A/N: (takes deep breath) Well, here we are, the last chapter

A/N: (takes deep breath) Well, here we are, the last chapter! (tears up) I know what you guys are all wondering about: is Jojo going to be okay? Well, obviously you're going to find out in this chapter! And there's one thing that makes this chapter (besides the A/N at the end) unique. Quite a few of the chapters had a song in them…but this one has TWO! The first one is called "There is Life" from the movie Bambi 2, and the second one is "We Go On" from the "Illuminations: Reflections of Earth" show at Disney World's Epcot. I suggest playing them as those parts come! It will make it more meaningful that way! Anyway, on with the last chapter of the fic!

--

"JOJO!" everyone cried out instantly, running toward the place where he had fallen. They all had looks of worry written all over their faces, clinging to the hope that their Who friend was alright.

Vulture Vlad slowly flew over, landing right next to Jojo and looking down at him. "Hey, you beat those…" he trailed off when he saw the state that the Who was in.

"He looks like he got hurt pretty badly," Bunny Vlad whispered with concern. Morton only nodded in agreement.

Kangarro, Rudy, Ben, Sakura, and the Wikershams didn't say a word. It seemed as if there was a fragile balance that was tipping over, and everyone was too worried that it might collapse.

"Jojo?" Horton choked out, realizing just now how hurt his young friend was. "You did it, you beat Malkavar!" His eyes widened slightly in fear when Jojo didn't respond. "Jojo?" Horton gently nudged Jojo with his trunk, hoping, praying, for some response. Nothing.

"Is…" Dr. Larue was finding it difficult to speak, as she was beginning to tear up, "is his heart still beating?"

Everyone turned to Ned and Sally, the same expressions on their faces. They all shared the same fear that Dr. Larue did, but none of them dared to directly say it. Jojo had to be okay. He had to be.

Ned and Sally looked at their friends, then their son. Shaking with fear, Ned gently placed his hand over Jojo's heart. Even through Jojo's black-and-grey shirt, Ned could clearly tell that there was nothing. No heartbeat, no pulse.

Ned only could stare down at his son, numb with horror. Tears fell from his eyes, slowly at first, then faster. He turned only slightly to his friends and Sally as he shook his head. "No," he whispered in a strangled, choked cry.

Sally gasped, gripping her husband tightly as her tears fell like waterfalls. "No…Jojo…" she didn't have the emotional strength to say any more, as her and Ned both broke into heartbroken sobs. Their son, who had given up his life to save them all, was gone.

"Jojo," Horton whispered. Tears were coming to his eyes too, and he couldn't take it anymore as he collapsed to the ground. "JOJO!"

Everyone was crying now. Some, like Yummo, were trying to hold in their tears, but it didn't last long. No one was able to hold back the grief they felt over Jojo's death.

Ned and Sally gently lifted their son's lifeless form off the ground, holding him in their arms. "Oh, Jojo," Ned whispered hoarsely, stroking his son's black hair. "If only we had been faster! Then we might've…we might…" he trailed off, burying his face into his sons fur, shaking with sobs.

"Ned…" Sally was struggling to talk through her sobs, "he told me tell you…he loves you."

"I love you too, son," Ned whispered dejectedly, hoping that – somehow – Jojo was able to hear him.

Rudy hopped over and rested one hand on Ned's shoulder, and the other on Sally's. Horton rested his trunk on their shoulders as well. The Noolans were not only trying to comfort their Who friends, but each other as well.

Ben, Sakura, and Dr. Larue, followed by the other Noolans, all came over, staring helplessly at Jojo's form. They all wished there was someway they could comfort each other, but – more than anything – they all wished that Jojo were still alive.

"You…" Sakura struggled for words as she cried, "you were very brave Jojo."

"Indeed he was."

The sudden, unfamiliar voice startled the group, as everyone – painful as it was – turned their gaze from Jojo to the direction where the voice had come from. They saw a creature with the body of a cougar, large wings, and a head like a wolf. The creature was a light blue color, with green markings on his face that made his head appear light green.

"Who are you?!" Horton asked defensively, standing up and staring at the creature.

"I am Naru," the creature replied with a slight bow of his head.

Ned stared at the creature with a firm gaze, protectively holding Jojo's body. "If you've come here to…" his firm tone trailed off, replaced by a voice of anguish. "If you've come here to harm Jojo…Malkavar already did that enough!" Ned started sobbing all over again.

The creature raised a paw in a 'stop' gesture. "I mean no harm to your son. On the contrary, I have come to say that I'm sorry about his death."

"Who are you to say so?" Yummo challenged, poised for attack if this strange creature would dare come toward them aggressively.

Naru never got the chance to answer the Wickersham leader's question, for he and everyone else noticed something. The sound-light from Jojo's cry of "YOPP" had returned.

Dr. Larue's eyes widened. "I thought it faded away."

Naru shook his head. "It didn't leave. It just chased Bonewing and Shredclaw to the far reaches of Nool. They won't be coming back here anytime soon.

Sally was about to ask exactly why her son's sound-light was still there, when the others seemed to have faded, but she didn't get to. At that moment, they all heard a strange voice that almost seemed to come from around the sound energy.

Under the snow,

Beneath the frozen streams,

There is life…

You have to know,

When nature sleeps she dreams,

There is life..

And the colder the winter, the warmer the spring.

The deeper the sorrow, the more our hearts sing.

Even when you can't see it, inside everything,

There is life…

As these words were sung, images appeared to form in the sound-light. They were images of winter becoming spring; life coming back into the world. And one particular phrase of it stuck out to Ned and Sally: The deeper the sorrow, the more our hearts sing. Well, they definitely were sorrowing due to Jojo's death…did that have a connection?

The images in the sound energy then faded away as the energy began to swirl around Jojo, lifting him up into the air. As the voice continued to sing, the Noolans and Whos noticed that there was a bright golden light that seemed to come from Jojo's heart.

And there was something else that was occurring as the sound-light swirled around Jojo – his wounds were healing.

After the rain,

The sun will reappear,

There is life…

After the pain,

The joy will still be here,

There is life…

As the energy continued to swirl around Jojo, seeming to spiral into the light coming from his heart, everyone in the group gasped in astonishment. They couldn't believe it at first, but it was real: Jojo's eyes had opened.

For it's out of the darkness that we learn to see,

And out of the silence that songs come to be,

And all that we dream of awaits patiently,

There is life…

(There is)

There is life..

As the song ended, the sound energy swirled into Jojo's heart as the glowing light faded. Just as the light emitting from Jojo's heart disappeared, he was slowly lowered onto the ground. He was breathing heavily, as if he had just been running a race, but aside from that, Jojo was perfectly fine.

"JOJO!" The cry that was sounded from the Whos, Noolans, and Naru was a cry of pure ecstasy. They had all feared that Jojo was gone forever. Now, by some miracle of sound, he was alive, all traces of injuries completely gone.

Ned and Sally gripped their son in a tight bear hug. "Oh Jojo!" Sally exclaimed as she gazed at her son with a mixture of amazement, delight, and relief. Ned cried out in delight, ruffling Jojo's hair. "YOU'RE ALIVE! YOU'RE ALIVE!"

"Dad…" Jojo gasped, for Ned had tightened his grip, "I can't breathe…" He sighed good-naturedly when he realized his dad couldn't hear him over his happy cries. "Dad, you're hugging me to death! Let go!"

"Oh, sorry, Jojo!" Ned apologized, gently setting Jojo onto the ground, only to nearly be trampled by everyone else running over to Jojo.

"You did it, Jojo!" Horton exclaimed, a huge grin on his face. "You beat Malkavar!"

"Man, that was…just, wow!" Morton said, zipping up to the young Who. "I give that a 100 percent for the most awesome thing I've ever seen!"

"I second that!" Bunny Vlad added.

Jojo was practically mobbed by everyone running up to him, expressing their joy that he was alive.

"Hey, wait a minute," Horton spoke up, turning toward Naru. "Who's he? Do you know him, Jojo?"

Jojo nodded. "Yeah. That's Naru. He's my Watcher."

Dr. Larue looked from Jojo to Naru. "I had thought Watchers were just a myth!"

Naru smiled. "We're just very elusive, that's all." He noticed the confused looks of the others. "A Watcher is a creature that is assigned to a particular Who at birth."

"So Noolans don't have Watchers?" Rudy asked curiously.

"You do," Naru answered, "they just are from a different place. We do meet each other, just not very often."

"Um, Naru," Ben spoke up, "there's something that I'm wondering."

The coubier nodded, encouraging his question.

"Why…I mean, how…I mean…" Ben cleared his throat before speaking again. "Why did Jojo's sound energy stick around when all the others left? And how did it bring him back to life?"

From the looks on the faces of the others, including Jojo, everyone else had been wondering the same thing.

"This is just a theory," Naru said, "but it seems that Jojo focused what remaining energy he had at the time – every bit of his life force, in fact – on that one shout. The shout was basically what was left of his life, and that was why he died."

"Then how did he come back?" Dr. Larue asked.

"Since what remained of Jojo's life force was in that cry," Naru went on, "That sound energy that was released was, believe it or not, his life's energy; his soul, in a way. Because of that, it was able to keep a solid form, instead of fading away like the others. When Malkavar's machine was destroyed, all of Jojo's life force that Malkavar had gained power from was released. From there, with the entirety of his sound imprint intact, it was able to flow back into his body and bring him to life again, fully healed." A faint smile crossed Naru's face as he glanced at Jojo. "In a sense, sound is, quite literally, a part of Jojo's life, of his soul…of his heart."

Everyone's eyes widened in amazement. If Naru's theory was true, then Jojo had literally given up his life to save them. No wonder Jojo had such a strong attachment to sound!

"Then, that song," Jojo spoke up, "the part about 'the voice that sings inside you'…did that mean-"

"As a matter of fact, Jojo, I had absolutely no knowledge that such an event was going to occur. I thought that you were dead just as much as everyone else did." Naru padded over to Jojo and placed a paw on his shoulder. "What I was referring to in that song was the fact that you are the Speaker of Sound, and your ability to recognize sound patterns was 'the voice that sings inside you'. But after an event like that," he shook his head in wonder, "perhaps it could've meant that too."

The others started to ask what Naru meant by Jojo being the Speaker of Sound, but Ben and Sakura quickly explained it to them.

"There's still one thing I'm wondering, but this question's for Jojo." Dr. Larue turned to the adolescent Who curiously. "That thing…from your binder…"

"What…oh, you mean Symphovoice?" Jojo inquired. He saw Dr. Larue nod, and smiled. "Well, I created him as a result of experiments with sound waves and gravitational forces-"

"Don't get all technical, son," Ned warned jokingly, "or we'll never be able to understand what you're saying!"

Jojo laughed. "I created Symphovoice to analyze patterns in the sound echoes. There was a theory I was working on: that the sounds that are made never really fade away, but go across the lengths of space and time."

"I never thought about it that way," Dr. Larue said with a pondering look on her face, "but why did you want this binder to be kept safe in the first place?"

"Well, first of all," Jojo paused, "what happened right before Symphovoice came out of the binder?"

"We were running up the mountain, trying to get to you," Dr. Larue answered. "Suddenly the binder started glowing, and Horton asked why my binder was glowing."

"You guys were near a high concentration of sound energy, because Malkavar was turning mine into a type of physical energy," Jojo replied.

Dr. Larue continued. "I then told him it belongs to you, and then Symphovoice came out of the binder."

"That's the answer," Jojo explained, "I hadn't really been able to 'activate' Symphovoice yet, so I knew that binder had to be kept safe. If I had had it with me, and Malkavar got a hold of it and said it belonged to him, then Symphovoice would have been activated. My notes about Symphovoice, and my theory, are also in that binder. Malkavar could have used it to use sound waves to mind-control others and distort reality."

"Wow!" Horton exclaimed. "That's really…confusing!"

"Confusing," Ned agreed, "but amazing! We should all just have a big party!" Suddenly, Ned stopped. "Oh my gosh, the party!"

"What party?" Rudy asked.

"Jojo's birthday party!" Sally exclaimed. "We need to go back to Whoville anyway."

Ned's eyes lit up. "Oh, and we need to tell everyone what happened!" As he pressed the button to activate the screen on the Transmoporter, Symphovioce flew back into the binder, and Naru, giving Jojo a wink, disappeared.

"We did it!" Ned announced excitedly to the Whos in the observatory, "We found Jojo, and Malkavar is beaten!"

A cheer arose from every Who that was in the observatory, including the Chairman, some of the McDodd daughters, and Johnny Smooth, who shouted "Yeah!" and gave the Chairman an excited high-five.

"You are coming back to Whoville, I presume?" the Chairman eyed Ned questionably.

"We're going back right now!" Ned exclaimed, "we'll meet you there!" He turned off the screen of the Transmoporter and stepped back. "You want to do the honors, son?" He turned toward Jojo with a joyful smile on his face.

"Sure, Dad!" Jojo went over to the Transmoporter and adjusted the teleportation circle to fit everyone. With the pressing of the button, the tube extended from the Transmoprter and hovered over the group. The light extended around all of them, and they found themselves back in the observatory.

Everyone instantly crowded around the group, shouting out they joy over Malkavar's defeat and Jojo's safe return.

The Chairman's eyes widened. "You…you brought back the Larue siblings?"

Jojo nodded. "The three of us were being held captive by Malkavar."

"And here you all are, safe and sound again," the Chairman smiled. "We saw this weird colored light in the sky a short while ago," he said to the Mayor, "was that from something that happened there?"

"It was Jojo's sound energy that did it," Ned explained. "He's a hero!"

"Dad," Jojo said modestly, "I'm no hero."

"Are you kidding?!" Ned started waving his arms excitedly. "Jojo McDodd, you brought back two Whos that were kidnapped 20 years ago, you defeated the most dangerous Who we've ever known!"

The Chairman put a hand on Jojo's shoulder. "Your father is right, Jojo. And if I'm right," he looked around at the Whos and Noolans before turning to Jojo again, "we've got a birthday celebration to prepare for!"

--

It was May 16th, 11:58pm. Being Whoville Day, there had been celebrations going on for the duration of the day. Normally, the festivities would've ended at 9:00, but all of Whoville was waiting for it to turn May 17th. This included Horton and the other Noolans, who Jojo had invited to come. Just a few more minutes…

"I can't wait!" Horton exclaimed, practically hopping in anticipation, "this is going to be awesome! I mean, today's been awesome, but-"

"I get what you mean, Horton!" Ned said with a grin as he gave his friend a light punch. He looked anxiously at the clock. "10 more seconds!"

Everyone began counting down the seconds as if it were New Year's. When they finally reached zero, everyone shouted in unison. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOJO!"

Fireworks went off at that moment, and Jojo personally felt a little overwhelmed by all the attention he was getting and the presents that the others were giving him.

The Noolans, who were all able to come, had pitched in together to make a detailed map of the Jungle of Nool.

"See, I circled Mt. Nool, where we are right now," Horton explained, "then we walked around the jungle and marked the places where we usually hang out, where our Club Nool meetings are-"

"You're in the club by the way, Jojo!" Rudy piped up, handing him a wooden card inscribed with his name and the words "Honorary Member of Club Nool".

"Rudy came up with the card idea," Horton explained, smiling as he noticed Jojo admiring the card and the map. "Oh, and we also marked some particular places that," he leaned closer to Jojo and lowered his voice, "you might want to stay away from!" He nodded towards where Grim Mountain was marked on the map with a black X-shaped mark.

Jojo nodded in understanding, a grin crossing his face. "Thanks, you guys!" Jojo shared a group hug with his Noolan friends.

Jojo didn't even bother to directly comment on the presents he got from his 96 sisters – they all gave them to him at once, for the most part. However, he did notice that at least 10 of his sisters had gotten him either WhoPods or WhoPhones, and were now arguing among themselves over who got Jojo the best one.

The Larue siblings gave Jojo a book entitled The Science of Sounds.

"You don't already have that one, do you Jojo?" Sakura asked with concern. "We were all debating on whether you already have the book or not-"

"Actually," Jojo interrupted with a laugh, "I've been trying to get a hold of this book for weeks!"

Sally gave her son a few wrapped packages. Upon opening them, Jojo discovered that they were music CD's of famous musicians and composers, with a book to go along with it.

"It's for your research," Sally whispered, giving her son a small kiss on the cheek.

"Jojo?"

Jojo turned around to see his dad smiling at him, a smile of excitement and eagerness. In that moment, Jojo remembered what his dad had told him on April Fool's Day. "So, can I finally find out what my birthday surprise is?"

Ned smiled proudly down at his son. "Of course, Jojo!" He gestured over to a stage that had been placed in Whoville Square. "Look over there."

Jojo noticed that everyone had gone quiet as he went over to the stage. A Who known as Kellie Whoffey, who sang at the fireworks show in WhoCOT, was standing on the stage. When everyone quieted down, a short instrumental played before she started to sing.

With the stillness of the night,

There comes a time to understand.

To reach out, and touch tomorrow,

Take the future in our hand.

We can see a new horizon,

Built on all that we have done.

And our dreams begin another,

Thousand circles 'round the sun.

At that point, everyone joined in on the chorus.

We go on,

To the joy and through the tears.

We go on,

To discover new frontiers,

Moving on,

With the current of the years.

We go on,

Moving forward now, as one.

Moving on,

With a spirit born to run.

Ever on,

With each rising sun,

To a new day,

We go on.

We go on.

As everyone finished the song in unison, Jojo had a sudden realization. His dad had picked the song, months ago, to celebrate Jojo's coming of age. But, in a way, it also applied to what had occurred in the past week. It spoke of going "to the joy and through the tears," expressing the sorrow they had felt when he nearly had died, and their joy when he had returned to life. It also spoke of discovering new frontiers, which is precisely what had happened: the Whos went to Nool, and they all had went to Grim Mountain. The "current of the years" could be expressed as Jojo's coming of age, and learning of Whoville's past to aid the future.

And one other line stuck out to Jojo: "moving forward now as one." He looked around him, and saw that one line was true: the large and the small, young and old, Noolans and Whos – all of them were together now, singing and sharing this time together in unison.

"Happy Birthday, Jojo," Ned whispered fondly to his son, and Jojo smiled.

--

A few hours later, Whoville's loud, celebratory atmosphere had quieted down. The Noolans all had returned to Nool, and the Whos had, for the most part, gone to sleep. It was 3:00 in the morning, after all.

But there was one person in particular who was still wide awake.

Jojo sat on top of the hill where the observatory was, sighing as he gazed up at the stars. He couldn't believe it. He had brought down the rule of the most dangerous Who that the Whos had ever seen, and he was 18 now; a legal adult. He took out a small picture from his pocket - a picture of all his Noolan and Who friends. "When you get right down to it," Horton had said, "we're all family."

"Still awake, Jojo?"

Jojo jumped a little in surprise, only to turn and find that Naru was sitting next to him.

"Yeah," Jojo replied, gazing up at the stars again. "I'm just not tired."

The coubier nodded. "Actually, I have a little birthday present for you." He opened his paw and handed Jojo a small beige-colored wooden flute.

The Who took the flute in his hands, observing it, studying it. The instrument had carvings of creatures that he had never seen before.

"Go on," Naru said gently, "blow into it."

Jojo did so, and not just sound came out of the flute. A small wisp of colored light, shifting to the rhythm of the note, hovered in the air, seeming to have a life all its own, before flying through the air and fading from sight.

"Thank you, Naru," Jojo said in awe, amazed at the gift. He noticed that Naru had lifted up into the air, his bright blue wings flapping. "Will…will I ever see you again?"

A wise smile crossed Naru's face. "I have no doubt that you will, Jojo." A shining, multicolored light appeared around him. "We will meet again…you just need to keep your eyes – and ears – open."

Naru flew off into the night, leaving an aurora-like trail in his wake before seemingly vanishing into it. It was as if he had transported himself into another world, while the aurora remained.

And as Jojo fixed his gaze on the pattern of colors, and listened to the rhythm of the world's melodious song, he was sure of one thing.

Wherever he went, sound would always follow.

--

A/N: (takes a deep breath) Well, there you have it! Jojo's alive, everything is alright, and this fanfic, though I don't want to say it, is over. (plays 'Promise' song from Epcot (the one that plays right after the IllumiNations show) because it fits so well, and is a good ending song) This has been my most popular (and longest) story ever, and I really had fun writing it! And thanks to everyone Who (I had to throw that in!) reviewed! You helped keep the story going! And in cas you haven't guessed from the end of the chapter, there WILL be a sequal!

So, for the final time in this fic: Read and Review!

Take care, everyone! And remember…you can find rhythm in everything if you just learn to listen!