Everything Burns: A .HACK One-Shot
by
13wolfsbane
xXx
Disclaimer: I do not own .HACK. It all belongs to it's rightful owners.
I had just sat there on the ground, holding her character's fading body in my arms as tightly as I could, seeing that she was slowly disintegrating into countless of lost data. No, why was this happening to me? Why her? Why did he have to go after Shino? Someone tell me why dammit!
I could of sworn I felt her flinch, but that may have been my own body trembling out of fear and anger- because I wasn't able to anything to stop this.
Shino had kept her eyes closed while disappearing, as if allowing for herself to be gone without trying to fight; that faint expression masking her pale features. I didn't understand, no, I don't understand on what the hell was happening here- to Shino lying so still in my arms at the Cathedral.
More parts of her body was vanishing by the minute, my heart racing wildly as I just watched helplessly.
Just several seconds- or maybe minutes earlier, I had rushed down to this area to find Shino and some current things I had set aside in my mind for awhile now when I found her falling to the ground. I didn't see anyone inside the cathedral except for me and her, and yet she was struck down by some unknown person- a PK maybe. My adrenaline and blood-maybe my heart if it already wasn't from running here-were sky rocketing at a high level when I saw her.
I had tried, I'd tried to heal her wounds with all the healing potions and items that I had on me at the time, I'd tried everything that I could think of that might be able to help her... but it wasn't enough, it wasn't enough to prevent this.
Who did this to her? I had thought countlessly at that moment, and why did it have to be her?
Unanswered questions filled my already full mind, my crimson eyes as wide as it was ever before showing nothing but fear... and probably regret and anguish more than anything if not.
"Dammit! Just hang on, Shino. Just hang on!" I muttered weak and faintly, my voice beginning to crack. "Shino..."
I had paused, for a minute there I could of sworn I had heard footsteps coming from behind me: light steps but loud enough for me to hear it clearly. I kept on listening for a bit longer until there was no more sounds for the pass couple of seconds when the sound of the steps had continued, only to have vanished suddenly from earshot. I don't even know what made me listen to someones steps, but I had to put it aside for now... for Shino.
More of her character's data was disappearing right before my eyes, her looking so peaceful in the uncomfortable silence. I had an urge to cry out right there, to keep calling at her, something. I just couldn't sit there while she was-
"H-Haseo...?"
I flinched, hearing her voice shaking and very weak that she sounded like she could even hardly speak at all. Her eyes had slowly opened, casting them upon me with such grace and warmth in them, showing like mirrors when I saw my own reflection in them. She smiled gently, but she must have forced herself to smile at me, to make sure everything was going to be alright-
-but I knew. I knew nothing was going to be alright, that was all I knew just seeing her in so much pain.
She had risen a hand and placed it against the side of my face, that smile still upon her lips with a far away stare. "Shino..." I muttered under my breath, holding back the tears that were just forcing to come out, and were probably trailing down my cheeks as I speak now.
"D... don't cry..." She said, almost like a whisper, when she had wiped away a small tear from my face as she continued on. "You... are a man... right?"
Her body had jolted, more and more of her character data crack and disappearing like dust. "Shino!" I shouted her name, anguish washing all over me.
She still had that smile on her face, making it look like that it didn't hurt her at all, but that wasn't true, she wasn't very good at hiding the pain from me when I looked at her eyes. "Ovan... Please, save Ovan."
"Save... Ovan?" I didn't understand what she meant. Me saving Ovan? Save him from what? What did she want me to save him from? Save him from whom? Or what?
Shino had closed her eyes, still smiling, when her whole jolted and she gasped. And right there, at that very moment flashing right before me in horror, her data had disappeared completely into the air of The World.
Shino was gone.
No, it wasn't true, it had to a mirage or something. Please tell me it was fake. Please someone... just tell me dammit!
I wasn't able to hold it in much longer: the sensation and urge of yelling out had been held in long enough. The pain I felt, the guilt inside, the helpless and useless person I was wasn't able to save her life. More tears had began to roll down my damped cheeks, as I casted down my wide red eyes to my shaky hands, grasping onto nothing but air in The World, in place where she vanished in my very own arms.
I brought my hands up to my face, as if clawing at my skin without me feeling the exact pain she felt; the urges were rising incredibly high, wanting to burst out at any time now, and have me react by destroying something in sight.
My eyes were now casting right in front of me, an image burning into my mind when there that used to have a statue of The World's goddess, more horror invading me when I felt sick to my stomach, so uneasy when I saw it. Right there, that similar mark with only three lines connecting with each other to form a slanted triangle, glowing reddish orange, was that mark. His mark. Tri-Edge's mark was etched into the stones of the Cathedral.
Anger welling up inside of me, burning like a growing flame on a bonfire, so much malice being absorbed from those marks. I hated it, I loathed it with every bit of my shattered heart. I couldn't stand the sight of it, I just wanted to use my weapons and scratch it off until the whole damn thing broke into millions of pieces for that mark to be erased. He had done it, he had been the one that PKed Shino, he was the one that did this to her! That killer! That bastard! That-
I screamed at the top of my lungs, screaming as loud as I could with my feeling in them. My hate, loathing, and malice welling up all together as a mixture of one. But not just because of him, but also for her, for I couldn't do anything but watch her fade to nothingness.
"SHIINOOOO!"
xXx
6 months later...
Somehow, I'd found myself back to the Cathedral in my new stronger form, staring emotionlessly at the very spot when Shino was PKed. PKed by that bastard, Tr-Edge. I remembered that day as if it were only yesterday: the images that were burned into my mind so I wouldn't- couldn't forget my goal. My revenge.
I remembered everything so clearly.
The reason I was back at this place was because Ovan had sent me an e-mail, saying that 'Tri-Edge would return to the scene of the crime once more' and soon found myself here, standing right before his vulgar mark. It made me sick, looking at it.
~"Please, save Ovan."~
Her words struck me hard like a blow from the enemy. I still couldn't figure out what she meant by that, save Ovan from something or someone. Why did she want me to save him when I couldn't even save her? Shino...
I flinched violently, hearing the small ringing of some bell echoing in the fairly large area I was in; a familiar ring. I grinned mentally, turning on my heels the opposite direction of where I stood to the main entrance, glaring deathly at the empty hall of seats. No one was in sight, at least not yet.
I glanced around violently while trying to keep my cool and eagerness hidden. Yes, I was eager to face him, eager to exact my revenge on him for Shino. I kept searching, searching for that form to appear so I could kill him.
A light was shining behind me: bright white mixed with light blue. I turned once more around to my original direction, the light showing just near his mark and my grin began to faze upon my own lips, glares darting. This was it, this was the moment he was gonna die and tell me how to bring Shino back, this was where he was going to die: Tri-Edge had finally come.
Suddenly, I was pushed back by some strong force, causing me to move several feet away from where I stood as he started to take form from the light. He landed gracefully on the ground, giving me a far away stare with those yellow-red eyes and shadows encasing them. He was slurring, as if trying to speak when I knew that he couldn't utter a single vowel of a word. In a matter of seconds he pulled out his twin weapons, Twin Blades I think they were called, in a dark blue and violet coloring on the edges of the blades; his hands holding them firm and tightly as a taunt.
I began to chuckle aloud, my claw-like hands forming a tight fist as several images of Shino and him entered my mind and flashed right on.
"I've found you," I began, my voice cracking with malice and slight laughter and hissed. "I've found you at last. This is all your fault, you bastard!"
Nothing else mattered at that moment: all that mattered was this, me killing him with my own claws and weapons. I was the one that was going to end this, I was the one that was going to seal his fate in The World. I was going to be the one that the great goddess, Aura, if she ever existed in The World, was going to punish. But I didn't care, I didn't give a damn on what happened to me, as long as he was gone, that was all that mattered. After all, I am Haseo, the Terror of Death, who had PKed other Player Killers to become strong and to satisfy this longing sensation of mine; this quench to become strong and powerful. I will do it, I will destroy him, I will put an end to him-
I will exact vengeance!
xXx
13wolfsbane: Yeah, and that is it for this One-Shot. And this was my very first one, to be frank, and my first story (this) on this anime/game. Like others, I am a .HACK fan and just recently saw the Trilogy movie, which was awesome in Fandub! I might decide to write more on this anime/game if I'm ever inspired, but for now, that is all. Please R&R those who took their time to reading this. See ya!