Blaze: Woot, 47 reviews! I love you guys, really I do. (Lol, my 17 chapter story has 38 reviews compared to this one.) This chapter is going to be pretty fast paced and really sad. I would suggest a box of tissues for those reviewers who cry easily. Anyway, now my thank-yous to reviews. (I might not get everyone because I haven't done this the past few chapters, so if I forgot anyone I'm VERY sorry and thanks a ton!)

Darkmistress950- Yea, sorry about that separating the character's dialogue thing, I've never written that way and it's weird to change. I'll try and make the reading easier on the eyes.

INtErEsTiNg- Lol, well thanks. Midterms this week, but Monday and Friday off and half days the rest of the week, so expect at least two more updates!

Serena McKeenzo- Thanks for the comment and the good luck. (American Lit and Math are my first midterms… I'm gonna need all the luck I can get. XP)

Cin-min- I know, this chapter is even worse for poor Jak.

The Sacred Heart- Lol, yes you're making perfect sense. This chapter may or may not answer some questions. (Not sure exactly how much I'll write.)

Goldbryn Callow Lyte- Saw the pic and LOVED it! Draw more soon!

KrimzonGuard Bites BaronP- I know, Jak just needs a hug.

Emeraldwolf- I'm glad you do. I plan on finishing this sometime in April (Lotsa chapters and plot twists, fun stuff)

KrimzonGuard bites BaronP- Hey, don't give up on me yet, the next chapter (for sure) holds some surprises. I hate character death too, but you'll see what happens.

Blaze: And now on to one of the saddest chapters in the story…

Ashelin was so happy she was about to burst. It almost didn't bother her that she had lost someone she had known all her life. She drove a little faster to the Underground and when she finally arrived she hopped off her Zoomer and ran in. "Torn! Jak! It's over, everything's all over!" She said happily, running down the stairs.

No one was in the main room, but she was too happy to wait until she found them, so she kept yelling as she searched the main floor of the Underground. "My father and the Krimzon Guard have destroyed the Metal Head leader. Well, they destroyed themselves, really. They're both dead!" Ashelin went on, smiling for the first time in a long time.

When she couldn't find either of them, she made her way to the trap door leading to the basement. "Guys? Are you here?" She called, her smile fading a bit. She opened the trap door and jumped down, too excited to use the stairs. She walked down the hall until she reached a bend. She turned and covered her mouth in horror.

--

Jak knelt down next to Torn and shook him lightly. "No… Torn… wake up." Jak said, his voice hollow. 'How can he be dead? He just scratched him… please just let him he unconscious… please.' Jak couldn't remember the last time he felt the tiny pinpricks in his eyes like he did now. Probably sometime in his first year of prison. He looked down at Torn again and sucked in a shaky breath. "No…" He whispered as the tears fell from his eyes.

--

Ashelin's eyes drank in the horrible sight in front of her; the blood splattered on the wall and floor, Torn's bloodied face and unmoving body, and the blood that covered Jak's arms and torso. She also noticed that Jak was crying. More like sobbing, really. He looked up at Ashelin, his eyes red and his face wet. "Ashelin… it was an accident… I don't know how…" Ashelin stumbled back into the wall away from Jak. "You… you killed him… you killed Torn." She said, dry sobs racking her body.

Jak stood up and stumbled towards her. "It was an accident, Ashelin. Dark Jak, I… I wouldn't control him… he slashed him across the face, but I don't know how… how it killed him." Ashelin sucked in a shaky breath. "I've always justified him, I knew he only came out to protect you… you didn't let him come out unless you had to… but now…" Ashelin turned her horrified eyes from Torn's body to Jak. "What, Ashelin?" Jak asked warily.

"You're a murderer, Jak. He's a murderer." Ashelin had been inching sideways and stopped when she reached the corner. Ashelin collapsed to the ground and buried her head in her hands, tears flowing down her cheeks. Jak turned back to Torn's body. "No… it was an accident, Ashelin… that shouldn't have been enough to kill him!" Ashelin choked on her sobs and opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. "But it did, Jak." She managed to say, before covering her face with her hands.

--

It was only minutes before Daxter found Ashelin sobbing in the corner and Jak crying above Torn's body. "What-what happened?" He asked, his eyes growing large. Ashelin stood up and stumbled past Daxter. "Someone needs to get Onin. She'll know how this happened." She said, running up the stairs. Jak turned his eyes from Daxter to Torn and he picked him up. "Dark Jak killed Torn." Jak said painfully. Daxter's jaw dropped. "He's… he's dead? But… how? He's just scratched…" Daxter felt bad… he actually thought of Torn as something of a friend, even if he did instigate fights with him. Jak walked past him and carried Torn up the stairs slowly, then lowered him onto one of the cots.

Jak sat on the cot opposite to Torn's and Daxter jumped up into his lap. "Jak, buddy, tell me what's wrong?" Daxter said, putting his hand on Jak's shoulder as Jak buried his head in his hands. "Torn cornered me in the basement and demanded to know what happened. Dark Jak took over and slashed him across the face. I can't remember what he told Torn, but he just slashed him across the face. Torn fell to the floor and didn't get back up. Dark Jak switched back and I flipped him over. He was cold and not breathing… Ashelin came down and… then you came…"

Daxter could tell this was hard for Jak. "Did something happen between you two that I wasn't around to see?" Daxter asked, knowing they were probably friendly when he wasn't around. To Daxter's surprise, Jak looked up from his hands and smiled. "I... I fell in love with him, Dax. He knew it too. But I overheard him telling Ashelin that he didn't love me and he was just acting on his lust. That's what made me so upset. That's why I'm so upset now. I've killed him, Daxter." Daxter sorted over the information his best friend just told him. "You didn't kill him, Jak. It was-" Jak cut in before Daxter could finish. "I should have fought Dark off harder. I should have just told Torn. If I would've done that he would still be alive." Daxter didn't know what else to do, so he just patted Jak on the back when he started crying again.

--

Onin, Pecker, and Ashelin returned shortly after. Jak had resorted to cleaning Torn's wounds on his face and wrists to keep himself occupied. Ashelin put her hand on Jak's shoulder. "Onin's got to look at him, Jak." She said. Jak nodded and stood, following Ashelin into the basement. As they turned the bend and saw all the blood, everything came rushing back. "Jak… how did this happen…" Ashelin asked, not believing the amount of blood on the floor and walls. "I told him I loved him, Ashelin. And I overheard him telling you he was using me for lust. He begged me to know what was wrong and Dark Jak took over and told him… I don't remember what he said, but then Dark slashed Torn across the face and he didn't get up… you're right, Ashelin, I am a murderer. If I would have just told Torn this would have never happened."

Ashelin took in a deep breath and knelt down. "Blaming yourself never helps anything, Jak. We should clean this up." She said. Deep down, she agreed with him that is was his fault, but she knew it really wasn't. She was just looking for a reason, someone to blame. Maybe that would take some of her pain away…

--

Ashelin and Jak went upstairs when they had finished, Daxter with them now. Pecker was perched on the bunk above Torn. "Onin says she knows what killed Torn." Pecker said solemnly. "What?" Daxter asked, being the only one who could without starting to cry. "Onin says when Dark Jak slashed Torn's face, the dark eco in him transferred to Torn. Because Torn already had dark eco in him, the two mixed together and the result is what killed him." Jak looked down at his hands and felt the sudden urge to cut them off. It wasn't an easy thing to fight. "So… he's really dead?" Ashelin asked, apparently hoping he was just hovering between life and death. "Onin says Torn was dead almost immediately."

Jak collapsed to his knees and screamed, his hands clawing at his hair. 'I killed him… he's dead because I was too stupid to tell him! Everyone I love I push away… I couldn't save the city, Ashelin pulled that off by tricking her father into using the gun… I couldn't save Keira from being frightened of me… and more importantly, I couldn't save Torn from myself.'

Time seemed to slow for Jak, who let out another heart-wrenching scream as tears streamed down his face. Ashelin knelt down next to him and Daxter ran over, both trying to comfort him. Jak broke past both of them and ran up the stairs and out of the Underground.

--

Jak ran as far and as fast as he could. He lost all sense of direction or time, and his feet carried him to the edge of the city where the warp gate to go to Haven Forest was. He stopped at the cliff where the Precursor metal floated, waiting innocently to take someone to the forest and back. Jak stood at the end of the cliff and contemplated going to the forest. 'No…'

'Ashelin and Daxter are scared of me now, too. I killed the only person to ever understand me, let alone care for me.' Jak thought, vaguely remembering Ashelin telling him that Torn admitted to caring a lot about Jak… possibly loving him. 'There's only one way to rid myself of this darkness that consumed my life and scared or killed everyone I've ever cared about.' Jak thought, looking mournfully at the metal. "Torn." He said mournfully, taking a last look at the metal.

Jak threw himself off the high cliff. 'I'm sorry Dax. Don't blame yourself.' He thought, picking up speed as he fell. 'This is for the best…'

Blaze: Woot, I found Torn's song! (Remember a couple chapters back I said Jak's song was Billy Talent's River Below?) It's Cold by Crossfade. The first verse fits him especially.

"Looking back at me I see
That I never really got it right
I never stopped to think of you
I'm always wrapped up in
Things I cannnot win" - Crossfade

Blaze: This is NOT the end of the story, there will be MANY more chapters. Please don't be mad at me for killing Jak and Torn. Questions will be answered next chapter, I promise!!! Leave a review, you can flame me if you want, I deserve it.