Author's Note: Alright, this is the last chapter. Dedicated to my best friend, whose support and encouragement first convinced me to post chapter 1 here. :)

And thank you once again, all of you who took the time to reach the end of this little fanfic. Especially those of you who wrote reviews. They are invaluable to me.

Enjoy, and I hope to see you in my next fanfic!

"Tobias."

His mouth fell open as black ink magically appeared on the piece of paper in his hand. Black ink that spelt his name. Black ink that spelt his name in Rachel's handwriting.

Fascinated, he read on as more words appeared.

"Crayak and the Ellimist are discussing where I should go for my afterlife. Crayak wants me to be his personal toy. Ellimist wants me to 'meet my maker'. Whatever that means.

So I was allowed to come back here for a while. Till they decide. But I can't talk to anyone, and no one can feel my presence. I've been to see my family, Jake, Marco, and Cassie. None of them knew I was there.

Oh well. Enough about why I'm here. Tobias, I"

There was a deafening roar of thunder. And then, huge drops of rain began falling from the sky.

Rachel cursed under her breath. She wondered if she could get wet. Luckily, she was using a ballpoint pen, so the ink wouldn't smudge. But she realized, to her dismay, that the paper would disintegrate under the dampness.

Tobias swore, and quickly stuffed the piece of paper into his morphing suit to prevent the rain from getting to his last memento of Rachel. He scanned the area around him once again. Rachel had to be around him, somewhere. Probably right next to him. He would give both his wings to know where!

His eyes found nothing. In a fit of frustration, he raised his head to the sky and shouted "ELLIMIST! CRAYAK! Stop playing games with us! I want to see her! I want to see her NOW!"

As her lover was screaming his head off, Rachel felt something. The raindrops were pelting her body, and each droplet created a tingling sensation as it made contact with her skin. She looked down at her body, but saw no difference. What was happening to her?

Something was wrong with the scene that greeted Tobias when he looked down from the sky, taking a break from shouting. The rain was pouring down in buckets, but the raindrops seemed to be bouncing off something just in front of him. Something…human- shaped.

The rain got heavier. Soon, Rachel was drenched from head to toe. She looked hopelessly at Tobias. So much for her plan to communicate with him. She sighed as hope abandoned her. All that was left to do now was to wait for the Ellimist or Crayak to come and collect her.

A flash of gold appeared in front of Tobias. He blinked. Another flash.

And then, like a portrait that someone was painting with an invisible brush, Rachel's blonde head appeared. The face that starred in Tobias's dreams so often came into view. Slowly, the falling rain revealed the rest of her body.

Tobias felt like a blind man who could see again.

He stretched out his arms, and pulled her into a warm embrace. She was freezing. But it didn't matter. Nothing mattered at that moment, as they were encased in their own bubble of love, whispering each other's name over and over again. His lips were soon on hers, a lingering kiss that would have to last for all eternity. Until they met again.

When their lips finally parted, Rachel spotted the other Animorphs over Tobias's shoulder. She also noticed the Ellimist watching her from a distance, behind her friends.

The Ellimist nodded at her.

Tobias reluctantly relieved his death grip on Rachel's waist, and turned around, gripping her hand tightly instead.

And then, Cassie and Jake were on her. They did a group bear-hug. When they parted, Marco stepped up and gave her a brief squeeze, while Ax awkwardly wrapped his Andalite arms around her in his alien version of a hug.

Everyone's faces were wet with a mixture of rain and tears. They looked at her expectantly, curiosity peeking out from their emotional expressions.

"Tobias will explain later. I'm running out of time." began Rachel.

"Jake." She turned to look at her cousin. He turned his eyes away briefly, unable to meet her gaze. "Jake, look at me." With an effort, he managed to lift his eyes and look into hers.

"It's not your fault that I got killed, alright? You had to make the call, and I would have done it anyway even if you hadn't. So stop being depressed already, or believe me, I will send a hundred grizzly bears from hell to show you what it's really like down there." Jake grinned despite himself. It felt good. He hadn't smiled a smile of pure happiness in the longest time. He nodded, understanding, feeling better already as some of the guilt subsided.

"Oh, and stop blowing off Cassie, will you? She doesn't blame you for my death. No one does! Avoiding her won't change the fact that I'm gone. There's no more war now, so what's stopping you two from living happily ever after? Not little ol' me! But you'd better take care of her, or it's Grizzly Town for you!" Rachel grinned as she watched her cousin and best friend blush.

"Cassie, I love you, and we will be best friends forever. My death doesn't change anything. I'll still think of you, wherever I am, and you'll still think of me. You can still come talk to me whenever you like, and I'll try to make a guest appearance in your dreams from time to time and nag about your clothes." Rachel gave a watery smile. She really didn't know where she was going, and she highly doubted that she would be able to control her actions or her thoughts in her afterlife, but hell, was she going to try.

"Marco. I hate to admit it, but you have got us out of countless shitty situations, and I really appreciate that. Thanks for everything." she said warmly, sarcasm missing in her tone for the first time since she had got to know Marco.

"Hey, no problem, Xena." Marco smiled sheepishly.

"Ax, try to find some other obsession besides cinnamon buns. Earth contains many other delicacies, trust me. And thanks for looking out for all of us, too. We couldn't have done it without you. All the best for your new position as a war-prince."

Thank you, Rachel. I would also like you to know that I have nothing but the utmost respect for your courage. I will think of you often.

"And Tobias." She turned to face him. The look on her face was all he needed to understand what she wanted to tell him: Don't kill yourself to get to me. We will meet sooner or later. Have patience.

The passionate kiss she gave him next took away all his unhappiness, guilt, and worries, and told him what he already knew: she loved him. Simply and purely. Now and forever. In other words, the same way he did.

Then, the Ellimist took Rachel by her arm and together, they ascended up, up, into the air. A single tear rolled down her cheek. A tear of sadness, for all she had to leave behind. A tear of regret, for all the things she had left unsaid and undone. A tear of acceptance.

"Give my love to Mom and Dad. Sara and Jordan, too. Tell them I love them, and not to grieve for me. Cos I'll always be watching over them. Always." Her final words would always ring in the ears of her friends and lover.

Her hair whipped out behind her as she levitated some more. The rain was coming to a stop, and the sun peeked out from behind the clouds. Its rays reached out and caressed her features. She looked beautiful. Beautiful Rachel.

With a final wave, she disappeared into the clouds. And they knew she would be watching over them from behind those clouds forever.

"Bye, Rachel." They whispered, Ax in thought-speak. A rainbow appeared, glittering in all its multi-coloured glory, stretching from one end of the sky to the other. Heaven's tribute to Rachel, an extraordinary girl who would live forever in the hearts of her loved ones.

-The End-