Author's Note: Alright, so you all owe Renfro Calhoun for the lack of an extremely long, ranting author's note. Believe me, he saved your life.

Wonderland of My Own Making
Chapter Four

The moment the light died in his headset, Kenji tore it off his head, letting it fall carelessly to the floor as he turned to Akira, helping her take off hers, his hands tracing the features of her face worriedly.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded, seeming to be a little shaken as she sat her goggles in her lap, her dark eyes wide, one hand instantly covering the mound of her stomach. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and waited as she calmed, one of his own hands covering hers, feeling the baby move beneath them both. His wife took a deep breath.

"What happened?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. It seemed like… It seemed like the Moderator…" He rubbed the bridge of his nose, a sign of strain, and Akira leaned over and wrapped her arm around his neck, fitting her head into the dip of his neck and shoulder. He relaxed instantly, leaning his head against hers as he struggled to work out his own thoughts. Akira offered her own.

"That guy, the Long Arm, he said something about Balmung being a rebel," Akira said into his shirt, her words vibrating in his chest. "If he's standing up to Moderators then that would put him at odds with the System Administrator, wouldn't it?"

Kenji exhaled noisily. "I think so, but that seems so strange. It took a lot for Balmung to trust me and join sides with us in the beginning. He'd never do anything against the rules."

"Unless the rules are corrupt," Akira commented, and Kenji knew she was right. Had The World changed so drastically since they had played it? Had it become a place where players fought each other in Root Towns and Moderators erased those that stood up to them? "Do you think he's alright?" his wife questioned after a moment of silence. "If Brill has the power to delete unwanted characters…"

He smiled slightly. "He's managed to last this long, I think Balmung will be alright." He squeezed her hand. "We need to email Yasuhiko about this. If we're going to figure this out we'll need to meet with him."

"Promise me," Akira whispered determinedly, "Promise me you won't go without me."

Kenji leaned down to kiss his wife.

"I promise."

It was only later, as he lay almost on the edge of sleep, Akira curled into his arms, that he wondered if he would be able to keep it.

Akira had always been a bit of a sleuth. She liked untangling secrets and gathering hidden information. It was part of the reason she had gotten herself so involved with Kite back then, besides her brother's coma. She just couldn't help wanting to know more, especially when it came to something important to her.

It was a little strange then to find herself thinking about their experience in The World the night before. She had to admit that the game was no longer something that occupied a great deal of her life. She had done her part a long time ago and she had a life now, a good one, full of other priorities that were so much dearer to her. Of course, The World had brought her Kenji, she couldn't deny it, but she most certainly felt no responsibility towards the cyber universe. Her husband did, however, and perhaps that was why the experience was sticking with her. He wanted to do this so she would do her best because that was what who she was.

Besides, she was fairly certain he wouldn't get far without her. He wasn't much for research or playing detective. He left that sort of stuff up to her and she had enjoyed it, once upon a time. Unfortunately, it looked like those skills were going to be need again.

Akira sighed quietly and took a sip of her tea, setting the porcelain cup near her keyboard as she brought up her and Kenji's joint email account. The baby kicked her as she scrolled through their old messages and she hummed to it absently, finding the two emails from her family and opening them. A smile crossed her face as she heard her parents' voices in her head, both of them excited about the baby and offering ideas for names. Kazu's email was more teasing and she hit the "Reply" button with the intention of exerting her sisterly right to make his life miserable.

Then she got a better idea.

Keys clacked as she typed out the email, all the while wondering if her brother would still be interested. He might be if the situation turned out to be dangerous. Ever since his coma, Kazu had become something of a risk taker in his quietly rebellious way. Nothing so grand as jumping out of a plane or anything, but he definitely had acquired a taste for situations that required confidence. And Akira wasn't above calling in a favor. After all, he owed her one.

She hit the "Send" button with a certain satisfaction and then paused, remembering that Kenji had wanted to email Yasuhiko about what they had seen. She was sure he hadn't gotten a chance to before he had left for work that morning and she contemplated sending the email herself. It would probably be best coming from Kenji but if he wanted to meet his friend anytime soon, the email would need to be sent right away considering that they were some fourteen hours behind Japan.

Making a quick decision, she opened a new message.

From: Akira
Subject: Re: The World

Hello Yasuhiko!

I'm sure you're surprised that it's me writing you instead of Kenji, but I figured it would be best if we planned to meet sooner rather than later. We logged in to the game last night and I'm sure Balmung has told you that it wasn't exactly a warm homecoming.

What the heck is going on?

Kenji and I want to meet with you. Let us know when you can.

Your friend,
Akira

PS. Tell Balmung I hope he's in one piece or I'll be sorely disappointed.

Smiling a little to herself, she sent the email and sat back in her chair wondering how long it would take for Yasuhiko to get back to them. Hopefully not long. The weekend was coming and it would be the perfect time for a little game playing since Kenji would be home.

Moving her mouse up to close the email program, she paused as a new message notification suddenly blinked onto the screen. Frowning, she clicked on it and an unopened email popped into view.

With hesitation, she opened it and immediately paled. The words on the screen made her tremble with mixed anger and fear.

I've found you.

To be continued…