Well, this is it. The last chapter….*sob*. I began writing this fic one month and a half ago, and I think I have become better when it comes to writing. I just hope that the other fanfics I write end up as well as this one. Anyway, enough with the talking, here it is...oh, and I don't own Digimon…or do I…no, I definitely don't.

CHAPTER 13

A Dragon's Power, an Angel's Heart

"Grand Exploder!"

Even in that small world, filled with darkness, the light and the flames from the explosion surprised Mina Kirahashi. She had seen lots of things in seven hundred years of existence. However, nothing could be compared with that single day. Her open jaw wasn't enough to express her feelings while watching the incredible battle developing in front of her.

"Rainbow Blast!"

Her eyes were fixed on the battle, but her heart was with each spell TK cast. She wasn't a match for the Dragon of Evil, but she loved Takeru, and when two sorcerers share a bond like that, their powers consummate in one. She knew TK didn't feel the same she did, but she also knew he cared for her, and that was enough.

"Delta Magic!"

Mina looked at her new friends, the Digi-Destined. First, he looked at Izzy, who didn't seem to worry about the battle at all. He was completely focused on his laptop's screen. She could easily tell why TK liked him that much: he admired Izzy. It wasn't that Izzy didn't care about Takeru's safety; it was that he trusted in Takeru. The same way Takeru trusted in him. Next to Izzy, she found Tomari, her master, who seemed to be thinking a lot. He probably felt the same as her. The awkward sensation of being useless. But he also did what he could. He was trying to help Izzy translate the ancient prophecy, their only chance of finding a way to defeat Evil once and for all. Then, she looked at the others. They were speechless. It had been really tough for them. For the first time in their lives, they couldn't control their future. Their destiny, the world's destiny, lied in the result of that battle. And their last hope, the only one who can save them, is Takeru Takaishi, who was supposed to be dead. The revelation of knowing that TK was alive was too much for them. They hearts now carried the frustration of knowing that everything they had thought and felt those when they said good bye to her friend had been just a lie, a façade. The anger of realizing that TK had fooled them was mixed with the happiness of the return of his dear friend. What's in their hearts right now? What's in Kari's heart right now?

"I knew it! I knew I had seen it before!"

The whole group looked at the smiling Izzy, who didn't paid attention to the deadly glares they were giving at him. He seemed very proud, as he always looked when he had made a big discovery.

"I guess I'm supposed to say: What did you find out, Izzy?" Tai said sarcastically.

"The giant dragon! I've seen it in one of the books at the library. When I scanned the books at Mina's house, I saved this page from an ancient guide of magic creatures, and now I realized that this picture was a picture of Evil itself. Look!" Izzy said as he showed them a picture in the laptop's screen. It was, indeed, the giant dragon Takeru was fighting. Below the picture the Digi-Destined and the two sorcerers saw a long text, written in an ancient language.

"I'm sorry to tell you this, Iz, but we can't read weird-ancient-wizardish." Davis said.

"I'm…working…on that…here!" he said as the runic changed into a readable text."

"The seventh and second to last incarnation of Evil is the Black Dragon. This legendary creature holds great powers and the only references to it can be found in ancient prophecies. Contrary to Evil's weaker forms, this one cannot be destroyed with any magic or physical attack. The only way to destroy it is supposed to be included in the Prophecy of the Chosen One, which has never been fully translated."

"I don't have to read a book to know that." A voice said behind them. It was Takeru.

"How long have you been here?" Mina asked.

"Enough…everybody down! Magic Shield!"

Suddenly, a powerful shield covered them, just in time to protect them from the Dragon's powerful attack. TK began speaking again, as if nothing were happening.

"So…any progress?"

"We know which language was used to write the prophecy, but it was encrypted. It's a simple code, but the computer has to try all the possibilities until it finds one that makes sense. That will take quite a while." Izzy explained.

"Great. Tell your computer to move faster, because my magic doesn't seem to work at all on that guy. Damn, I need a sword!"

"Takeru, a sword would never pierce through that dragon's hard skin." Tomari said softly. TK just sighed as he kept blocking attack after attack with his magic shield.

"If you were as good with swords as Master Davalos you would know that I need the sword to protect myself. I cannot keep using the Magic Shield, or I'll get tired pretty quickly. Now, see ya." He said at the time he warped away, to move the fight to another place.

"So…what do we do?" Yolei asked after a long moment of silence.

"We can only wait." Izzy said.

"And pray." Tai concluded, not to the likes of everyone.

"Hey, let's play hide and seek!"

"I'm not really in a good mood now."

"Exactly! If you play, you'll get in a good mood!"

"How come that you're acting so cheerfully? You're not like that. You're always serious, and sometimes mean."

"Are you saying that I can't have fun!?"

"Not at all…it's just that…Kari asked you to do this, right?"

Gatomon looked with compassion at the little Patamon, who was seated on Kari's bed. He had been acting like that since he got rid of Kazuo's control. The feeling of being used for the works of Evil consumed his happiness very slowly. Life had lost its bright since he lost his human partner. After that, he spent all his time alone in the Digiworld, looking for a new reason for his existence. It had been almost two years since Takeru's death, and the little flying Digimon hadn't shown a smile since then.

"Alright, I admit it. Kari asked me to cheer you up. Or at least to try. For God's sake, Patamon, get over it!"

"Shut up!" Patamon cried, and his friend immediately obeyed. She may have the advantage of being a champion Digimon, but she still didn't want to face Patamon's rage. TK had told her a little secret a year after Malomyotismon's defeat. Patamon had the ability to digivolve without a Digivice, and she knew she was no match for Angemon, or even worse, Seraphimon.

"Patamon, we all miss him, but if we are together, we may learn to bear his absence."

"Gatomon, I'm not sad for his absence."

The cat Digimon looked at her friend with concern. She couldn't understand Patamon's words.

"Don't you…don't you miss him?"

"Why should I miss him? He's still out there, and you know that."

Gatomon finally understood Patamon's feelings. Most people thought TK was dead, mainly because Kari and Tai hadn't told anyone about the mysterious note from the day after his burial. But she knew. Takeru Takaishi was alive. But for some reason she could think of, he wanted everyone else to believe he was dead.

"It's getting dark, and Kari hasn't come back." Patamon said softly, trying to change the subject.

"He left you." Gatomon said, and Patamon looked at her, his face burning with anger. "That's why you're mad, right?" Obviously, the little pig-like Digimon couldn't hold it any longer, as he exploded in a way Gatomon could have never expected from a Digimon. Maybe from the love-crazed Kari, but not from a Digimon.

"Yes! He's out there, doing who knows what, and he left me alone! I thought we were friends, but he didn't care at all when he decided to play dead, and leaving me! His Digimon partner, his buddy, his confidant!" and then he started crying. Gatomon didn't say a word, as she wasn't the best one for comforting people (or Digimon). She just looked at him, confused, thinking about the next thing to do now.

"And you know what the worst thing is?" Patamon continued. Gatomon just shook her head.

"After what he did to me…after abandoning me…if he only looked for me…if he only said my name…I'd be there…because after all…I'm his partner."

"Boreal Storm!"

No matter which spell he tried, or which angle did he attack from, the giant Dragon wouldn't get even a scratch. TK had already spent 45 minutes of attacking, evading, more attacking and more evading; and the only thing he was doing was getting tired. He had stopped using his Magic Shield since a long time ago, as a way to save some energy, but if he didn't do something, anything, he would dead meat. But he wasn't only fighting against tiredness. He also had to deal with Evil's constant mind games.

"What makes you think you can win? You are NOTHING. Your spells don't even tickle my hard skin, and you'd break your little hands if you attacked me…"

"Besides, boxing is not my biggest strength. But what I lack in physical abilities, I got it in the Sword Department. So, I guess that's my best option."

"Too bad you don't have a sword. Why don't you just give up and pray for mercy? I'd probably kill you anyway, but I might forgive your friends…"

"Yeah, sure, as if I could believe your crap…"

"Hey…maybe I'm not that bad…"

"He he, now that was funny…"

"Giga Shock!"

As always, the powerful thunder spell didn't do a thing against the black Dragon's powers. Takeru realized it was useless to keep trying, and he started dodging attacks. Besides, the dragon hadn't been able to hurt him either. But that probably was because it hadn't really attacked at all.

"So you finally stopped with your little game…I guess it's my turn…"

And the world fell all over Takeru…literally. The whole dimension of darkness was a giant, never-ending sphere of dark energy, and Evil could control it feely. Unfortunately, TK realized it way too late. Two black tentacles came out from the "floor" and trapped his legs at the same time at the same time the dark sky filled with black holes shooting dark cannons at one single objective: himself.

"So…you like my ´Heart of Darkness´ attack? No? Well…It's one of my personal favorites…too bad you can't enjoy it…"

"Shut up!"

"You're not in the best position for giving me orders, Takeru Kirahashi."

"You're not going to win with this, you bastard…and the name is Takeru Takaishi."

But the chat ended up pretty quickly, as TK had a really powerful magic attack to deal with. But the only thing he saw was darkness, when infinity of dark beams hit their target.

"TK, no!"

Everybody fixed their eyes on the battle field after listening to Tai's words. But they only found darkness. Not even the black dragon could be seen, only a huge darkness which was consuming the Chosen One. Everything seemed lost, and the Digi-Destined looked down. All of them, but Izzy.

"Man, I'm brilliant!"

Just after Izzy watched the dark scene, he could understand everyone's death glares. Thank God he had something really good to say.

"Hey, I decoded the ancient script, now I just have to translate it."

Master Tomari's face showed something that partially looked like a smile, but the Digi-Destined realized that it was hard for him to keep it. When Mina had said he had lost his ability to feel, she was very serious.

"How long will that take?"

"What? It's already translated." Izzy said with a huge grin. Almost immediately, the group made a wide circle around Izzy and his laptop, and slowly read the finally translated prophecy of the Chosen One.

"When night has consumed everything,

And darkness rules over the dead lands,

Two holy blessings will save the Chosen One,

One from the creature his family worships,

And the other from the creature he and his real family love."

"I knew you would do it, Izzy." Mina said, smiling at him. Of course, he immediately blushed.

"Now we have to find out what does it mean." Ken said.

"It's not really complicated, now that we have it translated." Kari said.

"And once again, Kari's right." TK said behind them. The blonde boy walked inside the circle and placed a hand of Izzy's right shoulder.

"Thanks a lot, Izzy. You're the best."

"No prob, man. By the way, how did you get out of there!?" Izzy said, pointing at the absolute darkness.

"Magic, my friend. Anyway, we don't have much time before he realizes I'm here. We've to work on this one."

"It's pretty obvious to tell that by ´family´ or ´real family´ it doesn't mean your parents, TK." Yolei said.

"One point for Yolei." TK said, smiling at her. "I'd kiss you, but I'd probably get killed in the process." Yolei giggled for a while, and then she looked at the screen once again.

"My guess is that by 'family´ the prophecy means all the sorcerers and magic users. Well, we worship a holy creature, don't we?" Mina said, as she stood next to Takeru.

"Well, I can't kiss Yolei, but I can kiss you." TK said, as he kissed Mina's right cheek. She blushed a little, but she still continued, as the Digi-Destined were puzzled. "Sorcerers worship a mythical creature, which is supposed to be immortal, and only sorcerers who proved worthy of its blessings, thanks to its unlimited intelligence."

"So, what's this holy creature, and which is its blessing?" Cody asked.

"The Nova Dragon Blade." Tomari answered. Then, he looked at Takeru. "Can you use it?"

"First of all, I need a sword to use that technique. Second, I haven't used it ever in my short life as a swordsman. Third, the only I know who can use it is Master Davalos, and he only showed me the basic principle. And fourth, Davalos is not here, so he won't help us."

"Any conclusion?" Tomari asked him with great concern.

"Just get me a sword and we'll see." TK concluded.

"You know that's impossible, Taki." Mina said. "Taki!?" Kari thought. "There's nothing in this place."

"Well, we still have the rest of the prophecy." Izzy said.

"But I'll have to think that by myself. The darkness is fading. I better get back to work." TK said, and he warped away. The Digi-Destined looked from the distance at the battle field again. They could listen to the Dragon's angry roars, and somehow they felt its disappointment. They watched how Takeru prepared himself for Evil's second strike, and they all knew it was going to be even worse than the first one. But Izzy looked away from the creepy scene and focused on the prophecy, what he thought was the most important thing now.

"And what about the second blessing? I mean, ´the creature he and his family love´?"

"That's Patamon." Kari said almost instinctively, while looking at the fight with great attention. "I think it's pretty obvious. I mean, the creature he loves must be Patamon."

"I agree with Kari." Davis said. "But then, who's his ´real family´?"

"I'm looking at them right now." Mina said, smiling. The Digi-Destined looked at each other with an expression on their faces that clearly said: "Us?"

"Of course." Mina continued. "He may have his parents, but you've been the ones he has faced the toughest moments of his life. You've shared tons of experiences together, and if that doesn't make you a family, then I don't know what it will."

Smiles filled the Digi-Destined's faces after thinking of that wonderful thing. A family. Yes, they were that close, if you think about it. Maybe they were so great friends, that they could call themselves a family. A family joined by the Digiworld. Everyone was smiling, as if a new hope had filled their hearts. But Izzy had his own concerns.

"How…how will we get Patamon here?"

"I believe he's thinking about that just right now." Tomari said, while pointing at Takeru, who was too busy evading enemy attacks.

Patamon lied on Kari's bed, looking carefully at the desk. More precisely, at the picture on the desk. Kari and TK on a Tokyo street. Patamon remembered that Kari had told him she felt something was wrong in that picture, and now that Patamon was looking at it carefully, he agreed with the young human. He didn't know what it was, but there was something odd on that picture. He knew the answer was in his head, but he still had to link ideas. Maybe Gatomon could help him.

"Hey, Gatomon, where…" Patamon stop the phrase when he looked at his partner. Gatomon was totally asleep, and even worse, she was using him as a Digipillow.

"Great, just great. Now I can't even move." Without any clues on the mysterious photograph, he looked for another thing to think about. Where did Kari go? It's getting late, and I'm hungry. He tried to remember what Kari had told him. She said she was going "to Mina's house". He had no clue of where "Mina's house" was or who was this Mina, anyway; but he could remember something Tai had said. He said…he said she was cute. Great, as if that could help me at all. No, no, wait a minute…

Tai hadn't only said she was cute, he had given him and Agumon a total description, just waiting for them to agree with him, as if they could be somehow attracted to a human female. Eighteen or nineteen years old, long black hair, dark blue eyes, aquiline eyes, sexy smile…heh, not that I really care about that, but…perfect body…wait a second…I've seen someone who fits that description…somewhere…think, Patamon, think!

It didn't take him long to remember. The picture. Mina was on the picture. He didn't know why Kari thought the picture was odd, but he found it odd that this Mina girl appeared on the picture. She was hard to notice, but Patamon was very positive about the idea. Lost in the background, hidden between the walking people, there was a beautiful girl, looking at the happy couple who was getting a picture taken. No…she's not looking at them…she's looking at him. She's looking at TK. And somehow, he knew it wasn't only for physical attraction. Well, he knew because the girl looked eighteen and TK was only thirteen in the picture. But, how can she look the same after…three years? Maybe I'm just paranoid, but…

"PATAMON!"

The voice echoed in the Digimon's mind. It was filled with fear and anguish, but it was also awfully familiar. It was a gate to the past, to memories he had tried to bury deep into his mind, with no results. Now, those memories overcame his wishes, and the feelings they unleashed were too much for him.

"PATAMON! PATAMON! TALK TO ME!"

"I'm…I'm right here…who are you?"

"I used to be your best friend…but that person died long ago…maybe…maybe I don't deserve that title anymore."

Patamon gasped when the voice revealed itself as TK Takaishi. He couldn't recognize it; obviously he had changed a lot since the last time they met. TK wasn't a boy anymore. He had become a man, and his voice was the voice of a man. But for Patamon, there was still something of the boy he loved. However, forgiveness wouldn't be that easy to accomplish.

"What do you want?"

"Your help…again…"

"You should have thought about it before leaving me alone!"

"Oh, that. Believe, I didn't have much time to think. It's not that I chose to leave you, but now that I think about it, I could have easily returned to you."

"Then why didn't you come back!? It's not like I'm the only one who misses you…"

"I know, but there are more important things…I had to deal with. You were my best friend, Patamon, and I care about you, but there are things you have to do alone."

"But this is just way too much! Everybody believes you're dead!"

"That's not true. I'm with my friends at this very moment, and they all know."

"…so…Kari's with you?"

"Yes, you could say that."

"Then why didn't she take me there, with you!?"

"Because she didn't know where I was until today. And know, I need you."

"Why…what now?"

"I am fighting right now…fighting for my life, and I know I can win…if you're with me…will you help me, Patamon?"

The anger and the sadness were still strong in Patamon's heart. However, it only took him a couple of seconds to answer.

"I will."

"Why?"

"…because you're my friend…and I miss you…I will do whatever it takes to see you again…"

"Then wish…wish to see me again, and you'll come to me…"

"I want to go…I want to be with you…just like the old times…"

"The old times will never return…but if you help me, we'll make a new time…together…"

Suddenly, light filled the dimension of darkness. A light that blinded their eyes and hurt the Dragon of Evil.

"WHAT IS THIS!? WHERE DOES THIS LIGHT COME FROM!?"

TK closed his eyes and smiled widely. The light purified his soul, and healed his tired body. This was, indeed, the blessing of Patamon. He felt he could take any enemy, as long as the light was with him. With such powers, he would never be in danger anymore. But there was one thing left, the thing he wanted the most in that moment, and when he wished with all his heart, all of his dreams came true…

When Takeru opened his eyes, he found the darkness he was already used to. The Dimension of Darkness had returned to its usual appearance. In the distance, he could see his friends, most of them still with their eyes closed, confused and frightened. But Mina was looking at him, smiling; as if she had felt the same he felt when he saw the light. But Mina wasn't looking at him; she was looking at the object behind him. TK looked back; expecting to see his dear Patamon, but what he found surprised him even more.

A sword. A thick, long, sharp sword floated in front of him. An eerie but charming light emanated from the blade, and the golden handle had beautiful emeralds incrusted on it, and two golden wings separated it of the blade. Angel wings. When TK wielded the sword, he found it light and easy to handle, as if it was made especially for him. A sword and a fighter meant for each other. Like a Digi-Destined and his Digimon partner.

"…thank you, my friend." Takeru whispered, and looked back, where the black dragon still tried to guess what had just happened. But TK wasn't for speeches anymore. He felt like he could do anything he wanted, even the Nova Dragon Blade. But first, he had to make sure his friends would be safe; and second, he had to make sure he would inflict a direct hit.

"Do you know, Evil? I'm getting a little tired of this yada-yada. We should get this over now."  The dragon opened its mouth and did something that resembled a smile, then closed its eyes and its voice traveled directly to Takeru's mind.

"Ah…so you wanna play tough guy, huh? However, I agree with you. I've played with you for seven months, and I'm getting tired of you. Too bad, as you were my favorite toy. But, once again, only good or evil must remain, and this time I'll make sure you are destroyed!"

"Oh, really? Then, try your best shot!"

Almost immediately, everything began to shake. It was as if the whole world were tearing itself apart, and all its energy reunited in the dragon's mouth. It was preparing itself for an attack, and TK knew that dragon would throw something different that fire. Immediately, he shouted to the others. They couldn't stay there any longer.

"Go away! This is gonna be big! You're not safe here anymore! Run as fast as you can!"

Izzy turned off his laptop and stood up, as if he wanted to lead the retreat, but the others didn't want to move. Especially Kari.

"What will you do!?" she shouted.

"I have to stay here! I have to receive the blast! I have to make sure everything is over, I can't let Evil run away! Now, go!"

"No!" Mina shouted. "I've been with you since the beginning, and I'm not gonna leave you now!"

"Mina, go! You'll get killed if you stay here!"

"So will you! I'd…I'd rather die to live without you!"

Everyone looked at the sorceress with great admiration, and with surprise, too. Realizing that Mina was in love with TK was a big surprise for all of them, especially for the brunette TK loves so much. But this time TK was going to stop her, even if he had to say something he didn't want to.

"Mina, if you really love me, then get out of here! I'll…I'll never forgive myself if you die!"

"No! I can't…"

Mina couldn't finish her sentence, because a strange sensation suddenly filled her body. Then, she felt very sleepy, and passed out in front of everybody. Izzy walked next to her and took her with him. Soon after that, the Digi-Destined slowly walked away behind him.

"Excellent sleep magic, Tomari. I owe you one." TK said.

"I didn't do it, Takeru."

"What? Then, who did…?"

"I don't know and I don't really care right now. Good luck, and…see you."

"I'll be back…someday…" Then, the old sorcerer followed the others, and walked away. TK faced his opponent once again, this time ready for the final attack. The only thing he did at that moment was to expect anything. But, after all, could he use the Nova Dragon Blade? He slowly remembered all of his master's indications.

"I don't even know why I'm teaching you this, but I guess you'll eventually need this technique, young Takeru. Using the Nova Dragon Blade is a matter of instinct and guts, but there are some things you must always remember. Begin with the tip pointing back, and gain enough speed for the initial slash, so you gain enough linear momentum. At the same time, three steps: left, right, left. Make the tip point backwards again by changing the way you're holding the sword, and get the extra angular momentum. Do not move your legs when doing this! That's a big mistake. The final and definite blow must be done with one step with the right foot! If you move your legs before, you'll lose all the momentum and the speed you have. Only by doing as I told you, and trusting in yourself, you'll deal a perfect blow. But the most important thing: never, NEVER! Use it for a direct attack. You may fail, and if you fail, if the enemy doesn't kill you, you'll get killed by your own strike. Remember that."

"I won't fail. I can't fail! I'll just forget about those stupid indications and trust my instincts."

"GET READY TO DIE, CHOSEN ONE! MEET MY ´END OF LIGHT´!"

All the dark energy stored in the dragon's body was unleashed in a dark beam, in a straight line towards the young sorcerer. But he had a plan. In what seemed like a suicidal move, TK approached the dark beam as fast as he could, and just when he ran the last three steps: left, right, left; he made the first slash from right to left. The air slash seemed to slow down the dragon's attack, as TK had enough time to made the position change, and prepare the final step.

"Nova Dragon Blade!"

With the sword to his left, hold by his right hand, TK dealt a final slash upwards, which cut through the Evil beam and deflected the two newly-created beams away from him. He had succeeded and evaded the dragon's most powerful attack, but he had used most of his energy with the blow, and now he was very tired. But when he saw the dragon's "expression" on its face, he knew something was wrong. Suddenly, he felt two wind blows just behind him, and the two dark beams passed next to him at incredible speed. Takeru looked surprised how the powerful dark attack was retuning to its caster. But TK's surprise increased when he saw not only two, but hundreds and hundreds of dark beams just like first ones, beams which came from nowhere, all of them with only one objective: the Black Dragon, who seemed as surprised as Takeru.

TK closed his eyes to avoid the horrible scenario in front of him, as all the dark attacks pierced through the giant dragon's body. When everything seemed to be over, he opened his eyes, and watched with horror the dragon's corpse. He was dead, and TK still didn't know why. But what the young human couldn't understand, the almighty Evil realized before his defeat. The incredible speed of the Nova Dragon Blade not only pierced through space; it pierced through time. The space vacuum, caused by the sword attack, made the energy beams to move back, like an invisible black hole. But the time void sent back not only the two original dark beams, but every single one in every possible dimension. It took several months for TK to realize he had made a time VCR and he had pushed the REW and FF button repeatedly. But when TK looked at the dragon's body, he didn't care about the possible physical and magical causes of what had just happened, because now that the dragon was gone, the Dark Dimension was fading away. Darkness was disappearing, and was replaced with a bright light. But Evil was still alive, in Takeru's mind. Because as the dragon's body exploded, and the dark dimension fell into pieces, TK was immersed in his own heart, sharing a few last words with his nemesis.

"It's funny, huh?"

"What?"

"I, as Evil, cannot be destroyed. I live in the hearts and thoughts of living beings. One day I'll have enough energy to regain my material form, and everything will happen again. On the other side, you, a mere human, are trapped in my dark dimension, next to my dead body, which is about to explode. I will live, and you will die. But I'll remember you, Chosen One, as I remember everyone who dared to challenge me."

"Now you got only one wrong. Yes, you may be immortal, and you'll probably return, but I won't die here. I didn't get through this to die at the end. We'll meet each other again, one day. You just wait, because when you return, I'll be there to destroy you again."

"Now who do you think you are?"

"I'm the Chosen One, the sorcerer of light. Evil's worst nightmare." Those were TK's last thoughts before fading away in the eternal light. He had fulfilled his mission, and now he only wanted to rest…to rest as long as possible.

Ok, it's done! Please stay tuned for the epilogue! Just click on the small button to the lower right of your screen and get ready to read the ending! Yay!