Mechanical Wings
Disclaimer: I do NOT own .hack or any of its characters… yet… .
A/N: Hey everybody. Thank you very much for the reviews, I appreciate it a lot. I'm sorry if you didn't like the prologue, but it was just a prologue, so the story will continue to improve as the plot develops.
Also, the Anonymous Review blocker for this story has been turned off. Thanks Megaolix for informing me of this.
I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 1: Red-Stained Glass
He wasn't sure if it was the horrible dryness layering his mouth and throat that woke him. His eyes were still heavy with sleep as he tried to bring himself to lift his head from a cold surface, but to no success. His vision blurred with the vague awareness of a cluttered floor, un-kept with careless and slovenly actions. It took a moment, but after blinking several times, the boy could make out a few of the possessions left forgotten on the floor. A few pieces of clothing, a shoe covered with mud, a pair of broken headphones... He finally realized that he had rolled right off the bed while sleeping, and was laying on his bedroom floor.
His cheek felt like it was beginning to burn from the harsh surface of the carpet, so he slowly sat upright. He wished he hadn't though, because the moment he lifted himself, a horrible pain he hadn't realized was there began pounding in his head. He squeezed his eyes shut for a few seconds, and he couldn't deny that the idea of crawling onto his bed and sleeping a while longer was tempting, but at that moment a loud crash erupted from the darkness of the apartment; slicing through the silence like a gunshot.
His amethyst eyes went wide with surprise as he turned his head in the direction of the sound. Shadows leaked through the opened door, crawling and weaving upon the cold surface toward the walls. A black figure stood at the door frame, long and lanky in the shadows. His breaths were loud and raspy, filling the entire room. The figure stared. He didn't know how long the figure stared at him for, seconds, minutes, hours, and all along continuing to engulf the room with heavy gasps of air.
Then, without hesitation, the depraved person slowly made his way toward the boy sitting on the floor.
"All of your… shit… you can't keep it cleaner... at least…" the man's words were slurred as he stumbled forward, unintelligent mumbles continuing to pour from his mouth.
The boy looked up at the man with uncertainty, sitting as still as he possibly could. A glimmer reached the corner of his eye, causing him to look over to the broken bottle in the figure's right hand, shyly illuminating a small patch in the darkness.
His eyes widened with sudden realization, scooting backward into the wall.
"I…I did so much for her… and all she ended up giving me…" he was so close now, that the boy could smell his foul breath, could feel the warmth of it on his face.
"All she ended up giving me… was you."
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It was as though she had seen a ghost.
Mimiru had realized he was looking at her now; and it scared her. She had to know for certain, though, it could have just as easily been someone else. 'You'll regret it later,' she told herself. Nevertheless, the girl forced herself out of her stupor, and with trembling legs, approached him.
She had to let her tears fall freely, though it didn't matter much, because her face was still drenched from the rain. The more steps she took, her stomach grew with a more foul feeling. What if she was wrong? If she was, this feeling wouldn't leave. It would consume her with intimidation, and she would break under the pressure.
She wouldn't be able to live with herself.
Mimiru could see his face now. His hair was matted and un-kept, strands wild from strong winds, but it looked like he hadn't been taking care of it, anyway. Pieces stuck to his cheeks and forehead, dripping with water. For the most part, his face was pale, interrupted by a large, red bruise near his left eye.
The girl stopped several feet away; as she tried to gulp back the large knot that had grown in her throat. 'It's too late to turn back, now,' she reasoned with herself.
"Tsukasa…?" she flinched at the tone of her voice; so incredibly hopeful, she hadn't even been aware she possessed such a tone. It was too much for her, she couldn't bring herself to watch his reaction, so her eyes strayed toward her feet as she waited for his answer.
"Yeah… Mimiru," at his voice, her eyes snapped toward him. The boy wasn't smiling, but his eyes were filled to the brim with content. It gave her a soothing feeling, the idea that she offered any comfort to him.
"Good to see you again."
The girl released a sob, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. She ran over to Tsukasa and hugged him as tight as she could, holding onto his shirt with numb fingers. She didn't feel ashamed of her tears, not anymore.
"Idiot," she mumbled quietly. "This is how you dress, when you go out in the rain?"
Tsukasa hugged her back meekly. "I didn't know it was raining, until two minutes ago."
She pulled away, looking at him directly. She furrowed her eyebrows at the large, swollen mark near the boy's eye. "Tsukasa… what happened?"
As the two let go, his eyes strayed away from hers, turning his attention to anywhere but Mimiru. The girl watched his actions, and she felt a sting of hurt. She was about to urge him again, but the cut that had been covered by his hand a moment ago stopped her. She couldn't help but gasp, seeing the deep, messy gashes on his leg that stained his clothes. The cuts traveled downward to his shin, raw and red, with marks that swelled. Most of the blood that had reached the surface had been faded away by the rain.
"Oh," Mimiru choked back her tears as she looked at him worriedly. "Oh, Tsukasa…"
"Mimiru, stop," The boy interrupted her before she could say anything more. "I'm fine."
But Mimiru couldn't bear to say nothing.
"I didn't know it was like this… I didn't know it was this bad. When you came back, I thought things would be better, I don't know why… but I did. I-I'm sorry," she had her face buried in her hands now, as she continued to sob out her words. "I'm sorry… I'm…"
"Mimiru. Stop it. I'm fine."
She stopped all actions after hearing him speak to her in that tone. She felt a comforting hand on her shoulder as she looked up from her hands. He stared intently at her.
"Stop beating yourself up about it," he said quietly.
She gave him a small smile, after a bit, and gently nodded. She needed to be strong; because Tsukasa was being strong now, but there was a chance he would need her to be strong for him, later on. The girl rubbed her nose with the back of her hand as she straightened herself again. Her senses were coming back to her now, as she became aware of the chilling morning air biting at bare skin. She then realized that her friend was still shaking, and that he must have been ten times as cold as she was. The girl feared that if he stayed out in the rain in his bare feet any longer, he may get ill, and she would hate herself for it.
"Come on, we're going to my place," she told him in her usual ordering tone. "Can't you walk?"
Tsukasa blinked at the sudden reaction, but looked slightly ashamed afterward. "Not really, I can't bend it. I used the wall to help, before."
Mimiru smiled reassuringly. "That's alright," she told him, as she went to his side. She guided his arm to rest around her neck for support as she placed her hand on his back, and, carefully, the two made their way down the sidewalk.
"You're too light, Tsukasa," the girl said jokingly as they walked, "don't you ever eat?"
Tsukasa smiled, "maybe you just eat too much."
"Ugh, I figured you'd say something like that," she huffed.
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The two arrived at the building eleven minutes later, it took a little longer, because Mimiru didn't want to injure Tsukasa more, and, though Mimiru had assured him she knew exactly where she was going, they had gotten lost a few times.
"Are you sure this is okay?" Tsukasa asked as they walked down the halls toward the apartment. "I mean, won't your parents mind?"
Mimiru frowned, "I'm not leaving you out in the rain, Tsukasa. If they don't like it, they can live with it."
She fumbled with her keys a few seconds before quietly opening the door and peering inside. She assumed her father had fallen back asleep after she had left, because the apartment was just as she had left it. She opened it wider and motioned for Tsukasa to follow, turning on a small lamp placed near the couch for light.
"I'll get some things to clean the cut, you can wait here."
The boy sat down on the couch as Mimiru quietly headed down the hall and into the bathroom. Most of her thoughts were preoccupied with what she would tell her parents if they found Tsukasa in the living room before she had a chance to explain the situation to them. 'I'll deal with it when I have to', she thought as she searched through the medicine cabinet.
When the girl returned with her hands full of supplies, she couldn't help but laugh at the half-asleep boy sitting on the couch. She kneeled down next to him, as he rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, trying to stay awake. Mimiru ordered him to keep his leg still as she tended to the nasty wound, blood bubbling out of the gash from every movement made.
Tsukasa watched. "I didn't know you knew how to do this."
"I learned at school. It was a good thing I did; my dad would just put tape over my cuts when I got hurt." Mimiru laughed.
Tsukasa smiled. "Mimiru… thanks."
The girl smiled back. "Any time," she said.
When the two were finished, Mimiru went to the freezer and got an ice pack to help Tsukasa's black eye. But before she could reach the couch, the soft padding of footsteps coming from the hallway caught her attention. A woman appeared at the door frame, wrapping her pink house coat tightly around her body as she yawned, trying to rub the sleep from blurry eyes.
"Mmhm… Mimiru? That you?" the woman mumbled before opening her eyes. Shock traced her features as she took notice of the boy sitting on the couch.
"M-Mimiru, what-" the woman stuttered, dumbfounded.
"Uh, mom, can I talk to you in the kitchen for a second?" Mimiru interrupted quickly. She didn't want her mother to say anything before she knew what was going on; she didn't want Tsukasa to get offended in any way. She handed the boy the ice pack before dragging her mother into the next room.
Before the girl could start, her mother had already begun speaking her own mind.
"You get up at five o'clock in the morning, go out by yourself in the dark, pick up strange homeless kids, and take them home with you?" her mother asked angrily, while pacing back and forth around the kitchen.
Mimiru frowned. "He is not a "strange homeless kid", mom. He's one of my best friends. He needed my help."
Her mother calmed down once Mimiru had reassured her of this, but her features were still traced with agitation. "Mimiru, what happened to him? You should have told me if-"
"Tsukasa was… well, he doesn't come from a very nice home… his dad is really… violent," the girl chose her words carefully as she looked at her mother, seeing the realization dawn on her.
"I... had no idea. But I'm proud of you, Mimiru. You did a good thing."
The girl let out a sigh of relief. "I'm just worried… about what dad will say."
Her mother smiled gently, "don't worry, I'll tell him. We'll need to take care of your friend's situation at his home as well, but your father and I will handle that, so don't worry about that now. Lets get you two warmed up."
Tsukasa had fallen asleep on the couch when Mimiru returned with a few blankets. As quietly as the girl could, she picked up the pack of ice which had fallen out of the hand dangling lazily over the side of the couch, then covered him with one of the blankets. She stared at him a while, watching as he slept. It seemed, Mimiru mused, that he hadn't slept so peacefully for a long time; the sound of a plane crashing through the roof probably wouldn't even wake him. And, it occurred to her, that maybe this was one of the first times he felt safe; comfortable enough to let his guard down, in a long while. The feeling in her stomach returned, then. A feeling of horrid despair; the idea that Tsukasa had been hurt, and he was hiding it, because he didn't want to worry her. But it did worry her. And the thought of it was unbearable.
'But he's right here, now,' she told herself soothingly. 'He'll be taken out of that bastard's custody, and he won't have to see him again…'
The girl yawned quietly as her mother entered the living room. She smiled at her daughter, before turning off the lamp by the couch, and heading down the hallway to the bedroom shared with her husband. It seemed that everyone had decided that it was too early to be making breakfast, (or getting out of bed at all, for that matter) so, after a moment of silence, Mimiru chose to retire to her room, as well.
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A tenebrous hue poured though-out the streets of the overshadowed city. Stinging drops of rain slowed their continuous beating rhythm as the haze began to clear, and hints of the coming dawn reveal themselves. The harsh screaming of sirens echoed in the distance, accompanied by the barking of a stray, lost among the maze of the city streets.
A tiny figure sat alone on the sidewalk; tinted crimson eyes piercing through the blackness. Dark, furry ears flicked their attention toward the everyday sounds, but the feline's eyes didn't stray away from the apartment building for a second.
The cat's constant smiling face continued to direct itself at the only window which had light in it. However, the light turned off after the shadowed inhabitant made a few movements, and the room turned black entirely.
The dirty little animal sitting on the sidewalk, stood then, and, with graceful and swift movements, sprinted down the sidewalk and disappeared in the dawn's shadows.
