A/N: Two words :FINAL CHAPTER!

Chapter 15

How does it usually work? A hero is in a desperate situation, overwhelmed by impossible odds, facing an enemy more powerful than him. In order to win, he gets a new weapon, or learns a new technique, even achieves an unexpected power-up mid-battle and uses that to defeat his enemy against all odds. That's what was supposed to happen here. Mixing psychic power with Light was enough to over come Kentoki's shield. They managed to break through, so why had they still lost?

Oo-oO

Drip, drip, drip.

What's that? Why is it wet?
Drip, drip, drip.

Water? Is it raining? No, somehting's dripping . . . and there's wind? It's been awhile since I felt the wind. Why haven't I felt the wind? What was I doing? Oh, that's right. I was in the river. Why was I in the river? I was with Dark and then . . . I shattered? I remember now. I'm broken and I flew into the river. I'm only a piece of what I was. Why aren't I in the river anymore? It was so nice . . . Is that a life form holding me?

Data Retrieved: Match found. Life form identified as Hunthian, native to the planet Deltra Prone. Species is known to be diverse in physical features and behaviour. End Transmission.

I remember the Hunthians. They were so fun, always finding new ways to play. Oh, that's where the dripping's coming from. But why is he wet? Did you jump in to pull me out?

"I guess I did," the Hunthian said suddenly, scratching his chin with one finger and smiling.

Huh? Can you hear me?

"Well, yeah. You're talking to me, so of course I can hear you."

Interesting, not everyone is capable of hearing my minds voice. You have a special gift.

"Oh, I don't know about that," he responded. "My name's Marrow Fog. What about you?"

Me?

He nodded anxiously.

Well, I was known as Light, but I'm not quite Light anymore.

"I don't understand."

It seems that I'm broken, no longer whole. I new kind of existence.

"So you're Light, but not really Light."

Something like that.

"Then you need a new name," Marrow said proudly.

A new name?

"A new name for a new start," he smiled. "Something unique, like you."

Unique, huh?

"Well, I can honestly say that I've never seen a rock quite as beautiful as you, and that's not even mentioning the fact that you can talk."

There are many things that can talk, just not many who can hear them.

"So are there other talking, glowing rocks in this river?"

Who knows, anything's possible. Why? Are you going to look for more?

"Hmm. . ." he scratched his chin again and scrunched up his face in thought. "No. One new friend is enough . . . Oh, I know! Barlekap!"

Barle-what?

"Barlekap. It means friend of faith met by chance in the Ancient Tongue. How's that for a new name?"

Barlekap. . . I like it, but it's too long. Make it shorter.

"Then how about Bar?"

Naw, too much booze.

"Barrel?"

Ehn, getting there. . .

"Hmm . . . Kap? Kape?"

Kape?
"Kape?"

Kape.

"Alright, Kape it is. Hello Kape."

Hello, Marrow Fog.

Drip, drip, drip.

Oo-oO

Drip, drip, drip.

The river and grasslands disappeared as Kape's memory from long ago faded into the gruesome image before her: her Guardian, her protector, her friend . . . hanging limply on the Monster's blade, his blood dripping off the tip, sizzling in the liquid fire before falling into a bubbling puddle at his feet.

All at once, the Monster withdrew his Saber with a sickening slurp, and Jay fell into the growing pool of his own blood.

"No . . . Marrow," Kape fell to her knees, beside her constant companion. The one person who had always been there with her. The Monster roared with laughter.

"Pathetic," he grinned as he swung his Blood Saber to dislodge the remaining trickles of blood, creating a dark half circle around him; his own bloody halo. "I expected more from one such as he, but I suppose being thrust into such a weak body affected his prowess more than I'd thought."

Kape didn't hear the gloating. She was drained and couldn't comprehend what she was seeing. She gingerly placed a hand on her fallen Guardian, but she felt no life force. He was gone. Jay . . . no, Marrow Fog was dead.

With this, she realized what it was he was he had planned.

"Don't worry, I've got a plan."

"We're not alone this time. Everything will work out."

"One day you'll be whole. I'll make sure of that."

His words bounced around her head and her hands clenched into fists, balling up the fabric of his shirt, now soaked in blood, because he'd planned on dying all along.

The death of a Guardian acts as a beacon, drawing the Light towards her fallen ally.

Oo-oO

His body was starting to grow cold when she felt the pulse radiate out from him and disappear into the cosmos, calling out to the Light. She felt the beacon calling, drawing her closer to him. The portal soon opened.

A black spark crackled above Jay's chest as the beacon got a response. The spark grew until dark electricity jumped freely in the air and started to condense into a dark, swirling mass of chaos. A black fog tinged the air around the dark orb as the portal grew in size and intensity.

The Monster took a step back from the phenomenon and snarled as he realized his mistake. He'd known what the death of a Guardian would bring, but his blood lust and overactive battle instincts had been raging and he hadn't thought things through.

But there was still time before Light arrived. He just had to get the Shard. His hand twitched as he eyes the pouch dangling from the girl's belt and lunged forward, but the orb suddenly cracked and a bright white light poured out, flooding the rooftops as three silhouette's dropped out of the chaos, landing protectively in front the Shard and her fallen Guardian.

As the portal closed in on itself, the white light condensed into a mass of molten light. After morphing for a few moments, the mass settled on a form that resembled a human girl, not unlike the golden figure that Kape had taken up.

The light faded and the girl's features became more pronounced, along with her three companions, none of which were human, but one of which resembled the Monster. They were the three Guardian's who had succeeded in finding each other and reuniting their Shard's into what was now an incomplete Light.

"The fractured Light appears," Kentoki snarled them.

"You keep chasing us," Light said, her form shifting slightly as it stabilized, "but you never learn. This is a war that you're never going to win."

"We'll see about that," Kentoki brandished both Blood Sabers and whirled them at Light, moving faster than before.

Light watched the attack approach, and glared at him. "No, we won't."

Just as the Monster bared down on her, Light phased away and the twin Sabers crashed with another Photon Blade that sprang into action and glowed as red as Kentoki's Sabers, but while Kentoki's liquid fire was sluggish and efficient, the new Photon Blade burned fierce and hot with flames that stemmed from its wielder's anger.

"Gengi," the Monster growled as their blades locked in place. "So I find myself face to face with the traitor that started it all. If you hadn't stolen the Red Shard, I would already have all the power I need."

The First Guardian steeled himself and pushed against Kentoki, driving him back a few precious steps. "Your thirst for power would not be sated with only one Shard. You would simply have had an easier time hunting the rest down."

The two kin stood a few feet away from each other, but although they both came from the same planet, they were far from ally's.

"Indeed," Kentoki eyed the others on the roof; the three Guardians who had managed to meet up and allow their Shard's to fuse, a fallen Guardian and the Yellow Shard that had merged with a human female, and Light herself. He smiled slowly, "But even with your numbers, you can not stand against my current power."

"Which is why we're not going to," Gengi said and raised a palm that was equipped with a gauntlet similar to the ones Jay was wearing. Red veins glowed and condensed in the palm where a shaft of concentrated flames blasted toward Kentoki.

The Monster responded by raising his red shield once again and the flames crashed against it before spreading over the surface and sizzling out. "You'll have to do better than that," he grinned as Gengi continued to rain flames on his shield.

"Looks like fun," one of the other Guardian's spoke up, "I wanna try." He had blue skin and long arms with triangle like fins. He also raised both of his palms as his gauntlets glowed blue and a blast of water added to the attack on the shield. The Monster seemed to falter for a moment before redoubling the strength of the shield. It seemed to waver for a moment, but didn't fall. Without a word, the final Guardian, who floated above the ground and sprouted feathers from various regions, also raised his palm, glowing purple before a barrage of sickle like wind blades joined water and fire.

The three Guardians poured their power into the attack, but nothing would penetrate his shield.
The Monster started laughing inside his bubble of protection, "You see! You cannot defeat me with your pathetic half-powered abilities!"

"Like I said," Gengi smiled, "We're not trying to."

The smile fell from Kentoki's face as Light appeared above the shield, hovering at the point where all three Guardians attacks met. She held out her hands and started whispering in an ancient language. Her form shifted and glowed and the red, blue and purple beams swirled around the shield and collected into a ball of energy at Light's feet.

Her whispering stayed quiet, but her words wove into the fabric of the energy, moulding it into something different. All at once, the whisper stopped with a harsh word and a black spark cracked like lightning from the heavens, striking Light. Her white glow turned black as she channeled the bolt into the mass of her Guardians energy at her feet, black lightning sparking out and encompassed the Monster's shield.

"What is this!" he screamed while trying to maintain his shield. "What are you doing?!"

"Sending you far, far away," Gengi said. "Like you said, we can't beat you with the power we have now. So we'll just make you disappear. By the time you can return to this planet, we'll be long gone, and Light will be one step closer to completion. You lose, Monster."

"No!" Kentoki roared as his shield was dragged into the newly formed portal. "Not again! I will get you brats! I will be all powerf—"

POP! The portal popped closed and Kentoki was gone, sucked into a chaos of energy to who knows where.

The silence was broken by a sigh of relief. "The next time we see him will be too soon," the Blue Guardian slumped to the ground. The Purple Guardian nodded in agreement.

"Now's not the time," Light said as she appeared in front of them all. The Guardians followed her gaze and lowered their eyes as they took in the state of the Yellow Guardian.

"Damn," Gengi clenched his fist at his side.

Kape had watched the encounter with unseeing eyes, taking everything in but not understanding what was happening. She just sat frozen, his shirt still balled in her hands, silent tears streaking down her face.

Light blinked out of existence and appeared in front of her. "Your fight is done, sister," she said, managing to meet her eyes. "Come home."

Kape looked up into Light's eyes, her own eyes before taking one last look at her Guardian. She managed to unclench on hand and close his eyes. With a final sigh she retreated, the girl's hair fading back to it's original red as yellow veins streaked back into the Shard.

"Oh my God," April O'Neil whispered as she regained her body. She looked around, taking in the scene and her eyes overflowed with tears as she saw Jay's motionless body in front of her.

"You've been through a lot," Light said, drawing her attention. "Thank you for fighting for them."

"I wasn't alone," April said, shaking slightly from emotional and physical exhaustion. "My friends . . ."

"Yes. I know," Light smiled. "You've all been very brave."

April sniffed and looked up at the Light. "What now?"

"With Kentoki gone," Gengi spoke up, "his forces will scatter. The Tagoos aren't so great on their own, and with the Commanders out of commission, great job with that by the way, they don't have any guidance."

"So they're just going to run around the city?" April exclaimed. As if they didn't have enough problems.

"No, Kentoki's second in command should be nearby. He'll recall the Tagoos and start searching for their boss. It shouldn't be too long before they're gone for good," Gengi reassured her.

"What about Jay?" she whispered.

The Red Guardian's eyes fell to his fallen comrade, and realized he had no words.

"We will take him home," Light spoke up, "back to Delta Prone."

"But what about his family here," April cried out. "He's got parents and a sister. What are they supposed to do when he doesn't . . ." She couldn't finish as she was cut off by her own sobbing, her grief enhanced from the lingering connection she shared with the Shard.

". . . I'm sorry," Light bowed her head and knelt down beside the body. "I should have found him sooner."

My fault, April heard a faint whisper. All my fault.

April started slightly as she heard Kape's mental voice from inside the Shard. From the sharp look she got from the ethereal being beside her, she guessed that Light had heard too. April tenderly unhooked the pouch from her belt and took out the Shard, resting the rock that glowed faintly in her lap.

If only I'd realized what he was going to do, Kape started rambling. I should have known he would sacrifice himself, it's just the kind of person he is. . . was? What the hell? What now? I. . . I'm—

You're among friends, sister. Light broke her out of her loop, speaking in their own language of the mind. What happened is tragic, but you are no longer alone. You don't have to fight alone anymore.

I never had to fight alone, Kape whimpered. Marrow was always with me. He always fought for me. Kept me safe. Pulled me out of the river. Talked to me. . . What am I going to do without him?

Re-unite with us, Light said, and you will see that it's not the end of the world. But nor is it the end of the war. No doubt Marrow was one of the first casualties, but definitely not the last. There will be death, for that is the natural way of life. It seems that even Light cannot escape that destiny.

Sister . . . I don't want to forget.

You won't. We won't. He will forever live with us, for we are one. Your memories are mine and your loss is mine. Let us share this burden that you hold, sister.

What April saw next cannot be explained easily. It was as if a flood of videos flew by at Light speed; years of footage taken at the perspective of a Shard. It was dark most of the time when she was inside the Shard, but she could still see. Images of solid objects and mental waves being read, analyzing specs of matter, searching through the Index, and Marrow. Marrow Fog, long before he was Jay.

They were happy on Delta Prone, spending the day discussing various topic, usually going round in circles. Bugging and teasing as Marrow developed feelings for a beautiful girl, how his clumsy movements became smooth and confidant, how his training progressed quickly, how the peaceful times turned chaotic. . . because where the Shard is concerned, chaos is never far behind.

The attack was quick and unexpected. They managed to escape, but only barely and their life on the run began. Different planets, different galaxies, it didn't matter. It never took long before they caught up and the running started again. Then they got cornered and the Monster himself showed up. There was no where to run, and Marrow took a leap of faith, literally, and dove into the Hyper Vacuum, dove into a new life with a new family and new friends. A new life where he didn't have to run, didn't have to fight, didn't have to look over his shoulder and look after a good for nothing, stupid rock that brought nothing but pain and suffering to her dearest friend. . .

But he never ran. The once sweet, curious, and a little clumsy boy who pulled her out of the river had long since been replaced with a strong, reliable Guardian who wouldn't hesitate to give his life for his Shard.

And that's exactly what he did, Kape said as the memories drew to a close, recapping everything from the moment Marrow found her to when the portal opened.

"So that's how it is," Light smiled sadly, coming to understand everything. "It is a true sorrow that Marrow Fog has passed. He was a fine Guardian, and a true friend. I wish I could bring your Guardian back, sister, but such miracles are beyond our capabilities."

I'm not foolish enough to believe in the impossible, Kape admitted.

"Although I cannot work miracles," Light said, with a glint in her eyes, "it may be possible to leave Jay's human family with a parting gift before we depart."

Oo-oO

The homeroom bell rang and the teacher called for attention. After a few minutes, the rowdy teenagers settled down and the day's lesson started. April O'Neil didn't even pretend to take notes as the teacher started the day's lesson. For once, Casey Jones was on time, something he thought she should be impressed about.

First period wore on and April's eyes were glued to the window, as if daydreaming, but in reality, she was going over the previous day's events. It seemed impossible that so much could happen over the span of a few days, and it all started with a rock.

April's attention was pulled back to the present when the teacher stopped talking. She followed the other students' gaze towards the door as Jay Cogen slid into class with a sheepish smile, before silently taking his seat in the back next to Casey exchanging high-fives as he sat down.

Although I cannot work miracles, it may be possible to leave Jay's human family with a parting gift before we depart.

Light's words repeated themselves over and over in her head as she remembered what happened next.

Light's form dissolved into what could only be described as solid light and swirled around the Shard. The yellow viens pulsed brightly and rose off the rock and dissolved into the solid light. All too soon, the Shard grew dull and cold as Light shone even brighter.

"Thank you, April O'Neil," said Light, now four Shard's strong. "For all you and your friends have done. There is no way to repay you, but perhaps we can repair some of the wrongs we have created."

The solid Light swarmed around the fallen Guardian, encasing him in a cocoon of pureness.

"What are you—," April had tried to jump in, but the Blue Guardian held her back.

"Just watch," he smiled mischievously.

So she did. And when the Light faded, Jay still lay on the roof unmoving. . . until his chest rose. The wound to his mid-section was gone, replaced with ghostly white scare tissue.

"But how. . ." April asked, dumbfounded. "Is he. . .?"

"It's not difficult to heal a wound," the Blue Guardian explained, also looking a little perplexed. "Especially for someone with Light's power. It's simple a matter to getting cells to divide. . . but it's impossible to bring someone back from the dead. This shouldn't be possible."

"It's impossible to retrieve a soul that has left its body," Light's disembodied voice whispered. "For a body to live, it needs a soul. When he was killed, Marrow's soul left his human body, but there was another soul residing within the body as well."

"That's impossible," the Blue Guardian argued. "It's way too stressful. There's no way to merge another soul into a body that was already occupied."

"It seems the Hyper Vacuum managed to do it," Light explained softly.

"Damn," the Red Guardian whispered.

"Marrow Fog is dead," Light said with finality, "but Jay Cogen lives on."

Jay caught April looking at him from across the room and waved. She came out of her reverie and waved back with a smile. After he'd woken up, Jay didn't have any of Marrow's memories. He knew nothing of Light, Guardian's or Monsters. His electrical powers were non-existent without Kape to power them, and he slipped back into the peaceful life of a high schooler. . . the life Marrow Fog never had a chance to experience.

When he'd returned home, Jay had received a lecture from his mother about staying out so late and how he should make sure to call. His memories from the last few days were muddled, but he didn't seem to pursue them at all. It was for the best.

The teacher finished the lecture and the students shuffled their desks into their clicks. April dragged her desk over to the boys in the back and they opened—April and Jay opened—their textbooks to page 275.

Casey groaned when he saw the workload and promptly collapsed over his desk, burying his face in the thick pages.

"Well," April said to Jay, "at least one of us is good at Calculus."

A/N: Fin. At long last, the end of Hyper Reality. Big thanks once again to retro mania for pitching the original idea that went out of control, and big thanks to everyone who has read, fav/fol this story.

I can honestly say that this ended exactly where I wanted it to, although the path used to get there changed quite a bit from the original plan. In any case, I think it turned out well, but not as well as I could have made it. It may be possible that in the future I will re-write this, if I ever get around to it.

For those wondering, there will be no sequal to this. Like I said, it ended right where I wanted it to. If you care about what happens to Light and her Guardian's, make it up yourself. Or maybe you'll see them again one day in a bookstore sometime in the future. . . never know.

Keep Reading, Keep Writing, Keep Dreaming.