Author's Note:

Hello there! Yeah... I know. "What took you so god damn long?" Well, I got VERY side-tracked in the chatrooms of SF. What can I say? I love drama... to an extent. This reminds me... the ending for the last chapter was weird I know, allow me to explain. You see, in my past as a writer, back when I was still in high school, I wrote my first story. It was epic to my friends at the time despite it being ripped off of Naruto and other various animes and video games. The main character was a human, me, as in the author of this story, Dragon Storm. So I figured I'd test for myself, in character, just how strong Rio really is? Well, enough of my rambling, let's finally read what happens next!! Enjoy! ^.=.^

SoFurry Cast

DS-Rio: http://ds-rio.sofurry.com/

A Soviet Dragon: http://a-soviet-dragon.sofurry.com/

Yun95: http://yun95.sofurry.com/

Eveser: http://eveser.sofurry.com/

Naraku: http://naraku.sofurry.com/

Aresues: http://aresues.sofurry.com/

J_ocelot:[http://j\_ocelot.sofurry.com/](/)

ASCII Artwork:

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I do not take credit for this artwork.

-PREVIOUSLY ON DRAGON STORM-

Now let's take a look to where Rio did go. Where has our hero gone where no one else could go? While May and Ben saved Rio and escorted him to Lazz, Rio was knocked out and dieing slowly. He was beginning to enter the place they called hell. The more time that passed by the deeper in hell Rio went.

"Ughh.. arg... where am I?" Rio asked as he got up.

Rio had awakened in the weirdest place ever imaginable. He was not wounded anymore from his earlier battle with General Andal. Rio found himself waking up in a dark place. It gave off a creepy feeling and yet one that felt as though he had been there before. Rio looked around as he slowly got up from being passed out and patted himself off. He saw an endlessly ocean before him that had a few waves hurling toward the shore's soft black sands. The water would glow because of the silver moons moonlight that brightened up the dark gray sky above him. There were leafless trees that looked wicked with the branches going off in odd angles. Was this hell? Had Rio really died? There was no sign of live other then himself and there was no sounds being made save for the waves that splashed the shore gently. The light gust of wind felt nice to Rio, he figured if this place was going to be his hell, it would be a peaceful one that he would come to enjoy.

"So... this is how my story ends, huh?" Rio said, as he remained motionless for a few seconds before twitching his ears at a sound.

"Man, he could lighten up, geez. I only want to get stronger to protect the damn team anyway! Master... sometimes you- hm?"

Rio turned around slowly and his eyes widened in shock. He wasn't alone after all. There was someone else here in this newfound hell with him. A human with shaggy black hair and a dark tan skin color, he was holding a blade that emitted some kind of blue-ish energy, which only reflected from his glasses. His baggy clothes were of Rio's liking, black pants and a red baggy shirt, a pair of black gloves and a pair of black socks and new balanced shoes.

"Oh great... another one of William's henchmen I take it? No, you are different... wait. What are you? Can it be? A dragon? Here? Man, this is freakier then that crunch bar dream I had. By the way... who are you?" The human said in a firm tone while pushing his glasses up with his right index finger.

"What is going on here...?" Rio asked himself as he watched the human point his energy sword at him in a threatening manner.

I have added an Opening scene to go with the song for this section of the story. Enjoy! ^^

Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gL2SLoZvSEw&feature=related

OPENING#4: Closer!

"The things closest to you,

You need to always pay the most attention to,

If you get too close to something,

You'll lose sight of it"

" What in the world is the happiness?

That you gained from your newest experience?

Maybe you're just too blessed, to remember!

That you're here, that you're breathing,

Realize that it is, just a miracle in itself"

"The things closest to you,

You need to always pay the most attention to,

If you get too close to something,

You'll lose sight of it"

"You know the closer you get to something,

The tougher it is to see it,

And I'll never take it for granted,

Let's go!"

"Though there are people that say,

Helping someone is hypocritical,

Each person,

Can be trusted or can be doubted, so...

Let's say that,

Even if you are hypocritical,

If you saved someone because of it,

That would be real more than anything."

"Continue chasing after your dreams"

And...

"Go on without giving up"

"The more you say pretty things like that,

The less that actually gets done,

I'll keep a handful of courage in my heart,

To use to live through tomorrow,

And I'll never take it for granted,

Let's go!"

"The things closest to you,

You need to always pay the most attention to,

If you get too close to something,

You'll lose sight of it"

"You know the closer you get to something,

The tougher it is to see it,

And I'll never take it for granted"

"Continue chasing after your dreams"

And...

"Go on without giving up"

"The more you say pretty things like that,

The less that actually gets done,

I'll keep a handful of courage in my heart,

To use to live through tomorrow,

And I'll never take it for granted,

Let's go!!"

I do not own Closer.

DRAGON STORM

CHAPTER 44: Two stories, one author, The Dark Coastlines!

Their Rio stood, in a new world. It's dark and hazy gray clouds and black sand, followed by the sea's light gray waters and light winds were enough to give anybody an uneasy feeling. The red drake looked over to the tan skin colored human in surprise, as they were rare to come by where he was from. Rio lived in a futuristic time era in the year 2992, so by that time not too many humans where seen. Rio decided to pinch himself to see if he was dreaming, but that did next to nothing other then grant him pain.

"Hey, dragon. I asked you something." The human said, keeping his energy sword raised.

"Huh? Where am I?" Rio asked confusedly.

"..." The human remained silent in annoyance.

"Hey, I need to talk to you." Rio said calmly.

"What? Make it short! Oh, and if it's about who I am, then forget it!" The human snapped back.

" I don't care about that anymore. I need a favor. I know I shouldn't be asking a stranger for help, but... do you think you can tell me how to get out of here? I have a dream... and need to fulfill it." Rio snapped back sharply.

"EXCUSE ME!?" The human shouted and took a step forward in rage.

"What the hell!?" Rio shouted in confusion.

"What are you, stupid?! I came here because I had to destroy some idiot before he would destroy the whole world! Unfortunately, my friends had to seal the portal on the other side of this realm close just in case we could not defeat him, but instead of finishing him off, he ran away because he was getting his ass whooped by my master and I! After seeing Deathscythe take off with one of the pieces of Valmar, William decided to run away, albeit reluctantly. And so therefore, for the sake of the whole world and possibly the universe, I had to trap myself here to ensure that doesn't happen, so why the hell should I let you escape this place first, huh?!" The human shouted.

"Meeps! Y-you're right... I guess I was being a bit impatient. Forget what I just said." The dragon looked down in disappointment.

"FORGET IT?! IS THAT ALL?! YOU SHOULD BE SAYING "I'M SORRY" OR SOMETHING!" The human said, now suddenly up in Rio's face.

" S-sorry." Rio backed up and looked into the human's dark brown eyes. He was confused weather to be shocked or ashamed at this point. He still didn't know where he was and now he had somehow infuriated a human, which are rare to even come across in the first place. What got Rio the most was this human's speed. Somehow, the human got up in his face and Rio couldn't even read when he had made his move.

"Huh? I can't hear you!" The human said in sheer annoyance because of how low Rio had apologized, while placing his free hand up to his ear.

"Sorry!" Rio said slightly louder, this time looking away from the human before saying it.

"LOOK AT ME!" The human yelled, this time bumping his shoulder into Rio's to get his attention.

"Sorry..." Rio said while looking at the human.

"WHAT KIND OF APOLOGY IS THAT?! YOU AREN'T PUTTING ANY FEELING INTO IT!" The human yelled while elbowing Rio's shoulder firmly.

"I told you, I'm sorry!" Rio shoved the human off and glared at him in annoyance.

"HA! That aside, why's a hatchling like you here in the first place? Oh, and please tell me you are not wearing those kinds of cloths! HEY! Are you even a real dragon?! I THOUGHT YOU WERE JUST PRETENDING TO BE A REAL ONE!" The human put his energy sword away and began to munch on a crunch bar, eating it all tough-like to immediate Rio.

"I TOLD YOU I WAS SO-" Rio tried to shout back, but it was no use as the human's voice proved to dominate.

"I KNOW THE TRUTH! I'LL TELL YOU! YOU MUST ONE OF THOSE LAME COS-PLAYERS THAT WASTE THEIR MONEY ON USELESS CLOTHS BECAUSE YOU THINK YOU ARE RICH AND CAN AFFORD TO FOOL AROUND WHILE DRESSING UP AS SOMETHING YOU ARE NOT AND FEELING LIKE HOT STUFF BECAUSE YOU ARE RICH, YOU JAPANSE FAN- ERR... WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?! I DON'T SEE BOOBS SO YOU MUST BE A MALE! UNLESS YOU'RE BOOBS ARE SO SMALL THAT NOBODY CAN SEE THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE! I GOT YOU ALL FIGURED OUT DRAGON COS-PLAYER! YOU MUST HAVE GOTTEN RICH BY DOING SOMETHING SNEAKY MIGHT I ADD, THAT'S WHY YOU'RE ABLE TO SAY SUCH DUMB THINGS LIKE THAT! YOU DUMB IDIOT FAKEASS DRAGON COS-PLAYER! FAKEASS! FAKEASS! FAKEASS! FAKEASS! FAKEASS! FAKEASS! FAKEASS! FAKEASS! FAKEASS! SHORTASS!" The human yelled as loud as his lungs could allow him.

Rio suddenly and effortlessly grabbed the human by the collar of his red baggy shirt and roared. "SHORTASS?! FIRST OFF, YOU ARE EVEN MORE SHORTER THEN I AM! I AM THROUGH PLAYING THE "NICE GUY" WITH YOU! JUST COOPERATE, YOU MIDGET! SECONDLY, I REALLY AM A REAL DRAGON SO I HAVE NO NEED TO SPEND MY MONEY ON COS-PLAYER'S GOODS. THERFORE, I AM NOT "FAKE" AND BY NO MEANS A "FAKEASS"." Rio yelled in the human's face in rage at this point.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" The human quickly shoved Rio off of him and took a step forward in disgust. "AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! I CAN CLEARLY SEE THAT YOU ARE TALLER THEN ME, I WEAR THESE BIGASS GLASSES FOR A REASON, YOU KNOW! SO, IF I CALLED YOU "SHORTASS" I WOULD ONLY MAKE MYSELF LOOK STUPID BECAUSE I CAN CLEARLY SEE YOU ARE TALLER THEN ME, YOU IDIOT! I WASN'T TALKING ABOUT YOU'RE HEIGHT MORON!!" The human yelled while pointing at the dragon's crotch.

Rio's yellow eyes seemed to have not only widened, but also blazed with anger. " OH, YOU ASSHOLE! YOU"D BE SURPRISED!" Rio roughly grabbed his belt. "OH, AND IF YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE THAT I AM TALLER THEN YOU THEN HOW IS IT THAT YOU CANNOT ONLY NOT SEE IF I AM LONGER THEN YOU, BUT HOW THE HELL TO ESCAPE THIS PLACE! AND WHERE THE HELL ARE WE?!" Rio yelled back, almost tempted to pull his baggy cargo pants down just to prove his point.

"YOU LOOKING FOR A FIGHT, DRAGON?! IF YOU WANT A FIGHT, I'LL GIVE IT TO YOU!" The human stepped forward in more rage, but this time tripped over a heavy rock and crashed mouth-to-mouth with Rio.

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S TRYING TO PICK A FIGHT, HUMAN!" Rio said before getting kissed accidentally. He was quick to blush and then roughly push the human off in sheer rage of the human's mockery of him. " Argh...*cough, cough* W-What the hell?! WHY THE HELL DID YOU KISS ME?!" Rio asked while being dumbfounded.

"IT'S NOT... *cough *... LIKE I MEANT TO, YOU PERVERT! WHY THE HELL ARE YOU BLUSHING?!" The human said while coughing and gagging, despite blushing himself.

"I'M A PERVERT?! YOU FREAKING KISSED ME! BESIDES, YOU'RE THE ONE THAT STARTED ALL THIS! I WAS TRYING TO APOLOGIZE, BUT YOU KEPT RAGIGNG ME ON!" Rio yelled back, still blushing and holding his belt.

"Yeah! No thanks to master..." The human said unexpectedly.

"Huh? You're... master?" Rio tilted his head to the side.

"Well..." The human sat down and stared off into the dark sea out of breath. "I never could win a debate... Razor always did beat me in them." The human said calmly and then sighed.

"Now that you've calmed down... maybe I can get to know you better. My name is Rio. I am a real western dragon. Who are you?" Rio asked nervously.

"I thought I told you to forget asking me who I was, Rio? Besides, as long as we are trapped in the dark coastlines here, nothing will make a difference." The human said.

"The... dark coastlines...? What do you know about this place?" Rio asked while leaning on a massive rock, crossing his arms.

"At first, I was confused too when I got here, but master has informed me that this place is actually NOT hell, or any kind OF hell. It is a realm, one of many. This realm leans more toward the dark realms and is known as the dark coastlines. Those that have experienced their fair share of dark crises often accidentally arrive here. There is no out physically, but once you've figured out how you can atone and make things better back where you're from, rumor has it... only then can you leave." The human said as he gazed outward.

"I see. Nice to know I'm not dead. So, how did your story begin?" Rio asked.

"Let's just say... I was on my way home from high school when suddenly a big blue portal opened up and dragged me in. My life has never been the same again..." The human looked over to the dragon " How about you?"

"Meh, kidnapped. Though, I wonder... are you from my timeline? It's very rare to see humans nowadays where I'm from." Rio asked.

"I was from the year 2007, but that portal dragged me all the way to the year 2552. Are you saying you are from the future, Rio?" The human asked as he raised a brow.

"I am. Year 2992. 400 years ahead of your time, my friend. You and I... are allot alike you know..." Rio said with a smile.

"Sadly... I can't say I enjoy that though." The human said, now looking away.

"What do you mean?" Rio asked, perking one of his red ears up.

"I have noticed that every time I befriend someone, no matter who it is... in the long run... it just brings me just as much as pain as the joys of the friendship themselves. Friends are great and all, but all the drama that is attached can sometimes be... annoying." The human said this while regretting it just as much.

"Oh? I like making friends. They are what keep me going! Actually, I have a dream. My dream is to always protect my friends! I want to make sure that my dream is granted so I have to train hard and protect them all!" Rio said with excitement.

"You don't understand! It's nothing like that. For example, I am gay. When other females try to befriend me... they either do it just to later on reveal that they were actually in love with me or had some small crush. Do you know how difficult it is to tell every single one of them that I do not share those feelings and then get looked at differently?" The human explained.

"..." Rio remained silent.

"Or how about when friends just use you for what you have behind your back? They do things when you told them not to do them. If anything, sometimes... they can hinder me from doing the things I enjoy... like writing for example. Though, I will admit... I do not speak as though I actually "hate" them, it's just that at times they can bother me simply by not hanging out with me or hanging out with me when I do not want them too. I guess... that's one of many reasons why I am such a "Lone wolf". I regret it... allot. I don't like being alone, but... it's less annoying. I am not trying to be rude, but... my words are cold, but they are the truth. I am saying... I am speaking to you from the bottom of my heart, Rio." The human explained.

"I... actually don't know what to say... err... would it be alright if we could be friends... or would I be "hindering" you also?" Rio asked, now uncrossing his arms and glaring at the human.

"I'd rather not. Besides... after how you just spoke about your dream of protecting your friends... I'd be a fool. I know I wouldn't feel a bond to the likes as someone like you. So why try? And that is simply because... I don't like others like yourself that act like that." The human said firmly.

"I see. Human... you listen to me. You are rude and carefree. How could you even say that about those who care about you?" Rio asked, forming a fist.

"I told you. It's just how I am. I am not judging you because you are a dragon, I am just being myself, so please don't judge me. This is why I often find myself pretending to be someone I'm not. I guess... I am the "fakeass" here. As such, since I am fake, why befriend me?" The human stood up, now done eating his crunch bar.

"I was told... that sometimes... lies are wanted. Not all lies are bad, this I am sure you know. Maybe, we want you to act "fake" because it makes YOU feel happy, human!" Rio said while walking into the open.

"Tch, as if... you almost had me there with your crazy psychology, Rio. However, in time... if you would get to know someone like me, you'd be disappointed at every turn." The human watched the red drake walk away as he did the same.

"I am your friend from this point forward. Now... fight me, human." Rio stated firmly as he grabbed his katana.

"Fight you? My friend? I never agreed to either, Rio, but something tells me you are... DETERMINED." The human sighed and pulled out his energy sword.

"I will show you that I care about you, human. I will show you the bottom of my heart now. Just like you showed me yours a second ago. I want to show you... WHAT YOU MEAN TO ME!" Rio shouted as he dashed forward, katana in hand.

As Rio proceeded to swing his katana at the dead-still human, Rio was surprised when the human faded away. It took a few seconds before Rio could register what had just happened, but when he did, it was too late. His katana was cut in half and melted and his left shoulder was now bleeding and burned, thanks to the energy sword piercing right through him.

"Ughn... but when...?" Rio asked, slightly doubling over.

"It's because you care. If you didn't care anymore, then you would not hold back, then you could be as strong as you were meant to be, Rio. I am telling you to NOT befriend me because I am trying to save you, save you from my evil and harmful words!" The human said, now reappearing behind Rio by a few feet.

"Heh! When you say it like that..." Rio dashed again at the human, this time using his super speed G.O.N. to reach him before he could get away. "IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU CARE ENOUGH BY SIMPLY PUSHING ME AWAY, NOT WANTING ME TO BE HURT!" Rio yelled sharply.

"As if. It's about out-weighing which "pain" is greater, Rio! My harmful words... or my pushing away. In this case... I'm afraid I don't know you well enough to give a damn!" The human's cold words spewed from his mouth just before he sliced Rio across the stomach as he evading Rio's attack.

"Damn it..." Rio said to himself, now bleeding in two places at the very beginning of the battle, while his foe had no wounds and didn't even seem to care enough to fight.

"Alright... I have always been good at spotting enemy weaknesses in the heat of battle. Let's see... I know he is care-free enough to actually pull a fatal attack. I should keep my guard up. Also, he seems fast... even when I was using my super speed G.O.N. just now, he still evaded me. Additionally, it seems as though he is smart. He is staying on defense and preparing his next counter. He most-likely means to use the 'act' of playing defense to lure me into an opening. Hmm... I think I got it... the water..." Rio thought to himself while running toward the human just before stopping completely to hurl a fireball.

"Is that it?" The human said cockily before swinging his energy sword at it and canceling it out, the red embers slightly covering the human's eyesight for just a second. "What the? Where did he-" The human said in shock?

Suddenly, Rio, while on all fours and thus even faster then before, began to growl and hiss at the unfazed Human. Rio then jetted in around the Human and encircled him while spewing out fire from his mouth, thus creating a fire tornado that trapped the Human in the middle of the eye of Rio's storm. Just then, Rio hoped out of the circle on the inner side of the tornado and dashed at the amazed Human. Rio spun in the air before he used his left foot in a backspin kick. The human blocked and grabbed the kick with ease and was about to attack Rio back when all of a sudden, Rio, with all his insane speed and rage formed a fist with his right hand and punched at the human's face. However, the human dropped his energy sword and used his now free hand to also block and grab Rio's right hand with his free hand. This made Rio grin as he then lifted himself off of the ground by using his right foot to land a blow on top of the human's head, as if to perform a front flip-kick. However, the human used both of his hands, still grabbing onto Rio's limbs, and lifted his arms up to catch the kick in between the human's crossed arms that now formed an "X". The human had cleverly blocked the kick so that the kick was now resting on top of the "X". Rio then smiled, as he knew that he had won this close quarter combat mix up. Rio then proceeded to use his last and finale limb, his left fist, which he used to land a punch on the human's face. At that moment, the human, quickly released Rio's captured limbs and jumped back far enough to escape the range of Rio's fist. However, still airborne and slowly falling, Rio quickly picked up the dropped energy sword the human left behind and used his long red tail to reach him and cut him on the leg. Unexpectedly, the human was not hurt and instead flashed and flickered a golden color as smirked.

"A protective barrier?" Rio muttered, now recovering.

"Fool. You can't reach me with any of your attacks OR your friendly words! Thanks to the covenants technology, the energy shield will protect me from any and all attacks as well as recharge after a few seconds upon being attacked." The human said calmly. "Though, I admit, that last attack you pulled really did look "unblockable" there for a second." The human added.

"That time, not only did he find away around my "unblockable" move, but he also proved to be faster then me despite me using my next highest speed. In my fighting style, I use at least four different fighting speeds. First is normally running about. Second is running around while using the super speed G.O.N. Third is being on all-fours while using the super speed G.O.N. And lastly... I've never had to resort to using this before...he is indeed fast." Rio thought to himself and then lifted up his baggy pant sleeves to reveal black ankle weights.

"Hm?" The human said, raising a brow.

Rio performed a back flip and exited the eye of the flaming tornado. Once Rio landed on the sandy ground he skidded a little before he came to a complete stop. Once he had done so, Rio then snapped his fingers together and suddenly, the flaming tornado exploded massively. The heavy winds from the explosion rushed past Rio and made his hair and various clothing flow in the wind rapidly. Jet-black smoke and jet-black sand could be seen everywhere due to this attack Rio just performed. However, once it cleared the human could be seen skidding away from the sheer force of the explosion and skidding onto the dark waters safely. It was to Rio's surprise that the human could even use the same tricks he could, as he remembered being taught how to walk along surfaces by Naraku. The human's energy shield was flickering and flashing gold again, but this time Rio took off his black ankle-weights that he had always kept hidden under his pants leggings and instantly vanished, leaving the two ankle weights behind and as they hit the ground with a thunderous thud, they left giant creators behind.

"Damn you... not only did you disarm me, but you found away around the seven second interval at which the energy shield recharges." The human said as he was suddenly punched in the gut, sending him skidding across the water. Ripples and small dark waves could be seen through the hazy black sandstorm Rio had created.

"Looks like now I can fight you!" Rio said as he disappeared again, this time leaving after-images behind. The reflection it the dark waters only showing a blur of red where Rio was moving at untold speeds.

"Hmph. Mirrorgan!" The human said as his dark brown eyes flashed and turned a silver color. With that done, the human was able to not only block Rio's nest fast attack, which came at him like a blur, but also countered it, sending Rio skidding away leaving giant waves behind.

"What the? Oh, I get it. Mirriogan... that's actually self-explanatory. You must be allowed to mimic move moves and mirror them perfectly now, huh?" Rio asked as he stood up grinning.

"Perfectly mimicking moves is not the ability of the mirriorgan, Rio. Despite its name, I already have an ocular eye that allows me to copy moves... but this is not that eye or ocular power. The mirriorgan is simple. It simply allows me to completely copy one target's attributes and statuses. In other words... if you have allot of experience in speed, then the mirriorgan will not only bless me with your level of speeds, but ADD that to my own powers while my eyes are active, Rio. This goes for anything you have though, not just speed. I am talking about whatever you have trained yourself in and learned is now mine to use at the same level as you can use them." The human grinned and vanished.

"No way!" Rio yelped as he was kicked in the face and sent flying away, crashing back on shore and through a massive rock. "Argh... ugh... damn it..."

"I told you, Rio. You will never be able to reach me..." The human had already reappeared in front of him and ran for him, but suddenly, the human stopped and grabbed his head in massive pain.

"Huh? An opening!?" Rio said and used the energy sword he still had to stab the human in the shoulder, not only shattering the energy shield, but also making him bleed badly.

"ARGHHH... damn it...master... are you saying... you need help?" The human said while losing blood, he was engulfed in a dark aura that seemed to electrocute him insanely. It began to drain his power as indicated by the fading mirriogan and the energy readings Rio got from him being up close. As the dark scar the human had on his body began to rapidly drain him of his power. The human knew he had only one option left. "No choice... you are lucky... Rio... I don't let... just anyone... see this..." The human said as he then began to glow a powerful silver color.

"Okay, seriously!? What the hell is going on with you? You are glowing all kinds of light and dark colors over there!" Rio was confused, as anyone should have been, however, he never dropped his guard.

The human suddenly unleashed an epically powerful and massive silvery explosion of energy. The very air around him seemed distorted in a way, but it wasn't a cold feeling like before, now it was warm. The human cared for someone and was willing to transfer as much of his own energy through his dark scar to that person as he could give. The thing was, he could afford it. His new energy readings were skyrocketing and seemed to not even slow down, let alone stop. The human's appearance slightly changed now, his black hair was silver, his eyes too. His silver aura engulfed him more then the dark aura seemed to.

"Master!!" The human shouted as he vanished.

"No you don't!" Rio shouted back and also vanished.

At this point, the battle was so intense that their respective speeds seemed to grow together and clash with untold full force. The super-sonic battle was nothing but a red blur and a silver blur and the random damage they seemed to be causing with their high-speed hand-to-hand combat. The sand was pushed away, the water was forced ashore, the random massive rocks were destroyed, and even the hazy gray clouds were pushed away because of the sheer power the two were giving off. Then, from out of nowhere, Rio fell to the ground with a massive earth-shattering crash into the jet-black sand.

"Argh...ugh...ack...damn you..." Rio muttered in between breaths and staggered up weakly. He wasn't weak because of the beatings, it was because using this level of speed cost Rio an enormous amount of his Quintessence.

"Heh! Looks like you've reached your limit, Rio! My "silver state" grants me unthinkable power! Now, I'll finally end this and prove you wrong!!" The human said as he dashed forward.

"I AM NOT WRONG, HUMAN!! I HAVE A DREAM AND I WON'T LET YOU PUT EVEN SO MUCH AS A DENT IN IT!! I'LL CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK ABOUT YOU'RE FRIENDS... AFTER I BEFRIEND YOU!!!" Rio yelled and dashed forward. Suddenly, as they clashed, it seemed that Rio was losing and was about to be stabbed by the energy sword the human had gotten again by pulling it out of his shoulder and turned silver because of his silver state form. However, just before Rio was stabbed, powerful dark auras surround him, empowering him and with his newfound power, he grabbed the energy sword with his bare hand and pushed the human away. The human soared through the air before crashing into a rather large rock.

"Ouch... damn it... what are you?!" The human asked as he staggered up.

"Ori...!! Oh no!!" Rio was transforming into Ori and could not stop it.

"What the hell?! An inner demon?! Tch... damn... how clever of you, Rio. My mirriorgan only works on a single target. I can't target your inner demon's level of statuses because he must live within you, thus I am still only targeting you and not him." The human explained and stepped back.

"Must... resist..." Rio was holding his head in massive pain as he was engulfed in that black pattern that covered his body. Suddenly, he dashed forward, but then disappeared, reappearing above the human and crashing down on him causing a giant explosion.

The human could be seen skidding out of the smoke; he couldn't believe that he just lost his arm. Not physical lost, but it was turned to stone. The human couldn't move it at all and nothing seemed to shatter it without taking his arm with it. The human gritted his teeth before looking around for Rio or whatever he was undergoing. Just then, the human saw a claw swipe at untold speeds nearly strike him in the face, but he instinctively dodge it by leaning back and jumping back for some distance. Before he could even recover, he dived to the side, dodging a black flame that hurled his way. The massive rock it hit was completely devoured in black flames and seemingly engulfed everything.

"That black flame... I have an attack that is similar to it... I know that is the hottest kind of flame that there is. One hit by that thing and it's over." The human said as he looked over the now-struggling-for-freedom dragon over his inner demon, Ori.

"Ori!! Stay AWAY!!" Rio shouted as he finally pushed Ori back and began to pant heavily. " S-sorry... shall we proceed?" Rio asked, slightly embarrassed that that happened.

"Hm?" The human said when he noticed a door appear in front of Rio. They both looked at it as it slowly opened up and shined a bright warm light on Rio.

"What's that? A door of light?" Rio asked and took a step back.

"It seems your time is up, Rio. That is your only way out of here. If you do not take it and leave now... you will never be able to leave again..." The human said as he powered-down and pointed at it.

"But..." Rio said, but then heard his friend's voices through the door.

"Rio! What the hell happened to him!?" Lazz asked in shock.

"Are you going to save him or not!?" General May shouted.

"I will need your help as well... I only have one hand and won't be able to properly pump Rio's chest." Lazz said and kneeled down as May placed Rio on the ground.

"Then I will pump his chest!" General May said and kneeled down also, ripping Rio's shirt open and placing her hands on his chest.

"You better go... it sounds as though you're friends need you still, Rio." The human said.

"But... damn it... I promise you, human... I will-" Rio was cut off by the human.

"You promise that you will befriend me and make your dream come true, right?" The human said.

"STAY WITH US YOU BASTARD!!! I WANT TO TALK WITH YOU AGAIN!!! I LIKED BEING YOUR FRIEND!!!" General May yelled and pumped harder.

"Come Rio! You told me that you would always be here to keep me straight and narrow! I expect you to keep your promise to me!" Lazz said and proceeded with CPR.

"Rio... no...come back..." Shayde whispered.

"It's not... working..." Ben whispered and put Shayde down gently.

"Because it sounds as though you have another promise to carry out..." The human said.

"Damn it... damn it... well, you just wait! I have made you that promise and I will find a way! Maybe not anytime soon, but I have given you something special, my LIFETIME PROMISE!" Rio shouted before turning to face the door of light and walking through.

"A lifetime promise? That's absurd. You and I will most likely never meet again, Rio. It's too bad, I was beginning to grow found of you. Looks like it's back to my "lone wolf" days with master. Will no one ever truly understand me?" The human asked himself before watching Rio walk through the door of light and fading away while he himself walked away in search of his master.

======================= (Meanwhile) ============================

With that, May used all the quintessence that Ben gave her to completely heal everyone. Shayde stood up, Lazz was no longer in intense pain, and Rio coughed up water and woke up.

"ACK!!" Rio coughed.

"RIO!!!" Everyone said together and hugged him.

Suddenly, a massive wave of quintessence engulfed them. It swirled around Rio's body and empowered him. He felt stronger then ever. He quickly stood up and pointed at Ben, but before Rio could get his question out May shook her head.

"In the griffin family, those who pass on their powers... die." General May explained.

"He sacrificed himself for me...?" Rio asked.

".................." Lazz remained silent.

"This is amazing Rio. Quintessence isn't normally supposed to be visible, but you're so strong now, that I can clearly see the flow of your quintessence engulfing your body and swirling around you." Shayde said enlightened.

"Unbelievable, he's not lying... I can see it too." Lazz said.

"Rio? It isn't normal to be this strong... just what exactly are you?" General May said.

"I'm... a dragon and your friend. I will protect what I believe in! My dream will come true!" Rio said as he walked over to Ben's body and picked up his gear that Ben had picked up before following May off the docks without her knowing.

Just then, they all got a call from HQ on their respective codecs and began to talk.

"Can you guys hear me? It's me Kilala!" Kilala said.

"Kilala? What the hell? Amy's not here anymore, but I can still hear you!" Rio said.

"Rio!" Lazz said and gave himself a face palm.

"Sorry." Rio said.

"Who are you?" General May asked.

"I'm not so sure myself. I don't know my real name or even what my parents look like. I bought all my identification, but my reason for getting into genetics was true." Kilala explained.

"Because you want to know yourself, right?" Lazz added.

"That's right! I want to know where I came from... m, my age, my race... anything..." Kilala explained.

"Kilala..." Shayde whispered.

"I was found in Rhodesia sometime in the 80's... I was a dirty little orphan." Kilala said.

"What the hell is that? I can't even say that word!" Rio said and laughed.

"Rhodesia? What's now know as Zimbabwe?" Lazz asked.

"Yes. Rhodesia was owned by England until 1965 and there were lots of Indian laborers around, that's probably where I got my accent from, but I'm not sure myself..." Kilala explained.

"Damn, your old!" Rio shouted.

"RIO! Aww... that's awful Kilala..." General May said.

"Kilala your too worried about the past. Isn't it enough to understand who you are now?" Lazz asked.

"Understand who I am now!? Why should I no one else tries to understand me! I was alone for so long... until I met him..." Kilala said.

"Him?" Shayde asked.

"Yes. Him... he was in Squad # 6220, AU877, A.K.A. my big brother... Allen." Kilala said.

"What the hell?!" Lazz said in shock.

"That's when it happened! You left him... and killed him! It was you that elaborated that plan! It was all you! It's your fault! I hate you! You killed the only family I had... even as an orphan when I was half-dead due to starvation he shared some of his rations with me! You took my step-brother away from me, Lazz!" Kilala explained.

"You got to be kidding me! The whole reason why I smoke is because of his death! He was a good solider and I was happy to have him on my squad!" Lazz exclaimed.

"Yes, and this reminds me, if I see you start to smoke for Ben's sake, I'll kick your ass right where you stand!" Rio said firmly.

"HAH! I vowed revenge and joined BLACKFANG. I knew it was my best chance to meet you and I prayed for the day that I would..." Kilala explained.

"Yes. I waited two long years..." Kilala said.

"Heh... to kill me? Is that all you care about?" Lazz asked.

"Yes. That's right! You were all I thought about for two long years... like some kind of twisted obsession..." Kilala explained.

"You better not do anything to hurt Lazz! He is my friend and it's my dream to protect him!" Rio stated.

"But after everything we have all been through... do you still hate me, Kilala?" Lazz asked.

"Not exactly... I was partly wrong about you... thus I created "Fur-ex"." Kilala said.

"Fur-ex?" Shayde asked.

"Yes. Fur-ex is a type of retrovirus that targets and kills only specific Anthros. First it infects the macrophages in the victim's body. Fur-ex contains "smart" enzymes, created through protein engineering. They're programmed to respond to specific genetic patterns in the cells." Kilala explained.

"Those enzymes recognize the target's DNA?" Lazz asked.

"Right. They respond by becoming active, and using the macrophages, they begin creating TNF (Tumor Necrosis Factor) epsilon!" Kilala explained.

"Huh?" Rio asked.

"It's a type of cytokine, a peptide which causes cells to die. The TNF epsilon is carried along the bloodstream to the heart, where they attach to the TNF receptors in the heart cells!" Kilala explained.

"And then... they cause a heart attack?" Lazz asked.

" The heart cells suffer a shock and undergo an extreme apoptosis. Then... the victim dies." Kilala explained.

"Apoptosis... you mean the heart cells commit suicide..." General May said.

"So that's what happened to the DARPA chief and the Dragons tech president! Because you injected me with nano-machines right before we woke Rio up and they only died when I was around them." Lazz said.

"I forced you to fail your mission Lazz." Kilala said.

"You must have programmed that thing to kill me to, huh?" Lazz asked.

"..........................." Kilala remained silent.

"Do I still have time?" Lazz asked.

"..............................." Kilala remained silent.

"But I can't go yet... I still have a job to do!" Lazz exclaimed.

"Listen, Lazz... I'm not the one who made the decision to use Fur-ex..." Kilala said.

"You weren't?" Lazz asked.

"No... it... it was... Quicksilv- AAAGGGGRRRRRHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!" Kilala screamed.

"KILALA!!!!" Rio yelled.

"Rio, Lazz, May, Shayde, I can't allow Kilala to make any more unauthorized transmissions!" Quicksilver stated.

"Dad!?" Rio asked.

"What?" Lazz asked.

"That's right! Kilala has been removed from this operation!" Quicksilver stated.

"QUICKSILVER!!! WHAT DID SHE MEAN SHE WASN'T THE ONE TO DECIDE UPON INJECTING ME WITH FUR-EX!? LET ME TALK TO HER!!!" Lazz yelled.

"I won't! She's under arrest!" Quicksilver stated firmly.

"Quicksilver! You double crossed me!" Lazz exclaimed.

"Lazz, there's no time for that! Kilala has been acting weird from the beginning, and I even had Eubanks keep a close eye on her... she has been seen sending coded messages to BLACKFANG! I have had enough! I will not let you talk to your commanding officer like this any longer! Right now, your job is to STOP the Pseudo-Chimera Adult project! You are dismissed..." Quicksilver demanded and ended the call.

Everyone stood there and blankly stared at one another confused as to what they should do next. They all felt betrayed one way or another... and suddenly, nothing mattered to them any more... not each other, not the mission, not anything.

To be continued.....

Author's suspenseful questions:

Now that we've gone full circle, how will our heroes solve their problems and complete their mission now?

STAY TUNED!!

THANKS FOR READING!!! XD