PART 4: WATERFALL

Mimi collapsed in the grass near a riverbank. "I'm so

tired," she murmured.

"We have to find Tai!" Agumon cried. He had been left

behind when Tai disappeared, and he didn't like it one

bit.

Kari smiled slightly. "Agumon, we've been looking

non-stop!"

T.K. sat next to the river, his blue eyes haunted. He

was the one who had made Matt leave. And what would

happen if it was true that Matt had kidnapped Tai?

A beeping noise made Gatomon's ears prick up. "That

would be the digivices!" she cried.

"Tai's nearby!" Izzy said happily. The digidestined

got up and ran in the direction of the signal.

"What happened?" all of them said at once when they

saw Tai. He was scratched and he looked like he had

been through a war...which he probably had. "Tai!"

The kids darted over to him. "Wake up, Tai!" Joe

pleaded when he found a pulse.

Tai slowly opened his brown eyes. "Kari? Sora? Joe?

You're all here?"

"What did this to you?" Tentomon asked. "Who took you

away?"

"Mekanorimon...and Megadramon..."

"Machinedramon!"

"Him, too."

Agumon looked extremely thoughtful. Then he said,

"Well, at least Matt didn't do anything."

The young leader nodded. For a few seconds everyone

was quiet. Then Tai sat bolt upright and shouted,

"Takeru!"

It wasn't only the fact that Tai had called T.K. by

his full name that made the other kids snap to

attention, it was the panic in his voice. They gasped

when they saw T.K., too afraid to scream for help. The

defenseless child was hanging on to a small branch,

and at any moment it could break and send him straight

into the river. The river was racing along due to the

extra rain, and it ended in a waterfall.

Finally T.K. found his voice. "Helllllllp me! Help!"

"What do we do?" Tai asked. He couldn't think

straight, and T.K. could be dashed to pieces at any

moment...

"Well, are you just going to stand there all day?" a

soft voice asked. A young boy with wild blond hair

stepped from the trees. He smiled. "And I thought you

could take care of him...can't leave for a minute..."

It was obviously Matt. The other kids parted to let

him step to the riverbank. He laid on the grass and

stretched out a hand to T.K. "Here, little bro."

T.K.'s eyes lit up and he swung wildly for Matt's

hand. He missed and clutched the branch even tighter.

"Matt!"

"Matt," a cool voice whispered from behind. "Here."

Matt turned around and saw Tai. Tai, holding out his

precious goggles, inviting Matt to take them.

"Thanks," Matt mumbled. He accepted the goggles and

leaned over once more. "T.K., grab on!"

T.K. grabbed the goggles with one hand. Then he let go

of the branch just as it began to crack. Tai stepped

forward to help Matt haul T.K. in.

"Thank you, Matt!" Sora cried. Matt looked up and

saw...MetalGarurumon and himself, only a few days ago.

Watching Puppetmon disappear because of them. Then

Sora approached, saying the same thing...and Matt

left. He had left again...

MetalGarurumon really was there. Matt looked away from

his friends and walked over to his digimon. In his

mind, he sang the last few lines of the song:

Who could have guessed that you and I...somehow, some

way, we'd have to say good-bye.

Matt and MetalGarurumon disappeared into the forest

and the other seven watched them. "Somehow we have to

break up again," Mimi said.

"Why?" Tai whispered. "Why?"

"Thank you, Matt," T.K. said softly. "Thank you."