Coma
Kenshi stared out into the orange horizon. Cheetra sat next to him. They were on top of a small rock. Cheetra was the first to talk.
"So.. your friend was grabbed by this virus?" she asked modestly.
"Yah, he's trapped in "The World" now, and can feel everything, even pain, while his real self was sent hurdling into a coma. I hear that his condition is growing worse, and he might even die in the real world." Kenshi responded.
"That's so sad," said Cheetra; "Do you... Do you think that this is why Ryuoku wants to stop that virus? Does he even know about this?"
"Just barely,"
"Do you think that you should tell him? Don't you think that this is important?"
"Yah, I guess. But,"
"But what?"
"Don't you think this is important too?" He gave Cheetra a wry smile. She laid he head down on his shoulder, and they continued to stare at the horizon.
* * *
Subaru walked onto a small rock. She sat down on it and stared out into the sky.
"We used to come here all the time," she said to herself; "So, why aren't you here now? Why are you missing?" she stood up. "Why were you taken? Why?"
She walked over to the Chaos Gate, and gated out.
* * *
Ryuoku logged in to Mac Anu. Sharie was standing there, right in front of him.
"Sharie? Why are you here?" he asked.
"I'm here to..."
"To what?"
"To show you the way. The way to him."
"What are you talking about?"
The city walls began to break away into a black void as he said this. There was the familiar capsule with the familiar wavemaster in it. The girl appeared again.
"Won't you please help him? Please?"
The cat appeared, and knocked on the glass again. The wavemaster fell out. He slowly stood up.
"Help me. Please. Stop the being. Please. Dark, Hopeless, Crystal. Listen to these things and go! Go before it's to late! Please!"
He looked up, and the blue eyes glowed again.
* * *
Ryuoku logged in. Upset that, once again, he'd had another dream about that wavemaster. But something caught his eye. It was Sharie, standing right in front of him. She looked distressed.
"Sharie?" asked Ryuoku, almost cautiously.
"Ryuoku?" she answered; "It's you. There's something wrong though."
"What?"
"See that group of PCs over there?"
"Yah, what about them?"
"Their friend went to a field about half an hour ago, and he hasn't come back, and he won't answer his phone either."
"Could someone else be using the phone?"
"No, he lives alone,"
"How do you know all this stuff anyway?"
"I just talked to them. They say that there worried."
"Could he just be ignoring his phone? Or maybe the battles are tough, and he's to busy."
"But Ryuoku, he's a level 50 player."
"Your worried about that virus, aren't you?"
"Yes, I am."
"But why are you worried?"
"Because he sent back an e-mail out of fear, telling about some blue virus."
"What?!? No way!"
"Yes way."
"What are the Key Words?"
"Dark, Hopeless, Crystal."
* * *
Subaru walked on to the Mac Anu bridge. She stroked her hand over a certain tile.
"Where are you?"
She walked over the Chaos Gate, and warped to "The World" prison. She walked inside, and, no surprise, there was no Tsukasa. She walked back, and gated out.
* * *
The Key words struck Ryuoku like a hammer.
"Those are it?"
"Yah," answered Sharie; "Let's go!"
"Hold on. We're coming too,"
Sharie and Ryuoku turned around, and saw Kenshi and Cheetra standing right behind them.
"What?"
"You heard him," said Cheetra; "We're coming too."
"Are you guys sure? It might be dangerous," warned Sharie.
"I don't care. That virus hurt my friend. I could never let it get away with that," said Kenshi.
"Alright, let's go." Ryuoku finished the small talk, and they were on their way.
It was a blue, stonewall dungeon. Ryuoku slowly made his way to the second room, the others closely behind. The second room was nothing but a narrow rock-way with shimmering pieces of crystal flung everywhere.
"This is such a strange room," said Cheetra, admiring the crystal.
"Well, get used to it. I'm going to leave you, and the others behind," said Ryuoku.
"What?"
"No way!"
"Why?"
The others quickly shot out their responses, but Ryuoku had his mind made up. He couldn't risk there live by dragging them down into that horrible, virus-infested dungeon.
"If your leaving us here, then why did you bother taking us?" asked Sharie.
"I don't know, and I'm beginning to regret it," and with that, he started walking down the path, alone.
"I'm not gonna take that!" said Sharie. "I mean, what's the point of having a game, if not for fun?"
"Me neither," agreed Kenshi. "I'm going after him!"
"I'll just wait here," said Cheetra.
"Why?" asked Kenshi, looking slightly disappointed.
"Because, there can only be three in a party, and you two both want to go, so; I won't deprive you the experience." She smiled, and Kenshi and Sharie quickly departed.
* * *
"Maybe I shouldn't have went alone," said Ryuoku to the air as he crashed his ax against the sword of a headhunter.
"Your not alone!" cried Sharie as she jumped up to the beast and began swinging her huge sword wildly.
"Yah, there's no way we'd let you have all the fun!" yelled Kenshi as he bashed his middle sized sword on the huge beast's foot. It slowly perished.
"What are you guys doing here?" asked Ryuoku, who had never felt such a mix of relief, and anger before in his life.
"Well," started Sharie; "It looks like we just saved your skin!"
"Oh well," sighed Ryuoku; "Since you're here, you might as well come along. By the way, where's Cheetra?"
"She decided to stay!" answered Kenshi.
"Oh well, let's just-!" Ryuoku stopped in the middle of his words as a mock- cat player appeared.
"So, you are going to help him then?" the cat's mouth moved, but no sound came out. Yet, somehow, Ryuoku understood him.
"Yes, we're going to help!" answered Ryuoku.
"Ryuoku, can you hear that thing?" asked Kenshi.
"You mean you can't?"
"No they can't hear me, just you." The cat put to curled up paws over his mouth, and spoke again; "But sadly, the entity you are trying to stop, is trying to stop you!"
Ryuoku began a one-way conversation with the cat. "What are you talking about?"
"You and your friends are now targets of this entity by entering this dungeon, and sadly, one friend has already been infected!"
"Cheetra!?"
"I can't say," it said, folding its arms over its chest, sitting cross- legged in thin-air; tail wagging. "My name is Macha, don't forget it. Don't forget it at all."
"Tell me you face painted freak!"
It waved goodbye, and slowly faded into the background as a pool of blue virus fell upon to the floor.
It slowly took form of a menacing creature, over ten feet tall in height. It grew slowly bigger, and more massive and detailed. Flesh dripped off from the figure. It had many tentacles, and one reached out and slapped Kenshi into K.O. against a wall. It began moving, ever slowly, towards Ryuoku and Sharie.
"Hurry!" cried Sharie; "Virus Drain it!"
"I can't!" shot back Ryuoku as the thing grew closer. "I might hurt Kenshi!"
The looming thing got taller, and more hideous.
"Run into that room!" cried Ryuoku, pointing to the down stairs. They hastily ran as the looming thing got closer and closer to them.
In the next room was a strange woman in white. She held out her staff, as her blonde quills of hair began to wave in the wind. Ryuoku was slowly lifted off the ground, and into the air, then finally disappearing into the air like Macha did.
The creature blobbed into the room they were just in, and slowly melted onto the floor, turning the entire room white.
* * *
Kenshi sat quietly on the floor. Unconscious. He was badly bruised, and had scratches all over him. He didn't get a game over screen, like most people would. His short sword was adjacent from its case, lying uselessly on the floor.
He was propped, back up against the wall, as he slowly shifted, and opened his eyes. He rolled over to his hands and knees, eyes watering.
"It hurts," he said to no one; " It hurts so much," he finished, clutching his cheek. A tear slowly dripped down off his face, and onto the floor. The tear separated into a bunch of sparkling droplets when it hit the ground.
The sparkles turned into crystal shards, in the ground that Cheetra was still sitting on. She too was leaning against a wall, but in this case, a pillar. She looked up at the doorway down to the dungeon when she heard footsteps. They belonged to Kenshi.
They stood, and sat there for a while staring at each other. Cheetra view was obscured by the darkness. Kenshi slowly made his way out into the light, where Cheetra finally got a good look at him.
"Oh my god, Kenshi!" she cried, running towards him; "Are you alright? I didn't know that a PC could get like that!"
"Did you, wait for me?" asked Kenshi.
"Of course I did," responded Cheetra.
"The one in the coma," started Kenshi.
"Yes?" said Cheetra, surprised at the topic; "Please continue."
"The one in the coma, it was me!" he cried, and collapsed into her arms, sobbing from pain. Cheetra dropped her axe in surprise. She slowly embraced him. * * *
Subaru stared out into the open space, sitting on a familiar rock.
"Where are you, Tsukasa?" she broke into tears, and laid her head down on her knees. "Why can't I find you?" she choked through tears. * * *
Kenshi was still in Cheetra's arms.
"Does.. does it hurt?" she asked sincerely.
"Please, don't say anything. All of my life, I just wanted to be normal. But I always seemed to be the target for bullies, and other misfortunes. Please just keep this a secret. Just for a little while." He began sobbing again.
"But, you know we have to tell someone eventually, right?"
"Yes, but, just not now. Please."
"Alright. Just for now."
**REAL WORLD**
A patient was struggling to breath under a life support system. He was on a hospital bed, in a coma.
Doctors talked about his condition. One shook his head in sorrow. The others nodded agreement. They closed the door.
On the heart monitor, something was happening. It slowly went down, from sixty to fifty-eight. And it didn't stop.
**END**
Whoa! Kenshi is the on in the coma! Didn't see that one coming. Actually, yes I did. But enough of that. Just don't forget to review, and I won't forget to constantly update.
Kenshi stared out into the orange horizon. Cheetra sat next to him. They were on top of a small rock. Cheetra was the first to talk.
"So.. your friend was grabbed by this virus?" she asked modestly.
"Yah, he's trapped in "The World" now, and can feel everything, even pain, while his real self was sent hurdling into a coma. I hear that his condition is growing worse, and he might even die in the real world." Kenshi responded.
"That's so sad," said Cheetra; "Do you... Do you think that this is why Ryuoku wants to stop that virus? Does he even know about this?"
"Just barely,"
"Do you think that you should tell him? Don't you think that this is important?"
"Yah, I guess. But,"
"But what?"
"Don't you think this is important too?" He gave Cheetra a wry smile. She laid he head down on his shoulder, and they continued to stare at the horizon.
* * *
Subaru walked onto a small rock. She sat down on it and stared out into the sky.
"We used to come here all the time," she said to herself; "So, why aren't you here now? Why are you missing?" she stood up. "Why were you taken? Why?"
She walked over to the Chaos Gate, and gated out.
* * *
Ryuoku logged in to Mac Anu. Sharie was standing there, right in front of him.
"Sharie? Why are you here?" he asked.
"I'm here to..."
"To what?"
"To show you the way. The way to him."
"What are you talking about?"
The city walls began to break away into a black void as he said this. There was the familiar capsule with the familiar wavemaster in it. The girl appeared again.
"Won't you please help him? Please?"
The cat appeared, and knocked on the glass again. The wavemaster fell out. He slowly stood up.
"Help me. Please. Stop the being. Please. Dark, Hopeless, Crystal. Listen to these things and go! Go before it's to late! Please!"
He looked up, and the blue eyes glowed again.
* * *
Ryuoku logged in. Upset that, once again, he'd had another dream about that wavemaster. But something caught his eye. It was Sharie, standing right in front of him. She looked distressed.
"Sharie?" asked Ryuoku, almost cautiously.
"Ryuoku?" she answered; "It's you. There's something wrong though."
"What?"
"See that group of PCs over there?"
"Yah, what about them?"
"Their friend went to a field about half an hour ago, and he hasn't come back, and he won't answer his phone either."
"Could someone else be using the phone?"
"No, he lives alone,"
"How do you know all this stuff anyway?"
"I just talked to them. They say that there worried."
"Could he just be ignoring his phone? Or maybe the battles are tough, and he's to busy."
"But Ryuoku, he's a level 50 player."
"Your worried about that virus, aren't you?"
"Yes, I am."
"But why are you worried?"
"Because he sent back an e-mail out of fear, telling about some blue virus."
"What?!? No way!"
"Yes way."
"What are the Key Words?"
"Dark, Hopeless, Crystal."
* * *
Subaru walked on to the Mac Anu bridge. She stroked her hand over a certain tile.
"Where are you?"
She walked over the Chaos Gate, and warped to "The World" prison. She walked inside, and, no surprise, there was no Tsukasa. She walked back, and gated out.
* * *
The Key words struck Ryuoku like a hammer.
"Those are it?"
"Yah," answered Sharie; "Let's go!"
"Hold on. We're coming too,"
Sharie and Ryuoku turned around, and saw Kenshi and Cheetra standing right behind them.
"What?"
"You heard him," said Cheetra; "We're coming too."
"Are you guys sure? It might be dangerous," warned Sharie.
"I don't care. That virus hurt my friend. I could never let it get away with that," said Kenshi.
"Alright, let's go." Ryuoku finished the small talk, and they were on their way.
It was a blue, stonewall dungeon. Ryuoku slowly made his way to the second room, the others closely behind. The second room was nothing but a narrow rock-way with shimmering pieces of crystal flung everywhere.
"This is such a strange room," said Cheetra, admiring the crystal.
"Well, get used to it. I'm going to leave you, and the others behind," said Ryuoku.
"What?"
"No way!"
"Why?"
The others quickly shot out their responses, but Ryuoku had his mind made up. He couldn't risk there live by dragging them down into that horrible, virus-infested dungeon.
"If your leaving us here, then why did you bother taking us?" asked Sharie.
"I don't know, and I'm beginning to regret it," and with that, he started walking down the path, alone.
"I'm not gonna take that!" said Sharie. "I mean, what's the point of having a game, if not for fun?"
"Me neither," agreed Kenshi. "I'm going after him!"
"I'll just wait here," said Cheetra.
"Why?" asked Kenshi, looking slightly disappointed.
"Because, there can only be three in a party, and you two both want to go, so; I won't deprive you the experience." She smiled, and Kenshi and Sharie quickly departed.
* * *
"Maybe I shouldn't have went alone," said Ryuoku to the air as he crashed his ax against the sword of a headhunter.
"Your not alone!" cried Sharie as she jumped up to the beast and began swinging her huge sword wildly.
"Yah, there's no way we'd let you have all the fun!" yelled Kenshi as he bashed his middle sized sword on the huge beast's foot. It slowly perished.
"What are you guys doing here?" asked Ryuoku, who had never felt such a mix of relief, and anger before in his life.
"Well," started Sharie; "It looks like we just saved your skin!"
"Oh well," sighed Ryuoku; "Since you're here, you might as well come along. By the way, where's Cheetra?"
"She decided to stay!" answered Kenshi.
"Oh well, let's just-!" Ryuoku stopped in the middle of his words as a mock- cat player appeared.
"So, you are going to help him then?" the cat's mouth moved, but no sound came out. Yet, somehow, Ryuoku understood him.
"Yes, we're going to help!" answered Ryuoku.
"Ryuoku, can you hear that thing?" asked Kenshi.
"You mean you can't?"
"No they can't hear me, just you." The cat put to curled up paws over his mouth, and spoke again; "But sadly, the entity you are trying to stop, is trying to stop you!"
Ryuoku began a one-way conversation with the cat. "What are you talking about?"
"You and your friends are now targets of this entity by entering this dungeon, and sadly, one friend has already been infected!"
"Cheetra!?"
"I can't say," it said, folding its arms over its chest, sitting cross- legged in thin-air; tail wagging. "My name is Macha, don't forget it. Don't forget it at all."
"Tell me you face painted freak!"
It waved goodbye, and slowly faded into the background as a pool of blue virus fell upon to the floor.
It slowly took form of a menacing creature, over ten feet tall in height. It grew slowly bigger, and more massive and detailed. Flesh dripped off from the figure. It had many tentacles, and one reached out and slapped Kenshi into K.O. against a wall. It began moving, ever slowly, towards Ryuoku and Sharie.
"Hurry!" cried Sharie; "Virus Drain it!"
"I can't!" shot back Ryuoku as the thing grew closer. "I might hurt Kenshi!"
The looming thing got taller, and more hideous.
"Run into that room!" cried Ryuoku, pointing to the down stairs. They hastily ran as the looming thing got closer and closer to them.
In the next room was a strange woman in white. She held out her staff, as her blonde quills of hair began to wave in the wind. Ryuoku was slowly lifted off the ground, and into the air, then finally disappearing into the air like Macha did.
The creature blobbed into the room they were just in, and slowly melted onto the floor, turning the entire room white.
* * *
Kenshi sat quietly on the floor. Unconscious. He was badly bruised, and had scratches all over him. He didn't get a game over screen, like most people would. His short sword was adjacent from its case, lying uselessly on the floor.
He was propped, back up against the wall, as he slowly shifted, and opened his eyes. He rolled over to his hands and knees, eyes watering.
"It hurts," he said to no one; " It hurts so much," he finished, clutching his cheek. A tear slowly dripped down off his face, and onto the floor. The tear separated into a bunch of sparkling droplets when it hit the ground.
The sparkles turned into crystal shards, in the ground that Cheetra was still sitting on. She too was leaning against a wall, but in this case, a pillar. She looked up at the doorway down to the dungeon when she heard footsteps. They belonged to Kenshi.
They stood, and sat there for a while staring at each other. Cheetra view was obscured by the darkness. Kenshi slowly made his way out into the light, where Cheetra finally got a good look at him.
"Oh my god, Kenshi!" she cried, running towards him; "Are you alright? I didn't know that a PC could get like that!"
"Did you, wait for me?" asked Kenshi.
"Of course I did," responded Cheetra.
"The one in the coma," started Kenshi.
"Yes?" said Cheetra, surprised at the topic; "Please continue."
"The one in the coma, it was me!" he cried, and collapsed into her arms, sobbing from pain. Cheetra dropped her axe in surprise. She slowly embraced him. * * *
Subaru stared out into the open space, sitting on a familiar rock.
"Where are you, Tsukasa?" she broke into tears, and laid her head down on her knees. "Why can't I find you?" she choked through tears. * * *
Kenshi was still in Cheetra's arms.
"Does.. does it hurt?" she asked sincerely.
"Please, don't say anything. All of my life, I just wanted to be normal. But I always seemed to be the target for bullies, and other misfortunes. Please just keep this a secret. Just for a little while." He began sobbing again.
"But, you know we have to tell someone eventually, right?"
"Yes, but, just not now. Please."
"Alright. Just for now."
**REAL WORLD**
A patient was struggling to breath under a life support system. He was on a hospital bed, in a coma.
Doctors talked about his condition. One shook his head in sorrow. The others nodded agreement. They closed the door.
On the heart monitor, something was happening. It slowly went down, from sixty to fifty-eight. And it didn't stop.
**END**
Whoa! Kenshi is the on in the coma! Didn't see that one coming. Actually, yes I did. But enough of that. Just don't forget to review, and I won't forget to constantly update.