Taichi was curious about where Lucemon was taking him this time. The fallen angel had a habit of taking him to various places in the Dark Area since he showed up here more than anywhere else. Taichi always learned so much from these tours with Lucemon and could not wait to see what he would learn from this one.

When it seemed that they were randomly traveling from place to place, Taichi could no longer keep his mouth shut.

"Lucemon, are we lost?" asked Taichi.

Lucemon sighed. "No child. The Digimon we are seeking is just difficult to track down. He likes to move around a lot."

Taichi gained a thoughtful look before giving his suggestion.

"Could I find him?"

Lucemon contemplated the suggestion.

"Perhaps, he is a virus even though he has a strong sense of justice. You may be able to sense him. Give it a try," proclaimed Lucemon causing Taichi to nod.

"What's his name?" asked Taichi, knowing that piece of information would help him find the Digimon easier.

"Plutomon," answered Lucemon.

Taichi's eyes widened.

"He's the one who rules over the Dark Area, right?"

Lucemon chuckled. "Glad to see you remember my lessons. Yes, but he is not only the ruler over the Dark Area but the dead as well."

"Okay, I'll try and find him," declared Taichi.

Taichi closed his eyes and concentrated as hard as he could. The darkness inside him sought the one its host wanted and immediately found the Digimon. Taichi grinned when he could sense the Digimon and quickly teleported him and Lucemon to the correct location.

They soon arrived to see a black Digimon with mouths in various places on his body in the middle of devouring another Digimon. The Digimon being eaten let out bloodcurdling screams as the mouths on the black Digimon chewed it up. Taichi realized the black Digimon was Plutomon and simply watched as his mouths continued eating the Digimon. Taichi was not bothered by the sight as he was used to seeing similar acts done by other Digimon before. When Plutomon was done and its prey deleted, he swiftly turned to Taichi.

"Why did you seek me out, Child of Darkness?" Plutomon asked before its eyes narrowed and turned to Lucemon. "Or did Lucemon coax you to do so?"

Lucemon was not the least bit bothered by Plutomon's hostility.

"I thought it was time that the boy met you. I'm sure he could learn a lot from spending some time with you," explained Lucemon before a sly grin came on his lips. "Besides, I'm sure you were just as curious to meet him in return."

Plutomon snorted but did not deny Lucemon's claim.

"Very well, I shall take the child under my care for the time being," announced Plutomon before facing Taichi.

"Come, child," Plutomon commanded to which Taichi did as he was told.

"Have fun," teased Lucemon before leaving.

Taichi could not be sure if Lucemon meant that last remark for him or Plutomon.

Fight for Life

Part 1

When Plutomon sensed the Child of Darkness in the Dark Area, he quickly sought out the boy's soul. Plutomon was furious when he saw the gaping hole in the child's spectral body showing how the boy had died. Despite how upset he was at the child's demise, Plutomon still had a job to do. Fortunately, the boy's soul was in a state of unconsciousness, which would make it easier for Plutomon to carry the soul without any resistance. Plutomon would make it his mission to ensure that the boy's soul safely got to its proper resting place.

As Plutomon was about to take the soul, he had to quickly avoid the large sharp bone claws that tried to attack him from behind. Plutomon turned behind him to see that the culprit was a SkullGreymon. Plutomon was intrigued by this since very few Digimon could reform themselves after their data was imprisoned within the Dark Area, let alone a common one like the Greymon species. However, Plutomon would not allow this rogue SkullGreymon to interfere with its business.

"Begone!" he shouted as he launched his Haggard Cluster attack at SkullGreymon.

Yet to his astonishment, the SkullGreymon countered with Oblivion Bird allowing the barrage of missiles to brunt Plutomon's attack. SkullGreymon then moved at a speed that shocked Plutomon, and before Plutomon could react, SkullGreymon was right in front of him and released its Curse Breath directly at him. Plutomon cursed as the toxic breath from the Digimon paralyzed him. This was not a typical SkullGreymon as it had somehow retained its intellect, unlike most of its kind.

Plutomon noticed that the SkullGreymon was eying him, undoubtedly making sure that he was indeed incapacitated. The SkullGreymon seemed to have accepted that he would remain immovable and turned away from him towards the Child of Darkness. The SkullGreymon swiftly went over to the boy, and once more, Plutomon was surprised by the skeletal Digimon's actions. The SkullGreymon carefully grabbed the boy in its claws and brought the soul closer to its body as though it was trying to cuddle the child.

Plutomon was amazed when he saw the boy's soul react to the SkullGreymon's presence. The child's eyes opened and immediately looked up at the SkullGreymon. Recognition showed on the boy's face before a soft chuckle came from his mouth.

"Looks like you finally got to become the awesome virus type that you wanted. Just wish you hadn't gotten deleted for it to happen," said the boy in a somber tone.

"I'm sorry, I failed to protect you," the SkullGreymon replied with apparent guilt in its voice.

Taichi was quick to disagree with that statement.

"It wasn't your fault. All three of us had let our guard down," replied Taichi, trying to console the SkullGreymon.

"But you paid for it," SkullGreymon said mournfully.

Being reminded of his death made Taichi glance down at himself and notice the gaping hole still displayed on his chest. Taichi cringed at the sight as he placed his hand over the hole to block it from his vision. SkullGreymon noticed the boy's reaction and held him closer to its body to comfort him.

"I won't fail you again. I swear it!" firmly vowed SkullGreymon.

"You never failed me, SkullGreymon. If anyone failed, it was me. I let myself become too weak because I believed that we were no longer in any danger. I became too complacent, and we suffered the consequences for it," Taichi frustratingly retorted, feeling angry with himself for being so careless.

"We both made mistakes," stated SkullGreymon.

"Yeah, we did," solemnly agreed Taichi.

SkullGreymon was quiet for a moment before a determined expression came on its face.

"Then we learn from this and will not make the same mistakes again. Right?"

Taichi smiled when he heard this.

"Right," Taichi confidently answered back.

Plutomon had silently listened to their exchange, and understanding soon came on his face. Plutomon then focused on his power before allowing it to counteract the paralysis of his body.

SkullGreymon immediately tensed when it noticed that Plutomon was no longer paralyzed and protectively tightened his hold on Taichi. Taichi seeing SkullGreymon's behavior, swiftly looked in Plutomon's direction. Taichi stared at Plutomon for a second before realization dawned on his face.

"Plutomon?" asked Taichi in surprise at seeing the Digimon.

"Hello, child," casually spoke Plutomon.

Taichi gained a curious look on his face.

"Why are you here?" he asked.

Plutomon became serious as he gazed at Taichi.

"SkullGreymon was your partner Digimon, correct?" Plutomon asked back.

"Yes, SkullGreymon is my partner," corrected Taichi with a bit of irritation in his voice.

Plutomon ignored the tone in Taichi's response and turned to SkullGreymon.

"Only a few Digimon can defy Anubimon's judgment. Those that do, it is because they refuse to let go of something or desperately want something and are willing to fight damnation death itself to keep or attain it. So, what was it that made you want to fight your condemnation, SkullGreymon?" wondered Plutomon.

SkullGreymon's answer was instant.

"I promised the Demon Lords and myself that I would protect my partner no matter what! I refused to let even damnation break that promise!" boldly declared SkullGreymon.

"SkullGreymon," Taichi said, looking at the Digimon in admiration.

Plutomon respected SkullGreymon's loyalty and devotion to the Child of Darkness, but that same loyalty and dedication had also caused an unexpected situation.

"Though the drive of your reformation was noble, it was your bond along with your strong desire to protect him that drew the boy's soul here to you instead of where he was meant to go after he died."

"You say that like that's a bad thing," responded Taichi in a confused tone.

Plutomon gave the boy a stern look.

"It is for you, Child of Darkness. If you stay in this place too long, your soul will constantly get weaker, and soon you may fade out of existence. That is why I have decided to take you to your soul's proper resting place personally,"

SkullGreymon looked as though he was ready to battle Plutomon once again.

"I won't let you take him!" snarled SkullGreymon as it prepared to defend the boy at any cost.

"The boy is dead. His soul needs to go where it rightfully belongs," calmly stated Plutomon.

SkullGreymon growled in displeasure at hearing this.

"No! He belongs with his sister and me! We'll find a way to bring him back! We won't give up so easily!" assuredly declared SkullGreymon.

Taichi was motivated by SkullGreymon's words.

"SkullGreymon is right! I won't let it end like this! I'll find a way to get back!" proclaimed Taichi.

"You may be Darkness's chosen, but you are still human," Plutomon reminded Taichi.

"I don't care! I need to try at least! I can't leave her like that! I just can't!" proclaimed Taichi.

"I take it this sister of yours is precious to you both," guessed Plutomon.

"She's my sister and my light. She needs me," Taichi admitted in an earnest tone.

Ploutomon could not help but find the information amusing.

"Destiny has quite the sense of humor. Having the Child of Light and Darkness being connected in such a way," he said quietly to himself before addressing Taichi.

"Very well, child. I will not stop you. But know this, if you perish, even I do not have the power to save you from such a fate."

"I'm willing to take that risk," Taichi told Plutomon without any hesitancy in his voice.

Plutomon could not help but respect Taichi for his courage.

"I'm aware," he said with a smirk before uttering his parting words to the boy.

"I wish you luck, Child of Darkness. I truly hope that you do succeed."

With those parting words, Plutomon soon left Taichi and SkullGreymon.

Taichi and SkullGreymon traveled deeper down in the Dark Area towards Cocytos. They would soon reach the place that was like another home to them.

After so long, Taichi was a little nervous about seeing the Demon Lords again. He knew that time moved much faster in the Digital World than the Human World. Even though it had only been two years for Taichi, it had to have been almost three thousand years for them. Taichi wondered if they would even remember him after so much time had passed.

Taichi soon spotted the castle in the distance. Taichi could not help but smile at seeing it again. It would not be long now before he and SkullGreymon reached the castle.

"Hello! Anybody here?!" called out Taichi the second he and SkullGreymon entered the castle.

Taichi frowned when he received no response and tried calling out a few more times, only for no one to answer him. Becoming worried, Taichi and SkullGreymon started searching around the castle in hopes of finding someone. When they reached the castle's lowest level, they finally found one of the Demon Lords; however, the two did not like what they saw.

"Belphemon!" shouted Taichi in concern when he saw the numerous chains imprisoning Belphemon in his Sleep Mode.

Even though Belphemon usually had chains around him in Sleep Mode, there were now even more chains than before. There was also the fact that Belphemon looked like he had been in a tough battle recently.

Taichi quickly ran over to Belphemon and tried to wake him, but he went right through him when Taichi tried to touch Belphemon. Taichi's eyes widened in alarm when this happened, and he tried to touch Belphemon again, only for his hand to go through the Digimon once more.

"What? Why can't I..." wondered Taichi before a voice interrupted him.

"You are dead, child. Your ability to interact with the living and physical world is limited," answered a calm voice.

Taichi turned in the direction of the voice and saw the Leader of the Demon Lords enter the room.

"Lucemon!" exclaimed Taichi, happy to see the fallen angel Digimon.

A small smile graced Lucemon's lips at how happy Taichi was to see him.

"I see that you remember me, child. It is good to see you again," Lucemon began before looking at the hole in Taichi's chest. "However, I wish it was under much better circumstances."

Taichi frowned. "Yeah, me too," he agreed.

Lucemon went over to Taichi and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Come, I'm sure you have questions, and I have some of my own."

Taichi noticed that Lucemon's hand did not go through him. Now that he thought about it, he had been able to touch SkullGreymon too and vice versa.

"How come I can touch you and SkullGreymon, but not Belphemon?" Taichi had to ask.

Lucemon was not surprised that the boy noticed this. Taichi had always been very observant. Lucemon decided to answer the boy's question since the answer was simple.

"Because SkullGreymon is Undead, and I'm a Fallen Angel. We have ties to the dead that other types of Digimon do not," calmly explained Lucemon.

Taichi nodded in understanding as that did make sense.

"Let's save the rest of the questions for a more ideal location to have our conversation," the fallen angel suggested.

Taichi agreed, and soon he and SkullGreymon followed Lucemon out of the area.

Lucemon was the first to begin sharing his side of events with Taichi. Taichi was amazed to learn that the Demon Lords never stopped fighting to protect him even after all this time. They had been employing various strategies over the years to try and put a stop to those that threatened Taichi. Lucemon did not explain precisely what they had been doing to accomplish this, but Taichi had a feeling that he knew their methods were probably morally ambiguous at best. Still, Taichi appreciated how much they were willing to fight for his life, and it only made him more determined to find a way to become alive again so that all their efforts would not be wasted.

When Taichi asked about what happened to Belphemon and the other Demon Lords, a bitter expression came on Lucemon's face. The fallen angel told him that Belphemon, along with Beelzemon and Leviamon, had fallen in battle while the others decided to split up and tackle the situation their own way. Taichi did not ask for more details since Lucemon did not want to talk about it anymore.

Seeing that a change of topic was needed, Taichi decided to share his side of what happened with him these past years. Knowing that Lucemon was curious about why he remembered them, Taichi began by explaining that Hikari had broken the seal the Demon Lords placed on his memories.

When Taichi mentioned the Digi Egg showing up on his dad's computer, SkullGreymon and Lucemon shared how they had found out about the enemy sending mercenaries to the Human World, leading to SkullGreymon volunteering to be the one to go there to protect him. Taichi and SkullGreymon then shared how they have been fighting numerous Digimon mercenaries for the past two years.

Lucemon was pleased to hear how strong both Taichi and SkullGreymon had become. The fallen angel could not help but feel pride in knowing that he and the other Demon Lords' influence led to the two becoming such fierce warriors.

Lucemon could sense the resentment in Taichi and SkullGreymon when they began talking about their first encounter with SlashAngemon and LovelyAngemon. Even though the Child of Light had stopped the two angels from harming them, Lucemon could guess that there was more to the story. He was proven right as both revealed how SlashAngemon and LovelyAngemon made a surprise attack that soon led to Taichi and SkullGreymon's deaths.

It took all of Lucemon's restraint not to seek out SlashAngemon and LovelyAngemon and kill them on the spot. Lucemon was disgusted by the angels' tactics. It was one thing to use cunning amid battle and war, but to do so on the pretense of a ceasefire was nothing but pathetic and cowardly. Even Lucemon nor any of the other Demon Lords would think to use such pitiful tactics. After all, they were all too prideful and powerful for that.

Though funny enough, Lucemon realized that Taichi was angrier at the two angels for causing the Child of Light's sickness than his death. The Demon Lord could hear the protectiveness and vengefulness in Taichi's voice when it had been discovered that the reason his sister had been sick the whole time was due to SlashAngemon constantly draining her power from her. Lucemon could even swear that the darkness still hovering around the boy reacted just as strongly to this.

Nevertheless, the story continued. SkullGreymon told how Anubusmon's judgment had sentenced it to imprisonment in eternal darkness once it had been deleted. However, the Digimon's desire to protect Taichi gave it the strength to reform and evolve into SkullGreymon. SkullGreymon had then started looking for a way out of the Dark Area to return to the Human World and back to Taichi until it had sensed Taichi's soul close by. SkullGreymon told of its confrontation with Plutomon after finding Taichi and the conversation that followed once Taichi had woken up.

Once they were done, Lucemon looked at Taichi with a severe expression on his face.

"Unfortunately, Plutomon is right. The longer you stay here, the weaker your soul will become. Your time is limited," stated Lucemon.

"Then I'll just have to find a way to get back as soon as possible," confidently declared Taichi, bringing a smirk to Lucemon's lips.

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you, child. I know your pride will not allow you to give up that easily."

"Well, I learned from the best, didn't I?" teased Taichi making Lucemon chuckle.

"Indeed, you did," replied Lucemon with a smirk.

Taichi became serious once more.

"Can you help me, Lucemon?" asked Taichi.

Lucemon nodded. "I will help you any way I can, Child of Darkness. You have my word."

Hearing this made Taichi smile.

"Thank you, Lucemon."

Taichi frowned as he watched another Digimon's data enter the area of eternal darkness after their judgment. As usual, when Taichi saw a Digimon's data come here, he wondered if the Digimon had deserved this judgment or if Anubusmon was just being biased against virus types again. Either way, it did not matter. Taichi was only here to collect their data. Taichi went closer to the Digimon's data and absorbed it with a sigh. When he was finished, Taichi could already feel himself becoming stronger again.

"I've taken enough. We should get back to the castle," Taichi told SkullGreymon, who was right beside him.

"I think you should take one more to be safe. I rather you have more than enough than less," SkullGreymon replied seriously.

Taichi cringed at the suggestion. Even though absorbing the data of fallen Digimon was vital in keeping his soul from fading away, it did not mean that Taichi liked doing it. Yet, SkullGreymon had a point. He had almost disappeared once already because he had not taken enough data. Taichi did not want to end up making the same mistake twice.

"You're right. I'll get one more, and then we'll go," relented Taichi as they both waited for another Digimon's data to be sent to damnation.

After they were done, Taichi and SkullGreymon returned to Cocytos, where Lucemon was waiting for them.

"I assume there was no trouble?" asked Lucemon.

"No," said Taichi with a tired look on his face.

Lucemon could tell that Taichi was still uncomfortable with taking a Digimon's data for his own means, so the fallen angel did his best to reassure the boy.

"I know that taking that data still bothers you, but you must continue absorbing it if you wish to exist. Besides, you are giving those Digimon a much-preferred fate than what they would've received. Trust me on that."

Taichi nodded in understanding, realizing what Lucemon said was true. Every time he took a Digimon's data, he gained their memories and feelings. Sometimes, the Digimon even spoke to him, proving that they now lived inside him. So far, none of the Digimon he absorbed had an issue with what he had done. They saw it as a blessing since if he succeeded in finding a way back to life, they would live again through him. Knowing that those Digimon's existence was also in his hands motivated Taichi even more.

Lucemon soon led them back inside the castle to discuss their next course of action. As their conversation carried on, Taichi decided to ask something that had been on his mind lately.

"Lucemon, how come you never use my name? I realized that none of you have ever called me by my name before. Even SkullGreymon has stopped saying my name here, now that I think about it," announced Taichi with confusion evident in his voice.

"I was wondering when you would bring it up," mused Lucemon before answering the question.

"Names have power, child. Some could use the power gleaned from knowing your name against you. That is why all of us have been very careful never to utter your name in the case that knowledge falls into the wrong hands."

Taichi's eyes widened in realization and took what Lucemon just told him very seriously. It all made sense now why the Demon Lords always called him child or kid in Beelzebumon's case. Still, being addressed that way by them felt too impersonal for Taichi's liking. An idea then came to Taichi.

"What about using a nickname then? Would that be a safe option?" asked Taichi.

"As long as it is not your full given name, then that will suffice," answered Lucemon.

Taichi was pleased to hear this and already had a nickname in mind.

"Then from now on, you can call me Tai," happily declared Taichi with a smile.

"Tai…I like it," joyfully remarked SkullGreymon.

"I agree. Tai suits you perfectly," Lucemon said with a grin on his lips.

Taichi visited Belphemon every chance he could get.

Lucemon had explained that Belphemon had been locked in his Sleep Mode when he fell in battle. The reason why the fallen angel had not tried to break the lock was that Belphemon would have likely gone into a fit of uncontrollable rage and could cause more harm to himself and everything else around him in his berserker state of mind.

Yet, Taichi had convinced Lucemon to break the seal since he was confident that he would calm Belphemon down when he awoke. Fortunately, Taichi was right, and he could keep Belphemon's rage in check despite not being able to touch him. However, it seemed that Belphemon would slip into an uncontrollable rage whenever Taichi would start to fade out or if he did not see Taichi for a long time. So, Taichi made it a habit of seeing Belphemon whenever he could to reassure the Demon Lord that he was okay.

"Hey, Belphemon," greeted Taichi.

Belphemon immediately turned to face Taichi as a fond expression came on his face.

"Tai," he greeted back in an affectionate tone.

Hearing Belphemon call him by his nickname in such a way always made Taichi smile.

"Your injuries look to be healing nicely," remarked Taichi as he glanced over Belphemon's slightly bruised body.

"They are; the herbs you suggested I use are working very well," answered Belphemon.

"Actually, it was one of the Digimon currently living in my head that knew about the herbs, so I can't take the credit for that," bashfully admitted Taichi.

"You do not need to be modest, Tai," chuckled Belphemon. "Remember, those Digimon are a part of you now. Their knowledge is your knowledge. What once was theirs now rightfully belongs to you."

Taichi did not know how to feel about that. Luckily, Belphemon picked up on this and changed the subject.

"Were you able to find any help in Witchelny?" asked Belphemon.

"Surprisingly, yeah. A lot of them were intrigued by my rare situation and saw it as a great opportunity to test their skill in sorcery," answered Taichi causing Belphemon to snort.

"In other words, they want to gain some clout by being the first sorcerer ever to resurrect a human."

"As long as one of them succeeds, does it really matter how much they brag about it?" stated Taichi with a shrug.

"As long as none of them figure out that you are the Child of Darkness, then I guess it does not," proclaimed Belphemon.

"They shouldn't. The Digimon data inside of me now has been able to conceal the darkness inside of me. I just have to make sure that I don't use my powers while I'm there."

"Even so, do not let down your guard. If they do find out, they may want to finish the job LovelyAngemon and SlashAngemon started," Belphemon warned Taichi.

"I'll be careful, Belphemon. I promise," firmly stated Taichi.

"Good," replied Belphemon.

The two steered the rest of their conversation to more casual topics for the rest of Taichi's visit.

Taichi was a bit anxious and eager as he watched the Digimon from Witchelny prepare the ritual that would help him contact someone from the living world. They theorized that if he had a strong connection with someone on the other side, that person could act as a conduit to help his soul cross over. First, that person needed to know what was happening and what they needed to do for the resurrection to work. So the Digimon suggested that he contact that person and explain everything to them beforehand to be ready.

They had warned Taichi that a spell like this would drain his spiritual energy quickly so he would not have a lot of time to talk with the person. Taichi understood and had made sure to absorb more data than usual before doing this. He secretly hoped that the extra data would give him a little more time than the Digimon estimated he would have.

When the preparations for the ritual were complete, Taichi was instructed to stand in the center of the circular magic symbol on the ground. Once inside the circle, a Witchmon came closer and gave him further instructions.

"Alright, Tai-kun, when the ritual begins, all you have to do is focus on the person you what to contact, and the spell will send you to wherever the person is. The key is not to let your mind wander, or you might be sent to someone or somewhere else instead. Got it?" asked Witchmon.

"I do," answered Taichi with a determined expression on his face.

"Good, now we did consider the time difference between the Digital and Human World and calibrated the ritual as best as we could. Hopefully, this will make sure you have enough time to give the person your message," she told him before materializing a blank parchment into her hands.

"Now, we'll need the name of the person you have decided to be your conduit so we can prepare the resurrection spell," explained Witchmon before a sly smirk crossed her lips. "And yes, you can use an alias for them as long as it is close enough to their true name. We've already seen that our spells that required your name worked on you after all."

Taichi was relieved to hear that last part. He would not have been comfortable with giving them the person's name. Not that he did not appreciate what the Digimon have done for him, but these were the types of Digimon that could make use of someone's name if they felt like it. They understood that and had no issue with him keeping his real name from them.

Of course, Taichi knew the person that could help bring him back. The perfect nickname for that person came right to him, and Taichi told it to Witchmon.

"Kari."