Author's Note: And now we have reached the ending chapter. In my earlier draft, I thanked all of my reviewers, so I'd like to keep that intact as a note. If you've been reading this story, I'd love a review or some sort of feedback of what you thought of it. I'd also like to leave the door open for a sequel to this I've been thinking of so far called, "The New Life", but I can't make any promises. Once again, thanks for reading!

*S. Snowflake.

The Sun Will Rise

"I know that the night must end

And that the sun will rise

And I'll hear your voice deep inside."

–The Lion King

As the night grew cold some two weeks later, La Vita Nuova came ashore with its four passengers. The little rag dolls were all tired from their journey and decided to find shelter wherever they could. The exhaustion of continuous travel was setting in and made them all anxious to settle somewhere at east for a while. While the warrior 7 had wanted to see the world for herself, this journey was taking it out of her. Even the youthful twins seemed a bit off in their behavior.

Their leader 9 was not helping the situation. Ever since they had found the bloody battlefield, the youngest stitchpunk had not been the same. He was distant now, rarely speaking to anyone unless he had to, as if he were thinking about everything all at once. It did not take long for 3 and 4 to lose a little of their spirit too. 7, however, tried to maintain a positive attitude when she went out to scout each new area. The twins appeared to appreciate it, but 9 simply stayed locked in his pain even when 7 tried to be affectionate toward him. When 7 saw someone she cared about in so much pain, it hurt her too, as if she had been wounded in her chest by a beast.

One night, when she and 9 were awake past the twins' bedtime, 7 saw something move out of the corner of her eye. She gasped just before she recognized the movement as a moth, fluttering around near them. The insect meant them no harm; it just flapped its oval-marked wings as it watched the glow of their fire. It made 7 smile.

7 tried to get just a little closer to 9 as the moth moved about their camp, flickering its antennae.

"Isn't she beautiful, Nine?" she asked.

9 barely looked up from his spot. "Yeah…"

"Oh, come on, Nine. You have to at least look at how she's flapping her wings like that."

"It's not like we haven't seen moths before."

"But not this close up."

Just as 7 had said that, the insect fluttered up right by the two stitchpunks' faces, likely trying to understand if they were a friend or a predator. 7 laughed as the wings tickled her cheeks. 9 hesitated but eventually made a small chuckle when the wings touched the top of his head. Just as soon as the night angel had left though, 9's frown reappeared. 7 noticed it right away and sighed.

"What's wrong with you?" she finally asked him. "You're not acting like yourself."

9 shook his head. "I've changed."

"No, you haven't, Nine. I know you, and it would take a lot more than what we saw to change you like this. You just aren't thinking clearly."

9 glared at the female stitchpunk. "You're wrong, Seven! I wasn't thinking clearly before all this! When I saw that, I remembered…I remembered…" Then he stopped and looked away, shutting his eyes at what he was thinking of.

7 might have retaliated, but then recognized 9's hiding as his form of guilt. "You didn't know that they would die," she said softly, reaching out and holding him in her soft, canvas arms. "It wasn't your fault. I know that. Don't you know that?" He did not answer her. "You've thought of them a lot, haven't you?"

9 nodded. "More than you could ever guess. I feel like they've guided us through this journey all along, but now… I don't know."

7 turned 9's face toward her and made him look into her optics. Again, he could almost see part of her soul within, flickering with the flames of the fire.

"They have been with us, in you."

He looked back at her, puzzled, before she explained.

"I know that they've been here too, and they've helped you to guide us there. I see little bits and pieces of them in you." 7 stopped when she felt a bit too emotional for her comfort. She would not let herself break down. "Be strong like I know you are," was what she told 9 before she went off to bed alone.

As 9 looked up into the stars that night, he tried again to ask the deceased stitchpunks for help. He knew nothing of how to summon their strength at will, but he felt that he had to try it. And though the night never answered him aloud, the love of his family both alive and dead gave 9 more strength than he had felt in days. As he fell asleep, he heard some words that had been spoken not so very long ago…

"These ruins are full of riches…"

"You're with us. I never expected to see another one."

"We need to protect ourselves. Too many of us have already been lost."

"Two would be impressed…"

"What were you thinking?"

"Go back… to the source!"

"Sometimes, one must be sacrificed…"

"They're trapped inside!"

"You are all the pieces of my soul…"

"…What happens next?"

It was quite foggy the next morning. The four travelers could hardly navigate with the bad conditions, but they slowly pressed on through the river. The water was calm enough to allow them smooth sailing, so only 3 had to steer them through. 7 stood at the end of the ship, trying to scan the cloudy span ahead.

"How far do you think we've gone?" 9 asked 4, thinking that she probably would have a good judgment of the distance they'd traveled.

The hooded stitchpunk retrieved a map from the cargo hold and showed it to him.

9 scratched his head. The distance they had traveled was not even close to how far human beings traveled when they explored. Then again, he knew that humans had done everything on a significantly larger scale than they could simply because they were several times their size. Besides, this shallow river probably had not been sailed by many humans, so there was no way of telling how far it reached.

Then the boat jerked to a halt and sent everyone aboard back an inch or two. The four of them regained their footing and 7 tried to find the snag that had caught them by leaning over the hull. 4 jumped up to look with her, but 3 pulled his sister back quickly.

I think you've had enough water, Clark, 3 clicked.

4 glared at her twin. If you call me Clark one more time today…

Sorry, 3 apologized.

"-See anything?" 9 asked 7 meanwhile.

7 concentrated on what she was looking at. "No, but I know that we're snagged on something." She looked to the nearby shore. "I'll steer us to the side and we'll pull her ashore."

"Good idea," 9 agreed and turned around to the twins. "Come on, you two."

7, 9, 3, and 4 worked together as a unit. They had the boat ashore in little time at all, though the boat was now leaking and 3 and 4 rapidly fetched their precious books and papers from the cargo hold. As it turned out, the ship had snagged on the sunken branches of an old oak tree. 9 saw that a hole had been taken out by one of the branches. He knew that they would have to stay in that spot for a day at least to complete repairs. For once, 9 hoped that there might be ruins nearby, for they would be rich with supplies.

7 also comprehended the magnitude of the situation. "The twins and I will go scout. You can stay with the boat and supplies," she said.

9 nodded and looked at the boat's problems. He heard 7's swift footsteps as well as the "swish-swish-swish" of 3 and 4 moving about in the grass as they headed off into the morning fog. Truthfully, he would not have minded scouting with the twins today or maybe just alone with 7. He had a strong urge to speak to her on friendlier terms than he had the night before.

Just as 9 had finished getting a rough measurement of the gash, he heard 7's voice calling to him through the fog. "Nine! Get over here!"

"Seven?" 9 looked around and then ran in the direction that he had seen his little family go. He called their names, trying to find them in the blinding fog. "Seven? Three? Four? Where are you?"

"We're not far," 7's nearby voice answered. "Look for the oak tree."

"The oak tree?" 9 asked and focused on the few surroundings he could see. He could make out the bow of an enormous tree ahead of him and followed it. Eventually, he could see right into the tree's great branches. He had never seen such a large and interesting tree as this one. He was so preoccupied with the tree that he bumped right into 7's back.

"Sorry," he feebly apologized, happy to see them again.

7 chuckled and had 9 follow her up to the top of a small hill. "It's fine. But, Nine, look!"

"What is it?" 9 asked before he saw the sight below them. His optics opened wide as he did so.

The fog below the hill was so thin that they could see right through it. The sun shone down into a meadow that stretched far off into a thick forest of trees. In the very hazy distance, 9 could see what remained of a village, but it mattered nothing compared to the untouched nature all around him. The meadow's grass was the brightest of bright green and wildflowers peeked out in the surprisingly fertile soil. A starling flew right over their heads, and the twins ducked for cover.

7 smiled at them. "There's nothing to be afraid of." Then she looked over at 9 who was still staring at the wonder below. "Is this what you saw?" she asked him softly.

9 nodded slowly in disbelief. "Down to the very last detail." He paused and grinned. "I guess I've got some of Six's gift in me after all."

7 held 9's hand, squeezing it tightly, before turning around to 3 and 4. "We're home."

3 and 4 processed those two words.

Home? 4 clicked.

I didn't know we were looking for one, did you?

Lewis and Clark didn't find a new home, did they?

3 smiled. I guess we're not completely like them after all, Clark.

Why you… 4 clicked and glared playfully as she chased her brother down into their new home.

7 and 9 followed the twins, laughing like children as they went. They had fulfilled the purpose of their journey now.

The four now settlers explored their new home until sunset. 7 stayed with the sleepy twins at the base of the oak tree until they dozed off from exhaustion. It pleased her to know that they would soon build a shelter here, right alongside all of this nature. Never again would she feel like a caged bird out here. The twins would probably seek out new discoveries in the forest or that nearby village, and that reassured her that they would be happily cataloging for the rest of their lives in this new home. And for all she knew, they could make the journey back to the ruins or anywhere else to find more answers if they needed to. The only one left to check on was 9.

9 was sitting on a tree branch above her. He looked like a true leader up there, watching out for all of them. It reminded her of what he had said about 1 watching them all in a tree from his dream. She knew that what she had said to him was true. He was like all of the lost ones, and yet he was uniquely 9. And she loved him for that.

"Hey," she greeted him after climbing up to him.

"Hey," 9 answered and moved over to let her sit beside him. She quickly did so and leaned against his back, feeling comfortable being alone with him.

"Seven?" 9 asked her with a hint of tiredness in his voice.

"Yes, Nine?"

He paused and said, "Thank you."

She looked over at him curiously. "For what?"

"Well, for a lot of things. I-I can't even begin to say all of it, but…"

"Go on," 7 said, nudging his arm playfully.

"Just, thanks for being there for me," 9 said and looked her straight in the eye with all honesty in his heart.

7 smiled before kissing his lips. "Anytime."

The pair of stitchpunks stayed together in the tree for the rest of the night. Their company was more peaceful than any tangible thing in the world.

The future was always uncertain for the four dolls, and yet somehow they felt that life was just a bit more complete than it had been before. The past, and all that had been lost, would never be forgotten. Rather, that was always there to remind them to keep looking onward. Only then would they find themselves with each other.

The End.