Sorry for the VERY VERY LONG UPDATE.

I haven't touched this story for months…

Also, any help with regards to formatting in would be really appreciated. I want to make the text more readable, since uh it's barely readable and is a mess. Can anyone tell me how to uh fix the formatting so that my paragraphs come out as paragraphs? (Unless of course it's just my browser not working…)

Anyway, enjoy…

Chapter 11 – Reflection

Kadowa Mimiru

21.30(day 15)

Nothing was better than a good dungeon workout. It was a great way to just throw in all the tension she accumulated during the day: stupid classmates, irritating projects, the news that Sora was stuck in a coma…

Finally she stopped playing, logged off and reached out for the phone.

Several presses later she was talking.

"Hello?"

"Uh, Mariko, is that you?" Now she wasn't so sure what to say.

"Yes…Mimiru?"

"Yeah, glad you remembered! Uh, can I talk to Tsukasa…I mean, Ann, for a sec?"

"Sure."

Several seconds later, Ann was on the phone.

"Hey there Mimiru…" her voice was hesitant. This was the first time the two of them had ever talked outside 'the World'.

"Finally I get to hear your voice!"

Ann paused for a second, unsure of what to say. "Well…your voice is nice too, Mimiru…"

"Thanks. Hey, you remember our promise?"

Tsukasa thought for a second. "To meet in Shimokitazawa?"

"Yep! Are you free anytime soon?"

"It's you I should be asking! Don't you have school?" Ann felt herself relax. This was just like Mimiru.

"Uh…yeah…I guess…well…how about next Saturday?"

"Okay," Ann said. That wouldn't hurt. She didn't have any plans anyway, other than to get better and take it easy.

After a moment, Mimiru added, "Why don't you bring Mariko along?"

"Will that be okay with you?"

Well, I sure hope I won't be a third wheel… Mimiru kept the thought down, concentrating on the call.

"Of course it is, Ann… we're friends, right?"

"Uh-huh," the younger girl said, grinning.

After a few minutes of deciding where and when to meet, the two hung up.

Ann sauntered back to Mariko's work room. "Hey Mariko, how about we go to Shimokitazawa next Saturday? Mimiru's asking."

"You and Mimiru have a shopping spree?"

"Sort of. Except that I really haven't got the money…" Ann grinned.

"It sounds like fun…and it must be tiring to just be here…at least for you, anyway."

Ann placed a hand on Mariko's shoulder. How can things be tiring with you around?

"Actually…when I'm with you…is when things are most peaceful."

Mariko cast a sidelong glance and saw Ann staring at her, lips curved upward. Ann's playful side was still a slight surprise to Mariko, who was used to a quieter Tsukasa. Recently, Ann was showing more of herself…reminding her of the Tsukasa she knew during the last days in 'the World'. She hoped that Tsukasa was here to stay.

"Then we'll all go to Shimokitazawa. I wonder what Mimiru looks like in the real world."

Kadowa Mimiru

10.00 (day 20)

Why oh why do I always arrive earlier? This just ends up irritating me!

Kadowa Mimiru was furious with herself. She woke up early, excited to meet Ann, took a good bath, took the first train headed for the Shimokitazawa she saw, and now…was an hour early.

"Who's she waiting for? Godot?"

That memory irritated her even more. She didn't know why it just came to mind. Lately a lot of things had been irritating. First was Tsukasa's father. Then when he was put away, Sora ran into bad luck.

Funny… she never considered Sora a friend before. He may have been a backstabber… but at the very end, Mimiru felt that he wasn't so bad. What happened to him…wasn't fair… just as things weren't fair for Tsukasa.

And even though the real world wasn't fair, or even 'the World', it didn't mean that she was just going to sit down and let anything happen.

She tried to keep the subject out of her mind. There was nothing to be done about Sora's condition…at least, not until Ryo got a lead on it. And she didn't want to whine about the issue with her friends.

But she was tired of waiting. She wanted to talk to Subaru about it… but she wasn't so sure if Subaru was the type who got along with player killers, either.

What was she going to do?

She decided to stand up – walking around would do her good. This was the real world, after all, not some RPG where nearly all the items for sale were unchangeable. She peeked into a clothes shop and started looking for accessories.

Misono Mariko

10.00

Even after four years…

Even after four years, it was still hard. She had lightheartedly accepted the invitation to go to Shimokitazawa but when it came down to it…

Was she ready?

Ready to face the stares, the looks, the unspoken stigma? People staring at her, wheeled around, forever a burden to others.

She tried violently, unsuccessfully, to stem the thoughts bothering her so.

It'll make her happy…

But even that fact wasn't enough. Why wasn't it enough?

She sighed and rested her head against the back of her chair, closed her eyes and wondered just what it was she was doing. Everything felt so heavy all of a sudden, the air, her clothes, it all threatened to melt away, leaving not a trace of her behind. She wanted so badly to be able to stand up, wished she could feel just a tingle of energy course through her legs again.

Moments later she heard a soft knock on the door.

The sound brought her sharply back to reality. Time was ticking; she agreed to this.

It shouldn't be so hard…

Engrossed in her thoughts, she barely thought of opening the door. After several knocks, each more frantic than the last, the door finally burst open.

"Mariko? A-are you okay?"

Ann came up to her side quickly, wide brown eyes staring down at her in worry.

Mariko forced herself to meet those eyes, bending her face slightly. "Yeah, Ann-chan. Just a little…preoccupied."

"Then… shall we get going?"

"A-alright," Mariko said softly. To her surprise, Ann suddenly came closer to her. "Don't worry… I'm with you, okay? You're not alone, Mariko."

"I, I know I'm not, Ann."

Ann could feel Mariko's unease mixed with the older woman's reluctance to talk. She decided not to force the issue, just as Mariko didn't force things with her father. Instead she slowly wheeled out Mariko and went towards the door.

Mariko however stopped the chair once close to the door. She stared at the floor.

"Ann-chan… maybe it'd be better if you went on without me."

In an instant, Ann bent over, hands on Mariko's, trying to look into the older woman's eyes. Mariko looked away. "W-what's wrong, Mariko?"

"I – I'd just get in the way…"

Ann squeezed her hand, dug into her pocket, picked up her phone and dialed. Mariko barely heard her apologize. "Yeah, I can't go right now, something's come up… real sorry, Mimiru, hope you didn't do what you did in the World – you know I'm always late or not there at all… uh-huh, sorry again…"

There was a faint click. Ann brought Mariko back into her room.

"Mariko…"

"I-I'm so sorry Ann, it must be such a pain to-"

Next Chapter:

Screens flicker on and off, some colored, the others black and white, sometimes alternating between the two.

The moon floats in the darkness, as Pluto's Kiss falls on the world. A pool of dark liquid pools around a car suddenly flickering into color – a black car, blending into the night.

And a hand, wrenching itself out of the clutches of Death.

Moondust.