Author's Notes: Another long chapter, and not terribly interesting either... many apologies.
Remember what I said about weather?
Disclaimer: I don't own .hack/ or Bandai Namco. OR anything remotely related, for that matter.
XXIX Chapter 29: Inclement XXIX
A low rumbling startled Haseo out of his sleep; he looked around for a moment before realizing that it had come from outside. The sky was unusually dark for this time of morning, and it was raining hard.
"...Oh great, a storm. Just what I need."
The thunder had evidently awoken Atoli as well. She sat up in bed, looking out the window with a look of displeasure. Haseo sighed and got out of bed, walking over to the window and looking outside.
"I'm no meteorologist," the silver-haired boy commented. "...But I don't think that's very good."
Atoli was confused. "...Huh? What are you talking about?"
"It's almost pitch-black out there," Haseo said. "It's not usually like that when it storms. This must be a bad one."
"Oh..." Atoli nodded, standing up. "...Um, you're worried about this weather, aren't you? Should we... head downstairs?"
Haseo blinked. "...What for?"
"Well... y'know... in case... it gets worse..."
"...Huh, now that you think about it..." Haseo turned, walking toward the door. He glanced back, making sure that Atoli followed as well.
As they reached the bottom of the steps, Atoli noticed someone familiar sitting on the sofa. "...Huh?"
"What is it?" Haseo asked, before seeing the same thing. "...the hell is he doing here?"
A blond-haired young man had taken up residence in the house, seemingly displeased with the state of the interior. Haseo stepped up to the man, his aura giving off a tone of warning.
"Oh, would you look at that!" the man said in response; his tone of voice was a dead giveaway. "Don't worry, I'm just taking shelter from the rain. I was walking along, and the skies opened up, just like that..."
"...Hiiragi," Haseo addressed him sharply. "Under any other circumstances, I'd push you out the doorway. But since you're obviously in so much trouble from the weather outside that you couldn't find another place no matter how hard you tried..."
Hiiragi waved his hand. "Hey there, settle down, would ya? Ever since Moon Tree was disbanded, I haven't had many places to go, and I forgot where my old home was..."
"Oh yeah, that's right..." Haseo nodded. "Now that I think about it, what happened to the other captains anyhow? I know where Sakaki is, but..."
"I asked Zelkova to help with Canard," Atoli said. "He's been giving me updates every so often, so I'm sure that he's doing everything he can to help. Matsu left Lumina Cloth after the match, and I haven't seen him since... I guess he found his own place to live. But... I'm not sure about the others."
"Well, I guess I can tell you a few things," Hiiragi said. "I haven't seen Nala, but Sophora's been hanging out in Breg Epona lately. She's trying to remain inconspicuous as always... kind of a difficult feat in such a large city. And Kaede is taking care of Lord Zelkova, like she usually does. I suppose, considering the information Atoli's given, that she's helping with Canard as well..."
"Yes, thank you for the update," Atoli said. "...Um, I'm sorry about Haseo. He's been on edge lately because of everything that's been going on..."
"Don't worry about him," Hiiragi responded. "He's always been sharp-tongued, and I've come to expect no less from the 'Terror of Death'. He's in the tournament, right? Well, in that case, I can't blame him for being on edge... the air about the city is putrid, and its aura virtually reeks of AIDA..."
"...I'm worried about him," Atoli stated. "He doesn't usually show it, but... he's really upset about this. I... just hope he doesn't... do something rash..."
Haseo grimaced. "You do realize I'm standing here, right?"
"Oh, I'm sorry," Atoli said quickly.
"...Don't worry about it," Haseo muttered, his gaze once again falling on Hiiragi. "I guess since he doesn't have anywhere else to go, we can let him stay here for a bit..."
"He's not going to hurt anyone," Atoli pointed out. "He's just taking shelter here. I can't blame him, considering the weather..."
For once, Hiiragi didn't seem too concerned with what the two were saying; he appreciated the hospitality, and didn't much mind the fact that his gender was being stated properly. Instead, he looked out the window, keeping an eye on the rolling clouds; they were starting to thin, and the sky was becoming brighter.
"...You can stay here," Haseo said suddenly. "Until you get your own place, you're probably gonna be wandering all over the city... so just this once, I'll let you stay over. And... if you want, you can talk things over with Atoli. She's been kind of out of the loop lately in regards to Moon Tree."
Hiiragi nodded brightly. "Why yes, thank you, Haseo! And I'm not so sure she'd be willing to spend time around me... I mean, she's clearly much more entertained by you."
"Oh..." Atoli blushed. "...I haven't talked with a guildmate in a while, so actually, I wouldn't mind... Haseo is prone to getting jealous, though..."
Haseo glared. "What do you mean by that?"
"Oh, nothing," Atoli said, giggling. "...How long can he stay?"
"As long as he needs to," Haseo said. "Once he finds a place of his own, though, I don't want him staying here any longer."
"That should be good enough," Atoli said. "You know, Haseo, you really are a lot nicer than you used to be... before, you never would've let Hiiragi come within a mile of your house."
Haseo scowled in response; Hiiragi seemed amused by the bantering between the two. "Well, I guess you two are getting along well lately. I'm not expecting an invitation, but if you would be so kind..."
"...The hell?" Haseo snarled. "What do you mean by that?"
"I think he's referring to the possibility of us getting married," Atoli said. "...And don't worry, Hiiragi. Even if Haseo doesn't invite you, I will."
"...You're saying this like it's set in stone," Haseo grumbled. "Ah well, guess I'm gonna have to put up with it..."
aba
The rain hadn't eased; it was still storming, and had been doing so all day. Haseo was getting bored with sitting in his house, and was trying to think of something that he could do instead.
A trip to Breg Epona seemed promising; the sky city was almost always fair weather-wise, and besides, he wanted to see how Canard was coming along in his absence. He wondered how lousy of a guildmaster he'd be considered for paying so little attention to his guild.
Finally deciding on his course of action, he began walking down the road to Mac Anu's dome. He no longer cared about getting wet.
The streets were quiet, as could be expected. There were only a few people out and about, and most of them tried to take shelter whenever the rain got particularly heavy. However, there was one person of note; Haseo was surprised when, upon reaching the dome, he saw a forlorn-looking boy standing just outside the gate.
"...Bo? What are you doing here?"
Bo sighed heavily, lifting his head only a little. "Well... I really shouldn't be doing this. I was going to come and visit you, but it's been raining all day..."
"What's the matter?" Haseo inquired cautiously.
"Saku said she was gonna go with Endrance," Bo said. "I couldn't stop her... they're both on Sakaki's side now."
"...So that's why," Haseo muttered. "I was wondering where you went, and why Endrance was acting so weird when I saw him... thanks for telling me, Bo."
"You just need to beat Sakaki," Bo said. "If you do that, Endrance will probably come back to you. But I've always been on your side, since the start... I wanna help you, but Saku would get mad..."
Haseo nodded. "...Don't worry about it. I'll take care of this... I promise."
"Thank you so much, Haseo!"
The Adept stepped up to the gate, glancing back. "There's no need to thank me. Knowing that Endrance has betrayed G.U... that'll help us all. It's good that you were able to tell me this."
Bo responded with silence. He knew that Saku would be upset with him, but he didn't care... just knowing that he'd done something to help Haseo was more than enough.
aba
Surprisingly, even the weather in Breg Epona was inclement; the wind was unusually strong, and there were traces of snow on the city's streets. Still, it was better than the rain...
Before Haseo could reach his intended destination, he was suddenly tackled down to the ground by someone. He blinked twice before realizing that it was Alkaid.
"Hey there," Alkaid greeted, allowing Haseo to stand up. "Is there any reason you decided to come here?"
"I was gonna ask you that," Haseo replied. "I needed to check up on things. I wanted to get my mind off of things... the weather's pretty bad in Mac Anu."
"Yeah, so I heard," Alkaid said. "So, you wanna come train with me?"
Haseo nodded. "Sounds like a plan. I'll have to get ready first, though."
"...Thanks," Alkaid said, watching Haseo walk off. "Well, looks like I'd better get ready myself... huh?"
"Alkaid!" A familiar blonde-haired girl was suddenly standing behind her. "Can I go with you too?"
Alkaid laughed, turning around. "Hey, Atoli. You can come along, too... I'm sure you need to stretch a bit before the last round of the tournament."
"It would be nice," Atoli said. "It's been a while since I've just been out training. I'm a bit nervous about the title match, too..."
"...Nervous? Any reason why?"
Atoli sighed. "I... have a really bad feeling about it. I'm not sure... I just think something bad is going to happen. I think I just need to get my mind off of things..."
"I can understand your concern," Alkaid stated. "...Sakaki's no ordinary opponent, let me tell you that. And it's possible you won't be able to settle things in the tournament... if he gets loose, this world's done for."
"...It was so stupid of me to let him go. I can't believe I..."
"Don't say that now. It's not your fault he totally lost it. And besides, sealing people, no matter who they are... look at it this way, Atoli. If you'd kept him sealed, you'd be the same as Tri-Edge."
"...That's not a good comparison," Atoli said. "He was the villain, not me. And it was my fault that he..."
Alkaid shook her head. "No, it's not your fault! You didn't realize he'd do this! Stop blaming yourself, will ya? It's not getting you anywhere, and dragging yourself down is hurting Haseo too!"
"Oh..." Atoli lowered her head, remembering their fight. "...You're right. I'm sorry..."
"Hey, it's fine. I think that in the title match, you might have a chance to fight Sakaki. And if you do, you'd better beat him... he's been screwing things up beyond belief lately. I'm sick of him running around doing whatever the hell he wants."
"...I was hoping I'd be able to beat him," Atoli said. "But... I don't think I have enough skill with my Avatar yet... that's not to say I won't help Haseo, though."
"You still think you have something to atone for, don't you?" Alkaid sighed. "Listen to this. Even if we were blaming you for Sakaki, you've done more than enough to make up for it by now. If it weren't for you, Silabus..."
"...You're right," Atoli muttered. "I guess... I was only thinking of myself again."
"Don't be so down," Alkaid said. "Stick your chin up. I'm sure that you can handle things fine. And just remember... you're not alone."
"Thank you so much, Alkaid."
"Hey, don't thank me. I'm just saying what I think. Besides, isn't Haseo the one who saved your life?"
"That doesn't make you any less important, though. You're a friend too."
Alkaid laughed. "Looks like you haven't changed a bit. Anyway, we'd better get prepared... Haseo's probably gonna be ready before us if we don't hurry."
"Oh, yes, that's right!" Atoli suddenly exclaimed. "I forgot... I was going to give you something."
"Huh? Me?" Alkaid blinked in surprise. "Why me?"
"We're friends," Atoli replied. "I know you're probably thinking you didn't earn anything... but that's not how I feel. Haseo told me that I should give something to you, because he wanted us to get along better... and I agreed with him. I like having you around, Alkaid."
"...Oh, um, thanks," Alkaid said, a little embarrassed.
Atoli smiled, taking the object out. "It's a good-luck charm of sorts. It'll keep your spirit energized so that you can keep fighting. I thought it'd be good for you, since you love fighting in the arena."
"Are you sure I can have this?" Alkaid questioned. "I mean, it looks really expensive."
"Of course you can have it," Atoli insisted. "I got it for you."
Alkaid nodded slightly. "Oh... um, thanks. But, uh... don't just go around buying presents for other people, will ya? Haseo might get jealous!"
"He was the one who suggested it!" Atoli retorted. Alkaid laughed in response.
"Hey, I was just kidding. Now, let's get going!"
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Author's Note: SEE, THEY'RE FRIENDS. I MADE SURE OF THIS.
