Goedemiddag! Hai, konnichiwa mina-san. Sorry about the shortness of the previous chapter. I hope I can make up for it somehow. Anyway, kansha for all you reviews so far and sticking with me on this! My motivation has gone up a notch thanks to your support. So, without further ado, let us continue our journey. Log in! (Reviews are most welcome!)
Disclaimer…Jeez. I haven't done this in a while. Mentioned way back in chapter one, I do not own these characters or .hack. Just a simple plot, of which I am not profiting from (duh!) There will not be another disclaimer throughout this fic, so you can't sue me for not putting one in. That is all!
Chapter 14: Wishes
The chaos gate shines in the darkness. Its beauty can finally be admired, but I ignore it, with more important things in mind. When I reach my destination, I wonder what keywords to try. If what that boy said was true, it wouldn't matter what I typed in, I would end up somewhere completely different. Before making a rash decision, a strange thought invaded my brain. I wished to go to a field where I could find some answers. I wished that I could get a clue and that Max and I could work out the mystery of this game. The World has been changing slightly ever since I had met Rei. I couldn't help but be suspicious of him. Even now I have little trust in his words. I wish I knew what was up with him. There I go again. Wishing something. Be careful what you wish for. I know that for a fact, unfortunately. I know that wishes are unforgiving in many ways. Once spoken, they can never be taken back and they burn your tongue with a desire to leave a mark behind. They scar you, come back to haunt you and torment you to no end. 'I wish everyone would leave me alone'. And they did. But that wish, spoken many years ago after a tragic loss in my life, had burned my mouth like those brutal wishes do. I made that single wish and instantly regretted it. That one wish ended the whole world – my world, at any rate. And that's all that mattered to me. The only thing. Because I was selfish and arrogant. Hell, I still am. But I won't wish for things aloud anymore. I don't fear wishes, but I hate them all the same. 'I hate you'. I remember saying that on more than one occasion. But only once did something happen. Along with the sourness and selfishness I possessed when those words left my mouth, 'I wish you'd disappear,' there was something else. An odd feeling, but a strong one nether-the-less. Because that wish did something to my insides. My body froze, paralysed. And it hurt. Be careful what you wish for.
XOXOXOXOXOXO
"Okay, let's see. 'Delta Bursting Passed Over Aqua Field'." I typed in a field I had visited regularly with Max when we had both been newbies. It was only a level one area, filled with Wood monsters. But I wasn't hoping to see green forests and dusty dungeon floors today. I didn't want to end up in that field. So I acted like the brave, tough guy Kai everyone knew me as. As soon as the keywords were entered, I opened my mouth. I could feel my tongue burning even before a sound passed though my lips. "I wish I could go to a field where I can find some answers." It was done.
XOXOXOXOXOXO
White flashes, tears of blood streaked down clear walls, and screams. There was a person, a girl it seemed, with long white hair and light blue eyes. 'Help me.' She pleaded, her figure distorted as if she didn't even exist. A boy with wings disappeared over a cliff, a young blonde not far behind. Images flickered and joined together, creating a movie. Everything was so unclear, but the blood, the girl and the screams were very realistic. Too realistic. Red feathers floated to the ground. The young boy's bracelet flashing dimly in an area full of white light. Purity filled the area but the walls were stained with blood, and the silence had been broken by echoing screams. The blonde boy opens his eyes, squinting in the light, the feathers still fall. He can't move, pain throbs his body, his senses. His brain clicks and his heart refuses to slow down. The room smells of death. There's a cry. A sharp cry of pain as another victim falls to this 'nothing', this invisible, indestructible enemy, as it strikes again. This boy feels dead. All his friends are gone. But just as he has given up hope and his strength fails him…Just before the pain that is too much repeats once more, Max Mizuhara sees a figure, standing over him. A figure, dressed in white that pulls him back into the light. She smiles, and the light takes over. He is alone, but his eyes don't fail him this time, and he is awake. "A…Aura?"
"Max? Are you awake? How do you feel?" Mr. Mizuhara sat on a chair next to his son's bed. "Your fever's broken, but you're still too warm."
"Dad?" Max looks around the room. His room. There isn't any blood staining these walls. There is no smell of death, no fallen comrades, and no Aura. "I feel better I guess."
"Who's this Aura you spoke of in your sleep?"
"Oh. Just a character from The World. I miss playing it." Max sighed suddenly, thinking about Kai and wondering what he had been doing in his absence.
"Yes, well no video games until you recover. Now would you like me to bring you a drink?"
"Have we got any warm lemon juice?"
"Certainly. One glass coming up. It will be good for your throat! By the way, Maxie. Where did you get that piece of jewellery? One your mother sent you? I don't remember seeing it before…When did you put it on? I never noticed…?" Leaving his son's room with a puzzled look on his face, Mr. Mizuhara made his way to the kitchen.
Back in the bedroom, Max wondered what his father had meant. Looking down at his left arm, he froze. A sudden wave of nausea filled him. His eyes widened as he saw something that definitely wasn't there before. The bracelet. The Twilight Amulet from The World. 'What is going on?' The boy asked himself, before vomiting over the side of his bed and blacking out in white covers, stained red with pure, thick blood…
XOXOXOXOXOXO
"Here we go!" I shouted as I left the server and flew through a world made of data. My wings flapped behind me and softened my landing as I was literally thrown into the field. "Hmm…"
I look around the area, which is very unfamiliar. There are no trees and no Wood monsters. Something tells me I've stumbled into a special field, for this place is like no other I've seen. There are a few strips of data floating around. I've seen them before…it was back when Max, Tyson, Rei and I were in that corrupted field. It reminded me of the huge monster we saw there. Skeith. I hope he doesn't show up this time.
"Time to check this place out…" I feel a tingle in my fingers. Although I aren't scared, there is something up here. The more I search, the stranger it is. There is nothing here. Seriously. There are no monsters, not a dungeon in site, and none of those Grunty food things. I was even feeling nice enough to pick any if I had seen them, for Max's pet Kukki.
"Oh!" My eyes catch something in the distance. I pick up my speed and run over to a patch of pure green grass. But that isn't what caught my attention. It was the bed. Why was there a bed here, in the middle of nowhere? And then there were the toys…
I stop suddenly, kicking a large, stuffed brown rabbit in the head. This was weird. "Who do these belong to? Why are they here?"
I bend down to pick up the rabbit, but it slips through my fingers! "Huh?" I move over to the bed. Sitting down quickly, I find myself sat on the floor with a thud. The bed was the same as the toys. It was an illusion. But then, how had I kicked the toy in the first place?
My back aches, so I rub my wings with my hand. They glow, an eerie red colour. I jump up in surprise, only to find that the area has disappeared in a swirling, white mist. I blink, and everything has gone. It had taken only seconds, but the bed, the toys, the grass and flowers…They had vanished, just like…a memory…
Maybe that was it! Maybe I had witnessed a memory. An event that had happened before. I decide to remember this, just in case it proves to be useful knowledge in the future. I had better log out and see how Max is doing. He has to hear this!
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"Very good." A voice echoed. It was a woman's voice, and she seemed impressed. "You managed to get to that field without even gate hacking."
There was a laugh, and a pair of painted nails drummed against a wooden surface.
"But how will you get out, hmm? That field isn't like any other you have been in. And you aren't even sure about what you have just witnessed, .hacker…" The female stood up, her slightly revealing outfit more visible now she had emerged from the dark corner.
"You will need the power of the Twilight Amulet, but your friend isn't there to help you…" Smirking, the woman suddenly had an idea. Her unemotional, pale face lit up.
"This should be fun…" She smiled, hacking into the computer database. "Now all your friend has to do is access the chaos gate and his bracelet will do the rest. But it's up to the two of you to work together in order to leave…"
Finishing her work, the hacker stood up and dusted down her outfit. "Time for me to move on. I will be watching you, .hackers. And Aura, just you wait, I'll find you. Don't worry…"
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Tyson left the item shop in shock. The conversation he'd had with the shopkeeper had been…rather hard to take in. He looked back over his shoulder, and shook his head.
"I can't…I can't do that. He must be wrong. I can't, can I…?" Shaking, the tough warrior headed back towards the safe house. He had a lot to tell Rei on the neko-jin's return…
XOXOXOXOXOXO
TBC
He he. Another short chappy down, but I am getting somewhere at last! What did you think? Was this okay? I decided I just had to post this today. It's a lucky day after all! (666) My previous chapter was a little unrevealing, but there were little important bits here and there if you squint! Hopefully, this deepens the mystery. Sorry this is sort of a cliffhanger…I'll have to update soon, but I'm running out of time! I'm going on holiday next Thursday, and I might not be able to update until August! You see, I'm also on work experience in France. I go the day after I return from my hol, so it all depends if I get access to a computer or not whilst I'm over there! So don't worry, I'm not discontinuing, just really busy! Reviews would be really great because I'd like to know how you guys think I'm doing! What you like, what you don't? And even better, can anyone guess what the heck is going on! Hmm…sorry about all the author ranting, but I had to tell you of my upcoming absence.
See you again soon (hopefully!)
Byezies,
Minako Angel xxx