A/N: Dishonest

Aaand…we've moved past volume one! Aren't you just so happy now? Hahaha.

Major spoilers for volume two. Spoilers on Sakaki, slight spoilers on Ovan and his relationship with Sakaki, spoilers on Atoli, spoilers on the Epitaph's identity. Pretty much, unless you've played volume two or know about the scenes in it, you're going to ruin some things if you keep reading.

The scene itself is partly AU, since Ovan is here now, but it's based on the actual events.

The next chapter is twice the Ovaseo to make up for the lack of it in this one. XD Enjoy.

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SELFISH

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He had been waiting for twenty minutes. Twenty minutes of steadily growing concern. Twenty minutes that began to morph into second after second of escalating panic. Atoli was never late, and never this late, not without emailing him or private messaging him first, and there were no indications that she had done either.

She wouldn't have forgotten. It just wasn't like her.

He stared at the cathedral entrance absently, listening to his own heartbeat. If he squinted his eyes, he could almost imagine her running toward him, apologizing, and with a damn good reason, he thought bitterly. Her wings would be fanned out behind her and her blonde hair would be bouncing a little, as it always did when she was testing her running limits. The tassel on her hat would be whipping about wildly.

What had she wanted to talk to him about? Haseo began to shuffle his feet impatiently, the worry a solid ball in his chest. Someone had been picking on her? PKing her? Something he did? He couldn't think of anything he had said or done that might make her want to make an appointment about it…other than mentioning Ovan…was this about Ovan? He frowned, feeling his face heat up slightly. Why would she start something about Ovan? He had only asked her one question.

It had flustered her a bit, but everything did. He hadn't thought on it more than that.

The sound of footsteps pulled him out of his thoughts. They were far too heavy and far too slow, paced and even…no, not even, one was slightly lighter than the other.

…oh.

"Ovan…" he said, turning to face the other man as he entered the cathedral. He looked no different than normal, calm, a little surprised a genuine manner that Haseo thought was rare to see on his face. Ovan seemed to know everything, everything that was and everything that would be. Well, knew it well enough to talk about last will and testaments, anyway.

"Haseo…"

"Ovan." he took a breath, wondering if this was something he was going to regret. But there wasn't much else to do, other than wait or assume she was fine and move on with it. But neither seemed appropriate, not when the worry was beginning to eat away at him from the inside out.

Atoli was never late, he reminded himself again.

"I think something's wrong with Atoli."

To his surprise, Ovan merely nodded. A spark of anger ignited inside him, but before he could ask what was so unremarkable about Atoli being possibly missing or hurt, he said; "I may know where she is."

He stopped.

"Take my hand."

The now-familiar fingers that were offered him would have made him hesitant on any other occasion, but today his mind was moving a little faster than usual. He curled in fingers in with the older man's and gave him one single, fleeting don't-you-dare expression.

"Close your eyes." a tiny smirk flickered on his face, but was quickly replaced but utmost seriousness.

"Why?" he asked, closing them anyway. Immediately a strange feeling overtook him – a numbness in his fingertips, and a weightlessness at the base of his feet.

He realized what this was. They were warping – warping somewhere hacked.

"Ov-"

"Sssh." Ovan chided him. "We're not expected, or so I should think."

Haseo opened his eyes.

They were standing in a room of white - whiteness that seemed to stretch out for an eternity. There were no walls or ceilings. He recognized it right away as the hacked ground they had stood upon during his second fight with Tri-Edge, and that alone made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

But this field wasn't empty. There was a mockery of a classroom set up before them, high school desks with connected chairs, mundane and in every right normal, but appearing completely out of the ordinary in the landscape of nothingness they were set against. They were in perfect order, except for one single chair, set aside from the rest as if a student had done something bad and was being punished by a teacher.

But there was no teacher. Instead, there was a raised ground, casting a ghost of a shadow on the white nothing beneath it, a piece of Moon Tree's ground sitting at the very top. On the ledge of the floating ground stood Sakaki, and beside him, Atoli.

No….not Atoli.

There was black dots floating around her every so often, and he immediately identified them as AIDA. Haseo was suddenly dizzy with sick fear upon further watching her, her limp body, hovering above the ground so close to the Moon Tree captain, her hands still at her sides, her head tilted far back, staring emptily into the non-existent sky with bright green eyes, unnatural pools of color with no signs of life in them. Her lips were parted, but moved every so often, forming words he could not hear.

"Atoli!" he took a step forward, and then he remembered Sakaki and turned his attention to the bastard instead, knowing it was all his fault, somehow, all of this was his damn fault.

But Sakaki wasn't looking at him.

"You!" he said, and for a moment fear flickered across his face. "What are you doing here?"

Haseo opened his mouth to snap back, but to his surprise, Ovan spoke instead. He had almost forgotten he was there. "I am merely an observer, Sakaki."

"She is mine!" he growled, and Haseo felt an overwhelming fury wash over him. "Like hell!" he screamed. "What did you do to Atoli!?"

"Atoli?" Sakaki looked at him sharply, and Haseo could tell right away that his mask had been completely removed. The calm composure was still there, but the madness was there was well, perfectly hand in hand. He grinned an evil grin and held his hands out religiously, forgetting Ovan momentarily. "Why, if it isn't the Terror of Death!"

Atoli flickered at his side as if she were a simple corrupted data file rather than the container of a lost young woman.

"Look, see for yourself!" Sakaki sneered, and down at the mockery of a classroom, a form began to materialize in the seat of the set-aside desk.

He recognized it immediately as Atoli's frame, but it appeared more like a black-eyed doppelganger than the form of the young cleric girl herself. Traces of smoke seemed to rise from it, like an AIDA-infected thing, and yet it wasn't, more so an echo, a distant glimpse of a past so dark it dyed her skin the very color of it's isolation.

Immediately the blackened eyes widened slightly, the shadowy lips parting in a mix of surprise and fear.

You!

She was looking directly at Ovan. Haseo whirled to face the older man, confused, stunned, catching a glimpse of his unbroken expression before the morphed voice of the dark Atoli spoke again.

What…are you doing here?

You have…no right…to be here!

The thing's slack hands curled into fists, it's bowed head straightened and then arched back, it's colorless mouth opened in a shriek. Above it, Atoli's unmoving frame twitched, then bent suddenly forward, as if someone had punched her in the stomach. Her stark green eyes, possessed and empty, stared ahead in frozen shock, her mouth agape, her hands moving to her flat stomach as if she could take whatever pain was there and tear it out with her bare hands.

YOU HAVE NO RIGHT!

"Atoli!" Sakaki cried, his voice a blur of excitement and surprise. "Are you angry? Atoli, show them! Show him! There's no reason to be ashamed anymore! Show him what you are!"

"Atoli!" he screamed. "Atoli!"

Blackness surrounded her, inverted, and then shot out into the white atmosphere, transforming it into something surreal. Shards of color flew into place, setting themselves right like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. The twisted classroom was gone. The floating ground around it was gone. Ovan and Sakaki were gone. It was only Atoli, curled into a ball, and himself, watching her helplessly.

She screamed, an ear-splitting scream that didn't sound human so much as possessed, a scream that tore his heart into pieces. And suddenly he realized what was going on – there was an avatar inside her, breaking through, forcing itself through her character. The pulse of another heartbeat inside him sounded, and he pressed his fingers to his chest.

"Skeith." he whispered to it patiently, watching.

The avatar arose from her back, majestic and strange, curved sides like a mythical white mermaid, a sleek opal head with a spiked halo, long arms that ended in transparent weapons, the tips sharp and deadly, glittering. Atoli's ghost hung at it's feet, unforgotten, staring at him with those empty eyes.

"HERE!" she shrieked, and immediately the pulse in him quickened until it filled his entire brain. There was nothing else to do.

He pressed his fingers to his forehead, feeling for the other life there…yes, there, right there, it grinned as it was recognized, as it was pulled out from his very core, and he whispered to it softly, let me use you, I need your help, Skeith…

"Skeith!!!"

His own avatar burst from him at last, consuming him, slashing at the empty air. Atoli's avatar roared in retaliation, a strange, almost lyrical shriek, and he locked unto her.

The words "Innis" appeared above her head.

Not missing a beat, he shot at her, knowing it was the only way, the only thing to do with an infected avatar, even if it was hers. She deflected his attacks without so much as a twitch, and then began to soar across the large plain they were given, Atoli's from still and silent from the corner of his eye.

"Atoli, stop!"

Innis began to slash at him with her weapons, the pointed devices at the tips of her fingers, extended swords of glowing color. He dodged, then flew to her, screaming his own battle cry;

"Is this really what you want!?"

"Don't tell me what I want and don't want!" Atoli's voice moved through Innis, touching the air like ripples on the surface of a lake. There were tears in her voice now, and his stomach twisted painfully to hear them. "Don't tell me to look at myself when you're the one who needs to step back and look!"

"What…!?" he breathed, dodging another blow at her, and then landed once successful hit upon her side. Innis did not sway.

"You never look at me!" she screamed. "You never see me! I want you to look at me!"

The sleek body of Innis became suddenly transparent, ghosting closer to him. Haseo blinked, then moved the body of Skeith away, slashing all the while, unable to see her health decreasing for the fear of letting his eyes leave it's phantom face.

"NOBODY EVER LOOKS AT ME!"

"I'm looking at you right now!" he cried as she caught his slash and deflected it. "Atoli!"

"No, you're not! If you really were, you would have never said what you said!" that twisted voice shrieked. "You would have never just used me to get to your goals! You would have never tossed me aside for him!"

"'Him?'" his heart skipped a beat.

"That man!" she cried, and in his mind's eye he could see the tears pouring down her ghostly cheeks. "All you care about now is that man! Everything is unimportant, as long as you have him to worry about!"

"What are you – "

"Ovan!" she cried as Innis struck him flat across the center. Skeith did a double-take, then resumed it's position, scythe in hands. "You're in love with him! I can tell by the way you say his name!"

His heart jumped into his throat. "What are you talking about Atoli?! I – "

"You love him! You do!"

No, this wasn't how it was supposed to go. This wasn't how it was supposed to be moving forward. This was a game, didn't she understand? This was all a game to them, to Ovan, to him….

"I don't love him. He doesn't love me." he tried to tell her. "It's just a g---"

"Don't lie to me! You love him! You've always loved him!" she cried at him fiercely. "I've done everything I could to make you notice me! I tried really hard! I studied on all types of magic, I leveled as much as I could so I'd be of use to you! But you never look at me - you always see right through me! You always saw Shino, and now all you think about is him!"

"I'm looking at you, Atoli!" he stopped moving for a moment, focusing on the ghost of her. "I see you --"

"You're lying!" she sobbed. You don't even know who you are!" her chest heaved, her transparent wings swaying slightly with every weighted breath. "How can you know me if you don't even know yourself!?"

Her last words hit him particularly hard. He paused, stunned by her words, unable to believe they had come from her, of all people. And then a thought struck him; something he had thought long ago but never found a chance to share with anyone.

"Atoli…if you fell in love with someone I'd…" he swallowed thickly. "I'd be happy for you." he admitted at last. His face felt hot, but embarrassment be damned, she needed some comfort now.

"….happy…?" Atoli breathed, and for a second she stopped, eyes wide, looking stunned, her cheeks pink.

An opening. Guiltily he struck at her, and her protection fell away in an instant. The words 'protect break' covered his field of vision for a moment, and beside him, Skeith's breath began to speed up with excitement.

He steadied the creature's arm, aiming. And then the sphere of data flew at Innis' still body, connecting, drawing, pulling and pushing and bringing back whatever was needed, sucking it all into Skeith's outstretched arm.

Atoli didn't scream at all. Below, her phantom figure seemed to be closing it's eyes, looking thoughtful and sleepy.

"…happy…" she whispered.

- - - -

He never knew how it was done, or what happened to the place they left behind – or what happened to Sakaki – but somehow they were warped back into real life, and when he opened his eyes as Haseo once more they were in front of Moon Tree. Ovan was at his side, silent and tall, watching with a serious look in his eyes. Atoli was standing with her shoulders hunched, her face flushed red.

"Haseo." she said.

"…Atoli." he acknowledged slowly.

"I…" she began to stammer, turning her pale face down to the floor between them. "I…didn't mean to…"

"You meant what you said." He told her frankly. "It's called honesty. It's good to be honest with yourself, Atoli."

It was as if someone else were speaking for him, and the living him was watching in curious fascination from the sidelines.

"Why…" she spoke as if Ovan wasn't standing a few feet away from her. "Why….why him?"

"…I'm not sure." he said, realizing that part of him was admitting to her claim but too exhausted to care. "It just…"

"You never look at me." she interrupted in a tiny voice.

"I've always been looking at you." he said. "You're my friend, Atoli. I'd never look past you."

She choked a little, her hands twisting anxiously on her lap.

"You have to be strong." he continued. "Just…keep being strong, and remember that we've been looking at you all this time!"

"Um…." She took a deep breath, closing her eyes. "…Haseo…I'm happy for you."

He stopped, surprised. Atoli dared to glance up at him once, her eyes somewhat fearful but also deeply apologetic.

"…Atoli…"

"I'm happy that you….that you found someone to lean on."

She hugged him suddenly, her arms tight around his midsection, and her white wings – no longer transparent – moved in slow motion behind her, falling unto her back gracefully. Slowly, he lifted his arms and returned her embrace. It was strange, how soft her body was, how vulnerable she was. But it was her, it was Atoli, and thinking that he liked her as a friend and only as a friend was somehow like letting go, admitting something he hadn't wanted to admit before.

It was one dangerous step forward, part of him knew.

He stepped away at last, and she wiped at her face a little, smiling with mixed sadness and content. He was only half surprised when a larger, warmer hand took his and squeezed comfortingly.

Comfortingly….returning the favor he had just given her.

My someone to lean on. the thought came to him without intention.

"Shall we go?" Ovan asked silkily.

Atoli nodded next to him, stepping back a little, and then tried another smile, this one far more accepting and still a little scared.

"I'll always be here for you, Haseo." she said. And then, to Ovan; "…please take good care of him."

"Of course."

"…yeah." Haseo muttered, feeling his face get hot. Atoli's smile broadened slightly, but before he could say another word the familiar feeling of warping overtook him again, and he was being transported somewhere new.