I'm back again. Okay, this chapter is the shortest one to date, following
the longest one to date. Heh. Personally, this chapter is kinda crappy and
boring, but it's required to get where I'm going.
Mahojin: When picking the songs, it's a bit of both. I look over a few options everytime I pick a song, and have an idea of what one will fit the next chapter. But I always pick the song after I'm finished writing the chapter.
Warnings: OOC-ness
Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade or .hack//SIGN
------------------------------------------------
It was another quiet morning; the sunlight filtering through the Japanese house and bathing the occupants in its warm glow. In the dojo it found Takao's grandfather performing his morning routine, in the bedroom it found Takao still fast asleep, and in the kitchen it found Rei; the raven-haired boy was staring at the tabletop wistfully. His fingers gripped the edge of the polished wood as he reflected on recent events: his fight with Kai and the issue of how he was going to bring the strange boy home to reality. It had been a few days since Rei had logged onto The World. He wasn't scared of Kai, he just wasn't sure what he would say if he ran into the mage, assuming Kai would stick around long enough for him to say anything.
Footsteps running up the front path snapped Rei from his lonely thoughts, and Max scurried into the kitchen. His eyes were bright as he choked a breathless greeting to Rei, settling into one of the chairs across from the longhaired youth and grinning from ear to ear.
"I think I know someone who can help you!" Seeing Rei's curious expression, Max plowed onward. "It's this boy Takao goes to school with. He's a computer genius, and if anyone could help you, it'd be him."
"Eh? Who are we talking about?" At that moment Takao came stumbling into the kitchen, in the middle of a huge yawn. He took occupancy in the third chair at the table and gazed sleepily at Max.
"Morning Takao," the blond laughed, barely containing his excitement. "I was just telling Rei that someone you know could help us. That boy in your class, Kyouju."
"The chief?" Takao seemed to be weighing this revelation as he turned to look at Rei for the first time that morning, eyes narrowing a little. "You know Maxy, you may be onto something . . . The chief doesn't participate in online games, but he knows a lot about computers and could probably figure out why old Kai is trapped in the game."
"Exactly!"
Rei, who had remained silent throughout the exchange, found both boys looking at him expectantly. Blinking, the Chinese boy glanced uneasily between them, not sure why he was suddenly being stared at. "What?"
"Do you want the chief's help?" Takao asked, "or would you rather try talking to that Voltaire dude who has massive security?"
"If you think he'll talk with me, that boy I guess," Rei said slowly.
Max laughed again. "Of course he'll talk to you! Kyouju loves a challenge, right Takao?"
"Sure does! So it's settled. I'll call him up and we can go talk to him later today, okay?"
Rei nodded, "Yeah, thanks guys."
Takao grinned in response then looked around hopefully. "So, how about some breakfast then?"
Max and Rei laughed, the comfortable atmosphere sinking back into the room as the sun rose higher into the sky.
*****
It had almost been too easy.
Kai straightened himself, pressing his back against the nearest wall. He had managed to get inside the Princess's castle without running into any of her guards. Considering that this place was the center of The World, Kai had expected it to be harder. Sure, he had easily snuck into the dungeons, but the main level? Something wasn't right.
The grey bricks seemed to be watching the blue haired mage as he made his way down the twisting hallways, staff prepared to fight off any form of threats. However, when he arrived at the Princess's throne room unharmed, he knew something was amiss.
Slowly, Kai pushed open the wooden doors . . .
*****
"Well, here we are!" Takao beamed at the small house, pushing open the doorway. "The chief and his family live upstairs, this part is just a small restaurant that his parents run," the talkative boy explained, Max listening attentively while Rei barely heard.
"Takao!" A small, redheaded boy ran down the stairs, repositioning his glasses when he reached the bottom.
"Hey, chief. These are the friends I mentioned on the phone," Takao motioned to the two behind him, "Max and Rei."
Hellos were exchanged, and then Kyouju was hurrying them upstairs. "I went over everything you told me, but you said Rei could fill me in some more . . . ?"
Takao nodded. "Rei's your man. He's talked to Kai the most, and knows the full story. Go ahead, tell him everything Rei." The blue haired boy gave Rei an easy grin, and the Chinese youth picked up the story, filling in where Takao had left out information. Kyouju listened in awe.
"So you're saying that not only is Kai trapped in the game, but it appears to be becoming his reality? Fascinating . . ." The four boys were scattered around the room: Takao was hanging off the small bed and Max leaned against the wall, while Rei was sitting on the floor. Kyouju was at his desk, fingers busy as he typed furiously on his laptop. "You said the system refuses to let him logout?" Rei's nod confirmed the fact. "Then, it must be a block from inside the system. And according to what you told me, only the Princess is able to make changes to the programming. So either someone tampered with the game's structure, or the Princess is the one behind Kai's imprisonment."
"But why would anyone want to keep Kai trapped online?" Rei asked as he got to his feet, padding over to stand behind Kyouju so he could see what the boy was entering into the computer. "It doesn't make any sense."
Kyouju grinned. "Ah, but it does. You're not from Japan, so you don't know anything about the Hiwatari name." The redhead brought up a screen on the monitor. "Kai's grandfather, Voltaire Hiwatari, is a very important business man. And what better way to get back at Voltaire for something disfavoring than to trap his grandson online?"
"But Kai-"
"Chief, that's brilliant!" Takao exclaimed, cutting Rei off as he jumped to his feet. "It's a form of blackmail!" Max joined in the praising, none of the boys seeming to realize Rei's frown. Something didn't add up. Why would anyone 'blackmail' Voltaire by using Kai, if it was rumored that Voltaire had abused the youth? Obviously Voltaire didn't care about his grandson.
'At least Kyouju was able to tell me the source of the problem,' Rei thought as he watched Takao tackle Kyouju and Max. 'My next move is to talk to some people inside the Princess's castle . . . '
*****
"Finally we meet, Kai Hiwatari." Emily smirked as the mage's crimson orbs narrowed, his body still partially hidden behind the throne room doors. "I was wondering when you'd grace me with your presence."
"So you do know," Kai snapped, fully entering the room. "You know all about my little plight."
"Who do you think has the power to deny you logout?" The girl's eyes glinted behind her glasses, her smirk growing at Kai's scowl. "I thought by capturing you and your neko-jin friend, I'd be able to keep things quiet. But, I wasn't prepared for you freeing the scribe. This time, however, I won't underestimate you."
Kai had made his way to the center of the room during Emily's speech, his eyes never leaving the girl's form. He dropped his staff with a clatter and raised his head. "Tell me why you did it."
Emily's smirk faded, a smile twisting onto her face. "Gladly. Would you care to stay for dinner? I have an excellent chef working in the kitchen."
"Whatever."
"Splendid. We'll talk over dinner. Until then . . . Michael?" The guard appeared suddenly, face expressionless. "Escort Mr. Hiwatari to a room. He may stay there until I call for him again, when the food is prepared. Oh, and Michael? Send word down to the kitchen, I want Olivier's best meal."
"Yes, M'lady." Michael motioned for Kai to follow him, leading the mage out of the throne room and down the hallways again.
There would be a lot to talk about tonight.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
If you wanna go there
To the farthest island
Spread your wings and fly high!
You can see the island
In the summer breezing
Spread your wings and fly high to the sun.
My wanderer you seek for the secret
Go farther and fly sky high
Fly high
- Warp, .hack//SIGN
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Mahojin: When picking the songs, it's a bit of both. I look over a few options everytime I pick a song, and have an idea of what one will fit the next chapter. But I always pick the song after I'm finished writing the chapter.
Warnings: OOC-ness
Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade or .hack//SIGN
------------------------------------------------
It was another quiet morning; the sunlight filtering through the Japanese house and bathing the occupants in its warm glow. In the dojo it found Takao's grandfather performing his morning routine, in the bedroom it found Takao still fast asleep, and in the kitchen it found Rei; the raven-haired boy was staring at the tabletop wistfully. His fingers gripped the edge of the polished wood as he reflected on recent events: his fight with Kai and the issue of how he was going to bring the strange boy home to reality. It had been a few days since Rei had logged onto The World. He wasn't scared of Kai, he just wasn't sure what he would say if he ran into the mage, assuming Kai would stick around long enough for him to say anything.
Footsteps running up the front path snapped Rei from his lonely thoughts, and Max scurried into the kitchen. His eyes were bright as he choked a breathless greeting to Rei, settling into one of the chairs across from the longhaired youth and grinning from ear to ear.
"I think I know someone who can help you!" Seeing Rei's curious expression, Max plowed onward. "It's this boy Takao goes to school with. He's a computer genius, and if anyone could help you, it'd be him."
"Eh? Who are we talking about?" At that moment Takao came stumbling into the kitchen, in the middle of a huge yawn. He took occupancy in the third chair at the table and gazed sleepily at Max.
"Morning Takao," the blond laughed, barely containing his excitement. "I was just telling Rei that someone you know could help us. That boy in your class, Kyouju."
"The chief?" Takao seemed to be weighing this revelation as he turned to look at Rei for the first time that morning, eyes narrowing a little. "You know Maxy, you may be onto something . . . The chief doesn't participate in online games, but he knows a lot about computers and could probably figure out why old Kai is trapped in the game."
"Exactly!"
Rei, who had remained silent throughout the exchange, found both boys looking at him expectantly. Blinking, the Chinese boy glanced uneasily between them, not sure why he was suddenly being stared at. "What?"
"Do you want the chief's help?" Takao asked, "or would you rather try talking to that Voltaire dude who has massive security?"
"If you think he'll talk with me, that boy I guess," Rei said slowly.
Max laughed again. "Of course he'll talk to you! Kyouju loves a challenge, right Takao?"
"Sure does! So it's settled. I'll call him up and we can go talk to him later today, okay?"
Rei nodded, "Yeah, thanks guys."
Takao grinned in response then looked around hopefully. "So, how about some breakfast then?"
Max and Rei laughed, the comfortable atmosphere sinking back into the room as the sun rose higher into the sky.
*****
It had almost been too easy.
Kai straightened himself, pressing his back against the nearest wall. He had managed to get inside the Princess's castle without running into any of her guards. Considering that this place was the center of The World, Kai had expected it to be harder. Sure, he had easily snuck into the dungeons, but the main level? Something wasn't right.
The grey bricks seemed to be watching the blue haired mage as he made his way down the twisting hallways, staff prepared to fight off any form of threats. However, when he arrived at the Princess's throne room unharmed, he knew something was amiss.
Slowly, Kai pushed open the wooden doors . . .
*****
"Well, here we are!" Takao beamed at the small house, pushing open the doorway. "The chief and his family live upstairs, this part is just a small restaurant that his parents run," the talkative boy explained, Max listening attentively while Rei barely heard.
"Takao!" A small, redheaded boy ran down the stairs, repositioning his glasses when he reached the bottom.
"Hey, chief. These are the friends I mentioned on the phone," Takao motioned to the two behind him, "Max and Rei."
Hellos were exchanged, and then Kyouju was hurrying them upstairs. "I went over everything you told me, but you said Rei could fill me in some more . . . ?"
Takao nodded. "Rei's your man. He's talked to Kai the most, and knows the full story. Go ahead, tell him everything Rei." The blue haired boy gave Rei an easy grin, and the Chinese youth picked up the story, filling in where Takao had left out information. Kyouju listened in awe.
"So you're saying that not only is Kai trapped in the game, but it appears to be becoming his reality? Fascinating . . ." The four boys were scattered around the room: Takao was hanging off the small bed and Max leaned against the wall, while Rei was sitting on the floor. Kyouju was at his desk, fingers busy as he typed furiously on his laptop. "You said the system refuses to let him logout?" Rei's nod confirmed the fact. "Then, it must be a block from inside the system. And according to what you told me, only the Princess is able to make changes to the programming. So either someone tampered with the game's structure, or the Princess is the one behind Kai's imprisonment."
"But why would anyone want to keep Kai trapped online?" Rei asked as he got to his feet, padding over to stand behind Kyouju so he could see what the boy was entering into the computer. "It doesn't make any sense."
Kyouju grinned. "Ah, but it does. You're not from Japan, so you don't know anything about the Hiwatari name." The redhead brought up a screen on the monitor. "Kai's grandfather, Voltaire Hiwatari, is a very important business man. And what better way to get back at Voltaire for something disfavoring than to trap his grandson online?"
"But Kai-"
"Chief, that's brilliant!" Takao exclaimed, cutting Rei off as he jumped to his feet. "It's a form of blackmail!" Max joined in the praising, none of the boys seeming to realize Rei's frown. Something didn't add up. Why would anyone 'blackmail' Voltaire by using Kai, if it was rumored that Voltaire had abused the youth? Obviously Voltaire didn't care about his grandson.
'At least Kyouju was able to tell me the source of the problem,' Rei thought as he watched Takao tackle Kyouju and Max. 'My next move is to talk to some people inside the Princess's castle . . . '
*****
"Finally we meet, Kai Hiwatari." Emily smirked as the mage's crimson orbs narrowed, his body still partially hidden behind the throne room doors. "I was wondering when you'd grace me with your presence."
"So you do know," Kai snapped, fully entering the room. "You know all about my little plight."
"Who do you think has the power to deny you logout?" The girl's eyes glinted behind her glasses, her smirk growing at Kai's scowl. "I thought by capturing you and your neko-jin friend, I'd be able to keep things quiet. But, I wasn't prepared for you freeing the scribe. This time, however, I won't underestimate you."
Kai had made his way to the center of the room during Emily's speech, his eyes never leaving the girl's form. He dropped his staff with a clatter and raised his head. "Tell me why you did it."
Emily's smirk faded, a smile twisting onto her face. "Gladly. Would you care to stay for dinner? I have an excellent chef working in the kitchen."
"Whatever."
"Splendid. We'll talk over dinner. Until then . . . Michael?" The guard appeared suddenly, face expressionless. "Escort Mr. Hiwatari to a room. He may stay there until I call for him again, when the food is prepared. Oh, and Michael? Send word down to the kitchen, I want Olivier's best meal."
"Yes, M'lady." Michael motioned for Kai to follow him, leading the mage out of the throne room and down the hallways again.
There would be a lot to talk about tonight.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
If you wanna go there
To the farthest island
Spread your wings and fly high!
You can see the island
In the summer breezing
Spread your wings and fly high to the sun.
My wanderer you seek for the secret
Go farther and fly sky high
Fly high
- Warp, .hack//SIGN
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
