Okay, I've decided against putting up my dusk story until I'm finished with this one. I don't want to give away any spoilers. I'm hoping to have chapter five up soon, but I just got OUTBREAK, and I need to play that so I can work on the rest of the story I have written down on paper. I hope you all have fun reading this and I appreciate your patience while I get this thing typed up

Chapter Four: Feline Antics

            But without you, I'm alone…

            And I'd rather be in love…

"Man this is so awesome. I got Hikaru's member address last night." Tawna yawned as she sat down at her desk the next morning. "I reached a dead end with the information on Tomonari, but at least I'm making friends." She rested her chin on her forearms as she slumped in her seat, sighing. "He'd probably freak if he realized I'm online everyday. I never told him that-"

            "Tawna!" a short black streak of energy dashed toward her, slamming her small hands on the desk to stop herself from a dead run.

            "Ohiyo HiRelena." She said tiredly, another yawn overtaking her.

            "Moshi Moshi! I've been meaning to ask," the girl's emerald eyes lit up. "What have you been doing after school? You keep getting here in the morning really early and your always exhausted." She leaned forward, a mischievous glance covering her face. "Do you have a boyfriend now or something?"

            "No!" Tawna cried, a hot blush covering her face as an image of Balmung raced through her mind. "No of course not! What gave you that idea?!"

            "Come on Tawny. I'm your best friend. You'll know I'll find out, one way or another." The smaller girl crossed her arms.

            "Okay, okay. I'll tell you at lunch." She told her, her face still the color of scarlet.

            Trying to focus when you have a thought nagging at you makes everything frustrating. For Tawna, sitting through class when a question plagued her mind was a slow mental torture.

            'Why did I think about him all of sudden, and especially when Lena mentioned the fact of a boyfriend? There is no way I could think of him like that…. There couldn't be…'

            When the bell finally rang for lunch, Tawna sighed as she hopped up from her desk and looked over at HiRelena who met her gaze with a slight nod. They left the rest of their class and went to sit on the steps at the entrance to the school as her friend bounded along behind her.

            "So, you going to explain it, or what?" she asked cheerfully as she swung her legs slightly, sitting up on the wall by the steps.

            "I'm sorry that I haven't been social lately." She paused, ducking her head. "Do you remember when Tomonari passed out a week ago?"

            "Yeah. He hasn't woken yet, has he?"

            She shook her head. "I think…the World did it."

            "The World? That kawaii internet roleplay?" the smaller girl tilted her head and blinked in confusion.

            "Something about that game isn't right…and Tomonari was playing it when he passed out. So I took a laptop from G-Study so I could play at him. There are things in that world that aren't right… something's wrong there and it seems to affect the real world. I've seen it."

            "Oh, so that's where…" HiRelena broke out into a wide grin. "Oh man, you are going to be so busted… the G-Study advisor thinks that computer was stolen…"

            Tawna cringed. "I'll give it back. I'm just not done with it yet." She sighed before smiling slightly. "I did meet a couple of people there though."

            "Uh ha! I knew it! You met a guy!"

            She pushed a strand of crimson hair out of her golden eyes. "Yes, a guy."

            "A cute guy?"

            She couldn't help but smile. "…Yes."

            "I knew it! I knew it I knew it!" her friend cried, giggling. "I win Tawny, you lose!"

            The other girl just sighed good-naturedly and jerked her head up at the sound of the bell. "We better get back to class!"

            "We can't be late!" The other girl hopped off the ledge and ran ahead. "Come on, let's go!"

            Tawna caught up easily as they raced through the crowds gathered on each side of the hallways.

            "Hey, you going to be online tonight?" HiRelena asked as they took the steps three at a time.

            "I usually play right after school." She responded, raising her voice above the chatter of the people standing around.

            "Okay… Savana right?"

            The redheaded junior slowed down as they turned the corner, their classroom just down the hall. "Yeah, of course."

            "Just like your story." She beamed. "Savana is like you isn't she? You relate her to you."

            "That's the way I see it." She shrugged, grinning sheepishly.

            "My character will probably be-" Her answer was cut off by the sound of the bell ringing.

            When Tawna got home from school there was an e-mail waiting for her.

-If you log on today, flashmail me. I'll be waiting.

                                                                                    Balmung of the Azure Sky-

            "Great." A broad smile spread across her face, before she double blinked at a message that had suddenly appeared.

            -Hey. This is Hiko. If you don't have anyone to partner up with, IM me. I'll be in Mac Anu. Later!-

            "He's such a sweetheart. I realized there are a lot of nice people playing. Speaking of-" She opened her address book. "I still have to e-mail Raquel. I should probably ask Balmung first though. She probably could be considered one of his fan girls."

Savana sighed as she answered her flashmail. She had just arrived in Dun Lorieag after send an e-mail to Balmung.

"Hey." His voice responded. "I'm in the following area. Come meet me here."

Jumping back into the chaos gate, she materialized in a field of tall grass, overlooked by a starry night sky.

"Good afternoon." A voice behind her made her jump. "Although I can't really call this afternoon. How have you been?"

She smiled up at him. "A little tired, but otherwise I'm fine."

"Sorry I left yesterday. But, I got us a new lead. And this-" he paused to unsheathe a second sword from his waist and toss it to her. "Is for you."

Savana caught the sword in her hands, gripping the handle with her fingers. "This is the 7 Star Sword. It's a level 21 blade!" she replied after a moment, her eyes wide.

Balmung shrugged indifferently. "It was one of my starting swords. It should give you a well-needed boost. Just think of it as an apology for leaving unannounced yesterday."

"I didn't mind. I met your sister and Hiko. Oh, and Crim too."

The man's emerald eyes widened in surprise. "Hikaru?" As she nodded he lowered his head, as if in shame. "I haven't spoken to her in weeks. How is she?"

"Fine. She seemed to be in a party with the men she was with. She and Crim seemed happy together." Her gaze looked down, realizing something was wrong and found her eyes locked on the blade she held. "Balmung, I couldn't take this from you. This is a really expensive weapon. And if it's one of your starting swords, it must be very important to you."

"Savana…" Balmung walked over, a gentle smile on his face. His hand wrapped around hers. "I want you to keep it. I'm serious. Yes, it's a very important sword to me, but that's only because you own it now." He watched her tan cheeks flush in embarrassment as she tried to duck her face to hide her emotions. He reached out, his other hand running across her cheek to keep her focused on him. She looked up slowly, her eyes meeting his. "Look, I can't always be there. I need to know you'll be okay when you're on your own. There are a lot of strong players and some of them can use their strength to their advantage. Although I don't see that happening, it's still possible."

Tawna's heart was racing in her chest as he spoke and her entire face was blood red. She swallowed finding her own throat unbelievably dry. "Balmung…I…"

"TAWNA!!!"

Savana jerked away, her amber eyes widening. "Who?"

A circle of light appeared out of nowhere, and with it a small wavemaster. She was shorter then most teenage girls, but she had a cute almost ditzy expression to her. Her shiny black hair was pulled back in buns on either side of her head, her bangs hanging down into emerald eyes that seemed oddly familiar. She wore a shear ocean blue dress that shadowed the skin and cloth underneath before abruptly stopping at ankle length. Two slits up each side revealed her slender legs, perfect for the frail figure that seemed to suit a wavemaster. Silver cat ears poked through her hair, an unusual twist to a character, and if that wasn't enough a long gray tail curved around from behind her, resting lightly on the grass.

"Wow Tawna. Savana turned out really good." The girl twirled her staff. "Just like from your story. So, what do you think of mine?"

"….HiRelena?!" Recognition finally set in. "Your character looks awesome!" Savana smiled. "You're a wavemaster, go figure."

"She's a hacker." Balmung replied after a minute in a cold voice.

"How'd you know?" the female blademaster blinked.

"Cat characters are strictly against CC rules. She could be expelled if she's caught." He snorted. "Pathetic."

"It's not my problem the Edit Character mode sucks. I just changed it a little that's all." The catgirl hissed. "Besides I'm not all cat, so I'm just like you, angel boy."

The swordsmaster gritted his teeth. "Don't compare me to you. The administrators gave my remake to me long ago, for winning an event quest. It's ironic though that I could turn you into those same administrators right now, and they'd thank me for it."

"Yeah, but you wouldn't do it, because I'm Savana's best friend. And besides, it's not like I couldn't log out before you notified Admin." She stretched her arms boredly.

He smirked. "What makes you think I'm not writing them a note right now?"

HiRelena whimpered. "You wouldn't!" she clutched on to Savana's arm. "You know it's kind of amazing that you know the winged descendant of Fianna. If he lost his scary attitude, he'd be kinda hot."

Savana sighed while Balmung just rolled his eyes. "Please."

"I'm serious." The little catgirl replied. "I'm not going to step on my best friend's toes though." She shot a glance at the female blademaster. "Besides with 25 million other players, there's gotta be a guy out there for me." She paused as if she had said to much. "Well, I'm gonna go level up. Standing around a level 26 and a level 60 makes me feel like a novice. See ya!"

"Are all your friends insane?" he asked as the catgirl gated out.

"No." she smiled, staring off to where the golden circle light had surrounded the wavemaster and whisked her away. Suddenly her amber eyes widened. "Oh, Balmung. I forgot to ask. Do you mind if we partner up with this girl I know, sometime? I met her in this game and she's really nice."

"No, I don't see it as a problem. I mean if HiRelena's the worst, I think I'll be alright, Tawna."

She blushed, her mouth falling open slightly at the call of her real name. "How did you-" she sighed. "HiRelena."

"It's alright. I won't call you by your real name." He put a hand on her shoulder, changing the subject automatically. "Come on, I'll explain what I found out."

"Can we level?" she asked eagerly, making him smile slightly and return her question with a simple nod.

"Man this place is so cool!" HiRelena bounded through a sunny, level 4 area. The catgirl stretched and yawned in the blinding sunlight. "And it's awesome the Tawna knows Balmung. That's crazy." Twirling her staff she grinned. "Even though she knows him, he's still an idiot. A big uncaring idiot. But it seems like he takes care of her so…"

"Hey, you!" turning, she saw a group of men standing ten feet behind her. She had been vaguely aware that they had been trailing her since she left Mac Anu. "You're a hacker!" on of the men shouted.

"Whatever are you talking about?" she asked innocently, blinking her big emerald eyes. "I'm just a newbie."

"You can't fool us." He snarled. "We hate hackers and we kill hacker players! Prepare yourself!" the leader of the group yelled as the mob charged her.

Wavemasters are powerful, but against a crowd of axeman they're nothing. Trying to escape was pointless once battle mode was on, and because of her level she was quickly taken down and on the verge of dying with just a stroke or two from a hatchet blade.

'Someone…' the young woman coughed, her eyes blurring over. "Help!"
            Suddenly a section of the crowd disappeared, letting light in on the injured girl. "What the hell are you guys doing to her?" A man's tenor voice hissed.

"Sir!" the leader bowed slightly. "We found another one!"

The group seemed to back up as he made his way toward her. HiRelena's eyes opened slightly and met a pair that matched her own, a deep green with dark jade hues. She smiled weakly up at him. "Hi."

The young man was taken back by this. "Goro, you idiot!" he barked to what had seemed to be the leader a few minutes before. "How can you pick on a level two player? Even if she's still a hacker, that's wrong!"

The man known as Goro cringed. "Sorry, Lord Keita."

"Everyone get back!" Keita demanded, his platinum ponytail swishing as he turned. He pulled the injured cat woman onto his lap. "Repth!" A blue light surrounded them both, healing her wounds. "Are you alright? Can you stand?" he asked her worriedly.

HiRelena sat back, blinking her big green eyes. She stared at him for a moment before leaping forward, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Thank you! I was so scared! I didn't want to die!"

The man blushed, his golden tan cheeks going a deep crimson. He rested his arms on her back. "It's alright. You're quite strong, for a little girl."

"I'm sixteen, I'll have you know." She teased playfully sitting back, her tail flicking against the grass. "And my name's HiRelena."

He swallowed. "I'm, Keita. Seventeen." He stood, pulling her up with him. He stared at her for a minute before his eyes grew colder, and his face serious. "Well HiRelena, it was nice meeting you." He said softly as he turned on her.

"Hey, wait!" she called as he stalked off. "I-"

"You were let off easy this time. You're a hacker." He looked over his shoulder, his narrowed glance directed at her. "I hate hackers." He looked over to his men. "Goro! Jita! Back to headquarters, now!"

The men nodded and then the entire crowd was gone in a circle ring of golden light.

The wavemaster stood there for a minute, motionless. "So he thinks I'm weak and he hates me just because I'm a hacker. He doesn't even know me…" she flicked her tail as her ears twitched. "I'll give him a chance to get to know me."

"Savana, you never cease to amaze me." Balmung smiled as they exited another dungeon.

"I'm glad you think so." She smiled back at him, blushing slightly. Just as she went to open her mouth a loud beeping sound went off above them.

"Who is it?" he asked after a moment, realizing Tawna had pulled away from her character to read the e-mail.

"HiRelena." She sweatdropped. "I can't believe she's still online. It's nearly three in the morning."

"We're still awake and coherent." The male blademaster pointed out.

"True." She sighed. "She says she found this guy."

"Not surprising." He yawned. "She was kinda cute."

Savana gritted her teeth as she landed a kick to his shin. "You asshole…"

He blinked his dark emerald eyes. "Was that supposed to hurt?" he asked ignorantly.

"What?" the girl's amber eyes widened. "The guy she's talking about…she say she's going to go fight him." She bit down on her lip as she read on, worry rising inside of her. "She says he's the leader of a group that hates hackers."

Balmung sighed, the deep green orbs on his face narrowing. "That's Keita's clan. She's in danger." Without warning he grabbed her hand, practically dragging her as she strode toward the entrance.

"What are you doing?!" she hissed, surprised by his forceful grip on her.

"We don't have a lot of time. I know where he is. Come on, we have to beat her there." He explained in monotone, to focused on the problem at hand.

"Keita, hmm?" she sighed. Why did that name sound so familiar?

"So, how many did we take out today, My Lord?" an older boy asked his silver-haired leader.

"Huh?" Keita blinked, finally registering that he was being spoken to. "Twenty-two, I think."

"Twenty-five" Goro smiled slightly, automatically correcting him. "Are you alright My Lord? You seem…distracted."

"I'm fine." He replied immediately, his fingers softly rubbing his temples.

"You're still not thinking about that girl, are you?" His lower general persisted.

"Of course not." Keita snapped as another reoccurring thought of that cute face and twitching feline ear were brought into mind. Was he that easy to read that his servants could tell what he was thinking?

Goro smirked; his liquid brown eyes nothing but trouble. "I think you're lying."

The silver-haired blademaster leaped up from his chair, a hand rising to grip his sword handle. "Watch your mouth." He sneered. "I will not tolerate backtalk, especially from one who has already treaded on dangerous ground today. Your strength does not exceed mine and your axe is no match for my sword. So back down Goro before you lose a full day of work that you can no longer make up."

He watched his commander swallow and nod his head slightly. His words had been harsh there was no doubt and he could feel the tension of fear throughout the men that were in his throne room. The young boy who has asked the question bowed his head before finally looking up. "B-But sir," he stammered. "We are all wondering if you are alright. You have seemed a little out of it today." He jerked his head down again, as if speaking his opinion was now something he regretted. "We all worry about you My Lord!" he said finally.

Keita smiled down at him. "Gryphor," he said, calling the boy by his name. "I thank you and everyone else for your kindness and for caring about me as you say you do. You don't have to fear me either, nor do any of the rest of you. This is not a dictatorship; I do not run this clan with an iron fist. You all come and go as you please. In fact, it was some of the newbie axeman that came up with calling me Lord. I would never have thought about it. I'm happy to have you all here." His tone changed suddenly demanding everyone's attention like the leader he had become. " But understand this. Those of you that stay will not cross me. I will not have anyone telling me what is in my head or my heart. As a human I am granted that and as your commander I demand it. Now-"

"Sir!" the doors to the throne room were thrown open and one of the outside guards came dashing in. "There's a woman at the entrance demanding to see you!"

"You need better men Keita." A feminine voice called softly as a figure stood in the doorway. "They're rather easy to take down."

"…HiRelena…" his eyes widened in shock.

Goro gritted his teeth. "You killed my guards?!"

"I didn't kill anyone. I would never stoop to your level!" The girl hissed, her eyes brimming with tears. "I spent all afternoon, thinking and leveling. And there's two things I realized I wanted to say." She looked straight at him, her hurt expression puncturing something deep inside him. "I hate you Keita!" she yelled. "Why do you hate hackers so much?!"

"How dare you speak to our lord like that!" Gryphor stood, twirling the axe handle between his fingers.

"Men!" Goro yelled as the soldiers gathered in the room took up their weapons. "Take the opportunity to finish what Keita couldn't! Kill that wench!"

The wavemaster simply jumped out of the on rush of men. "You're in for it now. MeAni Kruz!" a wave of dark magic flooded into the room like a black fog, dropping on the axemen. "And just so you don't go anywhere-" she pulled a scroll out, casting a paralyzing spell on the small army.

"What?!" Goro stepped back, crying in defeat at his fallen men.

"She's at a much higher level now." Keita's voice was all seriousness. He had recovered from the shock of seeing her again only to discover her words had hurt more than any of the previous pain his character had endured. It leaked straight through his character, into his own heart. "Let me guess," he started again, determined to ask and stay focused. "Quick level gain?"

"That's for you to find out." She shot back.

"Come on Lord Keita. It's just a little girl. You can defeat her easily." Goro swallowed, looking back and forth between the two.

The room had become crowded from the men who had rushed in to see what was going on. His followers expected him to fight but no one dared talk or move. Sighing, their young leader drew his sword, down casting his eyes.

"I will kill you because you're at fault!"

"If that's how you believe it is!"

Keita rushed the catgirl, who blocked his blade with her staff and hissed, striking with one hand and digging her feline claws into her opponent's arm. Alarmed the blademaster pulled back, noticing the blood staining through his long white silk jacket. "You-"

"ENOUGH!"

"Savana…" HiRelena's evergreen eyes widened as she jerked her head to the left. "What are you doing here?!"

"Lord Balmung…" Goro gaped, while many of the men around the room dropped to their knees in respect.

"Lena," the crimson-headed woman ran over to her friend. "What the hell are you doing?"

The wavemaster stared at her staff before her trembling hands dropped it on the floor. "I don't even think I knew. But, it hurt…what he said to me…"

"What was it? Explain yourself." Balmung insisted walking forward in a threatening move that made the catgirl whimper softly.

"Well this afternoon I was attacked by a group of men. And Keita saved me. He came to my rescue, just when I thought I was dead. But then he said…he was letting me off the hook, and that he hated all hackers…" her ears flattened on her head. "He doesn't even know me! How does he get to judge me when we've just met! He knows nothing about me! I came to show him that all hackers aren't bad! I came here to prove him wrong!"

"I'm not wrong. People tampering with things they shouldn't are wrong! And you're no different!" he glared at her.

"Who are you to tell me that I'm wrong?!" she snapped back. "What have hackers ever done to you anyway?!"

There was a show of pain on his face. It was evident for just a moment before he hid it behind his narrowed, hating eyes. "Plenty!" he said through gritted teeth. "If it hadn't been for one hacker in particular, my little sister would still be alive!"

"Your sister?" Savana murmured, her amber eyes as wide as saucers.

"Keita…" Balmung lowered his head, adverting his gaze as if hearing this was almost unbearable.

"My sister, Nari, would be fifteen next month. But she never made it to her eighth birthday. She was one of the seven victims that was killed from the Deadly Flash virus that hit the Internet hard in early January 2003. In case you don't know what it does, it sends high frequency flashes across the computer monitor, shutting down parts of the body and causing massive seizures and coma. Thousands of people survived through it, but Nari… was pronounced brain dead eighteen hours after she slipped unconscious." He kept his voice steady, but he swallowed, unclenching his hands, which had balled themselves into fists. "I lost my sister because of some, demented, sadistic hacker. The only thing that comforts me is the fact that that man now sits on death row." He paused to shake his head, his silver ponytail flying furiously behind him. "So now all of you know, exactly why this group was created. And as long as hackers manage to intercept this game, my favorite RPG, then I will continue to PK. Starting with the hacker in front of me." He redrew his sword. "We have to finish this."

HiRelena stepped forward without grabbing her staff. She stood just feet from him, her face hidden behind her long onyx bangs.

Savana swallowed. "Balmung, what do we do?" she whispered desperately.

His gaze didn't meet hers but instead stared at the catgirl's petite form. "Just wait."

"I-I'm sorry." The hacker's voice replied softly. The group watched as she lifted her head slightly, revealing her tear-stained cheeks. "I'm sorry about your sister. Savana and I… we keep losing people too, and they seem to hurt Savana more than they affect me. Her friend's in the hospital right now, and we don't know if he's ever going to wake up." She smiled over at her best friend. "You know, I've never really ever thought about it. I've been a hacker since middle school. I was always doing something stupid online, but nothing serious, nothing to get me in trouble. I don't think I'm a bad person because of what I do, and I think that's what I came here to show you. But like I said, who are you to tell me what's right and who am I to tell you? I'm a fool to think I could change things, to come here without knowing exactly why you did what you did. So, what're you going to do?"

The boy stared at her for a second as if processing what she had said. His hands began to shake; making it evident he had some doubt. Then he sighed, raised his blade and started his silent assault toward her.

"Lena!" Savana started toward her friend, when a strong arm grabbed her shoulder, forcing her to stand still.

"Just wait. Trust me." He said softly.

Lena closed her eyes and waited for the screen to start flashing GAME OVER. But as seconds passed the pulverizing never came. Confused, but more so curious, she opened one eye and then the other in surprise.

Keita stood just inches away, his sword sheathed at his side. His emerald eyes seem to shine for a second and he smiled slightly. "I couldn't do it." He admitted with a whisper.

The catgirl was so overcome with relief that her knees gave out on her and she collapsed on the ground. Savana rushed over, wrapping her arms around the smaller girl's body. "Thank the God and Goddess your okay!"

"You did well." Balmung told the other male blademaster. "I figured as much."

"Lord Keita!" Goro yelled. "What are you doing?!"

"My score, is not with HiRelena. She might be a hacker but she has no bad intentions. She spoke from her heart just now and was willing to give up her character if it meant I would be okay with killing her. She proved herself to me, and therefore she has nothing to do with us." He spoke calmly.

"But, My Lord-"

"Goro, I won't resort to killing innocent people! I have never laid my blade on one character that has not been a hacker. We shouldn't kill if we don't have to."

Goro gritted his teeth. "Then, you've turned against us?!"

"I never said that!"

Balmung glared at him, drawing his sword in one quick movement. "That's enough from you. Do you realize you could all be facing expellment from the Admin? The only reason you've been ignored this far is because Orca and I knew about Keita's true past. But now-" he shook his head, his shaggy white bangs flying into his face.

Savana stood up. "Keita I know that I know nothing about you. I'm grateful that you spared my best friend. So I ask your men instead; why resort to PKing? There are other solutions to problems."

"And what would The Lord's wench know of it?" one of the men sneered.

The winged blademaster started forward, his blade ready to kill the man in one swipe of his blade. The redheaded woman placed a hand across his armored chest, stopping him from going closer to the group that was already backing away in fear.

"Balmung is someone important to me, and nothing more then my friend." She blushed slightly, catching the sidelong glance he threw at her as she said that comment. "Can nobody answer my question?"

Their leader just shook his head, as it seemed the room was too afraid to talk.

"Damn, you people are so ignorant! Killing other players without a reason why! Kid, I can't believe you've been able to get away with it this far." Savana sighed.

Keita pursed his lips in thought. "Miss Savana, Lord Balmung, I thank you both for your help. Tonight has given me a lot to think about." He smiled, nodding at them. "Listen up!" he turned, barking orders to his men. "The rest of this is up to you! If you decide that you want to stay as a part of this group, send me an e-mail ASAP. Those of you that don't, I wish good luck to you. There will definitely be some changes around here. Goodnight everyone!" he yelled, dismissing them.

The four players watched the small army clear out of the room, feeling the tension gone. The catgirls's spell had worn off and now even the black fog had cleared letting the moonlight shine in the open window, as night had finally fallen in the root town of Mac Anu.

"HiRelena." It was Keita who spoke up as he knelt down beside her. "You know how you said, I had no right to judge you, because I don't even know you?" she nodded and his cheeks blushed. "Well, I was being a jerk. The more I think on it, the more I think you were right. If you'll let me, I would like to get to know you. Maybe I can help you level your character. It's up to you. It's the least I can do to say I'm sorry."

The wavemaster's emerald eyes lit up and her kitty ears twitched. "Yes!" she cried, pouncing him, her tail flicking happily. "That would be so cool!" Keita's cheeks went three shades of red but he wrapped his arms around her, holding her up against him.

Savana felt a hand on her shoulder. Not even bothering, she leaned back, resting her body against the hard armor covering Balmung's chest.

"He did the right thing." He whispered to her. Gloved fingers ran down her right arm, tickling her skin. "You can stop shaking now."

"I'm just relieved." She sighed, closing her eyes for a minute, as sleep seemed to call to her.

"Savana," she blinked hearing HiRelena speak her name. "I'm logging off. I'll call you tomorrow morning."

"Alright." The blademaster smiled wearily as she saw her friend vanish in a golden circle of light.

"I'm going to be getting off now as well." Balmung spoke up, stepping back from her. "Goodnight." He whispered to her as he disappeared.

"It's nice that you have such a nice relationship with Lord Balmung, Miss Savana." Keita smiled at her as she stood up.

"Please, just call me Savana." She shook her head. "I'm only sixteen Keita. It makes me sound old." She stared at him, her tone serious. "You better take good care of her."

"I promise I will." He nodded, answering her immediately.

"Well I'm logging out. But before I go, I have one question." She blinked, trying to remember. "Do you know a long arm named Crim? Or a heavy blade named Hiko?"

"If you're referring to the Crimson Lightning, no we've never met." He said wide-eyed.

"But I thought you could only use a name once in The World?"

"That's right."

She sighed. "I thought…. they said they were going to be meeting up with a guy…whose name was similar to yours." She shrugged. "Must have been my mistake."