Disclaimer: Project .hack is not my work. It is the work of a group, and
I but one person. I also have no money, so don't sue me. I'm not marketing
this work, but writing it only for my own enjoyment as well as that of
others.
July 19, 2007
Rubbing her throbbing temple, Itsuko clambered to her feet. How long had she been out? She was pushed out of the way by a crowd of people.
iA crowd?/i Where was she? It all came back in a rush. And then she looked at her surroundings.
She stood beside a canal. Many people, most armed and clad in armor, were jostling past, some disappearing next to a revolving, floating. thing. Itsuko's eyes widened. What was this place?
She hurried to the nearest shop, asking the man that stood there where she was. He quirked an eyebrow. "Mac Anu. Doncha know? Newbies," he added under his breath, but Itsuko heard. "Mm, what's yer name, darlin'?"
"Kazeyaki Itsuko," she said, presenting her family name first.
The man's other eyebrow rose. "Kazeyaki? Isn't that the hacker- woman that disappeared about eight years ago? Does that mean iyou're/i a hacker, darlin'? Mm."
Disappeared. eight years ago? People knew what she was? Wha-?
"Can you tell me about this. Kazeyaki?" This was received with a nod.
"She turned twenty-five the day they think she disappeared. There were no traces of a struggle at all, they say, just words flashing across the screen. Skeith, somethin'. I can't really remember. It was on the news exactly eight years ago this day. Really strange, I say.
"Ah, but may I interest you in some fine wares? I'm sure you'll find my Soteru quite interestin-"
But the player calling herself Kazeyaki Itsuko had disappeared into a crowd of people.
Itsuko followed the person she saw in front of her, a tall Long Arm with a rare level thirteen spear. He didn't seem to notice her, until he murmured, "Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground" and began to disappear. He had turned around, and noticed the woman saying the same thing. "Hey-!" he began, but by then he was already gone.
"I discovered this field on my own," he growled as Itsuko appeared next to him.
"Aa, gomen nasai. I'm a. newbie here." She paused. "Can you tell me what year it is?"
"I should say you are. It's 2007. The exact date could be excused, but you ishould/i know the year. Watashi wa Ziege desu. Anata wa?"
Putting on a polite fake-smile, Itsuko bowed. "I'm Kazeyaki Itsuko."
"You're a hacker? You don't know how many people use that name in the World. You definitely aren't the first. She was a hacker for a big company, right? Her name's pretty well-known."
Flattered by the indirect compliment, Itsuko blushed. "I. I'm not just using the name. It really is mine. They say I disappeared eight years ago, but. It isn't true! I'm here, right now. I could tell you about my family, how they were Kirishitans, and I'm not, and how they owned a great restaurant, but I sold it and was hired by a software company, and how the words on the screen that I saw were some weird data stream that my program deciphered! I'm really Itsuko!"
"Good job," Ziege told her. "You really did your homework."
Knowing that there was no way he would know things unique to only her, she gave up. At least she was famous. But if no one knew who she was, it wasn't much of a plus.
"Well, the words began 'Skeith, Innus, Magus, Findell-"
"Hold it!" he cried. "You know what the bottom of the statue says? You've been here before? Did you find it by hacking?"
"No, that's what I last remember. Before I ended up in this magical place, I was at my computer, hacking, and then I found that code. When I deciphered it, it just said eight words. I don't know what they mean."
"Follow me," Kazeyaki-san was told, and she obeyed the Long Arm.
As they entered the elaborate church, Itsuko couldn't help but gawk at the giant statue of a girl. Her eyes looked so sad.
"Here," said Ziege. "These are the words. You can't read anymore, but."
"Skeith, Innus, Magus, Findell, Gorra, Maha, Tarvos, Corbenik," she murmured. "That's all of them."
"Where'd you find out that?"
"I told you already! Didn't you listen?"
"You were serious?" "Yes!"
"."
July 19, 2007
Rubbing her throbbing temple, Itsuko clambered to her feet. How long had she been out? She was pushed out of the way by a crowd of people.
iA crowd?/i Where was she? It all came back in a rush. And then she looked at her surroundings.
She stood beside a canal. Many people, most armed and clad in armor, were jostling past, some disappearing next to a revolving, floating. thing. Itsuko's eyes widened. What was this place?
She hurried to the nearest shop, asking the man that stood there where she was. He quirked an eyebrow. "Mac Anu. Doncha know? Newbies," he added under his breath, but Itsuko heard. "Mm, what's yer name, darlin'?"
"Kazeyaki Itsuko," she said, presenting her family name first.
The man's other eyebrow rose. "Kazeyaki? Isn't that the hacker- woman that disappeared about eight years ago? Does that mean iyou're/i a hacker, darlin'? Mm."
Disappeared. eight years ago? People knew what she was? Wha-?
"Can you tell me about this. Kazeyaki?" This was received with a nod.
"She turned twenty-five the day they think she disappeared. There were no traces of a struggle at all, they say, just words flashing across the screen. Skeith, somethin'. I can't really remember. It was on the news exactly eight years ago this day. Really strange, I say.
"Ah, but may I interest you in some fine wares? I'm sure you'll find my Soteru quite interestin-"
But the player calling herself Kazeyaki Itsuko had disappeared into a crowd of people.
Itsuko followed the person she saw in front of her, a tall Long Arm with a rare level thirteen spear. He didn't seem to notice her, until he murmured, "Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground" and began to disappear. He had turned around, and noticed the woman saying the same thing. "Hey-!" he began, but by then he was already gone.
"I discovered this field on my own," he growled as Itsuko appeared next to him.
"Aa, gomen nasai. I'm a. newbie here." She paused. "Can you tell me what year it is?"
"I should say you are. It's 2007. The exact date could be excused, but you ishould/i know the year. Watashi wa Ziege desu. Anata wa?"
Putting on a polite fake-smile, Itsuko bowed. "I'm Kazeyaki Itsuko."
"You're a hacker? You don't know how many people use that name in the World. You definitely aren't the first. She was a hacker for a big company, right? Her name's pretty well-known."
Flattered by the indirect compliment, Itsuko blushed. "I. I'm not just using the name. It really is mine. They say I disappeared eight years ago, but. It isn't true! I'm here, right now. I could tell you about my family, how they were Kirishitans, and I'm not, and how they owned a great restaurant, but I sold it and was hired by a software company, and how the words on the screen that I saw were some weird data stream that my program deciphered! I'm really Itsuko!"
"Good job," Ziege told her. "You really did your homework."
Knowing that there was no way he would know things unique to only her, she gave up. At least she was famous. But if no one knew who she was, it wasn't much of a plus.
"Well, the words began 'Skeith, Innus, Magus, Findell-"
"Hold it!" he cried. "You know what the bottom of the statue says? You've been here before? Did you find it by hacking?"
"No, that's what I last remember. Before I ended up in this magical place, I was at my computer, hacking, and then I found that code. When I deciphered it, it just said eight words. I don't know what they mean."
"Follow me," Kazeyaki-san was told, and she obeyed the Long Arm.
As they entered the elaborate church, Itsuko couldn't help but gawk at the giant statue of a girl. Her eyes looked so sad.
"Here," said Ziege. "These are the words. You can't read anymore, but."
"Skeith, Innus, Magus, Findell, Gorra, Maha, Tarvos, Corbenik," she murmured. "That's all of them."
"Where'd you find out that?"
"I told you already! Didn't you listen?"
"You were serious?" "Yes!"
"."