A/N: I waded through the small deluge of new fanfics in the .hack section over the Christmas/New Year period with horror and felt motivated enough to write a rebuttal to all the GU fics turning up. I hope to keep this going for a few chapters yet. I have used knowledge about characters' real names and ages to the best of my ability, but have used artistic license to name characters whose names are not mentioned in canon. If there are any mistakes, I will gladly correct them if they're pointed out to me. Anyway, onwards with the fic.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything regarding or related to the .hack franchise. It all belongs to its respective owners.
Chapter One: To dream of Kite
It was Christmas Eve, the time when a significant amount of men hurry out for last minute gifts. The current unlucky person on duty in the department store's electronics section was a teenage boy with scruffy brown hair. He looked bored, but that was his usual expression. It had been a rush, but there was just over an hour before closing time and the myriad customers seemed to be returning home. His current thoughts rested with trivial matters- when he got home he had to tidy his room for family members coming to stay, what he was going to have for dinner, had otou-san completed his shopping and so on.
"Excuse me, do you sell FMDs?" The boy's attention was diverted from his thoughts to the anxious customer before him, a middle-aged man. "They're-" The boy cut him off boredly,
"Face Mounted Displays. Yes, we do. They're currently well-hidden in the peripherals section. Follow me." These FMDs looked like futuristic visors with headphones built in and were used for playing the wildly popular MMORPG 'The World'. As they weaved through sections, passing plasma-screen TVs and laptops, the man turned to the boy, still agitated.
"I'm not sure exactly what I'm after...you see, my wife...she bought a copy of this game for my son...didn't tell me until yesterday. I thought I should...you know, contribute to a present...so I had to look it up. They use one of these Face Mounted...things, so I heard." Finally they arrived and concealed between computer mice and scanners were a few boxes of FMDs. The boy asked,
"So, is your wife getting the controller that goes with it?" All colour drained out of the man's face as he realised that he was getting out of his depth.
"Controller?" The boy replied calmly,
"Basically, to play the game, you need three things." He held up his index, middle and ring finger, ticking them off as he listed them. "One: a copy of the game. Which your wife has bought, so that's solved. Two: a controller to play the game. Three: an FMD to make your son's gaming experience that more immersing. Oh, and the FMD is optional- he can play watching his screen like any other game." The man had to stop and think as the options were presented to him. After a few minutes, he answered slowly.
"I think...she can give him the game, I'll give him the controller and the FMD can be our joint present." The boy anticipated his next question,
"We sell those too, let me find you one." He walked further down the aisle and selected a decent one for a decent price, bringing it back as the man stared at the boxes of FMDs like a lost child. "If you want a recommendation, I'd choose the SONES Neuro Goggles. It's got a hundred hours of battery life, which means that your son won't have to be plugged in all the time. They're comfortable enough and I'm sure that they're safe." The boy picked up a box containing the particular brand he'd selected and handed it to the man, placing the smaller controller box on top. The man looked as if he'd been saved from certain doom and as they returned to the till, he poured out his thanks.
"Thanks so much for your help...invaluable. You see...what with the rush...you know, it being Christmas Eve and all." The boy nodded and vaulted over the counter, landing behind the till.
"It's no problem. Let me scan those in for you." As he used the bar code scanner, the till alerted him to something and the corners of his mouth turned upwards. "Ah, there's a Christmas offer! Buy an FMD and you'll get a controller half-price." The man now looked as if he'd been visited by angels.
"Wonderful! Here..." He scrambled to get out his credit card and the transaction was made swiftly. "I assume that you play the game yourself...you certainly seem knowledgeable about it." The small smile on the boy's face turned bitter.
"You could say that. I used to play it. Have a good Christmas and I hope your son enjoys his present." The boy then dropped his voice, handing over a receipt. "If your son finds fault with any of them, remember that if he doesn't rip apart the plastic packaging inside and has enough sticky tape to seal the box back up again-" He spoke normally again, "He'll have 28 days to return it unopened and can either get a refund or gift vouchers of equal value." The man looked shocked at his blatant disregard for company conduct, but then winked at him.
"You have a good Christmas too! And a Happy New Year! Thanks again for the help!" As the man hurried off, the boy's co-worker appeared from the break room.
"Whoa, what did you do, Kenji? That man looked as if you saved him from some kind of grisly future!" Kenji smirked.
"Last minute Christmas present involving a certain computer game and the baffling world of peripherals." Kenji's co-worker stared at him, wide-eyed,
"Ah, The World? I didn't know that you played it." Kenji was all too quick to deny it,
"I don't, Shirogawa, I don't." His co-worker folded his arms, eyeing him carefully.
"Then how come that man had a quality FMD and controller when he walked out of that shop? Only a player of 'The World' would know enough to recommend them. If he'd have been left on his own, he would probably have picked up the first ones he came across." Kenji shrugged coolly.
"I've had enough people in for Christmas presents to know a little. Half the people already play the game and are purchasing the complete package for friends and loved ones, so they come in demanding 'I need an FMD, but not any FMD. Give me the Neuro Goggles! You know, SONES makes them. Oh, and I want a Miasma 400 controller, don't be palming off poor-quality controllers onto me.'" His tones were sarcastic as he mimicked a few of the customers he had met. Shirogawa shook his head woefully.
"Has anyone told you that you're too sarcastic for a sixteen year old?" Kenji simply laughed at him and Shirogawa glared back at the youth. "Honestly. I think that if you did play 'The World', you could learn a lot from it." Kenji suddenly turned his piercing gaze on Shirogawa.
"Oh? I'm listening." Shirogawa could hear that this was a dangerous subject as he could hear the menace in Kenji's voice. However, he wouldn't be cowed by anything short of a sixteen year old youth with a guardian in tow or an even younger child with blades mounted on his wrists.
"Friendship and how to socialise, helping those in need and general...well, chivalry, for want of a better name. What else...hm..." He trailed off, deep in thought. Kenji was now fully glaring at him.
"What right do you have to assume that I'm unskilled in all of those things? You're a work colleague and the only time you see me is when we're both on the same shift! How can you possibly assume from a few hours every week? Oh, and you forgot something in your little list: teamwork." Shirogawa was taken aback by his ferocity, but at Kenji's mention of teamwork, he was triumphant.
"Aha! What do you mean by teamwork?" Kenji replied coldly,
"Well, you should know if you play 'The World' all the time. A whole part of the gameplay is being in a party of up to three players. How else do you expect players to get through the dungeons? Alone? I think not, not unless they're level...ninety-nine and they're going through a much lower-level dungeon." Shirogawa smiled craftily.
"And did your customers tell you all this?" Kenji was forced from the attack to defence.
"I've read reviews of it on gaming sites." Shirogawa nodded drily.
"Mhm, sure. Sounds to me like you know a lot more than you let on. So, what's your player name?" Kenji shook his head,
"Alright, so I used to play. But I quit two years ago and I have no intention of playing again." Shirogawa sighed mournfully.
"Isn't that the way...everyone quits in the end, some earlier than others. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of friends I know who still play. There used to be a good number of us." Kenji looked at Shirogawa, curiosity in his eyes.
"Do you still play it?" Shirogawa shook his head.
"I quit about a year ago." Kenji frowned- this didn't add up.
"But you just raved about 'The World' like you were a real fan. Why would you just quit?"
Shirogawa glanced at him craftily,
"Why should I tell you if you won't tell me?" Kenji growled, backed into a corner.
"Urgh...alright, I'll tell you if you tell me first." Just as Shirogawa opened his mouth, two people approached the counter. Kenji's co-worker stared at the people, his face lighting up.
"Salu! No, forgive me, I do know your name...ah, Shouta! It's been a long time." The young man, Shouta, seemed delighted at being recognised.
"Sil-"
"Please call me Kyou." Shirogawa smiled encouragingly at Shouta, cutting him off before he could reveal Shirogawa's PC name in 'The World'. Kenji watched the scene unfold, eyebrows raised.
"Kyou-san! I thought you worked in a game store..." Shouta was evidently confused and Shirogawa shrugged, palms raised.
"It's not quite enough to cover bills. So now I work here and put in a few hours a week part-time at the game store." Shouta nodded, understanding Shirogawa's quandary.
"I see. I actually came here to look for a new computer with my friend Kouwa-san." Shirogawa eyed them, amused.
"Let's see...correct me if I'm wrong, but you're...19, Shouta. Yes? Ah, young love." Shouta stopped nodding and immediately blushed. Kouwa took off her glasses and cleaned them on her skirt to hide her own embarrassment. Kenji elbowed Shirogawa none too gently and turned to Kouwa,
"So, you're looking for a new computer?" Kouwa nodded shyly.
"I want one with more RAM and processing power...to play games on." Kouwa didn't look like the type who played computer games, with her rather long hair, the aforementioned glasses and long skirt and blouse. Kenji nodded.
"Right. Shirogawa knows more about computers than I do. He can find you what you're after." As Shirogawa was called upon to help Kouwa, Kenji nudged him painfully in the ribs and gave him a glare that warned him against making similar comments to embarrass Shouta. It was almost closing time when the trio reappeared, lugging boxes slowly. Kenji smiled at them in a friendly way though his eyes lacked warmth. "I'll ring this up for you then." They put the boxes on the counter and Kenji scanned the barcodes. A monitor, the machine itself and a mouse. The employee made small talk as he sorted out the till. "So, a Christmas present to yourself?" Kouwa nodded, amused.
"I guess you could say that. I've been saving up for a few years and I can take this thing to university." Kenji grinned slyly at her.
"Let me guess, you made yourself an excuse- I'll do work on it as well, it's for work purposes...it just happens to be capable of running games and I happen to own some games...all work and no play, hm?" Kouwa giggled, hand to her mouth.
"Well, I'd only be playing 'The World'!" Shirogawa was watching Kenji this time, and dislike flitted across his face almost too quickly to spot. Shirogawa's co-worker then styled his face into its prior look with some effort.
"Ah, I see. Big fan?" Suddenly Kenji's superior, Hashimoto appeared, coming to tell them it was time to shut shop. Kouwa replied quietly,
"You could say that..." Shouta turned to look at her,
"You didn't tell me you played! What's your character name?" She looked uncomfortable at having to answer.
"Um, it's Ouka." Shouta smiled at her.
"That's a nice name. Next time I play I'll look you up!" Evidently his reponse wasn't expected, and she relaxed. Kenji finished processing her purchase and Kouwa and Shouta managed to leave with the boxes. It was then that Shirogawa and Kenji noticed Hashimoto's wide eyes. He was frozen, his eyes fixed to the spot where Kouwa had stood.
"T-that...s-she...no..." Shirogawa frowned at him. Then he jabbed his finger wildly at where she had stood, hissing, "That was the player behind Ouka of the Divine Fist!" Shirogawa politely looked impressed and Kenji shrugged, shutting down the till. Hashimoto was reasonably lax when it came to discipline and Kenji often got away with snide remarks in his presence.
"Great." Kenji answered without enthusiasm and went into the back room, going to pick up his jacket and the personal possessions in it. Shirogawa asked, always willing to humour people,
"Ouka of the Divine Fist? Sounds powerful." Hashimoto's jaw dropped when he realised that Shirogawa had no idea who this 'Ouka' was.
"She's one of the most powerful players in 'The World'! She's one of very few werewolves-" Shirogawa frowned, cutting him off,
"Werewolves? What is that, some kind of class? There were only six classes when I played." Hashimoto explained kindly,
"There's a class called Knuckle Master. These people fight with their fists and feet. Anyway, by obtaining some kind of quest item, they can use it to change their class to werewolf! It's like an elite class." Then Hashimoto recalled that Shirogawa had said that in his time, Knuckle Masters didn't exist.
"Wait, so you played 'The World'?" Shirogawa nodded, an uncharacteristically bittersweet smile on his face.
"Yes. Played- past tense." Hashimoto folded his arms speculatively.
"What was your PC name? I might have heard of you, I tend to spend a good amount of time on the message board." Shirogawa checked that Kenji wasn't behind him before answering,
"Silver Knight." Hashimoto didn't react and after a few minutes of silence, his left eye twitched. Then he pointed an accusing finger at Shirogawa,
"You're the reason why my friend quit! Your Crimson Knights intimidated him because they thought he was a hacker! The administrators found him to be perfectly legal!" Shirogawa folded his arms.
"That was in the past. I was...well, I was a jerk back then." Hashimoto conceded the point, replying thoughtfully,
"Well, you're not so bad offline, Shirogawa-san. Well, people change." Kenji promptly emerged from the break room, his aqua eyes darting from Hashimoto to Shirogawa suspiciously.
"Are you two up to something?" Evidently they looked shifty enough, and Hashimoto answered quickly,
"No! We were just talking about 'The World'. Shirogawa-san used to play none other than the leader of the Crimson Knights himself! Silver Knight!"
Kenji looked blank and said slowly,
"Good for him..." He turned away to check that he'd switched off the till and, if it was even possible, Hashimoto was even more horrified.
"You d-don't know who Silver Knight is? Nothing about the Crimson Knights?" Kenji shrugged.
"Nope. All I know is that I seem to be surrounded by the damn game. I quit for a reason."
Before anyone could ask, he had left the first floor and descended down the stairs. Hashimoto whispered to Shirogawa,
"So he used to play...we should try to find out about it!" Shirogawa almost poked him in the ribs before remembering that Hashimoto was his superior.
"You don't need to whisper: he's not here..."
Kenji wrapped the scarf around his neck once more and rubbed his hands together. It was bitterly cold and growing darker by the minute. He just wanted to get home and warm up. While he usually put up with discussion of 'The World', so much of it in one day had soured his mood. If he was unlucky, and he probably would be, Shirogawa would press him about it. He had been unfortunate enough to play at one of the most dangerous times of the game's history, when players had fallen into comas and almost never regained consciousness. He had played through those tough times and his best friend had been put into a coma. As soon as the affair was solved and everyone regained consciousness, Kenji had shelved the game and never looked back. He initially had regrets about severing contact with online friends that had become dear to him, but it was only a game in the end.
He reached his house eventually and as soon as he was through the door, he slammed it shut to avoid the cold.
"Tadaima." He called, kicking off his shoes and removing his scarf. He greeted his mother and went straight up to his room. He was tired, grumpy and fed up, so perhaps a nap would help or just some time to himself. The first thing he did was to sit on his computer chair and check his emails. The most recent one made his heart jump and his lips twitch.
From: BlackRose
To: Kite
Subject: Christmas
Dear Kite,
If you read this, Merry Christmas! If not, I...well, there's no point writing anything else. Everyone misses you, you know, Mistral, Elk, Wiseman, even Balmung (though he won't admit it!) It's been almost two years since you disappeared. Wiseman thinks that you've quit now you've got Yasuhiko back. How is he? I understand that he's still kicking around with Balmung, though they both spend a lot of time reminiscing about their adventures with you.
Kenji snorted involuntarily. Shortly after Yasuhiko had regained consciousness, they had fallen out over 'The World'. He didn't want Yasuhiko to play anymore in case anything else happened and Yasuhiko had called him-
"Hypocrite! You're always playing with your friends, never doing anything else." Kenji whirled around, glaring with all the hate he could muster.
"I spent all my time on that game to wake you up! I sacrificed my time, my social life and my school grades to save you! You didn't have to be grateful, it's what friends are for, but how dare you turn on me and accuse me of all this! Besides," He turned his back on Yasuhiko, "I'm quitting. From now." There was silence, and Yasuhiko replied quietly,
"I am grateful, you know that. You saved my life, even when everyone and everything was against you and the going was impossible. But now you've become a coward." Kenji stiffened as if he had been stabbed.
"What do you mean?" Every word was layered with venom. Yasuhiko explained himself resolutely,
"You of all people...I thought you were brave. You took on that bracelet, used its destructive power for good, fought when the odds were insurmountable against Corbenik. If anyone could defend himself, it's you. And you're turning your back on the game and running away like a frightened child." Kenji's shouting took him by surprise.
"I am a child, that's the whole point! I took on a role even most adults would shy away from. I've been through so much; so much pressure on me, system administrators baying for my blood...and all the anger of my parents when I wasn't doing work, when I was staying up until three in the morning just to defeat a Data Bug or press on with trying to wake you up!" Yasuhiko managed to retort,
"Then surely you should value the peace you fought for by still playing! I certainly will. You've done great things, please appreciate them!" Kenji's voice held both finality and sarcasm in it.
"I'm quitting 'The World' today. If that makes me a coward, then so be it. Just don't expect this coward to come running to you when things get tough. Remember, I'm a coward, there's nothing I can do for you." He left Yasuhiko shaken, watching his retreating form speechlessly.
"Yeah, like Yasu would reminisce about it." Kenji murmured bitterly. Since that fight, they hadn't spoken and the time around Christmas was a painful time for him. The anniversary of Aura's birth, Yasuhiko's awakening, that great big fight. He continued to read the email.
I hope things are going well offine for you. How is school? I guess you'd be in your first year of high school- is it working out? I'm currently in my last year of high school, which means university next year. I'm planning to do sports or something like that...it's a scary thought, going to university. It's a big change in life! Anyway, if you do read this, you don't have to log onto 'The World'- you can send an email anytime to let us know how you're doing. Even Helba passes on her best wishes!
If I don't email you again, have a Happy New Year too. 2013 is going to be another year packed full of events, even though some people say 13 is an unlucky number. The way I see it, the world didn't end in 2012 like those nutjob conspiracy theorists or whoever said, so onwards we go! If you do read this, get your ass in gear and reply!
BlackRose
Kenji smirked at the last sentence. That was more like the BlackRose he knew. His own plan for 2013 involved getting through the year day by day, just like the previous few. On good days, he'd even be happy rather than content. On bad days, it would take all his willpower not to snatch the computer and write an essay to BlackRose. Part of his reasoning sided with the idea that if he ignored BlackRose, she wouldn't have a reason to play 'The World' anymore, quit and stay safe. Another part of it thought that it would be less painful to quit the game if he completely cut all ties. His cursor hovered over the reply button before he shut the computer down. Turning to look out the window, he saw a single snowflake drift down from the sky followed by several more. He stood up and threw himself down on his bed lifelessly. When he closed his eyes, he could see himself decked in orange with yellow markings, gloves on his hands, hat on his head, pulsating green mass of hexagons on his wrist. He decided that he would take a nap, and hoped that he wouldn't dream of Kite as he had done numerous times before...