Notes: Hallo everyone Wie geht's? It's been... a somewhat long time since my last update? xD;; I hope I don't fall into a funk of never updating...
I've had this idea for awhile now; that while the story takes place in The World, the movements of players is dictated by a controller and their reactions to things are controlled by a keyboard. Everything someone does is a result of their real self thinking about it - some thinking about it more than others. In The World, a person could remake his/her life completely. It's easy to get lost in such a thing, pretending you're something you're not. Where, even if you don't feel like smiling, all you need to do is type in :) and no one can tell how depressed you really are. You get lulled into a false sense of security that no one can see past your mask; that despite how real the game is, it is only a game.
But suppose the game becomes real. That you're the only one not wearing a mask, and everyone can see who you are. So then what? Do you go on pretending that everything is fine? Or do you let your walls down and let them know that no, you're not okay.
To those who have read my other fanfics, I think it's pretty obvious my favorite character is Silabus. I wanted to write this with him being the main character. I wanted to explore the idea that maybe Morino Yuuichi isn't exactly like his online counterpart; that there is a darker side to the "sun", so to speak.
Aside from that, and maybe even more importantly, I think that were AIDA (Ovan? Sakaki?) to try and deal a blow to G.U., attacking someone completely unrelated to the project would be the way they'd go. And who better than to attack Silabus? Gaspard is seen as a just a kid, but Silabus? Silabus is more their age; he's only nineteen. He took over Canard when Kuhn left, and he helped Haseo out with the tournament - and, unknowingly, helped G.U. get one step closer to defeating AIDA.
The fanfic itself takes place somewhere between... oh, let's say halfway through the second game :D It will eventually be KuhnSila; if that troubles you, then please don't read. The title, "Background Noise"... nnn, I don't really like it, but I can't think of anything better. We'll roll with it for now. D:
So, without further ado, here is Background Noise.
Looking through his visor all he can see is a forever setting sun, it's reflection cast upon rippling waters, and the shadows cast onto the streets. Not to mention the hundreds of people, all dressed gaudily by the real world's standards. Beyond the constant murmur of the crowd, soft background music plays; a would-be lullaby, if one could actually hear the music.
All of this a stark contrast to the real world, where the only background music was the pitter-patter of rain, the only thing he could see was his messy apartment, and any person he might have seen was hidden by an umbrella. No one was around in the real world; not where Morino Yuuichi was, anyway. Comparing the real world with The World, it was an obvious choice as to which Yuuichi preferred to spend most of his time in.
Raising a hand to adjust his microphone, he replaced it back onto the controller; the warmth from his hands had warmed the piece of equipment up considerably. He paid no mind to this, however, instead focusing on the game. More specifically, a PC that had caught his eye. Dressed in white and different tones of blues, the PC would have looked like any of the others were it not for the giant... thing around his arm. Wondering idly how much the thing weighed, Silabus continued staring at the PC. Raising an eyebrow, Yuuichi shifted in his seat. The PC was obviously modified in some way, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to talk to a modified PC. He didn't want to get banned for being associated with him or something.
The other PC, Ovan, seemed to not care, for he approached Silabus anyway.
"Excuse me," the man said, his voice light. "You are Silabus, correct?"
"Yes," Yuuichi said, his voice echoing slightly as Silabus said it as well. Wary, he continued, "Can I help you?"
"I require some assistance. Your guildmate, Gaspard, told me I should talk to you," Ovan said, seemingly oblivious to Silabus' unease.
"Oh! What can I help you with?" a few taps on a keyboard, and Silabus smiled warmly. Ovan smiled back, a small, tight smile.
"I have a friend who has just joined The World. I'm too busy to explain the basics to her, and from what I understand Canard is a guild dedicated to helping newbies.."
"That we are:)" Silabus said cheerfully. It was easy to get lost while playing this game; to forget that there wasn't actually a person in front of him, but a computer. That, really, Yuuichi was just talking to himself. "Would you like me to explain the game to your friend?"
"If it wouldn't be too much trouble," Ovan said, his smile growing. The feeling of unease came back. Yuuichi couldn't explain it, but there was something off about Ovan. Other than his PC body, anyway. "The area is Delta - Bursting, Passed Over, Aqua Field."1
Tapping his controller to get rid of the window that popped up, alerting him that they area words had been added to his list, Silabus nodded.
"When should I go?" he asked. "Is your friend online now?"
"Actually, she is," Ovan said, his smile widening further. Shivering, Yuuichi shifted in his chair once again.
"Great:) I can go meet with her now then. What's her name?" Ignoring the feeling that he shouldn't do this, Yuuichi tightened his hands on the controller. He was being stupid. He had done this before, helping out someone who was too busy to teach their friend to play. This was nothing new. This was...
"AIDA," Ovan said. "Her name is AIDA."
"Alright. I'll go to her now then. Can you tell her to wait at the field entrance?"
"Yes. And thank you for helping me," Ovan said, inclining his head slightly. As though finished with the conversation, Ovan turned and began walking away. Exhaling quietly, Yuuichi continued to watch Ovan disappear into the crowd before finally moving Silabus over to the nearest Warp Portal. Going to the Central Dome, he then entered the actual building and moved to the large Warp Portal inside. Opening the list of keywords, Yuuichi selected the ones Ovan had given to him and warped to the area.
As soon as the screen loaded, Yuuichi knew something was wrong. Parts of the field were missing, the background music was skipping parts, and there was something going on to the left of him. Turning, Yuuichi blinked. A series of black dots, constantly moving and flickering, hovered in front of him. The feeling of unease Ovan had given to him grew tenfold, and, heart beating wildly, Yuuichi kept Silabus where he was. The black dots loomed ominously, as though watching Silabus. There was something wrong here. Something horribly, horribly wrong. Thumb brushing the analog stick and causing Silabus to take a step back, Yuuichi was unprepared for the black dots to suddenly lurch forward, filling his visor with blackness. A jumble of thoughts whirled inside his head, all of which were exclaiming that this wasn't right, that he needed to get away, warp out, unplug the terminal - anything. But he couldn't move. His hands remained holding the controller, the visor still on his head. He could feel these, and then... suddenly, he couldn't.
Gasping as a sudden chill covered him, he flailed blindly, still unable to see due to... whatever that thing was. His heart beat more wildly, his breaths coming shorter and shorter. He couldn't see anything, he couldn't feel anything, couldn't sense anything...
The black crept into his mind, and there was nothingness.
1. Too tired to think up another area. xD;;
