Dot Hack: Hating to Love You

Chapter 2 written by Vincent Noble Valentine...

Quick Author's note: The following is my response or should I say 'comeback' to one pissed off reviewer, so to answer your questions: NO I haven't seen the DVD's that came with the game, NO I don't have them in my possession because I bought my versions of DotHACK from america, I wasn't fussed about gettin the DVD's so YES I know less than you about the HACK series but I have played the games to completion. Now as for the goggles and how they work for goin online to 'the world' I'll be honest I don't know how they really work, like you've said that info is on the DVD's which I don't have. However this a fanfic I'm doing so what I don't know I make up with imagination, that is a writers priviledge, so about getting my facts straight how can I when I don't know everything? I may not know as much as you but it doesn't stop me from writing a story about a game that I enjoyed, so before you blast my ideas or storyline out of the water before I've gotten to the next chapter, actually try reading it with an open mind and stop nip picking at every little thing.

Also to Spanish girl, I apologize that I cannot translate this story into spanish. I'm english and unfortunely I don't know the language to translate it for you, so again sorry about that. Anyways on with the story and keep those reviews comin people, positive and negative feedback is always welcome.

So much had changed since I took up Blackroses offer to go to Delta Hidden Forbidden HolyGround, in my or should I say 'our' quest for answers to Orca's coma I was quickly becoming the leader of a group of people who wanted to aid me in my search for answers. With Blackrose however, I quickly learned that like myself she too was a newbie soon after I data drained a data bug with the bracelet Aura had bestowed upon me. But most of the time as I travelled with Blackrose I often wondered if I was supposed to get this bracelet in the first place? After all Aura had given it to Orca first, so naturally after thinking about it alot maybe Orca was the one who was supposed to save 'the World' in the first place and not me at all.

But with Yashuhiko in the hospital after being data drained by Skieth, I had no other choice but to take up the task of restoring 'the World' to it's natural order, even if the bracelet was considered an illegal part of my program it could still be used for good like Aura had stated before: 'The power it holds can bring either salvation or destruction at the whim of the user'

However I didn't know at the time that 'the world' was corrupted at all. The only thing I really knew or cared about was finding Skieth and gutting the bastard for putting Yashuhiko in the hospital in the first place. I had originally hoped that by beating Skieth Orca would be fine, but after beating Skieth things just went from bad to worse. First came Skieth and from his death came Cubia then Innis to Magus and from then on afterwords came the remainder of the 8 phases, including Mia which was one of them too, much to my surprise.

But now that 'the wave' was gone along with Cubia and all the coma patients were slowly waking up, where do we go from here? I mean I did what I set out to do when I first started playing 'the world' and we did win, but why is it I still feel so empty? Aren't Heroes who saved the world supposed to be happy and celebrating their countless victories with fellow team-mates? That's what we should be doing right?

Yeah, I tell myself, trying to cheer myself up. If I wanted to do something in the past and had the will and determination to do it, I would. But no matter how much will and determination I claim to have I couldn't have gotten as far as I did beating the wave without everyone else by my side. What is this I'm feeling? Why do I seem so down about it now, when only a few weeks have passed and everythings back to normal again? I feel like Im missing something important but can't quite place it...

There I go again, doubting myself. Blackrose would have another fit if she saw me acting like this again. It's funny though, my personal mission was to stop Skieth and help Orca and yet like myself she wanted the same thing. Her brother Kazu was also another victim who ended up in a coma like Orca did from playing 'the world', I only found that out much later on our quest when she wanted a private word with me at Delta Hidden Forbidden HolyGround. I honestly didn't know what it was all about because the last time I saw her I actually questioned if what we were doing in 'the world' was considered right? No matter how many victories we had over the phases, the results worsened and spreaded further infecting not only dungeons as it used to the but towns as well.

Blackrose must have really been going through so much for her usual attitude and personality to waver into something softer, perhaps to point where she was slowly breaking down. With all her constant worrying for her brother and wanting to set things right by finding clues to saving him, I guess I can't really argue the point of why she was doing it, we were both in the same situation, we both wanted to help someone we cared about. She confessed adamantly on what we were doing was right and my doubting myself wasn't helping her cling onto the hope of helping her brother. I never really knew how I would be feeling could have affected her so much, so I tried to remedy that by trying to console her and not to cry, but as I did she reverted back to how I've always known her: strong and tempermental that she nearly bit my head off for such a comment.

After our talk she said she wouldn't be online for a while and that she was going to check up on her brother at the hospital while I continued with new resolve to help not only Orca now but Blackrose and her brother as well. It was a shame really, although she was away and I had others to accompany me...I missed having her around, it just didn't feel the same not having her there to fight alongside me in battle, but knowing that she had to be there for Kazu was all I needed to know that it was important enough.

But now however :) she's still trying to be the big sister and keep an eye on him all the time wondering if he'll be alright playing 'the World' again, since she often asked if I saw him anywhere while making recent stops through the towns and making trades with other players. I can't really say that I did happen to see and talk with Kazu let alone warn him that his sister was looking for him, so whenever she asked I always told her the truth and that I hadn't seen him. Which reminds me...I just got an email from Blackrose some weeks back after we defeated the final phase and she even professed to saying that she thought she was falling in love with me o0;; and then said she was just joking. I don't know really how to take that sort of news, was she really joking or did she actually mean it? I had been meaning to send a reply to that but I don't know...Part of me doesn't want to respond to what she said because of fear and maybe rejection, maybe I don't want to jepodize the friendship we have.

Or just maybe it's because I'm young and that I'm scared how she would respond either way. What if I say the wrong thing and it causes me to push her away? Blackrose has always been by my side ever since we first started our quest for answers and as things between us progressed we became closer as friends. We trusted one another when it came to battles and always had each others back and she always wanted to be by my side when it came to an all important battle against a phase, regardless of how terrified she was, Blackrose was always there to fight alongside me. We were just doing what we thought was right at the time, so I don't think neither of us considered anything further that friendship since we were trying to save 'the World'

But something was there, even if I only realize it now. The conversations in the church, on the battlefield, within the emails or even when it came to what seemed to be our final battle. Am I willing to take a risk and ask her how she really feels or am I just getting my hopes up for nothing? Am I...

You have 1 new email

Great in all the time I spent letting my mind wander, I neglected to keep an eye on my pc monitor, hm ok let's see here. It was an email from Blackrose...

Final note: Sorry chapter 2 was a bit short but I wanted to take the opportunity to delve more into Kite's character and his feelings for Blackrose. Much like every other teenager there are always doubts and worries about telling someone how you feel and there never really is a good way of telling someone how you feel because were only human and we always worry about the response we get from that person, be it good or bad. I'll be sure to update pretty soon about the party but until then keep them reviews comin, thanks!

Signed Vincent Noble Valentine...