Reviews:

Music Chick: Glad you think so. I do too.

Clefeifei: I do know what you mean XD

Sweet Cari: Oh they will soon. Not in this story, but down the road eventually. I know what you mean––there was hardly any real emotion from any of the characters that did not involve the Digimon. Annoyed the hell out of me. Luckily I fixed that here.

Greymon Leader Batx flashpoint: You'll find out soon ;-) Very important things to tie up before we end the story. The realism is what I always go for in anything I do, which is why I wrote the story this way. Always appreciate your feedback, Greymon, and I am happy you like my version better than the movies. They're enjoyable, but definitely have their shortcomings (especially the last three movies). Thank you for always being an awesome reviewer.

ReR0547: Glad you liked it. Same to you.

Ackbarfan5556: At least when he's blown up, his troubles are over. Here, he has to live with this for the rest of his life.

Special thank you to thunder dragon of the south for the favorite and follow. Much appreciated.


Hello, everyone, and happy Valentines Day weekend. With the epic final battle over and done with, we still have some loose ends to tie up. As I said last week, these last three chapters will spend the time doing that and giving us the ending we deserved from Future. Starting off is a scene I absolutely believe should have happened. Why they didn't do it, I don't know, but I'm doing it and that's what counts.

Hope you guys enjoy.


Everyone was ready to collapse from exhaustion as they stumbled towards the Big Sight, where the entire district had been evacuated. It carried a sense of déjà vu not lost on the Destined Jedi because of what happened six years ago.

Today, they were going there in victory.

The Jedi looked like soldiers who had just fought a long battle. Joe had to be assisted by TK and Izzy because he was so tired and ready to fall down. One arm draped over Izzy's shoulder while TK placed a hand on his back to support him. The fight against Meiko had drained him of any energy he had left.

Tai held his sister close as he watched Daigo carry Himekawa's body in his arms. His head hurt feeling all the emotions swirling inside the man through the Force. He couldn't imagine being in his position––feeling responsible for the death of someone close to him. Even though Himekawa had planned to kill them all, Daigo still clung to the hope that she could have been saved.

Meiko was silent. Her eyes were glazed over like a plane crash survivor as Matt helped her along. Matt had his arm around her shoulders, which she clung to like her life depended on it and snuggled into his side. Mimi and Sora watched the scene with sad faces.

No one said a word until they finally arrived at the Big Sight. None of them had slept in over twenty-four hours, but they were determined to see their families again. The Jedi took a collective deep breath and entered the great hall. Practically the whole district was there, just like the events of six years ago. The sun shined brightly behind them all, giving them a divine glow as the whole wave of people gazed at them. Quiet murmurs went through the crowd.

A proud smile etched itself on Tai's face as he threw his hands in the air.

"WE DID IT!" he screamed.

The gathering of people erupted into loud cheers. It finally sunk for Tai in that their mission was complete. They had saved the world once again.

He took everything in, enjoying the moment while it lasted. Every face, the sound of the applause, the proud feelings that threatened to burst out of his chest. It was hard, but knowing that his family and everyone else in the district was safe made it all worth it.

"Matt! TK!"

"Sora!"

"Izzy!"

Looking out, Tai saw Matt and TK's parents, Sora's mother, and Izzy's parents trying to navigate through the crowd to reach them. Matt and TK ran into the ocean of people to meet their parents. Everyone else broke off to go see their families too. Tai found Kari and walked forward with her to find their parents.

xXx

Ms. Takaishi had tears running down her face as she embraced her youngest son. TK cried too as he returned her hug with one of his own.

Matt and his father gazed at each other for several seconds. Unlike the outpouring of emotion next to them, they were calm and cool as could be. Matt stuck his hand out for his father to shake in their customary greeting. Mr. Ishida glanced down at the hand for a moment and rushed forward.

Matt seized up in surprise. His father was hugging him. What was even more surprising was he felt a tear trickle down against his neck.

"I thought I would never see you again," Mr. Ishida mumbled as he held his oldest son tightly.

Matt relaxed and returned the hug, allowing tears to fall down his cheeks. His crusty exterior vanished for just this once as he relished in the familiar embrace of his father.

"I love you, son."

"I love you too, Dad," Matt whispered back.

Both boys soon let go and switched parents to embrace. Matt's stepmother, Rumiko, and toddler half-brother Raiku came up to see Matt. He hugged her after he hugged his biological mother. The older blonde took his baby half-brother into his arms and lightly bounced him.

TK gave his stepmother a look of hesitance before finally giving her a hug. Matt smiled brightly.

xXx

Tai and Kari watched happily as each of their friends found their families. Mrs. Izumi sobbed as she and her husband embraced their son, relieved that he came back to them in one piece. Izzy cried as well, just like six years ago in this very building. Mimi was hugging her parents and crying along with them. To their left, Sora hugged her mother tightly. The auburn-haired Jedi shook in her mother's embrace, letting her emotions spill out. She looked up from the crook of her mother's neck and made eye contact with Tai. He smiled and nodded at her.

To the right, Jim had Joe wrapped in a headlock. John tried to break them apart, but Jim had a grip like iron. Finally, the older Kido brother let go and ruffled his youngest brother's head. John hugged Joe and patted him on the back before letting him go to face their parents.

Mrs. Kido gave Joe a hug, but his father stood with his arms folded across his chest. His face was neutral, but with a hint of sternness.

Finally, his father smiled and said, "I'm so proud of you, Joe," before embracing the eighteen-year-old. "Good job."

As his father's arms wrapped around him, Joe folded like a cheap suit and cried in his nice shirt.

The Kamiya siblings smiled at the scene before continuing their walk through the crowd. A large gathering of people moved out of the way for them. At the other end of the parted crowd were their parents.

Tai swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat, trying hard to keep his emotions in check.

"H-Hi, Mom," the Kamiya brother said in a quiet, shaky voice. Tears were now falling down his face. "Hi, Dad."

His mother was choking back her tears as best she could. She rushed forward to take the two in her arms, tears of relief flying from her eyes as she tightly embraced them.

"I'm so glad you two are safe," she sobbed, kissing them both on the cheek. "I missed you both so much."

"We missed you too, Mom," Tai sniffled as he hugged her back. The sounds of his mother crying were too much for him as he started to cry as well.

Kari sobbed in her mother's embrace. Mrs. Kamiya let go of her son with one last kiss on his cheek before paying attention to her daughter. Kari buried her face in her mother's chest to muffle her sobs.

"It's okay," she murmured comfortingly as she rubbed Kari's head. "It's okay. Don't cry, Kari. You're safe now. It's over."

Tai didn't get a chance to breathe as his father embraced him. The two Kamiya men held each other for several moments, happy to be together again, before Mr. Kamiya hugged his wife and daughter.

A familiar presence behind Tai made itself known. He turned his head to make eye contact with Daigo. The man smiled weakly at him. Tai felt sorry for him––he didn't have anyone waiting for him to return home safely. He walked over to him. The two didn't say anything as they comforted each other with just their eyes. Things were going to be okay from this moment on. They just knew it.

'It's over,' were the first words that popped into Tai's mind. 'It's finally over. We won. Hopefully this means the Digital World will stay peaceful forever.'

They broke eye contact as the Jedi of Courage looked at the Mochizuki family close by.

xXx

Meiko looked at the ground in shame as she stood a few feet in front of her parents before looking up at them. Her hands gripped the hem of her shirt tightly as she bit her lip. It felt like she was standing before the Buddha to be judged on whether she would be granted eternal happiness or eternal damnation. It looked more like eternal damnation would be the decision.

She looked behind her to find all her friends split up and reuniting with their families. Seeing how receptive they were to them and all the hugs and kisses made Meiko wish she could experience that. Meiko finally looked back to her own parents and felt the fear from them. She had lost her connection to the Force after the infection was eradicated from her, but that didn't mean her intuitive nature was blunted by any stretch of the imagination.

'Thank you for all you've done for me, everyone,' she said silently to herself, knowing this probably would be the last time she saw them before CPS came and took her away from her parents. 'I'll never forget it.'

"Hello, Mother," she mumbled with shame. "Hello, Father." Another slow step, then she spoke with her head hanging low. "I'm sorry –"

Kari interrupted before she got too far. "She's sorry, but Meiko has something important to say."

Meiko swung her head behind her in shock. Everyone was there with supportive smiles. Her eyes landed on Tai, and shamefully looked down when she saw his supportive grin. The boy who wanted her dead not long before was now helping her? Her eyes filled with tears as she looked at Mimi, who nodded with encouragement. Then Matt, standing with a warm smile and encouraging her with a look that said, "We've got your back."

With that encouragement, she took a deep breath.

"No. I will not be afraid anymore," Meiko stated firmly, regardless that her heart was beating a hundred miles a second. "My friends. They helped me see…"

Her throat went dry. Flashes of past experiments raced by: Screams. Pain. Tears. Her eyes shut, attempting to shake the thoughts away. This was her moment to communicate, but the anxiety was crippling her again.

Her father clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth before taking a step toward his daughter. "Don't make a scene, Meiko. Let's go home."

Meiko cowered back and looked at her mother with pleading eyes, wanting to see if she was in agreement with her father. Not surprising, she saw the woman turn away from her in a timid stance, not bothering to stop the man. Her eyes narrowed.

"You haven't changed," she said. "Even after finding out the truth, you're still afraid of me."

"Meiko!" her mother gasped. "Don't spread lies. Don't you think you did enough last night? Let's go home, get a good sleep, and we will talk with a fresh mind later." She eyed the girl seriously. "Alone."

"Home?" Meiko scoffed. "I have no home. Prison is more like it. I cannot wait until Child Services comes to take me away from you. At least I can finally be free in a foster home."

"Meiko Mochizuki!" her father raised his voice. "You watch that smart mouth of yours. Think wisely before saying anything else. As far as I'm concerned, there is no need for you to be taken away now that you're cured. We want you home with us."

Meiko's lips thinned in frustration. She felt betrayed by that statement. Parents were supposed to love their children and help them through hard times, but her father couldn't get it through his thick skull that she had nothing to do with these issues even after being presented with the evidence––all because she couldn't control the literal monster living inside of her. This whole time, she was not the monster. Her parents were. She finally understood that now.

Before she could respond, Meiko felt an arm encase her shoulders. To her surprise, the arm belonged to Tai.

"I assure you, Mr. Mochizuki, that she's thought about this moment for a long time. You've controlled her out of fear since she was eleven years old. What's to make you think that she wouldn't turn on you in an instant, right?" Tai snapped his fingers once to emphasize his point. "But as her father, surely you would know your own daughter well enough to know she actually wouldn't hurt a fly."

Meiko looked at Tai, touched by his words, and hugged him. Tai returned it as he continued to address her parents. "Because when you did those experiments, you saw the violence only appeared when provoked. Some would say out of self-defense, right? Who wouldn't fight back if electricity was constantly shocking their body?"

Professor Mochizuki glared at Tai with daggers in his eyes.

"Young man!" he reprimanded. "Do not twist the truth! No wonder she doesn't want to come to us! You've turned her against us!"

"You've done that yourself, sir," Mimi stepped to the other side of the girl. She glanced at Tai and followed his lead. "You want to talk about the truth? The truth is that you both saw all of us fighting against another version of your daughter that was there until the infection was released from her. What's twisted is that when the reasoning for Mei-Mei's violent outbursts was found out, finding a cure went on the back burner and experimenting with the outbursts came first."

"Lies!"

Mimi cut him off. "I'm a Destined Jedi, just like your daughter, sir, with the gift to sense the truth. You weren't fully truthful with your wife about how far these experiments went."

Mrs. Mochizuki's eyes widened with concern as she glanced at her husband. "What does she mean?"

Kari stepped forward. "Chains. Voltage. Wires. Screams. I can read minds and see memories, Mrs. Mochizuki. What I saw in her memories and experienced with her emotions was chilling to the bone. Meiko was an obedient child, and went along out of respect. Frankly, I'm shocked she never turned on either of you."

"Now see here–" Professor Mochizuki roared.

"For breakfast, you had one slice of bread with two tablespoons of honey and black tea in your green and white mug you bought at a yard sale fifteen years ago!" Kari answered back with just as much intensity. "If that's not proof enough that I can see into your mind, I'll gladly reveal your top secret experiment that's co-shared with the Chinese Communist Party regarding energy sufficient–"

"Enough!" the man responded in a panic, looking around at the crowd that was slowly forming around them.

"Don't test me, sir," Kari warned with a glare.

Meiko was stunned at Kari's display of anger. She was full of surprises. After a shocked pause, Izzy stepped forward.

"For a minute, she had killed me," he said. "Then again, that wasn't Meiko. That was when she was infected. Did we harbor ill will? No. We knew she was desperately fighting the infection. I had every right to avenge myself. I didn't. I took the effort to see the real Meiko. When I healed, I shocked her by giving her a hug." Izzy took a breath before continuing. "And you know what your supposedly violent daughter did? She cried. She cried, and tried to deny my acceptance of her."

"Acceptance of our love that took a long time, Mr. and Mrs. Mochizuki," Sora joined. "Locking a child in your home in fear of others finding out what a freak your child is was abusive, not protective. Children need interaction for social skills."

"How dare you!" Mrs. Mochizuki countered.

"How dare you to allow your fears to consume you instead of giving her hope for a cure one day!" TK responded.

"Parents are who children rely on for all their needs," Joe joined in. "Instead, she was given a reality of pain and suffering."

"A reality that prison is where she should always belong," Matt stepped through them all. His arm slid around her waist and pulled her into his side. "A reality that she wasn't worthy of friendships; true love; hope of a cure; knowledge of why the experiments continued; or sincerity of her parents' true feelings. Nor the courage built to help see her through the hard times, reliable parents in all aspects, or to see the light at the end of the tunnel."

Meiko looked up at Matt as he summed up what everyone else had said. A shock went right through her system after he finished. Everything she ever wanted to say, yet was unable to speak, had finally been said.

A tear fell down her left cheek. She was so happy to know someone had stood up for her.

xXx

A tender smile shined from the blonde-haired Jedi's face as he gazed back at her while still addressing her parents. "Do you even know your daughter has four types of smiles?"

"What?" Meiko asked him with shock and curiosity. A light blush appeared even as he nodded.

"Yeah. You do. One when you're being polite, one when you let your guard down and relax. One when joy consumes you. And one when you watch the stars…" Matt stayed quiet rather than finishing his thought. He wasn't willing to say the last one out loud. This one was private. He whispered to Meiko, "One when you watch the stars with me."

Meiko responded with a slow, gentle smile at him.

"Actually," Matt corrected himself. "Make that five smiles. I finally figured out what this other one meant. It's one she only gives me."

Meiko hugged him tightly in return as he turned his attention back to her parents.

"So, when you attempt to be offended when she speaks of your home as a prison, why? That's all she's ever known. We, her friends, are more family to her than you've ever been. With that said, Meiko would like to lay some ground rules until Child Protective Services comes to rescue her."

Professor Mochizuki's face was red as a tomato. "We've heard enough of this disrespect!" he roared. "Meiko, come this instant!"

Meiko turned to her friends, her new family, and smiled at them. She took a deep breath in, slowly released it, and turned to her parents. As she opened her mouth to speak, her father moved to close the distance between them. Matt held Meiko protectively against him as she hid her face in his chest with a squeak of fear. The others took a step forward as well.

"Professor!" Daigo emerged from the crowd with Himekawa's body still in his arms to cut the man off and stand protectively in front of Meiko. "That's enough! You cannot possibly comprehend the things your daughter has gone through over the past several days. She deserves to be heard."

Matt saw Professor Mochizuki's eyes widen when he saw the corpse of what used to be Maki Himekawa, nearly knocking his glasses off his face. Based on what he heard from Meiko before, the two of them had been close acquaintances when she was alive. Something about it did not sit well with him.

Daigo looked down at Himekawa's face.

"Maki was the reason your daughter became what she was," he muttered. "She did it as part of a plan to destroy these kids and take her revenge on everyone for their own happiness. She saw Meiko as the perfect vessel because of the isolation you put her through. She's gone through enough. Let her talk."

"Th-Thank you, Mr. Nishijima," Meiko mumbled before stepping around the entire group to look directly at her parents once again. "But I've got this."

She looked her father square in the eyes before saying, "When I was infected, I had the power to hurt you, yet I didn't. Why? Because I'm your daughter who through all the pain you've caused me still inexplicably loves you." She pointed at Himekawa. "I only became that way because she forcibly injected me with the infection. However, before I return to your home, there are rules that I will lay out in front of everyone here as my witnesses until I leave. Rules that WILL be followed."

Meiko waited in silence for her parents' agreement. Her father stumbled back to his wife's side. They held each other's hand as they glanced at one another, unsure of how to respond.

"What is the harm in listening to her?" Daigo said, imploring them with his eyes to listen. "If you want a reason for her to trust you again, now would be a good time to give her one."

The rest of the Jedi nodded in agreement with the man's request. The Mochizukis thought about it for a long silence until Mrs. Mochizuki finally opened her mouth.

"Meiko," she said timidly. "We did the best we could. I don't expect you to understand what it's like to have a child with uncontrollable abilities you could never comprehend."

"True," Meiko answered with a nod. "There was a time that you both loved me unconditionally until the infection took hold. Fear to a certain point, and understandable as well, but I will not sit here and walk down memory lane."

She took another deep breath as the words that she had wanted to say for a long time came out in a wave of gab.

"With that said, rule number one: The lock to my bedroom door will be removed as soon as we return. If not, one of my friends will do it for me tonight with the help of the Force. The only reason why I never did so before was out of respect. What made you think a measly lock would keep me locked away?

"Rule number two: I have never intentionally caused you harm. You know in the past I was learning about my powers. You knew that when they went out of control it was not on purpose to hurt or shame you. Just like I've never intentionally harmed you in the past, I will not harm you ever. As my parents, I still love you, and that's all I've ever wanted.

"Rule number three: Since Child Services will come around to get me soon, I will no longer have unreasonable restrictions placed on me. Until they come, if I want to take a walk around the neighborhood for fresh air, I will do so.

"Rule number four, and final rule: Trust is earned both ways. If you honor my boundaries, I will honor you. But mark my words, if any of these rules are broken before CPS comes, I will run away and never look back."

Silence filled the air. Her parents looked to each other in silent communication, then looked at Meiko. They both nodded in agreement.

Meiko closed her eyes in relief, letting a sigh escape her lips. She bowed with respect.

"Thank you."

Her parents did the same.

Meiko turned to her new family with joy. "Thank you. I love you all."

"Mei-Mei sandwich!" Mimi declared. The Destined Jedi surrounded Meiko and hugged her while Mimi added, "We love you too!"

When they cleared, Matt stayed next to her and gazed at her face. When Meiko noticed, a shy smile crept across her face. Her cheeks turned slightly pink. "Which one is it this time?"

"Your smile?" Matt asked. "Your joyful one."

Meiko's smile widened. She held a hand up, signaling to her parents to silence their beckoning as she kept her eyes on Matt. "One moment please."

Her parents became silent, but their nerves remained high as Matt's cold stare penetrated them.

"I'm proud of you," the blonde-haired Jedi said telepathically.

Meiko's smile widened even more.

"Okay, you two," TK chuckled, squeezing in between the two. He placed an arm over each of their shoulders with a wink. "Break it up. Some of us want to go to bed. Save that lovey dovey stuff for your date!"

The two older teens blushed red.

"What!" They both cried.

Matt let out an embarrassed cough and pushed TK off of them in response. The younger brother laughed it off, but not before Matt pulled him in for a noogie.

"A date!" Mimi exclaimed. "Mei-Mei! I want to do your makeup and pick out your outfit! Please?"

"I'm helping too!" Sora joined in.

Meiko gasped in embarrassment and sneezed. She clutched the hem of her shirt nervously as the girls swarmed her.

A harsh yell went through the crowd.

"Get back! Get back!"

A group of SDF soldiers then circled the Destined Jedi with Type 89 rifles pointed at them. The girls shrieked while the males put their hands up in surrender. Camera flashes went off as some media people surrounded the perimeter, looking to get the best shots of what was going on. Matt looked in his father's direction, begging him to do something.

"Back up! Back up!" Mr. Ishida barked, along with several of the Jedi's fathers. "Stay back!"

The commanding officer, signified by the patch on his uniform, stepped forward. He was a harsh man with a moustache on his upper lip and brown eyes that shot white hot knives dripping with contempt. His stern expression reminded Matt of the colonel from Akira.

"Are you the Destined Jedi?" he barked.

"Y-Yes," Tai responded. "What's this all about?"

The man took papers out from his uniform pocket and read from it.

"It is by the orders of the Japanese government that we place you under arrest for terrorism and destruction of property." He looked past him toward where Matt knew Meiko to be. "And that one destroyed three of our helicopters, causing the deaths of nine soldiers. Round them up, men."

A couple of soldiers walked forward, keeping their rifles pointed at the group. Matt reached down to touch his lightsaber. He was going to fight his way out of this if he had to. They were not going to take him alive at least. Before he could do that, one soldier wrapped a hand around his arm and pulled him away.

"No! Let me go!" he growled, fighting against it. Matt looked back at Meiko and told her with his eyes that everything was going to be alright. "Get your filthy hands off me, you pathetic little–"

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Daigo cried, stepping in front of the officer. Professor Mochizuki also stood with him, much to Matt's surprise. "What is going on here?"

Professor Mochizuki then spoke. "This is all just a misunderstanding, Commander. There is no need for the military to take in a bunch of children that have done nothing wrong."

"There is no misunderstanding," the commanding officer bit back. "These children are not innocent. Three of our choppers are destroyed and nine men are dead, including several civilians." He looked the man up and down. "Why the hell am I even talking to you? Who are you anyway?"

The silver-haired man pulled out a leather pouch and presented it to him. "Professor Akira Mochizuki. I am a contractor for the Japanese government's Ministry of Energy."

Matt watched nervously as the soldier looked it over with a scowl. He then handed it back to Meiko's father before looking at Daigo.

"And who are you?" he asked sharply.

"Daigo Nishijima of the National Data Processing Bureau Information and Communication Strategy Section Information Management Office," the younger man replied. "I'm a Level 2 Management Officer with several close contacts within the government. I'd show you my badge, but my hands are full right now." He looked down at the body in his arms and added sadly, "This was Director Maki Himekawa."

Matt saw Professor Mochizuki whisper something to Daigo, who then responded back. He didn't know what they had said, but assumed it was about his badge because the older man reached into Daigo's right pocket, pulled out a badge and presented it to the commander. The soldier looked at it and then gave it back.

"What is your interest in this case, gentlemen?" he asked. "In case I haven't said it already, nine of my men are dead because of these demons. They should be under military watch lest something else happens."

"The bureau has already taken these kids into custody," Daigo replied. "There is no need for you all to be involved anymore. I can guarantee you that they won't cause any more trouble."

The Jedi of Friendship saw the commander's gaze dart towards him and the others as he spoke loud enough for them to hear.

"I'll believe that when I see it. Expect a call from my supervisor. We're not going to let this go. The citizens of Tokyo deserve justice from all the chaos these children created and caused." To the soldiers he said, "Let them go."

"But, sir-" a soldier protested.

"I gave you an order, soldier! Let them go now."

Matt and the others let out sighs of relief as the soldiers surrounding them pointed their guns up to the ceiling and backed away. He felt his father and stepmother rush forward to hug and protect him. He saw the other parents had also done the same thing. Professor Mochizuki then walked up to them.

"Come and get into my van," he said. "I'll take you all to the office and hide out so things can settle down. Once they have, you can go home."

Matt looked at everyone else to see what they were thinking. Not surprisingly, none of them were jumping over themselves to go with him. Despite his seemingly generous offer, Matt was very wary of what the man's intentions were. Who was to say this was not some trick to drop their guard and then he'd experiment on them next? He didn't know what to say.

"Why on earth should we trust you?" he snarled. "How do we know this is not just some kind of trick?"

Professor Mochizuki looked back with that stern expression of his. Matt did not back down and stared right back.

The man sighed. "Because I'm your only chance." He gestured to the crowd of media still snapping pictures. "They are not going to leave you alone if you leave right now. I'll do everything I can to make sure they stay away."

"But–"

"Matt, do what he says," his father said.

The blonde looked back at him with shock. "Dad–"

"It's okay. You can trust him here."

Matt bit his lip. He still was not sure what to do. Either way, they were screwed, as neither option was desirable at this point. His head still spun with indecision as he locked eyes with Tai. Maybe that would help give some direction.

The brown-haired leader glanced over at Mimi. "Is he telling the truth?" he asked. "Should we trust him?"

The Jedi of Sincerity nodded. "His intentions are pure. He wants to help us."

The blonde sighed. As much as he didn't want to, he knew it was the only option. "Okay. We'll go," he said.

Professor Mochizuki smiled. "Then follow me."

The group followed him out of the crowd and toward Big Sight's exit that went out to the street. The swarms of media people shouting questions and camera flashes followed them with every step, but Matt and the others ignored them. He was not going to give these parasites the dignity of a response. Most of them were not even worthy of being answered anyway. Matt stuck close to Meiko and held her against his side, letting her know it would all be okay.

They soon reached the van and piled on in. Before he went in, Matt saw Daigo go into another van. Their parents went to their own cars to follow. The back was so small and tight that the group was packed like sardines. Matt was squeezed between Meiko and TK as he tucked his knees in tight to his body. There were no windows in the back, so he could not see what was going on outside, but he didn't mind. It was probably better not to know.

Professor Mochizuki started the van and put it in gear before driving off. The back bounced along the road as they went, making Matt and the others bounce along with it.

They were all safe––for now at least.


What'll happen next? Find out next time on Revenge of the Infected.

Anyone else feel that scene should have happened in the movie? It just pissed me off how the families were given virtually no attention in that final moment. Like, they couldn't have just shown us them reuniting with their families as TK has his monologue? Come on! Next up will be another moment that I feel could and should have been highlighted. There's also another reunion to happen soon ;-) You'll see what it is next week.

Thank you to Music Chick for writing most of the part with Meiko.

Have a happy Valentines Day weekend. If you have a sweetheart, let them know how much you love them because you never know if tomorrow won't come. Little Garth Brooks reference there. As always, leave a review and subscribe because these last two chapters are going to be dynamite. Plenty of sweet stuff.

See you all next weekend. Tootles.