Disclaimer: Don't own .hack
AN: Wow...I took a LONG time, didn't I? Well, that's because I didn't like what I did with this chapter(and the one suceeding it) so I stalled...but here it is now, about triple the length of a normal chapter!
Alone part 3:Lost
Chapter 4: Tragedy
A woman was sobbing somewhere in the distance, he could see lights passing over him quickly, but he could make out no shapes.
Your eyes are closed. Something whispered to him.
"Oh. Why can't I open them?" he asked, looking over at the voice.
The beautiful woman smiled at him, brown eyes sparkling. "You still need to rest...to be whole again."
"Why?"
"You will know soon..." She laughed, touching his shoulder. "You'll make it through this."
"I will? Why?" He asked, eyes wide with childlike innocence.
"I promise you no matter what happens, you'll make it through this." She smiled. "I'll walk you through it."
"Thank you."
She hugged him then, it was a warm embrace, and he knew everything was fine.
He could still hear a woman screaming, men talking, and weeping noises. He could make out strange words...'hopeless'...'appalling'...the woman was screamingabout something called 'death'.
"What is that?"
"Your family..." She whispered. "They are worried about you."
"Why?"
"I can't tell you."
"Miss...?"
"Yes?"
"Do I know you?"
She smiled, her auburn hair caressing her deeply tanned skin. "No...I don't think so..."
"Then..." He said, his brow furrowed, "I wanna go home."
"Then go."
"Miss?"
"Yes?"
"I hope I see you again."
"I hope so, too.."
The woman's image shimmered then, and was gone, replaced with foreign faces, peering intently down at him.
A man with a strange mask brightened suddenly, and said, "He's coming around! Life-signs stabilizing!"
Another man laughed, and spoke."You did it!"
"Welcome back, kid...you had us worried for a minute." The first man said, smiling.
"Where..is my mother?"
The man smiled, then looked over his shoulder, calling an unknown name.
A woman stepped up to him.
"You're not my mother..."
The woman smile, flickered oddly, then reached down for him.
"Don't touch me!"
Her hands shimmered as the touched him, constricting his breathing.
"No!" he coughed, flailing about, but the doctors held him down.
Darkness was consuming him, and the woman began to laugh maniacly.
"Vital signs fading!" Someone cried.
"We're losing him!"
He felt weaker...weaker...
"DOCTOR!"
-/-/-/-/-/-/
Crim sighed as the familiar sights of the elven fort Ouph greeted him. This was the only way to solve it, the only way to end it.
"This time, Mimiru, Subaru, I will find you...I will avenge you..."
Something caught his eyes suddenly, a wavemaster!
The boy stumbled slightly as he turned out of sight...oh yes...that was unmistakably him...Crim was having an unbelievably lucky day!
Determined, he follwed after the wavemaster, this would settle things...their final confrontation...
Perhaps then he could put Mimiru to rest.
It did not take long to find Tsukasa, he was staring blankly across the field, his back turned once again to Crim.
"Tsukasa!"
The boy jumped, and spun around, hiding behind his staff defensively.
"It's time to settle this!"
"B-But I...I.." The boy pleaded.
Quickly, he brought his spear to bear. "Last time I caught you unawares, I was afraid of your guardian..had I killed you then, It would do nothing for the memory of Mimiru!" he declared."I fear you no longer! Go ahead and summon your guardian!"
"I don't want to fight!"
"You will fight!" Crim snapped. "Or you will die! One way or another, we will fight for her, for Mimiru."
"Please..."
Crim gave Tsukasa no more time to think it over, launching himself at the timid wavemaster. The boy just barely moved his staff in the way fast enough to deflect the blow, but the angle caused him to lose his balance, and sent him sprawling to the floor.
Crim did not hesitate to continue his attack this time, and pierced the boy's shoulder with his spear, cutting clean through the helpless wavemaster, and pinning the boy to the ground. The boy screamed in agony, and weakly reached for his impaled shoulder with one shaky hand.
Crim could not take his eyes off of the blood spreading from the wound, staining the boy's clothes...real blood...like Mimiru..
His eyes widened in realization as he stared down at him,A boy...he is just a little boy...a helpless comatose boy...I attacked..
Numbly, he jerked the spear out, staring at the growing stain, watching the boy curl up in a ball...he realized for the first time how pitiful and vulnerable Tsuakasa sounded, sobbing and whimpering in agony.
He blinked. Mimiru was crouching over him, holding him tight to her breast, sobbing...brown eyes looked up pleadingly at Crim.
No...no! This can't be!
He was backpedalling before he realized it, and when Tsukasa's sobs stilled to silence, something broke inside of him...
And he ran.
-/-/-/-/-/-/
Bear shook his head and sighed as he hung uphis phone.
There was no answer from BT...he had called to check up on her, but the phone only kept ringing...
Not for the first time, he wished he knew BT's home address.
"What's going on over there, girl?" He sighed.
He frowned slightly, there was only one person that he knew of who might know BT's address...Crim.
But that stubborn man wouldn't answer either!
"Why do I feel like I am being alienated?" He laughed to himself, taking the phone again, and dialing the number BT had given him.
There simply was no hope to it...he needed to get in contact with Crim, and if that meant ringing him all day, so be it.
He had a flat monthly fee for local calls anyway.
Surprisingly, on the fifth ring, a man picked up the other end, and sighed irritably. "What?"
"Is this Crim's residence?"
"Who are you?" the voice sounded suspicious. "How'd you get this number?"
"BT gave it to me."
There was a pause, before, "I knew I recognized the voice...what do you want, Bear?"
"I was wondering if you knew anything about the whereabouts of Subaru." Bear said smoothly. "I had heard you know her in the real world."
"She's dead." The voice said bluntly. "She was found clawed to shreds in her room...so I've heard."
What! Could this be related to the virus? Is it possible...death?
"Who did it?"
"...They don't know."
"Crim..."Bear sighed, "I think I know who might have done it..."
"Something to do with the virus, right?"
"The name of he virus is Morganna."
"How do you know?"Crim asked,surprise easilytranslating across the phone.
"I, and the rest of us, had a meeting witha hacker named Helba." Bear explained. "It seems this virus is sentient...we don't know what it wants, but we know it can invade our minds and subaru was key in her plans."
"Invade our minds?"
"Yes...when we log out she dwells within our minds...somehow...often people could mistake it for insanity."
There was silence for a longmoment on the other end, before Crim muttered distantly, "Subaru..."
"How do you know the symptoms?" Crim asked suddenly.
"BT...is...infected." Bear said gravely. "I can't get a hold of her, I was hoping that you-"
"I'll go and check on her!"
"Crim-"
The phone clicked off.
"Save her, Crim..."
-/-/-/-/
He slipped into unconsciousness quickly...the pain was numbed here...it was peaceful...white nothingness enveloped him, and he fell in an endless tumble. The thought occured to him once that it might not be good to fall, but he dismissed the thought immediately...what could hurt him here? This place was peace.
The whiteness slowly melted into a field of beautiful flowers, tiny butterflies danced about, fluttering to and fro through the flowers. He laughed and smiled happily as one spun around him, and perched on the tip of his nose.
Why would anyone want to leave here?
There was a beautiful, light-hearted laugh from behind him, and he spun around to see who it was. The butterfly danced away at his quick movements.
A beautiful woman stood before him, lovely tan skin, long auburn hair, beautiful red armor.
Mimiru A voice whispered in his mind, but he was unsure what that word meant.
"Who are you?"
She smiled sympathetically, and said, "You must fight, Tsukasa..."
"Why? This place is beautiful..." He pouted. "I don't want to leave.'
"You must fight..." She whispered, fading into nothingness.
"Wait! Don't go!" He cried, stepping toward the woman. "I don't want to be alone!"
As he moved, the area around him transformed into Mac Anu...dozens of players were lying on the ground...apparently sleeping...for a moment the area was eerily peaceful, nevermind the unconscious bodies littered about. Then, the world shook, emitting a low rumble, somehow similar to a laugh, and the area darkened...
Tsukasa screamed as the area erupted in flame, and darkness enveloped him.
-/-/-/-/-/
BT shook her head, sobbing.
If this virus infectsme further, I willnot be able to protect Bear's plans...doesn't he understand that!
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
Bear? she thought immediately, irrationally, No...it can't be...
The knock came again, more insistant.
Curiousity overcame her, and she walked up to the door and opened it.
To her shock, Crim stood before her, or rather, his real-life counterpart did.
He smiled disarmingly, and spoke. "Are you alright? Thought I'd drop by since I was in the neighborhood. May I come in?"
BT immediately say through his weak excuse, Bear had obviously told him to check up on her.
What can I do now? I can't let him see what I've done to my house, fighting the raving insanity that threatens to consume me...
Quickly, she stepped outside, closing the door behind her.
"Actually, I was just about to take a walk." Now it was her turn to offer a weak excuse.
He seemed to understand the underlying message inher words, and politely motioned for her to lead.
She happily obliged.
"Bear called me."He said after a moment, "Said you gave him my number."
"It was important."
"Yes it...was..." He sighed.
She reppressed the urge to ask him what Bearsaid, for fear of succumbing to the virus if she learned something important, and there was a moment of awkward silence between them.
"I'm not sure if I want to join all of you in your...quest.."
"Oh?"
She had to sound disinterested...maybe he'd give up.
"It's just...Bear's tactics..."
"No! Stop!" She cried. He'll compromise it all!
"They're just too risky--" he continued, then cut off, her words registering finally. "What's wrong?"
"I...don't want to know..."
"But...from the way Bear talked, it sounded like you already knew..."
Instantly, pain flooded through her body...Morganna was not pleased knowing she had been fooled.
Crim immediately grabbed her shoulders, crying out when he saw her crumple in pain. "Are you alright!"
"TELL ME!" The voice hissed. " TELL ME, YOU INSOLENT WRETCH!"
"NO!" She cried, clutching her head.
"Yuriyo!" Crim yelled, shaking her. "What's wrong!"
"No! Kenyth! Get away from me!" She cried, knocking him away and backing up. "If you don't, I might--"
"BT...what..."
"TELL ME!" the voice screeched.
BT screamed in agony, as pain washed over her, and stumbled backward.
"BT...LOOK OUT!" Crim screamed, leaping for her.
There was a crack, and then she was falling, she could see the water far below...the cliff...her house was over-looking the water...the railing must have been weak.
Something snagged her wrist, and she looked up in surprise.
Crim was hanging over the ledge, holding her wrist awkwardly, fighting not to let her slip in his sweaty hands.
"I'll pull you up, don't worry!"
"Crim..."
Pain exploded once more in her mind, the voice cackling madly. "You see? I intend to get what I want from you before I let you die! No matter what you do, I WILL have that information!"
BT shook her head violently to rid herself of the feeling of terror.
"Careful!" Crim scolded, "If you slip--"
If I fall...Bear will be safe... She realized. I...can't fight anymore...if I give in..so many will die...
She realized what she had to do.
As Crim struggled with her weight, trying to get good leverage to pull her up, She gathered all of her strength and yanked her wrist from his slippery grip, quickly plummeting out of reach.
"BT! NO!"
"I'm sorry..." She smiled up at him as she fell. "Bear's right you know!"
"What!" He screamed, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"I have to!"
"NOO!"
It was odd...she didn't feel any fear...
"Good bye..."
"YURIIIIYOOOOOO!"
END BOOK 3
AN: This was...wow...weird... I hope you guys don't freak too much...>.> ;;;
-Yusagi Sombermoon