hackGU: Return Chapter 8: Learning, a .hack/sign fanfic

Oh wow, can you guess? If you guessed another Disclaimer, than you're right! Give yourself a pat on the back!

.hack//G.U. and all of its characters do not belong to me.

Axel, Hikaru, Ginny, Aurum, Hunter and Kuroha do not belong to me, but Eon, Shiruba, Aqua, Sijez, Denki, Koji, Sora, and the overall plot all do. (Yippee…)

Okee Dokee, I want to thank everybody that is still reading this fic! You're all awesome! This chapter forward I'm just going with the flow, until I can pinpoint the exact times that they meet Explicants. Most of those have a definite timeline…so until then, please bear with me! I'll try as hard as I can to make it better than ever! (Reviews with suggestions are welcomed…)

Now, for all of you who are reading this part, you will now know what all of the Hacked classes are called!
Koji: Trump Joker (Card user)
Denki: Blade Partizan (Sword and Spear/Lance used simultaneously)
Rei: Sorrowful Player (Viloin user)
Sijez: Dual Gunner (Two hand guns)
Hunter: Hunter (Long Bow)

Yes, Hunter is a Hunter. Isn't great?! XD I gave Miffin the idea for him...

The Kanji used on the first line of the story; Mizu (Water), Kasumi (Mist), Hi (Ice), Yuki (Snow).

So, without further ado, enjoy the next epic chapter of .hack//G.U.: Return!

Chapter 8: Learning

"水...霞...氷...雪..."Aqua murmured as a light blue aura surrounded her body, like a thin layer of water. A number of small feathers began to rain around Aqua as she continued to concentrate on the summoning. "Come, oh glorious beast of the heavens…"

Her party, as well as the 'Bad Boyz', suddenly turned tail and fled to behind Aqua, to the opposite side of the barrier; confusing their opponents who, could see nothing of this magnificent display…

"We've got to stop her!" Haseo howled, as he began to look for a way down to the arena, but there was no possible way in sight. The only way into the fight, would be to be forced in though a hacker, which he did not have at the moment, or to be participating in the first place…which was not an option either.

He swore as his crimson eyes flew back and forth, in a desperate attempt to come up with a way to stop this. Any way…

Hikaru's eyebrows furrowed as he spoke the next three devastating words.

"We're too late…"

Aqua had just unfolded her fans, and held them around herself, before putting their ends together, and making a small circle with them. Her silver eyes then shot open, as she bellowed the last few words of her call; a small, maniacal grin on her face as she did so.

"…with wings and heart of pure ice. Come, and devour those who dare stand in your path; Sora!" The Macabre Dancer cried, as the blue around her almost liquefied, and suddenly flew into the air, before raining down before her.

There was a moment of peace; as if nothing had happened at all. A moment that only those with the ability to see such creatures could both witness, and feel, before seven large pillars of water shot up into the sky, and began spiralling like a typhoon. The pillars soon began to increase their volume, and the water suddenly joined together inside of the giant whirlwind.

There was a large, shrill howl, before a pair of glowing red eyes gazed out of its stormy domain. The beast glared down at those that dared to oppose itself, as well as its host; its head weaving from left to right hypnotically to all those who could see it, as it loomed over its unsuspecting prey.

"Damn it!" Haseo screamed from the railing; all close enough to hear him, moving their gaze to the enraged Emperor. Whispers began flaring up around the four of them, but Haseo ignored them and concentrated on the match below. His heart beat was matching only the enthusiastic cheering of the crowd.

Eon bit her lip, before looking up at what appeared to be a giant, Asian-styled dragon. Its body was long and mostly white, though instead of being covered in scales like Ginny or Aurum, this beast was covered mostly in a light layer of fur; a few scales visible throughout its body. Around the sides of its head, as well as the top, leading all the way down the gigantic beast's back, was a turquoise shade of long fur. 'Sora's' eyes were red and slit, and a large, pink nose was at the end of its snout. There were two long, white ears near the top of her head, similar to those of Shiruba, but without the flames, and red on the tips. She had two long, catfish-like whiskers in the middle section of her snout, leading down a few feet, to her overly long and thin body; also the same shade of white as the rest of her body. Her claws were long, and had four on each fore-claw; the feet had three each, and were a shining golden colour. On her back, was a pair of large, crystal wings; the same style of those of a Seraphim in old stories…no wonder their name was the 'Crystal Seraphim'… She had an intimidating grin on her face, as a long, curved canine tooth stuck out of her mouth, and she glared down at her prey, greed in her large, crimson eyes.

Eon shivered, and stepped away from the beast instinctively. For some reason, this beast terrified her…maybe because of its grin…? No…something else…

Can you feel it, squirt…? Shiruba questioned suddenly, making Eon, as well as Axel, and even Hikaru jump in shock. That is Sora, Guardian of Water, as well as the Guardian Beast of the Delta Server. She explained calmly.

Axel coughed loudly, in shock, before starring up as if he could see Shiruba.

"That is the Beast for the Delta Server…?" He questioned.

Yes, numbskull. That's what she said. Ginny said coldly, but Axel ignored her, before pointing down at Sora with his index finger.

"That does not look like a hairy-eared, Santa-fat beast to me!" He exclaimed, making even Haseo turn from the action to stare at the idiot.

"What…wait…I don't even want to know…" He murmured, before turning back to Sora, as she slowly dispelled the typhoon, which the opposing team was struggling to stand up to.

Axel stuck out his tongue at Haseo, before pointing back at Sora.

"It isn't anything like the Beast Statue! What are you trying to pull?!" He demanded; Hikaru and Eon nodded in agreement.

Shiruba sighed tiredly, but it was Aurum who answered.

We said that the Beast Statues were modelled after US, but, not entirely…them… He tried to explain, though only received confused looks from the three.

In other words, blame the CC Corp budget cut of '14. Ginny explained angrily.

Axel and Eon were silent for a moment, before covering their mouths to hold back the laughter.

Budget cuts?! What next? The abominable Snowman…?

Sora's head continued to wave from left to right gracefully, as she slowly stepped towards the opposing team. She opened her gapping mouth, and let out a long, sad howl, before slowly wrapping her tail around the opposing team; making sure not to touch them…yet…

Her gaze slowly lifted from the humans, who were looking around confused, or backing away in a desperate attempt to flee this strange phenomenon.

Just because they couldn't see it, didn't mean that they couldn't hear it…nonetheless sense something off…

Aqua had an almost crazed look on her face. She glared at the opposing team, before holding her fans out to her sides, then flinging them open, and shooting them in front of herself.

"Yes, feast, Sora…" She murmured behind the fans.

The gigantic beast's gaze was still slowly moving away from the humans, and up through the stands, until it finally found their real target…

She let a small, crazed grin onto her face, showing all of her pearly white teeth, as she starred at the three Guardian Masters, and the Terror of Death himself. She slowly lifted her tail, before letting it slam into the ground, nearly hitting one of the Harvest Clerics that was trying to escape his fate. The impact, though not intended, caused a minor rumble throughout the entire Arena battlefield, making everyone, other than Aqua, and of course, herself, struggle to keep themselves standing.

Rei didn't even attempt to keep himself up, and simply fell face-first onto the ground. He didn't move for a moment, making Koji presume he was dead, before poking him hard with his index finger.

"Ow." He mumbled monotonously, though he did nothing to stop the Trump Joker's merciless prodding.

"Are you sure this kid's reliable…?" He asked, before poking Rei hard in the head.

No reaction.

"I don't really know. Maybe he has an on button!" Hunter exclaimed 'thoughtfully', earning himself a number of weird expressions from Sijez, Koji and even Denki…not to mention the random players within the audience who could hear him…

Sijez slapped his forehead in exasperation, before shaking his head.

"It doesn't matter if he's 'reliable' or not. It is up to the Guild Master, whether we keep him or not." He explained, holding one of his guns up, and scratching his head with it.

"DUCK AND COVER!" Hunter suddenly screamed, before tackling Sijez hard in the stomach and onto the floor, an inch away from the barrier.

"What was that for, you bastard?!" He demanded, as the Hunter slowly removed himself from the shorter boy's squished body.

"Oh, you were going to shoot yourself, so I stopped you." Hunter explained, dusting himself off.

"You imbecile!" Sijez howled, attempting not to shoot him 'instead'. "Why would I shoot myself?! Nonetheless, even if I did, it wouldn't kill me! This is 'The World', for Pete's sake!" He yelled.

Hunter looked up in thought for a moment, before saying 'oh' in understanding.

"I thought that you were trying to kill yourself. Sorry 'bout that, squirt!" He apologized, though it did not help Sijez's new mood.

Haseo starred in horror as the Beast of the Water's crimson gaze moved towards them in a spiteful way.

"Why is she looking at us?!" Eon hissed, as the large red eyes of the dragon slowly moved from one PC body, to the next.

"I dunno!" Axel whispered back, as the beast starred at him, before moving on to Hikaru.

She's scanning you. Shiruba answered simply.

"Say what now?" Axel asked with a dumb look on his face.

Shiruba sighed again.

In OTHER words, she's seeing if you are any threat to her. Considering how she ignored you three, you're nowhere near her level. The Beast of Fire explained to the trio.

"But how are we 'not near her level'?" Hikaru asked, confused.

"Yeah! We have Guardian's too!" Axel argued.

Yeah, and have you ever actually summoned us…? Ginny asked harshly. No. Only that brat has MANAGED to call ONE of us, AND it was a pathetic display, no less. I bet that you don't even know HALF of our abilities! The silver dragon explained.

"Of course we don't!" Eon exclaimed. "I don't even know how I called you in the first place! You blame us for being weak, yet don't ever explain anything! That's unfair judgement!" She exclaimed.

True, but you still never even TRY to train. Shiruba explained.

"And how exactly can we do that?!" Axel demanded.

Simple, scrawny.Unlike Avatars, the only two things that make us different, and slightly superior in that vision, are that we can use the Data Cracking, and, our ability to be called to normal fields for a short amount of time. Other than that, we're weak compared to them. Ginny explained.

This means that if you wish to even attempt to raise yourself towards Aqua and Sora's level, you will need to train on fields, whether AIDA or AIDA Explicants are present or not. Aurum pitched in.

"Yeah yeah, whatever you say…" Axel muttered, as he stuck a finger into his ear and twisted it.

Eon narrowed her eyes as she looked at Sora, before back up into the air, as if she could see the Guardians.

"How come she's so much stronger than us…?" She questioned.

There was an uncomfortable silence among everyone; Guardians and Masters alike, before finally, Aurum answered.

She awoke earlier that you. He explained. You were all able to awaken just recently. Aqua, on the other hand, has been awake since the Cubia incident, along with the Light and Darkness. They have had more time to train, and prepare…

"Oh, so we're the lazy bums here then." Axel said angrily, before throwing his hands into the air. "Hey, look at me! I'm a lazy bum that can't wake up in time for a world-changing event!" He said sarcastically, while making overly exaggerated drunken movements.

Eon and Hikaru giggled a little bit, but Shiruba interrupted.

You THINK that you can just brush this off, like it is nothing?! She demanded strictly. Sora is AGAINST you! Just look at her eyes! Something is different about her, than it was before we came to 'The World'.

Got that right. Ginny muttered.

"Yeah, well screw that. I don't wanna get forced into 'training'! Eon told us how much it hurt! Like hell we're going to let you do that to us!" He yelled.

Is that so…? Ginny asked, an air of interest in her voice. Then I hope that you are prepared to become a 'Lost One', shorty, because if you refuse to call us, then we will have no choice but to either leave you, or force you to face AIDA Explicants with your OWN power; and I can assure you, it will not go the way you plan it to. Guardians are the mirrors of Explicants. We are hope. They, are despair. Whether you like it or not, AIDA, and Explicants will be drawn towards you, and will want to devour your bodies, AND your minds. Only THEN, can they really be considered whole. She explained calmly.

"Yeah, and if you leave us?!" Axel demanded.

Then your minds will not be able to handle the sudden amount of stress of an entire entity leaving it, and you will most definitely become a Lost One. Aurum said solemnly.

Eon's stomach churned uncomfortably.

Either way, unless they did what they said, they'd be put into a coma…? What kind of rule was that?! They never even wanted this in the first place! All that she wanted was to play 'The World' like a normal player. To level up. To fight PKer's… to have a place to enjoy! Now she didn't even have that without the risk of becoming nothing more than another comatose victim!

She grit her teeth, and clenched her fists, before looking at Sora, whose eyes seemed to gleam mischievously.

If I can't live in this World, like I used to…then…then I won't lose to you! She vowed, narrowing her eyes at the beast.

As if Sora had heard her, her grin seemed to widen, as her head quickly snapped down from them, and to her prey. It was time to finish her job…

---------------------------------The Eternal City: Mac Anu: Raven-------------------------------

Yata grit his teeth together hard, before glaring at the screen before him.

Another Guardian had appeared…and by the looks of it, it seemed to notice, and even expect G.U. to do something about its presence!

He swore loudly, ignoring Pi behind him. Now was not a time to hold his superior image. No matter how many times he attempted to input a code, a cheat…to hack into the Arena and stop this match, all attempts failed. The area had been blocked off by all attempts with a multi-directional Hacking barrier! It must have been the work of the active hacker within Hades…but even so…why…? Above all of that, the area also seemed to be showing slight signs of AIDA. Where, he could not pinpoint exactly yet, but he knew that it was coming from within the battle right now.

"Master Yata; what do you want me to do?" Pi questioned, a determined expression on her face.

Yata looked down at the floating sphere in front of himself, but nothing came to mind. He had tried everything that he knew about hacking to try to enter the area, but it was cut off! He had even contacted Zelkova, on Tartarga, but the youth had not been able to force himself though the barrier either…

If only Ovan were still here… Yata could not help but fantasize. The older man may have been the main reason for the last major outbreak of AIDA, all throughout The World, but at the same time, he was an experienced hacker. He himself created the Anti-AIDA case around his left arm, just to protect the rest of The World from the dangerous 'Tri-Edge' AIDA that resided on it. He, of anybody, would have been able to hack into it…but he was gone now. A Lost One, who sacrificed himself to save The World from AIDA. To rid it of the dangerous AI…yet his sacrifice was in vain. The AIDA had returned, and even stronger than ever… What was happening to The World? Where was Ovan when he needed him…? When The World needed him…?

"Master Yata…?" Pi asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Yata's head shot up in shock, before he looked to Pi.

"We cannot do anything…only wait." He said, each word stabbing him like a needle. "We will recall all members of Operation G.U. after this match finishes…"

Pi slowly removed her hand from his shoulder, and held it to her chest for a moment, shocked by the decision, yet, at the same time, knew it was the only possible way.

"Understood." She murmured, before stepping back over to the monitor to the left of Yata. She stood staring at it patiently, as the fight continued behind her. Right now, she could not bear to watch. She already knew what the unfortunate outcome would be…

------------------------------------Lumina Cloth: Warrior Palace-----------------------------

Sora opened her gaping mouth, before letting out another long howl into the air. Her opponents cowered in fear, as the long, light wail could be heard echoing around the entire Arena; battle and stands alike.

Sora's eyes gleamed, as she moved her head back and forced her jaws to make a diamond shape. A large, shining blue orb appeared in her mouth; light cascading all around the arena, though appearing to be nothing more than the Aurora Borealis to all those who could not see the beast.

It was over in an instant.

Sora shot the orb from her gaping mouth, and it flew at her opponents at full speed; doubling in size every quarter of a second. The impact created a huge shockwave, instantly killing all of the enemies that managed to survive the first strike. The bodies fell lifelessly to the ground, as the Bad Boyz, and Sijez struggled to keep their ground, without flying into the barrier themselves.

Rei did not even bother to hold his ground, and went flying into the barrier, losing another good chunk of his health…again…

Aqua shut her fans, as her silver eyes gazed at the grey bodies of her prey. The large, crazed grin on her face seemed to grow until it stretched from ear to ear, as she looked up the stands, until her eyes rested on the familiar White Adept Rogue. Aqua pointed at him with her index finger; her eyes narrowed in contentment.

'Come…' She worded, as she beckoned him to join into the fray. "Come, and fight me…'

Haseo gripped the railing so hard, that he could have sworn that it dented; not that he cared... He glared down at the cocky red-headed girl, as she slowly turned her back to him, and warped out of the Arena, as the commentator was attempting to make sense of what had just happened.

"Damn…" He muttered angrily, before punching the railing.

It really did dent this time.

"Okay, c'mon, Whitey-chan." Axel said, grabbing Haseo's shoulder hard. "It's time to go. Pee and Yappa are callin' us."

Haseo breathed hard out of his nose, before slowly nodding in agreement. He didn't even notice the short mail that Pi had sent him, from the 'interruption' of Aqua… He really didn't know what to think at the moment, but he couldn't help it. Did they really want to fight him? If so, why…? Why did they want to fight just him? How did they even know him?! Sure, he was a famous Arena Emperor, but still…why would they choose him out of one hundred thousand players…? Could it be that they knew…? Maybe they knew about Skeith from Sakaki, from the last Tournament…but even so…did they really want to fight Skeith?

Haseo closed his eyes, hard in thought, as he teleported with the other three into the main entrance of Lumina Cloth. He breathed a sigh though his nose, before opening his eyes, and following Axel to the Chaos Gate on the other side of the Root Town. This wasn't the time to be thinking about all of this. Pi and Yata probably already knew everything that had just happened, and called them all to figure something out…

He sighed again.

Sometimes, he couldn't help but wonder, what life would be like if he never had Skeith. If he wasn't an Epitaph User, and could play the game normally… It would have been way less stressful. He knew that much…

----------------------------------------------Raven: The Serpent of Lore-------------------------------------------

"I am glad that you could all make it." Yata addressed them formally, as he stood in front of all of them. "As most of you probably know, we have located another Guardian, and its Guardian Master."

Everybody was looking at Yata. It was apparent that all of them knew what was happening, even if they had just logged in within the past ten minutes.

There were already ten posts on the BBS about the 'strange skill' that Aqua had used within the last Warrior Palace match, and others looking for Lost friends.

The word stung Yata's stomach as he straightened his posture a little bit more.

"But, unfortunately, it appears that this 'Master' has other…allegiances…" He said, pushing his orange glasses up another inch.

Everybody was silent, and listening to him intently; even the ever-so-annoying Axel, and the spunky Eon were listening to every word hungrily, and watching his every movement like a scavenger.

Yata took a breath mentally, before continuing again; making it seem like he was pausing for suspense.

"Therefore, it appears that we must now become extra careful. It seems that the Guild, 'Hades', as it is called, is up to irregular activity of some sort, but, at the same time, it has yet to be proven. All that we know is that the Guild has an active hacker within its walls, as well as a Guardian and its Master." The Macabre Dancer explained, eyes narrowing behind his tinted glasses. "That is why, to gather information about this Guild, we, as part of Operation G.U., will be joining the Warrior Palace Tournament in rotations. Each Epitaph User will join with Team Haseo, at least once, to gain a number of WP Points. Haseo, Kuhn, and Atoli, all have one WP Point each, therefore adding to our overall chance of entering the Finals within the deadline of a week." Yata explained.

Various heads nodded, before the tanned Dancer began once more.

"The first party will be made of Haseo, Pi, and myself. The secondary team will be Kuhn, Atoli, and Sakubo. We are to enter into stream 'B', to avoid all contact with the 'Crystal Seraphim' and 'Bad Boyz' teams, until the Finals. After we have gained a total of twelve WP Points in all, then the next party will be Haseo, Kuhn, and Atoli. The secondary team will be Endrance, Sakubo, and myself. I will E-mail you to when we meet again, until that time comes." Yata explained, crossing his arms over his chest. "Understood?"

All of the Epitaph Users nodded their heads understandingly, but Eon looked to Axel, slightly confused.

"Why didn't he ask us to fight…?" She whispered.

"I don't know…" Axel whispered back.

They looked up to Yata eagerly, to see what sort of mission they would get…but he said nothing.

The tall Macabre Dancer nodded his head, before shooting his arm out, towards the exit.

"All right, Team Haseo, and the secondary team will leave to Lumina Cloth. I will follow after I have given Endrance his orders." He said as strongly as he could.

Again, the Epitaph Users nodded their heads understandingly, and began to leave the Serpent of Lore in an orderly fashion.

Yata waited until all of the other Epitaphs Users were gone, before he opened his mouth to speak, but Axel cut him off.

"Hey, baldy! What about us?!" He demanded. "If you're going to threaten to take our characters away, the least that you could do is give us a mission!"

Yata smirked uncharacteristically, before stepped down towards them.

"I know that already. Why else do you think that I stayed behind?" He questioned.

Axel shrugged and gave him a 'pouty' face.

"To give Endrance an order." He said.

Yata made a grunt with a cross of laughter, and anger.

"Tell me, Axel, did it never occur to you that Endrance was a part of your mission…?" He asked, looking over the orange rims of his glasses.

Axel stuck his tongue out, and made a loud 'Nya'!

"No. You just said Endrance! Not Axel and Endrance." He complained. "Be more specific!"

Yata breathed though his nose, before looking at the four that stood before him.

One Blade Brandier, one 'Seraphim', and a 'Twin Blade' and 'Lord Partizan' (To his knowledge…).

"Before I give you your own mission, I have a few questions that must be answered first." Yata said seriously.

Axel, who was previously making a mock 'talking hand', hid it behind his back immediately, before nodding, as if he was paying attention.

"Sure, Whaddya wanna know?" He questioned.

"First, what do you know about the Guardian, 'Sora'." Yata asked calmly.

Eon stepped forward to answer the question, before Axel could say anything stupid and/or immature.

"Sora's the Guardian for the Delta Server, as well as the Beast of the Water." She explained, holding her hand out in front of herself. "She's a big white dragon, as you've probably already seen, and is a lot stronger than us right now." She finished, distaste in her mouth from the final few words.

Yata nodded understandingly.

"I see…and why, may I ask, as she more powerful that your 'current selves'?" He asked, crossing his arms again.

"She woke up earlier than us." Axel answered, crossing his eyes to try to see the tip of his nose.

"Earlier…?" Yata questioned.

"Yes. Earlier. You know? Before we did by, oh, a couple of months." He answered, having finally located his 'target'.

Yata narrowed his eyes for a moment, as he tried to digest this information, before nodding again, only a bit slower.

"She woke up earlier…but why is she still so powerful?" He asked.

"Because she has had more practice with her host." Hikaru explained, making Eon jump.

She forgot that he was there…

"More practice…?" Yata inquired.

"Yes. Guardians get stronger when they work with their host, and both become able to match each other's movements." He explained calmly.

"So, in other words, if you were able to summon your Guardians, and 'train' with them, you would become 'stronger'…?" Yata asked.

"Yeeeeeeeeuuup." Axel said, finally uncrossing his eyes. "Ginny said that we're able to train on fields, or something like that."

I am NOT Ginny, for the last DAMN TIME! Ginryuu howled, but Axel had obviously mastered the art of ignoring the giant silver beast.

A spark of interest lit up Yata's eyes underneath his lenses, as he nodded again in understanding.

"All right, that is all that I needed to know for now." He said, before looking over the four of them again. "All right, as for your mission…" He muttered, looking one final time. "You will learn how to summon and control your Guardians."

Axel stared at Yata for a moment, before bursting into hysterical laughter once again.

"You want us to summon them?!"He asked, laughing harder.

"That is what I said." Yata said calmly.

Axel took a few deep breaths, before looking back up to Yata.

"We've never summoned them before though." He explained.

"I am aware of that." He stated.

"Then how are we supposed to learn how, if we don't know?! That's like asking us to do the hardest algebra equation ever, and not even knowing what algebra is!" Axel explained.

"That is why Endrance will come with you. I presume that summoning Guardians is not much different than summoning Avatars. He controls Macha: The Temptress. I believe that she is more than suitable for this task." The Macabre Dancer explained.

Axel gave Yata the 'pouty' face again.

"So, this means that I'm stuck studying…?" He asked.

"Yes."

"On a weekend…?"

"Yes."

"You suck."

Yata turned his head to Endrance, who had been silent the entire time.

"Endrance, are you willing to teach them how to call their Guardians?" He asked.

Endrance drew in a sharp breath, as he looked around at the three Guardian Masters that were now staring at him. There was silence all around. He grit his teeth together, as he tried to think of what to say. Of what to do! His finger lingered above the Short Mail option on his controller, but he was unsure if he really should call Haseo…

The looks of curiosity were beginning to vanish, as Axel began to tap his foot on the ground anxiously, and Hikaru furrowed his eyebrows a little bit. Even Yata seemed to be narrowing his eyes as the Brandier could not come up with a simple 'yes' or 'no'.

Endrance took another sharp breath as he looked down at his feet. He shut his eyes tight in thought in the real world, and began wondering if he should just plainly say 'no', if only to leave this awkward situation.

He barely felt the small tug on his tight sleeve, before noticing the short dog-girl next to him.

"You don't need to do it, if you don't want to." Eon said encouragingly. "I can try to teach them how to."

Endrance's expression turned from unsure, to shock, if only for a moment, before looking up to Yata strongly.

"I will do it…" He said, his voice a little shaky, but for the most part, certain.

That was right. If he said 'no' now, it would let them all down…let all of G.U. down. They could not have a number of strong, experienced Epitaph Users, and have all of their Guardian Masters, or Guardians weak and inexperienced. What would happen if more AIDA Explicants came…? Who would take them out if 'Data Cracking' was not an option…?

Yata nodded his head acknowledging, before turning back to the Guardian Masters.

"Alright. The total number of people that can join a party at once is three. That means that one of you will either need to go solo, join a party of two, and two, or not come at all." Yata explained.

Axel raised his hand instantly.

"I won't come!" He exclaimed, but Yata shook his head instantly.

Axel stuck his tongue out at him, before muttering rude things under his breath.

"I believe that it is best if Axel and Hikaru join Endrance for now. As for you, Eon, you have a choice to stay or go." He said calmly.

Eon looked up in thought for a moment, before looking at Endrance, and back to Yata.

"I think that I'll sit this one out, for now." Eon said, giving Endrance a sorry and sympathetic look. "I have things to do today."

"I understand." Yata lied. "Then, you will join Pi after we have switched rotations in the tournament." He said.

Eon nodded her head understandingly, before turning around to face the exit.

"Okay then. I'll come back tomorrow, then. Jya ne." Eon bid, as she raced out of the room.

The remaining four watched her leave, before Axel and Hikaru turned to Endrance.

"Okay, El Ca-pi-tan, here's my Member's Address, and Hikki's! Make a party with us, and let's get this bore over with!" He exclaimed, glaring at Yata, who was in view in the corner of his eye.

Endrance nodded calmly, and did so.

Axel and Hikaru selected 'yes' when the Party Invite screen came up, before turning to Yata. "Okay, we're going now, Mr. Rogers. See ya later!" Axel bid Yata farewell, with extreme amounts of sarcasm, before racing out as well. Hikaru slowly followed him out, and Endrance coming after him last.

Yata watched them leave for a matter of seconds, before closing his eyes slowly. He took a long breath, and breathed it out through his nose, before opening his eyes again.

Sometimes, it was hard being the leader of G.U...

---------------------------------------Sigma Flying Hunted Beast--------------------------------------

"Okay, so how do we call our Guardians?" Axel asked bluntly as they arrived to their new destination.

It was a Field-type area, with a fair number of enemies, strong enough to put up a decent enough fight against themselves.

Endrance looked up at the full moon calmly, taking in all of the details in this magnificent, beautiful field. The sky was almost completely empty, other than the large glowing yellow sphere for the moon, and a few small, grey clouds, littered in various places. The sky was a blue-violet colour, resembling the time of day just before dawn breaks. There were a number of small, Chim-Trees within the area, and a few large hills, overlooking the area. They were surrounded by the ocean, as all field areas were; the gentle sound of waves, washing up onto the shore, rushing into his ears.

He turned to his two new companions, before motioning the area.

"To summon an Avatar, it is different for everybody." He explained, attempting to get them to understand. "For me, it is the beauty within this World, which allows me to call forth Macha. For others, like Haseo, though, it is the sheer will to fight, that allows him to call Skeith. To fight on, even against the odds."

"Yeah, yeah, pretty-boy." Axel said rudely, already bored with his lecture. "So people summon Avatars different ways. What about Guardians?"

Endrance shook his head slowly, before pointing at the nearest team of monsters. There were two Chirpee-type beasts, and a large red Grasshopper-like Beast following them around in a circle.

"Since we do not really know how to call your Guardians, we will start with a simple task, of eliminating monsters. You said that you are able to talk with them, correct…?" Endrance asked, receiving a nod from both. "Then during the fight, you must ask them how to be called."

"Whoa-ho-hoa!" Axel said, making a 'stop' motion with his hands. "During the fight?!" He demanded.

"Yes. From what it sounded like, during our discussion with Yata, it seemed that they can only be called during a time of need. What better way than to ask for their help in battle, and purposely allowing yourself to be open?" Endrance explained.

Axel looked to Hikaru for a moment, but the taller boy nodded in agreement. What Endrance said seemed probable enough…

"Okay then, whatever you say, dude." Axel murmured, before racing up to the enemies, and beginning the battle immediately.

He did not even bother to use a Sneak Attack.

The large Grasshopper jumped towards Axel instantly, as it saw the Twin Blade pull out his weapons. Instinctively, Axel held them up to guard, only to hear Endrance call out to him to stop.

"Damn it…" Axel muttered, as he pushed the Grasshopper back, and put his weapons away. "Hey, Ginny! We could really use your help right about now!" He said, narrowly dodging the giant bug, who had just attempted to jump on him.

Heh, why the hell should I do that, Sparky…? She asked, seeming to enjoy the helpless sight of Axel.

BECAUSE, I am in TROUBLE! DO YOU WANT ME TO DIE?! Axel demanded mentally.

Hell if I care. Ginryuu stated with a snarl.

You stinkin' lil' bastard! Axel swore. You SAID that we needed to summon you, and yet you pull this crap?!

A small grunt came from within Axel's head.

Of course. Why would I let someone that can't even say GINRYUU summon me?! She demanded.

Come ON! I call you Ginny 'cause it SOUNDS better, and is SHORTER! If you wanna pull this garbage, then forget about ever becoming stronger than that stupid furry dragon! Axel explained.

There was an indignant grunt, before Ginny spoke again.

I can beat the fur off of that lil' bastard whenever I feel like it! She howled.

Then WHY won't you come out…? Axel thought, taking Ginny's sudden change in mood to his advantage.

'CAUSE YOU'RE AN IDIOT! Se howled again.

No, I think that YOU'RE just AFRAID, that some NORMAL monsters are goin' ta whoop yer Big. Dragon. Ass. Axel mused.

Ginny roared within Axel's head, nearly making him fall over as the Grasshopper pounced at him again. He narrowly dodged, a little too close to the barrier for his comfort, before racing away from the now diving Chirpee 'Uncle' as it was called.

I'll show you, you bastard! Ginny howled. Call me out, or I'll kill you!

Okay, how then? Or did you forget how to do THAT too? Axel asked, enjoying this, yet also wondering how she could kill him from within his head in a game…

How the hell do you THINK you need to call me?! Get MAD, you Bastard! Ginny Demanded.

…Mad…?

Yes. MAD! Angry! Ticked off… PISSED!

I…see… Axel thought, before looking at the Grasshopper.

"Mad you say…? I'll show you mad…Come here you lil' Grasshopper…don't worry…I just want to play…"

Hikaru did not have his weapon out either, but he was not doing so well on the whole…'dodging part'…

"Ow…That was not very nice…" He said calmly, as he tried to step away from the Chirpee that was still continuously bombarding him.

Um…why are you not dodging…? Aurum asked, slightly concerned.

"Oh no. Voices…! Ah!" Hikaru 'cried' out.

Aurum was silent for a few more seconds, until the Chirpee hit Hikaru once more.

Erm…why don't you summon me, INSTEAD of all of this…not…dodging…? He asked.

"Oh. Why didn't you say so…?" Hikaru asked.

Because I thought that you came here to summon me… Aurum answered.

It was Hikaru's turn to be silent now.

"Oh yes. I believe that is the reason…" He said calmly.

Aurum sighed, before speaking again.

All right then. To summon me, you do not need to concentrate on any specific thing. He explained.

"Oh." Hikaru mumbled, before getting hit again. (Not that it mattered with his abnormally high defence stat, because of his thick, white armour.)

Okay then. Think of something. Aurum commanded, though not strictly.

"I need to go washroom." Hikaru stated monotonously.

There was silence all around the field, as he said those five words. Even the monsters seemed to stop attacking, if only for a second after receiving the…unneeded information.

Um…NOT like that… Aurum said, attempting to come up with words.

"But you said that I did not need to concentrate." Hikaru stated.

No, I didn't say THAT…I said that you don't need to think of any specific thing. The golden dragon explained.

"…What…?"

Aurum sighed again.

All right, maybe a change in words…do you know what it feels like to want to protect somebody…? He questioned.

"Oh. Like that baby squirrel that was eaten by that cat. The poor thing." Hikaru said.

If Aurum were visible, there would be a large sweatdrop on his head right about now…

Erm…o…kay then…erm… why not just think of protecting Axel…? He nearly begged.

"Oh. Why didn't you say so…?" He asked.

I didn't think that it was something that needed to be said… Aurum muttered.

Hikaru moved his head down, as if in deep concentration; ignoring the still bombarding Chirpee. He took in the sounds around him. The waves hitting the shore. The sound of the clanking of metal from Endrance's sword. The maniacal laughter that Axel was now making as he continuously stabbed the poor, giant grasshopper …

He slowly clenched one of his fists, and then the other, before lowering his head and neck a tiny bit more. Hikaru clenched his eyes shut a little bit harder, before suddenly feeling warmer.

It was a nice feeling. Calm, yet restoring, almost. He allowed his grin to grow a tiny bit more, as he could feel a large, warm body around him.

You can feel it…? You can feel me, here, by your side…? Aurum asked.

Hikaru slowly nodded, instead of speaking, or risk breaking the tranquillity.

That is good. Aurum stated, as he moved his long neck around Hikaru's left side, in front of the Chirpee. Now there is only one thing left for you to do. Open your eyes. Open them Hikaru, and see what I see. Know what I know. BECOME a part of me.

Hikaru slowly forced his blue eyes open, just to see the giant dragon at his side.

"Good." Aurum stated, and with a powerful swipe of his fore claw, he slammed the Chirpee into the Barrier,instantly killing the beast.

Axel had now shut his eyes, while riding the giant grasshopper like a bull at the rodeo.

Okay, pipsqueak. Ginny murmured. Concentrate on your anger. FEEL the blood in your veins BOIL! Let it fuel you, AND me…

Axel's grin kept on growing as he thought of all of the things that pissed him off.

School…homework…smart people…Yata…monsters…Ginny…Wait…should that one really be here…?

He barely noticed the strange, cool feeling that came over him, before an almost plummeting feeling followed.

That's right! Just a little more, squirt! The silver dragon howled.

Axel could now feel a cool pair of metal wings near his body now, and a long, scaly tail slowly wrapping around him.

Teachers…onions…the cold…pink!

"Perfect…" Ginny said, as there was a light rumble, as she landed behind Axel. "Now, finish it, Axel…OPEN yer eyes. SEE me!" She demanded.

Axel's eyes flew open instantly, as his head raised up, to see the gigantic beast.

Ginny grinning manically, showing her large set of pure white teeth, the only non-silver part of her entire body. She lifted her foot, and as if he understood her intentions completely, Axel hopped off of the bug, and onto her supporting leg, as she crushed the monster under her giant foot.

"That will teach the bastard. " She mumbled.

Endrance stared at the two dragons before him. One, completely silver, and the other, almost completely gold. He put away his sword, and watched the two beasts gracefully destroy the last two monsters within the barrier.

He moved his attention to the larger one first; the golden one. It's body was almost completely golden, other than it's under stomach area, and under its neck, which was a pale yellow. He had large, circular scales, all around his body, and a pair of large, golden, slit eyes, which calmly gazed around the battle field for any threats. On his back were a pair of bat-style, golden wings, folded over in flaps, and resting along his spine. He stood on all fours, but he appeared to have the ability to be bipedal as well, if necessary. His snout was flat at the end, and his tail ended to a rounded point. He seemed to take in everything calmly, unlike the other dragon summoned…

The second dragon was smaller than the male, but was completely silver, other than her white teeth, and intimidating green, slit eyes. Her scales were large and round, but her snout was more rounded than the male's. Her wings were a similar bat-like style as the golden dragon's, but extended above, and even out of the barrier. Her long, silver tail was wrapping around the inner part of the barrier, nearly forcing it to expand, or break, and her large, sliver claws, her stretched out as she quickly jumped and stomped from enemy to enemy. Her host, Axel, enjoying every second of it.

"Yee-haw! Ride 'em Ginny!" Axel yelled, having climbed up, onto the dragon's back, and was now enjoying the 'stomp-o-thon'.

The barrier quickly banished as 'Ginryuu' finished squishing the final Chirpee.

"Showed you who's boss, damn bird."Ginryuu growled, before extending her legs comfortably. Those little barriers were not made for seventeen stories-worth of dragon…

Aurum also stretched himself, before lowering his neck down to Hikaru's level.

"Well done." He stated calmly.

Hikaru nodded cheerfully at the complement, but said nothing.

"Hey, what about me?! Did I do good too, Ginny?!" Axel demanded.

"Hell no. You just thought of things that pissed you off." She murmured.

A large fizzle appeared over Axel's PC body's head.

"But that's what you told me to do." He complained.

"Yeah, well you did it wrong anyways." The dragon growled, before turning her attention to the next nearest party of monsters; a large Goblin, and two larger frogs.

Axel glared at Ginny, before turning to Endrance.

"Okay, Endy, what now?" He asked.

Endrance flinched in shock from his new 'nickname', before looking up to the dragons, and back to the party of monsters.

"I would presume that we must fight all of the monsters in the area, to become any stronger with your Guardians." He explained.

"No freaking duh." Ginny muttered, before stomping over to the party, who seemed to be running away from her, rather than towards…

"This is gonna be fun…"

-------------------------------------Lumina Cloth: Registration Counter--------------------------------------

Haseo tapped his foot impatiently. How long did it take to give one person orders?!

Kuhn patted the back of his hair awkwardly.

"C'mon Haseo. You don't need to scowl, as if we've been here for an hour…" The Steam Gunner said, attempting to calm the agitated Adept Rogue.

"Oh, I know that we haven't waited an hour. Only half." Haseo explained sadistically, as the tall Macabre Dancer slowly approached them.

"I apologize for being late." He stated calmly.

"Yeah right." Haseo muttered angrily, before turning back to the receptionist AI, and registering Yata as a part of his team.

"Okay, we're registered. Let's get this over with." Haseo said as he approached the Warp Panel.

It was time to gain some WP…

"An Emperor from the past, struggles to keep his throne, as an unnamed force attempts to steal it away from him! He is back folks, for all of you who have been waiting! The previous Sage Palace Emperor, Haseo, has returned to take another throne!" The commentator howled into his microphone, as wails of cheer from the crowd echoed around the Arena Stadium.

Haseo could not help but allow himself a smug grin. He was possibly the most famous person in the entire 'World', only because of his feats in the Arena. He really had AIDA, and G.U. to thank for that…not that he really needed the fame; considering all of the strange fan-girl posts he'd seen on the BBS…

"All right guys. Are you ready…?" Haseo asked, looking over his shoulder to the rest of his team, and the Secondary team, 'Team Kuhn'.

"I'm ready whenever you are, Haseo!" Kuhn cheered, as he pulled out his gun, and mock aimed it at the captain of the other team, making a 'whoom' sound, as if he shot.

"I-I'll do my best, Haseo!" Atoli stuttered, as she clutched her staff close to her body.

"I'll do my best too, Big brother Haseo!" Bo said shyly, sticking a finger into his mouth, before pulling out his spell book.

"Let's complete this mission." Pi said calmly, as she began to hop back and forth on the balls of her feet, ready.

"Yes. Let us begin." Yata murmured quietly, as he pushed his glasses up his nose again, and stared at his opponents calmly.

Haseo grinned.

"All right then. Let's start this party then…" Haseo murmured with a maniacal grin, scaring a good chunk of the other two opposing teams. "Let's go!"

Haseo launched himself at the nearest enemy as soon as the battle began; ripping out his twin blades, and holding back the Blade Brandier easily. He suddenly feinted to the right, before ducking towards the left, and smashing up at him. The poor guy didn't know what hit him, as he suddenly switched his weapon to his Broad Sword, via the Skill Trigger, and used Armour Pierce.

The Brandier fell to the floor lifelessly, as Haseo jumped at his next target; a Harvest Cleric that Pi was already beating up with her Tiger Strike technique. He quickly smashed the attack button, and slammed her into the barrier, before Pi finished her long combo with one more devastating punch, which finished her off.

Okay, two down… Haseo thought, the adrenaline rushing to his head, as he wheeled around, just in time to block an Edge Punisher's attack.

"Kuhn!" He called, as the Steam Gunner turned his attention from a small Shadow Warlock, and aimed at the large Beastman.

"Thunder Spark!" Kuhn yelled as he shot the attack to his back.

The Beastman roared in agony, before attempting to cleave Haseo in half one more time.

Atoli wouldn't have that though.

"Ap Do!" The Harvest Cleric called, as she raised her staff. A small, green circle flew to Haseo's feet, as the Adept Rogue suddenly dodged away from the Edge Punisher easily.

"Thanks Atoli." Haseo called as he ripped out his scythe, and used Lotus Flower on the unfortunate beast.

He went flying across the field and into the barrier on the other side, only to be suddenly smashed be one of Bo's spells, 'Or Vak Don'.

A series of small fireballs rained down and smashed the poor player multiple times, before finally, a giant fireball hit him, instantly killing him.

Haseo turned his attention to the Shadow Warlock which was now giving Pi a bit of trouble, on the other side of the field, where she was attempting to hammer a second Harvest Cleric into the floor.

He raced towards her, pulling out his twin guns as he did so, and shot her in the back; a medium distance away.

The Warlock screamed in shock, as she was hoisted into the air, and unable to protect herself from any oncoming attacks.

"Hey, Yata!" Haseo howled to the Macabre Dancer, who turned his attention from a short Flick Reaper; allowing Kuhn to take over for him, alongside Bo.

He nodded his head in understanding, before casting 'Rue Kruz' on her. The attack hit head on, as Haseo temporarily stopped himself to reload his guns, before dashing towards her on the decent, only to smash her back up again.

"Thorn Shot!" Kuhn yelled from behind Haseo, as another tech attach hit the Shadow Warlock, finishing her off.

Haseo stopped shooting immediately, before reloading his guns again, until he was suddenly hit from behind by the Flick Reaper, who had managed to get out of Bo's attack range.

He shut his eyes at the Reaper hit him a number of times, before finishing off with 'Reaper's Dance', leaving Haseo's health in critical.

"Damn…" He swore, as he watched the Harvest Cleric, who was just barely hanging on, cast 'Ol Repth' on the Reaper, and he used a 'Revival Medicine' on the Edge Punisher. The Beastman instantly rose, before racing towards Haseo at full speed. Haseo just barely managed to dodge him, holding his side tightly, as he waited for Atoli to finish her healing spell.

"La Pha Repth!" She announced, as multiple balls of blue light flew to each of the Epitaph Users, restoring half of their Full HP, because of the Healing restrictions.

Haseo flashed a thankful look over his shoulder to her, before racing to the Flick Reaper. Time to take this guy out…

-----------------------------------------Sigma Flying Hunted Beast-------------------------------------

Axel was whistling, and it wasn't the 'Star Wars' theme from however long ago that was made… No, he was whistling cheerfully. Not because he had just finished beating every monster in this area. Not because Hikaru was here. Not even because he just took out three unfortunate PKee's. Nope. It was because he had just done all of those with Ginny! ...well…except for the last one…Endrance wouldn't let him…spoil-sport…

"Good job, Ginny! I feel stronger all ready!" Axel laughed.

"Don't call me that, you damn imbecile!" She hollered, making the ground around them tremble a tiny bit.

"Okay, okay, Ginryuu. Good job!" He mused.

"You were expecting LESS?!" The temperamental dragon yelled.

Another small earthquake…

"Not really, but it was awesome!" Axel said, grinning. "You went like, 'boom', and then 'bam', and 'kaboom-boom'!" He exclaimed cheerfully.

"Whatever you say, idiot." Ginny muttered.

"Right back at you, stupid!" Axel said cheerfully.

Ginny stopped walking, and slowly turned her head down, towards Axel.

"WHAT, did you just call me…?" She asked dangerously.

"Oh no…Axel! Do not—" Hikaru warned.

"Stupid." Axel said bravely.

Hikaru sighed exasperatedly, as Ginny roared in furry, before attempting to squish the lot of them with her giant feet. Aurum had to restrain her…

"I apologize for Ginryuu…" Aurum said, as Ginny slammed her head into his chin hard.

"Get off of me, you damn lug!" She howled.

"Yes…we will be leaving now…" Aurum stated as calmly as he could, as the two of them suddenly vanished into a pair of spheres, which quickly retreated into their hosts; the silver one slapping Axel once hard before going into his chest.

Everyone was quiet for a moment, before Axel finally broke the silence.

"…Was it something I said…?"

Hikaru slowly put his head into his hand, and Endrance sighed exasperatedly.

"Let's…just go back to Lumina Cloth, and meet up with the others…" He suggested.

Hikaru nodded in agreement, and Axel only shrugged.

"Whatever you say, El cap-i-tan." He muttered, before racing towards the blue Warp Panel.

Finally…this 'training session' was over…

------------------------------------Lumina Cloth: Registration Counter-------------------------------------

Haseo stepped out of the Warp Panel cheerfully. Considering their level, that team was somewhat of a challenge! He stretched his arms up high, before grinning!

"That was good work, guys." He said, turning around for them to see his face.

The Steam Gunner stepped back in shock.

"H-he's smiling!" He yelled in shock, nearly falling over his two feet.

Haseo's smile turned back to a frown, as he glared at Kuhn.

"I can smile sometimes too, you know." He explained angrily.

"I know! That's what makes it scary!" Kuhn said, before noticing Endrance approach with Axel and Hikaru behind him.

"Hey, Endrance! How's it going? What was your mission…?" He asked, trying to get off of the 'happy' subject.

Endrance blinked for a moment, before looking to Yata, unsure if he was supposed to tell anyone about their 'mission'.

The Macabre Dance calmly nodded his head, and Endrance opened his mouth to speak, but Axel cut him off.

"He taught us how to call our Guardians!" he announced proudly.

"Really…?" Haseo asked, surprised.

"Yes." Hikaru stated.

"Wow, that's wonderful, you two!" Atoli exclaimed, clasping her hands together.

"Yeah, isn't it?!" Axel asked, looking around at all of the Epitaph Users.

"I guess." Haseo muttered, unsure of what to say.

"Indeed, it is a good feat, for one day." Yata added.

"Yeah…by the way…did you guys finish your mission?" Axel asked, interested.

"Yeah, just barely though." Haseo said. "The last party wasn't a push-over…" He explained.

"That, or you all suck." Axel said without thinking, earning himself multiple glares. "Okey dokey then, if you don't need us anymore, Hikki and me are Logging Out!" Axel suddenly announced, and without a second for possible argument, he and Hikaru vanished in a spiralling flash of cyan light.

"Those two have the right idea." Haseo muttered, stretching again. "I'm Logging Out too."

With another flash of spiralling light, Haseo's PC body vanished as well, followed by Endrance, Kuhn, and Atoli. Sakubo was the last to Log Out, leaving Pi and Yata in the cold streets of Lumina Cloth alone. There were no other players, as they were all watching the newest 'Crystal Seraphim' match in the Warrior Palace Tournament.

Pi turned to Yata, but it was him who spoke first.

"Pi, for tomorrow, your mission is the same as Endrance's was today…" He said, his back facing her. "You are to train the player 'Eon', how to summon her Guardian, like the other two have learned today."

"Understood." The Tribal Grappler said calmly. "Is there anything else, Master Yata…?" She questioned.

Yata was silent for a long moment, before looking over his shoulder to her.

"You said that you saw something else on that character's personal data, correct…?" He questioned.

"Yes." Pi said, though not as sure as she would like to be. It was only there for a second, then gone then next…

"I see…your mission will also include getting that information as well, then…" Yata stated, before turning to the Chaos Gate, and beginning to walk towards it at a leisure pace.

Pi was quiet for a long time, just watching Yata leave. Once the light blue ripples had vanished around the tall Macabre Dancer, so slowly walked over to the railing at the side, and leaned against.

"That is my mission…huh…?" She asked herself, starring into the blue-violet sky of Lumina Cloth. She shut her eyes, and let herself relax.

If what she saw in that data was true…it could put all of operation G.U. in jeopardy…not to mention, the girl as well…

Well, how was that? Wasn't Aqua's summon-speech sucky? I know! I tried so hard! XP This chapter ended up being 9600-some words in all…I knew it…these chapters ARE getting longer! DRATS! ...oh well. That just means that I'll be typing a lot more…

Well, I wonder if any of you can guess what Eon's secret is…? Throughout the chapters, if you look very carefully, you might see it… (Though, it is never actually outwardly said or shown...) If not, I guess that you'll find out next chapter…

Again, reviews are welcome, as well as some suggestions.