long story... But I guess we have the time, don�t we?� Yara giggled slightly. Gee, I sound smart, she thought sarcastically. �Takeru�s guardian took today off and left your brother in my care. When he got hurt, I decided he was in greater danger than you. A guardian angel can only do so much, though.� Especially when they�re inexperienced, Yara scolded herself. �I was making sure he would be all right when the reactor exploded. I was so sure you would make it out of there in time. I didn�t realize how exhausted you really were. I wasn�t able to get to you in time, so it is my fault. That all?� Yara asked.

�Well... do you get to choose whose guardian you are if you become a guardian angel?�

Yara frowned briefly. He seened too interested in this guardian angel business. If he chose that, it was quite possible that she would never see him again, and that was the last thing she wanted. �Well, there are a limited amount of possible charges, but you can usually choose between them.�

�Right. Well, don�t you have to show me some futures?� With these words, he brought Yara�s consciousness back on track.

God, this was embarrassing. The guy she was supposed to be the guardian angel of had effectively gotten her off the subject, then yanked her right back �down to earth.� He�d be a heartbreaker back on earth, if he could get under her ethereal skin like this. If he chose to tough out the future, that is.

Yara felt herself blush. She was supposed to be a guardian angel! �Yeah. The future. What do you want to see first, live or die?�

�I�ll go with death for 600, Alex,� Matt joked, but Yara could tell that he was dead serious. (callisto: pun not totally intended. ^_^) Dead serious-- bad description. It sent Yara�s mind spinning off with the possibility that he might choose death.

�Right. I�ll start with the slide show.�

��Slide show�?� he asked.

�You�ll see.� Yara raised one of her arms and a screen rose out of the off-white. An image appeared on the screen. It was TK, and he was sobbing. The image changed to one of TK and Angemon standing before an unknown foe. The other digidestined digimon appeared to be unable to fight. The images flicked past on the screen, each one more positive than the last, until the final �slide.� It showed his parents at the altar of a church, getting married once again.

Matt smiled inadvertantly. Yara was suddenly aware that she was watching him rapturously... and that she was blushing.

No! This wasn�t right. She was his guardian angel, for goodness� sake! She knew it had happened before, but she hadn�t thought it might happen to her. She couldn�t be falling in love... not with Yamato. No, no, no, no, no.

�Time for a sneak preview. Which slide would you like to see in 3-D?� Yara asked, determined to stay grounded in reality, at least for now.

Matt chewed on his lower lip. �The last one,� he said finally. Suddenly he found himself inside a church, the same church from the �slide.� HIs parents were up at the altar taking their vows for the second time. The scene seemed to speed up. TK, as ring bearer, presented the rings to his parents. There was more talk, but Matt didn�t catch it because of the fast-forward quality. Finally, his parents kissed. The scene froze. His surroundings disappeared, leaving him sitting in the off-white void across from the blonde guardian angel.

�Why did it speed up like that?� Matt demanded.

�It sensed your impatience and compensated. It does that.� Or so I�ve heard. she added silently. �Shall we move on to what may happen if you choose to live?� Yara had to be careful about what she said. She couldn�t make the tiniest slip of her own opinion and risk being transferred.

�Why not? Another slide show?� Matt predicted. Yara nodded and directed his attention to the screen.

The first image Matt saw was of himself, burnt and broken, convulsed with pain. The next was himself again, his arm in a sling, cowering before an unseen enemy, Gabumon lying unconscious at his feet. This sort of image was what constituted the next few �slides,� but after that they were of TK laughing because Matt was tickling him, Gatomon and Mimi singing an impromptu, improv blues duet as he played his harmonica, himself teaching TK to play said harmonica, playing chess with Joe (and beating him, too), letting TK beat him at a video game, grinning challengingly at Tai, riding Garurumon through the forest with TK clinging to his waist, happy things like that. Then, slowly, they transitioned to a different type of image. It became quite obvious that the images were no longer in the Digiworld. Some of the ones still in the Digiworld had a girl with flashy auburn hair, and most of the ones that took place in his world, the �real world,� had her in them too. More than a few of them showed him kissing the girl. In a few slides, he was older, but the auburn haired woman was still there. As the slide show continued, he saw himself... proposing to her? Then, they were back in the Digiworld. He was himself enveloping Gabumon in a giant bear hug; Gatomon, sitting on his shoulder, kissing his cheek; himself diving into a glowing light, hand outstretched, panic on his face; MetalGarurumon standing next to him, launching a Metal Wolf Claw attack on a giant, gray, wolf-looking monster; himself holding the auburn-haired woman, who was in tears. The show flicked to an end.

�What clip from your possible future should I show you, Yamato?� Yara asked, causing Matt to jump. He had forgotten she was there.

�Uhmm... how about that one with me and the redhead in the.. what was it, a bar?� Matt suggested. The image appeared on the screen.

�Was this it?� Yara asked him.

�Yeah, that one.� Matt confirmed. Immediately, the blank off-white shifted into a room, a bar, really. He heard the rain outside, heard the raucous laughter of a man at the counter, smelled the cigarette smoke that floated in a haze around the room.

That�s when it hit Matt that the face of the auburn-haired girl in the images was incredibly familiar, but he couldn�t think of who she could be.

He saw himself and the woman walking through the doorway into the bar, slightly soaking. Yamato (let�s call the older one Yamato and the younger one Matt) wrinkled his nose at the cigarette smoke, and the woman coughed a little.

�Can we use your phone?� Matt watched the older version of himself in fascination as he asked that question of the bartender.

�Go ahead.� the bartender replied, pointing to the phone.

�Thanks,� Yamato said. He walked over to the phone and dialled the number. Matt recognized it as the number of the towing company his father used, and turned his attention from his future self-- possible future self, Matt reminded himself-- to the woman, as there was nothing interesting about the phone call.

�Hey there, kitten,� one of the guys at the bar said to her. He was probably drunk. She ignored him.

�Think that pair of legs over there can talk?� the man asked his friend.

The woman narrowed her eyes. �Would you care to repeat that a little louder? I don�t think I heard you correctly.� she said, taking a threatening step closer. Of course, with her tall, voluptuous build and the facts that she was soaked, so her clothes were clinging to her body, and that the guys were drunk, it probably looked like an inticing movement.

�Listen, sweetie, if I were you, I wouldn�t keep talking like that unless I was asking for a spanking. Got that, doll?� the jerk asked her.

�No. I don�t plan to let you treat me like a thing made to please you. And anyway, I�m taken, asshole.� the woman said.

�That so?� Drunk Guy asked.

�Isn�t that cute? She�s a feminist.� Drunk Guy�s friend commented sneeringly.

By this time, Yamato was done with the phone. He grabbed the woman�s wrist. �Come on, Brigitte. We�ll wait for the tow truck in the car.� he said, glaring daggers at the two bar thugs.

Brigitte. Matt racked his brain for any reccollection of the name. However, he was unable to find anything but for the fact that he knew the name and the face that went along with it. He just couldn�t figure out where he knew her from.

�Yamato,� Brigitte began.

�Aww, you�re not taking the feisty little fox away, are ya?� the first guy asked.

Yamato grit his teeth. �Brigitte, let�s leave before I have to rough them up.�

Brigitte nodded and started for the door, when Drunk Guy�s equally drunk friend stepped in front of her. Brigitte kicked his shin without missing a step. He just grinned like a jack-o�-lantern.

Yamato stepped forward and punched Friend-of-Drunk-Guy�s jaw, then shoved him aside and held the door open for Brigitte. She stepped out into the rain and Yamato followed, and the scene froze and melted away, leaving Matt sitting, again, across from the angel in the blank almost-white space.

�Now�s when you make the hard choice, Yamato,� Yara said.

�I choose...�

~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~

Joe looked up at the rest of the group. �He�s

~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~

I know I didn�t finish it. That�s the whole purpose. I want other people to finish the story for me. What will Matt choose? How does everyone take this news, including Yara? I have my own idea, and I�ll write it.. eventually... but I want to hear what everyone else has to say first. E-mail your continuation to me at [email protected] in html or text format, or just type the entire thing into an e-mail, no *.doc�s please, I have an iMac. I�ll post it on my webpage unless you specifically say that you don�t want me to. In my posting a fanfiction, I have every right to correct the machanics and grammar in a story, so don�t be offended if your story doesn�t end up exactly the way you wrote it. Tralala. My page/site thing is at http://www.geocities.com/roquette546/index.html

Thanks!

Callisto