.Hack//WORLD

Cookie Nine: Scavenger Hunt Continued

Silver HeArT stood in Mac Anu on the bridge trying to figure out what to do now. Kyari ditched her so she could go and win Janx as her own or something. Silver HeArT wanted to win and beat her, but would that mean she wanted Janx as her own as well? She needed another partner anyway to win and everyone else besides Kyari has been split up. Silver HeArT had no chance at winning, but at least neither did Kyari.

"Are you Silver HeArT? If you are I'll be your partner."

* * *

"You idiot!" Niche roared as the two walked around the courtyard of the Sigma server Root Town.

"Hey I told you to save! Now we don't have any of the items we needed!" Bob returned. "Ahem! I mean Mr. Wavemaster is the one who is foul. He is the one who has failed us as a group."

"It wasn't all my fault! I wasn't the one who told me to hold onto everything." Niche protested.

"Touché." Bob added. "I thought you would act responsible Mr. Wavemaster, but you didn't. You tried to go against a magic tolerant monster, with magic! You should have revived me and then I could have fought it off."

"Pheh. I could have won. I just forgot to lower it's magic defense before casting my spell." Niche said with a scoff. "Hey, what's that about?"

Niche questioned pointing to a quarrel that was going on nearby.

"Isn't that the rest of our competition?" Bob asked after glancing at Kyari fighting with Flora. "Let's go check it out."

"He's my partner! You ain't taking him!" Flora protested as she tugged on Jaga's arm.

"He will be my partner!" Kyari contested with another tug of his opposite arm.

"Ladies, ladies. I'll gladly be y-" Niche began only to be stopped by a swing of Bob's sword.

"Mr. Pervert needs to keep hormones in balance." Bob noted as Niche toppled to the ground and began waltzing about town in a disoriented state.

"Ayah! You and I can be partners." Kyari let go of Jaga sending the Long Arm and Flora to the ground. She ran to Bob quickly. "You and I can be partners right? I got just about everything anyway. I just need a second."

"Okay. I'll be your partner then Ms. Blademaster." Bob returned after noticing the lack of a good partner.

"We should get to that place then." Kyari suggested as the two left for Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground in Mac Anu.

"We can't let them beat us!" Jaga declared, but was stopped when Flora's breasts collided with his face. "Uh, to, Mac…Anu…"

"That bitch won't get away with that!" Flora shouted as she quickly rose from her position. "C'mon Jaga get up." She tugged on his limp arm. "Jaga c'mon!"

Jaga stood at attention. "Hey girl! Don't yell at me!" Jaga replied. She quickly dealt him a blow to the head and backed away almost crying. "Jaga doesn't like me?"

"It's not that." Jaga said in response. "I'm, er, sorry." Jaga said turning away and barely able to say Sorry. He felt pathetic saying such a word.

"No worries!" Flora chimed cheerfully. "Let's go then."

"I forgot she acts pretty well." Jaga said in defeat.

* * *

"We're here Janx!" Kyari shouted as she and Bob showed up at the cathedral dungeon only to be met by Silver HeArT. "Oh, it's you. Why did you bother to show up? You can't win without a partner y'know."

"Right, but I have a partner. Kyoko." Silver HeArT replied with a smirk. "We just won in fact. Together we had nineteen of the twenty items. How many do you have?"

"Damn. I only got seventeen. I won't give up on Janx though! You can't have him." Kyari declared.

"What?" Bob asked puzzled.

"I, I never said I wanted him." Silver HeArT returned with a blush.

"That's it. You and me now!" Kyari demanded.

"Hold on there girl." Kyoko said with a cool manner as she approached them.

"Who are you? Are you Kyoko? How do you know Janx?" Kyari wondered.

"Janx? He and I are very close. We've known each other for the longest time." Kyoko responded with a shrug.

"What? Really?" Silver HeArT questioned.

"What do you mean by 'close'?" Kyari asked.

"Just that. We have a tight bond. We've known one another since before we could remember." Kyoko replied. "So before you declare him as yours you'll have to go by me."

"Heh. I accept that challenge." Kyari replied with a scoff. "I will take you down!" Kyari roared as she charged at Kyoko.

"Too slow with that armor on." Kyoko stated as she dodged Kyari's sword swing easily.

"I will win! Rue Crack!" Kyari swung at Kyoko with her sword skill. She misses and connects with the ground instead. "I will-"

"Don't play. Try harder." Kyoko advised as she had her blades on the neck of Kyari. "You lose." Kyoko dropped her blades to her side and moved back towards Silver HeArT as Janx and Mistral showed up.

"What was that about Kyoko?" Janx questioned in anger. "This is a game."

"Maybe, and maybe not. This is just like the real world brother. Now don't act foolish when it comes to girls next time." With that Kyoko was gone.

"Brother?" Kyari questioned.

"Boss was that your sister?" Bob questioned.

"Yeah. Older by two years." Janx admitted with hesitation. "Now then, where's the other three?"

"Why? Silver HeArT came in first." Kyari replied as she sat on her knees in defeat.

"Well, someone else could get twenty still." Janx replied as he stared at Mistral who was now dancing about with her Rod of Gales.

"Here I am. I win right?" Jaga asked with a grunt.

Flora elbows him. "We have all twenty items. That means we won right?" Flora questioned.

"Really? All twenty?" Janx questioned moving over to them. "Hey, they actually found all twenty items."

"What do you mean by 'actually'?" Flora questioned.

"Well, Mistral assured me that at least two of those items would be nearly impossible to get." Janx nervously explained.

"So you were expecting us to lose?" Silver HeArT asked with anger.

"No, I just didn't expect anyone to win with all the items." Janx explained as they ganged around him with evil glares. "Let's try this another time shall we?" Janx said exiting the dungeon as the group went to tackle him.

"I don't like the looks of this." Mistral stated with worry and soon left the dungeon as well.