The next day, Haruko wearily approached an event NPC in Mac Anu's harbor. The NPC, dressed like a sea captain, nodded and led him aboard a large ship. "Onwards, Emperor Haruko, to Hy Brasil, the Isle of Kings," it said.

Haruko sighed. I wish I didn't have to go to this. After what happened yesterday, I don't really feel like going to a party. I don't even feel like an Emperor.

Tabby and Sakisaka had stayed with him for a while after their escape from Pyrrhia's trap, and both of them had refused to blame him. "There was no reason to suspect him, Haruko," Sakisaka had said. "Only a complete paranoiac would have distrusted that message."

"Yeah, and besides, you and that weird bracelet saved the day, so no worries, right?" Tabby had added. "You beat that Pyrrhia jerk into the ground! He was scared stiff of you!"

Sakisaka had laughed. "So were both of us. It's a good thing we're all friends, eh?"

Tabby had latched onto Sakisaka's arm. "Yep! But don't worry, we weren't really scared of you, Haruko! We know you're a nice guy. So don't worry about it. Really, we're fine!"

Haruko sighed again. I can't believe I got those two involved in all of this. I just hope they'll listen to what I told them and stay out of things from now on.

At Hy Brasil, Akiko and Henako were waiting to greet him. "Cheer up, Haruko!" said Henako. "Tabby told me all about your little run-in. Don't worry about it. I'm more interested in what your bracelet did. I've never heard of anything like that, even in all the weirdest rumor threads about the dot hackers!"

Haruko smiled slightly. "I guess…" What did the bracelet do back there? I thought Data Drain was its only power, but are there others that even Kite-sama didn't know about?

Atoli waved at them from the top of the stairs. "Oniichan, everyone, they're waiting for you! Come on!"

After another of the announcer's overly enthusiastic speeches, complete with some of the oddest poses Haruko had ever seen, the three champions warped in atop a long flight of stairs, to thunderous cheers from the seated audience. Haruko broke into a warm smile. An official NPC walked up and presented him with an item called "Phoenix Blade", an extremely rare katana. He twirled it around, brandishing it with a flourish.

An amazing number of people had turned up for the party. Haruko had been present at Hy Brasil once before, for the party where Antares had been crowned Emperor, but there were at least twice as many people now.

In one corner, Antares lounged at one of the tables, laughing heartily. "Come on, Haruko, have a drink with me!"

Haruko rolled his eyes. "Are you seriously drunk, Antares-jiisan?"

Antares laughed. "Yep!"

Haruko sighed. "Getting drunk is fun sometimes, but I'm just not in the mood…"

Antares shrugged. "Oh well, more for me then!"

At another table, Kuhn was chatting with a pretty young girl. As Haruko approached, his hands on his hips, Kuhn looked up with a grin on his face. "Hey, here's the man himself now! The new Emperor, Haruko!" He grinned sheepishly. "Um… no hard feelings about me being on Antares' team, right?"

Haruko frowned. "I don't know… you did take out Henako-chan, after all."

Kuhn blanched. "Oh no… I knew I shouldn't have agreed to that offer…"

Haruko snickered, and then broke out laughing. "Geez, you're so gullible sometimes! Of course I'm not mad. Out of curiosity… what'd he offer you? An invitation to a mixed party or something?"

Kuhn rubbed his cheek with one finger and blushed slightly. "Well, something like that anyway."

Haruko rolled his eyes. "Those womanizing ways of yours will come back to haunt you one of these days, Kuhn. Watch your step."

One of the two other characters with Kuhn spoke up. "Don't mind Kuhn. That's just his illness, you know?" The new character was a Blade Brandier, attired all in green. His hair was short and brown, with a long ponytail curving down his back.

Haruko smiled. "I know. Kuhn and I have been friends for a while now. So, are you in Canard too?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I'm Silabus. This is Gaspard," he added, indicating a short, dog-eared Shadow Warlock at his side. "We're both new members. Kuhn's helped us out a lot. But he told us about you, too. He says you and Yuki help him out a lot."

Gaspard grinned. He wore a simple red-and-white tribal outfit, with a blue orb hanging on either side of his neck. "Say, Haruko, do you like cards at all?"

Haruko shrugged. "What kind? Do you mean like baseball cards, or…"

Gaspard laughed. "Oh, all kinds, really. But I was thinking about 'The World's new card game, Crimson VS."

Haruko smiled. "You're into that, are you? I have a deck based around Balmung, but I don't do much with it." He paused. "Say… you're not by any chance that Gaspard, the Crimson VS champion, are you?"

Gaspard grinned modestly. "Balmung, huh? He's a pretty good card, I'll give you that, but you can't pull off any really spectacular combinations with him. Now, if you play Haseo at Dawn, and use his 14 Charisma…"

Silabus rolled his eyes. "There he goes again. I warn you, if you get Gaspard started on cards, he's not going to stop for a long time."

Henako let out a wild whoop, making everyone jump. "That's fine, because I love cards! Especially that old game Magic- the illustrations are so creepy and cool at the same time!" She and Gaspard quickly fell into a discussion of obscure cards and tactics.

Haruko shrugged. "Well, I'll see you guys around, I guess. Let me know if you need help any time. I'm almost always free." He exchanged member addresses with Silabus and Gaspard and moved on.

Endrance stood nearby, leaning against a wall. "Congratulations… Haruko…" he said in his usual, detached voice. "Your skills are quite impressive… 'She'… thinks so too," he added, petting the white cat that sat on his shoulder.

Haruko blinked. "She? What is that cat, anyway?"

Endrance smiled sadly. "Don't you remember us, Haruko? It was seven years ago, but even so..."

Haruko stared. "Wait… Elk-san?"

Endrance nodded softly. "There… I knew you would get it in the end, Haruko."

Haruko nodded. "And so that means that 'she' is Mia-san. I'm sorry. It shouldn't have taken me this long to remember you two."

Endrance gave a quiet laugh. "It's all right, Haruko… You never saw 'her' before, so of course it wouldn't have registered… that I could be the same Elk you used to help out… After all, only the hair and my cap… is the same as it was back then."

Haruko shrugged. A fragment from the Epitaph floated through his mind. Macha seduces with the sweet trap… He nodded. "Just be careful, Elk-san. I know how much you care about her, but don't forget what Mia-san turned out to be."

Endrance smiled sadly. "I will. Thank you… for caring about me… That makes me happy…"

Haruko grinned. "Of course. I always care about my friends."

At the next table, Tabby and Sakisaka relaxed, taking in the sights. As usual, Tabby spent most of the time clinging to Sakisaka's arm. "Hey, Haruko!" she called as he passed. "Glad to see you're not looking so glum anymore!"

Sakisaka smiled, his eyes half-closed. "No worries, right? We're both fine."

Tabby nodded. "Yeah. On the other hand… sorry, but we're not going to keep out of it, either. We won't do anything dumb, but we can't just let this go."

Sakisaka shrugged. "We're still members of the Twilight Brigade, after all. Even if the guild's disbanded for now, we couldn't call ourselves members if we failed to follow a lead like this on the Key of the Twilight." He tapped Haruko's bracelet. "I've heard about this little beauty before. It's not the entire key, but it's part of it, right? I figure, if we keep our ears open and stay near you, we're bound to find it eventually."

Haruko laughed. "You guys… I guess there was never any chance of talking you out of it, was there? Well, okay, but be careful."

Tabby gave him a salute. "Of course!"

Sakisaka chuckled. "I know. Besides, now I'll have something to be puzzled about after all."

Haruko rolled his eyes. "That's true. And I missed the old Sakisaka catch-phrase." He paused. "If you're interested… my guild's Second Unit deals mostly with rumor-gathering and investigation. I'll email you later with a time; meet me at Hulle Granz and we can talk about it then."

Tabby gave him a thumbs-up. "Sounds promising. And maybe I'll hear something about Haseo, too!" She paused, and became immobile for a moment. "Oh, man…" she groaned after a moment. "I have to go. I'll see you both later, okay?"

Sakisaka shrugged. "I'd better go too. Bye, Haruko." The two of them logged out.

At the last table sat Atoli and Sakubo. Haruko sat down with them. "Hey, Atoli, Bo-kun," he said cheerfully.

Atoli smiled happily, but Sakubo sneered. "Hey, don't take that friendly tone with me! And can't you tell me apart from my idiot brother?"

Haruko blinked. "Oops. Sorry, Saku-san. Is there a way to tell you two apart, though?"

Saku sighed. "Yeah, two. First, see these charms on my hat?" She indicated the two-pointed cap on her head. From one point hung a small sun, and from the other hung a moon. "See, I always have the point with the sun facing up, and when Bo plays, the moon is pointing up." She stood up and turned around. "And also, this bag on my back is red for me and black for Bo. It's not that hard to remember."

Haruko shrugged. "Unless you've never been told before. Then it would be hard to remember."

Saku sighed. Then she straightened. "What is it? Oh, fine." She rolled her eyes. "Bo asked me to tell you 'congratulations' from him. He says that fight between you and Antares was amazing." She shrugged. "Well… yeah, it was pretty cool. You're really strong, you know?" She let out a little "hmph!" and sat back down.

Atoli smiled. "You really did it, Oniichan! I still can't believe you're the Emperor!"

Haruko sighed. "I still don't really feel like one, after what happened yesterday."

Atoli blinked. "What do you mean? Tell me about it."

Haruko shook his head. "You've got plenty of troubles already. I don't want to burden you with mine."

Atoli shook her head. "I don't mind. That's what little sisters are there for, right?"

Haruko looked up. "What do you mean? Big brothers are supposed to protect their sisters from things like that."

Atoli smiled. "But that doesn't mean they have to face them all alone, right? A sister should be someone you can tell this kind of thing to. They should help their big brothers be strong."

Haruko sighed. "All right, then." He plunged into a description of what had happened the day before. When he had finished, Atoli put her hand on his. "Oniichan…" she said softly. "You shouldn't keep things like that bottled up inside. But really, you shouldn't think that way. Think about it this way, instead. All three of you are still here because you were strong, strong enough to stop Pyrrhia. Someone that strong deserves to be the Emperor."

Saku shrugged. "I don't really get it… but Atoli's right. And anyway, you shouldn't be all mopey about some dumb event. Get up and keep going! Otherwise you'll be as weak as you keep thinking you are."

Haruko rubbed the back of his head. "Guess I can be a real idiot sometimes, huh? Thanks, Atoli. And you too, Saku-san." He grinned.

An indicator appeared at the bottom of Haruko's screen. He blinked. "Wow… That's a lot of mail. I'll be back in a few minutes, girls."

Atoli nodded. "Sure. We'll be waiting, right Saku?"

Saku shrugged. "Yeah, sure." Haruko laughed and logged out.

When he returned to his desktop, Sora found that his mailbox was suddenly overflowing with messages. Messages from every single one of his friends, besides those who had attended the party, had filled it almost to its capacity. He began to read, chuckling sometimes as he came across a familiar name.

Hey, little Haruko! I hear tell you've beaten down even old man Antares! Glad to hear it! But then again, nobody I picked to be my rival would be weak enough to lose a tournament. Well, in any case, I'll get you next time for sure! -Matsu

So, you really are living up to the title I gave you three years ago. I'm glad to hear the third Descendant is still fighting hard in 'The World'. Don't forget any of us while you're off being famous, okay? -Balmung

Good work, Haruko! Let us know if you ever need the power of a housewife (or a grade schooler), 'kay? And don't ever hesitate to drop one of us a line if you ever want to unload your troubles. Nya ha ha! -Mistral♥ and Mirelle♥

…Wow, you really are strong no matter what class you pick, aren't you? You're almost as scary as Ouka was the first time we met her. Hope Zefie isn't giving you too much trouble… -Shugo and Rena

Congratulations on the Emperor's title, Haruko. I managed to find a video clip- you wield your twin blades just as well as you did back then. I hear you've inherited my bracelet, too. I'm glad- if something's happening in 'The World' again, I can't think of anyone better to wield it. Just be careful, okay? We'd all be sad if you fell into a coma. Then again, you're strong enough that I don't have to worry, right? -Kite

Truly amazing. Even after losing your character a second time, you've fought back and proven your strength. But then again, that strength never really came from your class or your level, did it? By the way, Tsukasa and Subaru said hi, and asked why you never seem to email anymore. Even if they don't get a chance to respond often, none of us have forgotten about you. -Bear

Sora felt a slight pang at that last one- although he'd kept in touch with all of his friends over the years, his contact with Tsukasa and Subaru had fallen off recently. He made sure to send both of them a long message at once.

The last one made him smile.

Way to go, Haruko! I expected nothing less from my little knight in shining armor. Congratulations from the old damsel in distress! -Mimiru

Sora chuckled. Mimiru-chan… He remembered how she had used to call him her shining knight ever since he'd saved her from a crazy PK. He smiled, remembering. Come to think of it, wasn't that Sora-kun that came after her? Our first battle…

Sora laughed, remembering. "I had almost forgotten what an idiot he was," he mused. "It's a shame that Morganna made him forget. Even if he was a little weird, he was a good friend." He scrolled through the list of messages again, before moving them to a save folder on his desktop. But thanks to Morganna's machinations, there was no message from anyone named Sora. There was one from Haseo, however, that he'd missed. He opened it.

Hey, Haruko. I hear you're the new Arena champion. Not bad. If you keep this up, I really will end up being the only one stronger than you. By the way, have you heard anything about Tri-Edge yet? I've had no luck so far. -Haseo

Sora smiled. Even in the midst of his search, Haseo had remembered him. He dashed off a reply before heading back to Hy Brasil.

Hey, Haseo-dono. I've run into some pretty strange monsters, but no sign of Tri-Edge yet. I did meet Ovan at Arche Koeln about a week ago, but he didn't stay long. I still have no idea what he's up to… Anyway, Sakisaka-san and Tabby-chan both are worried about you too. Send them a message once in a while, would you? I think they'd be glad just to know you're still okay. -Haruko

Back on Hy Brasil, the party was still running strong despite Haruko's absence. After making another round of the tables and talking to everyone again (except Gaspard and Henako, who were still engrossed in their card discussions), he walked to the west side of the island, where a roofed balcony overlooked the setting sun. He knelt, resting his arms and chin on the rail. "The City of Water, Mac Anu," he mused. "Dun Loireag was always my favorite, but this is a very close second."

After a long while, a voice intruded on his thoughts. "Amazing view, isn't it?"

Haruko turned around and looked up. A cat-like avatar was floating in midair right beside him. He grinned, eyes wide. "Phyllo-jiisan!"

Phyllo smiled down at him with his usual mixture of kindness and smugness. "I'm sorry I'm late, but I had some things to take care of."

Haruko stood up, head tilted and his eyes happy slits. "Don't worry about it. I'm just happy that you made it." He waved a hand at the nearly deserted tables. "But I'm afraid that the party is just about over."

Phyllo nodded. "Well, then you wouldn't mind coming with me, then? There is something you need to see."

Haruko turned, suddenly serious. "Sure. Where are we going?"

Phyllo floated towards the dock. "First, we need to visit Hulle Granz. We can only get to where we're going from there, and anyway we need to pick up our third member."

Haruko nodded, and approached the event NPC. "We're heading back," he said.

A few minutes later, the two players warped into Hulle Granz. Phyllo floated ahead and opened the doors. Haruko had to run to keep up. "So, who's our third member?" he asked.

"I am," came a soft voice. Zefie approached them from the first row of pews.

Haruko shook his head in disbelief. "Zefie-chan? Wait, Phyllo-jiisan. Just where are we going?"

Phyllo shrugged. "You'll see soon enough."

Haruko glared. "I want to hear it now."

Phyllo blinked. "What's gotten into you, Haruko? You used to trust me completely."

Haruko looked away. "The other day, that sort of trusting almost got Sakisaka-san and Tabby-chan killed."

Phyllo nodded. "Pyrrhia. I heard you did very well against him. You even unlocked one of the Bracelet's secret powers."

Haruko's eyes blazed. "This is why I'm suspicious! How can you possibly know all of this?"

Zefie gently took hold of his hand. "It's all right, Haruko," she said softly. "I trust him. The old tomcat knows a lot. I don't know how he knows, but I do know he's on our side. On my mommy's side."

Haruko shook his head, and then bowed low. "I'm sorry, Phyllo-jiisan."

Phyllo floated towards the platform. "It's all right. I shouldn't have revealed how much I know all at once. It would make anybody suspicious, even if they weren't just getting over an event like Pyrrhia's attack." He pulled out a small green card. "Now, then, let's go. You're very lucky, you know. Very few players have ever seen this place."

Haruko stared. "A Helba Key... So, then we're going…"

"To the Net Slums, yes," Phyllo affirmed. He raised the object. Suddenly, all three of them warped.

The Net Slums resembled nothing so much as the ruins of a once-prosperous city. The buildings around them were crumbling, and the graphics were broken and choppy. All around them, bizarrely altered avatars wandered the streets. Haruko caught a glimpse of a brown-haired girl in white. Zefie nodded. "This is the place. So then, we're going to go see my mommy?"

Phyllo smiled. "You're quite perceptive, Zefie. Yes, we're going to see Aura- if she's still there, that is." He began rummaging through a nearby pile of junk.

"I've already gotten them out for you, Phyllo." A female avatar floated down from the sky, eyes hidden behind a visor.

Haruko stared. "Are you… Helba-sama?"

Helba smiled. "It seems you're perceptive as well, Haruko. Yes, I am Helba. But I'm surprised that you address me as -sama. I am a hacker, after all."

Haruko shrugged. "Well, yes, you're a hacker, but you've used your abilities to benefit 'The World'- and, more importantly, my friends. I understand the game has rules that need to be bent sometimes. You always know just when to bend them and when not to."

Helba bowed, smiling. "I'm flattered." She turned to Phyllo. "They're right here." She held out three glowing crystals.

Phyllo's eyes lit up. "Ah, there they are. Thank you, Helba."

Helba nodded. "I hope you find what you are searching for." She faded out.

Phyllo shook his head. "That's Helba for you. She's as eccentric as Ovan and twice as mysterious." He held out the crystals. "Do you know how to use these?"

Haruko nodded. "Yeah. Shugo-kun told me all about what happened that day." He held out the bracelet and touched the crystals. They shone with a blinding light, and suddenly the three warped once again.

When Haruko opened his eyes, a strange sight met his eyes. A wide, grassy space extended before them, ringed at the end with trees. Everything beyond the trees, including the sky, was white, but black clouds were slowly crowding out the white sky. There was an occasional flash of lightning. However, the thing that drew their eyes was a child's bed, sitting in the center of the grass. Lying on the white sheets was a large teddy bear, and…

"Mommy!" shouted Zefie. She dashed over to the sleeping girl.

Haruko stared. "Aura… sama…" he breathed, hardly daring to believe it. He walked slowly over to Zefie's side. The girl's face was beautiful in sleep. Long white hair framed a pale, distant face. "Is it really you, Aura-sama?" he muttered.

Zefie shook her. "Mommy! It's me!"

The girl stirred. Lids drew back to reveal deep violet eyes. Aura smiled. "Haruko… you came."

Haruko smiled, a tear starting in the corner of each eye. "Aura-sama… it really is you…"

Aura giggled softly. "You've wanted to meet me for ten years now. Was it worth the wait?"

Haruko laughed. "Of course."

Aura turned to Zefie. "Zefie… I'm sorry we were separated."

Zefie shook her head, sniffling. "It's… it's all right, Mommy. I found you in the end."

Aura sighed. "I'm sorry, though. I can't play with you… just yet."

Haruko's eyes widened. "You're not ready to wake up yet, are you?"

Aura shook her head, her eyes slowly closing. "No… not just yet. But I did want to see you both… however briefly."

Zefie sobbed. "Mommy… how much longer do I have to wait?"

Haruko put a hand on her shoulder. "It's all right, Zefie-chan. We'll figure it out somehow. And besides, just to know that Aura-sama is still here, and safe, is enough to keep me going."

Aura gave a slight nod, lips parted in a small smile. Her eyes seemed to sparkle as they closed once again.

Haruko sighed, and sat down with his back to the bed. "All right, then. So, this is what you wanted us to see?"

Phyllo nodded. "Yes. You needed to know just what is at stake here." He paused. "She's very grateful, you know. No matter what, over the past ten years you've been willing to drop everything and run to her rescue whenever she needed you. Letting you see her, and forcing herself awake for a moment, was the least she could do."

Haruko sighed. "Phyllo-jiisan… please, tell me what you know about all of this. I need to know as much as I can find out."

Phyllo nodded. "I won't tell you how I know about Aura, or the rest of it, but I will tell you what I know. But first, what do you need to be told?"

Haruko sighed, and raised his right arm. "First of all, there's this thing. You knew, somehow, that the bracelet held powers that Kite-sama didn't know about. But what are they? And what did it do yesterday, when I used it to save Tabby-chan?"

Phyllo smiled. "Ah, an excellent first question. The power of the Bracelet of the Twilight is the ability to alter data. Although it's the main ability, and the one you'll be using virtually 100 percent of the time, Data Drain is only the most basic of its powers, and that can only modify data to a limited extent- reformatting, for example. But, there are more powers hidden in the bracelet than just that. Like the Data Shield you used yesterday, for example. That ability is similar to an old firewall. It basically prevents any alteration to the data within its field of protection. That's why Pyrrhia's Data Drain was ineffective."

Haruko stared at the bracelet. "I never knew it was so powerful. So there are more? How do I use them? And how did I call the Data Shield, anyway?"

Phyllo shrugged. "You've used Data Drain often enough to know how to call the powers of the bracelet. It's all in your heart and your emotions. Of course, since the other powers are essentially specialized versions of Data Drain, you won't be able to fire it off with just any strong emotion. Only the right strong emotion can call a power."

Haruko nodded. "And of course, you won't tell me what the other powers are, or how to call any of them, right? Because you can't. I have to figure them out for myself."

Phyllo raised one hand, index finger extended in the air. "Bingo. But you should at least be able to figure out the Data Shield. What were you thinking, at that moment?"

Haruko shrugged. "Well, I was scared, I guess. Tabby-chan was in trouble, and…"

Phyllo wagged his finger. "No, no. You weren't scared. You're never scared; it's just not in you to be scared. Well… not in a combat situation, anyway."

Haruko blinked. "I… guess you're right." His eyes suddenly widened. "Oh… I get it! The bracelet responded to my desire to protect Tabby-chan."

Phyllo smiled. "Precisely. The will and desire to protect others from harm; that is the key to using the Data Shield. The other powers work in much the same way. You'll find them out soon enough."

Zefie tugged on Haruko's arm. "But what about my mommy?"

Phyllo sighed. "Well, she's just not ready to wake up yet. She's reverted to the way she was when 'The World' was just started."

Haruko sighed. "The way she was when Morganna first entrapped Tsukasa-sama. But I'm not her. I don't know how to wake Aura-sama."

Phyllo shook his head. "Before, Morganna needed to take all of Tsukasa's real-life pain and focus it to get enough negative feeling to stop Aura from waking up. But now, with all the rampant player-killers running around, it's like there's a miasma of dark feelings clouding this place." He indicated the dark clouds swirling above. "And AIDA's intrusion is only making things worse."

Haruko sighed. "Well… all we can really do is bring light to wherever we can. And I… all I could ever do was protect her, anyway."

Phyllo frowned. "Don't think that way, Haruko. You and your friends have done many wonderful things."

Haruko sighed. "I know. Like I said, we can make light in small places, like I did with Bo-kun. But the one who can blow away all of these clouds… that person isn't me."

Zefie's eyes narrowed. "Idiot. This from one of the legendary Descendents of Fianna?"

Haruko looked over at her. "I earned that title by beating an incredibly strong monster. Same with 'Haruko of the Emerald Winds'. The only thing I'm good at, it seems, is slaying monsters and laying waste to PKers. What good is that here?"

Zefie's eyes flashed. "You idiot!" Suddenly, Haruko flew about ten feet through the air, his cheek mashed flat from the force of her attack. Zefie stood there with her hands on her hips and boxing gloves on her hands. Haruko stared. "Zefie-chan?"

Zefie glared at him. "Just because you're good at slaying enemies doesn't mean that's all you can do. Don't you remember what you told Atoli when you first met her?"

Haruko stood stock-still, his own words flashing through his mind. Yeah, I am a PKK. Please don't think worse of me for it, though. We're guardians, not destroyers.

Zefie smirked. "You got it half right. But you're not a guardian. You and everyone who fights with you… you're saviors."

Haruko looked away. "I'm not so arrogant that I'd use a word like that. Who have I ever saved?"

Zefie pointed a finger at him, and suddenly Haruko's hair vanished entirely, leaving a shiny, bald dome. Haruko blinked. "Hey!" he shouted.

Zefie smirked. "Do I have your attention now?" she asked, restoring his hair with another wave of her hand. "Because you seem to have forgotten… you saved me! Three years ago, remember? Did you already forget all the vagrant AIs you saved from Kamui's clutches? I was one of them, too. It was in the greatest battle you ever fought- except maybe that time you beat The One Sin. You won your title of 'Emerald Winds' that day."

Haruko sighed. "Yeah, a title befitting one who could take out an entire…"

Annoyed, Zefie made his mouth vanish for a few seconds. "You can't really be that big of an idiot, Haruko. Balmung gave you that title for two reasons. First of all, because you had always aspired to be like him. He knew that, and so he gave you a title similar to his own. He respected you! And the second was not that you could take out a battalion of Cobalt Knights, but that you did it in order to save someone else- me! Your willingness to do anything to protect others… that is what he respected. That's why he wanted to call you 'Haruko of the Azure Winds,' remember?"

Haruko stared. "How… I never told anyone! Balmung-sama and I were the only ones who ever heard that title! And then I told him that I could never…"

Zefie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, you could never take a title on his level. Don't you get it, though? Because you fought so hard to save me, you were an equal in his eyes! In the eyes of Balmung, the one dot hacker you liked and respected more than any other, you were just as great!"

Haruko shook his head. "Not in my eyes. I could never be as great as Balmung-sama."

Zefie glared at him. "And saving me is just the tip of the iceberg. You've put your life on the line to save total strangers from PKers and AIDA alike hundreds of times just in the past few weeks. And then, of course, there are all the lives you've touched. Atoli, Bo, Alkaid, Shugo and Rena, Mimiru, Mirelle and Mistral, Subaru and Tsukasa… the list is endless. You were there for all of them."

She bent down near Haruko and looked him in the eye. Her voice suddenly became soft and gentle. "It isn't arrogance to take a word, or a title, that befits you, Haruko. You are a true savior."

Haruko smiled sadly. "Thanks, Zefie-chan. But…" He grinned. "Was the legendary boomerang hook really necessary?"

Zefie shrugged, smirking. "Well, it worked on the ganguro girl, after all."

Haruko rolled his eyes. "Well, I suppose I did need to have some sense knocked into me." He sighed. "So, what now, then? Even if it turns out that I'm the one to wake Aura-sama up, how do I do it?"

Phyllo floated over. "Even Tsukasa didn't know how to wake Aura, until the day that he did it. You'll have to find out for yourself too." He crossed his arms. "That is, if you are the one who will wake her up."

Haruko sighed. "But what about Pyrrhia? Why does he have Skeith's wand?"

Phyllo shook his head. "As to that, I have no idea. He is one of a group of four people calling themselves the 'Disciples of Morganna', but whether they've had actual contact with her is beyond my knowledge."

Haruko frowned. "He kept talking about 'sacrificing' the three of us in order to increase Morganna's power. I'd guess these four have indeed contacted her, which means we could be in big trouble."

Phyllo nodded. "I'll send you all the information I have on those four. It would take me ages to tell you it all in person, and I have to leave now anyway."

Haruko nodded. "All right. See you later, Phyllo-jiisan."

Phyllo bowed and warped out. Haruko sighed. "We should probably go too, Zefie-chan."

Zefie shook her head defiantly. "No. I'm going to stay here for a while, with my mommy. Who knows when we'll be able to come back here? Even if she's not awake…"

Haruko smiled. "I understand. I'll stay with you, then."

Zefie blinked. "No, go ahead and get some sleep. I don't need to sleep because I'm a vagrant AI, but you're- as Americans say- only human."

Haruko grinned. "What do you take me for? I'm not going to leave an unhappy little girl all alone like this. I'll stay with you until you're ready to head back." He leaned back against the bed's side and put his hands behind his head.

Zefie smiled and sat down beside him. "Thanks, Haruko," she said softly. "But… don't you get bored really easily?"

Haruko blinked. "Oh… you have a point there," he moaned. "But then again, I really don't have anything better to do. And it's the weekend, so I can stay up all night with you if you want."

Zefie grinned. "Well, want to play a game to pass the time, then?"

Haruko shrugged. "Sure, why not? What game?"

Zefie smirked. "How about… Shiritori!"

Haruko blinked. "Shiritori? So, you're suggesting that I, a person for whom Japanese is a second language, challenge you, an AI with a loaded Japanese dictionary, to a Japanese word game?" He shrugged. "Sounds like fun! But you go first. And phrases from manga are fair game, okay?"

Zefie laughed. "Fine. Reiatsu."

Haruko rolled his eyes. "Tsuki!"

"Kimeru!"

"Rurouni!"

"I knew you'd think of that… Nihon!"

Despite his protests, it was nearly an hour before Haruko lost the first round. The game extended long into the night, until eventually Haruko fell asleep, leaning against the bed. Zefie smiled happily, leaned against his side, and closed her eyes as well.

Author's Notes: Ah, the shiritori game... For those of you who don't know, shiritori is a Japanese word game wherin players say words in order, and each word has to start with the last syllable (kana) of the previous word. (Recall that Japanese is a phonetic language, as opposed to our twenty-six letters; instead, they have forty-six hiragana symbols that make forty-six phonetic sounds.) Readers of .hack//Legend of the Twilight will remember that one... well, that's why Zefie did it in the first place.

So, we come to the end of part I. I'll post a little extra something on Friday, but part II won't start getting posted until after I get back from spring break. (Once we get there, though, there won't be any gaps, because I've already finished the story up to the end of part III.) Part II actually starts something different- unlike part I, the other three parts are going to focus partially on "The World" and partially on the real world. Thanks for bearing with me through this... and look forward to more to come!