Well… hello everyone. D Please don't kill me… I know it's been a long time, but I was thinking about what I originally had planned for this ending and I got a plot bunny that won't go away. So, it's not going to be as long as I'd originally intended (47-50 chapters) but I do plan on finishing it before I go back to school in September. There will only be probably 4-5 more chapters, and they'll more than likely be shorter than the last few have been, but it's an ending, right?

Without further ado, the moment you've all been waiting 2+ years for… chapter 38 of Kiss Me, Kill Me…

…

The sand from the explosion blanketed the area in a half mile radius. Dark pulled Jak and Daxter back behind the small cluster of trees, holding onto Daxter to keep him from flying away in the overpowering wind. His other hand clamped over Jak's mouth, keeping him from literally drowning in the sand as he clawed and yelled, trying to get to Torn. It took a few minutes for the shockwave from the explosion to subside and for the dust to settle, and as soon as it did, Jak was gone.

Finding Torn in the midst of the scattered debris wasn't an easy task, but the adrenaline in Jak's system helped speed up the process. The door to the Marauder's hideout had come off right behind Torn, propelling him into the sand then providing cover from the shockwave and sand.

"Torn!" Jak called, flipping debris and twisted metal over until he came across the door with Torn underneath. A panicked look twisted Jak's features as he looked down at the man curled up in the sand. Torn was bleeding from a shallow gash on the back of his head where the metal door had cut him. That on top of his weakness was not a good sign.

"Dark! Daxter! Help me get him out of here!" Still weak himself, Jak could barely move Torn's dead weight.

"Move, Jak." Dark demanded, shouldering him out of the way. Without much effort at all, he lifted Torn out of the shallow niche and carried him to the shade underneath the trees, resting him on his back.

Jak and Daxter sat off to the side, watching somewhat nervously as Dark tended to Torn with surprising skill and ease. Daxter noticed how anxious his friend looked, but decided not to say anything because Jak could be irritable when upset.

"Well, he's alive. He's breathing and his heartbeat is weak, but steady." Dark turned to Jak. "There's fresh water around here. I can smell it. We'll need to get as much as we can. I'll fix him up, you go find something to carry the water." Jak nodded and he and Daxter headed back toward the ruined hideout.

As they dug around in the sand for a suitable water container, Daxter watched Dark with Torn out of his peripheral vision. Standing in one place too long, however, proved to be a bad idea as Jak tripped over him and did a wonderful impersonation of an ostrich with it's head in the sand.

"Daxter..!" Jak growled, moving to sit in the sand, rubbing his forehead and brushing the dirt from his hair.

"Sorry, Jak." Daxter laughed nervously, taking a few steps back.

"What're you just standing around for! Let's get out of here!" Jak snorted, standing and continuing to search through the rubble.

"I was just thinking… don't you wonder why demon boy over there is helping us? Not that he didn't when he was still, well… a part of you, but I mean… he's different now. I kind of expected him to be all raging mad like he usually is, you know?"

Jak paused, turning to look at Daxter, then at Dark. "I don't know, Dax. Maybe because he only ever had control of me when I was angry… now that he has his own body, he doesn't have that limitation." He shrugged now, focusing back on the task at hand. "He's not hurting us because he doesn't see us as enemies."

"That makes sense… I guess…" Daxter trailed off before returning to his previous task, unable to stop himself from watching Dark regardless.

After about an hour had passed and Jak and Daxter had combed through most of the rubble, Dark called them to leave. "We need to find the water before nightfall. We shouldn't be out wandering around then." He paused to sniff the air, then turned, swinging Torn up onto a leaper lizard before climbing up himself to hold on to him. "Let's go."

Now that he didn't have anything to do but let his lizard follow Dark's, Jak let his mind wander to Daxter's question. Why was his dark half being helpful? The only thing he'd ever felt from his dark side was anger. It could be the idea that the enemy of an enemy is a friend, but then why would he continue to help even after Gol, Maia and Tatiana were dead? Jak glanced up, watching Dark, as if studying the back of his head would give him an answer. They needed to figure out his motives.

They found a small oasis just as the sun was going down. Dark began constructing a small lean-to out of tree branches and palm leaves he pulled down from the trees. Jak and Daxter filled up their makeshift canteens before diving in the cool water to wash off. Torn was still unconscious, even after they had taken turns splashing him with water, so Jak settled for finding suitable wood for a campfire.

…

It was nearly midnight and no one could sleep. They sat around the campfire listlessly, Jak prodding at the embers and Dark looking off into the distance. The silence didn't last much longer, however. A slight breeze blew over their camp site and Dark was on his feet, leaning into the wind and sniffing, a look of deep concentration on his face.

"Uh, Dark… what is it, buddy?" Daxter asked, ever nervous around the eco demon.

"I can smell it…"

"Sorry, but we didn't exactly have perfumed water to bathe in, yanno." Daxter quipped in his usual sarcastic tone.

Dark growled and rounded on him. "Not that you little furball! Light eco. I can smell it." He stood up again, turning back to face into the wind. "We're getting close."

…

Eheh… I know you all hate me because this is so short, but I'm writing more as we speak. I just wanted to see if updating would get any response at all. Leave a review to let me know I still have readers! Thanks everyone.

Peace out.