Well I have written the last and final chapter. It is just in time to be a Christmas gift to you all. Please read and review, and Merry Christmas.
Xana walked into the circle of monsters and stood a meter in front of Odd. "Well feline, now you die."
The monsters fired and hundreds of lasers streaked towards Odd. Time seemed to stand perfectly still, all the times spent with his friends, all the time with Kasey, flashed before Odd's eyes. The first laser impacted him and threw him forward towards Xana who waited with an arrow pointed at Odd's heart.
Ulrich and the others burst through the door and ran over to Jeremy.
"What's going on?" Ulrich asked, panicked at the site of all the red dots.
"I think," Jeremy's words caught in his throat, "I think Odd is being killed."
A muffled whimper was heard and the others turned to see Kasey collapsed on the floor. Aelita and Yumi ran to comfort her.
"It can't be, it can't be true." Ulrich said as he watched Odd's life points start to dwindle.
Ulrich and Jeremy stood up and walked over to mourn with the others.
The pain was excruciating as the first laser hit Odd and launched him forward. Odd saw the arrow Xana was holding and made one last effort to live. Xana jabbed the arrow forward and Odd flipped up and over Xana. Landing behind him he quickly flipped around and grabbed Xana from behind dragging him down on top of him.
The other lasers caught up to their target.
"You fools, stop!" Xana shrieked as he lay pinned on top of Odd by the laser fire of his own monsters.
"Time to die Xana!" Odd screamed into his enemy's ear as he freed his right hand and placed it to Xana's head.
"Laser Arrow!" The dart shot from the glove straight into the virtual head of Xana.
Xana screamed out in pain, the first time that the virus had ever felt true pain. His body started to convulse and Odd watched in relief as the monsters around him started shooting wildly, no longer under their master's control. The air above Odd was filled with lasers for a few seconds and then the barrage started to dwindle.
"Alright, you can get off now." Odd said heaving Xana's still convulsing body off to the side.
When he stood up a laser flew past his head. A lone block remained and Odd quickly dispatched it. Looking around Odd saw the damage done. Firing randomly the monsters had destroyed themselves.
"You…you can't leave." Xana hissed.
Odd walked over to the fallen being and knelt down beside him. "I would suggest you tell me a way out or there will be another point right into that virtual brain of yours."
Jeremy stepped away from the others to turn the computer off. "What the…!"
The others gathered around, standing all alone, with barely any life points was Odd next to a large red dot who was fading fast. Jeremy donned his headset, hoping beyond hope.
"Odd are you there?"
Odd smiled, "Yeah genius, I'm here, I'm interrogating our good friend."
The others shouted in celebration and exchanged hugs. Odd turned his attention back to Xana who was breathing rather heavily. "Now what do you say?"
"An even trade," Xana hissed, "Your life for mine."
Odd stared at the dying virus, in utter confusion, "How...how can I help you?"
"I need one life point, tell Jeremy too look at the screen there is a program running, if he selects it, I can borrow one life point."
"Jeremy Xana said…"
Jeremy cut Odd off, "I know, I know, It's your call Odd, if he tries anything, well Aelita is standing by ready to kill herself along with Xana, she has her hand on the lever and well, she's pretty pissed, we can't drag her away either."
"Typical of her," Xana coughed.
"Guys I need a vote, I'm willing to die here and take Xana with me." Odd said trying to end it once and for all.
Ulrich took the headset from Jeremy, "Odd, we don't want that, we would rather fight Xana our entire life, than lose you."
Odd wiped a tear away and told Jeremy to go ahead. Jeremy clicked on the program and leaned back in his chair hoping Xana wouldn't try something, he couldn't bare losing Aelita.
Xana convulsed once again and then stopped, lying very still on the ground. Odd just stared at him. Nothing happened.
"Get up!" Odd yelled rearing back and slapping Xana across the face.
Xana woke up, not much stronger, but alive. "Here you go." Xana hissed.
"What, you didn't do anything, I should kill…" Odd was cut off by Ulrich's cheer.
"What? What happened guys?"
Jeremy took the headset back, "Odd! Xana returned the DNA to your file, he must have had a copy and he put it in your file."
Odd looked down and saw his feet disappearing as he was being materialized.
"Till next time Xana" Odd said and then he was gone.
Lying all alone on the ground Xana closed his eyes, he had been defeated. It would take a long time for him to gain his strength back. Possibly months would pass before he could be strong enough to attack again. He let out a long groan and turned back into his mist self and disappeared back to sector five.
Odd fell out of the scanner and passed out on the cool floor. Kasey rushed to him and cradled his head in her lap, gently brushing his messy hair. "Will he be ok?" She cried.
Yumi came to her side and felt for a pulse, "Yeah, he'll be fine, his pulse is strong, he's just exhausted."
Together they carried Odd to his dorm and placed him in his bed. Kasey stayed by his side and the others went into the hall. Jeremy and Aelita headed to the cafeteria to catch a meal, leaving Yumi and Ulrich all alone.
The two stood alone in the hall for a moment, and then Ulrich put his arms gently around Yumi's waist and wrapped her up in a kiss. The two stayed like that for many minutes finally breaking for air.
"Do you want to come home with me and have dinner?" Yumi asked.
"I'd love too, let me check on Odd real quick." Ulrich opened the door and Kasey looked up.
"Yumi and I are going to go eat, do you want to come or do you need us to stay?"
Kasey smiled, "No, we'll be fine, I'm…I just want to be with Odd."
The two walked out of the dorm and headed to Yumi's.
"Oh…my head feels like I didn't make it through the first round." Odd groaned.
Kasey gently kissed his head, "You won the fight, dear, you won."
Odd sat up and stared into Kasey's beautiful eyes. He smiled.
"What you smiling about?" Kasey asked.
"I'm happy," Odd said, "You're with me."
Kasey moved closer and the two held each other for a while until they both fell asleep. The rested peacefully like that until the others woke them up the next morning.
"Oh it's so early why did you…" Odd started to say and then he realized how hungry he was. He quickly grabbed Kasey's hand and ran for the cafeteria.
"Well I've never seen anyone eat so much." Aelita gasped.
Everyone laughed, and Odd kept stuffing his face. Odd had hisfriends, his favorite hobby and Kasey; life couldn't be better.
Well I hope you enjoyed this story, I am so thankful to all the faithful who reviewed. I hope you will please review and let me know what you thought. Just to give everyone a heads up on my next story this is the plan. I'm going to write a sequel with these characters, but it's going to be a few years later when they are 18-19. It will be a war/romance story. If you are wondering what happens inbetween, I'm giving permission to Dark Reb to use the characters since he asked to write a sequel. I haven't finalized the plan so I don't know if he will write a inbetween story or just a spinoff, but you might check that out too, I like his work and trust he'll do a good job. This will allow me to focus on the war story, something I've really wanted to do since early September. Hope you all enjoyed the story and please review, I love it when you review. LOL Merrry Christmas everyone. Oh and the new story should have the first chapter in about a week. Thanks again.