C.M.D: This is my first .Hack fanfic, so be kind please! I'm going by the videogame here, taking place in the beginning of .Hack/G.U volume 2, after the AIDA server. There will be yaoi and maybe a little out-of-characterness for some people. So, just bear with me, k?
He didn't know exactly when it started, or when the attraction happened, he just knew that it was getting harder to ignore. Probably he shouldn't have felt it, at least that's what he told himself, after all there was Shino. Shino... even now he couldn't stop thinking about her but the initial feelings he had toward her had faded.
Now all he thought about when he conjured her image, was how he needed to save her. Save her, and the others. Back to the point at hand... he was confused when he started to like Silabus, in a sexual way, considering he never really liked the blade brandier to begin with. He found both the brunette and the pink-dog beast, Gaspard, nuisances from the get-go.
This of course had changed, as well as his feelings to several other players.
Haseo found himself warming up to the other individuals, and it amazed and scared him. His mission was dangerous itself, and it seemed to always be putting others in harm's way. Wasn't it better, for him and everyone else, when he had remained cold and distant? He couldn't really say.
Through his search he'd discovered answers and plenty more questions, powers and met more people. One of them being Atoli. Atoli... Haseo didn't think there was a more annoying person on the face of the planter than the Shino look-alike.
Surprisingly, but maybe not, people thought they would make a cute couple. He thought this was beyond stupid. It's not that he hated the girl, but she was weak, whiny and way too clingy. He had enough problems of his own; he didn't need a spine-less, insecure girl giving him more.
Besides, she had proved her worthlessness in a relationship already. When he was feeling distraught, still trying to summon forth his Epitaph and nearing an emotional breakdown, Atoli was busy complaining about how she didn't want to be ignored.
The girl was too dense to realize that he needed comforting, not her. But Silabus...Silabus noticed and offered to help, without making it apparent that he knew Haseo was struggling. Maybe that's when he started to like the brunette.
Either way... he wanted the green-dressed male, so much so it was starting to become his obsession.
His fingers danced across the keyboard, visor slipping over his eyes as he sat at his desk. A small sardonic grin spread across his lips as he read The World's message boards. A thread, started by a few of the players who'd been trapped in the game for an expanse of a few minutes, had been almost completely deleted. All the comments made by trapped players had been cleared off the forum.
The teen chuckled dryly, exiting out of the message boards and opening up his inbox. It seemed the company didn't want anyone to hear about the AIDA server fiasco. That was so typical of global organizations. So damn afraid of losing their profit that they'd wipe out all evidence that there was a problem, just to keep the status quota to its maximum- no matter who was put in danger because of it.
The smile faded as he scanned his email, opening up a letter from Atoli. Worry slithered into his gut as he read before closing his inbox. Atoli... her hand was paralyzed exactly the same as it had been in the game. Quickly, the youth logged into The World.
His view of his desk and computer vanished behind a familiar stream of metallic monochrome sparks, before settling down. He found himself in a large circular room now, light streaming in through long, thin windows behind him; the warp portal humming at his backside.
Ignoring the players around him, the adept rogue hurried out of the dome, opening the large wood doors to be met with bright afternoon sunlight. The beautiful city, Mac Anu. Haseo gazed at the city distantly, before moving down the dome's steps. In front of the fountain in the Alchemy district... that's where Atoli said she would be waiting to talk to him.
Thinking about the girl's player hand, data chipping away in luminescent flakes, increased his anxiety. Atoli may piss him off nearly all the time, but the grey-haired teen didn't wish for her to end up in a coma. He could never wish that on anyone...
Deciding to save himself some time, Haseo used the warp point to take himself over to the Alchemy District. He walked over the bridge, and true to her word, Atoli was standing in front of the fountain. She was looking back and forth, before she spotted him, running up a little to meet him.
"Oh, Haseo!," she greeted, smiling.
"Atoli...," he replied.
The girl clasped her hands together, smiling brighter. "Look...," she chirped, "I mean, listen! I can speak normally again!"
Haseo nodded, having already noticed that the girl's microphone was fixed. "But...what about your paralyzed hand?," he questioned, concerned. Atoli's smile fell, her eyes gazing down at her left hand. She touched the back of it lightly.
"Well...it's still there," she answered. She looked back at him, smiling again. "But even so, the fact that I can speak is a big step forward! Look, I even bought a controller that I can use with one hand," she added, laughing.
Haseo frowned, his skin crawling with her laugh. Was the girl this dense? This was a serious matter they were dealing with! "Are you sure you want to keep going with The World?" Atoli blinked at his question, cocking her head to the side. Haseo had to fight the urge to sigh. "I mean, aren't you scared?"
The Harvest Cleric still didn't answer him, turning her gaze down to the floor. This time, Haseo had to fight back a growl. "Come on. It's not like The World's going to go away. So why not take some time off," he pressed. He had to get this girl to understand that things were different now. This was no longer just a game.
Atoli's head snapped up, her hands clenched at her chest. "Of course I'm scared...," she shouted, "...I'm scared but I'm not going to quit The World! Ever!" The Adept Rogue said nothing in response, slightly shocked at the female's reaction. "Afterall, I can tell... this isn't something that a doctor can cure. If I don't do my best here, it'll never be healed," she finished.
Haseo gave in, and mentally sighed, suddenly tired. The Harvest Cleric was the most irritating person to deal with in his new band of followers, but she at least was getting how serious this situation was. Still, it did nothing to ease the feeling of helplessness he was experiencing. '...There's, there's nothing I can do for Atoli is there? So I have an Avatar now. So, what? Nothing's changed at all... First Shino, then Atoli... I can't save anyone by myself.'
Unaware of the male's mental berating, Atoli continued on. "And also, don't forget the fact that Sakaki's here. And..."
Haseo snapped to attention at the mention of Atoli's fellow Moon Tree member, a spark of anger blooming in his chest. There were very few people in The World who were targets of the Adept Rogue's vast hatred, but Sakaki was one of them and Haseo spared him nothing. Aside from Sakaki's greater-than-thou attitude, which always managed to piss him off, he thought the green-haired player suspicious. Maybe it was irrational, but there was something that he just didn't trust about Sakaki, and he'd be skipping for joy if the Moon Tree member were to just vanish from existence.
"...Haseo?," came Atoli's meek voice.
The girl was looking at the Adept Rogue worriedly, her eyes wide with slight fear. He figured his face must have been quite terrifying, if he judged by how mad he felt. He focused his red orbs on her tiny figure, feeling his anger grow.
"You're not feeling well... are you?," he snapped. Not leaving room for her to answer, he continued, "If you have time in the game, you should rest up."
Atoli flinched as he finished, nodding her head, staring at the floor again. "...okay. Well then...," she whispered. Her body was surrounded by light, disappearing into the ring that rose from her feet up to her head.
Haseo felt guilt worm its way into his rage after she had logged off, the combination making him queasy to his stomach. He hadn't meant to be mean to the girl, it was just... Dammit, he was just trying to look out for her! But she was too stupid to get that, blinded by her obsession with her cell leader, Sakaki. She even defended the bastard -how could he expect that she would get his feelings toward the other man?
Sighing, the Adept Rogue signed off as well. He knew Atoli felt most at home here in The World... if only she could break away from the strangling hold Sakaki had on her.
"I'll check my email," the grey-haired teen grumbled to himself, shaking off his conversation with the Harvest Cleric. He'd dwell on it later.
As soon as he logged off, he saw that he had gotten three emails. The first two were from Kuhn, talking about Atoli and asking him to come Raven's home, the last was Yata ordering him to come to the guild as well. Deciding to just go along with it, he signed back into The World and made his way over to the guild.
He was in there for a good ten minutes, and when he came out he was possibly madder than he had been when he finished talking to Atoli. He could understand Kuhn's leaving, after all he didn't want to put anymore in danger as well. But shutting down the server was not an option, not until Shino and the others were saved at least.
It wasn't like the Adept Rogue was siding with Yata -that bald asshole was in the same category as Sakaki- but shutting down The World meant that noone could get in, Epitaph users included, there was no denying that truth. But that's not what had him so pissed. Stomping past Raven's grunty, Haseo was tempted to kick it out of pure spite, but continued on past the non-player character and out of the guild.
What really pissed him off was the fact that Yata had to take on that attitude of his, as if he was God and Haseo and the others were just mindless, blithering idiots. Then he had to go and mention Shino! He had no right to talk about her, none at all!
He would have pkked the guy by now, if it wasn't for the information that Yata was withholding.
Okay, so maybe he wasn't entirely sure that Raven's Guildmaster was keeping secrets, but with the AIDA server and finding out that Yata knew about the virus having a system folder... well, he definitely had his suspicions, and his trust for the man just dropped a few more notches below negative.
Fuming still, Haseo marched toward the warp point, intent on blowing off some steam in a field. There was a ping as he received a short mail, his eyes widening in surprise seeing who it was from.
Silabus.
Immediately, the Adept Rogue's anger melted and he spun back around heading back to the guild and pulling out his key. After all this crap, he was more than eager to see the blade brandier. Canard's doors opened to him, and he stepped inside, red eyes landing on Silabus and Gaspard not far away from him.
They turned to him, Gaspard looking distressed. "Hey, Haseo. You've gotta help me out!," he pleaded. "Silabus said he won't believe me at all!"
Haseo didn't need to ask what the beast-player was going on about, he was well aware that Gaspard was talking about the AIDA server. Apart from him, Atoli, Kuhn, Pi, Yata and a bunch of other people he didn't care for, Gaspard had been trapped in the virus' version of The World as well.
The grey-haired teen had told the boy to stay put in the guild while he went about trying to solve the situation. He had at least managed to keep the dog-beast safe. He was glad that Silabus hadn't been there also. He didn't know if he could handle the green-clad male being in harm's way.
"Now now, Gaspard," Silabus chastised. "No matter how much fun The World may be, games and reality are totally seperate things."
Haseo kept quiet still. He was still dwelling on the possiblities of Silabus being trapped in the AIDA server... and it wasn't painting a pretty picture either. He knew he was going to be sick if he kept thinking like this. But maybe things would be alright if he told them.
Haseo gave a mental shake of the head, getting rid of that last thought. It would be too dangerous to agree with Gaspard then tell them the truth. 'These guys don't need to know about AIDA or avatars for that matter,' he concluded. The grey-headed male looked at his fellow guild members. They were here to have fun... they didn't need to get involved with this complicated shit.
"Yeah, Gaspard," Haseo agreed, "How could something like that happen? heh..."
The beast player seemed a little hurt at that. "Haseo?! But you were there too... weren't you?," he asked, confusion molding his features. "Hmm? Mmmm... that's weird. I mean, that's really weird. Was I dreaming or something?"
Silabus chuckled a little. "You know that's just like you to dream while you're playing. Of course, I also think it would be great if The World were to become real," he commented.
Haseo nearly choked on his own spittle. He had just been thinkin about how maybe it wouldn't be so bad if Silabus had been in the AIDA server, because in that place everything they experienced was real, and it would be a great opportunity for him; when the blade brandier had to go and say something like that.
Now his imagination was running wild on him, demonstrating to him all the wonders of having another virus fiasco, where he could be with Silabus, and the brunette would be able to feel... Feel when the Adept Rogue touched him, kissed him, tasted him, fu-
Haseo cut his thoughts off right there. Now was not the time to be thinking things like this! He was supposed to be having a serious conversation!! Sighing, the teen waved goodbye to the other two, leaving the guild. He saved his progress so far and signed off the game. Today was just mentally exhausting.
Shutting down his computer, the teen mulled over the fact that everday since Shino's pkking had been like this. Draining. The male got out of his chair, wincing in discomfort at the hard-on he was sporting, making his way to the bathroom. His clock read out 12:31 as he passed it, and he ran a hand down his face in response. He needed to get some sleep.
Data streamed all around the world in metallic multicoloured layers, connecting different terminals to each other, sending their own digital information into other PCs. A whole different world continued to stay awake, not needing sleep, or food, or drink. Decompressing, and compressing lines of numbers and codes, constantly without end in sight. One file made its way through the network, downloading into a private email inbox. It was coloured yellow, unread.
Under sender, there was only one name: Ovan.
C.M.D: If anyone's ever played the game, you'll properly have noticed that I actually taken some of the conversations of the characters and used them in their proper place. Why bother? Because I like to that's why. Anyways, review and tell me what you think!!