I don't own Jak and Daxter or any of its characters. I only own Krane, Overture/Schorn, Geitho, Victern, and Marco.
Thank you to Liz, Mai Blade, and Zen-chan for reviewing! This is the last chapter so please check out the A/N at the very bottom!
Enjoy!
One month.
It had been one month since everything between Jinx and Krane had happened, and Krane remained in Jak's world. For some reason, Krane couldn't bring herself to go back up to Overture's room; she just wanted to stay with Jinx for a while longer before she finally returned home. And through being here in this world, she had finally decided that she wasn't going to tell anyone, not even Jinx, about her leaving.
Jak still hadn't told anyone about Geitho and what he had done, and no one had noticed because he didn't have to use his dark side anymore now that he wasn't fighting. Jak, nowadays, had managed to get himself a house not too far away from Jinx's and was living a slow paced life with Daxter by his side. Life for him seemed to be going rather smoothly.
"Krane!" Jinx called. "Krane!"
"What?" Krane answered.
Krane sat on the couch of their living room, watching TV while Jinx run around the house, looking for something. He wanted to get dressed up a bit for a small dinner he and Torn were going to go on for the organization of the Freedom League.
"Where's my white dress shirt?" Jinx yelled.
"It should be in your dresser!" Krane answered back, raising her right eyebrow at the same time. "Unless you moved it again."
"Never mind! I found it!!"
Jinx then walked down the stairs, buttoning up his dress shirt as he did so. With that done, he propped up his collar and moved the black tie around his neck. He walked over towards Krane, playing with his tie as he moved towards her and gently kissed her.
The relationship between Jinx and Krane had grown a lot stronger. They hadn't been intimate yet, even though Jinx had tried a few times, and but other then that they had been talking a lot more then usual, mostly in the middle of the night. They had gone out once in the month that had passed but Torn had separated the two of them because Krane refused to join the Freedom Guard. Krane was now an informant for the new guard, while Jinx became the demolition expert for the guard.
"Be careful alright," Krane said as Jinx continued to lean into her face. "Don't do nothin' stupid."
"I won't." Jinx kissed her once more. "What are you gonna be doin'?"
Krane pushed Jinx away gently. "I'm going down to the Naughty Ottsel. I wanna have a drink before I go on that little field trip with Torn tomorrow."
"Right, right." Jinx nodded and began messing with his tie once more.
The field trip Krane was referring to was a small trip Torn had planed for her and Ashelin to go on to Dead Town in order to look for some artifact Samos had told him about. Krane really didn't want to go, but needing to go was a different matter.
"I'll be back later baby," Jinx said as he finished tying his tie. "Have fun without me okay?"
"I will." Krane smiled. "Take an umbrella, it's raining."
Jinx walked over to the window and pulled the blinds back. "Oh yeah huh. I'll grab that old crappy one."
"Take the good one," Krane insisted, not taking her eyes off of the TV. "I really don't need the other one."
"Fine." Jinx walked over to the front door and Krane quickly stood as well. "See ya later! Don't wait up too long for me!"
"I won't!"
Jinx walked out of the house, locking the door behind himself as he did. After a few moments, Krane stood up and grabbed the umbrella by the door. She unlocked the door, and walked outside into the rain to head down to the Naughty Ottsel. The umbrella opened as she stepped out, revealing the many holes in the blue umbrella.
Damn. Krane hung her head for a moment. I need to buy a new umbrella before I leave.
xXx
When Krane arrived at the Naughty Ottsel, she found only Tess and Jak sitting there. She walked over to the bar and sat down to see Jak hanging his head as he moved a glass around in his right hand.
"What's wrong?" Krane asked as Tess began making her a drink.
"Nothing." Jak sighed.
"He won't talk to anyone," Tess whispered to Krane.
Krane's eyes widened. What if her being here had done something more to the time line? Thinking that she had done something more, Krane grabbed Jak's shoulder and forced him to look at her. He blinked, but before he could ask her what she wanted, she pulled him a bit, telling him that she wanted to go to outside.
"We'll be right back," Jak said to Tess.
"Alright," she answered as she blinked.
Jak and Krane walked out of the bar and outside where Krane opened up the umbrella once more. The two of them stood there together while the rain fell through the rips of the umbrella, and hit the side of Jak's face.
"Can you tell me what's wrong?" Krane asked. She needed to know. She had to know if she had messed up the time line.
"Why do you need to know?" Jak asked, crossing his arms.
"There's been a lot of weird shit going on here lately Jak," Krane answered as she looked around. "I've been trying to do research about what's going on but I need to know if anything weird is happening. Please Jak; tell me if something that bad has been happening to you."
Jak sighed. He hadn't told anyone about what had happened to his dark side, and after Marlin had told him not to, he had been trying to keep quiet about it. The whole issue had bothered him especially since he always told Daxter his problems but he figured telling Krane would take some of the weight off of his shoulders.
"My dark side is gone," Jak said, turning away from Krane.
"What?"
"He was taken," Jak answered. "I don't know how but some guy…some guy stole him from me and I'm not gonna stop until I find him and get my powers back!"
Time, Krane's eyes widened as her stomach flipped, is lost. I have to go back tonight before anything else is screwed up. Maybe if I leave, things will go back to normal…
"If you need me to help," Krane placed her hand on Jak's right shoulder, "I'll do anything I can."
"Just don't tell anyone," Jak said with a nervous laugh.
"I won't," Krane answered with a laugh. "Just tell me when you need my help and I'll be there," she lied.
"Thanks," Jak said, a sigh following after.
She had to leave soon.
xXx
Late night had finally fallen onto Haven City, and everyone was deep into the sleep that they would need for the next day. Everyone, expect for Krane. She was sitting up in bed with her feet hanging over the bed while the rain pounded down on the ceiling above her.
The rain outside had picked up more then it had before and a cold wind was starting to blow against the houses. As Krane sat there on the bed, the darkness from outside moved into the room, and without any light, the room became a pitch-dark room where only Krane's outline could be seen.
Jinx had arrived home only hours ago and was now asleep with a deep redness on his face from his drinking. Krane turned around to Jinx to see how good-looking he was to her when he was sleeping. She grinned, looking at how innocent he looked but her smile faded as she turned back around to the window.
I'm leaving now. She thought as she began to cry. I have to leave now Jinx, and I'm sorry we fell in love like this. I really didn't want to fall in love…but…She shook her head. It doesn't matter. This will all be over in a few minutes.
This place where Krane was sitting had been her home for two longs years and no matter how much she denied it, she was going to miss it. She was going to miss everyone who lived here and just being here but she knew she had to go home in order to make sure that the people she cared about would be all right.
Will they remember me? Krane asked herself as she lowered her head. Will Jinx remember me, even if I go through that damn portal? Or will it be like I never existed here in the first place?
Krane's tears began to pick up as she leaned forward and gripped the covers underneath her and Jinx. A part of her was just too attached to this world and didn't want to leave it but the more and more she thought about it, she finally realized something. Was she only here because she loved Jinx so much? Was that the only reason she didn't want to leave?
Jinx. Krane brought her hand to her face and covered her eyes.
Things within the time line Krane knew of had taken one small turn, and that small turn had seemed to lead to Jak losing his dark side. Everything had fallen apart and Krane knew it was her fault for staying in this world as long as she had. She had no idea how much worse things were going to get, so she knew that she had to leave now before she infected anything else.
When Krane talked to Samos about what had happened when she had saved Jinx from the fall from the Palace, he couldn't give an explanation. No one knew who the strange man was whom Krane said she had seen, nor the man Sig claimed to see in the Underport. There was someone here who wasn't supposed to be, and Krane was determined to fix it.
The feelings inside of Krane soon began to overwhelm her and she suddenly became lost inside of them. Krane stood up and slipped on her shoes before she ran out of the room and down the stairs. Her hand reached out for the front door, and without another thought she grabbed the door, opened it, and ran out into the rain.
As the rain hit her, Krane stopped in front of her door for a moment, trying to catch her breath from the quick movements she had just gone through. She turned around quickly, grabbing the handle as if she was going to open it and go back in but she stopped.
If I go back in now, I'll destroy the time line. Krane told herself. Jinx doesn't deserve to live in a world like that.
White air puffed up in front of Krane's face from the cold wind blowing around and fighting with her heated breath. Watching it rise up as rain poured down her face, she was reminded of Overture.
Overture had died trying to protect the time line and had done everything he could. Overture had even pushed Krane away in order to make sure everything would work out like it was supposed to.
Who am I? Krane took her hand away from the front door. Who am I to destroy what Overture worked so hard at? He died for this, the least I could do, is go home.
Krane tore herself away from the front door of the house she and Jinx once shared, and ran as fast as she could down to the Palace. Her heart was pounding away in her chest the whole time she ran, mostly from how nervous she was about the whole thing. Her legs seemed to be pulling her forward and her arms moved back and forth at her side, allowing her to run faster.
This is the day! Krane repeated in her head. I'm finally going home where I belong! I don't care what anyone says! That's where I belong!
Before Krane knew it, she was standing in front of the Baron's tower. She ran into the main room and over to the elevator that had been fixed thanks to Torn and his Freedom League members. Once the elevator began to move, Krane bent over onto her knees in order to catch her breath.
"This is stupid," Krane said between pants. "So very stupid."
"Here are my rainy melodies; here are the songs I listened while the rain pounded down beside me as I waited for you to return."
"What?" Krane stood up and looked up to where the elevator traveled.
The song Marco had written had suddenly begun to playing. The melody began to fill the elevator, and echo through it as tears began to flow down Krane's face once more, over old dried rivers.
"Marco!" Krane called out. "Marco!!"
She did want to go home. She wanted to be back with her band and live in the world she had grown up in for twenty long years. Marco's voice made her miss seeing his face, and that's all she wanted. She just wanted to see everyone again, and produce music once more.
"It's the stars I trust to watch over you. It's the stars that I asked to protect you. It's the stars that whisper about you. And it's the stars that tell me you're there."
The elevator doors opened, allowing Krane to bolt out towards Overture's room. The song kept getting louder, and louder the closer and closer she got to it and when she finally reached Overture's room, she could see that the doors were open.
"Marco," Krane whispered.
Krane stepped closer towards the door and as she stepped into his room, she could see that the computer was playing her disc. She ran over to the computer and saw a small button in the corner of the screen that read, "Home".
"Everything's ready," Krane said out loud. "I'm going home."
"Now that I'm standing here looking back at you, I see those stars in your eyes. I know now that my stars I prayed on were you. You are my shining, beautiful star."
Krane walked over to the computer and moved the mouse over to the side of the screen that said, "Home". Taking a deep breath inwards, Krane pushed down on the right mouse button, triggering the "home" button.
The moment the button was pushed, the screen changed to a large Warp Gate that engulfed the screen entirely. The middle of the Warp Gate became a red color, just as Krane had seen before, and the substance in the middle began rippling the more and more Krane looked at it.
"You are my shining star, and I cannot wait to finally see you. I love you."
"I'm sorry," Krane whispered.
Without a second thought, Krane backed up a bit and made a quick sprint towards the Warp Gate. She jumped as high as she could, and went right through the Wrap Gate, and onto the other side.
xXx
When Krane arrived on the other side of the Wrap Gate, she found herself standing in her recording room once more. She turned back around to look at the Wrap Gate, but as she turned around, the Warp Gate disappeared, and two discs fell down out of the air where it had once been.
"Marco!!" Krane called out. "Marco!! Where are you!?"
The door in front of the door opened, and Marco walked in, looking as normal as ever. The moment his eyes landed on Krane, they widened, and he ran over to her, wrapping his arm around her tightly.
"We've been looking for you for over a month!" he said as he began to cry. "Where have you been?"
"It's alright," Krane said as she began to cry as well. "I just…took a break that's all."
"Don't ever do it again!"
"I won't!" Krane rubbed her face next to Marco's. "I won't."
Marco pulled away from her, and grabbed her head in his hands. He looked at her with tears falling down his eyes when she realized something. She turned her head to the recording booth to see the thin barrier of glass separating the rooms from one another. There in the glass she could see her own reflection.
"What's wrong?" Marco asked.
The reflection looking back towards her was the one who she hadn't seen in two years. The facial features she had gained in Jak's world had disappeared; she was back to her normal, human self.
"It happened so quickly," Krane whispered, still looking at the mirror.
"I know you were just gone!" Marco said, causing Krane to look back at Marco. "We had no idea where you went or anything!"
Krane looked back towards Marco. "Nothing like that will happen again alright?" she said as she hugged him once more. "Not ever again."
xXx
Only six hours had passed since Krane had come back to the real world, and she found herself standing on a beach, looking out towards the ocean. The discs that would allow her back into Jak's world sat in her pocket as they once were before only this time, Krane had no intention of using them like she had before. From what she knew, the discs would remain a secret forever.
Jinx. Krane thought.
The wind blew over the ocean waters of the Pacific Ocean while Krane stood near the shore with tears still in her eyes. There were children running around her, and people flying their kites, telling her that she was truly back in her own world. Haven City did not have beaches like this, and Haven City did not have gentle breezes like this.
No one remembered Schorn. She had only been missing for a month, and had been declared a runaway until now. Broken Mystics were just as poor as ever, only in the month that Krane had been missing they had gained a contract with a new, larger record label.
Out of everything that had happened, Krane felt a burning sensation tearing away at her inside. She missed Jinx out of everything. She missed seeing his face and hearing his voice but as she stood on the edge of the beach, she knew that she had made the right choice. This was where she belonged, no matter where her heart wanted to be, this was her true home.
Krane moved her hand out to the ocean, stretching it as far out as she could towards the horizon. Her fingers moved over the horizon line, trying to touch it and move it to straighten it out.
I do want to see you. Krane thought, tears coming back to her eyes. Jinx, I wish I could straighten out the ocean so I…I could see you. Just on the other side of this damn ocean, if only you were that close. If only you were real.
Krane fell down to her knees and wrapped her arms around herself as she began crying once more. She had finished her mission, she had returned in her own world but things didn't feel right. Something was missing here, something she could never have back, and that pain was tearing away at her inside.
"Jinx," Krane whimpered.
xXx
Meanwhile, Veger was back at the small hut on the outskirts of Dead Town once more with Geitho and the white haired man who had helped to carry Overture's body. They were standing around the small table with another barrel of White Eco standing in the corner.
"Another barrel as promised," Veger said, moving his head towards the barrel. "Now tell me, what have you discovered about the Precursor Monks?"
"There is one who is willing to work with you," Geitho said. "Her name is Seem, and she is willing to help you, as long as you say that it is about the Death Star."
"Excellent." Veger smiled. As Veger looked around, he spotted the new man standing in the corner of the room. "I see you've found another comrade."
"Yes." Geitho nodded. "Allow me to introduce my second in command, Victren."
The white haired man, now known as Victren stepped forward with a large grin across his face. Veger analyzed his body and found that it was strange that his eyes were tightly closed. How someone could see with their eyes closed was something Veger couldn't understand but didn't want to understand.
"I have heard a lot about you Veger," Victren said with a slight nod of his head. "I hope you prove to help us as much as we have helped you."
"Don't worry," Veger answered with a slight laugh. "Jak will be out of this city in the course of eleven months, and that is when my plain can finally move into place! This world will finally be mine!"
"Yes," Geitho nodded and turned away from the Count. "Come Victren, we have someone we have to see as well."
"Fine." Veger shook his head back and forth.
Geitho and Victren moved away from Veger after picking up the small barrel of Eco, and walked out of the small hut and into Dead Town. They walked forward a bit, until Geitho stopped walking, and turned around to his teammate who was holding the Eco.
"What?" Victren asked.
"I was just wondering, that is all," Geitho answered as he looked up towards the night sky.
"About?"
"Our revenge on the Precursors." Geitho sighed. "We are still missing our other three members, our portal to our world, and the key. We still have so much to do before the warrior from the desert arrives."
"Do not worry!" Victren said with a loud laugh that worried Geitho enough to turn around to him. "We will find everything before the time comes, and we will use the Death Star to finally kill the Precursors."
Geitho looked away once more. "Perhaps you are right."
"Now let us get back to the desert before we get stuck here," Victren said, moving the barrel on his back.
xXx
Krane was now sitting up in her bed, the bedroom she had missed. She looked out of the window, down towards the busy city below her and let out a large sigh. A part of her was happy to be home, while the other part of her missed Haven City.
The sounds of cars flying by her fourth floor apartment, and people walking by made her finally feel at home, and she closed her eyes for a moment. She could hear the people in the apartment above her fighting as always, and horns honking away as lights flashed next to her window.
I think I'll be okay. Krane thought, looking up towards the dark sky. Jinx, if you can allow me, I'm sorry and I think I'll be okay here so don't worry.
After a long pause after her thought, Krane finally fell back into her bed and let the sounds of the city woo her to sleep. She pulled the covers up to her chin and thought about how only hours ago she was in a strange world and now she had finished her mission, she was home.
Automatic Melody
The End
LEGAL:
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, Jak II, Jak 3, Jak X: Combat Racing ©2001, 2002, 2003, and 2005 Naughty Dog and Sony Computer Entertainment. Jak, Daxter, and all related characters and locales are all the property of SCE and Naughty Dog, Inc. This work is a work of fiction. Names, characters, locales, etc. are either derived from fiction or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to other games, books, or films is purely coincidental.
The lyrics from the following songs: "Time is on my side"-Rolling Stones,
"Beautiful"-The Go-Go's
Do not belong to me, but their original creators. Do not use without permission.
I own the song, "The Stars" do not use without permission of the author.
The characters: Krane "Kathryn Rose", Overture/Schorn, Slain, Geitho, Victern, Marco, Meter, and Marlin all belong me and cannot be used without permission.
A/N: Wow this is finally over. To be honest, I finished this months ago it just took me forever to post it. ; sorry about that. I really, really didn't like how it ended, but I feel that my faithful readers deserve to know what happened, and though this is a bit old I feel it fits the atmosphere of the previous chapters. I hope all of you really enjoyed reading the end, you guys have kept me going for a while now and I owe you all a great big thank you.
Out of all of my characters, I loved Overture the most. His character was deep, mysterious, and all the secrets of his past have not been explained just quite yet.
There's a start of a sequel sitting here on my computer…but I don't know if I'll be putting it up. I really don't know if I'll ever finish it but a part of me really thinks I should because there are so many loose ends in this story. There are new villains, new problems, and time line issues that make the story long and complicated. Perhaps I'll do it this summer.
Anyways, thank you all for reading this! I never thought I'd get this many sweet reviews on something!
Once again thank you all!
"I am not going to fight my fate; instead, I will assist it."
-Overture