Hey again everyone! Again, thanks for the reviews. Your encouraging words are what keeps me going on this story. I really appreciate it. I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long. :( I hope no one left this story. Well, we're here. The final chapter. Will Wakko live? Read to find out!

Disclaimer: I don't own Animaniacs. No profit was made off this story.

Chapter 8: It Finally Makes Sense

"Do you wanna hear a poem?" Dot asked Wakko quietly.

Wakko nodded slowly, his eyes still closed.

"Ok... let me think." Dot smiled when a poem came to mind. "I'm a little teapot short and stout, here is my handle, and here's a letter from my shrink! He says I'm getting better! Last week I thought I was a toaster oven!"

This made a small grin form on Wakko's face. Dot was overjoyed that she could make him happy. She just wished she could hug him. She frowned slightly. She looked over at Yakko who was watching them from a seat in the corner of the room. He smiled wearily at her.

Suddenly, the door to the room burst opened and a cranky looking toon doctor hurried in.

"Alright, you kids out," he told Yakko and Dot sternly as he shoved them out.

Yakko and Dot stood in the hallway, unaware of what was happening.

"I thought Wakko's doctor was a human doctor," said Dot, perplexed by what was happening.

Yakko put a gloved hand to his chin.

"Well, maybe this doctor, being a toon, knows more about toon diseases. He's probably here to help Wakko," Yakko said reassuringly.

Dot eyed the door, awaiting the man to come back out saying that her brother was alright, but she knew it wasn't that simple.

Wakko's human doctor ran pat the Two Warners in the hallway and stepped into Wakko's room, not even glancing at them.

Within the room...

Doctor T. Jack, an old looking toon man, examined Wakko, gently running his old fingers over the blotches covering Wakko's skin. Wakko flinched in his sleep whenever Jack made contact with his body.

Jack looked up to Wakko's human doctor, doctor Jamison.

"What are his other symptoms?" Jack asked in a serious tone.

"He's losing ink, which explains the blotches, but how? There's no open wounds on him, The ink is just... disappearing from his body. It doesn't make since. And he's not just losing ink from the outside, he's losing it deep down inside too. It's unlike anything I've ever worked with. He wasn't nearly in this bad of condition when he arrived. He's barely able to speak now. He's barely holding on and I don't know how to handle it."

Jamison sighed as Jack listened intently.

"Calm down Jamison, don't let your emotions get the best of you. You're a doctor and you need to be able to handle things like this."

Jamison nodded, excepting the toon man's wisdom.

"Is he, well, going to pass?" asked Jamison.

Jack was silent for several moments, deep in thought.

"He has at least a week left. Give me one night, and I'll see if I can find an answer."

Jamison nodded.

"What should I tell his siblings?"

"Well," started Jack, "It depends how they're handling it now."

"For kids, they've been very strong. They haven't left his side and they refuse to accept the fact that he's dying."

"Don't say anything then. You'll only crush their hope."

Jamison nodded once more and then exited the room, leaving Jack to his work. As he emerged from the door, he was stopped by the oldest Warner.

"Hey, what's going on?" Yakko asked.

"Well, Doctor Jack is going to take over now. He knows more about toons than I do, being a toon himself."

"Will he be able to help our brother?" Dot asked hopefully.

Jamison was silent for several moments, pondering on how to reply.

"Maybe."

Dot sighed, but excepted the answer... for now.

"Well kids, I wish you and your brother luck. I have to go tend to other patients now."

With that, Jamison left them standing there with hardly any if not any answers.

Yakko and Dot walked to the waiting room so they could sit down. Like yesterday, they're weren't many toons there. Just a little dog toon and a larger dog toon whom Yakko assumed was the smaller one's father. The young dog toon had tears falling through his brown fur. He was holding his right gloved hand with his left, whimpering but calming down as his father gently rubbed his back. Yakko listened as the father comforted his son, telling him everything was going to be ok He watched as the father hugged his son tightly, wiping the sadness away. Yakko envied them both. The boy who could receive hugs and the father who could give them. It made the longing for his brother even stronger.

But he couldn't do anything about it.

Late that night...

Jack stared at the dying little boy, so small and helpless on the hospital bed. He had an idea of what was wrong, but he couldn't believe it. It hadn't happened in years, and it had only happened one other time.

Jack looked down at his clipboard again, reading off the symptoms in his head.

Extreme fatigue.

Large white blotches that continue to increase in size.

Extreme pain throughout body.

Ink loss.

Yes, there was only one explanation, but could it be possible? And if it was, how? Jack continued to wonder, until he decided that he would have to get some answers. He headed towards the waiting room.

In the waiting room...

Both siblings jumped from their seats when they saw Dr. T. Jack coming towards them. They had been sitting in there all night without any information, and it was driving them crazy.

"Well, what's wrong wit him?" Yakko asked, anxious to get to the point.

Jack leaned and whispered as quietly as possible.

"Come with me."

Dot looked over to Yakko and he just shrugged.

"I only know what you know," he told her.

She sighed.

"I don't know anything."

"Exactly."

Jack lead them down a long, empty hallway until they reached a darkened room. He unlocked the door and flipped on the lamp. It left a dim light in the corner. Jack closed the door and locked it, which made Yakko feel uneasy. He suddenly felt like he was in a cliche horror movie and Dr. T Jack was about to pull an axe out from behind his back.

"Uhhhhh... What are you doing?" Yakko asked suspiciously.

Jack leaned in and spoke in a whisper, like if he spoke any louder someone would hear them.

"Has there been any recent deaths in the family?" asked Jack.

Yakko and Dot both exchanged confused looks.

"No," said Dot. "Why?"

Jack put a hand to his chin, deep in thought.

"Hm, well... has anything absolutely terrifying happened to him recently?"

Both siblings stared at the doctor, completely confused.

"Exqueeze me, not that I'm not enjoying this little trivia game, but why are you asking us all these questions?" asked Yakko.

Jack hesitated, then dropped his shoulders, finally giving in.

"I think I know what's wrong with your brother."

The siblings' eyes lit up with a newfound hope.

"What? Is he gonna be ok? Is he gonna live? Is-"

Yakko covered Dot's mouth before she could ask anymore questions.

"You were saying doctor?" Yakko asked over Dot's muffled protests.

"Well... It's very complicated. What your brother has, it's only happened once before, and that was many, many years ago."

Yakko's heart sank. Whatever it was sounded extremely serious.

"W-what is it?" he asked, his voice shaky.

"He's losing color."

"What?" the siblings asked in unison.

"The disease your brother has, it's connected to the mind. When a toon experiences his or her worst fear a large number of times, it can cause mental shock. That shock has a strange reaction on a toon's mind and slowly shuts down their body, thus stopping the flow of ink. Ink flows throughout all toons, even born ones, and that flowing of ink is what keeps us alive. Your brother, somehow, went through a mental shock and now his flow of ink has slowed dramatically. A toon's ink has to continuously flow or it will quickly dry up and wither away, along with the toons life."

Yakko and Dot stared at the man, mouths hanging wide open. Dot's face suddenly became contorted with anger.

"That's ridiculous! Are you saying that if a spider lands in front of Yakko six hundred times his ink is gonna wither away and he'll just fall over and die? That's just stupid!"

Yakko's face reddened slightly at the mention of his fear.

"Well," started Jack, "It's not that simple."

"Then explain it," demanded Yakko, his previous embarrassment gone.

Just then, Dr. Jack ran over to the desk sitting in the corner of the room and grabbed a post-it note and a pen. He jotted down something quickly and handed the paper to Yakko.

"Here. The man that lives here knows much more about this than me."

Yakko looked down at the address in his hand, then looked back up to the doctor, still half confused.

"Who is this?

Yakko held the paper up as he asked, demanding to know. Jack peered around his shoulder, as if to make sure no one was listening.

"He's a creator."

The siblings' eyes widened.

"A-a creator?" Dot said, eyes still wide with a newfound excitement.

Neither one of them had ever met a creator before. It was exciting to think they were about to meet one of the humans that actually created toons.

"Tell me doc, does this creator know how to cure our brother?"

"Well, if anyone knows how to cure your brother, it's that man. He knows more than us anyways."

"Thanks doc," Yakko said, looking down at the paper as if it was a priceless gem.

"Alright. Now you have some answers. You may go see your brother if you wish, but I'd make the visit quick."

Yakko nodded in understanding. Dot still didn't seem convinced.

In the room...

Dot sat in the chair in the corner of the room, watching her brothers. She still wasn't convinced about the whole fear thing.

It just doesn't make sense.

She watched Yakko talk to her unconscious dying brother in a soothing tone, as if everything was going to be ok.

Yakko is the best big brother ever, and he can almost always make me feel better, but this time, nothing takes away the pain.

Dot held back tears as she watched Yakko sing to Wakko. He was softly singing his universe song, a song that he would sing whenever they felt down. She didn't know why, but the song calmed her and Wakko.

I hope this creator knows what to do, because if Wakko dies, I might just go down with him.

...

Yakko completed his song. Wakko hadn't moved. Yakko frowned. He didn't want to leave his brother's side, but he had to go find this creator. He was waiting for Slappy to get to the hospital to pick him up. He would've called Helen, but he was in a rough situation and needed to get to this creator guy fast. If anyone is fast behind the wheel, it's Slappy. He did call Helen to watch after Wakko while he was gone though.

He just hoped this creator guy knew what he was dealing with. Yakko wanted to do something, anything to help his brother, and this was the best he could do. Going to this guy and asking for help.

Yakko was pulled from his thoughts when he heard a groan next to him. Wakko was awake! Well, kind of.

Yakko looked to his brother hopefully, waiting for Wakko to speak.

"Y-Yakko..."

Yakko smiled down at him.

"Hiya Wakk. How ya doin'?"

Wakko didn't respond for several minutes.

"Yakko?" Wakko finally said.

"Yeah Wakko?"

Wakko closed his eyes and smiled.

"I'm not scared anymore."

Wakko quickly fell back into a deep sleep that Yakko was afraid he'd never wake up from.

Yakko clenched his fists suddenly angry. His brother shouldn't have to say that. His brother shouldn't have to say that he's ready to face death. His little brother shouldn't be dying!

Yakko stood up and walked towards the door.

"Where're you going?" asked Dot, concerned.

"To save our brother."

"I'm coming too!" she said, determination written in her eyes.

Yakko nodded and sent her a smile.

"Wait," she said, "Who's going to stay here with Wakko?

"Helen's driving over now. Let's go. I wanna find this guy as quick as possible."

"As long as Slappy's behind the wheel, we'll get there pretty quick."

Yakko opened the door and left the room, Dot following behind.

"I hope so."

On the road...

"Dang cops always riding my tail!"

Slappy pushed down harder on the gas, sirens wailing behind her.

"Hey Skippy, are car rides always this fun for you?" asked Dot.

"Everyday but Saturday."

"Should I ask?" said Yakko, one eyebrow raised.

"You don't wanna know," said Skippy.

Yakko and Dot exchanged glances and shrugged their shoulders. Slappy grumbled under her breath when the police cars didn't go away.

"Alright! Alright! Guess I'm gonna have to do this the painful way."

"Painful for the police," Yakko whispered.

Slappy pulled over and waited for the police man to get out of his car.

"Is this gonna take long?" Dot complained.

Skippy leaned over to whisper in her ear.

"Give her thirty seconds."

Dot sighed.

"Ok. I Guess I could use a laugh anyways."

Slappy rolled down the window put her arm on the edge. The police man strolled up to her, a scowl on his face.

"Good morning officer," she greeted him politely.

"Miss, are you aware that your were driving thirty miles over the speed limit?"

"Yes. Are you aware that you look great in that uniform?"

The man blushed.

"Why, thank you! I just got it cleaned."

He shook his head at himself, realizing what he just said, and replaced his smile with his previous scowl.

"Ma'am, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to give you a ticket."

"And I'm afraid I'll have to give you this bouquet for being such a great police officer," she said, smiling."

"Oh, why, thank you! No one's ever given me flowers before."

The man took them gratefully, not realizing the dynamite hidden within the wrapping.

Yakko, Dot, and Skippy laughed as the man was blown into the air.

"Where'd you send him, Mars?" Yakko asked, suppressing more laughter.

"Nah, Mars is getting too crowded, so I sent him to Uranus."

Yakko blew a kiss out to no one in particular.

"G'night everybody!"

Slappy continues to zoom passed every car in sight, getting few glares, some fist shakes, many swear words, and a lot of all three. Finally, they arrived in a small town, the town of the creator they were supposed to meet. Small white houses lined the streets, and each one was relatively new, except one. You could tell it was old, but you could also tell it was well kept by the owner.

"Well, this is the place," Slappy said, looking back at the two siblings.

Yakko turned to Dot.

"You ready?"

She nodded, not pulling her gaze away from the house, the house holding the man that could save their brother.

At the hospital...

Helen sat in the room, watching the small Warner boys labored breathing and nearly colorless face.

She frowned at the sight.

He doesn't deserve this. His siblings don't deserve this. They're just kids.

Helen thought about how they normally acted. Crazy, yet cute children running around the lot, jumping in people's arms and having a good time. Plotz would always say he hated them, and Scratchy would say they were "Coo Coo in the head," but Helen saw something different. She saw kids living life to the fullest. Sure, she thought they were crazy and at times really annoying, but aren't all kids? These kids were just really good at it. Seeing Wakko dying and his siblings in a depressed state was just out of place and horrible. She definitely preferred the crazy Warners over the sad or sick Warners.

She was pulled by her thoughts by the sound of Wakko's heart monitor's rapid beeping. Panicked, she frantically looked around the room, tears forcing their way through her eyes. She found the emergency button and stumbled over to it. She pressed it and then quickly ran to Wakko's side, her hands trembling. She no longer saw his chest moving up and down.

"No! Please someone! Help!" she screamed.

Several doctors and nurses came in, prepared and getting straight to work. Helen was pushed out of the room and left standing in the hallway. She silently prayed, even though she wasn't religious. She was a toon after all, and toons were made by man, not any type of God, but she felt like she had to do something. And praying was all she could think of. She continued to pray to no one, just hoping that someone was listening.

At the house of the creator...

Yakko took a deep breath in and knocked on the door.

Please be home.

They stood there several minutes, and still no one answered.

Yakko was about to walk away, crushed, when the door opened. An old man, completely bald and wrinkled, yet at the same time fit, came to the door. He smiled a friendly smile when he saw the toons at the door.

"Good evening. I apologize that it took me so long to answer the door. I'm getting old." the man laughed a little. "So, what can I do for you two toons today?"

"Well, we have some questions to ask you, sir," said Dot.

"Please, call me Tim."

He held out his hand and both sibs shook it.

"Now, what do you want to ask me."

Yakko looked around to make sure no one was around. He didn't know why, but Dr. T Jack was doing that at the hospital, so he felt like he had to do it too. Yakko made sure to speak quietly, but loud enough for the old man's ears.

"Well, our brother in dying in the hospital," said Yakko, frowning.

"I'm so sorry. What's wrong with him?"

"He's losing color. Our doctor told us that if anyone could help, it would be you."

The man's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

"Come in," he said, his cheery mood replaced with a serious one. Yakko and dot stepped in the house and closed the door.

"Now, tell me why you're here," he said in a kind yet firm voice.

"We don't know how to save our brother. He losing all his ink and we really don't understand it. All we know is that something apparently scared it all out of him. It's hard to explain..."

Tim put his hand up, signaling Yakko to stop.

"You don't need to explain anymore."

Dot and Yakko exchanged worried glances.

"What's wrong with him? I mean, the doctor told us, but not really a lot. Just that when toons get really scared something happens with their mind. I don't really remember," said Dot, trying to explain it with little success.

The withered man sat down and put a hand on his chin.

"A long time ago, something happened."

Yakko wanted to stop the man from telling a lengthy story, but at the same time, he wanted to know how this story was going to link to his brother's illness.

"What happened?" Dot asked, curious.

Tim smiled, but Yakko could see pain in his eyes, the type of pain from years ago hidden in the back of your mind.

"I was just starting out as a creator. I had just finished college and moved into LA. Well, instead of waiting, I wanted to get right to work."

"On making toons?" Yakko asked.

"Yes, but my impatient actions would come at a price. You see, I had started creating a large family called the Bluebird Buddies. What I should've done was keep studying and then start out small, but no, I had to start big."

"What happened then? Why was it bad that you made such a big family?"

The man looked up at her solemnly.

"Defects."

"Defects? They turned out wrong?" Yakko asked.

"Let me explain. My family consisted of ten bluebirds, Ronny and Kathy being the parents. The youngest was Bobby. Only Ronny and Kathy had defects though."

"Then... what happened to them?" asked Dot, confused.

"When Bobby turned eight, Ronny and Kathy's defects began to show. They started falling apart, and Bobby watched in horror as his parents died."

"That's horrible," dot said, her hands to her mouth.

"Yes, but Bobby still had the other members of his family, until it happened."

"He lost his whole family? How?" Dot asked.

"Well, this took place a long time ago, when toons were new to the world. Of course, there were some people who didn't like the idea of a strange new species living among them."

"Toon haters," Yakko said. Tim nodded.

"They came to my apartment and killed what was left of Bobby's family. Bobby was a very small toon, so he found a place to hide, but his family died right before his eyes."

"How did they kill his family? I drawn toons were indestructible," Yakko pointed out.

"DIP."

Dot's eyes widened.

"How did they get access to DIP?"

The man sighed and shrugged his bony shoulders.

"There's so many different theories and rumors. Some say they broke in to a chemical factory and stole it. Some say the government provided it. Me, I choose not to look into it."

"Oh," muttered Dot."

"What happened to Bobby?" asked Yakko, even though he already had a pretty good idea.

"He went through what your brother's going through right now. During the time he was ill, I started working on a cure, but by the time I finished it, it was too late."

Yakko could see Dot's eyes glistening with tears, and he was going to comfort her, until he realized something.

"Wait, did you say you made a cure?"

"Yes, I did."

Yakko's eyes lit up and he smiled. His smile faded though.

"How much of this cure do you have?"

"I have one bottle, just enough for one toon."

Yakko thought about this for a moment.

What if he doesn't want to give it up? Maybe he could just make more? No, he would've done that already.

Yakko was pulled from his thoughts by Dot's sudden outburst.

"Of course! Of course it all makes sense now!" she cried. She grabbed Yakko's shoulders and started shaking them, startling the oldest Warner.

"Dot, what is it?"

"Tamson!"

Yakko's mouth fell wide open.

"What about him?"

"He did this to Wakko!"

Yakko stared into her fear filled eyes.

"How do you know?"

Dot let go and got a guilty look on her face.

"When you went shopping that one day, not long after we got Wakko back, he told me what Tamson did to him."

"What did he do?" Yakko asked, beginning to show anger.

"He gave Wakko nightmares, but not ordinary nightmares. Wakko said they were of us dying, over and over again. He kept losing us Yakko. Just like Bobby kept losing his family."

Yakko's eyes filled with fury, and he longed for revenge, but he shook it off. Tamson was serving time in jail, so there was nothing he could do. Instead, he would go save his brother, or try to, but he needed the cure for that.

"Tim, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Yakko and this is Dot. Yay! Now we're all best friends! And best friends lend each other stuff so... can we have your cure?"

The man stared at him, dumbfounded, then started to laugh. Yakko looked at him, confused.

"Of course you can have it! I don't need it anymore. My creator days are over. Besides, your brother needs it."

Yakko wanted to hug the man he was so happy, but he resisted for reputation reasons. Dot, on the other hand, gladly wrapped her arms around the man.

"Thank you! Thank you! You just saved our brother!" she cried, but this time they were tears of joy and hope.

Yakko and Dot ran out as quickly as possible and hopped in the car without another word. The whole trip back was quiet, until they finally arrived. Yakko sprinted to the elevator, Dot at his side, and they arrived at the toon floor. Yakko's heart sank when he saw Helen sitting in the waiting room, her head in her hands.

She looked up to them, her eyes bloodshot with tears.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered.

Yakko's legs began to shake and his stomach was in his throat.

"No. No!"

Yakko ran to his brother's room where his saw Wakko, laying lifeless on the bed. Doctor Jamison was there with a forlorn expression.

"I'm sorry kids."

Dot ran to Wakko's side and began shaking his shoulders.

"Wakko! Wake up! You idiot wake up!" Her head fell on Wakko's motionless chest. "Wake up."

Yakko got on the bed and poured the cure down Wakko's throat, hoping to God that it wasn't too late. Yakko finished and waited for Wakko to move. Nothing. No signs of life.

No...

Yakko thought back to when he saw Tamson giving that speech on T.V. Then he thought back to Buster's kidnaping.

This is my fault.

He thought about Wakko going out to get those pancakes, totally unaware he was going to get taken to a horrifying science lab.

I didn't keep him safe. The minute Buster got kidnaped, I should've been more protective. I should've stayed with them at all times. Now look what I've done.

Yakko felt empty.

This is my fault. I let this happen.

Yakko silently sobbed as the same thought kept running through his mind. The thought that he could've prevented this from happening, but he didn't. Now he was going to lose one of the things he loved most.

If I would've payed attention, if I would've been the older brother that I was supposed to be...

Yakko pulled his younger sibling closer to him on the hospital bed. He had thought that everything was going to be ok. He had thought that things would work out like they always do. He and his siblings were always able to get out of a jam relatively easily, but not this time. Yakko tightly pulled his eyes shut as he felt more warm tears dampen his fur.

Now it's too late.

The siblings just lay there feeling empty. Yakko peered into his sister's red-rimmed eyes and saw pure hopelessness in them, something he'd never seen in his sister's eyes before. He had a feeling that his eyes showed the same.

Yakko ran a hand through his brother's now inkless hair.

Why did this happen?

Yakko let his eyes shut as memories flooded his mind. Him and Wakko bothering Helen on set. All of them running around the lot without a care in the world. The memories only made it hurt worse.

Yakko felt a sudden movement from next to him. He looked over to Dot, but she hadn't moved.

Yakko frowned, thinking it was his imagination, but then he saw it. Wakko's hand shift from one position to another. It was barely any movement, but it was something.

He's alive!

Yakko was grinning from ear to ear now at the thought that his brother was alive. He heard a groan come out of the completely colorless boy.

"Dot! Dot look!" he said excitedly, but she had heard the groan and was already looking.

"He's alive!" She cheered.

Yakko gently shook his brother's shoulders.

"Wakko! Wakko can you hear me?"

"Yakko?"

Yakko embraced his brother in the tightest hug he could. He quickly let go, hoping that his brother's body wasn't fragile anymore. Yakko almost did cartwheels when he saw Wakko's fur regaining color.

"Where are we?" he asked, tongue hanging out of his mouth. "Why are you guys crying?"

Dot was the next to embrace him, holding on like her life depended on it.

"Never leave me again Wakko!"

He tilted his head.

"Where did I go?"

Dot looked up at him, her eyes wet with tears of joy.

"You don't remember?"

He put a hand to his chin.

"Hm, I remember being at home and Yakko yelling at me, then everything went black."

Yakko was stunned. Wakko's didn't remember anything about being in the hospital, not the toy car, not the poem, not his song. He didn't care. All he cared about was that Wakko was alive. His little brother was alive.

"Why am I in a hospital?"

"It's a long story," Dot said, and then she laughed shakily, still a little freaked out by her brother dying and coming back so suddenly.

"Oh. Hey Yakko?"

"Yeah Wakk?"

"I'm hungry. Can we go home?"

Yakko smiled at him and pulled him into another hug.

"How about pizza?"

Wakko smiled his signature goofy smile.

The smile Yakko loved and wouldn't lose for a long time.

THE END

Well, that's the whole story! Come on, you guys didn't really think I'd kill off my favorite Animaniacs character, did you? I hope you liked it! I'm so, so sorry that the update took so long. I was really busy with a number of things. Anyways, please review! By the way, I have an idea for another story that I may or may not write, but I probably will. It won't be all dramatic like this though. Adios!