I do not own .hack, any of its series or characters. This is a work of fanfiction.
...
The battle with the eight phases began to wear everyone down a bit. After defeating Macha, everyone felt a little uneasy. Mia seemed to be a spy who was there from the beginning, even with her previous relationship with Elk. Black Rose didn't feel too surprised, after all, Mia knew about gate hacking. Helba knew a few things, but she was a well known hacker.
...
Natsume was always looking to help anyone out who needed it. She saw Black Rose sitting down in the field after the battle, and decided to go and see if there was anything she could do to help get her spirits up. She walked over and sat down next to Black Rose, and brought up the first thing she could think of to try and give some positive energy. "It's nice how they started adding more realistic sensory effects to the M2D system." She began. "Like how you can smell the flowers, but without the allergies."
Black Rose looked up, across the field, and took a whiff to smell the breeze and see what Natsume meant. She could smell flowers. She knew they had to be coming from the game, since she didn't have any flowers in her room. Since being caught up in the epic battle with the phases, Black Rose had forgotten how much realism was incorporated into the game outside of battle. She began to smile as she responded. "Yeah. That's another reason to fight, so we can all get back to enjoying the sights and sounds of the game."
Natsume cracked a smile as well. She felt like she was starting to help her friend feel better about fighting the good fight, and having a clear goal to strive for. She scooted a little closer to Black Rose, thinking that being closer to someone friendly might help elevate the mood somewhat. Black Rose didn't seem to notice, with her eyes still on the plains before them. "I wish there was a way to make food in the game, too." Natsume said.
"Yeah, that would be something." Black Rose responded. "That would be a neat ability. Maybe even special food that has better health effects."
"Maybe even make recipes from home. I could make burgers for everyone." Natsume replied, to which they shared a brief chuckle.
"You know, there's so many things in The World that are neat escapes from real life." Black Rose started. But so many things they might not ever get into the game, but there's only so much you can do with existing technology."
"Like what?" Natsume asked.
"You know, pain sensation. Although people who've been put in comas show proof that it may not be a good idea." She answered.
"Maybe they could start small, like with basic touch sensation." Natsume started. "We may not have everything yet, but we're getting closer."
Black Rose thought about it, and decided that maybe Natsume would be able to understand like Mistral was. She started telling her about home life, her family, and some things she already told everyone, like her brother. She told her about how she enjoyed running to take her mind off of things. Natsume kept her ears open, taking in everything and talking with her friend about things she brought up. Then, she thought of something that hadn't come up, which was romantic relationships.
"If it isn't prying too much, is there anyone you're seeing, in a romantic sense?" She asked.
"N-no, I haven't really had the time," Black Rose began to answer, as her avatar's cheeks began to turn red just as her own. "I haven't even had my first kiss yet."
"Oh. I can see how with everything else going on, you wouldn't have much time for anything else," Natsume began. "But, maybe that's something I can help with."
Black Rose started wondering what Natsume meant. "Um, what exactly do you mean?" She asked.
"Well, this." Natsume answered, as she made her avatar join lips with that of Black Rose.
The two sat there, joined at the lips for a moment, and even though it was all virtual, Black Rose swore she could feel another person's lips on hers. "That would've been my first kiss as well." Natsume said. "I hope that wasn't too weird or crass."
"No, not really. I just wasn't expecting it, was all." Black Rose replied.
She couldn't help but feel like there was a real kiss shared between them. She pushed it aside for the time being. After a few more minutes of sitting and talking, the girls said their goodbyes and parted ways for the day.