A/N: Chapter three! *laughs* Obviously, I procrastinate. :o
//BIG THANKS// to all of you that have reviewed so far! *huggles you guys* I can't keep writing without y'all, y'know? *grins!* Good fortune to all of yeh!
/////BIIIIIIG///// THANK YOU to Crystal (crystalunicorn2) for beta-reading the chapter for errors! ^____^ Love you, dahlink.
Before I go on, I must point out that this chapter (and most likely future ones) implies one sided Sora/Mimiru. If you're not a fan or completely dislike it with a passion or something, don't read. Flames are used to toast marshmellows! Ahem...
So, I disclaim the rights to .hack//SIGN, claim the ones to this story, blah blah blah... and here we gooooo! XD
---
"BT! BT!" Bear practically yelled, trying to get the idling woman's attention. An e-mail arrived just seconds before from Subaru -- the e-mail they were looking for. "BT!" he shouted again. "BT, Subaru's e-mailed us! She has Crim's phone number, but Sora's PKed him, and now she's not sure when's the right time to call him!"
"It doesn't matter if the time is right or not," replied the woman, slowly getting up from her place on the floor. When the headset slipped over her head, she repeated her reply, then added, "E-mail her back and tell her to call until someone answers the phone. I don't care if it's a dog or a particle of dust - we have to reach Crim." BT quickly wiped the remaning tears from her face and heaved a sigh to get rid of any stuttering sobs in her system.
"E-mail her back, Bear," she commanded loudly and firmly.
---
Bear stumbled on the cobblestone-paved path; their fast gating made him rather dizzy. However, BT ignored whatever trace of dizziness she encountered and sprinted off the path toward the open field of grass where she could make out the frantically moving forms of Sora, Subaru, and Mimiru. The figure that seemed to be Sora had Mimiru held captive by her hands, and the third and remaining one, Subaru, was trying hard to free her. She swung her axe multiple times, but the cackling imp merely dodged it as easily as a tick's skilled jump.
"Unhand her!" Subaru screamed, making another rage driven lunge at the lunatic. Sora clicked his tongue and shook his head, amused by Subaru's futile attempts at striking him.
"Uh, uh, uuuuuuuuh, /Laaaaaaaydeeee/ Subaru," the Twin Blade taunted. "You didn't say 'pleeeease'. For someone of your status, you aren't very polite."
"Ugh, you again!" BT yelled to Sora as she closed the space between the group and herself. She stopped just feet away from the scramble, staff up in a position ready for spell-casting and eyebrows arched down angrily. "You disgusting little imbecile! How dare you think to do all of this while something terrible is bound to happen! We were already on the edge, and you've just shoved us off!"
"Hmm? Someone sounds a little /feisty/," he grinned, turning to face the new arrival. "Oh," murmured Sora in a flat, disappointed voice, "it's just -you-. Why do you continually /pester/ me? You're just about everywhere I am."
BT's lips abruptly parted to chant a spell, but Bear held out an arm and turned to the black-and-purple blur. "Sora!" he cried, trying to keep his voice from trembling with rage. "Sora, you have to listen - Crim's life is in jeopardy and you're delaying our attempt to save him! Let go of Mimiru and leave Subaru alone, or it will be too late!"
"I have no idea why you have to be such a wet blanket, old man," Sora sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you? I have power on my side, and I can kill all four of you in one swift stroke." He wrapped and tightened an arm around Mimiru's neck and raised the other one, unsleathing his wrist blade. "This day is just full of death, isn't it?" he chimed in an annoying sing-song voice.
"I'm warning you," Bear rumbled, squeezing the handle of his sword. His eyes were flickering, white-hot flames. "One wrong move, and this old man is taking you home..."
"Stop acting like such a little punk and let the girl go! It's four against one, and even if quantity doesn't matter, I wouldn't give a flying purple cherry if you just killed all of us!" shrieked BT, bringing her staff upon the ground mercilessly. The effects of that simple action were surprising -- the sudden, firm strike upon the ground and mad rush of magic into the earth caused a shockwave that soundlessly spread across the area, knocking anyone or anything standing up for miles around to the ground. When all of them tumbled into the grass in a messy semi-heap, the sound of the wave and the rumble of boulders crashing to the ground came flooding back to their ears long after it happened.
The dust from the boulders engulfed the area, causing everyone to become temporarily blind as to what was going on around them. BT got on her knees and crawled around, chancing the touch of the nearest shoulder. To her relief (and slight displeasure), Subaru held her hand.
"BT - " she started to say.
"Shhh. Log out," BT whispered as quietly as she could, "and I'll pass the word to Bear and Mimiru."
When the message got around to the four, they logged out of the game, one by one. Immediately after Bear vanished from the area, dust settled around Sora, who irritably glanced around.
"They got away," he quickly observed, his eyes widening very slightly. His shocked expression turned into smugness as he stood up and brushed away dirt from his clothes. "That'll be their last time escaping unscathed," Sora laughed, slowly running his tongue along a blade.
---
The phone rang for minutes and minutes, making the girl's anticipation even greater than before. After what seemed like forever, she finally hung up the reciever with a reluctant sigh. Could the shock of the whole thing actually get him that badly? Or..
"He must be frightened," she concluded. "It could be anyone calling his house.. or perhaps he's already gotten a threat call.. or maybe he's not there because..."
Those possiblities were highly likely, and that made the girl tremble despite the humid, sticky temperatures. She had to do something.. call BT or Bear or... something.. but their numbers..? She didn't know them.. she -
You've got mail! chimed the computer as it brought up a flashing envelope on the screen. Subaru eagerly whirled her wheelchair around to face the computer screen and clicked on the envelope. It brought up a rather short message:
'Subaru,
BT and I haven't been able to reach Crim. We're pretty sure you haven't either, but if so, it's obvious that we'd like for you to reply.
Our phone numbers are listed below.
Bear'
Subaru reached over to the opposite table, picked up the reciever, and immediately began to dial with the same hand while somehow still holding that reciever. She pressed it firmly against her ear, waiting patiently as the phone rang a couple of times.
Relief was contained in the voice masculine voice on the other end. "Hello?"
Darkness covered Subaru's face except for her mouth, which curled up in a frantic smile. "Bear?"
---
The walk from school was unbearable. Harsh rays from the sun made the seven- year-old's clothes cling to his sweaty, sticky body. Perspiration rolled down his scowling face, some getting into his already stinging, stone grey eyes, and most nestling in his dark forest green hair.
"What a heat wave this is," said a man to a customer as he swept the sidewalk in front of his perfume shop. "Who knew we could get this type of weather?"
"It's quiet unusual, alright," the woman agreed, furiously fanning herself with a bony hand adorned with two golden rings. "Perhaps the temperature will drop very soon. Nobody can get anything done in this weather. I bet that even criminals might be taking the day off!"
[Hopefully, they will. I'm up to my neck in this garbage that's got those weaklings all jittery and even more stupid that usual..] the boy mused bitterly.
"Or they may be taking advantage of it in some way." The shopkeep shrugged, rolling two thick brass rings around his own fingers. "Never know in this town."
"Nope," said the woman, her mahogany eyes gleaming suspciously.
The boy was fed up with such a pointless conversation and quickened his pace, now half marching to his home. Once he climbed up endless flights of stairs to reach his fifth floor apartment, the boy hesitated on the doorknob. Instead of going in, he pressed his ear against the door, straining to hear any sounds from the inside. There was the usual noise of the TV and.. nothing more. Sighing with relief because his father's heavy, tottering footsteps were completely absent, the boy pushed opened the door, deposited his things near the coat rack, and headed straight upstairs.
His bedroom door creaked open, revealing the room's dark, gloomy condition -- just the way he left it this morning. When the door slammed shut behind him, he cringed, expecting an inhuman roar from down the hall and the clumsy footfalls of his overweight, drunken father. After what seemed like forever, the boy slipped to his computer noiselessly, sank into his chair, and booted it up.
... waiting for internet connection ... -chime- ! Connected.
{}
.... .... Welcome to The World!
USERNAME: PASSWORD:
??
{...Sora bittersweetmelancholy...}
Welcome back, Sora. You have sixteen adminstration warnings, two quests pending, and zero new player-mailed messages.
He breezed through the messages, even becoming a little nostalgic as he quickly scanned a two-month old letter from Mimiru. Instantly, emotional warmth washed over him, despite the cold dampness he felt from the room's atmosphere and high-blast air conditioner. Even though the letter was filled with bitter comments and insults, it made everyting inside of him stir because it was written -by her, to him-.
After lingering in the moment, Sora warped into the Mac Anu server. He set one foot on the bow of a boat docked near the city and scanned the area for any new victims. His search turned up several newbies who seemed to be scurrying around the strangeness of this new game.
What idiots.
"Let the games begiiiiiiin!" the Twin Blade yelled with twisted happiness, showing off his blades for the group to see. Before launching into a homocidal rampage, he cast a weary look behind him as if his biggest fear was to loom over the area, completely forgetting that it wasn't possible for his father to hear him in this virtual getaway.
His once swollen, warm insides suddenly shrank and developed a thick layer of ice.
So if it wasn't possible, why was he still so scared?
---
A/N: Hmm! That last line also applies to more than one person in this story. ^_~ Whee. Review, please! Tell me flaws! Tell me.. other.. such.. things. Except flames. Which will be used to roast the flamers. XD
//BIG THANKS// to all of you that have reviewed so far! *huggles you guys* I can't keep writing without y'all, y'know? *grins!* Good fortune to all of yeh!
/////BIIIIIIG///// THANK YOU to Crystal (crystalunicorn2) for beta-reading the chapter for errors! ^____^ Love you, dahlink.
Before I go on, I must point out that this chapter (and most likely future ones) implies one sided Sora/Mimiru. If you're not a fan or completely dislike it with a passion or something, don't read. Flames are used to toast marshmellows! Ahem...
So, I disclaim the rights to .hack//SIGN, claim the ones to this story, blah blah blah... and here we gooooo! XD
---
"BT! BT!" Bear practically yelled, trying to get the idling woman's attention. An e-mail arrived just seconds before from Subaru -- the e-mail they were looking for. "BT!" he shouted again. "BT, Subaru's e-mailed us! She has Crim's phone number, but Sora's PKed him, and now she's not sure when's the right time to call him!"
"It doesn't matter if the time is right or not," replied the woman, slowly getting up from her place on the floor. When the headset slipped over her head, she repeated her reply, then added, "E-mail her back and tell her to call until someone answers the phone. I don't care if it's a dog or a particle of dust - we have to reach Crim." BT quickly wiped the remaning tears from her face and heaved a sigh to get rid of any stuttering sobs in her system.
"E-mail her back, Bear," she commanded loudly and firmly.
---
Bear stumbled on the cobblestone-paved path; their fast gating made him rather dizzy. However, BT ignored whatever trace of dizziness she encountered and sprinted off the path toward the open field of grass where she could make out the frantically moving forms of Sora, Subaru, and Mimiru. The figure that seemed to be Sora had Mimiru held captive by her hands, and the third and remaining one, Subaru, was trying hard to free her. She swung her axe multiple times, but the cackling imp merely dodged it as easily as a tick's skilled jump.
"Unhand her!" Subaru screamed, making another rage driven lunge at the lunatic. Sora clicked his tongue and shook his head, amused by Subaru's futile attempts at striking him.
"Uh, uh, uuuuuuuuh, /Laaaaaaaydeeee/ Subaru," the Twin Blade taunted. "You didn't say 'pleeeease'. For someone of your status, you aren't very polite."
"Ugh, you again!" BT yelled to Sora as she closed the space between the group and herself. She stopped just feet away from the scramble, staff up in a position ready for spell-casting and eyebrows arched down angrily. "You disgusting little imbecile! How dare you think to do all of this while something terrible is bound to happen! We were already on the edge, and you've just shoved us off!"
"Hmm? Someone sounds a little /feisty/," he grinned, turning to face the new arrival. "Oh," murmured Sora in a flat, disappointed voice, "it's just -you-. Why do you continually /pester/ me? You're just about everywhere I am."
BT's lips abruptly parted to chant a spell, but Bear held out an arm and turned to the black-and-purple blur. "Sora!" he cried, trying to keep his voice from trembling with rage. "Sora, you have to listen - Crim's life is in jeopardy and you're delaying our attempt to save him! Let go of Mimiru and leave Subaru alone, or it will be too late!"
"I have no idea why you have to be such a wet blanket, old man," Sora sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you? I have power on my side, and I can kill all four of you in one swift stroke." He wrapped and tightened an arm around Mimiru's neck and raised the other one, unsleathing his wrist blade. "This day is just full of death, isn't it?" he chimed in an annoying sing-song voice.
"I'm warning you," Bear rumbled, squeezing the handle of his sword. His eyes were flickering, white-hot flames. "One wrong move, and this old man is taking you home..."
"Stop acting like such a little punk and let the girl go! It's four against one, and even if quantity doesn't matter, I wouldn't give a flying purple cherry if you just killed all of us!" shrieked BT, bringing her staff upon the ground mercilessly. The effects of that simple action were surprising -- the sudden, firm strike upon the ground and mad rush of magic into the earth caused a shockwave that soundlessly spread across the area, knocking anyone or anything standing up for miles around to the ground. When all of them tumbled into the grass in a messy semi-heap, the sound of the wave and the rumble of boulders crashing to the ground came flooding back to their ears long after it happened.
The dust from the boulders engulfed the area, causing everyone to become temporarily blind as to what was going on around them. BT got on her knees and crawled around, chancing the touch of the nearest shoulder. To her relief (and slight displeasure), Subaru held her hand.
"BT - " she started to say.
"Shhh. Log out," BT whispered as quietly as she could, "and I'll pass the word to Bear and Mimiru."
When the message got around to the four, they logged out of the game, one by one. Immediately after Bear vanished from the area, dust settled around Sora, who irritably glanced around.
"They got away," he quickly observed, his eyes widening very slightly. His shocked expression turned into smugness as he stood up and brushed away dirt from his clothes. "That'll be their last time escaping unscathed," Sora laughed, slowly running his tongue along a blade.
---
The phone rang for minutes and minutes, making the girl's anticipation even greater than before. After what seemed like forever, she finally hung up the reciever with a reluctant sigh. Could the shock of the whole thing actually get him that badly? Or..
"He must be frightened," she concluded. "It could be anyone calling his house.. or perhaps he's already gotten a threat call.. or maybe he's not there because..."
Those possiblities were highly likely, and that made the girl tremble despite the humid, sticky temperatures. She had to do something.. call BT or Bear or... something.. but their numbers..? She didn't know them.. she -
You've got mail! chimed the computer as it brought up a flashing envelope on the screen. Subaru eagerly whirled her wheelchair around to face the computer screen and clicked on the envelope. It brought up a rather short message:
'Subaru,
BT and I haven't been able to reach Crim. We're pretty sure you haven't either, but if so, it's obvious that we'd like for you to reply.
Our phone numbers are listed below.
Bear'
Subaru reached over to the opposite table, picked up the reciever, and immediately began to dial with the same hand while somehow still holding that reciever. She pressed it firmly against her ear, waiting patiently as the phone rang a couple of times.
Relief was contained in the voice masculine voice on the other end. "Hello?"
Darkness covered Subaru's face except for her mouth, which curled up in a frantic smile. "Bear?"
---
The walk from school was unbearable. Harsh rays from the sun made the seven- year-old's clothes cling to his sweaty, sticky body. Perspiration rolled down his scowling face, some getting into his already stinging, stone grey eyes, and most nestling in his dark forest green hair.
"What a heat wave this is," said a man to a customer as he swept the sidewalk in front of his perfume shop. "Who knew we could get this type of weather?"
"It's quiet unusual, alright," the woman agreed, furiously fanning herself with a bony hand adorned with two golden rings. "Perhaps the temperature will drop very soon. Nobody can get anything done in this weather. I bet that even criminals might be taking the day off!"
[Hopefully, they will. I'm up to my neck in this garbage that's got those weaklings all jittery and even more stupid that usual..] the boy mused bitterly.
"Or they may be taking advantage of it in some way." The shopkeep shrugged, rolling two thick brass rings around his own fingers. "Never know in this town."
"Nope," said the woman, her mahogany eyes gleaming suspciously.
The boy was fed up with such a pointless conversation and quickened his pace, now half marching to his home. Once he climbed up endless flights of stairs to reach his fifth floor apartment, the boy hesitated on the doorknob. Instead of going in, he pressed his ear against the door, straining to hear any sounds from the inside. There was the usual noise of the TV and.. nothing more. Sighing with relief because his father's heavy, tottering footsteps were completely absent, the boy pushed opened the door, deposited his things near the coat rack, and headed straight upstairs.
His bedroom door creaked open, revealing the room's dark, gloomy condition -- just the way he left it this morning. When the door slammed shut behind him, he cringed, expecting an inhuman roar from down the hall and the clumsy footfalls of his overweight, drunken father. After what seemed like forever, the boy slipped to his computer noiselessly, sank into his chair, and booted it up.
... waiting for internet connection ... -chime- ! Connected.
{}
.... .... Welcome to The World!
USERNAME: PASSWORD:
??
{...Sora bittersweetmelancholy...}
Welcome back, Sora. You have sixteen adminstration warnings, two quests pending, and zero new player-mailed messages.
He breezed through the messages, even becoming a little nostalgic as he quickly scanned a two-month old letter from Mimiru. Instantly, emotional warmth washed over him, despite the cold dampness he felt from the room's atmosphere and high-blast air conditioner. Even though the letter was filled with bitter comments and insults, it made everyting inside of him stir because it was written -by her, to him-.
After lingering in the moment, Sora warped into the Mac Anu server. He set one foot on the bow of a boat docked near the city and scanned the area for any new victims. His search turned up several newbies who seemed to be scurrying around the strangeness of this new game.
What idiots.
"Let the games begiiiiiiin!" the Twin Blade yelled with twisted happiness, showing off his blades for the group to see. Before launching into a homocidal rampage, he cast a weary look behind him as if his biggest fear was to loom over the area, completely forgetting that it wasn't possible for his father to hear him in this virtual getaway.
His once swollen, warm insides suddenly shrank and developed a thick layer of ice.
So if it wasn't possible, why was he still so scared?
---
A/N: Hmm! That last line also applies to more than one person in this story. ^_~ Whee. Review, please! Tell me flaws! Tell me.. other.. such.. things. Except flames. Which will be used to roast the flamers. XD
