Fragments of a Shattered Mirror

Disclaimer: I do not own any more of the .hack conglomeration than copies of the games, manga and anime. This plot happens to be mine, but allusions and references are made to events within the games/anime. And I do change things about the after-game things that happen (such as a tweak with the return of the bracelet and the heading off to Hidden Darkside Holy Ground to reclaim Mia...). So, no flaming!

About reviews: I would LOVE to have at least one person who reviews every chapter and gives me feedback other than "It was wonderful" or "It sucked." Suggestions, comments, and critiques are wanted and welcome.

Umm... I thought I mentioned this in the first bit of posting, but apparently I didn't... This fanfic, while I try to at least stick with the personalities and quirks of the characters as well as the parameters of the World, some things are of an A.U. For example, the physical aspects of a character in real life, as well as their names are what I decide them to be, and that is not strictly canon. I know that the canon Tsukasa and Mimiru don't look the way I described them IRL, but the way they are portrayed is how I first imagined them. I've never actually seen all the episodes of Sign and, though I know the plot quite well, I don't really know what everything looked like, such as the brief visions of the characters IRL. Furthermore, umm... there is no furthermore. Oh wait, I lied. Furthermore, with other things that supposedly were supposed to happen after the games and after the anime, I've rearranged or gotten rid of, or altered to fit this plot. Eh.. k??

Chapter 3 Tsukasa – the World?

I don't want to be trapped in a game again. I don't want to feel the pain, even if I could feel things like the warmth of a Grunty. At least, that is what I told my friends, who have tried to convince me that such an incident won't happen a second time. They say that the World has been fixed, but they don't truly understand how the incident still haunts me. They don't have the dreams...

-Tsukasa

A young wavemaster character stood alone in the middle of a grassy sward. The sex of this person was rather ambiguous, but suggested masculinity. The greenish brown and tan robe of the wavemaster was loose and the body design had no features to definitely point one way or the other, but the overall effect was that the wavemaster was a guy. He also wore a floppy hat with green jewels upon either side above the ears. Locks of silvery hair stuck out of the bottom in a rather messy, jagged fashion. The jewels upon the hat really were the only decoration upon the whole of the outfit. Even the brownish green fingerless gloves were plain. The staff, too, had little adornment. It was shaped rather like a shepherd's crook, but with a flawless red orb floating in the center of the curve. However, the most striking feature of the boy was his eyes, two gray tinted lilac pools, filled with inexplicable resignation and sadness. His face, too, reflected a strange grief.

A breeze undulated east through the field, stirring the grasses with a sound akin to that of a gentle rain or the ocean breaking upon the shore heard from a distance. The fingers of the wind pulled at the wavemaster's clothing, rippling it out behind him and bringing the scent of the golden flowers, breaking the green monotony in the distance. He closed his eyes, inhaling the fragrance and reveling in it, a rare smile gracing his lips for a brief moment. Then the wavemaster opened his eyes once more.

Suddenly, it seemed as if time had sped up, for the sun swiftly began to sink. The sky turned first a rosy color, then shades of orange appeared, followed by the deep crimson of blood. The green of the grasses was now rusty in hue and the flowers were soaked in scarlet. Then time stopped.

The wavemaster seemed not at all surprised when a large, golden barbell creature materialized in the air above him. The thing was translucent and had a gelatinous quality that was reminiscent of Jell-O. It descended down to a level equal with the wavemaster's head and seemed to be watching the sunset as well.

The wavemaster looked up at it and murmured, "Guardian."

The barbell replied with what sounded like the cry of a whale deep under the oceans. It was an eerie noise, but the boy only smiled up at it. However, when he looked back to the sunset, what little color was there left his face and the smile faded. No longer was the red orb hanging low in the sky merely a setting sun, but it had transformed into an eye. A gale came rushing towards the wavemaster, tearing up the grasses and the flowers as it moved. There was no time to run. Holding his arms in front of his face, he tried to ward off the worst of the wind, but was knocked backwards several feet. He landed with a thud and a low moan, then got to his feet. However, he was no longer on the field. Instead, he was in a room made of stone. Turning around, he saw an old man floating upside down instead of the barbell creature. Standing next to the man was a female axe-woman, her teal hair in a perfect bob, her clothing perfectly positioned and her wings flared just enough to catch the light. The woman turned towards the wavemaster and smiled.

"Tsukasa!" she exclaimed, her voice soft and warm. "You've come back."

The wavemaster nodded and took a step forward. As he did so, however, the floor began to shake, knocking both he and the axe-woman off balance. Static fizzed and the barbell creature appeared. Immediately, the old man disappeared, replaced by a pink cat character wearing an odd pointed hat, decorated with a buckle, buckle adorned shoes and loose clothing. A tendril sped out of the golden thing, heading for the woman, who cried out in fear.

"Subaru!" cried Tsukasa, lunging in front of her just in time to intercept the offshoot.

It impaled him through the chest, freezing the wavemaster in place. Utter agony ripped through his thin frame, forcing a heart-wrenching scream from his throat. It felt as if his very being was being torn, shredded into a thousand pieces and each of those pieces was shattered into a thousand more. And unlike other wounds, other physical pains, this one did not abate with time. It only grew stronger until at last the anguish drove him mad. And only then did the darkness come...

Tsukasa – real life

Amaya sat bolt upright, eyes wide, and heart throbbing with terror. Her breathing came in harsh gasps. A shudder coursed down her spine.

"No..." she moaned, closing her eyes. But that did not help, images from the twisted dream played before her eyes, projected onto her closed eyelids. Opening them again, she repeated to herself, "It was only a dream... Only a dream, Amaya..."

Slowly, her heart rate returned to normal and her breathing slowed. Amaya's hands unclenched themselves from her bed sheet. Taking a few deep breaths, the girl stood up, eyes trailing to that box containing her equipment for the World.

'The only way to conquer your fears is to face them...'

Mimiru's words came back to her.

"Maybe... Maybe I ought to... Yes! I will face my fears..." she murmured to herself.

Amaya glanced at the clock. She had only been asleep for an hour, or thereabouts, and her father wouldn't be home for another equal period of time, if he came home at all tonight. Furthermore, Amaya wasn't really in the mood to work on calculus homework. Therefore, the girl walked over to her desk and switched on the computer. While it initiated its programs and OS, Amaya picked up the box and opened it. First, she took out the software, then she removed the headset and controller. Slowly, she inserted the disk, put on the headset and started the program. She had to wait several minutes as it ran a few updates, but then she was ready. Bypassing the message boards, Amaya clicked on the option to log in.

Username: Tsukasa, Password: rubberbandofdoom. The computer spent another moment loading, then a myriad of colors spread across Amaya's vision as her character was loaded into the delta server.

Tsukasa – the World

The same wavemaster who had appeared in the dream now materialized amid three golden rings. For long moments the character stood there, gazing about the root town, watching other players. Then, Tsukasa's grip upon her staff tightened and she stepped forward, walking slowly away from the chaos gate.

'If this isn't like last time, then how can I feel these hard stones beneath my feet? How can I feel the gentle tug of the breeze at my tunic? Why?! Why am I feeling these things? How and why do I smell the fragrance of a bouquet of flowers, offered from one player to another?'

These questions raced through the mind of Amaya, no, the mind of Tsukasa. Two different people they were, but the same; two sides to the same mask. Nevertheless, both felt acute anxiety. Why should this happen?

Swiftly, Tsukasa returned to the chaos gate and attempted to log out. A slight delay caused panic to run screaming through her head. Amaya let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding when the spectrum of brilliance filled her vision again. The girl removed her headset, gazing thoughtfully at the computer. Several moments later, Tsukasa was in Mac Anu, once more.

'Maybe it isn't so bad, smelling and feeling. So long as I'm not in a coma, that is. Now where was it that Hidezki said he had to go? No, he never said, did he? Oh well, might as well explore the servers I never did visit...'

Tsukasa turned around to face the chaos gate. For a long moment, she looked into the rotating gold-rimmed blue portal, then the wavemaster entered the command to change servers. Then, in the twinkling of three shining rings, Tsukasa vanished from Mac Anu, traveling instantly through the digital ethers to emerge at the chaos gate in the omega server root town, Lia Fail. Only it wasn't the lovely garden filled city that was expected. No, the original Omega server was still being resurrected and repaired by CC Corporation administrators. Therefore, Helba's net slum version remained in place.

Tsukasa gazed about in bemused wonder, eyeing the chunky, cut and paste appearance of the architecture, nay, the entire root town. It had the look of being made out of scrap metal and old junkyard parts, combined with a pack of teenage punks with entirely too much spray paint on their hands. The wavemaster wasn't sure whether to laugh or disapprove. However, all the amenities of a standard root town were there, so it wasn't as if one had too high a right to complain.

Tsukasa was about to walk over to the Grunty farm and, indeed, she had already begun to stride when the slight air disturbance accompanying teleportation brushed across her. Unnerved, but unwilling to show as much, the wavemaster turned around and was surprised to see a blade master who had the appearance of a purple cat. Wide-eyed, Tsukasa was tempted to flee, fearing for a moment that this was Maha, come to lure her into Morganna's webs once more. However, after a moment's observation, Tsukasa relaxed, sure that this one could not possibly be Maha, however similar this other felt and looked. It was now that Tsukasa turned her attention to the other members of the party. One was a wavemaster whose character design was remarkably similar to Tsukasa's own, though the main colors were blue and red jewels adorned this other's hat.

"Hidezki?" Tsukasa exclaimed, forgetting, for the moment, about the third player to have just arrived.

"Huh?" The other wavemaster turned to look at Tsukasa. "Who are – oh! Are you Amaya?"

Tsukasa nodded. "That is I. Hmm..." Turning her eyes to the cat player, Tsukasa actually bothered to look at the status information that popped up. "Are you the Mia to whom Hide – I mean Elk was referring?"

Elk beamed, but Mia regarded Tsukasa curiously, her unblinking cat gaze sweeping the wavemaster. "I know you," murmured the blade master, cocking her head to one side. "Tsukasa..."

"Yea," chirped Elk, obviously in a much better mood than he had been earlier. "But I thought you didn't play the World anymore..."

"I decided to give it another try," murmured Tsukasa, her tone firmly putting an end to further inquirers. At last, she turned to a teal haired twin blade, who looked as if he was about to fall over in exhaustion. The wavemaster observed the red-clothed boy for a long moment, detecting some strange, yet eerily familiar shadow clinging about him. Tsukasa's piercing eyes were drawn, suddenly, to an octagonal bracelet adorning the twin blade's right wrist. Light colored polygons, glowing with a soft, pulsating light made up the bangle, but it seemed there was no exact material.

"Who are you?" asked Tsukasa, confusion evident in her voice. "Why do you have that bracelet? What is that bracelet?"

The twin blade's eyes widened and he stared at Tsukasa, his own share of confusion filling his expression. Mia regarded the wavemaster with another keen glance, as if straining to recall that hidden memory. Elk's eyes, too, enlarged as his gaze traveled from Mia, to Kite, to Tsukasa and back again.

"I'm Kite... Y- you can see it?" questioned the twin blade, doubt and amazement tingeing his voice.

Tsukasa nodded, puzzlement in her eyes. "Of course. Why is everyone staring at me? Can't you see it? It isn't exactly inconspicuous... I mean it's kind of glowing and there's a vague darkness clinging to it just as much as there is light. You really can't see it?"

Kite shook his head. "Mia's the only one who can, but that's because... never mind," he explained. "But you are a player, right? You log in, play, log out? You aren't a hacker, are you?"

The bewilderment upon Tsukasa's face continued to grow. "I'm a player, yes... And I'm not a hacker," he said.

The wavemaster considered saying more about the things that separated her from normal players, but she decided against it, at least until she knew a little more about this twin blade. While there was something distinctly trustworthy about the twin blade, there was something separate, but connected, something dark that Tsukasa didn't like. Nothing about Kite's personality, but something intangible.

Tsukasa cried out, suddenly, as there was a slight throb in the air. The shadows cleaving to Kite's bracelet flared and the twin blade, too, cried out, torn between clutching his head or his wrist. Both hurt quite a lot. The feeling on his wrist wasn't so much pain, as it was an icy chill piercing to the bone. The feeling in his head, however, was close to agony. Something was trying to force its will to supplant Kite's. The twin blade pushed back against this entity, trying to drive it from his mind. He fell to his knees, moaning softly and muttering such things as, "No, leave me alone!"

Meanwhile, Mia stared in horrid fascination at both Tsukasa and Kite while Elk half panicked, unsure what to do. Tsukasa closed his eyes, feeling the struggle between Kite and the thing pushing against him. The wavemaster opened her eyes again, then stepped over to Kite and reached over to touch his bracelet with her staff. Tsukasa didn't know what she was doing, much less why she was doing it, but it seemed to be what she was meant to. The moment the stave contacted the bracelet, there was a crackling of data and a few of the polygons flared outward, visible, now, even to normal players. Tsukasa and Kite each cried out and Tsukasa was forced to step back a few paces. Then, Kite collapsed.

"What did you do?" asked Elk, worried.

"I... I don't know..." answered the other wavemaster.

"Wh- Oh no! Mom's home," said Elk. "Um... Uh... Bye... Email me about Kite!" Blushing, even through the avatar, he hugged Mia tightly, then disappeared amid three golden rings. Mia, too, seemed to blush through her fur as she returned the hug. "Bye, Elk..."

Tsukasa nodded to the boy, then stepped over to Kite, crouching down next to him. Mia followed, standing over the two and glaring at the players who had stopped to gawk.

"What happened to you, Kite?" murmured Tsukasa to herself.

AN:

Ooo! The chapter itself (w/out the AN, the disclaimer and all that jazz, is nearly six pages. Weeeeeeeeee!

Note: Though in the dream I refer to Tsukasa as a 'he' and though the character model is a 'he,' I am trying to save myself some heac-ache by simply referring to Tsukasa as 'she' from after the dream onward.
Note 2: Yes, you are supposed to be somewhat confuzzled about Kite... All will be made at least partially clear in the next chapter

About yon Tsukasa's being in touch with the World - Umm... That will be explained in later chapters..

-pokeths her reviewers-

THANKS ALL OF YOU FOR REVIEWING MY FANFIC, AGAIN!!! It makes me so happy when people review each chapter! - hands out random grunty plushies to Sesuna, dreamcaster55 and Shar-dono -

Sesuna: Thanks! Why am I so mean? -shrugs- No clue... Maybe because I am taking out my own angst upon defensless characters? Because I'm a sadist at heart? Nah...

Dreamcaster55: Thanks for reviewing.. yet again! Actually, I lied.. without meaning to... Kite's problems will feature in the /next/ chapter... Umm... Amaya's father was going to show up in this chapter, but then I changed my mind... He'll eventually figure in and I haven't quite decided whether to have him be abusive or neglegent... Yea, we'll see those who beat up Hidezki later, me thinks... -pokeths note at top of chapter- I'm not following strict canon here... And I didn't feel like looking up all the details of the characters IRL. Because I have copies of the games and play them frequently, I remember more little details about the canon characters there, but it's a bit different with the anime. And you don't sound rude.

Shar-dono : Really? I didn't know that trivia about Tsukasa being sent to boarding school... hmm... where'd you find this out? Please, do tell! I figured about the neglegent part, but he also could have been somewhat abusive. I dunno... I think I'll have him pop in as one who is almost never home, but when he is, he shows animosity towards Amaya... for reasons yet to be explained. I can't go spoiling it now, can I? Anyway, -pokes note at the top of chapter- This isn't going to be perfect canon.