AN: Sorry about the wait. School is HORRIBLE this year. Too many classes and homework and sports. I'm having some issues. But, after next month I should be able to post more often :P Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

Stefan POV

They had been searching for hours. After he'd found Elena, they had stayed on their own non-trail, still looking for his missing brother. Stefan sighed. Why was it that he always had to be the responsible one? Sometimes, he felt like the older brother. He was the one who picked up after everyone, after all. Now, his brother was utterly helpless and lost in the Old Wood, the most dangerous place in Fell's Church. Typical Damon. He would run off just to prove that he was better than they were. But, this time, he wasn't. In fact, he was worse off than any of them. He was not only human, but a new human. He had no idea how to survive. Hell, he had trouble breathing, the simplest of tasks!

"Elena, this isn't working." He looked to his fiancée. Elena grimaced and nodded solemnly. They would head back towards the others. Stefan had been receiving sound bytes from Sage for the last few hours. He'd been looking for Stefan and Elena, while the couple had been looking for Damon. All in all, it had been a wild goose chase. And, worst of all, nothing had been accomplished. Where was he?

"How is it that we can't find him? I know the Wood is huge, but I'm pretty sure we've covered most of it. It's got to be one of Shinichi's traps!" Elena exclaimed. Stefan knew she was frustrated. The tone of her voice told him just how worried she really was. That, in turn, worried him. Why was she so worried about his brother? Stefan was worried, but he was sure Damon could take care of himself. Even as a human, he was an arrogant jerk. What sort of bond had Elena and Damon created while they were in the Dark Dimension? And, most importantly, what had happened in the motel room? He still hadn't gotten an answer to that question. When he'd asked Elena, she'd merely shaken her head and told him that the story was for another time. It didn't help to calm his nerves. There was a rustle of leaves and Sage and the humans came through the trees. Elena tensed, then relaxed. Stefan grimaced.

"We've been looking everywhere for you! And, for Damon! What were you two doing?" Sage asked angrily. Stefan sighed and shook his head.

"Elena snuck off to follow her instincts and I followed. We don't think Damon would stay on the path. So, we went off of the path. Now, Elena thinks he fell into one of Shinichi's traps." Stefan was grim. If, in fact, Damon had fallen into a trap, it would be nearly impossible to free him. In his peripheral vision, Stefan saw Elena finger something in her pocket. He looked at her questioningly.

"Misao's star ball." Came Elena's thought-message. It was strange now, that she could hear his thoughts. He wondered if she'd caught him worrying over her relationship with is brother. Was there something going on between them?

*Somewhere Else*

Damon POV

Damon struggled uselessly. He'd been at it for hours and nothing had changed. Literally, nothing. He was still in the concrete room, he was still hungry, and he was still extremely pissed off. Just to blow off some steam, Damon screamed. It was a loud, angry sort of scream. He hoped it would frighten someone. Though, it was unlikely. He wasn't very frightening anymore. In fact, he wasn't sure he'd be able to frighten a kitten these days. Damon flopped back in the chair. Well, half-flopped. It wasn't exactly possible to flop anywhere while chained to a chair. The backs of his thighs were starting to lose feeling. The chair was rather hard and uncomfortable. And, he was still so confused. What could Shinichi want with him? And, where had he gone? Damon hadn't seen, nor heard, from the kitsune since his last visit. Now, that could've been days, hours, even minutes ago. There was no way to know in this windowless room. He felt as if he'd been in the room for all of eternity. Though, that was impossible because he was still the same. He wished he were able to move his hands. His nose itched. But, he knew it wasn't possible. His hands were stuck in his lap. He laughed. How awkward.

Damon didn't know which way was up, down, left, or right. Everything in the room looked the same. The ceiling looked like the floor and the walls looked like the ceiling. His stomach growled again. It had been going on for ages. Damon didn't know exactly how long, of course, because of his current position. Maybe he could annoy his way out of the chains.

"Hey! I'm hungry! If you want to use me, you're going to have to feed me!" Damon called to no one in particular. He got no response. Fine. If they wanted to kill him, he didn't mind. If they ended it for him, he wouldn't have to live out one lifetime as a human and grow old and die. And, he wouldn't have to do anything for them if he was dead. Somehow, he knew they wouldn't let him die. For some reason, Shinichi was relying on him. Damon wished he knew why. If he did, he might figure out a way to screw it up.

There was movement in the corner. A flash of red. Damon laughed. It was Shinichi. He was trying to enter dramatically, but it was turning out to be quite corny. As expected, Damon felt breath on his neck. Honestly, that was the oldest trick in the book. Involuntarily, he shivered. Damon cursed his stupid human instincts. Then, he cursed Shinichi for starting this whole thing. It was his fault to begin with. Damon hoped he'd brought food. He wasn't planning on being cooperative without it. Actually, he wasn't planning on being cooperative at all. Luckily, Shinichi didn't seem to be paying attention to the thoughts in Damon's head. He appeared in front of the chair with something that looked like a thick rope and…a collar? Damon began to struggle again. Oh, the irony.

"Oh, Damon, ever the fighter. It's no use, you know. You'll never break free from those chains. Not 'til I say so. And, I don't say so yet." Shinichi smiled. Then, he approached Damon, placing the collar around his neck and tightening it. There was a strange metal part that poked into his throat. Damon knew what it was, but he didn't want to think about it. Instead, he focused on biting Shinichi's hand. The kitsune hadn't been paying attention to Damon's head. He was caught off guard and let out a yelp. Damon grinned. Shinichi had loosened the chains. They fell to the floor as Damon stood.

"I'm a fighter, remember?" Shinichi pulled out a strange device and pressed a button. Too late, Damon realized what was going on. Then, there was pain as volts of electricity ran through the collar and into his neck. Damon knew no more. There was just pain. Finally, it ended and he sat up, realizing he'd been a twitching mass on the floor. Glaring at Shinichi, he stood. Then, the kitsune tied a strong rope to his collar and led him out of the room. It was humiliating. Damon felt his face redden, in both anger and embarrassment. Worse still was the fact that there were people in the hallways. It occurred to Damon that he had no idea how they'd left the room. They had been inside, then they hadn't been. It was unsettling.

They were approaching a door. Shinichi opened it and Damon gasped. Misao lay on a large bed in the center of the room. She was pale and sick-looking. That was not the most surprising thing. Damon gasped when he saw the many televisions lining the walls. Each had a picture of somewhere in Fell's Church. The kitsune twins had every shop and home under their surveillance. The only place he didn't see was the inside of the boarding house. However, on one of the screens in the Old Wood, he found something that made his blood run cold. On that television, he saw his brother, Elena, Sage, and the other humans. Surrounding them in the shrubbery, there were tons of children. Damon was sure they were all possessed and dangerous. As he watched, one of them jumped out with a stake. He was headed straight towards Stefan, whose back was still turned.

"Stefan, no!"

AN: Wow, I am mean. Another cliffie! hahaha. Aaaaanyway, let me know how you liked it, as usual. And, I'll try to get the next chapter up ASAP!