Disclaimer: this isn't mine...

AN: I feel SO mean....making this chapter the way it is...I promise to make another, happier one....Git to readin' 'fore I give too much away!!

I Can't BELIEVE I misspelled 'krim'...hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm oh well, Gert over it I guess..

BTW....I really like Tsukasa I do...Oh, and I took a gamble with Krim's eue color...don't quite remember.....

BTW...I'll make my romance fic a good one too, All I need is some good music.....For Example, I listened to 'My Immortal' from evenscence...i think... while writing this chapter...hmmmm

One last thing....A reminder....Mimiru is REALLY off-balance here...so she IS a little OOC...and a bit predictable, I guess....

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Chapter 2: Farewell, My love

As Krim warped in, he saw Mimiru there, sitting limply on the cobble street, sobbing. He also noticed Tsukasa warping away.

So....not only had Tsukasa taken her heart, but he'd broken it, as well....

Carefully, he knelt down beside his beloved, and hooked an arm around her shoulder comfortingly.

" Just...Just go away!" She sobbed in response to his touch, but somehow he knew, he couldn't let her go....perhaps it was a silly fantasy, an absurd notion, born of all the years of longing, but he knew....He could never let her go.

Reassuringly, he held her tighter, and whispered, " Sakura....Mimiru...I...I'm here for you....I....know what it's like...to love someone...who could never love you back...."

She paused a moment in her weeping a moment, " You...do?"

" Yes...I..." He began, but Mimiru cut him off.

" Oh....of course , I forgot about you and Subaru....."

" Uh! No, I...." He started, unsure of how to reply, it was true that he had once felt something for that woman....but he had not meant....

" Krim..." She whispered, " Kenyth, right?"

He swallowed a lump in his throat, she had never called him that before. " Yes?"

" I....I'm sorry I snapped at you before...I was just really, really, stressed...." She smiled weakly at him, " You are....the closest friend I have, What I mean to say is...besides Tsukasa..you are the only one who.....who....who I want to call me Sakura...."

shocked, he stared dumbfounded in surprise a moment, struggling to find the words to say what he wanted to say, " I...you...are...my closest...friend too...I mean...but...I shouldn't have called you Sakura..Well, I mean...what I..."

Her eyes widened slightly, and she said, " No! Please....I want you to call me Sakura, so I know that I have a friend...whose more than a friend..."

More....than a friend?..

He opened his mouth to try to form a reply, but before he could quite comprehend what she was saying, and how exactly to reply, she reached up, and kissed him on the lips.

Unable to process anything immediatly, he kissed her back, holding her tightly a moment. And then it hit him.

Shocked, he jerked away from her, staring at her speechless, what....did this mean? What.... would he do? Did she....?

but, before he could decide, she scrambled backwards away from him, sobbing and apologizing,

" Krim....I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have assumed..." She choked, then ran towards the Gate, warping away.

" Sakura!!! WAIT!!!!!!!!!!" He cried after her, but she did not even look his way, as she dematerialized.

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" I'm not leaving....I know what it's like....I know what you're going through..." Krim whispered, causing her to pause a moment....was he saying.....She wasn't alone anymore?

Oh. Subaru......He used to be hers, as well.....so....they were together through this.

" Yeah...Subaru, huh?" She said numbly, staring at him, oddly, he stuttered a moment, staring at her.

" Krim....no...Kenyth, right?" Mimiru whispered, looking up into his handsome, blue, eyes. He swallowed softly, and nodded.

" I....shouldn't have snapped at you...I was just....so stressed." She whispered, " You are....so dear to me.....and....other than Tsukasa...I mean...I...there's no one.....I'd rather have call me by Sakura."

His ocean blue eyes widened slightly, registering what she said, then he whispered back, " I...uh....you...are.....really...close to me, too....but I was...wrong....no, disrespectful....calling you Sakura...."

Did that mean....he would never call her that again?!

" NO! Please....please call me Sakura....so I can have someone...who...I can love......I mean....more than just another friend...." She blurted.

His eyes widened at her statement, but he did not shirk away, like Tsukasa....then..perhaps....he felt the same!

Overwhelmed with her surging emotions, she brought her face up to his, and kissed him passionately, at first, he returned the kiss fully, and ran his hands along her waist, she could still have some one...to love her....suddenly, he stiffened, and jerked away, as if he'd only just woken from a trance, and realised he was in an akward position

" I..." He started, but she could not hear anymore....she had been wrong again....he had only sought friendship, and now....they could not even be that....

She sobbed an apology, and ran through the Chaos Gate, to a random field.

Coincedentally, she ended up at Sora's playground, a dark, rocky, forbidding place.

Carefully, she walked to the edge of a cliff, and looked down. All that awaited her below, was sharp rocks.

On the other hand, all that awaited her behind, was unending pain.

She took a breath, and stepped off the cliff, arms open wide for the embrace of stone below.

" SAKUUURRRAAAA!!!!"

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Krim stared a moment, and rushed to the gate, searching the Word List, and picking the last formed keywords, he quickly warped after her.

To his surprise, he warped to a dark plains, toadstools and cliffs rose high above him, one lone figure stood out among them, on the highest cliff, barely in sight, a.....woman?

" Sakura?" He cried, but the form did not reply, except to spread its arms, and walk off into the air, plummetting to the ground below.

" Noooooo!!!! SAKUURRA!!!!" He screamed, running as fast as his character could run, he had to get there, to catch her!

Despite his furious pace, the form of Mimiru slammed into the rocks before him, before he could quite reach her.

" NNNNOOOOOOO!!!!!!" He screamed, leaping towards her, and gathering her broken body up in his arms.

Her death-glazed eyes looked up at him, barely seeing, and a trickle of blood ran from the corner of her mouth, she had a broken back, and rocks had gored her in several places.

" Krim....Ken..yth...why are you..." she whispered, barely alive.

" You.....you can't die!! Please! G-give me...your member address..so I can take you into my party, and..then I can revive you...." He sobbed,

" Why?....There....is nothing....for me to live for......."

" But....I..." He said, choking back tears.

" I....so...love you....Krim..." She smiled, and kissed him softly, this time he refused to draw back, and he held her tightly, afriad to let her go.

She moved away from his mouth, though, and whispered in his ear, " Thank you...for....being there for...me...."

" Sakura..." He started, but she put a bloody hand on his mouth, to silence him, and whispered softly,

" Shh..close...your....eyes.....and feel....."

Slowly, he closed his eyes, and he felt her press her lips against his once more, he felt her hands in his hair, just as if....they were really there...in this world, and then she whispered quietly, "...cold....."

Her hand slipped off his cheek, her head lolled back, eyes closed, with a small shiver, and a soft smile on her face.

Her thought he almost heard her whisper one word, " Tsukasa...."

Tears blurred his vision, and he shook with fury.

Tsukasa had caused this, him, and Krim's own ignorance....Sakura....Sakura was gone....the body of Mimiru glowed faintly, and faded into nothing, before his eyes.

" Mimiru...Sakura.....my love...." He wept as he buried his face in his hands, She was gone forever.....no....no!!

" NOO!!!!!!!!!" He screamed, in agony, as only those who had lost the only thing they had ever cared about, could truly achieve.

He'd never....said he'd loved her.....never...

" Sakura..." He whispered hoarsely, " I love you...."

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As the rocks slammed into her exposed flesh, and through her thin armor, Krim was there, holding her like a child, or a lover.

" Krim....Ke-Kenyth.." She whispered, blood filling her mouth, and mixing up her words.

" You.....can't die!!" He sobbed, tears running down his cheeks, " Give me your member address! I can stil....save you!"

Member....address...? She...couldn't remember....

" Why?....I don't...want...to live..."

" But!..." he insisted, choking.

" I....love....you....Kenyth..." she smiled weakly, she didn't care if he didn't return all of her feelings, he was her truest friend, her closest ally.

She reached up and kissed him again, she felt him hold her tighter, he didn't pull back this time, and she could almost feel the love she had, mirrored in his kiss......she leaned into his ear, and whispered a final 'thank you'

He whispered her name in her ear, he was the only man in 'the world' that knew her name, the only one she ever wanted to.

Pain wracked her body, as she touched his lips with her fingers, and whispered, " Don't talk...close your eyes....and feel...."

After a moment, he obeyed, slowly, she leaned up and kissed him. Her final goodbye....she poured all her love, sadness, frustration, happiness, everything she had felt, ever, into him.

Even through the haze of the death swallowing her she felt his touch, his strong arms holding her tight, for the first time, she allowed herself to truly be in love, thoughts of Tsukasa and revenge slipped from her mind.

The passion and fire of his kiss, and the beauty and love hers, mingled for a few. fleeting, beautiful moments.

Finally, what neither could truly admit until now, what both had truly desired, was conveyed through the kiss, not lust, not passion, not hope, or revenge, not even pride, but a love so strong and pure, so beautiful, it could never last.

But they could pretend.

A cold breeze blew, ice filled her body, she shivered slightly and whispered, " ......cold....so......cold......."

She saw his eyes, shimmering with tears, and then, nothing.

She would...return....she would have him....for her own one day...and Tsukasa too....she laughed softly, and then, nothing.

In the arms of her love, she knew nomore.

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In the shadows, a Twin blade's eyes were wide with trauma, Mimiru....had....had died..? Then she was.....she...

" Mi-Mimiru?...You're.....gone?" He whispered, his virgin, nine year old, eyes shocked.

Suddenly, the boy flung th VR set to the floor, and ran to his mother, sobbing.

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Kiona frowned worriedly, as she rapped on her daughters door, what were those noises she'd heard?

" Sakura?..." She said concern heavy in her voice, " Sakura I---"

She started, opening the door, then cut off in a blood-chilling scream at the horrible sight of he daughter, limply sitting in a chair at the CPU, covered in blood, the VR set on her head, and controller in her lap

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Tsukasa shivered, as Subaru spoke, his connection with the Computer had told him enough...

Mimiru.....

" Tsukasa?? What is it?? Are you listening to me?" Subaru asked worriedly.

He looked back at her wide green eyes, and felt sick to his stomach, he knew......he knew why Mimiru.....

" Just---Leave me alone!!" He sobbed, running to a chaos gate, and travelling to Aura's bedside.

Desperately, he flung his head into his arms, leaning against the bed's blankets, and sobbed vioently.

" I....I....never got to decide....Aura help me!!" He cried, " I...I Killed her!! I KILLED HER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Maha watched in the shadows silently laughing, ' She is not the last...' the cat creature thought to itself, and set about playing with the other girl's strings....' He will be forced to be with me, and only me....oh yes...he will be mine!!'

Is it the end??

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AN: Ouch! I ended it in true .hack fashion, speaking of .hack....I HATE CARTOON NETWORK!!! How DARE they move .hack without announcing it????

Any way...I was in a bad mood, but I promise to make a sequel, but who will survive the test of fire? Is Mimiru really dead? Will she come back? What about Krim and Sora?? wait and see!!

&&& Shameless Plug!!&&&&

The Recruiter, a special X-over fic, will be up soon!! Check it out in Anime Crossovers some time soon!!

So, R&R my chap, what you think?? BTW I actually hate Tsuk/Sub romance....

~Yusagi

&&Another Shameless plug!!!&&&&

If you like this, try out Second Chance!!