Thanks for the review Wildkat Salem! I appreciate it. Not much to say in the author notes in this chapter except an apology for the long wait.
~*~ Lies- A False World ~*~
Yaoshii sighed as he sat on a bridge overlooking a channel of Mac Anu. His feet dangled as various characters passed him by scurrying like rats to get to their destination, be it a shop, meeting, or Chaos Gate. Bored green eyes were glazed over hiding torment as he contemplated his last meeting with the illegal player. Parts were blurred in his memory, no doubt the irrefutable work of the bastard child. Words he was sure were to be vital had been blanketed with pain with blood obscuring important statements. Even his own actions including his rearrival at his current server not quite clear.
To the distracted Heavy Spear's left came a playful voice, "So, you trying to attract girls by playing the strong silent type or did you fall asleep at the monitor again, Shii?"
Startled out of his review of events he jumped slightly and fell into the channel. His head emerged from the water as he kicked his legs to keep his head above water. "What did you do that for?" he shouted up at the other character.
Continuing his raillery without so much batting an eye the other said in his same teasing voice, "Fell asleep, then. I should have expected that of you." Then the player jumped off the bridge landing by the waterside and offered a hand to pull the green-haired boy to the street. Cautiously the offered hand was taken and Yaoshii pulled himself up to the street.
Once both were standing up Yaoshii appraised the other character. Plain short brown hair and black-grey eyes were of little interest. The other player was a chain blade. Around the waist a chain was wrapped loosely with an exposed scythe blade attached to the end. A simple red sleeveless top with two thick vertical lines decorated the slim upper body. Slightly too long khaki pants that pooled at his bare feet covered his entire lower body. He had no armor to be seen.
The chain blade had failed to notice Yaoshii's silence due to the fact he was now happily chattering away about nothing in particular. Nervously the heavy spear player spoke up, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but do I know you?"
Green bangs covered his downcast eyes in an effort to block out the fact the other player was gawking at him. The chain blade covered his surprise quickly and mock pouted. "How like you, Shii, forgetting your best online friend when he leaves for a week because he was grounded."
Almost as though watching an old movie half-asleep he remembered running down the streets of Mac Anu playing tag with the other character, much to the displeasure of the passerby, they're tagging consisted of whacking the other with either a spear or chain depending on who's turn it was to be 'it'. Grinning he lifted his head, "Just fooling with you, Kasei!"
The chain-blade 'Kasei' grinned and shoved his friend. "I should have known better you've always been like that." Then his lowered as he pulled the green haired player closer so only he could hear. "Now I have some serious shit to talk about. Follow me and I'll show you a better place."
Indiscreetly nodding he walked a little bit away and waved. "Ja ne Kasei!" The aforementioned did the same and started in the opposite direction. Soon after Yaoshii doubled back and indiscreetly followed his friend who he did not remember. The other player weaved through the crowd making his way to a deserted street, all shops and bars derelict. The barefooted player entered a building on the far left, that seemed as if it could have been a bar.
After looking around to make sure no one watched his actions
the vested player followed. Inside
everything was coated with a layer of digital dust, footprints left by his
friend's entrance. Situated at a table
in the back at the far left was Kasei his feet on the table, pose relaxed;
heavily contrasted by the serious expression on his face. Walking over to the spot he asked his
question, "Why do we have to talk here?
Couldn't we have just spoken outside?"
The other shook his head, brown hair falling back into place as he spoke, "My brother is really close to someone who had a bad experience with this game that he doesn't like to talk about. He'd go ballistic if he found out I was planning on investigating. I spotted his character so I figured it would be better that he couldn't find out."
"Ah," a simple reply, "So what did you want to talk about?"
His grey eyes closed and he sighed removing his feet from the tabletop. "Do you really have no idea? I told you onii-san would get mad if he heard about it."
"I'm sorry, still clueless. I got the hint that it concerned the world but not much else."
"You must not have watched the news then, or checked the BBS. Two teens were found in coma."
"That happens occasionally with VR goggles. They have warnings on the visors for a
reason and besides that this game is so popular even people who do have bad
experiences start playing again, it's too addictive to stop."
"Its not that. The two who were found apparently never existed."
"WHAT?!?"
"No records of they're existence at all. No dental records, birth certificates, or anything at all. One of them was found in a really old apartment building that's been condemned and the other was found in the computer lab of Takayama High School. It's a big mystery, all over the news and the people on the BBS are confused, how could they get hold of computers when both apparently aren't here in Japan legally."
"Then how are you so sure its related to the world? If they were just found in that condition
it's more likely there is another cause."
"Are you kidding? It's the usuasal stuff. In coma, found with visors, sprawled out on the floor, by the computer, the only difference is the computers were off but they could have shut down. The boy player has cuts and scars all over, and the girl had something weird with her eyes. Whatever caused it's probably pretty bad."
"So you want to do some investigating to find out what caused
it."
"Yes."
"Then why talk to me?"
"You've been playing even longer than anyone I know Yaoshii. You were here even during the time of the [dot] hackers."
"I was a newbie at the end of that event. You can't expect me to know much about it. I was just an ordinary player, wasn't involved at all."
"You were around when Shuugo and Rena won the character skins."
"So were you, neither of us knew anything at all about the happenings."
"Damn, you're right. Still you know anything? Anything suspicious?"
Yaoshii looked distinctly uncomfortable. "I'm not sure…"
A suspicious glance bordering on concern was shot at the heavy spear. "Tell me when you're sure. Till then mull it over. I'll be investigating, too."
"Thanks for informing me of the comas. I have someone to meet now." The pony-tailed character walked out.
In the doorway he stumbled slightly. In that second a ray of simulated light from the street illuminated his right upper arm. Kasei's eyes widened at the sight. That rune of the trident with three lines going through the center had not been there before. He blinked as Yaoshii disappeared by use of Sprite Ocarina. "Bastard!" he howled in the empty bar, "You knew something and didn't tell me!"
~*~ Hints- A Cryptic Message ~*~
Kasei…
Something's are best left alone…
Ask the brother you tried to avoid…
He'll reveal what's missing…
~*~ Musings- Signs of Insanity ~*~
What is music? Numbers and mathematics. Argue if you wish but it is the truth. How many beats to a measure, octaves, timing is all it is. What are computers? Numbers and mathematics. The answer has not changed. Binary, C++, and various other programming languages are its only components. Computers being numbers manipulate other numbers and can create the noises that are as real as the real thing. Hearing has been conquered. Since the creation of VR goggles sight has been added.
Memory has long been shared between the two worlds. In real life people remember their pasts as computers have physical data in which they store data. With computers there is hardware and software. Look at the real world like this: people are hardware, real physical components, their conciseness is software, capable of existence on two planes. That of VR in the world and that of Earth.
A girl who is only software lacking hardware has taken a new stop. Touch. Who has created the girl? Harold Hoerwick. The girl is blurring the line between VR and reality. Will the two planes converge? If they do who is to blame? The woman who wrote the epitaph who caused the creation of the world, the man who created the girl, or is it the girl herself?
~*~ Truth- Dreams of Reality ~*~
A girl in a wheelchair looked up concerned at another girl about who was about the same age. Both were in a hospital. The girl with use of her legs was talking to a woman behind a desk.
"Are you sure you wish to take care of the payments for the two?"
The girl nodded.
"Very well then. I'll alert them that you are to be paying." The worker said and walked out of the room to tell her superiors.
The green haired girl in the wheelchair looked up, "Are you sure you can afford this An?"
"Yes Mariko. I have more than enough money, if I really needed to I could ask Ryo but I doubt it would come to that. Besides this is important to me. I have not forgotten past experiences, even if I have started playing the game again."
An gave the other girl a small smile before sitting down in a stiff chair in the hospital's waiting room. She whispered to herself after sitting, "If only I could help more."
~*~ Borderline- No More Twilight ~*~
The once wonderland had changed it pace again. No longer a checkerboard dungeon it was know a bog. Thick fog fell cloaked the area, water that was more solid than liquid caked the poles of the bed and the reconstructed teddy bear appeared to be dressed in a tuxedo. More teddy bears decked out similarly had instruments in they're fuzzy mock paws. Aura sat on the bed a smile situated there.
"Play a new song!" she demanded in the manner of a spoiled child.
The teddy bear that lacked an instrument bowed and turned back to the makeshift orchestra. It held a conductors baton and waved and music was played.
~*~ Music-Whispers on the Wind~*~
People all hold more love and dreams
than they can hold with both hands,
and paint those dreams for tomorrow
while entrusting the future to a new-falling star.
If you go step by step,
on your own two legs, without stopping,
before everything your arms touch transforms into phantasms,
you can approach those dreams.
Now begins the unending dream,
while you search for yourself,
sleeping in the depths of your heart.
Now begins the unending journey.
Fix your sights on a faraway time.
People all conceal more loneliness in their hearts
than they can hold with both hands,
and run as their hearts desire from yesterday to tomorrow,
like the way the wind drifts along.
Now begins the unending tomorrow.
Dreams are an ever-playing harmony
within your heart.
Now begins the unending journey.
Fix your sights on a faraway sky.
-Bubblegum Crash
~*~ Author's Notes ~*~
An and Mariko are Tsukasa's and Subaru's real names. It was a big pain to find that particular tidbit of information. Most this chapter was conversation, and I apologize for that I need to work on dialogue. My use of bastard is that in the dictionary bastard non-slang for means illegitimate as in reference to a child. In the real world currently we do have VR goggles but very primitive compared to [dot]hack's stuff. But there actually warnings on them saying they can cause seizers, coma, dizziness, and possibly death if used for a prolonged period of time such as five hours. I assumed they wouldn't take off the warnings considering the world's history so the blame is pinned elsewhere.
Sorry for the relative shortness of this chapter and the long wait but I'm only twelve so it's not as if you should be expecting much from a person my age.