Fight of Doubt.

In the late evening, hours after the operation was done, the group all Lan and his crew all stood around the boy's bedside. None knew what to say, but felt to stay there for the for goodness' sake. Mayl broke the silence.

"He doesn't seem evil now. He looks like his in pain."

Chaud nodded, "His having a nightmare, the lids of his eyes are twitching at a rapid tempo, meaning his dreaming something with a lot of action."

Dex then added his two cents, "Most kids do some bad stuff because they have a bad life. I should know, I've acted like jerk since my parents got divorced and me and my baby brother had to spilt. But now I-" Lan was surprise.

"I didn't know you had a baby brother, Dex?"

"What do mean 'had!' I still get to talk to him over the net!"

The door to the room then open and man in labcoat, which covered an orange shirt with Lan's symbol on the pocket. The man spotted the young the Netbattler and ran up to him

"LAN! I came as soon as I heard! Are you alright? What about Megaman?"

"We're fine, Dad. We both of us came out in one piece."

"What do you mean 'Both of Us?' If your gonna hog all the credit when we help you, then don't expect it again, Lan!"

"I'm just meant our health, Yai."

Lan's dad then took noticed of Sean. "So… the head of Gospel was this child? He looks familiar."

"His name is Sean Obihiro. I know because I've read his journal."

"LAN! I'm surprise at you, you shouldn't read through- did you say 'Sean Obihiro?'"

"Yea,"

Lan's father took a good look at Sean and muttered under his breath, "It can't be him… Lan, what else did the journal say?"

Lan was taken back by his father's change of heart of the journal, "Well… his parents died in that plane crash a few years back."

"Lan, this boy who meet at the funeral of the victims of the crash."

"W-what? But this kid is totally different! He has grey hair and red eyes while-"

"DING-DONG-DING!" rang on the hospital's intercom, "Visitors hours are now over."

"Well," sighed Mr. Hikari, "I'll explain it in the morning at Sci-Lab. Today has been TOO long for anyone."

Lan nodded in agreement, "Your right, Dad. I'm really bushed. I wonder what Mom is making?"

And so, the visitors left the room. Lan was the last, taking one last look at the former head of Gospel before leaving the room. And as soon the burnet walker out, He saw Inspector Oda enter a nearby patient room. He stopped to wonder what was the officer was up to until his friends called from the elevator.

Inspector Oda slowly close the door behind him, taking a quick surveillance of the hallway from the crack in the door before its lock slowly click into the border. He then respectful put his hat off and placed it over his heart.

"Mamoru?" he spoke.

In the hospital, a young boy with messy dull brown hair awoke from his bed, "Inspector Oda? What brings you here?"

"It turns out that head of Gospel is really a kid. He took a lot of radiation from his little experiment in Kotobuki, so he needed medical attention; that's when the doctors found IT."

"It?"

"According to cat-scans, the boy has been exposed to more than electromagnetic radiation. He was under the influence of Dark Chip Energy."

"Dark Chips?"

"Their new to the streets, only a handful of cases have been reported in. the Dark Chips have the ability to provoke the wrath in Navis, making them loose common sense and more 'edgy' in battle. And that fits the kid's story to the letter. From his background this Sean Obihiro has vanished, shortly before his caretaker, one Dr. Regal, left and moved out of Netopia."

"What does this has to with the Undernet?"

"Just assignment for the strongest Navi there."

"And what do you want Serenade to do?"

"In an attempt to under the energy wavelength, we found a coded message, which said of Gospel's plans fails, a command would be sent out to stop all bodily functions in an instant. Another thing is: according to our research, the kid should be six-feet under by now."

"How is he still alive?"

"That why Serenade is needed. We need a specialist who can 'tap' into the forces of hearts and so on."

"I understand." Mamoru then pulled out a solid gold PET, switched off, from under his bed mattress and handed to the old Net Officer.

"Thank you," the Inspector said as he put his hat back on and headed back at the door, "Oh, I hope you get well, too."

Marmoru half-heartily sighed "Hope is all I can do." He then laid his head down and returned to sleep.

000

Sean sat on the floor in the hallway, pondering out loud at what just happen to him.

"I don't really know what's going on but one thing is for sure: that guy wants to take me out. That 'trail' was nothing more than a trap, but one thing still bothers me: If the door I just came out of was my memories, then what's the other door?"

And, on cue, the second door slid open. Sean sat there and said out flatly, "That was creepy."

And like one another cue, a belly-dancer gypsy-theme being, in a holy aura, appeared beside Sean, who then said flatly again, "And that was unexpected."

The young boy awed at the pink veils that hovered behind the back of the gypsy. She her upper body was encased in a black leotard with golden gauntlets, golden shoulder pads, and a golden helmet. She wore a pair of snow-white pants. Her dark eyes darted around, trying to find her bearings. They stopped when see lay sight on Sean.

"Hello, little one, is this your heart?"

"Umm… I don't believe so."

The gypsy then began to walk around and taking a closer look at the surroundings.

"Hmmm… unusually barriers, even for ones who are in self-denial or blocking memories. Perhaps what Inspector Oda said is true about the boy, he may be under influence."

Sean couldn't help but overhear, "I'm may be WHAT?"

"I am examining your mental state for cases of mind control via jacking into your life-support system."

"You WHAT!"

"Complex: Yes. But with modern protocols for hospital patient security, it is mandatory procedures to have all patients' mind, heart, and bodily statistics just encase of emergency-"

The gypsy turned to speak to Sean face-to-face when she noticed the weapon his hand. She immediately rushed to the boys and pulled the blade closer to her eyes to inspect it.

"Amazing! A Keyblade! It's form is unique and I can feel a great power in it!"

"Care to fill me in, Miss…"

"Oh, my apologies. I was overtaken for the moment. I'm Serenade. Please, tell how you obtain this weapon."

"Ummm," went Sean as he pondered for a good group of words, "It was in my hand when I woke up."

"Anything beforehand?"

Sean thought and answered "Not really."

"… anything before you found yourself in this place."

"I remember… a apartment building? A kid older than me? A net-battle? A roar? I've been shown visions of my child, from a part where both my parents died, but I think they were illusions. The last REAL thing I remember is someone saying 'I promise to be your friend.' And then I woke in this crazy place."

"A 'room?'"

"I'll show what I mean."

And as the two walked where Sean was once held captive, the young boy told Serenade of what was occurred to him so far. When the two reached to the chosen area, Sean was surprise to find a dead end.

"What!" he shouted as he race to fell the wall to see if it was real, "It was right here! It was dark, cold, and-"

"Your imprisonment."

"Huh?"

"From what you have told me, Sean Obihiro, at some point in journey of life, you've indeed accepted forces of darkness, which sealed you in that door."

"So… does that mean what that guy said was true? That I'm…. only half of myself?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. The case is: Whatever you are; with you gone, that dark figure managed to take over Sean Obihiro and used his body to help form the NetMafia 'Gospel.'"

"What are you talking about?"

"It's a long story, so please sit."

Sean did was asked and he listen intensely to Serenade as she told the story of Gospel, a criminal organization whose members were made of confused individuals who lost hope in the world. Sean was taken back by stories of how a peaceful forest ranger attempted to blow-up a dam to in the name of nature, a boy hating his brother just because he had an easier life than himself after their parents divorce, and a princess of another land disgracing her bloodline and country. But what surprise Sean the most that at the head of this dark criminal-core was a young boy who lost his parents at the age of five. Himself. What farther gasped him was what was the Mafia's worst deed: a destruction of a country. Sean couldn't help but to cry out.

"What? What happen? Please tell me!"

"You hired a powerful mercenary to wipe out every Navi in Yumland's cyber-space, including the King NetNavi, leaving many people without NetNavis. There were cases of anarchy."

"Where there any deaths?"

Serenade broke eye contact with Sean. He took the hint well. He looked down at his bare hands with a bit of disgust.

"SO because of me, or a part of me, I did a lot bad- no… TERRIBLE things, things that can't ever be forgiven. How can I even stand to look at myself again?" Sean's eyes drift away from his clenched fists to his keyblade and he then noticed the inscription written inside the handle. He took a closer look to make out the words, "Once you atone of what you did, I promise to be your first friend." And as the finshed reading the last letter, Sean instantly remember being inside the apartment and being on the floor, cowering with a mixture of rage and fear. A older boy, by one year of Sean's, stood over the boy, and while Sean gave a angry glare to the older boy, he returned it with a understanding smile and open hand.

Tuning back into realty, Sean stood upright with his keyblade in grip. "Even if it wasn't me who form and ran 'Gospel,' nor will let the possibility of me being only half-a-being get in the way of what I'm going to do," Sean then lifted the keyblade to the sky, I'm going to get that dark figure and then, I shall atone for what evil has been done by the name of Sean Shun Obihiro!"

Serenade was astonished on how the boy changed from being angst to being a nobleman. She knew this boy was special. In mind and heart.

000

The dark figure stood ankle deep in water dark as dusk, watching Sean in the hallway via vid-screen. He watched as Sean and Serenade walked back to the three door lobby.

"I underestimated the boy. There is still a flicker of life in him. I hoped that seeing himself succumbing to the dark side would have caused him loose confidence in himself. I would have finished him off before, but the formation of the multi-bug-organism has somehow caused me to loose some of the dark energy in Sean's body. If I manage to weaken his consciousness, the objective will come to pass at a 87 success rate."