Disclaimer: I do not own the .hack games, etc. This particular piece isn't limited by timeframe, so knock yourself out. Slight OOC Kite, but then again, it's not like he has much character anyway. Your basic first-person speculation.

She's got a little bit of something--God, it's better than nothing
And in her color portrait world, she believes that she's got it all
She swears the moon don't hang quite as high as it used to...
And she only sleeps when it's raining
And she screams, and her voice is straining
3 A.M. - Matchbox 20

School's over. I stare fixedly at the blank math worksheet; I am supposedly capable of filling in each and every answer in a span of a meager, say...six or so hours. It's a lot more of a burden then it sounds, as I'm generally obligated to finish my homework as soon as I get home, just so I can hop on the computer.

I highly doubt I'm capable. Typical afternoon: walk home from school, stare at homework for approximately fifteen minutes, and then go off to play The World, thus fulfilling my daily commitment to the bearer of the Twilight Bracelet's legacy.

I sleep easy for another night, and the next morning, I usually scramble to some classmate--usually Yasuhiko, if not for damn Skeith--and hastily scribble the answers down. Another A precariously maintained, but it's not as if "Orca" is any brighter then I am. I'm just lazier. And I'm a hero, so...

It's difficult to believe that you're saving lives in The World.

The concept is real, surely enough, but it's difficult to believe you're making a difference in reality through a video game. I mean, come on. In The World, you can be anyone, right? But me...I'm myself, not the almighty hero and charitable guy Yasuhiko is, or the hardcore and somewhat intimidating role-player Piros is.

Burdened, but not alone, at least.

And I'm a blue-haired guy. With an invisible bracelet. And the Technicolor clothing.

Before I received the Bracelet of the Twilight, my clothes were green, you know. A nice shade of dark green that didn't go well with my hair. Now they're bright red with orange lines. Go figure.

I sigh and shove the paper away, rising to my feet and heading towards the computer. I lift the keyboard from its spot on the left side of the monitor--it's usually unneeded, but I've got e-mail to check and lives to save... Imagine my "surprise" when several of those e-mails--read and unread alike--are from BlackRose, with various keywords and comments and rumors. Sometimes I think she's the one who should've been given the bracelet...

Of course, I wouldn't give it up without a fight. I'm tied to it, personally. And I've become accustomed to these e-mails. They're useful.

I wouldn't call BlackRose useful, per se. The term "useful" doesn't seem like the kind of adjective I'd use for people. Although, on occasion, I have found myself lamenting over the term "useless" and whether that is more proper for people in general... That doesn't work for BlackRose, either.

Couldn't describe her if I tried...

The small thumbnail photo in her e-mail was that of her character. It glares, kind of. I mean, yeah, she smiles, but her eyes are always narrowed and piercing. And, as per usual, the e-mail says something along the lines of: "Someone says to have seen [blah blah blah]! The keywords are..."

Predictable, I guess. I think she's too focused on our little adventure. Maybe she just likes the concept of the thing, but I kind of like to think that she has some other reason. Like a person who fell into a coma. Or maybe she likes hanging around us. And then, something else wonders if she likes hanging around me.

I can't deny that I would never have gone far if not for her constant cyber-sleuthing.

And I know that this might sound a little selfish, and a whole lot of stupid, but at least one good thing came out of that day. It triggered a sequence of events that let me log in at the exact time BlackRose was scuttling around Mac Anu, looking for a poor unsuspecting player to accompany her to the cathedral.

I don't know what I'd do without her.

BlackRose accused me of staring at her. Well, what do you expect? I'm usually not that kind of guy, but I was still pretty captivated by the realism of The World. And it was my first time seeing a scantily clad girl in The World. So naturally, I'd act like that...and now that I think about it, she was running around pretty strangely.

And she ran up to me, and yelled at me. I'd actually thought she was going to clobber me with that humongous sword she was lugging around. And I'm easily intimidated in most cases, so as my instincts told me, I recoiled.

Then she lied about her being a newbie. Right there, I could tell that this was the beginning of a very...interesting...relationship to say the least. The eviler side of me laughed maniacally when she shrieked as that goblin ran up to her.

I'm a sucker for apologies, though. I'm not the type to hold a grudge. And after that?

I thought BlackRose was pretty cute.

Not just physically, either.

I'm pretty sure I'd get punched if I told her that. But I still believe it, you know. Sure, she's lied to me on occasion, she's threatened me, and she's more then a little egotistical. I don't know why; on more then one occasion, Sanjuro has asked me about it, and Elk prods sometimes. I really, really don't know why.

I know she's more then what she seems; that's obvious.

I like BlackRose...?

I know Sanjuro has a high opinion of BlackRose, and I know they hang out together on occasion. And I get surprisingly unhappy when Sanjuro makes a comment or whatever regarding her and something about her I don't know. Sanjuro, Natsume, and I were dungeon-raiding once upon a time; he made a comment on a particular monster. He said she hated it with a passion.

I stabbed that Goblin Mage good.

Probably the only person I'd get jealous of is someone who knew her better then I did.

I like to think we complement each other; the terminology would be "dynamic duo," I guess. She's outgoing and almost-fearless and strong-willed; I'm...well, I'm me. That says enough, doesn't it?

I think it's because she understands the mission at hand. BlackRose didn't just team up with me for the hell of it. And with this knowledge, she pushes me; she wants me to finish what I have to do, and she finds out things because she can. And maybe through this experience, she'll benefit from it too.

I just enjoy her--her presence, her appearance, her personality. Outwardly, BlackRose is... Graceful; angelic; kind; thoughtful; calm; polite; quiet;...BlackRose acts as if none of these things, and in a way, it simply adds to my curiosity. She has her rare moments, when the arrogant exterior is revealed as a façade to ward away outsiders. Her eyes soften and glimmer like rubies in the sun, and she becomes much more timid... Moments like that, though rare, make me realize just why I...

She pushes me onward. When she left a while ago, I found out that I couldn't let my doubts hold me back. When I understood she was right, I missed her.

And I like to think that we're more then just partners.

My pulse quickens, and I don't even notice; I store away the keyboard and pull on my Neuro Goggles. BR will be waiting for me at Dun Loireag. I can't wait to see her again, and further examine the fruits of my speculation... And maybe, just maybe, I think that I might...

I'm falling in love with BlackRose...

The sky is eternally blue, and the fog never lifts. My heart hammers in my chest, and she turns around, having acknowledged I have arrived. I subconsciously raise one hand to rub at the cloth, as if that would stop the pounding.

BlackRose thinks I'm having some kind of cardiac arrest, and later, that thought would make me laugh. She walks over to me hesitantly, eyebrow quirked in that strange little way of hers. She sheathes her sword and stares.

"Hey, are you okay?" I hesitate, and she catches it with her impatience. "Maybe you should log off--"

The daggers slide from my hands, and I quickly wrap my arms around her. Her breath catches in her throat, and I can almost feel her lips moving soundlessly, as if wanting to ask what I was doing but not having the heart to. She'll probably never bring this up again, and maybe she'll be slightly alarmed to still go dungeon-crawling alone with me, but just one small moment, amidst the hell that goes on in The World...

As long as it's with her, I'll be okay.

A/N: Commence the hurling and the accusations of plagarism.