"Black Chapter"
By Paperkut-98You may send me an email at black underscore chapter at hotmail dot com if you have questions about the storyline. I do not own Dot Hack, Final Fantasy (7, 9, 10), or Inuyasha, nor am I affiliated with either franchise in any way, except as a fan. I am making no profit from this story. Nobody may reproduce this piece unless they have permission from me, the author. Thank you!
WARNING: This story contains very small yaoi and M/F content. You have been warned. Also, it is set in the "Dot Hack" universe. I suggest you know the concept of that franchise, since the story could be confusing otherwise. Thank you!
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey readers! I'm really happy you've decided to read my new fanfic. Personally, I think this is my best work. It starts off slow, but really picks up after a couple of chapters. There are a lot of plot twists, which is why I've included my professional address in the footnotes above. So, feel free to email me if you have any questions. I hope you enjoy my story!
Thank you for reading! Have fun!
…
"Hahah!" the youngster shrieked with delight as his father tickled him from the driver's seat of the car.
"Don't laugh," the man said seriously, knowing bloody well that it would just make the boy laugh harder. "DON'T. LAUGH."
The boy rang with laughter as the car stayed parked at the head of the intersection, the mood set by the beautiful, sunny day contrasted by the painfully long traffic jam. While other drivers angrily bumped their horns under the hot summer sun, the man driving this car was busy entertaining his nine-year old son, who was riding up in the front of the car with him for the first time this summer.
"D-Daddy, please!" he gasped. "I… I can't… laugh any… more!"
The man's brown eyes sparkled mischievously. "Oh, yeah? I'll just have to see about that…"
As the man continued to tickle the boy, regardless of his protests, he beamed. His son was such a beautiful gift, he thought. God must truly love him for giving him such a healthy, pleasant young boy. Ever since he had been born, the man was excited to know how his son would grow up; what kind of adult would his son become?
He hoped, with all his heart, that he would always be around to watch him grow. But if he couldn't be, then he hoped that his son would always remember his love, and would know that his father would always be there for him, in body or just in spirit.
Just then, a truck swerved angrily down the middle of the street, ran by a driver who had just went into cardiac arrest.
…
USER NAME…
CLOUD
PASSWORD
FENRIR
WAITING.
WAITING..
WAITING…
SUCCESS! WELCOME TO 'THE WORLD'!
…
He was inside The World, where he could forget all of his problems and simply… be. He could simply do whatever it was he wished—search dungeons, level up, raise one of the beasts known as 'Grunty's'… It was just an online game, after all. He didn't have to worry about a thing.
Cloud scanned the area. He was once again in the gentle, green land of Dun Loireag, where many players were running around, minding their own business or the business of their party. He could see the area so clearly with the goggles he was wearing in Reality. He could hear everything, feel everything, and see everything. He could even taste the air, which tasted pure and…
DING!
Cloud stood amongst the rushing crowds, who were hurrying to shops and the Chaos Gate, trying to enjoy their games, and he checked his new message.
YOU HAVE BEEN INVITED TO JOIN A PARTY.
SENDER: TIFA
Cloud hesitated.
'She wants to spend time together… of course.' With that thought, he scrolled down to the part of the message that said, "ACCEPT or DECLINE", and he chose, "ACCEPT".
A new message popped up.
GREAT! I HAVE A NEW DUNGEON THAT I WANT US TO CHECK OUT. I HEAR IT HAS A POWERFUL WEAPON INSIDE!
Cloud scratched his spiky blond hair. Inside The World, he had chosen to be a Heavy Blade, but he had refused the typical stocky build that came with that type of class. Instead, he had opted for a toned, yet slender frame, with sky-blue eyes and blond hair. He seemed to be a typical "pretty boy", yet it wasn't that far from what he looked like in Reality. Cloud didn't like people who stretched the truth too far, even if it was harmless.
Cloud waited, and soon enough, she arrived.
"Cloud!" Tifa exclaimed, shortly after running to him.
Cloud smiled at the young girl. She seemed to be about 16 years old, according to her character's avatar. She was very beautiful in The World, with long brown hair, brown eyes, and a bright, sparkling personality to match. He and Tifa had been friends for a long time, and had grown close in The World. They met at least once a week, sometimes more than that, just to hang out together.
'I wonder if she's like this in the real world.'
"Hey, Tifa," Cloud smiled. "You… look nice today." Tifa giggled.
"So do you, Cloud," she grinned, breaking out a perfect smile. "You look… great."
'Tired.'
Cloud scratched his head again. "You said something about a new dungeon, Tifa. What did you hear about it?"
Tifa placed her hands on her hips and slumped slightly in her posture. "It's called 'Mysterious Her Pilgrimage'," she said, "and I hear that it has a Fighter-class weapon inside. A rare item, I think."
Tifa was a Fighter-class character. Although her level wasn't very high—23—she was still a good fighter in combat. Together with Cloud, she could hold her own in a fight.
'Oh,' Cloud thought, 'a Fighter's weapon… So that's why she wanted me to join her party…'
Tifa raised an eyebrow. "Are you in? Or, are you out, Cloud?"
…
A few moments later, Cloud and Tifa were standing outside of a dungeon entrance, waiting as a gentle wind blew all around them.
'This dungeon looks like it should be easy,' Cloud thought to himself. He was standing on a grassy green plain, with a blue sky overhead and a wide, gaping dungeon entrance in front of him. His heavy sword was now red, with the blood of monsters dripping from its cold steel. He had slain many monsters on his way to the dungeon's entrance, but none of them had proven to be much of a challenge, even for the lower-leveled Tifa. He doubted that a weak area like this one could offer much of a "rare weapon".
Tifa finished looking around and then she smiled at Cloud. "It's safe," she said. "There doesn't seem to be any more monsters around here."
Cloud nodded. He gripped the handle of his blade, feeling the worn fabric that was wrapped around the blade's grip. He could smell the blood dripping from his sword. It smelled…
'It's fake,' he knew. He walked forward.
Tifa followed him. "Let's go!" she cheered.
'So tired… He just looks so tired.'
…
The young boy's eyes darted all around the wrecked vehicle. He was trapped. He could feel something heavy pinning him down, against the seat of the car. But something wasn't right…
"Daddy!" he cried, panic rising in his voice, "D-Daddy! The car is upside-down!"
He waited for an answer, but did not hear any response.
"Daddy?"
The smell of smoke and fumes was intoxicating him, but there was another scent, too. He had smelled it before. He remembered one time when he had fallen from the monkey bars at school and bashed his elbow on the gravel. He had cried and felt sorry for himself as the nurse kissed it all better and put a bandage on it. But first, she had wiped up the red fluid that came from the cut… It was blood…
Except now, the scent was sickening. He had never smelled anything quite so strong.
"D-Daddy!" he screamed, suddenly feeling panicked. "Daddy, where are you? Why aren't you talking? Daddy!"
Moments passed without answer. It was the last time… It was the last time he would know what his father smelled like.
Blood.
…
"Hiiyaa!" Tifa's knuckles shattered the bone in the back of the monster's neck, killing it. It disappeared with a wisp of smoke, and Tifa landed on her feet from the great height at which she had delivered her finishing blow.
She puffed and heaved for a few seconds, then collected herself and stood up on her feet. "That's the last of them," she said to Cloud, who was standing not too far away from her. "We can move forward, now."
Quietly, Cloud nodded. He cast a quick glance around him: the corridor in which he and Tifa were in seemed to extend forever. It made him feel… safe, somehow: as though his path was clear and obvious.
"Let's go," he said.
Tifa followed her friend as he guided them down the hallway, walking along the cement floor that had so many weird designs splashed onto it. Briefly, she wondered what he was thinking. The boy that had been her friend for so long was mysterious, even today. He never seemed to speak his mind, and it worried Tifa that she didn't know what he felt like saying but hid from her.
"Tifa," Cloud suddenly said, breaking the silence. "You're being quiet."
Tifa blushed. "I—uh, was just wondering… What are you thinking about, Cloud?"
He raised an eyebrow. "What am I… thinking about?"
Tifa nodded, cautiously. "I mean… You don't have to talk about it, if you don't want to. I just… I mean…"
Cloud scratched his head momentarily, then turned his head and glanced at Tifa. "I was just thinking… about The World."
Tifa couldn't help but smile a bit. "Really?"
Cloud nodded. "Yeah, that's all. Just The World… and some other things."
Tifa frowned as Cloud looked away. 'Other things?'
Refusing to be shy now, she asked, "Like what?"
Cloud hesitated, then the smallest hint of a smile appeared on his face. "You… and me."
Tifa's mouth dropped, and then a deep red blush spilled into her cheeks. Embarrassedly, she asked, "What about you… and me?"
Cloud smiled. "I've been thinking about The World… and how you're the only person I've really been spending any time with in it. I was just wondering if maybe you're…"
Suddenly, he stopped. He ran some fingers through his hair, and then shook his head.
"No… forget it. Never mind, Tifa."
Tifa would have protested, but she saw the look on his face—the look that told her to drop it. Her face fell.
"Oh—okay…" she murmured. Cloud shuffled forward, his face cloudy and his eyes solemn.
As she tagged along, wondering what he had been thinking, he felt a heavy feeling in his stomach tighten into a knot and grip his heart coldly.
'I was wondering if you're bored yet.'
…
Tifa grunted with disappointment. "Hell!" she exclaimed, spying the twin knives nestled safely within the Treasure Chest. "They're Twin Blade weapons!"
The two friends had reached the lowest level of the dungeon moments ago, and Tifa had proceeded to open the Treasure Chest. She was sorely let down.
Cloud sighed and shook his head with disbelief. "Leave them," he suggested. "Someone else can use them, I guess."
Tifa sighed, and then closed the chest again. "Yeah," she muttered, "you're right." She then stood up and looked at Cloud, her expressive brown eyes guilty.
"I'm really sorry I dragged you all the way out here for nothing," she said softly. "I didn't know about this."
Cloud offered up a small smile. "Don't worry about it, Tifa," he said. "I had fun. Don't worry about it."
A few moments later, they had teleported back to the Field area. That was when they heard a scream.
"Thundaga!" the female voice shrieked.
A few yards away from them, a bright yellow flash of light appeared, followed by a high-pitched scream of terror.
Tifa's eyes widened. "Thundaga?" she asked. "I've never heard of a technique like that one before…"
Cloud's eyes narrowed as he concentrated on the space where the bright yellow lightning flash had just appeared. 'What the hell?'
"Thundaga is a very powerful Wavemaster's technique," he explained, his voice solemn and quiet, "usually reserved for emergency occasions. A spell like that should never have to be used in an area like this one."
Tifa looked surprised. "You mean… that was a strong player we just heard screaming?"
Cloud nodded, his eyes determined. "That's right, Tifa. Whoever that player is, they're in trouble. They must be facing a strong monster."
"But… But that's impossible!" Tifa exclaimed. "This area isn't that tough! We got through it easily!"
Cloud gripped the handle of his blade a little harder. 'Maybe… we should go check things out…' he thought.
Once again, he heard the familiar shrieking sound of a female player, and then he heard her yell, "Firaga!"
Cloud wasted no more time. He unsheathed his sword and raced off towards the location from which the battle was taking place, which was now bright red with burning flames used in an offensive spell.
"Cloud!" Tifa cried out, "Wait!" With that, she scrambled after him, toward the point of battle.
…
The brown-eyed young woman gritted her teeth. The monster wasn't even reacting to her spells, and she felt hopeless.
"Reflect!" she cried out. She swung her staff around to her front and let a light, pinkish-colored barrier flash in front of her. The monster's breath-attack echoed off her shield, but she could see it: the technique was wearing away the barrier.
'It's strong,' the brunette-haired girl realized.
The giant black monster hissed with anger. It was a dragon, albeit a small one, only twice the size of the female Wavemaster that it was trying to kill. It was completely black, with hissing yellow eyes and brandishing claws.
'Level 40,' the girl realized, 'this monster is at Level 40…'
Alone, she couldn't compare with it. But she had a mission to do…
"Firaga!" she shrieked, letting a wave of hot flames glisten from the tongue of the staff she was wielding. The flames licked the beast from behind the barrier, causing steam to draw from the creature's body. It merely hissed with dissatisfaction, and then swung its tail around.
"Ooof!" the girl screamed as the tail swung completely through the barrier, shattering the magical protection with every ounce of its strength, and knocked into her body. She flew back, unable to react as the crushing tail slammed her to the ground after a lengthy fall.
"Cross-Slash!"
She heard an unfamiliar voice call out, and then…
The monster howled with pain. Cloud's sword had done more than enough damage to kill any ordinary monster, but this wasn't the case. Cloud held his blade menacingly as he faced the creature from a few feet away, taking cautious steps as his mind raced to make a battle plan.
"Dolphin Fist!" Tifa screamed. She smashed the back of her opponent's head as hard as she could, with the weight of an ocean behind her blow. The dragon fiend merely roared.
"Tifa!" Cloud shouted, glaring the monster down. "Get down from there!"
"I won't!" Tifa promised. "I—" She was cut off by the sound of her own scream when the dragon bucked, its tail swinging veraciously through the air, and struck her in the stomach. She silently collapsed to the ground, feet away from her prey.
'Like a rag doll…' Cloud thought, shocking himself with the sickening thought. He shook his head fiercely, and then he gripped his blade as tight as he could hold it. Hot sweat trickled down its bearing as Cloud gazed at his sizeable opponent with the determination of a killer, preying on its victim.
"Braver!" he screamed. He swung his massive blade through the air, cutting the wind and relinquishing a hot flash of sheer power. The energy beamed from Cloud's sword, and met the dragon with an angry sound, like metal scratching metal. The dragon hissed with pain.
'It's working…' Cloud realized. His attack had hit the dragon on its arm. Cloud took that into account. Also, the dragon's paw seemed to relax with the weight of the technique grinding down on its arm strength. Cloud noted that, as well.
"Taming Sword!" Cloud screamed. He ran toward the beast and threw his entire weight into his blade, which crushed down onto the massive, clawed paw of the dragon. It screamed in pain as Cloud's blade sawed through the hand, securing it to the ground.
Cloud used his hands to hold onto the grip of his sword as best as he could, and then he grunted, lifting himself from the ground and kicking the dragon's arm where his Braver technique had previously singed it. The dragon once again roared with pain. However, this time, it was ready.
"W-watch out!" the female Wavemaster screamed, climbing to her feet.
Cloud eyed the girl in pink for a mere moment, but it was a… strange moment…
Suddenly, he felt a sharp sting pierce his thoughts against his torso, and the dragon's grand tail threw him down to the ground with a force that was unimaginable. Cloud cried out in pain, gasping for breath as he tried to get up.
The dragon swiftly moved on top of him, surprising Cloud with its velocity. He couldn't believe how fast such a bulky creature was moving. It wasn't like a typical monster…
The dragon snarled, and then Cloud flinched, gasping and shrieking as he felt something sharp dig into his flesh.
"Uh…. Uh…." Cloud mumbled. Red… fluid… blood… whatever it was called, he couldn't remember… the pain was crippling… his chest… the dragon's… claws…
"Meteor!" the female Wavemaster screamed. It was the last thing Cloud heard before his world went black.
"Curaga!"
…
Seconds later, Cloud was revived. He blinked hard, but then felt a tug on his hand. It told him to "get up".
"Come on!" a girl's voice urged. "You don't want to be Data Drained, do you?"
Cloud groggily lumbered to his feet, not quite sure what he was feeling. Was it exhaustion? Pain? He couldn't think clearly… He couldn't remember…
'Oh. Right. Death.'
Suddenly, a hard slap in his face woke him up completely. His eyes widened as he stared at a bitter-looking Wavemaster in front of him.
"I revived you for a reason, kid!" she snapped, her brown eyes looking frantic and angry, "So get the hell up and fight!"
Cloud caught something in her eyes… It was…
The sound of a roaring monster doubled with the beast's swinging dragon tail made Cloud's thoughts go away, and be replaced by a hard, burning fuel for revenge. Cloud instinctively grabbed the female Wavemaster's arms and pushed her on the ground, making sure that both of them were ducking as the dragon monster's tail passed overhead, a couple of inches away from cutting their faces.
'That's ENOUGH.'
Cloud jumped to his feet and brandished his sword, driven by an animalistic force from the inside.
"DIE!"
With that, he raced at the demon.
As soon as he was back in his zone, Cloud noticed the creature's paw—the one he had stabbed through. It was healed, without the trace of his attack.
'What the hell?'
Cloud gritted his teeth and stopped in his tracks, slugging his blade around and catching the dragon's moving tail with its lip. He groaned, fighting the strength of the monster's tail. It was strong, matching Cloud's own strength…
'But I'm a high-leveled character!' Cloud thought, 'and a Heavy Blade-class! This… THING shouldn't be able to match my strength…'
He screamed with rage, and his sword cut straight through the monster's tail. The dragon cried out with pain, and aggressively lunged forward, aiming for Cloud's torso with its sharp, black claws.
Cloud, however, was too quick for it. He caught The World's sun reflecting on the sharp, black digits, and he knew he had a chance to strike.
'If it isn't like a normal monster…'
He placed his blade directly in front of him, closing his eyes and crouching in order to brace for the impact. The monster's claws caught the flat side of his blade, and as Cloud struggled to hold his ground against the pushing arm of the dragon, he muttered.
"Cross-Slash."
The dragon let out a groan of pain as its hand broke, sliced into pieces by Cloud's sword technique. Its whine seemed… real.
However, as soon as its data faded from the game, Cloud noticed something… His blue eyes widened with shock. The hand was growing back, even as Cloud's sword touched the tip of the monster's now-useless arm.
Shaken, but not deterred, Cloud narrowed his eyes again, determined to make sure that the monster would not have a chance to slash at him again.
'If it isn't like a normal monster… then I can't fight like a normal player.'
"Taming Sword!"
The dragon screeched one final time as Cloud summoned the entirety of his strength and plunged his sword deep, deep into the beast's head. It was a finishing move.
Cloud thought he felt something stir behind him. The grip he had on his heavy sword tightened, turning his knuckles white, and he groaned, swiveling his sword around while it was still inside of the monster.
A low, sad melody churned from the monster's destructing body as its data wisped all around Cloud. The swishing-about that Cloud was incorporating into his killing technique was causing the monster's data to part way like most monsters' wouldn't. It was a special way to finish off the special beast.
'It's not like a normal monster,' Cloud realized, 'it's different. It… scared me.'
Black smoke flew around the green plains, signifying that peace had returned once again to the area.
Tifa struggled to get up, having just caught her breath. She dug her hands into the earth, feeling the warm ground below her. It was… the same. Nothing had happened. Nothing had changed. She looked up to see Cloud and make sure that he was all right.
Cloud wasn't looking at her, but at the woman behind him. It was the female Wavemaster.
"Thank you," she said coolly.
With that, she turned away, and stepped away from Cloud.
Tifa saw Cloud's blue eyes expand and his mouth drop a little. He desperately stepped forward and put out his hand. "Wait!" he exclaimed.
The woman hesitated, then turned to him and looked at the boy with her cold, cold brown eyes.
"What?"
Cloud didn't reply right away. For a few moments, he stared into her eyes. Then, he said, "You didn't tell me your name…" His voice was low and quiet… Shy, even.
The Wavemaster sneered.
"I'm Aerith. Goodbye."
With that, she disappeared under some rings of light, having teleported back to the Server City of Dun Loireag. Cloud gasped and stepped forward once again, trying to catch her with his hand, but… she was gone.
After a moment, Cloud's disappointment seemed to clear away, and his mouth curled into a small, cute smile.
'He doesn't look so tired, anymore,' Tifa realized.
…
END.