Hey, look! We're almost done! Anyone (I know there hasn't been many) who's read this far, I want you to know that I really appreciate it.

I hope you enjoy, and please review.

-N

--

"You're okay now, right?."

—Advent Children

--

Oh God—

"Wha—" Jeri murmured weakly but quite audibly in the now silent room as she stared at the sudden mark in her gut.

"Jeri!" Takato shouted as he ran to his longtime friend. The impact of the bullet had knocked her backwards, causing her back to hit the hand-rest bar in the elevator, as well as her feet to stumble. Takato watched as she instinctively grabbed the bar, letting herself to the floor as carefully as she could. It apparently wasn't enough, however, but Takato reached her before she could fall completely. Takato had never been so scared in his entire life as he was then. She stared not at him, but past him, breathing heavily.

"Get medical—somebody get the doctors now!" he heard Yamaki yell from behind him. A near-instantaneous look behind him provided Takato with the information that Yamaki had knocked Kurogawa unconscious, and it was Yamaki who now held the gun. He also noticed some of the others—among them Cyberdramon—coming up the stairwell. Takato felt the elevator door press gently on his foot before its safety mechanisms forced it open again.

"Why did he—" she whispered, still not looking at Takato.

"Jeri? Jeri, please, come on baby—" Takato had tears streaming down his face as he looked to the wound in her stomach, a small but messy red hole. He cradled her head in his left hand, and he had pulled his sleeve over his hand and applied pressure to her stomach. He breathed heavier as he felt her blood seep through the thin fabric and onto his hand.

"Jeri!" Takato recognized the voice belong to Henry, who ran to her and Takato, kneeling on the side opposite Takato.

"What happened?" Takato heard Kazu ask Yamaki frantically. Takato wasn't paying attention to what Yamaki gave as a response, he was too busy trying to get Jeri's attention.

You've always wanted her attention. You've always had her attention.

But not now. She was still alive, and still breathing, but she stared up vacantly, at the space between Takato and Henry's heads, her lips trembling as she struggled to speak.

"Everybody's so loud—" Jeri murmured tiredly. She spoke as if she was half-asleep, and Takato realized that she was no longer aware what had just happened, and probably unaware of what was presently happening.

"Jeri, you gotta stay with me here—" Takato tried to whisper, leaning closer to her, but as he cried it came out louder than he wanted to.

"You mean like a date?" she whispered with a small smile, still not looking at anyone. Takato felt her hand reach behind her head and place it on his own hand. It was still warm.

Takato felt his eyes well up again before he squeezed them shut instinctively, forcing the tears down his face. He couldn't lose Jeri, not then, not ever.

"Yeah, Jeri—like a date—like anything, just stay here, please, just—" He spoke quickly and desperately, and was certain that nothing he said was audible to even Henry, who was right next to him.

What Takato felt next was someone pushing him out of the way. He angrily shot a glare at the person who had done it, but felt relief when he recognized the man as one of the doctors Yamaki had called for. Takato and Henry both moved to get out of his way, backing up to the opposite corners of the elevator. Takato still had his hand behind Jeri's head, gently squeezing her hand. Takato saw another doctor push his way through the people who stood outside that were too terrified to come in.

Takato shot a glance toward Henry, and Henry was already looking at him. Henry was wearing the same expression of terror and anxiety that Takato was, but the two said nothing, and both turned back to Jeri.

The two doctors worked on her there in the elevator, speaking with each other in medical jargon that might as well have been pure gibberish to Takato. It was a full two minutes there before the requested they move her back to the medical floor. Takato hit "B1" on the elevator instantly. As the door closed, he saw everyone take flight to the stairs.

When Jeri had been moved into a room of tools and medical supplies, Takato and Henry were both asked to leave. He was reluctant to, but he knew he had to, and he complied.

This is really happening.

He stared through the window into the operating room with Henry as Kazu and Kenta, their partners, Guilmon, Cyberdramon, Terriermon, and Mr. Yamaki approached. He saw this out of his peripheral vision; his eyes remained on Jeri. He felt something warm on his shoulder, and finally broke his gaze to see Henry looking at him sympathetically. Takato patted Henry's hand and turned back to the long window, gently placing his hand on it. The hallway was dark, but he recognized his hand wasn't its usual color , and knew the cause to be that it was covered in Jeri's blood. He lowered his hand and tried not to think about it has he breathed slowly and stared at Jeri while the doctors operated on her. He saw them inject her with something, he saw her hooked up to machines, and he saw them remove the bullet.

It seemed like a very long time before one of the doctors came out and said something which felt like the first thing Takato had heard all day:

"She's stabilized."

Takato let out a sigh of relief and actually managed to smile.

That's my girl.

--

Takato sat at Jeri's bedside, holding her hand. The doctors said that she was going to be fine, but there was no estimation on when she might wake up. Guilmon sat with him, but neither spoke. Takato's other hand remained draped on Guilmon's shoulder, gently rubbing.

This shouldn't have happened.

If anyone had to have been shot, Takato would have much rather had it be himself than Jeri. Kurogawa was locked up somewhere in the building, Takato didn't care. He didn't even care what Yamaki was doing to him; whatever he got was too good.

What Kurogawa had done was an accident, but it was unforgivable. Unforgivable to Takato, anyways. He was sure Jeri was capable of forgiving anyone for anything. What pushed Kurogawa to do what he did was that someone he cared about was killed by the monster. He thought Yamaki had made the monster himself. It could happen to someone else.

He couldn't let that happen. He gently lifted his hand away from Jeri's, and stood up. He patted Guilmon on the side of his face.

"I'll be back in a few minutes, boy. Look over her for me."

He quickly walked to the elevator and hit the number 16. He knew Yamaki wouldn't be in his office, as he was wherever Kurogawa was taken. He ran to Yamaki's desk and looked through the many papers to find what Yamaki had mentioned earlier—locations of where the monster was coming from. In search of them, he opened a briefcase that was also on the desk, that wasn't there when Takato was in a few hours ago. It must have been dropped off when Yamaki was out.. Inside was three vials of a bright green liquid, a needle to inject them, and some papers.

He quickly skimmed through the front page, but read through them more thoroughly when he saw the word 'antivirus' appear. Apparently this serum could be used to kill the monster; it could combat the virus after it has fully taken effect.

This is what they had been dreaming of. Yamaki had gotten ahold of a way to beat Valn's monster. He searched through Yamaki's desk for something to put the vials in. He found a few hard containers Yamaki had some spare glasses in, that were padded on the inside. He took two, leaving only one for Yamaki. He quickly grabbed two of the glasses containers and emptied their contents, one having a pair of regular glasses, the other having a pair of fancy sunglasses. He carefully placed a vial in each, and put them in his pockets. He made sure that the cap on the needle was secure, before he put that in his pocket as well. He closed the briefcase and put it under Yamaki's desk, where he wouldn't see it right away.

Takato resumed his search for the locations. He finally found them on a map printed on the back of one of the sheets. He quickly looked at them—he recognized one to be where he was confident Valn was. It was underneath the park, in the tunnels that Impmon used to occupy. He put the paper back on the desk, and headed to the stairs.

It's time to finish this.

In that day, Takato had almost lost one of the most important people in his life. But he didn't. No way in hell was he going to lose one of the other ones. He had a weapon, and he had a location. It was time to save Ryo.

Takato was almost glad then to be in the position he was, to have the information he did. He finally felt like he had something he'd been missing for a very long time. Power. For the last several weeks he'd felt so helpless, but now he could make a stand. He had a cause. Valn was a threat to innocent people. Like Jeri. Like Ryo. It was a cause he thought important enough to fight for.

Important enough to die for.

He stopped on the 15th floor, walked into an unused office, and took an envelope, a pen, and some stationary from the desk. He knew he could die fighting that thing—he knew he probably would die. But if he did, he needed to let someone know what happened to him. He sat down and wrote the letter slowly and neatly. Takato didn't read it out loud; he never heard any of the things said over him earlier in the day when he himself was in a coma. Still, he found himself mouth the last line of the letter. He carefully folded the paper, and placed it in an envelope. He printed her name on it, and sealed it, and headed to the elevator back to the basement level.

When Takato entered the room, Guilmon was standing on a chair, leaning over the side of the bed, fast asleep. Takato was glad that Guilmon was asleep, it would make his leaving easier. He had no intention of bringing Guilmon along for this. He knew what he was about to do was dangerous, and he wouldn't risk Guilmon's life. Takato gently stroked his partner's face, and whispered a goodbye.

He inhaled deeply, holding the air for a few seconds before slowly letting it out. Takato looked at the girl who was always so full of life before that day—the girl he'd fallen for, the girl whose eyes he now couldn't even see.

"Jeri, it's Takato.

I never got to tell you how happy I was to have you be there when I woke up. I wish I could be here for you when you wake up, but I can't, so I'm leaving this for you.

I want you to know that I'm gonna do what's right. But, I don't know if I'm going to make it back, though. I just needed to tell you how much you mean to me. You've been my best friend my whole life. If I could choose to be with any person of anyone in all of the world, I'd choose you.

I know you're gonna wake up, Jeri, I know that you'll be able to read this. You take care of us. Of me. You always have. You're stronger than all of us put together. Please know that I'm doing what I am to make the world a better place.

I love you. I love you so much."

He said nothing before he turned and left the room. Takato didn't know what he was about to face, but he wanted the last thing he saw before entering the darkness, to be her.

--

Aren't things getting fun? Review!

-N