Keitaro began to regain his field of vision in a dimly lit room. After the sense of eye sight returned, the sense of physical feeling returned too. Keitaro began to feel everything all at once. He felt like he was sitting in a chair. His chest and face laid on a table, the way a student falls asleep on his desk in class. What's more, Keitaro's arms were spread out across the horizontally long table. As he tried to lift his arms, a deep pain bit down on his wrist.

Upon a now clear look, Keitaro noticed that his wrist here chained to the floor besides the desk. The cuffs connecting to his wrist had teeth as well, making struggling hurt even more. The pain wasn't just coming from his bound wrist, or from the physical battle he had hours before. Whenever Ketaro tried to sit up, a sharp stabbing pain erupted in his back just below his kidneys. After a good minute and a half of pure struggling, Keitaro let his body collapse back on the desk.

"Don't struggle, you'll only make it worse."

Keitaro recognized this voice. It was the same one he had grown to trust, to honor, to believe in, and to love at one point in his life.

"Masuka", Keitaro said as he lifted his face from the desk. "I never thought it would be you to bring all of this out."

The woman dressed in black walked out of the shadows to make an appearance. He hood was down, so he was able to see her face. The light blue eyes, the facial features, and the black silky hair were all to familiar, yet still a stranger to Keitaro. yes he recognized this person, but deep down he had no idea who this person was anymore. She was a lover of his past, but a demon of his present, and possibly the reaper of his future.

"Masuka? What happened to you?"

"I went down a different path Keitaro, that's all", Masuka said as she pulled up a chair and sat across from him in a chair.

"Why Masuka? Why?"

"You're to naive to understand Keitaro", Masuka commented. "You, the ERT, and the rest of the world are too naive."

"I-I don't understand Masuka."

"Keitaro, all that people have done up to this point have all been pointless and unbalanced. It's not their faults, it's just because of our limitations. The ERT created all those projects, project Thundebolt, project Dragon, Blaster, Venom, project Tower, Medical Net, Racer and cyber, they were all created to help improve human life. The fools were also naive, they couldn't grasp a greater picture for their uses, but Darius could."

"What exactly did he grasp", Keitaro asked as he remembered his military training to get as much intel as he could if ever captured.

"The projects shouldn't be used to improve human life, it should be used to change human life. Imagine the possibilities Keitaro, if we could get this far the way we are right now, imagine what he could do with the body of a dragon, or the ability to manipulate pure energy. The possibilities are endless."

"You can't do that", Keitaro true to reason. "You can't just take away someone's humanity!"

"We're not taking away a person's humanity, we're giving them the choice to exchange their humanity for something greater."

"A sane person would never do that", Keitaro retorted.

"And why not? You traded your humanity for the Demon Blood Marking", Masuka pointed out.

Keitaro thought about his former girlfriend's statement.

"After Draconian killed all those people you trained for power to the point of nearly destroying your body. You took it a step further by applying a demon power to your body and soul. Are you not a living, breathing example of my words."

Keitaro was speechless. Masuka was right. She was right dead on target. the woman continued her speech to really defeat Keitaro on the inside.

"We can take it a step further back. What about Naru Narusegawa? The day she pushed you away, you felt weak and insignificant. You went looking for power, the kind of power she deprived from you as you state in your own personal hell hole called Hinata Sou. She hated you Keitaro. She hated you so much, and yet you still cared for her. When you left, she realized what she had missed out on, and you realized how much better you could have been without her. That's why she tries so hard to make amends with you, and why you hesitate to get near her."

It all made sense to Keitaro now. This was why Naru had been so nice to him since he returned, why Keitaro couldn't say the three words he always wanted to say to her. he couldn't figure it out himself, yet the ghost of his past now appearing as an enemy was able to spike Keitaro's mind and figure it out for him. Keitaro lowered his head in shame. As he dropped his defenses, Masuka's gentle cupped Keitaro's cheek. His chocolate brown eyes met her light blue ones.

"Poor Keitaro, my poor Keitaro", Masuka whispered. It pains me to see you like this. To see you so beaten down, it really saddens me."

Masuka moved some of the hair out his face as she gently kissed Keitaro forehead. Unknown to him, Masuke reached into her back pocket and pulled out a small device filled with buttons.

"I wish you didn't have to suffer so much Keitaro", Masuka told him. "I want you to live a happy life without suffering...But..."

Masuka pressed one of the buttons on her small device. As she did, two spike like devices burrowed deep into Keitaro's back. There was a small wining sound from the devices, as Keitaro yelled from the pain.

...I need you to suffer for us just a little bit more", Masuka said as she tapped another button.

The wining noise from the spikes turned into a drilling sound. Even through Keitaro's shouts of agonizing pain, the sound of shredding meat and draining fluids rang through out the room. In a situation like this, Keitaro's Demon Blood Marking would reflexively awaken. As the markings began to crawl up his skin, they quickly receded.

"I don't understand. Are my powered still being affected by Viperous's poison?"

The Urashima struggled to look behind himself. Connected to his back were two drilling spikes filled with his own blood. However, connected to these drills were long tubes connected to a filter on the otherside. At te end of the filter was a glass chamber with a black ooze dripping into the container. Keitaro grunted in pain as he puzzled it all together.

So that's what's going on. She's draining my demon adrenaline."

Keitaro struggled further, but it was no good. He was chained down too tightly, and struggling only caused him more pain. As more and more of his power was being drained, Keitaro put as much power as he could into breaking out of his right hand cuff. Masuka gently placed her left hand over Keitaro's right hand.

"Please, don't fight it", Masuka said as she ignited her right hand with purple energy. "Don't make me have to hurt you."

Keitaro so badly wanted to break free of his chains, his pain, and of Masuka. However, he was too entranced by this woman. She held a special place in his heart, a place that had been shattered by another. Even now, as an enemy, Keitaro couldn't draw the strength to go against her. Listening to only her, Keitaro lowered his arm and let Masuka continue draining his powers.

Less than a minute after, the drill stopped. The metal points perfused a small stream of smoke from over work. There was even smoke coming out of Keitaro's tattoo. Keitaro's shallow breathing was ignored while Masuka retrieved the black liquid in a bottle. There wasn't much of it, probably only about nine ounces or so. As the ooze was retrieved, the blood was recycled back into Keitaro's body trough the sharp hand cuffs.

"Thank you Keitaro", Masuka said as she rubbed the back of his neck. "Now get some rest, you're gonna need it."

Keitaro'a blank expression was unchanged either from the pain, the shock, the suffering, or maybe from the fact that Keitaro believed all hope was lost.

Once again, Keitaro felt like he was going unconscious. He felt betrayed. Keitaro felt betrayed by Masuka, he felt like he betrayed himself, and he felt like he betrayed those he cared about. Most heart breaking, Keitaro felt like he betrayed his promise girl. He couldn't keep the promise to get into Tokyo U. He couldn't even keep the promise to stay alive and meet her again.

So many things stood in his way. The University test, the ERT, the death of his soldier comrades, and the events from the failed test night that put him on a different path forever. Perhaps the most damaging change to Keitaro physically was receiving the Demon Blood Marking.

Tha mark...It burned, it burned almost as much as as the drill entry wounds. Why was it burning so much? The heat began to intensify to an unbearable limit. That was until he felt something soft being placed against it. This feeling...Keitaro felt it before...More than once in his life...From where though? As he tried to place the image in his head, there was a slight cupping sound from the corner on his shoulder.

At that time, Keitaro puzzled together where an event like this once occurred for him. It was at Hinata Sou with Mutsumi when she kissed his Demon Mark. Sure enough, as Keitaro looked behind his shoulder, there was Mutsumi Otohime.

"Mutsumi", Keitaro asked.

The girl didn't say anything. She simply smiled and looked at him with as much happiness as anyone could ever see.

"I told you if it starts to hurt you more, I'll be here for you."

Right at that moment, Mutsumi pointed straight ahead. Instinctively, Keitaro followed her finger to where a new set of images appeared. Far off in the distance, were two children. It was himself and a little girl.

"Hey, that's me", Keitaro whispered in his mind.

The young Keitaro sat on the bottom of the steps leading to Hinata Sou, as the young girl placed a bandage on Keitaro's shoulder.

"Are you feeling better Keitaro", The girl asked him.

"Yes, thank you very much", The young Keitaro said as he placed his shirt back on. "What's your name?"

"I'm Mutsumi, what's yours", She replied.

"I'm Keitaro."

"Well Keitaro", The young Mutsumi said as she lifted away the neck of Keitaro's shirt to see his bandaged shoulder. "If it starts to hurt you more, I'll be here for you."

As soon as she said that, the young girl boldly, but innocently kissed Keitaro's bandage. It was coincidently the same shoulder that now had the Demon Blood Marking. To think that he would forget a moment like that, or forget that she was someone so special to him. By god, if he forgot a hidden moment with Mutsumi like this, could he have forgotten her as his promise girl?

"Mutsumi", Keitaro hesitantly asked. "Are you, are you my promise girl?"

As Keitaro received no answer, he noticed the Mutsumi right next to him was gone. The boy had no time to find his explanation when a hand suddenly jerked him away.

Young Mutsumi was pulling Keitaro along as she ran.

"Mutsumi, where are we going", Keitaro asked.

As the little girl pulled him along, Keitaro took in all the surroundings.

"Wait a minute...I know this place", Thought Keitaro. "These are the buildings near Hinata Sou."

As they ran along, the two passed by a small souvenir stand. Keitaro got a good look at themselves in the reflection. Mutsumi was still young, carrying her Lido-kun under one arm, and Keitaro's Keitaro's hand as she dragged him along. Keitaro on the other hand, was the same age as her.

"I-I'm young again?"

From out of the blue, Keitaro and Mutsumi stopped abruptly. Before them, was someone Keitaro knew all too well. This person was someone Keitaro used for as a major driving force in his life. This person was someone who he only dreamed of fully knowing. This person was someone with a face and a smile Keitaro could never forget. The astonished Keitaro watched as Mutsumi handed her precious Lido-kun to this other person.

"Here", The generous Mutsumi said as she gave the other person the squirrel. "He's all yours now, take good care of him. I have to go now, bye you two."

The boy watched as Mustumi dashed away as fast as her little feet would carry her. Keitaro reached out to Mutsumi as if he could reach her despite not moving. While Mutsumi disappeared, another small hand grabbed one of Keitaro's.

"C'mon, hurry up", A cheery voice beckoned him.

Keitaro was now being pulled up the stairs leading to Hinata Sou; And leading him all the way up the stairs, was none other than his promise girl.

The running had stopped as he and the little girl played in the sand box. Keitaro wanted to ask her so much. Like what is your name? Do you remember me? How do you know Mutsumi? Are you even real? However, Keitaro's tongue was very well caught in his throat. He didn't have the courage or the mental stability to ask her these questions.

The boy had relived this scene in his head, and his dreams, hundreds of times before. Every time it ended in sadness for him. Every time, he was left behind. Every time, he forgot her name, and every time she asked him the same question.

"Hey, did you know that if two people who love each other go to Tokyo University, they'll live happily ever after?"

Yep, that was the one. It was the same question she would ask him right before she kissed his cheek, and right before he woke up. This time, Keitaro wanted to change the way this dream would end. The thing was, he didn't have the strength to make this happen anymore. It was time he let go of this promise girl, forever.

"Promise girl", Keitaro started. "I'm sorry, but I can't do it...I can't be with you...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...I tried my best to make this fantasy real...But I wasn't strong enough..."

That was it...Keitaro had given up. He had given up on his dream, on his promise girl, and himself. Keitaro felt like he was trapped in his own personal pit of blackness with no escape.

"You know, if you believe and try hard with your heart, some fantasies come true."

The voice had changed. It changed to someone else just as familiar as the promise girl. He remembered this voice, and where Keitaro once heard these words. It was the second night Keitaro returned to Hinata Sou. He just finished watching Hinata Sou, with Naru Narusegawa. Keitaro looked back up to the one before him. It was still the promise girl, but she began to fade away.

"Don't give up Keitaro, I haven't given up On you yet Keitaro", The girl said as she continued to fade away.

"Promise girl wait", Keitaro begged. "How will I know you when I find you?!"

"Oh silly", She responded.

The promise girl began to solidify again. No, she wasn't just solidifying, she was changing. The little girl began to change into someone he still knew.

"You already know me", Said what looked like Naru Narusegawa.

Yes indeed, the promise girl was no one else in the world, but Naru herself. Keitaro looked at her in disbelief. Keitaro never even noticed how he aged along with her, or that the background changed to the balcony of Hinata Sou.

"Naru..", Keitaro shakily spoke. "It was you?...It was you all along?"

"Uh-huh", She confirmed with a giggle.

Naru took his hands in hers. They were relatively smaller than his, but a lot softer and gentler.

"Keitaro, listen to me. You can't give up yet. We all need you back. Hinata Sou needs you, the ERT needs you, the world needs you...And I need you. I need you to keep that promise you made to me all those years ago. I won't give up on you Keitaro Urashima...So long as you don't give up on me. Promise me this Keitaro?"

Keitaro looked at Naru soul to soul. She was the one who motivated him when he felt down, scolded him when he got out of line, taught him when he needed teaching, pushed him when he needed a shove, and lord him when he had no one else. How could he deny her.

"Okay", Said Keitato. "I promise, Naru. I'll keep all my promises.

Yet again, Keitaro awakened from a deep slumber. The pain returned ten fold, but Keitaro didn't care. He was as determined as ever to break free and get back to Naru. Harder and harder, Keitaro pulled at the chains holding his wrist down. The blood seeped out at an alarming rate, but that wasn't on Keitaro's mind. The only things on Keitaro's mind were to escape, and see Naru again.

Pushing through the pain and suffering, Naru broke one of the chains. It was easier to pull off the second one with both hands. Not wen caring about the drills, Keiraro bolted for the door. However, because he neglected to carefully remove the devices from his back, two things occurred. One, was that a strong tearing feeling exploded in his back, along with much blood. The second thing, was the sirens of an escaped subject alerted everyone in the base.

A god awful siren buzzed through out the halls yelling, "Alert! Primary experimental subject is loose! Please escort subject back to containment center at once!" Faster and Faster Keitaro ran down the light blue lit halls. The noise of clanking metal echoes over the sirens. However, these clanks weren't from Keitaro's feet tapping on the metal flooring. The noise was from the armed cyber droids heading vertically in his direction.

Before they could notice the escapee, Keitaro the three enemies and took them out with the strongest spin kick he could generate at the time. The kick successfully destroyed the cybers, but made Keitaro lose his balance. Slowly and painfully, Keitaro lifted himself from the floor, hearing the sirens and Naru's voice in a daze.

"You can't give up yet. We all need you back. Hinata Sou needs you, the ERT needs you, the world needs you...And I need you."

"Don't worry Naru", Keitaro shouted. "I'll get back to you! I promise!"

Keitaro's mind began to grow foggy again while he stepped further and further down the hallway. It was hard for Keitaro to focus on, but when he looked closer, at the end of the hall was the doorway. Where it lead to, Keitaro didn't know. If there was even the slightest chance that it lead to freedom, Keitaro was gonna take it.

"I'll get back to you", He continued as he inched his way to the door. "I'll tell you everything I feel! I'll take you in my arms! I'll kiss you! And I'll say..."

Keitaro' hand was within a four to five inch radius from the door handle. In what appeared as slow motion to Keitaro, a burst of Neon green flashed right behind him. The light didn't just flash behind him, it slammed Keitaro to the ground face first. The shock from this almighty blow dissipated the rest of Keitaro's strength.

The Urashima knew he was down for the count, but that didn't stop him from trying to move on. "I'll get back to you", Keitaro struggled. "And I'll say...I'll finally say..." With thise last words, Keitaro was defeated. He tried his best, but a surprise attack from behind from Neon was too much for the already wounded Cheetah Demon.

"Well that was no fun", Neon said as he dispersed his energy. "I was rather hoping he would put up more of a fight."

"it's surprising that he was able to make it to the front door at all", Spoke Viperous.

Neon turned to Viperous, Masuka, and three other cyber as they approached to retrieve Keitaro.

"Hmph, his lack of power is a disappointment indeed", Neon said as he looked down upon the unconscious soldier. "Masuka, it would be quite troublesome if he escaped again. Perhaps it would be wise if I cut off a leg or two, just to be safe."

As Neon ignited his hand with a highlighter energy to deamputate Keitaro, Nasuka held her own hand out, filled with purple power, to black Neon.

"Don't you dare touch him", Masuka threatened.

Neon faced Masuka with a devilish grin on his face.

"Aw I see", Neon stepped away for Masuka to reach Keitaro. "He's your toy, you apprehend him.

Masuka looked to Neon in disgust. She knew she needed to make sure Keitaro didn't escape again, and she knew Neon just wanted to see Keitaro suffer. Still, she needed to make sure the rest of them saw she was still a part of them. Masuka grudginly stood over the defenseless, and vulnerable Keitaro Urashima.

"You fool", She muttered. "You just had to make yourself suffer, didn't you?"

Masuka lifted her empowered hand over her head to prepare a limb severing blow. It appeared like there was no ray of light for Keitaro. Thankfully, a miracle happened. Something stuffed in Keitaro's pocket began to glow a bright white. As Masuka's strike drew closer and closer, the glow in his pocket immediately formed into a protective bubble. In a split second, Masuka's energy collided with the white bubble, creating a powerful kinetic force.

The power of this angelic energy threw back all of the enemies, while protecting Keitaro on the inside. Masuka was the only one now conscious, but barely.

"Th-that power", Masuka muttered. "It feels like..."

In Masuka's hazy vision, she could have sworn she saw a familiar white haired boy. He carried a sniper rifle on his back, while kneeling down to rub Keitaro's hair.

"...Angeeeel...", Masuka mentally cursed before passing out.

Within the Keitaro's felt built training room, a small laptop began making a rapid beeping noise. Crenjer dropped a small pastry from his mouth as he tended to the computer. On the screen was a grid of the city with a single glowing dot.

"You guys, I got something!"

In a moment's notice everyone, including the girls, dropped what they were doing to see what Crenjer had discovered. Shirai hooked his own laptop up to Crenjer's.

"High abnormal electricity signatures", Shirai said. "Multiple thermal readings."

After some more rapid button pressing, Shirai found a small light of hope for them.

"It's an exact match to Angel's electricity currents!"

"Even in death, that son of a gun is still watchin over us", Kitsune said through hopeful tears.

"Look, that's Keitaro's demon readings, Said Han.

Cheers went around the room, and some of them hugged each other.

"See if you can get a satellite image on that location", Tokui ordered.

Crenjer and Shirai continued to work until success. The screen transformed from a grid of the city, to an image of a sinister looking tower.

"There", Nentou pointed. "That's Project Tower."

"Is that where Keitaro is", Shinobu asked hopefully.

"That's where the readings point to", Said Haitani.

"Boys get your gear, the wings lift off in fifteen", Tokui said in a determined mode. "We're goin to war on these guys."

Now I know what you're all thinking..."Why would you put Keitaro through all that!" I wanted to have build as much hope for Keitaro as I could before bringing it all to a crash landing (I know I'm evil, sorry bout that everyone). The reason for this is to make the final showdown all the more exciting. As for the next chapters, they will be making references to earlier chapters. So you may have to go back and read the story from the beginning to get some of these references down. I guess that sums it all up for now. Hope to see you next chapter. As I wrote this chapter the song "Torn" sung by "One Direction", was buzzing through my head. Not sure why though.