Ch. 20 Desicions

*The clouds had darkned and the rain poured heavily down on the Town of Elmore. In the cemetary, Tick stood over a grave. He was wearing an unbuttoned penguin tuxedo. He stared blankly at the marble slab. The rain drenched him. He stuffed his hands in his pockets.

'Was it really the right choice? Did I make a mistake?' Tick thought to himself. The rain wasn't drenching him anymore. He looked up sadly and saw Soloven holding a black umbrella over him.

"Master Tick. You will catch a cold out here." he said. Tick looked back down at the grave.

"Soloven..." Tick said. Soloven looked at the young squirrle with sad eyes. "Was it a right desicion?" Soloven closed his eyes and sighed quietly.

"The grief is strong with you. You also share his pain as well." Soloven said.

"I could have at least tried..." Tick said.

"You did." a voice said. They looked to see Gumball holding a black umbrella over his head. He was also wearing a tux. But he was wearing it casually. "You didn't try. You did. I'm sure Tin would be proud of you." Gumball said gently with a smile. Tick saw everyone had arrived. Gumball stood in front of his well dressed family. Flint, Steel, Clin and Ayann stood next to them. On the other side, Blitz was dressed in his military suite.

"We all did what we had to do." Penny said walking up next to Gumball. She dressed up in a black dress and was holding an umbrella. They all looked at Tick with kind and sympathetic eyes. Tick bowed his head. He didn't want them to see his tears. Soloven place a hand on his shoulder.

"But you were left with a tough choice." Gumball said. He looked toward Blitz. "A little too tough." Blitz gave a sad look.

"Let's not start things here. We are here to honor the dead." Blitz said. "We had to ask for your consent. I am very lucky I kept it a secret from my higher ups."

"So how is he?" Tick asked with a quivering voice. Blitz walked toward him.

"You will have to see for yourself." Blitz said.

"And we are all here to support you." Clin said. A car pulled up to them. Tick saw it was a black car. The valet stepped out and walked to the other side of the car. He opened the door and someone stepped out. Tick couldn't see the person. He only saw tha hat. The valet bowed and got into the driver seat. He started up the car and drove off. The figure was clear now. He had no umbrella. His tuxedo was already drenched with rain. He held a boquet of flowers in his hands. Tick wiped his eyes and smiled.

"I'm glad it was the right choice then..." he said. The figure walked past the group and stood in front of Tick.

"Come on. It is like I said. As long as this heart is beating, I will never leave you." the figure said. Tick wiped more tears away and saw Tin smiling to him. He shifted his feet in awkwardness. "Err... do you think she will like these?" Tin asked Tick. He held up the flowers to him. Tick smiled.

"I'm sure she will." Tick said. Tin stood next to him and looked down at the grave. The friends gathered around the grave. The thunder boomed throughout the town. The rain was still pouring. Tin knelt and placed the flowers in front of the grave. He also placed a framed picture of his father and mother together next to the flowers. The grave read the name:

Sarah Fang.

"I hope you are happy mother." Tin said. "Me and my father avenged your death. Now I hope you rest in peace." The friends bowed their head for a moment of silence.

There is too much death in the universe...

'It can't be helped. That's how life is.' Gumball said to Linel.

Limbo will rise to power... we have to think of a way to stop him...

'Sure... but not at the moment...' Gumball lowered his umbrella and let the rain hit him. He closed his eyes. 'Tin's mother. If you can hear us, please let our prayers ease your soul.' The rain had stopped hitting him. He looked next to him to see a kind and gentle sad smile from Penny. She held the umbrella over their smiled back. Gumball then looked over to Tin and Tick.

Those two have been through a lot...

'Yeah. They have only each other left now.' Gumball said sadly to Linel.

So... this is a proper funeral...

'Yours wasn't so bad. What you did was honorable not only to you, but to Victor as well.' Gumball said.

"Gumball?" Penny broke his thought process. He looked at her. "It's time to go." she said gently. Gumball nodded. Everyone was leaving. Two cars rolled up and the group got in. Gumball was about to hop into the family car, when he stopped and saw Soloven, Tick and Tin still standing over the grave. He smiled sadly at them.

"Gumball. Get in, the rain is starting to come in." Nicole said from the drivers seat.

"Sorry mom." Gumball said. He got in and closed the door.

Tin looked up at Soloven.

"Are we ready to go?" Soloven asked.

"Yeah..." Tin said. Tick stared at him. Tin then smiled and held up his prosthetic arm. "It acts like my old arm."

"We should thank Blitz then." Tick said. Tin moved his prosthetic arm.

"Blitz said not to lift anything heavy for a while. Also, I am eager to try out the components that he modified into it." Tin said smiling.

"Components?" Tick asked. Tin's fingers retreated into the arm and was replaced with a silver sharp blade. He replaced the blade with his fingers. He then held out his hand and a small but sharp blade shot out.

"Perfect for me. Don't you think?" Tin said looking out from the corner of his eyes to see Tick's reaction. Tick just smiled and held onto the sleeve of Tin's tux with his hands.

"If only things were different." Tick said.

"You did what you could. I don't blame you." Tin said ruffling Tick's head. A car horn honked.

"Masters. It is time to go!" Soloven called out. Tin looked at Tick.

"come one. Let's go home." The said.

The weather was still rainy. Gumball stared out the window. His father sat in the passenger seat, fast asleep. Darwin was also asleep. His head leaned against Gumball's shoulder. Anais was reading a book. Nicole glanced worriedly at Gumball through the rear view mirror.

"Is everything alright, sweetie?" she asked. Gumball nodded. "What's wrong?"

"It's just that... I am left with a tough choice." Gumball said. "Limbo has broken free and is plotting the demise of our universe as we speak. I have to come up with something quick." Nicole's ears drooped in sadness.

"Well... we are your family." Nicole said perking up all of sudden. "And we are willing to help you to the very end. You know that, right?" Gumball smiled.

"Yeah, I know. Thanks mom." Gumball said.

Penny stared out the window and into the cloudy sky. She in her parents car.

"So, how was your friends funeral?" Mr. Fitzgerald asked his daughter.

"It went well..." Penny said sadly.

"Is everything alright, dear?" Mrs. Fitzgerald asked.

"Yes, mom. I'm just... worried about Gumball is all." Penny said.

"What was wrong with him?" her father asked.

"Well... he was sharing his sympathy to his friend is all." she said.

"You sure he wasn't causing trouble?" Mr. Fitzgerald asked with a stern raised eyebrow.

"How could you even say such a thing!" Penny snapped. "Gumball would never cause trouble at a dear friend's funeral! You are so arrogant!" she stayed quiet the rest of the ride home. Her father glancing guiltingly at her through the rear view mirror. Mr. Fitzgerald sighed.

"You are to never sneak off like that ever again!" shouted a very angry Master Eroku. Clin sat on his knees and bowed his head in shame. "Do you realize how much worry you've caused me! I practically had the entire clan out looking for you!" Nary stood at the entrance of their home. She sighed and shook her head.

"He will never learn." she said.

"Oh, he has learned quite a lot." a voice said. She looked startled and turned to see who spoke. She then gasped, knelt and bowed. Flint and Steel exchanged glances. Ayann walked pas tthe two brothers.

"Let us speak with his father." Ayann said. Nary didn't want to disrespect the clan's honorable memebers. The three heros of their clan stood right before her. Ayann knelt and lifted Nary's head up to face her. "And stop that right now. It is very awkward." Ayann stood up and walked into the house. Flint and Steel followed her. Master Eroku was still in the middle of his lecture when he stopped and stared. He was surprised by the sight of the three young felines that had enterd his house. Ayann bowed. Flint and Steel followed suite.

"Easy there grandson." Flint said to Eroku. Master Eroku was speechless. He couldn't believe it. His ancestors were standing right in front of him. Plain as day.

"You... you are... no, it's not possible!" Eroku said.

"Geez, I hope our next generations doesn't turn into a fretting man." Flint said to Ayann. Ayann giggled and walked over to Clin. Clin looked up at them.

"Are you feeling alright?" she asked kindly. Clin nodded. She then turned to Eroku. "As you may have noticed. I am the clan's heir. And I demand that you please not strict your son so much." she said. Master Eroku bowed.

"And quit with the bowing. You look like an idiot." Steel said walking over to Clin. "Hey, champ. We are about to go out and grab some grub. Wanna come with?" he asked. Clin smiled and nodded.

"Come on then. The treat is on us." Flint said. "You two are welcome to come if you want." he said addressing the speechless Nary and Eroku. Clin made no second thought and jogged after the three felines.

"M-Master Eroku... I'm not going crazy... am I?" Nary asked still watching the felines walk down the street.

"No. It is them alright. I sensed their aura. It is the Wise Ones." Eroku said. Nary then clenched her fists.

"That lucky bastard." Nary growled.

Tin and Tick stepped out of Soloven's limo. Specter's mansion towered over them. Tin looked up at the house and sighed.

"Do you miss them?" he asked Tick. Tick looked at him confusingly, then understood what he was talking about.

"Of course. They were like family to us." Tick said. Tin nodded.

"Maybe one day. We can go back to London and see how they are doing." Tin said.

"That sound like a plan." Tick said. "But we have bigger problems to deal with." Tin sighed and nodded. The rain had stopped. The clouds dispearsed and the sun came out. It smiled down to the resident's of Elmore.

"Mother is up there somewhere. Looking out for me." Tin said to himself.

Gumball sat on his bed. He was still dressed up in his casual tuxedo. Next to him sat the gift he was supposed to give Flint and Steel. He stared at it. Then with a sigh, he opened the top of the box. Peering inside, he saw a photo. He pulled it out and studied it. His family and himself smiled back at him. Gumball smiled.

You look very happy with your family...

'Yeah... they are pretty cool. Even if they can be a pain at times.' Gumball said to Linel.

Well, I guess I have no choice but to live in your head... Is that okay?...

'Of course. You are not the first to have lived in it.' Gumball said. 'But promise you won't go through my memories. Please?'

Alright... I won't...

Gumball fell back on his bed. He stared at the bottom of the bunk bed.

'Life is starting to be complicated.' Gumball thought to himself. The image of the possessed Victor went through his mind. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine it away. But it was no use. This was a burden that was dropped onto him since the very day he saw the Relic. It was all becuase of that one piece of rock that managed to screw his life and the others he cared about. Gumball wanted his friends and family to not be a part of this. It was something dropped onto him and he was willing to carry it out by himself.

Think about it Gumball... if it wasn't for your friends to fight by your side and your family supporting you... you would have winded up dead... Or maybe worse... The universe's fate lies in your hands now... you cannot avoid the inevitable...

Gumball sighed. 'You are right, Linel. But that doesn't mean I should put them in harms way. If a blow is coming right for them, I want to be the one to jump in front and take the hit. I never wanted this to happen. But mom did say that I am not a baby anymore. I'm old enough to make my own desicions.' Gumball said to Linel.

A very mature thing to say...

'Heh, you should have seen me when I didn't come into contact with the Relic. My life was pretty amazing.' Gumball said.*

Well, what can I say? Oh yeah, thanks for reading and I want to thank damntohell29 for pointing out my mistakes (and possibly being my shadow editor .). Also I would like to say good luck to cartoonsandgames. Your new story is looking good. :) Stay strong my apprentice! (lol)

The next story will come out in May 2012. The Title... well, I'm keeping that to myself at the moment. I'm gonna leave you to decide for yourself. (no this is not an attempt to pick out a good title for my last story of the saga. I already have the title. I just want tot see you suffer. :))

Music Used (in order):

Knights in the Nightmare - Main Theme - Extended (I found this music to be appropriate for our protagonists. They are my knights in a nightmare. Also, this plays throughout the entire chapter.)