Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. Don't sue. Even if you do, you'll only the get dollar I have left from the last time. Okay?

A/N - I can't believe I wrote this! Actually, with my past writing history, I can't believe I didn't write this sooner. Well, really depressing story with Takari and Taiora. Um, yeah, my fifth fic, so I wanted to make this special. R&R.

By: Softball Chicks

"Digi-port open!" Davis's familiar voice rang in my ears.

I sighed. Another digital world day was just beginning. I was sick of the fighting, sick of the death and destruction we'd witnessed throughout all the years. I knew I wasn't alone when Kari announced she wanted to quit the digidestined. But the others, no matter how awful they felt, wouldn't let Kari leave.

"Kari, how can you just quit?" Yolei demanded.

"I don't want to have to hurt any more digimon," she answered, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't want my friends to suffer because of me."

Davis looked startled. "Kari, with all the ridiculous things I do, all the times I lead people into hard battles, I don't want to quit. I don't want my friends to get hurt, but I know we have to keep fighting."

"Davis, you're not like me. No one is. I'm different, and because of me people get hurt."

Ken looked amused. "Kari, I'm the person who's really hurt people here. The important thing is to stick it out and never let darkness take you over."

I raised my eyebrows. "Without you the digital world will fall apart," I added.

She looked at me oddly. "Why's that?"

Tai answered, "Two crests keep the digital world in balance. Hope and light. Without the crest of light, the digital world is doomed. "

"Great another thing I can get blamed for," she moaned, hiding her face in her hands.

"I can get blamed too," I pointed out, trying to cheer her up.

Tai put his arm around his little sister. "Come on, kid, brighten up. Without you, darkness will take over. You're the one who lights up the world. You'd do more harm away than you do here."

She looked up, tears running down her cheeks. I had the faint longing to brush them away. Shaking my head, I thought, 'Where'd that come from?'

"Thanks, Tai," she whispered, hugging him.

He blushed. "Don't mention it. Now, let go. I'm not a stuffed animal. Go hug Sora," he coaxed.

"Some boyfriend," she mumbled crossly. She and Tai had been going out for almost two months. I could tell Matt was upset when he saw them together, but my older brother just wanted to make Sora happy. Even if that meant giving her up.

"Come on," Davis said impatiently. "Let's go find Vetilismon and teach him a lesson!" (A/N - Vetilismon is their new enemy.)

"Right!"

"I'm glad you didn't quit, Kari," Gatomon told her. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Before Kari could respond, Veemon cried, "Look out! It's Bayomon, one of Vetilismon's flunkies!"

"Digivolve, Patamon!" I yelled.

"Patamon digivolve to... Angemon!"

"Hand of faith!"

One by one, the other digimon joined Angemon in attacking. But Bayomon deflected all their shots. "He didn't even break a sweat!" Cody exclaimed.

"Some flunky," Matt grumbled. "He's really strong for a wannabe."

"No kidding," I agreed.

"We can beat him, right, TK?" Kari asked.

I looked into her crimson eyes and nodded. "I hope so, Kari."

My digivice began to glow, along with Angemon. "Angemon digivolve to... Magnaangemon!"

"Magnaangemon!" Tai cheered. "Kick his butt!"

Davis slapped my hand. "We'll win for sure. You've got the right idea, TK." He turned to Ken. "Let's DNA digivolve."

Ken nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

"Exveemon..."

"Stingmon..."

"DNA digivolve to... Paildramon!"

"Desperado blaster!"

Bayomon went down. He wasn't dead, but lying on the ground, wounded. Before Magnaangemon could finish him off, Cody shouted, "Wait! It's wrong to hit someone when they're down."

"Cody, if we don't kill him, he'll come back and destroy us," I explained gently.

He hung his head in silent surrender. "Fine. I just don't want to watch."

Kari took Cody's hand and led him to a spot a little way away. I watched them a little jealously. It was almost like I wanted Kari to be holding my hand, not Cody's. I shook my head again to clear my thoughts. I noticed Matt looking at me, so I avoided his eyes. Instead, I watched Magnaangemon destroy Bayomon.

He dedigivolved back to Tokomon. "Let's go home," he whispered, before falling asleep in my arms.

"I agree," Tai

announced.

"Thanks for sharing," Kari teased, as she came back with Cody. He looked sick.

"That's not true, Kari," he argued, glaring at her stubbornly.

"What's not true?" Davis asked, looking between the two.

"Nothing," Cody replied quickly.

"Come on, Cody. You can tell us," Tai wheedled as we were sucked through the gate. Ken bid us farewell, taking the bus back to Tamachi. As we began walking home, tried again. "What's was it, Cody?"

"Tai, he doesn't have to tell you," Kari declared, as Cody turned red.

"It's rude to keep secrets," Tai persisted.

Kari started to cross the street. "You're so nosy, Tai Kamiya! It's none of your business."

Tai walked out into the street behind the rest of the group. From nowhere, a car zipped down the street, aiming right at him.

"Tai!" Kari yelled suddenly, aiming to go out to him.

I grabbed her arm and pulled her back, as the car neared Tai. He saw the it and started to run, but it was too fast. I pulled Kari close to me, so she didn't have to see anything, but the sound of metal hitting flesh was too much for my best friend to handle. She began to sob, her thin body shaking furiously in my arms. Sora began to cry, too. Matt put his arms reluctantly around her, and she let herself collapse in them. Davis was in shock, and Yolei and Cody were shaking.

"I can't believe the last thing I said to him was that he was nosy," Kari muttered through clenched teeth. She shivered, and I pulled her closer to me.

Her sobs were less frequent now, but tears were still staining her cheeks. She looked up at me and whispered, "He's dead, isn't he?"

I hugged her again, trying to be strong, but the realization was too powerful. I began to cry, too. "I'm so sorry, Kari," I mumbled, wrapping my arms around her even tighter than before.

I noticed that Cody and Yolei were crying now, as was Matt, but Davis was staring at the place where Tai's body now lay, limp and lifeless. Davis's normally lively brown eyes were dull, his face void of thought. He wasn't moving, frozen to the spot he'd been in.

"Davis?" Yolei attempted, shaking the brown-haired boy slightly.

He didn't move for a second before looking at her, his eyes unfamiliar. "What happened?" he asked.

Sora pulled away from Matt to get a good look at Davis. She hugged him suddenly. "Oh, gosh, Davis."

He swallowed hard, tears brimming, threatening to spill over his eyelids. "He's gone. Oh, man, he's gone." He swore before giving into the pain.

I turned back to the fragile girl in my arms. Her sobs were mingled with choked coughs now. Her head was burning, and her hands were cold and clammy. "Matt," I called. He came over quickly. "I think Kari's coming down with a fever."

He felt her forehead. "Yeah, you're right." He surveyed the scene. By now, the police had arrived, and an ambulance was taking Tai's body to the hospital.

A paramedic came over and asked, "Any of you related to the boy?"

Slowly, almost painfully, Kari raised her hand. She was pale, still shivering in my arms.

"You're going to have to come to the hospital with us. You and one friend can ride in the ambulance with us. The rest have to find another mode of transportation."

Matt took charge. "Kari, why don't you and TK go in the ambulance? I'll go get your parents, and we'll find a way to get there. Everyone should check in with the folks anyway."

"Thanks, Matt," Kari whispered.

"Don't mention it." He winced, hearing Tai's voice say the same thing to her this afternoon in the digital world.

Kari choked back a sob. Her tears had subsided. "Tai wouldn't want me to cry," she declared, as we bordered the ambulance. "I'm going to be strong for him."

I smiled, as I held her close to me. Her body felt warm near my own. She looked up at me again. "Thanks for staying with me, TK."

"It was nothing," I replied.

She raised her head and kissed my lips. I was so shocked that I jerked back involuntarily. "I'm sorry," she amended, blushing.

"No, it's not that. I was surprised, that's all," I explained. "I've been

wanting to do this for a long time." With that, I leaned down and kissed her back. Her eyes closed, tears running down her cheeks again.

We separated to, "Oh, no. This is an ambulance, not kissy-zone."

We both blushed as the good-natured paramedic faked a stern look. "Sorry," we chorused.

"Just kidding," he corrected. "You can go back to kissing if you want."

Instead I looked at Kari as she let the tears flow. "Why are you crying?" I wondered.

"It's just that, Tai always said that we were perfect for each other. And I always got offended, maybe because I knew it was true. But now, he didn't even get to say I told you so." She began to sob again, pausing only to cough.

"You don't look so good, kid," the paramedic said.

"She's had a rough time, buddy," I defended.

"No, I mean she looks sick. And call me Bill."

Bill took a good look at her. He felt her forehead before announcing, "She's definitely got a fever."

At the hospital, the doctors gave her medicine, while they put Tai in the emergency room. Before leaving, Bill said, "It doesn't look good. He's just about dead."

"You mean he's still alive?"

"By a hair. Only a miracle will make him survive."

I went up to Kari's room to hear her fighting with the nurse. "I want to see my brother."

"I give up! Go see him," the nurse finally surrendered, throwing up her arms.

Kari bolted out of the bed and tore down the stairs, with me right behind her. "Tai!" she cried, as she entered his room. Matt, Sora, Davis, and Kari's parents were there, hovering around Tai's bed.

"Kari," Mrs. Kamiya whispered.

Kari wormed her way up to the front. "Come on, Tai, you can make it. Remember what you told me. Never give up. Please, Tai, I need you." The end barely squeaked out before she began to cry again.

Forcing herself to stop, she shuddered, her thin body jerking from side to side.

Suddenly, Tai's eyelids fluttered open. "Kari," he mumbled, barely able to open his mouth. "Don't worry. You'll be okay. It's better that it was me. Remember how the little kids behind me were yelling at me for going to slow. If I had moved faster, if I hadn't gotten hit, hadn't stopped and given the kids warning, they would have gotten hit. I'm glad it was me, not them. They have longer lives to lead."

"I'm going to miss you, Tai."

"Don't worry, I'll see you again."

Sora stepped up next to Kari. "Sora, I love you. I've waited four years to say that, longer really."

"I love you, too," she choked, letting her tears spill over.

Matt was next, blinking away the tears. "Matt. I know we fought a lot. I'm sorry, man."

"Me, too, Tai."

"Davis," Tai gasped, waiting for the younger boy to move closer. Davis was shaking, his tears flowing freely down his cheeks. "You've got the crest of courage now. Use it well."

"Tai, you don't know how much I look up to you. I'm so sorry for all the trouble I've been. I was just hoping to impress you."

Tai managed a small smile. "When you weren't being a jerk, I was really impressed with how brave you were. Look after the digidestined for me."

I looked down at the frail figure. This was the boy who had volunteered to be my honorary big brother when I was separated from Matt. The boy who'd protected me, and even cared for me, when no one was around. "TK," he whispered. "Take care of my sister. You two are perfect for each other."

"I kissed her Tai," I replied.

There was a universal "what?" from the group.

"Oops."

Tai continued, "Take care of her and my parents. I'm trusting you."

"No problem. You can count on me."

"Mom, Dad. I'm sorry for being a teenager. I'm sorry for everything I've done wrong. I just hope I've done more right things than wrong."

"You have, Taichi. We know it," Mr. Kamiya reassured his son.

Tai pulled Kari into one last hug. "There are no good-byes," he announced weakly. "Only see you laters. Good-bye is forever. This won't be forever."

With one final breath, Tai collapsed into silence, never to be heard from again. I saw his bright, shining face, leading the digidestined.

I saw him keeping us in line, never letting anyone get hurt. I remembered him saving Sora after Datamon captured her. I heard his vows to protect us. I saw him leaving me in charge as he sought medicine for Kari. I saw the 14-year-old soccer player bravely protecting his little sister, his constant force keeping up from losing it. I remembered the days that Tai had fought with Matt, with me watching, debating which side to take. He made me realize how much my big brother loved me.

I noticed Kari was sobbing, shaking from head to toe. I went to wrap my arms around her, glancing at Mr. Kamiya for approval. He smiled slightly and nodded. "I wouldn't trust anyone with my daughter, but you, TK," he whispered.

I raised my tear-filled eyes to him and smiled sadly. Pulling Kari close to me, I mumbled, "It'll be okay. Don't worry."

She looked at me with such love in her eyes that I couldn't help but hug her tighter. Matt was hugging Sora, but I knew she still didn't love him.

And now, I reflect upon that day, as I watch my son, named after his long-dead uncle. I slide my arm around Kari as we watch little Taichi play with his cousin, Yamato, Jr. My brother had married Ashley Regison, a girl he'd met in college.

Kari looks at Taichi, as she thinks of her older brother. Tears stream down her cheeks, remembering the times they'd spent together. "Why are you crying, Mom?" Taichi asks, studying her innocently.

"You remind me of my brother," she replies. "I miss him."

Taichi smiles. "If you want to be reminded of all the good times, just look at me. I'm a walking, talking replica," he announces. Then he runs off to play with Yamato.

"He's right," I point out.

She smiles weakly. "Yeah."

Matt strolls over to us. "You can't mourn forever, Kari. Tai would want you to get over him by now. You've been doing great and I know it's hard, but you've got to tough it out."

"I don't think about him that much," Kari admits. "Only when I look at Taichi."

"Maybe you should have named him Davis," Matt suggests.

She hits him. "What do you know?"

I smile at her. "I love you, you know that?"

"Yes. But I love you, too," she answers.

"Oh, they're going to get all mushy," Taichi complains.

"Come here, grunt," Matt orders.

"No way, Uncle Matt. You've gotta catch me first," he retorts, and bolts across the yard, as fast as his ten-year-old legs will carry him. Yamato follows him, his nine-year-old body straining to stay with his cousin. Matt chased them, finally catching Taichi and tickling him. I just watch, holding Kari and realizing how lucky I am. Though I still miss Tai, I can remember him through Taichi. He may be dead, but his memory lives forever, etched in our hearts.

A/N - Sorry, really sad. There were two possible endings, but I chose the sadder. I may rewrite this with the other ending some time. What do you think? Please tell. R&R.