Thanks to L'Angel and Forlay for some suggesting come way neato ideas, even thought I didn't use them! But I have to give very, very special thanks to Battlecry for suggesting the one I used!! ****************************

The Pain

By: Sam

Narrated by Rachel

Chapter 1

    I was having an argument with my fellow animorphs. "Is that all you think I am??" I screamed. "A bloodthirsty demon? Someone who doesn't know personal pain? Hm?? Am I just your little killer you can call upon to you your dirty work??" Right now, looking back, I can't even remember why this argument started. But somehow, the message crept into my mind that all they needed me for was to kill. To them, I was the demon that they were all trying desperatally not to become.
    And to tell you the truth, I knew somewhere, deep down inside, there was a demon in me. And thats what scared me.
    Tobias and Cassie were trying desperatally to settle me down, while Ax was staying away. He probably figured it was 'a human matter'. Marco was attempting to make jokes, and Jake was trying to win this argument, with a stubborness that ran in our family.
    "I know theres something dark in me. I KNOW! And you know what? It scares me too! So why don't I just QUIT! I've had it. I QUIT!!" I yelled in defiance, and began to walk away.
    "Rachel!" Cassie called.
    "Let her go," Jake said in his low silky voice. The one he uses only when hes really POed.
    I stormed out of the forest and on to the street.

Chapter 2

    Thoughts were running through my mind. What did I just do? Did I make the right choice? I knew I did. I did what I wanted to do, needed to do, right? Even with these doubts running through my head, I knew I could never go back.
    Suddenly, I found myself off the street, and in space. Although, the wierd thing was, I could breathe. In a flash, I knew who did this. "Ellimist!" I hissed.
    YES, A loud voice said.
    "What do you want?" I questioned defiantally.
    YOU CANNOT LEAVE THE ANIMORPHS, He answered.
    "And why not?" I asked.
    THE WORLD NEEDS YOU. WITHOUT YOU, THE WAR WOULD BE LOST.
    "Fuck the world!" I yelled.
    YOUR FRIENDS NEED YOU, He said.
    "They don't need me! To them, I'm only a murderer who has no feelings!" I screamed in rage.
    ONE OF YOUR FRIENDS NEEDs YOU MORE THAN THE REST.
    "They can go to hell!" I replied angrily.
    I AM SORRY YOU FEEL THAT WAY, He said, and suddenly, I was no longer in space, but in a room.
    "Where am I?" I hissed.
    TO LEARN WHY ONE OF YOUR FRIENDS NEEDS YOU SO BADLY. YOU HAVE TWO DAYS.

Chapter 3

    I looked around and I didn't know where I was, or whose secret I was about to learn. Suddenly, I heard a scream from nearby. "You fucking weasel!" A gruff male voice yelled. I then heard the sound of broken glass and a shriek. "You gutless son of a bitch! Can't take pain like a man!" The gruff voice sounded again. I then heard the sound of a slap, then a punch, and the shrieking voice grew more painful.
    "You bastard!" The man screamed, but the slapping stopped. The shrieks quieted down to only sobs. A few minutes later, a little boy walked into the room I was in. He looked about ten, with dirty-blonde hair. His eyes were deep blue and filled with pain no ten-year-old should have. But that wasn't what got my attention. The boy
had 2 black eyes, as well as a smashed in nose, several bruises, and a very nasty looking cut that looked like it had been made by broken glass running down his left leg. He was crying, and I knew he was in a lot of pain.
    The boy then noticed me. He began to shake all over. "Please don't hurt me," He pleaded in such a fearful way it made me pity him so badly, and hate the person who had done this to him.
    "Shh..." I conforted, "I won't hurt you."
    He looked me over again. "I...I'm Tobias. Are you an angel? You look like one," He said softly.
    I relized with a start that this was Tobias. Tobias. This was who's secret the Ellimist was making me was learn. I felt so bad for him. He had never told us he was abused. He had had a much tougher childhood than any of us knew.
    I smiled. "No, I'm not. My name is Rachel. But I will help you," I told him.
    "How? Are you going to take me away from my uncle?" He asked hopefully. I knew that when I first met Tobias, he was living with his uncle. So I couldn't do that. "I can't," I told him. "But I can help clean you up. Do you have any ice?" I asked.
    "Yes, but if I go out there, he'll hit me again," Tobias said, eyes widening in fear at the thought.
    "OK, then we won't do that," I replied, suddenly getting an idea. "Let's go outside. We can get you cleaned up at a park somewhere," I told him.
    "I've never been to the park!" He said in boyish delight and anticipation. "But," He almost seemed to droop.
"I'd have to pass my uncle."
    "That's no problem. Does your window open?" I asked.
    "Yes! Are we going to crawl out??" He asked.
    "Uh-huh," I replied, pleasing him. He'd probably never made an escape like this before.
    "Neato!" He cried. He ran over to his dresser, pulled out an envelope, and put it in his pocket.
    "What's that?" I asked.
    "It's my money. My aunt gave it to me." He said.
    "Are you ready?" I asked.
    "Yep!" He cried.
    "OK then, lets go."

Chapter 4

I had $50 in my pocket, left over from a shopping spree before the Ellimist took me back a couple of years.
We walked to the nearest gas station, and I bought ice, plastic bags, bandages(Ace, cotton, and Band-aids), and some neosporin.
I wasn't having a hard time believing this was Tobias. I mean, it was kinda strange that I was hurled back in time, but besides the bruises and cuts, this was exactly how I would have imigianed Tobias when he was
ten. After we bought the stuff, we walked to the park.

    "Ow!" Tobias cried as I put Neosporin on his leg.
    "That's neosporin," I said. "It shouldn't hurt!"
    "I know," He said, grinning smugly.
    "Then why did you say Ow?" I asked.
    "Because!"
    "Because isn't an answer," I teased.
    "Yes it is!"
    "No it isn't!"
    "Yes it-hey, look! Ice Cream!" Tobias yelled in a total ten-year old way.
    "When was the last time you had ice cream?" I asked.
    "When I was living with my aunt," He answered.
    "And when was that?" I questioned.
    "8 months ago," He replied.
    "8 months?! C'mon, I'm buying you some ice cream!" I said.
    "I should buy," He said, grinning.
    "And why is that?" I asked him.
    "Because guys should pay on dates," He said.
    That totally cracked me up. I began laughing so hard I rolled on the ground, while Tobias looked on, most likely wondering what the matter was with me.
    "What's so funny?" He asked.
    "You," I replied, picking myself off the ground.
    I ended up buying the ice cream. He got Mint Chocolate(I learned that that was his 'absolute favoritist of all of his absolute favoritists!'), while I got Key Lime Sherbet(Which he learned was my 'Absolute favortist of all absolute favoritists!')And I spent the rest of the day hanging out with Tobias, giving him something he ovbously
didn't get alot of--not just ice cream, but fun.

Chapter 5

    At 10 the next day, I rapped softly on his window. "Tobias?" I called.
    He pulled up his wondow in enthusiam. "Hiya! What are we gonna do today?" He asked.
    "Somewhere. But before we go wherever that is, I need to check your bruises," I told him.
    "Aw," He said. "I wanna go now..." He smiled his adorable ten-year-old smile, and I laughed.
    "C'mon," I said. "We'll check them on the way," And I lifted him out of his room.
    I still had about $40, so we decided to check out the gardens.We were standing in line for the Haunted House
ride.
    "Are you sure you won't be scared?" I asked.
    "Of course not!" He said. But, of course, he ended up sitting next to me 'In case I got scared'.
    "Ever been on a roller coaster?" I asked him.
    "Nope," He replied.
    "Where have you been?" I asked. "Never ever?"
    "Never," He confirmed.
    At that point in time, I grabbed his hand, and dragged him to the nearest roller coaster.
    "Where are we going??" He asked.
    "To a roller coaster," I confirmed.
    After we got off, he wouldn't shut up about it. "That was soo neato!" He kept saying.
    Tobias was such an adorable little kid. And after we went on 2 more rides, and looked at the animals, I was reluctant to leave him. The Ellimist had said two days, and the second day was comming to a close.

Chapter 6

    I walked Tobias back to his house as the sun was setting behind us.
    "Tobias," I said, taking him by the shoulders. "I have to go now. Someday we'll meet again, but until then, promise me one thing."
    "What?" He asked.
    "You'll be strong. No matter what your uncle does to you, be strong. And don't give up. Someday you'll get away from him, so think of that day whenever he hurts you," I told him. "OK?"
    "OK,"He said solemnly. "I promise."
    I hugged him one more time. "C-ya later," I told him, and lifted him back into his room.
    "Bye Rachel!" He called, as I walked off.
    I turned around and smiled at him. "Bye Tobias!"
    I began walking aimlessly, not knowing where I was going. It was dark by the time I finally reached my destination.
    Tobias' meadow.
    Suddenly, I was back into space.
    DID YOU LEARN MUCH? The Ellimist asked.
    "Yes, I did," I replied.
    THE TOBIAS OF YOUR TIME BELIEVES THE TIME YOU SPENT WITH HIM TO BE A DREAM. A DREAM OF SOMEONE WONDERFUL, AND NOTHING MORE. BUT YOU HELPED HIM, RACHEL. YOU HELPED HIM FIND JOY AND BE STRONG. AND IMAGINE, IF YOU HELPED HIM THAT MUCH IN 2 DAYS, THINK OF HOW MUCH YOU WILL HAVE HELPED HIM BY THE TIME THE WAR IS OVER. AND RACHEL, HE HELPED YOU. AND IMAGINE, IF HE HELPED YOU THAT MUCH IN 2 DAYS, THINK OF HOW MUCH HE WILL HAVE HELPED YOU BY THE TIME THE WAR IS OVER.
    All of the sudden, I was back where I began. The sun was shining. I knew what I had to do.
    I walked back into the forest, where Jake was pacing and rubbing his forehead, and Cassie and Marco were looking generally disturbed. But most of all, there was Tobias. Tobias, who would help him get through both the bad time and the good. Tobias, who I would help to get through the bad times and the good.
    "Guys?" I asked. "I'm back."

Expolidege

    Soon after, everyone left. Except me and Tobias. I reached into my pocket and felt a ten dollar bill. What was left of the $50 I started with.
    "Hey Tobias, want to go for Ice Cream?" I asked.
    < Sure, > He replied and demorphed.
    We walked to the park together. Straight to the ice cream stand. I was about to give the guy my money, when Tobias said, "This isn't right. A guy should pay on a date." If I thought I cracked up before, I was wrong. I
luahged so hard my head hurt and I nearly fell down.
    "Are you OK Rachel?" Tobias asked, concerned.
    "I'm fine, and yes, I'm paying," I replied,between laughs. "One Mint Chocolate, and one Key Lime Sherbert,"
I said to the ice cream guy.
    Tobias gave me a look as the guy hande us our ice cream. "How did you know thats what I wanted?"
    "Becuase its your 'absolute favortist of all absolute favortists,'" I said. Tobias gave me a look I couldn't decipher.
    "C'mon," I said. "Let's sit down," I told him. We walked over to a park bench and sat down. "Tobias," I began. "Do you know why I came back?" I asked.
    "No," He replied.
    "The Ellimist. He told me you needed me. And when I wouldn't listen, the Ellimist took me back in time. To when you were ten," I said.
    He looked at me, suprised. "You mean, you were the Rachel that helped me when I was ten?" He asked. I nodded. "I've always thought it was a dream..." Hetrailed off.
    Suddenly, I knew. He knew. The time was right, the setting was right, everything was right. As we leaned in for a kiss, I could almost hear Marco yelling 'Go Xena and Bird-Boy!'. But I didn't care.
    And I kissed him.

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