A/N: Okay, here's chappie 2. But, before I start, there are a few things I'd like to address.
1. I've done my research. I know who's who, where they come from, and what they do. I do incorporate some fiction into this story, things like myths that have never been confirmed, but that's just my personal belief. You don't need to write me a review saying " isn't really that guy, you know!"
2. This story is set AFTER GU. Tri-Edge doesn't make an appearance, Shino is out of the coma, and Haseo doesn't accuse Kite of being Tri-Edge (since we're going to assume that he beats Tri-Edge in the end of that series, as I haven't seen/heard the ending yet) (PS: and no, that isn't an invite to tell me the ending. I'd prefer to keep it a surprise, if it's all the same to you. :P)
3. Yes, Haseo does make an appearance in this fic (quite a bit, actually). Just not now. :) Other characters appear as well, so keep a lookout for them!
4. Kite will find out that Haseo has an avatar. And you'll just have to wait and see what happens then. ;)
5. Kite and Blackrose DO NOT have avatars. Kite has his bracelet (as you'll find out soon), but they don't have avatars. Can you imagine how freaked out they'd be to become one of the things they sought to kill?!
6. Finally, the ages might be a bit screwy in this fic, but it's something that you'll have to deal with. For the most part, they're accurate. :)
Ok, that's all the info I have for now. If you have questions or comments, please review and tell me. Now, onto the story:D
PS: I do not own .hack.
PPS: I already have the story written, and I can post at any time. How fast I post is directly related to how much you all review! I'm not posting the next chappie until I get at least 20 reviews. Please keep that in mind when you finish the chappie. It's not that hard to press a button and write a few words, but it makes me feel better.
Logging On
Chapter 2
Akira lounged on her bed, hugging her pillow to her chest as she recounted the day's activities. Kenji, or Kite in The World, sat on the floor below her, leaning against the wall at the head of her bed. Mitsuki's bed was empty, as she was with her own boyfriend in a different dorm building. Kenji leaned his head against the wall, looking at the posters that decorated the ceiling.
"That was interesting," Akira stated, resting her chin on the pillow and staring at Kenji. He closed his eyes.
"Yeah. It's changed so much since we've been there last. It really makes me miss all of our old online friends."
She nodded in understanding, "Well, we still keep in touch with some of them. I mean, Mistral's doing great, and her daughter is so cute!"
"Still, though, it's not the same as what we used to do. It was horrible to have all the pressure of fighting to save people, but with all the characters we met… It almost made it worthwhile."
Akira scowled, "And then some who aren't so great."
Kenji stifled a laugh, knowing full-well who his girlfriend was talking about, "Ouka is a nice person, Akira. You shouldn't hate her because she's friendly with Kazu."
"Friendly?!" Akira exclaimed, throwing her pillow at him, "They're way past friendly!"
He blocked the stray pillow and grinned, "Either way, your opinion of her won't change their relationship. Just give it up and accept her."
She folded her arms, "It's just a high school crush. She'll be gone in a few months."
Kenji chuckled, "High school crush? That sounds familiar. So tell me, when were you planning on getting rid of me when we were still in high school?"
Akira balked, "You were different."
He raised an eyebrow, "Really? How so?"
"I like you."
Silence as he stared at her, and then they both burst out laughing, "Akira, you have an intricate way of thinking."
She cocked her head, "It's not my fault that she's an intelligent brat."
"Like me?" Kenji put a hand over his mouth to hide his smile as realization spread over her face. He was in college as a game designer for a major, with a minor in engineering. As such, he was at the top of his class, and was often sought out to fix computers around campus.
Akira scowled, but her eyes glinted apologetically, "Stop that! You're making me sound like an idiot!"
He smiled, "Or I'm redeeming Ouka, because there's nothing wrong with her. If you ask me, you're just being an overprotective big sister."
"I am not!"
"Okay, whatever you say. I just think—"
"Oh, who asked you?" she huffed and climbed out of her bed, "I'm going to the store. I need some graph paper for class on Monday," she got her shoes on and started for the door. Kenji followed her out, and the door closed behind them.
"Here, Kite! Go, now!" Blackrose yelled, backing away from the monsters. Kite held out his right arm, hand outstretched, with his left palm bracing his right elbow.
"Data drain!" he cried, and the bracelet outstretched to its full size, with bright beams of light piercing the two monsters before them. They cried out, and disappeared into spores, floating into the digital air. The bracelet retracted and disappeared, and Kite dropped his arm, grinning.
"You still got it, Kite," Blackrose beamed.
Kite nodded, "It's really cool how I still have this bracelet, after all these years. Helba really did us a favor."
"Too bad there aren't any data bugs to squash," she remarked.
"Yeah," he shrugged, "well, come on, let's go back to Mac Anu."
They gated out of the field, arriving in the main water city of the delta server. Kite folded his arms and began walking forward, slowing down slightly for Blackrose to catch up. Together, they made their way to the bridge, which was the spot where they planned their next course of action. It was particularly crowded today, so they found a free spot and switched to whisper mode.
"We could level up, but there's no rush. We're already at a good level, even for The World R:2," Kite pointed out. Blackrose opened her mouth to respond, but stopped when she caught a snippet of the conversation next to her.
"—hear that the Sage Palace battles will be starting soon. I wonder who will try for the title of Emperor this time?"
"Well, whoever it is, they're going to have to be really strong to beat Taihaku. He's held the title for a long time."
"True, but I think that Haseo will win. I mean, look at how he's beaten the Demon Palace and the Holy Palace already."
"I suppose—"
Blackrose stopped listening and her eyes flickered back to Kite, who was watching her with his cerulean eyes intently.
"What is it?"
She folded her arms, "Some PCs talking about a tournament. It sounds interesting."
He glanced at the PCs behind her and nodded, "Should we look into it?"
"Sure," Blackrose beamed, "It'll give us something to do. Let me call Kisu and see what she knows about it."
As it turns out, Kisu knew a good bit.
"The Sage Palace is a really big tournament that's a major accomplishment to achieve. It's actually the third palace out of three, with the Demon Palace and Holy Palace before it. They have select levels that you have to be in order to participate in them. Like, the Demon Palace is for PCs level 1-49, the Holy Palace is for level 50-99, and the Sage Palace is for level 100-150. If you win, you are added into the guild Icolo, which is a huge honor.
"Unfortunately, the current guild master is also the emperor of the Sage Palace. His name is Taihaku, and he's really strong. He's been champion of it ever since I could remember. He apparently achieved the title solo, and he's held it firmly. I'd be impressed if anyone could get past him," she folded her arms and nodded in contemplation.
Kite glanced at Blackrose, who was nodding as well, "What are you thinking, Blackrose?"
She grinned at him, "I'm thinking, let's do it. We're strong, and if we practice leveling up, we could win."
Kisu stared at them, "Okay, you might be the dot-hackers, but this is way different than anything you've ever done before!"
"How so?" Blackrose asked casually.
"Well, for one thing, you don't have a complete team. Another thing is that you're only at level 99, which, while high, won't be even close to any level of the players in that tournament. They'll cream you!"
Kite grinned while Blackrose laughed out loud, "You honestly think that we'll go now? We'll level up first. Besides," she winked, "We've been leveling up already. We're at level 116 now."
Kisu raised her eyebrows, "You've only been playing for about two weeks, though!"
Blackrose rubbed the back of her neck, "Well, there may have been some homework assignments that went undone…"
"Akira!" Kisu rolled her eyes, "Your professors will kill you!"
She shrugged, "What do they know?"
"They know that if you don't do your homework, you might fail and then you won't graduate," Kisu pointed out.
Kite sighed, "I'll make sure she does it from now on, okay?"
"Good," the wavemaster nodded firmly while Blackrose stuck her tongue out at her partner.
"Well, we won't get levels here! Thanks for your help, Kisu!" Blackrose grabbed Kite's shirt and towed him away. Kisu waved as they ran out of sight, towards the Chaos Gate.
A/N: Okay, then! We're done with chapter 2!!! cheers Remember, no update until i get 20 reviews! It's not that hard, people:) Thanks for reading!