Hey guys! And welcome to the last chapter of Dark Connections. This is making me really sad. Lol. but seriously, my first fanfic is over!

I've had a really fun time with this story and I can't wait to write the next one! Oh yeah buddy! There's gonna be a sequel :)

Well, thanks for everything you guys! It's a short chapter but most conclusions are right? Go ahead, cherish these last words of mine XD

Thank you, thank you, thank you to every single one of you who reviewed! I wouldn't have thought that I'd get over 100 comments on my story! Just thank you all!

And some of you guys had very awesome guesses about Randy but only one of you have gotten close so far! Keep guessing if you'd like! I like seeing your ideas! :3

Chapter 21 – Heroic Farewells and Something else

(Thursday)

Nine teenagers sat at the back of New Yorker Subs. Nine people who had gone from strangers to enemies to friends in just one week. From talking then fighting then laughing now.

"That was so awesome when we took out R! His face after we kicked him into the air!" Jake commented, hopping in his chair slightly.

"Yeah, or when you guys showed up in the FAV! I was happy to see some more familiar faces." Danny said.

Randy nodded with a huge grin. "Haha! I freaking loved it when we escaped the dungeon and the little clones were so mad!"

Everyone laughed at the thought of a storming duplicate waking up to see the prisoners had escaped.

"Oh man, it's going to be so boring when we get back to Norrisville now," Howard said. "Everything is going to be a lot less action packed!"

"I'm kind of ready for less action. That's enough fighting to fill me for at least half a year." Danny replied.

"Yeah well, I'm sure you can count on somebody disturbing you when we get back," Tucker stated as he took a bite of his sandwich. "My bets are on the Box Ghost."

"There's a box ghost?" Jake questioned with disbelief in his voice. "What kind of obsession is that?"

"A very lame and obnoxious one." Danny growled.

"Maybe we'll have to go to Amity next, I'd like to meet this guy." Spud said with a chuckle.

Jazz shook her head. "Oh no you don't, He is the worst ever."

"He has to be better than McFist though."

"Who's that?" Trixie asked Randy.

"Only a filthy rich man who practically owns our town and is out to destroy the Ninja." Explained the purple haired teen.

"Oh, so he's like your version of Vlad," Sam concluded. "No, he is a lot more annoying, but we have a guy like that too."

"That's fun." Jake said.

"Not really." Danny and Randy said in unison.

A phone beeped from Howard's pocket who pulled it out and read the text message before sighing.

"We gotta go," the ginger said. "Driscoll is taking role for the trip back. Can't be late this time!"

Randy and Howard stood reluctantly, wrapping up their subs for a snack on the bus. "Thanks for everything guys," the blue eyed boy acknowledged. "It was super bruce and I had a lot of fun even though we were fighting half the time," he laughed. "I'll see you all next time hopefully, maybe we can just hang out for the heck of it."

Jake shrugged. "That would be awesome. Though I feel like we'll see you before any plans are made. Have a great trip back, and watch out for those monsters."

Danny's group stood up too. "We should probably get back to our hotel ourselves. We have to pack."

"Alright then. We'll catch you guys later." Jake, Spud, and Trixie followed the teenagers out of the restaurant, waving to them one last time before they turned the opposite way to head to the shop.

Jake busily picked up trash that littered the back room as a form of thanks to Fu for helping out many times the past week. The gray dog sat on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and watched a movie, calling out comments to the characters which made Jake chuckle quietly.

"You know it's a movie, right?"

Fu slightly turned his neck to look at Jake. "Regardless, these people are stupid. They don't seem to- ahh no don't split up! Leave the house you idiots!"

The hazel eyed boy left the canine to the movie and deposited his handful of rubbish into a trash bag before leaning down to scan the floor for any stray things. Spotting a candy wrapper under the shelf of potions, Jake crawled over to it and reached under. The teenager expected to feel the crisp plastic of the wrapper, but instead his hand brushed against something smooth and hard. Jake furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and grabbed the object along with the candy wrapper. He stood up and gazed at what he had found, absently throwing the candy package into the trash bag.

The object was a gem of some kind that was black with a transparent middle and slight red at the very center. The boy held it up to the light to get a better view where the stone then sparkled. Sitting down at the table, he rolled the oval stone between his hands. It gave him a weird feeling that felt familiar. It was cold on the outside but hot in the middle, and in some places it would shock Jake's hand. It got Jake thinking about the past days. Above all though, it made the dragon hero feel powerful despite how small it appeared.

I wonder where this came from…? He thought silently. It just feels so familiar.

Jake glanced at Fu cautiously then he slipped the gemstone into his pocket. He would check it out later when no one was around. Perhaps they had missed something important during the week.

Jake quietly stood and picked up the black trash bag before he opened the back door and slipped out. He strode over to the dumpster and threw the lid up then chucked the bag inside. Jake looked up at the clear night sky and took a breath.

I wonder what happened to Vureem? He did go into the Sphere right? But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that he had been so caught up in Randy that he had never actually seen the dragon hybrid go back into the Sphere like the rest of the Dark Mist.

I shouldn't worry. He was the controller of the mist, of course he would go back to the ball. I just… have a hunch that I'll see him a lot sooner than I would think. And Randy… He was dead. I don't think he just came back to life for no reason, especially since his eye color seemed different. Dang it Vureem, I think you've accomplished what you wanted.

Jake shook his head and tore his gaze away from the sky, climbing back into the shop and locking the doors. But he missed something at the end of the alley. Something that may have given him answers to his thoughts.

Though the alley was pure silent, several objects stood at the end. No, it couldn't be objects. For in the dark shadows, four pairs of blood red eyes gazed out at the shop, casting a ruby glow. And for just a second, a pure white, toothy smile appeared before a gust of wind passed. Then they were gone.

Well that's it! Dark Connections is finished! I hope you guys enjoyed this story, and I'll see you all on the next one!

Finished 01/06/14