Some where in the Nether...

"Any time now, there will be a company that finds out we are in the Nether." Dr. Giovanni informed the commander, Sho Kusakabe.

"You're right. That actually works in our favor." Sho replied. "Notify Yona at the gate to be on guard, as well."

"We will make ready and scout around." One of the lackies said, to which Sho declined.

"The man who is coming has an Adolla Link. The other will be coming together with that man. No need for scouting."

----------------------------------------------------------- Back at Company 8...

"The Nether...you say?" Shinra hesitantly asked.

"After Licht finished examining what's left of Vulcan's workshop, he discovered that the Evangelist's men are hiding in the Nether." Obi explained.

"The Holy Sol Temple teaches that the Nether is an unclean place where the Sol's light doesn't reach." Sister Iris continued.

"Like the sister said, the Nether, or the area beneath the Tokyo Empire, is considered a forbidden land. Those who are using it as their base could be heretics who oppose the Holy Sol teachings." Obi added.

"As for the Nether, Tokyo once had subway trains that ran beneath it. Most of them crumbled and were buried during the day of the Cataclysm, but I have determined that there are some places underground where the caverns still remain."Viktor said and blablabla.

Shin was so done with the explanations, so he just tuned it out. All he knew after what Viktor said was that they were going to ambush the Nether tomorrow and kick ass. Sounds about right. ----------------------------------------------------------- The Next Day...

Everyone was now in the company's vehicle, driving towards the Nether.

Shin was busy dosing off on someone else's shoulder to even bother about what the others were talking about, though he was soon awakened by Maki when they had reached.

"I can't believe trains used to run under the ground." Shinra said in disbelief.

"This is the entrance to the Nether?" The boy asked, referring to the big doorway that stood infront of Company 8's way.

While the sister was making her prayers, the door suddenly opened, making everyone shocked. But it was just Vulcan

Shin scratched the back of his head, walking in without much care.

'I wonder what's so scary about this place...' was all the young man thought as be began to tie his hair.

"Don't forget that what we're heading into is Hell. The Evangelist's base and the mysteries of human combustion are inside. Stay sharp and keep moving." Obi thoroughly ordered.

While the team was walking down the pathway, smoke suddenly surrounded the group, as well as illusions. This confused many other members as they all slowly started to seperate from eachother. Shin couldn't see anything that was happening, neither could he see the individual that was dragging him along. Since Shin knew it was someone from Company 8, he had let the person pass through his barrier.

"Eh... Shinra. It's you again." Shin waved to his friend, to which Shinra hesitantly waved back.

"S-Sorry... I just didn't want to be alone at the Nether- Not like I'm scared of it or anything!" Shinra argued, making Shin look at him wuth a deadpan.

"Whatever. Let's just go." Shin started walking foward, Shinra following closely behind.

"Stop!" Suddenly, a man in White-Clad was seen holding a knife against Viktor's neck.

"Man with the Adolla Burst, if you value this man's life, you're going to come with-" Before the random man could finish his sentence, Shin appeared behind him, sending a swift chop to his neck, knocking him unconscious.

"Ah... you really are fast, Shin." Viktor complimented the boy, still shakened up by almost getting sliced in the throat.

"No problem, let us continue on with our journey." Shin lazily patted Viktor's shoulder.

The three could hear gunshots, which prompted Shin to use his sensory abilities.

"Hinawa should be fighting the girl called 'Arrow'. The others are fighting their own opponents from the 'White-Clad' as well. We should not be taking it easy." Shin said, alerting the other two as they cautiously nodded. -----------------------------------------------------------

As the three walked, Shinra suddenly began to breathe abnormally fast, making Viktor and Shin stop in their tracks.

"Shinra, are you okay?" Viktor asked.

'This familiar heat from his feet... It happened back in Asakusa as well. Is this what they call the Adolla Link?' Shin thought, slowly patting the hyperventilating boy's back.

Shinra finally snapped out of it, making Shin sigh in relief.

"Shinra! Are you okay?" Viktor asked yet again.

"What...did I..." Shinra said, looking at the ground which had 'devil's footprints' suddenly appearing, leading to somewhere.

"What's the matter? Do you see something?"

"He's there, up ahead-- Sho." Shinra said with a serious expression.

Shin and Viktor both followed Shinra into a well-lit room which sat a familiar figure in the middle.

"Oh. That's Sho. Hi." Shin waved at the boy.

"So you came after all, Shinra Kusakabe,Shinsuke Hitoka." Sho calmly said, annoying Shin's gesture of 'kindness'.

"Yeah! I'm here, just like I promised!" Shinra confidently declared with a smile.

'Why am I even included in all of this?' Shin yawned, sitting at a corner. He wasn't planning to fight Sho, neither was he planning to interrupt their little reunion, so he was set on sitting out for today. 'Sho did refer to me as the Evangelist's 'assassination target no.1' or whatever, so send some damn enemies so I can beat them up.'

Little did Shin know, that was easier said than done. Though he was indeed to be disposed of as top priority, it wasn't exactly an easy task. The only reason the Evangelist could be so wary of him was because he actually rivaled it's power, if not surpassed it. So what could lackeys do to someone as strong as that? Exactly, nothing. Sho too knew this, hence why he was avoiding a direct battle with the young man without support.

The rest of the time, Shinra and Sho had a heart-felt conversation, and suddenly they were fighting. Viktor was just hiding behind the pillar Shin rested against, excitedly observing the fight. While it may have seen that Shinra and Sho were in a stand-still, that all changed when Sho used his ability 'severed universe', completely dominating against Shinra.

"Shinra, let's get out of here! He's too much for you! You can't win! Commander Sho is...!" Viktor screamed to Shinra in panic, having figured out what Sho's ability was.

"No matter how fast you are, it is meaningless against me. I can control my own universe." Sho plainly explained.

"Your own universe? What the hell does that mean?" Just then, Sho had oulled Shinra into an Adolla Link, where he would then explain how his ability worked.

Shin,who was awakened from all the screaming, used that opportunity to surround Viktor in a temporary barrier.

"Viktor, though it is highly unlikely, Sho may use his ability on you. As a precaution, this barrier will keep you safe. The crossfire of those two won't affect you as well." Shin briefly explained, about to walk away when Viktor suddenly questioned.

"You've figured it out, haven't you? Commander Sho's ability utilizes the heat from the universe expansion to stop time, making his movements faster than anyone else's.How is it that this barrier can stop that?" Viktor was curious on how such a powerful ability had no effect on Shin, he couldn't even imagine how much power such a young man has in his possession.

"My barrier blocks all from penetrating it, including heat. Since Sho uses heat to stop time, if it cannot pass through my barrier, it will not affect me." Shin explained, rubbing the back of his neck as he explained the second time. "Don't worry. I do not plan on interfering with Shinra's fight, so you can observe much more when they are done. You're a smart man, after all."

The fight yet again started, not much changing as Sho still dominated against Shinra. Shin only watched on with a blank face, observing Sho's ability.

'I can't see a way for Shinra to win this, I did flunk my science after all.' Shin sweatdropped, cursing himself out for not ever paying attention during his classes back in the academy.

As the fight progressed though, Shinra suddenly increased his speed, actually managing to land a scratch on Sho.

'His Adolla Link is increasing his heat.' Shin thought, feeling a small smirk spread across his face. Viktor, who was standing next to the boy this whole time, couldn't help but shiver at the sight.

'He may be handsome, but that face is straight up intimidating.' Was Viktor's thought.

Suddenly, Shinra had increased his speed so much that when Sho used his ability, he was nowhere to be seen.

'Eh?' Shin's eyes widened in surprise. 'He went so fast, that there isn't even a physical body. Wouldn't that be too risky if used for a prolonged amount of time?'

Viktor, who wasn't affected by Sho's ability due to the barrier around him, had his mouth agape. "When a body exceeds a certain speed, it can no longer withstand the shock...and self-destructs. If it travels at ultra-high speed, the body could break down into the invisible particle level..."

"What are you muttering, have you gone insane?" Shin watched Viktor break down in his theories with dotted eyes.

'But really, it is impressive how Shinra would be able to do that. Whoever this Evangelist person is, if this is the type of logic-defying power one could get from him, then what kind of monstrocity are we fighting against?' Shin thought, feeling his heart quicken at the thought of someone he could go all out against. 'Even so, it excites me more than it terrifies me.'

Suddenly, Shin felt a strange aura from behind him. Shin sent an ominous glare at the area. 'I can't sense their heat signatures, they must have concealed them. But they're definitely there.' ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "It's finally happening, Haumea!" Yona excited told his fellow comrade.

"Mm-hmm. The stirring of the Adolla Burst via an Adolla Link with the Evangelist. One might call it... The awakening of a fourth generation." The girl, Haumea hummed in amusement.

Suddenly, a man with long black hair tied into a ponytail and piercing blue eyes glared at their position, making the two freeze up.

"So that's Shinsuke Hitoka..." Haumea said as she carefully observed the handsome man that was staring right in their direction. "We even took the trouble of hiding ourselves, yet we were found out so easily. Is this guy for real?"

"That guy is someone that even the Evangelist considers a threat after all." Yona added, shivering at the glare he was receiving.

"What insolence. I would have disposed of him, but the Evangelist has advised against any of us facing him on a 1 on 1." Haumea smirked, focusing back her attention on Shinra and Sho. 'When the time comes... the Evangelist will have his head, and the Adolla Burst (Shinra) will be in our hands.' ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'Dammit... If I attack, the shockwave will definitely distract Shinra, interfering with his battle which could lead to a fatal mistake.' Shin cursed to himself, hesitantly turning back to the fight infront of him.

"Shinra! This is bad! Don't fight anymore! Stop!" Viktor suddenly screamed from beside Shin, shaking him out of his thoughts. "If you get overheated while using your ability, there's no undoing the damage! Listen to me, Shinra! Everytime you stop, you split your body apart. In other words, you're dead!"

"Dead, you say?" Shinra repeated surprised as he looked at his flickering hand.

"Your ability uses your flames to accelerate you to light speed, and stop time. The shock of that happening breaks your body down to subatomic particles! Accelerating even more, beyond the speed of light, causes time to run backward! Then your body goes back to the way it was! If you get overheated in the middle of that, you'll atomize and die, and might not be able to come back!" Viktor explains, making Shin slowly lose his braincells the more he attempts to understand what the scientist just said.

Shin slowly pats Viktor's head, startling the poor man. "Don't worry, Shinra won't succumb to that. After all, if he has truly linked with the Evangelist, it is very possible that he could defy even science itself."

Sho was now connected with Shinra through an Adolla Link, making him see some of his memories.

-Memory, start-

"Look, Kusakabe is here."

"Mother-killer."

"I heard he killed his baby brother, too."

"Huh?How?"

"He burned him up. What is he, a devil?"

'It wasn't me. Someone was there...during the fire...Someone besides mom and Sho. I'm going to find him...and I swear, no matter what, I'll tear him a new one.' Shinra's nervous smirk grew bigger.

"Look, did you see his face just now?"

'Leave me alone. Ever since the fire, I get that nervous smile.'

Suddenly, a boy with a long ponytail stared at Shinra with his sparkling blue eyes.

"H-Huh? What's your problem?" Shinra nervously asked, his grin not disappearing from his face.

"Your canines. They're cool." Was all the stoic boy said, slowly moving closer to Shinra's face which caught him off guard.

"A-Aren't you scared? I look like a devil, don't I?"

"Eh? A devil? I don't think so, that smile doesn't look malicious at all. It's almost as if it's sad."

'Ah... he's different from the rest.' Shinra thought as he began to feel an unfamiliar warmth spread over his face.

"Shinra Kusakabe, was it? My name is Shinsuke Hitoka, but call me Shin.Be my friend." Shin held his hand out for a handshake, which made Shinra freeze before awkwardly shaking the boy's hand.

"Sure, Shin!"

After that, Shin was always hanging around Shinra, which had warded off any insults towards the boy.

"You're planning on saving your brother? That's pretty cool. When that happens, I will be there to watch." Shin declared as he sucked on his lolipop.

"Eh? What does that have to do with anything?" Shinra sweatdropped as he chuckled lightly, giving Shin a hearty head pat.

"I've never had any family before, so I don't understand how familial bonds work. Maybe when I see you two together, it may expose me to it." Shin lazily shrugged,leaning on the shorter boy.

Shinra smiled sadly at his friend, looking up at the cloudy sky with a glimmer of hope.

'If I can save my brother, then I will be able to protect Shin too!'

-Memory, end-

'Shinra Kusakabe... and Shinsuke Hitoka? Why is this all coming inside me?' Sho shook of the link. 'What worthless memories...'