I recieved a lot of questions about the last chapters. Alex Warlorn had a few.....

"Why doesn't Reika trust Lain?" Reika never liked Lain much...and after Arisu moved away she became very anti social, it doesn't show in the story yet, but it'll come up. Reika doesn't trust much of any one, because she is scared that they will leave like Arisu did. But Lain's sweet side grows on Reika, and helps her see what's going on.

"Was the bullet hole still oozing blood or what?" LOL! No, Lain's bullet hole wasn't oozing blood...but it was still grusome. It was a hole...and starting to scar. Eww....that's so cool!

"Why not use the phone at the store? It is life and death." Lain knew that the only way to convince Reika would be to show her face to face. She didn't want to force Reika into this, but Reika is needed as much as Taro and Lain herself. Reika is anti social, as I said, and it takes hard physical evidence to get her out of her world where no one wants her. Lain also knows that the closer everyone gets, the safer. She needs Reika to trust her with her life, and you can't get that kind of trust over the phone.

"So have the ruthless, and meek sides of Lain's personality finally become one person?" I won't comment on this, it'll come in due time...

STITCHES

Chapter 4

Rescue Mission

Lain walked down the street when she heard voices come from behind her. "Shut up, would you?" A young voice said. "Sorry, master!" A male voice muttered. She turned to see Momo kick Sloth in his shin. "Owww..." Lain blinked and then Bane grabbed Momo's arm. Momo turned around and smiled at Lain. "Are...are you following me?" Lain asked. Momo walked over to Lain, Sloth right behind her. Bane stayed in place.

"Hello, Lain. I'm Momotaro, but people call me Momo." She said as she held out her hand to Lain. "And, yes. We have been following you." Lain took Momo's hand and looked from Sloth to Bane back to Momo. "How do you know my name?" Momo gasped in surprise. "Of course I know your name! Any one who knows of the Voices knows your name! You got away! The Voices are furious." Lain looked back at Bane. Bane looked down the road. "Lain, I want to help you defeat them. I will give my life if necessary, whatever I must." Momo said, putting a hand on her heart.

Lain walked into Taro's house with Momo right behind her. "I'm staying here, and if you truly want to help us, you'll be here a lot." Lain said. Taro came down the stairs and stopped infront of Momo. "No!" Momo gasped, her eyes growing wider. "Well, if it isn't my little peach." Taro said in an overly sarcastic tone. Lain looked between the two. "Do you know each other?" Lain asked. "Yes." Momo sneered, pointing at Taro. "As a matter of fact, that pig right there is my ex boyfriend."

"Bitch." Taro muttered. "That's what you said when you dumped me!" Momo shouted. "Only because you ARE!" Taro retorted. A voice came down the stairs. "What is going on?" A moment later Reika appeared behind Taro. "Oh, this is nice. Your new slut, Taro?" Momo snapped. "SLUT?" Taro screeched. "Oh, please." Reika laughed. "He's beneath me."

"You think I'm some kind of loser who can only get easy girls?" Taro yelled, ignoring Reika's comment. "You must be, since you knew exactly what I was thinking." Momo said, cracking her knuckles. "I'm so glad I dumped you! You're the easy one!" Taro called. Momo's eyes narrowed, but before she could do anything Lain was between them.

"Please, stop fighting. We need to protect Arisu, and to do that we must trust each other." She said in her slow, dead voice. Taro and Momo glared for another instant then looked away from each other. "I never cheated on you." Momo muttered under her breath so low no one caught it. She turned around and followed Reika into the kitchen.

Later that afternoon they took the bus to as close to Arisu's house as they could. When they got off of the bus Momo and Taro broke out into another fight. "How could you SAY that?" Momo screamed. "Like I just did." Taro shot back. Before Reika could say anything Taro restated what had got Momo so worked up. "You are a cheating whore." He said it in a cold voice. Momo looked like she was about to cry but her fist shot up and almost struck Taro.

Reika grabbed Momo's arm and Taro glared at Momo. Momo started to say something but he walked up next to Lain. Reika walked next to Momo the rest of the way and watched her glare at the two infront of them.

When they got to Arisu's house the driveway was empty. Momo walked up to the door and opened it. Lain followed Momo and Taro shot a comment. "Used to breaking and entering, aren't you?" Momo just nodded and continued down a hall. They found Arisu's room, and that door was locked. Momo pushed Taro out of the way. "Stand back." She called over all the voices emitting from Arisu's room and started kicking the door. It took a minute before it broke.

Lain was the first to run in the room. "Arisu! ARISU!" She screamed. She ran towards Arisu, who shrank into a corner. "You're not real. You're not Lain." She muttered. Momo tried to go in the room but Reika pushed her back and went in herself. Things were flying around the room and Reika had to duck when some books came flying at her. Lain tried to go near Arisu, but she pushed her away. "You're not REAL!" She cried and curled into a ball.

Lain threw herself on Arisu and hugged her. "It's all right now." She soothed. "I'm here." Reika headed for Lain and Arisu, and when she Lain turned to look at Reika she had to hold back a scream.

"REIKA! BEHIND YOU!" She shouted and Reika turned in time to see a spirit behind her. The spirit looked like white smoke, almost solid but still transperent. It came flying at her and Reika dropped to the floor. The spirit flew past her and went for Lain. Lain tensed and waited to fight the spirit off when Taro ran into the room. He plucked a chair from the air and slammed it into Arisu's navi. The Voices started to scream and a furious wind picked up in the room. Reika crawled over to Lain and Arisu, and held on to Arisu's hand. Momo grabbed hold of the door frame and held her hand out to Taro. He reached out to grab it.



The air was too strong and their fingers only graced each other. She tried to grab him again but the chair Taro had used went slamming into the back of his head. He fell to the ground at Momo's feet. "Taro!" Momo gasped and flung her self into the room. She reached the table that held the broken navi and grabbed a peice of glass that shattered off of the navi. She turned to the spirit and lunged the glass through it. It started to screech and Momo took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

Momo's body floated in the air, and at first she looked relaxed and calm, but suddenly her eyes opened and went as big as possible. "Oh, shit..." She muttered and a moment later her body went rigid. She started to scream and wounds were opening up all over her body. Her body started to twitch and convulse as her body levitated higher. Tears went streaming down her face as she started screaming and her wounds bled worse. The spirit below her laughed and the Voices joined.

Momo's back arched and she started writhing around, a steady stream of blood falling on Taro, covering his face. "LAIN!" Momo started screaming. "LAIN! LAIN!" And then Momo went silent. Her whole body went straight like a board. Reika flung herself at the spirit but only went through him. The instant she passed him her whole world turned to ice and as she hit the ground her body felt as if it was on fire. Reika started to cry and couldn't get back up.

Momo's body bucked once and she let out a peircing scream that shook all four girls' souls.

"TAAARRROOO!"

Then it was over. Momo's body plummeted to the ground. She fell on Taro as her body twitched once, twice and then went still. The spirit vanished and everything that was in the air fell to the ground. Momo sat up and looked over at Reika. "Help me get Taro up." She ordered, tears streaming down her face, washing away the blood on her cheeks. She fell over and passed out. Reika crawled over to Momo and Taro and tugged on Taro, trying to get him up. Momo jerked awake and pushed Reika off of Taro. "Let me do it." She pleaded and started to scoop Taro up. Reika shook her head and tried to take Taro away from Momo. "No, I'll do it. You're too weak, Momo." She said, the burning going away from her body. Momo clutched Taro's head to her chest. "NO!" Reika backed away from Momo and walked to Arisu.

"It'll take more strength to get Arisu out than carry an unconscious pig to the hospitable, right?" Reika nodded her head and took Arisu's left arm, expecting a fight from her friend. But Arisu let Reika take her arm and stood up with Lain. She was staring at Momo. "She...she's real." Arisu whispered. She looked to her right at Lain. "You're real." Then she looked at Reika. "You're real." Lain smiled and led Arisu out of her room. Momo heaved Taro over her shoulders and her knees shook a little from the weight. Then she straightened her back and carried him out.

The group entered the emergency room and Momo fell to the ground, still holding Taro. "What is going on here?" A doctor shouted as he looked at the two bodies covered in blood. Reika grabbed the doctor by the shirt and pulled him down so his face was level with hers. "Doctor Hikari. They won't settle for anyone else." She muttered in his ear. She let go of his shirt and he looked down at Momo and Taro and went running to get Hikari.

Taro woke up and looked over at Reika. "How did I get here?" He asked and Reika glared. "That idiot girl almost killed herself bringing you here." She snapped. Taro looked at the ceiling. "Who...Lain?" He asked. Reika shook her head. "Not even close. Momo." Taro felt a cold terror rush over him. He remembered seeing her floating in the air, screaming. "Did...did it really happen? Did she really fly into the air, screaming?" He managed through the haze in his head. Reika glared again. He looked away and took it as a yes. Doctor Hikari walked in. "Taro...Taro, you stupid boy. You almost cost a girl her life." She said. Taro looked at Hikari. She was an ex-Knight, and the only doctor Taro or Momo trusted. She looked at Reika, and touched her cheek. "This is the second time." She said, her voice wavering. "The second time someone was attacked by the Voices." Reika looked at the floor. Hikari remembered the last girl who was attacked. She was dead before she came to the emergency room. She died to save someone who almost wasted that gift.

Taro stood next to Momo's bed. His hand lay on her stomach as he looked at every inch of her body. She was covered in cuts. She went through all this for him, and he couldn't understand why. She hated him. She had cheated on him, then lied about it. When he dumped her she had punched him. Why would she go through that for someone she hated? He was so lost in thought he didn't hear doctor Hikari walk in. When she rested her hand on his shoulder, he gave a little jump. "I think she was an idiot. I wouldn't have done it. Taro, she knew what she was in for. She had seen it before." Taro started to cry, and his tears fell on her face, much like her blood had landed on his. "What do you mean, she knew what she was in for?" He choked.

"Her sister was the girl who died. She watched her sister be tortured by the Voices, and her sister died to protect her. And Momo wasted that death, that sacrifice, to save you. She could have died tonight, she still might." Hikari took her hand off of Taro's shoulder and walked to the window. "It's all my fault, Taro. I was one of the Knights who made the Voices, I tried to control them." Hikari wiped away some tears and walked out of the room, leaving Taro alone with Momo.

He stood there the whole night, trying to understand why Momo was willing to give her life for him.

A/N: It's getting pretty dramatic now, isn't it? I know everything that happens from here on out. No more guessing as I go along. Let me tell you, if you think it's sad now, wait till the end. This whole thing will be a REAL tear jerker. It even makes ME cry when I think about it!