Dedicated to my darling Peppermint Mocha, who has made many things possible.

Ryou logged in, abandoning his other senses, the feeling of the still cool controls under his fingers. He had to lose himself. He gritted his teeth and willed his pounding temples to stop aching. He was pissed. So fucking pissed. He just wanted time alone, time to be Haseo, and level up or something, anything but just sit down and do his homework, no. He wanted to get away from the day's problems- everything had gone wrong. But he didn't want to think about that now. Just… he wanted to get away.

He arrived at the warp gate in Mac Anu, and a flash mail came to his attention.

Haseo… meet me at the Harbor… I'll wait for you…

Yours, always, through the end of time,

Endrance.


Haseo felt his cheeks redden a little- why did Endrance always have to talk like that? It just wasn't… normal. Not that much about the man was. That strange grace he carried himself with, or his soft voice- there wasn't much normal about him.

Instead of warping to an area, Haseo walked down to the Harbor, not bothering to warp the short distance. He wanted to walk- just… he didn't really care.

The other players weren't whispering too much today, which he appreciated, and they didn't seem too concerned with him.

Finally, he reached the Harbor, spotting Endrance sitting by the edge of the dock, watching the water.

"Oh… you came… Haseo…" the words flowed smoothly from the man's lips as he turned, smiling softly.

"Yeah, I just got your flash mail," he said as he sat down, scratching the back of his neck, "What did you want?"

"Haseo…" Endrance said, his name just seeming, somehow, almost like glass when he said it, "Is something… wrong?" Haseo's crimson eyes slid over to watch him for a moment before returning to the sunset perfectly designed with pixels, a fine veil between reality and a complex lie. It was beautiful, even if it wasn't real.

"Just… had a bad day. I'm fine," he said.

"Alright… just remember… if you ever feel the need, I will always be here… for you."

There was a silence that hung between them for a moment. Haseo thought that Endrance had more to say, but the man was silent.

"Endrance… I want to go level up. Do you want to come with me?" he asked.

"Of course, Haseo… anything."

Haseo could feel himself relaxing- he supposed that it was the atmosphere that Endrance carried around with him. He was actually… pretty grateful that Endrance had asked him to come. Otherwise he would have gone off on his own and not worked anything out in his head. Endrance was good company, he had to admit. The man didn't talk too much, nor did he ask unnecessary questions, or jerk him out of his thoughts.

He sent Endrance an invite to his party which was accepted, and the pair made their way back to the Chaos Gate.

"Did you see any areas on the forums you want to go to?" Haseo asked.

"No, I will follow you," Endrance replied, smiling. His crimson eyes carried the smile as well, shining.

Haseo nodded and continued through the gate to Hidden Reclusive Clarity. It was a random Area, but at least the difficulty was good enough.

It was a dungeon map, which he liked. The stone area was cool- he could see his breath. It didn't take them long to clear it all, and once they reached the Temple, Haseo found Endrance's gaze settled on him.

"What is it?" he asked, turning to him.

"Oh, nothing… Haseo," Endrance said, his words nothing more than the breath of a bird, and just as sweet.

"You're… quieter than usual," he said, arching an eyebrow, "I don't mean to… pry, but is everything alright?"

Endrance seemed shocked for the briefest of moments. "Yes, Haseo… I am alright. It is so kind of you… to worry about me. "

Ryou wasn't entirely sure though. He knew that the man behind Endrance was… always on. He knew the man had some reclusive tendencies, and it wasn't really his place to say anything but…

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Haseo… are you alright… as well?" Endrance said softly. Ryou's eyes widened slightly. Had they really gotten to know each other well enough to tell? He supposed so- it was easy, with all they had done and been through together. He scratched the back of his neck.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just- bad day. Just needed to get my mind off it."

"I see… I will always be here for you, Haseo… any time."

"T-thanks, Endrance," he said. How could- how could Endrance make him nervous so easily? As though he felt like he should- he didn't know what it was, but the man always seemed so honest with everything, as though the honest truth couldn't help but slip from his lips.

"No, thank you…" Endrance said, "When you were not on for a few days… I started to worry… It was good to see… that you got on today, it made the sun seem warmer…"

Ryou flushed. Did he have to say that sort of thing?

"I-I'm sorry I made you worry," he said, "I caught something so…"

"I'm glad you're better…" Endrance smiled.

"Thanks… hey- next time something like that happens… do you want me to send you a flash mail to let you know?"

Endrance glanced up at him, surprised.

"Haseo… you don't have to... if it would be a trouble…"

"No, it'd be fine," he shrugged.

"That… would be nice," Endrance's smile widened further, a soothing, thankful smile. Haseo smirked and they left the Area, arriving back at the Chaos Gate.

"So, will you be on later? I have to go, stuff to do, y'know?" Haseo said.

"Of course… I will always wait… for you," Endrance said. It sounded less like a statement and more like a devoted promise- Haseo never knew what to think or how to reply.

"Alright, I'll probably be on later, I'll talk to you then, okay?" he said, and logged off.

Endrance waited for a moment before a soft smile appeared on his lips and he went back to the harbor.

Even if nothing had happened, even if it was just time, every second spent with Haseo was treasured. And with every treasured moment, and Endrance drew closer, he could feel his heart beating faster, wanting to hold Haseo. Maybe… some day that day would come. But for now, he would wait, and be content with watching Haseo, seeing if he could spot the hint of a smile.

For that was what he wanted most- more than anything.

Haseo's smile.

Ffffff, if there were inconsistencies with the game, please tell me. First attempt at .hack//, so... yeah. ;D Thank you for reading, and as I'm sure you know, reviews are vury nice.