Well, it's the moment you've all been waiting for.  Yep.  But I bet you've kinda been dreading it too, cause I have.  Well, I started this fic exactly a year ago, and now it's coming to an end.  This will be the longest chapter to this story, since I'm doing a number of things with it.

Number one, it's a battle scene, along with some other stuff.

Number two, this is a song chapter.

Number three, I'm combining this chapter with the epilogue so I can have exactly 38 chapters.

Well, with no further ado, I give you the last chapter.  Here is the finale of my story.  And I'm sure all of you knew what the title would be.  The song I'm using is "True Faith".  The song is basically for Bit and Zane

Disclaimer:  For the final time, I do not own Zoids, only the characters I create.  I also don't own this song.  It belongs to New Order.

-…Is Best Forgotten-

************************************************************************************************

(Music starts)

The eight zoids walked across the endless desert sands, heading towards their unsure destiny.  This could be their last battle, their last time together, so they had to make it count, and if fate was against them, they'd make this a battle to remember.  It was finally the day.  It was the anniversary of the death of Bit's parents.  Bit Cloud, who was alone in the world until about a month ago.  All of them, these eight people, had been thrown together for a reason.  Maybe they could make a difference.  Maybe they could change their destiny.  Perhaps they'd survive this battle.

After much arguing, Doctor Toros had stayed behind in New Hope, along with Clark and Karry.  This was a battle for these eight warriors, since they seemed to be the targets.  It was time to end this mess.  It was time to decide who would live and who would die.  And if they had to die, they'd do it together, but each would fight until they couldn't anymore.  United they'd stand, but divided they'd fall.  Each would do their best and pray for a good outcome.

The eight zoids kept moving, each pilot deep in thought.  There was so much to think about, so much to contemplate.  The silence was eerie, yet very understandable.  Words couldn't describe their fears, their pains, and their determination.  They had to live.  They wanted a future, and they would have to make one themselves.

Suddenly, the zoids stopped, the wind picking up the sands of the desert floor.  There he stood: the black Geno Breaker, and his pilot, Zane Cloud.

(I feel so extraordinary
Something's got a hold on me
I get this feeling I'm in motion
A sudden sense of liberty
I don't care 'cause I'm not there
And I don't care if I'm here tomorrow
Again and again I've taken too much
Of the things that cost you too much)

A screen popped up in each of their cockpits, revealing the blue-eyed pilot.  He no longer wore his black cloak.  He wasn't afraid of showing them who he was, since they already knew.  His hair was still the same, spiked, and a mix of brown and blonde.  He wore a dark blue shirt with a white trench coat type jacket.  His pants were white, almost a light gray.  He smirked as he noticed their expressions.  They were all so pained.

"So we finally get to end this," he said.  "On this day, the tenth year anniversary of our parents death.  How do you feel, little brother?"

"Shut up."  Zane laughed at Bit's small and simple response.

"Don't you have anything else to say to me?"

"You won't win."

"Is that so?"

"You're all alone.  There's eight of us and only one of you."

"Oh?  Well, then let's even the odds."  Zane moved his hand to the side and pressed a button.  Suddenly, zoids began to pop up from the sands around him.  There were a ton of different kinds.  There were Zabats, some Storm Sworders, Hellcats, Rev Raptors, Saber Tigers, etc.  "What about now, Bit?  Are you still so confident?"

"Where did he get so many zoids?" asked Leena.  Zane just laughed again.

"These zoids are all from the Backdraft Group.  I decided to take them off their hands.  Each one is programmed exactly the way I want them to be.  They will attack you without recognition, since there aren't any pilots."

"Stealing zoids like that is low, even for you," said Lance.

"Maybe, but what does it matter?"  Zane pressed another button.  "It's time to begin."  The many zoids began to charge towards the eight pilots.  The Liger Zero was standing in front.  Bit clenched his teeth in anger and quickly pushed the controls of the Liger.  The ion boosters blazed as the Liger Zero charged forward, passed all the other zoids.  None of the unmanned zoids seemed to mind.  The Liger kept charging forward, straight towards Zane and his Geno Breaker.

(I used to think that the day would never come
I'd see delight in the shade of the morning sun
My morning sun is the drug that brings me near
To the childhood I lost, replaced by fear
I used to think that the day would never come
That my life would depend on the morning sun.)

The Liger Zero rammed head on into the Geno Breaker.  Both zoids then jumped back, facing each other.  They then both ran towards each other, meeting in the middle.  They scraped and clawed each other as metal met metal.  The Liger Zero jumped away and then ran again, preparing to use the Strike Laser Claw.  When he got within striking distance, the Geno Breaker turned and swung its tail at the Liger, knocking it far away.  The Liger Zero hit the sand hard.  A huge cloud of dust swirled around it.  Inside the Geno Breaker's cockpit, Zane was laughing.

"What's wrong Bit?  Giving up already?" he asked, his voice completely cocky.  The Liger Zero slowly got up and turned towards the black zoid.  It charged once again, but was thrown back easily by the tail of the dinosaur zoid.  However, the Liger quickly got back to its feet and charged again.  With its teeth, the Liger bit into the Geno Breaker's arm.  Inside the cockpit, Zane scowled.  "Let go," he said, his expression still the same and his voice nearly vacant of all emotion.  Bit smiled.  The cockiness of his brother's voice had disappeared.  The Geno Breaker used its other arm to punch at the Liger.  It then whipped its arm out, sending the Liger Zero down to the sands once again.  This battle was going to be far from easy.  Bit was wishing he had the other armors right now.  He was taking a beating, and Zane didn't seem like he would ever let up.

(When I was a very small boy
Very small boys talked to me
Now that we've grown up together
They're afraid of what they see
That's the price that we all pay
Our valued destiny comes to nothing
I can't tell you where we're going
I guess there's just no way of knowing)

The unmanned zoid army was actually a lot harder to get rid of than the seven pilots thought.  They all had their hands full.  Leon was using his blades to take out a lot of the Rev Raptors, but you could tell he was getting tired of all the battling.  There seemed to be no end to the number or zoids.  Naomi was safe for now, since she had found a decent sniping place.  She was picking off a few zoids here and there.  Below the rock formation she was on, Brad was fighting off the Saber Tigers and a few Hellcats.  It was easy with his smoke screen and his Strike Laser Claw technique.  Lance fought mostly with his guns and claws as he attacked a mix of the ground zoids.  Leena was relying on her ammo, as always.  She continuously glanced over at the battle between Bit and Zane.  It wasn't going good for Bit right now.  Zane had the advantage.

"Please be alright Bit.  We have to make it through this together."  She then turned her attention back to her own battle, releasing another round of ammo.

Meanwhile, the air battle wasn't going as good as it could have.  Jamie and Kahimi were having problems fending off the air born zoids on their own.  There were just too many.  The Zabats were a little easier to take care of, but the Storm Sworders proved to be a problem.  Jamie maneuvered his Raynos and moved behind an enemy group that had been following him.  He shot them all down easily.  It had been two years since he had gotten his Raynos and he had finally mastered it.  His alter ego almost never showed up anymore, unless Jamie's life was seriously in danger during battle.  This wasn't one of those times.  Jamie quickly moved out of the way as a Storm Sworder streaked by, blades out.  He sighed.  "That was close."

On the other hand, Kahimi was having an even harder time dealing with the enemy.  She was being chased by Storm Sworders.  Every time she tried to get away, they'd just follow, their speeds evenly matched.  She racked her brain for an idea on how to get away.  "They're just computers," she told herself.  "They can't think for themselves, and they can't see me either."  She smiled at her plan, but soon became serious.  She gripped the controls and quickly pulled up, aiming straight into the air.  'I just have to get them off me for a second.'  She soon turned and then at the last minute, folded her wings and turned off her boosters, letting her zoid drop.  The other zoids kept flying up, unaware of what had just happened, since there wasn't a heat signal to follow anymore.  Kahimi quickly reactivated her zoid and unfolded the wings.  She came up quickly behind the three Storm Sworders and extended her blades.  She pushed the boosters to their max speed and flew right through them, ripping the zoids up with her blades.  She sighed in relief.  "Finally."  She then glanced around the battlefield.  There were still more enemies to take out.  She grimaced as her zoid was hit with shelling from an enemy Sworder.  She noticed that the Raynos was also taking a beating.  The shelling increased and the monitors in the cockpit began to blur.  'My zoid can't take much more of this.'  She watched as Jamie took out a few more Sworders.  Kahimi smiled.  She soon brought up a com-link with the black haired boy.

"I'm glad to see you're alright, Jamie," she said, her voice lacking its usual optimism.  This was just too much.  Everything that had happened in these past few days was just too much, even for her.  The shelling that was raining down on her was increasing and she was having a hard time dodging it.

"Kahimi?  Is something wrong?" asked Jamie, noticing the solemn look on her face, despite her small smile.

"I'm fine, Jamie.  I just don't know if this is worth it anymore.  I mean, can we really win?"

"What are you saying?"

"This whole battle is so meaning less.  I feel like I've been caught in the middle of a family feud and I'm not sure…how much longer I can hold out."

"Don't say things like that.  We'll all make it through this."

"I don't know.  I'm so tired.  I just want this all to end, but don't think I'm giving up.  I'll fight till the end, no matter what happens.  I don't want to die yet.  I want to have a future with my new team.  I want…to have a future with…" 

(I used to think that the day would never come
I'd see delight in the shade of the morning sun
My morning sun is the drug that brings me near
To the childhood I lost, replaced by fear
I used to think that the day would never come
That my life would depend on the morning sun.)

She never got to finish her sentence as more shelling rained down on her, making complete contact and blasting off the wings of her zoid.  The screen blurred and then became fuzzy.

"Kahimi!" yelled Jamie as her image disappeared.  He then watched as her Storm Sworder plummeted to the ground below at breakneck speeds.  His voice was still able to get through, but Kahimi wasn't responding.  She was completely unconscious.  However, Jamie wasn't going to give up.  "Wake up!  Kahimi!"  His words fell upon deaf ears.  Any second now, her zoid would hit the ground, headfirst.

'I want to have a future with my new team.  I want…to have a future with…'  Her last word had been only for her, her voice unable to echo her thought.  '…You.'  The Sworder hit the ground, the glass of the cockpit shattering.  The restraints snapped and Kahimi was thrown from the cockpit.  She sailed through the air and then hit the ground, rolling a few feet.  She stopped on her back, her body completely motionless.

Meanwhile, Lance had watched the whole thing, his eyes wide.  "Kahimi!" he yelled as he watched his sister fly from the cockpit.  In just that little time, the enemy took advantage and attacked him, blanketing his zoid in shelling.  Small explosions erupted from his zoid until it was lying on its back.  Lance opened his eyes and slowly lifted his head, only to come face to face with a gun barrel.  'This is it.  I'm gonna die.  Kahimi, Karry, Bit…I'm sorry.  Forgive me, everyone, forgive me.'  Suddenly, the gun barrel disappeared from his view.  The zoid had been shot down by Leena and her Gun Sniper.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," answered Lance, his voice slightly quiet.  He pushed his zoid's controls and brought it to its feet.  Leena was firing at the enemy zoids to her left.  Lance just glanced around at the battlefield.  "How pointless."  That's when it happened.  It came so fast he didn't have time to react.  A Rev Raptor swung its tail towards him, connecting with the cockpit.  The glass shattered and Lance cried out as the pieces pierced his flesh, drawing blood.  The Rev Raptor was then shot down by Leena.  The cockpit to the Dark Spiner opened slowly and shook all the way.  Lance slowly stood up and began to walk out of it, but he soon stumbled and fell to the sandy desert floor.

"Lance, are you alright?" called Leena to her downed friend, but there was no response.  Leena continued to shoot at the enemy zoids that were approaching.  'What should I do?  Please hurry, Bit.  We can't hold out much longer.'

(music without words)

Meanwhile, Jamie landed his Raynos next to the destroyed Storm Sworder.  He quickly jumped out of the cockpit and ran over to the fallen Sworder pilot.  Kahimi was unconscious and in bad shape.  It looked like her right leg was broken and a few of her ribs were probably broken as well.  She had a large scrape on each arm from rolling in the sand and a few puncture wounds caused by glass shards from the cockpit.  She had a cut on her head, in which blood was seeping out from.  Jamie just kneeled by her, not knowing what to do.  He had basically taken care of the air threat.  He glanced around at the current status of his teammates.  Everything was going wrong.  The enemy was pushing them all to their limits, and they were just computers.

Meanwhile, Bit was still dueling with his brother, who was having the advantage.  The Liger Zero was taking a beating.  Zane looked around at the battlefield and smiled as he saw what was happening.

"How sad," he said with sarcasm in his voice.  "All my birds were taken out, but at least they accomplished something while they were around."

"What?" asked Bit.  He glanced over at the battlefield.  He noticed that Kahimi's Storm Sworder was compacted, the metal completely twisted.  Kahimi, herself, was lying on the sand a few yards away, with Jamie at her side.  Even further away was the Dark Spiner with Lance lying near it.  Zane began to laugh at the sight of all of this.

"Look, the brother and sister have both fallen.  How wonderful."  Bit turned his attention back to his brother and his twisted smile.  His anger flared up.

"You're sick," he said, his voice full of venom and his eyes cold and angry.

"Maybe, brother, maybe."  He charged for Bit again.  This battle wasn't about to end any time soon.  Bit had to think of something.  He had to win.  He had to.

Meanwhile, the enemy zoids began to fall more frequently.  Everyone, however, was out of ammo.  Naomi was the only one who still had a few shots left.  Leena and her Gun Sniper had been taken out and Leon was doing his best to keep the enemy away from her.  He also had cover from Brad and Naomi, but Brad was trying to protect Jamie as well, who's Raynos had been taken out as it was sitting there.  Soon enough, Naomi ran out of ammo.  Leon was then attacked from behind, but he was able to take out one more zoid with his blades.  Finally, the last Rev Raptor fell, but it took Brad out along with it.  Every zoid on the battlefield was down or out of ammo, in Naomi's case.  The pilots all climbed out of their cockpits, some in worse shape than others.  No one was about to move the wounded Lance and Kahimi, for fear of injuring them further.  Everyone was standing around now, staying close together.  Leena and Leon were close to Lance, Brad and Naomi were in the middle, and Jamie stayed with Kahimi.  They all watched closely as Bit battled with his brother.

"Are we going to make it?" asked Naomi.  "Or is everything we've done pointless up until now?  Did we just defeat all those zoids for nothing?"

"We're fighting to stay alive," said Brad, trying to remind her about what they were actually doing here.

"Does this really involve us?" asked Jamie, his eyes glued to the battlefield.

"Of course," responded Leon.  "This battle involves all of us, since our lives are on the lines."

"But in the end, it all depends on Bit.  He's fighting for our lives, and we have to support him," said Leena.

"But what if…what if he loses?" asked Jamie, glancing down at the girl he was sitting next to.  She still wasn't awake from her crash and Jamie was beginning to worry.

"Don't think like that," said Leena.  "Bit will win.  We have to trust him.  He's never let us down before.  We have to believe."  'We have nothing left to lose,' thought Leena.  'This family feud needs to end now.  If only Zane could realize how stupid his grudge truly is.  Bit is the only family he has left, so shouldn't he embrace him?  Instead he wants to kill him.  How sad.'  She looked over at the battlefield.  'You have to win, Bit.  Our lives, our futures, depend on it.'

(I feel so extraordinary
Something's got a hold on me
I get this feeling I'm in motion
A sudden sense of liberty
The chances are we've gone too far
You took my time and you took my money
Now I fear you've left me standing
In a world that's so demanding)

The Liger Zero was once again charged by the Geno Breaker.  The Geno Breaker rammed into the Liger Zero, sending it down to the desert sands.  The Liger slowly rose back up.  'I don't know how much more of this we can take,' thought Bit.  Zane smirked and looked out over the battlefield.  He noticed that all seven pilots were our of their zoids now, but all of his were gone as well.

"Look Bit.  All of your friends are zoidless.  It would be so easy to just destroy them now," he said.  He smirked to himself again as he moved his guns towards the area they were standing in.  He was about to push the button that would launch his missiles, but he was soon hit in the side by a Strike Laser Claw attack.  The Geno Breaker jumped back before the Liger could cause too much damage.  It jumped far away, and then turned to face the Liger.  Liger Zero was standing in front of the area where Bit's friends were.  Zane's smirk faded as he rubbed the side of his head.  He looked at the image of Bit on his video screen.  There was anger on his face, pure as day, along with determination.

"What's wrong Bit?" taunted Zane.  "You didn't move that fast before."

"Oh, is that so?" asked Bit, but it wasn't a question.  He didn't care anymore.  Zane had to be stopped.  Zane looked at Bit's face and saw the determination and desire to protect his friends burning in his eyes.  "I'm not going to let you hurt them.  This is between you and me."

"Oh, really?"  Zane smirked.  "You're all lined up so nicely.  I'll get rid of all of you at once.  Then you can embrace death together."  The clamps on the feet of the Geno Breaker went down and the tail extended.  The mouth then opened and the small cannon appeared.  The familiar glow of the charged particles began to appear.  Bit sat in the cockpit of the Liger, his expression not changing, even at the sight of the deadly gun.  He gripped the controls.  There was no way he could reach his brother in time and he didn't have any ammo left.  The charged particle beam was nearly ready.

"This is it buddy," said Bit.  "We have to win this battle, or else we won't have a future.  I don't know about you, but I want to see tomorrow.  And I want all of us to be there as well."

I agree roared the Liger.

"Well, then lets do this.  We have to take him out and we have to do it now.  We're gonna charge straight through the beam…or die trying.  We can't hold anything back, not this time.  There's too much on the line."

I'm with you, Bit.  We'll give it all we've got

"Right.  Together, we can do this.  It's now or never buddy.  Let's show him what we're made of."

Yes

"We're not gonna get pushed around any more.  Let's go!"

You got it  The claws on the Liger Zero began to glow as it prepared a Strike Laser Claw attack.  The Liger stood completely still as the familiar gold glow flowed through the front legs.  Small golden particles seemed to swirl around the giant cat zoid, more than it ever had before.

"We're gonna put all of our energy into this one attack."  The charged particle cannon finished charging and then fired, the blue and white beam extending quickly from the cannon.  The Liger Zero began to charge, the ion boosters flaring, sending the Liger Zero forward, faster than it ever had ever gone before.  The Liger Zero and Bit moved as one as they charged forward.  "I want a future," said Bit.  "And I want one with all of my friends."  The beam was coming closer and closer, and it would soon collide with the Liger Zero.

Everyone was watching as Bit kept charging forwards.

"What's he doing?" asked Jamie, panic in his voice.

"He's gonna charge straight into the charged particle beam," said Brad, with shock in his voice.

"Bit," whispered Leena.  She watched as the beam hit the Liger Zero.  "Bit!"

'I want us all…' thought Bit.

(I used to think that the day would never come
I'd see delight in the shade of the morning sun
My morning sun is the drug that brings me near
To the childhood I lost, replaced by fear
I used to think that the day would never come
That my life would depend on the morning sun.)

"…To live!"  The Liger Zero continued running as the charged particle beam split as it charged forward.  The Liger continued charging forward through the beam, not being affected by it at all.  The golden particles from the Liger seemed to be protecting it as it ran through the most deadly of attacks as if it were nothing.  Everyone watched in shock as the Liger performed this impossible task.

"How is he doing that?" asked Leon.

"I don't know," said Leena, her eyes wide with surprise.  "Bit…he's fighting for us."

"He doesn't want any of us to get hurt," said Naomi.  "I never thought something like this would happen.  That kid never ceases to amaze me."

"He's doing the impossible," said Brad.

"If only Lance and Kahimi could see this," said Leena, as she glanced down at the unconscious siblings.  No one knew how much longer they'd last.  Their wounds were deep and the sand was becoming crimson under them.  Lance had more open wounds, but Kahimi had broken bones and a head injury.  They had to get them to a hospital and soon, or they might not make it.  "Please pull through Bit.  We're all counting on you.  You better not die on me."  The Liger Zero kept getting closer to its destination.

"What's going on?!" asked Zane, his normally calm voice full of shock and fear.  The Liger Zero continued to pick up speed and the glow from the claws became even more intense.  Everyone watched as the giant cat zoid got closer to the Geno Breaker.  "This is impossible!  You should be dead!  You can't be that powerful, it's impossible!" screamed Zane.

"I don't think so," said Bit, his voice full of determination.  "I want a future with my friends…with Leena.  And I won't let you take it away!  Not ever!"  The Liger Zero reached the Geno Breaker and leapt upward and soon brought down its claws on the black zoid.

(I used to think that the day would never come
I'd see delight in the shade of the morning sun
My morning sun is the drug that brings me near
To the childhood I lost, replaced by fear
I used to think that the day would never come
That my life would depend on the morning sun.)

The Liger Zero brought its claws down hard into the Geno Breaker, causing a ton of explosions to erupt from the black zoid.  The beam had ceased to fire and the cannon exploded.  Inside the cockpit, Zane was panicking.  The controls were going haywire and the video screen began to blur, until it turned off completely.  The controls began to explode and the glass on the cockpit was cracking because of it.  The only thing still working was a small, flashing warning sign.  It flashed the word "DANGER" in red letters.  Zane's eyes widened as he realized what would come next.  The Liger Zero ripped away from the damaged Geno Breaker, just as it exploded into pieces.  Zane flew out along with the debris.  He sailed through the air.  Everything seemed to be moving slowly for him.  A bright light from the explosion surrounded him.

"I…lost," he said to himself.  "How could I have lost to him?  How could I have lost?  It doesn't make sense…I'm stronger.  What went wrong?"  Zane looked out at the Liger Zero and then remembered back to when Bit had hit him when he had tried to shoot at the other pilots.  "He was protecting them?"  Zane then hit the ground hard.  He could feel as both his arms snapped, along with his legs.  He was then hit with debris, the pieces piercing his flesh.  He had a killer headache and a whole through his stomach from the explosion and flying debris.  Zane stared at the clear blue sky.  'It's been so long since I've really looked at the sky.  It's so full of life, so full of…memories.'  He just looked up and began to think.  "He fought for them…his friends.  Is the will to live that strong?  Could the desire to have a future truly increase someone's strength?  Is the will to live a more powerful tool than the need for revenge?  No…friendship is the more powerful tool.  He wanted to save them.  Their will overpowered mine.  That's what happened.  Was my faith misplaced?  Have I been wrong all these years?  I've caused so much pain.  I've taken so many lives…all because of you…my brother, Bit.  But now, why does it all seem so pointless?"

(Music without words)

"You wasted your life, brother," said Bit as he approached the dying man.  Zane looked up at his brother's emotionless face.  Next to him stood Leena.  They both looked at Zane.  He could tell that they knew.  He wouldn't last much longer.  Zane managed to laugh a little.

"I suppose I did.  Now that I think about it, I guess I've never really lived.  I don't have much time, and now I finally realize this.  There's so much more to life than hate, revenge, and death.  Maybe if things had turned out differently, we could have all been friends…we could have grown up together…we could have been brothers."

"There's still time," said Bit.  Zane stared at his brother's face, confusion covering his features as he tried to decipher what Bit meant.

"You're willing to save my life?"

"If we hurry, we can save you," added Leena.  Zane shifted his glance to her.  'Even Leena is willing to save me,' he thought.  He just closed his eyes and shook his head.

"I don't deserve to live after what I've done.  I wouldn't be able to face the people I've hurt.  People everywhere would hate me…fear me.  What kind of life is that?"

"But…" started Bit.

"It's fine.  I'm not afraid to die.  The will to live is so much stronger than I ever could have imagined.  This is what I want.  Life is precious, and it took me my entire life to realize just what it means to live.  You've shown me, Bit, that life is important.  Moving forward is important…the present is important…and building yourself a future is what life is truly about.  Somewhere along the line, I forgot that."

"There's still time.  You can change your future."

"I'm afraid you're wrong.  There's no time left.  This is it…this is the end for me, but I don't mind.  Maybe I can finally find some peace.  I do want to apologize though.  And I want to tell you something that sure as heck took me long enough to figure out.  You shouldn't look back, Bit, ever.  Never look back and never regret anything you do.  You shouldn't bother yourself with the past, because you can't change it.  Sometimes it's not worth looking for, since it'll only bring you pain.  Perhaps sometimes it's best to forget the past.  Too bad I discovered this truth a few years too late."  Zane's face twisted in pain as the easy motion of breathing suddenly became so painful.  Bit knelt down so that he could clearly see his brother's face.  Zane opened his eyes and looked at Bit, a pained smile spreading across his face.  "I hope you have a great future."  He extended his hand and Bit took it in his, gripping it in a brotherly manner, the way friends also did sometimes.  "I'm sorry.  Live long, brother.  The will to live is strong…never forget the feeling…the determination.  Keep fighting…my brother."  He closed his eyes and his chest dropped from its last rise, never to rise again.  His hand fell limp in Bit's grasp as he let go and let it fall to its mater's side.

"Goodbye…brother."  Bit stood up, still looking at the last of his family.  Leena reached out and grabbed his hand, taking it in hers.  Bit looked back at her as she gave him a small smile.

"You gonna be okay?" she asked.  Bit gave her a smile, similar to the one she had given him.

"Yeah.  I'll be fine, because I'm not alone.  My family is right here, with you."  They both turned and began to walk back to the other pilots.  This was a day that none of them would ever forget.  They fought for their lives and they won, but at a price.  Life is precious.  Those words would always stick with them.  A run in with death can really turn you around.  From now on, all of them knew that they had to do all they could to make their lives count.  Every minute of every day would be spent as if it was the last.  Together they could make it through anything, and their memories would always live on.  Zane would never die, because his memory would live on within all of them.  No one truly dies, because memories are immortal.

"What now?" asked Leena as she walked with Bit.

"I don't know.  I guess we'll just continue our lives.  I'm glad, though."

"About what?"

"We can all have a future now.  I can have a future with you.  That's all I want."

"That's all I want too, Bit."  Bit Cloud smiled as he looked up to the sky.  'It's been so long since I've really looked at the sky.  It's so full of…of…life…no…we're full of life…the sky…is full of…memories.'  Bit smiled to himself and whispered silently to the sky.  "Yeah…full of memories."

******Epilogue******

Three Months Later

Dear Journal

            Hi!  Finally!  I'm out of those casts!  Lance came back from the hospital today.  He got off without any broken bones, but I ended up with a broken leg.  Oh well.  Such is life, I guess.  It's been a while since the battle.  My zoid took a beating, but it was repaired soon after.  All of our zoids were.

Lance and I decided to stay on as members of the Blitz team.  I like it here.  It's like having a real family.  We see a lot more of the Fluegle team now.  They come over on the weekends if there aren't battles.  It's kind of nice.

We buried Zane in one of the fields nearby.  Bit often goes to visit his grave.  Even though he didn't like Zane, he was still his brother.  That counts for something.  Bit told us what Zane had said to him.  I guess I can forgive him.  I actually feel quite sorry for him, but I guess that doesn't matter now.  There's no use mourning about the past, right?  What matters is the future.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention this before.  Bit proposed to Leena!  Isn't that great?  They're getting married in about six months.  I can't wait for the wedding.  It's gonna be beautiful.

That's what I'm talking about.  We have to look towards the future, not the past, but we can't just ignore the past.  I was once told that without a past, we have no future.  I guess its true.  Even the dead can affect the living, just as the past can affect the present and future.

Maybe we all could have lived happily together if things had turned out differently, if Zane hadn't been abandoned.  But then again, we might not all have met, and Bit wouldn't have Leena, and I…I wouldn't have met all these people.

So this makes me wonder, you know, about the whole past thing.  The past is often painful and can be full of bad memories, but without those, it wouldn't make the good ones so wonderful.  Searching for the past is kind of the same as fighting for the future, isn't it?  I wonder if the past really is best forgotten.

In this case, maybe it was, but you never know.  Maybe I just have too much time on my hands to think about this.

I guess you can decide for yourself, but in this case, we wouldn't have met if Bit hadn't been searching for it.

But like I said, you can't change the past, so lets forget about it.

Let's let it rest.

And let's build ourselves a future, based off of the memories we all share.

That sounds good to me.

A future built from the past.  Yeah…the future is connected with the past…so I guess we can't really forget it, now can we?

Well, I guess elaborating on this would just confuse me more.  Maybe people aren't meant to understand this.  Maybe the past is meant to repeat so that we don't forget, but sometimes…I really wonder.  If we forgot the past, we could start over, right?

But I don't want to start over.  I want to remember these people always.  I want to live.  'The will to live is strong.'

I have to remember this, and I hope, that someday, the world will see that the past isn't always best forgotten…because without a past, we have no future.

And a future, built from wonderful memories, is what all of us are aiming for…and we'll fight to protect it…always.

************************************************************************************************

Well, that's the end.  What do you think?  Do you have any idea how long this took me to write?!  I was running short on ideas and it felt like I was repeating myself, which, now that I think about it, I was.  But overall, I think it turned out well.  I really like my ending.  I hope you guys did too, and I'm sorry if I confused you with all that talk about the past and future and memories, cause I think I contradicted myself so many times that I'm even a little confused.

I kinda contradicted the story with the title.  I meant to do that during the epilogue.  And I know it took a long time to make Zane die.  I hope that part wasn't too boring or drawn out, or corny, but I wanted him to have a dramatic end, and I think it worked.

Well, I have a few things to say.

Number one is thank you to everyone who has read my story.  I really appreciate it.  Hugs to all of you!  Thanks for sticking with me.  I started this fic a year ago, and it's finally done.  I feel very relieved, yet I'm kinda sad too.  I really enjoyed writing this story.

Number two is that I don't think I'll be writing a sequel, and if I do, it won't be any time soon.  However, if you're willing to wait, just tell me your email address and I'll email you guys about when I write it, if I write it.  Don't get your hopes up.  It's very iffy, since I haven't really put any thought into it.

Well, I really don't have much more to say.  Thanks again you guys.  This fic did better than I ever thought it would.  This'll be the fic I'm known for.  This is my prized story.

I'll see you guys around sometime, okay?

Until the next time!

Audi^.^