He hadn’t even gotten his foot in the door. He had just started talking with Cody, chatting things up like he always does. But now, less than a minute later- everything just got thrown for a loop. His friend, flatmate, and guy who paid half the rent on the apartment- was lying unconscious on the floor. How was Kintaro supposed to deal with that? He was shocked. Tai was supposed to be among friends. Kintaro reacted to it the only way he knew how to.

"So, anything interesting happen yet?" Kintaro asked a very shocked Tareshi, in his usual carefree tone.

"I think this qualifies as interesting." Tareshi wasn’t sure why Matt punched Tai. But Matt had quietly resigned himself to the drinks table, and there was no way Tareshi was going to interrogate his wife’s ex after something like this. What was even more unfortunate was that Chi had witnessed it all, and stood next to his father, also looking for answers. Of course, Kintaro was continuing the conversation.

"So what kind of party is this, anyway? Everybody here seems all mopy." Tareshi nodded.

"I don’t know… and I’m not going to ask Matt anytime soon."

"And not just him- who are the guys with the cell phones? And how about those two chasing one of ‘em?" Kintaro was referring to Joe and Koushiro, the former talking again with his lawyers, the latter doing his business stuff. Ken and Yolei had apparently gotten enough courage to start the talks with Koushiro… if he’d ever get off the damn phone.

"Joe and heh… Izzy." Tareshi used the name playfully, "One’s in legal trouble, the other’s in charge of a big software company. My question is what Mimi’s going to say to Matt when she decides to talk to him." Sure enough, Mimi was pacing around behind Matt, waiting for him to finish his drink so she could tear into him.

"Why isn’t anybody having fun?" Chi even seemed concerned. Tareshi patted the top of his head.

"I’m… I’m having fun." Tareshi said it to cheer Chi up, whether he meant it or not. Kintaro was slightly more reassuring when he turned to Chi.

"I’m having fun. I just got here, this party is mine to bring to life. How about you?"

"Yeah." Chi smiled.

"By the way- who are you?" Kintaro realized he had no clue who’s kid this was.

"Chi Takoto. Nice meeting you." Chi and Kintaro shook hands.

"You too. But the point remains- this is a digi-destined reunion. And the only people that are enjoying it aren’t digi-destined. Chi- we’re going to change that."

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Tareshi was smiling, curious.

"Simple- I’m going to become a digi-destined." Tareshi looked at him oddly. Kintaro was all too serious, as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of goggles. He strapped them on his head. Chi started laughing. "I’m all set. You with me?" Chi smiled.

"Sure. As a digi-destined-half, I’ll help out however possible."

"Good, ‘cause I need a Digimon partner. You ready Chi-mon?"

"Let’s go!" Tareshi merely shook his head as Chi and Kintaro rushed out to greet the real digi-destined. But they quickly stopped.

"So… Chi-mon… what are we supposed to do now?"

"I don’t know."

Matt was not concerned that he had just punched Tai. After all, it was what he said he’d do. What he didn’t count on was Sora’s little revelation. Matt didn’t want to think of the whole incident as consensual. He didn’t want to think Sora willfully agreed to it, that she played along with it… that she enjoyed it. To hear her say that was devastating. Matt knew that it was over between him and Sora, but now she suddenly "isn’t sure" where she stands with Tai? He didn’t want to look at Sora as the kind of person who would break her vows like that. Of course, it was not Sora who angrily planted a hand on the table… it was Mimi. The other "ex."

"So it’s suddenly my fault that your band went downhill?" Mimi was angry. Matt started by shrugging it off, not all that concerned with anything not about Sora. However, once he let Mimi’s words sink in, he immediately turned around, confused.

"What are you talking about? When did I say…?"

"Never! And that’s the problem! You’re blaming me for your own damn problems, and you don’t even have the balls to say it to my face!" Matt stood up.

"When did I say that? I never said that you…"

"Sora told me! You said that I was the reason that your band went to pot! I can’t believe you- how am I suddenly responsible for your career!?" Matt was more concerned with what she said first. And he was angry as well.

"Sora said that? I didn’t say that to her. Sora is a lying, cheating, bitch!!" He said it just loud enough for everybody in the room to hear it… save for Koushiro on the cell phone. Sora had naturally heard it too. She didn’t know how to react. She just walked over to Tareshi, who was equally confused.

"Sora… you’ve got weird friends." Tareshi was not the greatest consoler on Earth.

"These people aren’t friends any more." Sora had just about had enough.

Ken and Yolei were trying to be patient, but it seemed like nothing was going to disturb this cell phone conversation. Koushiro was walking around, oblivious to his former associates next to him. He headed out into the terrace. Ken and Yolei followed. But it wasn’t they that finally got Koushiro’s attention.

"Holy shit… what happened to him?" Koushiro couldn’t help but be surprised at the sight of Tai, slowly being revived by Kari, TK, and Cody. Despite his cold exterior, seeing the leader down was still too much. Koushiro returned to his call, "No, not you. I’m gonna have to call you back, okay?" Ken and Yolei finally saw their opportunity, and Yolei extended a hand to begin the argument. Koushiro ended the argument before it began, placing the phone in her hand. He gave a sly smile.

"Here," He started, "Call it alimony." Koushiro chuckled and returned his attention to Tai. TK was immediately surprised.

"What, don’t tell me you care about him."

"Look, I don’t give a rats ass about all you other kids, but I apologize… you don’t hit the leader." TK scoffed, not believing it for a second.

"He should be fine. Thanks for your concern, Izzy, but he’ll be alright." Kari’s words were true, as Tai was slowly coming to. Koushiro cracked a smile. It was still his business smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"Well, it’s nice to see the brute didn’t take it all out of you. I’d hate to say it, but if there’s anybody I still have some respect for in this whole circus, it’s you Tai." Tai smiled.

"Good to hear it Izzy." For a second, it seemed like Tai’s words had gotten through to Koushiro, until Koushiro frowned.

"The name’s Koushiro." And that was the end of that, as Koushiro turned around to continue his phone call. Unfortunately, he was met face to face with Ken and Yolei… the latter of which threw the cell phone over the railing and into the night. They meant business, and there was no escape for the businessman himself.

"Uh…" Tai turned to TK, Kari, and Cody, "You three should get out of here. This could get ugly." The three observers nodded and left, while Tai stayed, "I’ll just stay here to make sure only the phone gets tossed overboard."

Davis couldn’t help but laugh at Kintaro and "Chi-mon" as they approached. Especially with Kintaro and the goggles. Even if Kintaro was trying to impersonate Davis, Davis knew that he had made drastic improvements from the old days. But with Chi, there was something more important to deal with.

"Hey, Chi! Can I talk to you for a sec?" Both Chi and Kintaro came over. Davis noted Kintaro’s goggles, "Nice goggles. They look good on you. But still…" Davis had brought them. Just in case. It was a good thing he remembered to bring them. Kintaro and Chi looked at the goggles as if they were some sort of artifact. Davis continued, "They ain’t no match for the goggles."

"Whoa." Kintaro and Chi were both equally in awe.

"Tai gave these to me because I was the leader of the new group. The next generation of digi-destined. Now I know we don’t have to save the world anymore. But it’s only right that I do the same." Davis slowly handed them over to Chi. Chi was hesitant in taking them.

"Why me? I’m… I’m only a digi-destined half."

"Close enough. You’re the next generation of digi-destined. And right now I’m looking around this room, and I don’t know how many more there’s gonna be of you." Davis glanced over at TK and Kari, and reverted back to Chi, "And I don’t wanna think about it either. But no matter if there’s no more or nine more- you’re the oldest. And that makes you the leader. So you get the goggles." Chi was on cloud nine, and slowly put them on. He was starting to like this party. Until his mother rained down on his parade.

"Chi, what are you doing?" As soon as Sora saw him put on the goggles, she couldn’t take it. She didn’t want anything that reminded her of the digi-destined. She just wanted to leave and remove all ties to the other eleven. Even Tareshi couldn’t argue with her request after what Matt said about his wife. Sora quickly took the goggles off and tossed them to the floor. Mercifully they didn’t break, but for all Sora cared- they could have.

"Mom! Where are we going?" Chi didn’t know what Sora’s problem was.

"Chi, we’re leaving. Now." Sora had had enough. It was over.

"No." Chi stopped. He hadn’t had enough. He wanted more, "I want to talk to Davis. I’m the leader of the next generation of digi-destined. I can’t leave now!" As much as Sora wanted to, she couldn’t refuse. This somehow meant a lot to Chi, and Sora didn’t want to take it away from him. She slowly relented.

"Okay. Maybe we can stay a little longer." Chi smiled and went off to find more fun. Sora shook her head. This was all Davis’s fault for pumping him full of glorified nonsense. She looked at Davis as he picked up the goggles. He seemed seriously disappointed. But Sora didn’t really care.

It was a good thing that Tai was there- given the argument going on between Ken, Yolei, and Koushiro, somebody was liable to throw somebody over the railing. It was heated, but Koushiro seemed to be rolling with the punches, the sly smile still present on his face. The argument had drifted to the event leading to Ken and Yolei’s breakup. Surely that couldn’t be Koushiro’s fault.

"As I said a million times, Kenny, I would have stopped her if she went too far." Koushiro knew that he couldn’t keep this pace up forever. Did he feel guilty about what he did to Yolei during the last years of the marriage? Most certainly. But he couldn’t say it to her. Especially not with Ken around. Koushiro didn’t lose. And he wasn’t about to lose to his former business partner, nor to his former wife.

"You said you had feelings for Yolei. And if you married her later, you certainly must have had something. So what was stopping you from going all the way if she was drunk enough?" Ken was particularly agitated- this guy was harder to take down than expected.

"Look, regardless of what I do on the job, I am still a gentleman, Ken." Koushiro hated this question, and this was his only defense for it. Fortunately, he could make it bite back, "I’m not going to take advantage of somebody, regardless of what they do. We’re both ‘gentlemen,’ Ken. The only difference is that I’m capable of actually playing serious hardball in the business world. It’s a rough place, and gentlemen aren’t allowed. You never did understand that. Point is, when I’m with Yolei, I have no reason to be aggressive… and I definitely wouldn’t have slept with her."

"Bullshit!" Tai couldn’t take it anymore. He was tired of Koushiro’s take on the topic, and he was going to have to take matters into his own hands, "Ken, Yolei, could you go back inside for a second. I have to talk to Koush’ for a second." Ken and Yolei slowly relented, and Tai stood up and walked up to Koushiro. He was of the utmost seriousness, "So you think you would’ve stopped, eh?"

Kintaro’s little Davis impersonation didn’t last long after Davis’s little speech. Kintaro wasn’t about to make fun of him after that. So he was left looking for some other way to liven things up. Not that he needed to- he could hear the argument going on in the terrace. It seemed to calm down for a second, and Ken and Yolei walked back inside.

"Might as well see what the hub-bub’s about." He said to himself and went to talk to them. Not just because he was curious- there was also the possibility he could score some points with Yolei! But before he could set out to try to get Yolei’s name in his "black book of records," he had to figure out what was going on. As it turns out, Cody was trying to do the same.

"How are things going with you?" Cody was obviously looking for good news, but hadn’t received much here.

"I don’t know. We just can’t get through to him. Tai’s talking to him now." Ken appeared dismayed.

"This was a bad idea. I didn’t realize things were this bad, and now it’s only getting worse. Mimi’s mad at Matt, Matt’s mad at Sora, Sora’s mad at everybody- when’s it going to end?" Kintaro understood Cody. He had had his share of nightmare parties before.

"So what’s Tai and Izzy talking about?" Kintaro was only pretending that he knew who Izzy was. He just heard the name from Tareshi.

"We were talking about whether or not Izzy would take advantage of Yolei. Izzy said he wouldn’t, but Tai stepped in for some reason." Ken explained it best he could. Kintaro started laughing.

"Oh, like Tai’s one to talk!" Kintaro got strange looks from Ken, Yolei, and Cody, but knew that he couldn’t go further, "Wait- sorry… I’m sworn to secrecy. My lips are sealed."

"Did Tai and Sora have an affair?" Kintaro’s lips may have been sealed, but Cody could put two and two together. Between that comment, Kintaro’s remarks a couple weeks prior about Tai not being stopped by marriage, Matt punching Tai, and Tai and Sora’s general avoidance of each other- it was painfully clear.

"Cody!" Well, not clear to Ken, who reprimanded Cody for suggesting it.

"Hey, you’re pretty good!" Kintaro was impressed by Cody’s detective skills.

"They did?" Yolei was astonished, "When?"

"About nine years ago. They hadn’t talked to each other since." Yolei and Ken were obviously shocked. Cody was upset as well.

"I can’t believe that Tai would do such a thing." Kintaro nodded at Cody’s remark.

"No kidding. I mean, I’m not Mr. Morals or anything, but marriage is supposed to be something special. I’ve done some pretty strange stuff before, but that just seems wrong to me." Kintaro had this on his mind for a long time, but he never said it in public, "I dunno, I’m not going to judge Tai or anything… but I don’t want to be stuck in the same group of people who would do that sort of thing." Kintaro looked up. Ken was thinking about those words, Cody was simply shaking his head. Yolei was barely listening. She was trying to catch a glimpse of Tai on the terrace.

"So you still have respect for me?" Tai looked at Koushiro, both leaning over the railing.

"A little. Don’t think I’m kissing your ass or anything, but we went through a lot of crazy shit back there and I can’t deny the fact that you did a good job." Tai smiled.

"So in terms of being ‘gentlemen,’ you’d rank us about equally."

"Of course." Tai nodded.

"You wouldn’t have stopped."

"Excuse me?" Koushiro was surprised by the sudden change of topic.

"A girl you have feelings for is kissing you- it doesn’t matter how much you know it’s wrong. If there’s love there, you wouldn’t stop." Tai was reflecting on his own situation. If any good could come out of the nightmare with Sora, Tai would like to see it. Maybe it could scare Izzy straight.

"Tai, please, I wouldn’t do something like that to…"

"No? There was certainly love there. You married Yolei afterwards. So you can’t deny that you had feelings for her."

"That’s irrelevant. I wouldn’t have done it, Tai. You should understand that."

"Izz… or Koushiro… I would’ve said the same thing. But when it happened to me, I didn’t stop. I couldn’t." Tai looked over at Koushiro, "At least you were lucky enough to have somebody interrupt before anything happened." Koushiro was shocked, "I wasn’t lucky enough… and I almost ruined Sora’s life." If Tai was trying to lower Koushiro’s defenses, it worked.

"You… Tai, I can’t believe… you slept with Sora?" Tai slowly nodded. Koushiro didn’t know what to make of that, "But I never would have…"

"Sometimes your heart overrules your brain." Tai took a good look at Koushiro, "Sometimes that’s a good thing, sometimes that’s a bad thing. But if there’s any situation where it would happen, that night with Yolei would be it." Koushiro was in disbelief. He was really shocked by it all, he was even finding himself short of breath.

"If you… of all people couldn’t stop then… why would I? Why would anybody… but I wouldn’t do that to Yolei. I…" Unfortunately, Tai had no choice but to drive it home.

"No. You’d rather ignore her for a year while you go off and try to take down a heartless bastard by becoming one yourself?" The stake was through the heart.

"You’re right… you’re always right… I’ve… I’ve…" Koushiro was starting to lose it. Everything was exploding in his face. His business had been on his mind 24/7 ever since the phone call. For a split second, Tai was able to make him forget about it. And it was enough to tear him apart.

Tai knew he had to do it, but it almost worked too well. While he wanted Koushiro to see what he had been doing to his friends, he didn’t want to trigger a full-on nervous breakdown. Koushiro bent over. He looked like he had trouble breathing. Where five minutes ago he was hating the heartless bastard, now Tai was obligated to help him. It may have been Tai that pushed Koushiro off the cliff, but Tai was also the one that had to catch him.

"Hey Izzy, just take it easy, here have a seat." Tai helped Koushiro get into a chair nearby. He was shocked and mortified at everything he had done. "Izzy, you okay?" No response. "Koushiro?"

"Koushiro, who’s Koushiro? Who’s Izzy? Who am I? I don’t think I know anymore…" Whoever he was, he was looking bad. Tai’s words worked a little too well.

"Here, um… uh…" Fortunately, the cavalry was arriving. Yolei had joined him on the terrace. Ken was cautiously waiting behind her. Tai went up to her, "Yolei, I don’t know what happened… he…" But Yolei was silent. She couldn’t believe that the man standing before her would have an affair with a married woman. At the moment, she wasn’t looking at Tai Kamiya… she was looking at Megane. And she slapped Megane across the face before continuing towards Koushiro. All in all, it left a very stunned Tai, who rubbed his face and sighed.

"This isn’t my day." Tai walked back inside, and was face-to-face with Cody.

"Tai- we need to talk." Tai sighed audibly. What was next?

"What is it Cody, do you want a piece of me now?" Having been punched by Matt and slapped by Yolei, nothing could surprise him.

"Conference room. Now." Cody sounded like he was the leader talking to the youngest in the pack, rather than it being the other way around.

Had Cody picked up on the secret as well? It was slightly unusual for Cody to be bossing Tai around. But everything was slightly unusual today. Cody quietly shut the door behind him and turned to Tai.

"It’s over."

"What do you mean?"

"Us. As a group. It’s over. We hate each other now." Tai didn’t want to go that far, but he couldn’t say it was wrong.

"Well, I’m sorry Cody. That’s just how it works. Things happen, you know? You can’t expect us all to stay innocent children forever. Don’t tell me you haven’t done something stupid in your life."

"Look, Tai, I’m not going to go and say I’m perfect. I’m not, but I just don’t understand why we’re doing this to each other! We’re supposed to be a group!" Cody was growing frustrated at just about everything. He had to let it out somehow. Unfortunately, Tai had no answer for that. And it was true- this wasn’t the act of some outside force tearing the digi-destined apart- it was themselves.

"I don’t know what to say. Now you know why I stopped this. Sometimes it’s just better to leave things as is."

"Do you honestly believe that Tai?! Do you honestly believe that I should just sit here and let everybody’s lives go to hell?! We’ve done way too much together to be torn apart like this. Especially if it’s all because of us. Don’t say we should just let everybody live miserably." Cody was angry with Tai. It seemed like nobody was seeing the point.

"I was perfectly content living miserably until you made me go to this stupid reunion." It was partially true- Tai was more than willing to forget about the incident with Sora, shove it in the back of his memory, and live life normally. But now he was here, getting punched, getting slapped, and sending people into nervous breakdowns. Come to think of it- why did he care how Izzy acted?

"Well fine then… if that’s how it’s going to be." Cody was finished. He wasn’t going to win. This reunion was a disaster, and Cody should never have done it in the first place. He wanted to see his friends, and he saw them for exactly what they were- a bunch of uncaring, selfish adults who have illicit affairs, act like heartless bastards, and let jealously control them. The digi-destined were through. "Fuck it."

"Excuse me?"

"I said fuck it. Nobody else wants to be here, and if everybody’s going to stop caring about what we’ve accomplished, then it’s not worth it any more. I spent so much on this one night, and this is how you all repay me. So if that’s the way you’re all going to treat your fellow digi-destined, then fuck it. I’m leaving." Tai hated to hear that, and he didn’t want to believe it himself. But it was true. Tai himself had done his share of the damage. And for all he know, it was too late to turn back.

"It’s a rough world." Tai was solemn. He realized what Cody put into this. The effort he made to make sure everybody was present. How was he to know it would end like this? But it was the end, and Cody had to understand that. So as to prevent any more problems.

"Tai…" Cody was about to head out, but stopped just short of the door, "if this is such a rough world…" Cody turned back to Tai and looked him in the eyes, "Then why did we all bother saving it in the first place?" Cody’s last words struck true. Tai didn’t have an answer for it. This wasn’t just a group. This wasn’t just a team. It wasn’t about twelve friends- it was about twelve people who worked together to save the world. And that regardless of age, and regardless of innocence, these twelve were standing up for all that was right. And now they were obsessed with all that was wrong. Even if Tai was partially responsible for letting this happen, he also knew that he couldn’t let it continue. It was an obligation. Cody tried, but couldn’t do it. But now it was Tai’s turn. And Tai wasn’t going to give up until all twelve were together again. He knew that he would have to face his own problems as well someday. Somehow, he always did. As Tai stepped out of the conference room, he saw Cody walk through the exit. He may have been gone, but his original attitude of the digi-destined was still there. Cody had a dream; it was up to Tai to make it come true.

By now, Kari had to see for herself what had happened to Izzy. While Davis and TK were still inside mingling, she had the opportunity to see what her brother did to Izzy. And Tai certainly did a number on him, as he was obviously in some sort of depression. Yolei and Ken were trying to figure out what to say to him when Kari joined them. Ken immediately walked up to her.

"Um, Kari? I don’t know what Tai said to Izzy, but he’s not looking too good because of it. So is there anything you could say to him to make him feel better?"

"I’ll see what I can do." Yolei wasn’t looking good either. She didn’t feel bad because of what Tai did to Izzy. She was angry with herself. As soon as she saw the look on Izzy’s face: the weak, shocked, and desperate face, she could no longer hate him. And that was the problem- she had always dreamed of bringing that bastard down. He was definitely down now, but by the time Yolei got to him he wasn’t a bastard.

"Izzy? Are you feeling okay?" Izzy was definitely not feeling okay, but Kari had to ask.

"I don’t deserve to feel okay… I don’t deserve your pity… I don’t deserve anything." He was staring into space, blankly mumbling. Kari could see that he was finally staring all the things he had done in the face, and didn’t like what he saw. Kari knew that she couldn’t deal with something as serious as this. But after glancing at Ken, she knew the person that could.

"I’m going to get Davis. He’s better with this kind of stuff. Right Ken?" Kari flashed a quick smile. In a second, Ken knew what she was referring to, and returned the smile, then turned to Izzy.

"Izzy, you’re going to be fine."

Tai wasn’t ready to deal with Sora. Not quite yet. He was perfectly content letting Sora sit off to the side with Tareshi, while their son goofed off with Davis. No, the first challenge for Tai was going to be somewhat simpler, but still wasn’t setting the bar low by any means. Matt had been sitting quietly by the beverage table, and was pretty easy to find.

"Hey Matt." Matt glanced at Tai, then reverted his eyes. He wasn’t in the mood for company.

"Hey Tai." Tai sat down.

"So I, uh… guess you found out about me and Sora." Matt nodded.

"Now I wish I hadn’t. Of all people, why did she have to tell me? I don’t care about her anymore, why’d she have to pour her heart out to me?"

"I had a feeling she told you, if you heard the story fairly you wouldn’t have hit me."

"No, I’d have hit you anyway… but now that she started defending you, and thinking it wasn’t all your fault… I’m about ready to hit her too."

"Wait- what’s this about defending me?" Sora certainly wasn’t defending Tai the day after it happened.

"She said something about it being consensual and it happening for a reason. I just…" Matt didn’t want to continue along those lines and changed the subject, "And then she says something to get Mimi pissed at me. Just… just a bitch." Tai nodded.

"No argument here. She didn’t say anything about it being consensual the next morning. She was acting like I fucking raped her." Tai tried to catch himself. He couldn’t let this dominate him. He had to try to turn it around, "But still- I’m starting to think now that the only way any of us will ever really be happy again is if we all fix our problems. And tonight’s as good a time to do it as any. Cody made me realize that we were more than just friends, we were teammates… we were soldiers fighting for good. So why are we so bad now?" Matt was nodding, taking all of this in, "I don’t think we can really live with ourselves unless we find someway to become friends again."

"You know, I’d hate to say it but I think you’re right. We’ve been through a hell of a lot. So I guess we should both patch things up with Sora. Even if she agreed to it… even if she enjoyed it… it’s still at least fifty percent your fault no matter what."

"That’s the spirit, Matt."

"I guess I’ll apologize to Sora… and I’ll even try to help you and Sora put everything behind you. I've come to realize that there’s only one thing worse than seeing you and Sora as lovers… and that’s seeing you and Sora as enemies."

"Thanks. Tell you what, I’ll even things up." Tai turned away from the table and summoned two others over, "Mimi! Joe! Matt wants to talk to you!"

"Tai… what are you doing?" Tai smiled.

"You aren’t immune from all this either. C’mon, I help you fix things with Mimi, you help me fix things with Sora. Deal?" Matt looked over at Mimi and Joe, both still a bit miffed, but heading Matt’s way. Matt didn’t have much of a choice.

"Deal."

"So the way I see it, as long as you’re willing to make up for it and apologize, there isn’t a problem. Right?" Davis had seen this all before, but looking at Ken now gave Davis the confidence he needed to get Izzy back on the right track.

"I uh… I guess. But how can I make up for it?"

"I don’t know… you can worry about that later. Right now, apologizing is a good start. Because I know Ken’s willing to forgive you, and I know Yolei’s willing to forgive you." Davis turned to Ken and Yolei, "Right?"

"Right. Izzy, all three of us have done something wrong at one point in all this. I’m willing to try to put it behind us if you are." Ken was visibly willing to forgive, but Yolei wasn’t so sure. Although the incident which broke up Ken and Yolei was because of all three of them, the disastrous marriage was mostly Izzy’s fault, and Yolei wasn’t sure how forgiving she could honestly be.

"Yolei…" Izzy was quiet, almost crying, "I’m sorry." Yolei remained silent. Was she willing to forgive him this easily? Before she could decide, Davis elbowed her in the ribs.

"Davis!!" Yolei was caught off guard.

"Well?" Davis was smiling, "You know what you want to say." Yolei took another look at Izzy. If he felt this bad about what he had done, he had to be sincerely sorry.

"It’s okay Izzy." It was a start. And that’s all that was needed for the time being.

"All I said was that things haven’t been the same since you left." Tai had gotten Mimi to calm down, and Matt was explaining things to her, "It’s true that things have gone downhill, but I don’t blame you for it. I guess it’s just not as fun anymore. When you were with me, we had a blast, and even if we weren’t really together, it was still nice to have somebody to share the good times with. I just… wasn’t ready to give it up yet." Mimi seemed to understand. Joe understood even more. Despite his success in the field, he was never really happy until Mimi re-entered his life. Real relationship or not, Mimi was Matt’s someone to share success with.

"How happy are you now?" Joe asked Matt.

"I don’t know. I’m missing something. I don’t know what it is."

"You know, I feel the same way. Between this lawsuit and the neighbors, I think something’s missing too."

"Well, I can think of a way for all three of us to find that missing something." Mimi smiled. She didn’t want to be mad at Matt anymore, "I’ll um… tell you later." Matt was confused, but nodded. Joe wasn’t sure what his wife was getting at, as he had already found what he was looking for. As soon as he saw it, it was clear what Joe needed to make his life happier. He was always hesitant before, but this reunion made it clear what else Joe needed in life.

"Sora… I know you don’t want to be here. But you are. Chi doesn’t want to leave yet, and I don’t want to have to drag him out of here." Tareshi couldn’t understand why Sora was acting like this, "But what is stopping you from having a good time here? What happened to everybody?"

"I… I don’t know." Sora was tired of everything. She didn’t want to answer questions.

"I’m serious. Sora, I’m worried about you. What’s going on with Matt? He punched Tai, and you know what he said. Why is he doing this? And I’ve noticed that you haven’t even talked to Tai. All I want to know is what’s going on." Sora still didn’t want to say anything. She stood up and started to walk away. Tareshi shook his head, but he knew that he couldn’t take this lying down. His wife was going through some sort of a problem, and no matter how much he disliked hearing about the problems of others, he had to help his wife, no matter what. He stood up and grabbed her arm.

"Sora. I’m serious. I need to know what’s going on." Sora shed a few tears, shook Tareshi’s hand away, and walked off into the conference room. She just wanted to be left alone. And Tareshi was still in the dark. Matt walked up to him. Matt had just made up with Mimi and Joe, and Tai had gone to check up on Izzy. Having just witnessed the situation, he decided that it was a good time to work on Sora. Tareshi was very passive, and was slightly scared of Matt as well.

"Mind if, uh… I talk to her? I need to apologize."

"Uh, sure…" Tareshi smiled goofily. He didn’t want to make Matt mad. Matt walked up towards the door, and managed to catch Tai, walking in from the terrace. Instead of entering the conference room, Matt turned to Tai.

"Man, I did a number on Izzy."

"Great Tai, I don’t care. I think I found a way for you to make up with Sora." Tai didn’t quite believe that Matt had some sort of quick-fix.

"Really? What is it?" Matt looked around.

"I uh… can’t tell you here. Not with everybody else around. Let’s go in the conference room."

"Um. Okay." Matt and Tai walked over to the room’s entrance. Matt smiled and motioned for Tai to go in first.

"Ladies first!"

"Shut up." Tai went inside. And Matt slammed the door behind him. It didn’t take long for Tai to figure out what was going on, "MATT!!" Matt was finally returning the favor. He was very uncomfortable at the idea of Tai and Sora together, but he couldn’t stand them not getting along. This technique worked last time. Of course, now that Matt thought about it, wouldn’t Tai have felt similar when he was standing outside that classroom? If Tai had these feelings for Sora all along, wouldn’t he hope for a breakup so he could get Sora on the rebound? Regardless of his own feelings, Tai made sure that Sora and Matt made up, and Matt was going to make sure that Sora and Tai made up.

Davis had made quite a bit of progress. He was talking openly with Izzy, and Izzy was responding. Davis was quite set on making Izzy confident that his friends would forgive him. It started to work. Unfortunately, there was one thing on Izzy’s mind that Davis had no answer for.

"So what should I do with all the money I have? I don’t deserve it…"

"Uh…." This never came up when Ken acted like this years ago. But it was Ken that stepped up with an answer.

"Look Izzy, I’m not going to say that what you did was good. But you did turn the company into something huge. And you profited heavily off of it. That had always been a dream of mine. Like it or not… deserve it or not… you’re loaded. But that’s only a problem if you let it go to your head." It was Ken’s turn to help his former business partner, so Yolei seized the opportunity and turned to Davis.

"Davis? Can I talk to you inside?"

"Sure. Ken, you okay with Izzy?" Davis replied.

"Yeah. I can handle this." With Ken’s approval, Davis and Yolei went back inside.

"Davis, I just wanted to thank you for helping us." Yolei was very sincere. She knew that Davis was going through a lot, but still managed to fix Izzy when he was broke.

"Hey, it’s no big deal! I’d hate to imagine if Izzy went home the way he was… or even if he went home while he was still acting like an asshole!" Davis stopped and sighed. He suddenly realized that he himself wasn’t fixed. That he’d go home and still have all the same headaches, and missed days at work, and tense moments with Kari and TK. Nothing was changing for him. Yolei picked up on Davis’s sudden change of mood.

"What’s wrong?"

"Sorry- you know this is actually a pretty good day for me. I know everybody else is miserable, but hey- I spent last night in a hospital. Anything’s good now. The only problem is that I have to go back to my normal life tomorrow."

"See you don’t deserve that. After the way you just helped Izzy. And me. I just wish there was something I could do for you." Yolei started to cry. She hated the idea that there was nothing she could do to repay Davis. Davis met her with a hug.

"Well… I can’t think of anything. So don’t worry about it, okay?" Davis received the hug openly. Davis wasn’t sure if he knew what he was doing, or if he was capable of dealing with the consequences, but he followed it up with a kiss to the cheek. Yolei retracted for a second. She wasn’t sure how she was supposed to react to that. But it didn’t feel wrong. She wanted to be in the hug. She wanted to be held by somebody. She wasn’t quite sure what she was doing either, but she returned the kiss- this time on the lips.

Kari and TK were busy chatting with Kintaro at the time. Kintaro was filling the two on all the crazy stuff Kari’s brother had been up to (at least Kintaro was smart enough to lay off the whole Sora issue while doing so). But Kari caught sight of the embrace between Davis and Yolei and quickly tapped TK on the shoulder.

"What is it?" TK’s question was answered when Kari pointed to Davis and Yolei. A smile crept on her face.

"C’mon Davis…" Kari was quietly rooting him on, and was really happy when Yolei kissed him, "Yes." She even pumped a fist, "Maybe she can help him get better. Anything that helps Davis is a good thing." TK agreed, but for some reason, he couldn’t smile. Maybe it was because none of his own problems were going to be solved. Maybe because he didn’t think Davis and Yolei were capable of a serious relationship. Or maybe… just maybe… he knew somebody back home that was going to get her heart stepped on. As much as TK hated Mitsune, he also knew that nobody deserved what she was going to receive.

TK’s thoughts were interrupted by Ken, who walked up to TK and Kari.

"TK? Kari? Izzy wants to speak to you."

It was silent for the longest time. Sora didn’t want to look at Tai. Tai knew he had to say something, but wasn’t sure where to start. Finally, he opened his mouth and talked to Sora for the first time in nine years.

"What do you want?" Sora looked up at him. What did she want? She resorted to the same answer she told herself.

"To be left alone. I just want to forget about everything, forget about the digi-destined, and forget about you. I just want to pretend that none of this ever happened."

"Are you sure that’s what you want?"

"I… I don’t know. I want to believe that that’s what I want."

"Because that’s not what I want."

"Tai, this has been the worst day of my life. I don’t know if this is some sort of mind game, but just stop it."

"I don’t think this is what you really want Sora. Because there are a lot of people out there who used to be your friends. Especially Matt and me. And if you want it, they can be your friends again. You don’t have to forget about anything just because of what happened." Sora shook her head. She still didn’t believe that.

"Yes I do. I can’t live with myself, and you make me think of it more. If I forget it, I don’t have to deal with it."

"That’s just it- you have to deal with it. You can’t pretend it didn’t happen. Because it did. If you think you can try to forget about it, you’re only fooling yourself. It happened, you know it happened, and like you told Matt, it happened for a reason."

"But what was the reason? I know there has to be one, but I can’t think of anything."

"Keep looking then. I finally realized why I did it. It’s also the reason I’ve been avoiding you for so long. At first it might have been guilt or anger but not anymore. I think I did it because I love you."

"How much do you need? Do you want it all? Just take it all… I don’t deserve it." Izzy was rambling again. This time TK and Kari were the ones listening. TK was amazed at how much Izzy had turned around. Now, Izzy was in a state where he didn’t feel like he deserved anything. TK was being given the chance to get back on track. A little extra money in the household would do wonders…

"No thanks. I’ll… I’ll be fine." TK wasn’t going to let jealousy or anger or anything else get the best of him. Izzy was in no state to make rational decisions, and it would simply be wrong for TK to capitalize off of them. TK knew now that he wasn’t going to be any better off after this night. Not that he had expected anything to change. Meanwhile, Izzy was immersed in thought. He didn’t want to have any of that ill-gotten fortune anymore. Ken kept trying to reassure Izzy that it wasn’t ill-gotten enough to do anything drastic with, but Izzy still wanted to feel better about himself. But maybe there was another way to help.

"Where did you two say you were living again?"

"Nerima. Why?" Izzy nodded. When he heard the name, it sounded very familiar.

"If I recall…" Izzy tried to stay level, "The company is working with another company and opening some sort of a store or restaurant or something." Izzy had never paid attention to the details, merely threw money at it when he was advised that it was a good investment, "I heard that it was going to be pretty upscale. Kinda trendy. It’s a few months away from opening, but I’m sure they’ll be looking for some people to work there… I even recall them saying they were looking for a manager. If they are, you should try applying… Kari could too. Just put me down as a reference or something… I’ll get you in." Izzy wasn’t smiling. He couldn’t smile today. But he said it, and at least it made TK smile. Neither of the three knew if it would actually equate to anything, but again- it was a start.

"Thanks. This works a lot better than just throwing money at a problem."

"Actually TK…" Ken had remained silent through the conversation, but chimed in now, "We were thinking that if Davis needed some sort of therapy for his problem, maybe Izzy could either pay parts of it, or offer him a loan or something. We haven’t told Davis about it, but I think it sounds like a great idea." Kari was really happy to hear that, as was TK.

"Hey, I’m not going to make any decisions for Davis, but it sounds good to me. I don’t know why he’d turn the offer down." With TK, it was simply financial trouble. Throwing money at that seemed unfair. But Davis had some sort of mental problem, and since Davis helped Izzy when he was down, any way for Izzy to return the favor was a good way.

"Thanks Izzy. I know you feel sorry for the way you’ve been acting lately, but if you keep this up, I’m sure you’ll be fine in no time." Kari was reassuring. And again, Izzy still was unable to smile. But deep down he knew that someday he’d be able to again. Hopefully it would be a smile that didn’t isolate his friends either.

"Tai, I just don’t know how this all happened. I know that it happened for a reason, but the only question I have is what is that reason, and is it a good reason or a bad reason." Sora was opening up a little more to Tai, especially since it was clear that Matt wasn’t letting them out any time soon.

"I can’t answer that for you. I know why I did it. I told you why I did it and I don’t really want to say that again. I feel kinda ashamed about it." Tai knew full well that if he really did love Sora, he was pining over someone who was unavailable.

"You feel ashamed?" Sora started out with an angry retort, but the momentum didn’t last long, "Love is the only reason I can think of. And I just can’t say it isn’t true." Sora hated saying it, "Imagine how bad I must feel thinking that I might love you too."

"I guess that’s the big question. Do you?" Tai sat down next to Sora. She looked at him in the eyes. And despite everything that happened, it was the same look that started it all. The look that provided the answer. Sora had to avert her eyes from the grim truth.

"Yes." There was no escaping it. She couldn’t deny it any longer. "I love you, Tai." She couldn’t stop the tears either. Tai wasn’t going to be joyous about this revelation though, as he put a hand on her shoulder.

"Sora, I can’t make any decisions for you. All I know is that you’re going to have to tell Tareshi about this. And from there, whatever happens happens."

"But it’s more complicated than that. There’s also the matter of Chi."

"What about him?" Tai still didn’t know about that matter. Sora really started crying now.

"Now I… now I don’t even know who I want his father to be." Tai continued patting Sora’s shoulder in comfort, but he didn’t want to get any closer. Tai had never given thought to the possibility. It was a shock to him too. He just stayed quiet for awhile. If it was a situation where the chips could fall either way, he too didn’t know which one was better. In the end, it all depended on Sora. Tai knew that she cared deeply for Tareshi, and that she was going to have a difficult decision to make. Tai could very easily have just given her up then and there, like he had done on that fateful December afternoon all those years ago. But that didn’t solve anything. Tai loved Sora, and Sora loved Tai. No, Tai wasn’t going to be the perfect friend and advise Sora to stay with Tareshi… but he wasn’t going to actively fight for her either. He was just going to let Sora decide.

"Sora, it’s just a decision you’ll have to make. I’m not going to say which way you should go. I’m not going to kid around- I want you to be with me. I would love to spend the rest of my life with you. But I also would understand if you didn’t want to end things with your husband. If you want to stay with Tareshi, I’m not joking when I say it would break my heart. But… I guess I’m used to it by now." Sora looked back up at him. The same look. Nothing was changing. Sora was taking in everything Tai had just said. It summed things up rather nicely. She was going to have to make some sort of a decision. It wasn’t a no-brainer either. She would have to really think about everything. But that would have to come later. For now, she at least was at peace knowing that she no longer had to ignore her friends, and that she no longer could ignore Tai. And before getting Matt to let them out, they ending the meeting with a brief kiss. This time, in the present, they were able to break it off. They couldn’t in the past, while the future remained to be seen.

"Why do I get the feeling it’s just not possible for me to be the life of this party?" Kintaro’s conversation with TK and Kari had been broken up by Ken. Now he was sitting with Tareshi, who had also been abandoned by his wife in favor of the conference room.

"That’s the way it goes." Tareshi, as usual, was smiling, pretending that he had no problems in life. He did of course- his wife had just stormed away from him. He didn’t know what he did, or what he could say to make things better, but first time since he got married, he was afraid of possibly losing Sora. But Kintaro didn’t want to hear about that, did he? So Tareshi smiled, and listened patiently as Kintaro continued.

"And now I see Yolei and Davis kissing- I thought I was getting somewhere with her!" Kintaro really thought that he was scoring some points, although he wasn’t sure whether his talk about the sanctity of marriage helped him or hurt him in the long run. He didn’t say it to impress anybody. He meant it, and was glad to get it out of his system.

"That’s why you get married- you don’t have to worry about stuff like that." Kintaro had to turn his head at that. He simply nodded. In a perfect world that would be true, but Kintaro knew what Tareshi’s wife had done. And the more Kintaro thought about it, the more sickened he became by the affair. Especially sitting next to Tareshi.

Mimi hugged Joe as soon as he told her what he wanted to do. It was good news for both of them. With Davis gone doing mushy stuff, Chi happened to walk by.

"What’s going on?" Joe smiled and patted Chi on the head.

"Suddenly my problems don’t seem quite as important." Joe figured that no matter happened with the lawsuit, he’d get through it somehow. What was important was living life to the fullest. His "three goals for success" still applied, but over the years, the bar had just been raised a little bit higher. Life wasn’t about meeting specific goals. Life was about meeting goals, setting more difficult goals, reaching those, and going as high as you can possibly go, in order to be as happy as you can. Joe had finally realized what his new goals were, and he wasn’t going to let anything stop him from reaching those as well. With Mimi by his side, and perhaps with Matt’s help as well, he was going to accomplish those goals, and whatever goals lied beyond that.

By the time Tai and Sora were released from confinement, the evening had pretty much ended. In fact, as soon as Matt let them out, TK and Kari went up to them.

"Well, I think we’re going to call it a night. Shame Cody isn’t here, we never got to thank him for hosting this." Kari felt much more reassured that things would begin to look brighter. Between the inside track they’ve been given and Davis and Izzy’s financial arrangements, there was a lot of hope for the coming months. It wasn’t anything concrete, and it wasn’t anything guaranteed, but it didn’t really matter- things were going to be better. Kari could feel it.

As they started to head out, Davis called for them.

"Hey, wait up guys!" Davis had just said goodbye to Yolei and was trying to catch up with TK and Kari. They turned around to oblige him.

"Where’s Yolei?" Kari asked.

"Why? I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to just jump into something. I don’t know what’s gonna happen with Yolei and I, but we’re going to take it slow, whatever it is."

"Okay… that makes sense. Where’d you put that wheelchair?"

"Whoops…" Davis ran off to retrieve it. He didn’t think he really needed it anymore… but the hospital charges a fortune if you don’t bring it back in one piece.

"So, you ready to go?" Tareshi knew that Sora was, he just couldn’t think of anything better to say. Sora nodded.

"Yeah. Sorry about walking off on you like that." Sora apologized quickly, then turned towards her son, "Chi! We’re going!" Chi was a tad dejected when he walked back towards his mother, but that was to be expected. He had fun at this party.

"So, um… are you ever going to tell me what’s going on?" Tareshi had to ask. He didn’t want to be left in the dark forever.

"She will…" Tai answered for her, "Someday. Right Sora?" Sora looked back at Tai. No matter what her decision was going to be, she would have to tell Tareshi. Maybe if she told him, he’d be willing to take a test to see whether or not he was Chi’s father.

"Yeah. Someday." Sora replied, as Tareshi put a hand on his wife’s shoulder and they headed out. She still would have to make a decision. But it was a little easier knowing that her friends would stand by it either way.

"Are you going to be fine on your own?" Ken wasn’t certain if Izzy was capable of handling the road home on his own.

"I think I should be. I’ll just be doing a lot of thinking."

"Tell you what- you live in Kogane? My apartment isn’t that out of the way. Wanna give me a lift? We can… you know… talk." Izzy nodded.

"Sure. I guess we have some catching up to do." Izzy wasn’t particularly excited, but the closer he got towards making up with his old friends, the better he would feel about himself. Ken turned to Yolei, also about ready to leave.

"Yolei, how about you?"

"Sorry, but I’ll pass. I have to pick a few things up for a friend." Yolei didn’t really want to go anyway, but Naoko did ask that she get her a few souvenirs. Odaiba wasn’t that far away from home… but Naoko was a bit strange, and Yolei was happy to oblige. Ken and Izzy said goodbye to Tai and Matt, as did Yolei… although she didn’t say much to Tai. Mimi and Joe were next, but they too focused mostly on Matt.

"So are you going to think about it?" Mimi asked Matt. He nodded.

"I’ll take it under consideration and let you know. I suppose I should talk to Ray about it too. Thanks for the offer." Matt wasn’t just being polite. He was seriously considering Mimi's idea.

"Then I guess we’ll see you around sometime. You too Tai!" Mimi had gotten a lot of stuff off her back as well. Although she was sad to see the party end, she at least could look forward to the future.

After Matt and Tai thanked each other for their help, Matt left, leaving just Kintaro and Tai.

"Hey, uh… Tai? Who has to clean up this place?" Kintaro had a good question. Tai wasn’t sure how that sort of thing worked in this facility. And Cody was long gone.

"I… don’t know." It would be really ugly if they were in charge of cleaning up as well- the place had worn itself out hosting this group.

"Well that Cody kid’s in charge of renting the place. I say let him deal with it." Despite Tai’s better judgments, Kintaro had a point.

"Yeah… let’s just leave quietly." Tai and Kintaro headed out.

"You know something- this party sucked." Despite the progress everyone had made, it definitely wasn’t up to Kintaro’s very demanding standards. But as Tai had one last look at the display Cody had set up- with all twelve digi-destined happily posing for a group photo, he was able to offer Kintaro a little bit of reassurance.

"Don’t worry… we’ll have more fun next year."

Author’s Notes
So what’s Mimi’s idea for herself and Joe? How does it concern Matt What’s Joe’s idea for his own happiness? What did Davis and Izzy work out? And of course, what will Sora’s decision be? Needless to say, although this can be looked at as the climax to the story, there are still a lot of things that still need answers. And that’s what the next chapter is for. Hopefully, it won’t be this long either.

I’m just going to sit back and die now. Oh wait- I’ll finish the next chapter, then die. Oh wait- I’ll finish the next chapter, then start Mole 2: AE. Then I’ll… then I’ll have to catch up on my schoolwork. Oy… this could be a rough autumn.

Questions get answered, Plots get closed up. It’s Odaiba Memorial Day’s last stand!
Chapter Fifteen- Reunion (Part Three)
There had been ten years in between reunions. And in that time, a lot of major events happened that almost broke the digi-destined apart. But over the course of the next year, more major events occur. Will these events be enough to keep them together for good? And what about the one person who was immune to the major events before… but lost all hope anyway?