For some reason, whenever I finally get on to fanfiction dot net, I would much rather read a story than continue writing my own. Also, after a recent searching session, it saddened me to find ex-authors here who stopped writing because of flames and such. I was shocked. After all, I joined the community simply because everyone seemed so nice, and it was a site where you could post your work for others to enjoy. But I guess I was being too naïve. I hope other talented authors, those much better than myself; don't start removing their fics…

Anyway, onward…I am realising how difficult it is to write with a hummingbird in my head and writer's block laughing in my face. Oh well. That's why you write, I guess. Don't we all live to die smiling?

Chapter 16: Where the lies end and truth begins

'What does it mean to trust someone?' It was a simple enough question, but the answer was complex, full of deceiving little smiles and false pretences. Trusting someone should be easy. For some people, those who wanted to be liked by everyone and so liked them equally, trust was free. But to those who knew the consequences, trust could be costly. It all came down to the type of person you were. And Kenny was unsure of himself. As a veteran player of The World, he had worked his way up the ranks to eventually join a rather famous Vagrant A.I hunting group, known as The Shojiki Knights. This team of advanced avatars worked under a woman named Commander Hiromi, who demanded respect and despised weakness and resistance. To some of the lower level players, she was a bossy know-it-all, but to Sir Kenneth, she was a spectacle. Sadly, for the less knowledgeable people in the game, they found that she really didn't like jokes, and wasn't joking when she said so. They paid the price for messing with her, losing valuable items and status in the process. Kenny had found himself Second in Command, and loved it. He wasted much of his precious time with his computer, not that he would ever say 'wasted', but rather, 'made the most of'. His black laptop became much more than a mere possession.

The water shone in front of Kenny's silent figure, reminding the boy of a prism of colours as a little rainbow could be faintly made out in the middle of the clear, blue lake. It was so peaceful in the restricted, 'Shojiki Knights only' area.

The question of trust was something he hadn't thought of much, since he thought it unnecessary. But after an encounter with a 'no-gooder', he had decided to re-think his situation. Hiromi wanted to ignore the Aura crisis and keep protecting The World from 'more important matters', such as exterminating A.Is. But, for some reason, this didn't seem like the right idea anymore. Not when Kenny had recently found out that Aura was stuck in a field zone that no one had ever entered. In an area no one even knew existed. This was a place that even CC Corp had not created. Not by choice anyway. And so this led Kenny to believe that the field was a bug in the system, and was the reason Aura had returned. Sighing, the Knight remembered his recent conversation with the Commander…

XOXOXOXOXOXO (flashback)

"Commander Hiromi!" Kenny threw his arms in the air and sighed in exasperation.

"Please don't speak to me that way, Sir Kenneth. I am your superior, and what I say goes."

"Yes, Madam. But this matter is serious. I know where Aura is! After all that time I spent analysing the data from Orca…"

"Yes. I admit, your hard work once again came through for you, Kenny, but we have more important matters to deal with right now. There are other groups out looking for Aura and trying to solve the mystery CC Corp cannot work out, but we are the Shojiki Knights! If we stop doing our job, the other bugs in this game will get progressively worse, you know that!" The tall woman with short, dark hair straightened down her pink top before polishing the badge on her left side breast pocket.

"I understand Commander, but I think we are underestimating the seriousness of this problem…"

"Sir Kenneth, not only are you questioning the groups actions, but you are showing a lack of faith in me as a leader."

"No, I!" Kenny stuttered, taking a step back.

"Don't you trust me, Kenny?" Hiromi chuckled suddenly, turning her back to him. There was silence for a moment before Kenny started walking towards the door.

"Yes. I apologise Commander. I must be off. Good day." Leaving the Shojiki house, Kenny headed for the lake. He needed some quiet time to think. 'What does it mean to trust someone?'

XOXOXOXOXOXO

"Log in. Max." Cerulean eyes locked in concentration as pale fingers typed furiously on the keyboard in front of the figure. Blonde brows furred as the boy finally signed into The World, after days of no playing. It felt warm and familiar to be back in the virtual reality. "I'm coming Kai, I promise."

As if sensing Kai was in some sort of trouble, Max had immediately turned on his computer as soon as his Dad had let him. Despite suffering himself from dreams and illness, he felt that Kai was the worse off. And, with a gut instinct that was nearly always right in his predictions, he had speedily logged in o save his friend from whatever trouble had consumed him.

The World had changed again. It was slower, the graphics appeared blurrier, and less people were logged in. They were the first thing Max noticed. It was eerily quiet, almost deserted if not for the NPCs and about three other players. For some reason, Max felt compelled to go straight to the chaos gate.

"Kai's in a field somewhere." He muttered aloud, unsure of how he knew that, but that fact didn't bother him at the moment. He couldn't feel the eyes watching him, or sense the smile that appeared on a certain someone's face as he approached the gate.

"Go on, boy. Finish what the Twilight Hackers began. Solve the final mystery of The World." The voice of the figure, obviously female, encouraged. Even though Max couldn't hear this voice, he began to enter three keywords at random.

The bracelet flashed, temporarily blinding its owner. Before he knew it, Max was thrown harshly into a field, landing with a bump. Rubbing his sore back, he looked around the seemingly deserted area. Footsteps from behind made him turn around quickly, daggers in hands.

"Max?"

XOXOXOXOXOXO

TBC

Okies, I'll admit this was all talk and no action, but I needed to add this stuff, honest! I've been reading many genres recently and finding new fics I like. It's fun! Sorry about my updating. My internet is acting up, and going down whenever it feels like it. This prevents me from updating my stories as quickly as I would like. Though the main reason The World was untouched was because I was busy. Gomen. Well, that's my rant over. Arigato for reading! Cookies to reviewers, I could do with some friendly support…

Byezies,

Minako Angel xxx

(Chapter 17: Death and Destruction. It will be done, but no promises on a date…)