Author's Notes: Gomen nasai. I hate to do this here but I feel I must address some questions to put an end to certain speculations, if only for my own sanity. The first thing I would like to remind you all of it is that in the previous chapter, I referenced several spoilers from .hackDUSK. I might not have made myself clear, but these spoilers are restricted to the anime, not the manga. So if something happened in the manga that did not happen in the anime, you won't be seeing it in this particular story. Anime references only.

Secondly, if you would like to discuss events in "Wonderland" with me, please do so privately. I can't say that I will always explain myself, as all authors wield a certain artistic license, but if you have a guess about something that is happening, don't post it in a review. You might inadvertently be spoiling other reviewers.

Domo arigatou gozaimashite. Thank you.

Dedicated to Ren-kun and Jonathan-sama for being just awesome friends and authors.

Wonderland of My Own Making
Chapter Eight

An angel stood in the church courtyard.

A rather cranky angel anyway, or at least that had been BlackRose's private opinion, one she had muttered under her breath at her husband before plastering a smile on her face and greeting the Descendant cheerfully.

"Good morning, Balmung-sama," she mocked, stressing the respectful Japanese suffix and somehow giving it the completely opposite meaning. The angel's expression twitched. "It's always good to see some people never change."

"Indeed," he retorted, a simple lift of an eyebrow giving the word significance. BlackRose was left simmering as the Blademaster turned his attention to Kite. "Welcome back, Kite. It's been a long time."

Kite smiled. "Not so long for you I heard." At Balmung's confused look, the Twin Blade continued. "Shugo and Rena, we heard about them from Orca."

"And about your little position at CC Corp," BlackRose put in, hands on her hips. "What was that about? Changing sides, Balmung?"

"Not at all," he replied coolly, artificial sunlight glinting off pearly feathers as his wings lifted slightly. "I thought by becoming an Admin I'd be able to make The World safe for all users." A slight smile. "I was mistaken."

"What do you mean?" Kite asked curiously. Balmung tilted his head at him.

"I didn't have to have power to change things." He paused. "But then, you already knew that."

Kite answered with a nod, remembering the fight with Cubia and the feeling of helplessness after having BlackRose destroy the Bracelet. It had been his choice but the loss of it had made him vulnerable. He remembered thinking, would they be able to fight the last Phase without it? Would they end up coma victims? He felt a great sense of gentle pride as he looked back on that time, knowing that despite the long odds, they had pulled through using only the strength of their own wills.

"And now?" Kite asked softly.

Balmung smiled. "And now, I do what I can."

"We saw you fight with Brill that day," BlackRose said, adjusting her voice to the serious turn their conversation was taking. "What happened? Did you escape?"

For a moment, Balmung looked mildly offended that she had used the word 'escape' in conjunction with his name, the seemingly cowardly action unworthy of a Descendant of Fianna. But his expression eased as he read real worry in her crimson eyes and in the set of Kite's shoulders. His smile grew crooked.

"Let's just say we called a temporary truce," he answered, "We have fought many times, he and I, and will do so again. The only thing that changes is the setting."

Kite shifted. "And the price." Serious blue eyes gazed at the legendary Blademaster. "Orca told us what's been happening. The Moderators have gotten out of control and the System Admin is silent. There's no one to stand up for the Users." He would have continued but Balmung turned away, silver armor clinking as he moved, effectively cutting the Twin Blade off.

"I know what you're going to say, Kite, but it's not going to be like before. If you're going to fight for the Users, you might have to fight against them."

BlackRose's eyes widened. "What?"

Balmung's face was grim. "Did you see the crowd in Mac Anu the day I fought Brill? They were cheering him, pushing him to eliminate that Heavy Axeman. Sure, some probably felt it was wrong but were too frightened to say anything, but most of those have left The World in search of more relaxed games. Most of the Users that still come here are aware of the Mods dominating power and either don't mind it or don't care." His eyes darkened. "If you're going to join us with the notion that with a moving speech or two and a heroic battle with the Mods you'll bring peace to the Servers, I'm afraid I'll have to disillusion you. If it were that simple, we wouldn't need your help."

Kite's reply was both earnest and determined, bringing him a look of mild surprise from his partner. "I know," he said quietly. "This situation is completely different from anything either I or BlackRose have faced." He looked away for a moment. "I've been thinking about this decision a lot, we both have, and I have some conditions, but…" He exchanged a glance with BlackRose who nodded once. The Twin Blade met Balmung's eyes with clear honesty.

"We're with you."

"The Hideout", as it had been affectionately nicknamed, somehow managed to contain all the rebels of The World and still have space to breathe, the tiny room almost expanding and contracting as players came and went. Kite and BlackRose watched them all from their own corner, having had several reunions with characters excited to see them, the biggest surprise being the return of Sanjuro.

Apparently, Sanjuro had also been party to the events surrounding Shugo and Rena and had only been more than willing to reunite with Kite and BlackRose, the samurai giving the Heavy Blade a chaste peck on the cheek when he saw her and ruffling Kite's aqua hair as if he were fourteen again, both actions eliciting smiles from their recipients.

Perhaps less surprising was the fact that Sanjuro was Sasuke's mentor, a fact that explained the vaguely samurai influences in the Heavy Blade's appearance. The sun-haired boy greeted BlackRose with an exuberant hug, something Kite tolerated with an amused look, and actually bowed to the former Bearer of the Bracelet, his cheerful demeanor very reminiscent of his mother, Mistral.

"Mother's told me all about you," Sasuke told him confidentially, a grin on his young face. "Is it really true your joining us?"

"It is," Kite told him wryly. The Heavy Blade grinned.

"Wait until I tell her. She'll never believe it."

After that, there was a momentary lull wherein Kite tried to make a mental head count of the rebels, knowing of course that not all of them were present due to time differences, etc. Balmung, Orca, Sanjuro, Sasuke, BlackRose and himself, and then another member he was not familiar with, a black garbed Wave Master named Bith.

It was Bith who turned out to be the hacker.

"Ah, the famous duo, Kite and BlackRose," Bith said elegantly, a thin smile curving his lips. Kite stiffened at the sound of his voice, an immediate dislike rising within him. It was surprising, really, he was usually very comfortable when meeting new people, but this guy…

BlackRose seemed to have her reservations about the Wave Master as well, her head tilting as she gazed at him flatly. Bith's smile never faltered.

"I hope everything is alright with your characters. Your data was a little hard to retrieve." He chuckled lowly. "And I thought Helba had taught me everything." Kite blinked and BlackRose made a sound in her throat. Bith seemed amused by their reactions. "Oh, you didn't know? Well, why would you, we have never met. Helba no longer accesses the game but I find the rebel's cause to be just." He bowed, ready to move on. "Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you."

"Actually," Kite said, halting the other man in his tracks, "there is something I want to ask you." He nodded at BlackRose. "She has a strange mark there, just over her heart." Bith murmured a brief apology as he leaned towards BlackRose to see where Kite indicated. "It's not part of her original character. Do you know what it is?"

Bith was frowning. "I hate to say this, but I don't. I checked your files thoroughly for bugs or errors so I'm sure it's not dangerous. Waste data perhaps?" The Wave Master shook his head. "Whatever it is, it appears to be dormant. I'll have another look at your data just to be sure, but I wouldn't worry. It seems harmless."

He nodded to them both in farewell and Kite watched him go, trying to figure out just what it was about the man that he didn't like. He didn't have much time to contemplate it though because, next to him, BlackRose stiffened, her eyes reading something he couldn't see.

"What is it?" he questioned.

"It's Kazu," she answered, and he realized she was reading a FlashMail. "He wants to meet us." She seemed unsurprised by the fact that her brother was in The World and he shook his head, realizing she must have contacted him on her own.

"Now?" he asked, shifting on his feet.

"If we can get away," she confirmed, finally meeting his gaze. "He says he has good news."

Kite's eyebrows rose and he smiled. "Let's go."

Bursting Passed Over Aqua Field was cleared of monsters by the time they arrived, evidence of Kazu's boredom as he waited for them, no doubt. The moment the Wave Master laid eyes on them, he smiled, his whole face lightening up.

"Sis! Kenji!"

BlackRose reached out to ruffle her brother's hair. "It's good to see you, little brother," she said, her voice a little rough. There were tears in her eyes.

"Aaa," he said, nudging her affectionately with an elbow, "You're not going all mushy on me, are ya?" His gaze turned to Kite and he winked good naturedly. "You must be a saint to put up with her, Ken." That earned him a smack on the arm from his sister and he grinned. "Hey, hey, is that what I get after doing so much hard work?"

That drew Kite's attention. "Hard work?"

"Yeah, Sis asked me to look into things here after your incident with Brill in Mac Anu," he answered, leaning slightly against his staff. "I hadn't played for awhile, but I thought it might be interesting." His eyes glittered. "Since I'm relatively unknown it was pretty simple to learn what I wanted without raising too many eyebrows." His smile slipped into a wide grin. "And, boy, do I have a surprise for you."

"What?" BlackRose asked impatiently. Her brother stood up straighter, almost proudly.

"Guess who's going dungeon crawling with a certain Twin Blade named Dagger tomorrow?"

Kenji felt his digital jaw drop. "Dagger? You mean the Moderator, Dagger?"

"The very same."

BlackRose looked to Kite, her expression serious, a hard glint in her garnet eyes. He nodded to the unspoken question he saw there. She turned to Kazu, her tough, trademark smile a herald of the battle to come.

"Mind some company?"

To be continued…