A/N:) You guys finally DID read something I wrote:3 I'm in a very good mood (after spending four hours blowing up the flood and covenant with my dad), and I decided to give you all a bit longer of a chapter this time! Thanks for being so considerate towards me, everyone!
Oh, and a special shoutout to DF and N/A for reviews that really made me laugh. :) And thanks to isis2k2 for making me feel better. I don't think I'll stop posting on and if I do, I'll give my email out in an author note so that people can email me if they want the next chapter. Sound good?
Now, onto the story!
Logging On
Chapter 7
As it turns out, Kite somehow managed to convince Blackrose to take Yata's advice. They invited Haseo into their party, and he joined somewhat willingly. The tournament continued to loom ahead, but with the Dot-Hackers getting ever closer to the emperor, things were looking up.
About two weeks after Haseo joined them, they encountered an interesting party as their opposition.
"And, in one side, the Dot-Hackers continue to shine, especially with their new member, previous Emperor of both the Demon Palace and the Holy Palace! On the other side, the Descendants of Fianna! That's right, folks; it's actually them, back from the original version of The World!"
Kite froze, staring in horror at their opposition. Sure enough, Orca of the azure sea and Balmung of the azure sky were standing at the other end, waving to the crowd. Balmung no longer had his feathery wings, but instead had broken up, purple stick-like ones. He looked like an updated version of the old Balmung. Orca was no different, except he had a bit more armor than he had before.
"How are we supposed to fight them?" Blackrose inquired, staring at them in bewilderment.
Kite swallowed, "We'll just apologize profusively later, I guess…"
Haseo scowled, "They're back too?!"
"What do you mean?" Kite asked.
The dual gunner glared at the two across the arena, "They were working with Tri-Edge!"
Blackrose rolled her eyes, "Again, not the same people, Haseo. Chill, they aren't PKers, and they don't send people into comas when they do PK."
Haseo glanced sideways at her, "I assume you know them, then?"
"Yes, of sorts," Kite said, "but I won't let that get in the way of our fight."
"Begin!!!" the announcer cried, and the Dot-Hackers rushed forward to meet the Descendants of Fianna.
Orca beamed, "Kite, how've you been?"
"I'm okay, how about yo—"
"Look out!" Blackrose pushed him aside, turning to face the spot where Balmung's sword now occupied. Orca shrugged nonchalantly.
"It's strictly business, you understand?" he grinned.
Kite returned the gesture, standing up, "Oh, yes. I understand perfectly."
And the Dot-Hackers began to fight straight out with the Descendants of Fianna. Blackrose took Balmung, and Kite took Orca, leaving Haseo to heal when necessary. Balmung grinned fiercely at Blackrose.
"You've gotten good, Blackrose," he grunted as he jumped out of the way of her sword. She smirked.
"Wish I could say the same for you," she dodged his attacks, "What happened to your much sought-after wings? They're all ugly now."
Balmung glared at her, "I lost the data. How is it that you still have your original character?"
"Helba," she responded, slicing him and taking off a large chunk of his HP.
About twenty feet away, Orca and Kite were having a similar conversation, "I didn't know that you were participating in the Sage Palace tournament, Kite."
Kite slashed at Orca, "I am. Clever name, by the way."
"Same for you," Orca was moving slow, due to his heavy gun, "Still a twin blade, too."
"Thanks to Helba," Kite responded, still attacking with great force, "What's with the gun? What happened to Orca of the azure sea wielding his ever-famous blade?"
Orca shrugged, wincing as Kite's hits made contact, "I decided to go for something new."
And the fight went on like that for a good long while. Finally, after about forty-five minutes, Blackrose wore down Balmung enough to deliver the final blow. He disappeared, and she ran over to help Kite. Orca was almost dead, and Kite hovered, his twin blades against his friend's neck.
"Any last words, Orca of the azure sea?"
Orca grinned, "I know where you sleep," he said menacingly.
Kite cut him a final time, and he fell to the ground, a wispy white ghost. The announcer's declaration of victory rang throughout the speaker system, and Kite sheathed his blades.
"Well, that was fun," Haseo came up from behind them, muttering sarcastically. Blackrose shrugged.
"It's not our fault that our past came back to haunt us."
Kite eyed her, "Haunt?"
She shrugged again, "It seemed like a good thing to say."
They were gated out of the arena.
Kenji had agreed to go shopping with Akira that weekend, instead of playing The World R:2 like they had planned. She had complained that she didn't have enough outfits to last them through spring break, which was rapidly approaching. So he, like the good boyfriend he was, followed her from store to store, keeping the complaining to a minimum.
"And Mitsuki couldn't have come with you… why?" he pondered aloud, leaning against the wall as he stared at the dressing room cubicle.
Akira could be heard shuffling around on the other side of the door, "Because it's not Mitsuki that has to live with the outfits I pick. You should get a say too, you know."
Kenji set his head back against the wall, looking up and closing his eyes, "Uh huh. I'll bet her boyfriend doesn't have to put up with this."
"Actually…" Akira smirked as she opened the door, leaving that thought to his imagination, "You like this one?"
She was dressed in a black tang top with a white denim jacket over it. Her white caprees pulled the outfit together, and so not to leave her neck bare she also wore a set of long, thick silver chains that showed up strongly against the black.
"It's very nice," Kenji praised, having learned long ago not to contradict what Akira thought she liked. His opinion never mattered much when it was put up against clothes.
Akira turned in front of the dressing room mirror, "I think it makes my butt look big."
Kenji rolled his eyes, but proceeded to fiercely shake his head when she looked over at him, "No way."
Satisfied, she smiled and closed the door, "I'll get it, then."
"Are we done now?" he asked, trying and failing to keep the hope out of his voice.
A chuckle, then, "I suppose. Let's stop by the food court for lunch, and then we can head back. I'll do the rest with Mitsuki."
Kenji jumped up, grabbing all of Akira's other bags and waiting anxiously by the time she opened the door a final time to walk out, arms laden with clothes.
"Good thing I've been saving up," she beamed and led the way out, making her way to the counter to pay for the clothes she got.
Kenji cringed at the total, but kept silent, knowing that if he made Akira upset, there would be no pizza in the deal, and the afternoon would have been a waste. After they had more bags to add to their total, the pair headed for the food court. Akira agreed to get a table and watch over the bags as Kenji got the food, and they split up.
Akira found a table for two just by the escalator and claimed it, laying the bags down by her feet. She watched as Kenji got in the pizza line and waited to be served. Strumming her fingers on the table, she continued to glance around until she came face to face with a good-looking young man, about her age, with brown hair kept in a low ponytail.
"Akira!" he cried gleefully. She stared at him in surprise.
"H-Hagiya?" she stuttered, "What are you—"
Hagiya cut her off, sitting in the seat across from her, "It's so great to see you again! You look fantastic, like always. So, what have you been up to?"
Akira frowned, "Um, not much…"
"Awesome. My band's been pretty successful; we do a ton of gigs in between college, and one of them brought us up here. I'd have never guessed that you'd be here too! Do you go to school here?"
She nodded, but couldn't get a word in edgewise.
"That's cool. So, are you still dating that geek?" he asked, trying to be casual.
Akira felt her anger begin to rise, "Kenji is not a geek, and yes, I'm still dating him."
Hagiya shook his head, "Why? There are so many more fish in the ocean, Akira!"
"I'm perfectly happy, thanks," she narrowed her eyes, trying to get her message across.
He didn't receive it, "I can't imagine how. That guy wasn't half as good as some of the other guys out here."
"Like you?" she asked sarcastically.
He also didn't catch the sarcasm, "Exactly! You should ditch that loser, and we could go on a date! I'm here until next Wednesday, but if you show interest, I could probably push it back a few days."
Akira clenched her fists, "I—"
"A loser, am I?" Kenji was back, and he set the food down on the table, "Here you are, Akira."
She looked at him gratefully, "Thanks."
Hagiya looked taken aback, "Oh, it's you."
Kenji chuckled, "Yes, and I believe you're in my spot."
The musician didn't move, "Well, now it's my spot." They glared at each other silently.
"Don't I get a say in this?" Akira demanded. Both men looked at her, anger gone from their eyes.
"Of course, Akira," Hagiya purred, "Tell this geek to leave us in peace."
Kenji said nothing, taking in her expression. A grin spread over his face, knowing that it was a battle won.
"Sure," she responded, staring straight at Hagiya, "Leave."
He winced, "Don't be hasty. You're missing a fabulous opportunity!"
Akira rolled her eyes, "Hagiya, I turned you down in high school. What makes you think I'd want you in college? Especially now that you're such a jerk?"
"What?" Hagiya slammed his hands on the table, "Excuse me?!"
Kenji grabbed his arm, hard, "I think she told you to leave," he said coldly. Hagiya took one look into his firm eyes, then back at Akira, before scooting out of the chair.
"Fine. Akira, you've lost a chance that other girls would dream of. I hope you're happy."
Akira waved a hand in dismissal, "Oh, don't worry, I'm quite satisfied." She smiled at Kenji, who took the now vacant seat.
Hagiya glared at the two of them for a moment before stalking off. Kenji watched him go.
"That was quite rude of you, you know," he said lightly, taking his slice of pizza and biting into it.
She shrugged, "He was rude too. I was only returning the favor," she rolled her eyes, "Honestly, when will he learn? That must have been the tenth time I've turned him down!"
Kenji eyed her, "You don't like him?"
"I thought that was obvious."
"No, I mean, you don't like him?"
Akira frowned slightly, "Kenji, don't worry about what he said. You'll always be number one, okay?"
He smiled, "Just making sure."
She took a sip of her soda, "Oh, eat your pizza," she ordered affectionately.
A/N: Yay! Okay, review please, and more chapters await you all:D