Disclaimer: .Hack isn't mine. I just write the stories
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Remnants of a Shattered Heart
As quickly as it had begun, it ended, and in the middle was the haunting scream of agony that connected the two points of life. But now it was simply over, the end having vanished in the haze of history, leaving only the recurring echo of that horrific scream to haunt him until it threatened to drive him mad.
He could hear her scream; and so he ran. Running, in some hopeless attempt to distance himself from the screams that built in intensity the moment they began to die away. And though he was beaten, exhausted beyond his endurance, he pushed himself forward; or else confront the scream threatening to overtake him.
It was more than he could handle. His shattered heart bled in such overwhelming misery that it filled his lungs and constricted his throat with the unrelenting threat of drowning him in his own despair. Exhausted and broken, his hurried steps became unsure and his feet stumbled over the uneven ground, causing him to pitch forward and land painfully on his knees.
Sobs of such grief shook his whole body, preventing him from breathing until he began to cough through the howl and anguish that tore at his very soul. He pitched forward; catching himself with his hands and retching violently, wanting only to purge the empty pit that had taken residence where his heart had once been. But no release from the pain came, and he hated the fact, for the first time since he began, that this was only a game.
The real world, his real life, was a case study of tragic neglect. His parents were important, and never really had time for him or a family. And so, an only child was left to fend for himself more than should have ever been permitted by any statute of law, as his parents would leave on business trips or vacations and abandon him to his own fate. That was when he joined The World, hoping to find a connection, a place he may belong. But his awkwardness in the real world didn't help him overcome his shyness in the virtual paradise. Until he met her.
The edited cat figure was adventurous, spunky, but deeply caring, and was the only friend he ever had. It didn't matter if, in the end, she wasn't real but a testimony of the vast intelligence of The World. It didn't matter if she was a computer program, to him she was real. SHE WAS REAL! And HE killed her, destroying the only precious thing he ever had in his miserable life, leaving him with nothing but the pity of his own grief.
And when the tears finally slowed enough for him to fill his lungs, he let loose a scream that threatened to tear his voice apart. Anger, sorrow, grief and fear swam within his body, each taking turns to control his emotions. Slamming the head of his staff into virtual ground, bitter that it hadn't broken, broken like he was, he beat the staff against the ground repeatedly until his breath came to his scorched lungs in great heaps and gulps.
But he soon lost interest in the staff and threw it aside. It was a gift from Kite, and he wanted nothing from the Twin Blade, for he had taken everything from him. He resorted now to beating his fists again the ground again and again until the virtual blood from his knuckles began to color the soil a deep crimson, imaging every blow was smashing against the face of the Twin Blade. He hoped this would take his mind away from the pain in his heart, but all it added was pain to his body. And so, too exhausted to swing his arms anymore, leaned back on his legs, kneeling in the open plain and let the pain of his heart pour out through his eyes.
"WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE HER?" He screamed into the open air, hoping that, if in fact there was a God, he would give some comfort, some reason for his grief. But no answer came to him, and he threw himself forward once again, burying his face in his folded arms and cried.
Exhausted but afraid to sleep for fear of what his dreams may bring, he denied sleep, and denied his dreams. What good were dreams anyway, all his dreams had died with Mia. He was as he always had been, alone.
"Elk..." The soft voice came from nowhere and everywhere, drifting on the currents of the virtual wind. At first the mourning Wavemaster hadn't heard if, but when the voice called out to him a second time, he raised face, his red and swollen eyes searching for the source.
"Elk, it's all right to be sad, but you are not alone."
Eyes frantically searching the plain for signs of the speaker, Elk pushed himself up from the ground, a faint glimmer of hope creeping into his gray orbs. "M...Mia?"
"No Elk, Mia is gone." The voice said again, and the Wavemaster crumpled against the ground, his body shaking in bitter sobs that renewed their assault on his spirit. What cruel world would give him hope, only to take it away again?
"You truly loved her, didn't you Elk?" The voice taunted, inviting only more tears. "You should know she wasn't real. Merely a phase to gather information for me, nothing more."
"Y...you LIAR!" Elk choked the words out as he stared at the crystal blue sky, not sure where else to look to address the mysterious voice. "She was too alive. She...she enjoyed The World, and...and had fun exploring dungeons. Don't talk about her like she didn't exist!"
"I never said she didn't exist, merely never lived. The distinction between the two is quite clearly defined." The voice again spoke; it's soothing tone easing the pain that ate away at the center of Elk's soul.
"By now Elk, you know that Mia is not a living being, but a program within The World." The voice said again, the transformation of space and shimmering air just above Elk's head giving way to the form of a new character to the field. A cat figure, unlike Mia but somehow similar, with oddly assorted clothing and a sprig of grass clutched within it's hand. But whether it was alive or not was difficult to say.
"This is Maha, the base programming avatar for the character you know as Mia. Currently, Maha sleeps. But I have the power to awaken Maha, and in doing so, bring Mia back." The voice said. Elk's eyes grew wide in disbelief as he heard the information, but hardly daring to believe it.
"Then, if you can bring Mia back, please...I beg you, bring her back!"
The voice paused, allowing the silence to stretch, and with it the desperation in Elk's heart. "It's not that easy Elk. I will need something from you in return."
"Anything...I'll do whatever you want, please...just bring her back." Elk lowered his head so that his hair brushed the ground.
"The hacker Helba, you know of her don't you?"
"Uh...yes." Elk said, raising his head to stare confused at the sky.
"She has...shall we say, crafted a computer virus that she wishes to infect The World with. If she does this, I will be inoperable, and unable to achieve my promise to you. All that I ask is that your retrieve the virus, bring it to me, and I will bring Mia back for you."
Elk stared at the catlike figure floated in the air for several moments. He wasn't thrilled with the idea of betraying his friends, but truthfully, they weren't really his friends. They only used him to use Mia's power. With her gone, he was no use to any of them. But he could bring Mia back, not for them but for himself. For once he could prove he was important to at least someone.
"You promise you'll bring Mia back?"
"I have given you my word Elk, and Morgana does not break her word to those she holds in esteem."
"O...okay, I'll do it. I'll bring it back to you."
"Very good Elk, I shall await your return."
Staring once again at the floating figure of the cat-character Maha before him, Elk wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and gated out of the field.
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Author's Note: Depending on feedback, I may write the second chapter. Please R&R. Thanks much. And to Goldberry, thanks so much for all your great reviews. I'm sorry this isn't another KitexBlackRose fic, I'm having some trouble thinking of a new story for those two. If you have any ideas, please let me know, I love writing those two...their romance is just so perfect.
# # #
Remnants of a Shattered Heart
As quickly as it had begun, it ended, and in the middle was the haunting scream of agony that connected the two points of life. But now it was simply over, the end having vanished in the haze of history, leaving only the recurring echo of that horrific scream to haunt him until it threatened to drive him mad.
He could hear her scream; and so he ran. Running, in some hopeless attempt to distance himself from the screams that built in intensity the moment they began to die away. And though he was beaten, exhausted beyond his endurance, he pushed himself forward; or else confront the scream threatening to overtake him.
It was more than he could handle. His shattered heart bled in such overwhelming misery that it filled his lungs and constricted his throat with the unrelenting threat of drowning him in his own despair. Exhausted and broken, his hurried steps became unsure and his feet stumbled over the uneven ground, causing him to pitch forward and land painfully on his knees.
Sobs of such grief shook his whole body, preventing him from breathing until he began to cough through the howl and anguish that tore at his very soul. He pitched forward; catching himself with his hands and retching violently, wanting only to purge the empty pit that had taken residence where his heart had once been. But no release from the pain came, and he hated the fact, for the first time since he began, that this was only a game.
The real world, his real life, was a case study of tragic neglect. His parents were important, and never really had time for him or a family. And so, an only child was left to fend for himself more than should have ever been permitted by any statute of law, as his parents would leave on business trips or vacations and abandon him to his own fate. That was when he joined The World, hoping to find a connection, a place he may belong. But his awkwardness in the real world didn't help him overcome his shyness in the virtual paradise. Until he met her.
The edited cat figure was adventurous, spunky, but deeply caring, and was the only friend he ever had. It didn't matter if, in the end, she wasn't real but a testimony of the vast intelligence of The World. It didn't matter if she was a computer program, to him she was real. SHE WAS REAL! And HE killed her, destroying the only precious thing he ever had in his miserable life, leaving him with nothing but the pity of his own grief.
And when the tears finally slowed enough for him to fill his lungs, he let loose a scream that threatened to tear his voice apart. Anger, sorrow, grief and fear swam within his body, each taking turns to control his emotions. Slamming the head of his staff into virtual ground, bitter that it hadn't broken, broken like he was, he beat the staff against the ground repeatedly until his breath came to his scorched lungs in great heaps and gulps.
But he soon lost interest in the staff and threw it aside. It was a gift from Kite, and he wanted nothing from the Twin Blade, for he had taken everything from him. He resorted now to beating his fists again the ground again and again until the virtual blood from his knuckles began to color the soil a deep crimson, imaging every blow was smashing against the face of the Twin Blade. He hoped this would take his mind away from the pain in his heart, but all it added was pain to his body. And so, too exhausted to swing his arms anymore, leaned back on his legs, kneeling in the open plain and let the pain of his heart pour out through his eyes.
"WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE HER?" He screamed into the open air, hoping that, if in fact there was a God, he would give some comfort, some reason for his grief. But no answer came to him, and he threw himself forward once again, burying his face in his folded arms and cried.
Exhausted but afraid to sleep for fear of what his dreams may bring, he denied sleep, and denied his dreams. What good were dreams anyway, all his dreams had died with Mia. He was as he always had been, alone.
"Elk..." The soft voice came from nowhere and everywhere, drifting on the currents of the virtual wind. At first the mourning Wavemaster hadn't heard if, but when the voice called out to him a second time, he raised face, his red and swollen eyes searching for the source.
"Elk, it's all right to be sad, but you are not alone."
Eyes frantically searching the plain for signs of the speaker, Elk pushed himself up from the ground, a faint glimmer of hope creeping into his gray orbs. "M...Mia?"
"No Elk, Mia is gone." The voice said again, and the Wavemaster crumpled against the ground, his body shaking in bitter sobs that renewed their assault on his spirit. What cruel world would give him hope, only to take it away again?
"You truly loved her, didn't you Elk?" The voice taunted, inviting only more tears. "You should know she wasn't real. Merely a phase to gather information for me, nothing more."
"Y...you LIAR!" Elk choked the words out as he stared at the crystal blue sky, not sure where else to look to address the mysterious voice. "She was too alive. She...she enjoyed The World, and...and had fun exploring dungeons. Don't talk about her like she didn't exist!"
"I never said she didn't exist, merely never lived. The distinction between the two is quite clearly defined." The voice again spoke; it's soothing tone easing the pain that ate away at the center of Elk's soul.
"By now Elk, you know that Mia is not a living being, but a program within The World." The voice said again, the transformation of space and shimmering air just above Elk's head giving way to the form of a new character to the field. A cat figure, unlike Mia but somehow similar, with oddly assorted clothing and a sprig of grass clutched within it's hand. But whether it was alive or not was difficult to say.
"This is Maha, the base programming avatar for the character you know as Mia. Currently, Maha sleeps. But I have the power to awaken Maha, and in doing so, bring Mia back." The voice said. Elk's eyes grew wide in disbelief as he heard the information, but hardly daring to believe it.
"Then, if you can bring Mia back, please...I beg you, bring her back!"
The voice paused, allowing the silence to stretch, and with it the desperation in Elk's heart. "It's not that easy Elk. I will need something from you in return."
"Anything...I'll do whatever you want, please...just bring her back." Elk lowered his head so that his hair brushed the ground.
"The hacker Helba, you know of her don't you?"
"Uh...yes." Elk said, raising his head to stare confused at the sky.
"She has...shall we say, crafted a computer virus that she wishes to infect The World with. If she does this, I will be inoperable, and unable to achieve my promise to you. All that I ask is that your retrieve the virus, bring it to me, and I will bring Mia back for you."
Elk stared at the catlike figure floated in the air for several moments. He wasn't thrilled with the idea of betraying his friends, but truthfully, they weren't really his friends. They only used him to use Mia's power. With her gone, he was no use to any of them. But he could bring Mia back, not for them but for himself. For once he could prove he was important to at least someone.
"You promise you'll bring Mia back?"
"I have given you my word Elk, and Morgana does not break her word to those she holds in esteem."
"O...okay, I'll do it. I'll bring it back to you."
"Very good Elk, I shall await your return."
Staring once again at the floating figure of the cat-character Maha before him, Elk wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and gated out of the field.
# # #
Author's Note: Depending on feedback, I may write the second chapter. Please R&R. Thanks much. And to Goldberry, thanks so much for all your great reviews. I'm sorry this isn't another KitexBlackRose fic, I'm having some trouble thinking of a new story for those two. If you have any ideas, please let me know, I love writing those two...their romance is just so perfect.