Okay! Domo arigato and welcome to the third chapter! I'm still doing Crimbo tests, though, so this may be crappy (nothing strange there, ne?). Again, I have seen only two episodes of SIGN, and it was late and I didn't pay attention to them much, so I really have no clue how the characters should act. Please help correct me if I'm OOC!

Erm, also, I think that there's something about Mimiru and Sora going on some dungeon thing during the series? Can someone fill me in on that?

Shameless plug: *points frantically* Read Moonlight'sSpell, Crystal17, Valefor and the newest person I discovered, quitelacking! Do it! I command you!

And, to ramble even more, I mention the net-slum here. I really have no faffing clue what the net-slum actually looks like, except that Helba hangs out with a load of old deleted data there, or so I think.

**

Disclaimer (I think I forgot this last time): Hey! You there! No, not him. Not her with the glasses. Yes. You. I don't won .hack! God, how I wish, though… it would all be about Sora. And it would be a better show for it (if that's possible).

**

So tell me, who can I respect?
I feel the leash around my neck
As I find out there's shame
In the game, in the game

Little know it all, little know it all

-Iggy Pop, Little Know It All

**

The long way home. Sora had come to think of it as a state of mind, rather than just an inefficient way of making his way back to his house. Rather pathetically, it was now the only real form of escapism he had. Encompassing several deliberate turns the wrong way and about fifteen minutes of making his way through alleyways that smelt suspiciously like gherkin relish and shampoo, no one ever expected him to come this way. Exactly the reason he took it.

Sora wandered along, bag stuck on his back, hands jammed in his pockets, thinking about life in the universe and the rather more important problem of An.

Both his worst and best wish were coming true.

Sora was in a dilemma. It was most likely that An did not want to be his friend. Considering the whole weak, ten year old nerd thing. And that she was around fourteen or fifteen. What self respecting teenager would want to be friends with him? He knew if he had a choice, he wouldn't be his friend. He'd probably beat himself up, too. He might even make sense occasionally. This last thought, however, seemed to be slim-to-nil.

Anyway. Since An probably did not want to be his friend (and he was considering dropping the 'probably') it meant his pride was in for a severe crushing. The one thing that Sora could not stand.

Unfortunately, it was also the one thing she *had* done.

Leaving him to rot in that staff. Sora wished that he had just been in a normal coma – sleeping a deep dreamless sleep – like others, instead of decaying inside his own mind. By the time Kite had found him, it had almost been too late. For a while, Sora did not think he could ever face the world again. Wide, open places scared the crap out of him – but dark, quiet places were just as bad.

But An had not come for him. She did not care. No one had.

The thoughts ran through his head. Always returning to that one simple statement. That damn statement.

On the other hand, An had never denied his offer of friendship. She had never fought him like Crim. She had never tried to backstab him, and she had never got inordinately annoyed at him like Mimiru. Maybe there was hope.

He wished he had never told her who he was. Even more so, he wished that he had stuck around a little longer. To see her expression.

At this point, Sora would have hated anyone who made him doubt himself like this. But there was just something about An  that denied his hatred. He wasn't sure what it was. He didn't think he wanted to know.

**

'He should be coming back any time soon,' Sora's mother said, pulling on a coat. Outside, her husband beeped the horn.

'I'll be back in about three hours, okay? See you then. Thanks again.'

An nodded and nervously sat back on the couch. Bear had said they were rich. He was certainly not wrong.

More than anything, her stomach churned at the thought of meeting him. An wasn't quite sure why. It wasn't the kind of happy churning that happened occasionally with Subaru – An knew her name was Mariko but could not help calling her that – but a more nervy kind. With Subaru, it was an expectant happiness. She knew the cause. Subaru, was, after all, an important person in her life, and her first real friend who would listen ((A/N: Or so I think. Again, I don't know, but I got that impression that Tsukasa opened up to Subaru before Mimiru)).

She pulled at her skirt and smoothed down her shirt for what seemed like the fiftieth time. She frowned. It seemed strange that Sora's mother had just idly said that he should be back. He was only ten. His mother should know where he was – Bear always knew where she was, be it shopping with Mimiru and Subaru, or hanging out at the library.

Then again, maybe he made it a habit to take longer than expected. It wouldn't surprise her. Sora struck her as the kind of person who'd just off a cliff, just to prove that he could, or would.

She wondered how to approach the subject of The World with him. Delicately, she knew.  But still. 'Hey, Sora – how 'bout going to The World? Don't worry – you'll be okay!' seemed a pretty flimsy thing to say, especially since she didn't believe this guarantee herself.

Seeing a lanky figure walk pensively up the drive, she stood up and plastered a smile across her face. If anything, the boy looked as nervous as she felt, and a good deal more embarrassed. If anything, they were the two players playing behind the biggest masks. She was a boy in The World. He was around sixteen there.

A real smile began to creep onto her face. Maybe, if they had a bond in common, this would be a little easier.

Click. The door opened.

**

'I still think this is a bad idea, you know,' BT said, scraping shapes in the dirt with her staff.

'I know. But the least we could do is humor An, you know. She hasn't had an easy time of it,' Crim replied.

'It's still very strange thinking of him as a ten year old,' she added, a scowl darkening her face, like it normally did whenever she mentioned him.

'I can't believe I threw a ten year old off a cliff,' Crim said, rubbing his forehead. 'I think you're right. The least he could have done was be older. I wouldn't feel so bad, then.'

'You agree with me for different reasons. I just wish he was incredibly handsome, like I said.'

'It's no use someone being really handsome, or pretty, if they have a really bad personality.'

'I beg to differ.'

'Not so. I wouldn't talk to you if you had a bad personality.'

'Do you think I'm pretty, then?'

Crim's face was sprinkled with a little pink.

'Excuse me?'

He was, however, saved by the interruption of someone else.

'Are you Crim? Of the Crimson Lightning?'

The person was a woman. Dressed in a pair of thigh high boots, a pair of baggy, hip hugging trousers that flared out in a way slightly reminiscent of Sora's and a halterneck top with straps covering the arms, she looked more than a little threatening. This wasn't helped by the weapons on her arms – obviously a twin blade, she had a range of spikes along her knuckles, like large and extremely vicious brass knuckles. Long gloves adorned her arms, while grey eyes glinted dangerously from behind a blood red fringe. Covering most of her garb was a long, black cloak.

'Who are you?' Crim asked, feline eyes narrowed.

'I asked you whether you were Crim. I have no intention of answering questioned,' she said.

BT's eyes were also narrowed, but she had a somewhat puzzled expression on.

'I am,' Crim deadpanned.

'The one who hangs around with his little team?' she sneered, icy eyes trained on him.

'Little team?'

'Oh, please, you're quite famous, you know. A couple of heavy blades and normal blades, wavemasters, a long arm, a heavy axe  and a twinblade, correct?'

'How exactly do you know…?'

'I thought I made myself clear. No qu-'

'No questions, yes, but I never said you could question me,' Crim said, his knuckles tightening on his spear.

'I wouldn't advise it,' the woman said nonchalantly.

How did she know…? He opened his mouth to speak.

'How do you know us? Answer me and we'll tell you,' BT interrupted.

'I already said, you're famous. Illegal characters in a team rarely go unnoticed. Two members of your party in comas, right.'

It was not a question.

'What do you want us to answer?' BT asked, not bothering to confirm the woman's statement.

'I need their names.'

'I wouldn't tell you.'

'I could make you.'

'Don't threaten her,' Crim interrupted. 'Don't you even think about it.'

A sense of uneasiness grew in his stomach. This was an obviously powerful person, and there was something not quite right about her… Something strange.

'Oh, please,' the woman said. 'I already know them. I merely need confirmation. Lady Subaru. Crim of the Crimson Lightning. Ginkan, the Silver Knight. Maha, the illegal cat. Tsukasa, the illegal player. Mimiru. Bear. BT. Sora, the Player Killer.'

'That's… right…' BT said, eyes even more narrowed.

'Now, that wasn't so painful, was it?' the woman smirked. 'Goodbye, now.'

And she gated out.

There was a silence.

'What the hell was that?' BT asked, after several minutes of said silence.

'I don't know,' Crim said, thinking furiously.

'Was it just me… Or did she seem… familiar?'

'I know what you mean. There was something not right about her. Something…'

'I know. I've never seen her before, but…'

Something clicked.

'BT – did you notice anything unusual about her?'

'I just said I did,' the wavemaster said irritably.

'No… She was all blurry at the edges! Did you notice that?' Crim said, puzzled.

'Now that you mention it, she was kind of fuzzy…'

'I think we need to tell the others.'

**

A new field.

Slightly reminiscent of the net slum, the field was dark. The ground was dark and looked obviously infertile, withered plants blackened and rubbery from lack of virtual sun. She pulled a wasted plant from the ground, crushing it in her hand. The unfortunate foliage fell to dust and floated to the ground.

Unlike children, if plants are ignored they will die. Children usually find a way to survive. They are more like weeds. They will not flourish, but they will find a way. And, like weeds, these children are generally despised, making few friends along the pathetic framework of their lives.

The woman stood, looking around her field again with satisfaction. This was not enterable, she was sure of that.

No pesky weeds coming in to save the day.

Toxic looking clouds of purple swirled along the floor, evocative of dry ice, with tinges of green showing here and there among the pungent purple.

In the furthest corner from the only possible point of entry, stood something that would have chilled An's blood. Had she been able to get here. That brat girl, the woman reminded herself, that brat-girl would not be able to. Not this time. Not on her watch. Not even that blasted hacker could get through this.

The item in question? The woman smiled to herself, walking to her creation.

A large black bed. A simple thing. Symbolic of so many things to so many different people. A place of happiness for some, a place to hide for others.

And for some, where the nightmare may just begin.

**

Thanks:

Spanner: I'm honoured! This is the first time I've ever written a vaguely long fic, so I'll try to keep it up.

Valefor: I agree! I went to sleep at night thinking of that scene and smiling… Well, not really, but it would be very easy! Oh, and congrats on finishing .hack//GRANDEUR, I loved every second of it.

Moonlight'sSpell: Yes, I love the puppy-eyes. I think all the Sora fans do! And I know… I barely know anything about the series. Such is life. I even wrote a Digimon fanfic before I'd seen ANY of it

Crystal (^^): But of course! We should form a Sora guild or something. Can you draw? Draw for me, dammit!!!