A/N: Morganna is a nice, friendly person. And yes, she is represented by the bold text that makes people unhappy...uh...I'm going to move the plot right now! Huzzah! ...I think Tsukasa's name is An. At least, that's what everyone is writing. Uh...whatever. _ I wonder if there's going to be a Tsukasa pairing. Probably not. Nonetheless, for your added viewing enjoyment, I'm going to make a small list here for real life names.

If I write fanfiction concerning the SIGN characters, I can and will always use the same names.

Tsukasa: Annako Sakuma
Mimiru: Yuuko Matsuda
Bear: Ryo Sakuma
Sora: Hikaru Mitsurugi
BT: Midori Kawaguchi
Krim: Tatsuya Minamoto
Subaru: Ryoko Fujitaka

Enjoy the show!

Disclaimer: Konyo does not own .hack.

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Chapter 3: Family Obligations

Find out what it is
Find out what it isn't
Find out you can't leave your prison
Wake up from your nap
Feel my reality slap
The Disappointment - Toxic Narcotic

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Your thoughts...my child...are much more potent then Tsukasa, the other... The single qualm I have with you, however, is that you betrayed me before you fell into that coma...

"I don't think family is represented by a voice in my mind." Pressing his palms against the windowsill, Sora's eyes continued to search the sky, strangely enamored as the bright blue began to dim on the western horizon. "That said, I don't see why I should believe you...madam." He chuckled under his breath merely to humor the basket case of a doctor watching him talk to himself. The old man was not very good at remaining stealthy; his bones practically creaked with the smallest movement.

Ah, ah, little Sora. Please...call me "mother".

"You're kidding, right?" The boy let out a hoarse, melancholy bark of laughter, but stopped instantly; depicted on his plain, blank face was darkness and gloom. No response followed, so Sora initiated a further inquiry, extending his fingers to fumble with the window lock: "How exactly did I betray you..." He paused, and with a smirk-- "...mother?" The word was spat out, an abomination, a curse on his tongue.

A small throb surged in his arm, and mechanically as if he'd been doing it for years, the window was unlocked. "So you are useful for some things after all..." he murmured, tilting forward to further examine Tokyo.

You interfered when I attempted to punish the other...your...brother. Tsukasa. I'm afraid I had made a mistake.

Sora paused, gently mimicking the movements of the breeze with his hand. "I have a brother?" he asked softly, unwittingly yet slowly submitting to her claims. She confirmed this. "Why didn't the doctor let me see my family when I asked?" His tone became flat and standoffish, fingers curling to create a fist pulsating with anger. Yadate had long since slipped away...

He couldn't have showed me to you if he tried. He is weak and imperceptive.

"A fool," Sora agreed, running a hand through his verdant hair. Then the boy smirked again: the visage of mocking dubiety. "I would be the bigger fool if I didn't question the fact you most likely are a byproduct of my current mental handicaps," he added tactfully, mockingly.

You need me.

With strength surprising for one who hadn't moved for half a year, Sora hoisted himself onto the window's tier. His short legs dangled aimlessly from the 16th floor window on the hospital's right wing, near the parking lot. "I know," he whispered, watching as a copper SUV sped to the entrance. "I know..."

He couldn't bring himself to jump.

^*^

"Annako, I need you to call BT. Use my cell." One hand guided the leather-coated steering wheel; the other pawed around until it discovered the cell phone. Ryo lightly slid it to the non-driving front seat; Annako picked it up and tilted her head questioningly. "She's in the address book, under the name Midori." The girl nodded, examining the Altimit logo on the blindingly luminescent screen before selecting the little "Address Book" icon.

She obliged, yet before pressing the call button she brushed a lock of brown out of her eyes and glanced upwards. "Eh, papa, you sure she'll care? Sora did kind of stalk her for a while...and...I doubt she'll react positively," a small, reluctant chuckle and Annako continued, "when she finds out her stalker is...ten years old..."

"This is a little more serious then you think, Annako-chan; now make that call!"

The brunette sighed, reluctant to release her good mood. Violet eyes flickering to the city beyond the glass-plastic window as her pale finger tapped the button. Almost immediately, there was a click and a woman's voice responded: "Hello..." The last syllable seemed to trail off, and Annako couldn't help noting: BT sounds desolate in real life... "Ahem--who is calling?" Annako cleared her throat, dusting off her skirt as if to regain her composure.

"Hello, um, BT? This is Tsukasa--well, alright, this is Annako on Ryo's cell."

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"Oh, I see. Hello, Tsukasa--I mean, Annako." In a small café, a woman with silky blonde hair sips a cappuccino from a paper cup, watching a teenager play guitar in the center of the dimly-lit room. "May I ask why you're calling?" Midori Kawaguchi said, deep green eyes idly examining the familiar scenery.

"Um, yeah," the teenage voice on the other end stammered, "well, here goes. Do you...remember Sora?"

Distractedly, Midori picked up a napkin and scrubbed at a lip gloss mark on the cup. "How could I not?" she articulated sarcastically. "That guy almost made me want to trash the video game altogether," she murmured, folding the napkin and setting it down on the table. "What about him?"

"Well, you remember how Mimiru-chan told you he went into a coma after we came back?"

"Yeah. He woke up?"

"How could you tell?"

"There weren't many options to choose from, Annako. Either he died or he woke up, and that's that." the 28-year-old woman said flatly. The moon began to stream in from the short-trimmed velvet on the windows, glinting off a brown highlight in Midori's hair. "So what do you want me to do?"

"Well...you know, he really kinda does admire you, and..." Annako trailed off, allowing the former model to fill in the blanks with a scandalized tone.

"I am not going with you to see that twerp of a man. [1] Sorry."

"Aw, come on..."

"Good bye, Annako. See you in the game." In a flash, Midori had tapped the "hang up" icon with her manicured fingernails and resumed nonchalantly listening to the gentle strumming of the acoustic guitar. She raised the paper cup to her lips, and for a moment, she stayed like that, ensnared to her own peace of mind, until--

"Damnit!!!" With that vehement exclamation, Midori launched up from her seat so instantaneously, the dark oak stool she had been sitting on toppled over as did her coffee. She grabbed her phone from the table and stalked out of the café, grumbling swears.

The coffee shop was struck with nihilistic speechlessness, until the adolescent girl that had been playing her instrument was so flabbergasted, she toppled off the stage.

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A/N: Woo! And finally, BT comes into the story. Hooray!

[1] BT has no idea how old Sora is. *laughs* Hey, no one does. Except maybe Bear, but he doesn't know exactly how young Sora is--perhaps simply that he's younger then, what, 14?