President of Earth : Jake

Disclaimer: I don't own. K.A Applegate does.

A/N: Argh… the last chapter in my little series.

And sorry, Jinako-chan, but there ain't a lot of Cassie in this. Originally there was going to be, but Rachel sort of came across first. After all, her death was what rocked him the most. Probably I guess. Looking back, I'm thinking maybe I should've put more Cassie in, but I don't think it's too bad. Tell me what you think…

***

My name's Jake. Jake Berenson.

I can tell you my last name. Why, you ask? Because it doesn't matter anymore. Nothing matters now it's over. I've nothing to lose. They've taken everything that had ever mattered. And they can't hurt us anymore. They've already hurt enough. Who are they?

The Yeerks.

Perhaps someone had known it would end like this.

Crayak? The Ellimist? Me?

Maybe someone could've prevented this. But it doesn't matter anyway. Marco's right. Marco had always been right. Maybe I had as well. When it all comes down to war, there is no right or wrong, no black or white, no yes or no. It all came down to staying alive. Survival.

I was the middle, the balance. Rachel, my extreme. My fearless fighter. My last resort. Cassie, my…the person I had come to care so much about. The one who stopped my going over the edge. Cassie was my balance. But then again, war changes people in ways unimaginable. And Cassie, I knew, could – would – never win. She would've never found it in her to do what had to be done. Morality had no place in war. Justice, neither. But Cassie would've had her limit. Her boundaries would've had stopped her doing exactly what my boundaries let me do. Then again, boundaries change when you change.

In war, in this war, I was – I had to be – Rachel.

My cousin: the warrior princess.

Me: her death sentence.

I don't know what I am anymore. Balance? Broken, corrupted. There was no balance. Strength, courage, ruthlessness. There was no guilt, no pain, no nothing.

An enemy doesn't feel for its adversaries. A killer doesn't care for its victims.

In a war, you stand alone. Even those you thought you could trust may betray you. Like me. I betrayed everyone. Everything. Erek. Cassie. Rachel.

Tobias.

My failure? I still don't know for sure. More than one thing. Many things. There had been so many choices, so many life and death decisions, yet we had made it through – together. Then came the end, the final race to the finish line. And the outcome – the outcome isn't always fair.

Fair? What was fair? A Yeerk could kill, could hurt and destroy, and then be labeled an enemy. The bad guy. Then the opponent would retaliate, he would counter, and it would be in defense. Did it matter that there were casualties? No. Did it matter that lives – innocent or not – were lost? No. Why? Because war, because life, never worked like that. You get pushed, you push back.

So when the Yeerks pushed, when the Yeerks attacked, when they tried to invade Earth… What choice did we have but to counterattack with whatever weapon we had? We couldn't let Earth be taken, and we couldn't worry about the people, or the hosts, that got in our way. Human, Hork Bajir, Taxxon, Andalite, Yeerk, Chee.

How many?

So now we're back to the beginning. It was a cycle that would never stop spinning. Fight. Fight back. Fight back. Fight back. A never-ending flow of rage and hatred and killing. It just so happened I led one side of battle. It just so happened.

I guess going back into space, going back to find Ax, was the chance – the only chance – I had left to redeem myself. To correct the mistakes I made, the make sure I wouldn't do it again. No longer was this a clean war, but the least I could do was end it the right way. If there was a right way.

Then, maybe again, there wasn't a right way. Rachel fought until the end, she left everything for the truth – the final battle for freedom. Because freedom is a gift, and people will do whatever it takes to keep that gift. It is – it was – Earth's reason for resistance. And I know by now, to be free – to have freedom – is sacred. And I too, would do anything to save it.

Even if it means to fight again. To rid myself of guilt and fear, and face with a mask of courage, the evil that may threaten us again. The Yeerks. Or something more. Fighting for your belief becomes your life, and maybe it will eventually take your life, but without hope, without faith, there is nothing.

Rachel fought until the end. She fought for what she believed in. She fought for Earth, for freedom…for us. And I won't let Rachel's death be worthless. Even if it means to fight again – even if it means to die.

Because though Rachel fought her own battle for reason – and died in doing so – it wasn't the end. There is so much out there we don't know about, but we'll have to face it. So today, we – the Animorphs – go to accomplish what we started so many years ago. We go to finish the war of the Yeerks and the Animorphs. Of freedom. Since the beginning, we've hoped for an end to all of this. And now here it is, we just need to face it.

The beginning of the end.

***

Ah.. the end has come. Well, it's been so really fun writing these pieces and its been so nice getting reviews from everyone. So thanks to everyone who reviewed this fic. All your comments are so wonderful, and I love you guys for reading.

THANK YOU SO MUCH! You make my day. =)