Jessie shook his head, trying his best to recover from falling for what seemed like forever and taking what he now knew was rebar to his side, he found it a bit difficult. Grabbing his side tentatively he made his way to his feet but not without letting out a pained groan.

"Lily!" Jessie cried out. "Are you still alive?"

He heard a small groan behind him and turned to see her deflated on the ground. Thin as a pancake she was spread out on the floor.

"You owe me your life lover boy." she said as she slowly stretched back to her normal length. She laid on her back staring up at Jessie, she held out her hand.

"What happened." he asked as he took her hand helping her up. He groaned as she knocked his side, moving the rebar slightly.

"When you grounded Animal the earth below us caved in." she said. "By the way you have a...little something right there." Lily said as she poked the rebar in his side.

He winced slapping her hand away.

"I would appreciate you not touching the piece of metal sticking out of me." Jessie said wincing.

"We've gotta get it out of you, we cant just leave it in there." she said looking green in the face.

"I used up most of my smoke pulling Animal out of the sky, I might not have enough to fix this." he said pointing to his new metal friend. "L wont even tell how to refill my smoke reserve either so he's completely useless"

"It might be his only bargaining chip against you right now. He still needs you to say his name for whatever reason so I doubt he's going to be any help."

"Right well for now I just have to deal, Where are the others?"

"Don't know, I just caught who I could see." She said scratching her head.

"Jessie! Lilly! Where are you?!" A familiar voice cried out.

Toby?

Jessie's eyes widened as he remembered. He turned to see Lily had come to the same realization.

"Toby!" Lily cried out.

"Where are you?!"

"Follow my voice!" Toby cried out in the darkness.

Jessie felt a hand touch his shoulder causing him to jump, jostling the rebar. He turned to see Toby pointing at his mouth then crossing his arms across his chest.

A copy?

"Hurry! We need some help over here!" Toby cried out in the distance.

Ok well that confirms that.

The copy of Toby silently took Jessie by his arm and pulled him towards the original. He groaned as they jumped over rubble and debris, pain shot his side as he ran leaving him falling slightly behind the others. He stumbled behind the copy arriving last to Toby.

The fist thing he noticed was the sheer amount of blood that pooled around the two men before him. The copy beside Jessie disappeared in a cloud of dust covering both kids. The pain in his side disappeared from his mind as he looked down at the deep gashes in Akita's chest, blood steadily pouring from the open wounds. He couldn't bring himself to move as he watched Toby sob over his body, gently shaking his shoulder.

"His spit wont heal these cuts and I don't know what to do to help!" Toby cried out in desperation.

"Please tell me your smoke can do something Jessie! Anything!"

Jessie felt shame wash over him as he stared down at Akita, it overpowered any pride he felt in taking down Animal.

"I-I don't have any left Toby, I'm sorry..." Jessie said feeling his heart break as what little color left in Toby's face faded away.

"What do you mean you don't have any left?! Don't tell me this shit Jessie! Just help him!" Toby screamed.

"Toby, he's telling you the truth. Just look at his side, if he had any left he would have healed that by now. We're sorry but we're just kids, we don't know how to help." Lily said pointing towards Jessie's side.

Toby's face hardened as he stared both of them down, a look Jessie wasn't used to. Before he could yell at them again Akita, with what little strength he had left, placed his hand on Toby's arm. Suddenly hopeful Toby clasped his hand and stared down at his husband.

"Don't take what anger you have out on them Toby, this was my decision." Akita said so weakly it brought tears to Jessie's eyes.

He could see he wasn't the only one.

"Akita don't waste your energy, we're gonna get you help. You just have to hold on, ok baby." Toby said as his tears rolled of his face onto Akitas wooden mask.

"Toby its ok. Really its going to be fine." Akita said quietly.

Turning his head towards Jessie and Lily, Akita chuckled softly.

"You just can't stop getting hurt can you Jessie." He said shocking Jessie.

"L-looks like it." Jessie said feeling a lump in his throat.

"Without any smoke you're left defenseless right? Take this, its not much but its all I can offer at the moment." Akita said as he nudged his blade towards Jessie.

He stared down at the sword as it laid bloodied by its owner, feeling an intense guilt.

"I-I can't take this, this is your sword Akita. If anyone should have it it should be Toby!" Jessie said flustered.

"Take the damn sword Jessie." Toby said annoyed. "If he wants you to have it then you have no right to refuse. Not after what he did for you."

Jessie swallowed feeling any resistance he had leave him. He bent down and took hold of the sword staining his hands with its previous owners blood. His grip tightened around the hilt as he watched Akita turn his attention to Lily.

"Thank you Lily, for saving my husband and myself. For giving us this chance to talk one last time." Akita said his voice now starting to waver.

Lily sobbed harder and grabbed onto Jessie, burying her face in his shoulder. He winced in pain inhaling sharply, despite that he wrapped his arm around her trying his best to comfort her.

"Can you help me take off my mask Toby, I'd like to look at my husband with my own eyes in my last moments." Akita said slowly.

Every word cut Jessie deeply and he knew the pain must have been indescribable for Toby. Toby slowly pulled of Akita's mask revealing his froglike features and a small smile across them.

"There you are handsome, as breathtaking as our wedding day." Akita said as his eyes grew glossy. Toby chuckled softly.

"You still leave me feeling butterflies even till this day babe." Toby said pressing his hand against Akita's Cheek.

"I'd like one last moment of privacy with my husband if you both would be so kind." Akita said softly.

Jessie nodded, pulling Lily away from the two men; as he turned away he felt Lily break from his grip and turned towards Akita.

"Thank you, for everything." She said before burying her head once more into Jessie's chest.

Taking one last look at the two Jessie felt the need to say something, anything to either one, but as he opened his mouth to speak he found himself speechless. Another wave of guilt washed over him and he turned away, leaving Toby with his dying husband.

Alone.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He can't be dead, there's no way he's dead.

Jessie thought as he paced back and forth, they had stopped to rest after walking down a dimly lit hallway. After leaving Toby and Akita behind he found it hard to stop moving, to stop feeling so guilty about getting them involved.  He was brimming with a guilty energy he had never felt before, one that left you feeling worse the longer it went on.

Something this horrible can't be happening, it's got to be a dream. A horrible depression fueled dream!

"Jessie?" Lily said concerned.

Any minute now I'll wake up and this whole thing will disappear from my memory.

"Jessie."

Now how do I force myself awake? I could hit myself hard enough in the head to shock me awake? No I have a piece of rebar in my side, if pain was gonna be the solution I'd be awake and eating C.T Crunch by now.

"Jessie!" Lily said annoyed.

Jessie turned to face her only to see her looking up at him with a pissed off look on her face.

"Yeah?" He said taking a slight step back.

"Don't ignore me here ok. You're not the only one freaking out here." She said as her face softened.

He felt his chest tighten and his guilt grew slightly.

"Sorry I-I...I'm sorry." He said.

She sat down on some debris bringing her legs to her chest. She looked up at Jessie and patted the space next to her.

"Take a seat so we can come up with a new plan." 

He rubbed the back of his head and sighed, feeling too exhausted too argue he sat down beside Lily. The cold stone floor against his skin gave him goosebumps.

"I don't know if its wise for me to come up with anymore plans Lily, the last one I had caused us to be split up from the others and not to mention... I got Akita killed." he said feeling the lump in his throat catching his words.

"Plus we don't really know if any of the others made it either." she said bluntly.

"God I really got us into a whole new world of problems didn't I?" he said.

"Yeah you did, but that's not what matters right now." she said poking his face. "What matters is what you're gonna do to set this right."

He blinked surprised by her words and took hold of her hand.

"I appreciate what you're trying to do here Lily but I'm not sure there is anything I can do to fix this." he dropped her hand to the ground.

"Hey Loverboy, I get you're feeling really gloomy right now and rightfully so but you cant shut down on me here. We have too many people relying on us to get this done." she said annoyed.

"You think I don't know that? That's the only thing that's been keeping me going since we started. I promised I would keep Mia safe and not only have I let her down, I ruined what looked like the healthiest marriage I've ever seen!" Jessie said feeling his anger rise.

Lily stared back at Jessie surprised to hear him yell at her, it left him feeling his anger was unjustified. As he started to apologize he was interrupted by Lily pulled her hand back and slapped him across his face.

"What the hell as that for!" He yelled feeling all guilt for raising his voice disappear.

"I didn't appreciate you yelling at me when all I was doing was try to comfort you." Lily said satisfied.

"Oh was that what you were doing? Trying to comfort me? No wonder it didn't work, considering how shit you are at it." he said massaging his cheek.

He looked up to see her face red with anger and watched as she reeled back her fist. He winced as she brought her fist down hitting the top of his head.

"Stop hitting me! God why do all the women in my life beat me?" He said as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Have you ever stepped back to think it's because you're a selfish Asshole!" Lily said as she stood up from her seat. He watched as she stormed off down the hallway feeling his frustrations rise.

"Where are you going Lily?! You can't just leave us behind!" Jessie cried out.

"Somewhere where you aren't!" She replied.

Jessie sighed and he tried to stand to go after her an intense pain shot through his side. He stumbled into the wall beside him, catching himself before he could fall.

Damn rebar!

He looked back up to see Lily's silhouette at the end of the hall growing smaller.