Yang-Yin
Chapter Thirty-five: "In Darkest Night"

There was little time for Koichi to stand around and feel sorry for himself. While his friends would live, they were still injured, and there was no telling how long it would be until Koji broke through the barrier of debris separating the Dark Terminal from the castle ruins. The Trailmon that Crusadermon had promised still hadn't appeared, and they were running out of time. They needed to get out of there.

Bokomon looked up as Koichi approached, holding a box. "You found the emergency kit!"

"Yeah," he answered. "It was attached to a pillar."

He didn't say anything more as he sat down and began bandaging his friends' wounds. They'd done the same for him too many times, with injuries none of them knew hadn't existed. But these were quite clear—cuts and bruises both new and old all over their bodies. He could see just what they needed treated and how badly.

"I don't know how I missed it all this time," he said, closing the now empty kit.

"Missed what?" Neemon asked.

"This," Koichi said, pointing at his friends. "I knew there was something wrong. At the very least, I knew it from the time the watchtower in the village was bombed and I was the only survivor." He looked down at them with a haunted look in his eyes from the memory of the bombing run and all the other times he hadn't been hurt in an attack. "They said I was lucky."

Bokomon sighed. "Koichi, I've been looking through the book for some way to help you. I haven't found anything specific yet, but…" Koichi didn't respond, so finally he just continued, "But there might be some kind of clue as to what happened with your D-tector." Again, Koichi didn't react. Knowing it was too important not to tell him, Bokomon said, "It appears that Lucemon had the power to 'bring light and darkness together'—whatever that means; the translation was ambiguous."

"It's what sealed him before," Lopmon insisted.

"Yeah," Patamon confirmed. "When the Legendary Warriors brought the powers together, it was really strong and managed to trap him. Even he couldn't break out."

This managed to get Koichi's attention, and he looked over at them in confusion. "But that doesn't make sense. If they used the same power he had, he shouldn't have had a problem fighting it."

"It seems that his power was incomplete," Bokomon suggested, flipping through the book. "These pages were written with an invisible ink and only became visible recently, after all the explosions that seem to follow us everywhere." Koichi couldn't help but smile slightly at this; trouble was their middle name, after all. "Lucemon may have had that power, but it appears to be inherent to the Spirit of Darkness as well. Yet without a 'key' to regulate this power, the Spirit could not use it."

"What kind of key?" Koichi asked.

"Well, given what Crusadermon explained about the Spirits needing a soul to direct them, I think that might be the answer," he replied. "The Spirit has one half of that ability, and its soul needs to have the other half." Koichi suddenly turned and stared at the ground, worrying him. "Is something wrong?"

Koichi paused for a moment before answering, "I always wondered how Cherubimon knew to give me the Spirit of Darkness. I mean, I wasn't even one of Ophanimon's chosen ones. I didn't have any way of getting her message. I was only there by coincidence. And all he ever told me was that I was psychically deaf, so I wouldn't be affected by the Spirit's corruption. But that's not an answer. That's only why I can use it, not why I should."

Bokomon was starting to catch on to Koichi's train of thought, and he gave him a worried look. "Koichi, you don't think…"

There was a sudden moan from Katsuharu, and Koichi hurried to check on him. Their leader was trying to sit up, so Koichi immediately tried to help him back down.

"Easy," he warned. "You guys all got hurt really bad out there."

Groaning, Katsuharu nodded, but soon he gave Koichi a worried look. "Not you?"

Hesitantly, Koichi shook his head before lying, "Missed. I managed to finish evolving by the time the attack hit. It protected me."

Katsuharu groaned again and tried to sit up. "We need to get…"

"You're not going anywhere," Koichi argued, setting him back down again. "All of you nearly died! And Ophanimon has our Spirits, so there's no way we can stop her and the others now." He cast a worried glance toward the barricade and said, "I don't think even Lucemon and the Royal Knights could."

Katsuharu watched his friend for a second before smiling ironically. "I was going to say, 'We need to get out of here.' But yeah, you've got a point. We're going to need to think of something sooner or later, how to beat those guys."

There was another groan as Teppei came to. Koichi had set his glasses aside, so Teppei tried to reach for them, only to hurt himself in the effort.

"Damn," he muttered. "Anyone get the number of the truck that hit us?"

Koichi smiled in relief. "Sounds like you're going to be okay, at least."

"Please, no sarcasm," Teppei moaned. "I'm too beat up to take it right now, and being the smartass is my job anyway."

Katsuharu managed to snicker, despite the pain he was in, and Koichi smiled again before saying, "I'm going to see if I can wake up Chiaki and Teruo—see how they are."

"Good plan," Katsuharu agreed, forcing himself into a sitting position now that Koichi wasn't hovering over him. "If they're okay to walk, all the better. We need to try to…"

He was cut off by a sudden hiss of black steam that filled the terminal, cutting off all light. The Digimon immediately panicked, and Teppei shouted, "What the hell is going on?"

"I don't know," Katsuharu answered. "Koichi, can you see anything?"

"No, noth—" Koichi started.

Abruptly, two large red lights cut through the darkness, and the three reached for their D-tectors, only to realize how useless it would be. Koichi immediately moved over to Teruo and Chiaki and woke them, giving them a scare when they saw what looked like giant red eyes glaring down at them. But the steam finally parted enough to see the lights were just part of the design of a black Trailmon waiting on the rails next to them.

"That must be DarkTrailmon," Bokomon realized.

"Yes," he answered in a deep, slow voice. "This is the end of the line—express ride to your world."

"That's it?" Teppei asked. "It's really the end?"

"It can't be," Teruo denied.

"What are you going to choose?" DarkTrailmon asked. "This is the line for those who have nowhere else to turn."

"Katsuharu," Chiaki called, glancing over at him. Their leader was staring at the ground with a serious expression, his head and upper torso covered in bandages. When she saw that, she realized what he was thinking about, and she assured him, "We're with you on whatever you decide."

He looked back at his team—all of them badly injured save for Koichi. They'd lost their Spirits, and chances were high they'd lose the war. Logically, they should cut their losses and go home. But at the same time, there were Bokomon, Neemon, Patamon, and Lopmon. And there were still the kids they still hoped to save. If they could.

He looked back up at Trailmon. "Can you give us some time to figure this out first?"

"All right," DarkTrailmon agreed, hissing the black steam again. "But remember, you don't have much time to spare."

The darkness settled in again before the lamps of the terminal broke through the shadows. Ignoring his injuries, Katsuharu stood and walked over to Teppei. "Come on. We'd better start planning."

Teppei shot him an incredulous look. "What, you want me to get up? Do you know how bad I got hit?"

"Not as bad as you're acting," Katsuharu said with a smirk, holding out a hand. With a long-suffering sigh, Teppei accepted the hand and pulled himself to his feet. "Ready?"

"Hold on," Teppei said. "Need my glasses." Seeing Neemon dizzily wandering around wearing them, he bonked him on the head before taking his glasses back.

They walked to the other end of the terminal—still within eyesight of the others, but out of earshot. Once Katsuharu came to a halt, Teppei asked, "So, since when am I your second? I thought that was Chiaki."

"Yeah," Katsuharu admitted, "but I think I need my best friend on this."

Teppei gave him a serious look. "You're acting mushy. Something must be wrong."

Katsuharu sighed and looked back at the others. Teruo was up and carefully walking around, but Chiaki was sitting down, talking with Koichi. "Compared to us, they're pretty innocent. Chiaki's 'crimes' back home were pretty minor, and Koichi and Teruo were victims. But you and me, we've got a record."

"This is about redemption again, isn't it?" Teppei asked.

"Pretty much," Katsuharu sighed. "I don't know if I feel right walking out on this, after everything I've done to J.P. and Tommy."

"Neither do I," Teppei admitted, "but what can we do? Even if we decided to stay while they went, they'd stay no matter what too."

Katsuharu nodded, then grimaced. "And I can only imagine what would happen if we tried to shove them on the train." Teppei grimaced too and preemptively started rubbing the back of his head. Chiaki would hit him hard. And that was just her; who knew what Teruo and Koichi would do?

"But that's not everything, is it?" Teppei asked. "Something's been bothering you for a while. I noticed it when I got back with Baromon."

Katsuharu sighed and sank into a nearby bench. "Actually, it was right after I talked to Baromon. He had this…prophecy."

Teppei raised an eyebrow. "Why'd that bother you? You've always thought destiny and prophecy were a load of bull."

"Yeah, but I know a warning when I hear one," he confessed. "He said that one of us had a story that was coming to its end, and it would happen on the darkest night."

They stared at each other for a moment and finally, Teppei said, "Koichi."

"Yeah," Katsuharu admitted. "If it mentions darkness, I don't see how it could be about anyone else."

"You don't believe in it though," Teppei pointed out. When Katsuharu didn't answer immediately, he said, "Do you?"

Katsuharu shrugged. "I don't know. I hate thinking that we don't have a choice in anything, and I know what choices I've made in my life. But…"

"But you're pretty much the only one in this world who doesn't believe in destiny," Teppei realized, and Katsuharu nodded.

"Talked with Takuya about it a while back," he confessed. "I ran into him once. He was so desperate to believe that everything happened for a reason. He really wants to believe that he's meant to be a hero and that it'll justify everything he's doing."

"Yeah," Teppei agreed. "I can see why he'd want to think that so bad."

"I'm worried about this whole fate crap everyone believes in," Katsuharu said. "If people start thinking they don't have a choice in the matter, that everything is set in stone, then what's going to happen to them?" He glanced toward Koichi. "What's going to happen to him?"

Teppei was silent for a moment before adding, "Darkest night, huh? I don't see how things could get much darker right now."

"Exactly," Katsuharu agreed. "We lost our Spirits; we probably lost Lucemon of all people, and he's the strongest Digimon this world has ever known. I feel like if we don't take this chance, one of us isn't going to make it home."

The silence was heavy in the air, like DarkTrailmon's black steam. Finally, Teppei said, "I don't know about you, but I don't want to stay the kind of person I was back home. The only place where I can fix things is here. And I'm not about to give up that second chance." Then he turned and walked away, leaving Katsuharu alone to curse his fears.

* * *

Chiaki sat up and stayed still for a moment as a wave of dizziness washed over her. She could hear Teruo telling Koichi he was going to try and take a walk, but she couldn't look up until after he was gone. Koichi was staring into space, right at the track where DarkTrailmon had been.

"Koichi?" she asked.

He turned to her and plastered on a fake smile. "How are you feeling?"

"A little better," she admitted. "What about you?"

The smile faltered. "I'll…be okay."

There was a heavy silence as Chiaki gave him a concerned look. Finally, he said, "I know I apologized before, but I really am sorry about the way I treated you back there, when you were spying on Ophanimon?"

Confused, she could only look at him with more worry. "What brought this on?"

He shrugged. "I guess I…" He lowered his head and tried again. "I guess I didn't really start thinking about it until right now, what would happen if that was the last thing I ever did for you—just blame you for everything. I guess I've never really gotten over my trust issues."

Chiaki sighed. "Well, I can't blame you for that." He didn't look up. "But you're not the only one who had trust issues. Katsuharu was right. I should have trusted you guys and let you know what I was planning."

Koichi offered her a small, sad smile. "But that's all in the past now, right?"

She smiled back. "Yeah."

Lifting his head, he said, "I wanted to ask you something. What do you think about this chance we have? To go home?"

"I don't know," she answered. "But what about you? Can't you go home? You told us once…"

"Yeah," he sighed, looking down again. "I know."

They were quiet again, and finally, Chiaki reached a hand out and placed it on his. He looked up at her in surprise as she smiled.

"It'll be okay," she promised. "I'm sure it'll work this time. Besides, the Spirit was purified, and you don't even have it anymore. It might be a blessing in disguise."

"A blessing…" Koichi murmured, staring into space. Taking a breath, he asked, "But what do you think, really? If you have the chance to go home—to have a normal life again."

Chiaki snorted. "Normal? I don't think any of us is going to be normal again."

"Right," Koichi agreed, barely listening.

"But maybe it would be nice," Chiaki reasoned. "I would like to see my family again. I miss my little sister, even though she was always bothering me. I even miss my stupid brother, though he'd probably be out with his girlfriend the whole time."

"Mom's got to be worried," Koichi realized, speaking under his breath. "She just lost Grandma. She probably thinks she lost me too."

Not hearing him, Chiaki added, "Things have changed enough—I've changed. I don't feel like I need to find a way to fit in. I can stop caring what the other girls think. I can be myself."

"No one would know," Koichi whispered. "Not what happened to me, what happened to Koji. If I just hadn't screwed things up, none of this would have happened. His family wouldn't have to suffer either."

"And I have you guys to thank for that," Chiaki finished, looking at Koichi with a smile. But he still wasn't listening, caught up in his own thoughts. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" he asked. Realizing that Chiaki was worried, he answered, "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry. Had a lot on my mind." He got up. "I need to go ask Bokomon something. I'll be back."

Chiaki could only watch in confusion as Koichi headed off, almost with desperation, to find the keeper of the book. And she wondered just what could be bothering him so much that he was almost back to the way he was when they first met him.

* * *

Teruo took a few cautious steps alone before reaching out for the next pillar. It hurt and he had to struggle to keep his balance, but he had to be sure he could walk on his own, no matter what choice they made.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Neemon asked. "Pretending to walk a tightrope?"

Teruo held back a laugh, if only because his sides hurt. "No, I'm trying to make sure I can do this on my own. It's just a little hard to walk right now."

"Well, you'll get better soon," Neemon insisted. For all he annoyed some of the others (particularly Bokomon), Neemon was someone Teruo could appreciate having around. More so than even Patamon and Lopmon, he saw things with a childlike innocence—admittedly because he wasn't too bright—which reminded Teruo of how he used to be, before all of this started.

"I know!" Neemon cried. "Why don't you ask Koichi for help?"

And this was one of the reasons it was sometimes hard to deal with Neemon. Not because he was dumb, but because he just couldn't understand things the way they saw it. Teruo shook his head and said, "No, I have to do this alone. I've depended on the others too much lately. I need to be able to do this."

"But why?" Neemon asked as Teruo struggled to make his way to the next pillar. "You all defend us. You're always happy to help."

Teruo sighed. This wasn't easy to explain, not even to himself. Gripping the next pillar, he said, "I need to do it for me than for everyone else. I need to stand on my own two feet."

Neemon watched Teruo balance himself precariously and tilted his head. "So you don't fall down?"

Teruo snorted. "Close enough." Sighing, he sat down, leaning against the pillar. "Ever since I was a kid, I've always been in someone else's shadow, whether it's because someone else put me there or I did. When my brother died, my parents wanted to make sure that nothing happened to me. They treated me like I was fragile; Mom would freak if I even got a nosebleed. Then when I started soccer, I saw how good Takuya was and how he was also a good person. I knew I couldn't be like him, so I guess I put him on a pedestal." Smiling humorlessly, he added, "I did the same with Chiaki and Koichi when I first met them too. At first, I thought I was just thinking of them the same way I used to think of Takuya, but now I think it was the other way around." Neemon gave him a confused look, so he added, "Never mind."

"But the others aren't trying to protect you because they think you can't protect yourself," Neemon said. "They're doing it because they're your friends."

"You know that and I know that," Teruo admitted. "But my heart thinks differently.

Neemon gave him an even more confused look. "How does your heart think differently from you?"

"It's just an expression," Teruo said. "I know it, but I don't feel that way. When I get home, it's going to be the same as it always was. Once Mom and Dad see all these bruises and burns on me, there's no way they're letting me leave my room until I get old and die." He reached up and used the pillar to pull himself back to his feet. His body strained and protested against the unexpected workout, but he forced himself to stand. It took a moment before the pain and dizziness faded, and he leaned against the pillar until he was ready to walk again.

"You don't want to go home?" Neemon realized.

"Not really," Teruo answered. "'Cause unlike everyone else, if I show people how much I've changed, I'm only going to make it worse. My parents already lost one son. They'll do whatever it takes not to lose the other. No matter how much it hurts me in the end."

Neemon's ears drooped as he heard this. He understood this, at the very least, but he couldn't think of anything to say that would make it better. But he didn't think that someone smarter would be able to think of anything either. So he just watched in silence as Teruo pushed himself to walk from pillar to pillar, trying to reassure himself of the strength and independence he'd gained away from home.

* * *

Koichi found Bokomon flipping through his book, a worried look on his face. Nearby, Patamon and Lopmon watched anxiously, instead of playing with their usual carefree innocence.

"Did you find anything?" Koichi asked.

Bokomon sighed and shook his head, tucking away the book. "I'm afraid not. Even my information on the ancient Warriors isn't providing any clues."

Koichi sank with defeat to the ground, sitting beside the Digimon and staring into space. Bokomon watched him in sympathy for a moment before Koichi said, "I've been thinking about something."

"About what?" Bokomon pressed.

"The Spirits," Koichi admitted, glancing over at his friends. "The Spirits chose us specifically, right? So that means they needed the right soul to control their powers."

"…Yes, I suppose that makes sense," Bokomon answered. "But what does this have to do with…"

Wrapped up in his own thoughts, Koichi continued, "So that means there's some kind of…affinity for each power. We all show some kind of elemental sympathy. Our own elements don't hurt us the way they hurt each other."

Bokomon realized what Koichi was catching onto, and he warned, "If this has anything to do with that 'key,' don't even think about it! It could destroy you!"

Koichi smiled bitterly. "No, just the me here. Who knows what happened to me back in the Human World?" His expression became grave as he turned toward Lopmon. "I know you don't remember anything about your old life, but I think I've figured it out. This is why you chose me to carry the Spirits of Darkness. It wasn't just because I could keep the corruption from affecting me—for all I know, that might have been a side-effect. I'm the only one who can unlock its true power, the ability to bring the light and dark together."

"Koichi, this is crazy!" Bokomon exclaimed, jumping to his feet and standing directly in the boy's face. "Even if that's true, there's no guarantee if it would work! Even if it does, there's still the risk! The last thing any of your friends wants is for you to die!"

"And that's why you're not going to tell them anything about this," Koichi said firmly. As Bokomon took a step back in shock, he added, "No matter what happens, you have to promise me that you don't tell the others what's happening to me, or about the key."

"I can't promise that!" Bokomon insisted.

"You have to," Koichi argued, standing up. "This power I have might be the best chance we have at saving the Digital World. If we don't take it, then there's no guarantee that we'll have the power to defeat Ophanimon."

"Koichi, this doesn't have to be your destiny!" Lopmon pleaded.

"It's not destiny," Koichi affirmed, standing tall despite the weight he'd just put upon his shoulders. "It's my choice."

He walked back toward Chiaki, as everyone else made their way over. They all looked at each other for a moment until Katsuharu took the lead.

"Look," he said. "We've got a decision, and the only way we're going to know for sure is to take a vote. We're not going to hold it against each other one way or the other. So who wants to head home?"

Hesitantly, Chiaki raised her hand. Realizing he had no other choice but to show his hand, Katsuharu did too. "All right. So we're staying?"

"…Actually, I didn't vote," Koichi admitted.

"What?" Teppei asked in disbelief. "Come on! This isn't something you can be undecided on!"

"No, I'm…" he started before shaking his head. "You're right. I guess I've just been trying to hold off on it."

Katsuharu gave him a serious look. "So what's your decision?"

Koichi took a breath. "I want to protect this world, and more than anything else, I want to make up for the mistakes I've made since coming here. It's my fault Koji is obsessed with his loyalty to Ophanimon, and anything he does to this world is on my conscience. But…" He looked at his friends wistfully. "But there's so much we've left unfinished in our world. I think we need to finish it."

"So…we're going home?" Teruo asked hesitantly.

Everyone turned from Koichi to look at their leader. Katsuharu watched Koichi for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, but just for a little while—long enough to finish everything and stock up on some supplies. It'll give us a chance to recover."

"And what about us?" Bokomon asked.

Katsuharu smirked. "You're coming with us."

Bokomon looked like he might have a heart attack, his eyes wide as he sputtered, "But Digimon can't survive in the Human World! At least not according to the book!"

"There's an underground Trailmon station in Shibuya," Teruo pointed out. "If they can survive there, so can you guys."

"Yeah," Chiaki agreed. "You can wait for us until we get back." Despite still looking a little nervous, Bokomon nodded.

"So it's settled?" Katsuharu asked.

The others all nodded, just as black mist poured into the station again. They turned to see red lights as DarkTrailmon came into focus.

"You've made your decision?" he checked.

Katsuharu looked back at his team. "Yeah. We're ready."

"All right then," DarkTrailmon answered, opening his doors. "All aboard."

One by one, the kids and Digimon loaded into the Trailmon, feeling an odd sense of relief as they did so. Koichi stood by the door, watching outside the window as the barren Continent of Darkness passed them by.

"Hey," Katsuharu called, coming over to him. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he answered, his voice heavy. "Just…kinda feels like the weight of the world on my shoulders, you know?"

Katsuharu gave him a reassuring smile and started to put his hand on Koichi's shoulder when something rocked the train, sending everyone spilling to the floor.

"What's going on?" he demanded.

"Koji," Koichi realized.

Teppei pulled himself up and looked out the window, where MagnaGarurumon was aiming his missiles. "Yeah, it's him all right. Guess he got tired of waiting."

Koichi got to his feet and reached for the door as Bokomon demanded, "Koichi, what do you think you're doing? You don't even have a D-tector anymore, let alone your Spirits!"

Katsuharu looked at Bokomon in horror as he felt his stomach drop. The sensation only got worse as Koichi opened the door and insisted, "Someone's got to stop him, and I'm the only one who stands a chance right now."

"Koichi!" Chiaki cried.

Katsuharu got to his feet and grabbed Koichi by the wrist. Surprised, Koichi turned to look at him. Katsuharu wanted to say something to try and stop him, or at least try and pull him back before he could do anything stupid, but he was frozen silent. All he could do was stare, his mind blotting out the sounds of battle and their friends trying to talk sense into Koichi.

But somehow, Koichi seemed to understand what Katsuharu couldn't tell him, and he smiled sadly and closed his eyes.

"Thank you," he said.

His arm seemed to pass right through Katsuharu's hand, and when Katsuharu looked back on it later, he realized it probably had. Then, smiling in the face of danger and destiny, he jumped from the train.

"Koichi!" Katsuharu shouted. Turning back, he yelled, "Stop the train!"

Koichi hit the ground, tumbling from the force and acceleration, but he caught himself quickly. Seeing MagnaGarurumon aiming at DarkTrailmon again, he shouted, "Koji, leave them alone! It's me you want!"

Encouraged, MagnaGarurumon turned. "I can't resist such an easy target."

"You could before!" Koichi argued. "Remember! You once told me you wouldn't attack someone who couldn't fight back. You used to be noble, before Ophanimon filled your head full of lies!"

"The only lies are the ones you're telling me!" MagnaGarurumon replied, his body glowing. "But I'm noble enough to grant you a quick, painless death. Starburst Hunter!"

MagnaGarurumon came speeding toward him, surrounded entirely by light. Koichi closed his eyes as the power collided into him.

And then something happened. A dark aura surrounded Koichi all of a sudden, merging with the light. A sphere of tiles and runes appeared around Koichi and then slowly became absorbed into his body. Shocked that it had worked, Koichi looked at his hands. His data still seemed stable.

"What the…" MagnaGarurumon asked in shock, turning to see him. His voice shook a little as he then said, "You're not human. What are you?"

Koichi looked at him with pure determination. "I'm not really sure, but I do know one thing—I'm the key to stopping you!"

He held out his hands and unleashed the power from within him. A pulsating blast of white and black energy surged from his hands and hit MagnaGarurumon dead-on, breaking off part of his armor and sending him flying. Seeing Koichi still standing there, MagnaGarurumon took off to avoid another blast.

Another blast never would have come. Completely drained of energy, Koichi collapsed to the ground, barely conscious and his body disintegrating.

"Koichi!" came a voice he vaguely recognized as Teruo's. He opened his eyes to see his friends racing toward him.

"You…" he started. "You need to get…"

"He's falling apart!" Chiaki realized.

Katsuharu and Teppei picked him up, supporting him on their shoulders. It was funny, Koichi realized. He'd forgotten how small Teppei used to be, and now they were almost the same height. How much had the others changed while he'd stayed the same.

"Hang on, man," Teppei insisted. "We've got you."

"You're going to be okay," Katsuharu added. But as Koichi looked at him, he knew that Katsuharu was only trying to convince himself of that.

They carried him back onto DarkTrailmon and ordered the train to start moving again. His body was staticky, fading in and out of focus, and his head felt like it was going to split open.

"We'll get you to a hospital," Katsuharu promised. "You're going to be okay."

Koichi smiled. "Thanks."

"Thank us after we get you to safety," Katsuharu argued. "Now, lie down."

Summoning all of his strength, Koichi managed to push himself off his friends' shoulders, just as Teppei said, "What are you doing? Don't try and stand!"

Everyone was crowded around him, desperate to try and hold onto him. Koichi felt tears burning his eyes as he looked around at his friends. They were horrified and worried, with unshed tears in their own eyes.

"Thank you," he said, smiling at them one last time.

His body suddenly unraveled into silver streams of Fractal Code. Without anything to anchor them together, the streams floated freely before dissipating into the air.

In a train station in Shibuya, a young boy lay unconscious as people stared in horror all around him.

As with chapter 33, the title comes from the Green Lantern Oath, though from the variant Hal Jordan used in the '70s or so and in the Superfriends series. For the past four years, I've been working on the last part of this chapter, scrapping several variants until I got it just right. It's partially inspired by the original scene in Frontier, yes, but it also takes heavy inspiration from the final episode of Power Rangers: RPM, when Gem and Gemma sacrifice themselves to save Flynn and Summer.