DISCLAIMER: I do not own any character, logos, etc. in the .hack series.
I. THE RETURN OF PHASE I
"Hey! You!"
Who's calling me?
"Yes, you with the wand!"
Me? Why would someone call me? I…have no friends. No friends in this game…so who would call me? Who? Who?
"Are you even listening? HEEEYYY!!!"
I'm jolted out of my thoughts. I turn around to find a girl. A heavy blade girl. The heavy blade girl. She looks so innocent. I... couldn't bring myself to hurt her, could I?
"Hey! My name is Mimiru! You must be real strong! This is a pretty high level area."
I wait. I wait for her to insult me. Because I look different. Because I look strange. I wait.
"Wow…you're character looks really cool! I haven't seen it before. What class are you?"
What class am I? I…don't know. Who am I? I am…
"How come you don't talk? Well, it's kind of rude! You could at least introduce yourself! What's your name?"
I…I am…I am…
"Never mind, you don't have to answer. Good-bye! Here's my member address if you ever need me."
I am…
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"Hey Tsukasa!"
The young wavemaster turns around to find his recently returned friend running to catch up to him. "It's Mimiru…Haven't seen her in a while."
"Tsukasa, guess what? A few days ago, I met up with this strange character. He was really weird. I've never seen such a type of character. Well, he looks a little familiar…"
"Really? Would you mind… if you described him?"
"Well, I wasn't really sure if it was a "he", but it had horns. A wand. A red wand."
"Oh… I…uh…well, did it have a stony body? A halo over his head?"
"Yeah…"
"But that's…"
"Well, anyway, I gave him my member address."
Tsukasa gasped. "Please, tell me you're lying."
"Why would I lie about something like that?"
"Well, you should stay away from him. Maybe even stop playing for a while."
"Is it that serious?"
"Please… Mimiru…" Please!
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I am…Skeith…Yes…that's my name. The girl gave me her member address. Should I…call her? She's my friend. She accepted me…
*-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*
I just got a FlashMail. It's from…Skeith? Never heard of him. Maybe he's one of Bear's friends. I'll just go.
Mimiru warps into Chosen Hopeless Nothingness area. She finds the stony-bodied creature she met earlier.
"gasp I-It's you!" Yes, it's me, Mimiru. Surprisingly, the words did not come from Skeith's mouth. They seemed to come directly from his thoughts into her own.
"Why did you call me?"
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"Kite!"
Oh…It's BlackRose…
"Did you see the Board?"
"The Board? No, I haven't… BlackRose, what's wrong? You look like something's up. Is everything all right?"
"It's not all right… It's not all right at all!"
"Well, slow down, just a moment! I'll go read the Board. I'll call you later." logs off
"Wait! Kite!! The message was…"
Now, reading the Board…There's only one thing new… what could BlackRose be worried about? This thread is on potato cakes…Huh?
Message: Potato Cakes
Author: **Deleted**
**************Message Deleted**************************************
Aww…I missed it! CC Corp got to it first! Oh, weelll… What can be so great about potato cakes?
Kite quits "The World" and on his Desktop, finds new mail from Helba:
This was the deleted message:
Message: Potato Cakes
Author: Tsukasa
I apologize for the deceiving thread subject title, for those of you who were interested in potato cakes, but I needed a cover to evade CC Corp for at least a while.
I'll get straight to the point. My friend, Mimiru, has gone missing. The last time I saw her, she had given her member address to the monster, Skeith. Although I had advised her at the time to stop playing for a while, she's not the type to listen. When I checked the logs, I found that she had last logged in a week ago… and never logged out. If anyone has information on her that can help me, please come to D Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground.
Obviously, Skeith has come back, and I don't know how it can be. Contact me at Net Slum after meeting Tsukasa.
I'll go… but how does this Tsukasa character know of Skeith?
Kite logs back into "The World" and D Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground.
This is the place where I first went with BlackRose…I wonder how many other people know of this dungeon…
As he enters the dungeon, Kite grows apprehensive and grips his weapon harder, although he is aware that there are no monsters in this particular dungeon.
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"So…you don't really have any friends besides me?"
No, I don't. Nobody accepts me because of the way I look. And… because of the rumors that have been flying around. You know…
"What rumors?" Mimiru looked at her new friend with questioning eyes.
My power…I can't really control it…It's called "Data Drain". I have a temptation to hurt Aura, although she never did anything to me…
"Aura? Oh, that girl… How sad… so you really can't control it?"
No…but I do have feelings too…I'm very sorry for the bad things I've done. Mimiru, you're the first person to see me and accept me for who I really am. I…
"Don't mention it, that's what friends are for…" She didn't know why she would call him her friend, because Tsukasa… didn't he warn her against this creature? But she couldn't help it. She couldn't help feeling a strange attraction to this stony-bodied being whom she felt so much sympathy for. Oh, whatever…
But I…I love you Mimiru.
"H- But…" Mimiru was confused. Really confused.
I really do love you…Mimiru…Please…tell me you love me too…
"Skeith… I…"
Do you love me?
"Yes…I do…" Mimiru closed her eyes. As long as she was with him, nothing else mattered…
I love you so much…so much that you must…become…a part of me…Skeith's right "arm" began to tremble and gather energy. He was performing his specialty…Data Drain.
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"You know what you just did was unbelievably foolish."
"I…realized that later too, but… I guess I cared about her too much to think properly. It's funny how you think of what I used to be – as unfriendly as a potato cake, and now look at me. I'd do almost anything for her."
"Well, Kite's coming soon – you know, the guy I told you about. Don't worry, he's a trustworthy guy." warps out
Kite had overheard the conversation in the dungeon as he was approaching the doors, and he was sure one of the voices was Helba's voice. But why would she send him here if she herself would come anyway? He entered the dungeon.
There was a young, white-haired wavemaster sitting in front of the statue of Aura. This was the guy who was talking to Helba. His resemblance to Elk was uncanny. Upon his looking up, however, Kite realized that he had the most magnificent, piercing amethyst-colored eyes.
"Are you Kite?"
"Yes, I am… and you are Tsukasa? Well, let's get straight to the point."
"I'm sorry. I made a big mistake. I shouldn't have posted that message on the Board. But now that I have…"
"What is it?"
"Well, you see, our conversation is being recorded. So we can't meet in the game. It must be in the real world, which is almost always impossible."
"Do you live in Tokyo?"
"Well, yes. In fact, I do. And I'm assuming you live there as well?"
"I do."
"Then it's possible to meet. Shimika Hospital."
"A hospital?"
"Please." warps out
All right, then. Kite prepared himself to leave the dungeon as well, but someone came in before he left.
"BlackRose!"
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I stood there, gasping for breath. I can't believe I had just done such a thing. Data Drain takes a lot of energy. I can't believe I did that. She was my friend. Mimiru was my first friend – my only friend. That's why I can' t believe it. But…as she broke down into a glimmering ball of light, and as I absorbed her, I couldn't help feeling deliriously happy. She was a part of me now. I couldn't have Aura, as I accidentally scattered her over the world, but now…now I had Mimiru all to myself. She'd never leave me again. She was me.
*-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*
"What are you doing here?"
"Kite, I knew that you'd be here. I needed to tell you something. That guy – Tsukasa – I did some research on him."
"sigh You and your research…"
"This is serious, Kite. Not too long ago, there was an elite group who called themselves the Crimson Knights. They believed in justice, righteousness, and high morality. Because of this, they had a close relationship with CC Corporation and often contributed to catching illegally edited characters and other types of criminal activities."
"What does this have to do with…"
"Just listen. A few years ago, the Crimson Knights were hot on the trail of a character with illegal abilities. I believe that he was even wanted in the name of the Crimson Knights for a short while. Although he was caught, he escaped from captivity after a while, and there are no records of him ever since. Guess what his name was."
"Could it be? Tsukasa…"
"So, don't get involved with him, please. Tsukasa has a criminal record. Don't meet up or anything dangerous. I heard he had the ability to make characters fall comatose. He could be responsible for the entire thing!"
"BlackRose, thank you for warning me, but I can't ignore this."
"Why? Kite…"
"You don't understand. I met him. He didn't look bad, or anything. He looked… very troubled. I want to help him."
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A young boy in junior high with crystal blue eyes walked through the doors of Shimika Hospital. He was not injured in any way and did not have visible illness. He seemed to be waiting for someone.
"Kite?" The boy looked up at the sound of the nurse's voice. "Someone named Tsukasa wants to see you. Please step to hospital ward 108."
The boy, known as Kite, walked through the long corridors of Shimika Hospital until he made it to ward 108. The patient in the room was listed on the label: Shimokita Mimiru. Was she the one?
"Kite?" Hearing his name called for a second time, he looked around quickly, meeting the one he came to see. It was boy of around 13 years of age – a few years younger than himself. This boy had startling red eyes and playful dimples on his cheeks.
"Are you…"
The boy shook his head solemnly. "Tsukasa couldn't make it today. You know, there are… problems at home, and she couldn't leave without her father noticing."
"She? What are you talking about?"
"Never mind. Anyway, I've been officially sent by Tsukasa to tell you the situation."
"…Fine, then. What is it that was too confidential to be spoken of in the game?"
"Mimiru fell into a coma."
"I can see that. Shimokita Mimiru is in this ward."
"Come inside."
The two boys stepped into the hospital ward to see Mimiru. She looked around 17 years old, with shoulder length black hair, and seemed frail and thin at the moment. She was suffering greatly, her life depending on machines and test tubes.
"What is your reaction?" asked the boy with the red eyes.
"I've seen this before – my friend, Orca, also fell into a coma," Kite responded, annoyed.
"Ahh, but you've never seen it before, have you…"
"How…"
"I can see by your reaction. You're surprised."
"…"
"They didn't let you in before, did they? CC Corp was corrupted and no visitors were allowed to see the ones who fell into comas."
"So, what do I do to help her?" Kite felt he needed to help. His natural heroic instincts began to take over him once again.
"Save Aura. Destroy CyberConnect Corporation. Prevent the rebirth of – "
At that moment, a doctor comes in and interrupts. "Oh, I'm sorry, but visiting hours are over."
Kite groaned. The other boy gets up to leave.
"Wait! Rebirth of who?"
"We'll finish this conversation another time."
"May I ask one more question? What's your name?"
"Sora."
Kite sighed and turned to leave the hospital as well.
"Kite?"
He turned quickly. The doctor was looking at him. "I usually don't play these code name games with little children, but here: a message for you. From someone named Tsukasa."
Kite quickly looked through the note. It only had four words on it. "S Pulsating Truth's Worst Core." It was on blue notepaper in hurriedly scrawled red ink. Was it blood?
*-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*
I have everything I could ever want in The World, or do I? I have Mimiru, she is me. But wait! What about Aura? I must have her…too…She will be…me…
Skeith disappeared into a large multi-colored hole in cyberspace into another area.
*-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*
Kite logged into The World, not knowing what else to expect. "Hey! Kite's back!" He sighed. Yes, it was true that he hadn't logged in for about a week, but he had finals to take care of…now it was almost summer break anyway, and he'd be going to high school next year. But what about Yasuhiko…he wouldn't be graduating this year… It was only two weeks until graduation. It was then that Kite made a steely decision. He would defeat CC Corp and prevent the rebirth of whatever it was and rescue Aura in an attempt to bring Yasuhiko – Orca – back to the conscious world before graduation, no matter how hard it was going to be.
"Kite?"
"Yes, Mia?"
"Um, well… you know, I was wondering… would you like to go on a dungeon adventure with me?" Mia was grinning wickedly. "Elk would like to come as well…"
The young wavemaster just so happened to hear the conversation and turned beet red. "Um no! I don't! Not today, anyway…" Then he quickly warped off to another server.
"What's with him?" asked Kite.
"Nothing, really…" Mia was looking very resentful. "Except that Elk's got a girlfriend. He's probably meeting up with her right now."
"WHAAAAAAAAT?" Elk never was very outgoing. I thought his best friend was Mia…
"Oh, well… do you want to go on a dungeon adventure anyway? I haven't witnessed the "power of the bracelet" in quite a while."
Speaking of meeting people… "Sorry, but I have to go somewhere. I have to meet someone."
Mia was infuriated.
"Who cares about BlackRose anyway?" She was close to tears.
"Wh-What are you talking about?" Mia is acting…peculiar.
"Well, you're going to meet BlackRose, aren't you?"
"That's not true…Mia…" But it was too late. Mia had already logged off for the day.
*-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*
A young girl dressed in white was being chased by a large creature with a red wand.
I warped through all six servers to find you…
"How can this be? Skeith…I thought you were dead!"
Aura…
"I-I can't move!" The stony-bodied Skeith had paralyzed Aura, and his wrist revealed the hidden bracelet, which was now glowing.
"H-He's going to perform…Aaaaaahhhhhh!"
Welcome to my body.