As the pain weakness, Ryoken is finally able to sleep peacefully for once in six and half years. Avalon is happy to see him comfortable and out of pain. He closes his eyes and relaxes against the bedpost with him in his arms. Out of nowhere a sudden heavy feeling comes over him and visions play out before him.

"What's this?"

Bits and pieces of a man being captured and thrown into a dark cell then being dragged into a lab and painfully experimented on flash before him along with the words "Subject 7-6-5." Then versions of Links Vrains and network data surges that cause pain to flare up.

Avalon gasps awake and quickly looks down at his friend who's sleeping comfortably in his arms.

'What that...?' Tears come to his eyes, as more visions flashed before him.

Screams of pain is what he sees and feels then the visions vanish as quickly as they appeared. Avalon his left silently shacking as a few tears roll down his cheeks.

'Is this...? Is this what happened to him? Is this why he's in so much pain?' Avalon asks himself as he holds Ryoken even close to him.

"Avalon...?" Ryoken looks up at him half asleep, he feels like there's wrong.

"I'm so sorry you were put through that," He say softly as more tears slide down his cheeks. He pulls him up into a gentle but tight hug.

"What are you talking about?" Ryoken asks softy, still half asleep.

"You were held captive and forcibly used as a lab rat for painful experiments, making just about anything around you feel like agony." Avalon says almost sobbing.

"How do you know that?" His tired look is replaced with that of a look of weakness.

"I don't know but I'm sorry that I wasn't there to stop this from happening to you. I'm suppose to be there for those who need me. But I..."

"You don't have to be sorry, this isn't your fault Avalon." He whispers gently brushing away his tears. "If anyone is to blame for this it's me."

"What do you mean?"

"You will understand in due time my love." Ryoken says hugging him.

They stay hugging for a few moments, then sleep pulls Ryoken away from the conscious world. Back in Link Vrains Varis and Specter are finally able to pull up the hidden video feed that had been encrypted by Avalon to see what happened.

"Damn it! I should of been playing closer attention to him," Varis says as he watches the screen. He sees Avalon sneaking in and taking his captive.

"Sir, perhaps this is Playmaker's doing?" Specter suggests, not knowing that there's another version of himself running around.

"That is no program Specter, and Playmaker doesn't know of this place."

"It is possible to make a program that can make a clone appear as me or any of the other knights then let it wonder around Link Vrains until it found this place?"

Varis stops to think about this but he can't think of a program that can do something like that. "It's a possibility." 'Maybe that copy of Specter is just a clone that Playmaker made to try and stop me.' He thinks to himself. "We'll search the city and Link Vrains tomorrow morning to see if we can find Revolver."

"Yes sir."

Specter and Varis log out of Link Vrains to get some sleep. The next morning they long back in. Varis searches the city while Specter searches Link Vrains.

Avalon is sound asleep with his dearly beloved friend in his arms. A ringing phone wakes him and he tiredly reaches for his phone answering it when he gets a hold of it.

"Hello?" He says half asleep.

"Where are you? You haven't come home and I want to make sure you're safe." Shingetsu says from the other end.

"I'm sorry to have worried you but I will have a surprise for you when I get home."

"I don't want a surprise, I want you to come home."

"I will come home as soon as I can, I promise."

"Fine." With that Shingetsu hangs up the phone.

With the call ended Avalon puts his phone back on the nightstand, he gently runs a hand over Ryoken's cheek as he sleeps.

"I promise to keep you save my love." He whispers into Ryoken's ear.