Disclaimer: I do not own .hack//SIGN or any of its characters. All I own is my thoughts and my own original character Lain Auska X.

.hack//SIGN

Episode Four: Meeting You Again

Saga: Born from Darkness

It had been forty-eight hours since the last time Lain had spoken to another player. Tsukasa and herself had just kept away from large gatherings of players. They didn't want to get caught by the knights or Subaru. Neither of them had found or heard anything that had to do with the Child Born from Darkness.

"We've looked everywhere!" Lain cried out in frustration. The two of them had just entered a new field on the outskirts of a huge mountain. They were now walking up a dock towards a set of stairs.

"I know," Tsukasa replied just as frustrated as she was. "But don't worry. Were meeting some of my friends." HE saw the worried look on her face and then added, "Don't worry, they'll help us. We'll find it sooner if they help."

Lain smiled at Tsukasa and walked up the stairs with him at her side. As son as they reached the top they looked around the flat land covered in grass. But around the edges were tall mountains and a wooden railing.

"You sure they can help us?" Lain asked looking around doughtfully. "I mean what if we can't find this Child Born from Darkness?"

"Stop worrying, we'll find it," Tsukasa replied. He sounded so sure in what he was saying that Lain gave up some of her dought and turned it into hope.

"Is that you Tsukasa?" a voice said to their right. The voice belonged to a male player. They turned around and faced him.

Lain starred at him hard. His appearance and voice sounded familiar. But she couldn't remember who he was. Had she met him some time ago? It hurt to think so hard about it so she stopped.

The man turned his attention to Lain who he had over looked. He looked at her shocked. "No! It can't be! Is it really you?!" he cried out to her. "Lain?! But I saw you die in that dungeon! What was that thing you were fighting?! And what stopped me form getting to you?"

"Who are you?" Lain asked. "You look familiar but I can't remember who you are."

"It's me Lain! Bear!" Bear cried out to her astonished. "Don't you remember?! I was the one who was getting you around the world! Teaching you the basics. What happened in that dungeon?"

"A virus attacked me," lain replied to him gravely. "Her name is Mitski. I put up an invincible shield. So the virus couldn't get to you. This virus put me in the same state as Tsukasa. I can't log out."

Bear looked shocked at what Lain had told him. "Tsukasa," Bear began looking at him strangely. "Last I heard, you were captured and placed under guard in the dungeon of Carma Gatelica. How did you get out?"

"She came," Tsukasa said looking at Lain. "she disconnected the guards and then we left."

"Not good," Bear pronounced to them both. "Lain. Tell me everything. Everything that has happened since out last encounter in the dungeon. I'm very interested to know more about this virus. Mitski you say?"

Lain nodded her head in reply. She sighed and then told Bear everything that had happened to her up until the point of now.

As soon as Lain had finished she turned her attention over to Tsukasa. His face was so unsure. Like he was trying to decide something for himself. She turned her attention back to Bear. He was thinking heavily. He was looking at the ground and then looked up at Lain and sighed. HE was about to speak but stopped when he got a message. "Oh, a message from Mimiru," Bear said smiling and then frowned. "She's coming here, Tsukasa, Lain. And she's bringing Sora along with her."

"Does Sora have green hair, an annoying voice, and a horrible charm?" lain asked Bear. Bear nodded his head from a yes and Lain sighed at his reply. "He's the one who helped this mess. He contacted Subaru, the jerk…"

"Little Tsukasa! And little Lain!" cried out an annoying voice behind the three of them. They turned around to see Sora and a new player that Lain assumed was Mimiru. Tsukasa was looking a littler nervous and was fidgeting. He acted as though he didn't want to be there.

"You again!" Lain cried out angrily. "You the one who put me in this huge mess with the Crimson Knights! Now you act as though you happy to see me?! I should destroy you! Make you suffer like I have!"

Sora looked at her shocked and then smiled. "You've changed," Sora replied. "And I like it. What's your E-mail for the game? Come on let me have it! We can keep in touch!"

"Ugh! You freak! I said I was going to kill you and you make no notion to care?!" Lain screamed at him, while drawing her sword. She charged at him. He managed to pull out his blades fast enough to block Lain's attack, which was aimed at his face. "I told you! I'm going to kill you!"

"Oh! Your much different!" Sora cried out to her happily. "Your attacks are still suicide, and you also have a strong defense! But you're not even close to my league!" He pushed his blades forward and knocked her to the ground with her sword in the air. "You should battle more. You may be a level 50 character, but you need more experience."

"Don't you tell me what to do!" Lain screamed at him. She jumped up from the ground wither her sword in hand. "I don't need your advice! You go away and leave me alone!"

"Sora move," Mimiru pronounced shoving him aside.' You Lain! You're in a whole lot of trouble you know! You broke Tsukasa out! Subaru and the knights are furious with you! You're wanted everywhere! They say you get a reward for capturing you too! So I'd watch out!"

"Mimiru," Bear said to her a little annoyed. "We're not turning her in. She's an innocent victim like Tsukasa."

"Tsukasa!" Mimiru cried out finally noticing that he was there. "Are you alright?! Did they hurt you or anything?!"

"No," Tsukasa replied backing away from her. "Your selfish. You can't hide behind that excuse." When he finished he transferred to another field.

"Tsukasa!" Lain cried out the empty spot that he had once stood. "You said you would help me! You said you wouldn't leave me!"

"Don't worry about it Lain," Bear said sighing. "He needs some time to think. He'll be back, don't worry. If not then he'll contact you."

"Okay," Lain said glumly. She turned around and faced the three of them. "I should go now. I don't really need to be here. I need to continue my search. It's not here, so I should go." Lain was about to connect with another field but stopped when Bear spoke to her.

"I know your going to go and look fro Tsukasa," Bear begun. "Look in empty dark fields, with castle like dungeons. I'll ask other players about this Child Born from Darkness. And look outside this world. I'll help you find it, but promise me one thing. Help Tsukasa and yourself stay out of trouble. Just be careful. Okay?"

"Yes. Thank you," Lain replied and then disconnected from the server that she once stood. She reappeared in the first castle like dungeon, that Tsukasa and her had entered. IT was a eerie dark place, lit by a few torches. There was a huge twelve-foot stain glass window before her. A picture of an angel was on it. A stone black was sitting in front of the stained glass window.

Lain walked over to the stone block and sat down facing the window. She hadn't seen any sign of Tsukasa. "I should wait. He'll find me or send a message." She sighed and then leaned back on her hands.

"There you are Lain!" a voice said to her right. It was Tsukasa. His voice sounded a little shaky. As if he had been worried about something. Was he worried about her? As he reached her he seemed to calm down. HE sat down beside her and caught his breath. "How come you left? I came back to get you but you weren't there."

"Why did you leave me?" Lain asked him quietly. She didn't look too happy. She was looking at the ground with a depressed look on her face. "Did you and Mimiru have a fight?"

Tsukasa didn't answer her at first. He kept quite and looked at Lain surprised. He might as well tell her. She did have a right to know. But why was he opening up to her? Was it because she was just like him?

"Yeah, in a way," Tsukasa replied.

"In a way?"

"She betrayed me. She handed me over to the Crimson Knights. That's how they had me captured."

"Why did they want to capture you to begin with?"

"Because he deleted all those people. They thought I was doing it on purpose. But I didn't have control over him. It wasn't my fault. Most of them asked for it. They wanted to fight with me. So I did. But most of the time I refused. But still they persisted until they ended up either fleeing or dying."

His voice sounded so sad, so lonely. Lain was afraid to ask more. But she had to know. Who was Tsukasa talking about?

"Who is 'he'?'

"My guardian. He's like summon magic. He protects me from other players. He's the one who deletes them. Not me."

"Why can't you control him?"

"I don't know. He just doesn't listen to me. So I don't call him anymore."

"Oh. Maybe you'll be able to control him once day. Maybe you need more practice?"

"Maybe."

"Do you remember anything from your life? Like outside this game?"

"Not really. I tried to forget it. It's just not worth thinking about. How about you? Do you remember anything?"

She was afraid of him asking her about this also. She had to be truthful. Something was telling her to. Don't lie. Just tell him a little.

"I don't really like talking about it much. But I didn't spend most of my life with my mother or father. I never really did get to know them very well. I sort of drifted away. I was taken from them at the age of ten. Put under supervision for six years. I just got out a few weeks ago too. I was starting my life over. Then of course this happened."

"I shouldn't have asked. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. It's nice having someone to talk to for a change. Do you think we could do and look around one of the cities or something? I've only been to Carma Gatelica. That was were I first met Bear."

"Maybe after a while."

He looked at Lain and smiled. She was still looking at the ground sadly. Was something bothering her? Or had she not told him something?

"What's wrong?" Tsukasa asked looking at her more closely. She looked as though she would vanish. Like she was all a dream. Like she wasn't real.

"Maybe I'll tell you latter," Lain replied. "Not now. I can't until I'm ready." She stood up and stretched. She then looked down at Tsukasa. He was looking back at her with a blank expression. Lain was about to say something to him but stopped when she heard a chiming sound. She had a message. And it was from Sora. She frowned and then sighed. "Hey! How did Sora get my address?! I bet Bear gave it to him…!"

"What does it say?"

"Meet me at the entrance to the dungeon of Hell."

"Should we go?"

"Ya of course. Even if it is Sora. He might know something useful. Might as well. But if anything goes wrong…get out of there. I don't want you to wait for me. I don't want you to get hurt. He has this thing for tricking people."

"Okay."

There was no way he was going to leave her alone again. He wasn't going to leave her again. Nothing bad was going to happen to her. She was going to be alright. Just as long as he was there at her side, she would be fine.

The two appeared in front of the dungeon that Sora had specified. He was not anywhere for the two of them to see. Was he setting them up? Just trying to get them out in the open? Was this all a trick?

"Do you see him?" Lain asked Tsukasa, while she was looking around suspiciously

"No," Tsukasa replied. "Should we go then?"

Before Lain could answer she felt someone grab her around the shoulders from behind and jerk her backwards. Then the annoying voice spoke.

"Bonk! I didn't think you would show up!" Sora said soberly. "But then again you probably wouldn't come without Tsukasa!"

"Get off!" Lain called out as she struggled to get out of his hold. "The last thing I want is you all over me!"

"Watch the tongue Lain Auska X,: Sora said silently to her. He dropped his grip on her shoulders and grinned a silly smile at Tsukasa.

"So you figured out who I am?" Lain replied rubbing her neck. "That can't be the only reason you called me out here for. Now can it?"

"No, not really," Sora answered. Sounded as though he would play with her. "I do have some other information for you, but… I won't tell you unless you tell me a little about yourself. The you outside this world I mean."

"What are you getting at?" Lain asked facing him. "Why? You know my name. Isn't that enough?"

"No not really," Sora said smiling slyly at her. "I was thinking maybe once you get out of this game…we could met up in the real world? Get to know each other a little better?"

Lain looked at him shocked and then laughed. "Don't think so. You're more than an assassin or thief though. You're a stalker. No lower than that. A lying spider that likes to make stupid bargains. I'm leaving. It seems you have nothing important to say. I don't like bargains. And even if we had for some chance got to meet each other outside this game, you wouldn't like me. I'm not your type."

Sora didn't seem too happy with what she had said to him. A moment latter he had one of his knives up at her throat and his hand gripping her shoulder.

"Look I don't just make bargains with everyone," Sora said angrily to her. "I have some information in, which you would like to know. All I ask in return is for you to tell me your age and hair color. How's that!? So you don't have to tell me much!?"

"Fine," Lain said as he withdrew his blade from her and his hand. "I'm seventeen and I have black hair. My real self looks like how I am in the game. Now what is so important to tell me!?"

Sora seemed to have calmed down as she started speaking because he looked relaxed and looked at her calmly. "How nice. You might be wrong about that type part though. If you act like this in real life, then your everything I've wanted. Anyway to the real point. I've found out some important stuff about you and a little about Tsukasa. You both are in a hospital. The same hospital. The rooms are next to each other in fact."

"Why are we in a hospital?" Lain asked. "Why am I not in my room? The place I was staying?"

"The truth is your both in a coma. It doesn't state why though. The doctors wouldn't tell me," Sora replied with a frown. "I wasn't family so they wouldn't talk."

"Coma?" Lain asked horrified. "But how? That's impossible! I can't be. I was just in pain when I was playing the game. I new I wasn't dead… he called the police. I was fine!"

Memories were coming back. Everything was going to go wrong.

Lain fell to her knees and clutched her head. She heard Tsukasa's voice yell out to her. But he was so far away. It was so hard to hear him. Why was his voice so far off? When he was so close?

**FLASHBACK**

A girl at the age of seventeen was sitting in the corner of a white padded room. She was rocking back and fourth. Her hair was pitch black. It was short and curved around her face in a v. You could see a little bit of her eyes though her knees, which were pulled up close and were being held tightly by her hands. Her eyes were a melancholy blue. Her face wore a sad and depressed look. She was wearing a plain white flannel dress. It was at least one size to big for her because it drug across the ground. This girls name was Lain Auska X. She kept repeating the same phrase in Japanese over and over again. 'I don't want to die'.

She didn't stop when the door opened. She didn't even take any care to look up at the person who had entered.

"Lain," a man's voice said to her. She heard the voice before. It was her father. He had come to visit her. She looked up at him slightly but kept repeating her phrase. "You want to play that video game me and your mother bought you? Am I right? You can play it now. But I'll have to survey you. They won't let you play it alone. Would you like that?"

Lain nodded her head at her father and then stood up. She became quiet and followed him out the door of the room. Two guards were following closely behind them. A minute latter they entered another room. Except in this room it was filled with all sorts of computers, not padded walls.

"Over here Lain," her father called out to her. "Sit down. Now that's a good girl… the games already installed and everything. All you have to do now is create you character."

"Okay," Lain replied. She started the game and browsed though the settings.

Name: DUST

Password: ****

Character Name: Lain

Character Type: Swordsman

Black Magic: Yes

White Magic: Yes

Blue Magic: Yes

Weapon: Long Sword

These were only a few of what she had to do. She now had to go though what her character would look like. They had barley nothing there that she wanted.

"What are you doing Lain?" her father asked her sternly but yet curiously.

"Hacking," Lain replied.

"Will you be found?"

"No."

Finally Lain had everything she wanted her character to look like. Short black hair, sad blue eyes, a plain black short sleeve shirt, levi jeans, black steel-toed boots, and black gloves.

"Are you done?"

"Yes."

"Play then."

"I am."

The room was silent for hours. Lain seemed to be enjoying the game because she just sat there and playing with no complaints.

The silence was broken a second latter by Lain's horrifying screams. She fell out of her chair, twitching a little. There was a huge gash in her stomach. Blood was flowing though it heavily. How could this have happened? Why had the guards waited outside the door!? Hadn't they heard her pitiful screams by now!?

"Oh shit," he said looking down at his daughter horrified. He pulled out his cell phone from his pocket and dialed the number for the police. "Hello? Police? This is Zero Kusanagi. My adopted daughter Lain Auska X is dying in here. She is at the local Mental Hospital. I don't know what happened! She was just playing a video game?!"

**END OF FLASHBACK**

Lain was no longer on her knees. She was on her back. She was screaming as loud as she could. It was so horrible. She was trying to push herself up with her hands and feet but couldn't. Something was weighing her down. Her attempts of getting up were useless.

Her arms were bleeding heavily. She was now coughing up blood every time she could though her screams. If you could have seen her shirt in another color you would have noticed that it was soaked though with blood.

Tsukasa was looking at Lain horrified. It looked so painful, what she was going though. A huge puddle of blood had formed around her. She was bleeding so badly. HE couldn't do anything to help her. The first person he had found that was like him was lying on the ground dying before him. The first person he actually felt some sort of emotion for was dying. The only person that he had gotten totally along with was now almost gone. He would never see her again if this was… No…he wouldn't believe it. She wasn't being deleted/ He knew it, but… what was she going though? This looked so much more painful than dying though. He wanted her suffering to stop, so much. He couldn't do anything, he was useless to her now.

Sora looked at Lain shocked and horrified. She looked fine before. Nothing seemed wrong with her before. She looked so helpless so horrible now… She was bleeding half to death. Her screams sounded so bad. Was this dying for her? Was she dying now? In this game? To never return? Never to awake again?

Lain's screams echoed though the whole game in vain. All the characters created in the game could hear her horrifying screams of pain. It sounded worse than anything they had ever heard. And sounded so real, as if this wasn't a game. As if this were so real….

Well done with yet another chapter. Tell me what you think. REVIW AND READ more please. Have anything that you might think will help in the future? Well E-mail me. I'm always open for anything that might help me!