A/N: Two chapters for you special people today because I am feeling generous and also because I am not sure when the next time I'll upload is. It could be tomorrow or the next day who knows.

Someone asked why does this game allow the players to have senses such as touch and smell? Well it's because this story takes place a couple hundred years in the future like 3070. So their technology is a lot more advanced than ours is now.

I have been getting 'is The Game like .Hack?'. Yes in a sense it is. It is a virtual reality based game added with the fact that this is years in the future it is a more advanced. The players can basically be their characters once they log in.

Hope that answers some of your questions or thoughts.

Enjoy the chapter!

Amalgamating Flesh & Pixels

Chapter 5:

Hard-Boiled Eggs

I met up with Jamie a few days later and I apologized a few hundred times for pretty much ditching him to go hang out with the old fur ball. He said it was fine a few hundred times more and eventually said that if I said sorry one more time then he really wasn't going to forgive me. That shut me up pretty quickly.

Jamie and I were sitting across from each other at a booth in a really old fashioned diner-ish place, sometime from the 1940's or so, in one of the bigger cities of The Game. There were few of these types of restaurants scattered about outside the game, but they had a more modern feel to them that kept them from seeming too old fashioned. I wonder what it was like back then, I bet it was a pretty happy time if the ancient photographs said anything.

That was one of the cool things about this game, no matter what you're into there was always something in here that would match your interests. This involved large bustling cities, calm little towns, the great outdoors, old castles, everything and anything. There was always a new place to go to or explore. You never really got bored. Unless you're a boring person and won't take the few minutes required to stop complaining about how bored you are and go and buy a Transportation Orb and actually go somewhere.

Jamie had messaged me to meet him here, he said he found it a while back and found it really cool but never had the chance to come back (I think I vaguely remember him telling me about it, but I could have been spacing out at that time). He wanted me to help him study for this huge test he was going to be having soon and he didn't have any study partners since his friends didn't have to take the test. I was by no means a mathematician. What ever led Jamie to believe that I could help with studying math is beyond me. I don't even study for my own tests. What the hell was Topology? What the heck are kids these days even learning anymore?

"What do you mean you can't help me?" Jamie asked exasperated. He looked like the personification of disbelief right now.

"I mean I can't help you." I said again. I pointed down at the table top where the files showing different mathematical problems lay, "I don't even know what Topology even is."

"I told you, Topology looks at the properties that don't change even when the figures are deformed by stretching and bending, like dimension." He and pointed down at the files lying open.

"See? You know what Topology is, why are you asking for my help?"

"That's the definition of Topology, Jack! And what help so far you haven't been any."

"Which is why you should go ask your mom or something, like any other kid would do."

"Any other kid would be able to solve all of this. Jack I'm gonna fail!" He wailed at the ceiling.

I leaned over the table top looking at the math problems. "What the heck are you even doing learning Topology, you're like 10!"

"11!" He corrected me quickly, "Because adults think we're some kind of math geniuses or something! How do you not know what this stuff is, you're like 20!"

"18!" I corrected him this time. "Yeah, I'm older physically. Not mentally." I tapped the side of my head and sat back in my seat crossing my arms over my chest, looking at Jamie from across from me. "And I don't know much about this stuff because when I was your age I was too busy spitting spit wads at the backs of people heads and tying peoples shoe laces together so they tripped when they stood up. You know, being a kid." So it's a little old school, who cares?

"Ugh, fine." He groaned throwing his hands up in mock surrender, finally caving in. Whoo! No more math! "Then at least help me out with Logic." I tipped my head back and groaned out loud exaggeratedly, sliding down the leather seat.

"Jamie you're killing me here."

He had a new transparent window already opened in front of him ready to load out the new problems.

"…How did you pass if you never paid attention?" He said after a moment. I almost didn't hear him over my whines and grunts of anguish.

Oh, that. I cheated of course, but I wasn't going to tell Jamie that. I am not going to tell an 11 year-old that I cheated to pass classes, what kind of an older example would that make me? The worst kind around, that's for sure. I didn't cheat all the time of course; most of the subjects just came to me naturally. Did you know you can actually learn while you're sleeping? It's true; your brain actually takes in information if someone is talking to you while you're unconscious. You may not know it and think you don't know what was going on, but you do know it sub-consciously. Which is how I spent most of my time in Jr. High.

I laughed to myself as I rubbed my chin and sat up properly in my seat. "Well, you know, I just got lucky."

Jamie just stared at me for a long moment. He clearly didn't believe me. "Lucky?"

"Oh, shut up you're 11 stop questioning your elders." We both laughed.

Jamie had to leave shortly after. We attempted to try and make some sense of the gibberish his teachers were trying to shove into the poor kid's head, but alas, to no avail. I mean, how much studying will an 18 year old delinquent and an 11 year kid get through willingly?

I was getting ready to log off since I had my own things to go do when a small chime stopped me. I got a new message. I contemplated just ignoring it and reading it later, but I pushed that idea away and decided to just read it now. I don't get messages very often, aside from the complaining ones (I knew it was a real genuine message and not a complaint because the junk mail doesn't get a cute little chime), so you could say I was very interested in seeing who was trying to contact me willingly.

I opened my messages and saw that the message was from Bunny. Since Bunny sent me a friend request a few days ago we've been getting along swimmingly I think, but that could be because the last time we actually talked was the day he sent me a request. He also could have sent me that request because he felt bad for me or something? Then again why question a good thing.

From: Spring-Time-Flowers [Bunnymund]

Subject: Frostbite.

Message:

Meet me in the forest clearing. The one we were at last time.

I quirked an eyebrow at the message and then laughed at his writing, proper punctuation and everything. This guy, I swear. I smirked as I wrote my response.

From: LetItSnow [Jack Frost]

Subject: Spring-Time-Flowers?

Message:

wow bunny i didnt realize u were such a girl

ooh a secret meeting? my my mr. rabbit i had no idea u were so kinky ;)

I sent it. Another message came in a few seconds later.

From: Spring-Time-Flowers [Bunnymund]

Subject: A friend picked it out!

Message:

Nick off, ya snow pixie! Just get over here will ya!

I laughed and closed the window. I could meet up and banter with the fluff ball for a little bit before leaving. I took off for the forest clearing.

I landed in the center of the empty clearing. "You're either just some weird creeper who asks to meet innocent little boys in empty forests or this is either another sad attempt at seducing me." I said to the nothingness around me knowing Bunny was out there somewhere being the creeper he is.

A round colorful object landed a few feet in front of me. I looked at it in confusion. A few more joined their companion to the left and right of me and I finally realized what they were.

"Oh, shi-" They blew up in an explosion of color, engulfing me in it before I could jump away. I coughed as I inhaled the foul smog, the chemicals quickly sinking their way into my system. My vision was becoming blurry and I continued to cough harshly; my lungs were on fire. I tried to hold my staff up to call the wind, but I found that the smoke drained my MP and I could feel myself becoming weak and tired. Fast.

I sunk to my knees, using my staff to hold me up as coughs racked my body. I tried to crawl my way out of the smoke, but it just seemed physically impossible, not to mention exhausting. Besides, the smoke blinding me I probably wouldn't able to see what with my eyes burning up and watering up severely. I dropped down onto the grass beneath me, finally giving in.

The last thing I remember before blacking out was an odd yet familiar smell.

Hard-boiled eggs.

No music today.