Author's Note: Thanks for checking out this fic, everybody! This is my first .hack fanfic, so I hope you like it. Please leave a review if you can. It was just a random story I wrote after finishing all the chapters in the game. The final scene kinda inspired me. Which reminds me...
IMPORTANT: This fic may contain little tiny spoilers for those of you who haven't completed the .hack game series 100 percent. So, you have been warned.
Dedication: To Sam, forever and always.
My Sacrifice
In Sigma Sleepless Eternal Fallen Angel, were Mia and Elk – two friends bound together by fate. Together, they lay on the grass, watching the sky. Clouds blew across the pale-blue horizon, creating a calming environment for them both.
Elk smiled to himself as he watched the moving clouds. He was so happy to have Mia back after their recent unfortunate turn of events. Mia had been taken away from him by some forces in 'The World' he could not comprehend, and probably never would. All he knew was that she was back, and he was happy this way. But unfortunately, Mia had returned to him in an alarming state – all of her memories had been erased.
Hello my friend, we meet again,
It's been a while, where should we begin?
Feels like forever,
The only thing she seemed to remember was him. He never once questioned why – for inside, he was overjoyed that she had not forgotten him; even after all she'd been through. And since that day, since her reappearance, he had sworn to help her remember everything she once knew. He had promised to be with her always, and he was going to keep that promise, no matter what.
His mind still in the same relaxed state, his thoughts started to wander. What did he do while she was gone? He shook the thought away, trying not to think about it. As, during that time, he felt more lost than he had ever felt in his life. He was at a loss for things to do. The whole game seemed so pointless without Mia to trail after, without Mia to go on searches for Aromatic Grass with, without Mia playing practical jokes on other players… just without Mia. Those were his darkest days while playing the game, and it was even affecting him away from 'The World' as well. He always found himself thinking about her, whether online or off.
Within my heart are memories,
Of perfect love that you gave to me,
I remember,
He turned his head to see Mia's cat-like face just next to him. She too, was watching the sky, yellow cat eyes reflecting the thin white wisps of the clouds.
He sighed. Why couldn't this be real? He would have given anything to actually be there; to actually taste that summer breeze that was playing through this area; to actually hear the trickling water of the nearby Spring of Myst with his own ears; to actually see this peaceful scenery with his own eyes, and not through a piece of hardware; to actually smell the fresh scent of the grass they were lying on; and to actually feel Mia's hand in his.
For the truth was, he loved Mia more than anything. He loved her more than he loved the game itself.
When you are with me,
I'm free,
I'm careless,
I believe,
When he was with her in 'The World', nothing else mattered. It was only Mia he had to think about and that was all he wanted to, for as long as he lived.
Turning off the game was a nightmare to him. He never wanted to leave, and wished he never had to. It was as though he lived two lives – one away from the game, and one inside the game.
Outside, he thought of nothing else but of 'The World', and of Mia. He seemed to lose all will to do anything else but play the game. That was what his whole life revolved around.
Inside of the game, was where he truly lived. He devoted every second of his playing time to Mia. He had done since the day they had met. And now, she needed more care and attention than any time before. And of course, Elk was wiling to give her this support.
Above all the others, we'll fly,
This brings tears to my eyes,
My sacrifice"Hey, Mia! Look at this!" he said, sitting up sharply and picking a few blades of grass from a long clump near them. He held them out to show her. "Do you know what this is?" he beamed.
Mia sat up too, and looked at the grass in Elk's hands. "It's grass."
"Yes, Mia… it's Aromatic Grass!" he said, a smile still on his face, but eyes stinging with tears. "Can you remember… when we used to go to areas to find this? It was fun, wasn't it?"
Mia looked at him blankly, long ears twitching.
He clasped the blades to his chest when he received no answer, a large tear rolling down his cheek. "Please say you remember."
She searched through the fog that was now her memories, but try as she might, she remembered nothing. She shook her head gently.
Elk bit his trembling lip and cast his eyes to the grassy ground. "Oh, Mia…"
Everything fell silent for a few moments, Mia contemplating Elk carefully, who was staring at the floor, blades of grass pressed against his heart, tears rolling silently down his face.
Then suddenly, Elk felt Mia's arms around him. He lifted his head in surprise to find her holding him close. He let the Aromatic Grass fall to the floor and put his arms around her too. And there, in the field of Sigma Sleepless Eternal Fallen Angel, the two held each other tightly.
We've seen out share of ups and downs,
Oh, how quickly life can turn around,
In an instantElk tried to capture the moment, his tears of sorrow turning to tears of joy.
But, too soon, the moment was over, and Mia pulled away, to move over to the patch of Aromatic Grass. Elk watched her as she took a few blades of grass herself and held them close to her face. She took a long, deep breath before saying, "Smells good."
Elk grinned, wiping away his tears with the back of his hand. This reminded him of the first time they discovered Aromatic Grass. "Yes… yes, it does, doesn't it?"
Mia reached out and took Elk's open hand, and placed the grass gently in his palm. Gently, she closed his fingers around it. "You can have this."
"Oh… um… thank you." He smiled to her. "I shall keep this forever."
"Yes. For your collection." Mia said, regarding him with her yellow optics.
It feels so good to reunite,
Within yourself, and within your mind,
Let's find peace there
Elk nodded, still grinning happily, eyes shining. "Mia, I…"
Mia tilted her head to one side and gave him a confused look as he broke off.
"Never mind." He said, holding out his hand to her. "Shall we go back now?"
She nodded, taking his hand in hers.
"Let's go." He said, and together, they gated out.
Emily Nash-Medlyn
Tuesday 4th January