(UPDATE: I am very very sorry, apparently fanfiction.net does not like my old area seperators and refuses to show them. So I have changed them to , and all future chapters will have the new seperator. I didn't notice til this morning that this had happened, so...Yeah...Hope it's easier to read now )
Wheeee! Reviews!
Kitty Riku & SW: Hehe, yay! hugs Thank you so so much for reviewing me so diligently! worships You found my little Balmung being playful part
Azusasan: Balmung ish the ultimate .hack bishie! hugs plushie And yay! COOKIE! glomps
Crimson Rogue: You're very welcome! I made this fic just for little Balmung/Kite fans like myself who want to see more on the site
Cool-Kitsune: O.o insomnia? Sleep well...And here's what you wished for :D
Well, from here, I'm probably going to deviate from the storyline a lot more. (Minor warning of minor spoilers for the rest of this paragraph). I want (and so do you, probably) to focus on Kite and Balmung, so I'll be skipping over main parts like when Mia 'teaches about the bracelet' and Helba swoops in at random. Pretty much the only story I'll keep are important things about Aura and Protected Areas, and forum events. sweatdrop I, myself, am right before the final boss and looking for a Virus Core C, while saving cash to buy the next game.
This chappie will also contain much introspectiveness, mostly so I can get a better grip on where Kite and Balmung stand in their thoughts of each other and how they're handling it. And much switching of point of views. So something that should take about...15 minutes or so takes up an entire chapter. Sounds like what I've heard about DB, an entire episode devoted to 5 seconds...-.-
Sorry to BlackRose lovers, I don't particularily like her...--''
Warnings: Boys love fluffiness, minor minor spoilers if you haven't played at least a few areas.
Oops, I made a mistake with the key on some of the previous ones...I used to have italics up for thought, but when I found that the site couldn't read my rtf files, I had to switch to italicless txt files, and forgot to change it in some. Sorry!
= Entering new areas, or time change, or POV change
blah = System Message
blah = Thought
Kite returned to The World slightly subdued, looking up to find Balmung sitting quietly on a stone, apparently thinking. The Descendant of Fianna looked up as his new partner snapped back to life, getting up. Seeing the mute look on the twin blade's face, he approached carefully.
"Bad news or something?"
The green haired boy seemed to snap back to life at that, shaking his head and looking up at the man. "No, no...I just got a lead on the girl I told you about, that gave me the bracelet. And dealing with Orca..."
Balmung seemed to understand, at least, nodding solemnly at his reference to his overall mission. Their mission, more like.
"Where's the girl?" he said delicately, looking down towards the boy and accessing his menu at the same time, to gate back to Mac Anu.
"BlackRose said she was spotted at (delta) Expansive, Haunted, Sea of Sand."
"Ah..."
Kite could see the bare beginnings of a grimace forming on his lips, altering his serene face ever so slightly. He turned away quickly, before he could be caught staring, and entered the codes to gate out.
"Let's go back, she's waiting at the Root Town."
He gated, surrounded by a veil of golden light, gazing upon Balmung half-fondly through the golden mesh of light.
I wish...
...He was watching me.
Balmung slowly blinked, and let the moment sink in, before gating out.
Kite looked out to the expanse of pure darkness -- it was always like this when one gated from one place to another. Usually there was a message on the screen showing location stats, time, many other things. But he had turned it off so he could think in the precious few seconds he had avaliable to him.
...I don't know what I wish for...
He sighed. Again, he went over the problem that had been bothering him. A minor problem, not technically a -problem-, but more along the lines of being a strange occurence, an unusual feeling.
He had found the source to be Balmung. Any idiot could see that much, with all that the man had done for him. What disturbed him was that he had caught himself looking for the man, yearning for him when he wasn't there, watching his movements just so he could. He found the man to have a uniquely pleasant personality, a relaxed and content spirit beneath his aloof and distant shell, a shell that seemed shed whenever he was alone with the younger boy. Even himself, even his own way of acting seemed to change -- Kite found himself saying the strangest things in his company, letting loose the deep thoughts that hid in the recesses of his mind. He found himself admiring him, aspiring to be with him more and more, shifting his own plans to get on when he could, always hoping, always praying...
He showed every symptom of love.
The thought scared him...
But at the same time, he could and would face anything, with the dark-eyed angel by his side.
They both arrived back at the Root Town simultaniously, giving away the fact that they had been training together before they gated back to Mac Anu, much to BlackRose's discontent. The young girl's smile dulled a little, but she still greeted Kite warmly and with the excitement of a new quest.
"Training with him -again-?" she said rather disdainfully, only giving the senior player a brief, bored glance. "Anyways, I just got the news, so the mystery girl might still be there. Let's go!"
It is notable that Kite was the only one invited to BlackRose's party, and Balmung only invited by Kite much to Blackrose's disappointment.
They warped as soon as they were done settling the party members, and headed for the mysterious area.
"...It's infected..."
The words were the first out of Balmung's mouth, his face slightly contorted into one of disgust. Everyone present knew of his distaste of hackers and those who destroy the game, and the slight fear that such things struck into BlackRose. Although the girl never did show it ever since that fateful day.
"Mm..." Kite nodded in reply, agreeing with the man and taking a few steps forward.
"Gyah...It's one of those living dungeons this time...I hate them. Oh well, let's just go." and with those words, BlackRose led the group to trudge on through the large, darkened field towards whatever dungeon may lie ahead.
"Eh...Balmung...Go on in, I need to talk to Kite for a second..."
Ah, one of...Those talks... Balmung thought a bit sadly. So she -does- like him...
"Ok, just don't come crying to me when you get no EXP for all the creatures I defeat."
I'll still hear though...Kite's carrying my spy, after all.
"BlackRose, what is it?" the twin blade said worridly. The girl never did something like this, but then again, she seemed rather pissed off.
"It's that guy. Balmung. I still don't trust him."
Well, that much is obvious. he thought tiredly. "Well, he's been helping me out, like Orca was before."
She peered at him suspiciously, before raising her eyes to his carefully. "Are you -sure- he isn't taking advantage of you or something? You're spending more time with an older guy than you should..."
Kite jumped back, blushing. "You...H...How could you think that!?!?"
...Does she know something?
BlackRose just glared darkly at the ground, before turning to descend the stairs into the dungeon.
Ah...
Balmung paced within the empty room, the enemies long since defeated and the treasures left unopened. He had no need of them, this being such a low level place.
So that's how he feels...
He kicked at the skeleton, which happened to be sitting innocently in one corner of the room. It shattered upon impact -- they always did, it put no fun into destroying it slowly. But its chaotic demise was soothing sometimes, esspecially while frustrated. Then he stopped, staring wide-eyed in the real world, watching the replay of the moment.
Did he...blush?
"Let's just go...!"
Kite sighed. His heavyblade friend wasn't all that happy for the rest of the trip through the dungeon, slicing things at random while showing little patience as her other two party members carefully sifted through the room for any unseen treasures. Meanwhile, Kite and Balmung chatted over the private message lines.
Message from Balmung: Don't worry about her, just avoid the girl...She must be PMSing or something.
Message sent to Balmung: Eh? And what makes you the authority on female motives?
Message from Balmung: Trust me...I had a few moody girlfriends a while back.
Message sent to Balmung: Who're you with now?
There was a strange pause after this question, unlike the others. They were passing through a treasure room, and even Balmung's avatar stopped for a moment before continuing the destruction of the various eggs.
Message from Balmung: Oh, just recently broke up with Heavy. You?
Message sent to Balmung: No one...Never liked any girls I came across.
"Hey, Kite...Why so quiet?" BlackRose said, pausing before entering the next room. "I mean, you're usually quiet, but not this much so..."
"Mm...It's nothing. Let's go, the Gott Statue should be ahead." he answered as softly as he always did.
The party walked through, to be faced with a large, nearly empty room. They all heard the sound of the exits being blocked -- no escape there -- and the sound of a magic portal activating. All of them switched to a battle stance, ready to face their foe...
Only Balmung was reletively unsuprised when a green glazed, sickly looking Headhunter appeared. But it's name wasn't -headhunter-...Instead, it was written in some weird, scrambled text.
"I thought so...Of course, this area was infected." Balmung said with a slight sneer in his tone and a light look of disgust. Being the senior member in a strange, boss-like situation, he took control immediately. "Kite, make sure you have enough SP to data drain the thing when you can. BlackRose, go attack it with me."
Each nodded, following orders. This headhunter appeared to be at an abnormally high level, taking chunks from the heavyblade's HP with each blow, whittling Kite's down even as he healed. BlackRose was the first to fall, even before the opposing creature could be Data Drained, leaving a ghostly image standing in the dungeon.
"Kite! Kite, I'm sorry, my sister, my sist-"
There was a blip of a player leaving the dungeon, with the reason behind it being "Crisis in Real World". Apparently, the system had allowed it, but it didn't help the rest, losing a party member.
"Arg! Why'd you have to leave -now- of all times!" the blademaster said in frustration, slashing even more viciously.
"We can make it...I think...Almost!" Kite weaved around, trying to land blows, before being struck in the face. The blaring alarm of 'HP Low' filled his ears, as he tried to recover.
Balmung rushed to his rescue, and before another blow could land, he blocked it. "Here. Just concentrate on doing that Data Drain."
It was then, that the clash of sound that indicated freedom from this invincible opponent sounded. Obliging gladly, eager to get out to see if the mysterioius girl was there, he held out his bracelet, and let it do its work.
Unlike with the minor opponents, data draining an infected enemy was different...It was much like the first time. Instead of getting a simple core, he got an obviously complex one, the strange letters and numbers of code drifting by him, unrecognizable. The cyberspace let him free, and he keeled backwards, catching himself, and let Balmung finish the job.
A single slash, that was all it took. Typical blademaster, with the flashy and powerful moves. Balmung of Azure Sky turned and offered a hand. "Let's get back, it's getting late."
Kite simply nodded, and took the offered hand, propelled up and awfully close to the older man. Before he could have much time to actually enjoy the feeling, they were swept up by the golden strands of words, and whisked back to Mac Anu.
Wow, that was very different from my usual writing...Is it getting better or worse?
And yes, it -is- different from what happened in the game. I made BlackRose ditch so that I could have something to work with. Hopefully you'll like it.
Please review!
Wheeee! Reviews!
Kitty Riku & SW: Hehe, yay! hugs Thank you so so much for reviewing me so diligently! worships You found my little Balmung being playful part
Azusasan: Balmung ish the ultimate .hack bishie! hugs plushie And yay! COOKIE! glomps
Crimson Rogue: You're very welcome! I made this fic just for little Balmung/Kite fans like myself who want to see more on the site
Cool-Kitsune: O.o insomnia? Sleep well...And here's what you wished for :D
Well, from here, I'm probably going to deviate from the storyline a lot more. (Minor warning of minor spoilers for the rest of this paragraph). I want (and so do you, probably) to focus on Kite and Balmung, so I'll be skipping over main parts like when Mia 'teaches about the bracelet' and Helba swoops in at random. Pretty much the only story I'll keep are important things about Aura and Protected Areas, and forum events. sweatdrop I, myself, am right before the final boss and looking for a Virus Core C, while saving cash to buy the next game.
This chappie will also contain much introspectiveness, mostly so I can get a better grip on where Kite and Balmung stand in their thoughts of each other and how they're handling it. And much switching of point of views. So something that should take about...15 minutes or so takes up an entire chapter. Sounds like what I've heard about DB, an entire episode devoted to 5 seconds...-.-
Sorry to BlackRose lovers, I don't particularily like her...--''
Warnings: Boys love fluffiness, minor minor spoilers if you haven't played at least a few areas.
Oops, I made a mistake with the key on some of the previous ones...I used to have italics up for thought, but when I found that the site couldn't read my rtf files, I had to switch to italicless txt files, and forgot to change it in some. Sorry!
= Entering new areas, or time change, or POV change
blah = System Message
blah = Thought
Kite returned to The World slightly subdued, looking up to find Balmung sitting quietly on a stone, apparently thinking. The Descendant of Fianna looked up as his new partner snapped back to life, getting up. Seeing the mute look on the twin blade's face, he approached carefully.
"Bad news or something?"
The green haired boy seemed to snap back to life at that, shaking his head and looking up at the man. "No, no...I just got a lead on the girl I told you about, that gave me the bracelet. And dealing with Orca..."
Balmung seemed to understand, at least, nodding solemnly at his reference to his overall mission. Their mission, more like.
"Where's the girl?" he said delicately, looking down towards the boy and accessing his menu at the same time, to gate back to Mac Anu.
"BlackRose said she was spotted at (delta) Expansive, Haunted, Sea of Sand."
"Ah..."
Kite could see the bare beginnings of a grimace forming on his lips, altering his serene face ever so slightly. He turned away quickly, before he could be caught staring, and entered the codes to gate out.
"Let's go back, she's waiting at the Root Town."
He gated, surrounded by a veil of golden light, gazing upon Balmung half-fondly through the golden mesh of light.
I wish...
...He was watching me.
Balmung slowly blinked, and let the moment sink in, before gating out.
Kite looked out to the expanse of pure darkness -- it was always like this when one gated from one place to another. Usually there was a message on the screen showing location stats, time, many other things. But he had turned it off so he could think in the precious few seconds he had avaliable to him.
...I don't know what I wish for...
He sighed. Again, he went over the problem that had been bothering him. A minor problem, not technically a -problem-, but more along the lines of being a strange occurence, an unusual feeling.
He had found the source to be Balmung. Any idiot could see that much, with all that the man had done for him. What disturbed him was that he had caught himself looking for the man, yearning for him when he wasn't there, watching his movements just so he could. He found the man to have a uniquely pleasant personality, a relaxed and content spirit beneath his aloof and distant shell, a shell that seemed shed whenever he was alone with the younger boy. Even himself, even his own way of acting seemed to change -- Kite found himself saying the strangest things in his company, letting loose the deep thoughts that hid in the recesses of his mind. He found himself admiring him, aspiring to be with him more and more, shifting his own plans to get on when he could, always hoping, always praying...
He showed every symptom of love.
The thought scared him...
But at the same time, he could and would face anything, with the dark-eyed angel by his side.
They both arrived back at the Root Town simultaniously, giving away the fact that they had been training together before they gated back to Mac Anu, much to BlackRose's discontent. The young girl's smile dulled a little, but she still greeted Kite warmly and with the excitement of a new quest.
"Training with him -again-?" she said rather disdainfully, only giving the senior player a brief, bored glance. "Anyways, I just got the news, so the mystery girl might still be there. Let's go!"
It is notable that Kite was the only one invited to BlackRose's party, and Balmung only invited by Kite much to Blackrose's disappointment.
They warped as soon as they were done settling the party members, and headed for the mysterious area.
"...It's infected..."
The words were the first out of Balmung's mouth, his face slightly contorted into one of disgust. Everyone present knew of his distaste of hackers and those who destroy the game, and the slight fear that such things struck into BlackRose. Although the girl never did show it ever since that fateful day.
"Mm..." Kite nodded in reply, agreeing with the man and taking a few steps forward.
"Gyah...It's one of those living dungeons this time...I hate them. Oh well, let's just go." and with those words, BlackRose led the group to trudge on through the large, darkened field towards whatever dungeon may lie ahead.
"Eh...Balmung...Go on in, I need to talk to Kite for a second..."
Ah, one of...Those talks... Balmung thought a bit sadly. So she -does- like him...
"Ok, just don't come crying to me when you get no EXP for all the creatures I defeat."
I'll still hear though...Kite's carrying my spy, after all.
"BlackRose, what is it?" the twin blade said worridly. The girl never did something like this, but then again, she seemed rather pissed off.
"It's that guy. Balmung. I still don't trust him."
Well, that much is obvious. he thought tiredly. "Well, he's been helping me out, like Orca was before."
She peered at him suspiciously, before raising her eyes to his carefully. "Are you -sure- he isn't taking advantage of you or something? You're spending more time with an older guy than you should..."
Kite jumped back, blushing. "You...H...How could you think that!?!?"
...Does she know something?
BlackRose just glared darkly at the ground, before turning to descend the stairs into the dungeon.
Ah...
Balmung paced within the empty room, the enemies long since defeated and the treasures left unopened. He had no need of them, this being such a low level place.
So that's how he feels...
He kicked at the skeleton, which happened to be sitting innocently in one corner of the room. It shattered upon impact -- they always did, it put no fun into destroying it slowly. But its chaotic demise was soothing sometimes, esspecially while frustrated. Then he stopped, staring wide-eyed in the real world, watching the replay of the moment.
Did he...blush?
"Let's just go...!"
Kite sighed. His heavyblade friend wasn't all that happy for the rest of the trip through the dungeon, slicing things at random while showing little patience as her other two party members carefully sifted through the room for any unseen treasures. Meanwhile, Kite and Balmung chatted over the private message lines.
Message from Balmung: Don't worry about her, just avoid the girl...She must be PMSing or something.
Message sent to Balmung: Eh? And what makes you the authority on female motives?
Message from Balmung: Trust me...I had a few moody girlfriends a while back.
Message sent to Balmung: Who're you with now?
There was a strange pause after this question, unlike the others. They were passing through a treasure room, and even Balmung's avatar stopped for a moment before continuing the destruction of the various eggs.
Message from Balmung: Oh, just recently broke up with Heavy. You?
Message sent to Balmung: No one...Never liked any girls I came across.
"Hey, Kite...Why so quiet?" BlackRose said, pausing before entering the next room. "I mean, you're usually quiet, but not this much so..."
"Mm...It's nothing. Let's go, the Gott Statue should be ahead." he answered as softly as he always did.
The party walked through, to be faced with a large, nearly empty room. They all heard the sound of the exits being blocked -- no escape there -- and the sound of a magic portal activating. All of them switched to a battle stance, ready to face their foe...
Only Balmung was reletively unsuprised when a green glazed, sickly looking Headhunter appeared. But it's name wasn't -headhunter-...Instead, it was written in some weird, scrambled text.
"I thought so...Of course, this area was infected." Balmung said with a slight sneer in his tone and a light look of disgust. Being the senior member in a strange, boss-like situation, he took control immediately. "Kite, make sure you have enough SP to data drain the thing when you can. BlackRose, go attack it with me."
Each nodded, following orders. This headhunter appeared to be at an abnormally high level, taking chunks from the heavyblade's HP with each blow, whittling Kite's down even as he healed. BlackRose was the first to fall, even before the opposing creature could be Data Drained, leaving a ghostly image standing in the dungeon.
"Kite! Kite, I'm sorry, my sister, my sist-"
There was a blip of a player leaving the dungeon, with the reason behind it being "Crisis in Real World". Apparently, the system had allowed it, but it didn't help the rest, losing a party member.
"Arg! Why'd you have to leave -now- of all times!" the blademaster said in frustration, slashing even more viciously.
"We can make it...I think...Almost!" Kite weaved around, trying to land blows, before being struck in the face. The blaring alarm of 'HP Low' filled his ears, as he tried to recover.
Balmung rushed to his rescue, and before another blow could land, he blocked it. "Here. Just concentrate on doing that Data Drain."
It was then, that the clash of sound that indicated freedom from this invincible opponent sounded. Obliging gladly, eager to get out to see if the mysterioius girl was there, he held out his bracelet, and let it do its work.
Unlike with the minor opponents, data draining an infected enemy was different...It was much like the first time. Instead of getting a simple core, he got an obviously complex one, the strange letters and numbers of code drifting by him, unrecognizable. The cyberspace let him free, and he keeled backwards, catching himself, and let Balmung finish the job.
A single slash, that was all it took. Typical blademaster, with the flashy and powerful moves. Balmung of Azure Sky turned and offered a hand. "Let's get back, it's getting late."
Kite simply nodded, and took the offered hand, propelled up and awfully close to the older man. Before he could have much time to actually enjoy the feeling, they were swept up by the golden strands of words, and whisked back to Mac Anu.
Wow, that was very different from my usual writing...Is it getting better or worse?
And yes, it -is- different from what happened in the game. I made BlackRose ditch so that I could have something to work with. Hopefully you'll like it.
Please review!