A/N This... is not the last chapter! ^-^ YAY! There are soo many more evil things I have to do to Koji!....boo....

Chapter 10: Even in Death

"TAKUYA!" Koji screamed as the flames from Agunimon's assault, swallowed the brunette whole. Suddenly the vines that bound Koji and the others to the wall began to burn and disappear.

"VENENOMON!!" Alamon screeched, flying into the air. "WHAT'S HAPPENING TO THE VINES!"

The poison type digimon's face held a look of disgust and anger. "He has no pain so therefore there is nothing to bind the others."

Alamon frowned and flew back down. She grabbed Venenomon's hand and pulled them both up through the opening in the roof.

"We'll come back for the spirits later." She mumbled.

Koji, Zoe, JP and Tommy all fell to the ground, the withered, burning vines, still around them. Koji scrambled up off the ground, the flames burning at his flesh. Tears stung his eyes from the smoke, and his chest felt heavy.

"Takuya..."

/Hurry, Koji!/ The child of flame's voice called. /You've got to save the others!/

"T-Takuya!?" Koji's heart pounded in his chest.

"TAKUYA!"

There wasn't a reply, tears still fell from Koji's eyes, but he ran over to Tommy. He pulled the youngest child on to his back and carry him to the only door. Koji kicked the door open and set Tommy on the ground. The child of light dashed back into the room, and picked up the limp Zoe. He pulled the unconscious girl onto his back. She stirred and opened her eyes.

"K-Koji?" she coughed, looking at him with wry eyes. The child of light just flashed her a smile and continued to walk over to the door. He gently set her on the ground beside Tommy. Zoe coughed once again and nodded off, back into unconsciousness. Koji turned back toward the door and ran in.

By this time the flames in the room were raging on the walls. Koji covered his mouth and ran back in looking around wildly for JP. The smoke and ash made it difficult for Koji to even see his hands in front of his face. His eyes had tears in the corners of them and his throat ached from taking in the smoke. Finally Koji found JP lying on the ground, the child of light struggled to move the child of thunder, JP being nearly two times the size of Koji.

The black haired boy draped one of JP's arm over his shoulder and clutched the oldest child's side. Koji began making an effort to drag JP over to the door, but with the flames so high and taking up so much oxygen, the child of light found it difficult to stay focused. He found himself nodding off as Zoe had done earlier on him and fell to the ground...Koji crashed to the floor, JP coming down beside him.

"Sorry Takuya...I couldn't...save everyone..." Koji thought as he felt unconsciousness over take him.

+++

The flames the surround Takuya created a funnel, rising up to the ceiling, but Takuya wasn't hurt by the flames, in fact he felt completely cool with in the inferno. He blinked in confusion. He was alive? But didn't the flames kill him? The brunette blinked and looked down at his hands. They were fine and completely in tacked. Suddenly a figure began to walk over to Takuya. The child of flame narrowed his eyes and stepped backward.

'Takuya!'

"Agunimon? You're free from Alamon's spell!" Takuya yelled grinning. Agunimon nodded but didn't smile.

'Unfortunately though, you've been sacrificed...'

"So...I ...I'm dead?!?" Agunimon shook his head at the brunette's question, his eyes widening with shock.

'You're in limbo, you now stand between land of the living and the realm of the dead...'

+++

Koji was running through a dimly lit forest, the moonlight splashing down on the ground. His feet patted against the ground, and sweat beaded on his forehead.

"I gotta find Takuya!" Koji's mind kept replaying over and over again.

He saw a small path, just off the one he was traveling on. Koji skidded and dashed down the smaller path into the darkness.

"Where is he?! I've got to find him!" Koji sprinted, pumping his arm hard. His lung ached for air and his heart pounded hard in his chest.

"I can't stop!"

The path Koji have taken was covered with low hanging vines and high shrubs, which seemed to reach out and make a grab for him. Koji ducked and dodged almost all of them, getting scratched on a few. The path began to widen, and the plants and vines started to retreat to there hiding places. A small light appeared at the end of the path.

"I'm getting closer!" Koji's mind screamed and his heart soared. "I'm almost there, Takuya!"

Koji pushed himself to move even faster, the light ahead of him seemed to be growing brighter. The child of light started to slow down, as he stepped into the light. He felt cool air past his face, and warm arms embrace him from behind.

"Takuya?"

"Shh Koji," The owner of the arms cooed, resting their head on the back of his neck. "I'm right here..."

Tears stung Koji's eyes and he stifled a sob. "I thought I'd lost you. When the spirit of flame hit you...." he trailed off, letting his tears fall. The person behind him gave a soft chuckle and rubbed Koji's back gently.

"It's alright Koji, just know you can never lose me..." they said gently nuzzling the back of Koji's neck. "I'm always with you..."

Koji smiled, tears still falling from his eyes, he turned around his eyes meeting to brown ones. Takuya smiled at the child of light and rested his forehead against Koji's own.

"My spirit...my heart...belongs to you Koji." The child of flame said quietly, pulling his arms back and removing Koji's coat from himself. He handed it to the child of light and smiled. "I'll never leave you."

Koji looked down at his jacket and smirked. It looked just like it did when he'd given it to Takuya much earlier to keep him warm. The child of light raised his head and grinned, and Takuya grinned back. Koji's eyes lingered on the child of flame then noticed he was disappearing. Horror and fear swept over Koji's heart and face. Takuya raised one hand up and gently stroked Koji's hair, smiling sadly. As Takuya with drew his hand, his fingers began to slowly disappear in sparks of orange and red.reminding Koji of fire.

"Takuya! What's happening!?" The child of light asked, heart pounding.

"Just because...you can't see me..." Takuya said quietly, looking sad and heartbroken, "that doesn't mean...I'm not there...I'll come back to you Koji...I promise..."

"TAKUYA!"

+++

Koji's head shot up, knocking his head with someone else's. The pounding in his mind suddenly became stronger and more painful.

"Ack! Koji if I knew you freak out when people look over you! Argh!" Tenchi stood there rubbing her forehead in annoyance. The child of light blinked slowly and looked around. Trees shielded them from the rays of the sun, and small bushes surrounded the clearing where he, Tommy, JP, and Zoe lay on the ground.

"W-where are we? Where's the castle? Where's TAKUYA!?!" These questions rapidly flew out of Koji's mouth before Tenchi's hand covered it. She looked at him with a blank expression, her eyes bore into his for a moment, before she sighed and slowly shook her head.

"I'm going to answer those questions in the order you asked them. We're in the forest that once surrounded the castle. The castle burnt to the ground, and..." She paused looking at Koji with sad eyes. "I have no idea where Takuya is..."

Koji closed his eyes, and pulled his knees to his chest. Tears stung the corner of his eyes but he didn't let them fall. He looked back up at Tenchi, and swallowed hard.

"How'd we get out here?" He asked, keeping his voice steady as he could, though is still shook slightly.

Tenchi closed her eyes this time and folded her arms over her red kimono.

"When I came down the stairs, and didn't see you in hall, I assumed you'd gone back into save your other friend," she jabbed her thumb in JP's direction. " I propped your friends up and then, I flew in and....well...."

Tenchi stopped as though she was trying to find the words how to describe it. "You and your friend were surrounded in a ring of fire, it was almost as though...the was a wall protecting you from the flames...." Tenchi opened her eyes, and saw silent tears falling down Koij's cheeks. He buried his face in his arms and let a sob escape his lips. Tenchi looked at him in pity and sighed. She reached behind her and pulled out Koji's jacket. Gently prodding the child of light in the side, he lifted his head slight and gasped when he saw the coat. He looked up at Tenchi, who gave him a false grin.

"It was lying on top of you when I picked you up." Koji took the jacket and hugged it to his chest. It smelt like him, tears started to slip down his cheeks once again.

"...that and... this flower..." Tenchi slowly brought out beautiful red blossom. Ten long red petals all met at a white center. Koji looked at it wide eyed, he reached a hand for the flower.

"It's...amazing." He looked up at Tenchi. "What is it?"

Tenchi gave Koji a very mournful look. "It's called Love's Blossom. It's given...to someone when the one they love has..." Tenchi couldn't finish her sentence, she merely looked away from Koji tears in her own eyes.

'Oh gods Takuya... you died for me...you're never going to get to see your family...your brother...tears rolled off Koji's cheeks, making small splashes on the petals. The flower began to glow, causing Koji to gasp in surprise. Each of the petals fell from the center part. They started to break up in the air and flouted around the child of light.

'Koji...I'm always with you.... my heart belongs to you...don't spill tears for me love...' Takuya's voice pleaded, it echoed slightly making Koji's hope of finding a way to bring him back shatter. 'Take care of the others and always remember me...'

The petals all fell to the ground, leaving Koji sitting there, crying freely. The sound of his sobs awakened the rest of the children. The youngest of them all looked around wildly for the child of flame. When he didn't see Takuya he ran directly over to Koji.

"Koji! What happened? Did Venenomon get Takuya, d-did Takky kill himself?" Tommy asked watching the child of light cry into his jacket. Zoe and JP both got up and walked over as well. Tenchi had stepped back, she was going to make Koji tell them, telling them what happened would lift the pain.

Once Koji had regain his composer he started on the story of what happened on the ice mountain and the battle with IceDevimon, how he found the fire angle, and what happened in the circular room.

By the end, the sun was beginning to set and tears were falling from all of the children's eyes. Tommy was crying heavily into Zoe's arms, while the girl herself had to fight her own emotions to keep from sobbing out. JP was crying into his own shoulder, hands clenched into fists, and Koji still sat on the ground,legs pulled up to his chest, clinging to his jacket taking in Takuya's sweet scent that was still there.

"He feared losing all of us...but...instead we lost him..." Zoe mused sadly, her tears falling on the youngest child's head, still sobbing loudly, babbling about everything being nothing but a bad dream.

"Don't forget...he feared our rejection to his feelings for Koji as well." JP murmured quietly, trying to wipe his tears away.

"...and even in death...he protected us from the fire..." Koji whispered into his legs. His eyes were puffy and red, he'd lost the one he loved, the one he picked on and the one he knew he would miss so very dearly.

Tenchi stood in the shadows, watching all the sad and mournful faces, the looks that got her the worst were Tommy's...the look of losing a brother, and Koji's look...he seemed to have lost a piece of himself...maybe his heart was Takuya's as well. The angel of fire smiled sadly, this is how her friends must have looked when she had disappeared. Her face hardened in a determined look. She wasn't going to let them feel that kind of pain, she was going to find a way to bring Takuya back to the land of the living...even if it killed her....

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Disclaimer: I WILL OWN DIGIMON WHEN I REALLY UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF THE WORD QUIET!

A/n: ::sniffles:: I'm mean...I'm SOOOOO sorry about taking so long, but I was forced to spend...FAMILY time with my parents.....evilness......ok well...IF you haven't figured this out...... I pity you. ::sweat drop::

KellyQ: YAY 10/10 ::bounces:: THANKY!!!! Is this chapter...er..... what you hoped it'd be?

Midnight Shadow: heehe KOJI DIDN'T CUSS! WHOOT! ok....er... SHHHH There is a sequel being planned but won't start for.....a LONG time ^-^ :: her brain is starting to hurt and she wants to get back to work on something else::

Redrum: heehee Takuya's dead alright ^-^ but there's a way to bring him back YAYNESS!

Alaska_anime_freak: O_o I'm going to get killed.....again ^-^ YAY! I have made it worse ::is waiting for the world to come crashing down:: heehee ^- ^ ;

Digitaldreamer: How was camping girl? ^-^ heehee I killed him, and It's ALL your fault MUHAHHAHAH....:coughs: O.o

Lissa: I'm glad you liked the last chapter.. you'll have to stay tuned to find out what happens to him. ^-^ AND THANKY I'M ON YOUR FAV STORY LIST!

Lady Moon: YES ALERT I COMMITTED THE FIRST ACT OF TAKUYAISUM... i killed takky ::cackles:: There is MUCH more evilness in the sequel... Evilness...is the BEST!

Crystal Ketchum: O.o ::hides:: Y-you can't kill me! It may have a VERY sappy ending.heehee And you can translate this ^0^ I don't gotta prob with it....Just I want I tiny bit of credit...

Unknown Hacker: ^-^ I like your very ......supportive threats ::hugs:: Thanky!

Splash: I like making Koji cuss ^-^ It's funny...XD

Mochipon: I'm a VERY bad girl! ::cackles:: ::points Mochi with a stick:; You get unfainted?

dragonchild: ^-^ The next chapter is up and hope to here from you again!

Silent Angel: No No Koji!! Angel is right ::nods:: We're good cause, my sentences and spelling SUCK ^-^ heehee she makes the SOOO much better! ^-^ Yep! People's want a sequel and you know the layout for it ^.~ I wouldn't want anyone else to beta it buddy!

PrincessSwifty: O.o ::takes the invisibility cloak and hides under it:: WHY DID I LET KOJI GO WHY, WHY, WHY!?!!? I'll update ASAP! O_o SWIFTY!

Angel yame: There's a way to bring him back.... let's see if anyone can ^0^... You just gave me an idea... a very, very BAD thing to do ::cackles::

S.L: I'm glad you liked the last chapter! ^-^ heehee

0: O_O.......er ::scoots away:: I c-continued PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!

Raku Ozzarian princess: Yea.....I killed Taku XD .....is he dead? ::cocks brow:: only time shall time ::nods once::

Erm ::bows:: don't kill me!!! There's more to come!! I swear on my spirit of shadows!!