Disclaimer: Ok, I don't own .hack or anything from it save the characters
I have created. Bandai owns the rest.
PG-13: I could probably get away with PG, but not sure just how violent it might get later, so better to be safe.
Author's Comment: So you know, all areas mentioned can be reached in the game and are to a great degree accurate.
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Sitting behind the Grunty Shop in Dun Loireag with her head buried in her arms, Mycinity continued to cry as she had been doing for the last hour and a half. Why, that was the only question that ran through her mind, despite the fragmentation of that question. Why had Kite rejected her? Why didn't he want her? Why had he given her his Member Address despite that? The list went on and on.
None of it really did make sense to her, and that was perhaps the worst part about it all. She had no answers. Both Barricade and KenRyu had been along trying to cheer her up, to get her mind off this, but she'd sent them both away, probably harsher than they deserved, but she just didn't care. Too bad she had no answers.
Well, actually she did sort of have an answer, although it was really more like a suspicion. Kite would have wanted to be with her if it wasn't for that Ganguro girl, that. . . BlackRose was what he called her? Yes, she was by far the cause of all her problems with Kite, and the way she treated him was just. . . evil. What could Kite possibly see in some rude, obnoxious, boisterous girl? Didn't he like sweet girls?
That thought hit a painful mark, one she remembered too well. Maybe she was too sweet. Sometimes a girl could be so sweet, loving, and affectionate that she scares the guy off. That had been what her last boyfriend had told her after all, and he'd done it all with a smile on his face as if it had been all for the best, as if he couldn't see the pain in her heart that he was causing with each word he spoke as the break up had ensued. Men were just like that at times too, a girl's personality be damned, just so long as she has a nice rack, a toothpick waist, and a hot ass. Oh, and she had to be willing to let him have her too. If the girl had that, who cared about a personality.
It was something that Mycinity had noticed when she got to high school, and it was then that so many of the stories she'd heard in her youth of how nice sweet girls got to have their dashing samurai warrior; why her mother liked to always make the charming hero a samurai warrior had been beyond her but that's how they were, died. Her real life figure wasn't really so bad, she was thin and athletic after all, although all her girlfriends had bigger chests. Not that hers was small or bad; she had to keep telling herself that. Still, all her girlfriends also had guys of their own, almost no one ever asked her out, and even then it was only for dubious reasons.
That had been when her older brother, Kenji, had introduced her to 'The World' she found a new kind of place. To her, 'The World' was a place where appearances didn't matter, it was all about who you were inside that counted, because everyone looked cool. Kite though, he had just shown up out of nowhere, swooping in to save her just like all the stories her mother had told when she was little. True he wasn't a samurai, at least not in the game anyway, but that was her mother's fetish, not her own.
Wiping away tears as they continued to pour down her face, Mycinity sniffled as her mind fought about what she had to do. Maybe Barricade and SM Slayer had been right, perhaps Kite didn't really like her too much. His level was so much higher than hers, and the way he always seemed to have something weighing on his mind, like the very future of 'The World' rested on his shoulders. Yeah, that was a good joke, like Kite was the only one capable of fixing all the problems this virus had created. He was definitely powerful and influential, he knew Balmung quite well after all, and was her own savior, but the lone possible savior of 'The World' was pushing it.
But then if Kite didn't like her, why had he given her his Member Address? For someone like him, it didn't make sense to give a Member Address to someone he didn't like. Sure Wakizashi had given his to her a little more willingly and forward than Mycinity would have done, and Elnon had practically forced his on her and Barricade when they met him on their second time in 'The World', but those were exceptions.
So, that meant that Kite actually DID like her. It was the most likely, and logical explanation, and Occums Razor dictated that with all things being equal, the simplest explanation was most likely the truth. The tears began to reside now as this warm new thought passed through her like a soothing summer breeze under the falling cherry blossoms. There was still hope that she could be with him, that she could prove to her gallant knight that his nasty Ganguro girl wasn't right for him and would only cause him stress. She'd show him how good she could be for him, how much she admired and cared about him. Everyone would know, and then, once that was taken care of, she'd teach that evil BlackRose a lesson for ever being mean to her Kite like that. No, not 'her' Kite, well, at least not just yet.
The tears gone now, Mycinity stood up and gave off a small, giggly smile. She had work to do, and that meant getting in touch with Elnon, even if she wasn't exactly keen on it. Still, if that ass gave her any trouble, she'd just smack him from Mac Anu to Fort Ouph, and forget to provide a parachute. That was a funny idea though.
She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't notice a tall Wavemaster clad in exotic black robes hovering in the distance watching her, or the contorted brow he wore as he sneered off in her direction before warping away.
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"So that's it, all we found there was another strange room with more of the Epitaph of Twilight. You didn't miss anything really. BlackRose, please don't be mad."
Standing in front of him with her arms folded, BlackRose flicked her head up to the side with contempt as Kite continued to plead with her to not be so mad. Sneering at him, BlackRose replied, "Don't be mad? Why SHOULDN'T I be mad? You two left without taking me along to what could have been a very important location. Hell, if Wiseman can ever sort out the entire Epitaph of Twilight then that piece is a big clue! I thought we were partners!"
"We are, but it was just that Balmung thought-"
"Oh, so now it's all about what 'Balmung of the Azure Sky, the Descendent of Fianna' thinks huh?" Kite gulped at BlackRose's Balmung impression, and moved to reply, but BlackRose simply went on. "It's all Balmung this and Balmung that. Why even bother with me anymore, sounds like you'd rather have him as your partner."
With that BlackRose turned her back on him and began to walk off. As she did, Kite took a deep breath and replied, "That's not true! We only left without you so that we didn't have to worry about the System Administrators blocking off the area. It's not always easy getting the right Virus Cores, and for that I have to. . ."
BlackRose had halted by now, and just stood there listening to him. "BlackRose, I HATE using Data Drain. I know it's necessary, but every time I use it the memory of Orca. . . and of what I might end up doing to someone else if I make a mistake. . . it just really weighs on me. You're my partner, not because of your skill, or because you're legendary, or anything like that. You're my partner because without you I wouldn't have made it this far. So please, don't be mad, I don't know if I can keep doing this without you."
Turning around to face him, BlackRose wrapped her arms around behind her, thumbs twiddling, head lowered. Sniffing away a small tear, she replied, voice far lower and back to normal. "Kite I. . . I'm sorry. I didn't really think about how much that bracelet might be hurting you. It's just that well. . . I don't know, I'm not good at this. Just promise me that next time you'll wait for me, after all, you might need my help."
Smiling, Kite nodded. "I promise." Walking up to her and placing his hand on her shoulder, Kite waited until she lifted up her head before continuing. "We all have our reasons for doing this, it's just that for you, me, and Balmung the reasons are the same. Balmung and I want to help Orca and to restore this world to what it was, and you want to help your brother and restore this world too. I guess sometimes it's just easy to get caught up in those goals and forget about how everyone else feels, and that we need to be here for each other as well."
Smiling back at him for a long moment, searching his blue, cybernetic eyes for some sign that logic told her she would never find, as just transition wasn't capable online, her heart at least felt she could find it. Then the moment was over and she stepped back. "Hey, since when did you get so philosophical?"
Laughing, Kite simply gave her a smiley. Normally that would have gotten a slightly irritating reaction out of BlackRose, but this time she simply blushed lightly and gave him a smiley back. "So," she finally asked, "what now?"
The smile leaving his face, Kite's expression returned to that of pure business as he thought for a moment. "I don't know, I guess we just wait for another lead to pop up, or for Helba or Lios to tell us something."
A light growl escaped BlackRose's lips at the mention of the system administrator. "Grrr, why do we have to listen to that pighead anyway? He treats us like kids, and never tells us anything. It's like he just wants us to do his dirty work, then tells us to stop whenever we start getting close to an answer."
"Pighead huh? Now you're impersonating Helba. Besides, Lios isn't all that bad. Anyway, Helba doesn't treat us all that much better, and at least with Lios we know what he's after."
"I guess. Still, I'd love to just knock him for one sometime."
Chuckling at that, Kite began to move off towards the bridge that led to the item shop. "Come on, let's go get a few items, I'm running low. After that we can go to the Elf Haven, I got a cool piece of armor you'll like."
"Really!? Wow, thanks. Let's go." The pair then began moving off down the streets of Fort Ouph side by side. As they did, Kite slipped his Spectre Blades back into their sheaths and reached out to take BlackRose's left hand in his right, their fingers intertwining. Kite waited for her to react as they continued along the bridge, but no reaction came. BlackRose's smile simply broadened. Letting out a soft breath, Kite looked back ahead towards the Item Shop. For a moment he'd thought of mentioning the whole event with Mycinity to her, but his gut told him otherwise. Things were good just now, and Kite didn't need another misunderstanding.
Meanwhile, as the pair walked, a tall, skinny Long Arm watched on with interest. At first SM Slayer had thought the girl with Kite had been Mycinity, but further observation had revealed otherwise. This might just be a good thing, and save him the trouble of having to deal with Kite. He had come here hoping to find the young Twin Blade and set him straight, but he wasn't about to do so with that Heavy Blade there as well. Soon, sometime soon he'd talk to Kite and get this whole mess fixed.
Checking the time now, SM Slayer cursed to himself. He had to get going, it was his weekend to see his eighteen month old daughter, and his ex so hated it when he was late, and while the reverse was also true, he didn't yell as much as she did when she showed up late. With that, he logged out.
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Author's Notes: Well this one is shorter than the last few have been, but then it's gotten out a lot quicker too. Strange lack of reviews on the last chapter, so maybe another one will get some reviews coming in. After all, it is the reviews that motivate me to keep writing more often.
This chapter was more to give you all some background on a few of the characters, and to set up some events in the next few chapters. Also note, my guess is that in about two chapters, we'll get to see Gardenia, and maybe either Natsume or Ryoko, haven't decided which just yet.
Anyway, enjoy, and don't forget to review since I may not post until I get a few more in.
PG-13: I could probably get away with PG, but not sure just how violent it might get later, so better to be safe.
Author's Comment: So you know, all areas mentioned can be reached in the game and are to a great degree accurate.
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Sitting behind the Grunty Shop in Dun Loireag with her head buried in her arms, Mycinity continued to cry as she had been doing for the last hour and a half. Why, that was the only question that ran through her mind, despite the fragmentation of that question. Why had Kite rejected her? Why didn't he want her? Why had he given her his Member Address despite that? The list went on and on.
None of it really did make sense to her, and that was perhaps the worst part about it all. She had no answers. Both Barricade and KenRyu had been along trying to cheer her up, to get her mind off this, but she'd sent them both away, probably harsher than they deserved, but she just didn't care. Too bad she had no answers.
Well, actually she did sort of have an answer, although it was really more like a suspicion. Kite would have wanted to be with her if it wasn't for that Ganguro girl, that. . . BlackRose was what he called her? Yes, she was by far the cause of all her problems with Kite, and the way she treated him was just. . . evil. What could Kite possibly see in some rude, obnoxious, boisterous girl? Didn't he like sweet girls?
That thought hit a painful mark, one she remembered too well. Maybe she was too sweet. Sometimes a girl could be so sweet, loving, and affectionate that she scares the guy off. That had been what her last boyfriend had told her after all, and he'd done it all with a smile on his face as if it had been all for the best, as if he couldn't see the pain in her heart that he was causing with each word he spoke as the break up had ensued. Men were just like that at times too, a girl's personality be damned, just so long as she has a nice rack, a toothpick waist, and a hot ass. Oh, and she had to be willing to let him have her too. If the girl had that, who cared about a personality.
It was something that Mycinity had noticed when she got to high school, and it was then that so many of the stories she'd heard in her youth of how nice sweet girls got to have their dashing samurai warrior; why her mother liked to always make the charming hero a samurai warrior had been beyond her but that's how they were, died. Her real life figure wasn't really so bad, she was thin and athletic after all, although all her girlfriends had bigger chests. Not that hers was small or bad; she had to keep telling herself that. Still, all her girlfriends also had guys of their own, almost no one ever asked her out, and even then it was only for dubious reasons.
That had been when her older brother, Kenji, had introduced her to 'The World' she found a new kind of place. To her, 'The World' was a place where appearances didn't matter, it was all about who you were inside that counted, because everyone looked cool. Kite though, he had just shown up out of nowhere, swooping in to save her just like all the stories her mother had told when she was little. True he wasn't a samurai, at least not in the game anyway, but that was her mother's fetish, not her own.
Wiping away tears as they continued to pour down her face, Mycinity sniffled as her mind fought about what she had to do. Maybe Barricade and SM Slayer had been right, perhaps Kite didn't really like her too much. His level was so much higher than hers, and the way he always seemed to have something weighing on his mind, like the very future of 'The World' rested on his shoulders. Yeah, that was a good joke, like Kite was the only one capable of fixing all the problems this virus had created. He was definitely powerful and influential, he knew Balmung quite well after all, and was her own savior, but the lone possible savior of 'The World' was pushing it.
But then if Kite didn't like her, why had he given her his Member Address? For someone like him, it didn't make sense to give a Member Address to someone he didn't like. Sure Wakizashi had given his to her a little more willingly and forward than Mycinity would have done, and Elnon had practically forced his on her and Barricade when they met him on their second time in 'The World', but those were exceptions.
So, that meant that Kite actually DID like her. It was the most likely, and logical explanation, and Occums Razor dictated that with all things being equal, the simplest explanation was most likely the truth. The tears began to reside now as this warm new thought passed through her like a soothing summer breeze under the falling cherry blossoms. There was still hope that she could be with him, that she could prove to her gallant knight that his nasty Ganguro girl wasn't right for him and would only cause him stress. She'd show him how good she could be for him, how much she admired and cared about him. Everyone would know, and then, once that was taken care of, she'd teach that evil BlackRose a lesson for ever being mean to her Kite like that. No, not 'her' Kite, well, at least not just yet.
The tears gone now, Mycinity stood up and gave off a small, giggly smile. She had work to do, and that meant getting in touch with Elnon, even if she wasn't exactly keen on it. Still, if that ass gave her any trouble, she'd just smack him from Mac Anu to Fort Ouph, and forget to provide a parachute. That was a funny idea though.
She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't notice a tall Wavemaster clad in exotic black robes hovering in the distance watching her, or the contorted brow he wore as he sneered off in her direction before warping away.
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"So that's it, all we found there was another strange room with more of the Epitaph of Twilight. You didn't miss anything really. BlackRose, please don't be mad."
Standing in front of him with her arms folded, BlackRose flicked her head up to the side with contempt as Kite continued to plead with her to not be so mad. Sneering at him, BlackRose replied, "Don't be mad? Why SHOULDN'T I be mad? You two left without taking me along to what could have been a very important location. Hell, if Wiseman can ever sort out the entire Epitaph of Twilight then that piece is a big clue! I thought we were partners!"
"We are, but it was just that Balmung thought-"
"Oh, so now it's all about what 'Balmung of the Azure Sky, the Descendent of Fianna' thinks huh?" Kite gulped at BlackRose's Balmung impression, and moved to reply, but BlackRose simply went on. "It's all Balmung this and Balmung that. Why even bother with me anymore, sounds like you'd rather have him as your partner."
With that BlackRose turned her back on him and began to walk off. As she did, Kite took a deep breath and replied, "That's not true! We only left without you so that we didn't have to worry about the System Administrators blocking off the area. It's not always easy getting the right Virus Cores, and for that I have to. . ."
BlackRose had halted by now, and just stood there listening to him. "BlackRose, I HATE using Data Drain. I know it's necessary, but every time I use it the memory of Orca. . . and of what I might end up doing to someone else if I make a mistake. . . it just really weighs on me. You're my partner, not because of your skill, or because you're legendary, or anything like that. You're my partner because without you I wouldn't have made it this far. So please, don't be mad, I don't know if I can keep doing this without you."
Turning around to face him, BlackRose wrapped her arms around behind her, thumbs twiddling, head lowered. Sniffing away a small tear, she replied, voice far lower and back to normal. "Kite I. . . I'm sorry. I didn't really think about how much that bracelet might be hurting you. It's just that well. . . I don't know, I'm not good at this. Just promise me that next time you'll wait for me, after all, you might need my help."
Smiling, Kite nodded. "I promise." Walking up to her and placing his hand on her shoulder, Kite waited until she lifted up her head before continuing. "We all have our reasons for doing this, it's just that for you, me, and Balmung the reasons are the same. Balmung and I want to help Orca and to restore this world to what it was, and you want to help your brother and restore this world too. I guess sometimes it's just easy to get caught up in those goals and forget about how everyone else feels, and that we need to be here for each other as well."
Smiling back at him for a long moment, searching his blue, cybernetic eyes for some sign that logic told her she would never find, as just transition wasn't capable online, her heart at least felt she could find it. Then the moment was over and she stepped back. "Hey, since when did you get so philosophical?"
Laughing, Kite simply gave her a smiley. Normally that would have gotten a slightly irritating reaction out of BlackRose, but this time she simply blushed lightly and gave him a smiley back. "So," she finally asked, "what now?"
The smile leaving his face, Kite's expression returned to that of pure business as he thought for a moment. "I don't know, I guess we just wait for another lead to pop up, or for Helba or Lios to tell us something."
A light growl escaped BlackRose's lips at the mention of the system administrator. "Grrr, why do we have to listen to that pighead anyway? He treats us like kids, and never tells us anything. It's like he just wants us to do his dirty work, then tells us to stop whenever we start getting close to an answer."
"Pighead huh? Now you're impersonating Helba. Besides, Lios isn't all that bad. Anyway, Helba doesn't treat us all that much better, and at least with Lios we know what he's after."
"I guess. Still, I'd love to just knock him for one sometime."
Chuckling at that, Kite began to move off towards the bridge that led to the item shop. "Come on, let's go get a few items, I'm running low. After that we can go to the Elf Haven, I got a cool piece of armor you'll like."
"Really!? Wow, thanks. Let's go." The pair then began moving off down the streets of Fort Ouph side by side. As they did, Kite slipped his Spectre Blades back into their sheaths and reached out to take BlackRose's left hand in his right, their fingers intertwining. Kite waited for her to react as they continued along the bridge, but no reaction came. BlackRose's smile simply broadened. Letting out a soft breath, Kite looked back ahead towards the Item Shop. For a moment he'd thought of mentioning the whole event with Mycinity to her, but his gut told him otherwise. Things were good just now, and Kite didn't need another misunderstanding.
Meanwhile, as the pair walked, a tall, skinny Long Arm watched on with interest. At first SM Slayer had thought the girl with Kite had been Mycinity, but further observation had revealed otherwise. This might just be a good thing, and save him the trouble of having to deal with Kite. He had come here hoping to find the young Twin Blade and set him straight, but he wasn't about to do so with that Heavy Blade there as well. Soon, sometime soon he'd talk to Kite and get this whole mess fixed.
Checking the time now, SM Slayer cursed to himself. He had to get going, it was his weekend to see his eighteen month old daughter, and his ex so hated it when he was late, and while the reverse was also true, he didn't yell as much as she did when she showed up late. With that, he logged out.
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Author's Notes: Well this one is shorter than the last few have been, but then it's gotten out a lot quicker too. Strange lack of reviews on the last chapter, so maybe another one will get some reviews coming in. After all, it is the reviews that motivate me to keep writing more often.
This chapter was more to give you all some background on a few of the characters, and to set up some events in the next few chapters. Also note, my guess is that in about two chapters, we'll get to see Gardenia, and maybe either Natsume or Ryoko, haven't decided which just yet.
Anyway, enjoy, and don't forget to review since I may not post until I get a few more in.