A/N

Nice, loooong chapter here.

You will hate me at the end of it. Oh, BOY, will you hate me.

"Lloyd, you are a kind person. But if you allow your kindness to interfere with your judgement, you're merely weak," —Presea Combatir, Tales of Symphonia

Dan, Runo, and Shun had taken off at a run again to keep ahead of their pursuers, whose progress Shun would occasionally double back to check. Each time, he returned more and more tense and urged the pair from their brief rest to send them sprinting down another hall, all in the quest of the exit to the minefield outside.

It wasn't for another fifteen minutes that they heard the telltale crackling of lightning as it split the air farther down the maze. The lights in the room flickered ominously—or maybe the lightning was just so bright that it made everything else seem darker in comparison. The three of them froze instinctively. Dan and Runo exchanged panicked glances, and then they searched above them for their friend, the ninja.

"Shun!" Dan hissed. The ninja spared him no more than a glance before disappearing in search of the source of the commotion, leaving Dan and Runo to themselves.

By now, they knew the drill. They quickly ducked into one of the side paths, one that, after a brief moment of investigation, revealed itself to be a dead end. They nestled themselves just out of sight inside of it, hidden by the vile crates meant to confound them. It was almost ironic, Runo would realize later, that the very devices put in place to trip them up wound up being so useful to them.

Dan and Runo waited in silence, close but not so that they touched. They were careful of that. Eye contact was also avoided, and speaking was mutually understood to be definitely out. After all, what would they say to each other?

Runo was far above simply apologizing—after all, the fault had never been her own, anyway! Dan deserved the cold shoulder after all of his desertion. How could he expect the two of them to just fall back into their previous state of companionship when they hadn't been in contact for so long?

Dan wasn't sure what to do. He knew he'd messed up, but he highly doubted that any apology was going to get her to warm up to him again. He wanted to deny her accusations—he wanted it badly. He wanted to insist that she was simply overreacting, that she would calm down over time. More than anything, he wanted to pretend he hadn't done anything wrong. The voice in his head, though, his conscience, well… it wouldn't have that. He had really done it this time.

On top of that, it was his fault that Runo was involved in this at all. She may have been involved in his life ever since they met in the baseball field, but it was his fault and his alone that she had been used against their friends. It was his fault that she had been captured and tortured. His fault that she now bore scars that would haunt her for the rest of her life.

All of it—all of her pain from his not speaking to her, all of the agony she suffered on sleepless nights he now supposed he caused, all her invisible trepidations she hadn't yet shared—they were all because of him.

The guilt was intense and, honestly, surprised him. He never thought it was possible to feel this bad. He had never hurt someone this much before, and the knowledge that he had was excruciating. Truly, this was the worst torture. It far surpassed anything Kazarina could have possibly concocted—even a hypnotized Runo telling him she hated him was preferable to this. But he knew that this was truly Runo—these were her true feelings. He was to blame.

And it hurt.

He lifted his gaze from the floor to turn his eyes to Runo, who was trying to peer around the corner. She was tense, her lips pressed together in a thin, tense line, but instead of fear, defiance glittered in her eyes. Defiance and...something else.

Splight and Tigrerra were both waiting above, on top of the crates piled high above them, as lookouts. A pair that would not be easily spotted but had eyes on all things nearby. They would warn them if Airzel and Gill approached. Perhaps that was why she was so calm. After all, she probably found it easier to trust them than Dan at the moment.

Dan dropped his eyes again, forcing his thoughts in another direction. Drago. He'd think about Drago. A bit of guilt poked at him. He had barely given his partner much thought in the past few hours; surely, he deserved more. He thought about that mysterious vision he'd had all those nights ago-the one where Drago pulled and something shifted.

Something felt wrong when he thought of it, like there had been a rift in their relationship. The feeling that coursed through him seemed to remind him of what he was experiencing with Runo, a sort of desire to be together again but a strange foreboding along with it. It was weird, and totally unlike anything he'd ever experienced with his partner before. The only thing that came close to it was after he tossed Drago off the bridge, but even though it was similar, it wasn't the same.

Something wasn't right.

He considered asking Runo about it, but then thought better of it. He had a feeling she would not respond with a positive contribution.

And there he was, back on the thought train that was bound to derail. But what could he say? Runo, you know I never meant to hurt you. I just wanted… No, that wouldn't appease her at all. Runo, I love you so much… But that would probably earn him a verbal lashing. When I left, I never meant to hurt you, Runo. I was just…I didn't want to say goodbye. Now that made him sound like a weak boy afraid of confrontation.

This was stupid! Dan groaned silently and mentally smacked himself. He'd stared down dictators, fought to keep the universe from being taken over by evil over and over! Why was apologizing to one girl so hard?!

Because that one girl is Runo, he thought miserably.

In the end, though, she saved him the effort.

"Why did you just leave?" she asked quietly, dropping her gaze and tilting her head forward so that, when she lifted her eyes again, they peeked through her bangs and gave her the appearance of a broken child. The effect the look had on Dan was instantaneous. His cheeks immediately flushed and his mind was wiped blank. Every fragmented apology he had been in the process of forming went up in smoke. He had no idea how to respond. He just stared down at her, blushing, with a helpless look on his face.

When she realized he wasn't going to say anything, her eyebrows came together in frustration and she returned to her stiff and silent vigil, while Dan floundered for a response.

He couldn't find one. His jagged toenails (he had taken up the nervous habit of picking at them with the lack of other things to do) were suddenly more interesting than the beautiful girl beside him. "I guess…I just wasn't thinking…" he mumbled. She scoffed and he squirmed. "I'm sorry," he offered, on account of being unable to offer anything else.

She didn't reply.

They stood in silence for a few minute more, until she started a new topic. "Why are the Vexos here?"

"They came to investigate something from the nearest city," Dan treaded carefully, hoping to avoid stepping on any of her tripwires. This was a safer subject, but not by much. It was easier to talk to her when he didn't look at her. "They settled down there, after they got sent here by the Death Bombs. Since then, they stuck together and got jobs." He paused. "They're not the same as they were before."

He misstepped.

"How are you so sure?" Runo asked icily. Dan balked.

"What do you mean?"

Another wrong move.

"How are you so sure that they've converted?" she questioned in irritation. "They seem the same as they were to me!"

"You've never even met them!" Dan responded indignantly.

He came tumbling down.

The fury in her eyes as he met them was startling. "I've met Mylene and Lync," she hissed. "And Shadow Prove, in case you don't remember! The only one that's any different is Lync! How are you so sure they're not gonna turn on you as soon as we get to the end? All they care about is saving their own skins!"

"What's gotten into you?" Dan whispered heatedly back. Forget treading carefully; he was sprawled on his back with a knife to his throat now. And, par for the course, he was instigating his captor. "They've been helping me out for the past three weeks!"

"Only because you've all been tossed into the same sinking boat!" Dan just stared at her.

It was at that moment—that glorious moment—that Shun returned, saving Dan from replying in a way that was sure to be disastrous no matter who he defended. The knife was sheathed for the moment. "What happened?" Dan asked immediately, his voice too loud as he tried to gloss over the obvious tension between himself and his ex-girlfriend. Shun glared at him warningly, and Dan grimaced at his mistake.

This just wasn't his day.

"Mylene hit Stoica right when he came around a corner with her whip. He's out cold. They got separated from Hydron, Sid and Joe. Once I get you guys over to them, I'm gonna go look for them."

"Okay," Dan said, fighting to keep his gaze off Runo. Thankfully, she kept her mouth shut and simply nodded. Splight and Tigrerra dropped down to join their brawler, and they once again began their sprint through the maze.

Mira and her brother were just getting into a complicated discussion of politics that Alice could barely comprehend when Mira's communicator beeped shrilly. She pulled it out of her pocket in surprise.

"It's a message," she announced.

"Who's it from?" Keith asked.

"Shun…" Her surprise lingered in her voice as she opened it. "Huh…?"

"What is it?" Alice asked, and both she and Keith proceeded to peer over her shoulders at the message.

"Those are blueprints," Keith remarked. He blinked. "Huh, those look familiar…"

"Really?" his sister questioned. She blinked her blue eyes up at him.

"It…reminds me of something I saw a while back," he replied slowly, as if choosing his words carefully, "when I was working with Father on Bakugan and New Vestroia research. Remember how there used to be seven cities that were going to be colonizing New Vestroia?"

"Seven?" Alice repeated, looking appalled. Keith nodded.

Mira frowned before nodding her assent. "This reminds me of one of the blueprints for Omicron city. It was for a military barracks, I believe."

"What use would they have for a military on New Vestroia?" Alice asked. "The only creatures they would be fighting would be Bakugan, and the only way to do that is with either another Bakugan or a Dimension Controller."

"I don't remember the reasons," Keith dismissed easily, "but that was the intended purpose. But how did Shun get those blueprints?"

"There's more," Mira shared, drawing the pair's attention back to the communicator. She tapped a button and the blinking indicator enlarged, becoming the message Mira promised. "'Head five miles to the East past the city. You'll find the building whose blueprints are attached. Hurry, but do not approach the building under any circumstances.'" Mira tapped a few keys on the communicator. "That's all."

"…Why do you think he said, 'do not approach'?" Alice questioned nervously. She clasped her hands in front of her.

"Does it matter?" growled Helios, who had popped out on Keith's shoulder. "Whatever the reason is, I'll crush it."

"Brother?" Mira said quietly. "What do you want to do?" He blinked, looking down at her in confusion.

"Why are you asking me, Mira?" She stared at him.

"Why wouldn't I ask you?"

"Shun is a member of the Resistance. He falls under your jurisdiction, not mine," he told her seriously. "That means his decisions and warnings are yours to interpret." Mira bit her lip. After a moment of silence, he smiled and said, teasingly, "You're telling me you can run a whole planet and face down the Council and not bat an eye, but you can't make a call now? Come on, where's the fearless leader I know?"

Mira's cheeks flushed in embarrassment. He had a point. He doesn't make all the tough decisions. A lot, but not all of them, she thought to herself, but she understood his point. Wilda popped out on her shoulder, but remained silent. She could feel his eyes on her as they awaited her decision. "Alice, has he ever said something like that in the past? 'Do not approach'?"

Alice glanced to the side as she thought. "Um, no, I don't think so. But if he had to put a warning in, it probably means that it's dangerous to get too close. Maybe there's a trap of some sort."

"The Vexos booby trapped their hideout?" Wilda suggested.

"That doesn't sound right," Keith muttered. "They're out in the middle of nowhere. If I remember right, that building should have enough security cameras to see three hundred sixty degrees. I don't think Mylene would do something like that-it's superfluous."

"While you all are sitting around discussing this," Helios grumbled, "we're wasting valuable time we could be spending walking. He did say to hurry, didn't he?" Alice's cheeks got red and Mira sighed.

Right. You're the leader now, Mira. Lead.

"He's right. We can talk on way," she gave in, starting the trek herself by being the first to move. Keith and Alice fell in behind her, and they continued past the city that had been their original destination.

True to his word, the moment he saw that Dan, Runo and the majority of the Vexos were together again, Shun vanished in pursuit of the three stragglers. Dan and Runo were left to follow Lync's map, albeit at a faster rate now that he had marked out the route they were to take. Shun took the unconscious Stoica's map when he headed out, figuring a little extra orientation couldn't hurt. Also, the fewer references their enemies had, the slower their progress through the maze would be.

Mylene and Volt insisted the group move quickly, a notion that Dan was quick to approve, especially since he knew the Gundalians were hot on their tails. Not only were Airzel and Gill closing in, but surely they had found Stoica by now(they had deposited him at the heart of a confusing system of dead ends while they waited for Shun to guide Dan and Runo through the intricate paths to lead them to the others, but that was a half hour ago and he had most definitely woken from his bout of electrocution) and were closing in on them with a vengeance.

For once, Dan was appreciative of Kazarina's devious ingenuity.

Lync lead them through a series of twists and turns that boggled Dan's mind, and, though he had tried for a brief interlude in case they should become separated again, he gave up trying to keep track of them after the first three. How Lync was a master at these kinds of puzzles was a mystery to him, but it wasn't one he felt particularly inclined to solve at the moment.

Presently, Lync lead them to a three way intersection, and, after consulting the map for a moment, led them down the left path. "We're coming up on the end," he said, glancing back at the group behind him. His body language gave nothing away, but his eyes gleamed with pure, unadulterated excitement. "We've got about six more turns, and then it's the final pathway!" Dan felt his heart soar and was sure that his elation showed on his face. Just a little farther. Just a little farther and then everyone—the whole universe—would be safe.

"How are we on time?" Mylene asked. She kept her voice level and her gaze steeled; Dan could see how she was fighting to keep from allowing her spirits to get too far ahead of her. Dan supposed he could understand why. When they were so close, there was bound to be resistance. The Gundalians weren't going to let them go so easily, no matter what had previously been said.

At the very least, they still had Anubias to deal with.

"We've got about a half hour to forty five minutes?" Lync estimated, looking unsure. "And I'm still not sure where the others are."

"Shun'll get them out," Dan said confidently, but his voice shook. Freedom was so close. It was too close—he could practically smell the minty air Anubias had given him a taste of a few nights ago. He longed for that air again, for the freedom to spread his arms under the bright blue sky, but more than that, he ached for the skies of home.

He longed to see his partner, even though that strange foreboding still weighed down on his chest.

"What do you want to do?" Shadow asked Mylene, and all of their heads turned to her. Dan inwardly sympathized with her. Being the one to make the final call was always stressful, and he knew it all too well.

She thought for a moment before giving her answer. "We're gonna go to the end and wait in view of the final corner. The way out is a long hallway, right?"

"Yeah," Lync confirmed.

"Okay, we're gonna wait out of sight for the others. If they don't make the time limit, we're gonna head out."

"We're gonna leave them?" Dan exclaimed, eyes wide. Yes, there was an aching in his chest, a yearning that demanded satisfaction, for the open air, air unfiltered by machines and shut out by skylights, but something overpowered all of that. Mylene threw her icy gaze over her shoulder to him.

"I don't like it either, Dan," she said snappishly. "But the main priority is getting you out. In case you haven't noticed, the only reason you're here is because your partner is the bearer of the most powerful energies in the universe. The rest of us are here by chance and just happened to be a useful insurance policy. You need to get out so that they won't have leverage against Drago. We are expendable, but you're not."

"All the more reason not to leave them behind," Dan countered, darting up to walk agitatedly beside the quickly moving Aquos brawler. Her eyebrows were beginning to descend lower in a look Dan knew he didn't want to see, but he pressed on anyway. "They won't do anything to me! Nothing worse than what they've already done." That was a lie, but a necessary one. He knew Mylene could see right through it the way her eyes flashed, so he continued before giving her a chance to interject. "They've kept you here to keep me in line. The moment they realize they still have Joe, Hydron and Sid, it's game over."

"Only if you call it," Mylene fired back. Dan growled.

"I'm not leaving them," he said firmly, "and having them is just as good leverage as having me." Mylene stopped walking and turned to face him, eyes blazing. Lync stopped, too, glancing uncomfortably out of the corner of his eye every few seconds as if embarrassed to be listening to the conversation.

"Dan Kuso," she said with a terrifying calm she obviously didn't feel, "I thought you understood that with power comes responsibility."

"Of course I understand that," he replied indignantly, glaring at her.

"Really?" she questioned. "Because it sure sounds like, to me, you are willing to risk the fate of the entire universe for three people, two of whom, until three weeks ago, you were enemies with and believed to be dead." Dan balked and stood beside her, blinking. "You see, this is why I had a problem with the Brawlers. All of you people who operate on love and sentiments like it are weak when it comes down to the wire.

"I am not denying that love is a strong power," she continued when she saw the reproachful look he gave her. "However, when you let love and friendship cloud your judgement, you become weak. You lose sight of the big picture and focus on a single detail. You and Drago are partners, and it is your duty to protect the universe with the power you share. You can't give that up for three people, no matter how close you are."

"So you're saying you'd give up your friends just so that you could walk free and live in peace while they suffer your fate for you?" Dan demanded. Mylene shook her head.

"You're not listening," she snapped. "How in the world did you get this far when you're so willing to throw it all away? You need to choose between the few and the many! You can't have both!"

"How can you say that? Hydron is your friend, too!"

"Would you condemn the world to die just so you can save three people?"

"That isn't what—"

"Would you condemn the world to die just so you can save three people?" she repeated icily. Her voice lowered to a dangerous decibel.

His shoulders slumped and he looked away. "Well…no…" At his surrender, she seemed to calm. She sighed heavily.

"Look, I don't like it any more than you do. But, if it comes out to it, you need to understand that getting you out is most important."

"But-"

Just because she appeared calm didn't mean she was. Dan learned that the hard way.

"OW! What the hell?" he snarled, recoiling from her merciless backhand.

"You are hopelessly naive, Dan Kuso," she hissed right back. "You think they'll just let them go because you stay? No! The moment they got hold of us, they got control of our lives. I don't know what delusion you've been living in, but this is reality. In reality, people die, and there is nothing you can do about it." Her mere tone could shatter diamonds. "Regardless of whether you stay or leave, they have no worth. You leave, they kill them. You stay, they kill them. The only difference is that they'll make you watch," she snarled before stalking away. Lync jumped at her sudden movement and started off at a brisk walk, pretending to be engrossed in his map reading, and leaving Dan to stare after the woman in stunned silence.

Shadow announced his presence by sighing. Dan flinched in startled bewilderment when the Darkus brawler slung his arm around his shoulders, flashing him a mirthless grin and forcing him to start walking again. "She's not one to mince words."

Dan didn't say anything.

"You gotta admit, though," Shadow said, soberly, "she's got a point."

"Don't rub it in," the brunette mumbled. Really, he didn't want to be stuck listening to the exact same speech. Mylene had said all she had to and then some, in his opinion.

Apparently, Shadow shared his views. "Oh, I'm not gonna. She laid it out loooouuuuud and clear. though, they might find some use for Joe." He smirked. "Sometimes you gotta make sacrifices. And it sucks. But you have a point, too. What are you if you don't stick by your friends, right?" Dan blinked as they rounded a corner. Shadow's arm pressed him uncomfortably close and he crinkled his nose at the scent of wet dog coming from his hair.

"It's kinda weird," he muttered. "I didn't really expect you guys to understand all that."

"Oh, when we were enemies, no chance you'd have gotten us to listen to that crap," Shadow cackled. "But, hey, when it's all ya got, it kinda grows on ya."

"Hm." They were quiet for a moment. "…Dude, can you get off?" Shadow rolled his eyes but let go, muttering something about a lack of huggable people around here before stalking back up to walk beside the still livid Mylene.

That left Dan in the back beside Runo, who he both desired and dreaded speaking with. However, when Volt, clearly sensing the tension and not wanting to be anywhere near it, quickened his pace to walk just a few paces behind Mylene and Shadow, he left Dan with the seething Runo, who appeared to be none too happy about the development either.

"You seriously think they've changed?" she murderously questioned, at least with the decency to keep her voice lowered. Dan glanced at her, but she didn't lift her eyes to meet his. "She's just the same as I remember her. Just a nasty bitch."

"Runo!" he exclaimed. She whipped her head around to fix him with her furious gaze.

"Don't you see it?" she hissed. "They're gonna turn on you! They haven't changed at all! How can you not see that after how she just spoke to you?"

"Because they're not gonna turn on me!" he whispered heatedly back. Sure, Mylene took the ruthless approach when it came to arguments, but that fact alone wasn't gonna convince Runo. "What's gotten into you?"

"What's gotten into me? Stop asking me that! You're the one not acting like yourself! Since when have you ever listened to anyone? Especially Mylene?" Her voice was rising.

"She's just trying to be practical!" Dan defended them without hesitation. His voice rose to match hers. He didn't notice how Mylene stiffened up front. "I trust her!" He also didn't notice how she visibly jerked, seemingly in response to his exclamation. But that wasn't possible; he and Runo were having a private conversation.

"What, and you don't trust me?" Runo spat.

"What gives you that idea?"

"Maybe because you ditched me at every possible opportunity!"

"I did not—"

"Oh, don't you dare try to deny it, Kuso!" she snarled. "First New Vestroia, then after Mira betrayed us, then when you went to go attack the BT System, then when you moved to another continent without telling me, then going to Nethia, again, without telling me!"

He stopped like he'd been slapped in the face, but that didn't faze her. She just kept walking, and, though it took him a moment, he practically fell over himself in his attempts to keep up with her.

"Runo," he pleaded. After all, one they got out, she'd probably make every effort to steer clear of him. Not that he blamed her, but if that was the case, this would be his only chance to salvage what they used to have. Not that he deserved it. "I'm really sorry. Really, I wasn't gonna send the letter—"

"Dan Kuso, you are horribly dense if you think the letter is the problem," Runo hissed. "No, that was just the icing on the cake!" She stomped forward a few feet, clearly intending to pass him and leave him in the back, but Dan simply quickened his pace to keep up with her. Desperation makes a man do foolish things, as he found out when she punched him in the face (right on the damn bruise Mylene gave him) for all his hapless efforts.

Blood exploded in his mouth and he was reasonably certain that the skin on her knuckles tore, but even though he was hissing swears through clenched teeth at the pain, he kept up with her. He didn't notice the tears sparkling in her eyes. "Okay, I deserved that!" he admitted freely. He even seemed to relish the pain. "And a whole lot more. And I'm sorry, I'm really sorry! I don't know what I was thinking, letting you go like that!"

"Throwing me away like that," Runo corrected through clenched teeth.

"Throwing you away like that," he immediately amended. She rounded a corner after the Vexos and Dan actually did trip, forcing him to cling desperately to the corner as he rounded it in pursuit. "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. I never wanted you to get caught up in this—I promise, I never meant for you to get hurt. I never wanted this, I never wanted…I never wanted to throw away what we had…"

"Then why did you?" she snarled.

"I don't know!" he cried, throwing his hands in the air in hopeless admission of the fact. "I don't know! It was stupid and idiotic and crazy and I am so sorry, I can't even begin to tell you—oh my gosh, Runo, I can't even begin to explain to you how—"

That was when she kissed him. It was wet—his cheeks were stained with her tears. Her lips quivered, just as her frail frame did when Dan's hand automatically rested on her hips. Her breaths came out hasty and panicked from her nose, chilling the salt water transferred to Dan's cheeks.

Suddenly, everything felt right again.

"Oh for goodness fucking sake, this is not the time to be having a make-out session!" came a gruff, downright angry voice, punctuated by a sharp, incessant pull on the back of Dan's shirt. The force of the yank ripped his lips from Runo's, and suddenly he was stumbling at a run down the hallway. The hand dragging him was Sid's large paw, and a glance behind him revealed that he had grabbed onto Runo's hand while their lips were pressed together. She was dashing after him, looking startled and flushed and confused and altogether disheveled, while Joe and Hydron brought up the rear.

"What the hell?" Dan demanded as Sid dragged him around a corner. That was when he realized where they were—the final hallway. Mylene and the others were hesitating halfway down the hall, Lync remaining the closest to the approaching group. Volt and Shadow flanked Mylene, and once she did a head count, a rare smile spread across her lips. Her eyes flicked to Dan's for a fraction of a second and Dan understood.

"Come on!" she cried, turning on her heel and sprinting out of the mouth.

"NO!" Shun shouted, suddenly appearing before her and blocking her way. Mylene had just enough warning to skid to a stop in front of him, yelping out in surprise, and everyone behind her stumbled to a stop.

"What the—Shun?" Dan exclaimed.

"What's the big idea?" Sid roared, letting go of Dan's shirt to force his way to the front of the line and gather a fistful of Shun's in his hand. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"It's mined," the ninja said bluntly, glaring daggers into the Gundalian's blazing eyes. "There are bombs out there—ten."

"Actually, nine," came an unwelcome growl, one that made Shun stiffen. He whirled around. "Ah, it makes sense now. That explosion earlier was you, wasn't it, Shun?" The ninja held his tongue, and Anubias turned his eyes to Dan. "Well, Dan. You certainly seem to be a naughty boy, aren't you? I'm sure Kazarina will have a field day when she gets her hands on you again." Dan's free hand went to his bandaged forearm. It immediately started to sting uncomfortably, but he didn't show it.

"Yeah, well she's not gonna touch him!" Runo snarled from his side. Her hand tightened around his own. "We're getting out of here!"

"Ah, Runo. I see you've managed to fight your way to the surface," Anubias goaded as he shifted his attention to her. "How nice it must be to see the world through your own eyes for a change, hm?"

"Go to hell!"

"My, my, temper, temper," he chuckled. "I see that's something that no amount of hypnosis can change. It's a shame that all of that passion is going to go up in smoke once you step outside. Or is it?" He turned his golden gaze to Dan, whose glare deepened. "Is it, Dan?"

"What do you want?" he demanded.

"Dan!" Mylene hissed sharply.

"Don't be stupid," Lync whispered. Dan ignored them.

"Hm, you stand right there with your girlfriend and Joe, and you let the Vexos and Shun walk out of here without you."

"Dan," Runo breathed, rage at him forgotten. Funny how imminent death does that to a person. He squeezed her hand.

"And what's to say you won't blow them up as soon as they get outside?" Dan asked lowly.

"Dan!" Shun protested. "You can't seriously be considering this!"

"Oh, let him, Shun," Anubias sneered. This wasn't the battle-hungry teen he'd fought just a few days ago. This was a sadistic, power-crazed madman. "After all, he's the one who'll have to live with the consequences." Dan glared at him.

"How do I know you won't blow them up?" Dan growled through gritted teeth. Anubias simply smirked.

"Oh, they'll have Shun with them, won't they?" he replied maniacally. "I'm sure he'll figure out a way to get everyone out safely."

That was when Shun snapped. He was behind the Gundalian in an instant, aiming a powerful roundhouse kick at the back of his neck. However, it was at that precise moment that lightning rained down from above—black and blue energy that filled the air with light and a deafening roar of electrical pops.

Lightning was the only thing faster than a ninja.

The group screamed out in surprise and several of them ducked, but nothing hit anyone. Shun landed on his feet a few yards away from his intended target, dead center in the garage doorway, unhurt but looking positively murderous.

Dan looked up, dreading what he knew he would find. Sure enough, there was Stoica, standing above at the end of a row of crates. His hand was outstretched and he was clearly irritated, but when he turned his gaze back to Dan, his face stretched into an expression of pure, heartless mirth. Airzel stood on the other side, only his expression was angry, full of flawless, unfettered fury. Dan's stomach did a jump worthy of an olympic gold medal to his throat.

This was bad, this was very bad, and he was so close!

"Give it up, Dan," Gill threatened from behind. Dan hissed and looked over his shoulder. Sure enough, there was the red clad Gundalian himself, glowering at the teen was an expression that almost rivaled Mylene's for it's potential lethality. "You've reached the end of the line, and it's time for you to get off the train."

"Tch," Dan hissed.

"Give it up," Airzel repeated. "There's nowhere for you to go."

"Not even Shun can best us now," Stoica chuckled, sneering at the positively pissed ninja glaring up at him from the ground. "Oh, how sweet revenge is…" He cackled, then, insanely, as though it were the greatest joke he'd ever heard. "'Revenge should have no bounds', as that fool Jesse would say!"

For Dan, it was the last straw.

His fingers, which had long since wormed their way beneath the bandage on his arm, ripped through the gauze and game away clutching a brilliant, crystalline object—a single shard of shattered glass.

He moved too quickly for the Gundalians to realize what was happening. He ripped his left hand from Runo's in an instant and shoved her forward, then dug the point of the blade into his wrist. He sliced through skin and blood vessels in a desperate, last-ditch bid for freedom, marring the newly restored canvas of skin. After all, it was going to be stained by them again soon, in a way he could actually feel; might as well have some say about the final picture. His skin, after all.

Runo recovered herself and screamed, and once the three slashes there (completed within seconds, tracing his faded scars) were inflicted, he took several steps away from her, backing toward Gill but not so far as to place himself within his reach. He turned so that his back was against the wall of crates, keeping Airzel, Stoica, Anubias and Gill within eyeshot, and adjusted his hold on the blood covered shard. He tightened his grip around it so that the two far ends of the triangle dug into his palm, leaving the longer, deadlier point to protrude between his knuckles and the heel of his hand.

He pressed it against his jugular, turning his defiant, burning eyes to Gill.

"Whatareyoudoing?" Runo screamed as blood dripped from Dan's mutilated left wrist onto the ground, already starting to pool at his feet. Dan didn't look at her.

"Are you insane?" Gill demanded. His eyes were wide with horror, obviously unable to comprehend what Dan was doing. "You're willing to sacrifice yourself?"

"Hell yeah," Dan snarled. "Now, you're going to do exactly as I say, or I'll do it."

"He's bluffing," Stoica called, but something in his voice wavered. He wasn't sure, wasn't really ready to call the bluff, and when Dan turned to him with that calm, deadly glint in his eyes, he visibly paled. "Oh my," he breathed, half to himself.

"I will," he affirmed with a terrifying steel edge to his voice. "Now." He turned his gaze to Anubias. "You're going to hand Shun the detonator to those bombs." The Gundalian, seemingly at a loss for words, just stared at him. Dan's frown deepened. "Now."

Anubias obediently dug into his pocket for the device, a small, black remote with five buttons on it. He turned and did as Dan instructed, and Shun took the device with hands shaking with rage.

"Mylene," Dan addressed next. "Take everyone—yes, everyone—" he affirmed when he noticed Gill's growl of protest "—and get out."

"Dan, remember what I told you!" Mylene protested angrily.

"Mylene," Dan growled. A drop of blood dripped from his clenched fist. "I do."

"No, you don't" she snapped. "You're not listening at all!"

"Yeah, well, if I don't do this, you all die," he shot back. "Just do what I say."

"Dan—"

"DO IT!" he roared with such intensity that she flinched—the ever stoic, stubborn, fearless Mylene Farrow flinched. For a moment, she just stared at him.

She stared at the clearly broken, desperate boy before her. The one holding their lives-quite literally-in his hand. It was for an instant, a single, briefest of instants, that she saw the agony in his eyes. And from the way Runo struggled for breath, she knew she saw it, too.

"Guys," The Greatest Aquos Brawler and Kiss of Death said in a frail voice, "come on." Volt, Shadow and Sid moved first, slowly, carefully, but deliberately maneuvering toward the exit. Lync and Hydron hesitated, moving more slowly, while Runo and Joe stayed put.

"No!" Runo cried, moving to latch onto Dan's arm but stopped by Joe's quick interception. He wrapped his arms around Runo's upper body, pinning her arms to her sides. Immediately, she struggled, lashing out with her legs and kicking wildly, all while screaming, "Goddammit, Joe, let me the hell go!"

"I can't, Runo!" Joe told her, stepping backwards toward the exit. He wouldn't meet Dan's eyes. Hydron and Lync moved then, also backing toward the exit. The pair stared at Dan with some combination of fascination and horror. Lync's face was even tinged a little green.

"No!" Runo screamed, throwing her weight around wildly. She struggled to free her arms, pulling and pushing against Joe's seemingly iron grip. "Dan! No! JOE LET ME GO!" She kicked out and managed to clip Hydron in the back of the head, eliciting a loud cry of pain, and that was when Volt took her. He slung her over his shoulder easily, with a definitive purpose to his movements. He secured her legs with his burly arm and ignored her violent pounding on his back as though he had been trained to do it, and his shoulder jamming into her stomach discouraged her screaming.

Even so, she didn't stop trying to get free.

"No, no, no, Dan," she sobbed, tears falling unbidden from her eyes.

It was in this lull in the sound that Dan allowed a small, broken smile. "I love you, Runo," he called out, though something told him she was too far gone to hear it. Something in him knew he had to say it; perhaps because he knew he'd never get another chance.

There's something about having your hopes completely dashed that makes you act in strange ways. Maybe it's the numbness. Maybe it's just the shock of it. Either way, even though Dan saw the short but impassable distance keeping him from the open sky outside, he found that his brain refused to process it. Instead, it locked on everything else in the scene, burning those images into his brain instead.

It was a cruel, cruel coping mechanism.

His eyes met Shun's. He was shocked by the sheer anguish he saw there—the horror, the sadness, the shattered pieces. His mind latched on his suffering, searched for the reason behind his misty eyes. That was when he remembered the date. His eyes softened. "Sorry," he murmured, but he knew Shun read his lips when he grimaced and looked away. A tear ran down the ninja's cheek. Dan closed his eyes and struggled to control his breathing.

"Get 'em home, Shun," he called, and the ever stoic, ever reliable ninja nodded with all the honor, power, and skill that his title suggested. The tears decorating his cheeks glinted with his vow, shining with all the command of the sword used by a regent to knight the apprentice. It was his crowning moment, one that would change him forever.

It was the moment he learned he would have to survive without his best friend by his side.

They crossed the threshold and stepped out into the sun, leaving Dan cloaked in the shadow of death. Once the entire group was illuminated by the midday sunlight—sunlight Dan longed to feel on his own skin—, he relaxed his grip on the shard. He glanced upward at Stoica and Airzel and smirked at them. That only seemed to make them angrier.

"You have pissed me off for the last time, Kuso," Gill growled, drawing Dan's gaze. He glowered back at him and tossed the shard to the floor.

"Bite me."

Lightning filled the air and, outside, Runo's screams provided the harmony. The sharp, cacophony of sound was unbearable, and Shun shouted out in despair to drown out the sound.

It wasn't until she stopped screaming that the tears that blurred her vision fell fast enough for her to see, from her bobbing, uncomfortable position on Volt's shoulder, that her star-crossed lover was being held uncaringly, savagely, brokenly, in the arms of his red-clad enemy, while his shirt was singed and smoking, melted onto his chest. His head lolled back and his arm dripped blood—bright, crimson blood—onto the floor below him.

He looked, for the life of her, lifeless.

And, yes, I am going to confirm to you right now what you already knew.

I am a horrible person.

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