K: ….Ya know what I noticed? The last chapter's Roman numerals got messed up… I accidentally put "8" instead of "7"…

Y: She tried to fix it, but the new layout of confused her too much. Go figure.

K: Oh, be quiet… scowls ANYWAY, I'm terribly sorry about that. I hope that you enjoy the REAL chapter 8.

DISCLAIMER:

I don't own .hack. However, I've successfully completed all 4 games. Yay!

DEDICATIONS:

Sato Takai (No, I didn't mean the story. I just meant that chapter. I do plan on completing this soon, though.)

Steeple333 (Yep. Gotta love Sora. I think it's hilarious that he speaks solely in L337 in the game. XD)

Sargent Snarky (I'm glad you like it. Sorry I took so long uploading more.)

Gosei no Ai

Gate VIII: Novus Ortus



(Elk)

I don't like working with Helba. It's not that she isn't reliable or that she's a poor leader, I just don't like the feeling I get when I'm around her. I hate people knowing what I'm doing; following my every move… It makes me feel like a caged animal.

People shouldn't pry like that.

She's acting like she's some kind of God, watching over us for her own amusement. A twisted puppet master, toying with our lives while she's pulling our strings…

She doesn't even care about Kite.

All she did in response to his disappearance was track down one of the rogue signatures and destroy it with an anti-virus. Then, she used its data to develop a substitute data drain so that we can fight there 'phases' and this 'wave' that's destroying The World. It's as if his absence is a trivial matter, and we'd only used him for his bracelet's powers.

I hate it. You should never, NEVER treat someone that way…

No one's found him yet. Even though we've been busy combating the phases, Blackrose and I have been looking for him when we can. I've been a bit busy worrying about Mia lately, so that's taken up a great deal of my time as well. So far, though, there's been no sign of him anywhere…

Maybe we're looking in the wrong place? If his data was hacked, perhaps he was put in a coma as well? Isn't that what data drain does? Then the victim's data disappears, doesn't it? That would explain things, I guess…

But…that means the real Kite is stuck like that until we fix everything. If we CAN fix everything…

God, I hope that's not the case… If we fail, he could be lost forever…

(Kite)

I woke up. At least, I think I did. It's so dark here, I don't know if I'm dreaming or not. Is this purgatory…?

I don't know what happened to me. The last thing I remember is being data drained by that monster… Wait—if I was drained, then that means I'm in a coma, right? Is Yasuhiko in a place like this, too? A place where your consciousness is floating on in darkness…?

Are they all like this?

Kite…

Wha? That voice… I've heard it before…

Kite, you must wake up!

Why is it so familiar? Who is it?

Wake up!

I jolted awake, finding myself back in the strange castle of data drained corpses. How did I get here? Who was it that brought me back? Then it hit me—Aura.

It was the only explanation that made sense.

I watched my skin flicker from gray to color, as if the data didn't really know which way to go. Finally, color washed over everything, and I was normal again. It occurred to me that I had watched my data being hacked into, and although it was Aura who had done it, I couldn't help but shiver a little.

I stood up, a bit shaky at first, but I soon regained total control of my body. Looking around, I noticed that there were many more people than I remembered, and my heart fell. Things had gotten worse since I'd been gone.

I clenched my fists, whispering a silent promise to them. I'll save each and every one of you… I swear it…

My mind set, I opened a portal back to the rest of The World.

(Elk: Omega: Resurrecting Someone's Fallen Angel)

I trudged through the thick, digitized snow, headed toward the ever-elusive dungeon icon. It was a long, tedious process, even with the help of a speed charm, and I found myself pining for a puchiguso. I'd never really liked them, but I had to admit, they really did come in handy sometimes. At least I wouldn't have to keep running away from the monsters here…

I plopped down beside a headless snowman, resting my fingers. A few Cordyceps near me boinged and chirruped at me, demanding my attention; I ignored them as usual, seeing as how they weren't of any use to me. Again, I thought of trying my hand at raising one of those ugly, cow-like creatures, but quickly banished the notion from my mind. I didn't have time for any of that nonsense. I had too much to do already.

I rose, dusting off my clothes out of habit, and resumed my search for the dungeon. I'd heard a rumor that a strange player was seen here, and although the chances of it being Kite were slim to none, I decided to check it out anyway. No one else was online at the time, and Mia hasn't been responding to my messages, so I ended up coming alone. It was just as well—they'd probably just chide me for leading them on a wild goose chase anyway.

After what seemed like hours, a large, snow-covered castle emerged from the mist, and I rejoiced at not having to go any further in that winter wasteland. Quickening my pace, I raced up the cobblestone walkway and entered the dungeon. The inside was as gloomy as ever, the data eroded and chipped away by the mass of viruses plaguing the game. I walked down the carpeted hall, reaching into my robes and activating a Fairy Orb—a trick Kite had once taught me.

I glanced at the newly-uncovered map in the corner of my screen, swiftly determining the fastest route to the next floor. Strangely, there were few magic portals; so few, in fact, that I could pass without ever coming into contact with one. Slightly unnerved by this, I proceeded to head toward the stairs leading to the next floor.

Again and again, I found a path with no obstacles in my way, and each time I grew more and more suspicious of it. This was definitely NOT normal dungeon behavior. By the time I'd reached the final floor, my uneasiness had grown to something of a paranoia. It was the same feeling I had whenever we were about to encounter one of the phases—a kind of terror that put me on alert for whatever might be lurking out there, ready to strike.

And my instincts are always right.

K: I'm gonna be mean and leave you hanging there. I want to finish this thing on chapter 10, and the way I'm going, it'd end on 9. So I'm dreadfully sorry, but you'll have to wait for the rest some other time.

Y: That's just cruel.

K: I know, but at least I'm going to finish it, right?

Y: True, true…