A/N: My Muse is kicking my arse today. Here is Chapter 2 of 'As Long as
I'm With You.' I didn't intend to write a second chapter but a couple of
people asked me to write a sequel and out of nowhere I was struck dumb with
inspiration, so here it is. I might even make a third chapter, depending
on reviews. Also, I'm using the same names I used in my story Broken.
Kite is Manari Sato in the real world, BlackRose is Kiri Kasumi. As
always, I don't own anything and suing me will get you nothing. Enjoy.
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As Long as I'm With You Chapter 2: Share My World
The young man found himself standing outside the two family flat located in the city of Yokohama, trying desperately to gather the nerve to knock on the door. He had no idea why he was so nervous. After all, his partner had asked him and several of their online friends to come to a wrap party she was throwing to celebrate the end of the crisis, but their last online meeting had ended with a very tender kiss that still made his cheeks burn. But this was the real world, and he wasn't sure what he could expect from himself or BlackRose.
Of course, that was another oddly confusing scenario that had unexpectedly developed. In his efforts to help her plan for the party, he had not gotten around to asking what her real name was, so he imagined how strange it would appear to ask her parents if BlackRose were home. Of course, all things strange had become something of a routine for him. The whole events of The World could hardly be considered within the realm of normalcy.
Checking the address on his hand written note for what seemed the hundredth time, Manari began shuffling his feet uneasily and turned his attention back to his watch realizing again that he was nearly an hour early for the party. Of course, when BlackRose had suggested the party, even before their last meeting, he had committed himself to being the first one to arrive.
Sighing deeply as he willed his feet to move him towards the door, he became suddenly aware that the nervousness in his stomach had somehow worked its way into his chest and made it rather difficult to breath. But even as he forced his feet to propel him forward, his hand moved on its own accord and the sudden knock at the front door brought him out of his self- mulling daydream.
The door slowly opened as Manari realized with sudden apprehension that the knot within his chest had now decided to migrate further north and found itself comfortably situated in his throat. A kindly smiling woman, around the same age as his own mother opened the door and for a moment, the young man thought he had come to the wrong house. The woman answering the door was American, and it took a moment for Manari to realize that BlackRose had once lived in America and had only come to Japan within the past couple of years. But he shook his initial confusion from his mind and stared at the still kindly smiling woman at the door, trying desperately to push the words past the nervous lump in his throat.
But the woman didn't wait for him to say anything before asking her own question. "Are you here for the party dear?"
"Uh...yeah." Manari said, relieved that his mouth was now working.
"Oh good, please come inside, I'll let Kiri know you're here." The woman said, stepping aside and allowing Manari to enter the home after slipping off his shoes. As she left to fetch her daughter, Manari became suddenly aware that the knot that had evacuated his stomach some time ago was replace with what he estimated as 2,000 butterflies.
He knew he shouldn't be nervous. This was his partner after all, and certainly what he would consider as his best online friend, maybe even his best friend period. All they had been through had been a fierce challenge, and they knew the only way they got through it at all was together. But that was the game; not reality...and he couldn't help but wonder what would come of this meeting between the two of them.
Of course, Manari didn't have long to wait as the woman quickly returned, followed by a girl a couple years older than himself. He knew immediately she was the player behind his partner as she looked surprisingly like the fiery Heavy Blade, minus the tattoos and bubblegum pink hair. Her hair was actually a dark brown, and she wore a yellow sundress that seemed to bring attention to her tanned skin.
The two of them stood silently in the entry of the quaint yet pleasantly decorated home, neither saying a word, but meeting each other's eyes with a silent understanding that spoke volumes. A smile tugged at the corner of the young man's face as BlackRose's player grinned openly at him, causing him to blush furiously. Her mother however had not missed the obvious connection these two shared and understood they were more than friends.
"So Kiri, are you going to introduce me to your friend?" Her mother said, causing both teenagers to jump lightly as they forgot she was still standing in the room.
"Oh, right," Kiri said before Manari could interject. "Mom, this is my friend Manari Sato. Manari, this is my mother."
"Manari?" Her mother eyed the young boy before her with a shrewd expression before speaking again. "So this is the young man you keep going on endlessly about. I was beginning to wonder if the boy really existed."
"Mother!" Kiri exclaimed, her eyes round and terrified at her mother's comments, her face glowing crimson as she turned her face shyly toward her guest before dropping her gaze to the floor.
Her mother merely chuckled lightly as she excused herself from the room.
"Uh..." Manari began, his mind desperately seeking to find some subject of conversation to talk their way out of the pit of embarrassment they found themselves in. "I know I'm a bit early for the party and everything...I just...well, I really wanted to come over and see you." He said, regretting the words immediately as his own face now glowed in embarrassment.
Fortunately Kiri was faster to resolve the situation. "Oh no problem. If you don't mind helping me finish setting up for the party...Kazu disappeared again. I know he's accessing The World from somewhere but I'm not sure where. Anyway, I could use a bit of help."
"Sure, what do you need?"
"Well," the young woman started, "We don't have enough room in our backyard, so I picked out a really great spot on the beach to have the party."
"You're having a beach party? But...but I didn't bring any swim trunks." He said, the blush returning to his face again at the thought of seeing Kiri in her own bathing suit and trying desperately to conceal his shock at the thought, knowing she'd quite possibly kill him if she knew where his thoughts were taking him.
"Don't worry, we're not having swim party, but the view is nice anyway. So, I mean, we don't get to talk much about...you know, our real selves. I was...well, I mean, if you don't mind, could I ask you some questions and stuff so we can get to know each other better?" Kiri asked shyly, not sure of her own daring.
"Yeah...I was thinking the same thing, but I wasn't quite sure how to bring it up. I can't lie to you and say your temper doesn't scare me at times." He said, playfully smiling at her, but she only frowned slightly as she turned her eyes toward the sand of the beach they walked upon that led to the spot of their party.
"Well, BlackRose isn't really me...you know? I just act that way online because, well I guess everything we had to face that was the only way I could cope with it all; to act tougher than I was. I hope you didn't think that was the real me."
He walked in silence for a few moments, weighing his words before continuing. He wanted to be careful, because even though they knew each other for the better part of nine months, this was a new stage in their relationship, and it seemed almost as if they were starting over from scratch. "Not really. I saw more of your personality, your real personality than I think any of our friends did. I think I was the only one you actually showed your fear to, but you know...that toughness you always show in The World, that's part of who you are also." He said, pausing a moment before bringing up his own question to ask. "Oh yeah, how did you know my name, and that it was me."
Kiri blushed deeper this time as she closed her eyes, thinking on how to respond before answering. "Well, I...I interrogated Orca until he told me. He told me what your real name was and other stuff, but you look so much like your character I knew it was you. Besides, Kite was always there for me when I needed him to be, so I sort of guessed his player would do the same."
"Yeah, I always will...Kiri." Manari responded, shyly saying her name but realizing how right it sounded coming from his lips. He reached his hand carefully outward and took her hand in his; amazed at how soft and warm it was, but even more amazed that she didn't pull away. He knew she had feelings for him, just as much as he had for her. But this was the real world after all, and he couldn't deny having some reservations about what their budding romance might mean. "So," he said, relieved as she tightened her grip on his hand. "You said Yasuhiko told you some other stuff about me. What did he say?"
Kiri grinned as she turned to face the young man, suggesting she knew more than he wanted her to know. "I'm not telling."
Chuckling lightly, Manari found himself at the location Kiri had obviously picked for the party. Several chairs, a cooler of soft drinks and an outdoor grill were all situated in a semi-circle facing the ocean. He had to admit she was right, this location was perfect.
Kiri pulled away from him, allowing her fingers to trail his as a last lingering touch before moving to the chairs and situating them a bit nicer. Manari moved to help her, and the two worked in silence for some time, arranging and organizing the area until it met her satisfaction.
"There, that should just about do it," Kiri said, taking a seat and staring into the ocean as Manari sat in the chair beside her. "Before everyone gets here Manari, I just want to say thanks for coming."
"You don't have to thank me, I wanted to come. That's why I got here so early. And if you don't have any objections or anything, I was planning to stay after the party and help you clean up." He said, turning to stare at the person who had been his partner online, and if he could have just one wish, he'd have her as his partner offline as well.
"I'd like that." Kiri smiled in a way that showed him all the similarities between the character BlackRose and the player sitting next to him. Reaching out, she took Manari's hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. The party was about to begin, the guests were about to arrive, but neither of them seemed to care. It was already a perfect night.
# # #
As Long as I'm With You Chapter 2: Share My World
The young man found himself standing outside the two family flat located in the city of Yokohama, trying desperately to gather the nerve to knock on the door. He had no idea why he was so nervous. After all, his partner had asked him and several of their online friends to come to a wrap party she was throwing to celebrate the end of the crisis, but their last online meeting had ended with a very tender kiss that still made his cheeks burn. But this was the real world, and he wasn't sure what he could expect from himself or BlackRose.
Of course, that was another oddly confusing scenario that had unexpectedly developed. In his efforts to help her plan for the party, he had not gotten around to asking what her real name was, so he imagined how strange it would appear to ask her parents if BlackRose were home. Of course, all things strange had become something of a routine for him. The whole events of The World could hardly be considered within the realm of normalcy.
Checking the address on his hand written note for what seemed the hundredth time, Manari began shuffling his feet uneasily and turned his attention back to his watch realizing again that he was nearly an hour early for the party. Of course, when BlackRose had suggested the party, even before their last meeting, he had committed himself to being the first one to arrive.
Sighing deeply as he willed his feet to move him towards the door, he became suddenly aware that the nervousness in his stomach had somehow worked its way into his chest and made it rather difficult to breath. But even as he forced his feet to propel him forward, his hand moved on its own accord and the sudden knock at the front door brought him out of his self- mulling daydream.
The door slowly opened as Manari realized with sudden apprehension that the knot within his chest had now decided to migrate further north and found itself comfortably situated in his throat. A kindly smiling woman, around the same age as his own mother opened the door and for a moment, the young man thought he had come to the wrong house. The woman answering the door was American, and it took a moment for Manari to realize that BlackRose had once lived in America and had only come to Japan within the past couple of years. But he shook his initial confusion from his mind and stared at the still kindly smiling woman at the door, trying desperately to push the words past the nervous lump in his throat.
But the woman didn't wait for him to say anything before asking her own question. "Are you here for the party dear?"
"Uh...yeah." Manari said, relieved that his mouth was now working.
"Oh good, please come inside, I'll let Kiri know you're here." The woman said, stepping aside and allowing Manari to enter the home after slipping off his shoes. As she left to fetch her daughter, Manari became suddenly aware that the knot that had evacuated his stomach some time ago was replace with what he estimated as 2,000 butterflies.
He knew he shouldn't be nervous. This was his partner after all, and certainly what he would consider as his best online friend, maybe even his best friend period. All they had been through had been a fierce challenge, and they knew the only way they got through it at all was together. But that was the game; not reality...and he couldn't help but wonder what would come of this meeting between the two of them.
Of course, Manari didn't have long to wait as the woman quickly returned, followed by a girl a couple years older than himself. He knew immediately she was the player behind his partner as she looked surprisingly like the fiery Heavy Blade, minus the tattoos and bubblegum pink hair. Her hair was actually a dark brown, and she wore a yellow sundress that seemed to bring attention to her tanned skin.
The two of them stood silently in the entry of the quaint yet pleasantly decorated home, neither saying a word, but meeting each other's eyes with a silent understanding that spoke volumes. A smile tugged at the corner of the young man's face as BlackRose's player grinned openly at him, causing him to blush furiously. Her mother however had not missed the obvious connection these two shared and understood they were more than friends.
"So Kiri, are you going to introduce me to your friend?" Her mother said, causing both teenagers to jump lightly as they forgot she was still standing in the room.
"Oh, right," Kiri said before Manari could interject. "Mom, this is my friend Manari Sato. Manari, this is my mother."
"Manari?" Her mother eyed the young boy before her with a shrewd expression before speaking again. "So this is the young man you keep going on endlessly about. I was beginning to wonder if the boy really existed."
"Mother!" Kiri exclaimed, her eyes round and terrified at her mother's comments, her face glowing crimson as she turned her face shyly toward her guest before dropping her gaze to the floor.
Her mother merely chuckled lightly as she excused herself from the room.
"Uh..." Manari began, his mind desperately seeking to find some subject of conversation to talk their way out of the pit of embarrassment they found themselves in. "I know I'm a bit early for the party and everything...I just...well, I really wanted to come over and see you." He said, regretting the words immediately as his own face now glowed in embarrassment.
Fortunately Kiri was faster to resolve the situation. "Oh no problem. If you don't mind helping me finish setting up for the party...Kazu disappeared again. I know he's accessing The World from somewhere but I'm not sure where. Anyway, I could use a bit of help."
"Sure, what do you need?"
"Well," the young woman started, "We don't have enough room in our backyard, so I picked out a really great spot on the beach to have the party."
"You're having a beach party? But...but I didn't bring any swim trunks." He said, the blush returning to his face again at the thought of seeing Kiri in her own bathing suit and trying desperately to conceal his shock at the thought, knowing she'd quite possibly kill him if she knew where his thoughts were taking him.
"Don't worry, we're not having swim party, but the view is nice anyway. So, I mean, we don't get to talk much about...you know, our real selves. I was...well, I mean, if you don't mind, could I ask you some questions and stuff so we can get to know each other better?" Kiri asked shyly, not sure of her own daring.
"Yeah...I was thinking the same thing, but I wasn't quite sure how to bring it up. I can't lie to you and say your temper doesn't scare me at times." He said, playfully smiling at her, but she only frowned slightly as she turned her eyes toward the sand of the beach they walked upon that led to the spot of their party.
"Well, BlackRose isn't really me...you know? I just act that way online because, well I guess everything we had to face that was the only way I could cope with it all; to act tougher than I was. I hope you didn't think that was the real me."
He walked in silence for a few moments, weighing his words before continuing. He wanted to be careful, because even though they knew each other for the better part of nine months, this was a new stage in their relationship, and it seemed almost as if they were starting over from scratch. "Not really. I saw more of your personality, your real personality than I think any of our friends did. I think I was the only one you actually showed your fear to, but you know...that toughness you always show in The World, that's part of who you are also." He said, pausing a moment before bringing up his own question to ask. "Oh yeah, how did you know my name, and that it was me."
Kiri blushed deeper this time as she closed her eyes, thinking on how to respond before answering. "Well, I...I interrogated Orca until he told me. He told me what your real name was and other stuff, but you look so much like your character I knew it was you. Besides, Kite was always there for me when I needed him to be, so I sort of guessed his player would do the same."
"Yeah, I always will...Kiri." Manari responded, shyly saying her name but realizing how right it sounded coming from his lips. He reached his hand carefully outward and took her hand in his; amazed at how soft and warm it was, but even more amazed that she didn't pull away. He knew she had feelings for him, just as much as he had for her. But this was the real world after all, and he couldn't deny having some reservations about what their budding romance might mean. "So," he said, relieved as she tightened her grip on his hand. "You said Yasuhiko told you some other stuff about me. What did he say?"
Kiri grinned as she turned to face the young man, suggesting she knew more than he wanted her to know. "I'm not telling."
Chuckling lightly, Manari found himself at the location Kiri had obviously picked for the party. Several chairs, a cooler of soft drinks and an outdoor grill were all situated in a semi-circle facing the ocean. He had to admit she was right, this location was perfect.
Kiri pulled away from him, allowing her fingers to trail his as a last lingering touch before moving to the chairs and situating them a bit nicer. Manari moved to help her, and the two worked in silence for some time, arranging and organizing the area until it met her satisfaction.
"There, that should just about do it," Kiri said, taking a seat and staring into the ocean as Manari sat in the chair beside her. "Before everyone gets here Manari, I just want to say thanks for coming."
"You don't have to thank me, I wanted to come. That's why I got here so early. And if you don't have any objections or anything, I was planning to stay after the party and help you clean up." He said, turning to stare at the person who had been his partner online, and if he could have just one wish, he'd have her as his partner offline as well.
"I'd like that." Kiri smiled in a way that showed him all the similarities between the character BlackRose and the player sitting next to him. Reaching out, she took Manari's hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. The party was about to begin, the guests were about to arrive, but neither of them seemed to care. It was already a perfect night.