.hack//SOUL -- .hack//Destination of a Soul

Disclaimer: I do not own .hack//SIGN or any of the characters in the anime series. This is just a fan fic based AFTER the series, that's all.

Okay. Thank you to those to reviewed, it was an inspiration to write Chapter 1 right away. If you find anything confusing at all in the fic, please write it in the review, or email me at hikari@nefertimon.i-p.com.

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Writing Back to Reviewers:

Doktor Rhyste:

It surprised most of us that the World was re-established, it was even more surprising from the small time it took for it to be reborn. It had new scenery, new games, and new characters. We never would look the same as we did before, which scared me.

That is _VERY_ incorrect: Helba drops the data on the game server known as Net Slum, like... erases it's existence from the game ONLY. She doesn't destroy the entire game, the game doesn't get shut down, Tsukasa and everyone else is FORCED to log out of The World after Helba drops the field: she even says, "I'M ERASING THE FIELD," not, "I'M DESTROYING THE WORLD."

Aggie:

Thanks for that message, I would have to explain that sooner or later. In what you typed from my story, I did not mention anything about Helba or about her "destroying" the World. As a fan fic writer I'm going to have to add a few new things, but you are right. If you really want to know why I wrote about the World being re-established, I suggest you keep reading my fic. I should've explained that a bit better. My fault. Thank you.

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Before you read chapter 1, I just wanna put a bit of information here. I added the names of places in the World, so if you get confused, just read here what each place is:

Mac Anu – the field where Subaru and her Knights usually are. A big town with roads and rivers.

Dona Roriak – The 'central' area of the World. A good meeting place for players.

Chapter 1 – Confusion

I then looked up to Mimiru. She looked as though she had something to say, but I spoke before her.

"What… happened?"

There was a small pause, and then she answered.

"Hmm.. I don't know. That's strange. You shouldn't have the same character you did before… wasn't all the information from the other 'World' completely deleted?"

She didn't give me the answer I wanted, but either way, I didn't think I'd get the answer. Both of us didn't know, which left us in quite an entanglement for the first day back in the World.

For a little while, we just sat down and did nothing. A few players passed by giving me strange looks as if I was an outsider. I didn't blame them. The new player forms looked so different. I looked at Mimiru again. I examined her clothes a bit better. She definitely had on much more than she did before. Her suit was mainly a silky, dark red robe with a golden string tied around her waist. Her sleeves were quite long and they almost drooped past her hands. Around the sleeves were golden linings, and so were on her turtleneck and at the bottom of the robe. Halfway from the top of her shoulders there were what seemed like golden wings, but yet they were placed down across her sleeves which made then inaccessible… nothing but a piece of decoration. She had a staff too, but it was far different from mine. Golden as well, it was long and on the top was what seemed like a giant cross of some sort. Her hair was the same. Short, brown, and wide at the bottom. That's the only Mimiru I found in her based on appearance. I could tell easily that she did not like her new character.

"These sleeves are too long," she started. "I won't be able to hold this staff properly. And what's with this staff anyway? It seems more like a useless ornament than a weapon. I want my sword back!"

I laughed, which took my mind off of everything else. We then got up and decided to go to Mac Anu to ask people a few questions. Perhaps if we met Subaru she would be able to know something.

Mac Anu was almost the same, but the buildings and houses gave a different context than before. The boats seemed to be a bit wider, and looked more… artificial… then those of before. As they walked through the town, people were chattering away about the 'new' World. Tsukasa and Mimiru walked past them, picking up a bit of the conversations.

"I heard that the CC Corporation closed down the World due to another Pluto Kiss virus incident…"

"Another Pluto Kiss? No way! Then the world's Internet providers would be shut down as well…"

"I think that the CC Corporation closed the World down because of some incident that happened here…"

"What kind of incident? I mean… they wouldn't close it down because of some mistreatment of games or those player killers or anything like that. It must have been pretty big…"

Me and Mimiru looked at each other. Perhaps when they were forced to log out after Helba destroyed that strange field, the CC Corporation was getting some sort of problems. Maybe they thought word would get out about something that happened. Did something really bad happen after what Helba did?

My mind went to a halt as Mimiru stopped him. She pointed to a guy who seemed quite taller than others. Mimiru nudged me, giving sign that she wanted me to ask him about why I didn't have a different character when I logged into the new World. It was my problem, so I didn't argue with her, although I didn't really feel like asking such a strange question. I walked up towards the man. He wore a long, dark green suit and small metal sheaths were on his shoulders and waist.

"Ummm… excuse me… uh… sir?" I said, tapping him on the shoulder. He turned around, giving me a strange glare with his light blue eyes. I brought my hand quickly back to my side. He didn't seem like the right man to ask a question, for some strange reason. My mouth was still open, and I spoke again.

"Uh… sir… it seems that when I… well… logged back to the World after it… shut down… uh… that I… well… didn't get a new character form… so… uh… would you know anything about-" The man stopped my stutters. His eyes opened wide, and the bottom jaw of his mouth dropped. He grabbed my shoulders, which such force that I could hardly move on the spot.

"Amazing!!" the man yelled. "This boy looks like a character from before!!" His grip did not weaken, and what scared me the most was that I could actually hear the turn of heads toward where the man and me were standing. Afterwards, all I could hear were countless amounts of gasps.

"Uh… sir… I'm actually a gi-" I was going to tell him I was a girl, but telling him about my actual self didn't seem like a good idea. I'm a boy here, so a boy I am. I felt a bit nervous about what would happen next. Then many people were sprouting forwards and shouting around me.

"Seriously?? Oh my goodness! You're right! He looks just like it!" one woman yelled in utter amazement. I couldn't really find the amazement in all of this…

"How did you stay the same, boy? That's impossible! They deleted all the character forms months ago! This is beyond belief…" an old man said, looking at me sharply. I turned my face away from him.

The man finally took his grasp off me, but there was nowhere for me to run. There were dozens of people surrounding me, and I couldn't find Mimiru anywhere. Everyone was reaching for me, and their voices almost deafened me. I tried to get them away with my staff, but I was overpowered from the ones who were behind me. Before I knew it, people were seriously on top of me. What was the big deal? Yes, so I had the same clothes as before… what was so amazing?

I managed to crouch down to the floor. I crawled through a few peoples' legs and out of the circle. I got up and began to run, until yet again I felt someone grab my shoulder. It was unlike the man's grip. In fact, it was so strong that in an instant it became quite painful. I heard myself give out an 'ouch' and then I turned around. The man was unmistakably a player killer. The PK form did not change that much, in fact, the only things different were the front patches, which were replaced by blood red stripes and crosses. I looked at his face.

"Not so fast…" He said, and gave me a dreadful grin. His eyes were almost hidden by his long black hair. He brought out the katana blade on his right hand, which gave a screech almost more painful then his grip. He brought the luminous blade right towards my neck. That was the moment, where I felt my breathing coming to a sudden halt.

"Perhaps you can explain why your appearance is the same to before the World crashed?" he said with such cold and bitter-feeling words. His voice was silent, and although people from the crowd were continuing to shout at the top of their lungs, I heard each and every word clearly.

"I… I don't… know…" I answered. I didn't know why I kept stuttering. I thought I was braver than before, but I guess I was wrong.

The PK lowered his face towards me. I saw his dark red eyes, which gave me such a chill that I couldn't believe. All I wanted right now was to get this PK off my back, find Mimiru, and get out of here.

I then heard a voice from behind the PK.

"You better let him go."

It wasn't Mimiru, but I recognized the voice.

The PK turned around and saw a young man with a large sword pointing right at his chest. The young man looked nothing like he did before, but the voice answered everything…

"Bear…"

The PK let me go, and walked away from me and the direction of the sword. He gave one more frigid grin, and jumped high into the air, onto a building and went out of sight.

Bear put his sword away and walked to me. "Tsukasa… you're still…"

"Yeh." I said. "I don't know why… but…"

Bear stopped me. He grabbed my hand, and rushed me through an alley and away from the angry mob of people. After running for a few minutes, we stopped. We were out of breath, and the town was far away.

I looked up at Bear. If it weren't for his low, warm voice, I wouldn't have thought it to be him. He had dark blue hair and on what seemed to be a ninja-like costume. He certainly looked younger than he did before. His pants were black and wide, they almost reminded me of Crim's clothing.

After we caught our breath, we heard a faint voice coming from the town. It was Mimiru, who was running full speed towards us. I could've sworn she had fire in her eyes.

"What were you guys thinking?? You just left me there in that big crowd! I was trying to get you out of there, Tsukasa!" She said in a panting tone.

"Sorry Mimiru, I didn't know you were there. I only saw Tsukasa." Bear said, looking at her. "Tsukasa, do you know why you have the same character form as before?"

I shook my head. It didn't seem like a big deal to me, but it was to everyone else.

Bear spoke again. "We should find Subaru. She'll have a different form, but I'm sure she has the same rank as before. She might know a few things beyond the BBS."

"The BBS?" Mimiru said surprisingly. "I didn't even think about that. Perhaps they have something?"

"No," Bear answered. "The only thing they can get close to is knowing about this, but they won't know why. I'll send an email to Subaru right now."

He closed his eyes, and reopened after a few minutes.

"Now, what are we going to do?" Mimiru wondered. There wasn't anything they could do, but wait.

"Actually, I'm meeting BT at the forest soon, I'll tell her that you two will be coming as well." Bear said.

"Well, sounds like we have no choice," Mimiru shrugged. She then smiled at me and I smiled back. It would be nice to see BT again.

It was too predictable that the forest would be the same. A few purple and blue leaves would've proved us wrong, but thankfully they stayed green. As we entered into the luscious area, I sensed that something was around us. Or perhaps someone, I wasn't exactly sure. Perhaps it was just anticipated after all those people at the town trying to get a good glance at me. I never felt completely safe afterwards. Coming back to the World didn't seem like the best idea anymore.

We were now at the heart of the forest, where a woman with long red hair was standing. It was BT. What gave her identity away was her band tiara, which looked exactly like her old one. Her clothing was completely different though. She wore a dark purple dress with white linings on the bottom. Tied to her neck was what looked like a long, thin, white fur robe. It was as if she was part of some sort of royalty in the World, but instead of bearing a staff, she had a long sword at her side.

She smiled and Bear and Mimiru. She gave a smile to me, but it faded into a face of confusion. She closed her eyes, tilted her head down, and smiled once more.

"Well, at least one of us gets to keep their original form…" she said. The tone her voice told us she didn't like her new character at all. The only one who seemed satisfied was Bear, who didn't mind the change. I didn't blame him.

"I guess you don't know why Tsukasa is still like that…" Bear said to BT. She shook her head. She looked like she was hiding something, but she always had that kind of expression so I ignored it.

We all sat down and began talking about our theories on what happened after Helba destroyed the field.

Bear began first. "I doubt that the CC corporation knew anything about Morgana or Skeith. They would know if there was some sort of destruction though, especially if it was done by Helba. She never destroyed an entire field before. They might have had some sort of fear of what players will think if word went out about what happened, so without even knowing all the facts they closed down the net and 'restarted' the World. As for Helba, well…"

BT cut Bear off. "If the CC Corporation didn't know about Morgana or Skeith, then I don't blame them for shutting down the World. They think that if an incident like that could happen again, then things will have to be changed. Perhaps someone got hurt, or was stuck in the game like Tsukasa was. But then again… who's to say if they even know about Morgana or Skeith? It almost doesn't make sense…"

Mimiru stopped BT. "Wait…"

We all looked at her. She looked as though was trying to gather the whole situation in her mind. She realized something.

"Do you think… something happened to Sora?"

There was silence.

"Sora?" BT exclaimed. "What would be wrong with him?"

Mimiru continued. "Well… you see… we left Sora behind after we took Aura and left the field Morgana was in. We don't know exactly what happened to him afterwards. Do you think…"

There was another long pause.

Bear spoke. "There is a possibility that Sora might have been trapped in the World. We tried sending him emails and he never answered. But the World was reset afterwards so he might be fine now. All we can do is wait for a reply."

BT and Mimiru nodded. I put my head down and emerged myself into my thoughts. They were right. Something must have happened to Sora. He wouldn't go for so long without giving some sort of indication that he was alive. Could it be that he went through the same fate as I did?

I heard a ringing noise. Suddenly, Bear stood up. "I got an email from Subaru. She asks for us to meet her at Dona Roriak." All of them stood up and teleported. Before I left, I looked towards the sky. The sun was at about a 45-degree depression using the ground as surface. In a few hours if would be dark. I wanted to leave the World before then.

I teleported to the area. Bear, Mimiru, and BT were waiting for me. Subaru wasn't there yet. Dona Roriak still had its high sculptures and grass, but the atmosphere just wasn't the same. Up in the sky there settled a few spherical objects. They seemed to be some sort of balloons used to travel in the sky for pleasure. I looked up at one and saw two players popping their heads from the balloon looking at the scenery. Where did the CC Corporation come up with that idea?

Subaru finally came. We all stared in awe. What she wore was absolutely… remarkable. She kept her blue hair, but it was much longer. She wore tight black clothing and covering her arms was a small turquoise robe, which went down to her waist. The most amazing part of her suit were the beautiful black wings which came from her back, a little bigger than her original ones. I would think she was crazy if she didn't like her new form. But Subaru was one of those who did not care much for appearance, especially in the World. Her staff was quite pretty. It was as blue as her hair, and formed three circles at the top, with a bright red jewel in each circle.

She gave a warm smile as she walked forward a few steps. She looked at me. She was the first person who didn't give an astonishing reaction to me. I felt a bit better with her around.

"So, Subaru, were you able to obtain anything beyond the BBS?" Bear asked. Subaru sat down near the brick steps of a sculpture. The others and me joined her.

"There is limited knowledge on what happened to the World after we logged out. All we know is that Helba destroyed the whole Net Slum area, but something made the CC Corporation scared about what will happen next. The question is, why would a destroyed field worry them so much?" Subaru finished. The others looked at her to see if she was going to continue, but their hopes died down. This was truly a puzzle that would take a while to piece together.

"I think…." Subaru said, trying to regain everyone's hope. "…that there is someone who can help us… someone who knows the Word emotionally, I believe…"

Everyone seemed confused, but I think I knew whom she was talking about. Subaru looked at me.

"Tsukasa…" she said. "… do you think you can find Aura?"

Everyone gazed upon me now. I didn't know where Aura was now. After we were forced to log off from the Net Slum, I never saw or heard from her again. Yet, I could always go to…

"Yes… I think I might be able to find her…" I said in a silent tone.

Subaru smiled yet again. "That's great. I will be meeting Crim at Mac Anu now. Bear, BT, Mimiru, you three should come with me. I'm positive Crim has some good information about Helba."

The main reason she said that was so I could be alone to find Aura. That was the best way, since I knew her better than any of them.

Mimiru pouted. "What? And leave Tsukasa? Well……… fine." Mimiru sighed, and teleported away. Bear and BT followed without another word.

Subaru put her hand on my shoulder. "Tsukasa, you can meet at my castle in Mac Anu after you find her, well, if you find her." She took her hand away, and teleported.

I was alone… well, not really. There were a few players around giving me weird looks, which irritated me more than ever. All I needed to do now was to teleport to the place where Aura used to sleep, before she awakened. There were possibilities that she wouldn't be there, but at that moment that was the best place to look.

It wasn't until I held my staff high into the sky that I realized something. If the CC Corporation restarted the whole World, then that field where Aura was would be deleted as well… wouldn't it?

There was only one way to find out…