Author's Note: Sorry about any problems with my updating. I'm still adjusting my schedule on how I update all of my fics. Take it away, Disclaimer!

Disclaimer: Angelglory does not own ".hack/"

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Chapter 3: The Saint For Sinners

Suma sat in his chair, in the real world, with bandages around his chest. Sure, he didn't have to hide it from anyone, but it still really hurt. He lived alone after all, so he didn't have time for such luxuries like sympathy. And he didn't want to go to the hospital. If he did, everyone at school would think that his "parents" hurt him.

"Bah! What a load of crap," he grumbled, "Everyone's just out to get in my way and make me miserable. Bastards…"

Suma accessed "The World" and logged on. Ah, "The World", his sanctuary, his Promised Land. He played the game so much; he only called himself Suma now. He didn't care what his real name was after all. Besides, he had enough of the name "Aaron".

"I'm Suma the Scythe, resident of 'The World'."

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The Scythe materialized in Mac Anu and stretched his arms up into the air. He opened his list of Member Addresses and looked at the measly two players who had become his friends over the last few days. Eterni and River.

He sent Flash Mail to both of them to form a party. Maybe they're on today; maybe he could have friends today.

River appeared at the Chaos Gate and he waved once he saw Suma. "Hello, Mr. Suma. How are you?"

"A little achy, but all right I guess," Suma replied.

River walked next to Suma. "Um, hey, did you hear about the contest?" he asked the Twin Blade meekly.

Suma looked intrigued. "Contest? You mean a new event?" He always loved a new challenge.

"N-No, I heard there's a player in Mac Anu who's having a contest of some sort. Do you want to check it out?" River looked hopefully at Suma.

Suma shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, why not? But let's wait for Eterni before we go," he replied.

"Go where?" Eterni appeared by the Chaos Gate. "Are you going somewhere without me?"

River jumped and turned towards the Heavy Axeman. "Oh, of course not, Ms. Eterni. We were just waiting for you," the Wavemaster answered.

Eterni turned her back on her companions. "Well, I have to take care of something at Dun Loireag. Could you two wait for me for a little bit longer?"

Suma grumbled. "Oh come on, I'm tired of waiting…"

Eterni fluttered her eyes, putting on an adorable act. "Please? Only for a few minutes," she whined.

Suma sighed and rolled his eyes. "Bah. Fine, whatever, just hurry up, will ya?"

Eterni gave a quick salute to Suma and left for Dun Loireag. "Yes sir!" she called back as she vanished.

"Jeez, she's weirder than usual…" Suma mumbled, as he watched Eterni leave.

River looked towards the bridge, watching various players gathering nearby. "Why don't we check out the contest while we wait?" he suggested.

Suma turned from the gate and started walking towards the commotion. "Yeah…why not?" he remarked, as River followed after.

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Many male players gathered on the old bridge of Mac Anu. They all clamored about something of a contest. Suma and River stood near the back of the pack, trying to get a good view. But finally, a lone player emerged from the middle of the crowd and stood on the railing of the bridge. It was one of the new classes, an Archmaster, wielder of bow and arrows. It was a female and she stood proudly above the mass of players.

Her hair was a golden blonde and shimmered in the daylight. A jeweled headband was wrapped around her forehead, very nice looking. A pink heart-like symbol was tattooed her right cheek. Around her neck was a yellow scarf that hung down the center of her chest and down her back on the other side. She wore an open beige short-sleeved jacket, but nothing underneath. Her scarf covered her just enough. Her beige skirt came down to her knees and had slits up both sides, allowing better movement. In her hands, she held a large bow with a single heart-tipped arrow.

"All right, boys, are you all ready? Who ever catches the arrow wins the prize!" the girl exclaimed.

Suma was having a hard time hearing what the Archmaster was explaining over the jabbering of all the other players. "What's she saying?"

"Ready?" The Archmaster pulled the bow back. "Set?" She aimed carefully into the sky. "GO!" She let it go and the arrow flew into the air.

The mob of players all watched the arrow soar into the sky. They fanned out, arms lifted into the air. The arrow finally turned around and began to plummet. It came down fast and with unknown precision.

"What the hell?" Suma mumbled, as he watched the arrow.

SMACK! "OW! Hey!" The arrow bonked Suma on the head, and then fell into River's hands.

Suma clutched his head and grumbled. "What kind of contest is that?" he complained.

River looked overjoyed as he held the arrow up. "Look, Mr. Suma, I caught the arrow!" he exclaimed.

All of the players surrounded River and Suma. "Hey congratulations!" one player said. "I'm so jealous!" remarked another.

"Wow, I've never won anything before…" River admitted.

The Archmaster suddenly came through the crowd, and approached the young Wavemaster with the arrow. She placed her hands on his shoulders and looked him over. "You caught the arrow, right?"

River nodded, blushing intensely. "Yes, yes, I did. Well, actually it more of bounced into my hands," he answered.

"So, it bounced off the ground and landed in your hands. Hmm, all right, I guess we have to do it over again," the Archmaster sighed.

"Wait, it didn't bounce off the ground," River said timidly. "It…uh…"

Suma suddenly spoke up. "Yeah, your stupid arrow hit me in the head first! What kind of contest is hitting people with arrows?"

"Oh, so you actually did catch it?" the girl asked River, completely ignoring Suma's anger.

River clutched the arrow nervously. "Y-Yes," he replied.

The Archmaster rubbed her chin and nodded to herself a few times. She looked back at River again and said cheerfully, "Congratulations, you've been selected by Love to watch the Apprentice of Affection navigate the illustrious dungeon of Delta: Dazzling Smiling Spiral."

The player winked at River and placed her index finger on her lips then pressed it against his lips. "Don't keep me waiting, okay?" she said.

River was mesmerized. "Y-Yes, ma'am, I'll be there," he exclaimed obediently.

The Archmaster smiled and then ran off towards the Chaos Gate. She was probably off to the mentioned field.

Suma and River just watched in disbelieve as she left. The mass of players eventually disbanded and returned to their own business, leaving the two on the bridge.

Suma spoke up, after snapping out of his daze, "Man, what a freak, I can't stand players like that. Let's just forget about the weirdo, River," he ranted.

"Can we go there, Mr. Suma?" River asked suddenly.

Suma narrowed his eyes to River. "Oh yeah, sure. And when we do, we can cheer her on like a couple of rabid fan boys," the Twin Blade answered with heavy sarcasm.

"Really?" River looked hopeful.

"NO!" Suma shouted, "She's the kind of player that people like me completely ignore!" he pointed towards the Chaos Gate where the Archmaster had ran off too.

"Is that so, Suma? Hmm, and I thought we were friends," a voice claimed.

Suma looked to where he was pointing only to see Eterni standing before him. The Twin Blade jumped back nearly five feet. "AH! Oh, hey there, Eterni. Didn't see you there. Eh heh heh," Suma said nervously.

"So, you think I'm nobody, do you?" Eterni stated, raising her axe up into the air threateningly.

Suma waved his hands back and forth. "No, no, no! I wasn't talking about you, I swear!"

"It's true, Ms. Eterni. There was this player who asked us to come to a field," River explained.

The Wingless lowered her axe. "Oh, well, sorry Suma," she apologized to the Twin Blade.

Suma got back up to his feet and dusted his pants off. "Yeah, yeah… Anyway, now that we're all here, what field should we go too?"

River raised his hand. "Can we please go that field? I really want to watch Ms. Love traverse the dungeon," he admitted.

Suma grumbled, slapping his forehead. "For the love of God…If you want to go, go by yourself!" he yelled at the Wavemaster.

"Suma!" Eterni said scornfully. "What's the matter with you?"

The raven-haired player said nothing in reply. He only grumbled and walked away from his friends, his hands shoved into his coat pockets.

River and Eterni watched the Twin Blade wander off into town. They both received a notice that Suma has left their party.

"Suma…" The Heavy Axeman said softly as she looked sadly at Suma's vanishing form.

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River glanced down at the ground, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make Mr. Suma angry like that…"

Eterni placed a gentle hand on the young Wavemaster's shoulder. "It's not your fault. I'm sure he has a reason why he doesn't want to go to that field," she said reassuringly.

River twiddled his thumbs, still feeling responsible for Suma's aggression. "But I…"

The Axeman stepped in front of River, placing both hands on his shoulders. "Let's not think about it, anyway," she paused for a moment. "Say, why don't we go to that field you were talking about?"

River quickly looked up at Eterni. "R-Really? You want to go?" he asked. "But what about Mr. Suma?"

The girl lifted her hands from the boy's shoulders. "I'm sure he'll feel better later. Please don't worry too much," she replied.

"Sorry," River apologized. "Should we go to Dazzling Smiling Spiral then?"

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The Scythe kicked a can fiercely as he walked into the back alley. The dim light gave shelter to the bright morning sun, as he slumped against a dirty brick wall. He slid down and hit the ground. The cold-hearted player fought some ridiculous tears back.

Why should he be crying? Was there something that happened at that field?

"Why did it have to be that field?" Suma muttered.

Suma hated that field with a fiery passion. It's where he lost his only friend…

Flashback

The rain came pouring down from the virtual sky and fed the dying grass the water it so needed. Two players where at each others throats despite the storm above…

A Long Arm growled at a Twin Blade, "Damn it, Aaron! Stop blaming the world for your parents' deaths. I'm sick of it!"

Suma snapped back ferociously, "Shut your mouth! You don't know how it feels, Zach! So just shut up!"

Zach turned his back on Suma. "It was your own fault they're dead. Just yours…no one else's."

Suma was taken aback but also made even more furious. "Take that back!" The Twin Blade shoved the Long Arm. "NOW!"

The spear-wielder swung his weapon at Suma. "Don't touch me!"

The tip of Zach's spear cut Suma across his chest. The Twin Blade looked down at his chest as blood slowly stained his clothes. "You…you cut me. You actually cut me!" Suma yelled.

"Cry me a river, Aaron," Zach retorted as he logged out. "Cry me a damn river…"

Suma was left standing in the rain; he glared intensely at the spot where Zach had just vanished.

The blood began dripping onto the damp ground.

End Flashback

The next day, Suma had found out that Zach was shot and killed after he logged off. The rumor mail was very quickly unforgiving to him. The rumors where that Suma had killed Zach…

"I heard they got into a huge argument. Aaron couldn't control himself, so he shot him. What a scumbag."

"Aaron's a psycho. There's no telling when he'll try and kill us all."

"No wonder he doesn't have any friends; he kills them all."

But Suma knew he couldn't have done it, he was online the rest of that night. He felt horrible afterwards. It was his fault that his friend was murdered.

He later visited Zach's grave…to apologize.

Flashback

The boy no longer known as Aaron stood before his friend Zach's grave. The rain came falling from the sky like a waterfall.

"Zach…" Suma began, "You were right, Zach. It was my fault. And now it's my fault again. I'm sorry."

The teen let his tears mix with the raindrops. "I just can't help myself, can I? If I wasn't such an idiot…you…you'd still be alive."

Suma knelt down and placed a shaking hand on the tombstone. "I never took the blame for anything, you know? Always blamed someone else. I've been like that for God knows how long. It didn't do me any good, though, just look what happened."

He lowered his head; he just couldn't bear to read the name on the grave anymore. "But I know now. It's my fault. Always has been, always will be. Everyone else is pure. I'm not."

Suma stood back up and turned away from the grave. "I just wanted to apologize. I'm not fit to have any friends in this world. If I'm lucky, I'll see you in another life Zach."

He walked away into the night storm. "Farewell, friend…"

End Flashback

"Is that why?" a voice asked, "You won't go because of bad memories?"

Suma shot his glance into the shadows, where a Heavy Blade stood concealed. The Twin Blade jumped to his feet.

"Who's there?" Suma shouted, slowly drawing his blades.

A blonde man covered in a cloak emerged from the darkness. It was the same Heavy Blade that saved Suma and the others from the monster in the dungeon before. "No one special, just an observer. Your quarrel is not with me."

"Y-You're that guy from before! What do you want?" the Twin Blade demanded to know.

"I don't want nor need anything. It's more along the lines of where you need to be," the swordsman replied.

Suma was at a loss. "What? Where I need to be?"

"Dazzling Smiling Spiral. There's something there you need to see," the man answered.

Suma grumbled at the mention of that field. "Yeah right. I don't care what I 'need to see' there, I'm not going."

The blonde crossed his arms and sighed. "Then you don't care about your so-called 'friends' then? I don't see why, seeing how this isn't the same world as the one you lost Zach in. You should be fit to have friends here, right?"

Suma stepped back. "H-How did you…? How do you know about Zach? Who are you?"

"Go to that field. You may find an answer…or maybe another question," the Heavy Blade responded before logging out.

The raven-haired teen was left speechless in the dark alley as the fictional world past him by.

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Dazzling Smiling Spiral was a grass field. The grass on the ground was a dying yellow, thirsty for water. A rumbling storm bellowed overhead and torrentially poured rain down on the begging ground.

Eterni and River appeared on the field Love had invited the Wavemaster to. Although, the Archmaster was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh no," River mumbled, "Did we miss her? What if she already left?"

"Huh?" A voice sounded out. It was Love. "So you did decide to come. I'm already in the dungeon, so hurry up now."

The voice faded, leaving the two players alone in the rain.

"Shall we go then? She won't wait for long, right?" Eterni said, looking towards River.

River nodded in reply. "Yes, let's go."

As the two began their trek to the dungeon, another voice called out to them. "Hark! Excuse me fine travelers."

It was a male Heavy Axeman calling them. He wore green armor but had no helmet. His body was wider than round like most male Axeman.

He trudged over them and spoke his purpose. "I am here confronting my rival. May I ask what brings you here?"

"Well," Eterni began, "My friend was invite by someone to this dungeon. Something about watching her traverse the dungeon or whatnot."

River nodded in agreement. "Yes, Ms. Love invited me after I won her contest."

The Axeman looked shocked at both of their explanations. "What? She's already here? Piros the Silver White shall not have this!" he shouted.

He then made a mad dash for the dungeon yelling something that sounded like, "I won't let her have all of the glory!"

"…" The two players stood speechless for a moment before continuing onward.

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The dungeon was about four floors and didn't have a lot of magic portals to slow them down, so Eterni and River arrived at the lowest level in no time. But once they got there, all they saw was an argument.

"How many times do I have to tell you, you big oaf, I got here first so I won," Love barked at Piros.

The Heavy Axeman shook his fist angrily at the Archmaster. "You used dishonesty and cheated! We were both supposed to start at the same time! I demand a redo!"

Love crossed her arms and scoffed. "In your dreams, you're just a sore loser."

"You take that back, you!" Piros growled.

"Please, please stop arguing, "River asked, as he approached the two bickering players.

But they seemed to ignore him and continue their ranting and raving. Eterni sighed and shook her head. "They're like little kids."

Just then, a red-clad Twin Blade and a pink-haired Heavy Blade entered then room. They didn't say anything, but only approached the situation.

"The same ones from the cathedral…" Eterni thought.

"What's going on here?" the Twin Blade asked the Wingless.

Eterni snapped back to reality and looked towards Love, Piros, and River. "Um…Just an argument, I suppose."

"Kite," the Heavy Blade said to her partner, "There."

The Heavy Blade pointed past the arguing players to a magic portal that was slowly appearing before them.

"It's here," Kite said quietly.

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Suma walked through the dungeon agitated. He only glared at the space ahead of him as he walked on. He hated this field, it had such a happy name, but it only brought pain.

He grumbled, letting his black hair fall over his face. What did the player mean by 'there's something he needed to see here'?

Suma finally decided to move his thoughts elsewhere.

"Damn it, we kind of game is this? Everything just doesn't make any sense anymore. First that monster at the cathedral, then that bastard with the glowing beams of light, monsters actually hurting players, and now this," the Twin Blade groaned.

As the Scythe talked to himself, something floated past his face. It caught the player off guard, causing him to take a step back. He stuck his hand out and the object gently landed on his palm.

"What the…? A feather?"

It was a white shimmering feather. And another suddenly floated by. Suma looked to where it had come from to see a few more feathers hovering along the air. They lead into the next room, so he followed them absent-mindedly.

As he entered, everything became hazy…

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White. All around was a white room that continued on forever. The Twin Blade, Suma, stood lost in the vastness.

And before him lay an odd scene. A fragment of something that ceased to continue. A woman held a man in her arms, the man lying on the ground dead. The woman had large wings sprouting from her back. But yet, neither of them had no faces. Mere mannequins of what they should be.

"What…what is this place?" Suma mumbled.

Follow the light, and you will surely be taken.

Deny the light, and you will surely be stolen.

What will you do? Escape slips from your grasp.

You must take yourself to end it.

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This turned out way different than I thought it was going to. But I like how it came out regardless. R 'n' R Please. Thanks!