-No Good Deed Goes Unpunished-
A .Hack/G.U. Fanfic by Digitaldreamer
Chapter Two: In Which Sakaki's Terms Are Set
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Wow, seven reviews on my first chapter? Thanks a lot, everyone! I really hope I'll be able to meet all of your expectations!
Right, this chapter... well, things haven't really gotten started yet, but this is where things start to build up. I'm actually pretty happy with how it turned out, all things considered. I did a few things that I hope don't seem contrived... if my plot devices seem too odd, please tell me and I'll do my best to find a way to make them seem as realistic in the terms of the game as I possibly can!
As always, if you have any critiques, please, please give them to me! I'm always looking for ways to improve, and I want to make sure I don't get anyone out-of-character. Of course, any comments are lovely, so please, please take the time to review! Even something as simple as "I liked it" makes me happy and eager to keep writing, and it only takes a few seconds to type out, so... well, yes.
Also, if you have any suggestions, requests for characters you'd like to see, things you'd like to have happen, please tell me and I'll do my best to work them in!
Right, on with the chapter!
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Haseo wasn't sure how long he knelt there upon the arena floor, shaking as the crowd's cheers and jeers surrounded him. He wasn't aware of much of anything at this point beyond the aches and pangs of exhaustion that rolled across his body in waves. It was as if the entire arena had dimmed away, leaving him with nothing but pain and his own breathing as company.
He did, however, catch Sakaki's latest command. "Endrance, do my favor and grab that disgusting creature, would you? I believe it's time for us to take our leave of this place."
The Terror of Death felt a fresh stab of pain. Of all the things Sakaki could have suggested... did it have to be something to rub a former friend's betrayal into his face once again? Things were bad enough without the former Demon Palace emperor's cold eyes coming to mind again, without the reminder of the way his voice had cracked as he realized just where Endrance's loyalties truly lay. He still just couldn't seem to wrap his brain around it... the fact that after everything, Endrance...
He heard the tinkling noise of Endrance's charms as the former emperor moved towards him, grit his teeth as he felt the blade brandier's hand on his shoulder, almost comforting. "Damnit..." The teen muttered, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to jerk away.
Endrance stood above him for a moment, gazing down at him with sad eyes. "Haseo..." He murmured, then closed his eyes and steeled himself. He had to keep up with the act... if there was any time his Haseo would need him, it would be now. He wanted nothing more than to hold the boy close and tell him it would all be alright, that he was here and he was going to make sure nothing more happened, that he would never really betray the Terror of Death and it was all an act... but he couldn't. Not now. He pulled Haseo up, doing his best to be gentle without making it obvious to Sakaki.
"Endrance!" He could heart Kuhn shouting over the roar of the crowd. "What the hell are you doing!? What happened to swearing your heart to Haseo, you traitor!"
"Haseo!" Atoli shrieked, her voice cracking. "Endrance, don't!"
Sakubo threw back her head and laughed. "Wow, listen to those freaks cry! They never saw this coming, huh, Master En?" She glanced over at Endrance, then looked to the beaten Haseo with an expression of glee. "This really can't get much better."
The blade brandier ignored them. Those people didn't matter, Haseo did. Nothing else mattered.
Sakaki smirked, unaware of Endrance's thoughts. "Shall we be off then, my faithful pets?"
Saku grinned. "Sounds good to me! Let's blow this popsicle stand!"
Endrance gazed down at Haseo sadly for a moment, then nodded.
With that, the four of them vanished from the arena.
"Damnit!" Kuhn cursed as the crowd began to disperse, murmuring excitedly among themselves. His hands clenched into fists at his sides and he glared at the now blank screens that normally showed what happened in the arena. "Of all the stupid tricks... damn that Sakaki!"
"I... Sakaki... I can't believe he'd..." Atoli trailed off, biting her lip and wringing her hands. That wasn't true, she could believe Sakaki would do something like this after everything else that had happened, but it still hurt. The blonde glanced over at her companion. "What do we do?"
Kuhn shook his head as he stood up straight again, shaking his now throbbing hand. "I don't know... I'm gonna log off and see if I can get in contact with Pi. I hate to bother her when she's already so busy, but we have no choice." He let out a sigh, then looked to Atoli. "Can you stay here and keep an eye out for Haseo in Mac Anu? Sakaki can't keep him forever, Haseo's got to log off sometime..."
The blonde nodded. "Right! I'll do my best!" She declared, clenching her hands into fists.
The two stood there for a moment, locking eyes. In spite of her determined voice, Atoli's eyes betrayed her worry. She was scared for Haseo.
"This... it's all going to be alright, isn't it, Kuhn?" Kuhn swallowed dropped his gaze to the floor. He couldn't meet a woman's eyes when she was like that, not when he couldn't do anything about it.
"I don't know." He said honestly. "I really don't know."
--
The shift from the blistering heat of the arena to the cool, slightly damp chill of the Serpent of Lore was a jarring one. Haseo was unable to withhold a grunt as he was unceremoniously dropped onto the ornate carpet, the plush doing little to cushion him from the hard stone beneath it.
"Come now Terror of Death, get up. It's not as if these are unfamiliar surroundings to you." Sakaki drawled.
Haseo made no reply. He couldn't help but notice that the cool floor felt soothing against his skin. He knew he had to get up, he simply had to, he couldn't lay here and let Sakaki win. But he was just so tired, and it felt so much nicer here... if only he could just lay here a bit...
"Haseo." Sakaki's voice carried a warning tone with it. "On your feet, we have things to discuss."
The Terror of Death struggled to open his eyes. He had to open them, he couldn't lay here, he couldn't. He was just forcing his eyes open when Saku's harlequin-style shoe hit him in the side, eliciting a grunt of pain from him.
"Come on, lazy bum, get up!" The shadow warlock giggled.
Haseo scowled. "I was getting up!" He snapped as he pushed himself to his knees. "You didn't have to kick me!" It wasn't like Saku could kick hard or anything, it really the indignity of it. Even so...
Sakaki chuckled from his place at the control panel for the Serpent of Lore. "Yes, indeed Saku, don't be too hasty now. I assure you, you will have plenty of opportunities for such things later."
"Awwww." The blonde gave a pout. In spite of this, she hopped back to Endrance's side, the bells on her clothing tinkling with the motion. Once back in place, she stuck her tongue out at Haseo, eyes twinkling with amusement.
The adept rogue let out a sigh, then forced himself to his feet, trying to ignore the way the room was spinning. "Love what you've done with the place." He said dryly as he glanced around at the blinking blue screens and oriental-style rug. "Looks exactly like it used to. Couldn't get CC Corp to stick to your preferred decorating scheme?"
His captor chuckled, cocking his head to the side as his emerald eyes gleamed. "Always with the forked tongue, I see. No matter, I'll have you trained properly soon enough." He said calmly.
"We'll see about that." Haseo muttered darkly, gritting his teeth.
Sakaki either did not hear this or chose to ignore it. "Right, first of all, as we are starting a new chapter in your life, I feel a few changes are in order. Endrance, give Haseo our gift, will you?" He glanced over at the blade brandier, smirking.
Endrance nodded, then made his way over to Haseo, something glowing in his hands. Haseo's brow furrowed as the purple-clad warrior drew close. "What are you doing, Endrance?" He growled, trying to step away. However, Endrance caught him with ease, throwing an arm around his shoulders and pulling the adept rogue flush against his chest. "H-hey!" The teen sputtered. "What the hell!?"
"Does that hurt a bit, Endrance?" Sakaki asked, quirking an eyebrow. "That armor of his is a bit of a problem, isn't it? What do you say we take care of that?"
The former demon palace emperor nodded again, eyes closed as he breathed in Haseo's scent. So, this was what he smelled like... Endrance couldn't afford to linger, however. He held up the hand that contained the glowing orb, then brushed it across Haseo's bare chest, causing the hair on the back of the teen's neck to stand on end.
"W-what are you doing? Endrance, stop-- AH!" The teen let out a gasp as the glowing orb was pressed into his chest, directly over his heart. "Augh... what did you..." Haseo groaned as he curled inward on himself, a red glow surrounding him as he floated into the air. There was a soft crunching noise, like the breaking of ice, as hairline cracks began to appear along Haseo's armor. Finally, with a loud 'Ka-crunch!' the armor shattered, leaving Haseo's lithe, tan form hanging defenseless for a moment.
After a few seconds, black lines with a soft ruby glow began to slowly etch across Haseo's skin. They hung just above his flesh, much like epitaph patterns, leaving swirling black and red designs as if they had been drawn there by a marker. As these drawings slowly began to trace along his body, designs that had already been drawn began to fill in, beginning from his chest and spreading outward. A strange, robe-like coat formed around his torso, shimmering like black silk. It's design was a tad like a kimono, but with no sleeves, and the material cut off well above his belly button. The back of the coat, however, extended into a trenchcoat-esque tail that ended at Haseo's ankles. Etched across the back of this silk robe were a strange pair of demonic wings, crafted only of thin, wraith-like crimson lines, one upon each shoulder blade and extending to the ends of the coat. The coat itself was wrapped together and held with a red belt, thick as an obi, that cut off just before his bellybutton. The ends of this belt were tied in a butterfly knot, the ruby ends trailing towards the ground. The rest of the coat was held together with three smaller belts, though the top-most one was left unclasped to allow a bit of Haseo's collarbone and chest to show.
His pants, on the other hand, were not much different from how they had been when Haseo had been in his first form. They were simply tight and black, with two thick belts hanging diagonally at his hips. Various zippers zig-zagged across the material on his upper legs, stopping only where his boots began at just below the knee, with smaller belts hooked around these. Finally, to top the outfit off, thin black gloves appeared, the material similar to what made up his coat and decorated with dozens of smaller belts. The gloves stretched from just below his shoulders to the beginnings of his fingers, which were left bare.
Haseo let out a gasp of pain as new wave tattoos burned themselves across his face, shoulders, and stomach, completing the transformation. Finally, the light faded away and Haseo dropped to the floor, stumbling as he tried to keep on his feet. The teen shook his head as if trying to clear it, then looked down at himself.
"What the hell!?" He sputtered, gaping at the new outfit.
"Pretty..." Endrance murmured, unable to withhold the comment. He quickly stepped back, however, noting Haseo's expression.
Saku, meanwhile, cracked up. "Oh wow, get a load of that get-up! He looks like a girl!" She shrieked with laughter, doubling over as she struggled to contain herself.
Haseo ignored them both, his furious eyes immediately going to Sakaki. "What the... what did you just do to my PC!?"
Sakaki chuckled. "Do you like it? I asked my new friends at CC Corp to help design it... I felt that since I've managed to attain a new look, you may as well. That armor of yours was getting in the way anyway." He drawled.
"You..." Haseo's hands clenched into fists, eyes livid. "How dare you... this is-- ah!" The teen let out a gasp as a prickling sensation shot up his spine from the moment.
"Ah, that's what I was forgetting to mention!" Sakaki snapped his fingers. "You see... editing an Epitaph PC is hardly an easy task, I'm sure you understand. I had to get a bit of help from AIDA to make it work. It might sting a bit at first, but don't worry, you'll get used to it."
The adept rogue's eyes narrowed. "AIDA? You stuffed that trash into my PC!?" He snarled.
Sakaki's eyebrows rose. "My my, such anger. You should be grateful, most PCs never get the chance to change their looks after their initial design. At any rate, you should relax, it's not as if you're infected. It was only a small amount of data... perhaps for a normal PC that would be dangerous, but after the arena, I'm well aware that beast of yours protects you far too well for such a small amount to be enough to do anything to you." He explained.
"Tch..." Haseo's fingernails dug into his palms, sending another pinprick of pain up his spine. "You bastard..."
Once again, Sakaki chose to ignore him."Now then, on to business. As you are my new pet, I do believe it is time we laid some ground rules." He drawled, tracing his fingertips over the control panel of the Serpent of Lore as he spoke. "First of all, I suppose this goes without saying, but I'll make it clear anyway so you don't get any ideas. My word for you is law, meaning whatever I say, you will obey without question."
Haseo snorted. "You're kidding, right?" He said, folding his arms across his chest and smirking. "Look, you can get me to swear my loyalty to you, but I don't follow orders. Even Yata figured that out."
The new master of the Serpent of Lore quirked a brow at him. "Again, as I said before: I will have you trained properly soon enough." He hissed. "At any rate, you will obey me. When I call for you, you will come. When I give you an order to do something, you will do it. If I make a decision, you will accept it without question."
"You really think I'll do that?" Haseo said, grinding his teeth. His cocky grin was more of a grimace.
Sakaki's smirk grew. "I do. As I said... you will learn your place soon enough."
"Like hell I will." Haseo said, his lip pulling back into a snarl. "Me swearing my loyalty to you does not make me your lapdog, Sakaki."
Sakaki cocked his head to the side, eyes narrowing. "Do you truly believe that?"
"Of course I do!" The adept rogue snapped, dropping his arms to his sides as his hands clenched into fists again. "So what if I'm here? Big deal! I'm not about to bow to you! It doesn't matter what you do, nothing's going to change! I still think you're a bastard, and I won't serve you!" He declared, determination flashing in his crimson eyes. "Besides... I won't be here for long anyway. You just wait... Pi, Kuhn, Atoli... the real G.U., they're there for me. They'll find a way to get me out of here."
He nodded, bringing up his right hand and glancing down at it. "Not that it'll matter... putting me here at your side like this was a bad move, Sakaki. Just you wait... when the moment is right, there'll be nothing you can do to stop me from summoning Skeith... and when I do, I'll squash you like a bug!" His hand squeezed into a fist and he looked back to the former Moon Tree leader, smirking. He was exhausted from the fighting earlier, every movement sent a shockwave of pain up his body... but even with all that, he knew he'd be alright. He trusted his friends, he would just have to keep fighting for them.
His captor simply stared at him for a moment. "Is that so?" He drawled. "You truly think that after all the power I have shown you, you can still fight me?" The AIDA PC chuckled, shaking his head. "Ah, Haseo..." Sakaki held out a hand towards Haseo, eyes narrowing as the AIDA mutation on his back flexed. "If that Avatar of yours brings you such confidence, perhaps that will be the first thing that must be taken to teach you a lesson."
Haseo tensed, his body sliding into a fighting position on reflex. Was he about to be attacked again? In spite of his bravado, Haseo knew there was no way he could handle another fight, not like this. His legs were shaking with the effort it took to stand...
And so it came as no surprise as the sudden explosion of pain was enough to send the adept rogue to his knees again with a cry of agony, tan fingertips reaching up to grasp at his neck. Something blinding and white had suddenly clamped around his throat, burning with white-hot intensity. It wasn't just his throat either, it was everywhere! The pain was inside him, shooting through his nerves like shattered glass, coursing through him like electricity.
Both Endrance and Saku gave gasps of shock as they watched Haseo writhe upon the floor. "What's..." Saku sputtered, her eyes wide.
'Haseo!' Endrance took a step towards the ailing teen on reflex. After a moment, however, he stepped back again, gritting his teeth. He couldn't, he couldn't, it wouldn't be any help right now... but oh, how he wanted to rush to Haseo's side!
After a few moments, the glow dissipated, leaving Haseo laying in a heap on the ground, panting for breath and shaking. He swallowed, struggling to find his voice, but nothing came out but a groan.
"Poor, misguided little Terror of Death. I had truly hoped that it would not come to this, that perhaps you could keep your word... however, clearly, that is not the case." Sakaki drawled as he stepped down from the controls of the Serpent of Lore, coming to stand before the shuddering adept rogue. He was speaking in the tone of a disappointed parent, but his eyes shone with malice. "How fortunate, then, that I have this..." He nudged Haseo's twitching fingers away from his throat with his boot, revealing an ornate, thick black collar.
"I know now, of course, that attempting to infect you would do no good. As powerful as your Epitaph is, it is well beyond my reach... for now." Sakaki chuckled, brushing a strand of green hair from his eyes. "However... this collar contains an AIDA powerful enough that, while it cannot infect you, it should still be enough to keep your previous Avatar at bay. Of course, it also comes with pleasant side effects like this one." Sakaki gestured once more.
"Ah... AUGH!" Haseo screamed as he clawed at his throat, face contorting in agony as he writhed upon the ground. It was a constant, rolling pain, like being stabbed over and over again, knives twisting into his back. Like flames licking at his skin, coiling and swirling and burning within him as if his blood were oil.
Sakaki smirked as he began to pace around the screaming teen, arms behind his back. "Allow me to say this again: You will obey me. If I call for you, you will come. If I order you to destroy someone, you will do so. If I order you to jump, you will jump. My word is your law, and if you disobey there will be consequences! Do you understand!?"
His only reply was a choked cry as Haseo curled in on himself, his body twitching violently. Sakaki smirked, then waved his hand again, causing the glow to subside. The adept rogue lay back once more, panting for breath.
"Worry not, Terror of Death," Sakaki drawled as he gazed down at the teen. "I assure you that with time you will grow used to your position. Why... perhaps I will even allow you to see your friends, if you behave." He chuckled, nudging Haseo with his foot again. "In time, you may even grow to enjoy your place."
Haseo said nothing, he simply lay there, panting and shaking. Sakaki's words were washing over him in a dull haze, he couldn't think. After the battle against AIDA, trying to summon Skeith again, the transformation, the collar, everything... it was all too much for him to handle. He couldn't think! His entire body buzzed with a dull ache but he felt displaced from it, as if he were floating away. His vision was graying at the edges, it was all he could do to keep his eyes focused on Sakaki's shoes... breathe, just breathe...
Sakaki frowned, noting Haseo's lack of reaction. "What's wrong, Terror of Death? Have I broken you already?" He drawled, nudging the teen with his foot again.
"Ah..." Endrance finally spoke. "If I may... I... do not believe Haseo is in any condition to hear your commands." The blade brandier bit his lip before he could say anymore, desperately hoping he hadn't given himself away just by offering what he had.
"Awww..." Saku pouted. "Master En's right, though... I don't think the big idiot can hear you anymore."
Their master frowned thoughtfully, glancing down at Haseo. He appeared conflicted. "But... if he is like this, haven't I won?" He muttered.
Endrance took a deep breath, then spoke again. "If I may, my Lord... you wanted Haseo both to see him destroyed for what he has done to you and for his power, correct?"
Sakaki's eyes narrowed as he gazed down at the twitching adept rogue. "I did..." He admittedly grudgingly.
"My Lord... like this, his power is of no use to you. As for his destruction... would it really be the revenge you wished for if it came when he was not properly aware of his submission?" Endrance continued hopefully.
"Hm... perhaps you are right. It would not do to break him so quickly, not when there is already so much to do..." Sakaki gazed down at the adept rogue for a moment, then sneered. "Very well then." He reached down and grabbed the back of the teen's jacket, pulling the boy roughly to his feet.
Haseo let out a grunt as he swayed, shaking his head and blinking with unfocused eyes at Sakaki. After a moment, however, his eyes narrowed. "You..." He hissed.
The AIDA PC smirked. "Yes, me. Regrettably, your former comrades have called to my attention that you are clearly not in the right state of mind to continue our... discussion. Therefore, I have decided to do you a kindness and allow you to retire for the night. You should be grateful, my pet."
"You..." Haseo shook his head, his voice sounded so hoarse... was that really him? It didn't matter, he had to keep talking. That was all he knew at this point, that he couldn't let Sakaki win. He reached out and grabbed the dark hand that held him up, his grip shockingly strong in spite of the fact that he was shaking from exhaustion. "You... you can go to hell." He hissed, crimson eyes blazing with fury.
Sakaki watched him calmly for a moment. He then quite suddenly slammed his fist into Haseo's bare stomach, eliciting a choked cry from the adept rogue. The force of the blow sent the teen a few feet across the room, landing in a heap on the ground.
His captor stood over him, hands clenched into fists. "I will allow that one to slide for the most part, Terror of Death. I know quite well that exhaustion can make one careless with their tongue. However, let me make myself clear... you will learn your place."
Haseo winced as he rose to his feet on his own, clutching at his stomach. "Believe what you'd like, Sakaki." He growled. "But it doesn't matter what you do to me... I will not be submitting to you." With that, he turned and stalked out of the Serpent of Lore, keeping his head high and barely stumbling.
Sakaki watched him go with narrowed eyes. "We shall see, Terror of Death. We shall see."
--
The instant Haseo was out the door of Raven's /a/Home, he dropped the act. His entire body drooped as he fell into a limp, limbs shaking as he struggled to make his way up the stairs. He blinked as the soft rays of sunset fell into his eyes, watching players rush this way and that throughout Mac Anu. It all felt like a dream, somehow... as if the battle at the arena hadn't happened, as if he still hadn't been to the Serpent of Lore in weeks, as if he still had his armor, as if everything were the same. A twinge of pain easily snapped him out of this hope, however, and a glance down at his attire revealed to him that this was all quite real.
"Goddamnit..." The adept rogue muttered, biting his lip. This was not good, not good at all. What was he going to do? He couldn't back out, especially not now... not with all the AIDA Sakaki had at his disposal... but he couldn't obey either, he couldn't let Sakaki control him, he couldn't...
"Haseo!" Atoli's lilting voice rang through air, and Haseo blinked, glancing up to see her running towards him, golden heels clicking on the cobblestone streets. She stopped before him, amber eyes wide. "Haseo... what did... why are you..."
The Terror of Death gave a grim smile as he glanced down at his new gloves, the sunset glinting off of the golden clasps on the belts. "The work of your former master, I'm afraid." He drawled. "He always did seem to be a fan of this traditional crap..."
"Oh, Haseo..." Atoli gasped, reaching out a hand towards him, but stopping at the last second. "How could he... I'm so sorry..."
Haseo shook his head. "There you go again, apologizing. It's not your fault, Atoli." He said, running a hand through his hair.
The blonde bit her lip. "But... but I..."
"Atoli," Crimson eyes met amber, gentle even as Haseo's voice took on a slightly stern tone. "You know as well as I do that that was nothing you could have done to stop this. It wasn't your fault. Don't apologize."
The harvest cleric stared at him for a moment, then nodded. "Right." She glanced over Haseo again, brow furrowing as she noticed the way he was shaking. "Are you... are you alright, Haseo?"
Haseo gave a small laugh at this. "Alright?" He murmured quietly. "No... I'm really not. This is a complete mess... how did things end up like this?"
Atoli watched him a moment, concern in her eyes. After a moment's hesitation she placed a hand on his shoulder. "H-Haseo..." Her voice broke off, so she shook her head and tried again, doing her best to make her voice sound strong. "Don't you worry, Haseo. Kuhn logged off to find Pi, we're going to find a way to get you out of this! S-so... don't worry, alright?"
"Don't worry..." The adept rogue repeated, gazing down at the ground. "I..." He trailed off, then shook his head. "...You're right, Atoli. I'll... put it in your hands for now."
The blonde felt her face flush at these words and she backed away. "I-I... that's right!" She stuttered. "Just leave everything to us! We'll take care of everything, you just hang in there!" Were those the right words? She was terrified they weren't, but she swore she saw Haseo's drooping shoulders rise a fraction.
Haseo gave a tired nod. "I will... don't worry. There's nothing more I can do for now besides hang in there anyway, is there?" He said, voice croaking with exhaustion.
Atoli nodded, flashing a hopeful smile.
The adept rogue gave a small smile back. "Thanks... Atoli." He said weakly. "I'm going to log off for now, alright? I really need some sleep."
"O-oh, okay!" Atoli stuttered. "Y-you do that! Don't worry, Kuhn and I are on the case!"
Haseo gave a tired chuckle at this. "Of course. I trust you guys." With those words, he vanished in a burst of swirling blue.
Atoli stood there, watching as the light dissipated. She bit her lip and wrung her white gloved hands, trying to will her face to stop being so warm. "You trust me... Haseo... I really hope I can live up to that..."
--
Ryou Misaki gave a groan as he finally pulled off his M2D, setting it on his desk with a clatter. He leaned back in his computer chair and put his hands over his eyes. Even after logging off, his entire body was throbbing with pain. He didn't even have to look to know that there would be bruises on him tomorrow. That was how the AIDA servers worked, after all. Of course, after everything else, it was only natural that he would be feeling the way he did. Ryou wasn't sure he'd ever felt more exhausted in his life... unless he counted that time he had fought with Ovan...
Ovan... Ryou shook his head as he pushed the thought of his mind. He was too tired right now, he wasn't up for musing over the mysterious steam gunner right now. The dark-haired teen glanced at the digital clock next to his bed... was it really only 10:30? It felt so much later, as if he'd been awake for two days straight.
With a groan the teen rose from his computer chair and stumbled towards his bed. His legs felt like jelly, and he was thankful that he never bothered to turn on the lights in his room when playing. He didn't think he could handle those extra few steps right now.
Fortunately for him, his apartment was fairly small, though still not bad by Japanese standards. It consisted of a single room, which was mostly white and plain, though there was an occasional poster for a band or two and a few from The World. The floor was fairly clean, save for a few articles of clothing... he would have to pick that up when he had time, Ryou really hated mess. One corner of his apartment consisted of a small kitchenette with a variety of sleek, modern appliances, as well a small table where he ate most of his meals. A doorway to the right lead to his tiny bathroom, and next to this was a closet where his clothing was kept. His school bag was propped against the sliding door, seemingly left forgotten the moment he got home in favor of The World. He would have to do some extra work tomorrow if he wanted to keep up in his classes, it wouldn't do if his parents found out he wasn't keeping at the top.
Placed against the farthest wall was Ryou's computer desk, which was quite clean, save for the M2D and various monitors and towers upon the desk, as well as a largely ignored photograph of his parents. Finally, a few feet away from this was the thing Ryou wanted more than anything right now, his bed.
The boy collapsed face down onto the dark sheets, not even bothering to pull back the covers or change out of his t-shirt and jeans. He felt as if he could sleep for a week... of course, he couldn't, he had school tomorrow...
Ryou lay there in silence for a moment, his mind hazy as it struggled to ignore the rolling pain across his body and simply sleep... however, a flash of pain from his throat, far different from the simple internal aches caught his attention.
"What..." The teen mumbled blearily, reaching up finger gingerly at his neck. The instant he touched it he gave a gasp, pain shooting through his nerves as if he had grazed an open wound.
The seventeen-year old rolled off the bed and stepped shakily back onto his feet, making his way towards the bathroom. His brow furrowed in the dark... what was going on here?
He reached out to flick on the light and stumbled into the tiny room, which was not much bigger than a closet and just as shockingly white and clean as the rest of his apartment. The teen leaned against the countertop and panted for breath, reaching up to finger at his neck again. His eyes, which matched his PC's crimson orbs oddly well, widened in shock.
"No way..."
Wrapped around his throat, shiny and red and stark against his pale skin, was a circular burn in the same shape as his collar in the game.
--
To Be Continued...
Ah, I hope this doesn't seem too odd... for those of you wondering why I had Haseo's outfit changed... well, for one thing, that armor makes things a tad difficult when it comes to things like kicking Haseo around. Let's face it, those spikes make things a tad awkward. Also... I don't know, I'm just really not a fan of the third form. XD; It grew on me, but I still really prefer all of Haseo's other outfits. I also wanted to find a way to make it symbolic that Haseo has been essentially powered down and is now technically "owned", so I figured an interesting way to do that would be to sort of combine Haseo's first form with Sakaki's apparent love of the more oriental styled clothing. I plan on sketching this outfit out and scanning it... hopefully it's not too odd.
Right, well... if you have any suggestions, requests for characters you'd like to see, things you'd like to have happen, please tell me and I'll do my best to work them in!
Please review! Every time someone reads this fic and doesn't review, Sakaki eats an adorable Chim-Chim ALIVE! Please, think of the Chim-Chims!