Alright, as both a result of a stall on my other one, and an overwhelming desire to please (especially followers), I've decided to take Iris' advice and add Tobias' perspective to this. I know it says completed (it will be now, for the record) and I apologize for any misdirection but hey, hopefully you enjoy.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Tobias:

We took the shuttle down to The Mall. That place in D.C., Washington Monument at one end, Capitol building at the other. The others stepped from the shuttle and I flapped my way over to a railing on the landing ramp, barely taking in my surroundings. Six of us had left the planet, five had returned, and four were acting like we weren't missing the other.

I perched on the rail, listening as the others, mainly Marco, answered an overwhelming number of questions from the reporters present. Her dad was a reporter. The one parent we hadn't brought with us. Was he there? Was he standing out amongst the multitude, expecting to see his daughter with the famous team, six strong, and now seeing only five? Did he wonder why she was the only one he didn't see? Did it matter? I'd never met the man. What did I care what he felt?

Because Rachel would've cared. That's why.

Goddamn them all.

I spread my wings and dropped from the rail, desperate to escape any and all memory. The hawk knew. Feelings solved nothing. Action did. The hawk could shield me.

"Jake," I heard Cassie whisper. My own superior senses had become my hell, "Jake you can't let him leave like this. If he goes now he'll never come back."

It didn't matter. Cassie had done nothing. Jake had told us. And she'd done nothing.

I'd done nothing.

And she was gone because of it. The one person who had ever truly lov-

"Tobias! Tobias stop! Come back! That's an order!"

{An order?!} I flared my wings and spun instantly. {An order Jake?!}

"Tobias, listen to me. I know what you're feeling. I lost a cousin today. I lost my brother."

He'd made the choice. I hadn't. {On your orders!}

"Tobias I lost people I loved. I know what you're feeling."

Like hell he did. He'd had time to prepare. Time to deal. He didn't have a fresh hell sprung on him. {You don't know a Goddamn thing Jake! You lost people you loved. I lost the only person who ever loved me!} I landed on the turf, a couple metres before the rest of them.

"Tobias..."

{You think you know Jake? You want to know what it's like? To know pain? To know suffering? You want to know what it's like to lose the love of your life?!}

The only thing I knew at that very moment, was that I needed him to hurt. I focused and felt myself grow. I had never let it be known, not even to Rachel, but Ax wasn't the only Andalite morph I had. I had another, one who had let me acquire him in case I ever needed to care for his friend when he was gone. Gafinilan. He hadn't had much time left when we'd last seen him and he knew we were amongst the best hope for his friend's survival. He wouldn't like what I was about to use it for, but I was past caring about anything at that point. All I needed was for someone, anyone, him, to hurt like I did right then.

I watched the others as the changes began for them too. Leathery skin spread across Marco's face and chest. Grey fur sprouted from Cassie's dark skin. And orange and black stripes began to emerge from Jake's, from his, arms. Good. I didn't want them standing there, waiting for what they had coming, as martyrs. It didn't matter.

I'd lost my love. I'd lost my soul. I'd lost her. And my world was shattered.

They'd lost a friend. They'd lost a fellow warrior. They'd lost her...and they were talking to reporters.

Ax took a short step forward and pleaded with me mentally. {Tobias, please. I would ask you not to use my form to fight my Prince.}

"Uh, Ax," Marco interjected while he still had a mouth, "he isn't."

{Oh-}

"Shit."

I watched as they all finished their morphs. A group. A crew. A team. Assembled before me, one that could've saved her, saved everything. If only they'd done something. Anything. One that had stood back while she took on everything.

One that I had stood beside.

{Tobias,} Marco. A hesitant voice belied by his brute strength. {This won't solve anything.}

{So what?! Neither did sending Rachel to the Blade Ship! It's still out there, it still escaped!} Sixteen. And dead for nothing.

{Tobias,} Cassie said quietly, {She wouldn't want this.}

{What's it matter what she'd want? She's not here to want it!} Her best friend. Her best friend for years. And she'd done nothing.

I'd done nothing.

{Do you want to know Jake?! Do want to know pain like no other?!}

{Tobias!} Ax. Pleading with me. Andalite logic. If he was logical he should've known how I felt. He should've known logic wasn't important right then. {I will not let you-}

FWAPP!

I swung with the flat of my blade and he dropped. Hard.

My focus was turned as I saw Jake's tiger tense.

FWAPP!

I hit him with the flat, just to injure, not kill. I wouldn't kill. She wouldn't want me to. I just needed him to understand. She had always been there to understand, and now she wasn't. But someone needed to. Cassie crouched, her hind legs coiled, and leapt straight for my throat. Intent to pin me no doubt. God forbid her actions result in death. But her inaction?

My inaction.

FWAPP!

She dropped straight down as I caught her full on with the flat of my blade in her ribs. I heard some crack. She'd live.

{Stay out of this Marco.}

He stood there, knuckles on the ground, primate scowl on his face. I took a step towards him and the others and lowered my tail to hold over Cassie. Rachel had been her best friend. She wouldn't want to see her dead. Certainly not by my my hand. But she wasn't here. And never would be again. Because Cassie had done nothing.

I had done nothing.

But she wasn't the point. He was. He'd sent his cousin to die without so much as a tear. So much as a regret.

I swung one stalk eye down to look at Cassie but she was just demorphing. Maybe thinking I would be less inclined to kill, looking into a face I knew. She didn't understand. None of them did. I didn't want to kill anyone, or anything. I just wanted to know. To know how anyone could be so monstrous to willingly send someone to certain death. To send her to certain death.

For nothing. Nothing but to destroy my world.

I watched as Jake rose, wobbly, back to his feet. As Marco stood immobile, wanting to intervene but unsure of the how to do so. As Ax shook his head and raised it from the grass slightly, slowing in his movements as he saw me.

{I asked you a question Jake. Do you want to know pain?}

"Tobias."

No. Nononononono. I wouldn't look. I couldn't. I'd seen her die. But I'd know that voice even if I was deaf. "Tobias, I'm sorry."

Don't do this to yourself. Don't look. I knew what was happening but I couldn't resist. I couldn't not see her face, one last time. To see that face, that hair, those eyes that loved me. I focused all four eyes to the figure below my tail.

{...No.}

She couldn't be here. I'd watched her die. Yet here she was, helpless beneath my blade. As she'd been helpless beneath that bear.

Please. Please don't do this to me. 'I love you' had been the last thing she ever said. Ever. To the world. To me. She wasn't just the only person to have ever loved me. She was the only one to have ever said it.

Please don't do this.

"I'm so sorry."

{No. Nonononono. NO!} I swung my tail but turned it aside at the last. I could never hurt her. Even if it was just the shade of her. {No.}

I began to demorph. I needed nothing more than to not be there. To not see her. I had watched her die once. I wouldn't see it again. Some vague part of my mind noticed as the others demorphed at the edges of my vision. But it didn't matter. As I went from Anadlite to hawk, all that mattered was that my view of her grew clearer. Sharper. More painful.

"I'm sorry."

I heard her final words as I turned away and took wing.

'I love you' had been the last thing she said.

But I had already known that.

'I'm sorry'...The last words I needed. The only words I never wanted.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Well, hope you enjoyed it, so please review! This one depressed the hell out of me so at least if I know it's considered ok quality, if not exactly uplifting, it'll be that much less depressing.