Disclaimer: [insert your favorite witty-disclaimer-comment type of thing here]. That said, I don't own .hack//SIGN.
This is most likely going to be a short story (I'm making it up as I go along :p). There will be chapters, but they won't be very long. I actually have other fanfics I should be working on, so it's not wise to start up a new project... but I really feel like writing a .hack//SIGN story while the emotions for it are still fresh in my mind. So here it is.
I hope you'll enjoy it!
goo.
* * * * *
.hack//MIMIC
-exist-
Pitch dark.
There was nothing... nothing at all, and it scared me.
But...how? There was no me.
Who...? There was no one here.
No... one...?
Suddenly my memories came crashing down to me. Faces whipped past my eyes at fearsome speeds.
0198BE45ARANDMIMEEIRUANDSORA0146ER
ANDeDBTA45NDB255HEARAND0MIMIRU0AN
0AD9GINKAN9ANDCRIMANDMA98FHAAND99
DBTA45NDB255HEARAND0MIMIRU0AND01BT
05AURAAND0DMIMIRUANDCRIMANDGINKAN
ANDAURAANDBEARANDBTANDSORAANDBT00
ANDCRIMANDBEARAND BT AND CRIM AND
GINKAN AND MIMIRU AND AURA AND MAHA
AND SORA AND BT
AND
AND
AND AND 05SUBARU
0ASUBARU WHERE1E
WHERE2F
SUBARU
WHERE SUBARU IS I CANTSEE01YOUSUBARU0110101010101011
- "SUBARU!!!"
I screamed as a wave of extreme pain ripped through my body. I could feel pain, does that mean I exist?
"SUBARU! SUBARU! SUBARU!" I shouted on the top of my lungs over and over again, screaming at the pain, screaming to expel the dreadful void inside of me.
subaru... subaru... subaru... the purple sky echoed back weakly.
My chest heaved madly as struggled to breathe. I am here. I can breathe air. I am here.
I... I am Tsukasa.
I will stay in The World. Because Tsukasa is here.
Tsukasa...? I'm Tsukasa...
I'm here.
I like it here. Because Tsukasa is here.
I'm here, Subaru.
I'm here.
I'm happy.
...But where are you?
I laid back onto the ground, and felt my restless heart slowly calming. My staff rested lifelessly beside me. Calm, Tsukasa, calm, I told myself. Yes, I am Tsukasa. I am here. I exist. Finally, I was settled enough to look at my surroundings. I was alone on an endless grass field. It was windy, and the grass toppled over each other under the forces of the wind.
I examined my hands. They were as I remembered them, pale, unwounded and unscarred. But it seemed like I was looking at them for the very first time.
What happened?
My memories resurfaced again as the terror inside of me began to diminish.
Helba.
Yes, Helba. We... everyone... we were at the Net Slum. Aura... awakes. Suddenly, out of nowhere, an giant monster appears and attacked us... Helba... she-she erased the Net Slum. Killed the enemy. And Aura -
Aura awakes.
Aura awakes.
Then this means... I-I can...
My hands tightened around my staff.
I can log out.
I jumped onto my feet the moment the though came into my head. Yes, I can log out. I can return to the real world!
She is there. She must be there. Subaru...! The last shred of terror in my heart vanished, and was replace by indescribable joy. I sped across the open field against the wind.
Subaru! Wait for me... I'll be there soon!
The grass pointed their tips towards me, as if warning me not to come near no more. I didn't care; I was invincible from my excitement. Nothing can stop me. I ran, and ran, and ran. And stopped.
Slowly, as if performing a ritual, I held my staff to the sky.
Log out. I want to log out. Now.
Suddenly, I was engulfed by a sea of brilliant white light. My muscles stiffened at the glimpse of the light, but it only lasted for a split second, then it was over. I was still there, holding my staff up to the sky.
What...?
I tightened the grip around my staff, and tried again. Log out. I want to log out.
The sky answered with a roar, perhaps of anger, perhaps of fear. Then the white light came again, but this time, it was much closer. The lightning struck the ground inches before me, sending up a powerful blast of rocks and dirt into the air. The grass caught on fire, and the fire ate through the plains madly, flooding the field with hot, blazing red. I dropped my staff in shock.
I was beginning to panic. Why...? Why can't I...? The intense heat didn't wait for me to finish my thoughts, and rapidly rushed towards me. The center of the flames flared up like eyes. A million eyes of the devil, all staring straight at me.
My legs were weak with anguish and despair. I was crying. The tears ran off my face, and was quickly devoured by the flames.
They were not tears of fear. But it didn't matter, because no tears in the world could possibly extinguish the ocean of angry flames before me.
So I ran.