Jimmy coughed up water as he felt such a shuttering cold take over his whole body to the point he was completely numbed over. At least he couldn't feel pain anymore, but he knew in the back of his mind it was a sign he probably wouldn't live much longer as his breaths were getting increasingly slower. His joints were too stiff to move as his cheek lay against a rocky shore where his mouth was barely high enough from the water's edge. The waves would splash a few mouthfuls of muddy water into his mouth between his breaths. His waist was still dipped in the streaming water gently trying to pull him back into the current.

Through the splinter opening of an eye he couldn't see the moon anymore as clouds were rolling in the night's sky. Slowly pale light fade and return ever so often from the peeking moon. He wasn't sure how long he must have drifted down the river. Somehow he was lucky he didn't drown. His hands clenched into the mush of the mud where his body had washed up feeling only faintly the pebbled rocks in his grasp. The only sounds he could hear was the rush of the water trailing behind him mixed in with the faint calls of crickets in the distance.

He wanted to move out of the frigid water, but his body didn't seem to want to cooperate with him. So he laid motionless. There were so many thoughts that tumbled into his mind that collaged with random memories. His times growing up. The many cases he had solved as not just as himself, but as Conan. The mornings he would talk with Agasa and seeing what new crazy gadget he was working on. The memories he had with Rachel. A small smile tugged at the edge of his lips. He treasured their time together the most. It was shame he wouldn't get to see her again. The only wish he had was that she would get her memories back now that she had awakened from her coma. He hoped she would be the same girl he fell in love with and would live out her life to the fullest. The only regret he had now was that he wouldn't be there with her. Just like always. He was never truly there for her. At least not physically. But he knew deep inside his heart he would always be with her in spirit. He would want nothing more than to watch over her. Much like the feeling he felt that Agasa was with him. Even right now. He would get to see him soon. That thought comforted him a little.

Death wasn't something he'd ever think about although he was around it all the time from case to case. Perhaps so that he could keep on doing the work that he needed to do. He could never, not think about the victims in his line of work, but after seeing so many bodies you have to build a wall up around yourself just to keep going. Death was something that happened everyday. It was the cycle of life. You're born only to die. It was just unfortunately cut short for many. He was still very young, but he couldn't complain much about his life. He had gotten to do so much. He lived his dream of becoming a detective. Who knows where he could have been years from now, but he did help bring many to justice. He gave the families of victims a small bit of peace. It was a small difference, but he felt important nonetheless.

Jimmy began to hear voices in the distance. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination at first, but the slippery crunch of various steps against the bank of the river was coming closer. It looked like in the end they would find him after all. It didn't really matter now. He tried his best although he knew it was a long shot he would have survived. Everything around him further washed into the darkness. He couldn't seem to hold a focus with his eyes anymore. They felt so heavy. His skin was so very cold. As if needles were all pressing into his skin at once. He could no longer hold a single thought in his mind anymore. It would enter and leave just as quickly before he could comprehend it. The voices around him didn't make much sense.

For a moment, he felt a warm touch to his face. His lips felt too paralyzed to even attempt to say anything. An orb of light hovered around his eyes and under his lids before the touch faded away. Blinded from the light, darkness crept within his sight once more before he managed to crack his eyelids ever so slightly. He felt his body being lifted. All he could see were several figures shrouded within the shadows of the surrounding forest.

Voices swirled around him. It all just sounded like inaudible murmurs. His body shook from being carried. Leaves were pinched across his pale cheeks as he was pulled past underbrush. More lights entered his vision but he wasn't sure what exactly it was. Inhaling a slow breath his eyes found their way closed again. Exhaling into the night's air his lungs decided they couldn't lift anymore. That was his last breath. His body had fallen limp into the arms of whoever had been carrying him.

He had died.

Jimmy opened his eyes revealing a light blue sky up above him. He was confused at first where he was. He felt so warm. Inhaling a deep relaxing scent of the sweet air around him he lifted himself up to his elbows blinking. He felt like he had just woken from an almost peaceful sleep. Slowly he pulled himself up from the tall, thick grass surrounding him. Peering over the hedges of the grass it expanded out in many directions as far as the eye could see. He let out a sigh. What was this place?

His brow furrowed in confusion. Was this a dream? He figured that it must have been. This place he was in seemed only fitting to be within a dream. It didn't seem real in a lot ways. Yet, as his hands touched the soft blades of the grass as he walked it certainly felt real. Weaving between the trails of the grass he wandered a bit before he could see in the far distance a figure leaning against a tree. They seemed so familiar.

"Hey!" Jimmy called out as he shot a hand up to make a wave gesture.

The figure turned revealing more of their face. Grey strands of hair were swept back with a matching grey mustache above their lip. They adjusted their thick rimmed circular glasses and stared up at Jimmy with a soft smile. Jimmy's mouth dropped in shock. It was Agasa. Suddenly no words could come to mind as he steadied his gaze on his friend. Memories began to flood back before his eyes. Agasa had died… How was he here now?

Jimmy glanced into his hands. He pressed into his palm as it became discolored from the pressure. It seemed so real... This had to have been real. A frown found its way to Jimmy's lips at the realization from his last memory. He had tried to escape from the organization…and he had died trying.

Was this place heaven? His eyes searched unsurely until they settled back at Agasa. Deciding to try and talk with him Jimmy began to walk towards the tree. The further he tried to walk towards it the farther he felt like he was from it. He didn't understand why. Agasa could sense his confusion before he began to come towards him. Jimmy stood still almost unbelieving it was really Agasa the closer he came to him.

"Jimmy, it's good to see you," Agasa said as he smiled warmly at him.

"You too, but… I don't completely understand…"

"It's not your time yet," he replied.

"What..?" Jimmy blinked in confusion.

"They are waiting for you. You still have so much left to do... I'll always be here though," Agasa said this while he reached a hand over Jimmy's chest. He placed a small pat to his heart. He smiled once more.

"Go on and don't worry," he added.

Everything suddenly disappeared as Jimmy felt a jolt course through his body.

Jimmy's eyes shot open wide as he gasped for air. A plastic mask had been placed over his dry mouth. Pain rushed back into his senses as if his body had been slammed against a steel wall. He was strapped down to a cushioned board that held him snugly in place. A blanket had been covered over his body as a few other people were fidgeting with instruments and bandages around him. A man above him let out relieved sigh. He held back a bead a sweat with a sleeve before saying, "We've got him back."

A few voices were overjoyed with relief. It didn't take him long to figure out that he was a helicopter. The loud noise from the blades overhead was making his head throb an almost unbearable pain.

"Can you understand me?" the man asked him. He tried to nod but he couldn't. All he could manage with straining his eyes as a half response.

"Don't worry, Jimmy," the man said.

Don't worry. Agasa's words of saying exactly that came back to his mind. Now he really wasn't sure if what he had seen was truly a dream or not. Before he could think much more about it the pain he felt throughout his body slowly became too much to bear. He had fallen into darkness once more.

Xxx

Jimmy blinked as he stirred beneath layered sheets of a bed. His lids slowly opened to find himself inside a dimly lit hospital room. The blinds in the room were half open revealing the moon peaking behind the landscape of skyscrapers around the building. He figured he must have been brought back to Osaka, but he had no idea how they even found him.

"Hey."

His eyes glanced towards a voice beside him. Harley had a forced smile as he saw Jimmy's eyes adjust. For the first time he actually could see worry in Harley's eyes which usually were filled with a sharp confidence. Bringing a hand up the wrinkled blanket over his chest Jimmy pulled lightly at the mask around his face to try and speak. He settled it beneath his chin before replying, "Hey…"

"How are you feeling?" Harley asked.

"Could be better…I feel like hell. I have a feeling I probably look like it too."

"Maybe just a little," he tried to joke back unsurely.

"How did I get here…?"

"Well…First of all before anything else…I want to apologize," Harley started to say.

"What? Why?"

"It's my fault… why you're here now," he responded heavily with his eyes downcast towards the floor.

"Why do you think that?"

"Because… We failed…well… I failed in not catching a double agent working on my team. I thought it was safe enough, but obviously it wasn't. You got kidnapped. You almost… Well you did die… and I'm thankful the medics were able to bring you back…I'm not sure I would ever forgive myself if that happened…I certainly don't forgive myself even now though."

"It's not anyone's fault," Jimmy replied sternly.

"I appreciate you saying that, but it was my mistake... We both know how costly a mistake can be… It almost cost you your life."

"But it didn't… I'm here now. That's all that matters… but… How did you find me?"

"Tracking device on your old watch. I placed it thinking it might come in handy sometime… I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I wasn't sure if you'd be uncomfortable about it."

"I see…and no, I'm not. It was the right thing to do," Jimmy said as he glanced at his wrists for a moment. They looked so thin.

"It seemed to have fallen in the river where you were… I'm not sure where it is now… and I'm sorry. I know Agasa originally gave that to you. We were lucky to have gotten close enough before we lost the signal to have found you."

Jimmy processed Harley's words before saying, "What happened with the hideout?"

"Well… there was a shoot out between our team and the organization. We lost perhaps about has many people as they did of theirs… but we managed to capture most of them in our custody alive. Some of the files had burned before we had a chance to confiscate them, but there was enough left to weed out other locations where they were residing at. We have taken those out already."

"When… did this happen?"

"Several weeks ago… You've been… out for awhile."

"I see… So… then…"

"It's over," Harley said with a sincere grin.

"It's over…?" Jimmy repeated in an almost dream like state. He wasn't sure what to feel. Rejoice? Relief? They had finally uprooted the Black Organization. Instead he leaned back into the bedding looking up towards the darkened ceiling. He wondered if he was truly free from them…or anyone else he cared for to be harmed ever again.

"Well…" Harley started to say before sitting up from the chair beside him.

"You should get some rest. I can already tell you you're going to have a lot of visitors tomorrow if the hospitable allows it. There are a lot of people really worried about you…Including Rachel."

"Rachel?"

"Yes," he replied with a soft smiled.

"I don't understand…"

"You will. Goodnight."

"Goodnight…" Jimmy replied still slightly puzzled at Harley's words. Was Rachel fully better now…? Did she get her memories back? He hoped beyond hope…that was truly the case.

TBC

[ Author Note: Sorry it took awhile to get this up. I left a notice of my hiatus on my profile, but I had to take a break from writing at home to finish up projects/portfolio. It was really stressful, but I got through it. It's allll over. I'll graduate this Friday. Yay. ^_^

I was able to write half of this at work. So I'm glad to finally be back. I have one more chapter left of this story. Then it's the end, which I'm certainly thrilled to finally reach this point in finally finishing a story. Expect next update this weekend. Thanks very much for yalls patience. I appreciate the words of encouragement from last update.

Feel free to leave a review. Until next update~ ]